《The Return of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife》 Chapter 1 Chapter1 Chapter 1 It was midnight, and the raindrops were pounding the window. Inside a house, a man said coldly, ¡°sign the divorce papers! Aspensation, I will give you 100 million dors in alimony.¡± ¡°Did I do something wrong again, Bruce?¡± asked Joanna Haynes timidly. She had always been a humble servant in front of him. ¡°Roxy¡¯s back, and she doesn¡¯t want to see you! It¡¯s time for our marriage to end. So you have to go!¡± Bruce Everett said, crossing his long legs and leaning back on the couch. He was as handsome as a ssical Greek sculpture, but the look on his face was as cool as ever. Joanna¡¯s pale lips quivered as if she had fallen into the icy water. She asked with shock, ¡°You¡¯re divorcing me because she¡¯s back? Is our marriage nothing but a joke to you?¡± ¡°You were not the one I wanted to marry in the first ce, and you drove Roxy away two years ago with your dirty tricks. Now that she¡¯s back, I won¡¯t make the same mistake. Hurry up and sign the papers! 100 million dors for two years of your pathetic life. You should consider it a bargain.¡± Bruce had always been good at hurting her with words. ¡°I¡­ What will happen if I don¡¯t sign them?¡± Joanna asked bitterly. ¡°Suit yourself. I have ways of making you disappear. Legally or not, no one will notice.¡± As heir to the richest family in the Greyport city, Bruce had always been capable of doing whatever he liked. Who would dare to stand up to him anyway? Two years ago, Joanna¡¯s family decided to get connected with the Everetts by marriage. However, at the engagement banquet of Bruce and Roxanne, Joanna¡¯s step¨Csister, the man was drugged. Later in the lounge, Bruce mistook Joanna for Roxanne, and they slept with each other. The next day, the scandal of the Haynes group¡¯s eldest daughter hooking up with her brother¨Cinw was all. over the newspaper. Roxanne Haynes¡® mental state broke, and she was sent to a nursing home abroad for treatment. Everyone took Joanna as the most shameless homewrecker, pointing fingers at her for sleeping with her brother¨Cinw. Bruce hated her even more and decided that Joanna was the one who drugged him and climbed onto his. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. bed. Yet, the Everett family and the Haynes family shared a friendship for generations. Moreover, this marriage was meant to deepen the connection. Hence, the elders of both families, Raymond Haynes and Margaret Everett, insisted on Bruce and Joanna getting married. The past two years of marriage had been a living hell for Joanna. Her tolerance and affection did not make it any better. In return, she got more humiliation and torture. Joanna was exhausted, both mentally and physically. So what if Bruce wanted a divorce? She¡¯d had enough anyway! 574 14:24 Chapter 1 ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll sign them, but I have a request.¡± ¡°Spit it out then!¡± Bruce believed that Joanna was thinking about more money! After all, that was what she, a scheming woman, could only care about. ¡°I want you to sleep with me as a real lover does for once. For the past two years, every time you¡¯ve been with me, you¡¯ve called out Roxanne¡¯s name. Yeah, you¡¯ve made me feel like I¡¯m the worst woman in the world, and I¡¯ve had enough! I¡¯m your wife, and I want you to call out my name while sleeping with me for thest time. I am Joanna, not Roxanne!¡± For the first time, Joanna was screaming hysterically and trembling with anger. Each time in the past two years, Bruce would deliberately call out the wrong name! He had sex with her simply to punish and humiliate her. There was no love in it at all! ¡°Oh, stop the nonsense. There¡¯s someone waiting for me downstairs¡­¡± Joanna snorted with self¨Cmockingughter. Then it probably was Roxanne who was waiting for him downstairs! ¡°She can wait a little longer. She¡¯s been waiting for two years, and I think she can be patient enough for another few minutes. Do what I said or not. Suit yourself. I don¡¯t mind the media writing stories about me again!¡± Bruce hated being threatened the most. His thin lips curled into a sneer. A few secondster, he replied, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it. But don¡¯t you regret it, Joanna!¡± Bruce jerked to stand up, seized her by the blouse, and pulled her over violently. And then¡­ Her stockings were ripped apart¡­ The man did not even give her a warning before hurting her! ¡°AH!¡± Joanna cried, shutting her eyes in pain! Bruce was as ruthless as ever, almost cruel. He never cared if it hurt her or not. Or maybe watching her suffer simply pleased him! Good! Very good! She would remember this, remembering the man¡¯s cruelty to her for the rest of her life. ¡°Joann. Oh, Joann. Are you happy now?¡± He finally called her name as he was on top of her. Though it was quite a humiliation, she could finally get rid of the depression that haunted her for two whole. years. Joanna felt tears streaming down her cheeks as she said in a heartbroken tone, ¡°Bruce Everett! I won¡¯t love you anymore!¡± Bruce had heard what she said but chose to ignore it. He caught her jaw contemptuously, looked down at her face, and sneered! She was¡­ beautiful! This woman had such a pretty and innocent face, but her mind was filled with filth and schemes. That was why her so¨Ccalled love for him would only make him sick. ¡°Sign the divorce papers, take the money, and leave Greyport forever!¡± Having said that, Bruce left without looking back, leaving her lying on the floor in a mess. Two monthster¡­ In a hospital. ¡°Congrattions, Ms. Haynes, you are pregnant with more than one. But I suggest you give up one or two of the fetuses, or there will be too many at risk!¡± Giving up? No, she would not take away the right to live from any of her children! It was her baby and hers alone! One way or another, she was gonna give birth to them and raise them right¡­¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Four yearster. In the intensive¨Ccare unit of a hospital. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we tried everything we could, but Raymond isn¡¯t getting any better. You should go inside and bid farewell to him!¡± Shaun Haynes frowned worriedly and said, ¡°Doc, will you please try something else? If my father can¡¯t make it, all the properties of the Haynes family will be bequeathed to the government¡­ oh, what to do¡­ none of us have even seen Joanna over the years. Damn it, and my father, too. We don¡¯t know what he was thinking. How could he ignore his grandsons who keep him apanied every day while only caring for that wretched daughter of mine!¡± Everyone in the Haynes family was miserable these days. Raymond, Shaun¡¯s father, drafted an odd will on his deathbed. He left 51% of the Haynes Group to his eldest granddaughter, Joanna. As for the other members of the Haynes family, they would inherit only 10%. In other words, Joanna would be thergest shareholder of the Haynes Group. Yet, ording to the additional condition to the will, if Joanna did not show up before Raymond¡¯s death, all the properties of the Haynes family would go straight to the government. So, the Haynes family had been looking for Joanna desperately for these days. However, it was like Joanna had disappeared from the world! No one ever heard from her and saw her even once since she and Bruce got divorced. ¡°The way I see it, that girl is simply going against us on purpose! No one knows where the hell she has been for all those years!¡± Shaun¡¯s second wife, Ingrid Haynes, was cursing furiously, and her face twisted a little.. Back then, she, with the twins in her belly, kicked Joanna and Joanna¡¯s mother out of the family. Then Ingrid gave birth to her third son, thinking that her position in the family was absolutely secured. She had never expected that she would have nothing in the end. Of all three children of hers, the old man still favored that Joanna girl. ¡°Dad, Mom, Grandpa¡¯s awake!¡± ¡°Joann¡­ my Joanna¡­¡± Raymond had been in aa for more than a dozen days. His hours were numbered. And before his death, his only concern was for his eldest granddaughter, Joanna. Joanna had been missing for four years, and that worried Raymond so much. He even suspected that Ingrid might have somehow murdered his beloved granddaughter. ¡°Dad, aren¡¯t Rick, Ryan and Roxy all your grandchildren? Your will is not fair! You basically leave nothing to them! They might as well just go out on the street and beg for a living if you insist on donating everything to the government!¡± Chapter 2 ¡°Joann¡­ Let me see Joann. You won¡¯t get a penny before that¡­¡± Ingrid shouted in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s been four years, Raymond! Who knows where she¡¯s gone? Plus, if she really cares for you, how can she not show up to see you for thest time?¡± A hint of impatience crossed Roxanne¡¯s eyes, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Bruce, do you know where my sister has been?¡± Bruce froze because he did not know the answer to this question. Four years ago, after their divorce, Bruce thought Joanna was going to keep harassing him or at least make a scene! Unexpectedly, the next day, Joanna moved out. She took nothing with her but her IDs, not even the bank card that had 100 million dors in it. And in these four years, there had been no news of her at all. Of course, as proud as Bruce was, he never contacted her either. It had been four years! Still, Bruce didn¡¯t believe she would let go so easily! He had prepared so many ns to get rid of her as long as she showed up. Yet it turned out that he didn¡¯t need any of them! She just disappeared from his worldpletely. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann!¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Grandpa¡¯s dying! Go get the doctors¡­¡± The ECG monitor told everyone that Raymond¡¯s heartbeat was stopping. In tears, his family members all gathered around the bed! They were crying, not for Raymond¡¯s approaching death, but for the properties that were about to be donated! Tap, tap, tap¡­ Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. From the hospital corridor came the sound of high heels! Creak. The door of the ward was pushed open. The one who came in was wearing a custom¨Cmade white suit! A limited¨Cedition bag was in her hands, and the oversized sunsses covered most of her face. Her slender legs were long enough, but the high¨Cheeled shoes. brought them out even more. She walked in with the ice¨Ccold¨Cbeauty sort of vibe, seeming to cause the temperature in the ward to drop a few. ¡°Who is this woman? Did we know her? Who allowed her to be here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me. I¡¯m here to see my grandpa!¡± Joanna took off her sunsses slowly and walked towards the bed. ¡°Joanna!¡± The others all gasped. She had changed so much. Her long dark hair that she used to keep straight had be curly brown. It used to reach her waist, but now Chapter 2 the end of it was dancing around her shoulder. She had changedpletely from the next¨Cdoor sweet girl to a mature, sexy careerdy! What was even more remarkable was that Joanna appeared to be much fitter than before. Meanwhile, the innocence in that pair of eyes had also been emptied. By simply looking into her eyes, one could tell that she must have experienced a lot in the past years! ¡°Joanna? Oh, finally, Joanna! The Haynes family will be ruined if you don¡¯t show up¡­¡± For the first time ever, all the members of the Haynes family were so d to see Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandpa. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte!¡± ¡°Joann,¡± Raymond called out and hardly opened his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m d that you are safe and alive. Oh, I can finally be relieved¡­¡± With that, Raymond reached out, but the next second, his hand fell back on the bed weakly, his head tilted, and his eyes shut! Beep! The ECG was beeping, dering Raymond¡¯s death! ¡°Grandpa? Grandpa!¡± Joanna called out, tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew that her grandpa was the only Haynes that ever cared about her! ¡°Ah,e on, stop those fake tears! You would have been here long ago if you ever cared about grandpa! Now that it¡¯s time to talk about inheritance, you came?¡± said Shaun¡¯s eldest son, Derick. The sarcasm in his tone was obvious. He had never taken Joanna as his elder sister, and now that she was the biggest beneficiary of Raymond¡¯s legacy, Derick hated Joanna even more! ¡°Enough of that. Call someone and get the funeral arranged first!¡± said Shaun. Reasonably grieving as he patted Joanna on the shoulder. ¡°Joann, now that you¡¯re back, move back home!¡± Ingrid¡¯s lips curled in disdain, but she was saying merrily, ¡°That¡¯s right,e and live with us! Also, your grandfather made a will on his deathbed. He wants you to inherit 51% of the Haynes Group. The illness must have confused his brain. How could he leave such arge enterprise to a girl who knows nothing about it? Joann, you¡¯re still young and dumb. Just let your father continue to run the business.¡± Ingrid said it as if Joanna was meant to follow her instructions. Deep down, Ingrid was convinced that Joanna was just as stupid as her mother! By the time Joanna moved back to their house, she would be in Ingrid¡¯s full control. Joanna was expressionless. She said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about that right now. I just want to take care of grandpa first.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re right on this. Raymond¡¯s funeral is the most important thing now. Everything else can be postponed.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Online Free ¨C Chapter 3 Chapter 3 It waste afternoon after the mortuary house picked up Raymond¡¯s body. Joanna walked out of the hospital with the others. ¡°Where do you live? My driver will give you a ride!¡± Bruce said. His voice was kind of hoarse because Joannal had not spoken to him once before this. Joanna smiled politely and shook the car keys in her hand. ¡°Thanks, but I drove here.¡± The indifferent look on her face made it look like she was simply being polite to a total stranger. 1 Yet Roxanne took it that Bruce was hitting on Joanna. Her face fell, and quickly, she held Bruce¡¯s arm affectionately, saying, ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t you move back in with us? At least, you don¡¯t have to be alone, and¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier for me to stay in a hotel. Bye!¡± Joanna waved politely and headed for the underground parking. Soon, a silver Bentley pulled out of the parking lot, and it roared off while in front of the crowd. ¡°It seems that my sister has been living a good life these years! She could enjoy such a rich life without any help from the family.¡± Bruce did not reply. During the four years when Joanna had been gone, for various reasons, Bruce did not marry Roxanne. Moreover, with these four years, he realized that Roxanne was simply not the one for him. The only reason that he did not break up with Roxanne was because of his family. The Haynes family was a wealthy one, but it was nothingpared with the Everetts. However, the elders of both families were close friends. That was why the Everett family had always been taking care of the Haynes family. Except for that, there was another crucial reason. Ten years ago, Bruce nearly drowned while he swam, and it was Roxanne who saved him. Ever since then, he swore that he would love and protect this girl for the rest of his life. ¡°Joann has always been striving since she was just a kid. She is smart and good with men, too. See her fancy. clothes and car? She must have hooked up with some wealthy fellow again. Unlike her, Roxy, you are always stupid and innocent, and people all try to take advantage of you.¡± Ingrid seemed to be praising Joanna, but it was not hard to recognize what she was implying. ¡°Mom, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, I just want you to learn from Joann. Do you see how good she¡¯s been doing? Girls like her are never for us to be worried about wherever she goes. There aren¡¯t many girls as smart as her anymore.¡± Bruce somehow was a little upset. ¡°Ingrid, Roxy, I must go now. I have an important meeting tonight.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. Drive safe, alright?¡± said Ingrid with a ttering smile, afraid of offending her daughter¡¯s promising husband¨Cto¨Cbe. Bruce said nothing more, turned around, and got into a car¡­ Having watched Bruce¡¯s car disappear, Roxanne stamped her foot in anger. Sheined, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, Mom! You should never have put that bitch Joanna in Bruce¡¯s bed six years ago. Bruce never mentions marrying me again. And now that Joanna¡¯s back, what are we gonna do?¡± 14-35 Chapter 3 Ingrid gritted her teeth grumpily. What her daughterined about was what Ingrid regretted the most. She had it all well¨Cdesigned six years ago. First, she had Joanna drugged. Then she sent the girl straight to Bruce¡¯s room, convinced that Bruce was too drunk to do anything. After that, Ingrid informed a group of Paparazzi, suggesting they write a drama about how Joanna threw herself in her brother¨Cinw¡¯s arms. Ingrid did so because she was expecting that once Joanna had brought dishonor to the family, the girl would be deprived of the right of inheritance. Yet she did not expect that it would backfire. Bruce actually slept with Joanna. And then things got out of her hands. Under the pressure of Raymond Haynes and Margaret Everett, Bruce ended up getting married to Joanna. Thinking of this, Ingrid said, ¡°I did it for you, silly girl. Damn it, all because of your grandfather! That old shit has always favored that Joanna. Well, now that the old man¡¯s dead, let¡¯s see who can stand up for her thisN?velDrama.Org ? content. time¡± ¡°But mom¡­¡± Roxanne was still worried. Even though Bruce had been good to her for years, she could see the frigidity in his eyes. The man seldom smiled ever since he divorced Joanna. Over the years, he had totally be a workaholic. Sometimes it took three or two months for Roxanne to see him around once. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That idiot Joanna is just as stupid as that dead mother of hers. We are falling out with her right. now. Not until she gives up her share of the inheritance first¡­¡± Ten dayster, it was Raymond¡¯s funeral. It was drizzling rain. All members of the Haynes family had arrived at the cemetery except for Joanna. On top of that, the finest people in Greyport also showed up to pay their respects. Not to mention the reporters that were gathering outside the cemetery. After all, Raymond Haynes was quite a big shot in Greyport. So, of course, his funeral was well¨C focused. ¡°I heard Raymond willed the eldest daughter of the Haynes family to inherit the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Oh, my god, that girl is really shrewd. She seduced her brother¨Cinw six years ago and forced her sister to leave. Then she became the one marrying into the Everett family instead of her sister, and now she¡¯s the director of the Haynes Group. That¡¯s impressive!¡± ¡°Ha! So what? She¡¯s just a scheming woman. She was kicked out by the Everett family, wasn¡¯t she? Such a woman is simply disgusting.¡± Ingrid was overjoyed when hearing the whispers of the crowd. Trying hard to maintain the sad look on her face, she said, ¡°May I have your attention, please? First of all, I¡¯d like to thank you all foring to Raymond¡¯s funeral, and¡­¡± A reporter cut in, ¡°Mrs. Haynes, is it true that Joanna is going to take over the Haynes Group as the new- leader?¡± Chapter 3 Ingrid paused before replying, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna be disturbed by other things on this extremely distressing day. But for apany as big as the Haynes Group, one man¡¯s word alone can¡¯t take effect. We need a board meeting to pick the right executive director.¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, why isn¡¯t Joanna here on such an important day?¡± ¡°Ha, that¡¯s the question you should ask her¡­¡± While she was saying, outside the cemetery suddenly came the sounds of engines. A stretch limo was making its way into the cemetery, followed by a fleet of Mercedes. ¡°Look at that license te. It seems to be Mr. Grimm¡¯s car!¡± The reporters went all excited and rushed towards the Rolls¨CRoyce. Yes, that car belonged to Jaydon Grimm. There were two well¨Cknown wealthy young men in Greyport. One of them was Bruce Everett, and the other was Jaydon Grimm. He was the second son of the casino magnate in Venturas City, and he also ran an entertainment company called Starlight Media. Several new top stars in the showbiz were all artists under his company¡¯s control. Unlike Bruce, who kept a low profile, Jaydon had always been a man of publicity. The doors of the Rolls¨CRoyce were opened slowly, and Jaydon stepped out first. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really Mr. Grimm!¡± The press swarmed forward like flies smelling blood. After Jaydon got out of the car, he turned to the other side and helped a woman who was dressed all in ck. out of the car like a real gentleman.) ¡°Is this¡­? Wow, it¡¯s Joanna Haynes!¡± ¡°You gotta be kidding. What is Grimm doing with a woman like her?¡± As they were all astonished, one by one, came out two adorable kids wearing tiny ck suits. The boys should be at the age of 3 to 4. And it was like a bomb, igniting everyone¡¯s interest. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 ¡°Oh my God, I don¡¯t believe it! After being kicked out of the Everett family, Joanna hooked up with Mr. Grimm. And they¡¯ve had two kids already¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, are these children yours? What is your rtionship with Joanna Haynes?¡± ¡°When did you two get together?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, is it true that Ms. Haynes is about to take over the Haynes Group as the new executive director?¡± The reports crowded with the popping shbulbs and the swimming mics. Hundreds of securities quickly formed a human wall. Jaydon, who had never been a big fan of interviews, nodded slightly at the crowd of reporters: He was going to answer their questions today. ¡°Ms. Haynes and I are very good friends. Thank you for your concern,¡± This one sentence was enough for the reporters¡® imagination. Joanna and the two boys entered the cemetery under the protection of Jaydon and security. Today was the funeral of Joanna¡¯s grandfather, and she felt it necessary for her children to bid a proper farewell to him. Four years ago, after she divorced Bruce, she gave birth to triplets, two boys and a girl. The girl was supposed toe with Joanna, but the poor kid was born with a disease, and it was not appropriate for her to attend such an asion. So, Joanna only brought her two sons. She and Jaydon stopped at Raymond¡¯s grave and made three deep bows. ¡°Kids, bow to your great¨Cgrandfather.¡± The babies obeyed their mummy and bowed deeply, just as Joanna and Jaydon had done. A warm family of four. ¡°Is that man Mr. Grimm? Jaydon Grimm?¡± ¡°Oh, dear, he¡¯s not secretly married to that lousy woman, is he?¡± ¡°This is shocking, I can¡¯t believe that Mr. Grimm would ept such a woman¡­¡± This scene was irritating Ingrid and Roxanne, not to mention the otherdies present. Jaydon Grimm was nearly every woman¡¯s fantasy. He was born into a wealthy family, and he had grown into a handsome young man with a promising future! Jaydon Grimm was no less influential than Bruce. Yet now it was Joanna, the woman kicked out of the Everett family, who hooked up with Jaydon. How could she get so lucky? What was so charming about her to be with such a fine man? ¡°Joann, em, whose children are they?¡± asked Shaun as he looked at the two boys in shock. ¡°They are my children, dad,¡± answered Joanna as she turned to the boys. ¡°Davian, Irvin, this is your grandpa.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Grandpa!¡± Two boys called out together. What the¡­ All the others were thunderstruck by this shocking news. Ingrid and Roxanne were also freezing, their hearts pounding in horror. These two boys looked so much like Bruce. Especially their eyes. They were basically small versions of the man. Shaun still looked incredulous. ¡°And¡­ who¡¯s their father?¡± he asked with a serious face. Deep down, he was so worried that Bruce was the father! After all, Bruce was now Roxanne¡¯s fiance. Yes, Joanna was also Shaun¡¯s daughter, but unlike Roxanne, Joanna grew up abroad with her mother. It wasn¡¯t until Joanna was 12 years old after her mother died that she was brought back to the Haynes family. Therefore, there was no deep bonding between Joanna and Shaun. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m not trying to me you. But you should at least tell your own family about the big issue, such as giving birth to two kids!¡± Shaun did not look pleased when finding he was a grandfather now. Instead, he looked disgusted. Shaun believed that if Bruce was the father, then Joanna must have meddled in Roxanne¡¯s love life. Even if Bruce was not the father, Joanna was very Chapter 4 likely to use the boys to seize more shares of the family inheritance. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. All in all, this was no good for Shaun. Joanna kept her head down and didn¡¯t say anything. She just wanted to take the kids to see her grandfather off for thest time. As for the other things, she didn¡¯t want to exin too much. By this time, Jaydon had taken a step forward and reached out. ¡°Hi, Mr. Haynes. I¡¯m Jaydon! I¡¯m Joann¡¯s good friend.¡± When Shaun heard this, he gave Jaydon a nce subconsciously, and the next second, his nerves were settled, Shaun never met Jaydon Grimm in person, but the young man¡¯s reputation was well¨Cknown, even for him. Hence, if Jaydon was the father, he could finally be relieved. Hell, he could even celebrate this. ¡°Oh, hello! So, you and Joann? The kids?¡± Jaydon paused for a few seconds, then he replied politely, ¡°Joann and I are very close friends. So I wanted to be here with her and the kids on this grieving day.¡± One could argue that his answer was a little too ¡°official¡± because he neither admitted that he was the father nor denied it. As a matter of fact, highbornds like Jaydon all did things like marrying secretly or having a love child. That happened a lot. However, Bruce, who was standing aside, felt so upset, as if the vessels in his heart were suddenly blocked. Bruce tore his tie loose subconsciously as his handsome face darkened. He and Joanna had merely broken up for four years, but it appeared to Bruce that Joanna¡¯s kids must be at least three years old. In other words, right after Joanna had divorced him, she threw herself into another man¡¯s arms. Or maybe she had long cheated on Bruce while they were still married. No wonder she could walk away without looking back. No wonder she could leave the 100 million dors alimony behind. It turned out that she had found herself a new sugar daddy. Bruce should have known that. Wasn¡¯t she always a scheming woman? If she could somehow sleep with him six years ago, then, of course, she would have been able to seduce Jaydon again. ¡°How shameless!¡± thought Bruce. He was cursing fiercely in his mind. That just cost him thest of his patience. Without saying anything to anyone else, he strode away, ready to leave. ¡°Bruce? Bruce!¡± Roxanne called out when she saw Bruce leaving. Ingrid elbowed her daughter on the shoulder, gesturing for Roxanne to go after Bruce. Thus, Roxanne hurried to leave the cemetery and ran after Bruce. The group of reporters saw Bruce getting out, and they immediately swarmed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, what do you think about the rtionship between your ex¨Cwife and Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°You lived with your ex¨Cwife for two years, but she failed to get pregnant! Do you think the boys your ex¨Cwife brought over today could be yours?¡± ¡°When are you and Ms. Roxanne getting married? Mr. Everett?¡± Bruce had been disturbed without the harassment of the reporters. So he was even more furious right now. His bodyguards quickly stopped the reporters from getting any nearer. ¡°No interviews!¡± Then the bodyguards escorted Bruce into a car ¡°Bruce! Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne followed out, but before she could get in, Bruce¡¯s car pulled out of the parking lot. Reporters turned to Roxanne at once. ¡°Ms. Haynes, when are you and Mr. Everett getting married?¡± ¡°What do you think of your sister taking over the Haynes Group?¡± Roxanne had never been exposed to reporters like this. She froze and stammered, not knowing what to do or say at all. Ingrid, worried about her daughter, dashed over in time. Seeing that Roxanne was surrounded by the press, she stepped forward hastily. ¡°Sorry, sorry, we do not have any interviews today!¡± Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 ¡°Please say something, Mrs. Haynes!¡± the reporters begged for any answer. With a polite smile on her face, Ingrid replied confidently. ¡°Thanks for your concerns, fellows. Mr. Everett and my daughter¡¯s wedding will be held on time. As for when and where, that¡¯s not for me to expose. And I beg you to leave some space for the young ones. Thank you!¡± ¡°What about Raymond¡¯s will then? Is it true that Joanna is going to take over the Haynes Group?¡± ¡°Well¡­ um, of course, that¡¯s not true. That¡¯s nothing but a rumor. The Haynes Group is toorge to be left in an inexperienced girl¡¯s hands!¡± Ingrid knew Joanna very well. Ever since the girl was a kid, she had been a stupid and cowardly pushover. Hence, Ingrid was sure that she was able to manipte Joanna, and thetter would give up the control of the Haynes Group¡­ Meanwhile, Joanna and Jaydon walked out of the cemetery as well. ¡°Joanna, are you about to take over the Haynes Group?¡± ¡°Did Raymond make a will to bequeath the position of head of the family to you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Joanna answered calmly and crisply. This one single word was like a p on Ingrid¡¯s face. ¡°So, Ms. Haynes, is it okay to reveal the contents of the will?¡± 4 ¡°About the will, I¡¯ve delegated full power to mywyer to handle it. There will be a press conference to announce the contents of the will! Thank you. for your concern.¡± Ingrid¡¯s mouth twitched in embarrassment as she red at Joanna with her teeth gritted. ¡°This little bitch,¡± she thought. ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple of years, but she¡¯s not that stupid anymore.¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t say anything in front of the reporters! Did you consult your father about the will? Did you consult the Board of Directors? The old man¡¯s just been buried, and you¡¯re trying to take over your father¡¯s position as Chairman?¡± Ingrid said sarcastically, ring at Joanna. Joanna turned around and looked Ingrid straight in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m just following Grandpa¡¯s wishes. If you have any questions orints, please contact mywyer.¡± With that, Joanna ignored Ingrid and followed Jaydon to his car¡­ ¡°Joanna!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face turned livid. She couldn¡¯t believe that a few years of time could change Joanna so thoroughly. Ingrid was convinced that it must be Jaydon behind her back. Otherwise, with Joanna¡¯s intelligence, she wouldn¡¯t dare to treat Ingrid like that¡­ Three dayster. A board meeting was being held in the Haynes tower. Shaun, Ingrid, Derick, Ryan, and the two other directors, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul, all attended the board meeting as agreed. In addition to them, Bruce was also seen at the board meeting, which did not happen a lot. Bruce owned 15% of the Haynes Group, but he had never been involved in the management of the business. As a matter of fact, he bought his shares purely out of goodwill! ¡°Really strange! Mr. Everett is here as well.¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were eager to fawn on Bruce as if he was the man who actually controlled the Haynes Group. Bruce sat on the chair with a sullen face, noble and aloof, showing little interest in the two men. However, even though he was just sitting there silently, the others were still afraid of him. Soon, Joanna arrived. With ck rimmed sses, she was wearing a ck suit with a white striped shirt underneath. Her hair was also tied up. There was light makeup on her delicate face. Together with the maroon lips, she was all businesslike and gorgeous. Aplete careerdy. ¡°All non¨Cessential personnel, please leave! This is a board meeting, not a family discussion!¡± Joanna nced at Ingrid and her two stepbrothers as she asked them to leave indifferently. Ingrid¡¯s mouth trembled with anger. ¡°Whoa, aggressive, aren¡¯t you? I was almost convinced that you¡¯ve already been the Chairman since you¡¯re acting like one. Everyone here, Joann, is more qualified than you. We are all more capable at least than you of taking over the position of Chairman. The Haynes Group is too much of a big deal to be left in your hands. You think you, an immature girl, are really able to handle it?¡± Derick, being a bad¨Ctemperedd, mmed the table furiously and stood up. ¡°Mom¡¯s right! Who are you to take the Chairman¡¯s seat from Dad? What Chapter 5 have you done for the Haynes Group? You¡¯re just making a fuss here. Grandpa was old, and his brain wasn¡¯t functional anymore. So that doesn¡¯t count. Get out of here, or I¡¯ll kick you out myself¡± Joanna¡¯swyer, Mr. Brycen, nudged his sses and said sternly, ¡°Mr. Haynes, Mrs. Haynes, please mind your manners! Otherwise, my client can sue you for intimidation and libel.¡± ¡°Who are you to bluff me? Can she even afford awyer?¡± Joanna merely nced at Derick coldly and called out to her assistant at the door.. In a moment, eight burly security men came in. Joanna said, ¡°All non¨Cessential personnel, please step out for the time being!¡± ¡°I¡¯m staying! Deal with it!¡± Politely yet also forcefully, the security guards reached out, gesturing for Ingrid and the others to leave. ¡°This is my father¡¯spany. Come and get me if you dare! But I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m not leaving. What are you gonna do about it?¡± Of course, the security staff didn¡¯t really dare to use force. Derick was even more arrogant when he noticed that. ¡°Joanna, who do you think you are, huh? Don¡¯t push me any further. Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind pping you even though you¡¯re a woman.¡± With that, Derick actually pounced on Joanna and was going to smack her in the face. He had always been the bully in the family and the acknowledged heir. Now that his property had been taken away, how could he not be furious? As Derick¡¯s palm was approaching Joanna¡¯s cheek, Bruce lost his temper and jumped to his feet unconsciously. But before he could take any action, Joanna ducked, and Derick¡¯s p missed her. Then, Joanna caught the back of Derick¡¯s palm and gave him a sudden push, causing Derick to smash into the desk. The next second, Derick¡¯s lip was cut, and it was bleeding at once. ¡°What, what are you doing? Oh, Rick! Are you all right?¡± Ingrid was almost wailing when she saw her son bleeding. ¡°Get them out of here.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Haynes!¡± The head of security was no longer polite. Together with him, the others seized Derick and others and sent them out. Joanna took a nce at the blood on her hands and frowned. She said, ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.¡°¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. With that, Joanna walked straight out of the conference room and into the restroom. She got in and turned on the tap. When she was about to wash the blood stains on her hands, the bathroom door was suddenly pushed open. It was Bruce who walked in. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Online Free ¨C Chapter 6 Chapter 6 ¡°This is thedies¡® room. You¡¯re in the wrong ce.¡± Joanna said coldly, continuing to wash the blood off her hands. Bruce scoffed and casually turned on the tap to wash his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve really underestimated you. I thought you were infatuated, and I didn¡¯t expect you to find another customer so quickly¡± Anger shed across Joanna¡¯s eyes, but she didn¡¯t want to continue this conversation anymore. She shook the water off her hand and walked straight. to the door. However, Bruce stopped her at once. He grabbed her by the arm all at once and threw her back violently to pin her against the wall. ¡°Who is your kids¡® father? When did you hook up with Jaydon Grimm?¡± Though they had been divorced for four years, Bruce still thought that Joanna belonged to him. He looked quite arrogant when saying those words. Joanna tried to free herself but failed. Atst, she red at Bruce and spoke up in a voice of cold fury, ¡°Mr. Everett, please show me some respect. If you want to talk about business, please go to the office! If you want to take it personally, however, I have nothing to say to you.¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a sullen sneer as he heard her words. He leaned closer and closer to her. Joanna frowned, but deep down, her heart started racing nervously! This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Back then, Bruce had absolute dominance and control over her. Over those years, she had been deeply traumatized. Though it had been four years, the nerves in her body still retained their fear of him. ¡°Let go of me, Bruce! This is the ce where I work. Don¡¯t you dare¡­¡± ¡°What are you so afraid of? You fear that they might call you a slut for hitting on your ex¨Chusband in the restroom?¡± ¡°Are you insane? I¡¯m warning you. Show some respect!¡± ¡°A slut like you deserves no respect at all.¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, you¡¯re going too far!¡± With that, Joanna started struggling violently. Yet it did not work. Bruce was pinning her arms to the wall, making it impossible for her to struggle! He was so tall and oppressive that Joanna could barely breathe. ¡°Don¡¯t you love it when I do such things to you? Ha, I didn¡¯t expect that after four years, you would still like pretending to be an innocent girl.¡± As he said, Bruce took off her ck¨Crimmed sses and looked into her eyes with a wicked smile. ¡°It¡¯s exactly that look on your face. Oh, I bet Jaydon Grimm loves it, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Joanna waspletely flustered. She shouted, ¡°You psychopath. What are you doing? Stop this¡­¡± Bruce grinned in satisfaction at her panicked reaction. When they were still married, he liked to punish her with his most overbearing a and aggressive method whenever they were in bed. Now that Joanna had found her way to another man¡¯s bed, Bruce was gonna show her the horror of irritating him. ¡°Oh, are you afraid of being seen? You¡¯re afraid that Jaydon Grimm might dump you for this? Just cut it off, Joanna Haynes. Put away your dirty little schemes.¡± Joanna was furious. ¡°Tell me then, Mr. Everett, what my schemes could possibly be?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree while getting divorced? You would leave Greyport forever and nevere back! Why did you break the deal? To make me sick on purpose?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows, the look on his face nearly murderous. What the man cared the most was that Joanna actually came back with her sons with another man. Even though they were divorced, Bruce still felt cheated on and even betrayed. He would stop loving or even abandon anyone or anything at any time! But he just didn¡¯t like the idea of his toy being taken over by someone else. ¡°I came back for my grandfather¡¯s inheritance. What¡¯s it to you? I said, have some respect and let go of me!¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve told you that you don¡¯t deserve any respect, haven¡¯t I?¡± Bruce sneered, his big hands running wild over her body. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re divorced. What¡¯s more, I don¡¯t owe you anything. So don¡¯t insult me like this! Get your hands off of me right now, or I¡¯ll sue you for molestation!¡± ¡°You? Sue me? Don¡¯t make meugh. Anyone in Greyport knows that it was you who drugged me and begged to have sex with me. It¡¯s only been four years, and you forget?¡± ¡°For thest time, I didn¡¯t drug anyone, especially you! I am the victim here. Not you.¡± ¡°Ha! Just keep telling yourself that, will you?¡± Chapter 6 Joanna took a deep breath and calmed herself down. ¡°Fine, whatever you say. I¡¯ve figured it out just now that there are many men out there who are so much better than you! Divorcing you is the best thing that ever happened to me.¡± And that seeded in pissing Bruce offpletely. He jerked his head down and shut her mouth with his furious kiss. That kiss of his had always been full of aggression. Joanna even feared that she would be devoured in whole. ¡°Mm¡­ get your hands¡­¡± The next second, Bruce had raised his head, his eyes full of mockery. He sneered, ¡°Do you actually think that I¡¯ll touch you again? Don¡¯t tter yourself! I won¡¯t have sex with a whore who has been sleeping with the others. It disgusts me.¡± With that, Bruce let go of Joanna resentfully and walked out. Joanna was gasping to catch her breath, finding her face in a mess and her lipstick falling off. ¡°Stop, Bruce Everett!¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¡°What? Are you gonna throw yourself in my¡­¡± Bruce turned around in disdain, only to see a furious Joanna pouncing on him with her high heels in her hands like a lion cub. Before Bruce could know what had happened, he had been hit more than a dozen times. ¡°Why are you always so mean to me? What do I owe you? Huh? Why are you always so arrogant and full of shit!¡± Bruce was so stunned that he forgot to fight back at all. He just stood up straight and took the hit. All the years he had known Joanna, she had always been as timid as amb. She did not even dare to speak too loudly, let alone hit anyone with her shoes. But now, she was striking him with the high heels, which was simply unreal and surprising for Bruce. ¡°Stop that, woman! Don¡¯t force me to fight back.¡± Joanna ignored his threat and kicked it between his legs with all her might. She was not the same weak, cowardly Joanna she used to be. If anyone messed with her, she fought back. ¡°Ow!¡± Bruce was caught off guard and was kicked in the crotch. The paining from the most vulnerable part of him made his eyebrows twitch. ¡°How dare you kick me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kick you again if you continue to offend me. We¡¯d better stay out of each other¡¯s way. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m afraid of you.¡± Silently, Bruce fixed his eyes on Joanna in disbelief. She had really changed a lot. This woman changed from amb to a much wilder little beast. ¡°Oh, you ask for it, woman!¡± Bruce snapped, clutching Joanna¡¯s arm and thrusting her against the sink. He had never been beaten by anyone before. Most importantly, this woman kicked him in his¡­ well, the part that he cherished the most! If he had not been tall enough, he would probably be a eunuch right now. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. This woman must be insane. Bruce pressed her down on the sink. Yet Joanna didn¡¯t want to be outdone! By using her hands and her feet, she never stopped struggling. This was when the bodyguard at the door heard the noise inside and stormed in! ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± said the bodyguard. Then he closed the door hastily with a loud bang. It was not his fault to misread the situation. After all, Bruce and Joanna were indeed in weird positions. The bodyguard stood at the door again and stroked his chest with lingering fear. ¡°Phew, that was close. I almost interrupted Mr. Everett. I didn¡¯t expect that after four years, Ms. Haynes is still so good with men. Hmm, that¡¯s something about that woman. She still managed to hook up with her ex¨Chusband even though she¡¯s now with Mr. Grimm! Oh, man, poor Mr. Everett. He has fallen in the same trap of that woman twice now.¡± Joanna, pale and disheveled, pushed Bruce away angrily ¡°Bruce Everett, you¡¯re insulting me as well as yourself. If you disrespect me again, don¡¯t me me for being rude. What is between us is purely business. I don¡¯t want anything to do with you in private.¡± Bruce snorted with scornfulughter. ¡°You think I want to have anything to do with you? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± He ran the wealthiest family in Greyport. He was a star. Countless people tried desperately to tter him. And this was the first time in Bruce¡¯s life that he had ever heard anyone say no to having a rtionship with him. It seemed that he had made the right decision toe here today. ¡°Just you wait, you scheming woman. I¡¯ll make your life miserable!¡± With an evil smile, Bruce adjusted his tie and strode out of the bathroom with his long legs. Back to the conference room. Joanna, who had fixed her makeup, pushed the door open and drew everyone¡¯s attention at once. They were all looking at her with profound contempt Bruce slouched back in his chair. The way his thumb yed with the corners of his lips made the others believe at once that he just had sex in the restroom and was now savoring the moment. Chapter 7 Joanna had history, and together with the fact that she happened to be in the restroom, too, the others were convinced that these two had had it a go. After all, that was exactly what Joanna did to Bruce six years ago, and by doing so, she forced his sister to leave and marry into the Everett family herself. Of course, Joanna noticed the meaningful looks on their faces. Her face fell, and her mood was at its worst. ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± she said crisply. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul put on serious faces at once and sat up a little straighter. Shaun, with a livid face, squinted at Joanna for a second and then threw a nce at Bruce. He was so mad. To be honest, he never liked his eldest daughter. Shaun made up his mind that if Joanna dared to mess with the rtionship between Roxy and Bruce again, he would cut off from Joanna for sure. ¡°Joann, most here are elder and more experienced than you. So don¡¯t be so serious. It¡¯s Rude. Meanwhile, Dad has talked to Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul. We all agreed that you coulde to work here, but you need to start at the bottom. Once you get familiar with the operation and management, we can consider¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s pretty face sank, and she cut Shaun off. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m calling a board meeting today because I have an announcement to make. As of next month, I will inherit 51% of the Haynes Group in ordance with my grandfather¡¯s will, taking over as the executive director. At the same time, there will be some changes in personnel management. So I want you all to get ready for it.¡± Shaun¡¯s face darkened when he heard this. It seemed that his eldest daughter was not only going to destroy her sister¡¯s romantic rtionship, but she was also gonna im the property that belonged to her two brothers. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re too young and simple. Running apany is not as easy as you think it is.¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul also sneered. ¡°Joann, the Haynes Group is your grandfather¡¯s life¡¯s work, and we all have put much work into it over the years. It¡¯s not child¡¯s y, and it¡¯s not that we look down on you. It¡¯s just a simple truth that a little girl with no experience can not bear such a heavy burden.¡± Joanna gave them a confident smile after hearing so. Then from the briefcase, she drew out of a few stacks of documents and had her assistant distribute them to the others. ¡°Here¡¯s my experience from overseas. If you¡¯d like to see it.¡± ¡°Director of nning and vice¨Cpresident of CI Technologies¡­¡± When seeing this, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul looked up at Joanna in disbelief. CI Technologies was one of the top 50 globalpanies in the world. It mainly focused on the research and development of new technology projects. such as robots. Meanwhile, CI Technologies also covered the fields such as automobiles, electrical appliances, and even jewelry. And it turned out that Joanna was the director of nning as well as the vice¨Cpresident of Cl. How was that possible? Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 ¡°I was vice¨Cpresident of CI Technologies, in charge of domestic operations. Here are the financial statements for thest three years. I think you¡¯ve heard that CI¡¯s profits in this region have increased in thest few years.¡± The others were even more shocked when hearing this. Cl was too well¨Cknown in the whole world to ignore any information about it. And to be the vice¨Cpresident of CI Technologies at such a young age, luck was required, but it was not gonna happen without abilities. ¡°Wait a minute. You can¡¯t be the famous Ms. Haynes of CI Technologies, can you?¡°. Joanna smiled confidently and replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Now, everyone was too astonished to say anything. Even Bruce was surprised. Ms. Haynes of CI Technologies was a rising star in the business world in thest two years. It was said that Ms. Haynes and her team made CI Technologies¡® domestic sales grow 55% in just two years. Who wouldn¡¯t like a real genius like that? Joanna was a dual citizen. So no one ever expected that Ms. Haynes of CI Technologies was actually Joanna who was kicked out of the Everett family. ¡°I believe in myself to run the Haynes Group well. By the way, my team will join the Haynes Group with me. Also, I¡¯ve taken over CI¡¯s sole agency in Greyport. In the next few years, the Haynes family won¡¯t have to worry about the supply of materials. Moreover, we¡¯ll be working with Cl on new projects together.¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul¡¯s faces lit up with bright smiles at once. ¡°Oh, my, this is¡­ oh, what a surprise. Many have failed to get a sole agency agreement with CI, but Ms. Haynes got it for us. I just never dreamed that we could work with Cl. Well, since¡­ Mr. Raymond Haynes has chosen a rightful sessor. We have no problem with that.¡± The Haynes Group had been losing money for years with Shaun as the Chairman. The board of directors had a lot ofints against him already. Unlike Shaun, as soon as Joanna returned, she had turned the tables for the Haynes Group. Now that with Cl on its side, the Haynes Group wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything for at least the next few years. So, of course, they wanted Shaun to be removed as Chairman. Shaun¡¯s face went livid. He said, ¡°Joann, you can be the Chairman of the board. I don¡¯t have a problem with that. However, I still suggest that you start at the bottom. It¡¯s not a bad thing to have more experience. Or, you don¡¯t want to start at the bottom. It¡¯s fine to start as a department head or a manager¡­ ¡°But never the chairman,¡± thought Shaun to himself. If Joanna became the Chairman, what about him? What about his two sons? Shaun valued his sons more in the first ce. Not to mention the fact that Joanna had grown up without him around. There was no bonding between the father and daughter at all. Therefore, he would never want most of the assets to fall into Joanna¡¯s hands.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to say anymore. I¡¯m just following Grandpa¡¯s wishes. If I can¡¯t increase the Haynes Group¡¯s profits by more than 20% in three years while I¡¯m in the office, I¡¯ll resign and stay out of business forever.¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes, at least give your daughter a chance to give it a try. I support her anyway¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that either.¡± ¡°Joann, you¡­¡± Shaun staggered as he kept throwing nces at Bruce, begging Bruce silently to say something for him. However, Bruce just sat there still. He said nothing nor took any side. The money he put on the Haynes Group was just too little for him to pay any attention to. Thus, he didn¡¯t want to waste his time and energy on this matter. Yet he didn¡¯t mind Joanna bing the Chairman. After all, this was nothing but a game to him. It would be more interesting if Joanna was the Chairman. By then, he would give her some really good lessons. ¡°Mr. Everett, what do you think?¡± Bruce smiled and shrugged, ¡°I¡­ well, I¡¯m okay with that.¡± ¡°You see, even Mr. Everett agreed, let alone us. Mr. Haynes, you should vacate the office for Ms. Haynes as soon as possible and allow her to take over your work at hand.¡± Shaun waspletely dumbfounded when he heard that. How could Bruce agree to let Joanna be the Chairman? Shaun had expected the young man to side with him. But Bruce only turned out to be his last straw. His position as Chairman of the board was taken away. Chapter 8 ¡°Good for you, Joann, good for you. It seems that of all these years, I¡¯ve raised you for nothing. You want to rece your own father? Is there any humanity left in you? Ever since you were a kid, you¡¯ve been the most rebellious one. Six years ago, you brought shame on the whole family by bing the joke that everyone in Greyport knew. And now youe back to steal everything from us. You, oh, you¡¯re such a disgrace.¡± Shaun started moral ckmailing Joanna, and he went out of control, pointing the finger at Joanna and swearing. Whatever the cost, he needed to keep the Haynes Group for his two sons. At the very least, if he had to hand over the Haynes Group to his daughters, he¡¯d hand it over to Roxanne instead of Joanna. Joanna knew very well what her father was nning. It hurt her, but on the surface, she kept a poker face. She said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m just getting my grandfather¡¯s inheritance. If you have anyints, you can talk to mywyer. Also, I don¡¯t want you to be involved in the management of the Haynes Group anymore. Money based on the annual profit will be transferred into your private ount every year.¡± Joanna had never spent a penny of her father¡¯s money ever since she was a kid nor felt any fatherly love from him. At the age of twelve, she returned to Greyport after her mother died. During that time, she stayed at boarding school and rarely returned to the Haynes, even during the holidays. Back then, all her expenses wer Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 ¡°Joann, did I hear it right? You¡¯re going to kick me, your own father, out?¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Joanna looked at Shaun coolly. ¡°I¡¯m not kicking you out. It¡¯s that you are not fit to be in the Haynes Group anymore!¡± Nowadays, the Haynes Group was crammed with Ingrid¡¯s all kinds of rtives. These people all came here to ck off. The Haynes Group would go down sooner orter if Joanna didn¡¯t get rid of them. ¡°Good, very good! What a dutiful daughter! What a misfortune for my family! I have raised you for nothing. How could I have given birth to¡­ to such an ungrateful person like you!¡± Shaun pounded the desk angrily, hoping that it was Joanna¡¯s head that he was banging. ¡°Dad, for so many years, you have never really raised me. I have never spent a penny of your money. So please, don¡¯t say that you raised me or anything like that ever again!¡± Shaun was so mad that he was speechless for a moment. It was true that he never loved or cared about Joanna. At first, Joanna was just an independent kid who required no concern from Shaun at all. Hence, over time, hepletely ignored his daughter. ¡°Also, I just want to fulfill my grandfather¡¯s dying wish, to get the Haynes Group into the world¡¯s top 500 businesses. I have no intention of kicking anyone out!¡± Bruce was amused by her words and let outughter. He sneered at her, ¡°Quite ambitious, Ms. Haynes! Still, confidence is one thing, but arrogance is another. Are you sure you can turn the Haynes Group into a Fortune 500pany? What if you can¡¯t?¡± Bruce propped his arms on the desk, his face full of scorn. His face was so handsome that no one could resist his charm. However, when matched with the look on his face right now, it was simply so irritating! Joanna heaved a sigh, suppressing her anger. ¡°Together, we will seed in anything. I believe that the Haynes Group can be flourishing in a short time!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Since Ms. Haynes is so confident, let¡¯s sign a bet¨Con agreement! Within three years, if you can turn the Haynes Group into a Fortune 500pany, then my shares will be distributed as benefits to everyone! Yet, if you can¡¯t, then by agreement, you will quit the Haynes Group unconditionally!¡± Indignant with the man, Joanna gritted her teeth. Bruce¡¯s offer was quite vicious. The Haynes Group had beennguishing over the years. Getting into the world¡¯s top 500 was Joanna¡¯s final goal, but that would easily cost her a decade or more. But she wanted to achieve her goal within three years. That was impossible! Having heard Bruce¡¯s proposal, Shaun was thrilled, his eyes full of admiration. ¡°Yeah, Mr. Everett is right! Running such a bigpany is not as easy as you think! If you are willing to sign the agreement, I¡¯ll allow you to rece me. But first things first! If you fail in three years, you are going to hand over all your shares in the Haynes Group!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were slightly raised, and he looked at Joanna with a faint smile. ¡°So? Do you have the guts to sign it?¡± ¡°Three years are not enough to¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t have the confidence, just say it. Don¡¯t get yourself so many excuses!¡± Joanna, irritated by his challenge, replied while resisting the urge to strike Bruce in the face, ¡°Bruce, why should I sign it? You own 15% of the Haynes Group, and I own 51%. You want to bet your 15% against my 51%? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair?¡± ¡°Unfair? Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯ll increase the profits by more than 20% in three years, or you will quit? So why not make it more fun? Here¡¯s the deal, if you can do it on time, I¡¯ll put another 200 million dors on the Haynes Group in addition to my shares!¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were ecstatic when hearing it. Such good terms were really beneficial for them. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, Joanna said. Bruce smiled and stood up slowly. ¡°All right, you have ten minutes to think about it. My time is valuable. So I don¡¯t have days to be wasted on you.¡± Bruce¡¯s gloating grin got Joanna¡¯s fists clenched. Her face was pale with anger, and the veins in her temples were bulging. However, the angrier she got, the happier Bruce was. From the day Joanna climbed onto his bed, Bruce had made up his mind to step on her for the rest of her life. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a smoke. Take Your Time!¡± Bruce said, swaggering out of the conference room. He opened the door. Chapter 9 The next second, Bruce saw a charming man in a well¨Ctailored suit standing outside.. It was Jaydon! ¡°Sorry, did I interrupt your meeting?¡± Jaydon smiled and held out his right hand politely. The smile on Bruce¡¯s face vanished at once as he red at Jaydon with hostility. Seeing that he had no intention of shaking hands, Jaydon awkwardly withdrew his hand. ¡°I¡¯m here to pick up Joann. The kids miss her too much. So I had no choice but to bring them here as well.¡± Bruce¡¯s face fell. Then without a word, he strode arrogantly past Jaydon.. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± asked Joanna. When she saw Jaydon at the door, she was surprised. So Joanna hurried out of the conference room. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you. Davian and Irvin missed you. So I took them here.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Davian and Irvin ran over. ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t have been here.¡± ¡°Mommy, we missed you! What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± Irvin ran over and grabbed Joanna by the leg all at once. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 ¡°Mommy is still in a meeting. You need to go home. After the meeting, I will go back to be with you, is that alright?¡± Davian stuck his hands in his pockets, and his face was extremely serious. ¡°Mommy, Irvin, and I are worried that you might be bullied. We are going to stay here and protect you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she couldn¡¯t help smiling and said, ¡°My dear, thank you, boys. But Mommy really needs to finish the meeting first!¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ll distract Mommy by staying here!¡± ¡°Well¡­ sure, you go to the meeting first, Mommy, and we will wait for you here! I will take care of Irvin and not make any trouble!¡± Although Davian was only three years old, he was unusually intelligent. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not going anywhere, Mommy!¡± agreed Irvin. He was a sharp¨Cwitted kid, very good at observing, and his character waspletely different from his elder brother. When the two kids were on their phones, they read a lot of posts online attacking their mom. That worried them. Hence, the kids specially came here to protect their Mommy. They wanted to know who the viins were picking on their sweet mother. ¡°No one bullies Mommy Mommy is Supergirl!¡± Joanna said with a smile. She always tried tofort her children, protecting them from any trauma. Being a mother changed Joanna the most. For the sake of her three children, she must be strong. Jaydon smiled gently and patted Joanna on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Joann! I will stay here with Davian and Irvin!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ all right! Thank you so much!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me at any time. Just go about your business! And if you need any help, just let me know!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± With Jaydon here, Joanna felt her back being guarded! While hiding in the corner of the corridor to eavesdrop, Bruce felt so ufortable, as if Joanna had cheated on him. It was so humiliating- Joanna slept with him for two years without getting pregnant at all! Yet it seemed that right after he divorced her, she had two bastards. What would the others think of him then? There might be a lot who were convinced by this that he, Bruce Everett, had a physical deformity or something ¡°Time¡¯s up!¡± said Bruce sourly as he was striding over. ¡°Are we having the meeting or not? This is a company, not a yground! If you¡¯d rather be a housewife, go home with these boys!¡± Then, with his long legs, he strode madly across Jaydon and Joanna right between them. Still, that was not enough to ease his anger inside. ¡°Joanna Haynes, I will make you regret it! How dare you cheat on me! And the two bastards as well! I¡¯ll teach them a lesson. Bruce thought furiously. It was true that they had been divorced. But the strong impulse of possessing Joanna again was driving him mad. He believed that Joanna was his private property. Joanna was bumped by Bruce, and because of her high heels, Joanna almost fell. Jaydon reached out in a hurry and held her in his arms. That irritated Bruce even more. How dare they y a sweet, lovely couple in front of him? Very well then! He was gonna fuck them all! ¡°Are you okay, Joann?¡± ¡°Mommy! Are you okay?¡± Both Davian and Irvin ran to her at once. Irvin, as a thoughtful, sweet boy, actually squatted down and massaged Joanna¡¯s ankles with his chubby little hands. Joanna smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°How about your ankle?¡± Jaydon grabbed Joanna by Joanna¡¯s waist and bent ?ver to check on her ankle with concern! ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Joanna stood up and gave Bruce a disgusted look. ¡°What are you looking at? Come on in for the meeting! My time is precious, and I don¡¯t want it to be wasted any longer!¡± That, however, infuriated Davian at once. ¡°Stop right there!¡± the little boy shouted rather adorably. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Chapter 10 Bruce raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked down at the little one across from him. Davian cocked his head and pointed angrily at Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, you! You gotta apologize to my Mommy!¡± Bruce sneered with disdain. No one in Greyport would dare even to speak to him like that! However, it was still a kid after all. So Bruce merely snorted impatiently. ¡°You¡¯re a bad guy! And I won¡¯t let go of bad guys who bully my Mommy!¡± Davian¡¯s face turned red with fury as he seized Bruce¡¯s trousers. ¡°Get your hands off of me, you little shit!¡± ¡°I am no shit! You are shit! You are a piece of big shit!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Joanna, get some control over your son! I won¡¯t me kids for being rude, but if their parents don¡¯t know any better, I won¡¯t hold back!¡± Hastily, Joanna caught Davian in her arms and said, ¡°Davian, listen to Mommy. Mommy¡¯s fine. Go back with Irvin.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Davian. We can¡¯t bother Mommy right now! Let¡¯s go back to the hotel first!¡± whispered Irvin after pulling his brother over. Finally, Davian calmed down a little, and he shouted at Bruce, ¡°This is not the end, you bad, bad man!¡± Then he turned to Joanna. ¡°Bye, Mommy, we are going back.¡± ¡°Yeah, be careful.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°I¡¯ll drive them back first. Call me if you need anything.¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°I will. Thank you, Jaydon.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s go! Say goodbye to Mummy.¡± ¡°Bye, Mommy.¡± ¡°Bye, boys.¡± Jaydon smiled. Hands in hands, the three of them headed for the elevator. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the meeting!¡± Bruce got back into the conference room, and Joanna followed him in. ¡°Now, have you thought it over? Are you ready to sign this agreement?¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly, with a casual look on his face. But deep down, his heart was filled with such a rage that he wanted to kill everyone right now. Shaun tugged his suit and said impatiently. ¡°Joann, if you sign it, I will let you be the chairwoman! However, I must warn you that I don¡¯t think you can fulfill that promise. By then, you¡¯ll lose everything and bring more shame to the whole Haynes family. Then that timees, I will cut off from you as well. Of course, if you give up the shares right now, you are still my beloved daughter, and as your father, I will definitely treat you well!¡± Everyone knew what Shaun was implying He was threatening Joanna. If Joanna was determined to rece him, then the father¨Cdaughter rtionship hade to an end. Joanna felt a chill rising within for no reason. First, it was the obstruct from her ex¨Chusband, and now, her own father started moral ckmailing her as well. This was definitely a tough moment! ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll sign it. However, I have a request! I need all shareholders to be absolutely cooperative with my work.¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re the biggest shareholder anyway. Of course, we¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Well, it seemed that at least you¡¯ve got balls. Alright, I¡¯m going now that the meeting is over. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll have mywyer send over the bet on agreement.¡± Then Bruce stood up and walked out of the room, leaving everyone else behind as if he was the boss here. In his mind, he had sentenced Joanna to be punished! ¡°Since you bite off more than you can chew, I¡¯ll make you choke!¡± Bruce thought. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul also stood up and shook hands with Joanna. ¡°We believe in you, Ms. Haynes. We expect you to lead the Haynes Group to another level!¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°I hope we all find working together enjoyable!¡± Ignoring Joanna¡¯s words, Shaun just snorted and walked out of the conference room in anger. Downstairs in the lobby. Ingrid and her two sons noticed Shaune out with a sullen face, and they hurried over. ¡°Honey, how¡¯s it going?¡± asked Ingrid. Shaun heaved a long sigh, ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s go home first.¡± Ingrid caught up with him hastily, worried as hell. She asked, ¡°So how did the meeting go? Joanna still won¡¯t give up her shares?¡± ¡°This wretched girl not only refuses to give up her shares, but she wants to kick all of us out. I¡¯ve already been fired by her!¡± Shaun sputtered, taking his inhaler from his pocket and spraying it down his throat. Joanna might be his daughter, but deep down, this man never took her as his family. ¡°What a bad woman!¡± said Derick through his gritted teeth. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not really going to let Joanna rece you, are you?¡± ¡°So what if I don¡¯t agree? She took it from me anyway! She¡¯s just determined to be the chairwoman!¡± Ryan was also indignant and said, ¡°Who the hell does she think she is? Oh, we can¡¯t just watch her taking everything away while doing nothing! The Haynes Group belongs to us. Why should she take it?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll sue her for stealing our things if we have no other ways!¡± Shaun sighed again, ¡°She has your grandfather¡¯s will. So there¡¯s no point in going to court! Who would have thought that she would have hired all four topwyers in Greyport? With them watching over the will, we will lose for sure. You just need to know that she¡¯s now the chairwoman, and that¡¯s final But then again, although they had lost control of the Haynes Group, the Haynes family would not go down because of this. That was because, except for the Haynes Group, they still got dozens of other properties and estates. And in a bustling city like Greyport, that meant tons of gold. They also owned a whole office building. Let alone their deposits in their private ounts. Even if they decided to ck off for the rest of their lives, that was far from enough for all of them to live comfortable lives. However, who would say no to more money? Money? The more of the green bills, the better. Ingrid was now furious. She even started panting angrily like a cartoon character due to her rage. ¡°Joanna¡¯s gone too far! No, I won¡¯t endure this while doing nothing! The Haynes Group is ours, and I will never allow an outsider to take it away¡­ Chapter 11 As she was saying, Joanna, Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the others came out of the elevator. Ingrid saw Joanna, and she rushed up to her at once. ¡°Joann, how could you be so vicious? You kicked your own father out of thepany! How can you be so ungrateful to your family?¡± Ingrid was shouting fiercely as she tried to seize Joanna. Joanna¡¯s security caught her immediately and warned her, ¡°Ma¡¯am. Please, you¡¯re making a scene!¡± ¡°I own thispany! I¡¯ll make scenes whenever I like. So shut your mouth! Now, speak to me, Joanna Haynes! You shameless thing! You seduced Roxy¡¯s fiance years ago. And now you came back to steal thepany from us. You¡¯re so shameless! And you deserve to be thrown out by the Everetts!¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened, and she said, ¡°Calm yourself before I¡¯m forced to hurt you, Ingrid.¡± ¡°Oh, how dare you threaten me? Do you think I¡¯m gonna sit here and watch you take everything away from me? No way!¡± Ingrid was like a maniac, screaming and yelling in the lobby. Atst, Joanna decided to better not waste her time on such a woman, and she ordered her bodyguards to escort her out. Outside the Haynes tower, there had already gathered numerous reporters. ¡°Joanna! Please say something!¡± ¡°Are you taking over as chairwoman of the Haynes Group today?¡± ¡°No interviews today, thank you.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Security stopped the reporters so that Joanna could get in the car. Then Ingrid and the others followed Joanna out as well. The reporters surrounded them at once. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, can you tell us what has happened?¡± Ingrid took a deep breath and tried to keep her fairdy image in front of the public. She said, ¡°What happened is that we, the Haynes, have raised an ungrateful girl who has turned her back on all of us today! She even has no mercy even for her own father!¡° Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 ¡°Mrs. Haynes, what do you think of Joanna¡¯s rtionship with Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Rumor has it that Joanna¡¯s bought into Starlight Media. Is it true?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her private business. You should ask her!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face darkened, and she was in no mood for an interview! ¡°Stealing men from other women and taking away properties from others. That kind of thing happens a lot. However, you need to see through all these. The Grimm family is a very respectable one! Will they allow a woman like that to marry their heir? Let¡¯s wait and see!¡± That, to the press, was a bombshell! As long as it was interesting enough for the public, they didn¡¯t care at all if it was the truth or not.. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Ingrid¡¯s not gonna let Joanna steal the thunder from her own daughter. As a matter of fact, this was exactly why Ingrid moved against Joanna six years ago! Joanna had been so excellent and eye-catching that Roxanne would never really shine with her around. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, when exactly will Ms. Roxanne and Mr. Everett¡¯s wedding be held?¡± ¡°Right, about that, it¡¯s been four years since the news of their engagement. Why hasn¡¯t there been a wedding? Will their rtionship be affected by Joanna?¡± ¡°How is that possible? Roxy and Mr. Everett have always loved each other deeply! You know, young fellows, they have to go through something first. before their rtionship gets stronger! Hence, though there are people who are trying to sabotage things, it won¡¯t work out as they expected!¡± Ingrid said sarcastically, not giving any more interviews. Then her bodyguards escorted her back into the car. Not long ago, Ingrid had already bribed several reporters and online celebrities. If everything went well, Joanna was gonna be trending tomorrow. She failed to ruin Joannapletely six years ago, but this time, Ingrid would make sure that Joanna would never get back on her feet again. Inside Ingrid¡¯s car. Ingrid¡¯s chest rose and fell violently due to her fury, and she kept swearing. ¡°How could she be so lucky! She has just been kicked out of the Everett family, but the Grimm family takes her back in!¡± ¡°Mom, for the sake of your blood pressure, calm down and drink some water!¡± Roxanne handed over a bottle of water and looked at Ingrid, a little scared. Ingrid took the water from her and shot Roxanne a disappointed look. ¡°You¡¯re letting us down, Roxy. You¡¯ve been Mr. Everett¡¯s fiancee for years, and you still are! We don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to marry into the Everett family. Why can¡¯t you just learn from me?¡± Roxanne was so upset that her eyebrows were knitted. She wanted to marry Bruce as soon as possible. But if the man never brought this up, it would be improper for her, ady, to mention it at all. Ingrid poked her daughter in the head and said, ¡°You silly girl. You can¡¯t even handle a single man! You see how Joanna did? She gave birth to two boys without noticing anyone. You should consider getting pregnant as well! Your wedding can¡¯t be dyed any longer!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face turned scarlet when she heard that. Only because she was so afraid to tell her mother that Bruce had not touched her once up until now. All these years, she had been maintaining the image of an innocent maiden, and she kept telling Bruce that she would have sex with Bruce only after their wedding It was meant to keep Bruce lured! After all, for men, the harder to get, the more precious it appeared to them. But somehow, as time went by, Bruce seemed to lose all his interest in her! When Roxanne noticed that and hinted to the man that it was okay to be wild sometimes, the man actually replied that he would show his respect to her and never touch her until the wedding night. ¡°Mom¡­ Bruce and I, well¡­¡± Roxanne was at a loss for words. By now, she had finally realized something was wrong with her rtionship with Bruce. Since her mother was good with these kinds of things. Roxanne decided to tell her the truth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Ingrid asked, staring at her daughter with her eyes wild open. ¡°He¡­ Roxanne bit her lip, feeling so embarrassed. ¡°Oh, just spit it out, will you? I¡¯m your mother! You can tell me everything, alright?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just trying to tell you that I¡¯m not gonna get pregnant since he has never slept with me!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ingrid spat out the mouthful of water that she had just drunk! ¡°Are you kidding me right now? It¡¯s been six years, and you had never slept with him? Not even once?¡± Chapter 12 ¡°Mom, you taught me to y hard to get! You said I have to keep them in suspense.¡± Ingrid was so mad that she actually felt a twitch in her liver. She patted herself on the chest while saying angrily, ¡°you are so stupid! I told you to y. hard to get, but I didn¡¯t tell you to y impossible to get! I just want you to keep him in suspense so that he knows that you¡¯re not a cheap whore! That¡¯s all! Besides, how much money do you think he has? How many women do you think are trying to hook up with him every day? If you keep this going, who knows if he will go for some other bitches for his needs!¡± ¡°Huh? Are you serious?¡± ¡°You think you know men better than I do? Say no more, silly girl. I want you to go straight to the man later! I don¡¯t care what you do. You must make him sleep with you tonight!¡± Roxanne bit her lip, tom by her thoughts. ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear what follows ¡®but! Just listen to your mother and take the initiative! Stop being a medieval maiden!¡± ¡°Mom, what if Bruce says no?¡± Ingrid¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What do you mean he says no? No man will refuse to getid! Oh, you are making me so worried! If you were half as smart as me, you would have be Mrs. Everett long ago! Don¡¯t go home with us tonight! I¡¯ll have the driver take you straight to the Everett Family!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ingrid calmed herself down a little, but at the thought of Joanna, the anger rose again. ¡°That Joanna bitch. She¡¯s too stupid to mess with me! Don¡¯t worry, Mom¡¯s Here! She¡¯ll never take away the title of the Lady of Greyport ever again¡­¡± Joanna, who had left the Haynes tower after the meeting, returned to her hotel room exhausted. This was a six-star hotel. Joanna had a suite here, and she had paid for months. She even hired three nannies to look after the children. It was not that she couldn¡¯t afford a house. At the moment, the convenience of the hotel was more important to her! ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± Seeing her at the door, the two little boys ran towards her. ¡°Yeah, Mommy¡¯s home!¡± Joanna bent down to stroke her sons¡¯ heads first before putting on the slippers.. ¡°And Lilia, how is she?¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 ¡°Lilia has just woken up!¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy¡¯s going to check on her first, alright?¡± Joanna changed her clothes, washed her face and hands, disinfected herself, and then finally went to her daughter¡¯s room. ¡°Lilia, Mommy¡¯s home!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Lilia Haynes was lying in bed, a big, bright smile on her skinny little face. The little girl had been hurt by a congenital heart defect and hemolytic anemia ever since she was born. The hemamebas in her body were poorly hematopoietic. So she would need to be transnted with new hematopoietic stem cells after some time. For more than three years, poor Lilia had been lying in bed, unable even to stand up once. Her skin was covered with needle marks and scars. The hospital bills and the cost of follow-up treatments were a heavy burden, and they also pushed Joanna to go forward. Joanna¡¯s biggest wish was that her daughter could recover one day, and she could see Lilia standing up. ¡°Lilia, does it still hurt?¡± Joanna was holding her daughter¡¯s thin hand, and her heart was twitching with pain. Whenever Joanna saw her daughter, she would have to try so hard to prevent the tears from welling up in her eyes. Lilia shook her head slightly. ¡°Not anymore.¡± Joanna was chewing her upper lips to fight the great sadness inside. Her daughter had just had a major operation. The kid must pretend to be fine. ¡°Mommy, can I have some choctes?¡± Lilia begged weakly. The little girl¡¯s mouth was filled with bitterness that was brought by the medicine during the operation. And she would like to eat something sweet. ¡°Oh, Lilia, you know you just had your pills. How about this? When you get better, Mommy will buy you a whole pack of chocte!¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes glittered with expectation when hearing this. She nodded obediently. ¡°But is it okay if I have a look at the chocte, then? I won¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, you can.¡± Joanna put a piece of chocte in her little girl¡¯s hand. ¡°I won¡¯t eat it, Mommy, not until I¡¯m better.¡± It broke Joanna¡¯s heart to hear this. Tears finally overcame her and rolled down her cheeks. She knew that her daughter was not lying to her because the little girl was simply too sick to eat anything on her own. ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t my Lilia the sweetest!¡± said Joanna in tears and hurried to stand up. ¡°Miranda, please, take good care of Lilia!¡± With that, Joanna could not bear to stay with her daughter any longer. She was at the edge of a breakdown. Miranda, one of the nannies, looked at Joanna sadly. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Lilia! But you need to take care of yourself, too, Joann.¡± ¡°I will. Thank you.¡± Joanna got out of the daughter¡¯s room, stood at the door, and took a deep breath! Then she caught sight of her two sons sneaking around theptop.. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Huh? Nothing!¡± Davian and Irvin turned off theptop at once when hearing their mother¡¯s voice. Her sons loved the inte and had spent too much of their time on it. However, Joanna had always been too upied by her work to watch over these two. ¡°Don¡¯t stare at the screen for too long. It¡¯s bad for your eyes.¡± ¡°Yes, Mummy!¡± ¡°Alright, you smart pants, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner!¡± ¡°Right away!¡± The boys slipped down the chairs and snickered as they ran to the bathroom. ¡°Oh, my, it¡¯s such a nice surprise for that bad guy. I couldn¡¯t help imagining his face tomorrow when he sees it¡± ¡°Shh, keep your voice down. We don¡¯t want Mommy to know any of this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Humph, that bad guy. How dare he bully Mommy? We¡¯ll show him what we got¡­¡± After dinner, Joanna put the kids back in their beds and read them bedtime stories until they were asleep. Then, atst, she could go back to her work. She closed herptop at three o¡¯clock in the morning, and finally, she was ready to have some sleep. Chapter 13 Joanna had only slept four hours a day for years! And this kind of lifestyle had made it impossible for her to think of anything else. Morning came soon. Buzz, buzz, buzz¡­ Before Joanna could get up, Jaydon blew up her phone. ¡°Jay? What are you calling me for at this hour?¡± On the other end of the line, Jaydon¡¯s worried voice replied, ¡°Joann, have you seen the news?¡± ¡°What news?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes, confused. ¡°Check on your cell phone and read the entertainment news.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She had a very bad feeling about this. She remembered how badly she had been roasted six years ago. Back then, she was still that innocent girl and even thought about jumping off the roof to end her life! Joanna prayed that it wouldn¡¯t happen to her ever again. Joanna shivered and unlocked her phone. In an instant, more than five notifications popped up, and they were all about her. ¡°After hooking up with her brother-inw and getting kicked out, Joanna Haynes has moved on to her next victim.¡± ¡°The formerdy of Greyport fell out with her family for inheritance! Her father was kicked out of the board, and she seized the family business.¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes unwed yet pregnant. The father unknown¡­¡± Over the night, news about Joanna was all over the inte. Joanna clicked one of them open with a trembling finger. And as she feared, thements below were unbearable. It was like what had happened six years ago took ce once again! The only difference was that this time, it appeared to be even more fierce. ¡°Hello? Joann? Are you still there?¡± Joanna stared nkly at thements, feeling happiness and joy sucked out of her all at once. People even brought up her fake news six years ago. She didn¡¯t dare to scroll down anymore. ¡°Joann, you wait there! I¡¯ming to you.¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± ¡°Listen to me, Joann, pull yourself together. Don¡¯t be afraid. Wait for me!¡± Jaydon said, grabbing his car keys and heading downstairs. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Joanna didn¡¯t answer. She just hung up the phone. Then from the bedside drawer, she took out two bottles of pills with her trembling hands. They were antidepressants. Silently, Joanna poured several pills out and swallowed them all at once. She had been suffering from severe depression. From the beginning, she merely had to take one or two antidepressants for one day. Then it was five, and now she sometimes had to take more than a dozen of them to finally calm herself down. ¡°Joann? Hello? Joann?¡± Jaydon was yelling anxiously at his phone. However, it was the beeping sound that replied to him. Jaydon, who was worried about Joanna, pocketed his cell phone at once. He stormed down his apartment, jumped into his car, and drove to Joanna¡¯s hotel hastily. He and Joanna had known each other abroad since they were both kids. At that time, they were neighbors. Jaydon was four years older than Joanna, but that did not stop the seed of romance from growing inside of thed¡¯s heart. Later, Jaydon went back to their homnd for education. What he didn¡¯t expect was that Joanna followed him back not long after that, and they were actually in the same school. Joanna was not a nerd, but she was indeed very good at studying. By the age of sixteen, she was a university student already, and that made the two of them ssmates once again. Joanna always kept a low profile on the campus. Jaydon, on the other hand, was patient enough to wait for his crush to grow into a woman. However, when the time was finally right, the incident between Joanna and Bruce shocked the whole Greyport! Luck was not on Jaydon¡¯s side. What happened next was the wedding of Joanna and Bruce. Their marriage was due to the pressure from the elders of both families, and that was Jaydon¡¯s biggest regret of his life. Half an hourter, Jaydon made it to the hotel. Joanna had already calmed herself down. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± Joanna greeted Jaydon with a faint smile and a cup of coffee. Realizing that Joanna was mentally stable, Jaydon breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Joann, you must protect yourself from their toxic words. Just don¡¯t mind them. Let them talk. Time has changed, Joann, Inte trolls and their words are capable of destroying any man or woman. Damn it. They can even bring down a powerful house or a business empire. You just have to block them!¡± Joanna gave Jaydon a helpless look. ¡°I can ignore them, but what about my kids? I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± She just didn¡¯t know how to fight back against such a thing. Jaydon stared at Joanna silently for a few seconds before patting her gently on her shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything. Leave it to me then,¡± he said. ¡°If there¡¯s anything that you can¡¯t handle, you leave it there. I will always be with you.¡± With that, Jaydon gave Joanna a big hug. Leaning softly on his chest, Joanna whispered, ¡°Thank you so much, Jay!¡± Jaydon had always taken good care of her, and Joanna knew why. Though she was grateful to him, Joanna realized that she must not ruin the man by responding to his feelings. She used to marry another man and carry the man¡¯s children. She knew that such a woman would never be epted by Jaydon¡¯s traditional family. Besides that, Jaydon was a well-known yer. He had been good to not only Joanna but also to the other female artists in hispany. ¡°Joann, you should rest in the hotel today. Don¡¯t show up for the time being. Except for the inte trolls, we also need to be careful with some enthusiastic maniacs. I¡¯m worried about your safety.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll take care of myself! Besides, I have to go to the office today¡± Today was the day she was about to sign the bet on agreement with Bruce! If she didn¡¯t go to the office, Bruce would have forced her out of the Haynes Group. ¡°All right then, I¡¯ll take you to the officeter¡± Jaydon had been doing business in show biz for years, and his team would know what to do. It was a piece of cake for him to overturn public opinion and change Joanna¡¯s image. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Stop saying that, Joann. You will never have to thank me¡± Chapter 14 Bruce left for his office early in the morning. He was going to take care of the business affair first before going back to the game with Joanna.. Inside the conference room, all executives of the Everett Corp were sitting tightly with grim expressions on their faces. Due to Bruce¡¯s short temper, whenever he was in a meeting, no one dared to ck off at all. The next second, the conference room door cracked open. Bruce strode in with his neat suit and a cold look on his face. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett!¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡± Bruce stopped at the end of the long conference table and sat down. His secretary turned on the projector in a hurry and then served him a cup of hot coffee. One after another, the executives also turned on theirptops, ready to take notes! ¡°We¡¯ll focus on three aspects today, and¡­¡± Bruce was saying as he opened hisptop, but his voice broke the next second. For as soon as he opened hisptop, a picture popped out. Moreover, hisptop was connected to the projector! So everyone in the room was now staring at a naked picture of a man on the big screen. What the hell! The executives exchanged shocked looks, and some of them were so shocked that they spat our mouthfuls of coffee. Bruce¡¯s murderous eyes were wide open. All because he was looking at his own face on a naked body. In the picture, he was posing as if he was some kind of a 50-cent stripper! One hand on his waist, the other pping his butt, ¡°Bruce¡± was blowing everyone a kiss! It was obviously a product of photoshop. Still, it did not stop Bruce¡¯s blood pressure from rising. He was hitting the off button madly. Hacking into his ownptop and messing with him like that? At this point, Bruce would kill to find out who it was. Yet the prank was not finished. Just then, tons of memes popped up on the big screen. And they were all about Bruce! In one of them, ¡°Bruce¡± was even holding his thing and wiggling! The jaws of the executives all fell to the floor. They hurried to bury their heads low, pretending that they had seen nothing. They knew how terrible Mr. Everett could get when he was in a rage. But it was so hard to hold back theughter that they were all shaking slightly in their seats. If they were being honest, they were happy to see this happen. This little prank had avenged their mistreatment brought by Bruce, and it felt good! Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 ¡°Who the hell did this?¡± snapped Bruce, pounding on the table. Standing aside, his secretary turned deadly pale. ¡°We must have been hacked! I¡¯ll check the IP address right away!¡± Bruce¡¯s face was so livid. Whoever nned this low-level prank on him must not be spared. In fact, as the leading enterprise in the whole Greyport, the Everett Corp possessed the most high-end facilities! How could it be so easy to be broken into? Bruce thought, ¡°Damn it, it doesn¡¯t matter. It proved that my technical staff is useless!¡± Soon, the IP address was traced down. And it appeared to being from the Hilbert Hotel. Bruce looked at the IP address, frowning. The next second, he thought of something. Wasn¡¯t Joanna Haynes living at the Hilbert Hotel right now? She must have something to do with this! ¡°That bitch,¡± Bruce thought to himself, ¡°She can¡¯t defeat me in the real world. So she decided to humiliate me with these?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth as his face darkened even more. ¡°Andy, have you got the papers? About the bet on agreement.¡± With a serious look on his face, Andy quickly handed over the papers! ¡°All done, Mr. Everett. Here they are!¡± Bruce took it over and had a brief look. The terms turned out to be extremely harsh on Joanna. Bruce smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Perfect. I want to watch that bitch bum!¡± It was 9 a.m. in the morning right now. Escorted by Jaydon, Joanna arrived at the Haynes tower. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The parking lot downstairs was crawling with reporters and a crowd of protesters hired by Ingrid. ¡°There she is!¡± one of them called out. ¡°Get out of Greyport, you cheeky whore! You¡¯re a disgrace to all the people of Greyport!¡± ¡°Shame on you!¡± Then it was the reporters. ¡°Joanna, are you going to kick your father off the board? Are you going to monopolize the Haynes family fortune?¡± ¡°Make Way!¡± ¡°Please, Joanna, say something!¡± ¡°When did you and Mr. Grimm get together? Does Mr. Everett know about your rtionship? Jaydon stretched out to protect Joanna as they were striding to the building. More than a dozen bodyguards were blocking the crowd. ¡°Throw something on her! Show her what will happen when she hits on the other¡¯s men!¡± The next second, it rained. Rotten fruit, lunch boxes, water bottles, and all the other craps wereing at Joanna like a storm! ¡°Hey! Stop that!¡± Joanna¡¯s bodyguards were shouting. ¡°We¡¯ll call the cops if you don¡¯t stop!¡± Finally, with Jaydon on her side, Joanna made it to the elevator. They hurried to get inside. Pale-faced and shivering slightly, Joanna stared nkly at the space. Jaydon clung to her shoulder and whispered in his softest voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t ever pay any attention to these people. They are nothing but hired guns.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Jay,¡± preupied Joanna replied, the color drained from her lips. The elevator door was about to close when suddenly, someone held it, and the elevator door slowly opened again. Bruce stepped into the elevator with his long legs and his livid face. Apparently he didn¡¯t avoid being harassed by the reporters either. Only after then did Bruce notice Joanna and Jaydon. At the moment, Jaydon¡¯s arms were surrounding Joanna¡¯s shoulder. They looked like a sweet, intimate, and perfect couple. Almost at the same time when Bruce saw this scene, he became the grimmest one could possibly see, and there was certain indescribable brutality in Chapter 15 it. ¡°Joanna Haynes! What do you think you have done? You think your little prank will work everything out?¡± Joanna frowned deeply as she stared at Bruce with her puzzled eyes. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Bruce sneered at her, ¡°Yeah, like you don¡¯t know! Nice try! You know what? I could charge you for stealing information from the Everett Corp right now. That¡¯s enough to put you behind bars for 8 to 10 years!¡± Joanna¡¯s face fell. She looked at Bruce in confusion and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of that. You¡¯re going to charge me for what?¡± In a huff, Bruce grabbed Joanna by the jaw. ¡°For trespassing! For hacking into my properties! For stealing my business information!¡± This irritated Jaydon at once. He pushed Bruce away and spoke up in his coldest tone, ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Bruce Everett. Don¡¯t touch Joann! I don¡¯t want to fight you in front of Joanna!¡± Bruce shook Jaydon¡¯s hand off. ¡°How dare you meddle in my personal affair with her? ¡°Jay, there is no need to act like his kind,¡± said Joanna in a hurry and stood between them, blocking Jaydon with her own body. Bruce had a bad temper, and he had been practicing boxing ever since he was a kid. Jaydon would suffer for sure if it got physical. ¡°Just listen to me, Bruce Everett. I simply don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Are you being serious right now? Fine, take a look at this IP address and say you don¡¯t know again! Have you forgotten what you¡¯ve done?¡± Bruce took out his cell phone and showed Joanna a picture of the numbers. Joanna took a nce, but she was still confused. ¡°What the hell is this? What exactly are you trying to say?¡± Ding! The elevator arrived at the floor where the conference room was. Bruce took a deep breath. Then after the cold snort, he walked out without looking back. ¡°I¡¯ll be here, waiting for you, okay?¡± said Jaydon. ¡°No, Jay, don¡¯t worry. I can handle it. You have your own things to do. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°All right then, I¡¯ll pick you up when I¡¯m done with work!¡± ¡°Yeah, bye!¡± With that, Joanna turned to the conference room with her war face. Inside the conference room, Bruce wasying back on the main chair of the conference room, smoking a cigarette. As soon as Joanna walked in, he threw a stack of papers on the desk. ¡°Here¡¯s everything. You can take a look. If there¡¯s no problem, sign it.¡± Joanna choked on the smoke and coughed. ¡°Smoking is not allowed here in the office. Go to the rooftop or the smoking chamber!¡± Bruce only sneered! Then with a wicked smile, he took a deep puff of his cigarette and blew all the smoke on Joanna¡¯s face! Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Taking a deep breath, Joanna picked up the contract and went through it. This agreement was extremely strict, and the terms in it werepletely overbearing. Given the current state of the Haynes Group, it was barely possible toplete the contract in three years. ¡°This is unfair.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of signing it, just say so.¡± Joanna gritted her teeth with hatred. ¡°Bruce Everett, you¡¯re going too far! Be a man, will you?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± replied Bruce. ¡°I¡¯m just annoying, alright?¡± He slumped back in his chair, puffing on his cigarette, looking unconcerned. ¡°If you¡¯re too scared to sign, just quit the Haynes Group!¡± His arrogant look made Joanna¡¯s insides burn with rage. However, she was not a quitter, not then, and certainly not now. The terms were unreasonable. But if she could finish the task, she could kick Bruce out of the Haynes Group for good! ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll Sign It!¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna signed her name on the contract without hesitation. Then she tossed it to Bruce. ¡°Here, what about now?¡± Bruce smiled devilishly and let out onest puff of smoke. ¡°Well, well, now we wait and see how things are going to end.¡± Women were stupid. Especially this one! He just teased her a little, and Joanna couldn¡¯t wait to take the bait. Bruce was convinced that Joanna would suffer for sure. ¡°I hope you can do it perfectly,¡± said Bruce casually. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯re leaving Greyport, and this time, you are not allowed toe back!¡± Joanna took another deep breath before shooting Bruce a cold look. ¡°If the contract ispleted, you will get out of the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°Ooh, I¡¯m so scared! I¡¯ll keep my eyes wild open to watch you burn.¡± With that, Bruce pressed his cigarette butt on the conference table arrogantly, ready to go. As he walked past Joanna, he was suddenly reminded of the naked¨Cphoto incident this morning. Anger rose from his inside at once as his thin lips curled into a sneer. ¡°Don¡¯t ever do childish pranks ever again!¡± said Bruce. ¡°And you shrank my size? Was that to imply that I have never satisfied you in bed? Maybe I should have a go with you right now to remind you how big I actually am.¡± Looking at his defiant and arrogant expression, Joanna trembled uncontrobly with anger and failed to understand what he said. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± she asked, ice in her voice. ¡°Oh, cut it off, Joanna Haynes.¡± Bruce was looking down at her. ¡°You just like ying dumb with people, don¡¯t you? Never have the guts to admit anything! Ugh, you disgust me.¡± Joanna was so mad that she grabbed his tie and pulled him over violently. ¡°I¡¯ll admit what I did, but not for some stupid, false usation. Now, you better exin your fucking self about it!¡± ¡°Ha, like it wasn¡¯t you who photoshopped my nude photo,¡± said Bruce. What he didn¡¯t expect was that being tugged on his tie by her like this gave him an erection. Hence, he didn¡¯t break free. Instead, he stepped forward a little and pinned her body against the conference table! It seemed that his body had been missing her. Bruce thought he hated this scheming bitch to the core, but he just couldn¡¯t help the physical reaction when he was with Joanna. Joanna took a nce at the nude photo on his phone, and she snorted with a sneer. ¡°I¡¯m not that boring. And, if it was me, I would have done the photo much better.¡± Bruce snorted even louder when hearing this. ¡°Who knows if you had done lousy work on purpose? After all, you have a record. Isn¡¯t that kind of your specialty?¡± Joanna was utterly furious. All these years, he had been torturing her, and he had not felt guilty for once because he thought he was the victim. Well, he was not! He was the viin! ¡°I¡¯ll tell you onest time. I¡¯ve never plotted against anyone! I¡¯ve never¡­ managed to sleep with you. I was framed. Believe it or not, I don¡¯t care!¡± Bruce leaned over the conference table and trapped her there. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Roxy and I are getting married soon anyway, and I¡¯ve been sleeping with you for free for two years. No harm done.¡± ¡°You shameless bastard¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was torn to pieces by his words, and her whole body couldn¡¯t help but tremble with rage. ¡°Oh, and do you remember the 100 million dors I offered? You didn¡¯t take it. So I used it to buy Roxy a big diamond ring!¡± He hated Joanna. He hated her schemes, her being tough, and her being noble. The nobler she pretended to be, the more he wanted to stomp on it. ¡°Get off me!¡± Joanna shoved Bruce away! Then she grabbed her purse and ran to the bathroom. She was having an anxiety attack! After years of taking antidepressants, her body was overwhelmed. She often had inexplicable tremors. When it got serious, she couldn¡¯t even hold a cup. Watching that she was running away, Bruce smirked triumphantly. To deal with such a scheming bitch, one must spit on her and trample on her pride. Inside the bathroom. Joanna opened her bag with shaking hands and pulled out her anti¨Cdepressants. With tap water, she swallowed down a handful of pills. All these years, she had been relying on pills and work to forget all her worries and pains. Ten minutester. Joanna had not returned. Bruce was ying the ring on his pinky absent¨Cmindedly, his patience. running out. He thought to himself, ¡°She¡¯s been in there for too long. Is there something wrong with her?¡± Then Bruce strode to the bathroom and banged the door loudly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the toughest? If you¡¯re crying,e out here. I don¡¯t want to miss the pleasure,¡± he said. 10087 Chapter 16 The sarcasm in his tone actually made Joanna so mad and sad that she actually broke intoughter. Yes, I am the strongest. No one can hurt me. Only I can hurt myself!¡± she muttered to the mirror. With her words and the help of the medication, Joanna calmed herself down. Upset and irritated, Bruce pushed the door open. ¡°Why do you like to break into thedies¡® room so much, Mr. Everett?¡± Frowning, Joanna was looking at him with disdain. It made Bruce¡¯s mood even worse. Anger was burning in his pair of zing dark eyes. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she noticed the sudden change in the look on his face. Bruce was too dangerous to be alone with! ¡°Please step aside¡­¡± Joanna tried to leave with an indifferent look on her face. However, Bruce was closing in on her, blocking her only way out. Joanna panicked and shouted, ¡°What are you doing? Get out of the way!¡± Bruce¡¯s sanity was gone at this moment. Like a wild animal, he forced her back to the sink. Before Joanna could make any response, she was caught in his arms. Her jaw was grabbed, and a vicious kiss bit her lips. Bruce was out of control. These four years of separation had tortured him like madness. He tried not to think of Joanna, but she and her body haunted him day and night. ¡°What are you¡­ let go¡­¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 The only thing Bruce wanted to do right now was to conquer Joanna. He was simply an aggressive man. Once someone was targeted by him, it was nearly impossible to get rid of him. Joanna¡¯s shirt was ripped open by Bruce. And his hands were touching her body recklessly. Joanna was so scared and humiliated, but she did not forget to fight like hell. ¡°Let go of me, no! Hmm¡­¡± me, you understand? ¡°You think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing? Nobody ys hard to get with me, Bruce Everett always gets everything he wants¡­¡± As he said, the zip on Joanna¡¯s skirt was torn apart¡­ However, no matter how hard she fought, pinned to the sink, she was powerless. Horror swallowed her in whole.. This man had always been brutal to her, and she knew that Bruce would only stop when she was cracked and broken. When Bruce was about to get what he longed for, the rapid and loud knocks on the door interrupted. Bruce paused, and both of them fell into silence. What a bummer! They heard the door of the conference room pushed open, and there came the tter of high heels. It was Roxanne. ¡°Bruce? Bruce, are you there?¡± At once, Bruce let go of Joanna. ¡°You stay here and don¡¯t go anywhere!¡± Bruce ordered as he tidied up his clothes hastily. Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked out of the bathroom. ¡°Roxy? What are you doing here?¡± Bruce resumed his elegant demeanor as if nothing had happened! ¡°I came to see you. I heard you were going to sign a contract with Joann. So I decided to stop by¡± she replied with a sweet smile. ¡°Where¡¯s Joann? Isn¡¯t she here?¡± Roxanne looked over into the bathroom as she asked. Bruce frowned. ¡°The contract is signed. Let¡¯s go now,¡± he said, putting his arm around Roxanne¡¯s shoulder. That was when Joanna was done straightening her messy hair and stormed out of the bathroom. She swore at him. ¡°Bruce, you are so shameless!¡± Who the hell was he tomand her to stay there? She did not care if Roxanne was here or not. In fact, this was better. She could show Roxanne the real nature of Bruce Everett anyway! Joanna¡¯s disheveled clothes and red eyes told their stories silently. Roxanne turned ghostly white. She knew what had happened back in the bathroom at once. What Roxanne dreaded the most happened atst. Bruce had never fully forgotten Joanna, and she knew it. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± said Roxanne and tried to hide her fury, pretending that she had figured out nothing. ¡°Since the contract is signed, let¡¯s go then!¡± Roxanne shook the man¡¯s arm gently as she was saying. She was not going to allow Bruce to spend too much time with Joanna. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t we talk about going to have a try¨Con wedding dressst night?¡± That was when Bruce remembered it. ¡°Oh, sure, we¡¯ll go in a minute.¡± Last night, Roxanne and he had a talk, and she wailed like a baby, asking him if he had stopped loving her. They had been dating for six years. Even Bruce knew that he could not put off the wedding any longer. So, without realizing what he was doing, Bruce proposed.. Joanna looked at the sweet, sweet couple, and her heart suddenly twitched with pain. Catching the sh of heartbreak in her eyes, Bruce hugged Roxanne even more tightly. ¡°And after the wedding dress, let¡¯s go check on the wedding ring,¡± said Bruce. ¡°There was a batch of diamonds freshlying into town recently. Let¡¯s go and see if you like any of them.¡± Roxanne was ecstatic. ¡°Really?¡± Bruce looked at Roxanne lovingly. ¡°I ordered a 24.87¨Ccarat pink diamond. You¡¯re turning 24 this I would have given it to you as your birthday gift on August 7th, but it doesn¡¯t matter now. This pink diamond is quite precious. It¡¯s worth 100 million dors.¡± year. Bruce was saying that on purpose because both he and Joanna knew that the 100 million dors were supposed to be hers. Since Joanna thought she was too noble to take his money, she should not me him for spending it on the woman who took her husband away! Bruce wanted to see Joanna go mad after hearing this. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so sweet!¡± Roxanne was so happy that she stood on tiptoe and gave Bruce a big kiss on the cheek.. Sorrow crossed Joanna¡¯s eyes as a sharp pain took ce in her heart. It was not because of the money. Joanna was turning 24 this year as well, and their birthdays were only ten days apart. Yet, for all the 24 years, her father only remembered Roxanne¡¯s birthday. ¡°Happy now?¡± ¡°Totally!¡± Roxanne gave Bruce a cute smile before turning to Joanna. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will bother you, Joann, but if you¡¯re free tomorrow,e to my birthday party!¡± ¡°My schedule is full,¡± Joanna replied coldly. A disappointed look appeared on Roxanne¡¯s pretty face. ¡°Joann, daddy was so angry yesterday. He almost had a heart attack. Daddy hasn¡¯t been well. Why don¡¯t youe home for dinner tonight and pay him a visit?¡± Inviting Joanna back to dinner was a sham. Roxanne¡¯s real purpose was to make a formal im to Joanna that she was the rightful Mrs. Everett! ¡°I can¡¯t. I have children to take care of.¡± ¡°We¡¯re a family, Joann. Let bygones be bygones, please¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face sank. She was so sick of Roxanne¡¯s hypocrisy. ¡°You¡¯re in my office, and I¡¯m going to work now! If you have nothing else to do, go home!¡± she snapped. Bruce sneered and looked at Joanna wryly. ¡°Did I hear you right? Who are you to tell me to go anywhere?¡± ¡°Suit yourself then! I¡¯m going to work!¡± ¡°Wait, Joann!¡± Roxanne called out. ¡°I want to talk to you!¡± Joanna paused. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Bruce, would you mind waiting for me in the corridor?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Bruce hesitated for three seconds, and then he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± With that, Bruce turned and walked out of the office. As soon as Bruce left, Roxanne¡¯s attitude changed instantly. ¡°Joanna Haynes, I¡¯m warning you, stay away from Bruce. Stop flirting with him. If you ever hit on him again, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡± Joanna sneered and said, ¡°Is that what you¡¯re going to say to me?¡± ¡°Bruce and I are going to get married. So don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Joanna said coldly, ¡°Are you done? Then get the hell out of here. I¡¯m going to work.¡± Joanna¡¯s disdainful look irritated Roxanne atst. Teeth gritted, and she suddenly pped herself hard in the face! ¡°Ouch! What are you doing, Joann?¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Online Free ¨C Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Frowned, Joanna looked at Roxanne and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Roxanne merely sneered. She turned around and mmed her head against the wall. In an instant, her forehead was swollen. Roxanne copsed weakly on the floor and started moaning, ¡°Ouch, it hurts. Don¡¯t hit me, Joann, please. Help!¡± Bruce heard the noise and pushed the door open in a hurry. Then he saw Roxanne lying on the floor and covering her head pitifully. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Roxanne looked at Joanna in horror and said weakly, ¡°Joann, she hits me. She just hits me¡­¡± Bruce took a nce at Roxanne¡¯s forehead. There was a bruise. ¡°It hurts!¡± Roxanne sobbed, looking so poor. That finally convinced Bruce. ¡°Joanna Haynes, how could you do that to Roxy? She is your sister!¡± Joanna tried so hard not to roll her eyes. ¡°She hit the wall herself, and I never touched her. I had nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°Oh, stop it! How can Roxy be so stupid as to run herself into a wall?¡± ¡°Fine, fine, what do you want then?¡± Joanna looked at them wearily and with disdain. ¡°I want you to apologize to Roxy!¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes at his words. Arms folded, she stared coldly at Bruce and Roxanne. ¡°This is no drama show. What¡¯s the point of ying such little tricks?¡± she said icily. Roxanne said nothing, but deep down, she wasughing. There were no cameras in the conference room. So even if Joanna was innocent, who would know? Moreover, it did not matter at all what anyone else thought, as long as Bruce believed it. ¡°Joann, I know you hate me and don¡¯t want to see me. I¡¯ll try not to show up while you¡¯re around. I can even forgive you for attacking me, but not my face!¡± cried Roxanne as she turned to Bruce. ¡°Oh, no, Bruce, my face. Will I be disfigured?¡± Bruce stole a nce at the wound and relieved her, ¡°No, it is just a small cut. It will recover soon.¡± ¡°Oh, no,¡± Roxanne wailed. ¡°But we are supposed to take wedding photos next month! How can I do that with the wound? Will there be a hideous scar?¡± Bruce frowned a little impatiently. But his voice was still gentle. ¡°No, there will not be any scar. Trust me.¡± Then, Bruce turned and fixed his eyes on Joanna. ¡°And if there is any scar, even the slightest, Joanna Haynes, I will cut your fact for it!¡± ¡°Oh, for thest time, it¡¯s not me! Believe it or not, I¡¯m going to work. You keep up with this¡­ well, whatever this is.¡± Joanna was ready to leave, which made Bruce even more furious. He shouted, ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°What now?¡± Joanna red back at Bruce. ¡°I want you to apologize to Roxy!¡± said Bruce, no temperature in his cold eyes. It was not that he had to stand up for Roxanne. It was just that Joanna¡¯s attitude was so annoying! Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Joanna sneered. ¡°Bruce Everett, you are pathetic!¡± said she, turning to leave. ¡°I said stop right there!¡± Bruce yelled like a maniac. ¡°What else do you want?¡± Controlled by his temper, Bruce was not going to let her go so easily. ¡°You¡¯re not getting out of here until you apologize!¡± ¡°And?¡± Joanna replied crisply. Bruce sneered. ¡°Apologize to Roxy. If Roxy forgives you, you can go. Or this matter will not end easily. I will make you pay dearly!¡± That was when Roxanne, who was leaning weakly in Bruce¡¯s arm, finally managed to squeeze out some tears. ¡°Bruce, forget it! My sister is in a bad mood. She probably just acted on impulse. Don¡¯t make things difficult for her!¡± Bruce did not finish. He just looked at Joanna with his zing eyes. He could not stand Joanna¡¯s cold, dismissive attitude towards him. At this moment, her attitude was everything to Bruce. Even if it was just one word, he would let go of this matter. Unfortunately, Joanna still did not appear to be giving in at all. ¡°Last warning, Woman. Get down on your knees and apologize! Otherwise, I will find your sons, and they will be sorry for you!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat! ¡°Alright, I will apologize. Stand up, Roxanne. I¡¯ll get down on my knees!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Joann! Oh, Bruce, don¡¯t be so hard on her!¡± Roxanne had never felt better than this. moment. She told Bruce not to make things difficult for Joanna, but her body was more honest. Roxanne had already been on her feet, waiting jauntily for Joanna to kneel. Bruce¡¯s heart suddenly ached. He was just trying to humiliate Joanna, to see her get mad and angry. He never really wanted Joanna to kneel in front of another woman. However, she had already agreed. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t get down on your knees! Just say you¡¯re sorry, and I¡¯ll forgive you! You know me, I never like holding a grudge¡­¡± Mockery shed through Roxanne¡¯s eyes as she stared at Joanna with pleasure. Neither Bruce nor Roxanne expected what would happen next. While Roxanne was enjoying Joanna¡¯s defeat, thetter took off and kicked Roxanne hard right in the stomach! ¡°Ouch¡­ caught off guard, Roxanne stumbled back a few steps and mmed into the wall! Joanna looked back at Bruce indifferently. ¡°See? Now, this one is on me.¡± Bruce was enragedpletely. ¡°You asked for it, Joanna!¡± he growled. Taken control by rage. Bruce approached Joann with several steps and reached out to grab her by the neck. He was so tall that Joanna was swallowed by his shadow instantly. Roxanne was crouching on the floor with her hands over her stomach, hoping that Bruce would beat Joanna up for her. Yet the buzzing sound of electricity shocked her once again. Before Bruce could seize Joanna¡¯s neck, Joanna had struck first. She took a stun gun out of her pocket and stunned Bruce without hesitation. The powerful electric current went rampaging all over Bruce¡¯s body, disabling the man. He nearly passed out. Joanna had been a single mom for years, and safety always came first. That was why she always. carried a tapered the size of a lighter. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Time seemed to freeze for a while. Bruce felt so weak, but luckily, he was strong enough not to pass out on the spot. ¡°How dare you taser me?¡± Bruce fixed his murderous eyes on Joanna as if a falcon was targeting its prey. Joanna staggered back a little, but still, she managed to calm herself down. ¡°It was self¨Cdefense. If you come at me again. I¡¯ll call the police!¡± Bruce snorted with angryughter. ¡°Call the police? Well, go ahead!¡± He was the number one man in Greyport! To put it bluntly, even the local government needed the support of the Everett family! Even if the police come, they would side with Bruce! ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Bruce. Joann didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Bruce scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. This is between her and me!¡± At first, he did it for Roxanne. While now, he was just taken control by his rage. Joanna called out to the door, ¡°Cora.¡± Cora, her personal assistant, pushed the door open and came in. ¡°Yes, Ms. Haynes?¡± ¡°Call the police immediately. Tell them there¡¯s trouble here!¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve gone too far, Joanna Haynes!¡± Bruce cried. He thought Joanna had just been bluffing. And that made him even angrier with her. Yes, Bruce was not afraid of cops. He did not want to be bothered at all. Especially now at this critical moment when reporters were still downstairs. If he was taken away by cops, it would affect his reputation. Joanna hadpletely calmed down. She spoke up again as her tone got harsher, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind making a scene, let¡¯s go to the police station together! Doctors will know if I had really assaulted Roxanne. If I pushed her, there would definitely be my fingerprints on her dress! Anyhow, we will find out the truth soon!¡± Joanna then turned and looked at Roxanne coldly, taking out a recorder from her pocket. ¡°I have a recorder here. It has recorded everything you just said to me. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll y it right now so that we can all hear the conversation!¡± Joanna did like to carry a tiny recorder all the time! But it all happened too soon. So, she never had the chance to turn it on. Still, under the circumstances, even though the recorder had recorded nothing, it was enough to protect her. At least, Roxanne would not dare to tell more lies. As expected, Roxanne¡¯s face went pale when she heard that. If Bruce heard what she just said to Joanna, then she could kiss goodbye to the innocent maiden image she had maintained for so many years. All her schemes would be ruined in an instant. ¡°Forget it, Bruce. I¡¯m fine, see? Let¡¯s just go look at the wedding dress¡­¡± Ignoring the pain in her stomach, Roxanne took Bruce¡¯s arm. Yet she failed to hide the slight unease in her eyes. Chapter 19 Bruce frowned at Roxanne¡¯s nervous reaction, and he realized that things might not be so simple. ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡± he asked. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not nervous! No, I¡¯m just¡­ I just don¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it,¡± stammered Roxanne as her heart skipped a beat. The next second, she put on her usual innocent look and said, ¡°The police officers will have to take us to the police station. That will definitely cost us hours. After all, the wedding dress is what matters, right?¡± Bruce took a deep breath as he stared at Roxanne grimly. ¡°Roxy, did you just lie to me?¡± ¡°I, I didn¡¯t! Bruce, don¡¯t get me wrong. Don¡¯t believe any of her words! I¡­ I¡­¡± Joanna would not go easy on Roxanne. ¡°You go ahead,¡± she said. ¡°When the officers get here, let¡¯s go to the station together, and the truth wille out. Roxanne, there are a lot of reporters downstairs. I¡¯m sure if this evidence gets out, people will have their own judgments. After all, that one man is blind and stupid doesn¡¯t mean every man and woman is blind and stupid!¡± Driving by the anger, Bruce reached for the recorder in Joanna¡¯s hand. He was desperate to hear what exactly Roxanne had said! ¡°Stop the nonsense, Joanna. Just give me the recorder!¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna slipped the recorder back into her pocket, her lips curling into a sneer. ¡°You¡¯ll get the recorder later when we are all in the police station. The police officers will be here soon. So, what¡¯s the rush? Plus, if you destroy the recorder to protect Roxanne, my evidence will be gone.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and red at Joanna. He didn¡¯t expect that after four years, she had be even more scheming. Roxanne¡¯s face went deadly pale as if the color was drained from it. Chewing her lips, she looked at Bruce pitifully. ¡°Bruce, we should stop this madness. We¡¯re getting married, remember? Let¡¯s not make a big deal out of it in front of the press¡­¡± Bruce shook off Roxanne impatiently. He hated the most when women yed tricks on him. ¡°We¡¯re not going to see any wedding dress today!¡± With that, Bruce Strode walked out of the conference room without hesitation. He would not wait for the police to arrive. It would only excite the reporters and give them more stories. ¡°Joanna, this is not the end!¡± Roxanne growled. ¡°You will pay for this.¡± Then she hurried out to chase Bruce. ¡°Bruce, wait for me, Bruce! I didn¡¯t say anything to her! You have to believe me¡­¡± Her voice was heard, and then it trailed off down the corridor. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 They were finally gone. Joanna fell back on her chair. A palpitation attacked her, and her face was ghostly white. Cora pushed the door open and hurried in. She looked at Joanna¡¯s pale face and asked with concern, ¡°Ms. Haynes, are you okay?¡± Joanna massaged her chest for a while and finally let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Get me a cup of coffee!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Cora answered and went to fetch the coffee at once. Cora had not been with Joanna for long, but she had been very disciplined, and she never asked things she should not know. That was why when Joanna came into the Haynes Group, she put Cora by her side immediately. It was lunchtime, and employees were gathering in the break room. They had just finished lunch and were all on their cell phones, browsing for gossip. ¡°Wow, is this Ms. Haynes? She is so open!¡± ¡°I heard that Ms. Haynes had a quickie with Mr. Everett in the bathroom on her first day here!¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s not her first time! Six years ago, at the engagement party of Mr. Everett and Roxanne Haynes, Mr. Everett got drunk, and good, ole Ms. Haynes crept onto the man¡¯s bed and forced him to do her! Then she threatened to kill herself. That was why Mr. Everett married her!¡± ¡°Really? How could any woman be so shameless?¡± Several new interns were dumbfounded by this. shocking news. They were fresh out of college, and they had no clue about such things before. Being young, dumb, and easy to be manipted, they were all outraged at once. Some of them were even thinking of storming into Joanna¡¯s office and spitting in her face right now. ¡°Why do you think she did it so well in CI? She slept her way up! High¨Clevel superiors, business. partners, and even their clients have all been conquered by her pussy!¡± ¡°That woman might look elegant and honorable, but deep down, she is cheaper than a 50¨Ccent whore!¡± A few of Ingrid¡¯s closest associates kept saying things like that, spreading rumors all over, trying to ruin Joanna¡¯s reputation for good. ¡°What the¡­ such a bitch! And yet, she hooked up with Mr. Grimm again? Oh, poor Mr. Grimm.¡± The interns who were infatuated with Jaydon felt so sorry for the man. ¡°And that¡¯s not all!¡± ¡°Exactly, Ms. Haynes isn¡¯t just a slut in her private life. She¡¯s also ruthless. She disowned all her rtives and was extremely vicious! She kicked Mr. Haynes out of the board of directors without any consideration!¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes even had a heart attack for this, I¡¯m told! How could she do that to her own father?¡± ¡°Oh, my God, how can this slutty, awful bitch still sit in her chair?¡± ¡°Yeah, how does a scheming bitch like that deserve to be chairwoman of the Haynes Group?¡± ¡°Well, you can always quit if you want to.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to, but I have a life to live, right?¡± Chapter 20 ¡°Oh, by the way, have you heard the rumor? The word is that IIRS are making a big move!¡± ¡°What move?¡± ¡°They said that a lot of employees are going to beid off!¡± ¡°Oh, no! We¡¯re not included, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If she dares to fire us, we¡¯ll go on a strike!¡± ¡°But she had been so calm about thements on the Inte. I would have hidden from everyone if I were her.¡± ¡°Alright, enough of that. If it gets to Ms. Haynes, we¡¯ll all be in trouble!¡± Of course, Joanna knew about this. She also knew that it was Ingrid¡¯s people who were stirring things up. They were deliberately inciting employees and spreading rumors. However, there was nothing she could do. Not right now. She had to wait for her team to arrive. That was when she got rid of all Ingrid¡¯s staff, whatever the cost! Back in the Haynes vi. ¡°Mom,¡± called out Roxanne, ¡°I¡¯m so mad!¡± She came home, kicked off her high heels, took off her coat, and dropped her purse on the floor. Without even changing her clothes, she threw herself on the couch. The maids who followed behind her were hurriedly cleaning up the mess. ¡°Get out,¡± Roxanne barked at them, ¡°you¡¯re annoying me!¡± ¡°Sure, sure! Right away!¡± The maids quickly left the sitting room. Roxanne was only a gentledy in front of outsiders. Only when she was with the housemaids, her true nature was revealed. ¡°Why are you back so early?¡± her mother asked, wearing a moisturizing mask. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to see the wedding dress with Bruce? Have you picked out the proper one?¡± Ingrid was surprised to see her daughter back so early. Roxanne gritted her teeth angrily. ¡°No!¡± sheined. ¡°It¡¯s been ruined by that bitch Joanna again!¡± Ingrid gasped. She had never expected this! She pulled down the mask at once and asked in a hurry, ¡°What the hell happened? Hurry up and tell me!¡± ¡°Bruce went to sign the bet¨Con agreement with that bitch today. I was worried. So, I went over there. to check it out. As soon as I arrived, I saw that bitch hitting on Bruce! Oh, I¡¯m so mad!¡± Ingrid asked even more frantically, ¡°And?¡± Roxanne punched the couch angrily before going on, ¡°And then I had a fight with Bruce! We were supposed to go to see the wedding dress today, but that bitch Joanna ruined it! She ruined it all!¡± Then with angry tears in her eyes, Roxanne told Ingrid briefly what had happened. She had been waiting for this day for six years. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. And when Bruce finally proposed to her, everything went back to the beginning. Roxanne had no idea how long she would have to wait for the next chance toe. Ingrid¡¯s face darkened with disappointment. She lowered her voice. ¡°Tell Brucest night?¡± Roxanne looked at her mother in bewilderment. ¡°Do what?¡± she asked. me, did you do it with ¡°Are you serious? Do what every couple does! Did you sleep with him? What else are you thinking?¡± That was blunt enough for Roxanne to understand. Flushing, she replied, ¡°Oh, Mom, why do keep focusing on these things?¡± you ¡°You foolish girl, you spent the whole night with Bruce!¡± Ingrid said anxiously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that nothing happenedst night!¡± ¡°But, it just didn¡¯t happen¡­¡± Roxanne said. Ingrid was even angrier when she heard that. ¡°Tell me the truth, Roxy! Did you do it or not? Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you? Bruce said that he was going to save the best for our wedding night.¡± Ingrid paused a few seconds to consider this information. Then she asked suspiciously, ¡°Is he¡­ bad in bed?¡± ¡°How is that possible? Mom, what are you thinking?¡± Bruce was never a celibate man! Just because he had not slept with Roxanne over the years, it did not mean that he had not been. hooking up with others. It was just that the girls whom Bruce hooked up with had never been capable of threatening Roxanne¡¯s position. Therefore, Roxanne seldomined about that. She merely paid no attention. After all, she was Bruce¡¯s fiancee. She found it demeaning to be jealous of those cheap whores. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so stupid! You can¡¯t even handle a single man!¡± said Ingrid, frowning. ¡°Do I have to teach you everything?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it right now, Mom. I¡¯m just too annoyed to think any of that.¡± Ingrid narrowed her eyes. ¡°That little bitch is a disaster!¡± she cursed fiercely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m gonna avenge you. I¡¯ll make her ¡®famous¡® again!¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Stories about Joanna had been cooked up. One by one, they were posted online. Overnight, it was all about Joanna Haynes all over the inte. Every day, downstairs in Joanna¡¯s office, there were reporters and strikes against her. Despite this, she still insisted oning to work daily. Back in the Hilbert Hotel. Early in the morning, Jaydon came to see Joanna with a bunch of flowers. ¡°Oh, hey, Jay!¡± Joanna greeted him as she opened the door. She had been preparing breakfast for the kids. Even with three nannies, she still cooked for her children from time to time. ¡°Have you eaten anything? Sit down and let¡¯s eat together,¡± said Joanna. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g She poured Jaydon a ss of milk and went to make another sandwich. Jaydon did not say no. He just sat down and started digging in. As a matter of fact, he had always hated sandwiches. However, since it was made by Joanna, that changed everything. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve found a good house. The neighborhood is friendly, and the facilities will protect your privacy just fine. You should move in with the kids recently,¡± said the man. ¡°I will. Thank you, Jay,¡± Joanna replied. She was still making the sandwich, looking a little exhausted. Jaydon stared at her thin back, feeling so sorry for her. He rose from his seat and went to give her a gentle hug from behind. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go to the office. these days,¡± he was saying. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°I always said you were fine. But look at you. How much sleep did you getst night?¡± Joanna gave him a smile and flipped her hair a little. ¡°I¡¯m really fine,¡± she said confidently. ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± Obviously, she did not convince Jaydon. He looked at her side face, concerns in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you forget that you have three children to take care of? Who will look after them if you fall down?¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows and paused. Then she shrugged and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll find a way.¡± Jaydon gave a long sigh and spoke up again, ¡°Joann, you can¡¯t put up with this anymore. You have to fight back!¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not the girl I was six years ago. I¡¯m not going to allow Ingrid and the others to do whatever they want to!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m so happy to see you pull yourself together,¡± said Jaydon with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve got my PR team working on it. We shall see a reversal tomorrow.¡± ¡°Um, Jay, I¡­¡± Joanna was not sure how to put it. Jaydon gave her a bright smile and cut in, ¡°no, you better stay out of sight for the time being.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It will make people even more curious about you. And we would want people to assume that you¡¯re having a breakdown. Then the rebound will be even stronger.¡± ¡°Well, all right.¡± Joanna agreed. ¡°Just in time. I can take the kids and move.¡± After all, staying in the hotel was not a long¨Cterm solution. She was settling down in the city with the kids. ¡°By the way, you need to take a set of photos,¡± Jaydon added. Joanna looked at Jaydon in bewilderment. ¡°Photos?¡± ¡°Yeah, the public opinion is against you now. You must show some positive images before your reputation is ruinedpletely. Also, the Haynes Group¡¯s share price has plummeted recently. We need to do something. Otherwise, yourpany will fall apart.¡± ¡°Okay, whatever you say!¡± Joanna had always trusted Jaydon. This man was the onest person whom Joanna trusted in this world. The next day, Joanna did not show up at the office. No one at work saw her for the whole day. ¡°Did that bitch kill herself or what?¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just hiding from the heat. People are mad with her. Who knows if someone will attack her all of a sudden if she¡¯s seen in public!¡± In the Haynes vi. Roxanne ran over to Ingrid cheerfully with her phone. ¡°Mom, look at thements below! Ha! These guys you hired are awesome!¡± Ingrid sneered as she replied disdainfully, ¡°These are just appetizers. They are far from enough. Don¡¯t worry. I will make her pay the most painful price. But then again, it feels good to see so many people calling her a whore!¡± Mother and daughter were talking when Shaun came downstairs. ¡°What¡¯s so exciting?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing!¡± Ingrid answered first. ¡°Dad, have you seen the news?¡± Frowning, Shaun said impatiently, ¡°No, and I won¡¯t. Nothing interesting anyway.¡± He did not even have to check to know that there must be nasty news about Joanna everywhere. ¡°Dad, are you just gonna leave her on a rampage like this?¡± ¡°Thepany is a mess right now. If Joann wants to make a ssh, so be it,¡± Shaun answered tly. ¡°When things go out of control, she¡¯ll beg me to go back with tears!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Since that bitch gave us a hard time, we will make her suffer, too!¡± said Roxanne fiercely. Shaun heaved a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t call her that. She¡¯s your sister after all¡­¡± Roxanne pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister like that!¡± she said angrily. ¡°Dad, do you want my brothers and me, or do you want Joanna?¡± ¡°Of course, you three. We¡¯re a family. As for Joanna, s, that wretched girl¡­ Oh, enough of her. I need to take care of my blood pressure.¡± The next day, someone posted something anonymously about Joanna. ¡°Three Crimes of Joanna Haynes!¡± This title drew Netizens¡® attention at once. There were thousands of words in the article. It recorded Joanna¡¯s whole life from her birth up until now. Especially in her teens when she had returned to the Haynes family and had been shunned by everyone, including Shaun Haynes who had never given her any fatherly love. This article seemed to be criticizing Joanna. While in effect, it allowed everyone to take a more global approach to the issue. Netizens¡® opinions were not so easy to be changed, but they had already taken a glimpse at the full picture, which was the crucial first step. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Not long after that, another shocking news was posted on social media. ¡°An Easy Prey¨Cthe Story of Joanna Haynes with Her Bloodsucking Family!¡± It mainly talked about Joanna¡¯s mother. Even Shaun¡¯s background had been revealed in the article, too. It turned out that he was just Raymond Haynes¡® adopted son. And Joanna¡¯s mother was Raymond¡¯s own niece! That meant only Joanna was really rted to Raymond. So, it was not hard to exin why Raymond left Joanna 51% of the Haynes Group. Meanwhile, Shaun and Ingrid¡¯s affair had exploded as well! ¡°Joanna and Roxanne¡¯s birthdays are only ten days apart.¡± ¡°In other words, Shaun was having an affair with Ingrid when Joanna¡¯s mother was still pregnant!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Ingrid Haynes was a homewrecker?¡± Theizens were all taken aback! All these years, Shaun and Ingrid were known for their happy marriage. No one could ever imagine that their marriage was a mistake in the very beginning. This news disgusted every Netizen badly. Maybe in the old days, people would not say too much about such affairs. But now,izens had little tolerance for such things. Jaydon¡¯s PR team made good use of Ingrid¡¯s past. And it took them only one night to make Ingrid trending. The social media was inundated with hashtags, ¡°Ingrid Haynes Proven to Be a Homewrecker; Shaun Haynes Abuses His Eldest Daughter¡± and ¡°What You Don¡¯t Know about Ingrid Haynes ¨C A Mean Stepmother Who Kicked Her Stepdaughter Out.¡± News and posts were everywhere, and with no exception, they were aiming at Ingrid. ¡°No Wonder Roxanne has a big birthday party every year! The Haynes family never holds any birthday party for Joanna!¡± ¡°Holy shit, I wonder how many filthy stories of this wealthy family still remain unrevealed!¡± ¡°Ingrid is so mean! How could she treat Joanna like that?¡± As theizens were enjoying the stories, nearly half of them started to side with Joanna imperceptibly. However, Joanna had been known as a horrible, scheming woman for too long, and it took more time topletely reverse people¡¯s views of her. ¡°No wonder Joanna has been a shameless woman. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°All because of Ingrid! Man, if I grew up in a family like this, I might be more bitchy than her.¡± Back in the Haynes vi. ¡°Mom, Mom, look at all this news!¡± Roxanne dashed over with her phone, and she showed it to Ingrid in a hurry. Ingrid was giving herself facial care when hearing it. She smirked triumphantly and didn¡¯t even open her eyes. ¡°More stories of that little bitch? What are All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 22 they about? Go on, read a few paragraphs. I need some entertainment.¡± Roxanne replied anxiously, ¡°No, Mom, no! Someone posted online about the stories of you and dad! They said you were a homewrecker and a terrible stepmother!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face fell at once as she hurried to grab Roxanne¡¯s phone. ¡°It must be Joanna who did this,¡± she said through her gritted teeth. ¡°She must have found someone to do the dirty work for her!¡± With that, Ingrid looked down at the phone and read, ¡°Ingrid Haynes was a homewrecker who drove Shaun¡¯s ex¨Cwife away with babies in her belly. Ha, so what? That old, ugly bitch failed to keep an eye on her husband. That¡¯s not my fault.¡± But Roxanne appeared to be more worried about this. ¡°But, Mom, it¡¯s not good! People are talking about us everywhere. You know the Everetts, they think a lot of reputation. What will Bruce think of me if he reads the news? Dad is no longer chairman of the Haynes Group after all, and people in the Greyport have stopped treating us with respect. You remember my birthday party? Several girls never even showed up!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face turned even more gloomy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will make some calls to make sure these. boring stories disappear.¡± ¡°Mom, is this gonna work?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know the wives of some online celebrities. They¡¯ll do me a favor.¡± Ingrid assured her daughter. Finally, Roxanne felt a little relieved. ¡°Mom, you have to deal with this! We can¡¯t afford the Everetts to see this!¡± Ingrid twitched her lips a little. She dialed the manicurist¡¯s number as she asked nonchntly, ¡°have you worked things out with Bruce recently?¡± Frowning, Roxanne heaved a sigh. ¡°Bruce¡¯s on a business trip to Europe these days. He¡¯ll be back tomorrow,¡± said she, slightly injured. ¡°So you called him?¡± ¡°Yeah. But he always hung up the phone, saying that he had a meeting or something like that, and I barely got the chance to say anything.¡± Ingrid narrowed her eyes to process this information for a while. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the old Everett mansion.¡± she rose, putting the manicurist behind her. ¡°What? But why?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyebrows were knitted. ¡°Silly girl, we¡¯re going to visit Bruce¡¯s grandmother, Margaret! Haven¡¯t I always told you to visit the old lady from time to time? Go on, get dressed!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Roxanne replied, and reluctantly, she went upstairs to change. Margaret Everett was Bruce¡¯s grandmother. She still lived at the old Everett Mansion. And Roxanne had a feeling that Margaret didn¡¯t like her at all. Margaret never said anything harsh to Roxanne, but every time they met, the olddy had always been cold. Therefore, Roxanne normally avoided seeing Margaret if it was not necessary. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Not long after that, another shocking news was posted on social media. ¡°An Easy Prey¨Cthe Story of Joanna Haynes with Her Bloodsucking Family!¡± It mainly talked about Joanna¡¯s mother. Even Shaun¡¯s background had been revealed in the article, too. It turned out that he was just Raymond Haynes¡® adopted son. And Joanna¡¯s mother was Raymond¡¯s own niece! That meant only Joanna was really rted to Raymond. So, it was not hard to exin why Raymond left Joanna 51% of the Haynes Group. Meanwhile, Shaun and Ingrid¡¯s affair had exploded as well! ¡°Joanna and Roxanne¡¯s birthdays are only ten days apart.¡± ¡°In other words, Shaun was having an affair with Ingrid when Joanna¡¯s mother was still pregnant!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Ingrid Haynes was a homewrecker?¡± Theizens were all taken aback! All these years, Shaun and Ingrid were known for their happy marriage. No one could ever imagine that their marriage was a mistake in the very beginning. This news disgusted every Netizen badly. Maybe in the old days, people would not say too much about such affairs. But now,izens had little tolerance for such things. Jaydon¡¯s PR team made good use of Ingrid¡¯s past. And it took them only one night to make Ingrid trending. The social media was inundated with hashtags, ¡°Ingrid Haynes Proven to Be a Homewrecker; Shaun Haynes Abuses His Eldest Daughter¡± and ¡°What You Don¡¯t Know about Ingrid Haynes ¨C A Mean Stepmother Who Kicked Her Stepdaughter Out.¡± News and posts were everywhere, and with no exception, they were aiming at Ingrid. ¡°No Wonder Roxanne has a big birthday party every year! The Haynes family never holds any birthday party for Joanna!¡± ¡°Holy shit, I wonder how many filthy stories of this wealthy family still remain unrevealed!¡± ¡°Ingrid is so mean! How could she treat Joanna like that?¡± As theizens were enjoying the stories, nearly half of them started to side with Joanna imperceptibly. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g However, Joanna had been known as a horrible, scheming woman for too long, and it took more time topletely reverse people¡¯s views of her. ¡°No wonder Joanna has been a shameless woman. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°All because of Ingrid! Man, if I grew up in a family like this, I might be more bitchy than her.¡± Back in the Haynes vi. ¡°Mom, Mom, look at all this news!¡± Roxanne dashed over with her phone, and she showed it to Ingrid in a hurry. Ingrid was giving herself facial care when hearing it. She smirked triumphantly and didn¡¯t even open her eyes. ¡°More stories of that little bitch? What are Chapter 22 they about? Go on, read a few paragraphs. I need some entertainment.¡± Roxanne replied anxiously, ¡°No, Mom, no! Someone posted online about the stories of you and dad! They said you were a homewrecker and a terrible stepmother!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face fell at once as she hurried to grab Roxanne¡¯s phone. ¡°It must be Joanna who did this,¡± she said through her gritted teeth. ¡°She must have found someone to do the dirty work for her!¡± With that, Ingrid looked down at the phone and read, ¡°Ingrid Haynes was a homewrecker who drove Shaun¡¯s ex¨Cwife away with babies in her belly. Ha, so what? That old, ugly bitch failed to keep an eye on her husband. That¡¯s not my fault.¡± But Roxanne appeared to be more worried about this. ¡°But, Mom, it¡¯s not good! People are talking about us everywhere. You know the Everetts, they think a lot of reputation. What will Bruce think of me if he reads the news? Dad is no longer chairman of the Haynes Group after all, and people in the Greyport have stopped treating us with respect. You remember my birthday party? Several girls never even showed up!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face turned even more gloomy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will make some calls to make sure these. boring stories disappear.¡± ¡°Mom, is this gonna work?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know the wives of some online celebrities. They¡¯ll do me a favor.¡± Ingrid assured her daughter. Finally, Roxanne felt a little relieved. ¡°Mom, you have to deal with this! We can¡¯t afford the Everetts to see this!¡± Ingrid twitched her lips a little. She dialed the manicurist¡¯s number as she asked nonchntly, ¡°have you worked things out with Bruce recently?¡± Frowning, Roxanne heaved a sigh. ¡°Bruce¡¯s on a business trip to Europe these days. He¡¯ll be back tomorrow,¡± said she, slightly injured. ¡°So you called him?¡± ¡°Yeah. But he always hung up the phone, saying that he had a meeting or something like that, and I barely got the chance to say anything.¡± Ingrid narrowed her eyes to process this information for a while. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the old Everett mansion.¡± she rose, putting the manicurist behind her. ¡°What? But why?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyebrows were knitted. ¡°Silly girl, we¡¯re going to visit Bruce¡¯s grandmother, Margaret! Haven¡¯t I always told you to visit the old lady from time to time? Go on, get dressed!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Roxanne replied, and reluctantly, she went upstairs to change. Margaret Everett was Bruce¡¯s grandmother. She still lived at the old Everett Mansion. And Roxanne had a feeling that Margaret didn¡¯t like her at all. Margaret never said anything harsh to Roxanne, but every time they met, the olddy had always been cold. Therefore, Roxanne normally avoided seeing Margaret if it was not necessary. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Both of them remained silent for quite a while. Then Bruce finally spoke up first with an angry snort, ¡°Grandma, what¡¯s the point of seeing her sons?¡± ¡°Oh, you stupid child. Do the math. Those two boys might be your children!¡± Bruce¡¯s jaw nearly dropped when hearing this. ¡°What? No way! That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s impossible! I asked her, and she told me herself that they are not my sons!¡± ¡°s. you don¡¯t understand women at all. She hates you so much, and she might be saying that to simply make you mad!¡± ¡°To make me mad?¡± Bruce blinked stupidly. But then, it came to him. Indeed, he had been quite awful to her. It made sense. ¡°Anyhow, bring the boys over first and take a paternity test,¡± said Margaret. ¡°If they are not your sons, so be it However, if they are your kids, they can¡¯t wander alone out there without a father!¡± ¡°Well, I see¡­¡± After the work of five days, Joanna had finally moved into her new apartment. She had cleaned it up. and they were able to settle down atst. The apartment was in the city center, and it was quiterge. Apart from the four bedrooms and the sitting rooms, there were also two nannies¡® rooms. The rent was 40 thousand dors a month. Though Joanna was the current chairwoman of the Haynes Group, she did not have too much cash. She had properties andpany shares. If she required arge amount of cash, she had to sell them. And over the years, there was none left of the money that her mother left her with. However, in a city like Greyport, where every square inch counted, it could easily cost people tens of millions to purchase afortable apartment. Therefore, between afortable apartment and life, Joanna had to make a choice. She chose the ¡°Joann, have you read the news?¡± Jaydon came over and helped Joanna clean up. Joanna, busy with her three children¡¯s clothes, replied without looking up. ¡°I¡¯m too busy to think of anything else. Moving is so tiring!¡± Jaydon smiled slightly. ¡°Well, have a look then. You¡¯ll be surprised.¡± With that, Jaydon handed Joanna his cell phone. After reading a few pages of thements, Joanna sighed. ¡°To be honest, I really don¡¯t want this to happen! I don¡¯t want to fall out with my dad! Yet, he left me with no other options¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much,¡± said Jaydon. ¡°You need to show your strength. The more you ignore the bad guys, the more they think you¡¯re a pushover. Only when you fight back can you really protect yourself and your children.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Thank you, Jay!¡± ¡°Come on. You¡¯re always so polite to me!¡± ¡°But I own you. That¡¯s the least I should say. I don¡¯t know what I could do without you,¡± said Joanna. Jaydon stared at her beautiful eyes and asked, ¡°Do you really want to thank me?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± Jaydon gave her a bright smile. ¡°Then¡­ will you marry me?¡± Joanna froze, and there was a hint of fluster in her eyes. She did not know if Jaydon had meant it. What she did know was that if she had no kids and if she was still a young girl, she would not hesitate to ept his proposal. But now? No. She was not good enough for him. Noticing the unease on her face, Jaydon smiled sheepishly as he patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just kidding!¡± An awkward smile broke on Joanna¡¯s pretty face. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t make such jokes. You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡± Jaydon was looking at her gently with a warm smile, but on the inside, her hesitation cut deeply. For him, tenderness was the thing he had never given to any woman. Any woman but Joanna. Six years ago, on Joanna¡¯s birthday, when Jaydon was going to tell her his feelings, Bruce ruined the moment. That was the regret of his life. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need to take some pictures of you today!¡± said Jaydon. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°And you need to take Davian and Irvin with you,¡± he added. Joanna hesitated for a few seconds. But in the end, she agreed with a smile. Hourster, they were out in the park. At sunset, Joanna was strolling in a white dress with her sons. With a click, Jaydon recorded this. moment with his camera. In the photo, the scene of Joanna and her sons looked quite harmonious. Haynes¡® house. It had only been days, but the public opinion hadpletely reversed. Ingrid¡¯s dirty past just kept trending on the Inte. It annoyed Ingrid badly. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re so shameless,¡± she cursed. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Roxanne asked tentatively. ¡°I just called the wife of the website¡¯s manager, and she said she couldn¡¯t do anything about it! Damn it. I¡¯m so mad!¡± Ingrid smashed her cups into pieces and went on furiously, ¡°Hire more people to write stories about Joanna! I¡¯ll crush her!¡± The next day, several new posts came as expected. ¡°Joanna Haynes, A Promiscuous Woman Who Brings Shames on Her Family.¡± ¡°Ten Tricks that Joanna yed while Taking Raymond¡¯s Legacy.¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes Seducing Her Brother¨Cin¨CLaw.¡± Posts and news like these were spread on the Inte once again. Chapter 24 Ingrid had spent a lot of money, paying off a lot of trolls to keep attacking Joanna. ¡°She will never make it this time!¡± Ingrid was saying to her daughter. ¡°But Mom.¡± Roxanne asked, ¡°we¡¯ve spent too much money. And it doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s working at all!¡± ¡°Oh, you know nothing.¡± Ingrid replied. ¡°Just wait, that Joanna bitch will be spat on by the whole Greyport in no time!¡± Ingrid smirked viciously, picturing her moment of victory. However, things did not go as she expected. On the next morning, before these new stories could get out, ounts of the trolls hired by Ingrid were blocked. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. One night passed. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 The public¡¯s attention had shifted from Joanna to a popr actress, Carmel Basil. She was a new star in Jaydon¡¯spany, and she won her first best actress award yesterday. Besides, Carmel just announced she had a boyfriend who was an aplished actor. The news instantly rocked the whole Inte. It caught the public¡¯s attention. Actually, it was a marketing strategy masterminded by Jaydon. Carmel was not in a rtionship with that actor at all. Thepany hyped such a rtionship to attract the public. Also, they wanted to distract the public¡¯s attention from Joanna. Ingrid had been waiting to see Joanna¡¯s scandal. However, although she had spent a lot of money, it didn¡¯t work at all. ¡°Mom, I told you. It doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Let me figure out another way to deal with her.¡± Ingrid gnashed her teeth in hatred. ¡°Roxy, Mr. Everett will be back soon. Get ready to pick him up.¡± ¡°Remember to further your rtionship. You¡¯ve been dating for so many years. It¡¯s okay to be proactive and bold.¡± ¡°Are you still a virgin? It¡¯s not a bad thing. This would make you more valuable.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Roxanne felt a little embarrassed. Actually, she was no longer a virgin.) When she was in college, she once went to a summer camp with her ssmates. It was a crazy night for everyone. A boy paid special attention to her, and he was also good at flirting. He was a school hunk who was tall and handsome. Stimted by the alcohol, Roxanne failed to control herself and slept with him. Since she had the first experience, she did it again and again. The boy was very good at flirting. She was titited every time. Until now, she still contacted that boy every month. And then she would spend a crazy night with him. However, that boy was poor. He could give her nothing but physical pleasure. Therefore, she would not marry him. Chapter 25 But as an adult, she had physical needs. She tried to maintain a pure image before Bruce. So she couldn¡¯t casually allow him to touch her or let him feel she was not pure. By contrast, she could enjoy the physical pleasure without any scruples when she was staying with that boy. Since she pretended to be pure for too long, she was a little agitated. She needed to vent her feelings. On this side. Bruce dared not disobey his grandma, so he had to bite the bullet and ask Joanna for the child. His grandma was his only family, and she was old. He was very filial to her. No matter what she asked him to do, he would try his best to make her happy. Since she wanted to see the child, he wouldn¡¯t disappoint her. In the early morning, Bruce directly went to the Haynes Group. ¡°Where is Joanna?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes hasn¡¯t been in the office for several days.¡± Bruce was a little surprised. Then he took out his mobile phone to call her. But he found he didn¡¯t have her number. Two years into their marriage, Joanna had always been the one who made the phone call. And he disdained saving her number. Now, four years had passed, and her number had already been wiped from the phone records. But it seemed that he could still contact her through Facebook Messenger. They had divorced four years ago, though. He didn¡¯t delete her in Messenger. Sometimes, when a message came, he would hope it was from Joanna. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. However, she never texted him once. At first, he thought she could not live without him. He thought she would continue to pester him after the divorce and use all kinds of methods to get him back. Only now had he discovered that this was not the case. Joanna was actually a very proud person. Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and he found her Messenger ount. Her profile photo was still the same as before. It was a picture she took when she was in high school. She was beautiful and energetic at that time. Her eyes were like bright stars. People would be amazed when they saw them. It was a pity that he couldn¡¯t see her eyes shining like stars anymore. Bruce hesitated for a few minutes and then typed ¡°Hello¡°. It was the first time he had reached out to her. After the message was sent, he gave a dry cough to hide his embarrassment. As an arrogant and paranoid man. Bruce was unlikely to admit his care about others. An hour passed. Bruce still hadn¡¯t received her reply. His face darkened. Being ignored by Joanna really hurt his pride. He thought, ¡°How dare this woman not reply to me!¡± ¡°We need to talk.¡± Bruce sent a second message in anger. After waiting for a long time, he still didn¡¯t receive her reply. Now, things got worse. Bruce waspleted irradiated. His face was dark and grim. He involuntarily loosened his tie and smoked several cigarettes. ¡°Andy, inform the Haynes Group. Tomorrow we will hold a general meeting of stockholders. All the shareholders must be present.¡± Actually, he didn¡¯t care whether Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul came or not. He just wanted to see Joanna. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t see her in private, he nned to meet her in thepany. He thought she dared not miss the shareholders¡® meeting. The next day. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul arrived at thepany early. Although Bruce was not the chairman of the board, his words were much more powerful than Joanna¡¯s. They could overlook Joanna¡¯s words but dared not disobey Bruce. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett.¡± The meeting was set for nine o¡¯clock. Bruce arrived at the lobby ten minutes earlier.. After a while, Joanna finally came. She wore a ck Dior suit with a skirt and white shirt today. As her hair was casually tied in a low ponytail, she looked cool and chilly with a pair of ck rimmed sses. She walked fast and looked sassy. Joanna¡¯s personal assistant Cora followed her. They walked one by one toward the elevator. Seeing Joannae, Bruce immediately caught up with her. He acted as if he had just arrived and met her by ident. ¡°Joanna.¡± Joanna looked back and said, ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been missing for days. I thought you were dead.¡± Bruce said sarcastically. Then he calmed himself and felt a little regret. That was not what he thought. He grew up with everyone sucking up to him. He had a powerful family, and he was also capable. Therefore, his temper wouldn¡¯t be too good. Joanna rolled her eyes and didn¡¯t want to answer him. Bruce asked, ¡°Yesterday, I sent you a message on Facebook Messenger. Why didn¡¯t you reply?¡± Joanna was confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t receive it.¡± ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t receive it, or you just don¡¯t want to reply.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t use my previous ount anymore.¡± Bruce was speechless. He said sarcastically, ¡°So I should go to thepany to find you if I want to contact you.¡± ¡°Cora, give him my business card.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, this is Miss Haynes¡¯s business card. Her office number was on it.¡± ¡°But she only answers it during her office hour.¡± Bruce was lost for words. He was angry that she only gave him the office number. It meant that she was not even willing to give him her private number. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 It did not matter. After all, he could find her number anyway as long as he wanted. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ll ask my assistant to inform you if there is something important.¡± Bruce replied sourly. Joanna frowned and said in a cold tone, ¡°What is it you want to see me about?¡± Bruce cleared his throat with embarrassment and said, ¡°Well, my grandma wants to see the two kids. So¡­¡± Before Bruce finished speaking, Joanna turned angry. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Everett.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°We can talk in thepany if you want to discuss anything about work. I don¡¯t think we need to meet in private.¡± ¡°Besides, my kids are not obligated to meet strangers.¡± ¡°Joanna, grandma is getting old. She just wants to see the kids. She doesn¡¯t have other thoughts.¡± ¡°Sorry, they can¡¯t go to see her.¡± Joanna refused firmly. Bruce¡¯s grandma was shrewd. She wanted to see the kids because she was already wondering if they were Bruce¡¯s kids. If she saw them, she would surely let Bruce take them to do the paternity test. By then, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to get the kids back. Bruce was angry. He lifted his hand and hit the elevator wall. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t overdo it¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s what I want to say to you!¡± ¡°We made a deal when we got divorced. We have nothing to do with each other from then on. What are you doing now?¡± ¡°Whose kids are they?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. They are not yours anyway.¡± Bruce sneered, locked her in his arms, and said, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°If I know they are my kids, I¡¯ll give you a hard time.¡± ¡°You are just insane.¡± Seeing that they began to quarrel, Cora was pale with fear. She wished she could be invisible. Just then, the elevator reached the floor where the conference was. ¡°You go out first,¡± Bruce said to Cora. ¡°Okay.¡± Cora lowered her head and hurried out of the elevator. Bruce still supported the elevator wall with his hands, trying to trap Joanna from getting out of the elevator. He softened his voice and said, ¡°Grandma just wants to see them. It won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°I can do whatever you say, as long as you agree to take the kids to see her.¡± ¡°Bruce, my kids have nothing to do with your family. And they don¡¯t need to see anyone.¡± ¡°Let go of me¡­¡± Joanna pushed Bruce several times in anger. But Bruce was tall and strong since he worked out a lot. Although she tried her best to push him, it was useless. ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce stepped forward and pushed her against the wall. ¡°If you continue to be like this, I won¡¯t be so polite.¡± Joanna tried to find the electric shock rod in the pocket. However, since he had learned the lesson before, he wouldn¡¯t let her do it again. Bruce caught her hands and trapped them on the elevator wall. ¡°We can do it the easy way or the hard way. It¡¯s your choice. You know it. If I want to do something, I will do it anyway.¡± ¡°Let go of me! Bruce, don¡¯t be rude!¡± ¡°Ding!¡± The elevator door opened again. ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes. What are you doing?¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were startled. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. He released Joanna unhappily. Then he walked out of the elevator with a sullen face. Joanna calmed herself down and also followed him out. In the conference room. ¡°Mr. Everett, do you have any announcements for the shareholders¡® meeting today?¡± Mr. Roger asked with a ttering smile. ¡°Nothing. I just want to see you guys since we haven¡¯t met for several days.¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were stunned. ¡°Seeing you are all good, I am also reassured. You are free now.¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were more confused. When they received the news that Bruce would hold the shareholders¡® meeting in person, they took it seriously and stayed up all night with excitement. They prepared for a long time in the early morning. They specially dressed up for fear of being indecent. But now they felt they were fooled by Bruce. Bruce frowned and said, ¡°I have nothing to announce. The meeting is over.¡± Although his voice was not loud, his natural august vibe made people terrified. ¡°What?¡± ¡°OK, all right. We will go back then.¡± ¡°Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul, please hold on!¡± Joanna stopped them in time. Bruce turned unhappy. ¡°I ask them to go.¡± ¡°Well, we should leave now.¡± After finishing speaking, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul dared not to stay longer and fled. Joanna was very angry. ¡°Bruce, what the hell are you doing? We are in thepany, the working ce. It¡¯s not a ce for fun.¡± ¡°So what? That¡¯s my freedom. What are you gonna do to me?¡± ¡°You are shameless!¡± Joanna gnashed her teeth in anger. ¡°Now, take the kids to visit Grandma. Otherwise, I will interrupt your work every day.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t overdo it!¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be so stubborn!¡± As he was speaking, he stepped forward and clutched her wrist. She panicked and tried to get rid of him. ¡°Just speak. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Bruce suddenly felt restless. He tried to calm himself down, but he couldn¡¯t. He had lusted after her scent since it was still in his memory. Once she got close, he would be crazy. All of a sudden, Bruce pressed her against the conference table. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me!¡± He couldn¡¯t resist the urge to conquer her. Today, he decided to conquer this obstinate woman again. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Joanna struggled desperately. Unfortunately, her resistance brought even greater danger. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t¡­ Please¡­¡± His kisses were fierce, hard, and aggressive. Her shirt was torn. Joanna waspletely afraid. She knew that this imperious man would never be gentle to her. When they were still married, he had already been so tyrannical. The harder it was for her to bear, the ruder he was. ¡°Let go of me¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t get rid of him, so she bit him hard. The smell of blood filled his mouth. However, it made him fiercer. She suddenly got some bruises on her neck. Joanna couldn¡¯t help crying. She beat him feebly. She hated this terrible man much. She didn¡¯t know why she had loved him before. Not only that, she loved him so much. Her love toward Bruce had made her so humble when facing him. But this man had never given her a little love or tenderness. Now, she just hated him as much as how she had loved him before. Just then, a buzz interrupted them. Bruce¡¯s cell phone rang. He ignored it. The cell phone was still buzzing. His movements slightly softened. At first, he didn¡¯t want to answer the phone. However, he told his grandma that he would take the kids to see her today. So he worried that it was his grandma calling. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. He was distracted for a moment. Joanna took the opportunity to bite him hard.. It was a nasty bite. Beads of red blood rolled from his lips. Bruce gasped and frowned. He touched his lips and saw blood on his hand. ¡°The damned woman,¡± he thought. ¡°How dare she bite me so hard!¡± Joanna freed herself and struggled to slide down the conference table. But her body was weak, and she was barely able to stand steadily. She had to hold the conference table and tried to be stable. ¡°Bruce, if you do this again, I will call the police!¡± ¡°Do whatever you want!¡± Bruce ignored her menace and picked up his cell phone to take a look. The caller was Roxanne. There had been five missed calls on his cell phone. Bruce frowned and finally answered, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Bruce, did you get on the ne? I¡¯m going to pick you up.¡± ¡°I havee back.¡± The phone was silent for a few seconds. Roxanne asked with disappointment, ¡°So when did you get. back?¡± ¡°Last night.¡± Roxanne felt sadder after hearing that. ¡°Since he came backst night, why didn¡¯t he call me?¡± she thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m gonna hang up if you have nothing else to say.¡± Bruce¡¯s lower lip hurt badly. He just wanted to hang up the phone immediately and continue to deal with Joanna. ¡°Bruce, how about having dinner tonight?¡± ¡°I have a meeting tonight. Maybe some other time.¡± Listening to their talk, Joanna knew it was Roxanne who made the call. Joanna was annoyed that Bruce always bullied her. So she wanted to take revenge on him. ¡°Mr. Everett, you should spend more time with your girlfriend.¡± ¡°After all, we¡¯re divorced. Leave me alone.¡± Joanna deliberately said in a loud voice. The other end of the line suddenly became silent. Bruce also frowned, ring at Joanna. Joanna red back more sternly. Yes, she was on purpose. She wanted Roxanne to know that Bruce was staying with her. Besides, it was Bruce who was haunting her, not she was haunting Bruce. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up then.¡± Bruce directly hung up the phone. ¡°Beep¨Cbeep.¡± Roxanne was bitterly disappointed at that moment. Her hand quivered slightly as she was holding the phone. ¡°Joanna, you slut! I can¡¯t believe you hooked up with Bruce again!¡± She couldn¡¯t help crying. The more she thought, the angrier Roxanne was. She directly called that boy. ¡°Hello, Gavin. Are you there?¡± The boy¡¯s name was Gavin. He was a little ttered when he got Roxanne¡¯s phone call. ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s me.¡± Roxanne rarely looked for him recently. Thinking that she was ready to have further development. with Bruce, she did not want to get too close to Gavin. She was more afraid that Bruce would discover her secret. ¡°I want to see you.¡± ¡°When.¡± ¡°Now.¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet at the usual ce.¡± ¡°OK.¡± The ce where they met secretly was a sushi bar. The sushi bar had many private rooms where they would not be disturbed. As soon as they got into the room, they embraced each other passionately without saying a word. ¡°Roxy, I miss you much,¡± said Gavin.. At the same time, he did all he could to please her. A few momentster. Roxanne was too impatient to wait. She was sweating profusely. She was as soft as mud. Actually, she didn¡¯t love Gavin. But she liked the excitement and pleasure he brought her. Gavin understood her and knew what she needed. After they were done. ¡°Roxy, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Gavin hugged Roxanne and asked gently. He liked Roxanne, but he knew he was not good enough for her. He was already very content to meet her secretly like this. Roxanne was a little wistful. She said softly, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just feeling sad.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Gavin asked more gently. Roxanne couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. She wished Bruce could also be so considerate, know her so well, love her so much, and be so obsessed with her body. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 ¡°Are you alright? Can you tell me what happened?¡± Gavin asked more gently. Roxanne sneered, ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling you? You are just a gigolo.¡± Hearing that, Gavin grinned. Then, his gestures and postures became more wanton and provocative. ¡°Oh, God. Be gentle¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a gigolo. So what?¡± Gavin was infuriated by this remark. His movements became fierce. Roxanne liked wolf¨Clike men like him. She indulged in it again. Gavin knew himself. It was true that he could give her nothing materially. Even the high cost of the sushi bar was far beyond hispetence. Roxanne had to pay for it every time. However, he had an awareness of his advantages. So he could serve Roxanne very well every time and let her fully enjoy the pleasure of being a woman. He knew what women really wanted. A woman needed a man who could bring her much physical pleasure. At least, she couldn¡¯t leave him until someone better could rece him. ¡°Gavin, I don¡¯t want to go back today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Then, they left the sushi bar. Sitting on the back of Gavin¡¯s motorcycle, Roxanne went to Gavin¡¯s home with him. It was a shanty in a slum at the foot of a hill. Dirty. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Messy. Smelly. There was arge gap between the poor and the rich in Greyport. Even though the two ces were both close to the mountain, their situation could be drastically different. Although Roxanne was from a rich family, she felt morefortable here. Here she could shed all her disguise, and no one knew her. They became crazy again. In the conference room. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m gonna ask you onest time¡­¡± ¡°No matter how many times you ask, I won¡¯t let my kids meet strangers. No freaking way!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached with anger. Pointing the finger at her, he shouted, ¡°Fine, fine. Don¡¯t push me!¡± Being rebuffed, Bruce left in a rage. Since he failed to persuade her, he could only y hardball. After seeing that Bruce had gone away, Joanna sank into the chair. Her tears ran uncontrobly. That was a close call. If Roxanne had not called Bruce, she would have been ¡°bullied¡± by him. ¡°Beep¨Cbeep.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but call Jaydon. On the other end of the line. Jaydon was busy in his office. The coquette Carmel was wearing a ck silk servant costume. With cute bunny ears on her head, she was kneeling on the ground and pleasing him eagerly and seductively. The phone rang. His interest was damped down, and he frowned. Originally, he did not want to answer it. But hearing it was Joanna calling, he immediately picked up the phone. He had set a special ring tone for her, and he was excited to hear it. Joanna seldom called him. Taking a deep breath, Jaydon calmed down and motioned Carmel to stop. But she had been spoiled by him recently and was very capricious. She ignored him and continued. Jaydon had to hold his breath and answered the phone. ¡°Hello, what¡¯s the matter? Joann.¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice was gentle and maic. People who heard this voice would naturally think that the person on the other end of the line should be a gentle, elegant man. The phone was connected. Joanna suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say. She couldn¡¯t tell him what had happened between her and Bruce just now. Even if she told him, there was nothing he could do. ¡°Nothing. I just¡­want to call you.¡± Jaydon was a little surprised. He smiled and asked, ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Hearing that, the coquette who was kneeling on the ground was certainly jealous. She gave him at scrape with her sharp little teeth. Jaydon couldn¡¯t help but gasp. His voice was very low, and it could almost be ignored. But Joanna still heard it at the other end of the line. ¡°Well, take your time. Bye!¡± Then, she weakly pressed the button and hung up the phone. ¡°Hold on, Joann!¡± After Joanna hung up. Jaydon felt a little lost. It was the third time Joanna had called him. The first time was right after her divorce. It rained heavily that night. She came out of Everett¡¯s house, dragging her suitcase. She had nowhere to go and couldn¡¯t even get a cab. So she called him and asked him to take her to the airport. The second time was when she was about to give birth to a child. She slipped and fell in the bathroom, and the unborn fetus was damaged. She was bleeding badly. And this time¡­ He thought something must have happened to her again, or she wouldn¡¯t have called him. Jaydon felt very worried. He immediately sent a message to Joanna. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± After sending the message, Jaydon immediately stood up and put on his pants. Carmel was in a daze. She pouted and said, ¡°Sir, I haven¡¯t finished yet.¡± ¡°You will be the heroine of the next show. Get out of here.¡± Hearing that, Carmel immediately smiled. Wiping her mouth, she eximed, ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t want to say anything more and tidied up his clothes. He took his car key and left in a hurry. On the other end of the line. Looking at the message sent by Jaydon, Joanna was silent for a long time. She didn¡¯t reply to him. What was Jaydon like? She actually knew him. He gave her all his tenderness, probably just because he had never got her. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Joanna didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her. Strangely, she suddenly became sensitive again. After divorcing Bruce, she made a secret vow that she would not fall in love with anyone in this life. Being in a rtionship with someone could only bring her nothing but pain. But now, only four yearster, her mind was in turmoil again because of Bruce. Joanna frowned, shedding bitter tears. Then she opened her bag and took out some pills of sertraline and paroxetine. Without any hesitation, she took the pills. Then she became a work maniac and buried herself in work again. She didn¡¯t go to thepany these days, thus having a lot of business to do. Today, she would work overtime to get all these things done. Her work team was starting to roll in. It was time to get rid of some deadwood in thepany. Half an hourter. A ck Mercedes Benz S600 was parked downstairs. As soon as the door opened, Jaydon got off in a hurry. He had numerous luxury cars and drivers. But he didn¡¯t want to show off when he went out alone. So when he was outside by himself, he drove this car most often. ¡°Where is Joann?¡± Jaydon went to the reception of thepany and asked with concern. ¡°Miss Haynes is having a meeting. Please take a seat here and wait for a while, Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°OK, alright.¡± Jaydon sat down in the reception room, and Cora poured him a ss of lemonade. Jaydon was thirsty. He took the lemonade and drank it up. ¡°Would you like another cup, Mr. Grimm?¡± Cora asked with a smile. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± With a meaningful smile, Jaydon blinked at Cora. He was good at flirting with girls. Many girls were mesmerized by his amorous eyes. Cora gave him another ss of water and went back to her post. Looking at Cora, Jaydon couldn¡¯t help but praise her, ¡°You are in great shape. It¡¯s a pity that you choose to join the showbiz.¡± didn¡¯t ¡°Mr. Grimm, please don¡¯t make jokes.¡± Cora¡¯s face turned red at once. It was true that her body was hot. Although her face was not so attractive, she had a good figure. She was 5 feet and 7 inches tall. She was well¨Cshaped with a slender waist and long legs. Jaydon had to admit that her figure was quite striking. Thinking of this, he took more nces at Cora again. He had a weakness for girls with big chests and long legs. Of course, Joanna was an exception. She was too thin and weak. But her face was stunningly pretty. Her eyes were especially amazing. They were the prettiest eyes he had ever seen in a woman. One hourter. Joanna¡¯s meeting was over. Jaydon and Cora also finished flirting. They friended each other in Messenger and kept each other¡¯s numbers. The next thing they would do was date someday. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Grimm ising.¡± ¡°OK. Let him in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon ogled Cora and then went into Joanna¡¯s office. In the office. Joanna was sitting by theputer and seriously looking at the documents. She was focused and careful, and her face was beautifully made up. She looked fresh, capable, and shrewd. It brought him right back to sobriety and decency. ¡°You¡¯vee. Take a seat. Give me ten minutes. I have some work to do right now.¡± ¡°OK. Take your time.¡± Jaydon sat down on the sofa opposite her. Joanna continued to read the documents. Jaydon looked at her without saying anything. He also enjoyed it very much. Looking at her was different from looking at other women. When he was looking at other women, there would be a burning desire in his heart. But he felt very cid when he was looking at her. He just wanted to protect her and take care of her. Just now, Joanna suddenly hung up the phone. He had thought she was angry, so he rushed here to apologize. But when he got here, he suddenly felt he didn¡¯t need to do it. Joanna had always known he often had women around him. Ten minutes had passed. Joanna finished processing the documents. She brushed her hair from her forehead and smiled at Jaydon. ¡°Are you done?¡± Jaydon stood up, slowly walked to her, bent over, and put his hand on her chair. ¡°Why did you just now?¡± all me Joanna smiled at him and said, ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to call you. I wondered if there were any good restaurants nearby.¡± Jaydon was surprised. Being lost for words, he didn¡¯t believe her excuse at all. Seeing this, Joanna exined, ¡°Really, it¡¯s nothing. I just moved. I thought I hadn¡¯t had dinner with you in a while. So I wanted to have dinner with you tonight.¡± Smiling, Jaydon got an idea and said, ¡°Well, I know a good restaurant. Let¡¯s have dinner there tonight. There is nothing good to eat around here.¡± Hearing that, Joanna frowned. She asked, ¡°Is it far from here? I can¡¯t go too far. I still have work to do tonight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let me down. You should listen to me if you want to invite me to dinner.¡± ¡°Alright. Do we need a reservation?¡± ¡°No. I am a member there.¡± ¡°But let me pay today. Every time I asked you to dinner, you ended up footing the bill.¡± ¡°OK. I will eat something good this time. After all, you¡¯re on the board of directors of such a big company. I¡¯m going to cost you a fortune.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°OK. You can eat as much as you like.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take Davian and Irvin together.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°OK. I know.¡± Then Joanna called Miranda. ¡°Hello, Miranda.¡± ¡°Take Davian and Irvin downstairs. I¡¯ll pick you upter.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go out for dinner tonight. Tell Nancy she didn¡¯t need to cook today. You can go downstairs 20 minutester.¡± ¡°OK, got it, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± ¡°OK¡± Joanna turned off theputer and tidied things up. Joanna¡¯s house. Hearing someone call Miranda, Davian and Irvin ran over excitedly and eximed, ¡°Miranda, was mommy calling you?¡± ¡°Yes. Your mommy said we would go out for dinner tonight.¡± ¡°She asked you to get dressed right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great!¡± They hurried to change their clothes. After changing the clothes, they happily followed Miranda downstairs. Ten minutes had passed. Miranda and the two little boys stood at the gate of themunity, waiting for Joanna toe. They just had been waiting one minute. All of a sudden, some malicious¨Clooking men in ck suits came over. Without saying a word, they went ahead and forcibly took the two children. Miranda was freaking out. ¡°What are you doing?¡± away. ¡°Put them down. There is a kidnapping! Help!¡± Miranda cried and tried to snatch the children back. However, she was more than 50 years old. She was too weak to snatch them back. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Miranda was pushed to the ground by a man in ck. ¡°There is a kidnapping! Help!¡± ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me!¡± Two men in ck hurried to the car parked nearby, with two little boys under their arms. ¡°Let go of me¡­¡± Davian shouted. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 He had a fiery temper, which made him more resemble Bruce. Just then, lowering his head, he bit the man in ck on the wrist. The sting made the man let out a scream. ¡°Oops. How dare you!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± When the man in ck was rubbing his wrist, Davian suddenly reached out and punched his eyes. The man felt it really hurt and had to release Davian. Davian fell to the ground. Although it was painful, he was not afraid at all. Getting up quickly, he shouted as he ran to the front, ¡°You let my brother go! Let my brother go!¡± ¡°Help! Someone is abducting the children!¡± Miranda also threw herself at one of the men in ck and clung to his ankle. The scene was a mess. Just then, Jaydon and Joanna¡¯s cars arrived one behind the other. Seeing the situation, Joanna soon realized it was Bruce who sent the men to grab the children. ¡°Stop it!¡± said she sternly. Joanna quickly stopped the car and got out without closing the door. She immediately took an arm¨Cthick electric baton from the trunk. ¡°Put my kids down!¡± The electric baton hissed. Joanna rushed at them like a maniac with her electric baton. The baton carried a strong current. A man immediately fainted. Noticing this, the men in ck were shocked. They all stepped back out of fear. ¡°Put my kids down!¡± Joanna said again. But these men were all professional bodyguards. Since they were hired by Bruce, their physical strength and fighting strength could not be underestimated. They were really difficult men. After a few seconds, one of those men kicked the electric baton out of Joanna¡¯s hand. Joanna fell to the ground at once. About this time, Jaydon also stopped the car and quickly hurried up to her. He had been practicing boxing since childhood and had won a boxing championship. He can handle these men. Seeing that the man in ck wanted to kick Joanna again, Jaydon stopped him immediately. Then, Jaydon got into a fight with these men in ck. Joanna also joined the fight, but she was too weak. Chapter 30 Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. She couldn¡¯t even get close to these professional bodyguards. ¡°Miranda, call the police!¡± ¡°OK. got it.¡± Miranda got up and ran to the security room. There was an rm in the security room. It had already set the information of location, address, and so on. As soon as the button was pressed, the car would arrive in five minutes. ¡°Someone is kidnapping the children there.¡± Hearing this, the security guards ran out to check what was going on. ¡°It¡¯s a kidnapping! Someone is abducting the children¡­¡± ¡°You let go of me! Let go of me!¡± Davian and Irvin had been pulled to the door of the car. The two little boys clung to the door and refused to get in. Not far away, several security guards rushed over. Meanwhile, the sound of the police car could also be heard. Many passers¨Cby also stopped to watch. In another car. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. Apparently, he couldn¡¯t take the children away today. He would have more trouble if reporters and police officers cameter. Bruce¡¯s face became cold. He said into the pager, ¡°Everybody, get in the car and go!¡± All the bodyguards wore a headset in their ears. Hearing the instructions of Bruce, they dared not to dy. They had to release the children, get into the car, and drive away quickly. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The two little boys were still frightened. They ran over to Joanna one after the other. Joanna was also very worried. She ran a few steps forward and held the two children close to her. ¡°Davian! Irvin! Don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy is here.¡± ¡°Let mommy check if you are hurt.¡± Joanna hurriedly checked the injury of the two children. Davian had skinned his arm, and blood was oozing out. Irvin also got a finger¨Clong scratch on his face. Even if he recovered, he might have a scar on his face. Seeing that, Joanna felt very sorry for the children and shed tears. Chapter 30 At the same time, she was even more determined not to let Bruce take the two children away. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The security guards arrived. Miranda said in a panic, ¡°Someone was abducting the children just now. They almost took the two children away.¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°They have run away.¡± ¡°Come here and make a statement, so that we can tell the officers what happened when they got here.¡± ¡°Miranda, you go with them to make the statement. I¡¯ll take Davian and Irvin to the hospital.¡± ¡°OK, got it.¡± Jaydon was also slightly injured. His arm was twisted. His face was also punched, and it was starting to swell up. But the bodyguards who fought against him didn¡¯t take advantage, either. Two of them had their arms broken, and one lost a tooth. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Joann, they don¡¯t look like child abductors.¡± Joanna replied coldly, ¡°It¡¯s Bruce.¡± ¡°Bruce? Did he know everything?¡± ¡°He must have suspected it.¡± ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused now. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± ¡°Joann, we can¡¯t go on like this. If there is no way out, we can send Davian and Irvin abroad.¡± Hearing that, Joanna hesitated. She had been busy with work for the past four years, but she was with her children every day. If sending the children abroad now, she wouldn¡¯t be able to look after them. She would not be reassured of letting others attend to her kids. Therefore, she must go abroad with them. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Fortunately, Davian and Irvin were only slightly injured. They were all right after the doctors sterilized their wounds and applied some ointment. And Jaydon was also not badly hurt. He just needed to be simply bandaged, ¡°Joann, if you don¡¯t want to send them abroad, how about sending them to Venturas? They¡¯ll be in kindergarten soon. There is an exclusive private kindergarten there.¡± ¡°You can send them there to study. Venturas is also close to Greyport. It¡¯s only an hour away by boat, and you can visit them every week.¡± ¡°Let them take shelter for some time. After Bruce and Roxanne get married, he will probably forget it and won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Pausing for a while, Jaydon continued, ¡°Lilia still has not been exposed. You don¡¯t need to worry. about her. Just let her stay by your side.¡± Hearing that, Joanna looked at him with hesitation. Greyport and Venturas were separated only by a sea. Although Venturas was small, it was the only city in the country where gambling was allowed. The Grimm family was one of the top three gambling tycoons in Venturas. ¡°But it¡¯s too close. I¡¯m afraid it will be easy for Bruce to find them.¡± Jaydon smiled, gently put his arm around her shoulder, andforted her, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I can send someone to protect them. Don¡¯t worry. Besides, you can tell him the children are abroad. When things calm down, you can bring them back.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Then I¡¯m gonna arrange it.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Mommy, where are we going?¡± ¡°You are old enough to go to kindergarten. Soon, you will be a big boy and begin to study.¡± ¡°We get it,¡± the kid answered. The next day. Jaydon drove Joanna and the two little boys to the dock to take a boat. They prepared to take them to Venturas. Roxanne also went home tiredly. As usual, Gavin took her to the city on a motorcycle. Then she would take a taxi to the designated ce and ask the driver to pick her up. The main reason they went to all this trouble was to keep it secret. She was also afraid of being photographed with Gavin. The motorcycle just drove past Jaydon¡¯s car. Coincidentally, Joanna was looking out of the window. Suddenly, she saw the woman on the motorcycle, who resembled Roxanne very much from the back. Although the woman was wearing a helmet, her figure looked exactly like Roxanne¡¯s. ¡°Well, look at that person. Is that Roxanne?¡± Jaydon was driving. He mmed on the brake and nced in the rear¨Cview mirror. ¡°Looks a bit like her from the back.¡± They couldn¡¯t see the person clearly. But just then, the motorcycle suddenly stopped. Gavin got off, and Roxanne followed. They took off the helmets. Gavin kissed Roxanne¡¯s cheek again and again. Obviously, he was intimate with her. Now, Joanna could recognize the woman. It was exactly Roxanne. It looked like she had an affair with this man. ¡°Oh, sure enough, it¡¯s Roxanne. Bruce is really a cuckold,¡± Jaydon scoffed. Joanna frowned and said, ¡°Maybe they are just friends¡­¡± Jaydon sneered, ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t understand men. In this case, they couldn¡¯t be just friends¡­¡± Jaydon stopped short in the middle of the sentence. He couldn¡¯t show his true nature. ¡°Take a photo and send it to Bruce or the media.¡± Hearing that, Joanna hurriedly stopped him and said, ¡°No. Don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt her.¡± Joanna knew that if the photo was sent to the media, Roxanne¡¯s life would be ruined. She knew the feelings of being cyberbullied. That was terrible. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t want to hurt her, but she can hurt you.¡± Joanna let out a sigh, ¡°Anyway, she is my sister. Six years ago, she failed to marry Bruce. It was my fault. I owe her. So I can cut her some ck. I hope she can conduct herself well.¡± ¡°Alright. It¡¯s up to you.¡± Jaydon stepped on the gas pedal again, and the car sped away. At Haynes¡¯s house. After some twists and turns, Roxanne finally returned home with a tired body. She stayed out all night yesterday. Because of Gavin, her legs were still trembling now. Ingrid was having breakfast. Seeing her daughter was back, she walked over with a smile. ¡°Roxy, you finallye back.¡± Roxanne said in anguid voice, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m gonna go upstairs and take a shower first.¡± Ingrid grinned and asked, ¡°Tell mom why you stayed outst night. Did you sleep with Mr. Everett?¡± Hearing that, Roxanne looked away in dismay. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be gossipy. I¡¯ll take a shower first.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Go ahead. You are finally enlightened, my silly daughter. I told you that you should make the first move when you have to.¡± Before Ingrid finished speaking, Roxanne had run upstairs. Ingrid saw her daughter was in low spirits. Her legs were weak, and they couldn¡¯t evene together. There were also hickeys on her neck. Obviously, she¡¯d had a wild night. But Ingrid was very happy because she thought Roxanne had spent the night with Bruce. She would be furious if she knew her daughter was sleeping with a poor guy for the whole night. Soon, the children were ready for kindergarten. All the admission procedures were also in order. The students in this kindergarten were all from rich families. Apart from money, you also need connections to go to this kindergarten. Of course, everything here was top¨Cend, and the tuition cost hundreds of thousands of dors a year. The secrecy was also very excellent. Even the paparazzi couldn¡¯t get information on the kids. After settling Davian and Irvin down, Joanna felt more reassured. She returned to Greyport the same day. Venturas was the Grimm family¡¯s ce. She thought Bruce wouldn¡¯t find there too soon. Joanna went home. It was gettingte. It was already nine o¡¯clock at night. Without the two little guys, the big house suddenly became quiet. After Joanna had changed her clothes and disinfected her whole body, she went to see her daughter. Lilia was lying quietly on her pink bed. Because she didn¡¯t see the sun all year round, her skin was stunningly pale. ¡°Lilia, mommy is back.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly at Joanna. ¡°Mommy, where are my brothers?¡± Joanna gently brushed her daughter¡¯s soft hair. ¡°Mommy sent them to kindergarten. They are big boys. It¡¯s time for them to study.¡± ¡°When can I study?¡± Hearing that, Joanna felt more sorry. She exined patiently, ¡°My dear Lilia, when you get well, you can study like your brothers.¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°It is time to take medicine, dear.¡± Joanna took out a few pills and a variety of vitamin tablets. ¡°Yes.¡± Lilia was obedient and was used to taking pills. She never cried, no matter how bitter the medicine was. ¡°Good night. Mommy is with you here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Lilia smiled sweetly and closed her eyes. Her eyshes were long, and her eyes looked like Joanna¡¯s. She looked like a cute little doll when she was sleeping. It was a great pity that such a lovely girl was disabled. She was not able to walk and couldn¡¯t even stand Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. When Lilia finally fell asleep, Joanna sighed and turned off the light, going out of her daughter¡¯s room without making any noise. ¡°Beep¨Cbeep.¡± The phone rang and gave her a fright. Joanna saw a strange number on the screen. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Joanna, where did you hide the children?¡± It was Bruce. It was obvious that he was quite angry at present. Joanna replied in a brusque tone, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? They are my children and have nothing to do with your family. Don¡¯t disturb us anymore. I will sue you if you abduct the children again!¡± Bruce swallowed and growled coldly, ¡°Tell me, where are the children?¡± ¡°I have sent them to study abroad. Don¡¯t waste your time.¡± Bruce exined, ¡°Joanna, Grandma is getting old. She just wants to see the children¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I¡¯m under no obligation to meet your request.¡± She knew that if the children went to see Margaret, they would be forced to stay there. She knew how shrewd Margaret was. She would not release them easily. Bruce was lost for words. Being upset, he said, ¡°Joanna, you have one day left. You will be screwed if you don¡¯t take the children to see her.¡± ¡°Beep. Joanna directly hung up the phone without saying anything. On the other end of the line. Seeing Joanna hang up the phone, Bruce was very angry. No one had ever hung up on him. ¡°Beep¨Cbeep.¡± ¡°Beep¨Cbeep¡­¡± Then Bruce made a dozen phone calls in session but were all hung up by Joanna. The more she hung up, the more he called. Finally, a voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Sorry. The number you dialed is off. Please redial later.¡± ¡°Joanna, you just wait and see!¡± Bruce gasped with anger. ¡°Andy, get the word out right now that the Haynes Group is about to be acquired. Within two days, let the Haynes Group¡¯s shares fall below the daily limit.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Crack! The cell phone was mmed to the ground, and its screen was shattered. The next day. The news that the Haynes Group was facing bankruptcy and was about to be acquired quickly made headlines on the financial boards. Chapter 32 The news rattled many investors. Soon after, the Haynes Group¡¯s stock fell sharply. Seeing this, many small investors began to sell their shares of the Haynes Group. Just in one day, the Haynes Group lost hundreds of millions of dors in market value. At this rate, the Haynes Group would soon face the risk of being delisted. In the Haynes Group. ¡°Miss Haynes has note to thepany for three days. Will thepany go bankrupt?¡± ¡°Have you seen the financial news today? Thepany is going bankrupt!¡± ¡°Will Miss Haynes run away with the money?¡± ¡°If it goes on like this, it would be impossible to be one of the world¡¯s top 500 enterprises. We need to figure out how to keep thepany afloat first!¡± ¡°She is just blowing hot air.¡± ¡°With Mr. Grim on her side, she¡¯s not afraid at all. But it¡¯s not gonna work out for us. If thepany goes bankrupt, I don¡¯t know how to support the whole family.¡± ¡°Yeah, she overreaches herself. I can¡¯t believe she has signed the Valuation Adjustment Mechanism with Mr. Everett. Now, before the contract expires, she will be screwed.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯te to thepany these days. I guess she is too afraid toe.¡± ¡°See, there¡¯s been a lot of negative news about her these days.¡± ¡°What a jinx she is¡­¡± Some employees were in a heated discussion. Just then, Joanna appeared unexpectedly behind them. An intern on the other side saw her first, and his face turned pale. He lowered his head and said, ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± Other people also hurried back to their posts. ¡°You guys don¡¯t need toe tomorrow.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± They looked at each other. ¡°Miss Haynes, ording to thebor contract, if you want toy us off, you have to give one month¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°Besides, you should give us unemployment benefits.¡± ¡°Yeah, even Mr. Haynes cannot fire us easily. Why do youy us off?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will give unemploymentpensation to each of you following legal procedures.¡± Joanna added, ¡°Go to the finance department to settle this month¡¯s sry. I will ask thewyer to check the unemploymentpensation, and it will be sent to your wage card.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± They were shocked and couldn¡¯t believe it. They didn¡¯t expect Joanna to be so decisive and fire them so quickly. ¡°Cora, here is theyoff list. People on the list don¡¯t have toe here tomorrow.¡± ¡°Got it, Miss Haynes.¡± There were a dozen people on the list. All of them were Ingrid¡¯s rtives and confidants. These people didn¡¯t bring many benefits to thepany. Besides, they often spread rumors and ndered Joanna behind her back. Therefore, she had to get rid of these people no matter how much it took. Soon, those who had been fired called Ingrid toin. Knowing that her trusted followers were all fired, Ingrid was angrier. ¡°Damn! Joanna has fired six of my cousins!¡± ¡°She is so cruel!¡± Ingrid cursed Joanna while crying, and she punched Shaun from time to time. Shaun kept smoking without saying a word. ¡°Shaun, see what your daughter did. If you don¡¯t do anything to her, she¡¯s gonna be more rampant.¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Shaun drew on his cigarette and sighed. ¡°What can I do? That rebellious girl disrespects me. Will she be polite to your people?¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a wimp. You¡¯re her father, and you can¡¯t even control your own daughter! I think you should hold a press conference and sever ties between father and daughter with her!¡± Shaun pped his thigh and said with a wry face, ¡°Hey, let¡¯s not bring something like this to the press! Isn¡¯t it disgraceful enough? Besides, even if I¡¯m not the chairman, our family still has a lot of savings and so many side businesses. We can still live our lives!¡± Ingrid snapped back, ¡°How is that the same? Haynes Group is a family business and has managed to get on track to be a listedpany! However, something big like it has fallen into others¡® hands. easily now! I will not tolerate it.¡± ¡°So what? My father can give his inheritance to anyone.¡± ¡°Come on. Who would give his inheritance to his granddaughter instead of his son? If I had known you were such a coward, I would never have married you!¡± Shaun sighed and shook his head in frustration. He would not have betrayed his family if not for Ingrid seducing him back then. Shaun had just married Joanna¡¯s mother and was on their honeymoon back then. However, Ingrid seduced him. He only wanted to have a little fun with her, but Ingrid got pregnant after that. Moreover, Ingrid went straight to Joanna¡¯s mother and told thetter that she was pregnant with Shaun¡¯s baby. Joanna¡¯s mother had a bad temper. She left the Haynes residence and was determined to get a divorce without a second thought. In hindsight, Shaun really felt sorry for Joanna¡¯s mother. However, he had no choice but to marry Ingrid. ¡°Darling, I don¡¯t care. You have to seek an exnation for my two cousins! My cousin has been in the company for nearly 20 years. If you fire him now, how can he live his life in the future?¡± Shaun sighed before replying, ¡°I¡¯ll call Joann and ask what¡¯s the situation now!¡± Beep! Beep! Shaun had no choice but to bite the bullet and make a phone call to Joanna. ¡°Hello, Dad. What¡¯s up?¡± Joanna answered the phone. ¡°Joann, I heard you¡¯veid off a dozen old employees. Is that true?¡± On the other end of the line, Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before saying, ¡°Yes, Dad!¡± ¡°These people are thepany¡¯s old employees who have worked in thepany for more than 20 years. How can you fire them just like that?¡± Joanna said calmly, ¡°Dad, these people don¡¯t work seriously. Besides, their positions are important! The new elites have no suitable job arrangement, which will only drag thepany¡¯s development!¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m not being harsh to you, but you can¡¯t be so cruel! These people are Mdm. Lowe¡¯s rtives have worked with me for 20 years! Call them now and let them all go back to work!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. These people have been fired, and it¡¯s impossible to ask them toe back!¡± Chapter 33 ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else you want to discuss, I¡¯m hanging up!¡± Then, Joanna hung up the phone. Shaun was very upset and scolded, ¡°That gal sure is cruel!¡± ¡°You, see? I¡¯ve told you so! This woman is trying to make life miserable for us! If she doesn¡¯t give us an easy time, you mustn¡¯t give her an easy time too! Hold a press conference tomorrow and sever ties with her! Let¡¯s see if she can stay in Greyport after that.¡± The next day, the shares of Haynes Group hit rock bottom again as soon as the market opened. At this rate, thepany would no longer be able to survive within a few days. At that moment, James and Luca could not sit still anymore, and they rushed to thepany. ¡°Miss Haynes, the stock prices have fallen so much. What should we do?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s right! Haynes Group¡¯s share price has never had such a dramatic decline since it became a listedpany. At this rate, Harrison Group maye crashing down¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think of something!¡± Joanna thought it was abnormal for the stock price to fall so badly all of a sudden. Then, she immediately came to a realization. She thought Bruce had to be the one scheming it. Joanna had no choice but to call Bruce in the early morning. Looking at Joanna¡¯s caller ID, Bruce smirked. Then, he answered the callzily, ¡°What? Can¡¯t resist calling me so soon?¡± When Joanna heard that, she was even more certain that he was to me. . + Agitated, she couldn¡¯t help screaming into the phone, ¡°Bruce, is there any point in doing this? Don¡¯t forget that you have shares in Haynes Group too!¡± On the other end of the line, Bruce sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I can afford to lose a little money!¡± ¡°Can you not do dirty tricks? If you want topete, we canpete fair and square! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s despicable to do something behind people¡¯s backs?¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment. I¡¯m despicable just like that! I can even do something more despicable. Do you want to try it?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Joanna gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°How is it? Have you thought about it yet?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was full of all aggression and arrogance. ¡°Bruce, can you stop messing around? You have to differentiate between business and personal matters! If you¡¯re dissatisfied with me, we can solve Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Bruce sneered and drawled, ¡°Stop pointing fingers if you don¡¯t have any proof. What did I do? What does the plummeting of Haynes Group¡¯s shares have to do with me?¡± Infuriated, Joanna took a sharp breath and clenched the phone. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± ¡°What do I want? Isn¡¯t it clear to you?¡± Joanna roared into the phone, ¡°I¡¯m telling you that there¡¯s no way it¡¯s going to happen! The child has already gone abroad and is unlikely to return soon! And, for the record, the child has nothing to do with you and the Everett family! We¡¯re all adults. Please don¡¯t resort to this underhanded tactic.¡± Bruce stuck his tongue out. ¡°Hehe. Are you angry?¡± Joanna was rendered speechless by his response. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m not!¡± she cursed in her mind. A wicked grin broke out on Bruce¡¯s face as he spoke deliberately in a rascal tone, ¡°I just love it when you¡¯re pissed off but can¡¯t get to me.¡± Bruce burst out intoughter after saying that. Joanna rolled her eyes in annoyance. She would¡¯ve killed him a hundred times if the killing wasn¡¯t against thew. ¡°Do you want to stabilize the share price of Haynes Group?¡± Joanna growled with exasperation as she thought, ¡°Do you really have to ask?¡± ¡°Beg me then!¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve had enough of this. Bruce, please don¡¯t do this again!¡± ¡°Is this your way of begging? Fix your attitude before you talk to me!¡± With that, Bruce hung up the phone. He felt slightly better for being able to vent out his frustration. ¡°Hello! Hey! Hello?¡± Joanna called a few times before she realized that the call had been disconnected. Joanna, seething with rage, immediately called him again. Bruce saw that Joanna¡¯s call hade in again, and he knew that she was anxious and angry. He raised his brow and ended the call again. ¡°This damned woman had the nerve to hang up on me the day before yesterday! I want you to know the price of hanging up on me and how frustrating it is when someone deliberately does not answer the phone,¡± he grumbled inwardly. ¡°Ring!¡± The phone kept vibrating. Bruce didn¡¯t answer on purpose, but he didn¡¯t switch his phone off either. He loved the feeling of leaving her hanging. Right then, Andy came to the office to deliver some documents. Noticing that the phone kept vibrating, he couldn¡¯t help but remind Bruce, ¡°Mr. Everett, the phone is ringing. Aren¡¯t you going to answer it?¡± Bruce took the documents and replied indifferently, ¡°Let it ring. I will pick it up when this damned woman calls a hundredth!¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g He was convinced that Joanna would do nothing but call him today. After all, the market value of Haynes Group had shrunk by nearly 300 million dors in two days. Nobody could sit still after such shocking development. Joanna continued dialing Bruce another four or five times, but thetter still didn¡¯t pick up the phone. Joanna gulped and put away the phone. ¡°Cora, hold a press conference tomorrow. Please make preparations for it!¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes!¡± Now she had to redeem the public image of Haynes Group and spread the news of their partnership with CI Technologies at the same time. Regardless, for the time being, she had to reassure the investors that everything would be all right. With that in mind, Joanna took out her phone and called Jaydon. Jaydon quickly answered, ¡°Hi, Joann!¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m ready to take your advice on packaging myself. I¡¯m holding a press conference tomorrow. I¡¯ll appreciate it if you can lend me a helping hand.¡± Jaydon¡¯s softugh was heard over the phone. ¡°Finally? I told you a long time ago. A desirable image. is needed for both yourself and thepany. You can rest assured that I will arrange everything beforehand for you! You will only need to bring up your most confident smile in front of the camera!¡± ¡°Sure, thank you, Jay! Please excuse me first. I¡¯ll call the public rtions officers and set up reception!¡± ¡°All right!¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna went to the bathroom. She washed her face with cold water and heaved a long sigh. Then, she started practicing her smile in the mirror. Deep down, she wasn¡¯t a confident person. the She was going to face a number of media interviews tomorrow. She had to show the best and most confident side of herself. Bruce was surprised to receive no call from Joanna after 20 minutes. He scratched his chin. He thought that the phone might be dead. He turned on the screen and saw the battery level at its maximum. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this damned woman has such patience!¡± Bruce furrowed his brow and muttered to himself, ¡°This is impossible! Haynes Group has lost over 300 million dors of its market value in thest couple of days! I don¡¯t believe that she isn¡¯t worried. I¡¯m sure she wille begging to me in no time!¡± Another hour had passed, and Bruce still didn¡¯t receive any calls from Joanna. Bruce scratched his forehead and suddenly felt a little bored. He¡¯d never been so distraught while waiting for someone to call him. Soon, another two hours had passed, and the phone was still silent. ¡°Well, that darn woman sure hasposure!¡± Bruce suddenly felt agitated. He had always been good at guessing others¡® thoughts. However, Joanna proved to be an exception. For example, in the case of their divorce, he thought Joanna wouldn¡¯t be able to cope. He thought she would pester him nonstop andin sullenly. As it turned out, she left like it was not a big deal. She left without even making a scene. She cut contactpletely, never pestered him, nor threw a tantrum. However, it was precise because of this attitude that he found it hard to let go of her. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Bruce smoked two cigarettes in a row. His throat felt parched. Meanwhile, his handsome face darkened. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He took out his phone and took the initiative to call Joanna. ¡°Ring!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone started to ring. It was a pity that Joanna missed the call as she was still in the bathroom, practicing facial management and body movements. ¡°Ring!¡± The phone was still not connected. ¡°Hello, the person you¡¯ve dialed is currently unavable¡­¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Bruce cursed. With a bang, the phone mmed to the ground. ¡°This damned woman! How dare she not answer my call!¡± Bruce cursed in his mind. Andy frowned upon seeing this. He picked up the phone, whipped out the SIM card, and reced it with another phone. This was the fifth phone that Bruce had broken this month. ¡°No wonder people say that the rich can do whatever they want,¡± Andy thought to himself. ¡°Andy, notify Well Street financial market.to block Haynes Group¡­¡± ¡°Noted! By the way, I just got the news that Miss Haynes is holding a press conference tomorrow. There might be an announcement!¡± Bruce gulped and scowled deeply. ¡°What? Joanna is holding a press conference?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°When did you get the news?¡± ¡°Just now.¡± ¡°Haha! What is this damn woman up to this time?¡± Bruce let out a wildugh and quirked his brow. He had nice eyebrows. Both were well¨Cgroomed, thick, and heavy. He looked poised when he raised his eyebrows. He looked elegant when he was at ease. It was a pity that his venomous tongue had ruined his image. Meanwhile, in the Haynes residence, Roxanne was surprised by the news from the press. ¡°Look at this, Mom!¡± She added, ¡°Joanna is holding a press conference tomorrow. I wonder what she¡¯s going to announce!¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 35 Ingrid took a peep at the news and swore, ¡°This bitch sure is getting more and more capable. A press conference, huh? Just in time! Tomorrow, ask your uncle and the staff who had beenid off to have a protest in front of theirpany during the press conference. Get two more people to stir up the scene. Ssh her with feces and make her look like a pig!¡± The next day, the venue of the press conference held by Grimm Group was well decorated. Grimm Group had temporarily allowed Joanna to hold the press conference in their office building. All the invited press were personally arranged by Jaydon. Those unscrupulous press and undesirable parties were all shunned away. ¡°I heard that Haynes Group is going under?¡± ¡°I wonder if the news is true!¡± ¡°It should be true. The shares of Haynes Group have fallen so much in thest couple of days!¡± ¡°Then, is Miss Haynes going to announce the bankruptcy in this press conference?¡± ¡°Quite possibly!¡± ¡°I heard Mr. Everett has siphoned off funds from Haynes Group! Besides that, Haynes Group hasid off many of its employees this month.¡± ¡°I heard that Haynes Group is going to be taken over by anotherpany!¡± A reporter sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve said that she¡¯s not capable enough. I didn¡¯t expect that she would lead the company into bankruptcy in less than two months after taking charge.¡± ¡°Who cares? The news is going to hit the headlines tomorrow!¡± Early in the morning, Bruce turned on the TV to see what Joanna was up to. The venue¡¯s live broadcast had been prepared for a long time! At nine o¡¯clock, there was amotion outside as a limousine pulled slowly into the parking lot of Grimm Group¡¯s building. Some media reporters who didn¡¯t get invited could only wait patiently downstairs. ¡°Hurry up! Herees Miss Haynes!¡± The reporters swarmed over. Fortunately, the scene had already been fenced, and arge number of security guards were also standing guard to maintain order. Rolls Royce stopped. Jaydon got out of the car first before he gentlemanly helped Joanna out. Joanna smiled and waved to the crowd. ¡°Wow, is that¡­ Miss Haynes?¡± The entertainment journalists almost couldn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°She looks so beautiful!¡± ¡°I thought she was an artist recently scouted by Starlight Media!¡± ¡°Click! Click! Click!¡± The sh went wild. Joanna was wearing a white dress today. A delicate make¨Cup had been put on her fair countenance. Her pair of iridescent eyes were glistening. Her hairstyle was sleek and elegant. Normally, Joanna looked quite bleak in front of the public. She always wore ck rimmed sses without any make¨Cup or hair styling, and she didn¡¯t usually put on heels. Her in attires had dimmed her beauty and hampered her true temperament to shine. Now that she had taken off her sses and dressed up properly, her beauty instantly dazzled the eyes of the whole Greyport. ¡°Wow! Miss Haynes is so beautiful¡­¡± Joanna seemed to be glowing in front of the camera. She was beautiful, confident, and elegant. ¡°First of all, I would like to wee you all to this press conference. There are three main announcements for the near future. The first is about getting through the legal process concerning my granddad¡¯s estate! I will officially take over as Chairman of Haynes Group. Secondly, I would like to clear up the recent rumors of the bankruptcy of Haynes Group. Next month, Haynes Group and CI Technologies will officially join hand in hand and be partners. Please continue to support us! Third, some say that Haynes Group has taken a stake in Starlight Media! This is all a misunderstanding. Although Mr. Grimm and I are very good friends, our business philosophy is different from each other. So, as for now, we have no business dealings.¡± very ¡°Click! Click! Click!¡± The shes flickered. All the lenses were focused on Joanna. Even the ever¨Cmean¨Clooking Edmeda Media gavepliments on Joanna¡¯s beauty. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re so beautiful. Are you interested in joining the entertainment industry?¡± Joanna smiled gracefully toward the camera. ¡°Nice joke. I¡¯m more than content if Haynes Group would flourish.¡± ¡°Excuse me, when are you and Mr. Grimm getting married?¡± ¡°That¡¯s personal. I can¡¯t answer it right now!¡± Joanna had been nonmittal about her affair with Jaydon over the years. After all, she still needed Jaydon as her patron at the moment. Of course, the partnership was a two¨Cway street. With her title as Mr. Everett¡¯s ex¨Cwife, she would automatically be dragged into the limelight. That way, she could bring more attention to Jaydon¡¯s film and televisionpany. ¡°Mr. Grimm, when are you going to propose to Ms. Haynes?¡± Jaydon smiled, looked lovingly at Joanna, and said in a half¨Cearnest and half¨Cin¨Cjest manner, ¡°That depends on when she¡¯s okay with that! If she wants to marry me now, I can propose immediately!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s sweet!¡± ¡°Propose now!¡± The reporters cheered. Joanna smiled bashfully and turned to Jaydon. She made an eye gesture to him not to let the press digress in this direction. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Jaydon gazed soulfully at Joanna. His demeanor indicated that he did not just throw out a joke. ¡°You two even have your babies. So you¡¯d better hurry up and get married! Don¡¯t forget to invite us to your wedding too!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t look Jaydon in the eye again and quickly withdrew her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer any questions about this topic outside of work. As you know, my grandfather has just died, and I¡¯m still mourning. Marriage will not be in my n for the uing three years! I hope everyone. will stop asking.¡± After the reporters heard that, they stopped probing. After all, they need to respect someone who was mourning her loss. Jaydon listened and suddenly felt a little despondent. He had met countless women in his life, be it an innocent girl or a coquettish seductress. He was finally tired of love hunting. He had an open mindset and didn¡¯t mind that Joanna would be in her second marriage and have three children. Sadly, Joanna always used this excuse to turn him down. Jaydon quickly put aside his inner turmoil and smiled. ¡°I will stop hogging the limelight now and leave the press conference to Miss Haynes!¡± With that, Jaydon smiled politely and headed offstage. Chapter 36 Meanwhile, outside of the camera, someone watched Joanna on TV. Bruce was smoking a cigarette before he stopped his movement in a daze. The cigarette in his hand burned right up to the end. He only snapped back to his senses when the bud burnt his hand. He got up quickly and ditched the cigarette butt in the ashtray. Joanna was undeniably good¨Clooking. However, it was not until today that he realized, apart from her beauty, that she also carried a strong will and indomitable spirit. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t lessen the disdain he felt for her. ¡°They say that a beautiful woman always carries a wicked heart. Isn¡¯t Joanna a good example?¡± he thought to himself. ¡°Hmph!¡± Seeing Joanna interacting with Jaydon, Bruce turned off the TV indignantly. Even though they were divorced, he didn¡¯t want to see her get too close to other men. Halfway through the press conference, a ruckus erupted downstairs. Two middle¨Caged men brought in more than ten people and started making trouble downstairs. Everyone was holding banners and shouting slogans. ¡°The new chairman of Haynes Group has made several families¡® lives difficult due to the sudden. downsizing.¡± ¡°Haynes Group is an image of greed and heartlessness. They do nothing but rip us off!¡± ¡°Joanna, get out of Greyport!¡± ¡°Joanna has no conscience at all!¡± The guards stopped them and tried to disperse the crowd. The protesters shouted at the media. Some even harmed the security guards to the ground. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s making trouble down there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dozen ex¨CHaynes Group employees. They¡¯re not happy with beingid off, so they came here and made trouble.¡± ¡°Chairman of Haynes Group, pleasee out and give us an exnation!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be such a coward, you heartless bitch! Get out of Haynes! Get out of Greyport!¡± ¡°Heartless being, you don¡¯t deserve to be a human.¡± When the media saw this, they couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Miss Haynes, how do you exin theyoffs?¡± Joanna¡¯s face fell. She looked at the camera with a solemn expression. ¡°Thisyoff was done in ordance with the standard operating procedures of thepany. Moreover, the personnel who have beenid off have all beenpensated.¡± ¡°Well, did those staffs make a mistake that led to their unemployment?¡± ¡°Haynes Group wouldn¡¯t fire its employees without a valid reason. Thisyoff is, for one thing, an attempt to bring in new blood. Secondly, it¡¯s also a means to break through thepany¡¯s trouble. Haynes Group has uncovered evidence of corruption, bribery, and job pocketing by certain individuals. I can promise before the media that the police are wee toe in and investigate at any time! Some individuals definitely need to go through a thorough inspection andpensate for Chapter 36 the damages they have inflicted on Haynes Group!¡± Joanna asserted eloquently. She answered every question thrown at her by the media. She made her statement reasonably and incisively, without the slightest hint of panic. Joanna¡¯s statement was a big p on Ingrid¡¯s face. Joanna saved Ingrid some dignity by not exposing her to the public. Her statement was meant to be a warning to Ingrid to behave herself. ¡°This¡­¡± Ingrid broke into a cold sweat when she was watching the live She realized she had underestimated Joanna. press conference. For sure, she didn¡¯t want to get the police involved. She hurriedly took out her phone and called the two middle¨Caged people who were making trouble on the scene. The two middle¨Caged men were shouting slogans with their faces reddened when Ingrid¡¯s call came in. ¡°You guys should leave now.¡± ¡°Why? Joanna is almost out. The feces are ready to roll as she walks out of the building. We¡¯re going to throw it at her!¡± Ingrid¡¯s furious rant rang out over the phone. ¡°It¡¯s an order. I want you to get out of there immediately! The market won¡¯t be able to strike back if the ruckus continues.¡± ¡°Whoa! All right then. We will leave.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡± They didn¡¯t watch the live broadcast and had no idea what was going on. They were hoping to make a bigger scene. However, a phone call from Ingrid brought their actions to a halt. They dared not to disobey Ingrid and scurried off. After hanging up the phone, Ingrid¡¯s face contorted in anger. ¡°Joanna, you son of a bitch! I won¡¯t let you giddy on for long! Just you wait!¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Those people were executives in various departments of thepany. They were running amuck in thepany with Ingrid as their backup. If the police found out, not only would they go to jail, but they would also need to paypensation. to Haynes Group. Moreover, the reason why Ingrid was afraid of the police¡¯s investigation was that the two cousins she mentioned were not actually her cousins at all. Instead, they were her lovers. Ingrid always paid them a visit using the excuse of wanting to y cards with friends. Instead of ying Rolling Stones, they were rolling in the hays. Usually, suspicion would arise if a man and a woman traveled alone. However, people would stop gawking when a woman traveled with more than one man. No one should underestimate the hunger of a mature woman. Ingrid had higher needs than Roxanne. Shaun suffered from diabetes and a heart condition. Moreover, Shaun didn¡¯t even work out. There was no way he could quench Ingrid¡¯s biological needs. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Joanna looked even more stunning than a celebrity on TV. It didn¡¯t look like she was holding a press conference. This was clearly a demonstration. Roxanne was upset and felt more anxious than ever. Ever since Joanna came back, Bruce had been treating her more coldly. ¡°Mom, look at Joanna¡¯s smug face! Do something! Don¡¯t let her get so cocky!¡± Ingrid swallowed heavily, snorted, and swore, ¡°Rx. Let her think that she has had her way first. Her plummet awaits her in a couple of days. By the way, have you been in touch with Mr. Everett in the past two days?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard that. Bruce hadn¡¯t called her in two days. Roxanne sighed exasperatedly. ¡°Why the frustration? You should strike while the iron is hot. In case of any undesirableplication, the matter between you and Mr. Everett shouldn¡¯t be put off any longer. If we keep stalling, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen!¡± Resignedly, Roxanne retorted with gritted teeth, ¡°What can I do? Surely, I can¡¯t beg him to marry me?¡± Ingrid listened and poked her daughter in the forehead. ¡°You are so stupid, forget it! I¡¯m so smart. Why did I give birth to such a stupid daughter? If you were half as good as I am, you wouldn¡¯t be so bad at dealing with a man for so long!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you propose to him yourself since you¡¯re this tough? What¡¯s the use of ming me here?¡± Roxanne said and stormed upstairs. ¡°Look at yourself! You sure have a way when ites to dealing with me!¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go propose to him myself. You¡¯re useless! You even need your mom to do something this trivial for you!¡± Since Shaun stepped down as Chairman, the Haynes family seemed to have fallen out of the Greyport elite circle overnight. Besides that, the marriage of Bruce and Roxanne kept on getting postponed. Ingrid and Roxanne had been shunned out of the socialite gatherings. Now, if they still wanted to gain back their glory as one of the riches and elites, Roxanne would have to marry into the Everett family as soon as possible. All thedies would definitely change their impressions of them if Roxanne sessfully got married. into the Everett family. Ingrid preened herself and decided to meet Bruce in person. She had decided to fight tooth and nail to keep Bruce as her son¨Cinw. Ingrid showed up downstairs at Everett Corporation after one hour. Her heart thumped as she looked at the towering skyscraper in front of her. This was the tallest and most luxurious business building in Greyport. Chapter 37 It was also where Bruce worked daily. Ingrid¡¯s heart beat with excitement whenever she envisioned her daughter being thedy boss here. in the future. ¡°Well, wait till my daughter gets married into the Everett family! Mrs. Paul, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Roger, I will make you guys lick my feet!¡± Ingrid fastened her sling bag and put on her sunsses. Then, she strode confidently like a model into Everett Corporation¡¯s building. She was wearing a rose red hugging dress today and a big little vintage ruffle hat. Although she was already in her forties, her figure was well maintained, and she looked ten years. younger than her actual age. Everyone was stunned looking at the gorgeous and ostentatious woman. Ingrid was like a colorful butterfly that suddenly flew into a colorless world. ¡°Hold on, Madam! No entry is allowed unless you are an employee of thepany.¡± The guard hurried over and stopped Ingrid. Ingrid raised her chin high and put her hands on her waist. She red at the security guard. ¡°Well, is Mr. Everett in the office? I¡¯m looking for him.¡± The security guard was overpowered by Ingrid¡¯s domineering aura as he heard her. Seeing how she was dressed, he dared not to offend her further. ¡°Just a moment, madam!¡± Then he paged the security manager. ¡°There¡¯s ady in the lobby asking for Mr. Everett!¡± The security manager saw Ingrid through the recording in the surveince room and didn¡¯t dare to take things lightly. He immediately reported Ingrid¡¯s presence to Bruce¡¯s special assistant, Lily. Lily received the message and quickly came downstairs to greet Ingrid. Meanwhile, Ingrid was arguing with the manager downstairs. ¡°Do you know who I am? Do you recognize me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Madam! Outsiders cannot enter the group without an appointment! Please wait downstairs for a while.¡± ¡°Let me tell you this. I just got off the phone with Mr. Everett. You don¡¯t recognize me, do you? I¡¯m Mr. Everett¡¯s future mother¨Cinw. How dare you call me an outsider? Believe it or not, you¡¯ll be fired by tomorrow!¡± The manager replied sheepishly, ¡°I believe you, Madam. Please calm down. When Mr. Everett¡¯s assistant arrives, she¡¯ll take you up!¡± Lily finally arrived and greeted politely, ¡°Hello Mrs. Haynes, please follow me!¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Ingrid nced at Lily and said in a sour voice, ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s assistant? Howe you¡¯re at woman?¡± Lily shrugged slightly, not answering her question. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, this way, please. Do you have an appointment with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to see my son¨Cinw, Do I still need an appointment?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is busy, and anyone would need an appointment to meet him. Why don¡¯t you hang on a second, and I¡¯ll report back to Andy!¡± ¡°All right. Please be quick.¡± Chapter 37 Lily swiped her elevator card and took Ingrid to the 32nd floor. Meanwhile, in the office, Bruce was burying himself with work when Andy knocked on the door. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Haynes is here!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes?¡± Bruce was puzzled. ¡°Ms. Roxanne¡¯s mother.¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°What¡¯s she doing here?¡± ¡°No idea! She was out there moring to see you. She said she was your mother¨Cinw, so Mark. didn¡¯t dare to stop her and reported the incident to me.¡± Bruce frowned and hesitated for a few seconds. He didn¡¯t want to meet Ingrid. However, she was an elder, after all. Perhaps she was here for an urgent matter. ¡°Let her in!¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, this way! Mr. Everett has agreed to meet you!¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯ve told you so! You don¡¯t need an appointment to see your son¨Cinw!¡± Ingrid eximed proudly and followed Andy into Bruce¡¯s office. ¡°Wow!¡± It was the first time Ingrid had been here. To her surprise, the office was even more luxurious and atmospheric than she had imagined. Bruce¡¯s office upied the whole floor. Not only was there a gym inside, but there was also a small golf course. ¡°Tsk! Tsk!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help but admire what she saw. She was bbergasted to learn that someone had taken this much space for an office in a golden district like Greyport. ¡°What extravagance!¡± she thought to herself. ¡°What a big office. It¡¯s such a waste!¡± Andy smiled and said nothing when he heard that. After five minutes, Andy and Ingrid reached Bruce¡¯s working space. ¡°Hey, Mr. Everett¡­ Oh no, Bruce!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, what brings you here?¡± Bruce rose politely to his feet and greeted Ingrid. Ingrid came up to him with a big smile and said passionately, ¡°Oh, I have a shopping date with some of my girlfriends. I happened to pass by, so I thought I¡¯d stop by and visit you!¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Have a seat, please.¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, would you like tea or coffee?¡± ¡°Just coffee will do!¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Ingrid took a seat on the Epean leather couch. Across from her was a rosewood desk that spanned several meters long. Bruce perched back in his desk chair. Behind him was a ss bookcase that extended to the whole wall. ¡°Wow, what an opulent office!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help herself from ncing around. When she smiled, her cheeks puffed out on her face, which was pumped with hyaluronic acid. Her plump lips were crimson red like blood. Bruce nced ufortably at Ingrid. He would be devastated. He almost wanted to throw up at the pungent smell of Ingrid¡¯s perfume. Bruce looked grim. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, is there anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing! I just came to see you,¡± Ingrid said with a flirty smile while staring at Bruce intently. Bruce was really handsome. It was like his angr features were carved by God. Not only did he have a stunning countenance, but his physique was alsoparable to international male models. He was literally oozing hormones all over. If Ingrid were 20 years younger, she would¡¯ve pursued this handsome man. Bruce shuddered under Ingrid¡¯s intense stare and averted her gaze. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, if there¡¯s nothing else, I need to get back to work.¡± Ingrid crossed her legs and rested her arms on the couch. She smiled. ¡°Bruce, I know it¡¯s important. to make money, but you should also value your health. Why don¡¯t you join me for dinner at home after work today? You haven¡¯t been to our house in ages!¡± Ingrid propped herself up. She was wearing a low¨Ccut top, and her bosoms were shown under the stretch of the fabric. Bruce quickly swept his eyes aside and said with a stilted voice, ¡°Well, I have a meeting tonight, so I don¡¯t have time. Perhaps next time.¡± ¡°Bruce, no matter how busy you are, you still need to have your meals regrly. Take good care of yourself, especially since you are so busy these days.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± ¡°Well, I want to talk to you about your rtionship with Roxy. Did you guys have a conflict in thest couple of days?¡± Bruce was dumbfounded. ¡°No¡­¡± Ingrid smacked her thigh and said with a smile, ¡°Well, it¡¯s normal for two young lovebirds to fight. with each other. I¡¯ve been through this kind of rtionship dilemma before. Roxy hasn¡¯t been able to eat or sleep for two days. She has lost a lot of weight! As a man, you should take the initiative sometimes. You can¡¯t keep giving her the cold shoulder like this!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Well¡­ All right!¡± Ingrid put on a serious expression and said earnestly, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve been with Roxy for over six years. A woman¡¯s youth is only a few years! How many six years can one have in a lifetime? You guys are not young anymore. It¡¯s time to move to the next stage of life.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Bruce was thrown off guard by Ingrid¡¯s statement and didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. Honestly, if it hadn¡¯t been for Ingrid, he and Roxanne would¡¯ve been married years ago! It was because of Ingrid that his grandmother didn¡¯t like Roxanne, which caused their marriage to be dragged on. After his divorce from Joanna, the whole Greyport saw him as aughing stock. With that, Margaret objected even more to his marriage to Roxanne. Ingrid sighed as Bruce stayed silent. She added, ¡°Our Roxy is waiting for you. Please don¡¯t let her down. You¡¯ve failed her before. Roxy can¡¯t stand the shock and has already harmed herself once! You can¡¯t let her down again. If anything happens to Roxy, I¡¯m dead too¡­¡± With that, Ingrid¡¯s face changed instantly. She made a gesture of wiping her nonexistent tears. Bruce frowned. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let Roxy down!¡± Ingrid smiled through tears when she heard Bruce¡¯s assurance. ¡°Bruce, I know you¡¯re a gentleman with a good conscience. You will never abandon your partner. Roxy was raised in a well¨Cto¨Cdo family. She¡¯s nothing like those skittish women out there!¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand!¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be heading off first!¡± ¡°Andy, please escort Mrs. Haynes downstairs!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, this way, please!¡± Ingrid stood up and wriggled away. The staff couldn¡¯t help but whisper to one¨Canother, ¡°My goodness! Is this Mr. Everett¡¯s mother¨Cinw?¡± ¡°Why is she like that?¡± ¡°Word is, she used to be Greyport¡¯s social butterfly!¡± ¡°Jeez! Roxanne looks so gentle, but I¡¯ve never expected her mother to be so hot and boisterous!¡± ¡°She certainly leads a charmed life!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get to work!¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The smell of perfume still permeated the air even after Ingrid left. Bruce pushed open a window to get some fresh air. He felt more agitated than before. He could admit that he had been snubbing Roxaely. However, he couldn¡¯t exactly pinpoint his feelings at the moment. Speaking of love, it seemed like he no longer felt passion toward Roxanne. However, they had been in a rtionship for six years. He didn¡¯t want to be an irresponsible man. Roxanne had been waiting for him for six years. If he were to leave her now, she would be devastated. Besides, it was Roxanne who saved him from drowning ten years ago. It seemed like he was obliged to promise her a marriage to repay her the favor. He knew it was kind of a cliche. But, at this moment, this was what was running through his mind. After much deliberation, he whipped out his cell phone and made a call to Roxanne. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 The phone started to ring. When Roxanne saw it was Bruce on the phone, she immediately picked it up. She squelched her throat and said, ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello, Roxy!¡± ¡°Yes, Bruce?¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you free tonight?¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart was racing with delight when she heard that. Bruce hadn¡¯t asked her out for a long time. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m free!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner tonight!¡± ¡°Great! About what time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at eight o¡¯clock! We¡¯re going to Blueiva Dinner. Remember to dress up.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll see you tonight!¡± ¡°See you tonight!¡± The phone hung up, and Roxanne jumped for joy. Ingrid happened to be back. Seeing her daughter so happy, she sneered and asked, ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± ¡°Mom, Bruce just called me and asked me to dinner at the Blueiva Diner tonight! Mom,e and help me pick the right dress!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s all thanks to me. I can only help you so far. The rest is up to you!¡± Ingrid hummed. Roxanne was a little shocked. ¡°Mom, did you visit Bruce?¡± ¡°So what if I did?¡± ¡°Mom, you¡¯re so annoying! I told you not to go after Bruce! Don¡¯t snoop your nose into our business!¡± ¡°How could I leave you guys alone? You definitely can¡¯t handle it by yourself. Look at you! You guys almost broke up. If I hadn¡¯t made my move, a random girl would¡¯ve wooed Bruce away.¡± Roxanne¡¯s excitement immediately disappeared when she heard this. ¡°It looks like Bruce didn¡¯t ask me out because he misses me¡­¡± she thought to herself. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Hurry up and get dressed. You two have a good time tonight! Be more open being so reserved.¡± Ingrid thought that her daughter was always good and shy. She had no idea that her daughter actually quite enjoyed having fun with men. ¡°All right.¡± Regardless, Roxanne would never stand Bruce up. Thus, she went off to pick up her clothes. and stop However, even if they rummaged through the whole closet that was full of clothes, they still couldn¡¯t find the right dress for Roxanne. Either the colors were inappropriate, or the style didn¡¯t fit her. ¡°Mom, these clothes are so out of fashion!¡± ¡°Well, I told you to go shopping for new clothes the other day, but you just wouldn¡¯t listen! Now that there¡¯s something going on, you¡¯re finally worried, aren¡¯t you? I told you a long time ago. Clothes and bags are women¡¯s weapons. You need to always be dressed up beautifully. How can we get our enemies to surrender and throw themselves at our feet if we¡¯re not well equipped?¡± Roxanne rolled her eyes and stopped listening to Ingrid¡¯s lecture. After all, she and Ingrid didn¡¯t start out the same way. They were in different eras too. Ingrid¡¯s experience with men was just not applicable to her. ¡°Just wear the white one! Itplements your figure and temperament!¡± After they picked the dress, Roxanne took a shower, styled her hair, and put on make¨Cup. She took the whole evening to dress up. Looking at her glowing self in the mirror, Roxanne beamed with satisfaction. She secretly swore from the bottom of her heart that she would drag Bruce to the bed tonight. She was no longer a virgin, and Bruce was bound to find out if they went to bed together. So, she had already got her secret weapon ready. It was some sort of contraction pill. She would need to put it into her private part before she made an advance on Bruce. By then, her body would be like a young girl again. It was eight o¡¯clock at night. A Maybach was parked outside the Haynes residence. Bruce personally drove to pick up Roxanne. Roxanne was wearing a white dress and a silk shawl today. Her face was embellished with sophisticated make¨Cup. She looked beautiful and innocent. Blueiva Diner was the most exclusive restaurant in Greyport. They would turn away customers that did not follow the appropriate dress code. Hence, everyone would dress up to the nines if they wanted to dine there. ¡°You¡¯re here, Bruce!¡± ¡°Get in the car!¡± ¡°All right!¡± Roxanne opened the door and made a delightful entrance. Bruce shot her a nce and casuallyplimented, ¡°You look gorgeous today!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not that gorgeous most days!¡± Bruce handed her a bunch of flowers and kissed her lightly on the forehead. ¡°Thank you!¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Bruce smiled and started the engine. There were two cars following behind him. The bodyguard and chauffeur were in the cars. 1 Actually, he didn¡¯t need to drive the car himself. asionally, he would feel the itch to get his hand on the steering wheel. Soon, they reached Blueiva Diner. ¡°Wee¡­¡± The customers here were either rich or elite.. A lot of celebrities were regr customers here too. That was why no picture¨Ctaking was allowed in the restaurant. The customers here never needed to worry about breach of privacy. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°It seems like an engagement ising on the way.¡± The upper¨Css circle was small, and only a few people were going in and out of the venue. Roxanne walked beside Bruce, enjoying the admiring stares that showered her. ¡°What would you like to have tonight?¡± ¡°A steak, please.¡± ¡°Some red wine, please, Bruce!¡± ¡°No problem.¡± He had a chauffeur on standby anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter if he drank. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Joann, it¡¯s rare that you¡¯re treating me to dinner. I will definitely feastter. ¡°That¡¯s a must!¡± Right then, Joanna and Jaydon came in side by side.. They saw Bruce and Roxanne the moment they walked into the restaurant. Joanna paused and suddenly didn¡¯t feel like eating here anymore. ¡°Jay, why don¡¯t we go somewhere else?¡± ¡°What are you scared of? We¡¯re here for dinner. We don¡¯t need to say hello!¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Bruce looked up and happened to see Joanna too. She was wearing a ck below¨Cthe¨Cknees skirt. The ck heightened her delicate swan neck and corbone. Although the dress didn¡¯t expose her bosoms, she still looked gorgeous and sexy. It was the first time he had seen her in such revealing clothes. Her entire corbone and her calves were exposed. Bruce frowned. He felt a surge of inexplicable anger. What made him even angrier was that Jaydon was now intimately holding Joanna¡¯s shoulders while eyeing her with adoration. He could tell from Jaydon¡¯s eyes that thetter really liked her. The thought of them doing something unspeakable after finishing their meal irritated him. Bruce was flooded withplicated emotions. He coughed awkwardly and loosened his cravat with an icy cold expression. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing. Go ahead and ce the order.¡± Roxanne¡¯s face fell. She had just ordered. ¡°Bruce, why do you seem so distracted?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± Bruce tried to contain his irritation but couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off Joanna. Roxanne finally realized that something was wrong. She looked in the direction of Bruce¡¯s gaze. ¡°Joanna!¡± Roxanne gaped when she saw Joanna. A surge of jealousy swept over her instantly. ¡°No wonder Bruce has such a reaction. So, he has seen Joanna,¡± she mused. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say hello to her, Bruce?¡± Roxanne said sourly. ¡°What for? Let¡¯s have a toast.¡± Bruce raised the red wine ss in front of him. Roxanne paused, picked up her ss, and gently touched it against his. ¡°Cheers¡­¡± By the time Bruce finished speaking, he had gulped down the drink. The red wine ss was immediately emptied. This made Roxanne even more furious, and herplexion clouded. Chapter 40 ¡°Why is this bitch everywhere? It seems like today¡¯s atmosphere is going to be ruined again,¡± Roxanne thought. Bruce poured himself another half ss of red wine and gulped it all down. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? You¡¯ll get drunk if you drink in such a hurry! You can¡¯t drink Conti like that!¡± This bottle of Romance¨CConti was worth a dozen thousand dors. People usually took a small sip and enjoyed the lingering taste. However, Bruce was gulping down the alcohol like it was water. Meanwhile, Jaydon and Joanna passed by Bruce and Roxanne and took a seat on the left side of the dining room. They had actually booked another table which was in a better location. However, in order to avoid Bruce and Roxanne, they gave up the table. The restaurant was fully air¨Cconditioned. Jaydon asked with concern, ¡°Are you cold?¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Joanna rubbed her arms and said, ¡°A little.¡± Jaydon looked over at the waiter. ¡°Get us a shawl, please!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Grim. Just a moment, please!¡± The waiter then handed them a dining¨Croom shawl. Jaydon stood up and stretched out the shawl, draping it over Joanna¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Thank you!¡± The two of them exchanged a smile. Today¡¯s press conference was a great sess. Under the efforts of Jaydon¡¯s public rtions team, Joanna was packaged as an independent, strong, beautiful, and inspiring woman. As of now, various articles and edited videos were being widely circted on the Inte. Within a day, Joanna¡¯s reputation was on the mend. After the news of the partnership between Haynes Group and CI Technologies spread out, the investors¡® minds were finally at ease. By mid¨Cafternoon, the share price of Haynes Group had stopped fluctuating wildly. Jaydon helped her out so much that Joanna thought he deserved to be treated to dinner. Jaydon looked at her ambiguously and tenderly. He smiled and said, ¡°What would you like to it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a steak and a sd!¡± Jaydon browsed through the menu. ¡°Make it two then!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± The top beef in the restaurant was very famous and a must¨Ctry. ¡°Will you join me for a movie after dinner?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Jay, you know the drill. I¡¯ve got to go back and take care of Lilia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a movie. It won¡¯t take up much of your time.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m feeling a bit tired today.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes deepened as she politely turned down his invitation. Jaydon smiled and gently grabbed her hand. ¡°This is a film produced by mypany. Today is the premiere. I¡¯d like you toe with me!¡± Subconsciously, Joanna flinched. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡­¡± She knew that if she agreed to join himter, it would be equivalent to agreeing to be his girlfriend. ¡°Joann, I apanied you to the press conference today. It¡¯s only fair for you to apany me to the premiere.¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not good at dealing with grand events like this!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to deal with it. Just stand beside me and keep mepany.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°There are so many beautiful women in yourpany. Why don¡¯t you ask them to apany you?¡± As Jaydon heard this, his eyes gleamed with disappointment. ¡°Would you like them toe with me? Do you have any idea what this means?¡± Joanna merely fell silent. She knew, of course, that he wanted her to attend the premiere as his girlfriend. However, she really didn¡¯t want to be in a rtionship ever again. Jaydon squeezed Joanna¡¯s hand and watched her in silence. ¡°Joann, are you sure you don¡¯t want to give me this chance? Don¡¯t you want to give yourself a chance too?¡± ¡°Jay, you don¡¯t have to do this. I don¡¯t want to ruin our friendship. You know that!¡± Jaydon sneered. ¡°Friendship?¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what this is about? I¡¯ve always thought of you as my best friend.¡± Jaydon¡¯s handsome face darkened. He had done so much more than what a man would offer his friend. He no longer saw her as merely a friend. A man wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to be a saint if he didn¡¯t have feelings for this woman. ¡°Joann, do you really not understand, or do you just don¡¯t want to understand?¡± Jaydon raised his eyebrow and gazed at her with mixed emotions.. He had never felt this frustration from a woman before. He had never put so much of his heart into a woman like this before. Sadly, after four years, she still wouldn¡¯t ept him. Tonight, he would officially confess to her. If she did not ept him, he would stop his pursuit. Under Jaydon¡¯s intense stare, Joanna started to feel agitated, and her eyes began to wander. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be like that! I really can¡¯t!¡± Bruce had brought her immense misery. She was really traumatized. She was afraid to venture into rtionships again. She didn¡¯t want to get hurt. Only the heavens would know how she got through thest four years. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re a good man. You really are! You deserve a better woman! You¡¯re too good for me!¡± Jaydon cupped Joanna¡¯s face in his hands and gazed fondly into her eyes. ¡°Joann, you have to correct your false view of yourself. Do you have any idea how good you are? Can you give yourself a little confidence?¡± Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 ¡°Joann, will you marry me?¡± Boom! Joanna¡¯s mind was in a mess as if it was going to explode. She looked at Jaydon in horror. Immediately, Jaydon took out a diamond ring the size of a dove¡¯s egg from his pocket. As the music in the restaurant began, couples dressed in matching outfits turned up at the restaurant with huge bouquets of flowers in their hands. Blueiva Diner was a sanctuary for marriage proposals, and the restaurant would cooperate with customers who wanted to propose to set up the scene. Of course, the cost was prohibitive for the average person. ¡°Joann, I give you my official confession today! I love you. Marry me!¡± With that, Jaydon knelt on one knee and offered the diamond ring to Joanna. Joanna was not mentally prepared for his proposal. ¡°Jay, get up. Please don¡¯t do this!¡± Now that Jaydon suddenly confessed to her on a high profile, she was utterly dumbfounded. ¡°Joann, we¡¯ve known each other for 3652 days! Today is the 2520th day I loved you, and there are days to go in the future!¡± Joanna was so nervous that her face turned pale, and her throat became dry. ¡°Please stop with the jokes, Jay! Get up quickly. There are so many people watching¡­¡± Jaydon remained on one knee and gazed earnestly at Joanna. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m not joking. I¡¯m serious! I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a long time! In the past, we missed each other, and it became the biggest regret in my life! Now that God has given me this opportunity again, I don¡¯t want to miss it!¡± When Joanna heard that, her cheeks flushed red, and she didn¡¯t know what to do. She eximed inwardly, ¡°If I¡¯m still theplete self from the past, I¡¯ll ept him without hesitation! But now that I¡¯m broken, how could I be worthy of him! I can¡¯t hurt him, and I don¡¯t want to be a burden to him!¡± ¡°Marry him! Marry him! Marry him!¡± The melodious piano sound filled the air, and countless rose petals were falling from above like snowkes in the sky, spreading all around her. The atmosphere was warm and romantic. However, Bruce¡¯s eyes were full of jealousy as he watched the scene in front of him. He clenched his fists, and they emitted loud cracking sounds. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Even if he had abandoned Joanna, he still couldn¡¯t allow anyone else to covet her. That feeling was like someone had picked up on the rubbish he had just thrown away and found out that what he had thrown away was a rare gem. It made him feel regret, frustration, indignance, and irritation. Roxanne uttered with jealousy, ¡°Wow, Mr. Grimm is so romantic! He indeed prepares his marriage proposal wholeheartedly!¡± After saying that, she looked at Bruce with a forlorn expression. Unfortunately, Bruce was furious and didn¡¯t pay attention to her emotion. At that moment, disappointment and jealousy were written all over Roxanne¡¯s beautiful face. Judging from Bruce¡¯s reaction, she understood his thoughts about Joanna. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Meanwhile, Joanna was so anxious that she burst into tears. ¡°Jay, get up. Don¡¯t be like this!¡± Jaydon fixed his eyes on her, staring at her intensely. ¡°Are you willing to ept it?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± Joanna turned around, grabbed her bag, and fled for the restroom. As she had severe depression, she couldn¡¯t get emotional, or she would get another attack. ¡°Joann!¡± When Jaydon saw her run away, he was dazed instantly, and his brain went nk. She still rejected him in the end. ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce got to his feet as he was unable to stand it any longer. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± He ignored the question and headed straight to the restroom. Bang! The restroom door was pushed open. When Joanna looked back and saw it was Bruce, she got startled even more. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± Bruce had a fiendish expression on his face like the devil. Without saying a word, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the restroom. Joanna suddenl felt her heart tremble, and she struggled desperately. ¡°Bruce, let me go! What on earth are you trying to do¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t answer and just dragged her out in a fury like a husband catching a cheating partner. Joanna kept struggling and flung herself to the ground, causing her gown to slip and expose herself. As Bruce couldn¡¯t pull her away, he bent down and carried her up forcefully. ¡°You¡¯re crazy! Let go of me!¡± Bruce held her and forced her out of the restaurant. Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on the duo. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm is making a marriage proposal, so why is Mr. Everett out there making a scene?¡± Roxanne was so furious that her whole face was deformed when she saw that. She ran out of the restaurant in tears. At the parking lot downstairs, Bruce stuffed Joanna into the passenger seat of the car before he got in. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? You¡¯ve been drinking, so you can¡¯t drive!¡± Vroom! He had started the car and stepped on the pedal. The car elerated to 75 miles per hour instantly. ¡°Bruce, are you insane? Stop the car. What the hell are you trying to do?¡± The car drifted sharply and sped in the direction of the mountain road. Joanna was thrown against the car door. Panicked, she quickly buckled her seat belt. ¡°Bruce, you have to stop. It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± she persuaded. ¡°Ah!¡± Suddenly, the steering wheel turned violently. The wheels drifted, leaving a long tire track on the ground. The car almost crashed into the truck on. the other side. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Joanna was scared out of her wits. Her heart was thumping so hard that it almost leaped out of her chest. She thought. ¡°If he hit the truck on the opposite just now at that speed, even with seat belts, we would¡¯ve died! It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m dead, but what about my three children?¡± Hence, Joanna did not dare to shout at him again. Instead, she pleaded in horror, ¡°Bruce, I beg you. Don¡¯t do this¡­¡± Vroom! He started the car again. It then moved like an out¨Cof¨Ccontrol beast, roaring while rushing into the traffic. ¡°Bruce, please stop! I¡¯m begging you!¡± It was as if Bruce had not heard anything. He kept speeding up. The car repeatedly overtook cars on the road. It was nerve¨Cwracking every time he overtook another car. Luckily, he was an adept driver. Whenever it seemed like his car was about to sh with the others, they would end up brushing past each other. ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± Joanna closed her eyes in fear several times. She would hold on tightly to the handle above the car door even with her seat belt buckled. She eximed inwardly, ¡°I mustn¡¯t die! For my three children, I can never die!¡± ¡°Bruce, please. Don¡¯t do this¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but beg while grabbing his arm. Bruce was extremely incensed, but he didn¡¯t know what he wanted to do as well. He only knew that he felt the fury erupting within him, so he wanted to speed up to vent his anger. ¡°Bruce, you have to stop the car now! I¡¯m begging you!¡± Since Bruce had drunk some alcohol earlier, it was very dangerous for him to drive at that moment. The car¡¯s speed grew faster and faster, and it had already reached 87 mile per hour. Moreover, the car was on a mountain road, which woulde to a hairpin turn in a short distance. Thus, he was putting them at risk by driving that way. ¡°Bruce, stop the car! What the hell is wrong with you? Ah! Ah¡­¡± Joanna was scared out of her wits as she mused, ¡°If this goes on, we¡¯ll definitely get into a car ident! I want to jump out of the car! But at such a high speed, I¡¯ll surely lose my life by jumping off the car!¡± ¡°Bruce, you have to stop!¡± Joanna tried to stop him from speeding up. All of a sudden, a car appeared from the other side. Bruce quickly swerved the steering wheel because his car was going too fast, but it was toote. Under such urgent circumstances, Bruce turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction. Crack! Chapter 42 Crash! The car smashed through the roadside barrier and plunged into the sea. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna shouted in shock, closing her eyes tightly. Bang! Thump! The car smashed into the sea hard. The impact was so powerful that Joanna momentarily lost consciousness, and her mind went nk. Bruce banged his head on the steering wheel. Then, the airbags ejected and inted. Five minutester, Joanna gradually woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she broke out in a cold sweat immediately. Water had already entered the car and was halfway to filling it up. Bruce had passed out. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, wake up! The water is getting into the car!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t react at all. It was dark inside the car, and she could only scan the surroundings with the help of the faint street lamp on the bank. Bruce had a cut on his forehead, and his face was covered with blood. Joanna trembled in shock and frantically shook him. ¡°Bruce, wake up¡­¡± The water continued to rise. Joanna began to panic and couldn¡¯t be bothered about waking Bruce anymore. She hurriedly pushed the car door, but unfortunately, there was water in the car, and the door wouldn¡¯t open under the strong pressure. ¡°Where¡¯s the car safety hammer?¡± There would usually be a car safety hammer inside the car to facilitate smashing the windows in case it fell into the river. However, she rummaged through the frontpartment and couldn¡¯t find the car safety hammer. The water was already up to her chest. Without hesitation, Joanna immediately took off her heels. She aimed at the edge of the car window, which was the weakest part of it, and smashed it crazily. Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! After smashing it several times, the car window finally loosened. Joanna smashed it a few times again, and the window finally broke. She then climbed out the window. By that time, the whole car was full of water. Joanna waited for the car to bnce and swam to the other side. Luckily, the water pressure in the car had bnced out. Joanna opened the car door to drag Bruce out. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. However, he was strapped in. As it was very dark under the water, Joanna fumbled for a long time but still failed to unbuckle the seat belt. She couldn¡¯t hold her breath anymore and needed toe to the surface of the water to breathe, but she did not dare to do so. Because by the time she got to the surface, the car would probably havepletely sunk to the bottom. Bruce was still in the car, and he was unconscious. If she didn¡¯t save him, he would surely die. In fact, at that moment, Joanna could give up on saving him and escape by herself. Yet, Joanna held in her breath. With her final breath, she finally unfastened the seat belt. Joanna dragged Bruce out of the car. Ssh! The duo finally got to the surface. Joanna heavily panted as she tried to regte her breathing. Bruce, wake up¡­ Since Bruce was 6 feet and 2 inches tall, it would almost be impossible for Joanna to drag him to the shore. However, she didn¡¯t give up. She put her hands around his armpits and struggled to swim toward the shore with all her strength. As Bruce arrived at the surface, he slightly regained consciousness. While he was half awake and half dazed, he vaguely felt as if he had returned to the incident ten years ago when he was drowning. It was also the same as that moment, a thin and delicate figure dragging the behemoth him, struggling to swim to the shore. The sealed memory seemed to have been unlocked. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Online Free ¨C Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Back then, he didn¡¯t get a good look at the girl¡¯s face. But at this moment, he seemed to remember it. The girl who saved him had hair so long that it almost twisted around his neck in the water, and Roxanne had never had such long hair. However, after he was rescued to the shore and woke up, the first person he saw was Roxanne. So, he had subconsciously assumed that it was Roxanne who had saved him. Joanna coughed violently and was totally drained. After being in the ocean for so long, she had choked on quite a lot of seawater. Even though she could float well, she certainly felt quite helpless as she had to drag such a well¨Cbuilt man with her. The two of them were bobbing in the water, only about ten meters away from the shore. If she was swimming back to the shore alone, she could probably do it in less than a minute. However, she was now dragging Bruce with her and struggled in the water for over ten minutes. before finally reaching the shore. Joanna continued to cough as she staggered up the steps on the shore and was so exhausted that she was on the brink of copse. She couldn¡¯t move Bruce at all, much less bring him all the way to the shore. In the end, she could only drag him a little so that the upper half of his body was lying on the steps, making sure that he wouldn¡¯t drown or suffocate. ¡°Bruce, wake up!¡± she called out while still coughing. Bruce was half¨Cconscious, but he couldn¡¯t open his eyes no matter how hard he tried. Joanna shook him hard and immediately performed a few rounds of CPR on him. Bruce finally opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of seawater, his breathing bing much smoother. Joanna was relieved to see him wake up. However, he had banged his head hard and was losing a lot of blood. He had to be sent to a hospital immediately. Several people had gathered on the shore, pointing at them andmenting among themselves. ¡°Help! Please call an ambnce for us!¡± Joanna staggered ashore to ask for help. As he looked at the back of her thin, delicate figure, Bruce instantly had a moment of deja vu. His brain rewound like a tape as he searched within his memories. Finally, the image of a delicate figure with long, wet hair froze in his mind. He totally remembered it now. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Ten years ago, it was exactly like this, too. The girl dragged him to the shore and ran off, anxiously asking for help. And when he woke up. Roxanne was there, taking care of him. Chapter 43 Thus, his memories had gotten messed up, and he had mistakenly thought that it was Roxanne who had saved him. That was also the day he began to take a liking to Roxanne. Before that, he was in love with the long¨Chaired Joanna. Joann¡­¡± Bruce lifted his arm as he called out weakly. On the shore, several cars headed toward them at top speed. Over a dozen people got out of their cars and came down the coast to help! Bruce¡¯s bodyguards and assistants had tracked the car¡¯s location via the GPS and hurried over. ¡°Mr. Everett is here. Hurry up!¡± The bodyguards made it down to the coast, immediately lifting Bruce into a car and rushing him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Andy stayed back to deal with the police. Once they arrived at the hospital, Bruce was sent straight to the emergency room, while Joanna was sent to a treatment room as well. She had several scratches on her body from the broken ss of the car window. Some of the cuts were deep and needed stitches. Overall, though, she wasn¡¯t as badly hurt as Bruce. Soon, Margaret, Roxanne, Ingrid, Shaun, and many more rushed to the hospital. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Old Mrs. Everett. Mr. Everett has just gotten a few stitches and is now awake.¡± Margaret heard that, but her heart was still full of worry. She hurried into the ward to check on Bruce. He was the only son of the Everett family. If anything happened to him, the Everett family, which had such a huge business empire, would have no heir. Thus, of course, Margaret was anxious about Bruce¡¯s condition. In the ward, Bruce¡¯s wound was already dressed, and he was resting on the hospital bed. ¡°Bru, are you okay? Is it bad?¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m all right!¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett was just in an ident.¡± Margaret came to the bedside and gripped Bruce¡¯s hand tightly! ¡°Oh, how many times have I told you not to drive? Why won¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Her expression was imbued with worry and heartache. ¡°Bruce, you scared me!¡± Roxanne ran up and plunged her head into Bruce¡¯s arms. Ingrid also added nervously, ¡°Yes, you scared us, Bruce! Always be careful when you drive. If it¡¯s possible, don¡¯t drive. After all, we¡¯ve hired so many drivers, haven¡¯t we?¡± Shaun looked concerned as well as he added. ¡°Fortunately, you ended up safe this time, but you¡¯d better be extra careful from now on.¡± Everyone was fussing over Bruce, and not a single person showed any concern about Joanna. Even Shaun didn¡¯t even bother about her. Joanna¡¯s wounds were dressed as well. She had been given anti¨Cinmmatory medicine and was about to leave the hospital. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon hurried over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Jaydon kept repeating his apologies as he hugged Joanna tightly. ¡°I¡¯m all right. My wounds are already dressed, and I can leave the hospital now.¡± Looking at her face, which was pale as a sheet, Jaydon was even more worried. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right? Let me take a look at the wound!¡± Enduring the pain, Joanna gave him a faint smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really fine. I¡¯ll just need toe back tomorrow and change the dressing. That¡¯s all!¡± Actually, her entire body was burning in pain. She had just gotten more than a dozen stitches, and the effect of the anesthetic had faded away by now. Of course, she would be in pain. Jaydon looked at Joanna with a heartbroken expression and lifted her shirt anyway to take a look at her wounds. Her abdomen, thighs, and arms were all covered in stitches! Even if the wounds healed, they would probably leave scars on her body. ¡°Bruce! That son of a bitch! I¡¯m going after him¡­..¡± ¡°No, Jay, don¡¯t go!¡± Joanna stopped Jaydon at once. After all, what good was there to go after him? At most, she would only get a small amount inpensation. There was no way he would be sent to prison or anything like that. ¡°Ouch!¡± She let out a groan. Jaydon frowned and supported her at once. ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t you stay in the hospital for a few days? If the wound gets infected, it will be more serious!¡± Joanna bit her pale, dry lip, holding back the pain. ¡°No, I¡¯m going home to take care of Lilia. She¡¯ll be worried if she doesn¡¯t see me. It¡¯s already past twelve o¡¯clock now. I have to hurry back!¡± ¡°Then, let me send you back!¡± ¡°All right!¡± In the ward, the people were still fussing over Bruce, chattering endlessly. ¡°Have a good rest for a few days, Bruce.¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m sorry to have worried you, but I¡¯m really fine now.¡± Ingrid furrowed her brows and deliberately blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re a young man. Like so many others, you¡¯re particrly impulsive when you¡¯re not yet married. Look how dangerous a situation you got yourself into! Old Mrs. Everett, the way I see it, once Bruce recovers, he should quickly get married to Roxy. It¡¯s better to settle down sooner rather thanter, too¡­¡± Before she could finish, however, Margaret¡¯s forehead had already knitted into a frown. It was true that the Everett family and the Haynes family had good connections. However, the Everett family was connected with Raymond, not Ingrid. It was not Ingrid¡¯s ce toment on Bruce at all. ¡°Bruce needs to get some rest. You should all go out first. Don¡¯t disturb his rest!¡± As Ingrid heard this, an awkward expression washed over her face. ¡°Well, then, Bruce, have a good rest.¡± With that said, Ingrid, Roxanne, and Shaun left the ward begrudgingly. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 ¡°That woman sure is long¨Cwinded and annoying!¡± The truth was, Margaret had nothing but disdain for a woman like Ingrid. When Raymond was alive, she had been kind and tolerant to the Haynes family, all for Raymond¡¯s sake. However, now that Raymond was dead, the Everett family obviously had no rtions with Shaun and his wife anymore. Margaret was merely maintaining a good rtionship with them for the sake of Raymond. However, to Margaret, Ingrid simply had no tact. An ident had just happened that almost scared her to death, yet Ingrid brought up the subject of marriage at this time. Ingrid couldn¡¯t have made her intentions clearer. ¡°How is Joanna?¡± ¡°Joanna?¡± Margaret was stunned. Bruce frowned, and his lips quivered as he muttered, ¡°She was in the ident with me.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t see her!¡± Hearing that, Bruce struggled to sit up and get out of bed. Seeing this, Margaret quickly stopped him. ¡°You have to lie down. You¡¯re still on the IV drip! You¡¯ve been hurt so badly. Where do you think you are going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to see her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move! Let¡¯s just call the nurse over and ask about her.¡± With that, Margaret pressed the beeper. A minuteter, a nurse hurried in. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Mr. Everett, what do you need?¡± This hospital was run by the Everett family, so all the doctors and nurses knew Bruce. ¡°What happened to thedy I came here with?¡± ¡°Oh! She has had some stitches and has left the hospital.¡± Bruce listened with a frown. ¡°What? She¡¯s out of the hospital?¡± ¡°Well, yes! A man has just picked her up!¡± Bruce fell silent. His brows scrunched into a frown, and he felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart. Through this ident, he finally realized he seemed to have been in love with the wrong person. The girl who rescued him from the pool ten years ago was Joanna, not Roxanne. He had been mistaken all these years. ¡°Bru, don¡¯t worry! There¡¯s probably no major problem with her, and that must be why she was discharged from the hospital. By the way, didn¡¯t I ask you to have her bring her two kids over to see me? Howe there¡¯s been no news about that for so many days?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t!¡± The moment Margaret heard that her eyes narrowed as she froze, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Yes¡± This girl has got a real temper, hasn¡¯t she? She reminds me of myself back in the day!¡± The truth was, if those kids were real flesh and blood of the Everett family, it would be as if a gift had fallen from heaven and into Joanna¡¯sp! In fact, even if they were not flesh and blood of the Everett family, she would still have nothing to lose if she went to visit Margaret. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m so confused right now. I want to be alone to sort out my thoughts!¡± ¡°Oh, all right! Stay in bed and have a good rest, then!¡± ¡°Sure, I will.¡± With that, Margaret sighed and left the room. After Margaret left, Brucey in bed, quietly reflecting on everything that had happened in the past. years. He mentally sorted out all the events that had happened. Initially, he had a good impression of Joanna. It was Roxanne who kept telling him that Joanna was a withdrawn and scheming woman. Over time, he really began to think that it was true. Outside the ward, seeing that Margaret hade out, Roxanne and Ingrid immediately rushed over to her, greeting her in unison, ¡°Old Mrs. Everett!¡± Margaret frowned slightly. ¡°Bruce needs to rest. You should go home as well. Ingrid cracked a smile. ¡°All right, then. Well, Roxy, I guess you¡¯d better stay and take care of Bruce. Your dad and I won¡¯t stay here and cause more inconvenience to the Everetts.¡± Margaret listened and said nothing. She merely adjusted her shawl and walked away expressionlessly. Seeing that, Roxanne sighed aloud. Ingrid, who heard her, frowned as she asked, ¡°Why are you sighing?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Roxanne began but couldn¡¯t find the right words. She knew that a rift had developed between her and Bruce. ¡°You! All you know is acting like a brat at home. How did I get such a stupid daughter like you?¡± ¡°Mom, there you go again! This matter has to do with rtionships. What does it have to do with. whether one is smart or not?¡± ¡°Of course, it matters!¡± ¡°Forget it. Just go home!¡± ¡°Stay close to Bruce, and don¡¯t let anything happen.¡± ¡°Got it¡­¡± After Ingrid and Shaun left, Roxanne sat in the corridor of the hospital for nearly half an hour. After finally calming down, she went back into the ward. ¡°Are you hungry, Bruce? I¡¯ve packed you some broth!¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds but couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Roxy, I want to ask you something!¡± ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± ¡°Ten years ago, I drowned in your swimming pool. Who saved me?¡± The moment Roxanne heard that, a strange look immediately shed across her eyes. are you asking this question out of the blue?¡± ¡°I just remembered it today, so I¡¯m just asking.¡± Roxanne clenched her fists nervously and managed a smile. ¡°Of course, it was me!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± It took Roxanne everything she had to maintain a calm facade. She knew very well why Bruce suddenly took a fancy to her ten years ago. That year, Margaret had brought Bruce to the Haynes residence for a visit. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 When it was around lunchtime, Bruce was swimming in the pool. He suddenly got a cramp in his foot and drowned. Although the Haynes family had servants, unlike the Everett family, they did not have that many housekeepers and bodyguards. When Bruce was drowning, Joanna was the first to spot him. As the situation was so critical, Joanna dove in to save him before she could call for help. After rescuing him out of the pool, Joanna ran off to call for help, and Roxanne rushed over to Bruce¡¯s side to take care of him. After Bruce woke up, he asked her, ¡°Did you save me?¡± Roxanne knew he had misunderstood the situation but nodded anyway. It was also from that day onward that Bruce¡¯s attitude toward herpletely changed. Despite being five years older than her, he refused to date all because he had been waiting for her to grow up. ¡°Why, after all these years, is he suddenly asking such a question? Could it be that¡­ Joanna said something to him?¡± Roxanne wondered. Seeing Bruce¡¯s silent demeanor, Roxanne asked cautiously, ¡°Did Joanna say something to you?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Bruce drily. He knew he did not need to ask anymore. Joanna was his rescuer, and all those years, he had gotten everything wrong. Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she hurried to say, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sure Joanna told you something. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have asked! You know that she has always been smarter than me and better. than me. She loves you so much, so of course, she won¡¯t let go of you. It¡¯s obvious that she deliberately tried to split us up. Whatever she told you, Bruce, you mustn¡¯t believe it¡­¡± Bruce had a grim look on his face. He said impatiently, ¡°Don¡¯t say any more. My mind is in at muddle. I want to be alone.¡± ¡°But Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Please leave the room for now!¡± His mind was indeed all muddled up right now, and he didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°I made a mistake! I can¡¯t me others. The only person I can me is myself!¡± He berated himself internally. ¡°Do you not love me anymore, Bruce? You¡¯ve been giving me the cold shoulder ever since Joanna came back. I can¡¯t lose you, Bruce! I won¡¯t let her snatch you away from me!¡± Roxanne dove into Bruce¡¯s arms, gripping his arm frantically as she wept miserably. Judging by Bruce¡¯s reaction, she had guessed that he must have found out the truth and would soon break up with her. As his fiancee, she had enjoyed the envious looks of otherdies and socialites. If she was dumped now, she would probably be theughingstock of the whole of Greyport. ¡°Please go out first!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you, Bruce!¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Being impatient, Bruce immediately pressed the beeper, and a nurse quickly came in. ¡°Please get her out of here!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mr. Everett is going to rest and recuperate, so please leave the room first!¡± ¡°Well, then I shall leave first, Brucel You must believe me!¡± Bruce merely scowled and didn¡¯t answer. He hated it most when women lied to him, and Roxanne had lied to him for years. No matter what happened next, there was no way he was going to continue his rtionship with her. After Roxanne left, Bruce punched the bed twice, his eyes bloodshot. He was really furious. ¡°All these years, I¡¯ve gotten it all wrong!¡± he admonished himself inwardly. ck! Bruce pulled out his IV drip, put on his hospital gown, and shuffled out of the ward. ¡°Mr. Everett, your IV drip hasn¡¯t finished yet. Where are you going?¡± ¡°Get out of my way!¡± The nurses didn¡¯t dare to stop him, while the bodyguards hastened to follow. ¡°Give me your car keys!¡± he ordered. Hearing that, the bodyguards were shocked. After all, Bruce had just been in an ident. Yet, he was now asking to drive again. ¡°Just give me the keys!¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you follow!¡± With that said, Bruce got into a Bentley, mmed his foot on the elerator, and drove off. Soon, he arrived at the doorstep of Joanna¡¯s house. Knock! Knock! ¡°Who is it?¡± Joanne called out before mumbling to herself, ¡°Who¡¯s knocking at this hour?¡± Knock! Knock! Knock! Another few knocks sounded from the front door. Joanna had just fallen asleep and was immediately awakened. ¡°Talia, go and see who¡¯s at the door, please.¡± Since Davian and Irvin went to Venturas, Miranda and Anne had followed to take care of them. Thus, there were only Joanna, Lilia, and Talia in the house now. Talia hurried over to the door. ¡°It¡¯ste. May I ask who it is?¡± ¡°Open up! Hurry! It¡¯s the property manager. Your house has a gas leak!¡± When Talia heard that it was the property manager, she thought there was indeed a gas leak and quickly opened the door. Outside the door stood a tall man who radiated a cold and frightening aura from head to toe. ¡°You¡¯re not from the property management, are you?¡± Not bothering to exin himself to her, Bruce rushed into the house. ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna?¡± Joanna was wide awake. Clutching the wound on her abdomen, she painfully staggered out of the room to see what was going on. ¡°Who is it?¡± Taking a look outside her room, Joanna was taken aback when she saw Bruce. It was as if he was a ghost who wouldn¡¯t stop haunting her. ¡°Bruce, what do you want now?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The moment he saw her, Bruce immediately took a few steps forward without thinking and wanted to say something. However, as though the words were stuck in his throat, he couldn¡¯t get a single word out at all. Joanna frowned. ¡°What are you doing barging into my house in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡­¡± Bruce managed only to force out two words before he wrapped Joanna in his embrace. ¡°Ouch! Argh! Let me go!¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Hearing her groans of agony, Bruce quickly let her go. ¡°Joanna¡­¡± He wanted to say that he was sorry, but those words just couldn¡¯t be uttered. Joanna gave him a cold look. ¡°It¡¯s past three o¡¯clock in the morning. What the hell are you doing?¡± Bruce had a thick white bandage on his head, and half of his face was swollen. Besides that, he was also d in a hospital gown. He indeed looked a little creepy. ¡°I¡¯ve juste to see you!¡± ¡°You must be crazy! If you don¡¯t leave soon. I¡¯ll call the police.¡± ¡°Then go ahead and call the police!¡± Joanna was furious. She swallowed and frowned, asking, ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Bruce¡¯s thin lips quivered as he looked at Joanna with a gentle yetplicated expression. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. All I wanted was to see you!¡± Looking at the gentle expression in his eyes, Joanna started having goosebumps for no reason. ¡°Bruce would never look at me so gently! This vicious and violent man must be nning some trick. on me again!¡± she remarked internally, putting up her guard. ¡°This is my house. Get out, please! Haven¡¯t you done enough harm to me? Don¡¯t you know that not. only did you almost get yourself killed, you almost got me killed as well! Bruce, I beg you, will you please leave me alone? I really don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Joann¡­¡± Bruce instinctively took a step forward and reached out. He wanted to hug her but didn¡¯t dare to do so. Joanna¡¯s heart clenched as well. He had always called her name in a cold tone. Never had he ever called her in such an affectionate tone. It was baffling. ¡°Talia, call the cops. Tell them a psycho¡¯s trespassing!¡± ¡°Joann, do you have to do this? I have something I want to say to you!¡± Hearing that, Joanna folded her arms and red at Bruce. ¡°All right, I¡¯m listening now. What exactly do you want to say?¡± ¡°L¡­ Bruce stammered. He simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to say that he was sorry. It was not in his nature to be subservient to women. After all, it had always been the women who surrounded him, racking their brains to please him. All he had to do was give them the slightest signal, and a whole bunch of women would swoop toward him. Asking such a proud man to lower his head humbly in front of a woman was akin to taking his life. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s past three! Even if you don¡¯t intend to sleep, other people do. You might as well just go home first. If there¡¯s anything else to say, we can talk about it tomorrow.¡± Chapter 46 ¡°No, I need to talk to you now!¡± ¡°Then just do it, Mr. Everett. It¡¯s not in your nature to hesitate!¡± He had always been sharp¨Ctongued. When he spoke to her, he was always either bitter or sarcastic. If not, he would be roaring at her. In any case, this was the first time he was speaking in such a calm tone. Joanna was really running out of patience. ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t want to say it,¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± Hearing that, Joanna was utterly speechless. ¡°Can you fix me something to eat? I haven¡¯t eaten all day, and I¡¯m hungry!¡± The moment Bruce finished talking, he looked at Joanna pleadingly. Joanna was taken aback for a moment. She thought she had heard wrongly. ¡°I beg your pardon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I want to eat something!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t resist scrutinizing his expression again, hoping to get an exnation for the way he was acting. When they were married, she would cook and wait for him to eat it almost every day. However, not once had he tasted her cooking. Yet, now, he came over in the middle of the night, telling her that he was hungry and wanted something to eat. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s your game? If you still don¡¯t go, don¡¯t me me for doing something drastic!¡± As she spoke, Joanna could not help but reach out, trying to push him out of the house. However, Bruce stood as firm as a mountain, refusing to move. ¡°I¡¯m really hungry. I want to eat something!¡± he stated, patting his belly. Joanna was even more speechless. ¡°So, what would you like to eat?¡± ¡°Anything!¡± Joanna paused for a few seconds, spoke no more, and turned toward the kitchen. After all, it would not take much time to make some buttered noodles. All she had to do was fill up his stomach and make him leave the ce. It really could not be simpler to make buttered noodles. She started by boiling the pasta and then draining it. Then, she mixed in the butter, cheese, salt, and pepper. Ten minutester, Joanna ced a te of buttered noodles on the table. ¡°The food is ready! Eat up and get going!¡± It was indeed a simple dish, but it smelled great. In just a moment, the entire room was filled with the pungent scent of butter mixed with cheese. Bruce was really hungry. He had always been a picky eater. Yet, he gobbled up the te of noodles, relishing it. Soon, he finished the entire te of noodles. ¡°Are you finished?¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m still not very full. I would like to have another te.¡± When Joanna heard that, she became even more furious. ¡°This man almost got me killed. Yet, he¡¯s here now at my house in the middle of the night just to torture me. What the hell is going on?¡± she wondered. ¡°I¡¯ll call Andy and tell him toe and get you!¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to go!¡± At her wits end, Joanna could not even find the words to retort. ¡°May I lie down on the couch?¡± ¡°Bruce, what the hell are you trying to do?¡± Bruce¡¯s sharp eyes were filled with gentleness at this moment. ¡°I¡¯m here to protect you in case you¡¯re in danger.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Joanna choked on her saliva and nearly popped a vessel when she heard that. ¡°As long as he¡¯s not here, I would be safe!¡± she thought. ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous. Go lie down if you want!¡± she stated. With that, she didn¡¯t bother saying anything more but turned around, heading back to her room. After all, it was not like she could stop him from doing what he wanted. Bang! She mmed the door shut. Thoroughly exhausted, all she wanted right now was to go to sleep. She no longer had any energy to quarrel with him and did not care anymore about whatever tricks were on his mind. After Joanna returned to her room, Talia went into Lilia¡¯s room as well. Bruce was left all alone in the living room. Looking around, he could not help but feel a little sad. ¡°How could she be living in such a rotten ce now?¡± he remarked internally. Indeed, the living room was tiny and was even smaller than the bathroom in his house. With that, he made up his mind to help her move into a new house the next day to make up for what he owed her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner, Joann?¡± Bruce sank into the couch. His heart filled with even more mixed emotions. ¡°How could I have made such a blunder and been mistaken about such an important thing? For more than ten years, I¡¯ve been in love with the wrong person!¡± he continued to berate himself inwardly. The next morning, the bodyguards were in a frenzy. ¡°Mr. Everett is missing!¡± ¡°Call Mr. Everett immediately and ask where he is!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t bring his phone! ording to the GPS in his car, he should be in the area, but there¡¯s no sign of him!¡± ¡°What are you guys even hired for? How could you not follow him?¡± ¡°You know very well about Mr. Everett¡¯s temper. If he doesn¡¯t allow anyone to follow him, who would dare to do so?¡± ¡°So, what do we do now? Where could Mr. Everett have gone? How would we answer when Old Mrs. Everett asks about himter?¡± ¡°Oh my god! Mr. Everett hasn¡¯t been kidnapped, has he?¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°What else can we do? Go and find him before it¡¯s toote!¡± The group of bodyguards was panicking. After all, their job was to provide protection to Bruce 24 hours a day. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Now that Bruce was missing, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t be afraid. The previous night. Bruce would not let anyone follow him. The bodyguards did not dare to disobey him, nor did they dare to let him out of their sight. Thus, all they could do was follow him sneakily. However, Bruce drove too fast. Within minutes, they had lost him. They searched all night but couldn¡¯t find him, and that made them even more frightened! At seven o¡¯clock in the morning, the rm clock rang, and Joanna got up to turn it off. Nowadays, she was a terrible sleeper and would only sleep for three or four hours a day. Last night, because of Bruce¡¯s interruption, she only managed to get less than two hours of sleep. In the living room, Bruce was lying on the couch, sound asleep. As he had lost a lot of blood, his brain was very deoxygenated, which was why he was particrly sleepy. After Joanna got up, he was still asleep. Talia got up as well and gazed at Bruce on the couch with a look of resignation. ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do about him?¡± ¡°Leave him be. Just let him sleep!¡± After Joanna washed up, she was ready to make breakfast. With Miranda being away, Talia had to take care of Lilia. Thus, Joanne had to prepare breakfast by herself. However, she only prepared simple meals. Sometimes, it would be as simple as a sandwich or a sd with boiled eggs, served with a cup of strong coffee. Just as Joanna finished making a sandwich, Bruce awakened. His face had swelled up even more after he had gotten one night of sleep. His left eye was swollen and was an appalling sight. The white bandage on his head had also leaked a little, looking yellow and gooey. ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± Joanna shot him a nce. ¡°It¡¯s morning now, so get back to the hospital!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to keep me for breakfast?¡± ¡°Please, I have to workter. Will you stop messing around?¡± Hearing that, Bruce instantly softened his tone. ¡°I think you¡¯ve been hurt pretty badly too, so why don¡¯t you take a day off? Anyway, work never ends. There¡¯s no need to work so hard.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart clenched even more. She wouldn¡¯t have had to work so hard if he hadn¡¯t pressured her into signing the agreement. ording to the agreement, in three years¡® time, if she did not fulfill her promise to thepany, she would lose everything. And he was the one who had cornered her into signing it. Yet, he was now standing there, saying nonsense to her. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough. Stop it with your pretense. You have to go now!¡± ¡°Joann, there¡¯s been a misunderstanding between us!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any more of this! Please get out of there!¡± Joanna pushed Bruce, trying to force him to get out of the house. ¡°Joann, let me exin. There¡¯s truly been a misunderstanding between us! I¡¯m sorry for not knowing the truth until yesterday¡­ ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t want to hear anything you have to say. If you don¡¯t go now, don¡¯t me me for being discourteous to you!¡± As the two of them tugged and pushed at each other, a sweet and crisp voice rang out from the room. ¡°Mommy! Who are you talking to? Has Davian and Irvine back?¡± Bruce froze and looked nkly at the room¡¯s door. ¡°Who¡¯s calling you?¡± With a look of panic on her face, Joanna shoved Bruce toward the front door. ¡°Just go! Don¡¯t stay in my house!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in the room?¡± Bruce ignored her and walked straight into the room. ¡°Bruce, stop right there! You¡¯re not going in there!¡± Joanna tried desperately to stop him. Unfortunately, she was not strong enough to do so. Even if he was injured, Bruce was still much stronger than her. Click! He opened the door. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Lilia!¡± Seeing that she was unable to stop him, Joanna barged into the room first, afraid that Bruce would frighten her daughter. Once the door was opened, Bruce fixed his eyes on the little girl who was lying in bed. The little girl was very pale and looked frail. However, she was exceedingly pretty and was much like a miniature version of Joanna. Lilia was also looking curiously at Bruce withrge, flickering eyes. ¡°Is this¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯d better get out of here!¡± ¡°Mommy, who¡¯s that man?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him!¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Bruce was instantly stunned again as the blood rushed up to his head. He thought that Joanne only had two children, but now it turned out that she had a daughter as well. ¡°Mommy, he looks so strangel Was he hurt?¡± ¡°Lilia, be a good girl. I will exin it to youter, okay?¡± ¡°All right!¡± Turning over, Joanna gave Bruce¡¯s chest another push. ¡°Bruce, I beg you! Will you stop bothering me? I just want to live my life in peace now. Please, will you stop pestering me?¡± Bruce gathered his thoughts and said matter¨Cof¨Cfactly, ¡°Joann, there¡¯s been a misunderstanding between us, and I¡¯m hoping that we can resolve it¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s been no misunderstanding. You don¡¯t need to exin anything. All we need is some distance, and then we¡¯ll be all right!¡± She had nearly died trying to crawl out of the pain that he had caused her, and she no longer wanted. anything more to do with him. ¡°Joann, I can exin!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. I just want you to go!¡± Ding Dong! The doorbell rang. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s Mr. Grimm!¡± Hearing that Jaydon had arrived, Joanna felt relieved. ¡°Go and get the door!¡± Talia opened the door, and Jaydon walked in, carrying several packages in his hands Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve brought you some breakfast and some daily necessities¡­¡± Before Jaydon could finish his words, he caught sight of Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± ¡°Jay, don¡¯t get me wrong! I don¡¯t know what was wrong with himst night. He came all the way here.¡± Hearing that, Bruce responded by tightening his grip around Joanna¡¯s shoulder while looking at Jaydon tauntingly. ¡°Joann and I are married. We don¡¯t need someone else to tell us what to do.¡± Joanna struggled a little. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re divorced already!¡± ¡°We can still remarry, can¡¯t we?¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts. Let go of me!¡± Jaydon couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s he doing here?¡± From the looks of the situation, he figured that Bruce had spent the night here. The idea was driving Jaydon up the wall. Bruce sneered, ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯ll exin it to youter! Bruce, you have to go! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll really call the police!¡± Bruce gulped and looked grimly at Joanna. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m going to ask you again. Who is the father of the child?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered, and she looked at Bruce with rage. ¡°I¡¯ve told you so many times. The child has nothing to do with you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I¡¯m taking her for a paternity test!¡± ¡°Who are you to take my child away? I gave birth to her after we divorced. She has nothing to do with you!¡± Bruce wouldn¡¯t listen and turned around to take Lilia. He was determined to take the child for a paternity test that day. He didn¡¯t believe Joanna would fall in love with another man so soon after she divorced him. ¡°Don¡¯t you touch my child, you lunatic!¡± ¡°Ah, Mommy!¡± Lilia cried, her small body trembling. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t get up or run away. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you touch my baby! You¡¯ll scare her like this!¡± When Jaydon saw what was going on, he was enraged. He pounced, punching Bruce. ¡°You bastard. Stop this! Haven¡¯t you harmed Joann enough? Will you only feel happy after you kill her?¡± Pow! Bruce was caught off guard as a punchnded on his face. Immediately, he staggered back a few steps. After steadying himself, he touched the blood on the corner of his lips. Chapter 48 Bam! Infuriated, Bruce threw a punch back at Jaydon. Boom! His punch was even harder and more ruthless than Jaydon¡¯s. It was as if he wanted to punch Jaydon to death. Boom! Bam! Pow! The two men started tussling, fighting their way from the room to the living room. The coffee table, the television, and other furniture were smashed to the ground. The entire living room was a mess. ¡°Stop it. Stop fighting!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Lilia cried with fright. Talia was also stunned. She rushed over to put her arms around Lilia. ¡°Jay, Bruce, stop fighting. Stop it now!¡± The two men had long wanted to fight each other, and they finally got the chance that day. Thud! Thud! Bruce was more aggressive and cruel in fighting, but he had lost a lot of blood the day before due to the car ident. Thus, he was a bit groggy and slow to react. They were both very tall. Bruce was 6 feet and 2 inches, while Jaydon was also over 6 feet tall as well. One of them had been learning boxing since childhood, and the other had been practicingbat since young. They refused to yield to each other, just like two fierce beasts! Presently, both of their faces and bodies were covered in bruises. As he was having a hard time fighting with Jaydon, Bruce went all out and picked up a wine bottle before aiming it at Jaydon¡¯s head. ¡°Stop fighting! Jay, watch out!¡± Joanna was terrified at the scene before her. She rushed over to shield Jaydon. Pow! The bottle hit Joanna on the arm. Luckily, it didn¡¯t hit her head. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna¡¯s arm broke then and there. She screamed in pain and slumped to the ground. ¡°Joann! Joann!¡± When Jaydon saw this, he stopped fighting. He quickly ran up to Joanna to check her arm. Excruciating pain shot up from her arm, making it hard for her to breathe. The next moment, her eyes closed, and she fainted from the pain. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m taking you to a hospital!¡± Seeing that, Bruce yelled, ¡°Let go of her! Joanna is my woman!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Lilia called out while crying. ¡°Stop wasting time. We have to get Joann to the hospital!¡± Bruce domineeringly pushed Jaydon out of the way and picked Joanna up. ¡°Joann, I really didn¡¯t mean it! Hang in there. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital!¡± Since Joanna lost consciousness, it wasn¡¯t a good time for Jaydon to fight over her with Bruce. ¡°Talia, you take care of Lilia. I¡¯m going to the hospital to take care of Joann!¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Grimm¡­¡± With that said, Jaydon ran after Bruce and sprinted out the door. After the three were gone, Talia looked at the house that was in shambles.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. She was so frightened that she couldn¡¯t even cry. ¡°My goodness, they¡¯re so troublesome! They created such a big mess in the house. How am I going to clean this all up?¡± she grumbled. Meanwhile, Lilia continued to wail, ¡°Mommy! Where¡¯s Mommy?¡± ¡°Lilia, your mommy is fine. She¡¯ll be back in a while!¡± Talia quicklyforted Lilia. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Margaret arrived at the hospital early in the morning, only to discover that Bruce was missing. Anxiousness pulsed through her veins, causing her to almost lose consciousness. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? Haven¡¯t you found him yet?¡± ¡°Last night, Mr. Everett insisted on driving out of here. He wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to follow him¡­¡± ¡°You bunch of losers. If something happens to Bruce, I¡¯ll bury all of you with him!¡± Margaret had a fit. Being in her 70s, she had a weak heart. Once she got mad, her heart would ache, and her brain would be deprived of oxygen. The assistant swiftly whipped out an oxygen tank and put the mask on Margaret¡¯s face. She only calmed down a little after inhaling a few mouthfuls of oxygen. ¡°Hurry up and find him. We have to find him!¡± Andy quickly reassured Margaret, ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯re already looking. Kyle headed out with some people to look for Mr. Everettst night. I¡¯ll call him now to ask if he has found Mr. Everett!¡± Roxanne also hurried to the hospital at that moment after getting the message. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? Hasn¡¯t hee back yet?¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± ¡°Could he have gotten into an ident? Maybe we should report it to the police!¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been 24 hours. We can¡¯t call the police. Besides, Mr. Everett may be deliberately preventing us from finding him!¡± ¡°Where in the world did he go? He didn¡¯t take his phone with him, and he didn¡¯t tell anybody anything. I¡¯m worried sick!¡± ¡°Grandma, calm down first. I¡¯m sure Bruce went out to take care of something. Maybe he¡¯ll be back later!¡± Roxanne reassured Margaret. Margaret¡¯s face darkened as she clutched her chest. ¡°How can I calm down? He¡¯s so heavily injured. Where could he have gone?¡± Just as she was talking, amotion erupted in the hospital lobby. ¡°Hurry up, doctor! Somebody¡¯s hurt!¡± Covered in blood, Bruce rushed into the hospital with unconscious Joanna in his arms. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce was distraught. He roared, ¡°Doctor,e on! Somebody¡¯s hurt!¡± Seeing that it was Bruce, a group of doctors and nurses ran over and moved Joanna onto a bed. Then, they pushed Joanna into the emergency room. Margaret was relieved to see her grandson back. ¡°Where did you go yesterday, Bruce? Oh my, why are you covered in blood?¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for questions, Grandina!¡± Worried about Joanna, Bruce tried to make his way into the emergency room. Seeing this, Roxanne immediately stood in his way and asked with a frustrated expression, ¡°Did you go looking for Joannast night, Bruce?¡± Margaret interrupted. ¡°Stop asking questions. He¡¯s bleeding all over! Doctor, hurry up and get over here!¡± Just then, Jaydon hurried over and questioned, ¡°Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Bruce scowled and didn¡¯t answer. Jaydon became impatient and grabbed Bruce¡¯s cor. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Joanna has been sent to the emergency room. Let go of Bruce!¡± Jaydon¡¯s white shirt was also covered in blood. However, he ignored it and threatened, ¡°If anything happens to Joann. I won¡¯t let you get away with it!¡± Bruce knew he was wrong. He could only sit on a stool outside the emergency room in dejection. Seeing that, Roxanne felt her heart grow cold. Judging from the situation, she could guess what Bruce had been up tost night. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s going on? How did you end up like this?¡± Margaret asked. ¡°Stop asking me, Grandma! My mind is in a mess right now.¡± Bruce held his head, looking despondent. ¡°All right, I won¡¯t ask you anymore. You¡¯re injured all over your body. Hurry up wounds treated.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°How could you just let them be? Go right now!¡± and have your Left with no choice, Bruce clenched his jaw and followed the doctor to get treated. Meanwhile, Jaydon gave a cold snort and sat down on a stool on the other end. Thirty minutester, the emergency room door was opened, and a doctor came out. ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s left arm is broken, and she¡¯s suffering from severe hypoglycemia. That¡¯s why she passed out! We¡¯re going to give her a ster cast now¡­¡± Hearing the noise, Bruce couldn¡¯t be bothered with his treatment and ran over. ¡°How¡¯s Joann? Is she okay?¡± As he spoke, he tried to barge into the emergency room. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m warning you. Stay away from Joann from now on!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also warning you to leave Joanna alone!¡± The air between the two men turned hostile as they were ready to fight again. Several bodyguards quickly gathered around Jaydon and surrounded him. Jaydon usually didn¡¯t take bodyguards when he went out, so upon seeing the situation, he could only hold himself back and give up. Roxanne was upset. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s going on with you and Joanna?¡± Bruce took in a deep breath and looked at Roxanne calmly. ¡°Let¡¯s break up!¡± Chapter 49 Boom! His words struck Roxanne like lightning, and her heart dropped. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Never had she thought that they would break up so suddenly. ¡°Bruce, what are you talking about? You¡¯re emotionally unstable right now¡­¡± ¡°I said, let¡¯s break up!¡± Roxanne bit her thin lip and burst into tears. ¡°Bruce, no. Didn¡¯t we just talk about getting married the other day?¡± Bruce frowned and said in a cold voice, ¡°I said, let¡¯s break up. Don¡¯t you know what the reason is?¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Instinctively, Roxanne took two steps backward. Then, she stepped forward again and gripped Bruce¡¯s arm. ¡°Bruce, even¡­ Even if Joanna was the one who saved you ten years ago, are you going to throw away the rtionship we¡¯ve had for years?¡± Bruce looked stern and replied drily, ¡°Our rtionship has been a mistake since the beginning.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not! You can¡¯t say goodbye to me for such a trivial thing! I won¡¯t ept this. I won¡¯t!¡± Roxanne swung Bruce¡¯s arm desperately as she got all worked up. ¡°You do love me, Bruce! We are so in love. How can we break up so easily? I waited for you for six years, and now, you want to part with me?¡± Roxanne¡¯s tears streamed down her face, and her slim body was quivering nonstop. As the bodyguards backed away, Margaret sighed without saying anything. She had never liked Roxanne from the start. After all, thetter had a bourgeois mother. However, Margaret did not want to interfere too much in her grandson¡¯s rtionships, which was why she had always acted indifferent. Bruce also felt a bit bad. After all, he hurt Roxanne badly. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you with marypensation. Give me an amount.¡± He¡¯d agree to it as long as it was not too outrageous. Although they dated for six years, he never once touched her. At least he did not harm her or take advantage of her physically. ¡°No, I¡¯m not breaking up with you. I won¡¯t ept this. I disagree! Have I waited for you for six years only to be dumped in the end? I¡¯ll never agree to break up with you! If you leave me, I¡¯ll surely make you regret it.¡± Roxanne cried as she backed away. Then, she turned around and ran away. ¡°Roxanne!¡± Seeing her in such a state of agitation, Bruce was worried that she would do something stupid. Just as he was about to go after her, the door to the emergency room was opened. A nurse pushed out a bed with Joanna sitting on it. Seeing that, Bruce immediately approached Joanna. ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± ¡°We already splinted her arm. She has to rest properly. She might have to wear the splint for a whole month.¡± Bruce frowned at this and looked at Joanna¡¯s pale face. He felt his heartache. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Sadly, Joanna was still unconscious and wouldn¡¯t be able to hear his apology. ¡°Mr. Everett, please step aside first. We have to bring the patient to the ward.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna was wheeled into the hospital room while Bruce stood by the doorway dejectedly. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. I only learned that I¡¯ve been wrong all this time. I¡¯ve been so stupid. I¡¯ll slowly make it up to you for the harm I¡¯ve done to you!¡± As he watched Joanna through the ss on the door of the ward, Bruce made up his mind to pursue Joanna and make her ept him again. After the nurses were done settling Joanna down, Andy rushed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news!¡± Bruce was startled. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes cut her wrist to end herself!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s worst fear was that Roxanne would do such a thing. Unexpectedly, she really did it. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°In a ward! I¡¯ve just taken her there.¡± Bruce rushed over to check after hearing that. After running out of the hospital, Roxanne slit her wrist on a whim. While it was impulsive, she also took into consideration the fact that she was at the hospital, a ce where she could conveniently be treated. She didn¡¯t want to die. She just wanted to pressure Bruce! In fact, she only nned to cut her skin slightly. To her surprise, Andy appeared at that time. Upon seeing her holding a knife to her wrist, Andy was terrorized and rushed forward to stop her. In a state of panic, she mishandled the knife and cut her artery, causing blood to spurt out. Now, things turned dangerous for real. Roxanne rushed into a ward while the doctors hurriedly prepared an operating room. ¡°The patient is losing too much blood. Go and get more sma!¡± ¡°Stop the bleeding first. Bring me the hemostat!¡± Bruce arrived at that moment. A nurse happened toe out of the operating room, so he asked. her, ¡°How¡¯s Roxy?¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s artery has been cut, and she is losing too much blood. She needs a blood transfusion!¡± With that, the nurse sprinted to the blood bank. A chill ran down Bruce¡¯s spine when he heard the nurse. He lowered his head and banged it against the wall in dismay. ¡°Roxy, how can you be so stupid¡­¡± Soon, Ingrid and Shaun rushed to the hospital after being told their daughter had shed her wrist. ck! ck! ck! Ingrid¡¯s heels clicked loudly against the floor as she ran. ¡°Roxy! Where¡¯s Roxy?¡± ¡°The doctors are saving her¡­¡± ¡°My goodness. Why did Roxy suddenly think of doing something like this? She was fine just earlier!¡± Bruce stayed silent as he kept his head lowered with a sorrowful expression. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Did you reason?¡± do something to hurt Roxy, Bruce? Otherwise, why would she try to take her own life for no Bruce did not say anything. He didn¡¯t try to deny nor exin himself. Seeing his tacit agreement, Ingrid felt her heart jolt. When Roxanne came home the day before, she had asked Ingrid what she should do as it seemed like Bruce was going to break up with her. At that time, Ingrid thought her daughter was joking. Now, it seemed like Bruce really did ask to break up. Chapter 51 Chapter 51 ¡°What the hell is going on? Did you break up with Roxy?¡± Bruce let out a sigh of relief and made no reply. In an instant. Ingrid knew she had guessed correctly. She immediately started creating a scene, crying out, ¡°How can you do such a horrible thing to Roxy? If anything happens to her, I¡¯m going to hang myself at the doorstep of Everett Corporation! You¡¯re so heartless. You¡¯ve dated Roxy for six years and wasted six years of her youth! And now, you¡¯re leaving her like this. You¡¯re so merciless! I¡¯m not going to live anymore!¡± Hearing her, Shaun sighed deeply and, with a sad face, tried to persuade Ingrid, saying, ¡°We¡¯re at the hospital. Don¡¯t make a scene. Let¡¯s wait till Roxy¡¯s operation is over first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! If anything happens to Roxy, I¡¯m going to hang myself at the entrance of Everett Corporation! I¡¯m going to let everyone see that their boss is an emotionless, heartless man! Gosh, my dear Roxy! Please stay alive! If something happens to you, how will we be able to take it?¡± Ingrid thumped her chest and threw a fit, catching everyone¡¯s attention. Back then, she used a simr method and went all out to force Joanna¡¯s mother to leave. In the end, Shaun had no choice but to marry her as everyone was aware of what had happened. Now, she was doing the same thing again. Using this as an excuse, she was ready to make a big fuss. This time, it was to get her daughter into the Everett family. Her daughter was too shy to throw a tantrum. However, Ingrid was different. She had a lot of experience. With such amotion, she was sure the.Everett family would want to save its image. People in the hospital came over one after another to watch the drama. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It seems like Mr. Everett¡¯s fiancee tried to take her own life!¡± ¡°Huh? This is big news! Film them and post it on the Inte!¡± Just then, a doctor hurriedly came over to persuade Ingrid. ¡°Please be quiet. You¡¯re not allowed to be noisy at the hospital. Please calm down and stop causing a scene.¡± ¡°How can I calm down when my daughter is dying? My poor daughter. I can¡¯t believe she has met a heartless man. Everyone, please be the judge. Mr. Everett wasted six years of Roxy¡¯s youth, and now he¡¯s going to dump her! Are you going to bully us, ordinary people just because you¡¯re wealthy and influential? You have to give us an exnation today! What did Roxy do for you to throw her away like this?¡± Shaun¡¯s head throbbed as he listened to Ingrid. ¡°Gosh, what are you talking about? Stop talking!¡± Then, he turned to Bruce and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, give us an exnation! Speak. Don¡¯t stay silent!¡± Ingrid knew that families like Bruce¡¯s valued their reputation the most. Under normal circumstances, after she threw a tantrum in public like this, he would choose to avoid unnecessary trouble andply obediently to uphold his reputation. Margaret was also rmed by the chaos. She rushed over and said, ¡°Mrs. Haynes, please calm down! If you have anything to say, you can tell me about it!¡± When Ingrid saw Margaret, she started acting more unreasonably. Sobbing, sheined, ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Old Mrs. Everett. My daughter was so hurt that she tried to end her own life! You know that Roxy is a simple girl who tends to overthink. You can¡¯t treat us like this. This is all Mr. Everett¡¯s fault! You have to give us an exnation ande up with at proper solution today!¡± Margaret took a deep breath and coaxed, ¡°Don¡¯t be so worked up! If Bruce really did something wrong to Roxy, we¡¯ll make it up to her.¡± ¡°Well, Roxy¡¯s our spoiled little princess! She¡¯s not an easy woman you can chase away after giving her some money!¡± ¡°I know that. We can sit down and talk about these things. Don¡¯t be so agitated.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Mr. Everett, you must give Roxy an exnation today! Otherwise, I¡¯m not going to let this go so easily! I¡¯ll make the presse and show them what kind of bullies Everetts are!¡± Hearing that. Margaret couldn¡¯t help but frown. For a woman of her age, dignity and reputation mattered the most. Ingrid¡¯s outburst would have a big negative impact on Everett Corporation. ¡°They¡¯re still operating on Roxy now, so calm down first. We¡¯ll talk about this after they save her. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll give Roxy a proper exnation and make sure that she won¡¯t be wronged.¡± Since Margaret gave her promise, Ingrid quit it and stopped acting out. Then, she began to weep. ¡°Roxy, you¡¯ve got to wake up!¡± Bruce was sitting dejectedly beside the doorway of the operation room. He didn¡¯t care that he was at the hospital as he smoked cigarettes one after the other. He and Roxanne had been going out for six years. Now that he suddenly wanted to break up, it was understandable that she was devastated. As a matter of fact, he was the one who made a mistake. He couldn¡¯t me Roxanne for it. Meanwhile, Joanna woke up in her ward. Upon hearing that Roxanne was being resuscitated after shing her own wrist, Joanna was shocked. After all, Roxanne was her sister! Thus, she struggled to get out of the bed and went over to check what was going on. ¡°What¡¯s going on? How¡¯s Roxy?¡± Upon seeing Joanna, Ingrid strode forward in a fury and snapped at her, ¡°Joanna Haynes, it¡¯s all because of you! You have been hitting on Mr. Everett, shameless bitch! Are you satisfied now that Roxy tried to take her own life out of frustration?¡± Joanna was bewildered. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t assume that I don¡¯t know! You¡¯ve been flirting with Mr. Everett. If it weren¡¯t for you, Roxy wouldn¡¯t have tried to take her own life! If anything happens to Roxy, I¡¯m not going to let you get away with it!¡± Joanna ignored Ingrid and looked at Bruce. ¡°Get up. I don¡¯t want to waste too much time on you. What¡¯s going on?¡± she demanded. When Ingrid saw how Joanna still dared to talk to Bruce, she was even more incensed. ¡°How dare you talk to Bruce? You are so shameless! If you dare to do it, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid to admit it!¡± As Ingrid scolded, she turned her attention to Shaun and vented her anger on him. ¡°Look at your wonderful daughter. Six years ago, she ruined Roxy¡¯s marriage and took Roxy¡¯s ce. Now, she¡¯s jumping out to wreck Roxy¡¯s life again. She¡¯s a devil! If it weren¡¯t for her, why would Mr. Everett want to break up with Roxy?¡± Shaun was pissed, too. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t fond of Joanna, so he was even disgruntled at her now that such a thing had happened. ¡°Joann, why can¡¯t you just stay away from Bruce? Six years ago, you created a big mess in the family. Now, you¡¯re doing it again! Why did we have to have a daughter like you? There are so many men in Greyport. Why do you have to go after your sister¡¯s boyfriend?¡± The color drained from Joanna¡¯s already pale face at that moment. All she could feel was the blood rushing to the top of her head.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 She could overlook it when others did not believe her and reprimanded her. However, even his own father did not believe her. Growing up, she worked hard and tried to excel in every way to get her father¡¯s approval and compliments. However, no matter how hard she tried, her father had always been cold and indifferent to her. He never praised her, nor did he ever give her fatherly love. But now, she had finally epted the fact. She had decided that she no longer wanted to try to please anyone or expect anyone to nourish her with love. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not hooking up with Bruce Everett! I had no idea they¡¯d split up!¡± Joanna was pissed too. Bruce had made her life difficult for the past two days. Now, she got a broken arm because of him. Instead of criticizing him, everyone was putting the me on Joanna. Ingrid scoffed andshed out, ¡°Hmph! You didn¡¯t know? Why would you be here if you didn¡¯t know? If you didn¡¯t seduce Mr. Everett, why would he go see you in the middle of the night? If it weren¡¯t for you, why would he dump Roxy? Before you came back to Greyport, they were already at the stage of preparing for marriage. Since you came back, you kept hitting on Mr. Everett and caused conflicts between them. You¡¯re so shameless! Are there no other men in the world? How could you rob your sister¡¯s man?¡± Shaun frowned. His face was stern and cold. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll say this onest time. Don¡¯t do anything disgraceful and immoral anymore. You¡¯ve already stolen the inheritance and be the chairman. of the board. The least you could do is not steal your sister¡¯s man! If you ever mistreat your sister again, I¡¯ll disown you!¡± Bang! Joanna staggered precariously as if someone had shot her in the heart. She felt like her heart had broken into a million pieces. Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrobly. ¡°Dad, for thest time, I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to find excuses. It¡¯s embarrassing for me to have a daughter like you. You should reflect on your behavior.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy. There¡¯s no use trying to reason with her.¡± Ingrid was getting increasingly agitated as she chided Joanna, pushing and shoving her menacingly. ¡°You better get lost. You disgust us.¡± Joanna, who had a splint on her arm and several cuts on her body, was immensely weak at that point. Ingrid¡¯s push made her wobble, and she staggered backward. Just then, Jaydon happened to be back from shopping. Seeing what was happening, he rushed over and caught Joanna in his arms.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. She was so thin that she felt weightless in his embrace. Jaydon hugged her distressedly and felt more empathetic about what happened to her in the Haynes. family. ¡°Joann, are you okay?¡± ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Mr. Grimm. You should control your girlfriend. Tell her not to go around hitting on another person¡¯s boyfriend, lest you be cuckolded and kept in the dark about it.¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened in an instant. He retorted, ¡°Watch your mouth! When your daughter wakes up, you should ask her what she¡¯s been up to!¡± ¡°My daughter is graceful and delicate. A promiscuous woman shouldn¡¯t bepared to her!¡± ¡°You have no idea what your daughter has done, do you? Shall I show you?¡± Joanna immediately tightened Jaydon¡¯s hand. Her pale little face had a note of supplication. ¡°Jay, that¡¯s enough talking. Let¡¯s go.¡± Roxanne had attempted to harm herself. If the matter of her cheating with a guy friend was brought to light, it could kill her. Joanna was not a saint, but she did not want to see Roxanne die. Jaydon frowned in anger. ¡°Joann, there is no need to be considerate to such unreasonable people!¡± ¡°Jay, let¡¯s just leave.¡± As Joanna said that, she started to cough and felt a sense of dizziness, and her legs wobbled. When Jaydon saw this, he stopped the debate instantly. ¡°Joann, calm down. We¡¯ll go now. I won¡¯t argue with lowly people like them.¡± He looked at Bruce. ¡°Bruce Everett, if you call yourself a man, you ought to leave Joann alone! You¡¯ve already caused Joann so much trouble. Please be kind and leave her alone.¡± With that, Jaydon put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder and carefully carried her back to her ward. Bruce sat in the doorway of the ward like a stone statue. His mind was a mess, and he was extremely confused. Crack! At that moment, the door of the ward was opened, and a doctor came out. Ingrid and Shaun rushed over to greet him and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is Roxy?¡± Bruce also stood up subconsciously. ¡°We¡¯ve finished the operation on the patient, but she¡¯s still in a critical condition. She needs to stay in the ICU to be kept under monitoring.¡± ¡°Doctor, you¡¯ve got to bring Roxy back! She¡¯s our only daughter. We can¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, we¡¯ll do our best.¡± ¡°Can we go in to see her?¡± ¡°Not for now. If you want to see her, you can see her through the monitor.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Through theputer monitor, Roxanne was seen wearing an oxygen mask and looking as pale as a sheet. She was receiving IV drip through tubes and needles jabbed into her bod Chapter 53 Chapter 53 ¡°Roxy! You must wake up! What am I supposed to do if you don¡¯t wake up?¡± Ingrid said and cried out loudly. Shaun raised his eyebrows and patted Bruce on the shoulder. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve been with Roxy for six years now! You have aplicated rtionship with both of my daughters, so you should think about how to resolve it. You¡¯ve hurt Roxy before, and she can¡¯t take being hurt again.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. Ingrid whimpered, ¡°Bruce, you must be responsible for Roxy! She¡¯s a nice and innocent girl. She¡¯s different from other women. She already has a rtionship with you. You can¡¯t hurt her like that!¡± Bruce drew in a breath. He wanted to say that he hadn¡¯t done it with Roxanne, but he swallowed it back. It was pointless to talk about it anymore. After all, they had been dating for six years. Nobody else would believe him if he said he hadn¡¯t had sexual intercourse with her. In fact, he hadn¡¯t even touched her. When he was in need, he spent money on other women. When they were done and he had paid, they would go their separate ways. Through theputer screen, Bruce looked sadly at Roxanne. He was frightened today. Her life could have ended because of him. He wasn¡¯t the type of person who wouldn¡¯t take responsibility. Even if something like this happened, he wouldn¡¯t try to avoid taking responsibility. He and Joanna were, after all, star¨Ccrossed lovers. He had already hurt Joanna badly, and he couldn¡¯t hurt Roxanne again. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, Mr. Haynes, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll marry Roxy as soon as she wakes up!¡± Ingrid was crying. After she heard that, she felt relieved. ¡°You must mean what you say. No more excuses to put this off.¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll propose to Roxy when she wakes up.¡± After hearing that, Ingrid and Shaun were relieved. However, they were still worried about their daughter. They were worried that she would never wake up. In the ward, Jaydon carefully helped Joanna lie down and tucked her in. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re always so soft¨Chearted. You¡¯d rather be wrong than tell the truth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Jay. After all, Roxanne is my sister, and I can¡¯t watch her die!¡± Jaydon frowned and said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s all Bruce¡¯s fault! That asshole!¡± Joanna was a little absent¨Cminded, and her voice was hoarse. ¡°Jay, that¡¯s enough. Please help me with Chapter 53 the discharge procedure. I want to get discharged.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re so hurt! You have to stay at the hospital for a few more days!¡± ¡°No! Lilia¡¯s still at home. I¡¯m worried!¡± ¡°Talia is looking after Lilia. When I get back, I¡¯ll check up on her. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Joanna shook her head stubbornly. ¡°There¡¯s no difference between me at the hospital and at home, and I don¡¯t want to see Ingrid again!¡± Joann¡­¡± As they were talking, someone pushed open the door. Bruce came in with a grim look on his face. In a rage, Jaydon stood up. ¡°What brings you back here?¡± Bruce calmly looked at Jaydon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just want to say a few words to Joanna.¡± ¡°She has nothing to say to you!¡± ¡°Could you please step outside for a moment? I¡¯ll only be here for a minute.¡± ¡°No way! Don¡¯t even think of bothering Joann again!¡± ¡°This is thest time. I promise! I just want to apologize.¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Jay, please go out first.¡± Jaydon red at Bruce. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t ever hurt Joann again!¡± With that, he stormed out of the ward. Joanna looked coldly at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, what do you want to say?¡± Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy, and he pondered for a short while. He slightly bowed to Joanna, and he said solemnly, ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Joanna was surprised and speechless. She never thought that Bruce would apologize to her. In an instant, a lot of the anger in her heart went away. Joanna¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she looked at Bruce with sadness in her eyes. ¡°Have a good life with Roxanne. Keep me out of your affairs. I just want to have a peaceful life¡­¡± With a hint of hostility in his eyes, Bruce interrupted her and said, ¡°Joanna, 1 just want to ask you one last thing! Whose child was that?¡± ¡°Bruce, I have answered you many times! The child has nothing to do with you and will have no effect on you whatsoever!¡± After Bruce heard that, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then, he took a ck bank card out of his pocket and pushed it into Joanna¡¯s hand. Joanna was taken aback. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s 75 million dors as alimony and to make up for what happened. The password is your birthday.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression changed abruptly, and she pushed the card back. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Take this N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. away¡­¡± Bruce stared at Joanna with sharp eyes and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°No, keep it! I¡¯ll be even more upset if you don¡¯t ept it. You needn¡¯t feel uneasy. Neither you nor I owe each other anything. Don¡¯t I won¡¯t interfere with your life.¡± worry. Bruce grabbed her hand and forced the card into her palm. ¡°Take the money and think of it as medical bills. It¡¯s my way of making it up to you. Take the money and go find a better house. If you don¡¯t have enough money, just tell me!¡± He couldn¡¯t think of any way other than money to make it up to her. Roxanne had tried to end her life, and he was determined to marry her. As for Joanna, he was just trying to make up for what he had done. ¡°Bruce, I really don¡¯t need it.¡± After Bruce gave Joanna the card, he turned around to exit the ward. As Bruce got close to the door of the ward, he stopped and said, ¡°Joanna, Jaydon is a yboy! He¡¯s not right for you, so stop loving him so much.¡± After that, Bruce opened the ward¡¯s door and walked out. It would be more than appropriate to put an end to their rtionship. Joanna looked at the card in her hands. Her nose grew sour. She felt like crying, but she couldn¡¯t shed a tear. ¡°Forget it. Since he insisted, I¡¯ll just keep it!¡± she thought. After Bruce left, Jaydon returned and noticed Joanna was dazed. He hurriedly went to her bed and hugged her. ¡°Joann, what did he say to you? He didn¡¯t hurt you, did he?¡± Joanna shook her head dully. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s just¡­¡± At that, she paused. She thought, ¡°There are some things that I probably shouldn¡¯t tell him.¡± Chapter 54 Chapter 54 ¡°Have youpleted the discharge procedure?¡± Jaydon frowned and said in concern. ¡°I haven¡¯t done it yet. You¡¯re hurt so badly. I still think you should stay in the hospital for a few more days.¡± Joanna persisted and got out of bed. ¡°No, I can¡¯t stay in the hospital! Lilia will be scared if she doesn¡¯t see mel¡± ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll fill out the paperwork for your discharge.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After half an hour. Jaydonpleted the discharge procedure. Joanna had also changed her clothing. It was just that having a splint on her hand was a little inconvenient. Jaydon carried all the medicine and sundries. Just as they opened the ward¡¯s door, Shaun suddenly appeared at the entrance. Joanna was surprised when she saw Shaun. ¡°Dad¡­ ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± He didn¡¯t know how badly Joanna was hurt until that moment. He was so angry that he didn¡¯t notice that Joanna¡¯s arm was broken. Maybe she didn¡¯t get enough fatherly love as a child. However, Shaun¡¯s simple greeting warmed her heart. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. She thought Shaun had speciallye to see her. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m all right. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Shaun replied indifferently. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Dad, what are you trying to say? Just tell me.¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Everett has just appeared in front of us and promised to marry Roxy when she gets well.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up, and she said, ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Shaun straightened his face and said seriously, ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t want you to have anything to do with Mr. Everett anymore!¡± Joanna was dumbfounded when she heard that. She thought he came to check on her condition. In the end, she was just too naive. Shaun only thought about his two sons and Roxanne. How could he possibly care about her? He was not there to care about her but to warn her! ¡°I know that this will put you in a difficult situation. Nheless, you saw what happened to Roxy! Keep away from Mr. Everett, and don¡¯t hurt Roxy again. She is too fragile and innocent, and she doesn¡¯t know how to protect herself! You¡¯re her elder sister. You must give in to her¡­¡± Chapter 54 Before Shaun could finish his words, Jaydon interrupted him and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Haynes, you worry too much! Bruce was the one who was always bothering Joann, not her. Also, your daughter is. not innocent at all!¡± Shaun didn¡¯t listen to him at all and continued, ¡°Anyway, it will be better if you and Mr. Everett stay apart! Look at Mr. Grimm. He¡¯s also a very talented young man. You¡¯ve found a wonderful man, so don¡¯t think about your sister¡¯s boyfriend.¡± ¡°Dad, you think too much. I never kept Bruce in my mind! By the way, I won¡¯t ever take the initiative. to go near him! You don¡¯t have toe all the way here to warn me!¡± After saying that, she rushed forward. ¡°Joann, hold on for a minute. I still have something to tell you!¡± Joanna paused subconsciously when she heard that. ¡°Well, you have to remember to calcte thepany¡¯s dividend for the quarter. Also, your two brothers and Roxy are all senior employees. Even if they aren¡¯t working for thepany, you still have to pay them.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Joanna could not help but sneer. Herst hope that her father would love her was shattered. She turned around and smirked at Shaun. ¡°Dad, you think way too much. Employees can¡¯t get paid if they aren¡¯t working for thepany. But, don¡¯t worry. Haynes Group will definitely pay you a ten percent dividend, and I¡¯ll transfer all of it to your bank card.¡± ¡°Joann, Rick, Ry, and Roxy are your brothers and sisters. Why can¡¯t you just turn a blind eye?¡± ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t think they really need this sry. Grandpa has enough assets to pay for all of your daily forall expenses. In his will, he also said I would get some of his money, property, and other assets. However, I didn¡¯t get a single thing. Shouldn¡¯t you give those to me?¡± ¡°You¡­ It¡¯s too long ago! That no longer counts!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± She was in so much pain that it felt like a knife was gouging her heart, and she didn¡¯t want to see her father for one more second. She left Shaun there and left the scene. While driving, Jaydon couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Your dad is so weird and biased!¡± Joanna let out a long sigh, and she couldn¡¯t stop her tears froming out. Except for her three children, she had no other family. Jaydon gave her some tissues and felt bad when he looked at her. Although they didn¡¯t share the same affliction, he could understand her feelings. The Grimm family was aplicated family. Even though he was Sebastian¡¯s second son and the son he loved the most, Sebastian married three Women. He had four younger brothers and five younger sisters. None of them was born to the same woman. Hence, he had no ns to stay in Venturas and take over the family business after he graduated. Instead, he moved to Greyport and worked alone. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 After returning home, Joanna realized that the house had already been tidied up. It turned out that Jaydon had sent someone to do so. ¡°Joann, I think it¡¯s better that you move! I still have a mansion in ck Hollow Bay. It¡¯s vacant, so you can just move in!¡± ¡°No, thanks! I¡¯ve troubled you enough already. I shouldn¡¯t disturb you anymore.¡± ¡°How would that be troubling me? The house is empty anyway. It¡¯s perfect for you!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s too far for me and my workce!¡± Jaydon sighed and stopped insisting. Eventually, he gave in and said, ¡°Okay. Just let me know if you need anything!¡± ¡°Thank you, Jay!¡± ¡°There you go again. How many times do I have to tell you that you don¡¯t have to thank me?¡± Joanna¡¯s expression and feelings became more conflicted when she heard his remark. ¡°Jaydon treats me too well. I just wish I knew how to repay him,¡± she thought. As she arrived home, Joanna keyed in the passcode and opened the door. Talia¡¯s eyes were red as she hurried to the door. ¡°Miss Haynes, you are back!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Lilia?¡± ¡°Lilia has a fever. I was just about to call you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she rushed to Lilia¡¯s room and did not even bother changing out of her clothes. Lilia suffered from thssemia and a heart condition, so it was vital that she maintained robust health. A cold could be deadly for her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. In the room, Liliay limp on the bed. Her cheeks flushed red due to the fever. ¡°Lilia, Mommy is back!¡± Feeling heartbroken, Joanna reached out her hand and ced it on Lilia¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s burning hot! Her temperature must be at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit!¡± she thought. Lilia opened her eyes. Like a butterfly¡¯s wings, her eyshes slowly pped open. Her voice was weak and tender as she called, ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy¡¯s back! Are you not feeling well, Lilia?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, and I miss you, Mommy. I miss Davian and Irvin too. When are theying back?¡± Joanna gently stroked Lilia¡¯s hair as she answered, ¡°Next week. I¡¯ll go and pick them up then. We¡¯ll all come back and see you, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, okay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart ached when he witnessed the scene. ¡°Hurry up and take Lilia to the hospital!¡± he said. Lilia trembled at the mere mention of going to the hospital. Every time she was in a hospital, it was like a walk through hell to her. The ice-cold scalpels and needles left her with a huge trauma. Chapter 55 ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital! I¡¯m afraid of needles. I can take pills, no matter how bitter they are. Mommy, please don¡¯t send me to the hospital¡± Lilia started to cry as she spoke. After she heard this, Joanna¡¯s nose turned sour as tears flowed down her cheeks. ¡°There, there. Let¡¯s not go to the hospital then. I won¡¯t take you to the hospital. Let¡¯s eat some medicine to control the fever.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not scared of taking medicine, Lilia said. Joanna kept her head down so that Lilia would not see her cry. ¡°She needs to go to the hospital once every three months for a blood transfusion. She¡¯s only three years old, but she¡¯s already had seven major operations. So far, except for her face, Lilia is covered in post-op needle holes and scars. I¡¯d give my life up just so that she could recover,¡± Joanna thought. In the hospital, the ICU door opened, and the nurse wheeled Roxanne out. Ingrid and Shaun immediately approached the doctor and asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Roxy?¡± ¡°The patient has woken up. Don¡¯t worry. Her life is out of danger! She can be transferred to the VIP ward now.¡± ¡°Oh, Roxy! Thank goodness! You silly child, you scared Mom and Dad to death!¡± Eventually, Roxanne was moved into the ward. ¡°Roxy, how could you be so stu pid?¡± ¡°You silly girl, what would Mom and Dad do if something had happened to you?¡± ¡°Mom, Dad¡­¡± Roxanne muttered weakly. She did not expect things to turn out this way. Originally, she was just trying to graze her skin so that she could give Bruce a scar. However, she did not expect herself to identally use too much force and cut her arteries. Ingrid sighed. Her expression was filled with both worry and relief. ¡°It¡¯s still a blessing in disguise. Mr. Everett has agreed to marry you!¡± Roxanne froze as she looked at Ingrid in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s true. He¡¯s made a promise in front of Dad and me! You¡¯ll marry him once you¡¯ve recovered.¡± ¡°Tsk, you silly girl. Why did you even do it? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous that is?¡± Just then, Bruce entered the ward with a big bouquet of flowers. Ingrid chuckled and said, ¡°Bruce is here!¡± Roxanne looked weakly at Bruce and called, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce sighed in relief as he walked slowly to the hospital bed and ced the flowers on it. He then pulled a pink diamond ring the size of a dove¡¯s egg from his pocket and said, ¡°Roxy, will you marry me?¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Tears flowed from the corner of Roxanne¡¯s eye, and her heart was filled with excitement. Ingrid and Shaun were overjoyed when they saw this. When Ingrid noticed the ring, she could not help but feel as if she wanted to sn atch it. ¡°Roxy, why are you still in a daze?¡± Chapter 55 Bruce took her hand and put the ring on her ring finger. ¡°Will you marry me?¡± he asked again. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Silly girl, don¡¯t you ever do such a foolish thing again!¡± Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 ¡°We¡¯ll get married as soon as you¡¯ve recovered,¡± Bruce said softly as he gently stroked the hair on Roxanne¡¯s checks. ¡°Okay¡± Roxanne could not stop crying. ¡°I almost died, but it was worth it!¡± she thought. ¡°Dad and I will head out first. You guys go ahead and have a nice talk.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As she exited the ward, Ingrid broke out into a smile that creased her face. ¡°Oh, thank goodness. Mr. Everett is finally marrying Roxy!¡± ¡°As soon as they get married, I¡¯ll make sure I rub it in Mrs. Paul, Mrs. Roger, and the other¡¯s faces!¡± Shaun could not help but frown. ¡°Look at you! Roxy almost died. How could you still be in the mood to show off?¡± ¡°Well, the process was frightening, but we got a happy ending. I did not expect her to have some of my old tricks up her sleeve. She sure pulled a cruel trick!¡± Hearing this, Shaun sighed and shook his head. After they found out about Roxanne, Derick and Ryan rushed to the hospital. ¡°Mom, Dad, how¡¯s Roxanne?¡± The duo was prepared to push the door and enter the ward as they spoke. Ingrid quickly stopped them and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go in there. Roxanne is inside having a talk with Mr. Everett! Don¡¯t go in and disturb them!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°I have great news for you. Roxanne is finally getting married!¡± Derick looked surprised. ¡°Really?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Derick pped his thigh in excitement and eximed, ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Mom and Dad, I want a sports car!¡± Ingrid felt very angry when she heard this. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just buy your Porschest year? Why do you want to buy another car?¡± ¡°Then, what about the bags you boughtst year? Didn¡¯t you buy more bags again this year?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different! Do you know how much a bag costs? Now think about how much your car costs!¡± ¡°Gosh, Roxanne is already getting married to Mr. Everett. It¡¯s only hundreds of thousands of dors! All my ssmates have changed their cars to sports cars. I have my eyes on a Ferarri, so please just buy it for me,¡± Derick begged as he shook Ingrid¡¯s arm. Ingrid pursed her lips and asked, ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°It was not expensive. It¡¯s just a little more than 750 thousand dors.¡± ¡°More than 750 thousand dors? You¡¯re truly the ck sheep of the family!¡± Chapter 56 ¡°If you don¡¯t buy it for me, I¡¯ll go and ask Bruce for it! Since he has so many extravagant cars, I¡¯ll just ask him to give me one.¡± Ingrid grabbed Derick and scolded angrily, ¡°Stop right there, you brat. Don¡¯t you dare embarrass us! Mr. Everett has just proposed to your sister, so please don¡¯t go to him and make demands. We¡¯re better than this. I¡¯ll buy it for you when Roxanne gets married.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a deal¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Thanks, Mom. I¡¯m off then!¡± Ryan cheekily gave Ingrid a kiss on her cheek and turned to leave. I¡¯m leaving too, then!¡± With that. Ryan left together with Derick. After they both had left, Ingrid let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, her expression darkened. ¡°Joanna, the little b itch. Did she deduct Rick and Ry¡¯s pay? No money has been sent for two months!¡± Shaun said dejectedly. ¡°Don¡¯t even mention her. She really is a pain. Not only did she cut off Rick and Ry¡¯s payroll, but she¡¯s also stopped paying me too!¡± Ingrid was even more indignant when she heard this. ¡°I told you to just hold a press conference and announce that you¡¯re going to sever ties with her. We¡¯ll see how she¡¯ll be able to stay confident.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be worse to sever ties with her now? She¡¯s running Haynes Group, so she can ask for quarterly dividends¡± ¡°This is so irritating. We can¡¯t just let her have her way. We must do something to stop her after Roxy marries Mr. Everett.¡± After Ingrid and Shaun exited the ward, Bruce suddenly felt self-conscious. He tried to make conversation, so he asked, ¡°Roxy, does it hurt?¡± ¡°Well, a little!¡± ¡°Never do such a stu pid thing again!¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Just focus on your recovery. When you¡¯re all better, we¡¯ll just get married.¡± ¡°All right!¡± With that, Bruce was suddenly at a loss for words. Looking at the bandages on Roxanne¡¯s wrists, his heart still felt heavy. ¡°You should rest. There¡¯s a meeting in thepany soon, so I¡¯ll have to leave first.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Bruce pecked Roxanne¡¯s forehead, got up, and left. Ingrid could not wait to enter the ward after Bruce left. She removed the diamond ring from Roxanne¡¯s hand and put it on her own finger. ¡°Quickly, let me take a look at it! Wow! It¡¯s got to be at least 20 carats! Gosh, a big diamond ring is just so beautiful. Look at how shiny it is!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Let me wear it for a couple of days just to feel good.¡± Chapter 56 Bruce walked out of the hospital, distraught. Just as he exited the hospital, a tall and thin young man ran to the hospital in a hurry. The two brushed past each other, and the young man ran so fast that he bumped into Bruce. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! So sorry!¡± Bruce frowned and red at the young man. However, he could not be bothered by it since he was in a hurry. The young man ran to the nurses¡¯ station and asked anxiously, ¡°Which ward is Miss Roxanne Haynes in, please?¡± Gavin was worried sick when he heard what had happened to Roxanne. Disregarding the danger of being discovered, he rushed to the hospital just to visit her. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a friend of Ms. Haynes. I came specially to visit her because I heard she had an ident.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes is in Ward S. ¡°All right. Thank you.¡± With that, Gavin went on a mad dash for Ward S. When he got to Ward 8, he saw Ingrid and her husband there, so he dared not intrude. After he lingered around outside for more than an hour, Ingrid and Shaun finally left the ward. Ingrid had gone to the restroom while Shaun had gone to get food for Roxanne and Ingrid. Gavin took advantage of this moment and slid into the ward. He had missed Roxanne to the core. Some time ago, Roxanne told him that she was getting married and would like to end their rtionship. That night, he was mad as hell to take Roxanne into his arms, objecting to her wishes. Gavin hadn¡¯t seen her for so many days. The second he heard that she had had an ident, he became a nervous wreck. ¡°Roxy! Roxy¡­¡± Gavin ran to the bedside. The moment Roxanne caught sight of Gavin, she broke into a cold sweat. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Gavin rushed to the bed and hugged her. ¡°I heard something happened to you, so I came to see you.¡± Roxanne¡¯s face took a drastic change as she heard that. She snapped in a hurry, ¡°You have to go. Don¡¯t show up here. Go now before anyone sees you.¡± Seeing Roxanne all worked up, Gavin hastily exined, ¡°I only wanted to see you, Roxy. I have no other intentions.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to see me. Just leave right now¡­¡± Roxanne got so emotional that she leaped up in a huff and hurled a pillow at Gavin. That would be logical, for Bruce had finally asked her to marry him. If he were to find out about her rtionship with Gavin, she would be so dead. ¡°Fine, fine. Calm down. I¡¯ll leave.¡± Gavin didn¡¯t dare to loiter around. With lightning speed, he left the ward. s, immediately after stepping out, he bumped into Ingrid. ¡°Who are you? What are you doing in my daughter¡¯s ward?¡± ¡°Hello, Mrs. Haynes! I¡¯m Roxy¡¯s ssmate. I came to visit her.¡± Ingrid sized Gavin up from head to toe, only to see his ripped jeans and washed-out whitish T-shirt. In her opinion, he was obviously a poor loser. She couldn¡¯t help but pout and say haughtily, ¡°Do not disturb Roxy! If I catch you sneaking in to look for her again, I¡¯ll kick your a ss!¡± Gavin didn¡¯t dare to answer. With that, he quickly scurried off. Chapter 57 Ingrid then walked into the ward, frowning. ¡°Roxy, who was that poor loser earlier?¡± Panicked, Roxanne was a litle flustered as she replied falteringly, ¡°Oh! Uh¡­ He¡¯s just a ssmate from university.¡± Ingrid¡¯s face fell as she listened to her daughter¡¯s response. Noticing her daughter¡¯s ufortable visage, she immediately thought of a potential crisis. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t me me for nagging, but now that you¡¯re getting married, don¡¯t keep in touch with these scu mbags. What if Mr. Everett finds out?¡± ¡°Got it. Mom.¡± ¡°That kind of poor loser is very hard to get rid of, so don¡¯t get entangled with them. Don¡¯t let these poor losers ruin your whole life. I¡¯ve been there before¡­¡± Halfway down the line, Ingrid abruptly stopped making a sound. She, too, was frustrated these few days. Two of her so-called cousins were retrenched and had been pestering her day by day. Every now and then, they would ask her for money. She was afraid of her scandals of making love with them would be exposed, so she could only swallow her anger and give them however much penny they asked. Inparison to her daughter, her acts were much more atrocious. Back then, Ingridid eyes on the two of them just because they were good-looking. With that, they oftenmitted adultery together. Every week, they would use the same excuse of ying poker just so they could get into bed with each other. Before this, nothing bad had happened. She had been drawing funds from Haynes Group to satiate those men while enjoying their scandalous services. Yet, ever since Joanna cut their coffers, Ingrid had to pay them with her own money instead. More importantly, those two were getting old, so they graduallycked the stamina to please her in bed. Therefore, she went to the beauty salon and met another younger, more handsome guy. Not only that, but he had asked for a lower fee from Ingrid. That was why she wished to ditch those two older men. However, the older men made an outrageous demand of 1.5 million dors each for their dismissal. Only then did she realize that not only were the poor losers poor, but they were also tainted by greed. on the inside. And so, Ingrid was worried that her daughter might follow in her footsteps. Meanwhile, Bruce exited the hospital. All of a sudden, he felt a stinging pang in his heart. He drove straight to Joanna¡¯s house. Even so, he didn¡¯t dare to go up, so he just stayed downstairs for a while. He felt a pri ck in his heart as he recalled the moment Joanna pulled him out of the water. Chapter 37 He was supposed to be with Joanna. Yet, all these years, he had been trapped in a misunderstanding. Now that Roxanne had gotten into this mess, all Bruce could do was bite the bullet and marry Roxanne instead. In a sh, ten days passed. Joanna had recuperated well, and her arm had gotten a lot better, too. Under her leadership, the order was gradually restored in thepany. Without Bruce messing around, Haynes Group¡¯s shares stabilized once more. Back in the conference room of Haynes Group, there was a meeting. ¡°Good news! David, the CEO of CI Technologies Chanaea Division, ising to Greyport next month to discuss the coboration. Thepany has decided to organize a banquet to wee him.¡± Thepany¡¯s executives apuded at the news. ¡°We can finally sign the contract with CI Technologies! H o oray!¡± ¡°Well, hopefully, it will be a sess.¡± The rest chattered on. As the executives apuded one after another, James and Luca were ted as well as they listened to the announcement. ¡°We owe it to Miss Haynes. With her courage and boldness, we can finally see hope!¡± Joanna shed a grin. ¡°As long as we all work together, I¡¯m sure Haynes Group will make it big very soon. After the meeting, Jaydon brought Joanna to lunch. ¡°How I wish my arm would get better soon. If not, I won¡¯t be able to wear my gown to the banquet.¡± Jaydon suddenly knitted his brows. ¡°Is the CEO of CI Technologies that mixed-blood David?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°Nope, but I¡¯ve heard of him.¡± Jaydon sliced the steak on his te as his brows knitted to a tight knot. In actuality, he had always been in the loop of the background information of those famous figures in the business industry, so he knew them, more or less. Serving the piece of meat into his own mouth, Jaydon went on, ¡°Hmm¡­ Do you need me to get you some public rtions officers to attend the banquet?¡± ¡°Huh? Public rtions officers?¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Joanna was taken aback as she heard his words. ¡°That¡¯s right. If you get some beautifuldies to apany you, the contract signing will be smooth sailing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, right?¡± With a solemn expression, Jaydon put on a half-smile and said, ¡°Joann, you do know the unspoken. rules of the business, right?¡± Joanna also frowned when she heard his remark. Not only was David mixed-blood, but he was also famous for knowing the domestic market like the back of his hand and being a yer at the same time. Chapter 57 To make matters worse, Joanne was a gorgeous single pringle. When she first worked at CI Technologies, David had been taking special care of her. Even though he imed to have made this trip to Greyport for the partnership with Haynes Group, he had always sent the vice president to sign any contract in his stead in the past. Now that he was going to make a personal appearance, he had to have some other ulterior motive up. his sleeve. ¡°Fine, then.¡± ¡°All right. There are several A-list models in mypany. All of them have voluptuous figures. Plus, they¡¯re all young and beautiful. It¡¯d certainly put up a good image for us to have them at the banquet.¡±. ¡°But Jay, is it really a good idea? I don¡¯t want you to force them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re always looking for extra ie. As long as they¡¯ll be paid, they couldn¡¯t be happier to ept the job.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll pay them ording to the market rate.¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Back at the hospital, Roxanne had been resting in her ward for over ten days. The wound on her wrist was more or less healed up. On that very day, it was ultimately time for her to be discharged. Shaun. Ingrid, and Bruce all arrived to pick her up. ¡°Oh, Bruce, now that Roxy has been discharged from the hospital, what is the i your marriage?¡± Bruce could barely manage a smile on his handsome face. ¡°We nned to go pick the wedding gown in a few days, but only after Roxy¡¯s body haspletely recovered. After that, we¡¯ll pick an auspicious date to get engaged.¡± Ingrid¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as she listened to his speech. ¡°An engagement? What¡¯s the point of getting engaged? Why can¡¯t they ski p all these and get their marriage certificate at once?¡± she wondered. Of course, she didn¡¯t have the temerity to tell them that. After all, if she were to press the matter, she would make her daughter look bad and cheap. ¡°Okay, then. You two call the shots. As your elders, we¡¯ll only offer our advice when needed. Let¡¯s hop in.¡± The driver opened the car door. Ingrid got into the car first, followed by Roxanne and Shaun. Bruce was thest to slide into the car. As the car headed for the Haynes residence, Bruce¡¯s heart became heavier and more entangled as he thought of his feelings toward Roxanne.. He suddenly discovered that he actually didn¡¯t have a thing for Roxanne at all. After all these years, he remembered never having a stir of rush whenever he faced her. Even so, he could only muster his courage and go with the flow. The first thing that came to Ingrid¡¯s mind the second she reached home was to make a phone call. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Roger! My dear Roxy is getting engaged. Well, who else would it be? Of course, it¡¯s Mr. Everett. He has even bought a pink diamond that¡¯s at least 20 carats and proposed to Roxy.¡± After a while, Ingrid dialed another number. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Paul! Roxy¡¯s getting engaged next month, so you have toe to witness the ceremony¡­¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t hold back her overflowing joy as she rang up those housewives of the upper echelons to brag about it. A few dayster, the news of Bruce getting engaged with Roxanne from Haynes Group spread like wildfire. All the Greyport socialites couldn¡¯t stop scoffing, ¡°Another engagement, huh? Didn¡¯t they already have one six years ago? What good hade out of it?¡± ¡°Hmph! Did you see how smug Ingrid has been? How could the Everett family take her daughter in? Who does she think she is?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is also really blind to have chosen Ingrid¡¯s daughter, of all women.¡± 10 18 Chapter 58 ¡°I heard that it was her daughter who had cut her wrist and threatened Bruce into submitting to this marriage. The Everett family had to ept her daughter for fear of causing a fatality.¡± ¡°Hah! It¡¯s the same old tricks. It¡¯s just like what Ingrid had done when she forced herself into her man¡¯s family.¡± ¡°Like mother, like daughter. Ingrid¡¯s daughter must be a person with ill intentions as well.¡± Soon enough, Gavin also got wind of Roxanne¡¯s engagement. As soon as he heard the news, he fell into a state of total meltdown. He began to call Roxanne¡¯s number and sent her gazillions of text messages. Roxanne was so irritated that she had to answer his call and try to sever all ties with him. ¡°Hello, Roxy. You finally picked up my call¡­¡± ¡°Gavin, don¡¯t you ever call me again!¡± On the other end of the line came Gavin¡¯s bursting voice. ¡°Roxy, I know. I just want to see your onest time. I promise. This will be thest time. After that, I¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. face Roxanne gulped on that note. ¡°No, Gavin, we do not see each other anymore. There¡¯s no way I would let Bruce know about us.¡± ¡°But I miss you, Roxy! I really do!¡± On the other end of the line, Gavin muttered the same sentence over and over again. s, Roxanne relented and agreed to his pleas. ¡°Fine. See you at our usual meeting ce.¡± ¡°Great! You¡¯ve got toe, Roxy!¡± In the blink of an eye, Roxanne arrived at the sushi bar. Gavin was already waiting in the private room. ¡°I missed you like hell, Roxy!¡± When he caught sight of Roxanne¡¯s presence, he pounced on her and held her in his arms. Furrowing her brows, Roxanne jostled him. ¡°Gavin, we have to stop doing this, all right? I¡¯m getting married. We ought to stop meeting up in the future.¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± As Gavin replied, he was busy nting kisses all over Roxanne¡¯s cheeks! ¡°Let go of me! Stop right there!¡± Roxanne was struggling and shoving him away, but deep down, she was yearning for more. ¡°Roxy, I really missed you¡­ I missed you so much! Rest assured. I won¡¯t disturb your life, and I won¡¯t cause you any trouble.¡± As he said that, Roxanne wriggled for a bit before her breath became light. ¡°Don¡¯t do this¡­ Stop¡­¡± ¡°Did you miss me, Roxy?¡± Gavin knew that she had always enjoyed the thrill, so he made sure to always give her a different experience. In truth, Roxanne couldn¡¯t suppress her desire anymore, for she had spent more than ten days in the hospital. She had wished to turn him down, but she caved in because Gavin genuinely had a knack for it. 10:18 Chapter 58 ¡°Roxy, let¡¯s forget about your engagement, okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Sure¡­¡± Soon, Roxanne¡¯s heart melted into a puddle. Both of them had never stepped out of the room all afternoon. After the incident, the heat dissipated. Roxanne regained her sanity on the spot. She knew she had to stop allowing Gavin to badger herself like that. As they always said, if one yed with fire, the person was bound to get burned sooner orter. Once Bruce found out about this, even the Haynes family would be doomed. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 ¡°Gavin, I¡¯m really getting married. Let¡¯s not contact each other ever again. Here, there are 40 thousand dors on this card. Treat it as mypensation for you. Don¡¯te bothering me again.¡± Gavin took a puff on his cigarette and blew it toward Roxanne¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t want any money, Roxy. I only want you.¡± As Roxanne was getting dressed, she said peevishly, ¡°You already know it, Gavin. I¡¯m getting married. into the Everett family, and you simply can¡¯t give me the happiness I desire. If you really love me, don¡¯t stand in my way and take my happiness away from me.¡± Gavin leaped up and embraced her again. ¡°I¡¯ll never stand in your way, Roxy. I won¡¯t even stop you from marrying into the Everett family. I only hope that we can continue our rtionship. Even if you¡¯re married, you can always call me up¡­¡± ¡°No way! You¡¯ll only get me killed!¡± Roxanne spurned his wishes outright. ¡°But, Roxy¡­¡± Before anything else could happen, Roxanne had already finished tidying up herself and scurried out of the sushi bar. Unlike the Haynes family, the Everett family traveled everywhere with bodyguards. If she were to stay entangled with Gavin, Bruce would undoubtedly be informed one way or another. ¡°The happiness that I¡¯ve traded with my life mustn¡¯t be made a blunder by Gavin!¡± she yelled in her heart. Half a monthter, David finally arrived at Greyport, along with several senior members of CI Technologies. The engagement banquet of Bruce and Roxanne would also take ce early next month. At Everett Corporation, Andy reported to Bruce about work as usual. ¡°What? Joanna is throwing a banquet just to receive the CEO of CI Technologies?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that the CEO of CI Technologies Chanaea Division, David, wille to Greyport for an on-site inspection. Miss Haynes is going to hold a coc ktail party to wee him and his entourage. At the same time, they¡¯ve invited some elites in the industry as well. It looks like Miss Haynes is ready to give it her best shot and be a part of the Greyport businessmunity.¡± Upon hearing the story, Bruce put on a darkened visage. ¡°When¡¯s the event taking ce? Why am I not informed?¡± ¡°The message from Miss Haynes only came in yesterday. I¡¯ve just received the message, too.¡± ¡°Was I not invited?¡± When Andy heard that question, he looked at Bruce in astonishment. That would make sense, for Bruce had always loathed that sort of crowded event. On top of that, he had never wanted to attend any of those gatherings. Consequently, Joanna didn¡¯t send him an invitation either. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡± Chapter 39 ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m still a shareholder of Haynes Group. How can they not invite me for that? Call Joanna and tell her I¡¯m attending.¡± *All right!¡± Andy was about to make the phone call when Bruce opened his mouth once more and said, ¡°No, wait¡­ Forget it.¡± In his mind, if he wanted to join the banquet, no one would have the nerve to stop him, be it with an invitation card or not. Moreover, the vast majority of the public had been longing for Bruce to show up at their events. Hence, he reckoned there was no need for him to request Joanna for an invitation because no one would be so foolish to shut the man of fortune out. And so, the banquet went off as nned at a mansion by the beach that Joanna had rented. In addition to weing David and his entourage, she had also invited celebrities from all walks of life, as well as the senior executives of Haynes Group. Needless to say, several female artists under Jaydon¡¯s wings also showed their support. Initially, Jaydon himself was going to be there, too. Sadly, his father suddenly fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. The butler rang Jaydon up and ushered him to rush back home. Having no choice, he made a beeline for Venturas. At the banquet, everyone was decked in their tuxedos and nightgowns. They toasted each other and clinked their sses as they exchanged pleasantries. Those stunning models were dressed in an ever-so-s exy manner, only to attract the eyeballs of many. Naturally, a bunch of men came up to hit on them. Despite that, they were all willing to show up at such asions, for not only would they broaden. their network, but they also could earn a quick buck from this. Most of the people who came to this kind of banquet were all wealthy elites. From the models¡¯ perspective, if they could h o ok up with a big shot, they could then. escape the struggles of life and rise to the top very easily. Soon after, David and his gang from hispany reached the venue. Immediately, both Cora and Luna weed them in. David was born mixed-blood, and he was 6 feet tall. His facial features were chiseled, and he was quite outspoken. ¡°Wee!¡± ¡°Hello! Nice to meet you all.¡± David was omniscient about Chanaca, so he knew about their domestic affairs inside and out. The second he made his entrance, he instantly garnered everyone¡¯s undivided attention. Celebrities from all walks of life came forward to get to know him. ¡°Wow! So, that¡¯s the CEO of CI Technologies Chanaea Division? He¡¯s a famous bachelor.¡± ¡°Goodness gracious! I never thought he¡¯d be so young and handsome!¡± Chapter 59 ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s head over to say hello.¡± A couple of gorgeous models and socialites also made their way over to David¡¯s side Very quickly, there was anothermotion at the entrance. A dozen bodyguards in suits and sunsses cut through the crowd to make way. Immediately afterward, a stiff-lookingvish man in a suit was seen striding in. His powerful aura gave off tension all over the ce at once. With that, pin-drop silence engulfed the atmosphere right away. ¡°Gosh! Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Is that Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Oh my Go d! I think it¡¯s Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Wow! Even Mr. Everett is here. Today must be my lucky day. I didn¡¯t expect to see him!¡± ¡°Indeed! Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t know Mr. Everett was so good-looking in person.¡± A few socialites couldn¡¯t help but feel starstruck. They seemed to be total nymp homaniacs. Bruce had never attended any parties like this, so even if they had been dying to get close to him. they had never gotten an opening before. And now, Bruce was right before their eyes. For an instant, all socialites had diverted their attention and were eager to snuggle up to Bruce. Someone piped up at that moment, ¡°Oh, forget it! Mr. Everett is already engaged, all right?¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 ¡°What¡¯s there to fear about being engaged? It¡¯smon for men to cheat!¡± ¡°Exactly. Engagement is not a big deal. Even if you¡¯re married, you can still get a divorce!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a saying that when there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and say hello to Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to. I¡¯m not that confident!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go if you don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go tool¡± As such, a few beauties, each grabbing a ss in their hands, walked toward Bruce in groups. When the other two saw that, they also hastened to carry ss and went over. Indeed, for someone with Bruce¡¯s status, plenty of women were willing to be his lover. After Bruce entered the venue, he did not say anything. He went straight to the corner and sat down. A few bodyguards immediately stood on the sides, forming a half-moon shape. ¡°Mr. Everett, hello. I am¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t drink. Thank you!¡± Two bodyguards immediately stopped the beauty. ¡°I just wanted to say hello to Mr. Everett!¡± The bodyguards kept silent and forcefully stopped the beauties from approaching. Several beauties left in dismay after failing to get close to Bruce. Bruce sat on the couch with a cold face and no words, looking like an honorable man. The brilliant lights shone on his face, making him look like a Gregan sculpture, looking extremely handsome. ¡°Mr. Everett, would you like a drink?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce was indeed fussy. He would not touch the wine and the food at this ce, not even the fruits. Usually, when he went out, he would only drink the pure water brought by his assistant, which cost over 150 dors per bottle. His falcon-like eyes started looking around in the crowd for Joanna. Sadly, there was no sign of her after he searched for a round. It was not yet time for the official start of the party. Thus, Joanna was still upstairs. Bruce hated this sort of asion. Even though he was sitting in the corner, he could feel the re coming from all sides. Chapter 60 It made him feel totally uneasy, and he wanted to go home. However, thinking of Joanna, he was suddenly reluctant to leave. As such, he patiently waited for another ten minutes. The party officially started. A room on the second floor swung open slowly. Joanna came out of it. The staircase in this mansion was Y-shaped, and both sides could go upstairs, forming a turning stair. Halfway in the middle, there was a tform for people to stand on and host the event. Joanna gracefully stepped down to the tform and waved to the crowd downstairs. She spoke into the microphone. ¡°Wee to the party, everybody. Let¡¯s have fun tonight!¡± p! p! p! Apuse sounded downstairs, and all eyes were on Joanna. ¡°Wow, Miss Haynes looks gorgeous today! She¡¯s the goddess of my dreams¡­¡± Tonight, Joanna was wearing a dark velvet backless gown. With her high skirt, her fine legs could be seen clearly. The back of the gown was empty and disyed the dazzling fair skin on her back perfectly. As her arms had notpletely recovered, she was wearing a pair of ckce arm casts. Her hair was tied in a bun, and an expensive diamond ne adorned her neck. Under the light, she looked extremely elegant and charming. ¡°Herees Miss Haynes! Herees Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Joan, long time no see!¡± David weed her passionately. She also smiled and shook David¡¯s hand, followed by a polite kiss on the cheek. ¡°Long time no see!¡± David¡¯s brown eyes kept gazing at Joanna closely. ¡°Joan, you¡¯re gorgeous tonight!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Let me introduce you to mypany¡­¡± ¡°Oh, can we not talk about work tonight?¡± David raised an eyebrow and smiled at Joanna. Joanna smiled apologetically. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wee Miss Haynes and Mr. David to do the opening dance!¡± The guests pped again. David took a gentleman bow and made a gesture of invitation. Joanna smiled while reaching for David¡¯s hand. David kissed the back of Joanna¡¯s hand gently, and they smiled at each other. Chapter 60 With the sound of a beautiful melody, the two of them started dancing. They performed a waltz in the middle of the dance floor. In the corner, Bruce watched the two of them dance amiably, and his face darkened instantly. As a matter of fact, it was the first time he had seen Joanna in something so revealing and se xy, not to mention her heavy makeup. Even though she was really beautiful, he did not want so many people to see her se xy side. ¡°Ahem!¡± Bruce frowned and coughed dryly, then loosened his tic. Immediately, he picked up a ss of wine on the wine table and emptied it. In fact, he never drank like that at a dinner party. However, he now only wanted to drink for the moment. He would drink anything in front of him. even whiskey. On the dance floor, Joanna and David finished dancing to a whole song. After bowing to the crowd, they walked out of the dance floor. The emcee took over the rest of the event. Joanna and David found a corner and sat down. ¡°Cheers!¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± David and Joanna exchanged toast and started chatting enthusiastically. The other guests started inviting their partners into the dance floor. ¡°Another toast!¡± As the host, Joanna could not refuse it. After she had three drinks with David, her cheeks started to burn hot. ¡°Cora!¡± Joanna lowered her ss and winked at Cora, signaling her to arrange some beauties to entertain. David. ¡°David, I¡¯d like you to meet some beauties¡­¡± Instantly, Cora summoned some beautiful models. However, David was not too impressed with the models. He had only Joanna in his mind. ¡°Joan, it¡¯s been so long! I¡¯ve got so much to tell you! I¡¯m so d to see you today! Let¡¯s get wasted tonight!¡± David stared at Joanna with an ambiguous look. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Joanna managed a reluctant smile. ¡°I can¡¯t drink anymore¡­¡± ¡°No, no, no. I know how much you can drink! Let¡¯s have another drink! I won¡¯t be happy if you don¡¯t drink!¡± Joanna had no choice but to have another round of drinks with David. Chapter 60 However, she was really not good at drinking. After a dozen sses of red wine, she was getting drunk and started sweating. ¡°Joan, you¡¯re really gorgeous tonight!¡± David leaned in, thoughtfully wiping the sweat on her face. Joanna waspletely drunk as she started limping on the couch! ¡°Joan, let¡¯s have another drink. I¡¯m not satisfied yet¡­¡± Seeing that Joanna was drunk, David still offered the drink to Joanna. In the corner, Bruce¡¯s entire face darkened. He had been enduring it. After all, he was about to get engaged to Roxanne. Hence, he did not want to get involved in gossip. But now, he couldn¡¯t stand it any longer! Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 ¡°David, I really can¡¯t drink anymore¡­¡± ¡°Joann, are you drunk?¡± David¡¯s voice was a little ambiguous! David¡¯s body also got closer and closer to Joanna. He gently hugged Joanna¡¯s head and let Joanna¡¯s head rest on his shoulder! Joanna¡¯s mind was blurry, and she felt her entire body hot and weak. Everyone else was busy socializing. No one dared to go forward and ask! ¡°Joann¡­¡± David gently held Joanna¡¯s hand. But before David could do anything, someone lifted David up grabbing the back of his cor. David was shocked, and he subconsciously turned around to look. When David turned around, he was punched on the face with heavy force! ¡°Ah¡­¡± David groaned as his sses were knocked away! Blood instantly spurted out of his nose! Everyone was shocked and went forward to watch! David was also shocked. He looked at the terrifying man in front of him in horror! Joanna was also in a daze. She tried to stand up to stop the fight. Unfortunately, Joanna was very drunk. She could not even get up from the sofa. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce was still furious. His eyes were bloodshot! Then, Bruce pulled David up from the sofa and punched David hard again! ¡°Why did you hit him?¡± The security guards stepped forward one after another! Bruce¡¯s bodyguards also came forward. When the security guards saw that it was Bruce, they were so frightened that they did not dare to stop him! David¡¯s people were also so frightened that they did not dare to move! In the next few minutes, Bruce repeatedly punched and kicked David! ¡°Bruce, stop!¡± Although Joanna was already drunk, she was still slightly conscious! Unfortunately, no one could stop the enraged Bruce! David was beaten up! He curled up on the sofa and tried his best to protect his head with his arms! ¡°Mr. Everett, that¡¯s enough. If you continue, he will die!¡± Andy saw that David could not take it anymore, and he quickly went forward to persuade Bruce! Bruce frowned and shook his aching hand. He finally stopped! Then, Bruce strode to the sofa. He took off his suit and covered the part of Joanna that was about to be exposed! Under everyone¡¯s gaze, Bruce bent down and carried Joanna h o ri zontally! Joanna was drunk. She muttered to Bruce, ¡°Let go of¡­¡± Bruce did not say a word. With a cold expression, he carried Joanna out of the vi!! Cora and Luna quickly went forward to check on David¡¯s injuries. ¡°David, are you alright?¡± ¡°Call an ambnce now!¡± Chapter 61 ¡°Hmph!¡± David¡¯s nose was broken, and his shirt was torn! It was really embarrassing for David to be beaten up like this in front of everyone! David shook off everyone and stood up angrily. ¡°Tell Joann that there will be no further coborations between CI Technologies and the Haynes Group!¡± With that, the group of people left angrily! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett beat up David. This is really bad. Our coboration with CI Technologies is probably going to faill¡± ¡°Why would Mr. Everett hit David for no reason?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think David kept pushing Miss Haynes to drink! Mr. Everett couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so he beat David up.¡± ¡°Tsk! Looks like Mr. Everett still has feelings for his ex-wife!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Mr. Everett is now Miss Haynes¡¯s brother-inw! In any way, he would never want Miss Haynes to be bullied!¡± ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯te for nothing today! The gossip is too good¡­¡± The nice atmosphere of the banquet waspletely destroyed. Everyone was in dismay. Then, the guests left one after another. ¡°Bruce, let go of me. Where are you taking me?¡± Bruce stuffed Joanna into the car and got in. ¡°Go to Reagan No. 8 Residence!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett! The driver responded and started the car. In the car, Joanna felt extremely ufortable in her stomach. She wanted to vomit, but she couldn¡¯t! Joanna could only curl up on the chair. She was allergic to alcohol, and her face was very red. Her face was like a ripe tomato. Bruce did not say a word. His eyes were filled with fear! Soon, the car drove into the Reagan No. 8 Residence! This was Bruce and Joanna¡¯s wedding house from 4 years ago! Ever since the two of them divorced, Bruce had nevere back! Seeing that it was Bruce¡¯s car, the ser vants hurriedly came out to wee them! Everyone was shocked. It had been 4 years, and this was the first time Mr. Everett hade back ere! The ser vants even felt that they were the owners of the vi! With a sullen expression, Bruce carried Joanna and strode into the vi! Although Bruce usually did note here, there were still several ser vants in the vi! Therefore, the vi was very tidy! It was almost exactly the same as when Bruce left four years ago! Bruce carried Joanna and walked straight to the bathroom! Bruce ced Joanna in the bathtub! Then, Bruce turned on the showerhead and poured water all over Joanna! Chapter bl ¡°Uh, what are you doing?¡± Joanna, who was originally in a daze, was doused by water! She woke up a little and struggled to thinkCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. in the bathtubs! However, Joanna¡¯s entire body was so weak that she could not get up at all! She could only struggle helplessly. Bruce was furious. He used the shower head to spray at her face! Bruce just couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Joanna wearing heavy makeup! He couldn¡¯t ept her in such revealing clothes! ¡°Are you crazy¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s makeup waspletely ruined by the water. Bruce rubbed her face with his hands and tried to wash it clean! ¡°Ugh. Let go of me!¡± Joanna almost felt like she was drowning as he started crying unconsciously! ¡°Joanna, look at yourself now. How dare you cry!¡± The gown on her body was torn off by Bruce! Bruce threw arge towel over and wrapped it around Joanna. Only then did he carry her out of the bathtub! ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re so cheap! ¡°When did you be an escort? Do you climb into men¡¯s beds to talk business? ¡°Since you want to sleep with other men, you might as well sleep with me!¡± Bruce threw Joanna onto the bed! ¡°Ah!¡± Even though the bed was very soft, Joanna was still dizzy from the fall! Bruce loosened his tie. The blood in his body was boiling! ¡°No¡­¡± Bruce pounced over like a wolf and pressed Joanna under his body as if he was hunting! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Before Joanna could react, her breathing had already been blocked! Bruce¡¯s kiss was as aggressive as ever! ¡°Ugh, what are you doing? Let go¡­¡± Joanna struggled. Joanna¡¯s fear was instantly magnified! Before the two of them divorced, Bruce was as violent as a wolf every night. Bruce ravaged her ruthlessly and invaded her! In the past two years, every cell in Joanna¡¯s body had retained the fear and submission toward Bruce! Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Joanna was terrified and fragile like a rabbit being hunted! Facing the ferocious beast¡¯s attack, the prey could only tremble. Bruce kissed Joanna¡¯s lips fiercely. Then, Bruce became ruthless¡­. ¡°Ah¡­ help me The pain instantly took over Joanna¡¯s entire body! Joanna had nowhere to run, and she was on the verge of copse. Joanna struggled with all her might, her long eyshes trembling violently. Warm tears rolled down her eyes and soaked the pillow! Unfortunately, Bruce only became more agitated to see Joanna¡¯s weakness and struggle. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t do this¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He hadpletely lost his mind! At this moment, Bruce waspletely lost in the urge to conquer and hunt! It had been 4 years. Bruce had been with many other women. But every time Bruce had sex with those women, he could not help but subconsciously fantasize about Joanna! Only imagining those women as Joanna could make Bruce turn on! At this moment, Bruce finally knew that his body had long fallen in love with Joanna¡¯s scent! ¡°Joanna, Joanna¡­ don¡¯t you love me very much? I¡¯ll give it to you!¡± On the day of the divorce, Joanna wanted Bruce to call her name and make love to her onest time! Bruce thought that Joanna could not leave him! However, Bruce did not expect Joanna to be such a proud woman deep down! Joanna left just like that without any hesitation. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Now, Bruce kept calling Joanna¡¯s name, each time more intense than thest¡­ They did it for the entire night. At dawn, they gradually stopped. It was 7 in the morning. Out of her habit, Joanna woke up in a daze! ¡°Hiss, I¡¯m so dizzy!¡± Joanna felt her entire body hurt, and she had a terrible headache. Only when she moved slightly did Joanna realize that she was resting her head on a muscr arm! Joanna¡¯s mind exploded. It was as if she had fallen into a vortex. Joanna went into a daze. She turned around slightly and saw Bruce sleeping beside her! Joanna gradually regained her senses from the ckout. Chapter 62 Last night, she had been vited by this bas t ard for the entire night! Bruce was sleeping soundly. He was too tired! He didn¡¯t even realize that Joanna had woken up. Joanna hit her head a few times in pain, not daring to wake Bruce up! Bruce was a very difficult man to deal with. If he saw that Joanna was awake, he would continue to pester her endlessly! Joanna stag gered off the bed, but her legs were so sore that she could not stand straight. Joanna fell back onto the bed! She did not know where her phone was. When she recalled the remaining memories fromst night, Joanna was even more worried! The coboration between the Haynes Group and CI Technologies was extremely important! It would be a devastating loss to the Haynes Group if the Haynes Group and CI Technologies ended. their cooperation now Joanna had to go talk to David now. Joanna had to, even if she had to sleep with David¡­. Joanna would grit her teeth and agree to David¡¯s requests if she could keep the coboration with CI Technologies. After resting for a few moments, Joanna got off the bed in pain! ¡°Where am I Joanna looked around for her clothes!. She suddenly looked up and saw the wedding photo hanging on the wall! That was her wedding photo with Bruce! In the photo, Bruce¡¯s expression was cold. He even looked like he was about to cry! Meanwhile, Joanna looked petty and humble! Unexpectedly, Bruce did not throw away the wedding photo! ¡°This is Reagan No. 8 Residence?¡± Joanna looked at the wedding photo on the wall in a daze. Her heart ached! This was their former wedding house! The decorations in the room were exactly the same as when she left! Joanna slowly opened the closet door. The clothes inside were the same as when she left! It was a heartbreaking scene! Joanna felt an inexplicable pain in her heart. Tears flow down her face! However, this was not the time to be sad! Joanna had to find David quickly. Joanna found a set of clothes and hurriedly put them on. There was no time to me Bruce. All Joanna wanted was to keep the coboration between the Haynes Group and CI Technologies and exin what happened yesterday to David. Joanna hurried downstairs! ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Everett!¡± The serv ant, Ms. Chain, greeted Joanna with a smile and brought at ss of milk over! Joanna was stunned! Chapter 62 Joanna had already divorced Bruce. She was no longer Mrs. Everett! If people found out that Joanna was with Bruce again, Joanna would probably be harshly med again! This society was tolerant toward men! Especially rich men! If something like this happened, people would only me a woman for seducing a man! ¡°Ms. Chain, please let me use your phone!¡± Ms. Chain was stunned. ¡°Mrs. Everett, the phone is right there!¡± Joanna patted her head and quickly walked to thendline phone to call Cora! ¡°Hey, Cora.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, how can I help you?¡± ¡°Hurry up and pick me up at Reagan No. 8 Residence!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± After hanging up, Joanna hurriedly walked out of the vi! Ms. Chain hurriedly followed behind her. ¡°Mrs. Everett, the milk!¡± Joanna nced at Ms. Chain with mixed feelings! Unexpectedly, Ms. Chain still remembered Joanna¡¯s habits! However, after Joanna divorced Bruce, she changed many of her habits. In the past, Joanna drank a ss of milk in the morning every day. But now, she took coffee instead. Joanna also added a lot of sugar and milk to her coffee. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 ¡°I¡¯m okay, thank you!¡± Joanna politely declined. Joanna endured the pain in her abdomen and entire body. She hurriedly left the vi! 20 minutester, Cora drove over to pick Joanna up. Joanna opened the car door and got into the front passenger seat. Then, Joanna asked anxiously, ¡°Cora, where¡¯s David?¡± ¡°Derick and David have already returned to Melta! Before they left, David was very angry before he left. He said that he wanted to terminate the coboration with the Haynes Group!¡± Joanna heard it, and she held her forehead. That bas ta rd Bruce really gave her a headachet ¡°Give me the phone!¡± ¡°Here you go!¡± Cora handed the phone to Joanna! Joanna hurriedly dialed the number. ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡± The busy tone came from the other end of the line. It was obvious that David had turned off his phone! ¡°Miss Haynes, David is probably on the ne and can¡¯t answer the phone! Why don¡¯t you callter?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna sighed in frustration and leaned against the seat helplessly! ¡°Miss Haynes, should I send you to the office now? Or should I send you home?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to thepany!¡± Joanna was in no mood to go home after something so crucial had happened at thepany. For the entire morning, Joanna kept calling David! ¡°Hey, did you hear? Yesterday at the banquet, Mr. Everett took Miss Haynes away! Mr. Everett even had a fight over Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Where do you think Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett wentst night?¡± ¡°Shh, stop talking!¡± ¡°Hurry up and get to work! Something big is going to happen to the Haynes Group. Let¡¯s keep a low profile for the time being!¡± The employees of thepany whispered to each other. They were all worried about the future of the Haynes Group! After all, if they offended a big supplier like CI Technologies, the Haynes Group would be in a difficult position! At noon, Joann made a few more calls before David finally answered! ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°David, it¡¯s me! I¡¯m really sorry aboutst night¡­¡± ¡°Joann, there¡¯s no need to exin! I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out like this!¡± David was very unpleasant! ¡°I¡¯ve already returned to Melta. Maybe we should talk about the coboration some other time!¡± ¡°Hey, David. Listen to me! Chapter 63 Tm really sorry aboutst night. I sincerely apologize to you! I hope you can give the Haynes Group another chance. Let¡¯s talk again! ¡°I was drunkst night. It was my mistake. I¡¯m really, really sorry!¡± Joanna kept apologizing to David. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone Finally, David¡¯s voice came again. ¡°Joann, if you still want to talk about the coboration,e to Melta and talk to me personally!¡± ¡°Hey, David I want to see your sincerity!¡± With that, David hung up. Joanna closed her eyes and sighed helplessly It was really difficult for women to survive in the business world! There were many unspoken rules that she could not avoid. Even though Joanna was now the chairwoman of the Haynes Group, she still had no choice! The Haynes Group had just broadened its h o r izon a little, and the news that the Haynes Group was going to coborate with CI Technologies was released long ago. Many partners chose to cooperate with the Haynes Group because of CI Technologies. If the Haynes Group failed to coborate with CI Technologies now, they would have a hard time maintaining profits, let alonepleting the betting agreement in three years. Joanna was not a pretentious person. In this situation, other thanpromising, she really could not find a way to fix it. ¡°Cora, book me a flight to Melta as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± 10 minutester, Cora booked a flight. ¡°Miss Haynes. Thetest flight is at 7 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s book it!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Then, Joanna sent a message to David. Tve already booked a ne ticket. I¡¯lle and see you in Melta tomorrow!¡± At Reagan No. 8 Residence. Bruce slept until 11 p.m. before finally waking up! Bruce flipped over and wanted to hug Joanna, but there was no one beside him. When he suddenly opened his eyes, Bruce realized that Joanna was already gone. rice got up from the bed and hurried downstairs! Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± The ser vants hurriedly went forward to greet Bruce. ¡°Where is Joannia?¡± Ms. Chaun replied. ¡°Mrs. Everett has already left!¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°When did she leave?¡± A little past 7 in the morning Chapter 63 Bruce did not say anything else. He frowned. However, when Bruce recalled the intensity ofst night, he could not help but smile. Then. Bruce picked up his phone and looked at it. He was about to call Joanna! There were already dozens of missed calls on Bruce¡¯s phone! However, they were all calls from Roxanne! It was impossible for Roxanne not to know what happenedst night! Roxanne called Bruce all night, but Bruce didn¡¯t pick up! Andy handed the phone to Bruce and whispered, ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes called me!¡± Bruce then took the phone. ¡°Hello, Roxy!¡± ¡°Hello, Bruce, where are you?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I heard that you fought with someonest night?¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± On the other end of the line, Roxanne was silent for a few seconds before asking softly, ¡°Are you injured?¡± ¡°No!¡± The two of them exchanged a few words. Bruce really did not know what to say! ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first. I have a meeting!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Roxanne didn¡¯t dare to ask further and could only hang up! Now, as long as Bruce could marry her, Roxanne could turn a blind eye to everything else! Even though Roxanne knew that Bruce was with Joannast night, she did not dare to cause trouble for him!Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Chapter 64 After the call ended, Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but cry uncontrobly! Roxanne knew that even if Bruce was willing to marry her, it was only out of sympathy, not because he loved her! However, after crying for a few seconds, Roxanne suddenly started to sneer! So what if there was no love? As long as Roxanne was Mrs. Everett, she would be able to change her social statuspletely. Even if Roxanne and Bruce got a divorce, Roxanne would be able to get arge sum of money from Bruce. Joanna, this time, I will never let you steal Bruce! No matter what, I will marry into the Everett family and be Mrs. Everett¡­¡± Roxanne thought to herself. At the Haynes Group.. Bruce called Joanna all afternoon, but Joanna did not answer his call at all! ¡°This da mn woman, she actually didn¡¯t answer my call again!¡± Andy came in to report. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes booked a flight to Melta tomorrow!¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. He suddenly had a bad premonition surge in his heart! Joanna was definitely going to find David in Melta! David was obviously up to no good. If Joanna went, she would be in danger. ¡°What time tomorrow?¡± ¡°The flight is at 7:00 in the morning!¡± ¡°Book me a ne ticket to Melta too.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± The next day. Joanna woke up at around 5 o¡¯clock! Joanna had to fly to Melta today, and the flight would take 11 hours. She had to prepare her luggage in advance! ¡°Lilia, Mommy is going on a business trip for three days. Be good at home!¡± Lilia was still in a daze. She answered obediently, ¡°Yes, I got it, Mommy!¡± Joanna kissed Lilia on the forehead, and then she gave some instructions to Tracy. Then, Joanna carried her luggage and hurried out of the door! Cora was going on the trip with Joanna. At that time, Cora was already waiting for Joanna downstairs! It was 10 past 6 in the morning. Joanna went downstairs and got into the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Cora replied and started the car! Joanne and Cora arrived at the airport. Cora went to get the ne tickets. Joanna and Cora didn¡¯t bring a lot of things with them, so they didn¡¯t need to consign the luggage. At 6:30, Joanna and Cora got on the ne. Chapter 64 Cora booked the first ss for Joanna, while she was in economy ss. Last night, Joanna barely slept at all! Now was the perfect time to catch up on sleep! Therefore, Joanna specially brought a blinder. Anyway, the flight would take more than 10 hours, so Joanna could catch up on her sleep! Joanna found her seat and adjusted the angle of the seat! Then, she fastened her seatbelt, put on the blinder, and prepared to sleep! In a daze, Joanna did not know how long she had slept. The flight attendant came over to deliver drinks. Joanna took off her blinder in a daze. She wanted to see what time it was. Joanna yawned and looked down at her watch. The ne had only flown for more than an hour. It was still early! Joanna stretched her limbs and subconsciously looked to the side! All of a sudden, Joanna noticed a familiar and handsome man sitting next to her! At this moment, Bruce was leisurely flipping open a magazine in his hand! Joanna was shocked and suddenly sat up straight. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Bruce put away the magazine and took off his sunsses. He deliberately stared at Joanna in surprise. ¡°Oh my, what a coincidence. You¡¯re going to Melta too?¡± Joanna¡¯s mind went nk for a few seconds! Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with shock, anger, and speechlessness! ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Bruce shrugged and said innocently, ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m following you? I happen to be going to Melta too!¡± When Joanna heard that, she felt even more stifled! Bruce had a private ne. When Bruce traveled, most of the time, he would fly in his private ne! Why would Bruce travel in an ordinary passenger ne? Moreover, this airline was run by Bruce¡¯spany. Bruce naturally knew all about Joanna¡¯s trip! Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that even their seats were next to each other? Recalling what happened the night before, Joanna felt her heart stifled and painful! Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Bruce, what are you trying to do?¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome and cold face revealed a mocking smile. ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m on a business trip to Melta! Who knew that we would meet on the ne? ¡°Looks like we¡¯re fated!¡± Joanna would not believe Bruce¡¯s nonsense. Joanna was furious. However, they were on a ne now. She couldn¡¯t possibly get off the ne and avoid Bruce! Joanna stood up angrily and walked towards the economy ss with her bag! Joanna wanted to find a flight attendant and change her seat! In short, the further away she was from Bruce, the better! Chapter 64 ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you here!¡± Cora was surprised to see Joanna walking over! Fortunately, the economy ss was very empty. Joanna sat beside Cora. ¡°Nothing. I just ran into a lu natic!¡± ¡°Oh, oh!¡± Cora revealed a trace of surprise in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t dare to ask further! Joanna angrily put on her blinder again and leaned against the window! Now, Joanna had to seize the time to catch up on her sleep. Only then, Joanna would only have the energy to deal with David when she arrived in Melta! 20 minutester, Cora also started to feel drowsy. Just as she was dozing off, Cora felt someone pat her shoulder lightly! Cora opened her eyes in a daze and saw that it was Bruce. Cora was instantly shocked!Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Chapter 65 ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Bruce made a shushing gesture, signaling Cora not to wake Joanna up! Cora was frightened, and she quickly nodded. Bruce pointed at the flight attendant behind him and gestured for Cora to follow the flight attendant. to go to the first-ss cabin in front! Cora nced at Joanna uneasily andined in her heart! It seemed that the lu natic Miss Haynes was talking about was Mr. Everett! However, Cora did not dare to offend Bruce! Cora could only stand up quietly and follow the flight attendant to the first-ss cabin in front! Then, Bruce carefully sat in Cora¡¯s seat! After sleeping for a while, Joanna felt that her limbs were sore and numb, and she even felt her bones were ufortable. The seats in the economy ss cabin were too small, and Joanna could barely stretch her legs. In her daze, Joanna felt someone gently turn her head! Then, Joanna rested her head on a broad and firm shoulder! At first, Joanna thought it was Cora, so she didn¡¯t pay much attention! This shoulder was veryfortable to rest on, much morefortable than leaning against the window. Looking at Joanna sleeping soundly, Bruce curled his lips and put on a mocking smile. ¡°Little thing, don¡¯t even think about getting rid of me!¡± Bruce thought. The prey Bruce had his eyes on would never escape his grasp! Even if Bruce agreed to marry Roxanne, he did not promise Roxanne that he would not find another woman outside! In any case, Bruce would find another woman. It was better to find someone familiar than strangers! Bruce didn¡¯t buy the whole moral thing. Morality was not one of the most important things for him. Joanna slept for more than 10 minutes and felt that something was wrong! There was a scent of cologne. Although it was light and smelled good, it was definitely not Cora¡¯s perfume! Joanna¡¯s heart ski pped a beat as she hurriedly removed her blinder! As expected, Cora was nowhere to be found. Sitting beside Joanna was Bruce! ¡°Why is it you? Why did youe here again?¡± Joanna suddenly sat up straight with a face full of anger! ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! Why did we meet again?¡± ¡°Bruce, what exactly are you going to do?¡± Joanna shouted a little too loud. The other passengers on the ne turned around to look. Joanna¡¯s face darkened in embarrassment. She quickly lowered her voice. ¡°Bruce, haven¡¯t you harmed me enough? What else do you want to do?¡± Chapter 65 Bruce still had an innocent look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to Melta on a business trip¡­¡± Joanna interrupted Bruce angrily and said, ¡°Then, can you stay away from me?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Is this ne yours? It¡¯s my free will to sit wherever I want!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Joanna could not be bothered to argue with Bruce. She stood up and walked angrily toward the first- ss cabin! There were too many people on the ne. If they quarreled, it would bother the other passengers! Joanna and Bruce might as well quarrel in the first-ss cabin! As expected, Bruce followed Joanna to the first-ss cabin! ¡°How dare you say you are not following me?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious, and his tone softened. ¡°Joann, I have something to tell you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have nothing to say to you! Do you know that you¡¯ve ruined the coboration between the Haynes Group and CI Technologies? ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± Bruce sneered in disdain. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a supplier? Without CI Technologies, there are still a lot of companies to work with!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more furious. ¡°You make it sound so easy! ¡°Do you know how much effort I put in to get the chance of coboration? Do you know how much the Haynes Group has to pay for you beating David up?¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face was instantly rmed. ¡°So, are you going to Melta to deliver yourself to David?¡± When Joanna heard this, her face turned even paler! The air conditioning on the ne was cold. Joanna could not help but shiver! ¡°Joanna, when did you be so depraved? Are you willing topromise your pride just for business?¡± ¡°Bruce, shut up! Stop talking¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, I won¡¯t allow you to see David! That David clearly has ill intentions toward you! ¡°He wants to sleep with you. Do you know that?¡± How could Joanna not know that? However, in the current situation, as long as Joanna could keep the coboration, she could only say yes even if she had to sleep with David. Otherwise, if the Haynes Group lost this big supplier, it would be a devastating blow! Joanna had only started to make some progress, and everything was about to go down. Under such circumstances, it was no longer just a matter of morality, but the survival of thepany! ¡°I beg you, can you leave me alone?¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds. He pursed his lips and said, ¡°Joanna, I can make up for the company¡¯s losses! But I won¡¯t allow you to degrade yourself like this!¡± ¡°Make up for it? Ha, do you think it¡¯s that easy? This is not only a million-dor business deal. This concerns the Haynes Group¡¯s future international influence. How can you make up for it?¡± Chapter 65 ¡°If you want to be famous internationally, there are many ways. I can provide you with methods!Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Instead of sleeping with another man, you might as well sleep with me!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. Joanna worked so hard to prove that she would live a better life without Bruce. Joanna wanted to prove her capability! Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Joanna would rather suffer more blows and pay a higher price than ept Bruce¡¯s help! ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. All I want now is to stay as far from you as possible! ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to nder me or scold me anymore! I don¡¯t want anyone to say that I can¡¯t get over you and that I¡¯ve tried my best to seduce you!¡± ¡°Joanna¡­ Bruce took a step forward. And then, he grabbed Joanna¡¯s arm tightly! Joanna struggled with all her might. ¡°Let go of me. Stay away from me!¡± ¡°Joann!¡± Bruce stared deeply at Joanna. Then, Bruce kissed Joanna¡¯s lips fiercely! ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Ah¡­¡± A crisp pping sound rang out! Joanna pushed Bruce away angrily and pped him hard! Bruce had been pped. He looked at Joanna with a cold andplicated expression. Joanna¡¯s heart was beating wildly as if she was facing a ferocious beast! As long as the two of them were close to each other, the terrifying memories of Bruce that remained in Joanna¡¯s body would be magnified infinitely! Bruce had long conquered Joanna¡¯s body! Deep down in Joanna¡¯s heart, she was afraid of Bruce! This kind of trauma would never leave Joanna. for the rest of her life! After a while, Bruce took a deep breath and frowned at Joanna. ¡°Joanna, do you still love me?¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes flickered. Then, Joanna turned her head to the side and avoided. looking into Bruce¡¯s eyes! ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re already divorced! I¡¯ve said before that I would never love you again in this life! ¡°Please, just stay out of my life and leave me alone!¡± ¡°Look me in the eye and answer me!¡± Bruce forcefully turned Joanna¡¯s head back to face him. Bruce stared at Joanna like a ferocious beast! It was as if Bruce could see through people¡¯s eyes and pry into the secrets hidden in their hearts! Joanna did not dare to look Bruce in the eye at all. Joanna¡¯s eyes were flustered as she avoided him. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind. Let go of me!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even look me in the eye. You still love me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t¡­¡± Bruce cupped Joanna¡¯s face and kissed her fiercely! Joanna panickedpletely and subconsciously struggled! ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, someone help!¡± Bruce raised his head and forcefully dragged Joanna into the restroom! The narrow and cramped space of the restroom made it impossible for Joanna to escape! ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t touch me again!¡± Chapter 66 Joanna was like prey hunted by a ferocious beast, trembling but unable to resist! ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t you love me? I¡¯m willing to make it up to you¡­¡± Bruce turned off the lights in the restroom and trapped Joanna tightly! Joanna¡¯s dress was torn apart¡­. Half an hourter, the restroom door finally opened! Bruce walked out carrying Joanna in his arms. Joanna was on the verge of copse! Joanna¡¯s consciousness was in a daze. She felt weak and soft all over her body. There were hic keys all over her neck. ¡°Bruce, you are a real b ast ard!¡± Bruce sent Joanna back to her seat andy down beside her! Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and tears filled her eyes! Coupled with the fact that she had not slept well for the past few days, Joanna was exhausted and fell right asleep. After flying for a few more hours, the ne finally arrived at the airport in Melta! However, Joanna had not even walked out of the airport when she was detained by Bruce in the airport¡¯s VIP lounge! David called Joanna several times, but the call was never picked up. David and Joanna had agreed that David would pick Joanna up today. But now, he had lost contact with Joanna! This made David very angry. He thought that he had been stood up by Joanna again! David sent Joanna several messages! ¡°Bruce, stop following me like this! You¡¯re really annoying! Give me my phone!¡± ¡°Joanna, no matter what, I won¡¯t let you see David today! ¡°Come with me!¡± ¡°Give me back my phone!¡± Joanna was furious and tried her best to s natch the phone back! Unfortunately, Bruce was too tall! He just casually raised his arm, and Joanna could not reach the phone. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about getting your phone back. I won¡¯t let you contact him!¡± ¡°Bruce, can you let me go¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Cora, book a ticket back now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! Cora, go and call David. Tell him that I¡¯m already in Melta!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. He looked at Cora threateningly. ¡°If you dare to call this number, you won¡¯t be able to go back to Greyport!¡± Cora was so scared that her face turned pale. She gripped the phone nervously! Cora looked at Joanna and then at Bruce! Compared to Joanna, Cora was naturally more afraid of Bruce! If she offended Bruce, she would really die! ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡­¡± Chapter 66 ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be like this! If you continue like this, I¡¯m really going to call the police!¡± ¡°Alright! When we get back to Greyport, you can call the police and say that I raped you. Then you canAll text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ask the police to arrest me!¡± ¡°Cora, book a flight back immediately!¡± Cora didn¡¯t dare to refuse. She nodded. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± 20 minutester. ¡°Mr. Everett, the tickets have been booked!¡± Before Joanna could even walk out of the airport, Bruce pulled her onto the returning flight! Cora followed them all the way, feeling even more panicked! What should Cora do? She had to call for help! However, Cora did not dare to call David for help! After thinking about it, Cora could only call Jaydon! ¡°No, no, I¡¯d better call Mr. Grimm¡­ Jaydon was still at Venturas when he received Cora¡¯s message! Jaydon was instantly shocked! Jaydon did not expect such a big thing to happen! He had not been in Greyport for only two days! Jaydon couldn¡¯t wait for his father to recover and had already rushed back to Greyport! At the airport. Joanna and Bruce got off the ne! As soon as Joanna turned on her phone, the phone rang! Bruce took a look and saw that it was Jaydon calling. He hung up the call immediately! ¡°Bruce, we¡¯ve already arrived at Greyport. Give me my phone! ¡°Can you not be so overbearing?¡± A victorious smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s face. He frowned and looked at Joanna. ¡°Joanna, you have no choice now! Without CI Technologies, you can only rely on me! ¡°Cut all ties with Jaydon ande back to me!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was furious. ¡°Why should I listen to you? Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve lost CI Technologies. If you want yourpany to run, you can only rely on me!¡± ¡°So ¡°So, I want you to be my woman!¡± Joanna choked in anger and looked at Bruce in disbelief. What did you say?¡± ¡°Be my secret lover. You have toe and stay with me when I need you!¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me wrong ¡°Crazy! Give me the phone!¡± Chapter 66 ¡°Joann!¡± At the VIP exit, Jaydon was anxiously waiting! When he saw Joanna walk out, he hurriedly took a few steps forward! Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 The two of them were in a tug-of-war as they walked out of the airport. Suddenly, Bruce saw Jaydon! At this moment, Jaydon was outside the gate, looking over anxiously! Bruce frowned, and an evil look appeared on his face! Then, Bruce suddenly trapped Joanna in his arms and lowered his head to kiss Joanna¡¯s lips fiercely! Bruce was too tall, and Joanna¡¯s neck was almost bent at 90 degrees. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna pounded Bruce frantically. Unfortunately, the more she struggled, the tighter she was trapped! Everyone at the airport turned to look at Joanna and Bruce! Cora was so frightened that she did not dare to move! Jaydon also saw this scene. Instantly, his eyes became bloodshot as he rushed towards the gate! ¡°Bruce, let go of Joann!¡± Unfortunately, Jaydon was stopped by a fence! Otherwise, he would have rushed over and punched Bruce hard! Secondster, Bruce finally let go of Joanna. Bruce and Joanna¡¯s lips were both red and swollen from biting! ¡°Bruce, are you crazy?!¡± Joanna was so angry that she cried and struggled angrily! Bruce smiled smugly. Bruce¡¯s arm was still wrapped around Joanna¡¯s shoulder as he looked at Jaydon provocatively. ¡°She has already slept with me! You should ditch her!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Jaydon clenched his fists so tightly that they creaked! ¡°Joann, is this true?¡± Joanna closed her eyes in pain. At this moment, she did not know how to exin! ¡°Joanna, tell him¡­¡± p! Joanna raised her hand and pped Bruce hard! Bruce touched his cheek and subconsciously stared at Joanna! Joanna¡¯s eyes were extremely red, and her entire body trembled violently! Joanna looked like an angry animal about to attack! Joanna looked fragile but stubborn! Then, Joanna took a few steps back and fled with tears streaming down her face! Joann, Joann!¡± Jaydon then chased after Joanna! Bruce was still rooted to the ground, still reminiscing about Joanna¡¯s gaze just now. Bruce wondered if he had really gone a little too far. However, this feeling of guilt onlysted for a few seconds! Since he dared to do this, Bruce naturally had the confidence to bear the consequences! Even if the Haynes Group really went downpletely, at most, Bruce would invest in a newpany for Joanna! It would only cost tens of millions. Bruce could still afford to lose! Chapter 67 Joanna ran all the way out of the airport and squatted in a hidden corner. She covered her head and cried! It was all over now! The Haynes Group was the groundstone that supported Joanna¡¯s spirit, and it was also the source of her courage and confidence! This time, Joanna hadpletely fallen out with CI Technologies. Joanna did not know how to face the other shareholders! With the current situation of the Haynes Group, it was extremely difficult to maintain profits! The next day. Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the other high-level executives of the Haynes Group had arrived at the office early in the morning. Even Shaun rushed to the office in a hurry when he heard the news that the coboration between Haynes Group and CI Technologies ended! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. In the conference room. Mr. Roger looked worried and kept sighing. ¡°Oh my, what should we do? Everything was fine before. How did it be like this?¡± Mr. Paul was also frowning. ¡°Miss Haynes has to take the main responsibility. Back then, it all started because she said that she could get the dealership of CI Technologies in Greyport! ¡°That was why we agreed to let her be the chairwoman! ¡°Now, it turned out like this. The Haynes Group has already lost all the profits this year!¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Miss Haynes arrived yet? Hurry up and call her!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get through to Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not afraid to answer the phone, is she?¡± Seeing that Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were furious, Shaun was secretly happy! Back then, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had strongly approved of Joanna bing the chairwoman. And they insisted on kicking Shaun out of the position! And it didn¡¯t turn out well. Now, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul should finally know that Shaun was the right choice. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that she¡¯s just a little girl. How can she bear such a heavy responsibility?¡± Shaun¡¯s tone was filled with righteousness. It sounded like Shaun was objective and didn¡¯t care if Joanna was his family. Shaun had to seize this opportunity to take back the Haynes family! This was the heritage that Shaun wanted to pass on to his son in the future. Even if Shaun passed it to his daughter, he would never pass it to Joanna! Mr. Roger sighed heavily. ¡°We only believed her because she said that she had gotten the dealership of CI Technologies! ¡°Hurry up and call her! ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work out, get her to resign from her position as the chairwoman! ¡°This is too risky! Some time ago, the Haynes Group¡¯s stock plummeted. I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t sleep for a few nights! ¡°Now that the stock of the Haynes Group has finally stabilized, the coboration with CI Technologies 10:20 Chapter 67 has failed! I¡¯m old and can¡¯t stand this kind of dramal¡± The shareholders were collectively attacking Joanna! The door of the conference room was pushed open! Joanna walked in! Joanna was dressed very thinly today. She was in a white shirt and suit pants. Joanna didn¡¯t even wear a coat. Although Joanna put on some makeup, she could not hide her haggardness! Under herrge ck- framed sses was a pair of swollen eyes! From the looks of it, Joanna must have cried the entire night! Mr. Roger immediately used, ¡°Miss Haynes, you finally appeared! Hurry up and exin the whole thing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Didn¡¯t you swear that you would be able to get the dealership of CI Technologies?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the use of apologizing now? What we want is the final oue!¡± Shaun also quickly pointed his attack at Joanna. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s not that I want to criticize you! But you¡¯re 100 rash and arrogant! ¡°Hurry up and resign before the Haynes Group goes downhill! ¡°You really can¡¯t handle the position of chairwoman!¡± Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68 ¡°Ah, we¡¯ve really failed miserably this time! This step is too risky. Young people are always rash!¡± ¡°It seems like Mr. Haynes will have to take over this hot mess!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You even signed a betting agreement with Mr. Everett! I didn¡¯t want to me you, Joanna. But you really overestimated yourself!¡± ¡°Hurry up and resign from your position as chairwoman before you¡¯repletely cornered! Leave yourself a way out, and we can still keep our jobs!¡± ¡°Otherwise, if we really wait for 3 years, the Haynes Group will probably lose so much that we have absolutely nothing left!¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were no longer polite. Their words were like elders lecturing their juniors! Joanna sat there in a daze, and she couldn¡¯t find the words to say. At this point, what else could Joanna say? Unless she could find a better supplier than CI Technologies! However, even if there was another supplier, it could not solve the urgent matter that Joanna was faced with. ¡°Dear shareholders, I really feel guilty! It¡¯s true that I have to take the main responsibility for this incident! ¡°However, the three-year time is not up yet. Even if I want to leave, I have to wait until the deadline¡­¡± When Mr. Roger heard this, he showed shock and disdain on his face. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t hear your wrong, did I? You really n to do it for 3 years?¡± Mr. Paul was also furious. ¡°If you ask me, I think it¡¯s better to let Mr. Haynes beg Mr. Everett to revoke the betting agreement! ¡°Mr. Haynes is Mr. Everett¡¯s future father-inw after all. Mr. Everett will definitely pay some respect!¡± When Shaun heard this, he felt that this suggestion was exactly what he wanted. Shaun deliberately sighed and said earnestly, ¡°Joann, Daddy will help you talk to Mr. Everett and revoke the betting. agreement! Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°When the timees, you¡¯d better hand over the stock rights! It¡¯s better if you only keep the shares. and don¡¯t participate in the management of the Haynes Group anymore! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t mistreat you! I won¡¯t give you a single cent less than what you deserve!¡± When Joanna heard this, she stared coldly at Shaun! At the end of the day, Shaun still wanted to regain control of the Haynes Group! However, Joanna¡¯s grandfather put his life¡¯s work into the Haynes Group. If Joanna handed over the Haynes Group to Shuan, it would be no different than giving thepany to Ingrid! Joanna could not let Ingrid ruin her grandfather¡¯s hard work! ¡°I won¡¯t resign. If any of you don¡¯t want to be a shareholder anymore, the Haynes Group can buy the shares back from you!¡± Joanna¡¯s words were meant for Shaun to hear! Shaun still had 10% of the shares in his hands. It would be easier if Joanna bought Shaun¡¯s shares and keep Shuan away from the Haynes Group for good. Then, Shaun would no longer think about the Haynes Group! Chapter 68 ¡°You¡­¡± Shaun was so angry that he was panting heavily! Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were already angry. When they heard this, they thought that Joanna had contempt for them! ¡°In that case, alright! I¡¯ll withdraw from the board! Miss Haynes, buy back my 15% shares!¡± When Mr. Paul heard this, he echoed, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll withdraw too!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt her heart immediately turned cold. She instantly fell silent. 15% shares. If Joanna was to buy it back, she would spend about 200 million dors! The two of them added up to about 400 million dors! However, there were not even 10 million dors in the Haynes Group¡¯s ounts. How could Joanna do that? Joanna had the 100 million dors that Bruce gave her, which was just enough to buy back Shaun¡¯s shares. However, if Joanna was to buy Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul¡¯s shares, there was not enough money. Seeing that Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had changed sides, Shaun became even more confident. ¡°This is the ending now. Either you quit the Haynes Group or buy back our shares. ¡°Joann, I must tell you something. You¡¯re a girl. Don¡¯t waste your energy on something meaningless! You still have 3 children. It would be better if you go home and take good care of your children. ¡°This business is not something you girls can handle!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up. She ced her hands on her temples and leaned against the conference table in frustration. Bruce had really hurt her. This time, Joanna was afraid that she would not be able to hold on anymore! The shareholders were denouncing Joannia! The atmosphere was intense. The door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open. Bruce was dressed in a suit. His hair wasbed and shiny. He looked dignified and handsome. The moment Bruce arrived, the originally noisy conference room instantly fell silent! ¡°Is this a board meeting?¡± ¡°Ah, Mr. Everett, why are you here today?¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul hurriedly stood up and bowed to wee Bruce. Shaun also hurriedly stood up and gave up his seat to Bruce. Bruce curled his lips and put on a confident smile as he strode to the center of the conference room! Then, Bruce sat down on Joanna¡¯s left. Seeing that Bruce was here, Joanna became even more furious. Needless to say, Bruce was here to kick her when she was down. Bruce wanted to see Joanna¡¯s miserable ending. ¡°What are you doing here again?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was filled with frustration and a hint of despair! When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows and smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you having a board meeting? I¡¯m also a shareholder of the Haynes Group! Chapter 68 ¡°Continue. What were you discussing just now?¡± ¡°Bruce, can you stop messing around?¡± Joanna¡¯s shoulders trembled as she raised her voice. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were even more shocked! Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Everyone was so frightened that their hearts trembled! Joanna was already at a dead end. Instead of trying to rely on Mr. Everett, she was being so rude to Mr. Everett! ¡°Joann, how can you talk to Mr. Everett like that?¡± ¡°You were the one who messed things up. What right do you have to be angry? Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t be angry! Miss Haynes is still young. I apologize to you on her behalf!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more speechless. It was Bruce who messed things up! If Bruce hadn¡¯t beaten David up, the coboration between the Haynes Group and CI Technologies wouldn¡¯t fail. But now, no one med Bruce. Instead, they all med Joanna! Bruce looked around at everyone and ignored Joanna¡¯s murderous gaze. He said, ¡°Oh, I heard you guys shouting outside just now. Some of you want to quit the Haynes Group?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul looked at each other, and they looked kind of embarrassed. ¡°You want to sell your shares? ¡°That¡¯s great. I happen to be considering it. Which one of you is willing to quit the Haynes Group? I¡¯ll buy back the shares in your hands at the market price!¡± When Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul heard this, they were instantly dumbfounded! In the Haynes Group, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had at least millions of profits a year! How could they withdraw so easily? Now, they knew that Joanna did not have the money to buy back their shares! They said it just to force Joanna to resign. However, Bruce was different. Bruce had enough money, and he could easily buy Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul¡¯s shares. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re just discussing with Miss Haynes about this! We don¡¯t really want to quit! It¡¯s Miss Haynes who doesn¡¯t want us to stay in the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Really? Then why did I hear that Miss Haynes is going to coborate with the Stark Group from Nory?¡± Hearing this, Mr. Roger¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ah! When did this happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in these few days!¡± Bruce had a faint smile on his face! The Stark Group from Nory was not inferior to CI Technologies! Moreover, the Stark Group had always been working with the Everett Group! Joanna was also stunned when she heard that! What the hell was Bruce up to? Since when did Joanna coborate with the Stark Group? Then, Bruce took out a document from his briefcase and pretended to be stunned as he looked at Joanna. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sign this contract, Miss Haynes? ¡°So. Miss Haynes, you haven¡¯t told everyone about this good news?¡± Chapter 69 ¡°I¡­¡± Joanna waspletely dumbfounded. She looked at Bruce in disbelief. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had already snatched the contract and read it. That was true. This was the coboration contract between the Haynes Group and the Stark Group. ¡°The Stark Group has already stamped it. We¡¯re just waiting for Miss Haynes to stamp it! ¡°As long as the Haynes Group¡¯s official seal is stamped, this contract will take effect!¡± Bruce said calmly. He looked at everyone yfully with his sharp eyes! This is really wonderful news! Isn¡¯t this surprising?¡± ¡°When did Miss Haynes strike a deal with the Stark Group?¡± Joanna felt a chill run down her spine as she stared straight at Bruce. Bruce smiled at Joanna with a yful look as if he enjoyed seeing Joanna surprised. The day before, Bruce called the president of the Stark Groupte at night. If the Stark Group wanted to continue working with the Everett Group, they had to sign a coboration contract with the HaynesAll text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Group as well.. And the Stark Group had to provide all the goods to the Haynes Group first. The Stark Group was unwilling to abandon such an important client as the Everett Group, so they naturally agreed! Then, Bruce quickly printed out the coboration contract and sent a resident representative to have the contract signed. Bruce¡¯s courage as a sessful businessman immediately turned the situation around! ¡°With the Stark Group as a supplier, I think the Haynes Group¡¯s business will prosper in the future! Why quit now? Do you want to miss out on this opportunity? ¡°That¡¯s great. If you don¡¯t want this opportunity, Miss Haynes and I will share the fruit! If you want to quit the Haynes Group, you can sign the repurchase agreement today!¡± ¡°Ah, no, no, no!¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger¡¯s expressions immediately changed! The two of them did not expect such a huge turn of events! Joanna waspletely stunned! She never thought that Bruce would help her at this critical moment! ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding!¡± ¡°It was really a misunderstanding just now. We were just anxious when we heard that the coboration between the Haynes Group and CI Technologies had failed!¡± ¡°That was how it started.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in the Haynes Group for so many years. I¡¯ve spent half of my life¡¯s effort on the Haynes Group. How can I quit?¡± Bruce smiled and looked at Joanna. ¡°That depends on Miss Haynes¡¯ decision!¡± Mr. Roger immediately took the initiative to apologize to Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t take what I just said to heart! ¡°What I said just now was just out of anger. I take back what I said just now! No matter what, I won¡¯t quit the Haynes Group!¡± Seeing this, Mr. Paul hurriedly followed. ¡°Me too! Chapter 69 ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t quit the Haynes Group!¡± After all, everyone loved money! People could do all kinds of things for money. Joanna was speechless for a moment. She just stared nkly at Bruce! This da mn ba stard. Was this another trap Bruce had set up? ¡°Miss Haynes was just testing you. I didn¡¯t expect you to have such little loyalty! ¡°It seems like it¡¯s always easy to share happiness, but hard to undergo hardships together!¡± After saying that, Bruce leanedzily against the seat with a teasing expression. When Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul heard that, they became embarrassed! However, they knew that Bruce was supporting Joanna! To be honest, with Bruce¡¯s support, the Haynes Group would not copse. Losing CI Technologies was nothing. It would be a real nightmare if the Haynes Group lost the support from Bruce! When Shaun saw this, his entire face turned pale! Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Shaun¡¯s future son-inw not only did not help, but he also sided with outsiders! ¡°Hmm!¡± Shaun was so angry that he felt stifled in his chest. His blood pressure was skyrocketing. Shaun was so close to getting the Haynes Group back, but Bruce pulled Joanna out of the abyss of despair! ¡°Mr. Haynes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My heart is a little ufortable. I have to go first!¡± With that, Shaun stood up and walked towards the door with a dark expression. Bruce looked at Joanna with an ambiguous but smug expression. It seemed like Bruce wanted to earn some credit. When Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul saw this, they knew what Bruce was feeling about Joanna! At this time, they better leave and not be the third wheel. ¡°Well, let¡¯s call it a day! We¡¯ll leave first!¡± After saying that, the two of them looked at each other. They said goodbye to Bruce and Joanna and left with a smile! The other high-level executives also tactfully left the conference room! Joanna tidied the hair on her forehead and prepared to get up and return to the office. Bruce smiled suggestively and stretched out his arm to block Joanna¡¯s way. ¡°Are you going to leave just like that?¡± ¡°Bruce, what the hell are you ying at?¡± ¡°Ha, what do you mean? ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me?¡± Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¡°Thank you?¡± Joanna rolled her beautiful eyes and red at Bruce! Bruce looked down at Joanna and smiled frivolously! Then, he took off her ck-framed sses! ¡°I still like it when you¡¯re not wearing sses!¡± As he spoke, Bruce touched Joanna¡¯s cheek. suggestively! The delicate and smooth touch made the blood in Bruce¡¯s body boil again! When facing Joanna, Bruce always felt his adrenaline surge uncontrobly! There was a trace of hatred in Joanna¡¯s eyes. Joanna pped Bruce¡¯s hand away fiercely. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes were filled with mockery and evilness. He took a few steps forward and pressed Joanna against the conference table. With a flip of his hand, Bruce fixed Joanna¡¯s chin with his hand. Because Bruce yed golf all year round, there were slight calluses on his palm. Joanna felt a little pain when Bruce rubbed her chin. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re really turning your back on me! A woman like you really needs to be taught a lesson! ¡°After I teach you a lesson, you¡¯ll be obedient for a few days. So, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson every week from now on! I¡¯ll teach you how to be obedient!¡± Joanna moved her chin away angrily and kicked Bruce between his legs. ¡°Ba stard, get lost!¡± Bruce had been attacked at that spot before, so naturally, he would not let Joanna seed! He took a step with his long legs and dodged Joanna¡¯s attack! Then, with a gentle push, Bruce pushed Joanna onto the conference table! ¡°Look at you. After using me, you want me to get lost in the blink of an eye! And you still say that you don¡¯t need to be taught a lesson! ¡°I happen to be free now. Do you want me to take care of you again?¡± A trace of fear appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. She scrambled to the middle of the conference table! ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! If you touch me again, I won¡¯t be polite to you!¡± Bruce grabbed Joanna¡¯s slender ankle and dragged her to the side of the table! ¡°Don¡¯t you feel good when you¡¯re with me?¡± Bruce had always been confident in his male abilities. Joanna was extremely angry when she heard that! Joanna did not want to have any more contact with Bruce, let alone physical contact. Bruce was an extremely nasty and difficult man. If Bruce wanted to do something, he would definitely achieve his goal! If Joanna didn¡¯t cooperate when Bruce wanted to have sex, Bruce would pester Joanna endlessly! Bruce liked when the woman went from struggling and resisting to being forced topromise. Only when Bruce¡¯s desire to conquer was satisfied would he let the other party go! ¡°Bruce, I beg you to stay away from me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite away from you now!¡± There was an evil look on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. It was as if Bruce was teasing his prey, appreciating the terror of the prey. 1/3 Chapter 70 Joanna waspletely flustered. She was really afraid of Bruce! On the ne, she had already resisted desperately. But in the end, she still could not escape! Now, Joanna was really afraid that Bruce would mess around again! ¡°Bruce. I beg you, stop pestering me!¡± The fear in Joanna¡¯s heart was magnified, and her thin body began to tremble. Joanna was going to have a rpse. As an aftereffect of taking antidepressants all year round, Joanna trembled. If Joanna didn¡¯t take the medicine in time, she would tremble so much that she wouldn¡¯t even be able to hold a cup. Seeing Joanna trembling. Bruce¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Are you so afraid of me? I¡¯m not going to eat you!¡± ¡°Go away, don¡¯te over!¡± Joanna stag gered down from the conference table, grabbed her bag, and rushed into the bathroom. Joanna didn¡¯t want anyone to know that she was sick, and she didn¡¯t want Bruce to know that she hadAll text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. such a serious depression! ¡°Stop right there. Why are you running?¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Joanna entered the bathroom and locked the door! Then, Joanna opened her bag with trembling hands! She took out a medicine bottle, poured more than ten pills, and swallowed the pills with tap water! If Joanna didn¡¯t take medicine when she was sick, she would be anxious, lose control of her emotions, and even hurt herself! Bruce did not understand what was going on. He continued to knock on the door. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t do anything to you just because you¡¯re hiding inside! ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do anything to you. You should at least give me a kiss! ¡°Come out!¡± In the washroom, Joanna squatted on the ground weakly and pulled her hair fiercely! It would take more than ten minutes for the medicine to take effect. This was the most painful. process. It was like the end of the world. ¡°Joanna, open the door!¡± ¡°Bang bang!¡± Bruce vaguely felt that something was wrong! Outside, Bruce began to knock harder on the door. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°Joanna, what are you doing in there?¡± There was no sound in the washroom. Bruce¡¯s heart sank as he kicked the door open! In the washroom, Joanna squatted on the ground with her head between her knees and her hands in her hair! ¡°Joanna, what are you doing?¡± Bruce was shocked and quickly went forward to check! Bruce grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand with his big hands and helped her from the ground. As Joanna¡¯s hand was pulled away, arge ball of hair fell off! Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She seemed to be in endless despair, and she seemed to be a little unconscious! Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes instantly turned cold. ¡°Joanna, are you crazy?¡± As he spoke, Bruce looked at the top of her head with heartache! It must have been extremely painful to pull out so much hair. There was already a blo ody bump on the top of Joanna¡¯s head, and blood was seeping out! Joanna, are you stu pid? Why are you so ruthless to yourself?¡± Joanna blinked and tears fell from her eyes! The medicinal effect also happened to take effect! Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Bruce¡¯s heart ached when he saw Joanna¡¯s current state and pulled her tightly into his arms. ¡°Joann, I know I¡¯ve hurt you in the past. I¡¯ll slowly make up for it in the future¡­¡± Under the effects of the drug, Joanna¡¯s emotions stabilized. She didn¡¯t need Bruce to make any amends. Some things could never be undone. Joanna coldly withdrew from Bruce¡¯s embrace and asked disdainfully, ¡°Mr. Everett, why do you like. barging into the female washroom so much?¡± The words stuck in Bruce¡¯s throat as he studied Joanna¡¯s expression suspiciously. She looked like she was on the verge of copse and was even hurting herself. It made one¡¯s heart. ache to look at her. However, she had returned to her previous aggressive self in the blink of an eye. ¡°Joanna, are you alright?¡± Joanna regained herposure and looked back at Bruce calmly. ¡°Mr. Everett, that¡¯s a strange question to ask. ¡°I should be the one asking if you are alright. If you keep barging into thedies¡¯ room like this, you¡¯ll be arrested as a lu natic!¡± Bruce pursed his lips and pointed at the ball of hair on the ground. ¡°You were hurting yourself just now. Do you know that?¡± ¡°Ha! It¡¯s just hair. So what if it falls off? It¡¯s not like it won¡¯t grow back!¡± Bruce was even more shocked when he heard this. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel pain tearing off so much hair?¡± ¡°I have an itchy scalp and like to pull my hair. Is there a problem?¡± Joanna crossed her arms and stared back at Bruce. Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. He vaguely felt that something was amiss. But looking at Joanna¡¯s reaction, he did not want to agitate her further. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. You win. I can¡¯t win an argument against you. ¡°By the way, clean out an office for me.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ming to work for the Haynes Group from now on.¡± Joanna did not say anything. She subconsciously let go of her crossed arms when she heard this and looked at Bruce in confusion. ¡°You¡¯reing to work for the Haynes Group?¡± Bruce shrugged slightly. ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± Speechless, Joanna snorted. ¡°Mr. Everett, can you stop fooling around?¡± The Everett Group was the leadingpany of Greyport, with billion-dor assets! There were already so many things that he had to handle with his ownpany, so why would Bruce come to work for the Haynes Group? ¡°I¡¯m serious! In the future, I¡¯ll take some time off ande here to work.¡± Chapter 71 Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Bruce, what are you trying to do?¡± Bruce smiled and answered solemnly, ¡°Leave Jaydon and be my woman.¡± ¡°Did I hear wrongly? You¡¯re about to be engaged to Roxanne. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going overboard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true I¡¯m getting engaged. So, will you be my lover?¡± ¡°Ha! To think that you are shameless enough to say that!¡± Bruce exhaled and looked at Joanna with a faint smile. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to date other men from today onwards. ¡°You can only be my woman in this lifetime!¡± ¡°Crazy b astard!¡± Joanna could not be bothered to waste her breath on him and turned around to leave. Bruce took two steps forward and grabbed her arm. He asked a question that brought up the past, Joanna, who is the children¡¯s father? ¡°You dare not let the children do a paternity test because they are mine, am I right?¡± Joanna frowned and pushed Bruce away angrily. ¡°I already said my children have nothing to do with you!¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Since the children have nothing to do with me, why are you afraid I¡¯ll take them for a paternity test?¡± ¡°Ha, you¡¯re strange, Mr. Everett. Why should my children do a paternity test with you? ¡°Stop dreaming. My children have nothing to do with you!¡± Bruce shrugged nonchntly when he heard this. ¡°Alright, if you say so. ¡°Now, I¡¯m solemnly telling you that I will no longer ask about the past. ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯re my woman! You can¡¯t date other men, let alone let them touch your body! ¡°Otherwise, you know the consequences!¡± Joanna was so angry that sheughed. ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re relying on me now!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to rely on you!¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll call the president of the Stark Group now and tell him to rescind his contract with the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t go overboard!¡± Joanna could no longer suppress the fury in her heart. Her chest hurt from anger, and she could not help but hit Bruce¡¯s arms a few times. He really knew how to drive her crazy! Bruce grabbed her arm and forced her into a corner. ¡°If you hit me again, I¡¯ll take you right here!¡± ¡°You lu natic!¡± Bruceughed mockingly. ¡°You¡¯ll have to leave Greyport forever if you wish to be rid of mepletely. ¡°You¡¯ll have no choice but to be my woman if you want to continue living in Greyport.¡± ¡°Ha! Fine. I¡¯ll be your woman. But what about Roxanne?¡± Chapter 71 Bruce paused and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°She will be my wife, and you will be my lover. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Do you think Roxanne will agree?¡± Bruce smiled slyly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she agrees or not. It¡¯s done as long as you agree.¡± He was already reluctant to give Roxanne the status of his wife. Roxanne would have to agree even if she didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Never! I¡¯ll never agree even if you kill me!¡± Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Chapter 72 ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you agree or not. I¡¯ll make you agree!¡± After speaking. Bruce left the conference room and headed straight for Joanna¡¯s office. Seeing this, Joanna became even more exasperated. ¡°Stop right there! Where are you going? What are you going to do?¡± Bruce pushed open Joanna¡¯s office door and strode in. ¡°Since you¡¯re unwilling to find an office for me, I¡¯ll reluctantly share yours.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he sat on Joanna¡¯s office chair and ced his long legs on her desk. He looked like a dove upying a magpie¡¯s nest. Joanna was so angry that she was close to vomiting blood. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy? Get up!¡± With that, Joanna tried her best to push Bruce off the chair. But Bruce grabbed her arm and suddenly dragged Joanna toward him as she screamed. Joanna¡¯s entire body fell into Bruce¡¯s arms. Bruce hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek suggestively. ¡°Are you so eager to throw yourself at me? ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll satisfy you every week from now on!¡± Joanna choked when she heard this.. Her lungs almost exploded from her anger as she struggled to stand up. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Let go of me!¡± Meanwhile, outside the office. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett were in the conference room for a long while. And now, they¡¯re alone in her office for so long!¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll rekindle their rtionship?¡± ¡°Definitely! Mr. Everett beat David up at the c ocktail party because he was jealous! ¡°After that, he took Miss Haynes away with him. You can imagine what happened next!¡± A female employee said in surprise, ¡°Gosh, isn¡¯t Mr. Everett engaged to Miss Roxanne? ¡°And yet he¡¯s entangled with Miss Haynes now. Don¡¯t tell me that the two sisters and Mr. Everett¡­¡± A female employee in her forties chimed in, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Polygamy exists.¡± ¡°Two sisters sharing the same husband. Gosh, the wealthy have suchplicated rtionships!¡± ¡°Who cares! We only have to do our job and get paid!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± In the meantime, Shaun had returned home to the Haynes¡¯s house, his face red as a pig¡¯s liver from anger. ¡°Dad, why are you back so early?¡± Roxanne and Ingrid, who were flipping through wedding dress designs, asked. They were shocked to see Shaun home so early. Shaun took a few deep breaths and cursed, ¡°I¡¯m so angry, I¡¯m so angry!¡± ¡°Shaun, why are you so angry?¡± Chapter 72 ¡°What else could it be? It¡¯s all because of my unfilial daughter!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she darted her eyes in thought and quickly realized he was talking about Joanna. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Joanna?¡± Shaun sighed repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s not her. It¡¯s Mr. Everet!¡± *Mr. Everett?¡± Ingrid and Roxanne¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°He was also at the board meeting today! That rebellious daughter of mine was initially unable to hold out any longer and was prepared to step down from the position of chairwoman.¡± ¡°But at that critical moment! Sigh¡­ ¡°What happened at the critical moment?¡± Shaun answered with a mncholic expression. ¡°Out of nowhere, Mr. Everett took out a contract between the Haynes Group and the Stark Group! ¡°Who would have thought that the Everett Group and the Stark Group have a history of working exclusively with one another? If not for Mr. Everett pressurizing them, the Stark Group would never have cooperated with the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ingrid and Roxanne looked at each other in disbelief. ¡°Roxy, I don¡¯t want to criticize you, but you¡¯re already engaged to Mr. Everett. Why don¡¯t you talk some sense into him? Get him to stop siding with outsiders!¡± Ingrid was instantly enraged when she heard this. ¡°Hmph! There¡¯s no doubt that little bi tch Joanna racked her brains trying to seduce Mr. Everett again!¡± Roxanne was very displeased when she heard this. Although Bruce had proposed to her, he had not called her in the past few days. Nor could she find him too. She had already heard about what happened at the c ocktail party and initially wanted to call Bruce and get him to exin the situation. Unfortunately, Bruce had flown to Melta and had been there for the past two days, so she could not get through to him on his phone. She did not expect Bruce to be entangled with Joanna again as soon as he returned! ¡°I¡¯ve already said I¡¯ll sever my father-daughter rtionship with her. She¡¯s the jinx of our family! Don¡¯t even think about living a peaceful life with her around!¡± Shaun looked worried and sighed. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, him and Joann, again¡­¡± ¡°Why not? Which man doesn¡¯t cheat? The key is that he wouldn¡¯t do it if it went against his interests. So why does he continue to be entangled with Joanna? ¡°It¡¯s all because of that daughter of yours. She¡¯s jealous that Roxy is marrying into the Everett family and is wreaking havoc behind our backs!¡± Just as they were talking, Roxanne¡¯s phone rang. She took out her phone and saw that Gavin had sent her a photo from the Inte. The background in the photo showed that it was the airport. And Bruce was publicly hugging and kissing Joanna passionately in it! The scene of them had been captured on camera by someone and posted online. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Roxanne was stunned upon seeing the photo. Her body felt like it had fallen into an ice cave. Chapter 72 ¡°What is it? Show mel¡± Ingrid sna tched the phone away from Roxanne. After seeing the photo, Ingrid felt like her lungs were about to explode from anger. ¡°Shaun! Look at what your good daughter has done! This news is all over the Inte!¡± [Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes were spotted kissing at the airport.] Shaun¡¯s blood pressure soared from anger when he saw the headlines. ¡°See, what did I say? That sl ut Joanna won¡¯t give up so easily! ¡°Roxy, I don¡¯t want to scold you, but why can¡¯t you control your boyfriend?¡± When she heard this, Roxanne was so angry that she cried. ¡°How can I control him?¡± ¡°You¡¯re useless!¡± Photos of Bruce and Joanna kissing passionately at the airport soon became the top story In an instant, the Inte was in an uproar! online. Andy also hurriedly found Bruce and reported, ¡°Mr. Everett, the news released online will have a huge impact on the Everett Group¡¯s image!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Go and suppress it. Don¡¯t make a big deal out of it!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Andy immediately went to find thewyer and told him to send awyer¡¯s letter to the website that had forwarded the photo. However, news travels fast on the Inte. In just one day, the entire Inte knew about it! The next day, Roxanne charged into Bruce¡¯s office. ¡°Bruce, how do you exin the photo?¡± Bruce remained expressionless and silent for over a minute as he looked at the photo. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to exin. What you see is the truth.¡± Roxanne was stunned. Tears instantly flowed down her face. She never expected Bruce to admit it without even bothering to give her a superficial exnation. ¡°Bruce, how could you do this? We¡¯re about to get married. How could you¡­.¡± Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°So, are you still willing to marry me? If you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll hold the wedding as scheduled. ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling, the wedding can be canceled anytime!¡± Roxanne took a deep breath as tears streamed down her face. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chapter 73 However, it had not been easy for Roxanne to reach this step in her rtionship with Bruce, and she was unwilling to give up just then. Her wish was to marry Bruce and into the Everett family. As long as Bruce could give her the status of Mrs. Everett, she had no choice but to silently ept his infidelity, even if he went out with other women every day. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s not what I meant! What I meant is that you and Joanna have a history. ¡°And we¡¯re biological sisters, after all. If word gets out, it won¡¯t be good for Joanna, you, or me! ¡°Bruce, I know you¡¯re under a lot of pressure and need somewhere to vent, but can you not do it with Joanna?¡± After saying that, Roxanne looked pleadingly toward Bruce with tears in her eyes. The meaning behind Roxanne¡¯s words was evident. Bruce could seek thepany of another woman, but that woman could not be Joanna. Even gold diggers were preferable to Joanna, who would threaten her status. When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows and looked back at Roxanne expressionlessly. Her words made him feel extremely ufortable. If a woman loved a man, would shepromise and allow him to have other women? Roxanne probably only loved his status and not him as a person! ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Bruce gave a strange smile. Roxanne was stunned for a moment before deciding to go all out. ¡°Bruce, I can do whatever Joanna can! ¡°I understand. I was too conservative in the past, so you no longer harbor certain thoughts toward me. ¡°But I just didn¡¯t want to hand myself over so easily! I didn¡¯t want you to think I was easy! ¡°But Bruce, we¡¯re about to get married. I don¡¯t want to stay chaste any longer!¡± Roxanne began taking off her outerwear as she spoke. Then, she threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms and hugged his neck tightly. ¡°Bruce, I love you. I can¡¯t live without you! Whatever Joanna can give you, I can too! ¡°Don¡¯t look for Joanna anymore. If you have needs, you can look for me anytime! We¡¯ve been in love for six years. What else can¡¯t we do?¡± After saying that, Roxanne deliberately pretended to be shy and trembled as she kissed Bruce¡¯s lips. At the same time, her soft petite hands began unbuckling his belt. Bruce frowned slightly but did not react, allowing Roxanne to continue exploring his body. ¡°Bruce, I love you! Take me today¡­¡± No matter what, Roxanne was determined to be Bruce¡¯s woman today. She had already made sufficient preparations beforeing to meet him. She had washed her body clean and soaked in fragrances. All she needed to doter was act inexperienced, and Bruce would think that it was her first time. Chapter 73 She was confident he would be in her grasp as long as he believed she gave him her first time. However, Bruce¡¯s frown deepened as Roxanne became increasingly proactive in her advances. Even though Roxanne appeared clumsy, the ces where she would inadvertently graze past were always a man¡¯s most sensitive parts. She was also very good at kissing. These were not things that an inexperienced woman would know how to do. However, the more she acted like this, the less interested Bruce became. It was man¡¯s nature to hunt and chase. The prey that delivered itself to his mouth did not taste as good. ¡°Roxy, stop!¡± ¡°Bruce, I love you. Don¡¯t hold back anymore!¡± Roxanne¡¯s lips were soft, and the perfume on her body was fragrant. In an instant, she had already unbuttoned Bruce¡¯s clothes. Her seduction was about to work when Bruce suddenly pushed her away. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be like this!¡± Roxanne was stunned. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you want me? Don¡¯tThis content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. you love me anymore?¡± He clearly wanted her in the past. However, her mother had taught her not to easily give her first time to men. Therefore, Roxanne pretended to be innocent and always maintained a pure, untainted appearance before Bruce. Gradually, Bruce became less impulsive in his advances toward her. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this when we get married.¡± With that, Bruce tidied Roxanne¡¯s clothes around her. Then, he pushed her away and walked out of the office. Roxanne was embarrassed and angry and chased after him anxiously. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± ¡°I have an appointment with some clients. I have to meet them now. You should go back first!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne shouted from behind him but could only stop to tidy herself as she was not fully dressed. Meanwhile, Bruce had already strode out of the office. Now, he was bored of Roxanne. In the past, he thought she was naive and innocent and found it interesting to coax her. But now, he found it annoying. Bruce got into the car. The chauffeur asked respectfully, ¡°Mr. Everett, where are you going?¡± Bruce thought for a moment. At this moment, he inexplicably wanted to see Joanna. ¡°Go to the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Half an hourter, the chauffeur stopped the car in the underground garage of the Haynes Group. Bruce exited the car and took the elevator to the office. As it was ten in the morning, everyone in thepany, including Joanna, was busy. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± The employees greeted him respectfully. Bruce nodded slightly and walked straight to Joanna¡¯s office. ¡°Gosh, Mr. Everett is here again!¡± Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74 ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Everett has beening here every two to three days recently. In the past, it would be rare if he even visited once a year!¡± ¡°Hey, do you think Mr. Everett intends to remarry Miss Haynes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. I heard that Miss Haynes gave birth to triplets, not twins. The children¡¯s father is probably Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Wow, if Miss Haynes¡¯ children are Mr. Everett¡¯s, why is she still working so hard? She¡¯s set for life!¡± ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t Miss Haynes¡¯ children Mr. Grimm¡¯s?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t Miss Haynes¡¯ boyfriend Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Well, no one knows the details. The rtionships between the wealthy areplicated. Ordinary people like us can¡¯t figure them out!¡± ¡°Stop talking. Cora is here!¡± The employees quickly returned to their duties and did not dare continue gossiping. Meanwhile, Joanna was busy dealing with the contract in the office. Although she had signed a contract with the Stark Group, there were still many small details in the contract that she had yet to figure out. ¡°Knock! Knock!¡± There was a knock on the door. ¡°Pleasee in!¡± Joanna thought that Cora was here to deliver the coffee. Bruce pushed open the door and walked in. Joanna didn¡¯t even raise her head. ¡°Leave it there!¡± Cora would bring in a cup of strong coffee every two hours during office hours. Coincidentally, she had just finished a cup of coffee, so she thought Cora had brought the next cup in. Bruce did not say anything and quietly walked to the table. He just ced his hand on the desk and looked at Joanna amorously. Joanna finally realized that something was amiss half a minuteter. When she looked up, she realized Bruce had entered her office. Joanna immediately frowned and said in an unfriendly tone, ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you here again?¡± This ba stard had pestered her in the office for half a day yesterday. If Cora hadn¡¯te in, he would have forced himself on her again! Bruce smiled teasingly. He raised his eyebrows slightly and leaned his face closer to hers. ¡°Is there a problem? ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that I¡¯lle to work asionally. I¡¯ll also inspect your work efficiency when I¡¯m here.¡± Joanna felt her chest hurt from anger when she heard this. She was the chairwoman of the Haynes Group, thepany¡¯s leader! What right did he have to inspect her work efficiency? Chapter 74 ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re really annoying!¡± Bruce walked over and lifted her chin slightly. ¡°Babe, what are you busy with?¡± ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Joanna almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She didn¡¯t expect Bruce to have such a sleazy side. She felt like retching. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! Please watch your words. Don¡¯t misuse them!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m also thepany¡¯s chairman! Don¡¯t I have the right to ask aboutpany matters?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you own a big business and have a bunch of elites from all over the world working under you and earning money for you. ¡°Of course, you needn¡¯t busy yourself. But please don¡¯t disrupt other people¡¯s work! ¡°Now get out of here!¡± Struck by how adorable Joanna sounded when she was serious, Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a smile. Why would this silly woman need to work so hard if she just agreed to be with him? She was making life difficult for herself. ¡°Alright! Alright! I won¡¯t disrupt you. Continue doing what you were doing!¡± Bruce sat down on the sofa opposite Joanna as he spoke and stared at her with an ambiguous and mischievous smile. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Joanna, who had initially returned to focusing on her work, felt her body pric kling now that he was staring at her. It was challenging to concentrate when she felt extremely ufortable. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s strange for you to stare at me like that.¡± ¡°I have no choice. I don¡¯t have an office, so I must share one with you. ¡°Now hurry up and get back to work. Don¡¯t disrupt me from working!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you being serious? I¡¯m disrupting your work?¡± Bruce shrugged innocently. ¡°That¡¯s right! My job is to supervise you. ¡°You¡¯re disrupting my work if you¡¯re not working hard!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes, wide from shock just now, instantly narrowed into a re. This da mn bas tard. No wonder he could dominate the industry. His craftiness and twisted logic were unmatched. Joanna suppressed the anger in her heart and called the secretarial desk. ¡°Cora.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what are your orders?¡± ¡°Clean out an office for Mr. Everett immediately! ¡°In the future, when Mr. Everettes over, let him go to his office!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes!¡± After hanging up, Joanna was still furious and so decided to turn off theputer. Bruce did not think much of it. He liked to see Joanna¡¯s reactions when she was angry. ¡°Babe, what are we having for lunch?¡± Chapter 74 ¡°Bruce, stop fooling around! I¡¯m working now!¡± ¡°You have to cat to work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have thepany¡¯s staff meal. Now leave me alone!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go out and eat together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not free!¡± Bruce smiled ambiguously. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll eat thepany¡¯s staff meal with you. alright?¡± Soon, it was noon and time for lunch. The employees were given an hour and a half to eat and rest. Joanna could not be bothered with Bruce. She went to the staff canteen and had the staff meal like the employees. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Many of the employees were queuing up to get food in the canteen. Joanna took a stainless steel te from the disinfection cab. She then went to the kitchen window, ordered a staff meal, sat in the staff canteen, and ate. Joanna knew Bruce was a picky eater and would not cat staff meals. As expected, Bruce did not eat and just sat beside Joanna and watched her eat. Joanna used the stainless steel spoon and mixed the dishes on her te. Then, she ate the concoction. one spoonful at a time. Bruce frowned, his face full of disdain and shock. To him, this was no different from feeding pigs. How could a human use stainless steel cutlery? The usually lively staff canteen was exceptionally quiet today.. Because with Joanna and Bruce around, no one dared to eat there. ¡°Is it good?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. She could not be bothered with Bruce. She wasn¡¯t as fussy as him and didn¡¯t pick on her food. To her, the purpose of eating was to fill one¡¯s stomach. After hurriedly finishing her meal, Joanna went to make another cup of coffee. She then added four sugar cubes and two milk capsules to her coffee. Bruce frowned even more when he saw this. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that this is fit for human consumption!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes coldly. She held the cup and swayed it tauntingly in front of Bruce. Then, she drank a few mouthfuls of the coffee. Appalled, Bruce subconsciously gulped. His obsessivepulsive disorder and mysophobia would not allow him to ept such a diet. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting fat after adding so much sugar and milk? This is very unhealthy!¡± ¡°So?¡± Bruce was stunned. Joanna did not drink coffee in the past. After all, coffee contains caffeine that stimtes the nerves. Even if she had coffee asionally, she would only drink the best Blue Mountain Coffee and not add sugar or milk. Therge amounts of milk and sugar she added now were very unhealthy. However, Joanna¡¯s depression was getting worse. She also had hypoglycemia and malnutrition. Therefore, she did not like bitter things. In addition, sugar and milk could stimte dopamine secretion, which induces the feeling of happiness. ¡°You can¡¯t eat like this anymore. You have to change your eating habits! Chapter 75 ¡°I remember that you used to have a very healthy diet. Why are you so negligent now?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too nosy?¡± Only go d knew how she had survived the four years since her divorce from Bruce. However, it was for the better. At least it had cured her of her past fussiness and cowardice. ¡°You can¡¯t let this ki nd of junk food enter your body. You can¡¯t drink this anymore!¡± Bruce said and tried to snatch the cup from Joanna¡¯s hands. Joanna ignored him and finished her cup of coffee. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m going back to work! ¡°Your office is also ready if you want to work at the Haynes Group. Please go to your own office in the future.¡± ¡°Buzz buzz!¡± Joanna was about to leave when her phone rang. She took out her phone and saw that it was Jaydon calling. Jaydon had called her dozens of times over the past few days, but she had not answered his calls. That was because she did not know how to exin the situation to him, let alone face him. Seeing Joanna¡¯s hesitation, Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who called?¡± Joanna returned to her senses and put her phone back in her pocket. ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± ¡°Give me the phone!¡± Bruce reached out to grab Joanna¡¯s phone. Joanna panicked and grabbed her phone tightly, refusing to give it to him. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Let go!¡± However, the more e r efused to give her phone to him, the more frustrated Bruce became. He harshly snatched the phone away and immediately knew it was Jaydon calling when he saw that the caller ID was [Jay). Bruce answered the call without hesitation. ¡°Hello, is this Jaydon?¡± On the other end of the phone, Jaydon was stunned. He also recognized Bruce¡¯s voice. ¡°Why is it you? Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Joanna is with me. Don¡¯t call her again!¡± Unable to figure out what was happening, Jaydon was speechless. ¡°Joanna will be my woman from on. If you dare harass her again, I won¡¯t stay polite.¡± Anxious, Joanna jumped up to snatch the phone back from Bruce. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough. Give me the phone!* ¡°Joann, did something happen? Where are you now? I¡¯ll go look for you now¡­¡± Before Jaydon could finish his sentence, Bruce hung up. ¡°Bruce, are you done fooling around? What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said that you can only be my woman from now on! ¡°You can¡¯t date any other man. Break up with Jaydon.¡± ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡± ¡°You know the consequences if you don¡¯t listen to me.¡± ¡°Ha, you still want to kill me?¡± Chapter 75 ¡°Are you kidding me? We¡¯re in a society governed byw. How can I just go around killing people? ¡°But those who dare get too close to you will pay a price p ai nf ul than death!¡± Joanna almost broke down when she heard that. ¡°Crazy bastard! Can you stop acting like this? ¡°We¡¯re already divorced. There¡¯s no possibility between us! I beg you to stop harassing me!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Impossible. As long as you¡¯re in Greyport, I won¡¯t let you off! ¡°You are my woman. Whoever dares to have designs on you is intentionally going against me! ¡°If you don¡¯t want anything to happen to Jaydon, you¡¯d better keep a good distance from him! If I find out that you¡¯re secretly interacting with him¡­ You know what I¡¯m like, Joanna.¡± Joanna could not help but gasp for breath when she heard this. With bloodshot eyes, she looked at Bruce in hatred and helplessness. Joanna was aware of Bruce¡¯s personality. Whatever Bruce wanted, he got. If he wanted to harm Jaydon, then Jaydon would be in danger. Moreover, Bruce¡¯s methods were sinister and vicious. Jaydon would be secretly resolved without anyone knowing if Bruce took action. He was impossible to guard against! ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you! Can you not be like this?¡± Bruce took a step forward and held her chin in his palm. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you for thest time! ¡°Be my lover, and I¡¯ll treat you well! ¡°Other than a marriage license, you¡¯ll have everything else. Why are you still dissatisfied with being my woman?¡± Joannaughed coldly. ¡°Hmph! ¡°Bruce, haven¡¯t you always hated me? Haven¡¯t you always thought that I was scheming? What do you mean by pestering me like this?¡± Bruce smiled slyly. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I just like sleeping with you.¡± ¡°Let go of me! If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll call the police!¡± ¡°Go a he ad and call the police. Let everyone in Greyport know that you¡¯re my woman!¡± ¡°You lunatic, let go¡­.¡± Meanwhile, Ingrid had barged angrily into thepany¡¯s lobby. ¡°That bitch Joanna, where is she?¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, you¡¯re in apany!¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Hurry up and get Joanna out here! That damn shameless bitch! ¡°She seduces men all day long. Of all people, why does she have to seduce her sister¡¯s man Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Ingrid had specially made the trip down to the Haynes Group to stand up for her daughter, Roxanne. She had long borne a hatred for Joanna. Now that Joanna and Bruce were entangled again, it threatened Roxanne¡¯s status. Ingrid would not tolerate this. ¡°Dam n bitc h, get out here! ¡°Everyone,e look at Greyport¡¯s most shameless woman! She specializes in seducing her sister¡¯s man! ¡°Who do you think you are? You¡¯re a one-of-a-kind bi tch! A piece of trash! You¡¯re desperate to let at man¡­¡± Ingrid began cursing loudly as soon as she stepped into thepany building. All sorts of vulgarities. filled the air. Apanying behind her were four middle-aged women who were also dressed fashionably. ¡°Hurry up and get out here! Joanna is a professional mistress who specializes in sleeping with men! Get out here and tell us how many men you slept with!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so shameless. How dare you stay in Greyport!¡± ¡°In ancient times, women like you would be whipped and paraded through the streets!¡± Like Ingrid, these middle-aged women also gained wealth and status by fishing for men in their youth. Therefore, it was natural that they didn¡¯t care about manners. All kinds of insults spewed out from their mouths whenever they scolded people.. The employees on the first floor were all rmed. Everyone came out to watch the spectacle. ¡°Mrs. Haynes is here. Gosh, she¡¯s making such an unpleasant scene!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! How uncivilized of her! Why can¡¯t they talk behind closed doors? Why make a scene in public when they¡¯re a family?¡± An old employee smiled faintly. ¡°This is how Mrs. Haynes always acts. She cries, throws tantrums in public, and threatens to kill herself when things don¡¯t go her way. ¡°Now that Miss Haynes is entangled with Mr. Everett, she must be here to stand up for her daughter.¡± ¡°Hey, stop talking. Just watch the show quietly!¡± Cora and Luna quickly went forward to stop Ingrid. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, this is apany. Please take note of your behavior¡­¡± Ingrid looked Cora up and down. With her hands on her hips, she pointed at Cora¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°Ha! Little hu ssy, who do you think you are? How dare you tell me how to act? ¡°Do you know? The Haynes Group belongs to the Haynes family. Sooner orter, it will return to the Haynes family! ¡°That da mn bi tch shamelessly seized it from us and is upying what is rightfully ours! ¡°Where¡¯s that d amn b itch Joanna? Hurry up and get her toe out! I will tell the world her misdeeds today and let everyone see how she seduces men!¡± Cora couldn¡¯t stop Ingrid and quickly called for security. Chapter 76 A few security guards hurriedly went upstairs. Meanwhile, Bruce had eagerly pinned Joanna down in the office and attempted to conquer her again. But he was so shocked when he heard themotion caused by Ingrid that he frowned and stopped his actions. He had also heard all of Ingrid¡¯s insults. Joanna sneered and looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°Let go of me. Your mother-inw is here! ¡°What else do you want from me? Haven¡¯t you put me through enough?¡± Bruce listened and stared deeply into Joanna¡¯s eyes. In the past, her eyes were clear, like a resplendent gxy. But now, her eyes were filled with numbness and exhaustion. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Ha, it¡¯s because of you that I have to suffer the insults of so many people.¡± Six years ago, everyone in Greyport was insulting her. They were even worse than whatever Ingrid. was spewing now. The online abuse back then almost drove her to suicide. It was also then that her depression started to worsen. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying this? I beg you, stop pestering me! ¡°I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t want to be insulted anymore!¡± ¡°Ignore them. Let them throw their insults.¡± After saying that, Bruce lowered his head and kissed Joanna¡¯s lips deeply. In the meantime, Ingrid and her four aplices had already aggressively barged into the office¡¯s entrance. The security guards had also rushed over. ¡°You can¡¯t enter the office. Leave the Haynes Group now!¡± Ingrid sneered, put her hands on her hips, and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s see who dares to stop me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is Mrs. Haynes! She¡¯s the real boss of the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°Are you guys blind? How dare you stop Mrs. Haynes!¡± Although Ingrid¡¯s four aplices were middle-aged, they had all maintained good figures and were dressed in bright, revealing clothes. The few of them pinched and hit the security guards, who dared not hit back. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the office and find that da mn bi tch!¡± The five of them walked towards the office aggressively. ¡°Joanna, da mn b itch, get out here!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Ingrid pushed the door open. In the office, Bruce sat upright and frowned slightly as he looked arrogantly at the women who had barged in. Upon seeing Bruce, Ingrid swallowed the curse words about toe out of her mouth.. She quickly retracted her shrewish attitude and said sourly, ¡°Oh, Bruce, you¡¯re here too!¡± Chapter 76 This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ingrid took a deep breath and nced sideways at Joanna. Joanna sat behind her desk with a cold expression. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re about to get married to Roxy! What are you doing now?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Need I report to you what I do?¡± Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Bruce¡¯s voice was not loud, but it exuded a pressure that made people breathless. Ingrid¡¯s face turned pale. She pursed her lips as a look of difort crept up her face. To put it bluntly, she dared not ask if Bruce went out to find other women. Given the current situation, it would already be a miracle if Bruce went ahead and married Roxanne as scheduled. If Bruce canceled the wedding, their family would really be theughingstock of Greyport! Ingrid dared to cause trouble for Joanna, but not Bruce. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Bruce crossed his long legs and leaned against the sofa with a deep frown. ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± Ingrid quickly thought and answered, ¡°I meant you¡¯re about to get married. So you should spend more time with Roxy! ¡°Why do you keep finding Joanna when you are free? People will gossip!¡± Bruce sneered. His hawk¨Clike eyes blinked, and a menacing aura flowed from him. ¡°Who¡¯s gossiping? What gossip?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Didn¡¯t you see the news online? Everyone is spreading nasty gossip!¡± ¡°Does their gossip sound as nasty as your insults just now?¡± Ingrid, choked and tongue¨Ctied, replied, ¡°No, Bruce, I was angry just now! So the words I spoke were unpleasant. ¡°I just hope that everything is fine between you and Roxy. Roxy is simple¨Cminded and can be stubborn sometimes. ¡°You know what happenedst time. Roxy almost lost her life! What if something like that happens again?¡± Bruce frowned and, without looking up, said. ¡°You¡¯re using the same trick again. It won¡¯t work if you use it too much!¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve agreed to marry Roxy, I won¡¯t go back on my word! ¡°As for my personal matters, I don¡¯t want anyone to interfere!¡± Feeling like her heart was in her throat, Ingrid gulped. She was afraid of offending this wealthy son¨Cin¨C law of hers. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to interfere in your personal matters. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Before Ingrid could finish her sentence, Bruce stood up. I¡¯m working now. If you have nothing else to say, hurry up and return home. ¡°If you dare return to the Haynes Group and cause trouble for Joanna again, I¡¯ll make sure the Haynes family regrets it.¡± Ingrid¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Bruce was increasingly disdainful of them. However, besides swallowing her anger, Ingrid could not do anything else. The other women quickly pulled Ingrid out. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go back first!¡± Ingrid was choked with anger. Her eyes were like knives as she viciously red at Joanna. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re Roxanne¡¯s elder sister. No matter what, you should know your limits. Don¡¯t constantly think about taking Chapter 77 your sister¡¯s things for yourself ¡°I don¡¯t dare to control you, but your father has heart disease and high blood pressure. If anything happens to him, you¡¯ll regret it!¡± Ingrid turned around angrily and left after she finished speaking. The five women had just reached the elevator when the elevator door happened to open. Jaydon hurried out of the elevator. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Ingrid became even more furious when she saw Jaydon. ¡°Mr. Grimm, you¡¯re finally here! ¡°Hurry up and get a grip on your girlfriend. Don¡¯t let her go around seducing other people¡¯s men! ¡°Don¡¯t you feel cuckolded?¡± Jaydon¡¯s handsome face instantly darkened when he heard this. He ignored Ingrid and hurriedly walked toward Joanna¡¯s office. The employees were still watching the spectacle unfold and were whispering to each other. ¡°Wow, Mr. Grimm is here too! Something exciting is going to unfold!¡± ¡°Do you think Mr. Grimm and Mr. Everett will fight when they meet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. Wow, wow, wow! It¡¯ll be like watching two titans fighting!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so lively in the office today! We¡¯ve been blessed with so much drama recently!¡± Cora reprimanded the employees with a cold expression when she heard this. ¡°Go back to your jobs and stop gawking! ¡°Whoever continues gossiping will be punished!¡± When they heard this, the employees did not dare to gossip anymore and quickly returned to their work cubicles. There were more than a thousand employees in the Haynes Group. Even the office workers in the same office building as Joanna amounted to a few dozen. Meanwhile, in the office. Joann, everything¡¯s fine! I¡¯ve already warned Ingrid. She won¡¯t dare to cause trouble again!¡± Joanna leaned against the desk and weakly ran her fingers through her hair. ¡°Bruce, my heart is weary. ¡°Can you stay away from me?¡± Bruce took her by the shoulders and nuzzled his chin against her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll look after you no matter what happens. What else are you worried about?¡± Joanna suddenly raised her head and screamed at the top of her lungs, ¡°I simply don¡¯t want anything to do with you now, do you understand?¡± Bruce looked back at her calmly. After a few seconds, he answered, ¡°I know you still love me. Why do you have to reject me like this? ¡°If you¡¯re trying to y hard to get, it won¡¯t work on me.¡± Joanna became even more furious when she heard this and mmed her fists on the table several times. ¡°I don¡¯t love you. I haven¡¯t loved you for a long time now! Since the day of our divorce, I have stopped loving you! 07:16 Thu Chapter 77 I¡¯m begging you, stop being so narcissistic!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t love me, you wouldn¡¯t have had such a big reaction to me when I touched you! ¡°Your body can¡¯t fool anyone!¡± Joanna was so enraged when she heard this that her entire body trembled. A difficult and cruel man like Bruce would never stop until he achieved his goal. No woman could remain calm when being pestered by a man like him. You crazy bastard! Stop talking!¡± ¡°Joanna, stop lying to yourself!¡± After saying that, Bruce wrapped his arms tightly around her waist again. ¡°Let go of me, don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± The two were entangled in a scuffle when the office door was pushed open again. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon was stunned when he saw the scene before him. Joanna turned around and saw that it was Jaydon. Her face turned even paler. ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± Joanna struggled violently against Bruce after saying that. Unfortunately, he had firmly trapped her in his arms. She could not break free at all. ¡°Hmph! Jaydon, what are you doing here?¡± Bruce sneered and left the tableside. Like an eagle with a chick in its ws, he pulled Joanna along with him in his arms. ¡°Bruce, let go of Joann!¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Jaydon cruelly. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before. If you continue to pester Joanna, I won¡¯t remain polite!¡± Jaydon walked over to them with a cold expression on his face. ¡°Let go of her quickly! Otherwise, I won¡¯t remain polite too!¡± ¡°Joanna has already slept with me and agreed to be my woman! Are you sure you still want to fight with me for her?¡± ¡°Joann, is it true?¡± Joanna gasped and closed her eyes in agony. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough! I¡¯ve had enough of you! ¡°I¡¯m telling you now that the person I love is Jay! The children are also Jay¡¯s! It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned cold when he heard this. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Jay and I were childhood sweethearts, We¡¯ve been in love for a long time, and he¡¯s a hundred times better than you!¡± Joanna could only lie to Bruce as she did not want him to continue pestering her. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Chapter 78 With a terrifying expression on his face, Bruce stared at Joanna Joanna, don¡¯t talk nonsense. You have to take responsibility for your words!¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away and met his eyes angrily Tll take responsibility. And Im responsibly telling you now that the person I love has always been Jay! I only married you because you¡¯re the president of a billion¨Cdor consortium! ¡°I spent so much effort to set you up with myself because you¡¯re the wealthiest man in Greyport! My goal was to marry into the Everett family and make use of you! ¡°But I have no use for you now! I don¡¯t want to toy with you anymore! Please stop pestering me!¡± Bruce clenched his fists. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Alright, I¡¯ll tell you today that the children are Jay¡¯s! ¡°If you still don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show you the children¡¯s birth certificates and their paternity test results with Jay another day! Bruce felt his blood freeze when he heard this, and his eyes narrowed. ¡°Joanna, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± If the children were Jaydon¡¯s, it meant Joanna had cheated on him when they were still married. This was a humiliation that Bruce could not swallow. Joanna held her breath and looked toward Jaydon with pleading eyes. ¡°Jay, tell him!¡± Jaydon pondered for a few seconds before calmly meeting Bruce¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes, the children are mine and Joann¡¯s! ¡°I didn¡¯t announce this to the public because I was afraid of the repercussions it would cause. There¡¯s no need to hide the truth from you anymore since you keep misunderstanding the children¡¯s parentage, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Frowning, he tried his best to control his anger. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll give you onest chance.¡± ¡°I am serious and telling you now that the children are Jay¡¯s! I can show you the paternity test results and the children¡¯s birth certificates another day. ¡°I was already in love with Jay before I met you!¡± Bruce tutted and sneered. ¡°In other words, you still had contact with him while we were married?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment. In the end, she nodded firmly. ¡°Yes¡± Her confirmation was enough to anger Bruce regardless of whether it was true. ¡°p! The crisp sound of a p rang through the air Bruce had pped Joanna. He had not held back and had given her a tight p Joanna lost her bnce and staggered Fortunately, Jaydon reacted quickly and caught her in time. ¡°Bruce, how can you consider yourself a man?¡± Malice and anger were overflowing from Bruce. He stared at Joanna threateningly. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll make sure you regret this!¡± 0/16 Thu, Chapter 78 With that, Bruce mmed the door behind him and left with a cold expression. Joanna slumped limply onto the ground after Bruce left. It was as if she had been sucked of all her energy. Joannydon quickly got down on his knees and hugged her. Joanna leaned weakly in Jaydon¡¯s arms and cried out loudly. Jay¡­ ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll stand by your side no matter what happens!¡± ¡°Jay, I can¡¯t do this anymore!¡± Jaydon tightened his grip andforted her gently. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t hold on anymore if you can¡¯t. ¡°If things don¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll take you away from Greyport. We¡¯ll go back to Surbano!¡± Joanna hugged Jaydon and cried bitterly when she heard this. Meanwhile, in the parking lot. ¡°Screech!¡± Bruce had started his car. The Aston Martin swerved around like a wild beast that had lost control. Bruce then suddenly drifted the car and charged it out of the garage. The chauffeur in the passenger seat was scared out of his wits and hurriedly grabbed the side handles. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t¡­ why don¡¯t I drive instead?¡± Bruce did not answer and turned the steering wheel fiercely. The wheels of the car drifted again and rushed into the traffic. Bruce was vexed and only felt better when venting his irritation by speeding. However, this greatly frightened the chauffeur. Bruce initially did not believe Joanna when she said the children belonged to Jaydon. However, he was half¨Cconvinced when she said she would show him the children¡¯s birth certificates and paternity test results. If Joanna¡¯s statement was true, she had cheated on him with Jaydon during their marriage. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. With his personality, Bruce could not ept such a betrayal. ¡°Joanna, I didn¡¯t expect you to dare lie to me! I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± Bruce cursed and mmed on the steering wheel hard. The car tilted to the side and nearly flipped over. ¡°Mr. Everett, be careful! There¡¯s a red light ahead¡­ The chauffeur¡¯s face turned white from the fear that Bruce had run a red light. Bruce had just got into a car identst month and had crashed his car into the sea. It had only been a month, and he was driving recklessly again. If Margaret found out, she would fire all the chauffeurs! The chauffeur was so frightened when he saw the intersection that he closed his eyes. He thought that Bruce was going to drive through it without a care. 07:16 Thu, 22 Jun Chapter 78 Unexpectedly, Bruce suddenly stepped on the brakes. The car came to a halting stop. The huge force made the two of them fly forward. Thankfully, they were locked back into their seats by the seatbelts. The chauffeur was scared out of his wits. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to jump out of the car. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Chapter 79 ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ The chauffeur was trembling with fear. ¡°Shut up!¡± The chauffeur was so frightened that he did not dare to speak anymore. He knew Bruce¡¯s temper and could only silently pray they remained safe. Margaret called as soon as Bruce returned home. Bruce frowned but still picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Grandma!¡± Margaret¡¯s voice sounded from the other end of the line. ¡°Bruce,e and have dinner tonight with me!¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m a little tired today. Can we do it another day?¡± Margaret pondered briefly before earnestly advising, ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to interfere in your personal matters. ¡°But you have to think of potential repercussions. Don¡¯t act recklessly! ¡°Since you¡¯re preparing to marry the Haynes family¡¯s second daughter, don¡¯t get too involved with their eldest daughter. Otherwise, people will gossip, negatively affecting the Everett Group!¡± Margaret had also seen the pictures of Bruce and Joanna kissing passionately at the airport. After all, the Everett family was the wealthiest family in Greyport. Every move of theirs was bound to be eye¨Ccatching, so many things had to be considered when they acted. Although Margaret did not like Roxanne, she was a person who valued promises. Her word given was as good as done. Since she had promised the Haynes family that Bruce would marry Roxanne, Margaret would not allow Bruce to fool around outside. Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Got it, Grandma!¡± ¡°I asked you to bring Joanna¡¯s children back so I could look at them. It¡¯s been so long. Why haven¡¯t you brought the children. back yet?¡± Speaking of Joanna, Bruce¡¯s heart red with anger. He pursed his lips. ¡°She said that the children don¡¯t belong to the Everett family. There¡¯s no need for you to take a look at the children, Grandma.¡± Margaret fell silent on the other end of the phone. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first! I¡¯ll go back and eat with you this weekend, Grandma.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After hanging up, Bruce let out a long sigh of relief and lit a cigarette. He was still doubtful of Joanna¡¯s words! However, he was furious at her attitude. When he thought of the ambiguous rtionship between her and Jaydon, his heart tightened even more. A Rolls¨CRoyce pulled up in front of the Haynes Group¡¯s entrance the next day. Margaret hade to see Joanna personally. Chapter 79 In the office, Joanna was surprised to see that Margaret hade down personally. She quickly stood up to wee Margaret and greeted her politely and respectfully, ¡°Hello, Grandma! Why are you here?¡± Margaret was wearing a retro dress and round¨Cframed sses with a chain on the bridge of her nose. On her neck and wrist was an emerald set of jewelry. She looked elegant and noble. Joann! It¡¯s been a long time. How have you been?¡± Joanna paused and answered, ¡°Oh. I¡¯m fine! Grandma, why are you here today?¡± Margaret was a supporter when she and Bruce got married six years ago. She had treated Joanna well during Joanna¡¯s two years of marriage with Bruce. Therefore, Joanna also respected Margaret and habitually called her Grandma. Margaret sat down on the sofa and looked at Joanna in a dignified yet kindly manner. ¡°I came here today to see you!¡± ¡°Oh. Please have some tea, Grandma!¡± ¡°No, thank you. Take a seat!¡± Margaret smiled calmly, indicating that Joanna need not be nervous. Margaret was the guest, but the aura she exuded inadvertently suppressed that of Joanna¡¯s. Still uneasy, Joanna sat down on the other end of the sofa. ¡°Grandma, please speak if you have something to say.¡± Margaret paused for a few seconds and smiled kindly. ¡°I wanted to ask about the children.¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve already made things very clear to Mr. Everett about the children.¡± Margaret¡¯s eyelids drooped as she quietly stared at Joanna. Her eyes were kind and amiable but seemed to be able to cut through hearts and minds when she stared at people. ¡°Joanna, this is no small matter! If the children belong to the Everett family, we will take responsibility!¡± Joanna pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood, Grandma. My children do not belong to the Everett family!¡± ¡°I intend to find out whether it¡¯s true or not!¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Bring the children here, and let me see them! I will take the children for a paternity test with Bruce. If they are not of the Everett family¡­¡± Joanna interrupted Margaret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but they are my children! You have no right to take my children away!¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no, I won¡¯t take your children away! ¡°I¡¯m also a woman. I know how protective a mother is of her children. Even if the children are of the Everett family, I will not snatch them away from you. ¡°You can rest assured about this. But if you insist on disagreeing, I will think of other ways!¡± Margaret was always polite unless she had to resort to force. Her gentle words carried a chilling threat. Joanna frowned slightly and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll show you something, Grandma. 07:16 Thu, 22 Chapter 79 ¡°Please give me a moment, Grandma!¡± With that, Joanna went straight to a corner of the office. Then, she opened the safe and took out a folder. ¡°Grandma, you can take a look at this.¡± Joanna handed the folder to Margaret. Margaret eyed Joanna suspiciously. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°These are my children¡¯s birth certificates from the hospital and their paternity test results.¡± Margaret opened the folder when she heard this. Inside the folder were two documents embossed with steel stamps. One was the children¡¯s birth certificates with the hospital¡¯s seal. Jaydon¡¯s name was in the father¡¯s columns. The other was the paternity test results. It showed that the probability of paternity between the three children and Jaydon was 99%. In other words, Jaydon and the three children were biologically rted. After looking at the two documents, Margaret adjusted her sses, and a hint of disappointment crept up her face. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°You can take these certificates to any institution for appraisal, Grandma. They are authentic and valid. ¡°So please stop suspecting that the children are of the Everett family, Grandma!¡± Joanna had spent a lot of money to get someone to fake these two certificates. Even the children¡¯s birth dates were deliberately pushed back by three months. After a while, Margaret finally came back to her sense. ¡°In that case, sorry to disturb you.¡± Margaret stood up and prepared to leave as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s alright, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up!¡± Margaret walked toward the office door. When she reached it, she suddenly stopped. ¡°I still want to give you a reminder.¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Grandma.¡± ¡°You and Bruce have a past. But Bruce is going to marry your sister soon. ¡°However you put it, this matter reflects negatively on all of us. I hope you will distance yourself from Bruce.¡± Joanna chuckled and replied coldly, ¡°Grandma, you¡¯ve misunderstood. ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted anything to do with Mr. Everett! ¡°As long as he can maintain distance, I will not disturb his life. ¡°Also, I hope you can advise Mr. Everett, Grandma. Tell him not to suppress and disrupt the normal operation of the Haynes Group!¡± Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Margaret was a proud person. Naturally, she understood what Joanna meant. Margaret knew her grandson¡¯s personality well. As for Joanna, she could tell that Joanna was a strong and proud person from the words she spoke. Some things were probably Bruce¡¯s fault. Margaret looked back at Joanna kindly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will advise Bruce. ¡°No matter what, the Haynes Group is your grandfather¡¯s hard work. I don¡¯t wish for the Haynes Group to suffer any negative impact too!¡± Thank you, Grandma!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Grandma!¡± Joanna personally sent Margaret downstairs. Joanna heaved a long sigh of relief once she had sent Margaret away. She could not help but feel a little nervous and prayed that Margaret could manage Bruce. Joanna was confident she could manage the Haynes Group well as long as Bruce did not y any tricks behind her back. Bruce returned to the Everett mansion as promised over the weekend. He would go back for dinner with his Grandma every weekend on time. Bruce pretended to be nonchnt during dinner time. ¡°Grandma, I heard that you went to see Joanna?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Margaret replied calmly. Seeing that Margaret did not continue, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but ask after a while. ¡°And?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Bruce gently took a sip of the ginseng soup. His eyes were unfocused. Margaret suddenly sighed after checking her grandson¡¯s reaction. ¡°The children are not of the Everett family. In the future, don¡¯t make things difficult for Joanna.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart tightened when he heard this. The spoon in his hand fell into the bowl, generating a crisp, ringing sound. ¡°How did you know, Grandma?¡± Margaret put down the cutlery in her hand. ¡°Joanna showed me the children¡¯s birth certificates and paternity test results. ¡°I have checked. The certificates are real. So, the children are not of the Everett family.¡± Bruce instantly felt the blood rushing to his head and a hint of hatred gathered in his eyes. Joanna had cheated on him during their marriage! Bruce could not take it anymore. He fervently wished that he could settle the score with Joanna right then. Margaret observed her grandson¡¯s reaction and continued, ¡°In business, we prioritize benefits. Even more important is Chapter 80 keeping promises. The Everett family has reached where we are today because we kept our promises. Other than keeping promises, it is also vital to be magnanimous. The Haynes Group was Raymond Haynes¡® life¡¯s work. When your grandfather illegally immigrated to Greyport, he was without rtives and at wit¡¯s end. It was Raymond who took your grandfather in! ¡°He also helped your grandfather get through the most challenging times. As a person, you can¡¯t forget your roots. You must remember them! ¡°I don¡¯t want to see the Haynes Group destroyed!¡± The country had yet to undergo reformation and open up in the 1960s and the 1970s. Many people had gone south, illegally migrating from Porash and the surrounding areas into Greyport, which was not yet part of the country, looking for gold. Bruce¡¯s grandfather was one of those people. At that time, Greyport was particrly cruel to illegal immigrants. Women were directly sold into prostitution when caught by human traffickers, while men were beaten to death and thrown into the sea. Raymond was one of Greyport¡¯s locals and had taken in Bruce¡¯s grandfather, who had just arrived in Greyport. After more than 40 years of hard work, the Everett family had be the wealthiest family in Greyport. Therefore, after they prospered, the Everett family took care of the Haynes family, who, under the former¡¯s help, also entered the circle of the rich. ¡°I advise you to be magnanimous when settling the matter between yourself and Joanna. She is a woman already having a hard time raising three children alone. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to interfere with the Haynes Group¡¯s business anymore, and you are not allowed to suppress the Haynes Group secretly!¡± Bruce was silent for a few seconds after hearing this. I understand, Grandma!¡± Having finished her dinner, Margaret stood up and prepared to leave the dining room. ¡°You¡¯re getting engaged to the Haynes family¡¯s second daughter next month. Stop fooling around outside! ¡°Since things havee to this, you should get married as soon as possible. You¡¯re not young anymore. It¡¯s about time you give me a great¨Cgrandson to dote on! ¡°I don¡¯t have many years left to live at my age. Before I die, my only wish is to have a great¨Cgrandson!¡± Bruce felt upset when he heard this. ¡°You will definitely live to be a hundred years old, Grandma! Forget a great¨Cgrandson! You¡¯ll live to carry a great¨Cgreat¨Cgrandson!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be cheeky! ¡°Call Mr. Haynes and Mrs. Haynes over someday to discuss the engagement.¡± ¡°You make the arrangements, Grandma.¡± Margaret snorted and said dotingly, ¡°I will help you make the arrangements this time. Don¡¯t make any more mistakes!¡± ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Margaret called Shaun in the evening and invited him and Ingrid to discuss marriage ns. Ingrid was so happy that she could not close her mouth from smiling after receiving the call. ¡°That¡¯s great! Margaret called us personally and invited your father and me to discuss the engagement! 07:16 Thu, 22 JUN Chapter 80 ¡°Oh my! Thank heavens! This marriage is finally on the agenda! ¡°Roxy! You must do well this time!¡± Roxanne listened from the side. Although she smiled, her heart was filled with sorrow. She could feel that Bruce no longer had any love for her. If she married him, she would probably only gain the coveted status of Mrs. Everett. Chapter 80 Margaret was a proud person. Naturally, she understood what Joanna meant. Margaret knew her grandson¡¯s personality well. As for Joanna, she could tell that Joanna was a strong and proud person from the words she spoke. Some things were probably Bruce¡¯s fault. Margaret looked back at Joanna kindly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will advise Bruce. ¡°No matter what, the Haynes Group is your grandfather¡¯s hard work. I don¡¯t wish for the Haynes Group to suffer any negative impact too!¡± Thank you, Grandma!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Grandma!¡± Joanna personally sent Margaret downstairs. Joanna heaved a long sigh of relief once she had sent Margaret away. She could not help but feel a little nervous and prayed that Margaret could manage Bruce. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Joanna was confident she could manage the Haynes Group well as long as Bruce did not y any tricks behind her back. Bruce returned to the Everett mansion as promised over the weekend. He would go back for dinner with his Grandma every weekend on time. Bruce pretended to be nonchnt during dinner time. ¡°Grandma, I heard that you went to see Joanna?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Margaret replied calmly. Seeing that Margaret did not continue, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but ask after a while. ¡°And?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Bruce gently took a sip of the ginseng soup. His eyes were unfocused. Margaret suddenly sighed after checking her grandson¡¯s reaction. ¡°The children are not of the Everett family. In the future, don¡¯t make things difficult for Joanna.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart tightened when he heard this. The spoon in his hand fell into the bowl, generating a crisp, ringing sound. ¡°How did you know, Grandma?¡± Margaret put down the cutlery in her hand. ¡°Joanna showed me the children¡¯s birth certificates and paternity test results. ¡°I have checked. The certificates are real. So, the children are not of the Everett family.¡± Bruce instantly felt the blood rushing to his head and a hint of hatred gathered in his eyes. Joanna had cheated on him during their marriage! Bruce could not take it anymore. He fervently wished that he could settle the score with Joanna right then. Margaret observed her grandson¡¯s reaction and continued, ¡°In business, we prioritize benefits. Even more important is Chapter 80 keeping promises. The Everett family has reached where we are today because we kept our promises. Other than keeping promises, it is also vital to be magnanimous. The Haynes Group was Raymond Haynes¡® life¡¯s work. When your grandfather illegally immigrated to Greyport, he was without rtives and at wit¡¯s end. It was Raymond who took your grandfather in! ¡°He also helped your grandfather get through the most challenging times. As a person, you can¡¯t forget your roots. You must remember them! ¡°I don¡¯t want to see the Haynes Group destroyed!¡± The country had yet to undergo reformation and open up in the 1960s and the 1970s. Many people had gone south, illegally migrating from Porash and the surrounding areas into Greyport, which was not yet part of the country, looking for gold. Bruce¡¯s grandfather was one of those people. At that time, Greyport was particrly cruel to illegal immigrants. Women were directly sold into prostitution when caught by human traffickers, while men were beaten to death and thrown into the sea. Raymond was one of Greyport¡¯s locals and had taken in Bruce¡¯s grandfather, who had just arrived in Greyport. After more than 40 years of hard work, the Everett family had be the wealthiest family in Greyport. Therefore, after they prospered, the Everett family took care of the Haynes family, who, under the former¡¯s help, also entered the circle of the rich. ¡°I advise you to be magnanimous when settling the matter between yourself and Joanna. She is a woman already having a hard time raising three children alone. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to interfere with the Haynes Group¡¯s business anymore, and you are not allowed to suppress the Haynes Group secretly!¡± Bruce was silent for a few seconds after hearing this. I understand, Grandma!¡± Having finished her dinner, Margaret stood up and prepared to leave the dining room. ¡°You¡¯re getting engaged to the Haynes family¡¯s second daughter next month. Stop fooling around outside! ¡°Since things havee to this, you should get married as soon as possible. You¡¯re not young anymore. It¡¯s about time you give me a great¨Cgrandson to dote on! ¡°I don¡¯t have many years left to live at my age. Before I die, my only wish is to have a great¨Cgrandson!¡± Bruce felt upset when he heard this. ¡°You will definitely live to be a hundred years old, Grandma! Forget a great¨Cgrandson! You¡¯ll live to carry a great¨Cgreat¨Cgrandson!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be cheeky! ¡°Call Mr. Haynes and Mrs. Haynes over someday to discuss the engagement.¡± ¡°You make the arrangements, Grandma.¡± Margaret snorted and said dotingly, ¡°I will help you make the arrangements this time. Don¡¯t make any more mistakes!¡± ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Margaret called Shaun in the evening and invited him and Ingrid to discuss marriage ns. Ingrid was so happy that she could not close her mouth from smiling after receiving the call. ¡°That¡¯s great! Margaret called us personally and invited your father and me to discuss the engagement! 07:16 Thu, 22 JUN Chapter 80 ¡°Oh my! Thank heavens! This marriage is finally on the agenda! ¡°Roxy! You must do well this time!¡± Roxanne listened from the side. Although she smiled, her heart was filled with sorrow. She could feel that Bruce no longer had any love for her. If she married him, she would probably only gain the coveted status of Mrs. Everett. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Ingrid smiled and patted her daughter¡¯s shoulderfortingly. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. There¡¯s nothing to worry about! ¡°Everything will be fine once you¡¯re married. No matter what, you¡¯ll marry into the Everett family and be Mrs. Everett! Then the Haynes family can be proud! ¡°We can¡¯t afford to mess things up this time! We have to endure everything. Don¡¯t make a scene before Bruce!* Roxanne nodded and answered, ¡°I understand!¡± ¡°Then hurry up and get packing! We have to prepare and go over to the Everett mansion tomorrow. Go to bed early today!¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go back to my room!¡± ¡°Go! Sleep early! Don¡¯t forget to apply a facial mask to hydrate your skin!¡± ¡°Got it, Mom!¡± Roxanne answered impatiently and went upstairs. After returning to her room, Roxanne eagerly took out another phone. Gavin had sent her many messages and was asking to meet her again. But the wedding was imminent, so Roxanne dared not meet Gavin. If Bruce found out, she and the Haynes family would be finished! Roxanne was staring at her phone, dazed, when it suddenly vibrated. Gavin¡¯s message popped up. [Roxy, I miss you!] Roxanne hesitated briefly before replying. [We can¡¯t meet again. Let¡¯s not contact each other for the time being!] Another message from Gavin came in less than a minuteter. [Roxy, don¡¯t you miss me?] [If you¡¯re afraid of being seen, you cane to my house! I¡¯ll pick you up!] Roxanne stared at the message on her phone and could not help but feel her body burn up. She hadn¡¯t seen Gavin for half a month, so she naturally craved his touch again. Roxanne felt like she could not live without a man once she had experienced their touch. Besides, Gavin knew her so well. Every moment she spent with him was so exciting and so satisfying.. Roxanne hesitated for a few minutes but could not resist her urge to see Gavin. She typed a word on her phone screen. [Okay!] After replying to the message, Roxanne quickly changed and quietly went downstairs. Ingrid happened toe out of the room to get some water and saw her daughter sneaking out of the house. She quickly stopped her daughter. ¡°Roxy, it¡¯s already sote. Are you going out?¡± When Roxanne heard this, she panicked and stammered, ¡°Oh! 1¡­ I¡¯m going to meet Bruce!¡± Chapter 81 Upon hearing that Roxanne was meeting Bruce, Ingrid smiled and did not suspect anything else. ¡°Then hurry up and go! ¡°Don¡¯t keep Mr. Everett waiting too long. Be more daring, and stop being so conservative! ¡°Don¡¯te back tonight. Get along well with Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Roxanne replied nervously. She took her bag and hurried out of the door. ¡°That silly daughter of mine has finally been enlightened!¡± Ingrid took a sip of water and went upstairs happily. If she knew that her daughter had not gone out to meet Bruce, but that poor boy Gavin, Ingrid would probably spew blood from anger! As usual, Roxanne took a taxi to where she and Gavin often met before he picked her up on his motorcycle. Gavin lived in a cottage in the suburbs. Even though it was only a cottage, many people in Greyport could not afford it. Gavin¡¯s parents had long stopped living with him. Therefore, he was the only one in the cottage. Upon getting off the motorcycle and returning to the cottage, Roxanne and Gavin could hardly wait before they fell into one another¡¯s arms. ¡°Roxy, are you really getting married? What will happen to me if you get married? ¡°You lusty kitten, can you live without me?¡± Gavin knew Roxanne was getting married, so he worked harder than usual to impress her. He wanted her to remember him so that she would never be able to leave him! He wanted her always to remember him even if she was married! After a while, Roxanne could not take it anymore and moaned with pleasure. A week passed in a sh. Bruce had not gone to the Haynes Group to cause trouble for one week. Joanna¡¯s days were finally peaceful. As it was the weekend, Lilia could not wait any longer. She kept asking Joanna, ¡°Mommy, will Irvin and Davian being back today?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring them backter.¡± In the afternoon, Joanna fetched Davian and Irvin back from Venturas. As soon as they entered the house, Davian and Irvin shouted happily, ¡°Lilia, we¡¯re back!¡± Irvin! You¡¯re back! I missed you both so much!¡± ¡°We missed you too! Look, I brought a gift back for you!¡± Davian took two cookies out of his pocket and presented them as if he were presenting a treasure. ¡°What are these?¡± These are handmade biscuits that I made at school!¡± 07:16 Thu, 22 Jun Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 81 M Lilia took the cookies. ¡°Thank you, Davian!¡± Irvin hurriedly took out a few biscuits too. ¡°I brought you some too!¡± Thank you, Irvin!¡± ¡°Was kindergarten fun?¡± ¡°Yes, it was very fun! I can get to know many, many friends!¡± ¡°What do you do every day?¡± ¡°ying games, learning, and doing arts and craft!¡± Disappointment appeared on Lilia¡¯s face when she heard this. She wanted to go to kindergarten too. Unfortunately, she could only lie down all day long. ¡°I want to go to kindergarten too!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can go to kindergarten with Davian and Irvin once you recover, Lilia.¡± Davian looked at Joanna. ¡°Mommy, can we bring Lilia downstairs to y?¡± ¡°The weather is good today. Mommy will bring you¡¯ll to the Ocean Park to y!¡± ¡°Oh, yay! That¡¯s great! We get to go to Ocean Park!¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll have to behave yourselves and don¡¯t run around!¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Joanna looked at the time. It was one in the afternoon. There was just enough time for the children to y in the park for two to three hours. It had been long since she had gone out to y with the children. Joanna decided to take the children out for a trip as she happened to be free today. ¡°Alright then, go and change your clothes!¡± ¡°Yay! We¡¯re going to Ocean Park!¡± Davian and Irvin happily ran to change their clothes. Joanna also carried Lilia and changed her into a beautiful dress and sunhat. Lilia was delighted. She had not gone out for a long time because of her health. After dressing up, Lilia sat on the wheeled stretcher. Her rosy face and big blinking eyes made her look as beautiful as at princess. Besides being unable to stand, she was no different from a normal child.. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The family set out, with Tracy pushing Lilia and Joanna holding Davian and Irvin¡¯s hands. Under the wheeled stretcher were the children¡¯s water bottles and some snacks. As there was no room in the car, Joanna only brought one helper, Tracy. Half an hourter, Joanna¡¯s car arrived at Ocean Park. The three children were incredibly excited. Especially excited was Irvin, who would run in front from time to time to lead the way. Davian had a quieter personality and exuded a matureness that did not match his age. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a dolphin performance here!¡± Irvin shouted excitedly. Lilia looked at the dolphins in the water and smiled so radiantly that her eyes curved into moon¨Clike crescents. ¡°Mommy, can wee and y once a week from now on?¡± Joanna gently stroked Lilia¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, Mommy will bring you here when I have time!¡± Joanna brought the children to the fantasy¨Cthemed aquarium after watching the dolphins. The aquarium led straight to the bottom of the sea. The elevator was directly built into the sea, and one could see the sea creatures living at the bottom of the sea through the ss cover. It was also the most fun and scenic spot in the park. There¡¯s more fun ahead. Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna and the children arrived at the aquarium. Just as they were about to enter, the staff stopped them. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to enter here. It¡¯s temporarily closed!¡± When the children heard this, their faces were filled with disappointment. Chapter 82. They had long wanted to see the sea creatures at the bottom of the sea. ¡°Why?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Um, the aquarium is under repair today, so it¡¯s not open to tourists!¡± Joanna felt that it was a pity when she heard this. However, she could only give up since the aquarium was under repair. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Mommy, we want to go in and take a look!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not open to the public today. I¡¯ll bring you¡¯ll here next time, alright?¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, their faces were filled with disappointment. They knew how busy their mother was with work and that it would be long before they could revisit the aquarium. ¡°Be good. There¡¯s a dinosaur¨Cthemed park ahead. Let¡¯s go see the dinosaurs, okay?¡± ¡°Alright! The three children pouted. Although unhappy, they did not want to anger their mother, so they could only agree. Joanna was about to leave with the children when she heard cheerfulughter from the aquarium¡¯s entrance. ¡°Wow, this background is the best! Stand on the elevator and take a picture! ¡°Take one for me too!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, you can put your hand on your shoulder! I¡¯ll take another photo¡­¡± From the sound of it, people were taking photos in the aquarium. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the aquarium was under repair and not open to the public?¡± The staff continued to answer vaguely, ¡°Um, yes!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°There are tourists taking photos inside. Why can they go in but not us?¡± The staff¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Someone booked the aquarium today. It¡¯s not open to the public!¡± Joanna was even angrier when she heard that. The aquarium was not a private park, and booking it for private use was prohibited. Joanna wondered who was so powerful that they could book the aquarium. ¡°We want to go in. We bought tickets too! Why can¡¯t we go in?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Just know that it¡¯s not open to the public today!¡± ¡°Ha! Is the person inside the president of another country? Are tourists not allowed to enter?¡± Joanna argued with the staff. Meanwhile, a few photographers came out of the aquarium. Then, a beautiful woman in a white wedding dress and exquisite makeup walked out with a smile. Behind her were four or five assistants specially hired to lift the long hem of her wedding dress. The group appeared to be ing wedding photos inside, with the aquarium as their background. Chapter $2 Joanna took a closer look. That bride was Roxanne! Behind Roxanne was the stylishly dressed Ingrid. Ingrid was still posing seductively in front of the photographer. ¡°Hey, Bruce, when are you arriving? We¡¯ve already finished photographing the solo photos. We¡¯re just short of pictures with both of us in it. ¡°What? You¡¯ll be here in half an hour? I¡¯ll take photos at the next location first, then!¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Roxanne hung up the phone. As she walked, she said, ¡°Mom, the aquarium is a beautiful background. How many photos did you take?¡± ¡°I took a lot of pictures! ¡°Where are we going to shoot next? When are we going to shoot in Paris? I want to go too!¡± The photographer smiled ingratiatingly. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s shoot photos set domestically first! When Mr. Everett has enough time, we¡¯ll shoot overseas!¡± Just as they were talking, Ingrid and Roxanne looked up and happened to see Joanna and her three children beside her. ¡°Hey, look what we have here. Isn¡¯t this the chairwoman of the Haynes Group?¡± Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Ingrid¡¯s face darkened. Her eyes scanned Joanna up and down, and her face was filled with mockery. ¡°So they¡¯re the ones who booked the aquarium? Is this what you meant when you said it was under repair?¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at the staff. Irvin tugged at Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°Mommy, can we go in now? ¡°Sir, others can enter, so why can¡¯t we? N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°My sister really wants to go in and take a look!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The staff member turned and looked toward Ingird inquiringly. Ocean Park was not private property. Booking the entire venue was prohibited. But it had been booked for a wedding photoshoot. Only the Everett family was powerful enough to do so in Greyport. Roxanne had yet to marry into the Everett family, but people already regarded her as Mrs. Everett. ¡°Can we enter now?¡± Joanna asked. The staff ignored her. He turned to look at Ingrid and Roxanne. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, Miss Roxanne, are you done with your wedding photoshoot?¡± Ingrid nced at Joanna and sneered. ¡°Not yet! Just wait!¡± Joanna was choked with anger. ¡°Mr. Everett hasn¡¯t arrived yet. They still have to take photos of the coupleter! They¡¯ve only taken solo photos. ¡°Outsiders are not allowed to enter the aquarium today!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Take your time, Mrs. Haynes and Miss Roxanne!¡± The staff turned to look at Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t enter for now!¡± ¡°Mommy, what should we do?¡± Irvin¡¯s face was filled with grievance and disappointment. Davian stood there coolly and red at Roxanne and Ingrid. ¡°Mommy, why can they enter? Why can¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t wee back another day!¡± Lilia was timid and gently pulled on Joanna¡¯s finger. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring you over another day! ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s go!¡± Seeing Joanna was about to leave, Roxanne raised her eyebrows and smiled smugly. ¡°Bruce and I are getting engaged next month, Joanna. ¡°I won¡¯t go through the trouble of especially informing you since I happened to bump into you today. Here¡¯s the invitation. Do bring your children to my engagement party with Bruce!¡± As she spoke, Roxanne asked her assistant to get an invitation and handed it to Joanna. Joanna sneered and did not reach out to take it. ¡°No need! We¡¯re not free! ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s go!¡± Ingrid curled her lips and snorted disdainfully. ¡°Hmph, aren¡¯t you ashameding out with that little cripple of yours?¡± The anger that Joanna had tried to suppress red when she heard this. ¡°Who are you calling a cripple?¡± Ingrid crossed her arms and looked at Joanna disdainfully. ¡°Oh, did I say something wrong? ¡°A kid that age is still riding in a pram. What is she, if not a cripple? ¡°Haha, this is retribution. Even the heavens are punishing her for her many misdeeds! ¡°Oh, wait, the punishment fell on her child. That¡¯s some well¨Cdeserved retribution!¡± Davian and Irvin were instantly enraged when they heard this. Their tiny faces scrunched up in anger. ¡°Our sister is only sick, not crippled!¡± Lilia pouted and lowered her head, sobbing when she heard this. Sensitive and timid, she was already different from other children. It was a significant blow to her now that others had called her a cripple. Roxanne did not miss the opportunity to add insult to injury. She smiled and added, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t make it sound so unpleasant! ¡°Medicine is so advanced now. Even if you¡¯re crippled, you can still be cured!¡± Ingrid snorted coldly and continued, ¡°No matter how advanced medicine is, it can¡¯t treat congenital disabilities!¡± ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re right! Nowadays, pregnancy tests can detect everything. Why insist on giving birth if you knew she would be crippled, Joanna?¡± ¡°Roxy, remember to do a pregnancy test when you and Mr. Everett have children! It would be such a burden to give birth to a cripple!¡± ¡°Mom, you¡¯re overthinking! Bruce has good genes. He won¡¯t give me an unhealthy child!¡± The mother and daughter kept repeating the word ¡®crippled.¡® Joanna¡¯s heart ached terribly hearing their conversation, and she clenched her fists tightly. Davian¡¯s eyes widened in anger. He pounced on Ingrid and pushed her hard. ¡°You¡¯re the cripple! ¡°My sister is just sick. She¡¯s not a cripple!¡± Ingrid was wearing high heels and stumbled when Davian pushed her. She nearly fell. ¡°Ouch! You damn child! You have no manners at all. Get lost!¡± Ingrid red and raised her hand to p Davian. Seeing this, Joanna suddenly reached out and grabbed Ingrid¡¯s arm. Then, she pushed Ingrid hard. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my child!¡± ¡°Heh, damn bitch, you¡¯re indeed mother and son. You¡¯re both lowlifes! ¡°Serves you right for giving birth to a cripple¡­.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned cold. She raised his hand and pped Ingrid. ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± Stunned by the hard p, Ingrid covered her face. Joanna, how could you hit mom? She is your elder, after all!¡± Roxanne quickly went forward to check on Ingrid. Ingrid came back to her senses five secondster. ¡°How dare you hit me! I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Flustered and exasperated, Ingrid reached out and tried to retaliate. The expression on Joanna¡¯s face was cold. Without waiting for Ingrid to retaliate, Joanna raised her hand and pped Ingrid hard again. Although Joanna was delicate, she had also taken the time to practice female self¨Cdefense over the years. While her attacks were not lethal, they were more than enough to deal with someone like Ingrid. Roxanne¡¯s pretty face was filled with fury. She hurriedly went forward to help Ingrid. ¡°How could you hit Mom again?¡± Ingrid was even more indignant after suffering another p. She screamed angrily and charged forward to fight Joanna again. However, Joanna grabbed Ingrid¡¯s arms, kicked her hard behind the knees, and pressed her to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you up every time I see you if you dare call my daughter a cripple again!¡± As Roxanne was wearing a wedding dress, it was inconvenient for her to interfere, and she could only stand aside and shout, ¡°Stop fighting!¡± The assistants also hurriedly went forward to stop the fight. The scene was still raucous when more than ten men dressed in ck rushed over from afar. ¡°Mr. Everett is here! Mr. Everett is here!¡± Joanna stopped her actions. Bruce also happened to stop before her. Bruce could not help but frown when he saw the farce before him. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Roxanne immediately cried and ran forward to grab Bruce¡¯s arm. ¡°Bruce, Joanna hit my mom!¡± A hint of surprise appeared on Bruce¡¯s face when he heard this. ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna let go of Ingrid and stood up angrily. Ingrid was disadvantaged and became even more unyielding when she saw that Bruce had arrived. ¡°Joanna, you little bitch! How dare you hit me? You¡¯ve gone overboard! I¡¯ll tell your father and make sure he severs his father¨Cdaughter rtionship with you!¡± ¡°Do as you please!¡± Joanna answered coldly. ¡°Alright, just wait! What a shameless bitch! You¡¯re the Haynes family¡¯s jinx!¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you up again if you say another word!¡± ¡°Bruce, quickly persuade Joanna to stop!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna coldly. The expression on his face was extremely dark. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. He hadn¡¯t seen Joanna in more than a week. Now that they met, he felt inexplicably frustrated. Joanna, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so capable!¡± Bruce said sarcastically. However, Bruce was not standing up for Ingrid. Instead, he was still angry that Joanna had dared betray him. Davian hurriedly ran to Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°Mommy, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna stood to leave with the children as she spoke. ¡°Stop right there!¡± ¡°What do you want, Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Hmph! You hit her and want to leave without apologizing?¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Ha!¡± She turned to leave again. ¡°Joanna, stop right there!¡± The bodyguards immediately surrounded Joanna and stopped her. Davian red at Bruce fiercely. ¡°They bullied Mommy first! That¡¯s why mommy hit her!¡± Irvin quickly added, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! She was the one who called my sister a cripple first! ¡°This baddy deserves to be beaten!¡± Bruce sneered and stared at Joanna. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving today unless you apologize!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, will you interfere in this matter too?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ( Ingrid said fiercely. ¡°Bruce, teach this damn bitch a lesson!¡± ¡°Tracy, call the police! Let¡¯s all go to the police station!¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth in hatred when she heard this. They could not take any more wedding photos today if they went to the police station. She quickly changed her attitude and gently coaxed, ¡°Forget it, Bruce. We still have to take our wedding photos! ¡°Don¡¯t waste time on her!¡± Ingrid scolded angrily upon hearing this. ¡°This evil little bitch! She caused trouble six years ago and wants to do it again now that she sees Roxy will marry Mr. Everett! ¡°I¡¯ll call your father over now and get him to take a good look at this daughter of his!¡± Joanna looked at Ingrid coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll say this onest time. I was framed by someone six years ago! ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ll rify this onest time. I¡¯ve never set you up!¡± ¡°Hmph! What¡¯s the point of saying this now?¡± ¡°Forget it, forget it. We¡¯re all family. Stop arguing!¡± Roxanne hurriedly acted as the peacemaker and kept winking at Ingrid. Ingrid understood her daughter¡¯s hints. It was not easy to get Bruce toe for the wedding photoshoot. Chapter 84 ??? They had more important business toplete first. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m fine! I won¡¯t argue with her any longer!¡± Joanna and the children were no longer in the mood to y after themotion. Thus she brought the children home. early. After returning home, Irvin and Davian could not help but discuss the day¡¯s happenings. ¡°Davian, that man called Bruce Everett seems to be Mommy¡¯s ex¨Chusband!¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Well, do you think he¡¯s our daddy?¡± Davian was shocked when he heard that. ¡°Huh? ¡°Hmph! We won¡¯t want him to be our daddy! He is a big baddie that constantly bullies Mommy! ¡°He¡¯s not our daddy!¡± Irvin tilted his head and said in an adorable voice, ¡°But Mommy has never told us who our daddy is. ¡°He¡¯s most likely our daddy! ¡°I heard he¡¯s getting engaged to another woman next month!¡± Davian eyes sparkled with mischief. ¡°Oh, hehe! We¡¯ll send him a big gift when he gets engaged!¡± Irvin¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Davian, what idea did youe up with this time? ¡°Our previous prank on him didn¡¯t seem to have much effect. It didn¡¯t cause any harm to him either!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother yourself. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely teach him a lesson when he gets engaged!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We can¡¯t let him marry that evildy! If he¡¯s our daddy, we can¡¯t let him marry another woman!¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet! Don¡¯t tell Mommy! ¡°She¡¯ll stop us if she finds out!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Go to sleep!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± It was Sunday the next day. Joanna had to send her two sons to Venturas again. ¡°Lilia, be good at home! Mommy is sending us to Venturas!¡± ¡°Okay, Davian and Irvin. Goodbye!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Lilia! We¡¯ll be back next weekend!¡± Joanna led Davian and Irvin out the door. She had to send them to Venturas every Sunday afternoon. TNU, 22 J M Chapter 84 She would then bring them home on the weekend. Jaydon apanied Joanna, Irvin, and Davian on their way to Venturas. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing! ¡°I think I would still like to bring Davian and Irvin back to Greyport to study if possible.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome to fetch them back and forth every week.¡± ¡°Are you not worried about Bruce then?¡± Joanna smiled faintly. ¡°I think he already believes they are not his children. He won¡¯t harp on the matter anymore.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer! At least until this semester ends!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Be good in kindergarten. Do you two hear me?¡± ¡°Got it, Mommy!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Goodbye, mommy!¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Joanna returned to Greyport after sending Davian and Irvin to kindergarten. She had yet to arrive home when her phone. rang.. Joanna took out her phone and saw that it was Shaun calling. Joanna hesitated. She didn¡¯t want to answer his call. Since she had beaten Ingrid up yesterday, her father must be calling to reprimand her. But the phone would keep ringing if she did not pick up the call. Joanna picked up the call reluctantly, ¡°Hello, Dad.¡± Shaun¡¯s dull voice sounded from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dad?¡± Shaun paused briefly before directly asking. ¡°Well, I heard you and Ingrid had an unhappy incident yesterday?¡± After Ingrid returned home yesterday, she threw a tantrum at Shaun and pushed him to sever his father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Joanna. Shaun was stuck in a dilemma. Frowning slightly, Joanna answered with a not¨Cvery¨Cpolite tone. ¡°Why? Are you calling to reprimand me?¡± ¡°Sigh, your personality is bing increasingly like your mother¡¯s. You¡¯re bing more and more brusque and unreasonable! ¡°Things wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this state if you could just listen to others¡® advice¡­¡± Joanna interrupted Shaun before he could finish. ¡°Dad, is there anything else? If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first. I still have work to deal withter!¡± Shaun pondered for a few seconds and quickly asked, ¡°Mr. Everett and Roxy are getting engaged on the sixth of next month. Are youing?¡± Joanna paused for a moment before rejecting him. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for that, right? My presence at such an asion will only dampen everyone¡¯s mood.¡± Shaun felt slightly relieved when he heard Joanna¡¯s rejection. He was not sincere about inviting Joanna but was afraid she would cause trouble at the engagement party otherwise. ¡°Alright then! I won¡¯t force you in that case.¡± ¡°You and Roxy are both my daughters, after all. I hope you will both find happiness with a good man. ¡°I don¡¯t want what happened six years ago to happen again!¡± Joanna smiled wistfully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I won¡¯t be at the scene, let alone cause trouble.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Mr. Grimm is a good man too. I have a good impression of him. Bring him back for a meal sometime when you are free!¡± Joanna tried her best to raise her spirits and speak calmly. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for that, Dad. You don¡¯t have to ask about my personal matters in the future.¡± 0/1/ Chapter & She was not blind to reality and knew Shaun¡¯s care for her was not genuine. She had also yearned for her father¡¯s love and care in the past. But all her fantasies had been shattered now. Joann, why are you bing more and more rebellious? I remember that you used to be a very obedient child! ¡°As ady, you should be more docile¡­¡± ¡°Dad, the elevator is here, and I¡¯m going in. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± Joanna directly hung up after saying that. The elevator arrived just after she hung up the call. Feeling lost and with her head lowered, she got into the elevator. Anyway, she had already divorced Bruce. All her thoughts now were on her three children and the Haynes Group¡¯s business. As for other matters, she did not care anymore. ¡°Ring!¡± The elevator reached Joanna¡¯s floor. Joanna walked home in frustration when the elevator door opened, with her head lowered. Walking too fast, she suddenly bumped into someone when turning a corner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Joanna subconsciously apologized. The person she had bumped into said nothing and continued blocking her way. Joanna rubbed her sore forehead and looked up. Only then did she realize that the person standing opposite her was Bruce. The expression on Bruce¡¯s handsome face was icy, and his eyes were red with anger. However, there was a hint of haggardness in his frosty appearance. Seeing that it was Bruce, Joanna¡¯s eyebrows twitched subconsciously, and her heart was in her throat. ¡°Mr. Everett, what are you doing here?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was cold as he retorted. ¡°Can¡¯t I be here?¡± ¡°You have the freedom to be where you want. Please step aside now. I¡¯m going into my house!¡± Stretching his arm to the wall, Bruce blocked Joanna¡¯s path. ¡°Joanna, I want to ask you this. When exactly did you cheat on me?¡± Joanna tried her best to calm the panic in her heart. ¡°When did I cheat on you?¡± ¡°Grandma has already told me that the children aren¡¯t mine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The children are indeed not yours!¡± Bruce gasped. He could not suppress his anger and grabbed Joanna¡¯s chin. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping with Jaydon since we were still married, haven¡¯t you?¡± Joanna gulped, and her eyes darted around in panic. Bruce¡¯s temper had never been good. Chapter 85 Angering him was not a fun thing to do. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve never cheated on you during our marriage. ¡°Jay and I only got together after we divorced.¡± ¡°Ha! Is that so?¡± Bruce stepped forward and pressed Joanna against the wall. He had been questioning himself for the past few days. Who did he really love? Could his rtionship with Joanna continue? Joanna panicked and tried her best to remain calm. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re already divorced! We have each started a new life. ¡°Please don¡¯t disturb me again!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°It turns out that women are more heartless than men!¡± ¡°Whatever you say. You¡¯re about to get engaged too! Stop pestering me!¡± Bruce narrowed his eyes, and the anger in his heart surged. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m going home. Please let go¡­¡± Joanna tried to crawl out from under his arms. Bruce grabbed her wrist and mmed her against the wall again. ¡°Joanna, I feel like strangling you to death! ¡°How could you cheat on me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s funnying from you, Mr. Everett! I only got together with another man after our divorce! ¡°Now, please let go and stop pestering me like this. We¡¯re all adults. There¡¯s no need to act like this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mr. Everett, and don¡¯t pretend to be distant from me!¡± Bruce¡¯s breathing quickened. He could feel his body getting hotter whenever he got close to Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart trembled, wishing she could walk through the wall and escape to the other side. ¡°Bruce, what do you want?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know what he wanted either. He only knew that his feelings were in a mess now and that he felt restless and uneasy. However, his pride prevented him from admitting he could not relinquish his rtionship with Joanna. Bruce suddenly lowered his head and kissed Joanna¡¯s lips fiercely. Joanna, I¡¯ll end you¡­¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do this! Someone help!¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away with all her might and started screaming in the corridor. ¡°Thud!¡± A neighbor opened the door and peeked out to see what was going on. ¡°What are you doing? Stop it now. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll call the police! Bruce turned around and looked coldly at that neighbor. The neighbor looked closer and was shocked when he saw Bruce. Chapter 85 He quickly adjusted his sses and took another closer look. It was really Bruce Everett! Bruce was the wealthiest man in Greyport and often appeared on television. Therefore, almost everyone in Greyport would recognize him. The neighbor was so frightened that he mmed the door shut again. As amoner, he did not dare to poke his nose into the business of someone like Bruce. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Tracy also heard themotion and hurriedly opened the door. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett¡­¡± Bruce released his grip on Joanna reluctantly. ¡°Just wait. I won¡¯t give up just like that!¡± With that, Bruce turned around and left with a cold expression. Joanna was still filled with fear after Bruce left and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Tracy rushed to Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you alright? ¡°Let me help you into the house!¡± ¡°Okay¡± After Joanna returned home, she swallowed a few antidepressant pills andy down on the sofa. Her mood gradually calmed down after a long time. The sixth of the following month arrived in the blink of an eye. The engagement party for Bruce and Roxanne was held at the Victoria Hotel. The entire hotel had been booked for the day. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Greyport celebrities from all walks of life arrived at the engagement party one after another. Jaydon called early in the morning. ¡°Joann, today is Bruce and Roxanne¡¯s engagement party. Are you really not going?¡± Joanna chuckled on the other end of the line. ¡°Why would I go there? ¡°I have a lot of work to do!¡± ¡°Then shall we have dinner together tonight?¡± ¡°Okay, see you for dinner!¡± Joanna knew no one would wish for her presence at the engagement party since she was Bruce¡¯s ex¨C wife. The stage was filled with flowers at the engagement party, and the emcee was dressed beautifully and hosted the engagement party cheerfully. ¡°Wee, everyone! Today is Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne¡¯s engagement party. ¡°Congrattions to Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne on your engagement! Let¡¯s raise our sses and wish the couple a happy marriage!¡± The scene at the party was extremely lively. Guests invited were celebrities from all walks of life. Margaret was also present and personally greeted guests from the business and political circles. Ever the social butterfly, Ingrid darted around the party and mingled excitedly. Today was finally the engagement party. The next step after the engagement party would be the official wedding. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 ¡°Congrattions!¡± Wee, thank you foring!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t stop smiling. The venue was filled withughter. Though Bruce was not very happy, he was still wearing a polite smile on his face in the face of so many guests. Roxanne was wearing a white fishtail dress today. This was a dress designed by one of the most high¨C end designers in Paris and she looked elegant and graceful in it. She was wearing a crown encrusted with diamonds on her head, and on her neck and wrists was matching top¨Cnotch jewelry. The big diamond on her finger was dazzling. She looked like she was covered in jewels and she was both glowing and stunning. At this moment, Roxanne was happily snuggling up to Bruce. On the huge autograph wall, all the celebrities from all walks of life had left their signatures. Below the stage, some girls got really jealous and could not help but gossip. ¡°Do you think Miss Haynes wille today?¡± A girl in a ck gown snorted. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°No one will wee her on such an asion.¡± ¡°Six years ago, she schemed and forcefully separated Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne. How can she still have the courage toe here now?¡± Another girl in a red dress chimed in sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯re right. How shameless would she be if she really does such a thing?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Who wouldn¡¯t miss a golden bachelor like Mr. Everett? As long as there¡¯s a chance, no one will give up.¡± ¡°However, Miss Roxanne and Mr. Everett are true love! Even if someone forcefully tries to break them up, they won¡¯t get their way!¡± ¡°Shh, this is their engagement banquet. Let¡¯s not talk about this! If the host family hears this, it¡¯ll be very rude.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drink!¡± Today, they were having a buffet. Of course, the dishes were of the highest quality. How much they wanna eat, how much they wanna drink, and what they wanna eat were all up to the guests. Today happened to be the weekend. Davian and Irvin had also returned to Greyport. In the room. Irvin looked curiously at Davian. Davian had a serious expression on his face. He was focused on theputer and he was working on the keyboard. ¡°Davian, how do you n to mess with Bruce?¡± Davian¡¯s cold face tensed up. ¡°I¡¯ve been searching for news online recently. ¡°Everyone said online that mommy tried to seduce Bruce. I¡¯ve checked a lot of news in the past. I don¡¯t believe that mommy would do such a thing. Mommy must have been wronged. Today, I¡¯m going to clear mommy¡¯s name in public.¡± After Davian finished speaking in his childish voice, a hint of maturity that did not match his age appeared on his face. Irvin tilted his head and looked at his brother. ¡°Davian, what do you n to do?¡± Davian quickly found a video from the document. ¡°This is the video of the engagement party of Bruce and that wicked woman six years ago. ¡°Although the surveince video at that time was destroyed, I used technical means to repair the complete surveince video. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to y this edited video at the wedding banquet. As long as everyone watches this video, they will know that mommy did not do that.¡± When Irvin heard this, he looked at his brother with admiration. ¡°Wow, Davian, you¡¯re really amazing!¡± Davian patted his chest and said the most badass words in the sweetest voice, ¡°Needless to say, I¡¯m determined to be the best hacker in the world! ¡°Whoever dares to bully mommy, I¡¯ll teach them a lesson!¡± At the engagement banquet. The banquet had reached its climax. The wedding MC was still hosting the wedding banquet enthusiastically. ¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯d like to invite everyone to watch a video of Mr. Everett proposing to Miss Roxanne.¡± As he spoke, the wedding MC got someone to open the huge projection screen and some elegant and moving music started ying. A huge screen on the wall began to y the scene of Bruce proposing. All the guests looked at the screen enviously. ¡°Wow, so romantic! Miss Roxanne is so lucky!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Everett actually booked an ind to hold the proposal ceremony¡­¡± Everyone was focusing on the video. Suddenly, the huge projection screen sizzled twice before turning ck. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just bad contact. Hurry up and inform the backstage.¡± ¡°Oh my god, how could there be such a malfunction?¡± ¡°Yeah, this is Victoria Hotel. How can there be such a malfunction?¡± Chapter 86 Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Everyone was wondering what was going on here. The technicians hurriedly went backstage to check on the situation. Suddenly, the projection screen shed and then began to y again. Everyone started focusing on the screen. However, the screen had already been switched to another video and the quality of the video was very blurry. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It seems to be a video of the engagement six years ago, right?¡± A guest recognized it. ¡°Huh? Why is the engagement video from six years ago ying now?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened when he saw that. ¡°Andy, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Hurry up and turn off the video!¡± Andy¡¯s face turned pale and he said, ¡°There might be a hacker. I¡¯ll deal with it immediately.¡± When Ingrid and Roxanne saw this, their expressions changed. ¡°MC, what¡¯s happening right now?¡± ¡°Turn off the projection right now¡­¡± Soon, Joanna¡¯s face appeared on the screen. The video was ying at a faster speed and had obviously been edited. However, people could still see the content of the video clearly. Six years ago, Joanna was also one of the bridesmaids. There were no idents happening during the entire ceremony. Toward the end of the engagement banquet, Joanna got a drink from a waiter. After finishing her drink, Joanna clearly felt that something was wrong as if she was drunk and then she leaned weakly on the sofa to rest. Then, a burly middle¨Caged woman in a servant¡¯s uniform carried Joanna into Bruce¡¯s room while she was unconscious. Bam At this point, the entire banquet hall instantly fell silent. Although none of them could see the middle¨Caged woman¡¯s face clearly, they could tell for sure that Joanna was drugged at the wedding banquet six years ago and was sent to Bruce¡¯s room on purpose. In other words, six years ago, Joanna did not take the initiative to enter Bruce¡¯s room and someone had deliberately nned this. Ingrid was so frightened that her face turned pale. She was the one who ordered that person to drug Joanna. Originally, she wanted to y a little trick. She wanted to set Joanna up and make her a shameless person who tried to seduce her brother¨Cinw. Chapter 86 She wanted to ruin Joanna¡¯s reputation and made her lose the right to inherit the Haynes Group. She didn¡¯t expect that she would mess it up. ¡°Oh my god, this is¡­¡± ¡°It turns out that we¡¯ve misunderstood Miss Haynes all these years!¡± That¡¯s right! From the looks of it, Miss Haynes has been set up by someone with ill intentions!¡± ¡°But why did she do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The person who¡¯s responsible for this probably has some shameful secret.¡± ¡°Woah, so everyone has misunderstood Miss Haynes for so many years!¡± Yeah, she¡¯s a victim too!¡± ¡°Who did this on purpose?¡± Ingrid came back to her senses and her expression changedpletely. ¡°Who did this? It¡¯s an engagement banquet. Why are you showing this crap? ¡°Turn off the screen!¡± After watching the video, Bruce waspletely shocked. All these years, he hated Joanna for setting him up. No matter how she exined or denied it, he did not believe anything she said. In the two years of their marriage, he had humiliated her in all sorts of ways. But now¡­ Bruce took a deep breath and there was a gloomy expression on his handsome face. He subconsciously loosened his tie and left the stage without saying a word. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± Seeing that Bruce was about to leave, Roxanne hurriedly chased after him down the stage. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Soon, the backstage staff turned off the projection¡¯s power, and the screen finally turned ck. ¡°Bruce, where exactly are you going?¡± I¡¯m sorry, the engagement is canceled. I can¡¯t marry you!¡± When Roxanne heard this, her whole heart sank. She shouted with a trembling voice, ¡°Bruce!¡± Ingrid also rushed forward and shouted, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett¡­¡± Bruce felt extremely frustrated in his heart. As everyone was watching, he unbuttoned his suit coat and took it off. Then, despite that people were persuading him to stay, he strode away with a long face. Seeing this, everyone looked at each other, stunned. Chapter 86 Bruce left the hotel. And Andy was chasing after him carefully. ¡°Andy.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Find out who the hacker is.¡± Yes, sir.¡± Bruce said grimly, ¡°Also, find out who sent Joanna to my room six years ago. ¡°No matter what the price is, we have to find out who this person is.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± After Bruce left, the entire engagement banquet became quite awkward. Tears streamed down Roxanne¡¯s face. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Ingrid and Shaun had no choice but to go to Margaret. ¡°Mrs. Everett, this is¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry about what happened today. Please enjoy yourselves and make yourselves comfortable.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, what about the engagement?¡± Margaret covered her temples with her hands. I¡¯m not feeling well. I¡¯m sorry but I think I have to leave now.¡± ¡°What about the marriage?¡± Margaret pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Bruce to make his own decision about the marriage.¡± With that. Margaret didn¡¯t say anything else. Under the escort of her bodyguards, she also left in a hurry. ¡°Mom, what should we do?¡± Ingrid stomped her feet and cursed, ¡°It must be that slut, Joanna. I knew she wouldn¡¯t be willing to see you marry into the Everett family!¡± Derick could not help but scold, ¡°Other than her, no one else will interfere! I won¡¯t let her off!!¡± ¡°Mom, will Bruce cancel the engagement with me?¡± ¡°How would I know? It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯ve failed me! ¡°I have to make every decision for you!¡± Shaun looked worried. ¡°Stop arguing! You can¡¯t me Roxy for what happened. ¡°Who deliberately ruined the marriage between Roxy and Mr. Everett six years ago?¡± When Ingrid heard this, she pursed her lips. There was a ming anger in her heart that was suffocating her. What happened six years ago was all designed by her. However, her goal was only to ruin Joanna¡¯s reputation. She had never expected things to turn out this way. Now that she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t regret it more. If she could go back to six years ago, she would definitely not. have done that. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Shaun, Roxanne, Ingrid and the others returned to the Haynes¡¯s house frustratedly. Along the way, Roxanne kept crying. After returning home, she ran upstairs and locked the door. Ingrid was furious. ¡°Look at your daughter. She failed again!¡± Shaun frowned and could not help but sigh. Ingrid was even more upset when she saw his cowardly look. ¡°No matter what, I want you to hold a press conference immediately and announce that you¡¯re severing your father¨Cdaughter rtionship with her! ¡°She destroyed Roxy¡¯s engagement banquet six years ago. Now, she¡¯s trying to ruin it again! ¡°Roxy¡¯s whole life is ruined by her!¡± Shaun looked at Ingrid with a frown. ¡°From the video, Joann was also set up six years ago. ¡°I don¡¯t think she did it on purpose. Now it seems that it¡¯s better to find the person who set her up first.¡± ¡°She might¡¯ve made up the whole story. ¡°Six years ago, she might have nned it herself. No matter what, it was because of her that the marriage between Mr. Everett and Roxy was dyed again and again. ¡°This time, if Roxy¡¯s marriage is ruined, I won¡¯t let her off!¡± Derick and Ryan were also mad. ¡°If Roxy¡¯s marriage is ruined, we¡¯lle after Joanna right now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t meddle. You¡¯re still in school and the only thing you should concern is your study.¡± Derick gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°How can I still be in the mood to study? ¡°You promised me that you would buy me a new sports car after Roxy gets married! Now that this thing has happened, can I still get a new sports car?¡± ¡°Keep dreaming! If your sister¡¯s marriage is ruined, you won¡¯t even get a bicycle, let alone a sports car!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The whole family was anxious about what happened. They wished they could find Joanna and made her pay for this right away. In a Rolls¨CRoyce. Bruce was wearing a long face and looked quite serious. Andy had already traced the hacker¡¯s IP address. ¡°Mr. Everett, the hacker¡¯s IP address has been found.¡± Tell me. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Andy quickly showed Bruce the address he found. ¡°Also, the hacker doesn¡¯t look like an adult. He must be a child.¡± Bruce was stunned when he heard that. What kind of child could manage to do that? If it was really done by a child, then this child was undoubtedly a genius hacker. Bruce looked at the address carefully and frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Joanna¡¯s address?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really her.¡± Bruce could not help but sneer. He knew that Joanna still loved him. ¡°Go find her.¡± Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± On the ground floor of the Haynes Group. Joanna left thepany and Jaydon came to pick her up for dinner. ¡°Joann, what do you want to eat for lunch?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Your call.¡± Jaydon looked at her gently. Then let¡¯s go to the restaurant we went tost time.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Vroom vroom! A few luxury cars pulled up in front of the two of them. In an instant, they were surrounded by them. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Joanna and Jaydon were shocked. More than ten men in suits got out of the car and blocked their way to escape. A Rolls¨CRoyce car door opened and Bruce slowly got out. Seeing this, Joanna could not help but frown. ¡°Bruce, what do you want?¡± Bruce walked in front of the two of them coldly and looked at Joanna gloomily. ¡°What do I want? I should be asking you that question. What do you want?¡± Joanna was stunned and looked at Bruce in confusion. Jaydon frowned and subconsciously shielded Joanna behind him. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Bruce ignored Jaydon. He looked at Joanna coldly and said in amanding tone, ¡°Joanna, go with me.¡± ¡°Let go of me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened and he wanted to fight Bruce. More than ten bodyguards quickly rushed forward and forced Jaydon to back off. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t go out of line!¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you! Come with me now, or I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but gasp. Chapter 87 He would definitely do what he said. Jay, just leave.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Tll be fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened. In the current situation, he also knew that there was no way he could get Joanna away and he knew it would be stupid to fight when the odds were against him. He must go get more people for help immediately to negotiate with Bruce. ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± Jaydon angrily broke free from the bodyguards¡® control. Bruce looked at Joanna expressionlessly and ordered, ¡°Get in.¡± Joanna pouted but still got into the car. ¡°Bruce, what exactly do you want?¡± Bruce sneered and looked at Joanna with a wicked smile. ¡°You¡¯re still ying dumb?¡± ¡°What do you want? How would I know if you don¡¯t say it?¡± Andy forced a smile and exined, ¡°Umm, Miss Haynes, the thing is that a hacker hacked into the system at Mr. Everett¡¯s engagement banquet today.¡± Joanna was even more confused when she heard that. ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°Then, we found out the hacker¡¯s IP address and it¡¯s your home.¡± After all, Davian was still a child. Although he was very good at crackingputer programs, he was still young and it was inevitable that he would make some mistakes and expose himself. Therefore, he didn¡¯t manage to hide the IP address. When Joanna heard this, she retorted without thinking. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely impossible!¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Look, isn¡¯t this the address of your home?¡± Joanna looked down and her heart skipped a beat. This was indeed her address. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible! I¡¯m at the office all day long. There are only the children at home¡­¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and sneered. ¡°Why is it impossible? And it¡¯s the same person who deliberately photoshopped my photos and made them nude photosst time.¡± Hearing that, Joanna was even more confused. There were only the children, Tracy and Miranda at home. It was impossible for them to have such powerful skills. Could it be that an uninvited guest hade to their house? Thinking of this, Joanna became even more anxious. ¡°Calm down. Things will definitely be rified. ¡°I want to go home and see if someone else went to my house.¡± Chapter 87 Soon, the car arrived at Joanna¡¯s neighborhood. Joanna got out of the car and rushed home. As she rushed over, she took out her phone and called Tracy to ask what was going on at her house. Bruce followed her closely behind. ¡°Open the door!¡± Tracy hurriedly opened the door. Joanna hurriedly dashed into the house and looked around. ¡°Davian, Irvin, did you do something today?¡± The two little boys looked at their mommy¡¯s angry expression and were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Looking at Bruce who was clearly quite upset, the two little kids shrank their necks in fear, looking guilty. ¡°Did you touch mommy¡¯sputer?¡± Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Irvin stammered and looked at Joanna carefully. ¡°Mommy, we didn¡¯t¡­¡± When she saw Irvin¡¯s reaction, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. It seemed that these two had really touched herputer. ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t like dishonest children. Tell me the truth!¡± The boys did not dare to hide it and said in their childish voices, ¡°We did use theputer.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at her two sons in disbelief. ¡°So you really did the sabotage at Mr. Everett¡¯s engagement banquet, didn¡¯t you?¡± The boys looked at each other and did not dare to speak. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, did you do it?¡± ¡°¡­. Yes, we did it.¡± ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Joanna raised her voice. Irvin was so scared that he started crying. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be mad at us!¡± Davian made up his mind and raised his little face. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s not Irvin¡¯s fault. I did it! I¡¯m the one you should punish!¡± When Joanna heard this, she gasped as her eyes darkened. ¡°Why did you do this?¡± After saying that, Joanna could not help but re at Davian. She was furious and she had never got so mad at him like this. Six years ago, when Bruce and Roxanne¡¯s wedding was ruined, everyone thought Joanna was responsible and said bad things. about her for six years. Now, her sons were causing trouble at Bruce and Roxanne¡¯s wedding banquet in this way. People would probably say that she was the one who did this again. This time, she could not clear her name no matter what she did now. Joanna couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore and scolded Davian again. She was so angry that tears were streaming down her face. Davian was very stubborn and he did not exin or cry. He just stood there and let Joanna talk. ¡°Say something. Why are you doing this? Who taught you to do this?¡± ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be so mad at Davian! ¡°We¡­We just want to clear your name, Mommy!¡± Joanna was stunned and became speechless. Irvin cried, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t me Davian anymore, ¡°Davian saw some people attacking Mommy online. They said that you¡¯re a bad woman and that you ruined someone else¡¯s marriage! Chapter 88 ¡°Davian and I don¡¯t believe that Mommy would do such a thing, so Davian copied the engagement video from six years ago. He fixed the lost video and found evidence of Mommy being wronged. We know that Mommy was wronged, so we did this because we don¡¯t want others to call Mommy a vixen. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be angry anymore! Don¡¯t me Davian for this. Just me it on me!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± Joanna started crying again when she heard that. She hadn¡¯t watched the video yet. She did not expect her sons to know so much at such a young age. ¡°Don¡¯t do such things again! Do you hear me?¡± ¡°We hear you! We just want to protect you, Mommy.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna coldly. ¡°How is it? What else do you have to say now?¡± Joanna closed her eyes. At this point, what else could she say? No matter what, she would take the me for her sons. Davian looked at Bruce with hatred. ¡°You bad guy, I won¡¯t allow you to bully our mommy! And I won¡¯t allow you to call her a vixen! ¡°I¡¯m the one who did this. You don¡¯t have to pick on my mommy!¡± When Bruce heard that, he raised his eyebrows. He lowered his head and looked at this angry little guy carefully. He really could not believe that a four¨Cyear¨Cold child could do such a thing. However, this little guy was really adorable. For a moment, he felt that Davian looked especially simr to him when he was young. What a pity! Such a cute and smart child was actually Jaydon¡¯s child! At the thought of this, his admiration immediately turned into disgust. ¡°Joanna, how do we solve this?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce, since things havee to this, I¡¯ll apologize to you on my children¡¯s behalf. ¡°I will bear all the consequences. Hearing this, Bruce looked at Joanna with a faint smile. ¡°Do you really have what it takes to bear all the consequences?¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°What do I want?¡± Bruce repeated her words. His eyes turned dark. He had not thought of what to do. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then I have to think about it carefully. There was aplicated look in Bruce¡¯s eyes. No one could tell if he was happy or angry. Chapter 88 Actually, he was not mad at all and in fact, he was d that he finally knew the truth. Six years ago, he jumped to the conclusion and did not think too much about it, which was why he misunderstood Joanna for so many years. ¡°If you want to me someone, me me! This has nothing to do with my mommy! My mommy was wronged and she would never do such a thing!¡± Joanna sighed and calmed herself down. ¡°Davian, Irvin, go to your rooms immediately!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± The boys looked at Joanna uneasily. ¡°Hurry up and go!¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡± The two little guys didn¡¯t dare to talk back to her anymore and could only walk toward the room. After entering the room, they slowly closed the door. When the children entered the room, Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. There was a hint of guilt in her tone. ¡°Bruce, how do you want to deal with it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me what I wanna do about it?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Right!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll apologize to you on my sons¡® behalf. I will bear all the losses at today¡¯s banquet.¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to bear the responsibility.¡± ¡°¡­Then what do you want?¡± Bruce stared at Joanna quietly. After pondering for a few seconds, he blurted out, ¡°Leave Jaydon!¡± ¡°Bruce, please be realistic!¡± Bruce said seriously. ¡°If you want me to leave this all behind, break up with Jaydon.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And be my lover.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became quite gloomy. ¡°No, other than this condition, I¡¯ll agree to anything else.¡± ¡°I only have this condition.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce speechlessly. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Joann, I¡¯m serious. My wedding with Roxanne has been canceled.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded when she heard that. If Bruce¡¯s wedding with Roxanne was canceled, she would probably be wronged by everyone again. No matter what, this would definitely be med on her. ¡°Bruce, can you act like an adult? Marriage is not child¡¯s y!¡± ¡°I know!¡± A strange expression appeared on Bruce¡¯s face. Joanna frowned. ¡°Do you know that you¡¯ll hurt many people by doing this? Everyone will think that I¡¯m the one who sabotaged¡­¡± Chapter 88 22 Bruce took a step forward and stopped her from saying more. ¡°You¡¯re indeed responsible for this. ¡°Joanna, I love you! I¡¯ve misunderstood you all these years.¡± Joanna¡¯s pupils constricted at his words. Then, she subconsciously backed away and looked at Bruce in fear. The two of them were in a deadlock. There was suddenly a lot of noise outside the door. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon led his men and charged back. ¡°Bruce, what are you trying to do to Joann?¡± ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t interfere in the matter between me and Joanna! Otherwise, I won¡¯t have mercy on you!¡± Jaydon sneered. ¡°Bruce, I suggest that you should not go overboard. Joann has nothing to do with you anymore. Stop bothering her!¡± Chapter 89 Chapter 89 The two of them were furious and looked like they were at the edge of fighting each other. ¡°Stop arguing. Calm down, you both¡­¡± Seeing that they were about to fight, Joanna panickedpletely. Beep. At this moment, Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Bruce took a look. It was a call from the butler, Henry. Henry had always been a sedate guy and wouldn¡¯t call him easily unless it was an emergency. Bruce frowned and answered the call. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. Your grandmother is in the hospital. Pleasee over quickly!¡± ¡°What happened to Grandma?¡± ¡°She has a sudden cerebral infarction. Come as fast as you can!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there!¡± After hanging up, Bruce panicked. He didn¡¯t have the time to deal with Joanna anymore and went to the hospital hurriedly. After Bruce left, Jaydon sighed with relief. ¡°Joann, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°What exactly is Bruce trying to do?¡± Joanna sighed, not knowing what to say. ¡°My head is a mess right now. I want to be alone for a while.¡± ¡°Alright, go back to your room and have a rest.¡± ¡°Jay, you can go now. I need some space.¡± ¡°¡­Alright then, call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Jaydon left, Joanna called out Davian and Irvin. Then, she carefully watched the video edited by Davian. She had a vague impression of the servant who sent her to Bruce¡¯s room and that servant seemed to be one of her grandfather¡¯s nurses. Unfortunately, this nurse had already left the Haynes family. ¡°What exactly was going on? Why did she do this?¡± Joanna was puzzled and immediately checked the nurse¡¯s information. She had to find out why this nurse did this. Chapter 89 Bruce rushed to the hospital. ¡°Where¡¯s Grandma?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the emergency room. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can¡¯t go in now!¡± Bruce was stopped by a nurse and started pacing outside the door. ¡°Grandma looked just fine back then. Why did she suddenly fall ill?¡± Henry said with a serious expression, ¡°After Mr. Everett left the engagement banquet, Mrs. Everett had a rpse on the way back. When Bruce heard this, he stared at the emergency room door in fear. Needless to say, his grandma must have been angry with him! His grandma had already talked to him about his marriage countless times! Beep beep beep! Just as Bruce was feeling frustrated, his phone started ringing again. He took out his phone and saw that it was a call from Roxanne. Bruce was even more upset. He did not want to answer her call at all. After a while, Andy¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Roxanne is calling me.¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t answer the call.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Andy did not dare to answer it. An hourter, the door of the emergency room finally opened. A doctor walked out. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± ¡°Fortunately, the infarction is not very serious. She has already been rescued but she hasn¡¯t woken up now.¡± ¡°However, the patient has shown signs of a stroke. She can¡¯t be agitated anymore.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart turned cold. ¡°Alright, I understand. Please do your best to treat Grandma.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I will.¡± As they were talking, the nurse pushed Margaret out of the emergency room. ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Bruce quickly went up to her. Margaret was lying on the wheeled stretcher with an oxygen mask on and had yet to wake up. Bruce¡¯s heart broke when he saw this and he grabbed his grandmother¡¯s hand. He only had his grandmother as his only rtive and had relied on her since he was young. In front of his grandmother, he was like a child who refused to grow up, apletely different person from the vigorous and decisive shark in the eyes of Chapter 89 outsiders. 25 At the Haynes¡¯s house. Roxanne called Bruce dozens of times, but he never picked up. She angrily threw the phone to the ground. Ingrid also looked anxious. ¡°How is it? Is Mr. Everett still not answering your calls?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Do the Everett family think we¡¯re some kind of a joke? ¡°Even if Joanna didn¡¯t set him up on purpose six years ago, what does this have to do with your marriage with him?¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart sank. She knew that Bruce did not love her and did not want to marry her at all. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Therefore, he used this as an excuse to escape. The more Ingrid thought about it, the angrier she became. ¡°No, let¡¯s go find him now!¡± ¡°Mom, don¡¯t cause any more trouble!¡± Ingrid red at her and said angrily, ¡°How can this be called causing trouble? We¡¯ve already informed our rtives and friends at the engagement banquet. Everyone knows! ¡°Now he¡¯s suddenly saying that he wants to cancel the engagement. Isn¡¯t he treating us like we¡¯re some kind of a joke?¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Roxanne was so mad that she began to cry, but there was nothing she could do, ¡°Roxy! You have to learn to be smart this time! You can¡¯t hurt yourself so badly likest time!¡± ¡°You have to be clear that the purpose of this is to cause trouble, not to actually risk your life. ¡°If something really happens, how could your father and I live anymore? ¡°This kind of thing requires your mother to do it personally!¡± Ingrid took out her phone and called Henry, the Butler. After her call was finally picked up, she gasped, ¡°What? Mrs. Everett is in the hospital?¡± ¡°Go to the hospital and see what¡¯s going on right now!¡± Roxanne was also shocked. ¡°Is Mrs. Everett in the hospital?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Hurry up and go to the hospital!¡± Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Chapter 90 At ten o¡¯clock at night in the hospital. Ingrid and Roxanne rushed over hurriedly. Margaret had just woken up, and Bruce was apanying her in the ward. Then the ward door was pushed open and Ingrid and Roxanne walked in. ¡°Bruce, how¡¯s Mrs. Everett?¡± Seeing these twoe in just like that, Bruce frowned. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ingrid walked towards the bed and ced a fruit basket by the head of the bed. ¡°I just called the butler and he said that Mrs. Everett is sick, which really scared our entire family! After we heard the news, we immediately came here in a hurry. ¡°Mrs. Everett, how are you?¡± Ingrid greeted Margaret with concern and acted like she was really her in¨C law without even an ounce of awkwardness even though Bruce had just run away from the engagement banquet. However, as long as they did not announce the annulment of the engagement in public, she would still act like Bruce and Roxanne had really got engaged. ¡°Grandma had just woken up and she can¡¯t be agitated. You two should leave now.¡± ¡°Oh, then Mrs. Everett, have a good rest and get well soon.¡± ¡°Bruce, let Roxy stay here to take care of Mrs. Everett with you.¡± Roxanne hurriedly walked to the bed. Before she could say anything, tears streamed down her cheeks. ¡°Bruce, Grandma, it¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m the reason why Grandma is hospitalized.¡± ¡°You guys just go home. I got this.¡± ¡°How can we do that? Grandma is sick. How can I not be by her side? No matter what, I have to wait for Grandma to recover before I can be at ease!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Mrs. Everett is sick. As her granddaughter¨Cinw, how can she not take care of her?¡± Bruce frowned and let them be. After all, they were in the hospital now. He did not want to agitate his grandmother anymore. No matter what, he had to wait for Grandma to recover before he could discuss with Roxanne about breaking off the engagement. The next day. The inte was in an uproar again. ¡°Oh my god, the engagement between Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne has been postponed again!¡± ¡°What happened this time?¡± ¡°I heard that Miss Haynes retaliated and posted a video at the engagement party.¡± ¡°It turns out that six years ago, Miss Haynes did not take the initiative to seduce Mr. Everett. Instead, she was framed.¡± ¡°Huh? That happened?¡± Chapter 90 ¡°How can this be a set¨Cup? Aren¡¯t you going to let her put on such a big show?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so! If it was really just a show, it should have been exposed six years ago. Why did it only be exposed now?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? She married into the Everett family six years ago. Was there even a need for her to make a fuss? Now that she¡¯s been kicked out of the family. In order to return to the Everett family, she had no choice but to expose the video and plead for justice.¡± ¡°Phew, this feud between thesedies is really tiring!¡± Theizens were all discussing the engagement banquet. However, no matter how they spread the news,izens still thought that Joanna could not get over Bruce and now she was just trying to break up Bruce and Roxanne again. In the afternoon. Joanna was busy working in thepany when Jaydon called. ¡°Hello, Joann, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the office. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Did you see today¡¯s news?¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°What news?¡± She was too busy with work to surf the Inte. ¡°It¡¯s about Bruce¡¯s engagement banquet. It¡¯s all over the Inte again.¡± ¡°Oh. Joanna replied coldly, not wanting to say anything more. Even though she had not watched the news, she could already guess what was being said online. Therefore, she might as well not check what they were saying. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, they can say whatever they want.¡± Jaydon pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together tonight.¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Mypany is going to shoot a children¡¯s public service advertisement. Can you lend me your kids?¡± Joanna was stunned. Then, she rejected him immediately. ¡°No way! I don¡¯t want the kids out in the open!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? They¡¯ve already been exposed. We might as well go all the way! ¡°This advertisement is a public service film that announces positive energy!¡± Joanna was still unwilling to agree. ¡°No, they¡¯re already getting enough attention now¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Besides, this advertisement is a public service film. It can help establish the image of the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Hmm, what kind of charity film is it?¡± ¡°A public service advertisement that promotes environmental protection. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not that kind of crappy advertisement.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll think about it and discuss it with the kids to see if they agree.¡± Thu, 22 07:19 In Chapter 90 ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll wait for the good news.¡± At the weekend. Joanna went to Venturas to pick up Davian and Irvin. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Mr. Grimm said that he wants to shoot a public service advertisement with you guys. Do you want to take part in it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going!¡± Davian was more of an introvert, and he did not like to socialize. So he rejected her directly. But Irvin was a cheerful and lively extrovert. ¡°If we shoot the advertisement, does that mean we can be celebrities?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a public service advertisement to promote environmental protection.¡± ¡°Sure, I love taking pictures!¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll call Mr. Grimmter.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± After Joanna returned home, she called Jaydon back. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Joann, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Speak!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said, ¡°Um, I¡¯ve already asked Davian and Irvin about the advertisement shooting. ¡°Davian is unwilling to go, but Irvin is willing to go.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great!¡± Jaydon said. Joanna still asked worriedly, ¡°I want to ask again. The advertisement shooting won¡¯t take too long, right? Don¡¯t let it interfere with his studies.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Jaydon said. ¡°One day is enough!¡± Joanna then replied, ¡°Alright then! ¡°When will the advertisement be shot?¡± ¡°Next Sunday,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna said. Jaydon smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll drive to pick him up next Sunday then.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Okay. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jaydon said. He then casually ced the phone on the table. No matter what, he always waited for Joanna to hang up the phone first. He would never hang up before she did. After Jaydon hung up, Carmel the little minx sat on Jaydon¡¯sp and whined unhappily. She said, ¡°Mr. Grimm, you¡¯re being too nice to Ms. Haynes! ¡°You¡¯re willing to fork out your own money to get her son to shoot a public service advertisement, yet she doesn¡¯t appreciate it. Why bother doing so much for nothing?¡± Jaydon stretched out his fingers and pinched Carmel¡¯s face with a faint smile. ¡°Why?¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re trying to control the huh?¡± boss now, ¡°Humph, you¡¯re so biased,¡± Carmel said. ¡°You treat Ms. Haynes so well! From now on, you¡¯re not allowed to treat her so well!¡± After the little minx finished talking, she leaned coquettishly into Jaydon¡¯s arms. Her restless little hands began to unbutton his shirt. Lately, the little minx had been receiving a lot of favor from Jaydon. Be it attending press conferences or high¨Cend cocktail parties, Jaydon took her along, and almost every night he spent it with her. Gradually, the little minx even started to fantasize. She wanted to take on a higher position and be the boss¡¯s wife! At the other end of the line, Joanna did not hang up the phone for the first time. As she listened to their flirting and bantering, she suddenly felt an indescribable emotion. She knew that there had always been women around Jaydon and that he was a yboy. Therefore, no matter how well Jaydon treated her, she refused to ept him and kept her distance from him. After a while, the heavy breathing sounds of a man and a woman could be heard from the phone. Chapter 91 Joanna pursed her lips and hung up silently. Then, she took a deep breath and forced a big smile. ¡°The children and work are the most important things!¡± she said. ¡°Everything else is unimportant!¡± Half an hourter¡­ Jaydon and Carmel were done with their business. The little minx waspletely exhausted that she was unable to stand up. Jaydon lit a cigarette and habitually picked up the phone. He casually browsed through his contact list. As he was browsing through his contacts, his expression suddenly changed and he became visibly upset. He did not even notice the ashes from his cigarette falling onto his chest. He had only spoken to Joanna for less than two minutes. However, the call log disyed on the phone was five minutes! This meant that after he put down the phone, Joanna did not hang up and still listened for three minutes! Upon seeing this, Jaydon frowned. His heart began to race. He really wanted to call Joanna. but quickly dismissed the thought, realizing that he had nothing to say to her. For two consecutive days, Jaydon did not call Joanna. Joanna did not take the initiative to look for him too. On the third day, Jaydon could not resist any longer. He hesitantly gave Joanna a call. ¡°Hey, Joann, Jaydon said. Joanna picked up the call and said calmly, ¡°Jay, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jaydon raised his chin and pretended to be nonchnt as he said, ¡°What are you busy with? Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy at work today,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it another day.¡± Jaydon hesitated and said, ¡°Uh, that day¡­¡± ¡°Which day?¡± Joanna said, pretending to act clueless on purpose. She knew what Jaydon was saying. She also knew that Jaydon wanted to gauge her tone and see if she was angry. However, since she did not intend to be in a rtionship with him, she naturally had no right to ask about his private matters. Neither did she have any reason to demand that he kept a distance from other women. ¡°Um, it¡¯s alright,¡± Jaydon said. After Jaydon hesitated for a moment, he still did not know what to say. Joanna smiled and said, ¡°No matter what, you will always be my best friend!¡± Jaydon was left speechless. After he heard that, he felt even more upset. He would rather Joanna be angry and vent her anger on him. At the very least, it proved that she was jealous. But now, it seemed that she really only saw him as a regr friend. ¡°Well, next Sunday, I¡¯lle and pick you and Irvin up and we¡¯ll go to the photography studio, Jaydon said. Chapter 91 Joanna paused for a few seconds after hearing this. ¡°Jay, if shooting the public service advertisement is meant to help me, it¡¯s not necessary, Joanna said. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that, Jaydon said. ¡°This advertisement is also meant to pro still have to film it.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Joanna said. Soon, the weekend arrived. Jaydon came and picked up Joanna and Irvin. The advertisement was an environmental public service advertisement. environmental protection. In any case, we A young boy picked up water bottles on the street and sold it for money to donate to children in mountainous areas. The advertisement shoot was very sessful. It looked very soothing and heartwarming. After filming the advertisement, Joanna left with Irvin. She did not ask about any subsequent matters rted to the advertisement. Jaydon insisted on paying a service fee, but Joanna refused to ept it no matter what. At the hospital. Margaret had been hospitalized for a week. Bruce canceled all his work and social engagements and stayed at the hospital around the clock to look after his grandmother. For the past few days, Roxanne had also been carefully apanying him at the hospital. She said, ¡°Bruce, take a rest. ¡°I¡¯ll look after Margaret.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Bruce¡¯s handsome face had noticeably be much more haggard over the past few days. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything more. You go back first.¡± ¡°Bruce, Margaret hasn¡¯t been discharged yet, Roxanne said. ¡°I can¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°You have been watching over her for several days,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Grandma has passed the critical period. You don¡¯t need to keep watching over her anymore.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Roxanne said. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and change my clothes beforeing back to apany Margaret¡­¡± After Roxanne left, Margaret slowly opened her eyes. Because of the surgery, she was a bit weak. She asked, ¡°Bruce, how do you n to handle your marriage with Roxanne?¡± ¡°Um. I don¡¯t know,¡± Bruce said, looking a little dejected. He did not dare to rashly mention breaking up now. If he were to mention breaking up again, Roxanne might not be able to handle the blow, and she would harm herself again. ¡°Since you¡¯re already engaged, don¡¯t overthink it,¡± Margaret said. ¡°Just live a good life!¡± When Bruce heard this, he ced his hands on his temples. He did not know what to say. He no longer had any feelings for Roxanne. Chapter 91 If they really got married, it would only harm her for the rest of her life. Upon eagerly returning home, Roxanne hurriedly went up to the second floor and locked herself in the room. She then quickly took out another phone to check. As expected, Gavin went crazy again. He called her countless times and sent her hundreds of messages. Roxanne quickly called Gavin back. ¡°Gavin, I told you not to call me again!¡± she said. ¡°Roxy, even if you¡¯re married, it doesn¡¯t stop us from being together!¡± Gavin said. ¡°Bruce doesn¡¯t love you at all. Why do you have to be with him?¡± Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Gavin kept pestering Roxanne frantically. She was starting to worry. She said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he loves me or not. I love him and that¡¯s enough. ¡°Gavin, if you really love me, stop harassing me! You can¡¯t give me what I want!¡± At the other end of the line, Gavin was in a state of deep despair. He begged Roxanne with dissatisfaction. ¡°Roxy, marriage is a lifetime of happiness!¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t joke about your own happiness¡­¡± Without waiting for Gavin to finish talking, Roxanne interrupted him impatiently. She said, ¡°My happiness is marrying Bruce! ¡°And I love Bruce too. I¡¯m just fooling around with you! How dare you push your luck and want me to marry you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me again,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°If you dare to ruin my happiness, I won¡¯t forgive you for the rest of my life!¡± Bang! As soon as Roxanne uttered those remarks angrily, she ended the call. Outside the room, Ingrid had been eavesdropping on her daughter¡¯s phone call. Although the soundproofing of the room was good, she could vaguely hear that something was wrong. Instantly, Ingrid was stunned. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. The thing she was worried about had finally happened. ¡°It¡¯s true that Roxanne is involved with that poor boy!¡± Ingrid thought. ¡°Judging from the tone of her voice, it seems that they have gotten involved with each other for quite some time.¡± After the call, Roxanne opened the door feeling distressed and ready to go downstairs. ¡°Mom, why are you standing outside my room?¡± Roxanne asked. Ingrid¡¯s face turned red with anger. She looked at Roxanne resentfully and said, ¡°Roxy, who were you on the phone with just now?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes flickered. She stammered, ¡°No, no one!¡± ¡°Are you still in touch with that poor guy who visited you at the hospitalst time?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Roxanne said. ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± Upon replying, Roxanne wanted to go downstairs. Ingrid was flustered and exasperated. She followed behind Roxanne and said, ¡°Hurry up and tell me the truth. Did you get involved with that poor guy?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Roxanne said. She kept denying it. If Ingrid were to find out about Gavin, she would probably be infuriated. ¡°I¡¯ve been through this before,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice. Don¡¯t provoke these poor people. Once you provoke them, they¡¯ll be like sticky candy that¡¯s hard to get rid of.¡± Roxanne did not want to listen to Ingrid nagging anymore. She shouted impatiently, ¡°I told you! I don¡¯t keep in touch with him!¡± ¡°What kind of attitude is that?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°How can you talk to your mother like that?¡± Ingrid red at Roxanne, getting Chapter 92 even angrier. Ingrid continued, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll be at a disadvantage. Look at the situation you¡¯re in with Bruce. Whether or not you can sessfully marry into the Everett family is still a question mark. ¡°If you continue to cause this kind of trouble, do you know the consequences if Mr. Everett finds out?¡± Roxanne was feeling down. She said irritably. ¡°Mom, stop talking. Can you let me have some peace for a while? If I can¡¯t marry into the Everett family, then I won¡¯t get married!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she got even angrier. She said, ¡°What are you talking about? ¡°If you don¡¯t marry into the Everett family, our family will be theughing stock of Greyport! Even if you die, you have to die as a member of the Everett family! ¡°Give me that poor guy¡¯s phone number. I¡¯ll call him! No matter what, I can¡¯t let this poor guy ruin your happiness!¡± Roxanne stomped her feet in frustration. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll handle my own matters,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere anymore!¡± ¡°Can I not interfere?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Look how terrible things have be now!¡± The two of them were arguing. Shaun walked out of the bedroom. ¡°What are you two arguing about in the middle of the night?¡± Shaun asked. Ingrid and Roxanne paused. They quickly rxed their facial expressions. ¡°Nothing, Hubby,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°It¡¯s sote. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Shaun frowned as he looked at Ingrid and Roxanne. ¡°I was about to sleep when I heard you two arguing, so I walked out of the room to take a look,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Go to sleep quickly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but don¡¯t interfere in the affairs of young people,¡± Shaun said. ¡°Got it, got it,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Hurry up and sleep!¡± Roxanne ran back to her room and mmed the door shut. Ingrid tried her best to suppress her anger and pushed Shaun back to the bedroom. For the past two days, she had been even more distressed. Her two ¡°cousins¡± had been calling her frantically. Each of them wanted to extort 2 million dors from her as hush money. Even though Ingrid could afford to pay 4 million dors, she could not bear to give them the money as she thought about it. If she were to give it to them so easily this time around, they would be even more greedy in the future. But if she did not give it to them, these two ¡°cousins¡± would threaten her to expose their rtionship with her. If Shaun were to find out about her abnormal rtionship with her cousins that had been going on for so many years, he might beat her to death! Because she had learned her lesson, she was especially afraid that her daughter would follow in her footsteps. She said, ¡°No, I can¡¯t let Roxy jump into the fire pit! This poor guy must be dealt with as soon as possible!¡° Ingridy on the bed. She was not in the mood to sleep. After thinking for a while, she made up her mind. A fierce glint appeared in her eyes. She thought, ¡°If there really isn¡¯t any other way, I¡¯ll find someone to get rid of the poor guy. ¡°No matter what, I can¡¯t let such a potential danger stay by Roxy¡¯s side!¡± ¡°Honey, are you still awake?¡± Shaun asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Shaun thought that Ingrid was worried about Roxanne and Bruce. He could not help but give Ingrid a piece of advice. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. They¡¯re already engaged. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Everett family will refuse to recognize it¡­¡± Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Chapter 93 At the hospital. Margaret had been hospitalized for more than a week. Her condition had basically stabilized. Today was the day of discharge from the hospital. ¡°Grandma, be careful!¡± Bruce said. There were four healthcare workers and two family doctors taking care of Margaret. However, Bruce was still not at ease. He personally helped Margaret onto the wheelchair. Margaret¡¯s speech was a little slurred because of the signs of a stroke. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you home, Grandma,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Alright!¡± Margaret¡® replied. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve been in the hospital for so many days!¡± Margaret continued. ¡°Work is more important. You should go to the office tomorrow.¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll take care of you for a few more days,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Nothing is more important than your health. I¡¯ll go to the office after you recoverpletely.¡± Margaret shook her head and said, ¡°I really am fine. There are so many people looking after me. You can¡¯t neglect the work in the office. ¡°Alright then,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the office tomorrow.¡± Margaret paused and sighed. Then, she said, ¡°The engagement with Roxanne has to be arranged properly. Don¡¯t cause any more trouble! ¡°Many negative rumors regarding the Everett Group have spread!¡± Bruce frowned and said, ¡°Yes, I understand. Don¡¯t worry, Grandma.¡± After saying that. Bruce involuntarily turned his head to look out of the car window. His grandmother was seriously ill now. He did not want her to be stressed again. As for the issue of breaking off the engagement with Roxanne, he could only put it on hold for now. The next day, as soon as Bruce returned to the Everett Group, his personal assistant Andy and secretary Mark came up to him and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, something bad has happened!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°The deals with the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group are gone!¡± they said. Bruce¡¯s face clouded over when he heard that. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked. ¡°During Margaret¡¯s hospitalization, you didn¡¯t pick up the phone. It just so happened that apany offered a profit margin that was 2 percent lower than that of the Everett Group. ¡°Therefore, these twopanies coborated with the otherpany.¡± Bruce frowned even more after hearing this. The Everett Group¡¯s offer was the lowest price in the market, yet there was actually apany that offered a price that was 2 Chapter 93 percent lower than its offer. This was disrupting the market trend. It was deemed unfairpetition. Moreover, these twopanies had always worked exclusively with the Everett Group and could be considered the two major clients of the Everett Group. Losing these two deals would not cause a significant impact on the Everett Group. However, it was still the leading enterprise in Greypori. Many industries, such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation, had been monopolized by the Everett Group in Greyport for a long time. Now that someone was taking business away from the Everett Group, it meant that that person was deliberately snatching meat from the Everett Group. Bruce naturally would not tolerate such a situation. ¡°Whichpany did the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group work with?¡± Bruce asked. Andy replied. ¡°The Haynes Group.¡± ¡°The Haynes Group?¡± Bruce said. His eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± Andy said. ¡°I heard that the contract was quickly signed yesterday.¡± Bruce looked displeased. He felt intensely angry. ¡°No wonder these twopanies dared to do this!¡± he thought. They must have known about the rtionship between Joanna and Bruce. That was why they dared to give up on the Everett Group and choose the Haynes Group with more profits! After all, the Everett Group and the Haynes Group were ¡°rted¡°. It was expected that the Everett Group would not do anything to harm the Haynes Group. At the Haynes Group. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Over the past few days, Joanna had been in a particrly good mood. This was because she had sessfully signed tworge deals. The Haynes Group was getting more and more stable. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting is to announce some good news to everybody!¡± Joanna said. Everyone cheered and apuded excitedly. They had already heard the good news in advance. Joanna said, ¡°The Haynes Group has sessfully signed two big deals again! ¡°If we canplete the tasks this year, the year¨Cend bonus will double¡­¡± Joanna had just announced the good news, but no one had the chance to be happy. ¡°Bang!¡± There was a loud sound. The door of the conference room was forcefully pushed open. Cora and Luna followed behind and said in a panic, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is here.¡± Joanna was stunned. While Joanna was still in shock, Bruce had already walked into the conference room in a gloomy manner. He was dressed in pure ck today. His well¨Ctailored suit matched his height of nearly 6 feet and 3 inches. It highlighted his intimidating and aggressive aura, 07:20 Thu, 22 Jun Chapter 93 M making people feel intimidated just by looking at him. ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is here?¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger quickly stood up and greeted him. Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Oh, you people are in a meeting!¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Get out first!¡± Everyone was stunned and left speechless. Three secondster, everyone hurriedly stood up. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± they said. Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the other high¨Clevel executives quickly left the conference room. They did not even have time to tidy up the things on the table. Upon seeing this, Joanna¡¯s face clouded over. ¡°Bruce, what are you up to now?¡± she said. Bruce sneered and gave Joanna a disdainful look. ¡°Did the Haynes Group sign a contract with the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Joanna said. Bruce said, ¡°Do you know that these twopanies have always worked exclusively with the Everett Group? ¡°The two deals you signed have also been negotiated with the Everett Group.¡± Joanna was left speechless. She was stunned. These two deals were indeed meant to be signed with the Everett Group. The contracts had already been prepared. However, because Margaret was hospitalized, Bruce had been apanying her in the hospital. As a result, these two contracts were not signed in time. Coincidentally, the Haynes Group offered a price that was 2 percent lower than that offered by the Everett Group. Therefore, the twopanies changed sides at thest minute and signed a contract with the Haynes Group. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 The Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group approached us,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I can¡¯t just push away business thates knocking at our door, can I?¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s lips curved into a sinister smile. He stared at Joanna with a gloomy expression. The loss of these two deals by the Everett Group was not a matter of concern. Instead, the fact that Joanna had disrupted the market was a matter of concern. Once news of this matter spread, it was bound to trigger a bigger butterfly effect. Therefore, he must take action to stop it in time. He could not tolerate such market¨Cdisrupting behavior. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing now?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Trying to undermine me and my business?¡± As Bruce spoke, he menacingly walked a few steps closer to Joanna. His tall and burly figure shrouded Joanna in shadow. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She involuntarily took two steps backward. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know that the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group nned to sign contracts with the Everett Group,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Hmph, you didn¡¯t know, huh?¡± Bruce said as heughed coldly. Joanna took another step backward and said, ¡°Alright! So what if I know? ¡°Partnerships mean you can coborate with whoever you want. You can¡¯t monopolize the market¡­¡± Joanna, you¡¯ve got guts!¡± Bruce said. He then continued, ¡°You dumb woman. Do you know the consequences of your actions? The consequences of your actions will only disrupt the market! Otherpanies will follow suit and take advantage of the situation topete maliciously!¡± When Joanna heard those remarks, she could not help but sneer. She said. ¡°It¡¯s reasonable to compare offers from differentpanies before deciding on a partnership. ¡°The Everett Group has monopolized the market for so many years. It¡¯s time to promote fair competition. You can¡¯t be so domineering!¡± In the entire Greyport, probably only Joanna had criticized Bruce for monopolizing the market. Bruce¡¯s face was extremely gloomy. He was already close to Joanna. He reached out and pinched her chin. It was as if he was going to tear her apart in the next second! ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll give you onest chance!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Cancel the coboration and I¡¯ll pretend that nothing happened!¡± Joanna was cornered. Her heart was pounding rapidly. However, these two deals represented the profits that the Haynes Group could make this year. In the past few months, the Haynes Group had been continuously losing money. Without these two deals to make the Haynes Group would not only have no profit this year but also suffer losses. up for it, Chapter 94 In particr, she had signed a betting agreement with Bruce. No matter what, she could not give up on these two deals. That¡¯s impossible,¡± Joanna said. ¡°The contract has already taken effect. It¡¯s impossible to withdraw from the contract now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask you onest time, Bruce said. ¡°Will you give up on the deals?¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Joanna said. Bruce twitched his lips. A sh of anger appeared in his eyes. Joanna tried to calm down her inner panic and kept her gaze as calm as possible. In the next second, Bruce loosened his tie and kissed her fiercely. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Let go of me!¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson today!¡± Bruce said. With that, Bruce grabbed her wrist and lifted her up like she was a little chick. Then, he threw her fiercely onto the conference table. Joanna¡¯s lower back was hit hard. It was so painful that she almost fainted. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t mess around,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Before she could finish talking, she looked like a prey that had been pounced on by a beast. Bruce was particrly manic today. The pent¨Cup anger he had felt for the past few days, coupled with what happened today, made him full of rage. He did not hold back at all. Joanna frantically struggled and tried to shout for someone toe in. ¡°Someone pleasees in!¡± she said. Unfortunately, before she could shout, her throat was grabbed by Bruce. ¡°Uh. Cough¡­¡± She was unable to make a sound at all. ¡°If you make any more noise, I¡¯ll strangle you to death!¡± Bruce said viciously. He tore her shirt in an instant¡­ An hourter, Bruce was satisfied with having taught Joanna a lesson. He straightened his suit and regained his usual dignified and elegant demeanor,pletely different from the violent and aggressive attitude he had just disyed. Joanna curled up on the sofa, looking disheveled and distressed. She was trembling uncontrobly, Her whole body was covered in bruises, with drops of sweat sticking her hair to her face, making her look like she had just been pulled out of a swimming pool. He was ruthless to begin with. When he was angry, he would be even more ruthless. Chapter 94 He wished he could kill her just now. Bruce gave Joanna a cold nce and walked straight out of the conference room¡¯s door. Outside the conference room. Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and others were still waiting, afraid to leave. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Upon seeing Bruce walking out of the conference room, everyone¡¯s face showed a strange expression. Obviously, everyone had heard the sounds in the conference room just now. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you leaving?¡± Mr. Paul said, smiling awkwardly as he greeted Bruce. Bruce walked away with a cold face, leaving the others behind. ¡°What should we do? Quick, let¡¯s go in to check on Miss Haynes.¡± Cora and Luna quickly entered the conference room. The two of them took a look. They could not help but feel frightened. Joanna was covered in torn clothes. She could be seen curling up on the sofa and trembling. Her fair neck was covered in bite marks, and the deepest one was almost bleeding. Cora quickly took off her coat and covered Joanna with it. ¡°Miss Haynes, let me send you to the hospital,¡± Cora said. ¡°Cora, get me a set of clothes,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Miss Haynes, you, um. I had better send you to the hospital,¡± Cora said. Tears rolled down from the corners of Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Get me a set of clothes. Go do your own things.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± ¡°Get out of here,¡± Joanna said. Cora and Luna frowned. They left the conference room again. ¡°How¡¯s Miss Haynes?¡± Cora said coldly, ¡°Go back to your respective work desk. Don¡¯t ask about things that you shouldn¡¯t ask!¡± The high¨Clevel executives no longer dared to ask any questions. Thurriedly returned to their respective work desks. However, based on the intense screaming from Joanna just now, everyone could imagine what had happened. Nheless, no one dared to meddle in this matter. After a while, Joanna struggled to go to the washroom. She turned on the tap and allowed the cold water to drench her. Tears of humiliation flowed down her face along with the cold water. ¡°You¡¯re so ruthless to me, Bruce,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯ll never forget it for the rest of my life. ¡°In this lifetime, I will never reconcile with you!¡± Twenty minutester, Cora brought over a set of clean clothes. Joanna was done showering. She looked numb and emotionally detached. 07:20 Thu, 22 Jun Chapter 94 M Cora asked, ¡°Miss Haynes, are you sure you don¡¯t need to go to the hospital? ¡°Maybe you should go home and take a rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯ll just do whatever that needs to be done.¡± When Cora heard this, she was even more moved. She was also a little heartbroken. Cora thought, ¡°Miss Haynes is really tough! ¡°Other women would have broken down long ago if faced with such an incident.¡± Bruce left the Haynes Group. He got into the car, ready to go back to the Everett Group. In the car, Bruce casually lit a cigarette, appearingpletely expressionless. However, when he recalled the scene earlier, he felt a little regretful. He thought he should not have treated Joanna so cruelly. Unfortunately, this damn woman also had a stubborn temper. From the beginning to the end, she refused to give in. He would have been kinder to her if she had begged him. ¡°Mr. Everett, how do you n to resolve the issues with the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group?¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Bruce thought for a moment and raised his eyebrows slightly. He sneered and said, ¡°Since the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group are so keen to cooperate with the Haynes Group, let them cooperate! ¡°With such a huge production capacity, the Haynes Group simply cannot handle it given its current capabilities. ¡°Purchase arge number of raw materials from the market. The Everett Group¡¯s microchips are not allowed to be provided to the Haynes Group.¡± Andy was left speechless. He was shocked when he heard that. Bruce¡¯s actions undoubtedly meant to force the Haynes Group into a dead end. The Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group were both in the electronics industry. Both needed microchips. However, only the Everett Group could produce this kind of microchips currently. Andy said. ¡°Mr. Everett, the Haynes Group¡¯s finances are in a very bad state and it may not be able to continue much longer. ¡°If these two orders cannot be fulfilled in terms of quantity, the Haynes Group may have to pay so much in breach of contract penalties that it will go bankrupt. ¡°You are also a shareholder in the Haynes Group. Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Bruce smirked wickedly and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. ¡°It¡¯s even better if the Haynes Group goes bankrupt. The Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group will then have toe back and beg the Everett Group.¡± ¡°Oh, then I will arrange it right away,¡± Andy said. Bruce blew out thest smoke ring and pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray. Despite his outward appearance and actions, Bruce had a different n in his mind. If the Haynes Group went bankrupt, Joanna would lose her confidence. At that time, she could only rely on him. At the Everett Group half an hourter. Bruce returned to thepany and started to tackle the backlog of work that had umted during his absence. In the afternoon, Roxanne went to thepany to see him. Bruce was reading the contract when Andy knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes is here,¡± he said. Bruce, upon hearing this, showed a hint of disgust and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to see her. Just say that I¡¯m in a meeting.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Andy said. Andy then left the office. Roxanne was waiting in the lounge. Andy walked over and smiled politely. ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mr. Everett is in a meeting,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t have time to see you.¡± Upon hearing this, Roxanne¡¯s pretty face showed disappointment. She asked, ¡°Oh, when will Bruce finish the meeting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Andy said. ¡°It may take a whole day.¡± Chapter 95 Roxanne¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for him here then,¡± she said. ¡°Alright then!¡± Andy said as he gave a warm smile. After pouring a ss of water for Roxanne, he went back to work. She waited and waited until it was eight in the evening. After a busy day, Bruce finally finished his work. He was like this. If he was not working, he wouldpletely stay away from work. Once he started working, he would devote himself wholeheartedly. Bruce straightened his back and stood in front of therge floor¨Cto¨Cceiling window, overlooking the night view of Greyport. Greyport was renowned for its beautiful night scenery, earning it the nickname ¡°City of Lights.¡± In the evening, the city was lit up with dazzling lights. It looked like a sparkling treasure city. As he looked at the neon lights outside the window, he suddenly felt a sense of mncholy and loss. The image of Joanna¡¯s beautiful yet stubborn face, when she huddled on the sofa in a distressed state, involuntarily emerged in his mind. In the morning, he had been too harsh on her. She was so delicate and frail, so she must have been injured. ¡°It¡¯s past eight o¡¯clock!¡± Bruce said. ¡°What is Joanna doing now?¡± Bruce then picked up his coat and left the office. He had just left the office and had not even pressed the elevator button yet when Roxanne came running from the lounge and said, ¡°Bruce, have you finished your work?¡± Bruce turned around and saw that Roxanne had yet to leave. He could not help but frown. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± he said. Roxanne bit her lower lip gently like a child who had done something wrong. ¡°I, um. I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± she said. ¡°Have you been waiting since this afternoon?¡± Bruce asked. Roxanne¡¯s eyshes fluttered, and her tone carried a hint of grievance as she said, ¡°Yes. ¡°Are you done with your work now?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m done!¡± Bruce said. Roxanne looked at Bruce carefully and said, ¡°Shall we go have dinner together?¡± Bruce¡¯s brows were still tightly furrowed. ¡°I want to go back to the Everett mansion to see Grandma,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it another day!¡± I¡¯lle along with you to see her then,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Grandma sleeps early these days. Let¡¯s not disturb her, okay? ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne spoke hesitantly and looked at Bruce pitifully. Bruce was expressionless. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired today,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together another day.¡± As he spoke, the elevator arrived. = Bruce went straight to the elevator. Roxanne had no choice but to follow him into the elevator. 07-20 Thu, 22 Jun Chapter 95 Soon, the elevator arrived at the parking lot downstairs. Roxanne followed Bruce as she pondered silently. 57/1%% When she got into the carter, she would refuse to get out of the car. Today, no matter where he went, she would stick to him. Bruce personally opened the car door and helped Roxanne into the car. ¡°Kody, send Ms. Haynes back!¡± Bruce said. The driver, Kody, nodded respectfully. ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± he said. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. When Roxanne heard this, she immediately felt even more disappointed. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you getting into the car?¡± she asked. ¡°Let the driver send you back.¡± Bruce said. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll drive another car.¡± With that, Bruce closed the car door. Then, he took out another Lamborghini car key from his pocket. ¡°Bruce! Bruce!¡± Roxanne shouted twice, hurriedly trying to get out of the car. Bruce had already gotten into the other car and started the engine. Roxanne hurriedly pushed open the door and got out of the car. Bruce had already stepped on the elerator and driven off. ¡°Bruce!¡± Roxanne watched as the car sped away. A trace of disappointment and resentment appeared on Roxanne¡¯s face. She did not expect Bruce to ask the driver to send her back. ¡°Get in the car, Ms. Haynes,¡± Kody said. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Chapter 96 After Bruce left, Roxanne stomped her feet helplessly. Tears instantly filled her eyes. She shouted at the driver, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to send me!¡± With that, Roxanne ran out of the car park angrily. She had waited for Bruce the whole afternoon! N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. She did not expect him to care so little about her feelings. Roxanne ran out of the car park. Feeling angry, she called Gavin again. Whenever she felt she was mistreated by Bruce, she always wanted to call Gavin to seekfort from him. Gavin was very excited when he received Roxanne¡¯s call. He immediately rode his motorcycle over to pick her up. Bruce drove aimlessly. After driving around the elevated highway twice, he strangely ended up at the building of the Haynes Group. He knew that Joanna was focused on her work now. It was only past eight o¡¯clock. She must still be in thepany. He really wanted to see if she was seriously injured. Bruce took a look at the first floor of the building. Indeed, Joanna¡¯s car was still parked in its original position. The lights in the office building were still on.. However, instead of going upstairs, Bruce chose to stay in his car, smoking and waiting. At ten o¡¯clock in the evening. Joanna finished her work. Looking at the time, it was already past ten in the evening. Most of thepany¡¯s employees had left, leaving only a few programmers working overtime on their coding. Joanna felt her eyes getting sore. She turned off theputer and prepared to go home. She had been tortured by Bruce for nearly an hour in the morning. Her body was bruised all over. Coupled with the fact that she had been busy for the entire day, she really felt like she was about to copse. When she was at work, she was highly focused and did not feel it. Now that she rxed, she felt a sudden sense of dizziness as soon as she stood up. She immediately fell back onto the chair. After a long while, her dizziness subsided slightly. She stood up with great effort and walked toward the elevator. One minuteter, the elevator arrived. Joanna held the elevator door and got into the elevator. Upon entering the elevator, she could barely stand steadily. She leaned weakly against the elevator wall. At the car park downstairs, Bruce, who had been waiting for two hours, finally saw the elevator door of the car park open. A woman with a weakened physique walked out of the elevator slowly. Bruce took a closer look. It was indeed Joanna. However, she appeared very tired and weak. She looked as though she had to catch her breath after taking two steps. 07:20 Chapter 96 When Bruce saw this, he felt a little sad and heartbroken for some reason. Then, he got out of the car and quietly walked toward her. Joanna weakly walked to the door of the car and reached into her handbag for her car key. However, due to her extreme weakness, it took her quite a while to find her car key in her handbag. She then pressed the unlock button and struggled to open the car door. The car door had just been opened. She had not had a chance to get in yet when suddenly she heard a bang! Someone unexpectedly closed the car door. As a result, she was jolted by force. She staggered and knocked against the car door. Joanna was shocked, thinking that she had encountered a robber. After all, she was now the chairwoman of the Haynes Group. Ingrid would not let her remain in this position peacefully. There was a possibility that Ingrid got a few gangsters to cause trouble for her. ¡°How can you drive in your current state?¡± Bruce said. When Joanna heard Bruce¡¯s voice, her heart raced even faster. ¡°Bruce, what are you up to again?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce did not say anything. He just looked at her coldly. Joanna became even more anxious and quickly tried to open the car door again. She was really afraid of this man! Bruce reached out and firmly held onto the car door, while his other hand grabbed onto Joanna¡¯s wrist and held her in his embrace. A hint of fear appeared in Joanna¡¯s big eyes. Her beautiful face was filled with nervousness and uneasiness. ¡°Bruce, what are you going to do again?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce did not say anything. His pupils contracted slightly as he nced at the wounds on Joanna¡¯s neck. Her slender and fair neck was covered in bruises, and there were two faint scabs. Whenever he was excited, he wanted to bite her. Moreover, her skin was especially tender. A gentle bite would leave a peach¨Clike mark, which made him very addicted to biting her. He did not have this fetish when he was with other women. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Bruce asked. He frowned and reached out to gently caress the wounds on her neck. Joanna flinched all over and was even more frightened, trying to avoid him. ¡°Let go of me,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± Seeing that she was so resistant to him, he became even more inexplicably restless. His expression suddenly turned grim. He pinned her arms behind her back against the car door. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± he said. Joanna took a few deep breaths. Her eyes were filled with fear. ¡°I beg you, Bruce,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me again!¡± However, the more she resisted him, the more he wanted to approach her, to possess everything about her, and topletely conquer her, making her unable to leave him. A strange sense of brutality appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome and cold face, but his tone was gentle. ¡°Why are you so afraid of me he asked. ¡°1. um. can you please let go of me first?¡± Joanna said. She was afraid that he would use force on her again, so she could only show the impression of weakness. She pleaded in a weak and gentle tone. As Bruce looked at her weak and helpless appearance, he was moved. The hostility in his eyes also dissipated a bit, and he released one of his hands. Joanna broke free from his grip, her eyes showing a hint of hatred. She quietly reached for her handbag. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a good state of mind,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Don¡¯t drive¡­¡± Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Before Bruce finished talking, Joanna took out a stun baton from her handbag and fiercely poked it toward him. Bruce reacted quickly. Before the stun baton could touch him, he suddenly grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand and knocked it away. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna was shocked. The stun baton fell to the ground. Bruce¡¯s expression suddenly changed. The guilt he had just felt toward Joanna instantly turned into anger. ¡°Joanna, how dare you try to give me a sneak attack again,¡± Bruce said. Joanna¡¯s stun baton fell to the ground. She panicked even more and involuntarily retreated. Bruce was furious. He approached with a sinister expression, taking two steps closer to Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding with fear. She quickly ducked and slipped under Bruce¡¯s arm before he could react. Then, she gathered all her strength and ran toward the exit of the car park. She really dared not be alone with Bruce. She was even more afraid of the pain of not being able to resist but being forced to bear it. ¡°Joanna, stop right there!¡± Bruce said. Joanna said, ¡°Ah, don¡¯te over¡­ Joanna panicked like a frightened prey, desperately trying to escape. Bruce was even more furious and chased after her. Unfortunately, Joanna was so weak that she could not outrun Bruce. Just as she ran for about ten steps, she tripped over a barricade on the ground and fell heavily to the ground. The ground was covered in lime. When she hit it, it was so painful that her brain buzzed and she almost fainted. ¡°Joanna!¡± Bruce eximed in shock and hurried over to check on her. Joanna¡¯s arm was scratched. She could not get up after falling to the ground. Bruce helped her up. His heart ached and he was worried. However, he scolded harshly, ¡°Serves you right! You brought this on yourself!¡± Joanna opened her eyes slightly and exhaled weakly. She then closed her eyes and passed out. ¡°Joanna, Joanna, wake up, Bruce said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Joanna had already lost consciousness. Her body was very soft, as if she had no bones. Bruce panicked. He quickly stretched out his thumb and pressed the area under her nose. This was one of the most sensitive areas of the body to pain. When people were unconscious, as long as this area was pressed hard, they would wake up due to the pain. Unfortunately, Bruce pinched it hard for nearly a minute, but Joanna did not react at all. Clearly, she had fallen into a deep state of unconsciousness. Chapter 97 Bruce waspletely flustered. He hurriedly carried her horizontally. He drove her to the hospital. Ten minutester, Bruce sent Joanna to the hospital. He drove and ran several red lights along the way to get Joanna to the hospital as quickly as possible. ¡°Doctor, someone fainted,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Pleasee quickly!¡± Bruce rushed into the hospital with Joanna in his arms. His face was filled with panic. When two nurses heard the shout, they hurriedly went to check. Another nurse quickly pushed a wheeled stretcher over. After Bruce ced Joanna on the wheeled stretcher, the nurse hurriedly pushed the wheeled stretcher toward the emergency room. Bruce worriedly followed and ran as the wheeled stretcher was pushed. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely wake. up¡­ ¡°This is the emergency room, the nurse said. ¡°Please wait outside.¡± ¡°Okay, please make sure to treat the patient well!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± the nurse said. Bruce took a deep breath. He had no choice but to wait outside the emergency room. ¡°Sir, pleasee here and pay the registration fee¡­¡± Due to the critical situation, Bruce did not go to his own hospital. Instead, he went to the nearest hospital nearby. Bruce said. ¡°Oh. Okay. ¡°How much is the registration fee?¡± The person behind the counter did not even look up. She said in a cold tone, ¡°2 dors for registration, 20 dors for emergency treatment, and please prepay 200 dors for medical expenses¡­¡± This was a private hospital, and the fees were not standardized. However, the situation was critical. Bruce had no choice but to send Joanna here first, fearing any dy in treatment. Bruce reached into his pocket and realized that he did not bring any money. His phone was also left in the car. He did not usually carry money when he went out. He had assistants to take care of everything in his daily life. ¡°Oh, I forgot my wallet!¡± Bruce said. The cashier pursed her lips and said, ¡°How can youe to the hospital without your wallet? ¡°Without prepaying the medical expenses, we cannot process the admission procedures. Please go back and bring the money first.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce became extremely angry. Then, he threw the Lamborghini car key into the counter. ¡°Let¡¯s first handle the admission procedure for the patient,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I will have my assistant bring the medical feester.¡± Only then did the cashier look up and see a handsome and distinguished face through the window. 07:21 Chapter 97 Immediately, the cashier was stunned. The cashier next to her muttered softly, ¡°Oh my god, is this guy Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°I think so! Oh my god, why did Mr. Everette to our hospital?¡± Half an hourter, the door of the emergency room was opened. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. The doctor and nurse walked out of the emergency room. Bruce hurriedly approached the doctor. ¡°Doc, how¡¯s the patient?¡± he asked. The doctor did not even raise his head. ¡°The patient¡¯s injuries aren¡¯t that serious,¡± the doctor said. ¡°They¡¯ve already been. treated. She¡¯ll recover after resting for a few days. You have to be more careful when ites to making love in future. Young people should not be reckless.¡± When Bruce heard this, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face. ¡°Also, the patient has severe hypoglycemia,¡± the doctor continued. ¡°On top of that, she¡¯s malnourished and she has anemia. She needs proper treatment and care. ¡°Otherwise, it will be very troublesome in the future!¡± When Bruce heard this, he repeated in disbelief. ¡°Hypoglycemia?¡± he said. ¡°Malnourished?¡± The doctor replied nonchntly, ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Um, does the patient have depression?¡± the doctor asked. Bruce said, ¡°Depression!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Bruce replied involuntarily. ¡°There¡¯s no way she has depression¡­¡± ¡°How could Joanna, with her strong and outspoken personality, possibly have depression? Bruce thought. ¡°Regardless, the patient is very weak right now and needs proper care and treatment, the doctor said. ¡°Got it!¡± Bruce said. Bruce then entered the ward immediately. Joanna was still unconscious with an IV drip attached to her wrist. There were several bottles of glucose hanging on the pole beside her. Bruce quietly stared at Joanna. She looks so delicate and frail, but¡­ ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Bruce said weakly as he held Joanna¡¯s hand. After watching over Joanna for a while, Bruce suddenly remembered that she loved the dessert from Honeymoon Dessert in the past. She had hypoglycemia now. It would be best for her to eat some dessert when she woke upter. Initially, Bruce wanted to call his assistant and ask him to buy it. Bute to think of it, there was a Honeymoon Dessert shop nearby. He could drive there and it would not take more than five minutes. A round trip would take twenty minutes. Thinking of this, Bruce left the ward and went to buy the dessert himself. Twenty minutester, Bruce rushed back with the dessert he had bought. This was the first time he had personally gone to buy food for someone. Unfortunately, when he returned to the ward, it was already empty. The IV drip was still hanging on the pole and had not finished yet. ¡°Where¡¯s the patient?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she in the ward?¡± ¡°Oh my, when has the patient gone out?¡± Joanna had already woken up earlier. She just did not want to face Bruce. While Bruce was out buying the dessert, she took the opportunity to leave the hospital. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Bruce furrowed his brow tightly, and the dessert in his hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. The patient may have just left, the nurse replied with a hint of surprise in her eyes. Just a moment ago, she did not believe that Mr. Everett came to their hospital, but now she can see it clearly. It was indeed. Mr. Everetil Bruce did not say anything else. With a cold expression, he turned around and strode away. His back was cold and cool, tall and straight, exuding a strong sense of masculinity. His physique was even better than western male models. The nurses behind her were all infatuated. ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s really Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe Mr. Everett actuallye to our hospital! Wow, he¡¯s so handsome in person. He beats all the male celebrities!¡± ¡°By the way, the patient Mr. Everett just sent over seems to be Miss Haynes, right?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, that seems to be the case! I just heard from the attending doctor that Miss Haynes¡¯s external injuries are very serious. It¡¯s as if someone has roughly handled¡® her.¡± ¡°Wow, this is too juicy! Could it be that Mr. Everett used violence against her?¡± Another married nurse pursed her lips and said, ¡°The more handsome a man is, the worse he is. Rich people like them have messy private lives!¡± When a young nurse heard this, her eyes lit up. ¡°Mr. Everett is so handsome in person,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s much more handsome than he is when he appears on TV! I want to be treated badly by Mr. Everett in a romantic rtionship too. If I can be treated badly by Mr. Everett, it¡¯s worth dying for!¡± ¡°Stop daydreaming and get back to work! Don¡¯t look anymore. He has left.¡± ¡°He even talked to me just now. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t ask him for an autograph!¡± ¡°Look at how infatuated you are¡­¡± In the female toilet beside them, Joanna was hiding inside and did note out. She did not leave the hospital earlier, but instead hid in the restroom. Hearing the nurses¡® infatuated voices, her face turned even paler. Bruce was the richest man in Greyport. He was young, rich, and so good¨Clooking! It was inevitable that he would frequently appear in various media reports. The media often captured him in a refined and elegant appearance, dressed in suits and leather shoes, giving off an air of a restrained and elite gentleman. Such a person would naturally be the object of women¡¯s fantasies. Unfortunately, only Joanna knew how terrifying he could be when he lost control. Joanna just received a glucose infusion and now her dizziness had cased a lot. After spending some time in the restroom, she left the hospital. It was already past twelve o¡¯clock after she took a taxi back home. Lilia was already asleep while Tracy was waiting on the sofa. Chapter 98 When she saw Joanna back at home, she hurried over to greet Joanna and take her handbag. ¡°Hi Miss Haynes, you¡¯re back,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Joanna said. ¡°You haven¡¯t slept yet, huh?¡± Tracy looked concerned. ¡°Why did youe back sote today?¡± she asked. ¡°I worked overtime today and finishedte,¡± Joanna said. When Tracy took the handbag from Joanna, she saw the wounds on Joanna¡¯s arm. ¡°Miss Haynes, why is your arm injured?¡± she asked. Joanna forced an awkward smile and said wearily, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just tripped and fell identally. I¡¯m tired, I¡¯ll go to bed first! You should go to bed early too.¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Tracy asked. ¡°Do you need me to cook you some food for supper?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Joanna said. She then went straight to her room. Today, she was just too tired. In addition, her entire body was in pain. As soon as shey down, she fell asleep. At seven in the morning the next day, Joanna woke up on time again. ¡°Lilia, Mommy is going to the office now,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Be good at home!¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and said sensibly, ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll be good! Mommy, you have toe back early to be with me too!¡± ¡°Alright, got it!¡± Joanna said as she caressed her daughter¡¯s head lovingly. She leaned over and kissed her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°Mommy is leaving!¡± she said. Lilia blinked her big eyes again. She looked at Joanna with a cute and innocent expression as she said, ¡°Mommy, can I watch TV a little longer today? ¡°I saw Irvin on TV yesterday. Irvin was on TV!¡± Joanna was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, ¡°You can watch a little longer today, but not too much. It¡¯s not good for your eyes.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lilia said. ¡°Got it, Mommy!¡± ¡°Tracy, I¡¯m going to work now,¡± Joanna said. ¡°The weather is good today. Take Lilia for a walk in the afternoon.¡±. ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes, Tracy said, handing the handbag to Joanna and seeing her off the door. Tracy, Miranda, and Kelly had been with Joanna since the birth of her three children. It had been a long time since they started working for Joanna. Joanna trusted them very much. Of course, she also provided. them with generouspensation. Adding to that were the expensive medical expenses for Lilia and the school fees for Davian and Irvin. Joanna¡¯s expenses were quite substantial. Therefore, she had to work hard to earn money. Joanna took her handbag and car key. She then hurriedly left the house. However, she felt a little groggy and ufortable all over her body today. She really wanted to stay home and rest for at day. Nheless, when she thought about it, she felt insecure if she did not go to thepany for a day. She currently derived all her sense of security from work. She also enjoyed the busy and fulfilling feeling that it brought. Joanna arrived at thepany at eight in the morning. ¡°Good morning, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Good morning!¡± Upon entering thepany, Joanna felt energized. She quickly walked toward the elevator. No matter what, she had already signed a contract with the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group. She had to quickly fulfill the orders. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Joanna had just stepped into the elevator. Before the elevator door closed, someone had already pressed the button to open the door. The elevator door slowly opened again. Bruce walked in with a cold expression. He was not wearing a suit today. Instead, he wore a knee¨Clength overcoat with a ck shirt underneath. His hair was still meticulouslybed on top of his head, with a few irregr strands loosely hanging at the ends. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. He exuded a strong presence with a hint of wickedness. He was incredibly handsome! However, when Joanna saw him, she felt a sudden intense feeling of anxiety. She involuntarily pressed herself against the clevator wall. Seeing her frightened reaction, Bruce did not show any anger. Instead, he had a calm expression, and he did not ask her why she had snuck out yesterday. Joanna¡¯s heart was beating rapidly. She clenched her fists, ready to defend herself at any moment. Fortunately, Bruce did not make things difficult for her. He ignored her presence as if she was invisible. As the elevator slowly ascended, Joanna felt extremely anxious. The atmosphere was tense, as if time was passing at a snail¡¯s pace. One minuteter, the elevator arrived at the office floor and the elevator door slowly opened. Bruce did not even look at Joanna. He walked out of the elevator first. Then, he walked straight to the conference room. The Haynes Group held a meeting every morning at nine. At nine o¡¯clock, the high¨Clevel executives would gather in the conference room. They would report yesterday¡¯s work to their superiors and convey today¡¯s instructions. Bruce walked past everyone. The high¨Clevel executives, who were chatting andughing, instantly fell silent when they saw Bruce. ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett!¡± the employees greeted him one after another. Bruce just nodded slightly and entered the conference room. When Joanna saw this, she became even more terrified. For a long while, she remained hesitant and did not dare to go into the conference room. ¡°Wow, Mr. Everett is here at the office again today!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s scary. Will he do that to Miss Haynes again today¡­¡± ¡°Shh, shh, stop talking! It¡¯s almost time for the meeting. Let¡¯s go in quickly!¡± ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m so nervous!¡± Two high¨Clevel executives adjusted their expressions and walked into the conference room with a serious and restrained demeanor. In the conference room, several high¨Clevel executives had already arrived early. All of them looked cautious and careful, afraid of making any mistakes. Chapter 99 Ten minutester, Joanna still had not entered the conference room. Several high¨Clevel executives were afraid that Joanna would bete and anger Bruce. They could not help but mutter softly, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Miss Haynese yet?¡± ¡°She¡¯s noting to work today, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I just saw Miss Haynese to thepany,¡± ¡°Should we go and call her¡­¡± Joanna kept dilly¨Cdallying until twenty past nine before she toughed it out and walked into the conference room. As soon as she walked in, more than ten pairs of eyes shot at her. Bruce was sitting right next to her seat. At this moment, he sat quietly with his hands folded, just like other high¨Clevel executives, looking serious and waiting for the meeting to start. However, there was a hint of a smirk in his eyes. Due to the presence of Bruce, Joanna felt extremely anxious about being watched. She was somewhat uneasy when she walked in. However, she did not dare to sit in her original seat. She was even more afraid of getting too close to Bruce. ¡°Good morning, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna pursed her lips and tried her best to calm down. ¡°Good morning, everyone!¡± she said. The agenda of the meeting that she had prepared waspletely forgotten due to fear. ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting!¡± Joanna said. She stood by the other end of the conference table, without any intention of taking a seal. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is today¡¯s report.¡± ¡°This is yesterday¡¯s purchase data and the progress of Original Equipment Manufacturing¡± ¡°Here are the contracts from the past two days. They have already been signed. Please take a look, Miss Haynes. The high- level executives reported their work one after another. Joanna was listening absentmindedly. She said, ¡°Oh, send them all to my officeter. ¡°There are three main topics in today¡¯s meeting. I just sent the agenda to the work chatgroup. ¡°Take a closer lookter. Today¡¯s meeting is over!¡± As Joanna spoke, she had already stood up and walked toward the door. Everyone was left speechless. They were stunned when they saw her leaving. The meeting today was too short. The part about the meeting agenda ended in less than five minutes. After the meeting, Joanna quickly left the conference room. She did not want to see Bruce for even a moment. Unfortunately, when she returned to her own office and before she could even close the door, Bruce followed her in. Upon seeing her about to close the door, Bruce rushed forward and blocked it. He then pushed his way into the office forcefully. Joanna stepped back in fear and asked, ¡°Bruce, what do you want to do?¡± Bruce shrugged and said with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m here to work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that again,¡± Joanna said. ¡°This is my office. You¡¯re not allowed toe in!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Bruce said with a slight smirk, exuding a yful and mischievous air. Joanna involuntarily swallowed her saliva. She did not dare to drive him away anymore. Even more so, she did not dare to stop him forcefully. ¡°He¡¯s a nasty man!¡± she thought. ¡°The more I resist him, the more aggressive he will be!¡± ¡°Wh¨Cwhat exactly do you want?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°I told you,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I want to work!¡± He walked into the office in a domineering manner. Then, he sat down on Joanna¡¯s desk chair, lookingpletely at ease. ¡°Hey¡­ Can you please stop doing this?¡± Joanna said. ¡°If you continue like this, I¡¯ll really have to call the police!¡± Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Chapter 100 ¡°Call the police then!¡± Bruce said as he sneered. When Joanna heard this, her beautiful face turned extremely displeased! She would never dare to call the police. With work being so important now, any negative impact would be a heavy blow to the Haynes Group. ¡°Please, Bruce, I beg you!¡± Joanna said. ¡°Can you stop disrupting the order of the Haynes Group¡­¡± Bruce interrupted her immediately. ¡°How did I disrupt thepany¡¯s order?¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t even pursued the matter of you disrupting the entire market! ¡°You still have the cheek to say that I¡¯m disrupting thepany¡¯s order, huh? Besides, I¡¯m also a director of thepany. Can I note to the office?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and said, ¡°What are you even doing here in the office? You¡¯re not involved in the management. You¡¯re here purely for fun!¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce raised his eyebrows and gave a sly smile. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re right!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just here to have some fun! ¡°I gave you two big deals. shouldn¡¯t you make me happy? In other words, shouldn¡¯t you make an effort to please me?¡± Joanna retorted angrily, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re really shameless! I fought for those two deals myself. They were not given to me by you!¡± Bruce lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. ¡°Well, women have two mouths and can make any argument seem reasonable. Women control men!¡± As he spoke, there was a hint of provocation and frivolity in his eyes as he enjoyed the sight of Joanna being angry and frustrated. He liked to see her stomping her feet in anger and losing her mind! ¡°You¡­.¡± Joanna¡¯s little face turned angry. She was so angry that her entire body was trembling. She even coughed twice because of the smell of smoke. ¡°Can you not smoke in my office?¡± Joanna said. Bruce was stunned. As he saw Joanna coughing continuously, he subconsciously put out the cigarette. Bruce said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that my job is to supervise you! ¡°From today onwards, I¡¯lle to the office every day to supervise you at work!¡± ¡°What right do you have to supervise me?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Are you the president of the country? Who gave you such authority?¡± Joanna waspletely speechless with anger. The feeling was like a bullying into one¡¯s home, eating and drinking everything, and then throwing pots and pans around! However, one could not afford to offend the bully. Neither could one avoid the bully. Bruce smiled. He leanedzily against the backrest of the chair, crossed his long legs, and ced his feet on theputer desk in a domineering manner! Then, he leisurely read the newspaper. ¡°Could you make me a cup of tea?¡± Bruce said. Chapter 100 Joanna was so choked up with anger that she could not even speak. She was left speechless. ¡°Hurry up and go. Bruce said. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and walked out. Alright, since he wanted her to make tea, she would do it! Joanna went to the pantry and took a cup. Then, she ced a tea bag of ck tea in it. After pouring half a cup of hot water into the cup, she proceeded to add some dirty water from the sink. A momentter, Joanna held the teacup and ced it in front of Bruce. ¡°Here you go!¡± she said. Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. He looked at Joanna with a half¨Csmile. ¡°So obedient, huh? This doesn¡¯t seem like your style.¡± ¡°Do you want to drink it?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Sigh, forget it!¡± Bruce said. ¡°In ancient times, Wu Dng was poisoned by his own wife. Who knows if history will repeat itself today?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no poison in the tea!¡± Joanna said. ¡°If I were to poison you, wouldn¡¯t I have to pay with my life? It¡¯s not worth it to sacrifice myself for a man like you!¡± Bruce sneered. He then held the teacup and sniffed it. There was a strange smell in the teacup. Bruce was such a picky person, so he naturally would not drink it. He casually put the teacup back. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Since you said it¡¯s not worth it, it¡¯s not worth it then!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Jeez, after eating and drinking their fill, women forget about the goodness of men!¡± Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, stop talking nonsense¡­¡± As Joanna was speaking, she suddenly stopped. ¡°Why bother arguing with him?¡± she thought. Then, she said. ¡°Forget it. Say whatever you want.¡± With that, Joanna turned around, wanting to leave. Bruce¡¯s eyes widened and he sat up straight. ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked. ¡°Ohe on, how am I supposed to work when you¡¯re upying my office?¡± Joanna said. ¡°You can¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Bruce said. ¡°If you want to work, work here! Don¡¯t get out of my sight!¡± Joannaughed out of anger. ¡°Bruce, are you sick?¡± she said. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Bruce raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Yes, I am! You¡¯re my cure!¡± ¡°Psychopath!¡± Joanna said. She could not help but curse. She turned around, wanting to leave. ¡°Try taking another step!¡± Bruce said. His voice suddenly became serious. Joanna stopped in her tracks upon hearing Bruce¡¯s words. This damn bastard, if she provoked him, he might use force on her again. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Come back and work under my watchful eyes!¡± Bruce said. ¡°If you dare to leave my sight, you know the consequences.¡± Chapter 100 Joanna swallowed her anger. She angrily moved the documents andputer onto the coffee table. She still had a lot of documents to deal with today, so she did not have the time to argue with Bruce. Just as she put on her sses to start working on the documents, her phone began to vibrate with a series of beeps. Joanna instinctively took out her phone and nced at it. The call was from Jaydon. Joanna muted her phone and stood up again. She did not dare to answer the call in front of Bruce. ¡°Where are you going now?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Can I go out and take a call?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Just take the call here,¡± Bruce said. Joanna replied, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so annoying! ¡°Can you not be so overbearing?¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°No, I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t answer the call then,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Is that good enough for you?¡± She then angrily hung up the phone. Jaydon called a few more times, but none of the calls made to Joanna was able to go through. It was almost noon. Jaydon personally came to the office to look for Joanna. When Cora saw Jaydon, she quickly went forward to greet him. ¡°Hi Mr. Grimm, you¡¯re here,¡± she said. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± Several staff members also greeted Jaydon one after another. Jaydon brought Starbucks coffee and cakes. He smiled and handed it to Cora. ¡°This is for everybody!¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Grimm,¡± Cora said. ¡°You¡¯re so kind!¡± One after another, a few high¨Clevel executives came over to get coffee and cake. However, they felt worried. Today, it seemed that there would be another intense conflict. ¡°Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Jaydon asked. Cora shifted her gaze a few times before she said, ¡°Uh, Miss Haynes is in the office.¡± ¡°Is she busy today?¡± Jaydon said. ¡°I called her several times, but she didn¡¯t answer.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Cora said. She hesitated, wanting to say something but she held back. ¡°I go in and look for her,¡± Jaydon said. Cora quickly stopped Jaydon. ¡°Mr. Grimm, please wait!¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon asked. ¡°It¡¯s not a good time for you to go in right now,¡± Cora said. Jaydon was left speechless. He looked at Cora in confusion. Cora knew about his rtionship with Joanna. He often went in and out of Joanna¡¯s office in a casual manner. ¡°Um, I think I¡¯ll go in and report to Miss Haynes first,¡± Cora said. ¡°Alright, Jaydon said. ¡°Please wait in the reception room for a while, Mr. Grimm,¡± Cora said. ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon said. Cora gathered her courage and knocked on the office door loudly. ¡°Come in!¡± Cora walked in with a stack of files and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, there¡¯s a client here.¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Chapter 101 After speaking, Cora gave Joanna a nce that subtly signaled a message. Joanna understood Cora¡¯s message without needing to say anything. The two had been working together for a long time, so sometimes they could understand each other¡¯s intentions just by looking at each other. In addition, Jaydon had just called Joanna several times, so she knew right away that he hade. ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Joanna said. ¡°You may go and receive the client first. I¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes, Cora replied and left respectfully. Bruce¡¯s eyelids drooped. ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± he asked. Joanna did not dare to ignore him, so she replied, ¡°A client. I¡¯m going out to meet the client.¡± Bruce was left speechless. He rolled his eyes and lowered his head to read the newspaper again. Joanna stood up and made her way out of the office. At the reception room. Joanna pushed open the door to the reception room. Indeed, Jaydon had arrived. ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Can I note and see you?¡± After Jaydon finished talking, he smiled warmly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls?¡± Jaydon said. ¡°I thought something happened to you!¡± A trace of difort appeared on Joanna¡¯s face. She forced a smile and said. ¡°No, I was busy just now. I didn¡¯t hear the phone ring.¡± Jaydon looked up and happened to see several dark bruises on her neck. Although she covered it with a scarf, he could still see several bruises on her neck. As a man, he naturally knew what had happened at a nce. ¡°Uh, is there something wrong?¡± Joanna asked. Upon hearing that, Jaydon¡¯s heart ached, but he still put on a gentle smile and said, ¡°I brought you coffee and cake.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna said as she took the delicate tote bag. There was a hint of worry in her eyes. ¡°Jay, if there¡¯s nothing urgent, you may go back first,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy today, so I probably don¡¯t have time to entertain you. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight.¡± Bruce was in the office now. Joanna was afraid that if they met, there would be another conflict between them again. Jaydon paused. He felt a sense of disappointment. In the past, when Joanna was busy with work, he would watch her work in the office. He enjoyed watching her serious expression while working. But today, she did not even let him into the office. ¡°By the way, the advertisement that Irvin shot the other day is very sessful,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°The response is particrly good!¡± Chapter 101 ¡°Really?¡± Joanna said. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ll have to invite Irvin to shoot another advertisement,¡± Jaydon said. Jaydon wanted to sign Irvin to his entertainmentpany. Firstly, Irvin was indeed very talented. He was especially cute and good¨Clooking. Secondly, if he really signed Irvin, he would be able to meet Joanna more often. Joanna was left speechless. She was stunned. ¡°Also, mypany is preparing to shoot a movie,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°We need a child actor. Irvin is very suitable for the role. ¡°Next Sunday, I want to take him to the production team for an audition.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned serious. She declined without hesitation. ¡°Jay, you know that I don¡¯t want my children to be in the public eye too often. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°So, I¡¯m sorry! I have to decline this time around.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Joann, with the media being so developed nowadays, it¡¯s hard to avoid exposure even if you want to. ¡°Moreover, Irvin is so cute. He can definitely develop a career in the entertainment industry. I¡¯ve asked him. He¡¯s very interested in this industry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t affect his studies and life.¡± Joanna shook her head and looked at Jaydon awkwardly. ¡°Jay, he¡¯s still young,¡± she said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know what conditions he needs. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to be too picky about the choices in life.¡± Jaydon was not discouraged at all. He still tried to persuade Joanna. ¡°Just shoot one movie,¡± he said. ¡°It won¡¯t take long. ¡°Just think of it as helping me. I really can¡¯t find a suitable candidate now.¡± ¡°Jay, it¡¯s really not possible this time around,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Just as Jaydon was about to continue persuading Joanna, Bruce suddenly appeared at the door of the reception room. ¡°Joanna, is he the client you mentioned?¡± he asked. Upon hearing Bruce¡¯s voice, Joanna trembled involuntarily. Jaydon was displeased. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± he asked. Bruce strode in and said, ¡°I¡¯m a director of thepany. Is it strange for me to be here? ¡°And you, why are you here? ¡°Joanna, I thought thepany is going to set rules that non¨Cemployees cannot enter thepany premises.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°Jay, you may go back first,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight.¡± With that, she pushed Jaydon¡¯s back, wanting him to leave quickly. Jaydon looked extremely displeased. ¡°Joann, did he do something to you again?¡± he asked. Joanna took a deep breath. A hint of helplessness shed across her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. ¡°Please leave first!¡± Upon hearing that, Bruce let out a cold sneer and looked at Jaydon in a wicked way, ¡°Hey, you guessed it right!¡± he said. ¡°She, 12:47 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 101 slept with me again! ¡°Do you still want such a woman?¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re not a fucking man!¡± Jaydon said. He was so angry that the veins in his temples bulged! He raised his fist and was about to hit Bruce. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t do it!¡± Joanna said, immediately dashing forward to stop Jaydon. Bruce smiled coldly and said, ¡°What right do you have to criticize me? ¡°You have gotten involved with every female artist under your management, haven¡¯t you? When it comes to womanizing, I¡¯m no match for you! You¡¯re a womanizer, so why pretend to be sincere and loving?¡± When Jaydon heard that, it hit a nerve. ¡°Shut up. Bruce!¡± he said. Indeed, several top female artists under his management had ambiguous rtionships with him. Jaydon could not help it. He was naturally romantic. All the female artists were young and beautiful. Facing such a gentle, handsome, and wealthy boss like Jaydon, who would not want to get close to him? Even if he did not make the first move, those little minxes would do everything they could to throw themselves at him. Bruce looked at Jaydon with a faint smile and a hint of disdain in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m warning you,¡± he said. ¡°Joanna is my woman. She will be my woman for the rest of her life! ¡°Other men shouldn¡¯t think about trying to make a move on her, especially a yboy like you!¡± Neither Bruce nor Jaydon was a good person. Although Bruce did not sleep with Roxanne, he had also sought out many women privately. However, he was much more heartless than Jaydon! He had never put any emotional attachment to those women. Usually, after having fun with them, he would give them at sum of money to cut off all ties. If he encountered women who pestered him, he would be disgusted. He would even send someone to teach them how to ¡°behave properly¡°! Therefore, there were not many scandals about him circting around. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t listen to his nonsense,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°I really have feelings for you¡­¡± Jaydon was a little flustered and exasperated. He subconsciously wanted to exin to Joanna. Joanna frowned. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t say anything,¡± she said. ¡°Go back first! We¡¯ll talk when we meet tonight!¡± With that, Joanna pushed Jaydon out of the reception room. Jaydon said, ¡°Hmph! ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be too overbearing!¡± ¡°Jaydon, you had better know your ce!¡± Bruce said. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Although Jaydon was also a scion from a top¨Cnotch wealthy family, he was still much inferior to Bruce. In particr, his family was a little chaotic. He had many siblings. Moreover, flie power of the family was still under hist father¡¯s control. On the other hand. Bruce was the only child of the Everett family and the person in charge of the Everett family¡¯s billion- dor business empire. Therefore, he naturally would not take Jaydon seriously. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t stoop to his level,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Leave quickly!¡± As Joanna pushed Jaydon toward the elevator, she kept giving him a series of eye signals, signaling that he should not confront Bruce directly. Jaydon swallowed his anger and left resentfully. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Keep your distance from Jaydon! ¡°This is thest time I see you having contact with him. If I find out that you¡¯re in contact with him again, I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± Joanna was so angry that she felt a sharp pain in her heart and her eyes were almost spewing mes. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you too domineering?¡± she said. With that, Joanna walked angrily toward the office. Bruce chased after her. Ignoring the employees¡® gaze, he shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to pursue your past with Jaydon anymore. From this moment on, if you dare to let him touch you again, you will be dead meat!¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Jaydon is the father of my children. How can I not have any contact with him?¡± Upon hearing that, Bruce smiled sinisterly. ¡°Oh, right!¡± he said. ¡°Speaking of children, I just remembered something. ¡°Those three children, either let Jaydon take care of them, or you raise them alone, and I will cover the expenses. In short, you can¡¯t have a rtionship with him anymore!¡± ¡°Crazy!¡± Joanna said. ¡°Joanna, he¡¯s much more phndering than me,¡± Bruce said. ¡°He has ambiguous rtionships with all the female celebrities under his management. ¡°You are willing to ept him but not me, huh? ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m very devoted when ites to rtionships.¡± Joanna felt extremely angry upon hearing that. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t follow me! I have to go to work now. You¡¯ve already made my morning chaotic and unproductive. I can¡¯t get my work done.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce became even more furious. ¡°Who made your morning unproductive?¡± he said. ¡°Even if your morning was messed up, it is Jaydon who messed it up. How can you put the me on me?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and felt like her argument with him had left her with a dry mouth and tongue. Then she opened the Starbucks packaging and took out the coffee, intending to take a sip to calm down. Chapter 102 Bruce saw this. He suddenly reached out to knock the coffee out of her hand onto the ground. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to drink or cat anything he buys!¡± he said. As he spoke, he snatched the delicate cake from Joanna¡¯s hand and violently threw it on the floor. He then stepped on it twice. The full cup of coffee was spilled all over the floor, and the cake was mashed due to getting stepped on by him. Joanna was stunned and extremely angry. She said, ¡°Bruce, you have gone too far!¡± Looking at her bloodshot eyes, Bruce frowned and said proudly, ¡°Well, if you want coffee and dessert, I can send someone to buy them. ¡°In any case, you can¡¯t eat the food he buys!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Joanna snorted coldly. She then stormed into the office. Bruce hurriedly followed her into the office. The employees who worked on this floor witnessed this scene. Everyone could not help but whisper to each other. ¡°Oh my god! Mr. Everett and Mr. Grimm almost got into a fight just now!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk. There are weird things every year. There are especially a lot of weird things today! I really didn¡¯t expect to have so much gossip to indulge in this year.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is already engaged to Miss Roxanne. Now, he is pestering Miss Haynes every day, and he even wants to help Miss Haynes raise her children. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I know, right? I used to think it was because Miss Haynes pestered Mr. Everett! Now I realize Mr. Everett is the one who pesters Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a saying that goes like this? What¡¯s lost and what can¡¯t be obtained are always the most precious!¡± ¡°Hey, let¡¯s stop talking and get to work! We can¡¯t understand the thoughts of these upper¨Css people anyway.¡± In the office, Joanna was still furious. She hurriedly turned on herputer, preparing to deal with today¡¯s work. Because of Bruce, she did not get any work done for the entire morning. Looking at Joanna¡¯s angry expression, Bruce no longer said mean things. He sat on the sofa with his head lowered. Then, he took out his phone and sent a message to Andy. [Andy, buy a cup of coffee and a cake from Skyluxe and deliver them to the Haynes Group. Make sure they are well prepared!] This cafe was the most high¨Cend in Greyport, with a single cup of coffee costing over 200 dors. It was far more high¨Cend than Starbucks. Andy was stunned when he received the message. ¡°Holy shit he said. ¡°Mr. Everett actually sent me a message, and it¡¯s a handwritten message!¡± When Mark heard this, he quickly came over to take a look. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he said. ¡°What instruction did Mr. Everett give?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett asked me to buy coffee and cake and deliver them to the Haynes Group!¡± Andy said. ¡°What?¡± Mark said. ¡°Really? Mr. Everett never eats these things.¡± 12:47 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 102 ¡°Needless to say, it must have been bought for Miss Haynes!¡± Andy said. He then quickly replied to Bruce¡¯s message. [Got it.] Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Mark shook his head and clicked his tongue. He could not help but tease, ¡°Ohly, this rtionship is getting more and moreplicated! Mr. Everett ignores the billion¨Cdor business of the Everett Group and goes to work at the Haynes Group instead! ¡°Has Mr. Everett lost his mind?¡± Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Chapter 103 ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore.¡± Andy said. ¡°I need to quickly go buy coffee and cake! If I¡¯mte, Mr. Everett will get angry again.¡± ¡°Well, you should go quickly then.¡± Mark said. Andy did not say anything else. He hurriedly took the car key and left the Everett Group. Half an hourter, Andy arrived at the Haynes Group, panting and carrying the coffee and cake. ¡°Andy, why are you here?¡± Cora asked. She was surprised to see Andy running so quickly. Andy said breathlessly, ¡°Um. Mr. Everett asked me to buy coffee and cake and bring them here. Where is Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett is in Miss Haynes¡¯s office,¡± Cora said. ¡°I¡¯ll send the things to Mr. Everett first!¡± Andy said, not bothering to exchange pleasantries. He hurriedly ran toward the ollice. ¡°Knock! Knock! Knock!¡± Bruce heard the knock on the door. He then personally went over to open it. Seeing that it was Bruce who opened the door, Andy was shocked. He quickly handed the bag to Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, coffee and cake from Skyluxe,¡± he said. ¡°Okay,¡± Bruce said. He took the bag and closed the office door with a bang. Joanna ignored Bruce and focused on her work. Bruce could not help but sneer inwardly when he watched Joanna working seriously. He thought, ¡°What¡¯s the point of working so hard? ¡°Even if you work until you drop, you won¡¯t make much money. You might as well cozy up to me! ¡°It¡¯s a pity that this damn woman is stubborn and wants to bring trouble to herself!¡± Bruce ced the bag on the desk. His expression was still tense. ¡°This is for you!¡± he said. Joanna gave him a skeptical nce and asked, ¡°What is this?¡± Bruce said, ¡°Coffee and cake! ¡°From now on, you are to only eat the food that I buy!¡± Bruce was tall. He sat at the corner of the desk. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Joamma muttered under her breath. She then continued to lower her head and work, not touching the things he had bought After a while, seeing that she did not move, Bruce touched her chin in annoyance and personally unpacked the coffee and cake, cing them in front of her. ¡°Stop being stubborn!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Hurry up and drink it, or it will get coldter.¡± He clearly wanted to please her, but when he spoke, he somehow sounded rude. ¡°I¡¯m not eating,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Move it aside!¡± Bruce was left speechless. He looked displeased. 124/ Fri, 23 Chapter 103 ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Bruce said. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to eat it. I¡¯ll throw it into the trash can now!¡± As Bruce spoke, he angrily picked up the coffee and cake, intending to throw them into the trash can. Upon seeing this. Joanna choked in anger. ¡°Hey, these are all bought with mongy¡± she said. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t eat them, you can give them to someone else!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t eat it, is there a need to give it to someone else?¡± Bruce said. Joanna gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°Forget it,¡± she said. ¡°Just leave it there!¡± ¡°You should have said so earlier!¡± Bruce said. Joanna had no choice but to take a sip of coffee. When Bruce saw Joanna drink the coffee, he smirked. He then turned around and sat on the sofa, pretending to read the newspaper. Joanna rolled her eyes at him fiercely and went back to work. ¡°This possessive and domineering man is really making people hate him to the extreme!¡± Joanna thought. At the Haynes¡¯s house. Roxanne had been lying on the sofa all day today, looking listless. While Ingrid was using a beauty device to massage her face, she curiously looked at her daughter. ¡°Roxy, why didn¡¯t you go out today?¡± she asked. Roxanne replied casually, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you with Bruce yesterday?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°Where did you guys go?¡± Upon hearing the question, Roxanne felt fretful. ¡°Mom, stop asking!¡± she said. Sensing that her daughter sounded off, Ingrid stopped using the beauty device to massage her face. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she said. ¡°Quick, tell me!¡± ¡°Mom, you¡¯re annoying.¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Can you leave me alone for a while?¡± Ingrid stood up and sat next to Roxanne. She then said, ¡°Roxy, we can¡¯t let anything go wrong at this critical juncture! ¡°Did you have a conflict with Bruce again? Quick, call him and rify things!¡± Roxanne said impatiently, ¡°He¡¯s busy now! He¡¯s not free!¡± ¡°No matter how busy he is, you can still apany him!¡± Ingrid said. ¡°He can¡¯t be busy twenty¨Cfour hours a day!¡± Roxanne said, ¡°I waited for the whole afternoon at thepany yesterday, but in the end¡­¡± ¡°What happened in the end?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°In the end, he didn¡¯t even say a few words to me,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°He immediately asked the driver to send me back home.¡± Upon hearing that, Ingrid widened her eyes and said. ¡°Send you back home? Then where did you go last night?¡± When Roxanne heard that, she realized that she had said the wrong thing. ¡°1. um, I didn¡¯t go there!¡± Roxanne said. Ingrid suddenly raised her voice and said, ¡°Roxy, you didn¡¯t go to see that poor guy, did you?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. 12:48 FTI, Chapter 103 ¡®I didn¡¯t!¡± Roxanne said, her eyes shifting slightly. You didn¡¯t, huh?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°If you didn¡¯t go to see him, why are you avoiding eye contact? It¡¯s not that I want to reprimand you, but this kind of poor guy shouldn¡¯t be messed with. Once you get involved, it¡¯s hard to get rid of them! ¡®Quick, call Mr. Everett now!¡± Tm not going to call!¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Ingrid said. ¡°You have to strike while the iron is hot. It¡¯s a rare opportunity for you to take advantage of Margaret¡¯s illness to ease your rtionship with him! ¡°It¡¯s a critical time now, so you shouldn¡¯t give him the silent treatment. Listen to me, be amodating. No matter what, we can¡¯t let anything go wrong with the marriage.¡± Roxanne had no choice but to take out her phone and call Bruce. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 The call was from Roxanne. Bruce put the phone back into his pocket. He had already made up his mind to cut off all ties with Roxanne. From the beginning, there was a misunderstanding between him and Roxanne. Now, there was even less of a need to prolong the misunderstanding. Beep, beep, beep!¡¤ The phone kept vibrating! ¡°Mr. Everett, you are so busy,¡± Joanna said, sneering without even lifting her head. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry back to do your own things!¡± Bruce said, ¡°You are in such a hurry to drive me away, huh? ¡°After I leave, you¡¯ll be able to seduce other men, right?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and said irritably, ¡°Bruce, I really have no idea what you¡¯re thinking. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to have nothing to do with each other after the divorce? You¡¯re already engaged. You should be spending time with your fianc¨¦e.¡± The two years of marriage had caused her so much pain that she would never forgive him for the rest of her life. It had not been easy for her to finally move on from the emotional pain that she experienced during her rtionship with Bruce. Hence, there was no turning back for her. Joanna, whether or not I have a fianc¨¦e, it doesn¡¯t prevent me from being with you,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Are you saying that you can date other women, but I can¡¯t date other men?¡± Joanna said. Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and said, ¡°You can interpret it that way.¡± ¡°Hmph, what a unique way of thinking!¡± Joanna said. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll agree to it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you agree or not!¡± Bruce said. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I have plenty of ways to make you agree!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s low and boring of you to do this?¡± Joanna said. ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± Bruce said. No matter what, Bruce would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. He was determined to achieve his goals, even if it meant resorting to unscrupulous means. Perhaps it was his sense of superiority since childhood that made his personality paranoid and spoiled. Sometimes, even when he liked something very much, he would deny it in his heart over and over again. Joanna shook her head speechlessly. She then continued to look down at herputer. Bruce stood up and slowly walked toward her, saying, ¡°Joanna, there is still a chance for us to continue our rtionship.¡± As Bruce spoke, he fell into a moment of contemtion. Then, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t even mind you having children with another man, so why are you still putting on airs?¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. When Joanna heard this, she almostughed out of anger. ¡°Are you saying that I should be deeply grateful for your tolerance?¡± she said. Chapter 104 ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you too narcissistic?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Do you think that all the wori in Greyport love you and like you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case?¡± Bruce said. He had always been very confident about his charm. He was Greyport¡¯s richest man, and he was so handsome and so young! Shouldn¡¯t women like him? Joanna choked. She was extremely angry. ¡°Mr. Everell, you seem to be overly confident,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I suggest you buy a mirror and take a good look at yourself!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to check,¡± Bruce said. ¡°No man is as handsome as me in Greyport! So, if I¡¯m interested in you, you should feel extremely honored!¡± Joanna was left speechless. She felt ufortable after listening to what was said. This was the first time she realized that Bruce was so shameless. He was simply a narcissist! At first, her first impression of him was that he was steady and wise, exuding a cool and noble demeanor of a scion. His demeanor immediately captivated her, back when she was still a young girl. Now, it seemed that it was really an illusion. In the entire Greyport, there was no man who was more shameless than him. Bruce adjusted his tie slightly and walked toward her with a wicked smile. ¡°Don¡¯te over,¡± Joanna said. ¡°If you want to say something, just sit there and say it!¡± Upon seeing Bruce approaching her, Joanna unconsciously felt nervous. Yesterday¡¯s frightening experience had left her still feeling uneasy and unable to fully recover her composure. ¡°Why?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Do you hate me so much now?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment. She did not dare to answer ¡°yes¡°. She really hated him now! She hated his bossiness, his desire to control, and his ruthlessness. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you!¡± Joanna said. ¡°Can you please not be like this? Your behavior is putting a lot of pressure on me.¡± Upon hearing that, a trace of guilt shed across Bruce¡¯s eyes. Up to now, he had to admit that he really liked her. Or perhaps he had always liked her, but he was unwilling to admit it. In the past, he stubbornly wanted to repay a debt of gratitude. He had been forcing himself to like Roxanne. Coupled with the misunderstanding with Joanna, he had tortured and humiliated her in every way possible. Presently, he had let go of his inner turmoil and finally realized how much he truly loved her. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone vibrated frenziedly again. If someone had the audacity to call him like this and he did not answer, it could only be Roxanne at the other end of the line. Joanna paused and looked at Bruce with a solemn expression. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve already hurt me,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Roxanne again.¡± 2/4 Chapter 104 Bruce was left speechless. He was stunned. Joanna said. ¡°In the past, you insisted on divorcing me because you wanted to give Roxanne the title of being your wife. ¡°Now that you¡¯re engaged to Roxanne, you still want to get involved in aply ated rtionship with me! Is it okay to be so fickle?¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. He said, ¡°Joanna, it was a misunderstanding right from the start. ¡°I made a mistake. The woman I should have loved is actually you.¡± Ten years ago, he mistakenly thought that Roxanne had saved him, so he developed feelings for her. But now, he knew that the person who had truly saved him was Joanna. If he had known back then that it was Joanna who saved him, he would never have ended up with Roxanne. Joanna looked at Bruce with an incredulous expression after hearing this. Now, no matter what he said, she would not believe him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really funny!¡± Joanna said. ¡°How can there be right or wrong when ites to matters of the heart?¡± Bruce took a deep breath in shock. He knew that repaying the debt of gratitude to someone that saved him with romantic love might sound old¨Cfashioned, but that was exactly what he had thought at that time. He was the only child of the Everett family. If he died, his grandmother would be very sad. Therefore, not only had his savior saved him, but also his grandmother and the Everett family. As a result, he thought offering his love to his savior was the right thing to do. ¡°What happened between me and Roxanne was a misunderstanding,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Roxanne was the one who took away everything that was originally meant for you¡­¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying is very strange,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! What happened between you and Roxanne was a misunderstanding. What happened between you and me was a misunderstanding. ¡°Can you not use misunderstanding as an excuse?¡± Joanna could not help but mock. She did not know that it was actually Roxanne who reced her and pretended to be Bruce¡¯s savior. She also did not know that Bruce would have so much emotional turmoil because of this incident. ¡°Joanna, there really was a misunderstanding between us,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Please give me some time, now that this misunderstanding has been cleared up. I will make you fall in love with me again. Without waiting for Bruce to finish, Joanna interrupted him. ¡°There is no misunderstanding,¡± she said. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to know what misunderstanding it is. ¡°I just want to live a peaceful life. Please don¡¯t disturb my life anymore!¡± ¡°Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Please stop talking,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Stay away from me, okay?¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Online Free ¨C Chapter 105 Chapter 105 At the Haynes¡¯s house. Roxanne called Bruce more than ten times, but no one answered. Ingrid watched anxiously from the side and said, ¡°How is it? Is the call connected?¡± Roxanne said dejectedly, ¡°No. Bruce has been refusing to answer my calls.¡± Upon hearing that, Ingrid looked even more anxious. She said, ¡°Oh no, this is going to be troublesome. ¡°Listen to me. Hurry up and go to his office to look for him.¡± ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to go!¡± Roxanne said. Ingrid looked displeased. ¡°You have to go even if you don¡¯t want to!¡± she said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go alone, I¡¯ll go with you! ¡°Let¡¯s go. Hurry up and change your clothes.¡± Roxanne pounded the sofa impatiently. ¡°Mom, can you not be like this?¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re giving me a lot of pressure! I¡¯m annoyed. Do you know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I¡¯m worried about you,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°If your marriage with Mr. Everett falls through, think about how our family will live in the future. How will others see you and the Haynes family?¡± Upon hearing that, Roxanne leaned back andy on the sofa. She was on the verge of a breakdown and felt helpless. Bruce had already ignored her. She did not know what else she could do. Even more so, she did not know how to win his heart back. ¡°Get up quickly.¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Why did I give birth to such a useless daughter like you?¡± ¡°Mom, can you leave me alone for a while?¡± Roxanne said. ¡°I¡¯ve got intense mental stress now!¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t, Ingrid said. ¡°It¡¯s a critical situation right now, and you still don¡¯t have a sense of crisis!¡± Ingrid stepped forward and grabbed her daughter¡¯s arm, trying to pull her up. Roxanne pounded her head hard. She red at Ingrid with teary eyes and said, ¡°Mom, can you stop forcing me? ¡°If you force me again, I¡¯ll die in front of you! I¡¯m serious this time around!¡± Upon hearing that, Ingrid was so frightened that she felt a tightness in her chest. She did not dare to nag Roxanne anymore. Her tone softened. ¡°Alright, alright, alright,¡± she said. ¡°I won¡¯t force you anymore, okay?¡± As she spoke, she could not help but mutter quietly, ¡°Sigh, why am I so unlucky to have such a useless daughter?¡± When Shaun heard the two of them arguing, he quickly came down from upstairs. ¡°What are you two arguing about again?¡± he asked. Ingrid rolled her eyes and said, ¡°What else can we argue about?¡± As soon as Shaun heard that, he knew that they were arguing about Roxanne¡¯s marriage. He said, ¡°Oh my, marriage is predetermined from one¡¯s past life! Chapter 105 ¡°If they are not fated to be husband and wife, then they might as well not get married. ¡°It¡¯s not like our family can¡¯t afford to provide for Roxy. There are so many worry about not being able to find a suitable match for her?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. young men in Greyport. Why should we Ingrid was instantly enraged upon hearing that. ¡°You make it sound so easy,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s the Everett family! If one can marry into the Everett family, one will be sessful for the rest of one¡¯s life! ¡°We¡¯re at the most crucial juncture now, and you are not urging Roxy to try harder. Instead, you are making things worse! What kind of father are you?¡± Shaun was most afraid of quarreling with Ingrid. Whenever they quarreled, Ingrid would be like a strong fighting rooster, pecking him until he retreated continuously. ¡°Alright, alright, stop quarreling!¡± Shaun said. ¡°Let nature take its course. ¡°Don¡¯t give Roxy too much pressure. It¡¯s not like our family is so poor that we have to rush for her to marry into the Everett family¡­ Without waiting for Shaun to finish talking, Ingrid had already ced her hand on her waist and pointed at Shaun¡¯s nose as she started to argue. ¡°Hmph, do you really think the Haynes family has a lot of money?¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re just living off our past earnings! ¡°You¡¯re no longer the chairman of the Haynes Group. Our entire family has been chased out of the Haynes Group! Now, all of our expenses rely solely on the meager dividends and rent. ¡°The rest can only rely on our savings! How long can thatst? ¡°When I attend banquets with those richdies, they are no longer interested to talk to me anymore. It¡¯s only after Roxy gets engaged that I can get back into their circle.¡± When Shaun heard this, he sighed with a frown. ¡°Why are you always so vain?¡± he said. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all in all these years!¡± Ingrid got even more intense and aggressive in arguing back. She pointed her finger at Shaun¡¯s head and said, ¡°Hmph, do you regret it now? Why didn¡¯t you say you regretted it when you were with me back then? ¡°I have spent half of my life with you. I gave birth to your children, and I take care of a lot of household chores for you! And now you despise me for being old and unattractive! Tell me, are you seeing another woman outside of our marriage?¡± Shaun took a few steps back in defeat and said, ¡°Jeez, what are you talking about? I¡¯m already at this age, you know?¡± ¡°Hmph, you men, as long as you can still breathe, it¡¯s impossible not to think about women!¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Don¡¯t assume I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re fooling around behind my back!¡± Roxanne was feeling very annoyed and fretful from listening to her parents¡® argument. She then raised her voice and shouted at them. ¡°Dad, Mom, can¡¯t you just stop arguing?¡± she said. Ingrid lowered her voice and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t you argue with your father? ¡°If you ask me, it¡¯s all because of that damn Joanna! If she hadn¡¯te back, we wouldn¡¯t have had any of these problems! ¡°The moment shees back, she¡¯s the bane of our family! Hubby, I¡¯ve told you to disown her, but you refuse to listen!¡± Shaun was so frustrated that he mmed the table in anger. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again!¡± he said. ¡°What you said is impractical! Joanna is my daughter. This is a fact that can¡¯t be changed in this lifetime! ¡°Even if I announce that I am cutting off my father¨Cdaughter rtionship with her, does that mean she¡¯s no longer my daughter?¡± Ingrid stomped her foot hard and said, ¡°Mr. Everett ignores Roxy. Who knows, maybe he¡¯s with Joanna that despicable woman right now! ¡°Hubby, hurry up and call your good daughter! Warn her not to get too close to Mr. Everett!¡± Chapter 105 ¡°Sigh. I¡¯m really scared of you!¡± Shaun said. He was so scared that he did not dare to speak up. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Hurry up and call! Are you waiting for them to get together before figuring out a solution? ¡°Don¡¯t forget that she was the one who seduced Bruce six years ago!¡± ¡°Stop using Joann.¡± Shaun said. ¡°What happened six years ago was not because of Joann!¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t it because of her? If it wasn¡¯t because of her, would Mr. Everett and Roxy¡¯s marriage be dyed for so long?¡± Ingrid was used to throwing tantrums and treating Shaun harshly. Shaun was dejected. He did not have the strength to argue anymore. Ingrid said, ¡°Hubby, if Mr. Everett and Roxy¡¯s marriage fails, what will you do? ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Quick, call Joanna!!¡± Roxanne could not stand it anymore. She was further annoyed by the argument. ¡°Do whatever you want,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs first!¡± As she said that, she stood up and ran upstairs. Shaun had no choice but to pick up the phone and call Joanna.. Beep, beep, beep! Inside the office, Joanna was arguing with Bruce when the phone rang. Joanna took a look and picked up. ¡°Hello, Dad, what¡¯s the matter?¡± she said. At the other end of the line, Shaun sighed dejectedly. ¡°Um, I want to talk to you on the phone,¡± he said. Joanna was stunned. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s the matter?¡± she said. ¡°Just say it!¡± ¡°Did you meet Bruce these past few days?¡± Shaun asked. Joanna was left speechless. She was stunned upon hearing that. She found herself ncing involuntarily at Bruce, who was beside her. Bruce clearly heard the voice on the phone as well. He frowned and listened quietly. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± Shaun said. ¡°Did you meet him?¡± ¡°Dad, I¡­ Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated. She did not know what to say. ¡°Roxy has been unable to eat or sleep well these days, and she has lost a lot of weight,¡± Shaun said. ¡°My heart aches for her.¡± ¡°So?¡± Joanna said., Shaun paused and let out a deep sigh. Then, he said, ¡°So, Roxy has depression, and she can¡¯t handle any more stress. ¡°You¡¯re the elder sister and have always been resilient. But I still want to advise you not to get too close to Bruce.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t want to get too close to him either¡­¡± Before Joanna finished talking, Bruce snatched the phone away and said, ¡°Hello! It¡¯s me!¡± Shaun was stunned when he heard Bruce¡¯s voice. He involuntarily looked at Ingrid. ¡°Bruce, are you with Joann?¡± he said. ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce said. 12 Fri, 23 Chapter 105 Shaun was left speechless. He was stunned. Ingrid¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She held her breath and listened quietly. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong with you now?¡± Shaun said. ¡°Sorry,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Roxanne and I¡­¡± Bruce wanted to exin the reason to Shaun directly. When Joanna heard that Bruce¡¯s tone was not right, she hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, indicating that he should not say too much. Bruce was stunned for a moment. He was about to say something, but then stopped himself from saying it. Roxanne had depression and had just harmed herself not long ago. If he said that he wanted to break up with her, she would probably not be able to take the blow again. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Bruce said. ¡°Joanna and I were discussing work. We¡¯re done with the work discussion now.¡± When Shaun heard this, he heaved a sigh of relief. He then said, ¡°Oh. Everything is fine between you and Roxy right¡­¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds before he said, ¡°Tell Roxy that I¡¯ll pick her up and have dinner together tonight. I¡¯ve got something to tell her.¡± ¡°Oh, sure thing!¡± Shaun said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Shaun said. Shaun sighed and hung up the phone silently. ¡°How is it?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Is Bruce with that bitch Joanna again?¡± ¡°They were discussing work,¡± Shaun said. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. ¡°Hmph, discussing work?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°What work do the two of them have to talk about? A man and a woman talking about work, huh? You expect me to believe that? No way! Joanna the bitch must be trying her best to seduce Bruce again!¡± Shaun frowned and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk so much. Bruce said that he¡¯ll have dinner with Roxy tonight!¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll hurry up and urge Roxy to dress up!¡± As Ingrid spoke, she quickly went upstairs with a ttering sound. Ingrid said. ¡°Roxy, open the door! ¡°Mr. Everett just said on the phone that he¡¯s picking you up for dinner tonight. Quick, get dressed up.¡± Roxanne did not believe her at all. She replied impatiently, ¡°Mom, stop annoying me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you believe me? ¡°Hurry up! You look terrible now! If you don¡¯t dress up, you¡¯ll scare people!¡± In the office, Bruce hung up and returned the phone to Joanna. Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s not continue to be entangled in thisplicated situation anymore¡­¡± Without waiting for Joanna to finish talking, Bruce suddenly pulled her into his arms. ¡°Uh.¡± * 12:49 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 105 Bruce kissed her deeply and tightened his arms around her a little bit more. He wished he could merge her into his body. Joanna was instantly frightened. She pushed and hit Bruce with all her might Fortunately, Bruce only kissed her and did not do anything else. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Five minutester, Joanna was almost suffocating. It was only then that Bruce reluctantly let go of her. If she had not been hurt badly yesterday and he did not want to hurt her again, he would not have been able to control himself. Joanna¡¯s entire body was weak. She fell weakly onto the chair and looked at Bruce in fear. She said. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t touch me again¡­ She was really afraid of him. That kind of unbearable dominance and strength. That feeling of forced submission. Perhaps, some women just liked the feeling of being subdued! But she really could not take it. Looking at Joanna¡¯s tearful eyes that were filled with fear, she was simply like a frightened deer. She was very beautiful, so much so that her look could intoxicate people. Bruce¡¯s emotions were affected by Joanna¡¯s fear and vulnerability. He hugged her gently and said, ¡°Be good and listen to me. You¡¯re not allowed to think about anything else. And you¡¯re not allowed to date other men.¡± Joanna was left speechless. Her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Bruce said as he raised her chin and stared deeply into her eyes. Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. She avoided his gaze. ¡°Bruce, I beg you not to force me anymore!¡± she said.. Bruce raised her chin and said in a low voice, ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, I¡¯ll be angry! ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯re not allowed to date other men! If I find out, you know the consequences!¡± Joanna was left speechless. She frowned gently. She really had to think of a way to avoid this domineering man. ¡°Respond to me!¡± Bruce said. Joanna¡¯s chin hurt from being pinched. She replied helplessly, ¡°Got it!¡± After hearing her answer, Bruce smiled satisfactorily. He nted a kiss on her forehead and kissed her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll leave then,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯lle and see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna said. Pretending to cry, she wanted him to leave as soon as possible. ¡°Give your husband a kiss!¡± Bruce said. Puff! Joanna really could not take it anymore. She tried her best to break free from his control. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough!¡± Joanna said. Bruce curled her lips slightly and said with a faint smile, ¡°You¡¯re not being obedient again, are you?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and gently kissed his cheek. However, the kiss was very light, like a feather gently brushing against his cheek. Chapter 106 Bruce smiled. No matter what, Joanna had started to give in. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re good, I will dote on you!¡± When Joanna heard that, she swallowed her anger and ignored him. ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡± Bruce said. With that, he stood up and left. After all, there was still a pile of work in hispany waiting for him to deal with. He could not really stay in the Haynes. Group all day. After Bruce left. Cora hurriedly knocked on the door and entered. She looked at Joanna with lingering fear and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, are you okay? Did Mr. Everett make things difficult for you again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Joanna said. She breathed a sigh of relief, propped her hand on the desk, and held her forehead in frustration. This can¡¯t go on like this,¡± she thought. If she wanted to dissociate herself from Bruce, she had to stay away from him. ¡°Cora, have you checked the factory site in Porash that I asked you to look into?¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking at it for the past two days,¡± Cora said. ¡°There are two suitable locations, but the rent is a little high.¡± Joanna sighed and said, ¡°Thepany needs to expand its business model now. Mossbourne is developing very fast, so we need to seize the opportunity and open a branch in Mossbourne. ¡°After all, the rent in Greyport is too high, and thebor cost is also high. It¡¯s not a bad idea to move the factory to Porash. ¡°Make some preparation. Come with me to Porash tomorrow to inspect the factory sites.¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± Cora said. Joanna made up her mind. If she wanted to get rid of Bruce¡¯s entanglement, she had to leave Greyport. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity of expanding the scale of the Haynes Group, she nned to set her sights on Mossbourne. After all, Greyport¡¯s rapid development had almost reached its limit. If she wanted to make a strongeback, she could only explore new opportunities for development. Porash and Greyport were separated by sea, and they were also special economic zones. It was just the perfect ce to build a factory. After Cora left, Joanna did not dare to dy any longer. She hurriedly turned on herputer and prepared to deal with her current work. She had to hurry up and arrange her current work as she would visit the site in Porash tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. At the Haynes¡¯s house. Ingrid was still knocking on the door of her daughter¡¯s room. ¡°Roxy,e out quickly!¡± she said. ¡°Bruce really asked you out for dinner tonight¡­¡± ¡°Mom, can you stop bothering me?¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Beep! Beep Beep!¡± Roxanne¡¯s phone rang. Roxanne picked up her phone and nced at it. Surprisingly, it was a call from Bruce. Roxanne was instantly overjoyed. She quickly jumped off the bed and opened the door. ¡°Mom, be quiet,¡± she said. ¡°Bruce is calling!¡± Upon hearing this, Ingrid immediately stopped talking. Her face was full of anticipation. Roxanne closed the door again and answered the call. ¡°Hello, Bruce,¡± she said. ¡°You finally call me?¡± 12:49 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 106 Bruce¡¯s cold voice could be heard from the other end of the line. ¡°Roxy, are you free tonight?¡± he asked, ¡°Oh yes, I am, Roxanne said. I¡¯ll pick you up tonight, Bruce said. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± Upon hearing that. Roxanne restrained her excitement and responded softly, ¡°Okay, Bruce *Alright, get ready!¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at eight in the evening.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Roxanne said. Bruce hung up the phone as soon as he finished talking. After hanging up, Roxanne was still a little surprised and ttered. Bruce had not taken the initiative to call her for a long time, but tonight, he actually took the initiative to call and ask her out for dinner. After Roxanne hung up. Ingrid could not wait to ask. ¡°Roxy, what did Bruce say?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°Mom. Bruce just called me and said that we¡¯ll have dinner togetherter!¡± Roxanne said. Upon hearing that, Ingrid smiled brightly and said, ¡°I told you so, but you didn¡¯t believe me. Quick, get out of bed and dress. up nicely.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Roxanne said. She brightened up and quickly got out of bed to wash her hair and put on makeup. At eight in the evening, Bruce¡¯s car arrived punctually at the entrance of the Haynes¡¯s house. Roxanne looked especially beautiful today. She had put in a lot of effort to dress up and even had her nails done. ¡°Bruce, where are we going to eat tonight?¡± she asked. ¡°Um, how about going to Blue Pavilion, that ce we went the other day?¡± Bruce said. Roxanne smiled gracefully and said, ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce then turned on the ignition. ¡°Bruce, why do you have time to ask me out for dinner today?¡± Roxanne asked. Bruce was driving. His profile looked like a sculpture, perfect and extremely cold. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got something to tell you,¡± he said. Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She asked carefully, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it over dinner,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Alright!¡± Roxanne said. Her eyes flickered for a moment. She felt uneasy. Bruce stopped talking. He drove the car quietly. Half an hourter, the car pulled up by the entrance of Blue Pavilion. ¡°Let¡¯s go in Bruce said. ¡°Okay,¡± Roxanne said. Bruce got out of the car alone. In the past, he would always open the door for Roxanne like a gentleman. But today, after getting out of the car, he walked straight to the restaurant. Moreover, he walked very fast. 12:49 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 106 Roxanne quickly got out of the car and followed Bruce. They entered the restaurant. Bruce had already reserved a table. It was the same one near the window when they came previously. ¡°What do you want to eal?¡± ¡°Steak and mushroom soup, please!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Sure, please wait a moment!¡± The service manager came forward to serve them personally. After a while, the steak was served. Bruce did not say a word during the nearly twenty minutes of waiting for food. The atmosph¨¨re was quite gloomy and awkward. Finally, Roxanne could not stand it anymore. She filled the silence by saying something. ¡°Bruce, you said earlier that your have something to tell me,¡± she said. ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce cut the steak and looked up. Roxanne looked at him expectantly, with big and attractive eyes that were full of gentleness and vulnerability. Bruce shifted his gaze again and nced at the deep cut on her wrist. He chewed his steak, but still hesitated. If he were to mention breaking up with her now, she would probably try to hurt herself again. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Um, about the wedding. Bruce said. ¡°Oh, what about the wedding?¡± Roxanne asked. Bruce paused for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy this year, so the wedding may have to be postponed until next year.¡± Roxanne was left speechless. When she heard that, her heart skipped a beat. They had originally agreed to get married in October, but now it was suddenly postponed to next year. She knew that he did not want to get married and that he was making excuses to postpone it. ¡°Bruce, the wedding can be postponed until next year,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°We can get the marriage license first and temporarily not hold the wedding¡­¡± Without waiting for Roxanne to finish talking, Bruce interrupted her and said, ¡°No. Grandma¡¯s health isn¡¯t good. We have to wait for Grandma to recover before holding the wedding. We¡¯ll talk about it next year.¡± Upon hearing this, Roxanne was even more stunned. She was holding the knife and fork to cut the steak earlier. She now stopped cutting the steak. Judging from Bruce¡¯s tone, he might not even marry her next year. However, she did not know how to argue back. Fortunately, Bruce did not mention breaking up. This made her feel a little more at ease. After a while, Roxanne broke the silence again and asked softly, ¡°Bruce, is it because of Joanna?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned cold. He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Roxanne coldly as he said, ¡°You should notpare, 12:49 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 106 yourself to Joanna or think that Joanna¡¯s actions will affect your rtionship with me. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to interfere in the matter between me and Joanna, including you!¡± Ji When Roxanne heard this, she felt as if her heart had been stabbed by a knife was cold and painful, and her eyes instantly turned teary. Despite feeling dissatisfied, she did not dare to say anything more. Ever since Bruce found out that Roxanne lied to him, she had be extremely submissive and humble whenever she was in his presence. She was no longer the little princess that he doted on. While Roxanne was silent, Bruce had already finished his steak. ¡°Are you full?¡± Bruce asked. Roxanne was not in the mood to eat anymore. She stuttered and said, ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Bruce said, getting up from his seat eagerly. Roxanne was stunned. He looked at Bruce in a daze and said, ¡°Bruce, where are we going? ¡°It¡¯s still so early. Why don¡¯t we go watch a movie?¡± ¡°I have a meeting tonight,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back first.¡± Upon hearing that, Roxanne felt even more upset. She spent the whole afternoon dressing up for the date, but now, after less than an hour of dining out, he was so eager to send her back. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s still so early,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back! Can you apany me a little longer?¡± She spoke gently. There was even a hint of pleading in her tone. Bruce frowned for a moment. Eventually, he still turned her down. ¡°Let¡¯s do it another day,¡± he said. ¡°I have to attend an international meeting tonight.¡± Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107 ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up,¡± Bruce said. Roxanne had no choice but to get up and leave the restaurant with him. After getting back into the car, Bruce remained silent. He turned on the ignition as soon as Roxanne fastened her seatbelt. Just as the car left the car park, they happened to see a silver Bentleying toward them. Bruce felt a sudden shock upon seeing the car that he suspected belonged to Joanna. He nced at the license te. It was indeed Joanna¡¯s car. He reckoned that Joanna also came to this ce to eat. Thinking of this, Bruce looked displeased, suspecting that Joanna must have made an appointment with a man. It was rare for someone toe to such a high¨Cend restaurant alone to eat. ¡°Roxy, I have something to do now, so I can¡¯t send you back, Bruce said, stepping on the brake abruptly and stopping the car on the roadside. ¡°Please take a taxi by yourself.¡± Roxanne was jolted by the sudden stop of the car due to inertia. She looked at Bruce in shock and said, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce looked a little ufortable. ¡°Um, why don¡¯t I call Andy and ask him to pick you up?¡± he said. ¡°Bruce, why are you in such a hurry?¡± Roxanne said. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Bruce said, ¡°I suddenly remember something very important that needs to be dealt with right away. ¡°Get out of the car first!¡± Upon hearing that, Roxanne was so angry that her face turned red. It had never urred to her that Bruce had treated her coldly to such an extent. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s more urgent than the matter between us?¡± Roxanne said angrily, stiffening her body and refusing to get out of the car. ¡°I¡¯m not getting out of the car!¡± Bruce frowned and made up his mind. ¡°Drive back by yourself then!¡± he said. As he spoke, Bruce threw the car key to Roxanne. Then, he got out of the car and left without looking back. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne hurriedly got out of the car. Bruce was already walking into the distance. Over here, Joanna had just parked her car, opened the door, and got out of the car. She had just arranged to have dinner with Jaydon. Today¡¯s incident was quite a scene, so she naturally wanted to treat him to a meal and apologize to him. However, she never expected Bruce to be here too. After getting out of the car, Joanna took out her phone and involuntarily called Jaydon. ¡°Hello, Jay,¡± she said. ¡°Are you here?¡± Jaydon was almost there. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Tll be there in five minutes.¡± 12:49 Fri, 23 Chapter 107 N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first then,¡± Joanna said. ¡°It¡¯s the same seat asst timel ¡°Alright!¡± Jaydon said. As Joanna hung up the phone, locked the car doors, and prepared to head toward the restaurant, a tall and sturdy figure suddenly blocked her way. Joanna was so frightened that she stopped in her tracks. When she looked up, she was even more frightened. She took a step back. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce frowned and looked inside her car. There was no one else. ¡°Whom did you make a dinner appointment with?¡± Bruce asked. Joanna was at a loss for words. Her eyes widened. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too nosy?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Can¡¯t I even ask someone out for a meal?¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face was extremely displeased. ¡°Is the person you¡¯re meeting a man or a woman?¡± he asked. ¡°Is it Jaydon?¡± Joanna suddenly felt anxious. She took a deep breath and looked at Bruce irritably. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re really strange!¡± she said. ¡°Does it have anything to do with you whom I¡¯m meeting for a meal?¡± ¡°Of course it does!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Are you meeting a man or a woman?¡± Joanna was so angry that she could not help but curse. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± she said. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t bother me like this!¡± Joanna said. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to have dinner with someone else, but I¡¯m not allowed to have dinner with someone else?¡± Bruce grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his arms. He said domineeringly, ¡°Yes. If you want to eat, you can only ask me out!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more exasperated. She tried her best to break free from his grip. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore,¡± she said. ¡°I am not your ve, let alone your girlfriend. You have no right to demand this from me!¡± Bruce held her arm tightly and said angrily, ¡°It seems that you ignored everything I told you this morning!¡± ¡°Hmph, Bruce, I hate you,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I really hate you!¡± Joanna struggled desperately to break free from his grasp and ran toward the exit of the car park. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Bruce said. He ran a few steps forward and stopped her again. Joanna was so angry that she let out a puff of air and said, ¡°I¡¯m not eating, okay? Can I just go home now?¡± After saying that, Joanna turned around angrily and walked toward the car. Bruce followed behind her and sneered. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go home with you!¡± he said. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Who are you to me? Why do you want to go home with me?¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Send me home then since I¡¯m not driving now.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you call your assistant or your driver toe pick you up?¡± Joanna said. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Jaydon called three times in a row, but Joanna did not pick up. Jaydon had no choice but to send several voice messages to Joanna. ¡°Have you arrived?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m already here. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick up the phone? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Ding! Ding!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone kept reminding her of iing messages on Messenger. Bruce¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious. ¡°Whose message is it?¡± he said. ¡°Give me the phone!¡± ¡°Why should I let you see my phone?¡± Joanna said angrily while driving. The message must have been sent by Jaydon. If Bruce were to see it, he would definitely go berserk again. ¡°Give me the phone!¡± Bruce said as he tried to reach into Joanna¡¯s pocket to grab the phone. ¡°I¡¯m driving,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Can you please stop making a scene?¡± ¡°Hurry up and give me the phone!¡± Bruce said. He continued to reach for the phone regardless of Joanna¡¯s protests. 4 In a moment of panic, Joanna turned the steering wheel and the car instantly veered out of thene, almost getting hit by the car behind her car. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna was so scared that she broke out in cold sweat. The car stopped in the emergencyne. The driver behind Joanna¡¯s car was also frightened. He wound down the window and scolded, ¡°Damn it! Do you know how to drive?¡± After the car came to a stop. Joanna was still frightened. ¡°Bruce, can you not act like this?¡± she said. ¡°Give me the phone! Bruce said. As he spoke, he forcefully snatched her phone away. Although the phone was locked, the caller ID showed it was Jaydon. The nickname of the person that sent the message was also shown. In an instant, Bruce was filled with jealousy. He was so angry that he flew into a rage. His eyes showed a sinister look. ¡°Joanna, did you arrange to meet Jaydon again?¡± he said. Joanna was so angry that her eyes turned red. She reached out and wanted to snatch the phone back. ¡°So what if I did?¡± she said. ¡°Hurry up and give me the phone!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the phone password?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Give me my phone,¡± Joanna said. ¡°You can¡¯t invade someone else¡¯s privacy!¡± ¡°Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Jaydon called again. Bruce answered the call. Jaydon¡¯s worried and maic voice could be heard from the other end of the line. ¡°Hello, Joan, where are you?¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? I¡¯m already at the restaurant¡­. Before Jaydon finished talking, Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Joanna is with me. I¡¯m warning you. Stop harassing Joanna! Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you pay the price!¡± ¡°Why are you the one who answers the call?¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Chapter 108 Joanna was equally exasperated. She tried her best to snatch the phone back. ¡°Bruce, give me the phone quickly!¡± she said. ¡°Snap!¡± Bruce hung up the phone and then wound down the car window, throwing the phone out forcefully. His temper was extremely bad. In just one year, he had smashed many phones. Joanna¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s my phone!¡± she said, ¡°What right do you have to smash my phone?¡± After saying that, Joanna hurriedly opened the car door, wanting to get out and look for her phone. Unfortunately, the phone had already been thrown into the sea. There was no way she could find it. Bruce also got out of the car and looked at Joanna angrily. Joanna was so angry that her eyes turned red. Tears fell uncontrobly as she punched Bruce¡¯s body a few times. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy?¡± she said. After that, Joanna could not help but squat on the ground and cry! The phone stored many photos of her children as they grew up, as well as photos of her mother, who had passed away. Now, they were all destroyed. Upon seeing the typically tough Joanna burst into tears over a phone, Bruce frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a phone, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯llpensate you.¡± ¡°You want topensate me?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Do you know that my mother¡¯s photos are in the phone? How are you going topensate me?¡± After Joanna yelled in a hoarse voice, she waspletely devastated. She held her head and cried uncontrobly. As Bruce watched her cry, crouching on the ground looking fragile and vulnerable, he pursed his lips before he involuntarily squatted down and tried to embrace her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Go away!¡± Joanna said. She pushed Bruce away and rushed into the car while crying. Then, she locked the door. Joanna, Joanna, open the door!¡± Bruce said. He was anxious. He knocked on the window hard./ Joanna turned on the ignition, wanting to leave Bruce behind. Unfortunately, Bruce stood in front of the car before Joanna could drive off. ¡°Just run over me!¡± Bruce said. Joanna took a deep breath and changed into reverse gear. The car quickly reversed dozens of feet. Then, she changed into the forward gear. She stepped on the elerator pedal, swerved to avoid Bruce, and drove off. ¡°Damn woman,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Stop the car¡­¡± Bruce stretched out his arm to stop Joanna. Unfortunately, he could not stop her. Joanna drove off, leaving him alone on the overpass.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Bruce was so angry that he stomped his feet. He had left his car to Roxanne, and to make matters worse, his phone and wallet were also left in the car. It was very difficult to get a taxi on this overpass, so he had no choice but to walk down the overpass. ¡°Shit.¡± Chapter 108 ¡°Fuck.¡± Bruce took off his tie and walked down the overpass. Rumble! The sky rumbled with thunder. It was very gloomy. Suddenly, heavy rain poured down. The pouring rain drenched Bruce, but it actually helped to cool his anger and calm him down. Swish! Cars whizzed past him, sshing mud and water all over him. His expensive suit was now a mess, and his handsome hairstyle was also as disheveled as a chicken coop. He had never been in such a sorry state in his life. After walking for more than ten minutes, Bruce finally walked down the overpass. He finally saw a convenience store after walking for a long time. Bruce had already been drenched in the rain for more than twenty minutes. He was thoroughly soaked, and he was so cold that there was no warmth at all. When he saw the convenience store, he hurriedly went into the convenience store to take shelter from the rain. ¡°Um, is there a pay phone here?¡± Bruce asked. The female shop assistant looked at Bruce with a surprised expression, but she did not say anything. In this era, it was rare to see people using pay phones. Moreover, judging by Bruce¡¯s appearance, even though he looked disheveled, he did not seem like he could not even afford a cell phone. ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t have one,¡± the female shop assistant said. Bruce bit the bullet and said, ¡°Can I borrow your phone?¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± the female shop assistant said. She hesitated for a moment before obediently handing the phone to him. Bruce took the phone and hurriedly called Andy. Beep! Beep! Beep! The call was quickly picked up. ¡°Hello!¡± Andy said. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Bruce said coldly. ¡°It¡¯s me. Quicklye over to pick me up!¡± Andy was stunned. ¡°Mr. Everett, where are you now?¡± Andy said. ¡°Can you send me your location?¡± Bruce looked around in frustration. Then, he said, ¡°There¡¯s a convenience store under the overpass in Barlsher. I¡¯m here. Come over quickly!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, can you send me your exact location?¡± Andy said. ¡°I just told you the address,¡± Brue said angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself!¡± Andy was scared and his heart skipped a beat. He no longer dared to ask questions. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± he replied. After making the call, Bruce returned the phone to the female shop assistant and said, ¡°Thank you!¡± 12:49 FTI, Chapter 108 The shop assistant was also shocked by his tone. She replied in a soft voice. ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± she said. Despite Bruce¡¯s disheveled appearance, the shop assistant could not resist hisleidsome face as well as his innate air of refinement. The shop assistant stared straight at Bruce. She felt that he looked very simr to the Mr. Everett in media reports. However, she quickly changed her mind and thought that it could not possibly be him. ¡°Who¡¯s Mr. Everett?¡± she thought. ¡°He¡¯s the wealthiest man in Greyport. How could he be in such a sorry state?¡± Twenty minutester, several luxury cars whizzed and stopped at the entrance of the convenience store. Andy and a few bodyguards in suits hurriedly got out of the car and rushed toward the convenience store. Upon seeing Bruce, Andy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you okay?¡± Andy said. ¡°How did you end up like this?¡± Bruce looked displeased. He immediately walked out of the shop and said, ¡°Cut the crap! ¡°Give a tip to the shop assistant.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Andy said. He hurriedly handed the umbre to the bodyguard beside him and rushed back to the convenience store. He opened his wallet and took out a 200¨Cdor banknote. ¡°Thank you!¡± Andy said. ¡°This is a tip from Mr. Everett!¡± After saying that, Andy put the 200¨Cdor banknote on the cashier¡¯s counter. Without waiting for the shop assistant to say anything, he hurriedly left. Looking at the luxury cars outside and the tip on the cashier¡¯s counter, the shop assistant¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Now, she was certain that the person that came in earlier was Bruce Everett! ¡°Oh my god, it really is Mr. Everett!¡± she said. Bruce returned to the car and Andy quickly got into the car. ¡°Mr. Everett, aren¡¯t you supposed to have dinner with Ms. Haynes?¡± Andy said. ¡°Stop asking!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Achoo! Achoo!¡± Bruce could not help but sneeze a few times. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Upon seeing this, Andy was so frightened that he did not dare to speak. He quickly took out a tissue and handed it to Bruce. Bruce wiped his face with the tissue. He then suddenly thought of something. He said, ¡°By the way, let¡¯s take a round on the overpass now. ¡°Turn around. Get on the overpass!¡± A few cars whizzed onto the overpass again. Soon, they arrived at the spot where Bruce had thrown Joanna¡¯s phone. ¡°Here it is. Bruce said. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± The driver hurriedly pulled over. ¡°Find a few professional divers and salvage a phone for me!¡± Bruce said. Andy was left speechless. He looked displeased. ¡°It seems that Mr. Everett has thrown a cell phone again,¡± he thought. ¡°And this time around, he throws it into the sea!¡± He still felt that it was a little strange. In the past, after Bruce smashed his phone, he would immediately get a new one. ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett!¡± Andy said. After Roxanne was left behind by Bruce, she drove to look for Gavin in a fit of anger. In front of a dpidated vige house, a top¨Cnotch luxury car suddenly arrived, looking out of ce. ¡°Wow, Roxy, is this your new car?¡± Gavin said as he sat in the front passenger seat of the Maybach, looking pleasantly surprised. Even if he worked hard for the rest of his life, he probably would not be able to afford such a car. Roxanne replied coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not my car!¡± Gavin¡¯s eyes were filled with envy. ¡°This car is expensive, right?¡± he said. ¡°It costs at least 1 to 1.2 million dors, right?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Roxanne snorted coldly. She did not answer Gavin¡¯s question. ¡°Wow, this car is so cozy,¡± Gavin said. He could not help but smack his lips. Looking at Gavin¡¯s envious gaze, Roxanne felt even more bored. The gap between Gavin and Bruce in terms of social status and wealth was just too wide. ¡°Roxy, can I drive it?¡± Gavin said. ¡°I¡¯ve never driven such an expensive car before.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Roxanne replied angrily. She then stopped the car. After all, Bruce left her behind. With a vengeful mentality, Roxanne got out of the car and exchanged seats with Gavin. Gavin got into the car and started the engine carefully. However, this car had a very powerful engine. Gavin had never driven a luxury car before, so he could not control it at all. He identally stepped on the elerator pedal too hard. The car suddenly elerated forward. A loud bang could be heard. Chapter 109 The front of the car hit the tree in front of the house. Instantly, the two of them were scared silly. After a long time, Roxanne finally came back to her senses. She yelled at Gavin, ¡°Are you dumb?¡± she said. ¡°How can you be so careless? How did you even manage to hit a tree?¡± ¡°1¡­¡± Gavin was also stunned. He hurriedly went down to check. The front of the car was deformed from the impact and there was a dent where it hit the tree trunk. ¡°Do you know that this isn¡¯t my car?¡± Roxanne said. Gavin was so scared that he broke out in cold sweat and said, ¡°What should we do then? ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be anxious! It isn¡¯t very serious. I can get someone to fix it¡­¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Do you know that this car costs over 2 million dors? It can only be sent to a car dealer for repairs!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Gavin was so scared that he did not dare to say a word. Since Gavin had crashed the car, Roxanne did not dare to tell Bruce. Naturally, she could not file an insurance im and she had to pay for the repair costs herself.. This was not the most crucial thing. The most crucial thing was that if Bruce found out about Gavin¡¯s existence, he would definitely dump her. However, Bruce had a lot of cars. He had also given a few luxury cars to Roxanne. He might not necessarily be in a hurry to ask her for the car. The only thing she could do was to secretly fix the car and pretend that nothing had happened. Just as Roxanne was feeling stressed out, her phone started to ring. She took out her phone and took a look. It was actually Andy calling! She felt tense. She quickly composed herself and picked up the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Andy¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Hello, Ms. Haynes, this is Andy,¡± Andy said. ¡°Yes, Andy,¡± Roxanne said, trying her best to calm down. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Andy said. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s phone is in the car. I¡¯ll send someone to get itter and drive the car back.¡± Upon hearing that, Roxanne felt even more tense. She stammered as she said, ¡°Oh, um, I, I quite like this car. I want to drive it for two days before returning it to Bruce.¡± When Andy heard this, he quickly looked at Bruce. Bruce listened from the side. He could not help but frown. This car was a limited edition and one of his favorite cars. If he had not been in a hurry to chase after Joanna, he would not have let Roxanne drive his car. However, since she had already said so, he could not be bothered to argue with her. Bruce then nodded at Andy. Andy continued, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll go overter to get Mr. Everett¡¯s phone and wallet.¡± Chapter 109 ¡°Okay,¡± Roxanne said. After hanging up, Roxanne still had a lingering fear. She could not help but pinch and kick Gavin. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Gavin was even more frightened. He kept apologizing. The repair cost of this luxury car was at least tens of thousands of dors, and he could not afford it. This money had to be paid by Roxanne herself. After Bruce returned home, he quickly took a hot shower. The weather had turned cool now. He caught a cold that same night after being drenched in the rain for so long. The next day, Bruce woke up feeling groggy all over his body. His family doctor prescribed him some fever¨Creducing medicine, but even after taking it, he still insisted on going to work. At nine in the morning, Bruce arrived at the Haynes Group in an imposing manner. This damn woman actually left him on the overpass yesterday and caused him to be drenched in the rain for more than half an hour. He would not swallow this anger! At the Haynes Group. ¡°Hi. Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Miss Haynes is noting to work today.¡± Bruce was left speechless upon hearing that. He was dumbfounded. Come to think of it, Joanna the damn woman knew that he wasing to cause trouble today. She was so frightened that she did not dare toe to work. However, it did not matter. If she did note to work, he would go to her house to look for her. ¡°Quickly call her and ask her toe back for a meeting,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Um, Miss Haynes went to Mossbourne today.¡± Bruce was left speechless. He was even more dumbfounded upon hearing that. ¡°What is she doing there?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Miss Haynes said that she¡¯s preparing to build a factory in Mossbourne, so she went to Mossbourne for an inspection today.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°When will she be back?¡± he asked. Luna looked at Bruce carefully and said, ¡°Um, Miss Haynes didn¡¯t say anything about when she would be back.¡± ¡°Whom did she go with?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°She went with Cora and two marketing managers,¡± Luna said. ¡°Got it!¡± Bruce said. Upon responding, Bruce left in an imposing manner. This damn woman actually wanted to go to Mossbourne to build a factory. The crucial point was that she actually did not Chapter 109 discuss such an important matter with him. Obviously, she wanted to avoid him. However, it was not so easy to avoid him, After Bruce returned to the Everett Group, Andy came in to report. ¡°Mr. Everely, your phone has been salvaged,¡± he said. ¡°But the phone has been submerged in water and cannot be turned on.¡± Andy continued. ¡°It has been taken for repairs.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Send it over after it¡¯s repaired.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Andy said. Early in the morning. Joanna brought her staff members to Porash for a site inspection. This factory was built in 2001 withplete facilities. The owner is now in a hurry to sell it, so we can make an offer and take it over.¡± There is another piece ofnd with a suitable area, but we need to build the factory and install the equipment ourselves.¡± ¡°Just these two ces?¡± A marketing manager said seriously, ¡°There are other ces. However, it¡¯s a little far and the location is a little remote. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be convenient to hire workers.¡± ¡°Then we don¡¯t have to consider it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna brought two marketing managers and Cora to a few production sites near Porash for a day. ¡°Miss Haynes, we won¡¯t be able to finish seeing everything today. We¡¯ll probably have to spend another two more days.¡± ¡°Yes. We won¡¯t go back to Greyport today. Let¡¯s find a hotel to stay in, so we don¡¯t have to travel back and forth.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The next day, Joanna had yet to return to Greyport. Bruce was furious. He called more than ten times, but Joanna did not answer at all. He had no choice but to call Cora. ¡°Hello!¡± Cora said. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Bruce.¡± Cora felt tense upon hearing that it was Bruce. ¡°Oh, hi Mr. Everett,¡± she said. ¡°Is there anything you need to instruct me?¡± ¡°Are you with Joanna?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Um, yes, Cora said. ¡°Send me the address, Bruce said. ¡°I want toe over.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Cora looked surprised. She whispered to the person next to her. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett¡¯s calling,¡± she said. ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± Joanna said. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Everett, Cora said. 12:49 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 109 ¡°Hang up on him!¡± Joanna said. As Joanna spoke, she took the phone and said, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t call again!¡± ¡°Beep! Beep!¡± Joanna immediately hung up. Bruce was even more furious. ¡°This damm woman actually dares to hang up on me!¡± he said. After ranting, he called again. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is calling again,¡± Cora said. ¡°Ignore him.¡± Joanna said. ¡°Switch off the phone!¡± Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Cora did not dare to disobey Joanna. She had no choice but to switch off her phone. When Bruce dialed back, the customer service voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Hello, the phone you are trying to reach has been switched off¡­¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Bruce said. He threw the phone on the table and panted heavily. This damn woman did not take him seriously at all. In the past, she was so submissive and humble in front of him, but now she actually dared to be so arrogant! Indeed, women. could not be spoiled. ¡°Mark, track Joanna¡¯s current location, Bruce said. ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett!¡± Mark said. Upon receiving the order, Mark left the office. Andy happened toe in. The two of them looked at each other anxiously. They then hurriedly went about their own business. ¡°Mr. Everett is very irritable today,¡± they thought. ¡°We¡¯ve got to be extremely careful!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, the phone is fixed,¡± Andy said. ¡°Bring it here!¡± Bruce said. ¡°There you go,¡± Andy said, respectfully handing the phone over. Joanna¡¯s phone had been fixed. The password had been unlocked, and the data had been restored. Bruce turned on the phone and scrolled through it. This was Joanna¡¯s personal phone. The contact list only included the numbers of people such as Jaydon, Miranda, Kelly, Tracy, and other people who were close to her. She used another phone for work, so Bruce was not in her contact list. He only had her work phone number and not her personal phone number. A surge of jealousy instantly overwhelmed him. ¡°Damn woman, you didn¡¯t save my phone number!¡± Bruce said. Bruce cursed resentfully before flipping through the photo album angrily. In the photo album, almost all the photos were photos of Joanna¡¯s three children. From the time when the children were one or two months old until now, these photos captured many moments of their growth. As Bruce looked through the album, he felt an inexplicable sense of affection. He could not help but think how nice it would be if they were his own children. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Unfortunately, these adorable children were the children of that trash, Jaydon. How infuriating! At the bottom of the photo album were photos of Joanna when she was young, as well as photos of her and her mother. After looking through the photo album, Bruce was stunned for a moment. 12:50 Fri, Chapter 110 There were no photos of Jaydon. Neither were there any photos of Jaydon with the children. Jaydon was the children¡¯s father. Logically speaking, he should have taken photo with the children. However, there was not a single photo of him with the children. ¡°How strange!¡± Bruce said. ¡°What else is this damn woman hiding?¡± Bruce was letting his imagination run wild when Mark came in to report. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes¡¯s position has been located,¡± Mark said. ¡°Where is she?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°She¡¯s around here.¡± Mark said. Bruce squinted and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to Porash now!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, do you want to postpone all the work that has been scheduled for today?¡± Mark said. ¡°The vice president of thepany from Melta and Aldano will being to reportter. ¡°There is also a lunch appointment with the president of Rax Financial Group from Surbano this afternoon¡­¡± Bruce thought for a moment and decided to deal with his current work first. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while then,¡± he said. ¡°Cancel tonight¡¯s social engagement!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Mark said. In the evening, Joanna and the others had strolled around for a whole day. The four of them were already exhausted. Fortunately, they had already found sites that they liked. One of the sites had an old factory that upied an area of more than 100 thousand square feet. They could acquire it directly and install the equipment to start using it. The other factory site had a cheaper rent, but they had to build their own factory. ¡°Let¡¯s look for another day tomorrow,¡± Joanna said. ¡°If there¡¯s no better option, we¡¯ll have to choose one of these two options. ¡°Tell me. Which one do you think is more suitable?¡± Michael, who was the marketing manager, frowned and said seriously, ¡°I think the first site is better. We can start working after bringing in the equipment. ¡°The Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group haverge business volume. If we build the factory now, it will take at least a few months.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Joanna said. Another marketing manager, George, added, ¡°But the rent for the second factory is cheaper. If we want to develop in the long term, we definitely have to choose the second one!¡± ¡°Alright, Joanna said. ¡°Let¡¯s look around for another day tomorrow. Also, we have to discuss it with Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger.¡± Cora smiled and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s extend the hotel stay for another day.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna said. Michael smiled and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, do you want to go out and unwind? Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Chapter 111 However, Joanna did not expect Bruce to chase her to the hotel. Bruce dominated Joanna again. This triggered Joanna had a depression attack! Boom! Boom! Boom! Bruce knocked on the bathroom door heavily a few more times. Bruce shouted, ¡°Joanna, what are you doing in there? Get out now! ¡°If you keep staying inside, I¡¯ll break in!¡± However, Joanna did not reply or open the door. Bruce held his breath and leaned over to hear. He did not even hear a sound! Therefore, Bruce panicked and kicked the bathroom door open! After that, Bruce turned on the lights. Joanna curled up in the bathtub, and her eyes were tightly shut. Joanna¡¯s face waspletely soaked in the water in the bathtub. Bruce asked, ¡°Joanna, what are you doing?¡± However, Joanna did not reply. It seemed that she had already passed out. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Thus, he hurriedly pulled Joanna out of the water. ¡°Joanna, Joanna!¡± Joanna was already unconscious. Her body went limp, and she was like a snake without a spine. Bruce was flustered. He hurriedly carried Joanna out of the bathroom and ced her on the bed. Then Bruce began to press Joanna¡¯s chest to give her CPR. After Bruce performed more than ten sets of CPR in a row, there was finally an indication that Joanna came back to life. ¡°Ugh. Ugh,¡± moaned Joanna. As Bruce pressed down, Joanna choked and spat out a lot of water. Bruce was even more shocked and panicked when he saw Joanna being like this. Thus, Bruce hurriedly put on a bathrobe and grabbed a bedsheet to wrap Joanna up. Bruce had never heard that a person could drown herself in a bathtub. If Bruce did not kick the door to break in just now, Joanna would have drowned! Bruce said, ¡°Joanya, wake up. I¡¯m sending you to the hospital now!¡± Bruce hastily tied the belt of his bathrobe. Then he held Joanna up and headed out. A few bodyguards were standing outside. When they saw Bruceing out, they hurriedly came up to Bruce. The bodyguards greeted, ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce shouted anxiously. ¡°Hurry up! To the hospital!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± 12:51 Fri, 23 Chapte? 111 The bodyguards did not dare to hesitate. One of them rushed to the elevator and pressed the button. Another bodyguard called the driver to start the car through a walkie¨Ctalkie. ¡°Kody, Mr. Everett needs a ride to the hospital. Start the car right now!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The others guarded Bruce out of the hotel. Soon, they reached downstairs. The driver had already parked the car at the entrance of the hotel. A bodyguard quickly went forward and opened the car door! Bruce carried Joanna and got into the car. Bruce shouted, ¡°To the nearest hospital!¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± The driver stepped on the elerator and sped toward the nearest hospital. Sitting in the car, Bruce hugged Joanna tightly. Bruce was so nervous that he held Joanna in his arms as if he was holding a baby. Joanna was as soft as a cloud. Joanna¡¯s face became even paler because it had been soaked in the water. Bruce felt his heart ache when seeing Joanna¡¯s face. ¡°Joann, Joann! Hang in there. You can¡¯t leave the world like this. Do you hear me?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were tightly closed, and she did not have any reaction. Bruce could not understand how Joanna could drown herself. Ten minutester. The car roared to the nearest hospital. Bruce carried Joanna out of the car, and one bodyguard rushed into the hospital to call the doctor. Within a minute, two nurses came out with a wheeled stretcher, and Joanna was sent to an emergency room. The bodyguards held their breaths and stood aside. Bruce was wearing a robe and nervously walking around outside the ward. A patient murmured, ¡°What¡¯s this for? Why is that guy bringing bodyguards?¡± Another patient said, ¡°No idea, but he looks like he¡¯s from an organization.¡± The third patient replied, ¡°Guys, let¡¯s go. Just leave them alone if you don¡¯t want trouble.¡± The patients who passed by all turned their heads and looked at Bruce and his bodyguards from afar as if they were watching a show! Hall an hourter. The emergency room door finally opened. A doctor walked out of it. Bruce immediately walked to the doctor and asked anxiously, ¡°Doctor, is everything okay?¡± The doctor answered, ¡°Where did she drown? Fortunately, she was sent in time! We have saved her. ¡°However, she hasn¡¯t woken up yet because she had choked some water in her lungs.¡± Chapter 111 Bruce said, ¡°Doctor, please bring her back to life by all means!¡± The doctorforted, ¡°No worries. Her life is no longer in danger. Young adults should be more tut when swimming. This is a matter of life and death!¡± The doctor thought that Joanna had drowned in the pool. He would never expect that Joanna drown in a bathtub. Hearing the doctor¡¯s words, Bruce tightly frowned. He did not reply to the doctor or exin anything. At the same time, Bruce felt deep pain inside. Bruce thought, ¡°Joanna used to love me so much. I can¡¯t believe that she doesn¡¯t love me anymore.¡± Bruce hesitated for a second. Then he asked, ¡°May I go in and see her?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± replied the doctor. The doctor left after giving the permission. Bruce pushed open the door and heavily and slowly walked to the bed. Joanna was lying on the hospital bed, wearing an oxygen mask and having IV drips on her arm. She was still unconscious. Bruce said, ¡°Joann, please wake up. ¡°Do you¡­ I never know you hate me so much now. You hate me so much that you had to harm yourself if I touched you.¡± Bruce felt a little guilty deep down and frowned so tightly that his thick eyebrows almost turned into a knot. Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and had an indescribable feeling inside. Bruce thought, ¡°I always feel that Joanna loves me and is just ying hard to get. But now, it seems that she really doesn¡¯t love me anymore.¡± Early the next morning, Cora cried, ¡°Oh my gosh, Miss Haynes is missing. I keep calling her this morning but can¡¯t get through!¡± Cora was so anxious that sweats covered her forehead. Michael frowned and replied, ¡°Could Miss Haynes have returned to Greyport?¡± Coco said anxiously, ¡°How is that possible? We agreed to go to the venue today. Why would Miss Haynes go back to Greyport alone? ¡°Even if Miss Haynes wants to return to Greyport, she will at least leave us a message.¡± George said in shock, ¡°This is not good news. Did Miss Haynes encounter a bad guy and get kidnapped?¡± Hearing George¡¯s assumption, Cora and Michael were shocked and dreadful. Michael said, ¡°No. That¡¯s not possible.¡± Cora said, ¡°It may be possible, it¡¯s all your fault. You insisted on going to some clubsst night! Now, Miss Haynes is missing!¡± ¡°Is Miss Haynes sleeping soundly? Is that why she didn¡¯t hear the call? Why don¡¯t we try calling her again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I can¡¯t get through at all! It¡¯s already nine o¡¯clock in the morning. Miss Haynes can¡¯t be still sleeping at this time.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? Should we call the police?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Miss Haynes hasn¡¯t missed up to 24 hours yet. I¡¯m afraid the police won¡¯t ept the case even if we ask them for help.¡± Cora was anxious and hurriedly called Joanna again. What Cora received was an automated answer. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter.¡± ¡°Try again with my phone.¡± Chapter 111 The three of them took turns calling Joanna. However, all they received was the same automated answer. ¡°Oh my gosh, why doesn¡¯t Miss Haynes answer the phone?¡± ¡°Maybe we can ask the front desk whether Miss Haynes has checked out.¡± Then the three of them rushed to the front desk. The receptionist checked the room number and said, ¡°The customer hasn¡¯t checked out yet.¡± ¡°Then why isn¡¯t Miss Haynes in the room?¡± The receptionist said, ¡°Oh, I saw someone take her to the hospital yesterday. We thought those guys were with you.¡± Hearing this, Cora was even more anxious and asked, ¡°Who are they?¡± The receptionist replied, ¡°Well, I only know they had several people.¡± ¡°Do you know which hospital they went to?¡± The receptionist replied, ¡°I have no clue about that.¡± ¡°Could you please show us the surveince footage? Our friend is missing!¡± The receptionist showed the three of them the surveince footage. Cora cried, ¡°Oh my god, isn¡¯t this Mr. Everett? ¡°What happened to Miss Haynes? Why was she sent to the hospital? She was safe and sound when she was with us.¡± Michael and George frowned. Michael assumed, ¡°It seems that Mr. Everett had abused Miss Haynes again.¡± Cora shouted at the receptionist, ¡°Can you do your jobs better? How can you give strangers free ess to the hotel?¡± The receptionist replied, ¡°Well, they can get in the hotel as long as they are our customers, and we have no responsibility to protect customers or avoid things like that.¡± Michael stopped the fight by interrupting anxiously, ¡°Enough. There won¡¯t be a big problem since we know Mr. Everett, not a kidnapper, takes Miss Haynes away. ¡°Cora, you have Mr. Everett¡¯s number, haven¡¯t you? Call Mr. Everett and ask him!¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± replied Cora. Then Cora quickly called Bruce Everett. Unfortunately, no one picked up the phone. Cora said, ¡°I can¡¯t get through to Mr. Everett either.¡± ¡°Then call Andy and ask him.¡± Bruce stayed by the bed in the hospital all night, and Joanna woke up in the middle of the night. However, Joanna only opened her eyes for a second and fell asleep again because she was weak, and the drowning took too much energy from her. It was ten o¡¯clock now. Joanna¡¯s hand and eyelids moved slightly. Bruce¡¯s eyes were red because he had stayed up the whole night. He held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly, saying, ¡°Joann, are you awake? I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡± Soon, Cora and the others rushed to the hospital. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Cora asked anxiously, ¡°How¡¯s Miss Haynes?¡± A lew bodyguards stood at the door of the ward and stopped the three of them. ¡°You can¡¯t go in!¡± ¡°We need to get in to visit Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes isn¡¯t awake yet. You can¡¯t go in there!¡± ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll have a look standing outside.¡± In the ward, Joanna slightly rolled her eyes and became conscious. She tried to get up buty back after struggling to force herself up. Seeing this, Bruce hurriedly went forward to help Joanna get up, saying, ¡°Joann, what do you want? I¡¯ll do it for you.¡± Joanna nced at Bruce and asked weakly, ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a hospital,¡± answered Bruce. Joanna cried, ¡°Hospital? Why am I in a hospital?¡± Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly. A hint of tenderness appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. He said, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t do such a thing again. Do you hear me? You almost scared me to death!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red after he finished his words. He had been worried a whole night and did not even get some rest. Joanna took a while to recall what happenedst night. Joanna thought, ¡°I remembered I probably had a depression attack when sitting in the bathtub. Then I didn¡¯t know why I passed out.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°What time is it now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s after 10 o¡¯clock in the morning,¡± said Bruce. Joanna was shocked and cried out, ¡°What? It¡¯s already after 10?¡± Then she struggled to sit up. Joanna had made an appointment with a client and agreed to view a factory at 9 o¡¯clock. She thought, ¡°I¡¯m probably going to miss the appointment. since it¡¯s already 10 o¡¯clock now!¡± Seeing this, Bruce immediately pressed Joanna back to the bed, warning, ¡°You haven¡¯tpletely recovered yet. You should lie down to have some rest.¡± Joanna struggled to get up agam, looking anxious. She said, ¡°I¡¯m okay! Don¡¯t get in my way!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes lit up. Then he pressed Joanna back onto the bed and said, ¡°Joanna, do you have to do so? ¡°See? You¡¯re so weak now. Can¡¯t you justy back in bed and rest?¡± ¨C Joanna coughed a little and said, ¡°Go away. I need to get off the bed.¡± ¡°What exactly are you going to do?¡± asked Bruce,Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Joanna was angry and anxious. However, she didn¡¯t have the energy to argue with Bruce because she was too weak. Thus, Joanna shouted, ¡°I need to go to the bathroom. Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Bruce was speechless after hearing that. He seemed relived and stopped frowning. Bruce quickly helped Joanna off the bed and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? The bathroom is a little far away. I¡¯ll carry you there.¡± Chapter 112 Joanna replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t need your help.¡± Just as Joanna finished her words, Bruce carried Joanna in his arms. Joanna panicked and tried to push Bruce away, shouting, ¡°Let go of me! I can walk by myself¡± However, Bruce ignored Joanna and carried her into the bathroom. After that, Bruce stood by the door and watched Joanna as if he was her guard. Bruce kept an eye on Joanna because he was afraid that Joanna would do something in the bathroom again. Joanna looked at Bruce, frustrated. She shouted, ¡°Get out! How can I use the toilet if you look at me like that?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Just pretend that I¡¯m invisible. I¡¯ve already seen every inch of your skin!¡± ¡°Weirdo, Just get out now!¡± Joanna was furious but had no energy to fight with Bruce. All she could do was frown and re at Bruce. Brucepromised and said, ¡°Umm, okay, but promise me you won¡¯t do anything stupid again!¡± Joanna said, ¡°You¡¯re crazy. What can I do in the bathroom?¡± Bruce failed to control his sharp tongue and said, ¡°Hmph, what if you drown in the toilet?¡± He thought, ¡°After all, Joanna drowned herself in a bathtub!¡± Listening to Bruce¡¯s words, Joanna could not say a word. She was so angry that her chest was about to explode. Therefore, Joanna red at Bruce. Her gaze was like an ice de stabbing Bruce. Joanna would have killed Bruce with her eyes if a gaze could kill a person. Joanna¡¯s staring was so creepy that Bruce gave in. He said, ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m going out. See?¡± As he spoke, Bruce nced at Joanna and turned to leave the bathroom. Creak! The moment Bruce went out, Joanna locked the bathroom door. Joanna thought, ¡°If Bruce barges in when I¡¯m in the middle of using the toilet, I will probably feel disgusted and throw up.¡± Bruce anxiously knocked on the door and shouted, ¡°Hey, why did you lock the door? Are you going to do that again? Open the door!¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Bruce, can you let me use the toilet in peace? You¡¯re so annoying!¡± Joanna almost could not control her anger. Joanna thought, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize Bruce is so clingy. Where is that cold, calm, and unapproachable Bruce?¡± Half a minuteter. Boom! Boom! Boom! Bruce knocked again and asked, ¡°Arn you still in there?¡± Joanna frowned and felt frustrated, thinking, ¡°I can¡¯t pass through walls. Where am I supposed to be if I¡¯m not in here? Is Bruce worrying that I¡¯m going to disappear through the sewer?¡± Bruce shouted, ¡°Why don¡¯t you reply to me? I¡¯ll break in if you don¡¯t say a word!¡± Joanna replied, ¡°I¡¯m in here!¡± ¡°Oh, alright!¡± Bruce was relieved after he heard Joanna¡¯s answer. Another half a minuteter. ¡°Are you still in there?¡± Bruce was afraid that Joanna would faint again, so he asked every half a minute to make sure that Joanna was fine. Joanna could not use the toilet in peace due to Bruce¡¯s disturbance. Thus, she shouted angrily, ¡°Stop being crazy! Leave me alone!¡± Chapter 112 Hearing Joanna¡¯s shouting, Bruce was stunned. No one had ever dared to shout at Bruce like this. Bruce touched his nose resentfully and shouted back, ¡°Damn it, Joanna. When did your temper be so bad? ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson someday!¡± Five minutester. Joanna could not take it anymore and hurriedly came out of the bathroom. Bruce said resentfully, ¡°Why do you need to use the toilet for so long? It looks like you have remarkable bowel movements!¡± After that, without asking Joanna, Bruce bent down and carried Joanna in his arms again. Joanna was so angry that she shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Put me down!¡± She was not used to this different Bruce. Bruce warned, ¡°Behave, or I¡¯ll put you in the toilet!¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not hold her anger anymore. She lowered her head and bit Bruce¡¯s shoulder with all her might. Bruce said, ¡°Ahh. Are you a werewolf? You¡¯ve got sharp teeth.¡± Cora and the others heard something happening inside and gathered around the door. They saw everything through the ss on the door and noticed that Bruce was carrying Joanna and smiling dotingly. Cora said, ¡°Aww, I can¡¯t take that. Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett look like a loving couple!¡± ¡°Stop it, Cora. Don¡¯t ruin Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett¡¯s moments.¡± The two marketing managers were shy and turned their heads away, not looking at the couple inside. Seeing Michael and George be like that, Cora was nervous. However, Cora could not help asking through the door, ¡°Miss Haynes, are you alright?¡± Hearing Cora¡¯s voice, Joanna reluctantly let go of Bruce¡¯s shoulder. Joanna replied to Cora, ¡°I¡¯m okay now. Call Mr. Zaborski and tell him we¡¯ll make another appointment.¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Bruce lost his smile and warned, ¡°Joanna, you are weak now, so drop the work and forget about it temporarily! ¡°I don¡¯t want you to build a factory in Mossbourne!¡± Joanna did not intend to argue with Bruce. Instead, she rolled her eyes in anger, Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, can you stop bothering me? Will you only stop when I die?¡± Hearing this, Bruce was stunned. Bruce stared at Joanna and found that she was so weak. Bruce felt his heart ache and did not argue with Joanna. Bruce thought, ¡°Joanna almost fost her lifest night. It was so close that she would go to another world. ¡°Perhaps I should keep the distance with Joanna.¡± Bruce ced Jaanna on the bed. The sadness appeared in his eyes. Bruce said, ¡°Joanna, I just want to ask you onest time. Are you sure you don¡¯t love me anymore?? Joanna was exasperated and replied, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already answered you several times! I don¡¯t love you. I don¡¯t love you! I¡¯ve never loved you! ¡°Don¡¯t ask such a boring question again!¡± Bruce retorted, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You said you loved mest night.¡± Joanna was stunned and asked, ¡°When did I say I love you?¡± Chapter 112 ¡°When we did thatst night,¡± said Bruce. ¡°Ugh!¡± cried Joanna. Hearing what Bruce said, Joanna was so angry that her heart ached. She could not help rubbing her chest and lying back on the bed. She was unwilling to continue the conversation with Bruce. Joanna thought, ¡°When we did that, Bruce kept asking me whether I loved him. He was like a wolf at that time. ¡°After I answered that I didn¡¯t love him, Bruce wanted more from me. ¡°In that case, I had topromise to make the experience morefortable.¡± Bruce asked again, ¡°Answer me!¡± Joanna coughed and frowned, saying, ¡°I feel dizzy¡± Seeing this, Bruce was nervous and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯ll call a doctor over here now!¡± Then, Bruce hurriedly hit the call button. Minutester, a doctor and several nurses rushed over. The doctor hurriedly went forward to check Joanna and asked, ¡°How does she feel?¡± Bruce replied anxiously, ¡°Doctor, she just said she felt dizzy!¡± ¡°She has hypoglycemia. She needs a dose of glucose now,¡± said the doctor. After the doctor finished his words, he quickly prescribed, and the nurse immediately gave Joanna a dose of glucose. The doctor warned, ¡°She needs to maintain emotional stability, so please keep quiet.¡± Bruce sighed in relief and replied with a frown, ¡°Got it.¡± After the doctor left, Kody came to knock on the door. ¡°What?¡± asked Bruce.. Kody reported, ¡°Mr. Everett. Butler Henry has called.¡± Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Bruce hurriedly left the room after he heard that. Bruce thought, ¡°Henry rarely calls me. He must have important messages if he calls me.¡± Bruce picked up the phone and said, ¡°Hello?¡± On the other end of the phone, Henry said anxiously, ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett. Mrs. Everett doesn¡¯t feel well and wants you to go back to the Everett mansion immediately.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with grandma?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Mrs. Everett¡¯s condition has returned, and the doctor has already arrived.¡± When Bruce heard the butler¡¯s words, he immediately felt anxious and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back home now!¡± ¡°Noted, Mr. Everett.¡± After hanging up the phone, Bruce was about to leave in a hurry. However, he suddenly thought of Joanna. Then Bruce went back into the ward. Bruce said, ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve got a bit of an emergency. I need to rush back home. You¡­¡± Joanna was upset about Bruce¡¯s existence. Hearing Bruce¡¯s words, Joanna replied coldly, ¡°Just head home now. No need to worry about me!¡± Bruce ordered, ¡°Cora, Kody, you guys stay here and take good care of Joanna. Call me if necessary.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett. No worries.¡± Bruce did not have time to say anything else. Thus, he leaned over to kiss Joanna¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Take care!¡± Joanna pouted and did not reply to Bruce. Joanna thought, ¡°It sounds like Bruce is saying goodbye to his pet dog when he goes out. He¡¯s always self¨Ccentered and doesn¡¯t care about my feelings.¡± Bruce could not afford another minute here, so he hurriedly left. In Bruce¡¯s eyes, nothing was more important than his grandmother¡¯s health. Margaret was Bruce¡¯s only family member, and that was why Bruce always followed Margaret¡¯s words. Bruce rushed back to Greyport and arrived at the Everett mansion. Bruce asked, ¡°How¡¯s grandma?¡± Henry answered with a grip expression, ¡°The doctor came by and gave Mrs. Everett an injection. She¡¯s stable now. However, it was really emergent just now.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt even more uneasy. Then he walked to bed nervously. Margaret was still on a venttor and had yet to wake up. Several family doctors were observing Margaret at the side of the bed. Margaret¡¯s heart was not in good condition, and she had blood clots. If ordinary people had these diseases, they would notst too long. Margaret spent countless money to maintain her life. The next few days, she would have to ept the injection of expensive regenerative stem cells and nutrients. 12:51 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 113 These were not the things that ordinary people could afford. A bottle of regenerative stem cells cost over 2 million dors, and a bottle of nutrient cost more than 200 thousand dors. ¡°Grandma, how do you feel?¡± asked Bruce. He grabbed his grandmother¡¯s hand tightly, worrie Perhaps sensing the arrival of her grandson, Margaret opened her eyes slowly and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Bruce?¡± Then, Margaret indicated a doctor to remove the venttor for her. The doctor at the side immediately understood and quickly took off the venttor. Bruce said, ¡°Grandma, you should probably put on the venttor.¡± Margaret looked at Bruce lovingly and said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I want to talk to you.¡± Bruce tried his best to squeeze a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you all day after you recover.¡± Margaret smiled and asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t youe over for the past two days?¡± ¡°Oh, I went to Mossbourne for a business trip,¡± replied Bruce. Margaret gently stroked Bruce¡¯s head and said earnestly, ¡°Is everything okay between Roxanne and you? Are you good now?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and replied, ¡°Grandma, we are good.¡± Margaret said, ¡°You already grew up. It¡¯s not a bad idea to get married earlier. Ask Roxanne toe over. I want to see her. It¡¯s time to give something to the future Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Bruce. He did not want to go against his grandmother¡¯s wishes. Therefore, Bruce would agree no matter what Margaret said. Actually, Bruce wanted to cancel the engagement with Roxanne a long time ago. However, Bruce was afraid that his grandmother would suffer a blow, so he dyed it for so many days. Margaret continued, ¡°I always expect to have a great¨Cgrandson. From my current condition, it seems it¡¯s already good enough for me to see you get married.¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Grandma, stop these inauspicious words! You can definitely celebrate your 100th birthday. You can not only have a great¨Cgrandson but also a great¨Cgreat¨Cgrandson.¡± Margaret smiled when she heard Bruce¡¯s words. Margaret knew that her body was in a terrible state now. However, she did not know how many days she could have even if she spent all her money on her health. That was why Margaret wanted to see her grandson get married before she died. On the other side. Gavin looked at Roxanne excitedly and said, ¡°Roxy, I fixed the car!¡± Roxanne asked, ¡°Really? You had it fixed so fast?¡± Gavin uncovered the hood and pointed at the repaired Maybach, saying, ¡°Look, it¡¯s as good as new!¡± Roxanne nced at it and realized that the car was fixed. Roxanne asked, ¡°I asked you to take it to a car dealer. Howe they finished the repair so soon?¡± ¡°Well, it will cost a lot if I take it to a car dealer. Besides, I have to fill out all kinds of documents. Look, I only spent 1,000 dors to repair the car.¡± When Roxanne heard this, she immediately shouted angrily, ¡°What? Did you take the car to a random car repair station?¡± 12:51 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 113 Gavin said, ¡°Rx. My friend has been repairing cars for more than ten years. He can repair any car. ¡°This car¡¯s front cover is dented, and ayer of paint is chipped. ¡°It will be as good as new as long as we fix the dented part and spray ayer of paint. See?¡°, Roxanne angrily stomped. Then she rushed to check the front of the car. At first nce, the car seemed perfect. However, if looked closer, it was like sewing a rough patch on an expensive satin. Although the color was simr, anyone could tell the difference. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Expensive cars like Maybach needed to send to the car dealer for repainting if they had small damage. The paint emitted a pungent smell and had a color deviation. Ordinary people could tell it, not to mention Bruce Everett. Roxanne said, ¡°You¡­ You piss me off! It would be even better to let it stay the same!¡± Gavin quickly held Roxanne¡¯s shoulder andforted her, ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be angry! You know Bruce, do you? He has so many cars and is so busy with work. How can he have the time to check the car carefully? hose rich people have seen lots of luxury things. Bruce won¡¯t notice it if I give him a fake one. Rx. We¡¯ll be fine!¡°, hearing Gavin¡¯s words, Roxanne angrily stomped and felt her lungs were about to explode. However, Roxanne could do nothing now since the car was repaired like this. Thus, she said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s forget about it. I hope I can get away with it!¡± Gavinforted, ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be angry. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± After saying that, Gavin could not help hugging Roxanne and touching her with his hands. Roxanne pushed Gavin angrily and said, ¡°This is an inappropriate time for it! Why are you still in the mood for it? Go away!¡± Gavin murmured, ¡°Roxy, please, let me make this right. I¡¯ll show you what I got tonight and satisfy you.¡± As he spoke, Gavin carried Roxanne into the house. Gavin had no strengths except for his skills. He could make Roxanne feel really good. Therefore, even if Gavin was poor and unsessful, Roxanne was still willing to hang out with him. After all, this was Roxanne¡¯s first man. From her first time until now, Gavin had turned Roxanne from an ignorant young girl to an experienced woman, They had been together and did that many times. Roxanne was satisfied each time.. Soon, heavy breathing arose in the room. ¡°Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.¡± Roxanne¡¯s phone cuddenly vibrated. Roxanne intended not to pick up the phone since she was in the middle of pleasure. However, Roxanne realized it was Bruce calling because she had set a specific ringtone for him. Roxanne hurriedly gestured for Gavin to stop when she realized it was Bruce calling. ¡°Hi, Bruce!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Where are you now?¡± 12:51 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 113 Gavin knew that it was Bruce. He felt jealous and deliberately gave Roxanne a thrusting. Roxanne almost shouted out loud. She did her best to hold it and replied, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m hanging out ¡°Okay. Grandma wants to see you. Send me your location, and I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up ¡°Oh, oh! No, thanks. I just had the car fixed. I can go there by myself,¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± After that, Bruce hung up the phone. However, Bruce vaguely sensed something was wrong because Roxanne sounded weird and nervous. Roxanne¡¯s voice used to be cheerful and crisp when she received a phone call from Bruce, but her voice sounded hoarse just now. After Roxanne hung up the phone, she cuffed Gavin in exasperation, shouting, ¡°You¡¯ll be dead if you ruin my business. Go away now!¡± ¡°Roxy, we haven¡¯t finished it yet!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± ¡°Are you rushing to see Bruce?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Roxanne pushed Gavin away. Then she quickly put on her clothes and went to the mirror to put on some makeup. After that, Roxanne drove away. When Roxanne came out of Gavin¡¯s house, some gangsters were on the streets. They all widened their eyes when they saw Roxanne walk out of Gavin¡¯s ce as if they saw a superstar. Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Chapter 114 These local gangsters were Gavin¡¯s creditors. They directly barged into Gavin¡¯s house. Gavin was still naked. When Gavin saw them, his face turned pale, asking, ¡°Bosh, Kurt, what brings you here?¡± Bosh held a cigarette in his mouth and patted Gavin on the shoulder, replying, ¡°Hey. Well done, kid. You¡¯ve got such a beautiful girlfriend!¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re so lucky to get such a beauty. She is so pretty that she almost looks like a superstar.¡± These gangsters all agreed that the woman they saw just now was gorgeous, but no one would have thought she was the Haynes family¡¯s second daughter, Bruce¡¯s fianc¨¦e! After all, this was a slum. None of them would believe a decent woman woulde here. Besides, she hung around with a guy like Gavin. Gavin¡¯s face was paler, and his voice was shaking. Gavin replied, ¡°Well, there¡¯s no such thing. She¡¯s just one of my friends.¡± ¡°A friend? Haha!¡± Those gangsters allughed in disdain. Gavin dressed like a mess. Everyone knew Gavin must get it on with that woman. ¡°Alright, cut the crap! When are you going to pay back the money you borrowed?¡± Gavin replied, ¡°In a few days!¡± Then Gavin quickly took out cigarettes and lightened them for these people. Roxanne caught Gavin¡¯s all attention even since Gavin hooked up with Roxanne. When Gavin was with Roxanne, Roxanne was the one who paid most of the expenses. However, Roxanne would asionally wheedle Gavin into buying her a gift. One handbag cost Gavin more than 20 thousand dors.. Gavin could not afford it at all. Therefore, he could only borrow money from others. Until now, Gavin had already owed tens of thousands of dors to loan sharks. ¡°You¡¯ve missed the due date for days. At least you should pay back the interest!¡± Gavin begged, ¡°Bosh, Kurt, please give me a few more days. I¡¯m really tight on money these days!¡± Bosh said, ¡°Tight on money? Then how do you have the mood to mess up with a woman? How much does that woman charge for a night?¡± Beautiful women were either socialites or prostitutes. Roxanne was willing to get it on with Gavin. Therefore, those people thought Roxanne was in that industry. Gavin was instantly enraged and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you insult her! She¡¯s a decent woman!¡± Hearing this, Bosh was more interested and asked, ¡°Wow. You got a decent woman to sleep with you. ¡°Ask your girlfriend to spend some nights with me if you can¡¯t pay me back. I¡¯ll take it as your repayment of interest.¡± Hearing those words, Gavin was so angry that his face turned red. He said, ¡°Bosh, please don¡¯t a joke like that!¡± ¡°Then give my money back!¡± warned Bosh. Bosh¡¯s sidekicks pushed Gavin and said, ¡°We were trying to be nice. How dare you speak to Bosh like that? ¡°We want the money back!¡± Speaking of money, Gavin suddenly felt discouraged, thinking, ¡°How can I have the money to repay the loan?¡± 12:51 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 114 Roxanne was rich, but Gavin could not drop his male ego and was too embarrassed to ask Roxanne for money. Gavin thought, ¡°Roxy already despises me for being poor. If I ask her for money, Roxy would probably be more disgusted and think I¡¯m useless.¡± Therefore, Gavin said, ¡°Bosh, Kurt, please give me a few more days. I¡¯ll pay you back dayster. I promise it.¡± Kurt said, ¡°No negotiation. I want the money back today. You can¡¯t repay the principal, but at least you should repay the interest, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± Kurt widened his eyes, and the muscles on his face swung. He warned, ¡°Pay back the interest of 6 thousand dors now!¡± Gavin put on a long face and kept begging, ¡°I really don¡¯t have money now. I can¡¯t give you 6 thousand dors now even if you beat me to death.¡± ¡°Kill you? Nice dream! How can we have our money back if you die? ¡°How about this? Ask your girlfriend over to spend a night with me. Maybe I¡¯ll waive your interest if I¡¯m happy!¡± Gavin cried, ¡°I can¡¯t. Please stop joking!¡± ¡°Who the fuck is joking with you? Pay the money back or ask that girl to y with us!¡± Gavin begged, ¡°Just give me a few more days. I promise I¡¯ll repay the loan. Please, Bosh. I promise I¡¯ll return the money in three days at most.¡± In the Everett mansion. Roxanne hurriedly drove and arrived at the Everett mansion. Butler Henry led Roxanne into the house and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes has arrived.¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Okay.¡± Roxanne looked at Bruce uneasily and said, ¡°Bruce, here¡¯s your car key.¡± Bruce took it and said, ¡°Grandma wants to see you.¡± Roxanne said, ¡°Oh, okay. How¡¯s your grandma? Is she feeling better?¡± Bruce did not reply. He just strode forward to lead the way. Soon, Bruce brought Roxanne into Margaret¡¯s room. With the help of the nurses and doctors, Margaret moved from the bed to a wheelchair. Bruce said gently, ¡°Grandma, Roxy is here to visit you.¡± Then Bruce put his arm around Roxanne¡¯s shoulder, trying to be like he was intimate with Roxanne. Bruce thought, ¡°Grandma is seriously sick now. All I want is to make her happy.¡± Roxanne bent down and asked gently, ¡°Grandma Margaret, are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m much better now!¡± Margaret looked at Roxanne and said in a hoarse voice. Margaret felt Ker body was getting heavier and heavier and wanted to see her grandson get married before she died. Margaret did not like Roxanne very much. However, after a big surgery, she wanted to see her grandson marry Roxanne. Margaret thought, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I like Roxanne. The most important is Bruce likes her.¡± Thus, Margaret said, ¡°Bruce, go get my jade jewelry.¡± ¡°Which set of jade jewelry?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°The emerald ones.¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 114 Hearing this, Bruce subconsciously frowned. Bruce thought, ¡°That set of emerald jewelry is an engagement gift from Grandma¡¯s parents, and it is a family heirloom passed down from Grandma¡¯s ancestors! Grandma likes them so much that she only wears them on important asions.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Then Bruce reluctantly walked toward a safe. Bruce took out the set of jade jewelry and passed them to Margaret, saying, ¡°Grandma, here you are.¡± Margaret took the set of jewelry shakily and gently opened the box. Inside was a pair of green bracelets, a bead ne, a pair of earrings, and a ring, Each one of them was priceless. An entire set of antique emerald jewelry like this could not be measured with money. Margaret touched the jewelry shakily, her eyes filled with gentleness. She said to Roxanne, ¡°This is my engagement gift from my parents. It¡¯s passed down from my ancestors. ¡°Now, I¡¯m passing this set of jewelry to you. You need to take good care of them.¡± Hearing Margaret¡¯s words, Roxanne was instantly stunned. She answered with a shaking voice, ¡°Grandma Margaret¡­¡± ¡°Come closer. I¡¯ll put them on for you,¡± said Margaret. ¡°Thank you, Grandma Margaret!¡± Roxanne was so excited that tears flowed out of her eyes. Margaret picked up the bracelet and put it on Roxanne¡¯s wrist. Then, she put the rest jewelry on Roxanne. Margaret said, ¡°Oh, they look beautiful. Young beauty makes this jewelry look even better.¡± Roxanne asked, ¡°Bruce, is it beautiful?¡± ¡°Yeah, it looks great!¡± replied Bruce. He had a smile on his face, but deep down, he was extremely annoyed. Bruce thought, ¡°Grandma gave this set of jade jewelry to Roxanne, meaning that Grandma has already recognized Roxanne as a member of the Everett family. ¡°However, I no longer have any feelings for Roxanne.¡± Margaret said, ¡°Bruce, Roxanne. Live a happy life after you get married and have children as soon as possible!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Grandma, we will! You will see your great¨Cgrandchildren.¡± After saying that, Bruce deliberately hugged Roxanne¡¯s shoulder tightly and kissed her forehead gently. Margaret¡¯s smile became bigger when she saw how loving the two of them were. After Bruce kissed Roxanne, he vaguely noticed a strange smell. Bruce did not like perfume, so Roxanne rarely wore perfume in front of Bruce. When Roxanne was having it with Gavin, Bruce called and asked Roxanne to rush over. Therefore, Roxanne went here without a shower, and her body sent out a smell that revealed Roxanne had intimate behavior with others. Bruce suddenly felt suspicious and subconsciously took a closer look at Roxanne. Roxanne¡¯s face was as red as a rose because she had a wonderful time with Gavin. Besides, Gavin was so good that Roxanne was a little weak now. Bruce became more suspicious. Then he said, ¡°Grandma, you must be tired now. How about having some rest? I¡¯ll send Roxy back home.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± replied Margaret. Bruce said to Roxanne, ¡°You¡¯d better get moving!¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 114 ¡°Goodbye, Grandma Margaret!¡± Roxanne gently said goodbye to Margaret. Then, Bruce and Roxanne left Margaret¡¯s room. Roxanne smiled happily and asked, ¡°Bruce, where are we going now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you home,¡± replied Bruce. ¡°What?¡± Roxanne suddenly lost her smile. ¡°Get in the car!¡± urged Bruce. ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce and Roxanne got into the car, and Bruce drove out of the Everett mansion without saying a word. Roxanne sneakily nced at Bruce and felt a little uneasy in the car. After all, Roxanne was guilty because she cheated on Bruce. Roxanne thought, ¡°Well, things were funny today. Margaret finally recognized me as her grandson¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°Bruce, where are we going?¡± asked Roxanne. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. I¡¯m taking you home.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Bruce suddenly ordered, ¡°Take off the jewelry!¡± Roxanne was stunned and asked, ¡°What? Bruce? What did you say?¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat. Take off the jewelry!¡± Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Chapter 115 ¡°Brucel¡± ¡°Hurry up and cut the crap!¡± Bruce urged impatiently. Bruce thought, ¡°This is Grandma¡¯s family heirloom. It should be for my wife, Grandma could not really give it to Roxa¡± When Roxanne heard this, she felt like she had fallen into an ice cave. Roxanne could not help but cry, ¡°Bruce, Grandma gave this to me!¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°This is a gift from Grandma to my wifel¡± In other words, Bruce would not marry Roxanne. BOOM! Roxanne looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She widened her eyes and stared at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. Then he frowned and replied, ¡°The literal meaning!¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes were full of fear and disappointment. Roxanne asked in a shaking voice, ¡°Are you saying you won¡¯t marry me?¡± Bruce remained silent without knowing what to say. ¡°Bruce, answer me now. You will marry me, won¡¯t you?¡± Bruce exined, ¡°Grandma is seriously sick now, so I need you to cooperate with me, and we pretend to be a loving couple in front of Grandma. ¡°We can have a certificate if you want. However, you have to sign a prenuptial agreement. Also, don¡¯t expect too much from me, especially don¡¯t expect me to ony have you as my woman.¡± Hearing this, Roxanne felt desperate. Bruce urged again, ¡°Hurry up and take off the jewelry!¡± Then Bruce continued, ¡°If you want, I can buy another set for you. You can¡¯t have this one.¡± Roxanne sobbed and started crying, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself!¡± Bruce wasmanding in a cold voice. Roxanne did not dare to disobey. All she could do was take off the jewelry and silently put them back into the box. Bruce took the jewelry box and handed a ck card, saying, ¡°Go to a jewelry store and buy another one for yourself. You can use my card.¡± Bruce was a gentleman and felt embarrassed for asking things back from a woman. Therefore, Bruce wanted to make it up to Roxanne after having his grandma¡¯s jewelry back.. Roxanne sniffled and cried, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you love me anymore?¡± Bruce frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask such a question again. You know the answer!¡± Squeak! The car stopped in front of the Haynes¡¯s house. ¡°Here we are. Now get out of the car!¡± However, Roxanne sat still after Bruce said that. Roxanne held Bruce¡¯s arm, crying, ¡°Bruce, what did I do to make you hate me so much now? 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 115 ¡°It must be Joanna. Before Joanna came back, we loved each other so much. Bruce, you¡¯ve changed so much ever since Joanna came back. You don¡¯t love me anymore¡­¡± Bruce retracted his arm impatiently and interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. Don¡¯t involve Joanna in our matters! ¡°Joanna is Joanna, and you are you. You two can¡¯t bepared!¡± *Brucel¡± ¡°Hurry up and get out of the car. I still have to go back to thepany for a meeting!¡± Roxanne sniffled and opened the car door sadly. Just as Roxanne had gotten out of the car, Bruce stepped on the elerator and drove away. Roxanne¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Roxanne stomped and murmured, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ll regret what you¡¯ve done to me!¡± Half an hourter, Bruce arrived at the Everett Group. Bruce subconsciously locked the car after parking it. Just as Bruce was about to get into the elevator, he suddenly noticed the reflecting light of the front of the car. Bruce thought, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. The color of the front of the car also seems strange!¡± Bruce frowned and returned to the car. Then he bent down to check the front of it. Bruce was infuriated with what he had seen. It was obvious that Bruce¡¯s car had been hit before. Moreover, the quality of the repair was poor. It was so bad that it ruined the hood. Roxanne casually mentioned it to Bruce over the phone and said the car was slightly scraped. Bruce thought it was not a big deal because Roxanne did not ask him to call the insurancepany. Then, Bruce checked the dash camera video. Bruce found that Roxanne had been in the car with a stranger. This stranger was the person who bumped Bruce¡¯s car. Roxanne and the stranger did not do anything that crossed the line in the car, but they seemed very intimate. Bruce probably wouldn¡¯t have looked at the dashcam for the rest of his life if Bruce did not notice the damage to his car. That was why Roxanne dared to drive Gavin around fearlessly. After watching the dash camera video, Bruce felt a chill run down his spine and a bad feeling about this. Bruce thought, ¡°This man and Roxanne should not be just friends!¡± ¡°Andy!¡± shouted Druce. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett? Is there anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°Go and check this person.¡± ¡°No problem, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Send all the information about this person to my email in ten minutes.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun¡¤ Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Chapter 115 Ten minutester, Andy sent Gavin¡¯s information to Bruce¡¯s email. Bruce clicked it and took a look. Bruce thought, ¡°This person is from the same school as Roxane There is no other strange information. ¡°Roxanne usually meets her ssmates or has parties with them. I can¡¯t conclude that Roxanne has a special rtionship with Gavin. ¡°Besides, in the six years we have been together, Roxanne always looks like a pure and innocent girl in front of me. ¡°In the past, Roxanne would have blushed for a long time if I held her hand. She would be so shy that she couldn¡¯t open her eyes for minutes if I kissed her. Her face would turn pale, and her body would be shaking, if ! wanted to touch her.. ¡°Roxanne told me that did not ept premarital sex. ¡°I don¡¯t think such a conservative girl will cheat on me. I always respect her and never touch her because of her conservativeness. ¡°However, all the information indicates Roxanne is probably a two¨Cfaced woman!¡± In the hospital. Joanna had alreadypleted the documents to check out. The doctor advised Joanna to stay for a few more days. However, Joanna decided to go home on the same day she was sent to the hospital because she was worried about her three children. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you sure you want to leave the hospital?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine now. I have to rush to Venturas to pick up Davian and Irvin.¡± Cora said worriedly, ¡°But you¡¯re still weak¡­¡± Joanna interrupted andforted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m okay and am not that delicate.¡± Not long after Bruce left, Joanna insisted on leaving the hospital. Today was the weekend. Joanna had to hurry to Venturas to pick up Davian and Irvin. Joanna set off in the afternoon. The sky was already dark by the time Joanna arrived at Venturas. The two little fellows waited for Joanna for so long that they got anxious. ¡°Mommy, why are you picking us up sote today?¡± Joanna replied, ¡°I have something to do, so I came here a littlete.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home!¡± The two little fellows bopped onto the boat and chattered all the way. Greyport and Venturas were coastal cities, and Greyport was across the sea from Venturas. Therefore, the most convenient transport between these two cities was to go to a dock to take a ship. Irvin looked at Joanna and said, ¡°Mommy, I have something to tell you.¡± Joanna looked at her son with a smile and replied, ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± Irvin tilted his head and said cutely, ¡°Well, Mr. Grimm said I have talent in acting!¡± ¡°And?¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 115 ¡°Then Mr. Grimm said I can be a star!¡± ¡°Irvin, you are just a kid now. Maybe focus on your studies?¡± Irvin looked at Joanna proudly and argued, ¡°But I¡¯m very interested in acting! Mr. Grimm told me that hispany wants to film a movie and needs a cute baby! ¡°Mr. Grimm thinks I¡¯m perfect for that part!¡± Hearing these words, Joanna could not help butugh, asking, ¡°Then what do you think?¡± Irvin answered, ¡°I think I¡¯m so cute, so smart, and so talented in acting that I will definitely get that part!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help frowning and did not know whether tough or cry. Joanna thought, ¡°When does Irvin be so thick¨Cskinned?¡± Luckily, Joanna respected her children¡¯s thoughts. She would not stop Irvin if Irvin really wanted to go. ¡°Do you really want to go?¡± asked Joanna. Irvin answered. ¡°Yeah! Absolutely!¡± ¡°Davian, what do you think?¡± asked Joanna. Davian showed a cool face and replied, ¡°Mommy, just let Irvin go since he really wants this opportunity.¡± Joanna sighed and said, ¡°You two always get your way, don¡¯t you?¡± Irvin held Joanna¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Mommy, please! I really want to get in that movie!¡± ¡°Alright then! If you really want to go, I¡¯ll call Mr. Grimm. But let¡¯s make it clear first. You can¡¯t hide away from hardship and exhaustion since you¡¯re going. ¡°You should also focus on your studies.¡± After that, Joanna suddenly paused. Joanna said inside, ¡°Am 1 being too harsh on Davian and Irvin? ¡°They are only four years old. I don¡¯t have to treat them like this. I should support them to chase their dreams if they are interested in something.¡± Then Joanna asked, ¡°Then what do you like, Davian?¡± Davian replied, ¡°I like ying on theputer, such asputer games!¡± Davian was sensitive to numbers and taught himself to y on theputer. It seemed that Davian had the potential to be an agent or a hacker. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll call Mr. Grimm tomorrow!¡± said Joanna. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Chapter 116 After they returned home, Davian and Irvin put down their schoolbags and ran excitedly to Lilia¡¯s room, shouting, ¡°Lilia, we¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Davian! Irvin! You are finally back home!¡± Lilia waved her little hands andughed brightly. Tracy hurriedly carried Lilia into the wheelchair. ¡°Look! We¡¯ve got a gift for you!¡± Davian and Irvin handed the paper airne they had made to their sister. Davian and Irvin doted on Lilia very much. They knew that Lilia was sick and needed more love. Therefore, every time Davian and Irvin returned home from kindergarten, they would bring gifts for Lilia. ¡°Thank you, Davian and Irvin. This paper airne is so beautiful!¡± ¡°Of course, we made it ourselves! It can fly very far. Our handmade task this time is to make paper airnes.¡± When speaking, Irvin took the paper airne and threw it into the distance. The paper airne flew in the air and did not fall until it reached a corner of the living room and hit the wall. ¡°Lilia, look! Isn¡¯t it flying very far?¡± Lilia pped her hands and giggled, saying, ¡°Wow! You guys are awesome! I¡¯m so happy!¡± ¡°Mommy, can we take Lilia to the Burger King where we atest time?¡± ¡°Agreed. Lilia loves the fries there the most. Can we bring Lilia there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a slide and a children¡¯s yground!¡± Joanna looked at Davian and Irvin and was frustrated, replying, ¡°Well, it looks like the two of you want to go there.¡± She did not like her children to eat so much junk food. However, she could do nothing about it. It seemed that most children liked junk food, such as burgers, fried chicken, and fries. Lilia pouted and said in a baby voice, ¡°Mommy, I want to go there too!¡± Joanna thought, ¡°It should be okay if they only have it once a week!¡± Thus, Joanna said, ¡°Sure! But it¡¯s toote today. Can we go tomorrow?¡± When the three little fellows heard this, they nodded excitedly and said in unison, ¡°Yay!¡± The boys yelled, ¡°Now let¡¯s paly with Lilia!¡± Looking at three cute little ones, Joanna smiled gently. She thought, ¡°No matter how hard life is, all my bad mood is gone when I see my three children.¡± The three little fellows got up early in the morning the next day. Joanna also got up to make breakfast for her children. Joanna was very busy with work and had great pressure, but she would stop work to spend time with her kids every weekend. Beep. Beep. Joanna¡¯s phone suddenly rang. . 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 116 Joanna took up her phone and saw that it was Jaydon calling ¡°Hi, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Joann, are you busy now?¡± He sounded le he was slightly upset. Jaydon asked, ¡°Am I bothering you?¡± Joanna felt very apologetic when she heard Jaydon¡¯s upset in his voice. Joanna had stood Jaydon up a few times because of Bruce¡¯s disturbing. She wanted to invite Jaydon for lunch and apologize to him. Thus, Joanna answered, ¡°How could that be? I was just about to call you!¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Jaydon smiled and asked, ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, it is,¡± said Joanna. Jaydon asked, ¡°Anything I can do for you? Tell me.¡± Joanna paused for a moment and smiled awkwardly, replying, ¡°Well, you said that you were going to film a movie and wanted to get Irvin to audition. I¡¯ve asked Irvin, and he told me he really wants to go! ¡°Have you picked a person for that character yet?¡± When Irvin heard this, he hurriedly ran over, asking, ¡°Mommy, is that Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Mommy, give me the phone! I want to talk to Mr. Grimm!¡± When speaking, Irvin stretched out his little arm to get the phone in Joanna¡¯s hand. Joanna had no choice but to hand the phone to Irvin. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm. This is vin!¡± ¡°Hi, Irvin!¡± Irvin smiled and proudly said, ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯ve already convinced my mom. She agreed me to y this role.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Jaydon smiled and replied, ¡°That¡¯s great. Are you free this afternoon? How about I bring you to the studio for an audition?¡± Irvin pouted and asked, ¡°Hmph. My acting is wonderful. Do I still need an audition?¡± ¡°Well, you have to take some photographs. This is an action movie. You¡¯ll be the male lead when he was young, so your costume has to be customized.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Jaydon smiled dotingly and said, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! Now give back the phone to your mommy!¡± ¡°Mommy, here¡¯s your phone!¡± Joanna took back the phone and said, ¡°Hi, Jay.¡± ¡°Joann, it¡¯s a deal since you¡¯ve agreed. No more changes!¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick you upter.¡± Hearing this, Joanna hesitated for seconds. She did not want to cause too much trouble for Jaydon. Thus, Joanna replied, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you give me the address? I¡¯ll drive them there.¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 116 ¡°No, it¡¯s better that I pick you up now.¡± Jaydon sounded assertive. Joanna smiled and did not turn Jaydon down, replying, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for now. I¡¯m going to hang up the phone.¡± ¡°See youter!¡± Just as Joanna hung up the phone, Irvin jumped happily and yelled, ¡°Oh, oh! I can make a movie now. I¡¯m going to be a star! ¡°Mommy, Mr. Grimm told me this is an action movie. I¡¯ll act as the male lead when he was young! He¡¯s a hero and can y powerful martial arts!¡± Davian looked at Irvin with a cold expression and said in disdain, ¡°What¡¯s so good about being a star? You should be a superhero so you can save the Earth!¡± ¡°Davian, go be your superhero! Anyway, I want to be a star and make lots of money for mommy! ¡°I¡¯m a handsome boy. I¡¯ll definitely be famous overnight. Just wait to see me be a superstar!¡± When Joanna heard these words, she could not help frowning. Then Joanna started her speech. ¡°Irvin, it¡¯s good to be confident, but you can¡¯t be arrogant! If you¡¯re too confident, it will be condescending.¡°. Irvin put his hands on his hips proudly and said, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not arrogant. I¡¯m just telling the truth! ¡°Lilia, look at me. Do you think I¡¯m handsome?¡± Lilia pped her hands in admiration and replied, ¡°Irvin is so handsome!¡± Joanna sighed, frustrated. Joanna thought, ¡°Irvin develops thick skin as he grows up. Who does Irvin take after?¡± Then Joanna shouted, ¡°Hurry up and eat breakfast. After breakfast, change your clothes. Mr. Grimm will be here soon!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± After breakfast, Joanna left the house with the three little guys, Tracy and Miranda. Joanna thought, ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste this precious Sunday. I¡¯m going to take Lilia out today.¡± They went downstairs and found that Jaydon was already waiting outside. ¡°Hi, Jay. You¡¯ve arrived,¡± greeted Joanna. The three little guys liked Jaydon very much. They greeted Jaydon in unison, ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, and Lilia!¡± Jaydon smiled gently. Then he opened the car door and the trunk. After that, Jaydon carried Lilia¡¯s wheeled stretcher into the car, saying, ¡°Get in the car, kids!¡± Jaydon was driving a Hummer SUV today. It was big inside but did not have enough seats. Joanna took a look and said, ¡°Well, it looks like we can¡¯t all get in this car. How about I drive another car?¡± Jaydon said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Maybe Miranda and Tracy don¡¯t have to be with you this trip.¡± Joanna was stunned and hesitated, murmuring, ¡°Well¡­¡± It was hard for Joanna to take care of three children. Therefore, Joanna had to bring at least one servant if Joanna went out with her children. 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 116 After all, Lilia was disabled. She needed special care. Jaydon smiled and said, ¡°Can¡¯t we take care of three little kids?¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment. Then she agreed and said, ¡°Alright¡± Jaydon often helped Joanna take care of the children, and the children were even happier with Jaydon than with Joanna. The three little guy¡¯s got in the car and sat in the back seats. Then they buckled their seatbelts. Jaydon thoughtfully prepared a special child seat for Lifia Joanna sat in the passenger seat. Then, Jaydon started the car and drove toward the photography studio in Hudter Bay. The car had been on the road for about 20 minutes. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Joanna¡¯s phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw that it was Bruce. ¡°Bruce is haunting me.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression changed. Then she directly hung up the phone. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. After Joanna hung up the phone, Bruce called again within a minute. Joanna hung up again and turned the phone into silent mode. Bruce called Joanna four or five times. However, Joanna declined all the calls. Bruce was so angry that he had a pained look. Then Bruce sent messages to Joanna. [Joanna, where are you? I want to see you!] [Why didn¡¯t you answer my phone? I¡¯ll give you three minutes. Call me back!] [If you don¡¯t call back, you know the consequences!] Bruce¡¯s messages also revealed hismanding and aggressive tone. Noticing Joanna¡¯s frown, Jaydon could not help asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is it Bruce?¡± Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Chapter 117 ¡°Oh, god.¡± Joanna sighed heavily. Joanna was so scared of Bruce now. She could not offend Bruce or hide from Bruce. Joanna was even threatened and bullied by Bruce at all times. Seeing Joanna¡¯s serious expression, Jaydon did not know what to say or how tofort Joanna. Jaydon thought, ¡°I can get Joanna¡¯s back and solve her problems if a man annoys her. ¡°Unfortunately, the man who harasses Joanna is Bruce. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything with Bruce!¡± Ten minutester, Joanna still hadn¡¯t called Bruce back. Bruce currently lived in the Sherane Bay Vi. After he divorced Joanna, Bruce moved back to where he used to live. This vi was luxurious. It faced the sea and was the only building on the mountain. The mayor of Greyport lived in the vi on the left side of the mountain, while a high¨Cranking official of Mossbourne lived in the mansion on the right side. At this moment, Bruce was so angry that he felt he was going to explode. Bruce walked around the living room. Outside of the window was the sea. Bruce¡¯s handsome face looked sinister. He shouted, ¡°Damn it, Joanna. How dare you not answer my phone again! ¡°Heh, do you think I can¡¯t do anything to you if you don¡¯t pick up the phone?¡± Bruce raised his thick eyebrows and became paranoid again. Soon, Bruce drove and arrived at Joanna¡¯s residence. Knock! Knock! Knock! Bruce stood at the door and knocked heavily on it. Tracy heard the knock on the door and hurriedly came over to open it. Tracy was dumbfounded when she saw that it was Bruce. She remembered thest time Bruce came here and smashed everything into pieces. Tracy thought, ¡°Why is Bruce here today?¡± Bruce looked terrible. It was obvious that Bruce was angry. He asked gloomily, ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna? Open the door now. I want to see her!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ Miss Haynes ¡­ She¡¯s not at home!¡± Tracy was so nervous that she stammered. ¡°Joanna¡¯s not at home?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows. Then he frowned in disbelief. Seeing Bruce not believe her words, Tracy hurriedly opened the second door and brought Bruce in. Tracy said, ¡°Miss Haynes is not at home. If you don¡¯t believe me,e in and take a look.¡± When Bruce heard this, he became even angrier and asked, ¡°Where did Joanna go?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that,¡± replied Tracy. ¡°Who did Joanna go out with?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Miss Haynes¡­ Miss Haynes brought her three children out.¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 117 Tracy stuttered to reply. She was so scared that cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Luckily, she was clever and did not tell Bruce that Joanna had gone out with Jaydon. Tracy thought, ¡°Last time, Mr. Everett got jealous and had a fight with Mr. Grimm. Mr. Everett e knows that Miss Haynes goes out with Mr. Grimm, Mr. Everett will probably fight with Mr. Grimm mashed everything here into pieces! If Mr. Everett gain Bruce seemed a little rxed. Then he turned around and left. Tracy cried, ¡°Oh my god! I¡¯m almost scared to death!¡± She closed the door and patted her chest with lingering fear. ¡°Who is it?¡± Miranda and Kelly came out and wanted to know what happened. Tracy said nervously, ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Everett! ¡°Oh my god, you didn¡¯t see him. Mr. Everett looks so scary!¡± ¡°What brought Mr. Everett here?¡± Miranda and Kelly had been in Venturas for the past few months and did not know what had happened in Greyport. Tracy replied, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with Mr. Everett now. He pesters Miss Haynes every day!¡± Tracy murmured, ¡°No, no! I have to call Miss Haynes and ask her to be careful.¡± Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Joanna¡¯s phone vibrated again.. Joanna took the phone and saw that it was from Tracy. Then Joanna quickly picked up the phone. Joanna said, ¡°Hello, Tracy. Is everything okay?¡± Tracy¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯ve to tell you that Mr. Everett came here just now!¡± Tracy sounded fearful and nervous. ¡°What?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Tracy said, ¡°Maybe you need to call Mr. Everett back. His expression is so terrible that he seems he will pick up a fight with anyone.¡± Joanna could not help frowning and asked, ¡°Bruce didn¡¯t make things difficult for you, did he?¡± Tracy replied, ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯t. However, Mr. Everett¡¯s tone is very bad, and he looks awful. ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to tell Mr. Everett that you go out with Mr. Grimm. I only said that you go out with your three children. It may help if you call Mr. Everett back.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Then Joanna hung up the phone. After that, Joanna sighed in frustration, saying, ¡°It¡¯s so annoying!¡± Jaydon suddenly became nervous and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna supported her head with her hand and looked helpless, answering, ¡°I might have to move again.¡± Jaydon was stunned, asking, ¡°Did Bruce just go to your ce?¡± ¡°Yeah. Bruce is haunting me,¡± replied Joanna. Jaydon sighed andined, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Bruce can find you no matter where you move to, as long as you are still in Greyport.¡± Jaydon thought, ¡°Joanna and I would have a chance to be together without Bruce. 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 117 ¡°However, I¡¯m feeling the chance is fading out.¡± Hearing Jaydon¡¯s words, Joanna felt even more frustrated and annoyed. Joanna thought, ¡°Jaydon is right. At some point, Greyport is Bruce¡¯s city. ¡°No matter where I hide, Bruce can always dig me out.. ¡°That is why I can¡¯t wait tounch a factory in Mossbourne. I want to transfer my major business to Mossbourne. ¡°I¡¯ll move to Mossbourne when the business there gets on the right track. Then I can keep a good distance from Bruce. The further away from Bruce, the better! ¡°If the business goes well in Porash, I¡¯ll develop the business in other cities in the north¡± Five minutester, Jaydon stopped the car. There was a huge signboard in front of them. Hudter Bay Pictures. ¡°Here we are. Let¡¯s get out of the car!¡± ¡°Yay! Yay!¡± Jaydon frowned. He hesitated for seconds. Then Jaydon said to Joanna, ¡°Maybe¡­ You should call Bruce back?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I can¡¯t always let Bruce get his way. He will push further if I give him a call back today. Bruce will keep doing so if he knows I¡¯m scared of him. Just ignore him!¡± Joanna said as she released her seatbelt. Then she opened the car door. ¡°Mommy, who are you talking about?¡± ¡°No one. Get out of the car now,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Okay.¡± Irvin whispered to Davian, ¡°Davian, is mommy talking about Bruce?¡± Davian nodded and said with a serious expression, ¡°I think so!¡± Irvin said, ¡°Hmph! That bad guy keeps annoying mommy!¡± Davian¡¯s little face was tense. Davian replied, ¡°Hmm, looks like we have to think of a way to deal with that bad guy!¡± ¡°Davian, is that Bruce really our daddy?¡± asked Irvin. Davian replied, ¡°How is that possible?¡± Irvin said, ¡°That¡¯s very likely! If he¡¯s our daddy, we¡¯ll be rich! I heard that this big baddie is the richest man in Greyport!¡± Davian snorted disdainfully and said, ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t care if he has money. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson if he dares to bully mommy!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, what are you talking about?¡± asked Lilia. ¡°Nothing!¡± replied the boys. As the kids spoke, Joanna had already opened the back door. ¡°Davian, Irvin, hurry up!¡± urged Joanna. ¡°Okay! Okay!¡± 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 117 The two little guys unbuttoned their seatbelts and happily jumped out of the car. Jaydon took the wheeled stretcher out of the trunk. Joanna carefully carned Lilia out of the car. Although Lilia was four years old, she was very light, and her weight was like a two¨Cyear¨Cold¡¯s. ¡°Here. Be careful!¡± Jaydon helped Joanna put Lilia on the wheeled stretcher. Jaydon said, ¡°Irvin, let¡¯s go to the photography studio for an audition1¡± Irvin immediately forgot about the unhappiness and said excitedly, ¡°Yes, Mr. Grimm!¡± Irvin shouted, ¡°Davian, Lilia, I¡¯m going in!¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± Joanna waited outside the photography studio with Davian and Lilia. Meanwhile, Jaydon brought Irvin into the dressing room. On the other side. Bruce angrily left Joanna¡¯s residence and immediately called Andy. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Andy quickly picked up after he saw that it was Bruce. Andy said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. What can I do for you?¡± Bruce ordered, ¡°Andy, find out where Joanna is now.¡± Andy replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Soon, Andy used a satellite to track Joanna¡¯s current location. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes is currently in the Hudter Bay Pictures. I¡¯m sending her location to you now!¡± ¡°Hudter Bay Pictures?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Yes.¡± Suddenly, Bruce became very jealous. Bruce thought, ¡°Jaydon works in a filmpany. Joanna probably goes to see Jaydon since she¡¯s in the Hudter Bay Pictures.¡± ¡°Send me her location now!¡± shouted Bruce. ¡°I already sent it.¡± Then Bruce hung up the phone and started his car, heading to Hudter Bay Pictures. Bruce murmured, ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll see what I¡¯ll do to you if you dare to stay in the rtionship with Jaydon!¡± Along the way, Bruce was furious. Andy noticed that Bruce was in a bad mood from Bruce¡¯s tone. Therefore, Andy quickly called Kody and asked Kody to bring more bodyguards to Hudter Bay Pictures. Andy said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent you an address. Hurry up and go there. Mr. Everett goes to the Hudter Bay Pictures alone.¡± ¡°No problem. We got it!¡± replied Kody. Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Hudter Bay Pictures was a film and television base. There were various sets inside, and several production teams were filming there. Jaydon brought Irvin into the dressing room. People greeted Jaydon, ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Irvin,e on in ¡°They will give you a style.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Irvin followed Jaydon¡¯s words and walked in. A makeup artist and a stylist began to design Irvin¡¯s style. Outside the dressing room. Lilia asked, ¡°Mommy, can we go and eat hamburgers after Irvin finishes his audition?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring you guys for hamburgers at noon, okay?¡± ¡°Great!¡± Lilia smiled like a sunflower. Lilia could not go out often due to her body¡¯s condition. It was rare for Lilia to go out with Joanna, Davian, and Irvin. Therefore, it was Lilia¡¯s happiest moment when Joanna took her out. Meanwhile, Davian tensed his handsome face and sat quietly on the chair. He crossed his arms and had a serious expression. It looked like Davian was deep in thought. Davian kept thinking about how to figure out a way to deal with the big baddie Bruce Everett. He thought, ¡°I can¡¯t let this big baddie bully mommy! I¡¯m the elder brother and have the responsibility to protect mommy and my younger siblings!¡± Noticing Davian was so serious, Joanna gently stroked Davian¡¯s forehead and asked, ¡°Davian, what are you thinking?¡± ¡°Nothing, mommy!¡± Davian replied. Then Davian immediately recovered his innocent look. Davian thought, ¡°I can¡¯t let mommy know what I was thinking! Otherwise, she will definitely stop ome.¡± ¡°Joann, you can hang around with the kids. I¡¯m going over there to interview two actresses. I¡¯ll be back later,¡± said Jaydon. Joanna said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Focus on your work. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jaydon smiled and replied, ¡°See youter then. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Joanna said, ¡°Okay, No worries.¡± Then Jaydon hurgedly walked toward the office. Two new actresses arrived here for an audition today, so Jaydon had to go over and interview them. Jaydon especially valued the filming of this movie and did many things by himself. After all, stars could not only rely on poprity now. Therefore, Jaydon needed more capable actors and actresses in his company instead of only having popr stars. That rule fitted perfectly in the film industry. The audience would not buy it if the movie was not good. Joanna said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. There are many attractions here. I¡¯ll bring you guys to take a look!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Lilia could not wait to go out and see the scenery. 12:52 FI, Chapter 118 Davian also nodded to agree. Joanna smiled gently and took Lilia Davian out of the photography studio. Then they walked a the ce. There were many ancient sets and famous buildings from all over the world. They were imitations but still worth a look. In the dressing room. Jaydon came over to exin, ¡°Irvin, thisdy will give you makeup and put a covering on your head.¡± Irvin said. ¡°Sounds great!¡± Then he sat on a stool. ¡°Wow, what a cute boy!¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment!¡± replied Irvin. Although Irvin was just a young actor, his style had to be exquisite. It took over an hour to give Irvin the costume and a hairstyle. After the styling was done, Irvin had already be an adorable young decent gentleman from ancient times. ¡°Now we can go to the studio and find the director to give you an audition!¡± ¡°Great!¡± said Irvin. Then the assistant brought Irvin to the studio. ¡°Hey. I heard that this little actor is Mr. Grimm¡¯s illegitimate son.¡± ¡°What? No way!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. It¡¯s just that Mr. Grimm hasn¡¯t made it public.¡± ¡°Wow. No wonder Mr. Grimm cares about that little boy so much. Mr. Grimm even personally brought that boy to the dressing room.¡± ¡°That boy is so lucky that he can be one of the Grimm family.¡± ¡°Then who¡¯s that boy¡¯s mother?¡± ¡°That boy¡¯s mother is Mr. Everett¡¯s ex¨Cwife!¡± When the other makeup artist heard this, she could not help clicking her tongue and said, ¡°No way! ¡°If so, that boy has a rich mother. Why does he need to be here to film a movie?¡± ¡°Many people like to experience life, and many superstars have rich parents. Filming a movie is just their interest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but that boy¡¯s so young! I can¡¯t believe he has to get in this industry at this age.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up! Many people want such an opportunity and can¡¯t get it. That boy will do great in this industry since he has Mr. Grimm.¡± In the studio: The director asked Irvin to try out a scene. The director said, ¡°Express your sadness and desperation after knowing your father¡¯s enemy had killed your father.¡± ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t die! What about me if you die? You can¡¯t leave me and mom¡­¡± Irvin became the character in a second. 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 118 Irvin really had the talent for acting. He could have tears easily and even took the initiative to add several lines. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Everyone present was surprised by trvin¡¯s acting skills. They all looked at Irvin and started disctg. ¡°This little kid has talent in acting. I was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to cry.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to cry in less than a minute. That boy is a born actor!¡± ¡°Where did you find it?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm rmended that boy.¡± ¡°Good, very good!¡± After the audition, the assistant brought Irvin back to the dressing room, The assistant said, ¡°You can remove your makeup now.¡± ¡°Oh, but I want to show mommy how I look before removing my makeup.¡± It was rare for Irvin to dress up in an ancient style. Irvin was curious about this style. He was so smug and appreciated himself in the mirror. Irvin murmured, ¡°Sadly, mommy is not in the photography studio.¡± Irvin had no choice but to return to the dressing room to remove his makeup. ¡°Sorry, I think I got in the wrong room!¡± said Irvin. Irvin pranced and opened the door of a dressing room. Then Irvin found an actress sitting inside. That actress was the second female lead in this movie. After realizing that he had walked into the wrong room, Irvin hurriedly walked out of it. Coincidentally, a thin young man dressed fashionably walked over with flowers in his hands. That man and Irvin had passed each other. However, the young man subconsciously turned around to take a second look. The man murmured, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Joanna¡¯s child?¡± This young man was Ingrid¡¯s son, Derick Haynes. Recently, Derick had been pursuing and pestering this second female lead. Derick had also spent a lot of money on her. Unfortunately, the actress had no interest in Derick. Realizing that boy was Joanna¡¯s child, Derick immediately gritted his teeth in hatred. Derick thought, ¡°Kanna took away everything that was supposed to be mine. She even cut off my fixed sry at the Haynes Group! ¡°If it weren¡¯t because Joanna, I wouldn¡¯t have been looked down upon by others. Luckily, I¡¯m still a member of the Haynes family. ¡°However, losing the right to inherit the Haynes Group, I can never have my moments back when hanging out with other rich boys.¡± Thinking of this, Derick had a terrifying n in his mind. Derick thought, ¡°I want to take revenge on Joanna and teach her a lesson!¡± The photography studio did not have surveince cameras because those cameras may invade the privacy of celebrities. Moreover, the studio was very big. It was difficult to notice a child when people ran around. 12:52 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 118 Derick immediately stopped Irvin and stared at Irvin with a smile, asking, ¡°Hi, cutie. Do you know where the bathroom is?¡± ¡°Yeah. I know. It¡¯s over there!¡± Irvin enthusiastically pointed the direction in the air. Derick and Irvin had met each other once at Raymond Haynes¡¯s funeral. However, many people gene at the funeral, so Derick and Irvin only met each other briefly there. Therefore, Derick remembered Irvin, but Irvin did not remember Derick. ¡°Cutie, do you mind bringing me there?¡± Irvin thought for a moment and felt he also wanted to go to the toilet. Thus, Irvin nodded and agreed, saying, ¡°Yes, this way!¡± Soon, Irvin brought Derick to the bathroom. There were no surveince cameras in the bathroom. Irvin said, ¡°Here we are. This is the bathroom¡­¡± Before Irvin could finish his sentence, Derick covered Irvin¡¯s mouth and dragged Irvin into a stall. On the other side. Jaydon returned to the dressing room after he finished his work. ¡°Where¡¯s the little actor?¡± asked Jaydon. The makeup artists were stunned and replied, ¡°He went out long ago.¡± ¡°Where did he go?¡± asked Jaydon. ¡°I thought you took that little boy for an audition.¡± Jaydon continued to ask, ¡°Didn¡¯t hee back after the audition?¡± ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t see him.¡± Jaydon was stunned when he heard that! Then Jaydon took out his phone and called Joanna. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Joanna quickly picked up the call and said, ¡°Hello, Jay. Have you finished your work?¡± ¡°Hi, Joann. Is Irvin with you?¡± asked Jaydon. Hearing this, Joanna suddenly became nervous and replied, ¡°No! Didn¡¯t you take Irvin for the audition?¡± ¡°Oh, alright then, it look around.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Jay, what happened?¡± Her heart was beating faster and faster. Joanna was not afraid of anything except for the safety of her children. ¡°Jaydon did not want Joanna to worry, so he hurriedlyforted Joanna, ¡°¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, Irvin has finished the audition. He might just run around to y. I¡¯ll go find him now!¡°¡± ¡°Okay¡± Then Joanna anxiously hung up the phone. After hanging up the phone, Jaydon rushed to several dressing rooms in the photography studio to search for Irvin. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Chapter 119 ¡°Did you see that little actor just now?¡± asked Jaydon. ¡°No, Mr. Grimm.¡± Jaydon searched all the dressing rooms and the photography studio he rented. However, he could not find Irvin Then Jaydon panicked and immediately asked his assistants to search for Irvin separately. About eight assistants began to search the photography studio and the nearby scenic spots. Joanna was worried and said, ¡°Davian, let¡¯s go back now.¡± ¡°Mommy, what happened?¡± asked Davian. Joanna exined, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and pick up Irvin. It¡¯s been so long. Irvin must have finished his audition.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After that, Joanna hurriedly returned to the photography studio. Then Joanna happened to see Jaydon anxiously looking around. Joanna asked, ¡°Jay, where is Irvin?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and did his best to calm down, replying, ¡°Joann, please calm down first.¡± ¡°Jay, where is Irvin? Did you hide something from me? Tell me now!¡± Seeing that Joanna was so anxious that her eyes were red, Jaydon did not dare to conceal the truth. Thus, Jaydon said, ¡°Irvin had an audition here. After the audition, he went to remove his makeup. ¡°Then Irvin disappeared. I¡¯m looking for him now! Don¡¯t worry. This photography studio is not that big. Irvin must have run out to y.¡± Boom. Jaydon¡¯s words were like a p of thunder to Joanna. When Joanna heard that, she could not stand still. Then Joanna staggered along. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon immediately went forward to hold Joanna and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. No need to worry so much.¡± Joanna came back to herself and hurriedly looked around, shouting, ¡°Irvin, Irvin! Where are you? Come out now!¡± Davian and Lilia were also getting anxious. They used all their might and shouted, ¡°Irvin! Irvin!¡± Everyone panicked and began to look around. Half an hourter, people searched the entire studio but failed to see Irvin. ¡°Irvin, Irvin!¡± Joanna was about to go crazy. Joanna cried inside, ¡°This photography studio has no surveince cameras. I¡¯m afraid someone kidnaps Irvin. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do if a kidnapper really takes Irvin away!¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Check the surveince cameras. This photography studio has no surveince cameras, but the scenic spots outside have cameras. We can find out who takes Irvin away.¡± ¡°Good.¡± 12:53 Fri, 23 Chapter 119 Then Joanna and Jaydon hurriedly headed to the surveince room. Just as Joanna turned around, she saw a few bodyguards in suits standing behind her. Bruce had a cold expression and was frowning at Joanna. Bruce said, ¡°Joanna, it turned out that you really hooked up with Jaydon again. Well, it looks like you ignored everything I said. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. If I find out that you¡¯re with Jaydon again, I¡¯ll make you pay the price.¡± Seeing Bruce, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Her beautiful eyes were filled with fear. Then Joanna stared at Bruce with her open¨Cwide eyes. Joanna shouted inside, ¡°I should have known it was Bruce who did that!¡± Before Bruce could finish his words, Joanna stepped forward and pped Bruce heavily in the face. ¡°p!¡°A crisp sound arose. Bruce was confused and shocked. Joanna gritted his teeth and roared, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so despicable!¡± Joanna wished she could take Bruce down now. Bruce became angrier after being pped. Bruce thought, ¡°Damn it. How dare you, Joanna! You pped me in public! She even picks a fight before me. ¡°It¡¯s true. Women will never satisfy with what they have.¡± Bruce touched his cheek, and his anger was about to fly out of his eyes. Bruce red at Joanna viciously. Then he raised his hand and was about to p back. However, noticing Joanna¡¯s expression, Bruce could not do it. Joanna cried, ¡°Bruce, where did you take my son? ¡°Tell me! Where did you take my son? Come to me if you are annoyed or something. Don¡¯t do anything to my son!¡± Then Joanna rushed over and punched Bruce in a frenzy. Bruce was stunned and speechless. He had no idea of what had happened. To Bruce thought, ¡°I should be the one to confront Joanna. ¡°Well, now this woman takes the first step and releases her anger at me!¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Are you out of your mind? How would I know where your son is?¡± Joanna gritted her teeth, and her entire body was shaking. She shouted, ¡°Stop pretending. You must have taken away my son! ¡°Give me back my son now if anything happens to my son, I¡¯ll fight you until I die with you!¡± Bruce frowned coldly and flung Joanna¡¯s arm away, shouting, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Jaydon was also furious and said, ¡°Bruce, did you take away Irvin? How could you do that?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Jaydon, Joanna, I¡¯ve told you. I don¡¯t know anything about your child! Stop being like mad dogs.¡± Bruce¡¯s words made Jaydon and Joanna firmly believe that Bruce was the one who took Irvin away. Joanna pounced on Bruce again and grabbed Bruce¡¯s sleeve tightly. Tears flowed out of her eyes uncontrobly. Joanna begged, ¡°Bruce, where exactly did you hide my son? ¡°Can you stop the fight? Please return my son to me now!¡± Chapter 119 Bruce said, ¡°You¡¯re crazy. How would I know where your son is?¡± Bruce was angry. He hated being wronged by others the most. Bruce thought, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing as kidnapping. And kidnapping a kid? That would be diculous to me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use such a dirty mean even if I wanted to take revenge on Joanna.¡± Davian was so angry that his face turned pale. He pointed at Bruce¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°You big baddie! Where did you take my brother? I want to see my brother now!¡± ¡°Wahh. Irvin, where did you go?¡± Lilia was scared and started crying. Joanna sobbed uncontrobly and said, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Please give back my son to me. You must have taken my son away. Please don¡¯t use my child to punish me!¡± I¡¯m begging you! Bruce took a deep breath and frowned. Then he held Joanna¡¯s face and stared into Joanna¡¯s eyes, saying, ¡°Joanna, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯ve never seen your son either!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. It must be you. It must be you!¡± ¡°My son is missing. You must have hidden him! Just give Irvin back to me. I¡¯ll call the police now and charge you with kidnapping if you refuse.¡± ¡°Heh. Then call the police now!¡± Jaydon stepped forward and pushed Bruce away, shouting, ¡°Let go of Joann!¡± Bruce staggered but did not let go of Joanna. ¡°Bruce, Irvin is just a child. You can¡¯t do this! You can release your anger to me, but please don¡¯t do anything to my child!¡± ¡°Bruce, let go of Joann!¡± warned Jaydon. The bodyguards quickly surrounded Jaydon and started fighting with Jaydon. Then the security guards and assistants of the photography studio rushed over to join the fight. Seeing how nervous Joanna and Jaydon were, Bruce realized that Joanna¡¯s son was really lost. Bruce could not help sneering. He said, ¡°Well, it looks like someone has already made a move before me. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m telling you onest time. I didn¡¯t kidnap your son! ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use such a shameless method if I want you to pay the price.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce with tears in her eyes, begging, ¡°Bruce, if you take Irvin away, please don¡¯t hurt him under all circumstances. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll definitely regret it. You¡¯ll definitely regret it!¡± After saying that, Joanna shook Bruce crazily, and tears ran down Joanna¡¯s face. Joanna thought, ¡°Bruce will hurt his biological son if he hurts Irvin.¡± However, Bruce replied coldly, ¡°I never regret what I do! ¡°Also, believe it or not. All I said is true. If I tell yout didn¡¯t do it, then I didn¡¯t do it. I will admit it if it was me.¡± Looking at Bruce¡¯s gloomy expression, Joanna began to believe Bruce. Joanna thought, ¡°Bruce is righteous deep down, and he will admit things that he has done. ¡°If Bruce kidnaps Irvin, Bruce will openly provoke me and force me to follow his words. ¡°Now that Bruce said he did not take Irvin away, I think I might have wronged Bruce.¡± 12:53 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 119 ¡°Irvin, where did you go?¡± Joanna cried out. Then she closed her eyes and fainted. ¡°Joanna!¡± cried Bruce. ¡°Joann!¡± cried Jayden. Bruce was faster and took Joanna into his arms. Then Bruce said to his bodyguards, ¡°Send some people to search around for Joanna¡¯s kid!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Joanna only passed out for seconds. Then she struggled to get up and murmured, ¡°I need to find my son. I need to find my son!¡± Bruce replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to look for Irvin, It¡¯s useless to be anxious like this!¡± Joanna murmured, ¡°The surveince room. I need to go to the surveince room!¡± Then Joanna ran toward the surveince room as if she was mad. Joanna thought, ¡°The photography studio doesn¡¯t have surveince cameras. However, surveince cameras are everywhere outside of the studio. ¡°I will definitely get some useful information!¡± SEND GIFT COMMENT O 12:53 Fri, 23 Chapter 120 Soon, Joanna arrived at the surveince room. A security guard pulled up all the surveince videos. Joanna held her breath and attentively watched the surveince videos. Joanna was scared that she would miss trvin, so she was unwilling to take a second to blink. Bruce was smoking outside gloomily. Jaydon apanied Joanna to check all the surveince videos. After watching dozens of surveince videos, Joanna did not find anyone suspicious or see Irvin leave the studio. However, after searching the entire studio, they could not find Irvin. Irvin seemed to disappear into thin air. Until now, Irvin had been missing for more than three hours. Joanna was about to break down. She kept ming herself, her eyes were bloodshot, and her body was uncontrobly trembling. Jaydon med himself even harder. Then he asked the security guard to pull out more surveince videos of other ces. The security guard frowned and sighed, replying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I can do. I only have surveince videos of this area. ¡°You need to go to another surveince room if you want surveince videos of other areas.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Then let¡¯s rush to the next surveince room now.¡± The security guard was reying the video. Suddenly, Joanna saw a familiar figure on the screen. Joanna said, ¡°Wait! Rewind this video. I want to watch it again.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Then the security guard reyed it. A tall and think man appeared in that video. The camera did not capture that man¡¯s face, but Joanna found that man familiar. Joanna almost recognized that man at a nce. She cried inside, ¡°This person is Derick Haynes!¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Watching the video, Joanna suddenly grabbed the mouse and zoomed the screen to see this man. Jaydon frowned and murmured, ¡°Is this person¡­¡± Joanna was shocked and cried, ¡°It looks like he is Derick Haynes!¡± ¡°Derick Haynes?¡± repeated daydon. Joanna firmly repked, ¡°Yes, it must be Derick!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She felt a chill run down her spine after confirming that it was Derick Haynes. Joanna thought, ¡°Ingrid and her three children all hate me deeply. It sounds reasonable if Derick wants to take revenge on me. ¡°The meanest way to hurt me is to hurt my children.¡± Jaydon shook his head subconsciously and said, ¡°Really? Derick is your brother to some extent. He¡¯s probably not the one who takes away Irvin.¡± Joanna sneered and thought, ¡°Heh. Siblings from another mother are worse than strangers. 12:53 Fri, 23 Jun Chapter 120 ¡°At least strangers won¡¯t desire to kill me. As for my half brothers and sisters, they with me to disappear from the world.¡± ¡°That could actually be Derick,¡± said Joanna. Jaydon said, ¡°But Derick didn¡¯t bring anything with him, and we didn¡¯t see he¡¯s with Irvin.¡± Joanna urged, ¡°Call the police now. I¡¯m afraid it will be toote if we keep wasting time here.¡± Jayden sighed and replied, ¡°Irvin has not missed up to 24 hours yet. Even if we call the police, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t file a case.¡± Joanna suddenly stood up and said emotionally, ¡°I¡¯m going to find and confront Derick!¡± Jaydon suggested, ¡°Maybe call your father first and see where Derick is. Ask Derick if he has seen Irvin.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Good idea. I¡¯m calling my father now.¡± Joanna immediately took out her phone and called Shaun. Beep Beep Beep. The phone got through quickly. Shaun¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Hello, Joann!¡± Joanna greeted, ¡°Hey, dad!¡± ¡°Joann, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Shaun sounded very cold. ¡°Is Derick home?¡± asked Joanna. Shaun was stunned when he heard that, thinking. ¡°Derick never gets along well with Joanna since they were young. Now Joanna calls me and asks where Derick is. What a surprise.¡± Shaun subconsciously nced at Derick¡¯s room and replied, ¡°It looks like Rick goes out. Why are you looking for him?¡± ¡°Any idea of where Derick went?¡± Joanna sounded anxious. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Shaun, ¡°Can you give me Derick¡¯s number? I need to speak to him now!¡± ¡°Oh. Wait a moment. I¡¯m looking for it.¡± Shaun said and was about to open his contact list! Ingrid heard Shaun on the phone. Then she walked in coquettish steps and came downstairs. Ingrid asked, ¡°Hubby, who are you talking to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Joann,¡± said Shaun. Ingrid¡¯s face changed when she heard that. Ingrid shrieked, ¡°Why are you talking to that bitch?¡± Shaun said, ¡°Conon. Stop it.¡± Then Shaun replied to Joanna, ¡°Joann, I can¡¯t find it now. I¡¯ll send it to youter. ¡°By the way, why are you looking for Rick?¡± Joanna paused for a moment and said with a sobbing tone, ¡°My son is missing. It¡¯s likely that Derick took Irvin away! ¡°Dad, ask Derick if he took Irvin away!¡± Hearing this, Shaun was shocked and subconsciously retorted, ¡°What? That¡¯s impossible. Why would Rick take your son away?¡± Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Chapter 120 ¡°Dad, this is serious. It could be a criminal case. Ask Derick to send Irvin back if he did take away Irvin. Otherwise¡­¡± Before Shaun could hear Joanna finishing her speech, Ingrid snatched the phone. Ingrid cursed to the phone, ¡°Bitch, I¡¯m telling you. Don¡¯t you dare wrong Rick! ¡°Your son is lost. Then you should me yourself for not looking after him. The me for your son¡¯s missing should not be on others! ¡°If you dare to nder my son again, I¡¯ll sue you! Bitch, you deserve to lose your son! This is God¡¯s punishment for you!¡± Pomp! Ingrid hung up the phone after finishing her scolding. ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Then she tried her best not to break down and forced herself to calm down. Joanna said to herself, ¡°At this moment, my brain will only work when I¡¯m calm.¡± After hanging up the phone, Ingrid kept cursing. Shaun frowned and asked, ¡°Where is Rick?¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°Who knows? Rick probably goes out with that barely¨Cknown star.¡± Hearing this, Shaun could not help sighing. Heined, ¡°It¡¯s been so long since Rick graduated. He should get a job!¡± ¡°Rick does nothing every day. All he does is to flirt with female stars.¡± Ingrid red at Shaun and scolded, ¡°It¡¯s all because of your good daughter, Joanna! Otherwise, would Rick have nothing to do? ¡°Joanna doesn¡¯t allow anyone from the Haynes family to enter thepany. The Haynes Group has be her ownpany! ¡°Bitch. Such an awful woman. I wish a car hits and kills Joanna someday!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Shaun couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He stood up and was about to go upstairs,ining, ¡°Can¡¯t you keep your mouth shut?¡± Ingrid chased after Shaun and continued to scold him, ¡°Why should I shut my mouth? I can¡¯t wait to take Joanna down. ¡°What a cunt. I wish Joanna a wonderful death!¡± Shaun was in the middle of getting upstairs. He suddenly stopped and looked at Ingrid, saying, ¡°Enough. Call Rick now and ask if he¡¯s seen Joann¡¯s child. ¡°I¡¯m worrying that it would be Rick.¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes. However, hearing those words, Ingrid had a heavy heart. Then she took out her phone and called Derick. After the phone got through, Ingrid¡¯s expression changed instantly, and her tone became gentle. ¡°Hi, Rick!¡± ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Derick sounded very impatient. Ingrid said, ¡°The bitch foanna called just now and asked if you¡¯ve seen her damn son? ¡°Tell me the truth. Did you see Joanna¡¯s damn son or not?¡± Derick replied, ¡°What? Why would I have seen Joanna¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Really?¡± asked Ingrid. Derick replied, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t! Don¡¯t call me so often. It¡¯s annoying!¡± ¡°Oh, okay, okay!¡± Ingrid was afraid that her son would get angry. Ingrid had a sharp personality and was not afraid of anything. Sadly, she failed to treat the same to her children. 12:53 Fri, 23 Jun. Chapter 120 ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up if you don¡¯t have other things. Oh right, mom. Transfer me another 100 thousand dors!¡± Hearing this, Ingrid¡¯s temper red up. She questioned, ¡°I gave you 100 thousand dorsst week Why are you asking for money now?¡± Derick replied, ¡°It was just 100 thousand dors. It¡¯s only enough for days. Cut the crap. I want it gow Ingrid said, ¡°No money for you. You¡¯re extravagant. Do you think we have a money printing machine at home?¡± ¡°Spending 400 to 600 thousand dors a month. You¡¯re such a spendthrift!¡± ¡°Mom, how about 40 thousand dors? Give me now. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll jump off a building!¡± Ingrid was even more exasperated after hearing those words. Ingrid thought, ¡°Rick has spentvishly since he was young. He will throw a tantrum if I don¡¯t give him money. Sometimes, Rick even threatens me bymitting suicide.¡± Unfortunately, there was nothing Ingrid could do. Ingridined, ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. I¡¯ll give you the moneyter.¡± Derick said, ¡°Thank you, mom. I¡¯m gonna hang up if you don¡¯t have other things.¡± Then he hung up the phone. Derick was trying to get a barely¨Cknown star. That girl asked Derick to buy everything for her, such as bags, cars, and jewelry. Once Derick refused to buy anything, that girl would immediately stop talking to Derick. Derick was from a rich family. However, he had no ability to be rich. Thus, Derick had to ask his parents for money. It was impossible to get tens of millions of dors from Derick at once. That girl was smart and nned to dig more gold from rich men when she was young. Except for Derick, that girl hooked up with several rich old men. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Chapter 121 After Ingrid hung up. Shaun asked, ¡°What did Rick say?¡± Ingrid snorted and scolded in a high pitched voice, ¡°What else can Rick say? How could Rick take Joanna¡¯s son away? ¡°Joanna failed to take after her son, and now she¡¯s ndering Rick like a mad dog! ¡°What a b***h. It would be great if Joanna¡¯s son had been kidnapped. Oh, right. I heard that some people specialize in kidnapping children. ¡°Those traffickers would deliberately c*le **children, throw them out on the street, and ask them to beg for money. ¡°Haha. It would be great if Joanna¡¯s da***n son was taken away by those traffickers!¡± Shaun frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re being vicious. Joann is my daughter, and her child is my grandson. How can you curse Irvin like that?¡± ¡°Oh, Joanna is your daughter. Then how about Roxy? Roxy would have not be what she is today if it wasn¡¯t because of Joanna. And now you¡¯re still defending Joanna!¡± Shaun said, ¡°I¡¯m not defending Joanna!¡± Without waiting for Shaun to finish, Ingrid waved her hand and said impatiently. ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t want to argue with you. I¡¯m going out to y poker!¡± As she spoke, Ingrid went upstairs to get her handbag and was about to leave. Shaunined, ¡°All you do every day is y poker. How much money did you lose in ying poker?¡± E Ingrid would tell Shaun she had lost money in poker after she secretly gave the money to her two cousins and failed to make the ounting right. Actually, Ingrid used all the money to support her two cousins. However, Ingrid¡¯s cousins did not take the money without doing anything. They would do their best to serve Ingrid. After seeing her cousins, Ingrid would feel really good. Ingrid said, ¡°I¡¯ll know when I¡¯ve had enough! Don¡¯t be so annoying!¡± When speaking. Ingrid took her bag and left. Today, Ingrid had asked her two cousins out to negotiate.. Each of Ingrid¡¯s cousins had asked Ingrid for 2 million dors. Ingrid dyed it for so long that her cousins almost lost patience. Ingrid hated her two cousins deeply now. She finally realized what her cousins really wanted and was not going to continue the rtionship with them. Unfortunately, Ingrid¡¯s cousins had recorded many videos of them ¡°ying poker¡± together. Sitting in the photography studio and considering for a while, Joanna decided to call the police. Joanna said, ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. I¡¯m calling the police now!¡± Jaydon replied, ¡°We can¡¯t call the police now because we don¡¯t have any evidence. Even if the police arrest Derick, if there¡¯s no evidence, they¡¯ll just keep Derick up for 24 hours at most. Then Derick will be free again.¡± Joanna and Jaydon were still figuring out a n. Bruce thought for a moment. Then he took out his phone to call Derick. Beep. Beep Beep. Chapter 121 Derick¡¯s phone rang. He immediately picked up after he saw that it was Bruce. ¡°Hi, Bruce?¡± said Derick, Bruce frowned and asked. ¡°Where are you?¡± Derick answered, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m outside. What¡¯s the matter, Bruce?¡± Roxanne and Bruce had not gotten married yet, but Derick and Ryan had already treated Bruce as a family member and called Bruce by his first name. ¡°I¡¯m looking for you. Where are you?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was cold. ¡°Right now?¡± asked Derick. ¡°Yes!¡± said Bruce. Derick said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have time now. Maybeter?¡± Derick had just sent another bag to that barely-known star, and now he was dating her. Bruce replied, ¡°No. Where are you now? I¡¯ll send a driver to pick you up.¡± Derick said, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really sorry. Honestly, I don¡¯t have time to see you now. How about another day? I¡¯ll buy you lunch another day. I gotta go!¡± Then Derick hurriedly hung up the phone. Noticing Bruce¡¯s tone was bad, Derick knew Bruce would probably not give him something good if he went to see Bruce. Besides, Derick was guilty and did not dare to see Bruce. The girl asked curiously, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Derick replied, ¡°Hey. Nothing. It¡¯s just my brother-inw.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes lit up. She said, ¡°Your brother-inw? Isn¡¯t that Mr. Everett?¡± Derick straightened his back proudly and replied, ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Why did Mr. Everett call you?¡± ¡°Nothing. Oh, by the way, I saw Bruce had a great car in his garage days ago. I¡¯ll ask my sister to drive it out another day and give it to you!¡± Hearing this, the girl became ecstatic and cried, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Babe, when have I ever lied to you? My brother-inw is Bruce Everett, the richest man in Greyportth. You¡¯ll live a wonderful life if you agree to be mine!¡± After that, Derick took that girl to bed. 20 minutester. Boom! Someone kicked the door open when Derick and the girl were busy in bed. About eight muscr men in ck barged in without exining. Derick and the girl were so frightenied that they hurriedly covered themselves with the nket. Derick asked, ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± ¡°Get up ande with us!¡± Derick took a closer look at the leader of the men in ck and recognized that man was Bruce¡¯s bodyguard. Then Derick sighed in relief and asked, ¡°Did Bruce send you?¡± ¡°Cut the crap ande with us!¡± Those burly men did not let Derick ask any questions and dragged Derick down from the bed. Derick was in a terrible state, shouting, ¡°Wait, wait! At least let me put on my pants!¡± Chapter 121 Soon, Derick was brought to the studio. He was disheveled and only wore a pair of pants. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve got Derick here!¡± When Joanna saw Derick, she became even more agitated. Joanna asked, ¡°Derick, did you take my son away?¡± When speaking. Joanna pounced on Derick. She looked like a lunatic. Derick sneered. Then he looked at Joanna arrogantly and said, ¡°Are you crazy? Why would I take away your son?¡± Joanna retorted, ¡°It must be you. I checked the surveince and found that you showed up at the photography studio in the morning. No one has a reason to take my son except you! ¡°Tell me where my son is now! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll call the police!¡± Derick said, ¡°Go ahead. Anyway, I don¡¯t know where your son is! I¡¯ve never seen him before either!¡± Derick looked like he was not afraid of anything. Derick thought, ¡°There are no surveince cameras in the photography studio, and no one has seen me take that kid away! ¡°Besides, I have apelling alibi. Even if the police interrogate me, they won¡¯t get anything out of me.¡± Joanna continued, ¡°Tell me where my son is. I¡¯m begging you. Please don¡¯t hurt my son¡­¡± Derick deliberately said, ¡°What? Are you begging me now? It¡¯s hard to believe!¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s breakdown, Derick became even more arrogant and felt extremely joyful. Joanna cried even harder after realizing she could not get anything out of Derick. Bruce was sitting on a stool at the side and smoking a cigarette. His expression was terrible. Derick nced at Bruce and obsequiously said, ¡°Hey, Bruce. What¡¯s the matter? Why are you looking for me so urgently? Could it be this crap?¡± Bruce did not answer. Instead, Bruce tilted his chin slightly at the bodyguards. Two bodyguards immediately understood Bruce¡¯s indication. A bodyguard grabbed Derick¡¯s head and stuffed it into the toilet bowl. Then another bodyguard pressed the flush button. ¡°Ugh!¡± Derick coughed violently. He was almost choked to death on the water and disgusted by the smell of the toilet bowl Whoosh. Whoosh. The bodyguard pressed the flush switch over ten times in a row. When seeing Derick was about to drown, Bruce waved his hand slightly to ask the bodyguard to stop. The bodyguard immediately pulled Derick out of the toilet bowl and threw him at Bruce¡¯s feet. Derick kept coughing. Then he asked, ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? Uh, uh!¡± Derick was so scared that he was shaking. Bruce¡¯s eyes were sharp when he nced at Derick. Bruce did not show any mercy just because Derick was Roxanne¡¯s younger brother. ¡°Now tell me the truth!¡± warned Bruce. Derick pretended to know nothing and asked, ¡°What¡­ What truth? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Where did you take Joanna¡¯s son?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was not loud, but it had a terrifying power. It was as if an ancient emperor was issuing an imperial edict. Derick denied, ¡°I¡­ I really don¡¯t know! How would I know where Joanna¡¯s son is?¡± Bruce lit another cigarette after seeing that Derick was unwilling to tell the truth. After taking a drag of the cigarette, Bruce put it on Derick¡¯s shoulder. Chapter 121 Sizzle! Then a smell of roasted meat wafted out.. ?? ¨C 69% ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± Derick¡¯s shouting immediately spread throughout the photography studio. Derick howled in pain and rolled on the ground in pain. He could not believe that Bruce would leave no room for negotiation. Bruce replied gloomily, ¡°Tell me. Where did you take Joanna¡¯s son?¡± Bruce did not want to waste any time on Derick. A bodyguard also warned, ¡°Hurry up and tell the truth. Then you don¡¯t have to suffer so much! Otherwise, you can¡¯t even walk out of here alive!¡± The bodyguard was right. It would be a piece of cake if Bruce wanted someone to disappear from the world. Moreover, Bruce did not even need to do anything by himself. He would not let the police have any evidence either.. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t we a family?¡± cried Derick. Bruce said, ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me, are you?¡± Derick shouted, ¡°Bruce, I swear I don¡¯t know! Why do you assume it¡¯s me?¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Bruce raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Are you still not going to say it?¡± Derick covered his scalded arm and hesitated for a while. Then Derick replied, ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t know where Joanna¡¯s son is.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Bruceughed sinisterly. Bruce said, ¡°I didn¡¯t even tell you which child Joanna lost. How did you know Joanna¡¯s son but not her daughter was missing?¡± Hearing this, Derick paused and realized he had given himself away. Everyone only asked Derick if he had seen Joanna¡¯s child. No one had told Derick if it was a boy or a girl. Derick looked around nervously and stammered, ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I¡¯m just guessing.¡± Bruce said, ¡°It looks like I should push you harder.¡± When speaking, Bruce gestured to his bodyguards.. Immediately, four bodyguards stepped forward. They took Derick down, grabbed his ankles, and turned him upside down. Then, they stuffed Derick into the toilet bowl again. A bodyguard kept pressing the flush button. The water kept rushing into Derick¡¯s nose. Derick could not breathe this time. He could not even struggle. Water flowed into Derick¡¯s nose and throat. ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± Derick kept coughing. Derick twisted his body and tried to struggle. Unfortunately, Bruce¡¯s bodyguards were all one¨Cin¨Ca¨Cmillionbat experts. Dealing with Derick was a piece of cake for those bodyguards. Derick¡¯s body fell straight into the toilet bowl, and his head was tightly stuck in it. At this moment, Derick was in fear of drowning. Derick had never been tortured like this in his life. Bruce asked, ¡°How about that? Can you tell me the truth now?¡± Seeing that Derick was getting weaker and weaker, Bruce finally asked his bodyguards to let Derick down. ¡°Phew! Ugh! Ugh!¡± Derick kept coughing and rolling his eyes. One of his teeth was knocked out. Derick looked miserable and pitiful, with his nose and mouth kept bleeding. Joanna could not face such brutality and turned around to avoid watching this scene. Joanna thought, ¡°We just suspect it may be Derick and have no evidence to confirm it. Bruce is ruthless to torture Derick like that.¡± Therefore, Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, stop torturing Derick.¡± However, Bruce ignored Joanna and continued to interrogate Derick, ¡°Where is the child? This is yourst chance. You know I always keep my word. If you don¡¯t say it, I won¡¯t ask them to stop next round.¡± Bruce had a feeling that Derick had taken away the child. Moreover, if Bruce wanted an answer from a person, he would definitely get it. ¡°The child¡­ The child¡­¡± Derick rolled his eyes a few times, and his face turned red. Bruce threatened, ¡°Where is the child? I¡¯ll count to three. If you don¡¯t answer me, I¡¯ll get some lo throw you into the sea to feed the sharks!¡± Many gangs in Greyport often brought their enemies to the open sea. Then, they tied their enemies up tightly and threw them into the sea. Many rich people would spend money to hire those gangs. After taking the money, those gangs would finish their job without leaving any evidence. Bruce slowly counted down, ¡°One.¡± Derick was so frightened that his heart was beating faster. He looked at Bruce in fear. Derick tried to save the situation and shouted, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t forget you¡¯re engaged to my sister!¡± Bruce ignored Derick¡¯s shouting and continued, ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Bruce, I swear I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Three.¡± After counting to three, Bruce stood up and snapped his fingers at the bodyguards. The bodyguards immediately understood Bruce¡¯s indication and took out a ck stic bag. They were going to put it on Derick¡¯s head. Realizing Bruce was serious, Derick was so scared that he peed his pants. Derick stammered. ¡°I¡­ L¡­ I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you!¡± Hearing this, Joanna came back to herself and asked, ¡°Where is my child?¡± Derick looked terrified and stammered, ¡°You child is¡­ in the cistern on the roof.¡± BOOM! These words were like a p of thunder to Joanna. After hearing what Derick said, Joanna gasped, and her feet were so weak that she almost fell. ¡°Go to the roof!¡± Then Joanna pulled herself together and ran toward the stairs. Bruce, Jaydon, and the bodyguards also ran toward the roof. The photography studio had three floors and a cistern on the roof. It was hard to imagine what would happen if a four¨Cyear¨Cold child was thrown into a cistern. Soon, they reached the roof. Then they found a ten¨Cfoot¨Ctall cistern with a diameter of about five feet. ¡°Irvin, Irvin!¡± Joanna crawled up thedder of the cistern like a mad woman. Thisdder had no handrails and looked very dangerous. However, Joanna did not care if it was dangerous now. Bruce was one step ahead. He grabbed Joanna¡¯s wrist and dragged her down, saying, ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s dangerous up there! Come down. I¡¯ll ask my bodyguards to get there.¡± Then, four bodyguards rushed over and climbed up thedder. Then, they lifted the lid of the cistern. Once they opened the lid, they found arge cistern. It was dark down there. ¡°Mr. Everett, we can¡¯t see anything inside!¡± ¡°Jump down and look for the child!¡± ordered Bruce. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Plop, plop!¡± Two bodyguards directly jumped down the cistern. Joanna was so nervous that she did not even dare to look at the cistern. Joanna worried that they would only find Irvin¡¯s cold body. Bruce hugged Joanna tightly and could not stop Joanna from shaking violently. Heforted, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Your child will be fine!¡± Afterforting Joanna, Bruce hugged her even tighter. At this moment, Bruce was also getting nervous and prayed for Joanna¡¯s child. The cistern was ten feet tall. Half of it was filled with water, Not to mention a child, an adult may not survive if he was thrown down in that cistern. A bodyguard jumped in and looked around inside. Then the bodyguard found a little boy beside a water pipe. At this moment, Irvin tightly grabbed the water pipe and kept bobbing up and down in the water. Irvin was almost unconscious. Seeing someone jump. down, Irvin thought it was his illusion and did not even have the strength to cry for help. ¡°I found him! I found him! I found a boy here!¡± The bodyguard hurriedly went forward and wanted to carry Irvin. The bodyguard shouted, ¡°Put down adder now! The child is still alive!¡± Hearing this, Bruce finally sighed in relief and said, ¡°Joanna, did you hear that? Your child is still alive!¡± Joanna was so emotional after hearing the exciting news that she could not take it and fell. Bruce hugged Joanna tightly. Then Joanna buried her head in Bruce¡¯s arms and could not help crying. Jaydon watched Bruce and Joanna from the side and suddenly felt upset. Jaydon murmured, ¡°Yeah. They are a family of three while I¡¯m just an outsider.¡± Soon, the bodyguards outside the cistern found a flexibledder and put it down. The bodyguardforted Irvin, ¡°Kid, let go of the water pipe. I¡¯m going to get you out of here.¡± Sadly, Irvin was so frightened that he tightly grabbed the water pipe, unwilling to let go. Bruce raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Are you still not going to say it?¡± Derick covered his scalded arm and hesitated for a while. Then Derick replied, ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t know where Joanna¡¯s son is.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Bruceughed sinisterly. Bruce said, ¡°I didn¡¯t even tell you which child Joanna lost. How did you know Joanna¡¯s son but not her daughter was missing?¡± Hearing this, Derick paused and realized he had given himself away. Everyone only asked Derick if he had seen Joanna¡¯s child. No one had told Derick if it was a boy or a girl. Derick looked around nervously and stammered, ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I¡¯m just guessing.¡± Bruce said, ¡°It looks like I should push you harder.¡± When speaking, Bruce gestured to his bodyguards.. Immediately, four bodyguards stepped forward. They took Derick down, grabbed his ankles, and turned him upside down. Then, they stuffed Derick into the toilet bowl again. A bodyguard kept pressing the flush button. The water kept rushing into Derick¡¯s nose. Derick could not breathe this time. He could not even struggle. Water flowed into Derick¡¯s nose and throat. ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± Derick kept coughing. Derick twisted his body and tried to struggle. Unfortunately, Bruce¡¯s bodyguards were all one¨Cin¨Ca¨Cmillionbat experts. Dealing with Derick was a piece of cake for those bodyguards. Derick¡¯s body fell straight into the toilet bowl, and his head was tightly stuck in it. At this moment, Derick was in fear of drowning. Derick had never been tortured like this in his life. Bruce asked, ¡°How about that? Can you tell me the truth now?¡± Seeing that Derick was getting weaker and weaker, Bruce finally asked his bodyguards to let Derick down.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Phew! Ugh! Ugh!¡± Derick kept coughing and rolling his eyes. One of his teeth was knocked out. Derick looked miserable and pitiful, with his nose and mouth kept bleeding. Joanna could not face such brutality and turned around to avoid watching this scene. Joanna thought, ¡°We just suspect it may be Derick and have no evidence to confirm it. Bruce is ruthless to torture Derick like that.¡± Therefore, Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, stop torturing Derick.¡± However, Bruce ignored Joanna and continued to interrogate Derick, ¡°Where is the child? This is yourst chance. You know I always keep my word. If you don¡¯t say it, I won¡¯t ask them to stop next round.¡± Bruce had a feeling that Derick had taken away the child. Moreover, if Bruce wanted an answer from a person, he would definitely get it. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 The bodyguard had no choice but to pull open Irvin¡¯s little hand. Then he carried Irvin up Three hours ago. Derick covered Irvin¡¯s mouth and nose, and Irvin fainted. Then, he put Irvin into a trash bag and lifted Irvin to the roof. After that, Derick threw inven into the cistern After tinking into the water, Irvin felt the coldness from the water and woke up. Fortunately, Joanna had sent Davian and Irvin to learn how to swim since they were young. Therefore, Irvin quickly surfaced after sinking into the water However, Irvin was just a child and did not have good stamina. Irvin had been grabbing the water pipe for three hours. After working for a while, the bodyguards finally rescued Irvin. ¡°Here he is! He¡¯s out!¡± ¡°Irvin!¡± Joanna immediately rushed forward as if she was on steroids. Irvin¡¯s body was wet, and his face was pale. He widened his eyes in fear as if he was too shocked to speak. ¡°Irvin, it¡¯s mommy!¡± Joanna quickly pulled Irvin into her arms and hugged Irvin as she wailed. ¡°Mommy?¡± Irvin was stunned and scared. After a while, he burst into tears. Earlier in the cistern, Irvin relied on his willpower to hold on for three hours in the water. He knew he was safe since he saw his mommy. Thus, Irvin cried in grievance and fear. ¡°Irvin, baby, it¡¯s alright! It¡¯s all mommy¡¯s fault. I¡¯m so sorry!¡± said Joanna. Seeing Joanna cry like this, Bruce¡¯s heart ached. Bruce also got teary eyes as if he could feel Joanna¡¯s pain. Then Bruce could not help hugging Joanna and Irvin tightly. Bruce said, ¡°Irvin is weak now. Hurry up and send him to the hospital.¡± ¡°Right. Right! I need to go to the hospital!¡± Joanna hurriedly carried Irvin and walked toward the stairs. Irvin was cold. He must be sent to the hospital now. At this moment, Joanna could not be bothered to me Derick. A group of people rushed to the hospital. Twenty minutester. Bruce, Joanna, and the others took Irvin to the hospital Joanna said, ¡°Doctor, please save my child!¡± Soon, Irwin was sent to an emergency room. Irvin was greatly frightened to death. Fortunately, his life was not in danger. On the contrary, Joanna could not hold on any longer. She closed her eyes and fell. Bruce cried, ¡°Joanna, are you okay?¡± Then he caught Joanna and asked a doctor toe over. Sat, 24 Chapter 123 Within a minute, Joanna was also sent to an emergency room. Bruce¡¯s heart was beating faster. He paced anxiously outside the emergency room. After a while, the doctor finished the examination for Joanna and walked out of the emergency rooni. Then Joanna was taken out by the nurses. Bruce asked, ¡°Doctor, is everything okay with Joanna? She kept trembling uncontrobly just now!¡± The doctor answered, ¡°Oh, no worries. Joanna just suffers from hypoglycemia. Coupled with the sequ caused by overdosing on sertraline.¡± ¡°Sertraline? What¡¯s that?¡± asked Bruce. The doctor frowned and replied, ¡°That depends on the prescription. Most women take it to treat depression.¡± Hearing the doctor¡¯s answer, Bruce frowned tightly. He thought, ¡°If so, does Joanna have a severe depression? ¡°But how is that possible? ¡°Joanna is such a strong woman. Howe she has depression?¡± The doctor said, ¡°Now we are sending Joanna to award and giving her two bottles of glucose IV. She may need a long time to recover since her hypoglycemia is severe.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Bruce. Joanna was taken into a ward with glucose IV. dripping into her arm. Looking at Joanna¡¯s pale face, Bruce could not help touching Joanna¡¯s cheek. Before a bottle of glucose IV. was finished, Joanna woke up from her sleep. ¡°Irvin? Irvin? Hiss!¡± Joanna woke up too fast and identally touched the needle. It was so painful that she immediately became conscious. Seeing this, Bruce immediately went forward to hold Joanna down and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get up. Lie back. Look at how weak you are.¡± Joanna could not lie down and sleep well. She threw the pillow away and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to see my son. How¡¯s my son?¡± When speaking, Joanna already got off the bed. It seemed that she did not care about anything but her son. Joanna did not even remember to put on her shoes and hurriedly ran toward Irvin¡¯s ward. ¡°Your son is fine now. He¡¯s just frightened,¡± said Bruce. ¡°No, I need to check Irvin by myself.¡± Bruce could not stop Joanna, so he could only bring her to see Irvin. Irvin was sleeping soundly on a bed in the ward with an IV. dripping in his arm. Irvin was unconscious, but luckily, his life was not in danger. ¡°Irvin, it¡¯s all mommy¡¯s fault!¡± Joanna pounced on the bed and gently held Irvin¡¯s hand. Tears ran down Joanna¡¯s face. Joanna could not imagine what she would do if Irvin died. Bruce gently hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder andforted her, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t cry. Irvin is safe now.¡± As Joanna cried, she suddenly thought of something. Then she suddenly raised her head and looked at Bruce with bloodshot eyes. Joanna asked, ¡°Where¡¯s that bastard Derick? I must kill him!¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Derick¡¯s in the photography studio. I¡¯ve got people to keep an eye on him.¡± 10:43 Sat, 24 Chapter 123 Joanna instantly gritted her teeth in hatred. Her entire body was trembling. Joanna murmured, ¡°This crazy bastard. I will definitely make Derick pay the price!¡± Joanna thought, ¡°It¡¯s okay if they hurt me. However, if they hurt my children, I will fight them to death!¡± Ingrid was still ¡°negotiating¡± with her two cousins. Today, Ingrid¡¯s two cousins finally showed who they really were. They forced Ingrid to take her clothes off and took many indecent photos of her. Then, they yed all kinds of ¡°games¡± with Ingrid.. They kept making it rough for Ingrid. Moreover, they did not care about Ingrid and only cared about their pleasure. Ingrid used to like these exciting ¡°games.¡± However, ever since each of her two cousins asked Ingrid for 2 million dors to keep their mouths shut, Ingrid could not enjoy the moments with them anymore. After the negotiations, Ingrid could not even stand straight. Her lower abdomen hurt terribly. Just as Ingrid was about to go home, her phone rang. Beep. Beep. Beep. Ingrid took out her phone and saw that there were several missed calls. Oddly, they were from an unknown number. Ingrid picked up the phone and asked, ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± An anxious female voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Mrs. Haynes, has Derick gone home yet?¡± Ingrid hated it when people spoke to her without introducing themselves. Thus, Ingrid immediately pulled a long face and asked, ¡°Who are you? Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself first?¡± ¡°Oh. Umm, I¡¯m Derick¡¯s girlfriend!¡± When Ingrid heard this, sty said in a softer tone, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that star.¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, when I was with Derick, a few men in ck suddenly took Derick away! I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I¡¯m calling you now!¡± Hearing this, Ingrid frowned and asked, ¡°What? Some men in ck took Derick away? Who are they?¡± The girl cried over the phone, ¡°I don¡¯t know. They said Mr. Everett sent them. In a word, they¡¯re fierce. ¡°Derick hasn¡¯t called me back until now. I¡¯m afraid that something will happen to him. All I can do is to call you, but I couldn¡¯t get through your phone for a long time.¡± Ingrid¡¯s body went cold, and she felt a premonition of something horrible. Then Ingrid replied, ¡°Oh, okay. I got it.¡± After hanging up the phone, Ingrid hurried to the garage. She ignored the pain in her legs and lower abdomen and called Shaun as she walked. After the phone went through, Ingrid said anxiously, ¡°Hi, hubby!¡± Shaun asked, ¡°What? Have you lost all your money?¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°No. Is Rick home?¡± Shaun answered, ¡°No, Rick¡¯s not home.¡± When Ingrid found out her son was not home, her heart beat faster. Ingrid said, ¡°Someone just called me and told me that Bruce had taken Rick away!¡± ¡°Bruce took Rick away? Why would Bruce do so?¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°How would I know? Chapter 123 ¡°Hurry up. Get Roxy to call Bruce and ask him what¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Oh, oh, on it Roxanne listened from the side and felt nervous, ¡°Dad, what happened?¡± Shaun replied, ¡°Your mother just called and said Bruce had taken Rick away. Hurry up and call Bruce. Ask him what¡¯s going on.¡± When Roxanne heard this, she did not dare to waste time. Then she hurriedly called Bruce. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Bruce¡¯s phone vibrated. Bruce took a look at it. After seeing it was a call from Roxanne, he immediately hung up. After that, Roxanne called over ten times. Bruce was annoyed and finally picked up, saying, ¡°Yep?¡± ¡°Bruce, did you take my brother away?¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was cold. Roxanne could tell Bruce was in a bad mood from his tone. Thus, Roxanne asked carefully, ¡°Why did you take Rick away? Did he make you angry?¡± ¡°Rick didn¡¯t mess with me!¡± said Bruce. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Where is Rick now?¡± ¡°Rick¡¯s with me.¡± Roxanne asked, ¡°Then where are you?¡± Bruce subconsciously nced at Joanna as if he was asking for Joanna¡¯s opinion. Joanna gritted her teeth and did not say a word. Thus, Bruce replied, ¡°Rick¡¯s done something stupid. He¡¯ll probably be in jail for the rest of his life!¡± BOOM! On the other end of the phone, Roxanne felt like she had been struck by lightning. Roxanne could not believe what she had heard. Thus, Roxanne asked again, ¡°Bruce, what did you just say?¡± Bruce said, ¡°Enough. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡± Bruce did not answer Roxanne and directly hung up the phone. Soon, Derick was brought to the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot. At this moment, Derick was still only in his pants and was tied to a stool. Derick looked terrible with his swollen face. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve brought you Derick!¡± ¡°Pong!¡± Joanna stepped forward and kicked Derick¡¯s chest. Her eyes were full of anger. ¡°Plop!¡± Derick fell along with the stool. The back of his head hit the ground heavily. Derick shouted, ¡°Ah! Help!¡± Joanna was furious. Then she picked up a folding stool and smashed it at Derick crazily. Joanna shouted, ¡°You bastard! Why did you do that to a child? Why did you hurt my child like that?¡± 10:43 Sul, 24 JULI Chapter 123 B Bruce said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to spend time saying all these to him. Derick is guilty of murder. Just send him to jail! He will be sentenced to twenty years!¡± Soon, Ingrid, Shaun, and Roxanne rushed to the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot. The three of them rushed over. ¡°When Ingrid saw Derick¡¯s miserable state, her heart ached. She said, ¡°¡°Oh, Rick, Who beat you up like this?¡°¡± Then she yelled at the others, ¡°¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Joanna, you fucking bitch! How dare you kidnap my son!¡± Joanna said, ¡°Hmph, I kidnapped Derick? Ask him what he has done.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Shaun felt nervous and quickly went forward, asking, ¡°Rick, what have you done?¡± Derick was still tied to the stool. He was only wearing underpants and was very weak. Derick only said, ¡°Dad. Mom. Please help me!¡± Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Ingrid and Shaun¡¯s faces changed. They began to suspect that Derick had kidnapped Joanna¡¯s stin until now. However, Ingrid was always unreasonable and would argue with anyone even though she did not have advantages. Thus, Ingrid would defend Derick even if Derick did something wrong. Ingrid shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t just do what you want to my son, no matter what happens. ¡°Who do you think you are? How dare you beat my son up like this?¡± Ingrid shouted and untied her son, distressed. Roxanne gingerly shook Bruce¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Bruce, maybe this is just a misunderstanding. ¡°Derick is my younger brother. Why can¡¯t we talk things out? Why did you have to beat him up like this?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Shaun alsoined, ¡°Joann, Rick is also your younger brother. How can you beat your brother so badly? ¡°We¡¯re a family. Why can¡¯t we talk things out? Look at your brother. A sister should never do this to her brother.¡± Joanna retorted, ¡°Hmph. Derick wouldn¡¯t have done such a crazy thing if he treated me as his sister! Why don¡¯t you ask Derick what he had done first?¡± Shaun frowned but still spoke arrogantly, ¡°As long as Ingrid and I are here, you don¡¯t have the qualification to teach Derick a lesson, no matter what he did.¡± Hearing what Shaun said, Joanna was speechless. Joanna did not want to continue the conversation with them. She thought, ¡°I knew it. Dad is always biased.¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Your good son is charged with an intentional homicide. It should be enough to condemn him to death!¡± When Ingrid heard this, her eyes widened. Then Ingrid retorted sternly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Who did Rick kill? This is a ridiculous nder to my son!¡± Bruce replied, ¡°We don¡¯t make any nders. You¡¯ll see when the police arrive.¡± Hearing this, Ingrid lost a little of her aggressiveness and immediately asked Derick, ¡°Rick, what exactly have you done?¡°! Shaun anxiously asked Derick, ¡°Did you take Joann¡¯s son?¡± Derick lowered his head and did not dare to speak. It seemed that Derick admitted what he had done with his silence. Shaun shouted, ¡°How could you be so stupid? How could you do such a thing? ¡°Joann is your sister, and her son is your nephew! ¡°Where¡¯s the child? Give back the child to Joann and beg her to forgive you!¡± Derick stuttered, ¡°The child¡­¡± Derick was dreadful because he thought that the child was drowned. Derick said, ¡°Dad, mom, I was just hot headed. It was a one¨Ctimepse in judgment. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Shaun suddenly raised his voice and shouted, ¡°What did you do to the child?¡± Hearing Shaun¡¯s shouting, Ingrid was so scared that she even had goosebumps. She said to Shaun, ¡°Why are you yelling? You scared Rick!¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Rick, tell me what exactly happened.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Derick suddenly burst into tears. At this moment, Derick finally felt a lingering fear. He hadmitted the crime of intentional homicide and would probably be sentenced to death. .?? ¨¤ ? ? 69% Chapter 124 Shaun took several steps back and had a heart attack. Shaun clutched his chest and said, ¡°You¡­ Did you kill Joann¡¯s child?¡± Ingrid was dumbfounded. She hit Derick in exasperation and shouted, ¡°Derick! Are you out of your mind? Roxanne was also terrified and cried, ¡°Rick, did you really kill Joanna¡¯s child?¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Derick threw Irvin into a cistern and almost killed Irvin!¡± Ingrid murmured, ¡°Almost killed Irvin?¡± Ingrid and Shaun were relieved when they heard that. Ingrid said, ¡°ording to what you said, the child is fine, isn¡¯t he?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°The doctor brought Irvin back to life. If we hadn¡¯t interrogated Derick about Irvin¡¯s whereabouts and found Irvin in time, Irvin would have drowned!¡± Ingrid calmed herself down and quibbled, ¡°Well, why do you have to hurt my son like this since the child is fine? ¡°I won¡¯t let you get away from it easily if something happens to my son!¡± Knowing the child was fine, Shaun gradually calmed down and said, ¡°Joann, just let it go since your child is safe and sound. ¡°You have vented your anger by beating Rick up like this. So let¡¯s get over it.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Heh. Get over it? Dad, that¡¯s easy for you. Do you know that Derick threw Irvin into a cistern, and Irvin stayed there for three hours? As speaking, Joanna could not help crying again and said, ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how Irvin got through it!¡± Joanna could not imagine how terrified Irvin was when he soaked in the water for three hours. Ingrid said, ¡°Then what do you want? You also hurt my son. Shouldn¡¯t youpensate my son for medical expenses? ¡°Joanna, your son is still alive, isn¡¯t he? We didn¡¯t use you of harming my son. Why are you exactly doing here?¡± Ingrid put her hands on her waist and red at Joanna aggressively. Shaun sighed deeply and said, ¡°Get over it. Rick is immature. He just had a moment of madness. You are his sister and should take the lead to stop this fight. ¡°We¡¯ll bring Rick back home now. You probably should also take care of your son. Don¡¯t worry. I will teach Rick a lesson when we are home.¡± Shaun put it lightly to erase Derick¡¯s crime as if Derick had yed a prank. Joanna sneered and replied, ¡°Derickmitted a crime of intentional homicide. I¡¯ve already called the police. I¡¯ll let the police take over this case.¡± Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Ingrid said exasperatedly, ¡°Hey, do you have to call the police for this? It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Hearing Ingrid¡¯s words, Joanna was speechless and furious, retorting, ¡°No big deal? Wow, you are excellent at putting things lightly Derickmitted a crime of intentional homicide!¡± Ingrid shouted, ¡°Your son is alive, isn¡¯t he? This is a prank at best! How can you be like this, thinking of ways to send your brother to prison!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t bother to continue the conversation with Ingrid. Thus, Joanna said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to continue to talk with you. Just wait for the police and let them judge. ¡°Did Derick y a prank ormit a crime? I¡¯m sure the police will have their judgment!¡± Joanna turned around and was about to leave after finishing her words. Joanna did not want to waste one more second on Ingrid and Derick. ¡°Don¡¯t you walk away from me!¡± shouted Ingrid. Joanna replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk with you!¡± Realizing that Joanna was serious, Ingrid panicked. Roxanne was also anxious and said, ¡°Intentional homicide? Derick will be charged as an attempted murderer even if he didn¡¯t kill anyone! If so, Derick will still be sentenced.¡± Ingrid snorted coldly and replied, ¡°No need to worry. Howe this is Intentional homicide? Joanna just intimidated us, so don¡¯t listen to her! It is a prank at best.¡± When Shaun heard Ingrid¡¯s words, Shaun was so angry that he felt his heart even more painful. Then he raised his hand to p Ingrid and shouted, ¡°You are such an ignorant woman!¡± Ingrid widened her eyes and wanted tounch a drama when Shaun pped her. However, looking at Shaun¡¯s horrible face, Ingrid did not dare to say a word because she knew Shaun was really angry. Derick shouted, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to go to jail! Please help me. I don¡¯t want to go to jail!¡± Shaun replied, ¡°Why did you do such a s**d thing back then since you know the price is going to jail? It¡¯s good for you to go to jail for a few years. Maybe things in the jail will change you, so you won¡¯t do more bad things to destroy society¡¯s stability!¡± Shaun was so disappointed in his son for the first time. When Ingrid heard this, she waspletely anxious and said, ¡°Hubby, Rick¡¯s reputation will be ruined if he really has to go to jail. How can he continue his career in Greyport in the future?¡± Roxanne hurriedly held Joanna¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Joann, please forgive Rick this time. I believe Rick already learned a lesson.¡± Joanna flung Roxanne¡¯s hand away and said coldly, ¡°No way. If I forgive Derick this time, he will do it again! Derick has to ept the punishment byw formitting a crime¡± Roxanne said, ¡°Derick is our brother, and we are a family. Do you have to make our rtionship so bad?¡± Then Roxanne begged Bruce, ¡°Bruce, say something to Joann!¡± Bruce frowned and said, ¡°This is your family¡¯s business. I can¡¯t step in to persuade Joanna.¡± Ingrid tugged at Shaun¡¯s sleeve and begged, ¡°Hubby, do you really want Rick to go to jail? His life will be ruined if he is sent to jail!¡± Shaun just said those words out of anger. Derick was Shaun¡¯s favorite child. Thus, it was impossible that Shaun would sit back and do nothing to save Derick. B Chapter 125 Shaun said, ¡°Joann, I apologize to you on behalf of Rick. ¡°After all, Rick is your brother. Do you really want him to go to jail?¡±¡± Joanna sneered and replied, ¡°Derick has never viewed me as his sister, so why should I view him as my younger brother? ¡°Also, you¡¯re family. I¡¯m just an outsider!¡± Ingrid was so angry that her heart ached. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Hubby, did you hear Joanna¡¯s words? She is ashamed of us after she got married. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Joanna has long stopped treating herself as a member of the Haynes family. She either tricks Roxy or harms Rick. Joanna causes lots of trouble for us. If I were you, I would p this **h!¡± Joanna was enraged and shouted, ¡°Who are you calling a bitch? Considering you are a senior, I won¡¯t argue with you. Watch your mouth. I¡¯ll probably lose my manners. Be careful.¡± Ingrid kept scolding, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m calling you a bitch! You are the same as your dead mother!¡± The more Ingrid scolded, the more excited she became, Years ago, Ingrid called Joanna¡¯s mother every other day to insult Joanna¡¯s mother. Joanna¡¯s mother could not take it and gave the title Mrs. Haynes to Ingrid. After that, Ingrid kept insulting Joanna¡¯s mother. Ingrid pretended to be a victim even though she was the home wrecker. Joanna could not bear it anymore. p! Joanna rushed forward and pped Ingrid heavily on the face! ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± warned Joanna. Ingrid cried, ¡°Hubby, did you see that? Joanna pped me!¡± Shaun frowned and sighed, saying, ¡°You deserve this. Even I want to p you.¡± Ingrid cried, ¡°Hubby.¡± Shaun red at Ingrid and Shouted, ¡°Shut up!¡± Ingrid red at Joanna and wanted to p Joanna back. However, Ingrid thought of thest fight with Joanna. During that fight, Joanna pressed Ingrid on the ground and won the fight.. Therefore, Ingrid did not dare to start a fight with Joanna and knew that she could not win. Moreover, Ingrid just had wonderful moments with her two cousins today. They were so wild that Ingrid¡¯s legs and lower abdomen were sore. It hurt terribly when Ingrid moved. Shaun looked at Joanna solemnly and said gently, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m begging you. Please give Rick a chance so he can make everything right.¡± ¡°Save these words for the police,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Joann, do you want me to kneel and beg you? Your brother is still young. Rick will be messed up if he goes to jail. Can¡¯t you give Rick a chance to turn over a new leaf?¡± Joanna frowned and replied, ¡°Dad, these are two different things. Derick made a mistake, so he has to pay for it. Derick will onlymit more crimes if you keep indulging him like this.¡± Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Ingrid red up again and shouted, ¡°Did my sonmit a crime? It¡¯s pt up to you to judge!¡± Shaun warned Ingrid, ¡°Shut your mouth right now!¡± Then Shaun said, ¡°Joann, just forgive Rick this time. I¡¯m begging you. If Rick goes to jail, how can he have a foothold in Greyport? ¡°Rick was in a moment of madness but learned his lesson. Please forgive him this time. I¡¯m kneeling to beg you!¡± Plop! As Shaun spoke, he really knelt in front of Joanna. Joanna immediately said, ¡°Dad, get up. Don¡¯t do this.¡± Joanna felt disgusted and quickly looked away to avoid looking at Shaun. Shaun continued, ¡°If you refuse to forgive Rick, I will keep kneeling!¡± Then Shaun was about to kneel in front of Joanna again. Joanna was annoyed and frustrated. Joanna immediately held Shaun up and said, ¡°Dad, please. Stop it.¡± ¡°Shaun¡¯s eyes turned red, and tears rolled down his chubby cheeks. Shaun said in a muffled voice, ¡°¡°Joarin, Rick is your brother! You can¡¯t be so heartless as to send him to jail!¡± When speaking, Shaun held his chest and took a few deep breaths. It looked like Shaun could not catch his breath. Ingrid shouted, ¡°Your father has a heart disease. Take out his pills!¡± Hearing Ingrid¡¯s order, Roxanne replied, ¡°Got it! Got it!¡± Then Roxanne hurriedly took out a bottle of pills from Shaun¡¯s pocket. Roxanne put several pills into Shaun¡¯s mouth. After that, Shaun took a while to recover and finally could breathe again. Roxanne cried as she patted Shaun¡¯s heart, ¡°Dad, how do you feel now?¡± Joanna stood by the side nervously and asked, ¡°Dad, are you alright?¡± Ingrid rebuked Joanna in a high¨Cpitched voice, ¡°Hmph, your father has heart disease and high blood pressure. Are you trying to kill your father with your stubborn attitude and harsh words?¡± Shaun rolled his eyes and warned Ingrid, ¡°Just keep silent!¡± Ingrid snorted, ¡°Hmph!¡± Shaun took another deep breath and looked at Joanna pitifully, saying, ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna closed her eyes and let out a breath. Then Joanna interrupted Shaun, ¡°Dad, enough. Stop talking¡± ¡°I can cut Derick some ck but I need a written guarantee from him.¡± ¡°What guarantee?¡± asked Shaun. Joanna replied, ¡°Derick needs to write down the entire process of his crime and sign the document. If Derick dares to hurt my son again, I¡¯ll give the evidence to the police.¡± Shaun paused for a few seconds. Then he agreed and said, ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll get Rick to write it now!¡± Joanna continued, ¡°Also, Derick needs to go to Irvin¡¯s bed and apologize to Irvin.¡± ¡°No problem! Rick will do it,¡± said Shaun. Soon, Derick wrote a guarantee and went to Irvin¡¯s bed. Derick bowed and apologized to Irvin, saying, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! It¡¯s all my fault. Please forgive me!¡± 10:43 Sat, Chapter 126 Ingrid interrupted, ¡°Enough. Enough! Rick, you¡¯vepleted it. Save some dignity. ¡°Rick, let¡¯s leave here.¡± When speaking, Ingrid hurriedly went forward to hold Derick. Then Derick hobbled out of the ward. Derick was seriously injured but did not dare to stay in this hospital for treatment. Shaun and Ingrid hurriedly brought Derick to another hospital. On the way to the hospital, Ingrid was in distress. She checked Derick¡¯s wounds and said, ¡°You are such a silly boy. Even if you wanted to do it, you didn¡¯t have to do it yourself! Look at you. You¡¯re so stupid!¡± Then Ingrid suddenly cried, ¡°Oh my, who burnt you? You¡¯re scalded.¡± Derick was angry and scared. He said with lingering fear, ¡°Who else could it be? It was that bastard Bruce Everett. He burnt me with his own hands. Bruce is not my brother¨Cinw. I don¡¯t want to see Bruce as a member of our family. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have gone down like this if it was not because of Bruce! No one would know I did it!¡± Ingrid cried, ¡°Mr. Everett? How could he do that to you? You¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s brother¨Cinw. No, I can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ll ask Mr. Everett about that by myself one day.¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± asked Ingrid. ¡°How can it not hurt?¡± replied Derick. Ingrid gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Aww, my sweetheart. My heart aches so much. It¡¯s all Joanna¡¯s fault! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll avenge you!¡± Hearing Ingrid¡¯s words, Shaun was angrier and said, ¡°Enough, Ingrid. Stop saying such words. The reason why Rick did such a crazy thing is because you always spoil him!¡± ¡°How am I spoiling Rick?¡± said Ingrid. Shaun continued, ¡°You can¡¯t always protect Rick. If you keep spoiling Rick, you¡¯re turning him into a loser, and he will do more crazy things!¡± Ingrid retorted, ¡°How am I spoiling Rick? In the end, it¡¯s all because of that bitch Joannal¡± Shaun was so angry that his lips were trembling. Sadly, Shaun had never won a fight with Ingrid. Shaun said, ¡°You have been unaware of your mistake until now! ¡°You and your son are incurable!¡± Ingrid retorted, ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re the incurable one!¡± After finishing her words, Ingrid finally realized Roxanne was not in the car. Thus, Ingrid asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Roxy?¡± Ingrid and Shaun only focused on sending Derick to another hospital and did not even notice that Roxanne did not get into the car. Shaun replied, ¡°Roxy probably is with Mr. Everett if she doesn¡¯t get in the car.¡± Speaking of Bruce, Ingrid was furious. Ingrid said, ¡°Unbelievable. Bruce picked the side with an outsider. He¡¯s always on Joanna¡¯s side! N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Shaun, that¡¯s all because of your good daughter Joanna. She¡¯s seducing Bruce. I think Bruce and Roxy¡¯s marriage is going to be ruined again.¡± Shaun replied, ¡°It would be better they don¡¯t get married since Mr. Everett¡¯s heart isn¡¯t on Roxy.¡± Ingrid retorted, ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say! Roxy will be a joke in Greyport if Roxy fails to get married to Bruce. ¡°Besides, Bruce is the richest man in Greyport. No one canpete with Bruce in Greyport. If we give up Bruce, can we find a better one for Roxy?¡± 1043 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 126 ¡°You can¡¯t measure a marriage like this,¡± said Shaun. Ingrid insisted, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Roxy must get married to Mr. Everett and be one of the Evereemily Shaun sighed and said, ¡°You! Sadly, I can¡¯t win the fight with you.¡± Shaun looked away, still arigry but not knowing what to say to Ingrid. In the Hospital, Joanna stood beside Irvin¡¯s bed. She did not want to leave for a moment. Irvin was still in aa. Irvin was frightened, and a doctor injected a sedative for him. Thus, Irvin was sleeping soundly. Joanna caressed Irvin¡¯s little face from time to time. Her eyes were filled with maternal love. Bruce also stood by the side and watched Joanna and Irvin silently. It had already been half an hour, and Joanna had not spoken a word to Bruce. Joanna only focused on looking at her son. This made Bruce upset. Bruce controlled himself for a while. Eventually, he couldn¡¯t help speaking first, ¡°Irvin is alright now. He¡¯ll recover after resting for a few days.¡± Hearing this, Joanna looked up at Bruce. Then, Joanna lowered her eyes and stared at Irvin again. Bruce thought that Joanna was going to say something to him. Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, Joanna was still silent. Bruce thought, ¡°I saved Joanna¡¯s son! I should be a hero. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Joanna say thank you? ¡°I¡¯m pissed off at Joanna. She doesn¡¯t even thank me, even though I have saved her son.¡± Then Bruce cleared his throat, asking, ¡°Do you have anything to say to me?¡± Joanna was speechless,pking at Bruce in confusion. Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Bruce looked down at her from above. His hawk like eyes seemed to be seeking credit. Joanna took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She didn¡¯t want to say anything now¨Cnot a single word. Seeing she was still silent, Bruce pursed his lips proudly and walked toward Joanna from the opposite side of the bed. ¡°Without me, your son might have been dead! Shouldn¡¯t you express your gratitude?¡± Facing Joanna, Bruce was extremely thick¨Cskinned, as if everything was to be expected. Joanna took a deep look at Bruce and had mixed feelings. She was naturally grateful to him. However, after hearing what he said, the gratitude suddenly turned into ashes. ¡°Say something!¡± Bruce stretched out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. ¡°What do you want?¡± Joanna¡¯s pupils constricted, revealing a faint sharpness. ¡°Judging from his expression, he probably wants me topensate him with that again!¡± Joanna thought. Thest bit of good impression she had of him was ruined. Bruce sneered and pinched her chin. ¡°Look at your eyes! You look like you want to kill me! Damn woman, you don¡¯t have any conscience!¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Let go!¡± Bruce pinched her chin even tighter and said, ¡°I saved your son. Aren¡¯t you going to thank me?¡± Joanna struggled impatiently and pped his hand away. ¡°Thank you! How¡¯s this? Is this enough?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not sincere at all!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes angrily. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me to thank you? I¡¯ve already said it! What else do you want?¡± Bruce choked in anger. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else left. You can go back now!¡± ¡°Kicking me to the curb after using me?¡± ¡°You heartless woman. You need to be taught a lesson! The more you behave like this, the more I want to punish you!¡± As he spoke, Bruce had already reached out and forcefully hugged her. Every time he faced her, his desire to conquer her grew crazily. He was never satisfied. Joanna struggled with all her might, but he continued to kiss her forcefully. ¡°¡­ T¨CThis is a hospital. Don¡¯t do anything rash¡­¡± The intensity of his kiss remained forceful, giving the woman a sense of being overpowered. His arms were incredibly sturdy, and she couldn¡¯t resist when he trapped her. When Joanna was almost out of breath, he stopped. He looked at her, who was weak all over, teasingly. ¡°Look at you. You can¡¯t stand it when I kiss you, right?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She punched him a few times in exasperation. ¡°Can you stop touching me?¡± 10:43 Sat, 24 Chapter 127 Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. The yfulness in his eyes intensified. ¡°If you don¡¯t love me, will you have such a big reaction?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was speechless with anger. He was a tough man to handle, adept at pursuing women, and naturally in excellent physical shape, Any woman would not be able to take it, so¡­ However, this did not mean she would give in to him psychologically. This was not love. Joanna took a few deep breaths and cursed, ¡°You¡¯re sick! Don¡¯t touch me again!¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re my woman. Why can¡¯t I touch you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your woman!¡± ¡°If you weren¡¯t my woman, I wouldn¡¯t be so nice to you!¡± ¡°Bruce, can you stop fooling around?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly turned red again. ¡°You havepletely changed your attitude! Just a while ago, you were begging me with tears streaming down your face and snot running all over!¡± ¡°As soon as you¡¯re finished with me, you push me away! I¡¯m forgiving and don¡¯t want to argue with you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she gritted his teeth. ¡°This man has no shame in taking credit!¡± She thought. ¡°Alright! How do you want me to thank you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to owe you a favor either. You can make a request!¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re so stingy. I can only make one request?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright then¡­ My request is for you to be my woman forever!¡± Joanna tilted her head and rejected coldly, ¡°I can¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°In that case, why do you tell me that I can make a request?¡± Bruce smiled yfully. ¡°Bruce, my son is still lying on the hospital bed. I¡¯m not in the mood to joke around with you! If you want to make a a request, then do it! If not, please get out now!¡± ¡°This is a hospital. Can you be more serious?¡± ¡°How am I not serious? I¡¯m asking you to make a request.¡± Joanna was so angry that her heart ached. She rolled her eyes speechlessly. ¡°Then hurry up apd mention it! As long as it¡¯s not too much!¡± In any case, his request was nothing more than for her to apany him. He had already forced her many times, so it didn¡¯t matter if she did it again. Joanna decided to go all out. She would apany him for one night and repay his favor. Bruce guessed her thoughts and smiled teasingly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make one!¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Bruce paused on purpose. He moved his face close to her ear and gently teased her. 9 Chapter 127 ¡°Your skills aren¡¯t bad. I want you to perform well and make me happy¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna said with a straight face, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re disgusting!¡± ¡°A shameless man like him only has such dirty thoughts!¡± Joanna thought. She knew he would make such a dirty request. ¡°Forget it. This will be thest time!¡± She eximed inwardly. The mocking smile on Bruce¡¯s lips intensified. He deliberately said, ¡°I haven¡¯t even said what I wanted. How is it disgusting?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you just want to sleep with me? I can spend the night with you, but not today!¡± ¡°Hey, you make it sound like I want to sleep with you!¡± ¡°My request is to make me a bowl of noodles! What are you thinking? Or do you want me to sleep with you?¡± ¡°¡­Pfft!¡± Joanna¡¯s face instantly turned red. ¡°The noodles you made for mest time are not bad. I want you to make me another bowl!¡± Joanna¡¯s face was red as she looked at Bruce in surprise. ¡°Why? Is this request too much?¡± It was not too much, but Joanna could not believe it! He was a difficult man to deal with, yet he only made such a request. There must be other conditions. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Joanna asked in disbelief. Bruce shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± Joanna immediately choked. She stared at his eyes, trying to see through his scheme. Bruce had a smile in the corner of his eyes as he looked at her teasingly. Then, he raised his eyebrows slightly and winked at her. ¡°Are you looking at me like that because you think your man is especially charming?¡± PH! Joanna almost vomited blood, but she held it back in her chest. ¡°Bruce, can you stop being so narcissistic?¡± ¡°Also, you¡¯re not my man! Don¡¯t make such jokes in the future. I don¡¯t like it when you make such jokes!¡± ¡°Hey, here you go again! Why are you still pretending to be a fierce woman in front of me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re annoying. Can you not behave like this?¡± Bruce suddenly turned serious and stared at Joanna gloomily. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you onest time! You can only be my woman for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°If you let another man touch you, I¡¯ll make you and your three children pay a painful price!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡­¡± Joanna tried to retort. However, when the words reached her mouth, she swallowed them back resentfully. ¡°This man is stubborn and domineering! Who can resist what he wants to do?¡± Joanna thought. ¡°It¡¯s useless to speak to him now!¡± 10:44 Sat, 24 Chapter 127 ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sick!¡± Bruce hooked his arm around her neck again and lifted her chin. He forced her to look into his eyes. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± Joanna blew at him speechlessly. ¡°I¡¯m not deaf. How can I not hear you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you heard me. You can only let me touch your body!¡± ¡°So, can I ask you not to touch other women?¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow. ¡°No!¡± ¡°I can have other women, but you can only have me as a man!¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Joannaughed in anger. If it weren¡¯t for the difference in their strength, she would have killed him with one punch. ¡°Now let go, please!¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°The drip is finished. I¡¯ll call the nurse to change it.¡± When Bruce heard this, he let go of her resentfully. Joanna headed towards the ward, nning to go to the nurse¡¯s desk to call for the nurse. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a pager on the bed? Can¡¯t you press it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna go get some air, okay?¡± ¡°Fine, go ahead!¡± Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Joanna rolled her eyes and opened the ward door. Outside the ward, Roxanne stood in a daze. She must have stood there for a long time as her face was filled with despair and grief. Joanna was shocked. She blurted out, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Roxanne squeezed out a faint sneer, looking at Joanna coldly. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Then, go ahead!¡± Joanna said, avoiding Roxanne and heading towards the corridor. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice suddenly became shrill. Joanna turned around and her expression was extremely gloomy. She did not want to see anyone from the Haynes family at all. ¡°What do you want?¡± Suddenly, Roxanne smiled miserably like an injured little white rabbit. ¡°Why do you¡­ have to s***h my boyfriend?¡± Roxanne questioned as she gasped. The bridge of her nose trembled like a pitiful, dehydrated goldfish. ¡°Roxanne Haynes, I¡¯ll repeat it once more! From the start to the end, I never thought of s***ng Bruce from you!¡± ¡°But Bruce is my fianc¨¦ now. Do you really think it¡¯s appropriate for you to be involved with him like this?¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice fluctuated between high and. low, with a hint of breaking down. The patients and nurses who passed by all turned their heads to look at her. Bruce heard themotion and hurried out of the ward. ¡°Roxy, what are you doing here?¡± Roxanne blinked and tears rolled down her face. ¡°I¡¯m here to see how loving my fianc¨¦ and my sister are!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. He wanted to go forward and put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back first!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back!¡± Roxanne retreated. She looked at Bruce with tears streaming down her face as her neck swayed uncontrobly. Her pale and beautiful face was filled with hurt, grief, helplessness, and disbelief. She was the best at pretending to be weak and helpless. It was also because of this trick that Bruce could not bear to be cold to her. ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± ¡°Bruce, can¡¯t you leave my sister? Why must you be with her?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to stop fooling around!¡± Roxanne took another step back and sniffed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll back out! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t bother you again¡­¡± Bruce looked at Roxanne in frustration. Her eyes were filled with despair and destion, and there was even a hint of death. If he mentioned breaking up, she would definitelymit suicide again. ¡°Roxy, I¡¯ve told you before that I agree to marry you, but I can¡¯t be faithful! If you¡¯re still willing to marry me, I¡¯ll hold the wedding as scheduled!¡± 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 175 ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you can¡¯t ept it!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she finally turned hysterical ¡°But why did you have to choose my There are so many women in Greyport. Why did you have to choose her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt by you. I can¡¯t ept a third party in our rtionship! I¡¯llpletely disappear and fuffill your wish¡± As Roxanne spoke, she turned around and ran out frantically. ¡°Roxy!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°Hurry up and chase after her. Don¡¯t let her do anything stupid again!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not care less about Joanna and hurriedly chased after Roxanne. ¡°Roxy, stop right there!¡± Roxanne had only run a few steps when Bruce caught up to her. ¡°Bruce, I won¡¯t disturb the two of you anymore!¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Bruce held her hand tightly. Roxanne struggled with all her might. She cried until she was out of breath, ¡± Although she didn¡¯t say that she was about tomit suicide, her posture was already telling Bruce her intentions The people around them stopped in their tracks. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne? Why are they quarreling in a hospital?¡± ¡°I heard that Miss Roxanne caught Miss Haynes getting involved with Mr. Everett again!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is already divorced. Yet, she¡¯s still pestering her ex-husband!¡± ¡°Right? An ex-wife shouldn¡¯t continue to disrupt the other party¡¯s life! Miss Haynes is a terrible woman!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that. No woman can let go of such an outstanding man like Mr. Everett!¡± The people around them could not help but whisper and judge. Bruce frowned and ignored Roxanne¡¯s cries. He bent down and forcefully picked her up. Then, he stormed towards the underground parking garage. At the underground parking garage. ¡°Bruce, let go of me and let me die!¡± ¡°If I die, no one wif disturb you again, let alone stand between you!¡± Bruce did not reply. He hugged her and stuffed her into the front passenger seat of the car, ¡°Bruce, let me out. Don¡¯t worry about me. Boohoo¡­¡± Bruce took a deep breath. He looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°Stop making a fuss!¡± Roxanne cried, ¡°I¡¯m not making a fuss. I¡¯m serious about it. I¡¯m willing to make room for my sister and let her have you!¡± Bruce could not help but sneer when he heard that. TU 44 Chapter 128 N?velDrama.Org holds this content. She had already snatched Joanna¡¯s position. If she hadn¡¯t lied to him back then, he would never love her. Roxanne continued sobbing. ¡°I know you don¡¯t love me anymore. I can¡¯t ept the fact that you love my sister and you have a change of heart. I¡¯d rather die than suffer like this!¡± ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t make me feel so much pain again. I really can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± ¡°This feeling is worse than death¡­¡± Roxanne cried as she spoke. She constantly expressed her grievances and love for him. Bruce was not touched at all. Instead, the more he listened, the more disgusted he became. This woman was skilled at ensnaring men. She often weaved webs to trap thempletely. However, men were most afraid of being restrained The more she wanted to trap him, the more he wanted to escape. Bruce interrupted Roxanne¡¯s crying and asked coldly, ¡°Roxanne, what happened to the car?¡± Roxanne suddenly stopped crying upon hearing Bruce¡¯s question. ¡°¡­ Car? What car? Bruce, what are you talking about?¡± Bruce lit a cigarette impatiently and took a deep breath. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about. Who is that man?¡± BOOM! Suddenly Roxanne¡¯s eyes wandered and her face instantly heated up. She already had a guilty conscience. Now that Bruce asked this, she was even more flustered. ¡°Bruce, w-what¡­ are you talking about?¡± Bruce narrowed his hawkke eyes. ¡°Who hit my car?¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she stuttered, ¡°¡­ B-Bruce, hear me out!¡± ¡°That day, I drove your car home! I happened to meet a ssmate on the way, so I brought him along!¡± ¡°He¡­ has never seen such a great car before. He wanted to try driving it, so ¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Roxanne with a faint smile. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Bruce, you have to believe me! Nothing happened between me and that man. You¡¯re the only one I love!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t assume anything. Why are you so nervous?¡± Seeing how visibly nervous she was, with her hands trembling and her voice quivering, Bruce started to have serious doubts about her. He could not help but be suspicious of her. ¡°I¡¯ll call Andy now and call that man out!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she became even more flustered. She could not care less about being jealous of Joanna anymore. ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t need to do that! He¡¯s just an ordinary ssmate!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll call him out to confront him!¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart s***d a beat. She clenched her fists tightly and panicked. Her mother was right. She should have broken up with Gavin long ago. 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 128 Gavin was a disaster. ¡°In that case¡­ call him up and prove my innocence!¡± Bruce listened and stared at Roxanne. Roxanne tried her best to hold back her panic. She acted calmly as she looked back into Bruce¡¯s eyes. Bruce immediately called Andy. ¡°Andy, bring that man called Gavin to me immediately!¡± ¡°Right away, Mr. Everett!¡± Seeing that Bruce had made the call, Roxanne panicked even more. ¡°Bruce, do you not believe me? I couldn¡¯t believe that you would doubt me.¡± ¡°You can stop loving me, but you can¡¯t insult me like this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not insulting you. I want to know the truth!¡± At that moment, Bruce hoped that Roxanne was in a rtionship with Chapter 129 Chapter 129 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Online Free ¨C Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Seeing Bruce had found Gavin to confront him, Roxanne was frightened and uneasy. Bruce¡¯s face was covered with ayer of coldness. ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not nervous!¡± Although Roxanne denied it, her heart was about to jump out of her throat. Bruce examined Roxanne with a sinister expression. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t look at me like that. Do you¡­ not trust me?¡± Roxanne¡¯s body went numb from his stare. As she spoke, her tears fell again. She looked weak and helpless. Bruce did not say anything else. He just smoked silently and waited. While waiting, Roxanne became even more uneasy. She wanted to find an opportunity to call or send a message to Gavin to warn him not to spout nonsense. Unfortunately, Bruce was watching her. She had no chance at all. Half an hourter! Gavin was brought to an office. There was a huge double¨Csided mirror in the office. Bruce and Roxanne were behind the mirror. They could see Gavin¡¯s every move. However, Gavin could not see them. Seeing Gavin, Roxanne¡¯s face turned pale. Her fingertips dug into her flesh uneasily. Bruce crossed his legs and quietly observed Gavin¡¯s every move through the double¨Csided mirror. With his status, he couldn¡¯t show up personally.. He was the wealthiest man in Greyport. If word got out that his fianc¨¦e cheated on him with a poor kid, it would be too embarrassing- Therefore, he would leave it to his subordinates to ask. Even if they had an improper rtionship, they would not make it public. However, someone like Bruce would not be willing to suffer in silence. In the office. Gavin looked at the few bodyguards in suits and leather shoes with cold expressions. He was so frightened that his mouth went dry and his scalp tightened. ¡°May I ask why you brought me here?¡± There was a professional smile on Andy¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, Mr. Tate, don¡¯t be nervous. I invited you here to briefly understand the situation.¡± Gavin¡¯s gaze became even more uncertain as he stuttered, ¡°Understand the situation?¡± ¡°Have you seen this car before?¡± Andy turned on his phone and showed a photo of a Maybach to Gavin! When Gavin saw the car, he was so frightened that he panicked and broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Y¨CYes.. 10 44 Sat, Chapter 129 ¡°We checked through the dashcam and found that you were the one who drove the car and hit a tree!¡± ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Besides, the car has already been repaired¡­¡± Andy frowned slightly. ¡°Sir, the so¨Ccalled repairs caused damage to the car again!¡± ¡°The damage to the car is serious. It needs to be repaired at the original factory! The repair fee for this car is as high as 200 thousand dors. You have topensate ording to the price!¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t have that much money! What kind of car is this? Why is the repair fee so high?¡± Gavin waspletely anxious. He was already in debt. Now, he had topensate for the repair costs. He might as well jump off a building. Andy¡¯s expression changed as he changed the topic. ¡°So, we want to understand the situation back then!¡± ¡°Why are you driving the car? What¡¯s your rtionship with Ms. Haynes? Why would she let you drive such an expensive car?¡± When Gavin heard this, his wandering eyes instantly froze. Come to think of it, this was a more serious problem than crashing a car. Everyone in Greyport knew that Roxanne was Bruce¡¯s fianc¨¦e. If she cheated on Bruce with him, the consequences would be even more terrifying than death. Behind the mirror. Roxanne looked at Gavin nervously. She was so scared that she did not even dare to breathe.. Bruce could also see the nervousness and uneasiness in her eyes. There was definitely no innocence between her and this man. ¡°Mr. Tate, please answer my question!¡± Andy urged again. Gavin took a deep breath¡­ Roxanne and I are just ssmates!¡± He was not stupid enough to reveal his affair with Roxanne. After Gavin finished speaking, Roxanne clearly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°ssmates? If you¡¯re in a rtionship with Ms. Haynes, we can drop thepensation!¡± ¡°We¡¯re really just ssmates. Other than that, we have nothing to do with each other!¡± Gavin said insincerely. Even though he denied it repeatedly, his expression had already betrayed him. ¡°In that case, the responsibility is all on Ms. Haynes, right?¡± ¡°T¨CThis has nothing to do with her. I saw that the car was luxurious, so I wanted to give it a try!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this. I¡¯m sorry! ¡­¡± Gavin¡¯s mouth was dry, and he didn¡¯t dare to say anything to take responsibility. After all, he really could not afford to pay hundreds of thousands for repairs. Andy was about to continue asking when Bruce¡¯s voice came from the hidden earpiece. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let him go!¡± Bruce was such a shrewd person. How could he not see that their rtionship was abnormal? There was no need to ask further. Chapter 129 Andy received Bruce¡¯s instructions. He paused again and nodded at the mirror. ¡°Mr. Tate, we¡¯ve understood the situation. You can go back now!¡± Gavin was speechless. He never thought that he would be let off just like that. Then, Andy ordered the driver to send Gavin back. Seeing that Gavin did not say anything, Roxanne¡¯s heart that was in her throat finally rxed. ¡°Bruce, do you believe me now? I have nothing to do with him!¡± Bruce smiled faintly. ¡°I was just asking casually. Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡± Bruce knew that the evidence now was not enough to prove Roxanne¡¯s innocence. He feigned ignorance and intentionally let Gavin off the hook. Once he caught them in the act, he would have undeniable proof. When that happened, if he broke off the engagement, he would not have to worry about her seeking death. Even if shemitted suicide, it would have nothing to do with him. Seeing that Bruce¡¯s expression softened a little, Roxanne quickly moved to his side. Her soft body leaned into his embrace, and her voice was coy and coquettish. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to go home tonight. I want to be with you.¡± As she spoke, her small hand took the initiative to wander around his waist. Bruce choked. He raised his eyebrows slightly and scrutinized her with an ambiguous gaze as if he enjoyed her initiative. Seeing his reaction, Roxanne was even more encouraged. Her small hand unbuttoned his belt. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯ve been in love for so long. I want to bring our rtionship to the next level!¡± ¡°What my sister has, I have too. What my sister can do, I can do too! Why must you be so infatuated with her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s already given birth to a child. Could she be more charming than me?¡± Roxanne said. Her eyes were like hooks a She did not believe that her charm could notpare to Joanna¡¯s. Back then, Bruce was also very impulsive towards her. as she winked at Bruce. But, at that time, she was bent on maintaining her image as an innocent girl. She deliberately pretended to be reserved and did not let him touch her. She wanted to satisfy his appetite first. She rejected him three times ip a row and decided to give in on the fourth time. Unexpectedly, Bruce did not continue to pursue her after the third attempt and he never took the initiative again, No matter how much she hinted, he looked like he way no longer interested. Bruce did not resist Roxanne¡¯s initiative and looked interested. ¡°Roxy, you know it¡¯s hard for me to be impulsive.¡± ¡°If you want to be with me tonight, you must take the initiative to light my fire!¡± When Roxanne heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up. It was rare that Bruce didn¡¯t refuse her tonight, so she naturally had to perform well. 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 129 ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne took the initiative to kiss his lips. Then! She took off her coat and stepped onto the sofa. Bruce did not take the initiative, nor did he refuse. He allowed her to do the work. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Ten minutester! Roxanne used all her skills and worked hard! Her eyes were dreamy, and her body was delicate and soft! As she thought Bruce would not restrain himself after she worked so hard¡­ Bruce suddenly smiled and looked at her yfully. ¡°You did great!¡± Roxanne¡¯s cheeks burned as she looked at Bruce awkwardly. ¡°But I¡¯m not in the mood today. Let¡¯s do it another day!¡± Bruce said. He buttoned his shirt, pushed her away, and stood up. He was only testing her. Unexpectedly, she was so experienced. Even though she pretended to be inexperienced, she unintentionally revealed her ws. Women without that kind of experience would not understand men so well. Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130 When Roxanne heard this, her face tumed red to the neck. She finally knew Bruce was testing her and did not want to touch her. ¡­Bruce, do you dislike me?¡± Bruce nced at her and praised her teasingly, ¡°Your figure is not bad! Your skills are also great!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m exhausted today and can¡¯t lift my spirits!¡± ¡°Put on your clothes! Don¡¯t catch a cold!¡± Bruce threw Roxanne¡¯s clothes at her. Roxanne decided to go all out. She rushed and hugged him, trying to salvage the situation onest time. ¡°Bruce, let me apany you tonight!¡± ¡°I want to be your woman. I was too conservative in the past. I¡¯ve already thought it through. I want to be your woman!¡± Bruce smiled. He would never touch an extremely hypocritical woman like her. ¡°Hurry up and put on your clothes. I¡¯ll get Andy to send you back!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne bit her lips and looked at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home!¡± ¡°What do you want then?¡± ¡°I want you to apany me!¡± ¡°Stop fooling around. I¡¯m not in the mood today. Let¡¯s do it another day!¡± ¡°You always say that. But in fact, you don¡¯t love me anymore. I know it now!¡± ¡°You can say whatever you want.¡± Bruce picked up the car key and left without looking back. ¡°Andy, send Ms. Haynes back!¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Roxanne was furious. Unfortunately, Bruce had already left. Roxanne put on her clothes and chased after him. However, his car was no longer there. ¡°Ms. Haynes, let me send you back!¡± Andy maintained a professional smile. Roxanne stomped her foot angrily. ¡°No need. I can walk on my own!¡± At the hospital. It was already ten o¡¯clock at night. Joanna was still by Irvin¡¯s side, looking after him. She had also been running around the entire day and was extremely nervous. 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapte?130 Seeing that Irvin had recovered, she could not help but lie on the bed and fall asleep. She took a nap in a daze and felt someone putting a piece of clothing on her shoulder. Joanna was shocked and quickly opened her eyes. She turned around and saw Bruce. At this moment, he was holding a suit and putting it on her. Joanna suddenly sat up straight. ¡°Bruce, why are you back again?¡± Seeing how nervous she was, Bruce chuckled. ¡°You still owe me a bowl of noodles, so why can¡¯t I be back?¡± Joanna frowned in frustration. ¡°This is a hospital. I can¡¯t make noodles for you!¡± ¡°When are you going to make it for me?¡± ¡°When my son recovers, I¡¯ll make it for you when I have time!¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing else here. You can go back now!¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows and smiled. ¡°No, I want to apany you here!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°I don¡¯t need yourpany. It¡¯s already sote. Hurry up and go back to sleep!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make the noodles that I promised you!¡± ¡°You want to chase me away so badly? Don¡¯t you want to see me?¡± Bruce spoke and stepped forward, hooking his arm around her slender waist. He pulled Joanna tightly into his arms. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t I even touch you now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Let go of me quickly. This is a hospital. Don¡¯t do anything rash here!¡± Bruce smiled evilly and whispered into her ear, ¡°So I can do whatever I want after we leave the hospital?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Hurry up and let go. I¡¯m exhausted! I don¡¯t have the energy to deal with you!¡± When Bruce heard this, a trace of disappointment appeared in his heart. ¡°Joanna, are you tired of being with me?¡± ¡°Can you not behave like this? You¡¯re putting me under a lot of pressure!¡± ¡°Pressure? Be my woman and enjoy my love for you, and you won¡¯t feel any pressure!¡± When Joanna heard this, she grew angry and raised her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t need you! Please stay away from me, and don¡¯t say these things to me again!¡± ¡°I just want to keep a distance from you now. Can you stop disturbing my life¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s loud voice woke Irvin up. Irvin turned slightly and opened his eyes weakly. ¡°Mommy!¡± Seeing that his son had woken up, Joanna could not be bothered to argue with Bruce. She quickly went to Irvin. ¡°Irvin, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Yea..¡± Irvin blinked and looked at Joanna tiredly. 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 130 Joanna stroked her son¡¯s head and said gently, ¡°Baby, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?¡± Irvin shook his head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry!¡± He had already been injected with glucose and was not feeling hungry. ¡°Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just very sleepy. I want to sleep, and my head hurts!¡± ¡°Be good. You¡¯ve caught a cold. You¡¯ll be fine soon!¡± Irvin nodded obediently. ¡°Okay.¡± After answering, he blinked and looked sleepy again. ¡°Baby, eat something before you sleep, okay? You haven¡¯t eaten much all day. I¡¯m worried about you.¡± ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Joanna sniffled and kissed Irvin¡¯s forehead. ¡°Baby, what do you want to eat? Mommy will buy it for you.¡± ¡°I want to eat¡­ Mommy¡¯s handmade dumplings!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a little troubled! ¡°We¡¯re in a hospital. How do I make dumplings for him?¡± She thought. However, since her son wanted to eat them, she would find a way to make them for him. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call Grandma now and ask her to make some!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Then, Joanna covered Irvin with a nket and left the ward. She wanted to call Miranda and ask her to go to the 24¨Chour store to buy chicken breasts and dumpling wrappers. Hearing Joanna¡¯s tone when she spoke to Irvin, Bruce suddenly felt a little jealous. ¡°How can she be so gentle to another man?¡± He thought. Even though Irvin was her son, that wouldn¡¯t do! In her heart, she should prioritize him for everything. ¡°I want to eat dumplings too!¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes turned cold. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you wanted a bowl of noodles?¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°Dumplings sound tastier! I¡¯ve changed my mind. I want some dumplings too!¡± ¡°You¡¯re insanel¡± Joanna cursed in a low voice and called Miranda. ¡°Hello, Miranda.¡± ¡°Yes, Joann?¡± ¡°Go to the 24¨Chour store downstairs and buy chicken breasts and dumpling wrappers now!¡± ¡°Irvin wants to eat dumplings. I¡¯ll make themter!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°Also, get Kelly toe to the hospital and take care of Irvin for a while!¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tell her now!¡± 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 130 Joanna said into the phone, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for now!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± After the call Joanna was about to enter the ward again when Bruce followed behind her. ¡°Bruce, can you stop following me so sneakily?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m still waiting for the dumplings!¡± ¡°I¡¯m speechless. You¡¯re snatching food from a kid?¡± Bruce shrugged. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you make me a bowl of noodles instead? That¡¯ll work too.¡± Joanna grew angry. ¡°I have already told you. Can¡¯t you wait for another day?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re already cookingter, couldn¡¯t you prepare my noodles too?¡± ¡°After eating, I¡¯ll apany you to look after Irvin!¡± A sly smile appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. Joanna red. ¡°I don¡¯t need yourpany. Go back now! Don¡¯t bother me here!¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression immediately changed. He stretched out his arm and wrapped it around her waist. ¡°Are you being disobedient again?¡± ¡°You know that I like obedient women! If you continue to be disobedient, I¡¯ll punish you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was speechless. However, she was helpless now. ¡°Do whatever you want!¡± ¡°Give me a kiss then!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood. Can you go away?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. The smile on his face froze as he looked at her sinisterly. Joanna looked at his dark expression, and her heart subconsciously trembled. She hated Bruce. But the consequences of angering him were not easy to bear. Helpless, Joanna tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. Seeing that she had given in, a smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s face again. 20 minutester. Kelly arrived at the hospital. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Stay here and take care of Irvin. I¡¯ll go back and make him dumplings. I¡¯ll send them overter!¡± Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Chapter 131 ¡°Irvin can¡¯t be left alone. Look after him!¡± Kelly nodded solemnly. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of him!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave first!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna did not say anything else. She took her bag and left in a hurry. Bruce followed closely behind. Joanna arrived at the parking lot and reached for the car key in her pocket, only to realize that her car was still at the studio. Bruce was the one who sent her and Irvin to the hospital. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna frowned and resentfully put the car keys back into her bag. She was about to hail a taxi when a car stopped beside her. ¡°Get in!¡± Bruce rolled down the window and looked at her casually. Joanna was stunned. Even though she didn¡¯t want to get into his car, she knew he would go crazy again if she rejected him. Helpless, Joanna obediently got into the front passenger seat. In the car. Joanna did not say a word, Her expression was cold and indifferent. Bruce nced at her from time to time, his gaze subtly tracing the contours of her face, desperately searching for the right words. However, the silence lingered like an oppressive fog, wrapping around his thoughts and stealing his voice away. The entire journey was silent. 20 minutester. The car arrived at the residential area where Joanna lived. She got out of the car and walked home without looking back. ¡°Hey!¡± Bruce stretched out the car window and shouted. Joanna came to a halt, feplying, ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already here. Aren¡¯t you going to invite me up?¡± Joanna finally turned around and looked at Bruce speechlessly. ¡°Mr. Everett, my family is sleeping. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to go up!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Bruce questioned and got out of the car. ¡°At least invite me up for a ss of water!¡± 10:44 Sat, 24 Chapter 131 ¡°¡­Alright then!¡± Joanna walked in front while Bruce followed behind. Back home. Miranda opened the door. ¡°Joann is back! Miranda was the oldest, so she called Joanna by her nickname ¡°Miranda, have you bought the stuff?¡± ¡°Yes, I got them!¡± ¡°Oh, great!¡± ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± Davian was still awake. Seeing that Joanna had returned, he ran over with a worried expression. ¡°Mommy, how¡¯s little brother?¡± ¡°Little brother is fine. Davian, don¡¯t worry too much! It¡¯s already sote. Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡± Joanna put down her bag and gently stroked his little face. Davian looked worried. ¡°Mommy, can I go to the hospital with youter? I want to see little brother!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already veryte. You have to sleep early! You still have to go to kindergarten tomorrow!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Davian paused and realized that Bruce was standing at the door. ¡°Mommy, why is this big baddie at our house?¡± Joanna pursed her lips. ¡°Hmm¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it. Be good and go to sleep, okay?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Joanna had no time to waste. She said coldly to Bruce, ¡°Make yourself at home! I don¡¯t have the time to entertain you!¡± Bruce heard her and walked into the living room resentfully. Then, he sat down on the sofa. Tracy hurriedly poured a ss of water and ced a fruit tter on the coffee table. Soon. Joanna entered the room and went to prepare the dumplings. Miranda also rushed to help. Bruce crossed his long legs and sat elegantly on the sofa. Even though he didn¡¯t speak, he exuded an aura that made him seem cold and unapproachable. On the other end of the sofa, Davian was like a wolfdog, ready to pounce. He imitated Bruce and sat with his legs crossed. However, his legs were too short and could not be as natural as Bruce¡¯s. Davian¡¯s round face puffed up as he stared fiercely at Bruce. Three minutester. 10 44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 131 Bruce felt a little ufortable being stared at. This was the first time he was stared at by a child until his hair stood up. Bruce subconsciously adjusted his sitting posture and crossed his arms. He frowned slightly and also stared straight at Davian, Unexpectedly, Davian thought he was provoking Bruce. The former crossed his arms and imitated Bruce¡¯s posture. The two stared at each other like a lion facing a baby lion. Bruce was inexplicably amused. ¡°Little guy, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the little one!¡± ¡°I know your name. Your name is Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ You seem to be very hostile toward me.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he was a little surprised. He was curious to know what this child thought of him. Davian¡¯s expression was still like a fierce chicken. He confronted, ¡°Are you trying to bully Mommy again?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to bully Mommy again, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡± Davian said and shed his little fist. He looked like he was going to fight Bruce. ¡°Hmph.¡± Bruce smiled and didn¡¯t want to bother with this little guy anymore. Bruce¡¯s disdainful expression angered Davian, ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t think you can treat me lightly because I¡¯m young. I grow up very quickly.¡± When Bruce heard this, the smile on his face deepened. He looked at the little guy with interest and felt strange. This little fellow was filled with hostility towards him. However, he felt that he was inexplicably adorable. Even though he was threatened, he did not feel angry at all. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Do you hear me?¡± Bruce snorted and asked, ¡°Um, are you really Jaydon¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Davian arrogantly tilted his head to the side. ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t look like your father at all.¡± When Davian heard this, he was a little angry. ¡°Mr. Grimm is not my father! And I¡¯m not his son!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart sank when he heard that. He subconsciously put his leg down. ¡°Then where is your father?¡± ¡°Why must I tell you?¡± Bruce choked! This little guy had the same temper as Joanna and did not take him seriously. However, he called Jaydon Mr. Grimm. Did Joanna¡­ lie to him? These three children were his! She lied to him on purpose, saying that the children were Jaydon¡¯s! Although Jaydon was anxious when the kid got into trouble, he did not show too much grief. 10:44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 131 However, the paternity test and birth certificate of the children that Joanna showed Grandma were all real. Grandma was smart. It was impossible for her not to be able to tell. Bruce was lost in thought. Joanna exited the kitchen with a bowl of noodles in her hand. ¡°The noodles are ready. Hurry up and cat!¡± Joanna said, cing the noodles on the dining table. That¡¯s fast.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t waste my time!¡± It was just a bowl of noodles, which would take less than ten minutes. She just wanted to quickly send Bruce away so he would stop making things difficult for her. Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Bruce stood up and walked to the dining table. ¡°Mommy, I want to eat too!¡± When Joanna heard Davian, she realized he had not returned to his room. ¡°Davian, why haven¡¯t you gone to bed yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry too. Mommy, I want some noodles too.¡± ¡°Be good. It¡¯ste now. Hurry up and sleep early. It will be hard for your stomach to digest if you eat too much at night!¡± When Davian heard her, he pointed at Bruce unhappily. ¡°Then why can he eat it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an adult¡­¡± Davian pouted and retorted, ¡°Mommy, but I¡¯m hungry and can¡¯t sleep!¡± When Joanna heard this, she took a deep breath helplessly. ¡°Fine¡­ Mommy will cook another bowl for you!¡± The more hectic it was, the more chaotic it became. Irvin was craving dumplings. Bruce wanted a bowl of noodles. Now, Davian was hungry for some noodles too. ¡°No, I want to eat from his bow!!¡± Davian pointed at the noodles on the table. He was deliberately trying to snatch away the big baddie¡¯s noodles. Joanna frowned. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to finish such a big bowl!¡± ¡°I can eat it all!¡± Joanna looked at Davian belplessly before turning to Bruce. ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll go in and make a bowl for you!¡± ¡°Fine! It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Bruce replied resentfully. Anyway, he couldn¡¯t possibly snatch food from a child. ¡°Then this bowl is for you. Eat it and go to bed early!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Davian climbed onto the dining table and sat upright. He looked at Bruce smugly and began to eat his noodles. Bruce sat at the other end of the dining table. He was not angry. Instead, he felt that this little guy¡¯s actions were simr to when he was young. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me where your father is.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Davian pouted. ¡°My father is the most powerful person in the world. He¡¯s 100 times more powerful than you! And he¡¯s richer than you!¡± ¡°Then where is he?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and smiled with interest. ¡°How can I tell you? What if you steal my father away?¡± ¡°Steal your father?¡± Bruce was speechless. He was not so cheap as to fight to be someone¡¯s son. 10 44 Sai, Chapter 132 ¡°In short, my father is amazing! If you dare to bully me again, my father will settle scores with you!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Bruce chuckled. ¡°Alnght, I¡¯ll be here waiting for your father!¡± ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m your father!¡± Upon hearing this, Davian¡¯s face darkened in anger, ¡°No, I¡¯m your father!¡± Bruce was so angry that he choked. He scolded. ¡°You have a nasty mouth! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re young, I would have pped you to death!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t run. I¡¯ll p you to death when I grow up!¡± The two started scolding each other in the dining room. Joanna listened from the kitchen and frowned. They were indeed father and son. Their scolding tone sounded the same too. In the end, Joanna could not stand it anymore. She walked out with a dark expression. ¡°Davian, who taught you to be so rude? Who said you could scold others like this?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± After being reprimanded, Davian lowered his head. Bruce was absolutely livid. His face had transformed into an intense shade of anger. A child scolded him with an air of authority, his words piercing through Bruce¡¯s pride. Most importantly, Bruce lost! ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m impressed. You can even argue with a child!¡± ¡°I¡­ Bruce¡¯s eyes widened. His anger was so overwhelming that it rendered him speechless. ¡°The noodles are ready!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating anymore. I¡¯m full of anger!¡± ¡°Forget it then!¡± Joanna¡¯s patience had worn thin, her desire to coax him dissipating like a wisp of smoke. She quickly ced the cooked dumplings in a container. After exchanging a few more words with Miranda, she took her bag and prepared to leave. Seeing this, Bruce was even more furious. Joanna had no intention of coaxing him at all. Bruce let it go because fie realized she was angry with him. He knew it was better not to argue with her. Bruce drove angrily and sent Joanna to the hospital again. On the way, When they passed the traffic light, there was a bar by the roadside. A few fashionable young men surrounded a girl in a short skirt at the entrance. Bruce took a nce. Judging from her figure, she looked simr to Roxanne. ¡°Who¡¯s that woman? Is she Roxy?¡± Joanna took a casual look. ¡°Why would shee to such a ce? Hasn¡¯t she always been a good girl?¡± 10 44 Sal Chapter 137 Bruce took a closer look. ¡°She looks like Roxy. Why is she at the bar? And with a group of indecent people? Moreover, she seemed drunk and leaning on another girl¡¯s shoulder ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll get out to take a look!¡± Bruce was a little worried Ater all, he had teased Roxanne tonight. If she was in a bad mood, it wa ely for her to go for a drink Although he no longer loved Roxanne, he didn¡¯t want anything to happen to her. Seeing this. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She went to open the car door and said, ¡°Bruce, go and apany your girlfriend. I¡¯ll take a taxi to the hospital!¡± ¡°Joannal¡± Seeing that she was about to get out of the car, Bruce pressed the lock button. ¡°I only said I wanted to get out of the car to take a look. I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m leaving you behind?¡± After saying that, the red light happened to turn green. Bruce stepped on the elerator and drove away Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Chapter 133 They arrived at the hospital. Joanna rushed into the ward. Bruce was still a little worried, so he called Roxanne. Beep, beep, beep! Unfortunately, no one picked up the phone! If it were in the past, Roxanne would never ignore his call. Then, Bruce called Andy. The call was quickly picked up. ¡°Hey, Andy!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what are your instructions?¡± ¡°Did you take Roxy home?¡± On the other end of the line, Andy stammered. ¡°Ms. Haynes didn¡¯t want me to send her back and insisted on going back alone!¡± Bruce became certain that the drunk girl earlier was Roxanne. She was just a child. If she got so drunk, she would be taken advantage of ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m hanging up!¡± After hanging up, Bruce¡¯s uneasiness grew. He drove straight to the bar to send her home. No matter what, he could, got let anything happen to her. On the other side. The drunk Roxanne called Gavin to pick her up at the bar. When Bruce arrived at the bar, Roxanne had already gone home with Gavin. Bruce searched the bar for a long time but did not find her. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Gavin brought Roxanne back to his home. His eyes were filled with heartache, and he could not wait to hug her. ¡°Roxy, why are you so drunk?¡± Roxanne stank of alcohol and said dejectedly, ¡°I wanted to drink, so I drank!¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t drink so much!¡± Roxanne smiled foolishly and hooked her arms around Gavin¡¯s neck. ¡°Gavin, tell me. Am I annoying?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t he love me?¡± Gavin was stunned. He quickly knew who she was referring to. ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re drunk!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not drunk! Gavin, if only Bruce loved me as much as you do!¡± 10 44 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 133 When Gavin heard this, he felt even more sorrowful. Even though the two had been dating for four years, he still could not appear as her boyfriend She knew deep down that her true love was for another man. Being with Gavin was only driven by physical desire and nothing more. ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re drunk and spouting nonsense!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not drunk! Why doesn¡¯t he love me¡­¡± Gavin looked at Roxanne angrily. ¡°He doesn¡¯t love you, but I do! Marry me!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she smiled coldly. ¡°Marry you? Haha, can you afford to support me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have a decent house or job! And you have to work so hard to buy me one handbag! Do you think you can marry me?¡± Gavin felt like his heart had been pricked by a needle. ¡°Roxy, you¡¯ve been despising me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, how are you worthy of my respect?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a man who lives off a woman!¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re handsome, I wouldn¡¯t have been with you for so long.¡± Gavin was furious. He picked up Roxanne and threw her onto the bed again. Then, he ripped her clothes¡­. Roxanne couldn¡¯t take the pain anymore. ¡°Be gentle¡­¡± Last time, he could not bear to be so rough with her and always tried his best to please her. But today, she was drunk and told the truth from the bottom of her heart. After all, Gavin was a man, and his self¨Cesteem was ruthlessly crushed. Soon. Roxanne was entirely conquered. Her entire body was as limp as a pile of mud. Gavin was still furious. He went out to the courtyard to smoke. He had just lit a cigarette when someone pped him on the shoulder. ¡°Yo, kid, on a date with your girlfriend again?¡± Gavin turned around and saw Bosh, Kurt, and their threeckeys. ¡°Bosh, Kurt.¡± Gavin was so scared that his body tensed up, and the cigarette in his mouth fell. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would pay us back in three days? Where is the money?¡± Gavin stammered, ¡°Bosh, give me a few more days. I¡¯ll pay the money back to you!¡± Bam! Bam! The hooligan pped him twice, and Gavin¡¯s head buzzed! ¡°This guy is quite generous when picking up girls. But when ites to paying us the money, he¡¯s a fucking coward!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since you owed us money, and you¡¯re still not paying back the interest!¡± ¡°Bosh, Kurt¡­ I¡¯m short of money. Please¡­ give me a few more days.¡± Chapter 133 ¡°Since you can¡¯t pay us back, let us y with your girlfriend. I¡¯ll take it as interest.¡± Gavin was shocked. ¡°No, don¡¯t do anything rash. She¡¯s not my girlfriend!¡± ¡°Not your girlfriend?¡± ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve been watching you. We know she¡¯s drunk!¡± ¡°Either you pay up, or we are having fun with her!¡± ¡°Bosh! Kurt!¡± Soon, the threeckeys beat up Gavin. While he was being beaten up, a dark thought suddenly appeared. ¡°If they were to ruin Roxanne¡­¡± ¡°Her reputation would be tarnished, and the Everett family would not want her anymore.¡± ¡°I would then have a chance to marry her!¡± With this thought in mind, Gavin stopped resisting and let them tie him up. Then, the five of them entered the house together. Roxanne was not sober yet. Moreover, Gavin had given her a rough time earlier. Now, she was lying on the bed and sleeping soundly. ¡°What an amazing body!¡± The men eximed and drooled. ¡°Kurt, you go first¡­¡± Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Roxanne thought it was Gavin She pushed the men away in a daze ¡°No. I¡¯m sleepy ¡°The chick is waking upth Kurt pestured and whispered, ¡°Get me an eye maski Then, he unbuttoned his pants andy on top of her Roxanne was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt a weight on her body. She muttered impatiently, ¡°Argh, I already said no. Stop touching me. It hurts!¡± When Kurt heard her, he became even more excited. The other four men also grew excited and could not help but touch her. It was unusual to see such a stunning woman in the slums. However, to the local tyrants, this was a comition urrence None of the girls dared to call the police, let alone resist. Therefore, these people were getting more and more arrogant. However, they did not know Roxanne¡¯s identity. They only thought that she was a hostess from the city. After all, she came to the slums to sleep with a poor guy like Gavin. Who would have thought that she was a wealthy youngdy? In a daze, Roxanne felt that something was wrong. It did not feel like Gavin, and there was more than one person around her. Shocked, she sobered up and quickly opened her eyes. She realized that the man who touched her was an unfamiliar man who was fat, strong, and had a despicable expression. He also had a scar on his face and a beer belly as big as a pregnant woman¡¯s. There were also a few men who looked like hooligans around him. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± ¡°Who are you? What are you doing?¡± Kurt was in high spirits and panted heavily. ¡°Girl, your boyfriend owes us money. Now he¡¯s agreed to let us have fun with you!¡± Roxanne was bewildered. She tried her hardest to push the man in front of her away. ¡°What are you talking about? Let me go!¡± Unfortunately, her limbs were held down by the hooligans. One of them covered her eyes with the eye mask. ¡°Not¡± ¡°Help! Gavin He Roxanne struggled with all her might. Unfortunately, it was toote. How could she escape? ¡°Help! Gavin Anyone-¡± Gavin listened to Roxanne¡¯s screams and closed his eyes in pain He wanted to break free from the rope and rush in to save her. However, even if he rushed in to save her, he could not defeat them alone 10:45 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 134 He did not dare to call for help or call the police. After Kurt and the others were released from prison, they would seek revenge and kill his family. Soon. Kurt was done. He pulled up his pants and prepared to leave. ¡°You guys, go ahead and have fun! But go easy on her!¡± Kurt left the house, and another hooligan eagerly pounced on her¡­ The torturested for two hours. Roxanne was like a helpless doll. At first, she fiercely resisted but eventually sumbed to a helpless numbness. Tears had soaked through her eye mask, and her throat was so sore that she couldn¡¯t utter a sound. Gavin was also in despair. He closed his eyes in pain and silently prayed for everything to end quickly. As long as Roxanne could marry him, he did not mind that she had been insulted. Even though his heart ached, he knew this might be an opportunity. However, it was just too cruel. Perhaps this was the only way for him after Roxanne was ruined. Otherwise, with his background, Roxanne would never marry him. In the blink of an eye, it was already three in the morning. Bruce still had a sinking feeling. He felt like something had happened. Eventually, Bruce called Andy. ¡°Hey, Andy!¡± Andy¡¯s sleepy voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, what are your instructions?¡± ¡°Check the GPS on Roxy¡¯s phone, and see where she is now.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Andy replied and quickly got up to investigate. Five minutester. Roxanne¡¯s location had been found. Andy sent her phone¡¯s location to Bruce. Bruce looked at the address and was even more puzzled. The address indicated that the ce was a slum. It was the dirtiest and messiest ce in Greyport. ¡°It¡¯s sote now. Why is Roxy there?¡± Bruce thought, and his heart sank. He quickly brought his men to the address on his phone. Half an hourter. Bruce appeared at Gavin¡¯s house with his men. However, Roxanne was already tarnished. 10:45 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 134 ¡°Roxy¡­¡± Roxanne was naked and lying on the bed with a nk expression. At the side, the four hooligans were also shocked when they saw the men d in ck. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here? This is Kurt¡¯s territory¡­¡± A hooligan shouted. Then, Bruce¡¯s bodyguards pounced on the four hooligans, subduing them on the ground one after another. Bruce felt his scalp go numb. He sucked in a breath of cold air, almost unable to believe what he saw. The thing he was most worried about had still happened. Moreover, it was countless times crueler than he had imagined Soon, the hooligans were dragged out of the house. ¡°Roxy¡­¡± After Bruce reacted, he quickly took off his clothes and covered her. ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Bruce choked and hugged Roxanne tightly with heartache and guilt. Roxanne looked at Bruce with empty eyes like a broken doll. Then, her head tilted, and she fainted. Andy was also stunned by the scene in front of him. He stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s fianc¨¦e had been¡­¡± . Andy thought. This news would shock the entire Greyport. ¡°Mr. Everett, do you want to call the police?¡± When Bruce heard him, the veins on his temples popped out. He said sinisterly, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Deal with them!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Andy¡¯s face darkened as he turned around to instruct his men. Only then did the hooligans realize they had provoked someone they shouldn¡¯t have. They were frightened. They never expected that the woman they slept with was Bruce¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Bruce would make them die a horrible death. Andy ordered the bodyguards to bring the hooligans away. As for how to solve it, the news would be released the next day. Bruce carried Roxanne and rushed her to the hospital. At this moment. He held himself responsible, experienced a sense of guilt, and had remorse over it. Even if he didn¡¯t love Roxanne anymore, he didn¡¯t want such a tragedy to happen to her. She was so weak and innocent. How could she withstand such a blow? Besides, he could have avoided this tragedy. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, he had already seen her drunk at the bar¡¯s entrance. Unfortunately, when he heard Joanna say it couldn¡¯t be her, he didn¡¯t care anymore. He was sending Joanna to the hospital, so he didn¡¯t exit the car. If he had gotten out of the car to take a look, such a tragedy would not have happened to Roxanne. 10:45 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 134 20 minutester. Roxanne was sent to a private hospital. Her body suffered grave injuries, with soft tissue damage all over. She was bleeding heavily and severely dehydrated. Soon. After Ingrid and Shaun Haynes received the news, they rushed over early in the morning. Tap, tap, tap! Ingrid¡¯s high heels almost crushed the floor! Shaun followed closely behind her, panting! ¡°Roxy! Roxy, what happened to you?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know how to reply. He sat on the chair outside the ward with his head lowered. His face was filled with regret and guilt. Seeing this, Ingrid grew anxious. ¡°What happened to Roxy?¡± Andy frowned slightly. ¡°Ms. Haynes¡­ was bullied by bad guys!¡± BOOM! When Ingrid heard him, it felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. She lost strength in her legs, and her bnce gave way, causing her to squat on the floor, ¡°Bullied by bad guys?¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t ept this. She turned to Bruce and shook his thigh crazily. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Roxy with you? How could she be bullied?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce choked regretfully and closed his eyes in heartache. ¡°Heavens! My Roxy! How could the heavens bear to let you suffer such a tragedy!¡± Ingrid pounded her chest and burst into tears. It was all over now. Roxanne was ruined. Her marriage with Bruce was going to bepletely crushed. When Shaun heard the news, he had a heart attack. Andy quickly supported him. ¡°Doctor! Come quickly!¡± Soon, Shaun was sent to the emergency room for urgent treatment. Seeing this, Bruce felt even more guilty. He hated himself to death. If he hadn¡¯t humiliated Roxanne, she probably wouldn¡¯t have been so sad that she ran out to drink. This tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened if she hadn¡¯t gone out drinking. To make matters worse, he had missed the opportunity to save her due to his carelessness. ¡°Roxy! Hubby!¡± Ingrid pounded her chest and cried, unsure whether to worry about her husband or daughter. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Chapter 135 ¡°Mr. Everett, answer me. Didn¡¯t Roxy look for you yesterday?¡± ¡°I called her and asked. She said that she¡¯s with you, so I¡¯m relieved. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make her go home early!¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Ingrid cried until she was out of breath. She had carefully raised her daughter for so many years. She wanted her to marry into a wealthy family in the future. Now, all her hard work had been ruined. Bruce lowered his head in frustration and did not say a word. Andy quicklyforted Ingrid and handed her a few tissues. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, don¡¯t be too sad!¡± Ingrid took the tissues and wiped her snot. She cried her heart out. ¡°How could I not be sad when something like this happened to our ¡°Fate is too cruel. Why is fate so cruel to Roxy? What sins have our familymitted to deserve this? Unlucky things happen one after another!¡± ¡°This is a hospital. Please keep your voice down. There are still patients undergoing surgery!¡± The head nurse came over and said. When Ingrid heard her, she went from wailing to crying in a low voice. 40 minutester.. The door of the ward opened. The doctors and nurses walked out one after another. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± The doctor spoke seriously. ¡°The patient¡¯s external injuries are quite severe. It may be difficult for her to conceive in the future. Theceration has been sutured, and she has to stay in bed for the next few days.¡± ¡°Also, you need to pay more attention to the patient¡¯s mental health. It¡¯s best to find a psychiatrist to guide her¡­¡± The doctor continued to exin Roxanne¡¯s situation. Bruce could not bear to listen anymore. His heart was throbbing in pain. ¡®How did that happen?¡± How could such a tragedy happen right under his nose? In the ward. Roxanne was still unconscious and had an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. The bruises on her neck could be seen clearly. Bruce could not believe what kind of torture those hooligans had done to herst night. Bruce had been ming himself for the incident. He didn¡¯t know that before this, she had slept with Gavin. He also wasn¡¯t aware that she was the one who took the initiative to look for Gavin, so it led to a disaster. Ingrid caressed her daughter¡¯s face, her heart aching. Tears streamed down her face. 10 45 Sat, 24 Jun S Chapter 135 ¡°Roxy, my dear daughter. How are you?¡± Roxanney quietly on the hospital bed without any response Bruce looked at Roxanne in turmoil. At noon. Roxanne finally woke up. However, although she had woken up, she seemed to have lost her soul. She was in a daze, and her eyes were soulless. No matter what Ingrid asked or said, she did not react. ¡°Roxy, say something to Mommy! You are my only daughter. Don¡¯t take things too hard!¡± ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t worry too much!¡± Bruce did not know how tofort her either. ¡°The patient is still weak, and her mental state is not good. It¡¯s best to let the patient rest more!¡± The doctor instructed again. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Bruce and Ingrid left the ward. Ingrid, who was crying, suddenly thought of something. She grabbed Bruce¡¯s tie and said, ¡°You are responsible for my daughter now that this has happened to her!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because you didn¡¯t protect her well that she ended up like this!¡± Bruce sighed deeply. Because he med himself too much, he did not deny it and allowed Ingrid to make a scene. At this moment, Roxanne was probably the most vulnerable and neededfort the most. Therefore, he decided to make up for his mistake. He decided to give her a wedding and marry her as soon as possible. Soon. Joanna also learned that Roxanne and Shaun were hospitalized. She rushed out of Irvin¡¯s ward to visit them. She arrived at the door of the ward on the second floor. She happened to see Bruce sitting there dejectedly. ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna subconsciously called out to him. Bruce¡¯s expression was ice¨Ccold. There was no response at all. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at Joanna with a hint of anger. ¡°Last night, Roxy was bullied by some bad guys!¡± Joanna was stunned. Bruce suddenly became a little agitated and criticized her. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± ¡°Me? Roxanne got bullied by some bad guys, and it became my fault?¡± Chapter 135 ¡°Last night, I saw Roxy at the entrance of the bar, I saw her drunk!TM ¡°You were the one who said it couldn¡¯t be her! You were the one who rushed to the hospital to deler food to your son!¡± ¡°This tragedy could have been avoided. I could have saved her! I me myself. I regret it! I shouldn¡¯t have gone to youst night!¡± When Joanna heard this, she choked in anger. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m also heartbroken that something like this happened!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said I don¡¯t need you to send me to the hospital. But you insisted!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. After pondering for a few seconds, he said hatefully, ¡°I hate myself to death. If I hadn¡¯t heard you say she was an obedient girl and she wouldn¡¯t have been at the bar, I wouldn¡¯t have left.¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t thrown a tantrum and given me a hard time, I would have gotten out of the car to see her! This kind of tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡± Joanna was even more speechless after hearing this. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re a weird man!¡± ¡°She¡¯s your sister. Don¡¯t you feel any heartache or regret for what happened to her?¡± ¡°What do I regret? I didn¡¯t cause this!¡± ¡°Joanna, I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a heartless woman!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore. You can say whatever you want!¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m here to see my father. It has nothing to do with you!¡± As she spoke, Joanna walked towards Shaun¡¯s ward! Ingrid heard their conversation and immediately rushed out of the Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Leaving Shaun¡¯s hospital room, Joanna¡¯s tears flowed uncontrobly. Joanna hadn¡¯t wanted this to happen to Roxanne either, but she couldn¡¯t understand why she was being med Forget it. Joanna was disappointed and tired. Joanna would let those people think whatever they wanted! Anyway, she had a clear conscience and would not apologize to anyone. Joanna returned to Irvin¡¯s hospital room, regained herposure, and began to organize their things. Joanna really did not want to see this group of people again. She would feel crushed just being in close proximity to them. Joanna was going to transfer Irvin to another hospital, Irvin was still running a high fever, and his face was red. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Baby, you¡¯re awake? Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Joanna came to the head of the bed and gently touched her son¡¯s forehead. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m much better now!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a little choked up. Joanna helped Irvin change into his clothes. ¡°Be good, Irvin. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re leaving!¡± ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t the doctor tell me to stay for two more days? I still feel a little unwell. I don¡¯t want to go to school!¡± Irvin pouted, whining. Joanna squeezed out a smile. She knew that her son did not want to go to school. ¡°I know that you¡¯re not feeling well. You don¡¯t have to go to school for another week. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to another hospital.¡± The Everett family owned this hospital, and Joanna did not want to stay any longer. Irvin¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. Since he did not have to go to school, Irvin felt it would be better to go home. At least he could spend more time with Lilia. ¡°Mommy, can I go home and rest?¡± ¡°No, the doctor said that your lungs are wet and you must be treated in the hospital. I will take you to a children¡¯s hospital.¡± ¡°Mommy, I think I¡¯ve recovered. It¡¯s better to go home and recuperate. I can even apany Lilia!¡± ¡°No.¡± Joanna refused decisively When Joanna finished packing up, Kelly had alsopleted the discharge procedures for Irvin. Joanna carried Irvin as Kelly took their things, and they prepared to leave the hospital. Joanna was carrying her son and had just reached the lobby when she bumped into Ingrid. ¡°You damn bitch. You¡¯ve caused Roxy to suffer so much. I¡¯m going to make sure you suffer too!¡± Ingrid screamed angrily and charged at Joanna like a mad woman. Still carrying Irvin, Joanna was not quick enough to avoid her Ingrid bumped into Joanna roughly. Joanna shouted and fell toward the staircase with Irvin still in her arms. The mother and son were about to fall. Chapter 136 A pair of strong hands suddenly reached out from behind and supported Joanna and her son. Joanna was so scared that her heart was pounding Joanna couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened if she had really fallen down the stairs. Joanna turned around and saw that it was Jaydon who had caught her. ¡°Jay, why are you here¡­ With a gloomy look, Jaydon sighed, ¡°I¡¯m here to see you and Irvin.¡± ¡°Let me carry Irvin,¡± Jaydon said, quickly taking Irvin from Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Mr. Grimm, you came at the right time! ¡°Your girlfriend is cheating on you and even seducing someone else¡¯s boyfriend. Keep her in check!¡± Ingrid stood with her hands on her hips, a scathing and arrogant look on her face.. Jaydon red at Ingrid. ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± ¡°After doing something shameless, are you still afraid of others talking about it? ¡°Joanna Haynes, you slut. Your father said that he will hold a press conference next week. He will expel you from the Haynes family and sever his rtionship with you!¡± ¡°You bitch, don¡¯t say you¡¯re from the Haynes family ever again! The Haynes family doesn¡¯t have a shameless bitch like you! ¡°Don¡¯t call yourself a Haynes anymore. You¡¯re not worthy¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened, and she turned around, retorting, ¡°Myst name is Haynes, after my grandfather! Please tell Mr. Haynes I don¡¯t have a father like him either! ¡°Also, I will make apulsory acquisition of the Haynes Group shares that Mr. Haynes holds! The Haynes Group and I have nothing to do with the Haynes family anymore!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she was even more furious. Ingrid thought Joanna would feel humiliated after being expelled from the Haynes family. Ingrid had expected Joanna to lower her voice to protect her reputation. Unexpectedly, Joanna did not yearn to stay with the Haynes family and even wanted to kick Shaun out of the Haynes Group. ¡°You¡­ you unfilial daughter with wild ambitions! How did your father have a shameless daughter like you¡­.¡± Joanna turned around with a hint of rage in her eyes. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, since Mr. Haynes has severed ties with me, he is no longer my father! It¡¯s not your ce to criticize mel ¡°If you continue to insult me, I will protect my reputation through legal means! ¡°I will also pass the evidence of your son deliberately hurting my son to the police!¡± After saying that, Joanna stood upright and red at Ingrid coldly and furiously. Seeing this, Ingrid¡¯s aura immediately weakened. Ingrid was most afraid that her son would go to jail. Now that Shaun wanted to sever his rtionship with Joanna, she would naturally not show mercy to Derick and might send Derick to jail. ¡°You bitch, you have guts. We¡¯ll see who has thestugh!¡± Ingrid did not dare to stay any longer, quickly turning around and walking toward the wards. After Ingrid left, Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She felt a little dizzy and could not stand steadily. Chapter 136 ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon quickly reached out and put an arm around Joanna Joanna leaned weakly in his arms. Joanna was about to have a rpse again. She had already taken her medicine in the morning now that she was agitated, she couldn¡¯t control her depression. ¡°Jay, please take me home. I don¡¯t want to stay here¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Jaydon carried Irvin on one arm, hugged Joanna with his other arm, and hurried toward the hospital entrance. Joanna could no longer control her emotions. She bit her tongue hard and tried her best to stay alert. Joanna¡¯s illness was getting worse. She now had to take her medication every day, and her dosage was increasing too. On the second floor, Bruce watched this scene gloomily. Bruce watched as Joanna was snuggled tightly in Jaydon¡¯s arms, looking like she was deeply attached to him. Bruce felt a surge of jealousy to his bones. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. In the end, Joanna still ignored what he had said. Or perhaps, Bruce was overthinking things. Maybe Joanna had stopped loving him a long time ago. Maybe, Bruce was the only one thinking that Joanna still loved him. ¡°Joanna Haynes¡­¡± Bruce said her name in a low voice and closed his eyes tightly. Jaydon and Joanna had just stepped out of the hospital when Joanna rushed to the flower bed by the side and vomited. In the past, when she felt sick, Joanna would always lock herself in the bathroom. Jaydon hurriedly handed Irvin to Kelly and ran over to take a look. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna Haynes lost control of his emotions, letting out a heart¨Cwrenching sob and throwing herself into Jaydon¡¯s arms. Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Chapter 137 ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. Everything will pass.¡± Jaydon hugged Joanna tightly and patted her hair tofort her. Joanna sobbed, letting out heart¨Cwrenching cries. This was the first time Joanna had been so hysterical in front of Jaydon. She hadpletely lost control of her emotions. Jaydon¡¯s heart ached even more, and his eyes had also turned red. ¡°Cry if you want to. You¡¯ll feel better if you cry.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Irvin was also scared out of his wits and looked on helplessly. ¡°Kelly, take Irvin home. Don¡¯t scare him. I¡¯ll stay here with Joann.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Grimm!¡± Irvin also started crying. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t be sad.¡± Jaydon quicklyforted Irvin. ¡°Irvin, be good. Go back with Miss Kelly first. I¡¯ll stay with Mommy, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Irvin nodded obediently. Kelly then carried Irvin and took a taxi back. Jaydon continued hugging Joanna. Some passersby also stopped to watch themotion. ¡°It¡¯s alright. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m miserable. I can¡¯t take it anymore! Why¡­ why was I born into such a family?¡± Joanna sobbed. Jaydon frowned. ¡°I know. I know everything! I¡¯ve told you many times that you don¡¯t have to put up with it if you can¡¯t. ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± When Joanna heard this, she hugged Jaydon¡¯s waist tightly and buried herself in his arms, crying even harder. At this moment, Joanna just needed someone tofort her and a shoulder to lean on. Joanna knew that Jaydon had never been hers and that she should not have selfishly asked him to be exclusive. But now, Joanna couldn¡¯t care less. She just wanted to have someone she could rely on. In Shaun¡¯s ward, Ingrid was still cursing, ¡°Honey, your daughter said that she wants to make a compulsory acquisition of the Haynes Group shares you own! ¡°Look, it¡¯s our family¡¯s misfortune to have such a daughter!¡± Shaun was so angry that his chest ached, and he breathed heavily, saying, ¡°Enough. We¡¯ll hold a press conference next week. I¡¯llpletely cut ties with her this time! ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t want to acknowledge me as her father, I don¡¯t want to acknowledge her as my daughter anymore!¡± Ingrid gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You should have severed your rtionship with her long ago¡­¡± Before ingrid could finish her sentence, a shrill cry came from the ward next door. It sounded like Roxanne. ¡°It¡¯s Roxy. Oh my god, let¡¯s go and take a look!¡± Ingrid panicked and rushed out of the ward to Roxanne¡¯s ward. 10:45 Sat, 24 Jun Chapter 137 Shaun also hurriedly pulled out the V drip in his arm and ran over barefooted. From N?velDrama.Org. They pushed open the door and saw Roxanne howling like she was possessed, shouting agitale ¡°Rory, what¡¯s happening?¡± Seeing that someone was there, Roxanne ran to the staircase window like she was crazy and looked like she wanted to jump out. Ingrid and Shaun were scared out of their wits. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t jump. If you jump, what will I do? Ingrid cried. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡± Roxanne screamed hysterically, subconsciously looking down at the height of the building. This was the third floor. If Roxanne jumped, even if she didn¡¯t die, she would probably be crippled. Roxanne thought she should stall for time and wait for the people downstairs to finish setting up the intable pads before jumping Roxanne had been taken advantage of by a few hooligans. Although she felt hurt and tormented, she had long been used to messing around with Gavin. The only difference between being touched by one or five men was the numbers. Although Roxanne felt tormented, it was not to the point where she wanted to die. Roxanne was merely taking a gamble. Roxanne was betting on how guilty Bruce was feeling Roxanne was betting on whether Bruce would sympathize with her and forgive her because of guilt! As long as Bruce felt guilty, there was still hope for her to marry into the Everett family. Bruce heard themotion and rushed over. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be rash!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te over! Don¡¯te over!¡± ¡°Roxy, listen to me ande back down! Don¡¯t be rash!¡± Bruce looked nervous and tried to approach her. ¡°Don¡¯te over! If you do, I¡¯ll jump!¡± ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t go over. Roxy, don¡¯t be rash. Come down, and we can talk about it.¡± Roxanne covered her head with her hands and shook her head frantically as her tears sshed everywhere. ¡°I don¡¯t have the face to live anymore. I don¡¯t want to live anymore! Bruce, I¡¯m no longer worthy of you. I hope you and Joanna will be happy together!¡± As Roxanne spoke, she turned as if to climb onto the windowsill. ¡°No! Roxy, don¡¯t¡­¡± Ingrid and Shaun screamed in fear. Bruce rushed forward and grabbed the corner of Roxanne¡¯s shirt. Then, Bruce dragged her off the windowsill and hugged Roxanne tightly. ¡°Let go of me and let me die¡­¡± ¡°Roxy, I won¡¯t allow you to jump!¡± Bruce felt guilty and med himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t protect you well. Please give me a chance to make it up to you. I won¡¯t turn my back on you! ¡°I still love you. Our wedding will be held as scheduled!¡± Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Chapter 138 When Roxanne heard this, she heaved a sigh of relief! It seemed like she had won the bet. As expected, Bruce did feel guilty about it. In other words, there was still hope for her to marry into the Everett family. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t pity me. I know you¡¯re pitying me! I¡¯m not clean anymore. I don¡¯t deserve you anymore!¡± ¡°Please, just let me die! I really don¡¯t want to live anymore!¡± Roxanne said as she tried to bang her head against the wall. Bruce hugged her tightly andforted her. ¡°What are you talking about? Everyone is heartbroken that something like this happened! ¡°You have to be stronger and braver. It¡¯s easy to die, but it takes more courage to live!¡± ¡°For me, for your parents, you have to stay alive!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she cried even harder and looked like she was devastated. ¡°Bruce, I despise myself even if you don¡¯t despise me. I can¡¯t live with my impure self anymore. Just let me die¡­¡± ¡°Silly girl, don¡¯t say such things again! No matter what you be, I¡­ will always love you!¡± Bruce said these words clearly tofort Roxanne! However, the image of Joanna involuntarily appeared in his mind! However, something like this happened to Roxanne. As a man, he could not shirk his responsibility. In any case, he had to make up to her, more to make up for his own guilt! Roxanne looked at Bruce with teary eyes. ¡°Bruce, do you really not despise me? Do you really not despise me for being dirty?¡± ¡°My first time has been ruined. Boohoo¡­¡± As Roxanne spoke, she choked and could hardly breathe. A large stream of tears fell from her eyes. It seemed that she was really heartbroken to the extreme! Her first time was long gone! Gavin had already fed her until she became a ¡°sophisticateddy¡± who could not live without men. However, her acting skills were really amazing. Anyone who saw it would believe it! Although this incident was a heavy lesson for Roxanne, it was also good. She no longer needed to pretend to be an innocent girl in the future! N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Bruce¡¯s heart was filled with guilt and pain. He gently stroked her head. ¡°¡­How can that be? In this day and age, no one cares about these things!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not one of those old¨Cfashioned men. I¡¯m not gonna think less of you for this. Promise me you won¡¯t do anything stupid again!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she heaved a sigh of relief! As long as Roxafine could still marry into the Everett family, everything would not be too bad! ¡°Rory, don¡¯t do anything stupid. If you do something stupid, our family won¡¯t be able to survive! ¡°Bruce, you must fulfill your promise and not let my Roxy down again! ¡°Otherwise, if my daughter dies, I won¡¯t live anymore! After I die, I¡¯ll definitely turn into a malicious ghost and take revenge on you every night!¡± Shaun frowned and said angrily, ¡°Oh, what are you talking about!¡± ¡°Come on! Everyone is watching the show. Let¡¯s not embarrass ourselves anymore!¡± 1046 Chapter 138. When Bruce heard this, he carried Roxanne horizontally and carefully carried her back to the ward! After returning to the ward! Ingrid still looked worried. ¡°Roxy¡¯s reputation is on the line, and word must not get out!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and said gloomily, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already got someone to teach those bad guys who bullied Roxy a lesson!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to rm the police about this matter! I¡¯ll also think of a way to suppress the media and not let this matter spread!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good! That¡¯s good! After Roxy recovers, you and Roxy should get married as soon as possible!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t wait to urge them to get married again! Alright!¡± Bruce frowned and agreed! However, his heart was filled with mixed feelings and an indescribable heaviness! Roxanne secretly nced at Bruce¡¯s expression. Seeing his reluctant expression, she immediately cried again. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Bruce, don¡¯t marry me just because you pity me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to pity me like this. I¡¯d rather die than put you in such a difficult position.¡± Bruce took another deep breath and said guiltily, ¡°Silly girl, how could that be? It¡¯s my fault for not being able to protect you well!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also my fault for not getting there in time to save you! That¡¯s why this tragedy happened! I hope this matter can be over soon. You should also get out of the trauma as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Roxanne could only cry non¨Cstop! ¡°Bruce, you will have tofort Roxy during this period of time! You must take more time to keep Roxy company!¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that she might do something stupid!¡± Bruce adjusted his expression and said solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she felt relieved. ¡°Then you two can have a private conversation. Her father and I will go out first!¡± As she spoke, Ingrid quickly gave Shaun a look. Shaun sighed helplessly. ¡°Take care, you guys. Don¡¯t do anything stupid again!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Give Bruce and Roxy some privacy!¡± After Ingrid finished speaking, she supported Shaun and hurried out of the ward! After leaving the ward. Shaun still had a mncholic look on his face. ¡°With such a thing happening to Roxy, why don¡¯t we cancel the marriage¡­¡± Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Chapter 139 ¡°What did you say?¡± Ingrid¡¯s voice suddenly rose a lot. Shaun frowned and said earnestly, ¡°I said now that something like this has happened to Roxy, it¡¯s better to cancel the marriage with the Everett family¡± Ingrid looked shocked and surprised. ¡°Excuse me? Are you out of your mind? Roxy is already so unlucky, and you¡¯re still asking her to break off the engagement? ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re thinking? Is there something wrong with your brain?¡± Shaun heaved a long sigh and said with heartache, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Roxy¡¯s own good! Roxy¡­ Even if she finally managed to marry into the Everett family, she won¡¯t be happy! ¡°Instead of suffering for the rest of her life, it¡¯s better to stop her losses now. Better a finger off than always aching!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she waspletely angry. She stretched out her hand and poked Shaun¡¯s head. ¡°What do you mean by that? You want Roxy to give the opportunity to that damn bitch Joanna, right? ¡°You¡¯re still saying that you¡¯re not biased toward her. You¡¯re biased toward that damn bitch!¡± Shaun also stomped his feet anxiously. ¡°Of course not! My heart aches for Roxy, so I don¡¯t want her to marry into the Everett family again! ¡°If Mr. Everett really loves Roxy, he would have married her long ago! He wouldn¡¯t have dyed it until now! ¡°Now that such a thing has happened to Roxy, even if she seeded in marrying into the Everett family, she will bepromising and will not be able to be happy! ¡°I¡¯d rather she find a man who truly loves her, even if hees from a slightly lower¨Css family!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face darkened as she cried out, ¡°Forget it! Roxy must marry into the Everett family in this lifetime! Even if she dies, she must be a ghost of the Everett family! ¡°She¡¯s already unlucky enough now that something like this has happened to her! If she¡¯s abandoned by the Everett family again, how can she live?¡± ¡°Oh, you women are just short¨Csighted! Do whatever you want. I don¡¯t want to talk nonsense with you¡­¡± Shaun could tell that Bruce did not love Roxanne anymore. Now that something like this had happened to Roxanne, it was even more impossible for Bruce to truly love Roxanne! Even if they got married forcibly, their marriage would notst long. Ingrid was still cursing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk so much nonsense with you. Don¡¯t go against me on this matter! ¡°Also, hold a press conference next week to announce that you will sever your father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Joanna. ¡°If she hadn¡¯t been hooking up with Bruce, Roxy wouldn¡¯t have been heartbroken and wouldn¡¯t have gone out to drink! ¡°In the end, this matter is all because of that slut Joanna!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± On the other side. Kelly brought Irvin home. ¡°Irvin, you¡¯re back!¡± Lilia asked with concern. ¡°Lilia, I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Davian?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mommy asked Miranda to send Davian to Venturas!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Irvin forced a smile. When he saw his mommy crying so sadly just now, he knew that she must be upset! However, he was still young and did not know how to protect his mommy. He could only be more obedient and try not to make his mommy worried. ¡°Where¡¯s Mommy? Why didn¡¯t shee back with you?¡± ¡°Oh, Mommy is with Mr. Grimm!¡± Hearing that, Lilia stopped asking! She knew that her mommy was very busy and hardworking. Her mother had to earn money to support her and her brothers and to treat her illness. Hence, the three children were very sensible. Each of them exuded an early maturity that did not match their ages. An hourter. Under Jaydon¡¯sfort, Joanna¡¯s emotions gradually calmed down! ¡°I¡¯ll send you back!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else and drove Joanna home! ¡°Irvin, Lilia, Mommy is back!¡± Joanna entered the house and pretended to be rxed and casual. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Looking at their mommy¡¯s red and swollen eyes, the two kids were terrifyingly quiet! ¡°Mommy is fine. You two be good!¡± Irvin stammered, ¡°Mommy, I want to stay at home to recuperate. I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital anymore!¡± Joanna looked at Irvin and found that he was in good spirits. And now that the doctor had prescribed medicine, he should be fine. ¡°Alright then! You need to rest well at home!¡± ¡°Okay, I know!¡± ¡°Joann, Irvin, I¡¯m really sorry. It¡¯s all my fault! I feel extremely guilty for causing so much damage to Irvin!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s hot your fault!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, when I recover, I¡¯ll continue to make guest appearances for you!¡± ¡°Alright, I will definitely wait for you!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Irvin, lie on the bed and rest well! Don¡¯t run around, okay?¡± ¡°Got it, Mommy!¡± Kelly brought Irvin back to his room to rest! Only Jaydon and Joanna were left in the living room! ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon hesitated! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. Call me if you need anything. I¡¯m always there!¡± ¡°Well, thank you, Jay!¡± Jaydon wrapped his arms around her shoulders and looked at her gently. ¡°You¡¯re always so polite to me, impossible for me to take another step forward!¡± Joanna lowered her eyes and said in a daze, ¡°No, I¡­ don¡¯t know how to tell you!¡± ¡°Just say what you want to say. I¡¯m listening!¡± ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it!¡± Joanna swallowed her words again! She wanted to tell Jaydon not to get too close to her! She knew Bruce¡¯s personality. He was very sinister and ruthless. She was afraid that he would hurt Jaydon! However, Jaydon was so good to her! She really could not say these words, even if it was out of kindness! making our rtionship so distant. It¡¯s ¡°Jay, I¡­ I was afraid that something bad would happen to you!¡± Joanna said as she looked at Jaydon with red and swollen eyes. She was really afraid that she would bring him trouble and disaster! Jaydon stared at Joanna quietly and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Jay, how about¡­¡± Jaydon knew what she wanted to say and gently pulled her into his arms. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to say anything. I know!¡± After saying that, Jaydon was still a little disappointed! He probably couldn¡¯tpete with Bruce! It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t outstanding, but his opponent was too strong! In the next few days, Joanna began to devote herself to her busy work again! She did not want to stop. Only by making herself turn like a machine would she not have the energy to think about those annoying things! And once it stopped, those annoying and unhappy things would engulf her, leaving her nowhere to escape! Monday. Under Ingrid¡¯s coercion and urging, Shaun really held a press conference! ¡°From today onward, I officially announce that I have severed my father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Joanna Haynes!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes will be chased out of the Haynes family. From now on, she is no longer the Haynes family¡¯s girl¡­¡± This news instantly shocked all the reporters present! ¡°Mr. Haynes, may I ask why you chase your daughter out of the house?¡± Shaun said coldly, ¡°From now on, Joanna Haynes has nothing to do with me! As for the exact reason, it¡¯s not convenient to reveal! ¡°This is the end of the press conference. I will never bring up Ms. Haynes in front of the public again!¡± Shaun directly addressed Joanna as Ms. Haynes, which made it even more obvious that he was determined to sever his father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Joanna! It also aroused everyone¡¯s curiosity! In an instant, Joanna had been pushed to the center of attention again! There were all kinds of guesses and criticisms! In less than an hour, the shocking news blew up all the major online tforms! ¡°Miss Haynes has been expelled from the family. The father and the daughter have broken up!¡± ¡°Chairwoman of the Haynes Group¡¯speting drama!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes has been expelled from the Haynes family. She is a sinner for all eternity!¡± ¡°After being kicked out of the Everett family, she was also kicked out by the Haynes family!¡± All sorts of negative headlines exploded like bombs, turning Joanna into dust!! Some of the good reviews she had worked so hard to get back were turned to ashes after Shaun broke off his father daughter rtionship with her! Shaun was like a heavy punch that hit Joanna¡¯s heart heavily! She had thought that her father was just saying it out of anger! However, she never expected that her father would really hold a press conference to cut ties with her! Moreover, he pushed her back to the center of attention! In the office, Joanna looked at the overwhelming curses on the Inte and the coldness on Shaun¡¯s face when he addressed her as ¡°Ms. Haynes¡± at the press conference. What filled Joanna¡¯s heart was not pain, but numbness and coldness! Sure enough! The wound from the closest people hurt the most. That was because they knew where to stab to make it hurt the most! Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Inside thepany. ¡°Oh my god, look, Mr. Haynes has cut ties with Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard that it was because Miss Haynes always hooked up with Mr. Everett, which angered Mr. Haynes!¡± ¡°What a mess this rich family is in! Since Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett are divorced, why do they have to get involved with each other?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! They¡¯re a family. Why must they make it such a disgrace!¡± ¡°If you ask me, none of them are good people. They¡¯re all responsible for it!¡± ¡°However, the fact that Mr. Haynes is so determined to sever his father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Miss Haynes showed that Miss Haynes has indeed broken Mr. Haynes¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Miss Haynes has already announced that she would kick Mr. Haynes out of the board of directors. How ruthless this is!¡± ¡°No wonder they broke off their father¨Cdaughter rtionship!¡± The employees of thepany were also shocked by this news, During lunch, they gathered in groups of three to five and whispered to each other! These days, Bruce felt terrible about what happened to Roxanne, so he had always been at the hospital with Roxanne! And the ambiguous rtionship between Joanna and Jaydon made him even angrier! He decided to take advantage of this wind to ruthlessly dampen the spirits of Joanna and Jaydon! Oh, women! They shouldn¡¯t be allowed to have a career. Once they had a career, their wings would really grow! In the past, when Joanna was not the chairwoman of the Haynes Group, she was so humble and compromising when she was with him! Now that she had be the chairwoman of the Haynes Group, she was more capable and dared to stand up to him. She no longer took him seriously and even ignored him! This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Only by destroying her career and cutting off her wings would her pride and confidence bepletely destroyed! He was sure that she woulde to beg him dejectedly at that time! In the office of the Haynes Group! Joanna was in a daze when there was a knock on the door! ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Come in! ¡°Miss Haynes!¡± Cora walked in with a stack of documents! ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The factory in Mossbourne is settled. We can sign the contract tomorrow!¡± ¡°Here are the printed contracts and documents!¡± Joanna put on her sses, took the documents, and started to read them. ¡°Oh, I got it! Do the preparations tonight. We¡¯ll go to Porash tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± Cora hesitated. Joanna raised her head and looked at Cora steadily. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Have you seen the negative news online?¡± Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. She said coldly, ¡°Ignore them. Do what you have to do!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Cora adjusted her expression and said worriedly, ¡°However, the negative impact of this incident on the Haynes Group is great now! Do you think it¡¯s better to postpone the matter of building a factory in Mossbourne?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group seem to be wavering now! They¡¯re not rushing the supply anymore. I¡¯m worried that something bad will happen!¡± Joanna continued to read the contract and asked casually, ¡°Something bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if they cancel the order after the factory in Mossbourne is built, the Haynes Group will lose more than it gains.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s build the factory in Mossbourne first. This is to open up the market of Mossbourne in the future! Even without the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group, the factory in Mossbourne will be built sooner orter!¡± ¡°After the factory is built, we still have to develop other businesses!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The next day! Joanna brought Cora and two marketing managers to Mossbourne to sign the contract! The factory had been taken over! The total investment in various equipment plus the construction of the nt and rent, etc., was over 14 million dors! Because Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger did not support building a factory in Mossbourne, the factory investor in Mossbourne was Joanna alone. This factory was originally a foundry. Therefore, it only needed simple maintenance and imported production machines from abroad to maintain operations! Just like that, more than half a month passed! Joanna was still busy every day. Fortunately, Bruce did note to pester her again. Although her days were busy and burdensome, she could still handle it! On this day, Joanna had just arrived at thepany and had yet to enter the office! Cora came over with a shocked expression. ¡°Miss Haynes, something bad has happened!¡± Seeing Cora¡¯s pale face, Joanna¡¯s heart sank. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°As expected, the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group canceled 80% of the order!¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing this news, Joanna¡¯s eyes widened as if she had been struck by lightning! After all, she had built a factory in Mossbourne and had already invested a lot of money. It was also because she had the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group¡¯s orders that she was more confident. But now that the twopanies had canceled 80% of their orders, the factory in Greyport alone could do it. There was no need to build a factory in Mossbourne at all. ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°They said that there were too many negative impacts from the Haynes Group. They were afraid that we won¡¯t be able to rush out the supply. Therefore, they canceled 80% of the orders and continued to cooperate with the Everett Group!¡± Upin hearing this news, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she weakly fell onto the chair! Needless to say, it was Bruce who was behind this! If he did not put pressure on the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group, they would not be willing to bear the penalty to cancel the Haynes Group¡¯s orders! It had to be said that this move of his was really ruthless and sinister! Taking advantage of the fact that she had invested arge amount of money into the factory in Mossbourne, they canceled the orders! This double blow directly made it difficult for Joanna to move forward! If the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group had canceled their orders earlier, she might not have opened a factory in Mossbourne and invested so much money! ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joannaughed speechlessly! She knew that Bruce would not let her have an easy time! This was only the beginning. She did not know what was waiting for her behind! She wondered how he would deal with Jaydon! Seeing Joanna¡¯s cold smile, Cora looked even more worried. ¡°Miss Haynes, how can you still smile?¡± Joannaughed coldly. Her heart was like dead ashes as she said, ¡°What else can I do? Can crying help?¡± ¡°Should we think of a way? We can¡¯t just sit back and wait for death!¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair in a daze. ¡°What else can we do?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we¡­ go and beg Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Come on¡­¡± Joanna sneered in disdain again! At this moment, Bruce was probablyughing secretly! He had only used some tricks, and she was in such a difficult position. It was as if he had hit her in her weakest spot! His goal was to wait for her to beg him. Things didn¡¯t work out on Joanna¡¯s side! Jaydon was also having a hard time! His new movie was stuck. The movie could not pass the audition, so it could not be released! With an investment of over 20 million dors, if the movie could not be released, the money would be wasted! After thinking about it, Joanna still took out her phone and called Bruce! IVIUIT, 2U JUIT Chapter 140 He could deal with her, but not Jaydon! There was a buzz. Bruce¡¯s phone started vibrating. Bruce took the phone and saw that the call was from Joanna! ¡°Okay, this damn woman finally can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± For the past month, he had been resisting the urge to call her or look for her! Unexpectedly, she had never called him once! She only remembered to call him when she needed to beg him! ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°What is it? Say it!¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly, pretending to be dark. Joanna paused for a moment and mustered her courage. ¡°Do you have time?¡± ¡°Why? Are you asking me out?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, are you free? Can we meet?¡± When Bruce heard this, his Adam¡¯s apple moved. This month, he had missed her so much that he had gone crazy. However, in order to take care of Roxanne, and jealousy of Jaydon at the same time, he endured it and didn¡¯t go to see her! This damn woman didn¡¯t even send him a message! She wanted to talk to him now, but he was not going to agree to meet her that easily. He knew that she was begging him for thepany! ¡°I¡¯m very busy. My schedule is fully booked until next month!¡± ¡°Just a meal. It won¡¯t take long!¡± Joanna tried her best to sound calm, but her heart was already filled with anger. ¡°Well, forget about eating! If there¡¯s anything else, I might consider it!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m looking for you to talk to you about thepany¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m even less interested in talking about work!¡± ¡°However, if you say that you miss me, I might consider meeting you!¡± Chapter 141 Chapter 141 hapter 141 The moment Joanna Haynes heard that, her rage hit the roof! ¡°Bruce Everett, what is your problem?¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re the one who called to ask me out, not the other way round!¡± ¡°With this attitude, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s even a need for us to meet!¡± With that, Bruce hung up on Joanna. He was confident. He was very confident that Joanna would call him again. ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± Joanna said a few times in exasperation. However, all she could hear was a beep signaling that the line was busy. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone vibrated again. After Bruce had hung up, Joanna was so angry that her face turned purple. She immediately dialed his number again. Seeing that Joanna had called him again, Bruce pursed his lips and smiled. He knew that she would call again. Beep, beep, beep! His phone kept vibrating but he purposely hose not to pick up her call. He wanted to keep her in suspense Soon after¡­ A familiar tone came from the other end of the line. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable¡­¡± Joanna brushed away the stray hair on her forehead before sending a text to Bruce. ¡°Answer the phone right now, I have something to ask you!¡± Bruce looked at the text from Joanna and a hint of mockery appeared on his handsome face. He could tell that she was anxious! As long as she was anxious, she would start panicking. When that happens, it would be too easy for him to deal with her. Beep, beep, beep! Joanna¡¯s third call came quickly! After his phone vibrated for a while, Bruce slowly picked up the call just as the call was about to end. ¡°Hello! Speak!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and tried hous best to suppress her anger as she asked, ¡°Bruce Everett, what exactly do you want?¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean? What exactly do you want?¡± ¡°Where are you now? I need to see you!¡± Joanna¡¯s tone sounded cold. Bruce chuckled and replied mockingly with ¡°Dolb to see you just because you need to see me?¡± ¡°Who do you think you are that I have to listen to you?¡± ¡°Alright fine, we can talk over the phone!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on with the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group? Don¡¯t you think that what you did is despicable?¡± Bruce snorted before saying, ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not interested in talking about work!¡± ¡°If you want to talk about work, I¡¯m hanging up!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that pain shot through her heart. Her hand that was holding the phone was trembling! ¡°Bruce Everett, can you not be like ¡°Then what do you want me to do? Hmm¡± Bruce¡¯s nasal voice was very heavy and he sounded amorous. ¡°I need to meet you!¡± ¡°Give me a reason why I should meet you!¡± ¡°I just need to meet you, there is no other reason!¡± Bruce smiled yfully as he answered, ¡°Perhaps I can consider meeting you if you change the word ¡®need¡¯ to ¡®want¡±!¡± Joanna exhaled and suppressed her anger. ¡°¡­ I want to see you!¡± ¡°How much do you want it? Hmm?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone carried a hint of teasing. His teasing was extremely infuriating. Joanna could no longer suppress her anger as she scolded, ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Yes, what a clever girl! You even know that I¡¯m crazy!¡± Joanna¡¯s patience haspletely worn out. ¡°Are you going to meet me or not? If not, then forget it!¡± ¡°Is this the attitude of a person wanting to meet another?¡± ¡°Who knows, I might agree to meet you if you asked me in a nicer and gentler tone.¡± Joanna closed her eyes and calmed down for a few seconds. She tried to make her voice as gentle as possible. ¡°Mr. Everett, I want to see you. Is that okay?¡± On the other end of the phone, Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a smile. However, his tone was abnormally cold and devoid of any emotion. ¡°Come to my office at three in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Can we go somewhere else?¡± Joanna asked as she didn¡¯t really want to go to his office. She wanted to meet him in a public ce. If they met alone, being the vile bas ta rd that he is, he would definitely ¡°force¡± her again. ¡°No, if you want to meet me, you¡¯ll have toe to my office!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll meet you from 3 pm to 3.30 pm. I only have half an hour for you. If you don¡¯te, you won¡¯t even get half an hour!¡± When Joanna heard that, she gritted her teeth in anger! This da mn bas ta rd was really evil! ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be there at three in the afternoon)¡± Bruce¡¯s smile deepened as he replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± After that, he hung up. Bruce felt inexplicably excited, and he could feel his blood burning with anticipation. They had not seen each other for a month. His body missed her more than his heart! It was finally three o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Joanna arrived at the Everett Group on time. The front desk manager quickly greeted her, ¡°Hello! Do you have an appointment?¡± Joanna tried her best to suppress her emotions as she replied, ¡°I have an appointment with Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Alright, this way please!¡± The front desk manager led Joanna to the elevator with a professional smile. After that, he swiped the elevator card to bring her straight to the floor where Bruce¡¯s office is. ¡°Ms. Haynes, pleasee in!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Joanna replied before walking into the elevator. Half a minuteter! The elevator arrived at the floor where Bruce was. The front desk manager brought Joanna to the secretary¡¯s desk on that floor. Andy was already waiting. When he saw Joanna, he immediately smiled and greeted her, ¡°Hello, Ms. Haynes!¡± ¡°Please follow me!¡± With that, Andy personally led Joanna to Bruce¡¯s office. Three minutester. The two of them arrived at the door of Bruce¡¯s office. Andy led Joanna in and they took a turn past the fitness area before arriving at the administrative office. ¡°Mr. Everett is in the office. You can go in yourself, Ms. Haynes!¡± ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± Andy smiled before taking his leave. Joanna took a nce! This office didn¡¯t look like an office at all. It was ridiculously big and there was even a mini golf course. Although she had been involved with Bruce for many years, this was the first time she had been inside his office! Joanna opened the door with a creak and walked in! The office was huge! It felt like she couldn¡¯t see the end of it from where she was. Joanna walked quite a few steps inside. Suddenly, Bruce¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Coming!¡± He had been watching her through the surveince camera from the moment she entered thepany to his officet ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna replied. She looked inside and saw Bruce behind the long desk. He had his legs on the desk and waszily leaning against the swivel chair as he sized her up with a faint smile! Joanna was dressed professionally today. She was in a white blouse, suit, and trousers, She wore ck framed sses with her hair casually sc att ered, She did not put on any make-up, not even lip gloss. However, she was naturally beautiful. Even if she deliberately dressed up professionally, it could not hide her beauty. ¡°Have a seat!¡± Bruce looked straight at her with a smirk, He did not like her old-fashioned dressing, Every time they met alone, she would wear a ck and white business suit. She was cold and involuntarily distanced herself from him. On the other hand, when she went to meet Jaydon Grimm, she would always dress up meticulously and look more feminine. This made Bruce even more displeased. Joanna did not sit down but said bluntly, ¡°Bruce Everett, what exactly do you want?¡± Bruce shifted his legs off the table and raised his eyebrow slightly as he replied, ¡°What are you talking about? I didn¡¯t do anything to you.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was tense with a hint of anger. ¡°Skywinds and Neorace canceled their orders with the Haynes Group. You¡¯re behind this, aren¡¯t you?¡± When Bruce heard this, he paused for a few seconds before standing up from his chair. ¡°Heh, you said it yourself. It¡¯s a fairpetition!¡± ¡°Besides, Skywinds and Neorance were originally working with the Everett Group!¡± ¡°You were the one who maliciously lowered the price and poached them. You were the one who spoiled the market!¡±, ¡°Unfortunately for you, they¡¯re back now.¡± Bruce suppressed the smugness in his heart and deliberately pretended to be nonchnt, He got up and went to the wine cab to pour two sses of red wine. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°In that case, why didn¡¯t you do something earlier? Why did you wait for me to build the factory in Mossbourne before making them cancel the order?¡± Bruce held up the two sses of red wine and walked towards Joanna. ¡°Heh, so what do you n to do? Have you discussed it with me?¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, do you know how despicable you are?¡± Bruce handed one of the sses of red wine to Joanna and said teasingly, ¡°Yes, I do. Have a ss of red wine. Don¡¯t be so angry!¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a month and you¡¯re so angry! Looks like you need someone to help you get rid of the fire!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Joanna took two steps back and did not take the wine he offered. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t touch you!¡± ¡°You want to see me so badly, right? What exactly do you want?¡± ¡°Are you only here to question me?¡± Bruce¡¯s mocking smile deepened. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Joanna Haynes took a deep breath. It was as though her eyes were shooting mes as she pleaded, ¡°Can you not suppress the Haynes Group covertly?¡± ¡°What are you saying? We¡¯re all businessmen here so there¡¯s no such thing as suppression!¡± ¡°Besides, you said it yourself. It¡¯s the client¡¯s freedom to choose who they want to work with!¡± ¡°Therefore, you should be questioning the Skywinds and Neorace Groups instead, not me!¡± When Joanna heard this, she choked in anger. ¡°Alright! Fine! You win! I¡¯m done!¡± After swirling the wine ss a few times, Bruce Everett gently took a sip of the red wine. He smiled wickedly at Joanna! He has been doing business since he was fifteen years old. After so many years, he had long been honed into a cun ning businessman! It was simply foolish of her to think that she could go against him. She really overestimated herself! He could suffocate her with just a pinch of his fingers! ¡°This red wine is not bad. Have a taste!¡± Bruce said as he passed the red wine in his hand to Joanna again. Joanna was not in the mood for any wine. She took two deep breaths and voiced out angrily, ¡°Bruce Everett, you can do whatever you want to me! But please don¡¯t involve any others!¡± Bruce looked up and knew that she was referring to Jaydon Grimm. ¡°Who else did I involve?¡± As he spoke, Bruce ced the wine ss on the table before he subconsciously loosened his tie. Joanna sneered as she remarked, ¡°Someone reported Jay¡¯s filmpany for tax evasion. You sent someone to instigate it, right?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrow and retorted coldly, ¡°Hmph, do you think that I¡¯m that bored?¡± Was there a need to ask? Other than him, there was no one else! ¡°Also, you were the one who sabotaged the film that Jay was working on so that it couldn¡¯t be screened, right?¡± Joanna knew Bruce¡¯s personality too well! He could not stand anyone who offended him or went against him. Anyone who does that would not be able to survive in Greyport. He would use various vicious methods to take down and take revenge on his opponents or enemies. ¡°Hehe, what evidence do you have?¡± When Joanna heard this, she retorted in contempt, ¡°Evidence? What evidence do I still need?¡± A normal person wouldn¡¯t dare to touch someone like Jaydon Grimm! Other than Bruce Everett, there was no way it could be anyone else. ¡°Of course. Evidence is important in everything! You can¡¯t fabricate something out of thin air, can you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a good citizen who follows thew. I¡¯ve never done anything illicit!¡± As he spoke, his pupils constricted as he subconsciously approached her. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of the red wine or something else, but his tower abdomen was burning and his heart was beating faster as well. Joanna had yet to realize the change in his demeanor. She chuckled coldly as she responded, ¡°Bruce Everett, this is between the two of us so do not involve anyone else! I¡¯d advise you to stop while you¡¯re ahead and not go overboard!¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached slightly. He gritted his teeth and scorned, ¡°Did youe here today to tell me this?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna raised her head haughtily. ¡°You can do anything you want to me, but don¡¯t take your anger out on Jay. He doesn¡¯t know anything at all. What you¡¯re doing is too despicable!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened as he asserted viciously, ¡°Joanna Haynes, I¡¯ve told you before! I told you to keep a distance from him. Did you listen to me?¡± ¡°This is the price of your disobedience!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a dog or a cat, and you¡¯re definitely not my owner! Why should I listen to you?¡± ¡°Fine, there¡¯s no point talking anymore!¡± As Bruce spoke, he suddenly stretched out his arm and wrapped it around her slender waist, wrapping her tightly in his arms. ¡°Ah, what are you doing?¡± Joanna cried out in fear. When she realized what was happening, it was already toote as she was already trapped in his arms. Bruce frowned slightly and his breathing became heavy. ¡°What am I doing? Why don¡¯t you tell me that?¡± With that, Bruce held onto her slender waist and suddenly carried her up. ¡°Ah¨C¡± ¡°Let go of me, don¡¯t do anything rash¡­¡± What a pity it was for her! It was as though she had entered a lion¡¯s den. It would not be so easy for her to get out safely! Soon after, Bruce pressed her onto the sofa! His fierce kisses swept over her from all directions. He had just drunk red wine so his mouth had the faint taste of red wine! Joanna was still suffocating, and her face had turned red! The buttons on her blouse were being unbuttoned one by one. ¡°No, let go of me. Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with surging anger and his entire body emitted an extremely dangerous aura! Joanna could not help but tremble like a frightened rabbit as she struggled in fear and despair! ¡°Bruce Everett, no, I beg you, don¡¯t do this¡­¡± However, when Bruce feels angry, he always loses his sense of logic. He would really end up torturing her to death. No matter how much she begged for mercy, he would not pity her at all. ¡°Joanna Haynes, I¡¯ve said it before. If you don¡¯t listen to me, I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± ¡°You better obey me now, and I might consider letting you off!¡± Joanna stared at Bruce in horror, ¡°Bruce, we can always talk things out slowly!¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a teasing smile as he taunted, ¡°Hmph, didn¡¯t youe here today to apany me?¡± ¡°Why are you pretending to resist me now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash. I came to talk to you about thepany¡­¡± ¡°Heh, don¡¯t bother exining! I haven¡¯t touched you for so long. Don¡¯t you miss me?¡± As Bruce said that, he had already unbuckled his belt! He wasn¡¯t thinking about anything right now. He just wanted to conquer this woman who had repeatedly challenged his limits! He liked to see her break down and beg for mercy. ¡°Let go, you lun atic!¡± Joanna shouted in panic as she used all her strength to hit Bruce. Unfortunately, he was too muscr. Her resistance only exacerbated his suppression! ¡°Ah, help me!¡± Her breathing was instantly cut off again. It was as if she was pressed under a mountain and it felt as though all the bones in her body were about to break! She knew that this would happen if she met him alone! In this emergency, Joanna had no choice and did not dare to resist anymore! She knew that the more she resisted, the more violent Bruce would be! He would ¡®torture¡¯ her like a madman. It was as she had expected!¡¯ Seeing that she did not resist anymore and had given in, Bruce stopped being so rough with her! After a while, he let go of her hand and started to unbutton his shirt. It was an opening for her. She immediately took out a stun baton from her pocket! She then aimed it at Bruce and electrocuted him! Buzz, buzz! Bruce was caught off guard and he instantly felt jolts of electricity go through his body! Joanna pushed him away with all her might and climbed down from the sofa immediately! ¡°Bruce Everett, I won¡¯t let you touch me again! And I will never give in to you!¡± After Joanna finished speaking furiously, she did not bother to tidy her messy hair and fled out of the office in anxiety! Bruce¡¯s entire body went limp from being electrocuted. He fell onto the carpet and could not recover for a long time! From N?velDrama.Org. Looking at Joanna¡¯s back as she fled, Bruce¡¯s eyes were scarlet red. He gritted his teeth and dered, ¡°Joanna Haynes, I¡¯ll make you pay!¡± He had never expected to be struck again! This was the second time he had been electrocuted. It was all his fault for being too confident, thinking that Joanna had already surrendered to him. However, he had not expected her to dare to resist him like this! Joanna escaped from Bruce¡¯s office looking like a mess. In the corridor, she hurriedly brushed her hair with her fingers and tidied her clothes. At the secretary¡¯s desk Andy and Mark teased softly, ¡°I bet that Miss Haynes came to find Mr. Everett to throw herself at him again!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She kept saying that she wants to cut ties with Mr. Everett, but she still can¡¯t let go of Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°No wonder Mr. Haynes wanted to sever his rtionship with her! In the end, Mr. Haynes is still biased towards Miss Roxanne!¡± Andyughed mockingly and ridiculed, ¡°Look, Miss Haynes has been in there for so long. She must be doing it with Mr. Everett again!¡± Mark smiled knowingly as he agreed, ¡°That goes without saying!¡± The two of them were discussing when they saw Joannaing out of the office in a messy state! ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± The two of them were so frightened that their expressions darkened. They then quickly went up to her. Joanna ignored the two of them and walked straight to the elevator! The moment the elevator arrived, she entered without looking back! ¡°So fast today? It doesn¡¯t seem like Mr. Everett¡¯s style!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett always takes a long time. It hasn¡¯t even been twenty minutes so why is it over?¡± ¡°Could something have happened? Let¡¯s go in and take a look!¡± When Andy heard this, he quickly entered Bruce¡¯s office. When he arrived at the office, he realized that Bruce was lying on the ground. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, what happened to you?¡± Andy was terrified and quickly went forward to check. Bruce¡¯s entire body went numb from the electricity. Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Chapter 143 ¡°Mr. Everett, are you alright?¡± Andy hurriedly helped Bruce to the sofa. The veins on Bruce¡¯s temples stood out as his eyes revealed a hint of rage. Joanna¡¯s taser had very high voltage. Ordinary people would fall into a semi-conscious state after being electrocuted. Luckily, Bruce was fine. At least, he was still conscious. ¡°Mr. Everett, drink some water!¡± Andy quickly poured a ss of water and brought it to Bruce¡¯s lips worriedly. Bruce took a few sips of water before his heart rate gradually slowed down. Hey on the sofa for more than ten minutes before the numbness in his body eased. ¡°Joanna Haynes, you b itch! Just you wait! I swear I will make you beg me on your knees.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth so hard that his eyes turned red. Andy came out of the office with lingering fear. Mark hurriedly walked up and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Andy muttered softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. After I went in just now, Mr. Everett fell to the ground. It looks like he was attacked by Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Huh? Really?¡± Mark widened his eyes in shock. Now the Haynes Group was in such a difficult situation. Mark couldn¡¯t believe that Joanna actually dared to attack Bruce instead of trying to cozy up to him. ¡°Then¡­ was Mr. Everett very angry?¡± Andy¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett was really infuriated just now. I was scared to death.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is really bold. She actually messed with Mr. Everett. She¡¯s already in such a difficult situation. I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s still so arrogant.¡± ¡°I thought she came to deal with Mr. Everett with a honey trap.¡± ¡°Stop talking. If Mr. Everett hears this, he¡¯ll get angry again.¡± Joanna had run out of the Everett Group. Even though she had already walked out of the building, her heart was still pounding. She had almost been raped by Bruce again. Thinking about the scene just now, she could not help but feel a lingering fear. She knew Brute well and was aware that he would definitely not let the matter rest. She walked aimlessly on the street, her mind a mess. Beep, beep. Just then, Joanna¡¯s phone rang, which startled her. She took out her phone and looked at it. Fortunately, it was not from Bruce, but Jaydon. Joanna calmed herself down and answered the call. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s soft and husky voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡­ am not doing anything. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a few days. Let¡¯s have dinner together tonight!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to yourpany to pick you up in a while.¡± Joanna paused. She subconsciously nced at the surrounding high-rise buildings and felt dizzy for a moment. ¡°No need. Where are you now? I¡¯ll go to you.¡± ¡°Are you not at the office now?¡± asked Jaydon. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m outside now.¡± ¡°Then where are you? I¡¯ll pick you up right now.¡± Joanna sighed, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ on the street.¡± plight to t on¡¯t we go s the restaurant?¡± suggested Jaydon. ¡°Alright. Shall we go to the restaurant we went tost time?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go there right now. How long will it take you to get there?¡± ¡°Twenty minutes.¡± ¡°Okay, see youter!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna did not say anything else and hung up the phone weakly. Her mind was a mess now, and she didn¡¯t want to go back to thepany. It was good to meet Jaydon and have a meal together. After hanging up, Jaydon quickly took his car key and got up to leave. The little minx Carmel Basil had been listening next to Jaydon. Realizing that Jaydon was going out with Joanna again, Carmel looked unhappy. ¡°Mr. Grimm, are you going to meet Ms. Haynes again?¡± Jaydon put on his suit jacket and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The fact that ourpany¡¯s movie can¡¯t be released must have something to do with her. She¡¯s now Greyport¡¯s most notorious prodigal daughter. Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t you think you should stay away from her?¡± ¡°Are you trying to interfere with my life?¡± Jaydon was a little unhappy. He was intimate with these female celebrities. But he was aware that this kind of feeling was different from love. He liked the feeling these female celebrities brought him, but this was definitely not Chapter 143 love. However, women often did not differentiate so clearly. Most of the time, when a woman had sex with a man, she had fallen for him. It was alsomon to think of this feeling as love. Unknowingly, Carmel believed that Jaydon slept with her because he loved her. She thought it was real love. Therefore, when Jaydon was nice to another woman, she was jealous. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to do that. I just want t you to spend more time with me,¡± said Carmel ¡°Be good!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­.¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say much. He just put on his suit jacket and hurried to meet Joanna. By the time Jaydon arrived at the restaurant, Joanna was already there. She had ordered a cup of coffee and was enjoying it. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte,¡± said Jaydon. ¡°Joan mile nine. I just arrived.¡± Joanna smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s ¡°Have ¡°I¡¯m From N?velDrama.Org. G od some food?¡± asked Jaydon. you not hungry. I just ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll have a cup ¡°That¡¯s all for now.¡± want to drink something. I don¡¯t really want to eat for the time being.¡± too.¡± Jaydon casually flipped through the menu and ordered two desserts. ¡°Okay,¡± the waiter responded and quickly went to ce the order. Jaydon took off his jacket and sat down opposite Joanna. ¡°Joann, why do you look so pale?¡± Although Joanna was wearingrge ck-framed sses, he could still find that her face was very pale. Her eyes were empty, and she looked a little distracted. Joanna pushed up her ck-framed sses. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t have a good sleep yesterday.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he subconsciously held her hand. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°s!¡± Joanna forced a smile at Jaydon and sighed deeply. Jaydon could guess about it even if she did not tell him. ¡°What happened? Can you tell me?¡± he asked. Joanna smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just about work.¡± ¡°Did Bruce make things difficult for you again?¡± Joanna was silent for a few seconds before sighing and replying, ¡°s! I¡¯m already used to it.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± ¡°My mind is in a mess now. I¡¯m going to Porash tomorrow!¡± ¡°How many days will you be gone?¡± asked Jaydon. ¡°Maybe a week. The factory over there has already been taken over. I have to go there and take care of it.¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°I happen to be free these few days. How about I go with you? ¡°Then I can see if there¡¯s any good business in Mossbourne,¡± ¡°Alright. ¡°If Mossbourne¡¯s market can be opened up, I n to shift the focus of my business to Mossbourne,¡± Joanna said ndly. She couldn¡¯t wait to develop in Mossbourne for no other reason than to get rid of Bruce. ¡°Okay. ¡°Hurry up and eat! The desserts are here.¡± Joanna and Jaydon smiled at each other and took a sip of coffee. At the next table, there were a few young girls who were dressed fashionably. They enjoyed afternoon tea together and were taking turns posing for the photos. ¡°Look! They are Miss Haynes and Mr. Grimm, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Wow! It¡¯s really Mr. Grimm! He¡¯s so handsome.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is Mr. Grimm blind? Why would he fall for a woman like her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that Joanna¡¯s father cut ties with her. He even expelled her from the Haynes family¡¯s family tree and wanted to fight with her for the Haynes Group¡¯s shares.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to have the nerve toe out for afternoon tea.¡± ¡°How shameless she is! She seduces Mr. Grimm while still h o o king up with her ex-husband. She¡¯s really something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± A few young girls couldn¡¯t help but whisper and point at Joanna and Jaydon. Jaydon and Joanna realized that someone was pointing fingers at them. ¡°Are you full?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go somewhere else!¡± ¡°All right.¡± Joanna and Jaydon got up and left. Unexpectedly, as soon as they walked out of the restaurant, they ran into a few media reporters. Clearly, the reporters received the news and rushed over to surround Joanna and Jaydon. ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mr. Grimm, may I interview you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re not avable now.¡± Jaydon quickly stood in front of Joanna to prevent her from being shot. He knew that Joanna was most afraid of meeting these delinquent reporters. ¡°Ms. Haynes, what do you think about your father severing ties with you? Can you tell us about it?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was extremely sullen. Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Chapter 144 In the past month, Joanna had been most afraid of running into reporters. Although she hid every day, she still came across reporters from time to time. It made her look like a thief when she went out now. ¡°Sorry, noment!¡± she said. A media reporter quickly extended a microphone to Jaydon. ¡°Mr. Grimm, may I ask when your movie will be released? Besides, someone reported your mediapany for tax evasion. Is that true?¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened. He looked straight at the cameras and said, ¡°Ourpany has never evaded taxes. The tax bureau is wee to investigate at any time.¡± ¡°So when are you and Ms. Haynes getting married?¡± the reporter asked again. ¡°What do you think about the rtionship between Ms. Haynes and Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Have you always been protecting Ms. Haynes?¡± The questions asked by the reporters were getting more and more harsh. ¡°Get out of the way! Don¡¯t ask me such boring questions!¡± Jaydon was greatly infuriated. He protected Joanna and squeezed out of the crowd. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Ms. Haynes, please give us some responses!¡± The two of them hurried into the parking lot, got into the car, and fled. From N?velDrama.Org. In the car, Joanna could not help but tease, ¡°Hah, now we are just like street rats.¡± She was already used to being ndered by brain-dead people. ¡°Just ignore these delinquent reporters. ¡°Leave the public rtions matters to me!¡± responded Jaydon. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Where do you want to go now?¡± ¡°Well, I feel suffocated in Greyport. ¡°I want to go to the beach now,¡± replied Joanna. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go to the sea then,¡± said Jaydon. ¡°Okay.¡± Jaydon did not say anything else. He turned the car around and drove toward the dock. His yacht was parked at the dock. Usually, when he had nothing to do, he would drive his yacht out to the sea for a ride. Soon, he piloted the yacht out to sea. Joanna stood on the deck and breathed in the sea breeze. Her depression finally dissipated a lot. Jaydon gently hugged her from behind, and they just looked like the male and female leads of the Titanic. ¡°Joann, since everyone thinks that we¡¯re together, why don¡¯t you just be my girlfriend?¡± Jaydon said half seriously and half jokingly ¡°Jay, stop fooling around!¡± Joanna turned around and broke free from his embrace. Jaydon gazed at her with affection. ¡°Joann, do you really not have any feelings for me?¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but feel nervous. ¡°Jay, can you stop being like this? ¡°Otherwise, I really don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s uneasy expression, Jaydon quickly took a step back and distanced himself from her. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t be so nervous!¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡­¡± Seeing the change in Joanna¡¯s expression, Jaydon stopped what he was going to do. ¡°I¡¯m just joking with you. Look how nervous you are!¡± He suddenly changed the topic. The biggest difference between Jaydon and Bruce was that Jaydon respected Joanna very much and cared about her feelings. As long as she resisted, Jaydon would never force her. Bruce, on the other hand, was totally different from Jaydon. The more Joanna resisted, the more Bruce wanted to conquer her. ¡°Jay, I know you¡¯re very good to me, but I¡­.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with panic. She wanted to say something but hesitated. She really didn¡¯t know what to say. She had three children as her burden. If she rejected a man like Jaydon, it would really seem like she was being ungrateful. However, she was well aware that she and Jaydon could never be together. Jaydon was a y boy. Even if he married her, it was impossible for him to be faithful to her. Besides, Joanna was an extremely insecure person. After divorcing Bruce, shepletely lost her sense of security in marriage and her confidence in men. She did not want to be hurt by love a second time. She would rather shut love out of her mind. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t do such a thing again unless you take the initiative to ept me. I won¡¯t force you anymore.¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not say anything else, but just turned around and stared nkly at the blue seawater. That night, photos of Jayden and Joanna having a meal on a date were posted online. In the photo, Jaydon was desperately protecting Joanna. He blocked most of the shots for Joanna and even scolded the reporters. It seemed as if he were an extremely good boyfriend. ¡°After Joanna failed to seduce her ex-husband, she threw herself in her old lover¡¯s arms.¡± ¡°The contemporary scheming woman teaches you how to h o ok up with men.¡± ¡°Joanna¡¯s two-timing. She became aughing stock after her affair was exposed.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm is willing to be a keyboard warrior for her and doesn¡¯t mind Joanna¡¯s past.¡± There were all kinds of negative news about Joanna and Jaydon on the Inte. Joanna didn¡¯t even dare to turn on her phone. The moment she turned it on, she found that all the tforms were reporting her news. The inte exposure this time was even more serious than six years ago. She hadpletely been known as a contemporary scheming b itch. The next day, Joanna and Jaydon went to Porash in the morning. Cora and two marketing managers went with them. Joanna was in a difficult position now. Mossbourne¡¯s factory had already been set up and the funds had already been invested. It was impossible to give up now. Besides, Joanna also nned to focus on Mossbourne¡¯s market and try to distance herself from Bruce. At 9 a.m., thepany¡¯s employees arrived at the Haynes Group one after another. Bruce also came aggressively. ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett!¡± Everyone was shocked when they saw Bruce. Mr. Everett had note to the Haynes Group for a month. They wondered why he came today. Bruce entered the conference room. All the senior executives had arrived, except for Joanna. ¡°Where is Joanna?¡± Luna quickly got up and reported, ¡°Miss Haynes didn¡¯te to thepany today.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard this. ¡°Why is she absent from work again?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes has gone to Mossbourne.¡± ¡°When will she be back?¡± Bruce questioned. ¡°Maybe in a week.¡± ¡°In a week?¡± After Bruce heard this, he frowned even more. ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes said that she would stay at Mossbourne this week. I¡¯ll be in charge of conveying the work arrangements.¡± When Bruce heard this, he did not say anything else. He turned around and left without looking back. ¡°Mr. Everett hasn¡¯te to thepany for so long. Why is he here today?¡± ¡°He must be here to look for Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Judging from Mr. Everett¡¯s expression, he must be here to stir up trouble.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Fortunately, Miss Haynes isn¡¯t here,¡± ¡°What are Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett quarreling about?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Now, the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group have canceled their orders. It¡¯s normal for Miss Haynes to get anxious and fall out with Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Do you think Mr. Everett is behind this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He also has shares in the Haynes Group. What could he get if he yed tricks behind it?¡± ¡°He only has so few shares of the Haynes Groop. It¡¯s definitely not as good as gobbling it up.¡± ¡°Stop making wild guesses and do your job!¡± The employees were discussing among themselves again. Bruce, of course, read yesterday¡¯s news, too. Knowing that Joanna had gone to meet Jaydon again after leaving the Everett Cooperation, Bruce was so furious that his blood boiled with anger. Therefore, he came over early in the morning to denounce Joanna. However, Joanna went to Mossbourne again. Needless to say, she must be trying to avoid meeting Bruce because she knew that he would not let the matter rest. ¡°Andy, find out where Joanna is right now.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Three minutester, Andy found Joanna¡¯s location. ¡°Miss Haynes is at her factory in Mossbourne now. This is her current location.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Porash right now!¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes, right now! Don¡¯t make me repeat myself!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Andy did not dare to say anything else. Bruce¡¯s face was extremely sullen. He sounded like he was in a bad mood today. Beep, beep. Just then, Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Bruce took out his phone and looked at it. The call was from Roxanne. After Roxanne was discharged from the hospital, she moved to the Sherane Bay Vi. And because Bruce felt guilty, he would go back and apany her every day. However, he did not go back because he was too angryst night. ¡°Hey, Bruce!¡± ¡°Roxy, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just miss you.¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice was soft and weak, revealing a hint of mncholy. ¡°Are youing back tonight?¡± she asked. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m busy now.¡± Bruce frowned. He did not know how to answer her. He nned to go to Porash to look for Joanna, and he might not be back tonight. Roxanne could hear the hesitation in his voice, and she said in a choked voice, ¡°Bruce, you didn¡¯te backst night. Are you noting back today, either?¡± Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Roxanne was aware that Bruce made a trip to the Haynes Group today. Bruce paused for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯ll see how it goes tonight.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll feel scared if you don¡¯te back!¡± said Roxanne. ¡°There are so many ser vants at home. What is there to be afraid of? If you¡¯re afraid, call your mother over to apany you,¡± Bruce remarked. ¡°Bruce, I want you to apany me!¡± Roxanne spoke in a soft and pleading tone. Bruce furrowed his brows deeply. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll go home tonight!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she was overjoyed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll cook for you!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡± said Bruce. ¡°I want to do it. I¡¯ll go out to buy groceriester and cook. After that, I¡¯ll wait for you to be back,¡± said Roxanne. ¡°Just let the ser vants do these things. You don¡¯t have to make yourself so tired!¡± said Bruce. The more virtuous Roxanne behaved, the more uneasy Bruce felt! ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne wanted to say something else. However, Bruce interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯m in a meeting right now. I¡¯m very busy. I¡¯ll talk to youter. ¡°We can talk more after I get home tonight!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes flickered and then she ended the call. Less than five minutes after Roxanne ended the call, Ingrid called. Ever since Roxanne moved into the Everett mansion, Ingrid had been calling her three times a day. From N?velDrama.Org. Seeing that it was Ingrid¡¯s call, Roxanne quickly picked up. ¡°Hello, Mom!¡± she said. ¡°Hello, Roxy!¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Mom, is something the matter?¡± asked Roxanne. Ingrid¡¯s concerned voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Roxy, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing at all!¡± replied Roxanne. ¡°Then why don¡¯t go over and apany you?¡± asked Ingrid. ¡°All right,¡± said Roxanne. Bruce was slightly obsessed with cleanliness and did not like othersing to his private residence. Roxanne had been living here for more than ten days, but Ingrid had note once. An hourter, Ingrid came over eagerly. Ingrid¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the luxurious mansion, and she could help but exim in admiration. Chapter 145 30 ¡°Oh my, Bruce lives alone in such a big ce? ¡°This house is too big. It¡¯s much better than ours! ¡°After you and Bruce get married, Mom will move in with you!¡± As Ingrid spoke, she looked around excitedly and started touching everything she saw. E Upon seeing that, Roxanne could not help but frown. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t touch these things. Bruce doesn¡¯t like others touching his personal belongings. Don¡¯t touch them.¡± Bruce liked to collect porcin and jade artifacts. The entire wall of cabs was filled with all kinds of porcin! Any one of them was extremely valuable and worth a lot of money! Ingrid pursed her lips and looked at the porcin longingly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? You¡¯re going to marry him soon! I¡¯m just taking a look! It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m going to take them home!¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Roxanne red at her in annoyance. ¡°Okay, okay, okay! I won¡¯t touch them, okay?¡± said Ingrid. As she spoke, Ingrid sat down on the leather sofa again. Roxanne, on the other hand, looked unhappy and sat down beside Ingrid. Looking at her daughter¡¯s troubled expression, Ingrid asked concernedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look unhappy.¡± Roxanne frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°How have you been? Is Bruce treating you well?¡± asked Ingrid. Roxanne replied softly, ¡°Good¡­ But also not good.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? He¡¯s either good to you or not,¡± said Ingrid. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to put it. If I say he isn¡¯t good to me, that¡¯s not really true. After all, he buys all sorts of presents for me and shows concern for me too. ¡°If I say he¡¯s good to me, well¡­¡± Roxanne was a little hesitant to speak. ¡°But what?¡± asked Ingrid. Roxanne¡¯s cheeks burned crimson. She found it hard to say what she wanted to say next. Until now, Bruce did not touch her at all! She had moved to the Everett mansion, but all this time, Bruce and she had been sleeping in separate rooms. This made Roxanne feel uneasy! After she was bullied by those men, although Bruce showed concern and pampered her, Roxanne could tell from his gaze that he minded what had happened. Seeing this, Ingrid could roughly guess what was going on. She patted her daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things. You¡¯ve already moved into the Everett mansion now. ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s impossible for you to move out again! ¡°For the rest of your life, you have to do whatever you can to stay here! Even if they ask you to leave, you mustn¡¯t do so!¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s pupils constricted slightly, and shey her head on Ingrid¡¯s arms like a wounded kitten. Ingrid caressed her daughter¡¯s head, feeling sorry for Roxanne. ¡°Goodness, I haven¡¯t seen you in a while, but you slimmed down by a lot! Chapter 145 ¡°That matter is already in the past. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Let the past be in the past forever! ¡°As long as Bruce doesn¡¯t mention it, don¡¯t take the initiative to mention it! This matter will be over soon!¡± Ingrid advised. ¡°But even if I don¡¯t mention it, I can¡¯t pretend that nothing happened. I know that Bruce actually minds it!¡± said Roxanne. As Roxanne spoke, she could not help but start sobbing. Ingrid frowned and then sighed. Looking at her daughter crying, Ingrid could only sayfortingly, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You have to get over it! ¡°You can only rely on yourself toy the ghost of it to rest. No one can help you! ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you have to endure everything. Only by enduring the grievances that others can¡¯t tolerate can you be above everyone else.¡± Meanwhile, at Porash. Joanna and Jaydon came to visit the factory early in the morning. Jaydon looked at the factory in front of him with interest. ¡°So this is the new factory?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes, the equipment has been imported. After the renovation is done in a few days, it will start operating!¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Joanna sighed softly. ¡°I was too careless while you were too impulsive!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as the factory is built, it will be able to function normally soon! We need time to slowly build up our client base. Everything is going to be okay,¡± said Jaydon. Joanna made a sound of acknowledgment before she said, ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as we can ovee this difficult period, everything else will be okay,¡± said Jaydon. When Joanna heard this, she pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°I hope so!¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Let¡¯s go have lunch!¡± suggested Jaydon. ¡°Sure!¡± said Joanna. Jaydon asked, ¡°You¡¯ve walked for so long today. Are you tired?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Not at all. ¡°There¡¯s nothing nice to eat here. We might have to drive downtown!¡± Upon hearing that, Jaydon said, ¡°All right. Get in the car!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna said. She was just about to get into the car when a car approached them. The door to the car slowly opened. Bruce got out of the car with a dark expression. He stood with his back to the light. Under the sunlight, he had a dark expression. ¡°Joanna!¡± Bruce yelled. Joanna looked up at Bruce, and her heart sank. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Bruce frowned and casually lit a cigarette. He snorted and then said, ¡°Why? Are you surprised to see me?¡± Joanna was indeed surprised. She was even more surprised by the fact that Bruce knew where she was. No matter where she went, he always managed to find her with unerring uracy. She wondered if he had installed a GPS tracker on her phone. ¡°Bruce, what do you want?¡± Jaydon also got out of the car with a gloomy expression. Bruce narrowed his eyes and sized Jaydon up disdainfully! Following that, he nced at Joanna. ¡°Looks like you really didn¡¯t take my words to heart!¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t be so overbearing!¡± Bruce said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance! Leave Jaydon, otherwise, I¡¯ll ensure you two will have an even more tragic ending!¡± When Joanna heard this, she exchanged nces with Jaydon before saying, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really too domineering! ¡°No matter what, Jay and I will never break off our friendship! Also, you have no right to make demands of me!¡± Bruce spat out a mouthful of smoke and tried his best to suppress his anger. ¡°Fine. You have guts. I¡¯ve already given you a chance. You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t know how to cherish it! ¡°Very soon, you¡¯ll know the consequences of refusing to listen to me!¡± Bruce threatened. When Joanna heard this, she frowned even more. ¡°The smallest worm will turn being trodden on. We have no enmity against each other, so why are you targeting me like this? ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t owe you anything, so don¡¯t always act all high and mighty!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in fury. He had a ruthless expression when he said, ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret this! You¡¯ll be crying and begging me to help you!¡± Joanna raised her head high and said coldly, ¡°At most, I¡¯ll start all over again. Even if I go bankrupt, I won¡¯t beg you!¡± ¡°Fine! You have guts. Just you wait, Joanna!¡± Bruce snarled. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡± Joanna replied. Bruce sneered, turned around, and got into the car again! Then, the car sped off. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon said worriedly. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Joanna said. Bruce sat in the car, and his face was twisted with anger. Andy said carefully, ¡°Mr. Everett, where are we going now?¡± ¡°Return to Greyport. Inform Shaun that I want to buy the shares in his hands, as well as the shares in the hands of Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul!¡± Bruce ordered. Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Chapter 146 ¡°Oh! Mr. Everett¡­¡± Andy was cut off by Bruce. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying? I want Joanna to be bankrupt within a year, do you hear me?¡± asked Bruce. Andy answered meekly, ¡°Oh, okay! Yes, I heard you!¡± ¡°Call the Stark Group immediately and ask them to withdraw their cooperation with the Haynes Group. I want to cut off the Haynes Group¡¯s source of supply, Bruce added angrily. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll make the call now!¡± Andy replied. Very soon, Andy made the call to the Stark Group. This time, Bruce was determined. He was going topletely destroy Joanna¡¯s career! After returning to Greyport, Bruce called for a meeting with his higher-level executives. He busied himself until past nine at night. After Roxanne called him three times, Bruce finally went home. At the Sherane Bay Vi. When Bruce entered, Roxanne was already waiting at the door. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re back,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Bruce replied in a mu ffled voice. Roxanne had an ingratiating expression on her face as she said gently, ¡°Bruce, are you tired? I¡¯ve already run you a bath. ¡°Go and take a bath!¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll just shower before sleeping.¡± The smile on Roxanne¡¯s face vanished. ¡°Then¡­ why don¡¯t you eat first? I¡¯ve already cooked! The dishes have been heated up both times.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Bruce replied calmly. Following that, Bruce went upstairs to change his clothes. He washed his hands before returning to the dining room to eat. Meanwhile, inside the restaurant. Roxanne had painstakingly made five dishes and a soup. She was even considerate enough to cover the dishes with te covers to prevent them from getting cold. ¡°There¡¯s steamed fish and prawns today¡­¡± said Roxanne. Bruce made a sound of acknowledgment and did not say anything else. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating. When she saw Bruce eating in big mouthfuls, a smile appeared on Roxanne¡¯s face. ¡°Does it taste okay?¡± she asked. ¡°Yup. It tastes okay!¡± Bruce replied calmly and ate a few more mouthfuls of rice. ¡°Bruce, are you unhappy?¡± Roxanne asked. ¡°No!¡± Bruce answered. ¡°But you look unhappy,¡± said Roxanne. Bruce frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not unhappy. I¡¯m just too tired!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you a massageter¡­¡± Roxanne said. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m very tired today and want to sleep early¡­ I¡¯m already full. Enjoy your meal,¡± Bruce said. With that, Bruce put down his chopsticks and stood up to go upstairs. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve only eaten so little. Eat more!¡± Roxanne urged. ¡°I¡¯m so tired today that I don¡¯t have much of an appetite! Don¡¯t cook anymore in the future. Just let the ser vants cook!¡± Bruce said. With that, he went straight upstairs. Roxanne stood rooted to the ground with an awkward and disappointed look on her face. Bruce was too perfunctory! Roxanne found his cold attitude unbearable! Bruce returned to his room. He did not even bother to take a shower and immediatelyy in bed. Bruce was seething with anger. He was fuming, so naturally, he was in no mood to coax Roxanne. Hence, he appeared even more cold and perfunctory than usual. Downstairs, Roxanne could not help but s o b. In the blink of an eye, one hour passed. Bruce got some sleep. After he woke up, he could not fall back asleep. Thus, Bruce decided to go downstairs and take a breather in the courtyard. As soon as he went downstairs, he saw that Roxanne was still in the living room and not yet asleep. Bruce looked at his watch. It was almost midnight! ¡°It¡¯s sote. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± he asked. When Roxanne heard Bruce¡¯s voice, she quickly turned around and wiped the corners of her eyes with a tissue! Bruce strolled to her side and realized that the trash can was already filled with used tissues. Roxanne¡¯s eyes were red and swollen. It seemed like she had been crying for a long time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned cold. He quickly sat down on the sofa and put one arm around her shoulders. ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing!¡± Roxanne sobbed and wiped away her tears again. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong. Is there something upsetting you?¡± Bruce asked with concern. Roxanne was currently emotionally unstable, so Bruce was afraid that she would try tomit suicide again. Therefore, most of the time, Bruce spoke to Roxanne in a gentle and concerned tone. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re unhappy about, you can tell me!¡± Bruce said. 11:05 Fri, 30 Jun Chapter 146 ¡°No, nothing¡­¡± Although Roxanne said that there was nothing, she had a intive expression on her face. Bruce paused for a moment before he said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to apany you shopping tomorrow. You can buy whatever you want!¡± Roxanne raised her head and looked at Bruce with teary eyes. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s not what I want!¡± Upon hearing that, Bruce was at a loss for words. He did not know how tofort Roxanne. Roxanne added, ¡°I¡¯ve known you since I was 15 years old. ¡°It¡¯s been eight years since we started dating, but I¡¯m your girlfriend in name only. In actual fact, you¡¯ve never treated me as your girlfriend!¡± When Bruce heard this, he forced a smile. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Roxanne could not help but start sobbing again. Tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°Do you despise me that much?¡± ¡°No! What are you talking about? Why would I despise you?¡± Bruce asked. Roxanne said, ¡°If you don¡¯t despise me, then why haven¡¯t you touched me at all? ¡°I know that you despise me!¡± The more Roxanne spoke, the sadder she became. ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t dare to ask for anything.¡± She started to s o b again. Bruce frowned and pulled her into his arms. ¡°I really don¡¯t despise you!¡± Roxanne was still in tears. She choked and said, ¡°Bruce, I know that you¡¯re still together with me because you feel guilty. ¡°But if you don¡¯t love me anymore, you don¡¯t have to do this!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and forced himself to exin, ¡°Roxy, I¡¯ve always respected you. That¡¯s why I wanted to wait for us to get married before I touch you.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to wait until after we get married. What era is it now? If you really love me, how can you not be willing to touch me?¡± Roxanne asked. Bruce froze and then looked at Roxanne seriously. Roxanne looked at him with red eyes and a heartbroken expression. After a while, Bruce pursed his lips. ¡°All right,¡± he said. After saying that, Bruce did not say anything else. He bent down and carried Roxanne in his arms. He decided not to drag it out any longer. Bruce carried Roxanne back to her room. Then, he gently ced her on the bed and began to kiss her cheeks gently. Roxanne also stopped crying and wrapped her arms around his neck. Unfortunately, no matter how much he kissed her, his body had no reaction at all. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Actually, it could not be said that he had no reaction. After all, he felt a little disgusted. Ten minutester, Bruce still did not start the main course yet. Instead, he was getting more and more uninterested! He was clearly a man who was easily turned on. However, for some reason, Bruce¡¯s body had no reaction at all when facing Roxanne. Moreover, his mind kept reying the scene whereby Roxanne was being bullied by those men. When Bruce thought about that, hepletely lost all interest. Roxanne was also a little anxious. In fact, she began to wonder if Bruce could do it. Otherwise, why could he not get into the mood? Was he unable to do it? Or was he not turned on by her? They continued like that for a while longer. Another ten minutes passed. Bruce hadpletely given up. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes were filled with doubt and disappointment. Seeing the disappointment in Roxanne¡¯s eyes, Bruce did not continue. He got out of bed and said, ¡°Roxy, perhaps I¡¯m too tired today. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not interested at all. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for another day to do this. Wait till I¡¯ve had my rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bruce! We can take it slow!¡± Roxanne hurriedly sat up from the bed, wanting him to try again. When Bruce heard this, he was stone-faced and then left the room in frustration. When he faced Joanna, he was clearly not like this! He could even be described as a maniac. But why did he not have any reaction at all when facing Roxanne? Roxanne watched as Bruce left. Her eyes widened. Bruce had performed terribly earlier. She could not help butpare him to Gavin! ¡°No wonder he didn¡¯t touch me for all these years¡­ It turns out that he¡¯s sexually impotent,¡± thought Roxanne. At that thought, Roxanne shuddered. If Bruce was really sexually impotent then what was the point of her marrying him? Roxanne waspletely dumbfounded now. She was unsure if Bruce was sexually impotent or if she was not attractive enough for him. Late at night. Roxanney on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Bruce had piqued her interest! In addition, in the past month or so, Roxanne was hospitalized for the first half of the month and stayed in the Everett mansion for the second half of the month. Over the past month, it could be said that she practicedplete abstinence. In the past, Roxanne had to go on a date with Gavin every week. The longest she had gone without meeting Gavin was no more than half a month. But now, it had been more than a month since shest had sex. Although Roxanne hated Gavin¡¯s cowardice and poverty, she could not help but miss the joy he brought her in the dead of night! The more she thought about it, the more Roxanne felt like ants were crawling under her skin. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep! Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Chapter 147 However, Roxanne did not dare to take the initiative to contact Gavin anymore. It was not easy for her to settle this matter, so she was unwilling to get herself stuck in an unpleasant situation again. ¡°So what if we don¡¯t have a healthy married sex life? As long as we have money, everything will be fine!¡± she thought. Roxanne tossed and turned until thetter half of the night. She was so tired that finally, she drifted off to sleep. She missed Gavin so much that she even drearned of him. The next day. When Roxanne woke up, it was already past 11 in the afternoon. Bruce had already gone to work. Roxanne pondered for a while and could not resist giving Ingrid a call. Since her mother was more experienced, Roxanne thought that she might have a solution for this. Roxanne punched Ingrid¡¯s phone number on her phone and dialed it. The call went through quickly. ¡°Hello, Roxy. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Roxanne hesitated to say what she wanted to say. Ingrid heard the hesitation in Roxanne¡¯s voice, and her heart sank. ¡°What happened this time?¡± ¡°Mom, I want to ask you something,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ingrid said. Roxanne took a deep breath. She could not help but ask, ¡°Well¡­ What should I do if a man is unable to perform in bed?¡± On the other end of the line, Ingrid¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Can¡¯t perform in bed? Who are you referring to?¡± Roxanne said in an annoyed tone, ¡°Who else can it be¡­¡± Ingrid was startled and asked in disbelief, ¡°Are you talking about Bruce? Oh my goodness, how is this possible?¡± Roxanne sighed. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s true!¡± Ingrid said, ¡°It can¡¯t be. I thought you two have done the deed before, so how is it possible that he¡¯s unable to perform?¡± Roxanne said angrily, ¡°No! I was lying to you before! ¡°We tried to dontst night, but unfortunately¡­ we kept failing.¡± When Ingrid heard this, she found it even more unbelievable. ¡°No way! Bruce seems like a man with vigorous energy. How is it possible that he has that kind of illness?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! Why would I lie to you?¡± Roxanne said. Ingrid paused for a few seconds. From Roxanne¡¯s tone, it did not sound like she was joking. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be anxious. You can make some medicinal cuisine for him. Buy more seahorses, deer antlers, the bark of rubber trees, and wolfberries. Make some soup for him to nourish his body. It will definitely work,¡± Ingrid advised. 11:05 Fri, 30 Chapter 147 ¡°Will these really work?¡± Roxanne asked. Ingrid countered, ¡°Why not? ¡°I have a recipe here. I¡¯ll send it to youter. You can follow the steps and make it for Bruce. If it still doesn¡¯t work, you can only treat his illness with the use of medication!¡± Roxanne sighed in frustration. ¡°But such things are hard to say!¡± Ingrid paused for a moment and hurriedly reminded her daughter, ¡°Don¡¯t say such things in front of Bruce. It will hurt his pride! Just make it ording to the medicinal cuisine recipe!¡± ¡°Mom, what if he really can¡¯t do it in the future?¡± Roxanne asked worriedly. ¡°Silly girl, it doesn¡¯t matter if he can or can¡¯t. Even if he really can¡¯t, what does it matter? He¡¯s so rich. He¡¯ll think of a way to solve it!¡± Ingrid said. ¡°But¡­¡± Roxanne was about to continue speaking, but Ingrid did not give her a chance to do so. She interrupted, ¡°No buts. I will give you a prescriptionter. Just follow it! ¡°I¡¯m ying poker now, so I¡¯ll talk to you another time!¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up!¡± Ingrid hung up after saying that. Roxanne was feeling distraught and could only hang up too. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Over at Ingrid¡¯s end. Ingrid was currently being harassed by her two cousins. Seeing that she had finished the call, a tall and burly middle-aged man, Wace, teased, ¡°It¡¯s just 4 million dors. Your daughter is about to marry into the Everett family. This small amount of money is nothing to you!¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You make it sound so easy. Even if my daughter marries into the Everett family, the money is still the Everett family¡¯s money, not mine! ¡°Both of you are too greedy! Where am I going to find so much money for you guys?¡± Another slightly plump cousin, Oscar, also smiled and patted Ingrid¡¯s butt. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stop pretending. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know how much money you have! ¡°It¡¯s only 4 million dors, and you¡¯ll get to enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory. Not a bad deal at all, right?¡± Wace chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. We have apanied you for more than a decade! Don¡¯t tell me you want to kick us out of your life! ¡°If not, why don¡¯t you let us continue working at the Haynes Group? Either that or you have to compensate us 2 million dors each. If you do that, we promise not to pester you anymore!¡± Ingrid gritted her teeth and said angrily, ¡°4 million dors is not a small sum. You have to give me time to raise it!¡± ¡°We already gave you a few months to raise the money. I don¡¯t believe that till now, you haven¡¯t managed to raise the money,¡± Wace said. Ingrid¡¯s face darkened. She was angry and anxious. ¡°Oh please! You¡¯re talking about 4 million dors, not 400 dors! ¡°Who will keep that much money at home? Besides, if I transfer 4 million dors from my ount at once and my husband finds out, what should I do?¡± Wace pinched her butt and chuckled. ¡°You will have a way. We believe you! ¡°Hurry up and transfer the money! For old times¡¯ sake, we¡¯ve already given you time! You can¡¯t keep trying to trick us.¡± 11:05 Fri, 30 Jun Chapter 147 After saying that, Wace took out his phone and showed Ingrid the photo album. ¡°I¡¯ve always kept these videos and photos of you! Don¡¯t resent us if I identally send these to your husband one day.¡± Ingrid took a deep breath and said angrily, ¡°Fine! I can give you money! ¡°But you have to promise me one thing!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± the two men asked. Ingrid¡¯s face darkened. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Help me get rid of someone!¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Wace shook his head. He refused tomit murder. Ingrid said, ¡°I¡¯m not kidding! ¡°4 million dors is enough for me to hire a lot of assassins. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 4 million dors now as long as you agree to help me kill someone. As long as you don¡¯t spend extravagantly for the rest of your lives, this amount of money is enough tost you for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°Who do you want us to kill?¡± the two men asked in unison. ¡°This person is also your enemy!¡± Ingrid answered. ¡°Our enemy?¡± they asked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ingrid said. The men looked Foto t at each other. ¡°Who exactly is it?¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°Iv want you guys to get rid of Joanna. ¡°As long as that b itch dies, I¡¯ll definitely give you the money!¡± ¡± ¡°Get rid of Joanna?¡± Both men were stunned and subconsciously gulped. Ingrid snorted. ¡°Think about it. We¡¯re talking about 2 million dors for each of you! This amount of money is enough for you to emigrate to some countries in Southeast Alendor. You¡¯ll be able to live a carefree life! ¡°After getting rid of Joanna, by then the footage boy in two will leave Greyport and live in another ce. Wouldn¡¯t you be happier like that?¡± Wace snorted. ¡°What you¡¯re doing is akin to hiring a contract killer.¡± Ingrid said, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want to call it. Anyway, this is my condition. I don¡¯t care what method you use so long as you kill Joanna. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that the transfer of money into your ounts will go smoothly. ¡°As long as Joanna dies, even if you want toe back to the Haynes Group to work, you can do so any time! Moreover, you will get money. How worthwhile! ¡°Think about it carefully! Call me when you¡¯ve made a decision.¡± As she spoke, Ingrid picked up her bag and prepared to leave. Wace blocked her way again and started groping her. ¡°You¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°If I don¡¯t leave, what will happen?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t intend to y with us?¡± Wace asked. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood today. Perhaps another day,¡± Ingrid said. In the past, she enjoyed fooling around with her two cousins. But now, she wanted to throw up at the sight of Wace and Oscar. Her cousins were such heartless men, and they even wanted to extort money from her. These men had slept with her and took her money. Now, they even wanted to threaten her. She had never seen such trashy men! After that, Ingrid left. Wace and Oscar started discussing with one another. ¡°What should we do? Should we do it or not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually a good deal. We will get 2 million dors each by killing someone. That¡¯s if we actually go through with it.¡± ¡°Then we have to n well. We can¡¯t possibly lose our lives just for that 2 million dors!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s best if we can think of a way to create an ident and let Joanna silently vanish from this world.¡± ¡°But what if Ingrid doesn¡¯t give us money after we get rid of Joanna?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare! ¡°She has so much evidence in our hands. She wouldn¡¯t dare to not pay us!¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± Meanwhile, in Porash. Joanna and Jaydon were in the process of arranging the factory¡¯s offices. Suddenly, there was a ringing sound. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. She saw that it was a call from Luna and quickly answered it. ¡°Hello?¡± Joanna said. Luna¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯ve got bad news!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ski pped a beat. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Just now, the Stark Group¡¯s vice president called and said that he wanted to cut off the Haynes Group¡¯s supply!¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± Joanna asked. Luna said anxiously, ¡°He just called.¡± Joanna was so angry that she was rendered speechless. Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Needless to say, Bruce must be behind this too. ¡°If he wants me to die, there are too many despicable methods that he can use,¡± thought Joanna. ¡°How much stock do we have now?¡± she asked Luna. ¡°We only have enough for this quarter. We don¡¯t have any supply for the next quarter, so we have to find a new supplier!¡± Luna answered. ¡°Okay, I understand!¡± said Joanna. After saying that, she ended the call. Jaydon asked concernedly, ¡°Joann, what happened?¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°The Stark Group cut off the Haynes Group¡¯s supply!¡± ¡°So what do you intend to do?¡± asked Jaydon. ¡°Now, we can only try to find a new source of goods as soon as possible!¡± Joanna said, Joanna paused for a few seconds and sighed. ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll call the president of CI Technologies again to see if there¡¯s still a chance of us cooperating.¡± Jaydon frowned when he heard that. ¡°Actually, CI Technologies isn¡¯t a good business partner. David isn¡¯t a good person.¡± Jaydon had heard that David had gotten a beating from Bruce before, so Jaydon could roughly guess what was the reason for Joanna¡¯s sudden predicament. Joanna said, ¡°I¡¯ll just give it a try first! If it really doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll handle the research and development by myself! ¡°However, if I do this, the cost is too high. If I don¡¯t seed, I might really go bankrupt!¡± Jaydon smiled and patted her shoulder gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even if you go bankrupt, you still have me! ¡°Although I can¡¯t help you much, at the very least, I can help you to raise funds.¡± Although Jaydon could not provide her with connections in business, the Grimm family was still one of the top tycoons in Venturas. He could take out his liquid funds at any time. The next day. This was Joanna¡¯s fourth day in Porash. In the four days that she was not in Greyport, the Haynes Group¡¯s internal structure changed drastically. Early in the morning, Joanna¡¯s phone started vibrating. Joanna answered the call. ¡°Hello, Luna!¡± Luna¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, hurry up and return to Greyport!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul are throwing a tantrum. They want to fire the few research and development personnel you brought over from Melta!¡± Luna reported. Joanna was shocked to hear that. ¡°What¡¯s the reason for that?¡± Fri, 30 Ju Chapter 148 When Joanna joined the Haynes Group, she brought a group of staff with her. A few of them were research and development engineers who she had spent a lot of effort to poach over. Luna reported, ¡°Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul said that their sries are too high for thepany to support! ¡°They said that these personnel has been here for four to five months and hasn¡¯t created any profit for thepany!¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna said, ¡°All right, I understand! ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Greyport this afternoon. Inform the board and management that there¡¯ll be a meeting tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes,¡± said Luna. Joanna had just hung up when the director of the finance department called again. He reported, ¡°Miss Haynes, the funds for the Porash¡¯s factory has been cut off. ¡°We still need to pay over 2 million dors for the new equipment. The supplier is about to ship the equipment. We have to transfer the money to our ount quickly¡­¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Joanna said. After Joanna hung up the phone, she had a headache. She felt like she was besieged on all sides. The next day, Joanna rushed back to Greyport. At eight in the morning. Joanna rushed to thepany. At 20 minutes past eight, Roger, Paul, and the rest entered the conference room. Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I heard that you want to fire some research and development engineers, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! People who are just here to make up the numbers must be fired,¡± they demanded. Joanna was so angry that her heart clenched in pain. She looked at the two of them with a dark expression. ¡°I brought them back from Melta, so we can¡¯t fire them¡­¡± Paul said, ¡°Ha, that¡¯s easy for you to say! Thepany pays them but they don¡¯t do anything at all! ¡°They¡¯re justzing about Roger also said bluntly, ¡°You¡¯re behaving so foolishly. If this continues, what will happen to the company?¡± Paul chimed in, ¡°He¡¯s right. Such a high sry is enough to hire three to four people with the same ability! ¡°These people can¡¯t stay in thepany any Joanna took a deep breath and tried to convince the two of them. ¡°They can¡¯t leave. The benefits that research and development personnel can bring can¡¯t be seen in the immediate future. It can only be my unit to a paypaleen in the future¡­¡± Paul sneered and said disdainfully, ¡°What development ¡°Or are these people your cronies? Did you I can there be? What benefits can they create for thepany? Weliberately use t Joanna said, ¡°They¡¯re all top-notch research years, half a year, or even ten years¡­¡± I development techs from Melta. It takes time to develop a project! It might take one year, two ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying that we have to hire a person and train him for eight to ten years before he can create benefits for thepany?¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 148 ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Joanna said. ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± they asked. Roger and Paul deliberately opposed Joanna because Bruce had instructed them to do so. In short, they only needed to do one thing. Their goal was to get Joanna removed from the board of directors. Seeing that she could not convince the two of them, Joanna could not be bothered to argue with them anymore. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not argue anymore! ¡°Since you don¡¯t want them to stay in the Haynes Group, I¡¯ll let them work in the factory in Porash! ¡°Will that do?¡± Roger shrugged. ¡°Oh, in that case, we have no objections. After all, your factory in Porash has nothing to do with us! You can pay them however much you want.¡± ¡°All right then, today¡¯s meeting is over!¡± Joanna announced. ¡°Wait a minute! The Stark Group has cut off the Haynes Group¡¯s supply. How are we going to resolve this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We won¡¯t have any goods to sell next quarter. Where can we find arge supplier at such a critical juncture?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think of a way!¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°What can you think of?¡± the two men questioned. Joanna choked in anger. ¡°Then let¡¯s all think of a solution together. Both of you are also thepany¡¯s directors! Now that something has happened, you can¡¯t expect me to take sole responsibility for it.¡± ¡°Ha, but you¡¯re the executive director of thepany, and the leader of thepany. On top of that, you¡¯re thergest shareholder of thepany. If something happens to thepany, naturally, you have to take responsibility!¡± Joanna was so angry that she was speechless. She did not know how to refute them. These people wanted to enjoy the luxury and benefits that thepany brought them, but they were not willing to stick with thepany through thick and thin! Some time back, when the Haynes Group was doing well, everyone was willing to do anything for her and all of them tried to curry favor with her. And now, as soon as thepany encountered an obstacle, they did nothing except for ming her. Joanna did not want to work with such people anymore! Unfortunately, she did not have that much liquidity on hand now, so she could not buy the shares in their hands. Under Bruce¡¯s instructions, they made things even more difficult for her! Halfway through the meeting. Cora knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is here!¡± As she spoke, Bruce appeared at the door of the conference room. As usual, Bruce was dressed in a proper suit. He looked energetic and carried an air of nobility. ¡°Mr. Everett is here!¡± Roger and Paul were still acting arrogant just now, but now that they saw Bruce, they immediately became subservient to him. All of them nodded and bowed as they stood up to wee him. FII, J Chapter 148 Bruce strode into the conference room. His sharp gaze swept past everyone andnded on Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re really a busy person! It¡¯s really difficult to meet you,¡± said Bruce. As he spoke, Bruce walked over to Joanna¡¯s side. He ced his hand on her chair, leaned over, and stared at her with a suggestive look. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is a board meeting. Please behave more seriously!¡± said Joanna. ¡°How am I not serious?¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face had a sinister and dark look. Joanna¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Please sit down!¡± Bruce looked up and said to everyone, ¡°All of you, leave first!¡± ¡°Oh! Okay, sure!¡± everyone said. ¡°Everyone, wait a moment. The meeting is not over yet. No one can leave!¡± Joanna quickly stopped them. ¡°I said the meeting is over. Everybody out!¡± Bruce hollered. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Roger, Paul, and the high-level executives did not dare to listen to Joanna¡¯s orders at all. They hurriedly stood up and left. ¡°Are you satisfied now, Bruce?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Not really. I¡¯ll only be satisfied when you¡¯repletely defeated and tram pled by everyone!¡± Bruce remarked. ¡°Bruce, what grudge do you have against me? Why are you targeting me like this?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°There¡¯s no enmity between us!¡± Bruce answered. When Joanna heard this, she was so mad that her eyes turned bloodshot. ¡°Then why are you being like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I like it. Money can¡¯t buy my happiness, but this can!¡± Bruce replied. ¡°You¡­¡± Joanna gritted her teeth in anger. At this moment, if she could transform into a ferocious beast, she would sink her teeth into his neck and snap it in two. This vile bas ta rd was really infuriating! Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Chapter 149 ¡°I already warned you. This is the result of your disobedience. It¡¯s only the beginning. There¡¯s more to come.¡± Straightening his tie, Bruce gave her a cun ning smile. Joanna felt a sudden throb in her heart as it pounded faster. ¡°Bruce, when will you let me go?¡± ¡°Well, it depends on how you behave. You have to fight for it yourself. If your behavior is good, I may let you go.¡± Joanna stared at Bruce coldly. ¡°What kind of behavior do you want from me?¡± Bruce smirked and taunted her, ¡°You know very well what I want. Do I have to spell it out?¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze turned cold. She was rendered speechless, consumed by an overwhelming rage. After staring at each other coldly for a few seconds, Joanna suddenly said, ¡°Well, you just want to sleep with me. Go ahead then.¡± As Joanna spoke, she took off her jacket. She gave a look of submission, her eyes filled with hatred and resentment. Bruce felt an overwhelming sense of exasperation when he looked into her eyes. He thought, ¡°Does she think I¡¯m some sort of animal who will take advantage of her helpless plight?¡± All he wanted was for her to leave Jaydon. Bruce did not just want her body. He wanted her heart too. ¡°Joanna, why are you degrading yourself? ¡°Are you going to sell your body just to get what you want? ¡°Will you remove your clothes and sleep with a man just because he can give you what you want?¡± Hearing his sarcastic words, Joanna¡¯s temper sparked, and her face turned ashen. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re such a strange man. What exactly do you want?¡± Bruce pinched her chin and said gruffly, ¡°What do I want? Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°Please stay away from me. Can we talk properly? Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Joanna took a step back in disgust. Her reaction made Bruce seethe with anger. Did she resent his presence so much? Bruce forcibly grabbed her shirt and brought her close to him. His gaze was reminiscent of a wolf fixated on its target. It was intense and unwavering. All he wanted was for her to love him. It was that simple. Why could she not understand that? Joanna could not break free from his grasp as Bruce tugged her shirt. She started to panic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on your mind.¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile. ¡°Do you really not understand what I want? Or are you just pretending?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know. Just tell me.¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds and said, ¡°I want you to love me.¡± Chapter 149 Joanna almost choked when she heard that, her eyes filled with a profound sense of disbelief. A few secondster, she looked at him with contempt again. ¡°You want me to love you? ¡°Ha! Mr. Everett, stop joking.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, aren¡¯t you going to marry another woman soon? You want me to love you? How do you expect me to love you?¡± ¡°My marriage shouldn¡¯t stop you from loving me.¡± Joanna sneered, ¡°Are you asking me to be your mistress?¡± ¡°Not my mistress but my lover.¡± ¡°Lover?¡± Joanna gave a snort of disgust. She used to love him so deeply. Back then, all she got in return was humiliation and torture. She no longer dared to love him. She vowed never to love him again. She could never forget the pain he had inflicted on her. How could she love him again? ¡°Joanna, I know you still love me. ¡°I can¡¯t ept the fact that you are now with someone else. If you want me to love you again, stay away from all men. ¡°I don¡¯t want any man near you, except me.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Joannaughed contemptuously. Bruce was so infuriated by her contemptuous expression that he domineeringly grasped her chin. ¡°Joanna, did you hear what I said to you? ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience again. You know that I will always get what I want.¡± Joanna retorted coldly, ¡°Mr. Everett, please stop your nonsense. ¡°We¡¯re all adults. Stop ying such childish games.¡± ¡°Childish games? Do you think love is childish?¡± Anger rose in Bruce like a tide. A hint of mockery appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ha! Do you think there¡¯s love between us?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°All right. You can say whatever you want. I don¡¯t want to argue with you anymore.¡± Joanna no longer wanted to argue with Bruce. He was always so domineering. Although she could not afford to offend him, she could still hide from him. Seeing her offhand attitude, Bruce simmered with anger. ¡°Joanna, what do you mean?¡± ¡°What do you mean by asking what do I mean?¡± ¡°I mean, can you stop your nonsense?¡± Joanna lost her patiencepletely. Chapter 149 Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Break up with Jaydon and be my woman. This is your only way out.¡± ¡°What if I refuse?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret it if you refuse to do what I say.¡±- ¡°Do you have to do this to me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± Bruce was caught offguard by Joanna¡¯s question. Why was he doing this to her? He did not know either. He only knew that he could not bear to see her with another man. He wanted her everything, including her heart. Joanna pped Bruce¡¯s hand away and looked at him with a smirk. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you in love with me?¡± Bruce was so choked that he could not utter a single word. He must be in love with her. However, given his arrogance and pride, he would never admit that he loved her. Moreover, he was the one who had forsaken her back then. Even though he wanted very much to go back to her, he would never admit it. Instead, he wanted her to beg him to take her back. He would then pretend to ept her into his life reluctantly. Of course, deep down he would be happy if she went back to him. He was just pretending to be indifferent. On one hand, he wanted others to guess his thoughts, yet he was unwilling to reveal his true feelings to them. ¡°Love you? Hmph, what a joke! ¡°How can I fall in love with a single mother? I just think that you¡¯re still quite good-looking and want to y with you.¡± That was not what Bruce meant, but he blurted them out without thinking. They sounded so heartless and cold. Joanna gave a snort, thinking that Bruce was telling the truth. She knew it. This was truly how he felt about her. ¡°Then why did you do it?¡± ¡°Do I need to report to you what I want to do?¡± Joanna kept her emotions in check and said coldly, ¡°All right, don¡¯t say any further. ¡°Just get out of hofe.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Are you bent on rejecting me?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, other than disgust, I don¡¯t feel anything for you. ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to entangle ourselves any further. Please refrain from engaging in such immature behavior in the future.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m immature?¡± Bruce let out augh. Indeed, he was not mature enough in his rtionship with Joanna. However, true love was always immature. If one was very calm andposed, he probably would not be able to love with his heart. Joanna did not want to continue talking to him. She shrugged and pretended not to care. ¡°Fine, just take it that I said something wrong. ¡°No one can stop you from doing whatever you want. You can do as you wish. Anyway, we¡¯ve always been enemies.¡± With that, Joanna turned around and walked toward the door of the conference room. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Joanna turned around and looked at Bruce with disdain. ¡°What¡¯s up? Do you still want to make things difficult for me? ¡°Bruce, there are surveince cameras in this room. If you dare to use force on me, I can report you to the police and sue you. ¡°Since you¡¯ve forced me into a dead end, I can only fight you to the end.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face darkened. He retorted, ¡°Hmph, do you think I can¡¯t live without you? Do you think you¡¯re my only woman?¡± Joanna smiled, her brows slightly furrowed. She felt an inexplicable pain in her heart, but it was only fleeting. She knew that he had never loved her, so she no longer longed for him to love her. ¡°I know that you have countless mistresses. There¡¯s no need to hold on to me.¡± With that, Joanna walked away without looking back. ¡°Joanna, you will definitely regret this.¡± With her back facing him, Joanna sneered, ¡°The only thing I ever regretted is loving you. ¡°Thinking back, it¡¯s the worst time of my life. It¡¯s my greatest regret. ¡°A man like you doesn¡¯t deserve any love.¡± Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Bruce seethed with anger when he heard that. He chased after her and forcefully pulled her back. ¡°Joanna!¡± ¡°What now? Do you want to hit me? Go ahead, hit me! ¡°Anyway, this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve hit me!¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes were filled with anger. In the past, he had indeed hit her. It had been a misunderstanding. He was a gentleman and never liked to hit women. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll be the death of me.¡± ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you anymore. You can do whatever you wish.¡± After saying that, Joanna did not want to face him anymore. She turned around and left. Bruce was a little dejected. Just then, Andy called him again. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett¡¯s condition is getting worse again. You have toe back immediately.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Grandma?¡± ¡°The doctor said it¡¯s heart failure.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go back now.¡± After hanging up the phone, Bruce returned to the Everett mansion without further dy. Soon, he arrived at the Everett mansion. ¡°Where¡¯s Grandma?¡± ¡°The doctor just gave her another injection. Her condition has stabilized.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡± Bruce then walked into Margaret¡¯s room. Margaret was lying on the bed with an oxygen mask on her face. She looked weak and frail. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m back.¡± When Margaret heard Bruce¡¯s voice, she waved her hand lightly, gesturing them to remove her oxygen mask, Bruce quickly instructed the nurse to take off Margaret¡¯s mask. ¡°Grandma, are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Bruce.¡± Margaret eyes were in a daze. Bruce held her withered and thin hand. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Roxy?¡± ¡°She¡¯s at the Sherane Bay Vi. Do you want to see her?¡± Chapter 150 ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s too far away, I don¡¯t want you to rush back and forth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much time left.¡± ¡°Grandma, you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll live a long life.¡± ¡°Bruce, hurry up and get married while I¡¯m still alive. ¡°Grandma wants to see you start a family before I leave this world.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. He no longer had any feelings for Roxanne. He did not want to marry her at all. However, Margaret was already so ill. He could not dy the wedding any longer. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve already decided. I will marry Roxy next month.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good news. Anyway, you¡¯ve been together for so long. You should get married as soon as possible.¡± Margaret was not aware of what had happened to Roxanne. If she knew, she would probably rather die than let Bruce marry her. That night, Bruce left for the Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce returned home, exhausted. Roxanne had specially cooked many dishes for him, such as seafood stew, grilled salmon,mb chop, roasted vegetables, and fresh oysters. They were all nourishing dishes. When Bruce got back at eight o¡¯clock in the evening, he saw Roxanne in a maid¡¯s outfit,plete with a head scarf and apron. The attire made her look attractive and seductive. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re home.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce looked at her attire and frowned. He did not enjoy cosy at all. Roxanne smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Dinner is ready. Bruce, quick. Come and have dinner.¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave the cooking to the ser vants?¡± ¡°I like to cook for you. The ser vants don¡¯t cook as well as I do.¡± Bruce said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to tire yourself out.¡± ¡°I have nothing to do at home. If I don¡¯t cook, I¡¯ll be bored to death.¡± ¡°All right then. Do whatever you like.¡± Shortly after, Bruce washed his hands and sat at the dining table. Roxanne passed him a bowl of seafood stew, smiling. Bruce took a sip of the stew. He could taste the herbs in it. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a seafood stew.¡± Roxanne had added a lot of rich ingredients that were beneficial to the body. 3.61% 11:06 Fri, 30 Jun J Chapter 150 Bruce frowned even harder. He looked at the food on the table. There were fresh oysters, grilled salmon,mb chop, and roasted vegetables. These were all very rich food. During this period, he was already in quite a bad mood. If he ate so much rich food, he would feel even worse. ¡°Bruce, eat more.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Take more of the seafood stew. I spent six hours cooking it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± In the past month, Bruce did not visit Joanna. Neither did he look for other women. Now that he had eaten such rich food, one could imagine how heat was trapped in his body. After dinner, Bruce took a shower and got ready to sleep. As soon as hey in bed, Roxanne pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Bruce.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Why did youe in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep alone.¡± Bruce did not respond. He did not turn her away either. Since the two of them were about to get married, there was no need to maintain any distance. Seeing that he did not resist, Roxanne snuggled in his bed like a tame rabbit. She lifted the nket andy in his arms. ¡°Bruce, can we try again tonight?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Roxanne looked nervous. Bruce did not say anything else. He turned around and pressed her down with his body. He kissed her lips domineeringly. Roxanne shed all her pretenses and was very cooperative. He was indeed feeling very irritable that night. He needed a woman. ¡°Bruce.¡± Roxanne was delirious. However, at the critical moment, Bruce stopped what he was doing. He becamepletely disinterested. Embarrassed, Roxanne looked at Bruce with disappointment in her eyes. ¡°Bruce.¡± The desire in Bruce died suddenly. It was as if someone had poured ice on his head,pletely extinguishing the fire within him. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m really tired today.¡± He then quickly got off the bed. What was wrong with him? Could it be that he was no longer interested in sex? That was impossible. He was just not interested in Roxanne. Roxanney on the bed feeling awkward. She never thought that this would happen again. ¡°Looks like he has no sexual desires.¡± Roxanne felt a cold chill run down her spine at that thought. Unintentionally, she found herself comparing Bruce with Gavin. The more she made theparison, the more nervous she felt. Meanwhile, Bruce had changed his clothes. He took his car keys and drove out of the vi. It was already eleven o¡¯clock at night. Joanna was already preparing to go to sleep. Beep! Beep! Her phone rang. Joanna picked it up and took a look. It was Bruce. She frowned. She did not want to answer his call. Beep! Beep! The phone was vibrating non-stop. Joanna finally answered the call. ¡°Hello.¡± Bruce¡¯s grim voice was heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I want to see you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s already past eleven o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I¡¯m drunk. Come and pick me up.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you should get your secretary or your driver to pick you up at this hour.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on the over pass. It¡¯s the ce where I threw your phone away. Hurry up,e and get me.¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s veryte. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Joanna, are youing?¡± 3 11:06 Fri, 30 Jun Chapter 150 ¡°Bruce, what exactly do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you twenty minutes. If you don¡¯te, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡± Beep! After saying that, Bruce hung up the phone. ¡°Hey!¡± Joanna was so angry that she cursed, ¡°What a lun atic. What¡¯s wrong with him again?¡± However, she did not dare not to meet Bruce. He sounded very unhappy. She did not know what he would do if he did not see her. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you going out sote at night?¡± ¡°Yes, I have something urgent to attend to.¡± ¡°Oh, be careful then. It¡¯s alreadyte at night.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Joanna hurriedly left the house. Twenty minutester, Joanna arrived at the over pass. In the distance, she saw a Maybach parked nearby. Bruce was sitting in the car, smoking away. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s already sote. Why did you ask me out?¡± ¡°Get in the car.¡± ¡°Where the hell are you going?¡± ¡°I said, get into the car.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and got into the car. Bang! Bruce locked the car door. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. He stepped on the elerator and sped off. ¡°Hey, where are you taking me?¡± Chapter 150 Bruce seethed with anger when he heard that. He chased after her and forcefully pulled her back. ¡°Joanna!¡± ¡°What now? Do you want to hit me? Go ahead, hit me! ¡°Anyway, this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve hit me!¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes were filled with anger. In the past, he had indeed hit her. It had been a misunderstanding. He was a gentleman and never liked to hit women. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll be the death of me.¡± ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you anymore. You can do whatever you wish.¡± After saying that, Joanna did not want to face him anymore. She turned around and left. Bruce was a little dejected. Just then, Andy called him again. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett¡¯s condition is getting worse again. You have toe back immediately.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Grandma?¡± ¡°The doctor said it¡¯s heart failure.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go back now.¡± After hanging up the phone, Bruce returned to the Everett mansion without further dy. Soon, he arrived at the Everett mansion. ¡°Where¡¯s Grandma?¡± ¡°The doctor just gave her another injection. Her condition has stabilized.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡± Bruce then walked into Margaret¡¯s room. Margaret was lying on the bed with an oxygen mask on her face. She looked weak and frail. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m back.¡± When Margaret heard Bruce¡¯s voice, she waved her hand lightly, gesturing them to remove her oxygen mask, Bruce quickly instructed the nurse to take off Margaret¡¯s mask. ¡°Grandma, are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Bruce.¡± Margaret eyes were in a daze. Bruce held her withered and thin hand. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Roxy?¡± ¡°She¡¯s at the Sherane Bay Vi. Do you want to see her?¡± Chapter 150 ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s too far away, I don¡¯t want you to rush back and forth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much time left.¡± ¡°Grandma, you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll live a long life.¡± ¡°Bruce, hurry up and get married while I¡¯m still alive. ¡°Grandma wants to see you start a family before I leave this world.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. He no longer had any feelings for Roxanne. He did not want to marry her at all. However, Margaret was already so ill. He could not dy the wedding any longer. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve already decided. I will marry Roxy next month.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good news. Anyway, you¡¯ve been together for so long. You should get married as soon as possible.¡± Margaret was not aware of what had happened to Roxanne. If she knew, she would probably rather die than let Bruce marry her. That night, Bruce left for the Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce returned home, exhausted. Roxanne had specially cooked many dishes for him, such as seafood stew, grilled salmon,mb chop, roasted vegetables, and fresh oysters. They were all nourishing dishes. When Bruce got back at eight o¡¯clock in the evening, he saw Roxanne in a maid¡¯s outfit,plete with a head scarf and apron. The attire made her look attractive and seductive. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re home.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce looked at her attire and frowned. He did not enjoy cosy at all. Roxanne smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Dinner is ready. Bruce, quick. Come and have dinner.¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave the cooking to the ser vants?¡± ¡°I like to cook for you. The ser vants don¡¯t cook as well as I do.¡± Bruce said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to tire yourself out.¡± ¡°I have nothing to do at home. If I don¡¯t cook, I¡¯ll be bored to death.¡± ¡°All right then. Do whatever you like.¡± Shortly after, Bruce washed his hands and sat at the dining table. Roxanne passed him a bowl of seafood stew, smiling. Bruce took a sip of the stew. He could taste the herbs in it. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a seafood stew.¡± Roxanne had added a lot of rich ingredients that were beneficial to the body. 3.61% 11:06 Fri, 30 Jun J Chapter 150 Bruce frowned even harder. He looked at the food on the table. There were fresh oysters, grilled salmon,mb chop, and roasted vegetables. These were all very rich food. During this period, he was already in quite a bad mood. If he ate so much rich food, he would feel even worse. ¡°Bruce, eat more.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Take more of the seafood stew. I spent six hours cooking it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± In the past month, Bruce did not visit Joanna. Neither did he look for other women. Now that he had eaten such rich food, one could imagine how heat was trapped in his body. After dinner, Bruce took a shower and got ready to sleep. As soon as hey in bed, Roxanne pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Bruce.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Why did youe in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep alone.¡± Bruce did not respond. He did not turn her away either. Since the two of them were about to get married, there was no need to maintain any distance. Seeing that he did not resist, Roxanne snuggled in his bed like a tame rabbit. She lifted the nket andy in his arms. ¡°Bruce, can we try again tonight?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Roxanne looked nervous. Bruce did not say anything else. He turned around and pressed her down with his body. He kissed her lips domineeringly. Roxanne shed all her pretenses and was very cooperative. He was indeed feeling very irritable that night. He needed a woman. ¡°Bruce.¡± Roxanne was delirious. However, at the critical moment, Bruce stopped what he was doing. He becamepletely disinterested. Embarrassed, Roxanne looked at Bruce with disappointment in her eyes. ¡°Bruce.¡± The desire in Bruce died suddenly. It was as if someone had poured ice on his head,pletely extinguishing the fire within him. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m really tired today.¡± He then quickly got off the bed. What was wrong with him? Could it be that he was no longer interested in sex? That was impossible. He was just not interested in Roxanne. Roxanney on the bed feeling awkward. She never thought that this would happen again. ¡°Looks like he has no sexual desires.¡± Roxanne felt a cold chill run down her spine at that thought. Unintentionally, she found herself comparing Bruce with Gavin. The more she made theparison, the more nervous she felt. Meanwhile, Bruce had changed his clothes. He took his car keys and drove out of the vi. It was already eleven o¡¯clock at night. Joanna was already preparing to go to sleep. Beep! Beep! Her phone rang. Joanna picked it up and took a look. It was Bruce. She frowned. She did not want to answer his call. Beep! Beep! The phone was vibrating non-stop. Joanna finally answered the call. ¡°Hello.¡± Bruce¡¯s grim voice was heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I want to see you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s already past eleven o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I¡¯m drunk. Come and pick me up.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you should get your secretary or your driver to pick you up at this hour.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on the over pass. It¡¯s the ce where I threw your phone away. Hurry up,e and get me.¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s veryte. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Joanna, are youing?¡± 3 11:06 Fri, 30 Jun Chapter 150 ¡°Bruce, what exactly do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you twenty minutes. If you don¡¯te, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡± Beep! After saying that, Bruce hung up the phone. ¡°Hey!¡± Joanna was so angry that she cursed, ¡°What a lun atic. What¡¯s wrong with him again?¡± However, she did not dare not to meet Bruce. He sounded very unhappy. She did not know what he would do if he did not see her. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you going out sote at night?¡± ¡°Yes, I have something urgent to attend to.¡± ¡°Oh, be careful then. It¡¯s alreadyte at night.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Joanna hurriedly left the house. Twenty minutester, Joanna arrived at the over pass. In the distance, she saw a Maybach parked nearby. Bruce was sitting in the car, smoking away. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s already sote. Why did you ask me out?¡± ¡°Get in the car.¡± ¡°Where the hell are you going?¡± ¡°I said, get into the car.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and got into the car. Bang! Bruce locked the car door. He stepped on the elerator and sped off. ¡°Hey, where are you taking me?¡± Chapter 151 Chapter 151 ¡°You can¡¯t park on the over pass for a long time. My car will be towedter! Where are you going? I can drive behind you, can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Shut up. If your car is towed, I¡¯ll buy you a new one!¡± Joanna choked when she heard that. She sniffed subconsciously. Fortunately, she did not smell the smell of alcohol. ¡®You haven¡¯t been drinking, have you?¡¯ Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and just kept elerating! The car quickly drove towards the winding road up the mountain. They were almost at Emerald Mountain. At night, many couples would drive up the mountain to enjoy the night view. ¡°Bruce, where the hell are you going?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there!¡± The winding road up the mountain circled around Emerald Mountain! The further up they went, the narrower the road became. Although Bruce was very good at driving, Joanna did not dare to say anything to avoid distracting him. Half an hourter. When the car reached the top of the mountain, Bruce finally stopped the car. The car was parked by a cliff. Through the car window, Joanna could see the night view of the entire Greyport. The lights at the foot of the mountain were bright and the neon lights were flickering. It looked surreal and breathtakingly beautiful. Bruce parked the car and lit a cigarette casually. Joanna was not in the mood to admire the mountain scenery. She just looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°What are you doing here sote at night?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. He just smoked silently. The car was soon shrouded in smoke. Joanna coughed twice and opened the car door subconsciously. Just as she was about to get out of the car, Bruce exhaled and said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m getting married next month!¡± Joanna was lost for words, There was an indescribable feeling in her heart. It was not pain, but it was a little suffocating. ¡°Congrattions!¡± Bruce turned toward her slightly and frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you want to say to me?¡± He wanted to hear her asking him to not get married. ¡°I already said it, congrattions!¡± ¡°Joanna, won¡¯t you¡­ try to persuade me to stay?¡± sneer when she heard that. Four years ago, when they divorced, he was this determined. It was normal for him to marry Roxanne now! After all, he had abandoned Joanna because he wanted to marry Roxanne? ¡°Mr. Everett, did you call me out sote at night to tell me that you¡¯re getting married? ¡°it¡¯s just for this matter, you don¡¯t have to ask me out at all! You can just tell me over the phone! ¡°But I¡¯m sorry, I might not be able to attend your wedding 1 wish you happiness.¡± With that, Joanna pershed the car door open and wanted to get out! Bruce grabbed her wrist suddenly and pulled her back ¡°Ah! What are you doing? It hurts¡­ Joanna¡¯s wrist wat in pain ¡°Joanna, you can only belong to me for the rest of your life¡± With that, Bruce grabbed her wrist and pulled the oven, The seats were lowered and adjusted to the lowest levell Bruce pushed her onto the seat hand. joanna panicked and pushed against him desperately. ¡°You¡¯re cracy. Don¡¯t touch mat Brace was already irritable. After eating the warm and sourishing medicinal cuisines today, his entire body was even hotter than usual! Joanna¡¯s clothes were torn apart! ¡°Oh!¡± Joanna screamed, but her voice was soon muf fed by the pair of lips that was pressing against hers, Half an hourter Joanna was already semi-unconscious. Her entire body was trembling non-stop, Bruce stopped and it another cigarette. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with him at all This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. However, for some reason, when he faced Roxanne, he was not interested at all! ¡°Bruce, you ba sta rd¡­ Tears of humiliation flowed from Joanna¡¯s eyes. This wille ba sta rd had always been so harsh to her. Ever forgive him! ¡°Even I¡¯m a ba sta rd, you forced me to be one.¡± stopped taking and just cried silently * Jenna solling sadly, fruca¡¯s heart softened. He kissed the tears away at the corner of Joanna¡¯s eyes lightly, and his tone finally became 16:31 Sat, Chapter 151 gentle. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m actually¡­ in love with you!¡± ¡°As long as you listen to me, I¡¯ll dote on you very much. Why must you go against me like this? ¡°I can give you whatever Jaydon can give you! I can even give you whatever he can¡¯t! ¡°Why did you choose him over me?¡± Joanna finally could not help but cry out loud. She leaned on his shoulder and bit him crazily. ¡°Bruce, you bas ta rd. I will never forgive you for the rest of my life!¡± Bruce was in so much pain that his skin was broken. The blood on Joanna¡¯s lips made her look flustered. ¡°So be it! As long as you belong to me now¡­¡± The entire night! He kept making love to her in the car! The cramped space of the car was filled with scenes that could make one¡¯s pulse race! In the morning! Because they were at the top of the mountain, the sunlight came especially early! The first rays of the morning sun were dazzling and colorful. It was so beautiful that it was suffocating. Joanna was too tired and was still sleeping soundly. Bruce hugged her gently. The sunlight shone on her face through the car window. She looked iparably beautiful. His gaze became exceptionally gentle. If Bruce had known earlier that the girl who saved him ten years ago was Joanna, none of this would have happened! Fate was really ying tricks on him. Bruce only learned the truth after losing what he treasured the most! Ring, ring! Bruce¡¯s phone rang wildly again! Joanna was also awakened! Bruce looked at the phone. It was Roxanne calling! There were already dozens of missed calls and countless unread Messenger messages on his phone. Roxanne had called him all night yesterday, but he did not pick up! Now that he was awake, he was also worried that Roxanne would do something st*pid. After some thought, Bruce frowned and answered the call. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Bruce, where are you? Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone all night?¡± Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What is it?¡± Roxanne said quietly, ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that you suddenly leftst night. I was worried about you!¡± 16:31 Sat, Chapter 151 ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± 51% ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first! We¡¯ll talk when I get back tonight.¡± Without waiting for Roxanne to say anything else, Bruce hung up. Joanna also heard their conversation. She opened his eyes slightly and nced coldly at Bruce! ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re disgusting?¡± Bruce frowned and did not answer when he heard that! Joanna propped herself up and put on her torn clothes again! Although they were torn, she could still cover her body with them. ¡°Joanna, do you really think of me that way?¡± Joanna tidied up her clothes, looking cold and proud. ¡°You¡¯re about to marry Roxanne, and you¡¯re still pestering other women! ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a scu mbag?¡± Bruce frowned again, not wanting to refute her words. ¡°Whatever you say. As long as you¡¯re happy, you can say whatever you want!¡± Joanna ran her fingers through her messy hair and moved slightly. Her entire body was sore and iparably painful. Her head felt dizzy as if it was about to explode! ¡°Take me home!¡± ¡°Joanna, name your price!¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds before saying what was on his mind out loud. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce looked into her eyes. ¡°How much do you want to be my lover?¡± When Joanna heard his words, her heart ski pped a beat. It took her a while to recover. ¡°Hmph, what kind of a person do you think I am?¡± Bruce¡¯s cold face was filled with arrogance. ¡°Joanna, no matter what kind of a person you are, you need money now, don¡¯t you? ¡°Instead of relying on another man, why don¡¯t you rely on me? ¡°At the very least, I¡¯m your ex-husband. I¡¯ll treat you better!¡± p! Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She reached out and pped Bruce in the face! ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t think that everyone is so dirty! I do need money, but I¡¯m not so low as to be someone¡¯s lover. ¡°You don¡¯t have to love me, but please don¡¯t insult my character!¡± Bruce touched his cheek and said seriously, ¡°You always misunderstand me like this! ¡°I¡¯m asking you this because I love you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to love me. It¡¯s enough for you to love Roxanne!¡± 16:31 Sat, 1 Jul A Chapter 151 With that, Joanna pushed the door open and got out of the car in a sorry state. She didn¡¯t want to be with Bruce for a moment longer. As soon as she got out of the car, her legs gave way and she fell weakly to the ground. He was too rough on herst night. th Now, her entire body was in pain and she could barely stand. Bruce got out of the car quickly and picked her up from the ground. ¡°Joanna, when did you be so stubborn? ¡°Do I have to use forceful methods to force you to submit?¡± Joanna smiled coldly, looking thoroughly exhausted. ¡°Bruce, let me go!¡± Chapter 152 Chapter 152 ¡°Joanna¡­¡± Bruce felt suffocated and did not know what else to say. ¡°Take me home, now! ¡°If you don¡¯t take me back, you can go back alone!¡± When Bruce heard this, he opened the car door resentfully and forced Joanna back into the passenger seat! Then, he also got into the car! Bruce started the car and drove down the mountain. Along the way, the two of them did not say a word. The atmosphere was oppressive and strange. Half an hourter! Bruce drove Joanna to the entrance of the neighborhood. Joanna unbuckled her seatbelt and was ready to get out of the car. Bruce coughed and said solemnly, ¡°Think about it carefully. Call me when you¡¯ve decided!¡± Joanna did not even turn her head to look at him as she said coldly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to think about it. I won¡¯t agree to it!¡± With that, Joanna walked straight into the neighborhood. She wanted to go back and take a shower to wash away the traces Bruce had left on her. At the same time, Joanna had to take the emergency contraceptive pill as soon as possible. She did not want him to get her pregnant again. Ten minutester! Joanna took out her keys and opened the door. After returning home! Tracy was shocked to see her in a sorry and weak state. ¡°Nothing!¡± Joanna replied coldly and walked straight to ¡°Miss Haynes, what happened to you?¡± the bathroom. Then, she filled the bathtub with cold water and soaked herself in it. The bone¨Cchilling water made the nerves in her body explode. Joanna liked the pain of shivering in cold water. As long as her body was painful and cold enough, her heart would not hurt. This was the most effective way to treat heartache. Twenty minutester. Joanna gradually calmed down. She stepped out of the bathtub. Her entire body was cold and not warm at all. After changing, it was already half past seven in the morning! It was almost time to go to work. A text message notification popped up on Joanna¡¯s phone. The car had already been towed away by the Transport Bureau! Joanna still had to redeem the carter! Joanna called Cora directly. ¡°Hey, Cora!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what is it?¡± ¡°My car was towed away. Go to the Transport Bureau and pay the fine to redeem my car!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± Tracy made her a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Joanna sat at the dining table and ate her breakfast quietly. Her expression remained cold and indifferent, looking somewhat absent¨Cminded and exhausted. Tracy knew that something unpleasant must have happened to herst night. However, she did not dare to ask. She just did her job quietly. After breakfast, Joanna prepared to go to work. ¡°Lilia, Mommy is going to work,¡± Joanna said goodbye to her daughter as usual. Lilia was also feeling a little unwell these few days. She looked listless. ¡°Bye, Mommy.¡± ¡°Okay, be good at home!¡± Joanna kissed her daughter. She did not notice the changes in her daughter. At nine o¡¯clock in the morning! Joanna arrived at thepany. As usual, there was a pre¨Cwork meeting! ¡°Miss Haynes, there is not enough fund in the ount of the factory in Mossbourne! ¡°The manufacturer wants us to pay the rest of the money first before they¡¯re willing to ship the rest of the products!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°How much more do we need?¡± ¡°About 4 million dors more.¡± ¡°Got it. Tell the factory that I¡¯ll transfer the money next week!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± After hanging up, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but hold her forehead in her hands! Not to mention 4 million dors, she couldn¡¯t even fork out 200 thousand dors! Although there were 150 million dors on the card Bruce had given her, Joanna did not want to use his money! Therefore, she had never touched his money. Thepany no longer had any money on the books. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were even more firmly against investing in the factory! She had already invested so much money in it. If she lost money, all the money she had invested would be wasted! More importantly, the Skywinds Group and the Neorace Group had canceled their orders. She had to find new business partners! Just as Joanna was thinking about it, Luna walked in. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Grimm is here!¡± ¡°Show him in!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After a while. Jaydon walked into her office. As usual, he brought coffee and cake for the employees of thepany. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re here?¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna gently. Seeing that her face was haggard and pale and that there were dark circles under her eyes, he could not help but frown. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated. She looked like she had a lot on her mind. She knew that as long as she asked, Jaydon would definitely help her! However, she did not want to ask him for help! Jaydon had already helped her too much. She really did not want to cause him any more trouble! Especially now, Bruce was going crazy from time to time! Her investment in Mossbourne might all go down the drain! Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. If Jaydon were to invest money in it, he would probably suffer losses as well! ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about?¡± Jaydon could not help but ask again. Joanna smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°I see that you¡¯re not in good spirits. If you can¡¯t take it, take a break!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°We still have to go to Venturas in the afternoon to pick up Davian and Irvin!¡± Joanna was caught off guard and patted her head subconsciously. ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s already Friday today. I¡¯ve actually forgotten about it.¡± Jaydon smiled and teased, ¡°Look at your memory. If I didn¡¯t remind you, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to take care of your children!¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± Joanna could no longerugh. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± Jaydon paused for a few seconds and frowned slightly. ¡°Is there ack of cash flow?¡± Although Joanna had never asked to borrow money from him. But now, so many things had happened to the Haynes Group! He knew that Joanna definitely did not have enough money! In particr, she had invested all her cash into Mossbourne! Now that the orders had been revoked, if the business were to fail, the over 14 million dors she had invested previously would probably all go down the drain! ¡°A little!¡± Joanna sighed and admitted it. Jaydon smiled. ¡°How much do you need?¡± Joanna looked at him silently and did not say anything. ¡°Two million dors?¡± Jaydon asked her with a smile. Joanna remained silent. ¡°Four million dors?¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed deeply! ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I can still fork out a couple of millions of dors!¡± Joanna shook her head and refused. ¡°Forget it! I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to make a profit out of the business. I wouldn¡¯t be able to pay you back then!¡± Jaydon thought for a moment. ¡°How about this¡­ ¡°Coincidentally, I also want to go to Mossbourne to do business. Why don¡¯t I invest in your factory and you can give me half of the shares? ¡°We¡¯ll work on it together!¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Jaydon in shock and was rendered speechless! ¡°Jay, the market is not looking good right now. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work out.¡± ¡°There are always risks in doing business! Besides, losing millions of dors is not a problem for me!¡± ¡°Jay, this is not a small sum of money. You have to think carefully! ¡°We haven¡¯t entered the Mossbourne market yet. It¡¯s very likely that all these investments will go down the drain!¡± When Jaydon heard this, not only was he not scared away, he even tried tofort Joanna. ¡°Although the market for opening a factory does not look good, it¡¯s still a business that should work out eventually! If we work on it hard enough, it will definitely seed! ¡°In any case, my filmpany has to invest millions of dors in a movie. Sometimes, if there is a loss, I can lose everything! ¡°I¡¯ll just treat it as another failed movie!¡± Joanna smiled bitterly. ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. Do I look like someone who can¡¯t afford to lose money?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re serious about it, I¡¯ll wee you with open arms!¡± Jaydon said seriously, ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious! ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Next Monday, we¡¯ll go to the factory in Mossbourne to re¨Cinspect it! ¡°Also, print out the contract! ¡°You¡¯re the major shareholder. You have 51% of the shares. Give me 49% of the shares!¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes widened instantly! Jaydon would always help her when she needed it the most. With Jaydon¡¯s investment, her factory could open sessfully! At the same time, turnover of capital would not be a problem at all! ¡°Jay, you have to consider it seriously!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it. From now on, we¡¯re business partners!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re treating me like an outsider by thanking me. I¡¯m just saving myself another way out!¡± Joanna smiled and stopped rejecting Jaydon¡¯s good intentions. ¡°Alright then! Next Monday, I¡¯ll get Cora to draft the contract!¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then! ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch together!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Then ¡°Okay!¡± go ahead with your work. I¡¯ll pick you up at noon!¡± At noon! Jaydon was already waiting downstairs. Bruce happened to drive over as well. Just as he was about to get out of the car, he saw Joanna and Jaydon walking out of the Haynes Group building happily! Instantly, it was as if someone had poured cold water on his head! She actually dared to still be involved with Jaydon? ¡°Joanna, it seems like you really don¡¯t take my words to heart! ¡°Will you only give in if I use a forceful approach?¡± Chapter 153 Chapter 153 ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Jaydon looked at her gently. Joanna smiled. ¡°Anything. You can decide.¡± ¡°Shall we have Flech cuisine?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The two of them chatted andughed as they walked past Bruce¡¯s car. In the car, the look on Bruce¡¯s face was so ugly. Bruce¡¯s strong possessiveness toward Joanna made it impossible for him to ept that she was flirting with another man. ¡°Joanna, I will definitely make you beg in front of me¡­¡± Bruce did not get out of the car. He stepped on the elerator and drove past Joanna and Jaydon. ¡°Be careful!¡± Jaydon and Joanna dodged. The inertia of the car almost flipped them over. Jaydon supported Joanna and cursed at the back of the car, ¡°The driver¡¯s crazy. Does he know how to drive?¡± Joanna nced at the license te number and her heart sank. It was Bruce¡¯s car. Fortunately, he had only given them a warning and did not really drive straight at them. ¡°Joann, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± During lunch, Joanna was in a daze, looking distracted. She was still at a loss. Bruce was a very vengeful person. She did not know how he would take revenge on her. Seeing that she was in a daze, Jaydon could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you in a daze?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a little uneasy!¡± ¡°Uneasy about what?¡± Joanna sighed deeply, not knowing what to say! ¡°Are you worried about Bruce?¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened. Joanna sighed again. ¡°He¡¯s very vengeful. I¡¯m worried that he¡­¡± ¡°Worried about what? ¡°Worried about him taking revenge on us?¡± Joanna nodded weakly. If he was just to take revenge on her, she would not be so uneasy! She was now worried that Bruce would take revenge on Jaydon too! ¡°What are you thinking then? ¡°Do you still want to be with him?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°How is that possible? ¡°I just want to cut ties with him and have nothing to do with him anymore!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he pondered for a few seconds. ¡°You might not be able to escape his control in Greyport! ¡°We¡¯ll go to Mossbourne. Let¡¯s move. I don¡¯t believe he can reach that far!¡± ¡°I hope so!¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°What have you got nned this afternoon?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave for Venturas earlier to pick Davian and Irvin up!¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s leave at five o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Roxanne felt aggrieved for a day, but she still couldn¡¯t help but call Ingrid. Ring, ring! Ingrid¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was Roxanne, Ingrid signaled her two cousins to keep quiet immediately. ¡°Hello, Roxy!¡± ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ ying poker!¡± Roxanne pursed her lips and said impatiently, ¡°Why are you ying poker again?¡± ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡± ¡°What else could it be? I¡¯ve tried it the way you told me to!¡± When Ingrid heard this, a hint of surprise appeared on her face. ¡°It still didn¡¯t work?¡± Roxanne sighed. ¡°Mom, do you think he is really impotent?¡± Ingrid could hear Roxanne¡¯s worry and quicklyforted her. ¡°Even if he is really impotent, we can only ept it now! ¡°If the medicinal cuisine still doesn¡¯t work, we can only get the pills for it!¡± ¡°Will this work?¡± ¡°In terms of nourishing his body, we have to take it slow. We can¡¯t rush it!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°He looks so healthy. How did he get such a disease? It¡¯s unbelievable. Is there something wrong with his mind?¡± ¡°His mind?¡± Roxanne rolled her eyes. ¡°If he¡¯s men tally ill, it¡¯s useless no matter how many medicinal cuisines he takes!¡± Roxanne hesitated for a few seconds before asking timidly, ¡°Mom, do you think he despises me?¡± Ingrid was afraid that her daughter would split hairs again, so sheforted her quickly. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t think too much about it. You can¡¯t be anxious when dealing with men. You have to take it slow! ¡°There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Don¡¯t be in a hurry!¡± Roxanne sounded anxious. ¡°But he didn¡¯te homest night. I wonder if he went to look for Joanna again?¡± Ingrid paused for a moment and continued tofort her daughter. ¡°Now that the wedding ising soon, it¡¯s best to turn a blind eye to this kind of thing! No matter what, we have to wait until after the wedding!¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up now!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Roxanne did not want to say anything more to Ingrid and hung up the phone in frustration. After Ingrid hung up, a gloomy expression appeared on her face. ¡°Have you decided?¡± Oscar and Wace frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve thought about it. We¡¯ll agree to your terms. We¡¯ll finish Joanna off.¡± When Ingrid heard this, her lips curled into a vicious smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the advance payment of 400 thousand dors! ¡°As soon as that sl ut Joanna dies, I¡¯ll transfer the rest of the money to your overseas ounts immediately!¡± ¡°Alright! It¡¯s settled then.¡± Ingrid added worriedly, ¡°Use your brains and be professional. Don¡¯t give yourselves away!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll leave now!¡± Ingrid picked up her bag and was ready to leave. Wace stopped her with a smile. ¡°Are you still not in the mood today? It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had fun!¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re already in your forties or fifties. How can you still want to do that every day? ¡°You should get what is important done soon!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Without further ado, Ingrid opened the door and left. After leaving the room, Ingrid turned around and spat at the door. She hated these two men so much now. It was only natural that she did not want to have fun with them anymore. If Ingrid wanted to have fun, she would go to the beauty salon to enjoy her time with the handsome young beautician. ¡°What should we do, Wace?¡± Oscar looked at Wace and asked. Wace frowned and thought hard for a moment. ¡°I heard that sl ut Joanna invested in a factory in Mossbourne and would go to Mossbourne from time to time! ¡°Since we can¡¯t do anything in Greyport, let¡¯s go to Mossbourne and hire a few ruffians to kidnap her!¡± ¡°A few ruffians?¡± ¡°Are you st*pid? Can we do this ourselves? N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°If we fail, we will spend the rest of our lives in jail!!¡± ¡°What do you think we should do then?¡± ¡°Ingrid gave us 2 million dors each, and we will take 100 thousand dors out each. That would be 200 thousand dors. That¡¯s enough to hire a professional assassin in Mossbourne.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll listen to you. We¡¯ll do whatever you say!¡± ¡°Prepare your passport and everything. As soon as the money is transferred, we¡¯ll leave for Pedrana!¡± ¡°4 million dors is enough for us to live a wealthy life in Pedrana! We don¡¯t have to be with Ingrid anymore!¡± Wace pulled Oscar into his arms. Oscar also changed his attitude and looked at Wace lovingly. The two ¡°cousins¡± were actually lovers. They were with Ingrid just to make money. At night! At the Haynes¡¯s house. Ingrid returned home exhausted. ¡°Where did you go again? You¡¯re back sote.¡± Shaun looked unhappy. Since stepping down from his position as the chairperson of the Haynes Group, Shaun spent most of his time at home. Although the Haynes family had many side businesses, they were all fixed assets. Shaun only needed to collect rent, receive dividends, and so on. There was no need for him to worry too much about it. Sometimes, he wanted Ingrid to travel with him. Unfortunately, Ingrid had to go out almost every day! Ingrid was either out to y poker, to shop, or to the salon! Ingrid put down her bag and said tiredly, ¡°What else could I be doing? I just went to the salon!¡± Shaun nced at her expression. Ingrid¡¯s face looked rosy, looking well nourished and content. However, Shaun still muttered in dissatisfaction, ¡°You go to the salon every few days. It makes no difference whether you go there or not!¡± ¡°How can there be no difference? I am already in my forties. I have to take good care of myself, haven¡¯t I? ¡°Once my skin is dehydrated, it will be difficult to remove my wrinkles.¡± ¡°Roxy is about to get married. It¡¯s time to organize for it! Don¡¯t go out every day for no reason!¡± ¡°Oh, okay. I know!¡± Ingrid replied casually and hurried upstairs. In the past, Shaun was busy with thepany and did not have the energy to care about Ingrid at all. But now that Shaun was free, there were many things that he could not help but be suspicious about. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 The next day! Bruce came back to the Everett mansion with Roxanne. At the Everett mansion! ¡°Grandma, I brought Roxy home to see you!¡± Margaret was lying quietly on the bed. Because of her health, she was bedridden most of the time. Hearing her grandson¡¯s voice, Margaret opened her eyes and said shakily, ¡°Bruce is here¡­¡± Roxanne went to the bedside quickly and took Margaret¡¯s hand. She greeted her sweetly, ¡°Grandma!¡± Margaret held Roxanne¡¯s and Bruce¡¯s hands and put them together. ¡°You have to get married soon. Grandma wants to see you get married! Have a child soon. Bruce is not young anymore/It¡¯s time for you to have a child.¡± ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll definitely get to meet your great¨Cgrandson! ¡°I¡¯ve discussed it with Roxy. We¡¯ll get married next month.¡± Margaret took a deep breath and struggled to sit up. ¡°When is the wedding?¡± Bruce and Roxanne helped Margaret to sit up quickly and ced a soft pillow behind her back. ¡°The wedding is set for the eighth of next month!¡± When Margaret heard this, a smile appeared on her aged face. ¡°Oh, I should be able to make it then! ¡°As long as I can see the two of you getting married, I¡¯ll be satisfied!¡± Bruce held his grandmother¡¯s hand tightly and said gently, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t think too much! You¡¯ll definitely live to a ripe old age! ¡°I¡¯ll also work hard for you to meet your great¨Cgrandson as soon as possible!¡± Margaret smiled. ¡°After you get married, you have to live a good life! The two of you need to be tolerant of each other and amodate each other!¡± ¡°Yes, we will¡­¡± Margaret reminded them more intermittently. Then, her eyelids sank and she was a little sleepy! Seeing this, Bruce helped his grandmother lie down again quickly and said gently, ¡°Grandma, rest well. Roxy and I won¡¯t disturb you anymore!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Margaret replied tiredly before closing her eyes and falling asleep again. ¡°Roxy, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°You must take good care of Grandma 24 hours a day. Nothing must go wrong!¡± 16:33 Sat Chapter 154 ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce was still worried and gave a few more instructions to the butler and nurses. After that, he left with Roxanne. On the way back. The driver drove on. Bruce and Roxanne sat in the backseat. 8.50% A Along the way, Roxanne held Bruce¡¯s hand tightly in hers. Bruce¡¯s expression was cold and indifferent. He did not refuse or express any intimacy. He was only marrying Roxanne to fulfill his grandmother¡¯s wish. At the same time, he could also give Roxanne what she wanted. Other than that, he had no other feelings for her. ¡°The eighth of next month, we¡¯re finally getting married. This day has finallye!¡± Roxanne could not hide the joy on her face. She stole a nce at Bruce and saw his cold expression. The happiness in her heart dissipated a little instantly. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Roxanne asked carefully. Bruce retracted his hand subconsciously and lit a cigarette. ¡°I am!¡± ¡°Then why do you look so glum?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about Grandma¡¯s condition!¡± ¡°Medical care is so advanced now. Grandma will definitely recover!¡± ¡°I hope so! ¡°I¡¯ll take you home now. I¡¯m going to the office then!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s Saturday today. Do you still have to go to work?¡± ¡°Oh, I have an appointment with a client. I¡¯m going to discuss businesster!¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Roxanne replied reluctantly. She knew that Bruce had a lot of social engagements. Some of them were real, while others were just excuses. He just didn¡¯t want to be alone with her. ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t you ask the driver to stop in front and let me off at the intersection ahead!¡± Bruce was taken off guard and was a little worried as he looked at Roxanne. ¡°I¡¯m going to the front to buy something! I¡¯ll take a taxi hometer.¡± ¡°Alright then! ¡°Stop at the intersection ahead.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Kody stopped the car at the intersection of themercial street. This was the busiestmercial street in Greyport. It was also where one could buy all kinds of luxury goods. ¡°Goodbye, Bruce!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± After Bruce left! Roxanne took out her phone and invited a few of her best friends to go shopping. In the past, because the marriage was not reliable, she did not dare to show off in front of her friends. Now that the marriage was finally finalized, it only made sense for her to want to show off in front of her friends. After a while! Four or five well¨Cdressed socialites came over. 3 ¡°Wow, Roxy, are you really getting married?¡± A long¨Chaired socialite looked envious, and her tone was a little sour. Bruce was such a handsome, rich, and young man. How could he be blind enough to fall for Roxanne? ¡°Yes, on the eighth of next month, you have toe over and be my bridesmaid!¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my honor!¡± ¡°Roxy has finally seen the light. After six years of dating Mr. Everett, they¡¯re finally getting married!¡± A short¨Chaired socialite praised casually. However, she had the same thoughts as the socialite just now. She was so jealous and thought that she was better than Roxanne in all aspects. How could Mr. Everett be blind enough to fall for Roxanne? ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Roxy, after you get married, remember to introduce Mr. Everett¡¯s friends to us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure!¡± Listening to thepliments of her friends, Roxanne¡¯s vanity was greatly satisfied. Outside the restaurant, someone had been secretly peeping inside! Roxanne turned around to take a look unintentionally. The man shrunk his neck and hid behind the wall quickly! Although she had only taken a nce at him, Roxanne still recognized the man as Gavin. After that, Roxanne was no longer in the mood to enjoy afternoon tea with her friends! ¡°I have something urgent to attend to. I¡¯ll leave first. Let¡¯s meet another day!¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare for us to get together. Why are you leaving so early?¡± ¡°I have to tend to many of the details of the wedding in person. I have to go home early!¡± ¡°Alright then! We won¡¯t hold the bride up!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already bought everything on the list. Let¡¯s meet another day!¡± After saying that, Roxanne did not dare to stay any longer and left in a hurry. When she left the restaurant! Chapter 154 Roxanne walked straight into a deserted alley. As expected, Gavin followed. They walked to the deepest part of the alley. It was a trash station. There was no one there. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Roxanne stopped in her tracks with a dark expression. ¡°Come out!¡± Gavin stopped hiding and limped out from behind the pir. ¡°Roxy¡­¡± A crisp p rang in the alley. Roxanne pped Gavin in exasperation. ¡°How can you stille and see me?¡± ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry!¡± Gavin knelt on the ground and kept pping himself! That day, Bruce ordered his men to throw the four hooligans into the sea! Gavin was also beaten up. One of his legs was broken. He had been recuperating for more than two months before he could barely walk. However, as the incident had happened because of him, Gavin did not dare to call Roxanne again! However, he had been paying attention to Roxanne¡¯s every move! ¡°Get up, don¡¯t let anyone see you!¡± ¡°Roxy, please forgive me!¡± Gavin knelt in front of Roxanne and cried. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you again. This is the end between us. I¡¯m already getting married. Don¡¯t harass me again!¡± ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m sorry for hurting you. I¡¯ll never forgive myself for the rest of my life!¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth and cursed, ¡°You coward, get lost. I don¡¯t want to see you again!¡± Gavin took two steps forward and hugged Roxanne¡¯s thigh tightly. ¡°Roxy, I don¡¯t dare to ask for your forgiveness! ¡°I don¡¯t dare to disturb your happiness anymore. One day, when you need me, you cane to me anytime!¡± ¡°Get lost. As long as you never appear in front of me again, I¡¯ll forgive you!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get lost. I¡¯ll get lost now¡­¡± As Gavin spoke, he scrambled away! Roxanne watched as Gavin left in a sorry state! She could not help but gulp! Although she really hated Gavin for being weak and cowardly! However, when she thought of the joy and excitement he had once brought her, Roxanne¡¯s heart could not help but itch! Some people were like this. They forgot the pain after a wound had healed! Although she had been raped by five hooligans, now that the matter was over, she had almost forgotten aboott However, the wedding wasing soon! In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, she still didn¡¯t dare to be involved with Gavin anymore! Even if Bruce oras trofy impose marry him! Chapter 155 Chapter 155 ¡°Do you think Roxanne and Mr. Everett will really get married this time?¡± ¡°I think so! I heard that all the invitations have been sent!¡± heard that Roxanne seems to have been raped by a few ruffians!¡± When another socialite heard this, her eyes widened. ¡°No way? Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°It seems to be true! The disappearance of four people in the slums not long ago seems to be rted to Roxanne.¡± ¡°How is that possible? Where did you hear about that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I heard. You¡¯re right. If she¡¯s really raped by the hooligans, how can Mr. Everett not despise her and still dare to marry her?¡± ¡°Impossible, I don¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to not believe? She only looks like a virtuous and puredy on the outside, but she¡¯s very open on the inside. When she was in college, she had always been involved with that senior two years older than she was!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that after so many years, she still gets to maintain her image as the pure and innocent girl. Now, she¡¯s actually going to marry into the Everett family!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to admit that being pretentious indeed gives her an advantage!¡± After Roxanne left, her friends were envious and jealous. They couldn¡¯t help but gossip about her. In the blink of an eye! It was already the end of the month! The agreement between Joanna and Jaydon was also reached! Jaydon invested 6 million dors and became a shareholder in Joanna¡¯spany in Mossbourne! With Jaydon¡¯s help, the funds quickly turned over! The factory in Mossbourne was also sessfully opened! At the same time, Jaydon was also an expert in nning! The various advertisements of the factory were also being put up! In just a week, thepany had already received more than ten orders! The increase in orders was a good start! Joanna was also bing more and more confident in running the factory in Mossbourne! ¡°Alright, the contract is signed! ¡°We are partners from now on!¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna gently. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s right! I hope the business will grow steadily!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a must. Business at the factory is already getting better now. ¡°It will get better and better in the future!¡± ¡°Thank you, Jay!¡± Joanna thanked Jaydon solemnly. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again. I told you, there¡¯s no need to be so polite between the two of us.¡± ¡°Anyway, I still want to thank you.¡± ¡°If you want to thank me, treat me to a meal then!¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Tell me, what do you want to eat?¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna with a smile and said jokingly, ¡°Can I have anything?¡± ¡°Yes, as long as I can afford it!¡± ¡°Can I have you?¡± Jaydon said with a doting smile. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re doing it again¡­¡± Jaydon chuckled. ¡°I was just joking with you. Look at how scared you are!¡± Soon! The news that Joanna¡¯s factory in Mossbourne had survived the crisis spread throughout the Haynes Group. When Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger received the news, they could not help but curse. ¡°It can¡¯t be, right? The business Miss Haynes has started in Mossbourne is actually going well?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s getting better and better!¡± ¡°I heard that Mr. Grimm invested 6 million dors into it, which turned the situation around!¡± ¡°I knew it. How can she afford to do business alone? At the end of the day, it¡¯s all because of a man!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to admit she is good at getting men to invest in her. You can¡¯t be jealous about it!¡± Mr. Roger said emotionally, ¡°If I had known that this woman was so capable, I should have invested with her!¡± Mr. Paul snorted disdainfully. ¡°Forget it! Don¡¯t just look at the benefits in front of you! ¡°I hope her business can go smoothly. She haspletely offended Mr. Everett by working with Mr. Grimm! ¡°Do you think she can have a good time after offending Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± On November 30th. @50% a Ever since that night, Bruce¡¯s self-esteem had been hurt, and he never came to bother Joanna again! There was only one week left until the wedding! The marriage of the richest man in Greyport naturally shocked the entire city! Bruce was overworking! The reporters took advantage of every opportunity and waited for Bruce all day long, hoping to interview him for first-hand information about the wedding. On this day! Bruce had just stepped out of the Everett Group when he was blocked by reporters. ¡°Mr. Everett, may I ask if your wedding with Miss Roxanne is on the eighth of next month?¡± Bruce frowned and replied coldly, ¡°Yes! ¡°At that time, everyone is wee to attend the wedding!¡± ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Everett! Congrattions, Miss Roxanne! ¡°Mr. Everett, can you reveal details of the wedding?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t answer that for the time being!¡± Bruce waved at the reporters politely and elegantly. The bodyguards stopped the reporters quickly. ¡°Mr. Everett won¡¯t answer any more questions. Thank you!¡± However, although the reporters did not get any useful news, they were already very satisfied. At the very least, Mr. Everett had confirmed the date of the wedding in person. [After Working Hard for Six Years, Miss Roxanne is Finally Getting Married to Mr. Everett Soon!] [Miss Joanna¡¯s Schemes are All in Vain] [The End of the Fight for Bruce Between the Two Miss Haynes. Joanna is Completely Defeated] The Greyport media was publicizing this entertainment news again! Of course, they were still doing their best to tra mple Joanna underfoot. After all, Roxanne was about to be the wife of the young master of the Everett family. The Greyport media naturally had to kiss up to her. As for the entertainment news. Joanna was toozy to exin anything, let alone pay attention to it. On Friday. Joanna went to Venturas to take Davian and Irvin home. ¡°Lilia, we¡¯re back!¡± The two little boys put down their school bags and ran into Lilia¡¯s room happily! ¡°Davian and Irvin, you guys are back!¡± Lilia tried to smile, but she was listless! ¡°This is a gift for you.¡± Every time Davian and Irvin came home, they would bring gifts for their younger sister. Sometimes it was a toy their teacher had given them, sometimes it was a handiwork they had made themselves. In short, they tried their best to make their sister happy ¡°Thank you, Davian and Irvin!¡± Lilia took the toy from Irvin but still looked listless. ¡°Lilia, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Joanna finally realized something was wrong with her daughter! She reached out to feel her daughter¡¯s forehead and found that it was very hot. Lilia was having a fever again. ¡°Lilia, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just a little sleepy!¡± Tracy also said, ¡°Lilia hasn¡¯t been in good spirits for the past two days! Even if I give her antipyretic, it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened. ¡°I will bring you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow!¡± During this period of time, Joanna had been so busy with thepany. She was already in a terrible fix and did not have much energy to take care of her daughter. Lilia had always been in poor health. If Joanna was not careful, Lilia would catch a cold and have a fever. However, Joanna did not think too much about it. She only thought that her daughter was having a fever. Lilia shook her head. ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital!¡± Lilia was most afraid of going to the hospital. And was even more afraid of the needles and the cold scalpel. Joanna touched Lilia¡¯s face gently. ¡°Be good. We¡¯re just going for a checkup. ¡°If you¡¯re not sick, we¡¯lle home right away.¡± ¡°Okay then!¡± On the next day! Joanna woke up early in the morning and took Lilia to the hospital! At the children¡¯s hospital. After waiting in line for a long time, it was finally Joanna¡¯s turn. ¡°My daughter has been having a fever recently!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do a blood test and a checkup!¡± The doctor asked a few questions about the symptoms carefully and issued a stack of test slips. ¡°Okay!¡± An hourter. The test results were out. ¡°Family members, please take the girl out first!¡± ¡°Tracy, take Lilia out first.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Doctor, is my daughter seriously ill?¡± The doctor adjusted his sses and said seriously, ¡°The test results are out. Your daughter has acute leukemia!¡± Boom! This news struck Joanna hard like a bolt of lightning! Joanna was stunned for a full minute before she came back to her senses. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s Impossible. How is this possible? This is impossible!¡± Joanna refused to believe the results. She started crying immediately! ¡°Miss, don¡¯t be agitated. You have to quickly arrange for the patient to be hospitalized. This illness can¡¯t be dyed. The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it will be.¡± Joanna broke down directly and cried bitterly. Oh my g od! Why was fate so cruel? Why did Lilia have to suffer so much? If Joanna had a choice, she was willing to bear all of this for her daughter. ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t be so agitated! We have to think of a way to treat the patient quickly and to transnt the bone marrow! ¡°This illness is notpletely untreatable. As long as the bone marrow is a match, there is a high chance of recovery!¡± ¡°Doctor, you must think of a way to save my daughter!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and settle the hospitalization procedures first¡­¡± Chapter 156 Chapter 156 ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now!¡± Joanna replied and went out to settle the hospitalization procedures. She was in a daze. ¡°Mommy, when are we going home?¡± Joanna held back her tears and forced herself to smile. ¡°Be a good girl, Lilia. We¡¯re going to stay in the hospital for a few days this timer ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to be hospitalized!¡± ¡°Listen to Mommy okay? Mommy will keep youpany in the hospital every day this time,¡± Joanna said as she turned her face to the side. Her body could not help but tremble. ¡°Miss Haynes, Lilia¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Just bring Lilia to the inpatient ward¡± ¡°Sure, sure!¡± Seeing how upset Joanna was, Tracy guessed that Lilia¡¯s condition must be very serious. She did not dare to ask anymore and quickly brought Lilia to the inpatient ward. ¡°Doctor, how are you going to treat Lilia¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to do a bone marrow match quickly. Fortunately, Lilia¡¯s condition is discovered early, and she still has a chance of recovering!¡± Joanna braced herself up and said, ¡°Please perform the operation as soon as possible!¡± ¡°The patient urgently needs a bone marrow transnt. The bone marrow matching in the Bone Marrow Donor Program is very slow. It¡¯s probably very difficult to wait¡­¡± Joanna got excited and eximed, ¡°Just use mine!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just use anyone¡¯s bone marrow to do a transnt. It depends on whether the bone marrow matches the patient. ¡°If your bone marrow is a match, that will be great. If it¡¯s not a match, we have to find a new bone marrow donor!¡± Jaydon received the news and rushed to the hospital. ¡°Joann, how¡¯s Lilia?¡± ¡°The doctor says it¡¯s acute leukemia!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he felt a tug in his heart, and he was speechless for a long time! ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to theboratory now. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡± It only took a while. The test to see if Joanna was a potential bone marrow match for Lilia was out. Her bone marrow did not match Lilia¡¯s. Looking at the test results, Joanna was so sad that she could not shed a tear. ¡°Doctor, I have Davian and Irvin. They¡¯re all my biological children. There¡¯ll definitely be a match from one of them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re too young. I don¡¯t rmend using their bone marrows! ¡°Besides, other than leukemia, she also has thssemia! Actually, there¡¯s very little we can do to help her¡­¡± ¡°No, I must save my daughter! No matter what, I must save my daughter!¡± ¡°Doctor, how much time does Lilia have?¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t operate, she¡¯ll live for one month!¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately gasped. ¡°One month? What¡¯s the percentage of sess of the operation?¡± ¡°50%!¡± ¡°No matter what, we have to give it a a try!¡± After a while, the test results for Davian and Irvin were also out. Their bone marrows were also not compatible! Although they were triplets, they were not identical triplets. Therefore, the three of them had different blood types! Now, almost everyone who was direct kin to Lilia did not havepatible bone marrows with her. The only other possiblepatible bone marrow donor would be Lilia¡¯s biological father. ¡°Doctor, is there any other way?¡± The doctor frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s best to find the child¡¯s biological father to see if his bone marrow is a match. If it is, we can use his bone marrow for the transnt.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart instantly sank. ¡°Doctor, can we wait for the Bone Marrow Donor Program?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t wait in this situation!¡± Hearing this, Joanna¡¯s tears fell like raindrops. She didn¡¯t want to involve Bruce nor did she want Bruce to know that he was the father of the three children. However, there seemed to be no other choice. Looking at her dying daughter on the hospital bed, she knew that this was her only way. Whether Bruce agreed to donate his bone marrow or not, she still had to give it a try. This was the seventh day of the month. Tomorrow was the day of the wedding. The couple¡¯s family and friends had also received invitations and were prepared toe to the wedding banquet. Bruce was apanying Roxanne to try on evening gowns for the wedding. The sound of a phone ringing was heard. Bruce¡¯s cell phone rang. He took out his phone and looked at it. The call was from Joanna. 16:34 Sat, Chapter 156 Bruce frowned and walked to the side to answer the call. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was very hoa rse. Bruce suppressed the churning emotions in his heart and said coldly, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but stopped. She just kept sobbing. Bruce scoffed, ¡°Why are you crying? Are you reluctant to see me getting married?¡± On the other end of the line, Joanna didn¡¯t answer. She just kept sobbing. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I need to see you!¡± ¡°Hey, Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m getting married tomorrow. What¡¯s the point of calling me now?¡± Joanna was silent for a while before replying in a trembling voice, ¡°My daughter is sick!¡± Bruce was stunned! He stopped himself from making sarcastic remarks. ¡°What illness?¡± ¡°Acute leukemia.¡± ¡°May I know how is that my problem?¡± Joanna¡¯s hand was trembling as she held the phone. She choked as she continued crying. ¡°Now, my daughter needs a bone marrow transnt. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t undergo surgery, she might not be able tost for a month.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done a bone marrow test with my other two children. All of our bone marrows don¡¯t match!¡± ¡°Then why did you call me?¡± On the other end of the phone, Joanna just couldn¡¯t stop crying. A moment passed. Bruce felt a chill run down his spine, and it seemed that his heart was stabbed, and he could not breathe. He came back to his senses in an instant. 50% ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ at the children¡¯s hospital now!¡± ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Bruce hung up the phone and did not say goodbye to Roxanne. He just took his car keys and left. Roxanne was putting on another gown. When she saw Bruce¡¯s uneasy expression on his face and was about to leave, she quickly ran after him. ¡°Bruce, where are you going? We still have to try on the formal attire¡­¡± Before Roxanne could finish speaking, Bruce had already left in a hurry! Twenty minutester, at the children¡¯s hospital. Bruce Everett had arrived at the hospital. Joanna sat on the floor against the door of the ward. She seemed to have lost her senses. Bruce had not seen her for half a month. She seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and she looked very haggard! ¡°Joanna¡­¡± Seeing that Bruce was here, Joanna¡¯s tears started to roll down her cheeks again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Please! Help my daughter!¡± Bruce grabbed her arms and shook them forcefully. ¡°Tell me everything clearly!¡± Joanna was sobbing uncontrobly. ¡°Our bone marrows do not match Lilia¡¯s!¡± ¡°You are my only chance!¡± When Bruce heard this, his pupils constricted. ¡°These three children are mine, right?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. She just lowered her head and sobbed. In an instant, Bruce had a realization. He becamepletely enraged. He shook Joanna¡¯s arms fiercely, wishing he could shake her into pieces. ¡°Joanna, how long did you intend to keep such a serious matter from me? ¡°If Lilia isn¡¯t sick, you will hide this fact from me forever right?¡± Joanna did not say anything as she continued crying. Indeed, if Lilia didn¡¯t have leukemia, Joanna would never reveal the fact that Bruce was the father of her three children, ¡°Bruce, please save Lilia!¡± ¡°You¡¯re our only hope now. If your bone marrow is a match, I beg you to save my daughter¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he got angrier. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m Lilia¡¯s father. How dare you hide it from me like this? ¡°Joanna Haynes, what have you done!¡± Lilia was his child. How could he not save her? Almost immediately, Bruce agreed to the bone marrow test! The result of the test was released quickly. Bruce¡¯s bone marrow was a perfect match for Lilia. Lilia could have a bone marrow transnt using Bruce¡¯s bone marrow. ¡°Ring! Ring! Ring!¡± Roxanne kept calling Bruce on his cell phone. Bruce finally answered the call. ¡°Bruce, our wedding is going to be held tomorrow. Where are you now?¡± ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t marry you for the time being!¡± That was a big blow to Roxanne. Roxanne was extremely stunned. After a long while, she stammered, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There is no reason!¡± ¡°Bruce, are you unwilling to marry me?¡± Bruce answered indifferently, ¡°Roxy, I have very bad news to tell you.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Joanna¡¯s daughter has leukemia! She needs a bone marrow transnt!¡± ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the father.¡± That was another blow to Roxanne. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Now that the child is critically ill, I want to donate my bone marrow to her! We should not get married for the time being.¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± The line was cut off. Bruce hung up immediately, ¡°What did Bruce say?¡± ¡°He says to cancel the wedding!¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What?¡± Ingrid was dumbfounded. ¡°He said he¡¯s canceling the wedding!¡± ¡°How is this possible? What happened? ¡°The guests have already received the invitation cards. They¡¯re alling to the wedding tomorrow. Why does he want to cancel the wedding suddenly?¡± Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Ingrid¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Did Bruce tell you the reason?¡± Roxanne felt as if she had fallen into the abyss. She knelt on the couch like a robot and the evening gown in her hand slid to the ground. ¡°Joanna Haynes! Joanna Haynes again¡­¡± ¡°Her? What did she do?¡± A Roxanne suddenly became agitated and said, ¡°Her daughter has leukemia!¡± ¡°Her daughter has leukemia. What does that have to do with you and Bruce getting married?¡± ¡°Joanna told Bruce that he is the girl¡¯s father!¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, and tears flowed down her cheeks. ¡°What?¡± Ingrid was dumbfounded. ¡°So Bruce is indeed the father of Joanna¡¯s three children!¡± ¡°I knew it. I knew she wouldn¡¯t let go of Bruce so easily. ¡°I have also thought she will get back at me. I just didn¡¯t think she¡¯d do it this way.¡± Roxanne howled hysterically. Ingrid was extremely angry when she heard that. She gritted her teeth and cursed, ¡°Joanna Haynes is really a b itch! I know she wouldn¡¯t let go so easily! As expected, she has hatched an evil n!¡± As Ingrid spoke, she turned to look at Shaun. ¡°That¡¯s your good daughter. She¡¯s always making things difficult for us! ¡°She has ruined Roxy¡¯s marriage again. Why can¡¯t she just die?¡± When Shaun heard this, he was at a loss. However, he had never had a deep father-daughter rtionship with Joanna. Hence he didn¡¯t really have any feelings for Joanna¡¯s child too. ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious. Let¡¯s figure out the situation first, and we can discuss itter. Let¡¯s go to the hospital and find out what¡¯s going on!¡± Ingrid was so angry that she felt a pain in her heart. She scolded angrily, ¡°How can it be so coincidental! Her daughter suddenly falls sick at this critical moment when Roxy and Bruce are getting married! ¡°If she really wishes Roxy and Bruce well, she shouldn¡¯t have created this problem for Bruce. ¡°I think she did that on purpose¡­¡± Roxanne buried her hands in her hair as she was feeling very upset. Then she ran out in a daze. ¡°Roxy! Where are you going?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I just need to calm down.¡± ¡°Roxy,e back quickly. Don¡¯t do anything silly! Hurry up and take a look! Shaun, if anything happens to Roxy, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± As Ingrid was saying that, she ran after Roxanne! Shaun could not help but sigh. ¡°What bad luck we have! Why does our family have such a troublemaker?¡± At the Everett mansion. Margaret soon learned that the wedding had been canceled. ¡°What? The wedding between Bruce and Rozanne has been canceled?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Mrs. Margaret, Mr. Everett is the father of Joanna¡¯s three children.¡± ¡°Joanna¡¯s youngest daughter has acute leukemia and urgently needs a bone marrow transnt ¡°Mr. Everett has already agreed to donate the bone marrow to save the child¡± Upon hearing this, Margaret¡¯s cloudy eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°In that case, those three children are all the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood? ¡°Yes, Mrs. Margaret!¡± When Margaret heard that, she was stunned for a few seconds before she regained her senses, ¡°Bring me to the hospital!¡± ¡°Mrs. Margaret, you are still very frail. You¡¯ll have no strength to move around.¡± ¡°No, I want to see the three children!¡± Margaret struggled to get up. The nurses had no choice but to help her up. Soon, Margaret was carried to the wheelchair. The butler personally pushed her out. ¡°I was right to think that these three children are the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood, Joanna is really too much. She actually doesn¡¯t want the children to know that they are part of the Everett family!¡± The butler quicklyforted her. ¡°Mrs. Margaret, it is great that you know about this now! The most important thing is to bring the children back to the Everett family.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I have always thought I wouldn¡¯t have any great-grandchildren in this lifetime. This is really unexpected happiness!¡± Margaret was no longer as depressed as before. Her me ntal state seemed to have improved immediately. ¡°Although Joanna is a stubborn girl, she¡¯s really fertile. She actually gave birth to triplets for the Everett family. At the hospital! Lilia had already been pushed into the intensive care unit, and all the pre-surgery preparations had been done! Bruce looked at Lilia through the ss window and felt sadness that words could not describe. This was his child! His daughter! He never thought that he would have three children! Joanna had actually given birth to three children for him! He was both happy and worried. He had mixed feelings that he could not exin. He didn¡¯t even dare to imagine how Joanna and their three children managed to survive the past four years. When Bruce agreed to donate his bone marrow to Lilia, Joanna finally felt relieved. At this moment, she was by his side. For the first time, Joanna felt that Bruce was not that cold-blooded. At the very least, he still loved his children. ¡°Lilia, you must be strong. Mommy loves you!¡± Bruce tightened his grip on Joanna¡¯s shoulder andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she is going to be fine!¡± Joanna looked up at Bruce with tears in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, thank you for agreeing to save Lilia!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? This is my child too. I will definitely save her! ¡°You, on the other hand, are really too much! ¡°How could you allow the three children to grow up without a father? How dare you hide it from me like this? ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Lilia, how long would you have kept it from me? Joanna, you¡¯re really vicious! You are worse than I am.¡± As Bruce spoke, he suddenly pressed her against the wall. He had bloodshot eyes. For the first time, he realized that Joanna was far more heartless than him. Joanna just lowered her head and sobbed. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Margaret is here!¡± When Bruce heard this, he calmed himself down and hurriedly came out to greet Mrs. Margaret. Along the corridor, Margaret was in a wheelchair with four nurses and her butler behind her. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce quickly walked to Margaret¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Grandma, why are you here?¡± Margaret sounded anxious. ¡°I¡¯m here to see my great-grandchildren!¡± Joanna also walked up to her slowly and greeted her in a low voice, ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Margaret looked up and stared at Joanna with a hint of anger. ¡°Joann, look what has happened! Why did you have to keep the truth from us? ¡°You even produced fake evidence to fool an old woman like me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡± Joanna hesitated, not knowing what to say! If she told the truth, everyone would think that she wanted to use the three children to keep Bruce by her side. They would even think that she gave birth to three children to make use of Bruce, and Roxanne would not stand a chance. In fact, Joanna really didn¡¯t want Bruce to know that he was the father of the three children, nor did she want the children to have anything to do with the Everett family! ¡°Let¡¯s not say so much now. Saving Lilia is the most important thing!¡± ¡°When¡¯s the surgery?¡± ¡°In a week¡¯s time!¡± ¡°Can I see Lilia?¡± ¡°Lilia is in the intensive care unit. It¡¯s not convenient to see her for the time being.¡± Margaret paused for a moment. ¡°Transfer her to the Everett family¡¯s hospital immediately. Get the specialists to follow up with Lilia¡¯s condition.¡± ¡°Grandma, there¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble!¡± Margaret interrupted Joanna. ¡°Also, where are my two great-grandsons? Hurry up! I want to see them now!¡± Joanna was stunned when she heard that! Joanna knew that once Margaret found out that these three children were Bruce¡¯s children, Margaret would definitely take them away from her! Therefore, she did not want the children to have anything to do with the Everett family! ¡°They are my children. No one can take them away from me!¡± ¡°No one¡¯s taking your children away. They are the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood too. You can¡¯t be so selfish and don¡¯t allow us to see the children.¡± ¡°If Grandma wants to see the children, that¡¯s fine with me. However, you can¡¯t take them away from me!¡± Margaret scoffed, ¡°No matter what, our Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood can¡¯t be roughing it out there.¡± ¡°Butler, get someone to bring the children over!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Grandma, you can see the children anytime you want, but you can¡¯t take them away!¡± ¡°Joann, please think of the big picture, and don¡¯t stop the children from returning to the Everett family!¡± Margaret had already made up her mind to bring the children back to the Everett family. Margaret was already seriously ill, but when she suddenly found out that she had three great- grandchildren, she seemed to be more energetic. Her condition also improved. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Bruce frowned and said, ¡°Joanna, just let Grandma and the children get to know one another! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she just wants to be close to her great-grandchildren. She¡¯ll not take them away. Please fulfill her wish!¡± Upon hearing Bruce¡¯s words, Joanna could not bear to refuse anymore! Half an hourter. Davian and Irvin were brought to the hospital. Margaret looked at the two cute children and was so happy that she could not stop smiling. She was so happy that she almost forgot that there was a great-granddaughter lying in the intensive care unit. Margaret waved at Davian and Irvin. ¡°Come to me! I¡¯m your great-grandma!¡± The butler smiled kindly at the side. ¡°These young gentlemen look so much like Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Yes, they look exactly like Bruce when he was young! I¡¯ve already said that they are the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood/ ¡°That¡¯s right! They really resemble Mr. Everett when he was young!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Davian and Irvin looked adorable as they subconsciously stood around Joanna. ¡°Mommy, is Lilia sick again?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes seemed to be smiling as he looked at Davian and Irvin. ¡°Little guy, I told you I¡¯m your father. Do you believe me now?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Davian looked at Joanna timidly with a timid look. He was unwilling to acknowledge Bruce. ¡°Davian, Irvin, call me Great-grandma!¡± ¡°Great-grandma!¡± ¡°Good children!¡± Margaret could not stopughing! ¡°Great-grandma came out in a hurry and didn¡¯t prepare any gifts for you! Go back with meter. I want to give you big presents. ¡°Call me Daddy!¡± Bruce followed suit! Tears welled up in his eyes. The two children looked at Bruce in surprise, then at Joanna! Davian whispered into Joanna¡¯s ear, ¡°Mommy, why does this bad man want us to call him daddy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. Why does he randomly ask children to call him daddy?¡± ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t like this bad man. We don¡¯t want to call him daddy.¡± Hearing this, Joanna frowned. ¡°He¡­ is your daddy!¡± ¡°Really? No way!¡± ¡°Mommy, are you joking with us? How can this bad man be our daddy?¡± 1 Davian looked even more serious. ¡°Mommy, did he bully you again?¡± When Bruce saw the two little guys whispering around Joanna, his handsome face darkened, and he opened his arms. ¡°Call me Daddy!¡± ¡°Oh no! You¡¯re not our daddy! I don¡¯t want to call you daddy!¡± ¡°Davian, I didn¡¯t expect Bruce Everett wants to be our daddy!¡± ¡°You two little guys, I¡¯m really your daddy. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask your mommy.¡± As he spoke, Bruce red at Joanna angrily. ¡°Joanna Haynes, it¡¯s all your fault that the children don¡¯t want to acknowledge me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really your daddy!¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The two little boys still did not believe it and were even more reluctant to be close to Bruce, ¡°Be good. Your daddy has already promised to donate his bone marrow to your sister. He¡¯s really your daddy.¡± Joanna patted her two sons¡¯ heads, ¡°Go and call Daddy.¡± When the two little boys heard this, they hesitated for a long time before they called reluctantly, ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°Good boys!¡± Bruce held the two little boys in his arms. His nose became a bit runny, and his eyes were reddish. No wonder he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he first saw these two little boys. It turned out that they were really his sons. Davian¡¯s face tensed up, and he pushed Bruce away. Seeing this, Margaret waved happily at the two children. ¡°Come to Great-grandma quickly.¡± ¡°Be good, go and greet Great-grandma!¡± ¡°Hello, Great-grandma!¡± The two little boys were very polite to Margaret. When Margaret heard this, she could not help but cry tears of joy. ¡°You two are all good boys!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go home with Great-grandma! Great-grandma wants to give you big presents.¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly stopped Margaret. ¡°Grandma, this isn¡¯t convenient, right?¡± ¡°Why is that inconvenient? From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You still have to take care of Lilia in the hospital. The Everett family will take care of these two boys.¡± ¡°Grandma, Tracy will take care of the children. They still have to go to kindergarten in Venturas tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. The Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood naturally have to attend the best kindergarten in Greyport. We will also get a professional nursery teacher. I don¡¯t trust the helper you have engaged.¡± Although Margaret was smiling as she spoke, there was a hint of dominance and tyranny in her tone. Joanna felt extremely ufortable. She was even more worried that Margaret would take her children from her. ¡°Grandma! Davian and Irvin are still not familiar with you. They¡¯ll not befortable in an unfamiliar ce.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? They¡¯ll get used to it in a couple of days. Besides, they are shy with strangers because you did not educate them properly. We should teach them the correct way to communicate with people.¡± When Joanna heard this, her face turned pale. Her guess was right. Margaret was thinking of how to take her children away from her. Bruce patted Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°When Lilia recovers, you can bring the boys back! Grandma likes children and wants to be close to them!¡± ¡°Grandma is already old. Just fulfill her wish!¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment before agreeing reluctantly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Leave the children to me. They will be well-taken care of!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, can you stay at Great-grandma¡¯s house for two days?¡± ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to go. We want to stay here with Lilia.¡± ¡°Be good and listen to me.¡± ¡°Go to Great-grandma¡¯s house for two days. When Lilia recovers, Mommy will pick you up.¡± After much persuasion, Davian and Irvin finally agreed to leave with Margaret. Joanna was still worried and asked Tracy to go with them. Margaret left with the children. Bruce went out to send them home. After they had left the hospital, Ingrid came to the hospital aggressively. ¡°Joanna Haynes, you dam n b itch! Come out now!¡± Joanna walked out of the ward. When she saw that it was Ingrid, she felt tensed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Do you know what is happening tomorrow?¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°If you know, why did you do it?¡± Ingrid put her hands on her hips and pointed at Joanna¡¯s nose as she scolded Joanna. ¡°Because my child is sick and needs Bruce¡¯s help!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When my child recovers, he can go back and get married any time! I¡¯ll not ruin his marriage with Roxanne!¡± ¡°Da mn it! That¡¯s easy for you to say! It¡¯s so coincidental that your child fell sick on the eve of their wedding! Do you dare say that you didn¡¯t deliberately ruin their wedding? Also, why did you decide to keep your children when you divorced Bruce? You are out to ruin Roxanne¡¯s marriage to Bruce!¡± Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. She looked at Ingrid coldly. ¡°I found out that I was pregnant after the divorce! ¡°Since I was pregnant, I decided to keep my child! Besides, the child is mine. It has nothing to do with you!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she flew into a rage. ¡°I think you must have done it purpose. You are out to stop Bruce from marrying Roxanne! ¡°You¡¯re really shameless. You¡¯re the most shameless person in Greyport!¡± Shaun reached the hospital and rushed over. When he saw Joanna, he was also furious. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but why do you have to make things difficult for Roxy? You know Roxy is getting married tomorrow. Why are you doing this?¡± When Joanna heard this, she choked in anger. Her child had acute leukemia and was now lying in the intensive care unit, on the verge of death. Her father did not offer anyforting words but used her of ruining Roxanne¡¯s marriage. What a ridiculous father! Since he insisted on thinking that way, she might as well admit it. ¡°Mr. Haynes, I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re no longer my father. Please don¡¯t talk to me using a parent¡¯s tone.¡± When Shaun heard this, his eyes widened. ¡°Joann, you¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that we are no longer father and daughter right?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. You have guts. You don¡¯t want to acknowledge me as your father anymore!¡± Ingrid added fuel to the fire and said sarcastically, ¡°Did you hear that? This is the good daughter you gave birth to!¡± ¡°This is the hospital. Please leave! Don¡¯t make a scene here!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, if anything happens to Roxy, I¡¯ll not let you off!¡± Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Ingrid was furious. She pointed at Joanna and scolded, ¡°You shameless bitch! You have no guts to admit what you have done. You keep saying that you¡¯ll keep a distance from Mr. Everett, but you¡¯re still having an affair with him behind Roxy¡¯s back.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was infuriated. ¡°Ingrid Haynes, watch your mouth! ¡°You are in no position to say anything about whatever happens between me and Bruce! ¡°Even if I am still having an affair with him, it¡¯s between us. I knew Bruce first. It was Roxanne who came between us. I wasn¡¯t the home wrecker! ¡°If you speak rudely without thinking again, I¡¯ll sue you in court. Don¡¯t forget what you¡¯ve done yourself!¡± Ingrid took a deep breath, and her face turned pale. She did not dare to argue with Joanna anymore. Instead, she turned to Shaun and made a scene. ¡°Hubby, did you listen to what your good daughter has said? ¡°She¡¯s deliberately going against our family. Our family is really unlucky. Why do we have such a jinx in our family? ¡°If anything happens to Roxy, I don¡¯t want to live anymore too.¡± Ingrid started howling. After Ingrid finished scolding Joanne, it was as if she had suffered all sorts of grievances. She started wailing and pulling Shaun¡¯s sleeves. As Shaunforted Ingrid, he also scolded Joanna, ¡°You are so unfilial! You are such an unfilial daughter! ¡°What have I done to have a daughter like you? You are just going to drive me to my grave! Today I¡¯ll beat you to death, you shameless thing!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t argue here. This is the hospital.¡± The nurses and security guards all came over to stop themotion. Joanna held her breath, and she put on an indifferent expression. ¡°I can¡¯t exin anymore to you! You can do whatever you want.¡± With that, Joanna turned around and prepared to walk into the ward. ¡°Stop right there! I¡¯m going to beat you to death, you unfilial thing!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Bruce came back after sending Margaret home. Seeing themotion in front of him, he frowned deeply. ¡°What are you arguing about?¡± When Ingrid saw Bruce, she became furious again. ¡°Bruce, you came at the right time! ¡°What do you mean by canceling the wedding? Have you thought about how my Roxy feels? ¡°Have you thought about the Haynes family¡¯s feelings? The wedding is going to be held tomorrow. We¡¯ve already informed our rtives and friends. Do you think you can cancel it just like that? What do you think everyone will think of Roxy? What do you take Roxy for?¡± Bruce frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry about this matter.¡± ¡°Gosh! Do you think an apology is enough? Do you know how much hurt you¡¯ve caused Roxy? Roxy is missing now. If she does anything silly, I¡¯ll definitely not let the Everett family off even if it means risking my life.¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but my daughter is seriously ill now. I need to save my daughter first. ¡°We can hold the wedding anytime. There¡¯s no hurry.¡± ¡°Your daughter? You should be marrying Roxy tomorrow. Where did your daughtere from? Do you think you are doing right by Roxy?¡± Ingrid was extremely unforgiving. When she saw Bruce¡¯s guilty expression, she became even more arrogant. Upon hearing Ingrid¡¯s words, Bruce¡¯s expression instantly changed. ¡°I have never let anyone down. The rtionship between me and Roxanne was a misunderstanding from the beginning! I¡¯ve already kept my word to marry her! If you have any objections, let¡¯s cancel the wedding!¡± If not for Roxanne Haynes¡¯s constant threat of suicide, he would have broken up with her long ago. After Roxanne had been assaulted, Bruce med himself even more. That was why he was willing to marry her. From the looks of it, there was no need for him to be so kind anymore. When Ingrid heard this, she was instantly dumbfounded, and her attitude changed. ¡°No, how can you be so irresponsible? You have been with Roxy for six years, and now you¡¯re dumping her just like that. Aren¡¯t you being too heartless?¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, although I¡¯ve been dating Roxanne for six years, we have never been intimate! In terms of money, I¡¯ve given her a lot ofpensation!! feel that I¡¯ve not let her down! Since you¡¯re so dissatisfied with me, that is fine. My rtionship with her ends today!¡± Ingrid panicked when she heard this. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s not what I meant. I don¡¯t mean to me you! ¡°What I was trying to say is that Roxy has an innocent personality, and she is easily bullied! ¡°Whatever your decision is, you need to discuss it with her. You¡¯re supposed to have the wedding tomorrow, and now you¡¯re suddenly ignoring her! How is she going to face others in the future? ¡°If you want to postpone the wedding, you can postpone it as long as you want¡­¡± Bruce did not want to say anything else. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to talk about this now. I have to save my daughter first! ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the rtionship between me and Roaxanne in the future!¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Bruce, Roxy can wait for you¡­¡± ¡°Send them out!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Ingrid wanted to say something else.. A few bodyguards stepped forward and stopped her. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Haynes, please leave now. Don¡¯t disturb Mr. Everett anymore!¡± ¡°Bruce, we¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ll try my best tofort Roxy. She¡¯ll definitely be willing to wait for you!¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt even more frustrated. He really hoped that Roxanne would give up on this rtionship voluntarily after this incident. He was really disgusted by her threats of suicide. As they were leaving, Ingridined to Shaun, ¡°It¡¯s all because of your good daughter! ¡°I notice when you see her, you only talked fiercely. If I were you, I would have pped her hard many times!¡± ¡°Alright, alright/Let¡¯s not talk so much. Hurry up and find Roxy! Keep an eye on her and don¡¯t let her do anything stupid¡­¡± After Ingrid and Shaun left. Joanna was a little out of her wits. She didn¡¯t expect a scene like this. Unfortunately, the unexpected happened, and it gave her a big blow. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Bruce gently brushed her messy hair back. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. What are you apologizing for?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have told you this at this time¡­¡± Bruce guessed what she was going to say and immediately cut her off. ¡°Joanna, please don¡¯t add this burden on yourself. ¡°Even without Lilia, I really don¡¯t want to marry Roxanne.¡± Hearing this, Joanna subconsciously looked up at him. Bruce¡¯s hawk¨Clike eyes were filled with gentleness. ¡°I told you before that there was a misunderstanding between us! ¡°I made a mistake, and I ended up losing you! If you are willing, let¡¯s start over, shall we?¡± Joanna was stunned! It was impossible for her to reconcile with Bruce. And she had no intention of breaking him up with Roxanne! In her rtionship with Bruce, she felt fear and anger. She¡¯d never want to experience that kind of pain again. ¡°Bruce, I really have no intention of breaking you up with Roxanne! I also don¡¯t want to be criticized by others!¡± Bruce was a little angry, and his voice became less gentle. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that there¡¯s a misunderstanding between us. Can¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°Joanna, I want to get to know you again and woo you again. Is that okay?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was stunned! She subconsciously shook her head and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°You and Roxanne are about to get married. You can¡¯t let Roxanne down just because you want to save Lilia! ¡°I don¡¯t want people to misunderstand that I fought with Roxanne to get you back!¡± Joanna said and took a few steps back in a panic. She was really afraid of the cyberbullying six years ago. Everyone was calling her a scheming bitch who seduced and married her brother¨Cinw. If she got back with Bruce, the cyberbullying would start again. Everyone in Greyport would probably criticize her more viciously. ¡°Joanna, why don¡¯t you understand? ¡°From the beginning, it was Roxanne who reced you!¡± Bruce wanted to exin clearly, but it had been more than ten years. It would not convince Joanna at a time like this. Instead, she would think that he was a fickle¨Cminded man. Joanna would never understand why he would have feelings for her after she saved him from the swimming pool ten years ago. ¡°Bruce, stop talking! You¡¯ve already hurt me deeply. Don¡¯t hurt Roxanne!¡± ¡°Joanna, are you going to keep pushing me away? Have you ever loved me?¡± . How could Joanna not love him? She had loved him for ten years, but now, she really did not love him anymore! Chapter 160 Chapter 160 ¡°Bruce, my mind is in a mess now. I do not want to talk about this matter now!¡± Joanna frowned. Her thin and haggard appearance now made people feel heartbroken. Bruce hugged her gently and said, ¡°Alright! We will talk about it slowly after our daughter has recovered.¡± Ingrid and Shaun had been searching for quite some time before they found Roxanne. ¡°Roxy! It is a critical moment now. You can¡¯t throw a tantrum!¡± ¡°Joanna, that bitch! Now that she has three children, she has gained the upper hand!¡± ¡°At this juncture, she is waiting for you to take the initiative to break up with Bruce!¡± Roxanne curled up on the couch, feeling dispirited and listless. Initially, it should be her wedding tomorrow. However, the wedding was canceled. She would probably be theughingstock of the Greyport again. When she came to think about it, she could not wait to tear Joanna apart. Shaun could not help but sigh beside them. After giving it a thought, he pulled a long face and said, ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work, I think¡­ we should just forget about the marriage!¡± Upon hearing it, Ingrid said furiously, ¡°You make it sounds so easy, don¡¯t you? Do you know that everyone in Greyport is waiting for Roxy to make a fool out of herself?¡± ¡°No matter what, Roxy has to marry into the Everett family and be Mrs. Everett!¡± Ingrid continued. As Ingrid spoke, she sat beside Roxanne again and shook her arms. She said, ¡°Roxy, listen to me and pull yourself together hurriedly. At a time like this, the more you should show your magnanimity.¡± She then continued, ¡°So what if she has the children? What are you afraid of? As long as you marry Mr. Everett, you will be Mrs. Everett, hiswful wife!¡± ¡°By then, even if Joanna has three children, your status could not be shaken!¡± Ingrid continued to say. Roxanne blinked her eyes with tears flowing down her cheeks. She then said, ¡°Mom, I feel so embarrassed now¡­¡± ¡°Silly girl, it would be more embarrassing if you choose to break up with Mr. Everett now! Wealthy families are way different from any normal families. You have topete with each other with patience and endurance! ¡°The more you could tolerate and endure, the chances of winning would be higher! ¡°The more you can¡¯t withstand, the lesser things you could achieve!¡± When Shaun heard about it, he interrupted and said, ¡°Stop forcing Roxy anymore. From what I see, Mr. Everett has no intention to marry Roxy at all! Even if we for them into marriage, they would not be happy too.¡± Ingrid burst into mes upon hearing what Shaun said, ¡°Shut up! Of course, you want Roxy to break up with Mr. Everett!¡± Ingrid then continued to say, ¡°So that you could let that bitch, Joanna, patch up with Mr. Everett and marry him instead. You are so biased!¡± ¡°Since when did I being biased? It is a marriage that we are talking about now. Do you know that marriage determines a woman¡¯s happiness for the rest of her life?¡± ¡°I am only afraid that Roxy would not be happy after marrying into the family¡­¡± Shaun continued. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. No matter what, Roxy should get married first! In short, we could not let that bitch, Joanna, get away with it so, casily!¡± After hearing what Ingrid said, a trace of courage ignited in Roxanne¡¯s heart again. ¡°You are right, Mother!¡± said Roxanne confidently. ¡°No matter what, we could not let Joanna get away with it easily!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it! What you should do now is to make a call to Mr. Everett to show your magnanimity and tolerance. ¡°As long as you cling onto him and refuse to break up with him, he would not be able to patch up with Joanna easily. If you break up with him out of anger now, it will be exactly what that slut, Joanna, wants you to do now!¡± Upon hearing what Ingrid said, Roxanne stood up from the couch immediately and ran upstairs. ¡°Roxy, why are you in a hurry?¡± ¡°I am making a call to Bruce.¡± Roxanne went upstairs and calmed herself down. Then, she made a call to Bruce.. Ring! Ring! Ring! Bruce¡¯s phone kept vibrating non¨Cstop. Upon seeing that the call was from Roxanne, Bruce switched his phone to silent mode instantly. Roxanne had called Bruce¡¯s phone more than a dozen times consecutively. However, he refused to pick up the call. Hence, she sent him messages instead. ¡°Bruce, I am sorry for being too wilful!¡± ¡°Rest assured that I am willing to wait for you. No matter what, I will wait for you forever!¡± ¡°Bruce, your children are my children too. I will treat them as my own children as well! You don¡¯t have to worry about me now. The most important thing now is to save the child¡­¡± Roxanne sent more than a hundred messages to Bruce at one time! After reading all the messages, Bruce felt more headache now! Some women were indeed troublesome and annoying. Why did she still pester him after she had broken up with him? In the ward! Joanna and Bruce changed into surgical gowns before visiting Lilia in the ward. Lilia seemed to be at one¡¯sst gasp. She wasying on the bed with a few oxygen tubes inserted into her tiny body. Joanna¡¯s eyes weked up as she endured her tears and said, ¡°Lilia, are you okay? Do you feel any pain?¡± Lilia opened her eyes slightly and looked at Joanna as she said in a weak voice, ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Mommy and Daddy will always be with you. You will get well soon!¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± Lilia was a very obedient girl. She was very close to Bruce too. Before Bruce spoke, she had already called him obediently. Upon hearing Lilia call him ¡°Daddy¡°, Bruce¡¯s heart melted almost instantly. Bruce¡¯s eyes welled up as he held onto Lilia¡¯s hands. He felt so heartbroken to see her in such a state. He did not expect that her daughter would suffer from such a critical illness! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, darling. Daddy loves you as much as Mommy. I will try my best to treat your illness!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s work hard together to get better, okay?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Soon after¡­ Lilia was scheduled to undergo the surgery oning Monday! Based on the report, everything was a match between Bruce and Lilia. So, Bruce was suitable to be the donor. After the surgery was scheduled, Joanna¡¯s mind was in a mess. ¡°Oh my goodness! Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne¡¯s wedding is canceled again!¡± ¡°I knew it! I knew that Miss Joanna would not let it go so easily!¡± ¡°Look! At such a critical juncture, Miss Joanna chose to fight back! She managed to turn the tables and gained the upper hand with her three children!¡± ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t the three children belong to Mr. Grimm? Why are they Mr. Everett¡¯s children now?¡± ¡°In fact, they are Mr. Everett¡¯s children in the first ce. Mr. Grimm has never acknowledged that he is the father of the children!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh! Their rtionship is such a mess!¡± ¡°The news where the two sisters are fighting for a husband has gone viral!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! This kind of dramatic and exaggerated scenes of the wealthy family seems to be repetitive!¡± ¡°Haha! No matter what, let¡¯s see how Roxanne can be so cocky in the future! Doesn¡¯t she always im that she is Mrs. Everett? Well, it is so embarrassing now as if she has given herself a tight p on her face!¡± After Bruce and Roxanne¡¯s wedding was canceled, it caused an uproar again! All sorts of spections and criticisms could be seen online! On the other hand. At the Everett mansion! Margaret was so happy after she brought Davian and Irvin back to the Everett mansion. With such joy, her illness seemed to have been cured instantly. She did not even need to sit in the wheelchair now. However Davian and Irvin were still not used to the new environment, ¡°Great¨Cgrandma, we want to go home!¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Silly boys, this is your home in the future!¡± ¡°This is not our home!¡± Margaret sighed upon hearing it, ¡°Korbin, it is time to find someone to get their names changed!¡± ¡°How could they be called Irvin Haynes and Davian Haynes?¡± she continued. Then, she instructed the butler, ¡°Get a Geomancer to change their names!¡± ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± When the two little fellows heard about it, they were so unhappy. They said, ¡°We don¡¯t want to change our names. This is our name, we are not changing it.¡± ¡°Silly boys, now that you are the members of the Everett family, how can your surname be Haynes?¡± Korbin then reminded Margaret with a smile, ¡°Mrs. Margaret, it is time for your physiotherapy.¡± ¡°Alright! I am going for my physiotherapy now. Bring the two to their room first!¡± ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± After that, the servants brought the two little fellows to their bedroom. Irvin was left speechless when he saw the house that resembled a castle, ¡°Davian, are we going to stay here in the future?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°I miss Mommy and Lilia so much!¡± ¡°Yup! I miss them too!¡± ¡°When can we see them again?¡± ¡°There is a phone here. We can call Mommy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The two little fellows were so excited when they saw the phone. They called Joanna hurriedly. Joanna picked up the phone soon. ¡°Hello, Mommy!¡± ¡°How are you, Davian and Irvin?¡± ¡°Mommy, when are youing over to fetch us back?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and said, ¡°Mommy wille over to pick you up after Lilia¡¯s surgery. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Mommy, Great¨Cgrandma said that she is going to change our names! But, we do not want to change our name!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon hearing it, ¡°Change names? Change what names?¡± ¡°Great¨Cgrandma said that we cannot have Haynes as our surname anymore. We should change our surname to Everett!¡± Boom! Joanna owned upon hearing such news! She did want the three children to return to the Everett family! If she knew it earlier, she would have let Davian and Irvin go overseas to hide for the time being. ¡°I think Great¨Cgrandma is joking with you! Let me call her and ask her about it.¡± Joanna hung up the call as soon as she finished her words. Then, she made a call to the butler of the Everett family. Chapter 161 Chapter 161 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 161 The butler answered the call almost immediately, ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Mr. Korbin, I am Joanna Haynes. I am looking for Mrs. Margaret!¡± ¡°Please hold on.¡± Margaret was undergoing physiotherapy at that moment. Korbin handed the phone to her and said, ¡°Mrs. Margaret, it is from Miss Joanna Haynes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Margaret before answering the call. ¡°Hello, Joann!¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before going straight to the point, ¡°Grandma, I would like to¡­ I would like to bring the kids back!¡± ¡°They are fine here. You don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± ¡°Grandma, I heard that you are going to change their names. Is that true?¡± asked Joanna tentatively. ¡°Yup, it is true. They are members of the Everett family after all. How could they follow your surname, Haynes?¡± ¡°Grandma, I am going to bring the kids back first. As for the matter regarding changing names, we will talk about it another day¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish her words, Margaret rejected her suggestion directly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! They are the children of the Everett family. How can we let them wander around outside?¡± ¡°They are my children, Grandma!¡± ¡°Joanna, thank you so much for bearing these three children for the Everett family. ¡°However, we have very few people in the Everett family. Now, with the addition of these three children. It represents the future of the Everett family! ¡°I know you are capable. But, youck experience in educating children. The Everett family is the best environment to raise them and let them grow up healthily if you let them stay!¡± Joanna became more anxious upon hearing what Margaret said, ¡°Grandma, you can¡¯t do this! No matter what, these three children belong to me! ¡°I will educate and raise them myself. You don¡¯t have to worry about this. If you want to see the children, I will let them see you anytime you want! ¡°However, you can¡¯t let them stay with the Everett family forever. You can¡¯t change their names too!¡± On the other end of the call, Margaret said with despise, ¡°Joann, I acknowledge that you are the mother of the children. So, you coulde over to the Everett mansion to visit your children anytime you want!¡± She continued. ¡°However, the children could not stay by your side. They will be the sessor of the Everett family in the future. Hence, they have to stay at the Everett mansion. Only then they could be raised in the best environment.¡± ¡°Grandma, how could you make such a decision¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish her words, Margaret interrupted her directly and said, ¡°I am doing physiotherapy now. Talk to youter!¡± ¡°Regarding the children¡¯s matter, if you don¡¯t agree to it, you may talk to mywyer!¡± Margaret had already made herself clear over the phone. No matter what, she had to keep the children with the Everett family! ¡°Hello! Hello!¡± Joanna shouted twice anxiously. In fact, Margaret hung up the call directly as soon as she finished her words! Joanna was stunned! She did not expect Margaret to do such a thing! Margaret had always been swift and decisive in doing things she wanted. After she had made up her mind, no one could change her mind ever again! All she could do now was to look for Bruce and discussed it with him. Joanna rushed to the ward and looked at Bruce with her eyes welled up. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce was stunned upon seeing such a scene. He stood up hurriedly and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Grandma wants to keep the children with the Everett family. She even wants to change their names!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes upon hearing it. They were his children, they had to get their surnames changed sooner orter. However, Bruce knew Joanna¡¯s character well. She was a stubborn woman. Hence, no one could force her into doing something she did not like. So, he had to find a way to convince her slowly. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Bruce said in a gentle tone. He tried his best to look calm too. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she said angrily, ¡°They are my children. How could she decide on changing the children¡¯s names without my approval?¡± She then continued. ¡°With consideration that she is old, I am already kind enough to let the children apany her. ¡°But, it does not mean that I am sending the children to the Everett family for good! Who is she to change my children¡¯s names at will?¡± When Bruce saw Joanna was so agitated at that time, he opened his arms and intended to hug her, ¡°Joanna, please don¡¯t be so agitated. Let me ask Grandma about this matter first!¡± Joanna took a step back to dodge away from Bruce¡¯s hug. She was so angry that her eyes were bloodshot. Nobody knew how she survived the past four years. What made the Everett family have the right to snatch the children away from her? ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t take away the children from me! They are my life. I will fight till the end if anyone wants to take my children away from me!¡± Bruce approached Joanna again and hugged her forcefully but gently. Then, heforted her and said, ¡°I know, I know. Don¡¯t be so angry first, okay?¡± ¡°Perhaps, Grandma likes the children so much that she decided to do so! No matter what, I believe that Grandma will not hurt the children!¡± said Bruce. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna could not control her emotion anymore, ¡°But, her act had already hurt me so much now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious, Joanna. Let me go back and talk to her!¡± ¡°Rest assured. I will not let Grandma do this to the children!¡± said Bruce affirmatively. ¡°No matter what, I will not let the children separate from you!¡± Bruceforted Joanna. However, he already had something else in his mind. Joanna looked at Bruce in doubt upon hearing it. ¡°Are you sure? Do not lie to me, okay? I hate it when people lie to me.¡± Bruce twitched his mouth into a faint smile as he coaxed Joanna. ¡°Why would I lie to you, Silly?¡± ¡°You are the children¡¯s mother. You are the closest and most important person to the children. How could I bear to separate you from the children?¡± said Bruce. As a matter of fact, what Bruce really meant was that Joanna could stay with the Everett family too instead of taking the children away from the Everett family. Upon hearing what Bruce said, Joanna managed to calm herself down gradually. Joanna dared not turn against Bruce at that moment. She still needed him to donate his bone marrow to save Lilia!¡± She could only think of a way to get her children back after Lilia¡¯s surgery. ¡°Be nice and don¡¯t think too much about it. Lilia¡¯s illness is the most important to deal with right now,¡± said Bruce as he cuddled Joanna in his arms gently. He tried tofort her and calm her down. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Bruce¡¯s phone vibrated again. He took out his phone and nced at it. It was from his grandma. ¡°Joann, I need to answer a call.¡± ¡°Alright¡± Bruce kissed her forehead. Then, he turned around and walked out of the ward. ¡°Hello, Grandma.¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Grandma?¡± ¡°Could you make a trip back home tonight? I have something to tell you.¡± Bruce frowned slightly upon hearing it, ¡°Alright then. In fact, I have something to tell you too!¡± ¡°Alright. Come back early tonight then.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± At six o¡¯clock in the evening. Bruce returned to the Everett mansion on time! ¡°Grandma, I am back!¡± ¡°Bruce, you are back!¡± Margaret was sitting in a wheelchair at that moment. her face seemed to look more radiant today. She looked very energetic too. Bruce looked around the living room but the two children were nowhere in sight. Hence, he asked in doubt, ¡°Grandma, where are the children?¡± ¡°They are upstairs! I ask Korbin to take care of them!¡± Bruce halted for a second before he smiled and said, ¡°Grandma, I heard that you intend to change the children¡¯s names. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes. They are the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood. Of course, they have to follow our surname, Everett, instead of Haynes!¡± Upon hearing it, Bruce sat beside Margaret as he held onto her hands and said, ¡°Grandma, I know that the children belong to the Everett family. ¡°However, Joanna is the one who raises them in the past four years. ¡°Could you discuss it with Joanna first before making any decision on it? ¡°You made the decision all of a sudden. I doubt that she could ept it!¡± Upon hearing it, Margaret said in a deep and angry tone, ¡°She has to ept it regardless of whether she agrees to it or not.¡± ¡°It is already her blessing for giving birth to the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood! It has already been four years. Yet, she refuses to acknowledge the Everett family as the children¡¯s family. Furthermore, she still hides the truth from us for so many years. Her act almost makes me feel regretful for the rest of my life. ¡°I am very angry with her because of this. So, it is impossible for me to let her continue raising the children.¡± Margaret was so agitated that she kept coughing after she finished her words. Bruce stroked Margaret¡¯s back gently to calm her down. He then continued, ¡°Grandma, no matter what, you should show her some respect. Let me talk about this matter with her slowly!¡± ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have to interfere with this matter. I will settle it. ¡°If she has any dissatisfaction, she may approach me directly and negotiate it with me.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard about it. Margaret was very domineering ever since she was young. It was inevitable that she would be more stubborn as she grew older. If it were other matters, perhaps, Bruce could still talk her over. However, this matter concerned the Everett family¡¯s heir. He was afraid that she would not give in easily. The Everett family had been having a sole line of descent for five generations. Bruce¡¯s father passed away at a very young age too. Hence, she could only depend on her grandson to bear more children for the Everett family. Now that Margaret finally had two great¨Cgrandsons. They were as precious as gold to her. Therefore, how could it be possible for anyone to snatch the children away from her? Bruce sighed deeply. He did not dare to persuade Margaret further. Margaret was not in good health now. It was absolutely impossible for him to go against her will. Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Suddenly, Margaret seemed to have thought of something. Her expression froze as she said, ¡°By the way¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, are you going to donate your bone marrow to her daughter?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce nodded subconsciously. ¡°I already know about the child¡¯s health condition.¡± ¡°And then?¡± Bruce asked in confusion. Margaret breathed a sigh of relief as she said earnestly, ¡°I do not rmend you donate your bone marrow to her!¡± Bruce was stunned and speechless. He looked at Margaret with disbelief. Margaret took a deep breath slowly and said, ¡°Donating bone marrow is harmful to the human body. I am worried that it will cause damage to your body!¡± ¡°No, it won¡¯t. Donating bone marrow is not harmful to the human body¡­¡± Margaret stared at Bruce and said in doubt, ¡°Who said so?¡± ¡°Those who said that it is not harmful to the human body are lying. They are afraid that no one is willing to donate the bone marrow if they knew about it. ¡°Furthermore, I already know about the child¡¯s health condition! Not only that she is suffering from leukemia, but also thssemia and heart disease! ¡°There may be various seque in the future too. Even if her leukemia is cured, she would still be disabled for life!¡± Margaret sighed deeply as she spoke. ¡°She might not be fully recovered even after you donate your bone marrow to her! ¡°I have already sought advice from the specialist. After the specialist analyze her case, they suggest that it would be better for her to give up on her treatment!¡± Bruce drew his lips together as he frowned and said, ¡°Grandma, how could say so? She is my biological daughter, my flesh and blood! How could I not save her and see her die before me?¡± ¡°Bruce, she is the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood too. How could I bear to see her suffer? I want her to be healthy again too. ¡°However, from a rational point of view, her treatment is insignificant. She would only suffer more if she lives! ¡°The specialist has said that even if her leukemia is cured, she might need to perform heart transnt surgery in the future. ¡°Based on her condition, she might not even be able to live till she is seven. Therefore, even if you donate your bone marrow to her, she might only live for another two to three years at the most! ¡°So, do you think it is meaningful for you to do so now?¡± Margaret¡¯s face turned serious after she finished her words. She would rather give up a sickly person! Even though Margaret was not a person who favored boys over girls, she was worried that this sickly person would drag her grandson down! Lilia was suffering from so many kinds of illnesses. Today, she might need someone to donate bone marrow. However, she might need someone to donate a heart for her in the future! Joanna¡¯s blood type was not a match with Lilia¡¯s blood type so as the rest of them. Only Bruce¡¯s blood type was a match with Lilia¡¯s blood type. Margaret was afraid that it would be a neverending story for her grandson in the future. Although Margaret did not bear to see her great granddaughter suffer, she could not bear to see her grandson suffer even more! Bruce¡¯s face darkened as he stood up and said, ¡°Grandma, I am going to save my daughter no matter what! ¡°I have not fulfilled my duty as a father ever since she was born. Therefore, I can¡¯t give up on her today. Even if the surgery is not sessful, I will still give my best shot.¡± ¡°Bruce, if she could jump around and be healthy again, I will definitely not going to stop you from donating your bone marrow. ¡°But, look at her situation now. It is indeed pointless for you to do so. Furthermore, it will be harmful to your body too! ¡°Now that you need to donate your bone marrow. In the future, you might also need to donate your white blood cell or even other organs! ¡°I will be worried¡­¡± Margaret was trying her best to stop her grandson. ¡°Stop it, Grandma! I am not going to give up on Lilia no matter what!¡± Bruce turned around and walked away as soon as he finished his words. Upon seeing such a scene, Margaret choked herself in anger. ¡°Stop right there! Are you trying to drive me to the grave now?¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Margaret was so agitated that her face turned pale instantly. She almost fell off her wheelchair at that moment. Bruce was terrified. He came over hurriedly to help her up. ¡°Grandma, are you okay?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Get the doctor now! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Mrs. Margaret!¡± Korbin and the nurses were shocked upon seeing such a scene.. One of the nurses took out the oxygen mask hurriedly and prepared to give it to Margaret. Margaret held onto Bruce¡¯s hand tightly as she panted heavily and said, ¡°Bruce, promise me that you will not do anything stupid! ¡°I know that you are soft¨Chearted. But, it is not the time to be soft¨Chearted now! There will be too much trouble in the future! The Everett family is depending on you too¡­¡± ¡± Bruce was so flustered at that moment. He said, ¡°I know, I know. Grandma, please don¡¯t say anything anymore!¡± ¡°Korbin, keep an eye on Bruce. Do not let him donate the bone marrow no matter what!¡± ¡°Yes, Madam!¡± As soon as Margaret finished her words, her head tilted to a side, and fainted! ¡°Grandma! Grandma!¡± ¡°Where is the doctor? Call the doctor!¡± Five minutester. The family doctor rushed over hurriedly. After the doctor did a thorough checkup for Margaret, his expression turned serious. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Margaret is suffering from heart failure now. I am afraid that she has to be transferred to the hospital overseas for further treatment! We don¡¯t have such medical instruments in our country for the time being!¡± Upon hearing what the doctor said, Bruce said anxiously, ¡°Then we will send Grandma to the hospital overseas for further treatment now!¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Soon¡­ The Everett family deployed their private ne to send Margaret to Melta. Margaret was seriously ill now. Of course, Bruce had to tag along with her to take care of her. Everything happened so suddenly that Bruce did not have time to inform Joanna about it. The next day. Bruce did not go to the hospital! Joanna waited at the hospital for one whole day. However, Bruce was nowhere in sight. On the third day. There was still no news of Bruce. Two more days and it would be the surgery. Bruce should be staying in the hospital for observation by now. But until now, he was still nowhere in sight. It had already been two days since hest visited Lilia. On the fourth day. Joanna could not take it anymore. She made a call to Bruce immediately. Doo! ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter!¡± ¡°Bruce, why are you not answering the call?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Joanna did not know what was going on. So, she made a call to Korbin, the butler of the Everett family, hurriedly. However, regardless of Bruce or Korbin, both their phones could not get through at all! She had no other option now. Joanna could only make a call to Andy. ¡°Hello, Andy!¡± ¡°Anything that I can help, Miss Haynes?¡± ¡°Where is Bruce?¡± ¡°Oh! Mr. Everett had gone to Melta!¡± ¡°Bruce? Went to Melta? Why is he there?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Well, Mr. Everett did not say anything about it. He just told us that he had something urgent to attend to. Hence, he had to make a trip to Melta immediately!¡± ¡°When is heing back?¡± ¡°I am not sure either.¡± Joanna was stunned upon hearing the news. Did he bring the kids to Melta on purpose? ¡°Bruce! Did you¡­¡± When Joanna came to think about it, she felt a chill down her spine. Hence, she did not dare to think further about it. Could it be that Bruce had brought the children to Melta and totally given up on saving Lilia? In the ward. Joanna seemed to be a little out of her wits. Lilia had not seen Bruce for days. So, she asked curiously, ¡°Mommy, why didn¡¯t Daddy visit me for the past few days?¡± ¡°Lilia, Daddy is¡­¡± Joanna hesitated. She did not know how to tell Lilia about it. ¡°Is Daddy busy working?¡± ¡°Yup. Daddy wille over to see you after he finishes his work.¡± ¡°Well, when will Daddy finish his work then?¡± ¡°Maybe a few dayster!¡± Joanna was still out of her wits when Jaydon came to visit them. ¡°Joann!¡± ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± ¡°I am here to see Lilia. How is Lilia now?¡± asked Jaydon with concern. Joanna frowned as she said, ¡°Lilia will undergo the surgery oning Monday!¡± ¡°Have you gotten everything ready for the surgery?¡± ¡°Everything is ready!¡± Jaydon then asked with concern, ¡°Did Bruce agree to donate his bone marrow to Lilia?¡± Joanna was speechless. She had already lost contact with Bruce for three days.. She did not know if he had changed his mind. Or did he n to make her stay by agreeing to donate the bone marrow so that he could take Davian and Irvin away from her? Based on Bruce¡¯s personality, it was absolutely possible for him to do such a thing! Especially Margaret! She was a smart and ruthless woman. Lilia was suffering from such a critical illness, Joanna bet that Margaret would definitely not going tot her grandson take the risk! ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± Joanna sighed as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know either!¡± ¡°Where is he? Don¡¯t tell me that he did not agree to do so. ¡°He agreed to it before. But, I am not able to contact him now!¡± Jaydon was so angry upon hearing it that he said, ¡°I knew it. I knew that this jerk is unreliable!¡± ¡°This is not the thing that I am worried about now!¡± ¡°What else are you worrying about now?¡± ¡°He took Davian and Irvin away. I¡­¡± said Joanna as she med herself for being such a fool. She really should not be so soft¨Chearted in the first ce. She should not agree to let Margaret take Davian and Irvin away. But then again! Once the children¡¯s identity had been exposed, based on Margaret¡¯s personality, she would definitely think of ways to snatch the children away from her by all means! It was over! Everything would be over now! She would not only lose her daughter but also Davian and Irvin! Chapter 163 Chapter 163 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 163 ¡°Joann, what do you n to do if he does not appear eventually?¡± Jaydon asked worriedly. Joanna shook her head in a daze as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. My mind is in a mess now!¡± Jaydon frowned as he said in pity, ¡°It is such a pity that my blood type does not match Lilia¡¯s blood type.¡± ¡°If my bone marrow is a match with Lilia¡¯s bone marrow, I will donate it to save Lilia for sure!¡± ¡°Stop, Jay! Don¡¯t say it anymore! ¡­¡± Joanna was choking back a sob as she said. She was so lost at that particr moment! ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a little longer time then! Miracle might happen!¡± ¡°I really hope so!¡± Joanna continued to call Bruce. If he really did not want to donate the bone marrow, he should at least tell her in person and not went missing just like that.. If Bruce called her in person to tell her about it, she could at least give up all her hope. But now, the feeling of being swayed by considerations of gain and loss, and hovering between hope and despair were driving her crazy! Doo! Doo! Doo! Joanna kept making calls to Bruce, one after another. However, it was such a pity that none of them got through! Jaydon said furiously upon seeing such a situation, ¡°We are left with so little time that we don¡¯t have enough time to find another match now!¡± ¡°Bruce is such a jerk! I did not expect him to be so heartless. How can he not save his own flesh and blood?¡± Joanna had given up all her hope. Her phone had run out of battery too. ¡°Jay, please stop talking. My mind is in a mess now. I need some space now!¡± Through the ss window¡­ Joanna saw Lilia lying on the bed weakly. Her hair had been shaved. She looked exactly like a soulless doll now. Joanna¡¯s tears had already dried up. She was so helpless at that moment. She could not do anything at all. Other than Bruce, she could not think of any other alternatives to save her daughter! Joanna walked to the window and prayed sincerely upon the starry night sky. ¡°If possible, I am willing to trade my life for my daughter¡¯s life. I beg upon you, Almighty God! Please let my daughter live!¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Joann. Miracles will happen for sure!¡± In just a link of an eye¡­. It was already Sunday night! Lilia would need to undergo the surgery tomorrow! However, Bruce was still nowhere in sight! The doctor had been urging Joanna on this matter. However, she was still unable to contact Bruce. In the clinic. The doctor said seriously, ¡°If you are still unable to contact the donor, I am afraid that we would have to cancel the surgery tomorrow!¡± Joanna sat opposite the doctor in a daze. Her face was as pale as a sheet. She looked so haggard at that moment. She said, ¡°Doctor, is there any other way? ¡°Please, doctor! Could you think of another way to save my daughter? Please! Please save my daughter! I beg upon you!¡± Joanna became more agitated as she spoke. She grabbed the doctor¡¯s hand tightly with her eyes filled with despair. The doctor pulled his hand out forcefully. Then, he said helplessly, ¡°I am sorry that there is no other way of saving your daughter! Other than bone marrow transntation, nothing else would work for your daughter¡¯s condition! ¡°So, you¡¯d better contact the patient¡¯s father as soon as possible. We could not proceed with the surgery in his absence¡­¡± Joanna felt so desperate when she walked out of the clinic. ¡°You are so heartless, Bruce. Are you going to leave your daughter in the lurch?¡± After Joanna finished mumbling, she burst intoughter all of a sudden! Why would she expect anything from Bruce? She was really too naive. Bruce had always been so ruthless. He was so domineering and decisive that he would leave no room for mercy. Wasn¡¯t that his style as usual? He would only be losing a sickly daughter! He did not suffer any loss at all! There were so many women out there who were willing to bear a child for him if he was willing to do so! Joanna was indeed too naive. She thought that Bruce would be kind enough to save Lilia taking the ount that she was his flesh and blood! Well, she had overestimated him indeed! In the ward. Joanna looked at Lilia in a daze. Her face was filled with indescribable sorrow. Lilia bit the corner of her lips as she looked at Joanna and said weakly, ¡°Mommy, does Daddy don¡¯t want me anymore?¡± Joanna put on a wry smile and tried tofort her daughter. ¡°Lilia, Mommy will always be your side¡­¡± Lilia blinked her eyes and said heartbrokenly, ¡°Mommy, your eyes are swollen and welled up! Did you cry for a very long time?¡± ¡°Of course not! I am not crying.¡± However, before Joanna could finish her words, her tears flowed down her cheek uncontrobly. Lilia reached out her tiny hand and tried her best to wipe the tears off Joanna¡¯s face. ¡°Mommy, is my illness incurable?¡± ¡°Of course not, my darling You will be fine and your illness will be cured soon!¡± ¡°Where Daddy?have not seen him for days. Could it be that he is unwilling to save me now?¡± Joanna was so heartbroken upon hearing what Lilia said! She did not know how to exin to the child at all. She did not want the child to suffer from the pain of being abandoned again right before her death! ¡°No! Of course not. Daddy is very busy. He is dealing with some urgent matters now. That¡¯s why he could not make it back in time. He will be back as soon as he finishes his work!¡± ¡°Really?¡± said Lilia with her eyes lit up. Then, she smiled sweetly at Joanna. In fact, Lilia was not a fool. How would she not know the reason why her Daddy went missing? It must be that her Daddy did not want her anymore. That was why he went off quietly all of a sudden. Just that, she did not dare to cry. She was afraid that her Mommy would be more upset if she saw her crying. Joanna put on a wry smile as she said, ¡°Of course! Daddy and Mommy love you very much!¡± ¡°I love Mommy, Daddy, Davian, and Irvin too!¡± Joanna covered her eyes and wiped her tears away with her sleeves. Then, she smiled radiantly at her daughter and said, ¡°Darling, is there anything that you want to do?¡± Lilia tilted her head and gave it a thought. A few secondster, she said, ¡°I want to eat chocte!¡± ¡°Alright. Mommy will buy chocte for you, a lot of choctes, okay?¡± ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t you say that I cannot eat chocte now because I am sick? ¡°I will eat it after I have recovered from my illness!¡± ¡°Mommy lied to you in the past because you will have cavities if you eat too much chocte. But you are undergoing surgery soon, so you can have as many as you like before the surgery.¡± Joanna smiled as she said with her eyes welled up. But, she could only swallow her tears.. Bruce had gone missing! He must be getting cold feet and unwilling to take the risk of donating the bone marrow now! If he refused to donate his bone marrow, Lilia was tantamount to a death sentence. Now, all Joanna could do was try her best to fulfill her daughter¡¯s wishes. She wanted to fulfill all of Lilia¡¯s wishes before her death! ¡°What else do you want, Lilia?¡± ¡°I want to take a family portrait with Daddy, Mommy, Davian, and Irvin!¡± said Lilia innocently. ¡°Why are you having such a thought?¡± ¡°I saw other people taking family portraits as a family in the television program. So, I want to take it too!¡± ¡°Mommy, where are Davian and Irvin? Why aren¡¯t they visiting me?¡± Joanna was so heartbroken upon hearing what she said. Jaydon could not take it anymore. He smiled as he looked at Lilia and said, ¡°Lilia, why don¡¯t I take the family portrait with you?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm!¡± Lifia smiled sweetly at Jaydon. Although she liked Mr. Grimm too! But, she loved her Daddy more! Even though her Daddy was fierce and she only got to meet him three to four times¡­ She still loved her Daddy. With Daddy¡¯s presence, she felt that her family wasplete again! Although she had never seen Bruce when she was a child, she wanted him to be her Daddy so much at first sight. Now that her wish hade true. Bruce was indeed her Daddy. But¡­. Joanna turned her head away. She could not endure it anymore and burst into tears instantly! She was so heartbroken at that moment that she was almost out of breath. Bruce Everett! Eventually, he still let her daughter down! ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Joann!¡± Jaydon could onlyfort her at that moment. He could not think of anything else to say anymore. ¡°Jay¡­¡± Joanna burst into tears as she said. She could not help but leaned her head on his shoulder as she cried. *Please don¡¯t cry, Mommy! I feel like crying too when I see you cry!¡± ¡°Mommy is not crying!¡± ¡°I love you, Lilia. Mommy will love you forever!¡± Joanna carried Lilia off the bed and hugged her tightly in her arms! Lilia was born with such a critical illness. Therefore, it brought a lot of pressure to Joanna indeed! But! Because of this, she became stronger and more independent! Because of her fragility, she was even more inspired to be stronger! Heaven was so cruel to Lilia! She was so young, yet she had to suffer so much pain! ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes welled up. He felt exceptionally upset too! Outside the ward. Bruce rushed back from Melta hurriedly! Margaret had been stopping him froming to the hospital. She even threatened Bruce with death! However, his daughter was in great danger now! As a father, how could he not save her daughter? How could he leave her in the lurch? As soon as Margaret was out of danger. He took a 13¨Chours flight back overnight. He knew that Joanna must be extremely anxious for the past five days when he was totally uncontactable! Just that, when they were in Melta, Margaret¡¯s condition was so critical that the doctor had been trying his best to save her. Therefore, Bruce did not have time to call Joanna at all. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Bruce rushed back hurriedly. He did not even bother to return home. He rushed to the hospital directly as soon as he touched down However, the moment he entered the ward, he happened to see Joanna in Jaydon¡¯s arms. Jaydon hugged her tightly in his arms as if he was the only man she could rely on! It seemed that the three of them looked more like a family! As for him, he was only a bone marrow donor, an absolute stranger to them! Bruce felt so heartbroken upon seeing such a scene! Bruce stood outside the ward. He did not go into the ward. ¡°Joanna, in the end, you still choose Jaydon instead of me. Aren¡¯t you? ¡°You came to me just to ask me to donate bone marrow to save our daughter! ¡°After Lilia recovers from her illness, will you throw yourself into Jaydon¡¯s arms again?¡± Bruce flew into a fit of rage instantly. In the end, he turned around and walked away! The next day. Bruce still did not show up! Joanna has been in the abyss of despair. Her heart was so wretched now. She had packed everything early in the morning and proceeded with the discharge procedures. She was preparing to take her daughter out of the hospital. Since her daughter was left with not much time, she wanted to spend more time with her daughter through thest moment of her life! ¡°Lilia, Mommy is taking you out of the hospital today!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you like the dolphins in Ocean Park? Mommy is going to bring you thereter. After that, we are going to eat burgers, ice cream, and fried chicken. Is that okay for you?¡± Children seemed to like all this food. Weren¡¯t they? In the past, her daughter was sick! Therefore, she did not dare to let her daughter eat all this junk food. But now, her daughter was dying soon. She did not want to deprive thest joy of her daughter! ¡°Mommy¡± kilia wanted to say something. However, she swallowed her words again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Could you go out for a while?¡± Joanna was stunned and speechless. She looked at Lilia in confusion. Lilia gave it a thought for a few seconds before she braced herself and said, ¡°I would like to have a private conversation with Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Alright! I will be waiting for you outsidel¡± said Joanna as her eyes welled up. She took a nce at Jaydon before she left the ward. ¡°Lilia, what do you want to say to me? I am all ears!¡± said Jaydon as he bent forward to get closer to Lilia. His eyes welled up as well as he spoke. After Joanna went out of the ward¡­. Lilia pouted her mouth and burst into tears instantly! ¡°Mr. Grimm, I know my illness is incurable! ¡°I know that I am dying soon, but I don¡¯t dare to cry. I am afraid that Mommy will be sad! ¡°Mommy will definitely be very sad after losing me! ¡°So, I hope that you couldfort Mommy and let Mommy give birth to another healthy daughter!¡± ¡°Lilia¡­¡± Jaydon could not endure it anymore. He felt so heartbroken that he burst into tears immediately too! She was only four years old. Yet, she already knew so many things and was so obedient! He could not believe that all these words were said by a four years old child! ¡°I know Daddy doesn¡¯t want me anymore. That¡¯s why he went missing. ¡°Mommy must have hated him so much right now! But Mr. Grimm, if you happen to see my Daddy, please tell him that I love him. ¡°I love him very, very much! Even if he did not save me, I would still love him!¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart welled up with mixed feelings upon hearing what Lilia said. In the end, Jaydon nodded his head vigorously and said in a serious manner, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lilia. I will definitely tell him about it!¡± Lilia smiled upon hearing it. She said, ¡°I am leaving my Mommy under your care now. I hope that you will treat her well!¡± Jaydon then carried Lilia in his arms. At that moment, how he hoped that he was the father of the child! If he was the father of the child, he would donate his bone marrow to her without hesitation! He would save her at no cost for sure! ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s discharge from the hospital now. Is that okay for you?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Lilia replied obediently. Then, she reached out her tiny hand to wipe her tears away. She was so afraid that her Mommy would be upset after seeing her cry! Outside the ward. Upon hearing what her daughter said, Joanna burst into tears as she leaned against the wall helplessly. What did she do wrong in her previous life? Why did her daughter need to suffer from such pain? What sins had shemitted in her previous life to let him meet with a jerk like Bruce? After Lilia was out of the ward, she said in a sweet voice, ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna wiped away her tears hurriedly and smiled forcefully at her daughter. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Ocean Park first. Then, we shall go eat fried chicken, ice cream¡­¡± Joanna choked with a sob as she put a smile on her face. Her voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright!¡± Three of them were about to go off. Suddenly¡­ A cold voice sounded from behind. ¡°Where are you taking the child to?¡± Joanna was stunned when she heard the voice! She turned around to take a look at it. Bruce was standing right behind them! He was standing in the middle of the corridor, against the light. He seemed to have blocked out all the lights in the corridor like a wall. He looked so gloomy at the moment. As he had blocked out all the light, his face looked gloomier and cold as if he was an ice statue. His tall figure seemed to be cast by the sunlight which made people feel dizzy by looking at him. Joanna¡¯s heart was pumping fast. It took her quite some time to regain her consciousness. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Lilia shouted happily too. ¡°Daddy!¡± Bruce took a few steps forward and looked at Joanna with his eyes darkened. ¡°Lilia is undergoing surgery today. Why didn¡¯t you help her get ready? On the contrary, you are bringing her to eat so much junk food instead! ¡°What kind of mother are you?¡± Joanna staggered and almost lost her bnce. She looked at Bruce with disbelief! Jaydon was stunned on the spot upon seeing such a scene. They did not expect Bruce to appear right before them at such a critical moment! All of them thought that Bruce, the scumbag, had long fled. ¡°Daddy, you are finally here!¡± said Lilia in a sweet voice. Then, she spread her arms at Bruce. Bruce stared coldly at Jaydon as he carried Lilia over from Jaydon¡¯s arms domineeringly. ¡°She is my daughter. Not any Tom, Dick, and Harry could carry her!¡± Jaydon was so stunned and speechless. He did not know how to refute all of a sudden! ¡°Daddy, knew that you wille back for me!¡± Lilia kissed Bruce¡¯s cheek as she said. ¡°Bruce, you¡­¡± Joanna was so stunned at that moment. Suddenly, she could see the light in the darkness! She really did not expect Bruce, that jerk, to appear out of the blue! ¡°What are you looking at? Hurry up and get the doctor! Get the doctor to be prepared for the surgery!¡± said Bruce as he stared at Joanna coldly. ¡°Alright! Alright! I will call the doctor now!¡± Joanna rushed to Bruce as soon as she finished her words. She lost control of her emotions and punched Bruce in his chest hard. She punched him as she cried and said, ¡°You are such a jerk! Why did you go missing all of a sudden? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me anything?¡± Bruce stood still and replied coldly, ¡°Why do I need to inform you? Do I need to report to you on everything that I am doing?¡± Bruce was so furious. Hence, he yelled at her angrily. He was only away for five days. Yet, she made out with another man instead! Indeed, he intended to disappear just like that forever the night before! However, when he took a puff of his cigarette, his mind was shing with images of her daughter calling her Daddy with a sweet smile! He hated Joanna. But, he could not bring himself to hate his daughter. She was his flesh and blood. How could he not save her and let her die? Therefore, even though he was angry with Joanna, he still reached the hospital on time in the morning! Joanna cried. But, she could not helpughing at the same time.. Bruce that jerk always liked to do such a thing! However, as long as he agreed to donate bone marrow to her daughter. She would not hate him no matter what! ¡°Doctor! Doctor! We are not going to discharge anymore! ¡°We can proceed with the surgery now! The child¡¯s father is here¡­¡± Upon hearing the news, the doctor rushed over hurriedly and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! Quick! Arrange for the surgery now!¡± After a while, everything had been arranged properly. Bruce and Lilia had changed into surgical gowns. Both of them were lying on the operating bed now. Before going into the operating theater, Joanna was still worried about them inexplicably. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Lilia. The surgery will be over soon! You will definitely be better after the surgery!¡± ¡°I am not afraid at all because Mommy and Daddy are with me now. I am not afraid of anything!¡± In fact, Lilia had undergone a lot of surgeries in the past. So, she had already gotten used to it! Joanna kissed her daughter¡¯s cheek upon hearing it. Then, she turned around and looked at Bruce worriedly. ¡°Bruce, you will be fine¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but she hesitated eventually. Her heart welled up with mixed feelings! She did not know what to say at all. Bruce stared at Joanna fiercely as he said, ¡°I will settle the score with you after the surgery! ¡°I was only away for five days and you have already turned the world upside down! How could you!¡± Joanna was stunned upon hearing it. Soon, she came to her senses! Was he jealous about something again? ¡°All the best, Bruce!¡± ¡°Tell Jaydon to scram! I do not want to see such an eyesore after I am out of the operating theater¡± Chapter 165 Chapter 165 ¡°Alright! Hurry up and get into the operating theater!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened instantly as he said, ¡°Are you listening? Tell him to scram immediately and don¡¯t stay here anymore. I do not want to see him!¡± ¡°Alright, alright! Got it!¡± said Joanna with her face darkened. Bruce went into the operating theater. When Joanna came out and stood in the hospital corridor, Jaydon approached her and asked with concern, ¡°How is it?¡± Joanna paused for a second and said awkwardly, ¡°Jay, why don¡¯t you go back first?¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°You know Bruce is petty and has a bad temper. He will go insane again if you stay here.¡± Jaydon went silent for a few seconds. Then, he smiled at Joanna and said, ¡°Well then. I shall take my leave first. Call me if anything happens!¡± ¡°Alright! Got it!¡± ¡°I shall leave the factory under your care for the time being.¡± Jaydon looked at her gently as heforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the factory. I will make the necessary arrangements ordingly! ¡°As for now, Lilia¡¯s illness is the most important thing that you have to deal with now. As for the rest, you can leave it to me and don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Joanna nodded. She trusted Jaydon. She could put thepany under his care without worrying about anything at all. ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Jaydon, I will be back to work as soon as Lilia recovers from her illness.¡± ¡°No hurry. Nothing is more important than Lilia¡¯s safety.¡± Joanna did not say anything further upon hearing it. She just looked at Jaydon deeply. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll make a move first then!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Jaydon patted Joanna¡¯s shoulder as he turned around and walked out of the hospital! Indeed, there was no point for him to stay in such a situation. It would only add more trouble to Joanna if he stayed. At the same time, he would provoke Bruce too. After Jaydon left the hospital, Miranda and Kelly came to the hospital. They care to the hospital to apany Joanna. Outside the operating theater. Joanna kept pacing back and forth. She was praying hard for the surgery to be a sess. Miranda and Kelly were so worried too. They kept encouraging Joanna. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lilia will be fine!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Lilia is such a sweet and obedient girl. Heaven will definitely bless such a good girl.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± Six hourster. The red light above the entrance of the operating theater went out. The door was finally opened. The doctor and the nurses came out of the operating theater. Joanna approached them immediately when she saw theming out of the operating theater. ¡°How is it, doctor? Is the surgery a sess?¡± The doctor nodded confidently as he said, ¡°The surgery is a sess. Now, we will only have to monitor if there is any rejection! ¡°If there is no rejection, we could schedule the second surgery soon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you so much, doctor!¡± Joanna could finally breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°You are wee. It is our job.¡± After a while, Bruce was the first to be pushed out of the operating theater! Normally, the patient should undergo a few times of bone marrow transnt surgery ording to the rejection. This was the early stage. The rest would depend on recovery! Joanna approached Bruce hurriedly and said with concern, ¡°How are you feeling, Bruce?¡± Bruce was conscious at that moment. He lifted his head to look at Joanna. His face was a little pale. His sharp and spirited eyes seemed to look a little ck.. He looked very weak now. Joanna held his hand tightly. Her eyes were filled with gratitude. ¡°Where is Lilia?¡± ¡°She is still inside!¡± ¡°Thank you, Bruce!¡± ¡°Why are you thanking me? ¡°I am the father of the child. I did everything for her good. It is the responsibility of a father. It has nothing to do with you!¡± said Bruce arrogantly. He was still angry with Joanna. Hence, the words he said were kind of sarcastic. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Joanna¡¯s eyshes flickered upon hearing what he said. Upon seeing such a big sacrifice Bruce had made, Joanna decided not to argue with him further. Three dayster. Basically Bruce had fully recovered. Lilia¡¯s recovery was good as well. There was no sign of rejection being observed too! For the past three days, Joanna had been taking care of Lilia in the hospital. On the fourth day. After a few days of observation, Lilia showed no sign of rejection. The doctor was so d that everything went smoothly. He said, ¡°We can undergo a second surgery after the patient has fully recovered!¡± Joanna skipped a beat upon hearing what the doctor said.. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± ¡°You are wee.¡± Joanna looked at the attending doctor gratefully. Finally, she could put her mind at ease. With the bone marrow donated by Bruce, Lilia¡¯s surgery was a sess! Lilia would regain her health again after the second surgery. In the ward. Bruce was lying on the bed like a boss while Joanna was feeding him food like a subordinate. Soup, beverages, fruits, and supplements were all avable at hismand. It was as if Joanna was serving a King or a Hero right now! Bruce was enjoying the moment with clear consciousness. He did not let anyone interfere at all. In fact, he was not as weak as he looked. He could actually get off the bed and walk on his own already. However, he just liked the feeling when Joanna took good care of him in a cautious manner. ¡°Do you still want some more?¡± ¡°Nope. I am done.¡± ¡°Do you want some fruits?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Joanna put down the utensil to peel an apple for Bruce. After that, she cut the apple into small pieces and fed Bruce with a toothpick one after another. After feeding Bruce a few pieces of apples, Joanna sighed all of a sudden. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Where are Davian and Irvin? I am worried about them. Can I bring them home now?¡± Bruce adjusted his lying posture and rolled his eyes as he said, ¡°They are fine at the Everett mansion. We¡¯d better wait till Lilia recovers¡­¡± ¡°But, it has been so long since Ist saw them. I can¡¯t put my mind at ease at all!¡± ¡°They are at the Everett mansion. You don¡¯t have to worry a thing about it!¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before she frowned and said, ¡°I want to bring the kids home!¡± ¡°Not at the moment. Grandma is still undergoing treatment at Melta! ¡°If Grandma finds out that the kids have been taken away when she is back home, she will be angry for sure!¡± ¡°But, you can¡¯t keep me from seeing the kids forever. They are my children!¡± said Joanna as her eyes turned cold. She stared at Bruce with dissatisfaction. If hot for the sake that Bruce had donated bone marrow for her daughter, she would have brought the children back a long time ago. ww Bruce¡¯s face darkened instantly as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Lilia has fully recovered and Grandma¡¯s condition stabilized. ¡°I will persuade Grandma about this. Don¡¯t worry. She will not take your children away from you!¡± ¡°You must keep your word, okay?¡± ¡°Of course! When have I, Bruce Everett, ever gone back on my words?¡± Upon hearing what he said, Joanna could only wait patiently. Davian and Irvin were at the Everett mansion, so she did not have to worry about their safety.. The Everett family had so many servants in the mansion. She bet that they would be able to take good care of the kids. At the Everett mansion. In the blink of an eye, Davian and Irvin had stayed in the Everett mansion for almost half a month.. Even though they were being well taken care of, they still could not see Joanna and Lilia. So, it was inevitable that they were still unhappy. Irvin sat among a pile of toys, feeling a little bored. He said, ¡°Davian, it has already been so many days. Why isn¡¯t Mommy picking us up yet?¡± Davian felt a little depressed too. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t see Great¨Cgrandma too.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back and take a look?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± As they spoke, they walked out of the bedroom toward the main door hand in hand. However, before the two little fellows reached the main door, a few personal servants stopped them immediately. ¡°Where are you going, Davian and Irvin?¡± ¡°We want to go home!¡± ¡°But, this is your home!¡± One of the servants intended to coax them back to their bedroom. ¡°This is not our home. We want to go home to look for Mommy!¡± ¡°You may stay here at ease. This is really your home now!¡± The servants could not help butin in their minds. These two kids were born into the Everett family. Did they even know how lucky they were? They actually wanted to leave. Did they know that not any Tom, Dick, and Harry could enjoy such a life? ¡°No, no, not want to look for Mommy!¡± ¡°Mrs. Margaret has instructed that both of you have to stay here¡­¡± No matter how the two little fellows make a fuss about it, the servants still did not dare to open the door. The two of them were so frustrated. However, there was nothing that they could do. They could only return to their bedroom helplessly. ¡°Irvin, this house is like a maze, with three electromechanical doors. There is no way for us to get out at all.¡± ¡°Davian, why don¡¯t we think of a way to get out of here?¡± ¡°Alright. I have the same thought too!¡± Irvin gave it a thought and pouted his mouth as he said, ¡°But, there are so many bodyguards here. There are a lot of doors too. What should we do if we lose our way and can¡¯t get out? Davian snorted and said, ¡°Watch me! Have you forgotten what I am good at?¡± Irvin smiled upon hearing it. ¡°Haha¡­ I am depending on you now, Davian.¡± After that¡­ The two little fellows sneaked into theputer room. Davian unleashed his knowledge and skills as a hacker. He started to tap on the keyboard and fiddle with theputer with a serious face. Irvin then kept a watch out for Davian. Twenty minutes passed. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 The Everett mansion¡¯swork was being cut off all of a sudden. A few minutester, the power circuit was cut off as well. All electronic devices were out. The servants were confused. ¡°Sigh! Why is there a power outage all of a sudden? Everything is fine a moment ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The power of the surveince cameras and electromechanical doors is being cut as well!¡± ¡°Oh, crap! This aquarium is thermostatic. I am afraid that the fishes will die during the power outage.¡± ¡°Hurry up and close the door of the backyard! The power is out now! Don¡¯t let the animals escape!¡± Bruce liked to raise animals ever since young. Therefore, there were a lot of pets in the Everett mansion. However, Bruce¡¯s pets were not ordinary pets. All of them were ferocious beasts. There were crocodiles, Tibetan mastiffs, wolves, leopards, and so on. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. An independent zoo was built in the backyard. It would be a disaster if the animals escaped during the power outage and hurt someone. The servants were shocked. This had never happened before in the Everett mansion. In the past, even if there was a power outage, the backup power would be activated immediately.. But now, the whole mansion¡¯s powers were out. ¡°Go and check on the power circuit and see what¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Go over there to check it out! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± It was absolute chaos in the mansion now. All of the servants ran over to check it out! Naturally, the two little fellows were being neglected now. Irvin chuckled, ¡°Davian, it¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go! Hurry!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little fellows packed their things into their backpacks, grabbed their backpacks, and sneaked out of the bedroom in stealth. The Everett mansion was huge. Most of the areas were covered with greenery. Now that surveince cameras were down, the two little fellows managed to sneak out of the first electromechanical door smoothly. The security guard¡¯s at the door were busy checking on the power circuit that they did not notice the two kidse out of the fence. ¡°Be careful, Davian.¡± ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t make any noise! Don¡¯t let them catch us.¡± The two little fellows crouched down as they slipped along the underside of the wall of greenery and walked towards the second electromechanical door. There were approximately 500 yards between the first and second electromechanical doors. In the middle, it was an exquisite inner garden with all kinds of precious flowers. Now that the surveince cameras were down, it would difficult to find an adult hiding inside, let alone two little kids. ¡°Davian, there are three exits here. Which way are we going?¡± ¡°There are fewer people here. I guess this must be the back door!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take the back door!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little fellows got out of the second electromechanical door as they walked down a remote path! That was the back door indeed. The back door was connected to a private mountain. It was also a wild bird ind that was not open to the public. It took the two little fellows quite sometime before reaching the back door. Since the electromechanical door was down, the two little fellows flipped over the wall just like that. ¡°Haha! Do you think you could keep us captive? Dream on!¡± ¡°Hurry! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go home and look for Mommy!¡± ¡°It has been so long since west saw Mommy and Lilia. I miss them so much!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The two little fellows followed the mountain path up the mountain.. At first, the road was very wide. O But as they walked, the road became narrower and more difficult to walk. ¡°Wow! Davian, are we going in the wrong direction?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t we see any public transport after walking for so long?¡± Davian looked around, feeling puzzled. He said, ¡°That¡¯s right! I find it weird too. We seem to go further and further away. Aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°This house is too big. Why can¡¯t I see any neighbors around?¡°. ¡°Forget it then. Let¡¯s go further to take a look. There might be a bus stop ahead. If there is no bus, we would hail a cab then!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Then, the two little fellows continued to walk forward, hand in hand. At the Everett mansion. Soon, the circuit engineers identified the problem and managed to restore the power in time. However, it was dyed for more than half an hour. ¡°Oh no! This is bad! The two young masters are missing!¡± When the servant named Dahlia was delivering the cakes to the two little fellows, she found that they were gone. ¡°Are they in the backyard?¡± ¡°No! I have searched all the gardens, and a few rooms in the vicinity. But there was no sight of them!¡± ¡°Find them now! Hurry!¡± ¡°Quick! Inform the security department and ask them to send their men out to find the kids!¡± Suddenly, the Everett mansion was in chaos again. More than a dozen servants were searching everywhere for the two kids. One hourter. The two little fellows were still nowhere in sight. ¡°Oh my god! What should we do now?¡± ¡°How did these two kids disappear in such a short time?¡± ¡°Could it be that they have already sneaked out of the house?¡± ¡°Both of them were so young. How could it be possible for them to get out of the Everett mansion?¡± ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s over! We will be doomed for sure for losing the two young masters! We are doomed!¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°What else could we do now? Inform Mr. Everett immediately!¡± ¡°Ring!¡± Bruce¡¯s phone rang all of a sudden. Bruce took out his phone and nced at it. It was actually a call from the general secretary of the Everett family. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Bad news, Mr. Everett! Bad news indeed!¡± Upon hearing it, Bruce sat upright immediately and asked in a deep tone, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°The two young masters are missing!¡± Boom! Upon hearing such news, Bruce gasped astonishingly. He almost growled over the phone. But, as Joanna was right beside her, he had to suppress his anxiety and asked in a vexed manner, ¡°Gone missing? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Someone hacked into the Everett mansion¡¯s electrical circuit control system just now. All the electronic devices were down! ¡°After that, two young masters are missing¡­¡± Bruce drew a cold breath as he got down from the bed and walked to the washroom hurriedly, ¡°Hurry up and send our men to look for them!¡± ¡°We have searched everywhere but they were still nowhere in sight!¡± When Bruce heard about it, he was more anxious now. He shouted over the phone and said, ¡°I am giving you one hour to find the kids!¡± ¡°If anything happens to the kids, all of you shall meet your door!¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The general secretary hung up the call. He was so frightened that his entire body was trembling in fear. He gathered more people and started the search. for the kids hurriedly. Bruce¡¯s face turned ghastly aftering out of the washroom. His eyes were filled with anxiety. Joanna sensed something amiss upon seeing his expression. Her heart skipped a beat as she asked, ¡°What happened, Bruce?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± said Bruce with a wry smile. He did not dare to tell Joanna that the kids were missing for fear that she would be worried! Upon seeing Bruce speak evasively, Joanna had a bad feeling about it. She asked again, ¡°What exactly had happened?¡± ¡°Nothing! Really nothing!¡± Joanna was speechless. She felt so uneasy when she looked at Bruce. ¡°Joanna, I have something urgent to attend to right now. So, I need to discharge immediately.¡± ¡°You have not recovered yet. How can you be discharged right now?¡± Bruce twitched his mouth into a forceful smile and said, ¡°I have something very important to attend to!¡± ¡°What exactly had happened?¡± ¡°Erm! Some work matters actually. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Stay in the hospital to take care of Lilia, okay?¡± As soon as Bruce finished his words, he changed into his clothes and left the ward hurriedly. In just a blink of an eye! An afternoon passed! The two kids were still nowhere in sight! ¡°A bunch of rubbish! All of you are a bunch of rubbish! You can¡¯t even find two kids after so long!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t we call the police? The search and rescue team could assist in finding them!¡± Soon¡­ A search and rescue team of more than a hundred people was deployed to search around the mountain. It was such a big incident that the media was rmed. ¡°We have just received a piece of breaking news!¡± ¡°Two children are found missing near Mount Lance! If you have any leads, please call us at¡­¡± Joanna identally came across the news showing on the television. Her heart skipped a beat instantly! ¡°Aren¡¯t they Davian and Irvin?¡± ¡°Why are they missing?¡± When Joanna heard about the news, she almost break down. She made a call to Bruce immediately to ask him about it. ¡°Hello, Bruce. What exactly had happened?¡± Bruce knew that he could not hide it from Joanna anymore. ¡°The kids¡­ are missing!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened instantly upon hearing it. She almost fainted after knowing that her children had gone missing. ¡°How did it happen?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have mobilized everyone to go out and search for them! ¡°The search and rescue team is deployed to search for them as well. We will find Davian and Irvin for sure even if there is a need to flip Mount Lance over!¡± ¡°Bruce Everett! If you can¡¯t find the kids, I will¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened instantly. She was so anxious that she could not speak at all. On the other hand, Davian and Irvin had lost their way into the mountain! The sky was getting darker. ¡°Davian, I am so cold!¡± ¡°I think we have lost our way!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will carry you!¡± The two little fellows had not eaten anything for the whole day! ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and have a look!¡± ¡°We will get out of here for sure!¡± ¡°Are we going to die here, Davian?¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t!¡± ¡°Are there any monsters in the world?¡± ¡°Those are not true. There are no monsters in the world!¡± ¡°But, there are ghosts. Am I right? I am scared, Davian!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back now?¡± Chapter 167 Chapter 167 ¡°Alright!¡± The two little fellows walked back along the path they had just taken. However, the sky was too dark and the mountain was full of greenery that they could not find the way down the mountain! It was a restricted area where tourists were not allowed to enter. The mountain covered arge area too. Furthermore, it was a wild bird sanctuary The two little fellows could not find their way out at all. Suddenly, a big bird pped its wing and flew with a loud cackling sound. It was so ear¨Cpiercing and terrifying! It sounded so much like the Witch of the ck Mountain appearing out of the blue in the dark. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Davian, a ghost!¡± Irvin was so scared that he burst into tears instantly. He screamed as he hid his head in Davian¡¯s arm. Davian was freaked out too. But as Davian was the elder brother, he had to be braver. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Irvin. I will protect you.¡± Irvin was so scared that he did not dare to open his eyes. He cried as he said, ¡°Davian, when can we go home?¡± Davian looked around and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious! It is already dark now. We are unable to find the way back! ¡°I think we should find somewhere safe first. When the sun rises tomorrow, I am pretty sure that we could find out way home.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little fellows held each other¡¯s hands tightly. They dared not run around cluelessly. Hence, they could only grope around in the darkness. ¡°Look! There is a hole here!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go inside!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little fellows found a ce that looked like a cave. Both of them crouched down and crawled into the hole. In fact, it was an abandoned underground drainage channel. However, it had already dried up. It was rtively safer for both of them to curl up inside the underground drainage channel. After entering the underground drainage channel¡­. It was so dark inside that they could not see anything at all. ¡°I am so hungry, Davian!¡± said trvin. His stomach is growling non¨Cstop right now. Both of them had not eaten anything for the entire afternoon. They were starving now. ¡°Bear with it first!¡± we had known earlier, we should have packed some food in our backpack when we came out just now.¡± 10-32 Chapter 167 ¡°How I wish I could eat cakes, choctes, and the dumplings made by Mommy now Oh yeah! Finger licking drumsticks too!¡± Irvin drooled as he spoke. Davian sighed and said, ¡°Stop talking! The more you talk, the hungrier you will get! Let¡¯s get some rest first. We will not feel hungry after we fall asleep!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep, Davian!¡± ¡°You have to sleep even if you can¡¯t. Otherwise, you will not have enough energy to walk tomorrow. We will be able to go home at dawn!¡± The two little fellows had been walking for the whole day. They were so tired, hungry, and sleepy right now! The weather was cold now. So, both of them cuddled together to keep each other warm. In fact, it was rtively warm inside the underground drainage channel. At the foot of the mountain. Bruce and Joanna were losing their mind. ¡°Send more helicopters out to find the kids, even if there is a need to flip the mountain over!¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Hundreds of people from the Everett family and the search and rescue team were deployed to search the entire mountain. Joanna was so anxious at that moment, ¡°I want to join the search and rescue team too!¡± Bruce stopped her immediately and said, ¡°Joanna, you should stay behind and wait for them to return. What if theye home? There should be someone in the house to wait for their return, am I right?¡± ¡°No! I am going to look for my kids! ¡°Bruce, if anything happens to the kids, I am not going to forgive you for the rest of my life.¡± Bruce frowned. His mind was in a mess too. It was absolutely beyond his expectation that the kids would be missing in the Everett mansion! It was totally impossible for the kids to be kidnapped from the Everett mansion too! There were so many bodyguards and servants in the Everett family. Furthermore, there were three electromechanical doors. It was impossible for the kidnapper to enter the mansion. ¡°Calm down, Joanna! ¡°Let¡¯s find out how the kids could have gone missing first! ¡°Even if they were kidnapped, it is impossible for anyone to enter the mansion and kidnap the kids without being noticed!¡± Joanna¡¯s mind was in a mess now. All she wanted to do now was to find the kids as soon as possible. Her brain seemed to have short¨Ccircuited. She could not think logically at all. ¡°The key is that all the surveince cameras are down. Otherwise, we would be able to see which direction they were heading to!¡± Upon hearing it, Joanna came to think of something all of a sudden. ¡°Could it be that Davian and Irvin sneaked out of the house on their own?¡± Davian liked to fiddle withputers. So, it was not impossible for him to hack into the Everett mansion power circuit control system. Bruce frowned as he gave it a thought. Possible! In fact, this little fellow hacked into the Everett Group¡¯swork twice. So, most probably, he was the one who did it this time. 10 32 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 167 ¡°No matter what, we have to find them quickly! ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± ¡°Master Davian, Master Irvin¡­¡± The helicopter flew in the sky! Team members and hounds were searching around Mount Lance too! It was such a pity! The two little fellows hid inside the abandoned underground drainage channel that had a very good soundproof design. Hence, they could not hear people calling their names outside at all! Irvin was in a daze when he heard someone calling their names intermittently. ¡°Davian, I think I heard Mommy calling our names!¡± Davian was so exhausted that he turned around and continued to sleep. ¡°Hurry up and sleep. You must be dreaming! ¡°It is already sote now. How would she be here at this hour?¡± Irvin felt that it made sense upon hearing what Davian said, He must have missed his Mommy too much that he even dreamed of her in his dream, ¡°You are right!¡± The two little fellows then fell asleep again. In just a blink of an eye¡­. Six to seven hours had passed. The search and rescue team had been searching the whole night. ¡°Mr. Everett, I doubt that the kids are still in the mountain!¡± ¡°With such a hugemotion and so many people are looking for them. If the children are still in the mountain, we¡¯ll definitely be able to find them! ¡°Since they are nowhere in sight on the mountain, then we should search at the foot of the mountain instead!¡± Early in the morning. The search and rescue team and the members of the Everett family gave up on searching the mountain! They had been searching for a day and a night. Since they could not find them on the mountain, it seemed that the kids were not on the mountain. Joanna and Bruce did not sleep for the entire night. Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and she looked exceptionally haggard at that moment. ¡°Where are you, my children? Where did you go?¡± Bruce was so worried that he had stubble on his face. He hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder tightly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious, Joanna. We will definitely find the kids¡­¡± Joanna hit her head as she med herself. ¡°I hate myself so much!¡± ¡°Why did I agree to let you take Davian and Irvin away in the first ce?¡± ¡°Give me back my children, Bruce! Give me back my children!¡± Bruce looked so guilty at that moment. ¡°As long as the kids are still in Greyport! ¡°No matter what price to pay, I will definitely bring the children back safely!¡± Soon¡­ The television program broadcast the news on the rewards offered in search of the kids repetitively. Anyone who could provide any leads would be rewarded with 2 million dors in cash. Once the media broadcasted the news, it was equivalent to acknowledging Davian and Irvin as members of the Everett family indirectly. ¡°Oh my goodness! The three children given birth by Miss Joanna Haynes actually belong to the Everett family?¡± ¡°Do you think both the children were kidnapped?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! I heard that they went missing in the Everett mansion!¡± ¡°It is so bizarre! Who would have done it? Who has the guts to kidnap the children from the Everett mansion? ¡°I don¡¯t know either. After all, it was so bizarre!¡± ¡°Do you think it is possible for the two children to be kidnapped by aliens?¡± ¡°There are such cases abroad anyway. The alien abducted the children while they were sleeping and was being brought to the spaceship for research.¡± ¡°You have watched too many sci¨Cfi movies!¡± ¡°If anyone could find the children, he or she will be rich!¡± ¡°Dream on!¡± In one day, almost everyone in Greyport was discussing this matter. At noon. The two little fellows woke up in a daze. They did not know everyone in Greyport was looking for them yet. ¡°Davian, the sun has risen!¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s continue our journey then!¡± The two little fellows crawled out from the underground drainage channel. Upon looking at the sky, the sun was already high up in the sky. Davian looked in the vicinity and pointed to a path as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue to walk along this path!¡± Irvin was starving ever since the night before. He felt so weak right now after he woke up. ¡°Davian, I am so hungry and thirsty!¡± Davian felt the same too. Both of them were a little dehydrated. ¡°Let¡¯s look ahead. There is a stream at the foot of the mountain. We could get some water there!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little fellows walked along the path and rolled down the path carefully. There was a meandering stream at the foot of the mountain. The water in the stream looked clear. The stream was not deep too. Irvin pouted his mouth as he looked at the water in the stream ¡°Davian, do you think this water is drinkable? It is not filtered. It is very dirty!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. We are almost dying of thirst now. We will be dehydrated if we don¡¯t drink it.¡± Davian took off his clothes as he spoke. He intended to filter the impurities in the water with his clothes. However, Irvin could not wait any longer. Hey by the stream and started drinking. Unfortunately, he lowered his head too much. In addition, he was so hungry that he felt so dizzy at that moment. With a ssh, Irvin fell into the stream directly. ¡°Argh!¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Davian!¡± Davian was terrified to see such a situation, ¡°Irvin!¡± The water was flowing rapidly. Even though it was not deep, the current was flowing fast. Irvin drift along the stream as he sank and emerged in water intermittently. ¡°Save me, Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Davian¡¯s face turned pale from fright. He hurriedly looked around for something that could save Irvin! Fortunately, there were many dead branches and leaves here! Davian picked up a long dry branch and stretched it into the stream! ¡°Irvin, quickly grab this branch. I¡¯ll pull you up!¡± Irvin bobbed a few times in the water and swam desperately to the branch. He reached out and grabbed the branch. Meanwhile, Davian was desperately trying to pull him ashore. After much effort, he finally dragged his brother out! The two little guys were frightened and their clothes were wet. ¡°Brother, my clothes are wet.¡± Davian took off his clothes first. ¡°Take off your clothes and dry them. Otherwise, we¡¯ll catch a cold!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two children took off their clothes.. Greyport was a southern city. Although there was no winter, it was close to December and the weather was still very cold. The two little guys shivered from the cold and kept twisting the water on their clothes with their little hands. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back to the mountain path!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± It was very dangerous by the stream. Although the two children could swim, there were still underground rivers and swamps below in such a rapid stream. If they fell into it, they would definitely not survive! The two little guys climbed up the mountain path one step at a time. ¡°Brother, look, there are so many oranges!¡± There were a few orange trees beside the mountain path! There were tons of oranges on the trees. Davian frowned and nced at it. ¡°This kind of wild fruit can¡¯t be eaten, right?¡± Irvin was already starving. He reached out and plucked a few. ¡°I can¡¯t care less. Let¡¯s eat some first!¡± As he spoke, drvin peeled an orange and put it into his mouth. He chewed on it a few times and then he spat it out again. ¡°Pfft, why is this orange so sour?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat randomly. it¡¯ll be troublesome if you get a stomachache!¡± Irvin threw away the orange in his hand. His little round face was filled with gloom. ¡°Sigh, if I had known that we would get lost, I wouldn¡¯t havee out 10 32 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 168 in the first ce!¡± ¡°Look at us now. We can¡¯t go back even if we want to!¡± ¡°Davian, if they find out that we¡¯re missing, will theye looking for us?¡± Davian¡¯s face turned a little serious. ¡°Definitely!¡± Irvin rubbed his arms which were covered in goosebumps and muttered, ¡°Mommy, I miss you so much. Did youe back to look for us?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and look over there!¡± ¡°Davian, I¡¯m so tired!¡± ¡°Irvin, hold on a little longer. When we cross this mountain, we should be able to reach the downtown area. ¡°As long as we reach the downtown area, we¡¯ll definitely be able to get a taxi home.¡± The two little guys had no idea that this was a wild bird sanctuary. There would be no one here at all! They were walking in the opposite direction. The further they went, the deeper they would go into the mountains! Meanwhile, at the Haynes¡¯s house. Roxanne was watching the news in bed. As she watched, she saw the news of Davian and Irvin being missing. ¡°Aren¡¯t those two Joanna¡¯s children?¡± After Roxanne saw the news, she hurriedly ran downstairs with her phone. ¡°Mom, look at the news!¡± Ingrid was pushing her face with the beauty apparatus. She then asked impatiently, ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Joanna¡¯s two children are missing!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ingrid quickly pressed pause on the beauty apparatus in her hand and took the phone to take a look. Sure enough, the big news of Joanna looking for her children was ying on the phone. Ingrid sneered and said happily, ¡°Well, this is retribution!¡± ¡°Mom, howe the children has disappeared all of a sudden?¡± ¡°This is karma! That¡¯s what that bitch gets for taking Bruce from you! ¡°Serves her right! ¡°It¡¯s best if these two children can never return. Let¡¯s see what else she can use against you!¡± ¡°Mom, you didn¡¯t do it, did you?¡± When Ingrid heard this, her eyes widened. ¡°I would need the ability to do it even if I wanted to!¡± ¡°Oh, as long as it¡¯s not you!¡± Roxanne didn¡¯t say anything else. She then ran upstairs with her phone. With such a big incident happening in the Everett family, she naturally could not ignore it. No matter what, she had to make a call to ask about the situation. 10:33 Tue, 4 Jul T Chapter 168 Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang Bruce nced at the phone and picked it up. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Hey, Bruce!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Roxanne paused for a moment and stammered, ¡°I just saw the news. I heard that the children are missing?¡± ¡°Do you have any leads?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was gloomy. Thest time Irvin went missing was because of Derick. If it was rted to the Haynes family this time, he would definitely not be Mr. Nice Guy anymore. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m just concerned about the children. How can I have any leads?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up! It¡¯s best if the children¡¯s disappearance has nothing to do with the Haynes family!¡± ¡°How can it have anything to do with us¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want to say anything more to Roxanne and just hung up. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Bruce had already hung up impatiently! Joanna calmed down and analyzed everything carefully again. They had seen all the ces with surveince cameras at the foot of the mountain. The children had never appeared. From this, it could be deduced that the children must have gone up the mountain. ¡°The children must still be on the mountain!¡± As she spoke, Joanna prepared to go up the mountain to look again. Bruce hurriedly pulled her back and advised, ¡°Joanna, we¡¯ve already searched the mountain many times. It¡¯s impossible for them to be on the mountain!¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re most likely on the mountain! ¡°I¡¯ve checked all the surveince cameras near the foot of the mountain. They didn¡¯t go down the mountain! ¡°Organize people to search the mountain!¡± When Bruce heard this, he also felt that it made sense. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go this time too!¡± Soon, Bruce organized a second search and rescue team. Meanwhile, on the mountain. The two little guys walked. In front of him, an animal that looked like a wild dog and a wild wolf jumped out from the mountain path. 10:33 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 165 At this moment, the wild dog bared its fangs and ted fiercely at the two little fellows. Irvin trembled in fear. ¡°Davian, what is this?¡± Davian was so frightened that he did not dare to move. ¡°Don¡¯t move. It looks like a wild dog or a wolf!¡± ¡°Davian, why are there wolves on this mountain?¡± Davian tried his best to calm down. ¡°Don¡¯t run around. No matter if it¡¯s a wolf or a dog, don¡¯t run!¡± Irvin gulped and asked nervously, ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read in a book that when you encounter wolves in the wild, you must not panic! ¡°We have to raise our hands above our heads! We have to make ourselves look as strong as possible!¡°, ¡°Ah!¡± The two little guys tried their best to pretend to be calm and raised their hands high to make themselves look as tall as possible! The wild dog was huge! It was not afraid of the threat of the two little fellows at all. ¡°Let¡¯s slowly retreat to the highest point!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As soon as the two of them moved, the wild dog suddenly rushed over and pounced on Irvin. ¡°Ah! Don¡¯te over!¡± The wild dog seemed to be extremely hungry and pounced fiercely at the little guy! The two little guys turned around and ran away in fear. But how could their short legs outrun the wild dog? The wild dog was about to kill Irvin. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± Two gunshots seemed to have sounded. The wild dog was frightened and scurried into the mountain path.. The two little guys also fell and rolled down the mountain path! An old man appeared on the mountain path. ¡°Children, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± The two children were dizzy from the fall. Their knees and elbows were scraped. When they heard the voice, they looked up and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the ranger of this mountain!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Whose children are you? Why are you here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re lost!¡± ¡°Come with me!¡± The ranger bent down and carried the two children away! He was the guardian of the forest on this mountain and was also a crippled old man with only one good eye! 20 minutester. The old man brought the two children back to his residence. Seeing that the two children were starving, he made two bowls of soup for them. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The two little guys were starving. They picked up the soup and wolfed them down! ¡°Where did youe from?¡± a little girl nced at the two of them and asked curiously. The little girl was about the same age as them. ¡°We came from outside the mountain!¡± ¡°Outside the mountain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Thank you, little girl!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± After the three children ate their fill, they began to chat and y with each other! Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. The ranger didn¡¯t pay attention to the information online and lived an isted life! Naturally, he did not know the identities of these two little fellows. He thought that they were children from ordinary families! Meanwhile, something was happening on Joanna¡¯s side. Joanna and Bruce went up the mountain to search again. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± ¡°There¡¯s blood!¡± ¡°Thud!¡± Joanna pounced over. ¡°This is Davian¡¯s clothes!¡± ¡°Davian must be on the mountain!¡± ¡°There¡¯s blood here as well¡­¡± Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Although there were norge ferocious beasts on the mountain, the number of wild dogs and stray cats was enough to pose a threat to the lives of two four year¨Cold children. It was not certain that the child had died, but it was certain that the child had an ident on the mountain. ¡°Davian, Irvin¡­¡± Joanna burst into tears. Bruce also sucked in a breath of cold air. His heart was like dead ashes. ¡°Hurry up and search. No matter what, I want to see them alive or dead!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The bodyguards began to scatter and surround the mountain for a new round of search and rescue. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It might not be what you think!¡± Bruceforted Joanna. ¡°Bruce, I really hate you!¡± Joanna med herself and was so worried that she broke down. ¡°The children will be found!¡± Joanna wiped her tears, mustered her courage, and continued her search! Now was not the time toin. She had to quickly find the children¡¯s whereabouts! The search went from the morning to the evening. Just as everyone was about to give up¡­. Finally, there was a faint light in a corner of the mountain. ¡°Is someone living there?¡± ¡°I think so. Let¡¯s head down and take a look.¡± Joanna and Bruce felt a glimmer of hope in their hearts. They hurriedly ran along the mountain path toward the light. At the foot of the mountain, a simple hut made of iron and tree branches appeared. There was a light in the room. Although it was very dim, it was still quite eye¨Ccatching at night. This was also the northernmost part of the mountain. Two days ago, the search and rescue team had alsoe to search. However, at that time, the forest rangers had yet to save the two little fellows, so they could not find them. Therefore, they did note to search again today. Joanna had a feeling that the children were in this room. Due to the fact that she was running too fast, she tripped over a rock under her feet. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Joanna, be careful!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Joanna ignored the pain and struggled to stand up. The two of them had just descended the mountain path and had yet to enter the house to ask. The tworge ck dogs pounced over ferociously. ¡°Woof, wool, woof!¡± 10 33 Tue, 4 Chapter 169 ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna was most afraid of dogs and almost got pounced on by them. ¡°Go, go!¡± Bruce barked at the dog and shielded Joanna behind him. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Wool, woof, woof!¡± The dog barked even louder, baring its teeth at the two of them, ¡°Is anyone here? Is anyone in the house?¡± ¡°Creak!¡± The old iron door was pushed open from the inside. ¡°Who is it?¡± An old man in his sixties walked out of the house with his clothes draped over his shoulders. He was a forest ranger from Mount Lance. His name was Zack, and he had never gotten married in his life. He was also disabled. Themunity administrator took pity on him and gave him a job as a ranger. He had been doing this for half his life. A few years ago, he had picked up a girl from a garbage dump and brought her back to raise her as his granddaughter, ¡°Sir, we¡¯re here to look for someone!¡± Zack dismissed the tworge ck dogs and sized up Joanna and Bruce.. ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± ¡°Sir, have you seen two children?¡± ¡°Two little boys, about four years old!¡± Joanna eagerly gestured at the child¡¯s height! ¡°Who are you to the children?¡± ¡°We¡­ are their parents.¡± Zack pursed his lips and said with a hint of me, ¡°How can you be so irresponsible? ¡°It¡¯s so dangerous to let the children run around on the mountain!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ve seen the children, sir?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in the house! ¡°I happened to bump into these two children when I was patrolling the mountain today. Come in and see if they¡¯re your children.¡± Joanna and Bruce looked at each other. Their eyes were filled with excitement. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The two thanked him and followed Zack into the house. Inside the dpidated house, the three children were sleeping soundly on the dpidated bed. Davian and Irvin had many cuts on their bodies from tree branches, and their little faces were dirty. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± Joanna was so excited that she rushed to the bed and cried. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness the children are safe!¡± E 10:33 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 169 ¡°Davian, Irvin, wake up. We¡¯re going home!¡± Joanna cried as she reached out to stroke the two children. The two children were burning hot, as if they were having a high fever. Davian opened his eyes in a daze and saw that the person standing in front of him was actually his mother. He thought it was a dream and called out tentatively, ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°Davian!¡± Joanna sniffed and hugged her son tightly. ¡°Mommy, sob¡­¡± After Davian knew that it was not a dream, he burst into tears. Irvin was also woken up. When he saw his mommying over, he also cried loudly. ¡°Mommy, we missed you so much! Boohoo!¡± Joanna hugged the two children tightly in her arms. ¡°Mommy misses you too!¡± ¡°Why are you here? Do you know that I was worried sick?¡± ¡°Mommy, we want to go home to you, but those people won¡¯t let us go out! ¡°We had no choice but to sneak out! After that, we got lost on the mountain. Boohoo! ¡°Mommy, you said you would pick us up! Why didn¡¯t you pick us up for so many days? ¡°Irvin and I thought Mommy didn¡¯t want us anymore!¡± The two little guys cried very sadly. They had not seen their mommy for so many days. Now that they finally saw her, they could not help but cry. ¡°How could Mommy not want you? It¡¯s all my fault. I will never let you two be separated again!¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The three of them hugged each other and cried! Bruce stood at the side and watched. His heart ached! He subconsciously hugged Joanna and the two children. He made up his mind that no matter what, he would give the children aplete home. ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying!¡± ¡°Be careful in the future. Don¡¯t let the children run out again. It¡¯s so dangerous!¡± Zack reminded her. Joanna bowed deeply to Zack and thanked him repeatedly. ¡°Thank you for saving my children!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. You have to be more careful as a parent.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna and Bruce each carried a child and prepared to leave. The little gir also woke up and looked at Davian and Irvin with sleepy eyes. ¡°Davian, Irvin, are you leaving?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re going home!¡± ¡°Will you stille over to y in the future?¡± ¡°We will. We¡¯lle and y with you when we have time.¡± ¡°Bye, Helen!¡± 10:33 Tue, 4 Jul T Chapter 169 ¡°Bye, Davian and Irvin,¡± After bidding farewell, Joanna and Bruce left with the children. An hourter. Äî 94% When the bodyguards arrived, Joanna and Bruce also returned to the mountain path. In the car, Joanna¡¯s expression was a little cold. ¡°Bruce, I want to take the children home!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Joanna, let¡¯s take the children back to the old residence first¡­¡± Joanna refused decisively. ¡°No need to say any more. No matter what, I won¡¯t let the children stay in the Everett family!¡± ¡°Joanna, I already said that this was an ident! ¡°If you¡¯re worried, move in with the children!¡± Bruce tried to convince her. He subconsciously tightened his grip on Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°For the sake of the children, we should give them aplete family!¡± Joanna pulled her hand back stiffly. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re already divorced! Please don¡¯t say such things again!¡± When Bruce heard this, he choked in anger. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m the children¡¯s father. I have the right to take back the children¡¯s custody!¡± ¡°Bruce, the children have always lived with me. I¡¯m the guardian of the children! ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t let anyone take my children away!¡± Bruce exhaled. ¡°Joanna, even if you want to take the children away, at least wait for Grandma toe back! ¡°Grandma will be very disappointed if she doesn¡¯t see the children after she returns from Melta!¡± Joanna looked straight into Bruce¡¯s eyes coldly. ¡°If my children stay in the Everett family, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll never see my children again!¡± Bruce closed his eyes and took a deep breath! ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this damn woman understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± he thought. He was already considering remarrying. However, he, who had always cared about his reputation, wanted her to lower her status a little. Why couldn¡¯t she understand what he was thinking? ¡°Joanna, why are you so stubborn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stubborn. I just want to protect my children!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and said hatefully, ¡°I really can¡¯tmunicate with you!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. No matter what, I won¡¯t let you take my children away again!¡± Chapter 170 Chapter 170 After this incident, Joanna was already filled with lingering fear. She med herself and her heart ached! If she hadn¡¯t easily agreed to Margaret taking her children away, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. She would learn from her mistakes. No matter how hard it was, she would never be separated from the children again. Especially since Margaret actually wanted to change the children¡¯s names, This was even more uneptable to her. ¡°Take us home!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°No, the children have to stay in the Everett family for the time being!¡°, ¡°Kody, return to the Everett mansion and send the children back to the Everett family. Inform the people irr charge of taking care of the children that if they don¡¯t take good care of them, their annual bonus will be deducted! ¡°If something simr happens again, all of them will be fired!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Kody responded and started the car, driving towards the Everett mansion. When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. ¡°Bruce, how could you do this? ¡°Stop the car! We¡¯re getting out!¡± ¡°Joanna, stop messing around!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re the one making a scene, okay? They are my children. You have no right to detain my children.¡± When Bruce heard this, his handsome face darkened and he smiled coldly. ¡°Your children? Well, can you give birth to them without me?¡± Joanna was so angry that she choked. She did not want to argue with him. ¡°Stop the car now. We want to get out!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you want?¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve already said that when Grandmaes back from Melta, I¡¯ll persuade Grandma! If you take the child away now, Grandma will be sad if she finds out.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that he panted heavily. He and Margaret were so tyrannical and overbearing. They never cared about the feelings of others. If it weren¡¯t for Lilia¡¯s illness, she really didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Bruce anymore! When Davian heard that they were going back to the Everett family, he immediately hid in Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Mommy, we want to go home. We don¡¯t want to go to the Everett family!¡± Irvin also looked aggrieved. ¡°That¡¯s right. That house is really too big. It¡¯s so scary!¡± ¡°We want to go back to our home!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°This is your home. You¡¯re my son. You should be proud.¡± Davian¡¯s little face turned into a tiger as he roared at Bruce, ¡°You¡¯re not our daddy, we don¡¯t want to go back with you!¡± ¡°Our daddy isn¡¯t as bad as you. He won¡¯t bully Mommy!¡± 10 33 Chapter 170 When Bruce heard this, he was even angrier. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you onest time. I¡¯m your daddy, your father! ¡°If you dare to say such nonsense again, I¡¯ll beat you up.¡± His voice was shrill and his expression was a little cold. ¡°Mommy!¡± The two children were frightened and snuggled tightly in Joanna¡¯s arms. Joanna red at him angrily. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t scare the children!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and retorted, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t make me angry either!¡± ¡°You know how I am. Why do you have to make me angry?¡± When Joanna heard this, she gulped and was so angry that her face turned pale. Right now, she really couldn¡¯t win against him! Facing Bruce¡¯s domineering and tyrannical attitude, other thanpromising, she was really helpless. The car drove all the way to the Everett mansion! After passing three gates, they stopped at the garage. Bruce was the first to get out of the car. He said coldly, ¡°Get out!¡± ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s not stay here!¡± Joanna was unwilling to get out of the car. ¡°Bruce, do you have to do this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. ¡°I¡¯ll give you two choices. Either the children stay, or you and the children stay!¡± ¡°What difference does it make?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference? You can choose to stay or leave,¡± Bruce said coldly. He knew that as long as the children stayed, Joanna would not be able to leave. ¡°Lilia is still in the hospital. There¡¯s has to be someone there to take care of her!¡± ¡°So, leave the two children behind and go to the hospital to take care of Lilia!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her heart ached. Her eyes were filled with anger as she red fiercely at Bruce! Bruce smiled yfully and returned her gaze calmly. He had control over anything that he wanted to do. After a while. Joanna¡¯s eyes turned and he discussed with the two little guys gently, ¡°Davian, Irvin, you guys stay here for a few days first¡­¡± Davian interrupted Joanna and looked at her with tears in his eyes. ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to stay here. We want to be with you!¡± Irvin also cried and hugged Joanna¡¯s neck. ¡°Mommy, we want to go home. We want to go to kindergarten!¡± Joanna wiped the tears off the two little guys¡® faces. ¡°Listen to me. Your sister is still in the hospital. Mommy has to take care of her! ¡°When she gets better, Mommy wille and pick you up!¡± 10:33 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 170 When Joanna said this, she did not feel confident at all! Looking at the current situation, the Everett family was probably determined to obtain the custody of the children! However, she could not take them away now. Especially when Lilia hadn¡¯t fully recovered from her illness yet. He still needed to undergo two bone marrow transnts. She could not fall out with Bruce at this crucial moment. ¡°No, Mommy, please take us away!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to the hospital to see Lilia!¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen her for so many days. We¡¯re also very worried about her!¡± ¡°Achoo, achoo!¡± Irvin said and couldn¡¯t help but sneeze twice. The two little guys had a fever and their bodies were burning hot. Joanna touched his son¡¯s forehead and her tone softened. ¡°Bruce, Davian, and Irvin are sick. They have to go to the hospital! ¡°Also, let them keep Liliapany! Lilia¡¯s illness is quite serious. She misses her brothers too!¡± When Bruce heard this, he pondered for three seconds and replied without thinking, ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce changed the topic. ¡°However, they have to stay here tonight!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital tomorrow morning!¡± Joanna could not help but frown again. He looked at Bruce helplessly. ¡°Bruce, Davian and Irvin have caught a fever!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get the family doctor toe and take a look at themter!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was powerless to refute. ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle and pick them up tomorrow morning!¡± As he spoke, Joanna prepared to get out of the car. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go! Can you stay here with us?¡± The two children hugged Joanna¡¯s arms tightly. ¡°Lilia needs Mommy more in the hospital!¡± Bruce¡¯s tone softened. ¡°There will be someone to take care of Lilia! You¡¯ve been out all day. You can rest here for the day!¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯lle over tomorrow morning to pick up Davian and Irvin!¡± She did not dare to stay! The result of staying behind would only allow Bruce to take the opportunity to bully her. Seeing that she was determined to leave, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Joanna, aren¡¯t you going to stay and apany your son?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll sleep next door!¡± ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go!¡± Irvin cried and begged Joanna, ¡°Mommy, just stay with us for a day! ¡°We know that Lilia needs Mommy more. We only want Mommy for a day, okay?¡± 10:33 Tue, 4 July TE. Chapter 170 Hearing this, Joanna looked at the two little guys helplessly. Bruce added. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a lift to the hospital tomorrow morning!¡± Joanna listened and turned to look at Bruce, trying to see the conspiracy in his eyes! 1 Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Bruce smiled yfully at her. He knew what she was worried about. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I want to touch you, even if I¡¯m not in the Everett family, you won¡¯t be able to escape from me!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. If not for the huge disparity in strength, she really wanted to p Bruce so hard that he would forget who he was. ¡°Alright then. Mommy will stay behind to apany you tonight!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Get out of the car!¡± Joanna had no choice but to get out of the car. Davian and Irvin also got out of the car! With their mommy¡¯spany, they dispelled the fear in their hearts. When the servants saw that the children had been found, they cried in joy.. ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett. Wee home, Davian and Irvin. Wee home, Mrs. Everett!¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. She was not used to such a scene, even though the servants also called her Mrs. Everett in the past. However, she had already divorced Bruce. It was not appropriate to call her Mrs. Everett anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll take Davian and Irvin to take a shower first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, let the servants go¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s better for me to go personally!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°They¡¯re boys. They¡¯re already four years old. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to bathe them!¡± Joanna choked and did not know how to refute him. Chapter 171 Chapter 171 ¡°They¡¯re just kids¡­¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows. His tone was sour and sharp. ¡°They¡¯re already four years old. How can you see them as kids still? The son and mother should be parted once the son gets old enough. Don¡¯t you know suchmon sense?¡± Joanna was so angry that she almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She rolled her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re only four years old. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°They¡¯re already four years old. They¡¯re already old enough! Kids nowadays mature very early!¡± Bruce just didn¡¯t want the children to be too dependent on Joanna. These two little fellows were actually not close to him at all. As their father, he was very unhappy. He felt that all Joanna cared about were the children and didn¡¯t care about him at all. ¡°Alright, alright. I can¡¯t be bothered to argue with you!¡± Bruce snorted and turned to look at the servant. ¡°Lilian, take the children to take a shower!¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± replied Lilian. She quickly brought the two maids forward and said fawningly, ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s go take a shower!¡± Lilian was a top nutritionist and a professional nurse. She was also the team leader in charge of the Everett family¡¯s maids. Lilian was basically in charge of taking care of the two little children¡¯s food and daily needs for the past two weeks. ¡°Mommy, we want to bathe with you!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned fierce. ¡°Hurry up and go. You¡¯re all big children. How can you shower with your mother?¡± Joanna squatted down and looked at the two little guys gently. ¡°Go with Lilian.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The two little guys nced at Bruce¡¯s sullen face and did not dare to say anymore. They could only follow Lilian. Joanna suddenly stood up and red at him in dissatisfaction. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so fierce to the children?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Am I very fierce?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Bruce furrowed his brows again. He was very gentle to his daughter and was very careful everywhere. He looked like a loving father! He really did not have much patience for the two brats. No wonder the little fellows were unwilling to get close to him! ¡°We¡¯re all boys. There¡¯s no need to speak gently.¡± ¡°Even if they¡¯re boys, they¡¯re still children! ¡°They¡¯ll be scared if you yell at them like that.¡± Bruce was 6.2 feet tall and had muscles all over his body. He exuded a murderous aura and dignity. When he wasn¡¯t smiling, he was indeed very scary. The air pressure around him was already cold to begin with, and when he frowned, he looked even more terrifying than the Grim Reaper. 10:33 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 171 However, he didn¡¯t think so. He was just a little jealous. Joanna was exhausted and didn¡¯t want to argue with Bruce anymore. Instead, she sat on the sofa quietly and rested her head on her hand. Bruce rubbed his nose resentfully and sat opposite her. 10 minutester. Joanna still didn¡¯t say a word. The atmosphere was awkward. If it were anyone else facing Bruce like this, the atmosphere would definitely not be so cold. He was also used to others racking their brains to liven up the atmosphere and try their best to please him. Only Joanna would ignore him like this.. Another five minutes passed. Bruce finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°Why are you just sitting there? Aren¡¯t you going to take a shower?¡± Joanna did not even raise her head as she replied coldly, ¡°No need.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been running for two days and you¡¯re sweating so much. If you don¡¯t take a shower, who are you trying to stink to death?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and looked at Bruce coldly. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Why are you looking at me? You still have to go to the hospital tomorrow to take care of Lilia. Aren¡¯t you afraid of spreading germs to Lilia?¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes drooped, and there was finally a trace of life in her eyes. She was really exhausted these two days. She should really have a shower. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna stood up. She had never stayed in Room the Everett mansion and did not know which room was suitable for her to take a shower in. ¡°Where¡¯s the guest room?¡± Bruce pouted his lips. ¡°Follow me!¡± Five minutester. Bruce brought her to the room he used to live in. Although he rarely stayed here now, the servants still cleaned and tidied his room every day. Therefore, the roof was very clean and spacious. ¡°Is this a guest room?¡± ¡°Why do you care? Hurry up and take a shower!¡± Joanna pursed her lips and entered the room reluctantly. ¡°You can leave now!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and smiled bitterly before walking out. 10:33 Tue, 4 July Chapter 171 Joanna immediately locked the door. After confirming that it couldn¡¯t be opened from the outside, she entered the bathroom in peace The washroom was very spacious! There was a Jacuzzi and various toiletries. Joanna turned on the thermostat switch, filled the bathtub with water, and added bubble powder. Then, she took off her clothes andy in the bathtub. The warm water was veryfortable. Joannay in the bubble bath and her fatigue was greatly reduced. After soaking for a few minutes, Joannay on the edge of the bathtub and fell asleep. ¡°Click!¡± The bathroom door was pushed open. Bruce just walked in like that. N Joanna was shocked. She quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself. She looked at Bruce in horror. ¡°Why did youe in?¡± She remembered that the door was locked just now! Seeing her nervous reaction, Bruce snorted. ¡°I came in to give you clothes!¡± As he spoke, Bruce threw a silk sleeping robe on the clothes rack in the bathtub! Joanna took a deep breath. She was angry and anxious. ¡°Can¡¯t you ask a female to bring the clothes? ¡°I just locked the door. How did you get in?¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled disapprovingly, ¡°I¡¯m your ex¨Chusband after all. Is there anything about you that I haven¡¯t seen before?¡± Joanna choked in anger and red at him fiercely. ¡°Bruce, get out right now!¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s there to hide? It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen it before!¡± Joanna was so angry that her cheeks burned. She was going crazy. Bruce immediately took off his shirt and began to unbuckle his belt! ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna was extremely frightened and quickly wrapped the towel tighter. ¡°This is my room. I¡¯m here to have a shower of course.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her eyes turned red and her entire body trembled. ¡°Bruce, you said that you wouldn¡¯t touch me. If you do this, I¡¯ll leave with the children now!¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. Seeing her reaction was so intense! Bruce stopped taking off his clothes. ¡°Alright, alright, alright, I¡¯ll leave, I¡¯ll leave!¡± As he spoke, Bruce left the washroom resentfully. Click! He closed the door again! Joanna was so scared that his heart was pounding. This bastard definitely had the key to the room! 10 33 Tue, 4 Chapter 171 Fortunately, he did not force himself on her! However, Joanna did not dare to take a bath anymore. She was even more afraid that Bruce would barge in again! Joanna quickly got out of the bathtub, rinsed off the foam on her body with the water from the shower, and hastily changed into her clothes! Only after a while did her nervous and frightened emotions calm down a little. Meanwhile, in the living room. The servants had already prepared a sumptuous supper. Although Bruce did not have the habit of eating supper, the children and Joanna did not eat much the entire day. He still instructed the servants to prepare a sumptuous supper. Bruce and the children were already waiting at the dining table. ¡°Mommy, why are you so slow!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Mommy was a little tired just now!¡± Joanna subconsciously nced at Bruce. There was a yful smile on his lips, pretending to be nonchnt. It was as if the matter of him barging into the washroom was not worth mentioning. ¡°Have some supper!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite!¡± Joanna sat down at the dining table, feeling a little uneasy. Bruce put a mouthful of porridge into his mouth. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything all day. If you don¡¯t eat something, how can your body take it?¡± There were caviar sandwiches on the dining table, fried noodles with silver teeth, Yaozhu porridge, and so on.. The two little fellows ate happily. Although they had been frightened for the past two days, it did not affect their appetite at all! Meanwhile, Joanna had no appetite at all. He sat there in a daze and watched the children eat. Especially after being frightened by Bruce just now, she could not eat! Now, she really wanted to leave with the children. How would she dare to stay the night? Who knew if he would barge into her room again in the middle of the night? Davian handed a tuna sandwich to Joanna. ¡°Mommy, this is delicious! Have some!¡± ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t want to eat. You can eat!¡± ¡°Have a bite!¡± Davian insisted on bringing the sandwich to her lips. Joanna did not want Davian to be disappointed, so she took a bite weakly. Seeing this, Irvin personally poured a ss of milk for Joanna. ¡°Mommy, have a ss of milk!¡± Joanna smiled and silently took the cup. She put it to her lips and took a few sips. She really couldn¡¯t eat anything. She would just drink a ss of milk to replenish her nutrition! Chapter 172 Chapter 172 It was already one o¡¯clock in the morning when they finished supper. After the children finished eating, they were so sleepy that they could not open their eyes and kept rubbing them. ¡°So sleepy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already one o¡¯clock. Go to bed. We still have to go to the hospital tomorrow.¡± Joanna stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep with the children!¡± ¡°They¡¯re all grown up now. How can they sleep with their mother?¡± ¡°Bruce, can¡¯t you stop being so domineering? They¡¯re only four years old and need their mother¡¯s company!¡± ¡°Ah, alright, alright! Do as you please!¡± Bruce did not want to argue with Joanna anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our room!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little guys led the way, but Joanna followed behind them to the children¡¯s room! After entering the room, although this was a children¡¯s room, it was very spacious and the bed was big enough! In order to prevent Bruce froming in again, Joanna locked the door from the inside. Then, she used a chair to block the door and hung a ss on it. If he came in, he would definitely make a sound and she would know immediately. Davian and Irvin had already changed into their pajamas! The bed was huge. The bed was 2m x 2m and had no problem sleeping three people. Davian jumped onto the bed and hugged Joanna¡¯s arm. ¡°I want to sleep next to Mommy!¡± Irvin hugged Joanna¡¯s other arm. ¡°I want to sleep next to Mommy too!¡± ¡°Go to sleep! You have to wake up early tomorrow! If you sleep toote, you won¡¯t be able to get up tomorrow!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little guys responded obediently by closed their eyes! Joanna slept in the middle. Davian and Irvin slept on her left and right! The two little guys were already sleepy. After lying down for less than ten minutes, they fell asleep! It was probably because she was too tired, Joanna actually fell asleep not long after lying down as well. Half an hourter! Click! The small door of the room opened gently. Bruce opened the small door on the balcony and walked in! There was a tablemp in the room, the light was very weak. 10 34 Chapte? 172 However, he could still see everything in the room. Joanna slept in the middle, and the children slept on both sides. ¡°Hmph, you guys are quite intimate!¡± Bruce could not help but m¨¹tter. Although it was his child, he still felt a little jealous! How could his woman sleep with other ¡°men¡°? He would still not allow it even if the ¡°men¡± were his sons Bruce walked over and bent down to take a look! The three of them were in a deep slumber. It seemed that even if Bruce carried the two little guys away, they would not have any reactions at all. Bruce gently picked up Davian and carried him to another bed! Then, he carried Irvin away. After the two little fellows were dealt with.. Bruce crept up to the bed andy down beside Joanna. Seeing that she did not react, he stretched out his arm and gently wrapped it around Joanna¡¯s waist. Joanna had not slept for two days! Now that she was asleep, he was really in a deep slumber. There was no reaction at all. She did not notice that Bruce had climbed onto the bed. Smelling the fragrance on her body and looking at her sleeping soundly, Bruce¡¯s heart faintly moved, and an uncontroble impulse fermented in his heart. However, he did not have the heart to ruin this tranquility, nor did he want to wake her up. It felt very good to hug her to sleep. At six in the morning Joanna was in a daze. She turned over and wanted to hug Davian. But suddenly, she was hugging a huge object. The touch felt a little ufortable. It was impossible for Davian to be so big. Joanna was shocked and suddenly opened her eyes. What entered heright was Bruce¡¯s handsome face! At that moment, he was also sleeping soundly like a statue! ¡°Why did youe in again?¡± Joanna sat up straight in horror! She remembered locking the door before she went to bed. She had even used a stool to block the door and hung a ss on the handle. She really couldn¡¯t figure out how he got in. Joanna moved slightly, and Bruce was also awakened! 10:34 Tue. Chapter 172 ¡°Is it morning?¡± 4 Joanna tried his best to control her panicked expression. ¡°Bruce, how did you get in?¡± ¡°Through the wall!¡± Bruce rubbed his eyes and smiled yfully. He strengthened his arm strength! Joanna hurriedly looked at the side of the bed. The children were already gone! There was only her and Bruce on the bed! ¡°What about Davian and Irvin?¡± Bruce held her in his arms forcefully and repliedzily. ¡°They¡¯re on the other bed!¡± Joanna was so angry that she choked. She hurriedly wanted to lift the nket and get out of bed! However, before she could get out of bed, Bruce¡¯s arm exerted strength and trapped her tightly in his arms!.. ¡°It¡¯s not even dawn yet. Where are you going?¡± Joanna pushed Bruce angrily. ¡°Lunatic, let go of me!¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet, don¡¯t disturb the children!¡± Joanna instantly lost his sleepiness. He lowered his voice and criticized, ¡°Bruce, you said you wouldn¡¯t touch me. You can¡¯t go back on your word like this. Bruce snorted. ¡°Did I touch you?¡° ¡°Aren¡¯t you touching me if you hug me like this?¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled teasingly. ¡°If this is considered touching you, then I don¡¯t have to try to hold myself anymore!¡± As Bruce spoke, he flipped over¡­. Joanna was trembling in fear. Her eyes widened in horror. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± Bruce smiled evilly. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it. Since it¡¯s considered touching you, I might as well really touch you!¡± Joanna choked and tried to push him away. ¡°Get up quickly. The children are still there!¡± ¡°So, keep your voice down. Don¡¯t disturb the children. It¡¯s not good if the children sees it!¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t you miss me?¡± Bruce¡¯s breathing quickened. He hadn¡¯t touched her in a long time. ¡°Get up, I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t do this!¡± Bruce lowered his head and kissed her lips. ¡°Are you really going to reject me?¡± Joanna turned her head to the side and avoided his kiss. ¡°You¡¯re crazy! Get up¡­¡± ¡°If you scold me again, I won¡¯t be so polite anymore!¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t do this!¡± Joanna said in a weak voice as tears flowed uncontrobly! She was really afraid of the state that Bruce was in at the moment. 10:34 Chapter 172 This vile bastard never had any restraint when it came to such matters! Especially since the children were sleeping in front of him! If he identally made a sound, it would wake the children up! She really did not know how to face the children, and she did not want to leave such a bad impression on them! Seeing that she was so frightened, Bruce smiled suggestively. ¡°Why are you afraid of me? We were husband and wife in the past.¡± ¡°Bruce, can you get up first?¡± ¡°Are you afraid of waking the children up?¡± Bruce¡¯s hands were already restlessly untying the strap of her pajamas! If he wanted her, there was nothing she could do. Joanna sucked in a breath of cold air, as if he was prey that had been pressed under the ws of a ferocious beast. She knew that the more she rejected him, the more arrogant Bruce would be! The more she refused to give it to him, the more he wanted to use brute force! ¡°I¡¯m not interested or in the mood right now!¡± ¡°Can you bear with it for two days? After Lilia gets better, we¡¯ll¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face was burning as he stammered! Fighting him head¨Con was like throwing an egg against a rock! She could only use softness to counter hardness. Perhaps there was still a way out. When Bruce heard that, he let go of her and kissed her forehead. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°If you asked nicely from the start, I wouldn¡¯t have treated you like this!¡± ¡°Hug me!¡± Joanna forced a forced fake smile. ¡°It¡¯s dawn. It¡¯s time to get up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only six o¡¯clock. Sleep for another two hours!¡± Joanna did not dare to struggle anymore and obediently let him hug her! At that moment, he was like a wild beast that could attack at any time! Her resistance would only cause her to go even crazier! ¡°Hug me!¡± Bruce ordered. Joanna did not dare to refuse. She could only reach out and gently wrap her arms around his waist! ¡°Tighter!¡± Joanna had no choice but to tighten her grip!! ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± In the next hour, the two of them were not in the mood to sleep! Joanna was so nervous that her heart was pounding! Bruce felt even worse. His lower abdomen felt like it was about to explode. TU:34 Tue, 4 JUI 4 3 Chapter 172 In this hour, he almost couldn¡¯t control himself! However, since he had promised not to touch her, he would not go back on his word, nor did he want her to hate him! ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°The children are awake.¡± Like a savior, Joanna quickly broke free from Bruce¡¯s embrace! ¡°Davian, Irvin, you¡¯re awake!¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hurry up and get up. We¡¯re going to the hospital to see your sister!¡± Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock¡± Joanna insisted on getting out of bed ¡°It¡¯s not early anymore. It¡¯s already seven o¡¯clock: Pack up. It Il be past eight o¡¯clock when we reach the hospital When Bruce heard this, he could not say anything else. Davian yawned and mumbled in confusion, ¡°Huh? Why are we sleeping on this bed?¡± Irvin stretched and got up. ¡°That¡¯s right. We clearly slept with Mommy yesterday!¡± ¡°Why are we on this bed now? Mommy, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Get up and change your clothes!¡± Joanna could not exin anything. She quickly carried the two little guys up to change and wash up Irvin nced at Bruce and asked quietly, ¡°Mommy, why is he here? Last night, you guys¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face burned as she pinched Irvin¡¯s nose. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nosy at such a young age!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Joanna brought the two little guys to the washroom to freshen up. Bruce also returned to his room to change. 20 minutester. After the family washed up, they had breakfast. Bruce drove the three of them to the hospital. In the hospital ward. The two little guys got out of the car and ran happily towards the ward. ¡°Lilia, we¡¯re here to see you!¡± Liliay on the hospital bed. Her grape¨Clike big eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Mommy, Daddy, Davian, Irvin, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Yes, Lilia. Look, we brought you flowers!¡± Davian and Irvin handed a bouquet of sunflowers to Lilia. ¡°Thank you, Davian and Irvin!¡± Lilia took the flowers and smiled happily! ¡°Feeling better today?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Davian looked worried as he blinked at his sister. ¡°Lilia, are you feeling unwell? Does your body still hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, where have you been these past few days?¡± Irvin was a cunning person. ¡°We went to Daddy¡¯s house. Wow, Lilia, do you know? Daddy¡¯s house is like a castle. Chapte? 173 ¡°It¡¯s really big, and there are a lot of toys¡± When Lilia heard this, she looked envious ¡°Is Daddy¡¯s house fun?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s fun and not fun at the same time!¡± Irvin¡¯s face was filled with worry. ¡°Although Daddy¡¯s house has many toys, there are no children, no mommy, and no Lilia!¡± Lilia¡¯s big blinking eyes looked at Bruce innocently. ¡°Daddy, when I recover, can I go to your house to y too?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was speechless ¡°Silly, Daddy¡¯s home is your home. Daddy wees you home anytime!¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard that The children were still young and did not understand some things. Lilia turned to look at Joanna and said in a childish voice, ¡°Mommy, when I recover, let¡¯s go to Daddy¡¯s house to y, okay?¡± Joanna pursed her lips, not knowing how to answer this question. ¡°Be good. We¡¯ll talk about it after you¡¯ve recovered.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Lilia loves you.¡± Lilia reached out her small hand and held Bruce¡¯s hand with one hand and Joanna¡¯s hand with the other. Then, she put their hands together and revealed her white teeth. She smiled sweetly. ¡°I feel so happy to have Daddy, Mommy, Davian and Irvin!¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, can you not split up again?¡± Lilia blinked and looked at the two of them pitifully. Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. She felt as if her heart had been pricked by a needle. She subconsciously wanted to pull her hand out. When Bruce heard his daughter¡¯s words, his heart melted like cotton candy. Then, he grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand and held his daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°Lilia is right. Daddy and Mommy will never be separated again!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lilia¡¯s big eyes widened as she looked at Bruce happily. Bruce kissed his daughter¡¯s little face and whispered into her ear, ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, as long as Mommy is willing!¡± After saying that, he raised his eyebrows at his daughter and nced at Joanna, indicating for his daughter to be the peacemaker. Lilia understood and nodded at Bruce. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Daddy¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Mommy, just promise me, okay? Don¡¯t be separated from Daddy again, okay?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and exined patiently to her daughter, ¡°Baby, even if Daddy and Mommy are not together, we will still love you!¡± It was impossible for her and Bruce to get back together. It hurt too much to love him. She would never forget the pain he had once caused her. It had taken her a long time to climb out of the mire of love. She didn¡¯t want to love him anymore. When Lilia heard this, she looked disappointed. She pulled Joanna¡¯s sleeve and said cutely, ¡°Mommy, Daddy is so good. He¡¯s handsome and gentle. Why did you leave Daddy? ¡°A good man like Daddy is the best daddy in the world. It¡¯s not easy to such a good man!¡± 10 34 Tue, 4 July Chapter 173 When Bruce heard this, his usually cold face was filled with smiles. Its had heard too many ttering words and was already immune to tham However, after hearing his daughter¡¯s words, his heart was about to fly away. ¡°Look, your daughter is still the most sensible. She has better taste than you!¡± When Joanna heard this, her face darkened. It was said that daughters would be closer to their fathers. It seemed that this was indeed the case. Her daughter had only been with Bruce for a few days, but she had already ¡°betrayed¡± her so easily. When Davian heard his sister¡¯s words, his face darkened and he immediately retorted, ¡°Lilia, Mommy is the best woman in the worldi¡± ¡°This big baddie is fierce and annoying. He¡¯s not worthy of Mommy! I don¡¯t want this big baddie to be our daddy. He¡¯s not worthy!¡± ¡°Puff¡± When Bruce heard this, he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. The smile on his face immediately drooped as he frowned and looked at Davian. ¡°This brat!¡± He really wanted to give this brat a knock on the head. Irvin hurriedly added, ¡°Mommy, Mr. Grimm is the best man in the world. I¡¯d rather he be our daddy.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that his blood pressure soared. He wanted to pinch these two brats to death. Both father and son were enemies from their previous lives. It seemed that these two brats had reallye to seek revenge in their lives. Seeing Bruce¡¯s dark expression, Joanna quickly stopped what was going on. ¡°You¡¯re so young. You¡¯re not allowed to discuss adult matters! ¡°Mommy will be angry if anyone spouts nonsense again!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Hearing this, Davian and Irvin obediently lowered their heads. Coincidentally, the doctor and nurse walked in. The doctor went forward to take a look and said with a smile, ¡°The patient is recovering well. We can arrange for the next surgery!¡± ¡°Thank you, Doctor!¡± ¡°Will she recover soon?¡± ¡°If nothing goes wrong, Lilia will recover.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. Lilia¡¯s illness is finally going to recover.¡± The two little guys jumped up excitedly and jumped around Lilia¡¯s bed. Bruce nced at the two brats. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve already seen your sister. It¡¯s time to go back!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°They¡¯ve only been here for a while. Let them y with Lilia for a while longer!¡± Bruce replied with a sullen expression, ¡°Lilia is so weak now. You can¡¯t overwork her! 10:34 Tue, 4 July T. Chapter 173 ¡°They¡¯re jumping around here. It¡¯ll affect Lilia¡¯s rest!¡± ¡°They¡¯re just happy for their sister. They¡¯re usually very obedient and care about their sister!¡± ¡°No, send them back right now!¡± He did not want to see these two brats at all! Listening to the words of these two brats, he really wanted to beat them up! ¡°Daddy, can¡¯t you going to let Davian and Irvin stay with me?¡± Lilia looked at Bruce eagerly. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart softened and he nodded in agreement! ¡°Thank you, Daddy. Daddy is so nice!¡± Lilia smiled sweetly at Bruce! Bruce¡¯s heart was about to melt! Joanna was also stunned. She had said so many things to Bruce, but he did not listen! He actually obeyed his daughter¡¯s words obediently! It was really magical. No wonder people said that the daughter was Daddy¡¯s lover in her previous life! ¡°Lilia, when you recover, we can go to kindergarten together!¡± ¡°There are many children in the kindergarten. You can y many games every day!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°I also want to get better as soon as possible and go to kindergarten with you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± The three little fellows began to chatter and y again. ¡°Bruce, they haven¡¯t been to school for a long time! ¡°This won¡¯t do. Why don¡¯t we let them go back to kindergarten?¡± ¡°If they want to go to kindergarten, they can go to one in Greyport. Why do you want to go as far as Venturas?¡± Chapter 174 Chapter 174 ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with going to a kindergarten in Venturas¡­ Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. He then said impatiently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the kindergarten. I¡¯ll arrange it!¡± ¡°But Venturas¡­¡± 3 ¡°You can just drop out of school there. You¡¯re only in kindergarten now. You can just go to one in Greyport!¡± Greyport was much bigger than Venturas! There were also several noble kindergartens! When Joanna heard this, she could not help but frown! It seemed that Bruce really nned to interfere in the children¡¯s matters. However, the situation was so serious now. She could only endure it! ¡°Alright, send the children back now!¡± ¡°Lilia, Mommy! We don¡¯t want to go back¡­¡± Davian and Irvin hid behind Joanna. They really did not want to be separated from their mommy anymore. ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t we let them stay here!¡± ¡°This is a hospital. It¡¯s not convenient for them to stay here! ¡°Hurry up and go back.¡± Helpless, Joanna could only squat down and coax the two little guys. ¡°Let¡¯s go back first. Mommy will definitely pick you up another day.¡± ¡°When is that?¡± ¡°Mommy will definitely pick you up on the day Lilia¡¯s discharged.¡± ¡°You also know that Mommy has to take care of your sister now and can¡¯t take care of the two of you. Be good and listen to Mommy, okay?¡± The two little guys pouted and said aggrievedly, ¡°Alright then! ¡°Then we¡¯lle and see you another day!¡± Lilia also looked at her brother reluctantly. ¡°Okay, goodbye, Davian and Irvin!¡± ¡°Kody, send the children back!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡°/ ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s head back!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Mommy Goodbye, Lilia!¡± ¡°Goodbye, baby!¡± Joanna squatted down and kissed Davian and Irvin on the cheeks! The two little guys walked away, looking back countless number of times. ¡°The patient is recovering very well. We can carry out the second surgery tomorrow!¡± 10 34 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 174 ¡°Sorry to trouble you, doctor!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. This is what our job.¡± The next day. After everything was ready, the second surgery began. When Bruce was about to be pushed into the operating theater, Joanna looked at him gratefully. ¡°Bruce, thank you!¡± ¡°Lilia is my daughter. Even if you don¡¯t beg me, I will still save her!¡± The second surgery was over very quickly. B After the doctor left the ward, his face was filled with joy. ¡°The surgery was very sessful. The probability of the patient recovering is very high!¡± ¡°Thank God, that¡¯s great!¡± Joanna could not help but cry tears of joy! As long as her daughter could recover, as long as her daughter¡¯s life could be preserved, she was really willing to give up everything Bruce was pushed back to the ward. Andy rushed in to report, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Margaret will be back today!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Help me up and pick Grandma up.¡± Before Bruce could get up, the door of the ward had already opened. Margaret was sitting in a wheelchair. The butler pushed the wheelchair in, ¡°Grandma, why are you here?¡± After Margaret returned from Melta, she didn¡¯t even bother to go home and directly came to the hospital to visit her grandson. Seeing that her grandson had still donated his bone marrow, Margaret could not help but sigh. ¡°Bruce, why are you so disobedient?¡± ¡°Grandma, this is my daughter. No matter what, I can¡¯t sit back and do nothing!¡± ¡°Sigh, alright, alright. Since the surgery was sessful, it¡¯s a good thing. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the matter of getting you to find a Geomancer to change the children¡¯s name?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression froze. He frowned and persuaded, ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s wait until Lilia recovers!¡± ¡°These two things have nothing to do with each other. The renaming won¡¯t affect her recovery!¡± The butler replied with a serious expression, ¡°Mrs. Margaret, the children¡¯s names has been drafted!¡± ¡°Charlie Everett and Luke Everett!¡± ¡°The Geomancer said that these two names are most suitable for the children.¡± ¡°Hmmm, very good!¡± Margaret nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s talk about thister! Joanna doesn¡¯t agree now. If Grandma insists on doing this, she will be sad!¡± Margaret¡¯s face darkened. ¡°This is our Everett family¡¯s children. Of course, he has to take our Everett family¡¯s surname! Chapter 174 ¡°If she can¡¯t go through with it, she¡¯ll have to get awyer!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± ¡°Cough cough!¡± Margaret coughed weakly. Seeing this, Bruce could not say anything else! Margaret¡¯s body was so weak. Bruce really could not bear to go against his grandmother¡¯s wishes! Soon, news of the children changing their names reached Joanna¡¯s ears. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Bruce, you said that you would persuade Grandma to change her mind!¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°Joanna, I hope you can look at the big picture! ¡°Grandma¡¯s health isn¡¯t good. She wants the children to acknowledge their ancestors and return to the family! Just fulfill her wish!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was very angry. ¡°Bruce, how can you go back on your word? ¡°I was kind enough to let the children apany her. How can you snatch my children away like this!¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Joanna, no one wants to snatch your children away. You¡¯re still the children¡¯s mother! ¡°They¡¯re my children! ¡°My children naturally have to take my surname! There¡¯s nothing wrong with changing their names now!¡± Joanna refused sternly, ¡°No, absolutely not!¡± ¡°They¡¯re my children. None of you can take my children away!¡± Bruce was so angry that he choked. He gritted his teeth and roared, ¡°Joanna, why are you so stubborn? ¡°Do you know how many women want to give birth to my child? ¡°it¡¯s their fortune for the children to acknowledge their ancestors!¡± Joanna was also furious. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what others think! ¡°But I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve never cared about your Everett family!¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Joanna angrily. ¡°Joanna, I don¡¯t want to argue with you. You have to agree to this matter even if you don¡¯t want to!¡± ¡°No, I want to take my children away! ¡°I¡¯m the children¡¯s guardian. You have no right to do this!¡± As she spoke, Joanna stood up and was about to look for Margaret. ¡°Joanna, stop right there! ¡°Grandma¡¯s health isn¡¯t good. She can¡¯t be agitated! ¡°Let me talk to Grandma!¡± Bruce knew Joanna¡¯s temper. He had no choice but to continue persuading Margaret. 10 34 Tue, 4 JulTA. Chapte? 174 Margaret was furious when she heard that Joanna disagreed. ¡°If the really doesn¡¯t want to, then let¡¯s do it this way ¡°The two grandsons will return to the Everett family, and the daughter will live with her!¡± Bruce looked worried ¡°Grandma, she won¡¯t agree! Unless Tremarry hert When Margaret heard this, she frowned and looked at her grandson, ¡°Then what exactly do you think?¡± ¡°Bruce was in a mess. ¡°Are you going to marry Roxanne now or remarry Joanna?¡± He was willing to remarry Joanna However, from the looks of it, Joanna did not want to remarry him! Moreover, he and Roxanne were in such a mess. If he was to abandon Roxanne, she would probably commit suicide again! He didn¡¯t want anyone to die because of this. The only thing he could do now was to settle Roxanne down. The Haynes family. ¡°Mom, what do we do now?¡± ¡°Humph, Joanna can use the child to keep Mr. Everett. Why can¡¯t you work harder?¡± Ingrid looked annoyed. Roxanne said angrily, ¡°Bruce doesn¡¯t want to touch me at all. What can I do?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? If medicinal cuisine doesn¡¯t work, we can just get him some of that medicine!¡± Roxanne frowned. ¡°Will this work?¡± ¡°Why not? No matter what, we have to give it a try. We can¡¯t let that slut Joanna take advantage of us.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Call him now!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang again! ¡°Hello¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you in the hospital now?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I made soup for you. I¡¯ll bring it to you now!¡± ¡°No need!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve undergone two surgeries. You must be very weak! 10:34 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 174 ¡°I specially made this soup for you. I used a lot of expensive medicine. You must drink some!¡± Bruce said impatiently, ¡°There¡¯s really no need!¡± ¡°Are you afraid of Joanna finding out? ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can let her drink some too!¡± ¡°Hello¡­¡± Roxanne had already hung up. About half an hourter, Roxanne came to the hospital with the thermos box! Bruce and Joanna were arguing. Roxanne then knocked on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me! ¡°Bruce, Joanna! ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡± ¡°No!¡± Joanna replied coldly and left the ward! Chapter 175 Chapter 175 ¡°Why are you here?¡± Bruce frowned. At that moment, he did not really want to see Roxanne! Roxanne ced the thermos box on the bed and looked at Bruce tenderly. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve undergone two surgeries, but I haven¡¯t been by your side to apany you! ¡°Now that the surgery is over, as your fianc¨¦e, I definitely have toe and take care of you!¡± When Bruce heard this, his frown deepened. ¡°I already told you that there¡¯s no need!¡± Roxanne opened the thermos box and took another bowl. He filled a bowl with the soup and eagerly handed it to Bruce. ¡°Bruce, you just had surgery. You must nourish yourself. ¡°Have some soup!¡± ¡°No need!¡°How could Bruce still be in the mood to drink soup? ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve been cooking this soup for more than 10 hours! You must drink some.¡± Bruce replied impatiently, ¡°Leave it there for now! I¡¯ll drink itter!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Roxanne pouted and ced the soup on the bed. Bruce leaned against the hospital bed with a cold expression. Roxanne looked at him carefully. ¡°Bruce, why are you keeping such a distance from me?¡± ¡°Roxy¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked up at her and hesitated. Before he could finish, Roxanne interrupted him and smiled gently at him. ¡°Bruce, I know what you want to say!¡± Bruce raised his eyes. Roxanne snuggled up to him like a little bird and said obediently, ¡°It¡¯s really okay. I see your children as my own! ¡°Besides, they¡¯re your children from before we were together. Why would I be angry? ¡°Let¡¯s postpone the wedding! Nothing is more important than the child¡¯s illness! ¡°It won¡¯t be toote for us to hold a wedding after the child recovers!¡± Hearing her words, Bruce furrowed his brows tightly. The path of breaking up waspletely blocked by Roxanne. It seemed that he would have to spend the rest of his life with her. He no longer had any feelings for Roxanne! However, he did not dare to mention breaking up so easily. He knew that as long as he mentioned breaking up, Roxanne would definitelymit suicide again! Moreover, she was not just saying that. If not for the timely rescue of the previous suicide, Roxanne would have really died on the operating table! Especially after Roxanne was bullied by bad guys, he did not dare to break up so easily again. 10:34 Tue, 4 Jul TA Chapter 175 A whiteter. Bruce swallowed his words and said insincerely. ¡°Roxy, it¡¯s really hard for you to think that way!¡± ¡°How can that be? We¡¯ve been together for so long. Of course we have to face the storm together. ¡°No difficulties can easily tear us apart,¡± Roxanne said as she held Bruce¡¯s hand tightly. Bruce took a deep breath and did not want to say anything else. ¡°Bruce, the soup won¡¯t taste good when it¡¯s cold! ¡°I¡¯ve put a lot of precious ingredients in it. Bruce, you must drink some.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you!¡± ¡°Why are you thanking me?!¡± Roxanne gently picked up the bowl again and carefully stirred it with a spoon. She scooped a spoonful and brought it to Bruce¡¯s lips. ¡°Let me do it myself!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a patient now. Let me feed you!¡± Bruce had no choice but to drink it. ¡°Does it taste good?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°Then drink more, Bruce.¡± Bruce braced himself and finished the bowl of soup. ¡°Do you want more?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t drink anymore!¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll go wash the dishes!¡± Roxanne smiled gently at Bruce and left the ward with the bowl. She headed towards the washroom. Roxanne had just walked into the washroom when she saw Joanna walking out. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. The two of them looked at each other awkwardly. Joanna stayed for three seconds, avoided Roxanne, and prepared to return to the ward. Roxanne sneered and said sarcastically to Joanna, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t think that you can snatch Bruce away from me just because you gave birth to three children for him! ¡°Let me tell you, don¡¯t even think about it! ¡°Do you know what kind of woman is the most pitiful and stupid in the world?¡± When Joanna heard this, she turned around and looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°That¡¯ll be a woman who wants to keep a man¡¯s heart by giving birth to his children! ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re really shameless. You¡¯ve already divorced Bruce, yet you still want to give birth to Bruce¡¯s child! 10 34 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 175 ¡°Do you think this will change Bruce¡¯s mind?¡± Roxanne said sarcastically. The more she spoke, the more agitated and angry she became. She almost married into the Everett family twice, but she was ruined by Joanna. If killing was not against thew, she would personally chop Joanna into minced meat. Joanna looked at Roxanne coldly. She crossed her arms and said disdainfully, ¡°Roxanne, even if I have three children, I¡¯ve never wanted to be with Bruce! ¡°Just because you treat him as treasure doesn¡¯t mean that others treat him as treasure as well!¡± ¡°Humph, you don¡¯t mean what you say!¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not!¡± Roxanne was so angry that she choked. Her eyes suddenly widened. ¡°If you didn¡¯t miss Bruce, why would you pester Bruce like this? ¡°The best ex should disappear without a trace.¡± Joanna could not help but sneer. ¡°What do I want to do? There¡¯s no need to exin to you!¡± As she spoke, Joanna was toozy to say anything more to Roxanne. She turned around and prepared to leave. ¡°Joanna, you bitch! Stop right there.¡± Seeing that Joanna was about to leave, Roxanne was even more furious. Her eyes were bloodshot as she pounced forward crazily. Joanna dodged and caught Roxanne¡¯s hands. She pushed Roxanne back violently, causing her to stagger. ¡°You¡¯re cheaper than me! ¡°You should know full well what you¡¯ve done. Don¡¯t pretend to be a victim here! ¡°Who is the victim? You know very well!¡± ¡°Joanna, you bitch, I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s lungs were about to explode. After she stabilized herself, she pounced on Joanna again. Joanna stopped being polite. The moment Roxanne pounced on her, she quickly and urately grabbed her hair. Then, she threw Roxanne to the ground. Thud! Roxanne staggered and fell heavily to the ground. ¡°Ah!¡± Roxanne screamed. Her ankle was in pain. She fell to the ground and couldn¡¯t get up for a long time. Bruce was worried about the two of them and happened toe over to take a look. As expected, the two of them really started fighting again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Seeing that Bruce was here, the anger on Roxanne¡¯s face immediately turned into weakness. She cried aggrievedly, ¡°Bruce, Joanna hit me¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, how could you attack Roxy?¡± ¡°Get up!¡± Bruce helped Roxanne up from the ground. 10:34 Tue, 4 Jul T. Chapter 175 Joanna sneered. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin anything. ¡°Bruce, think whatever you want)¡± ¡°Roxanne, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re very boring? You¡¯re the one who started it, Isn¡¯t it right for me to fight back?¡± ¡°Bruce, look at Joanna. I know she hates me. I don¡¯t dare to go against her¡­¡± Before Roxanne could finish, Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Roxy, you can go back first!¡± ¡°No, Bruce, I want to stay here with you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need yourpany!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce frowned and ordered Andy, ¡°Andy, send Ms. Haynes back!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett! ¡°Ms. Haynes, this way please!¡± Roxanne didn¡¯t get the upper hand. Now that she was chased away by Bruce, she was even more furious. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back first. Call me if anything happens!¡± With that, Roxanne red at Joanna coldly. After Roxanne left, Bruce could not help but sigh. He went forward to coax Joanna. ¡°Joanna, why has your temper be so bad now? ¡°I remember you used to be a very gentle woman!¡± ¡°Well, I was too gentle in the past, so everyone wanted to pick on me! ¡°I don¡¯t want to be gentle anymore. It¡¯s good to be a shrew!¡± Bruce frowned and persuaded, ¡°Don¡¯t lower yourself to Roxanne¡¯s level. After all, she¡¯s a girl who¡¯s easily hurt!¡± ¡°I told you, she started it. I was just fighting back!¡± ¡°I know! But you¡¯re too ruthless!¡± ¡°Are you teaching me a lesson? Or are you trying to avenge her?¡± ¡°No, I just want the three of us to coexist peacefully¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she retorted coldly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Joanna, can you not be so stubborn?¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m stubborn, it¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to bicker with you!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkenedpletely. He realized that he had indeed underestimated Joanna¡¯s personality in the past! She was actually a very opinionated person with an extremely unyielding personality! Chapter 176 Chapter 176 The Haynes¡¯s house! Roxanne returned home in a huff As soon as she entered the house, she took off her high heels and threw her bag on the sofa!. ¡°Daddy, mommy, I¡¯m back!¡± Ingrid was stunned and quickly responded, ¡°Why are you back so early?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I told you to stay in the hospital and spend more time with Bruce! ¡°Aren¡¯t you creating a chance for them to be alone now that you¡¯re not in the hospital?¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth. She was so angry that her eyes were burning in rage. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. That slut Joanna is openly seducing Bruce now!¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I want to stay, but Bruce won¡¯t let me stay at all!¡± ¡°What happened? Tell me.¡± Roxanne said angrily, ¡°What else can it be? Bruce only cares about that slut Joanna now. He doesn¡¯t care about me anymore!¡± Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but cry. Seeing this, Shaun quickly persuaded, ¡°In my opinion, since he is not interested in you, there won¡¯t be a good oue if you continue to force him!¡± Ingrid interrupted him fiercely. ¡°Heh! That¡¯s easy for you to say!¡± ¡°Separate Roxy and Mr. Everett. We are just giving that bitch Joanna a chance!¡± When Shaun heard this, he was even more furious. ¡°Your words are always so unpleasant to hear!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Go away and stop making useless remarks here!¡± After saying that, he quicklyforted his daughter. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be anxious. You have to calm down!¡± ¡°At this critical moment, we have topromise!¡± ¡°Mom, I really can¡¯t help but feel wronged!¡± Ingrid pulled a long face and shouted angrily, ¡°Even if you can¡¯t bear it, you have to bear with it! You¡¯ll mess up the big n if you can¡¯t bear it! ¡°Now that you¡¯re angry and jealous, Bruce can use this as an excuse to break up! ¡°You¡¯ve waited for so many years. You¡¯ve sacrificed your youth, but it¡¯s all for naught! ¡°You think you¡¯re okay with that?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ept this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re unwilling to ept losing him, think of a way to turn the table! ¡°If you can¡¯t even endure this minor setback now, how are you going to deal with those beautiful sluts in the future? ¡°Think about who Mr. Everett is. Think about how many women have racked their brains to get close to him. 10:35 Tue, 4 Chapter 176 ¡°I! you can¡¯t deal with Joanna now, how will you deal with thosedina Roxanne gradually calmed down after hearing that! Indeed, as expected for a man like Bruce! Even if he weren¡¯t a yboy, there would still be a lot of women racking t in are interested in him in the future?¡± nt to throw themselves at him! If the could not endure this how could she deal with those women who wanted to get rid of her and take over the ce of Mrs Everett? ¡°Mom, you¡¯re right I have to pull myself together. I can¡¯t admit defeat!¡± Ingrid patted her daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s it. You must pull yourself together! ¡°Think about it. It¡¯s just a small setback. If you can¡¯t even take this, how can you achieve great things in the future?¡± Shaun couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± ¡°How the hell are you educating your daughter?¡± Ingrid red at him. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s all your fault for being biased!¡± ¡°Now that Roxy¡¯s fianc¨¦ is about to be snatched away, you can still sit back and do nothing. How dare you even say that you¡¯re not biased ¡°if I were you, I¡¯d knock on that bitch¡¯s door and beat her to death!¡± ¡°Forget it. I can¡¯t be bothered what you all do anymore!¡± Shaun said with a frown and turned to leave. Then, Ingrid whispered into Roxanne¡¯s earl Roxanne was shocked. ¡°Mom, will this work?¡± ¡°Listen to me. It¡¯ll work!¡± ¡°As long as I can go all out, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do!¡± After educating her daughter, Ingrid called her two cousins. Beep Beep! Beep! ¡°Hey!¡± Wace picked up the phone quickly. ¡°Ingrid, do you miss us?¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s been so long. How far has your n gone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care I¡¯ll give you some time to settle that damn bitch as soon as possible!¡± ¡°After all, this is not a small matter. We have to n it well!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡± ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll take action as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Yes, use your brains more. Think about it 4 million dors is enough for you to live the rest of your life carefree!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± 10:35 Tue, 4 July Chapter 176 Meanwhile, some others were discussing Bruce in the Everett mansion! ¡°When will Bruce be discharged?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett will be back tonight!¡± ¡°When hees back, we can discuss the matter of letting the children get into the Everett family!¡± As they were talking, Bruce returned. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m back!¡± Margaret smiled happily at her grandson. ¡°Bruce! You have finallye back! Grandma was just about to discuss the children with you!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about the family tree!¡± The butler exined on behalf of Mrs. Everett. ¡°What family tree?¡± ¡°Silly, of course, it¡¯s our Everett family¡¯s family tree!¡± ¡°Now that our Everett family can be considered to have expanded, we have two more boys. Naturally, we have to get them recorded in our Everett family¡¯s family tree!¡± ¡°Not only that, but we also have to hold a banquet to officially acknowledge the descendants of the Everett family!¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked worried. ¡°Grandma, there¡¯s no need to do that.¡± ¡°Why not? You¡¯re already 28 years old and two years before you turn thirty. Now that you finally have two children, this is a joyous asion!¡± ¡°Of course, we have to celebrate and announce the good news!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. He was organizing his words in his mind, trying to convince his grandmother! ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to discuss this with Joanna!¡± ¡°She¡¯s the child¡¯s mother, after all. It¡¯s better to inform her about what decision should make. It¡¯s not too late for us to make a decision after she agrees!¡± When Margaret heard that, she subconsciously looked at her grandson. ¡°Bruce, when did you be so indecisive?¡± ¡°This is our Everett family¡¯s children. Although she gave birth to them, you¡¯re the child¡¯s father!¡± ¡°No matter what, these children are partly of our Everett family!¡± ¡°Do you want the children to acknowledge their ancestors and return to the Everett family? Why would she be unwilling for them to return to the Everett family? Isn¡¯t our family better than hers?¡± Margaret really could not understand why Joanna was unwilling to let the children return to the Everett family. The Everett family was the wealthiest in Greyport! Bruce was a top¨Cnotch wealthy man. Many women wanted to give birth to his child. Joanna was so lucky to be able to give birth to three children for the Everett family. This was a blessing that she had cultivated for several lifetimes! ¡°Joanna¡­ Her thoughts are different from others!¡± Bruce exined with a frown. 10:35 Tue, 4 July TE Chapte? 176 E ¡°No matter what, this is the Everett family¡¯s child. This is an undeniable fact. No matter what, we have to let the children get recorded in the family tree!¡± ¡°The procedures for changing the names have been prepared. You can change the children¡¯s names now!¡± ¡°Grandma, there¡¯s no need to talk about this. Let¡¯s take it slow!¡± Margaret¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No, get the children back to the Everett family. Only then will I be able to answer to your grandfather and your father! ¡°Then, grandma also can rest in peace!¡± As she spoke, the maid came to reply. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes is here!¡± ¡°She came at the right time. I need to talk to her about something. Invite her in!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ten minutester!. The butler brought Joanna into the living room! Joanna¡¯s face was gloomy, but she still greeted politely, ¡°Grandma!¡± Margaret adjusted his sses. ¡°Joann, you came at the right time, Grandma has something to tell you.¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m here today to take the children home!¡± ¡°Take the kids home? ¡°Heh! Joann, this is the Everett family! ¡°The children are the descendants of the Everett family!¡± ¡°No matter what, I was the one who gave birth to the children. I¡¯ve been caring for them for the past four years, and I am the children¡¯s only guardian?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking my children with me today. If all of you try to stop me¡­ I will call the police and seek their help!¡± ¡°Heh! If you want to do it the hard way, I can only fulfill your request! ¡°You gave birth to three children for the Everett family. I¡¯m very grateful to you! ¡°No matter what, you have to let the children acknowledge their father, right? ¡°Or is it because you have something else in mind? You can bring them up! ¡°We¡¯ll try our best to satisfy you. We can also offer some financialpensation. Of course, if you and Bruce still have a chance to reconcile, I hope you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I just want my children!¡± Joanna refused Margaret¡¯s offer! Margaret¡¯s anger red up! With her status, she rarely spoke to the younger generations so humbly. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Margaret pondered for a moment before suppressing her anger and continuing to persuade Joanna with patience. ¡°Joann, you can¡¯t take care of three children alone as a single parent. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let the children stay in the Everett family and receive the best education and resources since they were young? This is the best arrangement for them!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and looked at Margaret calmly. ¡°Grandma, I will educate my children well. Grandma, you don¡¯t have to worry about their education!¡± Margaret changed her tone from persuading to insisting. ¡°What must we do to make you agree to let the children acknowledge their father and be a part of the Everett family?¡± ¡°If you want to see the children, I can bring the children to see you anytime! ¡°But I don¡¯t agree with changing the children¡¯sst name to Everett!¡± When Margaret heard this, her cloudy eyes turned cold. Joanna looked at Margaret with the same gaze! These were her children. In order to give birth to these three children, she almost died in the operation theater. In the past four years, she sacrificed all her energy and effort to raise her children. She had endured the most difficult days. What right did the Everett family have to snatch her children away now? No matter what, she would not let anyone snatch her children away! Bruce¡¯s expression was gloomy and cold. He could not help but scold, ¡°Do you have to be so stubborn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being stubborn. It¡¯s a principle!¡± Then, Joanna looked at Margaret again. ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get married again in the future. ¡°I probably won¡¯t have any more children. I only have these three children. So, it¡¯s impossible to give up the custody of the children! ¡°Mr. Everett is a man, and he is at the best age of his life. He still has a lot of chances to have his own children.. ¡°Grandma also said just now that as long as he asks, there will be a lot of women willing to give birth to his children! ¡°He¡¯s about to marry Roxanne. After they get married, they¡¯ll have their children soon! Grandma, you don¡¯t have to worry about being unable to have a great¨Cgrandchild.¡± Although Joanna¡¯s words were reasonable, it was impossible for Margaret to listen. It was not easy for her to have two adorable great¨Cgrandsons. They were as precious as gems to her. How could she give up? ¡°That¡¯s different. As long as it¡¯s a descendant of the Everett family, our Everett family will definitely take responsibility to the end!¡± Margaret was even more stubborn. Joanna was also tired of convincing her, so she could only give in a little. ¡°You can acknowledge the children as a part of the Everett family, but you can¡¯t change theirst names. ¡°I¡¯m the guardian of the children. They want to live with me! I¡¯m concerned and don¡¯t want my children to stay in the Everett family forever!¡± Margaret lifted her head and said solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The children will stay by my side. I will take care of them personally! Chapte? 177 ¡°I can promise you with my character that I will raise these two children well!¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯t agree to this request!¡± Bruce and Roxanne were about to get married! After they got married, they would definitely want their own children! It would always be better to follow the mother as she would usually be more concerned about her children. Although the Everett family was a big family, Roxanne might not abuse her children. But based on Roxanne and Ingrid¡¯s personalities, they would probably use all kinds of underhanded methods to deal with their children. Therefore, she could not leave the children behind! After all, it was easy to avoid expected trouble and not hidden traps! ¡°Do you have to take the kids away today?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t agree?¡± Margaret put on a displeased expression. Joanna also changed her tone and stopped calling Margaret grandma. ¡°Margaret, I¡¯m now the children¡¯s guardian. If you insist on detaining the children, I can only go through the judicial process!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never begged anyone. I¡¯m begging you now. Don¡¯t take the children away!¡± ¡°Margaret, if it¡¯s anything else, I can keep it!¡± ¡°But they are my children. I really can¡¯tpromise!¡± When Margaret heard this, her heart skipped a beat! Joanna was indeed like what Bruce had said. She was different from other women! If someone else could give birth to children for the Everett family, not to mention three, even if they gave birth to one, they would not have to worry about anything for the rest of their lives! However, she was really unmoved by force or persuasion. ¡°Name your price! How much will it cost for you to give up custody of the children?¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt extremely ufortable. ¡°My children are not items to be sold!¡± ¡°Joann, you¡¯re still young. There are some things you have to¡­¡± ¡°Grandma, you don¡¯t have to convince me anymore. I just told you that my children are the most important person to me! ¡°If I don¡¯t have my children with me, my life will be meaningless! I just want to be with my children. I won¡¯t give them to anyone!¡± Margaret was so angry that his lips trembled. He red at Joanna angrily. She had a weak heart. Now that she was agitated, she clutched her chest and panted heavily! Seeing this, Bruce was even more furious. ¡°Joanna, let¡¯s not talk about it for the time being! You can go back first!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here today to take my children away!¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. The adults were talking and did not notice the kids. Davian and Irvin saw their mommy when they were upstairs. Chapter 177 The two little ones came down from the second floor excitedly. ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s mommy here!¡± After listening, Joanna looked up and saw the two little boys. She quickly walked toward the children. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± ¡°Mommy, we missed you so much! Are you here to take us home?¡± The two little guys excitedly pounced into Joanna¡¯s arms and hugged her thigh. ¡°Yes, Mommy came to pick you up today.¡± Margaret watched from the side and was even angrier. ¡°Butler, take the little boys back to their room!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You guys take the little boys back to their room.¡± When the bodyguards heard the order, they immediately went forward and pulled the children away. ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± ¡°Young sir, please be obedient!¡± Joanna rushed forward and tried to snatch the children back from the bodyguards. ¡°Let go of my children!¡± Unfortunately, the bodyguards were all strong and well¨Cbuilt. They carried the two little ones and walked straight upstairs. She couldn¡¯t take her kids back at all. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, are you determined to keep my children?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°As long as I am still alive, no one can take away the descendants of the Everett family!¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, you have to be reasonable!¡± Margaret smiled contemptuously. ¡°If reason makes sense, of course, I have to be reasonable! But if I really can¡¯t reason with you, there¡¯s no need to be reasonable!¡± When Joanna heard this, her entire body froze, and she was actually powerless to refute it! ¡°Butler, send the guest out!¡± ¡°If you insist on doing this, I can only call the police!¡± Margaret snorted and said bluntly, ¡°Do whatever you want! ¡°You¡¯ll soon receive awyer¡¯s letter. I¡¯ll hire the bestwyer in Greyport to fight awsuit with you! ¡°At that time, not only will the children not belong to you, but you won¡¯t be able to get any compensation!¡± After Margaret finished speaking, she adjusted her gold¨Crimmed sses and looked at Joanna gloomily! The butler had already approached Joanna to chase her away. ¡°Ms. Haynes, this way please!¡± 10:35 Tue, 4 Jul & TE. Chapter 177 ¡°You can¡¯t do this. I want to take the children away!¡± Joanna was so angry that her entire body trembled. Even her eyes were red. ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce tilted his head. ¡°Send Ms. Haynes out!¡± ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t go back on your word! You can¡¯t be like this!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, this way please!¡± Joanna pushed the butler¡¯s hand away fiercely. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. I can walk by myself!¡± ¡°In that case, we can only meet in court!¡± With that, Joanna left angrily! When Margaret saw this, she was so angry that she was out of breath. The family doctor quickly took out an oxygen mask and gave her oxygen. Margaret took a few breaths of oxygen before her emotions calmed down a little! ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be angry!¡± Bruce looked nervous as heforted her. ¡°Bruce! Joanna is really stubborn. I made a mistake by thinking she was easy to deal with. ¡°No matter what, we can¡¯t let anyone take away our Everett family¡¯s descendants! ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate favors, there¡¯s no need to be nice to her!¡± Margaret became angrier as he spoke. In Greyport, no one had ever disrespected her like this! Seeing that his grandma was so angry, Bruce could only bite the bullet and agree, ¡°Got it, Grandma!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to chase me off. I¡¯ll leave this ce!¡± Joanna turned around, hoping to see the children again. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please leave first! Don¡¯t cause a ruckus in the Everett family!¡± ¡°Hmph, the Everett family is bullying me because they are powerful. I don¡¯t believe that money can really decide everything in aw¨Cabiding society!¡± Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Joanna walked out of the Everett mansion. Anger had burst through her that her face had flushed red! She knew that it was useless to call the police now! The Everett family and the Greyport Governer had a close rtionship. Even if the police came, they would side with the Everett family! There was no way she could take the children away! After Joanna returned to the car, she cried out loud! ¡± Meanwhile, after the two little ones were forcefully brought back to their rooms, they kept crying and making a fuss. ¡°Mommy! We want Mommy! We want to go home with Mommy!¡± ¡°Young sir, this is your home!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t our home, you bad guys!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to bully my Mommy. If any of you dare to bully my Mommy, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ Mommy! I want my Mommy¡­¡± The two little boys were crying and making a fuss. The servants could not coax them no matter how hard they tried! A few minutes had passed. After the servants reported to Margaret, Margaret sat in a wheelchair and personally came to coax the two little guys. ¡°Hey, kiddos, why are you crying?¡± Davian got up from the ground. ¡°We want to find Mommy. We want to go home with Mommy!¡± Being grandma and grandson might not be close enough! Fine! There were two generations between them. Facing the two little ones, Margaret had no temper at all. She kept coaxing the children. ¡°Boys,e over to me. ¡°From now on, this will be your home. You are the descendants of the Everett family! ¡°I¡¯ve given you a new name. Davian will be called Charlie Everett, and Irvin will be called Luke Everett.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Charlie Everett. I¡¯m Irvin Haynes!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to change our names. We want to go home with Mommy!¡± When Margaret heard this, her smile froze. ¡°Your Mommy won¡¯t take you back for the time being!¡± When Irvin heard this, he immediately burst into tears. ¡°Boohoo¡­ I don¡¯t want to stay here. I want to go home with Mommy!¡± ¡°You are a bad olddy. You can¡¯t separate us from Mommy! You old witch. I don¡¯t like you at all¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, his face darkened. He said sternly to the two little guys, ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t be so rude to your great¨Cgrandma!¡± Ever since he was young, he had never dared to be so rude to his grandmother. How dare these two brats be so arrogant! 10:35 Tue, 4 Ju Chapter 178 ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t scare them! The children are still young. They will be fine after a while!¡± ¡°Go invite Mr. Jameson over and ask him to prepare for thewsuit!¡± When Bruce heard this, he subconsciously frowned. ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Margaret knew what he was going to say and said coldly, ¡°No matter how much we have to sacrifice, we have to fight for the custody of the children!¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Yes, grandma!¡± It was soon the following day. Joanna was at the hospital. She was absent¨Cmindedly guarding Lilia¡¯s bed. Lilia was recovering well and asked in a childish voice, ¡°Mommy, why didn¡¯t Daddye to see me today?¡± Joanna nced at her and forced a smile. ¡°Lilia, Daddy is very busy with work. Now that he has donated the bone marrow for you, he has to go back to work! ¡°After you recover, you can get discharged, and we can return home!¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and asked innocently, ¡°Mommy, after I¡¯m discharged from the hospital, can we go to Daddy¡¯s house to y?¡± ¡°Lilia, Daddy¡¯s house is Daddy¡¯s house! That¡¯s not our house. We can¡¯t just go and y!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hearing this, Lilia lowered her head in disappointment! ¡°If I give you a choice, do you want to be with Daddy or Mommy?¡± When Lilia heard this, she looked at Joanna in a dilemma. ¡°Mommy, can¡¯t you be with Daddy? ¡°I really want Daddy and Mommy to be together! This way, I¡¯ll have Daddy and Mommy again. Mommy, can the two of you remarry?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached upon hearing Lilia ask this. ¡°Lilia, you¡¯re still young. There are still some things you don¡¯t understand! ¡°When you grow up, you¡¯ll know why Mommy made such a choice!¡± After saying that, Joanna¡¯s eyes turned red.. ¡°Okay, Mommy, don¡¯t cry. No matter what you choose, the person I love the most is still you!¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± Joanna smiled and held her daughter in her arms. Another three days passed. After the doctor examined lia¡¯s condition, he smiled and said, ¡°The kid is recovering very well. She can be discharged next week!¡± When Joanna heard this, she finally felt relieved. ¡°Thank you, doctor!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± The doctor left after examining Lilia¡¯s condition. ¡°Take good care of Lilia in the hospital. Call me if anything happens!¡± Joanna carefully instructed Tracy and Miranda on what to do. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna had not been to thepany for nearly a month! 10:35 Tue, 4 Jul T Chapter 178 During this period of time, because of her daughter¡¯s illness, she was anxious and could not split up her energy at all! Now that her daughter was finally cured, it was time for her to return to work as soon as possible. It was another working day The clock ticked at 8.00 a.m. Joanna went to the Haynes Group on time! She headed to the conference room when she arrived. ¡°Miss Haynes, good morning!¡± ¡°Hello, everyone!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, here¡¯s the contract for this month and a statement of all the projects.¡± ¡°This is the financial report and the project target report!¡± ¡°Alright! Put them all here. ¡°Inform everyone that the board meeting will be held tomorrow!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna had not been to thepany for almost a month! Her work had already piled up a lot! Although thepany was still operating normally, there were still many things that she had to deal with personally! ¡°Have you heard? Miss Haynes¡¯s three children are really Mr. Everett¡¯s!¡± ¡°I heard Mr. Everett even donated his bone marrow to his daughter!¡± ¡°Wow, in that case, Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett still have a chance to reconcile!¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure. No matter what, Miss Haynes has three golden chips.¡± ¡°Then we will definitely not lose out if we work for Miss Haynes! After all, she has Mr. Everett supporting her!¡± ¡°Sigh! Do you think Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett will remarry?¡± ¡°That¡¯s very likely!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Hurry up and get back to work!¡± Beep! Beep. Beep! ¡°Hello, Bruce, where are you?¡± Roxanne was calling Bruce! ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been home for a long time. When are youing back?¡± Bruce was stunned! He had forgotten that Roxanne was still living in Sherane Bay Vi during this period of time. TU 35 Tue, Chapter 178 ¡°I¡¯ll go back tonight!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll cook tonight, then!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce wanted to refuse. But he knew that even if he refused, Roxanne would still insist on cooking! It was eight o¡¯clock in the evening Bruce returned to Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Does your body still hurt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°I¡¯m done cooking. Wash your hands and eat!¡± Roxanne acted as if nothing had happened and was even gentler! ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Have this dish. This is to replenish your blood!¡± ¡°Have some of this chicken broth. It¡¯s to replenish your blood too.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce picked up his cutlery and ate a few mouthfuls of dishes! ¡°I¡¯ll get you a bowl of soup!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce replied coldly. Roxanne had drugged the soup. However, this time, it was a sleeping pill. Bruce finished the soup and soon began to feel woozy. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little sleepy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you back to your room then!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Roxanne helped Bruce back to the room! Soon, they were in Bruce¡¯s room! Bruce yawned a few times, removed his clothes, andy on the bed! Not long after hey down, he fell asleep in a dazel Roxanne looked at Bruce, sleeping soundly! She sneered and took out the tools she had prepared. Wasn¡¯t Bruce unable to do it with her? 10:35 Tue, 4 Jul Chapter 178 Then, she would artificially inseminate herself! Since Joanna could win his heart by giving birth to his kids, she could naturally get him to stay by her side with children too! So what if he didn¡¯t touch her? Modern medicine was so advanced that IVF and artificial insemination were very mature! It would be quick! Roxanne brought a sterilized special container. After a while, she finally got Bruce¡¯s semen out of his body! ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you like children? If Joanna can give birth to children for you, I can give birth to children for you too! ¡°With so many sperms, I can conceive many children for you.¡± Soon, it was daybreak! Bruce woke up in a daze! When he woke up, he found himself naked on the bed! As for Roxanne, she was also naked. At this moment, she was sleeping beside him! ¡°Bruce, are you awake?¡± Bruce¡¯s head was buzzing when he saw her! He didn¡¯t do anythingst night! ¡°Last night!¡± 1 Roxanne smiled shyly. ¡°What happenedst night?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°We¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost married. This is normal, right?¡± Bruce looked at Roxanne in shock! Did he do it himself? He knew very well deep down himself! He definitely didn¡¯t sleep with Roxannest night! Her words made it seem like he had really slept with herst night! However, hechose to forget it. He was toozy to exin! Anyway, they had been dating for six years. Even if he said that he had never touched Roxanne, no one would believe him! Chapter 179 Chapter 179 ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne buried her head in his chest shyly with a satisfied expression. Bruce frowned and subconsciously pushed Roxanne away. He lifted the nket and got out of bed! He walked straight to the bathroom. His head felt a little dizzy. He had to take a cold shower to wake himself up. After entering the bathroom, he was still very dizzy! Bruce turned on the shower and took a cold shower. When he took a shower, he felt his body was sticky, as if he had done somethingst night. However, he really couldn¡¯t remember what had happenedst night. His physique was very good. This was the first time he had experienced something likest night. It seemed that there was something wrong with the foodst night. Roxanne must have drugged the food. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have slept so soundly! So, Bruce took a quick shower! Then, Bruce walked out wrapped in a towel. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± Roxanne smiled shyly at him and went into the bathroom. That expression of hers was clearly reminding him that they really did itst night. Bruce changed his clothes and felt that something was wrong. Then, he called his trusted bodyguard, Darcy, over. ¡°Mr. Everett, please give your orders!¡± Darcy was the bodyguard who had been by Bruce¡¯s side for the longest time. He was also the best and most loyal bodyguard. ¡°Take yesterday¡¯s dinner to theb!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Go quietly. Don¡¯t let anyone know.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett,¡± Darcy replied and immediately went to carry out the order. Bruce lit a cigarette, squinted his eyes, and took a deep puff. His eyes revealed a vicious glint. He hated being/schemed against the most! If Roxanne really drugged the food, then this woman was really scheming! He definitely could not keep such a woman by his side. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m done showering!¡± When Roxanne came out of the bathroom, his hair was wet. She was wrapped in a towel and sat on Bruce¡¯sp, hugging his neck. Once a woman and a man broke through that step, they would be much more casual with each other. 10:35 Tue, 4 Jul T. Chapter 179 She used her actions to hint to Bruce that they did itst night. Bruce was a little disgusted and pushed Roxanne away from hisp. ¡°Lilia will be discharged today. I am going to visit Lilial¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°No need!¡± After saying that, Bruce had already taken his coat and left the room. Roxanne smiled smugly as she watched Bruce leave, From now on, she wanted to tie her fate to his. She would not let him get rid of her easily. Meanwhile, Joanna was in the hospital. Joanna had alreadypleted the discharge procedures, and Tracy had also packed up everything! ¡°Sweetheart, you can be discharged today!¡± Joanna smiled gently at Lilia. After changing. Lilia looked at the door in disappointment. ¡°Mommy, isn¡¯t Daddying to pick me up? ¡°Daddy told me that he would pick me up personally when I was discharged from the hospital.¡± ¡°Mommy told you that Daddy is very busy. If Daddy is busy with work, we might not see Daddy much in the future!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lilia nodded obediently. Her eyes filled with unconceble disappointment. ¡°What about my brothers? Aren¡¯t theying to pick me up?¡± Joanna was at a loss for words, not knowing how to exin. Davian and Irvin were now detained in the Everett mansion. Even she could not see them, let alone Lilia! However, she did not want to tell her daughter about these things between adults. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna carried Lilia into the pram and pushed her out of the ward. They had just taken a few steps! Bruce, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, was rushing over. Lilia had sharp eyes and saw Bruce first. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s Daddy. Look, Daddy is here!¡± As Lilia spoke, she raised her little hand excitedly and pointed at Bruce. Joanna looked up and saw that Bruce had already arrived. He was still wearing a ck suit today. His hair was casuallybed on the top of his head. It was messy and stylish, exuding a casual handsomeness. ¡°Lilia!¡± ¡°Daddy, I thought you wouldn¡¯t pick me up.¡± ¡°How could that be? Daddy promised to pick you up. How could I forget?¡± Bruce carried his daughter out of the pram and kissed her little face! Joanna looked at Bruce in a daze. ATears began to shimmer in her eyes as her rage shot through her! ¡°Bruce, put my daughter down!¡± As Joanna spoke, she had already stepped forward and was about to snatch Lilia from his arms. Chapter 179 She was afraid that Bruce would snatch Lilia away too! Bruce was tall. He hugged Lilia and turned around, easily dodging Joanna¡¯s snatch. ¡°Do you hear me? Give me my baby.¡± When Bruce heard this, he red at Joanna angrily. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be angry!¡± Bruce said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s best not to be so fierce in front of our daughter!¡± ¡°Lilia, Daddy will y with you today, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to go to Daddy¡¯s house to y!¡± ¡°Okay, Daddy will bring you there now!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more terrified. She immediately stood in front of Bruce and said coldly, ¡°No, Lilia, hurry up and go home with Mommy. ¡°You¡¯ve just recovered. You can¡¯t go anywhere!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Lilia muttered softly. ¡°Don¡¯t you hear me? You¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere!¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. This was the first time she had spoken to her daughter in such a harsh tone! Lilia was so scared that her face turned pale. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Bruce was even more furious when he saw Joanna shouting at her daughter like this. ¡°Joanna, what do you mean by doing this?¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by doing this? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re despicable?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the father of the children. Shouldn¡¯t I be bringing them home?¡± Joanna cursed, ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t take my child away. What you¡¯re doing now is no different from a bandit!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and tried to convince Joanna, ¡°I¡¯ve told you before I won¡¯t snatch your child away. If you want to see the child, you can visit the Everett family anytime!¡± ¡°Of course, if you agree, you can stay with the Everett family!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re being unreasonable. You know that this is impossible!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Bruce asked angrily. When Joanna heard this, her anger grew! He and Roxanne were getting married. Would it not be ridiculous for her to stay in the Everett family¡¯s house? She knew what Bruce was thinking! N?velDrama.Org ? content. He wanted her to be his mistress! Even if they forced her, she would never agree to his dirty request, let alone serve the same husband as Roxanne! Chapter 179 ¡°Give me my daughter!¡± Joanna was so angry that she wanted to carry her daughter back. ¡°Joanna, can you not be like this? Can you leave a good impression of me in front of my daughter?¡± ¡°Mommy.¡± Lilia was also trembling in fear.. Bruce quicklyforted Lilia. ¡°Good baby, don¡¯t be afraid. Daddy will send you home, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Although Lilia was young, she knew her daddy and mommy quarreled. Moreover, they quarreled fiercely! ¡°Daddy, Mommy, can you two not quarrel?¡± ¡°Daddy and Mommy didn¡¯t quarrel!¡± Joanna took a deep breath, afraid of scaring her daughter. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll send you home!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to send me back. I¡¯ll send Lilia back!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but grit his teeth. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll say it onest time. I¡¯m sending you back now! If you continue to do this, I can only take Lilia away!¡± When Joanna heard this, she red at Bruce! The two of them looked at each other like they were each other¡¯s enemies! Bruce was so angry that he could not help but think, ¡°This damn woman¡¯s temper was getting more and more stubborn!¡± Simrly, Joanna hated Bruce¡¯s tyranny and overbearingness! The two of them were in a deadlock! Roxanne walked towards the two of them in her high heels with a smug smile on her face. Bruce! The two of them looked at Roxanne. She was dressed very beautifully today, and her entire body was radiant. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I know you came to pick Lilia up today, so I came to see Lilia!¡± ¡°Lilia, this is aunt¡¯s gift to you.¡± As Roxanne spoke, she handed the exquisite gift box to Lilia. Lilia¡¯s face darkened, and she turned her head to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡± Roxanne stered a smile to make herself look friendly. ¡°This is a limited edition doll. There are only 100 of them in the world. It¡¯s very difficult to buy!¡± ¡°This is a gift from me to you as your aunt. I¡¯m giving it to you, so just take it. There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony!¡± Lilia pouted and rested her head on Bruce¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know! I don¡¯t want it. Go away! I don¡¯t like you!¡± How did this bad woman bully her mommy? She knew! Especially when she fought with her mommy for her daddy! Seeing that Lilia insisted on rejecting it, Roxanne smiled awkwardly and handed the gift box to Tracy. ¡°Keep it on behalf of Lilia, then!¡± Tracy subconsciously looked at Joanna. Chapter 179 Joanna looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°No need. Take your things away!¡± ¡°Bruce, look at my sister. She is treating me like an outsider!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Go back first! There is nothing to do with you here!¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± ¡°Oh right, Bruce, you forgot to bring this along!¡± Roxanne said. She quickly took out an emerald pendant from her bag. Bruce¡¯s mother left behind that pendant. He never took it off his side unless when he was bathing. From this, it could be seen that they slept togetherst night! ¡°Oh¡­¡± Bruce took it casually and put it around his neck! He had taken it off and ced it on the sink when he took a shower this morning. Originally, this was nothing. Now that Roxanne had specially sent it over, everything became ambiguous! ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll excuse myself first!¡± ¡°Go home early tonight. I¡¯ll prepare dinner and wait for you at home!¡± Roxanne said as she deliberately held Bruce¡¯s arm intimately. Then, she tiptoed and pouted as she asked him for a kiss. Seeing this, Joanna felt even more disgusted! She was obsessed with cleanliness! When it came to rtionships, it was either everything or everything! She couldn¡¯t ept sharing a man with another woman! When she thought of the passionate night Bruce and Roxanne hadst night, she felt so disgusted that she couldn¡¯t ept knowing it! Chapter 180 Chapter 180 She would rather never participate in this love game! ¡°Lilia,e. Mommy will carry you!¡± Seeing this, Bruce took a step forward! Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. How could he be in the mood to kiss Roxanne? He couldn¡¯t wait to see her fall! However, Roxanne¡¯s motive was to make Joanna mad. His response was no longer important! Regardless of whether he kissed her, as long as she could piss Joanna off, she had achieved her goal!, While Bruce was in a daze, Joanna had already taken Lilia from his arms. ¡°Joanna!¡± With a cold expression, Joanna walked forward without looking back. Bruce subconsciously took a few steps forward. ¡°I¡¯ll send you¡­¡± Joanna carried Lilia and quickly walked ahead! ¡°You really don¡¯t have to send us back. Let go!¡± Bruce choked. He didn¡¯t know what to say, nor did he know what to do! In this love entanglement, he was wrong. He was the one who had caused Joanna so much damage! Now, he wanted to snatch the child away from her even more! It was only right that she hated him! A few secondster, Bruce weakly let go of Joanna¡¯s arm! Joanna left without looking back. Soon, Joanna had left! Bruce finally couldn¡¯t help but get angry at Roxanne! ¡°You did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Roxanne pretended to look aggrieved and looked at Bruce pitifully. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be angry!¡± Bruce said with annoyance, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m your fianc¨¦e. I¡¯m your girlfriend!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see you and my sister getting so close. You¡¯re already divorced. You can¡¯t pester her like this anymore!¡± ¡°Why do you care what I want to do?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and walked towards the door. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to work. You can go back!¡± After saying that, Bruce left without looking back! 10:36 Tue, 4 July Chapter 180 He couldn¡¯t stand Roxanne anymore! Unfortunately, she was like a ster that could not be shaken off once it was stuck! If he wanted to tear off this ster, he would also lose ayer of his skint She was used to crying, throwing a tantrum, and threatening him! As long as he mentioned breaking up, she would definitely threaten him with suicide again! Bruce headed to the Everett Group. For the entire day, Bruce was feeling very depressed and frustrated! Beep! Beep! Beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Darcy¡¯s call came in! Seeing that it was Darcy, Bruce quickly picked the call up! ¡°Hello. ¡°Did you get the test results?¡± Darcy reported over the phone, ¡°Ms. Haynes has disposed of Mr. Everett, the leftovers fromst night! I can only find some residue from the sewers and take it for testing!¡± ¡°Did you get the test results?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been tested!¡± ¡°Although there is only a small portion of the specimen, there is indeed drugs in it!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart sank when he heard that. ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°There are sleeping pills¡® content in there, and some¡­¡± Darcy paused automatically when he reported on this part. That drug was indescribable! ¡°Sleeping pills?¡± ¡°What else did she put?¡± ¡°There is also a drug for that particr function!¡± Bruce immediately understood! Roxanne had indeed drugged the food. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so sleepy. Moreover, he wouldn¡¯t be sleeping so soundly. It was six in the evening. Bruce had returned to the Sherane Bay Vi. It was rare for him to be back so early. Roxanne was pleasantly surprised to see Bruce! ¡°Bruce, why are you back so early today? ¡°The food isn¡¯t ready yet!¡± 10:36 Tue, 4 July Chapter 180 Bruce went straight to the point. ¡°Roxanne, you don¡¯t have to cook anymore. Come over. I have something to ask!¡± Roxanne saw his expression seem angry, and she was rmed. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Bruce threw a test report document in front of Roxanne! Roxanne picked it up and was shocked. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± She never thought that Bruce would take yesterday¡¯s food for testing! ¡°I¡¯m asking you. What is in here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in here!¡± ¡°What exactly did you put in the dish?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned cold and gloomy. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Roxanne looked away in a panic! She did not expect Bruce to discover it so quickly. ¡°What exactly did you put there?¡± ¡°¡­ was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t sleep well, so I put some sleeping pills in it!¡± ¡°Just a little bit. It won¡¯t be harmful to the body!¡± When Bruce heard this, he sneered. ¡°Sleeping pills. I think it¡¯s more than that!¡± ¡°Alright! I admit that there¡¯s a drug in it!¡± Roxanne simply admitted it. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve never been willing to touch me. I have no choice. I can only do this!¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re really too scary!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Pack your things and move out of Sherane Bay Vi!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne was stunned. She did not expect him to chase her away. ¡°Get lost! Move out of here immediately!¡± ¡°Bruce, please forgive me this time!¡± Roxanne cried and tugged at Bruce¡¯s arm in a panic! ¡°Darcy, pack up Ms. Haynes and send her back!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Bruce, no! I don¡¯t want to leave!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t dare to do it again. Please forgive me this time!¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in anger! He hated being schemed against the most! Especially when he was schemed against by a woman! Why did he hate Joanna so much six years ago? It was because he thought that Joanna had schemed against him. Now, he realized how stupid he had been! 10 36 Tue, Chapter 180 Fortunately, he reacted in time! He could still make up for it! ¡°Mr Everett, I have packed her things!¡± ¡°Send her back!¡± ¡°Bruce ¡°Ms Haynes, this way, please!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! Bruce, you can¡¯t do this to me!¡± Roxanne tried to put up a final resistance Unfortunately, Darcy took her arm and dragged her out of Sherane Bay Vi! Soon, Roxanne was back at the Haynes¡¯s house! It was eight in the evening! Roxanne was sent home with her things. ¡°Hey, Roxy, why are you back? Why did you bring your luggage back?¡± Ingrid looked nervous. ¡°Stop asking!¡± ¡°Hurry up and tell Mom what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Bruce chased me out!¡± Roxanne could not help but cover her face and cry! ¡°Ah! How did this happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because of the method you told me to use!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did he find out?¡± ¡°What else could it be?¡± Roxanneined to Ingrid as she cried, ¡°Look at what bad idea you¡¯vee up with.¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°Did you get his ¡®thing¡®?¡± ¡°I did!¡± ¡°Silly daughter, why would you be afraid of not having a good life in the future since you have gotten what you needed?¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± ¡°Listen to me. Go to the hospital for artificial insemination tomorrow! ¡°As long as you¡¯re pregnant, he won¡¯t be able to deny it even if he wants tol ¡°Even if he wants to go back on his word, Margaret won¡¯t agree!¡± ¡°If that bitch Joanna can win his heart with children, so can you!¡± ¡°Mom, isn¡¯t this too risky?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the risk? As long as you can give birth to a child for the Everett family. Even if you only get a portion of their family assets, it¡¯s enough for you to live happily for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t give birth to his child, the Everett family¡¯s assets will be taken by that damn bitch Joanna!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. No matter what, we can¡¯t let that slut Joanna get what is supposed to be mine!¡± Chapter 181 Chapter 181 The following day Ingrid apanied Roxanne to the maternity and children care center! Bruce¡¯s semen had already been frozen! Roxanne also began to do various tests and got her hormone injections! As long as the ovtion was sessful, artificial insemination could be carried out! ¡°Mom, are we really going to do this?¡± Roxanne still couldn¡¯t make up her mind. Ingrid sneered. ¡°Silly girl, we have alreadye this far. Is there any room for regret?¡± ¡°Now, you can¡¯t retreat even a little, no matter what! Even if you die, you have to die as a part of the Everett family!¡± On Joanna¡¯s side, she had also begun to look forwyers to prepare for thewsuit! She had just found awyer. But before she could sue the Everett family, she had already received a summon letter from the court. Thewyer hired by the Everett family also looked for her for a final negotiation. Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang ¡°Hello!¡± Joanna answered the call. ¡°Hello, Ms. Haynes. I¡¯m Jameson, the Everett family¡¯swyer! ¡°Margaret Everett entrusted me to conduct a finalmunication and negotiation with you regarding the children¡¯s custody!¡± When Joanna heard this, she took a deep breath. ¡°Speak!¡± Mr. Jameson paused for a moment and said in a deep voice, ¡°What Margaret means is to give you 40 million dors to give up the children¡¯s custody!¡± ¡°Of course! Your daughter can stay by your side. The Everett family only wants custody of the two boys. That¡¯s fairer!¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Joanna could not help but sneer. ¡°Please tell Margaret that no matter what, I will not give up custody of the children!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you have to think carefully about the consequences of going against the Everett family. The oue is very disadvantageous to you. It¡¯s very likely that you won¡¯t get anything. I advise you to consider epting the Everett family¡¯s marypensation!¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°The Everett family has a big business power indeed. But do they think they can bully me because of this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree to the negotiation. Report to Margaret that everything will be carried out ording to the legal process!¡± ¡°In that case, we can only follow the normal procedure!¡± Soon! Joanna also hired awyer and sent awyer¡¯s letter to the Everett family. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Brycen!¡± ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ms. Haynes¡¯swyer! 10:36 Tue, 4 Chapter 181 E 93% ¡°You¡¯ve already detained Ms. Haynes¡¯s children. This is already illegal imprisonment! If you want to file awsuit, we¡¯ll be willing to meet you at the court at any time! ¡°We will do our best to protect our rights and interests. The Everett family will have to pay the price for this and bear the children¡¯s support fees for many years¡­¡± The two topwyers began to negotiate, but neither gave in! Both parties had no choice but to go through the judicial process! Both sides sued each other in court. The Everett family had a top international legal team. Joanna had also hired Greyport¡¯s top legal team to fight thiswsuit. After Bruce found out, he felt exceptionally helpless! He didn¡¯t want his rtionship with Joanna to be so strained! Their rtionship had just improved a little. Now, because of the children¡¯s custody issue, they were fighting again. Unfortunately, Margaret was a very stubborn person. Joanna was also a stubborn person! Margaret would definitely not agree to give up custody of the children! Joanna would disagree since Margaret had forcefully taken custody of the children like this! Bruce was really in a headache. He had no choice but to go to court because of the custody issue! The day of the court was next month! Coincidentally, it was New Year¡¯s next month. Now that things had turned out like this, both parties were annoyed. Meanwhile, Joanna was in the Haynes Group. Although there was awsuit to be fought, work still had to continue. In the office, Joanna was dealing with business matters! Bang! Bang! Cora knocked on the door and came in. As soon as Cora entered, she said nervously, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is here¡­¡± Before she could finish speaking, Bruce had already barged in with a cold expression! ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Cora and the other two employees did not dare to disobey and could only leave the office with worried expressions. When Joanna saw this, her heart tightened, and she subconsciously stood up from her office chair. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing in my office?¡± Bruce¡¯s anger was obvious. He strode toward Joanna and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Joanna, do you have to do this?¡± ¡°Bruce, the Everett family wanted to do it the hard way! ¡°You once promised me that you wouldn¡¯t fight with me for custody of the children! But now that you¡¯ve gone back on your word, I can only do this!¡± E 93% Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 181 Bruce took a deep breath and tried his best to be patient ¡°Grandma is old. Can¡¯t you understand her feelings?¡± Joanna red at Bruce angrily ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m also a mother. Why can¡¯t you understand my feelings?¡± When Bruce heard this, he instantly lost control of his temper. ¡°I¡¯m the children¡¯s father! The children don¡¯t belong to you alone. ¡°I told you, if you want to see the children, I can bring the children to see you anytime!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s too much for you to detain my children like this!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were red with anger, ¡°Joanna, can we talk calmly?¡± Bruce suppressed his anger and looked at Joanna with frustration. He wanted to get back together with her! However, he, who had always been arrogant, did not know how to say the words to get her to remarry him! However, this damn woman was not tactful and did not understand his thoughts. She only misunderstood that he wanted to snatch the children away! Joanna frowned and stared at Bruce coldly. ¡°Sure, send my children back first!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could no longer suppress his temper. He stepped forward, grabbed her arms, and shook them a few times. ¡°Your children! Your children? I¡¯ll tell you onest time! ¡°The children don¡¯t belong to you alone. Without me, you won¡¯t be able to give birth to even a child!¡± Joanna¡¯s bones were about to fall apart from the shaking. She struggled with all her might to break free. ¡°Let go!¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t you dare challenge my bottom line again!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes suddenly shed with a hint of ruthlessness. ¡°Let go of me. Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Joanna panicked and only wanted to break free from his control! Looking at her resistance, Bruce¡¯s desire burned as if a ferocious beast had possessed him. ¡°Joanna, you really make me angry!¡± As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around her and trapped her firmly in his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her lips! ¡°Mm¡­ You bastard¡­¡± Joanna panicked even more as he carried her up. Bruce pressed her hard against the desk¡­. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t touch me again. Ah! Let go of me!¡± ¡°Joanna, have I been too tolerant of you recently, haven¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Today, I will punish you severely!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna was like a fish that had been pped ashore. She struggled and resisted in fear. Unfortunately, in front of Bruce, any resistance was futile. Desperation overtook her rationale! Joanna reached for the pen holder on the desk, took it, and smashed it on Bruce¡¯s head. ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce suffered a heavy blow, and his uncontroble emotions calmed down a little While he was in a daze, Joanna struggled to break free from his control Chapter 181 Tue, 4 ¡°Bruce, if you touch me again, I won¡¯t go easy on you!¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with anger and panic. Her hair and clothes were also in a mess. Bruce rubbed his head and gritted his teeth. ¡°Joanna, I think you really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you!¡± As he spoke, Bruce rushed over again. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna was like a frightened bird circling the desk. Then, she ran towards the office door as if she was escaping from something that was endangering her life. Crack! The office door was yanked open. Joanna could not care less about the employees¡® gazes. She ran out in a panic! She had to escape this ce immediately! Otherwise, she would definitely be humiliated by him! She vowed never to let him touch her body again. Bruce saw her run away and chased after her! The two of them ignored everyone¡¯s gazes and chased after each other. Joanna ran to the elevator and rushed downstairs. Bruce was a step toote. He watched her escape. Then, he could not wait for the next elevator to arrive and took the stairs to chase after Joanna. ¡°Oh my god, what are Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett doing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Tsk, tsk, tsk. They are putting on a good show every other day in thepany!¡± ¡°It must be Mr. Everett doing that to Miss Haynes again!¡± ¡°Stop talking and get to work!¡± Meanwhile, both of them were already downstairs. Bruce had actually reached the first floor at the same time as Joanna. God knew how he had run down. ¡°Joanna, stop right there.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯te over!¡± The elevator was closer to the door. Joanna ran out of the elevator and ran out of thepany. They were now on the street. People wereing and going, and there was a lot of traffic. Joanna only wanted to avoid Bruce and leave quickly. In a panic, she wanted to cross the road and go to the downtown area opposite. She would definitely be able to get rid of him when they reached the downtown area. §¦- 10:36 Tue, 4 Jul T Chapter 181 Joanna had just rushed into the middle of the road! Coincidentally, a car bumped into her at high speed. Moreover, this car was driving in the opposite direction. The driver was probably drunk. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna screamed, but it was toote to dodge. ¡°Joanna, be careful!¡± Bruce had also arrived beside her. He grabbed her arm, making her turn back suddenly. The car whizzed past! Although it did not hit Joanna, the front of the car still brushed past her. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna fell from the inertia and rolled a few times before stopping. The car did not stop and drove away. ¡°How the hell is he driving?¡± Bruce was so scared that his face turned pale. He rushed to Joanna¡¯s side. The cars behind them were also forced to stop. They stuck their heads out to see what was going on. Joanna was thrown to the ground. Her arms and knees were injured. Shey on the ground and could not get up for a long time. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Bruce carried her up and checked her injuries. Joanna groaned in pain and struggled to stand up. Unfortunately, before she could stand up, she fell weakly again. Generally speaking, very few people drove like this. It was obvious that the driver had wanted to hit her on purpose! Fortunately, Bruce pulled her back in time. Otherwise, she would have knocked off just now. Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Bruce was terrified. He asked anxiously, ¡°Are you alright? Let me take a look¡­..¡± Joanna¡¯s arms and knees were injured badly and they were even bleeding. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital!¡± ¡°No need! I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°There¡¯s so much blood. We have to hurry to the hospital to bandage it!¡± Joanna tried her best to stand up. ¡°I already said I¡¯m fine!¡± She would rather go to the hospital herself than let him send her. Bruce could not be bothered to say anything else. He bent down and picked her up horizontally! Joanna could not struggle and could only let it be. Her suspicion grew! The driver had clearly bumped into her on purpose! Who could it be? Was he hired by Ingrid? That was very likely. Other than Ingrid, no one else would want her dead! Bruce couldn¡¯t care less. He left the bodyguard to track down the driver. Then, he personally drove Joanna to the hospital. Soon, they arrived at the hospital. Joanna was quickly sent to the emergency room! Bruce was waiting anxiously outside! He waited for half an hour. The doctor came out of the emergency room. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°How is it? Is she alright?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡¯s wound has been bandaged. It¡¯s just some superficial wounds, and no bones are injured. She¡¯ll be fine after recuperating for a while!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was finally relieved. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Then, Bruce rushed into the ward to see Joanna¡­. Meanwhile, Joanna was in the ward. The doctor had bandaged her wound. She was now lying on the hospital bed and getting her drips injected. Although it was only a superficial wound, she still had to get anti¨Cinmmatory drips for a few days to prevent infection. ¡°Joanna, can you calm down a little? Look at how dangerous it was just now!¡± Bruce sat at the head of the bed and could not help but scold. Chapter 182 Joanna leaned against the hospital bed and did not say a word! She was still thinking about the ident just now! ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Do you hear me?¡± Joanna nced at Bruce coldly. ¡°What did you say?¡± Seeing how distracted she was, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Forget it. I can¡¯t be bothered to talk to you anymore!¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not continue asking The atmosphere fell into awkward silence again! Meanwhile, the driver, who had hit and run, was now somewhere else. He had already driven out of the suburbs and immediately changed to another fake license te! The car he was driving just now had someone else¡¯s license te on it. Even if surveince cameras captured it, it would not be easy to find out. ¡°Damn it. It was such a good opportunity, and I actually failed!¡± The killer was a taxi driver in his fifties! He had been following Joanna for two days. He was so close to killing Joanna! Wace and Oscar did not dare to do it themselves. They spent 200 thousand dors to hire an assassin to kill Joanna! This assassin had waited below the office for two days, waiting for Joanna to appear and cause a car ident. Anyway, he already had cancer and didn¡¯t have long to live. He wanted to earn these 200 thousand dors for his children! Joanna was still in the hospital. She had just finished injecting the drips. The two of them sulked for more than an hour. ¡°Go back!¡± ¡°How can I go back when you¡¯re so badly injured?¡± ¡°Joann, can¡¯t you be as gentle as before?¡± Bruce gulped. A trace of gentleness could not help but appear in his eyes. He reached out and gently touched her hair! When Joanna heard this, her entire body trembled as she looked at Bruce in horror! ¡°Bruce, stop pretending to be merciful and nice!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m your ex¨Chusband and the father of your children!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and turned her head away. She did not want to talk to him anymore! N?velDrama.Org ? content. Knock Knock! There was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Tracy and Kelly opened the ward door and pushed the pram in. 10 37 Tue, Chapter 182 ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯ve brought clothes for you to change into!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression instantly rxed when he saw his daughter. ¡°Lilia, my baby!¡± He had not seen his little darling for more than half a month. ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± ¡°Mommy, what happened to you?¡± ¡°Mommy¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°Give daddy a hug!¡± Bruce said as he picked up his daughter. ¡°Daddy, why haven¡¯t youe to see me for so many days?¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously nced at Joanna! It was all this damn woman¡¯s fault for not agreeing to let him visit his daughter. Otherwise, why would he not visit his baby for so long? Compared to his sons, he naturally doted on this darling little daughter of his more! Lilia blinked her big eyes and said cutely, ¡°Daddy, I know you¡¯re very busy with work. I won¡¯t be angry with you!¡± ¡°Give me a kiss!¡± Smack! Lilia kissed him hard on the face and smiled brightly! Bruce looked at his daughter¡¯s smile, and his heart almost melted! He silently reached out and rubbed his daughter¡¯s leg! Such a cute child did not know how to walk! That really made him heartbroken! His daughter was actually a cripple! He made up his mind to invite all the authoritative doctors in the world. No matter what, he had to treat his daughter¡¯s leg! Bruce was intimate with his daughter when the smell of perfume suddenly gushed toward them. Roxanne walked past the ward. When she saw Bruce, she deliberately walked in with a surprised expression. ¡°Bruce, why are you in the hospital?¡± Bruce looked up and saw Roxanne! At this moment, she was still holding a pile of test results in her hand. ¡°Roxanne, what are you doing in the hospital?¡± ¡°I came to the hospital to get a checkup!¡± ¡°What are you here for?¡± ¡°Bruce, I have good news for you!¡± Roxanne smiled brightly. Bruce was stunned. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Boom! 10:37 Tue, 4 July Chapter 182 When Bruce heard this, he froze! Roxanne was pregnant? How could she be pregnant? ¡°You¡¯re pregnant? How is that possible?¡± Bruce stood up subconsciously and looked at Roxanne in disbelief. ¡°I was just about to call and tell you. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I have just tested, and the doctor said I have conceived the baby for about two weeks!¡± ¡°Whose child is that?¡± Roxanne pretended to look aggrieved and said carefully, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really muddle¨Cheaded. It is our child!¡± ¡°Our child?¡± Bruce was so shocked that his scalp went numb! He hadn¡¯t even slept with her. How could she be pregnant? ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s really your child!¡± ¡°Stop fooling around. We¡¯ve never had sex before. How can we have a child?¡± ¡°Bruce, have you really forgotten what happened that night?¡± ¡°Roxanne, don¡¯t talk nonsense here!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything that night.¡± When Roxanne heard this, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, do you not want to admit it? ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can do a paternity test after the child is born. This child is really yours!¡± When Bruce heard this, his throat was dry, and he was dumbfounded! He had no memory of that night! However, when he went to shower the next day, he found that his body was sticky like he had really slept with Roxanne! Chapter 183 Chapter 183 However, he really could not remember the process! It was impossible for him to really do it with him in a drowsy mode! ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you happy? I thought you would be happy!¡± Roxanne said aggrievedly as she tugged at Bruce¡¯s sleeve with a pitiful expression. ¡°Roxanne, my mind is in a mess. Let me calm down!¡± As Bruce spoke, he ced Lilia back into the pram. His brain was still trying to recall what had happened that night. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯ve been in love for so long. Now that we have the gem of our love, this is a gift from the heavens!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more annoyed. ¡°Roxy, go back first! Let me calm down!¡± ¡°If the child is really mine, I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna looked at the two of them coldly and said, ¡°If you want to discuss something, please go out and discuss it!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she put away the grievance on her face and looked at Joanna with tears shimmering in her eyes. ¡°Sister, please give up on Bruce!¡± ¡°My child is really Bruce¡¯s!¡± ¡°Sister, don¡¯t interfere in our rtionship anymore. The doctor said that I¡¯m also pregnant with twins. I don¡¯t want to be a single mother! Sister, I¡¯m begging you this time!¡± Roxanne sobbed and rubbed her lower abdomen asionally, making herself look as pitiful and helpless as possible. When Joanna heard this, she felt molten anger surging through her likeva, burning her heart until it was unbearable. ¡°Roxanne, I think you have mistaken! You should persuade Bruce to stop bugging me!¡± Roxanne sneered deep down and could not help but curse in her heart, ¡°Damn bitch, if it weren¡¯t for you, Bruce wouldn¡¯t have changed his mind! ¡°You¡¯re still pretending to be obedient after taking advantage of me. How disgusting. Bitch, bitch, bitch!¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart was filled with hatred, but she still had a weak and pitiful expression on her face. ¡°Sister, as long as you quit, Bruce won¡¯t disown the children I bore, nor will he abandon me! ¡°Sister, you¡¯ve already snatched Bruce once. Don¡¯t snatch Bruce again this time! Without Bruce, I won¡¯t be able to live. Boohoo¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt irritated and snapped. ¡°Stop talking¡­ This is definitely impossible¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, do you not want to acknowledge our children because you have my sister¡¯s children? ¡°I am really bearing your child. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can draw amniotic fluid for a paternity test after the fetus is four months old!¡± She was artificially inseminated, so the children were naturally Bruce. No matter how he investigated, those were his children. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously frowned! It seemed like he had really slept with Roxanne that night. Unexpectedly, she got pregnant. This was bad. He really couldn¡¯t get rid of her even if he wanted to! Bruce took the test report from Roxanne and looked at it. It showed that she was two weeks pregnant. Roxanne was really pregnant! ¡°Roxanne, I need to calm down. Why don¡¯t you go back first? It happened too suddenly. I need to sort it out!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne tugged at Bruce¡¯s sleeve innocently. Bruce shoved his sleeve angrily. His expression was terrifyingly cold. ¡°I told you to go back first. Don¡¯t you understand my words?¡± Looking at Bruce¡¯s extremely cold expression, Roxanne did not dare to continue pestering him! ¡°Alright then! I know this matter is too sudden. Bruce, think about it carefully. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± After saying that, Roxanne red at Joanna as she left angrily and helplessly. ¡°Joanna, there¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± Bruce tried to exin to Joanna. However, in this situation, any exnation seemed useless! Joanna coldly turned her head away! The news of Roxanne being pregnant was not a rare thing for her. Bruce had been with Roxanne for so long, so it was normal for Roxanne to be pregnant! ¡°Bruce, hurry up and deal with your matter with Roxannel¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and spoke out carefully, ¡°Daddy, are you going to marry that auntie just now? ¡°Will you still visit Lilia after you marry that auntie?¡± ¡°Sweetheart, whether Daddy gets married or not, I will visit you!¡± ¡°Tracy, please take Lilia out first!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Tracy replied and quickly carried Lilia away. Only the two of them were left in the room. Bruce put down his arrogance and looked at Joanna intently. ¡°Joann, listen to me. The rtionship between me and Roxanne is not what you think!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin to me. This is between the two of you. There¡¯s no need to tell me, and I¡¯m not interested in listening!¡± ¡°No, you must listen!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing between us!¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Why would she believe him? He had never been an abstinent man. It could even be said that he was an energetic man! He and Roxanne had been in love for six years. Even a fool wouldn¡¯t believe it if he told others that the two of them had never slept. ¡°That night was an ident. She drugged me¡­¡± Bruce really wanted to exin. ¡°Bruce, stop talking! This is your business. I¡¯m not interested in listening! ¡°I¡¯m tired now and want to sleep for a while. You can go out first!¡± When Bruce heard this, he shut his mouth in frustration. The room fell silent again! Joanna closed her eyes. She did not want to hear anything more from him! No matter whether he had that kind of rtionship with Roxanne or not, it had nothing to do with her! Joanna had stopped loving him long ago and had already taken him off her life. She was not interested in his affairs with other women! ¡°Alright! Rest well!¡± After saying that, Bruce turned around and left the ward! He had to figure out what was going on. Ring! Ring! Bruce immediately took out his phone and called Roxanne. The call went through quickly. ¡°Hello, Bruce!¡± ¡°Where are you now? I have something to tell you!¡± ¡°What is it? I¡¯m already on my way home!¡± Bruce took a deep breath. After pondering for a moment, he said coldly, ¡°You can¡¯t have the baby. Go and abort it!¡± It was silent on the other end of the call. After a long while, Roxanne¡¯s heart¨Cwrenching cry could be heard. ¡°Bruce, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°I said, go have an abortion!¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s our baby. No matter what, I won¡¯t have an abortion! ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t be so cruel. This is our child. Are you actually going to kill our child now? ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry yet. We all took drugs that night. I¡¯m afraid these children are unhealthy. We can¡¯t keep them!¡± Bruce was afraid that Roxanne would do something out of line, so he could only find an excuse. When Roxanne heard this, she cried until she was out of breath. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really too ruthless!¡± ¡°If I have to abort these children, I¡¯d rather die with them!¡± With that, Roxaline hung up! After hanging up the phone, Roxanne stopped crying. She sneered and stroked her abdomen smugly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get pregnant, and you want me to abort the child? Hmph, unless you give me at least 2 billion aspensation!¡± News spread quickly! Magaret soon knew Roxanne was pregnant. ¡°Call Bruce and ask him toe back!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The butler quickly called Bruce and urged him to return to the Everett mansion. Margaret was waiting for him there. At seven o¡¯clock in the evening, Bruce returned in frustration! They were at the dining table. ¡°Grandma, why did you call me back in such a hurry?¡± Margaret looked at her grandson worriedly. ¡°Bruce, I heard that Roxy is pregnant!¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He did not know how to exin. ¡°Grandma, her pregnancy was an ident!¡± ¡°Whether it was an ident or not, is this child yours?¡± Bruce put down the cutlery. ¡°This child came out of nowhere. She insisted that it was mine. I guess so!¡± ¡°Well. That¡¯s all we need to know. ¡°This is a joyous asion. No matter what, we have to let her give birth to the child!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Bruce paused. He was extremely annoyed. He really didn¡¯t want Roxanne to give birth to his child! He would rather not have any children than let her give birth to his! Margaret sighed and said earnestly, ¡°Listen to Grandma. Bring Roxy to Everett Mansion and take good care of her! ¡°Since she is already pregnant, you should quickly register your marriage with her!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He said in frustration, ¡°Grandma, the situation is a littleplicated now! ¡°Grandma knows what you¡¯re worried about. ¡°Are you still thinking about that girl Joanna?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything, which was admitting it. Seeing this, Margaret sighed again. ¡°After these few conversations, Grandma realized Joanna¡¯s temper is hard and stubborn! ¡°But you¡¯re an impatient person too. I¡¯m afraid your personalities don¡¯t get along! Since you¡¯ve divorced her, it might not be bad! ¡°Roxy is gentle and innocent. Her personalityplements yours! She is good in every way except for having a shrewish and unscrupulous mother!¡± ¡°But I got over it. She is her, and her mother¡¯s her mother! As long as the two of you get on, nothing will be a problem!¡± ¡°You and Roxy Have dragged on your rtionship for so long. Now, you have to take responsibility!¡± Margaret rambled on. The more Brace listened, the more impatient he became. However, he could not argue with his grandmother, so he could only lower his head in frustration! Grandma still knew too little about the two of them! Roxanne was much more dishonest than Joanna. Her simple persona had also deceived him in the past. If she really gave birth to his child now, he would be stuck with her for the rest of his life! At the thought of this, he was annoyed. Looking at his grandson¡¯s absent¨Cminded expression, Margaret was extremely angry. ¡°I am talking to you. Are you listening?¡± ¡°Bring Roxy over. Grandma wants to have a good talk with her!¡± Bruce pursed his lips and sighed. He probed, ¡°Grandma, since Roxy is pregnant¡­ why don¡¯t we let Joanna¡¯s children return to their mother?¡± Chapter 184 Chapter 184 When Margaret heard that, she immediately widened her eyes. ¡°That won¡¯t do. They are also the children of the Everett family! ¡°I will never favor one over the other. Since they are all children of the Everett family, I will treat everyone well and dote on them equally! ¡°The trial is starting next month. This time, we must get the children¡¯s custody!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce knew that he could not persuade his grandmother, so he could not be bothered to convince her anymore! After all, his grandmother was old and sick. He did not want to anger her. ¡°Where are the children? I¡¯ll go and see them!¡± ¡°They¡¯re upstairs.¡± When Bruce heard this, he did not say anything else and walked straight to the second floor! ºÐ Crack! Bruce pushed open the door to the two little guys¡® room! The two little fellows stayed in the room dejectedly and unhappily! To prevent the two little fellows from sneaking out of the Everett family again, the Everett family¡¯s various securities were very strict now. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The windows of the room were all installed with protectives! Surveince cameras were installed in the room, and there were people watching them 24 hours a day. Every move of the two little guys was monitored, and there was no chance of them sneaking out. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± Bruce walked in. When he looked, he realized that the two little guys had lost much weight! Although the children were taken care of by arge group of servants, they still visibly lost a lot of weight. Davian looked at Bruce. His entire body was filled with a murderous aura, and his eyes were red. ¡°Big bad wolf, we want to go home. We want to see Mommy!¡± ¡°Your mommy¡­¡± Bruce paused for a moment, not knowing how tofort the two children! ¡°Bad guy, when are you going to let us go?¡± Davian asked angrily. His little face puffed up like an angry pufferfish. Irvin¡¯s personality was more extroverted, and he was a smart little boy. He quickly pouted and looked at Bruce pitifully. ¡°Daddy, can you send us home? ¡°We miss Mommy and sister very much. We don¡¯t want to stay here anymore. Please send us back, okay?¡± Irvin said pitifully and blinked at Bruce obediently. ¡°Just bear with it for a few more days. You¡¯ll be able to see your mommy soon¡­¡± It was pointless. Meanwhile, Joanna was still in the hospital. Joanna had just changed her dressing, and her entire body was still in great pain! Creek! The door of the ward was pushed open! Joanna looked up and saw Jaydon Jaydon walked in with arge bouquet of lilies. Then, he ced the flowers on the bedside table and looked at Joanna with a serious expression. ¡°Joann, what happened?¡± ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± ¡°I heard something happened to you, so I rushed from Mossbourne to visit you! ¡°How did this happen?¡± Joanna smiled andforted Jaydon. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just identally got hit by a car!¡± Jaydon looked at her body and saw her arms and knees wrapped in thick gauze. It was obvious that it was very serious! ¡°You¡¯re injured so badly, yet you still say you¡¯re fine!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± ¡°How is the factory at Mossbourne, Jay?¡± Jaydon sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the factory. Everything is working normally!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt much more at ease. ¡°That¡¯s good. You must have been exhausted recently, right? It¡¯s been hard on you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going to sue the Everett family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned gloomy as she sighed! ¡°When is the trial?¡± ¡°The 15th of next month!¡± ¡°Have you found awyer?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already employed one!¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna gloomily. ¡°If the children are given to the Everett family, what will you do?¡± ¡°If the children are really sentenced to the Everett family, I¡¯ll keep appealing! No matter what, I won¡¯t give up the custody of the children!¡± Hearing this, Jaydon¡¯s handsome face turned gloomy. ¡°Bruce is really a bastard!¡± ¡°Stop talking about him. I don¡¯t want to talk about him!¡± *Joann¡­¡± Jaydon held Joanna¡¯s hand with passion! ¡°No matter what happens, take care of yourself! ¡°Look at you. You¡¯ve lost so much weight again!¡± Joanna smiled at Jaydon. ¡°You too! Take care of yourself!¡± ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll go buy you something to eat!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°You¡¯re injured now. You have to eat more nutritious food! What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll buy it for you!¡± Joanna thought for a moment. ¡°I want to eat Honeymoon Dessert¡¯s spaghetti. Please ask them to add more pepper sauce.¡± She did not have much of an appetite now. Her mouth was bitter, and she really wanted to cat something to warm her stomach! ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go buy it now!¡± Jaydon said and went out to buy porridge! Jaydon had just left the ward. In less than five minutes, Bruce came again! ¡°Joanna!¡± Joanna looked up, and her face turned gloomy. ¡°Bruce, why are you here again?¡± Bruce sneered and sat down at the head of the bed. ¡°Why? Do you hate seeing me so much?¡± ¡°You should be apanying your fianc¨¦e at this time!¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression turned cold. ¡°Joanna, can we at least talk to each other nicely?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes impatiently. ¡°Bruce, stop talking nonsense! It¡¯s useless!¡± ¡°Why are you always like this? You¡¯re never willing to listen to what others have to say!¡± Joanna straightened her expression and looked at Bruce coldly. She knew what he wanted to say even if he didn¡¯t say it! However, she did not want to hear anything now! She didn¡¯t want to talk to Bruce at all! ¡°Bruce, you will have many children in the future. There will also be many women willing to bear your children! ¡°Can you give me back my babies?¡± ¡°Do you only care about your children?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°My children are more important to me than anything else!¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat and fell silent again! The atmosphere in the ward froze again! The two of them were silent and angry at each other. Twenty minutes had passed! Creek! The door of the ward was pushed open! Jaydon walked in hurriedly. ¡°Joann, I bought you the food¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Jaydon¡¯s gaze met a pair of cold eyes! Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he saw Jaydon. ¡°Jaydon, why are you here?¡± ¡°Heh. No wonder you¡¯re in such a hurry to ask me to leave! ¡°So you¡¯re going to meet your lover?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t stay here anymore! Hurry up and leave!¡± ¡°Looks like you really can¡¯t leave Jaydon!¡± ¡°Bruce, shut the fuck up!¡± ¡°Jay, don¡¯t argue with him for nothing!¡± Bruce red at Joanna. ¡°Joanna, you ignored everything I told you!¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s my freedom to date whoever I want. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± ¡°Alright, alright! I can¡¯t do anything about it!¡± Bruce mmed the door and left! ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°Ignore him. He is insane!¡± Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Jaydon sighed slightly! Now, under the suppression of Bruce, Starlight Media was really taking one step at a time! If the movie hispany invested in could not be released, his investment would be wasted! Two of the celebrities that hispany supported had also been poached, Bruce caused all of this! Joanna had naturally heard of these things. Unfortunately, she was also in a difficult situation now. She could not even protect herself and could not help him at all! ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault!¡± Jaydon smiled when he heard this. He wasn¡¯t too mncholic. In any case, he came out to do business to gain experience. Even if he lost all his money, it did not matter. At most, he would return to the family business. However, he hated his father very much. He hated his father for being heartless to her mother, causing her to take things too hard andmit suicide! Therefore, even though he was his father¡¯s most beloved son, he still did not want to be too close to his father. ¡°What do you mean by implicating me? It¡¯s just a small matter.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Get up and eat the food I bought you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon with disappointment and guilt. Jaydon ced the porridge on the small dining table on the bed and handed her the fork and spoon. At the same time, heforted her. ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll go north and shift the focus of our business to Mossbourne! ¡°The market for Mossbourne is better now. When we are in Mossbourne, even if Bruce wants to y dirty tricks, it probably won¡¯t be of much use!¡± Joanna felt it made sense after pondering. Now that Mossbourne was developing rapidly, all kinds of industries were blooming everywhere! Although Greyport was a special economic zone, it was already declining! Many things could no longer be maintained. It was wise to shift their focus to Mossbourne as soon as possible! ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you during this period of time!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. Hurry up and eat your porridge. It¡¯s getting cold!¡± Jaydon bought porridge and a few snacks, urging Joanna to eat more. He was always considerate and cared for the people around him. Joanna did not say anything else. She took a spoon and ate a few mouthfuls silently! When thewsuit against Bruce was over, she would shift all her focus to Mossbourne. Meanwhile, things were not going well with Bruce either! After Bruce left the hospital, he was still gritting his teeth in anger! No wonder Joanna was so confident. She had Jaydon backing her, so she naturally did not need him anymore. He had often made things difficult for Joanna, and Jaydon had gotten someone to settle it for her! Although Jaydon was not as rich as him, he was still the son of Venturas¡¯s richest man. To put it bluntly, Jaydon had money in his hands. Even if his filmpany fell, the assets in his hands were enough for him to make aeback! Bruce could not endure his anger and called Mark directly. Ring! Ring! Mark saw that it was Bruce calling and quickly picked up. ¡°Mr. Everett, what can I do for you?¡± Bruce took a deep breath and said gloomily, ¡°I want Jaydon¡¯s filmpany to disappear from Greyport! I want hispany to close down at all costspletely!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of a way¡­¡± After hanging up, Bruce was still furious! Ring! Ring! Ring! The phone rang again! Bruce took a look. The call was from the butler of Everett Mansion. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett just ordered me to ask you to return tonight.¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What does grandma want this time?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ She did not say anything. She just wanted you toe back tonight.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it!¡± Bruce hung up the phone in frustration. He had been in a bad mood for the past few days and did not want to return to Everett Mansion! However, since his grandmother had already ordered, he did not dare to disobey. It was seven in the evening. Bruce returned to the Everett mansion. ¡°Wee back, Mr. Everett!¡± The servants nodded in greeting. Bruce¡¯s face darkened as he asked impatiently, ¡°Where¡¯s grandma?¡± ¡°Oh, Mrs. Everett is talking to Ms. Haynes!¡± When Bruce heard this, his brows furrowed. ¡°Ms. Haynes?¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Hayngs is currently talking to Mrs. Everett in the living room!¡± Bruce frowned and walked straight to the living room. They were indeed there. Margaret sat in her wheelchair with a smile on her face. Roxanne sat obediently at the side, listening to Margaret seriously like a primary school student listening to her teacher speaking in ss! ¡°You have to be careful with this first child, especially during the first three months. You have to be extremely careful! Chapter 185 ¡°Move in here tomorrow. Grandma will arrange for someone to take care of you!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she smiled sweetly. ¡°Alright, thank you, Grandma!¡± Seeing this, Bruce became even more frustrated and walked over. ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Roxanne immediately stood up to wee him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re back!¡± Bruce nced at Roxanne coldly. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Seeing Bruce¡¯s unhappy expression, Roxanne said carefully, ¡°Grandma called me over!¡± After saying that, Roxanne looked at Margaret timidly! Margaret pursed her lips and shouted at her grandson, ¡°I was the one who called Roxy and asked her toe! ¡°Roxy is pregnant now. You have to be especially careful! I I¡¯ll get her to move here and arrange for someone to take care of her personally!¡± ¡°Grandma! Why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me?¡± Bruce felt a headache. Margaret snorted. ¡°Will you agree if I discuss it with you? ¡°I¡¯m not criticizing you, but you¡¯re getting more and more outrageous! Roxy is already pregnant. How can you chase her out of your house? ¡°Listen to grandma. You should register your marriage with her as soon as possible. You¡¯ve been dating her for so long. This marriage can¡¯t dy any longer!¡± Bruce remained silent. Roxanne smiled obediently and quickly replied on behalf of Bruce, ¡°Yes, Grandma!¡± Bruce did not say anything. His eyebrows knitted more! There were some things he didn¡¯t know how to tell his grandmother. In particr, Grandma¡¯s health was so poor now that she could not take any stimtion. He didn¡¯t want to make his grandmother angry either! ¡°Bruce, you should move into the Everett mansion and stay with Grandma!¡± Bruce blurted out, ¡°There¡¯s no need! for that¡± When Margaret heard this, he was extremely displeased. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to spend more time with Grandma?¡± ¡°No, it is too busy at work¡­¡± Roxanne interrupted him. ¡°Bruce, Grandma is old and needs morepany! ¡°No matter how busy you are with work, it¡¯s not as important as Grandma¡¯s health! Let¡¯s listen to Grandma and move over to apany her!¡± When Margaret heard this, she casually praised, ¡°Listen, Roxy is still the sensible one! ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Hurry up, and let¡¯s have dinner!¡± Bruce frowned and said resentfully, ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite today. You guys eat first. I¡¯ll go back to my room to rest for a while.¡± Alter saying that, Bruce turned around and walked straight to the second floor. ¡°Brucel¡± Margaret shouted angrily. ¡°Grandma, Bruce might be too tired from work. Let me eat with you!¡± Margaret sighed helplessly. ¡°Hmm, alright! Let¡¯s ignore him and have dinner!¡± After Roxanne apanied Margaret for dinner, she took the initiative toe to Bruce¡¯s room. Bruce was in the room. That man did not even take off his shoes. He justy on the bed and sulked. Roxanne walked carefully to the huge bed. ¡°Bruce! Are you angry with me?¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°No!¡± ¡°I can see that you are! ¡°Bruce, can you not be angry with me? What do I have to do to make you stop being angry with me?¡± Roxanne said as she subconsciously put her hand on Bruce¡¯s arm. ¡°I said I was not angry. Can you stop being annoying?¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce waved his hand impatiently! He sat up straight, lit a cigarette, and took a deep puff! He was really annoyed! Seeing this, Roxanne sniffed and could not help but sob softly. In the past, Bruce would always give in to coax her whenever she cried. But now, seeing her cry, Bruce was even more frustrated. Without another word, he stood up and walked toward the door. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± Roxanne could not be bothered to cry and quickly chased after him. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back. You can¡¯t stay here!¡± When Roxanne heard this, her heart instantly felt like it had fallen into an ice cave. She never expected Bruce to hate her to this extent. ¡°No, Grandma asked me to move here! If I leave like this, Grandma will be sad!¡± Bruce suddenly stopped and turned around coldly. ¡°Roxanne, there¡¯s no love between us anymore. Do you understand?¡± Roxanne looked at Bruce pitifully and tried to hold his hand. ¡°Bruce, give me another chance. Can you please give me another chance?¡± Chapter 186 Chapter 186 ¡°I will definitely make you fall in love with me again. I will do very well. If sister can do it, I can do it all!¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Roxanne, why don¡¯t you understand? It was a misunderstanding from the beginning. I never loved you!¡± ¡°You were the one who reced Joanna. You made me misunderstand Joanna for so many years!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she felt like a knife had stabbed her heart! She did not want to believe that Bruce had never loved her. ¡°Bruce, no matter what. I¡¯m pregnant now, so you have to be responsible for that!¡± When Bruce heard this, he took a deep breath. After pondering for a few seconds, he said coldly and decisively, ¡°Get an abortion!¡± When Roxanne heard this, her tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. She shook Bruce¡¯s arm and cried, ¡°No, I won¡¯t! ¡°Bruce, I beg you, let me give birth to the baby! It¡¯s our child! Do you really have the heart to kill it?¡± ¡°You know what happened that night!¡± After Bruce, he thought about it carefully. It was impossible for him to sleep with Roxanne that night! Even if he was sleepwalking, it was impossible for him not to remember any of it. ¡°Bruce, are you still suspecting me?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t believe it¡¯s your child?¡± Seeing Roxanne¡¯s emotional breakdown, Bruce was extremely frustrated. She used to threaten him with suicide! If he continued forcing her, she mightmit suicide in the Everett mansion. ¡°Forget it. Do whatever you want! ¡°I¡¯ll tell you onest time. You chose the path yourself. Don¡¯t regret it in the future!¡± After saying that, Bruce left Roxanne and went straight downstairs. He had always been a cold man! When he loved a woman, he could dote on her and give her everything! When he stopped loving the person, he could make her experience what it meant. to be heartless. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± Seeing that Bruce had left, Roxanne hurriedly chased after him. Bruce had just headed downstairs! At the top of the stairs, she met Margaret¡¯s eyes. Margaret was worried that his grandson would quarrel with Roxanne, so she deliberately guarded downstairs. ¡°What are you arguing about?¡± ¡°N¨CNothing!¡± Bruce replied. His gloomy face rxed a little. ¡°You¡¯re holding your coat. Are you going out now?¡± ¡°Oh, I suddenly remembered that I have some work to deal with at the office!¡± Bruce brushed her off. Margaret would not believe his nonsense. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Why can¡¯t you deal with work tomorrow?¡± ¡°Grandma, Bruce might be too tired from work. Let me eat with you!¡± Margaret sighed helplessly. ¡°Hmm, alright! Let¡¯s ignore him and have dinner!¡± After Roxanne apanied Margaret for dinner, she took the initiative toe to Bruce¡¯s room. Bruce was in the room. That man did not even take off his shoes. He justy on the bed and sulked. Roxanne walked carefully to the huge bed. ¡°Bruce! Are you angry with me?¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°No!¡± ¡°I can see that you are! ¡°Bruce, can you not be angry with me? What do I have to do to make you stop being angry with me?¡± Roxanne said as she subconsciously put her hand on Bruce¡¯s arm. ¡°I said I was not angry. Can you stop being annoying?¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce waved his hand impatiently! He sat up straight, lit a cigarette, and took a deep puff! He was really annoyed! Seeing this, Roxanne sniffed and could not help but sob softly. In the past, Bruce would always give in to coax her whenever she cried. But now, seeing her cry, Bruce was even more frustrated. Without another word, he stood up and walked toward the door. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± Roxanne could not be bothered to cry and quickly chased after him. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back. You can¡¯t stay here!¡± When Roxanne heard this, her heart instantly felt like it had fallen into an ice cave. She never expected Bruce to hate her to this extent. ¡°No, Grandma asked me to move here! If I leave like this, Grandma will be sad!¡± Bruce suddenly stopped and turned around coldly. ¡°Roxanne, there¡¯s no love between us anymore. Do you understand?¡± Roxanne looked at Bruce pitifully and tried to hold his hand. ¡°Bruce, give me another chance. Can you please give me another chance?¡± Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Lilian smiled and said patiently. ¡°If you identally hurt Mrs. Everett or Ms. Haynes, it will be terrible!¡± Davian put his hands on his hips and fired another shot at the ceiling. ¡°If you don¡¯t let us go home, we¡¯ll y like this!¡± Davian and Irvin ran around the hall happily, screaming from time to time! The living room was in a mess! They were not naughty children in the past. But now, they could only use a silly method to make others hate them and send them back to their mother¡¯s side. Margaret couldn¡¯t help but sigh as she looked at the two noisy little guys. She did not forget to remind them with concern, ¡°Be careful and run slower. Don¡¯t fall!¡± Roxanne tried her best to suppress the anger in her heart and smiled innocently. ¡°Grandma, they¡¯re already at the age of kindergarten. Let¡¯s send them to school!¡± ¡°I know! But now is not the time!¡± No matter what, she had to get custody of the children first. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just send them overseas to study? ¡°Children have to be educated. Look at how naughty they are. It might be bad if they grow up mischievous!¡± Roxanne identally revealed her scheme. She refused to ept these two little bastards, especially since they were Joanna¡¯s children. The sight of them made her want to strangle them. When Davian heard Roxanne¡¯s words, he immediately aimed the toy gun at her again. Bang! A small steel ball hit Roxanne¡¯s lower abdomen! Although this was a toy gun, it was extremely stic. It was still very painful when it hit someone. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Roxanne screamed and hurriedly reached out to protect his lower abdomen. It was not easy for her to get pregnant through artificial insemination. If anything happened, all her previous efforts would be in vain. ¡°Hmph. You bad woman! I¡¯m going to shoot you!¡± ¡°Sigh. These two children really have to be educated!¡± ¡°Hurry up and send them back to their room!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The servants did pot dare to hesitate anymore. They hurriedly went forward and carried the two little ones away. Seeing the two children being so noisy, Margaret also had a headache. However, she still couldn¡¯t bear to send the children overseas! Those were the great¨Cgrandsons she had been looking forward to for many years. No matter how naughty they were, she was still happy! ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be angry with the children. Just avoid them in the future!¡± Roxanne smiled awkwardly and squeezed out a grin. ¡°No way. I can¡¯t wait to like them. Why would I be angry with them? ¡°The children are still young. If we spend more time with them in the future, we will definitely get along well!¡± Margaret pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s good!¡± ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll treat them like my own! Even if I have my children in the future, I won¡¯t be biased!¡± Margaret smiled in satisfaction when she heard that! As long as Roxanne was kind to her two great grandsons, she naturally had nothing to worry about! ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast together!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As Roxanne spoke, she hurriedly walked behind Margaret¡¯s wheelchair and smiled at the servant. ¡°Let me push Grandma!¡± Margaret immediately stopped her. ¡°No need. You¡¯re pregnant now. It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Roxanne insisted on pushing the wheelchair and Margaret to the dining room. At the same time, Roxanne nced coldly in the direction where the two little ones left as she thought, ¡°One day, I¡¯ll chase you two bastards out!¡± Meanwhile, Bruce had returned to the Everett Group! When Bruce was in thepany, he was a little distracted the entire morning! His mind was filled with thoughts of Joanna. The colder she was to him, the more he couldn¡¯t help but miss her. The thought of her intimacy with Jaydon made him want to go crazy. ¡°Mark, how is it going?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! We already made arrangements yesterday. Jaydon¡¯s reputation will spread far and wide in less than three days! ¡°Even if his filmpany doesn¡¯t close down, it won¡¯t go far.¡± When Bruce heard this, the anger in his heart finally felt a little better. ¡°Yes, we have to face him head¨C on. Don¡¯t give him a chance to catch his breath, and we have to stop him from clearing his name.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°You can leave!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After Mark left, Bruce leaned against the leather seat with a vicious look on his face. ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯m going to stomp you to death.¡± Meanwhile, Joanna was in the ward. Joanna spent the night in the hospital, yet several wounds on her body were still seriously injured. But she still insisted on being discharged. ¡°Joann, your injuries are so serious. You should stay for a few more days!¡± Jaydon said worriedly. Joanna changed her dressing and changed into her clothes. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m much better now. These are all external injuries. It¡¯s the same to recuperate at home!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do with you!¡± Joanna smiled and did not reply! She was in a hurry to return to thepany to deal with work! Chapter 187 During the days when Lilia was sick, thepany had already umted many problems! If she did not deal with it quickly, it would be more and more troublesome! Especially since she was about to go to court to face the Everett family¡¯s sue, she had to be prepared in advance and be focused. She could not let herself copse! ¡°Joann, you¡¯re always so strong that it makes my heart ache!¡± ¡°So what if I¡¯m not strong?¡± ¡°I told you, you still have me!¡± ¡°Heh. Thank you, Jay! I¡¯m really lucky to have met you in my life.¡± When Jaydon heard this, a hint of ambiguity appeared on his handsome face. ¡°Joann, you really made me misunderstand!¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing it again!¡± ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll stop talking!¡± Jaydon quickly stopped. Then, he helped Joanna out of the hospital! ¡°Are you going home or back to the office now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to the office!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± It took them half an hour to get there. Jaydon drove Joanna to the Haynes Group. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Grimm!¡± The employees quickly greeted. ¡°Hello, everyone!¡± Joanna and Jaydon entered the office one after another. The female staff at the front desk could not help but gather around to watch the show. ¡°Oh my god, how did Miss Haynes get injured like this?¡± ¡°She was fine yesterday. Why are you so badly injured today?¡± Another receptionist added, ¡°That¡¯s right. She is seriously injured, yet she still wants to work. She is really working too hard!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Miss Haynes reconcile with Mr. Everett a few days ago? I thought they were going to remarry! Why was she with Mr. Grimm in the blink of an eye?¡± A tall customer service staff said enviously, ¡°Miss Haynes¡¯s charm is great. She hooked Mr. Everett and Mr. Grimm at the same time and was managing them well?¡± A few of them were gossiping when Cora walked over with a serious expression. ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing!¡± The few of them quickly shut their mouths. After Cora left, they couldn¡¯t help but start chatting again. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. If Miss Haynes hears about this, you¡¯ll be punished!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just envious!¡± 12:03 Wed, 5 Jul o Chapter 187 A ¡°It¡¯s better to do more work than anything else!¡± Joanna was back in her office. N?velDrama.Org ? content. As soon as Joanna sat by her desk, she couldn¡¯t wait to turn on herputer and start working on a pile of document contracts. Ring! Ring! Ring! Jaydon had just sat down when his phone rang! He took out his phone and saw it was from thepany¡¯s vice president, Owen Robins! Jaydon frowned and answered the call. ¡°Owen, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, bad news. Come back to thepany quickly!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Owen¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Thepany¡¯s fire department has been investigated. Also, the people from the tax bureau havee to investigate!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he frowned and had a bad feeling! The sales fee of Starlight Media had always met the requirement. They had never dared to cut corners. Also, the tax had always been handed in ording to the country¡¯s standards! However, if one wanted to use someone, they could always find loopholes! As long as one wanted to investigate, they could find fault. What¡¯s more, Bruce was secretly tampering with it. It was impossible to guard against it. In the past three days, there had been peopleing to thepany for various inspections! There was no need to guess. He knew that it was Bruce who was behind this! ¡°Take care of it yourself!¡± Jaydon said and wanted to hang up. He did not want to interact with the people from these departments. It was better to let the vice president deal with it. ¡°Mr. Grimm, there¡¯s one more thing!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Owen said anxiously, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the news? Someone posted private photos of you and Carmel Basil online.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already spreading. I¡¯m sending the public rtion to suppress it now!¡± Jaydon couldn¡¯t help but gasp when he heard this. Last night, Jaydon had been taking care of Joanna and had not had the time to watch the news! He didn¡¯t know that he had already be a trending topic on the news. Chapter 188 Chapter 188 ¡°Hurry up and watch the news! The paparazzi took a video of you and Carmel!¡± Boom! When Jaydon heard this, he waspletely stunned! Carmel was a top¨Cnotch artist supported by hispany. She had always been a young and naive idol! Any bit of bad news would be a disaster for her! That was worse for female celebrities. Once scandals about sleeping with someone spread, it would almost be a blow to their career. On the other hand, it took a lot of effort and money for thepany to make a top celebrity popr! Jaydon¡¯s expression changed. He quickly stood up. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll return to thepany immediately!¡± Seeing how flustered Jaydon was, Joanna also became nervous. ¡°Jay, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jaydon still smiled at her. ¡°Erm¡­ There¡¯s a small matter in thepany. I have to go back and settle it!¡± ¡°Is it serious? Do you need my help?¡± ¡°No need. You won¡¯t be able to help me with mypany¡¯s matters!¡± Joanna winked. ¡°Oh. Go ahead and settle it then!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving now. Call me if you need me!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Jaydon left the Haynes Group and hurriedly drove to hispany! Soon, he arrived at the office building! Jaydon parked the car and turned on his phone! At a nce, the inte was filled with photos of him and Carmel together! Their private photos were posted online! The paparazzi were no longer able to take these photos. Moreover, they had posted them online! From this, it could be seen that someone wanted him doomed! Jaydon dared not go through thepany¡¯s main entrance and went up the freight elevator from the side door. Soon, he reached his office secretly. Carmel and a few other managers were all there. They were all sitting with gloomy faces. ¡°Boss, what should we do now?¡± Carmel cried in grief. Starlight Media was surrounded by thousands of reporters! There were even a few who sneaked into thepany. Carmel, as a top female celebrity, the matter of her sleeping with her boss to get famous instantly caused an uproar in the entertainment industry! The naive idol image that she had painstakingly built had copsed entirely! Her acting career was probablying to an end! Chapter 188 ¡°Hurry up and get the public rtion team to suppress the news. Also, immediately negotiate with these websites!¡± Owen sighed and said with a frown, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the public rtion team to suppress it, but they can¡¯t suppress it at all! The ferment on the Inte. is getting more and more serious!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face was gloomy, and his mind was in a mess! At this moment, he was not thinking about thepany but how Joanna would react when she saw these photos. ¡°Oh no! Some other things were exposed online!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he quickly turned on his phone! Sure enough, someone was spreading some rumors online! It was filled with private photos of Jaydon and Carmel and the two other female artists in thepany. This time, it instantly exploded on the Inte! More than ten trending topics about Jaydon were online in less than an hour! ¡°What should we do?¡± Carmel and two other female artists were crying non¨Cstop! Now that so much shocking news had been exposed, their images as naive idols werepletely ruined! However, fortunately, it was only the photos with Jaydon! ¡°Go abroad and get away with this for the time being!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon rushed to the airport under the protection of his bodyguards. Meanwhile, reporters flooded the entrance of thepany. Arge group of entertainment reporters surrounded him. ¡°Mr. Grimm, may I ask what¡¯s going on between you and the female artists in thepany?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm refuses to answer the questions. Make way.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, when did you start sleeping with Carmel?¡± ¡°Please say something! Are you lovers? Mr. Grimm, aren¡¯t you in a rtionship with Miss Haynes?¡± The reporters¡® siege made Jaydon run away in a pathetic state. Bruce admired Jaydon¡¯s sorry state in the media and smiled smugly! The image of the top celebrities in Jaydon¡¯spany had all been ruined! To him, that was an immeasurable loss! At the same time, Joanna was busy with her work in the Haynes Group. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna¡¯s phone kept vibrating, indicating that someone had sent a message! She took her phone! They were all private photos of Jaydon and female celebrities sent by strangers! Among the photos were indecent photos of Jaydon and Carmel and photos of the female celebrities under hispany! 12:03 Wed, 5 Jul Chapter 158 Joanna took a look and subconsciously flipped her hair! Actually, Joanna knew that Jaydon had been dating other women! She had never asked about this before! Now that she saw these photos, she was naturally not too shocked. Joanna was in a daze when Cora knocked on the door and walked in. ¡°Miss Haynes, bad news!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of reporters downstairs!¡± When Joanna heard that, she quickly ran to the window and looked down! As expected, outside the building was filled with entertainment reporters! At this moment, Jaydon and Carmel were already on a ne flying overseas! Joanna was his rumored girlfriend. The media reporters naturally had to interview her! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm is in trouble!¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°Look at the news!¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly opened the browser on her phone! As soon as she opened the browser, all she saw were notifications of the news about Jaydon and the female celebrities! Fire risks, tax evasion risks, intimate photos, and so on. There were all kinds of scandals about Jaydon! ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Justst night, all these scandals were exposed online!¡± ¡°Now, Starlight Media has been closed down!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more shocked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let me call and ask Jay what¡¯s going on!¡± Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna couldn¡¯t care less and hurriedly called Jaydon.. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please try againter!¡± ¡°Jay¡¯s phone is off!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm might have gone overseas! ¡°During this time, Mr. Grimm might not return to Greyport!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but gasp after hearing this! 12:03 Wed, 5 Jul Chapter 188 A She had experienced online abuse before and knew this feeling very well. Only Bruce could prank Jaydon like this and make things happen so quickly! ¡°It must be Bruce!¡± Joanna muttered angrily. Then, she called Bruce. Ring! Ring! Ring! Bruce¡¯s phone rang crazily! He picked up the phone and saw that it was Joanna calling! He didn¡¯t need to ask to know it was definitely because of Jaydon! Otherwise, this damn woman wouldn¡¯t have thought of calling him. The phone rang three times in a row, but Bruce did not pick up! All he did was wait to see how impatient she was. The phone rang for the fifth time. Bruce finally picked upzily! ¡°Hey, why are you looking for me so urgently?¡± Joanna was so angry that her body trembled. She shouted at Bruce through the phone, ¡°Bruce, did you do this?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°You were the one who did what happened to Jay, right? Why did you mess with him?¡± ¡°Oh my, a righteous person is not afraid of a crooked shadow! If he didn¡¯t do it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fall into others¡® trap even if others wanted to set him up!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was pissed off. ¡°Bruce, how could you do this?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I? ¡°Besides, what makes you think I did it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one else but you!¡± Bruce chuckled and replied shamelessly, ¡°Alright! I did it. What do you want? Are you going to stand up for him?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really despicable. Why did you do this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. I¡¯m just doing it to entertain myself. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Bruce was the best at having a sharp tongue and retorting others! Joanna was so angry that she was about to have a heart attack. She would rather he mess with her than implicate Jaydon like this.. ¡°If it¡¯s because of me, I advise you not to do this! ¡°He didn¡¯t offend you. If there¡¯s anything,e to me!¡± Bruce¡¯s tone sank as he said viciously, ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve told you many times and warned you many times. I told you to keep a distance from him. Did you listen to me?¡± ¡°Bruce, can you not be like this? Why do you have to involve others in our matters?¡± ww ¡°I like it. Are you annoyed?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. What do you want?¡± ¡°All I want is to annoy you. Don¡¯t you know very well about what I want?¡± Joanna was trembling in anger. ¡°I beg you, don¡¯t do this again! I¡¯m really afraid of you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote to be afraid now! This is only the beginning. The exciting part is yet toe!¡± m! After saying that, Bruce hung up the call! Chapter 189 Chapter 189 ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± Joanna called a few times. A busy tone came from the other end of the line. Bruce had already hung up! ¡°Bruce, you damn bastard, What an annoying bastard!¡± Joanna gritted her teeth in anger! But there was nothing she could do! She was nothing and could not win against someone as powerful as Bruce. It was really helpless and powerless topete with Bruce. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Joanna ran her fingers through her hair, filled with frustration and anger! She knew that it was all because of her that Bruce took revenge on Jaydon so crazily! However, she did not expect Bruce to be so crazy and ruthless. Joanna was at a loss. The phone vibrated crazily again. Joanna picked up the phone and looked at it. It was Michael Lawrence, the general manager of the factory in Mossbourne! Joanna calmed herself down and picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Michael!¡± Michael¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone! ¡°Miss Haynes, something bad has happened at the factory!¡± When Joanna heard this, his heart skipped a beat. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Someone got into an ident in the factory. An employee was dozing off on the production line and was identally swept into the machine. He has already been rushed to the hospital!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that they did not manage to rescue him¡­¡± Boom! That news was like being struck by lightning! Joanna felt as if she had fallen into an abyss. She could not react for a long time! The factory in Mossbourne had only been open for less than three months, and now someone had actually died! That was really adding insult to injury! ¡°Have you informed the victim¡¯s family?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already¨Cinformed them. The deceased is a university student who just graduated!¡± ¡°Right now, his family is causing a scene in the factory. The factory has already stopped production!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna sighed deeply! ¡°Communicate well with the family members and calm them down first. I¡¯ll head there immediately!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± 12:04 Wed, 5 Jul Chapter 189 Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up. With such a big incident happening in the factory, as the factory¡¯s chairman, she naturally should show her facel E Now that Jaydon had gone abroad, she had to resolve it personally. If this kind of thing were not resolved properly, it would have a huge negative impact on the factory! Cora looked at Joanna with a serious expression. ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Pack your luggage immediately and go to Porash with me. Also, inform Mr. Brycen toe with us!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna could not care less. She quickly packed up and prepared to go to the factory in Mossbourne! Twenty minutester¡­ Joanna, Cora, and the others left thepany. N?velDrama.Org ? content. As soon as they headed downstairs, arge group of reporters instantly surrounded her. ¡°Ms. Haynes, what do you think about Mr. Grimm¡¯s affair?¡± ¡°As Mr. Grimm is your fianc¨¦e, how do you feel now? Will you break up with Mr. Grimm?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was cold as she replied to the camera, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m just friends with Mr. Grimm!¡± When the entertainment reporters heard this, they asked even more ruthlessly, ¡°Did this cause the two of you to break up?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm and Mr. Everett, which one do you love more? If Mr. Grimm cheats now, will you get back together with Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, say a few more words!¡± The reporters were like flies that had smelled food. They surrounded Joanna frantically, trying to get her to speak! Although Joanna was not from the entertainment industry, her poprity had already surpassed that of a famous female celebrity. Every few days, her name would upy the top trending list. Her poprity had decreased recently, but she was suddenly pushed to the center of attention again! She was terrified of this feeling. ¡°Miss Haynes refuses to be interviewed! Please make way!¡± Cora stood in front of Joanna and tried her best to protect her. Seven to eight security personnel had formed a human wall to stop the reporters from approaching! Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t stop the crazy reporters at all! The reporters pushed and pushed, and the microphones and cameras smashed Joanna¡¯s head! ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna subconsciously covered her forehead. ¡°All of you, step back!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, are you alright?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s fingers felt sticky. Blood had already flowed out from between her fingers. 12:04 Wed, 5 Jul Chapter 189 When the reporters saw this, they did not dare to surround her so crazily anymore. However, they still did not give up and asked, ¡°Ms. Haynes, just say a few words!¡± ¡°Has Mr. Grimm contacted you? I heard that you two are business partners. Will you stop cooperating with him because of this¡­¡± Facing the noisy reporters, Joanna felt exhausted. Her vision turned ck, and her brain short¨C circuited for a moment. ¡°Miss Haynes! Miss Haynes, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Joanna opened her eyelids and felt that there were countless double images before her! Then, she closed her eyes and lost consciousness. Her entire body fell forward.. ¡°Miss Haynes, Miss Haynes¡­¡± Cora shouted anxiously and quickly went to help Joanna up. Unfortunately, Joanna hadpletely lost consciousness and copsed to the ground. Click! Click! When the reporters saw this, they surrounded Joanna and took photos. ¡°All of you, move aside. Hurry up and move aside!¡± ¡°We¡¯re taking Miss Haynes to the hospital!¡± The reporters didn¡¯t seem to hear her as they rushed to take photos. Cora and the security guards could not handle this chaotic situation at all! ¡°All of you, make way. Miss Haynes had already fainted. Do you still have any humanity?¡± Cora was so anxious that she was about to cry! Just as she was feeling anxious, a few luxury cars suddenly drove over. More than 20 burly bodyguards in suits got out of the car one after another. Then, the bodyguards split into two rows and charged forward. They drove the reporters away and forcefully pushed the crowd aside. Bruce wore sunsses and had a gloomy expression on his face. He strode among the bodyguards and walked straight to Joanna! ¡°Oh, my god. It¡¯s Mr. Everett!¡± Click! Click! The camera shes were even more intense! Bruce walked to Joanna¡¯s side. Without a word, he bent down and picked her up horizontally! Under the shocked gazes of the reporters, he carried Joanna into a car! ¡°Mr. Everett, can I interview you for a few seconds¡­¡± The group of bodyguards stopped the reporters with cold expressions. In the end, the reporters could only watch as the car drove away. Joanna and Bruce were in the car. Bruce hugged Joanna and looked at her wounded body. Mixed feelings rose in him. He felt sorry for her and angry. After he hung up the call, he went straight to the Haynes Group. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived downstairs, he saw the reporters besieging Joanna. If he had not rushed over, Joanna would probably still be surrounded. ¡°Joanna, what else could I do about you? You make me feel helpless.¡± Joanna closed her eyes and did not react at all. She was already injured, to begin with. Now that she had suffered consecutive blows, she could not take it anymore and fainted! It was only a few minutes of drive. Bruce sent Joanna to the hospital! The doctors quickly pushed Joanna into the emergency room! ¡°What happened to Miss Haynes? She is so seriously injured. How can she leave the hospital?¡± A doctor said unhappily as he quickly disinfected her. She had just gotten into a car ident yesterday. Although her vital organs were not injured, the doctor still asked her to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation! Who knew that she would disappear the next day? Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Joanna was being treated in the emergency room! Bruce stood outside with a cold expression on his face. The reporters had finally found something to write. In less than an hour, all the tformspeted to publish the news! They also used Joanna¡¯s unconscious photo as a cover gimmick. [Mr. Grimm cheated on his fianc¨¦e, making her faint in grief.] Joanna¡¯s path to a wealthy family is bumpy. In the end, she is not epted by a wealthy family.] [The Haynes Group¡¯s president died for love. She was so angry that she copsed and fainted on the spot.] [Mr. Everett is concerned about his ex¨Cwife. He doesn¡¯t care about his girlfriend and saves the damsel in distress.] All kinds of titles were written randomly on the Inte! Of course, Bruce was the wealthiest man in Greyport, after all! The reporters did not dare to report nasty rumors about him, so they used his poprity to spread rumors. But! Bruce was still so angry that he could not speak when he saw the news! ¡°Andy, get someone to suppress all this nonsense!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Unfortunately, although Bruce had sent people to suppress the news about Joanna, the news was spreading too quickly on the Inte. There were too many bloggers andizens. They could not be suppressed at all! He could only wait for the poprity to slowly fade. Meanwhile, Joannay in the ward again. At around eight in the evening, Joanna finally woke up from hera! Bruce had been sitting in front of the bed and guarding Joanna. Joanna was lying on the hospital bed with a pale face. There was another white veil wrapped around her forehead. Joanna opened her eyes in a daze! She looked up and saw Bruce. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Joanna shook her head and felt extremely dizzy! She struggled to sit up, but the pain in her body made her fall back to her original position. There was still an IV needle in her arm, which was extremely painful to move! She looked around and realized that she was in the hospital again! ¡°Oh no, why am I in the hospital? 12:04 Wed, 5 Jul Chapter 190 ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± Joanna remembered the factory in Mossbourne. She had told Michael that she was going to the factory in the afternoon. However, now that she had not appeared, the deceased¡¯s family would probably think she was trying to avoid responsibility and not dare to show her face! In business, integrity has always been the most important! If she did not appear now, the employees would probably not trust her. ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± Joanna asked anxiously. Bruce did not reply. He just looked at her coldly! Joanna couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask him anymore because he didn¡¯t speak. She lifted the nket and wanted to find his phone! ¡°Lie down, now!¡± Bruce said coldly. His tone wasmanding and domineering! Joanna frowned and said anxiously, ¡°Where¡¯s my phone? I have something very important to do!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna gloomily and said coldly. ¡°The most important thing for you now is to recuperate. Everything else is a small matter!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was at a loss for words. ¡°Bruce, can you leave me alone? ¡°Move aside. I really have something very important to do!¡± Seeing that she was determined to find her phone, Bruce took it out of his pocket and waved it before her! Then, he put it back into his pocket. ¡°Your phone is here. I¡¯ll keep it for you for the time being! I¡¯ll give it to you when you get discharged!¡± ¡°Lunatic! What right do you have to keep my phone? Give it to me quickly¡­¡± Phones were an importantmunication device. No one could live without mobile phones! If one could not receive any information from the outside world, they would probably go crazy from anxiety. Michael called Joanna many times. Seeing that she did not pick up, he sent her many text messages. Bruce already knew what had happened to the factory in Mossbourne! Moreover, some other things happened when Joanna was unconscious! Jaydon had also called her many times! He had already flown abroad to lie low. When Joanna called her, he was still on the ne! After he got off the ne, he immediately called Joanna, wanting to exin to her why he left! Unfortunately, Joanna was already unconscious and had not received the call from him! ¡°I will return your phone to you only when you recover.¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to get your phone? Do you want to see if Jaydon called you?¡± Bruce could not help but retort jealously. Joanna was so angry that her chest hurt. She did not want to exin too much to him. ¡°Hurry up and give me the phone. Hurry up!¡± She was anxious to see the message! She wanted to see how Mossbourne was doing! Especially since there were too many things to do in thepany now. Countless important calls came in every day! 12:04 Wed, 5 Jul o Chapter 190 If she identally missed a phone call, it would cause a considerable loss! Bruce frowned coldly. ¡°I told you to lie down and recuperate! When you recover, I¡¯ll give you the phone!¡± The doctor had already said that Joanna¡¯s health was already terrible! She suffered from severe malnutrition and anemiat She should have worked overtime, which harmed her health more! if this continued, she would die of overwork in less than two years! Especially since the doctor said that she had a severe case of depression! Bruce decided that no matter what, he had to monitor her recuperate. ¡°I know my health. Hurry up and give me the phone!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Without hesitation, she pulled out the needle in her hand! Then, she went to snatch the phone from Bruce¡¯s pocket. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s anger shot through him! ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t you care about yourself? Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Can you give me the phone?¡± The needle on the back of Joanna¡¯s hand was removed. As she did not press on the blood vessels, blood instantly dripped down! Joanna did not seem to notice and was still anxious to take back the phone. ¡°Hurry up and¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Bruce said and immediately pressed down on the back of her hand. He roared with heartache and anger, ¡°Do you know that you¡¯re bleeding? ¡°Do you know that you¡¯ll die very soon if you strain your body like this?¡± Joanna was furious. ¡°Whether I die or not has nothing to do with you!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened in a fury. ¡°What will happen to the children if you die? Do you want the children to lose their mother early, or do you want me to find a stepmother for the children?¡± When Joanna heard this, she stopped resisting! Indeed! If she died, what would happen to the children? The children could not live without their mother! Seeing that Joanna had calmed down, Bruce quickly pressed on the pager. ¡°Doctor, get over here!¡± It took only less than a minute! The doctor and nurse rushed to the ward. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°She removed the needle. Hurry up and put on a new needle for her!¡± ¡°Oh, okay! The doctor examined her and said with a serious expression, ¡°Ms. Haynes, your blood pressure is very low now. You might faint at any moment! You must lie on the bed and recuperate. The medicine and nutrient solution have to be continuously injected into you by drips! Chapter 190 ¡°Otherwise, your condition will be even worse!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in anger. ¡°Did you hear that? The doctor wants you to recuperate!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and snapped. ¡°Can you leave me alone? I know my health¡­¡± With such a huge incident at the factory, she was in a hurry to rush to the factory to resolve it. How could she calm down? Also, Lilia was still at home! No matter what, she could not calm down and think about it! ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll tell you onest time. Lie on the bed obediently!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned cold for a moment. She red at Bruce! At this moment, Bruce¡¯s eyes were like a wolf¡¯s, secretly emitting a terrifying ferocity. A few secondster, Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she weakly shifted her gaze to the side. She had never won against Bruce The more she fought against him, the more she would suffer Seeing that Joanna had calmed down, the doctor hurriedly gave her another drip! ¡°Ms. Haynes, you have to recuperate well. You can¡¯t pull it out again! If you don¡¯t recuperate well, it will damage the nerves in your brain, and you might po into aa!¡± After the doctor finished speaking, Bruce added. ¡°Did you hear that?!¡± Joanna did not say anything. He just turned his head to the innermost part and closed his eyes to rest! She was indeed too tired. The mental and physical pressure was too great! Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. She really felt like she could not hold on anymore. Now that Jaydon was not by her side, she felt even more helpless! ¡°I¡¯ll go out first. If you need anything, press the pager at any time!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After the doctor and nurse advised a few more things, they did not dare to stay any longer in the ward. They left. Bruce¡¯s expression also softened. With the doctor around just now, he had to maintain a cold attitude and could not lower his posture! Now that the doctor had left, he was no longer as domineering as before! ¡°Joanna, what you have to do now is to recuperate!¡± ¡°Bruce, stop being hypocritical!¡± ¡°Are you satisfied to see me like this? Are you happy now?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was at a loss for words. He replied angrily, ¡°I¡¯m not very satisfied, nor am I pleased!¡± He had always had a sharp tongue! Sometimes, even if he didn¡¯t think so in his heart, the words that came out of his mouth would always choke him to death. Joanna gritted her teeth. Her eyes were bloodshot. Tears of grievance instantly welled up in her eyes! 12 04 Wed, 5 Jule Chapte) 190 How did the offend him? Why did he want to torture and hurt her like this? Facing Bruce, there was nothing but anger and helplessness in her! Half an hour passed. The two of them remained silent and ignored each other! The ward was so quiet that it made one¡¯s hair stand on end Another 20 minutes passed! Joanna could not help but sit up again! She had already dripped four bottles of glucose and medicine in a row. Her dder was already overwhelmed Seeing that Joanna was moving around again, Bruce leaned over and reached out to push her back to her original position. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Where are you going again?¡± ¡°Why do you care where I go?¡± ¡°Lie down property. You¡¯re so weak now. What are you going to do?¡± i need to go to the washroom!¡± Joanna red at Bruce in anger and speechlessness When Bruce heard this, he pursed his lips and let go resentfully. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? Come, let me help you over!¡± ¡°No need. I can walk. I don¡¯t need you to help me!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t be bothered. He picked her up horizontally and walked straight to the washroom. ¡°Hey, let go of me, I can walk by myself!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She tried her best to escape from his embrace! Unfortunately, his arms were like steel pincers that wrapped around her tightly. She was powerless to resist. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Bruce carried Joanna to the washroom! ¡°Go!¡± Joanna frowned speechlessly. ¡°You can go out now!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Heh! Do we have to be so unfamiliar with each other? Which part of your body haven¡¯t I seen before? ¡°Hurry up and go to the toilet! I¡¯ll wait here!¡± ¡°Get out, you lunatic!¡± Joanna pushed Bruce out of the washroom. This damned bastard made her speechless. Bruce left the washroom and waited outside! Joanna was angry and annoyed. Her face blushed like a red apple. She was really not used to people paying attention to her when she was in the toilet! Ten minutester¡­ Knock! Knock! Knock! Bruce knocked on the door! ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t youing out yet? Are you done?¡± It was not that he wanted to peep at her going to the toilet, nor did he have such a hobby! However, when they were at Mossbourne, Joanna fainted in the bathtub and almost died! He still had lingering fears and was afraid that something would happen to her, so he had been guarding outside the door. Creak! The bathroom door opened. Joanna walked out angrily but slowly. Then, she ignored him and headed straight to the bed. Looking at her cold and heartless attitude, Bruce red up in anger! This damn woman really didn¡¯t know what was good for her! ¡°Hey, stop!¡± ¡°What do you want now?¡± Bruce walked to her side resentfully and stretched out his arm to pin her against the wall! ¡°I don¡¯t like your attitude!¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce in shock while feeling helpless and angry! ¡°What do you want then?¡± Bruce did not speak. His sharp eyes were fixed on her! His gaze conveyed his anger and dissatisfaction! A few seconds had passed with them looking into each other¡¯s eyes. Joanna looked down, not daring to look into his eyes anymore! His gaze was too terrifying. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the eyes of a ferocious beast! ¡°Can you move aside?¡± Joanna tried to push him away! But before she could push him away, Bruce suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips fiercely! With that, he deepened his kiss without her consent. ¡°Mm¡­ Let go of me¡­¡± Joanna panicked and leaned her back against the wall. Bruce wrapped her shoulders tightly with his arms and kissed her overbearingly! He really loved and hated her! Unfortunately, this damn woman had a strong and stubborn personality! ¡°Ah¡­ Let go of me!¡± Joanna panicked and scared. She struggled with all her might a few times, and her brain felt dizzy again! Then, she felt her legs and spine turn to jelly. She could not stand steadily and copsed to the ground! Her arms also drooped weakly. Sensing something was wrong with her, Bruce quickly let go. Joanna closed her eyes as if her consciousness was about to break down. ¡°Joanna! Joanna, what¡¯s wrong with you¡­¡± Bruce quickly shook her a few times! After a long while, Joanna regained her vision as if the ck fog before her eyes had dissipated. Bruce did not dare to force her anymore. He only hugged her in his arms, feeling sorry and fear! ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t touch you again! I was too impulsive just now!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but cry when she heard that! ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone softened, and gently wiped her tears! ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away and staggered toward the bed! He was used to do this. First, he would bully her. Then, he would coax her! She really couldn¡¯t stand him treating her like this. Joannay on the pillow and could not help but cry. Bruce stood there in a daze. He didn¡¯t know whether to coax her or not! A few seconds went by¡­. The anger in Bruce¡¯s heart umted more and more. She was probably crying because of Jaydon! At the thought of this, he could not suppress his anger! ¡°Why are you crying like this? Are you still feeling sorry for your lover? Heh! Joanna, Joanna, why are you so stupid? ¡°Is a scumbag like Jaydon worth crying like this? I¡¯m just afraid that you are blinded and unable to see what kind of disgusting man Jaydon is! ¡°You should thank me for letting you see that he is aplete scumbag!¡± Joanna was crying sadly. When she heard Bruce¡¯s words, she was angrier! Could it be that just because he wanted her to see Jaydon¡¯s personality that he set a trap for Jayden? ¡°Bruce, do you know what you¡¯re doing is despicable?¡± ¡°Heh! Say whatever you want to say! Anyway, I¡¯ve never been a good person to you!¡± Bruce replied resentfully. He could not understand! Jaydon was such a scumbag and a yboy. Why was Joanna so loyal to him? 1 He felt that he was way better than Jaydon in everything! This woman was blind! She chose Jaydon over him! Bruce had no idea there was no rtionship between Joanna and Jaydon! They had not even dated or slept! She had never been Jaydon¡¯s girlfriend or fiancee! ¡°Say something! You have nothing to say, right?¡± Joanna was pissed off. She looked away and really did not want to say another word to him! She cried for some time. After crying. Joanna could not help but feel sleepy. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep! A stabilizing drug was added to the IV drip. Moreover, her braincked oxygen after crying, making her pass out. That was a really, really deep sleep! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Joanna¡¯s phone started vibrating again! Bruce thought that it was Jaydon calling again. He gritted his teeth and took out the phone, preparing to scold him. However, he realized that the caller was Tracy! Bruce frowned and pondered for a few seconds before picking up the call. A cute voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, Mommy. Why aren¡¯t you home yet?¡± Lilia called Joanna! Bruce¡¯s heart melted when he heard his daughter¡¯s voice. ¡°Hello, is this my sweetheart Lilia? Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Daddy! It¡¯s you! Where¡¯s Mommy? Hehehe!¡± Lilia¡¯s voice became cheerful. Bruce paused. ¡°Be good. Mommy doesn¡¯t have time to answer the phone now!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mommy?¡± Lilia¡¯s voice sounded sad and worried. ¡°Mommy is ill and is in the hospital. She might not be home tonight!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lilia panicked even more when she heard that. ¡°However, Daddy is taking care of Mommy. Baby Lilia, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s toote today. Tomorrow, Daddy will send someone to pick you up, okay?¡± hapter 191 ¡°Okay¡­ ¡°Be good and rest early. You¡¯ll be able to see Mommy tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Be good and listen to Daddy. Do you miss Daddy?¡± Lilia said coquettishly. ¡°Of course, I miss Daddy!¡± When Bruce heard this, the corners of his lips could not help but curl into a smile. ¡°Send me a flying kiss then!¡± There was a loud smack from the other end of the line. ¡°Lilia, you¡¯re such a good girl. Go to bed early!¡± ¡°Good night. Daddy!¡± Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Everett mansion was not quite joyful. Bruce had been staying in the hospital. Even though countless calls came in, he did not answer them! Roxanne waited until ten o¡¯clock, but Bruce still didn¡¯te back! Moreover, she had long seen on the news that Bruce had carried Joanna away from the siege of the reporters! Now, all kinds of news about Joanna and Bruce getting back together had already spread online! Margaret was also concerned and could not fall asleep. ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s gettingte. You should rest early¡­¡± Margaret sighed. ¡°Sigh! Bruce is really getting more and more unreasonable! The more I said I wouldn¡¯t let him pester Joanna, the more he refused to listen!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send someone to look for him now!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she quickly stopped Margaret. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t do this! If you do this, Bruce will definitely think that I forced you to bring him back!¡± ¡°Besides, this has nothing to do with Bruce. It¡¯s all my sister¡¯s fault¡­¡± As she spoke, Roxanne sobbed and couldn¡¯t help but cry. Seeing that she was crying, Margaret quicklyforted her. ¡°Good child, don¡¯t cry. It would be bad for a pregnant woman like you to be emotional. Grandma will stand up for you!¡± ¡°No matter what, since you¡¯re pregnant with the Everett family¡¯s child, you¡¯re my granddaughter¨Cinw! With Grandma around, I won¡¯t let anyone bully you and your child! You just have to care for the child and not think about anything else!¡± ¡°Men are sometimes bastards. The more we control him, the more we can¡¯t! He¡¯ll know his wife is the best when he has enjoyed the pleasure and pain!¡± Roxanne forced a smile and said, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t make things too difficult for Bruce. An outstanding man like Bruce will naturally attract women! ¡°Even if Bruce doesn¡¯t like them, they¡¯ll try to get Bruce! Don¡¯t worry, Grandma! I won¡¯t take it to heart! I¡¯ll definitely take good care of the baby!¡± Chapter 192 Chapter 192 As Roxanne spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that I would be a love rival with my sister!¡± ¡°If I could, I want to give Bruce to my sister! But God made me pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child! I really don¡¯t know what to do. Grandma, what should I do?¡± Margaret quicklyforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. This is all Bruce¡¯s fault!¡± ¡°I had warned him long ago not to be indecisive between you two! Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely teach him a lesson.¡± Roxanne was still crying with an aggrieved expression. ¡°Six years ago, Sister snatched Bruce away from me! I didn¡¯t expect that six yearster, my sister still can¡¯t forget Bruce!¡± ¡°She is my sister. I really don¡¯t know how to deal with her about this.¡± Margaret turned around and looked at the butler. ¡°Butler, call Bruce and tell him toe back immediately!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The butler quickly dialed Bruce¡¯s number. Beep¡­ Beep¡­ Beep¡­. He called Bruce many times! When Bruce saw it was the butler calling, he knew that his grandmother must have called him to ask him to return home, so he simply turned off his phone! ¡°How is it? Has he not answered yet?¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± Margaret sighed. ¡°Sigh! This brat is getting more and more outrageous!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be back tonight. Roxy, go to bed early. Don¡¯t stay upte!¡± ¡°Yes. Grandma, you should sleep early too!¡± Roxanne returned to the room! As soon as she returned to her room, she gritted her teeth angrily. ¡°Joanna, you damn bitch. How did you manage to keep Bruce by your side?¡± ¡°Bitch! Bitch!¡± Ring! Ring! Ring! Ingrid¡¯s call game in. Roxanne answered the call in rage. ¡°Hello, Mom!¡± ¡°Roxy, what are you doing?¡± ¡°What else can I do?¡± Ingrid said with annoyance, ¡°Have you seen today¡¯s news?¡± Roxanne said angrily, ¡°How could I not notice such big news?¡± Chapter 192 ¡°I was worried that something would happen to you, so I specially called you! Don¡¯t take it to heart. The most important thing now is to give birth to the child! ¡°As long as I give birth to the child, you¡¯ll have nothing to worry about for the rest of your life!¡± Roxanne took a deep breath. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to stay here. I want to go home for a few days!¡± *Silly daughter! You must stay here even if you don¡¯t want to stay there now! ¡°The longer you stay there, the better your rtionship with Margaret will be! ¡°If you leave the Everett mansion now, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be so easy to return! ¡°Be good and listen to mom. Don¡¯t think about anything! The birth of the child is the most important thing!¡± ¡°But that slut from Joanna!¡± Ingrid snorted. ¡°That slut Joanna won¡¯t be smug for long. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Leave it to me!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Goodbye. Go to bed early!¡± ¡°Okay, goodnight!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± They hung up the call after a short conversation. Roxanney on the wide bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze! That ce was like a magnificent pce! Unfortunately, no matter how magnificent it was, there was no warmth! Without thepanionship and love of a lover, even if she lived in such a good house, she still couldn¡¯t feel happy! As Roxanney down, she could not help but think of Gavin again! It had been half a year since she separated from Gavin! Perhaps because of guilt, Gavin did not contact her. It was as if he hadpletely disappeared from her world! She had forgotten the lesson she had learned! At the thought of Gavin, Roxanne could not help but bite her lower lip. Her entire body felt inexplicably hot! She had to admit that her body missed Gavin even more than she did, especially since Bruce would never touch her! As a mature woman used to enjoying herself, she had not been nourished for a long time. The frustration in her heart had long grown crazily! Meanwhile, the atmosphere was also tense in the Haynes¡¯s house. Ingrid could not help butin to Shaun, ¡°Look at what your good daughter has done!¡± ¡°Sigh. Why is there such a troublesome thing every other day? Are all the men in the world dead? Why does she have to insist on pestering her sister¡¯s man!¡± ¡°Stop her from doing it!¡± Ingrid got angrier as she spoke. Chapter 192 Shaun frowned. ¡°What can I do? She is so powerful now. Even if I want to control her, I can¡¯t. Let her do whatever she wants!¡± ¡°Hmph, Roxy is pregnant now. Can you bear to see her like this? ¡°After Roxy gives birth to the child, if Bruce still refuses to marry her, do you want her to be a single mother?¡± Shaun said helplessly. Then what can I do? I can¡¯t run over and kill Joann, right?¡± ¡°Joann is really a headache. She doesn¡¯t listen to what I¡¯m saying now! Mr. Everett is the same. He has already divorced. Joann, but he is still pestering her!¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re really a useless coward. If I had known you were such a coward, I wouldn¡¯t have married you!¡± ¡°In the end, it is you being biased!¡± Shaun could not help but retort, ¡°How am I biased? I¡¯ve cut ties with her until now. Am I still biased?¡± ¡°Forget it, forget it. Stop talking and go to sleep!¡± Shaun turned around with a frown. Both of them were her daughters. However, Roxanne had grown up by her side, so he naturally doted on Roxanne more! Especially since Joanna had already been hurt, he did not want Roxanne to be hurt again! No matter what, he had to talk to Joanna! Regardless of whether it was useful, he had to do his best! He had to stop Joanna from pestering Bruce! It was the second day Joanna stayed in the ward. Bruce bought a lot of breakfast early in the morning! ¡°Have some breakfast!¡± Joanna was shocked to see all kinds of breakfast on the table. ¡°Why did you buy so much breakfast?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want to eat. I can only get someone to buy more!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wasting food, do you know that?¡± ¡°I just want you to eat properly.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat so much either!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was irritated. He seemed to have done something he should not have out of good intentions! Not only did this damn woman not appreciate his kindness, but she even scolded him! ¡°Fine, fine. Do you want to eat it or not? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll throw everything!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be more wasteful to throw them away?¡± ¡°Sigh! I really don¡¯t know what to do with you. With my previous temper, um¡­¡± Bruce sounded fierce. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± I¡¯ll¡­ Bruce suppressed his anger. As he grew older, he gradually matured! If it were in the past, with his fiery temper, he would probably fly into a rage! Now, he could suppress his temper, which was alreadymendable!! The two of them were still mad at each other! The door of the ward was pushed open. Tracy came with Lilia! ¡°Daddy!¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Lilia, why are you here?¡± ¡°Daddy sent a driver to pick us up!¡± ¡°Mommy, are you ill? Why is your head injured?¡± ¡°Mommy is fine.¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Lilia looked worried. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mommy doesn¡¯t feel pain anymore after seeing Lilia!¡± ¡°Be good, Lilia. Daddy will carry you!¡± ¡°Daddy, Lilia misses you!¡± ¡°Daddy misses Baby Lilia too. Daddy wants a kiss from Lilia!¡± Lilia raised her little face and kissed him twice on the cheek. Bruce looked at his daughter¡¯s little face, and his heart felt warm! ¡°What have you been doing at home these days?¡± ¡°Nothing much, just watching cartoons!¡± ¡°Other than cartoons?¡± ¡°Other than watching cartoons, I only miss Daddy and my brothers.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt sorry for Lilian. All three were his children, but now that they were separated by force, he still felt terrible! On one hand, his grandmother was pressuring him, and on the other hand, his children were separated. ¡°Daddy, when will my brothers be back? I miss them so much!¡± ¡°Your brothers will be back home soon!¡± Lilia widened her big round eyes and asked innocently, ¡°Really? How soon will it be? Can I see my brothers today?¡± ¡°Yes, I might not be able to let you meet them today. Can you wait a few days? Daddy will definitely bring you to see your brothers in a few days. I will let your brothers y with you, okay?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Okay, thank you, Daddy. It¡¯s a deal. Don¡¯t lie to Lilia!¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you? Daddy means what Daddy says!¡± ¡± Grandma was seriously ill now. She would stop him if he wanted to take Davian and Irvin out of the house. If he let them meet first, he could only bring Lilia back to the Everett mansion! However, that was also appropriate. Joanna would definitely not agree!Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 The news had been spreading for a night. The rumors produced by Joanna and Jaydon dominated all the headlines! Especially Joanna, she had even been poorly described byizens. They called her a vixen, whore, scheming bitch, and so on. Simrbels were stuck all over her. Jaydon¡¯s side was even worse! Yesterday, he had called Joanna for the entire night, but the call had not gone through! He did not know what had happened to Joanna! Unfortunately, he did not dare to return to Greyport at the moment! Now, the entertainment reporters of Greyport were looking around for him! All the things he had done and not were now on him! At this critical juncture, he had no choice but to escape! Meanwhile, Joanna was still in the hospital. Joanna ate her breakfast and watched as Lilia and Bruce continued to y! ¡°Lilia, it¡¯s gettingte. Go home with Tracy!¡± When Lilia heard this, she looked unhappy. ¡°Mommy, can I stay a little longer?¡± ¡°Mommy has something to do now and doesn¡¯t have time to apany you! Be good and listen to me. Hurry up and go home with Tracy!¡± When Bruce heard this, his gentle face instantly darkened! He could not suppress the anger in his heart. ¡°Joanna, do you think you¡¯ve recovered? ¡°Lilia doesn¡¯t need yourpany! It¡¯s fine as long as I¡¯m with her!¡± Joanna gulped and looked at Bruce helplessly. ¡°Bruce, I really have something to do now! ¡°Give me the phone, please!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you when you get discharged from the hospital!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was gloomy. Joanna was thinking about the factory in Mossbourne. She wished she could fly over immediately to check on the situation. How could she rest in peace? ¡°I can be discharged now!¡± ¡°I told you, you can be discharged when you¡¯re better!¡± ¡°Bruce, can you not be so domineering¡­ The two of them instantly drew their swords and red at each other fiercely. Seeing this, Lilia was so frightened that she cried. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, can you not quarrel? Lilia doesn¡¯t want to see you quarrel!¡± When Bruce heard this, his gloom disappeared, and his expression quickly eased. ¡°Good girl, Daddy and Mommy didn¡¯t quarrel!* As he spoke, he lovingly held his daughter in his arms again and gently tickled her! You¡¯d better be gentle and be a loving mother in front of your daughter!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was more pissed off! She was the one who gave birth to the children. In these four years, she was also the one who raised the children alone! Now, he was pretending to be a loving father! ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk nonsense with you. Tracy, take Lilia back now!¡± Tracy chuckled awkwardly and said, ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, hand the kid to me!¡± Bruce stood still and looked at Joanna coldly. ¡°Joanna, I want to take Lilia back to the Everett mansion for a few days¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna instantly snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! I¡¯m warning you, if you dare to take Lilia away. I¡¯ll risk even my life to get them back!¡± Davian and Irvin had already been taken away and detained by him. She was already regretting it to death! She would rather die than let him take Lilia away. Looking at Joanna¡¯s agitated expression. Bruce sighed. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Don¡¯t be so agitated!¡± ¡°I promised Lilia I would take her back to see those two brats.¡± ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t quarrel with Mommy! I¡¯ll go home now. When Mommy agrees in the future, I¡¯ll go with Daddy!¡± Hearing his daughter¡¯s words, Bruce was touched. She was such a well¨Cbehaved and adorable child, yet she was disabled! He vowed to heal his daughter¡¯s leg at all costs. ¡°Goodbye, Daddy. Goodbye, Mommy!¡± Tracy did not dare to dy and quickly carried Lilia out of the ward. ¡°Give me the phone. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll leave the hospital now!¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. When Bruce heard this, he was silent for a few seconds. He looked at Joanna helplessly. ¡°Joanna, when did you be so stubborn? When did you be so persistent?¡± ¡°Now!¡± Bruce finally could not bear to argue with her because she was about to throw her temper! He took out his phone and handed it to Joanna! Bruce had turned her phone off! Joanna took the phone and quickly pressed the power button. She scrolled the screen and checked the message! At the same time, others were also implicated in the rumors. Ingrid had arranged to go to the beauty parlor with someone! Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked out of the house. Chapter 193 There were actually many entertainment reporters camping outside the house! Seeing that Ingrid had walked out of the Haynes¡¯s house, the entertainment reporters surrounded her like bees around at beehive! ¡°Mrs. Haynes, what do you think about Joanna Haynes and Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Did Mr. Everett break up with Miss Haynes?¡± Ingrid faced the camera and adjusted her facial expression. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t have any opinions! I hope everyone won¡¯t make wild guesses. Please don¡¯t misunderstand the rumors. Thank you!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, say a few more words! Who is Mr. Everett dating?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Everyone can see who is the one causing this scene.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first time Joanna has done such a thing. Six years ago, she spent a lot of effort scheming against her family. It¡¯s not surprising that she is doing this now!¡± Ingrid¡¯s words were like a bombshell! [Joanna still hasn¡¯t changed. She hooked up with her brother¨Cinw again.] [Joanna was chased out of the house, driving the family crazy.] [She is a two¨Ctiming and specializes in the top wealthy families.] Because of the incident with Jaydon, Joanna was once again implicated! The overwhelming abuse on the Inte had paralyzed the Inte for a while. Meanwhile, Bruce and Joanna were still at the hospital. Joanna stayed in the ward for a day. She had a headache from being in the closed space for long hours. Unfortunately, Bruce watched her closely and refused to let her leave the hospital. It was finally evening! Joanna could not help but walk out of the ward. She wanted to go to the corridor outside to get some fresh air. She stood in the corridor. Coincidentally, she saw a ten¨Cyear¨Cold boy standing there. When she saw the little boy, she could not help but think of Davian and Irvin! She smiled at the little boy. Unexpectedly, the little boy stared straight at her for a long time! Then, he spat at her! ¡°You¡¯re the Greyport¡¯s vixen!¡± The little boy¡¯s mother quickly walked over and pulled the little boy back to the ward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my child being rude!¡± ¡°Mommy, that woman just now is a vixen. She¡¯s the worst woman in the world¡­¡± Joanna was stunned when she heard that! She had never expected things to develop to such an extent! Even a child misunderstood and looked down on her! Bruce also hurried over. Joanna!¡± ¡°Bad woman, vixen!¡± Joanna muttered inaudibly. Tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. Seeing this, Bruce was immediately rmed. ¡°I¡¯m going to settle scores with that child¡¯s parents!¡± Joanna reacted and suddenly pulled Bruce back! ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± What would a child know? The adults were still in the dark and did not know the truth, let alone a child. Click! Click! Click! There were other patients in the corridor who secretly took out their phones to take photos of them! After Joanna found out, she was rmed and dashed back to the ward in a pathetic state! Needless to say, her triangr rtionship with Bruce and Jaydon was enough to make everyone gossip for a long time! She was back in the ward. Joanna was a little out of her wits. She sat on the bed in a daze. Ring! Ring! Ring! At this moment, the phone rang again! Joanna picked up the phone and took a look. The call was from Shaun! After hesitating for a few seconds, she picked up. ¡°Hey, Dad!¡± Shaun¡¯s displeased voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, where are you?¡± ¡°I¡­ am in the hospital now!¡± When Shaun heard this, he did not ask why she was hospitalized. Instead, he said resentfully, ¡°Roxy is pregnant. Do you know?¡± Joanna did not understand. ¡°1¡­know!¡± Shaun took a deep breath and started ming her. ¡°Since you know Roxy is pregnant, why are you still pestering Mr. Everett? ¡°Can you tell Dad? What exactly do you want? You keep saying that you have nothing to do with Mr. Everett, but at the same time, you¡¯re secretly seducing him behind us! That¡¯s your brother¨Cinw. Why do you keep eyeing him?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was disappointed! She really didn¡¯t want to exin anymore! Dad, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. Bruce and I are not what you think!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin. Look at what¡¯s going on online! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed? Our Haynes family has beenpletely. humiliated by you! ¡°I¡¯m really disappointed in you. Since you snatched Mr. Everett away six years ago, you should live a good life! However, you divorced Mr. Everett again. After the divorce, you refused to keep your distance from him! ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but a woman¡¯s reputation is still very important!¡± The more Shaun spoke, the more rude. he became! Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Joanna really didn¡¯t want to listen anymore. ¡°Dad, if you¡¯re using me, you can think whatever you want! I don¡¯t want to exin to you!¡± Shaun paused for a moment, and his tone softened. ¡°Joann, listen to Daddy¡¯s advice and keep a distance from Mr. Everett! ¡°Roxy is already pregnant. Don¡¯t tell me you want her to be a single mother like you! ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know how others talk about you behind your back and how they were talking about our Haynes family.¡± Joanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath! Her heart felt like it had been minced into pieces. It was so painful that the pain had already numbed her! Ingrid¡¯s scolding came from the other end of the call. ¡°Why are you talking to her so much? Joanna, you damn bitch, you should have died! ¡°If you live, you¡¯ll only harm others. You bitch. You are a bitch like your dead mother! Other than seducing men, what else can you do¡­¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t take it anymore and snatched the phone away. ¡°Hello, this is Bruce! ¡°I was the one who kept bugging Joanna. She never took the initiative to look for me! Don¡¯t nder her like this in the future!¡± When Ingrid heard Bruce¡¯s voice, she immediately stopped cursing! However, she mocked. ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s you, Bruce! ¡°Heh! Roxy is pregnant now. Instead of spending time with her, you¡¯ve been apanying Joanna! ¡°You¡¯re a good fianc¨¦, aren¡¯t you?¡± Upon hearing Ingrid¡¯s sarcastic remarks, Bruce did not let it be. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so sarcastic! My rtionship with Roxanne should have ended a long time ago! ¡°If she hadn¡¯t been trying tomit suicide, we would have nothing to do with each other!¡± When Ingrid heard this, her tone immediately softened. ¡°Mr. Everett, aren¡¯t you being unreasonable by saying this now? ¡°Roxy has been dating you for six years, and now she¡¯s pregnant with your child. No matter what, you have to be responsible for the mother and son!¡± Beep! Before Ingrid could finish, Bruce hung up angrily! He had born¨¦ long enough until this day! Roxanne and her mother were really intolerable! Bruce hung up the call. Joanna gulped as she looked at Bruce tiredly and numbly. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Please stay away from me! I really can¡¯t stand it. I really can¡¯t stand being scolded by everyone!¡± Joanna could not help but be hysterical! After shouting thest sentence, her brain ran out of oxygen, and her body went limp. With a bang, the back of her head hit the head of the bed heavily! ¡°Joanna¡­¡± Bruce pounced over and checked the back of her head in fear! It was because of him! Joanna was seriously injured by depression and had been criticized for six years! She really couldn¡¯t hold on any longer! She would rather Bruce never appeared in her life! # 1 Bruce rubbed the back of Joanna¡¯s head and hugged her tightly. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t be like this. I love you!¡°. ¡°I love you! I love you! Let¡¯s start over, okay?¡± Joanna paused for a moment and sneered at Bruce in disdain! Start over? Everything was toote! She didn¡¯t want to have any emotional entanglements with him anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. I just want us to keep our distance now!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was a little sad. ¡°Can you be stronger? Ignore what others say!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m already very strong. What else do you want me to do?¡± She was right! It had been four years since theyst met. She had never looked for him, much less epted his help! Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. She was already so strong that she was a little stupid. Bruce didn¡¯t know what else to say! Joanna stuck her fingers into her hair. Her mind was in a mess! She really did not want to bear such infamy! Now, she had be a street rat. She originally wanted to live a peaceful life, take good care of her child, and manage her grandfather¡¯s business well! Unfortunately, things did not turn out as she had wished for. Perhaps, she had to find the evidence from back then! To prove that she had never seduced Bruce! Six years ago, she was framed! That thought struck her! Joanna suddenly thought of someone. When Bruce and Roxanne got engaged, Davian yed the video from six years ago at their engagement banquet! The video showed that six years ago, she was indeed sent to Bruce¡¯s room by someone while unconscious. Now, she could only find that person and let her publicly admit it. That would prove her innocence! Joanna had already given up. However, when she thought of this, her eyes suddenly turned cold! Beep! Beep. Beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang again. ¡°Hey, butler!¡± The butler said, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Margaret wants you to hurry home!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°She only asked you to return home!¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing important, I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± Without waiting for the butler to reply. Bruce hung up again. ¡°Mrs. Margaret, the phone was hung up!¡± Margaret¡¯s anger red. ¡°This brat actually dares to hang up!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m going to get him myself?¡± Roxanne was shocked. ¡°Mrs. Margaret, don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Butler, prepare the car!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Half an hour passed. Bruce was stillforting Joanna. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t think too much!¡± Joannay on the bed exhausted! Andy hurried in. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Margaret and Ms. Roxanne are here!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce was shocked! Creek! The door to the north ward had already been pushed open! The butler pushed Margaret in! Behind him was Roxanne! ¡°Grandma, why are you here?¡± Margaret snorted coldly. ¡°I came to see which vixen has bewitched you so that you don¡¯t even know how to go home!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­7 Roxanne quickly exined, ¡°Bruce, your grandma was worried about you, so she came to see you!¡± Margaret nced at Joanna, who was lying on the hospital bed. ¡°Hel! Maybe you won¡¯t be so filial even when I¡¯m sick!¡± When Joanna heard this, she instantly sat up. ¡°Margaret, you came at the right time. I was looking for you! ¡°What about Davian and Irvin?¡± Margaret sneered. ¡°They are the descendant of the Everett family!¡± Joanna was instantly enraged. ¡°I¡¯m the children¡¯s guardian!¡± ¡°Soon you won¡¯t be!¡± ¡°Stop arguing, Grandma. I¡¯ll send you back first!¡± ¡°Bruce, make yourself clear in front of Roxy and Joanna! ¡°Make yourself clear at once so there won¡¯t be any trouble in the future!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s talk when we get home!¡± ¡°No, you should make it clear to Joanna in front of me today! ¡°Joann, you used to be married to Bruce, but you¡¯re divorced now! ¡°Now, Roxy is Bruce¡¯s real girlfriend, and you¡¯re Roxy¡¯s biological sister! It¡¯s not good for anyone if you get too close to Bruce! ¡°Let¡¯s part on good terms. Since you¡¯re divorced, don¡¯t pester him anymore!¡± When Joanna heard this, she scoffed in anger! ¡°Heh, Mrs. Margaret, I think you¡¯re the one who hasn¡¯t figured it out! ¡°I never wanted to pester Mr. Everett!¡± Margaret naturally did not believe Joanna¡¯s words. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say what you don¡¯t mean. It¡¯s useless to exin. Exining is equivalent to hiding the truth!¡± ¡°Alright, since you don¡¯t want to hear me exin! Then I don¡¯t want to exin anymore! Please return the children to me. I will promise to cut ties with Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The descendants of the Everett family can¡¯t wander outside!¡± ¡°The trial is in a week! I¡¯ll see you in court then!¡± Joanna gritted her teeth. Her eyes were bloodshot from anger! Margaret didn¡¯t hate Joanna that much! However, the news that was spreading online was too ridiculous! Moreover, she hoped that her grandson could get married obediently! Therefore, she could only choose one between Roxanne and Joanna and firm her stance! Once she had a firm standpoint, she could not sway left and right like her grandson! ¡°Bruce, make it clear to her now!¡± ¡°Grandma, since you say so, I¡¯ll exin! ¡°From the beginning, the person I love is Joanna! The rtionship between me and Roxanne is purely a misunderstanding! ¡°Of course! If Grandma insists that I marry her, I will respect Grandma¡¯s wishes, but I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s no love between us! It was a shock to Margaret and Roxanne. Margaret looked at her grandson in disbelief! Roxanne was even more stunned! She didn¡¯t expect that it would not work even with Margaret backing her up! ¡°Well, do you know what you are talking about? ¡°Did my sister cast some spell on you?¡± Chapter 195 Chapter 195 As Roxanne spoke, her tears drenched her cheeks. Her thin lips quivered, making her look like an injured innocent rabbit! Her hand was carefully ced on her abdomen as if she had suffered a huge blow and was about to copse! Margaret was afraid that Roxanne¡¯s baby would be affected, so he immediately scolded Bruce! ¡°Bruce, are you out of your mind? Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Roxy is pregnant now. How can you say such things to provoke her?¡± When Bruce heard this, his thick brows furrowed into a knot. He decided to exin everything. ¡°Grandma, you wanted me to make things clear. Then I¡¯ll exin it to you now! I¡¯ve never loved Roxanne! ¡°Ten years ago, I drowned while swimming! I misunderstood that she was the one who saved me! That¡¯s why I love her so much! ¡°Now I know that this is a misunderstanding! The person who saved me was Joanna. If it weren¡¯t for Roxanne pretending to, be Joanna, I wouldn¡¯t have started dating her!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she burst into tears again. She cried until she was heartbroken. ¡°Bruce, how can you say such things? Is our rtionship because of that? ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you don¡¯t love me at all. I don¡¯t believe it. Did my sister force you to say that? ¡°Bruce, I really can¡¯t live without you. My children and I really can t live withoExclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. you!¡± Roxanne cried as she spoke. She grabbed Bruce¡¯s sleeve tightly, trying to get him to pity her! Bruce was annoyed. ¡°Enough! Let go!¡± After saying that, he shook her off. ¡°Bruce¡­ Boohoo!¡± Roxanne cried out in grief! Seeing this, Margaret was even angrier. She quicklyforted Roxanne, ¡°Roxy, stop crying! Be careful of the baby!¡± ¡°Bruce, hurry up and coax Roxy! Grandma will never forgive you if anything happens to Roxy and the children!¡± ¡°Grandma, can you stop interrogating me¡­¡± Seeing her grandson¡¯s resolute attitude, Margaret was agitated and immediately started panting. ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°You brat. Now you won¡¯t even listen to me! Are you trying to make me die out of a heart attack?¡± After Margaret finished speaking, she could not breathe loudly, and her face turned purple! ¡°Mrs. Everett!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± Brice was so shocked that his scalp went numb. He quickly went forward to check. The apanying nurse quickly took out a cardiac stimnt and injected Margaret¡¯s arm. ¡®Get the doctor!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce squatted beside the wheelchair and kept rubbing Margaret¡¯s back. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be so agitated! I was wrong. I¡¯ll listen to you!¡± Margaret finished injecting the cardiac stimnt and took a few minutes to calm down. Chapter 195 The doctor also rushed over to take a look! Margaret waved her hand, indicating that she was fine! ¡°Bruce, I know that you¡¯re focused on Joanna now! However, you can¡¯t be an irresponsible man! ¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten Roxy pregnant, how can you leave her like that? Grandma knows some men like to fool around. outside and not treat love seriously! ¡°But the Everett family can¡¯t let such a thing happen, let alone be irresponsible!¡± Margaret was a very traditional person. She could not tolerate any bad reputation. Therefore, she had been very strict with her grandson¡¯s moral education since she was young! Although Bruce was a top¨Cnotch tycoon with enough capital to keep all kinds of women! However, he still had a bottom line in his bones and was retrained regarding rtionships! Seeing that his grandmother was so angry that her illness acted up again. Bruce didn¡¯t dare to provoke her anymore. He could only suppress all the dissatisfaction in him. ¡°Grandma is right. Don¡¯t be angry! I¡¯ll listen to whatever you say.¡± When Margaret heard this, she raised her spirits, and her expression improved slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll give you two choices now. Either you cut ties with Joannapletely, or you cut ties with mepletely!¡± Bruce did not like the choices Margaret turned to look at Joanna and said unhappily, ¡°Joanna, let me warn you too! Although you were once my granddaughter¨Cinw, you and Bruce are divorced, after all! ¡°You two sisters have already brought a lot of negative impact to our Everett family! I don¡¯t care what kind of emotional entanglement you have with Bruce! ¡°But now that things havee to this extent, I hope you can behave yourself and keep a good distance from Bruce! ¡°You can just ask for whateverpensation you want! Don¡¯t act ambiguously with Bruce behind my back!¡± Joanna was instantly enraged after hearing this! However, given Margaret¡¯s age, she did not say anything too harsh. ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve never thought of being entangled with Mr. Everett!¡± That¡¯s good. You have to keep your word! ¡°As for the children¡¯s custody, let the court decide when the trial starts next week!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and did not refute anything! ¡°You can leave now. I¡¯m going to rest!¡± ¡°Butler, let¡¯s go back!¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett!¡± The butler hurriedly pushed the wheelchair around and retreated towards the door. Margaret rolled her eyes and looked at Bruce sternly. ¡°Bruce, hurry up and hold Roxy¡¯s hand!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. He was worried about Joanna! He had to keep an eye on Joanna! Chapter 195 With her reckless personality, she would get discharged immediately and go to work. ¡°Hurry up and go back with grandina. I don¡¯t need you to take care of me here?¡± Seeing that Grandma was about to get angry again, Bruce immediately changed his attitude. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll go back with Grandma now!¡± With that, Bruce called Andy over! ¡°Andy, stay here and take care of Joanna! You must wait for her to fully recover before letting her leave the hospital!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s go home!¡± Bruce did not dare to dy any longer and quickly apanied Margaret back! They were soon back at the Everett mansion. ¡°Mrs. Everett, it¡¯s time for your physical therapy recovery!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°You two be good. Don¡¯t quarrel!¡± Margaret looked at her grandson worriedly. Bruce deliberately hugged Roxanne¡¯s shoulder intimately and said in a rxed tone, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry! ¡°I¡¯m bringing Roxy back to Sherane Bay Vi now to get something. Then, I¡¯lle back to apany Grandma!¡± ¡°What are you going to take back?¡± Margaret looked at his grandson warily. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll go back and pack some personal belongings. Then, I¡¯ll move in with Roxy and stay with you!¡± Hearing his grandson¡¯s words, Margaret heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright then! Go ande back quickly! Don¡¯t quarrel anymore.¡± ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry!¡± After Bruce settled his grandmother down, he turned to look at Roxanne affectionately. ¡°Roxy, let¡¯s go!¡± When he turned around, Roxanne caught the gloominess in Bruce¡¯s eyes! Her heart sank as a bad premonition welled up in her heart. ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t¡­ you go alone? I¡¯m a little tired today!¡± ¡°No. I want you toe with me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tire ¡°O¨COkay!¡± you our!¡± Roxanne got into the car with Bruce, feeling uneasy. They got into the car. The driver drove attentively in front. Bruce and Roxanne sat in the backseat of Rolls¨CRoyce. The spacious seatpletely separated the two of them. Ever since Bruce got into the car, Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy. Roxanne sat uneasily. The atmosphere was oppressive and awkward. The car drove out of the Everett mansion! Halfway through, Roxanne finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She squeezed out a sheepish grin and tried to find something to talk about. ¡°Bruce, this isn¡¯t the way to Sherane Bay Vi, right?¡± ¡°Where¡­ are we going?¡± Bruce looked straight ahead and could not be bothered to turn around to look at Roxanne. ¡°To the hospital!¡± His tone was terrifyingly cold. ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t we juste out of the hospital? Didn¡¯t you promise Grandma you wouldn¡¯t look for my sister again?¡± Bruce sneered and finally turned around to look at Roxanne sinisterly! ¡°I¡¯m not going to see Joanna!¡± ¡°What are we going there for then?¡± Roxanne could not guess Bruce¡¯s thoughts and became even more nervous. ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯d better tell me now! Why are you taking me to the hospital?¡± ¡°Why? Heh!¡± Bruce sneered and took a medical record from the car¡¯s glovepartment. Then, he smacked it hard on Roxanne¡¯s face. ¡°Take a good look at this!¡± Roxanne was so frightened that her entire body trembled. She quickly picked up the medical record and took a look! That was a medical record of the artificial insemination! Although she had already given the doctor money, it was a pity that Bruce still found out. He wasn¡¯t a fool. Roxanne was pregnant for no reason, so he was naturally puzzled! Therefore, it only took a little effort to print out the medical record of Roxanne. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± When Roxanne saw the medical record, she was so frightened that her face instantly turned pale. She also rubbed her hands. uneasily! Bruce looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m a fool, or your IQ can outwit mine?¡± Roxanne was so frightened that his entire body turned cold. He looked at Bruce in horror. ¡°Bruce, I, I had no choice!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t live without you. I¡¯ll die without you!¡± ¡°I am taking you to get an abortion now!¡± That was a shock to Roxanne. Roxanne felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She tugged at Bruce¡¯s sleeve tightly and begged in pain, ¡°No, 1 definitely can¡¯t abort the children! ¡°No matter what, I already have children now. I won¡¯t abort it even if I die! Bruce, if you insist on me aborting the children, you might as well kill me! ¡°Besides, Grandma likes children! If Grandma knew that Bruce forced me to abort the baby. Grandma would be sad¡­¡± You don¡¯t have to worry about Grandma. I¡¯ll tell Grandma that you identally fell and dropped the baby! ¡°Abort the children if you still want to stay by my side!¡± When Roxanne heard this, the tears on her face stopped flowing as she looked at Bruce in horror. When he was ruthless, he really did not leave any room for negotiation. ¡°No! No! Don¡¯t! ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill my children. Driver, stop the car. I want to get out! ¡°I''m not going to the hospital. I want to get out of the car!¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 The car door was locked and could not be opened at all! Roxanne pounded on the car door in despair! ¡°Bruce, I beg you. Please don¡¯t be so heartless!¡± Bruce was unmoved, and his attitude did not soften at all. Five minutester! The car drove into a private hospital. ¡°Mr. Everett, we have arrived at the hospital!¡± ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want to go! ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t be so heartless¡­¡± ¡°Kody, bring her in!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± The car door opened, and two bodyguards walked to the door and dragged Roxanne out of the car. ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°Help, help! Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Please don¡¯t be so cruel to me!¡± Roxanne cried bitterly and struggled with all her might¡­ Unfortunately, under the control of the two bodyguards, she was like two eagles catching a chick. She was powerless to resist. Bruce watched coldly. He casually lit a cigarette and took a deep puff! ¡°Roxanne, I definitely won¡¯t allow anyone to scheme against me like this! This child can¡¯t be born no matter what!¡± ¡°Send her to the operating room!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Two bodyguards dragged Roxanne into the hospital! The doctors and nurses were already prepared and waiting to start at any time! ¡°Help! Help! Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Please don¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°You might as well take my life. You can¡¯t be so heartless to me. You can¡¯t be so ruthless!¡± Bruce sneered and was indifferent to her shrill cries! He hated being schemed against by women the most! Roxanne actually dared to scheme against him like this! Regardless of whether she was pregnant with his child, he would not take responsibility! They were quick and swift. Soon, Roxanne was tied up and carried out of the operating theater. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The nurse was also preparing to draw her blood for testing. No, no¡­ Roxanne broke down in despair and cried. Something happened that stopped this. Margaret¡¯s voice came again. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? Are you going to anger grandina to death before you are satisfied?¡± The butler pushed Margaret and rushed over in time to stop him! Bruce had just brought Roxanne out, and Margaret was already suspicious! Unexpectedly, she had guessed correctly! This rascal actually brought Roxanne for an abortion! This time, he almost pissed Margaret off. ¡°You bastard, you, you¡­¡± Seeing how angry Margaret was, Bruce panicked as well. ¡°Grandma, listen to my exnation!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your exnation. If you dare to abort my great¨Cgrandson, grandma will not live anymore!¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned helplessly. ¡°Grandma, you already have great¨Cgrandchildren. You really can¡¯t ept this!¡± Margaret did not listen to Bruce¡¯s exnation at all. She pointed at his nose and scolded, ¡°Roxy is pregnant with your child. How can you treat her like this?¡± ¡°Even a vicious tiger doesn¡¯t eat its cubs. You¡¯re too heartless. You¡¯re even worse than an animal!¡± ¡°Grandma, let me exin!¡± ¡°Roxanne wasn¡¯t conceived naturally at all. She secretly got pregnant with my child through an improper method! I didn¡¯t sleep with her at all from the beginning to the end!¡± Margaret was originally in a fit of anger. Hearing this, she was also shocked! When Roxanne heard Margaret¡¯s voice, she rushed out crazily! She suddenly knelt before Margaret and cried, ¡°Grandma, please save me! Please save your great¨C grandchild!¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m artificially inseminated, I can guarantee that the child in my stomach is definitely Bruce¡¯s!¡± ¡°Grandma, please save the child! I¡¯m really pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child! I did this because I loved Bruce too much and was afraid of losing Bruce. I had no choice!¡± Roxanne knelt at Margaret¡¯s feet and cried her heart out! Seeing this, Margaret was stunned for a long time! Artificial insemination? She felt a chill down her spine. Roxanne was not simple! She actually thought of such a method! However, since she was pregnant, it was still a life! Margaret thought about it and gave in. ¡°Even if it¡¯s artificial insemination, it¡¯s still our Everett family¡¯s child! No matter what, we have to keep this child!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± Bruce felt a headacheing on. ¡°Go home with Grandma. With Grandma around, no one can touch you and your baby!¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Grandma. Thank you, Grandma!¡± Roxanne was still in shock. She quickly got up and followed behind. Margaret in fear! ¡°Butler, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett!¡± Bruce had no choice but to watch helplessly as Roxanne was taken away by his grandmother! ¡°F*ck!¡± Bruce cursed in frustration. In Greyport, he was a man of his word. No one could stop what he wanted to do! Unfortunately, in front of his grandmother, he did not dare to act rashly. At the same time, things were going out of control in the hospital. Joanna was rebellious! As soon as Bruce left, she felt like she had finally escaped. She immediately prepared to get discharged! Andy kept persuading from the side, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett said that you can only be discharged after you recover!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve recovered. I want to be discharged now!¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you leave the hospital!¡± ¡°Andy, I¡¯m not a criminal. He has no right to imprison me like this! What I want to do is up to me!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes!¡± The bodyguards at the door also stepped forward to stop him! ¡°Move aside. If you stop me again, I¡¯ll have to call the police and sue you for restricting my freedom!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, we really can¡¯t exin this to Mr. Everett if you leave!¡± ¡°Make way. I¡¯ll talk to Bruce!¡± Andy and the others could not stop Joanna at all! Joanna still lefy the hospital! She was in a hurry to rush to the factory in Mossbourne! Beep! Beep. Beep! As soon as Joanna left the hospital, she immediately called Michael. ¡°Hey, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Michael, what¡¯s the situation at the factory?¡± Michael¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the call. ¡°Miss Haynes, why haven¡¯t you answered your phone for two days?¡± ¡°Something happened to me these two days. Now, I can go over!¡± The family members of the deceased have gone berserk. They bring a group of people to cause trouble at the factory entrance daily! This matter has rmed the local media!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you tofort the victim¡¯s family first?¡± ¡°The family of the deceased is very stubborn. They can¡¯t be appeased at all!¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go over now!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Chapter 197 Chapter 197 The Haynes Group disregarded human life. They are heartless!¡± ¡°Unscrupulous enterprises, rubbish of the society. They are exploiting migrant workers¡­¡± A middle¨Caged man in mourning clothes was cursing with a loudspeaker! With every curse, more than ten people followed suit! Seeing this, Joanna felt stressed out, and her head was in pain! It was obvious that they were professional actors! In other words, they were the mafia specialized in collecting debts for people and extorting compensation for casualties! They would look forpanies to extort an exorbitant sum by looking for simr casualties. Then, they split it equally with the victim¡¯s family. ¡°Miss Haynes, they can¡¯t continue to make a ruckus like this. Why don¡¯t we call the police!¡± Cora said with a frown. ¡°Let¡¯s talk to the families of the victim first!¡± The car drove towards the gate! The security guard immediately opened the door. ¡°The person in charge is here. Stop her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cause a ruckus!¡± The security guards held stun batons and blocked everyone outside the door. Michael was already waiting in the garage. As soon as Joanna got out of the car, Michael rushed forward anxiously. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°Call the victim¡¯s family into the office!¡± Michael¡¯s expression was solemn as he said helplessly. ¡°The deceased¡¯s family has a tough attitude and refuses tomunicate.¡± ¡°They wanted one million dors aspensation now. In addition, they¡¯ve wanted 200 thousand dors for mental damage done to their family!¡± Cora was shocked. ¡°Huh? That much? Isn¡¯t that obviously ckmailing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°But now that someone has died, the victim¡¯s family won¡¯t let go of this matter! If this continues, the situation¡¯s impact will be even worse!¡± Although the factory had bought insurance, the deceased¡¯s family still wanted an additional 1.2 million dors from the Haynes Group! ¡°Call the victim¡¯s family over and tell them that we want to discuss thepensation!¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go now!¡± ¡°Mr. Brycen, how do you think this matter should be resolved?¡± Mr. Brycen pushed his sses. ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate it privately first. If the adjustment doesn¡¯t seed, we still have to go through the judicial process!¡± Joanna frowned and thought for a moment! The judicial process would be too slow. If the victim¡¯s family continued to cause trouble, the impact on the factory would be far more than 1.2 million dors. It was better topensate some money and settle the matter as soon as possible! The members of the mafia had the mentality of entrepreneurs. Therefore, they treated this ident as a way to get rich. Half an hour had passed. Michael walked in with the person who imed to be the deceased¡¯s second uncle. ¡°Miss Haynes, the victim¡¯s family member is here!¡± Joanna observed this person! The person was about 5.5 feet and had a protruding mouth and monkey¨Clike puffed cheeks. He wore a ck and tattered jacket, and his hair was messy. The left leg of his pants was rolled up, revealing the straw pants underneath. He was dressed like a typical construction worker. However, there was a shrewdness and sharpness in his eyes! Joanna pondered and greeted politely, ¡°Hello! I¡¯m the person in charge of the Haynes Group! ¡°Please take a seat!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the second uncle of the deceased. If you have anything to say, just tell me! ¡°Boohoo, my poor nephew. He just graduated from university, and he¡¯s gone just like that!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry first. It¡¯s indeed our factory¡¯s responsibility for such a thing to happen! ¡°If you have any requests, feel free to ask. We¡¯ll try our best to satisfy them!¡± The man sniffed. Although he pretended to be sad, his eyes were bright and shining, revealing his greed for money. ¡°We¡¯ve already made a request previously. We want one million dors aspensation, plus 200 thousand dors for damage caused to our emotions! The boy¡¯s parents worked hard to raise the child. Now that their child is gone, the old couple is already sick. It¡¯s not much to ask for this money!¡± ¡°For apany as big as yours, 1.2 million was only like a drop of water in the ocean!¡± Joanna listened without any expression on her beautiful face! Thepany had bought idental personal insurance for every employee. In this ident, the insurancepany wouldpensate 76 thousand dors! However, thepany would stillpensate him with an additional pension out of humanitarianism! Joanna opened her handbag and took out a check. ¡°This is a check for 400 thousand dors! It¡¯s to express condolences to the family of the deceased!¡± Although she sympathized with the victim, she would not let the victim¡¯s family ask for an exorbitant price. The 400 thousand dors was out of sympathy. If the deceased¡¯s family disagreed, she did not want to settle it privately! Anyway, she already had a bad name. So, she didn¡¯t care about the situation getting worse. Seeing this, the man red at her. ¡°Are you kidding me? We want 1.2 million dors! Are you taking us as a beggar by giving us 400 thousand dors?¡± Joanna¡¯s smile froze. She said calmly, ¡°Sir, I¡¯m also very heartbroken that something like this happened to thepany! Thepany has also bought insurance for every employee. Logically speaking, thepany doesn¡¯t have topensate! ¡°However, out of the spirit of humanity, I¡¯m willing to represent thepany and pay an additional 400 thousand dors!¡± ¡°I think you are very familiar with the market price, right?¡± Joanna said with a hint of mockery in her eyes. Although the second uncle of the victim was dressed like a migrant worker, she could tell at a nce that he was a professional ckmailer. As expected, when this man heard what Joanna said, the corners of his mouth twitched! ¡°A little more. This price is too ridiculous!¡± ¡°I am not adding a single cent!¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was cold and blunt. There was no room for negotiation. ¡°If you agree to settle this privately, ept the money and let the matter rest! Otherwise, we can only go through the judicial process!¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No. 400 thousand dors is too little! If it¡¯s less than one million. I won¡¯t agree to settle it privately!¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and stood up when she heard this. ¡°Since you don¡¯t agree, we can only go through the judicial process!¡± ¡°I think that even if the Human Court gives a verdict, it will definitely not exceed 200 thousand dors!¡± ¡°I have something to settle now. You can leave!¡± Seeing this, the man¡¯s aggressive attitude softened a little. ¡°If you don¡¯tpensate us, we¡¯ll make a ruckus here every day. You guys would never resume work normally!¡± ¡°Up to you! It¡¯s the off¨Cseason now, and many factories are taking long vacations! It¡¯s already challenging for our factory to continue working!¡± ¡°What you¡¯re doing won¡¯t affect the factory at all! It will only affect a group of people who are working to support their families.¡± The man rolled his eyes and said impatiently, ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense!¡± ¡°In any case, we won¡¯t leave until the matter is resolved today!¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s tough for our factory to operate now. If it goes bankrupt, not to mention 400 thousand dors, we won¡¯t even have 200 dors!¡± ¡°Of course! You can sue me personally! This is mywyer. You can talk to him if you need anything! ¡°After the judicial process, I will definitely not go back on my word no matter how much the court asks me topensate! However, it will be at least half a year before you get the money!¡± ¡°It would not affect me. I can wait!¡± When the man heard this, his expression turned gloomy even more! This woman in front of them was really not easy to fool! If they really went to court, they would definitely not be able to gain an even greater advantage. Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Actually, their expectedpensation price was only 600 thousand dors. After all, this kind of thing had to be negotiated! Seeing Joanna¡¯s unyielding attitude, the man could not hold on any longer. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll go back and talk to the boy¡¯s parents!¡± Joanna pursed slightly and said thoughtfully, ¡°I¡¯m going abroad in the afternoon. I might not be back for many days! ¡°You¡¯d better answer by two in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Alright! We will try our best!¡± With that, the man hurried out of the office. They watched silently for the man to leave. Cora and Mr. Brycen could not help but say, ¡°Miss Haynes, isn¡¯tpensating 400 thousand dors too much?¡± ¡°They¡¯re clearly ckmailing us. We can¡¯t spoil them like this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if we really go through the judicial process, we won¡¯t need topensate so much!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°It is to pay respect to the deceased! After all, he is dead. It¡¯s only right to compensate a little more out of humanitarianism.¡± The negotiation was quick. It took less than an hour. Soon, the man returned. ¡°Erm¡­I¡¯ve already discussed it with the boy¡¯s parents. 400 thousand dors it is! ¡°But we want cash!¡± ¡®Deal! ¡°I¡¯ll get the finance department to go to the bank to withdraw the money. You guys can sign a receipt and a guarantee letter!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The man¡¯s eyes were bright and filled with joy. After getting the 400 thousand dors, he and the victim¡¯s family could each get 200 thousand dors! Such a good way to get rich was faster than robbing. Of course, he was happy. ¡°Hurry up and ask those people outside to leave!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± It only took minutes. All the troublemakers gathered at the entrance of the factory had left! The paints and rubbish were also taken away. Michael patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re amazing. You settled the matter with 400 thousand dors! ¡°Before you came, they insisted on 1.2 million dors!¡± Joanna was not in the mood to say too much. ¡°Since the matter has been resolved, hurry up and clean up. Prepare to resume work!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the warehouse!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± They headed to the warehouse. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Joanna, Cora, and the others arrived at the warehouse. The huge warehouse was filled with umted home appliances. Among them, there were the most backlogs of rice cookers and smart cleaning robots. ¡°How many orders are there this month?¡± ¡°I only signed a dozen or so contracts!¡± # These are the stocks. Some time ago, the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group returned the order! Although a portion of the goods were sold, there¡¯s still a huge amount of stock!¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed. ¡°I understand!¡± The employee casualties had been sessfully resolved. However, Joanna was still a little depressed! Looking at the inventory upying severalrge warehouses, she really could not be happy. It was already the end of the year. The total cost of these goods alone was more than 16 million dors! This did not include the cost of electricity, water, rent,bor, and so on! If one could not deal with it, they would not even be able to pay their employees. In the past, when she was a marketing manager, she could get orders everywhere! But now, she was the president of the entirepany! She still had too many things to settle and did not have the energy to run around. In particr, she was about to go against Bruce for custody of the child. Joanna was inspecting the warehouse. Buzz! Buzz! Buz! The phone in her pocket vibrated. She took out her phone and looked at it¡­ The call was from Jaydon. In the past two days, Jaydon had called her a lot! Unfortunately, her phone had always been in Bruce¡¯s hands! Today, she was busying out of the factory and had not had the time to call him back. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± ¡°Joann, why aren¡¯t you answering your phone¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s deep voice came from the other end of the phone. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Jay, where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m abroad now!¡± ¡°Oli!¡± Jaydon paused for two seconds. ¡°Joann, are you alright now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Joanna smiled awkwardly. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me?¡± Jaydon sighed and wanted to say something but hesitated. He had never expected things to turn out this way! What was even more unexpected was that because of him, Joanna was innocently implicated. The Greyport media thought that they were lovers. Now that something like this happened to him, the entertainment reporters would use her as a publicity attraction! Joanna could hear the frustration in Jaydon¡¯s tone and did not know how tofort him! She only said with concern, ¡°Calm down for a while. Don¡¯t go back to Greyport for now! ¡°You cane back and deal with it slowly after the storm is over!¡± ¡°Can you handle it alone? I¡¯m worried about you!¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Michael said that something happened at the factory?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s been sessfully resolved!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he felt even more upset. Such a big thing had happened to the factory, but he had thrown the mess to Joanna. ¡°Joann, are you¡­ angry?¡± ¡°Why would I? You¡¯re good friends! You¡¯ve helped me so much. I can¡¯t thank you enough. Why would I be angry with you?¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice was gentler. ¡°Are you really not angry?¡± ¡°Jay, you¡¯re thinking too much! I won¡¯t be angry.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he felt a little disappointed! Yes! Why would she be angry? She had never loved him! Therefore, even if his private photos with another woman were leaked, she would still be indifferent! ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± ¡°Jay, don¡¯t feel too much pressure when you¡¯re overseas! Just treat it as a vacation. At most, you can start all over again!¡± Joanna knew how it felt to be abused online. She was also afraid that Jaydon would not be able to withstand the pressure and be depressed. Jaydon smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I won¡¯t break down that easily!¡± ¡°Take care of yourself while I¡¯m away!¡± ¡°Yes, I know! You, too, take care of yourself!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡± ¡°Okay. Call me if anything happens!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After Joanna hung up, she was still a little depressed! She did not want to face the entertainment reporters in Greyport these few days. They would write anything to attract attention. It was too scary! ¡°Cora!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Get a private investigator. Help me find someone!¡± ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Joanna turned on her phone and sent a photo to Cora. ¡°Go find Mrs. Maxwell! I¡¯ll send you some information about herter!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Cora was Joanna¡¯s right¨Chand man. She was quick and decisive! After receiving the news, she immediately went to look for a private detective. Joanna sat in the office with a gloomy expression! She has to find this person called Mrs. Maxwell as soon as possible. Mrs. Maxwell was a nurse by Grandfather¡¯s side back then!¡± Six years ago, she was also the one who brought Joanna to Bruce¡¯s room! Only by finding her could Joanna figure out what had happened back then and who had instructed her to do this. Knock! Knock! Knock! There was a knock on the office door. ¡°Come in!¡± Michael pushed open the door and walked in. He held a fewrge stacks of bills and said with a frown, ¡°Miss Haynes, we can¡¯t keep squeezing these goods into the warehouse!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a streamer to sell the goods? We¡¯ll clean up these goods!¡± ¡°Get a streamer to sell goods?¡± Joanna was startled. ¡°That¡¯s right. It is popr in Mossbourne! Some famous streamers can even sell goods as much as 200 million dors daily!¡± Joanna was shocked when she heard that. She did not know much about the live broadcast industry and had never paid attention to this information. Seeing Joanna¡¯s interest, Michael quickly continued, ¡°We have so much inventory. If we can find a good streamer, we might be able to sell them all in less than a day!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it almost the end of the year? It¡¯s the best time to shop!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna was still in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Mossbourne¡¯s emerce industry is very popr now. It¡¯s much more popr than physical stores!¡± ¡°However, these famous streamers are also more difficult to work with!¡± Joanna listened and asked with interest, ¡°Which streamers in Mossbourne are more famous?¡± ¡°Oh, Mossbourne has many emerce tforms now. There are famous streamers on all tforms!¡± ¡°However, for household appliances like ours, finding a streamer with higher credibility is best!¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a streamer called Brother Trumpet now. He¡¯s very good at selling goods! There¡¯s also LeroLife, which was also good!¡± ¡°Every live broadcast they did has at least a few hundred million transactions!¡± As he spoke, Michael turned on his phone. Coincidentally, today was Brother Trumpet¡¯s live broadcast! Michael showed Joanna the live broadcast video. Joanna took the phone and looked at it for a while. She was overjoyed. ¡°We can give it a try!¡± ¡°Contact them immediately!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± + Arge Greyportpany like the Haynes Group did not have to worry about sales! Such arge brand was usually unwilling to find a streamer to sell goods! However, it might be a good way to keep up with the development of society! It was a fresh morning. Joanna called Michael early in the morning. ¡°Michael, what did the live streamer you found respond?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes., Michael hesitated! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t the negotiation go well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid Brother Trumpet and LeroLife can¡¯t take the job. We haven¡¯t reached an agreement!¡± ¡°What is the reason?¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and say it. Don¡¯t be so hesitant!¡± The person in charge of Brother Trumpet¡¯d mediapany said that the Haynes Group doesn¡¯t have a good reputation, and they don¡¯t dare to cooperate!¡± The person in charge at LeroLife¡¯s side said that their schedules are full!¡± When Joanna heard that, she fell silent! She was practically a slit on the Inte now. Everyone could not wait to cut ties with her! Although Greyport Media¡¯s focus differed from Mossbourne¡¯s, many people still paid attention to Joanna¡¯s rumors. These big streamers had finally gained the trust of arge number of fans. Naturally, they did not dare to take the risk of ticking the drop of their fans! ¡°I got it!¡± After Joanna hung up, she calmly thought about it! She decided to look for Brother Trumpet herself. Especially now that Jaydon was not around, she had to clear the backlog of goods as soon as possible! ¡°Miss Haynes, do you really n to go to Greene Town personally?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I heard that Brother Trumpet has a bad temper. Since he has rejected it, let¡¯s find another streamer to work with!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s give it a try!¡± Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Joanna took a simple bath! Then, she took Cora, Michael, and his other assistant. Nichs, directly to Greene Town! Greene City was about kilometers away from Porash. It would only take two hours by car! Meanwhile, Bruce knew only about Rosalie¡¯s matter the following day. His phone was turned off. Andy only reported to him the next morning about Joanna leaving the hospital. ¡°What are you talking about? Joanna has left the hospital?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett! Miss Haynes left the hospital yesterday¡­¡± Before Andy could finish, Bruce flew into a rage. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to watch over her?¡± Seeing that Bruce was angry, Andy was so frightened that his face turned pale. He shrank his neck and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, you know how stubborn Miss Haynes is! ¡°If she wants to leave, I can¡¯t stop her at all. I don¡¯t dare to stop her!¡± ¡°Useless!¡± Bruce cursed angrily. The doctor had specially instructed that Joanna¡¯s health was very bad and that she had to be hospitalized for at least a week! Now that she left the hospital, danger could happen at any time. The more Bruce thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He quickly took out his phone and called her. Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna¡¯s phone beeped. Joanna was leaning against the back seat with her eyes closed. The phone in her bag vibrated! Joanna took out her phone and saw that it was Bruce calling. She immediately hung up! She didn¡¯t want to answer his call! This damn bastard. Nothing good would happen if he were by her side! ¡°Damned woman! She is not answering my call again!¡± Joanna did not answer his call. Bruce was so angry that he could only grit his teeth. He just wanted to care about her! Not only did she not appreciate his kindness, but she was also guarding against him like a he was a thief! ¡°Prepare the car. Go to the Haynes Group immediately!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you don¡¯t have to go! Miss Haynes isn¡¯t in Greyport!¡± ¡°Where did she go?¡± ¡°I called Luna this morning. She said Miss Haynes went to Mossbourne.¡± ¡°Check the location of her phone and see where she is now. Send it to me immediately.¡± 1/5 Chapter 199 ¡°Yes!¡± Andy did not dare to hesitate. He hurriedly turned on the tracker and tracked the location of Joanna¡¯s phone. Ten minutester¡­ Andy sent Joanna¡¯s phone status to Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes¡¯s phone is currently in Greene Town.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Why is she going to Greene Town?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I call Luna?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Andy quickly called Luna to ask why Joanna was going to Greene Town! However, Joanna did not tell anyone why she went to Greene Town. Naturally, Luna did not know. ¡°Mr. Everett, I just asked Luna! She said that she doesn¡¯t know either. Miss Haynes didn¡¯t tell anyone about going to Greene Town!¡± ¡°Then why would she go to Greene Town:¡± Bruce frowned even more. Forget it. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask. It was better to go straight to her. ¡°Give me the keys!¡± When Andy heard this, he immediately guessed that Bruce was going to look for Joanna. He quickly reminded him, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Lurk will return from Europea in the afternoon!¡± ¡°We missed our appointmentst time. Mr. Everett, aren¡¯t you meeting him this time?¡± When Bruce heard this, he realized he had an appointment to discuss a coboration! He had canceled the meeting with Mr. Lurkst week. It would be a little unreasonable if he did not go this time. After thinking about it, he decided to deal with thepany¡¯s matters first! It was ten in the evening. Joanna, Cora, and the others had arrived at Greene Town! They were at Trumpet Media¡¯s office. Standing at the entrance of the tall building, Michael introduced, ¡°Miss Haynes, this is Brother Trumpet¡¯s live broadcastpany!¡± Joanna looked up! The signboard at the entrance was very imposing and looked quite decent. It did not look like an inte celebritypany, but a serious business building. ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna and Cora walked in front while Micheal and Nichs followed behind. 12:41 Sat, 8 Jul Chapter 199 They met the front desk when they entered. When the customer service staff saw someoneing over, they asked politely, ¡°Hello, do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°No. We want to talk about a coboration.¡± ¡°Oh, if you want to discuss a coboration, you can look for Mr. Zacky! ¡°However, Mr. Zacky is in a meeting now. He might only be free in the afternoon!¡± Cora asked politely, ¡°Can we look for Brother Trumpet?¡± I¡¯m sorry. You have to make an appointment in advance to meet the president!¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s meet Mr. Zacky in the afternoon!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make an appointment for you first!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Cora and Michael couldn¡¯t help but purse their lips. Miss Haynes was really¡­ too hardworking! She was so humble as to look for an inte celebrity to discuss a coboration.. Actually, there was no need for her to work like this. As long as she lowered her head slightly to Mr. Everett, he could settle everything for her, not to mention dealing with the factory¡¯s inventory. Even if she didn¡¯t do anything, she could lie on the bed and count money. Unfortunately, she would rather suffer than ept Mr. Everett¡¯s help. It was finally the afternoon. They had waited for hours. Joanna and Cora waited until two in the afternoon. ¡°Hello, has Mr. Zacky finished his meeting?¡± The customer service staff said casually, ¡°Mr. Zacky has something on and went out!¡± Joanna was speechless. Michael was more furious. ¡°Didn¡¯t you make an appointment for us? Why is yourpany so unreliable?¡± When the customer service staff heard this, their attitude became even more arrogant. ¡°Mr. Zacky has something on and has to go out. There¡¯s nothing we can do! ¡°If you want to see Mr. Zacky, you can only make an appointment tomorrow!¡± ¡°Tomorrow? We¡¯vee a long way!¡± Joanna stopped Michael and looked at the customer service with a smile. ¡°Hello, can you give him a call for us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We have to follow the procedure! If you don¡¯t want to wait, go back!¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. As the customer service staff spoke, she sat down and pretended to check herputer. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t we go back first?¡± Chapter 199 ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna failed to meet the manager. The few of them walked out of Trumpet Media¡¯s office gloomily. Michael and Nichs were furious! Although the live streamer industry had a certain amount of influence, such a hugepany like the Haynes Group was willing to take the initiative to cooperate with them. To be honest, they should be grateful. Joanna had left the office. After she left, the customer service staff at the front desk couldn¡¯t help but discuss, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think that woman just now looks a little like Miss Haynes?¡± That Miss Haynes?¡± ¡°Who else can Miss Haynes we talk about be?¡± The Greyport¡¯s former top socialite and the ex-wife of Greyport¡¯s richest man?¡± ¡°It looks like it!¡± The other customer service staff was speechless. ¡°No way? Impossible!¡± ¡°She¡¯s the director of the Haynes Group. Why is she here to discuss a coboration with Brother Trumpet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s a top-notch wealthy family. They are from a bigpany. Why would theye to discuss a coboration with a streamer?¡± ¡°It might be true!¡± ¡°Who cares if it is or not? It has nothing to do with us! We¡¯re just gossiping!¡± Joanna and the others returned to the car. The few of them had waited for half a day and did not even have time to eat. Now, they were tired and hungry! What was even more infuriating was that they did not even see a manager, let alone Brother Trumpet. ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do now? Are we going back?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to eat first! We¡¯ll think of a solution after lunch!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± The few of them found a restaurant nearby! During lunch, Michael couldn¡¯t help butfort her again. ¡°Miss Haynes, forget it if we can¡¯t find them!¡± Nichs chimed in. ¡°He is just an inte celebrity, yet he is showing how powerful he is!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He is only an inte celebrity! If we can¡¯t work with him, we¡¯ll find another streamer.¡± Joanna stirred the coffee in her cup and frowned. ¡°It seems that it¡¯s impossible to see Brother Trumpet through Mr. Zacky! ¡°It¡¯s best to find another way to meet and discuss it with him in person!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Usually, it would be easier to find the boss.¡± I contacted the manager of theirpany previously. When he heard it was the Haynes Group, he hung up without saying much! It¡¯s as if our Haynes Group is very unpresentable!¡± Indeed! Even though the Haynes Group was already on the decline, it was still a Greyportpany. Previously, they had mainly cooperated with foreign countries. After Joanna took over the Haynes Group, she wanted to open up the Mossbourne market. Therefore, she built a factory in Porash and invested most of her energy into Mossbourne. Cora and Michael were still cursing, but Joanna was not discouraged at all. ¡°Think about it. Where can we meet Brother Trumpet?¡± Nichs often watched live broadcasts and was a fan of Brother Trumpet! He knew some of Brother Trumpet¡¯s habits. ¡°Miss Haynes. I heard that this Brother Trumpet likes to work out! He goes to a gym every day to work out. We can wait for him in the parking lot of the gym!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We can give it a try!¡± Chapter 200 Chapter 200 When Nichs heard that, he scratched his head again. ¡°Miss Haynes, that¡¯s what I heard! But I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Also, there are so many gyms in Greene Town. I don¡¯t know which gym he will go to! Also, I don¡¯t know his daily habits,¡± Joanna pondered for a while and said, ¡°Let¡¯s try our luck!¡± Cora frowned. ¡°But there are so many gyms. We don¡¯t know which gym he will be in!¡± Joanna thought for a moment. ¡°Turn on the navigation and search the nearby gyms!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± As Michael spoke, he quickly turned on the navigation on his phone. Then, he searched for the gym nearby! Seconds passed¡­ The search results were out! There were seven to eight gyms nearby! ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡¯ve found them!¡± ¡°Show them to me!¡± ¡°Here you go!¡± Joanna took the phone and looked at it. Of these seven or eight gyms, the closest was one kilometer away. The other two were four to five kilometers away. There was another one more than 20 kilometers away! Joanna observed. The most high¨Cend gym was 20 kilometers away! This gym was an international chain store! Many socialites and rich second¨Cgeneration heirs liked to go there! Based on Brother Trumpet¡¯s current spending level, he would definitely choose the most expensive one. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ go to this gym!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, this gym is more than 20 kilometers away from here! Would Brother Trumpet go so far away from thepany to work out?¡± Joanna smiled slightly. ¡°This gym is the most high¨Cend. The membership fee is tens of thousands of dors a year!¡± ¡°Brother Trumpet used to be an ordinary person, but now he¡¯s a famous inte celebrity. What he wants to do the most is toe into contact with upper¨Css society. Heely choose to go here!¡± ¡°That makes sense!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s try our luck!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Hurry up and pay the bill!¡± Chapter 200 They acted quickly. After they paid the bill, they directly navigated to the gym! Half an hourter, they arrived. Michael drove to the underground parking lot of the gym! That gym was very private. Outsiders were not allowed to enter! However, Joanna had the VIP membership card of this gym, which was universally used throughout the nation! Therefore, they entered the parking lot smoothly. The parking lot was filled with luxury cars! ¡°Do you think we will see him here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying my luck. It doesn¡¯t matter if we did not see hitn!¡± Joanna said. He was still not very However, they were really lucky today. Joanna had guessed correctly! They waited for less than half an hour! The elevator door to the underground parking lot opened. A few people walked out of the elevator. The leader was a handsome young man in his thirties. He was wearing a cap and casual clothes! confident! As he walked, he lowered his head and looked at his phone. The young man walked in front, followed by three to four assistants! The group of people quickly walked towards a luxury car! Nichs had sharp eyes. Even though Brother Trumpet was dressed very low¨Ckey, he recognized him immediately! ¡°Miss Haynes, that¡­ that person seems to be Brother Trumpet!¡± Nichs said excitedly and hurriedly pointed with his finger. Joanna heard this and did not have time to think much. ¡°Get out of the car quickly!¡± As Joanna spoke, she had already pushed open the car door and ran over! Cora and Michael got out of the car and quickly followed behind! The assistants beside Brothe Trumpet! ¡°Who are you guys?¡± Trumpet thought they had encountered a fan and hurriedly stood in front of Brother Joanna had already approached him. She steadied her heartbeat and revealed a professional smile. ¡°Hello!¡± Brother Trumpet was also stunned for a moment. He looked at Joanna in surprise. He was now a big inte celebrity and would encounter many fans when he went out. Fans would often follow him. Therefore, he had to bring a few bodyguards when he went out! Joanna caught her breath and looked at Brother Trumpet. Brother Trumpet was about 5.7 feet tall and had delicate facial features. Although he wore a cap, his face still revealed a hint. Chapter 200 of shrewdness! ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Excuse me, are you Brother Trumpet?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Brother Trumpet couldn¡¯t figure out the purpose of Joanna and the others, so he answered in a muffled manner. At first, he thought that he had met a fan. Now that he looked closer at the woman before him, he saw her wearing a business suit andrge ck¨Cframed sses! It was obvious that she was a professional woman! Although Joanna wore no makeup, her skin was surprisingly fair. Even though she worerge ck¨C framed sses, her exquisite facial features could still be seen. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°Hello, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Joanna Haynes. I¡¯m waiting for you here. I want to discuss the cooperation of selling goods with you!¡± Joanna directly exined the purpose of his visit to prevent others from misunderstanding. ¡°Joanna Haynes?¡± Brother Trumpet looked surprised as he looked at Joanna again. Although he did not know Joanna, the Greyport media was so popr that he had more or less seen some rumors. After all, Joanna was Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cwife! Just this identity alone was destined to bring chaos to her for the rest of her life! ¡°Oh, hello!¡± ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± ¡°Excuse me!¡± Joanna politely extended her hand and took the initiative to shake his hand. Instinctively, Brother Trumpet reached out and shook her hand like a gentleman. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this. I came here today to discuss cooperation with you, Brother Trumpet!¡± When Brother Trumpet heard this, he was stunned again! Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cwife was actually looking for him to discuss a coboration! He was really a little surprised. The assistant behind Brother Trumpet stepped forward and said, ¡°Well, if you want to talk about cooperation and delivery, please go to ourpany to look for the marketing department!¡± Joanna smiled feluctantly. ¡°We¡¯ve already looked for you, but we have to make an appointment!¡± ¡°We specially rushed over from Greyport. We might not have that much time to wait!¡± ¡°Therefore, I want to meet Brother Trumpet and talk to him in person!¡± When Brother Trumpet heard this, his eyes lit up. No matter what, the Haynes Group was a listedpany. Logically speaking, there were many channels! ¡°Erm, I¡¯m not free today. I have to rush back to do a live broadcast!¡± Brother Trumpet replied directly. Chapter When Joanna heard this, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face. ¡°Then¡­ can you leave a contact number?¡± The assistant beside him said directly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! We¡¯re in a hurry!¡± Brother Trumpet stopped his assistant in time. ¡°Give her my business card!¡± ¡°Okay, Brother Trumpet!¡± The assistant quickly took out a business card from his bag and handed it to Joannia. ¡°This is Brother Trumpet¡¯s business card!¡± Joanna quickly took out her business card and handed it to Brother Trumpet. ¡°This is my business card! I hope we can work together.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Brother Trumpet waved his hand politely before getting into the car Chapter 201 Chapter 201 ¡°Get in the car. Let¡¯s get back to Greyport as soon as possible!¡± Joanna looked at her watch. It was already past four in the afternoon! If there were no traffic, it would probably be past six o¡¯clock when they returned to Porash. She had not returned home for two days. She had to go home tonight. ¡°Wait. I need to go to the bathroom!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± With that. Joanna and Cora walked to the bathroom. Cora was faster. After going to the toilet, she was the first toe out. Joanna had been thinking about something, so she was slower! She was done with the toilet and was ready to go out! Unexpectedly, something happened as soon as she opened the toilet door! A man wearing a cap and a mask stood outside the toilet! Before Joanna could react, the man in the cap held a dagger and stabbed it into her chest. Joanna was shocked. She quickly raised the bag in her hand to block! Ssh! The foot¨Clong dagger pierced through the crocodile skin leather bag. It was obvious how much strength he had used. If this de pierced her heart, she would definitely die from it. ¡°Ah! ¡°Help!¡± Seeing that he did not stab Joanna, the man suddenly pulled out his dagger and stabbed her again! This time, Joanna had time to react. She suddenly reached out and grabbed the man¡¯s wrist! The de was sawing before their eyes! ¡°Help! Someone help!¡± Joanna shouted in fear! After all, she was a woman and did not have enough strength! The man in the cap broke free from Joanna¡¯s hand and stabbed her a few more times. Although Joanna had learned female self¨Cdefense, the cramped space was insufficient for her to use them. Especially since the other party was holding a murder weapon. Joanna¡¯s arm was cut while they entangled. Blood instantly seeped through her shirt. Chapter 201 Joanna raised the bag and threw it at the man frantically! ¡°Ah!¡± The man panicked when he failed to hit a vital spot after stabbing a few times! Cora heard the screams from outside and rushed in to take a look! ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Cora was also shocked when she entered. She quickly picked up the mop beside her and hit the man¡¯s head hard. She shouted, ¡°Michael. Nichs,e here quickly!¡± The man in the cap was struck on the head. His vision turned ck, and he almost fainted! Seeing the situation, Joanna turned around, grabbed the trash can in the toilet, and mmed it on the killer¡¯s head. ¡°Somebody! Anyone! Help!¡± The killer had a trash can on his head and couldn¡¯t see where he was going. The dagger in his hand also fell to the ground! When Michael and Nichs heard the exmation, they ignored that it happened in the female toilet and ran in aggressively. ¡°What people?¡± This is an killer. He wants to kill me. Call the police!¡± Joanna¡¯s arm was cut, and blood kept flowing. Without another word, Michael and Nichs stepped forward and kicked the killer to the ground! Nichs pounced on him and kneed the back of his hand, pinning him down. ¡°Miss Haynes, how are you?¡± Cora dropped the mop in his hand and rushed forward to check on Joanna¡¯s arm. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hurry up and call the police. Call the security guards here!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± The killer prostrated on the ground, no longer able to struggle! ¡°Who are you? Why do you want to kill me?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, take him to the police station first!¡± As Nichs spoke, he twisted the killer¡¯s arm and dragged him out of the bathroom! The three of them waited anxiously for the security guards to arrive. The killer leaned weakly against the railing! He looked powerless to resist. Seeing this, Nichs let down his guard! Unexpectedly, Nichs had just let down his guard! The killer suddenly broke free from his grip, flipped over, and jumped down from the railing on the second floor. Ssh! The killer fell hard on the ground. Then, he got up and limped out of the door. 12:42 Sat, Chapter 201 ¡°Go after him!¡± What a pity! By the time Nichs ran down the stairs to give chase, the killer had already disappeared. ¡°Where is he? Where is he?¡± Michael rushed over with a few security guards. ¡°I identally let him escape,¡± Nichs said dejectedly. Joanna was even more terrified! Fortunately, she had reacted quickly just now. If she had reacted a little slower, the knife would not have cut her arm, but it would have stabbed into her heart! She never thought that she would encounter a killer here! ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He got away!¡± Minutester¡­ The police rushed over, and Joanna gave her statements! Joanna thought back carefully. This person was probably the same person as the man who bumped into her in a car a few days ago! A few days ago, Bruce chased her when a car hit her on the street. Obviously, these two incidents were not a coincidence! ¡°Ms. Haynes, do you know anyone holding a grudge against you?¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned and thought hard! Her enemies were probably only Ingrid and Bruce!. But Bruce would definitely not hire someone to kill her! Among the remaining people, only Ingrid was the greatest suspect. However, these were only suspicions. After all, there was no concrete evidence! ¡°Alright! The statement has been recorded. If there¡¯s any news, the police will inform you anytime!¡± ¡°Okay, thank you!¡± The few of them left the police station! Cora said worriedly, ¡°Miss Haynes, let¡¯s go to the hospital to bandage your arm!¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°No need. I¡¯m worried that an ident will happen. Let¡¯s go back to Greyport first!¡± After all, she was unfamiliar with Greene Town. If she encountered another killer, she would not be so lucky! ¡°Okay!¡± Cora went to the pharmacy and bought bandages and tape. She also bought iodine to disinfect Joanna¡¯s wound. 12:42 Sat, 8 Ju Chapter 201 After bandaging the wound, they quickly drove to Greyport. They arrived at Greyport after a long drive. It was already past eight in the evening. ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡¯re at your house!¡± Nichs got out of the car and opened the door. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna got out of the car in frustration. Cora looked serious. ¡°Miss Haynes, call me if anything happens!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I send you upstairs?¡± ¡°No need!¡± The ce where Joanna lived was considered a rtively high¨Cend district in Greyport! Killers probably couldn¡¯t enter. ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°Yes, you too!¡± Joanna dragged her exhausted body and walked home! She had just reached the elevator door and was about to enter. Suddenly, a huge ck shadowpletely enveloped her! ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed reflexively, thinking that it was another killer! ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Bruce quickly exined when he saw how frightened she was. Joanna turned around and realized that it was Bruce! Her heart was still pounding in panic. ¡°Bruce, you almost scared me to death!¡± Bruce did not know she had just met a killer and almost lost her life! He thought she did not want to see him because she was so agitated. So, his expression changed. ¡°Where did you go?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and replied coldly, ¡°It has nothing to do with you!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that he was about to explode. ¡°Joanna, you could really piss me off!¡± He was already so tolerant and amodating to her, but she was getting more and more arrogant! He had lived for almost 30 years, but this was the first time he had been so humble to others.. Joanna was still in shock. The appearance of Bruce made her even more terrified and anxious. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m exhausted now. I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you!¡± ¡°I beg you to let me go. Let me go back to rest!¡± When Bruce heard this, he stomped his feet in anger. He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms. However, he identally caught her wound. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed in pain and broke out in a cold sweat. Chapter 201 Bruce was also shocked when he heard that. He quickly lowered his head to check. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyebrows twitched in pain. She subconsciously pressed on the wound. Bruce looked down! Suddenly, he was so shocked that he froze! Her arm was wrapped in thick gauze. Even with such thick gauze, there was still blood on the outside! Her clothes were covered in blood, and she was in a pathetic state. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you injured again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°You¡¯re bleeding so much, and you still say you¡¯re fine? Don¡¯t you know how to take care of yourself?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°Go with me to the hospital!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going!¡± Joanna struggled with all her might. If she went to the hospital, the paranoid Bruce would restrict her freedom again. ¡°You have to go even if you don¡¯t want to! If you don¡¯t take your body seriously, you¡¯ll die soon!¡± ¡°Bruce, can you not force me? You¡¯re so annoying!¡± When Bruce heard this, his pupils constricted, and his hands subconsciously loosened their grip. Did she really hate him that much? Joanna broke free and turned around to escape. Chapter 202 Chapter 202 ¡°Joanna, stop right there! Exin yourself?¡± I told you, it¡¯s none of your business¡± Joanna said and ran a few more steps forward! She didn¡¯t want to see him for even a second. She could only escape back to her room like an ostrich and recuperate alone! Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Bruce chased after her and pressed her against the wall! Joanna, what would make you listen to me?¡± Bruce stared into her eyes. Her eyes were watery, and there was a hint of confusion and exhaustion in them. Her delicate little face was pale and sickly. His heart couldn¡¯t help but clench when he saw it. A few secondster¡­ Bruce could no longer control himself. He lowered his head and kissed her lips deeply. This time, his kiss was not very intense. He only gently held her in his arms. ¡°Bruce¡­ Hmm¡­ Joanna resisted fiercely. Bruce kissed her even more deeply! This damn woman was unmoved by force or persuasion, stubborn and sharp. He had never realized that she had such a strong personality. Only by conquering her body could he temporarily conquer her! ¡°Ugh! Bruce, let go of me¡­ Don¡¯t touch me¡­ Joanna desperately wanted to hit him! Unfortunately, she was covered in injuries. Even if it was just a light punch, she did not have the strength. Bruce kissed for a while. Joanna¡¯s entire body went limp, and she was powerless to struggle! Bruce stopped and gently lifted her chin. He still couldn¡¯t bear to force himself on her! ¡°Do you have to make me so angry? Do you have to worry me so much for you to be happy?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was hoarse and deep! It was like a poison that had been soaked in honey! Joanna didn¡¯t want to talk. She looked at Bruce in exhaustion! Between her and Bruce, true love was entangled and tiring! She really wanted to be free! ¡°Joanna, let me ask you one question. Do you still love me?¡± Chapter 202 *1¡­ don¡¯t love you!¡± Joanna looked at him nkly! Her eyes were filled with deep resistance. How could she dare to love him again? Joanna would rather not have love. She would rather be single for the rest of her life than love him again. It was a little painful! Tasting once was enough. Bruce sneered at her answer. ¡°You¡¯re lying¡± How could she not love him? He didn¡¯t believe it! She used to love him so much. He did not believe that she would forget him so easily! ¡°Believe it or not, I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore!¡± ¡°Look me in the eye and answer me seriously!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding. She barely raised her head to look at him! What a pity! She had always been at a disadvantage when she looked at him! ¡°I don¡¯t love you. I¡¯ve never loved you!¡± Joanna said angrily. She did not dare to look him in the eye! ¡°You can¡¯t even look me in the eye. How dare you say that you don¡¯t love me?¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°Hmph, alright. So what if I say that I love you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my her again!¡± brother¨Cinw now, and my sister is pregnant with your child! What do you want me to do? Take you away from Then you¡¯ll continue to torture me. You will continue to love Roxanne, and make three people suffer? You¡¯ll continue to make everyone in Greyport scold me.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached. ¡°Joanna, can you not be so harsh?¡± ¡°Hmph, Bruce, you don¡¯t have to say all this! ¡°It¡¯s your nature to love two people at one time! ¡°When you were with me, you kept thinking about Roxanne! When you were with Roxanne, you came to pester me crazily! ¡°Is it really okay for you to be like this? Do you think you¡¯re the emperor? Do you think you can choose any of the three pces and six courtyards?¡± Bruce took a deep breath Joanna, it¡¯s not like this! There was a misunderstanding between us from the beginning. Why can¡¯t you believe me?¡± Bruce shook her shoulder and tried to make her believe him! Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten! Six years ago, she exined that she did not take the initiative to climb into his bed! He did not believe a word of it either! Chapter 202 But now, after the two of them had exchanged ces! Only then did he feel how ufortable and disappointed this feeling was! ¡°Can you give me a chance to exin?¡± Joanna shrugged and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s over between us! Let¡¯s draw a full stop between us!¡± ¡°Impossible! Never! You belong to me. You can only belong to me for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°You were the one who wanted a divorce, and you were the one who abandoned me! ¡°What do you want to do now? You want to prove yourself wrong as long as you prove that you regret it!¡± ¡°Say whatever you want to say! ¡°I love you. I don¡¯t want to lose you!¡± Bruce said passionately, wanting to pull her into his arms. Joanna sneered and struggled with all her might to maintain a distance of two feet from him! ¡°Don¡¯t touch me again. If you love me, please respect me!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t touch you! In order to prove that I love you, I¡¯ll definitely not touch you!¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Joanna, I know you love me. Let¡¯s start over!¡± ¡°Those which weren¡¯t happy in the past, forget them!¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t you think what you¡¯re doing is cruel to Roxanne? ¡°You¡¯ve already hurt me deeply. Don¡¯t hurt Roxanne again! She has your child now. You should be responsible for her and take responsibility!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no love between us!¡± Bruce was a little exasperated! ¡°Is this called abandonment?¡± ¡°Ha, men! They¡¯re all the same! Even if they don¡¯t love a woman, they can still do that kind of thing with her with a clear conscience!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in anger! He really did not want to be too rough with her! However, she could always provoke his most sensitive part andpletely anger him! Bruce did not say anything else. He bent down and picked her up. ¡°What are you doing? You said you wouldn¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°Let go!¡± Bruce waspletely enraged. He picked her up horizontally and stuffed her into the front passenger seat! Seeing this, Joanna panicked! ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Bruce looked rmned. ¡°Don¡¯t move around. If you move around here, I can¡¯t guarantee what I¡¯ll do.¡± Chapter 202 Joanna didn¡¯t dare to move anymore! This damned bastard! It was better not to fight him head¨Con! Bruce started the car and drove away! ¡°Where are you taking me? Where are you going?¡± Joanna was still a little afraid! He had brought her up the mountain before. On the mountain, she was ruthlessly tortured by him the entire night! She was afraid of him! She swore that she would never let him touch her again, let alone have that kind of rtionship with him! ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to bring me¡­¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°Hmph, is that what you think of me? In your heart, I¡¯m a bastard who only knows violence?¡± Joanna stopped refuting. Bruce could pamper a woman when he was nice! He was a perfect person when he was in a good mood! However, the more gentle such a person was, the more terrifying he was! First, he would dote on one and let one be intoxicated by happiness and fairy tales! Then, he would throw you to the ground! He would make you fall to pieces and suffer. This kind of bipr reversal was the key. Therefore, she would rather never have loved him!.. Twenty minutester¡­ Reagan No. 8 Residence¡­. Bruce brought Joanna back to Reagan No. S Residence! That was the house they used to live in when they were married! ¡°Mr. Everell, you¡¯re back?¡± The servants hurriedly went forward to greet him. Joanna was even angrier. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± ¡°Nothing? I just want to be alone with you! ¡°Get out of the car!¡± Joanna got out of the car obediently and followed Bruce back to his room! That ce was exactly the same as when she left! Clean, elegant, and fresh!. Unfortunately, she had never been happy when she was here in the past! Even so, she still foolishly waited for him toe home every day! She always hoped that she could touch him one day! Bruce took out the first aid kit. ¡°Take off your coat!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Bandage the wound!¡± ¡°No need!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and obediently took off her coat! Bruce brought the first aid kit over. He took out iodine and disinfectant and carefully cleaned her wound! Then, he applied medicine to her! He looked very focused, as if he was doing something very serious. Joanna looked at his side profile. As she looked at him, her eyes actually welled up in tears! In the past, she yearned for him to be by her side, even for a day! Now, he was by her side! But other than being sad, she was still sad! Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Bruce carefully treated her wound and carefully bandaged it. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the water. Remember to change your dressing every day!¡± Joanna did not reply. Her thoughts were brought back to four years ago. Everything here was still the same. Even the half¨Cused skincare products on the dressing table were still in their original positions. Everything seemed like it had happened yesterday. Seeing that Joanna was silent, Bruce added in a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Do you hear me?¡± Joanna held her breath. ¡°I hear you!¡± ¡°Alright! Rest early!¡± Bruce reached out and touched the top of her head. This action was like petting his beloved pet. He doted on her but was also as high and mighty as a master. Joanna was a little disgusted. She pped his hand away with a cold expression. ¡°You asked me to come over just to bandage my wound?¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a cold sneer. ¡°What else can I do?¡± ¡°Of course! If you want to do something else, I can apany you!¡± After saying that, Bruce stepped forward and reached. out to hook her chin! ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Joanna tilted her head to the side and stood up! ¡°What are you doing now?¡± ¡°Now that the wound has been bandaged, I should go back!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave today!¡± ¡°Bruce, what exactly do you want?¡± Bruce was also a little impatient. ¡°Don¡¯t keep asking me what I want to do! I¡¯ve told you before. I just want to be alone with you for a while!¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce coldly. She really could not understand what this damn man was thinking. ¡°Anyway, this ce has always been empty. It¡¯s not a good living environment for you and Lilia to live in such a small house! ¡°Bring Lilia back to stay here! It¡¯s safer.¡± Although Reagan No. 8 Residence was not as luxurious as the Everett mansion or Sherane Bay Vi, it was still one of the top ten mansions of Greyport. They had too many memories of their previous wedding room. In the past, Bruce did not want to remember these things. After all, those memories were not very good and had always been a forbidden ce in his heart. But now, he suddenly felt that those memories were beautiful. Because, at that time, shepletely belonged to him. Joanna looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°Did I hear wrongly?¡± ¡°I hope you and Lilia live in a morefortable environment. I can¡¯t let my daughter live in a house like that. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Joanna sneered and ignored him. There were too many painful memories for Joanna. Now, he was asking her to move back here for no reason. What was he thinking? ¡°What are you sneering at?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sneering! Mr. Everett, I¡¯m very grateful for your kindness!¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But I¡¯m very sorry. I have my way of life. I don¡¯t want anyone to arrange it for me!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with determination. It was not easy for her to climb out of the swamp, so how could she jump in so easily? No matter how affectionate he pretended to be, he was still a hunter who wanted to capture his prey. ¡°Joanna, I really can¡¯t read your mind. Why do you insist on asking for trouble¡­ As Bruce spoke, a trace of gloominess suddenly appeared under his eyes. ¡°If you can¡¯t guess, don¡¯t guess. I only hope that we can get along as friends! ¡°I¡¯ll fight for custody of the children at court next week! No matter what, I won¡¯t give up custody of the children.¡± ¡°Therefore, you don¡¯t have to y these tricks anymore!¡± When Bruce heard this, his anger soared! He had done so much. In her eyes, he was just ying tricks to snatch the children¡¯s custody. ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t talk so much nonsense with you! Think whatever you want!¡± ¡°I want to go home now! Can I? ¡°I really can¡¯t rest well here! I haven¡¯t been home for two days. I have to go home tonight!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re focused on your work. Do you think you can be a good mother?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. ¡°Bruce, you have no right to judge if I can be a good mother!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the children¡¯s father, so I naturally have the right to judge you. If you can¡¯t give the children enough companionship and motherly love, I won¡¯t let the children stay by your side!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so funny! From the moment the children were born, I worked hard to raise them until now! ¡°What right do you have to take my child?¡± The children are not yours alone! I can¡¯t be as willful as you! I will provide the children with the best education and living environment! You can¡¯tpare to me in these!¡± Joanna was angry and anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean that you¡¯re richer than me?¡± ¡°Yes. Money can do many things that others can¡¯t!¡± Bruce looked straight at Joanna. He did not want to fight with her for custody of the children in the past! Chapter 203 However, from the looks of it now, she could only be tied to his side if he won the custody of the children. Joanna stared at him for a few seconds and suppressed her anger. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk nonsense with you. Let¡¯s meet in court!¡± With that, Joanna picked up her bag and wanted to leave. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Seeing this, Bruce was instantly furious. ¡°Joanna, I think you really need to be taught a lesson¡­¡± Bruce blocked her way as he spoke and forced her back to the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be angry with you. Why do you always have to challenge my bottom line?¡± Joanna subconsciously took a step back. Bruce covered her in his shadow. ¡°What do you want to do? Get up!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was gloomy. He pushed her shoulders and pushed her onto the bed! This damn woman. She would really be disobedient if he didn¡¯t teach her a lesson! ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna lost her bnce and sank into the soft mattress. There was a hint of fear in her eyes. Bruce stepped onto the bed with a dark expression and casually undid his tie. Joanna panicked and subconsciously moved to the side. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t touch me! You said that you wouldn¡¯t force me in the future!¡± Yeah! I did! But only if you don¡¯t piss me off!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already furious now. You should know what the consequences are!¡± Bruce said and heavily pressed his body on hers. ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t do this¡­¡± Joanna struggled in fear. Unfortunately, her entire body was in pain, and he restrained her. She was powerless to resist¡­. Bruce had already tolerated her for too long. He did not want to tolerate it anymore. He didn¡¯t give her much chance to resist and directly¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna gasped and broke out in a cold sweat. As always! He liked to see her submit! Therefore, he showed no mercy. An hourter¡­. Joanna had lost consciousness! She didn¡¯t know if it was from exhaustion or pain. No matter how he forced himself on her, she was like a soulless doll, motionless. Soon, it was eight o¡¯clock in the morning! Bruce woke up before she did. Joanna was still unconscious. Bruce habitually lit a cigarette and nced at Joanna. Her neck was covered in purple marks, and her hair was scattered on the pillow, revealing her delicate and fair jawline. Bruce blew out a mouthful of smoke in satisfaction and reached out to brush the loose hair on her face. Chapter 204 Thinking back tost night, he still felt like he hadn¡¯t had enough. That feeling was really addictive! If not for the fact that she was still sound asleep, he really wanted to¡­. Bruce looked at his watch. It was almost half past eight! He had an important meeting at thepany today, so he could not be absent. He could only leave the warm andfortable bed! Ten minutes had passed. Bruce changed his clothes and saw that Joanna was still sleeping soundly! That was really strange. It seemed like she was really tiredst night. Bruce came to the head of the bed and kissed her forehead! He was prepared to say goodbye to her, who was sleeping soundly. When his hand touched her forehead, he realized that her forehead felt hot. Bruce was shocked. He quickly checked her body temperature again before realizing that she had a high fever. ¡°Why do you have a fever? Joann! Joann!¡± Joanna opened her eyes in a daze and closed them weakly. In the past few days, she had suffered consecutive disasters and was overworked. Her immunity had rapidly decreased, and she had a high fever! There was no need to go to the hospital for these minor illnesses. It would be better just to get the family doctor toe over. Beep! Beep! Beep! Bruce immediately called the private doctor! ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Immediatelye to Reagan No. 8 Residence with medicine for high fever!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± After the private doctor hung up the phone, he rushed over to Reagan No. 8 Residence. After Bruce hung up, he called Andy. Andy saw that it was Bruce calling and quickly answered the call. ¡°Hey, Andy!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what could I do for you?¡± ¡°Cancel today¡¯s meeting and schedule!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Andy hesitated for two seconds but still forced himself to answer. After hanging up, Andy felt helpless! Today¡¯s meeting was very important. Bruce had a meeting with high¨Clevel executivepanies from various countries in the morning. In the afternoon, he had to meet with the number one tycoon abroad. That was great. All his schedules had been canceled! Andy really couldn¡¯t figure out what could be more important than this. Another twenty minutes passed. The family doctor carried the first aid kit and hurriedly drove to Reagan No. 8 Residence! ¡°Mr. Everett, do you have a fever?¡± The family doctor asked respectfully. Bruce was wearing silk pajamas and sitting on the sofa smoking. He replied without looking up, ¡°No, the patient is in the room!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± The family doctor entered the room and saw a woman lying on the bed. However, the woman on the bed was obviously not Roxanne. The family doctor did not dare to ask further and hurriedly went forward to check on her condition. Ms. Haynes! When he saw that it was Joanna, the family doctor felt a headache! From the looks of it, the media was not making things up. Mr. Everett and his ex¨Cwife were really inseparable! The family doctor did not dare to hesitate. He quickly took out a thermometer and measured Joanna¡¯s temperature! Bruce followed him in and stood at the side to watch. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Five minutes had passed. The doctor looked at the thermometer. ¡°39.5 degrees!¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s fever is very high! It¡¯s best to give her two shots to reduce the fever! It will take at least a week if she relies on her immunity to reduce the fever.¡± Some rich people were very resistant to antibiotics, so the doctor gave a simple introduction. ¡°Do it!¡± Bruce replied coldly. Joanna had many injuries on her body. Her immune system would probably be unable to cure her. Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Soon, the family doctor asked the nurse to give Joanna a fever¨Csubsiding injection! He also passed a fever¨Csubsiding patch on her. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve injured the patient. The patient¡¯s immunity is too weak. It¡¯s best for her to rest in bed for a few days!¡± ¡°Tomorrow and the day after. She has to take two more shots.¡± ¡°Alright, got it!¡± The family doctor left after giving a few more instructions. The injection was taken early in the morning. It was soon past ten o¡¯clock! Joanna woke up in a daze. Because of the fever injection, her mouth was extremely dry. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake!¡± Bruce said as he personally brought a ss of water to the bed! Joanna¡¯s mouth was dry. She took the cup and took a few sips! ¡°Drink slowly. Don¡¯t choke!¡± Bruce thoughtfully patted her back to case her cough. Joanna finally felt a little better after drinking the water. She looked around and was shocked. ¡°What time is it?¡± There you go again. Can¡¯t you rest in peace for a few days?¡± Joanna struggled to sit up straight. There was work waiting for her at thepany! How could she rest? ¡°Hurry up and lie down¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, you bastard! Cough! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Joanna angrily blocked Bruce¡¯s hand. Her beautiful face looked mad. ¡°You¡¯re running a high fever. The doctor wants you to rest in bed!¡± Joanna¡¯s emotions rose. ¡°Go away. Don¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°If you do this again, I¡¯ll punish you again!¡± ¡°Bruce, do you know that you¡¯remitting a crime? I can sue you¡­¡± Bruce smiled teasingly. ¡°Alright! When you¡¯re better, sue me! It¡¯s best if you send me to jail!¡± ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t dare?¡± Joanna was so angry that she lost control of her emotions. Her chest heaved violently. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t be so agitated!¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the phone. Call the police!¡± Bruce said and threw the phone at Joanna. Joanna was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. She did not dare to call the police! Chapter 205 She was already the ¡°influential figure of Greyport. If these things were to be exposed again, her poprity would skyrocket. She didn¡¯t want to be the center of attention anymore. ¡°Stop crying! You heartless woman! ¡°Do you know how much money I¡¯m going to lose to take care of you at home?¡± ¡°Who cares about you taking care of me!¡± Meanwhile, Roxanne was in the Everett mansion! ¡°Change into this gown! It¡¯s more appropriate to apany Bruce to the banquet, tonight!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Roxanne held the gown and was about to try it on. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Ms. Haynes, the banquet tonight has been canceled!¡± Roxanne was stunned. The Everett Group and the Mi Group were about to coborate. For this reason, they even specially held a banquet to entertain the president of the Mi Group. The date had been set a long time ago. Why was it suddenly canceled? Margaret was also confused. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett didn¡¯t go to thepany today!¡± Margaret was shocked. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t he meeting with the president of Mi Group today?¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett has canceled all of today¡¯s schedules, including today¡¯s banquet!¡± When Margaret and Roxanne heard this, they were even more shocked. ¡°So where is he now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Margaret¡¯s face darkened. She was very angry. How could one be so willful in the business world? ¡°Hurry up ¡°Yes!¡± and call Bruce. Let¡¯s see where he went.¡± The butler did not dare to hesitate and quickly called Bruce. Meanwhile, Bruce was with Joanna. Bruce saw¨Cthat it was a call from the butler and picked up. ¡°Hello, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett asked where you are now.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett asked where you are now.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ at home!¡± Chapter 205 Margaret grabbed the phone angrily and scolded, ¡°Do you know what day it is today?¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°Then what could be more important than meeting with President Mi?¡± ¡°Do you know? All high¨Clevel executive is waiting for you to have a meeting. Where did you go?¡± Bruce took a deep breath and mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well today!¡± ¡°So. I didn¡¯t go to thepany!¡± When Margaret heard this, his anger turned to anxiety. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Bruce answered with a rough voice. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just have a high fever!¡± ¡°Have you seen a doctor?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I just have a fever and a cold! I¡¯ll be fine after resting for two days!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. He quickly brushed off Margaret and hurriedly hung up.¡± After hanging up. Margaret called the family doctor over. ¡°Dr. Litman, how¡¯s Bruce?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dr. Litman frowned and hesitated. ¡°Why are you hesitating?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to treat Bruce this morning? How is he now?¡± Dr. Litman squeezed out an awkward smile. ¡°Mr. Everett is pretty good!¡± ¡°Why did he say he was so sick that he didn¡¯t even get to work?¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± Dr. Litman hesitated, not knowing how to respond. Seeing this, Margaret became even more anxious. ¡°Hurry up and say it!¡± ¡°When I went there, I wasn¡¯t treating Mr. Everett!¡± When Margaret heard that, she became even more suspicious. ¡°If you were not treating Bruce, who did you treat?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Ms. Haynes!¡± Boom! Margaret and Roxanne were stunned when they heard that. ¡°You mean Bruce and Joanna were togetherst night?¡± Dr. Litman hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I just went over to treat the patient!¡± Where are they?¡± Sat, 8 Jul 43 Sat, Chapter 205 ¡°At Reagan No. 8 Residence!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­ Roxanne¡¯s tears rolled down her cheeks! Margaret was even more furious. ¡°Alright! This brat is bing more and more of a bastard!¡± ¡°I thought something urgent had happened to him. I didn¡¯t expect him to have gone to have fun!¡± ¡°He is pissing me off!¡± ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be angry!¡± ¡°Come, follow me to Reagan No. 8 Residence¡°¡± Roxanne quickly persuaded, ¡®Grandma, being angry is harmful to your health. Don¡¯t be angry anymore!¡± Margaret was so angry that she could not speak. She was not angry because Bruce was there for Joanna! It was because he had actually dyed his official busness. It was such an important meeting, but he had rejected it just like that leaving hundreds of management personnel hanging there! ¡°Butler, prepare the car. Go to Reagan No. 8 Residence! ¡°Yes!¡± Reagan No. 5 Residence! Bruce was still carefully taking care of Joanna. ¡°Are you feeling better? Do you still feel dizzy? ¡°Do you want something to eat? Joanna ignored hum! ¡°Say something Why are you ignoring me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you¡± Bruceughed mockingly. ¡°You still have to be angry with me?¡± Joanna closed her eyes and fell silent! ¡°Joann, stop resisting. Stop escaping from your feelings! You love me. You can¡¯t lie to me Your reaction can¡¯t lie to me either!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be disgusting¡± Joanna suddenly opened his eyes. Tears of humiliation and disappointment instantly flowed down! ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t say anymore!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett, and Miss Haynes are here!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in the yard now!¡± ¡°Why is Grandma here?¡± Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Margaret was in the garden. She sat gloomily in her wheelchair. She was enraged. Bruce hurried out to wee her. However, when he saw that ominous look on Margaret¡¯s face, he became uneasy. ¡°Grandma, why are you here? Margaret took a deep breath and said sternly. ¡°You bastard, are you trying to drive me to my grave?¡± Margaret got agitated, and she started coughing and clutching her chest. The worried Roxanne quickly patted Margaret¡¯s back and tried to calm her down ¡°Grandma, you need to calm down! Be careful of your bealth¡°. Bruce rushed to Margaret¡¯s side as well. ¡®Grandma, take it dowly. Don¡¯t get so agitated¡± Margaret tried to catch her breath. She raised her hand and pointed her trembling fingers at Bruce¡¯s face and reprimanded, ¡°Bastard, do you know how difficult it was for the Everett family to get to where we are today!¡± ¡°Your grandfather and father sloughed their life off to build our family business!¡± ¡°But you. You don¡¯t even cherish what you have today at all! Sooner orter, you will destroy the Everett family¡¯s aplishments Margaret rebuked Bruce harshly ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be angry¡± Bruce wanted to exin, but no words came out of his mouth. He knew he had gone overboard. That was the first time he walked out on thepany¡¯s management. ¡°You¡¯re so irresponsible. You are a ne¡¯er¨Cdo¨Cwell¡± ¡°Grandma. I¡¯m wrong! I promise it won¡¯t happen again¡± Despite Bruce¡¯s repeated apologies and promises, Margaret remained infuriated. What made her even madder was Bruce¡¯s problematic rtionship with Joanna Not only did he ignore his fiancee to be with Joanna, but he also cast his work aside What would happen if things continued this way? ¡°Don¡¯t give me that crap!¡± ¡°Where is that vixen. Joanna Haynes Tell her toe out quickly! I want to teach her a lesson!¡± ¡°Grandma, she¡¯s sick. You¡¯d better not see her. Margaret had hit the roof before Bruce could finish. ¡°Is she so precious to you that I cannot even see her?¡± Bruce grimaced when he heard what Margaret said. ¡°No, Grandma, it¡¯s not like that. Just that it is not necessary for you to see her! ¡°You¡¯re so agitated now. I¡¯m afraid for your health!¡± Joanna and Margaret were both stubborn people, and both of them were in poor health. If they met, they would undoubtedly get into an argument. Chapter 206Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. It was better if the both of them did not meet at all. ¡°Go and get her now!¡± ¡°I want to know why she did not keep her word. She has promised me that she will not pester you anymore!¡± ¡°But in the blink of an eye, you guys have a secret rendezvous! How great is that?¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± ¡°Hurry up, the two of you go!¡± Margaret was so furious that she could not take it anymore. She turned to her two caretakers and instructed them to get Joanna from the house! The two caretakers did not dare to dither and hurried into the house! In her usual pretentious self, Roxanne tried to persuade Margaret, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Grandma. Please forgive Bruce this time!¡± ¡°Bruce has always been a career¨Cminded person. He definitely didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably Joanna.¡± Margaret was already angry with Joanna, but Roxanne deliberately rubbed salt in the wound. ¡°You don¡¯t have to plead for him. I know better than anyone what kind of person this brat is!¡± ¡°Come here, I¡¯m going to beat you to death. You disappointing brat, I will discipline you on your parents¡® behalf!¡± Bruce braced himself and took two steps forward. Margaret raised her walking stick and started hitting him with it! That grandson of hers was getting more and more outrageous! Previously, he was constantly busy with work, and she often had to remind him to stop and rest. But now, the billion¨Cdor business seemed to be thest thing on his mind as he frolicked all day. Back in Bruce¡¯s room, Joanna was lying on the bed. She was drowsy and still in a daze. Suddenly, Lilian, the caregiver, barged in. She looked at Joanna with a stern and aloof expression. ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mrs. Everett wants you to go out and see her. Right now!¡± When Joanna heard that, she struggled to sit up! However, her entire body was in pain. She was running a fever and did not feel like moving an inch. She knew that Margaret was not an easy person to deal with. She was probably there to create trouble! ¡°I have nothing to say to Margaret! What does she want with me? Let her talk to Bruce!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. Mrs. Everett wants you to go out and see her. You have to go over right now! ¡°You cannot make her wait too long. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to drag you out!¡± Joanna almost exploded with anger when she heard that. The Everett family was indeed unreasonable. Both Margaret and Bruce alike. They were both authoritarian and liked to force their opinions on others. I said I¡¯m not going! Do whatever you want!¡± Joanna replied callously and closed her eyes. 12:43 Sat, 8 Jul Chapter 206 Joanna would not move, and Lilian did not dare to drag her by force. After two minutes of standstill in the room, Lilian could only return dejectedly and convey the message. ¡°Lilian, where¡¯s the vixen?¡± Lilian hesitated and replied in a surly tone, ¡°Mrs. Evereu, Ms. Haynes said that she doesn¡¯t want to see you! And she asked you to talk to Mr. Everett if you need anything!¡± Something snapped within Margaret. She was on the verge of blowing her lid off when she heard that. ¡°Good! Good! Very good!¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207 ¡°Grandma, calm down. If you want to see her, I will get her now!¡± Margaret¡¯s expression changed. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go there and see her personally!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± The butler pushed Margaret¡¯s wheelchair and walked towards the room aggressively! Bruce had no choice but to run back to his room. He had to reach there before Margaret. He could not persuade his grandmother, so his only chance now was Joanna. Bruce hurried to his room! Joanna, Grandma is here!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce with a sullen expression. ¡°I missed the part where that¡¯s my problem?¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Grandma has a heart condition and cannot be agitated. But she might say something nasty when she sees youter.¡± ¡°So?¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes. Bruce frowned and said, ¡°You know what Grandma¡¯s temper is like. No matter what Grandma says to youter, please don¡¯t be impertinent and talk back to her. ¡°Grandma is old. You just need to listen to her!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes impudently. Some people loved to exploit their seniority and advocate their morals on the youngsters. Bruce let out another deep sigh. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± Joanna turned her head away, ignoring him. She had already put up with and given in to Margaret a lot of times. There was probably no one in the world who was conceited enough to be able to distort the facts while sounding upright and righteous. But Margaret was that kind of person! Joanna was still bitter over Margaret forcibly keeping Davian and Irvin with her. What right did the Everett family have to bully her like this? She did not owe the Everett family anything! The butler pushed Margaret into the room while Bruce and Joanna were talking. Margaret took a look around the room the moment she entered. Joanna was still lying on the bed, with her slender and fair arms exposed outside the nket. There were even a few bruises on her neck. It was easy to imagine what a rough night Bruce and Joanna had the previous night. You are pretty impressive!¡± Margaret said sarcastically. When Roxanne saw the disheveled Joanna still ungroomed and lying in bed, she gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°Joanna, Grandma is here. How can you still lie down?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, but she did not reply. Margaret took a deep breath and said furiously. ¡°You are really something. Do I have to pay my respects to you now?¡± Joanna nced up at Margaret with contempt in her eyes. ¡°Margaret, I know you dislike me! Just say what you want to say! Anyway, it is your mouth and your freedom to say anything!¡± Margaret fumed with fury upon hearing what Joanna said! She was a respected figure in Greyport. How could she tolerate others being disdainful of her? ¡°You! You¡¯re really shameless!¡± ¡°Bruce is already engaged to Roxy. Yet you still harass him. Can you be any more shameless?¡± ¡°Especially when Bruce is supposed to be your brother¨Cinw. How can siblings argue over the same man?¡± Margaret pointed her finger at Joanna and berated her. Joanna became incensed when she heard what Margaret said. Contrary to what other people think, Bruce and her were not in that kind of rtionship. It was Bruce who was pestering her! Instead of reprimanding Bruce, everyonembasted her! Bruce felt that Margaret¡¯s words were too harsh. He frowned and said, ¡°Grandma, Joanna is not that kind of girl! ¡°I¡¯m the one who has been contacting her.¡± Margaret rolled her cold eyes and pointed at Bruce¡¯s face angrily. ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak up for her. You are just as shameful as her!¡± ¡°You reap what you sow. If she really is an honorable and virtuous woman, then no one will be able to take advantage of her.¡± ¡°Is she now ying hard to get? What a pretentious woman! She is repulsive!¡± Margaret¡¯s words sent a quiver through Joanna¡¯s body. She clenched her fists tightly. Roxanne pretended to s o b and sniffed. She looked at Joanna pitifully. ¡°Joanna, I know that you were once married to Bruce. I know how difficult it must be to move on!¡± ¡°But I love Bruce very much. Neither I nor my baby can do without him! ¡°I will give you anything else! But I have feelings for Bruce, and I cannot give him to you!¡± In that few words, Roxanne had stigmatized Joanna as immoral and nefarious. The most terrifying thing in the world was stigmatization. Once stigmatized, it would almost be impossible to redeem oneself. There was no way of defending oneself or refuting the ims. The more one tried to justify one¡¯s actions, the more public wrath it would incur. That was why stigmatization was the simplest yet most noxious aggression. 0 Chapter 207 Joanna heaved a deep sigh. She then started to chuckle uncontrobly. Margaret and Roxanne were really trying their best to condemn her. Joanna turned and looked at Bruce! He stood at the side, looking grim and a little uptight. If it was someone else criticizing Joanna, he would definitely stand up and protect her without hesitation! But in the face of his grandmother, Bruce was helpless. He could not even speak up for Joanna. After all, his grandmother had a weak heart. If something were to happen to her because she was agitated, it would be toote for regrets. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Say whatever you want. I don¡¯t want to exin anymore!¡± ¡°Tell me, what did you dost night?¡± Joanna sneered and looked straight at Margaret in the eye. She dered point¨Cnkly, ¡°I did everything that I can do.¡± ¡°And hear this. Not just yesterday. I will do it with Bruce tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, as well!¡± Joanna wanted to mess with their heads! Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Anyhow, they would still insist that Joanna was the one who seduced Bruce. And no matter how much Joanna tried to rify, they would not believe her. Alright then! She might as well admit it! Not only was Joanna not repentant, but she was still so full of herself and even dared to retort her. Margaret was trembling with anger. ¡°You, you, you¡¯re really shameless!¡± ¡°Bruce, go, go and p her face!¡± Bruce scowled even more when he heard Margaret¡¯s unreasonable demand. ¡°Grandma!¡± ¡°Hurry up and do it!¡± Margaret was so furious that her lips would not stop shaking. She held her chest and panted. ¡°Joanna!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna helplessly. He was searching for her permission with his gaze. He wanted to give her a light p to appease his grandmother. But Joanna looked back at him coldly without any signs of giving in. ¡°What did I just say to you? I told you not to talk back to Grandma!¡± A dumbfounded Joanna snorted and rebuked Bruce, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not the Everett family¡¯s punching bag. Nor am I obligated to listen to your instructions!¡± Margaret urged again, ¡°p her! p and throw this shameless woman out of the Everett family!¡± ¡°We cannot tolerate such a shameless woman in our house!¡± ¡°Who cares about staying in your family? ¡°If your grandson had not forcibly brought me here, I would not even step into your house!¡± ¡°You, get lost!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll gel lost!¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Joanna gloomily. ¡°Joanna, can¡¯t you keep quiet?¡± He then turned and looked at Margaret. ¡°Grandma, calm down first! Don¡¯t get so angry over this!¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll send you back now!¡± Joanna looked at them with hostility. ¡°All of you, leave my room! At least let me change my clothes!¡± When Margaret heard that, she almost exploded. ¡°Someone! Quick! Throw this vixen out!¡± Lilian and Emma quickly came forward and tried to pull Joanna out of bed. ¡°What are you doing? ¡°Margaret, you¡¯re too unreasonable. We¡¯re alldies here. There is no need to use brute force! ¡°Do you think you can bully people just because you are old?¡± When Margaret heard that, blood drained from her face, and she began to see red. She started coughing violently. ¡°Grandma, Grandma!¡± Margaret was exasperated. Her blood was boiling, and she could not catch her breath. All of a sudden, she closed her eyes. and fainted! Bruce was scared out of his wits to see Margaret passing out. He hurried to her side to check on her. ¡°Grandma! Quick, doctor! Take a look at grandma!¡± The doctor and caregivers put an oxygen mask on Margaret. Then, the doctor gave her an intracardiac injection. ¡°Mrs. Everett is in critical condition. We have to send her to the hospital immediately.¡± When Bruce heard that, he sprang to action and hurriedly pushed Margaret¡¯s wheelchair out of the door. ¡°Prepare the car and send Grandma to the hospital.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The group of people immediately sent Margaret to the hospital! Margaret was pushed into the emergency room as soon as she reached the hospital. While Margaret received treatment in the emergency room, Bruce and Roxanne waited anxiously outside. As she looked at Bruce¡¯s nervous expression, Roxanneforted him gently, ¡°Bruce, Grandma will definitely be fine!¡± Though Roxanne appearedpassionate on the surface, she was gloating on the inside as a sinister thought sprouted in her mind. It was Joanna¡¯s fault. Margaret got too agitated because of her and fainted as a result. What would happen if Margaret did not survive this? If Margaret died because of Joanna, then Bruce would never forgive her. As she thought of that, Roxanne made a wish in her heart. She hoped solemnly that the doctors would not be able to save Margaret. Better yet, let Margaret die on the operating table. Four hourster. The door of the operating theater finally opened. Bruce ran up to the doctor and asked anxiously, ¡°How is Grandma?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. Mrs. Everett was too agitated. The blood vessels in her brain burst, and she is in a dangerous situation.¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Bruce looked at the doctor in vexation. ¡°The surgery is over, and we have done all we can. It is now up to Mrs. Everett when she will wake up!¡± ¡°Grandma, nothing must happen to you!¡± Roxanne pretended to cry. Bruce closed his eyes in frustration. ¡°Grandma, you have to hang in there!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t me yourself too much. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s all Joanna¡¯s fault. She is too overbearing!¡± Bruce shut his eyes tight. He did not want to say another word to Roxanne! ¡°Doctor, what¡¯s the probability of Grandma waking up?¡± 2 Ghapter 208 ¡°Mrs. Everett is not out of danger yet. Whether she can wake up depends on how well her brain functions to absorb the fluid.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯d better be mentally prepared!¡± When Bruce heard this, he took a deep breath. ¡°You must do your best to save Grandma!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best!¡± The doctor turned around and left. Bruce strolled along the hospital corridor till he was outside. He lighted a cigarette in exasperation along the way. Margaret was his closest kin and also one whom he respected the most. Unfortunately, one was the woman he loved the most, and the other was his grandmother! He did not want anything to happen to either of them. Margaret had been sent to the hospital. Joanna had also returned home from Reagan No. S Residence. She was physically and mentally exhausted. Never would she want to go through those things again! As Joanna reached her front door, her phone rang. She took her phone out and saw that it was Michael. ¡°Hey!¡± Miss Haynes! ¡°Michael, what¡¯s up?¡± Michael spoke excitedly into the phone. ¡°That Brother Trumpet called!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, they said that we can talk about the cooperation in detail! They would be happy to meet you in Greene Town when you are free to make a trip down!¡± Joanna was overjoyed at the news. ¡°That¡¯s great. We can go over tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to Brother Trumpet now!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Although Joanna had yet to recover from her illness, she did not want to stay in Greyport anymore! She had to think of a way to get rid of the umted inventory in the factory as soon as possible. After putting down the phone, Joanna opened the door to her apartment. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes, my precious baby!¡± Lilia looked at Joanna¡¯s face and said in her childish voice, ¡°Mommy, why is your face so red?¡± I¡¯m fine. Mommy just has a fever!¡± ¡°Mummy does not want to infect you, so I won¡¯t kiss you!¡± ¡°Oh, Mommy, did you go to see Daddy?¡± Joanna was stunned. Looking at her daughter¡¯s expectant gaze, Joanna did not know what to say. Lilia looked up at Joanna and asked innocently, ¡°Didn¡¯t Daddy say that he would let me see my brothers soon?¡± Joanna subconsciously rubbed Lilia¡¯s head, not knowing how to answer her! The court session was in three days! She hoped that the court would make a fair decision and award her custody of the children! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will be able to see your brothers soon!¡± ¡°When is soon?¡± ¡°Very soon! You will be able to see your brothers in a few days!¡± ¡°Okie.¡± The following day. The sick Joanna brought Cora, Michael, and Nichs to Greene City. She must quickly do something about the inventory! Chapter 209 Chapter 209 It was almost the end of the year now. Joanna needed a sum of money for the employees¡® sries. Moreover, she was about topete with the Everett family for custody of the children. A goodwyer would require a lot of money, too. Therefore, she urgently needed money now! They traveled in a car. Along the way, Joanna kept coughing. Cora quickly handed her a bottle of water. ¡°Miss Haynes, can you handle this? You look terrible!¡± Joanna took the water and took two sips weakly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be better after resting.¡± After saying that, Joanna leaned against the back seat and shut her eyes to rest. She took four antipyretic pills just now, and the effects of the medicine were kicking in. She felt weak and sleepy now. Her heart was beating fast, and her right eyelid was twitching non¨Cstop. She had an ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen! Nheless, she had been down on her luck recently that she no longer had the energy to worry about it. They arrived at Greene Town shortly. At eleven o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Joanna and the others finally arrived at Greene Town. Since it was Brother Trumpet who initiated that meet¨Cup, the group was able to meet up with him smoothly and with no obstacles. The meet¨Cup was held at a caf¨¦. Brother Trumpet was wearing casual clothes, and he was still wearing the cap from thest time. ¡°Hello, sorry to keep you waiting!¡± Joanna greeted Brother Trumpet politely when she arrived at the meeting ce, ¡°Hello!¡± Brother Trumpet extended his right hand to shake hers. ¡°Please take a seat!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna sat down on the opposite end of the coffee table. Cora, Michael, and the others waited outside the private room. Only Brother Trumpet, Joanna, and the waiter were in the room. ¡°What do you want to drink?¡± ¡°I will have a mocha.¡± Brother Trumpet was a little taken aback by Joanna¡¯s choice. Mocha was a sweetened drink with a strong taste, while Joanna seemed to be a health¨Cconscious person who would prefer ck coffee! ¡°A mocha!¡± ¡°Alright, please wait a moment!¡± The waiter replied and left the private room. Brother Trumpet looked up at Joanna again. She was wearing a white Burberry suit and carrying a ssic tinum bag from Hermes! She had very light makeup on her face, and her hair was styled exquisitely. She looked elegant and gentle, without the arrogance of a socialite. Brother Trumpet nced at Joanna, and his heart skipped a beat like an electric current had passed through his body. He quickly picked up his coffee and took a sip to hide his nervousness. During his live broadcasts, Brother Trumpet was articte and eloquent. However, in private, he was very quiet and did not like to talk. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your business card. Yourst name is Tate, right? I¡¯ll call you Mr. Tate!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, okay!¡± Brother Trumpet smiled shyly. He waspletely different from his confident and poised self on the live stream. ¡°Mr. Tate, I¡¯m here today to discuss the coboration! I also want to understand what you require for the coboration process,¡± Joanna said with a smile. The dimples on her cheeks were even more alluring. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Brother Trumpet was stunned for a moment. The woman opposite him was really beautiful. He had been checking and reading about Joanna on the online news for the past few days. He could not believe that Joanna was the controversial person in the news. ¡°Well, did you bring any samples of the goods today?¡± Joanna quickly nodded. ¡°Oh, I did. They are in the car!¡± Brother Trumpet paused for a moment. ¡°What kind of samples did you bring?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°The smart electric rice cooker and the smart cleaning robot!¡± ¡°How much stock do you have?¡± Brother Trumpet asked casually. Joanna opened her bag and took out a folder. ¡°This is the information of the goods. You can take a look!¡± ¡°We only used to coborate with foreign brands previously! Hence, all our products are of top¨Cnotch quality and functionalities.¡± Brother Trumpet took the information and looked over them. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with your products.¡± ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll give a hand at the products!¡± Brother Trumpet said and looked up at Joanna. ¡°What about themissions? How are they charged?¡± ¡°Themission is one percent!¡± ¡°How long will it take to sell the goods?¡± Brother Trumpet thought for a moment. I¡¯m going to do a live broadcast next Saturday!¡± ¡°Your inventory looks okay. If you sell them on my live stream, I will take at most two live streams to sell all of them!¡± Brother Trumpet said calmly and confidently. Joanna was astounded when she heard that! She probably had hundreds of millions of inventory! She was skeptical that it would take only one day to sell them. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s talk about the contract!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Here are the procedure and the contract. You can read through the documents in detail! If there are no problems, you may sign the contract!¡± Joanna looked through the documents and realized that the procedure was indeed simple! It was less complicated than finding a partner offline! ¡°Is this the contract?¡± ¡°Yes. If there¡¯s no problem, you can sign it now.¡± Joanna looked at Brother Trumpet in disbelief. She never expected that the negotiation for the coboration would be so smooth! She had heard from Michael that it could be arduous to cooperate with popr streamers because so many merchants wanted to work with them. Even big merchants had to line up to cooperate with them. Joanna thought that she might have to wait for days. She did not expect to conclude the negotiation in one day! ¡°We are signing the contract today?¡± Brother Trumpet looked at Joanna¡¯s surprised expression and could not help butugh. ¡°Why? If you¡¯re worried, you can sign it next week!¡± ¡°Oh, no, no! I just didn¡¯t expect it to go so smoothly.¡± As Joanna replied, she signed her name on the contract. In any case, the backlog of the goods was piling up as they speak. It was best to get rid of them as soon as possible. Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Brother Trumpet paused and then suggested, ¡°It will be good if you could bring your products and appear together with me on my live stream next Saturday. ¡°Me?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll introduce your products on my live stream, but you know yourpany¡¯s goods best. ¡°You can also interact with your fans in the live stream. This will help with selling the products!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea!¡± Joanna was in a dilemma. She did not even dare to look at her online scandals. If she appeared in the live stream, the traffic on the live stream would probably hit the roof! Brother Trumpet looked at Joanna calmly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can give it a try. Perhaps there will be unexpected gains!¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds. In the end, she bit the bullet and agreed. ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°We have to be prepared. It¡¯s best to find employees familiar with the emerce delivery procedure!¡± Brother Trumpet could also tell that Joanna was unfamiliar with the emerce industry, so he gently reminded her. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Brother Trumpet smiled again and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s it, then. See you next Saturday!¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s best if you cane to Greene City a day in advance and familiarize yourself with the process!¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Brother Trumpet extended his right hand politely. Joanna shook his hand again. ¡°Goodbye. I hope this will be a sessful coboration!¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Brother Trumpet did not say anything else and left the private room. They parted and went on their individual ways. 19 When Brother Trumpet¡¯s secretary and assistant realized that he had signed a contract with Joanna, they were all astonished. ¡°Boss, you haven¡¯t even gotten a clear understanding of the Haynes Group, and you¡¯re already signing a contract with them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Those who want to coborate with us have been waiting for half a year. It may not be good if the other merchants find out that we have suddenly lined up the Haynes Group¡¯s goods!¡± ¡°Also, the Hayes Group has a lot of scandals. I¡¯m afraid the sales won¡¯t be good!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try!¡± Brother Trumpet replied and smiled calmly. For the past two days, he had also been checking the news about Joanna on the Inte. Thus, he understood what kind of predicament Joanna was in. Even though everyone in Greyport was ndering Joanna, he found her a little pitiful and gullible. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to help this poor woman! Meanwhile, Joanna and her friends traveled back in their car. Chapter After Joanna concluded the contract, she rushed back to Porash. Cora said excitedly. ¡°Miss Haynes, I didn¡¯t expect things to go so smoothly!¡± Joanna finally revealed a smile. ¡°Me too! I didn¡¯t expect the negotiation to be so smooth!¡± ¡°Regardless, it is a good thing now that we have signed the contract!¡± ¡°I hope Brother Trumpet can work harder and clear all the inventory!¡± Michael added. ¡°Miss Haynes, does this call for a celebration since we have confirmed the coboration without problems?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Find a nice restaurant. I¡¯ll treat everyone to a good meal!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Porash has a good seafood stall. Let¡¯s have seafood!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Michael and Nichs were delighted, as well. They immediately changed directions and drove to the seafood stall. Back at the hospital! Margaret had been unconscious for a full day and had yet to wake up. Bruce had also been keeping vigil outside her ward, not daring to take a step away. ¡°Bruce, you haven¡¯t slept for a day and a night. You should get some rest!¡± Roxanne gently persuaded Bruce. Bruce frowned deeply. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Go back first!¡± After staying up all night, Bruce had grown a stubble. He also had bloodshot eyes, and he looked fatigued and haggard. Yet the vicious aura emanating from his body did not diminish but intensified. Roxanne looked at Bruce gently and dolefully. She said sobbingly, ¡°How can I go back in peace when grandma is in a critical situation?¡± ¡°Bruce, let me stay here with you!¡± Bruce lowered his head in frustration. He could not be bothered with Roxanne! Although he felt guilty that his grandmother¡¯s illness acted up, he hated Joanna also for her heartlessness! He had been looking at his phone since yesterday! He hoped that Joanna would call him. At the very least, he wished Joanna would call and check on his grandmother. Else! Since the previous day, Joanna had not contacted him. Not even a message! Bruce felt extremely miserable! No matter what, Grandma was still Joanna¡¯s senior! Moreover, Grandmanded up in the hospital because of her. Margaret was Bruce¡¯s biological grandmother, after all. How could Joanna disregard her? A momentter. Roxanne came back with some food. She had gone out to buy food earlier. She put the food in front of Bruce. ¡°Bruce, eat something! If you don¡¯t eat anything, your body will not be able to take it!¡± ¡°I have no appetite!¡± ¡°Just have some!¡± Bruce let out a slight sigh and took the lunch box. He ate a few mouthfuls mindlessly. He had not eaten anything since yesterday and was indeed hungry! He was finally eating. They heard the sound of heels pacing along the corridor. Ingrid and Shaun were rushing over. ¡°We rushed over when we heard that something had happened to Mrs. Everett!¡± ¡°How is Mrs. Everett? Is she awake?¡± Roxanne looked sad and worried. ¡°Mom, Grandma is still in the ICU. She¡¯s not out of danger yet!¡± Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Upon hearing that, Ingrid let out an exasperated sigh and muttered, ¡°Goodness, what a disaster! The poor old man is so fragile, how can he handle all this stress? ¡°Now what? This is a major catastrophe! What on earth should we do? ¡°I¡¯ve been saying it all along, Joanna is a walking curse. Anyone who gets entangled with her is bound to be unlucky, Ingrid continued herints. Bruce was already overwhelmed with turmoil. Ingrid¡¯s words only added fuel to his frustration, pushing him closer to his breaking point. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you all can go back now!¡± Unable to contain himself, Shaun burst out, ¡°How can we just leave it at that? She¡¯s your mother. We are close, aren¡¯t we? Who can possibly remain calm in the face of such a colossal mess? ¡°I hope Mrs. Everett can pull through this ordeal. If she can¡¯t, well, I¡¯ll definitely give that ungrateful daughter a piece of my, mind!¡± Shaun vented his frustration. Shaun and Ingrid learned from Roxanne that Joanna was the one who had brought Margaret down. Consequently, Shaun was singrly focused on ming Joanna for everything. Bruce¡¯s expression became grimmer upon hearing this. His countenance turned cold and devoid of any warmth. Sensing the tension, Roxanne swiftly intervened, ¡°Dad, Mom, let¡¯s refrain from further discussion. Bruce is already upset.¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes and remarked, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not scolding you, but this is a painful lesson. Never provoke that jinx Joanna again!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes in disgust, questioning her right to lecture him. Who did she think she was? ¡°Mom, enough with the chatter! You and Dad should split. There¡¯s not much you can do here,¡± Roxanne said, signaling with quick nce. Times had changed, no doubt! Bruce had long stopped taking the Haynes family members seriously! Ingrid trying to assert her authority here would only infuriate him. ¡°Alright then! ¡°We¡¯ll take off. You stay with Bruce!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re pregnant now! Take care of yourself, don¡¯t overexert!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand!¡± Ingrid and Shaun continued their banter for a little while longer. Seeing Brucepletely ignoring them, his expression growing more unpleasant by the second, the two of them didn¡¯t dare linger and hastily departed. Chapter 211 After they left, Bruce stood up and made his way outside the hospital. Roxanne hurriedly caught up. ¡°Where are you headed, Bruce?¡± ¡°I need to make a call first!¡± Bruce said and walked away without a second nce. After a while, Bruce stepped outside the hospital and pulled out his phone.. Beep beep beep. Unable to hold back any longer, he finally dialed Joanna¡¯s number. Joanna was savoring avish seafood feast with her employees, thoroughly enjoying the spread before her. As the phone rang, she retrieved it from her pocket, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Bruce¡¯s name on the caller ID. Initially, she had no intention of answering, but the knowledge that Margaret was hospitalized due to her own anger ¡°Hey,¡± she greeted with a hint of reluctance. Bruce fell into silence. In a chilly tone, Joanna prodded, ¡°Come on, speak up! If you¡¯re not going to say anything, I¡¯m hanging up!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and whispered, ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in Porash.¡± Bruce snorted. Margaret was seriously ill, and instead of showing concern, she chose to go to work. This sent Bruce into a fit of anger. After a few seconds of silence, Joanna couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Um¡­ How is Mrs. Everett doing?¡± ¡°Because of you, she is still in the intensive care unit, and her condition is critical!¡± Joanna furrowed her brow upon hearing this news. When anger took hold, emotions could erupt. Margaret had insulted her badly, so she naturally couldn¡¯t take it. She had just retorted without thinking twice. But now that she thought about it, she regretted it. Margaret was an elderly woman with health issues. Even if she endured a few insults, she could have simply listened. There was no need to engage in an argument with an elderly person! Now that Margaret was in the hospital, Joanna feli unsettled. didn¡¯t want things to turn out this way either.¡± Bruce sneered, ¡°Well, are you happy now?¡± Taking a deep breath, Joanna replied, ¡°What is there to be happy about? ¡°Bruce, I never intended to disrespect your grandmother! I was in a terrible mood that day, and now I realize it was uncalled for! ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry!¡± Joanna spoke sincerely. Bruce¡¯s anger eased slightly upon hearing this. ¡°How are you? You¡¯re seriously ill, so why are you running around?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry about me! Take good care of her. I¡¯ll visit her at the hospital tomorrow!¡± Joanna felt a pang of guilt. Regardless of Margaret¡¯s insults, she was still her son¡¯s great¨Cgrandmother. She should go and personally apologize! Bruce felt somewhat relieved upon hearing Joanna¡¯s apology. At the staircase, when Roxanne heard Bruce calling Joanna, her face contorted with anger. Joanna had nearly driven Margaret to her grave, yet Bruce not only harbored no anger towards her, but he also showed concern! Roxanne took a deep breath, her eyes widened, and her fingers clenched into a tight fist. ¡°Joanna, you damn bitch, you¡¯ve really outdone yourself! You managed to make Bruce forgive you! ¡°Bruce, I will never let you be with Joanna¡­¡± she thought to herself. Bruce was still on the phone. Roxanne pretended everything was normal and quickly returned to the ward¡¯s door, obediently waiting outside. After wrapping up his call, Bruce coincidentally found himself face to face with the doctor, who had come for a check¨Cup. ¡°Hey, Doc, how¡¯s my grandma doing today?¡± Bruce asked with concern. ¡°The umtion of brain fluid in her isn¡¯t too severe. Judging by her progress, she should wake up within a week!¡± the doctor replied. A sense of relief washed over Bruce. ¡°Really? Please make sure to take good care of her, Doc!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll do everything in our power!¡± the doctor reassured him. ¡°If we canpletely absorb the fluid in her brain, she¡¯ll undoubtedly wake up! So, try not to fret too much,¡± the doctor added. ¡°That¡¯s a relief to hear, that¡¯s a relief!¡± Bruce finally breathed out a sigh of relief. Roxanne seethed with anger upon hearing the news. She had anticipated Bruce harboring a deep hatred toward Joanna because of this situation! Litle did he know, Margaret had once again survived! Chapter If she fully recovered, it seemed Bruce and Joanna would be entangled once more! That¡¯s unfair! This old woman is incredibly fortunate. Despite being in the ICU, she managed to pull through,¡± Roxanne thought, ncing at Margaret¡¯s bed. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Roxanne burned with rage. She longed to rip out Margaret¡¯s venttor and send her straight to hell. Though she despised Margaret with every fiber of her being, Roxanne was a master of deception. She put on a facade of joy. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! If she wakes up, it¡¯ll be better than anything!¡± ¡°God, if you¡¯re listening. I¡¯m willing to sacrifice ten years of my own life for her awakening!¡± Roxanne said, sping her hands together and praying with genuine fervor. Observing this, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but believe in the sincerity of Roxanne¡¯s prayers for Margaret¡¯s recovery. His heart softened a little. Chapter 212 Chapter 212 He really didn¡¯t want Roxanne Haynes to give birth to his child! Even though Grandma was in such a condition, she must not be agitated! Therefore, for the sake of Grandma, he had to suppress his anger. He really didn¡¯t want Roxanne to give birth to his child! But his grandma was in such a condition and she must not be agitated. Therefore, for the sake of his grandma, he had to suppress his anger. Roxanne¡¯s expression softened as she looked at Bruce with gentleness and attentiveness. ¡°Bruce, you should also take more rest. I can take care of Margaret here!¡± Bruce remained silent, implying his consent for her to stay. The following day, after the doctor examined Mrs. Margaret, he joyfully eximed, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Margaret¡¯s recovery is going well. We can move her to a regr ward now! ¡°At this rate of recovery, she¡¯ll wake up soon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Margaret was transferred out of the ICU, and Bruce finally let out a sigh of relief. He stayed by Margaret¡¯s bedside, asionally exchanging a few words with Margaret, hoping for her swift recovery. It was evident that Bruce was genuinely devoted to his grandmother. Upon hearing the news of Margaret¡¯s progress, Roxanne¡¯s heart sank. Suddenly, an unexinable intention to harm emerged in her heart. If Margaret were to suddenly pass away, Joanna would be held ountable for her demise! With that alone, Bruce would probably never forgive Joanna! However, the thought quickly disappeared. After all, it was murder, and she didn¡¯t have the courage. Bruce carefully massaged Margaret¡¯s limbs to prevent muscle atrophy from prolonged bed rest. Beep beep beep! At that moment, the phone suddenly rang- Bruce took out his phone and saw that it was Joanna calling. ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce immediately answered the call and walked outside the ward while speaking on the phone. Roxanne immediately deduced that it was Joanna calling, or else he wouldn¡¯t have stepped outside to answer the call. With that realization, Roxanne¡¯s expression grew grim, and she instinctively clenched her fist! Beep beep beep! The venttor¡¯s rm went off. Roxanne was startled and looked down, only to realize that she had identally grabbed the venttor¡¯s oxygen tube. Roxanne quickly released it, and the rm ceased immediately. Roxanne¡¯s heart pounded as she regained hisposure, and her mind began to wrestle. This was the perfect opportunity. If she unplugged the venttor, Margaret would die within minutes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce was still on the phone with Joanna. Little did he expect Roxanne to harbor murderous intentions. toward his grandmother. Joanna¡¯s voice on the other end of the phone sounded hoarse. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to see Margaret right now. I¡¯ll be there in about half an hour!¡± ¡°Yes, alright!¡± Bruce ended the call and made his way down the corridor, in search of a designated smoking area to satisfy his craving. Roxanne¡¯s heart pounded, and with trembling hands, she instinctively yanked out the venttor plug. Margaret, deep in slumber, suddenly struggled to breathe and woke up in distress, her face contorted in pain. Startled by Margaret¡¯s awakening, Roxanne panicked and identally knocked over a water ss on the table. Margaret gasped for breath, her struggle evident. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Margaret¡­¡± Roxanne was terrified, momentarily frozen, unsure of what to do next. This was Roxanne¡¯s first attempt at deliberate murder, and her nerves were on edge. Margaret weakly raised her hand, groping aimlessly in the air, only for it to fall back down heavily a minuteter. ¡°Margaret, Margaret!¡± Roxanne¡¯s fear escted, causing a tingling sensation on her scalp as she called out in a panicked. frenzy. As a critically ill patient, Margaret¡¯s life slipped away within three minutes, her breathing ceasing. Summoning her courage, Roxanne checked Margaret¡¯s breathing and found none. ¡°Oh, Margaret Margaret¡­¡± Roxanne finally grasped the gravity of the situation and cried out in shock. She had only considered removing the venttor, never imagining that Margaret¡¯s life could be so fragile and extinguished so easily. Overwhelmed by fear, Roxanne sumbed to sheer panic, her mind going nk. Crack! The door to the ward swung open. Kensley, the doctor¡¯s assistant, walked in and instantlyprehended the scene before him, understanding the situation at once. Taken aback by the sudden presence, Roxanne was even more bewildered. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± Kensley approached and examined Margaret¡¯s pupils, also taken aback. He quickly turned around, intending to call the doctor. Roxanne suddenly snapped to reality, realizing the gravity of the situation. If the public discovered that she had unplugged the venttor, she would face a grim fate. ¡°Oh no, please!¡± she pleaded desperately. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a fortune, loads of cash!¡± Roxanne threw herself at Kensley¡¯s feet, hitting the ground with a thud, tears streaming down her face as she begged. Taken aback, Kensley widened his eyes. As an exceptional graduate from a prestigious medical university. Kensley joined Greyport Hospital immediately after graduation, establishing himself as one of the most promising young doctors. Saving lives was his duty, so how could he condone such an act? ¡°The patient can still be saved¡­¡± At that moment, Roxanneposed herself. ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll give you 2 million dors! Please, don¡¯t breathe a word of this to anyone!¡± Kensley was stunned. Seeing his hesitation, Roxanne quickly added, ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll give you 20 million, or 40 million dors. Or you can name the price! ¡°You¡¯re a doctor. You must have a way to cover it up! Think about it. How long will it take you to earn 20 million dors? Now you just need to turn a blind eye and pretend that nothing has ever happened¡­¡± Kensley stood still, his eyes reflecting his inner turmoil. Certainly, he wouldn¡¯t be able to earn 20 million dors in his entire lifetime.. ¡°Please, time is running out!¡± Roxanne anxiously nced toward the door. She knew Bruce had stepped out to smoke and would return soon. After a few more seconds of internal struggle, Kensley made up his mind in an instant. Hadn¡¯t he studied so hard just to make money? Now, the opportunity 16 be instantly rich was right in front of him. Why would he turn down the chance? ¡°Get up!¡± Kensley said, quickly reinserting the venttor. Then, he swiftly erased the venttor¡¯s data¡­ Just as he finished everything, the door swung open, and Bruce returned. ¡°Hurry,e to Ward Eight! The patient¡¯s in critical condition!¡± While Kensley called for the doctors, he provided first aid to Margaret. Roxanne quickly regained herposure too. ¡°Bruce, Margaret just suffered a respiratory arrest. The doctor is doing everything they can to save her!¡± Bruce was stunned to hear this. He never expected his grandmother to be in critical condition during his absence. He cursed himself for not staying by her side. Soon after, the doctors arrived in a hurry. Margaret was promptly rushed to the emergency room. ¡°Grandma, you must hold on!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart pounded. After twenty minutes, the doctor emerged from the emergency room, looking dejected. ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± Bruce rushed over, tightly gripping the doctor¡¯s arm. The doctor¡¯s face brimmed with sorrow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! We did everything we could.¡± Bruce felt his mind shatter as if a child were losing his support. ¡°It can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be. Grandma can¡¯t be dead!¡± ¡°Please ept my condolences.¡± Margaret¡¯s body was wheeled out, her face concealed under a white cloth. ¡°Grandma, Grandma! You can¡¯t leave, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart turned numb with pain. He never anticipated his grandmother would pass away during his brief absence. ¡°Why did it happen like this? How could it? ¡°You said her condition had improved!¡± ¡°Sorry, Mr. Everett! ¡°Mrs. Margaret was elderly, and a cerebral hemorrhage is already a dangerous condition. A slight mistake could worsen it.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and broke down, burying his head in anguish. His grandmother was the closest person to him, and now that she was gone, he felt like he had lost his spiritual anchor. Although he was unwilling to ept this fact, he knew that his grandmother¡¯s health had always relied on medication and she could leave him at any moment. Roxanne finally breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that her crime hadn¡¯t been exposed. She immediately burst into tears and cried out, ¡°Margaret, please, you can¡¯t leave us! ¡°If you¡¯re gone, what should I and Bruce do? I beg you, please wake up!¡± Roxanne stood beside Margaret¡¯s lifeless body, sobbing uncontrobly. Bruce took a sharp breath, his throat choked up, and he could hardly utter a word. ¡°Let¡¯s prepare for her funeral? ¡°Bruce!¡± Roxanne cried hard as she threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms. Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Bruce and Roxanne were sobbing. At this very moment, Joanna arrived at the worst possible time! Seeing them in tears, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but feel rmed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± When Bruceid eyes on Joanna, his gaze turned wild like a furious beast. They were crimson and fierce as if he wanted to tear Joanna apart right there and then! ¡°My grandmother is dead! Are you satisfied now?¡± Joanna cursed, her voice trembling. This news struck Joanna like a thunderbolt! The flowers she held slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground! Roxanne, her voice choked with sobs, angrily scolded, ¡°It was you who killed her! It¡¯s because of you that she got so angry she had to be hospitalized! ¡°Now that she is gone, how dare you show up? ¡°You murderer! Didn¡¯t you kill her? Are you happy now?¡± ¡°This¡­ this can¡¯t be!¡± Joanna gasped in disbelief. Bruce had informed her over the phone that Margaret¡¯s health had been gradually improving. How could she suddenly pass away? ¡°Bruce, is this true?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce in disbelief. Bruce¡¯s expression changed, and he couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists. ¡°Fuck off! Fuck off! I never want to see you again!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna looked up at him. With a resounding p. Bruce¡¯s hand came crashing down on Joanna¡¯s face! Caught off guard, Joanna stumbled and fell hard to the ground! The force of the p was brutal, leaving Joanna dazed, her face swelling up on one side. ¡°From this moment forward, I never want toy eyes on you again!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna Haynes looked up at him, trying to gather herself. Bruce clenched his teeth and growled, ¡°You better get the hell out of here! Before Ipletely lose it!¡± Joanna covered her throbbing cheek and struggled to get up. ¡°My condolences,¡± she said, then left in a dazed state. Everything felt like a nightmare, and her mind waspletely nk. After Joanna left, Bruce closed his eyes and delivered a heavy punch to the wall! Even though he truly loved Joanna, he couldn¡¯t forgive her for what had happened! His grandmother was the dearest person to him, and he would never forgive himself either. ¡°Grandma, rest in peace! I won¡¯t let your death go unanswered! ¡°Joanna Haynes, I won¡¯t let you get away with this!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and spoke with a frightening intensity. Seeing Bruce¡¯s heartbroken expression, Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. ¡°Joanna, let¡¯s see if you survive this time! ¡°Even if you survive, you¡¯ll never reconcile with Bruce for the rest of your life!¡± she thought. Roxanne¡¯s initial panic gradually subsided. In any case, this risk had been worth it! Soon, the funeral for Margaret was in full swing. The Everett family, the wealthiest n in Greyport, spared no expense in hosting a grand and dignified event. Rain drizzled from the sky on the day of the funeral. Dressed in solemn ck attire, Bruce maintained a chilling expression throughout. By Bruce¡¯s side stood Roxanne, d in mourning clothes as his wife. The funeral was halfway through. Joanna arrived uninvited. ¡°Ms. Joanna is here! Ms. Joanna is here!¡± Joanna was seeking shelter beneath a ck umbre. Yet, her determination to bid farewell to Margaret remained. unwavering. Bruce¡¯s face turned cold, and in front of everyone, he showed no mercy to Joanna. ¡°Get lost! Get out of here!¡± Joanna bowed her head and pleaded with a heavy heart, ¡°Bruce, please allow me to apany Margaret on her final journey!¡± Bruce suddenly raised his head and delivered a harsh blow to Joanna. Joanna¡¯s lips split, instantly drawing blood. Still consumed by resentment, Bruce raised his foot, intending to strike her repeatedly. However, upon witnessing the blood trickling from Joanna¡¯s lips and the fragility in her weary eyes, he finally restrained himself. ¡°You better get out of here! ¡°Joanna Haynes, I won¡¯t let you escape. I¡¯ll make sure you suffer a wretched fate!¡± Joanna remained silent, standing in the rain, silently shedding tears. ¡°Take her away! Don¡¯t let her stay here a second longer!¡± Chapter 213 Yes!¡± ¡®Bruce¡­¡± ¡®Ms. Haynes, please leave the cemetery immediately!¡± Several bodyguards seized her arms and forcefully dragged her out of he cemetery Outside the cemetery gates, the waiting reporters swiftly pounced on Joanna as soon as she was expelled. They swarmed around her like relentless flies, bombarding her with piercing questions. Joanna, is it true that Margaret¡¯s death is your fault?¡± Can you confirm if Margaret was driven to her demise because of you?¡± Can you provide any details? Is Bruce furious? Will you still maintain a friendship with him in the future?¡± ¡®Did you attend the funeral today out of guilt or by your own volition?¡± The reporters¡® questions grew increasingly sharp. Confronted by an onught of relentless questions from reporters, Joanna felt utterly bewildered and completely devoid of strength. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. She had be the talk of Greyport, with entertainment reporters bombarding her with every tidbit of news. Just as the previous surge of attention seemed to be fading, a fresh wave crashed upon her, engulfing herpletely! ¡°Please, I beg you¡­ just leave me alone!¡± Joanna pleaded, shutting her eyes and eventually sumbing to unconsciousness. ¡°Miss Haynes, Miss Haynes!¡± Coco and the others swiftly rushed Joanna to the hospital without any dy. A week passed. Margaret¡¯s funeral had been over. ¡°Mr. Everett, are we still going to fight for custody of the children?¡± ¡°Of course, I will honor Grandma¡¯s wishes and fight tooth and nail for custody of the children, no matter the cost!¡± Thewyer nodded. ¡°Understood!¡± Bruce Everett¡¯s face turned grim as he icily dered, ¡°Listen carefully, I want full custody of the children. Not a single one will be left in her possession!¡± ¡°Understood!¡°, Before long, the day of the court hearing was arriving. Bruce had enlisted a team of top¨Cnotch internationalwyers. This time, he would show no mercy toward Joanna. Children were Joanna¡¯s greatest love, and they meant everything to her! He intended to snatch all the children away from her, aiming to shatter Joanna emotionally! On the day of the court hearing. Bruce strode into the courtroom, dressed in a ck suit, his expression cold. Joanna followed closely behind, her demeanor solemn. As expected, Joanna lost thewsuit, and it was aplete loss! Bruce was granted full custody of all three children! The moment they stepped out of the courtroom, Joanna felt dizzy and disoriented, unsure of what to do next. The children were her emotional pirs. Without them, she wouldn¡¯t havee this far! She alsocked the courage to face the world without them! But now, Bruce had taken all the children away! Joanna¡¯s heart was like shattering into pieces! Outside the courtroom, Bruce sneered at Joanna, taunting, ¡°Kids, say your goodbyes to your mother!¡± Davian and Irvin looked at Joanna, crying inconsbly. ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± Joanna desperately yearned to chase after them! ¡°Escort my kids to the car!¡± Bruce instructed his guards. ¡°Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Mommy, Mommy!¡± Davian and Irvin¡¯s sobs became even more heart¨Crending. ¡°You can¡¯t do this, you can¡¯t!¡± Joanna lunged at Bruce in sheer desperation! ¡°Give them back to me! Give them back!¡± Joanna shouted desperately. Bruce sneered as he forcefully shoved Joanna to the ground. ¡°Joanna, this is just the beginning. I¡¯m going to take everything away from you!¡± ¡°Bruce Everett! ¡°I won¡¯t let you have the children. I¡¯m going to appeal, no matter what!¡± ¡°Well, I suggest you abandon the appeal. Save some money for your living!¡± Bruce taunted with arrogance, Truly, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t aplish when he set his mind to it! If he seriously confronted Joanna, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Lilia, Lilia. ¡°Bruce, Lilia is sick. You can¡¯t take proper care of her. Leave her to me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! ¡°From this point forward, the kids have no ties to you!¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t be so heartless. You can¡¯t do this!¡± Joanna lunged forward in a frenzy! The children meant everything to her! Bruce had seized her vulnerability and aimed to torment her until she reached the depths of despair. What purpose did her struggles serve without her children by her side? ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°Sweetie, you¡¯ll live with Daddy from now on. Don¡¯t worry, Daddy will find you a new mommy!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to! ¡°I only want Mommy!¡± ¡°Get in the car!¡± Bruce Everett gracefully entered the car, his long stridesmanding attention, and then the luxurious vehicle departed! In this legal battle, Joanna suffered a resounding defeat! She knew that even if she continued to appeal, she would never win custody of the children! ¡°Miss Haynes, you should go home first. You can take your time to n once you are home.¡± Joanna felt dizzy and disoriented. Chapter 214 Chapter 214 ¡°I have to keep fighting with the appeal. I won¡¯t give up my children! They¡¯re my flesh and blood, and I won¡¯t let go¡­.¡± Joanna was engulfed in a desperate sadness, despite taking her morning medication, her depression persisted. Mr. Brycen¡¯s face was filled with guilt after losing thewsuit.. Although his legal team was skilled, they were no match for Bruce¡¯s team! ¡°Miss Haynes, I am so sorry! I should have done better,¡± Mr. Brycen apologized. Joanna trembled uncontrobly and grabbed thewyer¡¯s arm. ¡°What are our chances of winning the appeal?¡± Mr. Brycen paused, his sympathetic gaze fixed on Joanna. ¡°I rmend¡­ seeking a private settlement.¡± He genuinely wanted to help Joanna win this legal battle! N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. But he also knew that he was going up against the wealthiest man in Greyport! Furthermore, the otherwyers in his team had been bribed. He couldn¡¯t possibly defeat Bruce¡¯s formidable legal team alone! Continuing with the appeal would only lead to more legal expenses! After she heard Mr. Brycen¡¯s analysis, Joanna¡¯s vision darkened. She struggled to maintain her composure. ¡°Miss Haynes, please be careful! Above all, take care of your well¨Cbeing.¡± Joanna took a moment to regain herposure as her eyes could see things clearly. This defeat was devastating to her. Joanna remained immersed in profound sorrow. Not far away, a swarm of reporters had been waiting for her. When she emerged from the courthouse, they pounced on her like hungry wolves. ¡°Ms. Haynes! We heard that custody was awarded to Mr. Everett! Will you continue with the appeal?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes! If the appeal is denied, will you still fight for custody?¡± The reporters mored, shoving their microphones toward her. Each one regarded her with their predatory eyes as if she were a sulent prey. ¡°I beg you, please stop focusing on me and let me be!¡± Joanna lost control in front of the cameras, completely breaking down emotionally. She couldn¡¯t bear being exploited as a mere spectacle by these reporters, and she didn¡¯t want to live under others¡® constant scrutiny and verbal attacks. Nichs had arrived in a car. ¡°Miss Haynes, please get in!¡± Mr. Brycen and Cora shielded Joanna from the cameras, and Joanna climbed into the car in a disheveled state, feeling injured. Upon returning home, Joanna surveyed her empty house, her heart feeling hollowed out. Chapter 214 She had lost thewsuit, and her children had been taken away! Her emotional anchor had been shattered! Before, even when Davian and Irvin were taken, she still had Lilia by her side. But now, with Lilia also gone, it was unbearable! Soon, news of Joanna losing control in front of the reporters spread like wildfire. [One of Greyport¡¯s top socialites became the city¡¯s most notorious escort.] [Miss Haynes is mentally unstable, unleashing her fury at the media.] As Bruce witnessed Joanna¡¯s emotional breakdown on TV, he found no sce in hiswsuit victory. Unable to bear it any longer, he switched off the television halfway through. After all, Margaret had died because of Joanna, and he would never forgive her. ** Roxanne watched Joanna¡¯s pitiful state on the screen and couldn¡¯t help but revel in it. ¡°Haha, Joanna, you thought you were untouchable. Let¡¯s see if you can survive this time!¡± she taunted. ¡°I¡¯m going to crush youpletely! Don¡¯t even dream of making aeback!¡± Since Margaret¡¯s passing, the Everett mansion felt hollow and devoid of warmth, especially during dinner. Bruce sat at the dining table, lost in thought, swirling a ss of red wine in his hand. Davian and Irvin cried incessantly throughout the day, pleading to return home and see their mother. ¡°You big meanie! Let us go back home!¡± they wailed. Overwhelmed by their crying. Bruce finally snapped, ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stop!¡± The distress in his voice was palpable. Davian and Irvin, upon witnessing his reaction, dared not cry out loud anymore. Lilia, her hands trembling, gazed at Bruce timidly. ¡°Daddy, I won¡¯t cry. Please, don¡¯t be angry, Daddy!¡± she pleaded. ¡°Daddy, didn¡¯t you promise to be with Mommy?¡± Though young, Lilia had experienced frequent bouts of illness, mokding her into someone eager to please with an uncanny sense of responsibility. Bruce¡¯s heart ached even more upon hearing her words. Unable to resist, he rose from his seat and embraced his daughter tightly. ¡°Be a good girl, Lilia. You and your brothers will live with Daddy from now on,¡± he reassured her. With tear¨Cfilled eyes fixed on Bruce, Lilia summoned the courage to speak up, ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t you love Mommy very much? Why can¡¯t Mommy live with us? ¡°I want both Daddy and Mommy! Daddy, can you bring Mommy here too?¡± she implored. Bruce, feeling as though something had crushed his heart, had his red eyes veiled in tears. How could he not love Joanna? He had been willing to do anything to win her back! But that was his old way of thinking. He had changed. The pain of his grandmother¡¯s death caused by Joanna had left an unforgivable wound in his heart. No matter what, being with Joanna again was out of the question! Otherwise, it would be a total disrespect to his grandma. When Lilia noticed that Bruce wouldn¡¯t change his mind, tears streamed down her face. ¡°Lilian, take the kids back to their room!¡± Bruce instructed a servant. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± the servant answered immediately. ¡°Daddy, no.¡± The kids were forced to leave. Roxanne seethed with anger as she watched. ¡°You little brats, I¡¯ll deal with each of you in the future!¡± she cursed in her heart. As the children were led away, Bruce¡¯s expression grew even grimmer. ¡°Bruce, please calm down. The kids are still young. They¡¯ll understand when they¡¯re older!¡± Roxanne persuaded. Bruce¡¯s face turned cold as he stood up and walked out. ¡°Bruce, where are you going? It¡¯s sote,¡± Roxanne asked caringly. ¡°Just mind your own business!¡± Bruce answered without looking back. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Roxanne sounded hurt. Bruce walked toward the door, abruptly stopping. He spoke in a frigid tone to Roxanne, ¡°Pack your things and move to Sherane Bay Vi for now!¡± Roxanne was taken aback. ¡°Why should I do that?¡± Although Sherane Bay Vi was an upscale residence, itcked the prestige of this mansion! Living here made her feel superior. Bruce replied coldly. ¡°The children will be living here in the future. It¡¯s better if you stay away from them!¡± Roxanne forced a fake smile. ¡°No need! I¡¯ll live with the children to nurture our rtionship! I like them, you know.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to bond with the children!¡± Bruce said coldly and left without looking back. He wouldn¡¯t allow Roxanne to live with his children, no matter what! After Bruce left, Roxanne¡¯s face fell, and she stomped her feet resentfully. Bruce¡¯s attitude toward her was growing colder by the day. She feared she wouldn¡¯t find much happiness in the future. Still, even if she wasn¡¯t happy, being married to Bruce was enough. Without dy, Roxanne ordered someone to help her pack the belongings. Moving to Sherane Bay Vi was not so bad. There would be still plenty of opportunities to deal with those kids in the future! Roxanne had just finished packing when the phone rang. It was Ingrid on the line. ¡°Hey, Roxy!¡± Ingrid sounded excited. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on?¡± Laughing, Ingrid couldn¡¯t help but boast on the other end, ¡°Have you seen the news? Joanna has taken a serious blow this time! Thanks to Margaret, you¡¯ve made an incredibleeback! ¡°Both Margaret and Joanna got what they deserved!¡± ¡°Mom, that¡¯s enough!¡± Roxanne didn¡¯t want to discuss Margaret¡¯s death. She felt guilty. However, Ingrid didn¡¯t know the cause of Margaret¡¯s death. She continued, ¡°Joanna really provoked Margaret. You don¡¯t have to worry about her threatening your position anymore! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure that she won¡¯t be able to make aeback!¡± ¡°Alright! If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up!¡± Roxanne said, dismissing the conversation before ending the call. Even after hanging up. Roxanne couldn¡¯t shake off her unease. Only Kensley knew that she was responsible for Margaret¡¯s death! Although Kensley hadn¡¯t approached her yet, she knew he would sooner orter. She had to marry Bruce as soon as possible, or she wouldn¡¯t have enough money to buy Kensley¡¯s silence. For three consecutive days, Joanna didn¡¯t even bother going to thepany. The news of Bruce and Roxanne¡¯s uing marriage spread like wildfire. Although Roxanne hadn¡¯t formally joined the Everett family, she was now pregnant and already had one foot in the door. In the Haynes Group, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul urgently called for board meetings. Shaun and Derick were also invited to thepany. After all, Shaun was soon to be Bruce¡¯s father¨Cin¨C law, and Joanna had be aplete outcast. Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Others wanted to oust Joanna as they followed the prevailing trend. ¡°Thepany can¡¯t keep going like this. If it continues, the Haynes Group will go bankrupt!¡± Mr. Roger expressed his concern. Mr. Paul sighed and chimed in, ¡°Exactly. Miss Haynes is solely focused on custody battles for her child. How can she find the mindset to manage thepany? R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°It¡¯s been a few days since shest set foot in thepany. Before that, it was a sporadic presence, coming and going, with frequent trips to Mossbourne. ¡°And to make matters worse, she¡¯s actually seeking out social media influencers to endorse our products! How can we rely on influencers for our hard¨Cearned international brand, the Haynes Group? ¡°Even though herpany, Mossbourne, has no direct connection to the Haynes Group, she¡¯s still the chairman. People will associate herpany with our brand.¡± After Mr. Roger paused momentarily, he continued, ¡°She¡¯s been in office for over six months now. While thepany¡¯s profits have seen a slight increase, the negative publicity she has generated is overwhelming! ¡°The chairman¡¯s image directly impacts thepany¡¯s development and future prospects! My suggestion is for Miss Haynes to step down voluntarily and minimize the losses in time!¡± Mr. Paul quickly agreed, ¡°Absolutely! The older generation has more experience. Mr. Haynes is more reliable in this position! ¡°Mr. Haynes, you should hold the power!¡± Derick heard this and grinned smugly, ¡°Yes, you are right. Joanna is just a twentysomething girl. What does she know? How could we trust her? ¡°Letting her lead thepany is leading us down a dead¨Cend path. How can our family not understand her capabilities?¡± Shaun felt a sense of relief upon hearing this. It seemed that he would soon reim the position of chairman. ¡°Everyone is absolutely right! Joann is still young and doesn¡¯t grasp the gravity of her actions. She can¡¯t handle such a heavy responsibility. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We will now vote to remove her from the board!¡± Just as they were discussing, the conference room door swung open with a click! Joanna walked in, wearing a ck suit, her expression devoid of any emotion. The conference room fell into an immediate silence upon seeing Joanna¡¯s arrival. After a long while, Shaun gathered his courage and greeted, ¡°Joann, you¡¯re here. ¡°We were just about to summon you! Mr. Everett will join uster¡­¡± Joanna Haynes furrowed her brow, emanating a cold and refined aura. She defied the image of helplessness that others had projected onto her. overheard the entire conversation among you,¡± Joanna stated calmly. Mr. Roger scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. ¡°Well, since you caught all of that, that works! We¡¯re discussing thepany¡¯s future. That¡¯s it. ¡°And let¡¯s just consider the deluge of negative press you¡¯ve generated in the past six months. It has severely tarnished the reputation of the Haynes Group. ¡°If this continues, Raymond¡¯s life¡¯s work will crumble into ruins.¡± Joanna attentively listened without hastily refuting his statements. Shaun sighed deeply, expressing heartfelt concern. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re still young and can¡¯t shoulder such a heavy burden.¡° This weight is too much, and I can¡¯t bear to witness you being crushed,¡± he added. Joanna couldn¡¯t help but sneer. What a double¨Cdealer! So hypocrite. Her father was a total deceiver while intending to look nice and caring. If he wanted to take back the chairman¡¯s position, he could have just said so. There was no need to beat around the bush. ¡°Shaun is right. Joann, the burden is too heavy. Let your father be the chairman. You should step down,¡± Mr. Roger candidly suggested. Joanna¡¯s eyes regained their frigid re, her expression returning to its emotionless Chapter 216 Chapter 216 ¡°Who the hell dares toy a finger on me? Back the hell off!¡± Derick lunged into a full¨Cblown brawl with the security guards. ¡°Quit screwing around! It¡¯s a goddamn tragedy for our family! Joann, he¡¯s your brother! ¡°How can you be so heartless towards your own brother? You¡¯ve let me down!¡± Shaun seethed with a mix of anger and disappointment. Two security guards grabbed hold of Derick¡¯s arm and forcefully dragged him towards the exit. ¡°Mr. Haynes, I suggest you leave this conference room right now!¡± they said. Derick fumed with frustration. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t you dare think I¡¯m scared of you! Who the hell do you think you are¡­ ¡°Get that bastard out of here!¡± The security guards no longer hesitated and forcefully expelled him from the conference room. At that very moment, Cora rushed in to deliver the news. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett has arrived!¡± Even before the sentence was finished, Bruce strolled in with an icy expression! Seeing this, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul promptly stood up, greeting him with a disarming smile. ¡°Mr. Everett, you are finally here!¡± Shaun took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. We¡¯re right in the middle of a board meeting! ¡°We¡¯ve all reached a unanimous decision to kick my ungrateful daughter off the board of directors. The ball¡¯s in your court now!¡± ¡°In my court?¡± Bruce swaggered over to a chair and sat down with an air of arrogance! ¡°What everyone desires is exactly what I desire!¡± he added. Shaun, Mr. Roger, and the others felt a surge of confidence upon hearing this. ¡°Joann, you simply aren¡¯t suited to be a director of the Haynes Group! You bettere to your senses and resign!¡± Joanna pressed her lips together. ¡°You won¡¯t find it so damn easy to push me out of the board! ¡°Either you buy out my shares or you get the hell out!¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul exchanged grimaces upon hearing this! The shares in Joanna¡¯s possession were valued at a staggering 200 million dors. No one coulde up with that much. money in an instant. The few of them turned their gaze towards Bruce. After all, he was the only one capable of effortlessly acquiring Joanna¡¯s shares. A cold, sinister smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Miss Haynes? nning to sell off the Haynes Group¡¯s shares?¡± Joanna red at him with an icy stare. How could she bear to sell her grandfather¡¯s hard¨Cearned legacy? It was just that the board of directors had always marginalized her, and now she had turned the tables on them! But Bruce was different. He truly had the means to easily take over the whole Haynes Group. ¡°Why the sudden silence?¡± Bruce sneered. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only He knew Joanna would never be willing to part with the Haynes Group¡¯s shares. Joanna paused for a moment, trying to suppress the resentment simmering within her. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯ve already got a whole slew of publicly tradedpanies in your portfolio. Are you seriously nning to take over the Haynes Group? ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t want to invest in a lucrative venture?¡± Bruce shot back. ¡°And let¡¯s not forget, the Haynes Group is a well¨Cestablishedpany with tremendous acquisition potential!¡± Bruce regarded Joanna with a sly expression, the kind of a shrewd entrepreneur. Joanna seethed with anger as she locked eyes with Bruce. This damn jerk was really hell¨Cbent on seeing her lose it all. ¡°I can scoop up all the shares you hold at the market price!¡± Bruce dered. Those words pierced Joanna¡¯s heart, causing another pang of pain. Bruce continued to stare at her with that same heartless gaze. ¡°Now, the Haynes Group is facing substantial losses and a steep decline in share prices! Even if you unload your shares, it won¡¯t be enough to cover your external debt, right?¡± Bruce leaned back in his chair, a mocking expression ying on his face. If he pulled the strings behind the scenes, Joanna would lose everything in the blink of an eye. Joanna could no longer contain her suppressed anger and burst out, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m telling you to back off!¡± Witnessing Joanna¡¯s exasperated expression, Shaun breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Joann, if you voluntarily step down from the board of directors, you can still uphold your grandfather¡¯s legacy! ¡°Are you really nning to sell your grandfather¡¯s assets for a pittance?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned scarlet, and a thin veil of tears clouded her vision. Her journey had been strewn with obstacles. But she couldn¡¯t simply throw in the towel. She had to amass a significant amount of money, enough to go toe¨Cto¨Ctoe with Bruce. And then, she would regain custody of her children. ¡°Oh, right! I remember now. Ms. Haynes and I even made a bet! ¡°We agreed that within three years, the Haynes Group would make it into the top 500panies worldwide. And it hasn¡¯t even been a year!¡± Upon hearing this, Mr. Roger swiftly changed his tune and began to tter Bruce. ¡°Yes, you are right! No matter what, this contract can¡¯t be easily changed!¡± ¡°Now¡­ let Miss Haynes remain as the chairman!¡± Mr. Paul chimed in. Shaun felt frustrated witnessing how easily their opinions shifted. These two guys, driven by money and personal interests, were truly untrustworthy. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s really going through your mind right now? ¡°If you want to effectively lead the Haynes Group, you have to put all your energy into your work! Chapter 216 *But you¡¯ve been absent from work frequently, and now you¡¯re even setting up a factory in Mossbourne. I heard you¡¯re nning to coborate with some social media influencers! How can I feel at ease?¡± Shaun turned to Joanna, seizing upon her work mistakes as an opportunity. He knew all too well that Joanna had been burdened by various troubling matterstely, leaving her with no time to concentrate on her work. So, he took advantage of the situation and started speaking with an air of superiority. Joanna felt a deep sense of guilt upon hearing this. ¡°I must admit that I¡¯ve been somewhat distracted recently! Moving forward, I will adjust my work situation and fully immerse myself in my responsibilities,¡± she apologized. ¡°Managing apany is not just empty talk,¡± Shaun went on. ¡°Exactly! Managing apany requires a tremendous amount of effort! I suggest Mr. Haynes continues working at thepany! ¡°In this way, it will also alleviate some of your burdens! Mr. Haynes has been with thepany for over twenty years and is more experienced in handling everything than you!¡± one of the directors imed. ¡°Yes, I also support Mr. Haynes continuing to work at thepany! After all, he has been the chairman for over twenty years and has more experience in all aspects than you,¡± another chimed in. Joanna felt frustrated upon hearing all of this. If Shaun returned to work at thepany, it would undoubtedly lead to more chaos, and Ingrid¡¯s loyal supporters would also return. Joanna couldn¡¯t allow Shaun toe back to thepany. Joanna was about to respond, but before she could say anything. she suddenly felt a wave of nausea surge in her stomach. ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t hold it in, ready to vomit. Everyone was shocked by this sudden turn of events and looked at her in surprise. Joanna took a deep breath and tried to swallow a few times, attempting to suppress the nauseous feeling in her stomach. But the more she tried, the more she struggled to keep it down. The acidic contents of her stomach rose up to her throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I need to go to the restroom¡­¡± Joanna apologized and quickly rushed to the restroom. As soon as she opened the restroom door, Joanna lost control and began vomiting uncontrobly. The problem was, nothing came out. She just felt sick and ufortable in her stomach. Inside the conference room, a collective gasp reverberated through the air. Everyone changed nces, their faces betraying disbelief. ¡°Could she be expecting?¡± they murmured. ¡°No way! Isn¡¯t she single now?¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul blurted out, their attention instinctively shifting towards Bruce. Shaun felt a chill run down his spine, his frustration reaching its boiling point. ¡°This ungrateful daughter is a disgrace to the family!¡± he cursed. What wrongs have Imitted in my past life to be burdened with a daughter like her?¡± hemented. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, Mr. Haynes. It may not be true, someone attempted to console Shaun. ¡°Yeah, it could just be an upset stomach. Nausea doesn¡¯t necessarily indicate pregnancy, another chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s enough! I refuse to acknowledge her as my daughter any longer!¡± Shaun exploded in anger. Jaydon had already departed from Greyport. If Joanna was indeed pregnant, the child was likely Bruce¡¯s. Thinking of this, Shaun seethed with fury. He yearned to barge into the restroom and strangle Joanna to death! Bruce had worked tirelessly to reconcile with Roxanne, and Joanna¡¯s interference could potentially ruin Roxanne¡¯s marriage. ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on this any further. Let¡¯s focus on our work,¡± someone suggested, attempting to shift the conversation. ¡°After all, this is her personal matter. It¡¯s none of our business, right?¡± another agreed. Bruce, witnessing themotion, was also taken aback. He straightened his posture, his expression turning somber. Judging by Joanna¡¯s appearance, it seemed evident that she was indeed experiencing morning sickness! It wasn¡¯t beyond the realm of possibility that she was pregnant. After all, they had spent the entire night together justst month. The details of that night were hazy in his memory. And he couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had sex with her back then. If Joanna was genuinely pregnant, the child was undoubtedly his. The realization struck Bruce, causing him to lose hisposure. He instinctively loosened his tie, his thoughts in disarray. Margaret had recently passed away, and it was all because of Joanna! Now, if Joanna was truly pregnant, he had no idea how to confront the situation, especially considering Roxanne Haynes was also expecting a child! Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Joanna clung to the sink in the restroom, heaving uncontrobly, nearly bringing up stomach acid. For the past couple of days, she had been experiencing asional bouts of nausea. She dismissed it as mere indigestion, not paying much attention to it. But today, her vomiting became more intense! ¡°Oh my god, could I¡­ be pregnant?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank, and she hurriedly sshed cold water on her forehead. Lately, she had been feeling sluggish and fatigued. The symptoms seemed to match those of pregnancy! However, since that night of having sex with Bruce, she had been worried about the possibility of getting pregnant. She had taken contraceptive pills, so she couldn¡¯t fathom how this could have happened. ¡°No. I need to go to the hospital and get checked!¡± she resolved. Joanna regained herposure and left the restroom, returning to the conference room. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you alright?¡± someone asked. ¡°Do you need us to take you to the hospital?¡± another inquired. Joanna paused for a moment, her expression serious. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m feeling unwell. Let¡¯s end the meeting for today.¡± ¡°Alright! Since we¡¯re not making any progress today, let¡¯s wrap it up,¡± someone replied. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything more. She grabbed her bag and swiftly left thepany. As she sat in her car, restlessness consumed her. She silently prayed that it wasn¡¯t true. She had to hurry to the hospital to confirm if she was actually pregnant. Half an hourter, Joanna arrived at a private maternity and child hospital. Before long, the nurse provided her with a pregnancy test kit and drew blood for the examination. After a while, the results were ready. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re pregnant!¡± the nurse informed her. Upon hearing the news, Joanna felt as if lightning had struck her. How could she be pregnant at this time? What should she do? ¡°I remember taking birth control pills. Could there have been a mistake?¡± *Contraceptive pills aren¡¯tpletely foolproof. Based on this test, you are indeed pregnant. Joanna listened, staring nkly at the doctor, struggling to regain herposure. She didn¡¯t want to have Bruce¡¯s child again. ¡°The baby is only three weeks old. Should I prescribe some folic acid for you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary!¡± Joanna vehemently shook her head, rejecting the offer, and hastily left the hospital. ¡°What am I going to do? How did this happen out of nowhere?¡± she wondered. Joanna walked out of the hospital in a daze, her heart heavy, heading towards the parking lot. As she walked out of the hospital, a sleek Rolls¨CRoyce pulled up just before she could reach her own car. The car door swung open, and she was forcefully dragged inside! ¡°Ah- ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart pounded with fear, thinking she was being robbed. Inside the car, Bruce sat in the backseat, his expression icy cold, legs casually crossed on the spacious leather seat. Upon seeing Bruce, Joanna felt a slight sense of relief. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s your angle?¡± Bruce kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, holding a wine ss in his hand and took a sip. ¡°What were you doing at the hospital?¡± Infuriated, Joanna gritted her teeth. ¡°Why the hell is any of this your business?¡± Bruce¡¯s malicious gaze shifted andnded on her bag. ¡°Show me your medical report!¡± Instinctively, Joanna shielded her bag and snapped, ¡°Why should I show it to you?¡± Frowning, Bruce reached out to snatch her bag, extracting the test results from within. ¡°Give it to me, and stop snooping around my things!¡± Joanna lunged forward, attempting to retrieve it! Unfortunately, Bruce pinned her against the seat with one hand, while with the other, he examined the test report. The words ¡°Early Pregnancy¡± were clearly visible in the test results! Bruce¡¯s heart sank upon seeing this. Adopting a casual tone, he remarked. ¡°So you¡¯re actually pregnant!¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Joanna sat up, seething with anger. ¡°What? nning to secretly have my child again?¡± Bruce sneered, mocking her with his gaze. Joannaposed herself and retorted coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. Who said this child is yours?¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow, his handsome face oozing disdain. ¡°If it¡¯s not mine, then whose could it be?¡± Joanna defiantly rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s it to you? ¡°Stop the car! I want to get out!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you out once everything is clear!¡± Bruce refuted. ¡°Where are you taking me now?¡± Bruce remained silent, his gaze coldly fixed outside the car window. His mind was in turmoil, unable to make sense of it all. Joanna paused, contemting the situation. Her demeanor softened a touch as she pleaded, ¡°Can I see the children?¡± Bruce smirked coldly and firmly rejected her, ¡°Not a chance! ¡°You won¡¯ty eyes on the kids until everything is settled!¡± Joanna felt anger welling up inside her upon hearing this, and she asked indignantly, ¡°On what basis?¡± Tve been granted custody of the children!¡± ¡°Even if you have custody, I still have the right to see my children! I¡¯m entitled to visit them two days a month!¡± Bruce pursed his lips and retorted, ¡°You¡¯ll only see them if I allow it. If I refuse, you have no right to see them!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes zed with fury as she clenched her teeth and challenged, ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± ¡°Not much, really¡­ Just to witness your downfall!¡± Bruce said with a gloomy tone, a wicked gleam appearing in the corner of his eyes. With a deep¨Cseated hatred burning in his heart, he had no intention of showing kindness! If his intense animosity couldn¡¯t be extinguished, he would never forgive her. Joanna¡¯s confidence wavered, well aware of Bruce¡¯ssting resentment. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry about Margaret! ¡°I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me¡­¡± After Joanna finished speaking, frustration overwhelmed him, and she rubbed her temples in annoyance! ¡°Forgive you? You must be dreaming!¡± Joanna took a deep breath, realizing that trying to reason with him would be futile. It would be best not to get entangled. with him for now. ¡°Pull over and let me out she said to the driver. The driver seemed topletely ignore her, showing no intention of stopping the car. Bruce remained silent, and the driver didn¡¯t dare to stop without hismand. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, let me out of this damn car!¡± Bruce showed no reaction, and the driver continued driving. Witnessing this, Joanna clenched her teeth and made a bold move to open the car door! Bruce was taken aback, quickly grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± you won¡¯t let me out, I¡¯ll jump out myself!¡± Bruce furrowed his brows tightly. ¡°Joanna, you still have an inted sense of self, always provoking my anger like this!¡± ¡°No more empty talk. I want to get out of this car!¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze was sharp and determined. Bruce met her gaze and couldn¡¯t help but feel a flicker ofpromise in his heart. ¡°Kody, stop the car!¡± hemanded. The driver promptly pulled over and brought the car to a halt. Joanna picked up her bag, popped open the car door, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. ¡°Damn!¡± Bruce cursed, mming his seat in frustration! R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only As for Joanna, he really didn¡¯t know how to handle her. He hated her, infuriated by her, and held her ountable! But when he caught a glimpse of the pain in her eyes, his heart couldn¡¯t help but ache. Joanna hailed a taxi and headed home. Before she could even step foot inside, her phone buzzed with an iing call. Joanna swiped to answer, seeing Michael¡¯s name on the screen. ¡°Hey, Michael!¡± Excitement filled Michael¡¯s voice from the other end. ¡°Miss Haynes! I¡¯ve got good news, great news!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve cleared our entire inventory!¡± ¡°Really? That fast?¡± Joanna was surprised! Lately, she had been preupied with thewsuit, so she entrusted the Mossbourne factory matters to Michael. ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother Trumpet is still amazing! He sold out the entire stock in just two live broadcasts! ¡°But now, there¡¯s a new issue, and I have to rush with the deliveries! ¡°I¡¯ll probably be busy for a few more days!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s fantastic. Once we clear the inventory, everything will be smooth sailing¡± Joanna smiled. After ending the call, hope rekindled within her. It seemed that the emerce industry still held immense potential! She had to seize the opportunity and delve deeper into the world of onlinemerce. Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang again. Joanna nced at the screen. It was an international call! Without a doubt, she knew it was Jaydon. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± Joann, how are you doing now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! ¡°Jay, I have good news for you. We¡¯ve sold off all the inventory at the factory!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! I realized that the emerce industry is booming right now. We should pay more attention to this field!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go back tomorrow!¡± Jaydon told her. ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jaydon replied. His father had managed to delete all the online posts about Jaydon¡¯s scandals. In just a month, there were hardly any scandals about Jaydon floating around the inte! It was all thanks to his influential father! Chapter 218 Chapter 218 ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t hold back the urge to retch. Even though it was a faint sound, Jaydon still heard it on the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine!¡± Joanna swallowed hard, fighting back the nausea in her stomach. She didn¡¯t want Jaydon to know she was pregnant again, nor did she want him to worry any further! Jaydon pondered for a moment and asked with a touch of concern, ¡°Are you really okay? ¡°Joann, no matter what happens, don¡¯t hide it from me!¡± ¡°Alright, I got it!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head back to Greyport tomorrow. Should be there around eight in the evening!¡± said Jaydon. ¡°Sure, want me to pick you up?¡± Jaydon asked worriedly, ¡°Is that convenient for you?¡± ¡°No worries! It¡¯s totally fine.¡± Joanna feignedposure. ¡°Alright then! See you tomorrow!¡± ¡°Okay, see you!¡± Joanna quietly ended the call. After hanging up, Joanna curled up on the sofa, frustration gnawing at her as she rubbed her stomach! Miranda walked over with a ss of milk. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s the matter? You look so pale!¡± Joanna let out a sigh. I¡¯m alright!¡± Miranda looked at Joanna with empathy. ¡°Have some milk! Look at you, how much weight have you lost? ¡°It breaks my heart!¡± she added, handing the milk to Joanna. Davian and Irvin were sent away. Lilia was also away. Miranda, Kelly, and Tracy fell into a hushed silence. Joanna was already feeling queasy, and even the slightest taste triggered her sickness. The smell of milk made her vomit. uncontrobly. ¡°Ugh¡­ Joanna retched and hurriedly rushed to the bathroom! Witnessing this, Miranda was even more shocked. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna retched in the bathroom for a while before finally managing to stop herself from vomiting. Having experienced it before, Miranda guessed she was pregnant. ¡°Joann¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re pregnant again?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t respond, but her expression grew even more despondent. ¡°Quick, go back to your room and lie down! You need to be extra careful during the first trimester. I¡¯ll cut up some fresh Chapter 218 fruits for you¡­ Joanna listened and grabbed Miranda¡¯s arm. ¡°Miranda, you don¡¯t have to worry about me! ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit tired. I¡¯m going to take a nap!¡± With that, Joanna turned around and made her way to the room. Joannay in bed, her heart tangled like a jumbled knot. Since giving birth to triplets, the thought of having another child had never crossed her mind. At this point in her life, she simply didn¡¯t have the energy to care for and raise another baby. After much contemtion, she came to the realization that she couldn¡¯t keep this child. Throughout her pregnancy, she had taken numerous medications, including a hefty dose of antidepressants every day. It posed a significant risk to the fetus, and even if she went ahead with the birth, most of the babies would be born unhealthy. Moreover, her rtionship with Bruce had be severely strained. If she insisted on having this child, Bruce would surely believe she was manipting him through the baby. Joanna let out a deep sigh, burying her head under the nket. ¡°Baby, it¡¯s not that Mommy doesn¡¯t want you! Mommy simply doesn¡¯t have the ability to care for you right now. The medications I¡¯ve taken would greatly affect your well¨Cbeing! ¡°It¡¯s better to end your life early than to subject you to a life of hardship!¡± Joanna whispered to her belly. Uncontroble tears streamed down her face. She had made up her mind to terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible. Nightfall engulfed the Everett mansion. Brucey restlessly in bed, unable to sleep. He chain¨Csmoked two packs of cigarettes throughout the night. Joanna was pregnant again. He couldn¡¯t discern whether it was intentional or not. It was too soon after his grandmother¡¯s passing to feel any sense of joy. Could he forgive her so easily? ¡°Joanna, you must be doing this on purpose! Adding insult to injury! Do you think I¡¯ll forgive you just because you¡¯re pregnant? ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to give birth¡­¡± Bruce felt an overwhelming sense of agitation. He suspected that Joanna would go to great lengths to give birth to this child, just as she had quietly delivered three children Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. four years ago. Chapter 218 After all, he had taken custody of their three children. She would undoubtedly use another child as a means to threaten and control him, making him miserable and frustrated. She was a calcting woman who wouldn¡¯t miss such a golden opportunity. Bruce pondered and imagined Joanna using the child as leverage against him. The more he dwelled on it, the angrier he became. He wished he could find Joanna immediately andpel her to have an abortion. The next day, Joanna rose with the early morning sun. ¡°Morning, Joanna!¡± Tracy greeted, already serving breakfast. Joanna replied with indifference. ¡°Yeah, good morning.¡°¡± Without taking a bite of her breakfast, Joanna snatched her bag and car keys, making her way out the door. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t you want breakfast?¡± Tracy asked. ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite. You guys go ahead!¡± Joanna responded, stepping outside. Joanna hopped into her car and immediately dialed Cora¡¯s number. ¡°Hey, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Cora, get ready ande with me to Porash!¡± ¡°Alright, sure!¡± ¡°Wait for me downstairs. I¡¯ll be there in 20 minutes!¡± ¡°Got it. Miss Haynes!¡± Ending the call, Joanna sped off to thepany. Twenty minutester, Joanna picked up Cora and raced toward Customs. ¡°Do we need any documents?¡± Cora inquired. ¡°No need!¡± ¡°Are we going to Greene Town then?¡± ¡°Not quite!¡± Cora stared at Joanna in shock. ¡°Then why the rush to Porash?¡± Joanna let out a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re headed to the hospital!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, why are we going to the hospital?¡± Cora grew even more perplexed. Joanna spoke coldly as she drove, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant!¡± ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Cora eximed, casting an incredulous nce at Joanna¡¯s stomach. Chapter 218 ¡°Is it¡­ Mr. Everett¡¯s?¡± she cautiously asked. Joanna remained silent, gripping the steering wheel with an indifferent gaze fixed straight ahead. Cora took a deep breath, hesitating to probe further. ¡°Are we going for a checkup? Why not go to Greyport¡¯s hospital? It¡¯s more reputable than that in Porash¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going for a checkup. I¡¯m going to terminate the pregnancy!¡± Joanna said coldly, without a hint of sadness or hesitation. It was as if she were discussing someone else¡¯s affairs. Cora was left speechless. ¡°What? Terminate the pregnancy?¡± ¡°Yes! I need someone to apany me, and after thinking it through, you¡¯re the most suitable!¡± She had initially nned to bring Miranda or Kelly, but they couldn¡¯t drive! After the procedure, she wouldn¡¯t be able to drive either, leaving Cora as the only option for her apany. Cora couldn¡¯t help but gasp and asked, ¡°Miss Haynes, is the child in your belly Mr. Everett¡¯s?¡± Joanna let out a long sigh.. Although she didn¡¯t give a direct answer, her expression revealed the truth! ¡°Miss Haynes, if the child belongs to Mr. Everett, have you discussed it with him before deciding to terminate the pregnancy? ¡°Did he agree to the termination?¡± Joanna sneered. She knew Bruce so well! He likely had sinister thoughts about her. He would probably assume she was up to her scheming ways again! In his eyes, she was nothing but a cunning woman! ¡°I have the right to make my own decisions. I don¡¯t need to consult anyone else! ¡°Besides, I already have Davian, Irvin, and Lilia. I don¡¯t want any more children in this lifetime!, ¡°Moreover, I¡¯ve been taking too much medication during pregnancy, which is harmful to the fetus. It¡¯s better to proceed. with the termination sooner!¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Cora didn¡¯t dare say anything more. Abortion was prohibited by Greyport¡¯sws! If Joanna wanted one, she could only go to the hospital in Mossbourne! Bruce Everett had pondered all night. The more he thought, the angrier he became. He arrived early at the Haynes Group to find Joanna Haynes! This damn woman wanted to bear his child as a means of threatening him! No way! Chapter 218 ¡°Where is Joanna?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes hasn¡¯te to the office today!¡± Bruce frowned, growing even angrier upon hearing this! It seemed his suspicions were correct! She had just gotten pregnant, and she couldn¡¯t wait to solidify the pregnancy! ¡°Why didn¡¯t shee?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Bruce took a deep breath as he dialed Joanna. Beep beep¡­ On the other end of the line, a deep busy tone yed. It was the sound of an international call being answered! It was clear that Joanna must have gone to Mossbourne Chapter 219 Chapter 219 This damn woman, why the hell is she still going to Mossbourne while she¡¯s pregnant?¡± Bruce cursed furiously, his face contorted with displeasure. The phone continued to ring, but Joanna adamantly refused to answer. Meanwhile, Joanna was already undergoing a checkup. All the tests met the surgical standards, and she was already lining up for the procedure. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce made three consecutive calls, yet Joanna remained unresponsive. ¡°Why the hell isn¡¯t she picking up her damn phone?¡± Luna carefully observed Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, Cora apanied Miss Haynes to Mossbourne! ¡°If you¡¯re in a hurry, you can call Cora!¡± Upon hearing this. Bruce furrowed his brow, his handsome face contorted with anger. Unable to reach Joanna, he dialed Cora¡¯s number instead. Beep, beep, beep! Cora was waiting in the lounge when she heard the phone ring. She swiftly took out her phone. Noticing that it was a call from Mr. Everett, Cora wasted no time and promptly answered. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± On the other end of the line, Bruce¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Cora, are you with Joanna?¡± ¡°Well, yes!¡± ¡°What is she doing? Why the hell isn¡¯t she answering her phone?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone oozed aggression. Taken aback. Cora stammered, ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°Tell me now!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is in the hospital!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯tprehend the situation. He raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What is she doing in the hospital?¡± ¡°She¡¯s preparing for a procedure!¡± Cora couldn¡¯t conceal anything and had to speak the truth. ¡°What kind of procedure?¡± ¡°An abortion!¡± Bruce listened to the news and couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°What did you say? Say it again!¡± ¡°She is nning to have an abortion!¡± This time, Bruce heard it loud and clear. Upon hearing this news, he was consumed with anger. That woman had the audacity! For such a significant matter, she went ahead and underwent the procedure without even discussing it with him. Regardless of whether she wanted this child or not, he was still the father! She should have consulted with him before making a decision. Even if she truly didn¡¯t want this child, she should have sought his consent. But now, Joanna was going to terminate his child without even considering him. ¡°Has the procedure been done yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, she¡¯s still waiting! But she¡¯ll be up next!¡± Upon hearing this. Bruce furrowed his brow, took a deep breath, and angrily said. ¡°Stop her immediately! ¡°No matter what, you cannot allow her to proceed. I¡¯lle right away!¡± ¡°Okay, understood!¡± ¡°Send me the address!¡± ¡°Sure, got it!¡± Cora nodded obediently and quickly sent the address to Bruce. After hanging up the phone, Bruce was seething with fury. ¡°Joanna Haynes, you damn woman, you¡¯re really pushing me over the edge! How dare you!¡± Bruce wasted no time. After leaving the Haynes Group, he immediately drove to Porash. In the hospital, Joanna had alreadypleted all the examinations. There were several people at the maternity and child health center, and she was third in line. Soon, the previous procedure waspleted. The nurse came out and called, ¡°Next, Joanna Haynes!¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna stood up and prepared to enter the operating room. Cora rushed in from the waiting area and, seeing Joanna about to enter the operating room, promptly stopped her. ¡°Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Joanna asked. Cora caught her breath and looked concerned, stuttering, ¡°Are you having second thoughts?¡± ¡°No need to think twice!¡± Joanna checked her watch. It was already half past ten! By having the procedure done carly, she could rest afterward! In the evening, she still had to go pick up Jaydon. She had checked online and found that the earlier the fetus underwent the procedure, the quicker the recovery would be! Moreover, some people even went back to work in the afternoon after having the procedure done on the same day! She no longer had the luxury of being delicate and indecisive. She had to tough it out. Chapter 219 Cora anxiously scratched her ears. ¡°No, no. This is a human life. You really need to think it through!¡± Joanna nced at Cora with indifference. ¡°No need to think about it! ¡°Thepany is in chaos right now. I can¡¯t afford to be distracted! I know what I¡¯m doing. There¡¯s no need for further persuasion!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the nurse shouted impatiently again, ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna Haynes?¡± ¡°Right here,ing!¡± Joanna promptly replied. ¡°No, Miss Haynes, please reconsider!¡± Cora blocked her path. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you. Cora?¡± Cora urgently expressed, ¡°I just feel that regardless of anything, a child¡¯s life is at stake. We have to consider it carefully! ¡°And it¡¯s probably best¡­ to discuss it with Mr. Everett. After all, he¡¯s the child¡¯s father!¡± Joanna¡¯s face fell upon hearing this. ¡°What¡¯s there to discuss with him? He probably can¡¯t wait to get rid of this child!¡± With, that, she headed towards the operating theater. ¡°Miss Haynes. I implore you to think again!¡± Cora saw that persuading Joanna was futile, so she tightly grasped her sleeve. Cora had been instructed by Mr. Everett to stop Joanna. How could she dare to disobey! ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°I¨CI¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll regret itter!¡± Impatience crept onto Joanna¡¯s beautiful face as she furrowed her brow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t regret it!¡± ¡°Think it through! You can do it another day!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned frigid. She had never been angry with Cora before, but today, Cora¡¯s actions inexplicably frustrated her. Not daring to persuade Joanna any further, Cora cautiously spoke, ¡°Um¡­ Mr. Everett just called!¡± Joanna was dazed. ¡°Mr. Everett said that no matter what, I have to stop you!¡± Upon hearing Coco¡¯s words, Joanna walked towards the operating room without any dy! ¡°Cora, don¡¯t get involved! This is my own decision. No one can stop me!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± Cora appeared helpless and anxious. She was just an employee! How could she dare to interfere in the directors¡® affairs? Joanna shook off Cora¡¯s grip and resolutely walked toward the operating room. She would not bring this child into the world! Regardless of whether Bruce agreed or not, she had to terminate this pregnancy! Joanna walked into the operating room, clutching the medical file tightly in her hands. Chapter 219 The nurse reached out and took the file. ¡°Give me the medical record! ¡°Are you Joanna Haynes?¡± That¡¯s right, Joanna confirmed. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Take off your pants and lie down on the operating table,¡± the nurse instructed. ¡°Okay,¡± Joannaplied. With slowness, Joanna removed her pants and obediently positioned herself on the operating table. Meanwhile, the doctor prepared for the procedure while the nurse readied the anesthesia. The operating room was chilly, intensifying Joanna¡¯s unease as shey on the table. ¡°Doctor, how long will this surgery take?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be quick, less than half an hour,¡± the doctor reassured her. ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna acknowledged. As the nurse prepared the anesthesia, the doctor began disinfecting with iodine. But suddenly, just as the surgery was about to begin, chaos erupted, shattering the silence of the operating room. ¡°Make way! Clear the path!¡± An urgent voice shouted. ¡°This is the operating room! You can¡¯te in! Wait outside!¡± the nursemanded. ¡°Move aside!¡± the voice insisted. ¡°Someone, call the police! There¡¯s trouble!¡± someone eximed. A group of imposing bodyguards forcefully pushed their way forward, shoving the nurse aside. In a forceful motion, the doors of the operating room swung open. Several strong and intimidating men stormed in, creating an ominous atmosphere. The doctors and nurses, frightened by the intrusion, quickly retreated to the sides. Bruce entered with a cold expression, radiating anger. Joanna was shocked to see Bruce. In a panic, she covered her body and eximed, ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± ¡°Joanna, what are you up to?¡± Bruce¡¯s face contorted with rage, his eyes piercing like a predator. ¡°Bruce, my actions have nothing to do with you!¡± Joanna retorted, her voice filled with defiance. ¡°Get down!¡± Bruce lunged toward the operating table, forcefully lifting Joanna off it. ¡°What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?¡± Joanna protested. ¡°Do you dare to secretly try to abort my child?¡± Bruce used. ¡°Who gave you the right? Who agreed?¡± Joanna seethed with anger, locking eyes with Bruce, tears welling up. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already told you that the child has nothing. to do with you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± Bruce snapped back. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Let go!¡± Joanna struggled against his grip. ¡°Come back with me! This is my child, and without my consent, you won¡¯t be able to take my child¡¯s life!¡± Bruce dered firmly. Chapter 220 Chapter 220 ¡°Come back with me¡­¡± Bruce forcibly carried her off the operating table and walked out. Joanna¡¯s face was filled with panic. She struggled with all her might in his arms. ¡°Let go of me, Bruce. Can you not be so domineering?¡± Bruce ignored her resistance, dismissing it entirely! His grip tightened around her like a pair of steel pincers, rendering her powerless to struggle. In the hospital corridor, a few security guards approached, brandishing batons. The nurse pointed at Bruce, her voice trembling with horror. ¡°Someone¡¯s causing trouble. It¡¯s them!¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing? Who the hell are you?¡± The security captain pointed his baton at Bruce, his posture exuding authority. Bruce paid no heed to his outburst and continued walking straight toward him. Bruce possessed an inherent aura of power. It was evident that he was someone not to be provoked! The security captain didn¡¯t dare to impede him. He quickly stepped aside, making way for him. Andy and Kody calmly dealt with the situation. ¡°It¡¯s just a misunderstanding! ¡°We¡¯re just looking for someone!¡± Observing the numerous bodyguards apanying the group and the absence of any casualties, the security captain didn¡¯t dare to intervene. He didn¡¯t dare to obstruct them at all, allowing the group to leave. Bruce carried Joanna and confidently strode out of the hospital, capturing everyone¡¯s attention! ¡°Oh my god, why does that person bear such a striking resemnce to Bruce Everett, the wealthiest man in Greyport?¡± ¡°How is that possible? Why would hee to Mossbourne Hospital?¡± ¡°But he really looks like Bruce Everett!¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Porash¡¯s proximity to Greyport meant its residents were naturally familiar with Bruce. Even the nurses and patients chased after them, eager to witness themotion. At the hospital entrance, Bruce forcefully pushed Joanna into the passenger seat. Without waiting for the driver and bodyguards to catch up, he took the wheel himself. Vroom! He pressed down on the elerator. The powerful engine roared like a ferocious beast, propelling them forward. Chapter 220 ¡°Bruce, are you out of your mind¡± Joanna dreaded being in Bronce¡¯s car Despite wearing a seatbelt, she hastily grasped the car¡¯s overhead exfery handler Bruce, that jerk, had a severe case of road rage! When he was in a bad mood, the chances of getting into a car ident soared ¡°Bruce, this is Mossbourne You have to follow the traffic rides Upon hearing this. Bruce forcefully mmed the steering wheel Joanna, am I supposed to care about courtesy The sports car was speeding too fast. Even a slight 0.5 mm deviation of the steering wheel could cause it to overte out of the With Bruce¡¯s abrupt movement, the car¡¯s left front wheel momentarily lifted off the ground, narrowly avoiding tipping over Bruce suddenly swerved to the right again. The car jerked like a tossed toy car, veering left and right before stabilizing Joanna screamed in fear, her face turning pale in an instant Bruce had a bad temper. Joanna did not dare to anger him anymore and her tone softened. T already said that this child has nothing to do with you¡± Bruce drove his face contorted in an indescribable expression Last night, he scorned the child growing within Joanna, and today he had intended to pressure her to have an abortion? But when he discovered that Joanna had already gone to the hospital for the procedure before him, he suddenly felt remiorset Afterward, anger consumed him entirely. ¡°What do you want?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce remained silent as the car sped up! Joanna no longer dared to use him, she could only suppress her anger tightly! Bruce had an explosive temper, and she couldn¡¯t evene close to matching his outbursts. One hourter. Bruce drove back to Greyport and took joanna directly to Reagan No 8 Residence The car came to a stop on thewn, and Bruce forcibly pulled Joanitia out of the car The bodyguard swiftly approached and parked the car in the garage ¡°Bruce, what on earth are you nning to do?¡± Joanna asked Bruce didn¡¯t uiter a word as he carried her into the house Then, he led her to a room and ced her on the bed ¡°Joanna, you can¡¯t leave here until I¡¯ve made up my he dered Chapter 220 Joanna¡¯s eyes filled with immense shock, and she impulsively leaped off the bed, eximing, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Are you trying to imprison me?¡± ¡°Do as you wish!¡± Bruce said as he turned and walked out of the room. Joanna desperately tried to follow him, but it was already toote. Bang! Bruce forcefully closed the door and locked it with the key. Outside the room, several maids stood obediently, ready to receive instructions. ¡°Keep a close watch on her and make sure she doesn¡¯t leave the room!¡± Bruce ordered. ¡°Yes!¡± the maids respectfully responded. ¡°Also, ensure her safety and prevent any risky behavior! She¡¯s pregnant now, and nothing should harm the baby!¡± he added. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± After giving his instructions, Bruce disregarded Joanna¡¯s shouts from inside the room and left. Outside the vi, over ten bodyguards and more than twenty servants wore solemn expressions. Initially, there were only seven or eight servants, but Bruce wanted Joanna to move in, so more than ten maids were sent here a month ago. Inside the room, Joanna continued to pound frantically on the door. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re insane! You can¡¯t do this to me. It¡¯s an illegal detention, and I¡¯ll sue you!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone had also been taken away, and she was locked inside the vi with no means of contacting the outside world. On thewn, Bruce chain¨Csmoked. He regretted iphow; he was determined to make Joanna carry this child to term. Only he could decide whether to keep his child or not. He grew increasingly impatient with this woman who had secretly wanted to terminate their child! ¡°Bruce, let me out! Let me out!¡± Joanna shouted. Ms. Chain, who stood by the door, advised her, ¡°Ma¡¯am, please calm down. It¡¯s not good for the baby if you get so agitated.¡± ¡°Just let me out!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, without Mr. Everett¡¯s instructions, we can¡¯t let you out. Please stay calm!¡± the maid insisted. Joanna found herself trapped, a captive in her own circumstances. It was as if she stood at death¡¯s doorstep, feeling desperate. She pounded on the door, shouting, ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? Tell him toe here! I need to see him!¡± ¡°Madam, if Mr. Everett wants to see you, he¡¯lle on his own, the servant insisted. The constant use of ¡°Madam¡± only added to Joanna¡¯s irritation, fueling her frustration. She detested being addressed that way. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Madam. I have nothing to do with Bruce. We¡¯re divorced!¡± ¡°Please, calm down, Madam! Mr. Everett has already left. Your shouts won¡¯t change anything¡­¡± No matter how much Joanna yelled and cursed, the servants didn¡¯t dare to release her! Ms. Chain and Nancy had been maids at the vi even before Joanna and Bruce divorced. Now that Joanna had returned, they secretly hoped for a reconciliation between her and Bruce. At 8 pm. Jaydon¡¯s ne hadnded! Beep beep beep! As soon as Jaydon disembarked, he immediately dialed Joanna¡¯s number! They had agreed on the phone that Joanna woulde and pick them up! However, upon leaving the airport, he couldn¡¯t find Joanna anywhere! He tried calling multiple times, but the calls wouldn¡¯t go through! [Joann, where are you now?] [What happened? Why aren¡¯t you answering my calls?] [What¡¯s going on? Call me back!] Jaydon bombarded Joanna with more than a dozen messages, but she remained unresponsive. Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Joanna would never ignore his calls like this! There was only one possibility: something must have happened to her! Jaydon couldn¡¯t help but panic and quickly dialed Coco¡¯s number! ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm¡­¡± ¡°Cora, where¡¯s Joanna? Do you know where she went? I¡¯ve been calling, but she hasn¡¯t answered.¡± Cora sighed helplessly. ¡°Mr. Grimm, she was taken away by Mr. Everett! ¡°I don¡¯t know where he took her. Searching won¡¯t do any good!¡± Jaydon felt devastated upon hearing the news! Bruce Everett again! He knew something had gone terribly wrong with Joanna! Unbelievably, Bruce refused to let her go! ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t worry too much. Perhaps she¡¯ll answer tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Jaydon furrowed his brow, let out a sigh, and ended the call. He had already witnessed Bruce¡¯s true nature! If Bruce had taken Joanna, looking for her would be futile for some time. Chapter 221 Chapter 221 At 8:30 PM, the door swung open! A group of maids entered, carrying trays of different sizes. The trays were filled with a feast fit for a king! Ms. Chain maintained a gentle and respectful expression. ¡°Madam, this is the nutritious meal instructed by Mr. Everett to prepare for you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating!¡± Joanna seethed with anger and had no appetite. ¡°Madam, you haven¡¯t had lunch! Skipping dinner won¡¯t do any good! ¡°You¡¯re just one person, but you have to take care of the nourishment for two!¡± ¡°All of you, get out! Give me some time alone!¡± The six maids took a step back, their eyes fixed on her as if she were a criminal! Joanna was fuming with rage! Bruce had dared to restrict her personal freedom! ¡°Ms. Chain, I beg you, let me go! I can¡¯t stay here¡­¡± ¡± Ms. Chain looked helpless. Besides using gentle persuasion, she had no authority to make decisions. ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t worry! * ¡°Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t want you to leave. It¡¯s for your own well¨Cbeing! Before he left, he instructed us to serve you with utmost dedication! ¡°From this, it¡¯s evident that he truly cares about you! Madam, please listen!¡± Joanna parted her lips, ready to retort. But after a moment¡¯s thought, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything to them! They were just following orders. How could they dare to act on their own? Pleading with them was pointless! ¡°I¡¯m not eating. I have no appetite!¡± Joanna meekly returned to bed. She hadn¡¯t eaten a morsel all day. Perhaps it was due to morning sickness, but she didn¡¯t feel hungry. In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Joanna had been confined for a full forty¨Ceight hours! Throughout these two days, the maids had kept a constant watch on her, 24 hours a day. If she did anything to harm herself, the maids would intervene immediately! Even as she slept, the maids remained close by, vignt in their watch! This relentless surveince took a toll on Joanna¡¯s mental state! She was already battling depression and had to take antidepressants every day! Now, after two days without medication, her condition worsened. Unfortunately, these maids were like mindless machines. No matter what she said, they refused to listen! After two days. Joanna lost a considerable amount of weight and became even more agitated. Ms. Chain witnessed the scene unfold and couldn¡¯t afford any further dys. She swiftly dialed Bruce¡¯s number to give him. an update. ¡°Mr. Everett, you need toe back right away!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Madam hasn¡¯t eaten or drunk anything in the past two days! No matter how hard we try to persuade her, she refuses to listen! ¡°And her mental state is extremely unstable! Last night, she was banging on the walls in the bathroom¡­¡± Hearing this, Bruce¡¯s anger surged, and his frustration grew. How did he fail to notice Joanna¡¯s stubborn and sharp personality all this time? ¡°Alright, I understand!¡± After ending the call, Bruce wasted no time and hurried over. ¡°How is Joanna doing?¡± ¡°Madam¡¯s mood is very poor, sir. You should consider having a doctor examine her!¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce went straight upstairs. As he entered the room, the door creaked as Bruce quietly made his way in. Joanna had been restless for the past two days, barely getting any sleep. Finally, exhaustion took its toll, and she fell asleep. on the bed. At that moment, she resembled a sick cat, curled up into a small ball, lying on her side. Bruce sat by the bed, observing her. Her back was arched, and she appeared frail. As Bruce continued to watch, he absentmindedly entered a trance. It had been a while since he had taken such a close look at her. It had been a while since he had taken such a close look at her. Bruce couldn¡¯t resist reaching out and gently brushing away the disheveled hair from her cheek. Startled, Joanna slowly opened her beautiful yet weary eyes. Chapter ¡®Bruce¡­ Realizing that Bruce had arrived, she abruptly sat up, as if infused with newfound energy. ¡°Bruce, you jerk! Who gave you the right to confine me like this?¡± Joanna was on the verge of losing her sanity. She struck out at Bruce and berated him, tears uncontrobly streaming down her face. Being confined had shattered her emotional stability. Bruce stood his ground, allowing her to strike and curse at him. After a while, when her emotions subsided slightly, he calmly said, ¡°Have the child. Once you¡¯ve given birth, I¡¯ll let you leave.¡± Gritting her teeth, Joanna red at Bruce. ¡°Are you out of your mind? We¡¯re already divorced. Why should I give birth to this child for you? ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t given birth before!¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna seethed with anger. How could it be the same? When she gave birth to her first child, she lost all hope and felt utterly alone in the world. And now, burdened with various troubles, she had no desire to endure another pregnancy, especially since Roxanne Haynes was also pregnant. If she and Roxanne gave birth to their children consecutively, the entertainment reporters in Greyport would undoubtedly create amotion. Who knew what kind of storm it would unleash? ¡°Do the right thing and have the child.¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s impossible, I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Joanna weakly refused. Ignoring her, Bruce walked directly to the table and said, ¡°Come and eat!¡°. ¡°I ain¡¯t eating, I won¡¯t touch my food! ¡°If you won¡¯t let me leave, I¡¯ll starve to death right here!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Bruce Everett didn¡¯t utter another word. He simply grabbed his phone and sent a message. A momentter, the door swung open once again! ¡°Mommy¡­ Davian and Irvin hurriedly entered from outside the door. The servants also ushered in Lilia! Upon hearing this, Joanna¡¯s heart trembled, and she swiftly turned around! Davian, Irvin, Lilia!¡± Joanna struggled to run toward her children! She hadn¡¯t seen them for nearly a month! ¡°Mommy, we miss you so much!¡± ¡°Mommy misses you too! Mommy misses you too!¡± Joanna tightly embraced her three children and couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears! The pain she felt was akin to having her flesh sliced! ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t you want us anymore?¡± ¡°How could that be? Mommy will always love you, my darlings¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, tears streamed down uncontrobly. Her throat choked, rendering her unable to utter a word! These were her three children. They were the most precious beings to her! Even with her current pregnancy, they meant more to her than anything, even more than Davian and the others. ¡°Mommy, please don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry anymore. Davian tenderly reached out his warm hand and wiped away her tears! Lilia couldn¡¯t hold back her tears either. ¡°Mommy, did you have a fight with Daddy again?¡± ¡°Can you guys stop arguing?¡± Bruce listened, and his heart ached even more! ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t fight with Mommy, okay?¡± ¡°Be good, Lilia. Daddy and Mommy didn¡¯t have a fight! ¡°Daddy and Mommy are just¡­ ying games!¡± Bruce lied through his teeth! However, the lie was so terrible that the children couldn¡¯t believe it!. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Mommy, we want to be with you. We don¡¯t want to be with this mean person anymore!¡± Bruce¡¯s face fell. Upon seeing that, Davian burst into tears and didn¡¯t dare to say anything else! ¡°Alright, Mommy is tired. You guys should go back!¡± ¡°Bruce, I beg you, let me be with the children! ¡°Don¡¯t take the children away from me again. You can¡¯t be so heartless!¡± ¡°So, you can just cruelly terminate your pregnancy?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Bruce Everett implore you, don¡¯t do this! What do I have to do for you to let me go?¡± ¡°I told you to behave and have the baby.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force me like this. I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t force me like this!¡± ¡°Take the children away!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Kids, we¡¯re going back!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to go back. We want to be with Mommy! ¡°Mommy, we want to be with you!¡± ¡°Bruce, you were always so heartless! Can¡¯t you let me stay with the children a little longer?¡± ¡°As long as you behave, I¡¯ll let you see the children again! If you don¡¯t listen to me, you¡¯ll get hurt before you see them!¡± ¡°Bring the children up.¡± Bruce instructed the servant. ¡°Yes!¡± A few servants stepped forward and forcefully carried Davian and Irvin away. Lilia was also pushed aside! Joanna was powerless to protect her child. All she could do was watch as her children were taken away! ¡°Bruce Everett, I hate you. Why are you doing this to me? How could you?¡± ¡°Dry your tears ande over to eat! Quick!¡± Brucemanded. ¡°I can¡¯t eat¡­¡± ¡°You have to eat! ¡°If you¡¯re obedient, I¡¯ll get the children toe and see you tomorrow! If you still defy me, I¡¯ll send the children overseas tomorrow!¡± Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Joanna listened, her eyes turning red as she stared at Bruce with resentment and anger. Bruce sensed her anger but remained unaffected. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze calm yet provoking. If she wanted to challenge him, he had plenty of ways to put her in her ce. *I¡¯ll count to 3. You should be right over for dinner! ¡°You know, I always keep my word!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes, and tears welled up instantly. She had intended to stand her ground against him, but the moment she saw the children, she crumbled instantly. This damn jerk always knew how to exploit her vulnerabilities. Receiving no response from Joanna, Bruce began counting, ¡°One¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened, and she stared sharply at Bruce, filled with intensity. ¡°Two¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s tone grew more serious. ¡°Three¡­¡± Bruce finished counting and stood up, heading towards the door. Seeing this, Joanna didn¡¯t dare to argue further. She suppressed her anger and reluctantly walked toward the dining table. Her hair was disheveled, and her figure had be so thin, she was like a bag of bones. Even the smallest¨Csized clothes hung loosely on her. On the table, there was an assortment of nutritious dishes. Milk, sea cucumbers, codfish, and more, were all carefully prepared by top nutritionists. However, despite her two¨Cday hunger, Joanna had no appetite. Joanna sat down at the table, feeling numb. Bruce sat across from her, his demeanor cold, as if interrogating a suspect, his gaze fixed on her. Though his face remained expressionless, his heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle. Back when he first met Joanna, although she was slim back then, she wasn¡¯t as emaciated as she was now. At that time, she was radiant and healthy, her eyes bright and clear, always apanied by a gentle smile. She was like a sunflower blooming under the sun, leaving an evesting impression. But now, although still beautiful, she emitted a sense of sickness and destion. Especially how thin she had be! Her limbs were so delicate that they seemed like they could snap with the slightest touch. ¡°Drink this milk!¡± Bruce pushed a bowl of milk toward her. Joanna, like a young student, slowly picked up the spoon and took a sip. The milk was smooth and had an excellent texture when consumed. Unfortunately, she was experiencing severe morning sickness now. Combined with her depression, her digestive system no longer weed any disappointments. Joanna managed to take only one bite before feeling nauseous and retching. Having eaten nothing for the past two days, she only vomited stomach acid. Her stomach and esophagus burned. Bruce felt even more distressed witnessing her condition. He quickly came over to pat her back, his brow furrowed, and asked, ¡°How did you end up like this?¡± Joanna remained silent, her eyes empty and bewildered. Ever since her mother¡¯s passing at the tender age of 12, she had ceased to feel any love or warmth in this world. Once taken in by the Haynes family, she strived to blossom, excel, and win her father¡¯s affection, longing for that elusive sense of familial love. Yet, in the end¡­. Their eyes met in silence, burdened by unspoken emotions. Bruce was also overwhelmed with distress, rendered speechless by the weight on his heart. It seemed as if fate itself toyed with them, their rtionship destined to be a tragic tale from the very beginning. Oh, how desperately he yearned to love her, to be loved in return! How he wished to atone for the pain he had caused her in the past! However, her grandmother¡¯s death, a consequence of their association, made forgiveness impossible¨Cfor both him and her. ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore, please, don¡¯t force me.¡± Joanna weakly protested. Angered, Bruce retorted, ¡°You haven¡¯t taken a bite. Are you trying to kill yourself?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t hold back the urge to retch, her stomach¡¯s burning torment causing tears and mucus to cascade down her face as she curled up in agony. Bruce saw that she was in pain and didn¡¯t dare to force her anymore. ¡°Lilian, call the doctor immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Lilian answered obediently. Bruce stirred the milk with a spoon and personally fed it to Joanna¡¯s mouth. ¡°Can you have some more?¡± Joanna vomited even more! She couldn¡¯t even see the milk. The burning sensation in her stomach made her tears and snot flow down her face. Her body arched like a bent shrimp! ¡°Alright, alright, stop eating!¡± Bruce quickly put the spoon back. His heart was clenched! ¡°Lie down, rest,¡± he urged gently, bending down to lift her in his arms. With no strength left to resist, Joanna weakly leaned against his shoulder as Bruce carefullyid her back on the bed, his troubled expression fixed upon her. This vexing woman always managed to bring him sorrow. Was she here to seek revenge? Why else would she pierce his heart so mercilessly? Fifteen minutester, the family doctor rushed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, how are you? Ms. Haynes, are you alright?¡± the doctor greeted them. Bruce furrowed his brow. ¡°She has been experiencing constant sickness and can¡¯t eat anything! Please check if there¡¯s any treatment avable!¡± Bruce watched attentively as the doctor examined Joanna, checking her pulse, listening to her heartbeat, and measuring her blood pressure. ¡°She is suffering from severe malnutrition and intense anemia,¡± the doctor gravely informed him. ¡°And?¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow. The doctor furrowed his brow, his expression serious. ¡°Her health is in such a critical condition that I rmend¡­ terminating the pregnancy!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows shot up in shock. The doctor furrowed his brow and said gravely, ¡°Ms. Haynes¡¯s health is in such a poor state that I suggest¡­ terminating the pregnancy! ¡°If the pregnancy continues, not only will it harm her, but it will also affect the fetus!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there any treatment avable?¡± The doctor paused for a few seconds. ¡°If you insist on having this child, Ms. Haynes must urgently replenish her nutrition! ¡°And she must let go of all her work and focus on a healthy pregnancy! Especially during the first three months, it would be best if she stays in the hospital for the sake of the fetus! ¡°Otherwise, as the pregnancy progresses, the risk of miscarriage will increase!¡± Bruce¡¯s thick eyebrows furrowed deeply. His sharp eyes were filled with disappointment! Two days ago, he truly didn¡¯t want this child! But now, the closer he felt to losing it, the more afraid he became! ¡°For now, prescribe folic acid and pregnancy stabilizers. ¡°As for morning sickness, it¡¯s amon pregnancy symptom. It¡¯s best to consume more fresh fruits and avoid medication. It will improve after a while!¡± Chapter 222 Bruce took a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°And Ms. Haynes needs to pay attention to resting more. She shouldn¡¯t exert herself anymore. It¡¯s best to stay in bed and take proper rest. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this! Joanna¡¯s stubbornness made it unlikely for her to put aside everything and focus on a healthy pregnancy, After the doctor left, Bruce contemted for a while and decided to have a calm conversation with Joanna. ¡°Joanna, can we talk calmly?¡± Joanna weakly looked at Bruce! Bruce looked at her with a serious expression. ¡°The doctor just said that you¡¯re severely malnourished! ¡°If you want to save this child, you have to let go of everything and focus on a healthy pregnancy!¡± Joanna remained silent, quietly listening to him. She waspletely weak,cking the energy even to argue with him! Bruce pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything for this year! ¡°Alright, prepare to give birth safely! As for thepany, I¡¯ll leave it to your father for the time being. Don¡¯t worry about it for now!¡± When Joanna heard this, anger surged within her. Bruce was so eager to have her give birth, all because he wanted to regain the chairman position for his father¨Cinw. ¡°Impossible! ¡°I won¡¯t have this child, and I won¡¯t let go of thepany!¡± Since Shaun didn¡¯t acknowledge her as his daughter, she no longer wanted any connection with Shaun. Now that she had lost the child, she couldn¡¯t afford to lose thepany as well. ¡°Look at the state of your body! Do you really want to die? Even if you don¡¯t have a child, you still need to take care of your health!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help but get angry. He genuinely didn¡¯t want to see her in this condition! He was even more puz?led. Couldn¡¯t she just submit to him, give in to his wishes? She could have anything she wanted, so why did she have to go through all this trouble? ¡°I know my own body. It¡¯s none of your business! ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you, please stop interfering in my personal life!¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°No! You¡¯re the mother of my child, and I have a responsibility to look after you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more speechless with anger! Chapter 223 Chapter 223 After a while, Bruce changed the topic once again, his tone bing softer. ¡°Name your conditions! What do I have to do to make you give birth to this child? *I, Bruce, am not the type to shirk responsibility. Since you¡¯re pregnant with my child, I won¡¯t evade the obligations thate with it!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to shoulder the burden!¡± Joanna helplessly responded. He had shattered her life into pieces, but now she didn¡¯t care anymore. Joanna was never one for theatrics. She wouldn¡¯t make a fuss about such matters, let alone cry and beg for responsibility! Bruce¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°No, you can be heartless towards the child, but I can¡¯t!¡± Joanna sneered, anger filling her. ¡°Bruce, you already have enough kids. Why are you so determined to make me have another one? ¡°I¡¯ve already given birth to three children for you. And now Roxanne is pregnant, expecting twins! ¡°You should focus your energy and attention on her!¡± Bruce¡¯s lips twitched, his face growing even grimmer upon hearing this. Though Roxanne was pregnant, he had neverid a hand on her. She got pregnant through dishonest means! It disgusted him to the core! But now Roxanne clung to him like sticky candy, impossible to shake off. He couldn¡¯t get rid of her! ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore. She is who she is, and you are who you are! ¡°Don¡¯t mix the two of you up!¡± Joanna stared at Bruce. ¡°Let me think about it!¡± ¡°Alright, let me know when you¡¯ve made up your mind! ¡°But you can¡¯t make a decision that harms the child without consulting me. Take good care of yourself!¡± ¡°I understand! ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Lilian, make sure to serve the freshest fruits every day!¡± ¡°Sure thing, Mr. Everet!¡± Chapter 223 For three consecutive days, Bruce came over every day to keep Joannapany! To let her rest, he brought the three children along cach day! They would spend an hour together before sending the children back to the Everett mansion! Even though they could only have an hour together each day, Joanna¡¯s heart found greatfort in it! She had been busy with work and hadn¡¯t been able to spend quality time with her children for a long time. Now, having an hour with them every day made her feel content. Roxanne had been living in Sherane Bay Vi for many days. However, Bruce didn¡¯t visit her even once. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. On this day, Roxanne couldn¡¯t resist the pull of the Everett mansion. The children were under its roof, and she knew Bruce would undoubtedly make an appearance to see them after work. ¡°Ms. Haynes, howdy!¡± one of the servants greeted. ¡°Has Bruce finished work yet?¡± Roxanne inquired. ¡°Yes!¡± the servant replied. ¡°Oh, what about the three kids? I brought ¡®em some toys!¡± Roxanne mentioned. Although deep down, Roxanne harbored a burning desire to throttle Joanna Haynes¡¯s three kids, she had to maintain a facade. The servant responded truthfully, ¡°They were taken away by Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Where did he take them?¡± Roxanne inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± the servant responded. Upon hearing this, Roxanne¡¯s heart sank, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding engulfed her. ¡°Fantine,e over here. I need to ask you something.¡± Roxanne called out to one of the servants. Fantine nced around, ensuring nobody was paying attention, and quietly entered the room with Roxanne. Once inside/Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What has Bruce been up totely?¡± Fantine was the first servant that Roxanne had bribed, and she often discreetly ryed information. ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t overthink it. Taking care of the pregnancy is more important!¡± Fantine replied. Tell me the truth!¡± Roxanne insisted. Fantine hesitated for a moment and lowered her voice. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯ve heard some troubling news lately!¡± Roxanne was shocked and quickly asked, ¡°What news?¡± I heard that Ms. Joanna hasn¡¯t been seen at thepany for a few days!¡± ¡°What does her presence at thepany have to do with me?¡± Roxanne questioned. ¡°I heard Mr. Everett took her to Reagan No. 8 Residence!¡± Fantine revealed. ¡°What?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I also heard that she seems to be pregnant. Mr. Everett has hired several servants to attend to her during the Fantine added. pregnancy!¡± The news struck Roxanne like a mighty blow. She had gone to great lengths to separate them, even resorting to the unthinkable act of ending Margaret¡¯s life! And now, they were reunited so soon. ¡± ¡°What did you say? That wicked Joanna is pregnant!¡± Roxanne eximed. ¡°It appears so. I heard it from the servants over there!¡± Fantine confirmed. Roxanne¡¯s face fell with anger. ¡°Joanna Haynes. you damn bitch! You¡¯re unbelievably fortunate! ¡°The heavens smile upon you, bestowing yet another child! ¡°I¡¯ve schemed and toiled relentlessly, only to be left empty¨Chanded!¡± No wonder Bruce had been absent these past few days. He had been with Joanna Haynes! ¡°Joanna Haynes, Bruce Everett, I won¡¯t let you have your way!¡± Consumed by rage, Roxanne stormed out of the Everett mansion, vowing to ensure their path wouldn¡¯t be smooth. As soon as she settled into the car, her phone began to ring. Beep beep beep! Roxanne let out a frustrated sigh as she picked up the call, ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯ve got a lot on your mind and tend to forget things!¡± came the voice on the other end. ¡°You are¡­¡± Roxanne trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s Kensley Leach!¡± replied the caller, Kensley. Upon hearing this, Roxanne held her breath and quickly motioned for the car to stop. She stepped out of the vehicle and headed toward a nearbywn. ¡°Oh, I¨CI know!¡± she eximed, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you know!¡± said Kensley, his voice filled with gloom. ¡°It¡¯s been peaceful for so many days. Miss Roxanne, shouldn¡¯t you keep your promise?¡± Chapter 223 Roxanne took a deep breath, attempting to soundposed. ¡°Tell me what you want!¡± ¡°Considering Margaret¡¯s worth, is 200 million dors too much?¡± Kensley asked. *200 million dors?¡± Roxanne waspletely shocked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just rob a bank? Isn¡¯t that excessive?¡± she retorted. ¡°Miss Roxanne, you¡¯re about to be Mrs. Everett! Asking for anything less wouldn¡¯t reflect your noble status,¡± Kensley responded, his tone growing lower. ¡°ording to the Everett family¡¯s wealth, 200 million dors is just a drop in the ocean!¡± Roxanne seethed with anger. ¡°I haven¡¯t married into the family yet!¡± ¡°And even if I do marry into the family, Bruce won¡¯t simply hand me 200 million dors!¡± Then how much can you give?¡± Kensley inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of money at the moment. I can give you a portion first, and the restter. Would that work?¡± Roxanne replied. Kensley paused for a few seconds. ¡°How much can you offer right now?¡± I only have one million dors!¡± Roxanne stated. Kensley sneered in response. ¡°Fine, I was just joking earlier! Give me 20 million dors, and I¡¯ll let this matter gopletely, Kensley said. Roxanne let out a sigh, feeling helpless. ¡°I really can¡¯te up with 20 million right now. ¡°I know that giving you one million dors won¡¯t satisfy you, but I genuinely don¡¯t have that much money at the moment.¡± she exined. ¡°I can transfer one million dors to you first. I promise to give you the rest once I marry into the family!¡± Roxanne reassured. ¡°Then you have to provide me with a written agreement,¡± Kensley demanded. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Trust me, once I marry into the family, I¡¯ll definitely give you the 20 million dors!¡± Roxanne replied. ¡°Alright then! Transfer the one million dors to me first,¡± Kensley agreed. ¡°Sure, tell me your bank ount.¡± After ending the call, Roxanne felt disoriented. Despite being born into a wealthy family, she couldn¡¯te up with 20 million in cash instantly. After pondering for a while, Roxanne decided to call her mother, Ingrid. ¡°Hey, Roxy!¡± Ingrid answered the call. Overwhelmed with emotion, Roxanne couldn¡¯t hold back her tears as she cried, ¡°Mom¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ingrid asked, concerned. Roxanne sobbed, ¡°Mom, I, I think I got into trouble¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Ingrid was scared out of her wits. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. What happened?¡± ¡°Mom, where are you now? I¡¯ll go back and find you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m at home!¡± Roxanne rushed back to the Haynes¡¯s house in no time! Ingrid appeared anxious. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did Mr. Everett cause you trouble again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that!¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± Roxanne had intended to spill everything to her mother, but at thest moment, she hesitated and held back! It would be better not to burden her mother with this! ¡°Mom, that awful Joanna is pregnant!¡± ¡°What did you say? Say it again?¡± ¡°Joanna, that wretched woman, is pregnant, and she¡¯s carrying Bruce¡¯s child!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ingrid¡¯s face froze, and anger zed in her eyes! ¡°Is this really happening?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. Bruce has already taken her back to Reagan No. 8 Residence to ensure a safe pregnancy! ¡°I¡¯ve worked so hard, and she effortlessly turns the tables! ¡°Life is incredibly unfair. Life has been far too kind to her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry just yet. Shedding tears won¡¯t help!¡± Ingrid said. Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Roxanne was consumed by restlessness, her tears flowing uncontrobly. ¡°Mom, didn¡¯t you say you had a way to deal with Joanna? ¡°Now she¡¯s getting more and more cocky. If she has another kid with Bruce, it¡¯ll be like she¡¯s had four kids with him! ¡°Even if I have twins with Bruce, I can¡¯tpete with her!¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth in anger when she heard this.. She had already told her two cousins to take care of Joannia. They should have hired a killer for that. Three months had passed, and not only was Joanna doing well, but she was also pregnant now. This made her furious. These two useless cousins were always after money but always messed things up when it came to important matters. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Just wait, I¡¯ll make that slut pay!¡± Ingrid said. Roxanne sniffled and said with intense hatred, ¡°How can I find peace? ¡°I¡¯m getting more and more anxious, Mom. I¡¯m really scared! I don¡¯t know what to do!¡± Roxanne cried in the arms of Ingrid. However, what scared her the most wasn¡¯t Joanna¡¯s pregnancy. It was about Margaret. There were some things that only brought a lingering fear once they were over. Now, she had nightmares every night, dreaming that Margaret wasing to take her life. She had acted on impulse back then, not thinking clearly. But she never expected that Margaret would die in an instant. Especially now that Kensley was asking her for money, she was even more afraid that the fact would be exposed! And if it came out, ording to Bruce¡¯s personality, the Haynes family would be ruined miserably! Ingrid had no idea what Roxanne was thinking. Seeing her daughter so sad, she only held resentment toward Joanna. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Stop crying, it¡¯s pointless! So what if she¡¯s pregnant? Aren¡¯t you pregnant too? ¡°When you give birth to twins for Bruce, even if it¡¯s not ideal, the children can still inherit part of his wealth in the future. ¡°Crying won¡¯t help now. You should gather your strength and fight that bitch till the end! Back then, her dead mother was no match for me! Why can¡¯t you learn from what I did?¡± Upon hearing this, Roxanne held back her tears. She did want to learn from Ingrid¡¯s past Tactics! But the problem was that Bruce was not Shaun. He didn¡¯t fall for her tricks, and he wasn¡¯t even interested in her. In a romantic rtionship, without sex, to be honest, love would fade away. 12:52 Tue, 11 Jul Go Chapter 224 ¡°Mom, I just feel hurt and can¡¯t help but cry¡­¡± Ingrid sighed, feeling even more distressed, and quickly wiped away her daughter¡¯s tears. ¡°Be good, stop crying! ¡°Go home and wait! Don¡¯t worry, with me around, that bitch won¡¯t dare to step over you! ¡°Even if she does, I will bring her down! That little bitch won¡¯t reach her goal!¡± With Ingrid¡¯sforting words, Roxanne felt much better and more at ease! She knew how skilled her mother was at causing a scene. Though not exactly proper, the results were impressive! She admired her for that. The next day, Ingrid grabbed her bag and hurriedly prepared to leave. Shaun was engrossed in the newspaper. There was a clear sign of the influence of social media these days. However, he had stuck to the habit of reading newspapers throughout the years. Noticing his wife about to leave, he couldn¡¯t help but adjust his sses and ask, ¡°Why are you heading out so early today?¡± Ingrid slipped on her high heels and replied, ¡°I have an appointment for a beauty treatment.¡± ¡°A beauty treatment this early?¡± ¡°Just going early means no waiting. I won¡¯t be back for lunch, so don¡¯t wait for me.¡± Ingrid casually remarked as she grabbed. her car keys and left. She needed to find her two cousins quickly and check on their progress. It had been quite a while, and they hadn¡¯t taken any action yet! An hourter, Ingrid arrived at her cousins¡® ce. She had arranged a meeting with them the day before, so her two cousins were already waiting for her. ¡°What have you two been up to? Do you still want the money?¡± Ingrid angrily pointed her finger at her two cousins. Wace shed a sly smile, ¡°Ingrid, we¡¯ve already set the n in motion! But damn, this woman is so lucky; we missed her twice!¡± Ingrid grew annoyed and scolded, ¡°I don¡¯t care about your methods, just get rid of her as soon as possible! ¡°Otherwise, you won¡¯t get the 2 million dors!¡± ¡°Believe me! We will definitely take care of her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just talk; you always show some damn enthusiasm when ites to money! ¡°But when it gets serious, you always make excuses!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already taken action! Last month, we almost ran her over with a car right in front of her company building! ¡°But out of nowhere, Mr. Everett showed up and saved her! And recently, we almost seeded in the ladies restroom in Greene Town! ¡°But that woman reacted quickly, and we couldn¡¯t stab her heart, only cut her hand!¡± Ingrid listened with a mix of belief and doubt. But judging by her cousins¡® expressions, they didn¡¯t seem to be joking. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any damn excuses. I¡¯ll give you another month. If you can¡¯t get it done by then, I won¡¯t be able to give you the money!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re looking for the right opportunity! ¡°As soon as we find the right time, we can send her to the afterlife real soon!¡± When Lin Yueru heard this, she pursed her lips and rolled her eyes! Ingrid pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. ¡°I damn well hope so. Stop talking nonsense! ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving now!¡± Wace blocked her path with a grin. ¡°Hey, Ingrid, it¡¯s been a long damn time since the three of us yed together! ¡°We don¡¯t get chances like this often¡­¡± Ingrid pushed Wace away with disgust, ¡°Go away, go away. We¡¯re all adults now, so stop acting so damn indecent! ¡°Focus on what matters. Quit wasting time on irrelevant things all the damn time!¡± After saying that, Ingrid slung her bag over her shoulder and left resentfully. It wasn¡¯t because she had a change of heart and decided to uphold her feminine virtues. Rather, she had lost interest in making out with these cousins a long time ago and was feeling annoyed. Besides, the handsome young men at the beauty salon were all muscr and young! They provided excellent service with sweet words and at a low price. These two cousins were already middle¨Caged. Only a fool would choose them. After Ingrid left, Oscar frowned and said, ¡°Wace, what should we do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go find Ramos right away and see if he still wants the money,¡± Wace suggested. Both of them contributed 100 thousand dors each and hired an assassin! The assassin was a taxi driver in his fifties who had been diagnosed with liver cancer a few months ago and had only six months left to live. He was determined to leave some money for his wife and children! He was the perfect fit for the job! Soon, they arrived at Ramos¡® residence! ¡°Ramos, what¡¯s your n? It has been so long. Do you still want to make money?¡± Wace repeated Ingrid¡¯s words to him. Ramos sighed and said dejectedly, ¡°I¡¯ve made two attempts, but I failed by a hair¡¯s breadth both times! ¡°It¡¯s a pity that her luck is so good! ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to track her whereabouts these past few days. This deal is not going well¡­¡± Seeing that Ramos was about to decline, Wace said in a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯ll add another 20 thousand dors. Hurry up and finish the job! ¡°This is 120 thousand dors. It will be enough for your wife and children for a long time. You can die in peace¡­¡± Ramos frowned. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll think of another way!¡± For the sake of money, Ramos reluctantly agreed. After all, he didn¡¯t have many days left to live. He still had a son and a daughter at home, and his wife didn¡¯t have a job! Once he died, his entire family would probably starve! Although 200 thousand dors wasn¡¯t arge sum in Greyport, it would be enough for them to get by for a long time! In Reagan No. S Residence, Bruce brought the three children over again! Joanna, who was originally in a dispirited state, instantly became much more energetic when she saw the three treasuresing over. ¡°Mommy¡­ ¡°Baby!¡± Joanna quickly lifted the nket and tried to get out of bed. ¡°The doctor told you to stay in bed and rest. Don¡¯t get out of bed!¡± Bruce said coldly, chasing her back to bed. ¡°Is your appetite better today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°Mommy, we brought you cookies!¡± ¡°Thank you, baby!¡± ¡°Mommy, do you have a baby?¡± Joanna was stunned! ¡± Irvin smiled mischievously, ¡°Mommy, are we going to have another little brother or sister?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, Mommy! I like little sisters. Give me another little sister!¡± ¡°I like it too!7 The three children surrounded Joanna, chatting and asionally touching her belly. They looked at her with anticipation and smiled happily! Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Lilia, her voice filled with innocence, asked, ¡°Mommy, when will she be born?¡± Joanna heard it and instinctively nced at Bruce! She suspected that this damn Bruce had deliberately nted the idea in the children¡¯s minds! Otherwise, how could they know so much at such a young age? Bruce¡¯s handsome and noble face remained devoid of expression! But an overwhelming wave of tenderness surged within him! These kids were his. And soon, Joanna would give birth to another one. The six of them would live together. Suddenly, he realized that this could be the ordinary happiness he had been missing! ¡°Mommy, is there really going to be a little sister in your belly?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna still had her eyes fixed on Bruce. ¡°Why are you looking at me? The child is asking you a question!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to the kids. ¡°Maybe! She won¡¯t be born for a few more months!¡± ¡°Wow, when the timees, I¡¯ll bake cookies for her.¡± ¡°If you have a little sister, will you stop favoring me?¡± Lilia asked one of her brothers. ¡°No way! I will love you just the same!¡± Irviny on the bed and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Mommy, are you tired? I¡¯ll give you a massage!¡± Davian hurriedly climbed onto the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll give Mommy a massage too!¡± Irvin was holding onto Joanna¡¯s thigh while the other was embracing Joanna¡¯s arm, disying their sincere and devoted affection! It had been a while since they had shown such affection towards their mommy. Finally, they could do it now! Bruce watched from the side and couldn¡¯t help feeling a tinge of jealousy! These kids didn¡¯t seem to have much of a bond with him. No wonder it was said that fathers and sons were enemies from past lives! Fortunately..ilia was closer to him! ¡°Alright, Mommy¡¯s tired. It¡¯s time for you guys to go back!¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been an hour! Let us stay with Mommy a little longer!¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned cold, and he spoke sternly, ¡°It¡¯s been over 40 minutes already, which is practically an hour! Hurry up and go home!¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. He couldn¡¯t tolerate the sons being so clingy to Joanna. ¡°Bruce, can¡¯t you let them stay a little longer?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help feeling annoyed! She couldn¡¯t understand why he was so harsh with their two sons. ¡°You¡¯re not feeling well right now. The doctor told you to rest! They making a fuss will disturb your rest!¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re well¨Cbehaved!¡± Bruce snorted andmented sourly, ¡°Yeah, the kids are quite obedient! ¡°But you, as an adult, aren¡¯t obedient at all. Can¡¯t find a single child who listens!¡± Joanna felt a pang in her chest. She was an adult and didn¡¯t want to be treated like this! ¡°Bruce, I really don¡¯t like you acting this way!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°I¡¯m not like money. I don¡¯t need everyone to like me!¡± From childhood to adulthood, he always stole the spotlight! He was always the one giving orders to others! Over time, this habit became ingrained and couldn¡¯t be changed. Joanna¡¯s head began to throb, and she had no desire to continue arguing with him. Well, he was quite the troublemaker, and no one could out¨Cargue him. Sensing Joanna¡¯s growing anger, Bruce softened his tone a little. ¡°Just cooperate, and you¡¯ll get to see the kids every day!¡± Davian and Irvin pouted. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ll go back first!¡± During this period, Davian and Irvin had alsoe to understand the importance of Bruce! He was like the king of the pack, and the little cubs would learn their lesson if they misbehaved. ¡°Alright, behave!¡± Joanna kissed each child¡¯s cheek reluctantly as she watched them leave. Once the children were gone, Bruce took a seat by the bedside, casually loosening his tic. Joanna was taken aback. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Time to sleep! I¡¯m exhausted, let¡¯s lie down!¡± Bruce stretched out on the bed with an air of ownership. Joanna felt frustrated. ¡°Bruce, can we have a proper conversation?¡± ¡°Go on!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t even bother to open his eyes. ¡°I¡­ I really don¡¯t want this child!¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s gaze turned icy. ¡°This is your debt to me!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve angered me so much that you owe me another child. An eye for an eye!¡± Joanna was left speechless. Bruce grabbed her arm, impatiently stating, ¡°If I tell you to give birth, you better do that!¡± ¡°This child is mine, so take good care of it! Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it!¡± Joanna felt even more frustrated by his threats! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop it!¡± Joannay down in anger. ¡°Take care of your pregnancy and stop overthinking!¡± Joanna paused for a moment, asking indignantly, ¡°If this child is born, will you take the child away from me again?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes but gave no response! He hadn¡¯t made up his mind yet! Regardless, the child had to be born first! Then can you give me the phone? I need to make a call!¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Phones emit radiation, and it¡¯s not good for the child!¡± ¡°You¡¯re incredibly annoying. I can¡¯t contact the outside world. Everyone thinks I¡¯ve disappeared!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve delegated all thepany matters to the vice president! I¡¯ve also informed Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul about your situation!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Bruce interrupted her. ¡°No ¡®buts!¡± ¡°The most important thing for you now is to protect this child! I¡¯ll take on all the losses of your company!¡± Bruce said it, but deep down, he felt even more contemptuous! Joanna¡¯s factory in Mossbourne had only received a modest investment of a few tens of millions! Even if it made money, it wouldn¡¯t be much. But if she gave birth to this child, he could afford not only a small factory but even a publicly traded company. In an instant, Joanna had been trapped here for a whole week! There was no way for her to reach the outside world, and no one could find her either! Jaydon had absolutely no clue what was going on! ¡°Madam, it¡¯s mealtime The servants brought in another round of nourishing food. ¡°I want to go outside!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett wants you to stay in bed and rest!¡± Joanna shot an irritated look at the servant. ¡°I¡¯ve been cooped up in this house for an entire week. I¡¯m starting to lose it! ¡°If I lie down again, I¡¯ll go crazy!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± The servants didn¡¯t dare to make the decision. Chapter 225 ¡°I won¡¯t go far, just a little stroll on thewn!¡± Then I¡¯ll go check with Mr. Everett!¡± After a short while, the servants returned after getting instructions. ¡°Madam, he said you can go out to thewn for a while!¡± Joanna listened, put on her shoes, and walked out of the room! Finally, after a whole week, she stepped foot outside this room! Although there were servants trailing behind, they could finally breathe in the fresh air! Joanna stood on thewn, her mind buzzing with thoughts! Given Bruce¡¯s personality, it was nearly impossible for her to leave! If she wanted to escape from this ce, her chances were even slimmer! For now, all she could do was y along! When Bruce let his guard down, she would find a way to contact the outside world! The next day, Bruce came with the three kids to visit her again! While Bruce stepped out to make a phone call, Joanna said, ¡°Nancy, I¡¯m craving some grapes. Go wash them for me!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± ¡°Ms. Chain, can you heat up a ss of milk for me? Add some extra sugar!¡± ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± Joanna devised a n to send all the servants away! ¡°Davian,e here!¡± Davian obediently walked over. ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°When youe tomorrow, can you bring Mommy a phone?¡± Davian tilted his head, studying Joanna! ¡°Mommy, why do you need a phone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask too many questions. Mommy really needs one right now! But we can¡¯t let Daddy find out, and we can¡¯t let anyone else know either! ¡°It¡¯s our little secret!¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy, don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Good boy!¡± Just then, Bruce approached. ¡°What secret conversation are you two having?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time for today. Mommy needs to rest!¡± Joanna exchanged nces with Davian! Davian had a gloomy expression and shed Joanna an okay sign! ¡°Bye, darlings!¡± ¡°Bye, Mommy!¡± ¡°Feeling better now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°What do you need? Just let Ms. Chain and the others know!¡± ¡°I understand!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving too!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna replied with a cold tone. When Bruce heard that, he felt an overwhelming unease. A whole week had passed, yet her icy attitude toward him hadn¡¯t thawed even a bit! She had truly killed his grandmother, and he was still furious! Well, now she was the one mad at him. Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Bruce wanted Joanna to take the initiative to ask him to stay! Unfortunately, Joanna¡¯s attitude was very cold. She had no intention of asking Bruce to stay. In terms of feelings, she did not give him any way out either. Bruce frowned and left in a panic. He had just returned to the car and prepared to return to the Everett mansion. His phone rang then. Bruce took out his phone and saw that the call was from Roxanne. Although Roxanne called him every day, he only picked up once in a while. ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce answered the call coolly. On the other end of the line, Roxanne initially thought Bruce wouldn¡¯t answer her call again. She sounded a little ttered. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Roxanne¡¯s tone was gentle and soft. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time. I¡­ miss you!¡± Bruce listened but did not answer! He did not want to have any emotional exchanges with Roxanne now! Since she insisted on giving birth, she could do it! In any case, it was just spending some money to support her. Bruce would not invest any feelings into it! Now that Grandma was dead, no one would pressure him anymore! ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± ¡°Bruce, we haven¡¯t seen each other for so long. I want to see you. Can youe back and keep me company fonight?¡± Roxanne¡¯s tone carried a smidge of pleading. Bruce felt a little disgusted when he heard that. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve been busy recently. I¡¯ll look for you when I¡¯m free!¡± He really didn¡¯t want to see Roxanne again. This woman was too scary and cunning! She had actuallye up with artificial insemination as a method. It truly left him speechless and disgusted. ¡°Bruce, when do you have time? If you don¡¯t have time to visit me, can I go over to see you¡­ Roxanne wanted to say more. Before she could finish, Bruce had already hung up! ¡°Hello! Hello!¡± Roxanne called for Bruce twice in a row, but a busy tone sounded from the other end of the phone! Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Roxanne¡¯s heart ached and her tears flowed uncontrobly! Now, Bruce was taking her less and less seriously. Ever since Margaret died, his attitude towards her had be even more perfunctory and cold! Chapter 226 Thinking of this, Roxanne regretted it even more! When Roxanne had pulled out Margaret¡¯s venttor, her goal had been to frame Joanna and completely separate Bruce from Joanna! However, Roxanne had never expected that her gains would not make up for her losses! She had gone for wool ande home shorn. She had cut off her own protection! Looking at the empty room, Roxanne felt even more deste and lonely! Even though she was living an extravagant life now and lived in a luxurious house valued at 200 million dors, humans were still animals with emotions. Whether it was physical or psychological, humans had a need for emotions! Roxanne was also fairly young, and her desire for love was at its peak. Bruce had treated her so coldly. She truly felt empty and lonely! Roxanney in bed in a daze, unable to sleep at all! She began to miss Gavin crazily again without realizing it! She missed the happiness that Gavin had once brought her. She missed Gavin¡¯s diligent, bootlicking personality! However, she did not dare to contact Gavin now! She had not contacted Gavin for a few months. She wondered how he was doing now! At eleven o¡¯clock in the morning¡­ Roxanne tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Unable to hold it in any longer, she dialed that familiar number! The call went through very quickly! ¡°Hello!¡± Gavin¡¯s familiar voice sounded from the other end of the phone. Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly hung up the phone! Her heart was pounding, and her cheeks were burning up to her ears. Though she liked the feeling Gavin gave her! At the same time, she also hated Gavin for being weak and ipetent. Other than being able to satisfy her with regard to that matter, this man was wholly useless in other aspects! It was a pity that some people were born with despicableness in their bones. The more forbidden something was, the more they wanted to touch it! Soon! Gavin called back! Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang wildly. Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat! She bit her lower lip nervously. However, she did not dare to answer the call in the end! She was now pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child. If there wereplications at this time, all her efforts would be in vain. Moreover, if news of Gavin got out, she would probably be theughingstock of the entire socialite circle. Chapter 226 Seeing that Roxanne wasn¡¯t answering her phone, Gavin started texting again. ¡°Roxy, is that you?¡± ¡°I miss you. I love you. I¡¯m really sorry!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dare to hope that you can forgive me. I only hope that you can live well! I¡¯m an ipetent man. Regarding what happened that day, I wish I could kill myself!¡± ¡°Roxy, you must be happy! As long as you can be happy in the future, I would even be willing to give up my life immediately! I know I can¡¯t give you anything!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I¡¯m willing to give my life to you! I know that you don¡¯t care about my life! If you need it one day, I¡¯ll give it to you any time¡­¡± Looking at Gavin¡¯s messages, Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but cry. If only Bruce valued her so much! Unfortunately, reality was always so cruel. How could a man like Bruce love a woman as humbly as Gavin? Text messages came one after another. Each message was extremely passionate and sincere. One could see from the text messages that Gavin genuinely felt guilty! Chapter 227 Chapter 227 For the past few months, Gavin had been enduring the torture of longing! He did not dare to look for Roxanne again because he had caused her so much harm! How could he still have the gall to see her? That night, Bruce got someone to take away the few hooligans who bullied Roxanne. No one knew how those hooligans finally ended up! However, Gavin never saw those hooligans or heard any news about them again! One of Gavin¡¯s legs had also been broken. He had been recuperating at home for four months, and his leg injury had only recovered this month! Now that Roxanne had taken the initiative to call him, he was more than overjoyed! In one night, Gavin sent Roxanne hundreds of messages! Roxanne looked at the messages from Gavin. Although she did not reply, she read every message he sent! This feeling of being loved and valued was very enjoyable, and it also gave her emotionalfort! At the very least,pared to Bruce¡¯s cold violence, women needed gentle care more! Looking at the message from Gavin, Roxanne became more and more restless! It was four in the morning! Roxanne was still awake. Finally, she could not help but reply to his message. ¡°See you at the usual ce at one o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon!¡± After Gavin received the message, he was even more ecstatic and jumped on the spot! He never thought that Roxanne would actually meet him! The next day¡­. When Roxanne woke up, it was already past ten in the morning. After a simple meal, she could dress up. At eleven thirty¡­ Roxanne was ready to go out. The ce where she had made ns with Gavin was a little far, and she had to prevent people from secretly taking photos and following her. Therefore, she had to go out early. Seeing that she was about to leave, a servant hurriedly went forward and asked, ¡°Ms. Haynes, are you going out? Where are you going?¡± Even though Bruce did not love Roxanne, he still did not skimp out on providing her with material comfort and food! He also assigned a lot of servants to her. Roxanne flipped her hair and said calmly, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going home! I¡¯m going back to see my parents. Chapter 227 Then I¡¯ll arrange for a driver now¡­¡± ¡°No need, no need. I¡¯ll drive myself! You don¡¯t have to follow me. I still have some private matters to deal with.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Because Bruce did not love her, her freedom was not restricted. Although there were many bodyguards in the Sherane Bay Vi, there was no need for them to deliberately follow her to protect her! Roxanne drove out the door and then got into a taxi! She deliberately made a big detour before carefully making her way to the agreed meeting ce. At ten past one¡­ In a restaurant that served Eastern cuisine¡­ This was where the two of them used to date. It was very hidden and safe! It was specially provided for couples who wanted to go on dates but found it inconvenient to go to hotels. However, it was also very expensive. Roxanne walked into the shop! Gavin was already waiting here. Seeing Roxanneing over, Gavin was so excited that his eyes were filled with tears. He suddenly rushed over and hugged Roxanne tightly in his arms! ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m sorry. Just it me, just kill me!¡± ¡°Roxy, I dare not beg for your forgiveness! I¡¯m willing to die to see you again!¡± Gavin did not care. He hugged Roxanne and kissed and rubbed her cheek. Roxanne¡¯s heart instantly softened again. ¡°Gavin¡­¡± ¡°Roxy, I really missed you. I knew you couldn¡¯t bear to forget me!¡± Gavin hugged Roxanne passionately and kept saying sweet nothings to her. Rozanne did not respond to him intensely. But she did not resist Gavin¡¯s hugs and kisses. Especially since she had not been nourished by love for so long! The moment she saw Gavin, her entire body went limp! Soon¡­ Gavin began to show off his ¡°advantage!¡± Roxanne, naturally, did not refuse. She only reminded Gavin softly, Gavin, be gentle. I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Gavin was stunned when he heard that. He stared nkly at Roxanne. Chapter 227 She was pregnant! In the end, she would still be someone else¡¯s wife! However, Gavin did not stop. He became even gentler¡­. An hourter¡­ Roxanne¡¯s face was full of satisfaction! She was like soft mud that had been soaked through by heavy rain, snuggled in Gavin¡¯s arms! This feeling! Roxanne really couldn¡¯t stop. Compared to happiness, what was money? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. For a moment, she even thought that there was nothing bad about being with Gavin like this. Although he had no money, he could bring her extreme happiness and satisfaction. Money could not rece such things. ¡°Roxy, will you forgive me?¡± ¡°How have you been? If I could see you again and be with you, even if it¡¯s just for a day, I¡¯ll be satisfied!¡± Roxanne did not have the strength to speak and only reached out to hug Gavin. ¡°Roxy, is he good to you?¡± ¡°Will you be in danger if youe out like this? If he finds out, will he hurt you?¡± Roxanne did not answer, but her expression obviously became unhappy! When Gavin saw this, he also guessed that Roxanne must be unhappy! Otherwise, why would she take the initiative to contact him? ¡°Roxy, if he treats you badly, you wille to be by my side. I will love you forever and treat you well for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m not worthy. All I can give you is my life! I swear that I won¡¯t love any other woman in my life. You¡¯ll always be the only one in my heart!¡± ¡°As long as you need me, I¡¯ll always be by your side!¡± Gavin really loved Roxanne. These words were definitely not glib to make Roxanne happy! However, Gavin knew that his background was too poor. He was truly not worthy of something as lovely as she was. The only thing he could do was to show her his sincerity! When Roxanne heard Gavin¡¯s sincere confession, she was still very touched! She took the initiative to kiss him andpletely forgave him! Even though it was Gavin¡¯s fault for what happened that day. Still, Roxanne knew that Gavin was also in pain! With Gavin¡¯s capabilities, he could not protect Roxanne at all, let alone deal with those five hooligans! I should go!¡± ¡°Roxy, can we meet again?¡± Tears streamed down Gavin¡¯s face as he lugged Roxanne reluctantly. He knew that after Roxanne left, he might not be able to see her again! She was Bruce¡¯s woman! She must have put in a lot of effort to be able toe out! Roxanne did not answer! To be honest, how could she leave Gavin? For the past few months, she had been tormented to the extreme every night. However, staying with the Everett family was different from staying in her own house. With so many servants and bodyguards watching, she did not have that much freedom to move around! ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it next time!¡± ¡°Roxy, I can¡¯t bear for you to leave!¡± Gavin hugged Roxanne, unwilling to let go. ¡°Hurry up and let go. It¡¯s gettingte. If I don¡¯t go back soon, I¡¯ll arouse suspicion!¡± Roxanne began to put on her clothes and kept reminding Gavin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll look for you if a suitable opportunityes up!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not looking for you, don¡¯t ever call me, let alone text me!¡± Chapter 228 Chapter 228 ¡°If someone sees us, we will both be dead!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll wait for your call. I won¡¯t disturb you at all!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Roxy, remember to think about me! Think about me every night!¡± ¡°You too!¡± ¡°I think about you all the time¡­¡± After the two reluctantly bade their farewells, Roxanne hurriedly returned to Sherane Bay Vi! When she returned, she was in a much better mood! She was full of energy and her cheeks were rosy! Reagan No. 8 Residence, 7 p.m. at night! Bruce brought Davian and Irvin over to see Joanna as usual. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re here!¡± Davian and Irvin eximed as they ran into the room happily. ¡°Good boys¡­¡± Joanna was feeling much better the instant sheid eyes on her two sons! ¡°Where¡¯s Lilia?¡± Joanna took a look and realized that only Davian and Irvin were here. She did not see Lilia Haynes anywhere. Irvin immediately answered, ¡°Lilia was feeling a little sick so she didn¡¯te over!¡± When Joanna heard that, she immediately asked anxiously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Lilia? How sick is she?¡± ¡°She has a slight cough. The doctor said that she caught a cold so daddy made her stay at home and only brought the two of us over!¡± When Joanna heard that, she quickly looked at Bruce and asked with concern, ¡°Bruce, is Lilia okay?¡± Bruce frowned as he replied, ¡°She¡¯s fine, she just caught a cold! It¡¯s a little cold today so I decided not to bring her over!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already asked a doctor to take a look at her!¡± Hearing that, Joanna felt a little more at ease! Afterwards, she casually turned to look at Davian. Davian winked at Joanna Haynes and she understood him right away. Looks like Davian really did bring her a mobile phone! Joanna looked around before her eyes settled on Bruce uneasily. After keeping silent for a few seconds, she asked hesitantly, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m a little hungry. Can you go to Honeymoon Dessert and get me a bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge?¡± Bruce was speechless! Chapter 228 ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get the driver to buy it for you now!¡± ¡°I, I want you to buy it for me personally! Please?¡± Joanna requested with a hint of coquettishness and pleading in her eyes. Seeing this, Bruce was in great disbelief! This woman finally knew how to butter up to him. Seeing that Bruce did not say anything, Joanna thought that he was unwilling to go. She quickly added, ¡°It would taste better if you are the one who bought it for me!¡± When Bruce heard this, he tried his best to suppress his smile. He pretended to be nonchnt as he asked, ¡°Fine! Is there anything else you want to eat?¡± ¡°Yes, I want a mousse cake as well!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± After saying that, Bruce turned around and left. The moment he stepped out of the door, he could not help butugh! ¡°Heh, women are all the same!¡± he said deep down. They liked to make men do all sorts of things so that they could measure their worth in men¡¯s hearts! However, he was not angry at all. In fact, he was even a little happy! He had always been the one giving orders to others but although he was the one who got ordered to run an errand today, he was actually delighted! ¡°Ms. Chain, Nancy, help me make some fruit mix!¡± ¡°Add more strawberries and blueberries and also some fresh coconut juice and milk!¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Haynes!¡± Joanna had to find an excuse to send the maids away! After the maids had left, Joanna could not wait and immediately ask Davian, ¡°Davian, did you bring a mobile phone?¡± ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve brought one over!¡± As Davian said that, he lifted his shirt and took out a smartwatch from his pocket. ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t know, does he?¡± ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t know. This is the children¡¯s phone that I was given when I was in kindergarten!¡± ¡°Yes, good boy!¡± Joanna took the phone. She felt very excited. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Don¡¯t let daddy know about this, and don¡¯t tell anyone, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, mommy, don¡¯t worry!¡± Davian nodded. Joanna had just hidden the phone when the maids came over with the fruit mix she had requested! ¡°Ms. Haynes, the fruit mix is ready! As per your instructions, we added strawberries, blueberries, coconut juice, and milk!¡± ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± Seeing this, Irvin could not help but drool. He demanded, ¡°Mommy, I want to eat too!¡± Then you can have it!¡± Irvin, mommy needs her nutrition. How can you snatch her food?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Mommy doesn¡¯t have much of an appetite anyway!¡± The two of you can have it!¡± Then we¡¯ll enjoy it!¡± Yup!¡± ¡°If the two of you like it, we¡¯ll make another bowl.¡± ¡°Great!¡± When the two boys heard that, they began to eat the fruit mix happily! Half an hourter! Bruce came back holding a few bags! ¡°I¡¯ve bought the food!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Bruce ced the porridge and cake on the dining table. Joanna was a little embarrassed and she felt a little uneasy! 1 She just wanted a reason to send Bruce away. There was nothing else she could think of so she could only give such a lousy reason. However, she had not expected Bruce to buy the food obediently! ¡°Hurry up and eat! It won¡¯t taste good if it gets cold!¡± ¡°Alright, I will!¡± Joanna replied and started to eat the porridge. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s delicious, thank you!¡± Bruce sneered as he retorted, ¡°Why are you thanking me? I bought the food for the children, not for you!¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna felt like someone had just smacked her! She knew that Bruce would not be so nice to her! This was how he was like, sharp¨Ctongued but he doesn¡¯t speak his mind! He clearly didn¡¯t think so in his heart, but he liked to say the opposite! He clearly wanted to please her, but yet he refused to admit it! Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Joanna Haynes ate a few more mouthfuls until she could not eat anymore! Due to her pregnancy, she did not have much of an appetite. Seeing that she was not eating anymore, Bruce Everett asked with concern, ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat more?¡± ¡°1. I¡¯m already full¡± ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t you going to eat this cake?¡± Irvin Haynes pointed at the cake and asked. Joanna only managed to force herself to eat a small piece of the cake. ¡°You guys can have it Joanna said while rubbing Irvin¡¯s head. Tll bring it back for Lilia to eat then. She loves cakes¡± ¡°Alright, remember to brush your teeth after dinner. Otherwise, you will have to go to the dentist if you get cavities and it would hurt ¡°Got it, mommy! Joanna felt a little guilty. All she wanted was for Bruce to leave quickly. I¡¯m a little tired now I think I¡¯m going to sleep!¡± When Bruce heard this, he did not suspect anything else. Then rest well! I¡¯ll bring the children back first!¡± ¡°Alright! I will ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s go ¡°Bye, mommy! The two boys waved happily at Joanna. ¡°Goodbye, darlings!¡± Joanna also waved back at her two sons! Seeing that she still had no intention of asking him to stay, Bruce left with the children in displeasure. Her body was so weak now and she was also pregnant so he did not dare to stay. He was afraid that he would not be able to control himself and touch her! After Bruce and the children had left! Joanna heaved a sigh of relief and quickly took out the phone! It was a children¡¯s smartwatch, the kind worn on the wrist. The screen was small and had a GPS function. It could also be used to make calls! Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Joanna pressed the call function and thought for a moment before calling Jaydon Grimm! Beep, beep, beep! The call went through quickly! Jaydon quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hello, Jay, it¡¯s me!¡± When he heard Joanna¡¯s voice, Jaydon was a little excited as he asked, ¡°Joann, are you alright? I tried calling you but why Chapter 229 can¡¯t I get through to you? Where are you now?¡± Jaydon asked a few questions in a row. He had been worried sick for the past few days! ¡°I¡¯ve been at the Reagan No. 8 Residence! Bruce Everett restricted my freedom, and my phone was confiscated by him!¡± Jaydon frowned when he heard Joanna¡¯s words. Then what should we do now? I¡¯ll call the police right now!¡± Joanna quickly stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t bother calling the police. There¡¯s no use!¡± ¡°Damn that Bruce Everett. What is that bastard going to do to you now?¡± ¡°Jay, don¡¯t ask so much. Have you been to the factory in Mossbourne recently? Have you gone over to take a look?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I haven¡¯t gone over to take a look yet! I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere these past few days and haven¡¯t had the time to go to Mossbourne!¡± ¡°Then hurry up and check on the factory there tomorrow. I won¡¯t be able to get out of here for a while! Someone has to take care of things at the factory!¡± She had used almost all her savings to build the factory in Mossbourne. As such, she was extremely anxious since it has been quite a few days since anyone checked on the factory. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll make a trip there tomorrow!¡± ¡°Thank you. A while back, I found a streamer to sell the goods and all the inventory has been cleared! Remember to ask if the money has been transferred!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also almost the end of the year so help me organize the employees¡® annual leaves. ¡°Alright, I understand!¡± Joanna continued to exin the other matters regarding the factory. Now that it was the end of the year, there were many things to deal with. Jaydon was now the secondrgest shareholder of the factory! In her absence, he had to take care of things on her behalf. ¡°That¡¯s good. I can rest assured now that you¡¯re handling these!¡± Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the others could take care of thepany in Greyport. If worsees to worst, there was also Bruce Everett so she didn¡¯t have to worry too much. Instead, she was more worried about the factory in Mossbourne. Joanna heaved a sigh of relief after she finished giving Jaydon the instructions. Jaydon was more worried about her safety. He asked, ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± Joanna thought for a moment before answering. I haven¡¯t thought of a good solution yet!¡± ¡°If I leave now, Bruce Everett will definitely go crazy again!¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m so worried about you! I¡¯d better call the police!¡± Jaydon did not know how he couldfort Joanna! If it were anyone else holding Joanna hostage, he would definitely be able to think of a way to save her! But now, he was facing Bruce Everett! There was no way he could win. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. He won¡¯t do anything to me!¡± Joannaforted Jaydon instead. Just as she was speaking, there was a knock on the bedroom door. ¡°Jay, someone¡¯sing. I¡¯m hanging up!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna was afraid someone would discover her talking on the phone so she quickly hung up. Right after she hung up the call, there was another knock on the door! ¡°Pleasee in!¡± Ms. Chain pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Ms. Haynes, it¡¯s time to take your medicine!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Ms. Chain prepared the medicine to help with the pregnancy and the vitamins before handing them to Joanna. She also handed Joanna a ss of water! Joanna took the medicine and ced it in her mouth before swallowing it with a mouthful of water! She had been quiet and cooperative for the past few days! Hence, the maids did not monitor her as strictly as they did two days ago! Joanna finished the medicine quickly! Ms. Chain then cleaned up after her before leaving. ¡°Goodnight, Ms. Haynes!¡± ¡°Goodnight!¡± Joannay on the bed again and began to think about her next problem! Bruce Everett told her to let go of everything and stay here until she gave birth! However, it had only been one month into her pregnancy! After giving birth and going through confinement, a year would have passed. By then, many things would have happened! How could she stay here in peace? ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t stay here like this! I have to think of a way to get out of here!¡± Joanna thought for a long time but could not think of a good solution! However, she could not leave this ce rashly either. Given, Bruce Everett¡¯s personality, he would definitely take revenge on her! When that tinees, who knows what crazy things he would do? Thinking of this, Joanna became even more distraught! On the other hand! Bruce rushed back to the Everett mansion with the two boys. In the car! Irvin was still chattering non¨Cstop! Chapter 229 He was a chatterbox with a somewhat strange and outgoing personality. His personality was the exact opposite of Davian¡¯s! Davian was extremely against Bruce but on the other hand, Irvin had more admiration for Bruce! ¡°Davian, when did you give the phone to Mommy? I didn¡¯t see you give it at all!¡± Irvin identally blurted. ¡°Shh!¡± Davian¡¯s face fell as he quickly gestured for him to shut up. ¡°Oh!¡± Irvin immediately reacted and hurriedly covered his mouth! When his brother told him this secret, he specifically told him that their father cannot find out. However, he was too excited just now and forgot about it. He hoped that his father did not hear him. Bruce¡¯s heart sank as he overheard what Irvin had said! ¡°My dear son, what phone were you talking about?¡± Irvin panicked and quickly shook his head as he stuttered, ¡°No, nothing!¡± Bruce carried Irvin onto hisp and smiled gently at him. ¡°It¡¯s not good for children to lie. You have to tell daddy the truth!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really nothing!¡± Irvin¡¯s gaze wavered for a moment before he quickly shook his head and denied it. It was really a slip of the tongue just now. He didn¡¯t want to betray his brother! Bruce¡¯s face darkened as he ordered, ¡°Hurry up and tell daddy!¡± ¡°If you dare to lie to daddy, daddy won¡¯t like you anymore!¡± It was Bruce¡¯s first time being a father as well. Therefore, he didn¡¯t know how to get along with children and he had no knowledge about educating them. When Irvin heard this, he turned around to look at his brother innocently. Davian said angrily, ¡°No, Irvin, you can¡¯t tell him!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell daddy the truth, daddy will send you overseas to study tomorrow!¡± ¡°In the future, you won¡¯t be able to see mommy anymore!¡± When the two boys heard this, they immediately panicked. They looked at each other nervously. ¡°Are you going to tell daddy what phone you guys were talking about just now?¡± Bruce kept pushing the two boys. After all, the two boys were only four years old. How could they withstand Bruce¡¯s intense interrogation? In the end, Irvin confessed truthfully, ¡°Um, mommy asked Davian to bring her a phone!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that. ¡°Did you bring it then?¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t!¡± Davian still wanted to deny it. When Bruce heard this, his face immediately turned as cold as ice! ¡°Driver, turn around and go back to Reagan No. 8 Residence!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± The driver immediately turned the car around and drove back to Reagan No. 8 Residence. ¡°Daddy, please don¡¯t be angry! Please don¡¯t me Davian as well, okay¡­¡± ¡°Daddy is not angry!¡± Bruce replied gloomily. He knew that the children didn¡¯t know anything. He was angry with the adult instead! How dare Joanna make use of the children to bring her a phone. No wonder she had asked him to personally buy her porridge. It turned out that she wanted to send him away! Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Bruce Everett was furious. He really could not understand what Joanna Haynes was thinking! Soon after! Bruce decided to head back to confront Joanna! ¡°Send the young masters back to the mansion!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kody replied before driving away again. Bruce got out of the car. His chest was burning with rage as he strode towards the room Joanna was in! Inside the room! Joanna was already in deep sleep when the door was pushed open with a creak! ¡°Bang!¡± There was a loud thud when the door hit the wall. The lights were also turned on immediately after! Joanna was taken aback and opened her eyes to take a look at once! Bruce walked towards the bed with a dark expression on his face. ¡­Bruce Everett, why, why are you back again?¡± Joanna promptly crawled up in fright. Bruce¡¯s expression darkened as he continued to keep silent. He took a few steps to the head of the bed and started to search all over without saying anything! He looked under the pillow, at the bedside table, and even under the bed! ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Joanna asked nervously. From the looks of it, he probably already knew about the phone! Bruce searched for a long time but could not find it. He asked her directly. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°What, what are you looking for?¡± Joanna pretended to stay calm, but deep down, she was already panicking! Bruce looked at her scarily as he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the phone?¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale when she heard that! N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°There, there¡¯s no phone! Didn¡¯t you already confiscate my phone?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and roared in anger, ¡°Hurry up and hand me the phone!¡± Joanna was so frightened that her heart was pounding against her chest and her eyes were wandering all over the ce! Bruce was extremely terrifying when he lost his temper! ¡°Hurry up!¡± Bruce cried out impatiently! ¡°I don¡¯t have a phone¡­¡± Seeing that Joanna was still unwilling to hand the phone over to him, Bruce was even more furious! He started to search the bed again! ¡°What are you doing? Can you stop acting crazy?¡± ¡°Move away!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna eximed as Bruce pushed her to the other side of the bed. Bruce searched so thoroughly that he almost flipped the mattress over. In the end, he finally found the phone in the crack of the bed! The moment he saw the phone, he gritted his teeth in anger. Joanna Haynes, you spent so much effort to get our son to bring you a phone so who exactly are you trying to call?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Give it back to me!¡± Joanna pounced on him, wanting to snatch the phone back! Bruce waved his hand and pushed her back to the bed. He quickly opened the call history on the phone! He saw that Joanna had only made one call. He saw that the person she had called was none other than Jaydon Grimm! It seemed that Joanna had spent a lot of effort to get their son to bring her a phone just so that she could contact her old lover! At that realization. Bruce¡¯s jealousy overwhelmed him. At that moment, it was as though he had be a green¨Ceyed monster. ¡°Smack!¡± The phone was thrown to the ground and instantly shattered. Joanna was so scared out of her wits that her entire body trembled. When Bruce was angry, there was no way she could defend herself from him! Joanna Haynes, looks like you just refuse to listen to anything I say!¡± ¡°You just can¡¯t leave Jaydon Grimm, can you?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and subconsciously exined, ¡°No, I only called him because of work¡­¡± In his rage¨Cdriven state, there was no way Bruce could listen to her exnation. He smiled coldly and said. ¡°Fine, fine. Since you can¡¯t bear to part with him so much, I¡¯ll send you to see him, okay?¡± As he spoke, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room. ¡°Bruce Everett, let go of me. You¡¯re hurting me!¡± Bruce was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. He directly pushed Joanna to the ground and dragged her by her wrist. He was using so much force that Joanna felt as though her wrist was about to break. She eximed in pain, ¡°Ouch! Let go of me!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t forget about Jaydon Grimm, right? You really want him, right?¡± ¡°You hate me a lot now that I¡¯ve gotten you pregnant, right?¡± ¡°You were so eager to call him because you want him toe and save you, right?¡± Joanna could not take the pain anymore. She was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes as she pleaded, ¡°Bruce Everett, can you not be like this?¡± ¡°Since you love Jaydon Grimm so much, get lost. Go find him instead!¡± Bruce was so angry that his eyes had turned green and his chest heaved violently! He had never been this furious before! He had repeatedly ordered her not to have any contact with Jaydon Grimm. Why couldn¡¯t she listen to him? She kept crossing his limits time and time again! ¡°Bruce Everett, I called Jay just to ask him to help me take care of the factory in Mossbourne!¡± No matter what Joanna said, Bruce could not listen. He insulted. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re such a bitch! You¡¯re really fucking promiscuous!¡± ¡°Am I not enough to satisfy you? Why are you so cheap?¡± As Bruce was degrading her, he pped her hard! ¡°Smack!¡± This ppletely shattered Joanna¡¯s heart! Joanna held the cheek that he had pped and calmed down. She did not bother exining anything else anymore! She was not his girlfriend, nor was she his wife. It was her freedom to date whoever she wanted to! ¡°Fine, yes, I like Jaydon Grimm!¡± Joanna raised her head with dignity and looked straight at Bruce coldly. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be with you at all! You¡¯re the one who kept forcing me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said that I don¡¯t love you anymore! Our marriage has been dissolved a long time ago. You¡¯re the one who kept refusing to let me go!¡± When Bruce heard that, his heart burned with rage! Ten secondster, Bruce startedughing sinisterly. ¡°Joanna Haynes, you¡¯ll regret this!¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, deal with me if you want to! Don¡¯t take your anger out on Jaydon Grimm!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a whore. I shouldn¡¯t have been so nice to you!¡± Joanna was really heartbroken at his violent words! Who would dare to stay by the side of a man who is so easily agitated? It was the right decision for her to divorce him! This was God¡¯s salvation for her! ¡°I won¡¯t make it easy for you!¡± After saying that, Bruce mmed the door angrily and left! ¡°Andy, arrange for a private jet to send the young master to Surbano immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, I will definitely make you regret this!¡± After Bruce Everett had left! Joanna Haynes sat on the ground in a daze. The servants hurriedly came in to pack her things! She really didn¡¯t know what she could do now! At Sherane Bay Vi! Bruce came over angrily to look for Roxanne again! Roxanne had just made out with Gavin yesterday. She was no longer as frustrated today so she went to bed early! ¡°You¡¯re back. Mr. Everett!¡± The servants quickly greeted him. Bruce¡¯s face was cold. He did not say anything in reply but walked straight to the room! He should have known that Joanna was not worthy of his love! Since she could find another man, why couldn¡¯t he find another woman? ¡°Bruce, why are you back¡­¡± Roxanne was shocked by his visit. Take off your clothes!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Roxanne was so scared that her heart started pounding heavily Looking at Bruce¡¯s furious expression, she thought that he had found out about her rtionship with Gavin! Bruce threw himself onto the bed. He was feeling extremely frustrated! He just wanted to vent! ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce¡¯s brain twitched, and he suddenly felt that there was no point doing this! He had no feelings for Roxanne at all. Not only that, she was pregnant! ¡°Bruce, what exactly is wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Before Roxanne could react, Bruce got up angrily and left again! A man like him would have many women pining for him if he wanted! It was not like he hadn¡¯t yed around with women before. The next day! Bruce did not bring Davian and Irvin Haynes over to see Joanna anymore! In the blink of an eye, a week had passed! Bruce did note over again, and neither did the two boys! Joanna started to feel depressed again! ¡°Ms. Haynes, hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Stop asking me to eat! Every day, all I do is either eat my food or my medicine! I¡¯m not a ve, and neither am 1 an animal!! ¡°Give me a phone. I want to call Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mr. Everett has requested for us to take care of your health during your pregnancy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating. If I don¡¯t see the boys, I won¡¯t eat anything!¡± Joanna announced before she swept all the food to the ground. The maids had no choice but to bring her a phone. Beep, beep, beep! The call to Bruce Everett went through quickly. ¡°Bruce Everett, what exactly do you want?¡± ¡°What do you mean by what I want?¡± Bruce asked with a sneer. ¡°Where are the boys?¡± ¡°They have already been sent overseas!¡°, ¡°You said that you¡¯d bring them to see me every day!¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll let you see them if I feel like it! If I don¡¯t want, then don¡¯t even think about it!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need for me to keep the child in my stomach anymore!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, if anything happens to this child, I¡¯ll make you wish you were dead!¡± Joanna was furious. ¡°Bruce Everett, can you not be like this?¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, you¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t appreciate how lucky you were. You were the one who angered me first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already exined it to you. I only called Jay because of work¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention him to me again. If you mention him again, I¡¯ll make sure he dies now!¡± Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Bruce Everett snorted and hung up directly. ¡°m!¡± He threw the phone heavily on the table, and his face was as cold as ice! Seeing this, everyone else also fell silent. This was a high¨Cend nightclub. The dimly lit private room was filled with all kinds of beautiful women! Besides Bruce, there was also another young and handsome man sitting on the leather sofa! At this moment, the man had his legs crossed and waszily hugging two women! Seeing that Bruce was angry, he smiled and urged, ¡°Come on Bruce, it¡¯s rare for you toe out and y. Don¡¯t be angry!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Come, let¡¯s drink!¡± The long¨Clegged woman beside Bruce poured a ss of wine for him enthusiastically. On his other side, another beautiful woman in a low¨Ccut dress hurriedly came over to light his cigarette. Bruce¡¯s face was still gloomy, and the veins on his temples were bulging. The only woman who could make him so angry was Joanna Haynes. ¡°Bruce, there are so many beautifuldies here! Why are you pulling such a long face? You¡¯re scaring thedies off!¡± The man who spoke was called Zachary Garcia. He is Bruce¡¯s good friend and they grew up together. Given Bruce¡¯s status, there are always many people around him but there were only a few he could consider as friends! Zachary was one of the few. The two of them were ssmates and childhood friends who grew up together. Zachary was the oldest son of the boat tycoon of Greyport! The family business was also worth billions of dors. They were also within the top ten wealthiest families in Greyport! Although their assets could not match those of the Everett family, they were still a famous family in Greyport! Therefore, the two of them were from the same world! Zachary took a ss of wine and personally handed it to Bruce while saying, ¡°Come, let¡¯s cheers!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be angry about! She¡¯s just a woman anyway. She¡¯s not worth you being angry over!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡± Zachary snorted and said teasingly, ¡°Look at you. Your face is already twisted with rage. How can you still say that you¡¯re not angry!¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re thinking. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re willing to give up the whole forest for a tree.¡± As Zachary spoke, he took a sip of wine, and his eyes were filled with ridicule. If men of their social status were too loyal to one woman, they would he mocked by the people in their circle of friends. In their eyes, love could be bought with money and women were akin to beautiful clothes. This meant that they had to change them diligently. He could enjoy different kinds of love without having to spend a lot of money so who would be so stupid as to give up the whole forest for one tree? Bruce Everett is just a weirdo! R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only He had no reason to invest so much effort in a woman. ¡°My younger sister ising back next week! She¡¯s preparing to hold a banquet. Come over and show your support! I¡¯ll introduce you to her!¡± ¡°Your sister?¡± Bruce asked while raising an eyebrow. Zachary had a younger sister who was six years younger than him. She had been studying in Europe. Bruce had even met her a few times before and she was indeed very beautiful. If he remembered correctly, she even pursued him in the past, but he had rejected her. Zachary poured another ss of wine and casuallymented, ¡°Yes, Jennie. You know her!¡± Bruce also took a sip of the red wine and chuckled, ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°The banquet will be held next Saturday. You muste then!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce agreed without any hesitation. Zachary called out to a few of the women beside him. ¡°You guys, satisfy Mr. Everett well!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Garcia!¡± This nightclub was owned by Zachary, + The few women he called over have all taken part in beauty pageants. They had top¨Cnotch figures and their looks were impable. Bruce had been spending a lot of time here these few days! In the past, he didn¡¯t really care for this kind of ce. However, he was in such a terrible mood that he couldn¡¯t help bute here to fool around. At the Reagan No. 8 Residence! After Joanna Haynes hung up, she was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. What right did Bruce Everett have to detain her like this? What right did he have to ask her to do this? What was worse was that he had even sent the boys overseas! This was something she could not tolerate! She did not owe him anything so what right did he have to do this? ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t be angry! It¡¯s not good for your baby!¡± ¡°All of you, get out¡­¡± Joanna shouted at the maids. Ms. Chain and the other maids did not dare to disobey her words and quickly left the room. ¡°Yes, Ms. Haynes!¡± Joanna buried her head under the pillow and started crying again. Her life had beenpletely ruined by Bruce Everett. It was Saturday! Chapter 231 In the Garcia Vi! A banquet was being held here today. The princess of the Garcia family, Jennie Garcia, had returned from studying in Europe! Her family had specially held a grand wee party for her! On this day! Numerous luxury cars were parked outside the Garcia Vi. All the socialites and young masters of the wealthy families, as well as the business elites from Greyport were here to attend the banquet! The venue of the banquet looked extremely ssy and divine. Not only that, the beverages and buffet were also the best money could buy. They even specially invited a world¨Cfamous pianist to perform. Jennie was wearing a white custom¨Cmade evening gown. There were tens of thousands of Swarovski crystals dotting her brooch and dress. Coupled with her crystal¨Ccolored high heels, she looked like a shining princess that was noble, beautiful, and elegant! ¡°Wee back, Jennie!¡± ¡°Long time no see¡­¡± The young masters and socialites came over to greet her one by one. ¡°Wee, wee everyone!¡± As Jennie socialized with the others, she secretly looked forward to Bruce¡¯s appearance. Her brother told her that Bruce would being. Upon hearing the news, she was so excited that she did not sleep a wink the entire night. Just as she was thinking about it, a line of luxury cars drove over. A group of bodyguards surrounded a noble and indifferent man as he walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett is here!¡± Jennie looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was indeed Bruce in the crowd! ¡°Long time no see, Bruce!¡± Jennie, you¡¯ve be prettier!¡± Bruceplimented as he handed over a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Thank you!¡± Jennie said as she took the flowers with a smile on her face. She has had a crush on Bruce since he was a teenager. However, Bruce had never been interested in her. He only had his eyes on Roxanne Haynes and did not give the other socialites a chance at all! Therefore, Jennie had no choice but to study in Europe! Now, she was back. Her feelings, which had been scaled deep down her heart, had been unleashed again! ¡°Let¡¯s dance!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce and Jennie performed the first dance on the dance floor! Everyone around them was watching as the two of them. danced under the spotlight. It felt like they were a match made in heaven! ¡°Hey, did you guys notice? Mr. Everett and Ms. Garcia are verypatible. They look like a couple!¡± Indeed, although Roxanne Haynes was also the daughter of a wealthy family, her background was still much inferiorpared to the princess of the Garcia family. The Garcia family is one of the top ten wealthiest families in Greyport and they were much more powerful than the Haynes family. After the first dance. The two of them sat down and chatted. ¡°Bruce, I heard that you¡¯re getting married.¡± ¡°Oh, heh¡­¡± Bruce chuckled in embarrassment! Roxanne Haynes used to be the apple of his eye. With his love for her, she was considered one of the best and most popr socialites. However, with the Haynes family¡¯s frequent fights, their reputation in Greyport had long been ruined. In particr, after Raymond Haynes had passed away, Joanna Haynes became a shareholder of the Haynes Group. Shaun Haynes was also not considered elite anymore, and the Haynes family was no longer a rich and powerful family. Seeing Bruce¡¯s unnatural expression, Jennie asked again, ¡°When will the wedding be held?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet. At the very least, I have to wait until after the first anniversary of my grandmother¡¯s death!¡± When Jennie heard this, her eyes lit up. ¡°Marriage is a big matter so you have to consider it carefully!¡± Bruce listened but did not answer. He could already feel Jennie¡¯s burning gaze as though she was trying to send him a message. He did not like the feeling at all. After all, he was a person who warms up to others slowly. Zachary walked over with a ss of red wine and asked, ¡°What are you guys talking about? Both of you seem happy.¡± Jennie smiled sweetly and replied, ¡°Zachary, I was just casually chatting with Bruce!¡± Bruce shrugged and stood up before dering, ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave first!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only just arrived. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡± ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like crowds!¡± Every time he attended a banquet, he would end up being the center of attention. Every time that happened, he felt like an animal in a zoo enclosure being watched. ¡°What¡¯s there to dislike about crowds? I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re just too old¨Cfashioned!¡± ¡°Look around you. Among these people, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s different!¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled deeply and did not refute it! Greyport was a very open¨Cminded city! Both the men and women were very bold, and they were not as conservative as the people of Mossbourne! The rich had many lovers and cheating was not a problem at all! Their wives were also very open¨Cminded. They turned a blind eye and did not dare to interfere, nor were they willing to interfere! The rich heirs were even more ridiculous. Fooling around with female celebrities and models was nothing to them! Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Bruce was the one who had only one girlfriend. Although he would have affairs asionally, he never had any true feelings for others! In the eyes of those rich and young, he was an exception! ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Bruce, let me send you off!¡± There is no need!¡± Jennie still insisted on sending Bruce to the door! When Bruce got into the car, Jennie politely came up to him and kissed him goodbye on his check! Bruce left. Zachary looked at his sister and teased, ¡°Jennie, are you still interested in Bruce?¡± ¡°Zachary!¡± Jennie pouted and frowned unhappily. ¡°He has children and no longer single!¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°So what? I don¡¯t mind!¡± Jennie smiled, looking determined to win Bruce over. What was there to be afraid of the children? The Everett family owned billion¨Cdor of assets. They could easily afford to support a few children! Moreover, who did not like an outstanding a man? Jennie had already secretly made up her mind that she would take down Bruce this time! ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The next day! Many photos from the banquet were leaked! The photos of Jennie and Bruce dancing together were shared with ambiguous captions! The headline was even more dubious! ¡°Mr. Everett was dancing with Ms. Garcia. What a perfect match!¡± ¡°This is the true representation of a power couple and a love match made in heaven!¡± ¡°Will Mr. Everett fall in love with someone else?¡± Soon! Roxanne also saw the trending news! After seeing the news, Roxanne was so angry that her heart was going to explode! Chapter 232 She had always been on guard against Joanna and never expected the threat of Jennie, who appeared out of nowhere! Jennie was better than her in all aspects! Back then, if Bruce had not mistakenly thought that Roxanne was his savior, he would not have loved her so deeply. Perhaps Jennie had already been with Bruce. Now that Roxanne¡¯s reputation was tarnished, Jennie probably posed a more severe threat than Joanna! Roxanne quickly called Ingrid in a panic mood. ¡°Hey, Roxy!¡± Roxanne hurriedly said, ¡°Mom! Have you seen the news today?¡± Ingrid paused. ¡°What news? What happened again?¡± ¡°Last night, Bruce attended Jennie¡¯s banquet! He even danced with Jennie and gave her a bouquet of roses!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Yeah! What should I do?¡± Roxanne was furious. That was not the most crucial point. Most importantly, almost all the socialites of Greyport were invited to the banquet, except for Roxanne! ¡°Joanna, the bitch, is still eyeing Bruce covetously. Now, another damn bitch appeared!¡± Ingridforted her. ¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t make a fuss over something so insignificant!¡± ¡°With Bruce¡¯s wealth, even if he doesn¡¯t flirt with women, there will still be a lot of women pouncing on him!¡± ¡°There will be many simr incidents in the future. You have to be mentally prepared in advance!¡± Roxanne said in frustration, ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t ept it!¡± ¡°You have to ept it even if you can¡¯t!¡± ¡°You can only choose one thing between money and love! As long as you get his money, so what if he goes out to fool around?¡± ¡°You have to be prepared for a prolonged battle now. There will be coquettish bitches watching Bruce all the time!¡± Ingrid was very open¨Cminded! Most of the rich tycoons¡® wives in Greyport had the same mindsets. As long as their husbands did not have children or spendrge amounts of money on extramarital affairs, they could care less! Of course! The wives could not do anything about it even if they wanted to! However, they would still cooperate with their husbands and pretend to be loving when attending events! In reality, they could have lost interest in each other and had extramarital affairs. It was the norm for most rich families! ¡°The most important thing for you now is to take care of the baby. Don¡¯t get angry so easily!¡± Ingrid lectured her daughter from time to time. ¡°I know¡­¡± Although Roxanne was angry, there was nothing she could do! ¡°You have to keep open¨Cminded about such things! The more you take it to heart, the easier for others to take advantage of you!¡± Chapter 232 ¡°If you don¡¯t care, others can do nothing about you!¡± ¡°Got it?¡± Ingrid advised her daughter based on her own experience. ¡°However, the rtionship between Bruce and you is in danger! Learn to be smarter in keeping a man¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°Mom¡­ Roxanne sighed in disappointment! Everyone understood the logic! However, it was not that easy to act ording to it! Especially when it came to rtionships. If one did not love a person anymore, it was what it was. The rtionship could not be salvaged by tricks. Ingrid continued, ¡°Love needs to be managed. This involves universal wisdom!¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s equally impressive to be able to keep man¡¯s heart without love!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still young. You still have a long way to go! You¡¯ll understand eventually!¡± Roxanne took a deep breath. ¡°Jennie was clearly showing off. I can¡¯t ept it without putting up a fight!¡± ¡°After you give birth, they can do whatever they want without affecting you!¡± ¡°What about Joanna?¡± When Ingrid heard that, she gritted her teeth in hatred! In her eyes, it was not difficult to handle people like Jennie. They were novelty things for the rich and had limited shelf life. Moreover, everyone would act very cautiously when it came to managing marriages among wealthy families! Instead, it was people like Joanna who was a pain in the butt! No matter what, she had three children with Bruce! They would be tied together for the rest of their lives because of the children! If they wanted topletely cut off Bruce and Joanna¡¯s rtionship, they could only get rid of Joanna! The rtionship could only bepletely severed through death. Otherwise, Joanna would be entangled with Bruce for the rest of her life! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll think of a way to deal with Joanna!¡± At Reagan No. 8 Residence! ¡°Madam, it¡¯s time to take your medicine!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating!¡± As Joanna spoke, she turned on the television in frustration! ¡°Madam, there¡¯s radiation from the TV!¡± ¡°Can you guys leave me alone? I can¡¯t get out now, nor can I get on the inte. I can¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even watch television now?¡± Joanna could not help but let go of her anger She was not someone who liked to be angry at the servants! But now, she was restricted in all ways Her depression made her even more irritable and uneasy! Ms. Chain had an uneasy expression on her face, but she still brought the medicine.. She was not afraid of Joanna watching television. Instead, they had already seen the news. They were afraid that Joanna would be agitated when she saw the news! Joanna turned on the television. As soon as the television was turned on, entertainment news popped up! On the screen, Bruce and Jennie were dancing passionately! The apanying headline was also very ambiguous! It was as if all the entertainment reporters in Greyport were looking forward to Bruce and Jennie having further development! After all, the more ruthless the fight between the wealthy families, the more popr they would be! ¡°Madam, don¡¯t watch this news. It¡¯s all fake¡­ ¡°Haha!¡± Joannaughed coldly! No wonder the servants did not let her watch television! It turned out that Bruce had found a new lover again! However, Joanna was not jealous at all. It was as expected! How could a bastard like Bruce only be faithful to one woman? He had always been a fickle womanizer! ¡°Turn off the television!¡± At the Everett Group. ¡°Mr. Everett, do you want us to deal with that news?¡± ¡°Just ignore it!¡± Bruce said coldly. The gossip about him had never stopped anyway! asionally, somedies wanted to use him to create hype! How could he have the time to care so much about them? Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. It was Roxanne. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Um, are you at work?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Roxanne hesitated for a few seconds and said hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯m going for a prenatal checkup tomorrow. Is it convenient for you to apany me?¡± ¡°Let the servants apany you!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Chapter 232 ¡°I¡­ I want you to apany me. Please apany me!¡± Roxanne could not help but beg. ¡°The child is already more than two months old, but you have never gone for a prenatal checkup with me! Please apany me once!¡± Bruce thought for a moment. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After hanging up, Roxanne had a smug look on her face! Bruce still cared about her! The next day! Bruce went and took Roxanne to the prenatal checkup as promised! Click! Click! Roxanne had already hired paparazzi to take photos secretly. Soon! Photos of Bruce apanying Roxanne for the prenatal checkup were posted online! The news undoubtedly defended her status as the legit wife! At the same time, it announced to all the women of Greyport that she was Mrs. Everett! Moreover, she was pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child. Other women should behave themselves! Chapter 233 Chapter 233 The next day! The media broadcasted a piece of explosive news. [Mr. Everell apanied his actual girlfriend for a prenatal checkup. The good news wasing soon.] [Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne¡¯s 6¨Cyear rtionship was stable.] [Miss Roxanne is pregnant with twins. Mr. Everett apanied and cared for them the entire time.] A series of headlines exploded online! However, it was Roxanne who hired someone to take the photos secretly. The photos and captions deliberately showed that she was in a stable and loving rtionship with Bruce. The news of Bruce dancing with Jennie was quickly suppressed. Roxanne sessfully turned the table and dered her rtionship with Bruce to others! At Reagan No. 8 Residence! Bruce had been so popr for the past two days. The television also reported his news. Joanna saw the news undoubtedly! Watching the news of Bruce apanying Roxanne for a prenatal checkup was different from watching the news about Jennie. Joanna felt her heart had been cut with a knife several times! She was not jealous, but the feeling was so unbearable that her heart felt like exploding. ¡°Madam, it¡¯s time for rest!¡± Joanna paused for a moment. She lifted the nket and sat up. ¡°I¡¯m going to the courtyard to take a breather!¡± ¡°Madam, the sun is very bright outside!¡± Joanna said nkly, ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I can bask in the sun!¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Ms. Chain did not dare to stop her. She could only help Joanna get off the bed! Joanna walked out of the room in loose pajamas after putting on her slippers. The bedroom was on the second floor. When she stood at the top of the stairs, she felt a little dizzy. She had double visions just from looking at the steps! ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ms. Chain hurriedly went to her side and hold her! I¡¯m fine. I might have hypoglycemia. I¡¯m a little dizzy!¡± ¡°Be careful. Why not we go back to the room? You can lie down!¡± ¡°No, get me a piece of chocte!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Ms. Chain did not dare to go far and quickly instructed Nancy to get the chocte. Joanna stood on the second floor with her hand on the railing. She had been feeling very dizzy these past few days. She was even more dispirited since she had not taken antidepressants.. Chapter 233 Before the servant could bring the chocte over, her vision turned ck uncontrobly and she fell from the second floor! ¡°Madam, Madam¡­¡± Ms. Chain was shocked and quickly turned around to catch Joanna. But, it was toote. Joanna rolled down the stairs. ¡°Oh my god! Help!¡± Ms. Chain quickly went down the stairs. The servants on the first floor heard themotion and ran over. Joanna had already fallen to the first floor. She lost consciousness on the spot. Her forehead and cheeks were injured! The servants were all frightened and pounced forward to check on her. ¡°Oh no, Madam is bleeding! Call the driver quickly and send her to the hospital!¡± ¡°Call Mr. Everett! Inform Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The servants were anxious and flustered like cats on a hot tin roof! Joanna was sent to the hospital by the servants in no time! A servant quickly called Bruce! Beep, beep, beep! ww Bruce was in a meeting. When his phone vibrated, he took it out and saw that it was a call from the landline of Reagan No. 8 Residence. Bruce frowned. Needless to say, it must be Joanna throwing a tantrum and asking him to go back again! With that thought, Bruce hung up! As the call could not go through, the servant hurriedly called Andy! ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Hello, Andy. Where is Mr. Everet?¡± Andy replied, ¡°Mr. Everett is in a meeting!¡± ¡°Hurry up and get Mr. Everett to answer the call. Ms. Haynes fell from the second floor and has been sent to the hospital!¡± Andy panicked when he heard that! Although Bruce had been in a fight with Joanna, Andy knew that Joanna was very important to Bruce! ¡°Oh, oh, wait a minute!¡± Andy did not dare to dy. He hurriedly entered the conference room with his phone! Bruce was in a meeting. All the high¨Clevel executives were listening to him attentively with serious expressions. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Mr. Everet, there¡¯s a call for you!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and he said angrily, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I will not answer external calls during meetings?¡± Andy had a nervous look on his face. He leaned close to Bruce¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Mr. Everett, Nancy called and said that Miss Haynes fell down the stairs¡­¡± When Bruce heard that, his eyes widened. He quickly took the phone and answered, ¡°Hello! Say that again!¡± Nancy¡¯s anxious voice could be heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, Madam fell down the stairs and has been sent to the hospital!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce stood up suddenly! ¡°Which hospital?¡± ¡°Greyport Hospital!¡± When Bruce heard that, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately left the group of high¨Clevel executives and walked out of the conference room. ¡°Why is Mr. Everett in such a hurry?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard that someone was admitted to the hospital?¡± ¡°Who is it? Why is Mr. Everett so nervous?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about it for now. Do we still have to continue this meeting? Should we continue waiting here or go back first?¡± ¡°Uh, let¡¯s go back first! Seeing how anxious Mr. Everett is, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be back for a while!¡± The group of high¨Clevel executives stared at each other and started whispering. Bruce rushed to the hospital! ¡°Mr. Everett, Madam is still in the emergency room¡­¡± ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± Bruce shouted. ¡°Madam is still in the emergency room. She hasn¡¯te out yet!¡± When Bruce heard that, his heart fluttered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all taking care of her?¡± ¡°How did she fall from the second floor out of the blue?¡± ¡°Madam said she wanted to go to the courtyard for some fresh air! When she was about to go down the stairs, she said she was dizzy and asked me to get the chocte!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to walk away, so I asked Nancy to get it! When I was telling Nancy, Madam fell!¡± When Bruce heard that, his face turned ashen. His chest heaved rapidly. Joanna was already so weak. She was probably in an even more dangerous state now! At that moment, he was no longer worried about whether the child could survive. Instead, he was worried about whether Joanna could survive! ¡°Joanna, you must be safe and sound!¡± Bruce closed his eyes and prayed in his heart. He had been mad at her and had not seen her for a week. He did not expect such a serious ident to happen! Half an hourter! The door of the operating theater was opened finally! The doctor walked out with a solemn expression. Bruce was very anxious. He rushed toward the doctor and asked anxiously, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Joanna?¡± The doctor frowned. ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes experienced a miscarriage¨Clike symptom! There are signs of a miscarriage. The baby is in an unstable stage!¡± ¡°Then, what should we do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already taken precautions to protect the baby. She can¡¯t get out of bed for a month! She must rest in bed to protect the baby and get three infections of pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine every day!¡± ¡°How about Joanna? Is she in danger?¡± Bruce asked worriedly. ¡°Ms. Haynes¡® external injuries are not severe. She will fully recover after some rest! However, Ms. Haynes¡® body was very weak. Her anemia symptoms did not improve at all!¡± ¡°I know¡­ You must try your best to treat her!¡± Bruce was a little dejected. Joanna refused to cat properly. She was unable to replenish her nutritional needs. Hence, her anemia could not improve. ¡°Mr. Everett, you may go in and see the patient!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± In the ward! Joanna was lying on the bed and wearing an oxygen mask. Her face was so pale as if there was no trace of blood! Bruce walked over and sat silently on the bed. His heart ached even more! ¡°Joanna, you must wake up!¡± ¡°You make my heart ache. It¡¯s so unbearable¡­¡± Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it was choked! He could not say all the words that he wanted! At that moment, it was probably useless for him to say anything. Bruce stayed close by Joanna¡¯s side for more than three hours. Only then did Joanna regain her consciousness. Her long eyshes shook slightly as she opened her eyes weakly. However, she saw everything in front of her in double images. It took her a while to barely see the outline of a man. Chapter 234 Chapter 234 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 234 Bruce immediately went up to Joanna when he saw she was awaken. He said in a rare gentle voice, ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re awake¡­ Joanna rolled her eyes. The silhouette in front of her eyes gradually became clearer! Only then she saw clearly that the person was Bruce! ¡°Doctor, pleasee in!¡± The doctor quickly rushed to the ward. After examining Joanna, the doctor said calmly, ¡°Ms. Haynes is doing fine now that she manages to wake up!¡± ¡°You have to be careful this month. Don¡¯t make unnecessary moves!¡± ¡°Take more nutritious meals and just focus on taking care of the baby! Bruce asked nervously, ¡°Do you have any additional advice?¡± There¡¯s nothing else. The patient¡¯s mental state isn¡¯t that good. She has to maintain a good mood and can¡¯t be agitated anymore!¡± ¡°Alright, I understand, doctor!¡± After giving a few more pieces of advice, the doctor turned around and left! Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and looked at her worriedly and nervously. ¡°Joanna, what has happened? How did you fall down the stairs out of a sudden?¡± Joanna had no memory of the fall. Besides, she had just woken up and did not want to talk! ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Where else? Of course, it¡¯s the hospital!¡± ¡°Why am I in the hospital?¡± Joanna asked weakly. She remembered that she was on the second floor and was about to go to the backyard. She could not remember what happened after that! When Bruce heard that, his head hurt. He said softly, ¡°You fell from the stairs. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Joanna tried her best to recall, but unfortunately, she could not remember anything! However, her hand hurt from Bruce¡¯s grip. She subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back! She also turned her face slightly to the other side of the bed. She did not want to interact too much with Bruce! She could not help but feel frustrated when she saw him! Bruce paused. When he saw how she resisted him coldly, the gentleness on his face instantly disappeared! The damp woman gave him a headache! Did she fall on purpose? She fell down the stairs because she wanted to abort the baby! Bruce¡¯s expression turned uglier after he finished imagining the scenario! Joanna, what were you trying to do? Look at me!¡± Bruce turned her face over as he questioned her! Chapter 234 Joanna looked at Bruce in disgust. ¡°I didn¡¯t try to do anything! It¡¯s what are you trying to do?¡± Bruce sneered and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Did you fall on purpose?¡± When Joanna heard that, her eyes rolled in surprise. She was even more furious! Was she crazy to fall down the stairs on purpose? However, she was very weak now and felt very ufortable! She did not want to argue with him! Seeing that Joanna was silent, Bruce was ascertain that his imagination was true. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re ruthless!¡± You put in a lot of effort to abort the child!¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he looked at Joanna coldly and sinisterly! Joanna¡¯s gaze shifted. She tried to ignore him! ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you. Say whatever you want!¡± As Joanna turned her head away again. Bruce became angrier. ¡°What do you want me to do, Joanna?¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really tired. I don¡¯t want to argue with you!¡± ¡°Can you just let me go? Just pretend that we never knew each other!¡± Joanna said angrily before turning her gaze to Bruce. ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡± Bruce refused decisively. ¡°You¡¯re rich and powerful. There are a lot of women willing to be with you. Why do you have to force me like this?¡± ¡°Joanna, let me tell you. I won¡¯t let you go in this lifetime! Don¡¯t you even think about getting rid of me in this lifetime!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She did not want to argue with him anymore! His domineering and stubborn personality was a sign of mental illness! Bruce broke his silence again after a while. He said in a gentler tone, ¡°Deliver the child! I¡¯ll give you your freedom after that!¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but ponder! If she could get rid of himpletely, then she was willing to give birth to the child! In the blink of an eye, Joanna had been hospitalized for three days. It was already the 23rd of December! It was the eve of Christmas Eve, which was also widely celebrated in the region! It was a family reunion day! There was only Joanna and the servants in the quiet and cold ward! Without her children by her side, she felt everything was lifeless. In Sherane Bay Vi! Roxanne had not seen Bruce for several days in a row. She could not get through to him on the phone either. Roxanne had to call Andy again to ask about Bruce. ¡°Hello, Andy. Is Bruce busy with anything these few days?¡± Andy replied politely, ¡°No, he¡¯s not busy with anything!¡± ¡°Tell me the truth!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is working and getting off work as usual. There is nothing else! If you have anything, please call Mr. Everett!¡± Andy did not dare to reveal Bruce¡¯s whereabouts. Roxanne hung up angrily! R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only She had not seen Bruce for a few consecutive days! Today, she identally spotted Bruce¡¯s car when she went to the hospital to collect her prenatal report! Only then she realized that Bruce had been in the hospital. Roxanne learned that Joanna was hospitalized through her secret observation! Bruce had been apanying Joanna every day! Roxanne was so angry after knowing that! She looked for Kensley in no time! ¡°Kensley!¡± ¡°What is I¡¯m the matter, Ms. Haynes!¡± Roxanne sneered, ¡°Joanna is here, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face twitched. ¡°I want to ask you for a favor!¡± ¡°Please tell me!¡± ¡°I want you to find a way to kill her child!¡± When Kensley heard that, he smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Mr. Everett is watching her every day!¡± ¡°You must have a way. I believe in you!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, we haven¡¯t even settled your debt from thest time!¡± ¡°Now you ask for my help again. What makes you think I¡¯ll help you?¡± Roxanne smiled calmly. ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re in the same boat now! If Margaret¡¯s incident was exposed, it won¡¯t be good for anyone!¡± ¡°Now, only by cooperating with me that everyone can have a good life! After I sessfully marry into the Everett family, you can get the money for sure!¡± When Kensley heard that, he did not say anything. ¡°Let me think about it!¡± He was already very afraid after Margaret¡¯s incident! And now, he was asked to kill another person. He did not dare to do it again! In the ward! ¡°Joann, have some chicken soup!¡± Thank you!¡± ¡°Men hired by Mr. Everett are guarding the door. I can only stay for a short while!¡± Miranda made chicken soup especially for Joanna! Bruce¡¯s bodyguards were watching from outside the ward. Bruce would alsoe over every day to visit Joanna! Today, Bruce came to apany Joanna again. As soon as he sat down, his phone rang. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce took out his phone and saw the call was from an unknown number. ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Hello, Bruce. I¡¯m Jennie!¡± Jennie¡¯s sweet voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Oh, is this your phone number?¡± That¡¯s right. I asked my brother for your phone number! I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time, so I called you!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Okay. What is the matter?¡± ¡°Um, are you free?¡± ¡°What is the matter? Just tell me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my brother¡¯s birthday next Tuesday. I want to ask you toe over!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time next Tuesday!¡± Bruce declined directly. ¡°Bruce, my brother is your best friend. Aren¡¯t youing to celebrate his birthday?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have time!¡± Bruce had never attended any birthday parties so Zachary had not invited him! Jennie wanted to see Bruce, so she could not resist inviting him! ¡°When will you be free?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy now. Bye!¡± Bruce hung up the phone after saying that! What were these women thinking? It was not like he did not know their intentions! Many women fell head over heels for him. However, he did not really like women who were too proactive! ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re a busy man!¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°It¡¯s just an acquaintance inviting me to a birthday party! You know that I never attend these parties!¡± Joanna put on a straight and expressionless face! ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas. Are you nning to let the children spend Christmas overseas by themselves?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°I know you miss the children. I¡¯ll bring them back when you feel better!¡± ¡°How can I recuperate in such a situation? You know very well that the children are my life!¡± ¡°Why are you so cruel? Why did you take the children away from me!¡± Joanna could not help but cry again! Bruce was distraught seeing her crying! ¡°Don¡¯t cry! Don¡¯t be so agitated!¡± ¡°Bruce, I hate you. I really hate you!¡± Bruce hugged her gently and stroked her hair to calm her down. ¡°I know you hate me!¡± ¡°Joanna. I¡¯ve told you before. You can stay with me in peace! ¡°I¡¯ve been good to you. Why do you have to torture yourself? ¡°Why can¡¯t you get over the resentment of the past? I¡¯ve told you. There was a mistake between us. Why don¡¯t you believe in me?¡± Joanna continued crying in his arms! It was an exhausting rtionship for both of them! Roxanne was her biological sister. She really could not share a man with her biological sister! She would rather quit that rtionship! Beep! Beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang again! Roxanne called him again. She had already made more than ten calls in a row! Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Bruce was annoyed! However, if he did not pick up the phone, he would be continuously harassed by Roxanne¡¯s relentless calls. ¡°I¡¯m going outside to answer the phone!¡± Bruce walked out of the ward with a dark expression as he spoke! When he reached the corridor, Bruce answered the phone in frustration, ¡°Hello!¡± Roxanne¡¯s soft voice could be heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, Bruce!¡± Bruce frowned impatiently. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Roxanne gave out augh. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering your phone?¡± I¡¯m busy. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about this! I want to get maternity photoshoots¡­¡± Before Roxanne could finish, Bruce raised his voice suddenly and shouted, ¡°If you want to get photoshoots, just get the photoshoots. Just do whatever you want! Can you stop bothering me over such a small matter?¡± ¡°Bruce, I just want to tell you that the photographer is very good. It¡¯s very difficult to book the photographer¡¯s schedule! If two people take the photos together, there will be a discount¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce had alreadypletely lost patience with her. ¡°Don¡¯t call me if there¡¯s nothing important in the future!¡± After saying that, Bruce hung up! He did not have the patience to apany her! He had apanied her for the prenatal checkup two days ago because he wanted to understand the necessary courses for a new father! After all, Joanna was also pregnant! When she gave birth the first time, he was not by her side and missed the birth of their children. Now, he wanted to be fully prepared! ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± Roxanne shouted into the phone. Bruce had already hung up. Roxanne was so angry that she gritted her teeth! ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re a damn bitch! What spell did you cast to capture Bruce¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you seed no matter what! The more he cares about you, the more I want to destroy you!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you nning to have another child to tie yourself up with Bruce? I won¡¯t let you have your way.¡± Roxanne was so angry and spiteful that her heart almost exploded! She called Kensley immediately! Kensley answered the call quite fast, ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Kensley frowned. ¡°Ms. Haynes, why are you calling again?¡± ¡°Have you thought about what I told you yesterday?¡± Kensley paused for a few seconds and said awkwardly. ¡°Ms. Haynes, the n is too risky. It¡¯s not easy to do it!¡± ¡°If Mr. Everett finds out, I won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences!¡± ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t have to make excuses! Didn¡¯t you handle the previous matter smoothly?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, what happenedst time is different from your n this time!¡± He was at most an aplice in Margaret¡¯s incident! However, if he act ording to Roxanne¡¯s n, the consequences of the matter would be much more serious. ¡°What are the differences? Besides, I¡¯m only asking you to think of a way to abort her child! I¡¯m not asking you to kill anyone. Why are you flustering?¡± Roxanne mocked Kensley. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you haven¡¯t settled the debt for the previous matter! Now you¡¯re instructing me to do another task¡­¡± Roxanne smiled coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll transfer another 2 million dors to you. After the mission ispleted, you¡¯ll be rewarded handsomely!¡± When Kensley heard that, his eyes instantly lit up! Roxanne mentioned 2 million dors. How many years did he need to work before he could earn 2 million dors? ¡°Ah¡­ Alright!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± Roxanne hung up immediately after saying that! Then, she transferred 2 million dors to Kensley¡¯s overseas ount. ¡°Joanna, I won¡¯t let you have your way. Keep dreaming if you want to give birth to Bruce¡¯s child!¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth. Her face was contorted with anger! Joanna was no longer just a love rival to Roxanne! Roxanne considered Joanna an enemy who needed to be fought to the death. After transferring money to Kensley, Roxanne still could not suppress the anger in her heart! Since Bruce openly cheated on her, why should she suffer alone? Her love interest with Gavin had resurrected recently! She finally tasted the feeling of satisfaction as a woman. ¡°Hey, Gavin!¡± When Gavin answered the call, his voice trembled with excitement. ¡°Roxy, you finally called me!¡± ¡°See you at the usual ce at 2 p.m. tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright, Roxy Hospital! At the nurse¡¯s station, the head nurse ced a few pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicines on the medicine rack. ¡°These are the pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine that Ms. Haynes will be injected with today!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The nurse swiftly prepared the medicine and was going to see Joanna for the injection. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Penicillin, please!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The nurse turned around and went to get the medicine. Kensley had been observing from the side for a long time. While the nurse was taking the medicine, he took the opportunity to secretly rece one of the pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine with glucose! Joanna was showing signs of miscarriage. She needed to be Injected with fixed dosages of pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine regrly! If she missed even a dose, it would have a big impact on the fetus! When Kensley had just finished swapping the medicine, the nurse turned around and happened to see him sneaking around. ¡°Doctor Leach, what are you doing?¡± Kensleyughed awkwardly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing! I¡¯m just checking the medicine!¡± When the nurse heard that, she did not say anything and went straight to the ward with the medicine! ¡°Ms. Haynes, it¡¯s time for your injection!¡± Joanna did not say anything and just extended her left hand! The nurse carefully disinfected her arm with iodine, then she transferred the pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine into arge syringe and injected it into a bottle of glucose! Then, she inserted the needle into Joanna¡¯s arm and started the drip.. Joanna took a look at the drip and felt that it was a little different from before! She had already been injected with the pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine for a few days and knew the color of the medicine. It had always been light yellow previously! The color of the medicine in the IV drip was a little pale today. ¡°What medicine is this?¡± 4 18 1 . ¡°This is a pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine,¡± the nurse exined with a smile. Then, she checked on Joanna again. Joanna was a little puzzled. The color of the medicine was clearer and paler. However, she did not think too much about it! After all, the doctor would adjust the dosage of the medicine ording to the patient¡¯s condition. Two hourster! Joanna had already finished with the drip. However, she felt more and more ufortable. Her lower abdomen was hurting! Her pale face was covered in ayer of cold sweat. ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ms. Chain immediately realized that something was wrong with Joanna! Joanna clutched her abdomen with a pained expression. ¡°Yes, my stomach hurts¡­¡± When Ms. Chain heard that, she panicked and hurriedly called the doctor over. ¡°Doctor, pleasee here quickly. The patient has a stomachache!¡± When the gynecologists heard this, they rushed to the ward. Joanna was already showing signs of contraction when the attending doctor of the Gynecology Department checked on her. It was a sign of a miscarriage. The doctor¡¯s expression was solenin as he asked the nurse beside him, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you administer the Chapter 235 pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine on time?¡± The nurse looked nervous and uneasy. ¡°Yes, I did it on time!¡± ¡°Hurry up and send the patient to the emergency room!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The doctors and nurses did not dare to dy. They hurriedly sent Joanna to the operating theater! In the operating theater! A few specialists tried all means they could think of to save Joanna! After three to four hours of hard work, they finally stabilized Joanna¡¯s baby. They left the operating theater! The attending doctor finally heaved a sigh of relief. He was so nervous that he was sweating profusely. The other doctors were also extremely nervous! ¡°Doctor, Ms. Haynes has gotten better. Why did her condition suddenly worsen today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. When I examined her yesterday, the fetus was doing well! Why are there signs of miscarriage today?¡± When the attending doctor and other doctors heard that, their expressions turned solemn! ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a problem with the dosage of pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine! Investigate it properly! Figure out what the reason is!¡± ¡°Did the nurse make a mistake? Our hospital mustn¡¯t make such a beginner¡¯s mistake!¡± A doctor retorted. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The head nurse took the medicine herself! Hazel has worked in the hospital for nearly ten years. It¡¯s impossible for her to make such a beginner¡¯s mistake!¡± ¡°No matter what. Ms. Haynes¡® precious baby has finally stabilized. This is a blessing in disguise!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Everett has instructed us to take good care of Ms. Haynes and her baby! If anything happens, we won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences!¡± ¡°Investigate the root cause properly! We¡¯ll be able to exin if Mr. Everett asks in the future!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Joanna¡¯s baby was safe again. The doctors heaved a sigh of relief. The hospital was run by the Everett family! Everyone in Greyport knew about Bruce¡¯s bad temper! If there was a medical ident, the doctors might not only have their medical licenses revoked, they would probably not be able to survive in Greyport! Kensley was even more nervous. His face was covered in cold sweat. He was the one who secretly changed the pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine, which caused Joanna to have miscarriage symptoms! If the incident was traced back to himter, he would be in big trouble. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 In the medical office ¡°Have you checked the surveince cameras? What exactly went wrong?¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve already checked the surveince footage but didn¡¯t find anything wrong.¡± That¡¯s weird. How could the dosage of the tocolytic agent suddenly go wrong?¡± The attending doctor of the Gynecology Department could not help but lose his temper. ¡°Sir, is there a chance that Ms. Haynes is too weak, which has caused the signs of a miscarriage?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so! Things did turn much better a few days ago! But it suddenly happened today without no signs. The only reason is that she didn¡¯t get sufficient dosages! ¡°We don¡¯t allow anything like this to happen here in our hospital! It might be fine if it were other patients, but you all know who this Ms. Haynes is! ¡°It¡¯s not your first day at work. How could you make such a stupid mistake?¡± The head nurse looked deeply wronged. ¡°I did take four dosages of the tocolytic agent. I swear I did! ¡°I¡¯m sure I didn¡¯t make a mistake!¡± Another doctor added, ¡°Did someone change the medicine? ¡°Who¡¯s been in the pharmacy?¡± The nurse named Hazel suddenly remembered something. ¡°If memory serves, only Doctor came here!¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± Kensley looked nervous and mumbled. ¡°Did you touch the medicine?¡± The attending doctor put on a straight face. Kensley panicked and stammered, ¡®I¡­ I might have identally put the wrong medicine!¡± The attending doctor was even more furious to hear that. ¡°Damn it! How could you make such a stupid mistake?¡± ¡°I was neglectful and careless. I promise I won¡¯t make the same mistake again! ¡°Please give me a chance to correct my mistake! It won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°We¡¯re doctors. Even the slightest mistake can cause medical negligence and get people killed! And you do know who it is in that ward! ¡°If anything happens to her, all of us will be doomed!¡± ¡°Sorry. It was my fault! I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡± The attending doctor thought it over and decided what happened today could not go public. If word got out, he would probably lose his job! ¡°You¡¯ll get a written warning, and your year¨Cend bonus will be deducted! Confess your sins to God!¡± ¡°Understood, sir!¡± Kensley¡¯s heart was pounding! It was close! She almost gave herself away. Fortunately, the attending doctor did not get to the bottom of it! Soon enough! Chapter 236 Bruce made it to the hospital as fast as he could after receiving the news. ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett! Ms. Haynes has stabilized!¡± The attending doctor of the Gynecology Departmentforted Bruce, not daring to tell Bruce they had made a mistake about the medicine! Bruce¡¯s face sank. ¡°Cheer up, all of you! If anything happens to Joanna, you know the consequences!¡± ¡°Got it. Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce said nothing else but went to the ward to check on Joanna. In the ward. Joanna was lying weakly in bed, and a servant was waiting on her. ¡°Joanna, how are you feeling? ¡°Are you feeling terrible?¡± Joanna wore a breathing mask and blinked weakly! Bruce was worried. He caressed her head andforted her gently, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here for you, and everything will be fine!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and closed them again! ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett just had surgery. She must have a good rest now!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else and left the ward. He had to go outside and smoke a cigarette to calm himself down! As soon as he went out, he saw Roxanneing over with a servant. The servant was holding a bunch of flowers. Roxanne put on a smile immediately when she saw Bruce. ¡°Hi, Bruce!¡± There was one good thing about her! No matter how angry Bruce was with her, she could still smile as if nothing had happened. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Bruce frowned and took the cigarette out of his mouth. ¡°I heard Joanna is in hospital, so I¡¯m here to visit her!¡± Bruce said coldly. ¡°We¡¯re good here. You don¡¯t have toe. Just go home!¡± After being told off, Roxanne pouted and said, ¡°Bruce, have you forgotten that Joanna has pissed Grandma off and caused her death? ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t hate Joanna if you don¡¯t¡­¡± Bruce interrupted her abruptly. ¡°Enough! Shut up and go home!¡± Roxanne choked in anger and said indignantly. ¡°Bruce, I know you care about Joanna! ¡°But don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone too far? You¡¯re caring too much about Joanna now. Grandma would be so disappointed if she knew it!¡± Chapter 236N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Bruce couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°I¡¯ve told you to shut up!¡± Roxanne¡¯s softened her tone a little. She shook Bruce¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t be mad at me! ¡°You¡¯ve always been tolerant of Joanna. Why are you so mad at me? Joanna is carrying your child. So am I! ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to treat me the way you treat Joanna, but Bruce, can you please show me more concern and treat me better? ¡°Or you think Joanna is more important than Grandma?¡± Bruce frowned tightly, and his chest was bumping up and down in anger. Joanna had caused the death of his grandma. Undoubtedly, he was furious! But she was pregnant with his child. How could he bear to torture her? ¡°Mind your own business! Stay out of it!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re too soft¨Chearted! That¡¯s why Joanna showed no respect to Grandma, and that¡¯s how Grandma passed away!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you not to mention it again!¡± ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t mention it again! If you forgive Joanna, who am I to me her?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She kept reminding Bruce of the cause of Margaret¡¯s death, which had broken his heart. Roxanne knew Margaret was the most important person to Bruce. So she had to remind him at all times. And Joanna had pissed Margaret off and caused her death! She did not believe that Bruce would have forgotten it all so fast! Bruce didn¡¯t bother to listen to any more of her words. He turned around and returned to the ward. Joanna had already woken up and heard the argument outside. ¡°Who¡¯s out there?¡± ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s nothing!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce and saw the terrible look on his face. She guessed that Roxanne was here to make a scene again! At the thought of this, Joanna suddenly came up with something. Did Roxanne have something to do with the ident? As they were talking, Cora knocked on the door and came in. ¡°Good day, Mr. Everett. I¡¯m here to visit Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Okay! I get going now!¡± Bruce left in frustration. ¡°Cora!¡± ¡°How are you? ¡°How¡¯s thepany been doing recently?¡± ¡°Mr. Hughes is in charge of the Haynes Group now. Everything is going well!¡± Joanna asked nervously, ¡°What about the factory?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm is in charge of the factory! No worries, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m relieved!¡± ¡°One more thing!¡± ¡°Go ahead!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, you remember you told me to find that Mrs. Maxwell? We¡¯ve found her!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s back in her hometown Greene Town and has lived in the countryside ever since!¡± Joanna thought it over. ¡°Bring her to Greyport. Find a ce for her to stay first. I¡¯ll pay for all the expenses.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes! ¡°If nothing else, I¡¯ll leave for my work!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Grimm told me to pass you a message. He¡¯s worried about you!¡± ¡°Tell him I¡¯m fine and not to worry about me!¡± Saying it, Cora stuffed a note into Joanna¡¯s hands. ¡°Oh, okay! I¡¯ve gotta go now!¡± ¡°Really? Please wash some grapes for me first! ¡°Malia, please go get me some soup!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She had sent the two of them away! Joanna hurriedly opened the note and took a quick look! It was a note from Jaydon.. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m so worried about you¡­¡± Joanna read it and hurriedly threw it away. She was in a critical period at the time. The servant was watching her in the ward, and the bodyguards were watching her door! It was impossible to speak out of the hospital! However, it was not a long¨Cterm policy to wait for it to grow day by day! ¡°Mrs. Everett, here¡¯s your soup!¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett just called and said he might be herete at night! ¡°He won¡¯t be here until after 9 p.m.!¡± ¡°Call him back and tell him not toe over!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± No matter howte it was, Bruce woulde over to keep herpany each night! This was also the most peaceful time since they had been together! At 9:30 p.m. Bruce came Again! He had been in meetings all day and felt his head was about to explode! He loosened his tie as soon as he entered the ward and took off his jacket! ¡°Feeling better today?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve talked about it. You don¡¯t have toe over if you¡¯re tired.¡± ¡°How can that be? I wasn¡¯t here for you when you gave birth to the first child!¡± Chapter 237 Chapter 237 ¡°No matter what, I will be here for you this time!¡± Bruce said with determination, but he looked as gentle as amb. Joanna heard it and felt that her heart wrenched for no reason. If he had ever been as gentle to her as this before, she would probably still love him badly. However, things changed. She had walked in the cold st and got caught in the pouring rain. She was once helpless. desperate, and deeply hurt by him. So she had shut herself off and wouldn¡¯t trust him again. It was difficult for her to open her heart to him again. Seeing that Joanna was still in low spirits, Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at her with a smile. ¡°I have good news for you!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Joanna still looked depressed without the slightest expectation. What good news could Bruce bring her? It should be nothing more than him acquiring a few more listed companies or closing more big deals. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll tell youter when it¡¯s the right time!¡± Bruce swallowed his words when he saw Joanna was not looking forward to the good news! He had made a call the day before and nned to bring the children back to the country! They would arrive the next afternoon! He had nned to tell Joanna the good news as soon as possible. But he gave it a second thought and decided to surprise her. She would be overjoyed to see the children when they arrived! Joanna rolled her eyes and didn¡¯t talk to him again! He was always so full of himself. Only God knows what he was thinking in his mind again! What he thought was good news might not necessarily be good news for her! Bruce stayed for another while and could not help but rub his temples. ¡°Ouch, I have a terrible headache!¡± ¡°You should go home and have a good sleep!¡± ¡°Can you massage my head for me? I¡¯ve had nine meetings in a row today. Oh, I feel my head is about to explode!¡± Bruce leaned against the bed exhaustedly! The Everett Group was a bigpany. It would keep him as busy as a bee by handling his daily work in thepany. And he also had to make time to visit Joanna these few days. He had barely slept at all. Looking at his exhausted face, Joanna felt her heart broken for no reason. She could not help but reach out her hands to rub his temples! As she did so, Brucey on the bed, looking like he was enjoying it. Seeing this, Joanna didn¡¯t have the heart to stop the massage immediately. She had no choice but to continue rubbing his temples. She kept massaging his head for about ten minutes. Surprisingly, Bruce was snoring lightly! Joanna looked down and found that he had fallen asleep at the head of the bed! It was clear that he was exhausted! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen asleep so quickly. Joanna was stunned and stopped doing the massage! Indeed, he had a perfect side face. He had thick eyebrows and a tall nose. His angr jawline gave him the charisma of toughness but not roughness. He was. like a perfect statue, a real piece of art! She had no idea how to face this man! ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna softly called his name! Bruce did not react at all and slept like a log! Joanna did not dare to wake him up again. She grabbed the suit jacket beside him and put it on his shoulders. He slept for more than an hour! Bruce turned over as if he had a nightmare. He suddenly grabbed in the air. ¡°Joanna! Joanna¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s wrist was grabbed tightly, and she woke up with a start. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce shook his head and held Joanna¡¯s wrist tightly. A momentter, he chilled out and said slowly, ¡°Nothing. It was only a dream!¡± ¡°What did you dream about?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. ¡°I dreamt that¡­¡± Bruce stopped mid¨Csentence! In his dream, he dreamed that Joanna had left him. He tried his best to catch up, but he failed no matter how hard he tried. Looking at Joanna¡¯s confused face, Bruce smiled bitterly again. ¡°No biggie. I just had a dream hysteria.¡± ¡°What time is it?¡± Joanna took a look at the clock. ¡°It¡¯s almost 11 p.m.!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been asleep for an hour and a half?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Bruce stood up and straightened his numb limbs. He refreshed himself and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been too tired recently!¡± Joanna pursed her lips. ¡°Go home and have a good rest! It¡¯s gettingte!¡± ¡°I want to stay here with you for a little longer!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. It¡¯s eleven now! I¡¯m supposed to go to bed, too!¡± Hearing that, Bruce flicked his tongue and could not find a good reason to stay! ¡°Alright then! Off I go. I¡¯lle and see you tomorrow!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna replied gently. Bruce leaned over and kissed her forehead. ¡°Take good care of the baby. Everything will be fine! Tm right here. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything!¡± Joanna said nothing in reply and just looked into his eyes weakly! Bruce lowered his head and kissed her lips again. ¡°Good night. I gotta go!¡± After that, Bruce put on his suit jacket and casually tied his tie around his neck. Then, he opened the door and walked out! Bruce left. Joanna felt sad for no reason. Somehow, the gentler he was, the worse she felt! He was doing everything he could and trying to win her heart and trust again. However, she had shut herself off. Even if he won her heart and trust again, he would only hurt her one more time. ¡°Bruce, I hope you can stop doing this! No matter what you do, you can¡¯tpensate for what you¡¯ve done to hurt me!¡± She had already been in hospital for more than one week. It would be Christmas Eve two dayster! It seemed she had to celebrate Christmas alone in the hospital this year! Since her mother passed away. Joanna had been all alone for Christmas each year. After she became a mother, she celebrated Christmas with her children! Unexpectedly, she was alone for Christmas again this year! The next day! Roxanne woke up early and couldn¡¯t help but call Kensley. Beep! The call went through immediately. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Kensley quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Doctor Leach, how was it going?¡± Kensley sighed and said in frustration and fear, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it again. I almost got into trouble!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I found an opportunity to do it the day before yesterday but got busted. Joanna has safely kept her baby again. I¡¯m already under suspicion, so I can¡¯t risk it anymore!¡± Roxanne heard that and got even more exasperated. ¡°Damn it! You took two million dors from me. You can¡¯t even do your job!¡± Kensley was a little angry to hear that and retorted bluntly, ¡°Ms. Haynes, you promised to give me 20 million dors after 1 helped you with Mrs. Margaret Everett! ¡°But you gave me one million dors only. And this two million dors is still far from enough!¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth and tried her best to suppress her anger. ¡°I don¡¯t care. You muste up with something else to get it done!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t promise you that! If I do it again, I¡¯ll definitely be caught! ¡°Ive aroused suspicionst time. If anything happens again, I¡¯ll surely be the first to be suspected. In that case, I won¡¯t be able to stay in Greyport anymore!¡± Hearing that, Roxanne was pissed off. ¡°What do you mean? You mean you want to quit?¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s what I meant. Joanna isn¡¯t just nobody. Mr. Everett cares too much about her! ¡°I can¡¯t ruin my future and honor for the money! ¡°That¡¯s all for now. Gotta run!¡± Kensley said and hung up the phone. He was a top student who had graduated from a medical university and had a promising future before him. He did not dare to go astray and mess it up! After Kensley hung up the phone, Roxanne flew into a rage and mmed the phone on the bed. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re a jinx! God! It¡¯s unfair! Howe she has everything good? Based on what?¡± The more Roxanne thought of it, the more desperate she got. She picked up the phone and called Ingrid. ¡°Hello, Roxy!¡± ¡°Hi. Mom!¡± Ingrid¡¯s concerned voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°You¡¯re calling me early in the morning? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I just wanted to talk to you!¡± ¡°Christmas ising in two days. I¡¯m busy shopping for Christmas decorations and presents these days! By the way, are you and Bruceing over and celebrating Christmas with us?¡± Roxanne heard it and felt even more terrible. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him for the past few days!¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the matter again?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been with the bitch Joanna these few days. He doesn¡¯t have time for me! ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll stay with that little bitch for this year¡¯s Christmas. In no way will he celebrate Christmas with me!¡± Ingrid heard that, and she sneered. ¡°What a slut! Joanna¡¯s getting more smug! ¡°You are also to be med. You¡¯ve never defeated her since you were young! Can¡¯t you smart up and make your mother proud? ¡°You got her to kick your ass each time. Shame on you!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help but be mean to her daughter. Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Roxanne was even more furious when she heard those words, and she shouted into the phone, ¡°Fine. I can¡¯t beat her, not even once. It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m useless! ¡°You wish she were your daughter, don¡¯t you? I don¡¯t deserve to be your daughter. Are you happy now? Ingrid curled her lips and snorted. ¡°Look at you! What nonsense are you talking about? You¡¯re damn good at being mad at your mother! Did I say anything wrong? ¡°Just admit the fact that you can¡¯t beat her. Don¡¯t be such a sore loser!¡± ¡°Fine! Fine! I¡¯m done talking to you! I called you toin, not to expect you to give me a lesson!¡± ¡°You! You¡¯ve always been a short fuse!¡± ¡°Mom, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯vee up with something to deal with that damned bitch? ¡°Why haven¡¯t you done it yet? She¡¯s getting more smug!¡± Roxanne roared into the phone in dissatisfaction. But she didn¡¯t know Ingrid had hired a killer to assassinate Joanna! Of course, Ingrid would not tell her anything about it! Ingrid sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can¡¯t jump the gun. You have to sit tight and wait! ¡°A little impatience will spoil a big n. Joanna won¡¯t have her day as long as I¡¯m here!¡± Roxanne choked in anger. ¡°She has already suspected us! You¡¯re smart, aren¡¯t you? Figure out something to deal with her!¡± On the other end of the line, Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine. I know what to do. Take care of yourself and the baby. Everything else is no big deal! ¡°That¡¯s it. Bye for now!¡± Ingrid said it and hung up the phone abruptly! After she hung up on Roxanne, Ingrid took a few deep breaths. She was so angry that she was blue in the face! She must say her cousins were indeed two idiots. After all this time, they still hadn¡¯t made a move! Ingrid was so furious that she called her cousin directly. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello, Ingrid!¡± As soon as the call went through, Ingrid thundered, ¡°What¡¯s going on with what I told you to do? ¡°It¡¯s been three months, and there¡¯s no progress till now! Christmas ising soon. When the hell are you going to get it R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only done?¡± Wace frowned and quickly exined, ¡°Ingrid, it is tricky now! ¡°Joanna is staying in the hospital now, and she has got bodyguards and servants around. Other than that, there are many doctors and nurses in the hospital. We can¡¯t enter her room at all!¡± Ingrid¡¯s pupils dted as she roared, ¡°It¡¯s your problem! Do you still want that 4 million dors or not? ¡°If you still want it, figure out something. Stop giving me crap! You get a brain and think with it! ter 23 ¡°That damned bitch won¡¯t wait ande to her death if you don¡¯te up with something!¡± Wace said timidly. ¡°Chill out. We¡¯re on it! ¡°We have to think of a perfect n. We can¡¯t act rashly! Otherwise, we¡¯ll be shot to death!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help but curse again. ¡°Make it quick! I can¡¯t wait any longer!¡± ¡°Okay! Okay! Wait for our good news!¡± After Wace finished talking with Ingrid, he immediately called Ramos. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Ramos, can you do it or not?¡± Ramos was silent for a few seconds and said hoarsely, ¡°Wait a little longer. I¡¯ve already found out which ward she¡¯s staying in! ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a way to sneak into the ward. I definitely won¡¯t screw it this time!¡± Hearing it, Wace was a little anxious. ¡°Are you going to do it right in the ward?¡± ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already thought of a way out. I guarantee they won¡¯t have anything on you if you pay on time.¡± Wace pondered for a few seconds. ¡°No worries. You¡¯ll receive the payment as soon as Joanna Haynes dies! ¡°I¡¯ll transfer 40 thousand dors to you first.¡± ¡°No! I want you to settle the bnce immediately!¡± ¡°Come on, dude! The bitch is not dead yet!¡± Ramos coughed twice and panted heavily. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll kill her this time. You have my word. But I have to receive the bnce first! ¡°Otherwise, this deal won¡¯t work!¡± ¡°Alright then! ¡°Mark my words. If you miss it this time, I¡¯ll get someone toe after your family!¡± Ramos kept his voice down. ¡°I guarantee I¡¯ll get the job done nicely this time. Ahem! Ahem!¡± As he spoke, Ramos could not help to cough! He was already terminally ill. He would probably die in one or two months! He was afraid that it would be toote if he didn¡¯t make his move soon. He wanted to earn the money and leave it to his wife and children! He had made a n. He would dress up as a doctor and sneak into Joanna¡¯s ward! He did not intend to live after he killed Joanna! In the hospital. ¡°Mrs. Everett, have some milk. Mr. Everett told me to get you the milk! ¡°Mr. Everett said you should have a ss of milk daily and told us to watch you finish it!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna got up and drank up the milk. Chapter 238 She had a better appetite, and she could finally eat something. After drinking the milk, Joannay down again. Ms. Chain cleared the dishes and smiled mildly. ¡°Mr. Everett just called and said he would be here at eight tonight!¡± ¡°Okay, I see!¡± ¡°Then you should rest for a while!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna replied and closed her eyes again for rest! She had an unstable centa and did not dare to move around. She would eat, sleep and do everything in bed! Fortunately, the servants were meticulous, and she didn¡¯t feel ufortable. One o¡¯clock in the afternoon! There came a man, around 5.5 feet tall, who was wearing a doctor¡¯s uniform, a mask, and a sterile doctor cap. He was walking towards Joanna¡¯s ward. At the door of the ward, two bodyguards stopped him. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for the ward rounds!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the sanitation management and go the ward rounds once a month!¡± ¡°Okay! Come on in.¡± The bodyguards looked the man up and down suspiciously! He talked shop and looked professional with a piece of detector equipment in his hand, so the bodyguards believed it. The man dressed as a doctor looked gloomy on his face. He opened the door of the ward and went in! Ms. Chain looked the man up and down. ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to check the sanitation standards! Please stay out of the room for a while. I have to test the formaldehyde level in the ward with my equipment!¡± Ms. Chain and Nancy couldn¡¯t believe it! ¡°Will there be formaldehyde in this ward? This is a VIP ward!¡± Ramos said in a low voice. The ward was renovatedst month. We¡¯ve cleaned off the formaldehyde! ¡°But we have to do a formaldehyde removal once a month! It¡¯s expiring today, and we have to purify the air in the room!¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡°Yeah. You can wait at the door! It won¡¯t take more than ten minutes!¡± ¡°Fine then!¡± Ms. Chain and Nancy said nothing else and left the ward obediently! Joanna was still lying on the bed and listening quietly! She vaguely felt the man¡¯s figure was familiar but couldn¡¯t remember who he was. The servants left the ward. Chapter 238 Ramos pretended to fiddle with the detector and suddenly took a sharp knife out of his pocket. He turned around and tried to stab Joanna! Joanna looked into Ramos¡¯s eyes and suddenly remembered it all. But it was toote when she realized it. Ramos hade at her with a knife. Joanna dodged to the side in fear and cowered in the corner of the bed! Pift! Ramos had stabbed the knife into the nket! ¡°Ah! Help!¡± Joanna screamed and raised her arms, and then the IV drip bottle knocked down onto Ramos together with the pole! Pfft! Ramos stabbed again. Joanna hurriedly picked up the pillow and blocked it! Hiss! The pillow was cut open, and the feathers inside flew everywhere! Joanna raised her leg to kick Ramos in the chest and then rolled from the other side of the bed onto the ground! ¡°Help!¡± ¡°Something¡¯s happening inside?¡± The bodyguards and the servants heard the cry and immediately pushed the door open! Unfortunately, the door was already locked from the inside! ¡°On your feet!¡± The bodyguard stepped back and kicked the ward door open. When the bodyguards rushed into the ward, they were shocked! One of the bodyguards kicked Ramos right in the chest! Ramos took a few steps backward and spat out a mouthful of blood before he fell to the ground. He was already in thete stages of cancer and was too weak. The kick was killing him. He could not stand steadily or climb. up from the ground. The other two bodyguards jumped over and twisted Ramos¡¯s hands in the back, firmly restraining him on the ground. ¡°Who are you?¡± Ramosy on the ground, struggling. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t fight back at all. Joanna took off his mask and took a look at his face. He was the man who tried to kill her in the toilet last time! ¡°Who are you? Why do you want to kill me?¡± Ramos spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were wide open, and he could not say a word. Chapter 239 Chapter 239 ¡°Ah! Ouch!¡± Joanna¡¯s face went pale, and she had severe pain in her lower abdomen. Then she felt something warm flowing down her thighs! ¡°Mrs. Everett! Mrs. Everett! Are you alright?¡± Ms. Chain screamed and hurriedly went forward to hold her up: Nancy looked at Joanna¡¯s blood¨Csoaked pants and screamed, ¡°Oh god! Mrs. Everett is bleeding!¡± ¡°Send for the doctor and call Mr. Everett! Now!¡± Nancy was so frightened that she hurriedly shouted out for the doctor. ¡°Doctor! Doctor! We need help here!¡± The doctors and nurses heard the shout and rushed over in no time. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Um, my abdomen hurts a lot.¡± Joanna was already in so much pain that she could hardly stand still. When the attending doctor of the Gynecology Department saw the situation, he got so scared that his hair stood on end. ¡°Chop¨Cchop! Take Ms. Haynes to the operating room!¡± Two nurses hurriedly moved Joanna to the mobile bed and wheeled her into the operating room. ¡°Ouch! My abdomen hurts a lot. It¡¯s killing me..¡± Joannay in the operating room in a cold sweat. The attending doctor of the Gynecology Department examined her, and his face sank in a second. Joanna had a miscarriage. There was nothing they could do to save it! ¡°Oh no! The patient has a massive hemorrhage!¡± Joanna was losing consciousness, and blood kepting down. ¡°Go and inform the blood bank that the patient needs a blood transfusion now! Get ready for surgery!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The doctors and nurses were in a mess! Soon enough, Bruce freaked out right after he received the news. He immediately drove to the hospital. He ran several red lights on the way. Usually, it took twenty minutes to drive to the hospital, but he had made it ten. Bruce got out of the car and rushed to the operating room! ¡°Mr. Everett Ms. Chain, Nancy, and the others were waiting outside the operating room, looking extremely worried and scared. ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna? How is she?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were bloody red in anger, looking like he was about to explode. Ms. Chain was worried sick. Bruce¡¯s roar had scared the shit out of her, and she felt her heart in her throat. She stammered, ¡°Mrs. Everett is in surgery now. The doctor is trying to get her back!¡± Bruce gasped and thundered, ¡°What happened? What has happened?¡± ¡°Not long ago¡­ a killer pretended to be a doctor and came to do a ward round! Then¡­ he tried to kill Mrs. Everett!* What! Hearing it, Bruce felt a chill down his spine. He looked fiercely at the bodyguards beside him. ¡°What the hell were you doing?¡± The bodyguard was so scared that he dared not look up at him. ¡°Mr. Everell, we¡¯ve caught the killer!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the killer now?¡± The killer has been taken to the security room. We¡¯ve called the police. The police are on their way!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and wanted to fly into a rage. However, Joanna was still in surgery, and he didn¡¯t have the time to settle the score with the killer right now. The operating room door opened when Bruce was bewildered. A nurse walked out with a straight face and ran toward the other end of the corridor. Bruce hurriedly stopped the nurse. ¡°Nurse, how¡¯s the patient?¡± ¡°The patient has a massive hemorrhage and needs an immediate blood transfusion!¡± The nurse told him and left in a hurry! Hearing that, Bruce¡¯s mind went nk! Gosh! Joanna had a massive hemorrhage! Would she die? Bruce staggered and leaned heavily against the wall. ¡°Joanna, you must hold on. Please don¡¯t die!¡± In the operating room. The surgery was still ongoing! Although Joanna had a miscarriage, she still had embryo residues and needed a dtion and curettage! And she also had a massive hemorrhage. The situation was critical! The doctors were all on high alert and dared not make any mistakes. Three hourster. The lights in the operating room finally went out, and the doctor came out! Seeing it, Bruce¡¯s heart was about to pound out of his chest. He rushed to the doctor and asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± The doctor frowned and said regretfully, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Everett. We lost the baby!¡± ¡°Then, what about Joanna?¡± ¡°Fortunately we¡¯ve saved Ms. Haynes! ¡°But Ms. Haynes¡¯s uterus has been damaged. She mustn¡¯t be pregnant again in theing three years. ¡°Otherwise, it will cause a mass hemorrhage because her endometrium is too thin!¡± ¡°Okay, I see!¡± Bruce gasped and sighed with relief. He could take it though they lost the baby, and he only wanted Joanna to be safe! ¡°Doctor, use the best medicine! Don¡¯t worry about money. You must ensure Joanna is safe and sound!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. We will do our best!¡± Bruce was still worried sick though the doctor had promised over and over. ¡°Can I go see her now?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes has to stay in ICU for observation tonight!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce felt a little relieved after confirming Joanna¡¯s situation with the doctor! He finally had the time to settle scores with the killer! The killer darede after Joanna. Bruce swore that he would make the killer suffer like hell and die in desperation! Bruce looked solemn as he red at his assistant beside him gloomily. ¡°Where¡¯s the killer?¡± The bodyguard lowered his head and said in a shaking voice, ¡°The police have taken the killer away. I believe the truth will be revealed soon!¡± ¡°Go to the police station and look into it. Find out who he is. He has attacked Joanna. How dared he!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce put on a long face and called the superintendent of the police station. The next day. Joanna¡¯s condition stabilized, and she was transferred to a ward! Joanna was lying on the hospital bed, wearing an oxygen mask, and had several tubes inserted in her! It broke Bruce¡¯s heart to see Joanna like this! ¡°Joanna, how are you doing?¡± Joanna opened her eyes slightly and looked at Bruce weakly. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were extremely red, and he said in a nasal voice, ¡°Thank God! I¡¯m so d that you made it!¡± ¡°Ahem! What about the baby?¡± ¡°Sorry, Joanna. We lost the baby. ¡°But it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s already a blessing to bring you back to life!¡± When Joanna heard that the baby was gone, she was still a little upset. She subconsciously touched her lower abdomen. At first, she did not want this baby. However, she gradually figured it out after spending days in bed to prevent the miscarriage. After all, it was a life, and she still wanted to keep it! Karma¡¯s a bitch! She couldn¡¯t get rid of the babies when she didn¡¯t want to have them. However, she couldn¡¯t keep the baby when she wished. to have it. Joanna closed her eyes sadly and couldn¡¯t help shedding tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Joanna. I¡¯ve brought Davian, Irvin, and Lilia back to the country! Chapter 239 ¡°I¡¯ll get the children toe and visit you when you feel better!¡± Bruce said gently, carefully wiping off the tears for her Joanna felt a little better to hear that. It wouldn¡¯t help to be sad. The only thing she could do was rest well and recover herself as soon as possible! And she had to find out who had tried to kill her again. ¡°Who exactly wants to kill me? This killer has attacked me once before! ¡°But I don¡¯t even know him! Why would he want to kill me?¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of it! ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to investigate it, and the police will get back to us as soon as possible. No one can hurt you for no reason and get away with it!¡± Joanna listened and tried hard t to recall the idents she had. She was sure that the killer was not the one who wanted to kill her! He was most likely a killer hired by her enemy, and the person who wanted to kill her through the killer¡¯s hands must hate her guts! In Greyport, no one except Roxanne and Ingrid would hate her guts and want to kill her! Beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello!¡± Andy¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The killer has killed himself!¡± Bruce was shocked and couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°What did you say?¡± Andy replied anxiously. ¡°The killer was brought to the police station and secretlymitted suicide in the bathroom before the interrogation!¡± When Bruce heard that, he knitted his eyebrows tightly. ¡°Check his bank ount and pull out his phone records! ¡°And don¡¯t forget to investigate his family background and everything! No matter what, we must find out the truth!¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Let me know if you find out anything!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Andy replied and hung up the phone. Bruce put away the phone and sighed in frustration and anger. Joanna stared at Bruce without a blink. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The killer has killed himself!¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°What? The killer has killed himself?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes in disbelief! ¡°Yes! ¡°It looks like someone has paid him to kill. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get someone to check his bank ount and dig into his family background. Then we¡¯ll find out who¡¯s behind him!¡± Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Soon afterward, groups of police officers came to the hospital for investigation. The police paid a lot of attention to this murder case! Police officers and detectives came and questioned everyone in the hospital. Kensley had nothing to do with it. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. But he felt guilty and panicked when facing up to the police. It was fortunate that he had gotten away with it! The police only looked into things rted to the killer and did not investigate anything about Margaret¡¯s death! The media somehow got the news that Joanna had been assassinated by her enemies! The news spread over the Inte overnight. Theizens acted like the great detective Sherlock Holmes and assumed all, the possibilities! [Ms. Haynes was assassinated by the killer when she was hospitalized.] [The police paid much attention to this murder case.] [Ms. Haynes had a miscarriage. Mr. Everett was so furious that he was pressuring the police.] [The killermitted suicide to avoid punishment. The boss behind is yet to be found.] Arge wave of public opinion went online first. Someizens with wild imaginations suggested they dig into Joanna¡¯s family background. Ingrid could no longer stand it! It couldn¡¯t be clearer that they aimed at her. Ingrid called her cousin Wace immediately! ¡°Hello, Wace!¡± ¡°Hello, Ingrid!¡± Wace¡¯s voice was also a little shaky. He had never expected that things would have gone so far. ¡°Have ¡°Yep!¡± you watched the news these two days?¡± ¡°So what abour the killer? Who was he? ¡°Will the policee to us?¡± Wace gasped and stammered, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think so! ¡°Whenever I contacted Ramos, I used a disposal phone. And I also used the overseas ount!¡± Before Wace could finish talking, Ingrid flew into a rage again. ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, you¡¯re good for nothing! I told you to figure out something to get rid of Joanna! ¡°But you hired someone else to do the job! Damn it! Couldn¡¯t you get a better killer than that piece of trash? ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done! Instead of killing the bitch Joanna, you got all of us into trouble. You¡¯d better come up with something to settle it. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll all be in jail!¡± ¡°We know. Don¡¯t worry! Ramos¡¯s family has emigrated, and Ramos is dead. The police won¡¯t find out about us so easily!¡± ¡°I hope so!¡± In Sherane Bay Vi. Roxanne was there. She was over the moon when she heard that Joanna had a miscarriage. ¡°Thank God! Finally, that little bitch Joanna has lost the baby! ¡°What goes aroundes around. She has done so many evil things and will be punished by God! ¡°It seems I¡¯m not the only one who hates her guts!¡± Roxanneughed out loud and couldn¡¯t be happier. But she stoppedughing abruptly. Other than Ingrid, who else could it be that would hate Joanna more than she did? ¡°Oh my god, did Mom hire the killer and n everything?¡± Thinking of it, Roxanne was shocked! Ingrid had kept telling her she hade up with something to deal with Joanna! Did she mean she had hired someone to kill Joanna? Roxanne could no longer take it and called Ingrid in no time. Ingrid had been in pins and needles for the past two days. She was like an ant on a hot pan! This killer was caught, but Joanna was still alive! The police were paying so much attention to the case, and there was so much public opinion online! No one knew if her stupid cousins would give themselves away and get caught. If they were caught, they would turn her in! Then she would probably have to spend the rest of her life behind bars! Beep! Ingrid was still in a state of anxiety and was scared by the ringtone. She took a look at the phone and saw it was Roxanne. Then she felt a little rxed. ¡°Hello, Roxy!¡± ¡°Hello, Mom!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Ingrid asked impatiently. On the other end of the line, Roxanne¡¯s voice was anxious and flustered. ¡°Well, did you know Joanna had a miscarriage?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ingrid answered ambiguously. Chapter 240 ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask her how she miscarried?¡± ¡°Hell, it¡¯s none of my business, okay?¡± Ingrid pretended to be calm! Roxanne¡¯s heart sank when she heard that! She assumed that Ingrid didn¡¯t do it. But as far as she knew Ingrid, she would be overjoyed and gloating if she knew Joanna had a miscarriage! On the contrary, Ingrid was so calm to hear the news! She must have known it long ago. Roxanne took a deep breath, kept her voice down, and asked in fear, ¡°Mom, did you get someone to do that?¡± Ingrid heard it and got even more exasperated. ¡°Jesus! How could that be? You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t! Stop talking nonsense!¡± Roxanne was still worried. ¡°I would be relieved if you hadn¡¯t done it!¡± ¡°That goddamn bitch has offended many people. She must have messed with someone she shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Are youing over for Christmas? Or are you going to celebrate Christmas in your ce?¡± Roxanne thought for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll see! I¡¯ll go back to see you in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Gotta go! See youter.¡± Roxanne hung up the phone. She was still feeling uneasy. She weighed it down and decided to go home as soon as possible! She couldn¡¯t ask clearly over the phone. So she must go back and ask Ingrid if she did it. Roxanne hurriedly changed her clothes, picked up her handbag, and took the car keys. She was about to leave. Just as she walked out of the room and before she could go downstairs, she saw Bruce! Bruce just happened to be back! When she saw Bruce, Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She said in fear, ¡°Bruce, why¡­ why are you back at this hour?¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face looked bloody cold and gloomy. ¡°You got a problem with it? You mean I can¡¯t come back now?¡± ¡°No, not like that! I¡¯m about to go out!¡± Roxanne tried her best to calm down. Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled faintly. ¡°Where are you going in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡­ I¡¯m going to see my mom!¡± Bruce took a step forward and was already on the second floor. He went straight to the point and said, ¡°Roxanne, I¡¯m going to ask you something. Be honest with me!¡± Roxanne stood up straight, but her heart skipped a beat, She looked up at Bruce¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t be more frightened. Chapter 240 ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°You¡¯ve made two transfers from your ount recently. ¡°One transfer is one million dors, and the other is two million dors! Who did you transfer the money to?¡± Gosh! Roxanne¡¯s eyes flickered, and she could not help but get nervous! She never expected that Bruce would check her overseas. ount! ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know! No, I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Bruce threw a printed sheet at her. ¡°This is your bank ount in Richmoren. Who exactly did you make these two transfers to?¡± Roxanne¡¯s delicate face turned pale as she stammered, ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong? I might have¡­ bought something! ¡°You know Christmas ising. And I¡¯ll spend more money than¡­¡± Bruce sneered and said coldly, ¡°Three million dors is not a small sum. Who did you transfer the money to? Or what did you buy?¡± ¡°Bruce, this is my own money. I can spend it in my way!¡± Bruce interrupted her, ¡°Answer my questions!¡± ¡°Bruce, I can¡¯t remember it now!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Bruce said as he suddenly grabbed her wrist! ¡°I¡¯ll find it out soon even though you don¡¯t tell me now. When the timees, you¡¯ll be sorry!¡± Roxanne¡¯s wrist was almost crushed. She struggled in pain, and tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, please let go of me. You¡¯re hurting me!¡± Hearing it, Bruce suddenly let go and threw her more than 3.2 feet away. ¡°Did you hire someone to kill Joanna?¡± ¡°Um. I didn¡¯t! How dared 1?¡± Roxanne felt her heart in her throat, and her eyes were filled with panic! It was true that she did not hire someone to kill Joanna. She had only killed Margaret! ¡°Tell me the truth, or I¡¯ll send you to the police station!¡± Roxanne sniffed and looked at Bruce pitifully with tears in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m pregnant with your child now. How can you suspect me like this? ¡°I swear to God I didn¡¯t hire anyone to kill Joanna! My entire family would be cursed if I did it! ¡°Bruce, I didn¡¯t do it! I mean it. You have to believe me!¡± ¡°Then exin it. Who did you transfer the money to?¡± ¡°Bruce, my mother has my bank card. It¡¯s an ount in my name, but I didn¡¯t use the money myself! ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe my mother has bought something! Let me go back and ask her.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better have nothing to do with it! If you had done it, I would destroy the Haynes family!¡± Chapter 241 Chapter 241 Bruce sneered. ¡°I will get to the bottom of it! ¡°Whoever dares to hurt Joanna is having an issue with me! Those who have issues with me will have a hard time ahead!¡± When Roxanne heard that, she subconsciously staggered and almost fell to the ground! ¡°Keep an eye on her, all of you! Before the truth is revealed, you¡¯re not allowed to leave Sherane Bay Vi or get in contact with anyone! ¡°Take her phone!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± The bodyguard responded, grabbed Roxanne¡¯s bag, and took her phone out. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please return to your room!¡± Roxanne was freaked out. ¡°Bruce, I have to go home now. I want to go home and see my parents! Christmas ising. You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± ¡°When I find out the truth and know you have nothing to do with it, I will let you go! ¡°Now, behave yourself and stay in your room as told! You¡¯d better wish Joanna would be safe and that this has nothing to do with you!¡± Bruce said as he turned around coldly and walked down the stairs with his long legs. ¡°Bruce! Bruce¡­ Two bodyguards stepped forward and seized Roxanne by the arms! They dragged her back to her room! Then they locked the door with a crack. After Roxanne was locked in the room, she couldn¡¯t be more frightened and panicked! ¡°What should I do? Oh God! What should I do now?¡± Roxanne brushed her hair in frustration. She had no choice but to call for help! The bodyguards had taken away her daily phone. Fortunately, she had a spare phone.. Roxanne hurriedly found the backup phone. This was the phone she used to contact Gavin privately. It looked like a piece of delicate lipstick on the surface, but it was a hidden phone inside. At this time, she could only ask Ingrid for help! Beep! Ingrid¡¯s phone rang again. Seeing that it was an unknown number, she picked it up impatiently. ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± ¡°Mom, it¡¯s me!¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice was so low that it was trembling! ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Someone hired a killer to kill Joanna! Did you know it or not?¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes and replied impatiently. ¡°Jesus! Why are you asking me again?¡± Chapter 241 Roxanne sniffled and said with a sobbing tone. ¡°Mom. I¡­ I might be in big trouble!¡± It blew Ingrid away when she heard it. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Roxanne was so scared that she couldn¡¯t stop crying. She was also afraid that her phone would be monitored, so she didn¡¯t dare to tell Ingrid over the phone! you Ingrid was anxious to hear Roxanne crying her heart out. ¡°What did do? Come on. Tell me now!¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve been locked up in Sherane Bay Vi! Bruce has grounded me!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ingrid looked around uneasily. ¡°I¡¯m locked in my room now! I can¡¯t go anywhere!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Roxanne sniffled again and cried until she was out of breath. Bruce suspected that she had hired someone to kill Joanna. He might also find out the truth of Margaret¡¯s death. As far as she knew Bruce, he would probably kick her family out of Greyport if he learned the truth. ¡°Please stop crying. Roxy. What happened? Tell me!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you over the phone now, Mom. Anyway, remember one thing. Tell people you¡¯ve been keeping the Richmoren. bank card for me! ¡°I¡¯ve made two transfers from the ount some time ago. One transfer was one million dors, and the other was two million dors. If Bruce asked you about that, cover it up with excuses and tell him you used the money!¡± Hearing her words, Ingrid¡¯s eyes widened, and her heart began to race. It looked like something tricky! ¡°Come on, sweetie. What trouble are you in? Please tell me. You¡¯re getting me to worry sick!¡± Roxanne could not help but cry again. ¡°Mom, please stop asking. Anyway, I regret it so much! ¡°I can¡¯t exin it over the phone. I¡¯ll tell you the whole thing when we meet face¨Cto¨Cfaceter!¡± Ingrid was worried andforted Roxanne immediately. ¡°Oh, okay! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m so scared now, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± ¡°What exactly have you done?¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help but ask again. ¡°In short, it¡¯s something serious. If Bruce finds out, I¡¯ll be in jail for the rest of my life!¡± What the hell!, When Ingrid heard that, her face turned deadly pale. She suspected that Roxanne had also hired someone to kill Joanna. What a silly girl! How could she be so impatient? Even if someone had to do something like that, Ingrid thought it should be her. After all, she had lived for half her life, so it was worth it. ¡°Mom, please figure out something to get me out of here as soon as possible! I want to go home.¡± ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t panic! I¡¯m leaving for Sherane Bay Vi with your father to pick you up!¡± B Chapter 241 ¡°Okay!¡± After saying that, Roxanne hung up the phone instantly! After she hung up, Ingrid was so flustered that her hair stood on end. She¡¯d got too many cosmetic injections on her face, and her facial nerves were twitching uncoordinatedly! ¡°Joanna, you goddamn bitch! You¡¯ve messed up all our lives!¡°. Shaun happened toe downstairs and heard Ingrid cursing. He frowned. ¡°What happened? Why are you cursing Joann again?¡± Ingrid gritted her teeth, put her hands on her waist, and shouted at Shaun harshly, ¡°Roxy just called me and said that she was. locked up by that bastard Bruce!¡± Shaun was stunned to hear that. ¡°What? Bruce has locked Roxy up? For what?¡± ¡°What else can it be? It¡¯s all because of that slut Joanna!¡± ¡°What is it that Joann has to do with that?¡± ¡°Huh! You mean I¡¯ve wronged her? She¡¯s a scourge from the beginning to the end! Thanks to her, our lives are messed up! ¡°God! It¡¯s unfair! She should have incurable cancer and die with a rotten body!¡± Ingrid wished she could curse Joanna with the meanest words. Shaun heard it and was in a dilemma! Although he also hated Joanna¡¯s guts, he was still her father and didn¡¯t want Joanna to die. ¡°Listen to yourself! Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too mean?¡± ¡°Oh? You said I¡¯m being too mean? If it weren¡¯t for her, Mr. Everett and Roxy wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this! ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, the Haynes family wouldn¡¯t have been excluded from the circle of rich people and looked down upon!¡± Shaun shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve told you Bruce doesn¡¯t love Roxy at all. The best choice for Roxy is to break up with him! ¡°But you and Roxy didn¡¯t take my advice. Instead, you two messed around and asked for trouble yourselves.¡± When Ingrid heard that, she hit the ceiling. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Your daughter is bullied. As her father, you are not thinking of standing up for her! ¡°On the contrary, you¡¯re even criticizing her. Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°Fine! You won.¡± ¡°Come with me. We¡¯re going to Sherane Bay Vi to bring Roxy back!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Shaun replied helplessly. They dared not to dy and hurriedly drove to Sherane Bay Vi. Forty minutester, Shaun and Ingrid arrived at Sherane Bay Vi in his car. Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Unfortunately, the guards stopped them and refused point¨Cnk to let them in. Ingrid¡¯s patience was running thin. Exasperatedly, she jabbed her finger in one of the guards¡® faces and snapped. ¡°Do you know who you¡¯re talking to?¡± ¡°We¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s future inws! We¡¯re here to see our daughter. Let us inside immediately!¡± The guard¡¯s expression was grim. Tm sorry. Mr. Everett has instructed that no one can enter Sherane Bay Vi ¡°That¡¯s right! Without Mr. Everett¡¯s orders, no one is allowed to go out,¡± another guard said politely. ¡°Are you guys blind? You don¡¯t even know us? Open the door quickly, or I¡¯ll get Bruce to fire you.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Haynes, Mrs. Haynes, why don¡¯t you call Mt. Everett? We will only dare to let you in if Mr. Everett gives us his explicit permission! ¡°Without his approval, I¡¯m afraid none of us have the courage to disobey his orders. When Ingrid and Shaun heard this, their faces turned ashen with anger. They had been to Sherane Bay Vi several times before, and the security guards had always weed them with smiles! But now, they were not even allowed to enter! ¡°Hubby, hurry up and call Bruce! Tell Bruce to fire these two security guards!¡± Although Ingrid was now a wealthydy, shecked the graces of a true socialite. In many ways, she still resembled a country bumpkin. Shaun had no choice. He took out his phone and gave Bruce a call. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. He took out his phone and saw that it was a call from Shaun. Bruce gazed at his phone in silence for a few seconds before picking up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Shaun sighed helplessly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nearly Christmas soon. I want to bring Roxy home for the holidays. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived at Sherane Bay Vi, but the guards refused to let me in! Give your orders and get them to let me into the house. Alternatively, let Roxye out!¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t do!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shaun was surprised. He did not expect such a curt reply from Bruce. ¡°She¡¯s involved in a murder case.¡± When Shaun heard this, he was so angry that he nearly choked. ¡°Bruce, what sort of nonsense are you sprouting? Roxy has been with you for six years. How can you nder her like this? ¡°You know best what sort of person she is. How can you use her ofmitting murder?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll investigate thoroughly. If she didn¡¯t do it, I won¡¯t wrong her! Chapter 242 ¡°For now, she can only remain in Sherane Bay Vi. Don¡¯t worry, I will get the servants to tend to her every need. She will be veryfortable.¡± When Shaun heard this, he flew into another bout of rage. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯d better let Roxy out now! She¡¯s pregnant, and your conflicts with each other are bound to distress her! ¡°Let here back to my ce for a few days. I¡¯ll take responsibility if anything happens.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Bruce refused without hesitation. Shaun was fuming by now. ¡°Watch yourself, Bruce. I don¡¯t care if Roxy has done something wrong. ¡°At the end of the day, it¡¯s her parents¡® job to discipline her. Even without us, there¡¯s the justice system and the police! It¡¯s certainly not your ce to do so. ¡°What are you trying to do by restricting Roxy¡¯s personal freedom like this?¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. He had instructed the bodyguards to confiscate Roxanne Haynes¡¯s phone. How did Shaun and his wife know about Roxanne¡¯s situation? It seemed that Roxanne was hiding another phone. ¡°I don¡¯t want to exin too much to you. I just want to clear things up! ¡°She¡¯s my daughter. I have the right to make here back! ¡°If she doesn¡¯te back, I¡¯ll call the police¡­¡± Beep! Before Shaun could finish his sentence, Bruce hung up! ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± Shaun yelped a few times, but he was only greeted with static. No one could stop Bruce Everett from doing whatever he wanted! Even the president had to give him some face, let alone the chief superintendent of the police force. ¡°How is it?¡± Ingrid asked urgently. Shaun looked furious. ¡°He hung up!¡± He was so angry that he had to take two deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little worried. From the looks of it, this incident was quite serious. There was more to this than a petty argument between a young couple. ¡°Call the police! There¡¯s nothing we can do now!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she stopped him immediately. ¡°You can¡¯t call the police!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shaun looked at his wife in confusion. Ingrid rolled her eyes, feeling as though her head was about to explode. She couldn¡¯t let the police know about this matter. There was no way they could call the police for assistance. Roxanne had told her on the phone that she had gotten into big trouble and had to hide from the police. How could Ingrid dare to take the initiative to call the police? Seeing Ingrid¡¯s abnormal reaction, Shaun was even more baffled. Chapter 242 ¡°We have no choice but to call the police! Why are you so afraid?¡± ¡°Oh, if we call the police, we¡¯ll fall outpletely with Mr. Everett! It¡¯s better¡­ to settle this matter privately!¡± ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not worth it to break those two up over such a small matter!¡± ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re still thinking about this at a time like this! Then what do you think we should do?¡± Ingrid was also at a loss. ¡°I don¡¯t know either!¡± The two of them were worried and flustered. The guard tactlessly leaned forward and asked, ¡°Mr. Haynes, Mrs. Haynes, what did Mr. Everett say?¡± Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Ingrid rolled her eyes and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t let us in, then! See if we care!¡± ¡°Hubby, let¡¯s go!¡± Shaun had no choice but to start the car again and drive them away from the house. In the car, the two of them argued non¨Cstop. ¡°What do you think we should do now? What did Roxy do? Some mother you are¡­ it¡¯s all your fault for not traching her well!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t teach her well? Why couldn¡¯t you have disciplined her too? Stop pushing the me onto me! ¡°Bruce Everett, that bastard, how dare he detain Roxy! We can¡¯t let this matter lie. I¡¯ll go to his company to look for himter!¡± When Shaun heard this, he was even more worried. ¡°Save your breath! Can¡¯t you see Mr. Everett is taking us less and less seriously? ¡°Even if we go to hispany to cause trouble, it might not be useful!¡± Ingrid tried to keep a lid on her temper and shrieked, ¡°If you think all my solutions are rubbish, why don¡¯t youe up with a few yourself?¡± Shaun fumed. ¡°If it were up to me, we should have called the police!¡± ¡°But you refused point¨Cnk to let me! What else can I do but watch Roxy suffer!¡± Here, Shaun¡¯s heart ached so much that he nearly cried. Roxanne had been the apple of his eye since she was young. He could not bear to see her suffer even the slightest bit. Ingrid was so angry that she took two deep breaths. Her eyes darted around slyly. Suddenly, she thought of an idea. ¡°Why don¡¯t we¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t we¡­ what?¡± Ingrid pursed her lips and shelved her aggressive attitude. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Joanna a call? ¡°Let her tell Mr. Everett that we intend to fetch Roxy back no matter what!¡± When Shaun heard this, his face fell. ¡°This¡­ will this work?¡± He had made it clear several times that he wanted to sever his father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Joanna! Joanna had been hospitalized for many days, but he hadn¡¯t even asked about her. If he recklessly asked her for a favor now, there was no way she would agree to it. Worse still, she had been the intended target of the hired hitman! ¡°You won¡¯t know unless you try. Go on, give it a go!¡± Ingrid had run out of suggestions too. ¡°That wench is currently the hot favorite of Bruce! A single word from her is worth far more than a paragraph from anyone R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only else. ¡°Ask her to speak on Roxy¡¯s behalf. We have this in the bag!¡± As she finished speaking. Ingrid gritted her teeth in anger. She awfully resented the fact that she had to beg for a favor from Joann. Chapter 243 Shaun thought about it. Indeed, there was no better way. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go to the hospital now!¡± ¡°Mm¡­ Shaun and Ingrid arrived at the hospital half an hourter.. ¡°Don¡¯te up with me. Wait downstairs!¡± ¡°As if I wanted to follow you!¡± Shaun sighed and bought a random fruit basket at the entrance of the hospital. He walked into the hospital with the fruit basket and asked the nurse about the floor Joanna was on. He then proceeded straight to that floor and headed directly to the nurse¡¯s counter. ¡°Hello, may I ask which ward Joanna Haynes is in?¡± ¡°Sorry, we can¡¯t reveal the patient¡¯s information.¡± The nurse stared at Shaun with an air of vignce. After the previous incident, the entire hospital was on high alert. Shaun smiled and exined quickly, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Joanna Haynes¡¯s father. I¡¯m here to visit her.¡°, When the nurse heard this, she sized him up again. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Ms. Haynes¡¯s father?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I¡¯m Ms. Haynes¡¯s father. My name is Shaun Haynes!¡± ¡°Alright,e with me!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The nurse brought Shaun to the door of Joann¡¯s ward. The bodyguard at the door stopped them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°This is Ms. Haynes¡¯s father. He¡¯s here to visit her.¡± The bodyguard looked at Shaun. After confirming that there was no mistake, he let him in into the ward. Although Bruce had given the order to not let anyone enter the ward, Shaun was Joann¡¯s father after all. They did not dare to stop him. Shaun stepped into the ward. After two days of recovery, Joanna had finally gotten over the worst of her illness. However, she was still extremely weak. Shey on the bed sleeping, hooked up to a venttor. ¡°Joann, Daddy is here to see you!¡± Ms. Chain and Nancy recognized Shaun. When they saw him, they greeted him, looking shocked. ¡°Mr. Haynes, why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh, I came to see Joann! How¡¯s she doing?¡± ¡°She just fell asleep. Why don¡¯t you wait for a while?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I want to talk to her, that¡¯s all.¡± Shaun didn¡¯t listen to her and went to the head of the bed. ¡°Mr. Haynes, she just fell asleep. You should wait¡­¡± Chapter 243 Shaun was preupied with Roxanne¡¯s situation so he had no time to waste. ¡°I have something urgent to talk to her about. It won¡¯t take long!¡± Before Ms. Chain could stop him, Shaun called out to the bed, Joann, Joann!¡± Joanna heard the noise and slowly opened her eyes. The moment she opened her eyes, Shaun¡¯s chubby face came into view, apanied with a ttering smile. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake!¡± ¡°Dad, why are you here?¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s here to see you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was a little puzzled. Her father had never given a rat¡¯s ass about her. Why would he think of visiting her suddenly? However, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little touched that he hade. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to hear of that! Thank god you¡¯re fine¡­¡± Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Shaun ced the fruit basket on the bedside table with a grimace that he tried in vain to disguise as a smile. Joanna scanned Shaun¡¯s expression critically. He definitely had something to ask of her. Otherwise, why would he be willing toe and see her? Unwilling to beat around the bush, she asked directly, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The idea of having small talk with him was slightly repulsive. Shaun smiled awkwardly. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I heard you were hospitalized, so I came to see how you were. ¡°No matter what, you¡¯re my daughter. Regardless of what happened in the past, there should not be grudges between us. Let bygones be bygones!¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not say anything. She only looked at her father suspiciously. Shaun smiled ufortably and picked up the fruit basket. ¡°Oh, have some fruit! Daddy will peel an apple for you!¡± ¡°No need, you don¡¯t have to go through so much trouble,¡± Joanna interjected. ¡°No, no, no. Eating apples is good for your health. I shall peel an apple for you!¡± As he spoke, Shaun opened the basket and took out an apple. ¡°Where¡¯s the fruit knife?¡± Seeing this, Ms. Chain immediately went forward to stop him. ¡°Mr. Haynes, Madam is very weak. She has to adhere to a strict diet. ¡°The fruits she eats have to be specially imported.¡± As Ms. Chain spoke, she quickly took out a te of washed fruits from the safe. These fruits were obviously very costly. They were many times more expensive than the fruits Shaun had bought. Seeing this, Shaun flushed slightly and put down the apple in embarrassment. ¡°Alright then. If you don¡¯t want to eat this, forget about it.¡± ¡°Joann, how many days have you been in the hospital? Are you hurt?¡± When Joanna heard this, she narrowed her eyes, her suspicions confirmed. Shaun definitely had something to ask of her. ¡°Dad, what do you want from me? Just say it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing really.¡± Seeing him stutter and stammer aimlessly, Joann¡¯s patience was running out. Sensing her displeasure, Shaun decided to get straight to the point. In an obsequious voice, he said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I want to bring Roxy home!¡± ¡°Look, can you tell Bruce to let Roxye back?¡± Joanna was even more confused when she heard this. Seeing Joanna¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Shaun immediately exined, ¡°Well, here¡¯s the situation. There was some misunderstanding between Bruce and Roxy. In a fit of anger, he imprisoned her in Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°You know what Bruce¡¯s temper is like. He doesn¡¯t consider the consequences when he does things, let alone how others feel, 13:44 Tue, 11 Jul GD Chapter 244 ¡°Roxy is pregnant now. Your Aunt Ingrid and I had a discussion, and we feel it¡¯ll be best to bring Roxy home and take care of her there.¡± Joanna frowned and asked in confusion. ¡°Then go to the vi and fetch her back yourselves. What¡¯s the point of telling me all this?¡± Shaun sighed. ¡°Bruce won¡¯t let Roxy go home now! ¡°There was a conflict between him and Roxy! I called Bruce to reason with him, but he refused to listen to me.¡± ¡°Oh, so you want my help now?¡± Joanna retorted bluntly. She knew that her father would note to see her for no reason. Even if she died, he might not choose to waste a single tear on her. As expected, she was right. He really had something to ask of her. Seeing Joann¡¯s impatient expression, Shaun became a little angry. Gravely, he said, ¡°Joann, do you have to talk about this now? You and Roxy are both my daughters, and I regard both of you equally. I love you as much as I love Roxy!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t me you for what happened between you and Bruce¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that sheughed. ¡°Ridiculous! What right do you even have to me me?¡± Shaun paused. This wench stole her sister¡¯s boyfriend! Shouldn¡¯t she be chastised? ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s not talk about this now.¡± Just tell me, are you willing to help?¡± ¡°If it were within my power to help, I would certainly help you, Dad. Unfortunately, you said it yourself ¨C Bruce has a violent and unpredictable temper. ¡°If he wants to do something, who can stop him?¡± Seeing a glimmer of hope, Shaun¡¯s tone softened immediately. ¡°But you¡¯re different. The both of you have a special rtionship. Who else would he listen to but you?¡± ¡°Hmph, did you ever consider that you might have overestimated my position in his heart?¡± Joanna said coldly. She did not want to talk to Shaun anymore. She didn¡¯t recall seeing her father so anxious when she was imprisoned! Now that Roxanne was in trouble, he ran for help faster than anyone else! ¡°Joann, I know you¡¯re still angry with me, but don¡¯t make such a fuss now!¡± Shaun frowned, looking worried. ¡°Roxy is now trapped in Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. If anything happens to her, it¡¯ll be toote for regrets!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes coldly. ¡°Dad, I really can¡¯t help you. Bruce won¡¯t listen to me too. If anything, you should go to the police for help!¡± When Shaun heard this, he punched his legs in exasperation. ¡°Just tell Bruce to let me take Roxy home!¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a simple matter. Do you still have to make excuses?¡± Shaun¡¯s voice suddenly rose. The smile on his face hadpletely disappeared. 13:45 Tue, Chapter 244 ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you, but you know what kind of temper Bruce has! ¡°Why would he listen to me?¡± ¡°How can you not know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Shaun retorted shamelessly. ¡°If he refuses to listen to you, kick up a fuss and force his hand! If you make enough of a fuss, he will definitely listen to you.¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard this. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, Joann. This is such a small matter. Would you like me to prostrate myself and plead before you agree?¡± Joanna felt an indescribable feeling in her heart when she heard this. ¡°Pass me my phone, Ms. Chain. I¡¯m going to give Bruce a call.¡± Ms. Chain hesitated for a moment before handing the phone to Joann. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce was in a meeting when his phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was a call from the hospital, Bruce immediately picked up. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Joanna said coldly. Bruce paused and his tone softened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna nced at Shaun, not knowing what to say. He looked back at her eagerly, signaling her to get down to business! ¡°Um, I just heard from my father that you detained Roxy at Sherane Bay Vi. Is that true?¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Can you ask Roxy toe home?¡± ¡°Daddy is very anxious and worried now. He wants to bring her back!!¡± Bruce was extremely displeased when he heard that! He couldn¡¯t believe Shaun actually came to Joanna for help. How could be shameless enough to do this? ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t interfere in this matter! I¡¯ll exin everything to you in the future. ¡°I¡¯m in a meeting now. I¡¯ll talk to youter!¡± With that, Bruce hung up! Joanna pursed her lips and said coldly, ¡°Well, I called him. You heard it too. He won¡¯t listen to me at all!¡± Shaun did not give up and said anxiously, ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll listen to you when you speak with that tone? 1 ¡°Just tell him that if he doesn¡¯t let Roxy go back, you will throw a tantrum that will shake the heavens!¡± *Are you kidding me?¡± Joanna was so furious that she found herself at a loss for words. ¡°Hurry up and call him again. No matter what, I must pick up Roxy today! Chapter 244 If you don¡¯t call, I won¡¯t leave today!¡± ¡°Suit yourself!¡± Joanna snapped.. Seeing that Joanna was unwilling to help, Shaun could not help but curse again, ¡°How did I give birth to a daughter like you? If I had known that you were such a heartless thing, I would have thrown you into the toilet when you were born!¡± ¡°Roxy is your biological sister. How can you bear to see her suffer? Not only did you snatch her man, with him to harm her. Do you have any humanity left in you?¡± His voice rose with every word until he was practically screaming. ¡°Calm down. Mr. Haynes! This is a hospital. Madam needs to rest!¡± Ms. Chain reminded him. but you also colluded When Shaun heard this, his eyes widened. Forcefully, he snapped, ¡°She¡¯s my daughter. Can¡¯t I teach her a lesson?¡± Carefully, Ms. Chain exined again. ¡°Mr. Haynes, Madam just had an operation. It was very tough on her body. If you continue agitating her like this, I¡¯m afraid she might¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she perfectly fine? Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s just a phone call. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m making things difficult for her!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Stop arguing. I¡¯ll call him again!¡± Joanna had no choice but to call Bruce again! Beep, beep, beep! ¡°Hey, Bruce!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong now? Why are you calling again?¡± Bruce asked. Joanna was in no mood to make small talk with him. Going straight to the point, she said bluntly, ¡°Please let Roxanne go home today!¡± ¡°Joann, she is involved in an important murder case! Before I investigate this thoroughly, she isn¡¯t allowed to go anywhere.¡± Joanna immediately understood what he meant by this. Bruce had the same suspicions as her. Like Joann, he suspected Roxanne had hired a hitman to kill her sister. Chapter 245 Chapter 245 ¡°I know, but no matter what, she¡¯s still my sister. Let her go home first!¡± ¡°Joann, you can¡¯t always be so soft¨Chearted.¡± Bruce sounded disappointed. ¡°She can run, but she can¡¯t hide. If this matter is rted to her, you can always settle the score with her at ater date.¡± Joanna refused to bebeled a pushover. If Roxanne was truly involved in the case, she would not let her off so easily. Bruce did not say anything for a long while. Finally, he agreed. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll call the driverter and ask him to send Roxanne back home!¡± ¡°Alright! ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± Joanna hung up the phone and nced at Shaun in disgust. ¡°Alright, Bruce said he would get the driver to send her backter. Go home and wait for her!¡± When Shaun heard this, the tension in his temples disappeared instantly. ¡°See, I knew it would definitely work! Well, take care of yourself. I¡¯m going home first.¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± Joanna snapped, covering her head with the nket. She did not want to look at her father anymore. When Shaun saw this, he realized he had gone overboard just now. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Joann. I might have spoken harshly just now, but that was because I was panicking!¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, Ms. Chain. Send my father out!¡± ¡°Alright, Madam. Mr. Haynes, Ms. Chain turned to Shaun and said respectfully. ¡°Please leave first. Madam needs her rest.¡± With that, she shooed him out of the room. Beep, beep, beep! Back at the Everett Group, Bruce gave Kody a call. After much deliberation, he decided to listen to Joanna and release Roxanne to her parents first. In any case, the Haynes family was deeply rooted in Greyport. It would not be easy for them to escape this ce. Besides, he would send bodyguards to patrol the area around their house. As soon as she tried to escape, he would be notified immediately. Kody picked up the phone quickly. ¡°How may I help you, Mr. Everett?¡± Bruce lowered his voice and spoke. ¡°Go to Sherane Bay Vi immediately and send Roxanne back to the Haynes¡¯s house!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Half an hourter, Kody arrived back at Sherane Bay Vi in his car. Then, he picked Roxanne up and drove her back to the Haynes¡¯s house, where her parents were waiting for her impatiently. Ingrid and Shaun were waiting by the door when Roxanne finally arrived back home. The moment they spotted Roxanne, they hurried over immediately. ¡°Roxy!¡± ¡°Mom, Dad!¡± Roxanne burst into tears. She threw herself into Ingrid¡¯s arms and cried until she was out of breath. Ingrid patted Roxanne¡¯s back, her heart aching for her daughter. ¡°Silly girl, you¡¯ve suffered so much! Come on in!¡± Shaun stood by the side,forting her too. ¡°Everything¡¯s alright now! We¡¯re so relieved that you¡¯re finally home. Did that bastard do anything to you?¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± The three of them returned to the house in tears. Ingrid turned to her daughter and said anxiously, ¡°Roxy, tell me quickly¨Cwhat exactly have you done?¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Roxanne whimpered and nced at her father timidly. She had no qualms about spilling her secrets to her mother, but it was best to leave her father out of some things. ¡°Come on, tell me!¡± ¡°Mom, I¡­¡± Roxanne wanted to say something but hesitated before she could speak. Instead, she cried even harder. Ingrid rolled her eyes and immediately realized that her daughter had a secret she wanted to keep from her father. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll speak in the room, just the two of us.¡± Shaun was bewildered. Was this about jealousy between the couple? ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you and Bruce fighting again? I thought everything was good between the both of you, but why would he imprison you against your will?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry your head about it. Roxy just came back, so stop annoying her!¡± As she spoke, Ingrid took her daughter¡¯s head. and steered her into a room upstairs. As the door shut behind them, Roxanne was still trembling in fear. Tears streamed uncontrobly down her face. ¡°Gosh, my poor child. Don¡¯t cry anymore. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t tell your mother. Come on, tell me what¡¯s I¡¯ll try and find a way to solve it for you. Let¡¯s fix it together.¡± going on. Roxanne let out a long cry and whimpered, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t know how to say it!¡± Ingrid was distraught by her daughter¡¯s crying. ¡°Can you stop crying? Just tell me why he¡¯s detaining you.¡± ¡°Mom, Bruce¡­ Bruce suspects that I hired someone to kill Joann!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ingrid¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes darted around uneasily! She was the one who hired the murderer. How could Bruce suspect Roxanne instead? ¡°Why would he suspect you for no reason?¡± ¡°A criminal made an attempt on Joann¡¯s life. Bruce now suspects that I¡¯m the one who gave him orders to do so!¡± Ingrid forced herself to be calm. ¡°There¡¯s no evidence. Why would he suspect you?¡± ¡°He got someone to investigate me and my bank ount!¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Ingrid demanded, confused. Chapter 245 ¡°Mom, I transferred two sums of money to someone¨Cone million dors on one asion and two million dors on the other. ¡°Now, Bruce is demanding to know where these two sums of money went. He thinks I used the money to hire a hitman to go after Joann!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she almost fainted. ¡°Then where did you spend these two sums of money? What did do?¡± ¡°Mom, stop asking! ¡°In short, if anyone asks, just tell them that you spent the money!¡± you Ingrid stomped her feet in frustration. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m also in trouble. A lot of people are after my head right now. How can I protect you when I can¡¯t even protect myself?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t exin the situation clearly, how can I resolve this for you?¡± When Roxanne heard this, her scalp tingled uneasily. At her mother¡¯s words, a sudden realization dawned on her. ¡°Mom. Joanna was nearly killed by a hitman. Did you hire him to go after her?¡± ¡°No, no!¡± Ingrid tried her best to hide her panic. Roxanne¡¯s heart rose to her throat. ¡°Mom, tell me the truth. Did you do it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so much first. Tell me, who did you transfer those two sums of money to?¡± ¡°And what have you done? How can I help you if you don¡¯t tell me?¡± When Roxanne heard this, she wailed and burst into tears again. Seeing this, Ingrid¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Oh my god, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re having an affair with that broke loser again?¡± ¡°Did you spend all that money on him?¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Well, what exactly is it? You¡¯re really making your poor mother anxious!¡± Roxanne blew her nose. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve really gotten into big trouble this time. If someone finds out, I¡¯ll probably die!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face was pale. ¡°What kind of trouble did you cause?¡± remember when Joanna and Grandma got into an argument a while back, and Grandma was so angry she had to be ¡°Do you hospitalized? ¡°Then, while Grandma was hospitalized, Joanna visited her multiple times. Meanwhile, she was also flirting with Bruce. ¡°I was hot¨Cheaded. I just-¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Ingrid¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Roxanne in horror. ¡°I pulled out Grandma¡¯s venttor plug!¡± Ingrid felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Ingrid slumped onto the bed. ¡°You, why are you so silly?¡± ¡°Mom, I was just hot¨Cheaded at that time. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! I didn¡¯t know that Grandma would be so fragile!¡± ¡°I just unplugged the venttor. In less than two minutes, Grandma passed away!¡± Chapter 245 ¡°My dear girl, how could you be so muddle¨Cheaded? How dare you do such a thing?¡± ¡°Mom, I was so angry that I lost my mind! I just remembered that Joanna was responsible for Grandma¡¯s hospitalization because she made her so angry. ¡°If Grandma takes a turn for the worse and dies in the hospital, Bruce would me Joanna and never forgive her for as long as he lives! I¡­ I only wanted to make him hate her. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Grandma to die just like that¡­ Roxanne cried even harder. Ingrid was dumbfounded. She never thought that her daughter would cause such enormous trouble. If they were found out, the entire Haynes family would be in for a hard time. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s useless!¡± ¡°Hurry up and tell me everything in detail!¡± Roxanne managed to stop crying and carefully recalled the details of that day. ¡°I pulled out Grandma¡¯s venttor and saw her breathing had stopped. I was terrified! ¡°Just as I was panicking, a doctor happened toe in to check on Grandma. ¡°Then, he caught me red¨Chanded!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but gasp. ¡°And then?¡± *I was afraid he would reveal this, so I quickly knelt and begged him! If he helps me cover it up, I¡¯ll reward him with 20 million dors.¡± When Ingrid heard this, her mind exploded! ¡°You stupid girl! You can¡¯t do anything right, but you¡¯re good at ruining things! Why do you do these horrible things? Don¡¯t you consider the consequences before doing anything?¡± ¡°So did you transfer 3 million dors to that doctor?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Roxanne nodded weakly. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Oh God! You silly girl! Why do you have to create so many problems?¡± Ingrid poked Roxanne¡¯s head a few times. She could not help but sigh! ¡°Mom, what do you think I should do now? Bruce suspects me! He suspects that the two sums of money were used to pay the murderer! ¡°If he finds out that I caused Grandma¡¯s death, our family will die a horrible death¡­¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes in anger and helplessness. ¡°Now you know how it feels to be scared. Why weren¡¯t you smarter back. then?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to either. I really regret it now. I¡¯m really scared! If I can turn back time, I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to do this!¡± Roxanne cried. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t know what to do now. You have to save me. You have to think of something for me! ¡°I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to go to jail!¡± Ingrid felt as though her heart was stabbed. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t cry first. You only know how to cry when something happens!¡± Roxanne couldn¡¯t stop crying. Only now did she realize the seriousness of the matter! Ingrid was even more distraught. For a moment, she had no idea what to do! This matter was extremely serious. If they were not careful, both Roxanne and her could go to jail! ¡°Mom, what should we do?¡± Ingrid thought for a while and asked with a frown. ¡°Has the police questioned the doctor?¡± ¡°That doctor still goes to work as usual. So I don¡¯t think so!¡± ¡°Get him to leave!¡± The ringing of a phone was heard. Kensley¡¯s phone rang! For the past few days, the police had been going to the hospital to investigate. He felt guilty and terrified! ¡°Hello!¡± Kensley quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello! Is that Doctor Leach?¡± Recognizing that it was Roxanne¡¯s voice, Kensley frowned. ¡°Ms. Haynes, how dare you call me at this time? ¡°It would be ferrible if someone were to eavesdrop on us!¡± Roxanne calmed herself down and asked anxiously, ¡°I need to call to find out if the police had spoken to you.¡± ¡°Yes, they did. They just asked about the murder¡­¡± Before Kensley could finish, Roxanne said anxiously, ¡°Doctor Leach, you should leave the country quickly and hide elsewhere for a while. ¡°I¡¯m already a suspect. You should hide and maintain a low profile.¡± If Kensley left Greyport, she would be safe for now. When Kensley heard this, he felt frustrated. ¡°Ms. Haynes, if I go overseas now, won¡¯t I be admitting to committing the crime? ¡°There are no problems at the moment, but if I leave now, the police will definitely be suspicious!¡± Then, then what should we do?¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice was extremely nervous. Kensley frowned. This woman was really timid. ¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t panic first! Don¡¯t panic! ¡°The police haven¡¯t found out anything yet. Aren¡¯t you exposing yourself by panicking?¡± ¡°But¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. The police can¡¯t do anything unless there is concrete evidence. Without evidence, everything they know can¡¯t stand in court! You really need to calin down!¡± Kensley did not know that Roxanne was involved in a case. He just said these words casually to make her feel better. Roxanne wanted to say something, but Ingrid shook her head and stopped her. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± After Roxanne ended the call with Kensley, she felt even more uneasy! ¡°Mom, if it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll go overseas and hide for a while!¡± Ingrid pursed her lips. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go overseas now. Anyway, you can run, but you can¡¯t run forever! ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll arrange for you to go away! ¡°Now that the criminal is dead, I hope the police can close the case as soon as possible!¡± At the hospital! It was already Christmas Eve. Joanna had yet to recover, so she could only stay in hospital for Christmas. A loud sound was heard. The whistle of fireworks came from outside the window. Bright fireworks bloomed in the sky. Seeing this, Ms. Chain and Nancy ran to the window quickly. ¡°Who¡¯s setting off fireworks?¡± ¡°Wow! The fireworks are really beautiful!¡± Fireworks were strictly prohibited in Greyport. Only during major holidays like the Christmas or Independence Day could they be released at a designated location. The police had to maintain order at the scene! Therefore, it would cost at least hundreds of thousands of dors to set off fireworks. Moreover, it was not something that anyone withinoney could n. Another sound was heard. Another round of fireworks bloomed in the sky, adding color and sparks to half of Greyport¡¯s sky. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so beautiful!¡± The nurses were so excited that they forgot about taking care of their patients. ¡°Wow, look! There¡¯s a name on it!¡± ¡°Hey! It seems to be Ms. Haynes¡® name!¡± Chapter 246 More fireworks bloomed in the sky, and they changed into various shapes! Then, Joanna¡¯s name appeared inrge font! After a few seconds, the shape of the name changed! It was obvious! Someone had deliberately nned all these for Joanna. The ward that she stayed in overlooked half of the Willows Harbor! The lights outside were dazzling, and it could make one¡¯s heart flutter! N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Joanna naturally saw it too! ¡°Ms. Haynes, draw the curtains quickly. These fireworks are specially set off for you!¡± ¡°Oh my god, who could it be?¡± Nancy said enviously. Ms. Chain replied with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? It must be Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°He is so good to Ms. Haynes. I hope both of you can get back together again!¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not breathe. Could it be Bruce? What was wrong with him? Joanna was in a daze! The door of the ward was pushed open, and Davian and Irvin ran in happily. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re here¡­ The two little boys looked very smart in their suits! Both of them were carryingrge bouquets of flowers in their arms! ¡°Mommy! Happy Christmas!¡± Davian and Irvin fought to give Joanna the flowers. ¡°Davian, Irvin, why are you here?¡± Joanna waspletely stunned! She never thought that the children woulde back before Christmas. ¡°Mommy, this is for you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± After Joanna had received the flowers, Bruce walked in with Lilia. They were behind Davian and Irvin. The three of them were wearing matching father and son suits. They looked really eye¨Ccatching. Lilia was also holding a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Mommy, Merry Christmas!¡± Joanna Haynes couldn¡¯t hold back the smile on her face. ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± Bruce smiled at Joanna. Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. She hugged the children tightly and could not help but cry! It was really a touching moment. Davian looked concerned. ¡°Mommy, are you feeling better?¡± Chapter ¡°Yes! What about you? How have you been?¡± We¡¯re fine. We just miss Mommy a lot!¡± ¡°Mommy misses all of you too!¡± ¡°Mommy, I want a hug!¡± Bruce smiled at Lilia. ¡°Lilia, go and give mommy a kiss. Mommy can¡¯t really move now!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Bruce carried Lilia to the bed! Lilia leaned on Joanna¡¯s face and kissed her hard! ¡°I want to kiss Mommy too!¡± Davian and Irvin also rushed to kiss her! ¡°Lilia, let mommy take a look¡­¡± Joanna hugged her daughter tightly in her arms and looked at her lovingly. Her daughter had leukemia. If she was not careful, she would be sick again. Naturally, Joanna was more worried. Lilia blinked her big eyes and whispered into Joanna¡¯s car, ¡°Mommy, Daddy says that he wants to propose to you!¡± Joanna was stunned! Lilia blinked at her slyly and whispered into Joanna¡¯s ear, ¡°Daddy asked me to ask Mommy if she¡¯s willing to marry Daddy.¡± When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously looked at her daughter and then looked up at Bruce! An expression appeared on Bruce¡¯s face but Joanne could not really understand what it meant. Bruce seemed a little uneasy and embarrassed! An arrogant person like him would not be humble so easily! Although Bruce wanted to remarry Joanna, he still couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it out loud. ¡°Lilia and Mommy, what are you whispering about? I want to hear it too! I want to hear it too!¡± Irvin was very curious. He leaned forward and kept asking! ¡°I¡¯m not telling you!¡± ¡°Mommy, are you willing?¡± ¡°Lilia, you¡¯re still young. Don¡¯t be a messenger anymore! And don¡¯t interfere in the matters between adults, okay?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Joanna stroked her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Be a good girl and don¡¯t say anything else! If you say anything else, Mommy will be angry!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lilia pouted and didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. She just looked at her daddy pitifully. Bruce coughed and his face twitched. He was a little angry. Chapter 247 Chapter 247 Bruce thought. ¡°This silly woman really doesn¡¯t know how to back down! ¡°She really wants me to lose face. Why can¡¯t she just follow my wishes and take the initiative to mention remarrying me? ¡°Forget it! I shall swallow my pride. It doesn¡¯t mean anything. My wife is more important!¡± Bruce flicked his tongue and pretended to touch the tip of his nose! ¡°Joanna, 1¡­ want to tell you something!¡± ¡°Oh, go ahead!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce seriously. Bruce nced at the servants and said, ¡°All of you go out first!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ms. Chain, Nancy, and the others did not dare to dy and hurriedly left the ward! After they left, Bruce suddenly choked and stuttered. ¡°Joanna¡­ He was usually a decisive and determined person! However, now, he felt inexplicably awkward about proposing to his ex¨Cwife. Joanna looked at him feeling puzzled. She thought, ¡°Was there ever a time when he felt embarrassed?¡± Bruce had always been bold and would never hesitate to say anything on his mind. Now, he was wondering what to say and muttering at some point. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds and said slowly, ¡°Joanna! ¡°For the sake of the children, let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s remarry!¡± With that, Bruce looked at Joanna solemnly and took out a box from his suit pocket! There was a huge diamond ring inside the box! Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Joanna waspletely stunned! Bruce brought the diamond ring in front of Joanna. ¡°Marry me! I did not propose to you thest time. I¡¯ll make it up to you this time!¡± With that, Bruce knelt on one knee and handed the ring to Joarina! He had already nned everything properly. Regardless of whether it was for the sake of the children or for other reasons, he wanted to remarry Joanna! All these years, other than Roxanne, he had been surrounded by many different kinds of women! Most of these women were greedy and vain. They all wanted to be with him to get money or power. Only Joanna didn¡¯t care about his money. However, some people were strange. The more others did not want it, the more they wanted to give it to them. Joanna looked at Bruce in horror, She was stunned for a long time. She came back to her senses and said, ¡°Bruce, stop fooling around!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fooling around. I¡¯m serious! I¡¯ve already thought about it. For the sake of the children, let¡¯s remarry!¡± After saying that. Bruce took the diamond ring and pulled her hand, wanting to put the ring on her hand! Joanna was stunned for a moment and subconsciously retracted his hand! ¡°No!¡± She could not ept him! She was a little touched, and her hatred for him was not that deep anymore! However, she was really in pain. She had not forgotten how much she suffered. After marrying Bruce previously, she was in so much pain that she did not want to go though it again. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t make a scene! I¡­ You¡­.¡± Joanna stuttered too. She never expected that Bruce really wanted to remarry her. She really couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking. Bruce asked solemnly. ¡°What do you mean me and you? What are you trying to say?¡± Joanna pulled her hand back, and the expression in her eyes became uneasy. ¡°I want to say that Roxanne is now pregnant with your child. If we get married again, what do you want her to do?¡± ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s impossible between me and Roxanne! I told you a long time ago that there was a misunderstanding between us! ¡°Even if she wasn¡¯t the mastermind, there¡¯s no way we can get back together!¡± Joanna was a little upset. ¡°Bruce, can you be more mature? ¡°Marriage is not child¡¯s y. You always make decisions so suddenly. It¡¯s really unbearable!¡± Because of him, she had been criticized by the people in Greyport for six years! If she got back together with him now, she would probably be scolded a bitch who seduced her brother¨Cinw again. Bruce paused for a few seconds and stared at Joanna. ¡°What¡¯s so unbearable about this? Or you can¡¯t forget another man?¡± Lilia chimed in and shook Joanna¡¯s arm coquettishly. ¡°Mommy, just promise Daddy!¡± ¡°Yes, remarry! We want to be with Mommy forever!¡± Irvin added. Only Davian remained silent. No matter what decision his mommy made, he would support her. ¡°Stop arguing! This matter is very serious. Mommy has to consider it slowly!¡± Joanna thought about it carefully and did not dare to reject Bruce directly! She was afraid that he would take the children away again. ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I¡¯m not mentally prepared yet! You proposed too suddenly. I haven¡¯t thought about it at all! 13:46 Tue, Chapter 247 ¡°Can you not talk about marriage for now? When everything is settled smoothly, we can talk about remarrying after we have both seriously considered it!¡± When Bruce heard this, he did not say anything for a long time! Perhaps, he really needed to give her some time! After all, he had hurt her so deeply in the past! If she agreed to remarry him so easily, it would seem degrading for her. Bruce thought that Joanna was testing him. ¡°Alright, I respect your decision.¡± ¡°However, I will definitely marry you again!¡± Bruce said as he held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and kissed it gently. ¡°Mommy. Daddy, we¡¯re a family. We¡¯ll never be separated, okay?¡± Bruceughed. ¡°Of course!¡± Irvin pouted. ¡°Daddy, you must not marry that bad woman, Roxanne Haynes. We don¡¯t like her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Daddy won¡¯t marry her. Daddy won¡¯t marry anyone else except your mommy!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank and did not want to continue the topic. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about these things today!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s Christmas. I should say something happy!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s watch the fireworks!¡± They heard another loud sound. The fireworks outside were still blooming in the sky. The two little boys could not help but run to the window. ¡°Wow, the fireworks are really beautiful!¡± ¡°Mommy, look! Daddy specially prepared these for you. Are you touched?¡± Joanna looked at the dazzling fireworks outside the window and felt a pain in her heart. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so high¨Cprofile? You¡¯re putting me in a difficult position!¡± She was now the queen of topics in Greyport again. She really didn¡¯t want to be the topic of gossip! ¡°What¡¯s there to be troubled about? I¡¯m clearing your name! Let everyone know that I¡¯m the one professing my love to you! It¡¯s not the other way around!¡± Joanna frowned in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to clear my name like this!¡± Joanna, you¡¯re being too cautious!¡± Soon, everyone in Greyport was talking about Bruce¡¯s high¨Cprofile confession of love to his ex¨Cwife. ¡°Oh my god, are Mr. Everett and Joanna Haynes getting back together?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Isn¡¯t Miss Roxanne pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child? If he remarries his ex¨Cwife, what will happen to Miss Roxanne?¡± ¡°Hey, why are you worried about such stuff? He has money. He can support both women.¡± ¡°Gosh! Miss Haynes is really scheming! Mr. Everett is still attracted to her¡­¡± Chapter 247 Christmas Day. The first wave of news headlines on Christmas Day was dominated by Bruce Everett¡¯s high¨Cprofile disy of love with fireworks! ¡°Mr. Everett threw hundreds of thousands of dors to confess his love to his ex¨Cwife.¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne¡¯s dream of marrying into a wealthy family is gone!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett and his ex¨Cwife got back together. The biggest news in the century.¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne otherwise known as the single parent.¡± Wave after wave of explosive news flooded the Inte. At the Haynes¡¯s house! Everyone in Greyport knew that Bruce had spent hundreds of thousands of dors to set off fireworks and express his love for Joanna. Roxanne naturally saw the news too. Joanna Haynes has indeed reconciled with Bruce at this time!¡± Ingrid also cursed angrily, ¡°Bruce Everett, that bastard. Roxy has loved the wrong person!¡± ¡°Mom, what should I do?¡± Roxanne looked depressed! In the past, she could threaten Bruce with suicide. But now, it seemed that even if she reallymitted suicide, Bruce would still be indifferent. Ingrid was so angry that she choked. Her eyes bulged like a toad¡¯s. ¡°Can you not ask me what to do every time something happens? ¡°How would I know what to do? After helping you to think of so many ways, you still lost your man!¡± Roxanne could not help but cry again. I¡¯m pregnant now. What about this child? ¡°What he¡¯s doing now is clearly sending a big p onto my face.¡± Ingrid rolled her eyes and said fiercely, ¡°No matter what, this child is your leverage. You have to give birth to it!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Shaun happened toe downstairs. ¡°What are you arguing about again?¡± ¡°Look at your scheming daughter. Look at what she¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± Shaun sighed deeply! Chapter 248 Chapter 248 ¡°If I were you, I would go and give her a good beating. She needs a few tight ps! She is so cheap! There are so many men. in Greyport. Why can¡¯t she go and seduce anyone of them? Instead she had to seduce Bruce! She¡¯s really the number one slut in Greyport!¡± The more Ingrid scolded, her words became harsher. Her face became very red too. Shaun could not help but sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t use such terrible words!. I have already told you that from the beginning. Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t love Roxy at all! ¡°You and Roxanne were so persistent and wanted to cling onto Mr. Everett. Now, everyone in Greyport is watching us make a fool of ourselves! ¡°How do you expect Roxy to face everyone in the future?¡± When Ingrid heard this, she stomped her feet in anger and wished that she could jump sky high. ¡°Roxy is already feeling terrible enough, yet you¡¯re still saying such things! ¡°I don¡¯t know if you really love your daughter!¡± Roxanne felt sad and helpless. She could only cover her face and cry. ¡°Can you stop crying? You only know how to cry all day long. You deserve to be dumped!¡± ¡°Back then, your mother was the most beautiful woman in the entire Greyport. I had a long queue of suitors who would do whatever I said. It was easy! Why aren¡¯t you like me?¡± Shaun could not help but retort, ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s not talk about your past! ¡°Don¡¯t make Roxy feel more miserable anymore. She has been pampered since she was young. What could she have learned from you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll abort the child tomorrow!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she was even more exasperated. ¡°No! No matter what, this child must be born!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point? He¡¯s clearly breaking up with me by doing confessing his love to Joanna! What¡® the point of giving birth to the child?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? You¡¯re pregnant with the Everett family¡¯s flesh and blood. Your baby will be able to inherit some of their assets when the dayes, and it¡¯ll be enough for you to live happily for the rest of your life!¡± Roxanne still continued crying. ¡°Mom, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Go find him. Anyway, you¡¯re pregnant now! I don¡¯t believe he dares to do anything to you!¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Ingrid was really infuriated. She said angrily, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital to find that bitch Joanna Haynes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? We just have to go there and create a scene. If she doesn¡¯t feel embarrassed, we¡¯ll go there everyday and give her more trouble.¡± When Shaun heard this, his head hurt so much that it felt like it was about to explode. ¡°Oh my god! Can you stop making. such a fuss? ¡°Isn¡¯t this messy enough?¡± Ingrid¡¯s eyes widened in anger. She pointed at Shaun¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°Are you going or not? Can you bear to see your daughter suffer? Can you bear to see your daughter be a single mother? Chapter 248 I don¡¯t even know how you became a father!¡± Shaun could not win any argument with Ingrid. As he still loved Roxanne, he apanied them to the hospital. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. 5????? * At the hospital! At the nurse reception desk. ¡°Sir, who are you looking for?¡± a nurse asked politely. ¡°I¡¯m Shaun Haynes¡­¡± Before Shaun could finish, Ingrid interrupted him and looked at the nurse arrogantly. ¡°We¡¯re looking for that damn bitch. Joanna Haynes!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The nurses looked at Ingrid in shock. ¡°This is Joanna Haynes¡¯s father. Can¡¯t he even visit his daughter?¡± Ingrid¡¯s voice was so sharp and shrill that it hurt the nurses¡® eardrums. ¡°Madam, this is a hospital. Please don¡¯t make a scene here!¡± ¡°Move away. all of you! Let¡¯s see who dares to stop me today!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go into the ward. This is a VIP ward¡­ A few nurses hurriedly went forward to stop her! Ingrid grabbed Roxanne and pushed her in front of the nurse. ¡°My daughter is pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child. If you touch her and cause her to have a miscarriage, do you think you can bear the consequences?¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes. Mrs. Haynes. You really can¡¯t enter!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ingrid did not listen. Together with Shaun, they barged into the ward where Joanna was staying in. The nurses could not stop them at all. They were even more afraid of going close to Roxanne as she was pregnant. The nurses could only watch as they marched into the ward. There were originally a few bodyguards guarding the door of the ward! However, they all knew Roxanne and did not dare to stop her. Bang! The door of the ward was pushed open hard! Shaun and Ingrid rushed in angrily. Joanna and the servants were shocked. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Without another word, Ingrid started cursing. ¡°Joanna, you damn bitch! How dare you ask us why we¡¯re here? ¡®Don¡¯t you know what you¡¯ve done?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened when she heard that. Shaun could not help but nagged, ¡°Joann, it¡¯s not that I am here to scold you, but why are you creating all these problems?¡± Chapter 248 When Joanna heard this, she felt helpless and could not defend herself. Needless to say, they were definitely here to create a scene because of the fireworks disy. However, Joanna really didn¡¯t know about Bruce¡¯s arrangement that was meant to be a surprise. Moreover, she didn¡¯t ask him to do it. The Haynes family didn¡¯t dare to cause trouble for Bruce. Instead, they came to create amotion here. They knew that Joanna was weak and helpless. Roxanne started crying in a second. She looked at Joanna with tears in her eyes. ¡°Joanna, I beg you to take pity on me¡­¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re in pain, but I¡¯m feeling more pain! I¡¯m pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child now. If Bruce dumps me, what will happen to me and the baby?¡± Ingrid continued scolding in a high¨Cpitched voice, ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t talk so much to her. She¡¯s such a heartless bitch. It¡¯s useless. even if you beg her!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore. If you have anything to say, please go find Bruce!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she mocked Joanna even more. ¡°Oh gosh! You really know how to shift the me! ¡°You know that we can¡¯t afford to offend Mr. Everett, so you deliberately push the me to Mr. Everett! ¡°We¡¯re not looking for Mr. Everett today. We¡¯re looking for you, you slut! Why are you so cheap? There are so many men in Greyport. Can¡¯t you seduce any of them? Why do you have to cling on to your sister¡¯s boyfriend? You¡¯re just like your mother. You¡¯re both sluts!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her entire body trembled. ¡°Ingrid Haynes, I¡¯m warning you. Watch your mouth!¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯m going all out today. You need a good scolding, you damn bitch! Shameless, bitchy vixen! A slut who seduces her brother¨Cinw!¡± Ms. Chain and Nancy couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. They hurriedly went forward to chase Ingrid and her family away. ¡°Please leave. If you continue to cause trouble, we¡¯ll call the police!¡± ¡°Report! Go ahead and report quickly! Hurry up and get the police toe over. The police can expose what this damn bitch has done! Shaun¡¯s face darkened as well. He looked at Joanna with hatred. ¡°Joann, I will say something fair!¡± ¡°After all, you¡¯re the older sister. It¡¯s only right for you to give in to your younger sister! Besides, Bruce is Roxy¡¯s boyfriend! ¡°You seduced your brother¨Cinw six years ago. Roxy was so angry that she was admitted to a mental hospital! Now that they¡¯ve finally reconciled, why must you get involved in their rtionship? ¡°If Roxy wasn¡¯t pregnant, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything! But now that Roxy is pregnant, do you want her to be a single mother like you?¡± Joanna was so angry that her heart ached. She looked at Shaun coldly. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to talk to you! ¡°Please get out of here now!¡± No matter how Ingrid scolded her, she wasn¡¯t sad at all! However, her father¡¯s every word was like a sharp knife that stabbed her heart deeply! He had never cared about how she had spent the past six years. In his heart, there was only his other daughter and son! Chapter 249 Chapter 249 And Joanna was treated even worse than a stranger! Joann, why are you still so stubborn? This is a family scandal. Why do you have to make it public? You have looks, a career, and there are a lot of good men out there! Why don¡¯t you let go of Bruce? No matter what, as Roxy¡¯s father. I¡¯ll definitely settle the matter today! You can¡¯t be with Bruce. Bruce and Roxy are a couple. If you insist on being stubborn, I will really not acknowledge you as my daughter!¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t want to say anything else. You can say whatever you want.¡± Roxanne cried until her face was covered in tears and her nose was all runny. Although her tone was soft, it was filled with at strong threat. ¡°Joanna, I beg you! Don¡¯t pester Bruce anymore. I really can¡¯t take it anymore! If you continue to be with. Bruce, I will kill myself! If I die, I won¡¯t let you have it easy either. I¡¯ll drag you and your children down with me. At most, we¡¯ll die together!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank when she heard that. She looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°Roxanne, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Roxanne adjusted her posture and looked at Joanna viciously. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯ve already lost my mind! Without Bruce, I¡¯d rather die! ¡°After all, I¡¯m not even afraid of death. Why would I be afraid of dragging a few people down with me?¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, I¡¯ll let everyone know today what kind of woman you are! Get up, get up!¡± Ingrid moved forward to pull Joanna. When Shaun saw this, his head hurt. ¡°Stop fooling around. If you have something to say, say it. Don¡¯t be violent!¡± ¡°Stop it and leave this ce quickly!¡± Ms. Chain and Nancy also went forward to stop them. Ingrid pushed Ms. Chain. ¡°Get Out. This is our family matter. How dare you to interfere?¡± ¡°My Roxy hasn¡¯t broken up with Mr. Everett yet. She¡¯s the future Mrs. Everett. Are all of you blind?¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, please calm down¡­¡± ¡°Get out, all of you. This is our family matter. Why are you outsiders here? What right do you have to interfere?¡± Ingrid pushed Ms. Chain and Nancy out of the ward aggressively. ¡°Hubby, p her mouth hard! I¡¯m going to tear off your pants today to show everyone you are a slut!¡± ¡°Ingrid, don¡¯t go overboard!¡± Outside the ward! Ms. Chain panicked and hurriedly called Bruce. The sound of a phone ringing was heard. Bruce¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. Pleasee to the hospital quickly!¡± Bruce was using hisputer to hold a multinational conference. Although it was still the festive season, his employees who were overseas were still working as usual, so he was very busy! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Ms. Chain said anxiously, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Haynes, and Miss Roxanne barged into the ward to cause trouble! ¡°We don¡¯t dare to stop them, and also we can¡¯t stop them¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart sank when he heard that. ¡°I understand.¡± Bruce ended the call. Then, he gave a few simple instructions to the managers who were having video conferencing with him. He then left the rest. of the work to his secretary to handle. After that, he brought his men to the hospital! At the hospital! Twenty minutester. Bruce arrived at the ward aggressively. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re finally here! Mrs. Haynes is creating such a ruckus¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he walked into the ward with a cold expression. In the ward! Ingrid was still condemning Joanna, refusing to give up. ¡°Mr. Everett is here. Stop arguing!¡± Bruce walked in with a cold expression. What are you doing?¡± When Ingrid and Roxanne heard this, they quickly shut their mouths and did not dare to utter a word. Shaun frowned. ¡°Bruce, you came just in time. I need to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The night before yesterday, you set off fireworks to show your love to Joann. What exactly did you mean?¡± ¡°It meant what it meant!¡± Bruce replied slowly. ¡°Then what is Roxy to you? She¡¯s pregnant with your child now. Are you going to abandon her just like that? ¡°Exin yourself clear today. Give all of us an exnation!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to exin. I broke up with Roxanne! ¡°If it¡¯s not obvious enough, let me repeat this. I¡¯m done with Roxanne Haynes!¡± Bruce said coldly without any hesitation. Now that he had seen through Roxanne¡¯s true colors, he felt extremely disgusted. He could not even be bothered to humor the Haynes family anymore. When Roxanne heard this, it was an extremely big blow to her. ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t treat me like this. How can you be so heartless to me? ¡°Alright! Alright! Since you¡¯re so heartless, I¡¯ll die¡­¡± Bruce was unmoved and had no intention of stopping her. Her threat to kill herself was no longer effective on him! ¡°Bruce, Roxy has been with you for so many years. She is still pregnant with your child. How can you bear to see her die? ¡°How can you just leave her alone?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened as he said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll repeat myself today. I¡¯ve never slept with Roxanne Haynes! She got pregnant using artificial insemination! I don¡¯t have any feelings for her either! Of course, if she wants to give birth to the child, then so be it! I¡¯ll take care of it after it¡¯s born. If you want to take care of it yourself, I can also give you child support! Of course, I¡¯ll get awyer to handle this matter!¡± He did not want to be a fool again! Bruce would not pay a single cent more than what the court ordered him to pay for child support. Chapter 249 Roxanne was the one who nned such a scheme against him. If Roxanne hadn¡¯t schemed against him like this, he would have given her arge sum of money as compensation for breaking up with her! However, since Roxanne dared to set him up like this, he did not have to show her any mercy anymore! When Joanna heard that, she looked at Bruce in shock! She did not expect Bruce to be so heartless toward Roxanne! ¡°Bruce, no, no, I don¡¯t want to break up with you! Tell me, what kind of spell did my sister cast on you? ¡°I lost your love since she came back!¡± ¡°Let go!¡± Bruce pushed Roxanne away in disgust. Roxanne turned to look at Joanna and could not stop crying. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m begging you. Let Bruce come back to me! Give him back to me!¡± As she spoke, Roxanne knelt down with a thud. ¡°Get up!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not getting up. You can¡¯t do this to me. You can¡¯t¡­¡± Ingrid was so angry that she almost had a heart attack. ¡°Mr. Everett, you have to be responsible for Roxy! ¡°If anything happens to Roxy, I won¡¯t let you off. I¡¯ll risk my life to get you to bear the consequences!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, don¡¯t be in such a hurry! ¡°Roxanne is rted to a case. The police are already investigating!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she stopped being loud and arrogant. Roxanne who was crying so hard, nearly choked! ¡°Roxy, what the hell is going on?¡± ¡°Bruce, you have to believe me. I really didn¡¯t spend those two sums of money!¡± Ingrid also reacted and quickly added, ¡°Ah, yes! I spent those two sums of money!¡± ¡°I have always kept Roxy¡¯s Richmoren bank card. You¡¯ve really used Roxy wrongly this time!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Bruce scoffed. ¡°Here¡¯s your bank transfer record! ¡°Mrs. Haynes too. Looks like you¡¯ve done a lot of private transactions!¡± As he spoke, Bruce threw a transaction document at Ingrid. Ingrid was shocked, and her face turned pale! Shaun was shocked and asked, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes, you can see for yourself!¡± Chapter 249 When Shaun heard this, he immediately picked up the document and looked at it. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The document had a list of transfer records, and they were all from two ounts! Some were tens of thousands of dors, and some were even more than 200 thousand dors. In total, there were at least over 2 million dors! When Shaun saw it, he was so shocked that he felt numb for a while. ¡°Oh my god, so much money! ¡°Who did you transfer the money to?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°As far as I know, two people by the names of Oscar and Wace received the money!¡± Shaun felt that a bomb had gone off in his mind. He was very furious when he heard that. ¡°Tell me, why did you secretly transfer so much money to them?¡± Shaun knew that Ingrid were not just ordinary friends with Oscar and Wace. Moreover, they had always been very close to Ingrid. He reckoned that they were Ingrid¡¯s toy boys. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ lost money to them in poker!¡± ¡°Bullshit! How much money did you gamble away in poker? It can¡¯t be over 2 million dors!¡± Ingrid¡¯s face turned pale as she stammered, ¡°I¡­I really lost to poker!¡± ¡°Exin yourself. Why did you have to gamble so much money away?¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes, this is your personal problem. I think you can go out and talk to your wife slowly!¡± At this moment, Shaun only felt humiliation. He was no longer in the mood to care about Roxanne! ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with them?¡± ¡°I have nothing to do with them!¡± ¡°Tell me clearly. Did you use my money on your toy boys?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I really didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call them now. If you dare to cheat on me, I¡¯ll break your legs!¡± ¡°Hubby, I really have nothing to do with them!¡± ¡°Then why did you y poker with them and lose such a big amount of money? Why?¡± Roxanne looked at the two of them helplessly. ¡°Mom, Dad, stop arguing!¡± ¡°Come,e home with me!¡± Shaun grabbed Ingrid and stormed out of the ward! Roxanne was afraid that something would happen, so she quickly followed. After the Haynes family left, the ward was finally quiet. Joanna looked at Bruce. She was speechless. ¡°Bruce, you¡­¡± Chapter Bruce smiled teasingly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Nothing!¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°Did you find out something?¡± ¡°Make a guess!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to guess. Hurry up and tell me!¡± Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Bruce smiled mockingly and said yfully, ¡°Ingrid and her two cousins have always had an improper rtionship! Now that her two cousins have fled, it¡¯s obvious that they have a guilty conscience. ¡°However, I¡¯ve already frozen all their bank ounts! I¡¯ve also sent people to investigate their whereabouts. I believe that the truth will be revealed soon!¡± Joanna could not believe what she heard. She was still in shock. ¡°No! Really? Are you saying that Ingrid made a cuckold out of Dad?¡± ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s more than one! Ingrid knows how to have a good time! She has affairs with many men.¡± ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°I got someone to investigate, of course!¡± Joanna sucked in a breath of cold air. She could not get over her shock for a long time! ¡°Are you saying that Ingrid is the one who hired the murderer?¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Highly likely, chances are 90%! ¡°However, we still need witnesses! Although the murderer is dead, the murderer received a sum of money before he died! That money came from Ingrid¡¯s cousin! Moreover, the murderer already had cancer before he died! ¡°As long as those two cousins are found, the truth will be revealed, and she will be sent to prison!¡± After hearing this, Joanna could not help but frown. ¡°What about Roxanne?¡± ¡°Whether she knows about this or not, or whether she has anything to do with it, I¡¯m done with her!¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want your rtionship with Roxanne to break up because of me¡­¡± Joanna looked at Bruce seriously, although she hated Roxanne. However, everyone thought that she had seduced Bruce back then. She had carried that burden for six years. Now, if Roxanne and Bruce broke up again, Joanna would probably be med again. Bruce seemed to have guessed Joanna¡¯s concerns. He gently held her hand and said seriously, ¡°Joanna, even without you, it¡¯s impossible for me and Roxanne to be together anymore. Don¡¯t feel too pressured, and don¡¯t worry about what others think! I hope that we can give each other a chance! Let¡¯s start over!¡± Joanna was stunned for a few seconds. Her heart raced, and she subconsciously pulled her hand back. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about our matters in the future!¡± She really did not have the courage to ept him so easily. It was better to deal with him slowly. Perhaps he would change his mind after a while! Meanwhile, at the Haynes¡¯s house. Shaun grabbed Ingrid and returned home in anger and exasperation! ¡°I must get to the bottom of this today¡­¡± Shaun was so angry that his body was trembling. He immediately called Ingrid¡¯s cousins. ¡°Beep¡± ¡°The number you have dialed is unavable!¡± After Shaun made many attempts to call, their phones were switched off. Wace and Oscar knew that the situation was not right. The two of them had already left Greyport and escaped to some small country in Southeast Alendor toy low. ¡°Why can¡¯t I get through to them? Hurry up and tell me what your rtionship with them is. ¡°Why did you transfer so much money to them all these years?¡± Ingrid¡¯s hair was in a mess, and her makeup was ruined. Her eyshes and eyeliner were covered in tears. ¡°I really gambled the money away!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been kept in the dark by you all these years! How many men did you have affairs with?¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t. You have to believe me, hubby!¡± ¡°Dad, Mom, can you stop arguing? Can you calm down¡­¡± As Shaun realized that he had been cuckolded, he could not remain calm. He yelled, ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death, you damn bitch! You¡¯ve ruined my life! ¡°I married you and gave you money to spend, but you took the money to enjoy yourself with other men!¡± ¡°Ouch! Stop hitting me!¡± Ingrid was beaten up so badly that she fought back! Ingrid scolded back righteously, ¡°Yes, I slept with other men. You are so useless? If you are strong and can satisfy me, will I need to sleep with other men?¡± Someone spat. When Shaun heard this, his lips trembled with anger. ¡°You, you, you shameless woman! I want a divorce! I¡¯ll get awyer to settle it immediately!¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be happy to divorce you! But I want half of the family assets!¡± ¡°In your dreams! These are my assets! You won¡¯t get a cent¡­¡± The two of them argued non¨Cstop! The servants were also scared silly. They stood at the side and watched, not daring to step forward to stop the fight. Looking at the chaotic scene in front of her, Roxanne felt like her heart was dead. She did not even want to stop the fight! She was very tired and only wanted to find a shoulder to lean on! Roxanne silently opened the door and walked out of the house. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so she had to escape from her house now! She didn¡¯t want to stay for another moment. The sound of a phone ringing was heard. Gavin¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was Roxanne. he quickly answered. ¡°Hello, Roxy. Why are you calling me today?¡± ¡°Gavin, I¡¯m so sad. I really need to see you now!¡± Roxanne could not help but cry again! She was dumped by Bruce, and her parents wanted a divorce! She really needed someone tofort her. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯lle and see you right away!¡± Chapter 251 Chapter 251 ¡°I¡¯m on the street now. I have nowhere to go¡­¡± When Gavin heard this, he said with concern, ¡°Send me your location. I¡¯ll pick you up immediately!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± This was still the festive season. The streets were decorated with colorful lights and ornaments. The atmosphere was joyous, and there were many couples on the streets. Roxanne felt even sadder, so she agreed to meet Gavin! Half an hourter, Gavin sped over on his motorcycle. Gavin parked the motorcycle and immediately hugged Roxanne. ¡°Roxy, why are you crying? Why are you wearing such thin clothes on such a cold day?¡± Roxanne cried uncontrobly. ¡°Gavin, I broke up with Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s okay! So be it! You still have me. I¡¯ll be by your side for the rest of my life! As long as you want, I¡¯m willing to marry you!¡± Roxanne buried herself in Gavin¡¯s arms and cried bitterly! ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you for a ride!¡± As Gavin spoke, he thoughtfully put a helmet on Roxanne! She got on Gavin¡¯s motorcycle and wrapped her arms around his waist! It was obvious that their rtionship was more than ordinary! Not far away, there were two bodyguards hiding in the dark. When they saw Roxanne and an unfamiliar man hugging each other tightly, they were stunned! That was not all. Miss Roxanne actually left with that man. ¡°Darn! Miss Roxanne is actually making out with another man?¡± ¡°What should we do? Should we follow them and stop them?¡± Another bodyguard teased, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to be cuckolded too!¡± ¡°Stopughing and follow them!¡± After talking, they immediately started the car and followed the motorcycle. ¡°Make a call to Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± One of the bodyguards drove, while the other immediately took out his phone and called Bruce. Bruce¡¯s phone rang! He took out his phone and saw that it was a call from Cherron, one of his bodyguards! ¡°Hey, Cherron, what¡¯s up?¡± Cherron lowered his voice. ¡°Mr. Everett, Tom and I just saw Miss Roxanne hugging a man on the street!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce frowned. Although he didn¡¯t love Roxanne, his reputation meant a lot to him. After all, Roxanne was his fianc¨¦e. Although they had broken up, they had yet to announce it to the public. Cherron continued, ¡°Miss Roxanne is on that man¡¯s motorcycle. Should we stop them?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Follow her and don¡¯t let her leave Greyport! Also, take a photo of them and send it to me!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± After hanging up, Bruce was infuriated. As expected, like mother, like daughter. Ingrid was a loose woman and so she did not bring her daughter up properly! He realized that all these years, he had been blinded to the truth! He actually treated Roxanne well as she had rescued him back in the day. What was even more hrious was that he had returned thevor to the wrong person! The person who saved him was not Roxanne Haynes at all. As Bruce thought of this, he got so angry with himself that he pped himself hard. Soon, Gavin brought Roxanne back to his home! He had already moved out of his house and rented a small and dpidated apartment. ¡°We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s get down!¡± Roxanne got out of the motorcycle and looked up. This building was so dpidated that it looked like it was about to be demolished! ¡°Gavin, why are you living here now?¡± ¡°I sold my house to pay off my debts. I¡¯m staying temporarily.¡± As Gavin spoke, he had already opened the door with the key! The room was messy and dirty. The floor area was small, and the room did not have much space. Roxanne saw this, and her heart ached! Back then, Gavin was also a top student at a top university. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to know Roxanne. His parents had used all their savings to get him into a prestigious school so that he would be sessful in the future. When he was in school, he was charismatic and handsome. He excelled in his studies too. Gavin was the dream lover of all the girls in the school! Unfortunately, a rich student got jealous of him and deliberately got a girl to set him up. Hence, Gavin was expelled from the school. After that, he couldn¡¯t recover from the setback. Until now, he had nothing. ¡°Roxy, have you eaten? Let me cook something for you!¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯m not hungry!¡± Roxanne looked dejected and subconsciously touched her lower abdomen, Was she going to live with someone like Gavin for the rest of her life in such a ce? At the thought of this, Roxanne felt even more upset! Gavin held Roxanne¡¯s hand lovingly. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be too stressed. Give birth to the child, and I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Roxanne was a little touched when she heard that! Chapter 51 However, to Roxanne, she needed a rich man more than she needed love.Gavin loved her but it was not enough. In a ce like Greyport, how could he afford to support her and the child if he could not even support himself? However, she was very sad and desperate at this moment! She feltforted when she heard Gavin¡¯s words. Gavin¡¯s tone became gentler, and he was moving closer to her. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t leave tonight, okay?¡± ¡°No!¡± Roxanne immediately shook her head. Although she had been dumped, she had yet to announce it to the public! She was still Bruce Everett¡¯s fianc¨¦e! Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Especially now that she was pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child! No matter what, she would pester him and not let go. Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Gavin said, ¡°Roxy, I miss you so much. I can¡¯t stop thinking about you.¡± Hearing Gavin¡¯s words, Roxanne almost melted. However, she shook off Gavin¡¯s hand and shouted, ¡°Stop it! ¡°I¡¯m depressed now and not in the mood!¡± Gavin could not help but hold Roxanne in his arms, murmuring, ¡°Roxy, of course, I know you¡¯re unhappy. That¡¯s why I want to cheer you up.¡± Roxanne shouted, ¡°I really can¡¯t do it with you now!¡± Gavin gently kissed Roxanne¡¯s cheek and whispered sweet words in her ear. As Gavin spoke, he carried Roxanne in his arms and walked to the bed. Roxanne was not in the mood. However, she failed to resist Gavin¡¯s passion and decided not to struggle. Roxanne thought, ¡°I can¡¯t help it. Gavin is good at this thing. ¡°Gavin knows me so well. How can I leave him?¡± Cherron and Tom were downstairs. Crack! Crack! Cherron and Tom took many photos of Roxanne walking into the apartment. Gavin¡¯s apartment had thin walls that were not soundproof. Cherron and Tom did not enter the apartment to take photos of Roxanne and Gavin, but they recorded everything Roxanne and Gavin had said. Then, Cherron and Tom sent the photos to Bruce. Bruce was furious when he saw those photos and had indescribable andplicated feelings. Bruce thought, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the man in the photo twice! ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Roxanne to have an affair with that man. Besides, it seems they have been together for a long time.¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Roxanne always pretended to be a pure girl in front of Bruce. Thus, Bruce had never doubted her. In addition, Roxanne had done well in keeping it a secret. That was why Bruce did not discover Roxanne¡¯s affair with another man. Bruce cursed, ¡°Damn it! That woman is disgusting! I must get back everything I gave her!¡± Bruce was very generous to Roxanne before because he felt guilty and tried to use the money to make it up to Roxanne.. Bruce had bought Roxanne many pieces of jewelry, sports cars, and branded bags. When they were engaged, Bruced gave Roxanne a pink diamond ring that was worth 100 million dors. But now, it seemed that Bruce nned to get back every cent he had spent on Roxanne. Bruce used to think it was his fault for Roxanne being harassed by bad people. To Bruce¡¯s shock, Roxanne had an affair with this man named Gavin long ago. Cherron called Bruce for instructions. ¡°Mr. Everett, should we do something to protect Miss Roxanne?¡± Cherron was implying that Roxanne was about to have sex with another man soon if they did not stop her. Bruce said coldly, ¡°Ignore herl ¡°Got it!¡± replied Cherron. Bruce thought, ¡°I have already broken up with Roxanne. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered with who Roxanne wants to be with! ¡°I¡¯m willing to give Roxanne thest dignity as long as she knows what¡¯s good for her and gives up pestering me. profile for this breakup. I hate to see things turn into dramas!¡± Everything will be fine if we keep a low The bed was squeaking in Gavin¡¯s small apartment. Gavin wanted tofort Roxanne and make her happy. Unfortunately, Gavin did not know what to do. Thus, he did what he got in bed, attempting to cheer Roxanne up. ¡°Ahh!¡± Roxanne suddenly screamed and used all her strength to push Gavin away. Gavin was terrified and asked, ¡°Roxy, what happened? Are you okay? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Roxanne suffered extreme pain and could not speak. ¡°Roxy? Roxy? I¡¯m calling an ambnce now!¡± Gavin was so frightened that he hurried grabbed his phone and was about to call an ambnce. Roxanne shrank like a shrimp due to the pain and broke up cold sweat on her face. Gavinforted, ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m calling an ambnce now!¡± Hearing Gavin¡¯s words, Roxanne gritted her teeth and said, ¡°No, you can¡¯t call an ambnce! I can¡¯t let anyone know I¡¯m here!¡± Gavin panicked when he heard that. He asked, ¡°Then what should I do? Alright. I¡¯ll send you to a hospital now!¡± Roxanne thought for a few seconds and shook her head. She said, ¡°Send me back to the town. Then I¡¯ll take a taxi to a hospital.¡± Gavin was shocked and replied, ¡°What? I should probably send you to a hospital myself.¡± Roxanne shouted, ¡°Just cut the crap and get me back to the town!¡± Roxanne was in so much pain that she broke out in cold sweat. Roxanne thought, ¡°Bruce is responsible for the baby in my belly! I don¡¯t care whether I can win his favor back or whether he still has feelings for me!¡± Gavin replied, ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Then he quickly put on the clothes for Roxanne. After that, Gavin hastily dressed up and carried Roxanne downstairs. Gavin said, ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re gonna be fine. Okay? No need to be scared. What about I send you to a hospital nearby?¡± Roxanne cried, ¡°No! Just listen to me and get me back to the town!¡± She insisted on returning to the town. Gavin replied, ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Gavin did not dare to waste one minute. He quickly carried Roxanne to his motorcycle. Then he started it and rushed to the town. Cherron and Tom were still hiding in the dark to take photos secretly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± It seems like Ms. Haynes is sick or something.¡± ¡°Stop thinking about what happens to them. Just take photos!¡± ¨C¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Crack! Crack! Then Cherron and Tom turned the cameras to Gavin and Roxanne and took many photos. Ten minutester, Gavin rode his motorcycle and brought Roxanne to the town. Gavin suggested, ¡°Roxy, we¡¯re not far from a hospital. How about I get you straight to the hospital?¡± Roxanne suffered so much pain that her face turned pale. She shook her head and rejected Gavin, saying, ¡°No! Just hurry up and get a taxi for me!¡± Roxanne thought, ¡°I can¡¯t let anyone see I¡¯m with Gavin. ¡°I still want Bruce¡¯s money! ¡°If others see I¡¯m with Gavin, it will be difficult for me to get a cent from Bruce!¡± Gavin hurriedly ran to the road to stop a taxi, crying, ¡°Taxi!¡± Then a taxi stopped before Gavin. Gavin cried, ¡°Roxy, I got a taxi for you!¡± Roxanne shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t follow me! I can go to the hospital myself!¡± After saying that, Roxanne staggered into the taxi. Then she said with a painful expression, ¡°Hi, please take me to the nearest hospital!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± said the driver. The driver noticed Roxanne was in deep pain. Thus, he heavily stepped on the elerator and rushed toward the hospital. Five minutester, the taxi arrived at a hospital. The taxi driver said, ¡°Miss, we¡¯ve arrived at the hospital!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± said Roxanne. Then Roxanne staggered toward the hospital, screaming, ¡°Doctors! Nurses! Somebody please helps me!¡± As Roxanne walked, she took out her phone and called Ingrid. ¡°Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!¡± Ingrid had just finished the fight with Shaun. Ingrid picked up the phone and yelled, ¡°Roxy? Where the hell are you?¡± Roxanne¡¯s weak voice came from the other end of the phone. Ingrid was shocked and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Roxanne said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Juste to the Northshore Hospital now!¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m on my way.¡± Chapter 253 Chapter 253 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 253 After hanging up the phone, Ingrid hurriedly said to Shaun, ¡°Go to the hospital with me now. Something happened to Roxy!¡± Shaun was still sulking. Thus, he asked in a muffled voice, ¡°What happened to Roxy?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Roxy is hospitalized. She¡¯s at the Northshore Hospital now.¡± Shaun was shocked when he heard that. He cried, ¡°What happened?¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°Stop asking so many questions. Just go to the hospital!¡± Shaun worried about his daughter and could not be bothered with continuing the fight with Ingrid. Then they hurriedly drove to the Northshore Hospital. In the Northshore Hospital. Roxanne was sent to an emergency room. A doctor was examining her. Gavin tried too hard in bed. Thus, Roxanne was going to have a miscarriage. After the examination, the doctor said in frustration, ¡°Young adults. Don¡¯t know how to control yourselves? You¡¯re only two months pregnant. How can you have sex?¡± Roxanne was still in excruciating pain. She said, ¡°It hurts so much, doctor. Please save my baby!¡± The doctor said, ¡°Now you want to protect your baby? Why didn¡¯t you think about the consequences when you were enjoying the moments in bed? ¡°You can¡¯t have sex before the third¨Cmonth pregnancy because your centa needs time to stabilize. You wouldn¡¯t be in the hospital if you have followed the medical advice!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face was pale. However, she could not exin anything. Instead, she kept begging the doctor to save her baby. The doctor asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the baby¡¯s father? You should probably tell him about this and ask him to come over as soon as possible.¡± Soon, Ingrid and Shaun rushed to the hospital. Ingrid asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my daughter, Roxy?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still in the emergency room!¡± replied the doctor. Ingrid asked, ¡°How did this happen?¡± The doctor said, ¡°You are her parents, right? You should remind your daughter of what she can¡¯t do during pregnancy. Young adults know nothing, but you should!¡± The doctor gave a speech to Ingrid and Shaun. However, Ingrid and Shaun were worried about Roxanne and did not hear a word from the doctor. Two hourster, nurses finally took Roxanne out of the emergency room. Roxanne¡¯s legs were held up high to minimize the effect of gravitational pull on the fetus. Ingrid asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my daughter?¡± The doctor replied, ¡°We¡¯ve given your daughter pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicines. She has to stay in the hospital for observation for the next few days. Whether the baby can be saved depends on her recovery.¡± Ingrid became even more anxious when she heard that. She asked, ¡°Doctor, please do something to save my daughter¡¯s baby!¡± Chapter 253 The doctor said, ¡°I totally understand how you feel now. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± A nurse pushed Roxanne¡¯s hospital bed into a ward. Then Ingrid and Shaun hurriedly followed the nurse in. Ingrid asked, ¡°Roxy, what did you do? Why did you have a miscarriage out of the blue?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Roxanney weakly on the hospital bed. Her face was as pale as a dead person¡¯s. She said, ¡°Mom, stop nagging¡­¡± Ingrid interrupted, ¡°How is this nagging? I¡¯m worried about you! It wasn¡¯t easy for you to get pregnant. What do you do if you lose this baby?¡± Hearing this, Roxanne closed her eyes in shame. Roxanne was very scared now. Meanwhile, she med Gavin inside. She thought, ¡°I told him Gavin couldn¡¯t do that with him. ¡°However, he tried so hard to seduce me!¡± Ingrid kept nagging. Then Shaun could not take it anymore. He red at Ingrid and scolded, ¡°Enough! Stop ming Roxy! ¡°Don¡¯t you see Roxy is weak now? What she needs is rest, not your nagging. How can she recover while having you nagging aside?¡± Hearing this, Ingrid was so angry that she rolled her eyes at Shaun. Then Ingrid said, ¡°Roxy, rest well. I¡¯m going to get you something to eat.¡± ¡°Thanks, Mom,¡± said Roxanne. Ingrid carried her bag and left the ward. As soon as she walked out of the ward, she called Bruce. Ingrid thought, ¡°Although Bruce didn¡¯t show me any mercy today, now that something had happened to Roxy. How can he sit back and do nothing? ¡°I want Bruce to see how weak Roxanne is with his own eyes. Perhaps, he will change his mind and not break up with Roxanne. ¡°As long as Bruce and Roxanne are together, I don¡¯t have to worry about the police investigating me for hiring a killer.¡± Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Bruce decided to pick it up. ¡°Hello?¡± Ingrid greeted, ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± Ingrid calmed herself down and said, ¡°Roxy is hospitalized. Are youing to see her?¡± Bruce asked knowingly, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s in the hospital?¡± Bruce asked it on purpose. He already knew what had happened since his bodyguard reported everything to him. ¡°Yeah! The situation was dangerous. Roxy almost died with her two babies! Anyway, Roxy is very weak now. Hurry up ande to see her!¡± Bruce sneered when he heard that. Bruce thought, ¡°Roxanne was hospitalized because she had wild sex with another man. How can her mother be so thick¨Cskinned as to call me?¡± Thus, Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Does it have anything to do with me? I¡¯ve already broken up with Roxanne!¡± Ingrid was shocked when she heard Bruce¡¯s answer. However, she did not give it up. Instead, she continued, ¡°Roxanne is pregnant with your child. How can you be so ruthless? ¡°I don¡¯t care what¡¯s between Roxanne and you. You have to be responsible for Roxy and the baby in her belly. She has your child now. How can she marry another man in the future?¡± Bruce said, ¡°Mrs. Haynes, please stop pestering me. I might consider giving, Roxanne thest dignity if I have a good mood. If you keep annoying me, I won¡¯t show any mercy. ¡°By the way, ask Roxanne to get an abortion. I won¡¯t be responsible for anything even if she gives birth to the baby!¡± Ingrid dumbfounded when she heard that. Ingrid thought, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Bruce to be so cruel to Roxanne in just a few days. Days ago, Bruce promised he would be responsible for the baby. But now, he doesn¡¯t even care about the child.¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Mr. Everett, how can you say that? Roxy has been with you for six years. How can you be Bruce said coldly, ¡°Cold¨Cblooded? 50 cold¨Cblooded?¡± ¡°By the way, there¡¯s one more thing you need to know. Mywyer will get back everything I gave Roxanne before. Don¡¯t me me for suing Roxanne if she doesn¡¯t return everything!¡± ¡°What¡­ What did you say?¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Ingrid thought, ¡°Bruce is a mogul. And he wants the things back that he had given to a woman?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°You not only want to break up with Roxy but you¡­ you want her to return everything that you gave her. Did I get it right?¡± Bruce snorted and said, ¡°Yeah. You got it right! ¡°Roxanne knows very well what she has done. Don¡¯t treat everyone as a fool! ¡°I won¡¯t let Roxanne give birth to this child. If she dares to do so, I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± Boom! Bruce¡¯s words were like thunders to Ingrid. Ingrid¡¯s brain went nk. She was too shocked to speak in minutes. Ingrid said, ¡°Mr. Everett, how can you be so cruel?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Ask your daughter if you have questions. I¡¯ve already done my best to give her thest dignity! ¡°If you continue to be so annoying, you will see what I will do!¡± Ingrid asked, ¡°What do you mean by that? Roxy has been your girlfriend for six years. Is this how you treat her?¡± Beep. Bruce hung up the phone since he was uninterested in continuing the talk with Ingrid. Ingrid was furious and anxious. She cursed, ¡°I can¡¯t believe Bruce is so cruel! I won¡¯t let him get away from it easily!¡± Ingrid did not have the mood to get some food and hurried back to the ward. Roxanne was lying weakly on the hospital bed while Shaun sat beside the bed with a miserable expression. Ingrid ignored Shaun and went straight to bed to see Roxanne, Ingrid and Shaun ignored each other since they were still in a fight. Roxanne said, ¡°Mom, you said you went to get some food¡­¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°Well. It¡¯s toote now. Besides, I forgot to take my car key. Don¡¯t worry. I will order a takeoutter!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Roxanne hummed to reply. Seeing Roxanne was so weak, Ingrid did not want to nag her and dared not to tell Roxanne how merciless Bruce was. Roxanne suddenly said, ¡°Mom, give me the phone. I want to make a call.¡± Ingrid asked, ¡°Whom do you want to call?¡± Roxanne replied weakly, ¡°I want to call Bruce!¡± Roxanne thought, ¡°I loved to put on an act before Bruce. It worked every time! ¡°My old trick doesn¡¯t work that well now. However, I want to give it a try. There is a silver lining as long as Bruce takes a little pity on me. Ingrid¡¯s lips twitched. Then she said with an unnatural expression, ¡°It¡¯ste now. Bruce is probably asleep. It¡¯s better not to call him at this time.¡± Roxanne¡¯s face darkened when she heard that. Then she said resentfully, ¡°When Joanna was hospitalized, Bruce was anxious and took good care of her. ¡°Now that I¡¯m hospitalized, I don¡¯t believe Bruce will do anything. After all, I¡¯m pregnant with his child! I might fail to keep the baby, so I want him to take ast look at it!¡± When Ingrid heard this, she sighed deeply and persuaded, ¡°It¡¯s better not to call him. Forget it and rest well.¡± Roxanne said, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong with you? I asked you to give me the phone. You seem like you are unwilling to let me have my phone.¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°Roxy, Mom just called Bruce.¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. She asked, ¡°Mom, did you tell Bruce I¡¯m hospitalized? How did Bruce react? Did he say he ising to visit me?¡± Ingrid was nervous when she heard Roxanne¡¯s questions. Seeing Roxanne was so excited, Ingrid did not want to tell her the truth.. Chapter 254 Chapter 254 ¡°Roxy, you just woke up and are still very weak. You should rest well now. By the way, tell me, why did you suddenly have stomach pain?¡± Roxanne panicked and stammered, ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± She dared not to tell the truth. Ingrid said, ¡°I just called Bruce. He sounded very annoyed and talked to me rudely.¡± Roxanne asked anxiously, ¡°Mom, what did Bruce say to you?¡± Ingrid replied, ¡°He said you know what you¡¯ve done.¡± Ingrid could not control her curiosity and asked, ¡°Roxy, what exactly did you do?¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Roxanne¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She stuttered, ¡°¡­¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Stop the stuttering and tell me now!¡± Roxanne said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. My belly suddenly hurt when I walked on the streets. ¡°Hmph! It must be that bitch Joanna badmouthing me behind my back! It must be her! Otherwise, Bruce wouldn¡¯t have treated me like that! ¡°Joanna, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Roxanne was so angry that her eyes seemed on fire. She wanted nothing more than to tear Joanna into pieces. Ingrid rolled her eyes and reminded Roxanne, ¡°Roxy, it¡¯s not the time to cause more trouble. ¡°The most important thing now is to keep your baby. Nothing can¡¯t happen to the child in your belly no matter what happens!¡± Ingrid and Roxanne concentrated on their conversation without noticing Shaun had left the ward long ago. Roxanne finished talking about herself and suddenly remembered her parents had nned to get a divorce. Thus, Roxanne asked, ¡°Mom, where¡¯s Dad?¡± Ingrid looked around and found Shaun was not here. She said, ¡°He may go out to have a walk.¡± Roxanne asked worriedly, ¡°Mom, is everything okay between you and Dad?¡± Ingrid sighed and said, ¡°No need to worry about us. Take care of yourself first.¡± Now, Wace and Oscar had both left Greyport. Shaun knew Ingrid had cheated on him. Sadly, Shaun could not catch Ingrid in bed. He was angry about it as long as he thought of it. Shaun murmured, ¡°I have married Ingrid for so many years. If I want a divorce, Ingrid will take half of my money and assets. If so, I will lose a lot without gaining anything!¡± Therefore, Shaun decided to bear the insult. The next day, a nurse injected Roxanne with another shot of pregnancy¨Cstabilizing medicine. A doctor asked Roxanne to do all kinds of treatments to keep the baby. Ingrid could not help it and called Bruce again. However, Bruce no longer picked up Ingrid¡¯s calls. That made Ingrid and Roxanne furious. For the next three days, Roxanne stayed in the Hospital to keep her baby. On the fourth day, the doctor announced Roxanne¡¯s baby was saved. Ingridined, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. How can Mr. Everett do this? It¡¯s been four days, and he hasn¡¯t come to the hospital to visit you. ¡°He should care about his child at least, even if he has no feelings for you.¡± Hearing Ingrid¡¯sint, Roxanne did not say a word. Shey on the hospital bed with a sorrowful expression, and her eyes looked dull. Roxanne had no idea Bruce already knew she had an affair with Gavin. Joanna was allowed to be discharged on the seventh day of the Christmas holidays since she had been in the hospital for days. Joanna was still weak, but the doctor said she could go home and recover. Bruce and the kids went to the ward to pick up Joanna. Joanna cried, ¡°I can finally be discharged!¡± ¡°Yay! Mommy can finally go home!¡± Davian and Irvin were jumping and yelling happily around Joanna. Bruce carried Joanna into a wheelchair and said, ¡°Be careful!¡± Bruce suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the Reagan No. 8 Residence now. ¡°From now on, you and the kids can live there.¡± Hearing Bruce¡¯s suggestion, Joanna frowned, thinking, ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay in the Everett family¡¯s residence anymore!¡± Thus, Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, I think it¡¯s better for me to return to my ce.¡± Bruce said, ¡°Absolutely no. Your ce is small and poorly furnished. It¡¯s better to go back to the Reagan No. 8 Residence. You and the kids can live together!¡± Joanna lowered her eyes and did not retort again. Joanna thought, ¡°I can only take one step at a time. If I reject Bruce, I don¡¯t know what he will do!¡± Bruce pushed Joanna¡¯s wheelchair and left the hospital. Davian walked on the left side of the wheelchair while Irvin walked on the other side. The entertainment journalists had been waiting in the underground parking lot for several days. Many bodyguards were there to protect Bruce, Joanna, and the kids, but the entertainment journalists managed to take photos of Bruce picking up Joanna home. On the same day, news broke out on the Inte. [Mr. Everett personally picked up his ex¨Cwife and took her home.] [Mr. Everett ns to remarry his ex¨Cwife. Miss Roxanne is going to be abandoned.] People started their discussion on the Inte. ¡°Oh, my god. is Mr. Everett really going to remarry his ex¨Cwife?¡± ¡°Yeah. I heard that they¡¯re living together!¡± ¡°Oh my! If so, isn¡¯t Miss Roxanne abandoned?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say. How can Miss Roxannepete with the scheming Miss Joanna?¡± Soon, Roxanne and Ingrid also saw the news. Roxanne and Ingrid were so angry when they saw the photos of Bruce picking up Joanna that they gritted their teeth. Roxanne was annoyed and started to cry. ¡°Mom, what should we do? Joanna is really going to remarry Bruce!¡± Roxanne thought, ¡°I have waited for Bruce for six years. But in the end, I¡¯m dumped by him.¡± Ingridforted Roxanne, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll deal with it!¡± Ingrid immediately called a few paparazzi she was familiar with. Ingrid said. ¡°Hello? Write some articles to nder Joanna now! Describe her so badly that she can never exin it.¡± A person replied on the other end of the phone, ¡°No problem.¡± The next day, many articles defaming Joanna were published online. All kinds of posts defaming Joanna went viral. Without exception, those posts all talked about how Joanna hooked up with her brother¨Cinw! People in Greyport had many entertainment news to read during those days. Then they kept discussing Joanna online. ¡°Wow. This Miss Joanna is really something!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett even abandons Miss Roxanne for Miss Joanna! You know, Miss Roxanne is pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child!¡± ¡°Joanna is so powerful. She must be the most scheming bitch in Greyport! Miss Roxanne is innocent. How can Miss Roxanne be the opponent of Joanna?¡± ¡°Wow. Rich people do live promiscuous lives! One is Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cwife, and the other is his current girlfriend. Most importantly, the two of them are biological sisters!¡± ¡°Anyway, Joanna and Mr. Everett were divorced. Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne are a couple! Joanna is breaking them up!¡± ¡°Joanna is a third wheel. This is an irreversible fact!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say. Joanna can hook up with any man. Why does she have to seduce her brother¨Cinw?¡± The public supported Roxanne and made Joanna be a notorious trend on the Inte. Roxanne was discharged on the ninth day of the Christmas holidays. On the day Roxanne was discharged from the hospital, arge group of entertainment journalists surrounded the hospital entrance. As soon as Roxanne appeared, the entertainment journalists rushed to hand over their microphones to Roxanne. ¡°Ms. Haynes, may I ask if you and Mr. Everett have broken up?¡± ¡°What about the child in your belly? When will Mr. Everett remarry your sister?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Roxanne lost control of her emotions and cried out loud before the journalists. Roxanne thought, ¡°I want the public to see how miserable I am. Then everybody will know Joanna steals Bruce from me!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, please calm down and say something!¡± Roxanne cried so hard that she looked like she would break down any time. She replied, ¡°Yes, Bruce has already broken up with me!¡± ¡°He says he loves my sister, not me! ¡°My fianc¨¦ abandons me for my sister! ¡°However, I will still give birth to the baby in my belly. I wish Bruce and my sister a happy life.¡± Roxanne¡¯s words immediately became breaking news in Greyport. Soon, all the news on the Inte was talking about how Joanna stole Bruce from her sister. The public thought Roxanne was the victim. Thus, they all supported Roxanne. No one in Greyport sent their blessings in thement section of the news of Bruce and Joanna getting back together. Instead, people wrote the meanest sentences about it. Everyone pointed their fingers at Joanna. After all, people sympathized with the weak, and Roxanne¡¯s crying before the cameras aroused everyone¡¯s sympathy. Joanna also saw the news. The news and thements gave Joanna a headache. Joanna cried, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve told you. We can¡¯t be together!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t care what others say!¡± Joanna had an emotional breakdown. She cried, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Stay away from me! I don¡¯t want to take the me anymore!¡± ¡°Joanna, calm down!¡± Joanna screamed, ¡°I can¡¯t calm down! ¡°I can¡¯t stand people criticizing me like that!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was solemn. He held Joanna¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Therefore, we must rify the truth to the public! And let those who attacked you suffer the consequences of their actions! ¡°Give me one more day! ¡°I¡¯ll hold a press conference and exin everything!¡± Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Bruce decided to call Roxanne by himself. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hi, Roxanne. It¡¯s me, Bruce.¡± Roxanne sneered and said, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m surprised to receive your call. You finally remembered me. ¡°I thought you were obsessed with Joanna and would never leave her.¡± Bruce said gloomily, ¡°Roxanne, I call you because I hope you can rify everything to the media. ¡°Stop inciting people to attack Joanna!¡± Hearing that, Roxanne gritted her teeth in anger. She shouted, ¡°rify everything? Why should I? Everything I said is the truth! ¡°My sister stole my fianc¨¦! And now, I am an abandoned woman!¡± Bruce asked, ¡°Roxanne, do you have no idea what you have done?¡± Chapter 255 Chapter 255 ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice carried a hint of resentment. Roxanne continued, ¡°Bruce, you were cruel to me first. That¡¯s all I know. As an eye for an eye, that¡¯s what I did!¡± Bruce asked, ¡°Do you have to do this?¡± Roxanne shouted, ¡°You made me do this!¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ve already given you the chance, and you didn¡¯t know how to seize it. Don¡¯t me me for what will happen next!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was deep and cold. Roxanne gasped and asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon!¡± Roxanne snorted and said, ¡°I¡¯m not so easy to be threatened. Bruce, I¡¯m okay with the breakup since you insist on it. ¡°I will agree to break up with you if youpensate me 200 million dors! Then I¡¯ll raise the child myself.¡± After hearing this, Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Huh. In my eyes, you¡¯re worthless. You don¡¯t deserve to give birth to my child!¡± Hearing what Bruce said, Roxanne was so angry that her entire body trembled. She shouted, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re ruthless! ¡°I¡¯ve loved you for six years. Is this how you treat me? I was hospitalized for so many days and almost lost my life! ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t care about me. But how can you say such hurtful words?¡± Bruce said coldly, ¡°Roxanne, I¡¯ve already sent my warnings to you.¡± Then he hung up the phone. ¡°Hello? Bruce?¡± Noticing that Bruce had already hung up the phone, Roxanne was a little nervous. Roxanne murmured, ¡°Hmph, Bruce. Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you? I don¡¯t believe you dare to do anything to me.¡± After hanging up the phone, Bruce frowned and considered for a few seconds. He thought, ¡°The public is going crazy online now. I had to take action. ¡°Roxanne betrays me and nders Joanna like that. I should teach that disgusting woman a lesson!¡± Thus, Bruce ordered, ¡°Andy, expose these photos to the public. ¡°I want Roxanne¡¯s reputation to be ruined within three days.¡± Andy replied solemnly, ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Andy thought, ¡°That woman must cross Mr. Everett¡¯s bottom line since Mr. Everett seldom got so angry.¡± The photos of Roxanne and Gavin together were posted online the next day. Those photos showed that Roxanne hugged Gavin¡¯s waist tightly and kissed him intimately on the street. Then, they went on a motorcycle and left together. Everyone could tell Roxanne must have an affair with Gavin. [Roxanne cheated for a motorcycle man. They kissed intimately.] [Roxanne deserves to be dumped. The pure and innocent Roxanne turns out to be a lustful woman.] [Who¡¯s the father of the baby in Roxanne¡¯s belly? It is a mystery.] [Roxanne went to a hospitalte at night. Perhaps it was caused by her affair.] N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. The news of Roxanne having an affair with Gavin went viral overnight on the Inte. It became the most breaking news in Greyport, which was far more explosive than the news about Joanna. In the Haynes¡¯s house. Ingrid saw the news early in the morning and felt like lightning struck her. Bang! Bang! Bang! Ingrid was furious. She went to Roxanne¡¯s room and knocked on the door heavily, grabbing her phone. Ingrid shouted, ¡°Roxy, hurry up and open the door. Something big has happened!¡± Roxanne was still groggy when she heard the knock on the door. Thus, she shouted impatiently, ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night! ¡°Wait until I wake up!¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Get out of your room now. You won¡¯t believe this. The bad news about you is spreading crazily on the Inte.¡± Hearing this, Roxanne shuddered and hastily got up. Crack! The door was pulled open. Roxanne asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ingrid angrily handed the phone to Roxanne and said, ¡°Roxy, look at these photos! ¡°Is this you? Tell me, what did you do on Christmas day? Who were you with?¡± Roxanne went nk. She hurriedly grabbed the phone and looked at the photos. Roxanne found that the photos of Gavin and her went viral on the Inte. She even became a trending search. Boom! Roxanne felt like lightening struck her. Then Roxanne¡¯s legs went weak, and she almost lost her bnce. Thud! The phone in Roxanne¡¯s hand fell to the ground. Ingrid was furious. She poked Roxanne¡¯s head and screamed, ¡°Are you out of your mind? Why did you insult yourself like that? ¡°I spent years cultivating you and sent you to learn countless courses because I hoped you would marry a rich man and get into a wealthy family someday instead of messing with a loser! ¡°Tell me, how many times have you dated that poor man? You can hook up with anyone but not this kind of cheap person! How many times have I told you? It¡¯s hard to get rid of those poor people!¡± Roxanne was so shocked that her face turned pale. She stepped back to the room and fell heavily onto the bed. As the saying goes, one¡¯s shoes will get wet if he usually walks by the river. Roxanne used to be careful when she secretly dated Gavin and was afraid of being discovered by others. Roxanne way not cautious only one time. Unexpectedly, others discovered them and took photos of them at that time. Ingrid shouted, ¡°Say something! How many times have you slept with that poor man? You¡¯re good for nothing! Why did you do such a self¨Cdestructive thing? ¡°How is Mr. Everett inferior to a poor bastard? Why do you have to humiliate yourself like that?¡± Ingrid was so angry that she pped Roxanne in the face. This was the first time Ingrid had pped her daughter. Ingrid thought, ¡°It is all over now. The daughter I¡¯m so proud of has be aughingstock in Greyport!¡± ¡°Boohoo.¡± Roxanne¡¯s brain went nk. All she could do now was sobbing. Roxanne thought, ¡°Sadly, there is no time machine in the world. ¡°I would never hook up with Gavin if I knew I would end up like this. ¡°I was Bruce¡¯s girlfriend when I was at the university. However, Bruce was so busy that he didn¡¯t have time to be with me. ¡°Besides, my mom taught me since I was young that I had to maintain my purity before men. My mom said the more I yed hard to get, the more men would cherish me. ¡°Therefore, I did my best to keep myself as an innocent girl before Bruce. Once, Bruce could not help but want to touch me, and I pretended to be scared and cried. ¡°Unexpectedly, after a few times, Bruce no longer had the desire to touch me. Then I met Gavin and released my urges on him. How could I leave Gavin? ¡°Day after day, Ipletely depend on Gavin to release my urges.¡± x Ingrid hysterically shouted, ¡°It¡¯s all over now. It¡¯s all over now. What do we do?¡± Ingrid held her chest and cried. She was so upset that as if she was dumped. Ingrid thought, ¡°Roxanne will never have a chance to get into the Everett family!¡± Shaun came out of another room and asked, ¡°What are you arguing about early in the morning?¡± He slept in another room instead of sleeping with Ingrid. When Shaun heard Ingrid making a scene, he couldn¡¯t help bute over and check it. Ingrid cried out loud and shouted, ¡°Ask your daughter what stupid thing she had done. She¡­ I¡¯m so disappointed in her!¡± Hearing this, Roxanne threw herself onto the pillow and cried. Shaun asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened this time?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Read the news online by yourself.¡± Then she wept bitter tears of disappointment. Ingrid thought, ¡°I loved to show off Roxanne and Bruce¡¯s marriage before my friends. ¡°My daughter has be aughingstock, and her reputation is ruined! I don¡¯t think Roxanne can find another man for the rest of her life.¡± Seeing Ingrid and Roxanne were so upset, Shaun hurriedly turned on his phone to read the news. Shaun almost had a heart attack when he read the news. Shaun would never expect that his beloved daughter would hook up with a man who was so poor that he rode a broken motorcycle! Shaun asked, ¡°Roxy, is this true? How did you know this kind of person?¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Roganne cried so hard that she could not say a word. Shaun murmured, ¡°It¡¯s over now. No wonder Mr. Everett is so ruthless to Roxy. Mr. Everett probably knew about this long ago.¡± Ingrid continued to curse, ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re good for nothing! I want to strangle you!¡± Shaun said, ¡°Enough. Stop yelling. Scolding won¡¯t make things better since things have turned out like this. ¡°Take Roxy for an abortion tomorrow and stop her pestering Bruce anymore.¡± When Ingrid heard this, she scowled and shouted, ¡°How does that work? Chapter 255 Roxy must keep her baby since things turn out like this. ¡°Roxy has to give birth to the child no matter what happens!¡± p! A crisp sound arose. Shaun couldn¡¯t take it anymore and gave Ingrid a heavy p. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯re the one who asked Roxy to do this and that! You turned your daughter into this statel ¡°At this time, you are still stubborn and continue to push your daughter into hell! Do you have a brain? ¡°Roxy bes like this because she has you as her mother!¡± Ingrid retorted, ¡°You know nothing! I¡¯m doing this for Roxy! Now everyone knows what Roxy has done. Who will still want Roxy? ¡°The best solution is that Roxy gives birth to Mr. Everett¡¯s child. Thus, she can rely on the child to get money for the rest of her life. At this time, the baby is the only bargaining chip we have! The Everett family is so rich. I don¡¯t believe they won¡¯t give a cent to the child!¡± Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Clung! Shaun was so angry that he kicked Ingrid heavily. Shaun said, ¡°I can¡¯t stand your nonsense talk anymore. If you say such things again, I¡¯ll definitely divorce you!¡± Ingrid shouted angrily, ¡°Then let¡¯s do it! Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you? I¡¯ll divorce you tomorrow if you give me half of your property!¡± Shaun was so angry that he panted heavily, shouting, ¡°In your dreams!¡± Then, Shaun turned to look at Roxanne and said, ¡°Roxy, listen to me. You have to abort the child tomorrow. ¡°After that, you can find an ordinary man and live a peaceful life with him. That¡¯s the best solution for you. ¡°Bruce isn¡¯t a man you can control. You won¡¯t be happy even if you manage to be with him. Besides, things have already turned out like this. You won¡¯t have a good ending if you keep annoying Bruce.¡± Hearing Shaun¡¯s words, Ingrid was furious that her eyes were on fire. She shouted, ¡°Hmph! Shaun, of course, you want Roxy to give Bruce up because you hope Joanna to be with Bruce! ¡°Don¡¯t you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning! You¡¯re biased! And you want Joanna to have everything!¡± Shaun shook his head angrily and said, ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous and unreasonable!¡± Ingrid retorted, ¡°You¡¯re the ridiculous one. That¡¯s why you prefer Joanna to Roxy!¡± The two of them scolded each other, and no one gave in. Soon, they started fighting again. Ding Dong! Ding Dong! When Shaun and Ingrid were fighting fiercely, the doorbell downstairs rang. # Two minutester, a maid ran upstairs. She reported, ¡°Mr. Haynes and Mrs. Haynes, two men are at the door.¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°They say they are Mr. Everett¡¯swyers.¡± replied the maid.. Hearing that, Shaun and Ingrid were shocked and stopped the fight. Ingrid said, ¡°Bring that man in now.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The maid replied and hurriedly went down to open the door. Shaun and Ingrid quickly tidied up their clothes and hurried downstairs. Roxanne stopped crying and wiped her tears. Then she quietly went downstairs and hid behind the stairs to hear the conversation. Shaun was worried and asked, ¡°What are Mr. Everett¡¯swyers doing here?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Hmph! Mr. Everett must be here to discuss the details of the breakup. We should ask him topensate us a big amount of money since the breakup is settled.¡± When Shaun heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. He said, ¡°Is money the only thing in your mind? Are you very short of money now?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Ingrid snorted and did not reply to Shaun. Shaun warned, ¡°Behave yourself and talk lesster. Don¡¯t embarrass yourself!¡± Five minutester, the maid let two men in. They were dressed in suits and wore gold¨Crimmed sses, carrying briefcases. Shaun greeted politely, ¡°Wee. Please take a seat!¡± Mr. Brycen politely greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Haynes and Mrs. Haynes. Where¡¯s Ms. Haynes?¡± Shaun replied, ¡°My daughter is upstairs. What can I do for you?¡± Mr. Brycen said, ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Everett¡¯swyer, and I¡¯m here to ask Ms. Haynes to return the engagement ring and other gifts given by Mr. Everett.¡± When Ingrid and Shaun heard this, they looked at each other in shock. Mr. Brycen continued, ¡°The gifts Mr. Everett previously gave Ms. Haynes are all valuable. Those are betrothal gifts. ¡°Mr. Everett has withdrawn the engagement with Ms. Haynes. Therefore, pursuant to thew, Ms. Haynes must return all the gifts she has received to Mr. Everett. ¡°This is a list of the gifts. Please ask Ms. Haynes to return all of them. Otherwise, we will sue her for marriage fraud and extortion.¡± Shaun gasped after he heard what thewyer said. He had mixed feelings and could not say a word. Ingrid trembled in anger and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± Mr. Brycen continued, ¡°Mrs. Haynes, I¡¯m sure you also know about Ms. Haynes¡® affair with another man. Mr. Everett is furious and wants to get back the gifts that were given to Ms. Haynes. ¡°This is the indictment approved by the court.¡± Ingrid said, ¡°How can Mr. Everett take back the gifts he has given to Roxy? Man gives things to a woman is reasonable and¡­¡± Mr. Brycen smiled and interrupted, ¡°That¡¯s not how thew works. ¡°Ms. Haynesmits deceit during her rtionship with Mr. Everett. Thus, these assets are all obtained by fraud. Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t sue Ms. Haynes for criminal responsibility now and only wants the gifts back.¡± Roxanne hid behind the stairs and heard everything. She got so angry that her body was trembling. Then she rushed out angrily, shouting, ¡°How can Bruce do this to me? ¡°I¡¯ve been dating Bruce for six years. How can I receive nothing for apanying him for six years? How can he be so ruthless after the breakup? ¡°How will Brucepensate me for six years of my youth?¡± Ingrid shouted angrily, ¡°That¡¯s right. My daughter can¡¯t be with Bruce for six years for nothing! Also, Roxy is still pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child. How can that be considered deceiving him?¡± Mr. Brycen said, ¡°Mrs. Haynes, Ms. Haynes, please calm down. Mr. Everett is our client, and what we are doing is just protecting our client¡¯s proper rights. ¡°You can file awsuit if you are unsatisfied with the result. ¡°This is the indictment created by Mr. Everett¡¯swyers. You can take your time to read it and discuss it. ¡°Then we¡¯re leaving now.¡± The twowyers stood up and left, not giving Ingrid and Roxanne a chance to argue. Mr. Brycen thought, ¡°After all, the Haynes family will lose more if they want to get to a court.¡± After thewyer left, Roxanne and Ingrid were still dumbfounded. Shaun was also angry and could not say anything. Ingrid said, ¡°So many things on the list, and we have to return them all! How is that possible?¡± Ingrid and Roxanne were looking at the list of items. They could not help getting annoyed when they thought about returning them all. Ingrid said, ¡°Shaun, do something!¡± Shaun replied, ¡°What else can I do except return the items?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. Roxy can¡¯t spend six years on Bruce for nothing!¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth in anger and shouted, ¡°Bruce, Joanna! You two bastards will die a horrible death!¡± Ingrid stopped Roxanne and said, ¡°What¡¯s the point of yelling all these now?¡± Shaun interrupted, ¡°We can return those thingster. Roxy should go to the hospital and get an abortion tomorrow first.¡± Ingrid retorted, ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Roxanne screamed, ¡°Dad, Mom, can the two of you stop arguing? Can you stop annoying me?¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Shaun kept sighing. [Although I¡¯ve dated Ms. Roxanne Haynes for six years, I¡¯ve never had intercourse with her! Ms. Roxanne Haynes used inappropriate means to get pregnant¡­] Bruce posted a breakup statement on Twitterter that night. Then Roxanne became a popr topic on all kinds of news. People started their discussions on the Inte again. This time, Roxanne became notorious, and everyone hated her. The next day, Roxanne felt ufortable and had the signs of miscarriage. Roxanne had no choice but to go to the hospital with Ingrid for a checkup. As soon as Roxanne left the house, a group of entertainment journalists chased after Roxanne and asked questions. ¡°Ms. Haynes, may I ask who the man in the photo is? What¡¯s your rtionship with him?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Did you cheat first? Is the baby in your belly Mr. Everett¡¯s?¡± ¡°Have you read Mr. Everett¡¯s breakup statement postedst night? What do you think about it?¡± Seeing this, Roxanne felt the world spin. She cried, ¡°Go away! All of you!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, please say something!¡± The entertainment journalists did not care about Roxanne¡¯s feelings. Instead, they chased after Roxanne and kept asking questions. Ingrid protected her daughter¡¯s belly carefully. She was afraid that someone would touch Roxanne¡¯s belly in the chaos. Ingrid shouted, ¡°Those photos are all fake. Someone set Roxy up! Those are Al photos! Roxy didn¡¯t do such a thing!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes. I heard Mr. Everett is going to sue Ms. Haynes. Is this true?¡± ¡°This is our privacy. It has nothing to do with you!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mrs. Haynes. Please tell us more!¡± Roxanne cried, ¡°All of you! Go away!¡± She was surrounded by those crazy journalists. Then Roxanne broke down and cried hysterically before the cameras. ¡°Joanna! I won¡¯t let you off! It¡¯s all because of this bitch that I be today¡¯s state! ¡°Joanna, I curse you to die a horrible death!¡± Chapter 256 Ingrid said, ¡°Roxy, hurry up and leave!¡± She protected Roxanne and hurriedly got into the car. The journalists were shocked when they heard Roxanne¡¯s hysterical crying. After Roxanne and Ingrid got into the car, Ingrid said, ¡°Roxy, you have to calm down before the media. You can¡¯t say a bad word about Joanna even though you hate her very much.¡± Roxanne broke down and shouted, ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t stand it anymore. I really can¡¯t take it anymore! ¡°What should I do now? I don¡¯t even want to live now! ¡°Bruce doesn¡¯t acknowledge this child and asks me to return all the items! My dignity. My reputation. They¡¯re all gone!¡± ¡°Oh, Roxy.¡± Ingrid closed her eyes without knowing how tofort her daughter. Roxannepletely lost this battle. Soon, Roxanne¡¯s hysterical crying in front of the media went viral on the Inte. Everyone¡¯s jaws dropped when they saw that. Roxanne used to pretend to be a quiet and elegant girl before people. Thus, no one expected Roxanne to be so crazy. People started their discussion online. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Miss Roxanne to be like this. It turns out that she is a good actress!¡± ¡°Yeah. Roxanne pretended to be so refined and decent in front of the media. Now, it seems that she¡¯s the best at acting!¡± ¡°The Haynes sisters both are not good people. One is a scheming bitch, and the other is an angelic bitch. No wonder they are sisters!¡± Chapter 257 Chapter 257 ¡°From the current situation, the scheming bitch is much better than the angelic bitch.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so bad. Miss Haynes seems to be quite innocent and passive.¡± ¡°Guys, don¡¯t jump to conclusions too early. Wait and see what will happen dayster.¡± Manyizens were interested in the news and discussed it all the time. In the Reagan No. S Residence. Like others, Joanna noticed the news since it was the most popr topic now. Luckily, things were different now. People were discussing Roxanne instead of Joanna. Joanna thought, ¡°Roxanne finally has a taste of being attacked and cyberbullied.¡± Bruce got home from work at 8 p.m. Bruce loosened his tie as soon as he got inside. He shouted, ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Bruce was tired because he had meetings today and attended interviews to answer those journalists¡® questions. Joanna replied inly, ¡°Wee back.¡± Irvin ran over happily and gave Bruce slippers, saying, ¡°Daddy, wee back!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Bruce touched Irvin¡¯s head after he changed into slippers. Meanwhile, Davian still stayed in his room. Compared to Irvin, Davian was rtively cold. Davian¡¯s favorite thing was staying in his room and ying with theputer. Lilia greeted sweetly, ¡°Daddy!¡± Bruce¡¯s fatigue was gone when he saw his daughter. He carried Lilia and said, ¡°My baby. Kiss Daddy!¡± ¡°Smouch!¡± Bruce smiled gently and kissed his daughter¡¯s little face, saying, ¡°You¡¯re Daddy¡¯s good baby!¡± Joanna frowned and reminded, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t hug Lilia now. Youe back from outside and haven¡¯t washed your hands.¡± Lilia¡¯s resistance to the virus was poor. A weak virus could turn into a serious illness in Lilia¡¯s body. Thus, Joanna had to be careful when it came to hygiene. Bruce said, ¡°I washed my hands outside!¡± With that, Bruce handed Lilia to a servant and said, ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs and changing my clothes now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± replied Joanna. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. The servants had already prepared dinner when Bruce finished changing his clothes. ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes, dinner is ready.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Then the family of five sat at the dining table. It was rare for them to get together and have dinner like this. Every time they sat together for a meal, Bruce felt his heart was peaceful and warm. He thought, ¡°I finally felt the warmth of the family.¡± Therefore, Bruce got off work punctually every day. He wouldn¡¯t attend any social events after he got home from work. Davian and Irvin were eating happily. On the contrary, Joanna looked like she had too much on her mind. Seeing Joanna was depressed, Bruce stopped eating. He asked, ¡°Joanna, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Joanna replied inly, ¡°No!¡± She seemed tired. Bruce put some pasta in his mouth and chewed slowly. Then he said, ¡°By the way, I reached out to the doctors in Gaprington today. They said we could send Lilia to Gaprington for treatments. ¡°There¡¯s a 20% chance that Lilia can be cured!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. She cried out, ¡°Really?¡± Bruce smiled warmly and said, ¡°We must try it whether what they say is true or not. As long as there is hope, we should do it.¡± Joanna cried, ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m willing to lose ten years of my life to exchange for the chance that Lilia can stand up!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Pack up when you have time. We will bring Lilia abroad for a checkup in a few days.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Oh? Can you ask that doctor toe over to Greyport?¡± Bruce said, ¡°It¡¯s better we go there. Many medical equipments are unavable in our country.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± said Joanna. When Irvin heard Bruce and Joanna¡¯s conversation, he asked happily, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, do you mean Lilia can stand up soon?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°It¡¯s possible!¡± Irvin cried out, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great! If Lilia can stand up, she can go to kindergarten with us!¡± Lilia also got excited and asked, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, is that true? Can I really stand up?¡± Bruce said, ¡°Yes, my good baby. Daddy will definitely find the best doctor in the world to cure you!¡± ¡°Daddy is the best!¡± Joanna felt a warmth in her heart when she heard that. Joanna thought, ¡°Anyway, Bruce sincerely loves the children.¡± Later, Joanna asked, ¡°Are you guys all full?¡± ¡°Yes, we are!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Remember to practice the piano after dinner.¡± ¡°Got it, Daddy!¡± Then the family teacher took away the three kids. Joanna returned to her room andy down. It would be better to exercise after dinner. However, Joanna had hypoglycemia and did not want to move. Bruce sent Joanna back to her room. Then he prescribed the medicine for Joanna and watched her take the pills. Seeing Bruce was busy for her, Joanna hesitated to ask him questions. However, Joanna felt silent for a few seconds and could not help asking, ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you going too far?¡± Hearing this, Bruce was shocked. Then he looked at Joanna in confusion. Joanna exined, ¡°I mean, are you being too cruel to Roxanne? I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t take such a blow and will do something crazy¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Heh! Then let her do it. It¡¯s her freedom to do whatever she wants!¡± Thest guilt Bruce had for Roxanne was extinguished. Bruce thought, ¡°Damn it. Roxanne dared to cheat on me and yed me like a fool! I¡¯ve already shown my mercy since I let her live. Joanna said, ¡°Roxy has been dating you for six years. You can¡¯t let her have nothing¡­¡± Bruce frowned slightly and interrupted, ¡°Joanna, are you out of your mind? Do you remember how Roxanne treat you? ¡°That disgusting woman should have been punished long ago! My money didn¡¯t fall from the sky. I work hard to earn it. I can give my money to charity,, but I will never let that disgusting woman have a cent!¡± Joanna thought about it and did not say anything else. Joanna thought, ¡°It is a great chance for Roxanne to suffer a setback.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about Roxanne. By the way, I want to return to work tomorrow. ¡°I haven¡¯t been to thepany for so many days, and I¡¯m worried about everything there.¡± Hearing that, Bruce thought for a while. Then he agreed and said, ¡°Well. Alright then. ¡°However, I¡¯ll appoint several bodyguards to protect you.¡± Joanna did not refuse or reply to that. Then Bruce walked straight to the bed and unbuttoned his pajamas. Joanna was shocked and looked at Bruce in horror. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bruce showed a suggestive smile and said, ¡°Joann, it¡¯s been so many days. I want to sleep with you!¡± Joanna immediately got up from the bed and said, ¡°Stop it. I haven¡¯t fully recovered. Don¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so many days. Why haven¡¯t you recovered?¡± Bruce almost could not control himself. Joanna looked away and said, ¡°Before we remarry and my body recoverspletely, you can¡¯t touch me. ¡°Bruce, you have to keep your word. You said you would respect me!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Bruce controlled himself and put on a long face. Then Bruce said, ¡°I¡¯ll just lie beside you and won¡¯t touch you.¡± ¡°No. Go back to your room!¡± Joanna thought, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in Bruce¡¯s words! ¡°Bruce always says he won¡¯t touch me. However, when he loses control of himself, how can I struggle? ¡°Besides, Bruce is difficult to deal with. Every time we sleep together, he makes me exhausted. ¡°The moment Bruce loses control of himself, it is definitely a nightmare for a woman.¡± Bruce said, ¡°We¡¯ve been married for years. Do you have to be so distant?¡± Joanna retorted, ¡°We¡¯re no longer husband and wife! We haven¡¯t remarried yet. So, you have to respect me.¡± Bruce smiled frustratedly and said, ¡°Hehl Alright, alright, I respect you!¡± Then he got up and walked to the other room. Bruce thought, ¡°I¡¯vepromised and suffered a lot to win Joanna¡¯s favor again. ¡°However, this sacrifice is worth it as long as Joanna changes her mind and falls in love with me again.¡± The next morning, Joanna got up early and went to work. Joanna thought, ¡°I haven¡¯t gone to work for days. I have no idea what thepany has be. I will lose more clients if I don¡¯t return to thepany today.¡± 8:30a.m. Joanna arrived at the Haynes Group on time. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes!¡± The employees at the front desk greeted Joanna. Joanna smiled and greeted them, ¡°Hi, everyone!¡± Then the employees started gossiping. ¡°Oh, my God. Miss Haynes returns to work!¡± ¡°I thought Miss Haynes wouldn¡¯te to work after getting back together with Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Agreed. Mr. Everett is so rich. Why is Miss Haynes still working?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is wealthy. However, the Haynes Group is a bigpany. How can Miss Haynes willfully abandon it?¡± ¡°Looks like Miss Haynes is in a good mood and lives a happy life!¡± ¡°Of course, Miss Haynes is happy. She just won the big battle with Miss Roxanne.¡± ¡°In my opinion, this battle willst for days or maybe months. How can Miss Roxanne let Mr. Everett go easily?¡± ¡°How about we make a bet? Let¡¯s see who will get Mr. Everett in the end!¡± The employees gossiped about Bruce, Joanna, and Roxanne. Cora warned, ¡°Cut the crap and get back to work!¡± ¡°Oh! Yes, Cora.¡± Soon, Joanna returned to the office. Joanna murmured when walking into the office, ¡°I haven¡¯t been here for almost a month. I even feel unfamiliar with this ce. ¡°Anyway, I like my state when I¡¯m working.¡± Luna brought in a cup of coffee and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, here¡¯s your coffee.¡± Then Cora came over with a big stack of contracts and documents, saying, ¡°Miss Haynes, these are all the contracts we have signed with clients these days. Please take a look at them.¡± Joanna took a sip of coffee and replied, ¡°Alright. Put them aside now.¡± Then Cora and Luna began to report what had happened in thepany these days. Ten minutester, Cora and Luna finished their report. Then they looked at Joanna and waited for instructions. After hearing the report, Joanna was calm. She thought, ¡°There is nothing urgent in thepany. Everyone was on annual leave for over ten days during the Christmas holidays. ¡°They have just returned to work. Therefore, thepany is fine even without me for days.¡± Joanna paused for a few seconds. Then she said, ¡°Luna, you may leave now.¡± Luna replied, ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes.¡± Then she turned to leave the office. ¡°Cora, where¡¯s Mrs. Maxwell now?¡± Cora replied, ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯ve already rented an apartment for her. She has promised to rify everything for you and testify against Ingrid.¡± ¡°Great. Now tell me about the factories in Mossboume.¡± Cora said, ¡°Mr. Grimm is responsible for the factories in Mossbourne now. ¡°Speaking of Mr. Grimm, he called me yesterday and asked about you.¡± Hearing this, Joanna frowned. She asked, ¡°Really? What did Jay say?¡± Cora had a serious expression and said carefully, ¡°Mr. Grimm is worried about you. Miss Haynes, when you have time, please call Mr. Grimm and tell him you¡¯re okay. Then Mr. Grimm can rx a little.¡± Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Joanna said, ¡°Okay, I will call himter. You can go out first.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Cora replied and left the office. Joanna frowned and sighed deeply. However, Joanna controlled her emotion and handled the work at hand first. After thinking about it over and over, she decided to call Jaydon. Joanna thought, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted Jay for nearly a month. He is probably anxious now.¡± Buzz. Buzz. Buzz Jaydon¡¯s phone rang. Jaydon was depressed these days because he could not reach out to Joanna. When he received Joanna¡¯s call, he hurriedly answered it. ¡°Hello, Joann? Is that you?¡± Jaydon sounded very anxious. Joanna could tell Jaydon was really worried about her. ¡°It¡¯s me, Jay. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing good!¡± replied Jaydon. He paused for a moment and asked a series of questions. ¡°Are you okay? How¡¯s everything with you now? Where are you?¡± Joanna said, ¡°I¡¯m at thepany now. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Jaydon frowned and hesitated for a while. Then he asked, ¡°Did Bruce make things difficult for you?¡± Joanna sighed slightly and answered, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. No worries.¡± Jaydon asked, ¡°Then why couldn¡¯t I get through your phone these days? I didn¡¯t know what was going on with you and worried about you a lot!¡± Joanna exined, ¡°I was hospitalized before, and Bruce took my phone. ¡°You know how domineering Bruce is. So, I finally have a chance to call you now.¡± Jaydon asked worriedly, ¡°Joann, what do you n to do?¡± Jaydon knew he and Joanna would probably not be together. However, Jaydon did not want Joanna to go back to Bruce. He thought, ¡°If Joanna decides to go back to Bruce, then thest hope of Joanna and I being together will be gone.¡± Joanna fell silent and did not answer Jaydon¡¯s question. Joanna thought, nned to focus on her career. ¡°However, Bruce keeps disrupting my n. I was going to devote myself to work and turn the Haynes Group into one of the top 500panies in the world. ¡°Sadly, with Bruce causing trouble, thepany doesn¡¯t develop as nned this year. Based on the current progress, getting into the list of the world¡¯s top 500panies within three years is just a daydream. ¡°I don¡¯t see thepany will reach the goal even in ten years. The Haynes Group would have developed better without Bruce causing trouble to me. ¡°However, I know Bruce well. That¡¯s why I¡¯m afraid to offend him. He will do more if I annoy him.¡± Chapter 258 Noticing Joanna was silent, Jaydon asked again, ¡°Hello? Still there? Say something!¡± Joanna came back to her senses. Then she sighed frustratedly and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s see what will happen. ns can¡¯t keep up with changes¡± ¡°Joann, then what do you really want to do? Do you really want to get back together with Bruce?¡± Jaydon had heard about the news that Bruce was going to remarry Joanna. Thus, Jaydon only wanted to know Joanna¡¯s thoughts about that event. Joanna sighed deeply again and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to remarry Bruce. However, things are very complicated now, and I don¡¯t know what to do. ¡°All I can do is wait and see how things will develop.¡± Jaydon paused for a few seconds. Then he asked, ¡°Is it convenient for you now? How about Ie over to visit you?¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly shook her head and refused. ¡°Please don¡¯t! It¡¯s not an appropriate time for us to meet each other. ¡°Bruce gets several bodyguards to keep an eye on me. If he finds out I have contacted you, he¡¯ll go crazy again.¡± Jaydon asked, ¡°Then what should we do? Are we not going to see each other for the rest of our lives?¡± Joanna thought for a moment. Then she said, ¡°I¡¯ll figure out how to hold Bruce. Let¡¯s see what things will develop.¡± ¡°Alright then. Call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Take care!¡± ¡°You too!¡± Jaydon and Joanna both hung up the phones after chatting for a few minutes. Joanna held her forehead in frustration, looking like she was struggling in her thoughts. Joanna thought, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to remarry Bruce! ¡°However, Bruce has my kids now. If I directly reject him, I can¡¯t imagine what crazy things he will do.¡± In the Haynes¡¯s house. Roxanne and Ingrid did not dare to go out. Thus, they had been staying at home for more than a week. The entertainment journalists were still waiting for them at the door. They annoyed the Haynes family so much. Meanwhile, the news online about Bruce remarrying Joanna was getting ridiculous. Rumors went that Bruce and Joanna received a marriage license and were going to hold a grand wedding. Those articles even revealed the wedding date. When Roxanne sa the news, she was so angry that she almost went crazy. She cursed, ¡°Joanna, you are a vixen. Why is Bruce so addicted to you? You must drug him! ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! It¡¯s all your fault! Bruce wouldn¡¯t have abandoned me without you!¡± Shaun felt his heart ache for Roxanne when he saw Roxanne had an emotional breakdown. He said, ¡°Hey, Roxanne. You should probably stop thinking about Mr. Everett now. What¡¯s your n now?¡± Roxanne shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. What can I do? I have nothing now. I¡¯ve lost everything! And I be theughingstock for everyone!¡± As Roxanne spoke, she could not help but cry out loud. Chapter 258 Ingrid¡¯s face was gloomy. Then she said in frustration, ¡°The most important thing now is how not to return those things! ¡°The gifts that Mr. Everett gave Roxy are worth a lot of money if we sell them. Thus, we can¡¯t return it easily! Roxy has been with him for so long. It can¡¯t be that Roxy doesn¡¯t have anything!¡± Ingrid got angrier and angrier as she spoke. Roxanne cried harder when she heard Ingrid¡¯s words. The engagement ring that Bruce gave Roxanne was a pink diamond ring with more than 20 carats. Bruce even gave Roxanne matching essories, such as a pink diamond ne and bracelet. This set of jewelry was worth more than 100 million dors. When thinking of returning them, Roxanne felt like someone had stabbed her in her heart. Roxanne thought, ¡°That is the most high¨Cend pink diamond. There is only one in the world! ¡°If I return it, Bruce will definitely give it to Joanna! ¡°Other than the diamond ring, Bruce gave me a credit card with no limit. I can¡¯t believe I had to return all of them to Bruce!¡± Thus, Roxanne asked, ¡°Dad, how about you try to call Joanna again and ask her to talk to Bruce?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Ingrid agreed and said, ¡°Good idea. Shaun, you should call Joanna now. We are okay with the breakup. However, Bruce has topensate Roxy something!¡± Shaun said, ¡°Is money the only thing in the eyes of the two of you? Roxy did such an embarrassing thing. How can we take Bruce¡¯s things?¡± Ingrid scolded indignantly, ¡°First, this is money. Second, how can Bruce ask a woman to return the gifts that he gave to her? ¡°It¡¯s fine that he dumped Roxy. However, does he have to embarrass Roxy like this?¡± Ingrid urged, ¡°Hurry up and call Joanna!¡± Shaun said dejectedly, ¡°What do I say to Joanna on the phone?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°Ask her to cut Roxy some ck and persuade Bruce to withdraw the indictment!¡± Shaun replied, ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that. If you want, you can call Joanna yourself.¡± Ingrid red at Shaun and yelled, ¡°What do you want? Do you have to watch Roxy fall into a hopeless situation before you¡¯ll be satisfied?¡± ¡°Roxy can¡¯t have nothing. Now, Joanna has taken away the Haynes family¡¯s business. She even takes away Mr. Everett with her!¡± ¡°Huh. Bruce is even worse. He wants the gifts back that he had given to Roxy. He is driving us up the wall. ¡°I¡¯m so sick of this! ¡°Hurry up and call Joanna As Ingrid spoke, she dialed Joanna¡¯s number. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Joanna¡¯s phone rang. Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Joanna took up the phone and nced at it. She felt annoyed when she realized the call was from Shaun. Joanna thought, ¡°Dad never calls me for something good. He must call me to talk about Roxanne again.¡± Joanna did not want to answer Shaun¡¯s call. Thus, she muted the phone and ced it aside. ¡°Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavable¡­¡± Ingrid cursed, ¡°Damn it. Joanna didn¡¯t answer the phone!¡± Shaun said, ¡°That¡¯s it. Joanna doesn¡¯t pick up the phone. Stop calling her again!¡± However, Ingrid did not give up and kept calling Joanna. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Ingrid gave Joanna eight calls in a row. Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore and finally picked it up. ¡°Hi, Dad!¡± said Joanna. When Ingrid realized Joanna picked up the phone, her eyes lit up. Then she hurriedly gave the phone to Shaun and gave Shaun a look to urge him to answer the phone now. Shaun was angry at Ingrid. However, he frowned and took the phone. Shaun greeted, ¡°Hey, Joann!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was cold. Shaun paused for a moment and subconsciously nced at Ingrid and Roxanne. Roxanne and Ingrid held their breaths and stared at Shaun with anxiety and expectation. Shaun coughed and said in a low voice, ¡°Hey, umm. Do you have time now?¡± ¡°What? Just say it!¡± Joanna sounded extremely cold. Joanna thought, ¡°I know my dad just wants to talk about Roxanne when he calls me, even if he doesn¡¯t say anything.¡± Shaun said, ¡°Dad wants to see you!¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Say it over the phone if you have something to say! I¡¯m busy. I don¡¯t have time to see you!¡± Shaun hesitated for a while and asked, ¡°Well. Have you decided to remarry Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna was stunned and did not answer Shaun¡¯s question. Joanna thought, ¡°Deep down, I don¡¯t want to remarry Bruce. ¡°However, Bruce has a strong desire for control. He will do anything to achieve his goal if he decides to do it. ¡°Therefore, remarriage with Bruce is not something I can control.¡± Shaun noticed Joanna¡¯s silence and took it as a yes. Thus, Shaun said in a deep voice, ¡°What about Roxy if you remarry Mr. Everett? Have you ever thought about that? ¡°After all, you two are sisters, and Roxy is pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child. You and Roxy fight for a man and embarrass the Haynes family!¡± Chapter 259 Joanna took a deep breath and said impatiently, ¡°Dad, save it if you¡¯re calling to criticize me. I still have work to do. Bye.¡± Shaun panicked and begged, ¡°Wait! Joann, please don¡¯t hang up yet. I want to talk to you about some serious matters!¡± Joanna tried to be patient and asked, ¡°What? Just say it!¡± Shaun sighed deeply. Then he said hesitantly, ¡°What do you think we should do since Mr. Everett has broken up with Roxy?¡± ¡°Dad, that¡¯s the stupidest question I¡¯ve ever heard. You should ask Bruce and Roxanne about it instead of me!¡± Shaun sighed again and said pitifully, ¡°You know, Roxy is upset and desperate now. She is about to break down! ¡°I feel my heart ache for Roxy.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She said in a colder voice, ¡°So?¡± Shaun replied, ¡°So, it doesn¡¯t matter that Mr. Everett breaks up with Roxy. But now Mr. Everett ns to sue Roxy and ask her to return everything he gave to Roxy!¡± Joanna was shocked and listened to it quietly. Ingrid stood aside to listen to the conversation. She was so anxious that she kept gesturing for Shaun to get to the point. Shaun felt annoyed and rolled his eyes. Thus, he pulled himself together and asked, ¡°Joanna, can you ask Mr. Everett not to do that to us?¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Joanna could not help butugh coldly. Joanna thought, ¡°Why would my father think I should help them to beg Bruce for that?¡± Shaun continued, ¡°It¡¯s fine that they broke up. However, is Mr. Everett too stingy if he asks Roxy to return all the gifts? It does no good to Mr. Everett¡¯s reputation if the media knows about it. ¡°Also, Roxy has been with Mr. Everett for six years! ¡°The Haynes family isn¡¯t a top¨Cnotch wealthy family, but we¡¯re still decent people in Greyport. However, Mr. Everett is ruthless now. Isn¡¯t he trying to make our entire family beughingstocks? ¡°So, I¡¯m begging you to talk to Mr. Everett and ask him to give up on asking us to return the gifts¡­¡± Hearing this, Joanna was stunned. Then she rejected Shaun directly, ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t help you with that.¡± ¡°Joann, Dad is begging you!¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t beg me. I can¡¯t help you with that. I¡¯m being honest.¡± Joanna hung up the phone after finishing her words. Joanna thought, ¡°I don¡¯t want to get involved in Bruce and Roxanne¡¯s matters. ¡°Roxanne and Ingrid will not be grateful to me even if Bruce is willing to listen to me and give up on getting back what he had given Roxanne! ¡°Therefore, there is no need for me to take on such a thankless task!¡± ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± Shaun kept saying hello a few times. Sadly, Joanna had already hung up the phone. Shaun sighed and said, ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t work!¡± Seeing this, Ingrid gritted her teeth in anger and shouted, ¡°That damn bitch! ¡°Call Joanna again until she agrees!¡± Shaun refused, ¡°Don¡¯t bother me anymore! It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford a meal now. Do we have to keep Bruce¡¯s stuff?¡± Hearing this, Ingrid was so angry that she rolled her eyes, shouting, ¡°Stuff? Those things that Mr. Everett gave to Roxy add up to millions of dors! ¡°No, we can¡¯t return these gifts! We should do our best to keep several of them. Or we can dy the return!¡± Shaun shouted, ¡°You¡¯re unreasonable! Call Joanna yourself if you want a negotiation!¡± As Shaun spoke, he got up and went upstairs. Roxanne cried so hard that her eyes swelled up. She asked, ¡°Mom, what should we do now?¡± Ingrid said, ¡°What can we do? Fight Bruce to the death!¡± Roxanne wiped her snot and said in a daze, ¡°But what do we have to fight against him? ¡°I will go to jail if I don¡¯t return those things!¡± Hearing this, Ingrid suddenly got so furious that her eyes were on fire. She shouted, ¡°I¡¯m so disappointed in you! Why don¡¯t you have any self¨Crespect? Why do you have to hook up with that poor bastard? ¡°See? You¡¯ve ruined your future by yourself!¡± Seeing Ingrid was about toin again, Roxanne stood up and ran upstairs. Roxanne cried, ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t want to listen to your speech anymore!¡± With that, Roxanne ran upstairs in tears. After returning to her room, Roxanne turned on the phone she only used to contact Gavin. Roxanne received a call from Gavin as soon as she turned on the phone. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Roxanne took a look at the phone. Then she found hundreds of missed calls and countless messages on the phone. Those calls and messages were all from Gavin. Roxanne answered the call angrily and resentfully, ¡°Hello!¡± Gavin¡¯s anxious and humble voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hi, Roxy? Thank God. I finally got through to your phone! ¡°I¡¯ve called you many times these days. I¡¯m so worried about you¡­¡± Roxanne took a deep breath and roared at the phone, ¡°Don¡¯t call me again! ¡°Do you know how miserable I became because of you? You¡¯ve caused me great trouble! Wow!¡± Roxanne cried ourloud. Gavin felt guilty and kept ming himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Roxanne said, ¡°Stop saying sorry! If sorry works, the world doesn¡¯t needws! ¡°I¡¯ve already lost everything because of you. What else do you want?¡± Gavin said, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m worried about you. I just want to see if I can do anything for you.¡± Gavin was so nervous that he was incoherent. Roxanne cried, ¡°If you really want to do something for me, go and kill Joanna! Chapter 259 Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. I¡¯ll feel better only when Joanna dies! We are finished, and don¡¯t call me again!¡± Roxanne hung up the phone after finishing her yelling at Gavin. Gavin¡¯s mind went nk. Gavin thought, ¡°The girl I love the most has be notorious! And this is because of mel ¡°Roxy would have married Bruce and gotten into the Everett family without me. She would have the richest woman in Greyport! ¡°But now, everything is gone!¡± Gavin held his head in pain and murmured, ¡°Roxy, I love you. I love you so much. I don¡¯t want things to be like this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a useless man. I¡¯m so useless! What¡¯s the point of my life?¡± Gavin med himself and pped himself heavily. After pping himself dozens of times in a row, Gavin suddenly had a n. His eyes gradually focused. Gavin thought, ¡°I have nothing to lose now. I put my girl in a terrible state. I had to do something for her! ¡°I will risk my life to do it if Roxy can forgive me and regain happiness after I kill Joanna!¡± Gavin muttered, ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯re the one who causes Roxy to be like this! ¡°I must avenge Roxy!¡± Gavin¡¯s eyes widened. Then the hatred filled up Gavin¡¯s empty brain and heart. Gavin murmured, ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m honored to get rid of an enemy for you and your happiness!¡± [Roxy, please be happy!] Gavin sent Joanna thest message. Then, he turned off his phone. Gavin had made up his mind to do something big. He was going to avenge the girl he loved! Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Bruce had a long meeting in the morning. After the meeting, he looked at his watch and realized it was time for lunch. Bruce thought, ¡°It is also the first day Joanna returns to work. I want to go over and see what she is doing.¡± Then Bruce packed his things, grabbed his car key, and left thepany. ¡°Chirp! Chirp!¡± Bruce walked to the parking lot and unlocked his car. Before Bruce could get into the car, he heard a sweet female voice. ¡°Hi, Bruce! I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time!¡± Bruce was stunned and turned around to see what the woman was. Bruce found a beautiful woman in a white coat standing behind him. She had long wavy hair and was dressed like a sweet girl. Bruce was stunned and asked, ¡°Jennie, why are you here?¡± Jennie smiled sweetly and exined inly, ¡°I was supposed to be nearby to meet a friend. Unfortunately, my friend got something to do and couldn¡¯t ¡°I realized I hadn¡¯t seen you in a long time, so I decided toe to see you!¡± Bruce widened his eyes and asked, ¡°Come to see me?¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Jennie replied, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a while since west met. I quite miss you, Bruce.¡± Hearing this, Bruce felt ufortable and frowned. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jennie blinked her big eyes suggestively. She looked innocent and lively. Jennie said, ¡°Can¡¯t I just come to visit you?¡± Hearing this, Bruce frowned slightly. Bruce thought, ¡°Jennie is my best friend¡¯s sister. ¡°I should probably show her some respect.¡± Jennie asked, ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to have lunch.¡± ¡°Sounds great. By the way, I haven¡¯t had lunch yet. How about having lunch together?¡± Jennie looked at Bruce expectantly. Bruce frowned again. Bruce thought, ¡°But I¡¯m going to pick Joanna up for lunch.¡± Thus, Bruce said, ¡°Well, I have an appointment with someone else. Maybe another day.¡± Jennie did not want to give up. Thus, she continued, ¡°Who has that pleasure to have lunch with you? Do I know that person?¡± Bruceughed awkwardly and replied, ¡°Haha. You probably know her.¡± Then, Bruce opened the door and got in the car. Jennie opened the door and sat on the passenger seat without an invitation. Jennie said, ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I¡¯m going to the Hampon Building nearby. Bruce, can you give me a ride there?¡± Bruce thought, ¡°The Hampon Building is about a mile from the Everett Group. I will pass by that building no matter which route I choose.¡± Bruce thought for a while and had no reason to reject Jennie. Thus, Bruce said, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Jennie deliberately showed a sweet smile. That smile appeared natural. However, she practiced hard to have that natural sweet smile, Bruce started the car and drove out of the parking lot. Jennie asked, ¡°Bruce, I heard you broke up with Miss Roxanne?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Bruce replied in a muffled voice. Jennie said, ¡°I knew it! You two aren¡¯t matched for each other.¡± Hearing this, Bruce did not say anything to reply to Jennie. He just drove silently. Bruce thought, ¡°Jennie expressed her affection for me before. I don¡¯t want to create any more hope for her.¡± Noticing Bruce¡¯s cold reaction, Jennie shut her mouth. Then, Jennie opened her handbag and applied her lipstick. Jennie said, ¡°Bruce, here¡¯s the Hampon Building. Please pull over.¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Then he parked the car by the roadside. Jennie said, ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll invite you for a meal another day!¡± When speaking, she opened the door and was about to get off. Jennie secretly left her lipstick on the seat when she opened the door. Jennie thought, ¡°Bruce drives to pick up that person. Thus, she must be the woman Bruce cares about the most. I need to create conflict between them.¡± Bruce replied perfunctorily, ¡°Okay.¡± Then he drove away. Watching Bruce¡¯s car drive away, Jennie smirked and waved at the car. Jennie murmured, ¡°Bruce, I must get you next time. ¡°Whether it¡¯s Joanna or Roxanne, they aren¡¯t meant for you. I am the best woman for you! ¡°Wait for it. I¡¯ll make you fall in love with me!¡± Soon, Bruce arrived at the Haynes Group. ¡°Hello, Mr.Everett!¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Bruce walked straight to Joanna¡¯s office. At this time, Joanna was dealing with the work at hand. Boom! Boom! Bruce knocked on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± said Joanna. Bruce gently pushed the door open and walked in.. Joanna looked up and saw Bruce. Then her heart skipped a beat. She asked, ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Bruce smiled and answered, ¡°Haha. It¡¯s already noon. I stopped by to see you.¡± Hearing this, Joanna was stunned. Joanna thought, ¡°Time passed quickly. It is noon now.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna with a smile and said gently, ¡°Are you done?¡± Joanna said, ¡°Yeah, almost.¡± Bruce said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Joanna asked in confusion, ¡°Where are we going?¡± Bruce said, ¡°Go to have lunch.¡± Joanna said, ¡°I will order a takeout or somethingter.¡± Bruce did not give up. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna had no choice but to turn off theputer. Bruce asked considerately, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Anything is fine.¡± ¡°How about Flech cuisine?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Then the two of them went to the parking lot together. Bruce opened the door for Joanna like a gentleman, and Joanna got into the car. Bruce drove Joanna to the restaurant where he had booked seats. As soon as Joanna sat down, she felt something in her seat. Joanna murmured, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She grabbed the thing in her seat and found it was a tube of lipstick. Joanna was shocked. Then, she opened the lipstick and took a look at it. Joanna cried inside, ¡°This lipstick isn¡¯t a new one. Apparently, someone has used it!¡± Seeing this, Bruce got nervous. Bruce exined, ¡°Well, maybe¡­ Maybe my driver drive my car to pick up his girlfriend.¡± Joanna did not say a word. She thought, ¡°Howe Bruce¡¯s driver dares to drive his car to pick up girls? ¡°Obviously, another woman had sat in the passenger seat before.¡± However, Joanna did not continue to question Bruce. Twenty minutester, they arrived at a French restaurant. Chapter 260 It was the most high¨Cend Michelin restaurant with the most luxurious decorations. Bruce said, ¡°Here¡¯s the menu.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Then she randomly ordered the food. Then Joanna said, ¡°I need to go to the washroom.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± replied Bruce. Joanna got up and walked to the washroom while Bruce sat still to flip through the menu. Jennie came out of nowhere and greeted, ¡°Hi, Bruce! What a coincidence!¡± Bruce looked at Jennie in shock and asked, ¡°Jennie, why are you here?¡± Jennie exined, ¡°I¡¯m having lunch with a friend here.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah! So you¡¯re also having lunch with your friend here? Who is it? Can you introduce your friend to me?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Jennie sat next to Bruce without asking. At this time, Joanna came out of the washroom and saw Jennie and Bruce sitting together. ¡°This is?¡± asked Joanna. Bruce immediately introduced, ¡°Joanna, this is Jennie, Zachary¡¯s sister. Jennie, this is Joanna.¡± Jennie looked at Joanna and smiled. She said, ¡°Oh, you must be Bruce¡¯s girlfriend. Hi, I¡¯m Jennie!¡± ¡°Hi, Jennie.¡± Joanna reached out and shook Jennie¡¯s hand. Jennie said, ¡°By the way, Bruce, I may lose my lipstick in your car. Did you see it?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. Joanna handed the lipstick to Jennie and asked, ¡°Is this the one?¡± Jennie cried, ¡°Oh, yes, it is! Thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± replied Joanna. Jennie said, ¡°Well, my friend is waiting for me. I¡¯ll see you guys another day!¡± ¡°Okay, bye!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Jennie got up and left. Then Joanna sat down. However, she was clearly not in a good mood. Joanna thought, ¡°Bruce has so many women around him. ¡°Bruce hasn¡¯t finished the things between him and Roxanne. Now there is a Jennie!¡± Noticing Joanna was in a bad mood, Bruce exined, ¡°Jennie is really my friend¡¯s sister. I happened to bump into her. Then she asked me to give her a ride. There¡¯s nothing between us!¡± Joanna squeezed out a smile. She said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin.¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll get me wrong!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Then let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Great.¡± The romantic atmosphere instantly became strange. Joanna ate silently. Bruce still felt uneasy even though Joanna said she was not angry. After lunch, Bruce thoughtfully carried Joanna¡¯s bag and said, ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll send you back to your company.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Soon, Bruce and Joanna reached the entrance of the restaurant. Jennie cried, ¡°Hey, what a coincidence! ¡°I¡¯m going to go shopping with my friend!¡± The two of them bumped into Jennie again. Jennie asked, ¡°Bruce, can you give me a ride?¡± Bruce directly refused, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. I¡¯m going to send Joanna back to herpany now.¡± ¡°Aww, Joanna. Look how stingy Bruce is!¡± Thus, Joanna said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Give her a ride.¡± ¡°Thank you! Joanna!¡± Then Jennie opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Bruce said, ¡°Jennie, please sit in a back seat!¡± Jennie said, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve had motion sickness since I was a kid. You know that! I¡¯ll get motion sickness if I sit in the back! ¡°Joanna won¡¯t be angry over such a small matter. Am I right, Joanna?¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Then Joanna opened the car door and sat in the back seat. ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked Bruce. Jennie said, ¡°Oh, just put me down at the crossing ahead.¡± Bruce started the car and drove to the ce Jennie had specified. Jennie cried, ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t expect Greyport to change so much! I still remember these two buildings weren¡¯t there before I had been abroad to study. And this port! And that rm bell!¡± Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Bruce replied inly, ¡°Yep. They were built two years ago!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Jennie sighed and said. ¡°Time has passed in the blink of an eye. I miss my childhood so much. ¡°At that time, Bruce often came to my house to y. ¡°Bruce, do you remember? At that time, we yed house together! It may look childish when I look back on those memories at this age. However, those are great memories!¡± Bruce smiled perfunctorily in response to Jennie. Bruce thought, ¡°We were kids back then. Of course, we yed childish games! I was about ten years old, and Jennie was only six or seven at that time.¡± Jennie continued to talk about her childhood memories excitedly. ¡°Back then, we loved to y the wedding game. You pretended to be the groom, and I was the bride! ¡°It looks so funny when thinking about it now! People used to say we looked like a matched couple!¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression changed slightly. Then he subconsciously nced at the rearview mirror. As Bruce expected, Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. Bruce thought, ¡°Joanna is always sensitive. She won¡¯t tolerate a third person when ites to rtionships.¡± Noticing Bruce was silent, Jennie hurriedly stopped talking and acted as she had just realized the situation. Jennie said, ¡°Hey, look at me! I¡¯mpletely a chatterbox! I keep talking when thinking of those memories. Joanna, you didn¡¯t get mad about it, did you? I only take Bruce as my brother. ¡°Bruce always treats me as his sister. Before I went abroad to study, Bruce and my brother came to the airport to see me off. I was so touched and cried hard for it!¡± Jennie made it worse with her exnation. She made things look like there was something between Bruce and her. Hearing Jennie¡¯s words, Joanna felt annoyed and disgusted. She pursed her lips and did not say anything. ¡°Joanna, are you really mad?¡± asked Jennie. Jennie revealed an innocent expression on her sweet face. That face was a ssic face of an angelic bitch. Jennie said, ¡°Bruce, I didn¡¯t mean to make Joanna mad. I didn¡¯t expect Joanna to get angry so easily! ¡°What should I do? Should I apologize to Joanna? ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t know my stories would offend you¡­¡± Jennie kept ming herself and apologizing. She deliberately made it seem like Joanna was easy to get annoyed. Joanna took a deep breath and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me!¡± Jennie said, ¡°Oh, Joanna. I thought you got angry.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes slightly and said, with a faint smile, ¡°No! Why should I be angry?¡± Jennie said, ¡°I knew it. Joanna looks like a magnanimous person! What I talked about are things that happened long ago. Of course, Joanna won¡¯t take it to heart!¡± Joanna retorted bluntly, ¡°You already said those things happened when you were young. What¡¯s the point of bringing them up? Thus, there is no reason to get mad at them.¡± Jennie did not know how to process that. However, she tried to remain calm. Then she said, ¡°Bruce also said he would dote on me as my brother did.. Bruce, you can¡¯t go back on your word!¡± Joanna sneered and said half¨Cjokingly, ¡°Bruce¡¯s memory is not very good. Miss Jennie, you¡¯d better not expect too much.¡± ¡°Bruce won¡¯t. Bruce will definitely remember it¡­¡± Joanna interrupted, ¡°Heh. Bruce promised women so many things. A few days ago, he promised me he would never be alone with a single and beautiful woman. ¡°See? Bruce forgot about it in the blink of an eye!¡± Joanna retorted bluntly. Joanna thought, ¡°I¡¯m not being jealous. I just don¡¯t like this angelic bitch! ¡°That woman shows what she wants on her face, but she tries too hard to pretend to be pure. I don¡¯t have to show some respect to this kind of person!¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Bruce even felt it funny and wanted tough. Bruce thought, ¡°Damn it. I can¡¯t believe Joanna will get jealous!¡± ¡°Squeak!¡± Bruce pulled over. Bruce said, ¡°Jennie, we¡¯ve arrived! You should get out of the car!¡± Jennie pretended to look outside and said, ¡°It¡¯s not this street. I need to go to Mason Street ahead.¡± Bruce did not want to listen to Jennie anymore. Thus, he directly rejected, ¡°It¡¯s not far away. Besides, it¡¯s inconvenient to park there. Why don¡¯t you get out of the car and walk over there?¡± Hearing this, Jennie changed her expression. She cried, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m wearing high heels! ¡°I have to walk two streets. How is that possible? Send me there, please!¡± Jennie said as she pouted and looked at Bruce pitifully. Then Jennie ced her hand on Bruce¡¯s arm and acted coquettishly. Bruce hesitated for seconds and said, ¡°Alright!¡± He had no choice but to let go of the brake and drive toward Mason Street. Five minutester, Bruce drove the car to the street Jennie specified. Many pedestrians were on the street. Thus, Bruce could not drive too fast. Jennie said, ¡°Wow. This ce bes bustling! ¡°That¡¯s it. I want to go to that street! Bruce, you can park your car there.¡± Bruce said impatiently, ¡°We¡¯re here. Now get out of the car!¡± Jennie said, ¡°Thank you, Br¨²ce. Thank you for being my free driver today! I¡¯ll invite you for a meal another day!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t ever look at Jennie and said, ¡°Okay. We will see.¡± Then Jennie pushed open the car door and got out elegantly. After getting out of the car, Jennie said goodbye to them. ¡°Bruce, Joanna, bye!¡± Joanna frowned slightly and waved at Jennie perfunctorily. Bruce pouted and looked unhappy. Bruce thought, ¡°Today, I have encountered Jennie three times. That is definitely not a coincidence. Unfortunately, Jennie acted so well, and I couldn¡¯t say a word about it. 1 can feel my car immersed in the air brought by that angelic bitch even though she had gotten off. ¡°But I had to say Jennie is more scheming than Joanna and Roxanne.¡± Bruce said, ¡°Joanna, sit in the passenger seat now!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Getting off and changing the seat sound troublesome. I¡¯ll be fine sitting at the back!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice sounded cold. Bruce exined, ¡°Joanna, Jennie is a little girl. You don¡¯t have to take it to heart!¡± Joanna sneered and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t take it to heart!¡± ¡°Heh. Alright then! I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll overthink it!¡± ¡°You are the one overthinking it. Why do you have to exin? Your exnation makes things worse!¡± ¡°Alright, alright! Everything is fine as long as you don¡¯t overthink it!¡± Bruce quickly stopped talking. He was scared that Joanna would get mad at him. Bruce thought, ¡°When a woman is jealous, it is best not to add fuel to the fire. ¡°I had to say some women are good at seducing men. They can always create all kinds of coincidences and unavoidable small favors.¡± Jennie failed to seduce Bruce. However, she had already achieved her goal. What Jennie had already annoyed Joanna. Joanna always felt Bruce was a yboy and thought Bruce had affairs with many women. After seeing Jennie, Joanna was assertive that Bruce was a yboy. Joanna thought, ¡°I will never remarry Bruce easily!¡± Soon, they arrived at the Haynes Group. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± said Bruce. ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± Joanna opened the door and got out of the car. Bruce suddenly stopped Joanna, ¡°Joanna?¡± Joanna turned around and asked, ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t work too hard. I¡¯lle and pick you up tonight.¡± Joanna said, ¡°No need. I can drive myself back!¡± Then she walked straight to the elevator. Seeing this, Bruce felt nervous. ¡°Joanna, wait for me!¡± When speaking, Bruce got out of the car and chased after Joanna. Joanna asked, ¡°What are youing over?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Haha. I want to stay here with you since I don¡¯t have anything to do this afternoon.¡± When Joanna heard that, she frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you. I have to get back to work now! You¡¯ll only distract me if you stay here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t disturb you. Just do what you need to do. I¡¯ll just sit aside and watch you.¡± Joanna frowned even harder. However, she did not say anything. Bruce smiled gently and put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. Soon, they walked in and passed the front desk of thepany. Chapter 261 ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna replied inly, ¡°Hi.¡± Then she walked toward her office uneasily. On the contrary, Bruce did not feel uneasy. It seemed that he and Joanna had never separated and that he had never been with Roxanne. ¡°Wow. It looks like Mr. Everett is going to remarry Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say. They openly go out together now and don¡¯t avoid people.¡± ¡°So what? They already have three children. Their remarriage is good for the children.¡± ¡°How about Miss Roxanne? What will happen to her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of our business. Now get back to work!¡± Soon, Joanna returned to the office. Joanna put down her bag and looked at the time. It was one o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Joanna used to take a half¨Can¨Chour nap at this time. Otherwise, she would be listless in the afternoon. But now, Joanna did not want to take a nap since Bruce was here. Therefore, Joanna pulled herself together and sat on the office chair. Bruce asked, ¡°Joanna?¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce replied, smiling, ¡°Nothing. I like looking at you this way.¡± Chapter 262 Chapter 262 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 262 Joanna rolled her eyes and ignored him. Bruce strode to the desk and locked his eyes on her. ¡°Are you really angry?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Bruce, please sit over there! I feel ufortable when you look at me like that!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m your husband. Why are you afraid of me looking at you?!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and felt speechless! Then, she buried her head in her work. Unfortunately, in less than three minutes, Bruce shouted again, ¡°Joannal¡± ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Joanna looked up impatiently! Bruce bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. This unexpected kiss made Joanna feel as if she had been electrocuted! Her entire body trembled uncontrobly, and her heart thumped. Sensing her reaction, the smile on Bruce¡¯s face widened. When he was interested, he was definitely an expert at flirting! No woman could resist his teasing. Joanna reacted and her face turned red. ¡°Are you crazy? Sit over there, don¡¯t lean against me!¡± ¡°No, I want to be next to you!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and lowered his head to kiss her lips again! ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Joann, I can¡¯t take it anymore¡­¡± ¡°Ah! What are you doing? Let go, don¡¯t be like this!¡± Joanna tried her best to push him away. Unfortunately, she was entangled by Bruce. How could she push him away? Then, Bruce bent down and picked her up from the chair. Then, he walked to the sofa beside her! Joanna waspletely panicked. ¡°Bruce, you said you would respect me!¡± ¡°I respect you! But I love you too¡­¡± ¡°Ah! Let go¡­¡± Before she could resist, he had already sealed her lips domineeringly! Half an hourter. Bruce stood up feeling satisfied. Joanna was curled up on the sofa, feeling weak all over! However, this time, Bruce was very gentle and did not devour her like a wolf like before! Seeing Joanna¡¯s weak appearance, Bruce kissed her forehead. His voice was so gentle that it could make anyone¡¯s heart soften. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. She just looked at him with dazed eyes. When Bruce felt like it, he really knew how to pamper Joanna. He would fulfill her every wish. ¡°Bruce, can you not be like this in the future? ¡°This is the office. It¡¯s bad for you!¡± ¡°I know, but I just can¡¯t help it!¡± Bruce smiled and got up to hand her clothes! When he was facing her, he could not control his excitement! She had been hospitalized for so many days, he did not dare to touch her during that period of time. How could he tolerate it now? Joanna took a deep breath and couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything more to him. ¡°Alright then! Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°You can leave now. Don¡¯t stay here and affect my work!¡± Joanna rudely ordered him to leave. ¡°Look, you¡¯re really heartless! After using me, you immediately kick me away! ¡°You¡¯re sick! You¡¯re really annoying!¡± Bruce asked cheekily, ¡°How annoying?¡± ¡°Hurry up and go back! Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense!¡± Joanna struggled to get up and put on his clothes! Sometimes, she really found him annoying! This guy was really a headache when he was pestering her! However, she knew his personality. She was amenable to coaxing but not coercion! It would be better to go along with him! Once she offended him, he would be even more terrifying than the Grim Reaper. ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Alright, go!¡± ¡°You¡¯re urging me to leave! Are you not reluctant?¡± Joanna was speechless! Bruce stood up and put on his shirt. ¡°Come here and tie my tie!¡± Joanna rejected coldly, ¡°No!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Bruce ordered. Joanna had no choice but toe over and tie his tie! Unfortunately, tying a tie also required skill. She couldn¡¯t do it no matter how hard she tried. Bruce hocked her waist and said dotingly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize that you were so stupid in the past? You¡¯re really a little fool!¡± Such words gave her goosebumps. ¡°Do it yourself!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving! ¡°Be good ande home early tonight!¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Chapter 252 Bruce stopped teasing her and did not dare to tease her anymore! She was quite career¨Cminded now, so it was better not to obstruct her too much! Bruce tidied up his clothes, opened the door, and left! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Joanna finally heaved a sigh of relief. She quickly turned on myputer to deal with today¡¯s matters! At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Cora came in and reported, ¡°Miss Haynes, this is the information for the meeting tomorrow!¡± ¡°Okay, just leave it with me!¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a staff meeting at the factory in Mossbou¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm called to ask if you want to go over.¡± Joanna thought for a moment. ¡°Tell him that I¡¯ll go over next Monday!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll reply now!¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, your coffee!¡± Luna brought in the coffee. ¡°Just put it here!¡± When Joanna was busy with work, she felt that men would only affect her career Without Bruce around to cause trouble, everything was handled in an orderly manner! Six o¡¯clock in the evening! Joanna looked at the time. It was almost time to get off work! In the past, she would work overtime untilte! But now, if she went backte, Bruce would probably go crazy again! It was better to go back as soon as possible! Joanna turned off theputer and walked out with her bag! The four bodyguards quickly protected her! ¡°Miss Haynes, this way please! Mr. Everett sent us to pick you up!¡± The parking lot on the ground! Beep, beep, beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°What are you doing? Honey!¡± Joanna was stunned! In the past, they had been married for two years, but he had never called her Honey! Now, she suddenly heard someone call her Honey, Joanna with burrs all over her body! ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything, Honey?¡± ¡°Bruce, we haven¡¯t remarried yet. Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it certain that we¡¯re going to be remarried? Don¡¯t even think about escaping from me for the rest of your life!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. She really could not be bothered with him! ¡°Miss Haynes, let¡¯s get in the car!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The bodyguard opened the door and Joanna was about to get into the car! All of a sudden, a masked man in ck ran past the car! He seemed to be holding a bottle in his hand! ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Ssh!¡± The masked man raised the thing in his hand and sshed it at Joanna without any exnation! A bodyguard hurriedly stood in front of Joanna. The bottle of liquid sshed on the bodyguard¡¯s body, but it still sshed on Joanna¡¯s arm! Immediately, Joanna screamed as if sparks had hit her arm. ¡°Ah!!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The bodyguard fell to the ground and screamed in pain! ¡°Thud!¡± Another bodyguard kicked the man in ck to the ground and subdued him. ¡°It¡¯s sulfuric acid! Call the ambnce!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Detain him first!¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re going to die a horrible death! I¡¯m going to kill you, I¡¯m going to kill you¡­¡± Gaviny on the ground and wailed! Another bodyguard removed the ck mask on his face! Joanna lowered her head. She seemed to have some impression of this person. He seemed to be Roxanne¡¯s ssmate! However, now that the bodyguard had been seriously scalded, she couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°Get himto the hospital!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The bodyguard immediately called Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, pleasee to the hospital!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is in trouble. Someone just attacked her with sulfuric acid!¡± ¡°What? Is Joanna alright?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is fine at the moment, but Kevin was severely burned!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± ¡°Greyport Hospital!¡± Chapter 262 ¡°Okay!¡± After Bruce hung up the phone, he did not even have time to change his shoes. He took his car keys and ran to the garage! At the Greyport Hospital. Joanna, Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Joanna, are you all right? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Someone just attacked me and sshed acid at me!¡± ¡°Fortunately, Kevin took a hit for me. I¡¯m fine, but Kevin¡¯s entire back is burned!¡± Bruce felt as if he had been struck by lightning! ¡°Where¡¯s the criminal?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been taken away by the police!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to dare to attack you! He¡¯s too detestable. I won¡¯t let him off easily!¡± As Bruce spoke, he hugged Joanna in his arms. Chapter 263 Chapter 263 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 263 ¡°Ouch.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but moan! Her arm was also sshed with a few drops of sulfuric acid. Although the wound had been treated, it still hurt terribly. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. His heart ached as he checked Joanna¡¯s injuries. ¡°Quick, let me take a look!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°Kevin¡¯s injuries are very serious! He¡¯s still in the operating room!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get the doctor to treat him well!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna was a little frightened! ¡°Lie down and rest!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay here and watch over you!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was in a mess. Shey weakly on the hospital bed. Bruce guarded by her side, his hawk¨Clike eyes emitting a dense cold light. It had only been a month since thest attack. He did not expect there to be a second wave so soon! It seemed that Roxanne and Ingrid were determined to kill her! He did not want to kill Roxanne, but it seemed that there was no need to hold back anymore. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s face darkened as he called the chief of police! ¡°I want the perpetrator of the attack on Joanna to be sentenced severely!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± the police chief replied in a deep voice! He was able to be a superintendent because of the Everett family¡¯s support. Therefore, Bruce¡¯s words were an order. Soon, Gavin was detained for terrorist murder! Coupled with the pressure from Bruce, he would be put behind bars for at least 20 years. There were many death row inmates in prison who didn¡¯t care about their lives. It was too easy to kill a person! Gavin had offended Bruce. It was probably very difficult for him to walk out of the prison alive! Meanwhile, at the Haynes¡¯s house! Roxanney on the sofa in boredom. She was still racking her brains to think of a way to turn the tables! The news was being broadcasted on the television! ¡°Something happened today. There¡¯s an incident of a criminal throwing sulfuric acid at the Haynes Group! ¡°The chairman of the Haynes Group was almost disfigured by sulfuric acid. The criminal has been arrested by the police¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart sank when she heard this news report. She hurriedly watched the rey again! On the television screen, Gavin was handcuffed and had his arm twisted behind his back. He was escorted into the police car by two police officers! Gavin was still roaring uncontrobly, ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re dead! I¡¯m going to kill you, I¡¯m going to avenge Roxy..¡± After reading this message, Roxanne was shocked. Her eyes were red and her eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets! She was just angry when she said that she wanted Gavin to kill Joanna! However, she did not expect Gavin to really do it! This was bad. Gavin had no power or background. After entering the prison, he would probably not come out alive! More importantly, if she was implicated, the police would probably think that she was the mastermind! Roxanne¡¯s heart was pounding, and her face was pale! ¡°Gavin, you damn bastard, you¡¯ve really caused a lot of trouble for me!¡± ¡°Why are you so stupid? So stupid. Boohoo¡­¡± 1 Roxanne could not help but cry bitterly. On one hand, she hated Gavin¡¯s stupidity, but on the other hand, she could not help but be touched! She had just said it casually, but she did not expect him to take it seriously! From this, it could be seen how important she was to Gavin! As Roxanne was crying, someone rang the doorbell. The servants went over to open the door. A few serious¨Clooking police officers shed their police badges at the servants! ¡°We are the police. This is an investigation order! Please get Miss Roxanne Haynes toe out!¡± ¡°Oh, officers,e in!¡± ¡± Ingrid heard the voice and came down from the room upstairs. ¡°Haylee, who¡¯s here?¡± Just as she reached the staircase, she saw a few police officers walking into the living room aggressively! Boom! Seeing this, Ingrid¡¯s legs went weak and she felt a chill down her back.. Shaun also walked out of the room. When he saw that it was a police officer, he was also shocked! ¡°Officers, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The police officer in the lead shed his police badge. ¡°We suspect that Miss Roxanne Haynes is rted to a murder case. Please follow us to the police station to cooperate with the investigation!¡± ¡°Officers, is there a mistake?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no mistake!¡± With that, a few police officers rushed upstairs and arrested Roxanne! In the room, Roxanne also heard themotion and was scared out of her wits! The police officer shed his police badge and arrest warrant. ¡°Miss Roxanne Haynes. Pleasee with us to the police station. This is the arrest warrant!¡± ¡°Dad, Mom, I¡¯m not going. I don¡¯t want to go to the police station!¡± Roxanne was so frightened that his face turned pale! Shaun¡¯s heart was also in a mess. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t panic first! Follow the officers to the police station first. I will contact awyer to save you immediately!¡± Two police officers stepped forward and prepared to detain Roxanne! ¡°Officer, Roxy is pregnant. Please don¡¯t handcuff her! She will go with you obediently!¡± ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be afraid. Go to the police station first! I will be there to apany you soon!¡± When Roxanne heard this, tears streamed down her face. ¡°Dad, Mom, you have to find awyer quickly!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Roxanne calmed herself down and followed the police officer downstairs! Just as she was about to get into the police car! Ingrid ran out of the house. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t talk nonsense when you¡¯re at the police station. Wait for the lawyer to go over¡­¡± Half an hourter! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Roxanne was brought to the police station! In the interrogation room, Roxanne sat opposite the interrogator with a pale face! The two police officers looked at her with a serious expression and prepared to take a statement. ¡°Ms. Haynes, did you send this message?¡± A police officer shed the printed message! It was a message she sent to Gavin in a fit of pique. ¡®I¡¯ll forgive you if you kill Joanna. After reading it, Roxanne¡¯s face turned even paler and her entire body trembled uncontrobly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know anything! ¡°He wanted to do it himself. I had no idea!¡± ¡°Then why would you send him a message like that? Do you hold a grudge against the victim, Joanna?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, I really didn¡¯t! ¡°I want to go home. Hurry up and let me go! You can¡¯t use me like this. I really didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Roxanne became agitated! ¡°We suspect you of instigating the suspect tomit assault!¡± ¡°You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say will be used against you in a court ofw! You can also hire awyer to defend you!¡± When Roxanne heard that, she panicked even more! Other than Gavin, she had also murdered Margaret. Coupled with the fact that she had been in a tense state, she could not withstand the pressure and copsed. ¡°Ah! My stomach hurts. I want to apply for medical parole!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t be nervous! It¡¯s just a suspicion now. There¡¯s no final verdict. You can only stay in the police station for now!¡± ¡°The sulfuric acid case really has nothing to do with me. I really don¡¯t know. I was just saying it casually. I didn¡¯t expect him to really do something stupid!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, in addition to the sulfuric acid case, we also suspect that you hired someone to kill the victim Joanna! ¡°This is your transfer record. May I ask why you transferred the money to a stranger¡¯s ount?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t do it! It wasn¡¯t me, it really wasn¡¯t me!¡± Roxanne trembled and was about to faint! Seeing that she was so nervous, the two police officers looked at each other. ¡°The suspect is pregnant and highly nervous. I suggest we take our time to interrogate her.¡± ¡°Alright! Take her to the infirmary first and make sure she¡¯s safe!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Soon, Roxanne was sent to the infirmary again! After all, she was pregnant. Regardless of whether she was guilty or not, the police had to ensure the safety of her and the child! However, during this period of time, the police had already collected arge amount of evidence! All the evidence pointed to Roxanne, suspecting that she was the real culprit who hired someone to kill Joanna! Roxanney on the hospital bed, feeling uneasy and praying for thewyer toe quickly! At around nine in the afternoon, Shaun and Ingrid finally arrived with theirwyer! After understanding the situation, thewyer began to help analyze the situation! He also specially told her some things to take note of during the interrogation. The next day! Everyone who had contacted Roxanne recently was called to the police station! This included Kensley! In the interrogation room! ¡°This is your ount, right? Why would Ms. Haynes give you so much money?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kensley tried his best to hide the panic in his heart! ¡°Confess and we can consider lightening your punishment!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep quiet until mywyer gets here!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave the police station for the next 24 hours! You can only leave after the matter is investigated!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Kensley was also detained at the police station for investigation! Shaun and Ingrid were even more anxious. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Will Roxy go to jail?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. You spoiled her like this!¡± ¡°How did I spoil her?¡± Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Shaun was a little flustered and exasperated. ¡°Hurry up and tell me the truth. What exactly did the two of you do behind my back?¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± Ingrid was still being stubborn! Shaun was furious. ¡°You¡¯re still unwilling to tell the truth at this point! Roxy is in this state all because of you. If Roxy did anything wrong, it was also you who instigated it. I won¡¯t forgive you for the rest of my life!¡± Ingrid gasped when she heard those words. Slie had no time to argue with Shaun! Roxanne was now in the police station! Her daughter had already confessed to her that Margaret¡¯s death was caused by her! If this matter was brought up again, then Roxanne would not be just sent behind bars. At the thought of this, Ingrid was anxious and flustered! In just one night, seven or eight blisters appeared on her mouth! Seeing that Ingrid was silent, Shaun did not know what to do. ¡°Say something. Why aren¡¯t you saying anything now?¡± Ingrid sighed and weakly fell onto the sofa! The development of the matter had already exceeded her expectations and control! She just wanted to spend some money and secretly get rid of Joanna! However, she never expected that her two idiotic cousins would fail to kill Joanna! Now, Roxanne was involved again! This matter was getting bigger and bigger. It was very likely that the mother and daughter would spend the rest of their lives in jail! Ingrid gasped as tears streamed down her face! At this moment, she finally regretted her actions. She finally had a taste of harming others and herself! ¡°If nothing works, then¡­¡± Shaun cocked his eyebrows. ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Ingrid wanted to say something but stopped herself. She swallowed the rest of her words! She had not told Shaun that she had hired someone to kill Joanna! If Shaun knew that she was the one who hired someone to kill Joanna, he would probably hate her even more! Now, the matter had reached an irreparable state! Instead of the two of them going to jail, she might as well take all the me! Her daughter was still young and had a long life ahead of her. She could not spend the rest of her life in prison! ¡°Say something! Aren¡¯t you usually quite talkative? I won¡¯t tell you what I want you to say now!¡± Ingrid paused for a few seconds and suddenly looked at Shaun. Her tone was rare and gentle. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault!¡± ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve let you down! I¡¯ve let this family down too!¡± Shaun was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Ingrid in surprise! They had been married for more than 20 years, and Ingrid had always been very domineering. She was the kind of person who would not let others off easily and would make herself sound reasonable even if she wasn¡¯t. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to admit his mistake! ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Forgive me! You¡¯re a very good man. I¡¯ve implicated you in this life!¡± For the first time, Ingrid felt guilty! Shaun was even more confused after hearing this! Ingrid didn¡¯t say anything else. She stood up and silently walked to the room upstairs! She had to prepare for the worst! She had to find a way to meet Kensley and bribe him to push all the me to her! Soon, the results of the first round of interrogation were out! Thewyer who had originally defended Roxanne was also threatened by Bruce. He did not dare to defend Roxanne anymore! Therefore, the verdict was out very quickly! Roxanne was convicted of murder and officially prosecuted by the police! ¡°Suspect Roxanne Haynes, suspected of attempted murder! ording to thew of Greyport, you will be sentenced to 12 years¡­¡± Roxanne had alreadypletely copsed after the court¡¯s verdict! ¡°No, no¡­ I don¡¯t want to go to jail, I don¡¯t want to go to jail! ¡°I didn¡¯t. It really wasn¡¯t me! ¡°I didn¡¯t hire anyone to kill her. I really didn¡¯t hire anyone to kill her!¡± ¡°You can appeal!¡± ¡°I want to appeal. I didn¡¯t hire anyone¡­¡± Roxanne lost control of his emotions and started shouting in court! She would rather die than spend 12 years in prison! After Ingrid and Shaun heard the verdict, they stood rooted to the ground and looked at their daughter pitifully! 12 years in prison! When her daughter was released from prison, her life would bepletely ruined! ¡°Dad, Mom, save me. I don¡¯t want to go to jail. I¡¯d rather die than go to jail¡­¡± When Ingrid heard this, her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife! She felt a lump in her throat and tears streamed down her face! Shaun could not help but cry as well! How did their family end up in such a state? Ingrid wiped her tears and silently stood up from the audience! ¡°Your Honor! I object to this case!¡± When the judge heard this, he and everyone else looked at Ingrid. Ingrid took a deep breath and sobbed, ¡°My daughter is not a suspect in this case! ¡°I¡¯m the suspect. I did all of this!¡± When the judges and jurors heard this, they were all shocked! However, words were useless. There were too many parents who were willing to take the me for their children! ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I did all of this! It has nothing to do with my daughter!¡± The judge paused for a few seconds and said seriously, ¡°As parents, we can understand your feelings! But thew is thew¡­¡± ¡°Your Honor, I have evidencel¡± Ingrid decided to go all out! In court, she told him about how she, Wace, and Oscar had hired someone to kill Joanna! When everyone heard this, they looked at Ingrid doubtfully! ¡°Mom, mom, boohoo.¡± Roxanne sobbed uncontrobly! Ingrid and her daughter looked at each other and couldn¡¯t help but cry! She had beenpetitive all her life and had done many bad things. However, she had given all her maternal love to her three children. Roxanne cried until she was out of breath! She did not want to go to jail. She was still young! Her mother loved her. She knew that her mother wanted to take the me for her! ¡°Please sentence me to jail! I did all these things. My daughter is innocent!¡± When everyone heard this, they were dumbfounded! The audience was discussing animatedly. ¡°Oh my god, Ingrid really did this! Since ancient times, most stepmothers have been very vicious!¡± ¡°s, do you think she said that deliberately to take the me for her daughter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say, but I think she said it so realistically that it doesn¡¯t seem fake!¡± ¡°I knew it. Miss Roxanne has always been so innocent. How could she do such a thing?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover!¡± ¡°s, the rtionship between wealthy families is really messy and heartless! The two sisters are also in such a mess¡­¡± When Shaun heard this, he was petrified on the spot! He never thought that Ingrid would be so bold and vicious as to hire someone tomit murder! Moreover, the person she wanted to kill was his daughter! Although he had never doted on Joanna since he was young, Joanna was still her biological daughter! ¡°Ingrid, you¡¯re telling the truth?¡± Shaun was so angry that his entire body was trembling. He pointed at Ingrid¡¯s nose and asked. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°p, p!¡± Two crisp sounds rang out! Shaun gave Ingrid two tight ps! ¡°You vicious woman, why are you so vicious? Why did you do such a thing?¡± ¡°My two daughters are ruined by you!¡± Ingrid staggered and almost fell to the ground. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that anymore. I don¡¯t have a wife like you! 1, Shaun, was so blind as to marry you!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°This is the court. Please keep quiet!¡± Chapter 264 Take Mrs. Haynes into custody first. We¡¯ll reopen this case!¡± The police officers walked over and brought Ingrid and Roxanne into the police car! At Reagan No. 8 Residence! Joanna had been hospitalized for a few days and had moved home long ago. Bruce told her what happened in the court today! Joanna was shocked. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Ingrid has already turned herself in. She was the one who hired the murderer!¡± Joanna did not speak for a long time after hearing this! She knew that this matter had something to do with Ingrid and Roxanne! Or perhaps, both mother and daughter were involved! It was just that Ingrid had taken on all of them! ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t worry, they will receive the punishment they deserve!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Dad? How is he? What¡¯s his attitude now?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°What do you think? No one can take such a huge blow to their family!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened! Although her father didn¡¯t dote on her, now that something like this had happened to the Haynes family and Shaun had high blood pressure, it was probably very difficult for him to withstand it! Chapter 265 Chapter 265 In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Ingrid¡¯s interrogation! In court! Ingrid stood haggardly in the judgement seat. Her eyes were haggard, and she no longer looked as domineering as beforel Shaun, Derick, and Ryan were all watching with grave and worried expressions! ¡°Ingrid, why did you hire someone to kill Joanna?¡± Ingrid took a deep breath. ¡°Humph, she deserved to die! If it weren¡¯t for her, our family wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this!¡± ¡°So, did you hire her to kill her for personal reasons?¡± ¡°Yes, as long as she¡¯s dead, our family will have a good life!¡± Ingrid confessed readily! Now that things had gotten out of hand, she urgently wanted to take all the me for her daughter. She could only confess as soon as possible and let this case be closed as soon as possible! The judge and the juror discussed for a while and soon began to announce the verdict! ¡°Now for the final statement! ¡°Ingrid has hired a murderer many times. The situation is very bad. ording to the criminalw of Greyport, she is sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment andpensation of 78 thousand dors for various damages to the victim¡­. ¡°Roxanne will be acquitted!¡± After hearing the verdict, Ingrid finally felt relieved! No matter what, her daughter was acquitted! ¡°Roxy, you have to be well. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Roxanne choked and could not speak. She could only look at Ingrid miserably. ¡°Mom, Mom!¡± ¡°Please take the suspect away!¡± ¡°Mom, Mom!¡± Derick and Ryan were also agitated! ¡°Rick, Ryan, you have to take good care of yourselves!¡± ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take good care of ourselves!¡± Ingrid couldn¡¯t help but cry. She looked at her three children reluctantly! Click! The police officers handcuffed Ingrid again and escorted her back to the prison! Seeing Ingrid being taken away, Roxanne was inconsble. She stumbled forward, wanting to hug her mother onest time! ¡°Mom, Mom!¡± ¡°Thud!¡± Roxanne ran too fast and missed a step, falling heavily to the ground! ¡°Roxy¡­¡± Seeing that Roxanne had fallen, Shaun and Derick hurried over to help her up! Roxanney on the ground and struggled for a while. She could not get up at all. ¡°My stomach hurts. My stomach hurts!¡± ¡°Roxy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ouch, my stomach hurts!¡± ¡°Oh no, my sister is bleeding!¡± Roxanne¡¯s lower abdomen was in so much pain that she could not take it anymore. A stream of heat flowed down her thigh! ¡°Ouch, it hurts¡­¡± Roxanne groaned and fainted from the pain! ¡°Roxy, Roxy, quick, send your sister to the hospital!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Derick quickly picked up Roxanne and Ryan quickly went to drive the car! 20 minutester! Shaun and Derick hurriedly sent Roxanne to the hospital! ¡°Doctor, help!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The nurses hurriedly pushed the wheelchair over! ¡°I think my daughter¡¯s having a miscarriage!¡± The nurse took a look. ¡°Quick, the pregnant woman has a miscarriage. Hurry up and send her to the operating room!¡± Soon, Roxanne was sent to the emergency room! Shaun looked at his daughter¡¯s miserable appearance and his heart ached so much that he could only cry. ¡°Roxy, how did my precious daughter be like this!¡± Derick could not help but feel dejected. ¡°Roxanne was fine. How did this happen?¡± Ryan punched the wall hard, his eyes bloodshot. ¡°It¡¯s all Joanna and Bruce¡¯s fault that Mom and Roxanne ended up like this!¡± ¡°If anything happens to my sister, I won¡¯t let them off even if I have to risk my life!¡± When Shaun heard this, he was even more mncholic. ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± ¡°Your mother is in jail, and your sister is in the hospital! I don¡¯t want anything to happen to the two of you!¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry!¡± Ryan said with a gloomy look in his eyes! Although he was younger than Roxanne and Derick, he was the most scheming! He was about to graduate from university this year. After he graduated, he had to settle scores with Joanna. He had already nned many ns to deal with Joanna! 40 minutester! The door of the operating room opened and the doctor walked out with a serious expression! ¡°Who¡¯s the patient¡¯s family!¡± Shaun¡¯s heart sank. He hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m the patient¡¯s father!¡± ¡°The pregnant woman is bleeding profusely. Her uterine wall has ruptured!¡± ¡°Doctor, what should we do?¡± ¡°If we want to save the patient¡¯s life now, we have to remove her uterus! ¡°Family members, quicklye and sign the agreement. The patient is waiting for surgery! If it¡¯s any later, the patient¡¯s life will be in danger!¡± Boom! Shaun and Derick, Ryan felt as if they had been struck by lightning! ¡°Doctor, you have to save my daughter. She¡¯s still so young. How can you remove her uterus? ¡°She¡¯s not married yet. How can she have children after her uterus is removed?¡± ¡°Sir, the patient¡¯s life is in danger. If we don¡¯t operate now, it will be toote! Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hurry up and think about it!¡± ¡°Dad, what should we do?¡± Shaun frowned and cried, ¡°Doctor, is there no other way?¡± ¡°Hurry up and think about it. Time¡¯s ticking!¡± The doctor urged sternly! ¡°Dad, hurry up and sign it! No matter what, we have to save Roxanne¡¯s life first!¡± Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Shaun wiped his tears and signed the notice with trembling hands! ¡°The family members have agreed to the surgery. Arrange for emergency preparations for the surgery immediately!¡± After the doctor finished speaking, he quickly entered the operating room! Shaun couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears. ¡°How could something like this happen out of the blue?¡± ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± Shaun coughed a few times and held his chest, unable to breathe! ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± Shaun rolled his eyes and fell to the ground! ¡°Dad, Dad!¡± ¡°Dad¡¯s probably having a heart attack!¡± ¡°Doctor,e here!¡± When the two nurses heard the shout, they rushed over to take a look! ¡°Quickly bring some medicine. The patient is having difficulty breathing. Quickly unbutton the patient¡¯s clothes!¡± The head nurse quickly performed CPR on Shaun! A doctor also rushed over! Soon, Shaun was also sent to the emergency room! Ryan frowned. ¡°Why is there so much trouble in a perfectly fine family!¡± When Derick heard this, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°It¡¯s all Joanna¡¯s fault. She caused our family so much trouble! ¡°She caused Mom to go to jail, Roxanne to have a miscarriage, and now Dad¡¯s illness! ¡°Damn her! ¡°I will definitely take revenge on her. I will definitely not let her have an easy time!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this for now. Let¡¯s pray that Dad and Roxanne can survive the crisis!¡± In the blink of an eye, it was already five o¡¯clock in the afternoon! The doctors had been performing the surgery for more than six hours before they came out of the operating room! ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my sister?¡± ¡°The operation was very sessful. The patient hasn¡¯t woken up yet! ¡°She still have to stay in the ICU for a few more days!¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Thank you, doctor!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. This is what we should do!¡± The two of them frowned and heaved a sigh of relief. They did not dare to dy and hurriedly went to Shaun¡¯s side¡­ Shaun was now stable as well. Now, he was lying on the hospital bed with an oxygen mask on and receiving an IVI ¡°Nurse, how¡¯s my father?¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s blood pressure is very high. He must not be agitated again! Otherwise, it¡¯s very likely that his blood vessels will rupture, causing a cerebral hemorrhage!¡± When the two of them heard this, they were even more worried. ¡°Okay, we understand!¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and see Dad!¡± On the hospital bed, Shaun had already woken up in a daze! Seeing this, Derick quickly walked up to him and asked, ¡°Dad, how are you? Are you feeling better? Do you want some water?¡± ¡°Where is your sister? How is she?¡± Shaun opened his eyes and asked weakly. ¡°Roxanne has alreadypleted the surgery. The doctor said that the surgery was very sessful! Dad, don¡¯t worry. Take care of yourself first!¡± When Shaun heard this, his eyes stung and two streams of tears rolled down his cheeks. ¡°Roxy, my child. I¡¯ve really let you down!¡± Roxanne was only 25 years old this year. Now that she had suffered such a blow, he was worried that she would not be able to take it! Thinking of this, Shaun could not help but hate Ingrid! ¡°It¡¯s all your mother¡¯s fault! It¡¯s all your mother¡¯s bad idea! If your sister hadn¡¯t gone for artificial insemination, this wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡± Ryan sighed andforted his father. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say too much first! The doctor said that you have to recuperate and not be agitated anymore!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Dad, you should rest for now! If you ask me, it¡¯s all that slut Joanna¡¯s fault! ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, our family wouldn¡¯t be so unlucky!¡± When Shaun heard this, he closed his eyes deeply and began to have difficulty breathing again! ¡°Don¡¯t mention her anymore. Dad can¡¯t be provoked! If you mention her again and anger Dad, what should we do?¡± When Derick heard this, he quickly shut his mouth and did not dare to mutter anymore! Two dayster! Roxanne was pushed out of the ICU. After being unconscious for two days, Roxanne finally woke up on the third day! ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re awake?¡± Seeing that Roxanne was awake, Shaun and Derick quickly surrounded her! ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong with me? Where am I¡­¡± Roxanne was very weak. Her body was filled with instruments and nutrition tubes! ¡°Roxy, this is a hospital!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, take care of yourself!¡± ¡°Hospital? What about my child?¡± As Roxanne spoke, she subconsciously touched her belly! Shaun sniffed andforted her gently, ¡°Roxy, child, the child has been aborted!¡± ¡°A miscarriage?¡± Roxanne was stunned. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to get pregnant, but she still couldn¡¯t keep it! ¡°This child shouldn¡¯t have been born in the first ce. If it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone! The most important thing is for you to recover!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she blinked and tears streamed down her face! She couldn¡¯t take this blow and fainted again! ¡°Roxy, Roxy¡­¡± ¡°Dad, Roxanne is still very weak. It¡¯s better not to tell her so much bad news! When she recovers a little, we¡¯ll tell her about the removal of her uterus!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Shaun said and could not help but cry again! Six years ago, Roxanne had gone crazy once! If she knew the truth, hhe did not know if she would go crazy again! ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be too sad!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Your body is also so weak. You have to take care of your body!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Hurry up and rest in the ward. The caregiver and I will be here!¡± ¡°Alright! You have to take good care of your sister!¡± ¡°Got it, Dad!¡± Shaun did not say anything else and returned to his ward with his walking stick! Soon, Joanna learned that her father and Roxanne were hospitalized! Her father never doted on her and she did not want to interact too much with Shaun, But he was her father after all! Her father was hospitalized. As his daughter, she had to go over and take a look to show her sincerity. One day, Joanna brought a bunch of supplements to visit Shaun! In the ward! ¡°Dad! I¡¯m here to see you¡­¡± As soon as Joanna walked into the ward, Shaun became agitated. ¡°Leave. You¡¯re not my daughter!¡± Joanna was stunned, but she still insisted on cing the nutritional supplements on the table. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re getting old. Don¡¯t be so agitated!¡± Shaun¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Joanna with hatred. It was as if this was not his daughter, but an irreconcble enemy! ¡°Hurry up and get lost. I don¡¯t want to see you again! Are you satisfied now? Our family has been ruined by you! ¡°Now you¡¯ve won. Not only did Roxy have a miscarriage, but she also had her uterus removed. She will never have another child in the future! ¡°Her reputation has beenpletely ruined by you! You can be with Bruce happily!¡± Shaun scolded Joanna and vented all his anger on her! When Joanna heard this, her face turned pale and her heart ached! She didn¡¯t feel good about this either! ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be so angry¡­¡± ¡°Get lost! Get lost! Don¡¯t call me Dad anymore. You¡¯re not my daughter!¡± Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Joanna was stunned. Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed by a knifel She did not expect her father to hate her so much! However, she was also a victim! She had almost lost her life several times. If it weren¡¯t for her luck, she would probably be lying in the cold cemetery now! She was naive again! Her father had never treated her as his daughter! And she was still naively thinking of being filial to him! ¡°Dad, take care of yourself. I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Get lost! Hurry up and get lost! Take all your things away. I don¡¯t need them!¡± As he spoke, Shaun staggered down from the hospital bed and threw out all the things that Joanna had brought! ¡°Get lost! Hurry up and get lost! I don¡¯t want to see you again!¡± Thud! Thest giftnded on Joanna! Joanna was almost knocked down. She hid her tears and walked out of the ward! In the corridor, Derick happened toe back from shopping. When he saw Joanna, he looked like a wild beast that had lost control! He suddenly pounced forward and punched her. ¡°Joanna, how dare youe to the hospital?¡± Before he could hit Joanna, the bodyguards behind her had already rushed forward and pushed Derick away! ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t touch her!¡± the bodyguards warned Derick sternly! Bruce was very worried that something would happen to Joanna. Therefore, no matter where she went, he would get his bodyguards to follow her! Derick nced at the few strong bodyguards and did not dare to act rashly. He cursed again, ¡°Joanna, you caused my mother to go to jail and made our family suffer! ¡°Be careful! One day, I will let you get your retribution!¡± When Joanna heard this, he sneered angrily. He did not want to endure it anymore. ¡°Derick, Ingrid brought this upon herself!¡± ¡°What kind of retribution do you want me to get? If she didn¡¯t hire someone to kill me, why would she go to jail? ¡°She¡¯s harming herself in the end. She deserves it! She deserves to be punished by thew!¡± Derick choked, not knowing how to refute! ¡°Get lost! Don¡¯t let me see you again!¡± The bodyguard suddenly grabbed Derick¡¯s cor. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, watch your mouth and be more respectful to Ms. Haynes!¡± Derick¡¯s eyes narrowed and he did not dare to scold anymore. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I can¡¯t afford to offend you! ¡°We¡¯ll see. You¡¯ll never be able to enter the Haynes family¡¯s house again!¡± Joanna felt very tired! She did not want to say anything more to Derick¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± When the bodyguard heard this, he let go of Derick and escorted Joanna away! Downstairs in the hospital. As soon as Joanna appeared, before he could get into the car, arge group of entertainment reporters who were tracking him surrounded him like a tide! ¡°Miss Haynes, when will you remarry Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have noment!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, please say a few words! I heard that Miss Roxanne has gone crazy. Is this rumor true?¡± ¡°How many years has Ingrid been sentenced to for hiring a murderer?¡± ¡°Move aside, Miss Haynes will not be interviewed! The bodyguards went forward to stop the entertainment reporters from approaching! ¡°Move aside, don¡¯t block the way!¡± Under the escort of the bodyguards, Joanna got into the car and fled! Now, she waspletely afraid of the media! She was even more afraid of the media fabricating nonsense! When he returned to Reagan No. 8 Residence, it was already seven in the evening! Bruce had also returned from work. Seeing her dejected look, he hurriedly went forward and asked, ¡°Joanna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡­¡± ¡°Why do you look so pale?¡± ¡°I just went to see Dad!¡± ¡°Oh, is he alright?¡± Bruce asked lightly. Joanna sighed. ¡°He¡¯s very agitated now. He doesn¡¯t want to see me at all!¡± Bruce looked at her gently. ¡°Then let¡¯s not go over during this period of time!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated. However, Joanna was no longer able to continue. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just don¡¯t feel good!¡± ¡°Are you still worried that the media will spout nonsense?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get someone to suppress these negative news! I won¡¯t let them make up nonsense again!¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not say anything else. ¡°Do you want to go and take a look at Roxanne?¡± Bruce was stunned! Why did he want to see Roxanne? She had brought this upon herself! ¡°Roxanne is in a bad state now. I heard that¡­ after her uterus was removed, she won¡¯t be able to have children in the future!¡± Alter hearing this, Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°She deserves it! She¡¯s pitiful but she deserved it! She brought this upon herself! Don¡¯t feel too burdened. This has nothing to do with you!¡± ¡°But¡­ Bruce sighed. ¡°There are no buts. If you did something wrong, you should be punished!¡± Joanna did not say anything else after hearing that! If Roxanne was not rted to her by blood at all, she would not tolerate her harming her like thist But now, Roxanne was her half¨Csister after all! Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t think too much! We still have to live! ¡°Don¡¯t worry about others. Let¡¯s just live our own lives!¡± ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s talk about remarryingter!¡± ¡°Up to you!¡± Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Bruce¡¯s expression turned cold, and he felt vaguely ufortable! He could not figure out what Joanna was thinking, but he was certain that she did not want to remarry him! Joanna had yet to notice the change in Bruce. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll go upstairs and rest first!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Oh right, next Saturday, I happen to be free. Let¡¯s bring Lilia to Gaprington! I¡¯ve already made an appointment with the doctor over there!¡± ¡°Okay, I understand!¡± Joanna said and dragged his tired body upstairs! At the hospital. Roxanne woke up in a daze. It had been a week since she finished the surgery. The doctor had not told her about the removal of her uterus, so she thought she just had a miscarriage! ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re awake?¡± Seeing that she was awake, the care worker, Haylee, hurriedly went over to take care of her! Roxanne blinked weakly. She was still in hysteria. ¡°Mom, Mom¡­¡± Haylee quickly brought a ss of warm water over. ¡°Miss Haynes, have some water!¡± Roxanne rolled hier eyes slightly and became more awake. ¡°Where¡¯s my mother?¡± Haylee¡¯s face stiffened, and she stammered, ¡°Madam¡­ has already gone to prison!¡± Roxanne was stunned for a moment when she heard that. After a while, she came back to her senses! Her mother protected her and took all the me! Thinking of how her mother was going to be imprisoned for 15 years, Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but feel a lump in his throat! ¡°Mom, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s not good for your health! Don¡¯t be too sad! 15 years will pass very quickly. If Madam performs well, there¡¯s still a chance to reduce her sentence¡­¡± Before Haylee could finish, Roxanne cried even harder and struggled to sit up! However, the moment she moved her body, the lower half of her body was in so much pain that she could not take it anymore! She even had a drainage bag and catheter inserted into her body! ¡°Ouch! Why does my entire body hurt so much?¡± Haylee quickly went forward to hold her down. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t move. You¡¯re seriously injured!¡± The anesthetic effect on Roxanne¡¯s body had long passed, and her wound was in extreme pain. ¡°It hurts. Tell me quickly, what¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Haylee panicked and stammered, ¡°Miss, stop asking. Take care of yourself first!¡± ¡°Tell me now!¡± As they were talking, a nurse pushed open the door and walked in! ¡°Ms. Haynes, it¡¯s time to change the dressing!¡± As she spoke, she pushed a wheeled stretcher in! The wheeled stretcher was filled with medicine bottles and instruments. It was obvious that they were not instruments for changing the dressing for ordinary surgeries. ¡°Haylee, don¡¯t lie to me. Tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t think too much!¡± The nurse came to the head of the bed and observed the various equipment indexes. ¡°It¡¯s time to change the dressing!¡± ¡°Nurse, what¡¯s wrong with me? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be so agitated!¡± As the nurse spoke, she began to change her dressing! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Roxanne felt a sharp pain. Her intuition told her that it was not as simple as a miscarriage! ¡°Nurse, quickly tell me! What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Roxanne struggled and resisted, unwilling to cooperate with the nurse to change the dressing. Her uterus had been removed, and the wound was in the most obscure ce! If she didn¡¯t cooperate and change the dressing, the nurse really couldn¡¯t do anything! ¡°Ms. Haynes, you have to apply medicine every day. Otherwise, the wound infection will be very serious!¡± Roxanne moved slightly. She felt that his entire body was in so much pain that he could not take it anymore. He became agitated as well. ¡°Tell me quickly, tell me quickly!¡± Seeing that she was so agitated, the nurse did not dare to hide it anymore. ¡°Okay, okay, okay, I¡¯ll tell you!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you have to be mentally prepared! You underwent surgery and had your uterus removed!¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± The nurse¡¯s heart tightened and she did not dare to say anything else! ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, your uterus has been removed¡­¡± Boom! When Roxanne heard this, it was as if she had been struck by lightning. She was in a daze for a long time. ¡°No, impossible, impossible! ¡°Ouch!¡± Seeing this, Haylee quicklyforted her. ¡°Miss Haynes, calm down. You have to recuperate now!¡± ¡°My uterus is gone. What kind of woman am I?¡± When the nurse saw this, she hurriedly went out to call the doctor! Three minutester! Shaun and the doctor rushed over! Roxanne had already lost control of her emotions and smashed everything she could on the ground! ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t be so agitated. You have to take care of your own body!¡± ¡°Ah! Get lost, all of you!¡± Roxanne pulled her hair like a madman! She could ept the miscarriagel However, she could not ept the fact that her uterus had been removed! This also meant that she had lost the right to be a mother! ¡°Roxy, my daughter!¡± Shaun could not help but cry! ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t want to live anymore. Let me die¡­¡± ¡°Roxy, you must be strong!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. There are no obstacles that you can¡¯t ovee in life! You still have your parents. You¡¯re still young!¡± Roxanne could not listen at all. She hadpletely lost control of her emotions. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Hahaha!¡± Shaun was shocked. ¡°Roxy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s great! I don¡¯t have anything left! Everything I have has been snatched away by that slut Joanna!¡± Roxanne cried and cried. Suddenly, heughed maniacally like a lunatic! ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t scare Daddy. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Roxanne cried andugh. She looked like she had lost her mind.. ¡°Doctor,e quickly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te over! Don¡¯te over!¡± ¡°Hurry up and give her a tranquilizer!¡± ¡°Let me go! I don¡¯t want an injection. I want to leave the hospital. I want to find Brucel¡± ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t abandon me! I want to be Greyport¡¯s richest woman, Mrs. Everett. I can¡¯t live without you!¡± Roxanne lost control and spouted nonsense! Shaun was extremely worried. His heart was racing. ¡°Roxy, stop moving!¡± Two male doctors stepped forward and pressed Roxanne down. The nurse quickly injected her with a tranquilizer! ¡°Hurry up and stop her bleeding!¡± Roxanne went crazy and pulled out the catheter on her body. The wound was torn open again! Blood seeped out again, and the entire bedsheet was covered in blood! When Shaun saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°Roxy, my daughter! How can I bear to see you like this?¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s mental state has been stimted. Don¡¯t stimte her anymore!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± After the nurse injected Roxanne with a tranquilizer, she quickly fell asleep again! For the next few days, Roxanne¡¯s emotions were very unstable. She had to rely on tranquilizers every day! Shaun was even more worried that there was nothing he could do! The doctor had no choice but to suggest that Shaun find a psychiatrist for her. ¡°Mr. Haynes, if it really doesn¡¯t work out, after the patient recovers a little, we¡¯ll transfer her to psychological therapy!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Shaun had been in the hospital for more than 10 days! Today, he was going home to get some personal necessities. Who knew that after he had just left the hospital, arge group of entertainment reporters rushed up and over to interview him. ¡°Mr. Haynes, may I ask how Miss Roxanne is doing?¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne had a miscarriage. Why did he have to stay in so many hospitals?¡± ¡°Are Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett really going to remarry? Will you give your blessings?¡± In the face of the entertainment reporters¡® interview, Shaun said gloomily, ¡°Joanna and I are no longer father and daughter. She is the worst and most vicious woman in the world! ¡°She¡¯d better die. She¡¯s made life difficult for our family. I don¡¯t have a daughter like her!¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes, please say a few more words!¡± Shaun did not care about being embarrassed at all. He waved his hand and pushed away the entertainment reporters in front of him. ¡°Go away. I¡¯ve already said what I needed to say! Our the Haynes family is unlucky to have such a vicious daughter! ¡°From now on, Joanna and I are enemies!¡± ¡°What do you think about Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Also, was it really Mrs. Haynes who instigated the assassination of Miss Haynes?¡± Shaun said coldly, ¡°What¡¯s there to say? She was the one who snatched my sister¡¯s boyfriend six years ago! ¡°Now, she has caused her sister to be like this. With such a vicious heart, she is destined to not have a good ending! She will definitely get her retribution! ¡°As for the assassination, she deserves it! If I don¡¯t have to bear legal responsibility, I want to kill her too! ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve said everything that needs to be said! Go away!¡± Shaun pushed away the entertainment reporters, got into the car, and left! Soon, Shaun¡¯sments exploded on the inte! Shaun¡¯sments exploded on the inte! [Miss Haynes was used by his biological father of being cold¨Cblooded.] [Joanna¡¯s unscrupulous means to drive her sister crazy and became a disgrace to the family.] Joanna was cursed by her Father.] [Shaun hated his eldest daughter to the core and threatened to kill her.] Simr news instantly appeared on the front page¡­ Chapter 269 Chapter 269 The next day! When Joanna was heading off to work, she had just arrived downstairs! A bunch of entertainment reporters were already waiting downstairs at the Haynes Group! ¡°Miss Haynes, have you seen yesterday¡¯s news?¡± ¡°What do you think about Miss Roxanne¡¯s mental illness? Also, do you agree with the usations of your father?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She did not want to answer any questions! ¡°Get out of the way, get out of the way!¡± The bodyguards went forward to disperse the entertainment reporters! ¡°Miss Haynes, please say something¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get close, get out of the way!¡± The bodyguard stopped them stiffly! Joanna hurriedly walked towards thepany and entered thepany¡¯s elevator in a sorry state! In the conference room! The higher¨Cups of the Haynes Group had already arrived. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had also arrived early. ¡°Prepare for the meeting!¡± Mr. Roger sighed and said with a serious expression, ¡°Miss Haynes, there are a bunch of entertainment reporters surrounding thepany every day! They have beening to thepany every day for the past few days! This has seriously affected thepany¡¯s order!¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll get someone to deal with it!¡± Mr. Paul also frowned. ¡°This matter is very serious. Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t youy low?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Thepany¡¯s stock price has fallen drastically these few days. It¡¯s been falling to the limit for a few days! At this rate, our the Haynes Group¡¯s stock market is about to copse!¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne and Mr. Everett¡¯s matter has also caused a hugemotion! Why don¡¯t we quickly lower these negative news! The Haynes Group will suffer a huge loss!¡± When Joanna heard this, her brows furrowed tightly. ¡°I understand!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have the meeting first! We¡¯ll mainly talk about three questions today! First, thepany¡¯s image package. Second, thepany¡¯s online delivery problem¡­¡± Just as Joanna was speaking, the phone started vibrating! Joanna nced at it. The call was from Michael! ¡°I¡¯m sorry I have to take this call first! Cora, exin the contents of the meeting to everyone first!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Cora took over the content of the meeting and continued to talk! Joanna took her phone and left conference room! Usually, she would not answer the phone during a meeting! However, Michael called her so early in the morning. Something must have happened at the factory in Mossbourne again! Hello, Michael! What¡¯s the matter?¡± Michael¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, when are you free to come to the factory in Mossbourne?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°All the cooperating businesses have canceled their orders. The Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Fire Department. have alsoe to inspect one after another! They said that our factory¡¯s fire prevention is not up to standard and that we have to stop operations to rectify it!¡± ¡°How could this be? What¡¯s going on?¡± Michael said dejectedly. ¡°The partners are saying that our the Haynes Group¡¯s reputation has been damaged, so we¡¯ll temporarily terminate the cooperation!¡± ¡°Also, many workers have gone on strike!¡± ¡°What about Mr. Grimm? Isn¡¯t he at the factory these days?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm has called Venturas. I haven¡¯t been able to get through!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m aware!¡± ¡°Close the factory first and cooperate with the fire department! I¡¯ll make a trip to Mossbourne in two days!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± After Joanna hung up, she frowned and pondered for a few seconds! Then, she opened today¡¯s news! As soon as she opened the news app, a video of Shaun criticizing her in front of the camera popped up! In the video, her father¡¯s face was filled with hatred as he wanted to sever their father¨Cdaughter rtionship. He simply wanted to tear her into pieces. After reading the news, Joanna didn¡¯t know what to feel! Simr things had happened too many times! She was now immune to the media¡¯sments! She didn¡¯t want to care anymore and couldn¡¯t be bothered! It was six o¡¯clock in the evening. At Reagan No. 8 Residence! Joanna came back from work on time! ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Bruce arrived home before her. ¡°Yeah!¡± Bruce reminded her, ¡°It¡¯s Saturday the day after tomorrow. The ne tickets have been booked!¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go to thepany for the next few days. Rx! When we reach Gaprington, we can go on holiday as well¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood!¡± Bruce quietly observed Joanna. Davian and Irvin ran over happily to wee her. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What did you learn in school today?¡± Joanna asked casually. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot today! There¡¯s handiwork and painting!¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Davian and Irvin had already been arranged to enter the best noble kindergarten in Greyport! ¡°Are you used to the new school?¡± Irvin said happily, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a habit! It¡¯s even better than the kindergarten at Venturas!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Lilia can¡¯t go to kindergarten now! When Lilia recovers, let her go to kindergarten with us!¡± When Joanna heard this, he squeezed out a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! When Lilia recovers, she will definitely go to school with you!¡± Lilia also shouted happily, ¡°Mommy, are you off work?¡± ¡°Good girl! ¡°I¡¯m going to cook!¡± Bruce frowned and said, ¡°No need. Let the servants do it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m free today. I¡¯ll personally make some food for the children!¡± Davian smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great. I want to eat Mommy¡¯s dumplings!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°I want to eat spaghetti!¡± Bruce smiled at Joanna. Joanna looked at Bruce speechlessly! ¡°Why are you looking at me? It¡¯s rare for you to cook spaghetti for me. Do you feel wronged?¡± ¡°No!¡± Joanna put down her bag and went upstairs to change her clothes. Then, she entered the kitchen again! There were many servants in the Everett family. There was no need for her to do anything herself! However, she still took the time to make something for the children to eat! When cooking, her mood could also be calmer! Joanna silently cut the chicken. She had been thinking about something and had identally cut her hand! ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce heard it and quickly came over to check. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± 1 ¡°It¡¯s nothing! I identally cut my hand!¡± Bruce quickly grabbed her hand. ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re not careful at all! Hurry up and wrap a band¨Caid around it¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Let me handle this!¡± Joanna listened and looked at Bruce in surprise. ¡°Do you know how to cook?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Tsk, how can something that you know be difficult for me!¡± ¡°Alright, cut these chickens into pieces! Cut some ginger and put it in!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± While Bruce was working in the kitchen, Joanna went out to look for Band¨CAids! In the children¡¯s room! The two little guys were ying on theputer again. ¡°Davian, someone is insulting Mommy again tonight!¡± ¡°Humph, these big baddies think Mommy is easy to bully!¡± ¡°What should we do? Should we avenge Mommy?¡± ¡°Of course! We can¡¯t just watch Mommy get bullied!¡± ¡°Shaun is a big baddie. How dare he defame Mommy like this? We must teach him a lesson!¡± Irvin frowned. ¡°Davian, this fat uncle seems to be our grandfather!¡± ¡°If he treats Mommy like this, he¡¯s definitely not our grandfather! We don¡¯t want him to be our grandfather!¡± ¡°Yes, Davian. What do you n to do?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet!¡± ¡°cklist all these posts online!* ¡°So many!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. This website has the mostments. Let¡¯s just use this website!¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, it¡¯s time to eat. What are you guys doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re on our way!¡± ¡°You two brats, what are you sneaking around for again?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Be good, please don¡¯t!¡± ¡°We know! Mommy, don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy¡¯s dumplings is the best in the world!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eat a big bowl today.¡± ¡°I want a big bowl too!¡± ¡°Here¡¯s your spaghetti!¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Thank you, Honey!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him! At nine o¡¯clock in the evening. Joanna was about to go to bed. ¡°Bruce, why are you here again?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We¡¯re already living together. Can¡¯t we sleep together?¡± ¡°Bruce, my heart is in a mess right now. I want some peace and quiet!¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Joanna sighed deeply, not knowing what to say. The ¡°Why are you looking so sad?¡± ¡°I have something on my mind!¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t give yourself so much pressure! At the very least, you still have me!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing that you can¡¯t deal with if you please me.¡± Chapter 270 Chapter 270 When Joanna heard this, she felt disgusted in her heart. She really did not like Bruce¡¯s superiority! ¡°Bruce, can you stop saying such things in the future? I don¡¯t like to hear such words! ¡°I hope that we are equals. Please respect me in the future and don¡¯t put on such a high and mighty attitude!¡± Bruce choked. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. My bad! ¡°I respect you. I¡¯ll listen to you. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Since you listen to me, please sleep in the next room!¡± When Bruce heard this, his hawk¨Clike eyes turned cold. ¡°Joanna, I can¡¯t listen to you on this matter! ¡°We need to cultivate our rtionship again. If you keep resisting me like this, how are we going to cultivate our rtionship?¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you want?¡± Joanna was frustrated. She really did not have the energy to deal with him now. She did not want to have any physical contact with him. At least, she was really not in the mood now! Seeing that Joanna was so against him, Bruce felt extremely ufortable! This was the first time he was humble to a woman, and no one had ever resisted his goodwill like this! ¡°I don¡¯t want anything! Why are you so agitated?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you so much now. My heart is in a mess and I need peace!¡± ¡°Could you please get out of here!¡± Suddenly, Bruce¡¯s temper was ignited, and his tone was filled with anger. ¡°Joanna, my patience is limited!¡± After saying that, Bruce looked at Joanna gloomily! He had never been a good¨Ctempered man. Since he was young, everyone had listened to him, but no one had ever dared to give him face like this! Joanna choked on her anger and shrugged her arms helplessly. ¡°Alright! Since you want to sleep here, I¡¯ll go out!¡± Joanna turned around and walked out of the room! This actionpletely angered Bruce. Joanna, stop right there!¡± Joanna ignored him and walked out of the room! Bruce waspletely enraged. He suddenly lifted the nket and got off the bed! He caught up to Joanna in a few steps, grabbed her wrist, and pushed her back to the bed. ¡°Ah-¡± He was too strong. Joanna fell back onto the bed! Then, Bruce leaned over and pressed down on the bed! ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? Let go!¡± Joanna panicked and struggled to resist! Bruce pinned her arm firmly and frowned. ¡°Joanna, do you have to make me so angry?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone softened a little. ¡°I already said that I¡¯m not in a good mood now!¡± Tll give you three seconds to put away your emotions!¡± Bruce ordered gloomily. He couldn¡¯t stand her throwing a tantrum at him! He couldn¡¯t stand her rejecting his goodwill! Bruce was such an arrogant person, but he took the initiative to give others a way out! This was already something he wouldn¡¯t do for others, but Joanna did not know how to give him a way out! Joanna looked into Bruce¡¯s eyes with the same coldness! The more domineering he was, the more disgusted she was! His desire to control was too strong. Ordinary people could not stand it at all! ¡°Bruce, can you not be like this?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone turned cold. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be so shameless!¡± Joanna was so angry that her heart ached. Her chest heaved violently! Competing with Bruce was like throwing an egg at a rock! She was at a dsiadvantage no matter what ¡°Heh, alright! Don¡¯t you want to sleep with me? Come, I¡¯ll satisfy you!¡± Joanna was going all out. ** She pulled her hands away and took off his pajamas. She looked at Bruce with hatred and contempt! Seeing this, Bruce was so angry that he panted heavily! He loved her! To him, sex was a way to express his love! It was not just a need in that aspect! If he wanted a woman, he only needed to crook his finger. A lot of women would line up and fight to sleep with him! ¡°Joanna, you really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you!¡± Bruce got up from the bed angrily and walked out of the room with his long legs! ¡°Bang!¡± The door was pulled open with a loud bang! After Bruce left, Joanna¡¯s face was pale, and her heart was pounding! Bruce was really terrifying when he lost his temper. It was really tiring to get along with a violent and irritable man like him! Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. In the past, she could love him unconditionally and obey him unconditionally! But now, she really could not do it! Bruce walked out of the room and remained enraged. ¡°Mr. Everett, are ¡°Give me the keys!¡± going out?¡± ¡°Oh, okay?¡± The servant quickly went to get the car keys. Bruce drove a Lamborghini. He stepped on the elerator and drove out of the garage. Bruce took out his phone and called Zachary! Beep, beep, beep! The call was quickly picked up! ¡°Hey, Zachary!¡± Zachary¡¯s teasing voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hey, Mr. Everett, why did you call me today?¡± ¡°I thought you had forgotten me as your friend!¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°I¡¯m very annoyed now. I¡¯ll go over and drink with you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I have a few beauties here. All of them are the champions of the beauty pageant!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce drove straight to Zachary¡¯s nightclub! Half an hourter! Bruce arrived at Zachary¡¯s nightclub! This was Greyport¡¯s most luxurious and high¨Cend nightclub! Zachary had a special private room to receive his friends. Bruce entered the private room. There were already several beauties sitting in the dark private room! Other than them. there were also Zachary¡¯s other two good friends! ¡°Mr. Everett, what brought you over today? How many days has it been since youst came? I thought you had forgotten. about me!¡± Bruce did not say anything and sat down on the sofa! ¡°Let me introduce you¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for introductions. Everyone in Greyport knows Mr. Everett!¡± Zachary¡¯s two good friends immediately took the initiative to greet Bruce! ¡°Come on, keep Mr. Everettpany!¡± ¡°Let them go. I just want to drink!¡± Zachary was stunned! His two good friends were also stunned! They did not expect Mr. Everett to be so disrespectful! ¡°Alright then! You guys go first! We¡¯ll meet again another day!¡± ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll get going first!¡± After his friend left, Zachary smiled awkwardly. ¡°Look at you. Every time youe out to y, you always have a droopy face!¡± ¡°It¡¯s more fun with more people! Come on and drink with Mr. Everett!¡± Zachary waved his hand and called a few beauties over. ¡°No need, let them go out too!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t even raise his head. He was currently annoyed and didn¡¯t have the mood to look at beauties! ¡°Mr. Everett, these six beauties are all national treasures. Are you really not going to choose two?¡± ¡°No need!¡± ¡°Treally don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. You don¡¯t even like such a good beauties!¡± Bruce poured a ss of wine and leaned against the sofa with his long legs crossed. ¡°I¡¯m so annoyed today. I just want to drink!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll apany you!¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s boring without a woman present! Let them stay and drink with us!¡± Bruce did not refuse again. It could be considered as tacit consent. ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you pulling a long face? I¡¯ll y dice with you!¡± Zachary looked at a beautiful woman. ¡°Go and sing a song for Mr. Everett to liven things up!¡± ¡°Kelly, do a hot dance to relieve Mr. Everett¡¯s boredom!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± In less than 10 minutes! The atmosphere in the private room became lively, exuding an extravagant aura! These beauties were all the strongest socialites and were best at pleasing men! Unless the man did not step into this ce! Once he stepped into this ce, it was equivalent to stepping into and of paradise. Who could sit still? There was no need to talk about morals. A person of his status was too experienced! ¡°Mr. Everett is too skilled. I can¡¯t even beat you!¡± A scantily d beauty snuggled in Bruce¡¯s arms, trying her best to make him happy. Another beauty also leaned over. ¡°Mr. Everett, let¡¯s have another drink!¡± Bruce drank more than 10 sses of alcohol in a row and was already a little drunk: Zachary took out his phone and called his sister! ¡°Hello, Zachary, why are you calling me sote at night?¡± ¡°Jennie, Mr. Everett is at the nightclub now. Do you want toe and y?¡± On the other end of the line, Jennie¡¯s surprised voice sounded. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like Mr. Everett is in a bad mood and drank a lot!¡± ¡°Zachary, I¡¯ll be there right away! You must make Bruce stay!¡± Jennie suppressed the joy in her heart! ¡°Yes! Come quickly!¡± Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Eleven o¡¯clock in the evening! It was also the busiest time for nightclubs! The door of the private room was pushed open, and a tall, fashionable, and beautiful woman walked over! ¡°Zachary! Jennie walked in leisurely! Jennie, Bruce is drunk! Hurry up and take care of him!¡± ¡°Oh, oh, got it!¡± ¡°Bruce, Jennie is here!¡± With a smile, Jennie walked towards Bruce. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s up? Why are you here to entertain yourself? ¡°Did you have a conflict with Joanna?¡± Bruce smiled and did not say anything! Jennie walked to his side and sat down beside him! The beauties tactfully moved aside! ¡°Jennie, why are you here?¡± ¡°I heard from my brother that you were drinking alone here, so I specially came over to take a look! ¡°Coincidentally, I can¡¯t sleep either. I also want toe out and have fun!¡± ¡°What are you guys ying? Count me in!¡± A beautiful woman smiled and said. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s great. We¡¯re ying dice now!¡± When Jennie heard this, she joined in with interest. ¡°Come,e,e, continue ying! It¡¯s more fun with more people!¡± The few beauties started shouting and ying again! Under the stimtion of the atmosphere, Bruce and Zachary also started ying! After a few rounds, Jennie kept on losing! ¡°Five!¡± ¡°Six!¡± ¡°You lose!¡± ¡°s, I lost again!¡± Jennie looked vexed! ¡°Bruce, drink for me!¡± Bruce¡® was already a little drunk. ¡°I¡¯ve already helped you drink two sses. What¡¯s the point of losing without drinking?¡± Jennie shook his arm and said coquettishly, ¡°Bruce, drink for me onest time!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright, onest time!¡± Bruce said and drank another cup for Jennie. Zachary, get two more bottles of wine. We must drink to our heart¡¯s content today!¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce immediately refused. ¡°No, I can¡¯t drink anymore! It¡¯s gettingte today. It¡¯s time to go back!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only 12 o¡¯clock. Since you¡¯re here to y, aren¡¯t you going to enjoy yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Jennie has just arrived and you¡¯re already leaving. How disrespectful!¡± Jennie pestered Bruce and refused to let him go. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re going to y all night today. We won¡¯t go home until we¡¯re drunk!¡± ¡°Bruce, are you so anxious to go home because you¡¯re afraid that Joanna will check on you?¡± ¡°Hahaha, Mr. Everett is such a powerful person. Why would he be afraid of his wife?¡± the beauties also teased. Bruce insisted on standing up to leave. ¡°No, no, I really can¡¯t drink anymore!¡± Zachary patted his shoulder. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re too boring. Since you¡¯re here to have fun, why are you so worried?¡± ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s end at two o¡¯clock. Will that do?¡± Bruce had no choice but to agree. ¡°Alright!¡± Zachary opened another bottle of wine and everyone yed a few more rounds. Bruce was even drunker! ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t think I have your Messenger yet. Let¡¯s add each other on Messenger!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Bruce said as he took out his phone! ¡°You can add it yourself!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jennie happily took Bruce¡¯s phone! ¡°Oh my god, our phones are exactly the same. The models are all the same!¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± Bruceughed drunkenly and leaned against the sofa in a daze. Jennie took his hand and sessfully added him on Messenger. Then, they took a few more photos together! After taking the photo, Jennie looked up at Bruce. She saw that he was drunk and unconscious. She deliberately took his phone and posted it on his Instagram! She uploaded all the photos she took to his Instagram. In these photos, there were beautiful women surrounding him, and there were also photos of him hugging Jennie¡¯s shoulder! After posting on his Instagram, Jennie smiled smugly! When Joanna saw Bruce¡¯s Instagramter, she would definitely be furious! It would be best if she made a scene with Bruce and broke up with him! At Reagan No. 8 Residence! It was past midnight and Bruce still hadn¡¯t returned after he left. Joanna was a little worried. After asking the servants, she found out that he drove out alone and did not even bring his bodyguards! She was even more worried! Then, she took out her phone and was about to call him! After turning on the phone, she habitually scrolled through her Instagram! When she scrolled through it, she realized that Bruce had actually posted something on Instagram. He was someone who did not post on his Instagram even once in ten thousand years! Of course, there were very few people who followed him! Curious, Joanna clicked on Instagram and saw that Bruce was drunk and hugging a few beauties on his left and right. He was very happy! ¡°Cough!¡± Joanna choked on her breath! She knew that Bruce was a yboy! A dog couldn¡¯t change its spots. How could a person like him focus on her? Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang! Jennie saw that it was Joanna calling and quietly hung up! The call was cut off, and Joanna was even more furious! She sent him another Messenger. ¡°Bruce, where are you?¡± Hearing the Messenger notification. Bruce jolted. ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± ¡°Oh, Bruce, bad news!¡± ¡°I took the wrong phone. I wanted to post something on my Instagram, but I didn¡¯t expect to post it to yours!¡± Bruce was still unclear about the situation and casually said, ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Bruce immediately took the phone. Coincidentally, Joanna called again! ¡°Hey!¡± Joanna¡¯s cold voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bruce, where are you now?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna did not speak. Her chest heaved violently! Then, she hung up! ¡°Crazy!¡± Bruce cursed resentfully! However, he was still afraid that Joanna would be angry! After all, when this damn woman was angry, she was really willing to do anything! Her personality was even more stubborn and unyielding. Four years ago, when the two of them divorced, she left for four years without any news! He was really a little afraid of such a woman! Bruce took a look at Joanna¡¯s message. At the same time, he saw his Instagram! ¡°Who posted this?¡± Jennie hurriedly said apologetically, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry! I took the wrong phone just now. I thought it was my phone, so I wanted to post it on my Instagram! ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be your phone!¡± Bruce was stunned. He hurriedly opened his Instagram to take a look! It was a photo of him and a few beauties! No wonder Joanna had called. She must have thought that he was out and at it again like old times. This photo was filled with an ambiguous aura. There was no way to exin it! Bruce stood up and walked out without looking back! ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and directly left the private room! Jennie hurriedly chased after him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re drunk. You can¡¯t drive. I¡¯ll send you back!¡± ¡°No need!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to go back?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened and he did not say anything. He hated it the most when others schemed against him! He called the driver directly! ¡°Kody,e and pick me up immediately!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Be there in 15 minutes!¡± Bruce said and sent a location! ¡°Got it!¡± It was one o¡¯clock in the evening! At Reagan No. 8 Residence! Bruce came back reeking of alcohol! The door was locked from the inside! ¡°Knock, knock!¡± Bruce knocked on the door a few times. Joanna did not open the door. She had already decided to move out tomorrow! She would rather be single for the rest of her life than be with such a yboy! She could already imagine that even if they remarried in the future, he would probably cheat on her and raise a lover! Her heart was already in pieces. She could no longer withstand these blows! Joanna, open the door! Open the door!¡± ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡± Bruce knocked on the door a few more times! Unfortunately, no matter how hard he knocked on the door. Joanna refused to open the door for him! ¡°Joanna, 1 know you¡¯re still awake. Open the door! ¡°I went out to drink just now, but I only drank! I didn¡¯t do anything else! ¡°I didn¡¯t post anything on my Instagram. Someone else took the wrong phone! ¡°Hurry up and open the door. Let me exin!¡± Joanna did not seem to hear him. She did not open the door for him nor did she answer! Bruce breathed out the smell of alcohol. He was so angry that his head hurt! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Only now did he realize that Joanna¡¯s temper was really stubborn and unyielding! Moreover, she really refused to give in! If he did anything wrong, she really would not forgive him! ¡°If you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯ll kick it open!¡± ¡°Knock, knock!¡± Bruce knocked on the door until it shook! Chapter 272 Chapter 272 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 272 The servants were all woken up by the noise. Davian and Irvin were also woken up! The two little fellows came out of the children¡¯s room in their pajamas in a daze! ¡°Hurry up and open the door. If you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯ll knock it down!¡± ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce red at him coldly. ¡°Take the children back to sleep!¡± The servants¡® hearts skipped a beat and they quickly replied, ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, go back to your room and sleep!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Is Daddy bullying Mommy?¡± Davian¡¯s little face that was like a milk bun exuded a childish and fierce aura! If Daddy dared to bully Mommy, he would definitely teach Daddy a lesson. Bruce waspletely drunk. He kicked the door a few times. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll count 123. If you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯ll really be angry!¡± Irvin¡¯s son was so frightened that he did not dare to breathe. ¡°Davian, what¡¯s wrong with Daddy?¡± The servants went forward and wanted to carry the two little fellows away. ¡°Davian, Irvin, hurry up and go back to your room to sleep!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sleeping. We have to protect Mommy!¡± In the room! Joanna originally wanted to ignore him, but seeing how fierce he was! If she didn¡¯t open the door for him, he would probably tear down the house! Swoosh! The door was pulled open from the inside! Bruce was about to kick the door when it opened. He staggered and almost fell to the ground! This made him even angrier! ¡°Joanna, do you have a fucking death wish?¡± Seeing how drunk he was, Joanna¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Bruce, are you going to let me sleep?¡± Davian was very worried that his mommy would be bullied. He looked at Joanna anxiously. ¡°Mommy, did Daddy bully you¡­¡± Joanna took a deep breath and tried her best to calm herself down. ¡°Be good. The two of you, go back and sleep!¡± ¡°Lilian, take Davian and Irvin back to sleep!¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± The two servants did not dare to dy and hurriedly carried Davian and Irvin away! After the children was taken away! With bloodshot eyes and reeking of alcohol, Bruce pushed Joanna into the room! Joanna staggered and almost fell to the ground! ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Joanna, you really make me angry! I think you just need to be taught a lesson!¡± As he spoke, Bruce suddenly took off his tie and shirt and threw them on the ground. Seeing this. Joanna¡¯s face turned pale and she hurriedly took a few steps back. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re drunk. Don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Before she could run away, Bruce had already pounced on her like an eagle catching a chick! ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna shouted in shock. Bruce had already picked her up by the waist and thrown her onto the bed! ¡°Bruce, if you touch me, I¡¯ll move out tomorrow!¡± Rip! Joanna¡¯s silk pajamas were torn apart! Bruce was infuriated as he blocked Joanna¡¯s lips. ¡°Ah, no!¡± The strong smell of alcohol made her want to throw up! Joanna tried her best to avoid his forceful kiss! Unfortunately, Bruce had always been domineering. After drinking, he became even more violent. ¡°Ah! Let go-¡± An hourter! Only then did the anger in Bruce dissipate a little! Joanna was trembling all over. Shey weakly under the nket and did not even have the strength to cry! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. The next day! After Bruce woke up, he still felt dizzy. He had indeed drunk a little too muchst night, and he was still feeling ufortable all over! He was the only one on the bed. No one knew when Joanna had left the bed! Recalling how irritable he wasst night, Bruce pped his forehead in frustration! He had promised her that he would not use force on her again! He was drunkst night and in a fit of anger, he broke his promise again! got up, put on his clothes, and hurried downstairs! ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett!¡± The servants greeted him respectfully! Bruce frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna?¡± ¡°Madam went out early in the morning!¡± ¡°Did she say where she went?¡± ¡°She said he was going to work!¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a little uneasy! He was afraid that Joanna would really be angry!! This dann woman was very difficult to coax when she was angry! Thinking of this, Bruce hurriedly took out his phone and called Joanna! Beep, beep, beep! A dull busy tone came from the receiver! Needless to say, she must had gone to Mossbourne again or gone overseas! Joanna, where are you now? Call me back!¡± Bruce sent her Messenger voice message! Half an hourter, there was still no response! Bruce made a couple of calls but no one answered ¡°This damn woman isn¡¯t answering her phone again!¡± Bruce was so angry that he gritted his teeth! Other than Joanna, no one had ever ignored his call! Joanna, tomorrow is Saturday. I¡¯ve already booked a flight to Gaprington! Where are you now? Hurry up and reply to me!¡± For the entire morning, Joanna didn¡¯t answer his calls or reply to his messages! Bruce was angry and anxious. His heart felt like a volcano that could erupt at any moment! The more she refused to listen to his calls, the more frustrated he became, and the more he called her! Beep, beep, beep! Bruce called Andy¡­ Andy saw that Bruce had called and hurriedly answered, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett, what is it?¡± ¡°Andy, check Joanna¡¯s cell phone location immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Chapter 273 Chapter 273 After Andy hung up, he quickly went to the engineering department to check the location of Joanna¡¯s phone! Mark was in charge of the engineering department. Seeing Andy¡¯s serious expression, he asked curiously, ¡°Did Mr. Everett give an instruction?¡± ¡°He got me to check the location of Miss Haynes¡¯s phone. Hurry up and check it!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Mark checked the location and said teasingly, ¡°Tsk, isk, tsk. Looks like Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes are at odds again!¡± ¡°Last night, Mr. Everett posted something on his Instagram. Did you see it?¡± Andy was also in disbelief. ¡°I saw it. Why would Mr. Everett post something like that on his Instagram? I really don¡¯t understand. Isn¡¯t it obvious that he wants Miss Haynes to be jealous!¡± Mark added. ¡°I also find it strange. Someone who hardly posted anything on his Instagram actually posted a photo of him drinking with a pretty girl yesterday! ¡°He even hooked arms with the eldest daughter of the Garcia family. Those who don¡¯t know might think that the two of them are officially announcing their rtionship! ¡°I guess Miss Haynes saw it too. That¡¯s why she had a fight with Mr. Everett today!¡± ¡°Stop talking. Have you found anything?¡± ¡°Found it!¡± ¡°Hurry up and send it to Mr. Everett. If you¡¯rete, Mr. Everett will lose his temper again!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Mark did not dare to dy and hurriedly sent the location to Bruce! Bruce took a look at the location! As expected, Joanna went to the factory in Mossbourne! ¡°Kody, prepare the car immediately and follow me to Mossbourne!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce suppressed the anger in his heart and brought the driver and bodyguards to Mossbourne to look for Joanna! He was just that stubborn. His desire to control was just that strong! The more Joanna wanted to hide, the more he wanted to find her. Meanwhile, at Mossbourne. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Joanna came to the factory in Mossbourne carly in the morning! Now that the factory was in trouble again, several partners had canceled their cooperation! Other than that, the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Fire Department also took turns toe knocking on her door! Joanna brought Michael and Cora to meet a few corperate partners! It was two o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Bruce rushed to the factory in Mossbourne aggressively! ¡°Who are you? Do you have a work pass?¡± The security guard at the door was an old man in his fifties! He did not know Bruce and had never seen hime to the factory! Therefore, when they saw Bruce and the others walking straight to the factory, they hurriedly went forward to stop them! ¡°Do you have a work pass? You can¡¯te in without a work pass. When Bruce heard this, he straightened his back. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Joanna!¡± The security guard looked at Bruce suspiciously. Seeing that he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes and looked serious, he thought that he was selling insurance! After all, in his impression, insurance sellers wore suits all year round and dressed like business elites, but in fact, they were selling insurance. Joanna is our chairman. If you want to see her, you have to make an appointment!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! Who are you?¡± The security guard was from another province. He really didn¡¯t know Bruce! He was an old man and came from a small vige. How could he recognize someone powerful like Bruce? Bruce choked in anger! Andy cleared his throat and introduced solemnly, ¡°This is Mr. Everett!¡± The security guard red at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care what kind of boss you are. You can¡¯t enter without a work pass!¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Bruce was so angry that heughed! Andy subconsciously adjusted his sses. ¡°This is Mr. Everett. Miss Haynes is his girlfriend!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do either. You have to show your work pass!¡± The security guard was unreasonable! He muttered inwardly, ¡®Are insurance sellers so daring these days?¡± Bruce had lost his temper and walked straight in! ¡°Stop right there!¡± The bodyguards behind Bruce immediately stopped the old man! Bruce entered the factory and walked aggressively towards the administrative office! In the administrative office! Bruce walked in with a gloomy expression! There were more than ten clerks in the office who were typing up documents! They looked up in a daze and saw a super handsome man enter. Everyone was dumbfounded! ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna?¡± The clerks looked at each other. They had been working here for almost six months, but they had never seen Miss Haynes! ¡°Oh, wait a moment! I¡¯ll get our manager over!¡± a clerk said and quickly called Nichs! Nichs heard that someone was looking for Joanna and hurriedly came out of the office! ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you here?¡± After seeing Bruce, Nichs was dumbfounded! He never expected Mr. Everett toe here! ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna?¡± Nichs¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, ¡°Miss Haynes isn¡¯t at the factory. She went out to meet a clicht!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. ¡°Her phone¡¯s location shows that she¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Haynes¡¯s phone is here, but she¡¯s gone out!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in anger! It seemed that Joanna knew that he would look for her! She also knew that he would use her phone¡¯s location to look for her everywhere, so she deliberately left her phone in the factory. She was not in the factory at all! ¡°Where is she now?¡± Nichs smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that!¡± ¡°Then who is she with?¡± ¡°Oh. Mr. Lawrence and Cora apanied Miss Haynes to meet clients!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and left the office! ¡°Wow, who is this man? He looks like a celebrity! He¡¯s so handsome!¡± A clerk could not help but be infatuated! ¡°He¡¯s Mr. Everett! Miss Haynes¡¯s ex¨Chusband!¡± ¡°Ah? Gosh, Miss Haynes¡¯s ex¨Chusband is so handsome! He¡¯s so handsome. Why does she still want a divorce?¡± The new clerk was from the north, so she naturally didn¡¯t know about Greyport¡¯s upper¨Css. ¡°Heh, look at how ignorant you are. Mr. Everett is Greyport¡¯s richest man! Greyport¡¯s most awesome man!¡± ¡°Wow, Miss Haynes is really lucky!¡± The few clerks could not help but sigh! ¡°Don¡¯t be infatuated. That¡¯s a man you¡¯ll never get!¡± Bruce left the office and called Cora directly! Beep, beep, beep! When Cora heard the phone ring, she picked it up and looked at it. She was so frightened that her face turned pale! ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s Mr. Everett!¡± Joanna was negotiating with a client when her face darkened. ¡°Ignore him!¡± After saying that, she continued to talk to the client! ¡°Mr. Zaborski, do you think this project is still negotiable?¡± Opposite her sat a middle¨Caged man with sparse hair. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to give you a chance! But now, business is really too difficult! Chapter 278 Mossbourne¡¯s users are very concerned about the brand¡¯s reputation!¡± Joanna paused. ¡°Our reputation has always been very good!¡± I know, but your corporate image is really bad!¡± ¡°Can you give us another chance to work together?¡± Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Mr. Zaborski thought about it for a moment. ¡°Seeing how sincere Miss Haynes is. I¡¯ll go back and discuss it with my boss!¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll wait for your good news!¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s any news!¡± ¡°This is my new business card. You can call this number!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Beep, beep, beep! Cora¡¯s phone vibrated wildly again! ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is calling again. Please answer it!¡± ¡°You know Mr. Everett¡¯s temper! It won¡¯t be good if he gets angry!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and her face turned extremely gloomy! Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Last night, no matter how much she begged, he was unmoved! He tormented her for more than an hour! Until now, her entire body felt weak and ufortable! She had already made up her mind not to return to Room Reagan No. 8 Residence! Even if she couldn¡¯t stay in Greyport anymore, she would shift the focus of her career to Mossbourne! Beep, beep, beep! Cora¡¯s phone rang again! Cora¡¯s expression was solemn as he said, ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯d better take it!¡± ¡°Answer the call! Tell him I¡¯ve already gone back!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Cora braced herself and replied. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce¡¯s extremely cold voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering your phone?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t hear it just now. I¡¯m really sorry!¡± ¡°What about Joanna?¡± ¡°Mm, Miss Haynes, she¡­¡± Cora looked at Joanna in panic! Joanna gestured for her not to say anything! Cora took a deep breath and stuttered, ¡°Miss Haynes, she, she went to the washroom!¡± ¡°Give her the phone immediately. I need to talk to her about something!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was filled with anger! ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett, please wait a moment!¡± Cora looked at Joanna helplessly and gestured for her to answer the call! Joanna pursed her lips and still took the phone! Hello, Bruce. What¡¯s the matter?¡± When he heard Joanna¡¯s voice, Bruce could no longer control his temper! He had been calling her since morning and had already called no less than a hundred times. He hated it the most when others did not answer his calls! Joanna, are you fucking deaf? I called you so many times, why didn¡¯t you answer?¡± Joanna was also filled with anger. ¡°Bruce, did you call to argue with me?¡± Bruce roared into the phone, ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯ll give you 20 minutes to get back here!¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already thought it through. I want to move out of Reagan No. 8 Residence! It¡¯s best if we live separately!¡± When Bruce heard this, the anger in his heart surged to the top of his head. ¡°Joanna, I dare you say that again!¡± Joanna replied angrily, ¡°I said, I don¡¯t want to be with you. Let¡¯s separate for the time being!¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds. He tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart and tried his best to soften his tone. ¡°What happenedst night was my fault! ¡°I went back on my word. I shouldn¡¯t have forced you! I¡¯ll apologize to you. Will that do?¡± This was the first time he had backed down and admitted his mistake! However, Joanna did not ept his apology at all. ¡°Bruce, this is not about the apology! It¡¯s just that there¡¯s no way for us to continue living together! ¡°Let¡¯s all calm down for a while!¡± ¡°Are you breaking up with me?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever gotten back together. How can we break up?¡± ¡°Heh, Joanna, are you serious?¡± Bruce frowned slightly, feeling extremely ufortable. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious!¡± Joanna replied coldly. Bruce¡¯s angerpletely dissipated. Her tone softened. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance. Take back what you just said. I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear what you¡¯ve just said!¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds before saying solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re really notpatible! ¡°If we continue to be together, we¡¯ll just be torturing each other! It¡¯s better to suffer short¨Cterm pain than long¨Cterm pain. Let¡¯s be friends again!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was stunned for a long time! This feeling of defeat made him furious from embarrassment! At the same time, it made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave! He had never been rejected like this before! ¡°Joanna, the ne tickets have been booked. We¡¯ll go to Gaprington tomorrow! Can we talk about this after we¡¯ve treated Lilia?¡± Joanna fell silent! Indeed, there was nothing more important than treating her daughter¡¯s illness! Bruce calmed down and said gently, ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯ll pick you up immediately!¡± No need, I¡¯m not going back tonight!¡± ¡°See you at the airport first thing in the morning!¡± Bruce pleaded, ¡°No, I want to see you now!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re making me feel suffocated. Can you give me some space?¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t test me! I¡¯m at the factory now. I¡¯ll give you 20 minutes. Come back immediately! ¡°If I don¡¯t see you in 20 minutes, I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more agitated and uneasy. ¡°Bruce, can you not be like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you for 20 minutes. See for yourself!¡± Bruce said and hung up! Chapter 275 Chapter 275 ¡°Hello, hello¡­ Joanna called a few times. Bruce had already hung up! This lunatic!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you go back quickly! Seeing how urgent Mr. Everett is looking for you, it might really be an urgent matter!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and was furious. ¡°What kind of urgent matter does he have? That¡¯s just his personality!¡± After Bruce hung up, he smoked one cigarette after another! His cold and distinct face looked as if it was covered in frost. It made people shiver just by looking at him! Andy, Kody, and the others were even more afraid. They did not even dare to breathe loudly! They knew that when Bruce was angry, he could explode at any time. 10 minutes had passed! Bruce subconsciously nced at his watch and his heart ached! He felt that he could no longer subdue this damn woman! His orders and dignity had already lost their power to her. Another ten minutes passed, but Joanna still hadn¡¯t returned. Bruce had already smoked half a box of cigarettes. His heart was burning! He had already given the order just now and was only waiting for her for 20 minutes. Now, it was time! ¡°Heh, damn woman, you¡¯re really brave!¡± Bruce threw the cigarette end on the ground! ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Greyport!¡± ¡°/yes. Mr. Everett!¡± Andy hurriedly opened the door for Bruce. Bruce was about to get into the car with a gloomy expression! Suddenly, amercial car drove towards the factory entrance! From the looks of it, Joanna had returned! ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes is back. I think it¡¯s Miss Haynes¡¯s car!¡± Bruce looked up at the time. 25 minutes had passed! This damn woman was five minuteste. ¡°It¡¯s really Miss Haynes, Miss Haynes has already gotten off!¡± Kody confirmed! Bruce sat in the car and finally heaved a sigh of relief. Although she was five minuteste, he had still returned. Joanna had already walked to the car angrily. She knocked on the window and said angrily, ¡°Bruce, why are you looking for me so urgently?¡± Bruce rolled down the window with a straight face! ¡°You¡¯rete!¡± Joanna choked in anger. ¡°There¡¯s a traffic jam on the road. The driver was already going as fast as he could! I can¡¯t fly back!¡± When this damn bastard threw a tantrum, she couldn¡¯t stand it! Therefore, she could only rush back. Chapter 275 Bruce looked up and ordered, ¡°Get in!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t finished my work yet¡­¡± ¡°I said get in the car!¡± Joanna frowned and got into the car resentfully! ¡°Kody, you get off as well!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± the driver replied and quickly got out of the car! Joanna looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± Bruce hid his emotions, but he could not help but wrap his arms around her and hug her tightly! He was so worried that she really wouldn¡¯te back just now. He was even more worried that she really didn¡¯t care about his feelings! Joanna was stunned. She tried her best to push him away. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bruce held her tightly in his arms and said angrily and hatefully. ¡°You damn woman, do you have to piss me off like that? ¡°I called you so many times. Why didn¡¯t you answer? Do you know how worried I was?!¡± Joanna punched his shoulder a few times. ¡°Let go of me. Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Last night, he had tormented her so fiercely! She was still filled with anger and would definitely not forgive him easily! Bruce tightened his arms and hugged her even tighter! She belonged to him. She could forget about leaving him for the rest of her life! ¡°Mm, what are you doing?¡± Bruce leaned forward and kissed her lips fiercely! Joanna struggled violently. Unfortunately, the more she struggled, the more fiercely Bruce kissed her! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Joanna knew his temper very well and did not dare to struggle anymore! Around five minutester! Seeing that she was no longer struggling, Bruce finally let go of her! ¡°Are we still breaking up?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you¡­ Ah¡­¡± Joanna wanted to scold him! Unfortunately, his kissnded again, suffocating her! ¡°Mmm¡­. Let go of me. Can¡¯t we just talk this out¡­¡± Joanna whimpered! Bruce held his breath, but his arms still trapped her in his arms! ¡°Tell me, do you still want to break up?¡± Joanna¡¯s brain was deprived of oxygen from his kiss. Her entire body went limp, and tears of grievance and anger could not help but fall! ¡°You bastard, I hate you!¡± Seeing that she was crying. Bruce¡¯s tone softened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry forst night. I won¡¯t do it again! As long as you don¡¯t agree, 1 definitely won¡¯t touch you!¡± Then let go now!¡± ¡°If you forgive me, I¡¯ll let go!¡± ¡°No way, you bastard. You went back on your word!¡± Joanna was so angry that she kept on crying! Bruce stopped talking and hugged her even tighter. He wished he could fuse her into him. Joanna, I love you! Let¡¯s forget about the past! Let¡¯s start over! ¡°Give me a chance, and also give yourself a chance! I know I have a bad temper and haven¡¯t done many things well enough! ¡°I¡¯m neither a good husband nor a good man! But I¡¯m willing to change for you, and I¡¯m willing to learn how to be a good husband and a good father!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was low and attractive, making one¡¯s body go weak! Chapter 276 Chapter 276 Joanna looked at him in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief! It was really not easy for such an arrogant person like him to say such things! However, she would not be easily deceived by the sweet words of this kind of scumbag, who was a repeat offender and had a criminal record! After all, sweet nothings were the cheapest method to flirt with girls! Joanna was no longer a teenage girl and was long past the age where she would be fooled by such methods. ¡°Say something. Why are you looking at me suspiciously like that? Do you think I can¡¯t do it? Or do you think I¡¯m a scumbag who can¡¯t change for the rest of my life?¡± Bruce, who was self¨Caware, asked. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know!¡± Joanna replied angrily, but her expression clearly softened! ¡°I. Bruce, always keep my word! Give me a year. If I really can¡¯t do it, we¡¯ll break up then. I won¡¯t pester you anymore!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t reply! If Bruce could truly change, if he could truly do as he said, then of course Joanna was willing to love him! After all, this was the man she had loved for more than ten years, the man who had left a mark on her heart! It was just that it hurt too much to love him, so she did not dare to love him anymore! ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll take it that you agree!¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he smiled teasingly. Joanna¡¯s beautiful face was very tense. She said angrily, ¡°Then can you let go of me now?¡± Bruce leaned his face in front of hers again. ¡°Kiss me and I¡¯ll let go of you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re mad!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll punish you every time you scold me in the future! I¡¯ll reward you every time you kiss me!¡± When Joanna heard this, she instantly exploded again. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so childish?¡± ¡°You just said that you¡¯re willing to change for me! Why are you still so domineering and demanding?¡± Bruce was stunned! It couldn¡¯t be helped. He was used to giving orders and couldn¡¯t change his ways in such a short period of time! ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I take back what I said just now! Could you kiss me still?¡± Joanna pushed his face away. ¡°No, don¡¯t be so annoying! You¡¯re being way too mushy. I have goosebumps all over!¡± ¡°No, if you don¡¯t kiss me, I¡¯ll kiss you!¡± Joanna had no choice but to bite the bullet and kiss Bruce on the cheek! Bruce was really difficult to deal with! If she angered him, he might use force on her again! Joanna was not willing to endure his ¡°storm¡± again. Bruce smiled in satisfaction and released her! ¡°Let¡¯s go home!¡± Chapter 276 Joanna tidied up her messy hair. ¡°I still have something on today. I can¡¯t go back with you!¡± ¡°We¡¯re flying to Gaprington tomorrow. We have to go back and prepare our luggage. What¡¯s more important than catching. the ne tomorrow?¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned deeply. ¡°Sigh, there¡¯s a problem with the factory now! I want to stay and deal with it!¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s so troublesome, you might as well not do it! Come home and take care of your family in peace. How much money can you earn here? I can just give it to you directly!¡± When Joanna heard this, she choked in anger. ¡°Bruce, can you not interfere with my career?¡± ¡°What¡¯s yours is yours, and what¡¯s mine is mine! Even without you, I can live well and earn enough money!¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Ah, okay, okay, okay. You¡¯re a strong woman. I won¡¯t interfere with you, okay?! I know you¡¯re the best, and you don¡¯t care. about my silly money!¡± After saying that, Bruce could not help but sneer internally! He truly did not understand. How much time was Joanna going to waste? Such a small and lousy factory could not make much money in a year! Wasn¡¯t it better to guard him, a God of Fortune, instead of insisting on asking for trouble? Joanna was toozy to argue with him. She opened the car door and said, ¡°I¡¯m getting out! You can go back first!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. Since there¡¯s a problem with your factory, why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ll help you solve it!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve already said not to interfere with my career!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll wait for you here!¡± ¡°Suit yourself!¡± Joanna said, exited the car, and walked towards the factory. Bruce also got out of the car and followed behind her like ackey! Seeing this, Andy and Kody could not help but wipe their cold sweat. ¡°Did Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes reconcile again?¡± ¡°That goes without saying. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to bootlick like this!¡± Mark could not help but say teasingly! Bruce and Joanna were in the car. Although Andy and Kody couldn¡¯t hear what Bruce and Joanna were saying, they could tell from Bruce and Joanna¡¯s bodynguage that Joanna had the upper hand. ¡°Hehe, I thought Mr. Everett would fly into a rage! I didn¡¯t expect it to pass over so quickly!¡± Andy said with lingering fear. ¡°Sigh, only Miss Haynes dares to throw a tantrum at Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°This is really strange. Has Mr. Everett changed? He¡¯s so dedicated and gentle to Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Looks like Miss Roxanne haspletely be a thing of the past! I heard Miss Roxanne was mentally agitated and has already been sent to a mental sanatorium for treatment!¡± When Mark heard this, he could not help but sigh again. ¡°Miss Haynes is the tougher of them. Miss Roxanne is no match for her!¡± Chapter 277 Chapter 277 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 277 At a mental sanatorium! Roxanne was mentally agitated and had been sent to a hospital specialized in treating mental and psychological illnesses! ¡°Bruce, these are the twins I gave birth to for you. Look at how much they look just like you!¡± ¡°Bruce, you haven¡¯t named them yet!¡± Roxanne hugged two pillows and smiled happily! Shaun watched from the side and felt an indescribable heartache! His beloved daughter, his little princess that he was so proud of, had now be a raving mad lunatic! He could not ept such a let¨Cdown! ¡°Roxy¡­ Dad is so sorry!¡± Shaun could not help but wipe his tears with his sleeve! Roxanne¡¯s eyes were unfocused. She hugged the pillows and looked at them for a long time. ¡°No, these are not our children! I think I had a miscarriage! Oh my God, where¡¯s Mom? ¡°Mom, Bruce wants to break up with me. He doesn¡¯t want me anymore! Mom, quickly help me think of a solution! I can¡¯t live without Bruce. I still want to be Mrs. Everett!¡± Roxanne¡¯s emotions were out of control again. She was running around the room! Shaun quickly went forward tofort her. His heart ached as he said, ¡°Roxy, let¡¯s not think about this anymore! Let¡¯s treat your illness properly¡­ Roxanne suddenly shuddered and shrank into the corner of the wall as if she were frightened. ¡°Who are you? Go away and don¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m your father. Don¡¯t you even recognize your father?¡± ¡°Daddy, Daddy¡­ I¡¯m begging you, please let me out! I don¡¯t want to live here. I want to find Bruce! ¡°Daddy, please save me! I can¡¯t be aughingstock in the eyes of everybody else. I want to be Mrs. Everett! I can¡¯t let that bitch Joanna have Bruce. I can¡¯t let her bully me. Boohoo¡­¡± Roxanne cried as she spoke. Even though she was delirious, she still hated Joanna to the core! ¡°Roxy, you¡¯re making me so sad!¡± Shaun couldn¡¯t help but cry! When one reached middle age, they should have a stable and happy life! But now, Shaun¡¯s life had practically fallen into hell! Roxanne sprung forward again and knelt on the ground. ¡°Dad, go plead with Bruce and ask him not to abandon me! I truly know that I was in the wrong. I won¡¯t dare to do it again! ¡°I really, really love Bruce. I really love him! I got together with Gavin because I was young and ignorant. I wanted to have a bit of fun! Boohoo, the person I truly love is Bruce¡­¡± As Roxanne spoke, she could not help but cry! These consecutive setbacks had made her mentally unstable! The door was pushed open and two nurses walked in. ¡°Mr. Haynes, your visitation time is up! ¡°It¡¯s time for the patient to take her medicine. If you stay for too long, it will only agitate the patient¡¯s emotions!¡± Chapter 277 When Shaun heard this, he wiped away his tears. ¡°Roxy, cooperate with the treatment! I¡¯ll leave first. I¡¯ll visit you in a couple of days!¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t go, don¡¯t leave me behind! I want to go home with you. I don¡¯t want to stay here!¡± Seeing that Shaun was about to leave, Roxanne leaped forward like a madman and cried out in a heart¨C wrenching way! Shaun steeled his heart and turned to leave! As soon as he walked out of the ward, more heart¨Cwrenching cries came from behind him! He knew that it was the nurse feeding Roxanne her medicine! A perfectly fine family had now be like this! Shaun¡¯s hatred for Joanna had reached an irreconcble level! In the parking lot¡­ Shaun frowned and squatted down with his hand over his heart. ¡°Ugh, ugh¡­¡± Seeing this, the driver thought to hurry forward to check on Shaun. ¡°Sir, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t breathe!¡± ¡°Sir, it looks like you¡¯re having a rpse!¡± The driver quickly took out a pill of heart medicine from his bag. Shaun took the medicine and took a while to recover. The driver said worriedly, ¡°Should I send you to the hospital for a checkup?¡± Shaun shook his head sadly. ¡°No need. Let¡¯s go home!¡± At the Haynes¡¯s house¡­ The driver helped Shaun into the house. Seeing this, Derick quickly came over. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! My heart was acting up again!¡± When Derick heard this, he quickly gripped his father. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not feeling well either! Don¡¯t go to the hospital for the next few days. We can talk about it after you recover!¡± Ryan happened to be at home too. ¡°That¡¯s right! Dad, you can¡¯t copse!¡± Shaun nced at his second son and said worriedly, ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t worry so much! Study hard and don¡¯t let this affect your studies! ¡°You should be graduating from university this year. Don¡¯t let this affect your graduation!¡± A wave of gloominess came over Ryan¡¯s face. ¡°I understand!¡± After Shaun finished his instructions to Ryan, he turned to look at his eldest son. ¡°Rick, how¡¯s the matter regarding thepany and this month¡¯s rent collection?¡± Although Shaun was kicked out of the Haynes Group, he still had a few smallpanies under his control! Derick was now managing those smallpanies! ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all good!¡± ¡°What about the rent?¡± Rent¡­ Derick scratched his head without realizing it. Chapter 277 In the past, Ingrid was in charge of collecting rent! Now that Ingrid was not around, the responsibility of collecting rent naturally fell on Derick! However, he had already spent the money! Derick had a B¨Clist celebrity as his sugar baby, and almost all of his money was spent on that celebrity! However, how could he afford that? Thus, he secretly sold a house and a shop in the city center! He had given all the money to that celebrity! He did not dare to tell Shaun about this! ¡°Where¡¯s the money?¡± Derick smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Thepany¡¯s ounts have been tight recently. I¡¯ll use it for now!¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. When Shaun heard this, he did not question Derick any further He was only worried about Roxanne¡¯s illness and did not have much energy to ask about anything else! The next day¡­ At the airport¡­. In the VIP lounge¡­ Bruce and Joanna were preparing to fly to Gaprington with Lilia! ¡°Kody, help us with our check¨Cins!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Joanna prayed sincerely, ¡°I hope this doctor can cure Lilia!¡± ¡°You have to be confident. Lilia¡¯s illness will definitely be cured!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to the washroom!¡± ¡°Go!¡± Joanna took her bag and walked towards the washroom! Just as she reached the washroom, her phone rang! Joanna took out her phone. It was Orvin! Orvin was Jaydon¡¯s personal assistant and the person Jaydon trusted the most! ¡°Orvin!¡± On the other end of the line, Orvin¡¯s anxious voice said, ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm was in a car ident!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm was in a car ident. His injuries are very serious. The doctor said that they might not be able to save him!¡± BOOM! Chapter 277 When Joanna heard that, she felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Her mind went nk! ¡°Before Mr. Grimm fainted, he kept shouting your name! I hope you cane to the hospital to visit him!¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s at Marhall Hospital in Venturas!¡± Joanna came back to her senses. ¡°Send me the hospital¡¯s address. I¡¯ll be right there!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body was cold and she was a little out of her wits! Jaydon was in a car ident! No matter what, she had to go over and see him! Joanna looked at the boarding pass in her hand. She was burning with anxiety! Chapter 278 Chapter 278 On one hand, there was the urgency of going to Gaprington to get treatment for their daughter. On the other hand, Jaydon¡¯s life hung by a thread after a car ident. Joanna pondered for a moment and made the decision to visit Jaydon in Venturas first. He had been a tremendous help to her in the past, and without him, she doubted she and the children would have made it this far. While Lilia¡¯s condition was pressing, it wasn¡¯t a matter of life and death.. Furthermore, having Bruce by her side providedfort and support. Joanna couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate. After leaving the restroom, she swiftly exited the airport. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the pier!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna hailed a taxi and headed straight to the pier to catch a boat to Venturas. Inside the waiting hall, Bruce and Lilia remained seated, anxiously awaiting Joanna¡¯s return. They scanned the area, growing increasingly concerned as time passed. But Joanna didn¡¯t appear. Bruce instinctively nced outside and said, ¡°Lilian, could you please check the restroom and see why Joanna hasn¡¯te back yet?¡± The caregiver. Lilian, respectfully replied, ¡°Of course, Mr. Everett!¡± Setting down her luggage, Lilian made her way toward the restroom. Lilia sat in her stroller, her tender face beaming with excitement. ¡°Daddy, once I¡¯m done seeing the doctor, will I be able to walk again, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bruce fondly ruffled his daughter¡¯s hair, his voice filled with affection. ¡°Absolutely, sweetheart. Daddy promised you to find the best doctor to cure your leg!¡± ¡°When my leg is healed. I will be able to run and have fun with my brothers, hooray!¡± Lilia¡¯s face beamed like a sunflower at the thought. ¡°Oh, I really hope my illness gets better soon!¡± ¡°It definitely will! Daddy¡¯s little princess will grow up healthy and happy. ¡°Daddy, why isn¡¯t Mommy back yet?¡± Upon hearing Lilia¡¯s question, a slight crease formed on Bruce¡¯s brow. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s been over 20 minutes now!¡± While they were talking about Joanna, Lilian returned from the restroom. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Haynes isn¡¯t in the restroom. I checked every stall, but she wasn¡¯t there.¡± BOOM! Bruce¡¯s mind was struck by an ominous premonition. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Did something happen to her?¡± she thought. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce quickly reached for his phone and dialed Joanna¡¯s number. As Joanna neared the pier, she heard her phone ring, causing her heart to sink even further. Without even looking at the caller ID, she knew it was Bruce calling. That was precisely why she didn¡¯t dare to answer! If Bruce discovered that she had gone to visit Jaydon, he would undoubtedly be furious. Beep, beep, beep! The incessant ringing intensified Bruce¡¯s concern. Desperate for answers, he was on the verge of madness, thinkinig about instructing the bodyguards to search every nook and cranny in the vicinity. He remembered Joanna had endured a harrowing kidnapping attack in the past that nearly imed her life! Bruce grew increasingly restless, relentlessly ming himself for allowing her to go to the restroom alone.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter. Mr. Everett?¡± Beep, beep, beep! Bruce frantically dialed Joanna¡¯s phone number! Joanna¡¯s heart raced, but she mustered the courage to answer, ¡°Hello¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s voice on the other end carried an urgent and worried tone, ¡°Joanna, where are you? We¡¯re about to board the ne. Why haven¡¯t you returned yet?¡± ¡°I¡­ Joanna hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Anxiety surged within Bruce, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Tell me where you are. I¡¯lle find you!¡± After a brief silence, Joanna plucked up her courage and confessed, ¡°Bruce, I have a pressing matter that needs to be done. right away. ¡°You and Lilia go to Gaprington. I¡¯ll join you tomorrow!¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce furrowed his brow, his concern evident. *Joanna, where exactly are you now? What has happened? What¡¯s it that¡¯s even more important than our daughter¡± Joanna took a deep breath, striving to convey her message with rity, despite her restlessness, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s urgent!¡± ¡°Go ahead with Lilia to Gaprington! I¡¯lle find you tomorrow!¡± Hearing this Bruce knitted his brows tightly. ¡°Where are you now? What happened? ¡°Tell me now. Don¡¯t keep me in the dark!¡± Joanna collected her thoughts and said worriedly, ¡°I¡¯m nning to go to Venturas now!¡± ¡°What are you doing there?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened! Joanna¡¯s resolve solidified, and she truthfully divulged, ¡°Jay has been in a car ident. He¡¯s currently in the hospital, fighting for his life. I need to visit him¡­¡± What?¡± Bruce gasped,pletely taken aback. He never anticipated Joanna would forsake him and their daughter to be by Jaydon¡¯s side! ¡°Go ahead with Lilia to Gaprington! I¡¯lle find you tomorrow!¡± Bruce was unable to contain a bitterugh. ¡°Joanna. I¡¯ll give you one final chance. Return to me immediately! ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯s gonna be the end of our rtionship! There¡¯s no need for you toe back!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank upon hearing Bruce¡¯s words. She pleaded, ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t be like this! Lives are hanging in the bnce. Jay is in critical condition, fighting for his life. He¡¯s my closest friend, and I cannot simply abandon him¡­¡± ¡°How can you leave our daughter behind?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice turned piercingly sharp. ¡°Bruce. Lilia can wait for a day or two without any repercussions. But Jay¡¯s circumstances are entirely different. He¡¯s been in a severe car ident and is currently undergoing critical care!¡± Bruce clenched his jaw tightly, his teeth grinding. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your tongue. Come back to me immediately!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I must visit Jay!¡± ¡°Joanna, do you truly value Jaydon over me and our children? ¡°Or is your connection with Jaydon more important than our bond as a family?¡± Bruce¡¯s jealousy consumed him, pushing him dangerously close to the brink of madness! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t exin everything to you right now! If you insist on thinking that way, I understand! ¡°I can only tell you¡­¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment, and resumed, ¡°I can only tell you that Jay and I are truly just friends! Our rtionship isn¡¯t soplicated as you¡¯re imagining!¡± With those words, Joanna abruptly ended the call. She knew that further exnations would likely be futile. ¡°Hello? Hello!¡± Bruce roared in frustration. But Joanna had already hung up. Bang! The sound of a loud crash filled the air as Bruce angrily threw the phone to the ground, shattering it into pieces! Lilia made a start, her little face turning pale in an instant. The assistant and bodyguards apanying them exchanged uneasy nces, afraid to make a sound, their breaths held. Mr. Everett, who had beenposed just moments before, was now devoured by intense anger. ¡°Joanna, I will never forgive you for this! I don¡¯t need you that much!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes zed with fury, his entire demeanor exuding a threatening aura. Andy stuttered, ¡°Mr. Everett, the ne is about to depart. If we don¡¯t board now, we won¡¯t make it!¡± Bruce took a few deep breaths, forcefully adjusted his tic, andmanded, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s get on the ne!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Andy replied hastily. Lilia looked at Bruce with fear in her eyes and asked, ¡°Daddy, aren¡¯t we waiting for Mommy? She hasn¡¯t come back yet!¡± Mommy went to be with someone else, and we don¡¯t need her anymore!¡± Lilia¡¯s face turned even paler upon hearing this. ¡°Daddy, can¡¯t we wait for Mommy, please?¡± ¡°From now on, we won¡¯t mention her again. Remember, it¡¯s just you and me, Lilia! Daddy will find you a new mother.¡± Lilia couldn¡¯t hold back her tears, sobbing, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want, I don¡¯t want a new mommy¡­¡± ¡°No more crying!¡± Bruce, feeling overwhelmed, raised his voice at his daughter for the first time. Lilia bit her trembling lip, torn between wanting to cry and being afraid to. Her small shoulders shook as she sobbed uncontrobly. Bruce, seeing his daughter¡¯s distress, felt as if someone had pricked the most vulnerable part of his heart. ¡°My sweet girl, don¡¯t be scared, don¡¯t cry. Daddy isn¡¯t angry with you!¡± Bruce quickly pulled Lilia into a comforting embrace, doing his best to soothe her. ¡°Lilia isn¡¯t upset, and Daddy, please don¡¯t be upset either, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. Daddy will take you to see a doctor in Gaprington¡­¡± An hourter, Joanna rushed to Venturas. She was heading for Marhall Hospital. Joanna hailed a taxi and reached the hospital. As soon as she stepped out of the cab, she dialed Orvin¡¯s number. ¡°Hey, Orvin, is Jay out of the operating room?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm is still in surgery. He hasn¡¯te out yet! I¡¯m on the third floor, outside the operating room. Hurry over!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t waste a moment and hurriedly made her way to the third floor. Ten minutester, Joanna finally caught sight of Orvin. Outside the operating room, a group of anxious individuals had gathered. ¡°Orvin, what happened to Jay?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm hasn¡¯t been in a bad moodtely. He got into a collision with a truck while on his way to Greyport this morning. ¡°Oh my, howe?¡± Joanna was overwhelmed by worry and unease, and anxiety built up inside her. ¡°Jay, you have to hold on! You must fight through this.¡± At that moment, all they could do was wait. Joanna joined her hands in prayer, seeking sce in her faith. Chapter 279 Chapter 279 As Joanna continued to pray fervently, an elderly man in his sixties entered the room. He had a distinguished presence andmanded respect as he walked in. The people waiting outside the operating room greeted him with deference, ¡°Mr. Grimm!¡± Joanna, upon hearing their greetings, instinctively looked up. It was Jaydon¡¯s father, Tim Grimm, a renowned figure in the gambling industry in Venturas. ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± Although Joanna and Tim had never met before, they seemed to know each other very well. After all, their names had frequently graced the headlines, making them well-acquainted, if only indirectly. ¡°So, you¡¯re Joanna Haynes?¡± Tim assessed Joanna, his tone devoid of any detectable emotion or hint of anger. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± Joanna replied, her heart skip ping a beat unconsciously. Orvin promptly stepped forward to introduce, ¡°This is Mr. Jaydon Grimm¡¯s father, Mr. Tim!¡± ¡°Mr. Tim, this is Ms. Haynes, the chairman of the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Tim.¡± Tim adjusted his sses, his demeanor calm andposed. Though he showed little emotion, his every move exuded a sense of regality, much like a lion reigning over the grasnds. He naturallymanded respect with his intimidating aura. ¡°Mr. Grimm, please have a seat. Mr. Jaydon is still in the emergency room.¡± Tim took a seat with a cool and collected expression, his focus solely on his son¡¯s well-being. Nothing was more important than his son¡¯s life now! An hour passed, the lights in the operating room dimmed. And the doctor emerged. Orvin, Joanna, and the others eagerly approached, seeking an update. ¡°How is Mr. Grimm?¡± The doctor spoke with gravity, ¡°The patient has suffered multiple fractures and significant blood loss. He needs to be closely monitored in the intensive care unit for at least a day.¡± ¡°Is his life in immediate danger?¡± ¡°The surgery was sessful, and as long as he wakes up within a week, there should be no life- threateningplications.¡± ¡°No matter what, you must do everything in your power to save my son.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, please rest assured that we will spare no effort.¡± Tim furrowed his brows slightly, a touch of sorrow in his expression as he took a deep breath. ¡°I need to go in and see my son!¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sure! Please follow me, Mr. Grimm.¡± the doctor promptly led Tim to change into a surgical gown. Jaydon¡¯s brother, Cas sius Grimm, and younger sister, Grace Grimm, joined Tim as they entered the intensive care unit to visit Jaydon. Joanna, being unable to enter, remained outside the unit, peering through the ss partition. Jaydony on the hospital bed, his body covered in splints, the bandages resembling a mummy¡¯s wrapping. The harrowing scene of the ident yed out in Joanna¡¯s mind, intensifying her concern and distress. ¡°Jay, you have to hold on,¡± Joanna whispered, her eyes welling up with tears, unable to contain her emotions. 1/4 12258 Chapter 279 Twenty minutester, Tim and the others emerged from the ICU after visiting Jaydon. Joanna was still waiting outside, her expression grave and concerned. ¡°What is your rtionship with Jay?¡± Tim suddenly halted in his tracks. Joanna hesitated, ¡°Uh¡­ just friends.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Tim expressed disbelief. The rumors about Joanna and Jaydon had been rampant, and it was hard to imagine that Tim hadn¡¯t heard anything. However, since Jaydon had always harbored hatred towards his father and preferred to keep his distance, Tim didn¡¯t want to exert too much control over his son. ¡°Yes, sir, what I said is the truth! Please don¡¯t misunderstand,¡± Joanna instinctively tried to exin. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no misunderstanding! Before Jaydon lost consciousness, he kept calling your name. I believe you must be important to him.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, unable to respond. Tim took a deep breath and continued calmly, ¡°I know about your past and your notorious reputation.¡± Joanna¡¯splexion turned even paler upon hearing his words. Seeing Joanna¡¯s vexed and apprehensive expression, Tim added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m not a ret arded old man, and I won¡¯t ask you to leave my son. ¡°But if you want to be married into our family and be a Grimm, you must stay true to Jay.¡± Joanna¡¯s head felt like it was about to explode from the pressure. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m afraid there must be some understanding between us. I and Jay, we are just friends.¡± Tim looked at Joanna with a wry smile, chuckling. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you don¡¯t have to exin, nor do you need to exin! I won¡¯t interfere, as I said! ¡°I just want you to know one thing. If you date my son, I won¡¯t object! ¡°But you can¡¯t be wishy-washy and indecisive,¡± Joanna¡¯s head wentpletely nk. The ambiguous rumors between her and Jaydon had already spread far and wide. Even if they really had no romantic involvement, in the eyes of outsiders, they were already seen as a couple. But the truth was, Joanna and Jaydon were truly just friends, and they had never been involved romantically or physically. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Please stay with Jaydon.¡± ¡°Oh, okay, I see.¡± Tim finished speaking and left without looking back. In the parking lot, Grace wore an annoyed and disdainful expression. ¡°Dad, is this woman really Jaydon¡¯s girlfriend? ¡°I heard she was previously married and had three children! This second-hand woman isn¡¯t worthy of Jaydon.¡± Tim tightened his lips slightly. ¡°As long as Jaydon likes her, nothing else matters.¡± ¡°But this woman¡¯s ex-husband is Bruce! I heard she¡¯s still entangled with him! And not long ago, she and her sister were fighting over a man, causing quite a stir! ¡°And now, all of a sudden, she¡¯s with Jaydon again! Such an improper woman is simply not suitable for Jaydon.¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± Tim smiled meaningfully, choosing not to say more. Actually, he wasn¡¯t a conservative and narrow-minded tycoon himself. He had lived a libertine life, siring no fewer than eight children with various women. So, when it came to rtionships, he took a more liberated view. As long as this was what his son wanted, he would support his 214 12-2 Chapter 279 pursuit. After all, he believed that a man could never be faithful to just one woman. And whether Joanna had children or not was ultimately irrelevant. Joanna had kept a vigil for a full day and night. It was noon on the second day when Jaydon stirred from his deep slumber. He woke up in a daze! Jaydon weakly coughed, his body riddled with multiple fractures, rendering him immobile and wrapped up like a cocoon. He couldn¡¯t move at all. Joanna, ever watchful, immediately noticed his awakening and eximed, ¡°Jay, you¡¯re awake!¡± Jaydon blinked his eyes in disbelief as he gazed at Joanna. ¡°Is it really you, Joann¡­?¡± Joanna felt her eyes well up with tears, her voice choked with emotion. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Jay! You¡¯re finally awake. How are you feeling?¡± Jaydon took a shuddering breath, his voice as feeble as a thread. ¡°Joann¡­ seeing you here, everything feels right again.¡± ¡°Jay, don¡¯t worry yourself,¡± Joanna reassured him tenderly. ¡°Sure¡­¡± Jaydon mustered a slight movement of his fingers, attempting to raise his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t move, Jay! Your arm is secured in a cast,¡± Joanna cautioned, concern etched on her face. Time flew by, and Joanna had spent three days by Jaydon¡¯s side in the hospital. During this time, she managed to find moments to call Bruce, who had taken Lilia to Gaprington. Her worries for them only grew stronger. Regrettably, her attempts to reach Bruce went unanswered, for he was a man too proud and self- assured to tolerate even a hint of perceived betrayal from Joanna. Even if there truly was nothing between her and Jaydon, he would never believe it. On the fourth day, Jaydon had safely passed the critical phase and regained a significant portion of his consciousness. With a plethora of caregivers and ser vants attending to him, Joanna¡¯s presence no longer seemed as necessary. ¡°Jay, take good care of yourself. I have to return to Greyport this afternoon,¡± Joanna gently informed him. ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t want you to go¡­¡± Jaydon reluctantly held onto her hand, his eyes filled with profound affection and tenderness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle back to see you in a couple of days. Thepany needs someone to oversee matters, and I must make sure everything is in order,¡± Joanna reassured him. ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get to see you again once you leave,¡± Jaydon grasped Joanna¡¯s hand tightly, desperately yearning for her presence. ¡°You¡¯re my closest friend, Jay. I promise to visit you often,¡± Joanna replied, her voice filled with sincerity. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m worried that Bruce might cause harm to you.¡± Jaydon expressed his deep concern, his gaze fixed on Joanna, Given his current condition, he was unable to protect her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Jay. Take care of yourself.¡± Joanna soothed, offering Jaydon aforting reassurance before finally bidding farewell to the hospital. Beep, beep, beep! As soon as Joanna left the hospital premises, she wasted no time in dialing Bruce¡¯s number, hoping to reach him. Several days had passed without any contact, and she wondered if he had indeed departed for Gaprington with Lilia. It was in Reagan No. 8 Residence! Joanna returned to her abode a little after five in the afternoon. At the entrance of the luxurious vi, a security guard promptly intercepted her. ¡°Ms. Haynes, this is a private estate. Unauthorized entry is not permitted.¡± Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Joanna was startled, realizing that Bruce had issued instructions to restrict her ess to the premises. Thankfully, she had not transported a significant amount of her belongings to the vi, and she had yet to terminate her previous lease agreement. ¡°Has Bruce returned?¡± Joanna inquired, hoping to glean some information from the guard. Shaking his head, the guard responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Alright, then. I would like to get in to gather my belongings. That should be permissible, correct?¡± Outside the imposing entrance, a stern-faced security guard denied her entry. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please wait until Mr. Everett returns and grants you the permission, and then you may pack your belongings. ¡°We are unable to grant you ess at the moment, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Hmm, fine then!¡± Joanna gave a sneer and turned away. Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t easily fallen for Bruce¡¯s charm and had no illusions about him. Being kicked out of the house didn¡¯t leave her too disheartened. She would simply move out; after all, she no longer wanted to reside there. The phone rang. Joanna dialed Andy¡¯s number. He served as Bruce¡¯s personal assistant and would have information about Bruce¡¯s schedule. Andy answered promptly. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna lowered her voice. ¡°Andy, is Bruce back now?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Andy hesitated. ¡°Please tell me now. I need to speak with him.¡± Andy dared not to lie to her. ¡°Mr. Everett is scheduled to return tomorrow.¡± ¡°What time?¡± ¡°He¡¯s expected to arrive on a flight at 4 p.m.¡± ¡°Alright, I see!¡± After ending the call, Joanna followed the leafy path, walking for quite some time until she reached a bus stop. This was an upscale residential area, and every household had private drivers, making it difficult to hail a taxi. Unlike in Mossbourne, there weren¡¯t as many ride-sharing apps avable in Greyport. Joanna continued walking for another half a day until she finally reached a taxi. ¡°Take me to Greenwick Residential Complex, please!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± the driver acknowledged and started the car. Half an hourter! Greenwick Residential Complex! ¡°Miss, we¡¯ve arrived at Greenwick.¡± Joanna paid the fare and stepped out of the taxi. The cellphone beeped. After getting out of the vehicle, Joanna immediately called Miranda. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Hello, Miranda, are you home right now?¡± Miranda¡¯s voice on the other end sounded excited. ¡°Yes, Joann, I¡¯m here!¡± 1/4 12:26 Chapter 280 ¡°Could youe downstairs and meet me? I¡¯m at the entrance of theplex!¡± Joanna had left her keys and ess card at Reagan No. 8 Residence. This was also a high-end residential area. Without a key card, one could not enter at all! Of course, no one knew how Bruce got in! ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Soon enough, Miranda hurried downstairs to meet Joanna. Seeing Joanna¡¯s return alone, Miranda¡¯s face registered surprise. ¡°Joann, why are you back today?¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze darkened, and she remained silent. ¡°Are you here to collect your things?¡± Joanna shook her head slightly. ¡°No, I¡¯m back to stay.¡± Miranda¡¯s face expression became sterner as she heard this. ¡°Huh? Are you going back to Reagan No. 8 Residence then?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going!¡± Worry creased Miranda¡¯s face. ¡°Oh? Did you have a falling out with Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna fell into silence once again. Noticing Joanna¡¯s despondent demeanor, Miranda deduced the situation. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. With you and the kids away, we felt so bordd.¡± During Joanna¡¯s absence, the three household servants still received their regr pay. Back at home, Kelly and Tracy were also overjoyed. ¡°Miss Haynes is back?¡± ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡± Joanna put down her bag and casually replied, ¡°Anything is fine. I¡¯ll go freshen up with a shower first.¡± Joanna went to her room, changed her clothes, and then took a rxing hot shower. After being in the hospital for three days, her clothes had be musty and needed a good wash. After the refreshing shower, Joanna changed into her cozy pajamas and decided to make another phone call to Bruce. This was her neenth attempt. Unfortunately, once again, there was no answer on the other end. It seemed that Bruce was truly angry and had his pride hurt! Joanna wasn¡¯t looking for reconciliation either! However, her luggage and car were still at Reagan No. 8 Residence. She wasn¡¯t Bruce, who had countless cars and several drivers. She only had one vehicle and therefore needed to drive it back. At half-past three in the afternoon, Joanna had already arrived at the airport! Since she couldn¡¯t reach Bruce on the phone, it would be even more challenging to meet him! She could only wait for him at the airport! The airport, an VIP passage! Bruce disembarked from the ne, holding his daughter, with assistants and bodyguards following closely behind! The treatment n for Lilia¡¯s leg had been finalized during their trip to Gaprington. The ailment could be cured, but her current physical condition was too bad for that, and she had undergone multiple surgeries, which had taken a toll on her body! Now, she needed treatment and would have to wait until she turned five. By then, her bones would be stronger, and corrective surgery could be performed. Afterward, she would undergo rehabilitation therapy! Approximately three sessions would be enough to fully recover! 2/4 12:26) Chapter 280 Lilia was now four and a half years old, so in about six months, she would be ready for corrective surgery! Outside the railing, Joanna spotted Bruce walking out and called out to him, waving her hand. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce nced up and saw Joanna on the other side of the barrier! In an instant, however, Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and his handsome and imposing face was filled with frost! He hurried forward, his long legs takingrge strides, with the bodyguards following suit! Seeing this, Joanna anxiously shouted, ¡°Bruce, hold on!¡± Bruce was still sulking and ignored her. Lilia saw Joanna and raised her little hand, calling out, ¡°Mommy, Mommy! ¡°Daddy, Mommy is calling us. Mommy, we¡¯re here!¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned cold as he reprimanded his daughter, ¡°Sweetie, Daddy has told you that you don¡¯t have a mommy, and she¡¯s not your mommy!¡± Lilia pouted her small mouth and with a hint of tearful voice said, ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t be angry! If you do, please be angry with me, don¡¯t be angry with Mommy!¡± Hearing this, Bruce¡¯s heart pained immensely. He felt deeply hurt by her disregard of his feelings. ¡°Bruce, wait a moment!¡± Joanna followed along the railing, chasing after him! Being tall and with long legs, Bruce could easily walk faster than Joanna. Joanna didn¡¯t catch up with him until she reached the parking lot. She was panting for breath, finally approached him as he was about to get into the car. ¡°Bruce, hold on!¡± Joanna gasped for breath and reached out, grabbing the car door! Bruce look at her coldly said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to say between us!¡± ¡°How is Lilia¡¯s condition?¡± Joanna said as she tried to go and hold Lilia. Lilia stretched out her arms, wanting Joanna to hold her. ¡°Mommy!¡± Bruce withdrew slightly with a stern expression. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my daughter!¡± Seeing this, Joanna choked with anger. ¡°Bruce, Lilia is my daughter too.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t deserve her! You don¡¯t deserve to be her mother!¡± Joanna sighed inwardly at the sight, refraining from the urge to roll her eyes in frustration. Right now, she didn¡¯t want to get into another argument with Bruce. It was pointless. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not argue, Bruce. I just want to ask you one thing. What exactly do you want?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darted, his gaze turning dark and intense as he fixed it on Joanna. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, if you go see Jaydon, then it¡¯s over between us.¡± After saying that, Bruce heart ached terribly! The past few days had been incredibly trying for Bruce. He had reached the peak of his frustration, barely able to withstand the emotional turmoil. He had humbled himself for Joanna, but it seemed she wasn¡¯t satisfied and was still entangled with Jaydon. What Joanna did had deeply disappointed Bruce; he had never felt so awfully hurt by a woman before. ¡°I¡¯ve already exined to you, Jay had a serious ident. He was dying¡­¡± Joanna attempted to exin. But Bruce¡¯s anger red up even more upon hearing Jaydon¡¯s name. The veins on his temples pulsed with tension. ¡°Don¡¯t mention him in front of me, Joanna. I don¡¯t want to hear any more from you! 3/4 12:26 Chapter 280 ¡°If you can¡¯t let go of him, then go be with him!¡± With those words, Bruce clutched their daughter tightly and moved to get into the car. Joanna quickly stepped forward, her outstretched arm blocking the car door, her face disying a mix of annoyance and determination. ¡°Bruce, even if it¡¯s over between us, can¡¯t we at least part ways with dignity?¡± Bruce paused, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he looked at Joanna, searching for answers. Taking a deep breath, Joanna stood her ground and spoke with unwavering resolve. ¡°My car and belongings are still at Reagan No. 8 Residence. I need to gather my things before I leave, right?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, registering her request. ¡°And we need to discuss the issue of child custody,¡± Joanna continued, her voice firm but filled with a hint of vulnerability. Bruce rolled his eyes in response, but Joanna pressed on. ¡°I gave birth to and raised up the three children. You can¡¯t just take them away from me all at once.¡± ¡°Furthermore, the children have been living with me all this time. It would be detrimental to their education and overall well-being if they were abruptly separated from me.¡± Bruce listened in silence. Chapter 281 Chapter 281 Although Bruce Everett did not want to forgive Joanna Haynes, he could not deny that what she said was true! A child could not be without a mother¡¯spany or a mother¡¯s love! Especially a mother¡¯s love could not be bought with money! ¡°There¡¯s no possibility that the custody of the children will be given to you! ¡°The children will be living with me in the future! I can promise you to let you visit them once a week!¡± ¡°No, I want custody of the children¡­¡± Bruce sneered coldly, his brows slightly furrowing. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t negotiate with me! You know best what kind of person I am!¡± After saying that, Bruce got in the car directly! Lilia Haynes started crying, ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Lilia!¡± Joanna looked at her daughter and really wanted to hug her¡­ Bruce did not give Joanna a chance to cuddle her daughter at all, and mmed the car door shut directly! ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Joanna pounded on the car door angrily! ¡°Wait a minute. You have to let me take back my luggage and the car!¡± Bruce rolled down the car window and looked at Joanna coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t want any of your belongings. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone pack them up and send them to yourpany.¡± With that, Bruce closed the car window and ordered the driver to leave. Joanna watched as the car drove away. She was filled with anger and frustration, but she knew Bruce was difficult to get along with. However, this was also good. Beingpletely separated from him was not a bad thing! Joanna angrily hailed a taxi and returned home. In the car. Bruce let out a few rough breaths, but his anger still could not be suppressed. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Lilia continued to s ob softly. ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Stop crying. She¡¯s not your mommy anymore!¡± ¡°Daddy, please don¡¯t be angry with Mommy, okay? I am begging you. Please forgive her!¡± With tears in her eyes, Lilia pitifully shook her father¡¯s arm. Bruce, upon hearing this, became even more frustrated. He leaned back in his car seat and closed his eyes to rx. Joanna cared so little about his feelings and cared so much about Jaydon Grimm! He really could not ept to forgive her! This time, she had already crossed his bottom line. He would not forgive her so easily. He wanted Joanna to know that he was not a man with no principles! Ring, ring, ding! Bruce was already feeling extremely annoyed, and now the phone was ringing again! Feeling restless, he took out his phone and looked at it. Surprisingly, it was a call from Jennie Garcia. ¡°So annoying!¡± Bruce irritably muttered and threw the phone aside. Ding, ding! Not even a minute after the phone call ended, a Messenger message came through. [Hey, Bruce, what have you been doing these days? Why aren¡¯t you answering your calls?) 1/4 1226 Chapter 281 [Are you angry? I¡¯m really sorry about that night. I didn¡¯t mean it! I sincerely apologize to you. Did it cause a misunderstanding between you and Joanna?] [Bruce, reply to me. Are you really angry?] [Should I call Joanna to exin?] Jennie sent several voice messages in a row to Bruce. However, Bruce could not be bothered to listen to them. He did not like women who were too maniptive. Even though Jennie¡¯s tricks were perfect, how could a smart and wise person like him not see through them? The next day. In the conference room at the Everett Group. Bruce walked into the conference room with a cold face. The conference room was already filled with senior executives and directors, all with serious expressions, not daring to be the slightest bit careless. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the meeting!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, we have good news! ¡°Princess Daisy from Novlis will arrive at Greyport next month for an international dialogue. They are currently selecting a hotel for their stay. ¡°The hotel under our Everett Group is also on the list!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°When next month?¡± ¡°On the eighth of next month, Princess Martha will also be present!¡± ¡°We have to do our best to strive for this opportunity for reception and not make any mistakes!¡±/ ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett!¡± For foreign royal members to stay at the hotel was equivalent to creating sensational worldwide publicity for the hotel. It would also raise the status of the hotel greatly. Therefore, all major six-star hotels were eagerly competing for this opportunity! ¡°Mr. Everett, here are the reports from the past few days.¡± ¡°Put them aside for now.¡± ¡°The orders from Escostan have also been faxed over.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The executives from various branches and the vice president reported on their work one by one, and Bruce gave further instructions. After the meeting. It was already 11:30 in the morning. Bruce returned to his office, and Andy had already made coffee. Bruce spoke as he rubbed his throbbing temples. ¡°Andy, go to the Haynes Group. ¡°Go and deliver Joanna¡¯s car and her luggage to her.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± Andy was a little surprised when he heard this. He looked at Bruce with confusion. Delivering luggage to Miss Haynes¡¯spany? Wasn¡¯t that clearly announcing a breakup? He could not figure out whether Mr. Everett was serious about it or not. Bruce frowned and said impatiently, ¡°Why are you still here? Just go!¡± 2/4 12:26 Chapter 281 ¡°Sure, understood!¡± As Andy was about to leave, he could not help but ask further worriedly, ¡°¡­ Mr. Everett, is there anything else you want me to do?¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go right away!¡± It was 1:00 in the afternoon. Joanna was in the office dealing with the work at hand. Knock, knock, knock! The sound of knocking on the door echoed. ¡°Come in.¡± Cora pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Miss Haynes, Andy is here!¡± Joanna was surprised. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°He said he¡¯s here to deliver your luggage and the car.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna could not speak a word and her face instantly turned pale. Heh. Bruce was indeed ruthless, sending someone to deliver her things to her office. He was clearly telling everyone that he dumped her and kicked her out! ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Joanna spoke and went downstairs to meet Andy personally. ¡°Andy!¡± Seeing Joanna approaching, Andy forced a smile. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes. ¡°Here is your car key and your items are already in the suitcase. I¡¯ve ced it in the trunk for you. ¡°You can check to see if anything is missing.¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Hmm, I got it.¡± ¡°Well¡­ then I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Andy, who usually acted prudently, was stumbling and uneasy today. ¡°Sure.¡± After Andy left, the employees started gossiping and whispering again. ¡°Oh my, what¡¯s going on between Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Mr. Everett asked Andy to deliver the luggage and car key to Miss Haynes. What does it mean?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they living together already? Are they breaking up now?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, there might be some big newsing up! Let¡¯s get ourselves prepared and enjoy the show!¡± ¡°Stop gossiping. Focus on your work to make more money!¡± At the Office. Joanna had a terrible headache. She had always been worried about the trouble at the factory in Mossbourne. Joanna pondered for a while before deciding to make a call to Michael Lawrence. ¡°Hello, Michael. Any news from Mr. Zaborski?¡± 3/4 12:26) Chapter 281 ¡°Not yet. I have not received any response.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt disheartened. It seemed like they were going topletely lose Mr. Zaborski, the important client! Now, she had to expand into new businesses and markets! Her rtionship with Bruce had also fallen apart, and they had signed a betting agreement. It had been nearly a year, but thepany had not made any progress. She needed to step up and make thepany grow rapidly. At Reagan No. 8 Residence. It was dinner time. Three children sat at the dining table while Bruce sat there feeling somewhat lost. Irvin Haynes spoke up, touching the tender spot. ¡°Daddy, why hasn¡¯t Mommye back?¡± Davian Haynes chimed in. ¡°Yeah! We miss Mommy! Where did Mommy go? Why doesn¡¯t shee back to see us?¡± Bruce looked at the two little ones gloomily. ¡°Don¡¯t mention Mommy from now on!¡± Davian and Irvin were stunned hearing their father¡¯s reply. Lilia pouted her little mouth and silently shed tears. Davian and Irvin exchanged nces at each other. The news of their little sister¡¯s illness being curable was good news. But now that they could not see their mother again, they were upset. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat. After eating, go upstairs and sleep early!¡± After saying that, Bruce ced the tableware on the dining table in a solemn manner. He did not even have the appetite to eat and went upstairs to sleep. ¡°Lilia, did Daddy and Mommy have a fight?¡± ¡°Yeah, Mommy did something that made Daddy unhappy. When we were in Gaprington, Daddy was not happy every day.¡± ¡°Then do you know what the argument was about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only heard Daddy talking to Mommy on the phone.¡± Chapter 282 Chapter 282 ¡°What did they talk about on the phone?¡± Lilia looked innocent and said, ¡°It seems like they were discussing that if Mommy wanted to meet Mr. Grimm, Daddy would cut ties with Mommy!¡± Irvin tilted his head, puzzled, and asked, ¡°Why? Mr. Grimm is a nice person. Why does Daddy hate him so much?¡± Davian pulled a long face and lightly patted Irvin¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re silly. Daddy must be jealous of Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course! Daddy wants to be with Mommy, but Mr. Grimm is also pursuing her. ¡°Now, if Mommy goes to see Mr. Grimm, Daddy will definitely be angry!¡± Upon hearing this, Irvin suddenly realized. ¡°So what should we do then? ¡°Should we think of a way to help Daddy and Mommy get back together?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s assess the situation first¡­¡± It was 11:00 in the evening. At Greenwick Residential Complex. Joanna was busy untilte at night, and it was already past 11:00 when she finally returned home. When she got home, she waspletely exhausted. She had been busy at thepany all day and had to figure out how to deal with the issues at the factory in Mossbourne. It was overwhelming for her. ¡°Joann, you are back?¡± Miranda quickly took over Joanna¡¯s bag. ¡°Yeah!¡± Joanna replied wearily. She then took off her clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. After that, she went straight to bed to sleep. ¡°Joann, aren¡¯t you going to eat something?¡± ¡°I already ate at the office. I¡¯m too tired now.¡± Seeing how exhausted she was, Miranda said with concern, ¡°I see. Rest well then.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± Miranda turned off the lights in the room and gently closed the door. The next day. News of Bruce and Joanna¡¯s breakup spread like wildfire. The inte was abuzz with discussions and various true or false rumors were flying around. [Rumored to have broken up, Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes living separately!] [Love turned sour. Heading towards its end!] [Miss Haynes, a skilled two-timer, harvesting love from Mr. Everett and Mr. Grimm] [Mr. Grimm got involved in a car ident, apanied by Miss Haynes as an official girlfriend] The people in Greyport were once again eagerly digging for gossip, waiting for even more overwhelming revtions. Joanna was busy dealing withpany matters and naturally did not pay attention to these rumors. Early in the morning, as Joanna reached the underground parking lot on her way to work, several entertainment reporters emerged from all directions when she was about to get into the car. 1/4 12:27 Chapter 282 They somehow managed to infiltrate and were lurking downstairs, waiting for Joanna. They swarmed towards her the moment she appeared. ¡°Miss Haynes, is it true that you broke up with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, is your official boyfriend Mr. Grimm or Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Are you two-timing? Did Mr. Everett kick you out of the Everett family?¡± ¡°Go away, I have nothing to say!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, just say a few words!¡± The entertainment reporters rushed to bother her with questions. Feeling annoyed, Joanna got into her car and drove out of the parking lot. Unfortunately, her current address had been exposed. She could not stay there anymore and neededCopyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. to move as soon as possible. To a more private location. It was 8:10 in the morning. Joanna arrived at the building of the Haynes Group. To her surprise, as soon as the car arrived, another group of entertainment reporters rushed towards her again. Her current situation felt like being surrounded by ambushes on all sides. ¡°Miss Haynes, is it really over between you and Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Have youpletely given up custody of the children?¡± ¡°Is it still possible for you to reconcile with Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna maintained a cold expression and remained silent, striding towards thepany in an imposing manner. She had been really annoyedtely! These media outlets were like flies, constantly waiting outside her house or lurking around the company building every day! After returning to the office, Joanna calmed her emotions and immediately called Michael. Ring, ring, ring! The call connected very soon. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Hey, Michael.¡± ¡°What can I do for you, Miss Haynes?¡± ¡°I will be going to Mossbourne this afternoon. Prepare all the necessary documents and client information.¡± ¡°Understood, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± After ending the call, Joanna focused her attention on dealing with thepany¡¯s matters. In the afternoon, she had to rush to Mossbourne to deal with matters at the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Fire Department. Therefore, she needed to ensure that the work here was well taken care of in the morning. At 1:00 in the afternoon, Joanna hurried to Mossbourne with Cora. She would probably have to stay in Mossbourne for the next few days. If the matters here were not handled properly, she could not be at ease. In the blink of an eye, five days had passed. Joanna was busy and upied every day. On the sixth day, she finally resolved the issues with the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Fire Department. The factory was operating normally again. However, the client base was not very stable. If the factory wanted to stabilizepletely, it had to explore new markets, 2/4 12:27 Chapter 282 All in all, things were still going well. At least everything was back on track, and there was no interference from Bruce. Joanna could focus on her work, and her efficiency doubled. Venturas. At Marhall Hospital. With most of her work at hand being handled, Joanna finally found some free time to visit Jaydon. In the hospital ward. Joanna entered with nutrition supplements and a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Jay, are you feeling better? I come to see you!¡± Seeing that Joanna had arrived, Jaydon instantly brightened up. ¡°Joann, why are you here today?¡± ¡°I managed to squeeze out a bit of time today toe and see you!¡± Joanna said as she ced the flowers and nutrition supplements on the bedside table. Jaydon was also very happy; his eyes seemed to sparkle with joy and tenderness. He had been looking forward to Joanna¡¯s visit every day, thinking that she would not be able to find time to see him. But unexpectedly, she came today out of the blue. ¡°How are you? Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Jaydon had been transferred from the intensive care unit to a regr ward. In the ward, other than Jaydon, there were also Carmel Basil and two nurses kept himpany. Seeing Joanna¡¯s arrival, Carmel¡¯s expression immediately changed, and she red at Joanna with hostility. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± Jaydon unintentionally coughed. Seeing this, Joanna asked with concern, ¡°Is your throat dry? Let me get you some water¡­¡± Before Joanna could find a ss, Carmel, with an attentive demeanor, came over with a ss of water. ¡°Mr. Grimm, have some water! Here, be careful, let me help you!¡± While speaking, Carmel carefully brought the ss to Jaydon¡¯s lips. Watching Carmel¡¯s eyes fill with hostility, Joanna felt a little confused. There had always been rumors about Jaydon and Carmel¡¯s rtionship. It seemed that Carmel cared a lot about Jaydon. After Jaydon finished drinking the water, he straightforwardly asked Carmel to leave. ¡°Carmel, you can leave first.¡± Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment appeared on Carmel¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± ¡°Out!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Carmel did not dare to disobey. She rolled her eyes at Joanna disdainfully, then left the ward. During the days when Joanna was not around, Carmel had been apanying Jaydon in the hospital. Even though Jaydon had told her that she did not need to stay, she insisted on being there to take care of him. When they were at thepany, Jaydon doted on her the most. Over time, Carmel started to believe it was love and began fantasizing about bing Jaydon¡¯s official girlfriend. After Carmel left, the atmosphere became slightly awkward. ¡°Well¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated, not knowing what to say. Jaydon looked at Joanna tenderly, his heart full of concern. ¡°Joann, why have you lost weight again? You¡¯ve also be haggard, and you even have dark circles.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I did not sleep wellst night.¡± 3/4 12:27) Chapter 282 ¡°Have you resolved the issue with the factory in Mossbourne? ¡°If it can¡¯t be resolved, let¡¯s not worry about it for now. Once I¡¯m in better health, we can discuss the matter.¡± Joanna smiled gently and reassured him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle thepany¡¯s matters. ¡°You¡¯d better take care of yourself and not worry too much!¡± As long as Bruce stopped causing trouble and did not secretly create obstacles, Joanna¡¯s ability and execution were strong enough to manage thepany without any problems. ¡°You take care of yourself too,¡± said Jaydon as he subconsciously reached out to hold her hand. Joanna¡¯s eyes showed a hint of ease. ¡°Jay, rest well. I¡¯lle to see you another day.¡± Jaydon was stunned when he heard Joanna was leaving. ¡°Why are you leaving right upon arrival?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot of work at thepany. I still have to meet with a few business partners.¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. There¡¯s no end to money, and even in the worst case, you still have me, right?¡± Joanna smiled and pursed her lips slightly upon hearing this. No matter how sweet a man¡¯s words were, they should not be taken too seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll get going first.¡± After saying goodbye to Jaydon, Joanna left the ward. Just as she walked out of the room, she heard a stern voice from behind. ¡°Ms. Haynes, stop right there!¡± Carmel was standing behind. Her eyes filled with resentment as she stared at Joanna. Chapter 283 Chapter 283 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 283 Joanna heard the voice and instinctively turned around. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Carmel pulled a long face and stared at Joanna fiercely. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I want to talk to you privately!¡± ¡°About what?¡± Joanna was puzzled. ¡°I want to ask you why you¡¯re still entangled with Mr. Grimm when you clearly have a rtionship with Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna fell silent and looked at Carmel in confusion. ¡°Hmph! Haven¡¯t you done enough harm to Mr. Grimm? How much more do you want to harm him?¡± Joanna was even more stunned after hearing this. Carmel red at Joanna with anger and said bluntly, ¡°Mr. Grimm¡¯spany is in trouble because of you! ¡°Otherwise, Starlight Media would not have such a bad reputation and hit rock bottom! ¡°It¡¯s all because of you, you and your ex-husband!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she listened. Indeed, Jaydon¡¯spany had reached this point of chaos, and Bruce had yed a significant role in it. Starlight Media had been sabotaged by Bruce behind the scenes, which pushed the entertainment company to the brink of bankruptcy. Although Jaydon was from a wealthy family, losing this amount of money was simply nothing, Starlight Media was still a business he built, and now it was destroyed by Bruce. It was definitely infuriating! Carmel continued without stopping. ¡°Also, the reason why Mr. Grimm got into a car ident was to rush to see you!¡± When Joanna heard this, she found it even hard to believe. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you love. If you want Mr. Grimm to be well, please stay away from him! ¡°A woman like you is not worthy of Mr. Grimm!¡± Carmel angrily scolded without reservation. Joanna took a deep breath and looked at Carmel calmly. ¡°Miss Basil, I think you have misunderstood. ¡°Jay and I are good friends. It¡¯s not what you think!¡± Carmel sneered. ¡°Huh, no need to exin. I¡¯m not a fool. ¡°We are all sophisticated adults. How could I not understand what you are nning about? You just want to make use of Mr. Grimm! ¡°Please stay away from him and stop bothering him!¡± Carmel came from a less privileged background and had to work hard to make a living at a young age. In her eyes, men were more like resources to be utilized, a stepping stone to climb the socialdder. The more benefits she could gain from a man, the more it proved that he loved her. Based on her own experiences and mindset, she naturally assumed that Joanna had the same thoughts and intentions. She believed that Joanna was merely using Jaydon to gain more advantages. Of course, Carmel truly loved Jaydon and fantasized about bing his official girlfriend. Joanna remained silent and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Fine, I understand what you mean. But I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t need to exin my rtionship with Jay to anyone. ¡°I can¡¯t ept your request.¡± Carmel became even angrier after hearing Joanna¡¯s reply. ¡°Joanna, are you insisting on sticking to Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m insisting on sticking to Jay. Jay and I are good friends! I won¡¯t lose my good friend because of anyone or ignore their well-being!¡± 1/5 12:27 (0) Chapter 283 ¡°Joanna, what you¡¯re doing is hical¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to say much to you right now, so please step aside!¡± Joanna finished speaking and did not bother saying anything more to Carmel. She walked away directly. Watching Joanna¡¯s departing figure, Carmel felt irritated. ¡°Hmph, Joanna, don¡¯t get too smug at the moment! One day, I will make Mr. Grimm fall in love with mepletely!¡± Joanna left the hospital, feeling a sense of unease in her heart. She had never considered being with Jaydon! However, outsiders always assumed that there was a romantic rtionship between them, which was not the case. Carmel had also treated her as an imaginary rival in love! After returning to Greyport, Joanna checked the time and realized tomorrow was Sunday. It was also the day she had agreed with Bruce to see the children. Although she was busy with work, she still wanted to meet her children. Ring, ring, ring! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. I He was sitting in a chair, smoking one cigarette after another. It had been a whole week, and he thought that Joanna would show some weakness and seek reconciliation with him¡­ But to his surprise, a whole week had passed, and Joanna had not even called him once. Now that he saw Joanna¡¯s call, Bruce¡¯s heart suddenly raced with excitement. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°¡­ Bruce, tomorrow is Sunday! I want to bring the children back to stay for a day.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s heart sank, his face turning grim. Joanna had not contacted him the entire week, and now that she finally did, it turned out she just wanted to see the children! ¡°Hey, are you listening? ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to let me see the children once a week?¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I disagree, did I?¡± ¡°Fine, how do we arrange it for tomorrow? Should I pick up the children, or will you send someone toThis text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. bring them over?¡± Bruce choked his words when he heard Joanna. ¡°Tomorrow morning at 10:00, I will have someone send the children to the entrance of Century za. ¡°You can only see the children under the surveince of bodyguards, and the time will be limited to one hour.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached with anger. ¡°Bruce, can¡¯t you be less domineering? ¡°I only get to see the children once a week, and now you want to have them monitored and restrict the time to only one hour. I don¡¯t agree. You can¡¯t do this¡­¡± I want to see them, it will be on my terms. If you Bruce let out a cold sneer and said without a doubt, ¡°Don¡¯t bargain with me. If you don¡¯t agree, then don¡¯t bother seeing them at all!¡± Joanna was furious. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll wait at Century za tomorrow!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± said Bruce coldly and hung up the phone directly. After ending the call, Bruce threw his phone heavily on the table, and his eyes were slightly red with anger. This d amn woman really did not care about his feelings at all! 2/5 12:27) Chapter 283 This made him feel a huge sense of loss! He could be angry, but Joanna should not ignore his feelings. He could be cold towards her, but she should not refuse to reconcile with him. Unfortunately, Joanna showed no intention of giving in to his demands. The next day, at 10:00 in the morning. Joanna was waiting at Century za as agreed. Twenty minutester, a Mercedes-Benz business car arrived. Four bodyguards got out of the car, followed by the nanny carrying Davian and Irvin. Upon seeing the children, Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly blurred. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia!¡± The two little ones ran over to Joanna happily. ¡°Mommy, we missed you so much!¡± ¡°Mommy missed you guys too!¡± Joanna crouched down and embraced Davian and Irvin, feeling a surge of emotion that almost brought tears to her eyes. However, in front of the children, she usually controlled herself and refrained from crying in their presence. ¡°Mommy, why haven¡¯t youe back? We missed you so much!¡± ¡°Mommy missed you too. From now on, Mommy wille to see you every week!¡± Irvin asked timidly, ¡°Mommy, do you really not want us anymore?¡± ¡°Silly boy, why wouldn¡¯t Mommy want you? Mommy can give up anything, but not you¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s nose tingled with sourness, and tears welled up in her eyes. These were her three children, her flesh and blood. How could she not love them? But now, their custody had been taken away from her. She could only watch helplessly as her children were taken away from her side. That was why she had to work even harder, earn enough money to rival Bruce and reim custody of her children. With her current strength, she could not possibly earn the right to raise her children. ¡°Lilia, how is it going for you and Daddy in Gaprington?¡± The nanny replied, ¡°The doctor in Gaprington said that Miss Lilia¡¯s condition can be treated. However, her physical condition is too weak, so corrective surgery can only be performed after she turns five.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s really good news!¡± Joanna hugged her daughter in excitement, unable to hold back tears of joy. She wanted to kiss her daughter¡¯s little face, but there were too many germs outside, so she refrained from doing so. She just gave Lilia a hug. ¡°Mommy, are you having a conflict with Daddy?¡± Lilia looked at Joanna with a pitiful expression. Joanna was taken aback, unsure of how to exin. ¡°Mommy, can you please not have conflicts with Daddy?¡± How could Joanna ever want to have a falling out with Bruce? Unfortunately, things did not go as nned. ¡°Mommy, can you reconcile with Daddy first? Daddy loves Mommy!¡± Should she take the initiative to reconcile with Bruce? Or should she just forget it? She would ratherpletely cut ties with Bruce! Chapter 284 Chapter 284 ¡°Actually, Daddy is very easy to coax. As long as Mommy apologizes to Daddy and says a few sweet words, Daddy will definitely forgive you!¡± Lilia carefully helped Joannae up with a n. The children were too young to know about theplicated rtionship between adults. She only knew that she hoped that her Daddy and Mommy could reconcile and be together forever. Hearing this, Joanna sighed in secret. ¡°Mommy, pleasee back! I¡¯m begging you. I really want you and Daddy to reconcile!¡± ¡°Mommy, Daddy is really easy to coax.¡± Lilia looked at Joanna pitifully and tried to convince her. When Davian heard this, he snorted. ¡°Lilia, I don¡¯t agree with you! Why should Mommy coax Daddy but not Daddy coax Mommy?¡± Irvin also pouted and added, ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy has a bad temper. He¡¯s too fierce and gets angry at the slightest provocation. He¡¯s simply like a tyrant.¡± ¡°But I still want Daddy and Mommy to be together! It¡¯ll be great if Daddy can change his bad temper.¡± When Lilia heard this, she quickly defended her father. ¡°He¡¯s not fierce, not fierce. Daddy is not fierce at all. ¡°We just have to be obedient and listen to Daddy. Daddy is very easy to get along with and dotes on us. ¡°Mommy, can you be a little more obedient? Daddy really isn¡¯t fierce.¡± Joanna let out a sigh and rubbed the children¡¯s heads. ¡°Good baby, you¡¯ll know what happened between Daddy and Mommy when you grow up. ¡°No matter what, Daddy and Mommy will always love you.¡± ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to be with Daddy. We want to go home with Mommy.¡± Davian shook Joanna¡¯s arm and begged pitifully. Davian had the coldest personality and was the least close to Bruce. In addition, Bruce had a bad temper and always bullied Joanna. Davian did not like his daddy at all. ¡°Bear with it for now. When I have the ability, I will definitely bring you back to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go! What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Okay, we want fried chicken, fries, and ice cream¡­¡± Joanna paused and agreed with a smile. ¡°Alright! Mommy will bring you guys to eat!¡± The nanny quickly went forward to stop. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m sorry. Mr. Everett has instructed us not to bring the children to eat these unhealthy things.¡± Joanna was at a loss for words. In the past, she rarely fed the children these unhealthy foods. She would only bring them to eat such things once every couple of days. Ever since the little children entered the Everett family, they had not eaten these things. Bruce was very picky about the diet. The children¡¯s diet was made by top nutritionists. Joanna hadn¡¯t seen the children for too long. She still wanted to satisfy their small wishes. ¡°It¡¯s okay to have them once in a while, just a little!¡± The nanny rejected seriously, ¡°Miss Haynes, please don¡¯t. If there¡¯s anything wrong with the children, we can¡¯t take responsibility.¡± Joanna was left speechless and looked at the children apologetically. ¡°Davian, Irvin. There¡¯s not enough time today. I¡¯ll bring you guys to eat next time, okay?¡± ¡°Hmm, alright!¡± The two little guys looked disappointed. ¡°Mommy, we want to drive bumper cars and see monkeys. Let¡¯s go to the amusement park, okay?¡± ¡°Alright then! Mommy will take you there!¡± Chapter 284 When the nanny heard this, she quickly rejected, ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m very sorry! Mr. Everett has instructed that you can only see the children at Century za!¡± After hearing this, Joanna was leftpletely furious. Bruce was too tyrannical. Anyone who did not go along with his thoughts would have a tough time. ¡°This is not allowed. That is not allowed. Can¡¯t eat this, can¡¯t eat that! Am I supposed just to sit and wait with the kids for an hour?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but get angry. When the nanny saw that Joanna was angry, she looked serious and cautious. ¡°That¡¯s what Mr. Everett instructed We don¡¯t dare to disobey! ¡°Besides, there are only ten minutes left. If you exceed the time limit, we will be punished.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more furious. ¡°Are you kidding me? It hasn¡¯t even been five minutes since I got out of the car! Why are there only ten minutes left?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett said the one hour was calcted from the moment they left the house.¡± ¡°PA¡± Joanna was so angry that her body was trembling. If it wasn¡¯t illegal to hurt someone, she really wanted to chop Bruce¡¯s head. ording to Bruce, she had less than half an hour to see the children every week. If this continued, the children would definitely be distant from her. ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡± Joanna was furious and called Bruce directly. On the other end of the phone, Bruce¡¯s cold voice sounded. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Joanna shouted at the phone, ¡°Bruce Everett, what do you mean?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already tolerated you again and again. What exactly do you want to do?¡± Joanna was going crazy. Hearing Joanna¡¯s angry roar, Bruce felt much better. ¡°Damn woman, she dared to make me unhappy. Then I would make her unhappy twice as much,¡± thought he. He just wanted to make Joanna angry. ¡°Miss, how did I provoke you again?¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, don¡¯t go overboard. You didn¡¯t care about the children from the moment I was pregnant until they were born. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve snatched them away. You are so shameless! What¡¯s the difference between you and a bandit? ¡°What¡¯s more outrageous is that I¡¯m only allowed to see them an hour once a week. ¡°Okay, an hour¡¯s fine. Now you¡¯re telling me to calcte the time from when the kids leave. Based on that, the time i get to spend with the kids¡¯s less than twenty minutes. ¡°What the hell do you mean?¡± ¡°Joanna was about to die from anger. Her eyes were as red as blood. Bruce sneered and said casually, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything. Do I need to exin to you what I want to do?¡± Joanna could not help but curso, ¡°Bruce Everett You¡¯re really over the top You jerk, you¡¯re shameless.¡± ¡°Humph, did you call to scold me? Alright, don¡¯t se Children next week ¡°Bruce was never a good person. If he started to act up, he went to extreme lengths. When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her entire body was trembling. She couldn¡¯t contain the fire in her chest. Chapter 284 She hated Bruce extremely. This bastard always had a way of making her go crazy. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s time now. We have to bring the children back.¡± ¡°No, they are my children. None of you can take them away.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were red as she fiercely protected the children. ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to go back. We want to go home with Mommy!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia¡­¡± Like four walls, four burly and tall bodyguards stepped forward and blocked Joanna. The nanny quickly carried the children into the car. ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Joanna could not win at all. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, don¡¯t be afraid. I will definitely think of a way to bring you back!¡± Before she could finish, the driver stepped on the elerator, and the car drove away. Joanna watched the car drive away. She was so angry that her eyes were red, and her heart was pounding violently. The feeling of the enemy being powerful and her being weak was really too maddening. She had to make the best use of her time to earn money and be an expert among experts. Only then could she fight against Bruce. She knew that with Bruce in Greyport, her career would not develop smoothly. If she wanted to overtake on a bend, she had to stay away from Bruce¡¯s harassment and shift the focus of her business to Mossbourne. The next day. At the conference room of the Haynes Group! Joanna was having a meeting with the higher¨Cups with a serious expression. ¡°Miss Haynes, ourpany is currently going downhill, and we even have to hire a world¨Cfamous sports star as our spokesperson. The endorsement fee is definitely a huge expense!¡± Joanna replied calmly, ¡°Thepany¡¯s image is very important now. Entertainment celebrities are not as positive as sports celebrities. Although the endorsement fee is expensive, it has an advantage over thepany¡¯s long¨Cterm development.¡± Mr. Roger sighed. ¡°Even if we want to build thepany¡¯s image, the price is too high!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Haynes Group has never spent so much money to hire celebrities to endorse.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made the decision. Thepany¡¯s international image must be established. This will also be beneficial to expand the market of Mossbourne!¡± Chapter 285 Chapter 285 ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Since Miss Haynes has made the decision, it¡¯s useless even if we object!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re going to hold a technology exhibition. What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°And the online tform? We don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re doing!¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were both from the Raymond Haynes era. They did not know much about these things on the inte. In addition, there was still a difference between Greyport and Mossbourne, so they did not really approve of it. Joanna patiently exined to the two of them, ¡°It¡¯s popr to sell goods online around the world now. We have to follow the trend of the times. ¡°This is what I think. We¡¯ll hold a technology exhibition and invite inte celebrities to do a live broadcast. This is also a way to promote ourpany. ¡°If possible, we might set up an onlinepany in the future to train our own live¨Cstreaming sales anchors.¡± ¡°Well, this¡­¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul looked at each other. They didn¡¯t object or approve. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Joanna patiently exined her three ideas again. Mr. Paul, Mr. Roger, and the other higher¨Cups were finally convinced. Anyway, the Haynes Group was half¨Cdead now. It might be a good idea to change their old approach. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting. I¡¯ll leave Greyport for a while in the next few days.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger walked out of the conference room. Joanna sorted out the information she needed. ¡°Cora, print out two copies of this document.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Get ready. Come with me to Mossbourne this afternoon.¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Call Michael Lawrenceter and tell him that I¡¯ll be there in the afternoon. Tell him to call Trumpet¡¯s company first. We might have to cooperate with him a second time and ask Michael to prepare for the coboration!¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Cora replied and got back to work quickly. At two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. After the meeting in the morning, Joanna rushed to Mossbourne with Cora in the afternoon. She had worked with Brother Trumpet once before and felt good about it. Brother Trumpet had also told Joanna that she had her natural influence. He suggested they do a live stream together to sell products, thinking it might have a great effect. In the past, Joanna did not want to be noticed. But now that she thought about it, since so many people were paying attention to her, why not make use of it? After Joanna arrived at the factory in Mossbourne. Michael and Nichs were already waiting in the office. ¡°Michael, have you contacted Brother Trumpet?¡± I¡¯ve already contacted him. After knowing that it¡¯s you, he¡¯s very willing to cooperate with us for a second time.¡± Hearing this, Joanna smiled. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± Nichs said, ¡°The time has been set. He wants you to make a trip to Greene Town personally next month.¡± Chapter 285 ¡°Well, okay. ¡°Are all the products for the technology exhibition ready?¡± ¡°Everything is ready. All of them are the top new products of ourpany.¡± ¡°Take me to the workshop.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Michael and Nichs took Joanna to the workshop. The several research and development engineers that Joanna brought back from Melta previously had already developed several new domestic products. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is a newly developed fourth¨Cgeneration smart bot. Not only does it have all the functions of the previous robot, but it has an additional function of intelligent conversation. ¡°It can simte a real person¡¯s thoughts and make corresponding instructions,¡± the research and development engineer Alex Field introduced the functions of the product seriously. Joanna was very happy to hear that. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°And here are sweepers and smart dishwashers. Our technology is internationally state¨Cof¨Cthe¨Cart. But the fee is only half. If the market can be opened, it¡¯s bound to be lucrative.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s what I should do.¡± At the Everett Group in Greyport. Bruce was also busy. ¡°Has the matter of Princess Daisy¡¯s hotel amodation been confirmed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s confirmed. Our hotel has been selected.¡± The higher¨Cups apuded and celebrated. Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great! During the reception, everything has to be wless. There can¡¯t be any mistakes.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ve already started training our employees.¡± ¡°We will hold a wee party during Princess Daisy and Princess Martha¡¯s staying.¡± ¡°This is the specific n of the wee party. Please take a look, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce flipped through the proposal and gave it a careful read. ¡°Good, very good.¡± ¡°At that time, Mr. Everett, you might have to receive them personally!¡± Hearing this, Bruce smiled. ¡°Of course, keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After the meeting. Andy handed over the schedule. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is your schedule for the next few days.¡± Bruce took a look. He was flying to Escostan the next day. In the following week, they would have to inspect several developed countries in Escostan. He hated business trips the most, especially when he had to travel so far for so many days. Unfortunately, he had to go even if he didn¡¯t want to. After all, his business there was getting bigger and bigger. At Sherane Bay Vi, eight o¡¯clock in the evening. 10:52 Chapter 285 Alter Joanna left, Bruce moved back to Sherane Bay Vi with the children. Reagan No. & Residence had too much of the aura of Joanna¡¯s existence. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so he brought the children back to the ce where they used to live. ¡°Baby, Daddy is going on a business trip tomorrow. The three of you stay at home. Be good.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I will.¡± Lilia looked at Bruce reluctantly. ¡°Daddy, when will youe back?¡± ¡°About a week! I will bring you gifts when Ie back¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Um, did you call Mommy?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± ¡°Daddy, women are easy to coax Why don¡¯t¡­ you coax Mommy and let Mommye back?¡± Lilia looked at Bruce cautiously. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t mention her again!¡± Davian¡¯s face straightened up. ¡°Lilia, cat your food!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lilia did not dare to say anything else. Bruce lost his appetite and went upstairs. After Bruce left, Davian criticized Lilia sternly. ¡°Are you stupid? Daddy is such an arrogant person. Why would he apologize to Mommy?¡± ¡°So what should we do?¡± Davian frowned and thought about it. ¡°Hmm, if we really want Daddy and Mommy to get back together, we have to do something behind their back¡± When Irvin heard this, he asked curiously, ¡°What should we do?¡± Davian thought for a long time. ¡°We can use Daddy¡¯s Messenger to send Mommy a message to ask for peace!¡± ¡°Ah! Will this work?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Irvin¡¯s nose shrank ¡°If Daddy finds out, he¡¯ll break our legs.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do it the other way around. We¡¯ll hack into Mommy¡¯s Messenger and use Mommy¡¯s tone to send messages to Daddy to make peace. ¡°How about this?¡± ¡°It will definitely work!¡± Irvin asked worriedly, ¡°What if Mommy finds out?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? Mommy isn¡¯t Daddy. Even if she finds out, she won¡¯t hit us.¡± Lilia smiled happily. ¡°I agree, I agree. We¡¯ll use Mommy¡¯s Messenger to apologize to Daddy.¡± ¡°Daddy will definitely be very happy when he sees Mommy¡¯s proposal text.¡± ¡°Davian, hacking Mommy¡¯s Messenger will be left to you!¡± ¡°No problem. Watch me.¡± Spon¡­ Davian sessfully hacked into Joanna¡¯s Messenger. Joanna had two Messenger ounts, but she hardly ever used this one. So even if it got hacked, she wouldn¡¯t notice right away. 10:52) Chapter 285 The kids quickly logged into Messenger. ¡°What should we send to Daddy?¡± ¡°Well, just say that I miss you and that I love you!¡± ¡°No, no. Mommy won¡¯t be so mushy. Daddy won¡¯t believe it even if he sees it.¡± ¡°Exactly, we have to follow Mommy¡¯s habit of sending messages.¡± Lilia tilted her head and asked, ¡°How will Mommy send it?¡± ¡°Mommy usually spoke very simply. Let¡¯s fake Mommy¡¯s tone to get close to Daddy first!¡± Lilia said excitedly, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Davian knows Mommy best!¡± Davian thought for a moment and typed three words on Messenger. ¡°Are you there¡­¡± Then, he sent it to Bruce. ¡°Buzz, buzz!¡± Bruce took a shower and was about to sleep when his phone notified him that there was a message from Messenger. He casually picked up the phone. He took a look and saw that it was actually from Joanna. [Are you there¡­] Although there were only three simple words, they made Bruce¡¯s heart suddenly be excited. Chapter 286 Chapter 286 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 286 Ever since their divorce, he had been hoping that Joanna would take the initiative to contact him every night. Unfortunately, Joanna did not contact him ever once. Even after she returned to Greyport, she had almost never taken the initiative to send him a message. ¡°Ahem, ahem!¡± Bruce subconsciously let out a cough. These three simple words actually made him feel butterflies in his stomach. Bruce deliberately waited half an hour before slowly replying, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Ding dong!¡± When the three kids heard the phone ring, they immediately gathered together to check. ¡°Daddy texted back! Daddy texted back!¡± ¡°Quick, take a look. What did Daddy say?¡± Davian frowned and said, ¡°He replied with three words, ¡®What¡¯s the matter¡°!¡± Irvin blinked. ¡°Davian, how should we reply then?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The three kids tilted their heads and thought for a long time. Lilia suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just apologize to Daddy directly? Just say that I shouldn¡¯t have made you angry and that i shouldn¡¯t have met Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°No, no. This is too straightforward. Daddy definitely won¡¯t be appeased, ¡± ¡°Then how do you think we should reply?¡± Davian rolled his eyes. He was the smartest of the three. He thought for a while and typed a few words on the phone. [Are you still up?] ¡°Swoosh!¡± The message was sent to Bruce again. Irvin grinned. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so simple. Will it work?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is in a fit of anger now. You have to coax Daddy well! Say some sweet words in Mommy¡¯s tone. If Daddy is happy, he might not be angry anymore!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. You have to flirt slowly. Let¡¯s see Daddy¡¯s reaction first.¡± Soon. Bruce received a message from ¡°Joanna.¡± [Are you still up?] After reading the message, Bruce couldn¡¯t fall asleep anymore. His heart was itchy. ¡°This damn woman finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and came to make peace. ¡°However, she made a mistake that went against my principles, so I¡¯m not going to forgive her easily,¡± thought he. 1Speak up!] Bruce replied coldly. ¡°Daddy texted back again!¡± Irvin could not help but worry after reading it. ¡°Ugh, how do we reply? Daddy¡¯s reaction is very cold.¡± ¡°Yes, let me think about it.¡± 10-52 Chapter 286 [I can¡¯t sleep. Missing you¡­] Davian typed a line of words on the screen and sent it over. After Bruce read the message, a warm smile appeared on his face. This was the first time Joanna had confessed to him so ¡°emotionally.¡± ¡°This damned woman had finally given in. ¡°Since she had given in, I have to put on airs to let her know that I¡¯m a man of principle,¡± thought he. Therefore, Bruce resisted the urge to reply and put his phone aside. ¡°When ites to women, you gotta keep them interested but not too close. y it cool. That way, she¡¯ll feel unsure, and that¡¯s when she¡¯ll give you her heartpletely,¡± said he inwardly. Half an hourter. Before the three kids could receive a reply from their daddy, they were already so sleepy that they could not take it anymore. Irvin let out a big yawn. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Daddy replying?¡± Lilia could not help but rub her sleepy eyes. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m so sleepy.¡± ¡°It looks like Daddy won¡¯t reply today. Let¡¯s go to bed!¡± ¡°Davian, is this method going to work? Why do I feel like it¡¯s useless?¡± Davian said proudly, ¡°We have to take it slow. That¡¯s all for today. Let¡¯s continue tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back to sleep.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Davian and Irvin yawned and sneaked out of Lilia¡¯s room. They returned to their rooms to sleep. Lilia enjoyed a bedroom alone, and the two boys shared a room. As the room was rtively close, the servants did not notice. Bruce waited for a long time. Seeing that Joanna did not reply, he could not help but fall asleep. The next day. Bruce got up early in the morning and felt exceptionally refreshed today. He didn¡¯t look as unpleasant as a few days ago. ¡°Good morning, Daddy!¡± The three little kids were sitting at the dining table and having breakfast. Bruce hurriedly adjusted the cor of his suit and rushed out. ¡°Good morning, babies! ¡°Daddy is going overseas for a business tripter. Be good at home, the three of you!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, we understand.¡± ¡°Lilian, arrange for a driver to send the boys to schoolter.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, leave it to me!¡± Each of the three kids had five servants, drivers, and nannies. Even if Bruce and Joanna were not around, there was no need to worry that no one would take care of them. Bruce looked at the time and hurried out to the airport. He was flying to Escostan today. ¡°Mr. Everett, the luggage is ready.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± In the car. Along the way, Bruce kept checking his phone. He kept thinking about Joanna and flipping through the chat history with her. 10:57 Chapter 286 He could choose not to reply to her messages, but he wanted her to keep sending him messages. Unfortunately, Joanna did not send another message. ¡°Ugh, that damn woman is very arrogant! Could it be that she retreated when she saw that I didn¡¯t reply? ¡°How about I take the initiative to reply to her? ¡°No, I have to hold it in. This damn woman was spoiled too much. That¡¯s why she doesn¡¯t take me seriously,¡± said he inwardly. He was conflicted in his heart. The expression on his face alternated between mncholy and mysterious smiles. Andy and Mark secretly looked at each other. They were so frightened that they did not even dare to breathe. ¡°Mr. Everett rarely had such rich facial expressions. ¡°What was he thinking about today? He was so serious and focused,¡± they wondered. At Porash. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Joanna was not idle. She had been in Mossbourne for the past two days. With her personally taking action, she had managed to win back several old clients. ¡°The technology exhibition will be held in the convention center. ¡°The venue has been rented. Miss Haynes, you can take a look personally.¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Michael introduced, ¡°This ce can amodate up to three thousand people at the same time, and our product cabs will be ced here.¡± Joanna frowned and pondered. ¡°Have you decided on the inte celebrity who will be invited for the live broadcast?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, I suggest you consult Brother Trumpet. He¡¯s the leader of the inte celebrity world. He definitely knows more.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Bring me the phone. I¡¯ll call him.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± || Joanna took the phone and called Brother Trumpet. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± The call was quickly picked up. Brother Trumpet¡¯s slightly surprised voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello, Brother Trumpet. I¡¯m Joanna Haynes.¡± ¡°Hello, Ms. Haynes. We haven¡¯t talked in a long time. I thought you had forgotten about me.¡± ¡°Why would I? There¡¯s been an ident recently.¡± Brother Trumpet smiled awkwardly and asked with concern, ¡°I heard of it. Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Brother Trumpet didn¡¯t know what else to say. He was clearly talkative, but when faced with Joanna, he inexplicably felt inferior. ¡°By the way, mypany is going to find a few popr live broadcasters. Brother Trumpet, do you have any rmendations?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already heard from Mr. Lawrence. I¡¯ll call my friends tonight and see who¡¯s more suitable!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Thank you in advance!¡± Brother Trumpet paused for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m going to start a live broadcast soon. Let¡¯s have a good chat when we meet next 10:52 Chapter 286 week.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Then see you soon!¡± ¡°Good¨Cbye.¡± After hanging up, Joanna began to look around the exhibition hall again. ¡°Set this ce up again and take down that board. The lights have to be controlled. There¡¯s bound to be a lot more media that day. ¡°The security equipment also needs to be done well. ¡°This is our first step into the Mossbourne market. We have to do a good job at this technology exhibition,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Got it, Miss Haynes.¡± Michael and Nichs, along with the nning director and marketing manager, carefully prepared the exhibition. Joanna naturally had to be hands¨Con as the boss, running around and giving orders. By the time she was done, it was already past nine in the evening. Joanna returned to the hotel and took a hot shower. She was so tired that she soon fell asleep on the bed. At Lundi Airport. After more than ten hours of flight, Bruce arrived at Antlen, his first stop in Escostan. There was an eight¨Chour time difference between Antlen and Greyport. Therefore, it was only in the afternoon when he got off the ne. Bruce met with a client there and then went to inspect thepany in Antlen. While he was inspecting thepany, his phone vibrated. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± There was a message from Messenger. Bruce guessed that it must be Joanna. He had been waiting for her reply for a day. He quickly took out his phone to check. It was indeed from Joanna. However, there was no word but just a cute emoji. Bruce was stunned. Chapter 287 Chapter 287 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 287 Tick¨Ctock! Another group of emojis was sent over. One was a little yellow duck dancing, and the other was an emoji of a husky being stupid. Bruce frowned. What did that mean? He knew Joanna quite well. She looked weak, but she was actually very strong and stubborn. Acting cute and coquettish was not her style at all. [?] Bruce sent a question mark over. When the three little guys heard there was a Messenger message, they quickly rushed to check it. ¡°Daddy replied. Daddy replied.¡± ¡°Eh? Why is there only a question mark? It seems that Daddy doesn¡¯t want to forgive Mommy at all.¡± Davian smiled smugly. ¡°No way. If Daddy really didn¡¯t want to get back together with Mommy, he wouldn¡¯t have replied at all.¡± ¡°Since Daddy replied, it means that Daddy really wants to reconcile with Mommy.¡± When Irvin and Lilia heard this, they were very happy. ¡°Then how should we reply?¡± ¡°Well, use Mommy¡¯s tone to care about Daddy first.¡± Then, Davian replied to their Daddy with a message on Messenger. [Take care of yourself!] Bruce was even more confused after reading it. Joanna used to love him very much. However, ever since he insisted on divorcing her, Joanna must have been heartbroken and changed completely. She couldn¡¯t wait for him to die, so why would she care about him? [Who the hell are you?] Bruce sent a voice message. He suspected that it was not Joanna at all. ¡°Daddy is suspecting us. How are we going to reply?¡± ¡°How should we reply? What if Daddy video calls us?¡± Davian thought for a moment. ¡°Looks like we have to use our ultimate move.¡± [I¡¯m the babies¡® Mommy.] [Honey, you¡¯ve had a hard time on your business trip.] It seemed that Bruce had confirmed the other party was indeed Joanna from this message. [Honey, I was wrong before. Can you forgive me?] ¡°Heh¡­¡± After reading the messages, Bruce could not help butugh. [Honey, take good care of yourself overseas! The weather in Lundi is not good. Be careful not to catch a cold!] There were a few heart¨Cshaped emojis at the end of the message. Bruce¡¯s heart instantly softened. He replied with a message. [Got it!] For the rest of the day, Bruce had a smile on his lips. Even when he spoke to his assistant, it was not like he was giving orders. When Andy saw this, he was scared and his blood froze for the entire day! Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Mark, what is Mr. Everettughing at?¡± 10:57 Chapter 287 Mark shrugged. ¡°How would I know? Mr. Everett has been very strange these past two days. He¡¯s always staring at his phone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! He was also absent¨Cminded when stared at his phone. I didn¡¯t know why he was with a smile on his face all the time.¡± ¡°Is he thinking about buying Caron Tel? ¡°After all, it¡¯s such a big investment. It¡¯s normal to be cautious!¡± Andy shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s not Mr. Everett¡¯s first time acquiring such argepany. But I¡¯ve never seen such a strange smile from him. It makes my blood freeze.¡± ¡°As the saying goes, there must be a reason for something abnormal. It¡¯s better to be careful! I keep feeling that it¡¯s the calm before the storm.¡± Mark echoed, ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡± After Bruce returned to the hotel at night, his phone rang again. [Honey, I¡¯m going to sleep. Love you. Kiss, kiss.] After reading the message, Bruce¡¯s heart was immediately filled with happiness. It seemed that he had overestimated his principles. He had clearly wanted to break up with Joannapletely, but unexpectedly, he forgave her so easily just after she said a few sweet words to him. [Okay, sleep tight!] Bruce replied. In Sherane Bay Vi, the three little children gathered together again to plot. ¡°Look! I already said that as long as Mommy bows down to Daddy first, Daddy will definitely forgive Mommy.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°When Daddyes back and meets Mommy, won¡¯t we be exposed?¡± ¡°We have to help Mommy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll call Mommy and find out what she thinks. As long as Mommy still loves Daddy, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Beep, beep, beep. Davian made a Messenger video call to Joanna. Joanna felt dulled with sleep when she heard the phone ring. She picked up her phone and saw that it was a Messenger video call from Davian. Joanna answered the video call while feeling sleepy. ¡°Hello, baby!¡± ¡°Mommy, are you sleeping?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s already sote, Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet?¡± ¡°We miss Mommy, so we video¨Ccalled you.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart warmed. ¡°I miss you guys too.¡± Davian suddenly wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Joanna forced herself to stay awake and chatted with her son. She had been walking all day and had a few blisters on her feet. Now she was tired and sleepy. ¡°Well, Daddy is on a business trip.¡± Joanna paused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°Mommy, I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Chapter 287 ¡°Do you¡­ still love Daddy?¡± Joanna was stunned. She didn¡¯t want to talk to the children about this. They were so little. How could they understand the rtionship between adults? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby? Why are you suddenly asking this question?¡± Davian pouted. ¡°Mommy, if Daddy asks you for peace, will you still be willing to reconcile with Daddy?¡± Joanna was stunned again. Even her pajamas fell apart. Bruce was the man she had loved for more than ten years. He had long been deeply imprinted in her heart. Even if she said that she didn¡¯t love him, how could she not love him at all? It was just that she was trying her best not to love him! ¡°Mommy, answer me!¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re still young. Can you not care about these things?¡± ¡°Mommy, just tell me, will you forgive Daddy?¡± In order tofort her son, Joannaughed and said, ¡°Yes, I will!¡± She knew that Bruce was such an arrogant and conceited person. How could he bow down to her? Davian was very satisfied when he heard that. ¡°That¡¯s good. Mommy, you can keep sleeping now!¡± ¡°Okay. Babies, you should sleep now, too!¡± After hanging up, Irvin eagerly asked, ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°Well, I guess Mommy must still love Daddy. If that¡¯s the case, that will be best. Then we don¡¯t need to worry about Mommy being angry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Daddy loves Mommy, and Mommy loves Daddy too! Let¡¯s boldly matchmake them.¡± Lilia strongly agreed. The next day, Bruce was ready to talk about the acquisition. At 8 o¡¯clock in the morning, he received a message. [Honey, wake up!] At noon, he received another message. [Honey, it¡¯s time for lunch.] At six o¡¯clock in the evening, he received a message again. [Honey, it¡¯s time for dinner.] Looking at the messages from Joanna, Bruce felt extremely pleased. Even when he went to discuss work, he had a smile on his face and was very amiable. He was not even angry at the other party¡¯s harsh request. Not only were Andy and Mark surprised, but even their business partners were extremely surprised! A business tycoon like Bruce was known internationally as a bad¨Ctempered guy. Moreover, he was shrewd and decisive. Although he was not even 30 years old, he was smarter and bolder than those old entrepreneurs! ¡°It was impossible to take advantage of him in business! For the next few days, Joanna¡¯s messages arrived on time every day. On the seventh day, the resentment in Bruce¡¯s heartpletely dissipated. His work was almost done. It was time to go back home! ¡°Mr. Everett. The ne tickets are booked.¡± ¡°Okay! Chapter 287 ¡°Pack all this stuff!¡± The floor was filled with luxury goods. There were bags, cosmetics, and all kinds of gifts. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Bruce went back to his room to sleep, holding the phone in his hand. Andy and Mark ordered someone to pack these things. ¡°Tsk, tsk. Mr. Everett is really inhumane.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! He bought more than ten limited edition models of Herm¨¨s. He buys one every time he goes to a new city. Who is he going to gift this time?¡± ¡°I wonder which woman is so lucky.¡± ¡°Will they be given to Miss Garcia?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible. Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes have broken up. He will definitely make a new girlfriend.. ¡°Only Miss Garcia is worthy of Mr. Everett and such generous gifts.¡± ¡°Be careful. Hurry up and pack them.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Bruce had always been generous with women. As long as he liked a woman, he was really willing to spend money on her. Although the only real girlfriends he had were Roxanne and Joanna, in fact, how could a man of his status not have female intimates? However, those were just for fun. The women who had been with him all couldn¡¯t forget him. Even if it was just a short or temporary rtionship, he was still generous and definitely didn¡¯t owe a woman a love debt. In terms of money, he would definitely not be stingy! Chapter 288 Chapter 288 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 288 Before going to bed, Bruce¡¯s Messenger prompt sounded as usual. [Honey, when are youing back?] Bruce was overjoyed and wished that the ne would take off tonight. [I¡¯ll fly back tomorrow. I want to see you.] [That¡¯s great. I want to see you too.] [I¡¯ll text you when I get on the ne.] [Okay!] [I¡¯m going to sleep!] [Good night, honey. Kiss!] After sending the Messenger messages, the three little guys were worried again. Irvin looked mncholic. ¡°What should we do? Daddy will be back tomorrow! When Daddyes back and finds out the truth, will he be even angrier?¡± Davian analyzed calmly for a few seconds. ¡°Yes, I think he will. But from Daddy¡¯s tone, he is no longer angry with Mommy. What we have to do now is to arrange for them to meet.¡± ¡°Daddy will definitely be willing to see Mommy, but if we want Mommy to be willing to see Daddy, we have to think of a way!¡± ¡°How about we just call Mommy and confess everything to her? That way, we can call Mommy toe over directly!¡± Davian¡¯s face was solemn. ¡°That won¡¯t work. If Mommy knew the truth, she definitely wouldn¡¯te over.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call Mommy first and find out what she thinks.¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Davian picked up the phone again and made a video call to Joanna through Messenger. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. Soon, Joanna picked up the call. ¡°Hello, baby.¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Joanna smiled at Davian in the video. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Davian chuckled and blinked cutely. ¡°Mommy, um¡­ Are you free tomorrow?¡± Joanna was stunned. It would be Saturday tomorrow. It was not yet time to visit the children. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby?¡± ¡°We miss you. We want to see Mommy.¡± ¡°I miss you guys too, but I¡¯m still in Mossbourne.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Mommy, when are youing back?¡± ¡°Maybe the day after tomorrow! I¡¯ll visit you on Sunday.¡± When Davian heard this, he paused for a few seconds. ¡°Mommy, can youe back tomorrow?¡± ¡°Anything happened, baby?¡± Irvin also squeezed into the video and said, ¡°Um, Daddy will be back from overseas tomorrow!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes curved into a smile. ¡°We want to pick Daddy up at the airport tomorrow and give him a surprise. We want Mommy to apany us!¡± Chapter 288 Joanna¡¯s face darkened when she heard that. She said patiently, ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work. I¡¯m preparing for an exhibition. I don¡¯t have time at the moment!¡± ¡°I see! Can¡¯t you take just one day off?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll visit you guys on Sunday, okay?¡± The three little guys looked disappointed. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy now. Talk to youter. See you!¡± After Joanna blew the three little guys a kiss, she hung up the video call. ¡°Mommy hung up? Mommy said she was in Mossbourne. She definitely won¡¯t be able toe back tomorrow.¡± ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Irvin was smart. After rolling his eyeballs, he suddenly had an idea. ¡°Hey, how about this? We¡¯ll lie to Mommy and say that Lilia is sick. ¡°In that case, Mommy will definitelye. ¡°When Daddy and Mommy meet, they might reconcile.¡± When Davian and Lilia heard this, they also felt that it was a good idea. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it!¡± The next day, it was Saturday. It happened that the children did not have to go to school. Bruce¡¯s flight was at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Beep, beep, beep! At one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Davian said anxiously, ¡°Mommy, bad news. Lilia is sick!¡± Boom! On the other end of the line, Joanna felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Lilia suddenly feels her stomach hurt terribly and she keeps vomiting.¡± ¡°Is there no one in the house?¡± ¡°The servants are on holiday. We don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Joanna panicked. ¡°How is that possible? Get the driver to send Lilia to the hospital first¡­¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t make it. Lilia can¡¯t take it anymore. Mommy,e quickly!¡± Joanna¡¯s mind was filled with worry for her daughter, so she didn¡¯t have time to think too much. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re at Sherane Bay Vi!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± ¡°Mommy,e quickly. Lilia can¡¯t take the pain anymore!¡± * ¡°Okay, I will!¡± After Joanna hung up, she was so anxious that she broke out in cold sweat. She hurriedly called Bruce! ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable¡­¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s anxious expression, Cora asked with concern, ¡°Miss Haynes, what happened?¡± ¡°Cora, I have to hurry to Sherane Bay Vi. Lilia is sick.¡± 10-52 Chapter 2587 ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing this, Cora also started to worry. Lilia had been sickly since she was young and would fall sick at any time. Therefore, they did not suspect that the news was fake. ¡°Miss Haynes, you go quickly! Lilia is more important.¡± ¡°Cora, I¡¯ll leave here to you. You¡¯re in charge of these.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna was burning with anxiety. She couldn¡¯t care about the exhibition and hurriedly drove to Greyport. An hourter, Joanna rushed to Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Miss Haynes, what brings you here¡­¡± The guards were very surprised to see Joanna. ¡°Hurry up and open the door. Davian called me and said Lilia is sick!¡± ¡°Oh, oh, oh¡­¡± When the guards heard that Lilia was sick, they hurriedly opened the gate and let Joanna in! Everyone knew that Lilia was the apple of Mr. Everett¡¯s eye. She was more favored than her two brothers. If anything really happened to her, they could not bear the responsibility. At the entrance, Davian and Irvin were already waiting. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, where is Lilia?¡± ¡°Lilia is inside!¡± As they spoke, Davian and Irvin held Joanna¡¯s hands and ran into the courtyard. Sherane Bay Vi was huge! It took a long time for them to just walk to the front yard. The two little guys led Joanna into the inner courtyard. On the hugewn, there was a foam background board. There was also a moon arch made of foam on both sides, and it was filled with flowers. There were still children¡¯s drawings pasted on the background board! Although it looked simple, it was very warm. It was obvious that the children had meticulously decorated it. Lilia was wearing a princess dress and sitting on thewn. When she saw Joanna, she happily waved at her. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m here.¡± Joanna panicked and hurriedly ran over to check. ¡°Lilia, how are you?¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and smiled sweetly. ¡°Mommy, my stomach hurt a little just now. I¡¯m much better now!¡± When Joanna heard this, she heaved a sigh of relief and hugged her daughter. ¡°You almost scared me to death!¡± Just as they were talking, the gate of the vi opened again, and a few luxury cars drove in. Bruce happened toe back. Through the car window, Bruce saw Joanna. Moreover, thewn was decorated romantically. It was obvious that a wee party had been carefully prepared for him. Bruce felt warm in his heart. He thought it was decorated by Joanna and the children! The resentment he had toward Joanna before hadpletely dissipated! ¡°Mommy, Daddy is back!¡± Joanna turned around and saw that Bruce had indeed returned. ¡°Mommy, let me tell you a secret. Daddy really wants to get back together with you!¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. The car door slowly opened! 374 10:52 Chapter 288 Bruce got out of the car with long legs! Even though he had been on the ne for more than ten hours, he did not look tired at all. He was still dressed in a suit and leather shoes, looking energetic. His handsome face exuded a high¨Cspirited aura. After seeing Bruce, Joanna was filled with anger. ¡°You¡¯re here¡­¡± Bruce greeted her with a smile. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Bruce, how could you leave the children at home for so long?¡± Bruce was stunned! ¡°If you can¡¯t give the children enoughpany, return them to me. Do you know that Lilia felt sick just now?¡± Bruce was even more confused. He hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Mommy, Daddy, Lilia is fine now!¡± Davian and Irvin hurriedly acted as peacemakers. Bruce vaguely felt that something was wrong. Joanna¡¯s attitude toward him was fierce and did not have the slightest bit of tenderness. ¡°Joanna, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°I know! You¡¯re a busy person, but children need their parents by their side. ¡°You left seven or eight days and left the children to the servants. What if something happens? ¡°For the sake of the children¡¯s health and growth, it¡¯s better for them to live with me!¡± Chapter 289 Chapter 289 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 289 ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear this.¡± ¡°Mommy, stop it. Today is our family reunion day!¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll pay attention in the future!¡± Bruce still had a trace of fantasy in his heart, hoping that Joanna was joking with him. Hence, he put on a smiley face and went forward to hug Joanna! Joanna subconsciously took a few steps back and pushed his arms away. She looked at Bruce in surprise. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± Bruce choked again! Joanna¡¯s attitude toward him was as cold as ice. It did not seem like a joke at all. She clearly called him honey in Messenger, and she even acted coquettishly and begged for peace. ¡°Joanna, why are you so fickle?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You¡¯re the fickle one. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t y t you know that I was overseas on a business trip?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more furious. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really strange. How would I know that you were going on a business trip?¡± A few days ago, Davian called her and said that their Daddy was on a business trip. However, Joanna did not expect Bruce to be on a business trip for more than a week! Bruce touched his dry upper lip and took out his phone. ¡°Did you send these messages to me?¡± Joanna nced at it. The Messenger ount was indeed hers, but she was not the one who sent the messages. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Bruce, can you not y these little tricks?¡± ¡°What tricks did I y?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t used that Messenger ount for a long time. What¡¯s the use of your yacting?¡± Puff! When Bruce heard this, he waspletely dumbfounded. The gaze he used to look at Joanna turned from hot to cold and finally froze into ice. It seemed that he had been tricked. What was even more annoying was that he actually believed it and was foolishly happy for a few days. When the three little children saw this, they lowered their heads and did not dare to make a sound! They thought that once they made peace between their Daddy and Mommy on Messenger, their Daddy and Mommy would definitely be very happy to see each other and let bygones be bygones. However, they never thought that when their Daddy and Mommy met, there would be a big fight. Bruce took a deep breath and looked at the three little guys gloomily. He now knew that it was not Joanna who had sent him the messages these past few days. Looking at the guilty reactions of the three little guys, Bruce knew it was probably them. ¡°Heh, I see!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°What did you see?¡± Bruce sighed in frustration. He was speechless to the extreme. Joanna had never bowed down to him, much less begged for peace! ¡°It¡¯s none of your business about what I see! Now that you¡¯ve barged into my house for no reason, I can sue you for trespassing.¡± 10:52 Chapter 289 ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really moody!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m moody, so what? I¡¯m richer than you. Are you not convinced?¡± Joanna choked in anger. ¡°What a lunatic!¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you. If you call me lunatic again, I¡¯ll send you to a mental hospital and you can forget abouting out for the rest of your life.¡± Bruce was really furious. This was the first time in his life that he had been fooled like this. Seeing this, Davian¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, stop arguing! ¡°It was me. I stole Mommy¡¯s Messenger ount. I sent the messages!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was instantly suffocated. She looked at her son in surprise and anger. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°We¡­ We just want Daddy and Mommy to reconcile!¡± After hearing this, Joanna became even angrier. ¡°Davian, I¡¯ve told you many times. You¡¯re not allowed to do such things again, and you¡¯re not allowed to lie¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish reprimanding him, Bruce sneered. ¡°Joanna, shut up. This is my son. What right do you have to lecture him?¡± ¡°Bruce, he is my child too! I definitely have to teach my child a lesson for doing something wrong.¡± Lilia was so scared that she pursed her lips and said with a sobbing tone, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, stop arguing!¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Irvin was so scared that he started crying too. Bruce took a deep breath and held Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°If you want to argue, let¡¯s argue aside. Don¡¯t scare the children.¡± With that, Bruce desperately grabbed her and dragged her into the house. Joanna panicked and quickly struggled. ¡°Let go. What do you want?¡± She did not dare to enter the house with him. If she entered the house, it was very likely that she would be bullied by him. ¡°Joanna, it should be me who asks you what you want?¡± The two of them instantly quarreled again. Bruce had originally happily brought a bunch of gifts for Joanna, but now, it seemed to be a joke. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± The three little guys started crying together. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not argue anymore. Let¡¯s not argue in front of the children anymore!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± After saying that, Joanna left Sherane Bay Vi angrily! Bruce was so angry that he smashed his phone into pieces. The next day, in the conference room of the Everett Group, Bruce¡¯s face was very cold.. He threw the proposal book onto the face of the nning director and said, ¡°What kind of bullshit n is this? Take it back and redo it! ¡°Also, have you read the details of the contract? Type a new report for me.¡± One of the senior managers reported nervously, ¡°Mr. Everett, this is a new cooperation request the Stark Group made this year¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense with me. If they want to cooperate, so be it. If they don¡¯t want to cooperate, then ask them to get lost!¡± ¡°Princess Daisy will be staying on the eighth of next month. There¡¯s still a week left. Where is the venue suitable for the wee party¡­¡± 3/4 10:52 Chapter 289 ¡°Are you all dead? Why would I spend so much money on you? Why are you asking me about everything? What¡¯s the use of hiring you?¡± Today, Bruce was in an extremely bad mood. He scolded almost all the senior managers. The senior managers lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly. After the meeting, Andy and Mark still had lingering fears! ¡°Look, what did I say? The calm before the stormn!¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. We have to be more careful these two days. Don¡¯t get into trouble.¡± ¡°Who made Mr. Everett so angry for no reason?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I heard that Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes seem to have quarreled again!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, they had a fierce argument!¡± ¡°No wonder!¡± Crack! Crack! In the office, Bruce threw all the documents on the ground. ¡°What kind of shit are you making? Send them all back and redo them!¡± The exhibition Joanna prepared was imminent. ¡°Brother Trumpet, have you chosen the host?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen. On the day of the exhibition, I¡¯ll bring eight friends over to support the event. I¡¯ve already sent the name list to Mr. Lawrence!¡± Joanna was very happy to hear that. ¡°Brother Trumpet, thank you so much!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± Brother Trumpet was a big streamer with tens of millions of fans. His friends were also inte celebrities with tens of millions of fans. With their help, the exhibition would definitely be very sessful! Of course, favors were favors. Joanna would still pay the advertising fees andbor fees! ¡°The exhibition will start tomorrow. Are the products ready?¡± Joanna was worried and checked the exhibits over and over again. ¡°Miss Haynes, everything is ready. There won¡¯t be a problem!¡± ¡°There¡¯s also the media from Mossbourne. We have to maintain order and safety.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. We¡¯ve already done the security measures. It¡¯ll definitely be a sensation tomorrow. We¡¯ll strive to make a name for ourselves in Mossbourne.¡± After hearing this, Joanna finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s for the best. Let¡¯s all cheer together.¡± A few marketing managers also cheered. ¡°Good luck! Good luck!¡± On the day of the exhibition, Joanna rented thergest exhibition hall at the convention center, enough to amodate 3,000 people. ¡°Wee to the Haynes Group exhibition.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, please introduce us to the main product first.¡± Brother Trumpet was in high spirits as he took a video to warm up. ¡°This ¡°This is our new generation of smart home robots. It has a lot of functions¡­¡± Joanna introduced the main products one by one! ¡°Hello, everyone. Today, we are here at the exhibition of the Haynes Group. This is the chairman from the Haynes Group.¡± 10:53 Chapter 289 ¡°Miss Haynes, please say hello to the fans.¡± Joanna smiled at the camera and said, ¡°Hello, everyone! I¡¯m chairman Joanna Haynes from the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Wow, the Haynes Group¡¯s chairman is so young and beautiful!¡± ¡°Are you beautifying yourself? You¡¯re too beautiful.¡± ¡°Guys, let me introduce this product to you. This is the first product of the Haynes Group¡­¡± When the live broadcast started, the media also came over to interview! ¡°Joanna deserves to die!¡± ¡°Joanna is not human!¡± The entire venue instantly fell silent! Joanna was shocked. ¡°Cora, go check who¡¯s making trouble!¡± Chapter 290 Chapter 290 ¡°Joanna, you unfilial daughter. Get out here! I¡¯m going to take you down with me¡­¡± Cora hurriedly ran out to take a look. Then she said, ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s Mr. Haynes causing trouble.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna furrowed her brows, wearing an extremely displeased expression on her face. Shaun was at the entrance of the exhibition hall. Shaun had a huge sign hanging around his neck. On it were the words ¡°Shameless Joanna¡± written in red ink. He was holding a loudspeaker in his hand and cursing Joanna loudly. Someone asked, ¡°Who is this person? Is he crazy?¡± Then another one answered, ¡°I think it¡¯s Miss Haynes¡¯s father.¡± ¡°What? No way!¡± Joanna hurried out. Then she asked, ¡°Dad, what are you doing?¡± After seeing Joanna, Shaun pointed at her nose and scolded, ¡°You unfilial daughter. Don¡¯t call me Dad. You¡¯re a jinx. I won¡¯t acknowledge you as my daughter!¡± ¡°Dad, stop fooling around¡­¡± Shaun continued, ¡°Get lost. How could I give birth to a wretch like you? Do you know that you¡¯ve harmed Roxy badly? ¡°Our entire family has been harmed by you. You¡¯re a jinx. Everyone,e and take a look. This is the bitch who seduced her brother¨Cinw and drove her sister crazy.¡± His words sparked a lively discussion among the crowd. ¡°Oh, my God. Is it true?¡± The online streamers and media present were shocked. Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. And she almost gasped for breath. She never expected her father toe to the trade fair and ruin her reputation in such a way. And the shlights of the media went off in a frenzy. They captured a series of intense shots of Shaun. The poprity of the inte celebrities¡® live streaming rooms skyrocketed instantly. ¡°What¡¯s going on? A battle between father and daughter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s so fierce.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the grudge between them? Why does this father subject his daughter to such a devastating blow?¡± The security guards quickly came over to maintain order and tried to pull Shaun away from the scene. ¡°Sir, please don¡¯t cause trouble here!¡± Shaun shouted, ¡°Get out of my way. And let¡¯s see who dares to stop me today! Whoever tries to hinder me, I¡¯m determined to take Joanna down with me! ¡°Everyone, gather around and witness! Joanna is a jinx who specializes in harming her own family. What sins did Imit in my previous life to give birth to a jinx like you?¡± * Joanna trembled with anger and said, ¡°Dad, have you had enough of thismotion? ¡°Take him away!¡± The security guards no longer hesitated. They grabbed Shaun¡¯s arms and wanted to drag him out. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Joanna, go to hell! Why aren¡¯t you the one who went crazy? You caused Roxy to be like this. You shouldn¡¯t have lived,¡± Shaun shouted. After hearing that, Joanna was speechless. She was so angry that she could not say anything. And she felt like she had been hit by a thousand arrows in the heart. Chapter 290 ¡°Hurry up and leave this ce. Don¡¯t cause trouble again.¡± Shaun could not break free, and he was getting more and more agitated. Then he had a heart attack and slumped to the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes. Mr. Haynes!¡± Shaun, who already had hypertension and heart disease, had a sudden episode when he got overly emotional. ¡°Call an ambnce and send Mr. Haynes to the hospital!¡± The chaos in front of her made Joanna¡¯s mind go nk. She was dumbfounded. Cora and Michael quickly called the ambnce. It was very soon. Shaun was sent to the hospital. Roxanne was now hospitalized in a mental hospital. Ingrid was in jail. Moreover, Derick and Ryan were not by Shaun¡¯s side. Joanna could only wait in the hospital. The carefully prepared trade fair was ruined by Shaun just like that.. Then an hour had passed. The doctor walked out of the operating room. Joanna immediately came over and asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s condition is very bad. Hypertension has caused a cerebral infarction. He can¡¯t handle any more stress. Otherwise, he might be paralyzed for the rest of his life.¡± After hearing this, Joanna felt a sudden jolt beneath her feet. ¡°Please do your best to save my father!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t say anything else and then went into the office. Joanna blinked and tears rolled down her face. At this moment, she truly felt a sense of numbness. Coraforted her and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry too much. Mr. Haynes will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°Well. Let¡¯s leave it to fate,¡± Joanna replied and sighed in despair. Then she sat on the hospital chair in a daze. She really did not want to have anything to do with her father after what he had done to her. ¡°How about apanying him in the hospital today?¡± Joanna shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll call Derick and ask him toe over. Let him take care of it.¡± Then Joanna took out her phone and dialed Derick¡¯s number. Joanna called Derick directly. ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°Hello, Derick. It¡¯s me, Joanna.¡± Derick¡¯s fierce voice immediately came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Well. Why are you calling me?¡± -Joanna said coldly, ¡°Dad is hospitalized. Come to the hospital quickly.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said that Dad is in the hospital. Come to the hospital quickly to take care of him.¡± Derick was on a date with a B¨Clist celebrity. When he heard Joanna¡¯s call, he was extremely unhappy. 10:53 Chapter 290 Unfortunately, Ryan was still in school. Derick was now the pir of the family. Then he asked, ¡°Why is Dad hospitalized? Where is Dad now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so much. Dad is at the Northshore Hospital in Porash now. Come over quickly.¡± With that, Joanna hung up. She had done what she had to do. Since her father did not want her to be his daughter, she did not want to put in any more effort. Then Cora asked, ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you go back first? I¡¯ll just wait here. ¡°When Mr. Derickes overter, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll cause a scene with you again.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was gloomy and tired. She replied, ¡°Just let him do whatever he wants.¡± An hour and a half had passed. Derick rushed over. As soon as they met, Derick immediately cursed, ¡°Joanna, what did you do to Dad? ¡°You damn bitch. Not only did you harm our family, but you also even caused Dad to be hospitalized.¡± Derick cursed as he flew into a rage. He looked like he wanted to fight Joanna. Cora quickly stepped forward to stop him. ¡°Mr. Haynes, please calm down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll calm down. I just want to know what she did to Dad. Joanna, if anything happens to Dad, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Then a crisp sound rang out. Joanna could not take it anymore and pped Derick in the face. Derick was stunned by the p. He looked at Joanna in surprise and horror as if he wanted to tear her apart. ¡°Joanna, how dare you hit me?¡± Joanna looked at Derick with a cold and gloomy expression. ¡°Don¡¯t curse at me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Derick was instantly enraged. He rushed over and attacked Joanna. Joanna was even more furious. She swung the bag in her hand and smashed it crazily at Derick. Then several loud thuds could be heard. Derick was caught off guard by the blows and struggled to defend himself. Joanna had at least practiced female self¨Cdefense for a few years. Derick was thin and weak. Coupled with the fact that he was always hanging out with women, he was as weak as a sick chicken. With a plop, he lost his bnce and was actually smashed to the ground by Joanna. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡± Derick got up again and prepared to fight Joanna to the death. Joanna red at Derick coldly and said angrily, ¡°Derick, don¡¯t go too far. I still have evidence that you harmed my son. ¡°If you keep yelling at me, do you believe that I¡¯ll send you to jail?¡± When Derick heard this, his arrogance instantly weakened. Joanna had already disowned her family. If she was really forced into a corner, she would definitely present the evidence of him persecuting Irvin to the police. Then he would probably go to jail. ¡°Alright. Joanna, you have guts.¡± Derick gritted his teeth and put away his overbearing attitude. ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll never see each other again. Don¡¯te and see Dad again!¡± Then Joanna replied, ¡°That¡¯s great. You¡¯d better remember what you said. No one wants to interact with you. ¡°Also, tell Mr. Shaun that my father¨Cdaughter rtionship with him ends here. If hees looking for trouble with me again, I won¡¯t 3/4 10:53 F Chapter 290 be polite,¡± Joanna said and turned to leave. Cora quickly followed. This time, Joanna was really angry. In the past, even if her father said that he wanted to sever their father¨Cdaughter rtionship, in her heart, he was still her father. Now, it seemed that there was no need for her to maintain their father¨Cdaughter rtionship. ¡°Miss Haynes, where are we going now? Back to the factory or back to Greyport?¡± ¡°How¡¯s it going at the trade fair?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Nichs and Michael are still dealing with issues there. I heard that there are many media outlets around now. Miss Haynes, it¡¯s better for you not to show up at this time.¡± ¡°How about going back to Greyport first? Let¡¯s go back and discuss the marketing n,¡± Joanna said.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Chapter 291 Chapter 291 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 291 Joanna had just walked out of the hospital. Unexpectedly, arge group of entertainment reporters had chased them here. ¡°Ms. Haynes, may I ask how your father is?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, is your father mentally unstable? Or is this the Haynes Group¡¯s special marketing method?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, how are you feeling right now?¡± ¡°Will the trade fair be held again?¡± ¡°Is your father doing this on purpose to attract attention?¡± Cora tried her best to block the camera in front of Joanna. ¡°Move aside, everyone. Miss Haynes does not give interviews¡­¡± Joanna and Cora finally managed to escape from the relentless pursuit of the entertainment reporters. Then the night came This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Shaun¡¯smotion at the trade fair instantly exploded on the Inte. In the past, the poprity of Joanna was only rtively high at Greyport. This time, because the trade fair was held at Mossbourne, there were arge number of reporters from Mossbourne This time, the entire country was rmed, and it caused a huge uproar online. Then Joanna returned to Greyport She did not dare to show her face at all. And she stayed at home for two whole days. ¡°Miss Haynes, things have been getting out of hand recently. I think it¡¯s better to hire some influencers to write nification articles.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯spletely unexpected. Why did Mr. Haynes do something like this?¡± ¡°Has he even considered the consequences for the Haynes Group by doing this 7¡ä¡ä Joanna¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. She was extremely depressed. Shaun was prepared to go all out to destroy Joanna ¡°Inform the reporters that I want to attend the press conference,¡± Joanna said After hearing that, Cora was stunned. ¡°Miss Haynes, at this time, let¡¯s just hide.¡± Then Joanna replied, ¡°No. The more urgent the situation is, the more I want to rify everything. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. I want to announce to the media that I¡¯m severing the father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Shaun.¡± Joanna decided that she couldn¡¯t give in anymore. In the past, Shaun held a press conference and announced that he would cut ties with her. Now, she was the one who wanted to cut ties with her father. She was already prepared to present the whole truth of the matter to the media. She could not bear this me anymore. And she wasn¡¯t willing to swallow her anger anymore. If she couldn¡¯t shake off this me, it would crush herpletely. In any case, she was already deserted by everyone and had be a pariah that everyone wanted to attack. There was nothing left ¨C for her to lose anymore. At the same time, Bruce was at the Everett Group. Bruce had naturally heard about such a huge incident on the Inte. After Andy brewed a cup of coffee for Bruce, he said with a serious and careful expression, ¡°Mr. Everett, there¡¯s been another issue with Miss Haynes ¡°Mr. Everett, now you and Miss Roxanne are involved. If we don¡¯t deal with it in time, I¡¯m afraid it could escte and have a worsening impact.¡± Chapter 291 ¡°I got it,¡± Bruce replied. Andy asked, ¡°Then¡­ should we help Miss Haynes suppress the negative news? ¡°I heard that Mr. Haynes made a scene in front of the media and said that Miss Haynes drove Miss Roxanne insane.¡± Andy could not stand it anymore and could not help but put in a few good words for Joanna. Shaun was so biased. His attitude towards his two daughters was like night and day. If the roles were reversed and Joanna was driven insane by Roxanne, Shaun would definitely ignore the situation. Then Bruce said, ¡°Well. Hasn¡¯t she always been very headstrong? She can handle it herself. She doesn¡¯t need my help. ¡°How¡¯s the preparation for the wee party?¡± Andy paused and then handed over a proposal. ¡°This is the specific proposal. It has been revised. Mr. Everett, please take a look.¡± ¡°Well.¡± Bruce casually flipped through the proposal. ¡°For the past few days, he had been too busy receiving Princess Daisy and did not have much energy to think about other things.¡± Suddenly, Bruce heard a burst of notification sound. At this moment, the phone rang. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jennie¡¯s sweet voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bruce, what are you busy with?¡± Hearing Jennie¡¯s voice, Bruce frowned and then said, ¡°I¡¯m working in thepany. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh. I asked you to help me buy the bag overseas. Did you bring it for me?¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯ve already brought it over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. When are you avable?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not avable these couple of days.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not avable, I¡¯ll go get it myself. I¡¯m downstairs in yourpany now.¡± When Bruce heard this, he subconsciously scratched his head. And he replied, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯lle up to find you.¡± Jennie hung up happily. ¡°Andy, go fetch the Herm¨¨s two¨Ctone handbag that was brought from Escostan,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Twenty minutes had passed. Jennie, who was dressed exceptionally morous, arrived at Bruce¡¯s office. ¡°Take a look. Isn¡¯t this the one you want?¡± Jennie took the bag and was very happy. ¡°Yes. This is it. Bruce, thank you. This is very difficult to buy. I can¡¯t find it in the country at all.¡± Bruce pursed his lips slightly and did not say anything. ¡°Oh. By the way, how much is it? I¡¯ll transfer the money to you,¡± Jennie said. ¡°No need. Take it as a gift from me,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Jennie smiled sweetly. The Herm¨¨s spring collection two¨Ctone handbag was quite difficult to acquire. It was priced at over 200 thousand dors, and one could only purchase it through allocation. ¡°I heard that Princess Daisy is staying at the hotel on the 8th of this month. Is that true?¡± Jennie asked. Chapter 291 ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle and join in the fun.¡± ¡°That would be best.¡± Bruce replied. Then Jennie smiled charmingly and said, ¡°Bruce, since you give me a bag, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Bruce said. He agreed casually. In any case, he was very annoyed. An hour had passed. Bruce and Jennie arrived at the Blue Pavilion restaurant. It was really a coincidence. Joanna and Brother Trumpet, Cora, also ate here. It was rare for Brother Trumpet toe to Greyport. Joanna naturally had to do her part as a host, so she brought him here for a meal. Unexpectedly, enemies were bound to meet on a narrow road. Cora immediately saw Bruce. ¡°Miss Haynes, Look! Isn¡¯t that Mr. Everett and Miss Garcia?¡± Then Joanna turned around and saw Bruce and Jennie. The two of them were chatting enthusiastically and looked very intimate. ¡°Yes,¡± Joanna replied coldly. ¡°Hey, what a coincidence!¡± Jennie also saw Joanna. ¡°That¡¯s right. What a coincidence!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna and also saw Brother Trumpet beside her. Instantly, the expression on his face was extremely strange. ¡°We¡¯re done eating. We¡¯ll get going first,¡± Joanna said. ¡°It seems that your taste is getting worse and worse,¡± Bruce replied. After hearing that, Joanna was speechless. She choked in anger and left with Brother Trumpet. ¡°Ms. Haynes¡­¡± Brother Trumpet looked embarrassed. ¡°Just ignore him,¡± Joanna replied. Brother Trumpet came from Mossbourne. Although Brother Trumpet had achieved some sess in the realm of inte celebrities, his presence would definitely pale inparison to someone like Bruce. After that, some rumors about Bruce started circting on the inte. [Mr. Everett is suspected to have a new rtionship.] [Mr. Everett is going on a date with the Ship King¡¯s daughter.] At the same time, Joanna was at the Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Oh. There¡¯s news online attacking Mommy again.¡± ¡°Yeah. Daddy and Miss Garcia are still dating.¡± ¡°We have to think of a way to help Mommy.¡± ¡°¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°We need to take down all these websites that are attacking Mommy.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work. How can we possibly take down so many websites?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The three little kids were extremely worried. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is the marketing n.¡± Chapter 291 ¡°Well¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, have you thought it through? Are you really going to hold a press conference?¡± Joanna had a serious expression. Then she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through. If I¡¯ve been tolerating it in the past, I might as well take the initiative to attack and rify everything ¡°In any case, I have a clear conscience Justice speaks for itself¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get ready.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Joanna said. Then it was the next day. Cora prepared everything. She said, ¡°Miss Haynes, the press conference is ready. ¡°It was on the 7th of this month.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Time flew by in the blink of an eye. It was the 7th of that month. Joanna held a press conference at Porash She said, ¡°Wee, reporter friends. I¡¯m holding a press conference now mainly to rify three things. ¡°Firstly, I solemnly announce that I have severed the father¨Cdaughter rtionship with Mr. Shaun. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. ¡°Secondly, I want to rify once again that the rtionship between me and Mr. Bruce has never been what the public thinks. ¡°Thirdly, I will introduce the future development center of the Haynes Group.¡± The journalists kept taking photos And the shlights of the cameras in the audience kept shing incessantly. Joanna sat quietly on the stage without any makeup. Her face was a little gloomy as she took a sheet of paper in her hand. Someone asked, ¡°Who could this be?¡± Then Joanna replied, ¡°This is Mrs. Maxwell, the nurse who was once by my grandfather¡¯s side. Six years ago, it was on the day of Mr. Everett and Miss Roxanne¡¯s engagement. ¡°She was present throughout the entire event.¡± Then the woman said, ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Amy Marwell ¡°That day, it was Mrs. Haynes who asked me to drug Miss Joanna with sleeping pills. She asked me to send Miss Joanna to Mr. Bruce¡¯s room.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s her purpose in doing this?¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes said that Miss Joanna was so outstanding that she had won Mr. Raymond¡¯s favor. She wants Miss Joanna¡¯s reputation to be ruined, so she schemed to frame Miss Joanna and falsely imed that Miss Joanna made advances toward Mr. Bruce.¡± Chapter 292 Chapter 292 What Mrs. Maxwell said caused a sensation in the room. The reporters present were even more dumbfounded. They could not believe it. Today, Joanna specially brought Mrs. Maxwell to the media. She had been backed into a corner with no way out. She decided to go all out. Instead of hiding it, she might as well take the initiative to rify everything. ¡°Mrs. Maxwell, did Mrs. Haynes really instigate this matter? You¡¯ll have to bear legal responsibility for what you said.¡°¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If Mrs. Haynes does this, isn¡¯t it equivalent to shooting herself in the foot?¡± Mrs. Maxwell nced at Joanna and then looked at the media solemnly. Then she said, ¡°That day, Mrs. Haynes originally found a few paparazzi to secretly take photos, wanting topletely ruin Miss Joanna¡¯s reputation. So, she sent the servants away and asked me to send the unconscious Miss Joanna to Mr. Everett¡¯s room. ¡°However, there was an ident that night. Mr. Everett was originally very drunk, but he woke up for some reason. He mistook Miss Joanna for Miss Roxanne. ¡°After that, Mr. Raymond and Mrs. Margaret were very angry and forced Mr. Bruce to marry Miss Joanna.¡± ¡°Everything I said today is true. I¡¯m not lying at all. I¡¯m also willing to take legal responsibility for my words and actions.¡± Mrs. Maxwell was originally Ingrid¡¯s confidant. But ever since that incident was ruined, she was fired by Ingrid and kicked out of the Haynes¡® house. Then Mrs. Maxwell lost her job. Coincidentally, her son was seriously ill. But she did not have the money to treat her son. And she was out of options. In the end, her son died in the hospital. From then on, Mrs. Maxwell also hated Ingrid to the core. Unfortunately, she was just a servant. She could do nothing to Ingrid. It was not until Joanna found her that she could finally vent the anger in her heart. Therefore, she was very cooperative. Then someone asked, ¡°Mrs. Maxwell, what else do you know?¡± ¡°I just want to rify the facts for Miss Joanna today. ¡°I¡¯ve said everything that needs to be said. All these years, I¡¯ve been feeling very guilty. Seeing that Miss Joanna has been misunderstood and insulted, I feel even more guilty.¡± As Mrs. Maxwell spoke, she could not help but wipe her tears. ¡°I¡¯ve been a servant in the Haynes family for more than ten years. Ever since I worked there, I¡¯ve rarely seen Miss Joanna. ¡°For many years, Miss Joanna has been living in a boarding school. She will only be brought home on important holidays. Mr. Shaun has never given Miss Joanna a single cent for her living expenses and school fees. ¡°Miss Joanna has always been treated as an outsider in the Haynes family. Not only does Mr. Shaun hate Miss Joanna, but Ingrid also treats Miss Joanna as a thorn in her side. ¡°As a father, Mr. Shaun only dotes on Ingrid¡¯s child. Back then, he was also the one who abandoned Miss Joanna and her mother. Ingrid was originally a mistress.¡± When the reporters below the stage heard this, they couldn¡¯t wait to dig out more shocking information. ¡°Miss Joanna, is she telling the truth?¡± ¡°Did your father not love you at all?¡± Joanna looked at the camera calmly and gloomily. Then she replied, ¡°Yes. ¡°In order to snatch my grandfather¡¯s shares back from me, Mr. Shaun has resorted to moral ckmail more than once. He has attacked and scolded me many times. The father¨Cdaughter rtionship between us is over. He is no longer my father.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned red. And she choked up several times. In the end, she could not hold back her tears. The reporters also sympathized with Joanna¡¯s plight. After all, children rarely lived happily in a family with a stepmother. 17-575 7 Chapter 292 ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t be too sad. We all support you and understand you.¡± ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡± ¡°Miss Joanna, would you mind borating on your rtionship with Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna heaved a sigh and tried her best to calm down. Then she said, ¡°Mr. Everett and I divorced five years ago. ¡°He¡¯s not only an excellent entrepreneur, but also the father of my children. ¡°We¡¯re divorced now. No matter how many entanglements we had in the past, we¡¯ve let go. I hope we can wish each other well and raise the children together.¡± ¡°What about Mr. Grimm? Miss Joanna, please say a few more words.¡± The media reporters were unwilling to give up and wanted to dig up more information. Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Grimm is my benefactor and my best friend. When I was in my most difficult and helpless state, it was Mr. Grimm who helped me a lot. ¡°Without Mr. Grimm, there wouldn¡¯t be Joanna today. But we¡¯re really just good friends, now and in the future.¡± People in the audience kept taking photos. The cameras kept shing. Joanna went all out today. And she answered all the reporters¡® tricky questions one by one. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. The press conference that was originally nned for half an hoursted for more than an hour. It was very soon. The video of the press conference was uploaded online. The major media outlets scrambled to publish news about Joanna cutting ties with her father. In less than 24 hours, Joanna had be popr all over the country. [There is an internal rift between father and daughter in the Haynes Group.] [Current chairman of the Haynes Group is devastated by family betrayal.] [Shaun disregards the bond between father and daughter, pushing his daughter to a dead end.] [The Haynes Group is facing turbulence and the possibility ofplete bankruptcy.] Chapter 293 Chapter 293 At the Haynes Group. Joanna sat in the office feeling a little dejected. She did not know the consequences of her actions. She might not be able to recover and probably would lose everything. Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a knock on the door. Joanna was lost in her thoughts when she was startled by it. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Cora walked in with a serious expression. ¡°Miss Haynes, the Inte is in an uproar now. It¡¯s all about the Haynes Group¡¯s news! ¡°But we¡¯ve already found influencers to protect our reputation!¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Joanna replied. As Cora spoke, a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry too much. The people in Greyport and Mossbourne seem to have different points of concern.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Joanna was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s different?¡± Cora said, ¡°In Greyport, all of the people attacked you, Miss Haynes. The masses already have a bad impression of you. ¡°But in Mossbourne, although there are also people who attack you, most of them support you!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna found it a little unbelievable. She was already afraid of being criticized. She felt that it was impossible for her to have supporters. The reason why she held the press conference was because she wanted to rify the facts and did not want to take the me.. Cora clicked on a few posts and showed them to Joanna. ¡°Yes! Miss Haynes, look at this post and these ones. They¡¯re all seeking justice for you! ¡°Looks like you made the right decision, Miss Haynes. Turning the focus of the business to Mossbourne might really be a way out. ¡°What¡¯s more, Miss Haynes, I think you can really listen to Brother Trumpet¡¯s opinion and register a live broadcast ount on the tform. This way, it¡¯ll be easier for you tomunicate with the masses.¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°Register a live broadcast ount?¡± Cora said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Nowadays, many celebrities and business owners are live¨Cstreaming on the tform! They asionally release videos and can attract a lot of attention.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s really something to consider,¡± Joanna replied. Cora continued, ¡°I¡¯ve already registered two ounts under thepany¡¯s name. Miss Haynes, you should register one too.¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Soon, Joanna registered an ount on the most popr tform. After sessfully registering, she only posted a simple self introduction video. However, she did not expect that such a video would have over a million views. In less than a day, her ount had actually gained more than 100 thousand fans. Of course, Brother Trumpet contributed and rmended a lot to this. Joanna¡¯s press conference also caused a huge uproar in Greyport. Bruce, Joanna¡¯s ex¨Chusband, was naturally affected! Arge number of reporters were waiting downstairs of thepany for Bruce to appear. At the Everett Group. ¡°This stupid woman. Why did she have to hold a press conference at this time?¡± Andy was also worried. ¡°Yeah! Tomorrow is the day Princess Daisy arrives at Greyport. Although Mr. Everett has divorced Miss Chapter 293 Haynes, he will still be affected. Now, all the media are taking turns to interview us!¡± ¡°Repress the news about Greyport. No matter what, we have to wait until we¡¯re done with Princess Daisy¡¯s reception.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce was both angry and speechless! This incident might affect the reception of the royal family of Novlis. However, he saw the press conference where Joanna severed ties with her father! He also saw Mrs. Maxwell¡¯sint against Ingrid. He finally knew the truth. Joanna had never schemed against him from the beginning to the end, and the ones who plotted against him were Roxanne and Ingrid. Although the two of them had already been punished, Bruce had missed Joanna. Looking at the haggard and stubborn Joanna in the camera, Bruce had mixed feelings. The next day, Princess Daisy from Novlis arrived at Greyport, apanied by Princess Martha. This time, Princess Daisy was visiting Greyport on behalf of the Novlis royal family for an international talk. The chief governor, his wife, and the diplomats received Princess Daisy together. The entire conversation would be broadcast live. The entire Greyport was paying close attention to this matter! The conversation ended. Princess Daisy and Princess Martha nned to stay in Greyport for a day. The hotel they checked into was a seven¨Cstar hotel under the Everett Group, and rows of luxurious cars drove toward it. Greyport¡¯s security personnel and the Everett Group¡¯s private security personnel had already taken security measures. Bruce and a few major shareholders were dressed in suits and leather shoes. They received Princess Daisy and Princess Martha personally. ¡°Hello, wee¡­¡± The blond, blue¨Ceyed, and elegantly dressed Princess Daisy and Princess Martha got out of the car. ¡°Wow, Princess Daisy is so beautiful!¡± ¡°Princess Martha is prettier¡­¡± Exims echoed among the onlookers. Princess Martha, in particr, stunned everyone present. Her exquisite and defined facial features and hot and sexy figure surprised the crowd. After all, she was a real princess. Her noble temperament could captivate anyone. Even if the crowd only took a nce at her face, it would make people¡¯s hearts palpitate. Bruce¡¯s eyes lit up as well. Although he had seen all kinds of beauties, this was still his first time communicating with a real princess face¨Cto¨Cface. He was a man and would more or less be vanity. Princess Daisy and Princess Martha were weed into the hotel with people around, like stars surrounding the moon. Chapter 294 Chapter 294 The equally outstanding appearance of Bruce caught the attention of Princess Martha. Bruce was originally of mixed race, with a handsome and profound countenance. He had a robust and muscr physique,parable to that of a male model. Especially when dressed in a suit, he exuded charm and confidence. When a man like him stood amidst the crowd, he would immediately be the center of attention. Princess Daisy and Princess Martha nodded to the onlookers in a friendly manner. Under the protection of security personnel, they gracefully walked toward the hotel. A brand¨Cnew red carpet extended from the entrance to the reception hall. Both sides of the grand hall were already filled with celebrities from various fields. Everyone hade to witness the charm of the foreign royal family members, so the weing ceremony became a symbol of the status of political figures. Several notable politicians and celebrities from Greyport shook hands and exchanged greetings with Princess Daisy. Princess Martha, not being the focus, didn¡¯t have to deal with these formalities. After the wee ceremony, it was time for lunch. Princess Daisy and Princess Martha, apanied by several dignitaries, went to the restaurant together. Bruce had to apany them as well. During the meal break, Princess Martha spoke up. ¡°Can you give me your phone number?¡± Princess Martha took the opportunity to discreetly ask Bruce in Antlenish. ¡°Of course,¡± Bruce responded in Antlenish. Then, Bruce took out a pen, wrote his phone number, and handed it to Princess Martha. Princess Martha took the note and teasingly blinked at Bruce. ¡°I will get in touch with you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Princess Martha smiled slightly and entered her room. Although not many people witnessed this scene, Jennie had been following behind Bruce all along, and she saw it as well. Jennie¡¯s face darkened. She felt a vague sense of uneasiness in her heart. One was a royal princess of Novlis, and the other was a wealthy and powerful figure in Greyport. They seemed to be a good match. Princess Martha was studying abroad. She had an open¨Cminded personality and had been in several rtionships. There had been quite a few media reports about her. Anyway, she posed a huge threat to Jennie. The weing ceremony had just ended. Jennie deliberately looked sad and said, ¡°Bruce, the ceremony is finally over!¡± 11.705 Chapter 294 Hearing this, Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I think Princess Martha seemed interested in you.¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly upon hearing that. ¡°How is that possible? I¡¯m a divorced man. How could Princess Martha be interested in me?¡± Jennieughed sarcastically. ¡°Why not? Women¡¯s intuition is always urate. Princess Martha definitely has feelings for you. We went to the same school when we were studying abroad. She has been in several rtionships before¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly, not saying much in response. He knew that his personality wasn¡¯t suitable for dating a princess. But as the saying went, everyone had their vanity. Princess Martha was indeed beautiful, and even if she did have feelings for him, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. Jennie paused for a few seconds and cautiously looked at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, is itpletely over between you and your ex¨Cwife?¡± Bruce hesitated, a hint of sadness appearing in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not answering, so I¡¯ll take that as a yes!¡± ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s over.¡± Upon hearing that, Jennie¡¯s bright eyes flickered, and she said with a hint of shyness, ¡°So, can I pursue you?¡± Bruce furrowed his brow. ¡°Jennie, don¡¯t be silly.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not joking! I¡¯m serious,¡± Jennie quickly confirmed. She had to seize the opportunity now. She didn¡¯t want to procrastinate any longer. If Bruce really caught Princess Martha¡¯s attention, Jennie might not stand a chance. Bruce¡¯s brows slightly furrowed, and he politely declined. ¡°Well, Jennie, I¡¯ve always seen you as my little sister. Don¡¯t have these scary thoughts. I¡¯m not right for you.¡± The smile on Jennie¡¯s face disappeared, and she said seriously, ¡°How do you know you are not right for me? We haven¡¯t even tried dating yet. Why don¡¯t we give it a shot?¡± With that, Jennie instinctively grabbed Bruce¡¯s arm. ¡°Stop it. We aren¡¯t suitable for each other, for real.¡± ¡°Bruce, do you think I¡¯m not good enough for you?¡± ¡°No, your brother would beat me up if he found out.¡± Jennie quickly exined, ¡°My brother has always known that I like you. Bruce, I¡¯m not a child anymore. I¡¯ve loved you for many years.¡± After saying that, Jennie buried her head in Bruce¡¯s chest, trying to hold him tightly. Bruce¡¯s expression darkened as he saw that Jennie was doing this in a serious manner. ¡°Jennie, stop it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not joking. Just give me a chance, Bruce! We can try dating for a while. If it doesn¡¯t work out, I won¡¯t bother you.¡± ¡°Trust me. It won¡¯t work out!¡± Bruce said and forcefully pulled his hand away from Jennie¡¯s grip. Jennie decided to go all in and tightly hugged Bruce¡¯s waist, unable to be pushed away. ¡°Bruce, I think we are a good match. And I wasn¡¯t acting on impulse. I¡¯m definitely more suitable for you than Joanna and Roxanne. I will love your children, I promise¡­¡± Bruce, feeling annoyed, could only politely decline, ¡°Jennie, I didn¡¯t know you would say this to me. I¡¯m not mentally prepared yet!¡± Jennie, persistent, said, ¡°Bruce, I can give you time to slowly ept me. Except me, no one is suitable for you.¡± Bruce felt even more frustrated after hearing what Jennie said. To be honest, he was still concerned about Joanna. Neither Jennie nor Princess Martha could rece Joanna in his heart. Unfortunately, Joanna disappointed him again and again. The more he didn¡¯t want her to be involved with Jaydon, the more she ignored his feelings. ¡°I have something urgent to attend to now. I¡¯ll have the driver take you back!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Andy, have Kody take Jennie back.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want to have any more entanglements with Jennie, so he walked away with a cold face. Joanna was still busy with work. Ring! Ring! Ring! The phone rang. Joanna picked up the phone and saw that it was Jaydon calling. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, gentle and maic. ¡°Joann, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine! What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I saw some news online and I was really worried about you.¡± Joanna smiled knowingly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me! Everything is fine.¡± Jaydon let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t push it, Joanna. I know you too well.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jay!¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, you¡¯re doing it again. I¡¯ve told you countless times. Stop thanking me all the time. It feels like we¡¯re strangers.¡± Chapter 295 Chapter 295 Hearing this, Joanna stopped being stubborn and asked with concern, ¡°Alright! How¡¯s your recovery?¡± ¡°I am recovering quite well. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Jaydon deliberately paused. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened, thinking that he was not recovering well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I miss you a lot.¡± Hearing that, Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely visit you after I¡¯m done with my work.¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± After hanging up, a trace of mncholy and worry appeared on Jaydon¡¯s handsome face. He was really worried about Joanna. Now, she was like standing on the cusp of the storm, receiving a thunderous baptism. It was very likely that she would suffer a great setback! Of course, it was also possible that she would turn the table and make aeback in the business world. However, the probability of sess was too low. Jaydon was feeling mncholic when the door was pushed open. Carmel walked in. When she saw Jaydon frowning and holding his phone, she immediately guessed that he had just called Joanna. ¡°Mr. Grimm, did you call Ms. Haynes?¡± When Jaydon heard this, his frown deepened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Carmel¡¯s charming face darkened, and her tone was a little jealous. ¡°No, I just think that it¡¯s better for you to keep a distance from her, Mr. Grimm! ¡°A woman like her can¡¯t even tolerate her biological father. From this, it can be seen that she¡¯s not a good person¡­¡± Carmel really wanted to be Jaydon¡¯s girlfriend. However, it was a pity that being too eager for sess often backfired. Jaydon was very unhappy. ¡°I think you should go back now and note to the hospital again.¡± When Carmel heard this, her expression instantly froze. ¡°Mr. Grimm, are you chasing me away?¡± Jaydon suppressed his emotions. ¡°I¡¯m not chasing you away. I just don¡¯t need you to take care of me here!¡± Jaydon felt that Carmel had fallen in love with him. He had to deal with it and get her out of here. She had already crossed the boundaries of the game. A rich young man like him was most afraid of being restrained by others. He could y around, but he would never easily fall in love with a woman. This was not a matter of morals, but the reality was like this. If he had wanted to get married from the start, and then he cheated on her and fell in love with someone else, he could be said to be a scumbag. But from the start, it hadn¡¯t been love. It had just been mutually beneficial. He liked her because she was young and pretty. And she liked the fact that he was rich enough to provide her with resources. It was just that women were often too emotional. In a love game, it was very easy for women to fall in love. However, men were often very rational. He would only be interested in such women for a short time. It was impossible for him to really marry them. Seeing that Jaydon was angry, Carmel immediately became nervous. ¡°Mr. Grimm, did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°Then why do you want to chase me away? Is it just because I said a few bad things about Ms. Haynes? ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear it, I won¡¯t say it anymore. Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t chase me away, okay?¡± Carmel cried pitifully. Seeing this, Jaydon felt even more frustrated. ¡°I need peace now. You can go out first! ¡°I think you need to calm down now. Think about what you can do in the future. Or should you focus on your work? ¡°Even if you leave me in the future, you can still live a good life.¡± Although Jaydon was a yboy, he had always been very gentle to girls. He could not bear to hurt the girls. who had been with him. However, the more he acted like this, the more the girls loved him. When Carmel heard this, her expression changedpletely. She quickly understood what Jaydon meant. It was very difficult for a girl of her background to marry into a wealthy family and be a richdy. The best choice was to be clear¨Cheaded and smart. While she was still young, she should get more money and resources to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Then, she should marry a nice man. That was the best choice! Carmel was a smart girl and knew her current situation very well. Without Jaydon, she was nothing. Carmel¡¯s expression changed in a second. She returned to her usual obedient and non¨Cstick self. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯ll be obedient in the future. I¡¯ll focus on my work in the future! ¡°Mr. Grimm, give me another chance. I promise I won¡¯t let my imagination run wild again.¡± Hearing that, Jaydon looked at her skeptically. Carmel was an actress with rtively high potential in hispany. She had been with him for the longest time and was an actress supported by thepany. ¡°Alright! You can go out first! I¡¯ll give you a month off to adjust your mentality before arranging a new¨C job¨Cfor you.¡± Chapter 295 ¡°I got it! Thank you, Mr. Grimm.¡± Carmel quickly wiped her tears and tried her best to smile brightly. It was not that easy to win her boss¡¯s heart. It was better for her to be more clear¨Cheaded! There were a few actresses who overestimated themselves in Starlight Media. They relied on their ambiguous. rtionship with the boss to be smug and think that they were the boss¡¯s wife. Such stupid women ended up being refused to cast and banned. Now, they had be ordinary people. On the other hand, Carmel was obviously much smarter. Even if she could not be Mrs. Grimm, it was not a bad choice to be able to rely on Jaydon and be a top celebrity in the entertainment industry. The Haynes Group. Joanna was dealing with work in her office when Cora knocked on the door and entered. As soon as Cora entered, she said in surprise, ¡°Wow, Miss Haynes, that¡¯s amazing¡­¡± Joanna looked up subconsciously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, look. It¡¯s only been two days, and you already have 2 million fans on your Dok¨CDek ount.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was also stunned. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I heard that it¡¯s very difficult to gain fans!¡± ¡°Look, it¡¯s real.¡± Cora eagerly showed her the ount. Joanna took a look. Indeed, there were already more than two million fans and more than ten thousand ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s really quite amazing.¡± Joanna was also shocked. Brother Trumpet had told her before that she naturally attracted attention. It seemed that he was right. Joanna was the ex¨Cwife of the richest man in Greyport and even Jaydon¡¯s current rumored girlfriend. Indeed, she could attract a lot of attention. Many A¨Clist celebrities were not as popr as her. ¡°Miss Haynes, it seems that you can do a live stream and sell the goods yourself. There¡¯s no need to hire an inte celebrity¡­¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Joannaughed awkwardly. ¡°Ha¨Cha, stop joking! There are specialized talents in all walks of life. I¡¯m just following the pace of the times and not falling behind! ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s a good thing to get so much attention.¡± Cora pondered for a few seconds and suggested, ¡°Miss Haynes, you should take advantage of the situation and post a video every day.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Beep, beep, beep. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. It was from Brother Trumpet. ¡°Hello, Brother Trumpet!¡± Brother Trumpet¡¯s slightly shy voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, I just asked a few 11:38 friends to help you post a promotional video. ¡°It¡¯s best if you release a post tomorrow. If you¡¯re free, you can show up on my live stream. That way, your fans will increase even faster.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was very grateful. ¡°Brother Trumpet, thank you. Thank you for helping me promote it. ¡°Now I have got more than 2 million fans, and I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± Brother Trumpet smiled slightly. ¡°We¡¯re friends. That¡¯s what I should do. ¡°When are you free toe to Greene Town? I¡¯ll teach you in detail about the live stream.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy these two days. I might not have time until next week!¡± ¡°Alright, give me a call in advance when youe to Greene Town.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll probably be free next week.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you next week.¡± ¡°Okay, bye!¡± ¡°Good¨Cbye.¡± Brother Trumpet said sincerely and hung up. He had been married once before, and his wife had passed away three years ago from cancer, leaving him with a daughter. Over the years, many women had appeared around him. However, he felt that he could not have the fight feeling. It wasn¡¯t until he met Joanna that he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of closeness! Perhaps it was because the two of them had experienced marriage once. After all, they resonated with each other. After hanging up, Joanna nced at the calendar. Today was already Friday. It was time to see the children the day after tomorrow. She had to work overtime today and tomorrow to settle the work at hand. Chapter 296 Chapter 296 ¡°Cora, make two copies of this document! ¡°Also, find out the contacts with the Neorace Group and the Skywinds Group. ¡°Besides, make an appointment with the president of Belize Group and see when we can meet!¡± Hearing that, Cora looked at Joanna worriedly. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s already Friday. It¡¯s almost time to get off work. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stay upte to work again?¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll take a day off on Sunday. I¡¯ll go see the children in the morning and see Jay in the afternoon. ¡°I¡¯ll finish my work in the next two days.¡± Cora sighed. ¡°Miss Haynes, your body won¡¯t be able to take it if you keep working like this. You have to pay attention to bncing work and rest. Don¡¯t work so hard.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Hurry up and go!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Cora did not dare to say anything else and could only go out to print the documents. She was very worried about Joanna. Miss Haynes did not care about her health once she started working. She worked overtime every day. It was not something that ordinary people could withstand. In particr, she had to bear both mental and physical pressure. The next day! Beep, beep, beep! Joanna called Bruce. Tomorrow was Sunday. She had to make an appointment to see the children. After she made a few calls, Bruce finally picked upzily. ¡°Hey, speak!¡± His tone was extremely cold and his words were extremely simple. ¡°Bruce, tomorrow¡¯s Sunday. I¡¯ll see the kids.¡± Bruce sneered and said in a mocking tone, ¡°Humph, you¡¯re a busy person. Do you still have the time to see the children?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and did not want to argue with him. ¡°Tomorrow morning at ten o¡¯clock, get the driver to send the children over!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same old ce, the entrance to Century za. You can stay with them for an hour.¡± Joanna gritted her teeth and wanted to argue with him. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 296 After some thought, she suppressed her anger. ¡°I see!¡± Before she could finish her words, Bruce hung up. ¡°Joanna, let¡¯s see how long you can hold on. ¡°I¡¯ll make everything difficult for you because you left me.¡± The next day. Joanna drove to Century za early in the morning. 9:50 a.m. Joanna had arrived at her destination. She looked at the time and saw that there were still ten minutes left. She prayed in her heart that the children would not be stuck in a traffic jam. Otherwise, their meeting time would be shortened. However, things did not go as nned. At ten thirty. Three luxury cars drove over one after another! Joanna took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and hurried over. The children were stillte. When the car door opened, Davian and Irvin jumped out of the car happily. ¡°Mommy!¡± The nanny carried the pram out of the car and pushed Lilia over. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia! ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you sote?¡± The nanny said indifferently, ¡°Miss Haynes, there was a traffic jam just now. There are only ten minutes left.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your business. You can¡¯t cancel out my time with the children like this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. In order to ensure the safety of the children, we can only do this!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that she had nothing to say! However, it was useless even if she argued with reason now! ¡°Mommy, we miss you so much!¡± ¡°I miss you guys too!¡± Joanna hugged the children in her arms. Her nose twitched and her eyes were sore! She wanted to cry, but she couldn¡¯t. ¡°What have you been doing these past few days?¡± Joanna sniffed and forced a smile. ¡°Every day we go to school, go home, do our homework, and learn the piano.¡± Irvin took out a small packet of biscuits. ¡°Mommy, these are the handmade biscuits I brought for you. Davian and I made them ourselves.¡± Joanna took it. ¡°Thank you, baby.¡± Chapter 296 ¡°Mommy, can we go to the amusement park today?¡± ¡°Baby, I¡­ I¡¯ll bring you guys there another day, okay?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Joanna sighed silently and looked at the children with heartache and helplessness. ¡°Miss Haynes, ten minutes is up. We have to bring the children back now.¡± ¡°Can you let me stay with the kids a little longer?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± When the children heard that they were going back, they lost their temper. ¡°We¡¯re not going back. We want to be with Mommy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We miss Mommy very much. We don¡¯t want to go back so soon. You bad woman, if you keep urging us to go back, I¡¯ll beat you up,¡± Irvin said as he clenched his small fists.. ¡°Mr. Irvin, Mr. Everett has instructed us to rush home before 11 o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. We¡¯re not leaving¡­¡± Seeing that the children were throwing a tantrum, Joanna gentlyforted them. ¡°Good boy, go back early! ¡°I will go to see you guys next week.¡± After saying that, Joanna kissed the children one by one. She couldn¡¯t bear to part with the children. However, there was nothing she could do. If she angered Bruce, he mighte up with some tricks to mess with her again. An Aston Martin was parked in the parking lot. Bruce sat in the driver¡¯s seat and watched Joanna¡¯s every move gloomily. He was deliberately making things difficult for Joanna, hoping that she would argue with him. As long as she made a scene, he would have a reason to cut her off from the children. He just liked to see her go crazy and give in. Under thefort of Joanna, the children could onlypromise. ¡°Goodbye, Mommy!¡± ¡°Goodbye, my babies!¡± Joanna had tears in her eyes. However, it was not the time to cry now. She could only think of a way to be stronger so that she could fight against Bruce. After the children left, Joanna calmed herself down and took out her phone to call Jaydon. She was very busy with work now, and it was rare for her to take a day off today. After seeing the children in the morning, she prepared to go to Venturas to see Jaydon in the afternoon. Beep, beep, beep. Jaydon quickly answered the call. Chapter 296 ¡°Hey, Joann.¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯lle and see youter.¡± Jaydon was very happy to hear that. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I¡¯m rushing to the docks now to catch a boat. I¡¯ll be there around two¨Cthirty in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± ¡°Is there anything you need? I¡¯ll bring it to you.¡± Jaydon smiled warmly. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything! ¡°If it¡¯s convenient for you, buy me a box of egg tarts from Taylor¡¯s.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After hanging up, Joanna rubbed her sore eyes to prevent herself from crying. Then, she got into the car and drove toward the egg tart shop that Jaydon had mentioned. Joanna left. Bruce also started the car and immediately followed her. He just wanted to see what she was busy with and who she was dating. Ten minutester! Joanna arrived at the egg tart shop and bought a dozen egg tarts. Then, she ced the egg tarts on the passenger seat of the car and began to rush to the docks! Bruce had been following behind. After following her for a while, he soon realized that Joanna was heading toward the docks in the direction of Venturas. Needless to say, she was definitely going to see Jaydon. After understanding what was going on, Bruce went off the deep end! He just couldn¡¯t stand the ambiguity between Joanna and Jaydon, and he couldn¡¯t stand the fact that she cared so much about Jaydon! ¡°Buzz buzz!¡± The car¡¯s engine roared. Bruce stepped on the gas and crashed into Joanna¡¯s car. ¡°Bang!¡± There was a loud sound. Joanna was driving when she suddenly jolted forward! The seat belt quickly tied her to the seat. It seemed that she had been rear¨Cended. Fortunately, the car wasn¡¯t moving too fast. Otherwise, her car would have flipped over. Joanna calmed herself down and immediately stopped the car. She was about to get out of the car to check! Chapter 296 Through the rearview mirror, she saw that the car behind her was Aston Martin. Instantly, a bad premonition rose in her heart. In Greyport, not many people could afford to drive Aston Martin. There were not many cars on the road, and the speed was not fast. Logically speaking, it was impossible to be rear¨Cended! That could only mean that the person who hit her car was doing it on purpose! Other than Bruce, no one else would dare to be so willful. After Joanna reacted, she gasped in fear! She did not dare to get out of the car at all. Then, she put the gear in gear and drove forward! She did not want to have too much contact with Bruce! Buzz, buzz, buzz! Seeing that Joanna didn¡¯t get out of the car, Bruce became even angrier. He put the gears in reverse and drove back 7 inches. Then he stepped on the elerator and there was a loud bang. The front of his car mmed into the back of Joanna¡¯s car again! Joanna was even more certain now that the person who hit her car was Bruce! ¡°What a lunatic!¡± Joanna was furious and only wanted to leave quickly. Chapter 297 Chapter 297 After confirming that it was Bruce who hit her, Joanna was even more afraid to stop the car. She put in the forward gear again and drove straight ahead. Seeing this, Bruce gritted his teeth in anger. He stepped on the elerator and elerated past Joanna. Immediately afterward, with drift, the car stopped in front of Joanna. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed and quickly stepped on the brakes. Fortunately, the brakes worked well. The car braked in time. Otherwise, she would have hit Bruce¡¯s car. After Bruce forced Joanna to stop, he suddenly turned the car around and crashed into the front of her car like a dodgem car. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Bruce kept moving forward, backing up, and then crashing into the head of her car. The rear and front bumper of Joanna¡¯s car were dented, and the headlights were shattered. Joanna sat in the car. It was as if she was sitting in a bumper car. Her body shook with inertia. Even the egg tarts on the passenger seat were shattered. Creak! Joanna pushed open the door recklessly and got out of the car angrily. ¡°Bruce, kill me if you dare.¡± Seeing Joanna get out of the car, Bruce pursed his thin lips and stopped hitting her car. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Joanna walked in front of his car and knocked hard on his car window! ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you crazy?¡± Joanna was about to go crazy from anger. Her eyes were as red as blood and her entire body was trembling from anger. The car window rolled down. Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked at Joanna provocatively. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m crazy! What¡¯s wrong? Do you have al way to stop me?¡± Joanna gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°You bastard, get out of the car.¡± Joanna cursed and opened the car door angrily. She grabbed Bruce¡¯s cor and pulled him out. This damned bastard was too hateful and despicable. If killing someone wasn¡¯t illegal, she wouldn¡¯t be able to vent her hatred even if she killed him 100 times. Bruce looked down at her, his eyes filled with provocation and yfulness. He looked at Joanna¡¯s furious expression. He felt extremelyfortable and aplished. What a damn woman. Since she dared to make him unhappy, he would make her much unhappier. Chapter 297 Joanna looked up and red at Bruce. ¡°What on earth do you want? How did I offend you to make you hate me so much?¡± He was too tall, so she had to raise her head when arguing with him and looked less aggressive. Bruce smiled evilly. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m happy to do so! ¡°I like the way you hate me but can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Puff! Joanna was about to go crazy after hearing this. Tears instantly filled her eyes. She was on the verge of tears, but she tried her best to stop herself from crying. She wasn¡¯t Bruce. She couldn¡¯t withstand his repeated torment. Moreover, she only had one car. Now that the car had been hit by his car, it would probably take many days to repair it. It seemed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to go to Venturas today. ¡°Bruce, you bastard!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m a bastard! Are you not convinced?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Joanna was so angry that she gritted her teeth with great strength. Coincidentally, two traffic policemen walked over. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I identally rear¨Cended her,¡± Bruce replied casually. ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt anyone, did you? Should we call an ambnce?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just a rear¨Cend collision.¡± ¡°Are you the drivers? Show me your driver¡¯s licenses.¡± Bruce looked at the traffic police and said slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t have my driver¡¯s license with me. I¡¯ll call my secretary to send it over now.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Beep, beep, beep! Bruce took out his phone and called Andy. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Get my driver¡¯s license here and get the driver to pick me up. I¡¯ll send you the addresster.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± The traffic police looked around the car and saw that no one got hurt, so they decided not to make a big deal out of it. ¡°So are you settling this matter in a proper manner or ording to public regtions?¡± ¡°Thank you, we can settle this privately.¡± Chapter 297 When Joanna heard this, she retorted hatefully, ¡°Sir, he deliberately hit my car. ¡°Please arrest him. He deliberately vited the traffic rules and tried to kill me!¡± When the traffic police heard this, he subconsciously looked at Bruce. After taking a closer look, he realized that Bruce was actually an influential figure in Greyport! His expression immediately changed and he hurriedly called his superior. ¡°Let¡¯s all go to the Transit Authority. ¡°Tow the car!¡± The Transit Authority. Soon, they concluded that Bruce should be fully responsible. ¡°Mr. Everett, you have to bear all the costs of repairing Ms. Haynes¡¯s car. ¡°Do you have any objections?¡± Bruce shrugged. ¡°No objections!¡± ¡°Alright then! Inform the insurancepany to repair the car!¡± Outside the Transit Authority! Andy asked carefully, ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s already been resolved.¡± ¡°Then Mr. Everett, please get in the car.¡± A Rolls¨CRoyce was already parked at the entrance of the Transit Authority. Bruce looked at Joanna. Joanna was still angry. Bruce was fully responsible and would bear all the expenses of repairing the car. But for someone who needed to use a car every day, this was really too inconvenient. ¡°Get in the car! I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Joanna replied fiercely, ¡°No need.¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression changed. He ordered, ¡°Get in the car. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really annoying¡­¡± After saying that, Joanna walked straight to the road. It was already past three in the afternoon. Beep, be¨¦p, beep! Her phone rang again. Joanna nced at it. It was Jaydon. She had said that she would arrive at two o¡¯clock, but it was already past three o¡¯clock. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± ¡°Joann, what¡¯s going on? Why haven¡¯t you arrived yet?¡± Chapter 297 ¡°I¡¯m fine. There was a small ident Just now¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce rushed over. He snatched her phone away! Ah! ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± Crack! A loud sound was heard. Her phone was smashed by Bruce. Seeing this, Joanna trembled with anger. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy?¡± ¡°Get in the car!¡± Bruce said as he grabbed her wrist and forcibly dragged her to the car. ¡°Ah! What are you doing? Are you insane? Let go of me. Help!¡± She struggled violently! Bruce bent down and forcefully picked her up, stuffing her into the back seat of the car. ¡°Bang!¡± The car door was mmed shut. ¡°Kody, get off the car first.¡± Kody did not dare to hesitate and quickly replied, ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett!¡± Then, Kody hurriedly got out of the car! Joanna¡¯s anger turned into panic. ¡°Bruce, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just want to ask you. Where are you nning to go?¡± ¡°Where am I going? It¡¯s none of your business!¡± When Bruce heard this, he grabbed her arm and pressed her down. ¡°Do you really love Jaydon that much?¡± Joanna paused and looked at the car window! ¡°Look at me and answer!¡± Bruce grabbed her chin domineeringly, forcing her to look into his eyes. There seemed to be two mes dancing in his eyes. Joanna felt that she would be burned to ashes as long as she looked at him, ¡°So what if I do? So what if I don¡¯t?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t want to meet his eyes and tried her best to avoid his gaze. Unfortunately, his hand held her chin tightly. She could not dodge in time. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! You clearly still love me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t love you. Don¡¯t be narcissistic!¡± ¡°Since you don¡¯t love me, why do you not dare to look me in the eye?¡± Bruce breathed heavily and asked fiercely. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re too violent! A domineering, selfish, and aggressive man like you doesn¡¯t deserve to be loved_at_____ all.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that he was speechless for a long time. He admitted that his personality was wed! Sometimes he didn¡¯t consider other people¡¯s feelings, but he was already slowly changing. Why couldn¡¯t she give him more time? Why couldn¡¯t she amodate him to his shorings more? She clearly knew that he couldn¡¯t stand her flirting with another man. ¡°Joanna, you really disappoint me.¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really strange. As for what I¡¯m going to do, what does it have to do with you?¡± ¡°I forbid you to see him. I forbid you to have anything to do with him.¡± ¡°Humph, Jay is my friend. No one can stop our friendship.¡± Bruce hadpletely lost his patience. ¡°Joanna, do you have to go against me like this?¡± ¡°Bruce, can you not be like this?¡± Chapter 298 Chapter 298 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 298 ¡°I¡¯m not your ve, and you¡¯re not my master. You have no right to ask me to do anything, and I will never do what you say. ¡°It¡¯s my freedom to make friends with anyone. What right do you have to control me?¡± Joanna was completely furious! Bruce paused and stared at Joanna. Indeed, he had no right to control her freedom, and she was not his ve. However, he just couldn¡¯t stand the ambiguous rtionship between her and Jaydon! He was going to do whatever it took to make them break up. Since he couldn¡¯t capture her heart, he could sleep with her. Bruce kissed her lips all of a sudden. Breathing heavily, Joanna¡¯s pupils constricted. ¡°Mm¡­ Let go¡­¡± Bruceid the back seat t and kissed her lips domineeringly. He loved her. His request was also very simple! He wanted her to love him wholeheartedly andpletely break up with Jaydon. Then, he would love her wholeheartedly and never pay attention to other women in his life. Unfortunately, why didn¡¯t she understand his heart? She had challenged his bottom line time and time again. Joanna pushed his shoulder desperately. ¡°Bruce, let go¡­¡± Rip! Her shirt was torn¡­ Outside the car. Andy, Kody, and a few bodyguards were waiting silently. Although they could not see what was going on in the car, they could guess what would happen. ¡°Oh my god, didn¡¯t Mr. Everett already break up with Miss Haynes? Why are they together again?¡± Kody shrugged. ¡°How would I know? Mr. Everett¡¯s thoughts are too hard to guess. No one can guess what Mr. Everett is thinking.¡± Andy frowned and pondered. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ve gotten back together?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say! Mr. Everett changes his mind faster than flipping a book. Even if he gets back together with Miss Haynes, it¡¯s nothing surprising!¡± ¡°s, I really didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett would get back with his ex¨Cwife! Perhaps Mr. Everett can¡¯t live without Miss Haynes for the rest of his life¡­¡± It was so torrid in the car. Chapter 298 An hourter, Bruce finally stopped! Joanna was about to fall apart. She was nestled in the backseat and did not even have the strength to put on her clothes. His energy and stamina were so amazing. It was unbearable. Bruce lit a cigarette and smoked gloomily. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll give you onest chance! ¡°Don¡¯t get involved with Jaydon. I¡¯ll forgive you this time! ¡°I can give you everything you want. I can give you everything that Jaydon can give you! I can also give you what he can¡¯t give you. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. What are you unsatisfied with since you¡¯ve got a man like me?¡± Bruce had always been very confident in himself. He thought that he was the most outstanding man in the world. Joanna was so lucky to be with him. She should be grateful. In particr, he was quite devoted to rtionships. If Joanna was obedient, he would definitely be a good man! From now on, he would be a good husband and a good father. Joannay on the sofa without saying a word. How could she not understand what Bruce was thinking? She believed that he could do what he said. Bruce was a very arrogant person. He could usually do what he promised others. However, a man like him was really too scary! Getting along with him was really tiring! Moreover, his desire to control was too strong. If she wanted to be his wife, she had to listen to him in every aspect and submit to him. In the past, Joanna had indeed done this. But now, she really could not do it. Especially he wanted her to cut ties with Jaydon! How was this possible? Although she and Jaydon were not in love, Jaydon was the most important person in her life. Seeing that Joanna was silent, Bruce could not help but ask, ¡°Say something!¡± Joanna frowned slightly and ignored him. It was useless to say anything more! In any case, if anyone wanted to go against him, they would be asking for trouble. Bruce forcefully pulled her into his arms again. ¡°Joanna, do you still not understand my thoughts now? ¡°Do you know how many women want to throw themselves at me? How many women crave my love? ¡°I know, you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯m a yboy! Afraid that I¡¯ll hurt you! 11-29 Chapter 298 ¡°I also know that I have a bad temper and have hurt you a lot in the past. Please give me some time. I¡¯m willing to change! ¡°At the very least, I¡¯m willing to change for you!¡± Joanna remained silent! A leopard couldn¡¯t change its spots! It was hard to change one¡¯s nature! Usually, when a man made such a solemn promise to a woman, it was usually just a big lie. ¡°Joanna, we have children. We have the foundation of love. Come back to me and be a housewife in peace. We will be very happy. ¡°If you want money, I can give it to you! How much do you want? I can satisfy you. Why do you have to do this?¡± Bruce was very sincere. This was the first time he had talked to a woman so earnestly. When Joanna heard this, she could not help but sneer in her heart. It was better for her to rely on herself. Some time ago, when he was angry, he directly kicked her out of the house. His love for her was more like a master raising a pet. When he loved her, he wished he could give her the whole world. When he didn¡¯t love her, he wished she could disappear from his life. She did not want to live such an insecure life. In Marhall Hospital in Venturas, Jaydon was very anxious and did not know what had happened. He could only call Joanna again and again. Beep, beep, beep! ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unanswered¡­¡± ¡°Joann, what exactly happened? Did Bruce make things difficult for you again? ¡°Joann, hurry up and reply to me. Are you alright?¡± Jaydon was restless. He wished he could immediately fly to Greyport to look for Joanna. Seeing this, the nurses looked even more anxious. ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t move!¡± Jaydon frowned and tried to stand on the ground. ¡°No, I want to be discharged now!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm. It takes a few months to recover from a bone injury. There are many fractures in your body. You¡¯ve only recuperated for less than a month. Don¡¯t move around.¡± ¡°If the bones don¡¯t recover, it¡¯ll be troublesome if you want to recover in the future!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! If the bones don¡¯t recover and you be crippled, it will be troublesome!¡± Jaydon was distraught. ¡°No, I have to be discharged now! I have to look for Joann¡­¡± Creak! 11-39 Chapter 298 The nurses were in a terrible fix when the door of the ward was pushed open. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Mr. Tim is here.¡± Tim then walked in! ¡°Daddy! Why are you here?¡± Jaydon called out subconsciously. Looking at his son¡¯s anxious expression, Tim could not help but frown. ¡°Jay, what are you doing?¡± Jaydon paused. ¡°I¡­ I want to be discharged¡­¡± ¡°Discharged?¡± Tim was even more incredulous. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I have a friend who might be in trouble. I¡¯m going to save her!¡± Tim looked at his son meaningfully. ¡°Your friend? Is it Ms. Haynes?¡± Jaydon was stunned. He did not reply, which meant that he had tacitly agreed. ¡°Jay, are you serious about Ms. Haynes?¡± Jaydon replied without thinking, ¡°Yes!¡± . Tim sighed slightly. ¡°Rest well and tell me about Ms. Haynes¡¯s situation. I will send someone to help her!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jaydon looked at his father in disbelief. hough. Breypostisitou territory, I have a lot of old friends there. It won¡¯t be a pr small favor.¡± Jaydon quickly told his father about Joanna. ¡°Take good care of yourself. I will call my friends over there and ask them for help.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy!¡± to help with a ¡°You¡¯re wee. Rest well. If you really like her, I won¡¯t object.¡± Tim and Jaydon were very distant, not like father and son at all. ¡°When you recover, I will support you in marrying her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Have I ever broken my promise?¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy!¡± ¡°Take good care of yourself!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Jaydon felt slightly more at ease. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. He never thought that his daddy would not object to him dating Joanna. With his father¡¯s support, he was even more determined to win Joanna¡¯s heart. Greyport. Send me back!¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve told you so much. Do you hear what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°Bruce, my heart is in a mess right now. I can¡¯t give you an answer!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll only ask you one question. You have to answer me honestly! ¡°Do you still love me?¡± Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Joanna frowned. She really had nothing to say to Bruce. Love or not, it didn¡¯t seem to matter anymore! Bruce shook her arms. ¡°Answer mel ¡°No¡± Joanna thought for a few seconds and gave a firm answer. When Bruce heard this, his breathing instantly stopped, and his heart seemed to fall into an ice cave. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡± Joanna¡¯s pupils moved slightly as she looked at Bruce solemnly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe me or not. We¡¯ve broken up. It¡¯s impossible for love to exist anymore. *Bruce, you¡¯re an amazing man. When ites to rtionships, I hope you can be as mature as you are when ites to your career,¡± Bruce stared into Joanna¡¯s eyes as if he wanted to see the truth in her eyes. Joanna pushed him away and began to put on her clothes. Her expression was very calm. She did not cry or feel sad. It was as if she did not have any emotions about what had just happened. This made Bruce even more disappointed. He pinned her arms on the car seat again and was unwilling to give up. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll ask you onest time. Do you really want to choose Jaydon?¡± Joanna did not resist or struggle. She allowed him to do whatever he wanted. She looked into Bruce¡¯s eyes calmly and coldly. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s really over!¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy for a man like you to have any woman you want. There¡¯s no need to waste your time on me. I don¡¯t want to love you anymore.. ¡°I hope we can part on good terms. We won¡¯t disturb each other. We wish each other well.¡± Bruce took a deep breath. His pride was hurt. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious! ¡°I want to live a new life now. If you really have a trace of love for me, please let me go.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, her heartpletely calmed down. It was time to say goodbye to Bruce! ¡°Humph!¡± Bruce could not help but sneer. This feeling of defeat made his heart feel like it was being cut by a knife! Joanna sighed and said sadly, ¡°Bruce, I hope you can start a new life too. ¡°We used to be husband and wife. We should let each other go for this sake! ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything, nor do I owe you anything. There¡¯s no deep hatred between us. There¡¯s no need to fight to the death. ¡°In my heart, you will always be the father of my children. I sincerely wish you well and hope that you can get your own happiness soon.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened! ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t regret it!¡± Joanna replied seriously, ¡°I won¡¯t regret it! As long as you don¡¯t disturb my life and don¡¯t suppress me behind my back, I will live well. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and let go of her resentfully. It seemed that he had really lost herpletely! This made his heart ache so much that it felt like it was about to split open. An unprecedented pain and difort filled his heart. Joanna paused for a few seconds before continuing, ¡°You¡¯re a courageous man. You won¡¯t be entangled with just a rtionship. I once loved you. That¡¯s enough. ¡°I don¡¯t want to love anyone else now. It¡¯s not that you¡¯re bad, and I don¡¯t hate you. I just want to start a new life. I don¡¯t want to live in the past. ¡°I hope you understand that I¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart felt like it was being sliced by des, and his eyes could not help but turn red. This was the first time Joanna had said so many emotional words to him! Every sentence made him feel extremely ufortable. How he wished that he could go back to the past! If he could, he would definitely love her well and not disappoint her. Chapter 299 But now He might lose her forever, he knew. The more he pushed, the faster she would escape. ¡°Joanna..¡± Bruce¡¯s voice choked up. He clearly had a lot to say to her, but he could not say a single word. Joanna tidied her messy har and forced a smile at him. ¡°I¡¯m leaving! Let me know when the car is repaired. ¡°You¡¯re almost 30 Don¡¯t do anything meaningless. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything to hurt others just because you¡¯re angry! ¡°Goodbye!¡± With that, Joanna opened the door and got out of the car calmly! Bruce watched as Joanna left. He mmed his fist on the chair and then held his forehead in frustration. The thing he regretted the most in his life was probably losing Joanna! When Andy and Kody saw that Joanna had left, they quickly walked to the car. Seeing Bruce¡¯s dejected expression, Andy¡¯s heart sank. He carefully asked, ¡°Mr. Everett, are you going back to thepany now? Or are you going somewhere?¡± Bruce took two deep breaths and regained hisposure. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to thepany!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Kody hurriedly got into the car and drove back to the Everett Group! 6:30 p.m., in Marhall Hospital, Venturas, Jaydon was still worried about Joanna¡¯s safety, and he was even more anxious. Creak! The nurse pushed open the door and entered. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Ms. Haynes is here!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Joanna walked in with a smile on her face and a box of egg tarts in her hand. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Joann, you¡­ Why are you here?¡± Jaydon widened his eyes in shock and subconsciously sat up straight. Joanna hurriedly went forward and helped him put a pillow on his back. ¡°I already said I wasing to see you today! ¡°Sorry, I was dyed by something! ¡°Here¡¯s the egg tart I brought for you from Taylor¡¯s!¡± Joanna bought some other egg tarts and brought them over to Jaydon. Jaydon looked at Joanna in surprise. He sized her up and asked, ¡°Joann, are you alright?¡± Joanna smiled at Jaydon. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°I was so worried about you!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face was serious as he hugged Joanna in his arms. ¡°You know what? I was so worried about you just now. I hate that I haven¡¯t recovered and can¡¯t leave the hospital to look for you!¡± Joannaforted him gently. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be too nervous. I¡¯m not a child. I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡± Jaydon asked worriedly. ¡°What happened in the afternoon? Did Bruce find trouble with you again? ¡°I was so worried that he would hide you again¡­¡± Joanna smiled sadly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will happen again. I¡¯ve already made it clear to him!¡± ¡°Joann¡± Jaydon hesitated and looked at her affectionately and passionately. Joanna picked up the egg tart on the table. ¡°The egg tart is still warm, Hurry up and eat!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t have the appetite to eat now. He just looked at Joanna with mncholy. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t hide anything from me. You have to tell me.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand. ¡°How¡¯s your recovery?¡± ¡°I am recovering very well. In another month, I should be able to walk.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was a little surprised. ¡°So fast?¡± can move now. Look!¡± As he spoke, Jaydon raised his leg Joanna quickly stopped him. ¡°Alright, hurry up and lie down. It takes a few months for bone injuries to recover. You have to recuperate well! ¡°I brought you egg tarts. Hurry up and taste them!¡± Joanna said as she picked up an egg tart and brought it to his lips. Jaydon took a small bite. ¡°Thank you!¡± Chapter 299 ¡°Look at you, why are you thanking me? If you don¡¯t want me to thank you, you¡¯re not allowed to thank me either¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha, that¡¯s good. From now on, we¡¯re not allowed to be so polite.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°By the way, thepany is preparing to expand and develop online live broadcasting.¡± Jaydon was stunned. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Short videos are very popr now!¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°Sure! I support you. Do it boldly! When I¡¯m better, I¡¯ll get someone to promote you!¡± Starlight Media had many popr celebrities! They could attract arge number of fans by casually asking a few female celebrities to show up in the live stream. Therefore, there was no need to worry about not receiving attention. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll talk about other things after you recover! Your priority now is to recuperate!¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I want to tell you something seriously!¡± ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m listening!¡± Jaydon¡¯s handsome face became serious ¡°I¡¯ve figured out a lot of things after the car ident. ¡°The fate is unpredictable, and people have their own fortunes. One day, we might have to leave this world by ident! ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot during my stay in the hospital I¡¯ve also been thinking about a question.¡± Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Joanna smiled and asked curiously, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes became blurry as he said with a mncholic expression, ¡°I¡¯m thinking, if there¡¯s only one day left in my life, who would I want to stay with?¡± Joanna was stunned! ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it seriously. If there¡¯s only one day left in my life, I hope that the person by my side is you!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard that. ¡°Jay¡­¡± She had already guessed what he was going to say! Seeing her resistance, Jaydon quickly took the initiative. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t have to say it first. I know what you want to say! ¡°Can you hear me out?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes shed and she frowned. ¡°Go ahead!¡± Jaydon could not help but hold Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°At the moment of the car ident, I only thought of you! ¡°If I die tomorrow, what regrets do I have in this life? ¡°That¡¯s probably¡­¡± Joanna could not bear to listen anymore. ¡°Jay, stop talking!¡± How deep were Jaydon¡¯s feelings for her? It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t know! However, in her heart, whether it was Bruce or Jaydon, they were not the best partners! Moreover, she did not want to get married again, nor did she yearn for love. To be honest, she had not completely let go of Bruce in her heart. If she agreed to Jaydon¡¯s courtship, it would be unfair to him. Jaydon was a very good man. She felt that she was no longer worthy of him. At the same time, Jaydon was an amorous yboy. Compared to Bruce, he was probably more popr with women. Joanna thought that she did not have the charm to make Jaydon give up other women for her.. Therefore, she only wanted to be friends with him for the rest of her life. Jaydon held her hand tightly and said with deep affection and sincerity, ¡°Joann, are you really not going to give me a chance?¡± Joanna panicked and subconsciously retracted her hand. ¡°Jay, can you not talk about this?¡± A hint of disappointment appeared in Jaydon¡¯s eyes as he probed, ¡°Joann, tell me the truth. Have you always loved Bruce? ¡°If you still love him and can¡¯t leave him, please tell me the truth! I definitely won¡¯t pester you anymore.¡± Joanna was even more flustered when she heard that. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Jay, I¡­ I don¡¯t want to fall in love anymore, nor do I want to ept anyone¡¯s feelings!¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the reason? Why do you always resist me?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes shed uneasily. ¡°The pain in my heart hasn¡¯t healed! I don¡¯t want to be in love anymore. ¡°Jay, I hope we can be good friends for the rest of our lives!¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to heal the wound in your heart, and I¡¯m willing to give you time to slowly ept me!¡± Joanna avoided bfs hand stiffly. ¡°Jay, we¡¯re really not suitable for each other!¡± ¡°Joann, you haven¡¯t even tried it. How do you know we are not suitable?¡± ¡°Jay, I¨CI don¡¯t know what to tell you! ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t want to ept anyone else. I just want to be single!¡± ¡°Joann, why are you so stubborn?¡± Jaydon looked at her in disappointment! ¡°Are you worried that there are too many women around me? Afraid that I¡¯ll abandon you? Afraid that I¡¯ll be irresponsible? ¡°I can guarantee you¡­ Joanna stood up decisively. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll leave first. I¡¯ll visit you another day¡± Then, without waiting for Jaydon to ask her to stay, she opened the door and left. ¡°Joann, Joann!¡± Jaydon called out anxiously a few times. Chapter 300 Joanna had already §±led! She left the hospitall Joanna had mixed feelings in her heart. She could not help but cry. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry! ¡°I really can¡¯t ept you. My heart is already broken. I¡¯ve already lost the ability to love! ¡°Even if I¡¯m with you, I can¡¯t give you the happiness you want, let alone be a good wife.¡± After Joanna leht the hospital, it started to drizzle outside! It was very cold to be drenched by the drizzlel The pedestrians on the street were rushing along with umbres. Neon lights flickered in the rain in Venturas, making the streets even more cheerless. Joanna walked in the rain without holding an umbre, allowing the light rain to drench her. Her heart was in a mess now. She just wanted the rain to pour through her heart and make her stay clear¨Cheaded. The next day, at the office of the Haynes Group, Joanna sneezed a few times. ¡°Achoo, Achoo!¡± Seeing this, Cora said with concern, ¡°Miss Haynes, do you have a cold?¡± Joanna sniffed and said hoarsely, ¡°It might be!¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a cup of cold medicine and give you two cold pills.¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°No need. Get me a cup of water! I¡¯m sleepy after taking the cold medicine. I don¡¯t want to take the medicine.¡± ¡°How can you not take medicine? Although the cold is a small illness, it can kill you if you fall ill.¡± Joanna lowered her head to deal with the documents. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Hurry up and settle today¡¯s matters! ¡°I have to make a trip to Greene Town tomorrow! I originally nned to go there today, but this ount goes wrong. I have to settle it today¡± As Joanna spoke, she rummaged through the pile of bills. Cora was even more anxious when she saw this. ¡°Miss Haynes, your health is the most important. Don¡¯t work so hard!¡± ¡°Hurry up and go! I know my own health. It¡¯s just a small cold. I¡¯ll be fine after enduring it.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Cora replied helplessly. In the Everett Group, Bruce was also very busy. Beep, beep, beep! Just as he was busy, an unfamiliar international call came in. ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce answered the call. ¡°Hi¡­¡± A sweet female voice came from the other end of the phone! Bruce was stunned and asked in Antlenish, ¡°May I know who it is?¡± The other party replied in Antlenish, ¡°I¡¯m Martha.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was instantly shocked, and his blood was boiling with excitement. He never expected that Princess Martha would actually call him. Bruce was a rather picky person when it came to women. Ordinary women could not catch his eye at all. But Princess Martha was different! She was a genuine princess. Just her identity was enough to arouse all the men¡¯s vanity and desire to conquer. Which man didn¡¯t want to marry a princess? ¡°Your Highness, what can I do for you?¡± Bruce smiled teasingly. The gloominess in his heart was swept away, and he began to chat with Martha in Antlenish. Princess Martha was very enthusiastic. She was not reserved or shy! ¡°Can I ask you out?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Are you free toe to Docan? I¡¯d like to see you.¡± ¡°Of course Lam!¡± Chapter 300 ¡°Next week, let¡¯s meet In Docan.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two of them chatted for a while before reluctantly hanging up! After hanging up, Bruce felt that he was in a dream! Although he had countless women before, he had never tried a noble girl like the princess. Since Princess Martha was interested in him, he had no reason to reject her. In particr, Joanna had clearly told him that it was impossible for them to get back together. ¡°Andy, book me a flight to Docan.¡± Andy was stunned. ¡°To Docan? ¡°Mr. Everett. We have no trip to Docan next week¡± ¡°I told you to book it. Why are you talking so much nonsense?¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is going to Docan for no reason!¡± Mark also looked surprised. ¡°To Docan? Why go there? To discuss business?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not on the itinerary either! He suddenly mentioned that he was going to Docan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care so much. If Mr. Everett tells you to do something, just do it obediently.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has been very strange these past two days. He¡¯s been answering international calls every day and even chatting with the other party in Antlenish for more than half an hour. I wonder who he¡¯s been chatting with so fervently.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what they were talking about?¡± ¡°With Mr. Everett¡¯s temper, how would I dare to do that?¡± ¡°Then do you think the other party is a coborator?¡± ¡°ording to my understanding of Mr. Everett, the other party is definitely not a coborator. If it was a coborator, Mr. Everett would not have chatted with him patiently for so long. ¡°Moreover, he seemed to be in a very good mood when they were chatting. He had a smile on his face the entire time!¡± ¡°Then who do you think he was talking to?¡± ¡°Well, I think it must be a woman!¡± ¡°A woman? What kind of woman? Is she so charming?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Joanna went to thepany carly in the morning on Tuesday. After the meeting with the higher¨Cups, it was already past ten o¡¯clock. Joanna looked at the time. If she set off now, she should be able to reach Greene Town by noon. ¡°Cora, do you have all the samples and documents?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve brought them all.¡± ¡°Alright then! We have to rush to Greene Town now.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Call Michael. Tell him and Nichs to pick us up at the port.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already called Mr. Lawrence.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled. She admired Cora¡¯s ability to handle things and work. ¡°Miss Haynes, the number of fans has increased by several hundred thousand in the past two days. At this rate, the number of fans will soon exceed 10 million.¡±¡± Joanna frowned and said in surprise, ¡°No way?¡± ¡°Brother Trumpet has more than 50 million fans. With his help, it won¡¯t be a problem for you to have ten million fans.¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha, let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna brought Cora to Porash. After they arrived at Porash, Michael and Nichs would wait for them there. This time, there was a female bodyguard, Tatiana, Tatiana was newly hired and was the national boxing champion. Dealing with eight to ten strong men would not be a problem. It was not safe for Joanna to enter and leave a ce without the protection of the bodyguards. Therefore, Joanna paid a high price to hire another female bodyguard. Three hourster. Greene Town! Joanna¡¯s group had arrived at Greene Town. Brother Trumpet was already waiting downstairs. When he saw Joanna get out of the car, he came to wee her personally. ¡°Brother Trumpet!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re here.¡± There was a warm smile on Brother Trumpet¡¯s face as he stepped forward to shake hands with Joanna. Joanna politely shook hands with Brother Trumpet. ¡°You can call me Joanna from now on! Calling me Ms. Haynes sounds. strange.¡± Brother Trumpet smiled shyly. ¡°Alright! ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Let¡¯s go for lunch.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made reservations. Let¡¯s go straight to the hotel.¡± ¡°My pleasure.¡± Chapter 301 The group drove straight to the hotel. Ten minutester, Brother Trumpet brought Joanna to the best hotel in the town, Joy¡¯s. In arge private room, Joanna and Brother Trumpet sat opposite each other, Cora, Michael, and the others sat beside them. ¡°Is there anything you don¡¯t like to eat?¡± Brother Trumpet flipped through the menu and asked like a gentleman. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll order the food!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Brother Trumpet ordered more than ten of the hotel¡¯s signature dishes and a bottle of red wine. The dishes were served one after another. Brother Trumpet had helped her so much. Joanna took the initiative to raise her ss and toast Brother Trumpet. ¡°Brother Trumpet, to our future.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± Cora also raised her ss. ¡°Brother Trumpet, let me toast to you too!¡± Brother Trumpet smiled slightly. ¡°I still have a live broadcast in the afternoon. I can¡¯t drink too much.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll drink it.¡± Cora used to be a PR representative, so she knew the rules of the wine table. Seeing Cora finish her wine, Brother Trumpet had no choice but to raise his ss and drink another ss of wine. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. They ate and drank to their fill! Joanna handed a stack of documents to Brother Trumpet. ¡°Brother Trumpet, this is the sample that our company brought this time, as well as the information on the sample.¡± Brother Trumpet flipped through it seriously and looked up at Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t¡­ you do a live stream with me. this afternoon?¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± After Brother Trumpet finished speaking, he smiled gently. His long eyes narrowed into a beautiful arc. Although Brother Trumpet was not as good as Bruce and Jaydon in terms of appearance, Brother Trumpet¡¯s personality was extremely gentle and approachable. Getting along with him wasn¡¯t tiring at all. Joanna brushed her hair in embarrassment. ¡°I don¡¯t think so! I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be a bad influence!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mossbourne is different from Greyport. You¡¯re very popr in Mossbourne!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna was in disbelief. She guessed that Brother Trumpet might beforting her. Brother Trumpet gave her an encouraging and affirmative look. ¡°Of course! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t dare to invite you to do a live stream with me. ¡°I live off my fans. If I¡¯m not confident, I don¡¯t dare to offend my fans easily.¡± Joanna was still a little hesitant when she heard that. Michael chimed in, ¡°Miss Haynes, give it a try!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! If you can¡¯t do it, just leave the live broadcast immediately.¡°¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Seeing that Joanna agreed, Brother Trumpet was very happy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay in Greene Town for a day? You can consider not leaving.¡± Chapter 301 ¡°Well¡­¡± Joanna was a little hesitant. ¡°Why? Are you afraid that I¡¯ll hurt you? ¡°My live broadcaststs from six to eleven in the evening. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote and inconvenient for you to go back!¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha, alright!¡± ¡°Is everyone done eating?¡± ¡°Thank you, Brother Trumpet, for your hospitality. We¡¯re all done eating!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± At six o¡¯clock in the evening, Brother Trumpet finished the preparations before the live broadcast and started it. Joanna, Cora, and the others also went to Brother Trumpet¡¯s mediapany. After entering thepany, Joanna was shocked. She never expected Brother Trumpet¡¯spany to have so many people. Previously, she had watched Brother Trumpet¡¯s live broadcast at a recording studio. There were already many employees inside, but she did not expect there to be even more people at thepany¡¯s headquarters. In the client lounge, the seats were filled with all kinds of pious people. ¡°Who are these people?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, these are all the bosses and people in charge of variouspanies. They¡¯re all waiting in line for Brother Trumpet to sell their goods!¡± Joanna nced at the lounge again. There were at least one hundred people sitting inside. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Brother Trumpet is the leader of the live broadcasting industry. It¡¯s not easy for others to meet Brother Trumpet. These are allpanies that have already been chosen. There are more that haven¡¯t been chosen.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯m quite lucky,¡± Joanna said emotionally. ¡°That¡¯s right! Many CEOs ofpanies have made appointments for half a year, but they haven¡¯t been ranked yet. We¡¯re especially lucky to directly discuss a coboration with Brother Trumpet.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was slightly touched. She knew that Brother Trumpet was treating her in a special way. ¡°Miss Haynes, the live broadcast has begun!¡± Joanna came back to her senses and began to watch Brother Trumpet¡¯s live broadcast! In the live broadcast, Brother Trumpet was no longer as shy and reserved as before. He was in high spirits and seemed to be talking non¨Cstop! ¡°Good evening, everyone. Wee to Trumpet¡¯s live broadcast room. ¡°Today is another day of luck for everyone. There will be 100 thousand nice products at cheap prices. You only need to spend two cents to buy each. Everyone, get ready now¡­¡± Brother Trumpet began to warm up the live¨Cstream and liven up the atmosphere. Joanna sat at the side and watched, feeling inexplicably nervous. In the past, she was most afraid of facing the camera. Especially when she was facing the Greyport media. They had the sharpest tongue in the industry, and their words were so mean. An hourter, Brother Trumpet had already sold a few popr products in a row! Charter 201 Seeing that the live stream was getting more and more popr, Brother Trumpet changed the topic and took out the products of Joanna¡¯spany. ¡°Let me introduce this product to everyone. It¡¯s a smart cleaning robot developed by a subsidiary of the bigpany, the Haynes Group. ¡°This smart cleaning robot is sold for 196 dors on the market. I¡¯ve got the lowest price for everyone today it only needs 18 dors to be shipped home ¡°In addition. I¡¯ll give everyone a bottle of antibacterial hand sanitizer and a box of tissues¡± Brother Trumpet passionately introduced Joanna¡¯s products. When Joanna heard this, she was even more dumbfounded and surprised She did not prepare these gifts! Moreover, the price was not 78 dors Brother Trumpet charged 2 dors less Don¡¯t underestimate 2 dors. If they sold several hundred thousand products, it would be a huge loss! ¡°Brother Trumpet¡­¡± Joanna called out softly. Outside the camera, Brother Trumpet waved his hand at Joanna, signaling to her not to be nervous and not to speak casually. ¡°It just so happens that the chairman of the Haynes Group, Joanna, is in my live stream! ¡°Now, I¡¯ll let Miss Haynes introduce the product to everyone personally!¡± As he spoke, Brother Trumpet waved his hand, indicating for Joanna toe to the camera and show up. Joanna calmed down and walked in front of the camera, ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really Joanna. Wee, wee!¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I support you!¡± The fans on the screen sent thements crazily, and the poprity of the live stream instantly exceeded a million. ¡°Let¡¯s continue introducing the product. It only costs 78 dors to buy this sweeping machine produced by a bigpany, it¡¯s guaranteed for a year, and you can refund it in seven days!¡± ¡°Brother Trumpet, the price is wrong. It¡¯s 80 dors¡­¡± Chapter 302 Chapter 302 ¡°Oh, I misread the price! ¡°What should we do? We¡¯ve already sold 100 thousand products!¡± Brother Trumpet pretended to be anxious. When Joanna heard this, her head hurt even more. ¡°How about this? In order to make up for the loss of Miss Haynes, I¡¯ll pay the price difference! Did everyone see that? This is really not a script. I really misread the price.¡± Joanna was at a loss. After all, she had never done a live broadcast before and had never encountered such a thing! When the fans heard this, they ced their orders crazily. In less than three minutes, all the products were sold out. ¡°Miss Haynes, can we add more products? There are still fans who haven¡¯t bought it!¡± ¡°Sure, but you have to make a reservation!¡± ¡°Keep cing orders, everyone!¡± At night, the live broadcast room was very popr! While Brother Trumpet went out for the bathroom, Joanna quickly chased after him. ¡°Brother Trumpet, I didn¡¯t prepare those freebies! What about the difference in price?¡± Brother Trumpet took a sip of water and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I said it wrong on purpose!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Joanna was confused! On second thought, it made sense. How could an experienced streamer like Brother Trumpet misread the price? ¡°The hand sanitizers and tissues were developed by mypany to give benefits to fans!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more apologetic. ¡°But I can¡¯t make you pay for it. Tell me how much it is and I¡¯ll give you the money!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. These costs are very low. I¡¯ll make up for the difference in price. It¡¯s also a benefit I¡¯m giving to my fans.¡± Joanna was even more shocked when she heard this. She looked at Brother Trumpet in a daze! Her nose twitched a little, and she was even more touched. ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t let you lose money!¡± Brother Trumpet chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nothing! You really don¡¯t have to be so conflicted!¡± In a short while, 200 thousand cleaning robots had been sold. Moreover, 100 thousand cleaning robots had been reserved. ¡°This is the chairman of the Haynes Group. Everyone, follow her¡­¡± After the live broadcast, Joanna found Brother Trumpet. ¡°Brother Trumpet, I¡¯ll pay you the benefits you gave the fans. You didn¡¯t charge me much for selling my products. I can¡¯t let you lose money.¡± Joanna insisted on making up for Brother Trumpet¡¯s loss. ¡°We¡¯re friends. There¡¯s really no need to be so calctive! ¡°It¡¯s quite difficult for you. Helping you is a piece of cake.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. Although we¡¯re friends, I can¡¯t take advantage of you in business. How can I let you incur losses and sell my products?¡± the really nothing. Don¡¯t take it to hawt If you continue to be so polite q I¡¯m really carry tranne was a Offic touching and pulley Brother Trumpet with partspte meje) kost The two of them had probably been turnuph marriage bolje Hack ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to the hotel ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need We can go back oureplus ¡°Okay, alright then! Brother Trumpet chilled like a pritleman and did not inloket If he insisted on striving her back to the hotel, she would probably 1 He had a gond impression of Joanna It was britter to esim Joanna returned to the hotel Cora looked surprised ¡°Miss Haynes, Brother Trumpet is this live broadcast Now, the number of fans has exceeded & million. your You¡¯ve gained hundreds of thousands foes through- ¡°Tsk tsk tsk Theard that some streamers have to send gifts crazily in order to gain more fans! They have to spend hundreds of thousands of dors on the gifts!¡± When Joanna heard this, she had a new understanding of the live broadcast industry. It seemed that Brother Trumpet was indeed quite good to her Joanna had been in the business world for so long, so she knew some rules. Women in the business circle would more or less encounter all kinds of unspoken rules. Especially for a single beauty like her, it was inevitable that she would attract the attention of men In Docan Bruce received an invitation from Princess Martha. He booked a flight to Docan and arranged to meet Princess Martha! Princess Martha grew up in Melta, so her personality was very outgoing and passionate. The two of them hit it off at first sight. There was no need for them to deliberately spend some time to know each other faced with a woman of such status, no man could resist the olive branch thrown at him. Bruce was a normal man Naturally, he could not control himself He had been in Docan for a week! He apanied Princess Martha every day, having fun and living a luxuinous life A weekter, the directors and higher ups of the Everett Group were about to go crazy. This was the fost time that Mr Everett had abandoned his wo zin a state of loss of contact Therefore, the uglier ups and directors repeatedly urged Bruce to return to the country During his absence thepany had already umted countless important contracts to deal withi Left with no choice, Bruce could only go back When he parted with Princess Martha, Princess Martha was extremely reluctant However, she couldn¡¯t go back to Greyport with him if someone secretly took photos of them, it would be a piece of internationally breaking news. Therefore, they only dared to meet overseas. Chapter 302 ¡°Bruce, when will we meet again?¡± Princess Martha looked at Bruce affectionately and asked him in Antlenish. Bruce smiled ambiguously and replied in Antlenish, ¡°I¡¯lle and see you when I¡¯m free. Let¡¯s contact each other by phone!¡± ¡°You must miss me. You have to miss me every day!¡± ¡°I willl¡± Bruce boarded the ne and Princess Martha waved goodbye to him, unwilling to part with him. In Greyport, Jennie had been anxious these days! Bruce was not in Greyport, so she could only call Andy. ¡°Bruce hasn¡¯t been in Greyport during this period of time. Where did he go?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is on a business trip to Docan!¡± ¡°A business trip to Docan?¡± Jennie¡¯s eyebrows twitched! The Everett Group¡¯s business empires were all over the world. But they really had no business investment in Docan. Moreover, Docan was a country with developed oil and tourism. Rich people were everywhere, and it was a rich country. Bruce would not spend so much effort to invest there! From this, it could be seen that he was definitely not going to Docan for a business trip. Recalling how Princess Martha had asked Bruce for his contact information, Jennie¡¯s heart turned even colder. Bruce was most likely going to meet Princess Martha. Thinking of this, Jennie gritted her teeth in anger! She racked her brains and tried to woo Bruce for a few years, but she did not seed. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. But Princess Martha had seduced the man she couldn¡¯t have so easily. Who said that a man didn¡¯t care about a woman¡¯s status and position? This was nonsense. Morals and values were less important! In real life, if a beautiful and noble royal princess extended an olive branch to a man, and he happened to have the ability to receive this olive branch, probably no man could resist this temptation. Bruce was also a man! Moreover, he was already divorced and was currently single. Naturally, he was qualified to date any woman. ¡°Andy, when will Bruce be back?¡± ¡°Oh, I heard that he has already booked a flight ticket. He will be back tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you. I understand.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± After hanging up, Jennie was even more worried. In the past, she had always regarded Joanna and Roxanne as love rivals and wanted to trample on them. Now, as she wished, Bruce had broken up with Joanna and Roxanne. She thought that with her background and appearance, she would sessfully marry him and be Mrs. Everett. However, she did not expect Princess Martha to appear in Bruce¡¯s life. Although she was the daughter of the Ship King,pared to the princess of Novlis, her status was far inferior! At the airport, Bruce got off the ne and had just left the VIP channel. Chapter 302 ¡°Bruce!¡± Jennie was already waving at him.. ¡°Jennie! Why are you here?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Oh, I just happened toe to pick up a friend. I didn¡¯t expect that my friend¡¯s ne would arrivete. I was about to leave when I happened to see you!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Bruce was a little skeptical! ¡°Of course! Since it¡¯s such a coincidence, let¡¯s have a meal together!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t really want to ask her out for a meal. ¡°Eh, Bruce, were you on a business trip overseas?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± ¡°That¡¯s tiring, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bruce replied casually, ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°Look at you. You look so haggard. You still need to nourish yourself! I know a Frayn restaurant. Shall we go and try it together?¡± ¡°How about another day? I have to go back to thepanyter.¡± Jennie ignored him and took the initiative to hold his arm. ¡°No matter how busy you are, you have to eat, right? Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 303 Chapter 303 ¡°Snap, snap!¡± The paparazzi hiding in the dark took photos of their backs. Of course, Jennie deliberately leaked the news to attract the paparazzi She had no choice but to use the power of public opinion to establish a rtionship with Bruce. ¡°Bruce, what do you want to eat?¡± Jennie held Bruce¡¯s arm intimately ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m tired now. I really can¡¯t do it today!¡± Bruce showed no interest in Jennie and firmly declined her proposal Jennie pouted unhappily. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce coldly withdrew his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that! I¡¯m going back first!¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Although Jennie wore a disappointed expression, she had already achieved her goal! The paparazzi should have taken photos of them together. As expected, the news about Bruce and Jennie broke out online the next day. ¡°Mr. Everett allegedly starts a new romance, seen kissing the daughter of a gambling tycoon at the airport.¡± ¡°Miss Garcia may be Mr. Everett¡¯s new girlfriend.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett and Miss Garcia¡¯s rtionship nearing the next level, the two seen together in Docan.¡± Gossip about Bruce and Jennie being in a romantic rtionship flooded the inte! However, Bruce had always been indifferent to such gossip. After all, this was not the truth! There was no need to pay attention to things not based on the facts. In the conference room of the Haynes Group. Joanna held a regr meeting with the higher¨Cups as usual. ¡°Miss Haynes, our inventory has beenpletely cleared out!¡± ¡°Yes! Who would have thought that online live streaming would be so sessful? We managed to clear out the inventory backlog in just two days¡± ¡°What¡¯s better is that customers have also ced orders for over a hundred thousand units. Now the factory needs to speed up production¡± ¡°p, p, p.¡± The higher¨Cups apuded one after another. This time, Joanna not only cleared out the inventory but also obtained several major orders. The stock prices also began to rise. The Haynes Group sessfully overcame the current challenges. Joanna said, ¡°Yes, next, I¡¯m going to shift my focus to Mossbourne.¡± ¡°We have no objections Go ahead and do it boldly!¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul also began to look at Joanna in a different light and began to support her entry into the Mossbourne market. After the meeting, Joanna returned to her office. Cora handed a stack of documents to Joanna and asked with concern, ¡°Miss Haynes, have you really decided to invest in a mediapany?¡± Chapter 303 Joanna took a sip of coffee and replied earnestly, ¡°Yes. For now, let¡¯s familiarize ourselves with the media industry! ¡°We¡¯ll test the waters and see how it goes!¡± Joanna had already decided to invest in the media industry! Perhaps this would be a new starting point! ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go and print the necessary documents for the mediapany,¡± Cora said, preparing to go out and print the materials. Joanna stopped Cora again and said, ¡°By the way, next month, I¡¯m going to rent a venue in Greene Town to open the media ¡°Give Michael a call and ask him to go to Greene Town in the next few days to see if there are suitable venues!¡± ¡°Got it, Miss Haynes!¡± Cora replied. Joanna suddenly thought of something and murmured to herself, ¡°It would be great if I could get Brother Trumpet to invest in this mediapany!¡± Hearing this, Cora agreed. ¡°I think so too!¡± Cora continued, ¡°Miss Haynes, you currently have over 4.5 million followers. Once it surpasses 5 million, you can also start live streaming!¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna humbly smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m still not familiar with this industry. I¡¯ll learn from Brother Trumpet and others first!¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Joanna said with a smile, ¡°Hurry up and copy the information!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Cora carried a stack of documents out of the office. In the blink of an eye, over half a month had passed.. Joanna registered another mediapany in Mossbourne with a total investment of one million dors. Of course, Brother Trumpet was also brought in as a shareholder of thepany. Joanna gave him a 40% stake without requiring him to invest any money, only his participation as a shareholder. Brother Trumpet was familiar with the industry and could teach her how to train neers and host live broadcasts. For the entire half month, Joanna had been busy with the affairs of the newpany in Greene Town. ¡°Tomorrow is Sunday! I have to go back to Greyport! ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna cheered happily. After Joanna returned to Greyport in the afternoon, she immediately called Bruce. It had been two weeks since shest saw the children, so she wanted to ask him to let her meet them. Ring, ring, ring! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was Joanna calling, Bruce frowned. She hadn¡¯te to see the kidsst week. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hi, I want to see the kids tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce agreed readily. He was in a rtionship with Princess Martha and was not as obsessed with Joanna as before. Joanna said, ¡°Then tomorrow at 10 a.m., bring the kids to Century za.¡± Chapter 303 Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was cold and polite. This time, he did not give Joanna a hard time. Joanna let out a sigh of relief! No matter what, as long as Bruce stopped interfering in her life, everything would be fine. The next day, Joanna arrived at Century za at 9:30a.m. At 10:00a.m. sharp, the children arrived! ¡°Mommy!¡± Davian and Irvin jumped out of the car and ran toward Joanna. Upon seeing the children, Joanna¡¯s mood instantly improved. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia.¡± Davian looked at Joanna with a puzzled expression. ¡°Mommy, why didn¡¯t youe to see usst week?¡± Joanna answered, ¡°Mommy had a business trip to Mossbournest week and didn¡¯t have time to visit you.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The two little boys nodded obediently without asking further questions. Humans were social animals. Even in the case of blood rtions, if there had been a long period of separation, people could gradually be unfamiliar with each other. Ever since Bruce had taken custody of the children, Joanna had had very little time to spend with them in the past few months. The children were no longer as attached to her as they used to be. Although they had still shown affection when they met, it was obviously not the same as before. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, today I have some free time. I can take you to the amusement park to ride bumper cars,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Alright!¡± Seeing that the two little boys hadn¡¯t seemed very happy, Joanna had carefully asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± The two little boys had looked a bit unenergetic with unhappy expressions. ¡°Is there something that¡¯s making you unhappy? Can you tell Mommy?¡± Joanna gently crouched down. Davian said gloomily, ¡°Mommy, is it true that you and Daddy won¡¯t get back together?¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°Why are you asking that?¡± Irvin chimed in, ¡°Daddy seems to be getting a new girlfriend!¡± Joanna was stunned. Lilia pouted unhappily and said, ¡°Yeah! Daddy talks on the phone with ady every day. Sometimes, they chat for over an hour!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna asked instinctively. ¡°Yes! Mommy, if you don¡¯t make more effort, Daddy will really find us a new mommy.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and patiently exined, ¡°Darlings, the rtionship between Daddy and Mommy has already broken down. If Daddy finds a new girlfriend, we should be happy for him. ¡°No matter what, Daddy and Mommy will always love you.¡± The three little ones looked disappointed upon hearing that. ¡°Mommy, if that¡¯s the case, are you nning to find a new boyfriend too?¡± Chapter 303 Joanna was taken aback and didn¡¯t know how to exin it to the children. Davian looked serious. ¡°Mommy, we still hope for aplete family! ¡°We want Daddy and Mommy. We don¡¯t want a new mommy or a new daddy.¡± Joanna let out a sigh and gently rubbed Davian¡¯s head. ¡°Darlings, when you grow up, you will understand Daddy and Mommy. ¡°Even if Daddy finds a new mommy for you, you should respect her, understand?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°The weather is nice today. Mommy will take you to the amusement park for a walk. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sayst time that you wanted to see monkeys at the amusement park? Let¡¯s go. I will take you to see the monkeys today.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The two little boys¡® eyes lit up! This time, the nanny didn¡¯t overly object! Joanna took the three little ones to a nearby amusement park. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Children would always be children! Once they entered the amusement park, they instantly forgot their worries. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett said today that he can give you an extra two hours. You cane back at 1 p.m.¡± Joanna nodded slightly. ¡°Understood!¡± Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Joanna apanied the children and yed at the amusement park for an entire morning. At lunchtime, she bought fried chicken and fries for the children. Time passed quickly, and three hours had gone by! One o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the nanny looked at her watch and reminded, ¡°Miss Haynes, it has been three hours. It¡¯s time for us to take them home.¡± ¡°Okay, stay safe on the way!¡± ¡°Bye, Mommy!¡± ¡°Goodbye, darlings!¡± Joanna was a little down. No mother wanted their children to no longer be attached to them. But now, she could clearly feel that her children were not as attached to her anymore! She had to quicken her pace, swiftly develop her career, and regain custody of the children. After the children left, Joanna looked at the time. It was only one in the afternoon. She realized she hadn¡¯t visited Jaydon in Venturas for almost half a month! Taking advantage of the free time today, she decided it was time to go see him. Three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, in Venturas. Joanna arrived at Marhall Hospital! Today, she hade directly to the hospital without calling Jaydon beforehand. ¡°Crash!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Just as Joanna reached the entrance of the ward, she heard the sound of things being thrown inside the ward! Joanna was taken aback and instinctively froze, standing at the door of the ward. ¡°Get out, all of you! Get out!¡± Jaydon¡¯s roaring voice could be heard from inside the room, ¡°Mr. Grimm, please don¡¯t lose hope. Your leg hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°If you rest for a while, you will be able to stand up again.¡± ¡°Get out, all of you! Get out!¡± Jaydon roared, his voice filled with intense despair. Upon hearing this, Joanna felt her heart tighten instantly! Jaydon had always been gentle andposed. He rarely lost his temper! Even when he did get angry, he would never be this aggressive! The door of the ward creaked open. The two nurses were chased out! Seeing Joanna, the two nurses felt as if they had encountered a savior. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re here? ¡°That¡¯s great. Please go in and try to talk to Mr. Grimm!¡± one of the nurses said anxiously. Joanna felt a wave of unease. ¡°What happened to Jay?¡± The nurse looked anxious. ¡°Mr. Grimm¡¯s leg seems¡­¡± Joanna asked, ¡°What happened to his leg?¡± ¡°It seems to be paralyzed!¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna thought, feeling as if lightning had struck her, leaving her in shock. Her fingers tightly gripped her flesh. ¡°What? What did you say?¡± The nurse looked at Joanna and said mournfully with teary eyes, ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­ seems to be disabled. ¡°His leg has been removed from the cast, but he still has no sensation in his legs, and he can¡¯t stand up!¡± When Joanna heard this, she gasped. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Chapter 304 ¡°The doctor said it may be a nerve injury!¡± Joanna asked worriedly. ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°If Mr. Grimm doesn¡¯t recover, he may have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair!¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna stumbled and almost lost her bnce! Il Jaydon became disabled, with his personality, how could he bear it? For him, it would be worse than death! ¡°Ms. Haynes, please go in and try to persuade Mr. Grimm! ¡°Mr. Grimm has been devastated these past few days. He refuses to eat or drink, forbids the doctors from giving him medication, and refuses treatment! ¡°At this rate, I¡¯m afraid Mr. Grimm is really¡­¡± Joanna took two deep breaths and tried to stabilize her emotions. ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± Jaydon red up in the ward. ¡°All of you, get out! Leave me alone! I don¡¯t need your help! Get out, all of you! Get out!¡± Crack! Crack! The sound of something being smashed could be heard again. Creak! The door creaked open. Joanna pushed the door open and walked in! It had only been half a month since theyst met. However, Jaydon had visibly lost a significant amount of weight. His eye sockets were sunken, his hair disheveled, and his jaw was covered in stubble. He looked haggard. He was different from his former handsome and elegant, dignified appearance as a noble son! If one didn¡¯t look closely, they could hardly recognize him! ¡°Jay¡­ Joanna made a great effort to stabilize her emotions and called out gently. Jaydon raised his head in a dazed manner, only to realize that it was Joanna who hade. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Joanna walked toward the bedside, stepping on the shards of broken ss. ¡°Jay, I came to see you.¡± Jaydon frowned. His eyes were reddened, and his voice was extremely hoarse. ¡°You don¡¯t have to see me. Leave!¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached. She walked to the bed and subconsciously held his hand tightly! Jaydon trembled all over and abruptly pulled his hand back. ¡°Go away! Just go! Let me be alone! ¡°I don¡¯t want to see anyone right now. Just leave¡­¡± Joanna felt a sourness in her nose. ¡°Jay, pull yourself together!¡± ¡°I¡¯m disabled now. I can¡¯t stand on my own two feet anymore! I might spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair! ¡°How can I pull myself together? What meaning is there for me to live? ¡°Just go! Don¡¯te to see me again!¡± Jaydon said frustratedly, closing his eyes tightly, unwilling to look at Joanna anymore. ¡°Jay, I won¡¯t leave¡­¡± Joanna choked. She felt like ten thousand arrows had pierced her heart! If possible, she would rather take Jaydon¡¯s disability upon herself! ¡°Just go. Don¡¯t bother me!¡± Jaydon slumped on the bed, covering his head with a nket.. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be like this!¡± Joanna threw herself onto the bed, hugging him with heartache How could someone like him end up disabled? ¡°Your legs will definitely be healed. You must have faith! With the advancement of medical technology, there must be a way to cure it! ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient! Don¡¯t lose hope!¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Jaydon couldn¡¯t help but shed tears of despair. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t need to comfort me! ¡°I know the condition of my own body. I don¡¯t need your pity or sympathy. ¡°Just leave! I just want to be alone in peace! Go! Go away!¡± 11:35 Chapter 304 Jaydon¡¯s emotions spiraled out of control as he yelled and tried to push Joanna away. Unfortunately, his legs had no sensation. He pushed too forcefully, and with a loud thud, he fell to the ground. Instantly, his arms were covered in blood and cut from the ss shards on the ground. When Joanna saw this, she felt her heart tighten even more and hurriedly approached him. ¡°Jay, please, don¡¯t do this! There must be a way!¡± ¡°Go! Just go!¡± Jaydon forcefully pushed Joanna away, disregarding the blood streaming from his hands. After knowing each other for so many years, it was the first time he hadshed out at her. ¡°Jay, your hand is bleeding! We need to bandage it¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother with me!¡± Jaydon struggled on the ground, refusing to let Joannae closer. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t stand up. Tears of despair and frustration streamed down his face. He never expected that he would one day be disabled. It was a devastating blow to him. As the realization of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair sunk in, he truly wished for death. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be like this! Even if your legs don¡¯t recover, I¡¯m willing to be your legs! ¡°Don¡¯t give up. You have to stay strong! ¡°You have to be resilient for me!¡± Jaydon raised his gaze and looked at Joanna. His eyes were filled with despair and a sense of hopelessness. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve be a useless person! I don¡¯t have the right to love you anymore, and I can¡¯t give you happiness! I can¡¯t give you anything! ¡°Please, leave! Allow me to preserve a shred of dignity!¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Jay, no, I won¡¯t go! I¡¯ll stay here to take care of you, to support you until you recover!¡± ¡°Just leave! I don¡¯t need your sympathy, and I don¡¯t need your pity!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached when she heard that. She didn¡¯t know how tofort Jaydon. She could only approach him and hold Jaydon tightly in her arms. Tears welled up in her eyes, dropping one by one. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be like this! No matter how you are, it won¡¯t change your ce in my heart!¡± ¡°Joanna, you really don¡¯t need to pity me. You don¡¯t need to sympathize with me! ¡°I don¡¯t need your pity!¡± Jaydon said, unable to hold back his painful cries. Joanna also started crying. ¡°No, I don¡¯t pity you! I feel sorry for you. If I had a choice, I would give my legs back to you! ¡°You must stay strong. Even if things don¡¯t get better, I¡¯ll stay by your side for the rest of my life!¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart trembled as he stared at Joanna with bloodshot eyes. In the past, he was so confident and charming, yet he never managed to touch Joanna¡¯s heart. He never expected that now he had be disabled, a useless person. Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Joanna held Jaydon tightly, feeling heartbroken. ¡°Jay, you must stay strong! ¡°Doctor, pleasee quickly! We need help!¡± Soon enough, the doctor and nurses arrived. The doctor administered a sedative to Jaydon and then tended to his wounds. The nurses quickly cleaned up the ward! After receiving the sedative, Jaydon quickly fell asleep. ¡°Mr. Grimm¡¯s legs must not sustain further damage. He needs to be well taken care of.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Joanna replied with a heavy heart. She anxiously asked the doctor, ¡°Doctor, will Jay¡¯s legs be able to recover?¡± The chief orthopedist looked solemn. ¡°At the moment, it¡¯s uncertain. Mr. Grimm¡¯s central nervous system has suffered severe damage. In the medical field, the nervous system is the most difficult to heal.¡± Joanna felt like she had been plunged into an icy abyss upon hearing this. ¡°What are the chances of a cure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The likelihood of a full recovery is only 10%. ¡°The patient also needs to actively cooperate with the treatment and subsequent rehabilitation, which will be a lengthy process. ¡°For now, we need to find a way to help the patient ovee their emotional barriers and actively cooperate with the treatment.¡± Alright, I understand!¡± Joanna replied. After the doctor finished speaking, they went straight into their office without saying anything else. In the corridor, Joanna sat absentmindedly in a chair with her mind nked. It was really it was truly an unexpected turn of events! She never imagined that Jaydon would encounter such a tragedy. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to help him ovee his emotional barriers. Lost in her thoughts, Joanna was startled by a stern andposed voice. ¡°Ms. Haynes!¡± Hearing this, Joanna looked up. She did not know when Tim had arrived. At this moment, he was standing before her with a grave expression. Joanna felt a pang in her heart and quickly stood up, ¡°Mr. Grimm, hello!¡± Tim furrowed his brow and said with a sorrowful tone, ¡°During this period, Jay¡¯s mood has been extremely low, and no matter how much we try to console him, it doesn¡¯t seem to work.¡± Joanna instinctively bit her lip, feeling an immense heaviness in her heart. Jaydon was her best friend and the person who had been the kindest to her. If it weren¡¯t for Jaydon, she wouldn¡¯t have made it this far. Tim adjusted his gold¨Ccolored sses, and his face filled with sadness, ¡°Ms. Haynes, I hope you can spend more time with Jay at the hospital. ¡°I guess you¡¯re the only one who can talk him out of it. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± After a moment of contemtion, Joanna replied solemnly, ¡°Mr. Grimm, please rest assured. I will stay by Jay¡¯s side and apany him.¡± ¡°Jay is the child I love the most, but unfortunately, he¡¯s also the one I feel the most distant from. ¡°As his father, it deeply saddens me to see him go through such a hardship,¡± Tim said sorrowfully. Hearing Tim¡¯s words, Joanna felt an overwhelming sadness. However, she didn¡¯t know how tofort Tim. ¡°Good thingse to good people, and Jay will surely recover,¡± Joanna said, trying to offer some reassurance. Tim said, ¡°I hope so! ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Please stay here and apany Jay¡± Chapter 305 ¡°Okay!¡± Tim left with his butler and assistant without saying much more. The door to the ward opened. Jaydon had been in a deep sleep for over two hours before he slowly regained consciousness. Joanna had been by his side the entire time, and as she noticed Jaydon¡¯s neck move, she quickly leaned in to check, ¡°Jay, are you awake?¡± Jaydon weakly opened his eyes, taking a moment to regain his awareness. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Joanna looked at Jaydon tenderly, her gaze filled with warmth. ¡°Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?¡± Jaydon hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with a sense of destion. He immediately closed his eyes again. He had no appetite for anything at the moment. He felt utterly disheartened. ¡°Jay, get up and eat something!¡± ¡°I bought this spaghetti myself. Have some!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face was clouded over. His voice was hoarse as sand rubbed against the edge like gravel. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t have to stay here.¡± Joanna quickly reassured andforted him, ¡°Jay, I¡¯ve said I will be by your side until you recover. ¡°I spoke to the doctor. They said you have nerve damage, but it still has a good chance of healing. ¡°Don¡¯t lose hope. Lilia couldn¡¯t walk since she was born! I thought she would never be able to walk in her lifetime!¡± Joanna continued, ¡°But there¡¯s always hope. There is a doctor in Gaprington who can treat Lilia¡¯s leg condition. She is too young now, but she can undergo corrective surgery next year!¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered with a slight heaviness. He didn¡¯t believe Joanna¡¯s words at all. Joanna paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°You see, even congenital disabilities can be treated sessfully, let alone your condition, which was caused by a car ident. So please, don¡¯t lose hope!¡± Jaydon replied, ¡°Joann, I know you¡¯re trying tofort me.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± Joanna insisted. ¡°Even if you can¡¯t walk in the future, there are advanced prosthetics avable. With them, you can still walk like a normal person. ¡°Jay, you have to believe in yourself¡± Joanna held Jaydon¡¯s hand tightly, her beautiful eyes shining with encouragement. Jaydon felt even more heartbroken as he looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come on, eat something! You need to take care of your body,¡± Joanna urged. ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat!¡± Jaydon¡¯s mood plummeted to the lowest point, unaffected by Joanna¡¯s persuasion. For two consecutive days, Joanna remained in the hospital, taking care of Jaydon and giving him encouragement and confidence. However, her efforts seemed to have little effect, as Jaydon¡¯s emotions remained incredibly low and depressed. After all, this was not an ordinary setback that could be resolved with a few words offort. Joanna felt helpless. At this rate, Jaydon¡¯s health would only worsen. On the third day, Joanna made a significant decision after careful consideration. She wanted to marry Jaydon and take care of him for the rest of his life. ¡°Jay, do you still love me?¡± Joanna asked. Jaydon was stunned. His dispirited eyes trembled slightly. From the moment heid eyes on Joanna when they were teenagers, Jaydon had deeply fallen in love with her. However, they were both underage at that time, and it was merely an innocent infatuation. It wasn¡¯t until their university years that he truly fell in love with her. His feelings had remained unchanged ever since. Joanna gathered her courage and looked deeply into Jaydon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Jay, if you still love me, would you¡­. let me be your wife?¡± Jaydon had always loved her. She was unsure how tofort him, but if she could uplift his spirits, she would marry him. Jaydon furrowed his brows slightly, expressing his sadness. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t have to do this. 11-73 Chapter 305 I am now in this state and can¡¯t provide you happiness. Don¡¯t pity me, and don¡¯t joke about your own happiness.¡± Joanna trembled as she listened and said camestly, ¡°No, I¡¯m not pitying you! ¡°I genuinely like you, truly¡­ love you.¡± Her eyes flickered involuntarily as she spoke. For Jaydon, there was gratitude and appreciation in her heart. In the past, she had carried a burden and couldn¡¯t ept Jaydon¡¯s love. Now, when Jaydon was at his most vulnerable, she felt it was necessary to offer him the support she could provide. ¡°Joann, you really don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself like this! I know the person you love is Bruce.¡± Joanna held his hand tightly, gazing at him with warmth in her eyes. ¡°No, it¡¯s not true. I really love you! ¡°In the past, I felt that my divorce and having children made me unworthy of you, so I couldn¡¯t ept your love. ¡°But now, as you said, life is unpredictable, and fortunes can change in an instant.¡± Joanna continued, ¡°There are some things that, if not done now, may never have a chance in the future! That day, you told me that if it was yourst day, you wanted me by your side. ¡°After I went back, I kept thinking about that question. If my life had only one day left, I would want you and my children by my side.¡°¡± Jaydon listened silently, and a glimmer of light flickered in his eyes. He didn¡¯t really believe what Joanna said! After all, her ex¨Chusband was Bruce. Regardless of character, Bruce was indeed his strongest rival. Whether it was in terms of looks or family background, he stood out from the crowd. It would be difficult to be attracted to another man after loving a remarkable man like Bruce.. ¡°Jay, if you still love me, I¡¯m willing to marry you! I want to be your wife, to take care of you for a lifetime, and to love you for a lifetime.¡± ¡°Joann, you really don¡¯t have to do this¡­¡± Jaydon tried to pull his hand back. ¡°What do I need to say to make you believe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already a disabled person now, I can¡¯t give you happiness!¡± Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Fool, if it were me who became disabled, would you abandon me?¡± After hearing Joanna¡¯s question, Jaydon fell silent once again, If it were Joanna who had an ident, he would probably do everything to take care of her for the rest of her life. ¡°We have been through so much together. Don¡¯t you believe in me?¡± As Joanna spoke, she leaned down and nted a deep kiss on Jaydon¡¯s lips. There was a hint of sweetness on her soft lips. Jaydon¡¯s entire body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. It turned out that kissing the person he loved felt so wonderful. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna smiled gently and said earnestly, ¡°Jay, I love you!¡± Jaydon stared at Joanna, his eyes filled with astonishment. The words ¡°I love you¡± seemed to contain infinite energy. It instantly pierced through his gloomy and despondent heart, shining a beam of warm sunlight upon it. Really? Jaydon asked in disbelief. Joanna said solemnly, ¡°I can swear to the heavens! ¡°I didn¡¯t ept your love before because you¡¯re too outstanding, and I felt unworthy of you.¡± When Jaydon heard this, a trace of hope waspletely ignited in his heart. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna asked, ¡°So, do you still love me?¡± Jaydon¡¯s face was filled with sincerity as he said, ¡°Of course, I have always loved you, and I will continue to love you in the future!¡± Joanna smiled tenderly and pressed his hand against her cheek. ¡°Then, when you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, let¡¯s get married!¡± Upon hearing this, Jaydon subconsciously swallowed, and his throat tightened. ¡°Joann, have you really thought it through?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve thought it through. I¡¯ve always loved you and want to be with you for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I swear to God, I love you!¡± Happiness came too suddenly. Jaydon felt like he was in a dream.. ¡°Joann, do you really not regret it? ¡°I may not be able to walk for the rest of my life. I will be a burden to you forever.¡± Joanna gently rubbed her cheek against his palm and said, ¡°Being able to take care of the person you love is also a kind of happiness. ¡°No matter if you can stand up or not, I will never leave you in my lifetime. Unless you don¡¯t want me anymore.¡± ¡°How could that be? Joann, 1¡¯ve been waiting for this day for too long,¡± Jaydon said, his nose tingling and his eyes turned wet. Joanna smiled at him, revealing the dimples on her cheeks. Then, she leaned against his chest and hugged him tightly! Jaydon shuddered and hugged Joanna. In a blink of an eye, Joanna stayed in the hospital for another week. With Joanna by his side, Jaydon¡¯s mood improved significantly, and he was willing to cooperate with the doctors¡® treatments. Beep, beep, beep! Every day, Joanna received urgent phone calls from herpany. ¡°Hello, Cora,¡± Joanna answered. On the other end of the line, Cora¡¯s eager voice came through. ¡°Miss Haynes, we have already rented the venue in Greene Town. All the contracts have been negotiated, and Brother Trumpet is waiting for you toe and sign the agreement! ¡°When are youing back to Greene Town?¡± Joanna ceplied, ¡°Oh, you take care of things for now! Help me exin to Brother Trumpet that I can¡¯t leave at the moment!¡± 11.DE Chapter 306 ¡°Alright then!¡± After hanging up with Cora, Luna¡¯s call came in. ¡°Miss Haynes, you haven¡¯t returned to Greyport for over a week. When are youing back? ¡°Ourpany is preparing to sign a contract with Belize Group¡¯s president!¡± Joanna felt a headacheing on upon hearing this. ¡°I have an urgent matter here, so it might take a few more days before I can return. ¡°Send me the contract documents first. I¡¯ll call the president of the Belize Group and exin the situation.¡± ¡°Okay, sure!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone rang nonstop every day. Greyport, Porash, and Greene Town all had a pile of work waiting for Joanna to handle. Jaydon knew that Joanna¡¯s career was in a rising phase and that she was exceptionally busy with work. Although he had more than enough money and Joanna didn¡¯t need to prioritize her career, he was not like Bruce. He didn¡¯t want to hinder Joanna from pursuing what she wanted to do. He also understood that Joanna wanted to fulfill her personal value. Therefore, he was very supportive of her career. ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t you go and focus on your work for now?¡± Jaydon suggested. Joanna smiled gently and reassured him. ¡°No, nothing is more important than your health. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to work when you¡¯re feeling better Jaydon furrowed his brows. ¡°But I¡¯m worried that if you continue like this, your work will be affected¡­¡± Joanna replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Even if I¡¯m not around, the higher¨Cups will take care of thepany¡¯s matters!¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m really touched that you¡¯re sacrificing yourself for me!¡± ¡°You silly. Come, have some fruit.¡± Joanna smiled and stuffed an apple into his mouth. In the blink of an eye, it was already next Tuesday! Bruce suddenly realized that Joanna hadn¡¯t called himst Sunday to ask to see their children. However, in the past few days, he had been engrossed in his fiery interactions with Princess Martha, and his obsession with Joanna had diminished. Bruce was in a daze. Beep, beep, beep! Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Joanna. Bruce quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s calm voice came through on the other end of the line. ¡°Hello, Bruce. I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°Go ahead!¡± Bruce straightened his back, listening attentively to her words.. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about the doctor in Gaprington that you took Lilia to see. Could you give me the contact information of that doctor?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce was stunned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d like to consult on something.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send it to youter.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna finished speaking and was about to hang up. Bruce suddenly felt a strange pang in his heart, as if he couldn¡¯t breathe. He didn¡¯t want Joanna to hang up so quickly. Could it be that their rtionship was really over like this? ¡°Joanna¡­¡± Bruce hesitated, struggling to find the right words. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know what to say. Little did he know that Joanna had been taking care of Jaydon in Venturas these past few days. He also thought she wanted the doctor¡¯s contact information to inquire about Lilia¡¯s condition. If he knew that Joanna was seeking information for Jaydon, he would probably be furious. Joanna said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± Chapter 306 ¡°Okay, call me if there¡¯s anything you need. If you need help, feel free to look for me!¡± Bruce suddenly became gentle! He probably felt that he had really lost Joanna! ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna thanked him and hung up. After hanging up, Bruce suddenly felt extremely ufortable. In the past, even when he and Joanna had constant conflicts, Bruce always believed that Joanna was his woman. He also always thought that Joanna This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. loved him. But that day, Joanna said a lot of things to him. He finally realized that Joanna no longer loved him. He knew that he would never be able to enter her heart again in his lifetime. During that period, he did many crazy things, all in the hope of making her love him. One sentence from Joanna deeply touched his heart, ¡°If you have even a shred of love for me, please let me go.¡± Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang again! Bruce looked at the phone. It was an international call. Needless to say, it was Princess Martha calling! Bruce furrowed his brows. He felt a slight reluctance to answer Princess Martha¡¯s call. Princess Martha was too clingy! She had to call him every morning, noon, and night. Moreover, their conversation wouldst at least half an hour. He was busy with work every day, and he didn¡¯t have the energy to engage in lovey¨Cdovey talks. In the first few days, he found it very refreshing and was willing to make her happy. But after a while, it became tasteless to him. He found out that it was nothing special to a princess! Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang again. Bruce reluctantly answered, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Bruce, why didn¡¯t you pick up the call earlier?¡± ¡°Oh, I was busy and didn¡¯t hear it,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Are you free next week?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce inquired. ¡°I want toe to Greyport to see you, Princess Martha said. Bruce was stunned. They had just met in Serene Indst week! It hadn¡¯t even been five days, and she was already requesting another meeting. ¡°That might not be a good idea. Greyport has too many paparazzi, and if I¡¯m seen alone with you, it won¡¯t be good for your image.¡± Princess Martha insisted. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. What are you afraid of? ¡°I truly believe that I¡¯ve fallen in love with you. Even if we get photographed, we can go public with our rtionship!¡± Bruce felt a headacheing on upon hearing her words. It was true that men were fickle! Things that came too easily often lost their allure, Princess Martha¡¯s passionate and bold nature was indeed attractive in the beginning. But for men, this attraction was just a temporary novelty. Once the novelty wore off, it became nothing! However, considering Princess Martha¡¯s prestigious status, Bruce patiently continued to appease her. Chapter 307 Chapter 307 ¡°Let¡¯s forget about Greyport for now. It would be better for us to meet abroad after I finish my current work,¡± Bruce patiently persuaded in Antlenish. Upon hearing this, Princess Martha¡¯s voice carried a hint of disappointment as she said in Antlenish, ¡°Bruce, are you afraid of being caught by the media?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Bruce ambiguously responded. ¡°After all, you are a princess. If we were caught by the media, it would affect your reputation,¡± he exined. Princess Martha instantly felt relieved and joyfully said, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry. Even if we are caught, I can marry you!¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s head started to ache even more. The pace of this rtionship development is too fast! Deep down, he was still a traditional man. When it came to marriage, he wanted to carefully consider it. Moreover, he still could not let go of Joanna! Being with Princess Martha was just seeking novelty! Bruce remained silent. Princess Martha asked again, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you happy?¡± ¡°Haha, of course, I¡¯m happy!¡± Princess Martha happily said, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯lle to see you next week!¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that! Once I finish my busy week, I¡¯lle to see you! ¡°It¡¯s more convenient for me toe to your ce!¡± Bruce quickly reassured Princess Martha. For some reason, he just didn¡¯t want his rtionship with Princess Martha to be exposed. Princess Martha replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine too!¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Okay, love you!¡± After hanging up the phone, Bruce let out a long sigh, feeling a mix of emotions. Princess Martha was a legitimate royal princess, and if their rtionship were to be exposed¡­ To be honest, it would undoubtedly satisfy the vanity of many men to a great extent. However, Bruce inexplicably felt troubled by it. In the Marhall Hospital of Venturas. Joanna had already contacted a surgeon in Gaprington, and she had exined Jaydon¡¯s condition and scheduled an appointment. ¡°Jay, this Doctor Carl is the most authoritative surgeon in Gaprington. Lilia has also made an appointment with him to discuss the surgery. ¡°I¡¯ve already talked to Doctor Carl about your situation, and he said there¡¯s a fifty percent chance of a cure. If things don¡¯t work out here, we can go to Gaprington.¡± Jaydon listened absentmindedly and suddenly interjected, ¡°Joann, are you really willing to marry me?¡± Joanna paused, looking somewhat surprised at Jaydon! In the past, she had closed off her heart and refused to ept anyone¡¯s feelings. But now, once her heart opened, she suddenly felt that marrying Jaydon wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. Even if he became disabled, so what? In the worst¨Ccase scenario, even if their rtionship were to break apart in the future, that would be a problem forter. ¡°Jay, why are you asking this question again?¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna intently and said with a tinge of mncholy, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you will regret it in the future.¡± Joanna smiled at him. ¡°As long as you won¡¯t regret it, I won¡¯t regret it either.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Why do you have such little trust in me?¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°No, I just feel that happiness came too suddenly. I¡¯m too happy¡± ¡°Silly!¡± Time flew by, and another week passed. Chapter 307 With Joanna by his side, Jaydon¡¯s mood improved significantly. Apart from theck of sensation in his left leg, most of his body had recovered quite well. After the doctor carefully removed all the splints for Jaydon, he examined his condition again. ¡°Mr. Grimm can be discharged from the hospital soon, ¡°Ms. Haynes, Doctor Carl that you mentioned is renowned for his medical expertise worldwide. It might be worth it for Mr. Grimm to visit him. There could be a chance for a miracle.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°I hope so!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make the arrangements there. We¡¯ll fly over next week.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Jaydon had been in the hospital for over two months, and today he was finally able to be discharged. Joanna said to Jaydon, ¡°Jay, pack your things here. I¡¯ll go back to Greyport for two days to take care of some matters and pack my luggage. ¡°Next Wednesday, I¡¯lle to Venturas to meet up with you.¡± ¡°Alright, take care, and don¡¯t overexert yourself!¡± Jaydon finished speaking and gently rubbed her head affectionately. Joanna smiled at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯lle back soon to be with you.¡± ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon suddenly called out to her. Joanna stopped in her tracks, thinking he was reluctant to let her go. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± After hesitating for a second, Jaydon silently took out a ring from his pocket. It was a 9.9¨Ccarat heart¨Cshaped pink diamond ring. It was the ring he had bought for Joanna when he first confessed his love and proposed to her. Unfortunately, Joanna didn¡¯t ept it at that time. This time, he had his assistant find the ring for him. ¡°Joann, this ring was specially bought for you!¡± ¡°Would you¡­ be willing to wear it?¡± Joanna was momentarily stunned, but then she smiled and reached out her hand. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course!¡± Jaydonughed and looked at her affectionately. ¡°By wearing this ring, it means you have epted my proposal.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna nodded firmly. Jaydon felt a sense of relief and slid the ring onto Joanna¡¯s ring finger. Joanna¡¯s fingers were long and slender, delicate and graceful. Illuminated by the light, the ring on her finger exuded an air of elegance and grandeur. ¡°Joann, I love you!¡± ¡°I love you too!¡± Joanna smiled gently and put her face in front of him. Jaydon then deeply kissed her forehead. ¡°For you, I will work hard on my recovery. I¡¯ll strive to regain my health as soon as possible to bring you happiness.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± They looked at each other and smiled. Joanna also leaned in and kissed his lips. ¡°Take care of yourself, I¡¯ll be gone for two days, but I¡¯lle back soon.¡± ¡°Alright, remember to call me if anythinges up!¡± ¡°Yes, I will!¡± After bidding farewell to Jaydon, Joanna hurriedly headed back to Greyport. She hadn¡¯t been in Greyport for over half a month! The work in herpany had piled up like a mountain! She nned to spend one day handling the work in Greyport. Chapter 307 She would also set aside another day to deal with the work in Porash and Greene Town. And, of course, she would make sure to find some time to meet with her children. Returning to Greyport, Joanna checked the time and realized it was only a little after 3 p.m. Moreover, today happened to be Sunday. After thinking for a moment, Joanna decided to give Bruce a call. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang! ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce quickly answered the call. Joanna paused for a few seconds and said, ¡°Urn, Bruce, I want to see the children today.¡± ¡°Today?¡± Bruce frowned. Joanna used to make appointments in advance when she wanted to see the children.. Why did she suddenly want to see them today without any prior notice? Bruce eximed, ¡°It¡¯s already afternoon!¡± Joanna quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s only a little after 3 p.m. I cane directly to Century za, and you can have the driver bring the children to meet me, okay?¡± When Bruce heard this, he pondered for a while. He finally couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Joanna, what have you been busy withtely?¡± During this period, he focused all his attention on work and Princess Martha. He deliberately ignored everything rted to Joanna! ¡°Nothing much! Just busy with work.¡± Joanna replied, not wanting to share too much about Jaydon with him. Even though she had made it clear there was no chance of them getting back together in this lifetime, she knew Bruce¡¯s personality too well. His possessiveness and need for control were too strong. If he found out that she was with Jaydon, he would probably go crazy and act irrationally. ¡°Is it possible?¡± Joanna asked again. ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± After hesitating for a few seconds, Bruce agreed. ¡°That¡¯s all for now!¡± Joanna hung up after saying that. At 4 p.m, a nanny van and two MPVs arrived at Century za. As the car doors opened, Davian was the first to jump out of the car. ¡°Mommy!¡± Following closely behind, Irvin also got out of the car. The two little ones happily ran toward Joanna. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± Joanna had missed her children so much after not seeing them for a while. She immediately ran toward them and tightly embraced Davian and Irvin. ¡°Mommy, why haven¡¯t youe to see us for so long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my darlings. Mommy has been a bit busytely.¡± Meanwhile, Bruce also got out of the car, carrying Lilia in his arms. ¡°Mommy!¡± Lilia sweetly called out. ¡°Lilia¡­¡± Joanna looked up and was surprised to see Bruce there. Instantly, her heart tightened. ¡°Bruce, why are you here too?¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s uneasy and surprised expression, Bruce felt a bit embarrassed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you so nervous to see me?¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± Joanna quickly denied it. Chapter 308 Chapter 308 ¡°Mommy, I miss you so much. Why haven¡¯t youe to see me for so long?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been very busytely,¡± Joanna apologized. She quickly stepped forward to try and pick up Lilia. Bruce scoffed and muttered sarcastically, ¡°Even if you¡¯re busy, you should make time to be with the children. ¡°How could you be such an irresponsible mother?¡± Joanna paused for a moment, not wanting to argue with him. She then picked up Lilia in her arms. The moment she reached out, she identally revealed the diamond ring on her finger. Suddenly, Bruce¡¯s gaze fell upon the diamond ring on Joanna¡¯s hand. His lips twitched involuntarily. Joanna had never liked wearing jewelry, so it was naturally impossible for her to spend money to buy a diamond ring. Moreover, this diamond ring was a pink diamond in the shape of a heart. It was worth at least a few hundreds of thousands of dors. The Haynes Group was currently in trouble now, and Joanna would never spend such arge sum of money on a diamond ring. ¡°What is that you¡¯re wearing on your hand, Joanna?¡± Bruce asked abruptly. Joanna felt a sinking feeling in her heart upon hearing his question. She hade in a hurry and forgot to take off the ring on her finger. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing.¡± Joanna instinctively replied. Bruce¡¯s face paled. ¡°Show it to me.¡± ¡°Bruce, can you please stop meddling in my affairs?¡± ¡°Give me your hand!¡± Bruce demanded, gripping Joanna¡¯s wrist and forcefully bringing her hand closer to his eyes. This diamond ring was a heart¨Cshaped pink diamond. It must be incredibly expensive. Bruce¡¯s eyebrows raised, feeling an inexplicable wave of jealousy washed over him. ¡°Who gave you this?¡± ¡°What do you mean who gave it to me? Can¡¯t I buy a ring for myself?¡± Joanna snapped, pulling her hand back angrily. Bruce paused for a moment. ¡°Did you really buy it yourself?¡± Joanna replied coldly, ¡°Bruce, my personal affairs are none of your concern.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Faced with Joanna¡¯s indifference, Bruce let out a cold snort and suppressed his anger. He didn¡¯t need to be so fixated on her. Since she didn¡¯t love him anymore, he did not have to lower his dignity and cling to her. It would make him look like a fool. He was too arrogant to continue chasing after someone who clearly didn¡¯t want him. Joanna didn¡¯t want to engage in further conversation with Bruce. Instead, she lovingly looked at her three children and asked, ¡°Do you miss Mommy, my darlings?¡± ¡°Of course, we do!¡± the three children replied in unison. Joanna smiled affectionately and took out three folded paper stars from her bag. ¡°Mommy brought you some gifts!¡± Each of the children received one, and they looked at the beautiful paper stars in their hands with curiosity. ¡°Wow, Mommy, what is this?¡± *These are little stars that Mommy folded by hand. When you miss Mommy, you can take them out and look at them,¡± Joanna exined. ¡°When Mommy isn¡¯t with you, let the little stars keep youpany¡± These three little stars were made with special paper, and each had the name of one of the children written on it. Though they held no mary value, they were filled with a mother¡¯s love and blessings for her children. ¡°Thank you, Mommy!¡± Davian carefully kept the paper star and looked at Joanna with a serious expression. ¡°Mommy, when will youe to see us next time?¡± Joanna took a breath and gently crouched down. ¡°Mommy will have a business trip next week, so I might not have time toe and see you. ¡°Wait for the week after next, and Mommy wille to see you again.¡± Upon hearing this, Irvin pouted and asked, ¡°Mommy, where are you going on your business trip?¡± 11-34 Chapter 308 ¡°Well, I¡¯m going abroad.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ When the three little fellows heard this, they looked unhappy. Both their parents were very busy. Their father went on business trips frequently, and now their mother would be away every other day. They hardly had much time together as a family. They spent their days either at the kindergarten or with the servants. When Bruce heard this, he felt displeased and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should go back.¡± ¡°Mommy! We don¡¯t want to go back¡­¡± Joanna looked at Bruce coldly and pleaded, ¡°Bruce, can I please cook a meal for the children?¡± Bruce coldly rejected her. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t push your luck.¡± Joanna let out a deep sigh. ¡°Bruce, I am their mother. You cannot be so overbearing and prevent me from building a rtionship with our children.¡± ¡°Daddy, we want to eat Mommy¡¯s cooking. It¡¯s been so long since west saw her! ¡°Sob, we miss Mommy so much!¡± Lilia couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. Seeing his daughter crying in distress, Bruce¡¯s heart softened involuntarily. ¡°Do as you wish.¡± Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Mommy will make dumpling for you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great!¡± Davian and Irvin instantly cheered up. Joanna carried Lilia in her arms and led Davian and Irvin toward the roadside, preparing to hail a taxi to go home. Behind them, Bruce silently followed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna red at Bruce with annoyance. She didn¡¯t want him to join her time together with the children. Bruce snorted coldly and teased. ¡°Joanna, are you nning to make my children ride a taxi?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem with that?¡± Joanna asked angrily, her tone defiant. Her car still hadn¡¯t been repaired, and just mentioning it made her feel frustrated. Bruce pursed his lips. ¡°Forget it! We¡¯ll use my car.¡± With that, Bruce called the driver to bring the nanny van over. ¡°Get in the car!¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment but eventually obediently got in. The nanny van had seven seats, and Joanna and the children sat in the back row. Bruce sat in the front passenger seat. Twenty minutester, the driver arrived at the entrance of Greenwick Residential Complex. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve arrived at our destination.¡± ¡°Hmm¡± Bruce responded coldly. ¡°We have arrived. Let¡¯s go.¡± The driver get out first and opened the door. Davian and Irvin happily jumped out of the car. ¡°Wow, this ce is much nicer! We finally get to go home with Mommy.¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s been so long since we had Mommy¡¯s homemade dumplings. I¡¯ve even dreamed about eating Mommy¡¯s dumplings a few times.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Joanna smiled and followed suit, getting out of the car. ¡°Today, Mommy will make sure you enjoy a satisfying meal. *Thank you, Mommy.¡± Joanna had just called Miranda. She asked Miranda to prepare the ingredients for the dumplings! After being away from her children for so long, she wanted to cook a meal for them with her own hands. The children loved her homemade dumplings, Chapter 308 and she wanted to make them a special treat while she had the time. Joanna led the children in front. Bruce also got out of the car and followed. ¡°What are you doing here, Bruce?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°Then why are you following us?¡± she questioned. When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows and said sarcastically, ¡°Joanna, you wouldn¡¯t make me wait downstairs, would you?¡± Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s not convenient for you toe to my ce. Please wait in the car, or you can go back for now.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. What if you abduct my children?¡± Joanna was infuriated by his remark. ¡°How about letting Daddy join us for the meal?¡± Davian suggested. Joanna took a deep breath and decided not to argue with Bruce. She reluctantly allowed him to follow them into the elevator. After returning home, the children were overjoyed! ¡°Wow, it feels so cozy here! Mommy, can we stay here and not go back?¡± Joanna felt a pang in her heart. She would love for the children to stay. Unfortunately¡­ ¡°You two stay here and behave. Mommy will start making dumplings now!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little boys ran into theputer room! Miranda and Kelly also took Lilia to the children¡¯s room. Bruce sat on the sofa with a cold expression, looking like a gloomy figure. ¡°Miss, let me help you knead the dough!¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯ll be quick!¡± Suddenly, Bruce shouted toward the kitchen, ¡°Joanna, make a bowl of spaghetti for me!¡± Joanna was enraged by Bruce. However, she did not reject his request. Soon, a delightful aroma wafted from the kitchen. ¡°Wow, it smells so good! My mouth is watering!¡± ¡°Mommy, are the dumplings ready?¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Soon, it¡¯s cooking now! ¡°Both of you, go wash your hands quickly!¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to eat three big bowls!¡± ¡°I want to eat five big bowls!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll burst!¡± The two children washed their hands and yfully teased each other. Bruce watched from the side, feeling a tangle of emotions in his heart. It had been a long time since he had seen the three children so happy. Wasn¡¯t it just a dumpling? Why were they so excited? The Everett family had several chefs. Even if they made something delicious, he had never seen the children this happy before. Ten minutester, Joanna walked out with a tray, carrying three bowls of dumplings. ¡°Wow, it smells so good!¡± ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s hot. Eat slowly!¡± Chapter 309 Chapter 309 ¡°Okay!¡± Two little boys couldn¡¯t wait and sat on the small chairs they used to sit on when eating They held a big spoon and ate the dumplings eagerly. The enticing aroma made Bruce¡¯s stomach growl, and he involuntarily swallowed, thinking, ¡°Where is my spaghetti?¡± Even though he had a discerning and picky appetite, ever since he tasted the spaghetti made by Joanna, his taste buds could never forget that vor. Joanna didn¡¯t say a word and turned back into the kitchen! After a short while, Joanna came out holding a te of spaghetti! The fragrant scent of meat sauce and meatballs filled the whole room. Although the preparation was simple, the taste was incredibly delicious and appetizing! With a cold expression, Joanna ced the dish of spaghetti on the table and walked away. Bruce didn¡¯t say much either and picked up his tableware to eat it. The father and his three children gathered around the dining table and enjoyed their meal.. Soon, Davian finished a bowl of dumplings and asked, ¡°Mommy, is there more?¡± Joanna quickly smiled and replied, ¡°Yes! There¡¯s plenty more!¡± Davian licked his lips and contentedly said, ¡°Mommy, I want another bowl! Please add more shrimp for me!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna took Davian¡¯s bowl and filled it with more than half a bowl. ¡°Mommy, I want some too!¡± Irvin was afraid there wouldn¡¯t be any left in the pot, so he hurriedly finished his portion. Joanna smiled again and served Irvin a bowl. As she watched the children devour their food, she felt immense joy and tenderness in her heart. If possible, she wished she could cook for her children every day. The two little boys devoured two big bowls of small dumplings. Lilia had a small appetite and only ate a small bowl. Bruce also finished his spaghetti. He had never experienced such a satisfying and enjoyable eating experience before. Only the spaghetti made by Joanna could satisfy his discerning taste buds. After finishing dinner, it was already 7 p.m. Joanna chatted with the children,pletely ignoring Bruce. Watching the warm and lively conversation between the mother and her three children, Bruce felt increasingly left out. Jealousy crept up in his heart. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Bruce intentionally coughed heavily, trying to draw attention. Unfortunately, Joanna and the children were engrossed in their reunion, and no one paid him any mind. Bruce touched his nose in annoyance and spoke in a cold tone, ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, it¡¯s time for us to go back!¡± The three little ones¡® smiles vanished as soon as they heard it! The smile on Joanna¡¯s fate also cooled down! Davian, with a hint of grievance, said, ¡°Mommy! We want to stay here!¡± Joanna felt a pang in her heart upon hearing their words. She knew Bruce wouldn¡¯t agree to let the children stay, so she gentlyforted them, ¡°¡­Darlings, you have to go to kindergarten tomorrow!¡± ¡°Mommy, we want to stay with you!¡± The three little ones said in unison, their eyes pleading as they looked at Joanna. Seeing their expressions, Joanna felt even more distressed. She instinctively nced at Bruce. Bruce¡¯s face turned cold, and his eyebrows raised slightly. This stubborn woman. If she had just listened obediently, he wouldn¡¯t have to separate her from her children. He fought for custody of the children only to force Joanna to stay by his side. Unfortunately, Joanna would rather endure the pain of separation than ept him. Joanna said, ¡°Darlings, please listen and go back with Daddy for now¡­.¡± 11:15 Chapter 309 ¡°Hurry up and leave. We still have no practice tonight!¡± Bruce urged with a stern face. If Joanna had been willing to ask him to stay, he would have dly stayed with the children. But he knew that Joanna would never keep himl ¡°Mommy.¡± the three little ones pouted and dragged their feet, unwilling to leave. Seeing the longing in their eyes, Joanna felt her heart breaking She looked at Bruce sorrowfully and asked in an almost pleading tone, ¡°Bruce, can you let the children stay here for one night?¡± Bruce locked eyes with her, feeling a wrenching sensation in his heart, an irresistible surge of emotions. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, they can stay¡­ but¡­ I want to stay too!¡± Bruce took a few steps closer, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Joanna. How he wished Joanna could hug him affectionately and ask him to stay! But seeing Bruce¡¯s unfriendly gaze, Joanna panicked. She quickly stepped back, creating distance between them. Joanna was truly afraid of Bruce! She was even more afraid of the feeling of being forcibly dominated and conquered by him. Even with him standing before her, her heart couldn¡¯t stop racing with nervousness. ¡°Why are you so nervous, Joanna? Are you afraid I¡¯ll devour you?¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help but feel a stirring inside as he watched her anxious state. If the children hadn¡¯t been present, he might not have been able to resist his urges. The feeling of being with her was etched deep into his bones, irresistible. It was a feeling that no other woman could evoke in him. Beep, beep, beep! Coincidentally, Bruce¡¯s phone started ringing! He took out his phone and nced at it. It was a call from Princess Martha. Bruce furrowed his brows and promptly disconnected the call. Joanna also instinctively nced at Bruce, realizing that the person calling him had an unusual rtionship with him. Beep, beep, beep! Just as Bruce disconnected the call, another call came in immediately. Bruce cursed under his breath and turned away. He did not want Joanna to see his emotions at that moment. Lilia waved to Joanna, gesturing for her toe closer to have a private conversation. Understanding her daughter¡¯s intention, Joanna crouched and brought her ear close to Lilia¡¯s mouth. Lilia spoke cautiously, ¡°Mommy, Daddy is going to have a new girlfriend. Aren¡¯t you worried at all?¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°If Daddy has a new girlfriend, Mommy will bless them.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lilia looked disappointed after hearing her response. Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang again! Bruce, feeling helpless, walked to the balcony to answer the phone. ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce answered the phone with a deep voice. On the other end of the line, Princess Martha¡¯s dissatisfied voice came through, asking him in Antlenish, ¡°Bruce, why didn¡¯t you answer the phone?¡± Bruce replied in the samenguage, ¡°Um, what¡¯s up?¡± The two of them alwaysmunicated in Antlenish despiteing from different countries. They had nonguage barrier between them. Princess Martha paused for a few seconds and mysteriously said, ¡°I want to give you a surprise!¡± ¡°What kind of surprise?¡± ¡°Guess where I am?¡± Bruce furrowed his brows, having a bad feeling. Seeing Bruce¡¯s silence for a while, Princess Martha felt a bit disappointed. She decided not to keep him in suspense and directly revealed the answer, ¡°I¡¯m at the airport right now. Hurry up ande pick me up!¡± Bruce¡¯s head throbbed as he listened, and he frowned in annoyance. ¡°What did you say?¡± Chapter 309 I said I¡¯m at the airport right now. Hurry up ande pick me up!¡± Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯lle to see you next week?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait, so I came to see you! Are you happy?¡± Bruce¡¯s head throbbed even more! Instinctively, he turned around and nced at Joanna. Joanna didn¡¯t pay attention to who he was talking to but was engaged in a conversation with the children. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t youing to pick me up? I thought you would be happy!¡± Princess Martha¡¯s tone carried a hint of disappointment. Bruce felt helpless and could only grit his teeth and say, ¡°Don¡¯t wander around, I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up right away!¡± ¡°No, I want you toe personally to pick me up.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m busy right now.¡± Princess Martha felt even more dejected upon hearing that. ¡°Bruce, do you not love me anymore? Or give me an address, and I¡¯ll take a taxi myself!¡± Bruce gave in and replied, ¡°Never mind, I¡¯lle to pick you up. ¡°Don¡¯t wander around. I¡¯ll be there to pick you up soon.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, hurry up!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything more and hung up the phone directly. ¡°Darlings, it¡¯s time for us to go back.¡± Irvin deliberately stirred the pot, saying, ¡°Daddy, who were you talking to on the phone?¡± Lilia pouted and said, ¡°It must be thatdy again. ¡°Mommy, Daddy talks to that prettydy on the phone every day.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened upon hearing that. ¡°Nonsense. Let¡¯s go!¡± The three little ones didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. They could only bid their mother goodbye with a sense of grievance. ¡°Goodbye, Mommy, we¡¯re leaving!¡± ¡°Okay, bye, darlings!¡± ¡°Bye, Mommy!¡± Bruce hurriedly left with the children. Back in the car, Bruce still had a furrowed brow. ¡°Kody, you take the kids home. Also, send another car to take me to the airport.¡± ¡°Now, take me to the airport expressway first!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Kody responded and quickly started the car, driving away. Chapter 310 Chapter 310 Bruce hurriedly arrived at the airport. Princess Martha was wearing sunsses and a baseball cap, dressed in casual attire that made her look like an ordinary foreign girl. She didn¡¯t bring any servants or bodyguards. As soon as Princess Martha saw Bruce, she excitedly ran toward him and jumped night into his arms! She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging onto him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re finally here? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for so long!¡± Bruce instinctively looked around to make sure they weren¡¯t being secretly photographed by the paparazzi. ¡°Get in the car quickly. I¡¯ll take you to the hotel first.¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to go to the hotel. I want to go to your home.¡± Bruce was taken aback by her request. Currently, he hadn¡¯t nned on publicly announcing his rtionship with Princess Martha. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. It would be more convenient to stay at a hotel.¡± Princess Martha stared at Bruce and said earnestly, ¡°Bruce, I want to meet your family.¡± ¡°Martha, my home¡­ It¡¯s not convenient, and I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t feelfortable.¡± Princess Martha smiled confidently. ¡°What¡¯s not convenient? I can adapt well.¡± Princess Martha knew that Bruce was the wealthiest man in Greyport. Even in the global rich list, he ranked within the top twenty. Marrying him, she would not lose out at all. His house must also be quite luxurious. Princess Martha, being a princess, had seen a lot of the world and had experienced several romantic rtionships. She had no shortage of suitors pursuing her. However, she fell in love with Bruce at first sight. She had already made up her mind to marry him. Bruce frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯ll still take you to the hotel first. My home is really not convenient. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Get in the car quickly!¡± Bruce ced Princess Martha¡¯s luggage in the trunk of the car. Princess Martha pouted but obediently got into the car. Inside the car, Bruce asked with concern, ¡°Why did youe to Greyport alone? What if you encounter any danger?¡± Princess Martha leaned against his chest with a sweet smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I often travel alone around the world.¡± Princess Martha had strong social skills and often hid her identity. She usually traveled without any assistants or bodyguards. Bruce listened and didn¡¯t ask any further questions.. Bruce¡¯s mind was filled with anxiety, thinking about how to make her leave Greyport as soon as possible. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you n to propose to me?¡± Princess Martha asked. ¡°Martha, we¡¯ve only known each other for less than two months. I don¡¯t want to rush things.¡± Princess Martha immediately interrupted him and said, ¡°No! I love you and want to marry you!¡± She intimately hooked her arms around Bruce¡¯s neck. Then, she offered him her red and fragrant lips. Looking at Princess Martha, with her wavy hair, captivating eyes, and seductive allure, Bruce felt even more indifferent. To him, Princess Martha was like an expensive and exotic dish. It might have been fresh and enjoyable the first time. But after having it several times, he grew tired of it. If he had to eat this dish for the rest of his life, he would be even more intolerant! Marriage with Princess Martha required careful consideration. Although she was a princess, thews in their country heavily protected the rights of women. In the event of a divorce, a woman would be entitled to sixty percent of the assets. Moreover, prenuptial agreements were not epted. If he married Martha, it would be a lifelong commitment. If they got a divorce, he would lose at least half of his fortune. Chapter 310 Seeing Bruce¡¯s restless and troubled expression, Princess Martha also looked grave. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you want to marry me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just feel that it¡¯s too early to discuss this question now¡­.. Princess Martha said furiously, ¡°Bruce, do you not love me? Are you just ying around with me? ¡°I even took the initiative to propose to you. Aren¡¯t you happy about it?¡± As a princess, she had a sense of inherent superiority that made her believe Bruce must be willing to marry her. After all, no man could resist the favor of a princess. Martha had a casual attitude toward rtionships. However, the more she acted that way, the more Bruce felt repulsed. If Princess Martha could easily be with him, she could just as easily ept another man. Moreover, she had been raised with liberal education, and her view of love was quite open¨Cminded. Bruce might not be a good person, but deep down, he had a strong sense of traditional masculinity. He might not uphold the ideals of a gentleman, but he would not tolerate his woman disregarding the principles of womanhood. ¡°Are you going to say something?¡± Princess Martha asked, unable to contain her anger. Bruce¡¯s head hurt even more! ¡°Martha, can we talk about thister?¡± Seeing Bruce¡¯s hesitation, Princess Martha looked disappointed. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to propose to a man. However, she did not expect that Bruce did not cheer as she had expected. Instead, he was silent and resistant. This was something that Princess Martha did not expect! The next day, at the Haynes Group. Joanna arrived at thepany early in the morning. She hadn¡¯t been to the office for almost half a month, and there was a backlog of work requiring her attention. ¡°Good morning, Miss Haynes!¡± The receptionists greeted her one by one. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. At 9 am, in the conference room. Joanna started the meeting with the executives, conveying her instructions and orders. The meeting continued until 11 a.m., covering all the necessary matters. Joanna returned to her office. ¡°Luna, schedule a meeting with the president of Belize Group. We can sign the contract today!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna continued, ¡°Take care of these documents and send the contract to the filing room! ¡°Also, bring me the contracts and tax forms from the past few days!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna immersed herself in her work, busily handling tasks and responsibilities. The employees couldn¡¯t help but whisper among themselves. ¡°Wow, Miss Haynes hasn¡¯t been in the office for so many days. ¡°I heard she went to Venturas to apany Mr. Grimm!¡± A young female employee, who was a fan of Jaydon, infatuatedly asked, ¡°What happened to Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°I heard he was in a car ident. It¡¯s possible that he might be disabled!¡± ¡°Oh no! How could this happen? Mr. Grimm is so talented, handsome, and wealthy. How could fate allow him to be disabled?¡± The female employee expressed her regret. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so unfair!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Did you notice? Miss Haynes is wearing an engagement ring¡± ¡°Miss Haynes never wore jewelry like that before. It seems like she was about to get married!¡± ¡°With who?¡± Chapter 310 ¡°Who else could it be? It must be Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Do you think she will get back together with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Luna is here. Everyone gets back to work!¡± The employees quickly stopped their conversation as Luna approached. Joanna was busy at thepany the entire day! She was upied until past 11 p.m. She finally finished all the piled up work from the past two weeks! Checking the clock, it was already 11:10 pm. Joanna yawned, closed herputer, and prepared to go home. After finishing her tasks in Greyport, she had to rush to Porash and Greene Town the next day! After returning home, it was already 12:30 am., and Joanna hurriedly took a shower before falling into bed and immediately falling asleep. Early the next moming, Joanna hurriedly made her way to Porash. She called Michael. ¡°Michael, I¡¯m almost in Porash!¡± ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll pick you up now!¡± ¡°Great, hurry up. I will arrive in 20 minutes!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± After Michael picked her up and brought her to the factory, Joanna started dealing with the work there. Joanna asked, ¡°How¡¯s thepany¡¯s operationstely?¡± Michael replied. ¡°Everything is going well. The business has been much betterpared tost month.¡± Joanna eximed, ¡°That¡¯s good! ¡°Bring me the most recent documents and contracts!¡± Michael said. ¡°The contracts that need to be signed are already ced on your desk, and the reports are all prepared!¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we should do!¡± In the morning. Joanna finished the work in Porash. At 1 p.m., Joanna hurried back to Greene Town with Michael and Tatiana. She had rented an office building in Greene Town. The mediapany was all set up, and now all that was left was for her to go there and sign the contracts! During this period, Cora stayed in Greene Town to help with the newpany. ¡°Cora, I¡¯ll be right there!¡°Joanna said to Cora on the phone. ¡°Okay, Brother Trumpet can¡¯t wait anymore.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make arrangements to meet him.¡± At 3 p.m., Joanna met with Brother Trumpet. They discussed the shares of the mediapany. They talked until 6 p.m. before finalizing the contract. Afterward, she apanied Brother Trumpet for a live stream for a while. After finishing up, it waste at night again. Joanna had been busy these past few days, barely having any leisure time. Ring, ring! Just as she arrived at her hotel, Jaydon¡¯s call came in. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± ¡°Joann, have you arrived at the hotel?¡± Jaydon asked. Chapter 311 Chapter 311 ¡°Yes, we¡¯re already at the hotel Joanna let out a long sigh of relief and stretched her numb neck. Jaydon looked at Joanna¡¯s tired face and said in distress, ¡°Are you tired? You have been too devoted to your work, you workaholic. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t push yourself too hard. You have me, and you can count on me. I am not very sessful, but I can assure you a wealthy life.¡± Hearing that, Joanna smiled. ¡°I know! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m stronger than you think, I can take it. It¡¯s just fine.¡± ¡°Joann..¡± Jaydon sighed helplessly. ¡°Jay, are you done packing?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m done packing and ready to go.¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for another day. I might not be able to return to Greyport until tomorrow afternoon. ¡°And I¡¯ll go to Venturas on Thursday morning.¡± Jaydonforted her gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to be in such a hurry. Anyway, my legs can¡¯t be worse. It doesn¡¯t matter if we are one dayter.¡± ¡°Take good care of yourself while I¡¯m away.¡± ¡°You too!¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should go to bed now!¡± ¡°Okay, good night!¡± After saying goodnight to each other, Joanna hung up the video call. She had been exhausted for the past two days. She took a quick shower and fell asleep as she hit the pillow. It was 7 a.m. the next day. Joanna got up early and went through the contract carefully again. At nine in the morning, she met Brother Trumpet and officially signed the contract with him. After signing the contract, Brother Trumpet looked at Joanna tenderly. ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡¯re partners from now on.¡± Joanna also smiled knowingly. ¡°Yeah! I hope we can work well together!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to our pleasant cooperation.¡± They solemnly shook hands again. Brother Trumpet paused and asked again, ¡°Right! What have you been busy with recently? I heard from Cora that you¡¯ve been in Venturas.¡± Joanna heard it, and her eyes flickered. ¡°Oh, a friend of mine got into a car ident! I was there to take care of him.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± When Brother Trumpet heard this, his eyes darkened. Although Cora did not tell him what exactly Joanna had been doing these days, he could vaguely guess something. After all, the rumors about Jaydon and Joanna were everywhere. At the same time, Brother Trumpet had seen the ring on Joanna¡¯s finger. ¡°This is¡­ Brother Trumpet nced at her diamond ring and hesitated to speak. Seeing this, Joanna showed her ring generously and smiled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s a gift from my fiance¡± Brother Trumpet pursed his lips. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± It seemed that he did not have any chance to pursue Joanna. It made sense because they had very different family backgrounds. Of course, Cora Could also see the disappointment in Brother Trumpet¡¯s eyes. She quickly changed the topic and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already rented the shop. Miss Haynes, Mr. Trumpet, it¡¯s about time to choose the decoration style now¡± ¡°Okay. Cora, you stay here and be in charge of the decoration of the shop.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d better get going, then. I might be out of the country for a week. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the job here to you guys.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Haynes. We won¡¯t let you down.¡± Joanna said nothing else since she had recognized Cora¡¯s working ability. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. It was one o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Joanna hurried back to Greyport! Chapter 311 Miranda had already packed the luggage for her. The next day, Joanna arrived early to meet up with Jaydon in Venturas. They were at Venturas Airport. ¡°Jay, have you booked the flight tickets?¡± ¡°Yes, I have¡± Jaydon sat in the wheelchair with a smile. Beside him were four bodyguards and two nursing workers. Joanna also brought Tatiana, and the group of people met up with each other at the airport. Jayden stretched out his arms to Joanna. ¡°Oh, Joann, I miss you so much!¡± Joanna hugged him intimately. ¡°Me too!¡± Jaydon hugged her tightly and kissed her on the forehead gently. They looked at each other, smiled, and couldn¡¯t take their gentle eyes off one another. ¡°What time is the flight?¡± ¡°Ten o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nine o¡¯clock now. Let¡¯s take a seat and wait.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce also appeared in the VIP lounge with Princess Martha. Greyport Airport was too big, and the media could secretly photograph them easily. So he especially drove Princess Martha to Venturas Airport. He had booked a return flight for her. Princess Martha looked unhappy. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to go back so soon. I¡¯ve only been here for two to three days!¡± Bruce lowered his voice and looked around. ¡°I¡¯ve booked the flight ticket. There are too many people in Greyport. It means we are more likely to be seen there. We¡¯ll be in big trouble if the media takes photos of us being together.¡± ¡°Bruce, will you miss me?¡± Princess Martha put her arms around his waist with affection. Bruce said perfunctorily, ¡°Yes, sure. I¡¯ll miss you. I¡¯ll fly to see you after I finish my work.¡± ¡°Bruce Princess Martha looked at Bruce affectionately and tiptoed to want a kiss from him. Bruce was wearing sunsses, a mask, and a cap on his head. He looked around in alert. Seeing no one was paying attention to them, Bruce took his mask off and gave her a peck. At this moment, he was afraid of being photographed by the media! He had just finished kissing Princess Martha and abruptly looked up. A familiar figure came into sight. ¡°Joanna¡­ Bruce¡¯s pupils dted. At that time, Joanna was leaning against Jaydon. The two of them were chatting affectionately. It looked like they were going to leave the country together. Joanna said she was going on a business trip overseas when she came to see the children the other day. Unexpectedly, she was going abroad with Jaydon. Immediately. Bruce¡¯s eyes turned sharp, and he felt his anger surging to his chest. ¡°Joanna Haynes Bruce shouted angrily and walked towards her fiercely. Joanna looked back when she heard the voice. When she saw Bruce, she couldn¡¯t help trembling all over. ¡°Bruce¡­ ¡°Huh! You said you were going on a business trip overseas, but it turns out you¡¯re going on an overseas trip with Jaydon!¡± Bruce was about to hit the ceiling, and his eyes were zing with anger. He had a bad temper and could as well tolerate anything else. However, when it came to things on Joanna and Jaydon, he could not bear it at all. Joanna paused for a moment and stood up. She subconsciously exined, ¡°I¡¯m going abroad with Jay for his treatment!¡± PUH! Upon hearing this, Bruce was even more furious! Some time ago, Joanna called him and asked him for information about the doctor from Gaprington. 11:160 ehapter At that time, he thought Joanna wanted to consult Li¡¯s condition, and he had never expected that she was consulting for Jaydon! ¡°You¡¯re Impossible, Joanna! When our daughter went abroad to see a doctor, you didn¡¯t give it a shit. But now you¡¯re so concerned about Jaydon! ¡°You are a terrible mother! Now you think this guy is more important than your daughter? Are you going to abandon your daughter for him?¡± Bruce said sarcastically. His face was extremely gloomy. He wished he could eat Joanna and Jaydon alive. Joanna took a deep breath, and her eyes darkened as well. ¡°Bruce, please hear me out. Lilia and Jay are in different situations. ¡°Lilia¡¯s illness is congenital. It can¡¯t be cured within a short time. But Jay¡¯s situation was caused by the ident. If he misses the recovery period, it will be very troublesome¡­¡± ¡°Stop giving me crap!¡± Bruce took a few steps forward and couldn¡¯t wait to strangle Joanna. Jaydon also frowned and warned, ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to Joanna. Who the fuck do you think you are to interrupt?¡± Bruce was nothing like a gentleman when he lost his temper. When Princess Martha saw things tensing up, she quickly held Bruce and asked in Antlenish, ¡°Bruce, who are they?¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds before he realized that Princess Martha was still beside him! ¡°Martha, get on the ne first.¡± ¡°No! Are they your friends? Do you know them?¡± Although Martha did not understand theirnguage, she could tell they were arguing! ¡°Stay out of it. Get on the ne! We¡¯ll be in touch by phone.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m so worried about you! I want to stay with you.¡± Princess Martha said and hugged Bruce nervously. Bruce was stunned and got less angry in a sh. ¡°We¡¯re talking about something. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle it!¡± Princess Martha shook her head stubbornly. ¡°No. I¡¯m so worried about you. Please let me stay!¡± Seeing this, Joanna frowned and took a deep breath. Although Princess Martha was dressed like amoner, she could still recognize her at a nce. After all, Princess Martha had just visited Greyport. two months ago. The media reported the event and made a big story of it. Moreover, Princess Martha and Bruce were wearing his¨Cand¨Chers clothes. It was obvious that they were a couple. It seemed that the pretty girl Lilia was talking about was Princess Martha. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯d better take care of your friend. Bye!¡± Joanna said and pushed the wheelchair to leave. She did not want to be entangled with Bruce and sincerely wished him a new love. Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Joanna, stop right there. I¡¯m not done yet¡± Seeing that Joanna was about to leave, Bruce pushed Princess Martha away He took a few steps forward and grabbed Joanna¡¯s arm tightly This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ouch!¡± Joanna screamed out and was almost dragged to the ground. ¡°Bruce, we have nothing to talk about¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please calm down and control yourself¡± Tatiana and Jaydon¡¯s bodyguards stood in front of Joanna ¡°Joanna, be clear with me! Do you have to be with Jaydon?¡± Bruce asked and still refused to pve up Joanna pondered for a few seconds and decided to tell him everything ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already said yes to Jay¡¯s proposal ¡°At the same time. I wish you happiness¡± Bruce heard this and immediately gasped for a breath. His heart instantly tank to the ¡°What You¡® agreed to his proposal? ¡°Yes I love Jay When he fully recovers, we¡¯re going to get married¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and his face looked twisted. ¡°Who said you could do that? Who has agreed to i87¡ä¡ä ¡°Bruce, this is private affairs make the decision myself, I don¡¯t need anyone ?¡¯t appe Bruor¡¯s heart was broken. He pointed at Joanna¡¯s hose and caid ferociously, ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to marry him, I¡¯ll make you feel Sorry (twear ¡° Jaydon was also extremely mad ¡°Bruce you¡¯ve gone too far Joann has divorced you Leave her als ¡°if you find fault with Joann again, I won¡¯t i maty on you¡± firuce¡¯s eyes turned sharp in a second, and he red at Jaydon in disdain. ¡°Hingh, Jaydon, mark Joanna will be my an for the mat of ¡°If you dare to touch hm. /¡®ll make you suffer like hell? Bruce said and wanted to step forward to grabi Jaydon¡¯s cor Seeing this, Joanna stopped in front of daydon ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? ¡°What? You want a piece of me?* The bodyguards on both sides stepped forward and began to push and pull Jaydon brought four bodyguards, while fruce also brought five to sis bodygu good fight The security guards at the airport also rushed over. ¡°Calm down, gentlemen Pease don¡¯t make trouble at the airport¡± Both sides refused to gue in, looking like they were about to have a Jaydon looked at Bruce gibamily ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be too arrogant I¡¯m not ud of you *This is Venturas, not Greyport¡± ¡°Jay, just ignore him. Let¡¯s go Joanna pushed the wheelchar and wanted to leave ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll make you feel sorry Hearing that Joanna¡¯s heart sank a little ¡°Bruce, I hope you can get over it and ept the fact ¡°I wish you happiness from the bottom of my heart, and i hope you ca rich me the same. ¡° After saying that she pushed Javdon toward the boarding gate. ¡°Good! Very good Bruce swung his arms angrily and flew into a rage. When Princess Martha saw Bruce¡¯s furious look on his face, she stood rooted to the ground in shock When Bruce was with her, he was always gentle and considerate. But she did not expect he would be so terrifying when he lost his temper ¡°Bruce.¡± ¡°The ne is about to take off it¡¯s time to board the ne. Hurry up! We¡¯ll contact each other by phone¡± Bruce tried hard to suppress his anger and said goodbye to Princess Martha He ignored Princess Martha¡¯s request and left. Joanna felt uneasy on the ne. Bruce had threatened her, and she wondered what he would do to get back at her this time. Chapter 312 Seeing Joanna¡¯s worried look, Jaydonforted her softly, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry too much about it!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Jay. I¡¯ve been panicking inside. ¡°Bruce has an extreme personality. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll take revenge on me again.¡± ¡°Joann, sell thepany if you can¡¯t do anything with him.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Grandpa has been devoted to the Haymes Group all his life, and I can¡¯t let it be ruined in my hands!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. No matter what happens, I will be there for you and protect you.¡± Jaydon could onlyfort Joanna. Bruce was indeed a bad guy. Anyone who had offended him woulde to no good end. Some time ago, his film and televisionpany almost closed down. It turned out that Bruce had yed tricks under the table and caused him to lose tens of million dors. He had yet to swallow his anger and hadn¡¯t forgotten it.. It seemed that he had to ask his father for help. Otherwise, it would be too difficult to deal with Bruce. Bruce returned to the Everett Group. He went back to his office and felt like shit! ¡°Joanna! Joanna! I will make you feel sorry! I swear I will.¡± ¡°Andy, I want the Haynes Group to go bankrupt within a year¡± The reason why Joanna dared to fight him head¨Con was that she had the Haynes Group behind her.. He wanted her to have nothing. He wanted her to lose everything she cared about the most. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Andy looked at Bruce in shock. ¡°Mr. Everett. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be too difficult to make the Haynes Group go bankrupt within a year.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difficulty? I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make the Haynes Group go bankrupt and close down.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, did you forget that Miss Haynes has signed a betting agreement with you?¡± Hearing that, Bruce suddenly remembered it. Right! He had signed a betting agreement with Joanna. Within three years, if Joanna failed to lead the Haynes Group to the world¡¯s top 500, Joanna would have to leave the Haynes Group unconditionally. However, he wouldn¡¯t be happy enough even if she left the Haynes Group. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want to destroy the Haynes Group!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with viciousness. ¡°Okay¡± Andy came out of the office and was in a cold sweat. Mark asked curiously again, ¡°What is Mr. Everett mad about this time?¡± ¡°Well, he might be having an issue with Miss Haynes again.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he break up with Miss Haynes?¡± Andy said with a frown, ¡°Yeah! But who knows what Mr. Everett is thinking.¡± ¡°I heard that Mr. Everett and Princess Martha are secretly dating. Mr. Everett has won the princess¡¯s heart. Why is he still so obsessed with Miss Haynes?¡± Andy curled his lips and said, ¡°That¡¯s tough love! The more he loves her, the more eager he will me her!¡± Mark looked grim. ¡°So what do we do now?¡± *Mr. Everett gave an order and wanted the Haynes Group to go bankrupt within a year.¡± ¡°Fuck! That¡¯s mean!¡± ¡°I agree. What kind of grudge does Mr. Everett have against her? Why can¡¯t he just let go?¡± ¡°Jesus! Miss Haynes met Mr. Everett in her life. What an unlucky woman!¡± ¡°Come on. We¡¯d bettere up with something the soonest!¡± ¡°What can we do? The Haynes Group is also a listedpany. It¡¯s not that easy to make it go bankrupt overnight!¡± Chapter 312 We can only split them up internally and cause internal strifes.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang again! It was Jennie calling! Bruce nced at it and threw the phone back on the desk. He was not in the mood to talk to Jennie! Twenty minutester, Andy came in to report again. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia is here! She¡¯s waiting at the reception now.¡± ¡°What is she doing here? Tell her I¡¯m busy and not at the office.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Andy went out to reply again. ¡°Miss Garcia, Mr. Everett is not at the office.¡± ¡°Oh really? ¡°Mr. Everett is not at the office? ¡°Then where has he gone?¡± ¡°I have no idea where Mr. Everett has gone. How would we dare to ask?¡± Andy replied with a smile. When Jennie heard this, she sneered in her heart and was more sure that Bruce was at the office. Andy was Bruce¡¯s special assistant and knew Bruce¡¯s every move quite well. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for him downstairs.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± ¡°If Brucees back, please let me know. I have something urgent to tell him.¡± ¡°Okay, sure.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia is waiting downstairs.¡± ¡°Did she say what she wanted?¡± ¡°Miss Garcia said she had something urgent to tell you.¡± ¡°She¡¯s crazy!¡± Bruce cursed and put his legs onto theputer desk. He had been angry since yesterday and had not eaten anything by then. It broke his heart whenever he recalled that Joanna had agreed to Jaydon¡¯s proposal. ¡°Joanna, you want to get rid of me? Don¡¯t even think about it! ¡°If I can¡¯t have you, I swear no one else can have you. Don¡¯t even think about marrying Jaydon. ¡°I will make you feel sorry. I swear I¡¯ll make you feel sorry.¡± Bruce was arrogant, possessive, and had a double standard for others. In his heart, Joanna would be his woman for the rest of her life. Even if he didn¡¯t want her, other guys still couldn¡¯t have her. Whoever dared to touch his woman would be messing up with him. Chapter 313 Chapter 313 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 313 He could flirt with other women but couldn¡¯t stand Joanna flirting with other guys. Carl Hospital, Palistian City. It was the most authoritative hospital in Gaprington. Doctor Carl had excellent medical skills and published medical papers that shocked the world. Therefore, this hospital was named after him. They had made an appointment one month ago, so Joanna and Jaydon had met Doctor Carl as nned. Doctor Carl arranged for Jaydon to undergo various tests. ¡°If you want your nervous system to recover as soon as possible, you¡¯ll have to do rehabilitation treatment and training for at least three to six months.¡± Doctor Carl was in his sixties. He had grey hair and a big hawk nose. He looked hale and hearty, kind and gentlemanlike. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s good news as long as it can be cured.¡± Doctor Carl continued in fluent Antlenish, ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to give him a nerve test to see how active his nerves are.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± ¡°Jay, did you hear that? The doctor said it could be cured.¡± Joanna held Jaydon¡¯s hand tofort him. Jaydon also heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I hope so!¡± Then, Doctor Carl took out a specialized medical instrument and tested his nervous sensitivity. Unfortunately, Jaydon¡¯s nerves could hardly react. This was not good news. In the next few days, Joannapleted the hospitalization procedures for Jaydon. Jaydon began a new round of treatment at Carl Hospital. In the blink of an eye, a week was gone. Other than taking care of Jaydon, Joanna Haynes would have meetings with domestic employees online. Beep! Seeing that it was Luna calling, Joanna quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello, Luna.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, have you paid attention to the stock market in the past few days?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The Haynes Group¡¯s shares have declined dramatically and might be at risk of delisting¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart sank. ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s also because of Mr. Haynes. What he did some time ago has very negative influences. A large number of shareholders have undersold their shares. ¡°Also, Melta¡¯s star yer wants to terminate his contract, saying he wants to end his cooperation with the Haynes Group and will no longer serve as the Haynes Group¡¯s international spokesperson. ¡°Mr. Haynes is holding a banner downstairs every day. It¡¯s useless even if the security guards call the police.¡± ¡°Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul are worried sick. They have held a staff meeting every day for the past few days. Pleasee back as fast as you can!¡± Luna reported the bad news one by one. Joanna frowned even more tightly. ¡°Okay, I see.¡± Cora called her right after she hung up on Luna. Joanna had no choice but to answer the call again. ¡°Hello, Cora.¡± Cora¡¯s urgent voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, there¡¯s a problem with the tax at the factory of Porash. We¡¯ve got a huge amount of back tax has to pay.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was stunned. She had been telling the finance department to pay taxes on time. How could she evade taxation? ¡°Didn¡¯t the finance department always pay the taxes on time?¡± Cora sighed. ¡°The finance minister Mr. West has already run away. We can¡¯t find him now. He¡¯s not answering his phone or replying to his messages. He¡¯spletely out of contact!¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna felt a chill in her heart. Chapter 313 ¡°Thepany¡¯s book value is short of over 1.4 million dors. And Mr. West has embezzled over two million dors from thepany. ¡°Michael has already called the police. The police are investigating it.¡± Boom! Hearing that, Joanna was shocked and couldn¡¯t be more pissed off ¡°Okay, I see. I¡¯ll return as soon as possible in the next two days!¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes.¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna felt her heart cold as ice and couldn¡¯t help to tremble all over. It was too difficult to survive in the business world. Shit happened every day. She received calls from her employees or higher ups every day. Without exception, they all told her bad news. It made her can¡¯t wait to fly back and deal with the shits immediately. Jaydon could also see her anxiety, and he was worried about her. He knew he couldn¡¯t ask for more since Joanna had been there for him for many days. He was happy with that. ¡°Joann, I won¡¯t recover in a short period. If you¡¯re worried about thepany, fly back to Greyport first!¡± Joanna forced a smile on her face. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re doing rehabilitation here! How can I go back alone and leave you behind? Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Just focus on your treatment. Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± Jaydon held Joanna¡¯s hand and said gently, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m fine here. I mean it. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. ¡°I can live with the fact now. I won¡¯t give up on myself again, whether my legs can recover or not.¡± He knew Joanna was worried about him. That was why she had been taking care of him. ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll go back to Greyport first. I¡¯lle back and keep youpany after I¡¯m done with the company issues.¡± Jaydon nodded. ¡°Okay. Just go. I¡¯ll be fine. ¡°Call me if anything happens. If I can¡¯t solve it, I¡¯ll get someone to help you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not have the time to make any more polite remarks. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll book the flight tickets.¡± ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± Joanna said nothing else and told Tatiana to book the flight tickets back to the country. Soon, Tatiana had booked the next day¡¯s flight tickets. The nended in Greyport at eleven o¡¯clock. As soon as Joanna got off the ne, she went straight to the office instead of going back home first. When Luna saw Joanna, she quickly came forward and said anxiously, ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re finally back! ¡°Things about thepany are out of control these days! Mr. Hayneses to the office every day to make a scene. The police have taken him away just now. ¡°Because of it, we¡¯ve already called the police three times. ¡°But we can¡¯t solve the problem radically in this way. Mr. Haynes still keepsing to the office to make a scene.¡± Joanna heard that and knitted her eyebrows tightly. ¡°Inform all the higher¨Cups to attend the meeting at two this afternoon, Everyone must be present.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna walked straight to the office with a cold face. Luna could not help but ask again, ¡°Miss Haynes, what about Mr. Haynes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him for now! Let him do whatever he wants!¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡± Luna sighed and quickly sent the meeting notification to the higher¨Cups¡® group chat. It was 2 p.m. in the conference room. Mr. Paul, Mr. Roger, and all the other higher¨Cups of thepany came to the conference room for a meeting. When they met, Mr. Paul could not help butin, ¡°Miss Haynes, you finally show your face.. ¡°Thepany is in deep water now, but you don¡¯t care much about it and have just disappeared for long¡± Mr. Roger added, ¡°Yep. Thepany will surely go bankrupt if it goes on like this.¡± Chapter 313 Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had worked hard with Raymond Haynes through hard times. They were almost 60 years old. Therefore, even though they did not hold as many shares as Joanna, they treated her as their junior and didn¡¯t show much respect to her in their words and actions. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t panic. Let¡¯s analyze the root cause first¡­¡± Without waiting for Joanna to finish, Mr. Paul flew into a rage again. ¡°For God¡¯s sake, the stock market has dropped so dramatically that it¡¯s marked as Special Treatment. We¡¯re going to be delisted soon!¡± ¡°In my opinion, the shareholders still don¡¯t trust the chairman. How much trouble has she caused since Miss Haynes took office? ¡°The Haynes Group¡¯s reputation has long fallen to rock bottom.¡± ¡°Exactly. This isn¡¯t something that can be salvaged by cooperating with a few star yers or celebrities¡® endorsements!¡± The two shareholders took turns ming Joanna. While Joanna was away, Shaun started to talk nonsense in front of the media again. Especially when Joanna broke off their father¨Cdaughter rtionship, he was even more exasperated and went all out to smear Joanna. The nder of her biological father was far more devastating than cyber violence! This was not the end. A few of thepany¡¯s higher¨Cups had resigned one after another. Undoubtedly, these were all Bruce¡¯s tricks. They¡¯d paid big money to poach some higher¨Cups away. ¡°Please give me some more time. I promise I¡¯ll figure out something to turn the situation around!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk big now! It happened all because of you. If you could turn the table, you would have done it long ago.¡± Mr. Paul turned his head away angrily. ¡°Then what do you mean, Mr. Paul?¡± Joanna asked with a long face. These two old foxes were easy¨Cgoing when thepany was making money. But they would only shift the me to her when something went wrong with thepany. If not for the fact that she was in a difficult situation at the time, Joanna would not want to work with them again. Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger looked at each other, hoping the other one to make the first move. ¡°Miss Haynes, I know you¡¯ve been working hard, and you also want thepany to run well. But you¡¯re still too young. Some things can¡¯t be done with hard work only!¡± In other words, he still wanted her to quit and leave the Haynes Group. After all, Joanna was only 25 years old. They were over 50. Deep inside, they couldn¡¯t ept that their boss was a young woman who would tell them what to do. Even though Joanna respected them a lot, it did not change their opinion of her. Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Joanna knew that they wanted to evict her from the Haynes Group At this point, she can¡¯t pretend to be polite anymore, Joanna sneered and said, ¡°I¡¯m more anxious than anyone else about this matter with thepany. I also hope ourpany can grow and prosper more than anyone else! ¡°Now is the time to solve the problem, not the time to me each other! At the very least, the financial growth of the Haynes Groupst year increased by 5%! ¡°To make apromise, even if I¡¯m not qualified for the position of chairman, I¡¯ll automatically withdraw from the Haynes Group after three years! You can still benefit from the betting agreement, so your loss will be covered. Don¡¯t worry. ¡°You guys will absolutely make a profit. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s there to worry about. When I make money, all of you will benefit from it. Even if I lose money, I¡¯ll lose myself and you won¡¯t be involved. I¡¯m under much more pressure than you guys.¡± This was the first time that Joanna was so angry during a conference.. He felt overwhelmingly pressed from the very beginning, yet Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul kept criticizing him. They acted out the reality of ¡®we can share riches and honor, but difficulties are for your own. ¡°Miss Haynes, take some water! Let¡¯s calm down first!¡± Thepany¡¯s vice president Ethan acted quickly when he sensed the situation was out of control. ¡°At this stake, you don¡¯t care about how to get thepany out of the difficulties. And all you did was triticize me. You think that¡¯s the way out?¡± Joanna was no longer as humble and low key as before. Her words were sharp and her aura was fierce. When Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul heard this, they were also stunned by Joanna¡¯s imposing manner. Actually, we are discussing the problem! You¡¯re so noisy. I thought you were arguing with someone!¡± Joanna¡¯s face sank. She said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with anyone. I just hope that everyone can work together and think of a way to get through the current difficulties. ¡°When the three¨Cyear contract expires, if I¡¯m not qualified for the position of chairman, I¡¯ll automatically withdraw from the Haynes Group, even if none of you chase me away. ¡°The deadline isn¡¯t up yet. What¡¯s the point of forcing me to leave now?* Mr. Rogerughed dryly and quickly responded, ¡°Joann! Mr. Paul was also anxious just now. He meant nothing bad and was worried about the future of thepany! ¡°He¡¯s an elder Just listen to himin! You¡¯re just a junior. Just calm down and forget it When Joanna heard this, she grew even angrier. These two wily old foars were used to taking advantage of their seniority! ¡°Mr. Roger, we¡¯re in thepany now. There are no seniors or juniors! We are equal. Everything will be done ording to thepany¡¯s rules. ¡°if apany keeps showing off its seniority and makes no effort to seek progress, it won¡¯t be far from bankruptcy Joanna¡¯s words were quite rude. When Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger heard this, they felt more disgraced. They were so angry that they could not say anything for quite a long time. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I don¡¯t care anymore. Do as you see fit! ¡°If anything happens, don¡¯t look for my help. Now I¡¯m leaving, Hmph. Mr. Roger said in anger and stood up to leave the conference room. Anyway, Joanna had been chairman for more than a year. It was just another two years before she would leave office. Thinking of this, he felt much more relieved. Let her do it for the next two years! As long as thepany didn¡¯t go bankrupt, he couldn¡¯t be bothered. When the three¨Cyear deadline was up, if she could notplete the betting agreement, she would have to hand over her shares unconditionally When that day finally came, she would be in trouble. ¡°So that¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting! ¡°Tonight, everyone writes a proposal and submits it at tomorrow¡¯s meeting.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna did not say anything else. She stood up and left the conference room. It was already past five o¡¯clock! Joanna returned to the office and continued to deal with the piles of work on her table. She buned herself in work until 11 p.m. When thepany building was already empty, Joanna turned off theputer and left thepany exhausted. When she was back home, Miranda was still awake. She saw Joanna dragging her suitcase with a tired and depressed expression. 1150 Chapter 314 She felt distressed so much that she hurriedly opened the door for Joanna. ¡°Joann, why did youe back in the middle of the night? ¡°Just tell me you were about to go back home so that Kelly could pick you up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Joanna entered the house weakly. ¡°Are you tired? I¡¯ll run you a bath. You should take a bathter!¡± Miranda said and quickly went forward to take her suitcase. ¡°Alright!¡± Then, Joanna took off her coat and changed into slippers. She walked to her room with a tired expression. After a while, Miranda filled the bathtub and quietly came over to call her. ¡°Joann, the water is ready! ¡°Take your time to take a bath first, I¡¯ll make some cakes for you!¡± When Joanna heard that, she realized she had not eaten anything for the entire day. Her stomach also rumbled. ¡°Thank you, Miranda!¡± Joanna was extremely annoyed as she soaked in the bathroom! She had been thinking about how to turn the situation around. After the bath, Miranda¡¯s cakes were also ready. At this moment, Joanna was dizzy from hunger. She already had hypoglycemia for years. After not eating for a day, she felt even more ufortable. Taking all the cakes in, Joanna returned to her room to sleep. Unfortunately, she found it a sleepless night. She was so tired that she felt sleepy so much and her eyes nearly closed, but she couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. Now, people were preconceived. The public image of the Haynes Group had hit rock bottom, just like a stain hard to erase. Joanna thought about it all night. Perhaps she could only change thepany¡¯s name, Changing the name might redeem the impact. However, if the name was changed eventually, the original name that his grandfather had given would be invalid. But, in order to minimize the loss, changing the name was the most direct and effective way. The next day came. Joanna went to thepany early in the morning! Today, she was going to discuss with the directors about changing thepany¡¯s name. The executives and Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger also arrived at the conference room. ¡°Dear directors, after a night of careful consideration, I want to change the Haynes Group¡¯s Brain Industrial Co., Ltd. to Golden Rule Technology.¡± When everyone heard this, they looked at each other, thinking that they had heard wrongly. ¡°Huh? Change thepany¡¯s name?¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s not a wise option, right? This name, Brain Industrial, was personally given by your grandfather! ¡°Moreover, thepany has been in business for half a century, and its reputation has already been established after decades of efforts. How can we dismantle our own brand?¡± Mr. Roger couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and retorted anxiously, ¡°That¡¯s right. How can thepany¡¯s name be changed casually? The signboard of an oldpany can¡¯t be changed hastily!¡± Joanna paused for a few seconds before continuing. ¡°Times are different now. Besides, we¡¯re in the electronic technology business, not the catering industry!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do either. Brain Industrial has a ce internationally. If we change the name rashly, we¡¯ll have to start all over again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree! ¡°Me neither!¡± Joanna continued, ¡°Technologypanies are based on their advanced technology as a selling point. If we don¡¯t boast cutting¨Cedge technology and impressive products, users will not care about whether it¡¯s an old brand. Look at the international big names like Kodak and Nokia. They failed to keep up with the times, so they were out of the user market, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± ¡°How is it different? The food and beverage industry might pay more attention to brand effects. But this is a technological product industry. We rely on technology and product quality, not brand effect!¡± Joanna retorted. *Uh, Miss Haynes has a point!¡± An executive replied seriously! He agreed with Joanna¡¯s point of view. ¡°Miss Haynes, changing thepany¡¯s name might be a way to make up for it! However, it¡¯s a pity to completely abandon the old brand Brain Industial!¡± Chapter 314 Another suddenly suggested, ¡°We can set up another branchpany and transfer some specific industries to the newpany! In this way, we can protect Brain Industrial¡¯s reputation and develop a new brand effect.¡± Setting up a subsidiarypany?¡± Joanna frowned. This might be a solution. It was a change in form but not in content. There was no better way at the moment, so this was the only way. While everyone was in a meeting, there was amotion downstairs again. ¡°Joanna Haynes is an unfilial daughter!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes is a jinx. She doesn¡¯t deserve to be in the Haynes family.¡± ¡°She is a heinous monster! Totally inhumane!¡± Shaun had a sign hanging around his neck and was making a scene downstairs again! It was useless to call the police. Shaun was Joanna¡¯s father. So this was a family matter. Even if he was brought to the police station, they would only let him go after warning him. Someone knocked on the conference room¡¯s door. ¡°Come in!¡± The door was pushed open. Luna walked in with a serious expression. She whispered into Joanna¡¯s ear, ¡°Miss Haynes, bad news. Mr. Haynes is causing trouble downstairs again!¡± Chapter 315 Chapter 315 Luna continued, ¡°Mr. Haynes has been causing trouble downstairs every day. There¡¯s even nothing the police can do about him.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, please go down and take a look. If it doesn¡¯t work, at least find a way to persuade Mr. Haynes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all for the meeting. Hand over all the opinions you¡¯ve written. I¡¯ll give you an answer tomorrow.¡± ¡°Luna, collect the papers!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and walked out of the conference room with a dark face towards the elevator! Downstairs in thepany, Shaun was sitting in a wheelchair with arge sign hanging around his neck and a loudspeaker in his hand, from which came an endless loop of curses cursing Joanna. ¡°Joanna is an unfilial daughter. She¡¯s crazy! She¡¯s insane!¡± ¡°Joanna is not even human. He¡¯s worse than animals. She caused her family to be destroyed¡­¡± The loudspeaker kept repeating curses at Joanna! Y Due to cerebral infarction, Shaun was now hemiplegic. It was even difficult for him to stand up on his feet, and his mind was a little confused. However, this also deepened his hatred for Joanna. Every morning, he would ask the nanny to push him downstairs to the Haynes Group. He came here for nothing else but to create trouble for Joanna. Seeing this, Joanna was so angry that her heart ached. She rushed forward and grabbed Shaun¡¯s arm! ¡°Dad, when are you gonna let it go?¡± Shaun was originally sitting paralyzed, but when he saw Joannae out, he turned lunatic in an instant, stretching his neck and scolding Joanna. ¡°You devil girl. Beast. Animal. Now you are finallying out? Why are you a coward? Do you not dare toe out and meet your father after doing something wrong?¡± Shaun¡¯s words were unclear, and he was extremely angry. Joanna could not hold it in anymore. ¡°What did I do wrong? Why would I be afraid to see anyone?¡± Joanna was indignant and retorted directly! ¡°You unfilial daughter, I¡¯m going to beat you to death! I¡¯m going to beat you to death!¡± Shaun scolded in pain. He raised his walking stick shakily and hit Joanna. Joanna also flew into a rage. She came closer to him and said, ¡°Hit me, hit me! What right do you have to hit me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m your father. Since I gave birth to you, I naturally have the right to hit you!¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re really unreasonable. I¡¯m heartbroken and disappointed to have a father like you!¡± When Shaun heard this, he scolded, ¡°Having a daughter like you, I¡¯m even more heartbroken and disappointed! If I had known that you were such an ingrate, I wouldn¡¯t have let you give birth. You should have died overseas early, and you wouldn¡¯t have had to add such a big baby to the family.¡± Shaun foamed at the mouth, still scolding Joanna aggressively. Seeing her father being cruel like this, she was really heartbroken. ¡°Is there an old man like you? Is there a father like you? You didn¡¯t hesitate to push your daughter to the edge!¡± ¡°Oh, you know that I¡¯m your father now? You know that I¡¯m your father now! I won¡¯t acknowledge you as my daughter. Didn¡¯t you break off the rtionship with me? 1, Shaun Haynes, do not have a daughter like you!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. She was so angry that his heart was trembling. However, Shaun was already so sick. If she were to provoke him again, he would probably die of anger. Joanna took a few deep breaths to hide her tears. ¡°Dad, leave thepany quickly and stop fooling around!¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? I¡¯m going to fight you to the death. You destroyed Roxy. You caused my family to be separated. I won¡¯t let you have an easy time,¡± Shaun scolded. He couldn¡¯t help but cry. Her heart didn¡¯t ache too much when Ingrid was brought to jail. However, Roxanne was mentally unstable and had his uterus removed. This was uneptable to her and made him heartbroken. Although all of these tragedies were not directly caused by Joanna, she was notpletely innocent. That was why Roxanne got hurt like this. Therefore, he hated Joanna to the core and directed all his anger at Joanna. ¡°Qad, what do you want? What do you want?¡± Joanna was going crazy! ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about anything now. I just want to see you lose everything! ¡°Do you know how miserable Roxy is now? She¡¯s crazy and pathetic in the mental hospital! Chapter 315 As for you, you¡¯re sitting in the office giving orders to your subordinates. You¡¯re high and mighty, carefree, and enjoying everything that should belong to Roxy. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you the one who went crazy? Why aren¡¯t you the one who had your uterus removed? Roxy is such a well¨Cbehaved and beautiful girl. But she lost everything because of a vicious sister like you! ¡°How ashamed of you to keep living on? You should die. Even if you die, you can¡¯t redeem your sins!¡± Shaun cursed incoherently with tears streaming down his face. Even so, Joanna understood every word. Her father¡¯s words were like knives that stabbed fiercely into her heart! If someone else had said these words, she probably wouldn¡¯t have been so painful. Unfortunately, these most vicious words came from her father. It turned out that in her father¡¯s heart, there was actually such a huge difference between his daughters! There were already many passers¨Cby gathering outside thepany. Arge number of reporters also rushed over after hearing the news. In the past few days, the Greyport media had finally found another piece of melodramatic news that caught people¡¯s attention. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart sank. She only wanted to end the battle quickly and leave. Otherwise, she will be caught by the mediater, and she will be crucified on the moral shelf again.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Dad, if you don¡¯t quit, I won¡¯t show mercy even to my father!¡± ¡°You still want to be rude to me? ¡°The family has already been ruined by you. It¡¯s already broken up. ¡°What else do I have to lose? You unfilial daughter, I¡¯m going to beat you to death¡­¡± Shaun cursed and trembled as he tried to stand up from the wheelchair! Joanna was alsopletely disappointed. She said coldly, ¡°Dad, your behavior really makes my heart ache! ¡°If you continue to riot like this, perhaps I can¡¯t do anything to you. But don¡¯t forget that the evidence of your son¡¯s crime is still in my hands! ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose your son, just go home!¡± Shaun choked in anger. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°If you say so!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Shaun sucked in a breath of cold air and fell heavily into the wheelchair again! Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at the nanny coldly. ¡°Hurry up and send Mr. Haynes home! ¡°In the future, if youe to thepany to kick up a fuss again, I will fix you! He¡¯s my father, so I naturally can¡¯t hold him ountable! But that doesn¡¯t mean that you will be innocent and safe. ¡°If anything happens to my father, what can youpensate me?¡± When the nanny heard this, her heart trembled. She said, ¡°I know, I know! Sir, let¡¯s hurry back¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s reputation had already been demonized by the media! In Greyport, everyone thought that she was unscrupulous, scheming, and ruthless. Naturally, the nanny thought so too! Now that she heard Joanna¡¯s warning, she was even more afraid! ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Um not leaving!¡± The nanny didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer and hurriedly pushed Shaun. ¡°Joanna, you have guts, you really have guts! If you dare to hurt my child again, I¡¯ll fight you to death!¡± Joanna retorted coldly, ¡°Even if you die with me, I¡¯ll drag Derick down with me. Try it if you don¡¯t believe me!¡± The nanny was flustered and hurriedly pushed Shaun away! An hourter! Derick called Joanna again. Joanna was in a terrible fix. She answered the call without looking at the phone number. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Derick immediately shouted, ¡°Joanna, Dad was hospitalized again. What did you say to him this time?¡± ¡°Derick Haynes, you¡¯d better take good care of Dad and not let hime to thepany to 11:50 Chaptersis cause trouble again. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be polite to you!¡± Derick snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t control Dad if he wants to go to thepany. I¡¯m not the one who asked him to gol By the way, we don¡¯t have any money now. We can only go to thepany. You, the big boss, are living a carefree life!¡± Joanna gritted her teeth and said sinisterly, ¡°Derick Haynes, stop pushing my boundaries! ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll report you to the police tomorrow for harming my son!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, you win!¡± With a bang, Derick Haynes hung up. Joanna took a deep breath. She was so angry that he was about to spit blood. With trembling hands, she opened a drawer and took out a bottle of antidepressants. After swallowing ten pills in a row, she gradually calmed down. Shaun squatted downstairs at the Haynes Group every day and raised a banner to reprimand Joanna. Chapter 316 Chapter 316 Although Joanna had announced in front of the media that she had cut ties with Shaun, he was her father after all. She could not really take tough measures against him After the trouble caused by Shaun, the Haynes Group¡¯s reputation could not get any worse. Apany name change was necessary. The inte was filled with news about Joanna angering her father to the point that he became paralyzed, driving her sister crazy and sending her stepmother to prison. Because of such news, there was nothing Joanna could do to clear her name. A ringing sound was heard. Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. ¡°Hello, Cora, what¡¯s up?¡± When Joanna saw that it was a call from Cora, her heart was in her mouth again. On the other end, Cora¡¯s voice was a little grim. ¡°Miss Haynes,e to Mossbourne immediately! *2 million dors was taken from the factory¡¯s ounts. This money was set aside for the payment of taxes. ¡°Now that the ountant has absconded with the money, it will be troublesome if the taxes can¡¯t be paid.¡± ¡°I got it!¡± ¡°Also, the renovations for the mediapany in Greene Town are almostpleted. The remaining payment must be settled. We also need to buy various equipment and have the start¨Cup capital.¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°Around how much do we need?¡± ¡°The final renovation fee is about 200 thousand dors. The purchase of equipment might cost 400 to 600 thousand dors!¡± ¡°Give me a list of the specific items!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes! I¡¯ll send it to your emailter.¡± ¡°What else is there?¡± Cora said solemnly, ¡°it¡¯s almost the 10th. It¡¯s time for the factory¡¯s employees to get paid again. Now that the entire sum has been taken, we still need 400 thousand dors for the employees¡® sries!¡± ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± After Joanna hung up the phone, her head throbbed even more. The capital ount of the factory in Mossbourne was short of 2 million dors! Including the money for the equipment and employees¡® sries, it added up to more than 3.2 million dors. Although she could afford to fork out 3.2 million dors, she had just invested 4 million dors to start a mediapany not long ago. She really did not have much cash in her hands now! However, if thepany did not pay the taxes soon, there would be endless trouble in the future! This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The ountant absconded with the money. She had no idea when she could get the money back. Joanna felt powerless. It was a really terrible feeling. Just when she was feeling vexed, a ringing sound was heard. The phone rang again. It was a video call on Messenger from Jaydon. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the office!¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna and said worriedly, ¡°Why do you look so pale? Did you encounter some difficulties again?¡± Joanna supported her forehead with her hand. ¡°No, it¡¯s just a small problem. I can handle it. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Jaydon pondered for a few seconds and said in a serious tone, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m your fianc¨¦ now. I hope we can be honest with each other! ¡°You don¡¯t rely on me when you¡¯re in trouble. When do you n to rely on me then?¡± ¡°¡­ Joanna was at a loss for words. Chapter 316 Her eyes instantly reddened, and her delicate shoulders trembled involuntarily. Through the screen, Jaydon could feel Joanna¡¯s despair and frustration. ¡°What on earth happened? Tell me quickly! Besides, I¡¯m also a shareholder of thepany. I have the right to know what happened to thepany!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Joanna let out a long sigh. Then, she briefly told Jaydon what had happened! Actually, even if she did not say it, Jaydon had a general idea. After listening to what happened, Jaydon smiled andforted Joanna. ¡°It¡¯s just 3 million dors. I¡¯ll transfer it to you!¡± When Joanna heard that, she quickly refused. ¡°Jay, no. You¡¯ve already helped me too many times. I can¡¯t let you help me again!¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m also a director of thepany. Now that thepany is in trouble, I must take responsibility! ¡°I¡¯m a man. Of course, I should bear the responsibility!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart constricted, but she still refused repeatedly. ¡°Jay, I¡¯ll think of a way. Take care of yourself and undergo rehabilitation treatment. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry about anything else¡­¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll transfer 3 million dors to you. Take it that I¡¯m investing in your new mediapany.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she did not know what to say! The factory was set up in Mossbourne because she had a cash flow problem. Jaydon had already invested more than 6 million dors in herpany. If she still epted his investment now, she would feel bad about it. ¡°It¡¯s settled then. You don¡¯t have to be anxious or worried. I can do everything!¡± Jaydonforted Joanna gently. He was already used to helping Joanna!. He liked the feeling of her relying on him. He liked the feeling of helping her solve her troubles even more. Money! He had plenty of it! Although his wealth could notpare to Bruce¡¯s, his worth was more than 2 billion dors. In particr, he was Tim¡¯s favorite son. He had the backing of the leading tycoon of the gambling industry in Venturas. At the Everett Group, Andy began to report on how they had attacked the Haynes Group during this period of time. ¡°Mr. Everett, the share price of the Haynes Group has plummeted in the stock market. ¡°If we attack them one more time, they¡¯ll bepletely delisted! ¡°Once they withdraw from the market, it won¡¯t be long before they dere bankruptcy! ¡°Also, several important higher¨Cups from the Haynes Group have been poached by the Everett Group. ¡°If these important executives leave the Haynes Group, the situation will worsen for the Haynes Group. Thepany won¡¯tst long then.¡± Bruce smiled darkly. ¡°Very good!¡± Andy continued to report, ¡°Miss Haynes¡¯s factory in Porash has also made a loss of over 2 million dors. The ountant has already taken the money and gone to Elmerton. He probably won¡¯te back for the rest of his life!¡± After Bruce heard this, he crossed his arms, and a sinister smile appeared in his eyes! At this rate, Joanna would go bankrupt in less than two years.. ¡°This isn¡¯t ruthless enough. Add fuel to the fire. I must make sure Joanna can¡¯t make aeback!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± A trace of sympathy for Joanna appeared in Andy¡¯s eyes. Joanna had offended Bruce, and the oue was really terrible. However, this had always been Bruce¡¯s style of doing things. He would make whoever dared to go against him regret it. He was not a good person! The next day, at the Haynes Group. It was nine in the morning. Joanna was holding a meeting with the higher¨Cups to study the options for thepany name change. Over the past few days, she had too many things to worry about. She had to have meetings every day. Halfway through the meeting, a clicking sound was heard. Chapter 316 The door was pushed open. Bruce was wearing a ck suit. His hair was neatlybed back, revealing his shaved sideburns. He looked noble, handsome, and stylish. However, there was an unfriendly glint in his sinister and ruthless eyes and a faint mocking smile on his lips. It was obvious that he was there to cause trouble. ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the asion today? Mr. Everett hasn¡¯t been to thepany for a long time!¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger quickly stood up and behaved obsequiously. Bruce was clearly only 29 years old, and his 30th birthday was in the next half of the year. The two wily old men did not unt their seniority, nor did they dare to act superior in front of Bruce! Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart sank. She had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± ¡°Well, Miss Haynes, how rare of you to ask such a question. I¡¯m also a shareholder of thepany. Can¡¯t I be here?¡± As Bruce spoke, he strode to the front of the conference table, pulled out a chair, and sat on Joanna¡¯s right. ¡°It looks like you guys are having a meeting. Go on. Don¡¯t dy your meeting because of me!¡± Bruce smiled faintly with a mocking expression! ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Let¡¯s continue the meeting!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes just proposed to change thepany name for the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Tell me. ¡®Brain Industrial Co., Ltd¡® is such a good name. It¡¯s a well¨Cestablishedpany, after all. Miss Haynes wants to change its name all of a sudden. Mr. Everett, what do you think of the name change?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Change thepany name?¡± He snorted. ¡°Miss Haynes is the chairman. She can change thepany name if she wants to!¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were speechless. They did not expect Bruce to have no objections to this matter! Come to think of it, Bruce only concerned himself with thepany¡¯s dividends but never participated in the management and operations of the He was busy enough with his ownpany, so he naturally did not have the energy to pay attention to the small profits of thispany! Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked at Bruce warily! She knew that Bruce was definitely up to no good! ¡°Then let¡¯s continue the meeting! I now announce to everyone¡­¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, I have some news to announce!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please speak.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes immediately turned to Bruce. Bruce looked at Joanna mockingly. ¡°It¡¯s better that you speak after I¡¯m done! ¡°I now announce my withdrawal from the board of directors of the Haynes Group!¡± Chapter 317 Chapter 317 Everyone was stunned and speechless as they looked at Bruce in shock. Joanna also widened her eyes and looked at Bruce in a daze. ¡°What did you say?¡± Joanna gulped, and her voice was a little hoarse. Looking at Joanna¡¯s shocked expression, Bruce curled his lips slightly and repeated what he had said, ¡°I now announce my withdrawal from the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°What?¡± Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul werepletely dumbfounded. The smile on their faces froze. It could be said that people had confidence in the Haynes Group because of Bruce. Even if he did not participate in thepany¡¯s management, his shareholding ensured that the Haynes Group would not be a third¨Crate The Haynes Group was currently in a precarious situation. His withdrawal was undoubtedly thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Joanna pursed her lips and frowned. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce shrugged and looked at Joanna mockingly. If he withdrew from the board, the Haynes Group would have to buy back his shares at a high price. Based on the current situation, the Haynes Group could not fork out so much money unless they sold a portion of their shares to buy back Bruce¡¯s shares. In short, it was a blow to the Haynes Group. The Haynes Group was very likely to face liquidity problems and copse soon. Mr. Rogerughed dryly and asked cautiously. ¡°Mr. Everett, can you tell us your reason?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and replied coldly. ¡°There¡¯s no reason! I merely want to withdraw my investment, that¡¯s all!¡± Mr. Paul also had a serious expression on his face. ¡°Mr. Everett, can you reconsider it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Haynes Group is in deep trouble now. Mr. Everett, can¡¯t you put it on hold first?¡± Bruce rejected coldly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not a phnthropist! ¡°I withdraw my investments inpanies that are too risky. I¡¯m not targeting anypany in particr!¡± ¡°Oh, but¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, can you reconsider it? Give the Haynes Group a little more time!¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger were still trying to persuade Bruce to change his mind. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Everyone, please leave the room, I¡¯ll talk to Mr. Everett alone!¡± ¡°Oh, okay, okay, okay!¡± Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the other higher¨Cups stood up one after another and hurriedly left the conference room. After all, Bruce was Miss Haynes¡¯s ex¨Chusband. If they were to talk alone, the chances of Bruce reconsidering might be higher. After everyone left the room, the mockery in Bruce¡¯s eyes deepened as he looked at Joanna mockingly. ¡°Why? Are you trying to throw yourself at me by getting everyone to leave?¡± Joanna took a short breath and said coldly with a dark expression, ¡°Bruce, did you do it on purpose?¡± Bruce chuckled and said nonchntly, ¡°How could you say that? The share price of the Haynes Group has fallen so much that the Haynes Group is about to go bankrupt. I¡¯m merely cutting my losses in time! ¡°We¡¯re all businessmen, so we naturally have to prioritize our interests!¡± When Joanna heard that, she was even more furious. Bruce had so many investments. So, naturally, some profited, while some made losses! His shares in the Haynes Group did not affect him at all! He was doing this now to take revenge on her! ¡°Bruce, can you not behave this way?¡± ¡°How have I behaved?¡± Bruce pretended to y dumb and stared at Joanna maliciously. Joanna was fuming. There was a hint of helplessness in her beautiful eyes, and her pate face was filled with anger. ¡°You clearly know that the Haynes Group is in a difficult situation now. By choosing to withdraw at this juncture, aren¡¯t you trying to destroy the Haynes Group?¡± Bruce leaned back in his chair and casually lit a cigarette. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that!¡± As he spoke, he arrogantly blew a smoke ring at Joanna. Joanna coughed a few times because of the smoke. She was so angry that she could not speak for a long time. Chapter 317 Then what exactly do you want?¡± Bruce frowned with a dark and sinister expression. ¡°Nothing. I merely want to withdraw my investment from the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°Is there no room for negotiation?¡± Bruce remained aloof and silent! Of course, there was room for negotiation! She just had to refuse to marry Jaydon and admit defeat to him. Lastly, she should hug his thigh and cry her heart out in repentance! If she did all that, not only would he not withdraw from the Haynes Group, he was even willing to acquire the Haynes Group. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. The hateful thing was that this wretched woman insisted on infuriating him. She clearly knew that he hated Jaydon, yet she insisted on getting involved with that bastard. Since she did not care about his feelings, he could only take extreme measures to take revenge on her. If he could not get something, he would destroy it! Joanna shifted her gaze as she looked at Bruce helplessly and sadly. Her tone became more vulnerable as she said, ¡°Bruce, can you not be this way?¡± ¡°Are you begging me?¡± ¡°I guess so!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t! I wouldn¡¯t dare to ept it!¡± Bruce¡¯s face was cold, and his heart was filled with anger! Joanna continued helplessly, ¡°Have you forgotten the betting agreement I signed with you? Can¡¯t you withdraw from the Haynes Group after the three¨Cyear deadline is over? ¡°If you withdraw now, , what will happen to the betting agreement which we signed?¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled up slightly. ¡°This doesn¡¯t affect our betting agreement! Our agreement is still valid.¡± ¡°But what you¡¯re doing will put me in a desperate situation!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice became agitated. Bruce was trying to drive her into a corner. If he withdrew from the Haynes Group at this juncture, the Haynes Group would probably go bankrupt before the end of the year, let alonest until the deadline of the betting agreement. ¡°That¡¯s your problem. Why should I care about you? ¡°You¡¯re no one to me. Why should I sympathize with you?¡± Joanna felt a chill within herself as she looked at Bruce in a daze. Bruce also looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes coldly. However, he was muttering in his mind, ¡°Come on, beg me! ¡°As long as you beg me so that my pride can be salvaged, return to my side, and let me vent my anger, we can reconcile.¡± Unfortunately, this was just Bruce¡¯s imagination! The two of them stared at each other for half a minute! Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she retracted her gaze. ¡°If you insist on withdrawing from the Haynes Group, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He stood up abruptly. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! ¡°I¡¯ll give the Haynes Group one month to buy back my shares! Otherwise, I¡¯ll sue the Haynes Group and ask the court to freeze all of the Haynes Group¡¯s assets!¡± With his power, Ke naturally had the ability to freeze all the liquid funds on the Haynes Group¡¯s books. Joanna could not hold in her anger anymore. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so overboard? You have to give me some time to raise the money. ¡°How do I raise that much money in a month?¡± Bruce turned around again. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve already given you a chance. You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t know how to cherish it!¡± Joanna was speechless to the extreme. Of course, she knew that Bruce was deliberately making things difficult for her. ¡°Can you not let your personal grudges affect work matters? ¡°We don¡¯t owe each other anything. Why can¡¯t we part on good terms? In any case, I¡¯m the mother of our children. ¡°You have a new love. I sincerely wish you well! I don¡¯t need you to wish me well too. I just hope that we can be ordinary friends again, okay?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart was raging with fury. It was like a bucket of gasoline had been poured onto his heart. Bruce did not want Joanna to be so distant toward him! Chapter 317 What he wanted was for her to be unable to leave him. He wanted her to love him to the core like before. Joanna, who do you think you are? Are you worthy of being friends with me?¡± Bruce clearly did not think this way in his mind, but the words he said were so hurtful. He was angry. He would not let the matter rest unless he vented his anger. ¡°Alright! I got it!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes in destion. Her eyes instantly reddened. She was about to burst out crying, but she held back her tears and stopped herself from crying. Seeing her like this, Bruce did not feel relieved. On the contrary, he felt pangs of pain. ¡°Are you sad? Are you upset?¡± As he spoke, Bruce subconsciously approached Joanna. The blood in his body instantly boiled. ¡°Leave! I¡¯ll raise the money as soon as possible!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and reached out to hook her chin. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want me to withdraw, I¡¯ll give you a chance! ¡°Make me happy, please me! You know how to do so¡­¡± As Bruce spoke, he took a deep breath and suddenly lowered his head to kiss Joanna¡¯s lips. ¡°Oh¡­ No¡­¡± Joanna panicked. Before she could resist, she was already wrapped in his arms. ¡°Joanna, why are you defiant? Why do you have to anger me?¡± Bruce said viciously and pressed her against the conference table. Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Joanna panicked and struggled desperately. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t touch me again. I¡¯m already engaged!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to marry him. You¡¯re mine. You can only belong to me¡­¡± With a ripping sound, Joanna¡¯s blouse was torn. ¡°Oh, help!¡± Joanna struggled and bit Bruce fiercely. ¡°Ow!¡± Bruce¡¯s shoulder hurt from the bite, infuriating him even more. ¡°Bruce, if you touch me again, I¡¯ll die in front of you!¡± Joanna struggled with all her might. Her face was filled with resistance and fear, and tears fell from her eyes. Bruce was silent. He frowned and stopped. The way Joanna resisted hurt him deeply. It was as if a sharp knife had pierced his heart. It was unbearably painful. Whatever he wanted had alwayse to him effortlessly. However, he only realized now that it was so difficult to change the mind of someone he had once lost. ¡°Joanna, just wait and see. I¡¯ll make you regret it! ¡°When the timees, don¡¯t cry and beg me!¡± Bruce let go of Joanna resentfully and strode out coldly. Joanna got off the table and slumped into a chair. Tears of humiliation slid down her pale cheeks. Outside the conference room, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul were feeling uneasy. They were also mumbling softly! ¡°Do you think Miss Haynes can persuade Mr. Everett?¡± Mr. Roger looked up and replied in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Miss Haynes is Mr. Everett¡¯s old me. As long as Miss Haynes uses her feminine wiles, it will definitely be alright!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Mr. Paul was speechless. Seeing the look of disbelief on Mr. Paul¡¯s face, Mr. Roger continued to tease, ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you believe me? It¡¯s not like Miss Haynes hasn¡¯t done it before.¡± ¡°I hope so!¡± Just as the two of them were whispering, the door of the conference room was pulled open with a loud bam! Bruce walked out with a dark expression. His face was menacingly dark! ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± The two wily old men hurried over. Bruce coldly walked toward the elevator without saying a word! The bodyguards behind him followed him, stopping the others from approaching. ¡°W¨Cwhat is going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the negotiation fell through?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look!¡± Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the others hurriedly walked toward the conference room! In the conference room, Joanna was still in shock, and her clothes were a little messy. Fortunately, no intimate parts of her body were exposed! Mr. Paul asked anxiously. ¡°Miss Haynes, how did it go? Has Mr. Everett changed his mind?¡± Joanna snapped out of her daze, and her expression changed. She cried out, ¡°All of you, get out. Who told you toe in?¡± Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger were speechless and taken aback by the roar. They left the conference room again after they were snubbed. The two of them automatically imagined some scenes. They believed that Joanna must have used her feminine wiles on Mr. Everett, but Mr. Everett rejected her! That was why she was so flustered and exasperated. A few of thepany¡¯s higher¨Cups could not help but whisper among themselves. They also believed that Joanna must have taken the initiative to throw herself at Mr. Everett. ¡°It looks like Mr. Everett isn¡¯t interested in Miss Haynes anymore!¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure. No matter how nice something is, one is bound to get sick of it!¡± Chapter 318 ¡°Of course. I heard that Mr. Everett and Princess Martha are in a secret rtionship!¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be true, right?¡± ¡°I also heard that Princess Martha specially flew over to Greyport!¡± ¡°Wow, no wonder Mr. Everett can¡¯t wait to make a clean break with his ex¨Cwife!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal? Men are fickle in their affection! Besides, Princess Martha is a princess. Miss Haynes is already a mother, How can shepare?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Miss Haynes is still very feminine and charming!¡± ¡°Even if Mr. Everett is gone, she still has Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to work! If word of this reaches Miss Haynes¡¯s cars, we¡¯ll be in deep trouble.¡± The Everett Group. Bruce returned to thepany in frustration. As soon as he entered his office, his phone rang before he could sit down to catch his breath. A ringing sound was heard. It was Princess Martha¡¯s persistent phone call again! Bruce looked at the phone and frowned! To him, it was easy to pick up girls but too hard to shake them off. Sometimes, he just wanted some novelty, but women always fell for him, and there was no end to their pestering. If he were not careful, women would im the moral high ground and condemn him as a scumbag. Especially for a man of his status, if he looked at any woman for a second longer, it would make the other party¡¯s heart flutter. She would think she had a chance with him! Of course, he had never thought of himself as a good man who was chaste and pure. A ringing sound was heard again. The phone kept ringing! Bruce exhaled in frustration and braced himself to answer the call. ¡°Hello, Martha!¡± Princess Martha¡¯s disappointed voice could be heard on the other end of the line. ¡°Bruce, what took you so long to pick up the phone?¡± ¡°I was in a meeting just now. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce asked perfunctorily. His passion for Princess Martha had clearly subsided, and his attitude had be indifferent. It was said that men were wolves that liked to chase after their prey! The harder it was to catch the prey, the more precious it was. However, there were always some prey that threw themselves at him with just a nce. How would that satisfy his desire to conquer? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wereing to see me this week?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy this week. I don¡¯t think I can spare the time.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go over 5 Greyport to see you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea! I¡¯ll visit you after I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already told my father about us! My father wants to meet you personally.¡± Bruce was speechless after he heard that, and his head throbbed even harder! He had not even thought it through yet. Was he going to meet her parent so soon? ¡°Bruce, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Are you unwilling?¡± ¡°Martha, we¡¯ve only known each other for a short time. Isn¡¯t it too soon to talk about marriage now?¡± Princess Martha said dejectedly. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for over three months. We¡¯ve known each other well enough. ¡°As long as we truly love each other, the sooner we get married, the better.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m busy here now. I¡¯ll call you tonight!¡± Chapter 218 *Bruce¡­¡± Bruce said a lew more perfunctory words before hanging up. After hanging up, his head throbbed even harder! ? ? ? Princess Martha wanted to marry him. That made him extremely frustrated. The next day. When Bruce arrived at thepany, there were already reporters gathered downstairs. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you withdrawing your investment from the Haynes Group?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Why? Can you tell us the reason?¡± ¡°Well, this is about an investment. It¡¯s not convenient to talk about it in detail. Thank you!¡± Bruce said a few simple words in front of the media before entering thepany. Even though he did not reveal the reason, the reporters were used to acting on hearsay evidence, and they analyzed his words in depth. They knew that he was implying that the Haynes Group was about to go bankrupt. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Soon, the inte was flooded with news of the Haynes Group¡¯s impending bankruptcy! This news fastened the pace of the Haynes Group¡¯s decline. The share price had reached rock bottom several times, and each share was worth less than 20 cents. Their market value had evaporated by more than 2 billion dors. The Haynes Group. A ringing sound was heard. ¡°Joann!¡± ¡°Jay, how¡¯s your recovery?¡± ¡°Pretty good. How about you? Why are your eye circles so dark?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night!¡± Joanna forced a smile, but it was uglier than if she were crying. Although Jaydon was not by Joanna¡¯s side, he had also heard the rumor! Of course, he also knew that Bruce was deliberately suppressing Joanna! ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry too much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it! I¡¯m still busy here, so I won¡¯t talk to you for now.¡± Joanna was afraid that she would cry, so she quickly hung up. The phone rang as it tried to get through. Jaydon called his father again. ¡°Hello, Daddy!¡± ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Tim sounded happy! This son of his was very distant from him. It was rare for Jaydon to take the initiative to look for him. ¡°Daddy, I want you to help Joanna.¡± Tim was stunned and speechless! ¡°No problem, don¡¯t worry!¡± Tim dominated the gambling industry in Venturas. His influence extended to the entire Venturas. Although he was not born in the same era as Bruce, let alone of the same age, they had many simrities. Soon, Tim found his good friend, John Garcia, the Ship King of Greyport. He was the grandfather of Zachary and Jennie. He was the Ship King of Greyport. He was almost 90 years old and was highly respected. His worth was several billion dors. He was from the same era as Bruce¡¯s grandparents. He could be considered to be on good terms with the Everett family. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s meet for coffee!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce was still very respectful to the old man. After all, John was older and more experienced. Among the wealthy in the entire Greyport, everyone had to show John some respect. Furthermore, John was friends with the patriarch of the Everett family. Chapter 319 Chapter 319 The next day at the Rainville Coffee Estate. This was a private coffee estate filled with expensive coffee nts. The coffee estate was surrounded by mountains and water, and an artificialke had been built. At the end of theke was a vi that upied more than half of the hill. In a ce like Greyport, where every inch ofnd was expensive, it was obvious that anyone who could own a private coffee estate must be wealthy. This was John¡¯s private coffee estate. John had already retired from the business world. His only hobby was drinking coffee. Now, he nted and brewed coffee to cultivate his mind. At ten in the morning, Bruce arrived at the coffee estate as agreed! John was fiddling with a few expensive coffee nts. Greyport was close to the sea, and the climate was hot and humid. The coffee nts were very delicate and hard to grow. Besides stringent requirements for sunlight and temperature, there were also extremely high requirements for soil quality. However, John had grown the coffee nts to be green and lush. It could be seen that he had put in a lot of effort. ¡°John, how have you been?¡± Bruce was wearing casual clothes with a ck windbreaker. Unlike his domineering andposed style when he wore a suit, he looked more cheerful and amiable. ¡°Bruce, how have you been?¡± John asked warmly as if he was greeting his grandson. Although John was over 90 years old, he looked to be only in his sixties or seventies. He was hale and hearty. Dressed in white, he looked like an amiable and ordinary old man. However, from his eyes, one could see a trace of the domineering and ruthless youth he had once been. In his early years, John made his fortune in the sea trade. In that era, piracy was prevalent at sea, and sailors lost their lives if they were not careful. John was able to make a name for himself in that era and monopolize the trade at the pier of Greyport. Bing the Ship King of his generation was a testament to his courage and skills back then. Bruce carried a tin of high¨Cend coffee beans and walked forward with a smile. ¡°They¡¯re all doing quite fine! ¡°John, you¡¯re in the pink!¡± As Bruce spoke, Bruce ced the gift container on the bamboo coffee table. John chuckled. ¡°I invited you here for coffee. Why did you bring a gift?¡± ¡°How could Ie empty¨Chanded after not visiting you for so long? I know you like to drink coffee, so I¡¯specially brought you authentic Arabica coffee beans.¡± The Arabica coffee beans were produced in Hanston. They were extracted from the two coffee nts grown by the king back then. They could not be bought on the market at all. ¡°Try the coffee from the coffee nt which I grew myself. I grew the nt and brewed the coffee myself.¡± John grabbed Bruce and brought him to his coffee room affectionately. As soon as Bruce entered the coffee room, the rich aroma of coffee wafted into his nose. There was a charcoal stove in the room. The coffee set was all made of y. They did not look modern at all. It took John ¨¢ long time before a pot of coffee was finally brewed. He handed a cup of it to Bruce proudly. ¡°Here, try it.¡± Bruce picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s mellow and aromatic in my mouth. It has a lingering taste. Not bad, not bad at all!¡± When John heard that, he smiled even more kindly and proudly. To be honest, the coffee beans were average. After all, John was not a professional coffee farmer. However, when one sat by theke to look at the bamboo forest and drink coffee with a vintage coffee set, drinking coffee was no longer the point. The main idea was to bask in the mood. Chapter 319 The two of them exchanged pleasantries for a while! John suddenly changed the topic and looked at Bruce meaningfully. ¡°The most important thing for men is to be magnanimous! ¡°A man doesn¡¯t care about trifles when he does things. A great person should be magnanimous.¡± Bruce was speechless and stunned. A hint of suspicion appeared in his eyes! C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean, John.¡± John chuckled and said half¨Cteasingly. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been bullying Raymond¡¯s eldest granddaughter!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Bruce frowned, and his face was slightly hot. ¡°Speaking of which, your grandfather, Raymond, and I had struggled during the same phase back then! ¡°Life was bitter during that era. It was not like modern times. Everything had to be fought with one¡¯s life. Those who could. make a name for themselves have all gotten ahead! ¡°Those who failed to do so have passed away. ¡°Look, your grandfather and Raymond are no longer alive! When I see your generation, I am reminded of our youth!¡± As people got older, they liked to talk about their youth. John was no exception. He talked endlessly about the past. As a junior, Bruce still had basic manners and self¨Crestraint. He just listened quietly. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been easy for Raymond¡¯s granddaughter. No matter what, she¡¯s a woman. Don¡¯t scare her!¡± After John finished talking, he poured another cup of coffee for Bruce personally! Bruce¡¯s hand that was holding the coffee cup froze in midair. Something seemed to have struck his mind. John continued, ¡°You¡¯re the most outstanding boy among the younger generation. ¡°If your grandfather were still alive, he would probably be smiling in his grave when he saw how well you¡¯ve developed his business. ¡°When I reunite with him in the afterworld, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d unt that he had an outstanding grandson.¡± Bruce was silent. His cheeks burned. He actually felt a little ufortable being praised. Exactly! He was now the wealthiest man in Greyport. He could be said to be the bellwether of the business world! Money was just a number to him. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. He should pursue a higher realm and do things that would contribute greatly to society. ¡°As the saying goes, a gentleman doesn¡¯t fight with a woman. There are so many meaningful things that can be done. Why do you have to hold it against a woman?¡± John hit the nail on the head and directly identified what had bothered Bruce. Bruce put down his coffee cup and smiled awkwardly. ¡°John, I¡¯ve made a fool of myself! It seems that you¡¯re young at heart. You¡¯re so enlightened about everything.¡± Johnughed. Have some coffee! ¡°Be broad¨Cminded and care for all things and people. Live and let live.¡± Bruce was silent. When he heard that, he was at a loss for words again. He had a terrible temper. If someone else had said those words to him, he would probably fly into a rage. However, John was a person of virtue and prestige. And coupled with his seniority, Bruce was willing to heed some of his advice. Even John had spoken up for Joanna. It seemed that he had indeed gone overboard. Bruce was silent when a sweet female voice was heard. ¡°Grandpa!¡± A well¨Cdressed, young, and beautiful woman walked in from outside the house. John looked up and was surprised. ¡°Jennie! Why are you here?¡± 12:00 Chapter 319 Jennie smiled sweetly and walked in with a smile. ¡°I heard that there¡¯s an esteemed guest at the coffee estate today, so I quickly came over to have a look.¡± ¡°I knew it! You don¡¯te to visit me usually. Strangely, you came today!¡± John pretended to be angry, but his eyes were filled with indulgence. Jennie smiled. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Bruce also smiled politely. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Jennie pouted. ¡°You¡¯re really busy. If my grandfather hadn¡¯t invited you to coffee, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see you.¡± Bruceughed dryly! ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I should go back! I¡¯ll visit you another day and have coffee with you.¡± When Jennie heard that, her face darkened. ¡°Bruce, why are you leaving so soon? I was nning to ask you to go fishing with me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of work at the office. When I retire one day, I hope to be like Jolm, cultivating my character and living a simple life in paradise.¡± John smiled. ¡°Alright then! I shan¡¯t ask you to stay. Let Jennie see you out.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Bruce did not say anything else and stood up to bid farewell. Jennie hurriedly went out to see Bruce out. Outside the coffee estate. ¡°Bruce, I heard that¡­ you¡¯re in a secret rtionship with Princess Martha. Is that true?¡± Bruce was stunned and fell silent. ¡°If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°How could that be possible? It¡¯s just the reporters making groundless spections.¡± Bruce did not want to announce his rtionship with Princess Martha, let alone let anyone know. Jennie¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?¡± A sly look appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you!¡± Bruceughed. ¡°I still have something on. I¡¯ll take my leave first. You don¡¯t have to see me out. I know the way!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Jennie still chased after him. Bruce was already walking ahead on his own. ¡°Coincidentally, I¡¯m going downtown. Why don¡¯t you drive me there?¡± Bruce rejected coldly. ¡°Jennie, it¡¯s really inconvenient! I have to rush to a meeting now! You should get the driver to drive you there!¡± Chapter 320 Chapter 320 ¡°Mr. Everett, when the stock market opens tomorrow, we can give the Haynes Group another blow through the Walton Street financial market. The Haynes Group will soon copsepletely¡­¡± Andy was reporting the progress of the past two days. ¡°In addition, we have already bribed the quality inspection department. They will determine that the Haynes Group¡¯s products have exceeded the limit for formaldehyde and do not meet international safety requirements. ¡°Once this news is exposed, the Haynes Group¡¯s reputation will definitely be beyond repair!¡± ¡°Andy¡­ Bruce frowned, looking troubled! Andy paused, thinking that Bruce thought the method was not vicious enough. ¡°Mr. Everett, we can only take it one step at a time currently! ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll think of other ways. I¡¯ll definitely bring down the Haynes Group¡­¡± Bruce gasped. ¡°Andy, do you think I¡¯m too cruel to Joanna?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Andy rolled his eyes and looked at Bruce in confusion. He would not dare toment on Bruce¡¯s actions. ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you suddenly asking this?¡± Bruce lit a cigarette and took a few deep puffs. ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°Then, do we carry on with the operation?¡± Bruce thought for a few seconds and said in a deep voice, ¡°Tell Darcy and the others not to carry out the next step in the n for now.¡± ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Andy answered submissively. He really could not figure out Mr. Everett¡¯s personality! Mr. Everett had unpredictable moods. One second, he wanted to drive Miss Haynes into a corner, but the next, he suddenly stopped. ¡°Then I¡¯ll inform Darcy and Mark now.¡± ¡°You may leavel¡± ¡°Oh, alright!¡± After Andy left, Bruce frowned gloomily and lit another cigarette. Between him and Joanna, perhaps he really should be more magnanimous. John was right! After all, she was a woman. Why should he be calctive with a woman? In any case, she was still his children¡¯s mother. He should be magnanimous and hope that she could lead a good life. The Haynes Group. Joanna had been on the verge of copse for the past few days. Based on the speed at which the share price had hit rock bottom, the situation would probably be more tragic today! She did not even dare to check the stock market. However, to her surprise, after the stock market opened for the day, the share price did not fall as much as she had expected. On the contrary, it had increased a little. Joanna was still in shock when her phone rang. A ringing sound was heard. Cora had called again. ¡°Hello, Cora. ¡°Have the workers been paid?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Haynes. The sries and taxes have all been paid.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good! I¡¯ll go to Greene Town in two days.¡± Chapter 320 ¡°Alright!¡± Carl Hospital in Palisrian City, Without Joanna by his side, Jaydon had be much more dispirited. In the ward. A nurse walked in. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Miss Basil is here.¡± ¡°Why is she here?¡± ¡°She said she¡¯s here to see you.¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°Let her in!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Five minutester, Carmel pushed the ward door open and walked in. Carmel was dressed sexily and charmingly. She wore a tight skirt that reached her hips, a tank top, and a thick fur shawl. She looked exceptionally gorgeous and sexy. ¡°Mr. Grimm, are you feeling better? I¡¯m here to see you!¡± Carmel ced a fruit basket on the side table and sat on the bed with a charming smile. Jaydon¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± ¡°Well, all of you go out first. I¡¯m going to talk to Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The nurses left the ward one after another. As soon as the nurses left, Carmel threw herself into Jaydon¡¯s arms and spoke coquettishly, ¡°Mr. Grimm, I miss you so much¡­¡± ¡°Carmel, stop it!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t you miss me?¡± Carmel pressed her pouty lips against his lips and asked for a kiss. Her restless little hands even attacked his vitals! ¡°Carmel, stop it!¡± Jaydon pushed Carmel away coldly. Carmel looked disappointed and said softly, ¡°Mr. Grimm, I merely want to make you happy. I¡¯ll be obedient and not cause you any trouble. ¡°I know you like Ms. Haynes. I won¡¯t affect your rtionship. I just hope that we can still be the same as before¡­¡± Carmel still wanted to maintain her former romantic rtionship with Jaydon! In the past, even though she was Jaydon¡¯s girlfriend, she was like a kept woman. Jaydon frowned. Although he had lost feeling in his legs, he had not lost feeling in that area. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. He was still a normal man! Carmel was a little minx who knew how to torture him sweetly, and her skills were also extremely good. Therefore, he used to dote on her very much. But now, Joanna had already agreed to be his girlfriend. He could no longer have anything to do with Carmel. ¡°Carmel, our rtionp ends here. I¡¯m already engaged!¡± ¡°I know, I know! ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not asking for any status, and won¡¯t cause you any trouble. I just want to make you happy!¡± As Carmel spoke, her restless little hands reached out again. ¡°There¡¯s really no need. I¡¯ll tell you onest time. Our rtionship ends here. ¡°From now on, you¡¯re only an artiste in mypany, and I¡¯m only your boss!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, do you really hate me that much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I hate you, but I have a girlfriend now. I don¡¯t want to do anything to let my girlfriend down.¡± Carmelughed. ¡°Mr. Grimm, when have you be so naive? ¡°You¡¯re staying chaste for Joanna here. Do you think she¡¯ll stay chaste for you?¡± Jaydon was speechless and stunned! ¡°Things have always been ambiguous between Joanna and Bruce. Now that you aren¡¯t around, they must have gotten 19.005 Chapter 320 together again.¡± That won¡¯t happen!¡± Carmel snorted. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that the chairman of the Haynes Group has an affair with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Carmel, stop talking and get out!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­* ¡°Get out. If you do this again, I¡¯ll disregard our past friendship.¡± Jaydon was really angry. Carmel looked indignant and aggrieved. In the end, she swallowed her grievance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Grimmm. I won¡¯t dare to do it again.¡± A ringing sound was heard. Jaydon gave Joanna a video call on Messenger. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± ¡°Joann, what are you busy with?¡± ¡°I just finished work at the office!¡± ¡°I miss you so much!¡± Jaydon thought of Carmel¡¯s words and still felt a little ufortable. Bruce had never been a good person. Yet, he was not by Joanna¡¯s side and could not protect her. Even if Joanna ignored Bruce, it did not mean that Bruce would not take the initiative to pester Joanna. ¡°I miss you too. I¡¯ll visit you after I¡¯ve finished my work in a few days.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just worried about you because you¡¯re working too hard.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I can handle it.¡± ¡°Look at you. You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight again. The dark circles under your eyes are so obvious. Have you not slept for the past few days?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and forced a sweet smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You really don¡¯t have to feel sad for me.¡± ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give up your job and be the woman behind me? ¡°You really don¡¯t have to work so hard. I can support you.¡± Joanna was speechless and stunned! To her, her career was her spiritual sustenance and spiritual pir. ¡°Jay, if I give up my job and do nothing every day, I¡¯ll go crazy¡± ¡°Why would you? After we¡¯re married, we can go traveling. You can do what want.¡± you ¡°What do you want 46 do? Of course, I¡¯ll support you. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want you to focus all your energy on work.¡± ¡°Jay, why would you suddenly have such thoughts?¡± ¡°Joann, I miss you so much that I can¡¯t sleep. If you don¡¯te over, I¡¯ll go back and apany you.¡± ¡°Jay, you¡¯re still recovering. Don¡¯t give up. ¡°If you miss me, I¡¯ll finish my work in the next two days. Then, I¡¯ll go over and apany you, okay?¡± ¡°When?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Next week!¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°I love you. Go and sleep now!¡± Chapter 320 Call me if anything happens. If you encounter something you can¡¯t resolve, don¡¯t bite the bullet. ¡°You have to tell me. I¡¯ll think of something for you¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand! ¡°Hurry up and rest! I¡¯ll hang up first¡± After hanging up. Jaydon felt even more uneasy After all, his love rival was too powerful. To be honest, a man like Bruce was too tempting to women, not to mention that he loved Joanna deeply. It was highly likely for Joanna to have a change of heart. In the past, Jaydon had been wholeheartedly good and devoted to Joanna. He had never cared about reciprocation, let alone gains and losses. But now, after Joanna agreed to his proposal, he suddenly felt a sense of possessiveness! He did not want Joanna to return to Bruce¡¯s side, nor did he want them to have anything to do with each other. Chapter 321 Chapter 321 The following day arrived. The Baynes Group. Joanna returned to thepany, resuming the shareholders¡® meeting as usual. Though Bruce had resolved to cease his campaign of suppressing and retaliating against Joanna, his decision to sever ties with the Haynes Group was now a foregone conclusion. Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger wore troubled expressions, deep in thought for a considerable time. ¡°Given the current circumstances, our only option is to seek new investors!¡± ¡°Otherwise, thepany won¡¯t be able toe up with such a substantial amount of cash!¡± Joanna furrowed her brow. ¡°Seeking new investors?¡± ¡°At this crucial moment, who in their right mind would be willing to invest?¡± Even if the Haynes Group changed its name, the stench of its tarnished reputation remained. Everyone knew the Haynes Group was teetering on the edge of copse. Who would be foolish enough to step into the role of a sacrificialmb eagerly? Mr. Roger¡¯s face turned grave. ¡°Our only option now is to urgently sell off a portion of our shares to raise funds. It¡¯s the quickest way to get our hands on cash.¡± ¡°Otherwise, if we can¡¯t gather the funds within a month, Mr. Everett will petition the court to freeze the Haynes Group¡¯s assets, leading to even moreplications.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes grew somber. With no other options left, she had no choice but to make a desperate gamble and take drastic measures. Although she was reluctant to part with the shares Raymond had bequeathed to her, she knew there was no other way to tackle the imminent crisis. ¡­Alright then! Let it be known that the Haynes Group is preparing to sell some of its shares and seeking potential partners.¡± Word of the Haynes Group¡¯s intention to sell shares quickly spread throughout the business circles. To her astonishment, within two days of the news circting, a mediator emerged, revealing that an expatriate expressed a sincere interest in investing in the Haynes Group and acquiring its shares at their original price. It was a ray of hope amidst adversity for the struggling Haynes Group! Joanna carefully assessed her holdings. If she sold off just 10%, and with a bit of additional capital, she could reim the shares held by Bruce. Even if she sold 10% of her shares, she would retain a significant 41%. She would remain thepany¡¯srgest shareholder! ¡°I¡¯d like to meet this person.¡± Ethan carefully briefed Joanna on the investor¡¯s information. ¡°The investor is an expatriate named Caleb Harrison.¡± ¡°We have also conducted a thorough background check on him. He had a background in the food and beverage industry in Antlen before. He is determined to venture into the domestic market and is highly interested in our Haynes Group!¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna eximed, ¡°That¡¯s fantastic. Let¡¯s schedule a meeting and find a convenient time to meet him.¡± ¡°Very well, Miss Haynes.¡± The following day, with the introduction of a mutual acquaintance, Joanna arranged a meeting with Caleb! He was a sharp¨Cwitted middle¨Caged man in his forties. With a refined presence, he emanated a distinctive gentlemanly aura. Joanna delved into Caleb¡¯s business background in Antlen and his financial strength and reputation within the domestic market. After verifying everything, she felt confident in proceeding with the coboration. After an in¨Cdepth conversation, the share transfer contract was finalized. Although with a heavy heart, Joanna sold off 10% of her shares. After all, she had no desire to continue being entangled with Bruce. His exit from thepany would serve as a definitive closure to theirplicated entanglement. The signing of the contract proceeded smoothly! Chapter 321 Caleb officially became thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder, holding a 25% stake. However, the progress of the contract was slightly slower than expected, with Caleb¡¯s funds scheduled to be in ce at the end of the month. What surprised Joanna was the active involvement of Miss Haynes and Mr. Roger in facilitating the process! Simultaneously, the mediapany in Greene Town sessfullyunched! Joanna naturally had to be present on the day of the grand opening! Jaydon had arranged for several popr influencers from thepany to attend the opening ceremony. In addition to Brother Trumpet, who was already a prominent inte celebrity, his fellow inte celebrity friends also came to show their support. The grand opening was an extraordinary and extravagant affair, despite Charmont Media Group having not achieved any notable achievements. Nheless, its name was already making waves. After the conclusion of the opening ceremony, Joanna summoned Cora into her office. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Miss Haynes, how can I assist you?¡± Cora wore a polite smile as she looked at Joanna. During Joanna¡¯s absence, Cora efficiently handled all the matters. It had to be acknowledged that she was indeed Joanna¡¯s right¨Chand person. Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Cora, I don¡¯t want you to go to Greyport anymore in the future!¡± Cora¡¯s expression froze. ¡°¡­Miss Haynes, are you terminating my employment? Have I fallen short in any way?¡± Joanna chuckled and spoke sincerely, ¡°I want you to stay here in Greene Town and take on the role of Vice President.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been by my side for so long, and I truly admire yourpetence and efficiency!¡± ¡°I also believe you are more than capable of fulfilling this job.¡± Cora¡¯s eyes instantly brightened, and she looked at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°You want me to be the Vice President?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡­ I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to live up to the role¡­¡± ¡°Well, I trust my judgment and have confidence in you.¡± ¡°Put your heart into it, and I have faith in you!¡± Cora clenched her lip and looked at Joanna with a solemn expression. ¡°Thank you, Miss Haynes. I will exert every effort to excel in my role.¡± ¡°Very well, you may go now.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miss Haynes!¡± Cora expressed her gratitude, overwhelmed by the gesture. Joanna had been Cora¡¯s guiding star and benefactor throughout her career. In the past, Cora had been a mere PR representative for apany tasked with entertaining clients and ying poker. Joanna recognized Cora¡¯s potential and brought her into her fold, guiding her toward a path of dignity and sess as a professional woman. Without Joanna, Cora wouldn¡¯t be where she was today. She was sincerely grateful to Joanna for rescuing her from the abyss. Working by Joanna¡¯s side, Cora was always dedicated andmitted to her responsibilities. After Cora exited the room, Joanna¡¯s phone started ringing. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± From the other end of the line, Jaydon¡¯s tender voice came through. ¡°I heard the newpany had its opening ceremony today. How did it go? Was it sessful?¡± Joanna smiled at Jaydon¡¯s video on the phone. ¡°Yes, it went smoothly! Thank you, Jay.¡± ¡°There you go again! We¡¯re getting married soon, and you¡¯re still so formal with me.¡± Feeling a tad self¨Cconscious, Joanna yfully brushed her hair behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯ve wrapped things up here for the most part. I¡¯ve already booked my flight for next Monday.¡± ¡°Tll fly over to be with you next Monday.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too soon?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Chapter 321 ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Thepany just had its grand opening, and things are still hectic. I won¡¯t keep you on the phone for too long.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna prepared to meet Brother Trumpet and take the opportunity to discuss thepany¡¯s business strategy. In the bustling lobby! Brother Trumpet was busy weing the inte celebrities and guests who had graced the asion. Joanna approached, holding a ss of wine. ¡°Brother Trumpet, you¡¯ve been working hard!¡± Brother Trumpet turned around and, upon seeing Joanna, his eyes softened instantly. ¡°No need to mention hard work. It¡¯s all part of the job.¡± Joanna had demonstrated her utmost sincerity in their coboration. She had invested all the money herself, without expecting Brother Trumpet to contribute a single penny, giving him a 40% stake in the company. The gesture deeply moved Brother Trumpet. He was dedicated to thepany¡¯s affairs and tirelessly attended to them. When Cora noticed Brother Trumpet and Joanna engrossed in conversation, she quickly approached to greet them. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Trumpet!¡± Joanna smiled at Cora and turned to introduce her to Brother Trumpet. ¡°Let me introduce someone new to you! This is Cora, our Vice President.¡± Brother Trumpet was taken aback. ¡°Congrattions! It seems you¡¯ve been promoted quite swiftly. It goes to show the importance of choosing the right boss.¡± ¡°Mr. Trumpet, you¡¯re too modest. I look forward to working with you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave thepany matters in your best hands for now. I might have to be away for a few days.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already taken care of recruiting the anchors!¡± ¡°Great! Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say much more and quietly left Greene Town under the cover of the night. Although Charmont Media Group had sessfullyunched, she couldn¡¯t afford to stay and oversee everything there. She still had to handle the final details of selling the shares in Greyport and find a moment to see her child. It was already past nine in the evening when Joanna finally arrived back in Greyport. As she entered her home, exhaustion overcame her, and she copsed onto the bed, too tired to move. However, after contemting for a while, she couldn¡¯t resist the urge to pick up the phone and call Bruce. It had been three weeks since shestid eyes on her children. With her uing trip to Gaprington next week, it seemed even more unlikely that she would have a chance to see them. No matter what, she had to see her children tomorrow. Ring, ring, ring! Bruce¡¯s phone began to ring. Seeing Joanna calling, Bruce promptly answered, ¡°Hello!¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment, her tone bing distant and detached. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? ¡°Tomorrow is Sunday, and I want to see the children.¡± Sure! Tomorrow at 10 a.m., same ce.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna ended the call without saying another word. A pang of pain struck Bruce¡¯s heart. Chapter 322 Chapter 322 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 322 Joanna would only reach out to him if it were about seeing their children. It was often said that men could be heartless in rtionships.. But in truth, when a woman fell out of love, she could be far more ruthless. Joanna arrived at Century za Station at 9.30 am. the next day, well ahead of time. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. With a few insted containers in hand, Joanna carried the cakes and dumplings she had personally made. She couldn¡¯t make up for everything she had done wrong, but she wanted to do what she could for her children. At precisely 10 a.m., a chauffeur¨Cdriven luxury car pulled up, followed by a nanny car stopping in front of her. When the doors opened, Davian and Irvin hopped out of the car. Shortly after, the nanny emerged, cradling Lilia in her arms. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Davian and Irvin called out in their usual manner. Joanna felt a pang in her heart, her eyes welling up with tears. She hurriedly approached her children. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia! I¡¯ve missed you so much. Do you miss Mommy?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The three little ones looked a bit weary as they gazed at Joanna. Although the children still showed happiness, an invisible barrier seemed to have formed. After being separated for such a long time, even the strongest bond could slowly dissipate. Especially since the children were only five, their emotions and perceptions were still developing. They could quickly adapt to new environments and new lives. Having spent over half a year with the Everett family, they had already adapted to their new lives. ¡°Mommy, why haven¡¯t youe to see us for so long?¡± Davian furrowed his little brow, his toneced with a hint of dissatisfaction. Joanna knelt and nted a kiss on Davian¡¯s cheek. ¡°Mommy has been very busytely¡­¡± But Irvin interjected before Joanna could finish her sentence, his voice filled with frustration. ¡°Hmph, we knew Mommy would say that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s always either Daddy being busy or Mommy being busy. We¡¯ve gotten used to it. Who has time to spend with us anymore?¡± ¡°Daddy is busy with the prettydy, and Mommy is busy with Mr. Grimm. We¡¯re not important to Mominy and Daddy anymore!¡± With a pout, Irvin disyed his discontent. Joanna listened in silence, feeling a sharp pang in her chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s Mommy¡¯s fault, alright? It¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault! Can you forgive Mommy?¡± ¡°Mommy, we know you¡¯re busy. So, we won¡¯t me you. But deep down, there¡¯s still some disappointment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my sweethearts. Mommy will make sure to spend more time with you in the future.¡± ¡°Once Mommy¡¯s career is on track, once Mommy has the means, I promise I¡¯ll bring you back to me.¡± Irvin said with a touch of arrogance, ¡°Forget it! Mommy wants topete with Daddy¡¯s wealth, but she¡¯ll probably never measure up, ¡°How can you say such a thing?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the truth. We didn¡¯t say anything wrong.¡± ¡°If you say that again, be careful. I might give you a timeout,¡± Davian warned, protective of Mommy. He didn¡¯t like how Irvin was being disrespectful. Joanna immediately intervened, stopping Davian in his tracks. ¡°Davian, you¡¯re the big brother. It would be best if you never treated your siblings that way. You need to protect them, understand?¡± understand, Mommy!¡± Lilia stretched out her tiny hands and sweetly said, ¡°Mommy, hug!¡± Joanna bent down and embraced Lilia in her arms. Chapter 322 After not seeing each other for nearly a month, Davian and Irvin had noticeably grown taller, and Lilia had put on a few pounds. ¡°Mommy has some free time today. How about going to the amusement park?¡± ¡­Mommy, we don¡¯t want to go.¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t you both love going to the amusement park?¡± ¡°We have horseback riding lessons in the afternoon, which is much more fun than going to the amusement park.¡± ¡°Yeah, and we have art and science sses in the evening! Those are way more interesting!¡± Irvin added, his eyes shining with excitement. Joanna felt a twinge of sadness upon hearing their response. She had missed too many important moments of her children¡¯s growth even though they were no longer interested in what Mommy had nned for them. Even without the presence of parents, Bruce¡¯s financial resources would ensure that the children received the best life and education. So many people were around to y with the children that their dependence on their parents naturally diminished. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s been an hour already. It¡¯s time to take the children back.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°Yes. The children have their music lessonsing up. Mr. Everett requested that we bring them back early.¡± ¡°I see. Alright then!¡± ¡°Sweethearts, do you feel overwhelmed or exhausted with all these lessons?¡± Joanna voiced her concern, fearing that Bruce¡¯s expectations put too much pressure on the children. ¡°Not at all, Mommy! These sses are actually really enjoyable.¡± Joanna smiled warmly at their response. Her worries seemed unnecessary now. Knowing Bruce¡¯s character, she was confident that he would provide the children with the best teachers avable. These teachers were industry experts who knew how to make learning engaging and exciting, incorporating games and interactive activities into their lessons. If the children found the sses interesting and fun, they wouldn¡¯t resist or feel drained by them. ¡°Here are some cakes and dumplings that Mommy made just for you. Take them home and enjoy!¡± ¡°Thank you, Mommy!¡± The nanny quickly stepped in, taking the food from Joanna¡¯s hands. ¡°Mr. Everett has instructed the children to follow a specific dietary n.¡± Joanna paused briefly, feeling too weary to say much. ¡°Goodbye, Mommy!¡± ¡°Goodbye, my sweethearts!¡± Joanna embraced each child tightly and nted a gentle kiss on their cheeks. Soon after, the children hopped in the car! As Joanna watched the car zoom away, a wave of mncholy washed over her, causing her to stand there for a while, lost in her emotions. It was evident that the three children had grown increasingly distant from her. If things continued down this path, it wouldn¡¯t be long before theypletely lost their reliance on her. With these thoughts weighing heavily on her, Joanna felt an intense pang in her heart! ¡°Just give it a little more time, sweethearts. Mommy will bring you back to her side. No matter what happens, Mommy will never give up on fighting for your custody!¡± Finally home! Joanna resumed packing her belongings, preparing for her flight to Gaprington the next day. It had been a long time since she spent quality time with Jaydon. This time, she decided to stay there for at least a week. Miranda noticed her packing and hurriedly approached to offer assistance. ¡°Joann, do you need help with these items?¡± ¡°Miranda, don¡¯t worry. I can handle it myself!¡± Chapter 322 ¡°Alright then!¡± Miranda replied, stationing herself at the doorway, observing Joanna as she organized her belongings. Joanna finished packing her belongings after ten minutester. She nned to turn in early tonight with a flight scheduled for 8 a.m. the following day. ncing back, she noticed Miranda still standing at the doorway, wearing a hesitant expression. ¡°Miranda, is something on your mind?¡± Joanna asked with genuine concern. Miranda let out a nervous clnuckle. ¡°Oh, no, nothing¡­¡± Joanna found it even more peculiar. ¡°Miranda, is something troubling you? If there¡¯s any difficulty or trouble at home, please tell me. I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help. You know I¡¯m here for you.¡± *Tmn fine. I just wanted to have a heart¨Cto¨Cheart talk with you.¡± Joanna paused, casting a skeptical gaze at Miranda. Miranda had been by her side for the longest time since their days in the Haynes family. Joanna trusted Miranda more than anyone else. ¡°Miranda, what¡¯s on your mind? Just say it!¡± After a brief pause, Miranda hesitated and stumbled, ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve watched you grow up since you were a little girl! And all along. I¡¯ve only wanted the best for you.¡± ¡°Well, I appreciate that,¡± Joanna shed a gentle smile before embracing Miranda tightly. ¡°Well, are you nning to be with Mr. Grimm in Gaprington?¡± Joanna was taken aback, puzzled by Miranda¡¯s question. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± After contemting, Miranda gathered her courage and said, ¡°Joann, I can¡¯t help but feel that you and Mr. Grimm aren¡¯t a perfect match.¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze turned serious. ¡°Why would you say that?¡± ¡°Joann, you¡¯ve had three children with Mr. Everett, and it¡¯s clear he still has strong feelings for you.¡± ¡°Even though I may be a servant, I feelpelled to say that sometimes it¡¯s best to stick with the original spouse. Besides, you have three beautiful children together.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter upon hearing Miranda¡¯s words. ¡°Miranda, it¡¯s impossible for me to be with Bruce anymore.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ he¡¯s a decent man! Reuniting with him, for both you and the children, would indeed be the best choice!¡± ¡°Miranda, please refrain from discussing this any further. In the future, let¡¯s not bring up such matters with me. Joanna dered firmly, closing the door with determination. Regardless of the circumstances, a reconciliation between her and Bruce was out of the question. Ring! Ring! Ring! Jaydon¡¯s phone buzzed once again. ¡°Hey, Jay, why are you still up?¡± Due to the time difference, it was likely thete hours of the night where he was. ¡°Joann, is your luggage all packed?¡± ¡°Yeah, all done. I¡¯ve got an 8 a.m. flight tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! Just the thought of seeing you tomorrow has me so excited that sleep seems impossible.¡± ¡°Darling, it¡¯s best to rest for a fresh start tomorrow. Go ahead and sleep now!¡± ¡°Wishing you a safe journey. I¡¯ll be at the airport to greet you tomorrow!¡± Chapter 323 Chapter 323 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 323 With the next day¡¯s arrival, Joanna rose from her bed at 6 a.m. She meticulously packed her belongings and readied herself for the journey to the airport. The drive to the airport would take approximately 40 minutes. Leaving precisely at 6:10 a.m. would be ideal. Her car had been expertly repaired and promptly returned to her, enabling her to embark on her journey independently! Miranda was also up early, diligently preparing a hearty breakfast. ¡°Joann, may your journey be smooth, and may you take the utmost care! Once you reach Gaprington, ring me to let me know you¡¯ve arrived safe and sound.¡± ¡°Got it, I understand!¡± After devouring her breakfast, Joanna dragged her suitcase and descended the elevator to the underground parking lot! The underground parking lot. Beep¨Cbeep! Joanna unlocked her car and hopped in. Meanwhile, a faint ticking sound emanated from beneath the car as if a needle on a gauge was rhythmically dancing. Unfazed by the faint noise, Joanna didn¡¯t give it much thought. She dismissed it as a harmless electrical hum With that thought aside, she ignited the car¡¯s engine. Just as she was about to exit, the phone began to ring. Ring, ring, ring! ¡°Hello, Miranda!¡± From the other end of the line, Miranda¡¯s voice carried a sense of urgency. ¡°Joann, you forgot to grab your passport! Shall I bring it to you right away?¡± Joanna instinctively smacked her forehead upon hearing this. ¡°Oh gosh, Ipletely forgot.¡± ¡°Miranda, can you bring it to me in the elevator lobby? I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Joanna let out a yawn and then stepped out of the car, heading toward the elevator lobby. In her hurry to leave earlier, she had absentmindedly left her passport on the dressing table, forgetting to pack it into her bag. Drip! Drip! Drip! The car¡¯s gauge needles began their countdown. After Joanna stepped out of the car, she walked approximately 90 to 120 feet when suddenly, a loud and ear¨Cshattering explosion echoed behind her with a resounding ¡°boom!¡± The st from the exploding bomb sent car ss fragments flying through the air, apanied by an intense wave of heat that violently propelled her off the ground. ¡°Boom!¡± Joanna instinctively lunged forward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Countless shards of ss embedded themselves into her back, causing her to lose consciousness instantly. Blood began to seep and spread across her body. The st badpletely obliterated her car. Thankfully, she had managed to move away from it. Otherwise, she would have been torn apart by the devastating explosion. Miranda stepped out of the elevator, only to be jolted by the loud st, nearly knocking her out. ¡°Oh my God, where did that explosione from?¡± After waiting three minutes, witnessing no furthermotion, Miranda anxiously exited the elevator lobby to assess the situation. The sight before her was utterly horrifying. Joannay motionless in a pool of blood. ¡°Joann, Joann, what happened to you?¡± Miranda¡¯s shock turned into sheer panic as she rushed to assess the situation. Chapter 323 Joanna was drenched in blood, unconscious and unresponsive. The security guards from the Residential Complex and neighbors who heard themotion hastily rushed to the scene. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Miranda tried to lift Joanna, but her entire body was drenched in blood, making it difficult for her to get a proper grip. She desperately screamed to the security guard at the top of her lungs. ¡°There was an explosion here! Please call an ambnce!¡± ¡°Oh, okay! I¡¯ll call for an ambnce immediately.¡± ¡°And call the police too!¡± ¡°Hello, is this the hospital? Please send an ambnce to Greenwick Residential Complex immediately!¡± ¡°Hello, is this the police station? There has been an explosion at Greenwick Residential Complex¡­¡± In an instant! The entire building was jolted awake. The police swiftly arrived on the scene, promptly sealing it off. They dispatched experts to investigate and determine if there were any other hidden explosives. It was a small yet powerful bomb, capable of destroying a car without a second thought. Amidst the unfortunate events, the silver lining was that Joanna wasn¡¯t inside the car when the explosion urred. In no time at all! Joanna was swiftly transported to the hospital by ambnce. ¡°Please give way. The patient¡¯s condition is critical¡­¡± ¡°Doctor, you have to save Joann!¡± Miranda trailed closely behind, her entire being consumed by panic. ¡°Rest assured, we¡¯ll do our best!¡± The doctor and nurses pushed Joanna swiftly into the operating room. ¡°The patient is severely injured. Prepare for immediate surgery¡­ The doctor and nurses didn¡¯t dare take the situation lightly, swiftlymencing the life¨Csaving treatment for Joanna. Outside the operating room, Miranda kept her hands sped together in continuous prayer. ¡°Joann, may the divine watch over you, keeping you safe and sound.¡± ¡°Poor Joann, who could be so heartless as to unleash such a vicious attack upon you!¡± At 9.30 a.m., the usual time for hustle and bustle, Bruce made his way to the office as usual. Inside his car, the radio broadcasted thetest news of the day. ¡°We have an urgent news update. There has been an explosion in the underground parking lot of Greenwick Residential Complex.¡± ¡°A woman has been critically injured in the explosion, and sources reveal that she is none other than the chairman of the Haynes Group! She has been rushed to Greyport Hospital for emergency treatment, and her life hangs in the bnce.¡± ¡°The police have nowunched an investigation into what appears to be a terrorist attack¡­¡± Boom! Bruce¡¯s head spun upon hearing this news! ¡°Greenwick Residential Complex, chairman of the Haynes Group¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart pounded with unease as he swiftly retrieved his phone to call Joanna. Ring, ring, fing! He dialed her number repeatedly, but Joanna¡¯s phone remained unreachable. ¡°We need to go to the hospital, immediately head to Greyport Hospital!¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett!¡± The driver immediately made a sharp turn, heading toward Greyport Hospital. Fifteen minutester! Bruce arrived in haste at Greyport Hospital. At the nurse¡¯s station, Bruce¡¯s heart pounding with urgency, grabbed a nurse and anxiously inquired, ¡°Nurse, what¡¯s the name of the victim in the explosion today? Is it Joanna?¡± The nurse nodded, taken aback by Bruce¡¯s presence, ¡­Yes, it is!¡± Chapter 323 Bruce¡¯s heart sank, and a wave of unease washed over him. ¡°Where can I find Joanna? Which floor is she on?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the operating room on the third floor¡­¡± Bruce was already sprinting toward the third floor without waiting for the nurse to finish her sentence. Bruce raced up to the third floor, gasping for breath. At the operating room entrance, Miranda anxiously scanned the area, her face etclied with fear. Upon seeing Miranda, Bruce¡¯s despair intensified. ¡°Miranda, where is Joanna?¡± Miranda turned around, recognizing Bruce, and immediately burst into tears. ¡°Mr. Everett, Joann is still in the operating room¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened, and he felt a wave of dizziness. ¡°Joanna, you have to wake up. Please wake up!¡± The surgery stretched on for over two hours. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Finally, the operating room doors swung open, and the doctor emerged. Bruce and Miranda hurriedly approached. ¡°Doctor, how is the patient?¡± The doctor¡¯s expression turned solemn. ¡°The patient suffered severe injuries from the explosion, particrly to the back. There is a possibility of hearing impairment in the future.¡± ¡°We havepleted the surgery, and she has been transferred to the intensive care unit for close monitoring.¡± Bruce took a sharp intake of breath. ¡°May 1 go in and see her?¡± The doctor firmly declined, his expression serious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s not possible. The patient¡¯s condition is extremely critical, and we cannot risk any interference that may lead to infection.¡± ¡°Doctor, please, do everything you can to save her! You must save her life!¡± Bruce disregarded all decorum and tightly gripped the doctor¡¯s hand, his face disying a mix of anxiety and anguish. ¡°I understand your concern. Rest assured. We will do everything we can.¡± The doctor¡¯s words offered somefort as he tried to console them. Miranda continued to weep inconsbly, her voice choked with sorrow, ¡°How could this happen? Everything was fine¡­ How could there be an explosion?¡± Kelly and Tracy, upon hearing the news, hurriedly arrived at the scene. Tracy wiped her tears and spoke. ¡°ording to the police, someone nted a bomb in the car with the sole intention of killing Joanna.¡± ¡°Thank goodness Joanna left her passport at home. Otherwise, she would have been killed in the explosion¡­¡± Kelly¡¯s voice trembled as she sobbed, ¡°Who could be so cruel? Targeting Joanna repeatedly!¡± ¡°May the heavens protect her and guide her through this trial.¡± Bruce stood nearby, his mind a nk canvas. It wasn¡¯t the first time Joanna had faced an assassination attempt. Roxanne and Ingrid orchestrated that previous attempt. However, the perpetrator behind this incident remains unknown. Logically speaking, apart from Bruce, Joanna had no known enemies in Greyport. She had no rivals in the business world either. It seemed unlikely that someone would take such extreme measures to assassinate her. This attack was carried out by someone who held a deep grudge against her. And the person who despised Joanna the most, the one consumed by hatred and wanting her dead, ironically, was a member of the Haynes family itself. Bruce¡¯s mind spun in chaos, and the first person who came to his mind was Shaun. But upon further reflection, it seemed highly unlikely. After all, Shaun was Joanna¡¯s biological father, and it was hard to imagine a parent stooping to such depths of malice. Even if he harbored resentment toward Joanna, it was doubtful he would resort to such a vicious act. Additionally, Shaun was now partially paralyzed andcked the physical capability to orchestrate such an attack Bruce furrowed his brow, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and worry, his concern reaching its peak. Chapter 823 Joanna, you must hold on. You must stay strong!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you. No one should have the power to harm you except me!¡± ¡°Rest assured. I will find the perpetrator for you and make them pay, no matter who they are. They will not escape justice¡­¡± Chapter 324 Chapter 324 Jaydon was aware that Joanna was due to arrive today, and he couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, staying awake throughout the night in anticipation. As soon as his rm went off, he wasted no time and dialed Joanna¡¯s number. Ring, ring, ring! ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± Jaydon spent the entire morning attempting to reach Joanna, but all his efforts were in vain. Her phone remained unresponsive. A foreboding sensation washed over Jaydon, filling his heart with unease. Joanna wouldn¡¯t simply ignore his calls without a valid reason. Jaydon had carefully nned the timing, calling Joanna before she boarded the ne. But now, five hours had passed, and Joanna¡¯s phone remained consistently unreachable. Each unanswered call only heightened his sense of dread. It seemed something significant had urred. ¡°Could it be that Bruce has imprisoned Joanna?¡± ¡°Has Joann had a change of heart? Is she no longer willing to see me?¡± Jaydon was consumed by anxiety, his mind racing with the thought that Bruce might have again caused trouble for Joanna. Unable to reach Joanna by phone, he also found it impossible to get in touch with Miranda and Tracy, adding to his growing unease. As noon approached, Jaydon finally seeded in reaching Miranda on the phone! ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Miranda, why haven¡¯t you been answering your phone all this time?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Miranda sniffled and cleared her throat, her voice hoarse. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been at the hospital all this time, I didn¡¯t hear the phone ringing!¡± Jaydon¡¯s brow furrowed in concern. ¡°Why has Joann¡¯s phone been consistently unreachable?¡± Upon hearing his question, Miranda burst into tears, her sobs intensifying. ¡°Mr. Grimm, something terrible has happened to Joann.¡± Boom! Jaydon¡¯s heart sank, a wave of unease washing over him. His eyebrows twitched involuntarily. ¡°¡­ What has happened to Joann?¡± ¡°Joann has been involved in an ident, and she¡¯s currently undergoing critical treatment at the hospital!¡± Miranda¡¯s voice trembled with emotion, her tears flowing freely. Jaydon¡¯s mind went nk, a chilling emptiness settling within him. He felt as though he had been plunged into an icy abyss. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What has happened to Joann?¡± Joann was getting ready to head to the airport this morning, but little did she know, there was a bomb nted in her car.¡± ¡°Joann has been critically injured in the explosion and is undergoing life¨Csaving treatment¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Jaydon gasped, feeling a chill run down his spine. His mind was buzzing with disbelief. ¡°How is Joann now? What is her condition?¡± Miranda fought back her tears, her voice trembling as she spoke, ¡°Mr. Grimm, Joann is currently in the hospital undergoing treatment. She just underwent surgery, but she has yet to regain consciousness!¡± ¡°The doctor said Joann is in critical condition and needs to be closely monitored in the intensive care unit¡­¡± Her tearful voice apanied Miranda¡¯s words, but Jaydon couldn¡¯t absorb the rest of her sentence. The phrase ¡°critically injured¡± kept reverberating in his mind. He couldn¡¯t fathom the image it evoked! ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s instinctpelled him to try to get out of bed. 10.015 Chapter 324 However, to his dismay, his left leg waspletely numb, and his right leg didn¡¯t respond as expected! Losing bnce, he clumsily fell to the ground with a heavy thud! ¡°Mr. Grimm, please be carefull Two nurses hurriedly approached to assess the situation. ¡°Mr. Grimm, what¡¯s happening? How can we assist you?¡± Jaydon¡¯s mind was in a frenzy. ¡°Joann, Joann has been involved in an ident. I need to return to the country immediately!¡± Struggling on the ground, Jaydon desperately tried to stand up. However, his urgency only made it more challenging ¡°Mr. Grimm. please try to remain calm¡­¡± Jaydon felt his blood rushing through his veins as he eximed hoarsely, ¡°I need to fly back right away! Please, help me book a ne ticket as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm. it¡¯s crucial that youplete your scheduled rehabilitation treatment today. The doctor emphasized the importance of maintaining consistency for optimal recovery.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Please book a flight for me immediately. Find the earliest avable one. I have to go!¡± ¡°Joann has been involved in an ident, and I must return to the country right away to be by her side.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± the nurses attempted to reason with him, urging him to prioritize his health. ¡°Go now!¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes welled up with determination as he raised his voice. Sensing his urgency, the nurses nodded in understanding and replied. ¡°Alright, we will make the arrangements promptly!¡± Joanna¡¯s involvement in such a grave incident left Jaydon in a state of unease, making it impossible for him to remain calm andposed. Without wasting a moment, he instructed his assistant to arrange a flight back to Greyport. The nurse returned with an update fifteen minutester. ¡°Mr. Grimm, we have secured your flight back to Greyport¡­¡± Regrettably, the earliest flight avable is scheduled for tomorrow at noon! It would be at least another two days before he could return to Greyport. ¡°Isn¡¯t there any way to secure a faster option?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid the earliest avable ticket is for tomorrow afternoon.¡± Jaydon closed his eyes, a surge of frustration and helplessness washing over him. Even if he could arrange a private jet, it would need more time to take off. The only possibility for a quicker return was to charter a ne. ¡°Joann, you have to wait for me. Please, wait for me!¡± ¡°No matter what happens, I can¡¯t let you face this alone!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, please try not to be too devastated. Ms. Haynes will undoubtedly pull through.¡± Jaydon¡¯s brow furrowed deeply, his eyes aze with a deep shade of red. This was meant to be a day filled with excitement, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his beloved. However, he could never have anticipated such a devastating turn of events. A bomb nted in the car! The mere thought of it was unbearable, leaving him unable to fathom the current state of Joanna. At Greyport Hospital, Bruce¡¯splexion turned ashen, his countenance icy and foreboding, overwhelmed by intense fear. All his hatred foward Joanna dissipated at that moment q, reced by a profound sense of worry and care. If only Joanna could awaken, he truly wished her well. He was ready to let go of their conflicts, see her find happiness, and shield her from harm. ¡°Joanna, I won¡¯t allow anything to happen to you. You must wake up! I need you, and our children need you. How could they ever live without their mother?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Andy¡¯s voice trailed off, struggling to find the right words to console Bruce. ¡°Andy, I need you to investigate immediately and spare no effort in identifying who tampered with the car.¡± ¡°We must bring the culprit to justice, no matter what it takes!¡± Andy hesitated momentarily before offering his analysis, ¡°The police have already dispatched experts to investigate. It appears to be a sophisticated homemade explosive device.¡± ¡°It was rigged with a timer connected to the engine. Once the car door was opened, the timer would trigger the countdown.¡± Chapter 324 ¡°The individual responsible for constructing the bomb must possess considerable expertise.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the vehicle¡¯s data recorder has not yielded any significant leads.¡± Bruce¡¯s face contorted with anger as he furrowed his brow But for now, Joanna was still in grave danger, and it wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on those matters. The most crucial thing was to save Joanna¡¯s life. Joanna, you have to wake up!¡± Through the transparent barrier of the intensive care unit, he gazed at Joanna¡¯s motionless form, connected to a myriad of tubes and monitors. It had been a day and a night, yet there were no signs of her regaining consciousness. The following day arrived, and Jaydon swiftly disembarked the ne, apanied by his entourage, rushing to the hospital without dy. ¡°I¡¯m here to see you, Joann. Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯vee to see you.¡± Guided by a nurse, Jaydon hurriedly approached the hospital ward. At the ward¡¯s entrance, Bruce and Jaydon locked gazes, the air thick with intense hatred, as if bitter rivals meeting after a long absence. ¡°Bruce, did you do this to Joann? Tell me the truth, was it you?¡± ¡°Are you insane? Do you think I would stoop so low as to harm Joanna? You¡¯ve truly lost your mind.¡± ¡°It has to be you. No one else could have done this!¡± Bruce coldly avoided Jaydon, his gaze piercing through him. The weight of worry and concern for Joanna had left no room for petty arguments or disputes. He had spent the entire previous day and night in the hospital room, unable to find sce even for a moment. ¡°Mr. Grimm, you¡¯ve misunderstood Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Joanna is still in critical condition, and now is not the time for conflicts or usations.¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart was heavy with pain, the anguish cutting deep. ¡°When will Joann wake up? ¡°Joann, how could ite to this? How could things have turned out this way?¡± Bruce fixed a chilling, resentful gaze on Jaydon. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you! If Joanna hadn¡¯t gone to see you, none of this would have happened.¡± ¡°Because of me?¡± Jaydon shot back, his anger zing in his eyes as he confronted Bruce. ¡°Bruce, did you have something to do with the tampering of Joann¡¯s car?¡± ¡°Her car was damaged because of your reckless driving, and you were the one who arranged for its repairs!¡± ¡°And now this car has exploded. Are you seriously iming to have no involvement in this?¡± Bruce seethed with fury, his teeth grinding together, as he lunged forward, ready to unleash his wrath upon Jaydon. Their respective bodyguards swiftly stepped in, preventing them from engaging in physical violence. Bruce seethed with anger, his eyes burning with intensity as his heart clenched in pain. He couldn¡¯t fathom hurting Joanna, let alone using such a despicable and cruel method! Moreover, he had always loved Joanna. It would be in the business realm if he had to confront her. How could he ever contemte harming her life, let alone taking it away? ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Grimm, please cease this quarrel!¡± ¡°I understand that both of you deeply care for Joann, but now is not the time for arguments.¡± ¡°At this moment, nothing is more important than Joann¡¯s recovery. Let us focus on getting her through this critical phase, and we can address any other issuester.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± They huffed, gazes locking in a standoff filled with disdain and indifference. The arrival of the doctor coincided with their presence. ¡°Doctor, how is the patient? What¡¯s her condition?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes has yet to regain consciousness. It would be best if you were mentally prepared. If she doesn¡¯t wake up within a week, there¡¯s a possibility Ms. Haynes might¡­¡± Chapter 324 ¡°No, that can¡¯t be true! Joann won¡¯t die. She absolutely won¡¯t!¡± ¡°She will wake up. I have this strong belief¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice quivered as tears welled in his eyes, unable to be contained. Upon hearing the devastating news, Bruce sank into the chair, his spirits crushed. If only Joanna coulde back to life. He would willingly release his grip, grant her freedom, and sincerely wish her happiness. ¡°Joanna¡­ Bruce closed his eyes in torment, struggling to find the right words, yet none could escape his lips. Chapter 325 Chapter 325 [The Haynes Group¡¯s chairman Joanna was seriously injured in an explosion, which is suspected to be an act of revenge!] [The police attach great importance to the explosion. A special task force has been established to investigate the ident.] [The Haynes Group¡¯s chairman has fallen into a deepa.] The explosion caused a stir in the entire Greyport. It quickly went viral on the Inte and all the netizens were discussing the incident. *Heavens! Why is someone trying to kill the Haynes Group¡¯s chairman again? Who did she offend?¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk! Her stepmother hired someone to kill her half a year ago. Now, someone tried to kill her again!¡± ¡°Who did it? It¡¯s so brutal!¡± ¡°Fortunately, the explosion happened in the morning, and no innocent people were injured.¡± ¡°I wonder who she offended. Why did that person hate her so much that he even tried to kill her?¡± ¡°She has slim chances to survive this time. I heard that she has been unconscious for a few days. To be honest, it would be a pity if she died so young.¡± ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Shaun was at home. Television and online media were full of news of the explosion in the past few days. So, he already learned about the incident. After knowing that Joanna was severely injured, he fell silent for two days. Although he hated his daughter very much, he was not happy at all after knowing that such a thing happened to her. Derick, on the other hand, was overjoyed. ¡°God is fair! That bitch deserves the punishment! ¡°God, please let her die as soon as possible! ¡°As long as she dies, the Haynes Group¡¯s shares will return to the Haynes family. We¡¯ll take our things back! ¡°God, please take that damn bitch away right now.¡± Shaun couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°No matter what, she¡¯s your sister.¡± Derick sneered. ¡°She¡¯s not my sister. She¡¯s our enemy. Dad, didn¡¯t you want her to die in the past? ¡°Justice from God! She was injured in the explosion because God could stand it anymore and punished her in this way.¡± Shaun let out a long sigh. Looking at his father¡¯s gloomy face, Derick was a little unhappy. ¡°Dad, why are you sad for her? ¡°Think about how she treated us. If it weren¡¯t for her, our family wouldn¡¯t have been down¨Cand¨Cout like this. It would be a good thing for us if she died.¡± A hint of gloat shed across Derick¡¯s eyes as he spoke. ¡°Dad, ording to thew, as her immediate family, you have the right to inherit her property after her death. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll get back what belongs to us. I can¡¯t wait for her to die! It would be great if she died right now.¡± When Shaun heard that, he shook his head with a heavy heart. At this moment, he was wrestling with himself mentally. If Joanna died, her three children were the first heirs to her property. Although he was her father, he might not be able to get anything from her inheritance. If she was alive, he could still get some benefits. At least, the Haynes family could get a dividend from the Haynes Group every year. If she really died, her inheritance would probably fall into the hands of the Everett family, then he would get nothing. Therefore, Shaun would rather Joanna was alive. He sighed and thought of himself. No one knew what would happen next. His health was poor, and he might die at any time. It was time to make a will and discuss how to distribute the property to his three children. ¡°Ryan hasn¡¯t been home for a long time. Call him and see when he¡¯sing home.¡± 1/2 N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. 12:01 Chapter 325 ¡°Okay.¡± Derick picked up the phone and was about to call Ryan. At this point, the door opened. ¡°Ryan is back.¡± The servant Fantine walked in. ¡°Ryan is back?¡± The gloom on Shaun¡¯s face was reced by an amiable smile in an instant. ¡°Yes.¡± Fantine also looked happy. While they were talking. Ryan walked in. He was wearing jeans and a casual sweater with a backpack on his shoulder. He looked like ad with a sunny disposition. ¡°Dad! Derick!¡± ¡°Ryan, you¡¯re finally back! Have you found apany for your internship?¡± Ryan smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve found it. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°What kind ofpany?¡± ¡°Gitibank. I majored in finance, so I found a bank for my internship.¡± Shaun was very happy when he heard this. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Work hard!¡± Unlike the foppish Derick, his second son was well¨Cbehaved and never let him worry. ¡°Dad, are you feeling better?¡± Ryan walked up to his father and considerately massaged his leg. Shaun was even more gratified. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Derick could not wait to announce the good news. He said excitedly. ¡°Ryan. I have good news for you!¡± ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± Ryan asked. Derick said cheerfully, ¡°Something happened to that slut Joanna. Someone nted a bomb in her car. She was seriously injured and was probably about to die!¡± ¡°Oh Ryan¡¯s eyes flickered and he didn¡¯t seem to be interested in the news. Derick frowned at his indifferent reaction. ¡°Are you not happy?¡± Ryan sneered. ¡°Whether she dies or not has nothing to do with our family.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? If it weren¡¯t for her. Mom wouldn¡¯t have gone to jail and our sister wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much. It¡¯s all because of her that our family has be like this! ¡°Even if she dies 100 times, it doesn¡¯t make us hate her any less!¡± Derick said through gritted teeth. ¡°Thank God, she got what she deserved! I really want to thank the person who nted the bomb in her car. But that damned bitch is so lucky that she didn¡¯t die instantly when the bomb went off. What a pity!¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes turned gloomy when he heard that. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going back to my room Shaun couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Ryan, what are you busy with all day long? Why are you so secretive and don¡¯t evene home?¡± Ryan answered perfunctorily, ¡°I¡¯m busy with graduation stuff. I¡¯m about to graduate, so I need to prepare my thesis and my graduation exams. I¡¯ve been quite busy recently.¡± ¡°Oh. Go ahead then.¡± ¡°Okay. After saying that, Ryan went upstairs. Now that his son was busy, Shaun did not have a chance to talk about dividing up the family assets. ¡°Dad. I¡¯m going back to the office,¡± Derick said. Shaun stopped him and said in a deep voice, ¡°I want to see that rebel. How about you go with me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Derick looked at him in disbelief, thinking that he must be hearing things. ¡°I said I would go to the hospital to see Joanna. No matter what, she¡¯s my daughter! I should go take a look after such a terrible thing happened to her ¡°Dad, she doesn¡¯t deserve your attention.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been in the hospital for three days. It¡¯s only right that I go and see her.¡± Chapter 325 ¡°Humph! Such kind of person deserves to diel ¡°I¡¯m not going with you. Dad, you shouldn¡¯t see her either. She has cut off her rtionship with you, so she¡¯s no longer your daughter. Besides, it¡¯s good for our family if she dies.¡± Shaun sighed lightly. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead if you want to see her. But I won¡¯t go with you.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t go visit her, how can we fight for her inheritance after her death? But her three children are first in line for heredity. That¡¯s a little bit tricky.¡± ¡°Anyway, the death of that bitch is good news.¡± After two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the maid wheeled Shaun into Greyport Hospital. A whileter, they arrived at the door of the intensive care unit. Themps over their heads glowed pale white, making everyone¡¯s face look gloomy. Bruce was sitting in a chair on the left side of the corridor, while Jaydon was on the right side. Their bodyguards and assistants were standing on both sides of the corridor. Although there were many people, they stood in a line on the two sides, as serious as soldiers on guard. Those who didn¡¯t know would think that they were guarding some big shot. ¡°Mr. Haynes is here!¡± The nurse led Shaun over. After a quick nce at Shaun, Bruce and Jaydon retracted their gazes at the same time. Shaun who was sitting in the wheelchair felt a little uneasy. ¡°L.. I¡¯m here to take a look at Joann.¡± The corridor fell silent. No one wanted to talk to him, let alone tell him about Joanna¡¯s current situation. Jaydon just ignored him. Shaun treated Joanna so badly that he almost drove her up the wall. Such a father was not worthy of others¡® respect. Bruce did not talk to him either. His former respect for Shaun had been reced by contempt and disgust now. Shaun was even more embarrassed. ¡°How¡¯s Joann?¡± he asked. Bruce and Jaydon pretended not to hear him. It was rare for them to keep a synchronized reaction. Now that the two of them did not speak, the others did not dare to talk to Shaun either. Everyone knew Shaun¡¯s attitude towards Joanna. They didn¡¯t think he was here to see Joanna because he cared about her. It was very likely he was up to no good. Chapter 326 Chapter 326 Shaun could only ask the nurse. ¡°Miss, how is the patient? When will she wake up?¡± The nurse paused for a while before she answered politely, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. The patient is still in the intensive care unit.¡± ¡°What are her chances of waking up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say at the moment. You may ask the doctor.¡± ¡°Oh. Then please take good care of her.¡± Shaun didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Mr. Haynes, don¡¯t worry. We will do our best.¡± Now that the hospital was run by Bruce, the doctors and nurses would do their best to treat and take care of Joanna of course. What¡¯s more, Bruce was personally watching outside the intensive care unit. No one would dare to make the slightest. mistake. Shaun sighed andpressed his lips, forcing back the words that sprang to his lips. It would be useless no matter what he said now. No one weed him here, so he was too embarrassed to stay any longer. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back. Let me know if there¡¯s any news.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The maid wheeled Shaun out of the hospital. Bruce turned to Jaydon. The more he looked at him, the angrier he became. ¡°Someone may leave too. There¡¯s no need for him to stay here.¡± Jaydon heard his every word clearly. He was not someone who could swallow humiliation. Like a volcano erupting suddenly, he lost his temper and roared, ¡°You¡¯re the one who should go back! I¡¯m Joann¡¯s fiance. It¡¯s only right for me to stay here to wait for her to wake up!¡± Bruce frowned coldly. ¡°Hmph! Joanna is the mother of my children. The children are the fruit of our love. Who do you think you are?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be arrogant!¡± Bruce suddenly stood up. ¡°Jaydon, it¡¯s all your fault! ¡°If you were not crippled, I would have killed you with a punch! ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, Joanna wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. If it weren¡¯t for you, such a thing wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡± Indeed, if Jaydon hadn¡¯te between them, he would not be jealous and even lose his temper at Joanna. If he hadn¡¯t kicked Joanna out of the Everett family¡¯s house, she would not have encountered such a catastrophe. Therefore, in Bruce¡¯s mind, Jaydon should be med for all this. He indirectly caused Joanna¡¯s injury. Jaydon was infuriated by his irrationality. ¡°Bruce, you are the one who caused Joann to end up like this! ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, Joann and I would have gotten married long ago! You¡¯re the one who destroyed her life. You deserve to die!¡± Miranda grew sense when she saw the two of them about to argue again. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Grimm, we¡¯re in the hospital now. Stop arguing! ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯ve been here for three days. Why don¡¯t you go back to rest for a while? ¡°We¡¯ll take care of everything here. Bruce¡¯s temper was explosive, so Miranda wanted him to leave first. ¡°I won¡¯t leave until Joanna wakes up!¡± Bruce replied coldly. When Miranda heard this, she did not dare to persuade him anymore. Andy frowned at the side. Mr. Everett had been out of the office for three days in a row. He could tell thepany must have suffered a great loss. However, he knew his boss well and didn¡¯t dare to say anything. ¡°Beep! Beep! Beep!¡± Chapter 326 At this point, Andy¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone and saw an unfamiliar number from abroad. ¡°Mr. Everett. I¡¯m going out to answer the call.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Andy took the phone and walked out of the corridor. ¡°Hello!¡± An unfamiliar woman¡¯s voice rang out on the other end of the line. She asked in Antlenish, ¡°Hello, it¡¯s Martha!¡± After freezing for a while, Andy unwittingly looked back at the corridor. Why would Princess Martha call him? Princess Martha said disappointedly. ¡°I called Bruce, but he didn¡¯t answer.¡± ¡°Miss Martha, how did you get my phone number?¡± ¡°I called the front desk of yourpany and got your number from the receptionist.¡± ¡°Oh, I see! What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Are you with Bruce? What happened to him? Why has he never answered my calls?¡± ¡°Well, wait a minute.¡± Andy covered the phone, hurried to Bruce, and whispered, ¡°Mr. Everett, Princess Martha wants to talk to you.¡± Bruce frowned. For the past three days, he had been so anxious that he did not have the mood to answer anyone¡¯s calls. He didn¡¯t expect Princess Martha to find Andy¡¯s phone number. ¡°Hey, Martha!¡± Princess Martha¡¯s aggrieved cries came from the other end of the line. ¡°Bruce, why didn¡¯t you answer the call? ¡°Do you know how much I¡¯m worried about you? Why don¡¯t you get in touch with me? Why?¡± ¡°Martha, I¡¯m in trouble.¡± ¡°Bruce, you promised that you woulde to Novlis to see my father. I¡¯ve told my father about it. How can you go back on your word? ¡°Bruce, do you really care about our marriage?¡± Bruce said in a low voice, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. ¡°Martha, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your apology. I just want a promise from you.¡± ¡°Martha, I¡¯m really sorry. I might not be able to go to Novlis.¡± Princess Martha was shocked. ¡°Why?¡± After a short silence, Bruce braced himself and said, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to get married now.¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to marry me?¡± ¡°Yes, I have no ns to get married for the time being.¡± Princess Martha fell silent. She did not expect Bruce to be reluctant to marry her. She thought that Bruce would be overjoyed to marry her. After all, she was a real princess. Every man dreamed of marrying a princess. ¡°Bruce, are you serious? ¡°Answer me!¡± Princess Martha cried bitterly. ¡°Oh my god! I¡¯m so heartbroken. I won¡¯t ept it! Are you breaking up with me?¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m okay with it if you want to break up with me.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t break up with you! I love you. I really love you. Bruce, we¡¯re very happy together, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry!¡± ¡°Bruce, did I do something wrong? You can tell me. I¡¯m willing to change for you.¡± Bruce said solemnly in a hoarse voice, ¡°Martha, our rtionship is developing too quickly. I think we both should calm down Chapter 326 ¡°Let¡¯s calm down for a while.¡± Princess Martha instantly lost her mind. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I want. I want to see you. I want to see you right now.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve got something else to attend to, gotta hang up!¡± ¡°Brucel Bruce¡­¡± Princess Martha called out to him a few times between sobs. However, Bruce had already hung up. ¡°How could you abandon me? You bastard! I won¡¯t break up with you. I¡¯m going to see you!¡± Princess Martha thought angrily. She had been in love several times, but she was the one who duinped the other party every time. This was the first time she had been tricked. Andy looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± ¡°If she calls again, don¡¯t answer!¡± ¡°Well, okay!¡± As they were talking, the doctor came over. Bruce and Jaydon asked anxiously at the same time, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Joann?¡± ¡°Can we go in and see her now?¡± The doctor frowned. ¡°Yes, but only one person can go in.¡± ¡°Let me in! I¡¯m her fianc¨¦!¡± ¡°Get out of here. Jaydon, if you dare to mess with me again, I won¡¯t show mercy!¡± The two of them began to quarrel bitterly. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Grimm, why don¡¯t you discuss it first?¡± ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have the qualification to see Joann!¡± ¡°Jaydon, what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m her fianc¨¦!¡± ¡°I¡¯m her ex¨Chusband. Have you ever been married to her? Do you know her well? Do you have children with her?¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Stop him!¡± A short whileter, Bruce changed into a surgical gown and followed the doctor into the intensive care unit. Jaydon was not good at arguing and it was inconvenient for him to move, so he could do nothing when Bruce entered the ward and see Joanna earlier than he did. Joanna was still in aa. She had a lot of wounds on her body, some of them so deep that Bruce could see her bones. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t lose any part of her body in the explosion. Seeing Joanna like this, Bruce felt a twinge in his heart and tears welled up. Joanna, you must wake up! ¡°Our children are waiting for you at home. They can¡¯t live without you. Do you hear me? Do you hear me? ¡°You love them the most, right? As long as you wake up, I¡¯m willing to return them to you. ¡°Joanna,e on, wake up!¡± Bruce slowly grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand Chapter 327 Chapter 327 Bruce could not hold back his tears anymore. Sometimes, death came all of a sudden. In the face of it, people didn¡¯t care about the things they used to care about very much. If he could turn back time, Bruce would definitely cherish Joanna¡¯s love for him, and would not allow their rtionship to end up like this. ¡°Joanna, do you know how much I love you? I admit that I¡¯m not a good man. ¡°I¡¯m a jerk. I¡¯ve done a lot of things that hurt you. I know I deserve to die and that many people want me to die. ¡°I¡¯m really willing to die if you can wake up. But why have you never believed me? Why don¡¯t you believe that I love you?¡± Joanna had never believed that Bruce would really love her. Therefore, no matter what he did, she refused to ept his love. She also refused to open her heart to him and let him enter her world again. Joannay on the sickbed without moving. There was a deep wound on the back of her head from the ss shards, and her head was wrapped in a thickyer of gauze. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After Bruce stayed in the intensive care unit for 10 minutes, the doctor came in. ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient needs a quiet environment. You¡¯d better not be here for too long. ¡°Got it. Bruce took a deep breath and struggled to calm himself down before he left the intensive care unit with a gloomy face. When Jaydon saw hime out, a murderous look shed across his eyes. ¡°Bruce is so annoying. He must have been sent by God to punish me!¡± he thought angrily. No matter how outstanding Jaydon was, Bruce could always find a way to suppress him. Jaydon hated this man, but he just did not know how to deal with him. Overwhelmed by jealousy and frustration, he was not in the mood to keep his gentlemanly demeanor. Seeing Bruce walk out of the ward, Andy immediately handed the phone to him. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s the butler!¡± When Bruce heard this, he immediately took the phone. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the line, the butler Gael said in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Everett, Lilia was very worried about you and had been asking me to call you. So, I could only make a phone call.¡± ¡°Give the phone to Lilia.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Gael immediately handed the phone to Lilia. Lilia took the phone and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve been out for a long time. Why don¡¯t you come back?¡± Bruce paused, not knowing how tofort his daughter. ¡°Well, Dad is busy.¡± Lilia said aggrievedly, ¡°Dad, are you on a business trip? When are youing back? I miss you so much!¡± ¡°I have something to deal with and can¡¯t go home for the time being.¡± ¡°Hmph! Dad, you must have gone to see that beautifuldy again! You don¡¯t want me anymore.¡± ¡°You silly girl. How could not want you? Dad loves you the most.¡± Indeed,pared to the two naughty boys, Bruce loved his daughter the most. ¡°Dad, why didn¡¯t Mome to see us or call us?¡± In the past, although Joanna could not go to see the children every week, she would call them every day no matter how busy she was. She had not called the children for four days since the ident. When Bruce heard this, tears sprang to his eyes again. ¡°Lilia, be good at home. ¡°Dad will go home tonight to apany you.¡± ¡°Qkay!¡± ¡°Gotta hang up. ¡°Okay. Bye. Dad.¡± After saying that, Lilia kissed the phone. Bruce¡¯s heart ached even more. He had left the children at home for four days and never called them during this period. No matter what, he would go back and apany them today. Chapter 327 Davian and Irvin returned from kindergarten at 3:00 p.m. The two kids entered the room with sullen faces as if they had something on their minds. Lilia was sitting in a special automatic wheelchair. She pressed the button on the remote to make the wheelchair quickly move toward her brothers. ¡°Davian, Irvin, you guys are back!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Seeing them in low spirits, Lilia asked with concern, ¡°You don¡¯t look happy. What happened?¡± Davian didn¡¯t answer. He had a solemn look on his chubby face, looking quite cool. Irvin said worriedly, ¡°We heard bad news in kindergarten today!¡± ¡°Bad news?¡± ¡°I heard that there was an explosion in Greenwick Residential Complex, and someone was seriously injured. The person who was injured seems to be the Haynes Group¡¯s chairman.¡± Lilia covered her mouth in shock when she heard the terrible news. ¡°The Haynes Group¡¯s chairman? Isn¡¯t that Mom? ¡°Mom has never called us in the past four days. Could the person who was injured in the explosion really be her?¡± Davian frowned and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hurry up and call Mom!¡± ¡°I tried, but no one answered. I can¡¯t get through to Miranda and Miss Kelly either.¡± ¡°What should we do then? ¡°Why don¡¯t we call Dad to ask about it?¡± When Irvin heard that, he shook his head vigorously. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t dare to call him. Dad has an explosive temper. If I said something wrong, he would definitelysh out at me.¡± ¡°Dad said he would be back tonight. We¡¯ll ask him when he¡¯s back.¡± Bruce came back exhausted at 6:00 p.m. He had not been home for three days. If his daughter hadn¡¯t called him today, he would be waiting at the hospital at this point. In the living room, the three kids were waiting for him on the sofa side by side. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce replied in a muffled voice. His gloomy face made him look sad and weary. The kids all looked at him solemnly. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Bruce took off his coat and handed it to the servant. When he saw the children¡¯s strange expressions, he could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so upset?¡± Davian immediately said, ¡°Dad, I heard that something happened to Mom. Is that true?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who told you that?¡± After the ident, he reminded the butler not to tell the children about what happened to Joanna. Therefore, no one dared to talk about this in front of the children. Davian and Irvin had only found out that something might have happened to their mother when they heard their ssmates talk about it in kindergarten. Davian asked anxiously, ¡°Dad, is that true?¡± Lilia and Irvin also looked at Bruce worriedly. Bruce hesitated for a few seconds before he answered, ¡°Yes, something happened. But don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not serious and your mom will be fine soon.¡± ¡°Dad, you¡¯re lying!¡± Davian shouted like an angry cat. ¡°There was an explosion in Greenwick Residential Complex. Something terrible happened to Mom. Why are you trying to hide it from us? How is Mom now? We want to go to the hospital to see her!¡± Davian began to cry as he spoke. ¡°Baby!¡± Bruce felt a twinge in his heart. ¡°Dad, please take us to the hospital. We want to see Mom.¡± Irvin also cried. Bruce¡¯s eyebrows furrowed even tighter. He said, still trying to hide the truth from the kids, ¡°Your mom is fine. Her injury is not serious. Chapter 327 ¡°I promise I will take you to see her when she gets better.¡± Davian pleaded with him between sobs, ¡°No! Dad, I¡¯m begging you. Take us to see Mom now. ¡°Mom is injured. She definitely needs us. She will recover faster if she has us around. We must go to the hospital to apany her. ¡°Dad, if you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll take a taxi to the hospital!¡± With that. Davian walked out in a huff. ¡°Come back!¡± Bruce grabbed Davian by the cor and lifted him up. Davian¡¯s personality was the most simr to his. He struggled with all his might like an unruly little lion, trying to break free from his father¡¯s grip. Bruce was in a bad mood. Seeing that Davian was making a scene, he grew even angrier. He immediately held Davian down and pped him on the butt. ¡°How dare you!¡± ¡°Let go of me! I¡¯m going to see Mom! You baddie! I hate you!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. He pped the kid twice again. This father and son were both extremely stubborn. Bruce wouldn¡¯t stop pping his son until he cried, while Davian struggled to hold back his tears no matter how hard his father spanked him. Davian was unconvinced and shouted even louder after being spanked. But someone as domineering as Bruce wouldn¡¯t give in to a child. He raised his hand and spanked Davian twice more. Chapter 328 Chapter 328 ¡°You bad man! I hate you. You¡¯re not my dad. I want Mom!¡± ¡°Be good! Or you¡¯ll get more punishment!¡± Lilia was terrified and kept pleading for her brother, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t hit Davian anymore. Boohoo¡­¡­..¡± Davian,e on, apologize to Dad. Say that you won¡¯t do it again!¡± Irvin was timid but smart. If he were Davian, he would apologize right away to avoid getting hit. He was terrified to see his brother being beaten up by their father. ¡°Hurry up and tell Dad that you know your mistake!¡± Davian was stubborn. Even though his butt hurt, he refused to give in. ¡°You want me to apologize to this baddie? No way!¡± Bruce was so angry that he spanked the boy again. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t hit Davian anymore! I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t hit him anymore.¡± Gael couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and tried to stop Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t hit Davian anymore. You¡¯re strong. What if you injured him by ident?¡± ¡°Do you know your mistake?¡± Bruce spanked Davian twice more. The boy was still so young, yet he already dared to challenge his father. What would happen when he grew up? Bruce did not approve of the use of violence to discipline children, but the kid would not listen to him if he tried to reason with him. What¡¯s more, he had a hard time controlling himself when he was in a rage. ¡°Thump!¡± Lilia fell from the wheelchair. She burst into tears the moment her head banged on the floor. Bruce¡¯s heart ached when he saw that. He hurriedly let go of Davian and rushed up to his daughter. ¡°Lilia! Sweetie, are you alright?¡± Bruce held his daughter in his arms andforted her gently. ¡°Boohoo!¡± ¡°Come on, show me where you got hit.¡± Bruce took a close look and saw Lilia¡¯s forehead gradually swell up. It made his heart ache even more. He hurriedly stroked her forehead and blew on it. ¡°Good girl, does it hurt? Dad will massage it for you.¡± Lilia looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. ¡°Dad, can you stop hitting Davian?¡± Davian felt a twinge in his heart when he saw his sister fall. He walked up to check on her as well. ¡°Lilia, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Davian didn¡¯t cry after having been spanked so many times. However, when he saw his sister deliberately fall out of the wheelchair to help him out and even get such a huge bump on her forehead, he couldn¡¯t hold back his tears anymore. ¡°Lilia, it¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t protect you well.¡± ¡°No, I identally fell down.¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Looking at the three crying children, Bruce felt even worse. Joanna was their mother. If she died, no one could rece her in their heart. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t cry. As long as you listen to me, I will take you to see Mom¡± When the three children heard this, they quickly stopped crying. ¡°We promise we¡¯ll be good. We¡¯re very worried about Mom and want to go to the hospital to see her now.¡± ¡°You have to listen to me when we get to the hospital. Did you hear me?¡± ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry, Dad. We¡¯ll be good!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°Then go have dinner now. Go to bed early after you are done eating ¡°It¡¯s toote today. I will take you to the hospital tomorrow morning.¡± Chapter 328 ¡°Alright.¡± The kids did not dare to cry anymore and went to eat as they were told. After Bruce left. Jaydon finally had the chance to see Joanna in the intensive care unit. ¡°Joann, when will you wake up?¡± Jaydon held her hand tightly, heartbroken. He didn¡¯t know why, but it seemed to be especially hard if he wanted to be with Joanna. So much had happened since they met. ¡°Joann, you¡¯ve always encouraged me before. Now, it¡¯s my turn to encourage you. ¡°Promise me that you will wake up. We have to be strong!¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. As Jaydon spoke, he gently caressed Joanna¡¯s pale face, tears streaming down his face and dripping onto the back of her hand. Joanna¡¯s eyshes fluttered slightly, tears rolling down from the corners of her eyes. She could hear what Jaydon and Bruce said to her. But she just couldn¡¯t open her eyes. It was as if she was possessed by a nightmare. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn¡¯t wake up. When Jaydon saw the tears in the corners of Joanna¡¯s eyes, his chest tightened. He leaned close to her ear and continued, Joann, you can hear me, right? ¡°Joann, you¡¯ve regained your consciousness, right?¡± More tears rolled down from the corners of Joanna¡¯s eyes, but she still did not wake up. ¡°Joann, you must be strong. You must wake up! ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you promised me. You said you would marry me when my legs recovered. ¡°Joann, you can¡¯t break your promise! ¡°Wake up. I¡¯m begging you!¡± Jaydon became more and more agitated as he spoke. The doctor was in the monitoring room. When he saw Joanna¡¯s abnormal heart rate, he hurried to the intensive care unit. ¡°Mr. Grimm, please get out now!¡± ¡°Doctor, she¡¯s crying. She can hear me. She has regained her consciousness!¡± Seeing that he was so agitated, the doctor said, ¡°Mr. Grimm, calm down. ¡°The patient is still recovering. You will impact her nervous system¡¯s self¨Crecovery if you keep her too emotional. There¡¯s coagted blood in her brain, and it takes time for it to be absorbed. ¡°This is a critical moment for the patient¡¯s recovery. Don¡¯t make her have emotional fluctuation. Otherwise, it will be bad for the absorption of the clot.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he immediately apologized. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I was just too excited.¡± ¡°You may leave and wait outside.¡± ¡°Joann, you¡¯ve already slept for so long. Wake up quickly. I¡¯m waiting for you outside.¡± Jaydon was pushed out of the intensive care unit. Just as he left the ward, he received a call from Tim. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Jay, I heard you came back from Gaprington!¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Something happened to Joann. I came back to apany her.¡± Tim fell silent after hearing this. This son was like him, but not in every aspect. He was as gentle and affectionate as him but not as cold and fickle as him. Tim loved every woman he saw, and it was impossible for him to be loyal to only one woman. Chapter 328 ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hanging up if you don¡¯t have anything else.¡± ¡°Okay. Call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Bruce brought the three kids to the hospital at eight o¡¯clock the next morning. ¡°Mom, we¡¯re here to see you.¡± ¡°Shh! Keep it down.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is Mom still sleeping?¡± The kids stood outside and looked at their mother through the ss window. They could not help but cry. Lilia asked as she cried in Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°Dad, will Mom die?¡± ¡°Good girl. Your mom won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°When will she recover?¡± ¡°Well, she will be fine soon.¡± Bruce felt extremely upset. The children were still young, so he could only comfort them this way. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m Davian. Open your eyes and look at me.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m Irvin. I promise I won¡¯t cause trouble again and I¡¯ll be good in the future. Wake up, please!¡± ¡°Stop crying. Mom will definitely wake up.¡± ¡°Who caused Mom to be like this? ¡°If I get that baddie, I won¡¯t let him off!¡± Davian said as he clenched his fists tightly. Bruce frowned when he heard this. For the past few days, he had been worried about Joanna¡¯s injuries and had not put in any effort to look for the murderer. ¡°Andy, how¡¯s the investigation going?¡± ¡°The traffic recorder doesn¡¯t work and the data inside has been erased. I¡¯m asking the technical personnel to restore it. ¡°So, we haven¡¯t found any clue yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all useless! You can¡¯t even handle such an easy job!¡± Andy lowered his head, not daring to speak. The data in the traffic recorder had been deliberately erased. Even the monitoring system around the repair shop had been destroyed by hackers. The murderer was quite powerful. Not only was he good at chemistry, but he was also proficient in hacking! It didn¡¯t look like one person who did it. It might even be a terrorist group. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a week to find out!¡± ¡°Got it. Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and look into it!¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Andy replied and quickly walked out. Irvin was by his father¡¯s side and overheard the conversation between them. ¡°Davian, you know how to restore the surveince data, right? Please do your best to restore it. We must find that bad guy!¡± When Davian heard this, he wiped tears off his face. ¡°Irvin, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely find the bad guy who tried to kill Mom!¡± Chapter 329 Chapter 329 ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve already seen Mom. Hurry up and go home.. ¡°Lilian, take the kids home.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not leaving. We want to stay with Mom.¡± Bruce put on a serious look, saying, ¡°No, you can¡¯t stay here because it will affect your mom¡¯s recovery. Go home right now. I promise I will bring you to see Mom again when she wakes up.¡± Irvin tugged at Davian¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°Davian, let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll go back and investigate the bad guy who hurt Mom.¡± Davian nodded hard when he heard this. ¡°Bye, Mom!¡± As soon as Davian and Irvin returned to Sherane Bay Vi, they immediately went to theputer room. Davian turned on theputer and started hacking. Irvin kept an eye out for anyone approaching the room and helped his brother when he was in need. ¡°Davian, will it be very difficult to restore the data?¡± Davian stared at theputer screen, saying, ¡°No matter how difficult it is, I will restore the data to find the murderer and avenge Mom.¡± ¡°Davian, you can do it!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With a solemn expression on Davian¡¯s chubby face, he looked intently at theputer screen and quickly typed on the keyboard. A short whileter, he broke through the firewall and hacked into the city¡¯s surveince data system. Davian checked the surveince clips of the street near the car¨Crepairing shop. No one had ever driven Joanna¡¯s car after it was repaired. So the murderer was very likely to nt the bomb in the repair shop. Unfortunately, the surveince data of the street had been erased. Even if they were sure that the murderer had nted the bomb in the car when it was assembled in the repair shop, they would not be able to find out who did it. If they wanted to find some clues, they had to restore all the data. Davian was working on it. But as the workload was huge, there was no way he could restore all the data in one or two days. Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Joanna had been lying in the intensive care unit for nine days, and the clot in her cerebral cortex had almost beenpletely absorbed. However, she was still in aa. It was Joanna¡¯s ninth day in the hospital. Bruce¡¯s phone rang crazily again. Princess Martha called him countless times, but he never answered. She then bombed him with messages. [Bruce, I¡¯m at Greyport airport now. I want you to pick me up. If you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll jump down from the building at the airport.] Princess Martha¡¯s message made Bruce extremely upset. He hated it the most when women threatened him with their lives. Roxanne did so in the past, and now it was Princess Martha. [Martha, I told you that I was not free for the time being. Come on, go back to Novlis first.] [No! I waru to see you now! If you don¡¯te to see me, you know what will happen!] Bruce could tell from Martha¡¯s voice message that she was very emotional now. [Martha, don¡¯t be rash!] [Bruce,e quickly. I don¡¯t have any money on me, and my phone is almost out of battery. I¡¯ll give you half an hour. If you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll jump off the roof of the airport building!] Bruce cursed angrily, ¡°Women are really troublesome!¡± He then turned to Andy and said, ¡°Andy, stay here and keep a close eye on Joanna.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce stood at the entrance of the intensive care unit and looked at Joanna solemnly. Chapter 329 Joanna, you have to hold on. I have something to deal with and will be back soon.¡± Jaydon who was watching from the side could not help but mock him. ¡°Hurry up and go ahead with your business! Joann doesn¡¯t need you to be here!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce shot Jaydon a cold re, not wanting to waste his time arguing with him. After Bruce left, a care worker hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Grimm, you¡¯ve been waiting here for a long time. ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­. go back and rest. I¡¯ll call you when Ms. Haynes wakes up.¡± Another care worker quickly added, ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Grimm, you¡¯ve been in the hospital for a whole week. ¡°Your body will break down if you continue like this. You should go back to rest and change your clothes.¡± The care workers and bodyguards all felt exhausted. Jaydon had been in the hospital for a whole week. Since he was here, his bodyguards and assistants didn¡¯t dare to leave. As they couldn¡¯t eat or sleep well in the past week, they were on the verge of copse. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Guys, go back and take some rest.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, we will stay here to keep youpany.¡± ww ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I can take care of everything here. You guys go back and rest for a day. Then, switch to two shifts and take turns toe to the hospital to take care of Joann.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Grimm!¡± The care workers and bodyguards were so grateful that they almost burst into crying. Jaydon only kept one care worker here and let the rest go home to rest. ¡°Joann, I want to be the first person you see when you wake up.¡± Jaydon insisted on waiting outside the intensive care unit. Bruce rushed to the airport. Princess Martha was sitting alone on the bench at the airport without any luggage. ¡°Martha!¡± Bruce called out in a deep voice. Princess Martha was overjoyed to see him. She immediately ran over and threw herself into his arms. ¡°Bruce, I knew you woulde. I knew you still loved me!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Martha, why are you doing this? Go home now. I¡¯ll go meet you after I¡¯m done with my business.¡± Martha no longer believed him. She shook her head vigorously and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving! ¡°Bruce, I love you, I want to marry you! Without you, I feel like life is meaningless. I will die without you!¡± With that, Princess Martha began to cry. Bruce felt so helpless. He warily looked around, afraid that the media would take photos of them. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you to the hotel first.¡± When Princess Martha heard that, she sniffled and followed him out. ¡°Click! Click! Click!¡± Not far away, a few paparazzi captured the scene with their cameras. What Bruce was worried happened. The next day, photos of Princess Martha and him hugging at the airport were posted online. This instantly caused a global sensation. In less than 24 hours, even theizens abroad began to discuss it. [Mr. Everett and the princess of Novlis are secretly dating and were seen hugging at Greyport Airport!] [The princess of Novlis went to Greyport. Mr. Everett is very likely to be her husband.) [Mr. Everett¡¯s romance with Princess Martha shocked the world!!] Because of Princess Martha¡¯s special identity, the news shocked the entire Greyport and even the chief governor paid attention to it. If Bruce really married Princess Martha, that would be Greyport¡¯s honor! Greyport¡¯s politicians were also looking forward to the princess marrying someone from Greyport. Bruce was now in his office. The news gave him a headache. ¡°Mark, bury the news immediately.¡± Chapter 329 Mark seemed to be in a dilemma. ¡°Mr. Everett, even the chief governor is paying great attention to it. There¡¯s no way we can bury the news.¡± Darcy added. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is good news! Martha is a real princess. Mr. Everett, if you marry her, you¡¯re bringing glory to the country! ¡°It¡¯s an international honor to be able to marry someone from Novlis¡® royal family.¡± When Bruce heard this, he grew even more upset. He was only with Princess Martha for the novelty. Now that the novelty was gone, he realized that he could not fall in love with her at all. What¡¯s more, such a terrible thing had just happened to Joanna and she was still in aa after being in the hospital for so long. How could he be in the mood to get married? Bruce left his office and was about to go to the hospital to see Joanna. Unexpectedly, just as he walked out of the Everett Group¡¯s office building, arge group of reporters rushed toward him. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you dating Princess Martha?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, how far has you two¡¯s rtionship developed? Come on, please say something.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The bodyguards quickly stopped the reporters. ¡°Mr. Everett will not ept interviews!¡± ¡°ording to reliable information from customs, Princess Martha is indeed in Greyport. Is she at the Everett family¡¯s house? Are you living together?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Stop asking such stupid questions!¡± However, the reporters didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Mr. Everett,e on, say something!¡± ¡°Get out of the way! Get out of the way, all of you!¡± The bodyguards stood around Bruce to prevent the reporters from approaching him again. Bruce got into the car and drove away quickly. After Bruce and Princess Martha¡¯s romantic rtionship was exposed, politicians from different departments attached great importance to the news and all called Bruce to make sure it was true. Other than that, they even encouraged him to make his rtionship with Princess Martha a step further. This made Bruce extremely depressed. He had no intention of marrying Princess Martha at all. Now, even the chief governor had personally called him to ask about it. Chapter 330 Chapter 330 Now, even if Bruce wanted to deny it, no one would believe him. Half an hourter, he arrived at the hospital. Seeing that Bruce was here again, Jaydon frowned with disgust. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing here?¡± Bruce immediately shot back, ¡°I own the hospital. I cane whenever I want. Why should I exin to you?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath. He had also seen the news. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be too greedy. You already started a new rtionship. and the girl is a princess. You should focus on your new rtionship.¡± ¡°Jaydon, shut the fuck up! I don¡¯t need you to tell me what to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better stop pestering Joann. A womanizer like you is not worthy of her at all.¡± Bruce sneered and retorted, ¡°Did I hear wrongly? You¡¯re calling me a womanizer? ¡°I don¡¯t have so many women as you do!¡± Jaydon sneered. ¡°That¡¯s all in the past! If Joann marries me, I¡¯ll only love her for the rest of my life. I¡¯m willing to give up everything for her. Can you do it? ¡°If you really love Joann, you wouldn¡¯t be entangled with Princess Martha! At the end of the day, the person you love the most is yourself!¡± When Bruce heard this, his face turned ashen and his chest heaved violently. If it was in the past, he would have beaten Jaydon up. He didn¡¯t know why, but this year, his temper became less explosive and he was much more tolerant than before. It was probably because people became mature when they were about 30 years old and their temper would turn milder ordingly. He would shudder when he asionally thought of what he had done and how unruly he had been before When the two were arguing, a doctor in a white gown and mask walked over followed by four serious¨Clooking nurses. The doctor nced at the two of them and warned them sternly, ¡°You¡¯re in the hospital now. Please don¡¯t make too much noise. It will affect the patients.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce and Jaydon looked at each other with disdain. ¡°Doctor, when will Joanna wake up?¡± ¡°If she continues to sleep like this, will she be a vegetable?¡± The doctor replied with a serious expression. ¡°The patient is in critical condition and needs to undergo emergency surgery. ¡°Calm down. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± Bruce and Jaydon were both stunned. The doctor seemed to be a little strange. Without saying anything else, he walked into the intensive care unit with the nurses. A short whileter, they wheeled Joanna out. Jaydon asked nervously. ¡°Doctor, where are you going to do the surgery? ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about the surgery before.¡± ¡°We observed in the monitoring room and found there was something wrong with the patient¡¯s heart. We have to operate on her immediately.¡± ¡°We¡¯re taking the patient to the operation room. Please get out of the way.¡± As they spoke, the nurses wheeled Joanna to the other end of the corridor. Bruce unwittingly wanted to go with them, but the doctor immediately warned him, ¡°Don¡¯te with us. It¡¯ll affect my performance in the surgery.¡± Bruce was even more suspicious. ¡°Seems like something is wrong! ¡°Isn¡¯t Mr. Carter Joann¡¯s attending doctor? Who is this doctor?¡± It was rare for Jaydon to speak to Bruce calmly, ¡°Andy, go to Mr. Carter¡¯s office and have a look immediately!¡± 1/4 Chapter 330 ¡°Okay.¡± Andy hurried to the doctor¡¯s oflice. In less than a minute, he hurried back. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news! Mr. Carter was knocked out!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even the nurses on duty were knocked unconscious!¡± ¡°Oh no! That man who spoke to us just now is not a doctor!¡± ¡°Go get him! Hurry up!¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he took the lead to run in the direction the doctor had just left. Jaydon who was sitting in the wheelchair was burned with anxiety. His legs couldn¡¯t move now, so there was no way he could catch up with those people. A bunch of bodyguards also swarmed toward the end of the corridor. At this point, the four fake nurses were about to wheel Joanna into the elevator. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Bruce shouted. ¡°Bam! Bam Bam¡­¡± Seeing that they had been found out, two ¡°nurses¡± immediately took out their pistols and fired a few shots at the bodyguards. The leading bodyguard was hit and fell to the floor. Bruce was also shocked. Joanna was still lying on the wheeled stretcher. Under the violent impact, she suddenly opened her eyes as if she had been woken up from her sleep with a start. Her head still buzzed and everything in front of her was blurry to her, but she knew what had just happened. When the doctor with the mask saw that she had woken up, he immediately turned around and shot her. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She rolled down from the wheeled stretcher with all her might. ¡°Thump!¡± She fell to the floor. The shot missed. The fake doctor¡¯s face darkened. Just as he was about to fire a second shot, Bruce and the bodyguards rushed over. The bodyguards took out their stun guns and pulled the triggers, aiming at the gangsters. Seeing that two fake nurses were knocked out by the electric current, the fake doctor turned to run away. ¡°Joanna! Joanna¡­¡± Bruce pounced over to check on Joanna. Joanna gasped and opened her eyes, still feeling lingering horror. ¡°Cough! Cough! Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re finally awake! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, he¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Hurry up and catch up with him!¡± With that, Bruce turned to Joanna again. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here. He hugged Joanna tightly as he spoke. Then, he lifted her off the floor. ¡°Doctor! Dogfor! Joanna is awake!¡± The doctor and security guards on duty all came over. ¡°The patient is awake. Hurry up and transfer her to another hospital.¡± ¡°Joann! Joann!¡± Jaydon was burned with anxiety. He really wanted to rush over to snatch Joanna from Bruce¡¯s arms. Unfortunately, he could only watch her being carried away by that man. ¡°Doctor, arrange for an ambnce at once and transfer Joanna to St Mary¡¯s!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Alright, Bruce carried Joanna into the ambnce. The apanying doctors and nurses quickly put an oxygen mask on Joanna and started her on a drip. The ambnce whizzed towards St Mary¡¯s with a roar. Chapter 330 The media immediately reported the incident. There was a shooting in Greyport Hospital today. Two criminals have been killed. ¡°While the other three escaped. ¡°The shooting and thest bombing may have been done by the same gang. This serious violent incident has attracted the attention of the police. ¡°The police are involved in this case and have set up an anti¨Cterrorist force.¡± The news was being broadcasted on television. When Princess Martha saw the news on TV, she couldn¡¯t help but question Bruce. ¡°Bruce, who is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my family, my children¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Martha, I¡¯m sorry. I love my ex¨Cwife. I can¡¯t marry you. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange a ne to send you back to Novlis right now.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going back!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not up to you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Princess Martha ran away from the airport! She¡¯s missing now!¡± ¡°What? How did this happen?¡± ww No matter what, Martha was the princess of Novlis. She was not familiar with Greyport. What if something happened to her? ¡°Princess Martha said she needed to use the bathroom, so I waited outside thedies¡® room. ¡°But she didn¡¯te out after I had been waiting for half an hour. When our people went in to check, Princess Martha was already gone.¡± ¡°Hurry up and find her. Send all our people out to look for her. We must find her as soon as possible! ¡°I¡¯ll join you guys to look for her. ¡°Hurry up and go! Don¡¯te back if you can¡¯t find her!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t let the outsiders know about it for the time being.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After Andy left, Bruce felt so worried that his tooth began to ache. The fact that someone tried to kill Joanna was enough to give him a headache. Now, Princess Martha was gone! It would be too bad if Martha was kidnapped by terrorists. If something happened to her, it could lead to a deterioration in rtions between the two countries. 24 hours passed in the blink of an eye. Princess Martha seemed to have vanished into thin air. No one found any clue about her whereabouts. ¡°Have you found her?¡± ¡°Not yet. ¡°Keep looking for her. Check out if she is out of customs.¡± ¡°Impossible. Princess Martha¡¯s passport is still here. Without a passport, she can¡¯t get through customs.¡± ¡°She will definitely be in Greyport tonight. Hurry up and find her!¡± Bruce paced about in the ward restlessly. He was worried sick now. Princess Martha was brought to an abandoned factory in the suburbs. Someone stuffed a mess of cloth into her mouth, sealed her lips with tape, and tied her hands up. Martha wanted to shout for help, but she couldn¡¯t utter a word. Chapter 830 In front of her were a few people wearing cartoon masks. ¡°Sir, what should we do to her?¡± ¡°Which princess is she? She¡¯s quite pretty!¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°Call Bruce and ask for 200 million dors.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Chapter 331 Chapter 331 Beep¡­ Bruce¡¯s heart was a mess when the phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, hello!¡± A mechanical voice came from the other end of the phone. Obviously, the caller had used a voice changer. Bruce felt a chill down his spine. ¡°Who is it?¡± On the other end of the phone, the cold mechanical cold voice sounded again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. All you need to know is that the person you¡¯re looking for is in my hands!¡± Boom! Bruce felt overwhelmed! Princess Martha was kidnapped. ¡°Who the hell is it? What do you want?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call the police, or we¡¯ll kill her!¡± Bruce gasped and tried her best to calm the kidnapper down. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t call the police!¡± ¡°Tell me what you want but please, don¡¯t hurt her.¡± ¡°Hehe, Mr. Everett, I gotta say, I really appreciate your straightforwardness! I know you¡¯re loaded. And I just want you to lend me some money. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re really lucky. You even got to date a princess!¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was solemn. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Martha. Just tell me how much you want! ¡°Listen up. I¡¯m telling you right now, don¡¯t you darey a finger on her! If you so much as harm a single strand of her hair, lives!¡± I¡¯ll stop at nothing to make sure every single one of you pays with your A sinister mechanical voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°As long as we get the money, we won¡¯t hurt her! ¡°If you dare to call the police or y tricks, we won¡¯t just kill her!¡± Bruce calmed down. ¡°How much do you want? Name it!¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°Not much. 200 million dors will do!¡± ¡°200 million dors?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows twitched. These kidnappers were really greedy. However, money was nothingpared to Martha¡¯s safety. He hoped the 200 million dors would guarantee Martha¡¯s being intact. Martha was a princess. If something happened to her in Greyport, 200 million dors wouldn¡¯t solve it./ ¡°Alright, I agree! But 200 million dors is not a small number. Give me some time.¡± When the kidnapper heard this, he smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Hehel Mr. Everett, you are so generous. ¡°However, I didn¡¯t finish my sentence. I want 200 million dors in cash!¡± ¡°200 million dors in cash?¡± Bruce was That was a lot of money. ¡°Why? Have you regretted it?¡± shocked! Bruce tried his best to suppress his anger and said solemnly, ¡°It is indeed difficult to raise cash! Even if I can raise it for you, I¡¯ll have to mobilize a few trucks! Are you sure you can take so much money when you escape?¡± The kidnapper smiled darkly again. ¡°Hehe, Mr. Everett. I¡¯ll take a step back. If you don¡¯t have so much cash. You can pay us in other forms!¡± When Bruce heard this, his frown deepened. ¡°For example?¡± ¡°Theard that you got a Precious Pearl in the audition and a two¨Chundred¨Ccarat pink diamond. ¡°They should be worth 200 million dors!¡± Hoice frowned when he heard that. Chapter 331 This was the ultimate treasure of the Everett family. ¡°No, I can give you the money, but not this!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± The kidnapper swung his hand and pped Martha. ¡°Smack!¡± There was a crisp sound. On the other end of the line, Martha whimpered. p! p! ¡°Ah! Ah Martha¡¯s scream was very miserable. *If you don¡¯t agree, your girlfriend will be raped! And we¡¯ll record the whole process. You can check it onler. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll cut off her flesh piece by piece and send it to the Everett family. She¡¯s the Princess of Novlis. If she dies in your family, think about the consequences. The kidnapper said viciously and teasingly. The kidnapper seemed to be very familiar with Bruce and knew where his weakness was. The Everett Group was such a huge business empire! But they were still afraid of falling out with the politicians! If Martha died in the Everett Group, it would be a serious international criminal case. It might even escte into a diplomatic rtionship between the two countries. At that time, the Everett family would also be in trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t touch her. If you dare to touch her, I won¡¯t let you off¡± The kidnapper stopped and said gloomily, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop joking!¡± ¡°Give me the Precious Pearl and the pink diamond, adding 20 million! ¡°Is that eptable?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. Even if he had to go bankrupt, he had to protect Martha¡¯s safety. ¡°Alright! It¡¯s a deal!¡± ¡°Great! I knew you are a straightforward person.¡± The leader of the kidnappers smiled mockingly. Bruce swallowed. ¡°Where should I send the money?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you one day to prepare the cash. Wait for my call!¡± ¡°Okay! ¡°I¡¯m warning you onest time. Don¡¯t ever hurt Martha! Otherwise, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to find you guys.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! We only want money!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also warning you, Mr. Everett. If you dare to call the police, I¡¯ll kill your three children!¡± After the kidnapper finished speaking, he deliberately made a ¡°bang¡± sound in his throat to imitate the explosion. Boom! Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately understood that the kidnappers were the ones who had nted the bomb in Joanna¡¯s car. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t call the police!¡± The kidnapper smiled sinisterly. ¡°Happy cooperation!¡± Then, he hung up. After hanging up. Bruce took a few deep breaths and could not help but light a cigarette! ¡°Mr. Everett, who was it?¡± This was the first time Andy had seen Bruce looking serious and terrified. Bruce spat out a mouthful of smoke, trying to calm down. ¡°The kidnappers!¡± He was really afraid now. He wasn¡¯t worried about himself but Joanna and the children. Andy was also shocked. He asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Kidnappers?¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Yes. Martha was kidnapped!¡± Andy was his most trusted assistant, so there was no need to hide it from Andy. ¡°My goodness! Princess Martha was kidnapped? ¡°What should we do? Why don¡¯t we call the police immediately¡­¡± Chapter 331 Bruce shook his head solemnly. ¡°We can¡¯t call the police. First, we have to ensure Martha¡¯s safety! ¡°Go prepare 20 million dors in cash immediately!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Andy¡¯s expression darkened as he hurriedly took action. In a dpidated factory in the suburbs. There were a total of six robbers. After hearing their leader¡¯s call, all of them were very excited. A short and fat kidnapper wearing a rabbit mask said teasingly, ¡°Boss, I didn¡¯t expect this little girl to be so valuable!¡± Another kidnapper wearing a pig mask added, ¡°She is the Princess of Novlis. Bruce is so rich. He definitely wouldn¡¯t care. about this bit of money!¡± ¡°However, this little foreign girl is really fucking hot!¡± As the kidnapper spoke, he could not help but reach out to Martha¡¯s body. ¡°Boohoo!¡± Martha squirmed in fear! ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡± Another kidnapper stopped him sternly. He was the leader of them and the mastermind behind the kidnapping. ¡°Yeah. She is money. When we get the ransom, we¡¯ll be rich and by then, we can have all sorts of women.¡± The kidnapper wearing a pig mask looked at Martha reluctantly. ¡°She is a real princess. If I can fuck her, it¡¯s worth it even if I die!¡± ¡°Stupid! ¡°Go get her some food and water. Don¡¯t let her die!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The pig¨Cmasked kidnapper opened a bottle of water and removed the tape on Martha¡¯s mouth. ¡°Come, drink some water!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes were still covered by the ck cloth. As soon as she opened her mouth, she said in Antlenish in a panic, ¡°Who are you? Please let me go. Don¡¯t hurt me!¡± ¡°What is this foreign girl talking about?¡± When the leader of the kidnappers heard this, he said in Antlenish, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t hurt you! As long as your boyfriend brings over the money, we will let you go!¡± ¡°Woohoo!¡± Martha was so scared that she curled up into a ball! The kidnapper in the pig mask was holding a bottle of mineral water. ¡°Little girl, drink some water!¡± ¡°Ahem, ahem, ahem!¡± Martha choked and coughed. ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t choke her!¡± Chapter 332 Chapter 332 ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, this little foreign girl is so hot!¡± ¡°Okay, enough daydreaming. Go stand guard by the door!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The Everett family! Bruce was preparing the cash. The number of money was too big, and the bank also needed time to prepare the cash. They had to go to different banks. It took more than a dozen assistants an entire day to raise the cash. With so much money added together, it weighed more than a ton. It was neatly packed into more than ten boxes. ¡°Mr. Everett, the cash is ready!¡± Bruce took a look. The money was all in the passcode box and neatly ced on the truck! The money didn¡¯t matter much to him. What saddened him was the loss of the Precious Pearl and the nearly three hundred carats of raw diamond! He spent nearly 600 million dors on them in the auction. Those two treasures were invaluable. There was a possibility he would never be able to retrieve them. Beep! The kidnapper called again. Bruce calmly answered the call. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the phone, the sinister voice sounded as usual. ¡°Mr. Everett, you are very cooperative! You didn¡¯t call the police!¡± Bruce, not one for idle chatter, spoke directly. ¡°The money and items are prepared. Where should we deliver them?¡± ¡°Get your things ready. Drive the truck yourself and stick to the route I¡¯m about to give you!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± When Andy and Gael heard this, their expressions turned solemn. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is too dangerous!¡± ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t go alone!* ¡°Go out now and don¡¯t y any tricks!¡± The kidnapper said and hung up. ¡°Mr. Everett, I think we should call the police!¡± Bruce shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t call the police. These people are vicious. They will hurt Martha So he did as asked. Bruce drove the truck aimlessly on the road! Half an hourter! The kidnapper called again and instructed Bruce to follow the required route! Bruce cruised along the bridges for a while before venturing into the suburban streets, circling through the entirety of Greyport! The kidnapper was very cautious and refused to tell him the real location. Bruce did not dare to show his anger. So he could only do as the kidnapper said! ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been driving around for more than three hours. Where should I go?¡± A vehement voice emanated from the other end of the phone, using. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re truly deceitful! This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°How dare you y tricks on us?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What do you mean? What tricks?¡± ¡°Did you call the police?¡± ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t!¡± Chapter 332 The kidnapper sneered with malice, stating, ¡°Instruct the vehicle trailing you to cease its pursuit! If I discover any deceit on your part, I will personally teach your girlfriend a harsh lesson! ¡°The deal is canceled today I¡¯ll call you tomorrow!¡± With that, the kidnapper hung up. ¡°Shit!¡± Bruce cursed! Although he did not call the police, Andy and the butler were worried about Bruce¡¯s acting alone. Therefore, they sent bodyguards to secretly follow Bruce. Despite the bodyguards¡® utmost caution and even their mid¨Cjourney car switch, the kidnappers managed to spot them. An hourter! Bruce returned to the Everett family. Andy and Gael quickly weed them. Seeing that the item was still in the car, they hurriedly asked, ¡°Mr. Everett, what happened?¡± Bruce cursed, The kidnappers realized that I was being followed, so the exchange is off for today!¡± ¡°What?¡± Andy and Gael looked at each other, their mood heavy. ¡°He will call again tomorrow. I¡¯ll go by myself. Do not follow me.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re worried about your safety!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. It¡¯s Martha who is in danger!¡± At Sherane Bay Vi! After two days and two nights of restoration, Davian finally repaired the surveince data! As expected, after the data was repaired, the video captured everything that could be yed. ¡°It¡¯s finally done!¡± ¡°It¡¯s this person. He damaged the car!¡± When Irvin heard this, she had a look of admiration on her face. Davian, you are amazing!¡± Unfortunately, although the surveince data had been repaired, the image was very blurry! Moreover, the person who had been fiddling with Joanna¡¯s car for a long time was wearing a mask and work clothes. Although they saw the criminal, they couldn¡¯t see his face. Davian continuously zoomed in on the image and scrutinized it for a long while. ¡°The figure of this person seems somewhat familiar.¡± he remarked. Irvin also observed carefully for a while. ¡°I feel the same. But I can¡¯t remember who it is.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s tell Daddy the news!¡± ¡°Tell Daddy to contact the police and have them catch this viin!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± It was 9 p.m. Bruce returned to Sherane Bay Vi in a heavy mood. He was very worried about the children¡¯s safety now. He had to send them to a safe ce. Upon spotting Bruce¡¯s return, the children hurriedly approached him to deliver the news. ¡°Daddy, we¡¯ve discovered a crucial clue¡­¡± Bruce gazed at the children, his expression burdened. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± ¡°Daddy, what is it?¡± ¡°I want to send you guys overseas for a period of time! ¡°You are leaving tonight!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The three children looked at each other. Davian said solemnly, ¡°Daddy, we have a big discovery. I¡¯ve repaired the surveince data. ¡°Look, it¡¯s this bad guy who nted a bomb in Mommy¡¯s car!¡± Bruce frowned and reached out to touch his two sons¡® heads. Chapter 332 That became inconsequential. He was already aware that it was the very same group of people who had nted the bomb in Joanna¡¯s car and abducted Martha! The most important thing now was to ensure the safety of the children! These kidnappers seemed to be very familiar with his whereabouts and family! He was worried that they would install bombs in the kindergarten! ¡°Daddy, we don¡¯t want to go overseas! We want to stay in Greyport! ¡°Mommy is still in the hospital. We have to be there for her!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°No, you¡¯re going overseas tonight! I will pick you up after a while!¡± ¡°Daddy¡­ The three children wanted to protest. ¡°Listen to me!¡± ¡°Gael, make arrangements for a private ne to transport them to Antlen!¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Daddy, we don¡¯t want to go overseas!¡± Bruce hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek. ¡°Be good!¡± At St Mary¡¯s! Joanna woke up. Jaydon stayed by her side. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± ¡°Jay¡­ Joanna opened her eyes weakly. ¡°Joanna, thank goodness you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Jaydon eximed, gripping her hand with excitement. Tears welled up in his crimson eyes uncontrobly. Joanna rolled her eyes. There was only Jaydon in the ward! She made a sincere effort to recollect those memories, but it all felt like a dream. She distinctly remembered that Bruce was by her side. Unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes, she saw Jaydon only. ¡°Weren¡¯t you at Gaprington? Why are you back?¡± ¡°Joann, I rushed back as soon as I heard about your ident!¡± ¡°Oh, what happened to me? My head is throbbing!¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t overthink it. You¡¯re seriously injured right now!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Doctor, the patient is finally awake!¡± The doctor came over and examined Joanna! ¡°The hematoma in the patient¡¯s brain hasrgely resolved, with a substantial amount of residual fluid remaining within the cranial cavity. This may lead to potential memory disturbances.¡± ¡°Is there any treatment avable to cure it?¡± ¡°Try not to strain your brain too much, as it can lead to headaches!¡± The doctor said to Joann. ¡°Also, the patient is very weak now. She has to rest well! Pay attention to the wound on her back. Don¡¯t let it get infected!¡± ¡°Alright, thank you, sir!¡± The doctor left. ¡°Joann, I want to get you out of here!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. At this moment, she suddenly missed her three children! ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia¡­¡± It was said that when people were most venerable, they would always think of the person they missed the most! Unsurprisingly, the people she missed the most were her three children! Jay, I miss my children!¡± Chapter 332 Jaydon was stunned! ¡°I¡¯ll call Bruce and ask him to bring the children to see you!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Beep! It was rare for Jaydon to call Bruce! What surprised him was that Bruce had not appeared in the hospital for two days! Bruce had been on the phone for the past two days. When he heard the phone ring, he shivered as if he had been electrocuted! ¡°Hello?¡± Chapter 333 Chapter 333 Although Jaydon did not want to talk to Bruce, he still braced himself and said, ¡°Joann is awake!¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart trembled. He wanted to rush to the hospital to see Joanna immediately, but Martha was kidnapped. He needed to pay the ransom. So he had no time for Joanna. ¡°Joann is very weak now. She wants to see the children! Can you bring the children to the hospital?¡± Jaydon directly exined the situation. Bruce replied coldly. ¡°I can¡¯t do it now!¡± ¡°Bruce, Joann is the mother of the children. You can¡¯t be so selfish. Let her see her children!¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°I said I can¡¯t do it now!¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was very unfriendly as he was in a rage. He was being ckmailed! He was so annoyed that he was in no mood to argue with Jaydon. Besides, he was waiting for the kidnapper¡¯s call. He had no time to talk to Jaydon. ¡°Why? Joann needs the children now!¡± Jaydon asked unwillingly. Bruce replied impatiently. ¡°The children have been sent overseas. They won¡¯t be back for the time being! Tell Joanna that the children are not going to the hospital!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he was extremely angry. ¡°What right do you have to send the children overseas? You knew how much Joann misses them.¡± ¡°Ssh!¡± Before Jaydon could finish, Bruce hung up! ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± Jaydon frowned. He hated Bruce even more. He thought Bruce was a heartless man and would definitely be punished one day. Little did Jaydon know that Bruce¡¯s punishment had already arrived! He was about to die of worry. He might die if Martha was harmed. Once he died, his business empire woulde to an end as well. In the ward! Although Joanna had woken up, she was extremely weak. She was still having a fever and her mind was a mess. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia. I missed you so much¡­¡± Jaydon pushed the wheelchair to Joanna¡¯s bed. ¡°Joann!¡± Joanna looked up slightly and asked gently, ¡°Jay, have you called him? ¡°How was it? Will he bring over my kids?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered, not knowing how to answer. Looking at Jaydon¡¯s troubled expression, Joanna smiled sadly. She guessed that Bruce had refused to let her see the kids. ¡°How is it? When will the childrene over? I really want to see the children now!¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened. He did not want Joanna to be too disappointed. He was even more afraid that she would be sad when she heard that the children had been sent overseas! ¡°Joann, for how, you need to take care of yourself! I just asked the doctor and he said you need to rest well. ¡°Moreover, the children are too young! If they see you like this, they will be worried for you! ¡°It¡¯s better to let the child see you when you¡¯re better!¡± Jaydonforted Joanna gently! When Joanna heard this, she blinked her tired eyes. She missed her kids and missed home very much. But Jaydon¡¯s words made sense. She was now covered in wounds and bandaged. She looked like a mummy. She had various instruments and syringes all over her body! The kids would definitely be afraid when they saw her like this! ¡°Yes! Okay!¡± Chapter 333 ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much! When you¡¯re better, I¡¯ll get someone to bring the children over!¡± Jaydon told a white lie andforted Joanna gently! Joanna¡¯s eyes shed as she looked at Jaydon gently. It was almost noon! Cora rushed to the hospital. She had been frightened when she heard about the ident. So she came to visit Joanna today. Outside the door of the ward! After taking the medicine, Joanna fell asleep again. ¡°Mr. Grimm. how is Miss Haynes now?¡± ¡°She¡¯s already passed the critical period! Don¡¯t worry too much.¡°¨C Cora nodded solemnly. ¡°Why did this happen? She was fine. Why did this happen to her?¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°Cora. Joann is very weak now. ¡°Later, when she wakes up, don¡¯t talk too much about work! She needs to rest!¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, I understand!¡± After a while, Michael and Brother Trumpet also came to the hospital to visit Joanna! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get better!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, take care!¡± To let her rest, they didn¡¯t stay for long in the wards. At the Everett¡¯s Residence! Beep! After five hours of waiting. Bruce finally got a call from the kidnapper. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, now get on the trunk with the money and the objects. Drive to the South Overpass!¡± the kidnapper said gloomily. Bruce¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Alright!¡± The kidnapper then hung up. Gael¡¯s expression was heavy. ¡°Mr. Everett, is it a call from the kidnappers?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What did the kidnapper say?¡± ¡°Let me go to the South Overpass!¡± Kody said in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ll go in your ce!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go alone. We¡¯re worried! You can¡¯t put yourself at risk for Princess Martha!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°The kidnappers want money. I suppose they won¡¯t hurt us!¡± Gael, Andy, and the others were still worried. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s still not appropriate! You can¡¯t go alone. Why don¡¯t you call the police¡­¡± ¡°Alright, stop here. I have to hurry to the South Overpass!¡± After saying that, Bruce took the car keys and hurriedly jump into the truck! Then, he drove onto the South Overpass. It took 40 minutes to pass through the South Overpass, which was a one¨Cway road. Now that it was rush hour, logically speaking, they shouldn¡¯t have chosen such a ce to trade. Half an hourter! Bruce had already made more than half a turn on the South Overpass. The kidnapper didn¡¯t call again. Bruce began to feel a little anxious. He was about to get off the overpass when the kidnapper finally called! 2/3 11:39 Chapter 333 ¡°Hey!¡± The kidnapper ordered sinisterly. ¡°Drive to the South Bridge now!¡± Bruce paused. ¡°¡­Alright!¡± ¡°Park your car in the middle of the South Bridge. Someone will be waiting for you!¡± ¡°I need to make sure the hostage is safe!¡± ¡°She is safe. You don¡¯t have to worry!¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°What if you don¡¯t let her go after I pay?¡± ¡°bring her there and set her free once you get the money!¡± The kidnapperughed on the other end of the phone. ¡°Hehe, Mr. Everett, don¡¯t bargain with us! ¡°That won¡¯t do. This is the rule! I can give you the money but I must see her before giving you the ¡°Otherwise, I can¡¯t give you the money and stuff! ¡°Also, I need to make sure that Martha is safe!¡± When the kidnapper heard this, he handed the phone to Martha. money Martha¡¯s panicked voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bruce, save me. I¡¯m so scared. I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Martha, don¡¯t be afraid. I aming to save you!¡± ¡°Yes! Bruce, please save me. I want to go home. Boohoo!¡± Before Martha could say anything, the kidnapper gagged her again. After confirming that Martha was still alive, Bruce felt a little relieved! ¡°Mr. Everett, can you rx now? Your girlfriend is still alive and well. If you continue to hesitate, you can¡¯t be sure what will be missing from her body!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her. I¡¯m going to South Bridge now!¡± 20 minutester! Bruce drove to the South Bridge again! The total length of the bridge was about a few kilometers. It was the Greyport Sea Bridge that connected Venturas and Porash! Below the bridge was the sea! Bruce waited on the bridge for more than ten minutes, but no one came. ¡°Are theying?¡± Bruce thought as he looked at his watch. Another ten minutes had passed.. He couldn¡¯t understand why the kidnappers would choose to trade on the bridge. If he really called the police and they intercepted the intersection of the bridge, wouldn¡¯t they be walking into a trap? Whoosh! Bruce was in deep thought. A car drove over quickly. Then, the door opened, and four fierce¨Clooking men wearing masks quickly got out of the car! ¡°Raise your hands and throw the car keys aside!¡± One of the kidnappers raised his gun and pointed it at Bruce. When Bruce heard this, he obediently raised his hand and threw the car keys in his hand to the side! Chapter 334 Chapter 334 Without dy, the four robust men swiftly approached the car and forcefully retrieved the boxes of money. Then, they threw the boxes into the sea! There was a yacht parked on the sea. Another two masked men were on the yacht and they immediately pulled the boxes containing the money onto the boat one by one! After the money was salvaged, the yacht quickly drove away! Peace quickly returned to the surface of the sea. The entire process took less than ten minutes. Tve given you the money. Where¡¯s Martha?¡± The kidnapper in the pig mask red at Bruce. ¡°Where are the objects? Give them to us first.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered as he tried his best to calm down. ¡°I want to see Martha. Otherwise, I won¡¯t give them to you!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± A kidnapper opened the trunk of the car! Martha was curled up in the trunk with her hands and feet tied and an eye mask over her head. ¡°The person you want is here! Where are the things?¡± Bruce held his breath. ¡°It¡¯s in the passenger seat of the trunk!¡± The kidnapper in the pig mask quickly pulled open the front passenger seat of the truck. There were indeed two exquisitely packaged boxes on the car seat. The kidnapper¡¯s eyes lit up and he hurriedly took out the two boxes! Another kidnapper dragged Martha out of the trunk! Boom! Martha fell heavily to the ground. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got it. Let¡¯s go!¡± The four kidnappers quickly got into the car, stepped on the elerator, and drove away. Bruce hurriedly went forward to check on Martha. ¡°Martha, are you alright?* ¡°Boohoo!¡± Bruce removed the hood on Martha¡¯s head. After seeing that the person in front of him was Bruce, Martha cried loudly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go¡­ Bruce said hastily as he assisted Martha to her feet. On the other side, once the kidnappers had obtained the item, they erupted with joy inside the car! ¡°Open the boxes. Let¡¯s see what they look like.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The pig¨Cmasked kidnapper opened the box ecstatically. The moment the box was opened, the kidnappers were dumbfounded. There was nothing inside the boxes. ¡°Damn it, they are empty!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The boxes are empty. There¡¯s nothing in them!¡± Upon hearing this, the leader of the kidnappers erupted in a fit of furious rage. ¡°This damn bastard deceived us!¡± he eximed in a fit of anger. ¡°Turn the car around. I¡¯ll kill him!¡± When the kidnapper who drove heard this, he immediately turned the car around. Bruce and Martha were about to get into the car when they saw the kidnapper¡¯s car return. ¡°Get in the car!¡± Bruce knew that the kidnapper had discovered that the boxes were empty, ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± Just as Bruce was about to get into the car, a kidnapper leaned out and fired several shots in his direction. To protect Martha, Bruce was shot in the back! 1/4 * 11:39 [ Chapter 334 ¡°Are you out of your fucking mind? Are you really going to kill him?¡± ¡°Leave now! The police wille soon!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The kidnapper turned the car around and drove away! Martha was even more stunned. ¡°Bruce, how are you?¡± ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Bruce frowned and knelt on one knee. Very soon. Gael and Andy rushed over with some bodyguards! ¡°Bruce¡¯s been shot!¡± ¡°Mr. Everell, Mr. Everett, how are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Bruce sucked in a sharp breath and staggered to his feet. Fortunately, he was wearing a bulletproof vest! He was shot four times in the back! Even though it didn¡¯t prate, the pain was still intense. His back disyed four swollen marks as evidence of the shot. ¡°Call the police now!¡± ¡°Thank God, Bruce¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± Martha cried, couldn¡¯t catch her breath. This was an ident to her. She had been keeping a low profile and traveled around the world alone. Although she had met bad people before, this was the first time she had been kidnapped. ¡°Martha, they haven¡¯t done anything to you yet?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just scared!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, you are safe now!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s send Mr. Everett and the princess to the hospital!¡± Although Martha was not seriously injured, she got some wounds on her skin. Bruce was also injured. They needed to go to the hospital. Half an hourter! At St Mary¡¯s! Bruce carried Martha out of the car! ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m so scared!¡± Princess Martha hugged Bruce tightly, refusing to let go! Bruce could onlyfort her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. This is a hospital! Your wounds required urgent treatment.¡± Then, he couldn¡¯t wait toe over to Joanna¡¯s ward after settling down with Martha. In the ward! Jaydon looked at Joanna gently with chicken soup in his hand. He scooped a spoonful and carefully blew on it to cool it before feeding it to Joanna! Joanna also looked at Jaydon tenderly! This scene was warm and peaceful! Bruce¡¯s heart trembled. He stood at the door and did not enter! Jaydon was indeed better than him! Joanna had never smiled so gently when she was with him. Perhaps, Jaydon was the best choice for Joanna! Bruce stood at the door for ten minutes. In the end, he did note in! ¡°Mr. Everett, Princess Martha¡¯s wound has been treated. The doctor said that it¡¯s just superficial wounds. It¡¯s not a big deal!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce replied absent¨Cmindedly. Chapter 334 ¡°Should we contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and exin the situation¡­¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Don¡¯t cause unnecessary trouble!¡± ¡°But, after all, such a big thing happened! Princess Martha¡¯s emotions are very unstable!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°When she recovers, I¡¯ll appease her¡­¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he looked lonely again. Perhaps, his fate with Joanna was over¡­ Perhaps, he should sincerely wish Joanna and Jaydon a happy life! As for him, perhaps he should start a new rtionship seriously! Martha undoubtedly loved him. After this incident, he also felt that he should be responsible for Marthal There was nothing wrong with epting her! At the door of the ward! ¡°Bruce, where did you go just now? I¡¯m so scared!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, everything is fine now!¡± Martha threw himself into Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°Bruce, I thought I would never see you again. At that moment, I thought I would die! I thought you wouldn¡¯t save me!¡± ¡°Idiot, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Princess Martha sobbed loudly! However¡­ The scene of Bruce carrying Martha into the hospital was captured on camera. ¡°Mr. Everett, is the woman you¡¯re hugging today Princess Martha? ¡°How close is your rtionship with Princess Martha? ¡°Is Princess Martha really your girlfriend?¡± The reporters crazily surrounded Bruce again. ¡°I can¡¯t answer those questions at the moment!¡± Bruce rarely spoke in front of the media! When the reporters heard this, they were even more certain that he and Martha were in love! In the suburbs. ¡°Damn it, Bruce gave us empty boxes! How dare he?¡± ¡°I knew he wouldn¡¯t give these two things to us so readily!¡± ¡°At least, we got some money.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch the money yet!¡± ¡°Huh??¡± The kidnappers looked at each other. It was so difficult to snatch this money, but he was not allowed to spend it. This was really iprehensible! The leader of the kidnappers said, ¡°We have to save this money for big things¡­¡± ¡°Boss, we won¡¯t be able to spend all this money in our lifetime!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we split it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll split the money equally so we can spend it on cars, houses, and women.¡± ¡°I told you. We have to save it for something big!¡± ¡°So we¡¯ve been busy for so long and got nothing!¡± ¡°Short¨Csighted thing!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t want to do anything big. I want the money!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to split the money too! I don¡¯t want much. I just want my share!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we have to share the money! It wasn¡¯t easy to get it?¡± ¡°Boom!¡± Without uttering a single word, a kidnapper, donning a shoddy mask, swiftly drew his gun and fired a shot at the bandit who was moring about distributing the money. Chapter 384 They all died. At this moment, the other four realized what was going on and were shocked! They were pleading with the leader. They didn¡¯t force him to split the money. But he shot. It was the same person who shot Bruce just now! ¡°Sometimes, this is what happens!¡± The man with the pig mask mmed the gun on the table! His fierce temperament frightened everyone! ¡°Did you have to kill them?¡± Chapter 335 Chapter 335 ¡°I told you, we¡¯re going to use this money for something grand! ¡°As long as you¡¯re part of my team, this money will grow exponentially in the future!¡± ¡°Cars, houses, and women mean nothing. Don¡¯t fixate on temporary pleasures!¡± The masked robber¡¯s agitation grew with each word, his tone bing frighteningly ferocious. Upon hearing this, the four robbers fell silent, refraining from saying anything further. A tall and lean robber suggested, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s stash away all the money for now!¡± ¡°Boss, do you think Bruce will involve the police? Perhaps we shouldy low for a while,¡± one of the robbers proposed. Seeing that the others had submitted, the leader of the robbers rolled his eyes and gave each of them some benefit tofort them. ¡°Everyone, you¡¯ll have 200 thousand dors for now. Don¡¯t waste the money. ¡°Let¡¯s stash away the remaining money for now! After this incident, we¡¯ll execute arger n!¡± As he spoke, the robber opened one of the secured boxes using a password. ¡°200 thousand dors for each. Take it yourself!¡± Uponying eyes on the money, the robbers were immediately filled with joy once more. The recent loss of theirrade seemed to fade into insignificance as they expressed their gratitude to the leader. ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± ¡°All of you, maintain a low profile. Spend your money wisely and with caution,¡± the leader instructed. ¡°Got it, Boss.¡± At the Haynes¡¯s house! ¡°So much money, where did you spend it? How did you spend so much money within half a year? You¡¯re going to make us bankrupt!¡± Shaun was scolding Derick. As he checked the ounts just now, he discovered an additional 2 million dors missing. To make matters worse, he learned that Derick had secretly sold the finest mansion in the area and two thriving shops. Derick looked indifferent and stammered, ¡°Mom asked me to take care of the money¡­¡± ¡°The house at Shatsui and those two shops at Dorlen were temporarily under your name. When exactly did you sell them?¡± ¡°A long time ago!¡± When Shaun heard this, he was so angry that his heart ached. ¡°Where is the money?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already spent it!¡± ¡°Where did you spend it?¡± Derick rolled his eyes, looking like he cared about nothing. ¡°How can I possibly remember?¡± ¡°Did you spend all your money on flirting with female celebrities? You scoundrel! Are you trying to infuriate me to death?¡± Shaun eximed angrily. ¡°You are going to destroy the family¡± Derick could not help but mutter softly, ¡°It¡¯s going to be mine anyway. I can do whatever I want with the money.¡± He was hooking up with two Z¨Clist celebrities. These women in the entertainment industry were all materialists. Of course, they only cared about his money when they dated him! They asked him for gifts every day. That was how he spent his money. When Shaun heard this, he was pissed off. He hit his son with his walking stick. ¡°How dare you talk back? You bastard! ¡°You¡¯re trying to anger me to death! I am so unlucky to have you as my son. I am going to teach you a lesson today.¡± The more Shaun spoke, the angrier he became. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he couldn¡¯t get up from the wheelchair, he would really teach this prodigal son a lesson! In a ce like Greyport, every inch ofnd was worth tens of millions of dors. Derick spent all the money in an instant. Moreover, he didn¡¯t even tell them when he sold the shops. Shaun knew his son was useless, yet he didn¡¯t expect him to go so far. 11-39 Chapter 335 Ever since Ingrid went to prison, he had be even morewless! Shaun was scolding Derick when Fantine came in. ¡°Mr. Ryan is back!¡± Then, Ryan walked in. As usual, he was wearing a clean white T¨Cshirt, jeans, and a sweater! He looked refreshed and sunny, looking like a humble young man. ¡°Dad, Derick, what are you guys talking about?¡± Shaun took a deep breath and his tone softened. ¡°Ryan, why did you suddenlye back?¡± ¡°I¡¯ming back to pack a few clothes. I might have to leave Greyport for a while in the next few days!¡± When Shaun heard this, he frowned. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Oh, thepany¡¯s sent me on a business trip abroad. I might have to stay abroad for a while!¡± ¡°For sure?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°When are you leaving?¡± ¡°I¡¯m back grab my passport!¡± Shaun widened his eyes and asked in surprise, ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an important mission. They also think highly of me, so I have to go now!¡± ** Upon hearing this, Shaun felt a wave of relief wash over him. A hint of admiration flickered in his eyes, and he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Look at your brother. He has always been much more sensible than you, even from a young age. Why can¡¯t you take a leaf out of his book?¡± His second son had been more outstanding than his eldest son. He was also smart and good at studying! It seemed that the Haynes family¡¯s remaining assets were better left to his second son. ¡°Ryan, when will you be back?¡± Ryan paused for a few moments, contemting the question. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. If it¡¯s a brief period, it could be around four to five days. However, if it¡¯s a longer timeframe, it might extend to a month or two.¡± Shaun sighed heavily. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about it when youe back!¡± Ryan looked curious. ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± Shaun could not help but scold Derick again. ¡°Sigh, ask your brother. Look at what he did.¡± ¡°Derick?¡± ¡°He sold the house in Shatsui and the two shops. He squandered them all! ¡°When you return, I will divide the property between the two of you. From now on, you will each be responsible for safeguarding your own assets. ¡°If we don¡¯t do it now, your brother would spend all our wealth sooner orter!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Ryan replied indifferently. He did not express any dissatisfaction with his brother squandering so much money. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, Dad, F¡¯ll go upstairs first!¡± With that, Ryan walked upstairs with a nonchnt expression. ¡°Look at your brother. You good¨Cfor¨Cnothing!¡± Derick pursed his lips and said indifferently, ¡°Are you done scolding me? If you¡¯re done, I¡¯m going out!¡± ¡°Where else are you going?¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯m an adult now. Can you not control where I go all day? Where else can I go? I can¡¯t go to heaven, right?¡± ¡°Cough cough!¡± When Shaun heard this, he was so angry that he coughed. Ryan also came down with his passport. ¡°Derick, Daddy is old. Don¡¯t make him angry!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re a good boy, and I¡¯m a waste. Is that alright?¡± Shaun instructed Ryan worriedly, ¡°Ryan, you have to be careful overseas! Don¡¯t cause trouble outside!¡± 11.20 Chapter 339 ¡°Got ill Dad!¡± Derick could not help but mock. ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t worry! He¡¯s a good boy. He¡¯s the most obedient wherever he goes. He¡¯s not like mel¡± ¡°You know yourself!¡± Ryan didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°Dad, Derick. See you around!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Shaun looked at his son worriedly. ¡°Are you leaving so soon? Aren¡¯t you going to stay at home for the night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 100te. I still have to go to thepany dormitory and pack my things. I¡¯ll take the ne tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Oh, alright then. Be careful!¡± Shaun said as he inadvertently saw arge wound on his son¡¯s arm. Although it was already scabbed over, he could still tell that the wound was very deep. ¡°Sigh, what happened to your arm? Let me take a look.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I identally scratched myself!¡± ¡°Why are you so careless? It¡¯s a big wound.¡± ¡°Oh, I identally hurt myself when I was cleaning up the counter. It¡¯s fine!¡± Shaun looked nervous and wanted to ask a few more questions! Ryan was already walking towards the door. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m leaving too!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving tool¡± Derick followed suit. Watching his two sons leave one after another, Shaun could not help but worry. ¡°Fantine, get ready. I¡¯m going to the hospital to see Joanna.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He wasn¡¯t really concerned about Joanna¡¯s condition, but he was still a little worried if he didn¡¯t go and take a look. He wanted to know how Joanna was recovering and whether she could continue to be the chairman of the Haynes Group in the future. At St Mary¡¯s! Joanna had been in the hospital for more than half a month. She had already woken up! She had also passed the critical period. After recuperating for a period of time, if nothing went wrong, she could be discharged. ¡°Be good, have another sip!¡± Jaydon was holding a bowl of chicken soup and persuading Joanna to eat more. ¡°I¡¯m full! ¡°Jay, you still want to undergo leg rehabilitation treatment. You should hurry back to Gaprington!!¡± Chapter 336 Chapter 336 Jaydon expressed his concern, saying, ¡°No, your injuries are quite severe at the moment. I¡¯ll return once you¡¯ve recovered.¡± While the two of them were engrossed in conversation. Miranda pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Joann, Mr. Haynes is here!¡± Jaydon¡¯s handsome face darkened. He frowned and said, ¡°Why is he here again?¡± Miranda, not wanting Shaun to visit, chimed in, ¡°Do you really want to see him? If you prefer him gone, I¡¯ll make sure he leaves!¡± Joanna cast her gaze downward, her expression reflecting a mix of emotions and inner turmoil. Although she didn¡¯t particrly want to see him, considering he was already there, Joanna decided it would be best to meet him. ¡°Let him in,¡± she reluctantly agreed. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± To be honest, Shaun was old. He might die in a few years. Joanna wouldn¡¯t get to see him much. They probably wouldn¡¯t see each other many times in their lives! But no matter what, he was her father. She was curious about what he was up to. Soon, the door of the ward was pushed open. Fantine pushed Shaun in. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Why did youe here again?* ¡°When I found out that Joann had woken up, I was so relieved! I came here just to see her!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, but she did not say anything! Shaun looked at Jaydon¡¯s cold expression. ¡°Mr. Grimm, can I talk to Joann for a moment?¡± Jaydon replied politely and coldly, ¡°Mr. Haynes, Joann is still very weak. She can¡¯t be too tired!¡± ¡°I understand. It won¡¯t take too long!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he looked at Joanna worriedly! ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can go out!¡± Jaydon said gently, ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll go out! If there¡¯s anything, call me!¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else and was pushed out of the ward by the nurse. After everyone left, Shaun fell into silence once more. For a brief moment, he was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say next. Joanna looked at Shaun coldly and broke the awkward atmosphere. ¡°Dad, just say what you want to say!¡± Shaun sighed deeply! ¡°Dad, why did you sigh Shaun¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. ¡°Joann, I feel terrible!¡± Joanna did not say anything! ¡°Look at our family¡­ We are in trouble one by one! ¡°I feel terrible!¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not interested in listening to yourint!¡± Shaun paused. ¡°Joann, I know you hate me! But you have to understand why I am angry now. ¡°Roxy is still in the mental hospital, and I¡¯m confined to this wheelchair. I¡¯m genuinely concerned. How will she cope once I¡¯m no longer in this world?¡± ¡°So?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened! She knew that her father was not really here to care about her! He must be making some weird request to her again. 1/1 11:39 Chapter 336 Seeing Joanna¡¯s expression change, Shaun quickly changed the topic. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just saying it. ¡°Of course, you know about my health! I might die at any time!¡± ¡°If Tim not around anymore, please, forgive Roxy. No matter what, she is your sister.¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t hate anyone!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Can you promise me that you will take care of Roxy for me once I am away?¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course. Joanna, if you don¡¯t want to, just forget what I said.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned cold. She was in no mood to continue the conversation. She once again realized that her Dad cared only about Roxanne, Derick, and Ryan. He came here not to check on her but to ask her to take care of Roxanne. After staying outside for ten minutes, Jaydon couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He was too worried about Joanna. So he went straight back to the ward. ¡°Mr. Grimm, are you done talking? Joann is still very weak. Why don¡¯t you go back?¡± Observing Joanna¡¯s distressed expression. Jaydon asked him to leave the room. ¡°I haven¡¯t done yet!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it another day! Joann is going to rest!¡± Shaun frowned. He felt too ashamed to stay any longer. ¡°Joann, see you around!¡± Joanna ignored him. She didn¡¯t say goodbye. Shaun left. Jaydon asked with concern, ¡°Did your father just tell you something bad again?¡± Joanna sighed heavily. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Ignore him. Don¡¯t take anything he said seriously!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Joanna smiled and struggled to sit up. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling very ufortable?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling dizzy. I¡¯ve been confined to this bed every day. I really crave a walk outdoors!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re very weak! You can¡¯t catch a cold!¡± Joanna remained determined to sit up, expressing her frustration. ¡°I want to go outside and breathe in some fresh air!¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll get the nurse to send a wheelchair in!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon called the nurse. Soon, a nurse sent a wheelchair in! Miranda and Kelly helped Joanna to the wheelchair!! Jaydon¡¯s legs were inconvenient now, and he couldn¡¯t help. ¡°I can push Joann Mr. Grimm, you just fneed to ollow behind!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon had been in a wheelchair for nearly four months and was gradually getting used to it! St Mary¡¯s was a famous private hospital in Greyport. The environment here was very good. And all the facilities were of the highest quality! There was a charming little garden that resembled an art park, featuring meticulously trimmed flowers and nts that were a delight to behold. Miranda pushed Joanna around the garden! About ten minutes passed. In the corridor! Coincidentally, they met Bruce. Martha had been staying in the hospital the past few days and was about to be discharged that day! Chapter 336 Bruce naturally came to pick her up. ¡°Bruce, the sun is shining so brightly today!¡± Martha wrapped her arms around Bruce¡¯s arm tightly and affectionately leaned against him. At the same time, Bruce also saw Joanna! Instantly, an indescribable sense of sadness cast a shadow across his face. When their eyes met. Joanna frowned slightly. Her heart was also a little heavy! Bruce never came to her ward. He didn¡¯t even call to ask how she was doing. That day when Joanna woke up, she thought Bruce rescued her. Now she couldn¡¯t help but think that her brain had gone into a state of confusion or disarray. Indeed, because of Jaydon! Miranda and Kelly had never told her that Bruce had been by her side for four days. He came before Jaydon arrived! ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know what to say. Joanna¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple was obstructed. He asked with difficulty, ¡°Bruce, how are the children?¡± ¡°They¡¯re pretty good!¡± ¡°Can I see them?¡± ¡°They are overseas now and won¡¯t be back for a while!¡± Joanna was momentarily taken aback. ¡°What? You sent them abroad?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Why? When are you taking them back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. It dependst!¡± Bruce said coldly. He felt terrible! The kidnappers had targeted Joanna and the children! To ensure the children¡¯s safety, he had to send them overseas! Joanna did not know what had happened to Bruce recently, nor could she make out why Bruce sent the kids away. Therefore, she was very unhappy when she heard this news! ¡°Bruce, you did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you? You didn¡¯t want me to see them.¡± Jaydon also rushed over to take a look. Joann, calm down. Don¡¯t talk to him. Let¡¯s go back to the ward first!¡± ¡°Bruce, say something. Are you doing this on purpose?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened, and her heart ached. ¡°Whatever you say! ¡°Anyway, in your eyes, I¡¯ve always been a bastard!¡± Joanna could not suppress the anger in her heart. She red fiercely at Bruce. ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Bruce, who is she? Why is she yelling at you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, she is my ex¨Cwife!¡± ¡°Oh, hi! I am Marthal¡± Joanna felt overwhelmed. ¡°I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s girlfriend now. We¡¯re already thinking about getting married. I hope you and Bruce can be ordinary friends again!¡± Joanna felt weird. ¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. We were talking about the children just now. There is nothing else between us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good! I hope you mean it.¡± Chapter 337 Chapter 337 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 337 Joanna took a deep breath. Her heart ached. ¡°Bruce, 1 sincerely wish you happiness! But I hope you can bring the children back! ¡°You can¡¯t stop me from seeing the children! That¡¯s selfish¡± ¡°I told you, the children won¡¯t being back anytime soon!¡± Bruce replied coldly. He wanted to exin the reason! But thinking about it, there was nothing to exin! At this point, Joanna had be convinced that he had hidden motives behind his words and actions. Even if he was to die, she probably woulnd¡¯t cry for him. When Joanna heard this, she trembled with anger. ¡°How could you do this? ¡°Bruce, I want the children¡¯s custody back!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. No matter what, the children won¡¯t live with you.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly turned red as she red at Bruce with hatred! Bruce looked at her coldly without any expression! But he was really sad! He thought that he could control everything, but only now did he realize that in the face of fate, everyone had to surrender. Martha pulled on Bruce¡¯s arm, urging him, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t say too much to her. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Jaydon also chimed in, hastily advising Joanna, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t talk with him. Let me take you back to the ward!¡± ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Joanna emitted a stifled cough, while droplets of blood trickled from her nose. Her countenance turned as pallid as paper. Joann, are you alright?¡± ¡°Im alright. It¡¯s just a slight ache in my heart¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s words trailed off as her head tilted, and in an instant, she lost consciousness. Her nose was bleeding non¨Cstop, and her white hospital gown was dyed red. She had already held on for too long! The tense nerves in his brain had already reached their limit. Then, they finally broke! She suffered from severe depression, unable to regte her emotions without the aid of medication. ¡°Joann Joann!¡± Jaydon shouted anxiously and tried to stand up from the wheelchair. Miranda was filled with terror as she swiftly moved forward to assist Joanna. ¡°Joann!¡± she eximed with concern. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart jumped to his throat. ¡°Joanna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± As he spoke, he rushed forward and picked Joanna up from the wheelchair! ¡°Bruce, put her down!¡± Jaydon said helplessly, feeling powerless and anxious. Bruce had no time for him. He carried Joanna and hurried into the ward! ¡°Doctor, pleasee quickly! The patient has lost consciousness!¡± Bruce urgently called out, seeking immediate medical assistance. When the doctors and nurses heard the shout, they hurriedly came over to take a look! ¡°The patient is experiencing severe nasal bleeding. Quickly help her lie on their side to prevent any blockage of the respiratory tract!¡± When Bruce heard this, he hurriedly ced Joanna on the bed andid her on her side! ¡°Remove the patient¡¯s hospital gown and ensure that her breathing remains unobstructed¡­¡± The doctor quickly inserted an electrocardiogram into Joanna. Then, he took her blood pressure and drew her blood for testing! ¡°Jpanna, you must hold on!¡± The servant pushed Jaydon and rushed to the ward! At this moment, Jaydon felt helpless and angry! Joanna was his girlfriend now. When she was in danger, he did not have the ability to protect her! He could not even hug Chapter 337 herl ¡°All of you, leave the ward first. We need to treat the patient!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Brice and Jaydon were chased out of the ward again. Outside the ward! Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy and he looked dispirited! Jaydon¡¯s face was also gloomy. Other than worrying about Joanna, he hated Bruce even more! C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. The air pressure in the entire corridor seemed to have dropped to the freezing point. It was so heavy that it was suffocating! Miranda was also crying. ¡°What should we do? Why is Joann having an attack again?¡± ¡°Miranda, what do you mean by that? Has Joanna had a simr illness before?¡± Bruce looked at Miranda in shock. ¡°Joann¡¯s depression was getting better.¡± ¡°depression?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°When did Joanna have depression?¡± Miranda was stunned. ¡°You¡¯ve been with Joanna for so long. You should know better than anyone when she had depression! ¡°Joann has been depression since sh was very young! However, it wasn¡¯t serious at that time! ¡°But since six years ago, Joann¡¯s depression got worse. She has to take loads of antidepressants every day. She can¡¯t take it without taking medicine for a day! ¡°Look at how much weight she has lostpared to before. What has she be now? These are the lingering effects of taking antidepressants!¡± Miranda couldn¡¯t help but wipe away her tears once more, overwhelmed by sadness. When Bruce heard this, his breathing instantly stopped. His heart ached as if it was being stabbed by a knife. It was the first time that Bruce learned about Joanna¡¯s depression! He was really a bastard. Not only did he not notice it, but he also kept making her angry! Miranda cried as she spoke, her tears falling non¨Cstop. ¡°Joann is such a poor girl. It breaks my heart to see her going through so much!¡± ¡°When she was having an attack, she often locked herself in her room. I often didn¡¯t dare to sleep, afraid that she would do something stupid. Boohoo¡­¡± ¡°Stop! Bruce¡¯s nose felt sour. He did not want to hear any more! If he had known that Joanna had such a serious depression, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have provoked her, let alone hurt her like this! Her illness must have been caused by him! ¡°Joanna, why won¡¯t you tell me anything?¡± Bruce said bitterly and punched the wall. In the past, he loved to see her go crazy and fly into a rage. Every time he saw her angry and helpless, he felt joyful. However, he did so just to keep her by his side. He believed that once she had nothing, she would never leave him. He really didn¡¯t expect to hurt her so deeply. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be a hypocrite here! Joann became like this because of you! ¡°What right do you have to show remorse here? Leave immediately. If you still have an ounce of humanity left, stay away from Joann! ¡°Do you even realize? It was because of all of you that Joann suffered all these years. Do you have any idea how she endured her time ip Surbano?¡± Bruce closed her eyes. His eyes were extremely red! Martha did not understand theirnguage, but she knew that they were arguing. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s go back. Don¡¯t argue with them!¡± ¡°Martha, I¡¯m sorry! I have to send you back!¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to hear you apologize!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°My heart is in a mess now! I really can¡¯t start a new rtionship!¡± When Martha heard this, her blue eyes were filled with disappointment. ¡°Bruce, do you really not love me? Are unwilling to marry me?¡± you really Chapter 337 Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. He looked at Andy and said, ¡°Andy, send Martha to the airport! ¡°Arrange some bodyguards. Make sure she safely returns to Novlis.¡± ¡°On it, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to go back. I want to be with you!¡± Martha anxiously hugged Bruce¡¯s arm! ¡°Bruce, are you refusing to ept me because of your ex¨Cwife? You still love your ex¨Cwife, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t ept it! Since you still love your ex¨Cwife, why did you start dating me?¡± Martha was instantly exasperated! She could not ept the fact that she had been dumped! She was a princess. She had the noblest bloodline! How could he dump her? Bruce¡¯s mind was in a mess. At that time, he thought that the rtionship between him and Joanna waspletely over! He yearned for a new rtionship to fill the void and alleviate the pain in his heart. After all, he was human too, and he too could experience hurt. Although he hurt Joanna deeply, Joanna hurt him too. However, it was a stupid idea to move on from an old rtionship by dating someone new. ¡°Bruce, think twice!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What kind ofpensation do you want? Just tell me. I¡¯ll try my best to satisfy you!¡± Bruce wanted to end this rtionship as soon as possible with money. He was so poor. He had nothing but money. He didn¡¯t know how to make up for the losses he had caused others other thanpensating with money. If possible, he was willing to let her cut him. However, these were all unrealistic! The most practical thing was topensate the other person with enough money! He may have been a scoundrel, but he wasn¡¯t entirely devoid of decency. At the very least, he had the audacity to take responsibility for his actions. Though he had toyed with a woman, he vowed to compensate her financially to the best of his ability. He would not trifle with her emotions and leave her nothing. Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Princess Martha, pleasee with us!¡± Andy immediately stepped forward, wanting to take Martha away. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! Let go of me! Bruce, don¡¯t treat me like this! You took a bullet for me. How can you say that you don¡¯t love me?¡± Bruce¡¯s frustration reached its peak, and he couldn¡¯t help but shout at Martha, ¡°It¡¯s because I was wearing a bulletproof vest! I didn¡¯t want you to lose your life in our country. It¡¯s not because I love you. Do you understand?¡± Martha¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She waspletely dumbfounded. Andy and the other two bodyguards dragged Martha out of the hospital and stuffed her into the car! ¡°Bruce! What are you doing? It¡¯s not exactly the most gentlemanly behavior, Jaydon retorted, his tone reflecting his exasperation. Bruce retorted coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve never said that I¡¯m a gentleman! ¡°I won¡¯t be as gentlemanly to all women as you are!¡± ¡°What else do you want from Joann?¡± Jaydon was so angry that he choked. A sense of danger rose in his heart! By coldly driving Martha away, Bruce had made it abundantly clear that he intended to take Joanna away from Jaydon once again. Bruce cast an arrogant nce at Jaydon and spewed venomously. ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯re nothing but a cripple now. Do you honestly believe you can make Joanna happy?¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened. ¡°For Joann, I will try my best to recover!¡± ¡°What if you fail? Are you going to condemn her to a life with a disabled partner? ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯re the selfish one! If I were you, I would keep my distance from Joanna and spare her from any burdens!¡± ¡°Joann won¡¯t mind. We¡¯re really in love¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more disdainful. ¡°Hehe, she¡¯s just pitying you and sympathizing with you. She¡¯s afraid that you won¡¯t be able to take the blow and willmit suicide! Do you really think that Joanna loves you? Wake up!¡± Jaydon was so angry that his entire body was trembling. He red fiercely at Bruce! ¡°What is that look? Do you want to fight? Jaydon, wake up! Joanna loves me. If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s make a bet! ¡°Joanna only agreed out of sympathy for you! Otherwise, she would have ented your love long ago!¡± In front of Jaydon. Bruce had always been very confident. He was much better than Jaydon! He would never lose to Jaydon. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be too arrogant!¡± A flicker of disdain crossed Bruce¡¯s handsome face. ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance. Love is a peculiar thing! Joanna despises me because she loves me too much! I let her down, so she hates me! ¡°If she truly loves you, why wouldn¡¯t she be willing to let you touch her? And as much as you may dislike hearing it, Joanna felt quite content when she was in my bed! ¡°Every time, she would embrace me tightly and confess her love, saying she couldn¡¯t bear to be without me! Did she ever say that to you? ¡°Oh, my mistake. She didn¡¯t even allow you to touch her! Naturally, she wouldn¡¯t utter such intimate words to you!¡± Bruce was indeed very mean. He knew how to hurt Jaydon¡¯s self¨Cesteem the most! After Jaydon heard this, the blood in his body rushed to his head! If Jaydon wasn¡¯t in a wheelchair now, he would really fight to the death with Bruce! Indeed, he had loved Joanna for so many years, but he had never touched her. ¡°Bruce, shut up¡­¡± ¡°Jaydon, it¡¯s you who should leave! I can provide Joanna with everything that you can and cannot offer. How can you possiblypare to me? ¡°Money? Looks? Strength? Which one are you better at than me?¡± Jaydon was pissed off. The veins on his temples were about to pop out! Unfortunately, what Bruce said was the truth! Chapter 338 Jaydon could notpare to Bruce! The only aspect in which he surpassed Bruce was perhaps his tenderness and dedication. However, when it came to character, he wasn¡¯t significantly better than Bruce. Although he was willing to change for Joanna, it was undeniable that he was indeed a yboy in the past. He had even yed with more women than Bruce! ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be too arrogant. No matter what, Joann has already agreed to marry me!¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Forget about it. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d rather live in solitude my entire life than to marry a woman who doesn¡¯t love me. Joanna agreed to marry you just because she feels sorry for you. Do you think she really loves you? ¡°If you were smarter and really loved Joanna, you shouldn¡¯t have pestered Joanna! If it weren¡¯t for you, Joanna and I would have reconciled long ago! ¡°We have children. We love each other. We have the foundation of our rtionship! And you are the homewrecker. Do you have any shame?¡± ¡°Homewrecker?¡± Jaydon was enraged by this word! Who the hell was the homewrecker? bruce snatched her away from him back then. If Bruce hadn¡¯t harmed Joanna back then, he would have confessed to Joanna long ago! ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve gone too far. I¡¯ll make you pay for what you said today!¡± ¡°Hehe, then I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± Bruceughed arrogantly after he finished speaking! Jaydon was so angry that he could not help but pant heavily! ¡°Mr. Grimm, would you like to go back?¡± Jaydon sat in his wheelchair in a daze, his mind nk! He thought perhaps Bruce was right! Maybe Joanna agreeed to his proposal only because she felt sorry for him. If Bruce continued to pester Joanna, Joanna might very well get back together with him! An hourter! Jaydon left in anger. The doctor also walked out of the ward. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Bruce quickly went forward and asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s she?¡± ¡°The patient has severe hypoglycemia and severe depression! So, she can¡¯t stand any agitation! ¡°Her external injuries also need to be carefully treated. Otherwise, theplications will be very serious!¡± ¡°I got it!¡± ¡°Can Ie in and see her?¡± ¡°The patient has woken up. You can go in!¡± Bruce hurriedly walked into the ward! In the ward! Joannay on the bed, barely breathing, looking terminally ill! It broke Bruce¡¯s heart to see her pale little face that was devoid of any color. ¡°Joanna¡­ Bruce walked to the head of the bed and called out gently! Joanna opened her eyes. When she saw that it was Bruce, she instantly became emotional again! ¡°Bruce, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s okay! Cool it!¡± Joanna instinctively pulled her hand back. ¡°Go away, don¡¯t touch me!¡± she eximed, her voice filled with a mix of anger and difort. ¡°Joanna, can you calm down?¡± Chapter 338 Please leave, get out right now! Jay, Jay¡­¡± Joanna pleaded, her voice filled with urgency and distress. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Stop shouting. He¡¯s already gone!¡± Joanna was stunned! ¡°Bruce, did you say something to him? Why would he leave?¡± Bruce shrugged dismissively and sneered, ¡°Who knows? He must have some sort ofplex. I mean, he¡¯s a cripple now. He probably thinks he¡¯s not deserving of you, so he walked away!¡± When Joanna heard this, she fumed with rage. She knew Bruce too well! She believed that Bruce must have said something mean to Jaydon. Otherwise, Jaydon would not have abandoned her and left! ¡°What exactly did you say to Jay?¡± ¡°Joanna, can we have a serious talk?¡± ¡°You and Jaydon are notpatible. You don¡¯t love him at all. Why should you suffer? Do you feel sorry for him because he is crippled now? Is it worth it to sacrifice your own happiness? ¡°Are you stupid? You don¡¯t have to act like an angel. ¡°I genuinely don¡¯t understand. How am I inferior to Jaydon? Why would you prefer him over me?¡± Bruce was extremely unhappy about this! He was clearly richer, more handsome than him, and his personality was slightly better than Jaydon¡¯s. Why would Joanna choose Jaydon? Was she blind? He was the best artworks of God. Even the princess begged to marry him. He could not understand why Joanna kept rejecting him. ¡°Bruce, leave. Get out. I don¡¯t want to see you. I don¡¯t want you in my sight for a second!¡± Joanna eximed. ¡°Joanna, calm down¡­¡± Joanna was already breathless. Sh casually grabbed the things on the table and threw them at Bruce! ¡°Get lost! Now!¡± Chapter 339 Chapter 339 Miranda heard a noise and hurriedly rushed in to check! The ward was in a mess! Bruce Everett looked at Joanna Haynes helplessly and annoyed. ¡°Joannal Why are you so hostile to me? Can¡¯t we calm down and have a conversation? With Jaydon the way he is right now, do you really intend to marry him? ¡°My advice to you is to stop being angry with me. Our rtionship could clearly be much better¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached at his words, so she immediately interrupted him, ¡°Bruce Everett, there¡¯s nothing for us to talk about! Get out quickly. I don¡¯t wish to see you!¡± There was no possibility of reconciliation between her and Bruce Everett! Even if she had to die alone and unmarried, that would still be better than for them to get back together again. ¡°Get out! Leave!¡± Joanna shouted hysterically at Bruce. Bruce frowned and looked at Joanna Haynes,pletely at a lost and unsure of what he should do. Upon seeing that Joanna was so agitated. Miranda advised, ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t you ¡®step out first!¡± ¡°Once Joann is feeling better, you can continue to discuss this with her!¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression turned extremely ugly. He pursed his thin lips slightly and swallowed the words that were about toe out of his mouth. ¡°Think about it carefully!¡± With that, Bruce left the ward dejectedly. Ever since he was a child, he had always been sessful in whatever he wanted to do. However, ever since he divorced Joanna, she no longer cared about him anymore and often made him feel dejected. This feeling of defeat truly drove him insane! ¡°Miranda, what about Jay? When did he leave?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been gone for over an hour!¡± ¡°Did Bruce Everett say something to him?¡± Joanna asked anxiously. Miranda sighed. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so agitated! You know what Mr. Everett is like. His words cut like a knife! He always picks the worst things to say. A gentle person like Mr. Grimm would definitely be unable to take it!¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed speechlessly! She knew that Bruce must have said something to Jaydon! ¡°Hand me my phone!¡± Miranda did not dare to hesitate and quickly handed the phone to Joanna. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna dialed a number and gave Jaydon a call. ¡°The number you have dialed is unavable¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, Jay¡¯s phone is switched off!¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t panic. Why not give him another callter!¡± Joanna turned on Messenger once again and sent him a voice message. [Jay, where did you go? Why can¡¯t I get through to your phone?] [Call me back when you see this message. I¡¯m very worried about you!] Half an hourter! Jaydon replied to Joanna¡¯s message. [Joann, I¡¯m leaving. Take care. Don¡¯t miss me!] Joanna¡¯s heart ached when she saw his reply. She hurriedly gave him another call. The phone rang for a long time! N?velDrama.Org content rights. In the end, Jaydon Grimm still picked up the phone. He didn¡¯t like the silent treatment, and he would never make others anxious by not picking up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡± After the call connected, Joanna finally felt relieved. ¡°Jay, did Bruce Everett say something to you? ¡°He¡¯s a Junatic. No matter what he tells you, just ignore him!¡± Chapter 339 Joanna anxiously exined, afraid that Jaydon would think too much. Jaydon took a slight breath. With a tone still gentle and maic, he said, ¡°Joann, Bruce was right! I¡¯m now handicapped. If I stay with you, I¡¯ll only be a burden to you! ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Gaprington first. If my legs can be cured, I¡¯lle back to find you! If my legs can¡¯t be cured, our rtionship¡­ let¡¯s end it!¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart was in a mess. ¡°Jay, listen to me. Whether or not your leg can be cured, it won¡¯t affect our love for each other! ¡°I don¡¯t mind it, I really don¡¯t mind it!¡± ¡°But I mind!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice suddenly rose by two octaves. ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t want you to be with me because of pity! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d really rather not have this rtionship!¡± Joanna¡¯s throat choked. ¡°Jay¡­¡± Jaydon interrupted her next words, his voice trembling slightly. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t say any more! If my legs can be fixed and I can be a normal person again, I will definitelye back and marry you! you ¡°But! If my legs can¡¯t be treated, I don¡¯t want to drag you down! There¡¯s no need to feel burdened by me, and don¡¯t have to agree to my proposal just tofort me! I¡¯m not that fragile. I don¡¯t need you to pity me like this!¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m really not with you because I pity you! ¡°I really do¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, she felt a lump in her throat. But no matter what, she could not bring herself to say the words. ¡®I love you! She had indeed agreed to be with him because she pitied Jaydon. She was even more afraid that he would do something stupid, that he would never recover. Jaydon smiled in disappointment. ¡°Joann, I know what you want to say. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything else. I understand! Take good care of yourself! Wait for me toe back!¡± Jaydon hung up immediately after he finished speaking. ¡°Hello? Jay? Jay!¡± Joanna shouted a couple of times. Jaydon had already hung up! At the airport! After hanging up. Jaydon resolutely boarded his ne! Joanna¡¯s injuries were no longer serious! It no longer mattered whether he stayed or not! Miranda and the nurses would take good care of Joanna. Bruce was right! If he truly loved her, he shouldn¡¯t drag her down! If he was crippled for the rest of his life, how would he be able to give Joanna happiness? He also knew that Joanna had indeed agreed to marry him because she pitied him! If he hadn¡¯t been in a car ident and hist legs had been fine, Joanna definitely wouldn¡¯t have married him! ¡°Joann, wait for me toe back! If my legs can recover, I¡¯ll definitelye back and marry you! ¡°But¡­ If I¡¯m handicapped for the rest of my life, I, too, do not wish to ruin your happiness¡­¡± At the Hospital! ¡°Miranda, help me book a ticket to Gaprington immediately! I need to find Jay!¡± Joanna was really worried about Jaydon and struggled to sit up. Miranda quickly calmed her down. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so sad. Mr. Grimm is doing this with you in mind! ¡°If you go to Gaprington to look for him now, he will definitely avoid you! You might as well recuperate in peace and wait patiently for Mr. Grimm to return!¡± Kelly also hurriedly persuaded, ¡°That¡¯s right! With you being so seriously injured right now, how could you move around carelessly? ¡°Mr. Grimm cares so much about you. He definitely won¡¯t leave just like that! ¡°Miss Haynes, the most important thing you should do right now is to recuperate! Only when your body recovers will you have the ability to take care of Mr. Grimm!¡± When Joanna heard this, she fell back onto the bed in a daze! She understood Jaydon¡¯s personality very well! Chapter 339 Even if she went over to Gaprington now, he would most likely refuse to see her. It would be better for her to give him some space to lick his wounds alone. Moreover, since she had been lying in the hospital for so many days, she did not know what had be of thepany! She needed to recover as soon as possible! In the afternoon! At four o¡¯clock! Kelly pushed the door open and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger are here to see you!¡± Joanna was stunned. Why would these two old roons be so kind as to visit her? ¡°Let them in!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna struggled to sit up, and Miranda quickly ced a soft pillow behind her back. The door opened and Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul walked in one after another. ¡°Miss Haynes, quick, lie back down! You don¡¯t have to get up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m much better now!¡± Mr. Paul put on a fake smile and said hypocritically, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good then. Your bodyes first, and workes second!¡® Don¡¯t feel too pressured!¡± Mr. Roger also smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Haynes, get well soon. Thepany has me and Mr. Paul! You can rest assured and recuperate!¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more uneasy. This waspletely unlike Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul¡¯s style! Sure enough, Mr. Roger changed the topic and reluctantly said, ¡°Well¡­ You see, you¡¯re currently recuperating right now, but thepany can¡¯t go a single day without its chairman!¡± ¡°And so?¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°Yes, and so, we were thinking of temporarily choosing a substitute chairman for now!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t think too much about it. This is only a substitute chairman! Once you¡¯ve recovered, the position of chairman will naturally still be yours!¡± Mr. Paul also squeezed out a fake smile and echoed. ¡°That¡¯s right! I think your injuries aren¡¯t light either. You won¡¯t be able to recover anytime soon! Thepany would be better off picking a substitute chairman so that we can deal with thepany¡¯s matters in time!¡± The two of them were old shareholders of thepany. Naturally, they were the most qualified to be acting representatives for the chairman position. Chapter 340 Chapter 340 After hearing this, Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else! Then, who do you guys think is the best choice?¡± ¡°That¡­ let¡¯s hold a board meeting and put it to a vote!¡± ¡°Or, we could hold a video conference and let the directors and higher¨Cups vote!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what do you think?¡± Joanna thought about it for a few seconds before answering in a calm voice, I have no objections!¡± When the two wily foxes heard this, they finally rxed. ¡°Then, you¡¯ve agreed to it! Tomorrow at ten o¡¯clock, we¡¯ll hold at video conference and select the substitute chairman! ¡°During Miss Haynes¡¯s recuperation period, this person will rece Miss Haynes to handle the company¡¯s affairs.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna agreed without hesitation. Regardless, they had already nned everything! It was useless for her to object, so she might as well go with their ns. ¡°Then that¡¯s it. We¡¯ll be heading back first! We won¡¯t disturb Miss Haynes from her rest!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Joanna replied politely. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul had achieved their goals, so they could not be bothered to continue exchanging pleasantries and hurriedly left the hospital! After the two of them left! Joanna sighed deeply! These wily old men in thepany were all cunning old foxes! Now that she had be like this, she truly did not have the energy to fight with these old roons! It would be much better for her to let these old foxes duke it out among themselves! And with them out of the way, she would be able to free up some energy to busy herself with Porash¡¯s and Greene Town¡¯s business! Once she obtained a firm foothold in Mossbourne, she would have be independent from Greyport¡¯s market. The next day! At ten in the morning, the video conference began! As soon as the screen started working, all the higher¨Cups of thepany greeted Joanna. ¡°We wish Miss Haynes a speedy recovery!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been hard on everyone!¡± ¡°For the sake of fairness, we will anonymously vote for a substitute chairman today! During the period of Miss Haynes¡¯s recuperation, this person will rece Miss Haynes to deal with thepany¡¯s emergency matters!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, do you have any objections?¡± ¡°No objections!¡± Soon! The higher¨Cups and directors began to vote anonymously and choose the substitute chairman! Now that Bruce Everett had left the board of directors, the new director recing him was Caleb Harrison! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. However, Caleb had only just entered thepany. He had yet to gain a foothold in thepany, and almost no one had elected him! ¡°Alright, everyone has already voted! Let¡¯s start counting!¡± ¡°Mr. Roger, one vote!¡± ¡°Mr. Roger, two votes!¡± ¡°Mr. Paul, one vote!¡± ¡°Mr. Roger, three votes¡­¡± There were a total of 18 directors and senior management personnel! In the final voting results, Mr. Roger was far ahead with 13 votes! The votes have been counted. Mr. Roger, 13 votes! The position of substitute chairman definitely belongs to Mr. Roger!¡± 11.01 F Chapter 240 ¡°Mr. Roger, please say a few words to the board?¡± Mr. Roger immediately stood up and spoke in a professional tone. ¡°Yes, thank you for your trust and support! As everyone knows, Miss Haynes needs to recuperate now and won¡¯t being back to the company for a while! *Since everyone thinks so highly of me, I¡¯ll temporarily take the role of substitute chairman¡® When Miss Haynes recovers and returns to thepany, Miss Haynes will continue to be chairman¡® ¡°p, p, p! All the higher¨Cups apuded! Joanna watched the screen quietly. Mr. Roger had a smug expression on his face, and his eyes were filled with unconceble joy It seemed that he had long wanted to act as chairmant After the video conference! The lugher¨Cups returned to ark one after another. A few of thein could not help but fall back into commeration. ¡°Out of nowhere, how did Miss Haynes get injured by an explosion?¡± ¡°Who did this? What drove them to go against Miss Haynes like that?¡± ¡°Who know?¡± She might have offended someone from the underworld: ¡°Do you think the police have solved the case yet? Why is there no nes at all!¡± Let¡¯s wait for the police to solve the case!¡± ¡°I hope we can quickly find out who did it!¡± Theard that thepany has made a big move recently ¡°What big move! ¡°I think it¡¯s rted to personnel trander and the movement of shares Hub Who did you hear that from ¡°I also heard through the grapevine that someone wants to buy the Haynars Group but I dont kn targeting Miss Haynes¡± ¡°Oh my god, Miss Haynes won¡¯t be kicked out of the board, right?¡± At the hospital! Joanna was lying on the hospital bed with a heavy heart! if it a true! I think it was There were eight bodyguards standing at the door. Although Bruor asn¡¯t around, he still went bodyguards to protect Joanna After all, the bandit had almost kidnapped Joanna in front of everyone¡¯s eyes! Miranda and a nurse walked over Joann, it¡¯s time to change the dressing?¡± ¡°Okay¡± Joanna took off her hospital gown and waited quietly for the dressing to be changed ¡°Tsk tsk tsk such a deep wound will definitely leave a scar in the future! ¡°But it¡¯s fine All of your injuries are on the back! They won¡¯t be visible if you put on your clothes?¡± Joannaid back on the pillow in disappointment and gloom Who could have nted a bomb on her car? Other than Ingrid and Roxanne Haynes, who else would want her dead so badly! Ingrid was currently in jail, and Roxanne was also locked up in a mental hospital¡± This matter could not possibly have anything to do with the two of them. As Joanna thought about it. her brain suddenly had a sh of inspiration! She suddenly remembered that Ryan had an interest in modifying machinery and circuits since he was young. Moreover, he had something close to an obsession with chemistry! When he was in his first year of junior high school, he had even won the first prize of a chemistry competition! Could this matter be rted to him However, this thought only shed through her mund for a moment! After all installing a homemade time bomb required professional knowledge and courage! Star still didn¡¯t believe that Ryan would kill her Chapter 340 However, regardless of the truth, she had to be extra careful in the future! Since the murderer could attempt to murder her once, he could very easily try it a second time! The nurse was applying Joanna¡¯s medicine when Kelly knocked on the door and walked in. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is here!¡± ¡°Ah Miranda¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Before they could refuse, Bruce had already followed Kelly in! As medicine was currently being applied to Joanna, her entire back was uncovered! Upon seeing Bruce, Joanna¡¯s expression turned frosty. ¡°Bruce Everett, get out now!¡± Bruce took a nce. There were a few deep wounds on Joanna¡¯s back, and they appeared like a few centipedes lying on her skin! Then, Bruce handed over a bag, saying, ¡°Tve brought you some imported medicine. They specialize in treating external injuries!¡± Joanna rejected him coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t need them. Take them away quickly!¡± ¡°Joanna, can you not be so upset with me?¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, can you stay further away from me?¡± Bruce bit his lips. He almost couldn¡¯t resist cursing viciously at her! However, when he saw the injuries on Joanna¡¯s back, his heart still ached terribly. He swallowed back all the curses that were on the tip of his tongue! ¡°I¡¯ll leave the medicine here for you. It¡¯s your business whether or not you use it! ¡°Also, you¡¯d better be careful during this period of time! The murderer might attack you a second time!¡± When Joanna heard this, her mind went into turmoil. She naturally knew that the criminal would attack her once again, but it was impossible to guard against them. What could she do? When Miranda heard this, she panicked in fear. ¡°Huh? What should we do? If the murderer attacks Joann again, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be so lucky next time!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We have to think of a way to catch this murderer as soon as possible! This is too terrifying. What kind of grudge does he have to harm people like this?¡± Kelly also had a terrified expression. ¡°The police have been investigating. I believe there will be a result soon!¡± ¡°However, you have to be careful. I¡¯ll send people to protect you!¡± When Miranda and Kelly heard this, they quickly thanked him on behalf of Joanna. ¡°In that case, thank you, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce ced the medicine by the bed and looked at Joanna. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll be leaving first! Call me if anything happens!¡± ¡°No matter what, you¡¯re still the mother of those children. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you! No matter what you think of me, my feelings for you have never changed!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Joanna could not help but sneer. ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me, and I know it¡¯s useless no matter what I say!¡± ¡°Sigh- Bruce paused and let out a long breath! ¡°Also, I didn¡¯t send the children overseas to purposely prevent you from meeting them! I was afraid that the children would. be in danger! ¡°The robber who nted the bomb in your car is not only watching you but also the children! As long as this killer isn¡¯t caught, I won¡¯t dare to bring the children back! ¡°I hope you can understand me. Whether it¡¯s you or the kids, I don¡¯t want anything to happen to any of you!¡± Bruce spoke in a very sincere tone, his eyes instantly turning red! After listening to Bruce¡¯s exnation, the knot in Joanna¡¯s heart eased a little! However, when she thought of what he had deliberately said to Jaydon, the anger in her heart still boiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say all that. I don¡¯t need your protection! Life, death, fate! If my life is destined to end, I can only leave obey the heavens!¡± Chapter 341 Chapter 341 A week passed in the blink of an eye. Joanna had been hospitalized for nearly a month. Her health gradually became better. Joanna could be discharged today. In the Greene Town. After Joanna was discharged from the hospital, she immediately went to the Greene Town. Joanna¡¯s mediapany in Greene Town started to get on the right track. Thepany interviewed some actors and actresses. Thepany had signed contracts with six artists, including those referenced by Brother Trumpet. However, those artists were all streamers responsible for selling products online. The mediapanies needed diverse artists. Cora walked to Joanna and handed over a proposal, saying, ¡°Miss Haynes, this is thetest proposal. ¡°Mr. Trumpet says he ns to create a talent show. He wants to choose some female candidates who are good at singing and dancing to form a girl group. ¡°This is the preliminary proposal. We willplete a detailed n soon. Now we are working on getting sponsorships and discussing cooperation with local television stations.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Sounds great. Talent shows are very popr now. We can hold an audition and encourage people to participate. Then we can hire some outstanding artists.¡± Joanna flipped through the proposal andmented, ¡°Not bad!¡± Cora reported, ¡°We have calcted and assumed the show needs 2 million dors when it starts. We need to publicize it online and on television.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°What¡¯s the name of the audition? And what¡¯s the theme?¡± Cora replied, ¡°The name of the audition is Ultimate Girls, and the target candidates are young women between 18 and 25 years old. We mostly ept candidates who are good at singing and dancing, but other talents are also epted.¡± Joanna thought about it for a while and did not object. Then she added, ¡°I think the age range of the candidates should be broader. So should the theme! ¡°We don¡¯t have to limit so many things since this is the audition that everyone can participate, as long as the show is interesting. Girls who have reached the age of 18 can sign up for the show. Then we¡¯ll adopt a five¨Cround elimination system. That¡¯s more fair.¡± When Cora heard this, she seemed confused, saying, ¡°But our show is called ¡®Ultimate Girls! I¡¯m afraid the show won¡¯t its get best result if the candidates are too old.¡± Joanna said in a deep voice, ¡°It will be okay. A woman should not be limited by her age. There are many definitions of young, such as mentally young and physically young. A woman can be a participant of Ultimate Girls even if she is 50 years old as long as she has a young mindset.¡± When Brother Trumpet and Cora heard this, they pondered for seconds. Then they agreed and said, ¡°Alright then.¡± Brother Trumpet said, ¡°Then we can start now and run the primary election. However, we still haven¡¯t had professional judges for the show.¡± Cora agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Brother Trumpet seemed to be struggling with the decision. He said, ¡°Who should we hire? Big shots might not ept our invitations. Even if we can hire them, we probably don¡¯t have enough money to pay them. ¡°Audiences won¡¯t be interested in the show if we hire less famous judges. They will probably drag the show down.¡± Joanna thought for a moment. Then she said, ¡°Leave this to me. I¡¯ll go ask Jay.¡± Cora suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Miss Haynes, you can ask Mr. Grimm about it. Mr. Grimm is experienced in this area and will definitely offer some help!¡± Jaydon had been in the entertainment industry for a long time and had many connections. Moreover, Jaydon ran an entertainment mediapany. The artists in hispany were all top celebrities. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Joanna took out her phone and called Jaydon. Soon, Jaydon picked up the phone. On the other end of the phone, Jaydon¡¯s deep voice arose. He sounded gentle and warm. ¡°Hello, Joann!¡± 11:21 Chapter 341 Joanna took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Jay, how have you been recently?¡± Jaydon replied. ¡°I¡¯m doing good. I just finished today¡¯s three hours of rehabilitation training. What about you?¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯m in Greene Town now.¡± Jaydon changed his tone when he heard that. He asked, ¡°Why are you discharged so quickly? You haven¡¯t even recovered. Why don¡¯t you stay in the hospital for a few more days?¡± Joanna replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already recovered. My brain is getting rusty after staying in the hospital for days.¡± Jaydon sighed and said, ¡°Oh, Joanna, you are such a workaholic. You run wild when I¡¯m not with you now.¡± Joanna smiled and said bluntly, ¡°Jay, I want to ask you something.¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Go ahead!¡± He listened carefully. ¡°My mediapany in Greene Town is preparing to hold an audition. We want to choose 12 women and form a group. When they win the audition, they will be the artists of mypany.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he said, ¡°Talent shows are popr now. I think it¡¯s a good idea!¡± Joanna continued. ¡°We havepleted a preliminary proposal for now. However, we haven¡¯t had any professional judges. ¡°As you know, I have no experience in this area. ¡°So, I call you to ask for your help.¡± Jaydon smiled and replied. ¡°Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for trusting me. What kind of judges do you need?¡± Joanna said. ¡°They should be professionals of singing and dancing talents. It will be better if they are well known for their reputation and professionalism. ¡°You know. The entertainment industry is verypetitive now, and everypany strives for the best. So, we must do a good job in this audition.¡± Jaydon said. ¡°No worries. Leave that to me!¡± Joanna said, ¡°Great! Thank you, Jaydon.¡± Jaydon replied. ¡°Tm hanging up now if you don¡¯t need anything else. I¡¯ll call you back after I find the judges.¡± ¡°Great!¡°¨C Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! After hanging up the phone, Jaydon called Carmel. Carmel¡¯s poprity had declined a little recently. However, she was still a top celebrity in the entertainment industry. Besides, Carmel¡¯s singing and dancing skills were excellent. Jaydon considered Carmel perfect to be the judge of the show. Carmel was happy to receive a call from Jaydon. She immediately picked up the phone and greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± Jaydon said straightforwardly, ¡°Carmel, here¡¯s a job for you.¡± Carmel cried, ¡°Really? Thank you, Mr. Grimm!¡± She thought it was a television drama or variety show, Jaydon said. ¡°A mediapany in Greene City ns to hold a talent show. I think you are a perfect person for it.¡± Carmel was stunned when she heard that. She asked, ¡°Mr. Grimm, are you asking me to be a participant in a talent show?¡± Jaydon exined. ¡°No, I¡¯m asking you to be a judge for that show.¡± Carmel was shocked when she heard that. She cried, ¡°Be a judge? Me?¡± Carmel thought, ¡°I¡¯m only 25 years old this year and am a young¨Cgeneration artist. ¡°Am I too young to be a judge?¡± Jaydon seemed to know what Carmel worried about. Thus, he encouraged, ¡°Carmel, you¡¯re from a professional girl group. It¡¯s not a problem for you to be a judge for that show! ¡°Besides, your poprity has decreased too much recently. This is a good chance for you to increase your poprity!¡± Carmel looked confused and asked, ¡°Oh, okay. Then what kind of mediapany is that?¡± ¡°Charmont Media Group.¡± Carmel was shocked when she heard thepany name. She cried, ¡°What? Charmont Media Group? ¡°Mr. Grimm, isn¡¯t that Ms. Haynes¡¯s mediapany? You¡¯re asking me to be a judge for the show created by herpany?¡± Jaydon asked in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Chapter 341 Carmel said unhappily. ¡°Mr. Grimm. You know Ms. Haynes and I had some unpleasant moments.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Carmel, just rx and focus your energy on the work. Joanna is not a petty person. She won¡¯t make things difficult for you!¡± Carmel replied, ¡°I¡¯m not taking the job. This sounds like a show for grassroots. Wouldn¡¯t I be cheesy if I showed up at that show? ¡°Joanna¡¯s lousypany has too many bad histories. That show may drag me down. Anyway, I¡¯m not going to that show.¡± Jaydon frowned and asked unhappily, ¡°Are you sure about it? To go or not to go? Give me an answer!¡± Carmel said. ¡°I¡¯m not going. That show is too cheesy. I want to be a movie star. I don¡¯t want to participate in such a lousy show.¡± Hearing this, Jaydon could not be bothered to persuade Carmel. He said, ¡°Alright then! Thanks for letting me know!¡± After hanging up the phone, Jaydon called Adriana, the other girl at hispany. Adriana was a top celebrity two years ago. However, thepany gave all the good resources to Carmel after thepany decided to develop Carmel into a superstar. After that, Adriana did not have too much work. Now, Adriana was almost a B¨Clist celebrity in the entertainment industry. Adriana was thrilled to receive a call from Jaydon. She excitedly greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm Jaydon said, ¡°Adriana, here¡¯s a job for you. Being a judge for a talent show.¡± Adriana cried, ¡°Great. Thank you, Mr. Grimm!¡± It had been a long time since thest good job for Adriana. Adriana felt she was about to be history. Thus, when she received a job, Adriana agreed without thinking. After confirming Adriana to be one of the judges, Jaydon called two of his good friends. One was an experienced actor, Nathan Lawson. The other was a rock singer, Theo White. Both of them were Jaydon¡¯s good friends. Thus, they readily epted the job offered by Jaydon. Soon, Jaydon called Joanna back to report the results. Joanna said, ¡°Hi, Jay!¡± ¡°Hey, Joann, I¡¯ve found judges for your show!¡± Joanna was so happy to hear that. She asked, ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Adriana from mypany, Nathan Lawson, and Theo White. What do you think?¡± Joanna was overjoyed when she heard that. Joanna thought, ¡°These three people are less popr than before. However, they are still celebrities. They will bring poprity and topicality to the show!¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Jay!¡± ¡°Pleasure!¡± ¡°Jay, I miss you so much.¡± Jaydon felt his heart melt when he heard that. He said, ¡°Me too! Joann, wait for me. I will recover soon!¡± He sounded a bit sad. ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± Chapter 342 Chapter 342 I love you, Jay!¡± After considering it for a while, Joanna still said it out loud. Hearing this, Jaydon was stunned for a moment. Then he replied gently. ¡°I love you too!¡± ¡°Take good care of yourself?¡± ¡°You too!¡± Then Joanna and Jaydon talked hot over the phone for a while. They both felt their hearts be closer. Joanna said, ¡°Alright, I should get back to work now. Don¡¯t train too hard.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± The next day. In the conference room. Joanna announced, ¡°The judges and mentors for the show Ultimate Girls have been selected.¡± When Brother Trumpet and Cora heard this, they asked anxiously. ¡°Who are they?¡± Joanna paused for a moment. She replied, ¡°Adriana, Nathan Lawson, and Theo White.¡± Cora couldn¡¯t help but give Joanna a thumbs up. Coraplimented, ¡°Wow, Miss Haynes, you¡¯re amazing. How did you manage to invite the three of them? Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°I had to admit Adriana is not as popr as before. However, she was the top star in the past two years. I can¡¯t believe we can have her in our show!¡± Another executive, Eleanor Holmes, agreed and said, ¡°Exactly. Besides, Nathan won The Golden Camera Awardst year! I didn¡¯t expect him to ept the invitation!¡± ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Grimm¡¯s credit for letting us have Nathan on the show.¡± ¡°Anyway. It¡¯s still worth celebrating since we have had great judges and mentors.¡± When Brother Trumpet heard the discussion, his face darkened slightly. Brother Trumpet thought. ¡°It seems that Joanna and Jaydon love each other so much. ¡°I should probably abandon my thoughts.¡± Cora sensed Brother Trumpet¡¯s disappointment. Thus, Cora immediately livened up the mood and said, ¡°Brother Trumpet. we¡¯re going to organize our employees for a celebration. How about that?¡± Brother Trumpet squeezed a smile and replied, ¡°Sounds good.¡± Soon, the poster of the audition was posted online. The advertising copywriting was inspiring. Additionally, the advertisement was released online and offline. Soon, the news of the talent show went viral on the Inte. Thousands of people signed up for the audition on the first day. However, the audition was on May 15th. The show had five rounds in total, which were registration, audition, second round, final round, and the night for group forming. After entering the final round, the candidates had to go through four battles before qualifying to be a group member. Joanna had been very busy in the next few days. Joanna had to get sponsors, n the rules of thepetition, and interview the applicants. Joanna¡¯s mood became better when she got busy. Joanna did not have the time to think about the unpleasant things that had happened previously. The Everett Group, Greyport. Bruce waspletely ignored and neglected by Joanna. Joanna did not answer Bruce¡¯s calls or see him. That made Bruce extremely disappointed and depressed. Bruce asked, ¡°What has Joanna been up to?¡± Andy immediately reported, ¡°Oh. I heard that Miss Haynes is preparing an audition for a talent show. She is busy with that project now.¡± Chapter 342 Bruce frowned and asked. ¡°An audition? A talent show?¡± Andy replied, ¡°Yes. The news goes that the show is called Ultimate Girls. A woman can sign up for the show if she is 18 or older.¡± ¡°I heard that this talent show is fairer than before! The work is well done. I didn¡¯t expect Miss Haynes to be so good at nning!¡± Andy couldn¡¯t help but praise. Bruce chuckled and said, ¡°Huh. It sounds like Joanna is energetic about this project! ¡°What about the Haynes Group? What have the internal executives been up to recently?¡± Andy frowned and reported. ¡°The news goes that Mr. Roger is the interim chairman of the Haynes Group now. He reces Miss Haynes to handle thepany¡¯s businesses. ¡°However, there¡¯s also news that Mr. Roger wants to quit his job at the Haynes Group. He¡¯s looking for a man to take his job.¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Is that so?¡± Andy reported, ¡°Yes. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul each hold 15% of the shares. The two of them don¡¯t want to work with Miss Haynes. Thus, they are nning to kick Miss Haynes out of the board! ¡°These two are scheming. They are going to kick Miss Haynes out without losing one cent.¡± Bruce said gloomily, ¡°Got it!¡± Then he lit a cigarette. In the Greene Town. At the office. ¡°Wow, there are too many people signing up!¡± ¡°Yeah! I didn¡¯t expect so many people to sign up for the audition!¡± ¡°I thought we would have several thousand people signing up in total. However, it turned out that over 5,000 people signed up for the show on the first day!¡± ¡°The number of applicants has exceeded 50,000 over the past few days!¡± ¡°Many of them are women over 30 years old. A small number of them are 50¨Cyear¨Colddies.¡± After hearing this, Joanna frowned slightly and said, ¡°The audition must be fair. You can¡¯t prefer young girls or let the applicants.¡± age limit ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Miss Haynes.¡± The show had been popr since its audition because the media had many topics to report, such as the founder, candidates, and judges. Therefore, many people signed up for the show. Joanna had to go many ces to get sponsors before. But now, the sponsors requested to offer money for the show. The sponsorship had reached over 40 million dors in just a month. The television stations fought each other for the broadcasting right of the show. The show was so popr that the media reported Joanna as a sessful woman. Everyone finally saw Joanna¡¯s strength and hard work. Joanna no longer appeared in public as a beauty or Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cwife. Now, Joanna wasbeled as a sessful businesswoman. Cora asked carefully, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Fletcher wants to reference a candidate to the final round.¡± Eleanor agreed, ¡°The CEO of Mellow Coffee asks us to put his daughter in the final round.¡± ¡°Also, the president of Aura Solutions Group sponsors 2 million dors and wants his girlfriend to enter the final round.¡± Joanna was dumbfounded when she heard these requests. Joanna hated the most the people who cheated through socialworks or money. Thus, Joanna said. ¡°How can we do that? Our slogan is fair and square!¡± Cora looked serious. She said, ¡°Miss Haynes. Mr. Fletcher sponsors over 1 million dors. He only has one request. That is referencing a talent. ¡°Moreover, I checked the talent¡¯s profile. She graduated from a dancing school and is a professional without any doubt! ¡°To put it bluntly, Mr. Fletcher only wants the candidate to perform on television so that she can have a better career in the entertainment industry. Chapter 342 Eleanor followed Cora to add. ¡°The Mellow Coffee¡¯s CEO has the same intention.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became angrier. She sighed and said, ¡°I nned to select some truly capable candidates. through the audition. ¡°What is the point of the audition if all the candidates want to win the game by giving us money? What is the point of this show?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes. The sponsors have given us so much money and have only one request. If we don¡¯t approve their requests, I¡¯m afraid that we will lose our sponsors!¡± Joanna was speechless when she heard that. Joanna thought, ¡°I nned to create a fair and square show. However, I did not expect to encounter such things! ¡°What¡¯s worse, I have no choice but to approve those requests. ¡°But it will be unfair for candidates who don¡¯t have strong backgrounds if I ept those requests. ¡°So many people sign up for the show. However, we only have 12 spots. The candidates referenced by the sponsors take up half of the spots. That¡¯s to say, only five spots are left for those who win the games with their strengths.¡± Someone suddenly suggested, ¡°Miss Haynes. We can let those candidates referenced by the sponsors enter the final round. When it is time for the final round, we will evaluate their capability. At that time, we can kick them out if they are not capable. ¡°We can guarantee that any candidate referenced by a sponsor can enter the top 201 Joanna replied. ¡°It sounds like the only choice we have now.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll start the work.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Alright.¡± Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Joanna greeted, ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± She had a video call with Jaydon. Jaydon noticed Joanna looked exhausted and asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I encountered some problems at work.¡± ¡°What kind of problems?¡± Joanna pondered for a moment and decided to tell Jaydon about those things. Jaydon could not help butugh after he heard what Joanna said. He said, ¡°This is very normal. If you want to survive in this industry, you have to know its rules!¡± Joannained, ¡°I will never expect that there are so many unspoken rules for a talent show.¡± Jaydon replied, ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Unspoken rules exist in every industry. There¡¯s no such thing as 100% fairness in this world. One should do the best one can inside of one¡¯spetence. That¡¯s my opinion. ¡°After all, how can we say no to money?¡± Joanna thought about it and agreed with Jaydon. Joanna thought, ¡°Jaydon is right. My purpose of working so hard is to make money! ¡°I will have no money to make if the show is 100% fair. Besides, being too serious does no good for. anyone. ¡°Even if the show is unfair, I should do my best to ensure the rights and interests of every candidate. ¡°If I can¡¯t move the candidates referenced by the sponsors, I can add more spots. I can increase the spots to 20 from 12. ¡°However, I can¡¯t tell this to anyone now, not to mention publicize it! ¡°Otherwise, the sponsors will ask us to allow more and more people to enter the final round.¡± The show received the highest ratings when its first episode was broadcast. Adriana and the other judges instantly became popr. The show would be popr for a long time, assuming the current trend. Chapter 343 Chapter 343 The Ultimate Girls was in full swing. Until the deadline, over 60 thousand people had signed up for the show. However, only a hundred people could get through the audition and enter the second round. Joanna, Cora, Brother Trumpet, and the others were busy during this period. In the conference room. ¡°Miss Haynes, there are too many applicants. Our studio can¡¯t fit so many people at the same time. We need a bigger studio.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°No problem. Safety first. The audition can be held in a gymnasium.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± ¡°Also, the Icebergarts website wants to sponsor the show¡¯s second season. They have already bought the broadcasting rights for the second season.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on and finish the first season first. It¡¯s still unknown if we can have the second season.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes. Here¡¯s another thing. The proportion of candidates over 35 years old keeps increasing. It is about to exceed the proportion of young candidates. ¡°If this trend continues, our show will turn into a show for old people!¡± Joanna said, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. Age is not a problem if a candidate has talents! ¡°We must select candidates with talents in the audition.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Is there anything you want to add?¡± Cora suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°Oh right, Miss Haynes, you are invited to an interview show Joanna asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Cora replied, ¡°The show is called Rooney Interview.¡± Joanna thought for seconds before rejecting it. ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t like being exposed in front of the camera.¡± After all, the Greyport media almost demonized Joanna. As a result, Joanna was traumatized by all the media and was scared of facing reporters Cora continued, ¡°Miss Haynes, Rooney Interview is different. This show invites famous entrepreneurs or celebrities with good reputations in the entertainment industry. ¡°Miss Haynes, this interview is full of positive energy. It may help you win renown. So, it¡¯s better to ept the invitation.¡± Brother Trumpet strongly agreed with Cora. He said, ¡°Cora is right. Joanna, you should ept the invitation! It is a rtively high-end interview show in the country. The host is also very influential.¡± Cora continued, ¡°Miss Haynes, it might eliminate the misunderstandings people have about you if you participate in this show! I think you should go!¡± Joanna felt that those words made sense. Thus, Joanna said, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll think about it first. I will do the interview if it¡¯s suitable for me.¡± Cora said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell that show¡¯s director about it.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Cora replied, ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Alright then. The meeting is now ended.¡± It was already past nine in the evening when the meeting was finished. Joanna and Tatiana returned to the hotel. Joanna murmured when she turned her sore neck, ¡°I¡¯m so tired today. I need a good rest tonight!¡± Tatiana did not like to talk much. Thus, she listened to Joanna quietly. When the two of them reached the room and did not open the door, they saw a figure sh out from the corner of the corridor! Tatiana was a professional bodyguard. Thus, she reacted quickly. She immediately stood before Joanna and shouted, ¡°Who is it?¡± Joanna was frightened by that. Her heart was beating wildly. Tatiana warned, ¡°Miss Haynes, be careful!¡± Then a boy about 18 or 19 years old walked over shyly. He exined himself, ¡°Hello, Joanna. I¡¯m your big fan. May I have your autograph?¡± Joanna repeated, ¡°My autograph?¡± She was stunned when she heard that request. Joanna thought, ¡°I¡¯m not a star or a famous person. Why would this boy ask me for an autograph?¡± The boy looked at Joanna with sparkling eyes and said excitedly, ¡°Yes! I like you very much and want to take a photo with you!¡± Joanna hesitated for seconds. Then she agreed and said, ¡°Well. Sure!¡± When the boy heard this, he was overjoyed. Then, he took out his phone. Joanna cooperated with him and took a photo with him. Then, she signed an autograph for her fan. The boy took the autograph and smiled at Joanna, saying, ¡°Thank you. Best of luck! I¡¯ll always support you!¡± Joanna was shocked when she heard that. Then her eyes unknowingly turned red. Joanna thought, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have a fan! What a surprise!¡± ¡°Goodbye¡± The boy waved at Joanna and left in satisfaction. Joanna could not help but sigh. Then she murmured, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve got a fan. I will never expect that!¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Tatiana said gravely, ¡°Miss Haynes, you have many fans in Mossbourne! Your Dok-Dek ount has over seven million fans!¡± When Joanna heard this, she instantly widened her eyes and asked, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Chapter 343 Tatiana replied, ¡°No. What I said is true. If you don¡¯t believe me, take a look for yourself? Joanna opened the application in disbelief and checked her Dok-Dek ount. As Tatiana had said, Joanna had over seven million fans on it. The number of fans surprised Joanna. Joanna did not understand how she gained so many fans since she did not post a video when she was injured. Brother Trumpet must help a lot in increasing Joanna¡¯s fans without any doubt. However, it was Joanna¡¯s legend and poprity that made her popr in Mossbourne. A huge difference was between Greyport and Mossbourne. Although Greyport was a special economic zone and a metropolitan region, its total poption was only 7 million. Joanna¡¯s reputation in Greyport was not very good because Ingrid had been defaming Joanna for a long time. Additionally, the Greyport media loved news about the fights that happened in the rich and powerful families. Thus, the Greyport media wrote ridiculous news about Joanna. However, things in Mossbourne were different. In the eyes of Joanna¡¯s fans in Mossbourne, although Joanna was born into a wealthy family, she suffered a lot. Joanna was neglected by her biological father and oppressed by her stepmother. Joanna was pitiful in terms of these events. However, Joanna was resilient and courageous. Joanna¡¯s fans in Mossbourne admired her for these characteristics. Therefore, in Mossbourne, Joanna was described as a strong woman. After reading the fans¡¯ments, Joanna was touched. She murmured, ¡°What a surprise! ¡°It seems that shifting the focus of the business to Mossbourne is a good choice.¡± Tatiana said, ¡°Agreed! ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯ste now. Have a good rest! ¡°Good night!¡± Tatiana stayed in the room next to Joanna¡¯s. Joanna entered the room, took off her shoes, and changed her clothes. After that, she turned on the hot water and prepared to take a bath. Joanna had been very tired these days, so she had to take a hot bath every day. After the hot water was ready, Joanna added some bath salts. The doorbell rang before she entered the bathtub and when she took off her pajamas. ¡°Ding dong! Ding dong!¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± She thought it was Tatiana. Thus, she put on her pajamas and walked toward the door. The man outside replied, ¡°Room service!¡± Joanna was shocked and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver fruits for you!¡± Joanna looked through the peephole. She found that a hotel waiter was standing at the door. He was wearing a white shirt and carrying a fruit tray. This hotel was a five-star hotel and would provide fresh fruits every day. Therefore, Joanna did not doubt it too much. Then the hotel waiter showed his work ID to the peephole. Chapter 343 ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Then Joanna opened the door. Unexpectedly, when Joanna opened the door, a person hiding somewhere suddenly came out and rushed into Joanna¡¯s room without a word! Joanna was shocked and cried, ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna took a closer look. Then she found the person who barged in was Bruce! At this moment, Bruce was emitting a strong smell of alcohol. His eyes were red as blood, and his feet seemed weak when he staggered into the room. Joanna gasped and patted her chest, trying to let her heart slow down. Then she asked, ¡°Bruce, what are you doing here?¡± Bruce muttered, ¡°Joanna, I miss you. I miss you¡­¡± Joanna shouted, ¡°Are you crazy? Get out!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Bruce was so drunk that he opened his mouth and was about to vomit. He looked like he felt terrible. Seeing this, Joanna could not be bothered to ask Bruce to leave. She hurriedly grabbed Bruce¡¯s arm and dragged him to the washroom. Joanna said, ¡°Don¡¯t throw up anywhere. Get in the washroom if you want to throw up!¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Unfortunately, Joanna could not make Bruce move a little because he was too tall. She did not even have enough strength to hold Bruce with Bruce¡¯s hand on her shoulder. Joanna held and dragged Bruce to the washroom with great effort. ¡°rgh!¡± Bruce vomited at the toilet. The strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the washroom. Joanna asked, ¡°Bruce, how much did you drink?¡± After vomiting, Bruce looked at Joanna with drunken eyes and smiled in a daze. He said, ¡°Haha. Not much, just¡­ just 2.2 pounds of schnapps.¡± Joanna frowned and cried, ¡°2.2 pounds of schnapps? Are you out of your mind?¡± Joanna thought, ¡°Bruce never drinks schnapps. Besides, he has problems with his stomach. If he drinks schnapps, his stomach will hurt for days. ¡°Therefore, Bruce rarely touches schnapps.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Where are your assistant and bodyguards? Where¡¯s Andy?¡± Bruce mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know!¡± Bruce seemed to be so drunk that he got tongue-tied. Joanna said, ¡°Give me your phone. I¡¯ll call Andy and ask him toe and pick you up!¡± Bruce cried, ¡°Ahh. No! No!¡± Bruce frowned andined, ¡°I feel terrible. My stomach hurts! My stomach feels like it¡¯s on fire!¡± Then he failed to keep his bnce and sat on the ground. Chapter 344 Chapter 344 His forehead hit the sink with a loud thud! Instantly, his forehead bled, and a pit appeared on it. ¡°Wah!¡± Bruce opened his mouth and howled. ¡°Ouch, it hurts¡­¡± Upon seeing that, Joanna frantically went to help him.¡±Bruce, you¡¯re my nemesis!¡± said Joanna. Joanna grabbed Bruce¡¯s arm and tried to help him stand up as she spoke! Unfortunately, Bruce was about 6 feet and 3 inches tall and weighed over 154 pounds. How could she drag him? ¡°Wow, you hit me! Even my mother didn¡¯t hit me, but you hit me! My head is smashed!¡± Bruce was so drunk that he couldn¡¯t even think straight and was crying his eyes out! Joanna was speechless. ¡°I didn¡¯t hit you. You knocked yourself on the sink!¡± However, it was difficult to argue with a drunk person. ¡°Get up now, and don¡¯t cry!¡± said Joanna. Bruce was still crying. Joanna¡¯s scalp tightened. She could only coax him like a child. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s sote now. You¡¯ll wake others up if you cry like this! Others willin. Get up quickly!¡± After Joanna hugged his back and tried to carry him out of the bathroom! Unfortunately, the drunk Bruce was no longer as arrogant and insufferably proud as before. At the moment, He was like a fool sitting on the ground crying! It was as if he had suffered a great grievance! It was said that when people were drunk, they would vent all the grievances in their hearts! No matter how well they usually pretended, their toughness and armor would all lose their effect once they got drunk! ¡°Stop crying,¡± Joanna said grimly. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll hit you for sure!¡± Bruce cried with tears in his eyes like a bullied wife. He looked at Joanna aggrievedly! ¡°Honey, I miss you so much. I really miss you! Please don¡¯t hit me, okay? Please?¡± Bruce was still crying. ¡°Okay, okay. Stop it! One will be thanking the gods if you don¡¯t hit one.¡± Joanna frowned and exhaled. Then, she used all her strength to hug his back and wanted to carry him again! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce felt a recoil in his stomach. He opened his mouth and vomited in Joanna¡¯s hands. Then, he vomited again. Upon seeing that, Joanna almost broke down. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re such a pain in the ass!¡± covered in filth. Bruce vomited everywhere. His entire suit and shirt were g Frowning, Joanna quickly turned on the tap. First, she washed her hands and then took a towel to wipe Bruce! Tatiana heard themotion from next door and quickly ca over to knock on the door! ¡°Miss Haynes, what happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t have to worry about it!¡± said Joanna, 3.48% Chapter 344 ¡°Okay!¡± Tatiana replied and returned to her room. Joanna wiped Bruce with a towel for a long time. The filth could not be wiped clean at all! Fortunately, all Bruce vomited was wine and gastric juice. He did not eat anything at all. No wonder he was so drunk. Therefore, the filth was not that unbearable! Joanna really could not drag Bruce, so she could only give up. ¡°You stay put. I¡¯ll call Andy now and ask him toe and pick you up!¡± Then Joanna left the washroom. She hurriedly ran to get the phone and dialed Andy¡¯s number. Beep, beep! Soon, Andy answered the phone! ¡°Hey, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Hey, Andy!¡± Andy¡¯s slightly anxious voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Where are you now?¡± As she spoke, she looked at the bathroom! Bruce was terribly drunk now, and she was afraid he would knock something and hit himself again! Andy said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯m looking everywhere for Mr. Everett. Mr. Everett is missing! ¡°Mr. Everett was discussing business with someone just then, but the other party insisted on drinking liquor! Mr. Everett apanied him to drink, but who knew Mr. Everett would get drunk? ¡°Mr. Everett disappeared when he went to the toilet. We¡¯re looking for Mr. Everett everywhere right now!¡± Andy and the others were highly anxious. Bruce came to Greene Town today to discuss a coboration with someone. The partner was a northerner who liked to drink liquor. Bruce usually did not drink, but he wanted to for some reason today. Then Bruce did not say many words and started drinking one ss, to the next. When the other party saw that Bruce drank so much, they thought he could hold his liquor well. ¡°There¡¯s no need to look for him. He¡¯s with me now! Come and pick him up quickly!¡± said Joanna angrily, choking. ¡°Ah? He¡¯s with you?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll send you my location now. Come and pick him up quickly.¡± ¡°Oh, I see! Please send me your location, Miss Haynes. I¡¯ll rush over immediately!¡± Joanna hung up and sent Andy her location! ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not leaving. Please don¡¯t chase me away, okay?¡± said Bruce, still crying. Although Bruce was drunk, he also heard that Joanna had asked someone to pick him up. He was even more aggrieved like a child and opened his mouth to cry! ¡°Bruce, I just don¡¯t know what to say to you!¡± said Joanna. Then Joanna rushed to the bathroom. Before she reached the bathroom, she heard a sshing sound from it. ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Frightened, Joanna hurried into the bathroom! 14:33 Sat, 29 Chapter 344 In the bathroom! Bruce fell into the bathtub again, causing the bathroom to be filled with water! Bruce struggled desperately in the bathtub! 48% Unfortunately, the more he struggled, the more unsteady he became! In a daze, he returned to the scene of drowning in the pool more than ten years ago! ¡°Help! Help!¡± ¡°Get Up quickly! What the hell are you doing?¡± Joanna reached out to take Bruce out, but he pulled her into the bath! ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, you¡¯re crazy! Cough, cough¡­¡± Joanna choked on the water and coughed! ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll protect you!¡± Joanna was stunned. Seeing him like this, she felt a faint sadness in her heart again! She knew Bruce was scared of water! ¡°It¡¯s alright! The water is shallow, and don¡¯t be scared!¡± Joanna came out of the bathtub like a drowned rat! Then, Joanna pulled Bruce out of the bathtub with all her might! Getting off the bathtub, Bruce blew his nose and started crying again. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry! ¡°I made a mistake. You saved me, but I thought it was someone else! I even offered myself to someone else. I¡¯m such an idiot. ¡°Will you forgive me?¡± said Bruce, bursting into tears again! Joanna sighed helplessly. Since she met Bruce, he had been arrogant, cold, and deep like a noble young master! She did not expect him to be like this when he was drunk! ¡°Okay, okay. Stop crying! Take off your wet clothes first! Or you¡¯ll catch a coldter!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take off my clothes. No one can take off my clothes except ¡°Honey, I¡¯m well-behaved. I¡¯ve never loved anyone but you!¡± my wifet ¡°I know! Stop crying and quickly take off your clothes! Your clothes are wet now. You¡¯ll catch a cold later!¡± Bruce was still crying. ¡°I¡¯m well-behaved. Don¡¯t worry about me, okay? ¡°Honey, I miss you so much. Can you forgive me?¡± said Bruce, kneeling on the ground and hugging Joanna¡¯s thigh. He buried his head in Joanna¡¯s body and cried! Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Upon seeing him like this, Joanna¡¯s head hurt! Bruce was really ridiculous when he was drunk!! If she filmed a video for him now and showed it to him the next day, he would probably die on the spot! 3/4 14.33 Sat, 29 JulXIGA Chapter 344 Beep, beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang again! It was probably Andy. He didn¡¯t know her room number and called her to ask for it! ¡°Bruce, let go of me. I¡¯m going to take a call!¡± ¡°No, no. Honey, don¡¯t go. I won¡¯t let you go. I won¡¯t let you go again!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going nowhere but to take a call. I¡¯ll be back soon! My phone is ringing!¡± ¡°No, no¡­ I know you will run away again. If you do, you won¡¯te back. You¡¯ll nevere back! ¡°Honey, how could you be so cruel? You left for four years. Do you know that I thought about you every day for four years? I thought about you every day! ¡°I do want to call you and look for you! But I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll ignore me, and others will scold me! So I don¡¯t dare to look for you! ¡°I thought you¡¯de back. I thought you couldn¡¯t bear to part with me! ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cruel. How could you say that you don¡¯t love me anymore? Didn¡¯t you say that you would love me forever?¡± Joanna was stunned! ¡°Bruce, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Chapter 345 Chapter 345 Bruce was so drunk that he knelt on the ground and hugged Joanna¡¯s leg while crying! His shoulders trembled violently as he sobbed. His throat was so choked up that he could barely breathe! Perhaps he was sad deep down! Looking at him like this, Joanna felt an inexplicable pain in her heart! ¡°Get up quickly¡­¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t get up if my wife doesn¡¯t forgive me!¡± Dingdong! Dingdong! The doorbell rang outside! Andy had probably arrived with his men. Joanna pulled her leg and said, ¡°Someone rang the doorbell. I¡¯ll go out and open the door!¡± Bruce cried even harder. ¡°No, no. Honey, are you letting someone else catch me? I don¡¯t want to leave. I want to be with you!¡± Joanna had no choice but to coax him with patience, ¡°Be good, or I¡¯ll ignore you!¡± Bruce obediently let her go when he heard her. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me. I¡¯m scared that you¡¯ll ignore me! How can you be more heartless than me?¡± said Bruce, still crying. Joanna got rid of him with a frown. She quickly went out and opened the door! Outside the door! It was indeed Andy, followed by Kody and the others. ¡°Miss Haynes, where is Mr. Everett?¡± Andy asked anxiously. ¡°He¡¯s drunk and in the bathroom now. Get him out of here quickly!¡± said Joanna. ¡°Okay!¡± Andy hurriedly led his men into the washroom! In the washroom! There was a strong smell of alcohol everywhere, and the ground was a mess and filthy. Bruce was lying in the filth, sobbing. ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t want to leave. Please don¡¯t leave me. I do know I was wrong¡­¡± said Bruce, crying. Andy and the others were speechless. It was the first time they had seen Mr. Everett drunk! Unexpectedly, he made a fool of himself like all the drunkards! ¡°Get him out of here!¡± said Joanna. ¡°Okay!¡± Andy replied, but he did not know where to start! Chapter 345 Bruce was dripping wet, and his expensive suit was already beyond recognition ¡°He identally fell into the bathtub just then. Hurry up and find him a clean set of clothes ¡°Why don¡¯t we change Mr. Everett into a hotel robe?¡± said Andy. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Fine!¡± Joanna said and quickly opened the closet. Every room in the hotel would prepare a few bathrobes. Joanna brought one over, ¡°Hurry up and change his clothes!¡± ¡°Okay! ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s time for us to go back!¡± Andy and Kody quickly went forward to help Bruce up! Bruce kicked his limbs and did not let them get close. ¡°Go away. Who are you? ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t want to leave you. The bad people are trying to catch me!¡± Upon seeing that, Andy had a headache. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m Andy. The client is still looking for you everywhere! Why are you here?¡± Bruce pped Andy¡¯s hands away. ¡°Go away, and don¡¯t touch me! ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not leaving. Honey, save me!¡± Bruce cried heartbreakingly and grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand tightly, refusing to let it go. His blood-red eyes looked at her pitifully. Joanna frowned but still managed to pry his hands away! ¡°Bruce, hurry up and go back with them!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re leaving! Please change out of your wet clothes first!¡± ¡°You guys, help Mr. Everett up!¡± When the bodyguards heard that, they quickly went forward and mustered their strength to help Bruce out of the bathroom! Andy and Kody spent a lot of effort taking off Bruce¡¯s shirt. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t take off his pants no matter what, let alone put on a sleeping robe for him. The few of them couldn¡¯t do anything to him, but they didn¡¯t dare to force him, so they could only give up. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it like this! Wrap a towel around Mr. Everett!¡± I¡¯m sorry, Miss Haynes. He¡¯s caused you trouble!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! just gu The four bodyguards carried Bruce, who was half-naked and had to be covered with a towel. Bruce was drunk and struggling like a bull! ¡°Let go of me. You are fucking against me¡­¡­..¡± Perhaps because his madness was too intense, his stomach churned again. ¡°Uh, um¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett wants to vomit. Hurry up and put him down!¡± Bruce bent down and vomited a few times! His stomach was almost empty, so he could only spit out his stomach acid! In the end, he vomited two mouthfuls. A pool of dark red blood apanied by stomach acid was spat out. Seeing that, Andy was scared out of his wits. ¡°Oh, no, Mr. Everett is vomiting blood!¡± When Joanna heard that, she was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Is he?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna did not have time to think too much and hurriedly went forward to check! Bruce hunched his body and spat out two more mouthfuls of blood with a painful expression! There was a pool of blood on the floor! ¡°My goodness!¡± Joanna was dumbfounded. Bruce had a stomach ulcer and could not drink. He had gulped down 2.2 pounds of liquor and had not eaten anything to fill his stomach today. He would vomit blood! ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Hurry up. Send Mr. Everett to the hospital and pump his stomach!¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ll take you to the hospital!¡± 48 ¡°Honey, I feel terrible. Am I going to die?¡± There was blood on Bruce¡¯s mouth. His eyes were as red as blood as he looked at Joanna in a daze. His entire face had turned purple! Joanna was so worried when she heard him! She was even more afraid that he would get alcohol poisoning! Especially since he had a stomach ulcer! Andy looked at Joanna anxiously and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, pleasee with us to the hospital! ¡°We¡¯re worried something will happen to Mr. Everett!¡± Okay!¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing, ¡°Okay!¡± Tatiana also came back to check. She was even morning lif wrong with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°He¡¯s drunk. Hurry up and send him to the hospital!¡± dumbfounded when she saw the scene before her. ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s Andy and the others carried Bruce and hurried toward th the elevator! Along the way, Bruce¡¯s consciousness gradually dissipated. Even so, he held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and refused to let it go! Twenty minutester! They sent Bruce to Northshore Hospital as quickly as possible. It was midnight, so they had to go to the emergency room! ¡°Where¡¯s the doctor? It is an emergency!¡± 3.48% Chapter 345 A nurse hurried out to check, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°He¡¯s drunk. The patient just vomited blood!¡± When the nurse heard that, her expression turned solemn. ¡°Hurry up and send him to the emergency room. Which one of you will settle the registration procedures?¡± A momentter! Bruce was sent to the emergency room again! ¡°Doctor, he¡¯s so drunk now. Can you pump his stomach?¡± A doctor went forward to check Bruce and said solemnly, ¡°The patient¡¯s stomach is bleeding, and we can¡¯t pump his stomach. Send him to the ward first and give him intravenous injections of some relief medication!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce was sent to the ward. The doctor began to give him saline. Then, he helped Bruce take a gastroscope and gave him an intravenous injection of a hemolytic drug. Bruce was already in a semi-conscious state throughout the entire process! Half an hourter! The doctor was finally done with his work! Joanna had been watching nervously from the side. ¡°Doctor, how is he now?¡± ¡°Fortunately, he was sent here in time. The patient has a stomach ulcer and can¡¯t drink liquor. How can you let him drink so much of it? It¡¯s so dangerous! You can¡¯t let him drink like this again.¡± Joanna pulled a long face and replied subconsciously, ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Are you the patient¡¯s family?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Joanna mumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll prescribe some stomach medicine for himter. He must be on a diet, and his diet must be light. He has to eat more food that¡¯s good for the stomach!¡± ¡°Got it. Doctor!¡± The doctor left the ward after giving them instructions! Brucey on the hospital bed with a pale face. He finally fell asleep under the alleviation of the medicine! Looking at him like this, Joanna¡¯s heart still ached! Even though she no longer loved him, she still did not want to see anything happen to him. Even though Bruce was in a deep sleep, he refused to let go of her hand! Joanna couldn¡¯t even leave if she wanted to! Andy saw the situation and could only persuade Joanna, ¡°Miss Haynes, could you please take care of Mr. Everett here? With Mr. Everett¡¯s current state, he can¡¯t be alone like this!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± In the morning! It was past six in the morning! Bruce regained some consciousness in a daze. He felt as if magma was rolling in his stomach, burning his entire stomach until it spasmed! ¡°Urgh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Bruce turned over slightly, and ayer of cold sweat appeared on his handsome face. Joanna had stayed up all night. Seeing Bruce was awake, she said, ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Bruce heard the voice and slowly opened his eyes. He saw the person in front of him was Joanna! Bruce was a little surprised and thought he was dreaming. After a while, he opened his eyes again! It was right. The person in front of him was Joanna, indeed! That pair of beautiful eyes were looking at him with concern right at the moment. Chapter 346 Chapter 346 ¡°Why¡­. why are you here?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was hoarse, and his arrogant look returned. ¡°What do you think?¡± Joanna replied angrily. Bruce shook his head. He had no impression of what happenedst night! He only remembered he came to Greene Town to discuss business with a client. After that, he went to have a meal. During that period, he had been drinking with the client! Then Bruce suddenly wanted to see Joanna. Hence, he took a car to Joanna¡¯s hotel before he was completely drunk! Unexpectedly, he waspletely drunk when he arrived at the hotel. He had no idea what happened later on! If Bruce knew that he had made such a fool of himselfst night, he would probably die on the spot! ¡°Cough, cough. Hiss¡­¡± Joanna poured a ss of warm water and handed it over. ¡°Look at you. You know that your stomach isn¡¯t in good condition. Why did you drink so much liquor? You drank so much that your stomach bled!¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business even if I drink myself to death!¡± Bruce returned to his usual arrogant self. However, he was weak now, and his tone was not as high and mighty as before! ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t want to care about you. I¡¯m only afraid you¡¯ll drink to death, and the children wouldn¡¯t have a father!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in anger when he heard her! The damn woman could piss him off! ¡°Have some oatmeal! I asked Andy to buy it for you just now.¡± ¡°Take it away. I¡¯m not eating it!¡± Bruce¡¯s stomach felt ufortable. He frowned and subconsciously covered his stomach with his hands! Looking at his pale and weak face, Joanna could not be bothered to bicker with him! ¡°The doctor said that your stomach ulcer is serious. You need to eat some oatmeal to nourish your stomach!¡± ¡°I already said I don¡¯t want to eat it, and you take it away quickly. Don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s tone carried a hint of anger! In Bruce¡¯s eyes, Joanna only cared about Jaydon. She didn¡¯t care if Bruce was dead or alive! ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat it, forget it! I¡¯m going to leave since you¡¯re awake!¡± Joanna had been watching him for most of the night and was so sleepy that her eyes were fighting! She still had a meetingter and had to go to the audition site for an inspection! In the afternoon, Joanna still had to meet the host of Rooney Interview! When Bruce heard she was leaving, his stomach became even more sour! Not only was his stomach sore, but so was his heart! If Jaydon drank until his stomach vomited blood, Joanna would stay by his side even if the sky copsed! 14:35 Sat, 29 Jul Chapter 346 luna A woman who had a change of heart was truly more ruthless than a man! ¡°Leave!¡± Bruce endured his heartache and replied coldly. ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving! Andy and Kody are outside the door. Tell them if you need something!¡± As Joanna spoke, she ced the oatmeal on the bedside table. Then she stood up and prepared to walk out. ¡°Hiss¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Bruce gasped in extreme pain and curled up his entire body! He looked iparably painful! Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She quickly went forward to check. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, and his lips were pale and dry. ¡°Go and leave me alone!¡± he said. ¡°How can I leave with peace of mind when you¡¯re like this? Just wait. I¡¯ll call the doctor right now!¡± Then Joanna hurriedly went out to look for the doctor. ¡°Doctor, pleasee over quickly and take a look. The patient¡¯s stomach hurts badly¡­¡± Soon, the doctor rushed to the ward and did a thorough checkup. He said solemnly, ¡°The patient is weak now! He has to rest more. Give him two bottles of saler!¡± Joanna said worriedly, ¡°He just had a stomachache! Is there any way to relieve it?¡± ¡°I can only give him some painkillers. As for the rest, he can only slowly recover!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Be careful. He can¡¯t drink anything cold or too hot! He can only eat liquid food during this time! ¡°The patient¡¯s stomach ulcer is serious. It¡¯s best to have an operation as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The doctor gave a few more simple instructions and left the ward. Joanna looked at Bruce angrily and said, ¡°Look at you. You used to be fine. Why is your stomach problem so serious now?¡± Joanna knew that Bruce had a stomach ulcer in the past. However, the diet a nutritionist made for him was well-nourished, and Bruce took medicine on time! Basically, there was no big problem for Bruce, He was no different from an ordinary person! But it had be so bad now! ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± said Bruce angrily, frowning. ¡°Even if I die, it has nothing to do with you!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes in anger when she heard him. ¡°You won¡¯t die as long as you don¡¯t do what you¡¯re not supposed to do and listen to the doctor obediently!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving? Hurry up and leave! Don¡¯t stay here and be an eyesore!¡± Joanna choked in anger. ¡°Do you think I really want to stay? You were the one who held my hands yesterday and refused to let me go! Otherwise, do you think I want to stay by your side?¡± 14:35 Sat, 29 Jul Chapter 246 The damn bastard really didn¡¯t know what was good for him! Bruce was even more furious when he heard Joanna¡¯s words. He was such a person who most liked to say the opposite! He was stubborn. 24 48% Bruce clearly cared about her but had to pretend that he didn¡¯t. He clearly wanted Joanna to stay and apany him, but he was stubborn and wanted to chase her away! ¡°That¡¯s because I was drunk. I don¡¯t even know what I did. Don¡¯t mention it again! Joanna, don¡¯t think that I care about you. I don¡¯t care about you at all.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. She was toozy to argue with him. ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t want to argue with you. Rest well! I¡¯m leaving! ¡°Go Away! Go and find your lover! Leave and never appear in front of me again!¡± Bruce said angrily, turning over with his back to her. Upon seeing him acting like that, Joanna, apart from being speechless, had a strange feeling in her heart! Bruce clearly said that he wanted to chase her away, but from his looks, he clearly did not want-her to leave! Forget it! Seeing that he was vomiting blood, she decided to stay and take care of the sickly, delicate, and mean guy! Joanna snorted coldly. She casually picked up the oatmeal on the table and walked straight out! The oatmeal was already a little cold. She wanted to heat it with the hospital¡¯s microwave! Bruce saw that Joanna had really left. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red with anger, and a mist of water misted up his pupils! She was really heartless to him! He asked her to leave, but she actually left just like that! He knew that the cruel woman was heartless and ungrateful, and she was much more ungrateful than him! Bruce was so angry that he spat out two mouthfuls of air. He struggled to get up and leave the hospital! Unfortunately, his stomach was too ufortable. Every time he moved, his body would be covered in a cold sweat! He could only lie back on the bed helplessly. Five minutester! Creak! Joanna opened the door and walked in again! Bruce was speechless to see her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you lying down? Why are you getting up?¡± Bruce was so angry that he almost cried when he heard her. He deliberately pulled a long face and angrily said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you leave? Why are you back?¡± Joanna pouted and said, ¡°The oatmeal is getting cold. I went out and heat it up! ¡°Now that your stomach is empty, you must eat something to cushion your stomach. Otherwise, the acid will corrode your stomach, and your stomach will hurt even more!¡± 14:35 Sat, 29 Jul Chapter 340 I¡¯m not eating it!¡± Bruce refused with a cold expression. Joanna red angrily and cried, ¡°You have to cat!¡± She had watched him for most of the night and was so tired! The damn bastard was giving her a hard time. She really didn¡¯t have the patience to talk to him nicely. Bruce was stunned. He looked at Joanna in a daze. This was the first time Joanna had spoken to him in amanding tone! ¡°Hurry up, Sit down and cat. When the oatmeal gets cold, I won¡¯t be bothered to heat it for you again!¡± Joanna could not be bothered to speak to him gently. With a straight face, she held his shoulders and stiffly pushed him back into bed, Then, she scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and blew on it. ¡°Open your mouth!¡± she said madly. Bruce was stunned for a few seconds! Then he obediently opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him the oatmeal. ¡°Swallow it!¡± Joanna¡¯s tone sounded like she was reprimanding a disobedient child. Looking at her angry expression, Bruce felt an inexplicable sweetness in his heart! He liked her like this! Seeing him staring straight at him, Joanna red at him. ¡°Why are you looking at me? Hurry up and eat!¡± One spoonful after another! A bowl of oatmeal was quickly eaten out! The atmosphere also seemed a little odd. It was clearly oppressive, but it made people intoxicated! Bruce suddenly felt that the bowl of oatmeal was the best thing he had ever eaten. ¡°Okay, You are done eating! Lie down and have a good sleep! When the alcohol wears off, you won¡¯t feel so ufortable anymore!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and lifted the nket to get out the bed. ¡°What are you doing? Didn¡¯t you hear me telling you to lie down properly?¡± ¡°Why are you so fierce? Can¡¯t I even go to the toilet?¡± Chapter 347 Chapter 347 Joanna red angrily. Bruce got off the bed and looked at Joanna coldly with his hand in the air. His posture was like an ancient king who needed a young servant to bend down and support him in the throne room. Joanna was puzzled and asked, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hmph. We do have no tacit understanding. Hold me!¡± Joanna pursed her lips and reluctantly took a few steps forward. She held his arm and walked toward the bathroom. Bruce leaned on Joanna and walked to the bathroom door. ¡°You can go in!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me in?¡± ¡°Please. It¡¯s only a few steps. Do you still need my help?¡± Bruce puffed up his cheeks and said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m a patient now. How can you take care of a patient like this?¡± Joanna was so angry that she choked and rolled her eyes! The sickly bastard liked to torture her in various ways! ¡°Hurry up! Do you want to see me wet my pants?¡± Bruce urged again. Joanna was speechless and could only help him into the bathroom! ¡°You don¡¯t need me to help you to take your pants off, do you?¡± Joanna said sarcastically. Bruce was thick-skinned. ¡°I have no objections if you¡¯re willing! ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t seen it before!¡± Upon hearing her, Joanna was furious. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really shameless!¡± ¡°How am I shameless? Which part of my body haven¡¯t you seen? I¡¯ve used it so many times. Do you have to pretend to be reserved with me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sick!¡± Joanna was furious. She flung his arm away fiercely, wishing to press his head into the toilet bowl and eat shit. ¡°Hiss, uh¡­¡± Bruce was weak from his stomach ache. After being pushed by her, he feebly supported himself against the sink. ¡°Oops. Cough, cough. Looking at his pained expression, it didn¡¯t seem like he was pretending! Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Are you Okay?¡± ¡°It hurts¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Bruce looked like he was in pain. ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± Bruce frowned and covered his chest with his hand. ¡°It hurts here and there! Oh, it hurts!¡± Joanna took him at his words and quickly went forward to check. ¡°You¡¯re covering your heart, and your stomach isn¡¯t here. How can it hurt?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes sank as he hugged Joanna suddenly. ¡°My heart aches. It hurts so much!¡± Chapter 347 Joanna was stunned. She knew that Bruce had tricked her. Instantly, her face darkened, and she pushed him away forcefully. ¡°Bruce, stop fooling around! Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re really silly?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce staggered and fell heavily onto the toilet because she pushed him too hard. The bleeding part of his stomach was torn. It was so painful that he gasped! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He opened his mouth and started vomiting again. He spat out all the oatmeal he had just eaten. There were even dark blood clots mixed in! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce covered his stomach and slid to the ground in pain. When Joanna saw him like that, she was so frightened that her heart tightened. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong? ¡°Someone! Andy, call the doctor quickly!¡± ¡°Bruce, how are you? I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to! I thought you weren¡¯t so weak!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Bruce vomited another mouthful of blood. The dark red blood stained his chin. Joanna furrowed her brows in fear and quickly used her wiped away the blood stains. Bruce¡¯s eyes went dark. He lost consciousness and fell into Joanna¡¯s arms! ¡°Doctor, doctor. Come quickly!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Andy heard the shout outside the door and rushed in to check! ¡°Bruce fainted again. Call the doctor!¡± Upon seeing it, Andy was also frightened. ¡°Okay!¡± Soon! Kody ran to look for the doctor. Andy and a bodyguard went forward and helped Joanna bring Bruce to the hospital bed! ¡°Oh, my goodness. Why is Mr. Everett vomiting blood again?¡± Joanna felt a little guilty. She had just been provoked by Bruce and thought that he was fine, so she subconsciously pushed him hard! Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. She did not expect him to be so seriously injured! However, it made sense. He already had a stomach ulcer. It would be odd if he didn¡¯t bleed from his stomach after drinking two 2.2 pounds of liquor After a while, the doctor and nurse rushed over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°He just vomited blood again! Now he¡¯s fainted.¡± The doctor quickly went forward to check on Bruce, After the examination, the doctor said solemnly, ¡°The patient is bleeding too much and needs to undergo endoscopic surgery! Hurry up and send him to the operating room!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna panicked even more when she heard the doctor¡¯s words. ¡°Who¡¯s his family? Come over and 47% Chapter 347 ¡°Oh, I¡­ I am!¡± Joanna hurriedly followed the doctor to the operating table to sign! Bruce was moved to a small wheeled stretcher, and the nurse pushed him into the operating room! His stomach bleeding was a bit severe, so he needs endoscopic surgery to stop the bleeding! Outside the operating room! Joanna couldn¡¯t help but me herself. She clearly knew that It was his personality. Coupled with the fact that his stomach was bleeding, it was fine for him to be talkative. Why did she have to take him seriously? It was true. In her impression, Bruce had been insufferably arrogant. As time passed, he gave the impression that he was omnipotent. He would not weaken at all, let alone copse! But the truth was that he was also a human! He also had his moments of vulnerability. An hourter! The door of the operating room opened. The doctor walked out. Seeing him, Joanna hurriedly went forward and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is he?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finished the surgery. He¡¯ll be staying in the hospital for a week! ¡°He has to ecuperate well during this period. If he vomits blood again, he might have to undergo surgery!¡± ¡°Okay. Got it!¡± Bruce was pushed out. He had an oxygen mask on his face, and his face was as pale as paper! Looking at him like this, Joanna felt inexplicably ufortable! She Andy ¡°He has to he returned to his former arrogant self! Kody also rushed forward to check. ¡°How¡¯s Mr. Everett?¡± stay Tak How in the hospital for a week good care of him during this week!¡± When Andy heard her, he could not help but frown. ¡°Oh, my god, Mr. Everett has never been so sick! I didn¡¯t expect he would have to in the hospital for a ¡°What are we going to do? Mr. Everett has to fly to Escostan tomorrow and attend parliament the day after tomorrow. canceled!¡± ¡°Now that he¡¯s sick, all these itineraries must Joanna sighed sadly and said, ¡°There¡¯s no choice but to cancel them temporarily!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way! ¡°Miss Haynes, can you¡­ take care of Mr. Everett in the hospital?¡± Joanna was stunned! Bruce was busy, but so was she! She also had a lot of work to deal with! If she apanied him in the hospital for a week, who would help her with her work? After thinking for a few seconds, Joanna said softly, ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up yet. I definitely can¡¯t leave! No matter what, I have to wait until he wakes up!¡± ¡°Yes! Okay!¡± In the ward! Bruce was wearing an oxygen mask and had an electrocardiogram inserted. He slept until the afternoon before waking up in a daze! The anesthetic had worn off, and her stomach hurt even more! ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re awake.¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was gentle and worried as she looked at Bruce nervously. Bruce moved slightly. His usually gloomy and sinister eyes also became dark and weak. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move. What do you want? I¡¯ll get it for you!¡± Bruce shook his head slightly and reached out dejectedly, indicating he wanted to hold Joanna¡¯s hand. Joanna hesitated for a moment before reaching out to hold his hand! A hint of satisfaction appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. His big hand wrapped around Joanna¡¯s little hand. His breathing became heavy before he closed his eyes and fell asleep again! Upon seeing this, Joanna did not dare to move for fear of disturbing him! Looking at Bruce lying on the bed, weak and emaciated, Joanna¡¯s heart ached slightly. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really a creditor from my previous life. I¡¯ll repay you in this life¡­¡± Beep, beep! Joanna was feeling uneasy when her phone rang! Joanna quickly took out her phone and muted it, afraid it would wake Bruce up! She took a look, and it was Jaydon! Joanna hesitated for a moment but still did not answer it! Bruce was so sick now. If he knew she was on the phone with Jaydon, he would probably explode with his temper! It was better not to agitate him! After hanging up, Jaydon quickly sent a message. [Joann, why aren¡¯t you answering your phone? Are you very busy?] [Yes, I¡¯m in a meeting! I¡¯ll call youter!] Joanna frowned and replied after reading the message. [Okay. Take care of yourself. Don¡¯t tire out!] [Yes. I got it!] Joanna signed as she replied. It had been almost a month since Jaydon left for Gaprington. She wondered how well he had recovered. She really wanted to go over and see him, but he refused to let here. Chapter 348 Chapter 348 Andy knocked on the door and entered! ¡°Miss Haynes, I got you some food. You haven¡¯t eaten all day. Eat something first!¡± Andy carried two sets of meals and ced them before Joanna. Joanna sighed. ¡°Leave it aside for now! Now that Bruce held her hand, she did not dare to move! Andy looked at Bruce and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is Mr. Everett still not awake?¡± ¡°He just woke up but fell asleep again!¡± ¡°Oh, alright! Thank you for being by his side.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll guard outside. If you need anything, just call us!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After saying that, Andy tiptoed out again! Joanna hadn¡¯t slept sincest night. She was exhausted, sleepy, and hungry now! Unfortunately. Bruce grabbed her hand, and she did not dare to move! After waiting for about 20 minutes, Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Gradually, her head tilted, and she fell asleep at the bed¡¯s headrest! It was past six in the evening! Bruce woke up again! Looking sideways, he saw that Joanna had fallen asleep on the bed! His hand was still holding Joanna¡¯s, and it was already numb! Thinking about it, Joanna must be exhausted! Bruce gently let go of her hand and carefully ran his fingers through the loosened hair on Joanna¡¯s face! A hint of gentleness and calmness appeared in his eyes! As long as Joanna stayed by his side, it would calm him down, even if she did nothing. Even though his movement was very light and gentle, it still woke Joanna up. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and raised her head in a daze! ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Bruce whispered back. ¡°Mm, go back to sleep if you¡¯re tired!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Joanna yawned and stood up to stretch her sore neck! ¡°What time is it?¡± Joanna looked at her watch. It was already past six in the afternoon! ¡°Gosh! It¡¯s already dark!¡± Joanna cried out silently from deep down. She promised to call Jaydon back. Unexpectedly, it was already night! Bruce moved slightly. ¡°I want to drink some water!¡± ¡°No! The doctor just said that you¡¯ve undergone surgery. You¡¯re not allowed to eat or drink for 24 hours!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m really thirsty¡­ Bruce said as he licked his dry lips. His lips were so dry that they were about to peel off! Seeing this, Joanna got up and poured a ss of warm water. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. She took another cotton swab, dipped it in water, and gently applied it on his lips! The doctor said that if you are thirsty, just wet your lips with water. It would be best if you did not drink anything. Otherwise, it will stimte your wound, and your stomach will hurt even more!¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Joanna gently. He enjoyed the feeling of her taking care of him! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Joanna¡¯s phone buzzed again! Chapter 318 Jaydon saw that Joanna did not call him back for a long time and could not stop his urge to call her again! Bruce also heard the vibration of the phone. His gaze on her darkened. ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± Joanna subconsciously muted the phone. ¡°Oh, no, no one!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go out and call back first. Rest well!¡± Before Joanna could go out, Bruce groaned in pain ¡°Okay Hiss. It hurts! Seeing him like this, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She could not be bothered to go out to call back and quickly checked on Bruce. ¡°Which part does it hurt?¡± Like a child, Bruce frowned and said coquettishly. ¡°Every part of my body hurts¡± ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll get the doctor to prescribe you some painkillers!¡± ¡°No! The painkillers are useless!¡± Bruce said as he looked at Joanna pitifully. ¡°How do you prefer to relive it then?¡± ¡°Sit next to me and warm my stomach with your hands!¡± Joanna frowned and was at a loss for words! She did not know if this bastard was really in pain. However, looking at him, it was better to do what he had requested. Otherwise, he might cause a ruckus. Joanna had no choice but to rub her hands and stick them to his stomach. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Mm, much better!¡± A hint of satisfaction appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes as he looked at Joanna suggestively! He had suddenly found the trick! As long as he pretended to be sick and in pain. Joanna¡¯s attitude toward him would be better! Rumors said that women were soft¨Chearted and easily overflowed with motherly love! It seemed that it was true! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Joanna¡¯s phone rang again¡­ Needless to say, it must be Jaydon calling again. As soon as Joanna was about to answer the call, Bruce began to cry out in pain. Part of his pain was real, but most of it was because he was exaggerating. It was miserable! Joanna soon discovered that Bruce did it on purpose! The purpose was to prevent her from answering Jaydon¡¯s call. Unfortunately, after the scene in the morning, even though she knew he was pretending, she did not dare to provoke him anymore! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! ¡°Argh, it hurts!¡± Bruce whined again. Joanna frowned angrily Your phone is ringing!¡± When Bruce heard this, he suddenly stopped whining. ¡°Oh, then¡­ ignore it! Anyway, I¡¯m sick now!¡± ¡°No. What if the kids call? ¡°Ignore it!¡± Bruce tried to stop her. Joanna had already brought his phone over. She looked and saw that the phone number was an international call. There were already countless missed calls and countless text messages! Needless to say. these were all calls from Princess Martha! Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. She was obviously unhappy! Sensing that Joanna did not look good, Bruce subconsciously said, ¡°Ignore her!¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even angrier. ¡°Bruce, she called you so many times. You should at least answer it! ¡®Do you know? They¡¯ll be more anxious if you don¡¯t answer their calls!¡± 11-001 Chapter 348 Bruce sighed in relief and said helplessly. I¡¯m already in this state. How can I answer the call?¡± ¡°Then, at least send her a message so she doesn¡¯t have to worry!¡± ¡°Joanna, L..¡± Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. He did not know what to say! Initially, he was only interested in Princess Martha because he found her new and different. He did not expect that it would. go too far! ¡°I¡¯ll give you your phone. Hurry up and reply to the messagel¡± When Bruce heard this, he was a little angry. ¡°Joanna, are you kidding me? Do you have to kick me into another woman¡¯s arms?¡± Joanna was even angrier when she heard that. ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t say such things again in the future! We¡¯ve already divorced. We¡¯re just ordinary friends now!¡± ¡°Then why did you stay and take care of me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking care of you because you¡¯re the father of my kids. There¡¯s no other reason! I hope you will stop misunderstanding my feelings for you!¡± Bruce paused, and his expression turned gloomy. ¡°Joanna, aren¡¯t you giving me any chance?¡± Joanna replied coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times. Our rtionship had already endedpletely. There won¡¯t be any more possibilities for us getting back together! ¡°I think we are more suitable to be friends! Please don¡¯t have any thoughts about me in the future!¡± ¡°Joanna, I just want to ask you one thing. Do you not love me at all anymore?¡± ¡°Yes, from the day of our divorce, I no longer love you!¡± When Bruce heard this, he heaved a sigh. He feltplicated feelings surging deep down him. ¡°Joanna, there¡¯s a misunderstanding between us!¡± ¡°The reason why I treated you like that in the past was because I made a mistake! Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, I won¡¯t treat you like before again!¡± ¡°Stop it. I don¡¯t want to hear this anymore!¡± ¡°Urgh! It hurts!¡± Bruce covered his stomach, sweating from the pain. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! ¡°Your phone is ringing again! Hurry up and answer it!¡± Bruce looked at the phone and picked it up. ¡°Hello!¡± Davian¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, Daddy!¡± ¡°Yes, why did you call?¡± Joanna also vaguely heard Davian¡¯s voice. She immediately approached him. ¡°Who is on the line?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Davian!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna immediately snatched the phone. ¡°Hello, Davian!¡± ¡°Hello, Mommy, why is it you? I miss you so much!¡± ¡°Mommy misses you too! Are you okay at Surbano?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°What about Irvin and Lilia?¡± Irvin and Lilia¡¯s voices sounded again from the other end of the call. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re here¡­¡± ¡°Mommy¡¯s hanging up. I¡¯ll video call you guys!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Soon, the video call went through. Joanna¡¯s tears rolled down her cheeks after not seeing the children for so long. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s ill¡± Chapter 348 ¡°Oh, is it serious?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The doctor said that Daddy can be discharged after staying in the hospital for a week!¡± Davian said aggrievedly, ¡°Mommy, we miss you so much!¡° ¡°Can you tell Daddy to take us back?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry! When Daddy recovers, Daddy will bring you back!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chapter 349 Chapter 349 Joanna choked on her tears, and her eyes turned red. ¡°Sweethearts, you have to take good care of yourselves over there. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°Got it!¡± In fact, she did not have to worry about these problems at all. There were more than ten servants and nannies taking care of the children. In addition, the butler, Gael, also followed. However, no matter how diligent the servants were, they could notpare to thepany of the parents. Joanna chatted with the children for a while more before reluctantly hanging up. She hung up! Joanna was still feeling terrible. She was in a daze with a frown. Seeing Joanna like this, Bruce was worried. After pondering momentarily, he tried to change her mind by using the children as an excuse. ¡°Can you bear to let the children not have aplete family? ¡°If you marry Jaydon, are you sure he will treat the children as his own? ¡°If he can¡¯t, how can I feel at ease giving you custody of the child? ¡°The children are still so young and need their parents¡® care andpany!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt sorry for her kids even more. ¡°Stop that!¡± It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t considered getting back together with Bruce! However, she knew Bruce¡¯s personality too well. He was paranoid, arrogant, oppressive, and had a bad temper. It was too tiring to be with him. It was too painful to love him. She had finally crawled out of the fatal abyss. She did not want to get herself drowned in it again! Bruce¡¯s eyes turned gloomy, and he put on a rational expression. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anything else! I¡¯ll only say onest thing. It¡¯s better to maintain a marriage for a lifetime!¡± ¡°You know there is no choice amongst stinking fish. All the men are alike. Jaydon will not be any better than me! At least I¡¯m the biological father of the children. No matter what, I¡¯m better than a stepfather!¡± ¡°You want to find a perfect man like in dramas? Let me tell you. There¡¯s no such man in the world. I¡¯m already the only good. man in the world. I¡¯m rich, handsome, good in bed, and not a yboy.¡± Pfft! It took her aback to hear that. Joanna was speechless! ¡°Bruce, can you stop being so narcissistic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being narcissistic. I¡¯m just telling the truth. You don¡¯t know how lucky you are. You¡¯re blind.¡± He had always been very confident in himself. Molten anger surged through Joanna! Not only was this damned bastard mean, but he was getting more shameless. He was a typical narcissist. It really made her speechless. However, she was not in the mood to bicker with him. She solemnly asked, ¡°Bruce, when do you n to return the children?¡± When Bruce heard this, his handsome face turned gloomy, and he mocked, ¡°Joanna, did you stay here to take care of me to let me return the children to you?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t know how to answer! ¡°You don¡¯t have to make things difficult for yourself anymore. Leavel¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he felt his eyes getting wet. They gradually turned red! ¡°How can I leave when you¡¯re like this? I¡¯ll leave when you¡¯re better!¡± ¡°No need! I don¡¯t want to force you if you don¡¯t want to stay!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more speechless. ¡°This has nothing to do with not being sincere.¡± ¡°It does. I¡¯ll be pleased if you¡¯re willing to stay here and care for me because you¡¯re worried about me! ¡°If you¡¯re just doing it out of obligation or because you¡¯re being perfunctory, there¡¯s no need. I don¡¯t need you to pity me.¡± Chapter 349 Joanna choked in anger! This damned bastard was really sickly and pretentious. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m just worried about you, so I¡¯m willing to stay here and look after you. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really!¡± When Bruce heard this, his lips curled into a smug smile. ¡°I knew it. You still care about me.¡± ¡°Heh Joanna rolled her eyes speechlessly. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! The phone vibrated again. Joanna took a look. It was Cora. Im going out to call back!¡± ¡°Ouch! It hurts¡­¡± Bruce instantly put on an act. ¡°It¡¯s Cora. I¡¯ve been with you at the hospital all day. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on at thepany. *Im going to return the call and exin to her about tomorrow¡¯s work ¡° ¡°Alright then! Come back quickly! I can¡¯t have no one by my side.¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, I¡¯ll get Andy and the others toe over and apany you.¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re all men. How are they capable of looking after me?¡± ¡°Ill get the nurses and servants toe over then!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want them. I¡¯m a man. I cannot let another woman take care of me.¡± Joanna was so angry that she rolled her eyes again and went out with the phone. She was in the corridor. Joanna called Cora back. ¡°Hey, Cora Cora¡¯s worried voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna paused for a moment. ¡°Something happened to Bruce. I have to look after him in the hospital for two days. You and Brother Trumpet take care of thepany¡¯s matter first.¡± ¡°Okay, got it¡± ¡°Also, we have an appointment with the host of Rooney Interview. They called to make an appointment. You have to fly to the venue personally to record at the recording studio.¡± ¡°Well, arrange it for next Monday!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll reply¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Buzz Buzz! Buzz! After Joanna called Cora, she quickly dialed Micheal¡¯s number. He had called her several times today, but Bruce was in the middle of the surgery, and she did not have the time to ask him what was happening. Michael quickly picked up ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes. When are youing to the factory?¡± ¡°The raw materials here are out of stock, and the original manufacturer is out of stock. We need to sign a contract with a new supplier.¡± ¡°Also, offline sales are really too busy. We might have to hire a group of packing staff.¡± Joanna listened and sighed slightly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have time this week. I might not be able to go over until next week¡± ¡°Alright then¡® Thepany has negotiated a few new contracts and needs you to sign them personally.¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can next week.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After dealing with Michael, Ethan¡¯s call came in again. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Hello, Ethan¡± Chapter 849 Ethan¡¯s tone sounded a little heavy. ¡°Miss Haynes, have you recovered?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better already.¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± Ethan hesitated. ¡°If you have something to say, say it.¡± Ethan took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, if you recover, return to work as soon as possible.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°What happened to thepany?¡± ¡°I heard Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul are interested in selling their shares. They are now secretly looking for a new job. ¡°What¡¯s more. Mr. Roger has cashed out the backlog of the Haynes Group. A group of old employees have also been fired. They said it¡¯s to cut corners and strengthen the management model. ¡°But I think this is just an excuse for Mr. Roger to transfer assets. If you don¡¯t return soon. I¡¯m worried that thepany¡¯s shares will change.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart sank. ¡°I understand!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first, then!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna felt uneasy. She knew that Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul, these two old foxes, were up to no good. As expected, he wanted to cash out by changing the shares. After emptying the Haynes Group, he would escape. It seemed that if she didn¡¯t reply to Greyport, the Haynes Group, things would change. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Joanna was preupied with her thoughts when her phone vibrated again! She took a look and saw that it was a call from Jaydon. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s worried voice came from the other end of the call. ¡°Joann, why haven¡¯t you answered your phone all day? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a little busy today.¡± ¡°I called Cora, and she said you hadn¡¯t been to the office all day. Where are you now?¡± Joanna paused. ¡°I¡¯m in the hospital now.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he became even more worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t me being admitted.¡± ¡°Who is then?¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before being honest with Jaydon. ¡°It¡¯s Bruce!¡± Jaydon fell silent. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t misunderstand. Bruce was on a business trip in Greene Town. He drank until he suffered from a stomach hemorrhage. He¡¯s in critical condition in the hospital now. ¡°I took care of him at the hospital. I didn¡¯t have any other thoughts. I did it just because he was the father of the children. Other than that, I didn¡¯t have any thoughts.¡± Joanna was afraid that Jaydon would be angry, so she quickly exined. After a while, Jaydon said, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t exin. I understand. ¡°When he recovers better, I won¡¯t have to stay in the hospital anymore!¡± Chapter 350 Chapter 350 ¡°I know. You really don¡¯t have to exin.¡± Joanna still exined carefully, Tm afraid that you¡¯ll be angry, and I¡¯m even more afraid that you¡¯ll misunderstand!¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve known each other for a day or two. I¡¯m not that narrow¨Cminded.¡± After hearing this, Joanna¡¯s nervousness rxed a little. ¡°Well, how are you? Did your rehabilitation training go smoothly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°After I¡¯m done with my work, I¡¯ll visit you at Gaprington¡± Jaydon paused for a few seconds before rejecting her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯lle back to visit you when I¡¯m completely recovered.¡± ¡°If.. Jaydon paused. ¡°If what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That¡¯s all for now! Take care of yourself.¡± Joanna listened and guessed what Jaydon wanted to say. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t feel burdened. Don¡¯t care about what others say. No matter if you can recover or not, as long as you don¡¯t despise me, I¡¯m willing to be with you.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Jaydon said. His heart was still aching. If he couldn¡¯t recover, he would give up pursuing Joanna. Bruce was right. He should not add burdens and burdens to her if he really loved her. He knew that Bruce still loved Joanna deeply. If he really became disabled, he would rather Joanna return to Bruce¡¯s side. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± They ended the call. Joanna ran her fingers through her hair, feeling irritated. There were so many thingstely, making her feel suffocated. Joanna looked at her the calendar on her phone. It was Wednesday. She had to n her itinerary and arrange her work properly. The most important thing was the matter in Greyport. She couldn¡¯t let Mr. Roger take over the chairman¡¯s position anymore. Otherwise, thepany would be emptied. Half an hour had passed. Bruce waited for her in the ward. Joanna returned to the ward absent¨Cmindedly. Her beautiful eyes revealed a trace of fatigue and uneasiness. Bruce looked up and gave Joanna a worried look. His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction. ¡°Why were you gone for so long? It¡¯s been more than half an hour. Do you have to take so long to make a call?¡± ¡°I have to take care of some things.¡± ¡°Hmph, you must be secretly on the phone with your lover again.¡± Joanna was frustrated and could not be bothered to argue with him! Bruce grumbled in dissatisfaction, ¡°Are you remaining silent because I guessed right?¡± Joanna had a headache and replied resentfully, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your stomach hurt anymore? Do you still have the strength to talk so much? I think you look fine.¡± Bruce looked up and snarled, ¡°My stomach hurts, but it doesn¡¯t affect my speech! ¡°Besides, I can divert my attention from the pain if I talk.¡± Joanna did not say anything else. She sighed and sat at the head of the bed weakly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look listless.¡± ¡°Did Jaydon piss you off again?¡± Chapter 350 Joanna turned around and rolled her eyes at him in disgust. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! Joanna replied coldly. Bruce snorted resentfully. ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie to me. From your expression, it¡¯s obvious that something is wrong. Why don¡¯t you just tell me what happened? ¡°Even if I can¡¯t solve it for you, I can help youe up with ideas.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help!¡± ¡°Tsk. I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re thinking! Other people are crying and begging me to give them pointers, but I can¡¯t be bothered. ¡°Now, I¡¯m taking the initiative to help you solve your troubles, but you¡¯re rejecting it.¡± Joanna could not be bothered to say anything more to him. She got up and walked out! ¡°Where are you going now?¡± ¡°Tm going to eat something! ¡°Please! I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you all day. I¡¯ve barely eaten. Now I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t eat anything either!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t eat it after the surgery. I can¡¯t starve with you, right?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce snorted. This damned woman really knew how to ask for trouble! She could be with him, the wealthiest man in town, and didn¡¯t have to do anything. Why did she have to be so stubborn and work in the business world? The mediapany that she had started was famous because he had spoken to president from the television station! Otherwise, why would such a big television station coborate with an unknown new mediapany? What an ungrateful woman! Without him, how could herpany develop so smoothly? The nurses were at the nurse station in the VIP ward A few young nurses could not help but gossip. ¡°Hey! Do you guys know who the patient in Room 9 is?¡± ¡°He had so many bodyguards and assistants following him. It¡¯s like in a movie!¡± Another chubby¨Cfaced nurse said infatuatedly, ¡°I looked at the medical record. It seems to be Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Bruce Everett? No way?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really him!¡± ¡°Oh my god, are you saying that the richest man in Greyport came to our hospital for surgery?¡± ¡°What¡¯s impossible about that? He¡¯s suffering from an acute illness. He can¡¯t rush back to Greyport for treatment, right?¡± ¡°Oh my god! I can¡¯t believe it. What about the woman in the ward?¡± ¡°Looks like his ex¨Cwife! ¡°Isn¡¯t his ex¨Cwife Joanna Haynes? They¡¯re already divorced. Why would his ex¨Cwife stay here to take care of him?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°I heard that Bruce is dating Princess Novlis. I wonder if it¡¯s true. Why is he with his ex¨Cwife now?¡± ¡°Also, some time ago, he had a scandal with the daughter of the Ship King Which one is his real girlfriend?¡± A more mature¨Clooking nurse added, ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for wealthy families to do such things? Which sessful man doesn¡¯t have multiple girlfriends?¡± ¡°Tsk, there are many good men.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because it hasn¡¯t been exposed yet. Do you think they don¡¯t keep any mistresses?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! However, this Mr. Everett is so handsome. Even if he doesn¡¯t have money, many women are willing to stick around him! If it were me, I would be willing too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be infatuated. Hurry up and change his dressing!¡± Chapter 330 ¡°I¡¯ll go! I¡¯ll go!¡± After the few young nurses at the nurse¡¯s desk finished gossiping, they all fought to change Bruce¡¯s dressing! Night fell¡­ Joanna naturally stayed in the hospital overnight. Fortunately, there was another bed in the ward! Joanna was exhausted.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. As soon as sheid the bed, she fell asleep in less than three minutes. Although Bruce¡¯s stomach hurt unbearably, his desire still struck and overtook his pain. Unfortunately, he was ill and coudl not do what he wanted. Otherwise, he would probably not be able to resist forcing himself on her again. Midnight! Bruce struggled to get up to go to the toilet. He wanted to call Joanna to help him up! However, seeing Joanna sleeping so soundly, he could not bear to wake her. She could only endure the pain alone and slowly move to the washroom. Soon, it was morning again. The doctor came to check on Bruce. ¡°It is 24 hours after the surgery now. The patient can eat now! ¡°But he will have to eat some digestible liquid food.¡± Joanna listened attentively. ¡°Okay. Does he have to pay attention to anything else?¡± ¡°Also, he has to keep himself warm. He shouldn¡¯t drink cold drinks or cat spicy and stimting food!¡± ¡°Alright!* The doctor left after rounding the ward. Joanna looked at Bruce. ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get the assistant to buy it!¡± Bruce requested without thinking. ¡°I want to eat the spaghetti you make.¡± ¡°Not now. You¡¯ve just had surgery. You can only cat oatmeal and digestible food.¡± Bruce stubbornly said. ¡°But I only feel like eating spaghetti!¡± ¡°Please, this is a hospital. Where can I find a kitchen to cook for you?¡± ¡°Well then. When I¡¯m discharged from the hospital, you¡¯ll make me spaghetti?¡± ¡°Mm, alright!¡± Joanna called Andy in and asked him to go out and buy breakfast. Andy went out to buy oatmeal and milk. He returned with the breakfast. As usual, Joanna fed Bruce his breakfast. ¡°I heard you¡¯re running a talent show?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Joanna fed him a mouthful of oatmeal. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just asking!¡± Joanna listened and did not reply! She fed him spoonful after spoonful. ¡°How is it going?¡± Bruce asked casually. ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°Do you need my help?¡± ¡°Nol¡± Bruce pursed his lips, feeling a little dejected. He wanted her to rely on him. Ile wanted to be her hero if he could. Unfortunately, Joanna was also very stubborn. She would rather face the trouble herself than ask for his help. ¡°Bruce, I might have to leave the hospital tomorrow! I¡¯ll go to work during the day ande back at night to look after Chapter 350 you. Bruce¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Hurry up and call¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anymore.¡± Chapter 351 Chapter 351 Bruce¡¯s expression was gloomy and unhappy. Now that he was so sick, he neededfort and care. He really wanted her to let go of everything and apany him. What was workpared to him? If she took good care of him, he couldpensate her double for the money she had lost during this time. Seeing that he didn¡¯t say anything, Joanna ignored him and started clearing up the dishes. The atmosphere in the room dropped to the freezing point again. They ignored each other. Knock! Knock! Knock! There was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in¡± Andy gently pushed open the ward door and walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone carried a hint of gloominess. Andy frowned and said timidly. ¡°Miss Garcia called just now!¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°Why did she call?¡± ¡°She said. Andy pondered how to put his words and subconsciously nced at Joanna. Seeing this, Joanna left consciously. Then, she held a trash bag and prepared to throw it out! ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia called and said she wants to visit you!¡± ¡°Why does she want to visit me? Bruce sounded irritated. ¡°When Miss Garcia found out you were ill, she worried for you and insisted on visiting you!¡± Every time Jennie couldn¡¯t get Bruce when she called him, she would call Andy. Moreover, she could always coax and pester Andy to find out where Bruce had been. Bruce frowned. ¡°Tell her not to! Don¡¯t let here over.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Andy responded and left the room respectfully. On the walkway, Andy happened to see Joanna return after throwing the trash. ¡°Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Andy. I might have to go back to thepany this afternoon. You and Kody take good care of Bruce.¡± When Andy heard this, he asked worriedly, ¡°Huh? Did you tell Mr. Everett about it?¡± He had been by Bruce¡¯s side for the longest time and understood his boss¡¯s thoughts the best! There were clearly so many nurses, but the boss didn¡¯t even need them. He insisted on Miss Haynes taking care of him. personally. Wasn¡¯t this obvious that he wanted to reconcile with his ex¨Cwife? ¡°I¡¯ve told him! I¡¯ll go to work during the day ande over to look after him at night¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡± After saying that, Joanna did not say anything else. She pushed open the ward door and walked in. Meanwhile, Bruce was still in the hospital bed. Bruce was sulking. When he saw Joanna enter, his expression was gloomier. ¡°Alright. The nurse has changed dressing! I think you¡¯re fine now. I¡¯ll return to thepany in the afternoon to deal with something ¡°I¡¯lle again tonight!¡± ¡°Alright! You can leave! You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I won¡¯t die.¡± Bruce replied coldly. However, it was obvious that he was angry! This was what he was like. He liked to say something against his will and let others guess his thoughts. Unfortunately, Joanna was not interested in psychological warfare with him. Chapter 351 She replied coldly, ¡°Okay!¡± Then, she packed her clothes and left with her bag. There were too many things to deal with at work! Joanna suddenly remembered that she had something important to do. She had to go back today and make some arrangements. Joanna left! Bruce was so angry that he was heaving. He punched the bed fiercely. ¡°Damn woman!¡± He had used too much force this time, causing his wound to hurt. His entire face was twisted in pain. It was one o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Joanna returned to Charmont Media Group. Cora and Brother Trumpet were watching the contestants rehearse. When they saw Joanna return, they were surprised. ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you back? Didn¡¯t you say you would only be back tomorrow?¡± ¡°I suddenly remembered something very important!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Two days ago, I saw a girl singing in the park. I think she sang very well, so I asked her. She created the songs herself and has great potential. ¡°I think she¡¯s very suitable for this show! I left her a business card and asked her toe for an interview today¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Is she here, then?¡± Joanna looked at her watch. ¡°I just called and asked her to meet at two o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°Oh ¡°How are the contestants rehearsing?¡± ¡°This batch will advance to the next round. Thepetition will start next Saturday! ¡°As for these contestants, although their singing and dancing skills are not good, they are very popr. I suggest that they advance as well.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Also, the person in charge of the CDTV called. He said that the broadcasting effect of the Ultimate Girls program is not bad. I suggest preparing a few more episodes to give the contestants more opportunities to present themselves!¡± When Joanna heard this, she nodded. ¡°I have the same thing in mind. In order to add more highlights, contestants with good show effects can also be kept!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After the meeting and the interview, it was already past five in the afternoon! Joanna looked at the time. Thepany¡¯s matters were more or less in order! She went to the staff canteen and used the stove to make a bowl of spaghetti for Bruce. Everything was ready! Joanna left thepany with Tatiana. Just as she left thepany, she saw a tall, thin young man walking across the street. The young man was wearing a mask, sunsses, and a cap! When Joanna saw this, she immediately frowned. She felt that this person¡¯s figure vaguely resembled Ryan Haynes. She was already traumatized by people dressed like this, so her heart inexplicably sank. Unfortunately, the distance was a little far, and the other party was wearing a mask and sunsses, so his face could not be seen clearly. ¡°Is that Ryan Haynes?¡± ¡°Why is he here?¡± Joanna subconsciously muttered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Miss Haynest Tatiana saw that she was in a daze and asked with concern! Joanna drooped her eyelids. ¡°Nothing. I think I saw someone familiar just now.¡± Chapter 351 ¡°An acquaintance?¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone now. Maybe I mistook someone for him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s hurry to the hospitall¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Tatiana drove while Joanna sat in the back seat of the car. It is about a 20¨Cminute drive from thepany to the hospital. Joanna leaned back in her seat, thinking about what she had just seen. That person¡¯s figure was really simr to Ryan¡¯s. She hoped that she was seeing things. If it was Ryan, then he had probablye with ill intentions. She had to be extra careful. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Soon, they arrived at the hospital. Joanna carried the thermos lunch box and hurried to the ward. Andy was guarding the door of the ward. When he saw Joanna, he stood up and looked slightly ufortable. ¡°Miss Haynes, you are here so soon?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna replied indifferently and was about to push open the ward door. Andy chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Erm¡­ Miss Haynes, maybe you want to go inter?¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Andy¡¯s lips curled into an awkward smile. ¡°Miss Garcia is here!¡± Joanna was even more confused when she heard that. She asked in confusion, ¡°So?¡± ¡°Heh. I¡¯m just afraid that you will feel awkward!¡± ¡°Why should I feel awkward?¡± When Andy heard that, he smiled in embarrassment! Jennie had personallye to Greene Town to visit Bruce! She was in the ward. Jennie wore a spring¨Cstyle skirt and exquisite light makeup. Her dark chestnut¨Ccolored bangs and wavy hair made her look sweet and young. ¡°Bruce, digestive problems are troublesome. The conditions in this hospital are too outdated. It will be bad if anything happens or there are any seque!¡± ¡°I still suggest you transfer to Greyport¡¯s hospital immediately or fly overseas for treatment!¡± Bruce leaned against the hospital bed with an indifferent expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The medical skills of the doctors in this hospital are not bad. The surgery was quite sessful!¡± Jennie blinked her big eyes and looked around with disdain. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to be rude, but you don¡¯t take your body seriously! ¡°If I hadn¡¯t asked Andy, I wouldn¡¯t have known that such a serious matter had happened to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯ll be discharged in a few days!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m worried! I¡¯ll stay here and take care of you. I¡¯ll leave when you¡¯re fully recovered,¡± Jennie said and held Bruce¡¯s hand subconsciously. She looked at him with a passionate gaze. Her face looked worried and sad. Bruce drooped his eyelids, and he tried to retract his hand awkwardly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. There are nurses and caretakers here¡­¡± Jennie held his hand tighter and said more sincerely. ¡°These people are not as reliable as I am. Hey! You don¡¯t have to feel bad about making me stay. ¡°We are acquaintances, and I think I should look after you.¡± Bruce was annoyed. He wanted to say something but hesitated! Creak! The ward door was pushed open! Joanna walked in with a thermos food container in her hand. Chapter 352 Chapter 352 Jennie¡¯s face darkened when she saw Joanna. She quickly let go of Bruce¡¯s hand and raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°Ms. Haynes, why are you here?¡± After saying that, Jennie secretly gritted her teeth as anger rose from the bottom of her heart! First, it was Prince Martha. Then it was Joanna. It was really not easy for Jennie to win Bruce¡¯s heart. Joanna looked at Jennie in confusion ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem? Can¡¯t Ie?¡± Jennie curled her lips and said with a fake smile, ¡°Oh, not I mean, why didn¡¯t you knock on the door when you came in? It¡¯s rude to push the door open like this!¡± Joanna was stunned. She rolled her eyes and then turned to look at Bruce. Seeing this, Bruce felt a little sig. Humph, didn¡¯t she pretend that she didn¡¯t care about him? Then he would use this opportunity to make her jealous! He did not believe that Joanna would not be jealous at all. ¡°Jennie is right. Why didn¡¯t you knock when you came in?¡± Joanna was stunned for a few seconds. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! I was in a hurry when I pushed the door open just now, so I forgot.¡± ¡°Did I disturb you? If yes, I¡¯m leaving right now.¡± As Joanna said this, she was about to close the door. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t!¡± Seeing that Joanna was about to leave, Bruce suddenly sat up. He only wanted her to be jealous, but he didn¡¯t really want her to leave in anger. Seeing this, Jennie also looked a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Bruce. I didn¡¯t do anything else. Why would you disturb Us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you are also here to see Bruce, right?¡± ¡°Oh, no! I¡¯m here to look after him! When Jennie heard this, she was even angrier. She said with envy. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already divorced? ¡°Yet you are still so close to each other. Fine. That really makes people jealous.¡± Joanna frowned and ignored Jennie. She walked in and ced the thermos box on the table. ¡°Here you go!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Bruce asked in surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to eat spaghetti? Here¡¯s spaghetti. I made it for you!¡± Joanna said as she opened the thermos box. She took out a spoon and prepared to scoop some spaghetti out. Knowing that Bruce¡¯s stomach wasn¡¯t in good condition, she specially made the spaghetti soft today. Jennie sniffed in disdain. ¡°Oh my god, what¡¯s that smell? How could you let Bruce eat this?¡± Jennie didn¡¯t know what Joanna put in the spaghetti. A strange smell immediately filled the room. ¡°Ugh¡­ Eh¡­ What a strange smell!¡± Jennie said and deliberately pretended to retch a few times. ¡°Bruce¡¯s stomach isn¡¯t good. He can¡¯t eat these unhealthy things.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened. She was speechless at Jennie¡¯s words. A warm feeling welled up in Bruce¡¯s heart. He was already very happy that Joanna remembered to make him spaghetti. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I want to eat.¡± When Jennie heard this, her eyes widened as he looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°Bruce, if you eat such unhealthy things, your health will be affected. ¡°Especially, your stomach is in a bad situation. You can¡¯t eat such things at all. Joanna pursed her lips speechlessly! ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t let him eat much. Also, spaghetti is easy to digest. I have made the spaghetti soft.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do either. If anything happens to Bruce, he will be the one suffering, not you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but feel awkward. ¡°It¡¯s really alright¡­ Chapter 352 Jennie walked forward and stopped Joanna. ¡°Bruce, the stomach is the most important organ in the human body. If the stomach hurts, it will kill you. How can you eat these things? ¡°I brought you a lot of nutritional supplements. These are all good for your health. It¡¯s better for you to eat these nutritional supplements I brought¡­¡± Joanna could not take it anymore. There was a hint of impatience in her tone. ¡°Miss Garcia, you¡¯re not a doctor. Don¡¯t give orders here¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving orders. I¡¯m just worried about Bruce.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just asked the doctor. The doctor said that spaghetti is easy to digest. He can eat a little. As long as he doesn¡¯t eat too much, there won¡¯t be a problem!¡± Jennie straightened his back arrogantly. ¡°That won¡¯t do either. Bruce is different from ordinary people. How could he eat food for ordinary people? ¡°Even dogs won¡¯t eat the food you prepared. How can you let Bruce eat this? He¡¯s a patient now.¡± Joanna was stunned! Jennie was really hard to deal with. She was just an unreasonable bitch. ¡°Bruce, the spaghetti is ready for you. It¡¯s your choice whether to eat it or not.¡± As Jonna said this, she put the bowl down heavily on the bedside table. Seeing this. Jennie looked at Joanna with even more dissatisfaction. ¡°How can you treat Bruce so rudely?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Miss Garcia, I¡¯m talking to Mr. Everett. Please shut up!¡± Jennie rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Ha, you¡¯re so funny. I¡¯m also talking to Bruce. Please shut up!¡± After the two of them finished speaking, they looked at Bruce angrily. They were clearly asking him to decide which one of them was right. Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at Joanna¡¯s exasperated expression. He smiled resentfully, but he felt happy and smug in his heart! He thought. ¡°Damn woman! She deserved this.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t go too far. If he really angered her, she would not give him any face. It was very difficult to coax Joanna if she really got angry. ¡°Jennie, it¡¯s gettingte. Go back quickly! ¡°If you go back toote, it¡¯s not safe on the road.¡± Bruce changed his expression and began to chase Jennie away. When Jennie heard this, she dug her nails into her palms. ¡°Bruce, I specially came from Greyport to see you! ¡°I told you. I¡¯ll stay here and take care of you!¡± ¡°There¡¯s really no need. Joanna can take care of me here! Hurry up and go back! ¡°I will let my driver send you home, okay?¡± Jennie was so angry that she wanted to stomp her feet, but she had no choice but to maintain her elegant appearance. ¡°Bruce, can she take good care of you?¡± Ive studied professional nursing before. Ms. Haynes is so busy. How can he have the time to take care of you?¡± Joanna immediately changed the topic. ¡°That¡¯s right! Since Miss Garcia has time, let her stay here and take care of you. ¡°Anyway, I still have to go back to thepany!¡± Joanna wished that Jennie could stay. If Jennie stayed, Joanna could go back to work. ¡°Joanna Bruce¡¯s eyes widened in anger. He was so angry that he could not speak. Joanna turned to look at Jennie seriously. ¡°Miss Garcia, since you¡¯re free, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of Mr. Everett here. With you taking care of him, I can rest assured and leave first!¡± When Jennie heard this, she was overjoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take good care of Bruce. Go do your thing!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s great!¡± Joanna said and left the hospital. Jpanna, stop right there.¡± Joanna stopped in her tracks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was extremely cold. He said gloomily, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chapter 352 Joanna was stunned. She looked at Bruce in confusion! ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be angry! If Ms. Haynes can¡¯t take care of you, there¡¯s still me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to take care of me. Please leave now!¡± Bruce replied coldly. Jennie was stunned! ¡°Bruce, are you angry at me? ¡°Did I say something wrong? I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Don¡¯t be angry!¡± ¡°Andy!¡± When Andy heard the shout, he hurriedly pushed the door open and entered. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Get Kody to send Miss Garcia back!¡± Andy was stunned. He turned to look at Jennie, who looked really furious. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, Mr. Everett needs to rest. You should leave first!¡± ¡°Bruce, I came all the way here to see you. Why are you so ungrateful!¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, please leave first!¡± Andy pulled Jennie out of the ward. Joanna looked at Bruce. She was a little speechless. After staying silent for a while, she said, ¡°Bruce, she specially came to see you. How could you chase her away so coldly? Isn¡¯t that too cold?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Bruce suddenly dragged her over and bit her hard. ¡°What are you doing? Are you crazy?!¡± ¡°Joanna, do you really not understand, or are you acting?¡± ¡°Bruce, if you continue like this, I¡¯ll leave!¡± ¡°Alright! Leave! After you leave, you can forget about ever seeing the child again.¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you want?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. I just want you to stay with me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do anything else to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sick now. Do you think I still have the energy to do that?¡± Chapter 353 Chapter 353 Joanna pushed Bruce away stiffly and wiped away the saliva he left on her lips. She red at him in exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around okay? If you dare to do anything. I¡¯m really leaving.¡± ¡°Do you hate me so much?¡± ¡°You are simply crazy!¡± Joanna could not help but curse. Bruce grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. Then, he kissed her fiercely. ¡°Uh, let go. Joanna held her breath. Unfortunately, Bruce did not care and forcefully trapped her in his arms, not giving her a chance to resist. Joanna tried to push him away a few times but failed. She was afraid that she would touch his wound, so she could only let him kiss her forcefully Three minutester! The smell of blood filled their mouths. A thinyer of cold sweat appeared on Bruce¡¯s forehead. He frowned and subconsciously let go of Joanna ¡°Kaff, kaff¡± Bruce touched his wound again. He weakly coughed twice, and a trace of blood seeped out of the corner of his lips. Seeing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t be bothered to me him for using force on her. ¡°Look at you I asked you not to do anything. but you still did that. ¡°It¡¯s better if you die of vomiting too much blood¡± Joanna was ming him. She hurriedly went out, wanting to call the doctor here. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t go Bruce no longer appeared to be arrogant. He hugged her tightly and tried his best to press their bodies. together Joanna¡¯s body stiffened, and she subconsciously wanted to refuse However, he was hugging her too tightly, so she could only stay there stiffly and let him hug her. Bruce took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Joanna, if I die, take good care of the children! Take care of the children and live well.¡± Joanna¡¯s pupils contracted. Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed by something. She felt an inexplicable sadness. She had never thought that Bruce would die. Even if he died, it would be in the distant future! Hearing him say that now, she felt strange. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the inheritance to you and the children. Don¡¯t work too hard. I have enough money for you and the children to spend for several lifetimes.¡± Goosebumps rose all over Joanna¡¯s body when she heard this. ¡°Bruce, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just bleeding from the stomach because you drank too much wine. You¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± Bruce smiled sadly and said even more sadly, ¡°I know my own body. My father and grandfather passed away from stomach cancer ¡°This is a gic disease of our family. I don¡¯t think I can escape this fate. There are already signs of it now. I think it will soon turn into gastric cancer. Bruce said bleakly with a hint of sadness. Actually, his illness was not that serious. It was just that he was too smart and knew Joanna¡¯s weakness better. He had deliberately exaggerated his illness to soften her heart and make her afraid. From there, she would change her mind ande back to be with him. Many men were good at this. ying weak to win sympathy. It was easy and effective. When Joanna heard this, she felt really ufortable. ¡°You jinx. How can you curse yourself like this? Don¡¯t think too much. Don¡¯t scare yourself. ¡°Your body is so healthy. You¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days.¡± Bruce put on a serious expression and caressed Joanna¡¯s cheek affectionately. ¡°Joanna, thank you for giving birth to three children for me. Otherwise, I would have no family in this world. ¡°I really feel so lonely. Every day when Ie back from work, the house is empty and I can¡¯t feel any warmth of home. No family member is there waiting for me. Chapter 353 ¡°I feel that I¡¯m really poor. I have no parents, no siblings, no rtives, no wife. I¡¯m so poor that I only have money¡± His trick worked Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with gentleness. ¡°Don¡¯t you like money the most? Don¡¯t you think that money can buy everything? As long as you have money, you don¡¯t need to care about anything else!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Who said I don¡¯t care? I¡¯m a human too. I¡¯m also very fragile. I just don¡¯t dare to fall, so I am just holding on. ¡°In this world, the strong prey on the weak. If I fall, I¡¯ll be devoured by others very quickly.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this! ¡°Lie down and rest. Think about something happy.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes became empty. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to be happy about!¡± What he said was true! His life value and ideals had all been realized. He no longer had any material or career pursuits. However, people were always so greedy. When they were poor, they felt that money was the most important. When they were rich, they felt that feelings were the most important. People were always pursuing things that they did not have. The more theycked something, the more they yearned for something. He now had billions of dors. His money was enough to be spent for a few lifetimes. However, no one could share his sess with him! No one truly loved him. The people around him were just after his money. Joanna did not know how tofort him. She only patted his shoulder gently. ¡°Rx, don¡¯t think too much! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t know how tofort others! I can¡¯t say anything nice to make you feel better.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. I¡¯m already veryforted as long as you are with me. ¡°Sometimes, I really envy Jaydon¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened and interrupted him. ¡°Why are you talking about someone else again?¡± ¡®Really! I¡¯m particrly jealous of him. Because, well, he has your heart now.¡± Joanna frowned slightly, not wanting to hear him continue. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Hurry up. Lie down and rest for a while!!¡± Bruce let out a deep breath. ¡°When I¡¯m discharged. I¡¯ll bring the children back. You cane and see them anytime, ¡°If I really die one day, don¡¯t be sad for me.¡± ¡°Can you not say such sad things?¡± Bruce said such sad words to her for the first time! However, when she heard these words, they were like thorns that pierced into her heart. She would rather he be as arrogant and condescending as before. She did not want to see him really like a patient, dispirited and weak. Beep, beep, beep! Joanna¡¯s phone vibrated. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m going out to answer a call.¡± With that, Joanna hurried out of the ward with the phone. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice came from the other end of the video call. ¡°Joann, are you still in the hospital?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Why are your eyes red? Did you cry just now?¡± ¡°Oh, nol¡± ¡°Did something happen again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s really fine. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Joanna tried her best to squeeze out a smile. Is Bruce alright?¡± The operation is already over. He will be discharged from hospital the next month.¡± The two of them were chatting on the video call. Bang! Bang! Bang! An ear¨Cpiercing sound came from the ward, as if something had hit the ground! ¡°Jay, wait a minute!¡± Joanna was shocked. She hurriedly pushed open the door of the ward and went in to check. The door of the ward. Bruce had already fallen to the ground. The IV bottle was shattered on the ground, and his arm was cut by ss shards. Blood dripped out. Joanna was shocked and hurriedly went forward to help him. ¡°Bruce, why did you fall to the ground?¡± ¡°Hiss. Argh¡­¡± Bruce sucked in a breath of cold air, his face filled with pain and weakness. ¡°Someonee! Someonee quickly.¡± Andy, Kody, and the others also rushed in to take a look when they heard the shout. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± Everyone was shocked. ¡°Hurry up and help him up. Go call the doctor¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, how are you?¡± Joanna looked panicked. She and Andy supported Bruce and helped him up. Soon. The doctor rushed over. Seeing this, the doctor frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°He fell just now!¡± When the doctor heard this, he was even more puzzled. ¡°There are so many people here to guard him. How can you let him fall?¡± ¡°1¡­¡± Joanna frowned. She looked guilty and did not know what to say! She had juste out to answer the call. Unexpectedly, Bruce fell in such a short time. Andy and the bodyguards looked at each other. Bruce did not allow them to guard the ward. How could they dare to stay in the ward: ¡°Hurry up and send the patient to the operating room. We have to treat his wound.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Hello, Joann, what happened?¡± Jaydon was still on the phone. Unfortunately, Joanna was only worried about Bruce¡¯s injuries andpletely ignored Jaydon. On the other end of the line, Jaydon was silent for a few seconds before hanging up silently! In Joanna¡¯s heart, there was still Bruce. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be so nervous about him. Chapter 354 Chapter 354 Half an hourter. Bruces wounds were treated and he was sent back to the ward. Looking at Bruce lying on the hospital bed, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but scold him, ¡®Look at you. Why did you suddenly fall? Bruce looked unhappy. ¡°I just wanted to go to the toilet, and there was no one here to take care of me. I wanted to go alone, but I didn¡¯t expect that I would fall!¡± Then why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes arrogantly and said coldly, ¡°Humph, you were out to call your lover. How dare I disturb you?¡± Joanna was choked. She was angry. ¡°So, you fell on purpose, right?¡± Bruce refused to admit it. ¡°No! How could I be so stupid? Why should I fall deliberately?¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m not free, you can ask Andy and the others toe in and help you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to the washroom. I¡¯m not a good¨Cfor¨Cnothing. There¡¯s no need to call them!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a patient now!¡± ¡°Oh, you still remember that I¡¯m a patient?¡± Bruce said with a frustrated and dissatisfied expression. Anyway, he would not let Joanna flirt with Jaydon right in front of him. *Forget it, forget it. I have nothing to say.¡± At night. Joanna stayed in the hospital as usual and slept on the other bed in the room. Actually, there was no need to take care of him much. There were nurses to change the dressing and Andy and the others to buy food. She only helped him up when he went to the washroom. But even so, Bruce was exceptionally satisfied. The next day. Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. Joanna brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then, she helped Bruce wash his face. After all these things were done¡­ ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll go to the office to take a look. I¡¯lle back after 6 p.m.¡± When Bruce heard this, his handsome face darkened. Then who will take care of me during the day?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there Andy and the others?¡± ¡°I told you! I don¡¯t want them to take care of me!¡± Joanna pursed his lips. ¡°Then I¡¯lle over at three in the afternoon. ¡°No! It¡¯s toote!¡± ¡°Bruce, I have kad many things to do in thepany for the past two days. I have to go.¡± Bruce thought for a few seconds. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you the morning. Come over and apany me in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Alright¡± In Charmont Media Group. When Joanna returned to thepany, Cora and Brother Trumpet were already waiting at the company, ¡°Are the contestants doing well?¡± Cora reported, ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry! Everything is fine. It won¡¯t affect the broadcast on Saturday.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good¡± As they talked, an assistant ran in ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Trumpet, there are reportersing to interview you!¡± 124 11:01 Chapter 354 Got it Joanna was originally the least willing to ept an interview from a reporter. However, the reporters today were from CDTV Since they already came here, Joanna thought she had better be interviewed. ¡°Ms. Haynes, will the audition still be in the city center? Yes The reporter raised his microphone again and asked, ¡°May I ask how many times of audition will there be? How many episodes¡± ¡°Currently, it¡¯s the ninth episode!¡± ¡°We heard that Mr. Everett is also in Greene Town. Is that right?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes when she heard this ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not too sure about that! *Im sorry, I¡¯m still busy! If you want to know more details, you can interview Mr. Trumpet.¡± Brother Trumpet was an anchor, so he was naturally more at ease facing the camera. After Joanna let Brother Trumpet continued the interview, she left thepany in a hurry. In the crowd on the street. Joanna saw another tall and thin figure looking over from afar. Joanna was nervous. When she wanted to look again, the tall and thin figure had already disappeared into the sea of people. ¡°Why did I see Ryan again?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what are you talking about?¡± Tatiana was stunned. Joanna frowned. ¡°I think I saw that acquaintance from yesterday again.¡± ¡°That acquaintance?¡± ¡°Aye, he¡¯s my stepbrother! But he¡¯s wearing sunsses and a mask. I can¡¯t be sure it¡¯s him¡± ¡°Your stepbrother?¡± Tatiana¡¯s eyes darted around. And a trace of suspicion arose. Some time ago, someone had nted a bomb in Joanna¡¯s car. Then, another criminal almost kidnapped her in the hospital. It was hard to say if the criminals were targeting her again. ¡°What is he trying to do?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was beating wildly! If she had an illusion yesterday, she couldn¡¯t have an illusion again today, right? She was already certain that the person should be Ryan. However, she did not know why he had been following her. Joanna felt a little uneasy and could not help but associate the explosion some time ago with him. If that incident was really rted to him, he might be targeting her again this time! Joanna had been carefully analyzing. Suddenly, a bad premonition rose in her heart. If Ryan was really behind that explosion, would he install another bomb at the recording site this time? Joanna was the organizer of this show. If anything happened to the contestants, she would definitely lose her reputation and even go to jail. At the thought of this, Joanna felt a cold sweat break out on her back. ¡°Miss Haynes, what are you thinking about?¡± ¡°No, nothing. I hope I¡¯m overthinking!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He probably won¡¯t dare to do anything to you!¡± Tatianaforted Joanna. Every time Joanna went out, she always had Tatiana with her. Besides, Bruce also sent four bodyguards to follow her. It wouldn¡¯t be that easy for Ryan to do anything to her. In the conference room. Tomorrow is Friday. We have to rehearse for thest time. We have to go to the recording studio the day after tomorrow.¡± Cora was carefully reporting the next step of the process. Joanna suddenly interrupted. ¡°Yes, I want to make a suggestion!¡± Chapter 351 ¡°Miss Haynes, what do you want to say?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you sayst time that the T¨Crecording studio is a little small? I suggest that we change to a D¨C recording studio this time!¡± ¡°Uh, why?¡± The D¨Crecording studio is rather big. If we change to a more spacious ce, the contestants will perform better.¡± ¡°But this will be more troublesome. Just moving the recording equipment will take a lot of effort.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. In order to improve the program¡¯s effect, it¡¯s worth it to spend some effort!¡± When Cora heard this, she said, ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll go talk to the person in charge from CDTV. ¡°Okay¡± After a while. Cora came back and replied, ¡°Miss Haynes, no. I just spoke to the person in charge in CDTV. ¡°I was told that it¡¯s not convenient to change to another studio. We have to userge machines to move some pieces of equipment. ¡°If we change the venue rashly, he¡¯s afraid that the audience won¡¯t be used to it. He is also afraid that the contestants won¡¯t. perform well!¡± When Joanna heard this, although she felt a little pitiful, she did not insist too much. ¡°Alright then!* In the afternoon. Joanna returned to the hospital with a heavy heart. At the door of the ward. Bruce looked at Joanna¡¯s listless expression and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°You look distracted. Let me know if you need anything.¡± Joanna hesitated for half a minute, but he could not help but tell Bruce, ¡°When I went to thepany today, I think I saw Ryan. Bruce was stunned. He looked at Joanna in shock. ¡°And?¡± ¡°He¡¯s wearing sunsses and a mask. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s him, but I always feel a little uneasy.¡± Bruce thought for a few seconds. Then don¡¯t go to thepany for the next few days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about myself now. I¡¯m worried¡­¡± ¡°Worried about what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that there will be an ident during the show.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡± ¡°I want to ask CDTV to change the recording venue, but the person in charge of the TV station doesn¡¯t agree.¡± ¡°Oh, I seel¡± Bruce rolled his eyes after hearing this. He was very familiar with the president of CDTV. As long as he made a call, there would definitely be no problem! Joanna sighed again. ¡°Forget it. I hope I¡¯m overthinking.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Does your stomach still hurt?¡± ¡°It hurts. How can it not hurt? After all, it was an operation.¡± ¡°Have you eaten anything today?¡± ¡°Not yet! The doctor won¡¯t let me eat anything too hard. There are many things that I can¡¯t eat.¡± In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Cora happily called Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, the person in charge of CDIV has agreed to change the venue!¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! He called mest night and offered to change the venue.¡± That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°I hope I¡¯m thinking too much. However, for safety¡¯s sake, it¡¯s better to be cautious.¡± Joannaforted herself. Chapter 355 Chapter 355 ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve already rehearsed. Now that we¡¯ve changed the venue, we have to get used to it again!¡± The contestants did not understand andined. ¡°Everyone! Thanks for your cooperation. Please work overtime and rehearse!¡± The director began to comfort the contestants. The contestants had no choice but topromise. ¡°This is the only way!¡± The group of contestants rehearsed overnight, and the staff also reorganized the recording venue overnight. The next day. The official recording began. ¡°She will sing a Antlenish song for you today..¡± After the host finished this, a mature¨Clooking contestant went on stage to sing. The program was only halfway through recording. Boom! An earth¨Cshattering explosion came from the T recording studio. Even people in this studio could feel the ground shaking. Everyone was stunned. The instructors and contestants were all panicking. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think there was an explosion somewhere?¡± The host quickly regained hisposure and continued to host the show. ¡°Let¡¯s continue! The next contestant is from¡­¡± The program was still being recorded as per normal. On the other side, the security guards had already gone to the T recording studio to take a look. ¡°Quick, go in and see what¡¯s going on.¡± A few security guards hurriedly pushed open the door to T studio There was an explosion inside, and the entire hall was filled with smoke. The security guards choked and coughed. The explosion caused a hole in the stage. The chairs and the desks were all ruined now. Fortunately, there was no one here, and there were no casualties! ¡°Hurry up and check what caused the explosion.¡± ¡°Could there have been an electrical connection explosion?¡± ¡°Impossible. The voltage here has always been stable. There can¡¯t be such a serious explosion.¡± ¡°It looks like it¡¯s man¨Cmade.¡± ¡°Should we call the police?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call the police yet. If you call the police, I¡¯m afraid it will cause panic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better for us to investigate this matter ourselves!¡± Soon. Cora called Joanna about the explosion at T studio. ¡°Miss Haynes, bad news! There¡¯s an explosion at T recording studio!¡± When Joanna heard this, her hand that was holding the phone trembled. ¡°What did you say?¡± Cora¡¯s shocked voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°There was an explosion in T studio! Fortunately, the contestants have already moved to another studio. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.¡± ¡°This explosion is very strange. It¡¯s very simr to the situation when the bomb was nted in your car. ¡°Miss Haynes, I suspect the same guy was behind the two explosions.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt that all the blood in her body rushed into her head. Her guess was right! The T recording studio had really been tampered with. The target was still her! Chapter 355 Fortunately, they had changed the recording studio in time. Otherwise, with so many contestants, judges, and invited audiences, the consequences would be unimaginable if there was an explosion at the recording studio. At the same time, thus indirectly proved that this explosion was definitely rted to Ryan. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes. Are you still there?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m listening!¡± ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly. ¡°Now, we have to be more on guard. Send more people to protect the contestants and staff. Even if we have to end the recording, we have to ensure their safety.¡± Yes, yes, I understand!¡± After hanging up. Joanna was a little out of her wits. Joanna sat in the corridor and stared nkly for more than ten minutes before returning to the ward. Bruce saw her stunned expression and asked with concern. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered ¡°Cora just called to tell me that there was an explosion in the T recording studio!¡± Bruce frowned in surprise. No wonder Joanna insisted on changing the recording studio. It turned out that she had a premonition. ¡°I suspect that this matter has something to do with Ryan.¡± ¡°Ryan?¡± Joanna said in shock. ¡°Yes, I seem to have seen him in the past two days.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that this explosion is aimed at me. Moreover, it must be rted to Ryan¡± Bruce subconsciously frowned. No way? He can¡¯t be so bold, right?¡± Joanna calmed herself down and began to think carefully. ¡°You looked down on Ryan. He has been clever since childhood. He always has his own opinion. Also, I believe in my institution. It must be rted to him. ¡°Im going to make a call now and ask him¡­¡± Seeing this. Bruce quickly stopped her. ¡°Are you stupid? If you call him now, do you think he will admit it? ¡°If he really did it, you will only alert him by calling him.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? Should I call the police?¡± Bruce frowned and shook his head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t call the police for the time being.¡± ¡°If we call the police, first of all, this show will have to stop broadcasting. It will have a huge impact on you and the television station. When the timees, just thepensation to the sponsors will be a large sum of money. ¡°Also, it will have a huge impact on Greene TownL ¡°Let¡¯s take a step back. If Ryan didn¡¯t do it, wouldn¡¯t your action worsen your conflict?¡± When Joanna heard this, he felt that he was right. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. He said gloomily, ¡°Let¡¯s find Ryan first.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! ¡°Tll go back to Greyport today to see Dad and ask him what he¡¯s been doing recently. As he spoke, Joanna prepared to pack up and leave. Seeing this, Bruce stretched out his arm and pulled Joanna into his arms. ¡°Joanna¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned extremely serious. He hugged her and refused to let go. ¡°I¡¯m worried that something will happen to you. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t show your face for the time being and stay by my side obediently.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t. I have much to do in thepany. After this, how can I not show my face?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna solemnly. ¡°Nothing is more important than life. Nothing is more important than When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously looked up at Bruce. Bruce looked at her with the same deep gaze. ¡°Joanna. I really don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡± your life.¡± Chapter 855 When Joanna heard this, her heart ached slightly and she had mixed feelings. Although they didn¡¯t call the police for this, the media still got the news. In front of the building where CDTV was located in. Leon Alvarez, the vice president of the TV station, was surrounded by reporters. ¡°Was there an explosion here yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, no, it¡¯s not that exaggerated. It was just a battery explosion. Thank you for your concern.¡± Leon tried to reduce the impact of the explosion. The reporters obviously did not believe this answer and continued to ask, ¡°But we heard that the entire recording studio was blown up. Could this matter be targeted at the organizer of the Ultimate Girls, Ms. Haynes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. A few months ago, Ms. Haynes¡® car was nted with a bomb. Could it be the same group of people?¡± ¡°Hehe, you are thinking too much. We live in a society governed by the rule ofw. We are not shooting a movie. Those bad guys won¡¯t be so bold.¡± Leon¡¯s reply was official. ¡°Then will the program continue?¡± ¡°We will. Don¡¯t worry, everyone.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Ms. Haynes? We want to interview her.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is not in thepany!¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Leon was being interviewed when a Mercedes¨CBenz 600 drove over. Then, the car stopped behind everyone. The door opened and Joanna appeared. The reporters¡® eyes were sharp. When they saw Joanna, they hurried over. ¡°Ms. Haynes is there.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, do you know about the explosion in the studio?¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, everyone. It¡¯s just an explosion caused by electrical aging. Thank you for your concern!¡± ¡°We will ensure the safety of the contestants. In the future, safety measures will be stricter.¡± Joanna had already talked to the person in charge of the television station on the phone. They decided how to exin the explosion together. In front of the media, they would say that it was an explosion caused by the aging of the electrical appliances. ¡°Then what will you do after this?¡± Joanna smiled generously. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be going back to Greyport for a while. I¡¯ll go back this afternoon. I have to go back to settle some matters over there¡­¡± In front of the media cameras, Joanna was still beautiful and elegant. She seemed to be in a good mood and did not seem to be affected by the explosion at all. In front of a TV. Seeing that Joanna was being interviewed, Ryan had his eyes darkened. He smashed the desk hard. ¡°Damn it, she escaped again!¡± ¡°Boss, it¡¯s easy to kill her. Why do we have to go through so much trouble?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Ryan sneered and said viciously, ¡°Killing her is not enough.¡± ¡°I want to ruin her reputation and let her lose everything. I want her to live in fear every day!¡± ¡°I heard that she¡¯s going back to Greyport in the afternoon. Should we teach her a lesson?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Chapter 356 Chapter 356 It was past three in the afternoon. Donning sunsses and a mask. Joanna entered a Mercedes¨CBenz in the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot Four bodyguards got into another car and followed Joanna¡¯s car out of the hospital. ¡°Boss, she¡¯s in the car, but she has bodyguards behind her.¡± Ryan adjusted his mask and said sinisterly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Think of a way to stop the bodyguards¡® carter. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else.¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± Ryan started the car and couldn¡¯t help but mutter in his heart, ¡°Mom, sister, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll avenge you. I¡¯ll make Joanna suffer a hundredfold.¡± The Mercedes¨CBenz headed in the direction of Porash. Behind it was a car with four bodyguards. An hourter. The Mercedes¨CBenz exited the expressway and continued towards the port of Porash. This was his chance! b The outskirts were quiet, and the traffic was sparse. It was the perfect opportunity to make a move. Ryan immediately called his subordinates. ¡°It¡¯s time to strike!¡± ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± The robber, who was driving, immediately stepped on the elerator and increased the speed to 130 miles per hour. ¡°Bang!¡± The car carrying the bodyguards was rear¨Cended. The impact nearly sent the bodyguards¡® car flying, causing it to veer out of control and collide with the roadside barrier. Fortunately, all four of them were wearing seat belts, so their bodies were unharmed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s tailing us!¡± ¡°We got rear¨Cended!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car and take a look.¡± The bodyguards¡® car was immobilized, and they couldn¡¯t continue driving it. Hence, the gap between their car and Joanna¡¯s car grew further. Meanwhile, a roaring Land Rover sped towards Joanna¡¯s car. It quickly overtook Joanna¡¯s vehicle before executing a drift and stopping before her car. The driver of the Mercedes¨CBenz mmed on the brakes, bringing the car to a halt. Wearing a mask, Ryan emerged from the car with an imposing aura. Without hesitation, he fired several shots at the front windshield of Joanna¡¯s car. ¡°Get out of the car!¡± Ryan shouted as he fired two more shots at the car door. The lock was damaged, and Ryan forcefully pulled open the car door, intending to drag Joanna out of the vehicle. The car door opened. ¡°Swish!¡± A dagger flew towards him. Startled, Ryan hastily turned around to dodge it The dagger flew past his mask, causing it to slide down his face! Before he could react, he received a powerful kick to the chest that sent him crashing heavily to the ground. Ryan was shocked. Upon closer inspection, he realized the person in the car was not Joanna but an unfamiliar woman Seeing Ryan fall to the ground, Tatiana wasted no time. Before he could get up, she swiftly delivered another flying kick. 11:02 Chapter 356 knocking the gun out of his hand. The two of them quickly started fighting. Without his weapon, Ryan was clearly no match for Tatiana. In just a few moves, he found himself at a disadvantage. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Ryan was pinned to the ground. Tatiana twisted his arm and knelt on his shoulder. Momentster, several police cars arrived, and sirens started ring Seizing the opportunity, Ryan summoned all his strength to break free from Tatiana¡¯s grip. He quickly flipped over and leaped towards the roadside barrier. Below the barrier was the vast ocean, and Ryan disappeared into the water instantly. The police quickly followed and dived into the sea to search for him. Beep, beep! Tatiana called Joanna to report to her, ¡°Miss Haynes, the strategy worked! The perpetrator is indeed Ryan!¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna felt a chill in her heart. ¡°It¡¯s really him!¡± Bruce was also shocked to hear that. ¡°Now that we know it¡¯s him, there¡¯s no way he can escape.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The police will surely capture him. Even if the police don¡¯t arrest him, I won¡¯t let him off.¡± After hearing this, Joanna silently closed her eyes, not knowing what to say. If her father found out, he would definitely be devastated. However, she really didn¡¯t want to harm them. It was they who relentlessly pursued her. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Soon, the media reported the incident and released Ryan¡¯s photo ¡°A shooting incident urred in the city. An armed suspect attempted to injure someone!¡± ¡°This is the suspect¡¯s appearance. ording to witnesses, the suspect¡¯s name is Ryan Haynes, born in 1998, and he is armed. If anyone has information, please report it to the police immediately¡­¡± This news caused a massive uproar in Greyport. The media in Greyport werepeting to report the incident. ¡°The second son of the Haynes family is suspected of taking revenge on Joanna Haynes. His methods are cruel¡± ¡°After graduating from university, Ryan went astray and took the wrong path. ¡°Ryan Haynes is suspected to be rted to the previous explosion case, and the police are making every effort to apprehend him.¡± In Greyport. At the Haynes¡¯s house. Derick was dumbfounded when he saw the news. ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t that Ryan?¡± ¡°How did he be a wanted criminal?¡± Shocked by the news, Shaun took a sharp breath. ¡°Cough, quickly call Ryan and find out what happened to him¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call him right away!¡± Derick was also scared out of his wits. He hurriedly called Ryan. Beep, beep! ¡°The number you have dialed is no longer in service¡­¡± ¡°Dad, something¡¯s wrong! Ryan¡¯s phone number has been canceled!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. It must be a mistake. Ryan has always been a good boy. There¡¯s no way he could be involved in something illegal!¡± ¡°Surely it¡¯s a mistake. Don¡¯t get so worked up for now.¡± The father and son were anxious and unsettled. Soon, the nanny entered the room ¡°Sir, Young Master, the police are here!¡± A group of police officers came to gather information. ¡°Mr. Haynes, we would like to know about Ryan Haynes¡® whereabouts. Is he at home?¡± Chapter 3.56 ¡°Ryan hasn¡¯t been home for many days. We are also searching for him everywhere.¡± ¡°Pleasee with us to the police station!¡± Derickpletely lost hisposure. ¡°We really have no idea what he has been doing outside. What he did has nothing to do with us!¡± ¡°I understand, but please follow us to the police station first.¡± Shaun¡¯s breath hitched when he heard this, and he immediately fainted. ¡°Dad! Dad!¡± Unable to bear the shock, Shaun cked out and lost consciousness. ¡°My father has a heart condition. I need to rush him to the hospital.¡± ¡°Ryan¡­ Why are you so stupid?¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be so devastated. There might be some misunderstanding in all of this.¡± ¡°That foolish child, how could he do something so stupid? We¡¯ve worked hard to educate him all these years and hoped he could make himself useful!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect¡­ ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s all because of Joanna. My younger brother wouldn¡¯t have thought about seeking revenge if it weren¡¯t for her. He wouldn¡¯t have be a wanted criminal!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention him anymore!¡± Shaun closed his eyes sadly. Derick sighed too. Although he resented Joanna, he never expected Ryan to have the audacity to commit such a sensational act. Although Greyport¡¯sws didn¡¯t include the death penalty, Ryan would likely spend the rest of his life behind bars if he got captured. In Greene Town Beep, beep! ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± Joann, what exactly happened? ording to Greyport media reports, Ryan is now a wanted criminal?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Was he really responsible for the explosion some time ago?¡± ¡°Yes, the police are currently searching for him.¡± ¡°You must take care¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°If things get too difficult, you cane for a while.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave right now. Besides, I¡¯m worried about my father. He won¡¯t be able to handle the stress.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡± With that, she hung up. Joanna returned to the ward. ¡°Who was it? Is Jaydon calling again?¡± Joanna remained silent. She frowned and did not answer. She was in a bad mood now and didn¡¯t want to argue with Bruce. ¡°Joanna, have you really decided to marry Jaydon? Aren¡¯t you going to reconsider?¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want to talk about this!¡± ¡°Well, the most important thing now is to capture Ryan as soon as possible.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t capture him soon, he will always be a major threat!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart felt even heavier. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that my father won¡¯t be able to handle this shock!¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re always so soft¨Chearted. Don¡¯t you remember how they treated you?¡± Chapter 356 Sigh!¡± Joanna let out a deep sigh. Bruce gritted his teeth. Not only was Ryan involved in the explosion, but he kidnapped Princess Martha and extorted 100 million dors from Bruce. Although Bruce hadn¡¯t reported it to the police, it didn¡¯t mean he could take this lying down. Chapter 357 Chapter 357 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 357 After a few minutes of contemtion, Bruce spoke solemnly, ¡°We can¡¯t stay in Greene Town any longer Let¡¯s go back to Greyport as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Joanna,e back with me. I¡¯m worried about you staying here alone.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds but ultimately agreed. ¡°Andy, take care of the discharge procedures and arrange for a motorhome to transfer us to the hospital in Greyport.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett, Andy replied and immediately went out to handle the matter. Bruce had already recovered significantly after staying in the hospital for three days. However, he still felt slightly weak and was advised not to engage in stremtous activities. Soon enough, the discharge procedures werepleted, and Antly arranged the vehicle to transport them. Apanied by a specialized medical caregiver to ensure that any issues would be taken care of during the journey, Bruce entered the car. Joanna also got into the car and returned to Greyport together with Bruce. She had already spent around ten days in Greene Town. If she didn¡¯t return soon, she had no idea what might be happening there.. The car smoothly drove towards Greyport. A security vehicle followed closely behind. In Greyport. Two hourster, the group arrived in Greyport. ¡°Mr. Everett, shall I send you to Greyport Hospital first?¡± Bruce furrowed his brow. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go straight to Sherane Bay Vi.¡± He felt he had recovered sufficiently and didn¡¯t need to be hospitalized. Moreover, he had a family doctor and caregivers at home. It was much more convenient than being in the hospital. ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Um, please stop the car at the next intersection. I want to get off.¡± ¡°Joanna, it would be safer for you to stay at my ce at times like this.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯d rather go back home.¡± ¡°How are you going to take care of me?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t Greene Town. You¡¯re almost fully recovered now, and you have so many servants to take care of you. You don¡¯t need me to look after you.¡± Bruce still refused to let her go. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m worried about you!¡± ¡°If you stay there, who will protect you if Ryan finds trouble with you?¡± ¡°I can handle it. You don¡¯t have to worry. Besides, I have Tatiana by my side.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s still too dangerous. Ryan ispletely unhinged now. Until he is apprehended, you should stay where I have arranged for you.¡± ¡°Trust me. I won¡¯t do anything to harm you. If you don¡¯t want to go to Sherane Bay Vi with me, you can stay at the old mansion or Reagan No. 8 Residence. Or¡­¡± Joanna furrowed her brow and shook her head. She still rejected Bruce¡¯s suggestion. It would be even more dangerous to live with him. If he were to confine her again, it would be disastrous. ¡°No, really! I have already asked Miranda to find a new ce, and I can move today.¡± Bruce Everett sighed helplessly. ¡°Joanna, why are you so stubborn? I don¡¯t want you to leave my sight. You must listen to my arrangements.¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, can¡¯t you stop being so domineering? Why do you always force others toply with your wishes? Joanna Haynes was highly displeased with this aspect of him. Seeing Joanna was about to get angry again, Bruce could only suppress his temper. ¡°Alright, fine. Do as you wish! If anything happens, don¡¯t regret it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t regret it.¡± ¡°Kody, just stop at that intersection.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± The driver answered and slowed down before turning into the specified intersection anding to a stop. Chapter 357 ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡¯re here.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get off now. Let me take you directly home.¡± ¡°Kody, go straight to Greenwick Residential Complex.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Twenty minutester. Kody parked the car at the entrance of Greenwick Residential Complex. ¡°Where are you moving to? I¡¯ll get my assistant to help you move.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle it myself. Don¡¯t worry!¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Rest well and stop exerting yourself.¡±¡° Bruce fell silent momentarily and sighed again. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to force her. Joanna always used him of being too overbearing andcking respect for others. She also disliked his controlling nature, which was why she refused to return to his side. He wanted to try changing his temper and not push her too much. ¡°Bye. Call me if you need anything.¡± Then, Joanna got out of the car and went home with Tatiana. Soon, she arrived home. Miranda and Kelly had almost finished packing everything. The floor was filled with severalrge cardboard boxes and about six suitcases. Since this was a rented house, they didn¡¯t have to move anyrge furniture apart from daily necessities and clothing. Miranda, who was busy packing, stopped her work when she saw Joanna return. Joanna casually responded, ¡°Yes. Is everything packed?¡± ¡°Everything is here. It¡¯s already packed!¡± ¡°Have you found a new house?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in Ona ce. The rent is slightly higher than this house, but it¡¯s safer and has better security measures.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Everything else is packed. Only your personal belongings are left. Do you want to pack them yourself, or should I do it for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pack them myself! You can focus on packing the rest.¡± Joanna did not like others touching her personal belongings. Therefore, whenever Miranda entered her room daily to clean and organize her clothes, she dared not simply touch her personal items. ¡°Alright!¡± Afterward, Joanna directed Miranda, Kelly, and Tracy to start moving. Ona ce was a high¨Cend residential area. It was about 30 kilometers away from their current location and on the other side. of Greyport. Although it was not in the city center, the environment was excellent, and many celebrities and wealthy individuals resided there. It was past eight in the evening. All the luggage was moved into their new home. Joanna had never seen the house before. It was her first time here. ¡°Joann, this is it! What do you think?¡± Joanna put down her bag and looked around. It was a duplex with two floors. Although the overall area was not asrge as the t they had before, having two separate levels provided more privacy. There were two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs. The furniture and decoration were rtively new, making the ce look cozy. Chapter 357 In addition, each person was assigned a key card. The security at the gate was strict. They did not allow outsiders or vehicles to enter. Even delivery drivers couldn¡¯t enter themunity. The privacy and security measures were well implemented. ¡°Hmm, not bad!¡± ¡°It has been cleaned. So we can move in right away.¡± Joanna went upstairs to the master bedroom. The interior design was beige, and there was arge balcony. When she opened the curtains, she could see the sea outside. Kelly and Tracy would share one room, while Miranda and Tatiana each had their own rooms. Overall, it was a perfect arrangement! After all, her children were not with her at the moment. In fact, having Miranda by her side to take care of things was enough. However, Joanna still hoped her children would eventuallye back to her. She didn¡¯t want to dismiss Tracy and Kelly, who had been caring for her children. She valued their presence. Miranda and the others were busy organizing their luggage downstairs. Joanna took a short break and habitually turned on herputer to check thepany documents. Beep, beep! Joanna called Ethan, the Vice President of the Haynes Group. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Ethan, inform everyone that I will be returning to thepany tomorrow. Schedule a meeting with all the directors and senior executives at 9 o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Got it, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Has anything happened in thepany these past few days?¡± Ethan pondered briefly and replied with a hint of seriousness, ¡°Overall, there haven¡¯t been any major issues, but¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°But what?¡± ¡°Mr. Hughes is preparing to resign from the board of directors and sell his shares. Hearing that, Joanna remained silent for nearly half a minute. ¡°What about Mr. Paul?¡± ¡°There haven¡¯t been any movements from Mr. Paul¡¯s side for now, but I think he¡¯s on the same page with Mr. Roger.¡± ¡°If Mr. Roger quits the board, he will definitely follow suit! Miss Haynes, you need to be mentally prepared.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± After ending the call, Joanna took a deep breath and felt a heavy weight on her heart. She currently held only 41% of the shares, and if other shareholders united against her, she would really lose all her voice and final decision¨Cmaking power. However, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain herself without selling 10% of her shares. She could only take it step by step and see what they had in mind. Joanna was having a leadache when Miranda came up with a tray. ¡°Joann, you must be hungry. I brought you some food!¡± ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m not hungry. You can leave it for now.¡± Tears welled up in Miranda¡¯s eyes as she felt worried. ¡°Joann, at least eat a little. You¡¯ve been losing weight, and you need to take care of your health. Everything else is a minor issue.¡± ¡°I understand, Miranda! You can leave first. I have some work to do.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go down first. Remember to eat. Don¡¯t forget!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Joanna replied and went back to work. Seeing this, Miranda shook her head with concern before leaving the room helplessly. Chapter 358 Chapter 358 The next day. In the Everett Group. At nine in the morning, Joanna arrived at thepany punctually. In the conference room. Joanna pushed open the conference room¡¯s door. It was already filled with senior executives of the company. ¡°Miss Haynes, good morning!¡± ¡°Good morning, everyone!¡± Joanna greeted briefly as she walked towards the head of the conference table and sat in her usual spot. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡± Joanna nced at her watch, realizing it was already five past nine. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for them a bit.¡± Just as she finished speaking, Luna knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Roger just called to say that he¡¯s feeling unwell and won¡¯t be able to attend the meeting today.¡± Joanna furrowed her brows in response. ¡°Also, Mr. Roger called just now. He mentioned he had to deal with an urgent matter at home, and he can¡¯t attend the meeting today.¡± Joanna¡¯s brows furrowed even more when she heard that. It seemed that the two of them had nned it together. They intentionally skipped the board meeting. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, we won¡¯t wait for them.¡± ¡°I appreciate everyone¡¯s hard work during my absence.¡± The senior executives lowered their heads and flipped through the documents in their hands. ¡°Miss Haynes, here¡¯s the performance overview of thepany during this period.¡± ¡°And also, these are the financial statements and a list of employees who have resigned.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set those aside for now.¡± Joanna turned on theputer projection and began the meeting with the management team. ¡°Starting today, I am officially back to work.¡± ¡°Today¡¯s meeting will focus on five points. Firstly, thepany may undergo a transformation. We will change our direction and focus our sales on Mossbourne.¡± ¡°Secondly, I suggest that the management team visit the second and third¨Ctier cities in Mossbourne for market research.¡± ¡°The consumer base in these cities is not inferior to that of the first¨Ctier cities. It is a vast consumer market that we must not overlook¡­¡± The meetingsted for over two hours. ¡°Does anyone have anything to add?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s conclude the meeting for today. Dismissed.¡± The management team gradually left the conference room. Joanna also returned to her office. A few executives couldn¡¯t help but discuss, ¡°The Haynes Group might really be going through a major change. I heard Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger are nning to resign from the board of directors!¡± ¡°We thought it was just a rumor, but seeing that they didn¡¯t attend the board meeting today, it seems they really are leaving.¡± The marketing manager chimed in. ¡°Wow, first Mr. Everett stepped down from the board, and now Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger are also leaving! Is the Haynes Group heading towards bankruptcy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so! After all, there¡¯s Miss Haynes and the new shareholders.¡± The marketing manager pursed her lips. ¡°A single tree cannot make a forest. Can Miss Haynes alone sustain such argepany? Besides, she doesn¡¯t seem actively involved in the management recently!¡± Chapter 358 ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Even if Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul resign from the board of directors, there will be new shareholders.¡°) ¡°With the Haynes Group in its current state, who would be willing to take on this mess?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s check the job postings tonight, just in case! We don¡¯t want to be caught off guard.¡± In the office. Beep, beep ¡°Hello, the person you are trying to reach is currently unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± Joanna tried calling Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul multiple times, but they refused to answer their phones. It was not until three o¡¯clock in the afternoon that Mr. Roger finally picked up the call. ¡°Hello.¡± Joanna felt a tightness in her chest but managed to steady her emotions. ¡°Uncle Roger, it¡¯s me. Joannal¡± ¡°Oh, I see. What¡¯s up?¡± Mr. Roger pretended to be dumb. ¡°Luna mentioned that you weren¡¯t feeling well, so I wanted to call and ask how you¡¯re doing now.¡± Mr. Roger hesitated briefly before politely responding, ¡°Oh, I was really feeling unwell in the morning. I¡¯m much better now. I can¡¯t help it. Getting olderes with headaches and heatwaves.¡± ¡°Please rest well, and don¡¯t overwork yourself. Take a break until you¡¯re feeling better and ready to return to work!¡± Mr. Rogerughed dryly. ¡°I might not be able to return for a while. I¡¯m nning to take some time off in Mostax to recuperate!¡± After a brief pause, Joanna gathered her thoughts and asked directly, ¡°Uncle Roger, I heard that you¡¯re nning to sell your shares. Is that true?¡± Mr. Roger hesitated a while before responding, ¡°Oh, I do have that n in mind!¡± ¡°May I ask why?¡± Mr. Roger took a deep breath and pretended to say earnestly, ¡°Joann, Uncle Roger is getting old. I¡¯ve reached retirement age and don¡¯t want to deal with all this anymore!¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°Now, I only want to travel with my wife and enjoy our golden years. We¡¯ll leave the business matters to the younger generation like you to strive for sess!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank. ¡°But we¡¯ve been working together for so long. It would be a pity if you sold your shares.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other way. How about you repurchase my shares? I¡¯ll sell them to you at the original price we agreed upon. Consider it my final contribution to the Haynes Group.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna was at a loss for words and remained silent for quite some tim?. She didn¡¯t have enough money at the moment to repurchase his shares! ¡°Take some time to think about it. If you¡¯re not interested in repurchasing them, I¡¯ll have to sell them to someone else.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it, Uncle Roger. Please hold off on finding other buyers for now.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll give you a week to think it over.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t hear back from you by then, I¡¯ll sell them to anotherpany.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± Mr. Roger didn¡¯t say much more and ended the call. Joanna heaved a sigh, feeling troubled and overwhelmed as she held her forehead. Ethan happened toe by. Noticing Joanna¡¯s worried expression, he asked with concern, ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna sighed faintly and replied softly, ¡°Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul are nning to leave the board of directors. I¡¯m afraid the Haynes Group might be acquired by anotherpany and eventually fall apart ¡°If we want to save the Haynes Group, we¡¯ll have to repurchase their shares.¡± Joanna felt a headacheing on. She didn¡¯t have enough liquid assets to repurchase their shares in the first ce! Hearing this, Ethan frowned solemnly. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s really troublesome.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 358 Ethan pondered for a moment before an idea struck him. He proposed, ¡°Miss Haynes, why not discuss with Caleb and see if he¡¯s willing to repurchase a portion of their shares?¡± ¡°If he agrees, you can share the burden with him. It¡¯s better than selling the shares to someone else, right?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes narrowed as she heard his suggestion. ¡°That could work. I¡¯ll go find him right away!¡± With that, Joanna immediately stood up and made her way to Caleb¡¯s office. Caleb was a new shareholder in thepany. He was a mixed businessman with strong financial resources. Five minutester. Joanna arrived at Caleb¡¯s office. Joanna immediately told him about the repurchase. Caleb was also very interested after hearing this. ¡°That sounds promising!¡± ¡°Are you agreeing to it then?¡± Caleb shrugged and shed her a gentlemanly smile. ¡°Hmm, perhaps¡­¡± ¡°But, I don¡¯t have the necessary funds at the moment either. So we need to raise money as well.¡± ¡°How about we pool our resources and raise the funds together? We can each repurchase half of their shares.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. Let me think of a solution.¡± As Joanna exited Caleb¡¯s office, she found herself facing another dilemma. Even if each of them repurchased half of the shares, it would still cost about 300 million dors per person. It was not a small sum. Joanna really did not know where to raise so much money in such a short time. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you sell a portion of your shares and take back their shares first?¡± Ethan suggested. ¡°Sell my shares?¡± Joanna hesitated. She only had 41% of the shares in her hands now. If she sold more, it would reduce her stake in thepany even further. It would mean losing control as the majority shareholder and jeopardizing her decision¨Cmaking power within the Everett Group. ¡°Considering the current need for funds, it seems like the only option.¡± Joanna contemted, but after some calctions, she concluded that the risk was too high, and she couldn¡¯t afford to sell more shares. Noticing her hesitation, Ethan proposed an alternative. ¡°Miss Haynes, if you¡¯re not willing to sell them, you could consider using the shares as coteral at a bank.¡± ¡°Using the shares as coteral?¡± ¡°Yes, it might be a way to alleviate the immediate financial pressure. By securing a loan from the bank with the shares as coteral, we can buy ourselves some time and cushion the previous difficulties.¡± ¡°Once we ovee the current challenge and repay the bank loan, we can work on buying back the shares.¡± ¡°Otherwise, we can only watch as otherpanies acquire the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it!¡± A weekter. Mr. Roger called again. ¡°Joann, have you made your decision?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve made up your mind, I¡¯ll sell the shares to you at the lowest price. But if you haven¡¯t, I¡¯ll have to look for other buyers.¡± ¡°Uncle Roger, give me some time to raise the funds.¡± ¡°Then you have to be quick. I won¡¯t keep on waiting!¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Chapter 359 Chapter 359 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 359 After a week of careful consideration, Joanna rea lized she had no other choice. She had to sell her shares or take out a loan against them. There was no other way around it. *Sigh. I guess this is the only way. I have to find a way to solve the immediate crisis.¡± Joanna could not help but sigh and prepare to meet the bank¡¯s CEO in the afternoon. Ring, ring! Her phone rang. It was Jaydon. Joanna calmed down and picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± Jaydon¡¯s gentle voice came from the other end of the phone. Joann, what are you doing now?¡± Joanna forced a smile. ¡°Tm at thepany.¡± ¡°How¡¯s everything going? Nothing major, I hope?¡± ¡°No, nothing major. Don¡¯t worry.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. If anythinges up, be sure to let me know!¡± ¡°Got it. How¡¯s your recovery going?¡± ¡°The doctor said that I¡¯m recovering well! I might be able to recoverpletely soon.¡± Joanna felt happy about Jaydon¡¯s progress. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! I¡¯lle pick you up then!¡± ¡°Joann, if anything is going on, don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Make sure to let me know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will!¡± Joanna reassured him. She hesitated briefly but decided not to tell Jaydon about her n. After all, 300 million dors was a significant amount, and even if Jaydon was willing to help her, she didn¡¯t want to burden him with that. ¡°Alright then, take care. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± ¡°Jay, I miss you.¡± ¡°Silly, I miss you too!¡± Soon, Joanna had a meeting with the CEO of Gitibank. Since it was a mortgage loan, they had to follow the market¡¯s rate, which was 40%. Therefore, if she needed a loan of 300 million dors, she would have to mortgage 30% of the After thinking for two days, Joanna decided to go all out. She would mortgage her own shares and use the funds to buy back the shares from Mr. Roger. This was the only method to deal with the situation now. That would be ideal if their n worked. However, if there were any issues with the loan and the funding chain was broken, things would be troublesome. ¡°Uncle Roger, I am in the process of raising funds. The bank¡¯s approval may take about two months.¡± ¡°Please wait for another two more months!¡± Hearing this. Mr. Roger reluctantly agreed, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Only two months. If you miss the deadline, I won¡¯t wait for you any longer.¡± ¡°Yes, I got it!¡± Meanwhile, Caleb was also raising funds to repurchase his shares. In the end, there would only be two shareholders in thepany. Joanna would hold 56% of the shares, while Caleb would have 44%. In the Everett Group! After a week of rest, Bruce¡¯s body had almost recovered. In the office. Bruce was engrossed in his work when Andy knocked on the door and entered. Chapter 359 ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Without looking up, Bruce asked in a monotone voice, ¡°What is it?¡± Andy looked worried as he said, ¡°Mr. Everett, Princess Martha has been calling me incessantly. She has also sent me numerous text messages. It¡¯s driving me crazy. Perhaps you should call her back?¡± Bruce had been avoiding Princess Martha¡¯s calls all this time. Meanwhile, she had been bombarding Andy with phone calls and had sent him over a thousand text messages! ¡°Mr. Everett, take a look at these messages. They are all from Princess Martha. It¡¯s really¡­ quite concerning.¡± ¡°If you continue to ignore her, I¡¯m afraid she might do something rash!¡± Bruce took a nce at his phone. The messages from Princess Martha were filled with deep sadness, and the more he read them, the more annoyed he was. A saying once went. ¡°It¡¯s too easy to pick up girls, but it¡¯s not easy to break out with them!¡± He really could not understand why women would resort to such lowly means to hold on to men. Didn¡¯t they realize that men have a rebellious streak in their bones? The more they try to win them back in a submissive manner, the faster men will run away! ¡°Ignore her!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Andy responded helplessly and turned to leave. ¡°Ring, ring!¡± Bruce picked up the phone and called Joanna. ¡°Hello, Bruce,¡± Joanna answered the call. Bruce cleared his throat. ¡°Joanna, what are you doing?¡± Joanna paused. ¡°I¡¯m at the office. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well, are you free today?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. She would definitely refuse if he said he wanted to invite her for a meal. ¡°Well, I want to discuss the children¡¯s return to the country with h you.¡± Joanna immediately softened upon hearing this. ¡°Are you nning to bring the children back to the country?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we discuss that and arrange it together?¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Joanna frowned, feeling somewhat puzzled. ¡°Can¡¯t you just tell me over the phone?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not something that can be exined over the phone.¡± Joanna fell silent. She wasn¡¯t particrly keen on meeting Bruce, especially not alone! Sensing Joanna¡¯s hesitation, Bruce tentatively suggested, ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s meet at a family restaurant and have a good chat ¡°When the childrene back, let¡¯s pick them up together! We need to discuss whether they should study abroad or in the country.¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet at Blue Pavilion at 6 pm this afternoon.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll hang up now. Let¡¯s talk when we meet.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± After hanging up, a smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s lips. Chapter 359 He then went to the changing room and showered before changing into clean clothes. He tidied himself up carefully. At 5:30 PM, Bruce drove to the building of the Haynes Group. ¡°Ring, ring!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. ¡°Hello. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce paused. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to have dinner together?¡± When Joanna heard this, she said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been busy and almost forgot.¡± ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯lle straight to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m downstairs at your office now.¡± ¡°Oh, give me a moment. I¡¯ll be right down.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Twenty minutester. Joanna carried her bag and hurried downstairs. As usual, she wore a white professional suit, with ck¨Cframed sses and her hair casually flowing over her shoulders. She didn¡¯t put on any makeup, not even lipstick. On the other hand, Bruce was dressed in a well¨Cfitted suit, his hair neatly styled. He looked formal as if attending an important event. Joanna opened the car door and got in. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Bruce sized Joanna up. ¡°You¡¯re going like that?¡± Stunned, Joanna asked. ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. Then, he started the car and drove towards Blue Pavilion. Joanna looked beautiful. Even without makeup, she still had the power to captivate others. However, the problem was that women usually were worried about their appearance and would want to present themselves well on a date. It showed that she cared about the person she was meeting. Joanna clearly didn¡¯t care about the date with him at all now! In the car. Joanna subconsciously asked, ¡°Have you told the kids? When are theying back?¡± Silence followed as Bruce drove without responding. Joanna continued, ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen the kids. I miss them so much! I don¡¯t even know what they look like now. Did they grow taller?¡± ¡°Bruce, when the kids return, can you let them stay at my ce for a few days?¡± Again, Bruce remained silent, his face devoid of any expression. ¡°Sigh, Lilia is allergic, and I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t adjust well to a new ce! I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯ve lost weight!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes in annoyance. Joanna Haynes didn¡¯t mention anything about him in her three sentences. She was all focused on the kids. It truly irritated him. He had just recovered from his illness, but she didn¡¯t even ask how he was doing, if he was feeling better, or if anything was bothering him It was clear that she no longer cared about him. Seeing Bruce keeping quiet, Joanna sighed, pushed her sses up, and decided to remain silent too. Bruce was about to speak when Joanna interjected. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, and you¡¯re ignoring me. How can we continue the conversation?¡± ¡°What do you want to have for dinner?¡± ¡°Anything.¡± Bruce choked in anger. ¡°We¡¯re here. You can get out now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The doorman came over and opened the door, and Joanna stepped out of the car. Chapter 359 They were at Greyport¡¯s most high¨Cend restaurant. ¡°Bruce, we could have just talked about the children¡¯s matters withouting to a ce like this for dinner.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t wee here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I already told you we¡¯reing here for dinner!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Joanna ordered a steak and sd, while Bruce ordered lobster and caviar. Chapter 360 Chapter 360 The top¨Cgrade N5 Wagyu beef melted in Joanna¡¯a mouth with a rich and vorful aroma. The texture was delicate, like a savory ice cream Joanna hadn¡¯t eaten lunch, so she was pretty hungry now. She picked up her knife and fork and started devouring the food. Bruce had ordered some Australian lobster with cheesy pasta ¡°Would you like some wine?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t even look up as she stuffed a piece of Wagyu beef into her mouth. ¡°No. I¡¯ll be driving later. Besides, you have at sensitive stomach right now, so it¡¯s better to drink less alcohol.¡± Bruce lifted his ss of lemon water and took a sip, feeling somewhat disappointed. He had intended to have a candlelit dinner with her and create a romantic atmosphere. Maybe even enjoy some wine to stimte their hormones. However, it didn¡¯t seem like she thought of it as a date at all. He was dressed primly while she was in her professional attire. It felt more like a business discussion than a date, and it made him ufortable. Every time Joanna met Jaydon, she would dress up femininely and sweetly, radiating charm and beauty. But whenever she met him, she had to be serious and formal. ¡°Why are you eating so fast?¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Joanna suddenly raised her head and looked at Bruce in confusion. Bruce picked up his fork and ced a piece of lobster onto her te. ¡°What I mean is, we can take our time and enjoy the meal. No need to rush.¡± ¡°I still have work to attend to when we get back. So, what do you want to talk about? Just go straight to the point.¡± Bruce¡¯s movements paused, and his face fell. ¡°Can¡¯t you just be present and have a proper meal with me?¡± Joanna remained silent. If it were just about having a meal, she wouldn¡¯t have wanted toe out in the first ce. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the kids back next Saturday.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna subconsciously stopped using her knife and fork. Bruce smiled faintly. ¡°Yes. Would you like to join me in picking them up?¡± ¡°At the airport?¡± Bruce ced a piece of lobster in his mouth and replied, ¡°No, at Surbano.¡± Joanna hesitated. She felt conflicted about the idea. She could definitely make time to pick up the kids at the airport. However, if it involved flying to Surbano, it would take at least two to three days. She couldn¡¯t possibly free herself up with thepany being so busy. Seeing Joanna hesitating, Bruce raised an eyebrow. ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to go? I thought you really wanted to see the children.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered as she replied with a heavy heart, ¡°I want to, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have time to fly to Surbano to pick up the kids ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better for me to go to the airport after the kids return.¡± Before Joanna could finish speaking, Bruce frowned. ¡°Joanna, is work more important, or are the children more important?¡± ¡°Both are important, of course.¡± Bruce coldly snorted with a tinge of anger in his voice. ¡°If you¡¯re not going, I¡¯ll go alone.¡± Seeing that Bruce was angry, Joanna quickly changed her statement. ¡°Um, I need to arrange my work and see if I can make time. ¡°If I can, I¡¯ll go with you. But If I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll meet them at the airport when they return. Is that okay?¡± 1/3 11-201 Chapter 360 Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Up to you¡± Tm just letting you know. Whether you go or not is entirely up to you¡± After saying that, Bruce kept his head down and continued cating Joanna fell silent too. Neither of them said a word. They silently ate their food In the restaurant, other diners were enjoying their meals. A middle¨Caged woman whispered, ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that Mr. Everett and Joanna Haynes?¡± Herpanion, a middle¨Caged man, nced over and replied, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really them.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they already divorced? Why are they on a date together? I thought Mr. Everett was dating Princess Martha of Novia.¡± ¡°Oh, having a meal together doesn¡¯t necessarily mean anything. After all, they have children together. They can¡¯t avoid seeing each other.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is quite adies¡® man, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s entangled with his ex¨Cwife while dating Princess Martha. On top of that, he¡¯s involved with Miss Garcia, the wealthy heiress! This love square is quite intriguing!¡± ¡°Hmph. a man of his wealth will have a whole harem. This is just what¡¯s been exposed. Who knows how many mistresses he has behind the scenes!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Half an hourter, Bruce and Joanna had finished their meal. Throughout the entire time, they ignored each other. Just like that, they finished the meal in silence. Joanna looked at the time. It was almost eight o¡¯clock. Finally breaking the silence, she said. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should go.¡± ¡°Alright. Where are you staying now? I¡¯ll send you home!¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just drop me off at the office. I still have some unfinished business that I need to take care of¡± Bruce felt a pang in his heart upon hearing her response. ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s already 8 o¡¯clock. It¡¯s past office hours. What are you still going to do at the office?¡± ¡°I have some things to finish today. I need to go back and take care of them.¡± Bruce choked and couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything more to her. He knew Joanna was fully absorbed in her work now. and there was no point in trying to persuade her. After settling the bill, they got up and walked together toward the underground parking lot. ¡°Get in the car.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna opened the passenger door and got into the car. In the car, Bruce Everett drove with a bitter smile. ¡°Joanna, I can¡¯t help but feel like you¡¯re busier than me!¡± Joanna Haynes fell silent when she heard that. She didn¡¯t consider herself any less busy than him. His subordinates were all the world¡¯s top talents who could help him earn money. He only needed to sign documents, attend meetings, and make appearances. Although he was busy, he didn¡¯t have to be physically present at thepany for everything to be handled smoothly by his capable staff. It was different for her. Many tasks required her personal attention. While she had a fewpetent individuals working for her, most were simply coasting along. ¡°The night view by the seaside is beautiful. Let¡¯s take a walk.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t make me repeat myself¡± ¡°Suit yourself¡± Joanna sighed, feeling weary as she leaned back in the car seat. Bruce Everett drove along the coastal road, heading towards the beach. This area was the highest point in Greyport. It offered a panoramic view of the city and the sea. The road was adorned with scenic views and dazzling neon lights. When feeling overwhelmed, a drive along the coastline could lift one¡¯s spirits and bring joy. 20 minutester, Bruce subconsciously nced at Joann. He realized she was motionlessly leaning against the seat and seemed to have fallen asleep! Chapter 360 Joanna¡­ Bruce called out softly. Joanna was exhausted, and thebination of a full meal and a car ride made her sleepy. She had fallen asleep without realizing it. Bruce found a spot and parked the car steadily by the seaside without waking her up. Joanna slept for over an hour before abruptly jolting awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked around in a daze. ¡°Oh my, how did I fall asleep?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and nced at the time. It was already past 10 pm. When she looked over to the driver¡¯s seat, Bruce was nowhere to be seen. Yawning, Joanna Haynes pushed open the car door and got out.. Though it was nighttime, there were streetlights on both sides of the road. Joanna scanned her surroundings. He saw Bruce standing on a reef by the sea. He was looking at the night scenery in the distance and smoking silently His tall figure stood against the wind, appearing lost in thought. ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna called out as she walked toward him. Without turning around, Bruce asked calmly, ¡°Are you awake?¡± Joanna was a little embarrassed and replied vaguely, ¡°Oh, I¡­ I was too tired just now and identally fell asleep.¡± ¡°What is this ce?¡± ¡°Silver Ocean Avenue,¡± Bruce replied calmly. Joanna joined him on the reef, taking in the surroundings. It was a peculiar location. It was situated between the seaside and a mountain road. Looking down, they could see the bustling city lights and the fishing port. ¡°The view is not bad. How did you discover this ce?¡± ¡°When I was younger and feeling down, I used toe here to watch the sea,¡± Bruce squinted his eyes and took another drag of his cigarette. Joanna coughed as she inhaled some second¨Chand smoke. ¡°Smoking is bad for your health. Don¡¯t smoke so much.¡± Upon hearing her cough, Bruce silently extinguished his cigarette. There were already more than ten cigarette butts on the ground, indicating that he had smoked half a pack in the past hour. Joanna nced at Bruce and suddenly felt an indescribable sensation in her heart. Under the hazy streetlights, his profile resembled a sculpture, with sharp features and a few strands of hair on his forehead blown slightly out of ce. She had to admit that he was really handsome. Chapter 361 Chapter 361 Chapter 361 Joanna took a deep breath. Her cheeks were still a little hot. She hurriedly retracted her gaze and did not dare to look at Bruce. ¡°It¡¯s still quite cold here. Let¡¯s go back!¡± With that, Joanna wanted to walk back, but she identally missed her step. ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce reacted quickly and reached out to hold her waist. ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna replied in a daze, and her heart beat even faster. However, Bruce did not let go. His arms were still around her waist, holding her in his arms. There seemed to be two mas in his eyes. He stared at Joanna deeply, giving her goosebumps all over her body. The next second, Bruce lowered his head and kissed her lips! Joanna was a little at a loss. Before she could react, her lips had already been kissed. This time, Bruce¡¯s movements were very gentle and lingering! He was very serious and engrossed. Unknowingly, Joanna had been drenched in it and allowed him to kiss her deeper and deeper. Two minutester, Joanna shuddered and woke up from Bruce¡¯s tenderness. Bruce was a troublesome demon. Why was she dragged into the magicwork by him again? ¡°Well, let go¡­¡± Joanna came back to her senses and tried her best to push him away! She had already agreed to Jaydon¡¯s proposal. She could not have anything to do with Bruce anymore. Joanna. Two balls of fire were burning in Bruce¡¯s eyes! Joanna took a deep breath and tried her best to calm herself down. ¡°Bruce, we should go back!¡± After saying that, Joanna pushed him away stiffly and turned to walk to the car! Unfortunately, it was toote. Bruce took a few steps forward, bent down, and carried her horizontally! Joanna¡¯s body suddenly felt light, and she screamed in fear, ¡°Oh! Let go of me! Don¡¯t do this!¡± Bruce hugged her and walked toward the car. ¡°Joanna. I love you. I really love you! ¡°I can¡¯t control myself. Give me another chance!¡± Bruce stuffed her into the backseat of the car! Then, the back seat of the car was ttened, and Bruce squeezed into the back seat. The narrow space made it impossible for her to escape. ¡°No, Bruce, let go¡­¡± Joanna tried her best to push him away! Unfortunately, how could Bruce, who was already on fire, let her off so easily? Her clothes were torn! Bruce was like a hungry beast, ruthlessly devouring its prey! One bite after another! For the entire night¡­. She could no longer remember how many bites he had taken! In the morning, there were beeping sounds! Joanna¡¯s phone vibrated! Joanna jolted awake from her exhaustion! Every morning, Jaydon would call her! ¡°Oh my god!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t dare to answer the call at all. Her entire body felt like it was falling apart 1/4 11:321 Chapter 361 Her entire neck was covered in bruises, and there were luckeys everywhere! She knew it She knew that meeting Bruce alone was very dangerous! Regardless of whether she was willing or not, he had a way to force her to be willing! Moreover, he was really difficult to deal with. After being pestered by him, she could not escape at all. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Bruce smiled lovingly and contentedly, reaching out to hug her. It felt so goodst night! It was stronger than ever before! For a moment, he even felt that he and Joanna were a couple in love! ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡± The phone vibrated again! Joanna leaved a sigh of relief and helplesslybed the messy hair on her forehead. At this moment, she did not dare to answer Jaydon¡¯s call at all! Especially since that bastard Bruce was still by her side. Once the call was picked up, he would say nonsense to Jaydon. Looking at Joanna¡¯s nervous expression, Bruce also realized that it might be Jaydon calling. Immediately, he frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s calling¡± Joanna replied in frustration, ¡°Bruce, send me back quickly!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice turned gloomy, saying. I¡¯m asking who¡¯s calling you¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± ¡°Is it Jaydon calling?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and he suddenly sat up from the back seat. Joanna was a little out of her wits. She really did not want to have anything to do with Bruce anymore! But every time, she could not resist his pestering! ¡°Bruce, I told you, this has nothing to do with you! Please send me back now!¡± Bruce choked in anger, asking. How is it none of my business¡® Joanna, admit it! You still love me! ¡°There¡¯s no love between you and Jaydon Why do you have to lie to yourself like this?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. As Bruce spoke, he dragged Joanna over and pressed her against the car seat. His malicious eyes were fixed on hers. He did not believe that she did not love him. Last night, although she was very resistant, he knew that she had feelings for him. It was something for sure. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t say it anymore. It¡¯s over between us¡­¡± ¡°Over It¡¯s impossible for us to be over in this lifetime Unless I die!¡± ¡°Give me your phone!¡± Bruce said and snatched the phone from her hand. He wanted to tell Jaydon that Joanna was with himst night. Moreover, they had sex. ¡°Bruce, please, don¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t do this! Joanna was so nervous that she was about to cry. She held the phone tightly. Unfortunately, Bruce had already snatched the phone away! ¡°Bruce, if you dare to answer the call, I will never forgive you for the rest of my life.¡± Bruce was stunned. He looked at Joanna sadly. ¡°Don¡¯t make me hate you. Please don¡¯t interfere in the matter between me and Jay Tears filled Joanna¡¯s eyes as she spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°Jay saved my life. Please don¡¯t hurt him!¡± Bruce choked again! In the end, he did not press the answer button The call ended immediately Bruce took a few deep breaths ¡°Joanna, what are you thinking? Do you think it¡¯s fair for you to treat Jaydon like this? ¡°You don¡¯t even love hum Why are you lying to yourself?¡± Chapter 361 Bruce, please don¡¯t ask about my private matters! Please send me back now!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce tidied up his clothes resentfully Along the way, Jaydon called twice again, but Joanna did not answer. In the Haynes Group, when they returned to thepany, Joanna hurriedly tidied up her clothes and walked toward the office. There was a washroom in the offer. Joanna entered the washroom and washed her entire body Thinking back tost night, she hated herself so much. She knew that Bruce was a dangerous demon. She shouldn¡¯t have gone out alone with him. She had just taken a shower when the call came in again. Joanna changed her clothes and finally picked up ¡°Hello, Jay Jaydon¡¯s worried voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, why aren¡¯t you answering your phone?¡± Joanna hesitated and said. ¡°Oh, I slept tootest night. I was rushing to work today, so I didn¡¯t hear the call!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. Joanna replied guiltily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you cold?¡± Through the video call, Jaydon saw Joanna wearing a thick coat and a silk scarf around her neck. ¡°Oh. I caught a cold! That¡¯s why I¡¯m wearing thicker clothes,¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. She did not dare to look at Jaydon at all. Her neck and body were all covered in hickeys left by Bruce! This bastard loved this the most! ¡°Jay. I¡­ I need to go. I have a meeting soon! I¡¯ll call youter!¡± Jaydon was stunned for a moment. ¡°Oh, oh, okay then!¡± ¡°Mm, you should rest early too! Don¡¯t worry about me and get well.¡± Because of the time difference, it was still night over there! ¡°Got it! Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Joann, I love you. Wait for me!¡± Jaydon hesitated for three seconds before expressing his love. Joanna gulped. ¡°I love you too. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll miss you!¡± ¡°Oh my god, a security guard saw today that it was Mr. Everett who sent Miss Haynes here!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yest And Mr. Everett was driving personally!¡± ¡°Hey, do you think they might have been togetherst night?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. It¡¯s not impossible they were together.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, this rtionship is getting more and more chaotic. Who is Mr. Everett dating? I can¡¯t understand this!¡± ¡°Come on, what¡¯s so hard to understand? They used to be husband and wife, after all! Didn¡¯t you hear that halt of the ex¨Cwife¡¯s bed is reserved for her ex¨Chusband?¡± ¡°So, when you marry a woman who had been married, you have to see if she and her ex¨Chusband havepletely broken up* ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not scary to buy a second¨Chand car. The scariest thing is that its previous owner still has the key!¡± ¡°Stop saying that!¡± Chapter 362 Chapter 362 In the office, Joanna put her hands in her hair, feeling extremely heavy and dejected. She did not dare to recall the scenest night! Although she refused to admit that she still loved Bruce, her instinctive reaction had sold her out. How would she have fallen for him unknowinglyst night if she did not love him? And she would not hug him tightly when she lost control and had such strong feelings for him. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± The phone vibrated again. Joanna shuddered and hurriedly looked at the phone. She had been really busy these past few days. Countless calls came in every day. ¡°Hey, Cora.¡± Cora¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Miss Haynes, the advancementpetition is the day after tomorrow. If you are avable, you shoulde.¡± Joanna only came back to her senses after hearing that. Recently, she had been busy with Greyport and had forgotten about Greene Town. ¡°Is the advancementpetition the day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s already the fifth episode. The contestants will enter the top 16 the day after tomorrow. This episode is rather important. It concerns the list of contestants who will advance. It¡¯s best if youe over.¡± The sponsors had squeezed in half of the spots. There were only seven spots left to make the final 16 on merit. Joanna nned to add eight more slots for the capable contestants. Therefore, it was best for her to go to the venue personally. Joanna was more awake and was quite worried. ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s been almost three months since the registration round.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. If I¡¯m avable the day after tomorrow, I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± ¡°Is there anything going on in Greene Town? We have to take safety measures to ensure the safety of the contestants.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry! The person in charge of CDTV has found a special security guard to protect the scene. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for something like that to happen again.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡± After hanging up, Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She was still a little worried. There was still no news of Ryan, and the police had been searching for him. ¡°I wonder how Dad is doing now? Will he be unable to take this blow? ¡°I¡¯d better go and see him!¡± she thought to herself. After finishing her work in the morning, at around two in the afternoon, Joanna called the Haynes family¡¯s nanny, Fantine, to ask about Sha ording to Fantine, Shaun had been staying in the hospital ever since Ryan¡¯s ident. His condition had worsened. After she got the address of the hospital, Joanna drove to the hospital with Tatiana. At the hospital, at around three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Joanna arrived with bags of nutritional supplements. When Fantine saw Joanna, she hurriedly came forward to greet her, ¡°Miss Joanna, you¡¯re here?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was solemn as she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my dad?¡± ¡°Mr. Haynes is in the ward now!¡± ¡°How¡¯s he now? Is he seriously ill?¡± Fantine sighed faintly. ¡°Oh, Miss Joanna, you¡¯ll know when you go in and take a look!¡± 1/4 Chapter 362 ¡°Why are you the only one guarding here?¡± ¡°Mr. Derick is sloppy all day and doesn¡¯t care about Mr. Haynes¡¯s life and death. Mr. Ryan has be like this again. There¡¯s no one in charge of the Haynes family now! ¡°The servants have resigned voluntarily now, so I¡¯m the only one left.¡± As Fantine spoke, her eyes could not help but turn red. Derick was a wastrel! Even though such an incident had happened at home, he still did not forget to eat, drink, and have fun. He had already squandered most of the family¡¯s assets. Now that Shaun was so sick, they could not even afford to pay the servants¡® sries. The other servants had all left. Fantine had been working in the Haynes family for nearly 20 years, so she had stayed. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and see my daddy!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Creak!¡± Joanna pushed open the door of the ward. In the ward, Shauny on the hospital bed in a daze. He had gray hair at the temples. His face was very gray, and his eyes were empty and numb. He looked like he had aged a lot. Seeing this, Joanna could not help but feel bad in her heart. She gently walked to the bed and said, ¡°Dad¡­¡± When Shaun heard this, he rolled his eyes slightly. He saw Joanna and his turbid eyes suddenly lit up before darkening again. ¡°Joann, Shaun called out hoarsely. He had a severe cerebral infarction and was half paralyzed. Coupled with the fact that he had been agitated, he slurred even more. He could only lie in bed to recuperate. Joanna endured the pain in her heart and said gently, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m here to visit you!¡± Shaun rolled his eyes, and turbid tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. He no longer had any ability. With all these messy things happening at home, he was already too weak to care about anything. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Shaun opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence. ¡°Dad, rest well, and don¡¯t think too much!¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ Shaun couldn¡¯t help but sob.. Seeing this, Joanna felt even worse. She knew what her father wanted to say, but she didn¡¯t know how tofort him other than to ask him to get better and not. to worry. It was a pity that Ryan had done such a thing! She was not the police, nor did she have the ability to redeem him. Shaun did not expect the obedient boy he had always been proud of to be so bold as to hurt someone with a gun and install a bomb in his sister¡¯s car. Now that he had be a wanted criminal, Shaun hoped he would escape overseas and never return. Otherwise, he would probably be imprisoned for life once he was caught. ¡°Joann, Daddy might not make it¡­ Roxy¡­¡± Shaun struggled to utter a few words, and his face turned purple! Joanna understood that her father was worried about Roxanne. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry! ¡°I¡­ will take care of Roxanne. I won¡¯t let her stay in the mental hospital for the rest of her life!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± When Shaun heard this, his body rxed. He was finally relieved! He knew very well that Derick was a wastrel and wouldn¡¯t take care of Roxanne. Although Joanna was not on good terms. with Roxanne, she was still much better than Derick. ¡°Dad, rest well. I¡¯ll visit you another day.¡± Shaun reached out with a trembling hand, wanting to hold Joanna¡¯s hand. Unfortunately, after trying it for a long time, he still could not lift it. Seeing this, Joanna took the initiative to hold Shaun¡¯s hand. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t think so much. The most important thing is to recuperate! ¡®I¡¯ll check on Roxy this afternoon and send her some daily necessities.¡± ¡± Chapter 362 ¡°Okay,¡± Shaun responded with difficulty. After visiting her dad, Joanna walked out of the hospital in a heavy mood. ¡°Tatiana, go to Quin Sanatorium!¡± Tatiana was driving. She was stunned when she heard that. ¡°Miss Haynes, what are you going there for?¡± Joanna sighed and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look at Roxanne. I haven¡¯t seen her for so long. I want to see how she¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Tatiana drove straight to Quin Sanatorium! An hourter, they arrived at Quin Sanatorium. This was thergest mental hospital in Greyport. It was located in the remote suburbs, and the people locked inside were all abnormal! ¡°Who do you want to visit?¡± ¡°I want to see Roxanne Haynes.¡± ¡°Roxanne Haynes?¡± The nurse from the mental hospital looked up at Joanna. ¡°Come with me.¡± After registration, Joanna followed the nurse to the ward. ¡°You can go in! Wait here for a while.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna looked around. Other than a table, there were only two chairs. After waiting for about five minutes, the door was pushed open. A nurse came in with a woman in a striped hospital gown. ¡°Roxanne!¡± When Joanna saw this, her eyes widened. She could hardly recognize the person in front of her. The once proud and beautiful little princess had changed. Her hair had been cut down to her ears, like a schoolgirl. She had also gained weight and looked puffy and wooden. Her spirit was even more lifeless. Joanna sighed. ¡°Roxy, do you still know me?¡± Roxanne raised her head in a daze. She tilted her head and sized up Joanna. Then, she shook her head in a daze. Seeing this, Joanna felt even worse! If she could, she didn¡¯t want to be enemies with anyone. They were the ones who pressed on step by step. In the end, they ended up in such a situation. What a pity! ¡°These food are for you!¡± Joanna quickly handed the things she bought to Roxanne. Roxanne held it in her hand in a daze. She hummed and did not say anything. After staying in the ward for a few minutes, Joanna felt suffocated! ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m leaving now. I¡¯ll visit you another day when I¡¯m free.¡± Seeing that Joanna was about to leave, Roxanne suddenly called out weakly, ¡°Joanna.¡± Joanna was stunned and did not know what to say. Roxanne looked at Joanna pitifully. ¡°Joanna, I don¡¯t want to stay here. Can you take me away?¡± Joanna held her breath and looked at Roxanne with aplicated expression. Chapter 363 Chapter 363 If she was just being Joanna¡¯s younger sister and had no ill intentions towards Joanna, of course, Joanna was willing to take her away and take care of her for the rest of her life. However, now, Joanna wasn¡¯t sure how much Roxanne Haynes¡¯s condition had improved. Even though Roxanne¡¯s eyes looked as harmless as a doe, Joanna knew that Roxanne was very smart and was even better at pretending. Perhaps she had already recovered and was just pretending to be sick! ¡°Roxy, when you have recovered, I will definitely take you away from here.¡± When Roxanne heard this, her expression became even more pitiful. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m not sick. I¡¯m really not sick!¡± I¡¯m begging you. Get me out of here. I swear, I¡¯ll be good. I¡¯ll be really good¡­¡± Roxanne suddenly became agitated and wanted to grab Joanna. ¡°Roxy!¡± Two nurses hurried into the room. ¡°Ms. Haynes. Visiting hours are over. We have to take her back to the ward.¡± When Roxanne heard this, she became even more agitated. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I want to go out. I don¡¯t want to stay here! I¡¯m not sick. I¡¯m not sick¡­¡± ¡°Give her a tranquilizer shot to calm her down!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± one of the nurses replied and she hurried off to get the tranquilizer. When Roxanne heard this, she cried even more pitcously. ¡°Joanna, please take me away. I won¡¯t fight with you for Bruce anymore. I don¡¯t want anything! ¡°I just want to leave this ce, Joanna. Please take me with you!¡± Two nurses stepped forward and held Roxanne down firmly. Then, they injected the tranquilizer into her arm! Soon, Roxanne¡¯s body went limp and she fell asleep meekly. After watching this silently for a while, Joanna could not help inhaling deeply and a chill ran down her spine.. People who were admitted into a mental hospital would still be treated as mental health patients even if they weren¡¯t mentally ill. Back then, in order to get Roxanne off the hook, Shaun Haynes deliberately said that she had mental health issues and sent her to a mental hospital. From the looks of it, Roxanne did seem to have some mental disorder. Joanna¡¯s skin was numb as she walked out of the mental hospital somewhat in a daze. ¡°Miss Haynes, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Joanna replied in a leaden voice. Thereafter, Joanna quietly got into the car. Along the way, her mood was extremely downcast and depressed. Roxanne had been warded in the mental hospital for almost a year. To be honest, Joanna¡¯s hatred for Roxanne was no longer that deep anymore. If Roxanne was willing to repent sincerely and if she no longer wanted to harm others, Joanna would not go against her anymore, and more than that, she would not lower herself to Roxanne¡¯s level. ¡°Miss Haynes, where do you wish to go now?¡± Joanna looked at her watch. It was not even five o¡¯clock yet. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the office!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± An hourter, at the office of the Haynes Group. Joanna arrived at the office with a lot on her mind. As soon as she reached the reception, Luna hurriedly came up to her and said anxiously, ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re finally back! Mr. Everett is here. He¡¯s been waiting for you for almost an hour!¡± Joanna was shocked and speechless when she heard that! ¡°Mr. Everett is in your office now. You¡¯d better rush there at once!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Who let him in?¡± Luna had a worried look on her face and said in a timid voice, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett wanted to force his way in. We Chapter 363 dared not stop him at all!¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned and walked toward the office. tter! Joanna swung the office door open aggressively. In the office, Bruce Everett sat leisurely in Joanna¡¯s seat with his two legs crossed on the desk. He was flipping through the contracts and documents on her desk in boredom. ¡°Bruce Everett, why are you here?¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce put down the stack of documents in his hand and smiled at Joanna suggestively. ¡°Can¡¯t Ie?¡± Joanna¡¯s face clouded over and she said sternly. ¡°Leave at once. You¡¯re no longer a director of the company. Please don¡¯te to the office again.¡± Joanna, why do you have to be so distant with me?¡± ¡°Last night, we were clearly very happy. Look at how you scratched my back. It¡¯s covered in nail scratches¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna waspletely enraged. ¡°Stop talking and leave at once!¡± ¡°Joanna!¡± Bruce immediately stood up and reached out to pull her into his arms. Upon seeing this, Joanna took a few steps back to evade his clutches. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t behave in this manner anymore. Now please leave my office immediately.¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds and then he clicked his tongue. ¡°Joanna, do you have to be so stubborn? I¡¯ve already lowered myself to this level to win you back. Can¡¯t you cut me some ck and meet me halfway?¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more furious and speechless. She red at Bruce icily and said, ¡°Bruce, you really don¡¯t have to win me back! It¡¯s over between us. Please don¡¯t harass me here in the future.¡± ¡°You clearly still love me. Why are you so resistant to me? What did I do wrong to make you hate me so much?¡± Bruce took a few steps forward and frowned deeply. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything anymore. Get out now!¡± Bruce grabbed Joanna¡¯s wrist and pulled her into his arms abruptly. Then, he pinned her firmly on the desk. ¡°Joanna, what do I have to do before you are willing to forgive me? ¡°I know I made a mistake in the past. Can we let bygones be bygones? Let us start over? ¡°Let¡¯s start from scratch. Give me a chance and give yourself a chance as well!¡± Joanna struggled helplessly, trying to break free from his restraint. ¡°Enough talking already. I don¡¯t want to listen to your nonsense anymore! The person I love isn¡¯t you. Don¡¯t pester me anymore.¡± Bruce gave a scornful snort. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you!¡± After saying that, he lowered his head and kissed her lips forcibly. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Joanna opened her mouth and bit him viciously. Bruce was stunned momentarily and he raised his head. p! Joanna pushed him away and gave him a vicious p! Bruce calmed downpletely and his two eyes stared at Joanna with a sinister expression. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t love you anymore. Please stop showering me with your unwanted affection! ¡°Last night, it was you who force yourself on me! All humans have physiological reactions. Please don¡¯t take human¡¯s instinctive behavior to be love!¡± ¡°Joanna¡­¡± After saying that, Joanna turned around and stormed out of the office! If she continued to stay with Bruce, who knew if he wouldpel her again? It wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t done such things before! Joanna hurried out of the office. After Bruce came to his senses, he ran after her. When the employees at the reception saw this, they started gawking at the drama again. ¡°Oh, my goodness! Why does this have to happen every once in a while?¡± ¡°What are Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes thinking?¡± ¡°If they want to get back together, then get back together amicably! If they don¡¯t want to get back together, then just break uppletely.¡± Chapter 363 Just look at them causing such a ruckus now. I wonder what are they trying to do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! If they don¡¯t make a clean break, things will only be moreplicated. Who can tell what they¡¯re thinking?¡± ¡°Looks like Mr. Everett still can¡¯t forget Miss Haynes!¡± *Hmph! Anyway, men are different from women. It¡¯s very normal for men to be half¨Chearted. They will love this then that person! Women are different. If they really fall in love with a man, they will only love that man!¡± ¡°Sigh! This major drama will keep ying all day long!¡± In the parking lot downstairs, Bruce hurriedly ran after Joanna. ¡°Joanna, Joanna¡­¡± Joanna was already in the car. She stepped on the elerator and drove away immediately. Bruce stomped his feet in frustration as he watched Joanna¡¯s car vanishing into the distance. Whatever he wanted to do, he always had confidence in achieving sess. Only when it came to Joanna did he encounter defeat again and again. In the car, a ringing tone could be heard. Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna was distraught as she gave Jaydon Grimm a call. The call was answered quickly. ¡°Hello, Joann!¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Jay¡­ Joanna wanted to speak but hesitated. Jaydon replied sleepily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you calling me sote?¡± Due to the time zone difference, it waste at night over there. Joanna paused a while and then said softly, ¡°Jay, I miss you so much!¡± ¡°Hehe! Silly girl, I miss you too!¡± person and ¡°Jay¡­ Joanna¡¯s eyes turned red¨Crimmed. She wanted to say something, but she found that she could not say a word. She wanted badly to fly to Gaprington and dash to Jaydon¡¯s side. For the rest of her life, she only wanted to love Jaydon alone wholeheartedly. ¡°Joann, did something happen?¡± ¡°No¡­ nothing!¡± ¡°Really nothing?¡± ¡°Nothing, honest. I¡­ just suddenly missed you, so I called you.¡± Jaydon gave a vague smile and said mysteriously, ¡°Joann, your birthday is next month. I¡¯ve prepared a birthday gift for you!¡± ¡°Birthday gift?¡± Joanna was taken aback! It was already June, and she hadpletely overlooked her birthday which fell on the 24th of July. To her surprise, time passed so quickly. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you remember your birthday?¡± ¡°Hah! I run through every day in a muddle¨Cheaded daze. I have genuinely forgotten!¡± Chapter 364 Chapter 364 ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll wait for you toe back!¡± Jaydon Grimm said gently, ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Just tell me if anything crops up.¡± ¡°Got it. Quickly get back to bed!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± After ending the phone call, Joanna Haynes let out a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine when Jayes back. For the rest of my life, other than Jay, I don¡¯t want to love anyone else!¡± The next day¡­ ¡°Tatiana, I¡¯m making a trip to Greene Town. Pack up and prepare to set off in the afternoon.¡± When Tatiana heard this, she immediately replied, ¡°Sure, Miss Haynes!¡± In the morning. Joanna arrived at the office to deal with some internal matters. She also had a meeting with Caleb Harrison. to discuss the specifics of buying back the shares held by Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger. If nothing unexpected happened, the agreement could be signed next month. At that point, thepany would be left with two shareholders, namely Caleb and Joanna. At noon. Mr. Roger called again to ask about the progress. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes? When will your loan be in ce?¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°Mr. Roger, the bank is already processing it. We can sign the agreement at the end of next month! Please wait patiently for another month. It will be ready soon.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Okay.¡± Joanna paused. ¡°In that case, Mr. Roger, you can prepare to hand over the work at hand during this period of time.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I know.¡± After ending the call, Joanna summoned Ethan Alexander into her office. ¡°Miss Haynes, what can I do for you?¡± Joanna handed him a stack of documents and said somewhat solemnly, ¡°Ethan. I¡¯ll hand over Mr. Roger¡¯s job scope to you from now on.¡± Ethan was taken aback momentarily. ¡°Got it, Miss Haynes.¡± He knew that this was a sign that he was going to be promoted. He was now the deputy general manager. After Mr. Roger left, he would most likely be promoted to general manager. ¡°Go and familiarize yourself with this job scope for the next few days so that you won¡¯t be all flusteredter.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°You may go Ethan pursed his lips and left the office with that stack of documents. It was already afternoon by the time Joanna was done with thepany¡¯s matters. She did not dare to dy. She brought Tatiana and rushed to the city of Porash. The factory in Porash was mainly managed by Michael Lawrence and Nichs Boon. During this period, Joanna was simply rushing back and forth between the three cities of Greyport, Porash, and Greene Town like a spinning top. She still had to check out a few cities in the north. Thepany was going to expand its operations and so she was preparing to build a few more new factories. In the city of Porash, Joanna came to the factory first. Michael and Nichs began to report on the work progress here. ¡°Miss Haynes, a few potential sites in Pearl City have already been earmarked for the future factory. That city is very close to Venturas, and the industrial sector is more developed. The rent is cheaper than rents in Porash.¡± ¡°This is the basic information of a few factory sites. However, I suggest that you take the time to take a look yourself.¡± Michael handed a stack of documents to Joanna. ¡°Mm¨Clumi. I can go and check them out.¡± Chapter 364 ¡°Our business in the first half of the year has increased by 47%pared tost year. We can¡¯t fulfill the orders now. Thepany is recruiting regr workers on arge scale.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt rather gratified. ¡°I understand. It¡¯s been hard on everyone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard at all. It¡¯s what we should do!¡± It was already past eight o¡¯clock in the evening when Joanna was done with the work in Porash. ¡°Miss Haynes, are we still rushing to Greene Town tonight?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. We have to rush to the recording studio early tomorrow morning. Time is tight, and it will be troublesome if there¡¯s a traffic jam along the way. It¡¯s better to set off tonight.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Greene Town was about 62 miles away from the city of Porash. If they took the highway, they could reach it in over an hour by car. It was ten o¡¯clock in the evening when Joanna and Tatiana reached Greene Town. After that, the two of them went straight to the hotel. They intended to sleep in the hotel for the night and go to the office first thing tomorrow morning. Joanna had just arrived at the hotel and had yet to catch her breath. Beep! Beep! Beep! The phone rang. Joanna picked it up and saw that it was a call from Bruce Everett. Joanna frowned. She didn¡¯t really want to answer his call! However, the phone kept ringing. If she didn¡¯t answer his call, Bruce would probably go crazy again. After hesitating for a few minutes, Joanna braced herself and answered the call. ¡°Hello? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce¡¯s displeased voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Joanna, where are you? Why haven¡¯t you been answering your phone?¡± Joanna was a little exasperated. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Hurry up and say it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sunday the day after tomorrow. Previously I asked if you wanted toe with me to pick up the children. Have you thought about it?¡± Joanna froze and became speechless. She was now in Greene Town and had forgotten about this matterpletely! Moreover, she really did not dare to go to Surbano with Bruce. The round trip would take at least three to four days. Staying with him was equivalent to walking into a tiger¡¯s den. When he heard that Joanna was silent, Bruce asked impatiently, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and braced herself before saying, ¡°Bruce, I really the children up after theye back!¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. When Bruce heard that, he instantly fell silent. ¡°n¡¯t find the time. I¡¯ll go to the airport to pick Neither of them spoke or ended the call. They remained silent for more than a minute. After a while, Bruce finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He said with resentment, ¡°Joanna Haynes, you¡¯ve really changed! ¡°In your heart, nothing is more important than work, including the children!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. I Joanna opened her mouth to exin, but she did not know where to start. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say anymore! It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to go!¡± With that, Bruce ended the call right away. ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± The call had already been ended. Joanna sighed and silently ced the phone near the bedhead. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to pick up the children. She just didn¡¯t want to go with Bruce to pick up the children. Joanna knew Bruce too well. If she stayed with him, he would do everything he could to pester her. Whether she wanted it or not, he would always get his way. Therefore, the further away she stayed from him, the better. The next day at eight o¡¯clock in the morning. At the office of Charmont Media Group. When Joanna and Tatiana arrived at the office, the few staff at the reception greeted them, ¡°Good day, Miss Haynes!¡± 10.99 1 Chapter 364 Joanna smiled and nodded at them. ¡°Good day, everyone.¡± Cora was already waiting at the entrance. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is the list that the sponsors have drawn up. ¡°These contestants are still quite formidable but they¡¯re still slightly inferior to the few other contestants who had been climinated ¡°And these few contestants are quite good in all aspects. They also have quite a big fan base. However, because there are limited spots, they may be eliminated in this round!¡± Joanna had thought about it for the whole ofst night and said solemnly, ¡°Mm¨Chmmm. Why don¡¯t we do this? We can hold another repechage round and give these eliminated outstanding yers another shot at glory!¡± Cora¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that ¡°Mm¨Chmm. That¡¯s a good ideal¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled!¡± Brother Trumpet also walked out with a smile. ¡°Joann, there¡¯s a livestreaming in the afternoon. Do you want to do it with me?¡± ¡°Livestreaming?¡± Joanna had not done livestreaming for a long time. Her main job was not doing livestreaming, so she was not particrly interested. ¡°That¡¯s right. The fans are very supportive of you! If you show your face in your old livestreaming channel, you can also help promote our show.¡± ¡­ Sure!¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment before consenting to help. ¡°Then I¡¯ll schedule it!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± ¡°It¡¯s still early. Let¡¯s go to the recording studio and see how the contestants¡® rehearsals areing along!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± In the recording studio, the contestants were actively preparing for battle. Now, they were about to advance to thest 16. Therefore, the contestants were all motivated and prepared to bring out their best. When she saw how focused the contestants were, Joanna felt very gratified. No matter what happened, this talent show was still very sessful. More mortantly, through this talent show, the fame of the Charmont Media Group had spread far and wide! At one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Joanna and Brother Trumpet went to the livestreaming studio. ¡°Let¡¯s wee Joanna Haynes to our livestreaming channel!¡± Joanna sat somewhat bashfully in front of the camera. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Joanna Haynes. I hope everyone will tune in to the Ultimate Girls Competition!¡± The screen was flooded with emoticons. ¡°Miss Jojo is so beautiful. Miss Jojo should form a girl¡¯s group. I will definitely support Miss Jojo to enter the entertainment industry!¡± ¡°I like you so much, Miss Jojo!¡± The fans flooded the screen with all kinds of small virtual gifts endlessly. When she saw this, Joanna hurriedly told the fans to stop. ¡°Everyone, please don¡¯t send virtual gifts. We can just have a simple chat, that¡¯s all!¡± Unfortunately, the fans became even more wild. The virtual gifts on the screen covered the screen! Joanna was a little embarrassed. She didn¡¯t want to ept her fans¡® virtual gifts! She didn¡¯t want her fans to spend money either. ¡°Brother Trumpet, I¡¯ll go offline first!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmin!¡± Joanna stayed in the livestreaming channel for a few minutes before hurriedly going offline. As he had to pay attention to thepetition, Brother Trumpet did not sell any goods during this period. He only started. the livestreaming to chat with the fans and promote the show. After an hour of livestreaming, Brother Trumpet also hurriedly went offline. Chapter 365 Chapter 365 Due to the immense poprity of the ¡°Ultimate Girls¡± program, the three instructors quickly became popr. This was particrly true for Adriana, whose poprity had already waned. Now, with this show, she quickly became popr again. She was instantly overwhelmed with all kinds of endorsement deals and invitations to act in television. dramas. In the recording studio, thepetition was about to begin. Joanna. Brother Trumpet, Cora, and the rest came to watch the contestants¡® rehearsals. Adriana had arrived at the venue early in the morning. When she saw Joanna, she immediately went up to greet her. ¡°Good day, Ms. Haynes. I¡¯m Adriana.¡± ¡°Good day!¡± Joanna smiled and shook hands with Adriana. ¡°How is it? Which of these contestants do you think has greater potential?¡± When Adriana heard this, she casually pointed at a contestant in the corner. ¡°Hmm, I think it¡¯s a pity for the eliminated contestant number 7. Her song selection and overall ability are better, and she has great potential for grooming!¡± Joanna had also seen contestant number 7¡¯s performance. She was indeed very capable. Unfortunately, she stillcked some stage experience. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on everyone!¡± ¡°Not at all. I have to thank Ms. Haynes for giving me this opportunity.¡± Adriana¡¯s sess made Carmel Basil extremely jealous. Initially, this program had approached her to be the instructor, but she felt that this program was too crass and beneath her and rejected the offer outright. Therefore, she missed the opportunity to raise her status to a higher level! Thepany¡¯s resources also began to be directed to Adriana with her rise in poprity. Due to Carmel¡¯s willfulness, Jaydon Grimm was no longer that willing to support her. At the office of Starlight Media, when she saw Adriana¡¯s poprity in the show shooting through the roof, Carmel was so angry that her heart ached. She threw a tantrum in the lounge. ¡°Hmph! What¡¯s so great about it? It¡¯s just a lousy talent show. I attend it! ¡°What¡¯s there to be proud of? You only picked up the programs that I didn¡¯t want!¡± Just as Carmel was throwing a tantrum, her manager pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°Aimee, what¡¯s the matter?¡± even be bothered to Aimee looked worried and said gravely, ¡°Carmel, the promotion for the Dior tform next week is canceled!¡± ¡°What?¡± When Carmel heard this, she suddenly stood up from her chair. She was so angry that her face became all contorted! Aimee gave a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve already tried to get it back, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t seed! That promotion host was changed to Adriana! This was a request the organizers vehemently insisted upon, so I had no choice!¡± Carmel rolled her eyes viciously in anger! ¡°I¡¯ll go look for the organizers now!¡± Carmel said and walked out angrily. Just as she reached the parking lot downstairs, an impably dressed man who appeared very capable and experienced walked toward her. ¡°Good day, Miss Basil!¡± The man in the suit was very polite. Carmel nced at the man in the suit. ¡°Who are you?¡± The man in the suit smiled politely and handed over a business card with embossed gold letters. ¡°Our boss wants to ask you out for a meal!¡± Carmel rolled her eyes upon hearing that. ¡°Hmph! Who¡¯s your boss?¡± ¡°Miss Basil, just name your price. Our boss is only inviting you for a meal!¡± As he spoke, the man in the suit handed over a check for one million dors! ¡°Our boss said that as long as Miss Basil is willing to do him the honor, he will invest in an international blockbuster and invite Miss Basil to be the female lead!¡± 10.00 r Chapter 365 When Carmel heard this, her heart skipped a beat. Only then did she take a few more looks at the man in the suit again. Although she wasn¡¯t prepared to agree immediately, the person who approached her was quite forthright. He offered one million dors right away. He must be a rich sucker! ¡°Sure!¡± Carmel epted the check and smiled haughtily. In any case, she would film when there were scenes to film. When she had no scenes to film, she would apany the rich fellow for meals and could still earn a lot of money. Although Carmel was young, she knew very well the unspoken rules of the entertainment industry! Earning more money while she was young was the way to go. ¡°Six in the evening! We will send a car to pick you up!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± At six in the evening, a Bentley car drove up. Carmel was already dressed up and looked brand new. She was charming and alluring ¡°Miss Basil, please get in!¡± The driver opened the car door respectfully. Carmel wrapped her shawl around herself and got into the car gracefully. ¡°Who on earth is your boss?¡± ¡°Miss Basil, you¡¯ll know when you arrive!¡± Soon, the car stopped in the parking lot of a high¨Cend club. ¡°Please proceed upstairs! Our boss is waiting for you up there!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Carmel got out of the car. She flipped her beautiful hair haughtily and stepped into the elevator in her stilettos. This was a private club that was only open to members. Even a big star like Carmel Basil was here for the first time. The elevator did not stop until it reached the 20th floor. Then, she transferred to another elevator and went all the way to the top level on the 88th floor. The usher brought Carmel to the revolving restaurant. ¡°Miss Basil, this way please!¡± Carmel pushed open the sandalwood door and walked in. At a nce, the interior was extremely luxurious! There was arge sandalwood round table and a wall of floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows. The decorations inside were very exquisite and luxurious! From the looks of it, the bankroller really had an influential background! Hopefully, he wasn¡¯t a stupid old man. After waiting for ten minutes, the door opened. A noble and handsome man in casual clothes strode in on his long legs. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Carmel took a look and was so shocked that her jaw dropped. ¡­ Mr¡­ Mr. Everett¡­¡± She never expected the bankroller who wanted to meet her to be Bruce Everett. In an instant, Carmel¡¯s heart exploded with joy! Her heart began fluctuating wildly! Now, she felt that she almost could not cling to Jaydon Grimm as her support anymore. If she could cozy up to Bruce Everett at this time, it would be a blessing from the heavens! ¡°Mr. Everett! Carmel¡¯s expression changed in an instant. The arrogance on her face transformed into an alluring charm. ¡°Have a sear!¡± Bruce sized Carmel up briefly and sat down on a chair. Carmel¡¯s heart was thumping nervously. Although she was used to big, ostentatious asions, she was still extremely nervous. ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you asking me out for a meal today? I feel I¡¯m really fortunate!¡± Carmel deliberately let her hand down, and the shawl on one side slid down, revealing her bare shoulder. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened slightly as he stared at Carmel with an ambiguous expression. I had to be said that Carmel was quite good¨Clooking. Her facial features were exquisite, and her figure was hot. She was really very beautiful when she was presented in the packaging of a celebrity¡¯s halo! Bruce got up and poured her a ss of red wine. ¡°Cheers!¡± Carmel smiled charmingly and looked at Bruce seductively. Chapter 365 Initially, she wanted to hold back a little and titite the bankroller¡¯s appetite, However, now that she knew it was such a major catch like Mr. Everett, what was the point of holding back? She should rush in and pounce on him! ¡°Mr. Everett, I believe you didn¡¯t ask me out just for a meall¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Looks like Mr. Everett is very interested in mel ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± A smile appeared in the corners of Bruce¡¯s eyes. Thereafter, he handed over a check for 2 million dors. This is for you!¡± Carmel epted the check and was thoroughly overjoyed! That was why he was hailed as the richest man. He was so generous the moment he made an offer. He was unlike some rich people on whom she had to put in a lot of ellort just to earn some money! She liked this kind, who paid before she had even done anything! ¡°Mr. Everett, you are so forthright!¡± As she spoke, Carmel had already taken off her shawl, revealing the skimpy strappy dress inside. Then, she walked up to Bruce. She sat on hisp straightaway, crossed her hands, and hooked her arms around his neck. ¡°Then let¡¯s do something fun!¡± ¡°Hehe! You misunderstood!¡± Bruce gave augh and pushed Carmel off hisp immediately. Carmel was taken aback and didn¡¯t know what to say! She was very confident in her charm all along! As long as she wanted to seduce that man, no man could refrain from falling at the foot of her scarlet dress! ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ Er¡­ You didn¡¯t invite me here for that?¡± ¡°I did ask you here to do something!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re having an affair with your boss, Jaydon Grimm, right?¡± A look of speechless astonishment swept over Carmel¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re so mean! Why are you talking about this? From now on, you are the only one for me!¡° Bruce evaded her touch again. ¡°No, no, no!! ¡°What I mean is, I want you to cling to Jaydon Grimm regardless of what method you use!¡± The look of astonishment on Carmel¡¯s face became even more pronounced! ¡°Mr. Everett, I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean!¡± ¡°I mean, your boss is in Gaprington, which is quite near. I want you to fly there and apany him! ¡°No matter what method you use, just get it done! ¡°Don¡¯t you like him too? Be smart and bear him a child. Then won¡¯t he be yours?¡± Carmel blinked her eyes. She didn¡¯t dare to look at Bruce now! What kind of scheming plot was this? ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­ still don¡¯t quite understand!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand. Just take the money and do as I say! If you seed, there will be a reward.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, aren¡¯t you interested in me? After all, you spent so much money!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± ¡°Go!¡± Bruce slipped the check into Carmel¡¯s cleavagel Chapter 366 Chapter 366 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 366 ¡°Oh, I understand! Mr. Everell, you are doing this to break up Mr. Grimm and Ms. Haynes, right?¡± Bruce Everett raised his eyebrows slightly with a wicked smile. ¡°Take the money and work hard. Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask!¡± Carmel Basil took out the check from her chest and pursed her fiery red lips daintily. ¡°Mr. Everett, you are really generous. 1 will definitelyplete the mission. *However, this doesn¡¯t stop us from being ¡®good friends. Why don¡¯t I stay behind to apany you tonight?¡± As she spoke, Carmel leaned limply against Bruce again. Bruce gripped Carmel¡¯s chin and pushed her away brusquely. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in you. You should spend your energy on Jaydon Grimm! ¡°All the expenses here are on my tab. You can enjoy everything to your heart¡¯s content.¡± After saying that, Bruce put down his red wine ss and strode off. Carmel gave a scornful snort and waved the check in her hand. She was extremely happy. How interesting! To think that someone was prepared to pay her to seduce Jaydon Grimm. Of course, it would be disrespectful for her to reject such a good deal! Carmel already had designs on Jaydon, to begin with. However, as he was the boss, Carmel didn¡¯t dare to be too rash. This was great. With Bruce Everett as her backing, she could unleash her charm to her heart¡¯s content. In Palisrian City, Gaprington, Jaydon was trying his best to recover. Now, his left leg had regained some feeling. He could already walk with a walking stick. If he worked hard for a while longer, he should be able to walk like a normal person! Jaydon was sweating profusely as he trained himself on the therapy machine when a nurse walked in. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Miss Basil is here!¡± Jaydon frowned when he heard that. ¡°Why is she here?¡± ¡°Miss Basil said that she is here to visit you!¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Let her in!¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Grimm.¡± Ten minutester, Carmel swayed her hips and walked in with a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Mr. Grimmm!¡± Jaydon stopped the therapy machine and wiped his sweat with a towel. He then asked casually, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Carmel pouted her tiny mouth. Her gentle voice seemed to be able to melt a man¡¯s bones. ¡°I was worried about your condition! See? I specially flew here to visit you!¡± Carmel was wearing a body¨Chugging white tube short skirt. Her curvaceous figure showed off her perfect curves. Her exquisite facial features were lightly adorned with male¨Cseducing makeup. Her long legs and slim waist, coupled with fair skin ingeniouslybined sexiness and innocence! ¡°This bouquet is for you!¡± ¡°Leave it there!¡± Jaydon could not help taking a few more nces at her. After all, she was pleasing to the eye. ¡°Mr. Grimm, you mustn¡¯t misunderstand, okay! I¡¯m really just here to visit you. I don¡¯t have any other thoughts. Carmel smiled cheekily and twisted her waist coquettishly. Jaydon gave a chuckle. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course. I am such a good girl. I¡¯ve always listened to my boss most obediently!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Jaydon shook his head and gave a bitter smile! This little vixen was really coquettish and seductive. She was theplete opposite of Joanna Haynes. It was just like orchids and roses were extremely attractive to humans. If a man was asked which flower he liked, he would probably pick whichever was in front of him. Jaydon had finished his training for today and was preparing to return to the ward. Chapter 366 The nurse quickly went forward to support him. Carmel reacted quickly and went over to support Jaydon. ¡°Let me do it!¡± Jaydon did not really reject her. He ced his arm on Carmel¡¯s shoulder and walked toward the ward. ¡°What are you doing here instead of working hard?¡± Carmel gave a coy murmur and showed her displeasure coquettishly. Tve been put on the back burner recently. I don¡¯t even have a job to do. I can onlye over to be a ve to you, Boss!¡± ¡°Who can you me? It¡¯s all your fault! I asked you to be an instructor for the ¡®Ultimate Girls¡® program, but you refused to go.¡± ¡°How was I supposed to know that this program would be so popr?¡± As they spoke, the two of them entered the ward. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to take a shower. You don¡¯t have toe in!¡± Jaydon was sweating profusely. Every time he finished training, he had to take a shower. ¡°Mr. Grimm, we¡¯re already so familiar with each other. Why are you still being so polite to me? It¡¯s inconvenient for you to move around. Let me help you wash up!¡± Carmel said as she clung tightly to Jaydon¡¯s arm and looked into his eyes coquettishly. Jaydon inhaled the fragrance on Carmel¡¯s body. His arm felt something warm and soft. In an instant, his blood surged violently and he almost couldn¡¯t control himself. ¡°No need! If you continue to act like this, I¡¯ll have to chase you back.¡± Carmel pouted her tiny mouth with displeasure. ¡°Oh, alright!¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and tried his best to control his urges. He walked into the bathroom with his walking stick. Ten minutester, Jaydon was taking a shower when the bathroom door was suddenly pushed open. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, it¡¯s me!¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°Get out at once¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯ve been with you for so long. Don¡¯t you understand me? ¡°I¡¯m really very good. You don¡¯t have to worry that I¡¯ll cause trouble for you. I won¡¯t affect your rtionship with Ms. Haynes! ¡°I really just want to make you happy, Mr. Grimm!¡± As Carmel spoke, she had already taken off her clothes, revealing her exquisite figure. Ever since the traffic ident, Jaydon had been living a life of abstinence like an ascetic monk for nearly half a year. It was particrly hard for him not to touch a woman for so long since he was a yboy in the past! To be honest, it would be strange if he didn¡¯t have any stray thoughts! ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± This little vixen Carmel had always known how to please her boss. If it were in the past, she would still feel it was taboo and would not dare to be rash. However, now, with Bruce Everett supporting her behind the scene, she naturally dared to go all out. Chapter 367 Chapter 367 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 367 The bathroom enshrouded in steam was filled with a dubious atmosphere of charm and softness. Carmel Basil walked forward and hugged Jaydon Grimm tightly. ¡°Mr. Grimm. I really miss you. I miss you so much every night that I can¡¯t sleep. ¡°If Mr. Grimm still doesn¡¯t ¡®dote¡® on me, I really can¡¯t take the blow¡­¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. As Carmel¡¯s fragrant breath blow down, her dainty hands began misbehaving¡­ Jaydon was aroused until he became all flustered. ¡°Carmel, stop this!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, it¡¯s not our first time! Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell anyone! ¡°I just miss you so much. Mr. Grimm.¡± Carmel squatted down and served him submissively! Her action ignited fires all over Jaydon¡¯s body! Gasp! Jaydon inhaled a breath of cold air. In the end, he could not resist this fatal temptation! In particr, this little vixen was simply too good at it. Moreover, she was very bold and knew a man¡¯s heart very well! Before long, Jaydonpletely lost control and the two of them began the main event! An hourter, Jaydon and Carmel were both exhausted andy limply on the bed. ¡°You little vixen, you really know how to titite people!¡± Carmel smiled coquettishly with a smug expression. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I just want you to be happy! If you are happy. I will also have a good life!¡± Once this kind of thing started, after the first time, there would be a second time. When there was a second time, there would be a third¡­. Carmel ended up staying there for three days! Of course! She would do her best to please Jaydon every day. Although Jaydon always used condoms, he did not know that all the condoms had been pierced by Carmell If she was a little more well¨Cbehaved and didn¡¯t ruin his rtionship with Joanna Haynes, Jaydon was still willing to secretly raise this little vixen! That night, it was another night of torrid, unrestrained passion. Beep! Beep! Beep! The phone rang, startling the two people who were engrossed in their act. Jaydon frowned and quickly answered the call. The only person who would call him at this hour could only be Joanna Haynes. Carmel hid under the nket and muttered with displeasure, ¡°Mr. Grimm, it¡¯s already sote. Whose call is it? Don¡¯t answer it!¡± Jaydon adjusted his expression and said icily, ¡°Don¡¯t move, and don¡¯t make a s Carmel pouted. ¡°Okay!¡± Hello, Joann Jaydon answered the call and straightaway switched the video call into a voice call. Joanna¡¯s voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Jay, are you asleep?¡± Jaydon cleared his throat and tried his best to calm himself down. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I¡¯m about to fall asleep! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna smiled faintly. ¡°Nothing! I just missed you so I gave you a call. Is it inconvenient for you to answer the video call?¡± Jaydon frowned and said vaguely, ¡°Oh, the lights in the ward have been turned offTM ¡°I seel I was thinking of taking a look at you.¡± ¡­ Then I¡¯ll get out of bed and turn on the lights now!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need! It¡¯s inconvenient for your legs to move around. It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t go back and forth.¡± -oh ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Jaydon was extremely nervous. He was afraid that Joanna would insist on having a video call! Fortunately, Joanna didn¡¯t insist on this! Chapter 367 Meanwhile, Carmel was under the nket, tormenting him with all her might! Her sharp little teeth were deliberately scraping against his most vulnerable part. Jaydon inhaled deeply and tried his best to suppress his voice. Nheless, Joanna felt that something was wrong. In the past, whenever she called Jaydon on the phone, it did not matter what time it was, he would talk non¨Cstop. It was really quite strange that he was so quiet today! ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡± Joanna asked with concern. How could he be not feeling well? On the contrary, he was feeling too good right now. In fact, he was almost tormented to death. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m fine. I just caught a cold. Cough, cough¡­ Jaydon deliberately gave a few muffled coughs to hide his nervousness. When she heard him coughing, Joanna became even more worried. ¡°Oh, have you taken your medicine?¡± ¡°Yes, already taken!¡± ¡°Joann. I just took some flu medicine so I¡¯m a little sleepy. I¡¯in going to sleep first. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡± Jaydon only wanted to end the phone call in a hurry. He did not dare to say anything more to Joanna! If she heard and realized something, there would really be no way to salvage the situation. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Have a good rest!¡± ¡°You too. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ending the call.¡± ¡°After you!¡± Joanna smiled and ended the phone call. After ending the call, Jaydon was very angry. He yanked Carmel out from under the nket. ¡°You little vixen! You are really asking for a beating!¡± ¡°Ah! Mr. Grimm, you are so mean¡­ In Greene Town, Joanna had already been in the square for three days. Thepetition was getting more and more tense. Cora handed over a stack of documents. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is the list of people who have advanced to the next stage. ¡°There¡¯s also this list of eliminated contestants. They¡¯re all rtively capable and have a lot of fans.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. We¡¯ll organize a repechage round in the next episode to give these eliminated contestants a chance to give it another shot.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Next week, we can have a repechage round. Now, we can let those eliminated contestants go and make preparations.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I¡¯ll follow up now!¡± ¡°Cora. I¡¯m going back to Greyport tomorrow. I¡¯ll leave the matters here to you.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry!¡± After Cora left, Joanna picked up the phone and called Bruce Everett. Beep! Beep! Beep! ¡°Hello¡­ Bruce answered the call very quickly. ¡°Bruce.¡± Bruce asked indifferently, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Joanna paused for a moment. ¡°Er¡­ Are you in Surbano now? Did you go and pick up the kids?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°What time will you be back? I¡¯ll pick you guys up.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll probably arrive at five o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon!* ¡°Oh. Then I¡¯ll pick up the kids at the airport tomorrow.¡± Chapter 368 Chapter 368 After ending the call, Bruce Everett immediately dialed Carmel Basil¡¯s number. He wanted to ask Carmel how far things had progressed. Beep! Beep! Beep! ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett? Why are you calling me?¡± Carmel couldn¡¯t resist teasing him when she received Bruce¡¯s call. Bruce gave a scornfulugh. ¡°Miss Basil, how¡¯s the progress of your mission?¡± Carmel gave a smug smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett! Everything is going smoothly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. If you can sessfully get pregnant with Jaydon Grimm¡¯s child, there will be a reward!¡± Bruce Everett smiled in a teasing fashion. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll wait for your reward!¡± After ending the call, Bruce gave a scornful sneer and said in a taunting manner, ¡°Joanna Haynes, didn¡¯t you always say that Jaydon Grimm was better than me? ¡°I¡¯ll show you what he¡¯s really like. ¡°You want to be with him? Dream on! At that point, will still have toe back to me obediently.¡± As Bruce spoke, he picked up his ss of red wine and took a sip. With Bruce tripping him up in the background, even if Jaydon Grimm wanted to turn over a new leaf and be a good man again¡­ It was impossible. The next day, at the airport of Greyport City. At four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Joanna had already arrived at the airport to pick up the children. Although Bruce had a private jet, the airlinepany belonged to him. Therefore, there was no need to use his private jet. Joanna waited anxiously and kept looking at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s already half past five. Why aren¡¯t they out yet?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be anxious. Perhaps they still have to take their luggage!¡± ¡°Maybe!¡± Joanna exhaled deeply and watched the exit eagerly. ¡°Sigh! I wonder what the children are like now. Have they grown taller?¡± It was 5:40 pm now. Finally, a group of people walked toward her from the VIP passageway. Walking up front were more than ten bodyguards in ck shirts. Behind them was Bruce in casual clothes. At this moment, Bruce was wearing sunsses and carrying Lilia in his arms. He was striding in Joanna¡¯s direction with his long legs. The older toddler Davian and his younger brother Irvin followed closely behind Bruce. They were dressed in tiny suits and carrying backpacks. ¡°Davian! Irvin! Lilia!¡± When Joanna saw the children, her heart felt as if it was about to fly out. She waved at the children with all her might.. ¡°Davian! It¡¯s Mommy Mommy is over there!¡± Lilia cried out excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s really Mommy! Mommy¡­¡± Davian and Irvin ran toward the exit gateway excitedly. Joanna also ran toward them and hugged the two little fellows tightly. She could not resist kissing them again and again. ¡°My babies, Mommy misses all of you. Mommy misses all of you so much!¡± The two little fellows said in unison, ¡°Mommy, we miss you too!¡± ¡°Quick! Let Mommy see if you guys have grown taller.¡± Joanna was smiling but tears kept falling. She simply couldn¡¯t get enough of looking at her two adorable sons. The two little fellows had grown a lot taller and stronger. It seemed that the little fellows had a good appetite while they were in Surbano! ¡°Mommy!¡± Lilia also extended her arms to Joanna. ¡°Lilia,e and let Mommy hug you.¡± Joanna took her daughter from Bruce¡¯s arms and kissed her face. 11:25 Chapter 368 ¡°Mommy, I missed you so much!¡± Lilia was wearing a cute princess dress and had two little hair buns on her head/ The hair buns resembled tiny snowballs and looked childish and cute! If not for the fact that she could not walk, she would really look like a beautiful and adorable princess doll. When he saw the children and Joanna so happy, Bruce¡¯s mood also improved. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Come, Daddy will carry you!¡± Bruce said as he took his daughter back into his arms. Joanna led Davian and Irvin on either side of her body and walked to the parking lot. In the car, the children chattered excitedly. Joanna listened to the children¡¯s stories and smiled contentedly. ¡°Bruce, can you let the children stay with me for two days?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Joanna, if you want to be with them, thene to my ce! ¡°I won¡¯t let the children stay at your ce. After all, you can¡¯t guarantee their safety The smile on Joanna¡¯s face turned icy wordlessly. Indeed, it was not safe for the children to live with her. It would be terrible if they were targeted by criminals again! ¡°Daddy, we don¡¯t want to be separated from Mommy!¡± ¡°Mommy, can youe home with us?¡± The two little fellows shook Joanna¡¯s arms petntly. Joanna did not answer and looked troubled. ¡°Please?¡± ¡°My babies, Mommy¡­ Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated. She didn¡¯t know how to put it to them! It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to be with the children. She was just afraid of being with Bruce. Bruce gave a scornful sneer and teased resentfully, ¡°Your Mommy is afraid that her boyfriend will be angry and jealous, so she doesn¡¯t dare toe home with us!¡± Pili! When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her head hurt. She rolled her eyes viciously at Bruce. ¡°Boyfriend?¡± The three little fellows looked at one another. ¡°Mommy, when did you get a boyfriend?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Daddy¡¯s nonsense.¡± Bruce gave a scornful snort and immediately retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. Your Mommy is going to get you guys a stepfather soon!¡± When the three little fellows heard this, they immediately objected. ¡°Oh! We don¡¯t want a stepfather!¡± ¡°Mommy, can you not have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want you to have any boyfriend. Mommy, we only want one Daddy and one Mommy!¡± ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t look for a new Mommy. Mommy, don¡¯t look for a new Daddy either, okay?¡± ¡°Of course, Daddy dotes on all of you the most. Daddy will definitely not look for a stepmother for you guys! ¡°Your Mommy is different. She¡¯s trying her best to look for a stepfather for all of you!¡± When Joanna beard this, she became incensed. ¡°Bruce Everett, shut up. Don¡¯t spout nonsense in front of the children! ¡°Can you not be so hurtful?¡± Bruce¡¯s venomous tongue was unrelenting. ¡°How am I being hurtful?¡± Joanna was so furious that she could not say anything! ¡°Besides, even if I say hurtful things, I am not so immoral and won¡¯t do something sneaky behind people¡¯s backs! I¡¯m open and honest. I¡¯ll admit it if I dare to do it! ¡°Unlike some people who dare to do it but don¡¯t dare to admit it. Sneaking around and doing things behind other people¡¯s back!¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Bruce shrugged. ¡°Why are you so angry? I¡¯m just telling you to be more wary of people! ¡°Don¡¯t be bewitched by other people¡¯s sugar¨Ccoated words, silly woman. You¡¯re so stupid¡­¡± 11:25 Chapter 368 Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Bruce Everett, don¡¯t go overboard! If you continue to do this, I¡¯m going to get angry!¡± ¡°Oh, okay, okay. I won¡¯t say anymore! Let¡¯s wait and seel ¡°Someone is about to reveal his true colors very soon.¡± Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Joanna Haynes was at aplete loss for words and could not be bothered to rebut Bruce Everett. She simply lowered her head and kissed the top of her daughter¡¯s head. After not seeing the little girl for so long, Joanna was most worried about her daughter. After all, her daughter¡¯s health had always been poor. Lilia was still very thin and weak. Her skin was so pale that it was almost transparent. Her thin wrist looked like it could be broken with a gentle snap! ¡°Baby, why have you lost so much weight again?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with heartache. She did not even dare to use too much force when she pinched her daughter¡¯s tiny hand. Lilia raised her tiny face that was as pretty as a flower and looked at Joanna adorably. ¡°Mommy, is what Daddy said earlier true? ¡°Is your boyfriend Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes sank. ¡°Baby, children shouldn¡¯t ask about the affairs of adults!¡± Irvin was quick¨Cwitted and chimed in. ¡°It must be Mr. Grimm! Mr. Grimm has been courting Mommy for a long time.¡± When Lilia heard this, a hint of displeasure appeared on her tiny face. She shook Joanna¡¯s arm and begged, ¡°Mommy. although Mr. Grimm is quite nice, I still don¡¯t want him to be our Daddy!¡± ¡°Silly, there¡¯s only one Daddy! Even if Mr. Grimm marries Mommy, we can¡¯t call him Daddy!¡± Joanna frowned and did not know what to say. Bruce leaned against the seat arrogantly and corrected his daughter. ¡°My good baby, other than Daddy, you mustn¡¯t say other men are nice!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna lowered her eyelids and changed the topic. ¡°Bruce, when do you n to send Lilia for surgery?¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned and thought for a few seconds. ¡°She may have to wait until next year! ¡°This year, we have to go through all kinds of tests in the country first. I intend to bring Lilia to Gaprington for surgery in March next year.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Alright!¡± An hourter, at Sherane Bay Vi. The Rolls¨CRoyce stretch limousine drove into the vi courtyard of Sherane Bay Vi and stopped in front of the luxuriant greenwn. The servant at the door respectfully opened the car door. ¡°Good day, Mr. Everett. Good day, Ms. Haynes.¡± ¡°Yay, we¡¯re finally home! Home is still the mostfortable!¡± Irvin eagerly got out of the car and yed happily on thewn. The children had been living here for half a year and were already used to life in the luxurious mansion. Sherane Bay Vi was a top¨Cnotch luxurious mansion that resembled a castle externally. There was a garden, a swimming pool, and a children¡¯s yground. At the back of the garden, a small private horse riding arena had been built as well. The children had just learned how to ride horses and were especially interested in equestrian skills. During this period when they were in Surbano, they were almost bored to death. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car,¡± Bruce looked at Joanna and said casually. Joanna hesitated and did not move. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d better go back first!¡± When Bruce heard this, he clicked his tongue reproachfully. ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s meaningless if you do this! ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll eat you? You haven¡¯t been with the children for so long. Shouldn¡¯t you spend some time with them?¡± ¡°Mommy, I won¡¯t let you go.¡± Lilia hugged Joanna¡¯s neck petntly. Joanna looked troubled. She cated her daughter gently, ¡°My good baby, Mommy wille and visit all of you in two days.¡± ¡°No, I want to be with Mommy. Mommy, please don¡¯t go!¡± Lilia hugged Joanna¡¯s neck tightly and refused to let go. Tears of anguish welled up in her eyes. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go, please?¡± Davian and Irvin also walked up and pleaded pitifully. 11:251 Chapter 360 Joanna¡¯s heart ached terribly when she heard them! It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to apany the children, but she was afraid of Bruce Everett. Bruce Everett, this vile bastard. He was too used to pestering her relentlessly. If she stayed, she would probably be pestered by him endlessly. Lilia cried anxiously. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go! I don¡¯t want to be separated from Mommy. Hoo hoo hoo¡­¡± Davian and Irvin also grabbed Joanna¡¯s arms with all their might, afraid that she would leave. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re not allowed to leave!¡± Joanna could only bite the bullet helplessly and got out of the car. ¡°Good baby, don¡¯t cry. Then¡­ Mommy will y with you guys for a while longer.¡± ¡°Yay! That¡¯s great!¡± Joanna carried Lilia while Davian and Irvin led the way up front Itappily. Bruce brought up the rear. The courtyard was huge. It took them live minutes to reach the living room. ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett, Wee home, Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin and Miss Lilia¡± The servants lined up in two rows and bowed respectfully. The group entered the living room. The interior was so big that one could not see the end of it. The Ecostanian¨Cstyle pce decoration looked luxurious and grand. Lilia opened the small bag on her back and took out a picture book ¡°Mommy, look! This is the family portrait I drew! ¡°This is Mommy, this is Daddy, this is Davian, this is Irvin, and this is me.¡± There were five cartoon¨Clike characters in the drawing. Although the drawing was crooked and very abstract, each character was grinning from car to car. When Joanna saw it, she smiled until her eyes looked like upturned ares. ¡°Oh! Baby, you¡¯re so awesome. You drew it so well.¡± ¡°Davian and Irvin taught me to draw this! They even taught me how to make handicrafts and cut little frogs and fold paper airnes.¡± Joanna patted Lilia¡¯s head and then patted the heads of Davian and Irvin as well. She praised them, ¡°You two brothers are awesome. All three of you are awesome.¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Davian sat beside Joanna joyously. ¡°Mommy, we want to eat your dumplings!¡± ¡°Mommy, can you make dumplings for us today?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Yay! That¡¯s great. We can get to eat Mommy¡¯s dumplings.¡± The three little fellows cheered enthusiastically. Joanna nced at the servant beside her and asked, ¡°Lilian, please prepare boiled potatoes and chopped onions!¡± Lilian bowed slightly with a professional smile on her lips. ¡°Miss Haynes, the kitchen has all these ingredients!¡± ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll borrow the kitchen for a while.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, this way please.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± ¡°My babies, Mommy will go and make dumplings for you now. Be good and wait for a while, okay!¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± Joanna smiled and followed Lilian to the kitchen. After a short while, Joanna arrived at the kitchen. The kitchen was exceptionallyrge. There was a long marble counter and an entire row of high¨Cend kitchen utensils. There were also two huge refrigerators ced side by side which were filled with all kinds of precious ingredients. There were also quite a few chefs working for the Everett family. One specialized in ethnic cuisine while the other specialized in western cuisine. Another was a pastry chef whose specialty was making desserts. Joanna opened the fridge and took out some cheese, butter, and sour cream. She rummaged through the fridge contents again and found that all the ingredients she needed were avable. Joanna ced the boiled potatoes and cheese into the mixer and mixed them up. Then she added the onions sauteed with 11:25 1 Chapter 369 butter to the mixture as well as various seasonings. Finally, she added the sour cream and some herbs before stirring the whole mixture evenly to make the pierogi filling. The dough wrappers had already been made by the servant concurrently, so now they were ready to wrap the dumplings. Joanna busied herself in the kitchen. Bruce had changed into a casual white sweatshirt and walked into the kitchen. Although he was the owner of this ce, this was the first time he came into the kitchen. If it wasn¡¯t because Joanna was in the kitchen, he probably wouldn¡¯t even step into this ce for the rest of his life. ¡°Making dumplings for the children?¡± Bruce asked caustically. Chapter 371 Chapter 371 Bruce Everett ced the pot on the gas stove and looked left and right at the gas stove, but he did not know where the switch w35. ¡°Why are you taking so long? Turn on the stovel Bruce rubbed the tip of his nose resentfully, and his eyes became evasive. ¡°Is this gas stove broken? Why isn¡¯t there an on¨Coff switch?¡± Joanna could not stand it anymore. She stalked walked over and flipped up the concealed switch cover. ¡°Open this. The switch is inside. There are annotations on it!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ This design is terrible!¡± Bruce muttered indignantly. Outside the kitchen, the servants looked at one another in disbelief. ¡°Good heavens! Mr. Everett actually stepped into the kitchen. Did the sun rise from the west?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s actually learning how to cook? What a rare sight indeed!¡± ¡°Tsk! Tsk! This is ludicrous!¡± Soon, Joanna was done cooking the dumplings. Then, she added garnishing like more cheese, sliced onions and bacon bits, as well as a side of sour cream. Three servings of fragrant dumplings were ready! ¡°The dumplings are ready. We can start eating now.¡± ¡°Wow! Wow! It smells so good. I want to eat three big servings. The three little fellows gathered around the dining table and were extremely excited. ¡°Wow! It smells so good! I love Mommy¡¯s dumplings the most.¡± As she looked at the children eating with relish, Joanna felt very gratified. Being able to personally cook some food for the children was probably the happiest thing for her. Bruce watched from the side and suddenly became interested in cooking. ¡°Joanna, can you teach me how to make spaghetti?¡± Joanna was stunned and could not helpughing out loud. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Boil the water, put the pasta in, boil for about 3 minutes and thendle them out and rinse with cold water. ¡°Saute the sliced onions in olive oil before adding the diced pancetta. Fry until fragrant before tossing in the pasta. Mix well with the grated cheese sauce. Then garnish with parsley and it¡¯s ready to eat!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but raise his eyebrows. ¡°So simple?¡± ¡°What else were you expecting?¡± *I¡¯ll give instructions from the side. You can do it yourself. In the future, if you want to eat pasta pancetta, you can make it yourself.¡± Bruce gave a snort.¡± Alright!¡± Joanna crossed her arms and gave instructions from the side. ¡°First step, bring the water to a boil!¡± Bruce frowned and cursed in his heart, ¡°What are you acting so high and mighty for? It¡¯s just cooking pasta! ¡°I can even pilot a ne and navigate a submarine. How can cooking pasta stump me?¡± Bubbling! Bubbling! The water started boiling quickly and kept emitting white steam. ¡°Hey, hey! The water¡¯s boiling. What¡¯s next?¡± Joanna could not help giving a mockingugh. ¡°Add the pasta next. Do you still need to ask?¡± Joanna really wanted to give Bruce a knock on his head. Bruce picked up a handful of fettine and threw it into the pot. Due to the boiling water and steam, the water instantly spilled out. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! The water is spilling out, the water is spilling out¡­ Bruce became very flustered. He had never encountered such a scenario before. ¡°Quickly add some cold water!¡± Joanna scooped half a bowl of cold water and poured it into the pot. The water that was spilling out of the pot instantly subsided again. Chapter 371 Bruce was dumbfounded. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°When the water is about to spill out, remember to add some cold water to bring down the temperature.¡± Three minutester¡­ The pasta is ready. What¡¯s the next step?¡± Bruce kept asking questions. Joanna was a little frustrated. ¡°The next step is todle out the pasta and rinse with cold water.¡± Bruce took the pasta scoop and tried to scoop the fettine out of the pot. Unfortunately, the long fettine strands seemed to be going against him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not hold them firmly, and he could not open his eyes because of the steam. ¡°I can¡¯t even get this fettine out!¡± Bruce could not help grumbling again. ¡°How dumb!¡± Joanna walked over. She scooped all the fettine out with the pasta scoop in just a few moves. ¡°Bruce Everett, 1 really doubt your ability to use your hands!¡± ¡°For God¡¯s sake, I¡¯m very good with my hands, okay?¡± Bruce retorted indignantly. He had always considered himself an all¨Crounder and would not ept anybody¡¯s contradiction. ¡°Now, heat up the oil and saute the onions before adding the pancetta. Stir¨Cfry until fragrant before tossing in the pasta with the some pasta water. Add some pasta water to the grated cheese to make a sauce. Remove the pasta from the pan and pour sauce over it before topping off with garnishing. That¡¯s it!¡± ¡°So simple?¡± Bruce looked surprised again. Joanna gave a disdainfulugh. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that simple¡­¡± ¡°Tsk! Here I was thinking how difficult it would be! So it¡¯s just sauteing until fragrant!¡± Bruce turned on the gas hob, took out the frying pan, and poured the olive oil into it. ¡°Hey, hey! The oil is emitting smoke. It¡¯s emitting smoke. What should I do?¡± Joanna gave a helpless sigh. ¡°You can add the sliced onions now.¡± Sizzle! The oil temperature was too high, so when the onions were added, they instantly jumped out of the pan. The oil sshed out and scalded Bruce¡¯s hand. ¡°Ouch! It¡¯s so hot?¡± ng! The spat in his hand fell to the floor with a tter. Boom! The temperature of the oil in the pan was too high, and the mes instantly shot up. Bruce got a fright when he saw this. ¡°It¡¯s on fire, on fire¡­¡± Joanna picked up the pan and mped the lid shut at once! Soon, the fire was put out. ¡°Gosh! My goodness!¡± ¡°Bruce, you won¡¯t brag anymore, will you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done it before, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do it well!¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°You¡¯re so stubborn!¡± As the temperature of the oil was too high, the onions were burnt. They were as good as useless! ¡°Oh, my goodness! Will Mr. Everett burn down the kitchen?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say!¡± A few servants poked their heads around the kitchen door, their faces full of shock. They were afraid that Mr. Everett would identally set the whole kitchen on fire. Chapter 372 Chapter 372 Gasp! Bruce Everett frowned in pain. The oil that sshed out had scalded his arm until a few blisters appeared. Joanna Haynes quickly turned off the gas stove. ¡°Did you get scalded?¡± Gasp! Gasp! Bruce took two deep breaths. ¡°Quick! Let me take a look!¡± Joanna lowered her head to check. There were a few blisters on his arm, and his blue veins were bulging. Does it hurt?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Bruce blurted angrily. ¡°How dumb!¡± That was Joanna¡¯s conclusion. She quickly turned on the tap and rinsed his arm with cold water. ¡°Be gentle. It hurts!¡± ¡°Put some ice on itter. It¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡± Bruce frowned and refused to relent. ¡°Put it on for me.¡± *Fine! You are really born to live like a prince.¡± Joanna gave a sigh and opened the fridge to get some ice. Then, she put the ice cubes in an ice bag and applied it to his blisters. Bruce wasn¡¯t that squeamish, and the pain was within tolerable limits. However, he just enjoyed tormenting Joanna He liked the feeling of Joanna focusing all her attention on him. ¡°Can you be gentler? You¡¯re hurting me.¡± Joanna gently blew on his arm. ¡°Is it really that painful?¡± As he watched Joanna¡¯s anxious and earnest expression, Bruce felt extremely pleased inwardly. ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce extended both arms in front of Joanna petntly and enjoyed her gentle service with a clear conscience. Near the kitchen door, when the servants saw that Bruce was scalded, they were so frightened that their skins tensed up. ¡°Mr. Everett has been scalded. Quickly inform the family doctor toe here.¡± ¡°Go get the burn cream and disinfecting wipes quickly.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After a while, the head servant rushed into the kitchen with the burn cream. ¡°Mr. Everett, the burn cream is here! Dr. Henley is here too.¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately stopped what she was doing. That¡¯s good. Let the doctor apply the medicine for you!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression sank. He nced at the servant ominously. ¡°Who told you toe in? Get out.¡± The head servant was stunned. ¡°Oh, sure.¡± The head servant quickly excused herself from the kitchen. She was really totallycking in perception. Her attempt to tter her employer had failed big time. After leaving the kitchen, the head servant was so frightened that she couldn¡¯t help muttering to herself, ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over. I¡¯ve disrupted Mr. Everett¡¯s flirting with Miss Haynes. Will I get fired?¡± When the other servant heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Seriously, why didn¡¯t you knock before you entered?¡± ¡°I was in a hurry to deliver the cream to Mr. Everett, so I didn¡¯t take the trouble to knock on the door¡­ The head servant was so anxious that she was about to cry! She genuinely only wanted to go in and deliver the cream. She had no intention of interrupting Mr. Everett¡¯s enjoyment! Although Bruce had a bad temper, he was still the richest man in Greyport. He was very generous. The assistants and bodyguards working by his side earned three times the market rate. Moreover, all kinds of bonuses and benefits were very good. Therefore, even being a servant in the Everett family¡¯s residence was much better than being a senior executive in an ordinarypany! After the servant left, Bruce pouted and urged Joanna, ¡°You¡¯re not done yet. Continue!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay now. You¡¯ll be fine in two days!¡± ¡°How is it okay? It still hurts a lot!¡± Bruce said petntly as he looked at Joanna with an aggrieved expression. When she saw his reaction, Joanna could not help feeling goosebumps erupting all over her body! Chapter 372 She was still more used to Bruce¡¯s icy aloofness and overbearing demeanor. ¡°Do it yourself!¡± Bruce put his arm on her shoulder. ¡°It really hurts!¡± As he said that, he deliberately stumbled and pinned Joanna against the kitchen counter. He looked at her with two zing eyes. ¡°Stop fooling around. Get off me quickly. Joanna felt as if an electric current had shot through her entire body as she hurriedly tried to push Bruce away. Bruce¡¯s body seemed to possess some maic field. As soon as he approached, Joanna subconsciously became nervous and terrified! It was probably due to the lingering fear left from the past which she still could not get rid of it. Bruce lowered his head and smiled gently and suggestively. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t leave tonight, okay?¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Joanna had nowhere to retreat. She could only brace herself and pushed him away. She tried her best not to get too close to him. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Get off me quickly.¡± Beep! Beep! Beep! Right at this moment, Joanna¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Get off me now. I have to answer the call.¡± With that, Joanna pushed Bruce away with great force. When she checked her phone, the call was from Jaydon Grimm. Joanna¡¯s expression changed at once, but she still muted the phone and did not dare to answer. When he saw this. Bruce instantly turned into a green¨Ceyed monster. ¡°Who called?¡± ¡°None of your business.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Jaydon Grimm, that son of a bitch, again, isn¡¯t it?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and did not say anything. Whenever Jaydon Grimm¡¯s name was mentioned, it was as if Bruce¡¯s tail had been stepped on. He would blow his top and stir up all kinds of trouble. ¡°It¡¯s already veryte. I have to go back!¡± ¡°Joanna, can you stay here for a night and apany the children? Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely not do anything to you¡­¡± Joanna interrupted him and replied icily, ¡°I really can¡¯t. I still have to wake up early tomorrow.¡± With that, Joanna took off her apron and walked toward the living room. The children had already finished their dumplings. When they saw that their Mommy was about to leave, they became upset at once. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t leave!¡± ¡°Be good. Mommy wille and visit you another day.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­ ¡°Be good!¡± Joanna squatted down and kissed each of the three little fellows on the face. Then, she patiently exined to the children, ¡°Mommy really has to go back. I still have to work tomorrow. You¡¯re all big children now. You understand Mommy, don¡¯t you?¡± Davian and Irvin exchanged looks with each other and said with disappointment, ¡­ Alright! Goodbye, Mommy.¡± The three little fellows had known since they were young that their Mommy had to work hard to earn money to support them. Thus, all three had developed a habit of obediently listening to their Mommy from a young age. In particr, when their Mommy had to go to work, the little fellows would not make a fuss. When Bruce saw that Joanna was determined to leave, he did not dare to force her to stay even though he was displeased. Now, he understood Joanna¡¯s temperament and knew that she hated his overbearing manner. Hence, he had no choice but to use the soft approach. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back!¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll get Tatiana toe fetch me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already sote. It¡¯s inconvenient for her if you ask her to drive here. Let me send you back!¡± Bruce insisted on driving Joanna back. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing reluctantly. The three little fellows waved goodbye to Joanna. ¡°Goodbye, Mommy!¡± Chapter 372 ¡°Bye, my babies.¡± In the car, Bruce drove silently with a somewhat sullen face. Joanna was also silent as she looked out of the window. Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. As before, the call was from Jaydon. Joanna muted the call again. Forty minutester, outside Ona ce. Bruce drove to the entrance of the neighborhood district. ¡°Is this the ce?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Yes. Just stop here, it¡¯s good enough!¡± Joanna did not deliberately hide her residential address. If Bruce wanted to look for her, he could always find a way to locate her residential address. Therefore, there was no need to hide it. Bang! Joanna got out of the car and mmed the door shut vehemently. Bruce rolled down the window and leaned out. A sly smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°Joanna, be careful!¡± Joanna turned around and shed him a faint smile. ¡°You too!¡± ¡°And I won¡¯t stop you from dating Jaydon Grimm. However, you mustn¡¯t let him touch you before you guys get your marriage certificate.¡± Joanna frowned wordlessly. She did not know how to answer him. When he saw that Joanna was silent, Bruce smiled in a sinister manner. ¡°Before you two get married, if you dare to let Jaydon Grimm touch you, I will cripple him and make you regret it for the rest of your life.¡± When Joanna heard this, goosebumps rose all over her body inexplicably. This bastard Bruce Everett had always kept his word. It seemed that it would not be so easy to get rid of himpletely. ¡°Are you crazy? Do you think everyone is as wanton as you?¡± Joanna retorted angrily and left without looking back. As he watched Joanna¡¯s departing back profile, Bruce lit a cigarette and took a deep puff. In the past, he would have tried his best to stop Joanna from associating intimately with Jaydon. However, now, it was no longer necessary! Bruce would soon let Joanna see Jaydon¡¯s true colors. At that point, he did not believe that she would still want to be with Jaydon. Joanna Haynes, you are mine. You can only belong to me for the rest of your life.¡± Joanna had just stepped inside her home when the phone rang again. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± On the other end of the line, Jaydon¡¯s worried voice rang out. ¡°Joann, what are you busy with? Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone for so long?¡± ¡°Oh, I was busy outside just now and didn¡¯t hear your call!¡± ¡°Are you very busy?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. A little ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice was as gentle and seductive as ever. He genuinely loved Joanna. However, in his mind, love and desire could be separated. He loved Joanna, but that did not mean that he did not have designs on other women. Chapter 373 Chapter 373 ¡°You too! Have an early night!¡± ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Good night!¡± After Jaydon and Joanna said goodnight to each other, they suddenly found that there was nothing else to say. Although Jaydon called her every day, Joanna didn¡¯t really have much to say to him. After ending the call. Joanna felt a little troubled. Miranda had run a bath for her. Joanna immersed herself in the bathtub and thought for a long time. She really did not know where the road in the future would lead her to! However, no matter how difficult the road ahead was, she had to work hard to live. The next day, at the office of the Haynes Group. When Joanna arrived at the office, the atmosphere was a little strained and peculiar. Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger were leaving thepany at the same time. It felt as if the Haynes Group was on the verge of copse. The employees were also a little uneasy. The reception staff greeted politely, ¡°Good day. Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Good day, everyone!¡± When Joanna got to her office, Luna walked in with a stack of contracts. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is the agreement to buy back the shares. Please go through it again.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. No issue.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, are you really nning to pledge 30% of your shares as coteral?¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no turning back now that we have embarked on this course of action. The wheels are already set in motion. We have no choice but to push onward. Luna frowned but did not say anything else. Just like that, life went on uneventfully. In a sh, another half a month passed. Today was already the 22nd of July. It would be Joanna¡¯s birthday in two days. Beep! Beep! Beep! ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice rang out from the phone. ¡°Joann. your 25th birthday is in two days! How do you n to celebrate?¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Well¡­ No need to celebrate.¡± Jaydon sighed softly and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I may not be able to rush back to celebrate your birthday with you. You won¡¯t be angry with me, will you?¡± Joannaughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay! I don¡¯t really care about this. Birthdays have no meaning to me other than reminding me I¡¯m at year older.¡± Ever since Joanna was young, no one had celebrated her birthday for her except her mother. Ever since her mother passed away, she had not celebrated her birthday anymore. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. Although I can¡¯t go back, I¡¯ll get someone to send you a gift to express my blessing.¡± Joanna wanted to refuse his gesture initially upon hearing that. However, after thinking it over, she eventually epted. ¡°Ha! Alright!¡± ¡°Joann, I love you!¡± Jaydon expressed his love over the phone again. Joanna paused for a few seconds before replying, ¡°I love you too.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Then I won¡¯t hold you back anymore!¡± Im ending the call!¡± In the blink of an eye, it was already the 24th of July. This day happened to fall on a Friday. Chapter 373 At the end of the month, Mr. Paul and Mr. Roger wouldpletely hand over the work at hand. Therefore, Joanna was exceptionally busy at work. Joanna did not give any thought to celebrating her birthday at all and went to work as usual. The employees didn¡¯t seem to know that it was Joanna¡¯s birthday either. Everyone was busy and no one paid attention to this matter. At the office, Joanna was busy with work when Luna knocked on the door and entered. ¡°What is it?¡± Luna said excitedly. ¡°Miss Haynes, there¡¯s a delivery package for you! It looks huge.¡± Joanna was puzzled when she heard that. ¡°Delivery package? I haven¡¯t been doing online shopping lately!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really a delivery package for you. Maybe it¡¯s a gift from someone else.¡± ¡°Oh, put it in the security room first. I¡¯ll take it when I knock ofllTM ¡°No, you have to sign for it yourself!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna stopped what she was doing and followed Luna out of the office. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°The delivery guy is waiting at the reception!¡± ¡°Okay, okay¡­ Joanna strolled toward the office¡¯s reception. After she reached the reception counter, she saw arge cardboard box on the floor. It was approximately half the height of a person. ¡°Are you Ms. Joanna Haynes?¡± the delivery guy asked politely. ¡°Er¡­ yes.¡± ¡°This is your package. Please sign for it.¡± Joanna looked at the box suspiciously. ¡°What is it? It¡¯s so big!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, once you open it and take a look, you¡¯ll know!¡± Joanna scrutinized the package closely, suspecting that it was probably sent by Jaydon. ¡°I¡¯ll open it after work!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, this delivery box looks so big. It¡¯s impossible to move it without opening it!¡± When Joanna heard that, she thought that it made sense. She might as well open it up for a look. ¡°Do you have scissors?¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± The reception staff quickly handed Joanna a pair of scissors. Joanna took the scissors and sliced through the sticky tape. Just as she was about to open the delivery box, a human head popped out suddenly. ¡°Argh!¡± Joanna was not mentally prepared and got a big fright. ¡°Surprise!¡± Jaydon held arge bouquet of flowers and stood up straight from the box. He smiled at Joanna. Joanna got another shock and was dumbfounded instantly. It never urred to her that Jaydon woulde back! ¡°Joann, happy birthday!¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± ¡°Happy birthday!¡± Jaydon jumped out of the box and handed arge bouquet of Blue Enchantresses to Joanna. Bang! Bang! Bang! At the same time, numerous firecrackers went off, and colorful confetti sprinkled down all over the ce. More than a dozen employees then gathered around and started singing the birthday song. ¡°Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you¡­¡± Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Thereafter, a person in resplendent clothes pushed a small trolley in On the trolley was a five¨Ctiered cake with the words ¡°Happy Birthday Joanna Haynes¡± written on it. ¡°Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you. Jaydon sang the birthday song together with the staff. Joanna was in a daze for a long time. Her eyes instantly turned red¨Crimmed. This was the first time someone had put in so much effort to celebrate her birthday ¡°Miss Haynes, here¡¯s wishing you a happy birthday!¡± After the staff finished singing the birthday song, they all gave their blessings. Needless to say, it must have been arranged by Jaydon Grimm. Joanna took a deep breath and looked at Jaydon. She was visibly moved. ¡°Jay, howe you are back? Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯ting back?¡± Jaydon smiled gently and took two steps forward. He then handed the flowers to Joanna. ¡°I wanted to give you a surprise!¡± ¡°What about your leg?¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon in disbelief. ¡°In order to surprise you, I worked hard at my rehabilitation training. I¡¯ve already recovered.¡± Over the past two months. Jaydon had spared no effort to undergo rehabilitation training. He finally recoveredpletely before Joanna¡¯s birthday. ¡°Really? I¡¯m so happy!¡± Joanna could not help weeping with joy. She pounced on Jaydon and hugged him tightly. Thank heavens! Jaydon did not be disabled. His leg had truly healed. Jaydon also hugged Joanna tightly. His seductive eyes which nted upwards slightly had turned into upturned arcs due to his broad smile. He had already made up his mind. If his leg really couldn¡¯t be healed, he didn¡¯t want to burden Joanna. If his leg could heal, he would definitely marry her. ¡°Joann. I love you. Let¡¯s get married!¡± Jaydon said affectionately as he hugged Joanna and spun around a few times. Joanna could not hold back the tears that were flowing endlessly. Although she did not love Jaydon deep down in her heart, she was happy for him from the bottom of her heart when she found out that his leg had healed. She was even willing to give up everything in exchange for his recovery. ¡°Joann, if it weren¡¯t for you, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up for the rest of my life! If it weren¡¯t for you, I might not have been so enthusiastic in my rehabilitation training!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get married!¡± Jaydon looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes solemnly. ¡°Marry him, marry him!¡± The employees also apuded! Joanna nodded emphatically. ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± ¡°Kiss him! Kiss him!¡± Jaydon smiled and leaned down to kiss Joanna on the forehead. Following that, he lowered his head to kiss her on the lips! Before their lips could touch, there was a sudden silence in the air as if someone had pressed the pause button. All the employees fell silent one by one until the whole ce becamepletely silent. This was because¡­. Bruce Everett was here. He was also holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand and he was watching this whole scene with a sinister expression! ¡°Mr. Everett is here!¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately felt nervous inwardly. She turned around and saw Bruce standing behind her. He was wearing a smart ck suit which entuated his menacing iciness. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Chapter 374 Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a dour manner, ¡°I¡¯m here to celebrate your birthday!¡± Joanna¡¯s skin tensed up and her heart thumped furiously. ¡°Thank¡­ thank you¡± Bruce and Jaydon locked eyes with each other as if they were preparing to cross swords. ¡°Hah! You have recovered pretty quickly! You can already stand up so soon!¡± Jaydon straightened his back and his lips curled upwards slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry. I don¡¯t dare to not stand up.¡± Bruce gave a scornful sneer and took two steps forward. ¡°That¡¯s true. I was indeed worried.¡± very The temperature instantly dropped to freezing point, and the two men seemed poised toe to blows at any moment. When Joanna saw this, she was so frightened that she hurriedly stood in front of Jaydon. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t cause trouble!¡± This vile bastard would really resort to violence when he found anything disagreeable. He and Jaydon had alreadye to blows three times before. Moreover, Bruce did not care about the consequences of his actions. Jaydon was on the losing end in all three encounters. ¡°What? What did I do? Can¡¯t Ie here? I¡¯m here to celebrate your birthday. Why are you so hostile to me?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna with an ambiguous expression. ¡°Bruce, stop this at once!¡± Bruce exhaled heavily and stared into Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Joanna, the children are waiting at home to celebrate your birthday! Come back with me¡­ As he spoke, Bruce reached out with his arm to grab Joanna¡¯s shoulder. Jaydon pushed Bruce away icily and shielded Joanna by pushing her behind himself. ¡°Bruce Everett, release your hand! From now on, if you so much as touch Joann, I won¡¯t show you any courtesy.¡± ¡°Hah! Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°Joann will be my wife soon. Please know your ce and stop harassing Joann.¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Joanna maliciously. ¡°Are you really nning to marry him?¡± Joanna calmed herself down. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already decided to marry Jay.¡± Bruce was so angry that his heart went numb. ¡°Do you really love him?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°¡­ Yes!¡± ¡°Hmph! Are you sure that Jaydon Grimm really loves you? Do you know how many women he is sleeping with behind your back?¡± When Jaydon heard this, his face instantly clouded over. ¡°Bruce Everett, don¡¯t sow discord here!¡± ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m sowing discord? Jaydon Grimm, if you¡¯re a man, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid to admit it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Chapter 375 Chapter 375 Jaydon Grimm did not want to lie to Joanna Haynes, let alone make her regret. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve let you down! Previously, L¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna interrupted him andforted him with a smile. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t apologize to me. ¡°There are some things I don¡¯t want to listen to either. ¡°I just want to ask you one thing. Have you made up your mindpletely about getting married? Are you sure you¡¯re ready to be a husband?¡± When Jaydon heard this, the huge rock in his heart suddenly melted away. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sure. Definitely very sure. ¡°I love you. I¡¯m ready to be your husband. I¡¯m willing to be with you for the rest of my life. Through thick and thin, through health and sickness, I am willing to spend my whole life with you. ¡°There will be countless unknown trials in the future, but I just want to say now that I will protect you for the rest of my life.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and made up her mind. ¡°Alright. You don¡¯t have to say anything else. I¡¯m willing to be your wife.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon was instantly overjoyed. ¡°Where are you? Shall Ie and look for you now?¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you my location!¡± ww ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I just want to fly to your side immediately and never be separated from you again.¡± After Joanna ended the call, she sent Jaydon the information about her location. The moment she sent the information¡­ Ding dong! Ding dong! Bruce had sent another message. ¡°Joanna, where are you? I¡¯m almost going crazy. I can¡¯t ept you marrying another man. ¡°Shall we start over? Please give me another chance to make up for the wrongs Imitted in the past. ¡°As long as you return to my side, I¡¯ll agree to any condition! Joanna, I love you. I really love you.¡± Bruce sent a very long text message to Joanna. Jaydon¡¯s recovery made him fe Joanna Haynes did not want to talk nonsense with Bruce Everett anymore. ¡°Shut up! ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to wish me happiness. I just want you to leave me alone.¡± Bruce gasped and was a little exasperated. ¡°Joanna, Jaydon Grimm is not a good person. You won¡¯t be happy if you marry him. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely regret it in the future! He¡¯s much more fickle than me!¡± ¡°Bruce, please stop stirring up trouble. Please leave this ce immediately.¡± Joanna was really afraid of Bruce. She was even more afraid that he would cause trouble for Jaydon. Joanna Haynes. I don¡¯t approve of you marrying him! You clearly love me. Stop lying to yourself¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself!¡± Joanna panicked. Her emotions fluctuated wildly, and she only wanted to flee this ce as soon as possible. Thereafter, she abandoned the two men behind and quickly ran towards the elevator. Joanna, stop right there!¡± Both Bruce and Jaydon ran after Joanna at the same time. When the staff saw this, their jaws dropped. ¡°Oh, my goodness. Mr. Everett and Mr. Grimm are fighting again. This is simply too melodramatic.¡± ¡°Well, I can finally confirm that Mr. Everett really still has feelings for Miss Haynes! I¡¯m so envious of Miss Haynes. To think that she can be pursued by two preeminent rich and handsome men at the same time,¡± a middle¨Caged female staff said wistfully. ¡°If you were in her shoes, would you choose Mr. Everett or Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m not picky. Either one is fine.¡± When one of the male staff heard that, he couldn¡¯t help taunting them. ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! A group of love¨C struck fools. Sigh¡­. can you guys guess who Miss Haynes will marry eventually?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? It will definitely be Mr. Grimm! Miss Haynes said yes to Mr. Grimm¡¯s marriage proposal in front of everyone!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s very likely that Miss Haynes will remarry Mr. Everett. After all, they have three children. As the saying goes, children are the bond of love. With a bond, it¡¯s not so easy to break free.¡± The male staff smirked. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a bet? Let¡¯s bet who Miss Haynes will marry?¡± ¡°Crazy!¡± A few female staff rolled their eyes. Meanwhile, Joanna fled from the office premises. She drove aimlessly along Riverside Drive. She just wanted to find a quiet ce to calm her heartpletely. An hourter, without realizing it, Joanna had driven to the beach where Bruce brought her thest time. Joanna parked the car at the spot where Bruce had parked before. Then, she got out of the car and walked to the reef she and Bruce went thest time. Here, the scenery during the day waspletely different from the night scene. Joanna stood on the reef in a daze, breathing in the slightly salty and breezy sea air. In front of her, the blue sea stretched as far as the eye could see. From time to time, a few seagulls would fly over the ocean, and the Coconut trees were lined up by the road haphazardly in a picturesque manner. The scenery here was indeed carefree and rxing, and her heart gradually calmed down. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Her cell phone vibrated again, and she saw the notification indicating the arrival of new messages. Joanna lowered her head for a look. There were already more than a dozen missed calls indicated on the screen. There were both calls from Bruce and Jaydon. Ding dong! Ding dong! Bruce¡¯s message notification popped up. Joanna subconsciously clicked on it.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Joanna, Jaydon Grimm has been sleeping around with other women behind your back. Don¡¯t be deceived by him. He really doesn¡¯t love you that much.¡± Chapter 375 Following that, a few photos were sent over. Joanna took a look. They were bed scene photos of Jaydon and Carmel Basil. Previously, Carmel went to Gaprington and stayed with Jaydon for more than a week. During that time, Carmel took bed scene photos showing Jaydon and her together while he was asleep. As Joanna looked at those images, she felt an indescribable feeling in her heart. She no longer held any high hopes for love. The truth was, she had agreed to Jaydon¡¯s marriage proposalrgely to repay his kindness. After all, Jaydon met with a traffic ident and had lost all hope. Other than marrying him, she did not know how to cheer him up. Moreover, during this period, she had also slept with Bruce, so she naturally had no right to criticize Jaydon, especially since Jaydon was an adult. Furthermore, in the past, he was the kind of person who could remain untarnished while cruising through a sea of temptation. It was wholly unrealistic to expect Jaydon to suddenly give up the entire garden for a flower, metaphorically speaking. Beep! Beep! Beep! Jaydon called again. Joanna paused for a few seconds before answering the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°Joann, where art you? I¡¯m very worried!¡± After all, Jaydon was guilty of some ndestine acts and was very nervous. ¡°Jay. I¡­ want to be alone for a while.¡± Jaydon paused before asking tentatively, ¡°Did Bruce Everett say something to you again?¡± ¡°No!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Since Jaydon didn¡¯t want her to know, she didn¡¯t want to expose his lie deliberately either. Although there was no love between them, their deep friendship over the years had already gone beyond love. To Joanna, since she wasn¡¯t marrying for love, it didn¡¯t matter who she married. Since Jaydon loved her so much, she would feel happy and contented if she married him. That being the case, she didn¡¯t care about anything else. She was willing to marry him. Jaydon hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Joanna everything. He was indeed not a faithful and honest man, and he had also made mistakes that many men would make. If Joanna regretted her decision, he did not really want to force her either. ¡°Joann, are you angry with me? I¡¯m sorry. I want to confess something to you¡­¡± el a strong sense of crisis again. He could already feel that he was going to lose Joanna forever. After reading the message sent by Bruce, Joanna¡¯s heart ached slightly. Her eyes became red¨Crimmed involuntarily. Her love had already been given to Bruce without reservation. However, he had destroyed her love with his own hands, making her no longer dare to yearn for love. The experience was so painful that she didn¡¯t dare to love him anymore. Loving him¡­ was too painful! Joanna thought for a long time and replied via text message to Bruce. ¡°Bruce, I once loved you. That was already enough! Our rtionship is over in this lifetime. Forget me!¡± Bruce sat in the car and smoked one cigarette after another. At this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of anxiety in his heart. He yearned for Joanna to respond to him. Ding dong! Ding dong! The phone message notification finally rang out. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly picked up his phone to look at the message. Soon, after reading Joanna¡¯s message, Bruce felt as if he had fallen into an ice abyss. The ashes from the cigarette butt containing sparksnded on his hand, but there was no reaction from him. Bruce could not ept such an oue. He could not ept the sense of defeat that came from Jaydon Grimm snatching Joanna away from him. ¡°Joanna, you will regret it!¡± Joanna did not respond to Bruce again after receiving his message. Chapter 376 She knew very well that Bruce didn¡¯t love her all that much. He was just being possessive and couldn¡¯t ept the fact that she was the first to fall out of love with him. Half an hourter, Jaydon drove as fast as he could to Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°Joann!¡± ¡°Jay¡­ Joanna ran toward him with a smile. Jaydon ran toward Joanna at an even faster speed. Then, he hugged Joanna tightly in his arms. Joann, you¡¯re finally going to marry me. I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡± ¡°Silly¡­ Joanna pinched Jaydon¡¯s nose affectionately. ¡°Joann, should we hold the wedding first or collect our marriage certificate first?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine either way. I¡¯ll go with whatever you say.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s hold the wedding first. After the wedding, we¡¯ll go get our marriage certificate!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Sure! Joanna¡¯s eyes were smiling. Her beautiful, exquisite face was like a blooming flower. Jaydon kissed her forehead and nted a deep kiss on her cherry¨Cpink lips. His kissing skills were very good. He was gentle and focused and it made Joanna sink uncontrobly into the moment. In contrast, Bruce¡¯s kiss never took into consideration the other party¡¯s feelings. It was always extremely aggressive and invasive, and left no room for the other party to resist or reject at all. It was even more terrifying when she was doing ¡°that¡± with him. He would torment her endlessly until shepletely submitted to him. Soon, the news of Jaydon Grimm and Joanna Haynes¡¯s marriage spread. The wedding was set for the 9th of August. The couple would be married at St. John¡¯s Church, the largest church in Venturas. The moment the news was announced, it instantly caused an uproar throughout the country. All the media outlets were scrambling to publish the good news. Even if the couple wanted to keep a low profile, they were unable to. After all, the Grimm family was also a preeminent wealthy family in Venturas. Jaydon¡¯s wedding was naturally very important to the Grimm family. Although Joanna was getting married for the second time, the Grimm family did not despise her at all. After all, Joanna¡¯s ex¨Chusband was Bruce Everett. It was not embarrassing to marry Bruce Everett¡¯s ex¨Cwife. Joanna herself was also outstanding enough. Other than the minor blemish that she was marrying for the second time, she was perfectly worthy of Jaydon. At Nephelene Manor¡­. This was Jaydon¡¯s luxury mansion in the city of Greyport. Although it could notpare to Bruce Everett¡¯s luxury mansion, it was nheless a billion¨Cdor viplex. The people living in this neighborhood were all preeminent tycoons. ¡°Joann, where shall we settle down after we get married?¡± Over the past few days, Jaydon and Joanna had been going house¨Chunting for their marital home together. Although everything was very rushed and many details had to be omitted, they still ced great importance on the general process. For example, they still took care of things like engagement gifts, choosing a suitable date so that caterers, decorators, and other services could be scheduled smoothly, selecting a wedding gown, and so on. Joanna frowned when she heard that. She didn¡¯t really want to live in Greyport. ¡°What do you think?¡± Jaydon was also hesitant. Although he had houses everywhere, this was going to be his marital home, so he thought it was better to buy a new house. Like Joanna, he did not want to stay in Greyport on a long¨Cterm basis. And he most definitely did not want to stay in Venturas on a long¨Cterm basis. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. There¡¯s no hurry to buy the house. When we are free in the future, we can take our time to go house¨Chunting!¡± Chapter 376 Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else after listening to Joanna. He walked over and hugged Joanna gently. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you! I¡¯ll do whatever you say!¡± Joanna smiled and looked at him equally affectionately. Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered, and he instinctively lowered his head to kiss her. When he saw that she did not resist, Jaydon bent down and picked her up with two arms. Then, he walked toward the bedroom. Although the two of them were already at the stage where they were about to get married, they had yet to break through the boundary between men and women. Even though Jaydon was very gentle, Joanna could not get into the mood and subconsciously resisted. When he sensed that something was not right with Joanna. Jaydon quickly stopped. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Joann?¡± ¡°Jay, 1¡­ I¡­ Joanna held her breath and looked at Jaydon somewhat nervously. ¡°Are you still unwilling to get intimate with me? We¡¯re about to get married!¡± A hint of disappointment appeared on Jaydon¡¯s handsome face. Joanna took a deep breath and felt inexplicably flustered. ¡°Jay, can we do this after we get married?¡± Chapter 376 Chapter 376 Jaydon Grimm did not want to lie to Joanna Haynes, let alone make her regret. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve let you down! Previously, L¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna interrupted him andforted him with a smile. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t apologize to me. ¡°There are some things I don¡¯t want to listen to either. ¡°I just want to ask you one thing. Have you made up your mindpletely about getting married? Are you sure you¡¯re ready to be a husband?¡± When Jaydon heard this, the huge rock in his heart suddenly melted away. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sure. Definitely very sure. ¡°I love you. I¡¯m ready to be your husband. I¡¯m willing to be with you for the rest of my life. Through thick and thin, through health and sickness, I am willing to spend my whole life with you. ¡°There will be countless unknown trials in the future, but I just want to say now that I will protect you for the rest of my life.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and made up her mind. ¡°Alright. You don¡¯t have to say anything else. I¡¯m willing to be your wife.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon was instantly overjoyed. ¡°Where are you? Shall Ie and look for you now?¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you my location!¡± ww ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I just want to fly to your side immediately and never be separated from you again.¡± After Joanna ended the call, she sent Jaydon the information about her location. The moment she sent the information¡­ Ding dong! Ding dong! Bruce had sent another message. ¡°Joanna, where are you? I¡¯m almost going crazy. I can¡¯t ept you marrying another man. ¡°Shall we start over? Please give me another chance to make up for the wrongs Imitted in the past. ¡°As long as you return to my side, I¡¯ll agree to any condition! Joanna, I love you. I really love you.¡± Bruce sent a very long text message to Joanna. Jaydon¡¯s recovery made him feel a strong sense of crisis again. He could already feel that he was going to lose Joanna forever. After reading the message sent by Bruce, Joanna¡¯s heart ached slightly. Her eyes became red¨Crimmed involuntarily. Her love had already been given to Bruce without reservation. However, he had destroyed her love with his own hands, making her no longer dare to yearn for love. The experience was so painful that she didn¡¯t dare to love him anymore. Loving him¡­ was too painful! Joanna thought for a long time and replied via text message to Bruce. ¡°Bruce, I once loved you. That was already enough! Our rtionship is over in this lifetime. Forget me!¡± Bruce sat in the car and smoked one cigarette after another. At this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of anxiety in his heart. He yearned for Joanna to respond to him. Ding dong! Ding dong! The phone message notification finally rang out. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly picked up his phone to look at the message. Soon, after reading Joanna¡¯s message, Bruce felt as if he had fallen into an ice abyss. The ashes from the cigarette butt containing sparksnded on his hand, but there was no reaction from him. Bruce could not ept such an oue. He could not ept the sense of defeat that came from Jaydon Grimm snatching Joanna away from him. ¡°Joanna, you will regret it!¡± Joanna did not respond to Bruce again after receiving his message. Chapter 376 She knew very well that Bruce didn¡¯t love her all that much. He was just being possessive and couldn¡¯t ept the fact that she was the first to fall out of love with him. Half an hourter, Jaydon drove as fast as he could to Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°Joann!¡± ¡°Jay¡­ Joanna ran toward him with a smile. Jaydon ran toward Joanna at an even faster speed. Then, he hugged Joanna tightly in his arms. Joann, you¡¯re finally going to marry me. I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡± ¡°Silly¡­ Joanna pinched Jaydon¡¯s nose affectionately. ¡°Joann, should we hold the wedding first or collect our marriage certificate first?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine either way. I¡¯ll go with whatever you say.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s hold the wedding first. After the wedding, we¡¯ll go get our marriage certificate!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Sure! Joanna¡¯s eyes were smiling. Her beautiful, exquisite face was like a blooming flower. Jaydon kissed her forehead and nted a deep kiss on her cherry¨Cpink lips. His kissing skills were very good. He was gentle and focused and it made Joanna sink uncontrobly into the moment. In contrast, Bruce¡¯s kiss never took into consideration the other party¡¯s feelings. It was always extremely aggressive and invasive, and left no room for the other party to resist or reject at all. It was even more terrifying when she was doing ¡°that¡± with him. He would torment her endlessly until shepletely submitted to him. Soon, the news of Jaydon Grimm and Joanna Haynes¡¯s marriage spread. The wedding was set for the 9th of August. The couple would be married at St. John¡¯s Church, the largest church in Venturas. The moment the news was announced, it instantly caused an uproar throughout the country. All the media outlets were scrambling to publish the good news. Even if the couple wanted to keep a low profile, they were unable to. After all, the Grimm family was also a preeminent wealthy family in Venturas. Jaydon¡¯s wedding was naturally very important to the Grimm family. Although Joanna was getting married for the second time, the Grimm family did not despise her at all. After all, Joanna¡¯s ex¨Chusband was Bruce Everett. It was not embarrassing to marry Bruce Everett¡¯s ex¨Cwife. Joanna herself was also outstanding enough. Other than the minor blemish that she was marrying for the second time, she was perfectly worthy of Jaydon. At Nephelene Manor¡­. This was Jaydon¡¯s luxury mansion in the city of Greyport. Although it could notpare to Bruce Everett¡¯s luxury mansion, it was nheless a billion¨Cdor viplex. The people living in this neighborhood were all preeminent tycoons. ¡°Joann, where shall we settle down after we get married?¡± Over the past few days, Jaydon and Joanna had been going house¨Chunting for their marital home together. Although everything was very rushed and many details had to be omitted, they still ced great importance on the general process. For example, they still took care of things like engagement gifts, choosing a suitable date so that caterers, decorators, and other services could be scheduled smoothly, selecting a wedding gown, and so on. Joanna frowned when she heard that. She didn¡¯t really want to live in Greyport. ¡°What do you think?¡± Jaydon was also hesitant. Although he had houses everywhere, this was going to be his marital home, so he thought it was better to buy a new house. Like Joanna, he did not want to stay in Greyport on a long¨Cterm basis. And he most definitely did not want to stay in Venturas on a long¨Cterm basis. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. There¡¯s no hurry to buy the house. When we are free in the future, we can take our time to go house¨Chunting!¡± Chapter 376 Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else after listening to Joanna. He walked over and hugged Joanna gently. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you! I¡¯ll do whatever you say!¡± Joanna smiled and looked at him equally affectionately. Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered, and he instinctively lowered his head to kiss her. When he saw that she did not resist, Jaydon bent down and picked her up with two arms. Then, he walked toward the bedroom. Although the two of them were already at the stage where they were about to get married, they had yet to break through the boundary between men and women. Even though Jaydon was very gentle, Joanna could not get into the mood and subconsciously resisted. When he sensed that something was not right with Joanna. Jaydon quickly stopped. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Joann?¡± ¡°Jay, 1¡­ I¡­ Joanna held her breath and looked at Jaydon somewhat nervously. ¡°Are you still unwilling to get intimate with me? We¡¯re about to get married!¡± A hint of disappointment appeared on Jaydon¡¯s handsome face. Joanna took a deep breath and felt inexplicably flustered. ¡°Jay, can we do this after we get married?¡± Chapter 377 Chapter 377 Jaydon Grimm paused. He was still a little aggrieved. ¡°Joann, are you still worried about me? Or¡­ are you not ready yet?¡± Joanna Haynes panicked even more. Her cheeks turned red. ¡°1. She didn¡¯t know how to exin it. Since she had already agreed to marry Jaydon, she should not reject his intimacy. However, she felt an inexplicable panic in her heart. Her mind kept recalling Bruce Everett¡¯s warning to her. If she really had sex with Jaydon before marriage, with Bruce¡¯s temperament, who knew what kind of crazy things he was capable of. Beep! Beep! Beep! Right at this moment, the phone rang. It was as if Joanna had found a life¨Csaving buoy in the ocean. She pushed Jaydon away in a panic and said, ¡°Jay, my phone is ringing! I¡¯ll answer it first.¡± Fortunately, Jaydon was not as difficult to deal with as Bruce. When he saw that Joanna was unwilling. Jaydon did not force her despite feeling disappointed deep down. The call was from Miranda, her housekeeper. Joanna quickly picked it up. ¡°Hello, Miranda, What¡¯s wrong?¡± Miranda¡¯s anxious voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, where are you?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Er¡­ Mr. Everett is here. He seems to be drunk and keeps banging on the door. We dare not open the door for him!¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! On the other end of the line, the faint sound of someone banging on the door could be heard. Joanna¡¯s heart sank. ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll go back now.¡± When he saw how anxious Joanna was, Jaydon asked with concern, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna hurriedly ended the phone call and said with an uneasy expression, ¡°Jay, I have something urgent to attend to. I¡¯ll go back and settle it first.¡± ¡°What is it? I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°No need! I can handle it myself Joanna hurriedly picked up her bag and car keys and got ready to go back. Jaydon stopped her again. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to go along?¡± ¡°There¡¯s really no need. Something happened at home. It¡¯s better for me to go back and settle it myself.¡± Not surprisingly. Joanna did not dare to let Jaydon go back with her. Bruce Everett and Jaydon Grimm were like arch¨Cenemies to begin with. If they met, who knew what kind of trouble would Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ensue. ¡°¡­ Alright then! Call me if there¡¯s anything you need help with.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Got it!¡± Joanna replied as she walked toward the door. Thereafter, Joanna hurriedly got into the car and rushed home. Along the way, Joanna kept elerating. She felt increasingly uneasy. ¡°What is this damn bastard up to now?¡± Twenty minutester, in the Ona ce neighborhood, Joanna rushed all the way home. Several security guards had already gathered at the entrance of the house. Meanwhile, Bruce was still banging on the door. ¡°Joanna Haynes, open the door! Open the door!¡± Inside the house, Miranda and Kelly were downright terrified. ¡°Miss Haynes isn¡¯t back yet?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please don¡¯t cause trouble here! If you continue to do this, we have no choice but to call the police!¡± Those few security guards could only watch helplessly. Other than persuading him in vain, no one dared to step and stop Bruce. forward Bruce was extremely drunk. His eyes were bloodshot as he shoved away the security guards beside him. ¡°Get lost!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please stop this!¡± ¡°Get lost! All of you, get lost!¡± When she saw this, Joanna subconsciously inhaled deeply. ¡°Bruce Everett, what are you trying to do?¡± 15:42 Chapter 377 When the security guards saw that Joanna had returned, they looked as if they had been granted an amnesty. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re finally back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s been hard on you guys. All of you can go back first. I¡¯ll handle this myself.¡± When the security guards heard this, they quickly nodded. ¡°Sure, sure! If you need anything, feel free to call the security room!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± ¡°Joanna, you finally opened the door!¡± Bruce staggered forward and pounced on Joanna. The pungent smell of alcohol could already be detected from more than 10 feet away! Joanna frowned. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy? You drank so much again?¡± Bruce stumbled and fell to Joanna¡¯s feet, crashing heavily to the ground. ¡°Urgh¡­ Honey, I¡¯m in pain!¡± Upon seeing this, Joanna hurriedly went to help him up. ¡°Just look at you now.¡± Unfortunately, there was no way she could help him up by herself. When Miranda and Kelly heard Joanna¡¯s voice, they hurriedly came out. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re finally back.¡± ¡°Honey, it hurts¡­¡± ¡°Miranda, Kelly, help me quickly! Help me pull him up!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Bruce did not allow the two of them to get close. ¡°You two go away. I only want my wife¡­ ¡°Bruce, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Honey, I just want to see you. You can¡¯t marry another man! You¡¯re mine, you¡¯re mine!¡± Joanna frowned deeply and looked at Bruce helplessly and hopelessly. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart. ¡°Ugh¡­ Bruce suddenly bent over and vomited. His entire face turned purplish¨Cred as he whimpered in anguish. ¡°Ugh¡­ it hurts so much¡­ I¡¯m dying¡­.. Bruce already suffered from serious gastric ulcers. Some time ago, he drank until his stomach bled. Today, he drank more than 40 ounces of whiskey and started vomiting blood again. ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t you quickly call for emergency medical help?¡± Miranda was terrified. When Joanna saw this, her heart ached and she felt panicky too. She then hurriedly called Andy. ¡°Hello, Andy!¡± ¡°Good evening, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Bruce is at my ce now. Pleasee and fetch him quickly.¡± Chapter 378 Chapter 378 ¡°Huh?¡± Andy felt a headacheing on. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯ll rush over now. Please take care of Mr. Everett for the time being. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Hurry up. I¡¯ll send you the location now.¡± ¡°Mm¨Clunm. Okay.¡± As she looked at the drunk Bruce Everett, Joanna Haynes shook her head and sighed. ¡°Quickly help him up first.¡± Bruce was in a daze. He shoved everyone away and protested in a drunken stupor, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Leave me alone. I don¡¯t want to leave!¡± Miranda looked scared and said worriedly, ¡°Joann, quickly send Mr. Everett to the hospital! He drank so much. Will he be alright?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯d better call for emergency medical help quickly!¡± Joanna checked the time. ¡°Andy is on his way. Let¡¯s wait for Andy!¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. About fifteen minutester, Andy arrived in a hurry with a few bodyguards. Bruce was still lying on the ground, drifting in and out of unconsciousness. Joanna knelt on one knee and kept wiping the corner of his lips. ¡°Mr. Everett! Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Andy, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Oh, my goodness. Why did Mr. Everett drink so much again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Quickly send him to the hospital!¡± Andy frowned and quickly instructed the bodyguards, ¡°Hurry up and help Mr. Everett up!¡± Two bodyguards stepped forward and grabbed Bruce¡¯s arms, trying to help him up. Bruce felt queasy. He just wanted to lie t on the ground. If he so much as moved a little, his stomach would feel like there was magma rolling inside. ¡°Let go of me, all of you! Get lost!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re taking you to the hospital now.¡± Bruce felt an uncontroble recoil in his stomach. He suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He vomited a few times in a row. The strong smell of alcohol was so pungent it gave people a headache. There were many dark red blood clots in the midst of therge pool of vomit. When he saw this, Andy was so frightened that his skin tensed up. ¡°Oh no! Mr. Everett is vomiting blood again!¡± Joanna took a look and her heart was in her mouth. ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Quickly send him to the hospital.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Those few bodyguards hurriedly carried Bruce up and sped all the way to the hospital. Joanna was worried and could only follow them to the hospital. At Greyport Hospital, Bruce arrived at the emergency department ten minutester. Andy had already called the doctor while they were on their way. Therefore, before Bruce arrived at the hospital, the medical director and nurses were already waiting at the entrance. The emergency stretcher was also on stand¨Cby. ¡°Mr. Everett is drunk. He just vomited blood.¡± When the doctor heard this, he did not dare to let his guard down. He quickly instructed the nurses to push Bruce into the emergency room. The Everett Group owned a controlling number of shares in this hospital. Therefore, Joanna knew that the doctor would definitely do his best to treat Bruce. At the entrance of the emergency room, Joanna waited with a pale face. It was summer, yet her limbs felt inexplicably icy cold. ¡°Bruce Everett, you¡¯re really a jinx to me!¡± ¡°What sins did wemit in our previous life? Why do we have to tangle with each other like this in this life?¡± Joanna sat on bench in the corridor and held her head in her hands. 1 Chapter 378 When he saw this, Andy could onlyfort her. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry too much. Mr. Everett will definitely be fine.¡± When Joanna heard him, she said, ¡°Bruce¡¯s gastric ulcer is so serious that he can¡¯t drink hard liquor anymore. Moreover, it¡¯s a whiskey with such a high alcohol content. Why didn¡¯t you guys watch over him?¡± Andy¡¯s face was filled with anxiety and gravity. He exined in a timid voice, ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know Mr. Everett¡¯s temperament. How would we dare to interfere with what he wants to do? ¡°Besides, no matter where Mr. Everett went during this period, he wouldn¡¯t let us follow him. If you hadn¡¯t called us. I wouldn¡¯t have known that Mr. Everett had drunk so much.¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± Joanna sighed heavily. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett drank so much. It must be because¡­¡± Andy wanted to say something but did not dare to. ¡°Because of what?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t understand how Mr. Everett feels? I¡¯ve followed Mr. Everett for so many years, but I¡¯ve never seen him so dejected! ¡°Miss Haynes, are you really going to marry Mr. Grimm?¡± Joanna remained silent and felt suffocated inwardly. She did not know what to say. Andy tried to mediate. ¡°Mr. Everett really loves you, Miss Haynes. Aren¡¯t you going to consider getting back together with Mr. Everett again?¡± ¡°Andy, there¡¯s simply no way to force a rtionship. Some things can¡¯t be repaired once they¡¯re broken.¡± ¡°As they say, it is never toote to mend a broken rtionship. When a prodigal son mends his ways, the value cannot be measured in gold. I believe that Mr. Everett has really fallen for you.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t want to hear anymore. ¡°Andy, don¡¯t say anymore! This is between Bruce Everett and me. No one can persuade me.¡± Andy was silent for a few seconds before deciding to shut up meekly. He was just an employee. How would he have the guts to meddle in his boss¡¯s affairs? Half an hourter, the door to the emergency room opened and the attending doctor emerged. ¡°Doctor, how is he?¡± The doctor had a grave look and said with a frown, ¡°Mr. Everett has gastric hemorrhage and his gastric ulcer is very serious. ¡°Under such circumstances, he shouldn¡¯t be drinking hard liquor. If he doesn¡¯t take care, his stomach will be perforated!¡± ¡°Then how is he now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already performed some emergency procedures on him. He will need to stay in the hospital for a few days. During this period, he will need to recuperate properly. He mustn¡¯t eat anything that could irritate his stomach anymore.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Got it.¡± Soon, Bruce was wheeled out but he had yet to wake up from anesthesia. Chapter 379 Chapter 379 ¡°Push Mr. Everett to the ward first!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to hang up two more intravenous drips for himter.¡± ¡°Got it, Dr. Marlow.¡± A few nurses wheeled Bruce Everett to the VIP ward. Then, they transferred him to the hospital bed. ¡°We have to leave someone here to watch over him. Which one of you will stay?¡± Andy gave Joanna Haynes an eye signal. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you take care of Mr. Everett? When he wakes up you with him, he will feel much more at ease.¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment before agreeing. ¡°Alright¡± On the hospital bed. Brucey in a daze. His face was ashen and sallow, and hisplexion was unprecedentedly sickly. and sces Joanna¡¯s heart was filled with mixed feelings. She felt as if her heart had been pricked by a thorn. It was not particrly painful, but it was still extremely ufortable. ¡°Bruce, can you not behave in this manner? ¡°I feel really terrible when I see you like this!¡± Joanna sat in front of the hospital bed and could not help muttering to herself. At five in the morning¡­ ¡°Joanna. Joanna¡­¡± Bruce shifted his body groggily and mumbled indistinctly. Joanna had been keeping watch and did not sleep a wink. When she heard the sound, she quickly leaned close to check. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Bruce opened his eyes drowsily. When he saw Joanna, his eyes subconsciously sparkled. He asked in a faint, weak voice, ¡°Why are you here? Where am I?¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°You are in a hospital!¡± ¡°Hospital? Ouch¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Bruce let out a long breath wordlessly. He was in so much pain that his eyebrows were knitted together. He was in low spirits yesterday and only wanted to drink. After a drinking binge, he cked out and had no recollection of what happened. Joanna tidied up his nket which had slipped off and said helplessly, ¡°How should I tick you off? You know that your stomach isn¡¯t good, so why did you still drink so much? ¡°You almost lost your lifest time. Why didn¡¯t you learn your lesson back then?¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes could not help turning red¨Crimmed. Joanna¡¯s words ignited some hope in him. He took a deep breath and looked at Joanna intently with a sorrowful expression. ¡°Joanna, you can¡¯t marry someone else. I won¡¯t allow you to marry someone else! ¡°If you marry someone else, I¡¯ll go crazy!¡± Bruce struggled to sit up as he said this. ¡°Bruce, lie down quickly!¡± Bruce gasped and held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Joanna, I really love you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such things anymore. You¡¯re really making things difficult for me.¡± ¡°Joanna, you clearly still love me. Stop lying to yourself. ¡°You won¡¯t be happy if you marry him.¡± Joanna pulled her hand back brusquely. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. If you keep saying such things, I¡¯ll really leave this ce now.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes misted over. ¡°¡­ Alright, I won¡¯t say anymore! Don¡¯t leave. I just want to take a few more looks at you. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Rest well.¡± Chapter 379 At eight o¡¯clock in the morning¡­ Beep! Beep! Beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Bruce, your phone is ringing.¡± Joanna handed the phone to Bruce. She took a look at the video call. It was a call from their daughter! Thus, Joanna answered the call. ¡°Hello, baby.¡± Lilia¡¯s warm voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Mommy, why is it you? Where¡¯s Daddy?¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Gael told me that Daddy didn¡¯te backst night. I am very worried about Daddy, so I am calling Daddy to ask.¡± ¡°Baby, you¡¯re such a good girl. Daddy is here,¡± Joanna said and directed the phone camera at Bruce. It had to be said that Bruce was very willing to move heaven and earth for his daughter. Joanna tried to persuade Bruce not to drink, but she was unable to move him at all. Perhaps if his daughter try to persuade him, it might work. Lilia¡¯s eyes widened in shock when she saw her Daddy lying on the hospital bed. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong with Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy¡­ got sick from drinking too much.¡± When Lilia heard this, her tiny face turned pale from fright. ¡°Oh? Is Daddy alright?¡± Bruce red at Joanna viciously and grumbled softly. ¡°Why are you telling our daughter this?¡± ¡°Since I can¡¯t talk you out of drinking, I can only let Lilia try.¡± As she spoke, Joanna looked at the phone screen again. ¡°Lilia, see? Daddy is sick from drinking. ¡°Quickly persuade Daddy not to drink anymore in the future.¡± Lilia pouted with her tiny mouth and said to Bruce petntly in a childish voice, ¡°Daddy, you have to be obedient and not drink, okay? Drinking is not good for your health. Your baby Lilia doesn¡¯t want Daddy to be sick!¡± When he saw his daughter¡¯s adorable face, Bruce¡¯s heart softened. ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Daddy, are you in the hospital? I want to visit you.¡± Bruce pacified her gently, ¡°Mm¨Chmm, be good and stay at home, baby! Daddy will be back soon.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± After ending the video call, Bruce quietly looked at Joanna. ¡°Great. You have sessfully destroyed my image in my daughter¡¯s mind!¡± Joanna replied helplessly, ¡°Have a look yourself. The children are all worried about you.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were a little bloodshot, but he did not know what to say. ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, I think you¡¯re probably better now. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Joanna¡­ Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°Can you spend more time with me?¡± Joanna¡¯s face clouded over, but she still rejected his request ruthlessly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really have to go. ¡°I¡¯lle and visit you another day when I have time.¡± Although Joanna was worried, she was still determined to leave the hospital. If Jaydon found out, he would probably think too much. She didn¡¯t want more trouble to crop up! Joanna had just left the hospital when her phone rang. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Beep! Beep! Beep! ¡°Hello, Jay ¡°Joann, was everything okayst night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Did you not sleep well? Why are your eyes so red¨Crimmed?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and said vaguely, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday.¡± 10.27 Chapter 379 We¡¯re going to try on the wedding gown today. Where are you now? I¡¯ll pick you upter.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll go over in the afternoon! I still have to go to the office in the morning.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll pick you up this afternoon.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmun.¡± At 9.30 am, at the office of the Haynes Group.¡± When Joanna arrived at the office, it was already well past nine o¡¯clock. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul hadpleted the handover of their work over the past few days, and the management staff had to be reshumed. Currently, thepany only had two shareholders, namely Joanna Haynes and Caleb Harrison. As Joanna had pledged 30% of her stake as coteral, she only held 25% of thepany¡¯s shares at the moment. As a result, Caleb became thepany¡¯srgest shareholder. However, currently, Joanna was still holding the position of CEO. In the office, Luna walked in with a stack of documents. ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you sote today?¡± ¡°Oh, there was a traffic jam on the way so I was dyed.¡± ¡°Here are the information for today and some contracts.¡± ¡°Got it. Leave them here for now!¡± ¡°And these are the reports forst month and the financial reports. Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Luna continued to report, ¡°Miss Haynes, these are the handover lists from Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul. And this is the employee list showing the reshuffled staff.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmin. Anything else to report?¡± ¡°Also, the payment for some goods has not been settled. It may not be settled until the end of the year. After the payment for these goods is settled, we can close the ounts with Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul.¡± ¡°Alright. I got it!¡± Luna smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave first!¡± ¡°Can you get me a cup of coffee on the way?¡± ¡°Sure, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna kept herself busy dealing with thepany¡¯s matters. In less than ten days, she would have to hold her wedding. She had to quickly delegate all the work at hand and try to squeeze out a week¡¯s time. Not only did she have to deal with the work in Greyport, but she also had to take care of the work in Porash and Greene Town. Joanna was busy for the entire morning. Without realizing it, it was soon noon. Beep! Beep! Beep! Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Jaydon called again. ¡°Hello, Jay. What is it?¡± On the other end of the line, Jaydon¡¯s gentle voice with a tinge of resignation rang out. ¡°Joann, are you done with your work? I¡¯ve already made an appointment with the store manager of Milunda Wedding Studio. We can go over to look at the wedding gownster. ¡°Did you forget again?¡± When Joanna heard this, she instinctively pped her head. She was so busy that she had indeed forgotten. ¡°Oh, oh¡­ I¡¯m almost done here!¡± ¡°Shall we go for lunch first?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Then pack up. I¡¯ll be there in about 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Joanna ended the phone call and checked the time. It was already 12:30 in the afternoon. Thereafter, she quickly tidied her hair, put on some light makeup, and left the office with her bag. When the staff at the reception saw Joanna ending her phone call hurriedly and dashing out, they could not help gossiping again. ¡°See? Didn¡¯t I say that Miss Haynes would choose to stay together with Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°You guys lost, okay?¡± Another staff looked incredulous. ¡°Tsk! Tsk! What a big surprise. I thought Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett would reconcile. I didn¡¯t expect Miss Haynes to choose Mr. Grimm and get married so quickly.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a sudden marriage. They¡¯ve been dating for quite a few years now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! Now that it hase to fruition, it¡¯s worth celebrating.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is giving up just like that? This doesn¡¯t feel like Mr. Everett¡¯s style.¡± ¡°Hey, do you think Mr. Everett will gatecrash Miss Haynes and Mr. Grimm¡¯s wedding and try to snatch the bride?¡± When the others heard thus, they burst intoughter. ¡°It can¡¯t be that melodramatic, can it? What era are we in now? How can there still be such things as snatching brides?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. At the end of the day, Mr. Everett is still the richest man in Greyport. His worth is a few billion dors. The moment he opens his mouth, he can have any woman he wants. Even Princess Martha has to wait for him pathetically!¡± ¡°Oh, right! Why isn¡¯t Princess Martha making any move now? I still think Mr. Everett and Princess Martha are morepatible!¡± Chapter 380 ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! Hurry up and get some lunch take¨Cout. The canteen is going to close soon!¡± Downstairs, Jaydon was already waiting in a Mercedes¨CBenz 600. He opened the passenger door like a gentleman. Joanna got into the car gracefully. ¡°Thank you!¡± Jaydon got into the car after that. Joann, are you tired today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°What do you want to cat?¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Anything is fine!¡± ¡°Then shall we go to that restaurant specializing in Salen¨CCity¨Cfeatured cuisine we went to thest time? I heard that they have new items on the menu.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jaydon smiled faintly, started the car, and brought Joanna to that restaurant. After their meal, it was already 2:30 pm. At Milunda Wedding Studio¡­. ¡°Wee, Mr. Grimm and Ms. Haynes. This way, please. Let me give you a brief introduction.¡± Joanna looked at the splendid array of wedding gowns and was a little dazzled. Every piece was very beautiful and they looked just like artwork in an exhibition. ¡°This studio only stocks handmade wedding gowns made in Itona!¡± ¡°Joann, there is not enough time before our wedding day. If we customize a wedding gown, we probably won¡¯t make it in time. We can only choose ready¨Cmade ones now, but these wedding gowns are all handmade overseas.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. It will do!¡± Joanna was not so picky about such details. In particr, since this was her second marriage, the more low¨Ckey it was, the better. There was no need to be too ostentatious. In ordance with Joanna¡¯s wishes, the two of them only needed to get their marriage certificate and then treat their rtives and friends to a meal. That would be good enough. However, it was Jaydon¡¯s first wedding after all. She still had to give some thought to his dignity. The wedding ceremony was thus more extravagant. ¡°Let¡¯s try this one! It is verypatible with Ms. Haynes¡¯s bearing. This is 100% handmade.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna immediately followed the shop assistant to the fitting room. The shop assistant first gave her a makeover and then helped her change into her wedding gown. Jaydon sat outside quietly browsing through the magazines as he waited for her. An hourter, Joanna was done with her makeup and styling. She changed into her wedding gown before walking out. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re so beautiful!¡± Joanna smiled bashfully when she heard that. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she was really beautiful in her wedding gown. She suddenly recalled her marriage with Bruce seven years ago. At that point, she was only 19 years old. She was young and immature, and filled with hopes and dreams for the future. ¡°Do you want to try another piece?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Chapter 381 Chapter 381 The shop assistant took out a fishtail¨Cstyle wedding gown decorated with crystals. ¡°This is personally designed by a famous. Frayn designer. Everything is hand¨Cembroidered. The crystals on it are all Swarovski crystals. This gown used more than 20,000 crystals in all.¡± Jaydon Grimm¡¯s eyes were filled with doting love as he said gently, ¡°Joann, try it on!¡± When she saw Jaydon¡¯s gaze that was full of anticipation, Joanna Haynes smiled bashfully. ¡°Alright!¡± Then, she entered the fitting room again with the shop assistant. About fifteen minutester, Joanna had changed into another wedding gown and walked out of the fitting room. Jaydon took a look and was instantly stunned. It was said that a woman was at her most beautiful in her whole life when she wore a wedding gown. It was indeed so. When Joanna wore the wedding gown with a fishtail design, her figure was curvaceous and exquisite, and her entire body seemed to be glowing. She was beautiful and elegant. The wedding gown was glittering like gemstones. Under the light, it sparkled brightly. As she looked at Jaydon¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Joanna felt even more embarrassed. ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful!¡± Jaydon praised sincerely. Joanna lowered her head slightly and did not say anything. The shop assistant was full of smiles and served Joanna enthusiastically. ¡°Ms. Haynes, do you want to try something else? These are the treasures of our studio.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll take this one!¡± Joanna did not want to try anymore. Just trying these two pieces alone was already tiring enough! In her view, wearing a wedding gown was just a formality. She did not specifically demand perfection. ¡°Alright!¡± Jaydon lowered his head for a look. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t you think this wedding gown is a size too big?¡± Joanna felt it too. Her shoulder straps were a little loose. Even though it was already the smallest size, she was too thin, so the gown was still a little big on her. ¡°Can you adjust the shoulder straps?¡± ¡°Of course, we can.¡± Joanna looked at herself in the mirror again. ¡°Then make this size smaller!¡± ¡°Sure. No problem.¡± ¡°How many days will it take? We need it this week, Jaydon asked worriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! There will be no dy. It will definitely be modified before Friday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± As the wedding date was too close, they could not demand perfection in the details. ¡°Then let¡¯s go take wedding photos first! We¡¯ll use them for posters at the wedding ceremony.¡± Joanna had no objection. ¡°Sure!¡± If they wanted theplete set of wedding photos, they would have to select many outdoor venues for their photo shoot. There was obviously not enough time when they were so pressed for time. Therefore, they could only shoot an interior scene first. This shot would be used as a poster at the wedding ceremony. Joanna was wearing the wedding gown while Jaydon changed into a white suit. They took a few simple photos. Even so, it was already past eight o¡¯clock in the evening by the time they finished taking the photos. Joanna was downright exhausted. She stood in her high heels for the entire afternoon. Outside the changing room, after changing into her own clothes, Joanna was so tired that she copsed on the sofa. She did not want to get up again. As he looked at Joanna¡¯s exhausted appearance, Jaydon¡¯s heart ached terribly. ¡°Are you very tired?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Come, take off your shoes.¡± Chapter 381 Joanna looked at him with a puzzled expression. ¡°Why?¡± Jaydon walked forward and took off Joanna¡¯s shoes. Then, he gently massaged her feet. ¡°You wore high heels today and stood for the entire afternoon. Your feet hurt, right?¡± Joanna blushed at once. ¡°No, no! I¡¯m fine.¡± As she said that, she wanted to pull her feet away. Jaydon held her feet tightly and continued to massage her feet. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Let me give you a massage. You¡¯ll feel much better.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more embarrassed. ¡°Jay, you¡¯ll spoil me like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll pamper you like a little princess in the future.¡± Joanna smiled, revealing the shallow chin dimples on her checks. Jaydon really knew how to take care of others. When she was with him, even if there was no love, she would still be very contented. At the age of 15 or 16, love was sacred and could not tolerate any impurity. However, as one grew older, many things could be tolerated. Joanna no longer pursued perfection in love like before. The two of them left the studio and went for dinner together. After dinner, it was already 9:30 pm. In the car, Jaydon leaned down and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. He looked into her two eyes gently. ¡°Joann,e back with me!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tensed up. ¡°No, I¡¯d better go home!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he simply smiled like a gentleman. ¡°Alright! In any case, I can just wait for a few more days.¡± Thereafter, Jaydon drove Joanna back. Half an hourter, at Ona ce. ¡°Let me send you to the door!¡± Joanna got out of the car. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. It¡¯s just a few steps. You are also tired from running around all day. Quickly go back and rest.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. You should rest early too.¡± ¡°You too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be off then.¡± Jaydon smiled at Joanna. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Goodbye.¡± Joanna waved goodbye to Jaydon. After Jaydon left. Joanna dragged her exhausted body home.. She had just entered the house and had yet to take off her shoes. Beep! Beep! Beep! The phone rang madly again. She picked it up and saw that it was a call from Bruce Everett. In the afternoon, her phone was kept in the changing room. closet. Throughout the entire afternoon, Bruce had already called her dozens of times. Joanna hesitated for a moment but did not answer the call. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Beep! Beep! Beep! The phone kept ringing non¨Cstop. Joanna was afraid that something might happen to Bruce, so she answered the call. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the line, Bruce choked as he asked, ¡°Joanna, where are you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce took a deep breath. He was so angry that his two eyes were bloodshot. For the entire afternoon, he had called so many times, but Joanna did not answer. This was really unbearable for him. I want to see you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she fell silent for a few seconds. ¡°Bruce, we should not meet again!¡± Chapter 381 ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m giving you 20 minutes toe to the hospital and see me.¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was filled with an overbearing tone. Joanna felt suffocated and replied helplessly, ¡°Bruce, can you stop acting like this? I¡¯m getting married soon. Please don¡¯t¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce interrupted her and said sullenly, ¡°If you don¡¯te, you have to bear the consequences.¡± With that, he ended the call. ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± Joanna ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. Her expression was indescribably unsightly. When she saw this, Miranda asked with concern, ¡°Joann, what happened?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already sote. You still want to go out?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm¡­¡± Joanna answered vaguely and went out again with her car keys. Bruce¡¯s personality was too extreme. If she went against him head¨Con, he might go crazy again. Twenty minutester, Joanna reached the hospital in a hurry. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re here?¡± Andy was standing guard at the door of the ward. ¡°Mm¨Chmm¡­¡± Joanna responded before pushing open the door of the ward and walking in. In the ward, Brucey on the bed with a sullen and ominous expression. At this moment, his expression was sinister and icy, exuding a terrifying aura. Joanna walked to the front of the bed and looked at him without any emotion. ¡°Bruce Everett, I¡¯m here. What do you want?¡± Bruce did not say anything. He simply looked at Joanna icily with both eyes. Joanna also returned him a frosty re. Their eyes locked and they remained silent for a few minutes. Five minutester, Joanna finally broke the silence. ¡°Do you have anything to say? If you have nothing to say, I¡¯ll go back now.¡± Bruce called out to her icily, ¡°Joanna!¡± ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m listening!¡± Joanna stopped in her tracks again. Bruce lifted the nket and got out of bed sullenly. Upon seeing this, Joanna instinctively took two steps back. ¡°If you want to say something, just stand there and say it.¡± Bruce was still approaching her step by step. Joanna panicked and subconsciously wanted to walk toward the exit. Unfortunately, Bruce had already grabbed her wrist and abruptly pulled her into his arms. *Argh¡­ Don¡¯te near me.¡± ¡°Joanna, do you have to torment me like this?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot as he pushed her viciously onto the hospital bed. Then, he leaned over and pressed her down. He pinned her down firmly under his demonic ws. ¡°I¡¯ve called you so many times. Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? Do you know that I¡¯m almost going crazy?¡± ¡°Argh! Bruce, stop touching me like this!¡± Joanna panicked and pushed against his chest desperately. Bruce¡¯s expression changed suddenly. A mouthful of dark blood seeped out of his mouth. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m dying.¡± When she saw this, Joanna was a little flustered and didn¡¯t dare to push him hard again. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Bruce gave a muffled cough, and another gush of bloody foam rushed up his throat. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she said in shock, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re coughing blood again. I¡¯ll summon the doctor here!¡± Chapter 382 Chapter 382 Bruce was still pinning Joanna¡¯s two hands firmly on the bed. He looked at her with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll go crazy without you. I won¡¯t allow you to marry another man.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached and her eyes turned red¨Crimmed. ¡°Get up first. I¡¯ll call the doctor here first.¡± ¡°No. Just let me die like this. You don¡¯t love me anymore anyway!¡± When Joanna heard this, she snappedpletely. She used all her strength to push Bruce away. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Bruce Everell, can you stop threatening me like this every time? ¡°Don¡¯t use the ruse of self¨Cinjury in front of me again. The person you love has always been yourself alone. ¡°It¡¯s really impossible between us. The one I love is Jay.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes dimmed suddenly and his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. ¡°Joanna¡­ Joanna strode toward the door of the ward. ¡°Doctor, quicklye and take a look at him!* Soon, the doctor and nurses rushed over. When he saw Bruce¡¯s condition, the doctor got a big shock. ¡°Mr. Everett is vomiting blood again. Quickly prepare him for surgery! ¡°He vomited so much blood. It might really be a perforated ulcer.¡± As he spoke, the doctor sniffed again and immediately detected a strong smell of alcohol. ¡°Did Mr. Everett drink again? ¡°Goodness! There¡¯s really half a bottle of wine here. ¡°Quickly send Mr. Everett to the operating room Bruce¡¯s legs went weak. He bent over and coughed. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± He spat out another mouthful of blood. His stomach hurt like a churning and roiling sea. ¡°Quick! Quick! Quick!¡± A few nurses went forward and helped Bruce onto the transfer stretcher. They then hurriedly wheeled him into the operating room. He was already suffering from gastric ulcers and had just drunk alcohol. His condition had worsened as a result. ¡°Doctor, how is he?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has a perforated ulcer. He is in great danger now. He needs urgent surgery.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a chill run down her spine and she copsed onto a bench in the corridor. ¡°Bruce, why do you have to do this?¡± Two hourster, the indicator lights outside the operating room finally went off. The doctor walked out of the operating room. When she saw this, Joanna quickly went forward. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Bruce?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has a perforated ulcer. The surgery to patch up the ulcer has beenpleted. We still need to keep him under observation in the intensive care unit!¡± ¡°¡­ Alright, I understand!¡± When Andy heard this, he also became anxious. ¡°Mr. Everett was fine earlier. Why did he be so seriously ill again?¡± Joanna let out a deep breath. ¡°Which one of you brought him the wine? You know that he can¡¯t drink, so why do you still let him do whatever he wants?¡± Andy¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°I don¡¯t know either! Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t allow us to stay in the ward! ¡°We don¡¯t know where the wine came from!¡± Andy and the bodyguards were also terrified! They had followed Mr. Everett for so long. Mr. Everett had always been in good health. He rarely had colds or fevers, let alone get hospitalized. Although he had gastric ulcers, the condition could almost be neglected since it rarely red up. However, now, he was actually so seriously ill. Joanna stood guard outside the intensive care unit all night. At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, after the doctor confirmed that Bruce had passed the critical period, he was pushed back to Chapter 382 the ward. On the hospital bed, Bruce had an intravenous drip on his arm and electrodes ced on his chest that led to an electrocardiogram machine next to him. There was a drainage tube extending from his stomach and an oxygen mask on his face. His condition looked a little terrifying. Joanna could not bear to continue watching. Her heart ached and she felt terrible. Although she hated Bruce Everett, for some reason, she could not bear to see him in pain. ¡°You guys take good care of him. Call me if anything happens.¡± When Andy heard this, his expression becanie grim. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s better if you stay! If anything happens to Mr. Everett, we won¡¯t be able to bear the responsibility.¡± Joanna shook her head dejectedly. ¡°No. The doctor said that he has survived the critical period. You guys are responsible for taking care of him. He will recover soon.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± Andy still wanted to persuade her to stay. ¡°I have other matters to attend to. I have to go.¡± With that, Joanna fled the hospital in a hurry. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, her determination would start to waver. At 9:30 am.. Joanna returned to the office in a groggy stupor. She had been feeling exhausted since yesterday afternoon. Coupled with the fact that she had not slept the entire night, she was even more exhausted now. Today was already the 2nd of August. There was only a week left before the wedding. She had to quickly settle all the matters in the office. ¡°Congrattions, Miss Haynes!¡± The staff at the reception congratted her. Joanna smiled slightly without a word and walked straight to her office. In her office, as soon as she sat down, the phone rang. Beep! Beep! Beep! When she saw that it was Cora¡¯s call, Joanna quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello, Cora.¡± Cora¡¯s voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Miss Haynes, the Ultimate Girls program will enter the finals next week. ¡°Currently, eight contestants have advanced to the final eight. I¡¯ve already sent the name list to your phone.¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°The finals have arrived so soon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Joanna pondered for a while and rubbed her throbbing temples. ¡°Oh, I may not be able to attend. I¡¯ll leave the matters over there to you and Brother Trumpet.¡± Cora was taken aback. ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes! ¡°At the same time, congrattions to you and Mr. Grimm! When the finals are over, I think I can make it in time for your wedding with Mr. Grimm.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Thank you.¡± Tll end the call now if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After settling the matters in Greene Town, Joanna called for a meeting with the senior management. In the conference room, the senior management staff were already waiting. Due to the staff reshuffle, the management had also made some adjustments and added a few new faces. The meetingsted for an hour. Joanna delegated the work and listened to the employees¡® opinions. In the blink of an eye, it was eleven o¡¯clock in the morning. *After this, I might have to take a week off. I hope everyone will take good care of his respective scope of work at hand.¡± Chapter 382 ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°If there is nothing else, that¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting,¡± Joanna said and closed herptop. The senior management walked out of the conference room one after another. ¡°Wow! Miss Haynes is really getting married!¡± ¡°The news of the marriage has already been announced. How can it be fake?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that something may happen midway!¡± ¡°What can possibly happen?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for the wedding favors! Although Mr. Everett, Mr. Roger, and Mr. Paul have quit the board of directors, it¡¯s still not bad to have Mr. Grimm backing us up now.¡± After Joanna concluded her meeting with her staff, she couldn¡¯t hold on anymore and sprawled on her desk and fell asleep. She was really too tired. If she didn¡¯t rest soon, she wouldn¡¯t be able to take it Joanna slept until the afternoon. She woke up in a groggy stupor and felt that her arms had gone numb. The sleepiness in her body also cased a lot. anymore. She opened her eyes in a drowsy stupor and saw Jaydon sitting on the sofa opposite her, browsing a magazine. Joanna yawned and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± When Jaydon heard her voice, he closed the magazine in his hand. ¡°I came to see you. When I saw you sleeping, I didn¡¯t wake you up.¡± Joanna checked her watch drowsily. ¡°What time is it now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s past 3:00 pm!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already slept for more than three hours?¡± Joanna ran her fingers through her hair and then stood up. To her surprise, as soon as she stood up, she felt dizzy and almost lost her bnce! ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon quickly went forward to hold her arms to help steady her. Joanna took a long time to steady herself before the dark fog before her eyes gradually dissipated. Tm a little dizzy. Maybe I stood up too quickly!¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart ached as he held her shoulders. ¡°Look at you. You have such dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep well against night?¡± ¡°It may be because I have low blood sugar. I¡¯ll be fine after a cup of coffee!¡± ¡°Your body is already so weak. You can¡¯t drink coffee anymore. Caffeine is something that stimtes your nerves. It¡¯s not good for your health to drink too much!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face became stern. ¡°No, you have to eat proper meals!¡± ¡°From tomorrow onward, move in with me. I¡¯ll take care of you myself!¡± Joanna pursed her lips and smiled, thinking that he was being too anxious. ¡°Jay, there¡¯s really no need¡­¡± ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t care how you lived in the past! From now on, you¡¯re my wife. I have the obligation to take good care of you! ¡°You can stay at my ce without worries. I won¡¯t touch you before we get married.¡± When she saw how serious Jaydon was, Joanna couldn¡¯t bear to reject his suggestion. Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. When she heard the phone ring, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat! ¡°Your phone is ringing!¡± ¡°Oh, okay. I know,¡± Joanna said and looked at her cell phone. The call was from Andy! Needless to say, it must have something to do with Bruce Everett again. Chapter 383 Chapter 383 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 383 Joanna Haynes hesitated for a while but did not answer the call. When he saw this, Jaydon Grimm was curious. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering your phone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s a scam call.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered but he didn¡¯t ask any more questions. ¡°Joann, do you have anything else to do this afternoon?¡± Joanna paused momentarily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting married next week! I think it¡¯s better to meet your father and tell him the good news!¡± When Joanna heard this, she kept quiet but a hint of mncholy appeared in her eyes. To be honest, her rtionship with her father was so strained that she didn¡¯t expect him to give his blessing, let alone attend her wedding. ¡°Joann, I know you are not willing to see him. But he¡¯s your father after all. It¡¯s better to inform him about something as important as marriage.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help giving a sigh. ¡°Alright!¡± After all, she was getting married. It was better to inform her father. As for whether he gave his blessings or not, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°Then you can start packing up!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmmm!¡± Joanna went to the washroom to wash her face and tidy her hair. Thereafter, she gave Fantine a call. ¡°Hello, Fantine!¡± Fantine¡¯s voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Miss Joanna, what can I do for you?¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds. Then she braced herself and asked, ¡°Is Dad still in the hospital?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Tell Dad that I¡¯ll go and visit him in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Oh, alright, Miss Joanna!¡± At four in the afternoon, the couple reached the hospital. Joanna and Jaydon brought fruits and various nutritional supplements to the hospital. In the ward, Shaun Haynesy quietly on the bed. Right now, half of his body could not move, and he could not speak legibly. He could onlyy on the bed all day long. Joanna walked softly to the bed. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m here to visit you!¡± When Shaun heard the voice, he opened his eyes slightly and looked at Joanna. Then, he let out a deep breath and muttered something. However, no one knew what he was saying. ¡°Dad, Jay and I are getting married!¡± Jaydon walked forward with a smile. ¡°Hello, Mr. Haynes. On the 9th of this month, Joann and I will hold our wedding in Venturas! ¡°Today, we came here especially to tell you the good news.¡± When Shaun heard this, his eyes rotated slightly. He had mixed feelings inwardly, and his heart was filled with sorrow and resentment. Why was the heavens doing this to him? This unfilial daughter was indeed here to demand payback! If she had married Jaydon Grimm earlier, Roxy would not have ended up this way. And the Haynes family would not have fallen into such a state. Chapter 383 ¡°Oof, oof, oof. Ugh, ugh¡­¡± Shaun mumbled incoherently for a long time. Jaydon and Joanna could not hear what he said clearly. The two of them looked at each other. ¡°Dad, what do you want to say?¡± Shaun¡¯s face became flushed. He raised his hand but could not utter a single word clearly. However, he seemed very agitated and did not seem to be giving his blessing. When she saw this, Fantine hurriedly went forward to calm him down. ¡°Mr. Haynes, don¡¯t be so agitated ¡°Miss Joanna and Mr. Grimm¡¯s marriage is joyous news! We should be happy for them.¡± She had served Shaun for so many years, so she naturally understood his thoughts the best. Sometimes, even if it was just a look from Shaun, she could understand what he was trying to say. Joanna looked at Fantine with a baffled expression. ¡°Fantine, what is Dad trying to say?¡± Fantine looked a little embarrassed. ¡°Oh, Mr. Haynes is happy for you! He¡¯s giving his blessing to you two for tying the knot!¡± Joanna subconsciously looked at her father wordlessly. He looked like he wanted to strangle her. He didn¡¯t look happy at all. ¡°Dad, your health isn¡¯t good, and it¡¯s not convenient for you to attend the wedding. I¡¯m now informing you up front as an expression of my respect for you.¡± ¡°Dad, rest and recover well. We¡¯ll leave first!¡± ¡°Oof, oof. Argh, argh¡­¡± Shaun was so anxious that he couldn¡¯t speak clearly. His eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. He still held a huge grudge against Joanna! This unfilial daughter was going to marry Jaydon Grimm in the end, but she was still entangled with Bruce Everett. She had ruined her younger sister¡¯s whole life and happiness. He simply could not give his blessings to this daughter. ¡°Jay, let¡¯s go!¡± Jaydon leaned over and shook Shaun¡¯s hand again. He said politely, ¡°Mr. Haynes, don¡¯t worry. I will treat Joann well!¡± When Shaun heard this, his turbid eyes turned ferociously to Jaydon. Then, he turned his head to the side as if he was angry. This unfilial daughter was so capable! up He wasn¡¯t worried that Joanna wouldn¡¯t have a good life at all. He only cared about Roxy, who was locked in the mental hospital, and Ryan Haynes, whose whereabouts were unknown! ¡°Fantine, please take good care of Dad. Call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Joanna!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go off first!¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Without saying anything else, the couple left the ward one after another. Back in the car, Jaydon frowned. He looked at Joanna with a somewhat worried expression. ¡°Joann, are you really not letting your father attend the wedding?¡± Joanna also looked sad. ¡°No need! It¡¯s also not convenient for him to attend the wedding in his current state.¡± ¡°Oh, alright! Then¡­e back to Venturas with me tomorrow!¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°Go back to Venturas?¡± Jaydon smiled faintly. ¡°That¡¯s right. Marriage is such a major thing. You definitely have to meet my father and the rest of my family!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Then get ready tonight. We¡¯ll leave first thing in the morning.¡± Joanna tried her best to squeeze out a smile. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I got it.¡± Jaydon immediately started the car and said somewhat uneasily. ¡°By the way, there are many people in my family. I have many more brothers and sisters, and more elders. ¡°It¡¯s inevitable that some of them will say unpleasant things. If you don¡¯t like what they say, just ignore them!¡± Chapter 383 Joanna was surprised when she heard that. Thereafter, she collected herself. The Grinum family was aplicated family. Other than Jaydon¡¯s more than a dozen siblings, he also had numerous paternal uncles and aunts, and maternal aunts! As for second wife and third wife and so on, there were at least five or six of them. In particr, when Joanna met Jaydon¡¯s family previously, his younger sister was very rude to her. Now that she heard him say this, the other family members were probably even more difficult to get along with. ¡°Jay. I¡¯m afraid I may not be able to handle it¡­¡± Joanna said nervously. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± Joanna¡¯s skin tensed up. She was most terrified of dealing withplicated interpersonal rtionships. ¡°Will they not ept me?¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°No. As long as I ept you, it doesn¡¯t matter whether the others ept you or not! ¡°Marriage is between the two of us. It has nothing to do with anyone else.¡± Joanna¡¯s head hurt even more when she heard that! From the looks of it, Jaydon had yet to obtain the approval of his family for their marriage. ¡­ Oh, okay then!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s have dinner! After dinner, we¡¯ll go to the movies. What do you want to eat?¡± Joanna gave a soft sigh. ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m a little tired. I want to go back early and rest.¡± ¡°Not eating dinner?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry at all now. I just want to go back and have a good sleep.¡± As he looked at Joanna¡¯s tired appearance, Jaydon stroked her head with heartache. ¡°Alright then! Go back and have a good sleep. Rest well. You still have to go back to Venturas with me tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Got it.¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else. He turned the car around and sent Joanna home. Joanna finally reached home. By then, it was already 9 pm. Miranda was still waiting in the living room. When she saw Joanna return, she quickly came over to help Joanna with her bag. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmmm!¡± ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°I made some macaroni and cheese earlier. If you¡¯re hungry, let me know. I¡¯ll heat up a te of macaroni and cheese for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap now,¡± Joanna said and walked straight to her room. ¡°Joann, aren¡¯t you going to take a shower?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it after I wake up!¡± Joanna said as she closed the door and fell heavily onto the bed. She was really too tired and felt physically and mentally exhausted. If she could, she really wanted to fall into bed and sleep for ten days and ten nights. Unfortunately, the moment she touched her bed, all vestiges of sleepiness vanished. ¡°I wonder how Bruce is doing now?¡± she thought.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. He was swift and decisive in the business arena and could y his way through thousands of miles. Many cunning business big shots could not withstand a single blow from him. However, his personality was sometimes like a child¡¯s. He would not stop until he achieved his goal. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. It¡¯s better to make an end of it quickly. There will be better women around him who will love him.¡± Chapter 384 Chapter 384 Joanna Haynes tossed and turned but was unable to fall asleep. She forced herself to stop thinking about Bruce Everett. She kept tossing until past 11 pm, but she was still not sleepy at all. Her body was clearly extremely exhausted, yet she could not sleep well when she had something on her mind. In particr, when she had to go to Venturas to meet Jaydon Grimm¡¯s family the next day, it made her feel even more uneasy. Rumble¡­ When Joanna heard her stomach rumble, she realized that she had not eaten for the entire day. Thereafter, Joanna went into the kitchen and prepared to make something to cat. Miranda heard themotion and quickly came out of her room. ¡°Joann, are you hungry?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± Miranda quickly took over what Joanna was doing. ¡°Take a rest. I¡¯ll make you some macaroni and cheese now.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Soon, a te of mouth¨Cwatering macaroni and cheese was served up. ¡°Joann, cat it while it¡¯s hot. This is your favorite macaroni and cheese.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Thank you, Miranda!¡± Following that, Joanna picked up her spoon and started scooping the cheesy goodness into her mouth. Home¨Cbaked macaroni and cheese tasted so much better than othermercial varieties and had a better texture. It was definitely more tasty than those factory mass¨Cproduced versions. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. As Miranda watched Joanna scooping big mouthfuls of macaroni and cheese into her mouth by the side, she smiled with gratification. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. It¡¯s delicious. Miranda, your culinary skills are getting better and better,¡± Joanna gave her praise in between mouthfuls. Miranda was silent for a long time. Finally, she could not resist saying, ¡°Joann, marriage is not child¡¯s y. Have you really thought it through?¡± Joanna was taken aback and subconsciously stuffed a piece of bacon silently into her mouth. ¡°I watched you grow up. I, more than anyone else, want you to be happy.¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°I know.¡± Miranda took a deep breath and said cautiously, ¡°Mr. Grimm is a nice man! ¡°But I have a feeling that he¡¯s not suitable for you.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± Miranda took a deep breath and said earnestly, ¡°Mr. Grimm was born into that kind of family, and you¡¯re a simple person. You won¡¯t be able to deal with his family.¡± Joanna pondered for a while and put down the spoon in her hand. ¡°After we get married, we¡¯ll just live our own lives! We won¡¯t interact too much with his family.¡± ¡°Although that may be the case, with the way wealthy families operate, how can you two stay out of the fray unless hepletely cuts ties with his family? ¡°The Grimm family is tooplicated. As they say, chaos happens when there are too many people. Moreover, his siblings don¡¯t have the same mother. You won¡¯t have a peaceful life in the future.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes darkened. Of course, she had thought of this. However, Jaydon was so good to her and had sacrificed so much for her. She felt that she should face this adversity with him. Miranda continued, ¡°Joann, you¡¯re also marrying for the second time, and you have three children with Mr. Everett,¡± ¡°Miranda, don¡¯t say anymore!¡± Miranda sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯ll say onest thing. The thing about marriage is, it doesn¡¯t matter who you marry. Chapter 384 ¡°After the honeymoon period, you¡¯ll live the rest of your life dealing with the realities of life. In the early years, Mr. Everett did cause you a lot of harm. ¡°However, you have to understand him too! With that kind of family background, his personality will naturally be wed!! Coupled with the fact that he¡¯s young and impetuous, it¡¯s inevitable that he will do many wrong things. ¡°When a man is past 30, his thinking will be different. Mr. Everett has really changed a lot! In terms of being a yboy, which man doesn¡¯t cheat? Compared to other men. Mr. Everett is considered quite faithfull He has also separated from Miss Roxanne. He has also made up for it!¡± Before Miranda could finish, Joanna did not want to listen anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t mention him anymore!¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I won¡¯t say anymore.¡± Joanna was not in the mood to eat the macaroni and cheese anymore. After hearing Miranda¡¯s words, her heart was in a mess and she could not figure out what to do. When she checked the time, it was already well past 11 pm. Her phone was on silent mode and she didn¡¯t dare to check her phone for a long time. Now, she took out her phone to take a look. True enough, there were many messages and one missed call! Bruce Everett was such an arrogant person. He had never sent such a crazy number of messages to one woman before! Beep! Beep! Beep! Right at this moment, Andy called again. Joanna hesitated for a moment before answering the call. ¡°Hello, Andy!¡± ¡°Thank goodness, Miss Haynes! You finally answered my call.¡± Joanna sighed in frustration. ¡°Andy, is Bruce awake? How is he?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett¡¯s condition is very bad! Pleasee to the hospital quickly.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him now?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett seemed to have lost his soul. He didn¡¯t say a word for the entire day. If this continues, I¡¯m really worried that something will happen to him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯s so strong. What can possibly happen to him?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, you shoulde to the hospital to take a look at Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already sote now!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t wee and fetch you by car? Mr. Everett¡¯s condition is really very bad. I¡¯m worried that he will¡­¡± Andy stopped mid¨Csentence and did not dare to continue. ¡°He will what?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has an explosive temper. If his lungs really burst from rage, it will be troublesome.¡± Joanna frowned intensely when she heard that. Bruce¡¯s personality was indeed too stubborn! It might be better for her to take a look at him. ¡­ Alright! I¡¯ll go over now.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Thank you so much, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna ended the phone call and changed her clothes. She took her car keys and prepared to go out. ¡°Joann, where are you going at this hour?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the hospital to check on Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Oh, you should. Go ahead then! Be careful on the road!¡± Half an hourter, at Greyport Hospital. When Joanna arrived at the hospital, it was already past I am. Andy and the rest were still standing guard at the door of the ward. When they saw Joanna, they looked as if they had met their savior. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°How is he?¡± Chapter 384 ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s condition is not good. He vomited blood again at night!¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. ¡°Also, the doctor said¡­¡± Andy pulled a long face and was on the verge of tears. ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°The doctor said that Mr. Everett may develop stomach cancer!¡± ¡°Stomach cancer?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If he continues to smoke and drink, he will develop stomach cancer in less than two years!¡± Joanna¡¯s face sank. She pushed open the door to the ward and walked in. As soon as she entered, she almost choked on the smoke. Bruce was leaning against the bed head gloomily and smoking. His handsome face was sullen and haggard, his eyes were bloodshot, and his chin was covered in stubble. There were already many cigarette butts on the floor! The entire ward felt like it was filled with cigarette smoke! Although the air cirction in the room was good, it could not keep up when Bruce kept chain¨Csmoking one cigarette after another. ¡°Bruce Everett, are you hell¨Cbent on torturing yourself to death? ¡°You just had surgery. How can you smoke like this?¡± Joanna immediately tried to stop him urgently. When Bruce saw Joanna, his bloodshot eyes misted up and he felt his nose turning stuffy and ufortable. This damn woman was finally willing toe and see him! ¡°I deserved it if I smoke myself to death. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She walked to the bed and snatched the cigarette from Bruce¡¯s hand. ¡°Andy, how can you let him smoke? ¡°He¡¯s so sick now. How can you let him do whatever he wants?¡± Andy knitted his brows tightly when he heard that. Bruce had such an irascible temperament. How could his subordinates dare to interfere with what he wanted to do? In the past, when Mrs. Margaret Everett was around, there was still someone who could control him. Now, Mrs. Margaret Everett was dead. Bruce was really alone now. No one could control him anymore. Bruce looked at Joanna with hostility and said with a hint of grievance, ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about me! Won¡¯t you feel happy when I die!¡± ¡°What good will it do me if you die? Don¡¯t forget there are still the kids!¡± ¡°Hah! You finally remembered the kids!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were extremely moist. If not for the fact that Andy was present, he would probably be so angry that he would cry. ¡°Don¡¯t get up. Lie still.¡± ¡°Why should I listen to you? Cough! Cough!¡± Bruce tried to sit up obstinately. Unfortunately, he had just undergone surgeryst night and his wound was so painful that he broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°Bruce Everett, what do I have to say before you will listen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless no matter what you say!¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why you have suddenly be so¡­ sentimental?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He was really not in the mood to argue with Joanna! All these years, he had never failed in what he had set out to do. Yet, he had suffered defeat at the hands of his ex¨Cwife. If he had known that this day woulde, he wouldn¡¯t have done what he did back then. ¡°If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll go back.¡± Joanna¡­ Joanna looked at Bruce helplessly. This vile bastard really didn¡¯t know what was good for him. He should suffer a little! Chapter 385 Chapter 385 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 385 ¡°Don¡¯t go. Stay by my side.¡± Bruce said in a somewhat pleading tone. Joanna sighed but she did not really turn down his request. A the end of the day, he was still the father of her children. She still had to stay and take care of him, if only for the sake of her children. The next day, at six in the morning. Bruce was still asleep. Joanna quietly left the hospital. Today, she had to go to Venturas with Jaydon. She had to go back and pack. After leaving the hospital, Joanna rushed home. She took a shower and put on some light makeup. Then, she changed into a set of clean and appropriate clothes. Just as she was done, her phone rang. Beep! Beep! Beep! ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s warm voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, are you up?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m up!¡± ¡°Then shall I go over and pick you up now?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Sure!¡± Joanna ended the phone call and hurriedly blow¨Cdried her hair. As she hadn¡¯t slept the night before, the areas around her eyes were slightly darkened. She could only carefully apply some beauty balm cream. Half an hourter¡­ Ding! Ding! The doorbell rang Jaydon had arrived. ¡°Miranda, go get the door.¡± ¡°Alright, Miranda replied and quickly went to open the door. Outside the door, Jaydon was wearing a ck suit. He looked very dignified and formal. Miranda forced herself to smile and greeted him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Jay, you¡¯re here!¡± Joanna came down from the second floor and got ready to change her shoes. ¡°Joann! You are still not ready?¡± Jaydon said as he scrutinized Joanna. Joanna was wearing a Dior single¨Chued summer dress and carrying a matching champagne¨Ccolored shoulder bag. Her hair was hanging somewhat loosely, and her makeup was exquisite. Overall, Joanna looked fresh and elegant. This get¨Cup was the most appropriate for meeting parents. Im ready. We can set off at any time.¡± Joanna smiled and changed into her high heels. Jaydon hugged her waist and kissed her forehead gently. ¡°Why do you have such dark eye circles? Did you not sleep well. against night?¡± ¡°Oh, I was a little nervous, so I didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened and she subconsciously avoided Jaydon¡¯s gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯ll take care of everything!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm¡­ Then let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna suddenly thought of something and said with a guilty expression, ¡°Oh, yes. I was in such a hurry that I didn¡¯t have time to prepare a gift. When Jaydon heard this, he smiled. There¡¯s no need to prepare anything!¡± ¡°How can I do that? After all, this is my first time visiting them. It¡¯s not good to go empty¨Chanded!¡± ¡°Ha! There¡¯s no need to be so particr. I¡¯ve already prepared it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon in shock. Chapter 385 ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Everything has been prepared. You just have to bring yourself there.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Joann, be careful on the road.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I know.¡± Greyport and Venturas were on opposite banks of the sea. Normally, people traveled back and forth by ferry. On the ferry, Joanna yawned a few times in a row. ¡°Are you very tired? Rest on my shoulder for a while.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled in embarrassment. ¡°No need. I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡± Jaydon asked again considerately, ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°I knew it. I brought you a sandwich,¡± Jaydon said, handing her a sandwich. ¡°Thank you.¡± An hourter, the ferry docked at the pier in the city of Venturas. ¡°Joann, time to disembark!¡± Joanna was already a little sleepy. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Orvin had already driven here and was waiting to pick them up. The car traveled for half an hour before stopping next to thewn of a luxurious mansion. The Grimm family¡¯s mansion was a preeminent vi in the city of Venturas. It upied more than 1.5 acres ofnd. The entire exterior was designed in the Ecostanian pce style and it looked very grand and luxurious. The security guards at the gate bowed respectfully and greeted the visitors. ¡°Good day, Mr. Jaydon!¡± ¡°Joann, let¡¯s get off!¡± Joanna smiled and got out of the car gracefully. There were many servants here. At a nce, there were multiple rows of servants standing there. They looked a little like servants of those Old World pces, standing at the entrance to wee the nobles. Joanna was used to big, ostentatious asions but she was still shocked by this kind of pomposity. The way the Everett family carried themselves was rather low¨Ckeypared to the extravagance here. Jaydon held Joanna¡¯s hand and whispered in her ear, ¡°There are more people in my family. You have to be mentally prepared.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I understand.¡± In the living room, many elders were already waiting in the living room because they had been informed in advance. Right in front was Jaydon¡¯s fourth uncle, Harold Grimm, and his wife. Jaydon began to introduce the elders one by one. ¡°Joann, this is my Fourth Uncle Harold, and this is my Fourth Aunt.¡± Joanna¡¯s face stiffened. She looked a little like a nervous primary school student meeting a teacher. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm, Mrs. Grimm.¡± Harold resembled Tim quite a fair bit. However, Harold¡¯s head was going bald a little and he appeared more stern. When Joanna greeted him, he only gave her an indifferent nce. In contrast, Jaydon¡¯s fourth aunt appeared very gentle. ¡°Hello, Ms. Haynes!¡± Jaydon continued with his introductions. ¡°Joann, this is Yvette and this is Yasmine. They are my aunts¡± ¡°Hello, Yvette! Hello, Yasmine!¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale as she greeted thedies cautiously. ¡°You¡¯re Joanna?¡± Yvette Grimm, Jaydon¡¯s second aunt, sized up Joanna with eyes that were filled with strong disdain. The Grimm family was a big, influential family, and a preeminent family in Venturas! Although Joanna was also the well¨Cborn daughter of a wealthy family, she was married before. In the eyes of the Grimm family¡¯s elders, this was absolutely uneptable. In particr, Joanna¡¯s reputation was not very good. She was considered fairly infamous in Venturas and Greyport. Chapter 385 Jaydon¡¯s third aunt, Yasmine Grimm, also sized Joanna up arrogantly. ¡°Wee, Ms. Haynes!¡± ¡°Our Grimm family has more family members and also more rules. If you want to marry into our Grimm family, you have to abide by our Grimm family¡¯s rules.¡± Joanna subconsciously frowned a little. They were flexing their muscles to intimidate her! Joann, this is my stepmother, Madam Genevieve!¡± Jaydon carried on with the introductions. After one round, just the elders alone already made up more than ten members. ¡°Please take a seat!¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Joanna sat down at the table somewhat nervously. More than ten pairs of eyes stared at her in unison like scanners. Moreover, most of their eyes were filled with aloofness and disdain. After everyone sat down, Yvette said with a pretentious smile, ¡°Jay, our Grimm family is a prestigious family after all. How can your wedding be so rushed?¡± Yasmine chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. At the end of the day, this is your first wedding. It¡¯s such a loss of face for the Grimm family when you rush through the preparations for this wedding.¡± ¡°Hah! My dear sister, you¡¯re thinking too much. Jay is marrying a woman who¡¯s marrying for the second time. Why are you still worried about the loss of face?¡± Yvette said to Yasmine. When Joanna heard this, her face turned pale at once. She felt dizzy. There were so many elders, and she was already confused. She could not tell which elder was which! Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Yasmine, your words are too unpleasant. Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t take offense. She¡¯s more outspoken.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t answer. She simply sat there quietly. At this point, it was better to speak less. The more she said, the more they would criticize. ¡°Marriage isn¡¯t child¡¯s y. I can¡¯t believe that Jay is suddenly getting married.¡± ¡°Here I was wondering which wealthy family¡¯s well¨Cborn daughter he had taken a fancy to. Who would have thought¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression changed at once when he heard that! Just when the atmosphere became very strained, a beautifully dressed young girl ran down from upstairs. ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯re finally back. I missed you so much!¡± Grace Grimm ran over and hugged Jaydon excitedly. Jaydon and Grace were born of the same mother so they were on the best terms with each other. ¡°Jaydon, has your leg healed? I was so worried about you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s healed!¡± Thereafter, another man in a suit came down from upstairs. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Cassius Grimm!¡± Cassius carried himself in a more refined manner, and his actions were more gentlemanly. ¡°Joann, this is my eldest brother!¡± ¡°Hello, Cassius! Joanna stood up politely. ¡°Jaydon, are you really getting married?¡° Jaydon smiled and stroked Grace¡¯s head, ¡°Yes!¡± Grace scrutinized Joanna closely and her face was full of disdain. If Joanna had never married before, she would then be suitable for Jaydon. However, now, not only was Joanna remarrying, but she also had three children with another man. Grace really did not understand what Jaydon liked about this kind of second¨Chand woman. Chapter 386 Chapter 386 ¡°Jaydon, aren¡¯t you too flippant in your choice of girlfriend? ¡°This Ms. Haynes is a famous person! Are you sure you want to marry her?¡± Grace Grimm said bluntly. Jaydan Grimm¡¯s expression changed at once. Joanna also frowned and her nails subconsciously dug into her palm. ¡°Grace, how can you say that? This is your future second sister¨Cinw!¡± Grace gave a scornful sneer and replied arrogantly, ¡°Imph! I am not acquainted with any second sister¨C inw. Jaydon, your taste is getting worse.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he was downright furious. He said icily, ¡°Grace, if you continue to be so rude, I¡¯m going to get angry.¡± ¡°Jay, Grace is still young. Don¡¯t quibble with her on such trivial matters.¡± Jaydon was not in the mood to say anything else. He subconsciously looked at Joanna. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be angry¡­¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°I won¡¯t be angry. After all, she¡¯s just a child!¡± Joanna said and smiled at Jaydon. Let these people say whatever they want! Besides, she had heard worse things than that. Anyway, the person she was marrying was Jaydon Grimm, not his family. Moreover, in her view, she was only marrying Jaydon to repay him. As they were talking¡­ Tim Grimm came out of the room upstairs. Behind him was his new wife, a beautiful girl in her twenties. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Dad¡¯sing down.¡± Jaydon adjusted his expression and went forward to greet the older man. ¡°Dad.¡± Tim seemed very happy to see Joanna. He patted Jaydon¡¯s shoulder affectionately. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Joanna also went forward to greet the older man politely. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Join us for a meal!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Once Tim had spoken, no one dared to say anything else. In the Grimm family¡¯s dining hall, everyone sat around the long table. It felt like some kind of reunion party. Tim liked lively atmospheres. Usually, when he ate, he would have his whole family with him. The food was apportioned beforehand, and the servants would serve each te to everyone. As for Joanna, this was the first time she was eating at the same table with so many people. During the entire meal, she felt as if her back was drenched in sweat. After the meal, Tim summoned Jaydon and Joanna to the study. After all, his son was getting married. As a father, he naturally had to give his blessings. ¡°Jay, since you and Joanna are getting married, you have to get along well with each other in the future! This is a small gift 1 prepared for you. I wish you two a happy marriage.¡± As Tim spoke, he handed a bank card to his son. ¡°There are 20 million dors in this card¡¯s ount. Take it as my wedding gift to you two. Use it to invest or buy a house. Do whatever you want. This is my small token to you two.¡± No gift was as practical as money, so Tim chose to prepare some money for his son. Jaydon took the bank card. ¡°Thank you, Dad¡± Tim turned to look at Joanna and said happily, ¡°As for my daughter¨Cinw¨Cto¨Cbe, I have also prepared a gift for you.¡± With that, Tim gestured to the servant beside him as he smoked his cigar. The servant beside him immediately brought the gift box that had been prepared earlier to Joanna. ¡°This is Mr. Tim Chapter 386 Grimm¡¯s wee gift for you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tensed up as she thanked the older man cautiously. ¡°Open it and take a look!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna opened the gift box carefully. Inside the gift box was a diamond ne. The pendant was a huge blue sapphire. Upon seeing this, Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened abruptly. This was the Blue Enchantress that was auctioned offst year. Its value exceeded 10 million dors. Joanna did not expect Tim to be so generous to her when she had not even married into the Grimm family yet. ¡°Oh, thank you, Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯m already old. I may not be able to help much with your wedding! You guys can do whatever you want. If you need to prepare anything, just tell the butler to choose the best.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± After you get married, you have to settle your heart down. Get along well with each other.¡± ¡°I know!¡± It was rare for Jaydon to be so satisfied with his father¡¯s provision. Tim took another puff of his cigar. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Since you two are getting married,e home and stay with us. ¡°You¡¯ve been wandering outside for so long. It¡¯s time for you toe home. I¡¯m getting old. I hope to have you guys by my side.¡± Jaydon frowned when he heard that. ¡°Dad, I still want to make a name for myself outside.¡± Tim was taken aback, but he still sighed deeply. ¡°Alright! No matter what you do, I will always support you.¡± Anyway, he had many sons, so he did not need to count on Jaydon to be his sessor. Tim gave a few more simple instructions before leaving. Downstairs, everyone was indignant. ¡°Is Dad out of his mind? Jaydon married a second¨Chand woman. Not only did Dad not object, but he even prepared such an expensive gift for her.¡± Grace grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know what Jay is thinking either. There are so many decent youngdies from prestigious families. Why did he have to pick a piece of second¨Chand goods?¡± ¡°This woman Ms. Haynes is not as simple as she appears. I heard that her ex¨Chusband is Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Who cares who her ex¨Chusband is? If she wants to marry into our Grimm family, she has to abide by our Grimm family¡¯s rules.¡± In the study, Jaydon asked Joanna with a smile, ¡°Joann, what do you think?¡± He was worried that Joanna could not get used to it. Joanna smiled. ¡°Pretty good!¡± ¡°There are so many people in my family. I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to take it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, they¡¯re your elders. They can say whatever they want!¡± ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you¡¯re not angry!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get angry so easily!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go out!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Jaydon and Joanna returned to the living room again. ¡°Oh, we didn¡¯t prepare any gifts for you. After all, we didn¡¯t know whether Jay was joking?¡± Joanna gave augh. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Yvette Grimm took off the ne on her neck resentfully and said perfunctorily, ¡°I¡¯ll give you this pearl ne!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so precious. It¡¯s better that you keep it!¡± Chapter 386 ¡°Ms. Haynes, are you looking down on my gift?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no. I just don¡¯t want to snatch what others like! The things that you carry by your side must be Madam Yvette. It¡¯s not good to give this to me now!¡± Yvette was so angry that her expression changed at once. Beep! Beep! Beep! your favorites, Right at this moment, Jaydon¡¯s phone rang. He picked up his phone and saw that it was a call from Carmel Basil. Jaydon¡¯s expression changed at once. He immediately said, ¡°Joann, I have to take this call!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± ¡®Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Carmel gave augh. ¡°Mr. Grimm, congrattions!¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I just miss you!¡± ¡°Why are you looking for me? If there¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m ending the call!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t end the call yet. I need to see you regarding some urgent matter!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I can only tell you when I meet you in person.¡± ¡°What on earth is it?¡± ¡°I told you. I¡¯ll tell you when I meet up with you.¡± Jaydon was even more flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to meet up with you now. Don¡¯t call me during this period¡± ¡°Are you so heartless?¡± ¡°What on earth is the matter? If there¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m ending the call!¡± Jaydon sounded a little impatient. He was going to marry Joanna now. At this juncture, he did not want anyplications! ¡°Mr. Grimm, I think I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Boom! Jaydon felt as if he had been struck by lightning! ¡°What did you say? Say that again?¡± ¡°I said. I think I¡¯m pregnant. It¡¯s almost one month now!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he felt his heart turning cold. ¡°How is that possible? When we¡¯re together, I used contraceptive measures every time.¡± ¡°Even if you used a condom, it can¡¯t 100% prevent pregnancy! What do you think we should do now? Anyway, I¡¯m pregnant!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a sum of money. Look for a ce to abort the child.¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t want to! I need to see you.¡± ¡°Tomorrow afternoon then. Don¡¯t call me during this period.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± After he ended the call, Jaydon¡¯s expression was extremely unsightly. This oue was¡­ How could Carmel Basil possibly be pregnant? ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No¡­ Nothing¡­ Jaydon braced himself and forced a smile, but inwardly, he felt so awful that it seemed like his heart had been scratched by a cat. When she saw his odd reaction, Joanna felt even more puzzled. ¡°What happened exactly?¡± ¡°Everything is fine, honest!¡± ¡°Is everything really fine?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Er¡­ It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go back first!¡± Joanna was surprised momentarily. Beforeing. Jaydon said that he had nned for them to stay here for a few days. Why did he suddenly decide to go back again? ¡°I¡¯ll go say goodbye to Dad!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 387 Chapter 387 ¡°Dad. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Tim Grimm was having his coffee. When he heard that his son was leaving so soon, he looked displeased. ¡°It¡¯s rare for you toe back. Stay for a few days before you leave!¡± Jaydon Grimm said in a grave voice, ¡°No, I still have to settle some matters in Greyport. After the wedding. Joann and I wille back to stay for a while.¡± Tim frowned slightly but he still consented. ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m going¡± With that, Jaydon left the study. Thereafter, the couple bade farewell to the elders one by one After saying goodbye to everyone, Jaydon and Joanna left the Grimm family¡¯s vi and prepared to return to Greyport. On the way back, Jaydon¡¯s expression was clearly much more subdued, and he looked as if he was very restless and uneasy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Jay? Did something happen?¡± Joanna could not help asking again. Jaydon came back to his senses and put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± The suspicion in Joanna¡¯s eyes intensified. ¡°Jay, no matter what happens, you must let me know.¡± She was worried that Bruce Everett had caused trouble again. Jaydon bit his dry upper lip andforted Joanna with a smile. ¡°Indeed there¡¯s a small matter! However, you don¡¯t have to worry. I can handle it.¡± When she saw that he was unwilling to say more. Joanna tactfully shut up and did not continue asking. By the time they returned to Greyport, it was already past 10 pm. The car stopped at the entrance of the Ona ce neighborhood. Jaydon looked at Joanna affectionately ¡°Joann, let me send you to the door!¡± ¡°No need! It¡¯s already sote. You should hurry back and rest.¡± Jaydon did not insist anymore. ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Goodbye¡± ¡°Good night!¡± Jaydon kissed Joanna on the cheek before driving off to his home. He had to settle the matter with Carmel Basil as soon as possible. It had not been easy for him and Joanna to get to where they were today. He could not afford to let anything go wrong again. The next day, Carmel arrived at Nephelene Manor early in the morning. In the past, she often came here to spend the night, so she was familiar with the ce. Jaydon had just woken up when the servant, Zena, came in to report to him. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Miss Basil is here.¡± Jaydon frowned when he heard that. He had told her yesterday he would meet up with her but he did not ask her toe to his house. To his dismay, she actually came to his house. ¡°Take her to the living room!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Jaydon hurriedly put on his clothes and went downstairs. In the living room. Carmel was still dressed provocatively and looked alluring as usual. She was wearing a spaghetti¨Cstrap dress and high heels. She had exquisite makeup on her face and was wearing a strong perfume. She did not look like a pregnant woman at all. ¡°Why did youe to my house?* ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­ I miss you so much!¡± Carmel pouted her tiny mouth and leaned close to Jaydon. Jaydon pushed away her attempt to embrace him in annoyance and subconsciously stared at her abdomen. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you? How are you pregnant when you look like that?¡± When Carmel heard this, she opened her bag and took out a test report. ¡°Let me show you the hospital¡¯s test report. It says it¡¯s almost a month now.¡± Chapter 387 Jaydon took the pregnancy test report and took a look. It did show a pregnancy in the early stage. That¡¯s impossible. The child can¡¯t be mine!¡± Jaydon had always been very cautious about such things. He would always take safety precautions whenever he did it! When Carmel heard this, she pouted her red lips and said in an aggrieved manner, ¡°Mr. Grimm, you mustn¡¯t wrong me! My body and mind belong to you alone! ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, wait for the child to be born and do a paternity test. If the child isn¡¯t yours, I¡¯m willing to ept any punishment!¡± When he saw Carmel¡¯s confident look, Jaydon became even more furious. ¡°Did you tamper with the condom? Are you deliberately plotting against me?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, how can you say that? Condoms cannot 100% guard against pregnancy. This child is a gift from the heavens to us!¡± ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense. You must have tampered with it. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten pregnant so easily.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Jaydon was no fool. Although condoms were not 100% effective at preventing pregnancies, the efficacy could reach 99%. ¡°Mr. Grimm, it¡¯s useless to say anything now. I¡¯m already pregnant. What do you think we should do now?¡± Carmel looked at Jaydon with a pitiful expression. There was a trace of hope in her heart whereby she fantasized that Jaydon would change his mind and marry her for the sake of the child. Obviously, this was just wishful thinking on her part! Without a second thought, Jaydon replied icily, ¡°Go and abort the child!¡± Although she had expected this oue, Carmel¡¯s heart still ached as if she had been pierced by a needle when she heard Jaydon say this without hesitation. ¡°No, this is our child.¡± ¡°Do you know that I¡¯m getting married soon? You can¡¯t keep this child.¡± Carmel also decided to risk it all. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether you get married or not. I only want our child.¡± ¡°No!¡± Jaydon objected harshly. When she saw that he was so determined, Carmel swallowed her pride. She could only make a concession and continue to be his lover. As long as he agreed to let her keep the child, she was willing to ept this arrangement even if it meant hers would be an illegitimate child. ¡°Mr. Grimm, why don¡¯t¡­ I give birth to this child? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t affect your marriage. I just want a child for both of us¡­¡± Carmel hugged Jaydon tightly from behind as she spoke. Jaydon struggled for a while and pushed Carmel away viciously. ¡°Get away from me!¡± Carmel¡¯s high heel twisted and she fell onto the sofa. ¡°Argh! It hurts!¡± ¡°Name your price! How much do you want for the abortion?¡± Chapter 388 Chapter 388 ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± Carmel Basil could not help weeping. Although she knew that Jaydon would never marry her, after being with him for so long, she still fantasized that he would have a trace of true love for her. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. I won¡¯t let you give birth to this child. If I had known that you were such a scheming woman, I wouldn¡¯t have touched you at all.¡± This sentence hurt Carmel¡¯s self¨Cesteem thoroughly. ¡°Alright! Since you insist on not having this child. I agree to abort it. ¡°However, you have to give me 20 million dors! And you have to guarantee that I¡¯ll be the female lead in all thepany¡¯s films.¡± Faced with Carmel¡¯s exorbitant demand, Jaydon could not help giving a sneer. ¡°Hah! Are you nuts?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm. With your worth, you should have no problem forking out 20 million dors. Anyway, if you don¡¯t give me the money, I¡¯ll give birth to the child. *After the child is born. I¡¯ll bring it to Mr. Tim Grimm. I don¡¯t believe that he won¡¯t acknowledge this grandchild!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he suddenly felt as if he had swallowed a fly. He had really misjudged the woman who used to be so obedient in front of him. She had been pretending all along. ¡°If you insist on giving birth, then it¡¯s up to you! I won¡¯t take responsibility anyway, and I won¡¯t give you a single cent for living expenses.¡± Carmel was so angry that her heart hurt. She began sobbing sadly. ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t you have any feelings for me and the child? I¡¯ve been with you for three years after all. Even if you raised a cat or dog, you should have some feelings for it. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t push me too far. If you push me too far, I¡¯ll fight you to the death.¡± When Jaydon heard that, he let out a deep breath. He might be a yboy but he was not a ruthless, cold¨Chearted man. Although he had no love for Carmel, she had been with him for so long after all. He could not possibly not give her a single cent. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 10 million aspensation. Go and abort the child immediately.¡± Carmel was stunned and cried even harder. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I don¡¯t want money. Can you let me give birth to the child? ¡°I swear I won¡¯t disrupt your marriage¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital now and get rid of the child. ¡°Carmel, you¡¯re still very young! There are still many opportunities to meet better men. Don¡¯t let a child ruin your whole life! Jaydon rejected Carmel¡¯s request firmly. ¡­ Alright! Since you don¡¯t want this child, I¡¯ll abort it! Transfer the money!¡± Jaydon frowned deeply. ¡°No, I want to go to the hospital with you personally.¡± ¡°What if I abort the child and you don¡¯t give me the money?¡± ¡°Am I that kind of person? Don¡¯t worry. The moment you get on the gynecological chair, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you immediately.¡± When Carmel heard this, she swallowed once resentfully. 10 million dors for a child wasn¡¯t really a bad deal to her. ¡°Let me think about it!¡± As the two were talking, the servant Zena came in again. ¡°What is it?¡± Zena nced at Carmel and said somewhat nervously, ¡°Mr. Grimm, Ms. Haynes is here!¡± When Jaydon heard this, his skin tensed up. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes is here. She¡¯s outside the entrance now.¡± Jaydon hurriedly looked out of the window. Sure enough, Joanna Haynes was standing in the courtyard. 1/3 11:59 Chapter 388 Fortunately, people outside could not see the people inside the house through the window ss. ¡°Why did Joann suddenlye over? Go entertain her first.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Grium.¡± Joanna rarely took the initiative toe to his ce. Jaydon did not expect Joanna toe to his house in person today! If she saw Carmel Basil, the consequences would be unimaginable. ¡°Carmel, go into the room immediately, and don¡¯te out!¡± Jaydon said as he grabbed Carmel¡¯s arm and dragged her towards one of the side bedrooms. ¡°Mr. Grimm, you¡¯re hurting me!¡± ¡°Hurry up! Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense.¡± Jaydon pushed her into the side bedroom and locked the door from outside. The moment he finished doing this, Zena led Joanna in. Jaydon subconsciously straightened his clothes and walked toward Joanna. ¡°Joann, why are you here?¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon and smiled gently. ¡°I saw that you looked troubledst night. I was afraid that something had happened to you, so I specially came to visit you today.¡± Jaydon¡¯s two eyes darkened and he smiled awkwardly. ¡°Oh, I caught a cold yesterday. I¡¯m much better after sleeping one night!¡± ¡°Why is this ce so messy?¡± ¡°Er¡­ I identally broke the ss just now!¡± Jaydon said as a guilty look shed across his eyes. When Joanna heard this, she looked at Jaydon even more suspiciously! She kept getting the feeling that his reaction was strange! Jaydon looked into her eyes and gave a hollowugh. ¡°Joann, I haven¡¯t eaten yet. I¡¯m a little hungry now. Let¡¯s go out for lunch!¡± ¡°¡­ Alright!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go upstairs and change.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Jaydon was afraid that Joanna would find out that Carmel was also here. He just wanted to take Joanna out of the house quickly. tter! A sound was heard from the side bedroom. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Joanna heard themotion and subconsciously walked toward the side bedroom. Right at this moment, Jaydon hurried out of the room. Although he said that he was changing, he only put on an outer jacket. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m done changing. We can go now.¡± Joanna was surprised. ¡­ Oh, alright!¡± Jaydon was afraid that Joanna wanted to investigate further. He quickly put his arm around her shoulder and they walked. toward the door together. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Anything is fine!¡± After the couple left, Zena quickly took out the key and unlocked the door to the side bedroom. ¡°Miss Basil, are you alright?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Carmel was so angry that her face turned purple. She left in a huff. Jaydon drove away with Joanna. Along the way, Jaydon kept trying to make small talk to case the awkwardness, but Joanna could still see the anxiety in his eyes. Something thorny must have happened to Jaydon, but he didn¡¯t dare to tell her! The more he didn¡¯t tell her, the more uneasy Joanna felt. ¡°Jay, are you really alright?¡± ¡°Joann, you¡¯re thinking too much. What can possibly happen to me?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good if there¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just worried¡­¡± Joanna suddenly stopped mid¨Csentence. 11.506 Chapter 388 She was really worried that Bruce had been stirring up trouble behind her back again! However, judging from Jaydon¡¯s reaction, it seemed to have nothing to do with Bruce. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just focus on being a bride!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± After their meal, the two of them still had to go to the hotel and prepare invitations and other things rted to the wedding. Although there were servants helping them, it was better that they prepared some of the detailed stuff personally. The two of them were busy the entire day. The matters rted to the wedding were basically all in order. In the evening¡­ Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang again and the call was from Bruce again. ¡°Jay, I have to take this call!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Go ahead!¡± ¡°Hello!¡± Joanna walked to the bathroom and answered the call. Bruce¡¯s sullen voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Joanna, where are you now?¡± Chapter 389 Chapter 389 Joanna Haynes frowned and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something urgent?¡± Bruce Everett said icily. ¡°I want to see you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not free now. Let¡¯s do it another day!¡± ¡°No! Come at once! If you don¡¯t. I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± Other than threatening her, Bruce really had no better way to get Joanna toe and see him. ¡°Bruce, can you stop acting like this? If you continue to act like this, we can¡¯t even remain friends anymore.¡± With that, Joanna ended the phone call. She could not tolerate his foul habit of coercing her every time! She had already decided to marry Jaydon Grimm. No matter how difficult the road ahead was, she was duty¨Cbound not to turn back. At the hospital.. tter! After Joanna ended the phone call, Bruce mmed the phone on the floor viciously. Thereafter, he struggled to sit up from the bed. The more Joanna ignored him, the more reckless and agitated he became. Andy and the others heard themotion and hurriedly entered the ward to check. ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you up? Your wound hasn¡¯t healed yet. Lie down quickly. If your wound opens up¡­ Bruce¡¯s face turned ashen. ¡°I want to be discharged immediately.¡± When Andy heard this, he got a big shock. ¡°Mr. Everett, you just had surgery yesterday. How can you be discharged so quickly That¡¯s right. What if something happens to your body?¡± Bruce¡¯s temper red up. He roared angrily, ¡°I said I want to be discharged at once. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± When Andy and Kody heard this, they did not dare to argue anymore and quickly went out to settle the discharge procedures. In the car¡­ Beep Beep! Beep! After Bruce left the hospital, he called Carmel Basil straightaway with a dour expression. ¡°Hello¡± ¡°Miss Basil, it¡¯s me, Bruce Everett!¡± Carmel¡¯s heart tensed up. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Miss Basil, how far have you gone with what I asked you to do?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. I¡¯m already pregnant. However, I can¡¯t possibly give birth to this child.¡± I told you to announce your pregnancy at their wedding!¡± When Carmel heard this, she was a little afraid. ¡°Mr. Everett, if I really do this, my path to stardom will be ruined! That little bit of money you gave me can¡¯tst me for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°Hmph¡® I can help you bear your losses. If you don¡¯t do as I say, you can forget about staying in the entertainment industry. in the future.¡± Carmel¡¯s heart felt suffocated. Only then did she feel a lingering fear. Whether it was Bruce Everett or Jaydon Grimm, they were all not people she could afford to offend. Alright! Let me think about it.¡± After thinking about it, Carmel decided to take a gamble. After ending the call, Bruce¡¯s expression was still terrifyingly ominous. ¡°Joanna Haynes, I will never let you marry Jaydon Grimm!¡± Gasp! Chapter 389 ¡°Mr. Everett, your wound is bleeding¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Send me to the office.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Beep! Beep! Beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang again. This time the call was from Andy. ¡°Hello, Andy. What¡¯s wrong now?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett has been discharged!¡± Joanna was shocked. ¡°What? He just had surgery yesterday. How can he be discharged today?¡± ¡°Exactly! We couldn¡¯t persuade him, but he insisted on being discharged.¡± Joanna¡¯s head hurt when she heard that. ¡°So where is he now?¡± ¡°He has already gone back to the office!¡± ¡°Does he want to die? How can he be so willful? Why didn¡¯t you guys stop him?¡± ¡°You know Mr. Everett¡¯s temper. How can we possibly stop him?¡± ¡°Let him be then! Just let him do whatever he wants!¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°But¡­..¡± Andy wanted to say something but hesitated. Joanna¡¯s heart was also in turmoil. Bruce had just undergone surgery yesterday, but he ran out of the hospital today. Based on his personality, he might go drinking again! This vile bastard was really good at making people worry. However, Joanna did not dare to care too much about Bruce. The more she cared about him, the more he would push his luck. After thinking about it, Joanna could only call her daughter. Other people might not be able to persuade Bruce, but sometimes, Lilia was able to do it. ¡°Hello, Lilia baby.¡± ¡°Mommy, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Hmm. Mommy is at home now!¡± ¡°Oh. Mommy, I miss you so much. When are youing to visit me?¡± ¡°Hmm. I will go and visit all of you when I am free! Lilia baby, can you call Daddy now and ask Daddy to rest and. recuperate obediently, please?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy is sick, but he¡¯s disobedient and has already run out of the hospital!¡± ¡°Oh, got it. Mommy!¡± ¡°Good girl! Give Mommy a kiss!¡± ¡°Muak!¡± ¡°Mommy, are you really going to marry Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, baby?¡± ¡°Although I quite like Mr. Grimm, I still don¡¯t want Mommy to marry him!¡± Joanna was stumped. She didn¡¯t know how to exin it to her daughter. ¡°Baby, there are some things that you¡¯ll understand when you grow up! You¡¯re still too young now. You won¡¯t be able to understand if Mommy tells you such things now.¡± ¡°Mommy. I just want you and Daddy to be together.¡± ¡°Baby, even if Mommy and Daddy aren¡¯t together, we still love you. ¡°Can you quickly call Daddy now and ask him to return to the hospital obediently for treatment, please?¡± Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Lilia pouted and replied faintly, ¡°Tll call Daddy now.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Good girl.¡± After ending the call, Joanna Haynes couldn¡¯t help sighing. This was all she could do for now. Beep! Beep! Beep! Lilia dialed Bruce Everett¡¯s number. In the office, Bruce sat on the leather chair. His face was terrifyingly ominous, but at the same time, it was ashen white. He had just undergone surgery yesterday. Although it was not a particrly major surgery, the scalpel was still used. It was very damaging to his overall well¨Cbeing. ¡°Hello, baby!¡± On the video call interface, Lilia leaned close to the screen, her big eyes filled with worry. ¡°Daddy, where are you now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression softened and revealed a trace of warmth. No matter how awful his mood was, as soon as he saw his daughter¡¯s adorable face, all the awfulness instantly diminished considerably. ¡°Daddy, did you not listen to the doctor? Did you secretly leave the hospital?¡± Lilia stared with her big eyes. Her tiny face revealed a sensible manner that was totally incongruous with her young age. Bruce¡¯s eyes darted around. He did not want his daughter to worry and feel disappointed. ¡°Er¡­ no!¡± ¡°Daddy is lying. Daddy is clearly not in the hospital. Daddy, I am very worried and I don¡¯t want Daddy to be sick.¡± Bruce let out a tired breath. ¡°My good baby, Daddy is fine.¡± ¡°Daddy, can you go back to the hospital obediently? Listen to the doctor and have your illness treated, Lilia said as her tiny mouth turned downward. She looked like she was about to cry. When he saw this. Bruce¡¯s heart almost melted. ¡°My good baby, don¡¯t cry. Daddy will go to the hospital now, okay?¡± When Lilia heard this, her puckered¨Cup face broke into a smile instantly. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Daddy must listen to the doctor obediently. When Daddy recovers, I will make a cake for Daddy to eat.¡± *Haha! Okay.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. His chilly, malicious eyes instantly turned into two misty pools of hot springs. It had to be said that his daughter was his weakness, and she had brought him countless heartwarming moments of healing. ¡°Then when Daddy returns to the hospital, you have to give me a video call. You mustn¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s a hand heart for Daddy. Muak!¡± The little girl smiled sweetly, pouted her tiny mouth, and blew Bruce a big kiss. ¡°Baby, let¡¯s end the video call. Daddy will go to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Bye, Daddy.¡± After talking to his daughter on the phone, Bruce¡¯s mood was lifted considerably. Now, the only thing that could make him feel kinship was his daughter. At Nephelene Manor, Jaydon Grimm called Carmel Basil repeatedly, but he couldn¡¯t get through. He had already agreed to give her 10 million dors to abort the child. However, now, Jaydon had suddenly lost contact with Carmel. This made him feel very uneasy and he could not sit still at all. Today was already the 5th of August. The wedding ceremony was only three days away. Carmel was like a time bomb that kept him on tenterhooks all the time. Jaydon was troubled, and Joanna was equally troubled. Thepany¡¯s matters were in a mess. With the withdrawal of a few major shareholders, the foundation of the Haynes Group had been shaken. She had pledged the bulk of her shares as coteral to the bank. If she could not redeem them in a short period of time, the Haynes Group might really have to change its ownership. The heavy pressure was like mountains crushing her, making it hard for her to breathe. As the news of Joanna and Jaydon¡¯s marriage spread, Jennie Garcia began scheming again. Chapter 390 The next day, at the Everett Group¡¯s office. Bruce was working hard on the backlog that had umted during this period of time. Andy knocked on Bruce¡¯s office door and entered. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia is here. She¡¯s waiting downstairs in the lobby.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Why is she here again? I don¡¯t have time to entertain her.¡± ¡°Miss Garcia said that she has something important to discuss with you. If she doesn¡¯t get to see you today, she won¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°How troublesome. Let her in then!¡± ¡°Sure. Andy replied and left the office. Fifteen minutester, Andy led Jennie Garcia to Bruce¡¯s office. Jennie was carrying arge insted food container in her hand and she walked to the desk with a beaming smile. ¡°Bruce, I heard that you were sick, so I specially made some soup for you!¡± Bruce did not even look up as he continued to flip through the documents in his hand. He replied perfunctorily. ¡°Thank you.¡± *Bruce, stop for a while. You have to drink this soup while it¡¯s hot. It will lose its nutrition if it gets cold.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Leave it there first!¡± Jennie looked worried. She attempted to go behind the desk and reduce the distance between her and Bruce. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re still sick. How can you torture your body like this?¡± Bruce became impatient. ¡°Jennie, is there anything else? If not, please get out!¡± When Jennie heard this, her pretty face instantly turned red. ¡°Bruce, do you hate me very much?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then why are you always so aloof to me? What is it about me that¡¯s bad?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing bad about you,¡± Bruce replied brusquely. He had totally no intention of flirting with her. Jennie Garcia was not his type at all, to begin with. In addition, he was feeling exasperated and did not want to say anything superfluous. When she saw Bruce¡¯s impatience. Jennie took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce, I know you¡¯re annoyed. But Ms. Haynes is already engaged. Why can¡¯t you let it go?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Who said I can¡¯t let it go?¡± ¡°Bruce, just let bygones be bygones! The weather is very good today. Why don¡¯t we go out for a cruise in the sea?¡± I¡¯m not in the mood!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Jennie tried to flirt coquettishly. Unfortunately, her actions made Bruce feel even more disgusted. ¡°I have to work now. Please leave!¡± *¡­ Bruce, I¡­ I really like you a lot. Can¡¯t you give me a chance?¡± Jennie said. She could not care less about being reserved anymore and reached out to hug his arm. Jennie had always been confident in her charm. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. However, she simply could not conquer Bruce Everett. Nevertheless, she had always liked challenges with a high level of difficulty. The more unattainable a man was, the more she wanted him to kneel at the foot of her scarlet dress. ¡°Jennie, stop fooling around!¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes turned red¨Crimmed. She leaned her head on Bruce¡¯s arm on her own ord. ¡°What¡¯s so bad about me that makes your hate me so much?¡± Bruce¡¯s face clouded over at once. He pushed Jennie away brusquely and pressed the inte. In less than a minute, Andy pushed the door open and entered. ¡°Mr. Everett, what are your instructions?¡± ¡°Andy, see Miss Garcia out.¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Everett.¡± Andy hurriedly stepped forward and made a respectful and polite gesture of invitation. ¡°Miss Garcia, please leave this ce.¡± Jennie was so angry that her heart hurt and her eyes turned even more red¨Crimmed. ¡°Bruce¡­ Are you really so heartless? Chapter 390 ¡°I¡¯m here to bring you some soup out of goodwill. Why are you treating me like this?¡± ¡°Take this soup out too. Don¡¯t bring anything again in the future!¡± Bruce added icily. He was in no mood to drink the soup Jennie made. Andy then picked up the insted food container. ¡°Miss Garcia, let me see you out!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Chapter 391 Chapter 391 Jennie Garcia was rudely subbed again and left resentfully. At the secretary¡¯s desk, Mark watched as Jennie¡¯s svelte back profile left. He could not help clicking his tongue. ¡°Sigh! It¡¯s good to be rich and good¨Clooking! Rich, beautiful women keep throwing themselves at him one after another. Tsk! ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Miss Garcia is so beautiful and has such a hot figure, yet Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t like het.¡± ¡°We probably won¡¯t be able to experience the joy Mr. Everett gets to enjoy in our lifetime!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Otherwise, why do all men want to be rich!¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Is that Princess Martha still calling Mr. Everett?¡± Andy¡¯s face sank when he heard that. He replied vaguely, ¡°Yeah. Every single day.¡± ¡°Did you report it to Mr. Everett?¡± Mark continued to gossip. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s for sure¡­ Andy said as he took a sip of coffee in annoyance. After Princess Martha was dumped, she called Bruce every day. Unfortunately, he never answered her calls. Princess Martha had no choice but to call Andy and send him messages. Andy had to pacify her and replied to every message diligently. Thus, theymunicated back and forth. Eventually, Andy fell in love with Princess Martha. However, the disparity between their backgrounds was too great. He also knew that it was impossible for him to end up with Princess Martha, so he could only try his best tofort her. In the blink of an eye, it was already the 8th of August. Jaydon Grimm and Joanna Haynes were going to hold their wedding the next day. At the Hilbert Hotel in Venturas, Joanna had already checked into this hotel one day in advance, She didn¡¯t have many friends in Greyport, so she didn¡¯t invite that many people to the wedding. Cora, Luna, and Tatiana also stayed with Joanna in the hotel together with Miranda, Tracy, and Kelly. There were less than ten people on the bride¡¯s side. At night¡­. Beep Beep! Beep! Jaydon was still worried and gave Joanna a call. ¡°Hello?¡± Jaydon¡¯s gentle voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re trying on the wedding gown and Cora and the rest are trying on the bridesmaids¡® dresses!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he smiled dotingly. ¡°I miss you so much! I really want to go to the hotel to see you now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush? We will be husband and wife tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hehe! That¡¯s true. I¡¯m so excited just thinking about it!¡± ¡°Rest early today. We¡¯ll probably be very busy tomorrow!¡± Joanna reminded Jaydon gently. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Got it. You should rest early too.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Good night.¡± Joanna did not have a house in Venturas, so she was preparing to set off for her wedding from a hotel the next day. The bridal car would being to the entrance of the hotel to pick up the bride. However, this did not affect the wedding¡¯s progression or the wedding protocols. On Jaydon¡¯s side, there were many guests attending the wedding, and there was also a special emcee to be a host for the wedding. The next day, Joanna woke up early in the morning. The makeup artist and stylist began work on Joanna¡¯s makeover. Cora, Luna, and the others had also changed into the bridesmaids¡® dresses. As there were no elders present, Miranda stood in for the elder on the bride¡¯s side. 1/9 11.200 Chapter 391 At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, more than ten bridal cars set off in a majestic convoy for the hotel. There was a joyousmotion outside the hotel. Jaydon brought more than ten groomsmen and they headed for the hotel room together. ¡°We¡¯re here for the bride!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, we have to break the door down!¡± The groomsmen were causing a ruckus! The emcee directed the groomsmen as they livened up the atmosphere. There weren¡¯t many bridesmaids on Joanna¡¯s side, so the bridegroom wasn¡¯t really given a hard time. The room door was opened fairly quickly. ¡°Joann, I love you!¡± Jaydon handed a bouquet of flowers to Joanna. Joanna smiled and took the bouquet. ¡°I love you too.¡± Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the two of them kissed lightly. Jaydon then carried Joanna up with both arms. Thereafter, he walked toward the bridal car. The groomsmen and bridesmaids all set off their firecrackers and scattered flower petals. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Although the scene was not particrly lively, it was heartwarming enough. The bridal car made onep around the city of Venturas before heading for the church. At St. John¡¯s Church, almost all the guests had arrived. The wedding decorations gave the venue a very sacred and heartwarming atmosphere. There were more than tenrge flower wreaths at the entrance, forming a beautiful archway. There was also a long red carpet on the ground. Both sides of the carpeted aisle were filled with seated guests. ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Jaydon Grimm actually married a woman who has married before! Yet he still held a wedding with such great fanfare. It¡¯s reallyughable.¡± ¡°What do you know? This is true love! In the face of true love, all difficulties are not difficulties.¡± ¡°The point is, it¡¯s fine if she¡¯s marrying for the second time, but she still has three children with her ex¨C husband. Moreover, I heard that her reputation in Greyport is very bad. These two are simply not compatible at all.¡± ¡°How are they notpatible? Although the bride is marrying for the second time, she¡¯s very beautiful. You can¡¯t tell that she has given birth before at all.¡± ¡°Hmph! So what if she¡¯s beautiful? Second¨Chand goods are second¨Chand goods! Doesn¡¯t Jaydon Grimm find her shameful?¡± ¡°Shut up! Today is their big day. It won¡¯t be good if they hear you.¡± Some of the richdies were gossiping with each other secretly. Most of Jaydon¡¯s brothers and sisters from the Grimm family did not attend. However, it was better that those people did not attend. Even if they did, they would not be here to send their heartfelt blessings. ¡°The bridal car is here! The bridal car is here!¡± ¡°Wow! The bride is so beautiful. No wonder Jaydon Grimm was so bewitched that he lost his soul.¡± The guests could not help gossiping again. Chapter 392 Chapter 392 Joanna Haynes was wearing a wedding gown and linked arms with Jaydon Grimm. They passed through the flower archway and walked into the church step by step. In terms of appearance, the two of them were really a match made in heaven. They were a good¨C looking couple and were very pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful Joanna was, there was no hiding the fact that she was married before! At the wedding, very few people genuinely offered their blessings. Some people were even guessing how long their marriage wouldst! Inside the church, the priest, decked out in sacred wedding vestment, began officiating the wedding ceremony for the couple. ¡°Mr. Jaydon Grimm, do you take Miss Joanna Haynes to be your wife? Do you promise to love her and to honor her for all the days of your life, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health¡­¡± Jaydon smiled and said solemnly, ¡°I do!¡± ¡°Miss Joanna Haynes, do you take Mr. Jaydon Grimm to be your husband?¡± Joanna raised her head to look at Jaydon. ¡°I do!¡± ¡°You may exchange rings. With the exchange of wedding rings, you two will officially be husband and wife!¡± Jaydon looked deep into Joanna¡¯s eyes. He took the ring and prepared to put it on Joanna¡¯s ring finger. Halfway through the ceremony, a sharp and angry voice rang out suddenly! ¡°I object to their marriage!¡± Bang! The doors of the church were pushed open abruptly and Carmel Basil barged in aggressively. Everyone got a shock and turned to look at Carmel. When Jaydon saw this, his skin tensed up! His worst fears hade true. ¡°Carmel Basil, stop making a scene!¡± Carmel looked at Jaydon icily. ¡°I¡¯m not making a scene. You two can¡¯t get married. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant with your child. You have to take responsibility!¡± Boom! When everyone present heard this, they all raised their eyebrows and were so shocked that their jaws dropped! Joanna was also shocked. She was bbergasted as she looked at Carmel. For the past few days, Jaydon had appeared uneasy and troubled. She had already guessed that something thorny must have happened. Joanna had assumed that it was rted to Bruce Everett all this while. She did not expect it to be connected to Carmel Basil. Carmel walked up to Joanna. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m now pregnant with Mr. Grimm¡¯s child. I don¡¯t object to your marriage. But Mr. Grimm must give me and the child an answer.¡± Joanna was dumbstruck. She could not recover from her shock for a long time. ¡°Joann, I¡­ Let me exin¡­¡± Jaydon instinctively tried to exin. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. However, the truth was right in front of Joanna. Any exnation would appear weak. ¡°Oh, my goodness. Isn¡¯t this the superstar Carmel Basil?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that Jaydon Grimm single¨Chandedly groomed her until she became famous. She was also his secret lover.¡± ¡°Gosh! There¡¯s going to be a good show to watch now! This is even more exciting than filming a movie!¡± ¡°Tsk! Tsk! I didn¡¯te to today¡¯s wedding in vain. I can gawk at all this drama to my heart¡¯s content.¡± ¡°Carmel, leave this ce at one. Stop messing around!¡± Jaydon tried to salvage the situation. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re getting married today. What about me and the child? ¡°This is our child. Can you bear to abandon the child? Jay, I¡¯ve been with you for so long. You can¡¯t abandon us like this!¡± Chapter 392 After saying this, Carmel turned her attention to Joarma again. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. You broke up my rtionship with Jay. If it weren¡¯t for you, Jay wouldn¡¯t have abandoned me and my child Carmel Basil certainly lived up to her reputation as an award¨Cwinning actress in the Best Actress Category. Her acting skills. were superb! She cried bitterly at the wedding and portrayed herself as a victim who had been abandoned very vividly. Joanna inhaled a breath of cold air. She never expected to be assaulted head¨Con by such a matter. ¡°Get out of here at once¡± Tm not leaving I want to seek justice for my child today My baby, it is this vixen here who caused us to be abandoned¡± ¡°Jay. I think you should take care of your private matters! Joanna felt a chill run down her spine and pulled off the veil on her head! Joann. I can exin¡± Jay, my heart is in turmoil. I want to be alone¡± ¡°Joann, this is honestly an ident I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not human.¡­.¡± In the crowd, a man in ck quietly raised a gun and aimed it at Joanna! Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered. Joann, watch out!¡± Bang! The man in ck held up a gun and fired at Joanna without warning! Jaydon reacted quickly and spun around abruptly, shielding Joanna with his body! ¡°Argh¡± Jaydon was shot in the back! ¡°Argh¡® Help! The guests instantly panicked! Jaydon¡¯s back began bleeding profusely! Joanna was shocked ¡°Jay, Jay When he saw that hus shot missed the target, the gunman turned around and ran out. Arge number of bodyguards instantly surrounded Joanna and Jaydon Joann. I do love you I truly love you!¡± ¡°I know You don¡¯t have to say so much. Call an ambnce quickly!* ¡°Mr. Grimm. Mr Grimm, how are you?¡± Carmel was also terrified! She wasn¡¯t the only one who was frightened. Everyone present was also terrified. Nobody expected a criminal tounch an attack here. Soon, Jaydon was carried into an ambnce. The bright red blood stained his white suit until blotches of red appeared all over. Joanna¡¯s hands and face were covered in blood, and her wedding gown was also stained with blood. ¡°Jay, you must hang in there Jay, we¡¯ll be at the hospital soon. You must hold on! I won¡¯t allow anything to happen to you. We still have to get married!¡± ¡°Joann Jaydon kept panting from his mouth and nose. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. I know you love me. Sob¡­ Chapter 393 Chapter 393 The wedding venue was in turmoil, and all the guests fled in fear. The security guards also hurriedly tried to maintain order. Some people called the police, while others hurriedly drove. away. ¡°Drive faster! Faster!¡± Jaydon Grimm was bleeding more and more profusely. Joanna Haynes was so frightened that her mind was aplete. nk. ¡°Jay, you must hold on!¡± Jaydon could not help gasping for air. His eyelids felt so heavy that he could not open his eyes. His face gradually turned pale. ¡°Joann¡­ I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll hate me¡­¡± He was genuinely worried that he had hurt Joanna. He kept wanting to exin desperately. Joanna¡¯s tears kept falling non¨Cstop. She pressed her blood¨Cstained hand tightly on Jaydon¡¯s cheek. ¡°No, I can¡¯t wait to love you. Why would I hate you? Jay, you¡¯re so silly! ¡°Jay, you have to hold on. I won¡¯t allow anything to happen to you.¡± Jaydon smiled bitterly and said weakly, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t hate me, I¡¯ll be at ease¡­ Joann, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to give you happiness in this life. In the next life, I¡¯ll definitely¡­ I¡¯ll definitely¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, Jaydon¡¯s eyelids closed and his head lolled sideways before he lost consciousness. ¡°Jay! Jay!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly widened as she threw herself into Jaydon¡¯s arms and shook his body. ¡°Jay, wake up. You must pull through.¡± The ambnce whizzed through the traffic without stopping for a moment. Less than ten minutester, the ambnce arrived at the hospital. ¡°Someone¡¯s been shot! Doctor, save him quickly!¡± The bodyguards carried Jaydon who was covered in blood and rushed into the hospital. When the doctors and nurses saw this, they were also badly shaken. After all, in this society, it was rare for people to be shot by a gun. Soon, Jaydon was sent to the emergency room. Joanna followed him all the way. The white gown she wore was already covered in blood. She sank down on the bench. outside the emergency room as if all her muscles and bones had been extracted. She was about to have a rpse. The depression that had troubled her for many years made her extremely dispirited. Now that she had suffered such a devastating impact, her entire body could not help trembling, and she could not say a word. ¡°Mr. Jaydon, you must pull through!¡± Orvin and the others were also very anxious. Soon after this, Tim Grimm and his family also rushed over. ¡°How¡¯s Jay?¡± Orvin hurriedly went forward. ¡°Mr. Grimm, they are trying to save Mr. Jaydon in the emergency room!¡± Tim¡¯s face turned ominous and he said icily, ¡°Have they caught the gunman?¡± ¡°No! The criminal came prepared. After firing the shot, he fled. Someone was outside to pick him up.¡± When Tim heard this, his expression became even more ominous. It never urred to him that someone would dare to shoot at his son on his turf. ¡°No matter which gang he¡¯s from, dig him out for me.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Grimm!¡± Cora, Miranda, and the others also followed Joanna closely and rushed to the hospital. ¡°Joann, are you alright?¡± When Miranda saw Joanna¡¯s demeanor, her heart was in her mouth instantly. She quickly took out antidepressant medicine from her bag and handed it to Joanna. ¡°Joann, take the medicine quickly!¡± Joanna took the medicine with trembling hands and swallowed the pill with difficulty. Chapter 393 If she didn¡¯t take the medicine, she wouldn¡¯t be able to control her emotions at all. Grace Grimm¡¯s face clouded over. She stepped forward and gave Joanna a vicious p, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you slut. If Jaydon didn¡¯t try to save you, he wouldn¡¯t have been shot. ¡°You jinx. I really don¡¯t understand why Jaydon could fall for a woman like you.¡± When Miranda saw this, she hurriedly stood in front of Joanna to shield her. ¡°Miss Grimm, please calm down! ¡°The most important thing now is to save Mr. Jaydon.¡± ¡°Hmph! If anything happens to my second brother, you have to pay with your life.¡± ¡°Stop arguing!¡± Tim berated with an ominous expression. The criminal who opened fire at the wedding was obviously not from Venturas¡® local mafia gangs. Tim was involved in both legitimate businesses in civil society and underworld activities. No gang would dare to cause trouble like this. It was obvious that the criminal was here for Joanna. Joanna sat on the bench in a daze. She couldn¡¯t even cry anymore. She really did not understand who she had offended. Why did he have to try to kill her time and again? Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. If Jaydon really died because of her, she would definitely apany him to theherworld. Living would be meaningless to her then. Although there was no real love between her and Jaydon, her rtionship with him had already gone beyond love. Three hourster, the indication lights outside the emergency room finally went out, and the doctor walked out. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my son?¡± Joanna also stood up shakily as if she had been given electric shocks. ¡°The bullet has been removed. We have to keep him under observation in the intensive care unit for a few days. Mr. Grimm¡¯s condition is very perilous. The bullet missed his heart by two millimeters!¡± Tim gasped and said gravely, ¡°No matter what it takes, you must save my son.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best to save Mr. Jaydon. However, Mr. Grimm, you still have to be mentally prepared to ept the worst oue.¡± ¡°No. Nothing must happen to my son. No matter what happens, you must save his life.¡± ¡°We will!¡± The doctor looked nervous. ¡°Jay¡­ Jay¡­¡± Joanna choked as tears streamed down her face. ¡°How dare this fellow strike on the Grimm family¡¯s turf. You have to locate this criminal no matter what it takes.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Grimm!¡± Soon, the media also received the news and published special reports on this matter. ¡°Shooting incident at Venturas. Groom at the wedding was shot.¡± ¡°The police are on high alert after this incident and are sparing no effort to track down the perpetrators.¡± As soon as this news was publicized, the people in both Venturas and Greyport were in an uproar. ¡°Goodness! Who shot him? Who did the Haynes Group¡¯s CEO offend? Why did something happen again?¡± ¡°It must be rted to the earlier explosion incident. I heard that Joanna Haynes¡¯s younger stepbrother was responsible for the earlier explosion!¡± ¡°Huh? That Ryan Haynes hasn¡¯t been caught yet?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s been so long. The police are too useless!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that he fled overseas? Howe he is back again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just conjecture at the moment. After all, Miss Haynes¡¯s younger stepbrother has a criminal record. This incident must be rted to him again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really 100 terrifying!¡± The people in both cities began to gossip and became nosy parkers relishing the spectacle surrounding this incident. Even though the Grimm family deliberately tried to suppress this matter, the inte news was too technologically advanced now and could not be suppressed at all. Chapter 394 Chapter 394 Soon, Bruce Everett heard the news as well. When he heard that someone had fired a shot at the wedding, he was also terribly shocked. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Someone fired a shot at the wedding? Is Joanna okay?¡± Andy reported. ¡°I heard that Jaydon Grimum took a bullet for Miss Haynes. Miss Haynes is fine now. Jaydon Grimm is seriously injured and is still in the hospital undergoing treatment! ¡°It was said that the bullet was two millimeters away from piercing his heart. He¡¯s not out of danger yet. Even if he wakes up, he¡¯ll probably remain in a vegetative state in the future.¡± Bruce gasped when he heard that. Initially, he thought that no one loved Joanna more than him. Now, it seemed that Jaydon Grimm really loved Joanna more than Bruce. If he were in Jaydon¡¯s shoes, he probably wouldn¡¯t have instinctively taken a bullet for Joanna in such an urgent situation. ¡°Then how is Joanna now? Is she very sad?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes has been keeping watch at the hospital. She is definitely not in good spirits.¡± ¡°I understand. You can go!¡± ¡°Alright. Andy answered and turned to leave. After taking two steps, he turned around again. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± ¡°What else is there?¡± ¡°Er¡­ Princess Martha is still calling you on the phone. She maye over next week to look for you in Greyport!¡± Tsk! So annoying. Just ignore her. ¡°Don¡¯t reply to her messages and don¡¯t respond to her anymore.¡± That¡¯s not a good idea. is it?¡± ¡°Just do whatever I tell you to do! Do you understand Bruce¡¯s face clouded over at once. Some women simply didn¡¯t know what was good for them. When a man was clearly ignoring them, why did they insist on pestering him relentlessly? ¡°I understand!¡± Andy did not dare to say anything else and left in a hurry. At the Marhall Hospital in Venturas. In the blink of an eye, the sky had turned darkpletely. Joanna was still sitting outside the door of the intensive care unit. She was not eating or drinking. More than ten hours had passed since the incident. Roxanne looked back and smiled. Although Zachary was not as powerful as Bruce, the Garcia family was also one of the top ten wealthy families in Greyport. It was not a bad choice being Zachary¡¯s lover. ¡°That¡¯s right! Miss Haynes, eat something! Otherwise, your body won¡¯t be able to hold on.¡± Cora also persuaded her. Joanna shook her head dejectedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not hungry!¡± ¡°Joann, you should at least eat a little. You haven¡¯t eaten anything for a day. If you copse, Mr. Grimm will be even more worried if he finds out!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, you have to more or less eat something for Mr. Jaydon¡¯s sake. From the looks of it. Mr. Jaydon won¡¯t be out of the hospital for quite a while. Even if you have to keep watch over Mr. Jaydon, you have to keep up your strength.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart felt so stifled that she couldn¡¯t eat anything. ¡°I really don¡¯t have the appetite to eat anything. Just leave the items here. ¡°Cora, go back with Luna. All of you go back.¡± Joann, how can I leave when you¡¯re like this? Let them go back. I¡¯ll stay here and take care of you, Miranda said with heartache. Joanna did not reject Miranda¡¯s offer after hearing her words. ¡°Miss Haynes, take care of yourself. We¡¯ll go back first!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Chapter 894 Orvin also came over to persuade Joanna. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please leave the hospital now. Don¡¯t keep watch anymore ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave. I have to wait for Jay to wake up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to stay in the hospital anyway. I¡¯ll inform you when Mr. Jaydon wakes up!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t leave no matter what all of you say. I want to keep watch over Jay¡­¡± When Grace Grimmm heard this, she got even angrier. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you slut. It¡¯s all your fault that Jaydon ended up like this. If anything happens to Jaydon, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Joanna did not say anything. She simply waited nkly at the entrance of the intensive care unit. Yvette Grimm was also anxious and angry. ¡°That¡¯s right. She is really a jinx. She hasn¡¯t even married into our family yet, but she has already caused Jay to end up like this! ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of trouble she will cause if she marries into our family. Jay is really blind. There are so many decent youngdies from prestigious families, but he had to choose a piece of second¨C hand goods.¡± Yvette rolled her eyes viciously as she spoke. Joanna was totally unmoved when she heard that. She would just let them say what they wanted. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to defend herself. Miranda¡¯s heart ached as she squeezed Joanna¡¯s shoulders. However, she did not dare to refute the aggressive members of the Grimm family. It was just as she had expected. These people from the Grimm family were not easy to get along with. In her heart, she would rather Joanna and Bruce remarry than see Joanna marry Jaydon. Whenever arge family like this was involved, with so many aunts and sisters¨Cinw, it would never be easy to get along well with them. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. All of you can go!¡± Tim Grimm was also annoyed by the noise and ordered the others to leave. ¡°Dad, then we¡¯ll go off first!¡± ¡°Tim, you¡¯re not in good health. You don¡¯t have to keep watch either!¡± Tim¡¯s turbid eyes darkened. ¡°No, I want to wait for Jay to wake up! As a father, I have to watch over my son.¡± In the blink of an eye, Jaydon had stayed in the intensive care unit for two days. Joanna had also been keeping watch outside the door for two days. Other than Miranda staying back to apany her, everyone else had gone back. Tim was also advanced in years and did not continue to keep watch over Jaydon eventually. However, he came to the hospital to visit every day. ¡°Doctor, how is Jay? Has he regained consciousness?¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± ¡°Can I¡­ go in and see him?¡± ¡°Not yet, for now.¡± Chapter 395 Chapter 395 When Joanna Haynes heard this, she stumbled and almost lost her bnce. Miranda hurriedly supported her. ¡°Joann, how are you?¡± ¡­ I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little dizzy¡± ¡°Look at you. How can you take it if you carry on like this? Before Mr. Jaydon wakes up, you won¡¯t be able to take it anymore.¡± Joanna tried her best to support her body and said groggily, ¡°Miranda, I¡¯m really fine!¡± ¡°Come, quickly lean here and rest for a while! Drink some milk first to replenish your strength.¡± Joanna did not refuse. She opened her mouth and drank a few mouthfuls of milk. Over the past two days, she had not drunk a single drop of water. She had also lost a lot of weight, and her originally thin body had be visibly thinner. Joanna drank a ss of milk and leaned weakly against the bench with her eyes closed for a rest. Beep! Beep! Beep! Miranda¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello! Who is this?¡± Bruce Everett¡¯s voice rang out from the other end of the line. ¡°Hello, this is Bruce Everett.¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett. Hello. Bruce frowned and asked in a low voice, ¡°How¡¯s Joanna?¡± Miranda sighed heavily. ¡°Joann is in a bad state now. She seems to have lost her soul.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached vaguely when he heard that. However, now was not the time to be jealous. ¡°Get her to answer the phone!¡± ¡°Oh, okay Miranda quickly handed the phone to Joanna. Joann, Mr. Everett¡¯s on the line.¡± Over the past few days. Bruce had called Joanna countless times but not a single call got through. In the end, he had no choice but to call Miranda. Joanna held the phone. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s me!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice sounded a little leaden. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. She simply held the phone in a daze. Bruce suddenly did not know what to say. The two of them remained silent for almost a minute. ¡°Er¡­ How¡¯s Jaydon Grimm?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached at once, and tears fell down uncontrobly again. ¡± I¡¯m also very worried when something like this happens. When you stay in Venturas, you have to be careful!¡± ¡°I know,¡± Joanna replied indifferently and ended the call immediately. ¡°Hello? Hello¡­¡± Bruce called out a few times. Unfortunately, the call had already been terminated. On the fifth day. Jaydon was still in critical condition. He was still warded in the intensive care unit every day. As his injuries were too serious, he remained in aa all the while. However, Joanna could go in and see him now! Joanna changed into a sterile hospital gown before walking into the intensive care unit. On the hospital bed, various instruments and tubes covered Jaydon¡¯s body as hey lifelessly on the hospital bed. Joanna felt a lump in her throat and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Jay, can you wake up, please?¡± Joanna gently stroked Jaydon¡¯s head and looked at his pale and pallid face. Her heart ached terribly. Chapter 395 ¡°Jay, you said that you would protect me for the rest of your life and love me for the rest of your life! You can¡¯t abandon me. We still have to spend the rest of our lives together. ¡°Actually, I already knew about you and Carmel Basil. I won¡¯t me you. Can you wake up? As long as you wake up, we can pretend that nothing happened.¡± As Joanna spoke endlessly, she kept praying that Jaydon would wake up. Ten minutester, the doctor came in. ¡°Ms. Haynes, visiting hours are over. You have to leave at once.¡± Joanna did not dare to stay any longer and could only follow the doctor out of the intensive care unit. As soon as she walked out, Joanna could not hold on anymore. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Everything turned ck before Joanna¡¯s eyes and she toppled forward! ¡°Joann, Joann¡­ Someone,e quickly!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She fainted!¡± The doctor examined her. ¡°She¡¯s suffering from hypoglycemia. Quickly send her to the nearest ward. Give her two glucose. injections!¡± Joanna was suffering from serious hypoglycemia, to begin with. For the past few days, she had barely eaten anything. There was no way her body could hold on at all! Joanna was sent to the ward and the doctor gave her the glucose injections. Joanna did not know how long she was unconscious. She suddenly woke up from her dream. ¡°Jay¡­ Jay¡­ ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally awake. Sob, sob!¡± Joanna opened her eyes groggily. What greeted her eyes was Miranda¡¯s anxious expression, as well as Davian and Irvin¡¯s adorable faces. ¡°Davian! Irvin! Why are you guys here?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally awake. Sob, sob!, Daddy sent us here.¡± Upon hearing this. Joanna struggled to sit up. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re very weak now. You must not get up.¡± Davian said through his tears, ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy is fine. Where¡¯s Lilia?¡± ¡°Lilia is sick. Daddy was afraid that there would be germs in the hospital, so he didn¡¯t let Liliae here.¡± ¡°Then where¡¯s Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy is waiting downstairs!¡± After all, Bruce had to avoid arousing suspicion now, so he didn¡¯te up and only let the children come up. ¡°Jay¡­ Is Jay awake?¡± ¡°Not yet. Mr. Jaydon is still in the intensive care unit.¡± Davian potted. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong with Mr. Grimm? Daddy said that Mr. Grimm is going to die. Is that true?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart felt a sharp pang of pain. ¡°¡­ Mr. Grimm is hurt!¡± Irvin said through his tears, ¡°Mommy, can you not marry Mr. Grimm?¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart could not help aching again! ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t cry. You still have us and Daddy. We¡¯re truly one family.¡± ¡°Mommy, can youe back with us?¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, Mr. Grimm was so good to all of you in the past. Now that he¡¯s hurt, how can Mommy leave?¡± Irvin replied, ¡°Mr. Grimm is very good to us, and we like Mr. Grimm very much! But Daddy treats us even better. We only Chapter 395 want Mr. Grimm to be our friend.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, you guys go back with Daddy first! When Mr. Grimm recovers, we¡¯ll go back and visit you guys.¡± ¡°Mommy, do you think that Mr. Grimm is more important than us now?¡± Chapter 396 Chapter 396 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 396 When she heard this, Joanna Haynes felt even more terrible. During this period, she had indeed neglected the children¡¯s feelings. However, sometimes one had no choice but to resign. oneself to fate in life. It was not always possible to do as one pleased. ¡°My babies, why do you think in this way? ¡°No matter what happens, all of you are the most important people to Mommy.¡± As she spoke. Joanna hugged her two sons tightly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Mr. Grimm, Mommy definitely wouldn¡¯t havested until now! And Mommy wouldn¡¯t have been able to raise all of you properly, so we must learn to be grateful!¡± The children were young. They might not understand when Joanna told them these things. Seven years ago, after her divorce from Bruce Everett, that was the most difficult period of her life. Depression coupled with pregnancy difficulties caused her to break down and almostmit suicide several times. This was particrly true in theter stages of her pregnancy. No one could leave her unattended. It was Jaydon Grimm who took care of her during that time, encouraging her, and spurring her on. On the eve of her delivery, she slipped in the bathroom and affected the unborn baby¡¯s condition, resulting in massive bleeding. It was Jaydon who rushed her to the hospital and that enabled the child to be saved. If not for Jaydon, Joanna would not havested until now. One must know when to be grateful and remember the good deeds of others. Therefore, even if Jaydon was a yboy, even if he had a woman outside, Joanna was still willing to marry him. It was not because of love, but because of gratitude. When he saw his Mommy weeping non¨Cstop, Davian stretched out his tiny hand and gently wiped her tears for her. ¡°Mommy, I can understand you. Don¡¯t cry anymore, okay? ¡°Irvin, you mustn¡¯t say such things to hurt Mommy. Mr. Grimm was so good to us and Mommy. He¡¯s hurt now. Mommy should stay and take care of him.¡± When Irvin heard this, he lowered his head in shame. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t be angry with me, okay?¡± ¡°Mommy won¡¯t be angry with you. All of you will always be Mommy¡¯s good babies.¡± Davian had always been surprisingly mature despite his young age whereas Irvin worshiped Bruce Everett more. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore! Everything will get better in the future.¡± Miranda also wiped her tears and comforted the kids. ¡°When Mr. Grimm recovers. Mommy will definitely¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, her heart ached again. It wasn¡¯t that she was unwilling to take care of the children, but Bruce had forcefully taken the children away from her. If she wanted to take care of the children, she had to get Bruce¡¯s approval. The nanny knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Ms. Haynes, it¡¯s time for Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvin to go back.¡± Joanna wiped her tears and looked at the children with a pained but kindly expression. ¡°You guys go back first! Mommy is worried if you stay here.¡± After all, someone had been secretly trying to kill her. If the children stayed for too long, they might be in danger. Davian hugged Joanna¡¯s neck and kissed her. ¡°Mommy, then we¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Be good when you go back. Listen to Daddy. Study hard and take good care of Lilia.¡± ¡°I know, Mommy!¡± The two little fellows kissed Joanna¡¯s face again before leaving very reluctantly. At the parking lot, Bruce was sitting in the car and smoking one cigarette after another. At this moment, he really wanted to go up and see Joanna. However, he was afraid of bumping into the Grimm family members. ¡°Daddy, we¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm. Let¡¯s go!¡± The two little fellows got into the car, and the driver started the car and drove out of the parking lot. ¡°How¡¯s Mommy now?¡± Chapter 396 ¡°Daddy, Mommy is very sad.¡± When Bruce heard this, a hint of disappointment appeared on his handsome face. There was an indescribable feeling in his heart. In the ward, Joanna had recovered some of her strength and immediately got off the bed. She intended to go and see Jaydon. When she saw this, Miranda hurriedly went forward to dissuade her. ¡°Joann, your body is still so weak. Rest more. You haven¡¯t slept for two to three days. If this continues, you won¡¯t be able to take it. Joanna took a deep breath and insisted on walking toward the door of the ward. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to keep watch over Jay!¡± Outside the intensive care unit, Joanna kept watch as usual.. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Through the monitoring screen, she could see Jaydon¡¯s situation. ¡°Jay, you must wake up! Dear heavens, you must give Jay your blessing. As long as he cane round, I¡¯m willing to exchange my life for his¡­¡± Joanna prayed ardently every day, hoping that a miracle could happen. She already owed Jaydon too much. If she owed him her life this time, she would live in pain forever. In the Grimm family¡¯s vi, after Jaydon met with such a major incident, over the past few days, some Grimm family members rejoiced while others wept. His half¨Cbrothers were even looking forward to his death. After all, they could get a bigger share of the family assets with one less person. Tim Grimm, on the other hand, was heartbroken. He seemed to have aged a lot overnight. Jaydon was his favorite child. He really could not ept the tragedy of an elderly man like himself sending his young son off on his final journey. In the study. Tim sat on an antique regal armchair. His face was full of wrinkles, making him look even more vicious and imposing. Carmel Basil stood opposite the desk and looked at Tim anxiously. After Jaydon met with a mishap, she was thoroughly terrified and fled back to Greyport overnight. Today. Tim ordered someone to forcefully bring her to the Grimm family¡¯s residence. ¡°Miss Basil, is the child in your belly really Jay¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­¡± Carmel replied fearfully. ¡°Give birth to the child!¡± Tim smoked his cigar and frowned with a sinister expression. ¡°Huh?¡± Carmel was utterly shocked. ¡°I want you to give birth to the child!¡± Tim blew out a mouthful of smoke and repeated Now, his son¡¯s fate was unknown. No matter what happened, he had to leave a descendant for his son. Carmel¡¯s eyes darted around and she gasped surreptitiously. Most people in the entertainment industry were pragmatic and valued money above all else. Although she liked Jaydon, he might die now. Even if he didn¡¯t die, he would probably remain in a vegetative state. Carmel was still in the prime of her youth. Although she felt sad, she still had a long life ahead of her and could look for another man. If she really gave birth to this child now, her life would be ruined. Moreover, the Grimm family¡¯s interpersonal rtionships were tooplicated. Most of the family members were quite cold¨Cblooded and tyrannical. It was very likely that after she gave birth to the child, the Grimm family would only acknowledge the child and not the mother. Carmel might not get any benefits. ¡°Mr. Grimm, L¡­ I can give birth to this child, but I¡¯m just worried that I can¡¯t afford to raise it¡­¡± Before she could finish, Tim¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°What a joke. How can our Grimm family not be able to raise a child?¡± ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant. What I mean is I have to put the rest of my life in order before I can provide a good life for the child!¡± Carmel stammered as her eyes darted around uneasily. It was fine if they wanted her to give birth to this child, but the Grimm family had to give her enough money! Otherwise, she would not be so stupid as to give birth to this child. ¡°Just give birth to the child. You don¡¯t have to raise it yourself.¡± Chapter 397 Chapter 397 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 397 ¡°This is¡­¡± After hearing this, Carmel hesitated even more. She had to take the opportunity to get somepensation. Otherwise, who knew what would happen to her after the child was born? ¡°Mr. Grimm, although I¡¯m pregnant with Jay¡¯s child, I still have to live! Besides, if I really give birth to this child out of wedlock, what will I live on for the rest of my life? ¡°Therefore, I won¡¯t give birth to this child unless you can ensure that I can live afortable life for the rest of my life.¡± Tim frowned and his tone sounded quite displeased. ¡°Don¡¯t bargain with me! When the child is born, the Grimm family will not treat you badly.¡± Carmel was still not rest assured. She liked to talk about things openly. She didn¡¯t like this kind of way of painting a big picture. Now Tim said that they would not mistreat her. But who knew what would happen after the child was born? ¡°Then it¡¯s better to make it clear now, right? As you know, it¡¯s very difficult to survive in the entertainment industry. If I give birth to this child, I¡¯ll lose my job. Who willpensate for this?¡± The more Tim listened, the more irritated he became. These women only cared about money. If she did not mention money, the Grimm family would definitely not let her be short of money because they were such a wealthy family. However, she kept asking for money by all means and didn¡¯t actually care about Jaydon at all, which was really repulsive. ¡°Wait till thebor first! *During this period of time, you¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere. You must stay here and wait for delivery.¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t think you should make me do that!¡± Timpletely lost his patience. He stubbed out the cigar in the ashtray and said to the bodyguard beside him, ¡°Keep her under guard. If anything happens to the child, she doesn¡¯t need to be kept alive anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Grimm!¡± the bodyguard said and went forward to snatch her arm. ¡°Miss Basil, pleasee with me.¡± Carmel¡¯s arm was in pain when the bodyguard snatched her like that. She cked out and almost lost her bnce. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯m willing to give birth to this child, but you can¡¯t restrict my personal freedom! ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± Two bodyguards grabbed her under the armpits and dragged her out. In the Marhall Hospital. After Tim finished dealing with Carmel, he came to visit his son as usual. ¡°Doctor, what are the chances of my son waking up?¡± The doctor¡¯s expression was quite serious as he said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­ it¡¯s about a 10% chance.¡± When Tim heard this, he could not help but take another deep breath as his eyes turned red. Joanna listened from the side. Her already bloodshot eyes turned even redder. She could no longer shed another tear because she had cried too much and her eyes were all swollen. ¡°Ms. Haynes, if my son doesn¡¯t wake up¡­¡± Before Tun could finish, Joanna replied sadly, ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t worry. If Jay doesn¡¯t wake up, I¡¯ll die with him.¡± Tim was stunned. He looked up at Joanna. Although she looked haggard, her eyes still looked firm and calm, filled with tenderness and unyieldingness at the same time. And that made her contradictory and special. No wonder his son loved her so much. If Tim was thirty years younger, he would probably fall for such a woman too. ¡°Alright, you have to keep your word! If you can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll help you myself.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Grimm!¡± ¡°If Jay bes a vegetable, you¡¯re not allowed to marry anyone else, and you have to take care of him for the rest of your life. Chapter 397 I know!¡± Joanna replied in despair. Jaydon became like this cause of her. If Jaydon hadn¡¯t taken the bullet for her, she would probably be the one who was lying here now. ¡°Good luck!¡± Tim patted Joanna¡¯s shoulder and left the hospital. After Tim left, Miranda sighed. ¡°The Grimm family is too bossy. How can he threaten you like this? ¡°Even if Mr. Grimm really can¡¯t wake up, they can¡¯t just drag you down for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°Miranda, please stop talking. I can¡¯t think straight right now and I need some space to think.¡± Miranda frowned and said, feeling bad for Joanna, ¡°Alright! Just sit here and have a rest. I¡¯ll go out and buy you something to eat.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna sat weakly on the chair. Her head was in a mess right now, and she felt dizzy and confused. Beep, beep, beep! Her phone rang again. Joanna took out her phone and looked at it silently. It was Ethan. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Ethan¡¯s deep and anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, is this a good time?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Ethan sighed deeply. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t have called you at this time. However, thepany¡¯s in trouble again.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°What happened to thepany again?¡± ¡°The bank president is now urging us to repay the debt. He said that the Haynes Group¡¯s share price has fallen drastically and there¡¯s a risk of delisting. If we don¡¯t repay the debt, we just have to forcefully auction the mortgaged shares.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna suddenly stood up. Unfortunately, she had hypoglycemia. After she suddenly stood up, she cked out. She could no longer listen to what Ethan was saying. After two to three minutes, she could finally see things clearly. ¡°Hello? Hello, Miss Haynes, are you still listening?¡± Noticing that Joanna did not respond for a long time, Ethan thought that it was because his phone didn¡¯t get a signal. Joanna paused for a moment and did not want Ethan to know about her condition. ¡°The signal was bad just again.¡± Chapter 398 Chapter 398 ¡°The bank has the right to auction off the Haynes Group mortgage shares under the mortgage agreement. If we don¡¯t find a way to raise money now, thepany¡¯s shares will be auctioned off¡± Joanna heard it clearly now. Her heart sank and her mind went nk! The impact of this shooting incident was very serious and the ynes Group¡¯s shares fell again. In order to reduce risk, the bank naturally had to cut losses in time. ¡°I got it¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll hang up first. Miss Haynes, please think of a way to raise money.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say a thing and hung up the phone weakly. Coincidentally, Miranda came back after buying some food. Seeing that Joanna was in a daze, she hurriedly went forward and asked, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Something happened to thepany!¡± Joanna said as she pushed her hands into her hair. The Haynes Group was already like a candle in the wind right now. Now, it was pushed to the center of the storm. It was very likely that the Haynes Group would bepletely destroyed. Especially at this time, Joanna really did not know where else she could raise so much money! 600 million dors! With thepany¡¯s current stock value, even if Joanna sold all her shares, she would not be able to raise 600 million dors. Miranda¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°What happened to thepany?¡± ¡°In short, it¡¯s a very tricky matter. The Haynes Group is very likely to go bankrupt. ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Miranda was also frightened! Joanna did not speak and looked lost and helpless, which was heartbreaking to watch. Miranda¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Joann, how much do you need? I still have tens of thousands of dors here. Just take it first!¡± Joanna smiled bitterly and leaned her head weakly on Miranda¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No need for that. Thank you, Miranda.¡± Tens of thousands of dors was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket for Joanna! To Miranda, this was the money she had saved up for most of her life. How could Joanna bear to use it? Now that Jaydon¡¯s life was in danger, no one would help her. Seeing that Joanna couldn¡¯t be more depressed, Miranda suddenly thought of something and said timidly, ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t¡­ why don¡¯t we ask Mr. Everett for help? ¡°He¡¯s so rich, he¡¯ll definitely help you.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Joannaughed bitterly again. Bruce was indeed rich. However, it was not so easy to get money from him. Moreover, 600 million dors was a lot of money, and Bruce might not help her. Even if he was willing to help, he would probably make a lot of harsh requests. *How would you know if you don¡¯t try? Mr. Everett still has feelings for you. You¡¯re his children¡¯s mother. If you ask him to help you ger through this, he¡¯ll definitely say yes.¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so stubborn. Give it a try! It¡¯s best if he¡¯s willing to help you. Even if he doesn¡¯t help you, it¡¯s no big deal to ask.¡± ¡°Stop saying that!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened sadly. This time, the Haynes Group was really about to go bankrupt! The only thing that pained Joanna was that her grandfather¡¯s life¡¯s work was about to be ruined by her. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I overestimated myself. I shouldn¡¯t havee back to Greyport, let alone inherit my inheritance from Grandpa.¡± Joanna mumbled, ming herself. When Miranda heard this, she felt bad for Joanna even more. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t say that! Even if you don¡¯t inherit your Chapter 398 grandfather¡¯s inheritance, others might not be able to manage the Haynes Group well. ¡°Since your grandfather trusted you with the Haynes Group, he must have his reasons. Don¡¯t me yourself. ¡°Life will go on!¡± That was true. Shaun was at best mediocre and he was not cut out for managing the business. Derick was a gambling dandy. If he got control of the Haynes Group, there would be no way out for the company. Ryan was even worse and was not entrepreneurial material. ¡°Miranda, I¡¯m so tired. I really want to sleep!¡± ¡°Then go to the ward and sleep for a while. I¡¯ll keep an eye on Mr. Grimum for you. If he wakes up, I¡¯ll call you immediately.¡± Actually, they both knew very well that Jaydon would not wake up so easily. ¡­Alright! Joanna stood up weakly and staggered towards the ward. Original from N?velDrama.Org. She was really too exhausted! The heavy pressure was suffocating her. After returning to the ward, Joanna didn¡¯t even take off her shoes. Shey down on the bed and curled up. In less than a minute, she had already fallen asleep. In Greyport. At the Haynes Group.¡± The higher¨Cups were in a state of panic. Even Caleb was extremely uneasy. ¡°Something so big has happened to thepany. Why hasn¡¯t Miss Haynese back yet?¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t raise the money, the courts will have to seal thepany.¡± ¡°What should we do with it?¡± ¡°Oh, it just so happens at such a bad time. Miss Haynes is really unlucky to be involved in such a terrible matter!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Bad things just keeping to Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Now that such a big thing has happened to Mr. Grimm, Miss Haynes haspletely lost her backer. This time, the Haynes Group will probably really go bankrupt!¡± ¡°What should we do if thepany goes bankrupt? Shall we find another job now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic. There¡¯s always a way out. There might be another way. No matter what, Miss Haynes is Mr. Everett¡¯s ex¨Cwife. Mr. Everett might help Miss Haynes tide over the crisis.¡± Chapter 399 Chapter 399 The employees of thepany were also in a state of panic as if it was the end of the world. Joanna was still taking care of Jaydon and had not returned. ¡°The Haynes Group¡¯s shares have fallen so much that its market value has decreased greatly. Our bank has to stop the losses. in time.¡± Joanna¡¯s hand that was holding the phone trembled helplessly. ¡°Then can you give me some time¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much time left. We can at most wait until the end of next month.¡± After saying that, the bank president hung up the phone. After the call, Joanna felt even more despair. In a month¡¯s time, she could not raise 600 million dors. Beep beep beep. Just as she hung up, the phone buzzed crazily again. ¡°Hello, Ethan.¡± On the other end of the line, Ethan said in a heavy voice, ¡°Miss Haynes, when are youing back? ¡°Thepany is in a mess now. Many employees are asking to resign. ¡°Also, our partners are requesting to terminate our contracts. Pleasee back quickly. Thepany really can¡¯t hold on anymore.¡± ¡°¡­ I understand. I¡¯ll make time to go back in the next few days!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try tofort our business partners again.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hanging up. Joanna leaned against the hospital bed weakly and tiredly. The fact that the Haynes Group was about to go bankrupt made everyone panic. Even if she sold all her properties, she wouldn¡¯t be able to raise 600 million dors. Joanna stayed in the hospital for another three days. Jaydon had been lying in the intensive care unit for twelve days. Today, after repeated examinations, the doctor confirmed that his life was no longer in danger and that his physical indicators were stable. He was finally transferred from the intensive care unit to a normal ward. However, he was still unconscious and had not woken up. In the ward. Jaydon was wearing an oxygen mask and lying quietly on the hospital bed. More than half of the various instruments inserted into his body were gone. In front of the bed, Joanna held Jaydon¡¯s hand and looked at his pale face gently and sadly. ¡°Jay, I have to go back to Greyport. ¡°Wait for me! I¡¯lle back to apany you after I¡¯m done with the affairs of thepany. Jaydon was lying there quietly without any response. Outside the ward. When Tin heard that his son¡¯s life was out of danger, he rushed over to visit him. And Joanna had to inform him that she needed to go back to Greyport. ¡°Mr. Grimm, something happened in mypany. I need to go back. After I¡¯m done with the affairs of thepany, I¡¯lle back to apany Jay.¡± Joanna said softly, her haggard face tinted with fatigue. Tim nced at Joanna and heaved a sigh. He had also heard the news of the Haynes Group¡¯s ident. Seeing that Joanna had been staying at the hospital for the past few days, Tim did not want to make things too difficult for her ¡°Okay, go! You don¡¯t have to be here!¡± 16.777 Chapter 399 ¡°Then I¡¯ll go now!¡± Joanna lowered her head and walked out of the hospital with heavy footsteps. The next day. In Greyport. At the Haynes Group. Joanna went to thepany. As soon as she walked into thepany, she saw arge group of business partners in the lobby. ¡°Miss Haynes is here!¡± When the business partners saw Joanna, they all surrounded her. ¡°Miss Haynes, what do you think we should do about our supply? This has already been dyed for two weeks.¡± *If we can¡¯t get the supply, we can only go through legal procedures and ask the Haynes Group to take responsibility.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re all small businesses. We can¡¯t afford to lose money!¡± ¡°Everyone, please calm down. the Haynes Group will not go bankrupt¡­¡± ¡°Now that the bank has enforced it, don¡¯t lie to us.¡± Some of the business partners were indignant, while others looked miserable. All of them surrounded her as if they were afraid that Joanna would escape. ¡°Everyone, calm down. Even if the Haynes Group really goes bankrupt, we won¡¯t owe you a single cent. ¡°We¡¯re here to solve the problem, not to make a fuss.¡± When the business partners heard this, they fell silent. ¡°I promise you that I will give you an exnation at the end of next month. ¡°All of you go back first. Give me a little more time.¡± Ethan also stepped forward to persuade everyone. ¡°That¡¯s right! If you keep pressing on like this, you won¡¯t be able to solve the problem. You¡¯ll only make things worse! ¡°Furthermore, the Haynes Group has worked with you for so long. We still have some credibility. A big company like the Haynes Group won¡¯t owe you that bit of money.¡± After a while, they finally persuaded the business partners to leave. Joanna returned to her office and sat in her chair in frustration. Her mind was nk. She was really at the end of her rope. ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Caleb has returned to Antlen today. He¡¯s also preparing to sell his shares at a low price!¡± Joanna was stunned and became even more frustrated However, this was human nature. When the sky was about to fall, the first thing people would think of was to protect themselves! Seeing that Joanna was silent, Ethan thought for a while and said tentatively, ¡°Why don¡¯t we try borrowing money from Mr. Everett? ¡°As long as we can repay the bank¡¯s loan and redeem the shares, everything will be back on track.¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows and looked at Ethan sorrowfully. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will lend us such arge sum of money.¡± ¡°Now that we¡¯vee this far, it¡¯s thest resort. Miss Haynes, if we don¡¯t give it a try, how will we know that we can¡¯t borrow the money? ¡°What if Mr. Everett is willing to help you unconditionally?¡± Hearing this, Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. Indeed, only Bruce could borrow her 600 million dors at once. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you give it a try? If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll think of another way.¡± Alright! You should go now!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ethan replied and turned around to leave. ¡± Chapter 399 Joanna took a deep breath. After hesitating for a while, she braced herself and called Bruce. Beep beep beep! The call was quickly picked up, and Bruce¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Joanna!¡± ¡°I know! What can I do for you?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°¡­ Are you busy?¡± ¡°What is it? Just tell me!¡± ¡°I want to see you.¡± ¡°Sure! Where are you now? I¡¯ll pick you up.¡± Tm at thepany now. Why don¡¯t youe to mypany?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll be at yourpany in half an hour.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up first!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± After hanging up. Joanna felt even more uneasy. Half an hourter. Bruce arrived at the Haynes Group on time. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. Why are you here?¡± ¡°I have an appointment with Joanna.¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Haynes is in the office now. I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and just strode towards Joanna¡¯s office. He was very familiar with this ce and did not need anyone to lead the way. ¡°Oh my god, why is Mr. Everett here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s really amazing!¡± ¡°Do you think Mr. Everett will help Miss Haynes?¡± Chapter 400 Chapter 400 That¡¯s hard to say. If Mr. Everett is willing to help, ourpany will definitely be able to survive this!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± At the office. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is here!¡± Luna pushed open the office door. Her voice was filled with excitement. Joanna also subconsciously stood up from her chair! Then, Bruce walked in. As usual, he was wearing a nice suit and looked fabulous. He always looked so noble and elegant. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re here¡­ Joanna didn¡¯t know what to say now and could not help but feel nervous. Bruce sized up Joanna and felt a dull pain in his chest. It had only been half a month since theyst met, but she was so much thinner that she looked like she could be blown away by the wind. Her delicate face was as pale as paper and her almond eyes also looked dull and lifeless. ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡± Bruce tried to keep his voice calm. When Joanna heard this, her eyes darkened and she didn¡¯t know how to tell Bruce that she wanted to borrow money. Actually, even if she didn¡¯t say anything, Bruce had already figured it out. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to help Joanna get through this crisis! The problem was that he would not help her for no reason. ¡°L¡­ Joanna stammered, not knowing how to say it directly.. Bruce took a few steps forward and said gently, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. There¡¯s no need to be so hesitant.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh and braced herself. ¡°Can I borrow some money from you?¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°How much money do you want?¡± Joanna bit her lower lip. Her heart was pounding and she was breaking out in a cold sweat. ¡°Say it!¡± ¡­600 million dors!¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she lowered her head weakly as if she had no strength left. Other than asking Bruce for help, she really had no other choice. Bruce was stunned for a moment and then looked at Joanna with aplicated expression. ¡°How are you going to pay back so much money?¡± Indeed, 600 million dors was not a small sum. Ordinary people would probably not be able to make so much money in a few lifetimes. Moreover, Bruce had signed a betting agreement with Joanna. To a certain extent, he was already her creditor. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely pay you back. For now, I have to get through this crisis.¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Joarma, it¡¯s not that I look down on you, but the truth is right in front of me. ¡°If you could ein 600 million dors, you wouldn¡¯t have to borrow money from me, let alone be in debt to the bank. ¡°Also, you have signed a betting agreement with me. Now that half of the time has passed, do you think you canplete the betting agreement?¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more desperate, her eyes filled with frustration and helplessness. If thepany did not have so many idents and could maintain normal operations, it was not impossible toplete the betting agreement in three years. Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t go as nned! Ever since she took office, the Haynes Group had been suppressed by her peers several times, and she had been schemed against by bad people behind her back. With the current situation, the betting agreement could not bepleted at all. ¡°Even if I help you now, you won¡¯t be able toplete the betting agreement. At that time, you¡¯ll still have nothing! 1/2 12.071 Chapter 400 ¡°What¡¯s the point of me helping you now?¡± Joanna found it hard to breathe and felt terrible right now. Although Bruce¡¯s words were unpleasant, it was also the truth. She had overestimated herself. It was not that easy to survive in the business world, especially when there were too many despicable people plotting behind her back. It was impossible for her to do business properly. ¡°I really have no way out now. Please help me!¡± Joanna¡¯s tone carried a hint of helplessness and sadness. Bruceughed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t help you, but I¡¯m a businessman. You have to give me a reason to help you.¡± Joanna¡¯s mind was all messed up, and she was on the verge of copse. She really didn¡¯t have much to say. After a while. Bruce took a few steps forward and stared into Joanna¡¯s eyes. He said bluntly, ¡°Joanna, I can help you! ¡°However, I have one condition.¡± ¡°What condition?¡± A glimmer of hope appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°The condition is that we remarry.¡± He knew Joanna too well. She would note back to him if he did not take some special measures. After hearing this, Joanna froze and looked at Bruce in surprise. Jaydon was still lying in the intensive care unit. How could he take advantage of her like this? And how could she turn her back on Jaydon and go back to Bruce? ¡°Bruce, stop fooling around. You know it¡¯s impossible!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯m not messing with you. This is the only condition. ¡°If we remarry, you¡¯ll be my wife. I should help you no matter what. Otherwise, I really wouldn¡¯t be so generous.¡± Joanna choked. ¡°Other than this condition. I¡¯ll agree to anything else!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I want. I don¡¯t need anything else.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Joanna¡¯s dry lips trembled. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°If you don¡¯t wanna help me, just forget it!¡± She was really in despair! In any case, the worst¨Ccase scenario was death! If Jaydon couldn¡¯t make it, she didn¡¯t want to live anymore. Her only regret was that she could not bring the Haynes Group to greater heights. Instead, she destroyed her grandfather¡¯s life¡¯s work. Chapter 401 Chapter 401 Seeing that Joanna had given up, Bruce thought for a while and held her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t wanna remarry me. You have to be my lover for five years. ¡°Five yearster, I¡¯ll give you back your freedom. Is that enough?¡± When Joanna heard this, she raised her eyes slightly and stared at Bruce bleakly. ¡°No¡­ no way¡­ Bruce smiled bitterly. ¡°Haha, if you don¡¯t agree to this condition, then there¡¯s really nothing I can do. ¡°I still have something on. I gotta run now.¡± With that, Bruce turned around and walked towards the office door. He knew that Joanna had no other options. She would definitely agree. Seeing that Bruce was about to leave, Joanna panicked even more. ¡°¡­ Let me think about it!¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll give you a week to think about it. Call me when you make up your mind.¡± With that, Bruce left without looking back. Joanna sat on the chair in a daze, overwhelmed by extreme pain and helplessness. Jaydon was still lying in the hospital. If Joanna went back to Bruce, how sad and disappointed would Jaydon be when he woke up? Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The bank had already sent someone to give the final notice and the gate of the Haynes Group was sealed. If she couldn¡¯t raise enough money, the Haynes Group would really be auctioned off. After thinking for three days, Joanna finally made up her mind and agreed to Bruce¡¯s request. However, five years was too long. She could only ept one year at most. A year would pass very quickly. After a year, Jaydon might recover. At that time, she would tell Jaydon about her difficulties in person. Beep beep beep. Bruce quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds. ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± Joanna choked. I¡¯ve thought about it. ¡°Five years is too long. I want to cut it short.¡± Bruce listened and clicked his tongue. ¡°Then how long do you want?¡± Joanna trembled uncontrobly. ¡°Four years?¡± Bruce asked. There was nothing but silence. ¡°Three years?¡± Joanna held her breath. ¡°One year at most!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but sneer. ¡°One year is too short. At least three years. 200 million dors a year is a great deal.¡± ¡°No, two years at most. Bruce, don¡¯t push it!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice suddenly became agitated ¡°Alright, two years it is!¡± Bruce smiled slightly and did not continue to push it. He was confident that he could make Joanna fall in love with him again in two years. ¡°Then tell me! What do you want me to do for these two years?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°During these two years, you have to stay by my side as my personal secretary. You have to be on call 24/7. ¡°In addition to fulfilling your obligations as my family, you have to take care of me and the children.¡± Okay!¡± Chapter 401 In order to prevent your from going back on you wondd, we need to sign a forinal contract¡± ¡°Alright Joanna answered sadly She had nothing to lose now If she could keep the Haynes Group, she could only bite the buller and agreel ¡°Alright, the contract will be sent to yourpany tomorr Joanna took a deep breath ¡°Not tonight¡± ¡°Why¡± ¡°I have to make a trip to Venturas¡± Bruce¡¯s eves rkened This dammed woman was still thinking about Jaydon Jay is still in the hospital I have to go back and give him an exnation¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll give you one day. It you exceed the time limit, I won¡¯t help you anymore¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m hanging up Bruce hung up after saying that After hanging up. Joanna felt like she was going through hell. This world had been so hard on her. There were too many things that you couldn¡¯t do as you pleased and you jus The next day Joanna went to Venturas early in the morning. At this point, she had no other choice. In the Marhall Hospital. ¡°Ms. Haynes is here?¡± The nursing workers were taking care of Jaydon. Joanna walked into the ward and looked at Jaydon. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m here to see you.¡± Jaydon was just lying on the hospital bed silently. ¡°Please give me and Jay some time alone.¡± ¡°Alright, the nursing workers replied and turned to leave the ward. Joanna walked to the bed and could no longer control the grievance in her heart. She buried her head in Jaydon¡¯s arms and sobbed. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve really let you down! ¡°God bless you. I hope you recover soon. ¡°I guess I can only repay what I owe you in my next life. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m in so much pain, so much pain¡­¡± Jaydon was just lying there quietly, unconscious. ept your ¡°Wait for me for two years. After two years, 1 will return to your side and take care of you! ¡°No matter what you be, you¡¯re still my husband.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. After saying that, Joanna¡¯s heart ached even more. How did she end up like this? It was so unfair. Why was she put in a dilemma time and time again? Chapter 402 Chapter 402 Naturally, Joana could not tell the Grimm family about this She did not intend to tell anyone that no matter what method she used, she would definitely cut ties with Bruce as long as she endure the next two years. Facing Tim, Joanna heaved a sigh. She lowered her head and exined in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Grimm, mypany is facing at very troublesome problem. In the future, I mighte less often. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t me me!¡± Tim sized up Joanna and did not ask too much. ¡°It¡¯s all up to you! ¡°Jay has nursing workers liere. It doesn¡¯t matter if youe or not.¡± Although Tim loved his son deeply, he was also a magnanimous person. He would not make things difficult for a girl. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! ¡°When I get through the difficulties of thepany, I will definitelye and repay the debt I owe Jay¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she bowed to Tim. In Greyport At the Haynes Group. Bruce handed the contract to Joanna. ¡°Have you thought it through?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡± ¡°Then sign the contract!¡± Joanna took the contract and nced at it. The contract was in line with Bruce¡¯s usual style of doing things. It was domineering and harsh. Bruce asked her to be his personal secretary and lover for the next two years. If she quit midway, she would have to unconditionally give up all her shares in the Haynes Group. ¡°I have one more request to make.¡± Bruce straightened his back ¡°Say it!¡± ¡°I want to go to Venturas once a week.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face turned gloomy ¡°No.¡± Joanna sighed and said sadly, Jay is still lying on the hospital bed. I can¡¯t just abandon him like this. ¡°I want to see him every week. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll just visit him and do nothing else.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she stared into Bruce¡¯s eyes sadly. Her beautiful and pale face was filled with pleading Seeing thus, Bruce instantly felt bad. After pondering for a while, he finally agreed. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll give you a day off every week. You can do whatever you want. Is that okay?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened She did not ask for anything else and signed the contract. ¡°After signing it, the contract will take effect¡± As Bruce spoke, an unfathomable smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°When will you give me the money?¡± Bruce held her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ill settle the repayment as soon as possible¡± As he spoke, Bruce wrapped his arms around Joana and pulled her into his embrace He lowered his head and kissed Joanna¡¯s face gently. Joanna felt cold all over and subconsciously pushed him away. ¡°No, I can¡¯t. ¡°Why not? Are you disobeying me so soon! Don¡¯t forget about your duty¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She said in a low voice. ¡°Wait till thepany¡¯s matter is resolved, okay? Looking at her weak and helpless appearance, Bruce felt even worse and only wanted to hug her tightly. ¡°Then can I hug you?¡± Chapter 402 Bruce walked forward again and hugged her tightly. Joanna was delicate and tender and when Bruce held her in his arms, it was like she would break if he used too much strength. Bruce greedily sniffed the fragrance of her hair and rubbed his hands on her back. ¡°Joann, with me around, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything¡± Bruce was confident enough to make Joanna fall in love with him again in two years. As long as she was willing to love him again, everything was worth it. Soot Bruce redeemed the Haynes Group shares. As soon as this news was released, all the employees of the Haynes Group were shocked. Everyone was discussing. ¡°See, I told you Mr. Everett would definitely help!¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Everett is really badass. He saved the Haynes Group so easily.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes is the one who¡¯s awesome. She convinced Mr. Everett to fork out so much money to help the Haynes Group tide over the crisis. That¡¯s 600 million dors. How did Miss Haynes convince Mr. Everett?¡± One of the employeesughed teasingly and said in a low voice, ¡°I think this so¨Ccalled persuasion actually happened in the bedroom.¡± ¡°However, no matter what, Miss Haynes¡¯s charm is also her asset.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Now that we have Mr. Everett as our backer, we can live in peace.¡± ¡°Hey, Caleb sent a message in the group chat.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± Caleb sent an announcement in the group chat. [Tomorrow morning, at nine o¡¯clock, there will be an important meeting at thepany. All senior management personnel must be present.] ¡°Needless to say, it¡¯s definitely good news!¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s good news, it should be announced by Miss Haynes! What does this have to do with Caleb?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? He¡¯s the secondrgest shareholder of thepany. It¡¯s only right for him to announce it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The next day. At 8:30 o¡¯clock in the morning, the higher¨Cups of thepany appeared one after another in the conference room! At 8:55 o¡¯clock in the morning, Joanna and Caleb also arrived at thepany. Dressed in a suit, Caleb stood on the podium with a smile on his face. ¡°As all of you might¡¯ve known, we¡¯re having this meeting today to announce some good news! ¡°We have two good news for the Haynes Group. *First of all, congrattions to the Haynes Group for oveing the crisis. Secondly, I¡¯m going to announce today that I¡¯m officially withdrawing from the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. The higher¨Cups looked at each other in confusion as Joanna looked at Caleb in shock. Bad things kept happening to thepany recently! The directors withdrew one by one, which was undoubtedly a big blow to thepany. She had just borrowed 600 million dors to redeem the mortgaged shares and she did not expect Caleb to withdraw from thepany¡¯s shares again. If no one took over, the Haynes Group would still face bankruptcy. Seeing everyone¡¯s shocked expressions, Caleb smiled andforted them. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t worry. Someone more suitable than me will take over my shares.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Caleb, why didn¡¯t you discuss such a big matter with me first?¡± ¡°Oh. Miss Haynes, it¡¯s the same if I tell you now! ¡°I realized that I¡¯m not suitable for the rules in the domestic business world! I¡¯ve already decided to shift my focus overseas. Chapter 402 Tll be handing over my work in the next few days. A new director will take over my work.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a little more at case. This was not too bad. At least, Caleb had already found his sessor and Joanna did not need to worry about raising money. However, she did not know the background of the new shareholder. ¡°Who¡¯s the new shareholder?¡± ¡°Haha, everyone knows the new shareholder before! He has arrived at ourpany. Let¡¯s wee the new shareholder with a round of apuse!¡± As Caleb spoke, he looked at the door of the conference room and apuded enthusiastically. The rest of the higher¨Cups also looked at each other and could not help but look at the door of the conference room. They all knew him before? Who was it this time? The Haynes Group was currently at the center of the storm. Who would take over at this time? Chapter 403 Chapter 403 ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wee Mr. Everett with a round of apuse.¡± Everyone was even more dumbfounded! As the door of the conference room was pushed open, Bruce walked in. He was wearing a nice suit and his hair was styled neatly. The moment he walked in, the originally noisy conference room immediately fell silent. Caleb had a ttering smile on his face. ¡°My shares have already been bought by Mr. Everett. From now on, Mr. Everett will be your new shareholder.¡± The higher¨Cups came back to their senses after a good while. They could not wrap their heads around it for a long time. ¡°What? In that case, Mr. Everett will be the Haynes Group¡¯srgest shareholder after this?¡± Bruce nced at everyone and a smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°That¡¯s right. From tomorrow onwards, I¡¯ll officially take over the Haynes Group! I hope everyone can work together to make the Haynes Group better.¡± Ethan was the first to apud. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Wee, Mr. Everett!¡± Everyone came back to their senses and apuded as well. With a smile on his face, Bruce strode to the head of the table. With Caleb¡¯s shares and the shares pledged by Joanna, Bruce held 85% of the shares and became the absolute controller of the Haynes Group. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Joanna gasped. She vaguely felt that she had fallen into a trap. This seemed to be a setup. Step by step, Bruce lured her into a trap. Then, she fell deep into it. Ethan continued to tter, ¡°Under Mr. Everett¡¯s leadership, the Haynes Group will definitely soar and rise to a higher level. ¡°Let us once again wee Mr. Everett with a round of apuse¡­ ¡°Woohoo!¡± Everyone followed and cheered. This scene hurt Joanna deeply. It made her feel as if she had fallen off a cliff. She stared at Bruce without blinking. She seemed to understand now. No wonder Ethan had repeatedly persuaded her to mortgage the shares in her hands. It seemed that he had long colluded with Bruce. All of this was Bruce¡¯s idea. It was Bruce who told Ethan to instigate her. And Caleb was also part of this. He was not a new investor at all. Instead, he was hired by Bruce. The person who really controlled the shares behind the scenes was Bruce. Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul also fell into his trap and withdrew from the Haynes Group. Boom! After understanding the situation, Joanna felt like her brain was about to explode and the world was spinning. Bruce¡¯s move was really decisive and ruthless. Not only did he buy the Haynes Group at the lowest price, but he also forced her to sign a contract to sell herself and be his lover for two years. To put it more bluntly, the item that could have been sold for 20 dors was bought by Bruce for only a few bucks. Moreover, she sold two years of her youth to him. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Joanna suddenlyughed. She was so dumb, so dumb that she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She was so stupid that she was sold and she was so grateful for it. ¡°Miss Haynes, we will be partners in the future. I hope we can work well together.¡± Bruce smiled confidently and extended his hand to Joanna. Joanna¡¯s blood was rushing. She red at Bruce with a faint smile. ¡°Bruce, you nned all this, didn¡¯t you?¡± 12.15 Chapter 403 The smile on Bruce¡¯s face froze. It seemed that she was not that stupid. Joanna had known him for so many years and should have guessed it. Bruce had always been ruthless and decisive in the business world. How could she outy him? However, Joanna did not expect that Bruce would actually scheme against her! ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t say it like that!¡± ¡°Bruce, I really didn¡¯t expect you to plot against me like this! I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cold¨Cblooded,¡± Joanna said as tears streamed down her cheeks. Bruce stopped smiling and looked at Joanna, pursing his lips. ¡°You¡¯re making it sound so serious. Why would I plot against you? This is just business.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Joanna could not help butugh coldly. Exactly! He was a businessman! Why would he not take the money when it was right in front of him? Ethan hurriedly went forward to exin, ¡°Miss Haynes, calm down. Today is¡­¡± ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re with Bruce, right?¡± Ethan¡¯s eyes darkened, but he did not deny it! Joanna¡¯s sharp gaze turned to Caleb. ¡°And you, you knew Bruce long ago, right?¡± Caleb shrugged in acquiescence. Caleb was indeed hired by Bruce. Back then, when he invested in the Haynes Group, Bruce was behind all this. ¡°Miss Haynes, calm down first. Let us exin this to you!¡± ¡°All of you, get out! Get out!¡± Joanna roared at the top of her lungs. She didn¡¯t want to listen to other people¡¯s exnations. She just wanted Bruce¡¯s exnation. The higher¨Cups did not dare to stay. They stood up and all left the conference room. Bruce took a few steps forward, and the smile on his facepletely disappeared. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be all riled up! Just listen to me.¡± Joanna swung her arm fiercely, refusing his approach. She roared miserably, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really vicious! How could you scheme against me like this?¡± Chapter 404 Chapter 404 Bruce frowned. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t put it this way! I¡¯m just trying to help you!¡± ¡°Bullshit, you¡¯re so frightening. You¡¯re really vicious!¡± Joanna took a few steps back, her body trembling uncontrobly Bruce took a deep breath and tried his best to calm her down. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be so agitated. ¡°Ive told you. I don¡¯t want your assets. After two years, I¡¯ll transfer all the shares of the Haynes Group to you.¡± ¡°Stop lying, Bruce. I really have nothing to say to you!¡± Joanna said as she rushed to him like crazy and started punching Bruce. Bruce did not resist and let her punch him. All of this was indeed his n. Bruce deliberately withdrew from the Haynes Group and instigated Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul to withdraw as well. Then, he bought the shares in their hands at a low price behind Joanna¡¯s back. Then, he forced Joanna to mortgage shares in her hands. the After that, Bruce asked the bank president to forcefully auction off her mortgaged shares. Gradually, the Haynes Group was taken away from Joanna just like that. However, Bruce¡¯s motive for doing so was not really to covet Joanna¡¯s assets. After all, the Everett family was such a prestigious family and did not care about the Haynes Group at all! The reason why he did this was topletely control Joanna. Only by taking over the Haynes Group would he be able to control Joanna. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Joanna was so angry that her mind went nk and she cked out. She staggered and almost fell. Bruce took a step forward and quickly held her. ¡°Joanna, you need to calm down. Things aren¡¯t as bad as you think! ¡°Im not as heartless as you think¡­¡± ¡°Let go of me! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Bruce hugged her even tighter. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t think too badly of me. The reason I did this was just to keep you by my side. ¡°I really love you. We can start over. Let alone the Haynes Group, I can even give you the Everett Group.¡± Joanna did not believe him at all. She lowered her head and bit his arm fiercely. ¡°Uh¡­ Bruce couldn¡¯t help but frown when he felt the pain. However, he did not resist and just let Joanna bite him hard. ¡°Go ahead and bite me! As long as you can vent your anger, you can bite me however you want.¡± There was a faint taste of blood in Joanna¡¯s mouth. At the same time, her mind went nk and she suddenly cked out. She let go of him and groaned. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Because she was too agitated, she started nosebleeding. Seeing this, Bruce was shocked. ¡°Joanna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away, grabbed her purse, and stumbled towards the washroom. She could not control her emotions now. She had to take the medicine immediately. Otherwise, she would really die of anger. Bang! Joanna mmed the washroom door shut and locked herself inside. Her nose was bleeding uncontrobly, and her white shirt was stained with blood. Joanna opened the purse with trembling hands and took out a few bottles of antidepressants. Unfortunately, her entire body was trembling violently and it took her a long time to finally open the medicine bottles. She couldn¡¯t see things clearly right now, which made it impossible for her to tell how many pills had been poured out. With some tap water, Joanna swallowed arge handful of medicine. Blood was dripping from her nose non¨Cstop. The sink and mirror were covered in blood. ¡°Joanna, open the door. Open the door quickly.¡± Bang! Bruce was pounding on the door crazily. ¡°Joanna, if you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯m going to smash it.¡± 1/0 Chapter 404 Bruce hurriedly kicked the door open. The scene in the washroom stunned him. There was blood everywhere and the sink and the mirror were stained with blood. Scattered pills were all over the floor. Joanna¡¯s entire jaw was covered in blood. She was already unconscious and curled up on the ground. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Joanna¡­¡± Bruce gasped and rushed forward to pick her up. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital. How can you do this?¡± ¡°Oh my god, what happened to Miss Haynes? Why is she bleeding so much?¡± ¡°Cut the crap and get the car!¡± ¡°Okay¡± Bruce carried Joanna and hurriedly ran towards the underground parking lot. Take us to the hospital. Take us to the hospital right now.¡± Kody did not dare to hesitate. He hurriedly started the car and rushed to the hospital. In the car. Joanna lost consciousness and started foaming at the mouth. Her entire body convulsed. Bruce hugged her tightly. His heart was in his mouth and he was a little out of his wits. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll be fine. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me. I didn¡¯t do this on purpose. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, there¡¯s a traffic jam ahead. What should we do about this?¡± Beep beep beep! There was a long line of cars in front, and the car couldn¡¯t drive over at all. Bruce felt cold all over his body. Without thinking, he opened the door and got out of the car with Joanna in his arms. Then, he ran all the way to the hospital. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll definitely be fine! ¡°You have to hold on. We¡¯ll be at the hospital soon.¡± Bruce carried Joanna in his arms and did not dare to stop for even half a second. Chapter 405 Chapter 405 Bruce carried her all the way through the traffic. After running for more than 20 minutes, they finally arrived at the hospital. ¡°Doctor,e out quickly¡­¡± When the doctors and nurses saw that it was Bruce, they were shocked and hurriedly greeted him. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Hurry up and save her.¡± As the doctor checked on Joanna¡¯s condition, he instructed the nurses, ¡°Hurry up and prepare a wheeled stretcher!¡± Soon, Joanna was sent to the emergency room. Bruce took a deep breath and fell onto a chair in the corridor. After running for so long, he was already drenched in sweat and his limbs were weak. The doctor examined Joanna and found that she had arge amount of unknown drugs in her stomach. No matter what drug it was, this dosage was enough to kill her. *Hurry up and turn on the equipment. Prepare to pump the patient¡¯s stomach!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± An hourter, the door of the emergency room finally opened. Bruce felt uneasy. When he saw the door of the emergency room open, he suddenly rushed to the doctor and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± The doctor quicklyforted him. ¡°We have just pumped the patient¡¯s stomach and she hasn¡¯t woken up yet. Don¡¯t worry, the patient¡¯s life is not in danger.¡± ¡°Oh, great!¡± Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°However, the patient¡¯s hypoglycemia is quite serious. She¡¯s severely malnourished. Also, the patient¡¯s blood contains significant amounts of drugs such as sertraline and paroxetine. ¡°These drugs can make patients dependent, and taking too much can cause serious seque. Given the patient¡¯s current condition, she can no longer take antidepressants.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart sank. ¡°How long has she been taking it?¡± ¡°ording to the blood test, the patient has been taking it for at least seven to eight years. If she continues to take it, it will cause brain damage or even put her life in danger.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. He knew that Joanna had depression, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be so serious. Andy and Ethan also rushed to the hospital. ¡°How¡¯s Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett?¡± Bruce did not say anything and looked quite sullen. Seeing that he was upset, Andy and the others were all afraid and did not dare to ask further. On the hospital bed. Joanna had yet to wake up. Her face was pasty and her pale lips were dry. Her wrist, which was way too skinny, looked like it. could break with a single touch. Looking at Joanna, Bruce¡¯s heart was broken. In just a few years, the radiant and energetic girl had be so fragile and weak. Joanna, I really love you. Why can¡¯t you just believe me? ¡°Am I that despicable in your heart?¡± Bruce caressed her hair over and over again, his eyes bloodshot. Outside the ward. Miranda also rushed over. She was so worried that she wanted to barge into the ward. ¡°Where¡¯s Joann? How is she?¡± Andy stopped her. ¡°Mr. Everett is inside now. You¡¯d better not go in and disturb him.¡± When Miranda heard this, she was so anxious that she was about to cry. ¡°What exactly is going on? Why is Joann suddenly hospitalized?¡± Andy sighed. ¡°This is between Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes. We can¡¯t interfere.¡± Chapter 405 In the blink of an eye, ten hours had passed. Joanna was unconscious for more than ten hours before she finally woke up. Bruce had been staying with her by the bed. When he saw her eyshes trembling slightly, he immediately went forward to check Joanna, you¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna opened her eyes in a daze. Her head was spinning and she couldn¡¯t tell if it was reality or a dream. Joanna Bruce said gently and held her hand tightly. Joanna was in a daze for a while and gradually regained consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Bruce¡¯s anxious face Instantly, she recalled everything that had happened. *¡­ Go away, I don¡¯t want to see you¡­¡± Joanna, please let me exin!¡± Joanna struggled to get up and scolded him weakly and miserably, ¡°Get lost. There¡¯s nothing for you to exin. Hurry up and get out of my sight. I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He did not know what else to say. In this situation, no matter what he said, Joanna would not believe him. ¡°Joanna, have a good rest first. When you recover, I¡¯ll exin it to you.¡± ¡°Piss of Don¡¯t touch me! Bruce, I hate you, I hate you¡­¡± Joanna gasped when she finished speaking. She pulled off the IV drip on her wrist and struggled to lift the nket. ¡°Where are you going? You¡¯re sick now. Lie down.¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away with all her might and got out of bed barefooted. ¡°Leave me alone. Get lost! I don¡¯t want to see you. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± Bruce held his breath and frowned. Joanna was so agitated now. Obviously, no matter what he said, she wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°Joanna, hurry up and lie down! Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯ve signed a contract!¡± When Joanna heard this, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and roared furiously, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re a monster. That contract doesn¡¯t count. I won¡¯t fulfill that contract¡­¡± Bruce grabbed her shoulders and pressed her back onto the bed. ¡°The contract has already taken effect. If you don¡¯t fulfill it, I will apply to the court to freeze all the assets under your name! ¡°At the same time, I¡¯ll separate the Haynes Group¡¯s shares!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were burning with anger. If looks could kill, he would be burned to ashes! ¡°I won¡¯t agree even if 1 die!¡± Bruce felt miserable when he heard that.. But now, he could only endure it. If hepromised, all his previous efforts would be in vain. ¡°Alright! If you die, I won¡¯t have anything to worry about. The Haynes Group will also be doomed. All the assets under your name will belong to me.¡± When Joanna heard this, she flew into a rage. Her eyes turned red as she gripped his tie tightly. Half of her body was hanging in the air. ¡°Bruce, why are you doing this to me? Why?¡± Bruce tried Ins best to press down the pain in his heart and smiled coldly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯m a monster? Monsters are all vicious.¡± When Joanna heard this, she lost all of her strength and fell back onto the bed. He was veryfortable with it. He was indeed a monster. No, he was much more terrifying than a monster. The man Joanna loved deeply in the past was actually such a ruthless scumbag. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Joannaughed. Cold tears streamed down her cheeks and flowed into her hair. She really regretted it. She should not have loved him. Such a man was not worthy of her love. Even though her love for him was already gone, when she thought about it, the sadness in her heart still could not be contained. ¡°Joanna, what are youughing at?¡± ¡°I¡¯mughing at myself for being so silly. Because I deserve it and I have iting¡± Bruce frowned and felt like he was about to cry. However, there were some things that he had to do. Chapter 406 Chapter 406 If he wanted to control Joanna, he had to control the Haynes Group. ¡°You can say whatever you want. Now that things havee to this, I have nothing to say!¡± Joanna gritted her teeth and pounced on him like a lunatic. ¡°Bruce, I won¡¯t let you off even if I die! I¡¯ll definitely make you regret it. I¡¯ll definitely make you regret it!¡± Bruce stood still. ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to say such harsh words! ¡°If you really want to take revenge on me, have some rest and recover first. Two years is enough for you to think of a way to take revenge. ¡°If you really have it in you, I¡¯ll be very gratified.¡± ¡°Bastard, go to hell!¡± Joanna took a deep breath, picked up the ss of water on the bedside table, and smashed it on Bruce¡¯s head! Bruce¡¯s head was smashed open, and blood flowed down his eyebrows. ¡°Joanna, you knew what kind of person I was from the beginning. If you want to me someone, you can only me yourself for being too stupid. ¡°This is a lesson for you to see clearly that the world of capital is where the strong prey on the weak. Even if you don¡¯t fall into my hands, you¡¯ll fall into the hands of others.¡± The ss in Joanna¡¯s hand shattered on the ground, and the broken pieces pierced her hand until it was dripping with blood. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop talking. Get lost!¡± Bruce narrowed his eyes. He took a step forward and said sinisterly, ¡°I¡¯m your creditor now. You can tell me to get lost. But you have to return my money or fulfill the contract.¡± Joanna gasped. Bruce had really set her up and did not give her any chance to resist or catch her breath. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll bring you to hell with me.¡± As she spoke, Joanna raised the broken ss cup and wanted to smash it at his head. Bruce did not dare to let her have her way this time. He grabbed her wrist and pressed her heavily onto the hospital bed. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t anger me anymore. ¡°You know what I¡¯m like. If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll use even crueler methods against you.¡± Joanna held her breath and stared fiercely at him! ¡°What? Do you want to kill me? Fine! Kill me then!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll make you experience something worse than death. ¡°And you¡¯ll end up in a mental hospital.¡± Boom! Joanna¡¯s entire body went limp. The killing intent in her eyes turned into grief and indignation. Indeed, as long as he said it, he would definitely do it.. If she was really sent to a mental hospital, even if she wasn¡¯t crazy, she would still be tortured into a psychopath. Thinking about how Roxanne looked in the mental hospital, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but shudder.. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so ruthless. Oh¡­¡± Bruce let go of her hand and said in a softer tone, ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re too tired. You have to rest well. ¡°Tll get the doctor to give you a shot of tranquilizer!¡± Then, he pressed the pager. The doctor soon arrived. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Give her a shot of tranquilizer!¡± The doctor hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± Joanna screamed in horror. Four nurses stepped forward and held her down firmly. The doctor quickly took out a syringe and gave her a shot of tranquilizer. A few secondster. Chapter 406 Joanna lost consciousness and fell asleep again. ¡°Mr. Everell, let me treat your wound!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. All of you can leave now.¡± ¡°But the wound on your head is still bleeding. You might need some stitches. If you don¡¯t treat it in time, it will be very troublesome if you get infected!¡± Bruce did not say anything. The doctor hurriedly went forward and took out some gauze and disinfectant. Then, he stitched the wound up. After getting his wound attended to, Bruce returned to the ward. On the hospital bed. Joanna was in a deep sleep. Bruce stopped pretending to be indifferent and looked at her sorrowfully, his fingers caressing her hair. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re too tired. If you continue like acting this, you really won¡¯t be able to hold on. ¡°I have to take all the pressure off you and adjust your life.¡± Someone knocked on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Miranda walked in with a heavy expression and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, let me take care of Joann!¡± ¡°No need for that. I¡¯ll take care of her!¡± ¡°But¡­ Joann is emotionally unstable now. If you stay here, you¡¯ll only agitate her even more! If Joann wakes upter and sees you here, she¡¯ll probably¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I said there¡¯s no need. Get out!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Bruce became grim. ¡°No buts. I¡¯m telling you to get out!¡± Miranda¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Joanna, feeling bad for her. ¡°Alright then! Mr. Everett, if you need anything, just call me. I¡¯ll be right outside!¡± She really wanted to stay here and take care of Joanna. Unfortunately, with Bruce¡¯s temper, who would dare to disobey him? How could Miranda dare to go against Bruce? She had no choice but to leave the ward. ¡°Joanna, I must change your personality this time! I can¡¯t let you continue being so willful! Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°In the future, we still have to be together. If I don¡¯t tame you, how can we live happily together? ¡°For our future, for the children, I have no choice but to do this!¡± Bruce whispered into Joanna¡¯s ear. Chapter 407 Chapter 407 Atst! Joanna finally woke up. When she opened her eyes groggily, she saw Bruce¡¯steful face. Bruce sat at the head of the bed and asked in a neutral tone, ¡°Joanna, are you awake?¡± Joanna took a deep breath as she wriggled into a sitting position. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to kill you¡­.. Bruce frowned slightly and said in amanding voice, ¡°Are you still unwilling to be obedient?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, I¡¯ll have to keep putting you to sleep!¡± ¡°You bastard. You and I will die together!¡± ng! ng! ng! Joanna lifted the nket and pounced on him like a madman. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still not behaving.¡± Bruce frowned and pressed the pager again. ¡°Doctor, doctor!¡± Shortly, the doctor pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett, how can I be of service to you?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and he said fiercely. ¡°The patient is too agitated and aggressive. Give her another dose of tranquilizer immediately!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± The doctor replied and quickly went to prepare the tranquilizer. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw that Bruce was serious. She was as frightened as a bird in a cage. ¡°No, no, don¡¯te over. I have to leave this ce. I need to call the police!¡± ¡°Someonee, someonee¡­. Unfortunately, this hospital was run by Bruce. This floor was part of the VIP area. Ordinary patients did not appear on this floor. Even if she screamed her lungs out, no one woulde to save her. Bruce made an order, Three minutester! The nurse took a tranquilizer. As usual, the four nurses held her down firmly and gave her a tranquilizer. In less than five seconds! Joanna felt weak and fell asleep again. The doctor watched Joanna fall asleep. He frowned and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, you can¡¯t inject the tranquilizer too often! Furthermore, the patient¡¯s body is too weak¡­.¡± ¡°I know. This is thest time,¡± Bruce replied solemnly. He had to tame her and not be soft¨Chearted! Otherwise, she would have turned the world upside down again. Another five hours went by. Joanna woke up in a daze again! This time the dosage was rtively small. She only fell asleep for about four to five hours before waking up. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna took a few breaths and rolled her eyes. Her head was dizzy. She looked around and saw that the surroundings were still were same cold white color. She was still in the hospital. The pent¨Cup anger in her heart erupted like a volcano! However, she was afraid to rerelease it. Bruce¡¯s tactics were vicious and despicable. If she continued to cause trouble, he would surely inject her with tranquilizer again. ..¡°Joanna did not answer! Bruce¡¯s voice softened a little. ¡°Are you still going to make a fuss?¡± Chapter 407 Joanna rolled her eyes andy down calmly. Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Be obedient and cat, okay?¡± ¡°I got someone to buy your favorite oatmeal. You haven¡¯t eaten for two days. Eat something!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned from fear to anger. All kinds ofplicated emotions flowed through them, and her voice was hoarse. ¡°Bruce, I hate you so much!¡± ¡°Alright. Hate me all you want. You must finish your dinner, then continue to hate me.¡± ¡°Here, have this.¡± Bruce scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and blew on it gently before bringing it to her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not eating. Take it away!¡± Joanna raised her hand and pped away the oatmeal in Bruce¡¯s hand! Bruce frowned. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re still unwilling to behave. If you continue like this, I will only take extreme measures!¡± ¡°Doctor¡­.¡± ¡°No, please, don¡¯t give me another tranquilizer!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°Then are you willing to behave and eat?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and copsed weakly on the bed. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have an appetite now. I can¡¯t eat anything. Can you let me sit and recoup for a moment?¡± She didn¡¯t have the strength to resist anymore. She could only pretend to give in to prevent him from giving her more tranquilizer. ¡°No. You haven¡¯t eaten for two days. If this continues, your body won¡¯t be able to take it!¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Andy, go buy another bowl of oatmeal!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Quickly! Andy bought another bowl of century eggs and lean meat oatmeal! ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve bought the oatmeal!¡± ¡°Mm, just leave it there!¡± Andy left the ward! Bruce opened the oatmeal and brought it to Joanna! She had calmed down. Her arm was no match for her thighs. She was like a fish on a chopping board. There was no room. for resistance. She could only be at Bruce¡¯s mercy. ¡°Are you still going to make a fuss?¡± Joanna was in a daze, like a doll. She did not cry, make a fuss, or speak. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± ¡°¡­ Joanna continued to remain silent! ¡°If you continue like this, I¡¯ll have to send you to a mental hospital for treatment.¡± ¡°You can go and stay there for a year and a half. I believe you¡¯ll be able to figure things out.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes looked forlornly at Bruce. There was supervision 24 hours a day at the mental hospital. Not to mention she wouldn¡¯t be free to step out. Even if she wanted to die, it would be impossible. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You know that tears don¡¯t work on me.¡± ¡°Open your mouth and eat!¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t eat!¡± ¡°Even if you can¡¯t eat, you have to force yourself. Hurry up!¡± Joanna had no choice but to open her mouth and eat it. Chapter 408 Chapter 408 ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Joanna choked and kept coughing. She was out of breath. Bruce quickly stopped and helped blow her back. ¡°Did you choke?¡± Joanna coughed a few times and fell weakly onto the bed with a frown. Seeing how ufortable she was, Bruce¡¯s heart ached. He put the oatmeal aside. She couldn¡¯t eat and only relied on glucose and nutrient solutions to support her. In the blink of an eye. Another two days went by. Joanna still couldn¡¯t eat, and her emotions were on the verge of copse. No matter what Bruce said to her, there was no reaction. At first, Bruce still wanted to hold on, just like an eagle that would only obey after its arrogance was simmered down. Unfortunately, he looked at Joanna¡¯s haggard and weak state and couldn¡¯t take it. Miranda was even more anxious. Her heart ached so much that she couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°Joann won¡¯t make it if she continues like this. Boohoo!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed, and he sighed helplessly. He had no choice but to call the butler. Beep beep beep. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Butler, bring the young Masters and Miss to the hospital!¡± ¡°Will do.¡± There was no way to cheer Joanna up now. He could only ce his hopes on the children. He hung up. Half an hourter, the butler brought Davian, Irvin, and Lilia to the hospital. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong? Why did you bring us to the hospital?¡± The children still did not know what had happened. They looked at Bruce innocently and curiously! Bruce bent down and rubbed Davian and Irvin¡¯s heads. ¡°Baby, Mommy is sick!¡± ¡°Daddy brought you here because I hope you can be by Mommy¡¯s side andfort her, okay?¡± ¡°Is Mommy sick again? Is it serious?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­ isn¡¯t in a good mood. Can you make her happy?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Go in!¡± The two little guys did not say anything else and hurriedly walked toward the ward. In the ward. Joanna was still lying lifeless, like a soulless doll. She was disheartened and had nothing left to live for. The two little guys pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Mommy.¡± Looking at their haggard and weak mommy on the bed, the two little guys immediately cried. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Why are you sick again?¡± The two little guys ran to the head of Joanna¡¯s bed and stood in front crying! Joanna did not seem to hear him and was unconcerned. ¡°Mominy, open your eyes and look at me. It¡¯s Davian!¡± Davian was sobbing as he shook Joanna¡¯s arm. Chapter 408 Irvin was also frightened. He looked at Bruce with red circles under his eyes. ¡°Daddy, what happened to Mommy?¡± Bruce did not say anything. He ced Lilia on the bed. ¡°Mommy, open your eyes and look at us! It¡¯s Lilia.¡± Lilia threw herself into Joanna¡¯s arms. She started crying as she spoke. ¡°Mommy, Mommy, wake up!¡± No matter how much the children cried, Joanna did not open. her eyes. Seeing his mommy not react had little Irvin sobbing. ¡°Sob sob sob. Daddy, is Mommy going to die?¡± When Davian heard this, his face fell, and he pped Irvin¡¯s head. ¡°Shut up. Mommy won¡¯t die. Mommy is just too tired and fell asleep When Lilia heard Irvin¡¯s words, she cried harder and kept shaking Joanna. ¡°Mommy, open your eyes! It¡¯s your precious Lilia. Mommy, don¡¯t you want me anymore?¡± The three little children cried their hearts out. Bruce¡¯s heart also exploded in pain. If Joanna died, he didn¡¯t know what would happen to the children. ¡°Mommy, boo boo boo¡­¡± The little ones¡® cries rose and fell. Joanna¡¯s eyes were still closed. She did not respond at all. Davian cried and suddenly looked at Bruce angrily. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong with Mommy? Why is she so sick?¡± Bruce frowned and could not say a word. ¡°Daddy, did you bully Mommy again? Why would she be so sick?¡± ¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath! Davian looked at Bruce angrily. ¡°You big bad man. You must have bullied Mommy again.¡± Irvin rashly advised his brother, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t me Daddy!¡± Bruce sighed helplessly. Seeing the children chattering and crying made him distraught. His n was useless. ¡°You should all go back!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not leaving. We¡¯re staying to take care of Mommy.¡± ¡°You guys need to go back. When Mommy is better, you cane back and see her.¡± Davian¡¯s eyes widened stubbornly. ¡°No, we¡¯re not leaving.¡± Bruce was running out of patience. He opened the door and shouted, ¡°Butler, quicklye and take the young Masters and Miss back home!¡± When the butler heard this, he hurriedly entered the ward with the nanny. ¡°Young Masters, Miss, let¡¯s go home!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I want to be with Mommy. I want to take care of Mommy.¡± ¡°Hurry up and take them away.¡± Bruce frowned and shouted. The butler and nanny did not hesitate. They hurriedly carried and pulled the little fellows away. After the children lef Bruce was furious. He stomped his feet and walked to the head of the bed. ¡°Joanna, what do you want? Get up.¡± Bruce grabbed her shoulders as he spoke and forced her to sit up. Joanna sat crookedly like a snake whose spine had been pulled out. Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red as he shook her shoulders in exasperation. ¡°Joanna, can you not be like this? Haven¡¯t you always been the strong one? Why have you been so easily defeated?¡± ¡°Pull yourself together. Didn¡¯t you want to take revenge on me? Get up and take your revenge on me! How can you have your revenge like this?¡± Joanna¡¯s head swayed as Bruce swayed. Bruce angrily let go, and Joannay back on the bed softly! ¡°I¡¯m so fucking annoyed!¡± Bruce cursed himself. He was highly frustrated. He got up and left the room to smoke. After Bruce left. Joanna¡¯s eyes suddenly opened¡­ An unfathomable gloominess appeared in her beautiful eyes! She did that to take revenge on him. A dark thought suddenly shed through her mind. Revenge on a man. The best way was to pretend to be in love with him. Let him believe it. Let him sink so deep that he couldn¡¯t extricate himself. Then, she would tell him the truth in desperation andpletely disappear from his world. Bruce seemed cold and arrogant! He had a strong desire for control and was overly paranoid about love. A man with such a character was easily hurt by love. He loved her! Then why didn¡¯t she pretend to love him? Wait until he was deeply involved. Then leave him and let him live in pain forever. 20 minutester! After smoking two cigarettes, Bruce returned to the ward with resentment. When he arrived at the ward, he realized Joanna had opened her eyes. Although Joanna still looked frail, she had regained a trace of vitality. ¡°Joanna¡­ Bruce rushed to the bed to inspect her. As he approached, Joanna frowned and coughed. ¡°Ahem¡­¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously took two steps back. ¡°Do I smell like smoke?¡± Joanna blinked weakly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m so thirsty. I want to drink water!¡± Joanna took the initiative to talk to Bruce, which made him feel ttered. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll get some water now¡± ¡°Do you want something hot or cold? Or do you want a drink?¡± ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll pour you a ss of warm water!¡± After saying that, Bruce hurriedly went to pour water. He walked to the water dispenser and filled half a cup with hot water, then the other half with cold water. He took a sip and felt that the temperature was just right. Then, he hurriedly handed it to Joanna. ¡°Here¡¯s the water.¡± As Bruce spoke, he helped Joanna up. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you!¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Joanna leaned weakly in his arms and gently drank water. This action was quite ordinary. However, Bruce¡¯s heart was pounding non¨Cstop.. He enjoyed the feeling of Joanna leaning into his arms. He liked the feel of her relying on him even more. ¡°Drink slowly, don¡¯t choke, Bruce reminded her gently as if feeding a child water. Joanna took a few more sips and stopped. ¡°Cough cough.¡± Bruce frowned and said dotingly, ¡°Look, I told you to slow down, but you didn¡¯t listen. You drank so quickly. Did you choke?¡± Chapter 409 Chapter 409 Joanna did not say anything. There was an unfathomable gentleness in her eyes as she nced at him. This nce made Bruce even more confused. It had been a long time since she looked at him like this. ¡°Is it enough? Do you want more?¡± Joanna shook her head slightly. ¡°Enough¡± ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with tenderness. Joanna¡¯s heart trembled. She raised her head and looked into Bruce¡¯s ryes. It seemed that this approach was doable! From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he was eager to get her affection. Since that was the case, why would she resist? She would use this chance to make him love her even more! ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry!¡± When Bruce heard this, he immediately asked, ¡°Then what do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get my assistant to buy it. Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said, ¡°¡­I want to eat cake! My mouth is very bitter. I want to eat something sweet.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get my assistant to buy it immediately. What else do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get my assistant to buy it too.¡± Joanna shook her head sadly. ¡°No need. I only want to eat some cake.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get Kody to buy it.¡± With that, Bruce left the ward. Outside the ward. Andy, Kody, and more than ten bodyguards perked up and waited for Bruce¡¯s instructions. ¡°Kody, go to Sk right now and get a cake.¡± Kody did not hesitate. ¡°Mr. Everett, what vor do you want?¡± ¡°Buy one of each vor. Also, go to Honeymoon Dessert and buy some sweet treats.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett, Kody replied, hurriedly leaving the hospital to buy the cake and sweet treats. Forty minutester! Kody and a bodyguard walked into the ward with more than ten cakes of various sizes and more than ten kinds of sweet treats in their hands! ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve bought the cake and sweet treats.¡± ¡°Put them down!¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. Bruce unfolded the dining table and ced the cakes and desserts individually without hesitation. The table was filled with cakes and desserts of all vors. Sk¡¯s was the most high¨Cend cake shop. A small cake would cost at least over 200 dors. Of course! There was a reason why it was expensive. Every vor was made to perfection. Joanna took a look and frowned. ¡°Why did you buy so many? How will I finish them?¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what vor you wanted to eat, so I bought them all for you to try!¡± When Joapna heard that, she could not help but click her tongue. ¡°This will be such a waste!¡± ¡°As long as you want to eat, it¡¯s not a waste.¡± With that, Bruce cut a small piece of strawberry¨Cvored cake and eagerly handed it to Joanna as a memory shed across his mind. ¡°Here, want to try this strawberry vor? I remember you used to like strawberries!¡° Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth slightly! The sweet, sticky, and delicate cream exploded in her mouth, and her initially bitter tongue was filled with sweet satisfaction! ¡°Is it good?¡± Mm!¡± Chapter 409 Bruce cut another small piece of a different vored cake. ¡°Try this mousse cake. This shop has the most famous mousse cake.¡± Joanna took another small bite and tasted it slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t you want something sweet? This macaroon is quite sweet.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I also got Kody to buy sweet treats and milk. You¡¯re very weak now. You must nourish yourself well.¡± Bruce was nagging and trying to please her! He had lived a long life, but this was the first time he had been pleasant to others. Joanna did not say anything and epted each of his disys of affection. In the blink of an eye. Joanna had been in the hospital for a week. After a thorough examination, the doctor carried out the discharge procedures. ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes can be discharged!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Is there anything else I should be watchful for?¡± The doctor gave a few more cautious instructions. ¡°When you go back, you have to recover well. Also, the antidepressant must be stopped.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Got it.¡± In the ward. She had already packed her things, awaiting to be discharged at any time. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Come home with me. Bruce looked at Joanna with a longing gaze. ¡°¡­Yes!¡± Joanna nodded slightly. Bruce was a little excited when she was willing to go home with him. He took a few steps forward and picked her up horizontally. Joanna¡¯s cheeks burned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to carry me. I can walk by myself.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve just recovered. It¡¯ll be worrying if you fall and bump into something.¡± Hearing this. Joanna did not refuse anymore. She let him carry her to the underground parking lot. Andy and Kody could not help but click their tongues. ¡°Wow, wow, wow. Mr. Everett is too good to Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Miss Haynes must have saved the gxy in her previous life to be so lucky in this life.¡± Andy sighed. ¡°We can¡¯t judge what we see on the surface. Many things are going on behind the scenes that we can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett are back together again. What about Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Will the Grimm family agree?¡± Andy smiled bitterly. ¡°That¡¯s not something we should worry about. Let¡¯s do our thing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sherane Bay Vi. The servants had already arranged a wee party at home. The entire vi was filled with flowers. Davian and Irvin were already waiting on thewn. ¡°Wee home, Mommy!¡± ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett. Wee home, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡­Joanna frowned. The two little guys rushed over. ¡°Mommy, have you recovered?¡± Joanna squatted down gently. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mommy, will you leave again? Are you staying with us?¡± Joanna nced at Bruce and then nodded at the children. ¡°Yes! Mommy will stay and take care of you.¡± Chapter 409 When the children heard this, they were overjoyed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. We can finally be with Mommy.¡± ¡°Mommy, we love you so much!¡± The little ones surrounded Joanna and chattered happily like little birds. At night! Bruce walked into Joanna¡¯s room. Joanna had already washed up and was lying quietly on the bed. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce looked at her guiltily. He wasn¡¯t sure. Did she agree to sleep with him? Joanna looked back and smiled gently. She reached out and hooked her arms around his neck. Then, she stretched her neck and offered Bruce a goodnight kiss. Bruce¡¯s body stiffened as he looked at Joanna in disbelief. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to kiss him. ¡°Joann, um¡­ are you okay?¡± Joannaughed. ¡°What in the world could happen?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart was pounding. Facing Joanna, he couldn¡¯t control his impulse. Now that she took the initiative to light the fire, he could not restrain himself. However, his rationality told him he could not force himself on her. ¡°You hate me so much. Why are you¡­.¡± Joannaughed. ¡°I¡¯m fulfilling my contractual obligations!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that after being your lover for two years, you would return the Haynes Group to me? Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Joanna¡¯s beautiful eyes looked at Bruce without moving Bruce¡¯s heart turned cold. He was overthinking this. Joanna was only gentle to him because she wanted the Haynes Group back. Subsequently, Bruce no longer felt any psychological burden. He kissed her passionately. Then, he asked her to push him onto the bed. ¡°Joann. I love you. I truly missed you¡­.¡± ¡°Can you be gentler?¡± It was a long and charming night. Perhaps he had restrained himself for too long. Bruce was iparably greedy. If not for her body being too weak, he could have been even greedier. The next day. Joanna had slept past ten o¡¯clock before waking up. She had just woken up and felt her limbs ache. This bastard¡¯s stamina was always so shocking. She didn¡¯t know how much she would have been tortured if she hadn¡¯t refusedst night. ¡°Where is Bruce?¡± The servant replied respectfully, ¡°Mr. Everett has returned to thepany.¡± ¡°Where are the children?¡± ¡°The kids are in school.¡± Chapter 409 Joanna suddenly felt empty. ¡°Mrs. Everett, breakfast has been prepared for you.¡± Joanna ale some oatmeal and lost her appetite. Her heart was in a mess! She didn¡¯t know if it would be right to do this. However, when he thought of what Bruce had done to her, she could not forgive him. She couldn¡¯t beat him in a head¨Con fight. This was the only way she could do it! Gentle knives were not often the most lethal weapon. Beep! Beep! Beep! ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Look, are you awake?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± ¡°Meet me for lunch. I¡¯ll be home at about one o¡¯clock.¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯ll just eat something for lunch. It¡¯ll be too much trouble for you to run back and forth. Let¡¯s eat together tonight!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re going to have lunch. ¡°Alright then!¡± Chapter 410 Chapter 410 Joanna was in a daze for a moment. She did not let go of the phone for a long time. *Bruce, for the rest of your life¡­ I will let you live in pain and repentance. Everything you took from me, I will make you pay tenfold or a hundredfold.¡± The days ahead would be even more painful. What she had to do next was pretend to fall in love with Bruce and let him drown in her passion. Once he was immersed entirely, she would leave him in the most brutal way. As long as it would make him suffer for the rest of his life, anything would be worth it. An hourter! Bruce drove back. During this period, he did not return to thepany as much. Today, he was in a rare good mood. He arrived at thepany early in the morning to deal with the backlog of work. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± The servants greeted in unison. ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Bruce rarely responded to greetings but was in a good mood today. He walked into the living room. A strong smell of onion oil wafted over. It was the smell of spaghetti. ¡°Mmm, it smells so good!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t even have time to change his clothes and walked straight to the kitchen. ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± In the kitchen, Joanna was wearing a white casual outfit. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and she had a blue and white checkered apron around her chest. After hearing Bruce¡¯s voice, she turned around and smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m making you spaghetti.¡± Her face was beautiful and gentle. Her sweat caused a few strands of hair to stick together on her temples. She looked like a good wife and mother who washed her husband¡¯s hands and cooked soup. Bruce¡¯s heart was instantly filled with warmth. This was precisely what he had hoped for. ¡­Did you make this for me?¡± Bruce slowly walked forward and gently hugged her from behind. ¡°Of course! Who else could it be made for if it wasn¡¯t for you?¡± ¡°Hehe, thank you, wife.¡± Bruce smiled and kissed her on the side of her face. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Stop fooling around. Hurry up and wash your hands. It¡¯ll be done soon.¡± ¡°Mm, okay!¡± Joanna brought a bowl of spaghetti to the dining table. There were also hash browns and two dishes of colew, After washing his hands, Bruce looked at the food on the table and smiled. ¡°Why are you suddenly so good to me? You thought of making me spaghetti?¡± Joanna smiled gently and took off her apron. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it? I made it special for you!¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Bruce couldn¡¯t help butugh awkwardly. Joanna had always been cold to him. Suddenly she was so gentle to him, and he was not used to it. But no matter what, he was still delighted. ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s hot! It won¡¯t taste good when it¡¯s cold.¡± Bruce walked to the dining table and picked up his tableware to eat. The spaghetti was as delicious as ever. They were apanied by colew, which was refreshing and delicious. Although they were all ordinary dishes, they tasted better than all the usual delicacies. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s incredibly delicious. This is the best spaghetti I¡¯ve ever eaten.¡± Joanna sat beside him. She rested her chin on her elbow and looked at him gently. ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll make it for you every Chapter 410 day in the future.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Bruce ate the food with relish. Halfway through his meal, he suddenly thought of something. ¡°Joann, pack your luggage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Next week, I¡¯m going to Escostan on a business trip. I might be gone for more than ten days. Get ready toe with me.¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Huh? We¡¯re going to be gone for that long?¡± Bruce raised his eyes slightly and looked at her with a faint smile. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to go?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m worried about the children. What will happen if we¡¯re gone for such a long time?¡± ¡°The children will be under the care of the butler and servants. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds before squeezing out a smile. ¡°¡­Alright then!¡± Bruce continued to eat his noodles in silence. asionally, he would look up at Joanna, feeling exceptionally satisfied. After eating the spaghetti. Bruce rested for another 20 minutes. He looked at the time. It was almost two o¡¯clock. So, he put on his suit and prepared to go out. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m going back to work.¡± ¡°Okay, don¡¯t tire yourself out. I¡¯ll wait for you for dinner tonight.¡± ¡°You too. Have a good rest. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Goodbye. Bruce, reluctant to leave, kissed her and then hurriedly drove back to work. After Bruce left! Joanna¡¯s expression suddenly darkened, and a trace of coldness appeared under her eyes. ¡°Bruce, just you wait! I¡¯ll definitely make you suffer.¡± 3:30 PM! Joanna was in a daze when she suddenly heard a cheerful voice. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re back.¡± The children got out of the car and ran happily into Joanna¡¯s room! Joanna instantly snapped out of her absent¨Cminded state. ¡°Babies. Are you done with school?¡± ¡°Yes. We missed Mommy so much!¡± Davian and Irvin pounced into Joanna¡¯s arms one after another. The nanny also walked in with Lilia. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m done with school too¡­¡± Lilia was in kindergarten 1, one year behind her two brothers. The two boys were in kindergarten 2. The two little fellows¡® noses were very sharp. They sniffed. ¡°What smells so good?¡± ¡°Mommy, did you make dumplings!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. We were thinking of Mommy¡¯s dumplings.¡± ¡°Mominy has already wrapped them. I¡¯ll cook them for you now,¡± Thank you, Mommy.¡± The servant hurriedly went forward. ¡°Mrs. Everett, I¡¯ll cook!¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s better to cook for the children myself.¡± Even though more than 20 servants were serving the Everett family, Joanna still wanted to cook herself and make food for her children. Joanna smiled and took Lilia from the nanny¡¯s arms. She walked towards the kitchen. ¡°Baby, are you happy at school?!¡± 2/4 12.05 Chapter 410 Lilia nodded excitedly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very happy. I know many children!¡± Lilia looked like a cute little princess in a beautiful id skirt with ace cover¨Cup. She could not walk yet and needed the servants to carry her to kindergarten every day. Joanna kissed her daughter¡¯s cheek, but her eyes could not help but turn red. Fifteen minutester! Joanna cooked the dumplings and scooped three bowls for the children. She let them simmer on the dining table. The children couldn¡¯t wait to eat them. ¡°Don¡¯t fight with me. This bowl is mine.¡± ¡°I want this bowl. This bowl has so much more.¡± Seeing this, Joanna quickly stopped them ¡°Stop fighting. There¡¯s more in the pot. Eat slowly.¡± The three little children sat at the dining table and ate the dumplings with relish on the side. Their favorite dishes were the dumplings and sweet potato croquettes, specially made by their mommy. Although the Everett family¡¯s chefs knew how to cook delicious meals, they couldn¡¯t make the food their mommy made. The children finished eating the dumplings and were satisfied. Irvin patted his round belly and burped. ¡°Mommy, the weather is nice today. Can you fly a kite with us?¡± ¡°Okay! But you have to finish your homework first.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± There was nothing much to do in kindergarten. They just wrote a few words and did some handicrafts. The children finished their homework in less than half an hour. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ve done our homework! Can we fly a kite now?¡± After checking their homework, Joanna agreed to the children¡¯s request. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Oh, oh, that¡¯s great. We can fly kites now.¡± Then, Davian got his Iron Man kite, and Irvin took his Goku kite. Lilia did not know how to walk. She could only watch from the side as her brothers released him. On thewn! Joanna happily flew kites with her children. ¡°Mommy, fly higher, fly higher.¡± ¡°Davian, don¡¯t hold my hand so tightly. Let go a little!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. That¡¯s it.¡± It was a sunny day, and the weather was good. The Everett family¡¯swn was huge. It was as big as two football fields. Flying a kite was not a problem. 5:30 PM! Bruce was back. Before he got out of the car, he saw Joanna happily flying a kite on thewn with their two children. Looking at this heartwarming scene, he felt extremelyforted! This was precisely the kind of life he wanted. A home, a wife he loved, and lovely children. ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re flying our kites. It¡¯s fun. Come and y with us.¡± Bruce walked over and picked up his daughter! ¡°I don¡¯t know how to y!¡± Bruce smiled andforted his daughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, baby. Daddy will treat your leg. Soon, you will fly a kite with your brothers. Joanna smiled gently. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Why so early?¡± Joanna asked as she handed the kite to Davian. Chapter 411 Chapter 411 In the past, Bruce was a workaholic who woulde backte every day. But now, he felt a sense of homesickness. ¡°I couldn¡¯t work with the thought of you at home alone with the kids, so I decided toe back and stay with you!¡± Joanna smiled and did not say anything. The two little guys were still happily flying their kites! ¡°Slow down, don¡¯t fall!¡± ¡°Oh no, the kites are tangled together!¡± Davian shouted at Irvin in discontent, ¡°I already told you to move over a little, but you just had to squeeze through Irvin giggled. ¡°Watch my Goku fight Iron Man.¡± ¡°Move away from me. If you get any closer, I¡¯ll beat you up!¡± At night. It was rare for this family of five to gather together for a meal. The three little fellows were still excited and kept chattering non¨Cstop. As they ate, they shook their heads happily. Joanna pulled a long face and started lecturing the children. ¡°Don¡¯t talk when you¡¯re eating! You can¡¯t keep talking when you¡¯re eating ¡°Got it. Mommy Davian quickly shut up and ate obediently. Irvinughed heartlessly. ¡°We¡¯re happy! Mommy and Daddy will always be by our side. We¡¯re so happy.¡± Lilia chimed in with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m happy too! I hope Daddy and Mommy can stay with us forever and never be separated.¡± ¡°¡­ Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She felt an inexplicable pain. Seeing her mommy¡¯s silence, Lilia suddenly looked at her worriedly. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯ll be with us forever, right?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t sneak away again, will you?¡± ¡°¡­No!¡± Joanna smiled gently and rubbed Lilia¡¯s head lovingly. Bruce watched quietly, his eyes filled with nostalgia. He would stop at nothing to ensure his family was reunited; it would be worth it. After dinner. The children went back to their rooms to sleep. Joanna and Bruce finished washing up and got ready for bed. Bruce couldn¡¯t help but try to goof around. Joanna¡¯s entire body was aching. She really couldn¡¯t do it anymore. ¡°No, I¡¯m too tired today. We just did itst night!¡± Bruce smiled evilly and turned off the lights. ¡°That wasst night. Today is a new day.¡± ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t really want to¡­¡± Joanna wanted to refuse, but it was toote¡­ After the fierce battle! Bruce hugged Joanna and fell into a deep sleep. He had been working tirelessly for the past few days and was exhausted. Joanna felt weak all over. She was tired and sleepy, and her limbs were extremely sore. Unfortunately, she could not fall asleep. She could only stare at the ceiling in a daze. Her move was like killing 1,000 enemies and sacrificing 800 of her own. If Bruce lived in painter, she would probably suffer too. However, she would not let him feel good while she was in pain. Chapter 411 The next day! Bruce woke up early in the morning and was incredibly energetic. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m going to work!¡± Joanna turned around and got up. ¡°Hmm, what time is it?¡± ¡®Go back to sleep. It¡¯s only 8:30.¡± Joanna rubbed her sleepy eyes and got out of bed. ¡°I also want to go to thepany to take a look. I haven¡¯t been back for many days!¡± Bruce smiled suggestively. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about thepany. I¡¯ll get someone to take care of the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°But, there are still Porash and Greene Town jobs. I have to arrange them.¡± *Hehe, don¡¯t work there anymore. You won¡¯t be able to earn much money anyway. Your current mission is to stay by my side. A hint of shrewdness appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. When Joanna heard this, she could not help but frown. ¡°If I don¡¯t go to work, I¡¯ll be very bored. I don¡¯t want to stay home every day and be a housewife.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± ¡°How about this? Come back to thepany with me and be my personal secretary¡± ¡­Joanna was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea, is it?¡± ¡°Why not? You were initially going to be my personal secretary. I wanted you to rest at home for a bit, but since you find it boring, you might as well go to thepany with me!¡± Joanna wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, she agreed. ¡°Alright! As long as I don¡¯t stay at home.¡± ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll change my clothes.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Joanna hurriedly got up to freshen up. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. After changing her clothes, she followed Bruce to thepany. The Everett Group! As Bruce stepped through thepany¡¯s door, his expression instantly became grave and cold, like a general about to go to war. Joanna followed behind him. Feeling the gazes from all directions, she felt a little ufortable! Fortunately, she quickly got into the elevator and did not need to be stared at anymore. In the office! Bruce¡¯s office was huge and upied an entire floor. ¡°Bruce, what can I do?¡± ¡°Yes, just sit beside me. I¡¯ll let you know if I need you to do anything.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re bored, there are entertainment facilities there. You can y golf and watch movies.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Joanna sat down on the sofa! Opposite her was Bruce¡¯s workstation! There was a long sandalwood desk with aputer and various documents on it. Bruce sat down and began to work. He had back¨Cto¨Cback phone calls! Bruce used three kinds ofnguages andmunicated non¨Cstop with the person on the other end of the phone. He was swamped! As long as he came to work, countless jobs would await him. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is a Korean document!¡± ¡°Yes, leave it for now. I¡¯ll call their presidentter.¡± ¡°This is the order from Melta. It needs your signature!¡± DA Chapter 411 ¡°I got it!¡± Special assistants would knock on the door almost every 20 minutes ande in to deliver documents or report for their appointments. Joanna watched from the side and listened to Bruce on the phone with someone else. She suddenly understood that Bruce¡¯s way of thinking and handling work was different from others. No wonder he was sessfull He was knowledgeable, and his mentality was superb. He was quite a brilliant individual. Maybe! She could learn from him by staying by his side. When it came to business, she couldn¡¯tpare to him. She was too far behind. Joanna flipped through a magazine. She looked like she was casually reading a magazine while quietly listening to how Brucemunicated with his clients and how he handled his work. Outside the office. Andy, Mark, and the others could not help but discuss them again. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Miss Haynes came to thepany with Mr. Everett¡­ ¡°Are they nning to make it public?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve always been a couple. Now that Mr. Grimm is experiencing hardships, Miss Haynes must return to Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°I must say, Miss Haynes is quite scheming and heartless.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Everyone wants a good life. If it were us, we would also want to rely on a big tree to enjoy the shade.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get to work! If Mr. Everett hears us, we won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± In the blink of an eye, it was already past eleven. In the office. Bruce held her forehead with a displeased expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡°Sigh, there are so many documents. I¡¯m dizzy from reading them!¡± Bruce said as he rubbed his temples. Joanna put down the magazine in her hand and walked up to him. ¡°Then let me give you a massage!¡± ¡°Mm, okay!¡± Joanna began to massage his temples gently. The massagested less than two minutes! Bruce touched her hand and pulled her into his arms! ¡°You better stop rubbing. I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Bruce smirked. ¡°It¡¯s too satisfying. It¡¯s making me want to¡­¡± As he spoke, his restless hands began to roam over her body. ¡°Stop fooling around. We¡¯re in the office. What if someone sees us? It¡¯ll be embarrassing.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll continue at home tonight!¡± ¡°You are trouble!¡± Joanna felt frustrated! Bruce stopped teasing her. ¡°Hehe, have you packed your luggage?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I want to go to Venturas tomorrow!¡± When Bruce heard this, the smile on his face immediately turned cold. still worried about Jaydon. She was st Chapter 411 ¡°You promised to give me a day off every week. I can do whatever I want.¡± ¡­ Yes, go ahead! I¡¯ll keep my word. I won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll be back early tomorrow¡± Bruce smiled, but deep down, he felt extremely ufortable. Jaydon was in a vegetative state. But he was still too jealous and wanted to remove Jaydon from Joanna¡¯s heart altogether. He was the only man allowed to be in her heart. She could not have another man. Chapter 412 Chapter 412 ¡°It¡¯s noon. Let¡¯s go have lunch!* ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce turned off theputer and left the office with Joanna. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Anything is fine!* Bruce thought for a few seconds. ¡°Then let¡¯s have a simple meal at a nearby restaurant!¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna smiled. ¡°Anything is fine.¡± There were also a few high¨Cend restaurants near thepany. Bruce took her to a Frayn restaurant she often went to During lunch. Bruce looked up at her from time to time. Joanna ate her food gently and flipped her hair from time to time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Bruce put a small piece of steak into his mouth. There was a strange light in his eyes. ¡°I still like the way you look when you have long hair. Let your hair grow¡­.. In the past, Joanna¡¯s long hair reached her waist. It was ck and soft. She looked pure and beautiful, like a girl straight out of aic. Her hair had never grown to that length again. As soon as the ends exceeded her shoulders, they would be trimmed to their original length. Although still beautiful, she was no longer as wless as she used to be. Joanna put down the knife and fork in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t I look good like this?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly and said dotingly. ¡°Well, I prefer the older style!¡± Joanna listened and looked at him thoughtfully. ¡°If I never look like I did before, will you still like me?¡± ¡­Of course, I will! No matter what you look like, I will like it.¡± ¡°What if I be ugly one day?¡± ¡°I told you, no matter what you look like, I will appreciate it.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Joanna smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Joanna used a knife and fork to cut the food on her te but had no appetite. ¡°People change! Many things can¡¯t return to their past states, nor can they look their original appearance.¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds and put down the knife and fork in his hand. ¡°Joann, as long as we want to, everything can return to how it was before.¡± Joanna subconsciously retracted her hand. ¡°Are you done eating?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce immediately stood up and called the waiter to pay the bill. The two of them reached the parking lot. Joanna suddenly thought of something. ¡°I won¡¯t be going to the office with you. I want to go shopping¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°Go shopping?¡± From his memory, Joanna rarely went shopping. Joannaughed. ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re going to Escostan for a business trip. I want to buy a few clothes.¡± Bruce replied without hesitation, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get Kody and the others to apany you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my credit card. Did you bring yours?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± After that! Bruce gave his ck card to Joanna and asked Kody and four bodyguards to apany Joanna on her shopping spree. ¡°Buy whatever you want.¡± Joanna took the card and looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°If 1 overspend, you be angry, right?¡± When Bruce heard this, he couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Hehe, no way! Buy whatever you want!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving!¡± Joanna took Bruce¡¯s card and got into another car. Chapter 412 Kody drove Joanna to Greyport¡¯s most upscale shopping mall Joanna strolled ahead with four bodyguards following behind her. Joanna entered the Hermes shop and chose a few sets of clothes, shoes, and bags. Then, she went to another high¨Cend luxury store and bought clothes and shoes for the children. Joanna had spent more than a million dors in just over two hours. In the past, she didn¡¯t like to use Bruce¡¯s money. Even when they divorced, she didn¡¯t ask for alimony. But now, she was suddenly over it! Why not? If she didn¡¯t use it, another woman would. After shopping, Joanna entered a salon. Tony the hairstylist, greeted her enthusiastically. ¡°Hello, what kind of hairstyle do you want to do?¡± Joanna flipped through a magazine and pointed at one of the hairstyles. ¡°Let¡¯s cut it like this!¡± Tony, the hairstylist, took a look. ¡°Is it this style?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I think you should choose something else. This hairstyle doesn¡¯t suit the shape of your face¡­¡± ¡°I like this hairstyle. Just cut it this way.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna chose the most expensive stylist and quickly cut her hair. It was simr to the photo she picked. It was like a bob, and the end of the longest hair reached her car. It looked less delicate and bold. She didn¡¯t like how Bruce liked her other hairstyle, nor did she want to cater to it. After cutting her hair, she returned to Sherane Bay Vi. It was already past six in the evening. Bruce had already gotten off work and returned home. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna changed her shoes, and the bodyguards behind her carried the bags into the house. ¡°Wow, why did you buy so many things?¡± Bruce said. When he looked up, he realized that Joanna had cut her hair. Moreover, the cut was short, almost as long as his hair. Immediately, Bruce frowned and felt a chill in his heart. In the afternoon, he had just said he wanted her to have long hair, and she cut it. It was evident that she was silently opposing him. Joanna deliberately looked nonchnt. ¡°Yes! I bought a few sets of clothes. I also bought a few sets of clothes for the children.¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Why did you cut your hair?¡± Joanna pretended to be stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡­Nothing!¡± Bruce sucked in a breath of cold air, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would like me no matter how I looked?¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she deliberately spun around in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t I look good?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna chuckled and ignored him. ¡°Baby, Mommy bought you new clothes. Come over and try them on¡± Davian and Irvin heard the shouts and ran out of the bedroom. ¡°Wow, so beautiful!¡± ¡°Mommy, why is your hair cut so short?¡± Joanna said casually as she put the children¡¯s clothes on. ¡°It¡¯s easy to take care of short hair!¡± At night! Bruce¡¯s heart burned with anger, and he was not in the mood to do anything else. ¡°I¡¯m going to Venturas tomorrow!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce replied and turned around to sleep. The next day! Joanna woke up early in the morning. After washing up, she took Tatiana and a few bodyguards to Venturas. At Marhall Hospital. When Orvin saw Joanna, he hurriedly approached to greet her. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°How¡¯s Jay?¡± Orvin frowned. ¡°Mr. Grimm is still the same.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go in and see him!¡± Joanna hurriedly pushed open the ward door as she spoke and walked in. In the ward! Jaydon was still lying quietly on the hospital bed with various pieces of equipment inserted into his body. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m here to see you!¡± Joanna walked to the bed and gently held Jaydon¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for so long. Are you not going to wake up?¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t react at all. If not for the various instruments attached to him, he would have looked like he was sleeping. soundly. Joanna was sorrowful. She stayed by Jaydon¡¯s bed and rambled on. After a while, Grace pushed open the door and walked in. As soon as she entered and saw Joanna, she immediately cursed, ¡°You bitch, you still have the nerve toe and see my brother. Get lost. You¡¯re not allowed to see my brother.¡± ¡°Ms. Grace, please calm down!¡± Grace wasted no time and pushed Joanna, ¡°I can¡¯t calm down. My brother is still lying here. In the blink of an eye, you threw yourself into another man¡¯s arms. Do you have any decency?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, but she did not refute. The affair between her and Bruce had already spread like wildfire. The media took turns to broadcast the news, and the Grimm family all knew about it. ¡°You have nothing to say, do you? My brother is lying here. How can you even face him?¡± When the bodyguards heard her voice, they hurriedly came in to stop her. ¡°Ms. Grace, please don¡¯t touch me here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and looked guiltily at Grace, ¡°Grace, I know I¡¯ve let Jay down. You can hit me and scold me if you want!* ¡°One day, I will pay for my wrongdoings. I will return everything I owe him.¡± Grace didn¡¯t care, ¡°Hmph, get lost. Don¡¯te here again, or I¡¯ll beat you up.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, let¡¯s go now!¡± Joanna turned around and looked at Jaydon. ¡°Jay, I¡¯ll go now. I might not have time to visit you next week¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get lost. Stop talking so much nonsense!¡± Joanna took another deep look at Jaydon before turning around and leaving the ward. From now on, Jaydon would only be one man in her heart. She and Bruce could never have any real feelings for each other. It would be impossible. After seeing Jaydon, Joanna walked out of the hospital in a daze. The weather outside was a little hot, and she felt dizzy under the sun. Joanna sat by the flower bed, feeling uneasy and illusory. The bodyguard saw her and hurriedly went to persuade her. ¡°Miss Haynes, let¡¯s hurry back to Greyport! It¡¯s toote to go back. Mr. Everett will be worried!¡± ¡°I want to sit and bask in the sun for a bit¡­.¡± Beep! Beep! The phone in Joanna¡¯s pocket rang. She looked at it and saw that it was Bruce calling. ¡°Hey!¡± Bruce¡¯s cold voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°You¡¯re not back yet?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m about to head back.¡± ¡°Where are you now? How long will it take for you to return?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the docks now. I¡¯ll be back in about an hour or so!¡± Bruce thought for a moment. ¡°Do you want me to pick you up?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll go straight back.¡± ¡°Okay, then! Be careful.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± She hung up! Joanna sighed deeply again. She turned around and looked in the direction of the hospital. She silently said goodbye to Jaydon in her heart. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna got into the car and hurried to the dock with the bodyguards. In the car. Joanna was still worried, so she called Cora. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Cora, how are things at Greene Town?¡± Cora replied. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you for the time being. I might not have time toe over for a while. Call me if you need anything¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Haynes!¡± Chapter 413 Chapter 413 After calling Cora, Joanna called Michael. Now, she did not have time to visit Mossbourne. She had to leave the work to them. Sherane Bay Vi. After returning to Greyport! It was past four in the afternoon. ¡°Mommy!¡± When Joanna got back, the children happily surrounded her. In the past few days, the happiest people were none other than the three little fellows. They surrounded Joanna every day and chattered endlessly. ¡°You guys are out of school¡­¡± Davian nodded. ¡°Tomorrow is the weekend, so ss ended very early today!¡± ¡°Have you done your homework?¡± Davian and Irvin waved their textbooks proudly. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Joanna smiled gently and praised the children, ¡°Awesome!¡± Irvin blinked his ck eyes. ¡°Mommy, shall we go riding together?¡± ¡°Mommy is a little tired. Can you go by yourselves?¡± ¡°Mommy,e with us! Riding is fun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I know Mommy will like it. Daddy has raised many horses. It¡¯s very fun.¡± ¡­Alright!¡± Seeing how excited the children were, Joanna couldn¡¯t take rejecting them. It was also good to spend time with her children now that she had time. Joanna followed the children and went to the racecourse. More than ten horses were on the ranch, each worth 200 thousand dors! Davian and Irvin changed into their horse¨Criding gear and asked the horse trainer to bring them out of the horse pen. The two little fellows rode around the horse ranch in circles. The boys were still too young and couldn¡¯t ride alone. They needed a special horse master to lead them! ¡°Be careful! Don¡¯t fall.¡± ¡°Mm! Hahaha¡­¡± The little boys rode around excitedly! At five o¡¯clock. Bruce returned home! ¡°Where are the children?¡± The servant replied respectfully, ¡°The children went to the racecourse with Madam!¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows slightly. Then, he drove the car towards the horse ranch in the backyard. This was his private horse ranch. Usually, he would ride a horse around when he had nothing to do! The horses he raised were different from those in the countryside. Every horse was an internationally awarded foal! Of course! Riding and raising horses were costly hobbies. Ordinary people could not bear such a huge expense. The horse trainer greeted him respectfully, ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± Lilia was very excited to see Bruce. ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re here too?¡± ¡°Look. my brothers are so cool!¡± Joanna looked back at Bruce. ¡°Are you off work?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Chapter 413 Was it a hard day?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°It was alright¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try riding?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Joanna was stunned. Riding was a high¨Cend sport, but Joanna was not interested. Seeing Joanna¡¯s hesitation, Bruce smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s try it together!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ride?¡± Tll take you with me.¡± Joanna still shook her head and refused. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Come on. It¡¯s fun riding. It¡¯s also rxing.¡± There was special horse riding gear for both men and women! Bruce dragged Joanna to change her clothes. Joanna refused again and again. ¡°I really won¡¯t!¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll take you.¡± After changing his clothes, Bruce got on the horse first and pulled Joanna onto the horse. ¡°Giddyup!¡± Bruce lightly flicked the horsewhip. The horse spread its four hooves and trotted steadily! Joanna¡¯s heart tightened as she grabbed the reins of his horse tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Rx.¡± Bruce hugged her from behind. ¡°¡­Joanna was still a little afraid. Bruce smiled andforted her. ¡°I¡¯m here. What are you afraid of?¡± Joanna replied nervously, Tm afraid of falling!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You won¡¯t fall. Even if you fall, I¡¯ll protect you!¡± ¡°Hyah¡­¡± ¡± The horse was very docile. It circled the pasture a few times. Gradually, Joanna¡¯s nervous heart calmed down. ¡°Giddyup!¡± After rxing. Bruce whipped the horse. He immediately started sprinting! ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fun when the horses run¡± The horse ran faster and faster. Even though Bruce was carrying her, she was still extremely nervous. ¡°Bruce, please stop. I¡¯m really scared! Ah!¡± The horse ran a few rounds in a row! He finally stopped. Joanna was so frightened that her face turned pale and her heart was thumping! ¡°Hehe, why are you so timid?¡± Joanna caught her breath and red at him. ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you angry?¡± Joanna said nothing. It was alright. She was a little afraid during the first two rounds but got used to itter. Davian and Irvin were pping and cheering at the side. Their daddy¡¯s equestrian skillspletely overpowered them. ¡°Daddy is so awesome, Mommy. Daddy is amazing at riding horses.¡± ¡°When we grow up, we¡¯ll be as good as Daddy.¡± ¡°Daddy, I want to ride a horse too!¡± Chapter 413 ¡°Okay, when Lilia¡¯s leg recovers, should Daddy call you to ride?¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you, Daddy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± They sat in the chauffeur¨Cdriven carriage and got ready to return! The Everett family¡¯s house was massive. If they took a car to the house, it would still take a few minutes! The three little kids were excited and chattered non¨Cstop! Seeing this, Joanna felt an indescribable feeling in her heart! It had been long since she had seen the children so happy! ¡°Babies. Daddy and Mommy are going to Escostan on a business trip tomorrow. We might not be back for more than ten days.¡± ¡°Be good at home, understand?¡± The three little kids eximed, ¡°Ah! Why¡¯re you going on a business trip for so long?¡± ¡°Yes! When Daddyes back. I¡¯ll bring you a gift.¡± ¡°Yay. Daddy, can you go alone? I want Mommy to stay.¡± ¡°No, Mommy has to go with Daddy.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, alright!¡± At night, Bruce returned to the room. ¡°Have you packed everything?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all packed.¡± ¡°What did you pack?¡± ¡°What did I pack? Just some clothes and daily necessities.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring too many things. It¡¯s too troublesome.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t bring much!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower!¡± Bruce then opened Joanna¡¯s luggage! In her suitcase, there were a few clothes and some daily necessities. However, in thepartment of the box, he found her antidepressants. After showering, Joanna dried her hair and was about to take her medicine. Bruce walked over. ¡°The doctor said that you can¡¯t take these medicines anymore.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡± ¡°You must follow his instructions. You have to stop taking this medication.¡± *¡­* Joanna looked up at Bruce and began to feel frustrated. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Depressed people had low moods. The somber mood would not go away if they did not take medicine. you ¡°Bruce, can you not worry so much?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your health!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m used to taking them.¡± ¡°When I say no, I mean not¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned cold as he snatched the medicine from her. Joanna¡¯s expression darkened as she turned around. Chapter 414 Chapter 414 She had been taking antidepressants for many years. She was not used to being off them. At night, Joanna tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Without the help of medicine, her insomnia worsened. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± Bruce stretched his arm and gently wrapped it around her waist. Joanna did not say anything. She began to feel anxious. ¡°How can I help?¡± Joanna replied angrily, ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°Coupling is the best sleeping pill!¡± ¡°Forget it! Hurry up and sleep!¡± Bruce smiled mysteriously. ¡°We can only sleep peacefully if we sleep together.¡± As he spoke. Bruce rolled over¡­ ¡°Bruce, you have to wake up early tomorrow. Don¡¯t torture mel¡± Joanna was very annoyed and didn¡¯t want to deal with his pestering. Unfortunately, Bruce ignored her and nted a deep kiss on her lips. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s reallyte. Don¡¯t¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t care, but his actions became even gentler. In the past, when he was with her, he was always full of aggression, as if he wanted to swallow her whole. But now, with a hint of deliberate ttery, he constantly observed her reaction. He would immediately adjust his strength if she showed the slightest bit of difort. An hourter¡­ Joanna was exhausted. Before Bruce was done, she had already fallen into a deep sleep. The next day! It was past eight in the morning. ¡°Littlezybones, it¡¯s time to get up.¡± Bruce leaned against the headboard and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. Joanna was woken up. When she opened her sleepy eyes, Bruce had already changed his clothes. ¡°Hurry up and get up. You can sleep on the ne.¡± ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s already 8:30.¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and yawned a few times. She flipped over and lifted the nket, preparing to get out of bed. However, her entire body was sore and weak. She could not help but hammer her waist a few times. ¡®Hurry up, or we won¡¯t be able to catch the ne.¡± Seeing herzy look, Bruce lifted her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± Joanna was still a little resistant. She quickly pushed him away and entered the bathroom. After washing up. She changed her clothes and put on some light makeup. It was already nine o¡¯clock. Bruce had already prepared everything and was waiting for Joanna. ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m on my way.¡± Joanna picked up her bag and hurried out of the courtyard. ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Everell. The servants stood in the courtyard and greeted her respectfully. ¡°Have you arranged the children¡¯s daily routine?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s already been arranged.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then!¡± The luggage was already prepared. The servants and bodyguards carried the luggage. They got into the car and wtowards the airport. Chapter 414 In the car. Joanna asked casually, ¡°Where¡¯s the first stop?¡± Bruce frowned slightly. The first stop is Itona!¡± ¡°liona?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she did not ask further. The Everett family¡¯s business was international, and she did not know what industries were in Itona. Forty minutester. Several cars arrived at the airport. Apart from Bruce and Joanna, there were more people this time. There were more than ten bodyguards and assistants, so they booked a private ne. After registering their boarding passes, the group boarded the ne through the VIP passage. This was a small luxury passenger ne. It was also divided into luxury cabins and ordinary cabins. Bruce and Joanna were alone in the luxurious first ss. The bodyguards and assistants were in business ss. The ne slowly took off and soon rose above the white clouds. Joanna was a little calm! She looked at the rolling white clouds outside the window. The ne flew for 14 hours and finally arrived in Itona. The first stop was Reeyal. The assistant had already checked them into the hotel. So, they drove straight to the hotel. ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes, we¡¯ve arrived at the hotel Bruce put down the magazine in his hand. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get out of the car!¡± After nearly 20 hours of traveling, Joanna was already exhausted. ¡°I¡¯m so tired!¡± ¡°Go to the room and rest first. I¡¯m going out to meet a client!¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Joanna followed the assistant to the guest room. It was a typical Ecostanian¨Cstyle pce hotel built over 100 years ago. From the outside, it looked like a building from the previous century. It gave off a heavy historical feeling. However, the interior was quite luxurious and had strong decor. As soon as she walked in, it was as if she had entered the world of the aristocrats from the previous century. Even the paintings hanging on the wall and the curtains were all antiques. Joanna looked at the murals on the wall and admired the style and furnishings in the room. Every part of the room was very exquisite. She could admire and explore many things in the room. It was past two in the afternoon! Bruce came back from his meeting. Joanna was about to take a nap. She was a little surprised to see him back so early. ¡°Did the meeting go well?¡± Bruce took a sip of water and replied casually, ¡°Yes, it went quite smoothly!¡± ¡°Oh, I thought you weren¡¯ting back until tonight!¡± Bruce chuckled and urged, ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go out!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go to eat?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just eat at the hotel. Bruce pursed his thin lips, and a hint of mystery appeared on his handsome face. ¡°It¡¯s so boring to eat in a hotel. We have to Chapter 414 eat the local specialties.¡± ¡°Are you inviting your business partners?¡± Bruce shook his head. ¡°No, just the two of us.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Joanna was stunned! However, she didn¡¯t make too much of it. She changed her clothes and left the hotel with Bruce. This was not Greyport, so no one knew them. They were not worried about the media secretly taking photos of them. Of course! The bodyguards still followed from afar in case of any idents. Bruce and Joanna walked arm in arm through the streets of Reeyal. It was refreshing to experience the local culture. After dinner! Bruce took her to the most famous local scenic arena. Looking at the magnificent building in front of her, Joanna was a little stunned. ¡°Is this an arena?¡± ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a tour!¡± ¡­Joanna was stunned again! On second thought, since she was already here, she had to admire the local tourist attractions. The arena was a medieval building with a robust historical aura. It was an incredible sight. As soon as she walked in, she tried to imagine what had happened in thest century. After a round of shopping! Joanna was amazed. Although she had been to Reeyal before, this was her first time visiting a famous scenic spot. ¡°Tired?¡± ¡°Yes, a little.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go back! It¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s not safe here at night.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The two returned to the hotel and had a sumptuous dinner in the hotel¡¯s restaurant! When they returned to the room, it was already past nine in the evening. Joanna had been out since two o¡¯clock, and her feet had never stopped moving. She was so tired that she could not take it anymore. She sat on the bed and kept pounding her calves. Bruce saw this, smiled gently, and teased, ¡°Do your feet hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been walking the entire day. It is painful!¡± ¡°Come, I¡¯ll rub them for you.¡± As Bruce spoke, he pulled Joanna¡¯s leg over and delicately massaged her feet and calves. Hisrge hands were strong and warm. It was a prettyfortable massage. ¡°¡­Joanna rolled her eyes. She was not used to it. She was still used to Bruce¡¯s cold and bossy side. ¡°Are you feeling ufortable?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s so rxing!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be morefortable in a hot bath!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go fill the bathtub for you. I just finished taking a bath, so I¡¯ll give you a good massage.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡­ I¡¯ll do it myself?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired? Rest. I¡¯ll go get some water for you.¡± As he spoke, Bruce got up and walked to the bathroom. Joanna was a little dazed and could not return to her senses for a while. 15:48 Chapter 414 This damned bastard actually had a likable side to him that was willing to be submissive. Ten minutester! Bruce filled the water and shouted from the bathroom. ¡°The water is ready. You cane over now.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m on my way.¡± Joanna entered the bathroom. It was a huge and luxurious bath. Half of the basin was already filled with water, and ayer of rose petals was scattered on it. ¡°Get out!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t peek at you.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and was toozy to say anything else. In any case, he couldn¡¯t stop looking at her. He took off his coat and soaked in the warm bath. Chapter 415 Chapter 415 The temperature of the water in the bathtub was very soothing. After soaking for a while, the day¡¯s fatigue dissipated. Perhaps because she was too tired that night. Joanna quickly fell asleep. The next day. ¡°Baby, wake up!¡± Joanna stretchedzily and said, ¡°Yes, I want to sleep a little longer.¡± Bruce smiled gently and pinched her nose. ¡°What azybones. Then sleep a little longer. I¡¯ll go out for a bit.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna turned around and fell asleep again. 12 PM! Bruce was back on time, and Joanna was already dressed up! Bruce had gone out to discuss business for the past few days and did not bring her along. She did not even know who he had met. ¡°Do you still have business to handle this afternoon?¡± Bruce loosened his tie, removed his suit, and took a casual sweater from the wardrobe. ¡°No need. We¡¯re done discussing.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°If we have time in the afternoon, let¡¯s go shopping in the Piana zal¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After lunch. Bruce took Joanna to Piana za. This was also a famous scenic spot. It was very unique. It was a delightful view and was very romantic and beautiful. It was suitable for couples to hang out. After shopping, Bruce took her to the nearbymercial street. At night, the two of them went to the local bar again. The local bar was different from the one in Greyport. It was a bar where people could leisurely order a ss of wine and listen to music for the day. For the entire afternoon! Joanna was even more exhausted than yesterday! Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. After returning to the hotel, she took a quick shower. She was so tired she could not do anything. The fact that she had to deal with Bruce¡¯s ¡°torture¡± made her so exhausted her bones and head hurt. She did not even have the chance to take a break before she fell asleep. Bruce went out to have work meetings in the morning for five consecutive days and then would take her out to hang out in the afternoon. Joanna grew up abroad but did not have many opportunities to travel. When she was a girl, she was busy with her studies. When she was young, she was busy with her marriage. Then, she became busy earning money. Now, after shopping for a few days in a row, she felt she had spent more time than she had in her life. ¡°We have to pack tonight. We should move on to our next destination tomorrow.¡± When Joanna heard this, she casually asked, ¡°Where are we going next?¡± Bruce flipped through the itinerary. ¡°Next stop, Men!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Bruce walked over and put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulders. He smiled dotingly. ¡°There¡¯s an International Fashion Week in Men next week. The organizers gave me tickets.¡± ¡°We can go to the catwalk and look at thetest fashion and bags!¡± 1/4 When Joanna heard this, there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes! 15:49 1 Chapter 415 Are you here for work or pleasure? Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a smile ¡°Working and traveling won¡¯t hurt anybody!¡± Tvee here to look at the local culture. But also to understand mypetitors territory. I will be invincible to mypetitors especially when discussing coborations with my partners for the future He had already visited all these scenic spots! This time, he was especially acting as a tour guide for Joanna! The next day, the group set off for Men. Men After checking into the hotel. Like in Reeyal. Bruce went out for work discussions in the morning and apanied Joanna to tour the city in the afternoon The most famous local attractions had all been visited, and they had also watched a few fashion shows! At night Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She had a feeling that Bruce wasn¡¯t here to talk about work.. ¡°Bruce, where to next?¡± ¡°Vinezo, Landia, and Richmoren.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes darkened. These were all tourist attractions. ¡°It¡¯s the seventh day today. There are only three days left. Can we go to so many ces?¡± Bruce shrugged ¡°If we don¡¯t have enough time, we can stay for a few more days!¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Bruce, I feel you¡¯re here to y and not to talk about work!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unhappy?¡± Joanna was astonished. ¡°No, I just think we should go back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a week. Why do you want to go back so early?¡± ¡°The kids are home alone. I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°Hehe, what¡¯s there to worry about?¡± Just as they were talking! Beep beep beep Joanna¡¯s phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was a call from the children ¡°Hey, baby!¡± Liha pouted on the other end of the line and said sweetly, ¡°Mommy, Daddy, when are youing back?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice softened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve missed you so much. You¡¯ve been gone for so long!¡± ¡°Daddy and Mommy miss you so much. Just wait patiently for a few more days. Daddy and Mommy will be back soon.¡± Lilia saw the hotel through the video and was excited. ¡°Wow, this hotel is so beautiful!¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, when will you take us to travel with you?¡± Joanna sualed ¡°When you guys have a vacation. Mommy will bring you out to travel, okay?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Kisses, Mommy!¡± Lilia pouted and kissed the screen. ¡°I want to kiss Mommy too!¡± Davian and Irvin also came to the screen. Slurp! Slurpl ¡°Kisses to Daddy!¡± ¡°Hmph Davian turned his little face away arrogantly. Chapter 415 Bruce was so hurt that his heart choked. ¡°This brat deserves a beating¡± ¡°Be good at home and take good care of your sister.¡± ¡°We got it!¡± *Sleep early!¡± ¡°Okay, bye, Daddy and Mommy.¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± After hanging up, Joanna looked mncholic. ¡°Look, the children are urging us to go back.¡± ¡°I rarely travel. Let¡¯s shop for a few more days!¡± Bruce knew the best way to treat depression was to rx and heal naturally. Three days at most!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Come with me for dinner.¡± Joanna was helpless. She changed her clothes and went to the street with him. At the entrance of the street. Joanna was buying coffee. Andy walked up anxiously and whispered, ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Um, Princess Martha wants to see you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everett frowned! He had not contacted Princess Martha for three to four months. He felt it was over between them. ¡°How did she know I was here?¡± ¡°Princess Martha happened to be in Men too. When she saw my Facebook post, she guessed you were also in Men.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face instantly darkened. ¡°Who asked you to post on Facebook?¡± ¡°Sorry, Mr. Everett!¡± As he spoke. Princess Martha appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Bruce, long time no see!¡± Bruce turned around, and his expression immediately changed¡­Long time no see.¡± ¡°p!¡± Princess Martha charged forward and gave Bruce a tight p. Princess Martha cursed angrily in Antlenish, ¡°How dare you treat me like this? I¡¯ve called you so many times. Why didn¡¯t you answer my call?¡± ¡°Do you know how heartbroken I¡¯ve been? How sad I¡¯ve been?¡± I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s over between us¡­¡± ¡°Heh, you think it¡¯s over just because you say so? You yed with my feelings. You promised to marry me, and now it¡¯s over just because you say so!¡± Joanna happened toe back with coffee. Upon seeing Joanna, Princess Martha was even more exasperated. ¡°Who is she?¡± Bruce stopped Joaruta froming closer. ¡°If there¡¯s anything,e at me!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t even think about leaving Men!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Jo¨¢nna felt nervous. ¡°Who are you? Bruce is mine. You¡¯re the one who ruined our rtionship.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstood¡­¡± Joanna exined in Antlenish. ¡°Shut up, you bitch!¡± Princess Martha rushed up and wanted to beat Joanna up! Bruce became anxious. ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! A dozen big men in ck swooped to the front. ¡°Mr. Everell¡­¡± Timi, of course, threatened to kill them. It was all about saving face. A strong dragon could not suppress a local snake. Bruce brought more than ten bodyguards. It was a pity that this was a 3/4 15:49 Chapter 415 foreign country. After all, he was looking forward to a brawl. Princess Martha had already met a new boyfriend in Itona. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re going to cause trouble¡± ¡°Okay, what do you want now?¡± ¡°I want you to apologize.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have hurt you. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°That simple?¡± ¡°What else do you want?¡± Working it out at night is difficult, so let¡¯s hash it out first. ¡°Looks like we can¡¯t leave!¡± People from both sides started fighting. Both parties were taken to the local police station! Chapter 416 Chapter 416 Bruce found a local associate to bail out his group of people. ¡°I won¡¯t let this I¡¯ll make you pay.¡± go. ¡°You bastard and you bitch. I¡¯ll punish you.¡± After leaving the police station, Princess Martha was still moring. She was like a shrew, not the slightest bit gentle and noble in front of the public! Joanna still had lingering fear when they got into the car and returned to the hotel. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s hurry back home! Cancel the rest of the trip!¡± Bruce put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Why?¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°Now that things have turned out like this, ending it will be even more difficult if we cause unnecessary trouble again.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll settle it!¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving here tomorrow. We¡¯re going to Vinezo.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go!¡± ¡°How can we not go? We still have to meet the partners over there. I¡¯ve already made an appointment. When Joanna heard this, she still panicked. The next day. Early in the morning, everyone rushed to their next destination. Vinezo. However, because of Princess Martha, the rest of the trip was also affected. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, Joanna had no intention of touring at all. She had a feeling that something was going to happen. Bruce could onlyfort her as much as possible because she was so anxious. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t worry. This ce is very far from Men¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna interrupted him. ¡°Bruce, I want to return home as early as possible!¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is everything okay?¡± Joanna frowned and said worriedly. ¡°The two of us are overseas. What if something happens to us? What will happen to the children?¡± ¡°Heh, what can happen?¡± ¡°There are so many things that can happen. I feel very uneasy.¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce quicklypromised. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. We¡¯ll go back if you say so. ¡°Then pack your bags! We¡¯ll leave here tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna was still a little uneasy. Women were very vengeful. Princess Martha could chase them here if she were determined to take revenge. The next day Joanna got up early in the morning. After washing up, Bruce was still asleep. Joanna could only shake him awake. ¡°Wake up. It¡¯s time to get up.¡± Bruce yawned. ¡°So early? What¡¯s the hurry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s already seven o¡¯clock. Hurry up and get up. We still have to rush to the airport.¡± ¡°Sigh. I have to hand it to you.¡± Bruce reluctantly got out of bed and was dragged to the bathroom by Joanna, who urged him to wash up. After everyone was done. It was already 8:30 in the morning. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The driver drove them to the airport. Chapter 416 Unexpectedly, halfway there, they met a few foreigners in local police uniforms. A tall, burly white man raised his hand to signal the driver to stop. He said in the local Itonanguage. ¡°Get out of the car quickly. There will be a routine inspection. We suspect you have dangerous items in your car.¡± ¡°All of you, get out of the car and take out your passports¡­¡± Bruce replied in Antlenish. ¡°We need to call ourwyer!¡± ¡°Shut up and get out of the car.¡± A few police officers stopped the car and urged everyone to get out. Bruce sized up the police officers and suspected that they were fake. ¡°We suspect you¡¯re dangerous felons. Please get into our car and follow us to the police station.¡± ¡°We have to call the embassy!¡± ¡°No.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce gently patted her arm, indicating she did not need to be nervous. The security overseas was very chaotic. Some robbers disguised themselves as police officers to rob foreigners. This was because they knew the foreigners were wealthy and did not want to cause trouble. Bruce slowly got out of the car while giving Darcy a look. A few bodyguards got out of the car one after another, followed by Joanna. ¡°We¡¯re going to search you. Stand against the wall with your head in your hands.¡± One man bellowed and took the lead in searching Joanna¡¯s body. Bruce¡¯s eyes shed. He waved his fist and was caught off guard as he smashed it at the man¡¯s face. ¡°Pili!¡± The police officer took a punch, and blood instantly spurted out of his nose. ¡°How dare you hit a police officer, you¡­¡± The police officer was exasperated and swung his fist at Bruce. Bruce¡¯s figure shed, and in an imaginary state, be heavily struck the man¡¯s face again. When the others saw this, they also cursed and attacked! Bruce also joined the chaotic battle! Joanna¡¯s heart was in her throat. ¡°Bruce, be careful.¡± A small man did not dare to join the chaotic battle. When he saw Joanna standing at the side, he immediately walked towards Joanna with bared fangs and brandished ws. Joanna swiftly dodged him, picked up the bag in her hand, and ruthlessly smashed it on the short police officer¡¯s head. Fortunately, she had practiced some self¨Cdefense skills and could deal with it. Seeing that he could not subdue Joanna, the short police officer pulled out a machete from his back. As he cursed, he shed at Joanna with a ferocious gaze. ¡°Joanna, be careful Bruce hurriedly rushed forward to save her. ¡°Pang!¡± The machete fell, and Bruce blocked it with his arm. His left arm was shed. At the same time, Bruce raised his leg and kicked the short man 10 feet away. Joanna gasped. ¡°Bruce, your arm is bleeding¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Bruce stood in front of her and stopped fighting. There was no need for him to join the fight. The bodyguards couldpletely deal with it! Soon, the police officers couldn¡¯t take it anymore and were beaten until they covered their heads and fled. Bruce¡¯s bodyguards were all very good at fighting. It was not a problem for them to fight ten people alone. Bruce himself had been trained in martial arts for many years. Dealing with a few hooligans was not a problem for him. ¡°Mr. Everett, how did you know they weren¡¯t real police officers?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t have guns. Their clothes didn¡¯t fit. How could they be real police officers?¡± Chapter 416 In the end, everyone was eager to return home after all the havoc. It was better not to cause trouble if it wasn¡¯t his territory. The group boarded the ne under the protection of the embassy. On the ne! Joanna looked at Bruce¡¯s arm worriedly. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Bruce smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright! It doesn¡¯t hurt very much. ¡°Look at you. You love to cause trouble¡­¡± Bruce rubbed Joanna¡¯s head with his other hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days.¡± Joanna¡¯s pupils constricted, and a faint cirdle of red light appeared. Bruce had taken the stabbing for her from the bottom of his heart. However, she could no longer be moved easily by his actions. The ne flew for ten hours. Finally, theynded smoothly at Greyport Airport. ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Haynes! Time to get off the ne.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce and Joanna had just exited the airport gateway. Davian and Irvin were already waving at them happily. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, we¡¯re here, we¡¯re here.¡± The housekeeper and nanny brought the children to pick them up. Upon seeing the children, Joanna¡¯s heart¡¯s gloom was swept away. ¡°Davian. Irvin. Why are you here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to pick you up!¡± ¡°What about Lilia?¡± Irvin giggled. ¡°Lilia is at home. She didn¡¯te!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Irvin looked at Bruce¡¯s bandaged arm; he looked injured. ¡°Daddy, what happened to your arm?¡± Joanna patted Irvin¡¯s head. ¡°Daddy¡¯s arm is hurt.¡± ¡°Is it serious? Wow, it looks like it hurts!¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°Alright, hurry up and go! Don¡¯t whisper.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just concerned about Daddy.¡± Bruce rubbed Irvin¡¯s head and smiled reluctantly. His youngest son was clever and knew how to tter him. He waspletely different from Davian¡¯s personality. Sherane Bay Vi! ¡°Lilia. Daddy and Mommy are back.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mominy. Cough, cough¡­¡± Lilia was watching cartoons. Her eyes lit up when she saw her parents return, and she greeted them like she did every day. However, she looked sluggish. Joanna handed a gift to Lilia. ¡°This is a gift for you, Lilia!¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy and Mommy¡± Lilia got a limited edition doll and squeezed out a smile. ¡°Baby, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a little dizzy,¡± Lilia said. She couldn¡¯t help but cough twice again. Her big eyes revealed a trace of fatigue. Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Seeing this, Joanna quickly reached out and touched her daughter¡¯s forehead. The temperature was not very high. It did not seem like she was having a high fever. However, Lilia had always been sick. Thus her body¡¯s immune system was weak. ¡°Mommy will take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow.¡± When Lilia heard this, her little face turned pale. She shook her head and said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital. Joanna squatted down and gently touched her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°My darling, we¡¯re just going for a checkup. It¡¯s best if your body is fine.¡± ¡°Oh. alright!¡± Lilia pouted and reluctantly agreed. Although the Everett family had a family doctor, some medical equipment was unavable. Thus, they had to go to the hospital for a checkup. The family doctor has taken care of Bruce¡¯s wound in the lounge. ¡®Mr. Everett, you should take good care of this wound,¡± said the doctor. ¡°Take your medicine and change the dressing every day.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going first. I¡¯lle back tomorrow to change your dressing.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce replied casually as he smoked. The family doctor packed up his medical kit and left the lounge. Then, Joanna walked in. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m bringing Lilia to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face stiffened. ¡°Yes, okay. I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow.¡± ¡°No need. Aren¡¯t you going back to the office for a meeting tomorrow? I can go with the servant.¡± ¡°Can you do it alone?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°I have always been bringing Lilia to the hospital alone.¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled awkwardly and said. ¡°Then rest early. At night. In the bedroom. Bruce started to be naughty again. ¡°Honey¡­¡± Joanna rejected him in frustration. ¡°Your arm is injured now. Could you just be good? You¡¯ve lost so much blood. Take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°No, I want a kiss!¡± ¡°Stop fooling around. We¡¯ll talk about it when you¡¯re better.¡± Bruce snorted and continued to pester her. ¡°I injured my arm, not there.¡± ¡°I have to hand it to you. We can¡¯t do it tonight. Go to bed early. I still have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°I still have to visit Dad tomorrow. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve visited him. I¡¯m still quite worried.¡± Bruce was stunned for a moment, then said dully, ¡°Alright! Can I at least get a kiss?¡± Joanna had no choice but to turn over again. She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. ¡°That¡¯s inore like it.¡± ¡°Hurry up and sleep! Don¡¯t think about those things anymore.¡± ¡°Okay. I shall not torment you anymore. Is that okay?¡± After saying that, Bruce obedientlyy back down. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. Joanna turned over again and looked at him, who was sleeping soundly. Her face suddenly darkened. ¡°Bruce Everett, don¡¯t think that just because you took a stab for me, it can remove the hatred in my heart.¡± ¡°Compared to the hurt you gave me, this is nothing. Joanna, you can¡¯t be soft¨Chearted, absolutely not!¡± ¡°Everything has to go ording to n. You can¡¯t give up halfway. Bruce Everett, I¡¯ll let you live in pain forever.¡± Chapter 417 The next day. Joanna woke up early in the morning. She had to go to the hospital today. She did not sleep wellst night. Bruce woke up too. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time. ¡°Why are you up so carly?¡± While changing. Joanna replied, Tm taking Lilia to the hospital. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to go with you?¡± ¡°No need. You have to go back to the office for a meetingter. I¡¯ll go with the servant.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Alright, be careful. Call me when you reach the hospital. I¡¯ll pick you up after the meeting.¡± ¡°Alright, will do.¡± Joanna changed her clothes, left the bedroom, and went to Lilia¡¯s room. Lilia hasn¡¯t woken up yet. Joanna called Lilia¡¯s name for a good while before she finally woke her up.¡± Just like yesterday, she looked listless. ¡°Let¡¯s go, baby.¡± As Joanna spoke, she carried her daughter up. Even though her daughter was already five years old, she only weighed about 30 pounds. It was not difficult to carry her. Hospital! At nine o¡¯clock in the morning. Joanna arrived at the children¡¯s hospital with Lilia. Because she had already made an appointment in advance, there was no need to queue anymore. ¡°Doctor, could you please examine my daughter again? She seems to be unwell.¡± After all, Lilia had leukemia before. This illness had a high chance of rpsing- After a brief inquiry, the doctor examined the condition again and said. ¡°We still need to perform a CT scan and conduct another blood test.¡± ¡°Alright, okay.¡± ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to draw blood¡­ Lilia had her blood drawn countless times. She was most afraid of injections. ¡°Baby Lilia is the strongest. Mommy will carry you, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll only know if she¡¯s fully cured after we conduct a blood test!¡± Joanna keptforting Lilia. It was not easy for her to coax her daughter. The nurse drew two tubes of her blood and brought her to the CT room for various tests. After the examination, Joanna asked the nurse, ¡°How long will it take for the results to be out?¡± ¡°The other test results could be collected in an hour. The results of the blood test would only be out tomorrow.¡± Joanna had also expected this. It was always like this in the past. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± When it was almost noon. Bruce called and asked, ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with these tests. We¡¯ll have to wait till tomorrow for the blood test results.¡± ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m relieved¡­¡± They left the children¡¯s hospital. Joanna called Fantine again. Beep beep beep! ¡°Hello, Miss Joann.¡± ¡°Is Dad in the hospital now?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Haynes is here.¡± Joanna paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll go over to see himter. Tell Dad.¡± 2/5 14.405 Chapter 417 ¡°Okay.¡± After the call. Joanna prepared to go to the sanatorium to see Shaun Haynes! ¡°Lilia, follow Auntie Lilian home first. Mommy will go and see Grandpa.¡± When Lilia heard this, she also mored to go. ¡°Mommy, I want to go too.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Joanna had no choice but to bring Lilia and the servant to the sanatorium. One o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Joanna arrived at the sanatorium.. Shaun had lived here for almost a year. In the ward. Joanna pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Daddy. I¡¯m here to see you!¡± Shaun is now critically ill. His previously slightly overweight and fairplexioned body is now emaciated and frail, giving off a sense of a waning twilight of life. Joanna¡¯s heart ached. She could no longer hate her father. ¡°Dad¡­¡± When Shaun heard her voice, he opened his eyes shakily. He nced at Joanna and said a few words. However, Joanna didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t as emotionally agitated as before. His turbid eyes revealed endless vicissitudes and destion. ¡°What¡¯s Daddy talking about?¡± ¡°Sir¡¯s consciousness isn¡¯t clear now. I don¡¯t know what he wants to say.¡± Lilia greeted obediently, ¡°Hello, Grandpa!¡± When Shaun heard this, his turbid eyes turned to look at Lilia. The hostility in his eyes disappeared a little. His trembling hand reached out to Lilia. Seeing this, Lilia subconsciously shrank into Joanna¡¯s arms. After all, she was still young and timid. Shaun¡¯s current appearance was indeed a little scary. ¡°Lilian, carry Lilia out first.¡± ¡°Okay. Miss Haynes, let me carry you.¡± Lilian took Lilia from Joanna¡¯s arms and left the ward. ¡°Dad, how have you been?¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Shaun¡¯s voice, barely audible, managed to utter a word quietly. Upon hearing this, Joanna felt even more sorrow in her heart. Looking at her father in such a state, she couldn¡¯t bear it. Shaun forced out another word. ¡°Roxy¡­¡± Even though he didn¡¯t say it very clearly, Joanna still understood. She knew that her father was still worried about Roxanne. Original from N?velDrama.Org. After all, no one else could take care of Roxanne. Joanna sighed and held Shaun¡¯s hand. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take good care of Roxanne.¡± Upon hearing those words. His muddy eyes rolled, and tears fell. He nodded with all his might. ¡°Fantine, take good care of Dad. I¡¯ll visit him another day.¡± ¡°The doctor said that Mr. Haynes may not have much time left. Miss Haynes, please visit the doctor more often.¡± ¡°I got it!¡± ¡°Also, Miss Roxanne has always been Mr. Haynes¡¯s sore spot. Miss Haynes, if you have the ability, please take care of Miss Roxanne.¡± ¡°I will!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, take care. ¡°Liljan, Lilian¡­¡± ¡°Okay, where¡¯s Lilian?¡± Chapter 417 ¡°Didn¡¯t she go to the ward with you?¡± ¡°She just carried Lilia out!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see her!¡± ¡°Hurry up and find them!¡± Chapter 418 Chapter 418 ¡°Lilia, Lilia, Lilian, Lilian¡­¡± Joanna shouted in panic. Unfortunately, no one answered. Kody panicked and said anxiously, ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll call Lilian now.¡± As he spoke, Kody quickly took out his phone and called Lilian. Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang for a long time until an automated voice sounded. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is not avable. Please try againter¡­¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. He called three times in a row, but no one answered. Joanna¡¯s face turned pale as she asked anxiously, ¡°How is it? Did you get through?¡± ¡°Lilian¡¯s call hasn¡¯t been answered!¡± The first rule to follow when working in the Everett family was that the phone had to be turned on 24 hours a day. Moreover, Lilian had worked with the Everett family for seven to eight years. She was a senior nutritionist and a childcare teacher, earning a high sry and a senior position. It was impossible for her not to answer the phone on a working day. ¡°Oh no, something might have happened.¡± ¡°Hurry to the security room and check the surveince footage. See if Lilian left the hospital with Miss Lilia.¡± ¡°You guys, go look over there again.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Joanna held her breath and almost lost her bnce. She had been too careless! She knew that someone had always wanted her dead, so she shouldn¡¯t have let her guard down. Although she had brought bodyguards with her this time, not many people were allowed to enter the sanatorium¡¯s ward. Therefore, the bodyguards could only wait outside, which gave the criminals an opportunity. If anything happened to Lilia, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life. ¡°Lilia, Lilia, where are you? It¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault¡­¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, this is not the time to be sad. Finding Miss Lilia is the priority now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry to the surveince room and see if Miss Lilia has been taken out of the hospital.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Soon. The group of them arrived at the surveince room. ¡°Miss Lilia is missing. Hurry up and pull out all the surveince cameras!¡± The security guard in the surveince room was originally dozing off when a few burly men barged in. He was so frightened that he did not dare to say anything and hurriedly checked the surveince cameras. Kody moved the mouse to check the location of Lilian. ¡°Here, here. it¡¯s Lilian.¡± In the surveince footage, Lilian carried Lilia out of the ward. Then, she walked out of the corridor. Unexpectedly, just as she reached the fire escape, a man wearing a mask and a cap suddenly rushed out. The masked man wrapped his arm around Lilian¡¯s neck and dragged her into the fire escape. With a scream, the surveince footage returned to normal. After everyone saw that scene, their hearts tightened. ¡°Hurry up and check the fire escape.¡± ¡°Quick, quick, quick!¡± The two bodyguards left the surveince room and immediately ran towards the fire escape. Joanna snapped back to reality and took a sharp breath, feeling a chilling sensation that seemed to freeze her whole body. She hurriedly followed him to the fire escape. In the fire escape. ¡°Hurry up and look for them. They should be nearby.¡± ¡°Here, here!¡± A bodyguard opened the trash can in the corridor and found Lilian inside. At this time, Lilian was still unconscious, and Lilia was still missing. ¡°Lilian, Lilian!¡± ¡°Get her out!¡± The two bodyguards worked together to carry Lilian out of the trash can. Kody reached out to check if she was still breathing. ¡°She¡¯s unconscious. Hurry up and call the doctor!¡± As he spoke, Kody extended his thumb and forcefully pressed Lilian¡¯s philtrum, exerting pressure for a while. ¡°Ugh¡­ Lilian muttered and woke up from the pain. ¡°Lilian, where¡¯s Miss Lilia?¡± Joanna hurriedly bent down to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s Lilia, Lilia!¡± Lilian blinked. Her mind went nk. She could not remember what had just happened! She only remembered being dragged into this ce and strangled till unconscious. ¡°Miss Haynes, I don¡¯t know. I was dragged here and then knocked unconscious¡­¡± As Lilian spoke, her head tilted and fainted again. ¡°Miss Haynes, hurry up and call the police! Miss Lilia must have been kidnapped.¡± Joanna shook her head violently. ¡°We can¡¯t call the police. What if it¡¯s a kidnapping? Once we call the police, what if the robbers kill the hostage?¡± Then hurry up and call Mr. Everett.¡± As he spoke, Joanna¡¯s phone vibrated. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Bruce video called. Joanna calmed down and answered the call while trembling. ¡°Hello.¡± As soon as the video call connected, Bruce saw Joanna¡¯s expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale?¡± ¡°Bruce.¡± Joanna¡¯s breathing was obstructed. She was so nervous that she could not speak. On the other end of the video call, Bruce panicked when he saw Joanna like this. ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°Bruce, Lilia. Lilia is gone!¡± Joanna said mournfully as tears burst out of her eyes. Boom! Bruce¡¯s mind exploded, and every hair on his body stood on end. His daughter and Joanna were the women he loved the most, and he couldn¡¯t bear the thought of anything happening to his daughter. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Tell me slowly. What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna choked and med herself. Her vision turned ck as she fell forward weakly. ¡°Miss Haynes, Miss Haynes!¡± Kody hurriedly supported her so that she did not fall to the ground. Joanna, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Twenty minutester. Bruce rushed as fast as he could to the hospital. ¡°Where¡¯s Joanna.¡± Kody replied uneasily, ¡°Miss Haynes fainted. She¡¯s in the emergency room now.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed as he flew into a rage. ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°Lilian was knocked unconscious by a criminal. Then, Miss Lilia went missing!¡± ¡°A bunch of frash. Why can¡¯t you guys handle such simple tasks? If Miss Lilia can¡¯t be found, I¡¯ll make all of you pay with your lives!¡± Bruce shouted. His expression was terrifying, like a tyrant. On the hospital bed, Joanna woke up after being unconscious for a while. ¡°Lilia, Lilia¡­¡± Seeing this, Bruce quickly went forward. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna took a few deep breaths and broke down into tears. ¡°Bruce, Lilia is missing, Lilia is missing!¡± ¡°I know. I already know. You have to remain calm.¡± It¡¯s all my fault! It¡¯s all my fault!¡± Joanna burst into tears. Bruce hugged her tightly andforted her. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to look for her. If she was kidnapped, it must be for money.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Before the kidnappers get the money, they definitely won¡¯t hurt Lilia. The kidnappers will call soon¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she cried even harder. Tears streamed down her face, and she was so desperate that she could not speak. If Lilia was kidnapped, with the Everett family¡¯s financial resources, no matter how much ransom was asked, they could afford it. But she worried that Ryan had abducted Lilia. The situation would be different. Ryan hated her to the core. He might very well take revenge on her by hurting Lilia. In the next hour, Bruce and Joanna looked like it was the end of the world. Every second seemed to pass in endless darkness. Finally, Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Beep, beep, beep! Bruce held his breath and quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the phone, a distorted voice from a voice changer said. ¡°Hello there, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce gasped. This voice was very familiar to him. Just like the kidnapper who abducted Princess Martha before, it was the same kind of voice changer. ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡± ¡°Do you have my daughter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s smart!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt my daughter. How much do you want? I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want money this time. I want people.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Who do you want?¡± ¡°I want¡­ Joanna.¡± Bruce subconsciously, nced at Joanna. Joanna had already heard everything. She hurriedly snatched the phone away. ¡°Hello, who are you? Please do not hurt my daughter. What do you want me to do? I¡¯ll agree to everything.¡± On the other end of the phone, a malicious voice sounded. ¡°I want you dead!¡± When Joanna heard that, her heart skipped a beat. No need for further spection. The person who kidnapped Lilia must be Ryan. Previously, she had always thought that he had hidden overseas. She did not expect him to still be in Greyport. ¡°As soon as you die, I¡¯ll send your daughter over.¡± 0 Joanna took a deep breath and tried her best to calm down. ¡°Alright, I promise you. However, I want to make sure that my daughter is still alive. Let me hear my daughter¡¯s voice. Let my daughter talk to me.¡± ¡°Mommy, cough, cough, um¡­¡± Chapter 419 ¡°Lilia, don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy will save you.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Lilia¡¯s crying stopped abruptly. It was obvious that she had been carried away. Joanna tried her best to calm herself down. ¡°What do you want me to do to make you let my daughter go?¡± The person on the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds before he suddenlyughed maniacally, ¡°Jump down from the Emporium Building. I¡¯ll let your daughter go once you are dead.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face turned pale. He snatched the phone back. ¡°Who are you? Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Do you know the consequences of your actions?¡± ¡°I can give you money. What do you want? I can give you anything. As long as you let my daughter and Joanna go.¡± The kidnapperughed even more maniacally. ¡°I only want Joanna dead. Only one of them can live.¡± ¡°As long as Joanna jumps down from the Emporium Building. I¡¯ll immediately let your daughter go. Otherwise, you will see your daughter¡¯s corpse! I¡¯ll give you one day to consider.¡± As the kidnapper spoke, he hung up. ¡°Wait! Wait¡± Bruce called out a few times. But the call had already ended. Joanna calmed down, and her eyes revealed a calmness as though she had epted her death. As long as her daughter could return safely, she would give up her life for her. Bruce had guessed Joanna¡¯s n. He immediately went forward and hugged her. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be stupid. Even if you die. the kidnapper might not let Lilia off¡± ¡°In this situation, we can only call the police.¡± Joanna shook her head sadly. ¡°We can¡¯t call the police. What if the kidnapper hurt Lilia?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll discreetly call the police. With the help of the authorities, we¡¯ll catch the kidnapper.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression was unfocused as she stopped Bruce. ¡°No, we can¡¯t call the police.¡± ¡°If the police cause too muchmotion, the kidnappers might find out. It will surely be detrimental to Lilia. The kidnappers¡® motive is not for mary gain. We must not provoke them.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t jump off a building, can you?¡± ¡°For Lilia, I¡¯m willing!¡± Bruce grabbed her arm and shook it hard. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be silly ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to do that. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°What else can I do? Lilia is already sick, and this will terrify her¡­ Joanna said, her voice choked with tears. She felt as if her heart was being torn apart. Her daughter was currently ill. Her life was extremely fragile. If she experienced further distress and abuse, there would be a possibility that she might not be able to withstand it even before the kidnappers took any action. Bruce pondered for a few seconds and frowned. ¡°Joanna, let me tell you the truth. The kidnapper is Ryan.¡± Joanna¡¯s reaction remained calm, even without Bruce saying anything. She knew deep down that the kidnapper must be Ryan. ¡°I know I know it¡¯s him. No one wants me dead more than he does.¡± *Don¡¯t be anxious. When he calls again, confront him directly.¡± ¡°Confront him? What difference would it make? He already wants me dead. Even if I confront him directly, that won¡¯t change his mind.¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your father to persuade him?¡± ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°No, Dad is so sick now. He can¡¯t be agitated anymore. Besides, he can¡¯t talk now. Even if he goes to persuade Ryan, it won¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go ahead and wait for him to call again. We¡¯ll discuss it with him and see if there are other conditions. In short, Chapter 419 Chapter 419 can¡¯t watch you do something stupid.¡± Joanna did not say anything. This was the only thing she could do now. After waiting for the entire night, the call did note again. Bruce and Joanna hadn¡¯t slept the entire night, their eyes red from exhaustion. For the whole night, they remained on edge, feeling as if it were doomsday. Morning came. Beep, beep, beep. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. The phone finally rang again. The two of them reached for the phone at the same time. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the phone, the voice from the voice changer said, ¡°It seems like you haven¡¯t made up your mind yet!¡± Joanna asked bluntly, ¡°Ryan, is that you?¡± The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent. Joanna took a deep breath and said calmly. ¡°I know it¡¯s you. Please, don¡¯t hurt Lilia.¡± ¡°If you hate me, you cane at me. Lilia is just a child. She¡¯s innocent. Please do not hurt her. No matter what, you¡¯re her biological uncle.¡± When Ryan heard this, he was furious. ¡°Shut up. Are you done talking?¡± ¡°Ryan, can we talk calmly? Even if I die, many things can¡¯t be resolved.¡± ¡°What do you want? Or what do you want me to do? You can tell me.¡± Knowing his identity had been exposed, Ryan turned off the voice changer and shouted directly into the phone, ¡°Joanna Haynes, you¡¯re not worthy of negotiating with me. I only want you to die immediately. Only one of you can live. Either she dies, or you die. You choose!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes sank as her brain forced herself to calm down. The more critical the situation, the more she could not lose her rationality. ¡°Ryan, since you hate me so much. Wouldn¡¯t it satisfy you even more if you killed me personally? Wouldn¡¯t it relieve your hatred more?¡± ¡°I want to exchange my life for my daughter¡¯s.¡± ¡°You told me to kill myself. What if you broke your promise after I died?¡± ¡°Return my daughter to me. I¡¯ll be your hostage. Do whatever you want with me.¡± When Bruce heard this, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°Joanna, are you crazy?¡± On the other end of the phone, Ryan pondered over a minute. ¡°How is it? If I die in your hands, you will be able to relieve the hatred in your heart. If Imit suicide, how can you experience the pleasure of revenge?¡± ¡°Haha. Ryan Haynesughed darkly. This suggestion was risky. However, she was right! Only by killing her personally and torturing her to extreme pain. He could then relieve the hatred. in his heart. ¡°Your suggestion is excellent. I agree!¡± ¡°Okay, where are you now? I¡¯lle to find you.¡± ¡°But make sure my daughter is safe!¡± ¡°Wait for my call. I¡¯ll let you know.¡± With that, Ryan hung up the phone. Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red as he roared angrily, ¡°Joanna, are you crazy? I won¡¯t allow you to go.¡± ¡°Bruce. As long as I can get my daughter back, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°No, I should be the one going. I can¡¯t lose you, let alone see you die¡­¡± ¡°He hates me. What¡¯s the point of you going?¡± Joanna, I definitely won¡¯t let you go. Ryan is crazy. Going to him is purely courting death.¡± 10:37 Chapter 419 Joanna sighed sadly. ¡°What can I do if I don¡¯t go? Lilia is in his hands. I can¡¯t just watch him kill Lilia.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was speechless and distraught! At this moment, he suddenly felt the sorrow of being wealthy. If he were just an ordinary person, his children, and family wouldn¡¯t have be targets of the kidnappers ¡°Joanna, no matter what, no matter what you say, I will never let you go.¡± Even if he lost his daughter, he could not lose Joanna. Although he loved his daughter very much, he loved Joanna even more. ¡°I only hope that God will bless Lilia and keep her safe.¡± In the suburbs. It was an abandoned sewer. This ce was deserted and uninhabited! ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± ¡°Stop crying. If you continue crying, I¡¯ll strangle you.¡± Lilia¡¯s face was covered in mud, and her dress was dirty. She sat on the ground, resembling a dirty little puppy. One of the kidnappers said frustratedly, ¡°Boss, just strangle her to end it all. That crying child is getting on my nerves.¡± ¡°Even if she¡¯s dead, we can still use her corpse to lure her mother over.¡± Another kidnapper retorted, ¡°Are you crazy? This is Bruce Everett¡¯s daughter. Let me tell you. We should demand a hefty ransom from him.¡± Ryan nced at Lilia gloomily and could not suppress the anger in his heart. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Lilia was so scared that her entire body trembled as she cried. ¡°Let¡¯s just strangle her to death. She cried all night. Her cries are frustrating me.¡± Ryan took a deep puff of his cigarette. His face was filled with murderous intent. Lilia and Joanna looked simr. She was like a chip of the old block of Joanna. Just looking at her reminded him of Joanna. As soon as the thought of Joanna crossed his mind, an uncontroble surge of anger and pain overwhelmed him. His hand immediately mped down on Lilia¡¯s neck. Lilia could not breathe. Her face was pale, and her hands struggled weakly a few times. She squeezed out a raspy voice from her throat. ¡°Uncle¡­¡± When Ryan heard this, he held his breath and subconsciously stopped. ¡°Boss, she¡¯s just a kid. Besides, she is a gold mine. She¡¯s worth a lot more than that Princess Martha.¡± ¡°We should think of a way to extort more money from Bruce Everett.¡± ¡°We need money right now. Demanding a higher ransom is what matters.¡± ¡°Take her aside. Her crying is messing up my mind.¡± ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± ¡°Boss, do something!¡± Chapter 420 Chapter 420 Beep, beep, beep! Ryan called again. Bruce and Joanna both rushed to answer the call. Bruce answered the call hastily. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Ryan said gloomily, ¡°Joanna,e to Newcan Ind alone! Don¡¯t y any tricks, or your daughter will die a horrible death.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice sank. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go alone!¡± ¡°If I find out that you and Bruce are ying any tricks behind the scenes. I¡¯ll chop your daughter into pieces and feed her to the dogs.¡± ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t hurt Lilia. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go alone.¡± Crack! Ryan sneered and hung up. After hanging up. Bruce¡¯s malicious eyes darkened. ¡°Joanna, I won¡¯t allow you to go. If somebody has got to go, it would be me. Joanna¡¯s expression was a little unfocused. ¡°Bruce, this is a personal grudge between me and Ryan. Let me settle it alone.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you go alone to meet your death. Kody, keep an eye on her. Don¡¯t let her leave Sherane Bay Vi.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Without waiting for the bodyguards toe forward, Joanna rushed to the coffee table and grabbed the fruit knife on the fruit te. Then, she pointed the sharp de at her neck. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t push me any further. If you do this again, I¡¯ll kill myself right now.¡± Bruce was stunned by her unexpected actions. He tried his best to calm her down. ¡°Joanna put the knife down first¡­¡± Hiss! Seeing Bruce approaching her, Joanna cut her wrist. Bright red blood flowed down her wrist in an instant. ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were fierce as she stopped him from approaching. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened. ¡°Joanna, are you crazy? Hurry up and put down the knife.¡± ¡°Don¡¯te any closer. If you do, I¡¯ll kill myself right here.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with determination and ruthlessness. The fruit knife deepened on her wrist, and blood flowed more profusely. Bruce was frightened. He did not dare to take another step, and his breathing quickened. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be rash. I won¡¯t stop you anymore. Put down the knife first.¡± ¡°Joanna. I can¡¯t live without you. You stay, I¡¯ll go.¡± Joanna red at Bruce fiercely. Her eyes were filled with anxiety and mania. ¡°Give me the car key!¡± ¡°Joanna¡­¡± Bruce looked at her helplessly. ¡°Give me the car key right now, Bruce. Don¡¯t push me any further,¡± Joanna raised the knife, threatening to make another cut. Bruce didn¡¯t dare to hesitate any longer and immediately took a few steps back. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll give you the car key. Don¡¯t do anything stupid. I beg you, don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°Give me the key right now. Come on.¡± ¡°Okay, I will get you the car key.¡± Panicked, Bruce hurried to the basket and grabbed the car key. He shook them in front of Joanna. ¡°Here, take the car key!¡± As long as she reached out to take the key, he would take the opportunity to snatch the knife from her hand. Joanna had guessed Bruce¡¯s intentions. Her expression became even more anxious. ¡°Put the car keys on the table. Hurry up!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t dare provoke her, fearing she would harm herself further. He ced the car keys on the coffee table, Joanna grabbed the car key and rushed out of the house. Chapter 420 ¡°Don¡¯te any closer. Stand back.¡± Seeing this, the bodyguards did not dare to stop her and could only stand rooted to the ground in a daze. Joanna rushed into the garage, pressed the unlock button, and got into a Mercedes¨CBenz. Afterward, she tore off a cleaning cloth from the car and wrapped it around her bleeding wrist. Bruce chased after her and banged on the car window with all his might. ¡°Joanna, Joanna¡­¡± Buzz! Joanna started the car and drove out of the garage. It only took a minute for Joanne to drive from the garage to the gate. ¡°Open the gate now!¡± ¡­The security guard guarding the gate was stunned. ¡°Open the gate!¡± Joanna screamed. ¡°Oh, oh.¡± The security guard quickly opened the gate. Joanna stepped on the elerator, and the car drove out of the courtyard of Sherane Bay Vi. The car went out of sight as it drove away along the driveway. ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do? Should we drive and follow Mrs. Everett?¡± Bruce took a deep breath. His heart was beating even faster. Joanna¡¯s personality was too intense. He did not dare to restrict her anymore. Moreover, Ryan was extremely crazy. If he knew Joanna was being followed, he might kill both the mother and daughter. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t we call the police!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. He grabbed the car key and drove away from Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna drove to Newcan Ind. Newcan Ind is located on the outskirts of Greyport and is formed by hundreds of small inds. It is also the most underdeveloped area of Greyport, surrounded by endless mountains and fishing ports. The seafront docks are filled with numerous fishing boats. Many residents make a living by selling seafood. It would take more than three hours to drive here from the city. Joanna was worried about Lilia. She drove so quickly that it only took two hours to reach Newcan Ind. After the car stopped, Joanna held the phone and waited anxiously for Ryan¡¯s call. She waited for about twenty minutes. The phone finally rang. Joanna immediately picked up the call. ¡°Ryan, I¡¯ve arrived at Newcan Ind. Where are you?¡± On the other end of the phone, Ryan smiled darkly. ¡°What a loving mother¨Cdaughter rtionship. You have quite the guts for your daughter.¡± Joanna was not interested in wasting time speaking with him. With great effort to remain calm, she said. ¡°I¡¯m here now. Please spare my daughter!¡± ¡°Where the hell are you? How am I supposed to meet you?¡± ¡°Wait where you are. I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up!¡± Surrounded by small inds, one can observe the environment where she is located with a pair of binocrs. After confirming that she came alone, Ryan finally heaved a sigh of relief. After hanging up. Joanna got out of the car. She stood on the dock and looked around. There were fishermen selling seafood everywhere. On the sea, many small fishing boats were floating around. The fishermen stood on the fishing boat and enthusiastically hawked to passersby. ¡°Do you want to buy lobsters? They¡¯re so fresh and cheap!¡± ¡°There are also groupers and crabs. They¡¯re all freshly caught. Come and buy some!¡± Joanna was not in the mood to care about these people. She just stared at the peopleing and going in front Ther uneasily! Chapter 420 She waited for another ten minutes or so. A middle¨Caged man with dark skin approached Joanna. ¡°You¡¯re Joanna Haynes, right?¡± Joanna turned around and saw a man dressed as a fisherman standing behind her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Joanna Haynes!¡± ¡°Come with me!¡± Joanna held her breath and hurriedly followed the fisherman, 4 The fisherman brought Joanna to a rtively quiet dock and pointed at the small boat on the sea, ¡°Get on the boat!¡± On the sea surface, there is a simple fishing boat moored. With the fluctuation of the sea breeze, the boat sways back and forth. It seems like it could sink with the next wave that hits it. Joanna took a deep breath and made a bold decision. She knew that once she boarded that small boat, there was a high chance she would never return. The fishermen also got on the boat and rowed out of the fishing port. Joanna¡¯s heart was beating wildly. There were many buildings and many inds here that had been abandoned. Original from N?velDrama.Org. Ryan must be hiding on one of the inds. In the middle of the sea, a motorboat roared over. A young man wearing sunsses said gloomily, ¡°Get on!¡°¨C Joanna hesitated for a moment before boarding the motorboat. The person driving the motorboat drifted away like an arrow leaving the bow. He drew an are on the sea and drove the motorboat away! Only the motorboat was moving on the vast sea surface! Soon. The motorboat stopped on the shore of a small ind. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the ind!¡± Joanna calmed himself down, got off the motorboat, and went ashore. She looked around. This was a deserted ind with a few dpidated houses. In the past, this was also a small fishing vige with more than ten families living on the ind. However, one day, a family on the ind contracted an unknown disease. Everyone on the ind was infected within a few days, and all the fishermen died. This ind was abandoned and became a haunted ind. Even tourists did not dare toe to this ind. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Joanna was forcefully pushed from behind and nearly fell to the ground. The ind was overgrown with weeds, making it difficult to walk. After walking for more than ten minutes, she finally arrived at an abandoned house. ¡°Boss, they¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re quite bold.¡± ¡°Ryan, where¡¯s my daughter?¡± Chapter 421 Chapter 421 Ryan was wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a dirty T¨Cshirt. The youth who used to be bright and clean had now be an unkempt and unshaven bandit. ¡°Ryan, where is my daughter? I beg you, let me see my daughter!¡± ¡°Click!¡± Ryan smiled darkly and loaded the gun. Then, he pressed it against Joanna¡¯s head. ¡°When you die, I will let you see your daughter.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was pale, and her chest heaved violently. ¡°Where is my daughter? Let me take a look at my daughter, I beg you! Don¡¯t hurt her¡­¡± ¡°Kneel and beg me!¡± When Joanna heard this, she knelt without hesitation. ¡°I beg you, let me see my daughter. She¡¯s your niece. Don¡¯t hurt her, I beg you.¡± Ryan chuckled. His face darkened as he kicked Joanna¡¯s chest. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed miserably and fell heavily to the ground. Immediately after. Ryan stepped forward and kicked her a few more times! ¡°Ahhh!¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body curled up in pain. Her bones were about to break from the kick, and she lay on the ground, unable to get up. Ryan looked smugly at Joanna and said, ¡°Joanna, didn¡¯t expect you to end up like this, did you?¡± ¡°To tell you the truth. You and your daughter can forget about leaving this ce.¡± ¡°Bring the little bastard here.¡± A fat kidnapper came out of the house with Lilia in his hand. He carried Lilia over as if he was carrying a puppy. Then, he threw her heavily at Joanna. ¡°Lilia!¡± Joanna screamed. Enduring the immense pain all over her body, she stepped forward and caught her daughter. Lilia had already been tortured beyond recognition. Her original skin color could no longer be seen on her small face. She was already on the verge of death. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Lilia, Lilia!¡± Joanna was heartbroken. She hugged her daughter tightly in her arms andforted her. ¡°Lilia, don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy is here!¡± Ryan delivered a fierce kick, saying. ¡°I¡¯ll kill your daughter first, and then I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll make you watch with your eyes how she dies, how miserable her death will be. I¡¯ll make you suffer torment before sending you to the afterlife¡­¡± ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t, please don¡¯t. Lilia is just a child. If you have any resentment, you direct it at me. ¡°Haha, you know fear too!¡± Joanna spat out blood and fell to the ground again. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Ryan, I beg you, don¡¯t hurt Lilia.¡± Ryan looked at Joanna gloomily and said fiercely, ¡°Joanna, you shouldn¡¯t have returned to Greyport. You caused the Haynes family to be so miserable. I¡¯ll make you wish you were dead!¡± Joanna was in so much pain that her entire body was covered in a cold sweat. He looked at Ryan weakly. ¡°Ryan, I never wanted to harm anyone!¡± ¡°Things hade to this point. It¡¯s not what I wanted at all.¡± ¡°I went to the hospital to see Dad the day before yesterday. He¡¯s worried about you. He doesn¡¯t have much time left.¡± When Ryan heard this, his eyes instantly turned red! He hadn¡¯t seen his father since he started fleeing. Especially after his Dad was hospitalized, he never bothered to visit him even once. In the past, he treated his Dad¡¯s pride and glory like his own. But now, seeing himself in this state, he couldn¡¯t bear to face his Dad anymore. Seeing a slight change in his expression, Joanna quickly continued to appeal to their family bond. Though it might not work, she had to give it a try. ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t make another mistakel¡± ¡°We¡¯re biological siblings, and you¡¯re also Lilia¡¯s biological uncle! If you let Lilia go, you can do whatever you want to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also heartbroken that the Haynes family ended like this! But ever since I was young, I¡¯ve always tried my best to integrate into the family.¡± 10.371 Chapter 421 ¡°But the family doesn¡¯t ept me and keeps excluding me¡­¡± ¦§ Ryan suddenly waved his hand. ¡°Shut up and stop spouting nonsense. I won¡¯t listen to your nonsense. You reap sow. Today, I¡¯ll avenge my mother and sister.¡± Joanna endured the pain and continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± *If you were me, what would you do? Also, I¡¯ve never taken the initiative to harm anyone in the Haynes family.¡± what you ¡°All this time, your mother couldn¡¯t tolerate me and forced me to a dead end! Her imprisonment was caused by herself.¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Ryan kicked her again! *Shut the fuck up! If you say another word, I will shoot you!¡± Ryan understood his mother¡¯s character very well. Ingrid had only herself to me for going to jail. She had harmed Joanna time and time again, but in the end, she ended up in jail. However, the problem was that Ingrid was his mother after all. Therefore, even if it was his mother¡¯s mistake, he med everything on Joanna. There was also Roxanne. If not for Joanna¡¯s appearance, Roxanne would have married Bruce long ago. He would not have ended up like this. ¡°I¡¯ll shoot you right now!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ept it if you beat me to death. Please, let Lilia go If Lilia dies, Bruce won¡¯t let you off.¡± When a kidnapper heard this, he went forward and persuaded, ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t we keep them alive and extort a ransom from Bruce?¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything else. I want you to return everything you took from the Haynes family.¡± Joanna looked at Ryan sadly. ¡°The Haynes Group shares are now all under Bruce¡¯s name. If I die, all of the Haynes family¡¯s assets will fall into Bruce¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°Can you bear to see Grandfather¡¯s hard work and foundation destroyed just like that?¡± ¡°Boss, let¡¯s keep them alive first. The most important thing now is to make money!¡± Ryan took a deep breath. ¡°Lock them up first!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The two kidnappers carried Joanna and dragged the mother and daughter pair back to the house. ¡°Lilia! Lilia, how are you?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Lilia opened her eyes weakly. She could not help but tremble. Joanna could not help but cry. ¡°It will be fine. Mommy will save you.¡± Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s me.¡± Bruce¡¯s affection turned cold. ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t hurt my wife and daughter. What do you want? Just tell me.¡± ¡°If you harm them, 1, Bruce Everett, will devote all my energy in the next life to deal with you and your family.¡± Ryan sneered ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± I¡¯ll let you hear something!¡± Roxanne¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Ryan, is that you? It¡¯s me, Roxanne!¡± Boom! Hearing his sister¡¯s voice, Ryan¡¯s breathing quickened. ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t do anything stupid! I¡¯m with Daddy now. Daddy can¡¯t hold on any longer. Daddy is very worried about you. He¡¯s even more worried about Joanna and Lilia.¡° ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them. Please don¡¯t hurt her. We¡¯re a family. We have to deal with this calmly.¡± ¡°Daddy, hurry up and persuade Ryan. Tell him not to hurt Joanna, especially Bruce¡¯s daughter.¡± Through the phone, Shaun¡¯s whimpering voice could be heard. ¡°Ryan, Ryan¡­¡± 2/3 10:37 Chapter 421 Unfortunately, half of Shaun¡¯s body was paralyzed, and his words were unclear. However, one could tell that he was anxious. ¡°Ryan, I advise you to let Joatma and my daughter off. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t call the police, let alone pursue the matter with you. I only beg you to let Joanna and my child go¡­¡± ¡°How much money do you want? Just name the amount, and I will transfer it directly to you. I won¡¯t seek any form of revenge afterward! Furthermore, I will take good care of your father and Roxanne for the rest of their lives!¡± ¡°Bruce, stop talking nonsense!¡± ¡°Ryan, listen to me. You¡¯ve always been the most obedient child. How could you do such a thing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Joanna, let alone the child. If you do this, Daddy will be very disappointed.¡± ¡°Rick, hurry up and persuade your brother.¡± As Roxanne spoke, she quickly handed the phone to Derick. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t mess around!¡± Derick also said perfunctorily. In his heart, he hoped that Ryan could kill Joanna. But now, his entire family was in Bruce¡¯s hands, so he didn¡¯t dare to be rash. ¡°Ryan, did you hear that? Do not hurt Joanna and my daughter. If anything happens to them, I will make the Haynes family disappearpletely from Greyport.¡± ¡°I, Bruce Everett, will do as I say! Let the two of them go back. You can name your conditions.¡± Chapter 422 Chapter 422 Before he could finish, Ryan had already hung up. ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± Bruce furrowed his brows tightly, and his voice was hoarse. Tears flowed down Shaun¡¯s face. He whimpered. ¡°Ryan¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry. Ryan might just be trying to intimidate Joanna Roxanne looked at Bruce and comforted him stiffly. She had stayed in a mental hospital for nearly a year and almost became a lunatic. Today, Bruce had taken her out of the mental hospital. She would never go back. ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t we wait a little longer? Ryan will call again.¡± ¡°Ryan¡­ Shaun¡¯s trembling hands cried out. He closed his eyes and fainted. ¡°Daddy, Daddy¡­ Hurry up and call the doctor. Daddy is sick.¡± Derick raised his eyebrows and went to call the doctor in a panic. Bruce calmed down and called the police station. At this moment, he could only rely on the police. ¡°Hello, is this the police station? I want to make a report. My family has been kidnapped¡­¡± After calling the police, he instructed Andy to check the location where the phone call was made. At the same time, he mobilized all his bodyguards and flew the helicopter to the ind near Newcan Ind to search. Newcan Ind. Joanna and Lilia Haynes were locked in a dpidated house. The house was dark and damp, which emitted a strong moldy smell. Lilia couldn¡¯t stop trembling. She was dehydrated. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m so thirsty¡­¡± Joanna touched Lilia Haynes¡¯s head and felt that it was burning. Lilia was having a high fever and was already in a daze. ¡°Lilia, bear with it a little longer. Mommy will find water for you!¡± The windows in the house were nailed shut, and the door was locked. Joanna looked around, but there was no water or food. Helpless, Joanna could only knock on the door anxiously. ¡°Open the door, open the door. Someone is here!¡± After shouting for about five to six minutes, a sound was heard outside the door. ¡°What are you shouting for?¡± A short and fat kidnapper opened the door fiercely. ¡°Brother, my daughter is having a fever. Can you give me a bottle of water? Please!¡± The short and fat robber red at her and said fiercely. ¡°Why are you so troublesome? You¡¯re about to lose your life. There¡¯s no need to be drinking water?¡± ¡°There¡¯s not enough fresh water on this ind for us to drink. Why would I share it with you?¡± ¡°I beg you. My daughter is dehydrated. Please spare me some water!¡± Joana¡¯s eyes were filled with eagerness as she begged. The short and fat kidnapper sized up Joanna, and an evil thought surfaced in his eyes. She looked very disheveled now but was even more alluring. ¡°Sure! Let me have a good time, and I¡¯ll give you water.¡± As he spoke, he had already walked forward and started touching Joanna. Joanna panicked and took a step back in fear. ¡°Get away. What are you trying to do?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Seeing that she was flustered and weak, the short and fat kidnapper couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and pounced over with a smile! ¡°Ah! Let go. ¡°You still want to resist? Now that you¡¯re here. Behave yourself.¡± Joanna was pushed to the ground. Her ribs were almost broken! The short and fat kidnapper, who was as heavy as a water tank, pressed her down and moved closer to her neck. Joanna¡¯s wrist was injured, and she did not have the strength to push him away! Out of desperation, Joanna opened her arms and raised her knee hard. The robber was caught off guard and was hit in the 1/3 10:37 Chapter 422 crotch. He fell to the side. Joanna quickly got up, picked up the brick on the ground, and threw it at the kidnapper¡¯s head. ¡°Ugh!¡± The short and fat kidnapper cried out in pain and tried to resist. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± Joanna hit him a few more times as if she had gone crazy. Joanna only stopped when the kidnapper stopped moving. The short and fat kidnapper¡¯s head had already been smashed open. Dark red blood was flowing out.. Joanna was flustered, and the brick in her hand fell. From the looks of it, this kidnapper had been smashed to death. ¡°What happened?¡± The other kidnapper, Albert, heard themotion and walked towards the house. After hearing this, Joanna quickly calmed down, picked up the brick, and hid behind the door. As Albert entered the house, Joanna raised the brick and smashed it on his head. Bang! Albert reacted quickly and dodged to the side. The brick hit his shoulder. Instantly, Albert was enraged. ¡°You bitch, how dare you ambush mel¡± As he spoke, Albert kicked Joanna¡¯s chest heavily. At the same time, he pulled out a machete from his back. Seeing the short and fat kidnapper lying in a pool of blood, Albert eximed. ¡°Fatty, Fatty!¡± ¡°You ugly woman, how dare you kill my brother? I think you¡¯re tired of living.¡± ¡°Whoosh!¡± Albert brandished his machete and shed at Joanna. Joanna could not care less and fought with him with all her might. She had practiced self¨Cdefense, and her reaction was still quite agile. In the chaos, the two of them fell to the ground together. The machete happened to pierce into Albert¡¯s heart. At the same time, Joanna spat out blood and almost fainted! ¡°I killed someone. I killed someone¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s mind went nk, and she panted heavily for a while. Although she acted in self¨Cdefense, she still killed someone. She was mentally weak at the moment. Lilia was also frightened by what had happened. Her big eyes were wide open. ¡°Lilia, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± Joanna was covered in blood. She quickly carried Lilia and rushed out of the house before Ryan returned. There were only these two kidnappers and Ryan on the ind. Since these two kidnappers were dead, Ryan was the only one keeping them. This is a deserted ind, and it¡¯s not veryrge. It won¡¯t take more than half an hour to walk around the entire ind. She had to take a boat or a speedboat to leave that ind. Lilia couldn¡¯t stop trembling. ¡°Mommy!¡± Joanna hugged Lilia tightly and found the kidnapper¡¯s unfinished bottle of mineral water. ¡°Lilia, there¡¯s water!¡± Lilia drank the remaining water in the bottle in one go. Her dry throat finally felt relieved. Joanna dared not dy further and hastily carried Lilia into this dpidated house. After looking around, there was nowhere to hide. On the other side, Ryan hung up the phone and rode the motorboat back to the deserted ind in anger. Joanna heard themotion and knew that Ryan had returned. In a moment of desperation, she happened to see a dpidated chicken coop at the side. She could only hug Lilia and hide in the chicken coop. At the same time, Ryan entered the courtyard. ¡°Albert, Fatty.¡± He called out a few times, but there was no response. Ryan¡¯s heart tightened, and he hurriedly came in to check, Inside the house, his two subordinates had already fallen into a pool of blood! Joanna and Lilia were also nowhere to be 10:37 found. ¡°Fuck, two pieces of trash!¡± Ryan became vignt. He pulled out his pistol and left the courtyard in a frenzy. Ryan no longer hesitated and decided to kill Joanna and her daughter! ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Joanna quickly covered Lilia¡¯s mouth and looked at Ryan nervously through the gap. Seeing him walk towards the chicken coop step by step with a gun in his hand, Joanna¡¯s heart beat wildly like a drum. Fortunately, Ryan only took a nce before turning around and leaving the courtyard to look for the shore! After all, if they wanted to leave the deserted ind, they could only leave by boat. Chapter 423 Chapter 423 She had to contact someone as soon as possible and seek help. Her phone had been confiscated. If she wanted to call the police, she had to get her phone back. Ryan came to the beach and looked around but still did not find Joanna. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. However, he was sure that Joanna could not leave this ind. She must be hiding somewhere. Thinking of this, Ryan turned back. He nned to search the few dpidated houses again. As long as he searched carefully, he would find them. ¡°This ind is so small. Ryan will return!¡± Joanna thought for a moment. She could not just sit there and wait for death. ¡°Lilia, lie here and don¡¯t make a sound.¡± ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m scared! What are you going to do?¡± Lilia cried in fear when he saw that her mommy was going out. Joannaforted her daughter gently. ¡°Be good. Hide here and don¡¯t make a sound. Mommy will lure the bad guys away.¡± ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Be good, don¡¯t move.¡± Joannaforted her daughter and climbed out of the chicken coop! She knew that Ryan would find them soon! The only way to save herself now was to strike first. Joanna picked up the machete, found a few bricks, and hid behind the door. He was just waiting for Ryan toe back and catch him off guard. Ten minutester. Footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Joanna¡¯s heart was in her throat too. She knew Ryan was back. And he had a gun in his hand. Ryan had just walked into the courtyard. Joanna rushed out and shed at his neck with the machete. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Ryan Haynes was shed in the back. Ryan came back to his senses and fired at Joanna Joanna could not dodge in time and could only take the risk and pounce over! The bullet grazed her hair and missed. Joanna shed him again. Bang! Bang! Two more shots missed, and the two of them grappled. After all, she was a woman, and her strength was notparable to Ryan¡¯s. She fell heavily to the ground and was strangled by Ryan, almost fainting Joanna¡¯s neck was being choked, and she couldn¡¯t resist. She could only fumble around, and by chance, her hand seemed to touch a wooden stick, perhaps a leg of a stool. Joanna grabbed the leg of the stool and knocked it hard on Ryan¡¯s head! The iron nail on the leg of the stool pierced into Ryan¡¯s eyeball! ¡°Ah!¡± Ryan was in so much pain that he almost fainted on the spot. Blood flowed out of his eye socket, and Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Pfft!¡± Joanna shed at him again. At this moment, there was a buzzing sound in the sky. A few helicopters were flying over. Bang! A gunshot rang out. Ryan was killed on the spot by police officers! Despite seeing Ryan falling. Joanna¡¯s heart was still beating wildly. ¡°Joanna, Lilia¡­ Bruce got off the helicopter and rushed towards Joanna in panic. 10:38 Chapter 423 Arge number of police officers also followed them onto the deserted ind! ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s alright! It¡¯s alright now!¡± Bruce hugged Joanna tightly, still in shock. Joanna¡¯s breathing quickened, and tears rolled down her face uncontrobly. It had been 24 hours since she was kidnapped, and her heart had been hanging in the air. When Lilia saw Bruce, she started crying too. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Be good. It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay!¡± Joanna blinked. After confirming the situation was safe, her vision turned ck, and she fainted. Soon! Joanna Haynes went to the police station to record her statement. Because she was kidnapped, she was acquitted due to self¨Cdefense. ¡°Now reporting a breaking news update: The explosion and shooting cases have been solved, and the culprits have been shot. dead by the police.¡± ¡°This main culprit is the second son of the Haynes family.¡± After the case was solved, the Greyport people were shocked! ¡°Oh my god, this is too crazy. He actually kidnapped his sister and niece.¡± ¡°A person of such deserves to die. Fortunately, he was caught! Otherwise, who knows what kind of disaster would have happened¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The Haynes family is a mess. A bunch of strange things happened.¡± ¡°The eldest son is a yboy, and the second son is a vicious criminal. These four siblings are troublesome.¡± ¡°Have you heard? The second daughter of the Haynes family has already left the mental hospital. Where do you think she will go?¡± On TV! The media reported it one after another! In the hospital. Shaun was already terminally ill and delirious. He kept muttering, ¡°Ryan¡­¡± Roxanne Haynes continuously reassured her father, saying, ¡°Dad, you need to take care of yourself first and not worry too much. Ryan will be fine.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°Sister has been rescued. She and her daughter are fine. They¡¯re very safe!¡± Shaun¡¯s cloudy eyes darkened. ¡°What about Ryan?¡± ¡°Ryan, he¡­ As Roxanne spoke, tears rolled down her face. She did not dare to tell her father that her brother had been killed on the spot. However, from her expression, it was already evident that Ryan was unlikely to have a positive oue. Although Ryan deserved to be shot multiple times for his crimes, he was still his son. Now that his son is dead, how can he ept such an oue? Moreover, Ryan was the son that he was proudest of ¡°Cough cough¡­ Cough cough¡­ Shaun was so agitated that he started trembling. Roxanne stopped her crying. She hurriedly shouted, ¡°Daddy, Daddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Doctor, doctor, please save my father.¡± The doctor and nurse rushed over to check on Shaun¡¯s condition. ¡°The patient¡¯s condition is critical. Hurry up and send him to the emergency room!¡± Roxanne cried sadly. ¡°Daddy, you will be fine!¡± Then, Shaun was pushed into the emergency room. Roxanne and Derick waited anxiously outside the emergency room. An hourter. The ergergency room door opened and the doctor came out with a look of regret. Chapter 423 ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my father?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes. Im sorry. We tried our best, but Mr. Haynes couldn¡¯t be saved. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. My father won¡¯t die. My father definitely won¡¯t die.¡± Roxanne broke down and cried loudly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We tried our best. My condolences.¡± ¡°No, please save my father. My father won¡¯t die like this.¡± Roxanne shook the doctor¡¯s arm frantically! Derick gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°Roxy, stop crying. Daddy and brother were both killed by Joannal ¡°This damn bitch ruined our family. We can¡¯t let her have an easy time.¡± ¡°Daddy, Brother, Mommy! It¡¯s all my fault for being useless!¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. It¡¯s all that slut Joanna¡¯s fault!¡± Soon Joanna had also received the news. She rushed down to the hospital despite being in pain. ¡°Roxanne. Daddy, how is he?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes were already red and swollen from crying. She said sadly, ¡°Daddy is dead!¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna held her breath and almost lost her bnce. Although she didn¡¯t have much affection for her father, he was still her father. How could she not feel sad? ¡°Joanna, are you satisfied now? Daddy is dead, and so is my brother. The Haynes family¡¯s family was destroyed because of you.¡± ¡­ Joanna Haynes felt dizzy, and her mind went nk! Roxanne held her breath and hid the deep hatred in her eyes! Drops of tears fell from her eyes. Although she hated Joanna and wanted to kill her immediately, However, she knew well that she could not defeat Joanna Haynes now. It was highly likely that she would be sent to the mental hospital again. ¡°Rick, don¡¯t say that about me. I¡¯m a victim too. It¡¯s Ryan who did something wrong and went astray!¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t me it on sister. Sister, don¡¯t me yourself too much!¡± ¡°Roxy, are you crazy? How dare you speak up for her?¡± Derick was exasperated! He did not understand why Roxanne would speak up for Joanna. Now that two people in their family have died, the me should be ced on Joanna. They should unite and join forces to confront that despicable person, Joanna Haynes! ¡°Rick, you can¡¯t say that about your sister! You can¡¯t just look at one side of the picture. This is their retribution!¡± ¡°Sister, from now on, only the three of us are left in our family. We must love and help each other!¡± ¡°Although Daddy has passed away, we have to stay strong! Let¡¯s make Dad¡¯s funeral a glorious one!¡± ¡°Roxy!¡± Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated, not knowing what to say. Although she didn¡¯t believe Roxanne¡¯s words to be sincere, her father¡¯s passing still left her heartbroken. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with Daddy¡¯s funeral first!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder andforted her gently. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be too sad. Your father¡¯s death wasn¡¯t because of you.¡± ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have tofort me!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll send you to the ward.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I want to spend time with Daddy. I take a longer look at Daddy¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not stop her. Then I¡¯ll apany you!¡± Joanna did not say anything. Bruce also had a stern expression. He had been looking at Joanna gently. Roxanne watched from the side, and her heart ached even more. If it wasn¡¯t for Joanna, the woman beside Bruce would be her. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll make sure you die a horrible death. I won¡¯t let you have it easy.¡± Chapter 424 Chapter 424 ¡°Host everything today. I take it back bit by bit ¡°Roxy, where are you going to live from now on?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes darkened as she replied weakly. Tll continue staying at home! ¡°Can you do it alone?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Bruce did not want to add to their anxiety ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go take a look at Lilia¡± ¡°Lilia is in shock. The doctor said that she needs a psychiatrist for psychological counseling¡± ¡°Okay¡± Children¡¯s hospital. Lilia! ¡°Daddy, Mommy¡­ Liliay weakly on the hospital bed. She is now psychologically affected. Every night, she couldn¡¯t help but have nightmares. She was so scared that she would shout and scream the whole day. She could not have anyone leave her side. ¡°Lilia, it¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault for not protecting you properly!¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t burden yourself with excessive guilt. You have done well.¡± ¡°Thank God for not taking you and Lilia away from me. I can¡¯t imagine what I would be like if I lost you.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes darkened, and she kept silent. Joanna, promise me you won¡¯t do such stupid things again!¡± ¡°From now on, I won¡¯t allow you to leave my sight! Wherever you go, I will apany you. I am no longer afraid to endure such fear.¡± Send Gift Comment Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Ten dayster. Joanna, Roxanne, and Derick held Shaun¡¯s funeral. Although Ryan was killed by the police, Roxanne and Derick still arranged a tombstone for him and buried him hastily. Elizabeth Cemetery! It was drizzling, and the weather had plummeted. The temperature was only about eight degrees. For the southern region, this was a very low temperature. In addition to Joanna and her siblings, some of Shaun¡¯s friends and acquaintances attended the funeral. Shaun¡¯s ashes had already been buried. In front of the tombstone, Joanna was dressed in ck with a white hat on her head. She looked sad as she bowed deeply three times. ¡°Father, have a safe journey!¡± Roxanne and Derick were dressed simrly, and Roxanne was crying inconsbly. She said, ¡°Dad, I hope you can rest in peace in the realm beyond!¡± There were wreaths and various offerings arranged clearly in front of the tombstone. After the funeral ended, the guests left one after another. Joanna left the cemetery with a heavy heart. They had just walked out of the cemetery. Arge group of reporters rushed over like a tide. ¡°Miss Haynes, how are you feeling right now?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, regarding Ryan Haynes¡¯s kidnapping of you and your daughter, can you tell us how it happened?¡± ¡°May I ask if you and Mr. Everett have remarried? Have you and Mr. Grimm broken uppletely? Has Mr. Grimm passed the critical period?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. Im sorry, I won¡¯t be interviewed.¡± ¡°Make way!¡± Arge number of bodyguards quickly surrounded Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, please say a few words!¡± Click! Click! The reporters frantically snapped photos of her. Joanna was extremely flustered. Under the escort of her bodyguards, she hurriedly walked toward the parking lot. Today, Bruce attended the funeral. But he did not stand with Joanna nor as a son¨Cinw. He came simply as a regr guest to pay his respects. After Joanna left. Roxanne and Derick also walked out of the cemetery. Reporters swarmed towards Roxanne when they saw her, and one of them quickly asked, ¡°Miss Roxanne, would you be willing to ept an interview?¡± ¡°May I ask how you feel right now? Can you say a few words?¡± Roxanne gasped and said with a dark expression, ¡°Noments!¡± ¡°Please say something! I heard that you¡¯ve been in a mental hospital for ten months. Have you recovered?¡± ¡°What do you think about your sister getting back with Mr. Everett? Will you give them your blessings? Are you still in love with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Theard that you¡¯ve removed your uterus and won¡¯t be able to conceive anymore. Is that true?¡± The reporters¡® words were sharp like knives. The questions they raised were harsh and aimed at Roxanne¡¯s sore spot. Roxanne¡¯s face turned pale, and her lips trembled. She could barely control her emotions. Derick quickly blocked the cameras and shielded her behind him. ¡°Everyone, step back. Don¡¯t ask such boring questions¡± ¡°Roxy, let¡¯s go Chapter 424 Although the two had assistants around them, they could not withstand the reporters¡® bombardment and could only escape. Arge group of reporters chased after them. Everyone wanted to interview them. Even if they could take a few photos, it would be enough to cause a sensation in the city. Because of the kidnapping case, Joanna was ced at the center of attention. Recently, everyone has been reporting on this matter. In the parking lot. The bodyguard opened the door of the Rolls¨CRoyce and said respectfully, ¡°Miss Haynes, please get in.¡± Joanna got into the car with a dark expression. She was in a bad mood. In the car. Bruce was already waiting in the car. When he saw Joanna entering, he quickly handed her a cup of hot water and a hot towel. ¡°Are you cold? Have a cup of hot water!¡± Joanna took the hot towel and wiped the rain from her face and neck. Her face was pale, and her eyes were extremely red. She looked frail and tired. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached. ¡°My condolences! The dead can¡¯t be revived. It¡¯s useless to be sad.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything, but her heart felt very ufortable. Although her father had never doted on her or given her fatherly love, he was still her biological father. As long as her father is alive, she still has a father. However, now that her father was dead, she would be an orphan. Seeing her sorrowful expression, Bruce stretched out his arm and gently hugged her shoulder! Joanna closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder tiredly. The car slowly drove out of the cemetery. Sherane Bay Vi! When they got home, the servants were already at the door with a brazier and pomelo water. Joanna was stunned. The butler, Gael, quickly exined, ¡°After all,ing back from the cemetery, one is bound to be affected by negative energy. Stepping over a brazier and sprinkling some pomelo water could help to ward off the negative energy.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, but she did not object. She stepped over the brazier, and the servants sprinkled the pomelo water on her. Simrly, Bruce stepped over the brazier and sprinkled some pomelo water on himself. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day. You must be tired.¡± ¡°Quickly take a hot shower and rest!¡± ¡°Okay, Joanna responded faintly.. She changed her clothes and took a shower. Then, shey on the bed to rest. Perhaps because she was too tired, she fell into a deep sleep after lying down for a while. In a daze, she began to have nightmares. While dreaming, she saw the badly mutted Ryan and the other two kidnappers. She then saw her father lying on the hospital bed, ring at her with turbid and fierce eyes. They took turns tearing her apart and strangling her! ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna was having a nightmare. She gritted her teeth and trembled all over. Unfortunately, her mind was exceptionally clear, but she could not wake up no matter what Chapter 424 After struggling for a long time, Joanna still could not wake up. Fortunately, Bruce was right beside her. When he realized that something was wrong with Joanna, he quickly reached out. and patted her Joanna, what¡¯s wrong? Wake up!¡± ¡°Wake up. Are you having a nightmare? Bruce shook her a few more times. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna woke up from her nightmare. Her heart was pounding, and she was still in fear. ¡°That¡¯s scary!¡± Joanna subconsciously shrank into Bruce¡¯s arms and panted uncontrobly. Bruce quicklyforted her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Joanna broke out in a cold sweat as if she had just returned from the underworld. ¡°I just dreamed of my father and Ryan¡­ Joanna gasped, still in a state of terror. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a nightmare. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Joanna shrank even more in his arms. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m so scared! Hold me tight.¡± Hearing this. Bruce tightened his arms and hugged her tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here! Sleep in peace!¡± drive Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. It¡¯s unclear whether it was a psychological effect or if she had encountered something unclean. As soon as Joanna falls asleep, she unconsciously dreams of Ryan¡¯s grimacing face and her father¡¯s gaze as he lies in the hospital bed. The next day! Joanna inexplicably had a high fever. She had no strength left in her body and was in a daze. Joann. why do you feel so hot? Are you running a fever?¡± Bruce Everett became even more concerned. Joanna was in a daze and did not react. She looked like a lifeless puppet. ¡°Lilian, call the doctor over.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Soon. The family doctor rushed over. He measured Joanna¡¯s temperature and looked at her tongue. After a round of examination! The doctor nced at the thermometer. ¡°38.5 degrees. Miss Haynes has a fever and cold.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Is it serious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just a slight chill, nothing too serious. Take some cold medicine and let her sweat it out. She¡¯ll be fine afterward.¡± Then, the family doctor prescribed cold medicine. ¡°Take two pills at a time for this and three for this! This is the medicine for three days. We will monitor for the time being.¡± After giving instructions, the doctor administered a fever¨Creducing injection to Joanna. ¡°Mr. Everett, there¡¯s no need to worry. It¡¯s just amon cold, and she will recover soon,¡± assured the doctor. Bruce was relieved to hear that. Joanna took the fever medicine and fell asleep again. It was strange In the next few days, Joanna was still the same. She had nightmares every day. In the past, she rarely had nightmares. However, since she returned from the cemetery, Joanna seems gued by something, experiencing continuous bouts of fever. Not only is Joanna in this condition, but Lilia¡¯s situation is even more severe. She has been staying in the hospital all this ume. Bruce has been shuttling between home and the hospital, leaving little time for his work at the company. Five consecutive days went by. Despite taking so many cold medicines, Joanna¡¯s symptoms show no signs of improvement. Instead, they seem to be getting worse. Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Lilia¡¯s condition was also severe. She was infected with pneumonia and kept coughing. On the sixth day. Joanna¡¯s high fever would not subside. It has even be more severe than before. The family doctor was also very puzzled. Judging from Joanna¡¯s symptoms, it was an ordinary cold. However, the medicine. she took did not work at all. Bruce finally lost his temper. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why can¡¯t you treat an ordinary cold!¡± The family doctor exined, but Bruce did not listen at all. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, we should go to the hospital¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkens significantly, and seeing Joanna¡¯s condition worsening, he can no longer afford to dy any further. Joanna, get up and change. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± Joanna is also suffering greatly from her illness. Every day, the persistent fever leaves her feeling mentally and physically drained, in a state of lethargy and difort that has reached its peak. Marhall Hospital. Bruce sent Joanna to the hospital. The results of the doctor¡¯s examination were still that of amon cold. Joanna was treated in the hospital for another three days, but the effect was minimal. Her fever was still very high. ¡°What are you all doing? You can¡¯t even treat an ordinary cold? How did you get your doctor¡¯s license?¡± The chief physician¡¯s expression bes solemn as he says, ¡°Mr. Everett, although amon cold is usually a minor issue, there are exceptions. Miss Haynes¡® symptoms are unique¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste time exining all this to me. Can you cure her or not?¡± Bruce¡¯s face turns dark, showing his frustration. The doctors were so scared that they did not even dare to breathe. Mr. Everett had a bad temper. He might fire all of them in the heat of the moment. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ll immediately adjust the new treatment n! Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll treat Miss Haynes as soon as possible.¡± The entire department became nervous. Gather together and work on a new treatment n. However, no matter how they treated her, there was no improvement. Joanna and Lilia were sick all the time. Bruce¡¯s mood was equally bad! After careful consideration, the butler, Gael, said solemnly, ¡°Mr. Everett. Looking at Miss Haynes¡¯s condition, it doesn¡¯t seem like just a cold¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°If it¡¯s not a cold, then what is it?¡± Gael pondered for a moment. ¡°Have you offended anything unclean?¡± ¡°Offended what?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t understand what he meant.. ¡°I meant offending any evil spirits.¡± Bruce was stunned, and his eyes moved slightly. He never believed in such things! However, Margaret believed in this. So, from a young age and under the influence of his grandmother, he has heard and seen many simr things. Moreover, the wealthier a person was, the more they believed in superstition. These things are all interconnected and not unexinable using scientific principles. After all, there are many aspects of maic fields that even scientists have not fully understood. ¡°Say what you want to say!¡± Gael said bluntly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we consult Miss Hayne¡¯s symptoms from Mr. Lewis?¡± Bruce frowned slightly when he heard that. 10 18 §¤ Chapter 425 Mr. Lewis was the famous geomancer of Greyport and a distinguished guest of Margaret. Almost all the respected people in Greyport have some connection with him. In the past, whenever anything happened to the Everett family, Margaret would look for Mr. Lewis for advice. However, since Margaret passed away, the Everett family never invited Mr. Lewis again. After all, Bruce did not believe in these things. After thinking for a while, Bruce nodded. ¡°Alright, get him toe and take a look!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett! I¡¯ll make an appointment now.¡± Many people were seeking Mr. Lewis for advice every day. They had to make appointments many days in advance. In the ward. Joanna started convulsing again. Her throat made a dreamy sound. Seeing this, Bruce quickly walked up to her and shook her awake. ¡°Joanna, what¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare again?¡± Joanna gasped and struggled to sit up. Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. She did have a nightmare just now! Nightmares were like this. Even if they were woken up, if they immediately fell asleep, they would be haunted by nightmares again. Therefore, Joanna insisted on sitting up and not letting herself fall asleep. ¡°Bruce, how¡¯s Lilia? Is she better?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he replied vaguely, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s much better now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± As they were talking, the door was pushed open! Davian and Irvin walked in. ¡°Mommy, is your cold better?¡± Seeing this. Joanna immediately stopped her sons. ¡°Yes, just stand there and don¡¯te closer. Mommy¡¯s cold is contagious. It would be bad if I passed it to you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not afraid!¡± the two little boys said together in unison. ¡°Be good and listen to me. If you catch a cold, you need to get an injection.¡± When the two little boys heard this, they obediently stood still and dared not approach the bed again. ¡°Daddy, when will Mommy and sister recover?¡± ¡°Very soon. You guys can leave first.¡± Bruce¡¯s face was fierce. ¡°Okay!¡± The two little boys reluctantly left the ward again. Joanna struggled to get out of bed. Bruce quickly stopped her. ¡°Hurry up and lie down. Why are you getting up?¡± *I¡¯ve been lying down for more than ten days. I feel ufortable all over. I want to walk!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold you!¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a knock on the door! ¡°Come in.¡± A servant pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Roxanne is here.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked displeased. ¡°What is she doing here?¡± ¡°She said she¡¯s here to see Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Let her go back.¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Forget it. Since I¡¯m already here, I should meet her.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll excuse myself first!¡± Bruce did not want to have any more interactions with Roxanne. ¡°Okay¡± Bruce then lefi! Not long after, a servant came in with Roxanne. ¡°Roxy, why are you here?¡± Joanna forced herself to stay awake! Chapter 425 Roxanne blinked her big innocent eyes and quickly walked to the head of the bed. ¡°Sister, I heard you were sick, so I came to see you¡± ¡°Tin fine.¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes turned red as she said with a pained expression. ¡°You don¡¯t seem fine at all. Look at how thin you¡¯ve be. You have to take good care of yourself!¡± ¡°¡­Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She did not know what to say! Faced with Roxanne¡¯s deliberate goodwill, she is still hesitant to ept it. ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯ve prayed for an amulet for you. It¡¯ll be better if you keep it by your side.¡± As Roxanne spoke, she opened her bag and took out an amulet. She handed it to Joanna with a harmless expression. Joanna took it. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°By the way, are you staying at the old residence now?¡± Roxanne lowered her head weakly. ¡°Yes, Dad and Mom are gone. I¡¯m the only one left in the house.¡± ¡°Where are the servants?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all afraid. They¡¯ve already left the Haynes family,¡± Roxanne said. Her eyes were even redder, and she looked pitiful. ¡°Then take care of yourself alone. If you can¡¯t, hire a few more workers.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roxanne bit her lower lip and looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. Joanna sighed. ¡°Is there no money?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about hiring workers! I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± When Roxanne heard this, she quickly shook her head. ¡°No need, there¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony with me. After all, we¡¯re biological sisters. You could tell me if you are having difficulties. If I can help you. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Roxanne hade this far. Although Joanna did not pity her, she still felt a little guilty. No matter what the reason was, it was all because of her. Now that her father was dead, she would help if she could. ¡°Sister, L¡­ Roxanne hesitated, looking embarrassed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Just say what you want to say!¡± ¡°Sister, I want to stay by your side and care for you!¡± After Roxanne finished speaking, she quickly exined nervously, ¡°This way, I will have someone to apany me and save significant expenses. Oh, sister, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I have no ulterior motives or other intentions ¡°I just want to stay by your side. On the one hand, I want to take care of you. On the other hand¡­ I want to salvage myself¡± Joanna, ¡°.¡± I don¡¯t know how to refuse! Seeing that Joanna did not say anything. Roxanne looked even more pitiful. ¡°Sister, I go back to an empty room every day. I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m alone, and no one talks to me!¡± ¡°Rick is a guy. There are many things that I can¡¯t say to him. Sister, can you promise me?¡± As Roxanne spoke, she looked at Joanna with tears, like a docile deer. Joanna looked conflicted. ¡°Roxy, I can understand how you feel, but¡­¡± ¡°Are you afraid of Bruce? No, afraid that brother¨Cinw won¡¯t agree?¡± ¡°Sister, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already realized my mistake. I¡¯ve changed! Other than Rick, you¡¯re the only family I have now.¡± Roxanne started sobbing ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll ask him about it.¡± ¡°Yes, sister, you¡¯re so kind. I knew you wouldn¡¯t stay angry at me. I was wrong in the past. I hope you don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the past!¡± Joanna said gently and looked at Roxanne calmly. She might have no bad intentions! As long as Roxanne truly repented and was willing to treat her as an elder sister, she would also treat Roxanne as her younger sister. Chapter 426 Chapter 426 Thank you, sister. As long as you forgive me, I¡¯ll be happy!¡± ¡°From now on. I will be obedient and be a good sister,¡± Roxanne said sincerely. She held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly as if holding onto a life¨Csaving float. ¡°Roxy, you don¡¯t have to do this!¡± Roxanne said gratefully, ¡°Sister. I¡¯m just too happy. Thinking about what I¡¯ve done, I regret it. Really I am.¡± Joannaforted her gently. ¡°The past is the past. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Let¡¯s live well in the future!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Roxanne nodded heavily. ¡°Sister,e and eat an orange.¡± As Roxanne spoke, she quickly peeled an orange and eagerly brought it to Joanna¡¯s mouth. ¡°This orange is sweet. You have a fever now, so you need to replenish your vitamins.¡± Joanna was stunned. She wanted to refuse, but when she saw Roxanne¡¯s eager gaze, she epted the peeled orange. ¡°Thank Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. you.¡± ¡°Sister, is it sweet?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite sweet.¡± Seeing Joanna eating the orange, Roxanne smiled brightly like a flower, and there was a glimmer of light in her eyes. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened for some reason. Shy did not dare to look into her eyes. ¡°Sister, I¡¯ll go back first today. I¡¯lle and see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Roxanne stood up and was about to leave when she said worriedly, ¡°Sister, you must persuade Bruce to let me stay by your and take care of you.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving. Roxanne looked back every three steps, her eyes filled with reluctance. She left the ward. Roxanne¡¯s innocent and weak expression suddenly darkened, and her eyes burned with killing intent. ¡°Daddy, Ryan, your spirits in heaven must bless me. Please bless me to avenge you.¡± Six o¡¯clock in the evening. Bruce came to the hospital again. At the door of the ward, Joanna told Bruce about Roxanne. ¡°Bruce, Roxanne has no one to rely on now. It¡¯s very pitiful¡°. Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at Joanna in confusion. ¡°So?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I want her by my side so I can look after her. When Bruce heard this, he was furious. ¡°Joanna, are you crazy? Don¡¯t you know what kind of person she is? ¡°How many more times do you want to be harmed by her? Why haven¡¯t you learned your lesson?¡± At the mere thought of being deceived by Roxanne for so many years, he harbored an extreme hatred in his heart. If it weren¡¯t for saving Joanna, he would never want to see Roxanne again in his entire life, let alone bring her out of the mental hospital. Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with mncholy. ¡°She¡¯s changed now. I don¡¯t think she will harm me again in the future.¡± Without waiting for Joanna to finish, Bruce began to mock and ridicule her. ¡°A leopard never changes its spots. Don¡¯t be deceived by her appearance. Her thoughts are not that simple. ¡°Even I was fooled by her for so many years. You can imagine what a scheming woman she is.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve already promised to bring her over to care for me.¡± ¡°No, bringing her to your side is tantamount to inviting a wolf into my house. I won¡¯t agree to it!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Joanna was still trying to convince him. Bruce¡¯s expression was dark and ugly. He refused without any exnation. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. I can promise anything else, but this is not eptable.¡± ¡°If you want to care for her, I can hire two servants. But she can¡¯t stay by our side.¡± Bruce rejected her bluntly without any leeway. Chapter 426 Joanna wanted to say something else, but Bruce did not want to listen anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t mention Roxanne anymore. Rest well. The most important thing is to take care of your body¡± ¡°Sigh Joanna sighed deeply The next day Roxanne arrived at the hospital again. However, before she could enter the ward, she was blocked by Bruce. ¡°Roxanne.¡± Bruce stood in the corridor coldly, exuding a coldness that kept people at a distance When she saw Bruce, Roxanne panicked and said, ¡°Bruce, long time no see¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s malicious eyes stared straight at her. ¡°Roxanne, what tricks are you up to now¡± When Roxanne heard this, she hurriedly exined. ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I want to take care of Joanna. I don¡¯t have any other intentions. I can swear to the heavens that I don¡¯t have any ill intentions toward Joanna¡­¡± Bruce was not interested in listening to her exnation. ¡°Don¡¯te to the hospital again in the future, and don¡¯t appear before my sight! ¡°Otherwise, if I can get you out of the mental hospital, I can send you back¡± When Roxanne heard this, she took a cold breath and was so frightened that she was incoherent. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m here to deliver soup to Joanna. ¡°Joanna¡¯s health isn¡¯t good. I¡¯m worried. I want to treat Joanna better and do something for her.¡± ¡°Roxanne, if you want to do something, stay away from Joanna! ¡°If youe to the hospital to pester Joanna again, don¡¯t me me for being nasty.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ I know you hate me. I realized my mistake! ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I have let down your love and hurt your heart. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, nor will I harbor any other improper thoughts. Please, Bruce, I beg you¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce was feeling impatient. ¡°Roxanne, stop talking. ¡°There has never been love between you and me. Where did the hatrede from? ¡°Leave the hospital now. Don¡¯t let me see you again.¡± ¡°Bruce..¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was cold. He signaled at the bodyguards beside him. ¡°Get her out immediately!¡± When the two bodyguards heard this, they immediately went forward. ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Immediately, two bodyguards walked forward and gestured Roxanne expressionlessly. ¡°Miss Roxanne, please leave immediately¡± Roxanne¡¯s face turned pale, but she was still unwilling. ¡°Bruce, let me see Joanna! I want to see my sister. I don¡¯t have any ill intentions. I beg you¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne, please!¡± The two bodyguards stretched out their arms and invited her out forcefully. ¡°From now on, she¡¯s not allowed to step into the ward, let alone appear in front of Joanna¡° The row of bodyguards replied respectfully, ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett After Roxanne left. Bruce flicked the hem of his suit in disgust. It was as if he had been tainted with dirt after exchanging a few words with Roxanne After Roxanne was chased out of the hospital, her expression immediately changed. Her eyes suddenly narrowed into ant are, and her sharp nails dug into her flesh. ¡°Joanna, Bruce, just wait. I won¡¯t let this go! ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so heartless to me. I won¡¯t let you off either, don¡¯t even think about getting back together.¡± In the ward. ¡°Cough, cough ¡°Joanna was still seriously ill and had no strength in her body ¡°Sigh, how did it get so severe? It¡¯s been so many days, and there¡¯s no sign of improvement Bruce felt tremendous stress and frequently reached out to touch Joanna¡¯s forehead. Her forehead was not particrly hot. But the symptoms of the cold were particrly severe. Joanna leaned against the bed, not even wanting to say a word. Chapter 426 Seeing her struggling for breath, Bruce could only find something to say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem burdened with heavy thoughts.¡± Joanna shook her head sadly. ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°If you have anything to say, just tell me. Don¡¯t keep it to yourself.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she replied weakly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She was still worried about Jaydon. It had been almost a month since shest saw him. She had never visited him in Venturas. She wondered what Jaydon had be and if he had gotten better. Bruce gently held Joanna¡¯s hand, and judging from her expression, he briefly guessed her thoughts. ¡°Take care of yourself first. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. Once you recover, there will be time to worry about others.¡± Joanna could not help but cough. Seeing this, Bruce quickly brought a cup of warm water. ¡°Come, drink some water!¡± After Joanna finished drinking the water, her dry throat felt much better. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Roxannee over these two days?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with disdain. ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s noting. ¡°She¡¯s nothing but a troublemaker, stirring up trouble wherever she goes. Even if shees over, she harbors ill intentions and has ulterior motives.¡± ¡°Did you say something to her?¡± ¡°No! What can I tell her!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed. He did not even blink when he lied. Chapter 427 Chapter 427 Joanna Haynes took a deep breath and did not ask further. To be honest, she didn¡¯t really want to get too close to Roxanne Haynes. It was just that Roxanne kept begging her pitifully so she could not bear to reject her. ¡°Is Lilia¡¯s pneumonia cured?¡± ¡°Child pneumonia is very difficult to deal with. It wouldn¡¯t be cured so quickly. It will take at least half a month for her to recoverpletely.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more worried. ¡°I want to see Lilia!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce Everett called over the doctors and nurses to help Joanna change into a surgical gown and put on an istion mask! He only brought her to Lilia¡¯s ward after all the protective work was done. In the children¡¯s ward. Lilia had been hospitalized for many days and was now lying weakly on the bed. ¡°Lilia, mommy is here to see you!¡± Lilia opened her eyes weakly when she heard the voice. She immediately called out, ¡°Mommy, daddy!¡± ¡°Are you still not feeling well?¡± Lilia¡¯srge pearl¨Clike eyes blinked as she said in a cute voice, ¡°I just feel dizzy and I don¡¯t have any strength.¡± ¡°Rest well. You¡¯ll regain your strength when you have recovered.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce turned to the nurse and said, ¡°Watch Lilia carefully. Report to me immediately if anything happens.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett!¡± The nurse replied respectfully. Joanna¡¯s heart ached when she saw how sick her daughter was. She would give anything to hug Lilia now. However, she had also caught a serious cold. She was afraid of infecting Lilia so she held herself back. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll send you back to the ward.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After returning to the ward. Joanna was extremely sleepy again. She fell asleep again right after shey on the bed. She had just slept for a little more than ten minutes. She was stuck in a nightmare. Her entire body kept twitching and she could not wake up no matter what. Fortunately, Bruce had been standing guard at her side and immediately woke her up. ¡°Joanna, wake up quickly.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed and opened her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have another nightmare?¡± Joanna was drenched in sweat. She threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms in a panic and said in fear, ¡°Bruce, I, I want to leave the hospital.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna felt chills all over and could not help but tremble. She replied, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I just don¡¯t want to stay in the hospital. I just dreamed of something especially terrifying again.¡± Thinking back about the nightmare, it was really too terrifying. The hospital¡¯s dark energy was too heavypared to other ces so the nightmares were much more intense. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! The nightmares are all not real¡± ¡°I want to be discharged. I don¡¯t want to stay here anymore.¡± ¡°Okay, alright. I¡¯ll get someone to settle the discharge procedures now. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Joanna hugged Bruce tightly and shivered in his arms. 10:38 Chapter 427 It felt as though she was really trapped by something. As long as she closed her eyes, all kinds of horrifying scenes would flood her mind. ¡°Andy, go and settle the discharge procedures.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce brought Joanna out of the hospital. Back home. Bruce immediately called the butler over and asked, ¡°Gael, what¡¯s the date of the appointment I asked you to arrange with Mr. Lewis?¡± ¡°Ive already made an appointment and Mr. Lewis cane over tomorrow.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Serve him well tomorrow. Make sure he is satisfied.¡± ¡°You can rest assured, Mr. Everett!¡± The next day Bruce sent a driver to pick up Mr. Lewis. At around nine in the morning. The driver drove Mr. Lewis over. Mr. Lewis was a man who was shorter than 5.3 feet. It was said that when he was in Pedrana, he suddenly obtained some divine power one day and became a spirit medium. This phenomenon was also circted in many areas in the North. However, within the country, this was commonly known as being possessed by a spirit. This phenomenon was verymon in the countryside in the early years. Usually, an ordinary person would suddenly receive the guidance of some spirits and be the messenger of the spirits to the people. However, it was difficult to distinguish if this phenomenon had really happened to a person and it was something that could certainly not be exined scientifically. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Lewis has arrived.¡± Mr. Lewis was wearing pure white cotton clothes and pure cotton cloth shoes. He was also carrying a canvas bag with a trigram printed on it. Although he was not tall, he still had a sage¨Clike aura. ¡°Hello! Long time no see.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Mr. Lewis greeted as he shook hands with Bruce. ¡°Let¡¯s have some coffee first!¡± ¡°Gael has already told me the situation!¡± ¡°Oh, then how do you think we should resolve this?¡± It was rare for Bruce to be so polite to someone. ¡°Let me take a look inside the house first.¡± As he spoke, Mr. Lewis took out something that looked like an eight trigram mirror and shone it around the room. In the room! Joanna was still lying weakly on the bed. At that moment, Mr. Lewis went in to take a look around the room! When he came out, his expression did not look optimistic. He said, ¡°Mr. Everett, the situation is not very good.¡± Bruce was also inexplicably nervous as he asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ms. Haynes is haunted by resentment which is why she has nightmares every night.¡± ¡°So what do we do now?¡± ¡°This thing has too much resentment. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to get¡­¡± Mr. Lewis¡® face was solemn as he spoke, Bruce did not understand the professional jargon he was speaking. He only instructed anxiously, ¡°Mr. Lewis, don¡¯t worry Chapter 427 and just do it. Money is not a problem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get it done.¡± ¡°Prepare these things first.¡± Mr. Lewis instructed as he made a long list. ¡°Gael, go and prepare the things immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Mr. Lewis set up a formation, drew talismans, and offered sacrifices for the entire day. Joanna did not believe in such things either. However, Mr. Lewis was very famous. Many of his clients were rich people and celebrities. She had been sick for so long that she had no choice but to believe it. Needless to say! It was quite strange. After Mr. Lewis finished his ritual, Joanna really felt much better! That night, she did not have a nightmare. Seeing that she looked a little better and was sleeping soundly, Bruce asked. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°I feel much better today.¡± ¡°Damn, this Mr. Lewis is really something. Joanna smiled. She also felt that it was very magical! Previously, she had not been able to recover from her fever. She had seen all kinds of Eastern and Western medicine. Ordinary treatment methods could not cure her no matter what, and she kept having nightmares. Ever since Mr. Lewis finished his ritual, she stopped having nightmares anymore. She seemed to be much more rxed. ¡°Lilia has almost recovered as well. We have to take her to Gaprington for surgery as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Bruce, I want to take a visit to Venturas.¡± ¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed when he heard that. ¡°I was thinking that I haven¡¯t been to Venturas for a long time. I¡¯m still worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°No need!¡± Bruce frowned and retorted, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you going alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring a few more people.¡± ¡°Now that Ryan Haynes is dead, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll encounter that kind of problem again.¡± Bruce took a deep breath but did not stop her anymore. ¡°I sure hope so!¡± The next day. Joanna packed up and prepared to go to Venturas to visit Jaydon Grimm. Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked out of the door of Sherane Bay Vi, she saw Roxanne standing right outside the door. ¡°Stop the car,¡± Joanna instructed before quickly getting out of the car. ¡°Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Roxy, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Joanna frowned and asked, ¡°Waiting for me?¡± ¡°Bruce doesn¡¯t allow me to see you so I have no choice but to wait here.¡± ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting here every day. I have no other way of meeting you except waiting outside here,¡± Roxanne cried. Chapter 427 ¡°Roxy¡­ ¡°Joanna, I don¡¯t dare to be alone at home. I¡¯m really scared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry now, I want to¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, are you still mad at me? You must still be angry with me. Otherwise, why are you not willing to talk to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise me that you would persuade Bruce? Joanna, are you lying to me? Or are you worried that I will have bad intentions?¡± ¡°No, I really didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Joanna, please forgive me. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll go and die now.¡± As Roxanne spoke, she dropped to her knees in front of Joanna. ¡°Roxy, get up quickly. I¡¯ve really forgiven you.¡± ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll talk to Bruce.¡± ¡°Joanna, he won¡¯t listen to you! Bruce said that if I see you again, he¡¯ll send me to a mental hospital.¡± ¡°Joanna. I don¡¯t have a mental illness now. Please, I beg you. Please save me. Please don¡¯t let Bruce send me to a mental hospital.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get up. Don¡¯t worry! He won¡¯t do that with me around.¡± ¡°Boohoo, Joanna, I treated you like that in the past, but you¡¯re still willing to forgive me. I¡¯m really touched.¡± ¡°Get up first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call Bruce now!¡± Chapter 428 Chapter 428 ¡°If he gets angry, he might even send me to the mental hospital again¡± Roxanne cried pitifully and helplessly. Joanna could not help but frown. ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡± Roxanne hesitated for a few seconds before saying, ¡°From now on. I want to stay by your side.¡± As she spoke, Roxanne threw herself into Joanna¡¯s arms and sobbed like a child, ¡°Joanna, boohoo¡­ Other than you, no one will care about me anymore!¡± Joanna froze. She was really powerless against Roxanne¡¯s pestering requests. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t disturb your life at all. Just treat me as a servant, as though I¡¯m invisible. ¡°I¡¯m just too lonely. Every day when Ie home and look at the empty walls, I feel really afraid. ¡°I really don¡¯t know who else to go to except you.¡± Joanna patted her shoulderfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t cry now. I¡¯ll take care of you. If you¡¯re willing to stay by my side, I¡¯ll settle everything for you. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m going to Venturas now, and I might not be able to bring you there. Go home first¡­¡± When Roxanne heard this, she immediately interrupted Joanna, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go wherever you go. I don¡¯t want to be separated from you anymore.¡± ¡°Alright. Then get in the car.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you so much, Joanna.¡± Roxanne followed Joanna into the car as they traveled to Venturas together. Along the way, Roxanne acted like a homeless child who had suddenly found a home. She acted pitifully and cautiously. Seeing her like this, Joanna felt especially upset. Venturas. Marhall Hospital. ¡°Joanna. I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. Just stay in the car.¡± ¡°I know Mr. Grimm after all. It¡¯s only right for me toe and see him as well.¡± When Joanna heard her words, she did not refuse anymore and simply said, ¡°Alright then.¡± Joanna and Roxanne got out of the car and hurried to the hospital ward. At the door of the ward, Orvin and a few bodyguards were standing guard. Joanna went straight over and greeted Orvin, ¡°Orvin, I¡¯m here to visit Jay!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, what are you doing here?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with worry as she asked, ¡°I came to see how Jay is doing. Is he better?¡± A strange expression appeared on Orvin¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Mr. Grimm is awake!¡± Joanna was overjoyed. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll go in and see him.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, please wait for a moment. I¡¯d better go in and notify him of your visit!¡± Orvin said with a solemn expression. There was something strange about his expression. Joanna was stunned. The joy on her face immediately froze. In the past, when she came to see Jay, no one had ever stopped her. She guessed that Jay probably knew about her rtionship with Bruce and did not want to see her. However, things were really not like what others had said. She really had her reasons. Three minutester, Joanna waited uneasily at the door of the ward just as Orvin walked out again. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you cane in now, but you have to go in alone.¡± Just as Orvin said that, he blocked Roxanne from going into the ward. Oh, alright. Roxy, just wait outside firstf ¡°I will, Joanna.¡± Joanna did not say anything else but hurried into the ward. In the ward. Jaydon had indeed already woken up and he was not in any more danger. He had almost recuperated fully and would be able to be discharged in another half a month. Joanna walked in front of the bed. When she saw Jaydon¡¯s slightly pale face, she could not hold back her tears. She took a few quick steps and threw herself at the head of the bed. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry! Thank god you¡¯re finally awake. Boohoo¡­¡± Joanna cried as she spoke. She felt especially dejected and emotional. She had too many things to say to him, but at this point, she did not know what else to say. Jaydon¡¯s eyes were a little empty, and his voice was a little hoarse. He paused a little before questioning, ¡°Who are you? Do we know each other?¡± Boom! Joanna was still crying sadly but when she heard Jaydon¡¯s questions, it was as though a bomb had gone off in her head. She stared at Jaydon in shock. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m Joanna Haynes! Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes were still nk. He was looking at Joanna with an unfamiliar gaze. Joanna became even more agitated when he didn¡¯t seem to recognize her. She held his arm tightly and tried to ask again. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t you remember me? It¡¯s me. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry. I really am sorry.¡± ¡°Miss, please don¡¯t cry. I really do not remember who you are.¡± ¡°Jay, can you not scare me please? 1¡­¡± Joanna threw herself against the headboard and cried loudly. ¡°Miss. I¡¯m really sorry. I really don¡¯t know you,¡± Jaydon said and pressed the pager on the bed. In less than a minute, two medical staffs pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°I really don¡¯t know this youngdy. Please let her leave.¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m Joanna Haynes! How can you not recognize me?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart hurt so much that it felt like it was being cut by a knife. Tears streamed down her face uncontrobly. The medical staff looked at Joanna calmly and exined, ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mr. Grimm¡¯s brain nerves were damaged and he has lost his memories!¡± ¡°He lost his memories?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Grimm woke up a few days ago, but his memory hasn¡¯t recovered yet.¡± Joanna cried and asked in fear, ¡°Then when will Jay recover his memory?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm¡¯s cerebral nerve damage is very serious. There might be a possibility that he is not able to recover his memory for the rest of his life, or he might recover his memory after a while. We are not able toe to a conclusion at the moment.¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± Joanna had mixed feelings and did not know what to say. ¡°Ms. Haynes, Mr. Tim has said that since Mr. Grimm has lost his memories, you don¡¯t have to visit Mr. Grimm anymore.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart sank. She looked at Jaydon sadly and painfully. Jaydon looked at her with extremely unfamiliar eyes and simply stated, ¡°Miss, we may have known each other before, but ! don¡¯t remember anything now. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about the past anymore. You can leave too.¡± ¡°Jay, you really don¡¯t remember me? I¡¯m your¡­ fianc¨¦e!¡± Joanna said and couldn¡¯t help but cry again. Perhaps, she was not worthy of being his fianc¨¦e now. Or perhaps, he hated her so much that he pretended to have lost his memories. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please leave the hospital. Mr. Grimm has yet to recover from his brain damage. He can¡¯t be agitated!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm recovers his memories one day, he will definitely look for you himself. On the other hand, if he does not recover his memories, don¡¯t disturb his life again.¡± Orvin said coldly, When Joanna heard this, she felt even more ashamed. Orvin must have misunderstood that she had taken the initiative to return to Bruce¡¯s side. ¡°Jay, I¡¯ll take my leave first then?¡± Chapter 429 Chapter 429 Jaydon didn¡¯t react at all even after hearing her words. He didn¡¯t even look at her again. ¡°Jay, take care!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, this way please.¡± Joanna held back her sadness and walked out of the ward reluctantly. ¡°Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna sniffled. There was an indescribable sadness and destion on her face. Back in the car. Joanna was still drowning in sadness. She did not want to believe that Jaydon had lost his memories. She would rather believe that he could not forgive her and was unwilling to see her again. Roxanne took out two tissues and handed them to Joanna. ¡°Joanna, stop crying. It won¡¯t be good if your eyes got hurt from crying!¡± Joanna took the tissue and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m sad now so I just want to let it all out.¡± Roxanne looked around before she asked. ¡°Is it because of Mr. Grimm?¡± I heard from outside that the doctor said that Mr. Grimm had lost his memories. Is that true?¡± Joanna held her tears back and replied mncholically, ¡°It¡¯s true! He doesn¡¯t recognize me anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just as well anyway! Now that you are together with Mr. Everett, you won¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart ached even more. Jaydon had done so much for her, and she owed him too much. If it weren¡¯t for Bruce, she would have really been willing to spend the rest of her lifepensating Jaydon. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. My heart is in a mess now so I just want to calm down!¡± Joanna stated as she leaned against the car seat and closed her eyes. When Roxanne saw this, she kept her mouth shut as asked. However, she could not help but sneer in her heart. Jaydon was Joanna¡¯s number one knight in shining armour. Him losing his memories was equivalent to Joanna losing her biggest protector. After Joanna had left! ¡°Mr. Grimm, it¡¯s time to take your medicine.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened as he cried out, ¡°Everyone, get out!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± ¡°I said get out!¡± ¡°Okay, alright!¡± The medical staff¡¯s did not dare to say anything else and quickly left the ward. After everyone in the ward left, Jaydon¡¯s face twisted into a painful expression. ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t know why you suddenly chose to return to Bruce, but I believe that you must have your difficulties. I also believe that you won¡¯t leave me when I¡¯m in danger.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ll definitely be heartbroken and you won¡¯t be able to face me! You¡¯ll probably even feel sorry for me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you sad, and I don¡¯t want to put you in a difficult position. I¡¯m doing this to protect you for thest time.¡± After muttering to himself, Jaydon took a deep breath and his eyes turned red. He knew that with Bruce around, Joanna would not truly fall in love with him. He would rather choose to be her knight in shining armour forever. If he had not pretended to have lost his memories, Joanna would not be able to face him because of her guilt. His family would also put endless pressure on her. This was not the oue he had wanted to see. He had known Joanna since he was young and his feelings for her had long surpassed love. He was more like her family and her guardian. An hour and a halfter. Joanna returned to Greyport. Joanna, are you sure you want to take me home?¡± Joanna looked at Roxanne sadly but replied firmly, ¡°Yes!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face turned pale. She said worriedly, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that Bruce will be unhappy!¡± When Joanna heard this, a strange smile appeared on her face as she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t!¡± She was doing that precisely to make Bruce unhappy. She was going to do everything he didn¡¯t want her to do. Of course, she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to go against him openly. She was not nning to fight fire with fire but instead slice his heart slowly and gently. Since Roxanne was obviously scheming to stick to her to ruin her rtionship with Bruce, she naturally had to go with the flow. Roxanne was still acting innocent as she put on an innocent expression and spoke. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m still worried! Bruce hates me so much so he¡¯ll definitely be mad¡­¡± Joanna patted Roxanne¡¯s head gently and reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He won¡¯t be angry with me around.¡± Joanna, you¡¯re so nice to me!¡± While they spoke, the car had already driven into Sherane Bay Vi. The security guard at the gate opened the door and greeted respectfully, ¡°Hello, Ms. Haynes.¡± ¡°Silly girl, get off the car.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± When the bodyguard saw Roxanne, his expression changed in fear. He hurriedly went forward to stop her. ¡°Ms. Haynes, she can¡¯t go in.¡± Hearing this, Joanna frowned slightly and asked, ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has orders that Miss Roxanne is not allowed to enter the Everett family!¡± Joanna smiled and exined, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll talk to Bruce myself. I¡¯ll take responsibility if anything were to happen. You guys don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± The bodyguard was in a dilemma. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll call Bruceter. Just go do your thing!¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Joanna got out of the car and smiled at Roxanne as she said, ¡°Get out!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Roxanne still had a timid look on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s go ¡°Alright.¡± Roxanne got out of the car and looked around at everything that was once familiar to her. She wished she could immediately tear Joanna into pieces and burn her bones to ashes. Everything here should have belonged to her instead. She was supposed to be the queen of this ce, but now, all of this was snatched away by Joanna. She wasn¡¯t convinced and neither was she willing to give up. She vowed to take back everything that belonged to her. 6pm in the evening. Bruce had returned home on time. He had been in a bad mood all day and had been very unhappy. He knew Joanna had always cared about Jaydon. However, when he thought of this, he felt as if he had swallowed a fly. ¡°Are you off work?¡± ¡°Yes, why are you back so early today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll be worried!¡± Bruce took off his suit and hugged softly. Although he was unhappy, he tried his best to control his emotions. ¡°Dinner is ready. We can eat now.¡± ¡°You must be in a good mood to cook dinner personally today.¡± A strange smile appeared on Joanna¡¯s lips as she denied, ¡°I¡¯m not the one who cooked today!¡± Bruce snorted in disappointment as he said, ¡°I knew it. I knew you wouldn¡¯t be so nice to mel ¡°However, the dishes are all your favorites,¡± Joanna said as she smiled mysteriously. Then I¡¯m going to try it!¡± Joanna, Bruce.¡± Bruce heard the voice and turned around immediately. ¡°Roxanne, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Bruce, it was Joanna who brought me here¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Joanna looked at Bruce indifferently and said casually, ¡°I brought her in!¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that his heart tensed as he questioned, ¡°Joanna, are you crazy? How could you bring her back?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my sister after all. She¡¯s homeless now and since dad has passed away, it¡¯s only right for me to take care of her, I want Roxy to live with us in the future.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that his lungs almost exploded. He had been in a rtionship with Roxanne for six years. Although the two of them did not have sleep with each other, no one in Greyport would think that their rtionship was pure. Chapter 430 Chapter 430 ¡°Joanna, do you have a brain?¡± ¡°Can you discuss this with me before you make decisions?¡± ¡°Is there a need to discuss this?¡± Joanna purposely looked puzzled. Bruce took a deep breath. He was pissed off. ¡°Roxanne, leave. If you dare to appear in front of me again, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± When Roxanne heard this, he was so frightened that his face turned pale. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll leave right now¡­¡± ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t go.¡± As he spoke, Joanna stared coldly at Bruce. ¡°If you chase her away, I¡¯ll leave with her.¡± Bruce was so angry that he frowned. His handsome face was gloomy. He really couldn¡¯t understand what Joanna was thinking. Neither could he make out what she wanted to do. Roxanne such a scheming person had repeatedly harmed her. How could she keep a scourge by her side? Joanna, what are you thinking? Do you even have a brain? ¡°What will people think if she lives with us?¡± Joanna looked indifferent. ¡°Why should we care what others think? *Besides, there are many people ndering and spreading rumors. I don¡¯t even care anymore.¡± Bruce was exasperated. ¡°No, we can¡¯t let her stay here.¡± ¡°If you chase Roxy away, I¡¯ll go with her.¡± Joanna, do you have to make me angry?¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If she lived here, people would think I have two lovers.¡± When Joanna heard this, she sneered and retorted, ¡°If I don¡¯t mind, what would you do?¡± Bruce felt stifled. If people were to discover that he had been involved with both Joanna and Roxanne simultaneously, they would undoubtedly perceive his private life as chaotic andplicated. He had always loved Joanna only. His past rtionship with Roxanne was merely a result of a misunderstanding. He had treated Roxanne as his savior. If he had known from the beginning that it was Joanna who saved him, he wouldn¡¯t have liked Roxanne. Bruce suppressed the anger in his heart and held her arms. ¡°Joanna, what exactly do you want to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything. Dad has passed away and Roxy is sick. As her sister, I should take care of her.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more furious. ¡°If you want to take care of her, we can give her money and hire someone else to take care of her. There¡¯s no need to let her into our lives.¡± ¡°There are already so many people in our lives. Adding Roxy into it wouldn¡¯t do no harm¡­ ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t even mind. Why are you so angry?¡± ¡°L¡­ ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t agree. She can¡¯t live with us.¡± Seeing that Bruce and Joanna were arguing more and more fiercely, Roxanne carefully interrupted, ¡°Joanna, I think I should leave. Don¡¯t argue because of me.¡± ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t leave. I promised our father to take care of you. ¡°Bruce, Roxy is just a girl. She has no one else now. Let her stay with us,¡± Joanna pleaded. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that something will happen between us again?¡± Bruce asked coldly in exasperation. Joanna looked at Bruce indifferently. ¡°Nope!¡± She couldn¡¯t wait for Bruce and Roxanne to get back together! If they got back together, she would be able to get rid of Bruce. ¡°Joanna, you are crazy! Aren¡¯t you worried that she¡¯ll hurt the children?¡± ¡°Bruce, you and my sister¡¯s children are like my children. Why would I do anything to hurt them? ¡°I just want to have a ce to stay. I don¡¯t ask for anything else.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Roxanne was so scared that her entire body trembled and she couldn¡¯t help but cry. Joanna nced at Bruce coldly. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be so mean. You¡¯ll scare Roxy.¡± Then she said, ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t cry. I won¡¯t chase you away. If you have to leave, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Good, good! Joanna, you have guts.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯ve signed a contract. I¡¯m now ordering you to strictly fulfill your obligations under the contract. You¡¯re only my lover. You have no right to make decisions for the family.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°Alright! Since you¡¯ve said so, chase her away!¡± Joanna said and walked coldly to the bedroom. Seeing this, Bruce felt his heart was about to explode. It was really difficult to coax Joanna when she was angry. Sometimes, The was really afraid of her. ¡°Joanna, listen to me. That¡¯s not what I meant. Seeing that she was really angry, Bruce hurriedly chased after her. ¡°You¡¯ve already said that I¡¯m only your lover. I have no voice in the family. What else can I say? Sir!¡± Joanna was almost mocking him. ¡°You know perfectly well that¡¯s not what I meant. I just don¡¯t want her to live with us. ¡°Of course, if you insist on letting her stay, then okay. But she can¡¯t stay in Sherane Bay Vi.¡± Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Then where do you want her to live?¡± Bruce frowned and said unwillingly, ¡°Let her stay in the front pavilion!¡± Joanna¡¯s expression changed. ¡°That¡¯s where the servants live. How can you let Roxy stay with the servants?¡± ¡°If she wants to stay, she can only stay with the servants. Living with us is absolutely impossible.¡± Joanna choked and looked at Roxanne helplessly. ¡°Roxy¡­¡± Roxanne quickly added, ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s okay. This way, I can see you every day. I don¡¯t mind living with the servants. They¡¯ll keep mepany.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was still ugly. ¡°Roxanne, I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to have any ill intentions, I won¡¯t pull any punches. You¡¯ll pay a heavy price.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry. I just want to stay with my sister. I don¡¯t mean anything else! ¡°I just want to see her every day.¡± Bruce had no time to listen to her. ¡°Cut the crap!¡± Then he said to Lilian, ¡°Go prepare a room for her.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett, Lilian replied upon hearing the order. Then she turned to Roxanne and said, ¡°Miss Roxanne, please follow me.¡± Joanna was worried that Roxanne would be angry, so sheforted her worriedly, ¡°Roxy, go with Lilian! Stay here for the time being and we¡¯ll make arrangementster.¡± ¡°Roxanne, don¡¯t worry! This is more than enough for me.¡± ¡°I am sorry, Roxy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, sister. I¡¯ll be fine, seriously.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Roxanne,¡± Lilian said. Roxanne and Lilian left. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. He said angrily, ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and said nothing! ¡°Just wait and see. Roxanne will definitely not behave herself. When something happens in the future, don¡¯t regret it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t regret it.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth. He was so angry that he could not speak. ¡°Now, can we have dinner?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite anymore. Enjoy yourself,¡± Bruce said and went upstairs angrily. In the front pavilion. ¡°Miss Roxanne, this way please.¡± Lilian brought Roxanne to the servants¡® dormitory. The front pavilion of Sherane Bay Vi was the ce where the servants lived. There were many servants in the Everett family, and most of them lived here. Lilian took out her key and opened one of the rooms. ¡°This will be your room from now on. Let me know if you need. anything. Roxanne walked in and looked around the room. It looked a bit crowded. Although it was also very clean, it was for servants after all. So it was small and simple. Roxanne had grown up in a rich family. She had never stayed in such a small room. ¡°Thank you!¡± Roxanne squeezed out a fake smile. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Lilian smiled politely and then she left the room, leaving Roxanne alone. Roxanne sat on the bed with resentment in her heart. She was supposed to be the hostess of this ce and enjoy everything here. But now, she had to stay in the servant¡¯s room. How could she be willing to reconcile? Joanna, Bruce, just you wait. One day, I will take back everything that belongs to me.¡± She thought. At night. When Joanna returned to the room, Bruce had already fallen asleep angrily. Seeing this, Joanna did not care too much. Shey down beside him and prepared to sleep. ¡°Joanna, go to Gaprington next month for Lilia¡¯s surgery.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Go to sleep!¡± Bruce was furious. How could he fall asleep? He turned over and dragged Joanna over. ¡°Ah, can you be gentler?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Joanna, you¡¯ve really made me too angry today. I have to punish you.¡± Bruce said angrily and bit her shoulder. ¡°Ah. it hurts!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t suffer, you won¡¯t learn¡­¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he began the abuse. Joanna knew that he was angry, so she did not dare to resist and let him do whatever he wanted. In the front pavilion, when the servants saw that Roxanne had also moved in, they were all shocked. ¡°Oh my god, why is Miss Roxanne living here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I don¡¯t know what Miss Haynes is thinking. She actually agreed to Miss Roxanne moving into the Everett family. That is too risky!¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne and Mr. Everett have been in a rtionship for six years. If they live together, they might have an affair again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Miss Roxanne looks pure, but she¡¯s actually very dirty. She must have slept with countless men.¡± ¡°Stop talking. It¡¯s none of our business anyway.¡± Regarding the matter of Roxanne moving into the Everett family, the servants could not help but discuss it. The next day. Joanna had been tortured badlyst night. When she woke up in the morning, her body was about to fall apart. She went downstairs. Roxanne was already standing in the living room and greeting her. ¡°Good morning, Joanna!¡± ¡°Good morning!¡± Davian and Irvin Haynes also came out of their rooms. When they saw Roxanne, they were also shocked. ¡°Mommy, why is this bad woman in our house?¡± Irvin said angrily, ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s a badass. She almost killed Mommy. Get her out of our house.¡± When Joanna heard this, her expression changed. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t be so rude. She¡¯s your aunt.¡± ¡°Hiph, she isn¡¯t!¡± ¡°This bad woman is not worthy of being our aunt. Mommy, chase her away. We don¡¯t want to see her.¡± Roxanne stood there in embaressement. Joanna quickly walked down the stairs and patted her shoulder gently tofort her. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t take offense. The children are still young. They don¡¯t know what they are saying.¡± Roxanne smiled and tried her best to put on a harmless expression. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t take it personally. They are just kids.¡± ¡°Sit down and have breakfast!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The two little guys ran straight into the dining room to eat breakfast, paying no more attention to Roxanne. Bruce went downstairs. After ncing at Roxanne from the corner of his eye, his expression became even worse.Good morning. Daddy!¡± ¡°Good morning!¡± Bruce replied in a muffled voice and walked out with his long legs. Irvin ttered his daddy. ¡°Daddy, aren¡¯t you going to eat breakfast? There¡¯s your favorite foie gras sandwich!¡± Tll skip it!¡± Bruce replied resentfully and strode away. He didn¡¯t even want to look at Roxanne, let alone eat at the same table as her. Joanna had been tortured badlyst night. She was angry at Bruce and could not be bothered to care if he had breakfast. She just took care of the children and quickly ate breakfast. ¡°Hurry up and eat. After that, we¡¯ll go to kindergarten. ¡°Okay!¡± The two little guys each ate a foie gras sandwich, drank a ss of milk, and ate half an orange. ¡°We¡¯re full!¡± ¡°Did you bring your bag?¡± ¡°Yup! We¡¯re all ready to go.¡± ¡°Young gentlemen, this way please!¡± The driver called out to Davian and Irvin. Joanna also sent the two little guys to the car and waved goodbye to them. ¡°Bye, Mommy!¡± ¡°Bye, baby.¡± Bang! The driver closed the door and drove away. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t care about them. They won¡¯t be rude to you once they get to know you better.¡± Roxanne smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Did you sleep wellst night? Are you used to your room?¡± Joanna asked with concern. ¡°Yup. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good! If you need anything, let me know. I¡¯ll do my best to help you. You¡¯re living there only for now. I¡¯ll get you a new ce as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Thank you, Joanna. You are so nice to me.¡± ¡°Silly girl!¡± As the two of them spoke, they walked towards the dining room. ¡°Let me do it!¡± Roxanne proposed to do the dishes. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just leave it to the servants.¡± ¡°But I have to do something. I¡¯ll feel embarrassed if I just idle around.¡± Joanna was taken aback, but she couldn¡¯t find any suitable work for Roxanne. Their household was already well¨Cstaffed, with all tasks efficiently managed. There simply wasn¡¯t a role for Roxanne to fulfill. ¡°How about¡­ arranging flowers! Don¡¯t you know how to arrange flowers?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± The garden was filled with all kinds of flowers. Other than that, there was also a greenhouse filled with all kinds of precious flowers. Joanna cut some flowers with Roxanne and began to put them in vases. Roxanne quickly inserted a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Joanna, how does it look?¡± ¡°Nicel¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you ce it in your room? I believe it will bring you joy.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Chapter 432 Chapter 432 Joanna had to admit that Roxanne¡¯s floristry was outstanding. The vase was very beautiful, looking like a fine art. ¡°It¡¯s fabulous!¡± Joanna could not help but praise again. ¡°Joanna, are you interested in learning more about floristry? I can teach you!¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think so! I¡¯m not interested in these things.¡± ¡°I understand. You are someone who aplishes great things. Your focus lies solely in business,¡± Roxanne acknowledged. ¡°Am I? Nah Joanna said and sighed deeply. Inparison, Roxanne had a much happier childhood than her. Shaun and Ingrid had spent a lot of money on training Roxanne into ady. No one really paid attention to Joanna, on the other hand. So she had never forged an interest in art. She spent all her time studying in her teenage years andter when she became an adult, she focused on making money. Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already one in the afternoon! A car horn sounded outside the door. ¡°Who¡¯s back?¡± ¡°Would it be Bruce?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go out and check it out!¡± When Joanna and Roxanne went to the yard, they saw two little boys running over happily. ¡°Mommy, w finished school!¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Why did ss end so early today?¡± ¡°Tomorrow is the weekend. So we had only half day of ss.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Davian said before entering the house to change his clothes, ¡°Mommy, the weather is so good today. We want to go riding a horse!¡± Irvin was even more excited as he said, ¡°We have no homework this week. We can have fun. ¡°We have to practice riding. Mommy, go with us!¡± The two young ones had recently discovered the thrill of horseback riding and found it immensely captivating. Whenever they had free time, they would eagerly head out to practice their newfound skill. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Roxy,e with us!¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°Okay, so now, go change your clothes.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The two little guys quickly ran back to their room to change their clothes. Fifteen minutester. Joanna and Roxanne and the children arrived at the racecourse. The two little fellows changed into their knight uniforms excitedly and asked the horse trainer to bring the horses out of the stable. After a period of training, the two little fellows could already ride on their own. ¡°Roxy, do you want to try?¡± When Roxanne heard this, her eyes lit up. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to ride a horse?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t ridden for a long time. I¡¯ve forgotten how to ride it!¡± That¡¯s good. You can practice today.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Joanna.¡± Soon! Roxanne chose a horse. Under the guidance of the horse trainer, she circled the horse farm, looking especially excited. ¡°Joanna, aren¡¯t you going to have a try?¡± Joanna smiled and shook her head. She had no interest in riding. Some time ago. Brice took her on a horse and galloped wildly. She was freaked out. ¡°Then I¡¯ll enjoy myself.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± Roxanne let go of the horse¡¯s reins and squeezed the horse¡¯s stomach. The horse spread its four hooves and ran around the horse farm. Joanna sat at the side and watched in boredom. Her mind was wandering! Just as she was in a daze, she suddenly heard a scream. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna was shocked and quickly went to check where was the sound from. Holy shit! Davian was lying on the horse¡¯s back and shouting in panic. The two horse trainers had already ridden to chase after Davian¡¯s horse. Joanna¡¯s heart instantly rose to her throat when she saw this. ¡°Davian!¡± Davian¡¯s horse lost control and started galloping around the racecourse. ¡°Davian, hold tight to the reins!¡± ¡°Mr. Davian!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Davian cried out and then fell off the horse¡¯s back. ¡°Davian!¡± Joanna panicked and quickly ran towards Davian. Davian fell to the ground and rolled a few times. Fortunately, the grass was soft and he did not hit her head. ¡°Ah! I think my hand is broken. It hurts.¡± Davian cried in pain. ¡°Tll bring you to the hospital¡­¡± Joanna and the two horse trainers were terrified and hurriedly sent Davian to the hospital. Beep! When Joanna arrived at the hospital, she hurriedly called Bruce. Bruce was in a meeting. When he heard Joanna¡¯s phone ring, he quickly picked it up. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Bruce,e to the hospital quickly.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Davian identally fell off his horse and fractured his arm.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Come to the hospital quickly.¡± ¡°Alright, Lunderstand!¡± Bruce did not care about the meeting. He gave his secretary an order and left conference room. Twenty minutester, Bruce arrived at the hospital in a hurry. At Marhall Hospital. ¡°Where¡¯s Davian?¡± ¡°Davian¡¯s hand is fractured. He¡¯s in the ward now.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°How did this happen?¡± 10-4 Chapter 432 Joanna¡¯s face was also pale. She said in a worried voice, ¡°The horse suddenly lost control and ran around the field.Then Davian fell down.¡± ¡°These horses are professionally trained. How could they lose control for no reason? ¡°Who did they go to the racecourse with? ¡°Did Roxanne go as well?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed. He was the first to suspect Roxanne. ¡°No, Roxy wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± As he spoke, the doctor walked out of the ward. The two of them could not be bothered to argue and hurriedly went up to ask, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Davian?¡± ¡°Mr. Davian¡¯s left arm is fractured. It¡¯s already fixed. He has to rest well for the time being.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two of them hurriedly entered the ward. ¡°Davian!¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, it hurts!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Roxanne must leave. She must be behind this!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be so suspicious. I was there when Davian got hurt! Why didn¡¯t you suspect ¡°Joanna, are you serious?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, stop using others! This has nothing to do with Roxy!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°Do you think she will tell you tantly that she wanted to harm someone? Would she do it in front of you? She must have done it somewhere we can¡¯t see.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and ignored him. Bruce also red at Joanna angrily! ¡°Since we are in the hospital today. Let¡¯s go take a look at Lilia.¡± In the children¡¯s ward! ¡°Lilia!¡± ¡°Mommy, Daddy, Davian.¡± ¡°Feeling better today?¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m much better now. The doctor said that I can be discharged in a few days.¡± ¡°Davian, what happened to you?¡± ¡°I fell off my horse and broke my hand!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yea, I am fine, Lilia.¡± ¡°Mommy, why is she here?¡± Lilia looked terrified when she saw Roxanne. ¡°She¡¯s your au¨ª.¡± ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m scared!¡± ¡°Why? You are safe.¡± Roxanne¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯d better go out first.¡± ¡°Yea. Why don¡¯t you wait at the door?¡± At the door of the ward, Bruce asked, ¡°Roxanne, was it you?¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t nder me! I am not crazy. Why would I hurt Davian?¡± ¡°Why are you panicking? I was just asking!!¡± ¡°Bruce, I know you hate me. And I don¡¯t dare to ask for your forgiveness. But it wasn¡¯t me this time.¡± ¡°Since you know that I hate you, you should get lost. ¡°If you are smart enough, you should go and tell Joarma that you want to leave!¡± Bruce¡­ Roxanne¡¯s eyes widened! ¡°Crack!¡± Joanna came out of the ward, only to see Roxanne standing there in terror, her eyes red. Bruce looked gloomy. ¡°Roxy? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. I am fine!¡± ¡°Bruce, did you say something to Roxy?¡± ¡°No!¡± Bruce looked innocent. His rtionship with Joanna had finally eased a little. He did not want it to be ruined again. ¡°Then let¡¯s go back!¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go back!¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Got it, Mommy!¡± In the car. The atmosphere was extremely strange. Roxanne sat in the passenger seat, while Bruce and Joanna in the back! ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as painful as before!¡± ¡°Why would you fall off a horse suddenly?¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that? I told you it was an ident. ¡°Do you understand what an ident is? Were you listening to me?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I be worried about my son?¡± Joanna decided to ignore him. Chapter 433 Chapter 433 Bruce¡¯s face clouded with a somber expression as he lit a cigarette and took a deep, contemtive drag. ¡°Hey, can you not smoke in the car? It¡¯s really irritating and makes it hard to breathe.¡± Bruce cast an irritated nce and rolled his eyes in response. Though he was tempted to unleash his anger, he managed to control it and then put out the cigarette. He thought. ¡°This damn woman never knows when to stop!¡°. She was fearless now. She even dared to order him to do things. It was all because she knew that he was under her control because of love. She must have been spoiled. She wouldn¡¯t dare to act like this before. After Bruce obediently extinguished the cigarette, Joanna paid no more attention to him. She lowered her head and looked at Davian, feeling sorry for him as she uttered, ¡°I am afraid you can¡¯t ride horses for a while. Do you hear me? It was so dangerous!¡± Davian replied stubbornly, ¡°No, I like riding horses.¡± ¡°Look at your arm. It¡¯s broken! How are you going to ride horses again?¡± Davian did not answer. He looked up at Bruce. ¡°Daddy, have you ever fallen off your horse when you first learned to ride?¡± Bruce straightened his back and said disdainfully, ¡°Heh, will your father be as useless as you?¡± ¡°Useless thing. You¡¯re as stupid as your mommy.¡± Bruce vented his anger on his son. Davian didn¡¯t expect this answer. His little face, which was like a bun, was tense. He regretted having asked his daddy this question. Joanna red at him angrily. Bruce¡¯s words had killed the conversation and made the atmosphere in the car more tense. Joanna hugged his son. ignoring Bruce. For a moment, nobody spoke in the car. Bruce also realized that he was too mean just now. He tried to ease the atmosphere by saying, ¡°What are we eating tonight?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She did not want to talk to him. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question!¡± Bruce poked Joanna with his elbow, Joanna replied angrily, ¡°How would I know? I¡¯m not a chef. I¡¯ll eat whatever the servant does!¡± Bruce was rejected. ¡°You¡¯re really terrible. Is this how you treat me as a¡­¡± He wanted to say ¡°lover¡± but he didn¡¯t dare to. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me. I¡¯m very annoyed now.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was also gloomy. She knew very well how to be his lover. She needed to please Bruce making him stuck in love. However, she just couldn¡¯t talk to him calmly. She couldn¡¯t even pretend. ¡°What about spaghetti? You haven¡¯t cooked it for a while. Why don¡¯t we have spaghetti today!¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°You¡¯re the boss. Of course, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like this, okay?¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re making me very angry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you like to get angry! A gentleman would never get mad for such a small matter. It isn¡¯t worth it. ¡°You¡¯re not the emperor. Why acting like one?¡± Joanna retorted bluntly. Bruce was stunned! This was the first time someone had dissed him so bluntly. If it was someone else, he would let the person regret what they said. But he was slowly getting used to Joanna¡¯s cold words. Chapter 433 Roxanne said timidly, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t say that about Bruce! ¡°Bruce is under a lot of pressure at work. It¡¯s inevitable that he has a temper¡­¡± Bruce did not appreciate her kindness at all. Before she could finish, she said, ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m talking to Joanna. Who are you to interrupt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face turned pale and she quickly shut her mouth. Things were different now. She was no longer his lover. No matter what she said, he would only find it annoying. They went back to Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Mr. Everett, wee home!¡± The servant opened the car door. Bruce and Joanna got off the car one after another. ¡°Davian, be careful!¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Roxanne also got out of the car and carefully followed Joanna. She quickly helped Davian. ¡°Joanna, let me do it!¡± Bruce looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°I told you not to appear in front of me!¡± ¡°You can meet Joanna when I¡¯m not at home. When I am at home, you should go back to the servants¡® dormitory.¡± ¡°I got it, Bruce.¡± Roxanne¡¯s little face turned pale as she answered submissively. ¡°Also, don¡¯t call me Bruce. It¡¯s better to call me Mr. Everett ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± After saying that, Bruce grabbed Joanna¡¯s shoulder and walked into the house. Joanna couldn¡¯t stand his heartless behavior. ¡°Bruce, do you have to treat Roxy like this?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°She has no one to rely on now. We should help her¡­¡± Bruce was annoyed. ¡°Why should I help her? ¡°Joanna, stop acting like an angel. She doesn¡¯t deserve your sympathy. She is tasting her own medicine right now. ¡°Also, being kind to your enemy is the same as being cruel to yourself. In the 21st century, those who made mistakes will be punished. ¡°Have you forgotten the pain she had caused you? Be careful of one day she will hurt you again. By that time, you will regret what you are doing today.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was burning with anger when she heard his speech. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m acting like an angel. I forgot the pain she caused me. I¡¯ll regret it one day. But so what? I do what I feel like to do!¡± Chapter 434 Chapter 434 ¡°Do you know the biggest difference between humans and animals?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Humans have sympathy, but animals don¡¯t. Roxanne is my half¨Csister. Even if I don¡¯t like her, I can¡¯t watch her die or live in pain. ¡°By forgiving others, you are also forgiving yourself. I don¡¯t care how she will treat me. It doesn¡¯t affect how fam treating her now. And I will not change the way I treat people for others¡® mistakes.¡± ¡°So stop saying I am acting like an angel. I¡¯m just sick of scheming¡± Bruce was stunned. It took him a moment toe back to his senses. He liked Joanna for her tenacious and unique personality. ¡°Nice! I like your personality.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was extremely speechless. ¡°Bruce, I now realize that you¡¯re really sick, seriously sick.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so smart. Yes, I¡¯m sick and you have medicine. We¡¯re a perfect match.¡± Joanna was at a loss for words. Roxanne returned to the servants¡® dormitory. Beep! Her phone rang. Roxanne nced at the caller ID and picked up the call with a dark expression. ¡°Hello¡­¡± A deep and hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Upon hearing this, Roxanne let out a scornfulugh. ¡°Oh, please! Gaining their trust isn¡¯t a piece of cake. Nothing significant has truly changed. Just sit tight and be patient!¡± There was a pause of more than ten seconds on the other end of the line before the person finally spoke up. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you another two weeks. Once this task is sessfullypleted, you¡¯ll be rewarded ordingly.¡± Roxanne smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Even if I don¡¯t get any benefits, I will still do it.¡± ¡°I hope we work well together!¡± ¡°Of course, we will.¡± The call finished. A trace of ruthlessness appeared in Roxanne¡¯s eyes. ¡°To ruin you guys, I¡¯ll do anything. Bruce, I¡¯ll destroy you! ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret your choice.¡± the Everett Group was now investing in a new real estate development project. This project was a huge investment. If it seeded, Bruce would be the most wealthy man in the country. Naturally, many people were watching such a good project. Regardless of the factors, Bruce was confident to win. For hispetitors, to get this project, they had to destroy Bruce, although it would be a very dangerous approach. The fastest way now was to collect evidence of Bruce¡¯s crimes and bribery.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Everyone had a stain, especially those who worked in the business world. No one would be innocent. Even Bruce wouldn¡¯t get away with a detailed investigation. Being at the top inevitably invited him enemies. It was not impossible to destroy him as long as they had enough evidence. In the living room. Seeing that Bruce and Joanna were back, Irvin ran over to wee them. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Davin!¡± ¡°Hey, Irvin!¡± Seeing that Davian¡¯s arm was splinted, Irvin felt deeply sorry for him. ¡°Davin, does your arm still hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It hurts a little.¡± Chapter 434 ¡°Irvin, be careful, don¡¯t touch my arm.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mommy. I will be careful!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Seeing that Bruce¡¯s face was dark, Irvin ttered him again. ¡°Wow, Daddy, you¡¯re so handsome today!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyelids sank. He nced at him and said, ¡°Leave me alone. Don¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Irvin ran away width his tongue hanging out. Bruce had never been patient with his two sons. Of course! This was the way he got along with them. Deep inside, he loved his sons very much, although the way he expressed his love was a bit different from that of ordinary people. ¡°Joanna. I¡¯m hungry. Go cook the spaghetti.¡± Joanna snorted. ¡°Got it, your majesty!¡± Bruce burst outughing. Joanna¡¯s expression was obviously very unfriendly, but he liked it when she scold him. The more she scolded him, the happier he was. Joanna went upstairs to change her clothes and then went into the kitchen. There were three chefs in the Everett family, all of which were top five¨Cstar chefs. However, Bruce liked to eat the food that Joanna made. He liked both roasted turkey and dumplings. Twenty minutester. Joanna brought the spaghetti out from the kitchen. ¡°Here you go!¡± ¡°Hmm, where are the tableware?¡± Bruce sat at the dining table, looking like an emperor who needn¡¯t do anything by himself. Joanna took a deep breath and stuffed the fork into his hand. ¡°Shall I feed you?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯m not a cripple.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, time to eat.¡± ¡°Oh, on my way.¡± The family of four sat around the dining table and began to eat. Joanna and the children ate the dishes made by the chef, while Bruce ate the spaghetti made by Joanna. ¡°Davian, can you use the fork? Let me feed you.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just use a spoon!¡± Determined on eating by himself, Davian picked up a spoon and started eating. ¡°Have some sea cucumbers. It¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Mommy, can I have some too?¡± Irvin asked. ¡°Alright, here you go.¡± Joanna put a piece of sea cucumber into Irvin¡¯s te. Seeing this, Bruce said, ¡°Honey, can I have some too?¡± Chapter 435 Chapter 435 ¡°Can¡¯t you help yourself?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t reach it!¡± Joanna was speechless. She could only pick up another piece of sea cucumber and put it to Bruce¡¯s bowl. ¡°Thank you, honey!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce Everett, watch yournguage. I¡¯m not your honey.¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°Can you stop calling me by my full name in the future? It sounds like we are strangers.¡± ¡°So what do you want me to call you? Boss? Or Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you always call me Bruce in the past? Why do you have to add my surname when you call me now?¡± Joanna fiddled with the food in her bowl and didn¡¯t bother herself to answer his question. She called him by his full name because she didn¡¯t want to be too close to him. Bruce frowned slightly and ordered, ¡°In the future, you have to call me Hubby!¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Joanna rolled her eyes in disgust. She no longer loved him. How could she possibly call him Hubby? Seeing that she didn¡¯t like the idea, Bruce was extremely angry. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°s!¡± Joanna sighed deeply, not knowing what to say. ww Irvin looked at Bruce and Joanna sneakily and blinked his dark eyes. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, when are you going to remarry?¡± He was good at reading people¡¯s expressions and he knew how to tter his daddy. Naturally, he had to help his daddy. Joanna was stunned. ¡°Davian, do you also want to see Daddy and Mommy¡¯s wedding?¡± Davian was stunned for two seconds before saying, ¡°That¡¯s right. We weren¡¯t present when Daddy and Mommy got married for the first time. When Daddy and Mommy get married again, we have to celebrate!¡± Davian didn¡¯t like Bruce at the beginning. However, after spending some time together, he realized that other than making his beloved mommy angry, his daddy was quite qualified in other aspects. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only When Bruce heard this, he smiled praisingly at the two boys for the first time. Joanna¡¯s face darkened and she said sternly, ¡°Shut up and eat! If you speak more nonsense, I will be angry.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The two little guys didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. Bruce did not dare to joke anymore either. The three of them started eating. After dinner! Joanna returned to the bedroom and prepared to take a shower before sleeping. Beep! The phone rang. ¡°Hey, Cora!¡± Cora¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes¡­¡± Coca paused and hesitated! Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen to Greene Town again?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no. Everything¡¯s fine here at Greene Town.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter?¡± Joanna was still a little flustered. She hadn¡¯t been to Mossbourne for nearly two months. She didn¡¯t know the situation of the factory andpany of Mossbourne. Cora stuttered for a while. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡­ I¡¯m getting married. ¡°That¡¯s why I called you to inform you. Oh, don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t affect my work.¡± ¡°Married?¡± Joanna was stunned. Cora had never had a boyfriend. It was quite sudden for her to get married so suddenly. Joanna asked with concern. ¡°Marry whom?¡± ¡°Brother Trumpet.¡± ¡°Brother Trumpet?¡± Joanna was even more surprised. ¡°Yes, on the fifth of next month, we¡¯re going to get the marriage license. Then, we¡¯ll treat our rtives and friends to a meal and hold a simple wedding. May 1 take a week off next month for my honeymoon?¡± Joanna reacted and hurriedly sent her blessings. ¡°You¡¯re married to Brother Trumpet. Congrattions! ¡°That¡¯s quite sudden. I never expected it. However, congrattions. Cora smiled shyly and felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m not young anymore. Since I¡¯ve met the right person, I want to get married as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Then congrattions! Enjoy your honeymoon.¡± ¡°Yup. By the way, Miss Haynes, are youing to our wedding?¡± ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t answer you now. I¡¯ll check my schedule and tell youter.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Joanna didn¡¯t want to go, but Bruce was a domineering bastard. He might not let her go. ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± The call ended. Joanna was still a little surprised that Cora was getting married so soon. But in fact, Cora and Brother Trumpet had known each other for quite a while. She had worked with Trumpet for a mediapany a year ago. Cora had been promoted to vice president for almost eight months, during which time, she had been staying with Brother Trumpet. So it was normal for them to get married. However, no one even knew that they were dating. So their suddenly getting married was still surprising. ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°Cora!¡± ¡°Why is she calling? I hear something about marriage on the phone. Who¡¯s getting married?¡± *Cora and Brother Trumpet. Bruce, I want to go to their wedding next month!¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow. ¡°Brother Trumpet? The influencer?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s him.¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°Interesting!¡± ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°I am being happy for them!¡± ¡°Can I go to their wedding?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and looked straight at Joanna. ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°Two days at most!¡± Bruce frowned and looked reluctant. ¡°So you¡¯ll be absent from me for two days? ¡°How are you going to make it up to me?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that she almost choked. ¡°Bruce, are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Joanna, are you kidding me? I am your boss now. Please, you¡¯re very expensive! ¡°After two years, you¡¯ll have to take billions of dors from me. In other words, each of your days costs hundreds of thousands of dors. I¡¯m not that generous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m speechless!¡± Joanna was so angry that she had nothing to say. ¡°What? Are you angry?¡± Joanna thought. ¡°How could I not be angry?¡± ¡°How about this? If you behave well and make me happy, I might agree to let you go.¡± Tm sorry, I won¡¯t!¡± Then it¡¯s not negotiable.¡± ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t gol¡± Joannay on the bed angrily, toozy to take a shower. ¡°Are you really angry?¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really boring. Can you stop annoying me?¡± ¡°Hehe, why don¡¯t you call me something nice? That should be okay, right?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°What do you want to hear?¡± ¡°What do you think is nice?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes resentfully. She knew he just wanted to hear her call him Hubby. Although she hated to do so, Joanna still called out, ¡°Hubby! Is that enough?¡± When Bruce heard this, he snickered in his heart. However, he looked indifferent. ¡°Who asked you to call me this?¡± ¡°So what do you want to hear?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Call me Daddy!¡± Puff! Joanna instantly widened her eyes and looked at Bruce as if she was looking at a monster. Chapter 436 Chapter 436 This bastard actually took advantage of her ethically. Moreover, her father had only passed away less than two months ago, and she was still immersed in sorrow. Looking at Joanna¡¯s reddened eyes, Bruce realized that his joke had gone too far. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly changed the topic. ¡°I was just joking with you!¡± Joanna did not find it funny at all. ¡°Bruce, do you think this joke is funny?¡± ¡°I was really joking with you. Okay. You can go to the wedding.¡± Bruce quickly tried to make up for the situation. Joanna felt a lump in her throat. Her eyes could not help but turn red. She knew her father had never loved her. But before her father died, she at least had a family. Now, both of her parents were gone. Bruce felt very guilty in his heart. He pursed his lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Arrogant as he was, it was rare for him to apologize. Joanna closed her eyes. She didn¡¯t want any more arguments. Bruce apologized to her by himself! She shouldn¡¯t expect more. Otherwise, she would be more disappointed. That night, Bruce tried his best to please her. He was much more gentle and considerate in bed. The next day. Joanna got up early in the morning and prepared to send the children to school. Although she did not have to do it herself, she wanted to spend as much time with the children as possible. ¡°Put your things on. I will send you to the car.¡± She only needed to send the children to the garage. ¡°Davian doesn¡¯t go to school. Can I stay at home too?¡± Seeing that Davian had taken a leave from school, Irvin refused to go to kindergarten as well. Joanna¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Davian¡¯s arm was broken so he had to stay at home. You have no reason not to go to school.¡± Irvin pouted again. ¡°Can I take leave too? Mommy, I don¡¯t want to go to kindergarten.¡± ¡°You have to go to school. Be a good boy.¡± ¡°Mommy, just one day off. Irvin tried to wheedle. While he was making a fuss and refusing to go to school, Bruce came downstairs. ¡°Daddy¡¯sing down!¡± Bruce pulled a long face and looked down at Irvin. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Upon seeing Bruce, Irvin instantly became obedient. ¡°No, nothing! Good morning, Daddy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for kindergarten. Don¡¯t bete!¡± ¡°Oh, okay, I got it, Daddy.¡± Irvin picked up his bag and ran away as if he was on steroids. He knew how terrifying Bruce was when he got angry. Just thinking of it made him feel scared. Joanna was dumbfounded. She didn¡¯t know what to say. She tried to persuade Irvin but in vain. However, Bruce persuaded him within just one sentence. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m going back to the office.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have breakfast?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have it at thepany!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce put on his suit and stole a nce at Joanna¡¯s expression. Although he had tried his best to please herst night, he still felt a little uneasy. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry anymore.¡± Joanna pouted. ¡°I am not. Just leave!¡± ¡°Then give me a kiss.¡± Joanna raised her head slightly. Bruce lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°Alright! See you.¡± After Bruce left, Joanna helped Davian have breakfast. Roxanne only dared toe in after seeing Bruce¡¯s car leave. ¡°Rory!¡± ¡°Good morning. Joanna!¡± ¡°Sit down. Have breakfast with us!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve had it with the servants.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a little bit sorry for Roxanne. She poured her a ss of fruit juice, ¡°Have a try. It¡¯s freshly made cherry juice.¡± Roxanne took the juice and sat down at the dining table. ¡°Joanna, how long has it been since you went to thepany?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been there in a while. Why?¡± Roxanne rolled her eyes. ¡°Nothing. I was just asking. ¡°I was thinking I should find a job, but I don¡¯t know what I can do yet. After saying that, Roxanne deliberately revealed a trace of worry. ¡°Looking for a job?¡± Joanna looked at Roxanne in disbelief. Ever since graduation. Roxanne had been working hard to marry into a rich family. She had not worked a single day. Why did she suddenly want to find a job? ¡°Yup. Dad is gone now. I have to support myself. I don¡¯t want to be your burden forever. ¡°So I want to find a job before I am old so as to support myself and to kill the boredom.¡± When Joanna heard this, she agreed. ¡°That¡¯s nice. So have you thought of what to do?¡± ¡°Nope yet. But I guess I¡¯d better do financial management. You know, that was my major in college.¡± When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously frowned. It wasn¡¯t easy to find a job in this field. Although Roxanne graduated from a prestigious university, she had no working experience, which financial management required. Moreover, she would have to start from the basics. The higher¨Cups were all elites who had been v time! ¡°Joanna, is it hard to find such a job? ¡°I can start from the basics, Roxanne said as she stared at Joanna. who had worked for a long Actually, the purpose of her words was equivalent to telling Joanna that she wanted to work at the Everett Group. She hoped that Joanna would persuade Bruce as she knew once Joanna brought it up, Bruce wouldn¡¯t say no. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll see if I can help you.¡± Joanna looked at Roxanne thoughtfully. When Roxanne heard this, she was instantly delighted. ¡°Thank you, Joanna.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Have some juice!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Roxanne picked up the juice and took a sip. Davian watched coldly from the dining table. He did not like Roxanne at all. After drinking the fruit juice, Roxanne took the initiative to help the servants clean up the cutlery. Davian looked at Joanna with a serious expression. ¡°Mommy, I need to talk to you.¡± ¡°Yes? What do you want to say? Tell me.¡± ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t you afraid she will do bad things?¡± Joanna was stunned. She looked at her son in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Mommy, have you heard the story of the farmer and the snake?¡± Joanna was even more confused. ¡°Yup. But why are you suddenly asking this?¡± ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t like Roxanne,¡± Davian said coldly. ¡°She is your aunt. Have some respect.¡± Davian continued with a serious expression, ¡°Mommy, I feel that she¡¯s using you. ¡°Hmph, I feel that she still has feelings for Daddy! She might even want to be our stepmother.¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Davian, you¡¯re thinking too much!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not thinking too much. Daddy¡­ is an outstanding man no matter what! It¡¯s normal for women to like him. Especially at scheming woman like her.¡± Davian said with a straight face. Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard that. She rubbed her son¡¯s head and said, ¡°My baby boy, don¡¯t worry about us. I promise it will be alright. ¡°You just need to take care of yourself. Don¡¯t forget to take your medicer!¡± Seeing that his mother did not take him seriously at all, Davian looked at Joanna with a more serious expression. ¡°Mommy, are you really not worried that she will snatch Daddy away? She was Daddy¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend!¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± Joannaughed helplessly, but her heart was filled with bitterness. She was with Bruce because they had signed a two¨Cyear contract. She would leave Bruce two yearster. And who he would be with after that had nothing to do with her. However, the children did not know about the contract. They thought that they had really gotten back together, so the three little fellows were very happy for them. ¡°Alright. I get what you¡¯re worried about. I will be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy. You have to be very careful. You must leave her no chance to get in between you and Daddy. We don¡¯t want a stepmother, especially not a vicious one like her.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± Joanna smiled. However, deep inside, she felt a bit upset. She didn¡¯t know how was she going to tell the children the truth. She did not know if they would ept it two yearster. In the blink of an eye, a day had passed. At around six in the evening, Bruce returned. While eating, Joanna mentioned that Roxanne was looking for a job. ¡°Bruce, Roxy is looking for a job.¡± ¡°What trick is she ying time?¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned cold as he asked without raising his head. ¡°Tricks? She just wants to make a living.¡± Bruce put down his tableware and raised his eyebrows at Joanna. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Anyway, why don¡¯t you arrange a job for her?¡± Upon hearing this request, Bruce could not help but pout in displeasure. Roxanne just wanted to marry into a rich family. How could she focus on work? Even if she wanted to work hard, he would never let such a person be ¡°Can you help with it?¡± Joanna asked again. part of hispany. Chapter 437 Chapter 437 Bruce sneered in his heart. ¡°Sure! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange it.¡± Joanna reminded her again, ¡°Yes, if you can, find her an easy job. One that has room for promotion. ¡°She had no working experience. It can count as some sort of training.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The next day. After Bruce went to work, Roxanne couldn¡¯t wait toe over and ask Joanna about the job. ¡°Joanna, how is it? Have you found me a job?¡± Joanna took a sip of juice. ¡°Roxy, I¡¯ve already spoken to Bruce. He promised to arrange it for you.¡± ¡°Really? Roxanne¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Sure!¡± Thank you, Joanna. Oh my god! I can work. I wish to build us a career just like you did.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna sighed. She was indeed very hardworking and did a good job. If Bruce hadn¡¯t undermined her efforts and constantly hindered her progress, the Haynes Group could have thrived under her leadership. Unfortunately, this despicable Bruce had brought her down from her position as a strong and influential female leader. Joanna was a little annoyed and kept shaking the graphite in her hand. Roxanne looked at her curiously and asked, ¡°Joanna, what are you doing now?¡± ¡°Oh, I am making some flour with graphite.¡± Roxanne was puzzled. ¡°Flour? Why bother to do that? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just buy some?¡± ¡°Homemade flour tastes better. Bruce has a bad stomach.¡± ¡°You are so nice to him.¡± Roxanne braced herself to praise Joanna but her heart was filled with hatred. This could have been her thing to do. Bruce should have belonged to her. However, all of this was snatched away by Joanna. Roxanne hid the disappointment and hatred on her face and forced a smile. ¡°Joanna, let me help you!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you. You fill the wheat! I¡¯ll push the grindstone. It¡¯ll be faster.¡± Since she insisted, Joanna could only agree. ¡°Alright then!¡± Joanna stopped what she was doing and filled up some wheat. Roxanne helped turn the grindstone. She didn¡¯t understand why would Joanna do this. However, hand¨Cground flour did taste better. In the evening! After Bruce got off work, Joanna made him some noodles with freshly ground flour. Ever since Joanna moved to Sherane Bay Vi, he went home on time every day and stopped eating outside. ¡°Off work?¡± ¡°Yup¡­¡± ¡°Wash your hands. Dinner is ready¡± ¡°Did you cook today?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy made you handmade noodles today. She even made dumplings and pancakes for us.¡± Davian and Irvin sat around the dining table with eager expressions. ¡°Moreover, the flour was hand¨Cgrounded by Mommy. It¡¯s especially delicious.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was a little ttered. ¡°Wow, why are you so good today? You actually took the initiative to make me spaghetti, and you even grind the flour yourself? ¡®Did the sun rise from the west?¡± Joanna served the noodles and was toozy to argue with him. ¡°Bruce, did you find a job for Roxy?¡± When Bruce heard this, the smile on his face immediately disappeared. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re so good to me just to let me arrange a job for her?¡± ¡°Have you done it?¡± ¡°Yup! It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to my friend. Zachary has opened a new nightclub recently. She can work as the PR representative manager.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna was shocked. Her expression was a little ugly. The PR representative manager? What does it do? ¡°Besides, Zachary¡¯s nightclubs? How can Roxy work in a nightclub?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a nightclub, but there are many types of jobs in nightclubs. No everyone has to show up in front of people. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on this job. It pays well. It¡¯s also very challenging. If it weren¡¯t for me, my friend wouldn¡¯t have hired her.¡± Joanna frowned and was still a little dissatisfied. ¡°I mean, I wanted you to arrange a job for her at the Everett Group.¡± When Bruce heard this, he sneered. ¡°The Everett Group? That¡¯s not going to work. There¡¯s no suitable job for her.¡± ¡°The Everett Group is so big. There are so many departments. Can¡¯t you find her a ce?¡± Bruce shrugged and said arrogantly, ¡°The employees and management of the Everett Group are all the best elites. Even the interns are top students who graduated from famous universities. ¡°Roxanne doesn¡¯t meet the requirement.¡± ¡°Can you get her another job? If not¡­ just let her work in the Haynes Group!¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more impossible. She is not going to work for either the Everett Group or the Haynes Group.¡± Bruce rejected decisively! Roxanne¡¯s reputation was not good now. Everyone in Greyport knew that she was in a mental hospital. No be willing to hire such a person. ¡°Can¡¯t she even work for the Haynes Group?¡± Joanna was a little angry. ¡°No, she can work for the Garcia Group or she¡¯ll find a job herself.¡± Joanna frowned and didn¡¯t say anything else. The next morning. After Bruce went to work, Roxanne hurried over to ask about her job. ¡°Joanna, how¡¯s it? Did Bruce agree?¡± Joanna hesitated. ¡°He¡¯s gotten a job for you, but¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s expression changed and she quickly asked, ¡°But what? Joanna, I can endure hardships. I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s a hard job. I¡¯ll try my best to do it well.¡± ¡°I am d then! ¡°So, how do you think of working at the Garcia Group? ¡°Bruce has already spoken to the president from the Garcia Group. He will take care of you. The sry won¡¯t be low. Your position will be the PR representative manager When Roxanne heard this, her face turned pale. ¡°The Garcia Group?¡± Her n was to enter the Everett Group. To collect evidence of Bruce¡¯s crimes, she had to enter the Everett Group. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Joanna, Bruce doesn¡¯t trust me, right?¡± Bruce happened to return this time. He heard Roxanne¡¯s voice. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Before Joanna could speak, Bruce answered. ¡°This is the only job I can find for you. ¡°The Everett Group doesn¡¯t have a suitable position for you currently!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face paled. ¡°Thank you. Mr. Everett. I¡¯ll think about it!¡± ¡°Think about it carefully. Opportunities don¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett,¡± Roxanne answered disappointedly and left the room. Joanna couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t act like this!¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so mean. You were embarrassing her.¡± ¡°Being nice to her is unnecessary!¡± ¡°Forget what I said. I¡¯m going to Mossbourne tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going with me?¡± Joanna was shocked! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°No, but what¡¯s the point? I¡¯m going to attend Cora¡¯s wedding¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce¡¯s face darkened again. ¡°I knew. So what? Can I go there with you?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. You can if you want to!¡± But no one would wee him! At Greene Town! A few luxury cars drove over one after another. Twenty to thirty bodyguards got out of the cars and stood in two lines. Cora was pleasantly surprised to see Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, I didn¡¯t expect you to reallye!¡± ¡°Congrattions. I wish you guys enjoy your life.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Then, Cora saw Bruce and her face turned pale. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ ¡°Cora, this is for you.¡± Cora lowered her voice and asked nervously, ¡°Thank you, Miss Haynes. And Mr. Everett, what brings you here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here to watch your wedding!¡± Cora was shocked. She thought that Bruce came to make things different for her. Instantly, she felt ttered! Brother Trumpet was also in disbelief. He hurriedly went forward and greeted, ¡°Wee, wee!¡± Chapter 438 Chapter 438 Faced with Brother Trumpet¡¯s enthusiasm, Bruce shook hands with him. The wedding was held in a vi area by the sea. They rented on a greenwn. The venue was also very grand. Thousands of candy¨Ccolored balloons formed a door, and rows of white stools were put in order for the guests. There was a huge billboard with Brother Trumpet and Cora¡¯s wedding photos on it. After all, Brother Trumpet was a famous influencer. Many influencers attend the wedding. Of course, some of them wanted to catch attention. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes, the seats I¡¯ve arranged for you are over there. I¡¯ll bring you there!¡± Cora greeted them personally. Joanna smiled. ¡°Today is your wedding. You don¡¯t have to mind about us. We¡¯ll help ourselves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll bring you and Mr. Everett over.¡± Cora was wearing a wedding dress and the veil was very long. It was not convenient for her to move. Joanna hurriedly stopped her. ¡°Cora, it¡¯s okay! We can do it.¡± Brother Trumpet said enthusiastically, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Brother Trumpet brought Bruce and Joanna to the front row of the stage. Bruce¡¯s sudden appearance put the venue in an uproar. Everyone looked over. All the seats in the front row were empty! For safety¡¯s sake, the bodyguards had formed a wall around the entire front row, preventing other guests from approaching them. Joanna and Bruce took their seats. The guests in the back row could not help but whisper to each other, ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t that Bruce?¡± ¡°Looks like it¡¯s him!¡± ¡°Oh my god, Greyport¡¯s richest man is actually attending Brother Trumpet¡¯s wedding. I didn¡¯t expect Brother Trumpet to know Bruce. This is too dope.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Miss Haynes is on good terms with the bride. Mr. Everett apanied Miss Haynes to the wedding.¡± ¡°Wow, wow, wow. Bruce is actually so handsome. He¡¯s even more handsome than in the media reports. The woman beside him is his ex¨Cwife. Looks like they¡¯re really going to remarry. They don¡¯t mind being seen appearing together now!¡± ¡°There is nothing surprising about that. I didn¡¯t expect to see Bruce today. We should take some photos.¡± Crack! Crack! The guests raised their phones and took photos of Bruce and Joanna. ¡°No photos!¡± Bruce¡¯s bodyguards wanted to stop them. Bruce waved his hand to the bodyguard, however. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett. The bodyguard returned to his original position. Today, Bruce was in a rare good mood, so he didn¡¯t mind being recorded. He even wished that people would take more photos of him and Joanna. The wedding was about to begin! The wedding symphony slowly began to y, and colorful petals and paper were scattered everywhere. The daughter of Brother Trumpet was wearing a princess dress and carrying a flower basket. She was holding hands with a little kid in a suit and leading the way. Brother Trumpet and Cora walked slowly up the carpet, arm in arm, all the way to the center of the stage. Looking at this warm and romantic scene, Bruce was touched. He subconsciously held Joanna¡¯s hand! Joanna¡¯s eyes could not help but turn red, and she almost cried. She recalled the scene when she was about to get married to Jaydon. Jaydon took a bullet for her and fell in front of her. Every time she thought of this scene, her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. She felt guilty towards Jaydon. So she could not help but cry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce noticed her emotions. ¡°Nothing!¡± Joanna replied nkly. Chapter 438 Bruce was still immersed in the wedding atmosphere. He fantasized about holding a wedding with Joanna. He would make sure it would be particrly grand and unforgettable. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Arc you touched to see them get married?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she replied coldly, ¡°No!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Bruce turned around and looked at Joanna. Her side profile was beautiful. Under the sunlight, her skin was so fair that it was almost transparent. However, there was an unconceble sadness in her expression. Bruce blinked and guessed that she might be thinking about Jaydon again. ¡°Did you think of something unhappy?¡± Joanna did not answer. The mncholy on her face deepened. Bruce¡¯s jealousy red up upon seeing this, and his expression instantly turned gloomy. He loved her so much that he¡¯d made a big concession for her. But she was still thinking about another man. That hurt his pride greatly. ¡°Are you thinking of Jaydon again?¡± Joanna became even more silent. She neither exined nor denied it. This made Bruce even angrier, but he had to control it. The two of them fell silent. On the stage. The priest was speaking. ¡°Do you take Cora for yourwful wedded wife, to live together after God¡¯s ordinance, in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor,fort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?¡± ¡°I do¡­ Brother Trumpet looked at Cora affectionately. Below the stage. Bruce was originally very infected, but now, he felt that it was very annoying. He did not want to stay any longer. Then, he stood up and strode out with a dark expression! Seeing this, the bodyguards also followed him! The seats in the front row were immediately emptied! ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did Mr. Everett suddenly leave?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe there¡¯s something urgent! After all, he has to take care of such a bigpany. He must be very busy.¡± Joanna was stunned for a moment. Then she got up and chased after him! The wedding venue was also suddenly interrupted. Brother Trumpet and Cora looked at each other, not knowing what had happened. Joanna quickly apologized to Cora. ¡°Cora, I¡¯m sorry. I have to go now. I wish you two a happy marriage and a happy life.¡± With that, Joanna hurriedly chased after Bruce. Bruce had already gotten into the car with a cold expression. His entire body exuded a gloomy murderous aura. Joanna chased slowly and finally caught up to the car, panting. If it was in the past, she would not have bothered with him. However, it was different now. He was her boss. No one could resist his temper, especially since most of the Haynes Group¡¯s shares had fallen into his hands. He was holding onto her lifeline. So, no matter what, she had to tolerate him for two years. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. Joanna sighed slightly. ¡°Why are you so easily angry?¡± Chapter 438 ¡°Am I angry? Hehe, I¡¯m very happy!¡± Bruce¡¯s face was extremely dark. This was how he was. He liked to say the opposite things and make people guess his thoughts. Joanna pouted and said humbly, ¡°You¡¯re clearly angry. Who offended you?¡± ¡®No one. I just found the ce too crowded and wanted to go back carly,¡± Bruce said as he lit a cigarette with a dark. expression and took a deep puff. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Joanna choked on the smoke and could not help but cough. Her body was very weak now, and she could not smoke second¨Chand at all. In Joanna¡¯s presence, Bruce made a conscious effort to refrain from smoking. Even if he had the urge to smoke, he would only take a few puffs before disposing of the cigarette. But now, he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Mr. Everett, do you mean go back to Greyport or go somewhere else?¡± Kody asked. ¡°Greyport!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kody replied, and then he started the car. Joanna had no choice but to open the window a little. ¡°Bruce, I want to take a look at the factory in Porash. ¡°I haven¡¯t been to thepany for a long time. Since we¡¯re in Mossbourne today, I think I should drop by.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Can I go alone?¡± ¡°No!¡± Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Joanna was pissed off, but she had nothing to say. Along the way, the two of them ignored each other. The atmosphere in the car was extremely tense. As Kody drove, his heart was pounding, and his palms were sweating due to nervousness, Having been by Bruce¡¯s side for over ten years, he had be familiar with his personality. He knew that the quieter Mr. Everett became, the angrier he was. A storm was brewing, ready to unleash its fury. In Sherane Bay Vil As Bruce and Joanna headed to Mossbourne, Roxanne saw an opportunity to take action. She believed it was the perfect. moment to make her move. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only She had lived here before and was very familiar with it. ¡°There must be many secrets in Bruce¡¯s study.¡± She thought. Roxanne looked around. There was no one around the study. She also knew the password to Bruce¡¯s study. Roxanne entered the password, opened the door to Bruce¡¯s study, and walked in. The study was impably organized, with threeputers neatly arranged on the desk along with an assortment of documents and a projector. Roxanne went straight to his desk! Bruce had been busy with the Park and Sea project recently. The project in question was at Green Bay, Porash, where the local municipality had proposed the construction of arge amusement park. Thend nearby had also be a hot topic for real estate tenders! Bruce was also a contender in the bidding process. If everything went ording to n, this piece of land would ultimately end up in his hand. Of course, other than the Everett Group¡¯s own strength, there might be other factors. For instance, tactics such as bribery and moneyundering. Roxanne rummaged through it but found no useful evidence. She thought. ¡°Why is there no clue at all? Could it be that he ced all the information in thepany? ¡°If so, it¡¯ll be hard to get them.¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart was in a mess. As she was searching, Lilian pushed the door open and walked in. Every day at this time, she woulde to tidy up the room. ¡°Miss Roxanne, what brings you here?¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart tightened as she stammered, ¡°Uh, um, nothing. I was just helping to clean up!¡°, Upon hearing that, Lilian¡¯s suspicion deepened, and she wore a stern expression. ¡°You are not permitted to enter Mr. Everett¡¯s study without permission. Leave immediately.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll go out now,¡± Roxanne said. She fled the study. Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the door, Irvin¡¯s toy car hit her leg. Bang!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Roxanne cried out in pain. Although it was just a toy car, it was very powerful. Her leg was instantly bruised and she almost fell to the ground. ¡°Irvin¡­¡± Irvin drifted elegantly and looked at Roxanne coldly. ¡°You bad woman, leave our house quickly. We don¡¯t wee you.¡± When Roxanne heard this, she tried her best to calm down. ¡°Irvin, I¡¯m your aunt. How can you be so mean to me?¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re not my aunt!¡± Irvin was disdainful. Then, he drove away in the toy car. Seeing this, Roxanne was pissed off. Irvin drove the toy car around the corridor on the second floor. Chapter 439 Then, he drove the toy car to the staircase and tried to drive it down the stairs. Seeing this, Roxanne had a bad idea. If she shouted, Irvin might be frightened and lose control of the car. Then he would probably fall down the stairs. Roxanne¡¯s eyes darkened. Suddenly, she saw the surveince camera in the corner. So she gave up the idea. ¡°You little bastard, just you wait.¡± She thought. Roxanne regained herposure and limped down the second floor! In the evening. Bruce and Joanna returned to Sherane Bay Vi. As soon as the car stopped, Bruce got out of the car first. He ignored Joanna and walked straight into the house. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re back?¡± When she saw Roxanne, Joanna stopped in her tracks. ¡°Roxy, have you considered the job? ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll ask him to arrange another one for you.¡± Although Joanna didn¡¯t agree with Roxanne being PR representative manager, it was a promising job. Coca used to be in this position before she was promoted to vice president, and her ability to work was outstanding. ¡°Joanna, I think I¡¯d better go take a look first!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good idea. If you really can¡¯t adapt, don¡¯t force yourself.¡± ¡°Got it, Joanna!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go up ¡°Uh¨Cuh first.¡± The next day! Roxanne got up early in the morning, packed up, and prepared to go to the Garcia Group. Beep! Before going, Roxanne called Zachary. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Hello, is it Mr. Garcia?¡± On the other end of the line, azy male voice said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s me. You are?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett introduced me to be the PR representative manager in your club.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Roxanne, right?¡± ¡°Yuo!¡± ¡°Come to mypany in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At the Garcia Group. Roxanne, dressed in a decent suit and wearing exquisite makeup, came to Zachary¡¯s office. ¡°Pleasee in!¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Garcia.¡± Zachary looked up and his eyes lit up when he saw her. After all, Roxanne was a real beauty, and Zachary was a famous yboy. In particr, Roxanne used to be Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend. Although her reputation was a little bad now, he did not care about this at all. ¡°Miss Roxanne, long time no see!¡± Roxanne rolled her eyes and looked a little embarrassed.. She was Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend. Naturally, she had met Zachary before. However, they did not have much interaction. Chapter 439 Although Zachary was interested in her, she was Bruce¡¯s girlfriend after all. He did not dare to do anything. Things were different now. ¡°Are you applying for the position of PR representative manager?¡± Zachary got up and poured her a ss of red wine. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Tsk isk, what a pity!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face turned red! Hearing his teasing, she felt even more upset. In the past, she was a socialite that everyone envied, but now, she had nothing. ¡°I can¡¯t drink!¡± ¡°Socializing is important for this position. If you don¡¯t know how to drink, how can you be qualified for this job?¡± ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d better get going. After saying that, Roxanne turned around and wanted to leave! She didn¡¯t want to do this job in the first ce. She came over just because of Bruce! She was d that Zachary found her unqualified. ¡°Miss Roxanne, please wait!¡± ¡°Mr. Garcia, is there anything else?¡± ¡°PR representative Manager is not suitable for you, but there is one more suitable for you!¡± Zachary smiled at Roxanne. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Are you interested in being my personal secretary?¡± Roxanne was stunned. She looked up at Zachary. Zachary¡¯s eyes were flirty. Seeing this, Roxanne instantly understood! Zachary was interested in her. Roxanne was quick¨Cwitted and quickly tensed up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I can do that!¡± ¡°You can think about it. When you made up your mind, call me. I¡¯ll pay you the way you want.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Roxanne smiled and took the business card from him. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Roxanne was quite good at ying hard to get. After all, in the past, Ingrid had taught her countless lessons about manipting men. If not for Joanna¡¯s existence, these tricks of hers would work very well on Bruce! But it wouldn¡¯t work in front of love. She walked out of the Garcia Group! Roxanne looked back and smiled. Although Zachary was not as powerful as Bruce, the Garcia family was also one of the top ten wealthy families, It was not a bad choice being Zachary¡¯s lover. ¡°Roxy, how is i ¡°Oh, I am afraid I can¡¯t do the job¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If it doesn¡¯t fit, I¡¯ll ask Bruce to find you another job. There must be a right job.¡± ¡°Thank you, Joanna ¡°Mr. Everett is back.¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll go back to the dormitory.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Roxanne didn¡¯t dare to go through the front door for fear of running into Bruce. She hurriedly went out through the side door! ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Bruce responded with an ¡°mm¡°. For the past two days, his expression had been very ugly because he was jealous. Chapter 439 I made you spaghetti today¡­¡± ¡°I have had dinner¡± Bruce took off his clothes and went upstairs. Joanna was shocked. In the past, he never had enough of the spaghetti she cooked. Today, she took the initiative to cook it, but he refused to eat it. ¡°Mommy, Daddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Ignore him. He must be crazy!¡± ¡°Wash your hands and get ready for dinner.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Davian and Irvin did not dare to say anything more! They had noticed that for the past two days, Bruce had been cold and mad. They finished dinner. Joanna took a shower. Put on a facial mask and went back to lie on the bed, preparing to sleep. Bruce didn¡¯t torment her these two days as he was mad at her. He deliberately turned his back to her when he slept. The next day, as usual, seeing Joanna lying on the bed, Bruce turned his back on her. The mattress made a hugemotion. Joanna nced at him and could not be bothered to coax her. It had been two days! He refused to talk to her even though she took the initiative to talk to him. That was good. It waste in the night.. Bruce turned around heavily and deliberately made a huge noise. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I turn over?¡± Joanna could only roll her eyes. ¡°This damn jerk is impossible to please,¡± she thought, frustrated by hisplicated and irritable nature. ¡°No one can seem to handle him.¡± Chapter 440 Chapter 440 ¡°Bruce, what are you trying to do? Are you going to let me sleep?¡± ¡°I just like to turn around. Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll sleep in the guest room!¡± Joanna said as she lifted the nket and left the bedroom. When Bruce saw this, he was pissed off. This damn woman would never give in, let alone coax him.. ¡°Good! Good! You have guts!¡± Bruce was so angry that he couldn¡¯t sleep. For the entire night, he was hoping that she would suddenlye back and apologize to him. Unfortunately, Joanna did note back until midnight. He couldn¡¯t help but fell asleep in a daze. The next day. Ten o¡¯clock in the morning. Roxanne looked at Zachary¡¯s business card and decided to call him. The phone rang a few times before Zacharyzily picked up the call. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Garcia. I¡¯m Roxanne.¡± On the other end of the phone, Zachary was sleeping with a girl in his arms. When he heard Roxanne¡¯s voice, he instantly lost his sleepiness and pushed the girl in his arms away. ¡°Oh, Ms. Haynes, have you made up your mind?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. I¡¯m willing to be your personal secretary. ¡°However, I have two conditions.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Roxanne pondered for a few seconds and deliberately pretentiously, ¡°First, I don¡¯t work after eight in the night.¡± When Zachary heard this, he agreed without hesitation. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Secondly, I won¡¯t apany you to socialize with clients. I¡¯m only responsible for your daily work.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°Hehe! What else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. If you agree, I¡¯ll work in yourpany. If you don¡¯t agree, just forget what I said.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal.¡± Zachary agreed readily. Seeing that Zachary agreed so readily, Roxanne knew that he did have feelings for her. Since that was the case, she had to seize the opportunity. She had to keep him in suspense and not let him seed too easily. Otherwise, he would look down on her. ¡°So when can I start working?¡± ¡°Come over in the afternoon to go through the procedures!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± In the afternoon. At the personnel department of the Garcia Group. Roxannepleted the entry procedures and became Zachary¡¯s private secretary. At the office. Roxanne had changed into a professional skirt, a white shirt, and a tight ck suit. Her exquisite face was covered in light makeup, and her hair was tied into a neat bun. She was beautiful to begin with and had a good figure. Even though she was wearing work clothes, she looked elegant and noble. Zachary¡¯s eyes were like a scanner as he admired Roxanne greedily. ¡°Ms. Haynes, this is your work pass. Good luck.¡± ¡°Mr. Garcia, what exactly shall I do? I have to tell you I don¡¯t have any work experience.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°The job is very simple. You do whatever I ask you to do, such as making coffee and delivering documents.¡± 1/2 ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Zachary¡¯s smile became even more evil as he stared at her with burning eyes. Roxanne subconsciously lowered her eyes. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯ll go out now then.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Roxanne smiled and left the office. As soon as she walked out of the office, she bumped into Jennie. However, the two of them were not too familiar with each other so they did not greet each other. Roxanne went straight to the secretary¡¯s desk. Jennie thought that she had seen it wrongly. She turned around and looked at Roxanne a few times. ¡°Zachary, who is that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Zachary sat in his office chair and looked at his sister with a smile. Jennie was in disbelief. ¡°Was the woman who just went out Roxanne?¡± ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s wrong?¡± When Jennie heard this, her eyes instantly widened. ¡°Zachary, why is she here?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my personal secretary now,¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°What?¡± Jennie was even more surprised! Zachary did not have the time to talk to his sister. ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, you can go out.¡± ¡°Zachary, how could you let her be your personal secretary?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°She was once in a mental hospital, and she¡¯s Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend. Now that the Haynes family is in chaos and her reputation is a mess. How dare you hire her?¡± Zachary didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± Jennie blinked and could note back to her senses for a long time. ¡°Zachary, are you interested in her?¡± ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re so nosy. Hurry up and leave.¡± Jennie rolled her eyes and plopped down in a chair next to the desk. She replied with displeasure, ¡°Hmph, why would I go out? No way!¡± ¡°Mydy, who made you so angry again?¡± ¡°Nobody. I¡¯m being angry.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m annoyed!¡± Jennie pouted. She wasn¡¯t happy at all. Upon hearing this, Zachary set aside the document he was holding and looked at his sister with a gentle smile. ¡°If there¡¯s something on your mind, feel free to tell me.¡± ¡°Why should I? You can¡¯t help anyway.¡± ¡°Is it because of Bruce again?¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Jennie rolled her eyes and frowned. Seeing this, Zachary smiled helplessly. He knew what his sister was thinking. His sister had always had a crush on Bruce since she was young. Unfortunately, after so many years, she never made it to be with Bruce. Now that Bruce and Joanna had suddenly gotten back together, she had even less chance. ¡°Jennie, there are plenty of eligible bachelors in Greyport. Why must it be Bruce?¡± ¡°I like him!¡± ¡°Well! What can I say?¡± Jennie looked at her brother in frustration. ¡°Zachary, can¡¯t you think of a way for me? Can you bear to see me being unrequited like this? ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. How am I inferior to that Joanna?¡± ¡°Who said you¡¯re inferior? You are the best.¡± Then why doesn¡¯t Bruce like me?¡± Zachary smiled awkwardly. ¡°How would I know? Every man looks at women differently. ¡°If I were Bruce, I would definitely choose you. I definitely wouldn¡¯t like Joanna.¡± Jennie¡¯s anger intensified upon hearing this. ¡°Bruce ispletely blind! The Haynes sisters must have cast some sort of spell on him, especially Joanna. I can¡¯t for the life of me make out what he sees in her.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you with this!¡± Jennie pouted and said coquettishly, ¡°Hmph, Zacharyr, can¡¯t you help me think of a way to tear them apart! ¡°If you don¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll tell Dad that you want to date this lunatic Roxanne and ask Dad to chase her away. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about dating her.¡± Zachary chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I didn¡¯t say I wanted to date her.¡± Realizing that Zachary wasn¡¯t buying into her threat, Jennie switched tactics and adopted a cutesy demeanor. ¡°Zachary, please help me out! You¡¯re so close to Bruce. I¡¯m sure you can find a way to y matchmaker for us,¡± she pleaded. Zachary had no choice. ¡°Then how do you want me to help you?¡± ¡°Help me ask him out and create an opportunity for us.¡± ¡°Bruce is very busy now¡­¡± ¡°My good brother, how will you know if you don¡¯t try? Will you help me ask him out?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you ask him out yourself?¡± When Jennie heard this, her expression became even more disappointed. ¡°Bruce doesn¡¯t even answer my call, let alone hang out with me.¡± Chapter 441 Chapter 441 ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll ask him out but the rest is on you.¡± Jennie was overjoyed. ¡°Yes, yes, as long as you asks him out.¡± Zachary had no choice but to take out his phone and call Bruce. Beep! Bruce was busy at thepany. The Everett Group was currently preparing to develop Green Bay and invest billions of dors in the construction of Porash¡¯srgest 5A amusement park. They were about to get the file issued by the government, therefore, Bruce was under great pressure. ¡°Hey¡­ ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me, Zachary.¡± Bruceughed. ¡°I know. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. Can¡¯t I call you for no reason?¡± ¡°What is it? Hurry up and say it. I¡¯m busy!¡± ¡°The person you introduced has officially started working today. Look, I handled it for you!¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Hehe, is that what you want to tell me?¡± Jennie listened from the side and kept gesturing to her brother to get down to business. ¡°Yeah, how are you going to thank me?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Zachary waved his hand at his sister, indicating that she must be patient. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we drank together. How about treating me to a drink!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce frowned. He had been very busy recently, and he had already decided to quit drinking. ¡°Let¡¯s have a private party. There are a few new models in mypany. All of them are very hot.¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°You, you¡¯re almost bing your wife¡¯s ve now. There are so many beautiful girls out there, why do you have to be so devoted to only one person?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and just smiled! Although he had been angry with Joanna for the past few days, he wouldn¡¯t make such mistakes. It wasn¡¯t easy for him and Joanna to get closer. He did not want to destroy it. ¡°Answer me quickly. Are youing or not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really busy. I don¡¯t have time!¡± ¡°Come on. I¡¯ve helped you so much. You have to treat me to a drink!¡± ¡°I will, butter when I am free.¡± Jennie was even more disappointed when she heard that Bruce refused the invitation. Zachary snorted and could not help but say, ¡°You¡¯re a busy person. It would take ages for you to be avable. ¡°Alright then, I know I am not important to you. You won¡¯t drink with me anyway.¡± Zachary provoked him on purpose! R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Bruce could not refute her. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯m afraid of you. ¡°Then wait for me at the old ce tonight, I¡¯ll treat you to a drink!¡± When Zachary and Jennie heard this, they instantly became happy. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! See you tonight!¡± ¡°Yes. See you!¡± ¡°Okay, bye for now.¡± At Sherane Bay Vi. It was past nine in the evening. Bruce was not back yet. It started to rain. Joanna looked at the time. It was already half past nine! Usually, at this time, he should have returned long ago. Joanna decided not to wait for him any longer. She was ready to take a shower and sleep!. Lilian rushed out of the room Lilia and said nervously, ¡°Miss Haynes, bad news. Miss Lilia is having a fever again.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened. She hurriedly went check on Lilia. In the children¡¯s room. Liliay on the bed, looking groggy. ¡°Lilia, how are you?¡± Joanna touched her daughter¡¯s sick head. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Lilia opened her eyes dispiritedly. Her forehead was burning and her face was red. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She quickly touched her daughter¡¯s body. It was also very hot as well. Theboratory report from Lilia showed that her telets ratio was very low. The doctor said that she might have a leukemia attack. And having a fever would make her immunity even weaker. ¡°Lilia, I will take you to the hospital now,¡± Joanna said and wanted to pick up her daughter. Rumble! Crack! It began to rain heavily outside, and muffled thunder rumbled. Lightning tore through the night sky one after another, and strong light shone into the house! ¡°Mommy. I¡¯m scared!¡± Lilia was most afraid of thunder. Every time there was thunder, she would tremble in fear. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy is here.¡± ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy? I miss Daddy!¡± Most daughters would feel safe with their father by their side. Lilia was no exception. She kept looking for Bruce. ¡°Let me call him now. He might be dining with business partners.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna took her phone and called Bruce! At Dynasty Nightclub. In a luxurious private room, the lights were dim. Bruce was surrounded by all kinds of beautiful and enchanting girls, who tried to curry favor with him. Buzz! Bruce felt the phone vibrate and his heart tightened. He guessed that it might be Joanna calling him. He took out his phone and saw that it was indeed Joanna. Seeing Bruce¡¯s serious expression. Zachary could not help but tease again, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s rare for us to have fun together. No one is allowed to answer the phone. You must enjoy tonight!¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Bruceughed dryly, pressed the phone silently, and then stuffed it back into his pocket. This damn woman finally called him! But he refused to answer the call. He wanted her to be anxious. ¡°Come, go on. Drink!¡± The two beauties who were hugging her left and right also started to persuade her to drink with a charming smile. ¡°Mr. Everett, you should often in the future!¡± That¡¯s right. We all miss you!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is a perfect husband. It was hard to get him out. Serve him well.¡± Zachary teased. It was as if Bruce being a devoted man was such a strange and funny thing. After all, almost all the rich men in Greyport were yboys. Almost all of them had countless lovers. Bruce was an exception. ¡°Mr. Everett, it would be a pity if a sessful man like you doesn¡¯t have some female friends!¡± On Joanna¡¯s side. Bruce didn¡¯t answer the phone. She was even more anxious, feeling a little uneasy. Lilia blinked heavily and asked weakly, ¡°Mommy, when will Daddy be back?¡± ¡°Good girl, let¡¯s not wait for Daddy. I will take you to the hospital first!¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s thunder outside. I¡¯m so scared! I want Daddy to apany me.¡± Joanna frowned and called Bruce again. Beep! The phone in Bruce¡¯s pocket vibrated again! Bruce nced at the phone. It was still Joanna calling! ¡°Bruce, why do you keep holding the phone? I already said that we are not going home until we¡¯re drunk tonight. Hand it to me. You¡¯re not allowed to answer it!¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Before Bruce could react, the phone was snatched away by Zachary! ¡°Don¡¯t spoil women, or they would go too far! ¡°You have to be cold to her some time so she can¡¯t leave you!¡± Zachary smiled cheekily and said his opinion of women. Bruce couldn¡¯t be reached. Joanna immediately sent him a message saying, ¡°Bruce, where are you? Why aren¡¯t you home yet? Lilia is sick! Come back and take Lilia to the hospital!¡± Joanna sent Bruce a few messages and made a few consecutive calls. Unfortunately, Bruce¡¯s phone number was taken away by Zachary. He did not see the messages. Coupled with the fact that he was angry with her, he decided to make her anxious. As the door to the private room was pushed open, a group of stunning women could be seen enjoying drinks with Bruce. Jennie strutted into the room, dressed to the nines in a morous outfit with shoulder straps, exuding charm and allure. ¡°Zachary!¡± she called out with a hint of excitement in her voice. ¡°Jennie, why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually having drinks with some friends next door. I noticed that this private room was upied, so I thought I¡¯de over and see what was going on!¡± This private room was reserved by Zachary and was not open to other customers. ¡°You came at just the right time. Bruce is here today as well. Let¡¯s have a great time together. We won¡¯t leave until we¡¯repletely drunk,¡± Zachary said with a mischievous grin, giving his sister a yful look. ¡°Bruce, long time no see. How are you doing?¡± Jennie said as she came to his side and sat down happily. Seeing this, the girls beside Bruce quickly got up. Bruce smiled at Jennie. ¡°Long time no see! Jennie, you are more stunning now.¡± ¡°Thank you, Bruce. Don¡¯t tease me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not teasing you. I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Zachary poured two sses of wine and handed one to Jennie. ¡°Come, Jennie, have a drink with Bruce!¡± ¡°Bruce, enjoy tonight.¡± Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Jennie hurriedly stopped her Zachary. ¡°Zachary, Bruce¡¯s stomach isn¡¯t good. He can¡¯t drink so much!¡± When Zachary heard this, he smiled teasingly. ¡°Bruce, look, Jennie cares so much about you. She has never cared so much about me although I am her brother.¡± ¡°Zachary, what are you talking about?¡± Jennie pouted. Bruce was also a little tipsy. He subconsciously looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s already past ten. I should go home.¡± He didn¡¯t really want to drink with Jennie. He knew that Jennie liked him. He didn¡¯t want to give her any chance to flirt. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve just arrived. Why are you leaving?¡± Jennie looked disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Jennie just arrived. If you leave, it¡¯ll be too disappointing! You can¡¯t leave. You promised to stay up all night tonight!¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only The siblings tried to persuade him not to go back. Beep! Couldn¡¯t get through to Bruce, Joanna called Andy. Andy quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Andy, is Bruce still in thepany?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has already gotten off work and left thepany a long time ago.¡± ¡°Then where did he go? Did he go out to socialize?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After hanging up. Joanna called the driver. ¡°Hello, Kody!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the World Trade Center!¡± ¡°What about Bruce?¡± ¡°Uh, Mr. Everett has an appointment with a client¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Tell me the truth. Lilia is sick. I need to see him right now.¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett is in Mr. Garcia¡¯s nightclub.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After hanging up, Joanna¡¯s face became extremely dark. ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy? I want Daddy.¡± ¡°Good girl, I will take you to the hospital.¡± ¡°No, I want to see Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Baby girl, listen to me, I will send you to the hospital and your Daddy will go straight to the hospital later!¡± ¡°No, no, Lwant Daddy. Boohoo!¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna carried Lilia out of the door. She nned to go to the nightclub for Bruce before going to the hospital together. ¡°Go to Dynasty Nightclub!¡± *Alright!¡± Half an hourter. Joanna arrived at Dynasty Nightclub. Chapter 442 Lilia, wait in the car. I¡¯ll go get Daddy.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna got out of the car and walked into Dynasty nightclub. ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for Mr. Garcia. He invited me here,¡± Joanna lied to the waiter. ¡°Oh, this way please!¡± Ten minutester! ¡°Bang!¡± The door of the private room was pushed open heavily! Joanna walked in with a gloomy expression! In the private room! Bruce was already a little drunk, and his stomach was starting to hurt. Jennie was sticking to his side, applying a hot towel to his face. Suddenly, the private room was shocked. Everyone looked at Joanna. Looking at the scene before her, Joanna felt an indescribable disgust. ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you promise me that you wouldn¡¯t drink anymore?¡± Bruce was originally slumped on the sofa. When he saw Joanna, he was first shocked. Then, he slumped back onto the sofa! ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Come back with me immediately. Joanna¡¯s tone was very unpleasant. ¡°Heh¡­ Bruce sneered! He definitely could not give in to her in front of everyone! Otherwise, how was he going to face people in the future? ¡°We¡¯re just drinking with Bruce. Joanna, please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Since you are here,e, join us.¡± Joanna shook her arm ruthlessly and said mercilessly, ¡°Get up!¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t do this!¡± Zachary looked embarrassed. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll ask you again. Are youing back with me?¡± Bruce choked in anger and looked at Joanna sinisterly. If she persuaded him gently, he would definitely follow her back. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be so rude It¡¯s rare for Bruce toe out and rx. Don¡¯t be so strict!¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to him. Shut up!¡± Jennie sneered. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I won¡¯t speak!* ¡°Joanna,e and have a drink!¡± Zachary handed her a ss of wine. ¡°Bang!¡± Joanna suddenly waved her hand, and the wine ss fell to the ground! ¡°Bruce, you always go back on your word!¡± Joanna said as she swept all the wine on the table to the ground. The group of girls retreated to the back in fear! ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t you go back? Otherwise, your wife will punish you!¡± Zachary mocked. Bruce fel embarrassed. He was already angry. Due to the alcohol, he stood up and pped Joanna. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like this?¡± Chapter 443 Chapter 443 Having received a p, Joanna stared at Bruce coldly. After hitting Joanna, Bruce felt his palm slightly numb. He was instantly sober. He couldn¡¯t believe that he hit Joanna again. The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point. The girls huddled in a corner in fear. Jennie couldn¡¯t help but smirk, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She was eager for a little drama to unfold and couldn¡¯t wait to see them fighting. Half a minuteter! Joanna took a deep breath, her anger reaching its boiling point. With all her strength, she unleashed a powerful p across Bruce¡¯s face, the sound reverberating in the room. ¡°p!¡± Bruce also got a heavy p. Bruce was stunned for a moment. He stared at Joanna in disbelief, his eyes almost spitting fire. Seeing this, everyone covered their mouths. Mr. Everett was actually pped in public by his ex¨Cwife. Mr. Everett¡¯s bad temper was famous throughout the city. He had always been the one who hit others, and no one had ever dared to hit him back. Bruce¡¯s anger boiled within him, fueling his desire for revenge. He couldn¡¯t let Joanna get away with humiliating him like this. At that moment, all his love and care for her seemed to dissipate, reced by a seething rage that consumed him. This damn woman actually dared to fight back! ¡°p!¡± Bruce hit her again. Joanna immediately pped him back. ¡°p!¡± This made Brucepletely crazy! N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Bruce,e on. You can¡¯t resort to violence against a woman, Zachary urged, his words dripping with hypocrisy. However, he remained rooted in ce, showing no real intention of intervening to stop the fight. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ve really misunderstood Bruce. Bruce is only here to drink. There is nothing else. As women, we have to understand¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were burning with anger. ¡°Shut up!¡± Jennie was embarrassed. ¡°Joanna, did you not take your medicine today? Are you crazy?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not your ve. You can¡¯t hit me or scold me at will!¡± Bruce was so angry that his heart ached. He was indeed furious just now. Bruce¡¯s face twisted with anger and humiliation as Joanna¡¯s actions and words struck at the core of his pride. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be like this! Joanna, stop fooling around. It¡¯s all my fault. I shoudn¡¯t have invited Bruce out for a drink! ¡°I¡¯ll apologize on behalf of Bruce¡­¡± Joanna looked at Zachary aggressively. ¡°All of you, get out! This is between me and Bruce. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Everyone looked at each other! ¡°Bruce, calm down. Just go home with Joanna! Joanna, calm down. Don¡¯t be angry!¡± Zachary felt powerless. ¡°Get out!¡± Joanna instantly went crazy. She waved her hand and chased everyone away like a lunatic! ¡°Okay, guys. Leave!¡± *Bruce, take care, we are leaving!¡± Zachary and Jennie did not dare to persuade them anymore. They left the private room with the group of beauties. After everyone left, Joanna mmed the door shut and locked it. Seeing this, Bruce felt a little uneasy. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Bang Joanna picked up a bottle of wine on the table and smashed it on the table. Her arm was bleeding after being cut the ss shards. ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you want to fight? Come, only one of us can get out alive today!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as she stared fiercely at Bruce. The blood on her hands dripped down! Bruce raised his eyebrows and his aura weakened a little. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered to lower myself to your level. Stop messing around.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s messing with you? I told you, if you dare to hit me again. I¡¯ll kill you. Joanna said angrily. She rushed forward and stabbed him with the broken wine bottle in her hand. She had been on the verge of death a few times. She didn¡¯t care about life anymore. Bruce¡¯s eyes widened in shock as Joanna¡¯s fierce strike narrowly missed him. He quickly stepped back. The broken ss almost brushed past his neck! If he had not dodged just now, the broken wine bottle would have pierced his neck. ¡°Joanna, are you fucking serious? Are you crazy?¡± The murderous intent in Joanna¡¯s eyes increased instead of decreasing. She had been enduring it for a long time, and it made herpletely explode. ¡°I¡¯m crazy. Anyway, I don¡¯t want to live anymore. Let¡¯s end everything today!¡± ¡°Swish!¡± Joanna seemed to have gone crazy as she raised the bottle and stabbed him. Bruce was really afraid. He knew that Joanna meant it this time. All these years, he had gone too far. She probably had the intention to kill him long ago. With the bottle dangerously close to piercing his body, Bruce¡¯s instincts kicked in. Without thinking, he swiftly turned around and sprinted, maneuvering around the table to confront his assant. It was not that he could not defeat Joanna, but he was really frightened. He was afraid that Joanna would hurt herself. ¡°Alright, you won, okay? If you kill me, you¡¯ll go to jail too. If both of us are gone, what will happen to the children?¡± Bruce scurried to the other end of the table and tried to reason with her. ¡°Your hand is bleeding. Put the bottle down first!¡± Joanna roared shrilly, ¡°One of us has to die today. What have I done to make you treat me like this¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s scream reverberated through the room, a culmination of pent¨Cup frustration and anguish. The weight of oppression finally lifted, and a torrent of tears mixed with blood streamed down her face, a visible manifestation of her pain and anguish. ¡°Bruce, I am killing you!!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and said timidly, ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll die, alright?¡± While she was losing her mind, Bruce jumped onto the table and rolled to the opposite of Joanna like a top. Then, he grabbed her arm firmly and snatched the broken wine bottle from her hand. ¡°Let go of me! Bruce, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Bruce twisted her hands and hugged her tightly. ¡°Alright, alright, alright, I¡¯ll let you kill me! Your hand is bleeding now. We¡¯re in the hospital now.¡± ¡°Can you kill me after your hand is bandaged?¡± ¡°Let go of me! I¡¯ll kill you right now.¡± Joanna resisted with all her might. Outside the private room. Zachary and Jennie looked worried. ¡°Oh my god, Zachary, will someone die inside?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in and stop them.¡± ¡°What are you worrying about? Don¡¯t worry!¡± The ss shards on the floor of the private room froze! ¡°Are you feeling better? ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital!¡± After saying that, Bruce forcefully carried her up. Joanna¡¯s arm was dripping with blood. Under the dim light, it was especially terrifying. Bruce was terrified. He carried her out of the private room in a hurry. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and go to the hospital!¡± The bodyguards were terrified, witnessing Mr. Everett¡¯s battered state, with injuries and scratches adorning his face. Chapter 444 Chapter 444 Bruce carried Joanna and hurried out of the Dynasty nightclub. ¡°Where¡¯s the car?¡± ¡°The car¡¯s outside!¡± Drive it over. Let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Bruce, let go of me!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Joanna, stop fooling around! It was iny fault, okay? I¡¯ll send you to the hospital now.¡± Bruce¡¯s sense of urgency surged as he swiftly lifted Joanna into his arms and raced towards the underground parking lot, not wanting to waste a single moment. As soon as he reached the parking lot, he saw a Mercedes¨CBenz nanny van. It was the car Joanna came with. He was in such a drunken state that Bruce couldn¡¯t remember which car he took. He carried Joanna into the van. In the car! Lilian was holding Lilia and waiting for Joanna. When he saw Bruce, Lilia was overjoyed. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Hearing this, Bruce was stunned. ¡°Lilia, why are you here?¡± Lilian looked nervous. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Lilia has a high fever and has been moring to see you. She refused to go to the hospital no matter what, so Mrs. Everett could only bring her over.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that! No wonder Joanna seemed to have gone crazy today. It turned out that Lilia was sick again! ¡°Hurry up and go to the hospital!¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Joanna lost too much blood and her brain was in aa. She leaned weakly in Bruce¡¯s arms. Lilia was also frightened when she saw her mommy bleeding so much. ¡°Mommy, why is your hand bleeding?¡± Bruce hurriedly covered Joanna with her clothes to shield Lilia from seeing her injuries. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetheart. Mommy is fine. Don¡¯t be scared. Daddy is here to take care of her. ¡°Drive!¡± The started the car and drove towards the hospital. Fifteen minutester! The car sped to the hospital! ¡°Doctor!¡± ¡°Lilian, take Lilia to the internal medicine department first!¡± ¡°Yes, I got it. Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce carried Joanna Jowards the surgical building. ¡°Doctor, please stop her bleeding.¡± After the doctors and nurses heard this, they also rushed out. Along the way, Bruce carefully wrapped Joanna¡¯s injured hand with a white shirt. The once pristine shirt was now stained with vivid red, serving as a stark reminder of the severity of Joanna¡¯s injuries. ¡°How did Miss Haynes get hurt? Hurry up and send her to the emergency room.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Soon, Joanna was sent to the emergency room. There were five or six cuts on her fingers and arge wound on her arm. There were a lot of ss shards inside! The doctor examined it and said with a serious expression, ¡°We have to clean the wound quickly and she will have several stitches! ¡°How did this happen? ¡°Go get the anesthesia ready.¡± Bruce watched from the side, feeling extremely sorry. Soon! The doctor gave Joanna anesthesia and cleaned her wound. Then, he began to stitch her wounds. Because it was not a major surgery, Bruce watched from the beginning to the end. Joanna¡¯s arm had twelve stitches, and the other wound had seven. Bruce stood at the side and watched. His scalp went numb! He had never known that Joanna was so terrifying when she was angry. ¡°Doctor, how is it?¡± The stitches are done! The wound can¡¯t touch water for a week. The dressing has to be changed every day.¡± ¡°Oh, got it!¡± Joanna had already woken up, but she was still in a daze. ¡°Joanna, does it hurt?¡± Bruce asked with heartache. Looking at the huge centipede¨Cshaped wound on her arm, Bruce¡¯s heart ached. Some time ago, the scar on her wrist had not healed, and now she got new wounds. Bruce¡¯s heart sank as Lilian approached with Lilia in her arms. Lilia¡¯s tearful voice broke through his thoughts, ¡°Daddy, what happened to Mommy? Why is she hurt?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s fine now! ¡°She will be fine soon!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Lilian, how¡¯s Lilia¡¯s condition? What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°The doctor gave her a blood test. Now we have to wait for the results!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± In the ward! After Joanna¡¯s wounds were stitched up, she was taken back to the ward as she was still under the effect of anesthesia. Because she had lost too much blood, Joanna had been in a semi¨Cconscious state. Coupled with the effect of the anesthetic. she was a little dispirited. In front of the hospital bed, Bruce apologized sincerely, ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong!¡± Joanna¡¯s lips were so pale that there was no trace of blood. Shey on the hospital bed without reaction! ¡°I was really wrong! I won¡¯t do it again. Can you forgive me this time?¡± Joanna ignored him, her eyes closed. ¡°I won¡¯t drink anymore. If I drink again, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Bruce said, but he didn¡¯t know how to continue. He had already made simr oath with Joanna previously. However, he broke his promises shortly after. Therefore, it was useless to say any more oaths now. any Seeing that she was ignoring him, Bruce felt even worse. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be like this. Can you say something to me? I¡¯m begging you!¡± No matter what he said, Joanna remained indifferent, as if he was an air person. This time, she would neverpromise again! Lilia also helped to plead for mercy. ¡°Mommy, Daddy has already apologized to you. Can you forgive him? ¡°Mommy, I beg you, please forgive Daddy! Joanna was still unmoved! Bruce had used their child as leverage, manipting her with money, and resorting to hical tactics to control¡¯her. She had really had enough! If she took a step back now, she would lose herself again. would lead to eternal damnation. The doctor came over to change the dressing again. The prescription was ready. ¡°Mr. Everett. The patient has lost too much blood and will be staying in the hospital for two days.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Joanna, do you want some water?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Drink some water!¡± Bruce eagerly poured a ss of water. Lilian couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Mr. Everett, you didn¡¯t sleepst night. Let me take care of Mrs. Everett.¡± Andy also rushed over overnight. ¡°That¡¯s right! You have an appointment with some politicians tomorrow. You have to rest tonight¡± ¡°Cancel tomorrow¡¯s meeting and all activities,¡± Bruce suddenly said. ¡°Mr. Everett, canceling your appointments with the municipal government officials tomorrow could have serious consequences. Are you sure about this decision?¡± ¡°I said cancel them all. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell them there¡¯s an emergency and put them off to next week.¡± Bruce did not say anything! Andy didn¡¯t dare to say anything else and quickly went out to make a call. ¡°Dame! Mr. Everett is too willful. Those are appointments with politicians from Porash. How am I going to tell them?¡± Andy thought. ¡°Shite! That¡¯s too willful!¡± Mark was taken aback by the news. ¡°Did you say Mr. Everett¡¯s schedule for today has been canceled?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I think he got into a fight with Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Oh my god, how did this happen?¡± ¡°How would I know? Hurry up and clean up this mess. Don¡¯t let the politicians get angry.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± In the next two days, Bruce had been guarding Joanna. He was like a child who had done something wrong. Joanna was indifferent to him. On the third day. Roxanne went to the hospital to pick Joanna up. ¡°Joanna, are you alright?¡± Bruce replied coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb her!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes is ready for discharge. However, she will require regr dressing changes after her discharge.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Come, I¡¯ll carry you.¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away with a cold expression and walked out of the room with the assistance of Roxanne. Sherane Bay Vi! The three children were in Sherane Bay Vi, and she had signed a contract with him. Otherwise, she really did not want toe back here! ¡°Mominy, you¡¯re back? Why haven¡¯t you been back for the past two days? I heard that you¡¯re injured. Are you alright?¡± Where¡¯s Lilia? Is he still in the hospital?¡± Davian and Irvin looked concerned. Joanna let out a sigh. ¡°Lilia¡¯s pneumonia is quite severe. The doctors said she¡¯ll need to stay in the hospital for another week.¡± ¡°I am fine. Go to y!¡± ¡°Mommy, your arm is so badly injured. How can you be fine?¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t hurt!¡± Nope!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Roxanne¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Joanna, I need to go to work now. Call me if anything happens. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry about me. Good luck!¡± ¡°Okay, see youter then!¡± Joanna automatically ignored Bruce¡¯s presence. No matter what he said to her, she refused to reply! For two consecutive days, Joanna did not speak a single word to him! Bruce couldn¡¯t stand it. Before they had a divorce. He often ignored her. Now that Joanna had used cold violence on him, he finally learnt how much it hurt. ¡°Joanna, what are you mad about? Or how do you want me to apologize? You can tell me! ¡°Can you not give me the cold shoulder like this?¡± Joanna remained cold, ignoring him. She focused on her own life and treated him with indifference as if he were simply air. ¡°Joanna, if you continue like this. I¡¯ll really be angry!¡± Bruce was furious. He pressed her down in the bed. He loved conquering her in bed. However, this time, Joanna did not resist. She was like a soulless doll. ¡°Joanna, I am now your creditor. I order you to speak to me. ¡°Don¡¯t force me to break the contract, and don¡¯t fight me head¨Con!¡± Joanna closed her eyes. She did not resist or struggle! Bruce, couldn¡¯t bear to torture her, felt dejected! ¡°Alright! You won. Do whatever you want! ¡°Joanna, let me tell you one more time. Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t be able to live if I leave you! ¡°Even without you, I am still me, unyielding and unafraid,¡± Bruce dered, his voice filled with growing agitation. In a final burst of anger, he forcefully mmed the door behind him and stormed off. Since she was ignoring him, he would let her be. In any case, he had work to do. In the past, when he was unhappy, he would bury himself in work. During this time, he could deal with the work. Sometimes, it was a good approach to solve things coldly. It was no big deal. Another three days passed! The two of them continued to ignore each other. ¡°Beep!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, how¡¯s the progress?¡± ¡°Bruce isn¡¯t in the mood to work now. I think we can take advantage of the situation.¡± Chapter 445 Chapter 445 Anxious and resentful voices came from the other end of the phone. ¡°The Green Bay project is about to be implemented. We are running out of time. You have to find the evidence of his bribery as soon as possible. ¡°Otherwise, it won¡¯t be so easy to take him down after the project ispletely implemented.¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll settle it as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± With that, the other person hung up. After hanging up! R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Roxanne was also very annoyed. She had sessfully entered the Everett family now. However, Bruce did not give her any chance to approach him. She could not catch any traces of Bruce¡¯s crimes. Moreover, there were surveince cameras everywhere in the house. It was almost impossible for her to y any tricks. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the eavesdropping device in the study capture any useful information? It¡¯s been so many days¡± Roxanne hammered the pillow a few times. The Everett Group was in the process of nning an investment in a real estate project located in Green Bay, Porash. The project aimed to develop thergest sea¨Cview vimunity in Porash. At the same time, an amusement parkparable to Disnend would be built nearby, called Dreand. Recently, Bruce had been upied with handling various contracts and obtaining necessary approvals for the project. Given the scale of the project, it was inevitable to establish connections and cultivate rtionships with political figures and local partners. In the business world, there were many unspoken rules when it came to building rtionships. No one could stay out of trouble. Bruce was no exception! His fight with Joanna during this period of time had disturbed him greatly. In the next few days, Bruce put all his energy into work. He came backte every day. Joanna focused on taking care of the children every day, having no intention of making peace. In the evening, at the restaurant! The servants prepared dinner. Joanna asked Davian and Irvin to cat. Irvin looked at the table full of dishes and muttered, ¡°Mommy, Daddy hasn¡¯t eaten with us for a few days. Aren¡¯t we waiting for Daddy today?¡± When Joanna heard this, her expression turned stiff. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for Daddy. I don¡¯t know what time Daddy will get off work. Let¡¯s hurry up and eat. After eating, go to bed early.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Davian and Irvin picked up their bowls and ate silently. At the dining table, the atmosphere was also very oppressive. Joanna did not speak, and Lilia and Bruce were not around. They felt that the food was no longer tasty. In the past, the family of five ate together. Although Daddy loved to scold them, he got used to it. Now, he was not used to not being able to hear his daddy¡¯s scolding! After the children finished eating, Bruce finally returned. ¡°Daddy, are you off work?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Bruce replied coldly. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± With that, Bruce went straight into the study with a gloomy expression! Ten o¡¯clock at night! The two little guys stood under the covers, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. ¡°Davin, did Daddy and Mommy have a conflict again?¡± Davian sighed faintly. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s obvious. Look at Daddy¡¯s face.¡± Irvin got up and said worriedly. ¡°Then what should we do? Daddy and Mommy won¡¯t be separated again, right?¡± Davian frowned when he heard that. ¡°If Daddy and Mommy are separated, we¡¯ll have single¨Cparent again.¡± ¡°Daddy is rude sometimes, but he¡¯s quite qualified in other aspects. Davian, we have to think of a way to matchmake Daddy and Mommy. We can¡¯t let them be separated again! ¡°That bad woman Roxanne is eyeing Daddy covetously. If she snatches Daddy away, she would be our stepmother. ¡°I don¡¯t want that bad woman to be our stepmother!¡± Davian also became worried. ¡°Yes, we should think of a way to matchmake Daddy and Mommy! ¡°How are we going to do it? I think they¡¯ve been in a cold war. They¡¯re ignoring each other!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll find a way to make them reconcile.¡± Irvin tilted his head and asked worriedly, ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Hmm, we have to think about it carefully! ¡°The main thing now is that Mommy is ignoring Daddy, not that Daddy is ignoring Mommy. So, we have to start with Mommy first. ¡°As long as Mommy forgives Daddy, Daddy will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°But how should we coax Mommy?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Why don¡¯t we apologize to Mommy in Daddy¡¯s name and ask for Mommy¡¯s forgiveness? As long as Mommy is happy. everything will be finel¡± ¡°No way! Mommy hates Daddy the most. If an apology was useful, Daddy would have apologized long ago.¡± ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it!¡± Davian and Irvin were worried sick for the sake of their daddy and mommy. They thought about it for the entire night but could not think of a solution. The next day. The servants prepared breakfast. As usual, Joanna woke up early in the morning and called the children for breakfast. Although she did not have to do everything herself, she still wanted to take care of the children as much as she could as a mother. ¡°Davian, Irvin, hurry ande over for breakfast.¡± The two little guys dawdled over. ¡°Mommy, did you change the dressing on your arm?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ve already changed it.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± As they were talking, Bruce strode down the stairs. As usual, he was wearing a suit and looked noble and elegant. However, his face was as dark as ice and exuded a murderous aura. When he passed by the dining room, the two little guys greeted in unison, ¡°Good morning, Daddy.¡± ¡°Morning!¡± Bruce replied. Without even looking at Joanna, he passed through the dining room and walked out. Simrly, Joanna did not give him a second nce. She treated him like air. The two little guys looked at each other and exchanged nces. ¡°Mommy, can you make spaghetti for us this afternoon?¡± Joanna was stunned! Davian and Irvin¡¯s favorite food were dumplings and pancakes. They didn¡¯t really like spaghetti. ¡°Why do you want to eat spaghetti today?¡± ¡°We just want it.¡± ¡°Alriglu! I will make it for you after school.¡± Okay, okay.¡± Are you full, boys?¡± ¡°Yes. ¡°Hurry up and go to school. I have to go to the hospital to check on Liliater.¡± ¡°Oh, bye, Mommy.¡± ¡°Goodbye, my babies!¡± Joannasquatted down and kissed Davian and Irvin on the checks. Then, the two little guys followed the driver to the car. Joanna also packed up and rushed to the hospital to see her daughter. No matter what, she had to go to the hospital to apany her daughter every day. It was past ten in the morning. Joanna drove to the children¡¯s hospital. Lilia had been in the hospital for almost a week. ¡°Doctor, how is Lilia¡¯s condition?¡± The doctor flipped through Lilia¡¯s medical record and said with a serious expression. ¡°She is having bad anemia. She has hematopoietic stem cell disorder. Pulmonary inmmation is serious as well. She still needs to stay in the hospital for a period of time. ¡°If there¡¯s still no improvement, we might have to consider a bone marrow transnt.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. Although the doctor didn¡¯t say that Lilia¡¯s leukemia would rpse, it was very likely the case. ¡°Now, we have to treat her lung infection first. Otherwise, it will cause other illnesses.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand!¡± Joanna replied gloomily. Then, she left the doctor¡¯s office and entered Lilia¡¯s ward.. Lilian and two professional caregivers in the hospital. When they saw Joannaing over, they hurriedly came forward. ¡°Hello. Mrs. Everett.¡± Joanna¡¯s brows sank. She hated this title. However, she was toozy to correct them. ¡°Lilia. I am here to see you!¡± Liliay on the hospital bed. Her big eyes flickered as she called out in a childish voice, ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Joanna looked at her daughter, feeling sorry for her. Lilia had been sick since she was born and had suffered a lot. Joanna wished she could take it for her. ¡°Yes, a little!¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more upset. She gently rubbed her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I just want chocte.¡± ¡°Be good. When you recover, I will buy you a lot of choctes,¡± Joanna said gently. Lilia loved chocte the most. Unfortunately, because of her health, she could not eat too much chocte. Chapter 446 Chapter 446 Lilia blinked her big eyes and looked at Joanna in disappointment. ¡°Mommy, why isn¡¯t Daddy here with you?¡± ¡°Your Daddy went to work!¡± When Lilia heard this, she sighed sadly. ¡°Haven¡¯t you and Daddy reconciled yet?¡± Joanna was stunned and did not know how to answer. She knew that the children yearned for her and Bruce to remarry the most. However, she hated Bruce to the core. Seeing that Joanna was silent, Lilia pouted and asked again, ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t youing with Daddy? I really want to see both of you at the same time.¡± Hearing this, Joanna took a deep breath and smiled softly. ¡°Good girl. Rest well and be patient. I promise you that Daddy and I wille together next time, okay?¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy, don¡¯t lie! Let¡¯s pinky swear.¡± s Lilia spoke, she stretched out her small hand. Joanna smiled lovingly and held her daughter¡¯s hand with her little finger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t lie to you.¡± ¡°Mommy, when can I go home? I want to go home. I miss going to kindergarten and seeing my friends. It¡¯s been such a long time.¡± Joanna lowered her head and rubbed he rdaughter¡¯s head gently. ¡°Soon. When your pneumonia is cured you can go to kindergarten.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes. Her long eyshes were like the buzzing wings of a butterfly. She was extremely beautiful. Unfortunately, such a beautiful child had to endure the torture of illness every day. Joanna stayed by her daughter¡¯s side in the hospital until the afternoon. ncing at the clock, she realized it was already three in the afternoon. ¡°Your brothers are about to finish school. Lilia, be good. I wille back tomorrow!¡± ¡°Okay, goodbye, Mommy.¡± Lilia was very obedient and not clingy at all. ¡°Goodbye, Lilia!¡± Joanna smiled and gently patted her daughter¡¯s head. She longed to give her a kiss, but due to Lilia¡¯s weakened immune system, any bacteria could potentially cause an infection. Therefore, Joanna refrained from kissing her.. She went back to Sherane Bay Vi It was already 3:30 pm! Davian and Irvin had also returned from school! Joanna¡¯s arm injury might not have healedpletely, but it was still rtively easy to make spaghetti! Since the children wanted to eat it, she would definitely do it. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Are you hungry? I will make youspaghetti.¡± Davian shook his head. I¡¯m not hungry yet. Mommy, can you cookter?¡± ¡°Yes, sure!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go practice riding now.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned. ¡°Davian, your arm hasn¡¯t fully healed yet. The splint is still on. How can you ride a horse again?¡± ¡°What if you fall down again? Stay away from horses for the time being.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. My arm is much better now. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡± ¡°No! Be a good boy. Go finish your homework.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Davian replied in upset and turned to return to his room. ¡°Irvin, you¡¯re not allowed to ride during this period of time either. You have to stay with your brother.¡± ¡°Mommy, my arm is fine. Why can¡¯t I ride a horse?¡± Joanna squatted down and looked at his son calmly. ¡°When Davian sees you riding a horse, he will also want to ride. ¡°In order for him to recover as soon as possible, can you do this?¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll go back to my room to watch cartoons!¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± The two young children had recently learned how to ride horses, and they were filled with excitement. They had been eagerly waiting for the opportunity to ride, as they had been prohibited from doing so for a while. They went back to their room! The two little fellows started plotting to matchmake again! ¡°Why isn¡¯t Daddy back yet?¡± ¡°Daddy is usuallying homete these days, so he might not be able to have Mommy¡¯s spaghetti on time.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± Davian rolled his eyes. ¡°We should learn how to make spaghetti. When Daddyes back, we¡¯ll make it for Daddy and tell him that Mommy made it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a good ideal¡± ¡°Unfortunately, my hand hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. You¡¯ll have to do it.¡± When Irvin heard this, his eyes widened. ¡°Huh? I am afraid I¡¯ll mess it up. You know, I am clumsy.¡± Davian looked at her brother solemnly. ¡°Then do you still want Daddy and Mommy to reconcile?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± ¡°Then we have to take action. ¡°Making spaghetti is very simple. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that my arm hasn¡¯t recovered, I would have made it.¡± Irvin was provoked and said with a bitter expression, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid it will taste bad¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Mommy will teach us well, and we¡¯ll be able to make delicious spaghetti just like her.¡± Davian replied confidently, his eyes shining with determination. ¡°Look, Daddy loves to eat Mommy¡¯s spaghetti! After Daddy gets off work, you will make some spaghetti for Daddy. ¡°Then tell him that Mommy did it. Daddy will definitely be very happy.¡± Irvin looked hesitated. ¡°What about Mommy?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s coax Daddy first. We¡¯ll think of a way to deal with Mommyter.¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll try my best!¡± Seeing that Irvin had agreed, Davian was also excited. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll get Mommy to teach us how to make spaghetti.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The two little guys hit it off and slipped out of the room to find their mommy. Joanna was engrossed in reviewing the documents sent by Cora on herputer. Despite not being physically present at thepany, she made sure to stay updated by thoroughly examining the reports provided by Cora and Michael each day. Then, she would have a meeting with thepany¡¯s executives via video call. Therefore, although she was not going to thepany, she was still very clear about thepany¡¯s situation. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re hungry. You can make us spaghetti now.¡± ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Joanna closed theputer with a smile, got up, and walked to the kitchen. The kitchen was located on the first floor, at the easternmost part of the mansion. It would take about five or six minutes to reach there. After Joanna entered the kitchen, the two little guys followed her in eagerly. ¡°Momuny, can you show us how to make spaghetti?¡± Davian and Irvin eagerly gathered around Joanna, their eyes fixed on her every move. They were determined not to miss a single step, afraid that it would affect the taste of their homemade spaghetti. When Joanna heard this, swas shocked. ¡°Why would you want to learn how to make spaghetti for no reason?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Irvin subconsciously looked at his brother. Davian hurriedly replied, ¡°After we learn how to make it, we can make it ourselves if we want to eat it in the futuref ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We should learn it! Don¡¯t you always say we should grow up to be considerate boys?¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled and agreed. ¡°Hehe, sure!¡± The children were already six years old. They should start learning to cook. When she was six years old, she could already cook some simple dishes. ¡°Okay, first of all, cut some tomatoes. Then, pour some olive oil into the pot and mix the tomatoes with sauce.¡± Joanna introduced the steps one by one. It was really easy to cook spaghetti. Therefore, after Joanna said it once, the children remembered it. *After the sauce is ready, cook the noodles, After the noodles are cooked, fish them out and mix the sauce on them.¡± ¡°Oh, looks like it¡¯s quite simple!¡± ¡°Yes, make sure to control the heat properly. Don¡¯t let the tomatoes burn,¡± Joanna advised as she demonstrated the cooking process to her son. ¡°Let me try, Irvin volunteered. Joanna patiently instructed her son, guiding him through the basic steps. Before long, Irvin grasped the fundamentals Time passed quickly. It was already ten o¡¯clock at night! Joanna went back to the room to sleep. For the past few days, Bruce did not sleep in the bedroom. She felt rxed, and she slept earlier. At about 10:30, a beam of headlights shone from outside the courtyard. Irvin¡¯s son got up. ¡°Davian, Daddy is back.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah! I heard Daddy¡¯s car.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to make spaghetti!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The two young boys made their way to the kitchen, tiptoeing quietly. Fortunately, the Everett household was quite spacious, and Bruce rarely ventured into the kitchen, so they felt confident that they wouldn¡¯t be discovered. When they reached the kitchen, Davian started the fire and helped to cook. Irvin, on the other hand, followed the steps taught by his mommy and began to make the sauce. He soon made a bowl of spaghetti. It was very simple to begin with. But he had to make sure it was not too salty!Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 447 Chapter 447 Chapter 447 The chef and servant on duty saw that the kitchen lights were on and quickly came in to check. ¡°Oh, gentlemen, what are you doing?¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nothing. We are just trying to cook.¡± ¡°Are you hungry? If you¡¯re hungry, tell us. What do you want to eat? We¡¯ll cook it. If you identally scald yourself, your parents will be mad at us. the chef said and quickly wanted to take over. ¡°Young gentleman, do you want to eat spaghetti?¡± Just go to sleep. We¡¯re almost done!¡± The chef and servants were shocked when they saw the spaghetti they made. Irvin carefully carried the spaghetti and left the kitchen. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s ready. Hurry up and send them to Daddy that Mommy made it for him.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Irvin carried the spaghetti up to the second floor happily! ¡°Bang!¡± Davian knocked on the study room door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s me, Irvin.¡± ¡°Come in!¡± ¡°sh!¡± The study door was pushed open. Irvin carried the spaghetti and walked in obsequiously. ¡°Daddy, are you hungry? Mommy made supper for you!¡± Bruce was stunned. This damn woman wished she could kill him. Why did she think of making his favorite spaghetti? ¡°Daddy, eat it while it¡¯s hot. It won¡¯t taste good when it¡¯s cold! Oh, Mommy instructed me to do this.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Bruce subconsciously touched the tip of his nose and looked atthe spaghetti in shock. From the outside, they looked exactly the same. ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy, try it!¡± Irvin smiled slyly. Her little face, which was like a milk bun, revealed a trace of cunning. Bruce believed him and really thought that Joanna had made it for him. Then, he straightened his back and said with disdain, ¡°Leave it!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Daddy, eat¡± ¡°Alright, you can leave first!¡± Bruce said coldly. Actually, there was already a trace of joy in his heart, but his face was still stinky. He would not lose his prestige in front of his son. Seeing his daddy¡¯s nonchnt expression, Irvin thought that his ttery had failed. ¡°Oh!¡± After leaving the study, Davian hurriedly asked, ¡°How is it? Is Daddy happy?¡± Irvin¡¯s handsome face tensed up and he sighed heavily. ¡°Sigh, Daddy¡¯s reaction is very cold. He doesn¡¯t seem to be very happy!¡± ¡°Davian, do you think this will work?¡± Davian¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. ¡°Is Daddy unhappy?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Daddy might really be angry.¡± In the study. After his son left, Bruce could not help but smile. He could not help but tease, ¡°Heh, women really don¡¯t mean what they say! 10.531 Chapter 447 ¡°She regrets for being mean to him now.¡± Bruce stirred the spaghetti. Swith his fork and smelled it. It was still a familiar smell! It had been a few days since hest ate spaghetti made by Joanna. He really missed it. Then, he couldn¡¯t wait to take a big bite! As soon as he ate it, he frowned slightly. He felt that the taste was a little different from before. It was obvious that the sauce was thicker. And there seemed to be too much salt. However, on second thought, it was normall It was possible that Joanna was still angry and deliberately added another spoonful of salt! ¡°Hehe, woman!¡± Bruce thought. Bruce shook his head and smiled awkwardly. He guessed that Joanna couldn¡¯t wait to reconcile. ¡°Hmph, since you¡¯ve lowered your head. I have to put on airs. I¡¯ll let you know that I¡¯m not an easy man to coax. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you still dare to mess with me like this in the future¡­¡± Bruce really thought that it was Joanna¡¯s cook. So after being gloomy for days, he felt much brighter. After eating the spaghetti, Bruce moved a little. He looked at his watch. It was almost midnight. He was thinking wether to sleep in the bedroom today. *No, no. If I take the initiative to go back to the room, she would think that I am apologizing. ¡°No, I¡¯ll wait for her to beg me to go back.¡± Bruce automatically imagined Joanna begging for his forgiveness pitifully. Then, he returned to the guest room to slept there. Davian and Irvin had been staring at him sneakily. ¡°How is it? Did Daddy go back to Mommy¡¯s room?¡± ¡°No, Daddy seems to have gone back to the guest room to sleep.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Davian was also uncertain! ¡°I told you, it won¡¯t work!¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s go into the study and see if Daddy has eaten it!¡± ¡°Okay.. ¡°If Daddy ate them, it proves that this method is definitely working. If Daddy didn¡¯t eat it, it means we failed and. We¡¯ll think of another way!¡± The two little fellows crept into the study! Bruce finieshe the spegetti The bowa was still on the desk! Someone would clean up tomorrow, so it was impossible for him to wash the dishes himself. ¡°Look, Daddy finished the noodles!¡± Seeing this, Davian giggled. ¡°Haha, this proves that it¡¯s definitely useful!¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t Daddy go back to the bedroom to sleep?¡± ¡°He is shy. We¡¯ll continue tomorrow!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± The two little guys finally rxed and tiptoed back to their room to sleep. The next day! At 7:30 A.M. Joanna woke up early in the morning. The servants had also prepared breakfast. The two little guys had been busy for most of the nightst night, so they stayed in bed today. ¡°Davian, Irvin, it¡¯s gettingte. Hurry up and get up.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with these two little guys? It¡¯s already sote. Why aren¡¯t they getting up?¡± Joanna frowned and went straight to Davian and Irvin¡¯s rooms. Chapter 4-47 The two little guys were still lying on the bed, sleeping soundly. ¡°Hurry up and get up, you twozy pigs. What¡¯s going on today? It¡¯s already half past seven, why aren¡¯t you getting up?¡± ¡°Ohl¡± The two little guys were woken up. They yawned sleepily, looking like they were not sleepy enough. Joanna picked up the two little guys and urged them to brush their teeth and wash their faces. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday!¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat breakfast. Don¡¯t beteter.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± After the two little guys washed up, they sat at the dining table and ate breakfast with listless expressions! While eating breakfast, Bruce walked out of the room. When he passed by the dining room, he subconsciously slowed down. ¡°Good morning, Daddy!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Daddy, do you want to have breakfast together?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed as he subconsciously walked towards the dining table. He thought to himself, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll give this damn woman a chance to show off. Otherwise, she¡¯ll think that I¡¯m still angry.¡± Bruce deliberately pulled a long face and sat at the dining table, waiting for Joanna to take the initiative to say sorry. Then, he could take advantage of the situation. Seeing that Bruce had sat down for breakfast today, Joanna frowned and stood up to walk to the side! ¡°You two, hurry up and eat. After you¡¯re done, hurry up and go to school. After saying this, Joanna went upstairs without looking back. Bruce frowned as he watched Joanna leave. This damn woman! Last night, she cooked for him but this moreing, she was ignoring him again. On second thought, it was also possible that she was probablyvshy. No matter what, he was not in the mood to eat breakfast. Then, he got up resentfully and prepared to go to work. ¡°Bye, Daddy!¡± Bruce and the children left. Joanna then came down from upstairs and prepared to go to the hospital. Coincidentally, Roxanne came over again. ¡°Sister, I¡¯m going to work too!¡± ¡°Yes, are you used to working at the Garcia Group?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Roxanne smiled. ¡°It¡¯s quite good. Joannna, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t like, let me know.¡± ¡°I got it!¡± After packing up, Joanna also drove to the hospital to apany his daughter. At 8:30 AM. At The Garcia Group. Roxanne had already been working for a week. He had not done much during this week. It was mainly to help Zachary make coffee and senddocuments. ¡°The Garcia Group, here¡¯s your coffee.¡± Roxanne Haynes made the coffee as usual and brought it to Zachary ¡°Leave it!¡± Roxanne was about to ce the coffee on the table when Zachary asually raised his hand. Immediately, a cup of hot coffee was spilled, and the hot coffee sshed on Zachary Garcia. Roxanne was terrified and quickly apologized. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Zachary smiled ambiguously. ¡°It¡¯s okay, did you get scalded?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Let me see. Your hand is already red!¡± ¡°I¡¯m really fine!¡± Zachary immediately stood up and took the opportunity to walk around Roxanne¡¯s shoulder with one hand and hold her hand with the other to check! ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯m really fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Mr. Garcia, if there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯ll go out first.¡± Roxanne looked reserved and nervous. She pushed Zachary¡¯s hand away and ran out of the office. Zachary smiled even more suggestively as he watched Roxanne escape. He had a reputation as a notorious yboy in Greyport, and he prided himself on his ability to woo women. Compared to him, both Bruce and Jaydon were amateurs in the art of seduction. He knew all the tricks and techniques to make a woman fall for him, and he enjoyed the thrill of the chase. No woman could escape his hands. He had affairs with all his secretaries but never got himself into trouble. ¡°Hehe, nice. I must take you down within a month.¡± He thought to himself. As Roxanne left the office, she couldn¡¯t help but nce back at the office, a peculiar expression flickering in her eyes. The best hunters would appear in the form of prey. Zachary wanted to woo her, and she also wanted to get Zachary However, Roxanne understood that things that came too easily were often not cherished as much. If she wanted a man to truly fall in love with her, she needed to maintain an air of mystery and keep him in suspense. He would only cherish her more after putting a lot of effort into chasing her. Ingrid had been teaching her these methods since she was young. However, there were exceptions to everything, such as Bruce! In the past, she used the same trick on Bruce. At first, it was very useful. However,ter on, Bruce actually lost interest in her! This unforeseen turn of events caught Roxanne off guard, but it served as a valuable lesson for her. She knew she couldn¡¯t afford to make the same mistake again. Now that she was dealing with Zachary. Failure was not an option. In the blink of an eye, a day had passed. In the evening! Bruce came back early that day. At 6:30 pm, they had dinner as usual. The two little guys were already impatiently sitting around the dining table. Bruce also sat down. Seeing that Brace was downstairs, Joanna decided not to go downstairs. ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll go call Mommy for dinner!¡± Irvin was smart. He quickly ran upstairs to call Mommy. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± ¡°I am not hungry. You guys eat!¡± ¡°Mommy,e down and eat with us!¡± ¡°Hurry up and go down! I have something to deal with. Go have dinner.¡± Irvin couldn¡¯t convince her mommy. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Back downstairs! ¡°Where¡¯s Mommy?¡± ¡°She said she is not hungry and ask us to eat first. We don¡¯t have to wait for her.¡± Chapter 448 ¡°Phew!¡± Bruce took a deep breath. He was so angry that his heart ached. This damn woman was pissing him off. Ever since he was young, he had been the controller. He never failed to handle anyone or anything. However, when it came to Joanna, he failed again and again. This sense of defeat and loss really drove him crazy. ¡°Daddy, why don¡¯t we cat first¡­¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce was so angry that he couldn¡¯t eat anymore. He stood up and left the dining table. ¡°Davian, what should we do? It seems like both Daddy and Mommy are unwilling topromise,¡± Irvin pondered. ¡°Sigh, let¡¯s think of a way to persuade Mommy first,¡± Davian muttered. ¡°Yes¡­¡± At 10 p.m. Irvin carefully prepared another te of spaghetti and carried it to the study. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s me, Irvin!¡± *Come in!¡± Irvin pushed open the door and walked in. Bruce frowned. ¡°It¡¯ste. Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡± Irvin swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said carefully, ¡°Oh, Mommy was afraid that you would be hungry, so she specially made this for you.¡± As he spoke, Irvin presented the spaghetti to Bruce as if he was presenting a treasure. Bruce frowned, not knowing what was going on. Was she trying to coax him? Usually, he was used to treating others this way. Now that others were treating him like this, he was really not used to it. ¡°Daddy, you didn¡¯t even eat dinner. Mommy was afraid that you would be hungry, so she specially made spaghetti for you! Look, she cares about you so much.¡± Bruce held his breath and stared at Irvin suspiciously. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t she send it over herself?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­¡± Irvin stammered, not knowing how to answer. ¡°Go out!¡± ¡°Oh, oh. Dad, hurry up and eat while it¡¯s still hot. I¡¯ll go back now,¡± Irvin said, pretending to be in a hurry, He quickly ced the te of spaghetti in front of his father and dashed away before Bruce could say anything else. Looking at the steaming te of spaghetti, Bruce felt a mix of emotions. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Joanna was thinking and what her intentions were. The uncertainty gnawed at him, leaving him perplexed and uneasy. Was she asking for peate? Or¡­ was she treating him as a creditor and doing her duty? ¡°Gulp!¡± Bruce hadn¡¯t eaten at night, so he was still very hungry. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to think too much about it and sat down to eat. In the room. The two little fellows were still nning. ¡°How about we write a love letter to Mommy in Daddy¡¯s name?¡± Irvin suggested. ¡°Huh? Daddy¡¯s handwriting is so beautiful. How can we imitate it?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? We can print it!¡± When Davian heard this, he pondered for a moment before speaking with a hint of concern. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, but do you know how to write a love letter?¡± ¡°We can copy it online and then print it with Daddy¡¯s name on it!¡± Chapter 448 ¡°That¡¯s true! Let¡¯s do it!¡± The two little fellows did as they said! They searched for love letters and jokes online, pieced them together and wrote a love letter, and printed it. In the end, they drew a big heart on it with a red pen and wrote Bruce¡¯s name on it. ¡°Let¡¯s stick this love letter in Mommy¡¯s room. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be thrilled to wake up and find Daddy¡¯s heartfelt message, Irvin suggested with a mischievous grin. ¡°Hehe! As long as Mommy is happy, she will definitely forgive Daddy. Then everything will be fine.¡± The two little guys printed the love letter and stuffed it into Joanna¡¯s room obediently. The next day! Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Joanna woke up. She was about to open the door when she saw an envelope on the door. ¡°What is this?¡± Joanna was suspicious. She bent down and picked it up! The envelope was very beautiful, and there was a big heart drawn on it! She opened it and saw that it was a love letter. ¡°My dearest wife, I missed you so muchst night! ¡°My dearest wife, I take full responsibility for my actions. I sincerely apologize to you. Please find it in your heart to forgive your devoted husband. I promise that I will never upset you again. You are the only one I love with all my heart. You are my angel¡­¡± The love letters were filled with yful and lighthearted pickup lines and jokes. Joanna waspletely speechless. Moreover, this love letter was printed. However, Joanna didn¡¯t doubt him. After all, Bruce was capable of doing anything. However, she did not expect him to use such a disgusting method. ¡°Davian, how do you think Mommy will react when she sees the love letter?¡± ¡°Women like to hear sweet words. We prised her so well. She must be happy. And she will forgive Daddy. ¡°We¡¯ll look for more sweet words online today. We have to make Mommy be immersed in love.¡± ¡°Haha! Good n!¡± ¡°From now on, let¡¯s write love letters to Mommy every day in Daddy¡¯s name, and we¡¯ll make spaghetti for Daddy under Mommy¡¯s name.¡± ¡°They will eventually forgive each other, there¡¯s no doubt. We¡¯re geniuses!¡± For the next three days, the two little guys were extremely busy. They wrote more letters and sent them to Joanna¡¯s room. And Irvin cooked spaghetti for Bruce every day. On the fourth day, Bruce couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Joanna, I think we need to talk!¡± ¡°Yup. I feel the same.¡± Joanna also looked at Bruce angrily! ¡°You go first¡± ¡°You go first!¡± ¡°What the hell do you mean?¡± ¡°Heh, I should be the one asking you that. What the hell are you doing?¡± Chapter 449 Chapter 449 Chapter 449 Bruce frowned slightly and stared at Joanna¡¯s eyes with aplicated gaze. He wished he could see through her mind. Since she loved him, why did she have to keep messing around with him? She only needed to take one step toward him, and he would take the rest ny¨Cnine steps. Unfortunately, she was always distant from him. She treated him nicely but coldly at the same time. He really had no idea of what she wanted. ¡°Stop writing those things to me. No matter how many letters you write, I won¡¯t forgive you!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was filled with anger and resentment as she waved the love letter in her hand. Bruce did not understand what she was saying. He took two steps forward and trapped her in the circle of his arms. ¡°Joanna, you clearly love me. Can you stop ying hard to get?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sick!¡± Before she could finish, Bruce held his breath and lowered his head to kiss her forcefully. ¡°You really need a lesson.¡± ¡°Ah! Let go¡­¡± ¡°p!¡± Joanna raised her hand and pped Bruce. Bruce¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. He was about to go crazy from the torture. Then, he nailed her arm to the wall. ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡± Joanna stared at him fiercely. Bruce took a few deep breaths and forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart. ¡°Joanna, can you stop messing around? I¡¯m really tired. Can we just enjoy our life? Let bygones be bygones! ¡°I¡¯ve been humbled enough in front of you just to get you back. What else do you want me to do? Can¡¯t you feel my love? Shall I take out my heart so you¡¯ll see how much I love you?¡± Bruce was really tired. His eyes were filled with fatigue and grievance. Joanna sneered coldly, feeling even more puzzled. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re really interesting. Am I messing around? What have I done? ¡°Get me back? Hehe, you¡¯re really kind. Should I be grateful to you?¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat. He didn¡¯t know what to say. She had got a much sharper tongue, not giving him any face at all. ¡°You set trap after trap for me to fall into. You took the Haynes Group for granted, forced me to sign a binding contract, and now you¡¯re pretending to love me? Don¡¯t you find it ironic?¡± Bruce choked and pursed his thin lips! He admitted that what he did was a little too much. He shouldn¡¯t have yed too many tricks on her. To him, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem. If the Haynes Group went bankrupt, he could invest in it. Tens of millions of dors was nothing to him. As long as she loved him and was willing to remarry him, he would share everything with her. He didn¡¯t understand why she cared about the Haynes Group so much. It didn¡¯t make sense to him. ¡°Furthermore, I am not your punching bag, not someone you can hit or scold whenever you please. Bruce, you have no concept of respect. You are arrogantly assuming that everyone is your servant. I simply cannot tolerate your behavior any longer.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached again. His tone softened as he reached out to hug her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have hit you that day. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry. If there¡¯s anything that bothers you in the future, please don¡¯t hesitate to let me know. ¡°Or what do you want me to do? Just tell me directly. You have to give me time to slowly change, okay? Can you stop being cold?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I have nothing more to say to you!¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t write such boring things again.¡± With that, Joanna pushed him away and threw the love letters to him. Bruce frowned. When he looked at them, he waspletely speechless. ¡°I didn¡¯t write them.¡± Chapter 449 ¡°Who else could have done it?¡± Joanna frowned. Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I really didn¡¯t write them! Besides, who would print a love letter?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she quickly understood. This must have been done by Davian and Irvin.. In the corner of the living room, the two little guys were peeping at their daddy and mommy arguing, their butts sticking out. Irvin looked nervous. ¡°Oh no! Daddy and Mommy seem to have found out. What should we do?¡± Davian¡¯s expression was also solemn. He did not know how to end this. When Bruce and Joanna heard the noise, they subconsciously turned around and saw the two little guys sneaking around. ¡°Boys,e here.¡± Seeing that they had been discovered, the two little fellows did not dare to hide anymore and could only dawdle over. ¡°Daddy, Mommy¡­¡± Joanna looked at the two little guys solemnly. ¡°What exactly is going on? Did you write these letters?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even angrier. ¡°Why did you do this?¡± Davian pursed his lips and said hesitantly, ¡°We¡­ just want Daddy and Mommy to reconcile.¡± Bruce and Joanna were shocked when they heard that. They looked at the two little guys in disbelief. Davian and Irvin lowered their heads timidly. ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want you and Daddy to be separated. We are afraid of losing you. That¡¯s why we wrote you letters and cooked Daddy spaghetti. ¡°What? You guys made the spaghetti?¡± Bruce was shocked. ¡°That¡¯s right. We just want you guys to stop being mad at each other.¡± The two little fellows¡® eyes were filled with tears. Joanna felt a lump in her throat. Irvin sniffled and said with a sobbing tone, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, can you stop fighting? ¡°We really want us to live together forever. Mommy, Daddy, Davian, Lilia, and me.¡± When Bruce and Joanna heard this, their hearts ached. Joanna took a deep breath and squatted down to gently wipe away Irvin¡¯s tears. ¡°Stop crying. Go back to sleep!¡± ¡°Joanna, do you see that? Even if it¡¯s for the sake of the children, can you stop being angry?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes stung. She felt indescribably ufortable! The children were indeed her weakness! For the sake of the children, it didn¡¯t matter how much she sacrificed. However, the wound in her heart was too heavy. She really could notpletely forgive Bruce. ¡°Can you?¡± The three of them asked in unison as they looked at Joanna expectantly. ¡°I am not fighting with your Daddy! We were just discussing a problem. No matter what, we will always love you.¡± Joanna smiled and conforted them against her will. ¡°We don¡¯t believe you!¡± The two little guys pouted. They weren¡¯t so easy to fool. ¡°Then can you guys hug?¡± Joanna sighed slightly and subconsciously nced at Bruce. Bruce¡¯s eyes were also extremely red as he looked at the three of them warmly. Then, the two of them hugged gently. Joanna only wanted to put on an act, but Bruce tightened her arms, making her bones ache. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Daddy and Mommy are finally back together. We¡¯re finally relieved.¡± Then hurry up and go back to sleep!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The two little guys smiled through their tears and returned to their rooms in satisfaction. After the children left, Joanna punched Bruce¡¯s chest. Chapter 449 ¡°You can let go now.¡± Bruce loosened his grip slightly and looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes gently and passionately. ¡°Look, the children are more sensible than you.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Bruce, in front of the children. We¡¯ll try our best to look intimate. For the rest of the time, we¡¯ll do as¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce lost control of himself. He bent down and picked her up domineeringly. Then, he walked towards the room. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? Put me down¡± Joanna was shocked and panicked as she tried to resist. Unfortunately, his arms were like steel pincers, trapping her in his embrace. He carried her back to the bedroom. Bruce hugged her and they fell heavily into the soft bed. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re driving me crazy. I have to collect some interest today.¡± Joanna panicked and hit him with all her might. ¡°Ahly You¡¯re crazy. Calm down¡­¡± His strong and passionate kiss shut her up. ¡°I¡¯m crazy. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t help but love you. ¡°Joanna, you won¡¯t be able to escape for the rest of your life. You¡¯re mine. You have no choice but to love me. ¡°Say you love me, say it.¡± ¡°Ah! No, Bruce, you bastard¡­¡± Because he had suppressed it for too long, he was especially excited. The room was aze with passion. Chapter 450 Chapter 450 Chapter 450 The servants also returned to their rooms consciously, not daring to disturb them. Other than the master bedroom, the entire mansion seemed to be quiet. Roxanne quietly came to the living room and saw that the study door was open and the light inside was still on. Seeing this, Roxanne¡¯s heart was beating fast. Thest time she entered Bruce¡¯s study, she found nothing. Later, she never had a chance to go in again. But now, looking around, there was no one. Roxanne sneaked into the study. After searching around. Roxanne saw a stack of documents on the desk. She picked it up and was instantly delighted. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s the addendum to the Green Bay Property contract!¡± Bruce was flipping through the contract¡¯s addendum. As he argued with Joanna, he did not have the time to put it back in the safe. Roxanne hurriedly took out her phone and took pictures of the ten¨Cpage contract. Then, she quietly sorted out the contract and slipped out of the study. ¡°With this document, I can learn more inside information!¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to ruin your reputation this time. Roxanne said viciously. Because the study was bugged, she recorded snippets of the phone conversation between Bruce and Porash. Although there was no conclusive evidence yet, judging from their conversation, it could determine that Bruce had signs of bribery. The next day. Joanna was still sleeping when Bruce woke up. The soft hair covered half of her beautiful face. She looked like a small and fluffy cat. She was exhausted. No woman could withstand Bruce¡¯s strength and frenzy. Every time after having sex with him, it was as if all her energy had been drained. Her entire body was limp and weak. She had to sleep for a long time before she could recover. Looking at Joanna, who was still sleeping soundly, Bruce was satisfied. He gently kissed her forehead again and again. It was broad daylight, but he did not want to get up. Beep, beep, beep! His private phone rang. Bruce was afraid of waking Joanna, so he quickly muted the phone. Then, he picked up the phone and left the bedroom. ¡°Hello!¡± Andy¡¯s anxious and careful voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s already half past nine. Are you still not at thepany?¡± Bruce was stunned. Only then did he remember that he had an important meeting today. In addition to thepany¡¯s top management, the partners would alsoe to the Everett Group for a meeting ¡°Please greet them first. I¡¯ll go to thepany now!¡± ¡°Okay, well noted.¡± Bruce hung up the phone and hurriedly returned to his bedroom to change his clothes. He washed up briefly and went to the office. In the conference room of the Everett Group. All the executives had arrived. More than ten partners and shareholders had been waiting for more than 20 minutes. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett here yet?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t take us seriously. There are so many people waiting for him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. His time management is bad. He said the meeting would start at nine o¡¯clock, but it was already past ten o¡¯clock. There¡¯s still no sign of him.¡± The business partners couldn¡¯t help butin. They were all well¨Cknown businessmen in Greyport. Many of them were from Bruce¡¯s father¡¯s generation. Now being suppressed by a junior, it was inevitable that there would be resentment. Chapter 450 In addition, Bruce had a bad temper and never took these old fellows seriously. It was conceivable that he had made many enemies. These people did not dare confront Bruce head¨Con on the surface, but many people wanted his downfall behind his back. Andy wasforting everyone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s a traffic jam on the way. Mr. Everett will be here soon. Please calm down.¡± ¡°Traffic jam? Can¡¯t he leave earlier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if there¡¯s a traffic jam, it¡¯s impossible to be stuck for nearly two hours.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and urge him again. Please be patient and wait.¡± Andy left the office, looking like he was going crazy. Mark also looked anxious. ¡°Andy, what¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett here yet?¡± ¡°How would I know? I called Mr. Everett, and it took me a long time to get through¡± ¡°Hurry up and rush him again. These old fellows are about to flip out.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Andy quickly called Bruce. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, where are you? The partners are already angry and are moring to leave!¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost there! Please hold them off a little longer. Tell them I¡¯m downstairs.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the conference room. The shareholders could not sit still anymore. ¡°How can this happen? Mr. Everett is almost two hours late for such an important meeting.¡± ¡°I feel that Mr. Everett is deliberately leaving us here. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m not attending the meeting anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving too!¡± ¡°Dear directors, Mr. Everett is already downstairs. Please wait a moment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been two hours. Even if he¡¯s the president of the country, he can¡¯t keep us waiting.¡± More than ten shareholders stood up one after another and were about to leave. The next second, Bruce pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte!¡± Bruce rushed over. Seeing that Bruce had arrived, the originally indignant partners instantly smiled again. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Everyone is quite worried. We thought something had happened to Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened slightly as he walked toward the front of the conference table. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯re officially starting the meeting now.¡± More than ten business partners and shareholders nced at each other before taking their seats. They only dared toin in private. In front of Bruce, they didn¡¯t even dare to make a sound. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to everyone about the Green Bay project.¡± ¡°This project will take at least 15 years to develop, and the investment is rtively huge. Everyone can voice out their opinions.¡± A business partner quickly ttered, ¡°I don¡¯t have any opinions. We¡¯ll listen to Mr. Everett. We¡¯ll do whatever Mr. Everett says.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We all have to rely on Mr. Everett to make us rich!¡± The others were also ttered. Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna slept until 11 o¡¯clock before waking up in a daze. She had never had the habit of sleeping in unless Bruce had been having sex with her the night before. ¡°Oh no, why did I sleep sote?¡± Joanna hurriedly got up. Her waist and legs were so sore. After leaving the room, the servants greeted her with a smile, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re up.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes¡­¡± Joanna replied vaguely. Chapter 450 ¡°Madam, the breakfast is ready.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll skip the breakfast. I still have to look at Lilia¡¯s medical report today. It¡¯s almost noon now. I can¡¯t be late.¡± Joanna went rushing to the hospital after a simple wash. Half an hourter. Children¡¯s hospital. In the ward, Lilia was already waiting anxiously. Usually, her mommy woulde to apany her at around nine o¡¯clock. However, it was almost noon, and Mommy was still not there. When it was almost noon, Joanna finally arrived, panting. ¡°Lilia. I¡¯mte.¡± ¡°Mommy, why did youe sote today?¡± ¡°Oh. Mommy slepttest night.¡± Lilia nced at her mommy and saw bruises on Joanna¡¯s fair neck. She could not help but turn pale. ¡°Mommy, why are there so many purple marks on your neck?¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna subconsciously touched her neck. Needless to say, it must have been left by Bruce. The bloody bastard loved this the most. She had left in a hurry and forgot to wear a silk scarf. ¡°Mommy, does it hurt?¡± Joanna replied embarrassedly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted toe and see me with Daddy? ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she smiled gently. ¡°Daddy is busy.¡± As she spoke, the doctor pushed open the door and entered. ¡°Dr. yton!¡± Lilia greeted him sweetly. Jordan also smiled kindly and came to the bed to tease Lilia. Then, he looked at Joanna seriously. ¡°Miss Haynes, please follow me to the office. I want to talk to you about Lilia¡¯s condition.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Lilia, Mommy will be back soon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia nodded obediently. Jordan brought Joanna to the office. ¡°Miss Haynes, I have bad news for you. You have to calm down and be mentally prepared.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank. She sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°Tell me. I can take it!¡± Jordan adjusted his sses and frowned. ¡°The test results for Lilia are out. The results are not ideal¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at the doctor uneasily. ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡± ¡°Lilia¡¯s leukemia has rpsed. She might need a second round of chemotherapy and a second bone marrow transnt.¡± Comment Chapter 450 Chapter 450 The servants also returned to their rooms consciously, not daring to disturb them. Other than the master bedroom, the entire mansion seemed to be quiet. Roxanne quietly came to the living room and saw that the study door was open and the light inside was still on. Seeing this, Roxanne¡¯s heart was beating fast. Thest time she entered Bruce¡¯s study, she found nothing. Later, she never had a chance to go in again. But now, looking around, there was no one. Roxanne sneaked into the study. After searching around. Roxanne saw a stack of documents on the desk. She picked it up and was instantly delighted. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s the addendum to the Green Bay Property contract!¡± Bruce was flipping through the contract¡¯s addendum. As he argued with Joanna, he did not have the time to put it back in the safe. Roxanne hurriedly took out her phone and took pictures of the ten¨Cpage contract. Then, she quietly sorted out the contract and slipped out of the study. ¡°With this document, I can learn more inside information!¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to ruin your reputation this time. Roxanne said viciously. Because the study was bugged, she recorded snippets of the phone conversation between Bruce and Porash. Although there was no conclusive evidence yet, judging from their conversation, it could determine that Bruce had signs of bribery. The next day. Joanna was still sleeping when Bruce woke up. The soft hair covered half of her beautiful face. She looked like a small and fluffy cat. She was exhausted. No woman could withstand Bruce¡¯s strength and frenzy. Every time after having sex with him, it was as if all her energy had been drained. Her entire body was limp and weak. She had to sleep for a long time before she could recover. Looking at Joanna, who was still sleeping soundly, Bruce was satisfied. He gently kissed her forehead again and again. It was broad daylight, but he did not want to get up. Beep, beep, beep! His private phone rang. Bruce was afraid of waking Joanna, so he quickly muted the phone. Then, he picked up the phone and left the bedroom. ¡°Hello!¡± Andy¡¯s anxious and careful voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s already half past nine. Are you still not at thepany?¡± Bruce was stunned. Only then did he remember that he had an important meeting today. In addition to thepany¡¯s top management, the partners would alsoe to the Everett Group for a meeting ¡°Please greet them first. I¡¯ll go to thepany now!¡± ¡°Okay, well noted.¡± Bruce hung up the phone and hurriedly returned to his bedroom to change his clothes. He washed up briefly and went to the office. In the conference room of the Everett Group. All the executives had arrived. More than ten partners and shareholders had been waiting for more than 20 minutes. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett here yet?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t take us seriously. There are so many people waiting for him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. His time management is bad. He said the meeting would start at nine o¡¯clock, but it was already past ten o¡¯clock. There¡¯s still no sign of him.¡± The business partners couldn¡¯t help butin. They were all well¨Cknown businessmen in Greyport. Many of them were from Bruce¡¯s father¡¯s generation. Now being suppressed by a junior, it was inevitable that there would be resentment. Chapter 450 R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only In addition, Bruce had a bad temper and never took these old fellows seriously. It was conceivable that he had made many enemies. These people did not dare confront Bruce head¨Con on the surface, but many people wanted his downfall behind his back. Andy wasforting everyone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s a traffic jam on the way. Mr. Everett will be here soon. Please calm down.¡± ¡°Traffic jam? Can¡¯t he leave earlier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if there¡¯s a traffic jam, it¡¯s impossible to be stuck for nearly two hours.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and urge him again. Please be patient and wait.¡± Andy left the office, looking like he was going crazy. Mark also looked anxious. ¡°Andy, what¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett here yet?¡± ¡°How would I know? I called Mr. Everett, and it took me a long time to get through¡± ¡°Hurry up and rush him again. These old fellows are about to flip out.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Andy quickly called Bruce. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, where are you? The partners are already angry and are moring to leave!¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost there! Please hold them off a little longer. Tell them I¡¯m downstairs.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the conference room. The shareholders could not sit still anymore. ¡°How can this happen? Mr. Everett is almost two hours late for such an important meeting.¡± ¡°I feel that Mr. Everett is deliberately leaving us here. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m not attending the meeting anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving too!¡± ¡°Dear directors, Mr. Everett is already downstairs. Please wait a moment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been two hours. Even if he¡¯s the president of the country, he can¡¯t keep us waiting.¡± More than ten shareholders stood up one after another and were about to leave. The next second, Bruce pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte!¡± Bruce rushed over. Seeing that Bruce had arrived, the originally indignant partners instantly smiled again. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Everyone is quite worried. We thought something had happened to Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened slightly as he walked toward the front of the conference table. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯re officially starting the meeting now.¡± More than ten business partners and shareholders nced at each other before taking their seats. They only dared toin in private. In front of Bruce, they didn¡¯t even dare to make a sound. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to everyone about the Green Bay project.¡± ¡°This project will take at least 15 years to develop, and the investment is rtively huge. Everyone can voice out their opinions.¡± A business partner quickly ttered, ¡°I don¡¯t have any opinions. We¡¯ll listen to Mr. Everett. We¡¯ll do whatever Mr. Everett says.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We all have to rely on Mr. Everett to make us rich!¡± The others were also ttered. Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna slept until 11 o¡¯clock before waking up in a daze. She had never had the habit of sleeping in unless Bruce had been having sex with her the night before. ¡°Oh no, why did I sleep sote?¡± Joanna hurriedly got up. Her waist and legs were so sore. After leaving the room, the servants greeted her with a smile, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re up.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes¡­¡± Joanna replied vaguely. Chapter 450 ¡°Madam, the breakfast is ready.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll skip the breakfast. I still have to look at Lilia¡¯s medical report today. It¡¯s almost noon now. I can¡¯t be late.¡± Joanna went rushing to the hospital after a simple wash. Half an hourter. Children¡¯s hospital. In the ward, Lilia was already waiting anxiously. Usually, her mommy woulde to apany her at around nine o¡¯clock. However, it was almost noon, and Mommy was still not there. When it was almost noon, Joanna finally arrived, panting. ¡°Lilia. I¡¯mte.¡± ¡°Mommy, why did youe sote today?¡± ¡°Oh. Mommy slepttest night.¡± Lilia nced at her mommy and saw bruises on Joanna¡¯s fair neck. She could not help but turn pale. ¡°Mommy, why are there so many purple marks on your neck?¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna subconsciously touched her neck. Needless to say, it must have been left by Bruce. The bloody bastard loved this the most. She had left in a hurry and forgot to wear a silk scarf. ¡°Mommy, does it hurt?¡± Joanna replied embarrassedly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted toe and see me with Daddy? ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she smiled gently. ¡°Daddy is busy.¡± As she spoke, the doctor pushed open the door and entered. ¡°Dr. yton!¡± Lilia greeted him sweetly. Jordan also smiled kindly and came to the bed to tease Lilia. Then, he looked at Joanna seriously. ¡°Miss Haynes, please follow me to the office. I want to talk to you about Lilia¡¯s condition.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Lilia, Mommy will be back soon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia nodded obediently. Jordan brought Joanna to the office. ¡°Miss Haynes, I have bad news for you. You have to calm down and be mentally prepared.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank. She sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°Tell me. I can take it!¡± Jordan adjusted his sses and frowned. ¡°The test results for Lilia are out. The results are not ideal¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at the doctor uneasily. ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡± ¡°Lilia¡¯s leukemia has rpsed. She might need a second round of chemotherapy and a second bone marrow transnt.¡± Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Boom! Joanna¡¯s vision darkened, and she almost lost her bnce. The doctor paused before continuing. ¡°It¡¯s still early now. The chances of recovery are still rtively high. Hurry up and discuss with Mr. Everett to confirm the treatment n.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Joanna lost all her strength, and she could not function well. She almost missed what the doctor said next. After leaving the doctor¡¯s office, Joanna sat helplessly on a chair in the corridor. She could not recover for a long time. After more than twenty minutes, Joanna¡¯s chaotic heart finally calmed down a little. She took out her phone with trembling hands and dialed Bruce¡¯s number. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce was still in a meeting. When he saw it was Joanna calling, his eyes darkened, and he said to everyone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m going to take a call.¡± After speaking, he picked up the phone and walked straight out of the office. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was trembling. Bruce took a deep breath and asked gently. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna gasped and said nothing, tears rolling down her cheeks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Bruce asked gently. Joanna tried to calm herself down and said sadly, ¡°Bruce,e to the hospital now!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything and just sobbed silently. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling. Tm in a meeting now. I¡¯ll go over immediately after the meeting.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± In the conference room. Some shareholders startedining again. ¡°Why did Mr. Everett go out again?¡± ¡°Whose call is so important? He left us here again.¡± A short and chubby shareholder teased resentfully, ¡°Stopining. Who asked him to be the shareholder who owns most of the shares? We can only listen to him.¡± ¡°Sigh. This is bad.¡± As they were talking, Bruce returned. His expression was much gloomier. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, where was the discussion just now?¡± Bruce sat back on the main seat and asked with a frown. The secretary quickly reminded him, ¡°Oh, we were just talking about financing!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Everyone can continue to voice out their opinions.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, this is how I see financing¡­¡± A few higher¨Cups expressed their opinions one after another. Bruce, on the other hand, was distracted. The meeting that was supposed tost three hours ended half an hour earlier. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today¡¯s meeting. If anyone has any different opinions, you can go back and write a proposal and submit 1. it. ¡°Goodbye, everyone.¡± As soon as the meeting ended, Bruce left thepany and rushed to the hospital. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Mr. Everett? He waste, and now he¡¯s in a hurry to end the meeting.¡± ¡°Who knows? Mr. Everett has always been going his way. Nobody dares to say anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett is no different from a ruthless king! It¡¯s infuriating to work with him.¡± 10.555 Chapter 431 ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Some shareholders were not happy with Bruce to start with Now, they were even more resentful. Half an hourter. Bruce rushed to the children¡¯s hospital. At the door of the ward, Joanna was waiting for him. ¡°Jesanna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. When she saw Bruce, her tears flowed uncontrobly. ¡°Bruce, the test results for Lilia are out.¡± Looking at Joanna¡¯s sorrowful expression, Bruce¡¯s heart turned cold. He tried his best tofort her. ¡°Tell me! I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°The doctor said that Lilia¡¯s leukemia has rpsed. She might have to undergo another chemotherapy and bone marrow transnt.¡± After saying that, Joanna could not help buit cry. When Bruce heard this, he took a few consecutive deep breaths. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. What did the doctor say?¡± Joama¡¯s thin shoulders trembled as she sobbed. She could not say a word. Bruce took a step forward and held her tightly in his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t be so worried. Medicine is so advanced now. There won¡¯t be any problems. ¡°If Lilia¡¯s illness could be curedst time, it will be cured this time.¡± When Joanna heard this, she cried even harder. The leukemia her daughter hadst time almost killed her! The second rpse was even more dangerous. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just another bone marrow transnt? I can do it!¡± Bruceforted her gently. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she leaned into his arms. Although she hated Bruce to the core, she was extremely grateful for it. He was also a very qualified father. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Our daughter will be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll protect you guys.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Joanna sobbed so hard that she didn¡¯t know what to say. She just leaned into his arms and cried. Why was God so unfair? Why did her daughter suffer so much? ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look at Lilia.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± In the ward. Lilia was still lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by Barbie dolls and cute plush toys. It didn¡¯t look like a ward but like a princess¡¯s castle. ¡°My baby Lilial¡± Bruce pushed open the door and entered. When Lilia saw her daddy, her eyes instantly lit up. She said sweetly, ¡°Daddy, Lilia misses you so much!¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy misses baby Lilia too.¡± Bruce came to the bed and gently bent down to hug his daughter. ¡°Haha!¡± Lughed and hugged his daddy¡¯s neck tightly. Bruce rubbed his daughter¡¯s neck. His face was filled with a gentle and loving smile, but his eyes were extremely red. ¡°Mommy, Daddy is so handsome today.¡± ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Suddenly, Lilia saw her mommy¡¯s red eyes, and her face turned pale. ¡°Mommy, are you crying? Why are your eyes so red?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­ Mommy didn¡¯t cry!¡± Joanna forced a smile. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t hold back her sobs at all. Joanna quickly turned her head away. She did not want her daughter to see her cry. She was even more worried that her daughter would be afraid when she knew her illness had rpsed. Lilia looked at Bruce and asked innocently, ¡°Daddy, why is Mommy crying? Did Daddy make Mommy angry again?¡± Chapter 451 ¡°Maybe because Daddy is too handsome. Mommy cried with joy.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart felt like being cut by a knife, but le still joked gently. ¡°Haha!¡± Lilia was instantly amused. Soon, the treatment n for Lilia was finalized. The first step was to receive chemotherapy. Once her condition was under control, they could proceed with a bone marrow transnt. Because of the chemotherapy, Lilia¡¯s long hair had to be shaved again. On the day of shaving. Davian and Irvin also came to the hospital. When the two little guys learned that their sister was having chemotherapy again, they cried so much. When they arrived at the hospital, the two little guys dared not cry anymore. ¡°Lilia, we¡¯re here to see you.¡± ¡°Brothers, I miss you guys so much.¡± ¡°We missed you too!¡± Davian and Irvin came to the bed with forced smiles and looked at their sister with heartache. Bruce took a deep breath and looked at his daughter with a smile. ¡°Baby Lilia, we¡¯re going to y a game today!¡± ¡°What game?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s shave our heads and y the little elf, okay?¡± Bruce tried his best to speak in a humorous tone. When Lilia heard this, her big eyes instantly dimmed, and the smile on her face disappeared. She said nothing. She had been sick since she was young and had undergone many surgeries, big and small. Before the last chemotherapy, her hair had been shaved off. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, am I going to have surgery again?¡± Lilia¡¯s voice was soft. Her timid appearance made Bruce and Joanna¡¯s hearts ache even more. Bruce gently stroked his daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°My baby, the doctor wants to perform a small surgery on Lilia! After the surgery. Lilia will recover very quickly.¡± Lilia closed her eyes and said, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Lilia doesn¡¯t want to shave. Without hair, I can¡¯t y the role of a little princess.¡± As Lilia spoke, her tears fell, and her small hands tightly protected the ponytail on her head. Davian held his sister¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Lilia, I¡¯ll shave my head with you!¡± Irvin said, ¡°Yes, I will shave my head with you. After shaving, the three of us will be bald together.¡± Bruce also squatted down gently and looked at Lilia with a smile. ¡°Daddy will also shave my head with you, okay? When the timees, we¡¯ll grow hair together. Let¡¯s see whose hair grows first.¡± Chapter 452 Chapter 452 Chapter 452 ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia nodded gently and finally agreed to shave her head. Soon, the nurse took a hair shaver and shaved all of Davian¡¯s hair. Then, she shaved Irvin¡¯s hair as well. ¡°It¡¯s so rxing without hair. It¡¯s so cool!¡± Davian and Irvin rubbed their bald heads and kept teasing their sister. ¡°It¡¯s my turn. Shave my hair too!¡± ¡°Okay. Mr. Everett!¡± After a while, Bruce, Davian, and Irvin¡¯s hair were all shaved. Their heads were smooth. ¡°Haha, Daddy and brothers are like three eggs!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll shave our heads with you. That way, you won¡¯t have to worry about beingughed at!¡± ¡°Come on, Lilia. You¡¯ll recover. After you recover, I¡¯ll take you to ride a horse, make cookies, and pick up seashells by the sea.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal!¡± When the nurse saw this, her eyes could not help but turn red. She gently shaved Lilia¡¯s head. Joanna watched from the side. She bit her lips tightly and held back her tears. Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulders and smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Lilia will survive.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna nodded sadly. ¡°How is it? Am I ugly?¡± Bruce teased and touched his bald head. Joanna nced at him and smiled with tears in her eyes. ¡°Have you been handsome before?¡± Baldness was the standard for testing handsome men. Even though Bruce had shaved all his hair, it still couldn¡¯t hide hispelling handsomeness. He even looked more manly. In less than ten minutes, Lilia¡¯s soft hair was also shaved. Bruce took out his phone and said to the nurse, ¡°Miss, please take a family photo for us!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The nurse quickly took the phone. Joanna hugged Lilia, Davian, and Irvin. Bruce opened his arms and hugged the four of them. The nurse took a family photo of them. ¡°The patient has to undergo all kinds of tests tomorrow. She can¡¯t drink water or eat anything, and Mr. Everett needs a checkup too!¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Previously, Bruce had already transnted bone marrow to Lilia once. Only his bone marrow matched Lilia¡¯s, but more than a year had passed, and he still had to check his body¡¯s indicators. ¡°Bruce, thank you!¡± Joanna sincerely thanked Bruce for his contribution. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? This is our daughter. I¡¯m willing to pay any price.¡± Joanna was extremely touched when she heard that. d Last time, Bruce wanted to transnt the bone marrow to Lilia. However, Margaret obstructed him. In the end, Bruce insisted on having the bone marrow transnt. This time, no one stopped him. Bruce was even more straightforward in transnting his bone marrow to Lilia. Soon, the various checkups werepleted. Lilia¡¯s first cycle of chemotherapy had officially begun. After chemotherapy. Lilia¡¯splications were severe. She couldn¡¯t eat anything, and her entire body was in pain. She vomited countless times every day, and it was ufortable. Bruce also left all his work and apanied his daughter with Joanna in the hospital. For a whole week, neither of them left the hospital. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Bruce had not been to thepany for so many days, and the shareholders and partners were in an uproar. 10.535 Chapter 452 ¡°What¡¯s going on with Mr. Everett? It¡¯s a few billion¨Cdor¡¯s business. He can put it down just like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The total investment of Green Bay is more than a billion¨Cdor. How can he drop such a big business just like that?¡± ¡°This is too willful. If anything goes wrong with this project, we¡¯re all gone.¡± ¡°I heard that Mr. Everett¡¯s daughter is sick. She¡¯s very sick. Mr. Everett is apanying her daughter in the hospital every day.¡± When the other shareholder heard this, heined even more unhappily, ¡°Not to mention that his daughter is sick, even if his mother is sick, he can¡¯t leave the business alone. The Green Bay project is at a critical moment now. How can he let his guard down?¡± ¡°Haha. He¡¯s a loving father. What can we do?¡± The shareholders and partners were full of grievances and resentment. As for Roxanne, she was also looking for evidence of Bruce¡¯s crime. Sherane Bay Vi. Since Bruce and Joanna were not at home, Roxanne had easier ess. On this day, she sneaked into Bruce¡¯s study again. After another search, Roxanne found a stack of transfer records and receipts for various luxury goods under his desk. These documents all showed that they were traded overseas. They should be the evidence that he had bribed someone overseas. ¡°That¡¯s great. With this document and the previous evidence, Bruce will be jailed.¡± ¡°Bruce, just wait. I¡¯ll send you to prison myself.¡± Roxanne quickly kept the receipts and hurriedly left the Sherane Bay Vi. Of course, she couldn¡¯t take down Bruce alone. However, she had support from Bruce¡¯s archenemy, the Yanice Group. The Yanice Group had always been the Everett Group¡¯s biggestpetitor. Unfortunately, they had always been suppressed by the Everett Group. In business, there was no way to suppress Bruce. They could only y dirty tricks behind his back to drag Bruce down. The evidence in Roxanne¡¯s hands, as well as the evidence collected by the croup, were handed over to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Soon, the Independent Commission Against Corruption applied for an investigation order. At the hospital. In the ward, Bruce was apanying Joanna and Lilia. Suddenly, arge group of police officers barged into the ward. ¡°Hello, we¡¯re from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Someone reported the Everett Group for illegal financing and bribery. We need you toe with us to be investigated!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°I want to call mywyer over.¡± ¡°You can hire awyer, but you must go to the public office with us now. This is an investigation order!¡± a police officer said and handed an investigation order to Bruce. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna was instantly shocked. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Bruceforted Joanna before leaving with the people from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. As soon as Bruce was taken away, the news was released. ¡°The Everett Group president was taken away by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Bruce is suspected of moneyundering and illegal financing!¡± ¡°Someone reported Bruce for moneyundering and bribery.¡± In less than three hours, the matter of Bruce being investigated had already be a trending topic. I was clear that someone was adding fuel to the fire. Independent Commission Against Corruption. ¡°Someone reported you for illegal financing and moneyundering!¡± Chapter 452 Im not answering any questions without mywyer.¡± Bruce crossed his arms and looked calm. After all, this was not the first time he had dealt with these people. ¡°You have the right to remain silent, but your every word will be used against you in a court ofw.¡± Bruce had his hands crossed and did not say a word. No matter how the agents asked, he did not say a word. Soon. 24 hours passed. Bruce was also detained for 24 hours by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Due to insufficient evidence and thewyer¡¯s mediation, the Independent Commission Against Corruption had no choice but to release him. As he left, the young director of the Independent Commission Against Corruption said coldly, ¡°Bruce, if youmit a financial crime, I will arrest you personally!¡± Bruce smiled and left. Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna was so anxious that she did not sleep the entire night. ¡°Bruce, how is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it.¡± The Independent Commission Against Corruption even dared to investigate the chief governor, let alone an ordinary person! Dealing with Independent Commission Against Corruption was troublesome if they were investigating someone. ¡°Bruce, did youmit those crimes?¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes narrowed slightly. He did not answer her question directly. ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s not what you expected!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason I don¡¯t want you to go into the business world. There are a lot of unspoken rules you don¡¯t understand.¡± Joanna was silent. Her eyes flickered as she looked at Bruce in disappointment. ¡°If I go to jail one day, you don¡¯t have to do anything. Just go overseas. ¡°I¡¯ve arranged everything overseas. It¡¯s enough for you and the children to live the rest of your lives carefreely.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart instantly turned cold. ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything. I¡¯m just going to prepare for the worst. ¡°I won¡¯t fall so easily. Many people want me to fail and die! But don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let these people have their way.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart was in turmoil! She had paid attention to him in the past and only saw that he was busy. Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Those who lived in the mostpetitive ces could only make themselves stronger. If they took a step back, they would have no foothold. Looking at the faint fatigue hidden in Bruce¡¯s eyes, Joanna¡¯s heart suddenly softened. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes lit up. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t want to part with me?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°How could you still be in the mood to joke at such a critical moment?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not joking! Since things havee to this point, what else can I do? I¡¯ll deal with whateveres my way!¡± Bruce curled his lips and smiled. ¡°Then¡­ Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Joanna was a little afraid that something would happen to Bruce. A person in a high position was liable to be targeted. Bruce was already the richest man in Greyport at such a young age. Behind his back, there were many people who envied him and were jealous of him. There were countless people who wanted to knock him down. ¡°Yes, it would be best if you could make me a bowl of spaghetti.¡± When Joanna heard this, she hurriedly nodded. ¡°Alright, wait for me. I¡¯ll cook it immediately.¡± ¡°Honey, I love you!¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a smile, his eyes filled with love. Joanna was stunned. She did not darken her face this time but went straight into the kitchen. Cooking spaghetti was very simple and it could be done in less than 15 minutes. While cooking the spaghetti, Joanna was distracted from time to time. Even though she hated Bruce, he was still the father of the children. She really didn¡¯t want anything to happen to him. Soon, a bowl of steaming hot spaghetti was ready. Joanna walked out with the spaghetti. ¡°It¡¯s ready. Enjoy!¡± Bruce was sitting on a chair in the dining room staring nkly. He knitted his brows as if he was thinking about something. ¡°The spaghetti is ready!¡± Joanna repeated softly. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and put on a rxed expression. Then, he picked up tableware and began to eat spaghetti with relish: ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°I really hope I can eat the spaghetti cooked by my wife every day in the future.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna watched him eating spaghetti with aplicated expression. On second thought, there was actually no need to worry too much! The Everett Group had the strongest legal team. No matter how difficult thewsuit was, it would not be a big problem. ¡°Are you full? If not, I can cook you more.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m full.¡± The two of them looked at each other for more than ten seconds. Joanna felt as if a ma had hit her heart and quickly retracted her gaze. ¡°Change your clothes and rest. I still have to go to the hospital!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± The two of them didn¡¯t say anything else. They got into the car and rushed to the hospital. Along the way, the two of them did not talk much. It was just that Bruce¡¯s hand kept holding Joanna¡¯s hand. Although Bruce was released, he was restricted from leaving the country until the case was investigated. At the children¡¯s hospital, the two of them entered the ward one after another. ¡°Baby Lilia, Daddy and Mommy are here to see you.¡± On the hospital bed, Lilia had an oxygen tube inserted into her nose. Her little face was so pale that there was no trace of blood. ¡°Daddy, where have you been for the past two days? Why aren¡¯t you here with me?¡± Lilia had alreadypleted the first round of chemotherapy. She was so thin that she was nothing but skin and bones. Chapter 453 Bruce came to the bed and looked at his daughter gently. ¡°Isn¡¯t Daddy here now?¡± Lilia blinked weakly and looked at him, saying in a childish voice, ¡°Daddy, can you apany me every day in the future?¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce reached out and gently caressed his daughter¡¯s pale face. ¡°Hehe, thank you, Daddy.¡± Lilia smiled happily. The attending doctor also walked into the ward. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Dr. yton, how long will it take for Lilia to undergo the second chemotherapy?¡± ¡°ording to the current recovery progress, there¡¯s still two weeks before the second chemotherapy.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand. ¡°No matter what method you use, please must cure Lilia.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± At the nurses¡® station, the two nurses could not help but discuss. ¡°Hey, I heard that Mr. Everett was taken away by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for investigation the day before yesterday. I didn¡¯t expect him toe out so quickly.¡± ¡°Have you seen the news these two days? I heard that the illegal financing of the Everett Group is more than 2 billion dors. There¡¯s also suspected moneyundering.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also something about the Green Bay project. I heard that the bribery in that project alone is more than 200 million dors. If these charges are true, Mr. Everett will probably go to jail.¡± ¡°s, these are all groundless rumors. There¡¯s no concrete evidence yet. Besides, don¡¯t you know who Mr. Everett is? He¡¯s very powerful. Even if he reallymitted a financial crime, he¡¯ll probably settle it quickly.¡± ¡°Which top tycoon like him has a clean background? That¡¯s why the rich people will be richer and richer while the poor people will be poorer and poorer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. We, ordinary people, should live our lives standing on solid ground!¡± ¡°However, Mr. Everett really dotes on his daughter. His daughter really has a lucky fate. She is lucky enough to be Mr. Everett¡¯s daughter.¡± The other nurse pursed her lips. ¡°She¡¯s just a sick girl. What¡¯s to envy? This is all karma for capitalists who have done too many bad things.¡± Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Beep, beep, beep! Bruce¡¯s phone rang. It was Andy¡¯s call. ¡°I¡¯ll take the call.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce took the phone and left the ward. ¡°Hello, Andy!¡± On the other end of the phone, Andy¡¯s anxious voice sounded. ¡°Mr. Everett, the board of directors is comining and quarreling loudly. The shareholders and partners are in a panic and want you toe to thepany as soon as possible to give an exnation.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Got it. Inform all the shareholders and higher¨Cups to have a meeting at 8 a.m. Tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Okay. By the way, there is a lot of negative news about the Everett Group on the Inte now! I think we have to quickly think of a way to suppress the negative news and salvage our image!¡± Bruce replied impatiently. ¡°Do you still need me to tell you to do it?¡± Andy panicked. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it immediately.¡± Soon, the negative news online was basically suppressed. After all, this was not gossip, so the Everett Group naturally took it very seriously. Therefore, in less than a day, all the trending topics about Bruce were removed. All the posts about the Everett Group were restricted by the website. After all, the Everett Group had not fallen yet! The major websites did not dare to offend Bruce openly. The next day, Bruce went to thepany for a meeting early in the morning. Joanna also stayed in the hospital the whole night and did not back to the Sherane Bay Vi. Beep, beep, beep.. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. She took out her phone and saw that it was Roxanne. ¡°Hello, Roxy. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Joanna, is Lilia feeling better?¡± Roxanne asked with concern. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s undergoing treatment.¡± ¡°Joanna, let me tell you something. I¡¯m preparing to move out of Sherane Bay Vi today!¡± When Joanna heard this, she asked in concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not used to living there?¡± ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s because Sherane Bay Vi is far away from where I work. I found an apartment near my company. ¡°It¡¯ll be more convenient to go to and from work in the future if I move there. I don¡¯t have to spend so much time on the way anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, okay! Call me if you need anything,¡± Joanna agreed without hesitation. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it then!¡± Roxanne smiled coldly and hung up the phone. She cheekily sneaked into the Everett family to find evidence of Bruce¡¯s crime. Now that she had achieved her goal, of course, she couldn¡¯t wait to move out. Otherwise, if Bruce found out that she was ying tricks behind his back, she wouldn¡¯t know how she would die. Roxanne simply packed her luggage and moved out of Sherane Bay Vi. Then, she directly moved into the mansion that Zachary had rented for her. During the time she and Zachary had joined hands with each of them having their own ulterior motives, they had already broken through the line between men and women and made love together. At the Cove Vi, Zachary took Roxanne to visit the ce he had found for her. ¡°How is it? Are you satisfied with this ce?¡± I was a small viplex. It was not a top¨Cnotch residence, but it was still a high¨Cend residence. Roxanne looked around at the decoration of the vi and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not bad!¡± Zachary hugged Roxanne¡¯s shoulder and kissed her cherry lips vaguely. ¡°Stay here for now, I¡¯ll get you a bigger ce in the future. Chapter 454 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you follow me, I¡¯ll make you have a good life.¡± Roxanne smiled and hooked her arms around his neck. ¡°Mr. Garcia, you have a lot of business dealings with Mr. Everett, right?¡± Zachary was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re good friends. You should know a lot about him, right?¡± Upon hearing this, Zachary was even more confused. He looked at Roxanne in confusion. Roxanne blinked slyly and asked bluntly, ¡°Mr. Garcia, are you interested in the Green Bay project?¡± When Zachary heard this, he looked at Roxanne in confusion and asked jealously, ¡°Why? Are you still thinking about Bruce?¡± Roxanne¡¯s gaze froze and she said sinisterly, ¡°Hmph, I indeed can¡¯t forget him! He abandoned me. I will definitely make him regret it.¡± Zachary¡¯s frown deepened! Roxanne loosened her hug on his neck and continued, ¡°There are many people watching the Green Bay project. It¡¯s such a big cake. Don¡¯t you want a piece?¡± Zacharyughed awkwardly. ¡°Heh, stop fooling around! I¡¯m not interested.¡± The Green Bay project was the Everett Group¡¯s main project in recent years! Back then. Bruce had alsoe to him and persuaded him to invest.. However, he had no interest in real estate and tourism, so he did not invest. Moreover, it was difficult to apply for approval for projects near the sea. The projects near the sea required huge investments, but the return was slow. So, he directly rejected it. Now, the Green Bay project had already started and all kinds of approvals had been approved. It was already a mature investment project. As long as one could invest at this time, one did not have to worry about not earning money. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Roxanne smiled strangely and said proudly, ¡°Bruce is now being reported for bribery, illegal financing, and moneyundering. If these charges are confirmed, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Green Bay is really a big cake. I think you should seize the opportunity. Otherwise, if you miss this opportunity, you won¡¯t be able to find such a good investment project!¡± Zachary chuckled when he heard that. ¡°Do you think Mr. Everett will still let me invest?¡± ¡°Why not? ¡°As long as Bruce is sent to jail, the Green Bay project will be short of funds. If you take action in time, you will naturally be able to get a piece of this cake.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Hehe, you actually want to send your ex¨Cboyfriend to jail? Indeed, women are the most vicious!¡± When Roxanne heard this, her face instantly turned angry from embarrassment. ¡°He was heartless to me first. He can¡¯t me me for being heartlesster. ¡°It¡¯s just one crucial step away from sending him to jail. He can forget about making aeback in this life.¡± Zachary asked with interest, ¡°What is that step?¡± Chapter 455 Chapter 455 Chapter 455 Roxanne smiled with a gloomy expression. ¡°It is the evidence that can give Bruce a fatal blow. I believe you can do it.¡± Zachary chuckled, wearing a pensive expression on his face. Although what Roxanne said seemed like a far¨Cfetched story, upon closer reflection, it seemed to make sense. He and Bruce were both rich second¨Cgeneration heirs. However, their reputations were prized. Although Bruce was a rich second¨Cgeneration heir, he was very capable. In just ten years, he pushed the Everett Group into Greyport¡¯s leadingpany. As for Zachary, he had to rely on his family¡¯s help. Although he had invested in many projects, there were only a few that had actually been profitable. It was human nature to experience feelings of jealousy. Despite outwardly appearing friendly and close to Bruce, deep down he harbored jealousy. ¡°How about it? Do you want to join forces with the Yanice Group topletely divide the Everett Group?¡± ¡°Well. It¡¯s not as easy as you say.¡± ¡°If we rely on our strength alone, we definitely won¡¯t be able to take down Bruce. Coupled with the Yanice Group, I think there¡¯s no problem at all.¡± When Zachary heard this, his mind began to waver. He pinched Roxanne¡¯s slender waist and cunningly tilted her chin. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of telling me this?¡± Roxanne smiled. ¡°Afraid of what?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll tell Bruce? He¡¯s my best friend.¡± Then Roxanne replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. ¡°In business, there are only eternal interests and no eternal friends. Even if you didn¡¯t make a move, he would have been targeted long ago. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t eat this cake, someone else will. ¡°Moreover, if any of the charges against Bruce are proven, he¡¯s likely to end up behind bars for a long time.¡± After hearing that, Zachary asked. ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Naturally, give him a fatal blow. You know that.¡± Roxanne smirked and reached for his zipper. It was true. He and Bruce were good friends and had many opportunities to meet. Bruce was the same as other men. When they gathered together, it was inevitable that they would brag about some business rules. As long as Zachary put a listening device on his body and deliberately induced Bruce to talk about sensitive topics, he would naturally be able to catch a lot of evidence against Bruce. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister. I have to deal with you first.¡± As Zachary spoke, he could not wait to carry Roxanne horizontally. And then he threw her heavily onto the bed. ¡°Hey,e on! Can¡¯t you wait? Let¡¯s get to the point first.¡± Zacharyughed and then replied, ¡°This is the point.¡± At the same time, Bruce was at the Everett Group. There was a meeting in the conference room. All the executives and shareholders were in an uproar as they kept asking questions. ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do? You have to give us an exnation so that we can be at ease.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Now the Everett Group is being targeted by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. This is a serious problem. If we don¡¯t deal with it properly, we won¡¯t be able to meet again in the future.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve invested so much money. It won¡¯t go down the drain, right?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. His hawk¨Clike eyes looked around at everyone. ¡°If anyone is afraid, he can withdraw from the Green Bay project now.¡± Chapter 455 Uh¡­ When the shareholders heard this, they exchanged nces and could not make up their minds. The Green Bay project was already ready for construction. And it was about to bear fruit. It was not worth it to withdraw. now. However, Bruce was now being targeted by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. If he really failed, they would be implicated too. ¡°That¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting. Those who want to withdraw from the board can go through the procedures in the afternoon.¡± After Bruce finished speaking coldly, he left the shareholders behind and directly left the office. Andy nced downstairs and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, there are arge number of reporters waiting downstairs.¡± ¡°Disperse them.¡± Bruce replied. ¡°The security guards have already tried to disperse them, but it¡¯s useless.¡± After hearing that, Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else. He took the elevator down and walked towards the parking lot surrounded by arge number of bodyguards. As soon as he appeared, arge group of reporters carrying cameras and microphones swarmed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you under investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption?¡± ¡°Will the Green Bay project be able to proceed normally?¡± ¡°I heard that your daughter has leukemia and needs a second bone marrow transnt. Is that true?¡± Arge number of bodyguards stepped forward and stopped the reporters. ¡°Move aside. Mr. Everett does not give interviews.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, can you say something?¡± The reporters chased after Bruce like flies that could not be swatted away. If it was in the past, the reporters would only dare to secretly take photos and not openly follow Bruce like today. But now, they obviously had someone backing them up behind the scenes. That was why they dared to stand up against the Everett Group so boldly. Seeing the reporters pushing each other, the bodyguards were also annoyed. ¡°If you guys continue like this, we won¡¯t be polite anymore.¡± ¡°Oh. The Everett Group got physical!¡± ¡°Bruce¡¯s bodyguards hit someone.¡± A few reporters cried out as they fell to the ground and started shouting. The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air. And the cameras were frantically filming the chaotic situation. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only As long as they edited itter and reported it, it would really be like a gang fight. When the bodyguards saw this situation, they looked at each other, perplexed. They did not make a move at all just now. They only stopped the reporters and did not let them get close. Unexpectedly, these journalists were feigning injuries. One after another, they fell to the ground and imed they had been assaulted. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. He was furious. He just wanted to rush up and really beat up the unreasonable reporters. Andy and Mark stood beside Bruce and stopped him. ¡°Mr. Everett, this group of reporters was probably instructed by someone. You should leave quickly. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Hearing that, Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else and got into the car. ¡°Mr. Everett, please say something! Did you bribe Porash¡¯s politicians?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get close!¡± Then Bruce was in the car. Bruce was still furious. ¡°Damn it. Investigate the background of these reporters immediately. Find out who¡¯s behind this.¡± After saying that, Bruce loosened his tie resentfully with a gloomy expression. He had never been scammed by reporters like this before. ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce leaned against the car seat and frowned. Recalling what had happened recently, Bruce realized that he must have been targeted. Chapter 456 Chapter 456 Chapter 456 There¡¯s probably no one else but Yanice Group who dares to provoke Bruce in this manner. The Everett Group is the leading powerhouse in Greyport, with Yanice Grouping in second. Their primary businesses revolve around real estate development and mineral energy. Marcus Yanice, the president of Yanice Group who belongs to the same generation as Bruce¡¯s father, is approaching his sixties. The two families have always been fierce rivals, and their rtionship has never been amicable. Over a decade ago, Bruce and Marcus¡¯s eldest son, Marlowe, engaged in cutthroatpetition in the business world. In the end, Bruce emerged victorious, while Marlowe was sentenced to nine years in prison for illegal financing. Last year, Marlowe was released from prison, and it was only a matter of time before he sought retribution from Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, Marlowe, the vice president of Yanice Group, was released from prisonst year. Could he be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes?¡± Andy asked, his expression grave. Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of menace shed in his piercing eyes. ¡°It¡¯s highly possible. Keep an eye on him, see what tricks he¡¯s up to! If he dares to y dirty, we must be prepared beforehand.¡± ¡°Got it. Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce exhaled a plume of smoke, his face growing even more fearsome amidst the swirling haze. Marlowe was arrogant and domineering, bordering on madness. He had spent nine years in prison, not directly at the hands of Bruce, but indirectly due to his actions. If Marlowe didn¡¯t seek revenge against Bruce upon his release, it would be a surprise indeed. Twenty minutester, the car pulled up directly at the children¡¯s hospital. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at the hospital, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Hmmm!¡± Bruce stepped out of the car, shook off the scent of smoke from his body, and walked straight into the ward. Inside the ward, Joanna sat beside Lilia, carefully feeding her some liquid food. ¡°Sweetheart, are you still feeling ufortable?¡± ¡°Mmm, not as ufortable as before.¡± ¡°Then take one more bite, okay?¡± ¡°Mama, I can¡¯t eat anymore.¡± ¡°Come on, just one more bite. You need to eat a little more.¡± Joanna scooped up a spoonful of nutritious supplement and held it near Lilia¡¯s mouth. ¡°Okay!¡± Lilia reluctantly opened her mouth and swallowed the supplement. ¡°Mama, I really can¡¯t eat anymore.¡± ¡°Alright, if you get hungryter, we¡¯ll eat again.¡± Joanna quickly grabbed a few tissues and wiped the drool from her daughter¡¯s mouth. Lilia had been vomiting for the past few days and hardly had any appetite. So even if she managed to eat a little, Joanna was pleased. With a click, the ward door swung open. Bruce entered, holding an adorable toy panda in his arms and wearing a tender expression. ¡°Little Lilia, Daddy¡¯s here!¡± As soon as she saw her father, Lilia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°Look what Daddy brought for you.¡± Bruce presented the trendiest panda stuffed toy in front of Lilia. Lilia epted the doll with delight, her little face beaming like a sunflower. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so cute! Thank you, Daddy.¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Mmm, I love it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. When you¡¯re feeling better, Daddy will take you to the zoo to see real pandas.¡± Bruce yed with the toy panda, constantly entertaining his daughter. He transformedpletely into a tender and loving father, a stark contrast to his stern and domineering presence during meetings. Joanna watched from the side, a trace of worry crossing her eyes. Although she hadn¡¯t been following the news about the Everett Group closelytely, with information spreading rapidly Chapter 456 online, she hade across some reports. ¡°Bruce, how did the meeting go today?¡± ¡°Pretty well!¡± Bruce smiled calmly. Joanna¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit concerned about you.¡± ¡°No need to worry, I can handle it.¡± ¡°Day after tomorrow, Lilia will undergo her second round of chemotherapy. If the treatment goes well, the doctors said she might need a bone marrow transnt next month. You need to be prepared.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t even raise his head, continuing to amuse his daughter. ¡°Hmm, I know.¡± Joanna sniffed and caught a whiff of the strong scent of smoke emanating from him, causing her brows to furrow. ¡°Didn¡¯t you quit smoking? Why are you smoking again?¡± ¡°You can smell it?¡± Bruce had intended to quit smoking. But when the pressure became overwhelming, he still needed to smoke to relieve stress. ¡°Don¡¯t smoke during this period. You also need to take care of your health.¡± Bruce looked up, gazing affectionately at Joanna. ¡°Understood, my love!¡± Joanna¡¯s frown deepened upon hearing his words. She hated it when he randomly called her ¡°my love.¡± Especially in bed, he would nibble on her car and repeatedly call her ¡°my love.¡± During their most passionate moments, he would even make her call him ¡°my sweetheart.¡± However, seeing that he was currently in trouble, Joanna didn¡¯t want to argue with him too much The next day. Bruce arrived at thepany early in the morning for a meeting. He needed to wrap up his work by noon, as he nned to apany his daughter to the hospital in the afternoon. At the office, Mark and Andy wore grave expressions as they reported, ¡°Mr. Everett, our assumptions were correct. It appears that Yanice Group is indeed behind this incident. ¡°Marlowe is likely fanning the mes of public opinion from behind the scenes. ¡°And the anonymous person who submitted evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption is highly likely to be him!¡± Bruce sat back in his luxurious leather chair, his eyes filled with disdain and a touch of menace. ¡°Hmph, this Marlowe really never changes his ways!¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± Bruce let out a cold snort. ¡°We¡¯ll y by his own rules. Let him stumble into the same pit he dug for us. ¡°During this time, gather evidence of Yanice Group¡¯s wrongdoing. And make sure we control the narrative. Double¨Ccheck thepany¡¯s financial records and tax filings, ensuring there are no loopholes for them to exploit.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°In addition, circte some false news. Let it be known that the Everett Group might be giving up on the Green Bay project. ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°You may leave.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± After Andy and Mark left, Bruce leaned back in his chair, a dark cloud hanging over his face as he lit a cigarette. At the moment, Bruce couldn¡¯t spare the energy to retaliate. He had to set a trap, shifting the focus of attention to the Green Bay project. He needed some time to pass until Lilia¡¯s condition stabilized. Only then would he have the capacity to deal with them. properly. Online, a new wave of reports emerged. ¡°The Everett Group Assaults Journalists, Leaving Two Reporters Seriously Injured with Severe Concussions.¡± ¡°Bruce May Face Intentional Harm Charges!¡± Chapter 456 The two injured journalists are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. The Everett Group¡¯s actions have sparked outrage among the entire city of Greyport¡­¡± The inte was buzzing with news about the Everett Group¡¯s bodyguards assaulting journalists. Although Andy attempted to suppress the websites, the scandal of the journalist assault was publicly reported by mainstream media outlets, making it impossible to contain. The footage depicted journalists and bodyguards shoving and pushing each other, unequivocally showing an assault had taken ce. Various websites and tforms started sharing the official news reports, making it impossible to suppress the story. ¡°Mr. Everett, the two journalists have filed awsuit against our Everett Group. We received the court summons today.¡± further. Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Resolve it as quickly as possible. We must prevent the situation from escting any ¡°Will do.¡± Soon, Andy located the two journalists, intending to negotiate a private settlement with them. The journalists agreed to a private settlement on the surface. Little did they know that the next day, the recordings of Andy¡¯s negotiation with them were leaked. This caused an even greater uproar online. Seizing the opportunity, the two journalists fueled public outrage. ¡°We don¡¯t want moncy; we want justice. ¡°We demand justice! Bruce ordered his bodyguards to attack us and even tried to bribe us! ¡°The Everett Group is an unscrupulous corporation, using its wealth and power to engage in illegal fundraising and disregard human life!¡± The two journalists stirred up a storm with their actions. The scandal created a sensation throughout Greyport. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Although it had only been a short time, the negative impact was severe, attracting the attention of relevant authorities. ¡°Damn it!¡± As Bruce watched the videos the journalists posted online, fury consumed him. ¡°How could you two mess up such a simple task?!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, the two journalists had agreed to a private settlement, but they unexpectedly went back on their word.¡± This is like a repugnant odor that permeates the air, not harmful but extremely revolting. He had intended to smooth things over with some money, but instead, he found himself caught in a trap and relentlessly torn apart. It was like poking a small hole in the bottom of a boat. If left unchecked, that small hole would transform into arge one, causing endless trouble. ¡°Mr. Everett, may I ask if you instructed the bodyguards to assault the journalists?¡± Chapter 457 Chapter 457 Chapter 457 ¡°Why did Mr. Everett instruct his bodyguards to beat up the reporters? Does the Everett Group have some unspeakable secrets?¡± ¡°Will Mr. Everett personallye out to apologize?¡± Every day, the reporters would wait outside the building of the Everett Group. If they couldn¡¯t catch Bruce, they would approach other senior executives and shareholders of the company. These shareholders and executives were also annoyed by the reporters. However, no matter how they tried to shoo them away, they couldn¡¯t easily offend them. These reporters were like a swarm of flies. In the conference room. Bruce continued to hold meetings with the senior executives. One shareholder wearing a frustrated expressionined, ¡°Mr. Everett, the incident with the reporters has had a very negative impact, and we are also suffering from it. How can we deal with this if it continues?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Yeah! Those reporters camp outside the building every day, and it¡¯s giving me heart problems.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ Mr. Everett, you should apologize in person! That way, the two reporters might stop causing trouble.¡± The shareholders were all feeling helpless and wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s face grew even darker. ¡°Leave it to the legal department to handle.¡± In any case, he would not apologize. The bodyguards didn¡¯t actually assault those two reporters, who were merely there with an aim to cause trouble. In fact, there was a higher possibility that Marlowe was behind all this. If so, he couldn¡¯tpromise even a little bit. ¡°Mr. Everett, I heard that you¡¯re nning to withdraw from the Green Bay project? ¡°Did the funding run out? If there are any issues, you must inform us in a timely manner!¡± ¡°No, how is that possible? The Green Bay project is progressing smoothly. The workers are mostly in ce, and construction can begin soon.¡± Bruce intentionally showed a skeptical expression. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good then!¡± The restless shareholders became slightly reassured. After the meeting ended, Bruce left thepany and headed to the hospital. As soon as he stepped outside, arge group of reporters swarmed around him. ¡°Mr. Everett, you finally came out! What do you have to say about the incident with the reporters? How do you n to resolve it?¡± ¡°Will you personally apologize?¡± Facing the media cameras, Bruce paused, an unusual sight, and calmly smiled. ¡°The Everett Group has already issued atwyer¡¯s letter. We will thoroughly investigate the act of extortion by those two journalists!¡± He had initially hoped to settle the matter quickly, but it had escted further than expected. He could only resort to legal procedures and make the issue public. It was at the Yanice Group. Over the past few days, Marlowe¡¯s face darkened with a malicious grin as he saw the increasing online news coverage about Bruce. ¡°Bruce, this is only the beginning. I will meticulously settle our ounts. These nine years I spent in prison will not be in vain! I will make you fall from grace and pay a hundred times the price.¡± Roxanne sat provocatively by his side, adding, ¡°President Yanice, the Everett Group is already under investigation by relevant departments. I believe retribution wille soon! ¡°The show is finally starting. When the timees, I will present a big gift to Bruce. I won¡¯t let him retaliate! ¡°Haha, a delightful cooperation! ¡°President Yanice, once the Everett Group copses, remember the promise you made to me won¡¯t be broken!¡± Marlowe smirked maliciously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I always keep my word.¡± ¡°And what is this ¡°big gift¡® you mentioned?¡± Chapter 457 Roxanne neered, ¡°I¡¯ve brought another ally on board! ith his assistance, we can deliver a fatal blow to Bruce when the crucial moment arrives, ensuring he has no mea ¡°I¡¯m bing more and more interested What exactly is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my trump card. But it¡¯s not the righ she willingly sat on Marlowe¡¯sp to reveal it yet! Roxanne finished speaking giving a suggestive erile as Marlowe, who was particr about e nliness, frowned and unceremoniously pushed Rozanne away ¡°Don¡¯t y these games with me I¡¯m not interested i Roxanne¡¯s face turned awkward, and she stood up submissively ¡°TI leave this matter to you. When Bruce ends up in prison, rest assured, the Haynes Group will be yours! ¡°And your mother. I will find a way to get her out as soon as possible!¡± Thank you. President Yanice!¡± Marlowe smirked, enjoying his cigar. Although he had no interest in Roxanne, he was indeed intrigued by the trump card she mentioned Yanice Group had arge team ofwyers. Despite his nine¨Cyear sentence, considering the severity of his crimes, he could have received the death penalty. In the end, with the legal team¡¯s maneuvering, he was sentenced to only nine years. As for Ingrid, she had received a 15¨Cyear sentence. By pulling some strings, she might be released earlier. Back to the children¡¯s hospital. ¡°Lilia is going through the second round of chemotherapy today!¡± ¡°Lilia, you can do it! Mommy, Daddy, and your brothers are all here for you.¡± Bruce. Joanna, along with Davian and Irvin, encouraged Lilia. Yes¡® With Daddy. Mommy, and brothers, I¡¯m not afraid at all.¡± Soon, the doctor began the second round of chemotherapy, injecting various medications into her frail body. Lilia grew even weaker, her face pale without a trace of color. Outside the ward, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears. ¡°My poor baby, why is fate so cruel to you? Why must you endure such torment?¡± Bruce gently embraced Joanna andforted her tenderly, ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. Lilia will definitely recover.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sad! I¡¯ve already pushed my body to the limit, and it won¡¯t help if 1 worsen my condition¡± ¡°Hum Joanna silently shed tears. ¡°Lilia, are you feeling ufortable?¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, don¡¯t touch your sister. She¡¯s still very weak.¡± ¡°Yes, mom¡± Lilia, when you get better, big brother will buy you choctes. ¡°Bruce, take Davian and Irvin back!¡± The two little ones refused to leave ¡°Mommy, we want to stay and apany our sister¡± Joanna gently said. Tasten to me. You two should Hurry and go back! ¡°If you stay here, it will disturb your sister¡¯s rest. When she¡¯s a little better, you cane and keep her compar ¡°Oh, alright ¡°Kody, take Davian and Irvin back¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett¡± ¡°Young fellow.c with me!¡± ¡°L, we¡¯re leaving for now. When you get better, I wille to see you¡± The next day, Bruce remained at the hospital mistead of going to thepany In the conference room. meone asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Mi verett didn¡¯te to thepany again today¡± ¡°Yeah! Recently, Mr. Everett only shows up in the morning and is nowhere to be seen in the afternoon¡± ¡°s, do you thank Mr. Everett ns to withdraw from the Green Bay project Chapter 457 No way! So much investment has already been made. It¡¯s unlikely he would withdraw casily.¡± ¡°It feels like Mr. Everett¡¯s mind is no longer focused on work, and he has lost his former invincibility in the business world!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s the issue of assaulting people, I wonder how it will be resolved.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about minor issues like that. Mr. Everett won¡¯t be defeated so easily.¡± ¡°I heard that Yanice Group is also eyeing the Green Bay project!¡± ¡°Yanice Group?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Wow, now things are getting interesting! The vice president of Yanice Group has been at odds with Mr. Everett for ten years. I bet thepetition between them will be fierce.¡± It was at the hospital. *Bruce, take a rest! Lilia has fallen asleep. You should go back to work tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother that, I want to personally stay with Lilia. I feel more at ease that way.¡± ¡°I can handle things here alone; you don¡¯t need to stay.¡± ¡°How can I leave? Lilia needs me right now, and I will stay here with her.¡± ¡°Joanna¡¯s body trembled. ¡°Joanna, once Lilia recovers, let¡¯s get remarried, shall we?¡± Upon hearing this. Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly wrinkled. Remarrying? She had never thought about such a thing! ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t bring up these matters. Right now, I just want to focus on curing Lilia¡¯s illness. I don¡¯t want to think too much about anything else.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. But I just want to tell you one thing: I truly love you, and you love the children. I like the idea of being a family with you and Mia. ¡°I am willing to spend the rest of my life making up for the pain I caused you in the past! Joanna, so let me unravel the knots. in your heart and walk back into your life? I¡¯m giving you a chance, will you give me a chance?¡± ¡°Bruce, please stop talking.¡± ¡°Starting over isn¡¯t as difficult as you think! You just need to take one step, and I¡¯ll walk the rest of the way with you. Can you do that?¡± Chapter 458 Chapter 458 Chapter 458 ¡°Enough, stop talking. I don¡¯t want to hear it anymore, and I don¡¯t have the mood to think about these things.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes dimmedpletely. Because of the contract, she had to stay by his side. But deep in her heart, she still couldn¡¯t ept Bruce. Or perhaps, she couldn¡¯t truly ept any man, including Jaydon Her heart had been sealed off, and she no longer held any hope for love. Bruce choked up, his eyes filled with endless disappointment. He had been too impatient. But then he rationalized it to himself. There was still more than a year left on the contract, no need to rush. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I was just joking with you, no need to be so nervous.¡± Bruce concealed the disappointment in his eyes and gently patted Joanna¡¯s shoulder. Joanna¡¯s eyes sank, and she changed the topic. ¡°Lilia is waking up soon. I¡¯ll go prepare something for her to eat.¡± After speaking, Joanna walked out somewhat uneasily. At this moment, she really needed to calm down. At night, in Sherane Bay Vi. Lilia had already undergone the second round of chemotherapy and was recovering fairly well. Since Joanna needed to go back and get some personal belongings, they returned to Sherane Bay Vi¡­ Naturally. Bruce followed along. Rarely having private space, Bruce certainly wouldn¡¯t let it go and persistently badged her. After it was all over, seeing that Bruce had fallen asleep, Joanna gently lifted the nket and opened the bedside table. She took out a small pill bottle from inside. Every time they slept with others, no matter how tired she was, she never forgot to take birth control pills. Joanna poured out a pill and was about to take it when Bruce suddenly rolled over and woke up. ¡°What are you taking? Seeing Joanna secretly taking the pill, he thought she was taking antidepressants again. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just go back to sleep!¡± Bruce instantly lost his drowsiness, sat up in one go, and said, ¡°Bring it here and let me see. Didn¡¯t I already tell you? Don¡¯t take antidepressants anymore. ¡°Those pills can really mess up your mental state if you take them too often.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an antidepressant.¡± Joanna spoke and directly swallowed the pill. Seeing this, Bruce frowned. ¡°Then what kind of pill are you taking?¡± Impatiently, Joanna looked at Bruce and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter again? ¡°Let me see it.¡± Joanna held the pill bottle and instinctively moved back. Unfortunately, Bruce snatched the pill bottle away. ¡°Birth control pill?¡± As he read the name on the medication, Bruce¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, his face turning dark and unpleasant. ¡°Why are you taking this?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and coldly looked at Bruce. ¡°For contraception, of course!¡± This damur Bruce never wanted to wear a condom. If she didn¡¯t take birth control pills, she would end up pregnant by him again in no time. Bruce stared at Joanna with a grim expression and said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to take birth control pills anymore. ¡°If I find out you¡¯re taking them again, you will know the consequences.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m just your contract lover now, and I need to protect my body.¡± ¡°What? Are you afraid of getting pregnant?¡± Hearing this, Joanna rolled her eyes in resentment. Of course she was afraid. Chapter 458 Last year, she had already had an abortion for him. Now she had to be extra careful and not let that happen again, So, every time after they made love, she would secretly take birth control pills. ¡°Give it to me!¡± Joanna tried to snatch the pill bottle back. Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and he ordered, ¡°Joanna, 1 want you to have another child for me!¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Let me tell you, it¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°You really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you. Do you know how many women want to have ¡°Then go find them to have your children! Since you can afford it, you can have as many as you want. After speaking. Joanna sneered and added indifferently, ¡°I won¡¯t have any more children, especially not with you.¡± my children?¡± Bruce was infuriated, gasping for breath, he said with gritted teeth, ¡°We already have three children. What¡¯s the harm in having one more?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you said it yourself. We already have three children, which is more than enough. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t have another child for you. Get over it.¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re despicable!¡± Bruce seethed with anger and, directly pressing her down, and started another round of frenzied invasion. Then, heunched a new round of crazy invasion. The more she feared getting pregnant, the more he insisted on impregnating her. When she gave birth to another child for him, he wondered how she could run. So thinking, he tried harder, hoping ideally to have twins or triplets¡­. The next day. Joanna¡¯s whole body felt weak, and her limbs were sore to the extreme. She had originally nned to wake up at seven but ended up sleeping until ten¨Cthirty before reluctantly getting up. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s already ten¨Cthirty. I need to hurry to the hospital.¡± Joanna dragged her exhausted and weak body, hastily washed up, and then drove to the hospital. On the way, she suddenly remembered that she had promised to buy Portuguese egg tarts for Lilia. There was no choice but to drive to Skyluxe Shopping Center again. The things sold here, whether edible or usable, were all top of the line. Of course, the prices were outrageously high. After buying the egg tarts, Joanna hurriedly made her way to the underground parking garage. Little did she know, as soon as she reached the underground parking garage, someone suddenly called out, ¡°Ms. Haynes!¡± Joanna was momentarily startled and instinctively turned her head for a nce. Next to her car, there was a Ferrari, and standing beside it was a man in his thirties, wearing a well¨C fitted white suit. He was quite tall, at least 6 feet. His facial features were deep and three¨Cdimensional, with slightly blue¨Ctinted pupils, resembling light¨C colored contact lenses. He appeared to be of mixed Chinese¨CEuropean heritage. His hair was neatly groomed, and he held a cigar in his mouth, with a mischievous smile on his face. ¡°You are¡­¡± Joanna felt a sense of familiarity but couldn¡¯t recall his name. Marlowe put on a gentlemanly demeanor, raised his eyebrows slightly, and smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me? We have met before.¡± Joanna looked at Marlowe¡¯s trademark smile and suddenly remembered. He was Marlowe, the son of the president of Yanice Group. They had indeed met before. Her grandfather had taken her to visit the Yanice family. But it had been more than ten years since theyst saw each other, and her memory of him had completely faded. ¡°Oh, you are President Yanice, the young executive of Yanice Group.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me! Great wits have short memories. I thought Ms. Haynes had forgotten about me,¡± Marlowe said with a smile. ¡°How could that be? It¡¯s just that it¡¯s been so long since west met, and I couldn¡¯t recognize you all of a sudden.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really a surprise to meet you here today, Ms. Haynes. What did you buy?¡± Marlowe, as if he knew her well, struck up at conversation with gusto. ¡°Oh, I bought some egg tarts for my daughter,¡± Joanna casually replied. ¡°Oh, you got a child, Ms. Haynes? And yet your figure is still so well¨Cmaintained!¡± Chapter 459 Chapter 459 Chapter 459 As Joanna listened to Marlowe¡¯s frivolous banter, her face instinctively darkened. She despised men with frivolous behavior. Especially when they were only acquaintances that were not close at all. ¡°After all these years, Ms. Haynes is still so beautiful. It seems like nothing has changed on you.¡± Joanna felt a lump in her throat, not knowing how to respond. Tatiana, who was beside her, reminded her, ¡°Miss Haynes, we should go. It¡¯s gettingtel Every time Joanna went out, she would go with Tatiana. In addition to that, Bruce had also arranged four bodyguards to apany her at all times. However, she had chosen not to bring the bodyguards with her this time since it would be too showy. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°We rarely have a chance to meet each other; how about we chat for a bit?¡± ¡°Thanks, but I have something else to do. I need to go now,¡± Joanna politely declined and walked directly to the parking shed with Tatiana. Marlowe kept badgering her, and he casually handed her a business card. ¡°This is my contact information. Let¡¯s keep in touch!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna replied casually and took the business card without much thought. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to leave me your business card, Ms. Haynes? Maybe we¡¯ll meet each other frequently in the future.¡± Joanna nced at the gold¨Cstamped business card and said apathetically, ¡°Sorry, I just ran out of business cards!¡± Marlowe seemed unable to sense her refusal and smiled ambiguously. ¡°That¡¯s okay. We can exchange Messenger and stay in touch anytime.¡± Joanna frowned. She didn¡¯t really like adding unfamiliar people on Messenger, especially considering that Marlowe and Bruce were archenemies. Moreover, Bruce had a vtile temperament and loved to be jealous. If he found it out, he would probably get mad again. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. My phone is out of battery, and I¡¯m in a hurry now, so I have to go.¡± Saying that, Joanna opened the car door and got in. ¡°You have to do that to me?¡± Tatiana started the car directly and said coldly, ¡°Sorry, please make way.¡± Marlowe smiled resentfully and said, ¡°Bye, we will meet again.¡± Tatiana stepped on the elerator and drove away. ¡°What a strange encounter. How did I run into him?¡± Joanna furrowed her brows, looking quite annoyed. It was nearly noon! She needed to hurry to the hospital; otherwise, Lilia would be worried. As he watched Joanna¡¯s car driving away, an eerie smile appeared at the corner of Marlowe¡¯s eyes. His assistant joked, ¡°Pr¨¦sident Yanice, I heard that Bruce still loves his ex¨Cwife and wants to remarry her! ¡°But for some reason, she has been rejecting him.¡± Marlowe¡¯s eyebrows raised even higher when he heard that. ¡°Heh, I didn¡¯t expect Bruce to be such a spoony, actually wanting to go back to his ex.¡± When he was in prison, Bruce and Joanna hadn¡¯t been married yet! Unexpectedly, after his release, they had broken up and reconciled several times. ¡°Yeah! His daughter has leukemia, and he personally donated bone marrow to her. I heard he¡¯s going to donate again.¡± ¡°Interesting! Neither have I expected Bruce to be such a loving father.¡± Saying that, Marlowe sneered coldly, and his pupils shed with a wicked light. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to take everything from you. Anything you like, I will snatch away. ¡°Even if I can¡¯t snatch it, I will destroy it all.¡± It was at the hospital. At noon, Joanna hurriedly arrived at the hospital. Chapter 459 Lilia, Mommy¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Mommy, why did youe sote?¡± ¡°Oh, I went to buy the egg tarts for you. There was traffic on the way. I¡¯m sorry, my sweetheart.¡± ¡°Wow, you bought egg tarts for me?¡± ¡°Yes! You wanted to eat Portuguese egg tarts, right? Mommy bought them specially for you.¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes lit up as she said sweetly. ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with endless tenderness. She quickly opened the box and took out the egg tarts. ¡°Wow, they smell so good!¡± Lilia greedily sniffed them. Since she had recently undergone chemotherapy, there were many things she couldn¡¯t eat. So, just smelling the aroma made. her happy. ¡°You can only eat a little bit. When you get better, you can eat as much as you want.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy, I know.¡± Joanna took a spoon and picked the softest part of the egg tart, gently took a bite, and brought it to her daughter¡¯s mouth. Lilia couldn¡¯t eat too much, so Joanna wanted her to taste the vor. It was 2 PM in the afternoon. ¡°Bang!¡± The door of the ward was pushed open, and Bruce walked in. Joanna was taken aback. ¡°Did you finish work so early?¡± ¡°Um!¡± Bruce walked into the hospital room, took off his suit, and sat exhaustedly on the couch. ¡°Daddy!¡± Lilia called out in a sweet voice. ¡°Good girl!¡± Bruce would usually y around with his daughter. But today, he was exceptionally tired, so he leaned back on the couch, supporting his head with his hand. Seeing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but ask with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I have a headache!¡± Bruce said, rubbing his temples with his hand. He had been in meetings all morning, and his head felt like it was about to explode. ¡°Do you want to take a painkiller?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to take medication. It can be addictive if I take it too often.¡± ¡°Then let me massage it for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna walked over and gently massaged his temples. In less than two minutes, Bruce changed his position and rested his head on herp. Chapter 460 Chapter 460 Chapter 460 Smelling the faint fresh fragrance on Joanna¡¯s body and feeling her gentle fingertips, Bruce felt incredibly rxed. Joanna massaged him for less than ten minutes, and Bruce began to emit a faint snoring sound. He had actually fallen asleep. Seeing Bruce asleep, Joanna let out a sigh and continued to massage his head. Normally, he was always energetic, rarely showing signs of fatigue. Now, he was sleeping so soundly, indicating that he was truly under a lot of pressure. The incident with the reporter, although it had been rified and the Everett Group had released the actual surveince video, it had still caused a considerable negative impact. Even the police chief personally called him, advising him to handle the aftermath without drawing too much attention. And the Independent Commission Against Corruption hadunched a thorough investigation. They had alreadye to thepany to collect financial records and various registered contracts. The situation in Greyport was stormy, and the impact of public opinion was even greater in Mossbourne. If he couldn¡¯t handle the aftermath properly. Bruce could really end up in a bad situation. Currently, he was like a high¨Cspeed train. If it derailed, the consequences would be unimaginable. Bruce slept for half an hour before suddenly jolting awake. ¡°Why did I fall asleep?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re tired, it¡¯s okay to sleep!¡± Bruce yawned and rubbed his eyes while still half¨Casleep. ¡°How long did I sleep?¡± ¡°Just half an hour.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Get up quickly. My legs are numb.¡± Joanna said, frowning as she pushed his head off herp. His head was as heavy as a giant hammer, and it was getting difficult to bear it on her legs. Bruce stood up and stretched his limbs. ¡°Ah, that nap was reallyfortable. It¡¯s more effective than sleeping for several hours at night.¡± ¡°Lilia, my good girl! Here I am!¡± ¡°Shh, Lilia is also asleep. Don¡¯t wake her up.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Bruce immediately quieted down, lowering his head to check on his daughter. ¡°I wish our daughter would get better soon.¡± Just as Bruce was feeling emotional, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took out his phone and saw that it was from Zachary, ¡°I¡¯ll go out to take the call!¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± Joanna replied casually. Bruce took the call and left the hospital room. ¡°Hello, Zachary, what¡¯s up?¡± On the other end of the line, Zachary chuckled, ¡°Ah Bruce, what¡¯s been going ontely? I¡¯ve been calling you, but you never answered.¡± ¡°Oh, is there something going on? I¡¯ve been busytely!¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re so busy, it¡¯s not easy to reach you these days.¡± Zachary teased over the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Just spill it!¡± Zachary changed his teasing tone and asked with concern, ¡°I heard that your daughter is sick. Is she getting better now?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still undergoing treatment.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. With the medical advancements nowadays, she¡¯ll definitely get better.¡± Bruce furrowed his brow. ¡°I hope so.¡± 10.000 Chapter 460 By the way, I know a pediatric expert who specializes in treating leukemia. Do you want me to introduce you to him?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Melta pediatrician. How about I arrange an appointment for you. I¡¯ll give you his contact information.¡± ¡°Just tell me over the phone, and I¡¯ll check his background.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. After all, he knew only the top pediatricians, and he didn¡¯t bother with the lesser¨Cknown ones. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll introduce you to one of the best pediatric experts. Even if it doesn¡¯t help, it won¡¯t do any harm.¡± ¡°By the way, it¡¯s been a while since west met. I really miss you.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Bruce chuckled dryly. ¡°Why would you miss me? I¡¯m not a woman.¡± ¡°Come on. We¡¯re the best of buddies. You know, brotherhood always outweigh womankind. ¡°Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense.¡± Zachary spoke primly. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe to my club tonight? Let¡¯s have a party.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Bruce hesitated. At this moment, he didn¡¯t really want to go to a nightclub. Especially after thest time he went to a nightclub, Joanna was very angry. If he met Zachary again, he would probably be persuaded to drink again. Perhaps sensing Bruce¡¯s hesitation. Zachary quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t drink tonight, and there won¡¯t be any women. I¡¯ll only drink coffee you. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Emm, okay then.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, when did you be a henpeck? If this gets out, you will beughed at.¡± ¡°Enough, let¡¯s not talk about that. See you tonight.¡± ¡°Yeah, see you tonight, don¡¯t stand me up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± Bruce finished speaking and hung up the phone. Back in the hospital room, Joanna was still taking care of Lilia. As she saw him return, she asked subconsciously, ¡°Whose call was it?¡± ¡°Oh, it was Zachary.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes rolled, and her face instantly darkened. ¡°He just called me and said he knows a Melta pediatrician who specializes in treating leukemia. He is going to introduced him to me.¡± Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Joanna hesitated, ¡°A Melta pediatrician?¡± Chapter 461 ¡°Yes, he¡¯s an authority in the field of leukemia treatment. I want to meet him and seek some information. ¡°If it¡¯s true, it would be great to have him help treat Lilia.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t object. It was in the evening, a little past eight. Bruce went to Zachary¡¯s club as nned. They were inside a VIP private room. ¡°Mr. Garcia, Mr. Everett has arrived.¡± A server led Bruce into the private room. Zachary promptly rose to his feet and greeted him. ¡°Bruce, what an honor seeing you here. You¡¯ve been so engaged.¡± Bruce smiled faintly and replied, ¡°I have been quite busytely, and I couldn¡¯t find the time.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I know you¡¯re a busy man. I won¡¯t take up too much of your time. Come, have a cup of coffee. I knew you were visiting here, so I brought some good coffee beans from home!¡± Zachary said as he personally brewed the coffee. Bruce sat down on the sofa and asked directly, ¡°Is that Melta doctor you mentioned reliable?¡± ¡°Oh, that doctor¡¯s name is Miles. Here¡¯s his business card. You can contact him right now.¡± Zachary paused for a moment and took out a business card from his bag, handing it to Bruce. ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to him on the phone and briefly mentioned your daughter¡¯s condition. You can talk to him in detail to see if there are any better treatment options.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Zachary chuckled drily and then casually poured a drink on the coffee table. Suddenly, he remembered that Bruce didn¡¯t drink, so he quickly poured a cup of coffee instead. ¡°Drinking coffee is not very exciting. How about a ss of wine?¡± Bruce epted the coffee cup and smiled, ¡°No, if I drink alcohol, I¡¯ll end up quarreling with my wife when I go back.¡± Zachary teased. ¡°Wow, look what be of Mr. Everett. I never expected you to be the first among us to get married and the first to be tied down by a woman.¡± Bruce took a sip of coffee and smiled lightly. Among the trust fund babies of Greyport, he was indeed the first to get married. But now, he had be a wealthy and sessful man, his influence hadpletely surpassing that of his parents¡® generation. Yet, after his grandmother passed away, since he had no family left, he felt even more lonely and longed for a family. The two of them exchanged teasing remarks with each other. Suddenly, Zachary changed the subject, pretending to be nonchnt, and asked, ¡°By the way, I heard that you¡¯re close to several officials in Porash. It was quite difficult to get approval for the Green Bay project, but you managed to do it. I guess these officials helped you a lot behind the scenes. Can you introduce me to them? Give me some pointers?¡± Bruce paused for a moment and said, ¡°With such a widework you¡¯ve got, do you still need me to introduce you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you seriously. I¡¯m also nning to invest in a project in Porash, and the approval documents may be difficult to get. That¡¯s why I came here specifically to learn from you.¡± Zachary said with a slightly guilty look in his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Once the project is approved, I¡¯ll give you a 10% stake.¡± As Bruce heard it, he furrowed his brow, deeming that Zachary was acting strange today. Although they had been good friends since childhood and had always been close, Zachary had always been envious of him. and never sought his advice. Moreover, their business philosophies werepletely different. ¡°Zachary, you seem strange today,¡± Bruce said, tilting his head and looking at him intently. Zachary felt even more uneasy but tried to appear calm. ¡°What¡¯s strange? I¡¯m just the same as usual. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve invested in several projects before, and while I made some small profits, there hasn¡¯t been much significant gain. So, I¡¯m thinking of trying my luck in Mossbourne, Zachary exined. ¡°What kind of project do you n to do in Porash?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°A nightclub, of course. As you know, running a nightclub requires the support of local officials,¡± Zachary replied. Chapter 461 Actually, I invited you here today mainly to learn from you and explore the possibilities,¡± he continued. Bruce didn¡¯t ask further but simply replied, ¡°Well, if you need it, I can introduce you to those officials. But as for the rest, you¡¯ll have to figure it out yourself)¡± Seeing Bruce falling into the trap, Zachary immediately asked, ¡°So, can you tell me about their preferences? I want to be prepared and cater to their tastes!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned slightly grim, and he didn¡¯t answer. Private connections in business world are often kept secret, especially when dealing with officials. He couldn¡¯t afford any leaks or slip¨Cups, which could lead to trouble. ¡°It¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary, you know. No need to ask me,¡± Bruce replied vaguely. ¡°I know that dealing with people requires some sacrifices. I understand that these officials won¡¯t easily ept money from strangers, Zachary said dismissively. ¡°How did you bribe them? Tell me, I want to learn it.¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned stern. He stated, ¡°Mossbourne isn¡¯t as corrupt as you think now. It¡¯s not a big problem for anyone to run business there, if he does business properly and does not vite thew.¡± Hearing that, Zachary pursed his lips and said disdainfully, ¡°Come on! When dealing with people, no matter where you go, you have to build rtionships there. And if you don¡¯t, don¡¯t expect your business to run well.¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned livid, and his tone gradually became impatient. ¡°Alright, alright, I don¡¯t argue with you. It¡¯s gettingte, and I should go back.¡± With that, Bruce stood up to leave. After so many years in the business world, he learned to stay alert all the time. Even with the people he trusted the most, he maintained a certain level of caution. He would help with introductions, but the details of his interactions with others, except for himself, would not be disclosed. to anyone. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been half an hour, why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you that if you need anything, I can introduce you! The rest is up to you!¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Come on, Bruce, I really need the information.¡± Zachary persisted, trying to steer the conversation towards sensitive topics. Unfortunately, Bruce refused to reveal a single word. ¡°Mr. Garcia, in the business world, there are unwritten rules. You know them too, there¡¯s no need for me to teach you!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Bruce, if you don¡¯t want to tell me about it, just say it. Don¡¯t be so hypocritical,¡± Zachary said dejectedly. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help, it¡¯s just that I really can¡¯t! Alright, I really have to go now,¡± Bruce shrugged and made a helpless expression. ¡°My wife is very strict with me; she only allowed me to stay out for an hour.¡± Seeing that Bruce insisted on leaving, Zachary was a little frustrated. ¡°Who can believe it? Mr. Everett, the Mr. Everett, is a henpecked husband! ¡°With your current status, you can have as many women as you want. Why do you have to limit yourself to one woman! By the way, it¡¯s only nine o¡¯clock now. Let¡¯s chat for a while more!¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t. I have to go back to the hospital for my daughter.¡± Despite Zachary¡¯s attempts to make him stay, Bruce insisted on leaving. Chapter 462 Chapter 462 Chapter 462 Zachary seethed with anger after Bruce¡¯s departure. It took him much effort to finally convince Bruce out, but he couldn¡¯t extract any information from him. At Roxanne¡¯s residence, the atmosphere was sultry as shey on the bed, having already taken a shower and dressed in seductive sleepwear, eagerly awaiting Zachary¡¯s return. ¡°Darling, you¡¯re finally back,¡± she purred. ¡°Mmm¡­ Zachary appeared frustrated. Roxanne wrapped her arm around his neck, offering a seductive kiss. ¡°So, how did it go? Did you manage to get anything. out of him?¡± ¡°Forget it. Bruce is extremely cautious. No matter how hard I tried to lead him, he refused to reveal anything.¡± Zachary replied, annoyance etching his face. Upon hearing this, Roxanne¡¯s pupils contracted momentarily. She knew that Bruce¡¯s defenses were imprable, and expecting Zachary to extract information from him was futile. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it! Bruce is too clever to be outsmarted easily. If our first attempt fails, there will always be a second chance. I don¡¯t believe he can stay vignt forever.¡± Roxanne sneered coldly. ¡°Hmph, even Homer sometimes nods. I don¡¯t think he can stay alert all the time.¡± ¡°Darling, I believe in you! I¡¯m confident that you can do it! I¡¯ll ensure Bruce loses everything and ends up with nothing.¡± As Zachary listened, a chilling sensation ran down his spine. ¡°Would you do the same to me?¡± he asked. ¡°Howe? As long as you remain faithful to me, I¡¯ll faithfully stand by your side,¡± Roxanne replied, adopting a coquettish expression. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve already spoken to the Vice President of Yanice Group, and he¡¯s eager to coborate with you.¡± She continued, ¡°Once Yanice Group and Garcia Group join forces, we can surely bring Bruce down from his high pedestal. Then, we can im a piece of the Everett Group¡¯s empire for ourselves.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is set up, and we¡¯re just waiting for Bruce to fall into our trap,¡± she added, a sinister smile gracing her lips. Zachary listened, but deep down, something felt amiss. He and Bruce had grown up together and harbored no grudges. His actions now were purely driven by envy. Bruce had always outshone him, excelling in every aspect since their youth. And they had been constantlypared to each other. He had lived his life in the shadow of the shining Bruce.¡± How could he not be jealous? ¡°Forget about him for now. Let¡¯s not spoil this wonderful night¡­¡± It was around 10:30 PM, at the children¡¯s hospital. Bruce didn¡¯t go home but went straight to the hospital. The door of the ward creaked open, disturbing Joanna, who was about to sleep on the apanying bed. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Mmm¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°How did it go? What did the doctor say?¡± she inquired. ¡°Zachary gave me a business card and said he discussed Lilia¡¯s condition with the doctor. I will call the doctor tomorrow and see if he has any better suggestions,¡± Bruce replied, handing Joanna the doctor¡¯s business card. ¡°Miles?¡± Joanna looked at the card and furrowed her brows. Having spent several years in Melta, she had obtained some knowledge of it, but she had never heard of this doctored named Miles before. ¡°Is he reliable? I¡¯ve never heard of him,¡± she wondered. Bruce furrowed his brow. ¡°Zachary rmended him, so he should be trustworthy. I¡¯ll call tomorrow and verify his expertise. If he truly possesses exceptional medical skills, we will invite him to Greyport and seek his assistance for Lilia. Il he¡¯s just a quack, then forget it.¡± Chapter 462 Joanna didn¡¯t probe further and simply replied, ¡°Okay, that will do.¡± ¡°It¡¯ste. You should get some rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you!¡± Bruce said, taking off his coat and preparing to squeeze onto the apanying bed with her. Though they were in a hospital, they upied a VIP ward, so the apanying bed was spacious enough for two people to sleepfortably. ¡°Let go of your hand. Don¡¯t be silly! What if Lilia wakes up?¡± Joanna said, gently pushing away his hand to haft his fidgeting. ¡°I just want to hold you like this, nothing more,¡± Bruce whispered. ¡°You think I¡¯ll believe you? You always say that. But it¡¯s always a lie, ¡°Joanna retorted. ¡°No, really, I¡¯m tired too! Let¡¯s just sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow,¡± Bruce said, tightly embracing Joanna. The two of them had just done itst night, so Bruce didn¡¯t do anything that night. After lying down for a while, he soon drifted into a deep sleep. However, Joanna couldn¡¯t sleep. Whenever shey beside him, her heart inexplicably became restless. In the middle of the night, Lilia groggily woke up. ¡°Mommy, I want some water!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ming!¡± Joanna quickly got up to fetch water for her daughter. Although there were numerous nurses avable to assist, Joanna insisted on personally taking care of her daughter most of the time. Joanna handed Lilia some water. ¡°Do you want more?¡± ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m done!¡± Lilia replied. ¡°Then go back to sleep quickly!¡± Joanna gently rubbed her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Mommy, I can¡¯t sleep! I had a scary dream just now. I dreamt that I went to heaven!¡± ¡°Mommy, isn¡¯t heaven very far away? If I goes to heaven, will I be able to see daddy and mommy again?¡± Lilia blinked her innocent eyes, looking at Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Silly child, you¡¯re still so young! It¡¯s still too early for you to go to heaven.¡± Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Lilia smiled sweetly and spoke in a babyish voice, ¡°Mommy, if I really go to heaven, please don¡¯t be sad, and tell Daddy don¡¯t be sad too! ¡°In my next life, I¡¯ll be your child again! I¡¯ll be a little angel in heaven, watching over Daddy and Mommy.¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes as she listened to Lilia¡¯s words. ¡°Darling, you will be fine. You won¡¯t leave Mommy. ¡°Our family will stay together for a long, long time!¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes brightened ¡°Mommy, does that mean you and Daddy will get remarried? When I¡¯m cured, will our family reunite and never be separated again?¡± After speaking, Lilia looked at her mother expectantly. ¡°Sure.¡± Joanna nodded solemnly, assuring her daughter. ¡°It¡¯s a promise. Mommy won¡¯t cheat me. When I¡¯m cured, Mommy will remarry Daddy¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy doesn¡¯t cheat Lilia.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s pinky promise.¡± Lilia extended her tiny finger immediately. Joanna hesitated for a moment but eventually linked her pinky with her daughter¡¯s. ¡°Now go to sleep, shall we?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The next day, at Garcia Group. Upon learning that her Zachary was with Roxanne, Jennie looked at Zachary with disdain. ¡°Zachary, have you lost your mind? You actually got involved with that woman¨CRoxanne?¡± Zachary gave a faint smile. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Is it against thew?¡± ¡°Hmph, Zachary, you know about her shady past, don¡¯t you? I can see that your taste is deteriorating,¡± Jennie remarked. ¡°She¡¯s been with so many men, and you¡¯re not disgusted?¡± she continued. Zachary frowned, displeased. ¡°Jennie, don¡¯t speak ill of her anymore. If you do, there will be consequences.¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes widened. She had never seen her Zachary so protective of a woman before. ¡°Zachary, are you really falling in love with her?¡± Jennie asked. Zachary shrugged indifferently. ¡°That¡¯s my business. I don¡¯t need to exin myself to you.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Zachary, she can¡¯t have children. Her uterus has been removed. Furthermore, she¡¯s spent time in a mental hospital, Jennie revealed. ¡°Dad and Grandpa will never ept her into our family. Please, don¡¯t y with fire¡­¡± Zachary Garcia replied impatiently, ¡°Enough, stop being so long¨Cwinded. Get out now.¡± ¡°By the way, have you seen Bruce recently?¡± Jennie asked. ¡°You promised to help me pursue him, but it¡¯s been days, and there¡¯s been no progress!¡± Jennie¡¯s displeasure was evident as she looked at her Zachary Zachary¡¯s head throbbed. The fact that his sister was infatuated with Bruce while Roxanne wanted him to deal with Bruce caught him in the middle. ¡°Look at yourself. How can you still say that to me? Bruce is married and has children. Can¡¯t you find someone else? Why must you go after him?¡± Zachary attempted to reason with her. Jennie stubbornly pouted. ¡°I just like him!¡± ¡°Jennie, listen to me. Bruce is not the right match for you. It¡¯s better to redirect your feelings elsewhere and find someone who is single, rather than pursuing someone who is already married,¡± Zachary advised. ¡°Zachary, they haven¡¯t remarried yet! Why can¡¯t I pursue him? ¡°Besides, even if they were to get divorced, I still have the right to like him, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jennie defiantly stated. Zachary sighed bitterly. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so special about him.¡± ¡°Please, dear brother, just help me¡­ ¡°I really can¡¯t!¡± Chapter 463 Just as they were talking, Roxanne entered the room, holding a stack of documents. ¡°Mr. Garcia, here are today¡¯s documents!¡± Upon seeing her, Jennie red at her and eximed. ¡°Seriously, can¡¯t you knock before entering?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t you cherish any thought about marry Zachary! Our family will never ept a woman like you as a member.¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, perhaps you¡¯ve misunderstood. I never had any intention of entering your Garcia family.¡± ¡°Not having that intention is for the best because¡­ you¡¯re not worthy!¡± Roxanne didn¡¯t respond, her face turned cold and stern. If it weren¡¯t for her ident and Joanna¡¯s intervention, she would have be a distinguished member of the Everett family by now. She wouldn¡¯t even think about marring into the Garcia family. Zachary showed a trace of annoyance. ¡°Jennie, please leave. Don¡¯t be so rude to her.¡± He was still quite fond of Roxanne. After all, he had been with many women before, and therefore he didn¡¯t attach much importance to certain matters, such as her inability to have children. With his wealth, having children would be a piece of cake. He could easily find another woman to bear his children. ¡°Hmph!¡± Jennie coldly snorted and arrogantly walked out of the office. ¡°If Zachary won¡¯t help me, then I¡¯ll find a way myself!¡± she thought to herself. ¡°Either way, I will definitely win over Bruce. You have to be mine for the rest of my life, and I won¡¯t let any other woman steal you away.¡± Chapter 464 Chapter 464 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 464 Time flew, and it was already early November. Tomorrow would be the children¡¯s birthday, and this year, they nned to celebrate in the hospital to apany Lilia. Inside the ward, after the doctor finished examining Lilia and seeing that her condition had stabilized, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Bruce and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, Lilia¡¯s recovery is progressing well. We can schedule the transntation surgery for next week. ¡°If the transntation is sessful without anyplications, there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues.¡± Bruce and Joanna listened with mixed emotions. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. Thank you. Dr. yton! When Lilia recovers, I will take her to visit you The doctor¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Mr. Everett, please rest assured; we will do our utmost to treat her.¡± ¡°On Monday next week, Mr. Everett will undergo various tests to prepare for the surgery.¡± ¡°Okay, I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The next day, people gathered inside the hospital ward. The ward was adorned with an extra touch of reverie and warmth. Colorful balloons, flowers, and various decorations that children adore adorned every corner. Nurses and doctors joined in to celebrate the birthday party. Servants delivered a five¨Ctiered cake and various exquisite pastries, imported fruits, and more. ¡°Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you¡­¡± A group of people gathered around Lilia¡¯s bed, singing the birthday song. Instead of wearing her regr hospital gowns, Lilia donned a beautiful princess dress,plete with a wig and a crystal crown adorning her head. After the song concluded, Davian and Irvin, clutching arge bouquet of sunflowers, presented it to their little sister. ¡°Lilia. happy birthday!¡± Lilia beamed, sweetly replying, ¡°Thank you! Happy birthday to you too, Davian, Irvin.¡± Joanna smiled, presenting the carefully prepared gifts, one by one, to her children. ¡°These are the gifts Mommy prepared for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡± Lilia received her favorite Barbie doll, while Davian and Irvin were thrilled to receive Transformers and Iron Man action figures. As the three were only small kids, the gifts for them were not extravagantly expensive items, but they contained deep. affections. Once the three little ones received their gifts from Mommy, they turned their expectant gazes to Daddy. ¡°Daddy, what gift did you prepare?¡± ¡°Haha. Bruce smiled faintly and had his assistant bring an exquisitely wrapped box. The exquisiteness and elegance of the box gave away that it contained something valuable. ¡°Wow, what¡¯s this?¡± The three little ones were particrly excited, their eyes fixated on the delicate box. To their disappointment, Bruce didn¡¯t hand the gifts to the children. Instead, he passed it to Joanna and said affectionately. ¡°Darling, this is for you¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s not my birthday, why are you giving me a gift?¡± Bruce contemted Joanna, his voice gentle as he said, ¡°Today is not only the birthday of our children, but also the anniversary of your suffering. Of course I should give you a gift. ¡°Thank you for giving me three precious children¡± Joanna listened, pausing for a few seconds before slowly epting the box. The box was elegantly wrapped, and she presumed it contained jewelry, possibly pearls. Chapter 464 ¡°Mommy, open it and see what¡¯s inside!¡± The three little ones urged eagerly. Seeing their expectant eyes, Joanna had no choice but to open the box. To her surprise, insidey a yellow diamond ne apanied by matching earrings and a ring. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show joy but rather a tinge of mncholy. He had already given her a set of blue diamond jewelry and a pink diamond ring. She really did not want to ept such a precious thing. Bruce and Joanna overheard the admiring whispers from the doctors and nurses around them. ¡°Wow, Mr. Everett is so generous to Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°This yellow diamond set must be worth millions. He¡¯s truly extravagant.¡± ¡°Amazing. I really envy Miss Haynes. She must have umted good karma in her past life¡­ Two young nurses couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Even if she couldn¡¯t possess such a precious yellow diamond set, being able to witness it with her own eyes was awe¨Cinspiring. Bruce smiled indulgently. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too precious. I can¡¯t ept it.¡± Joanna collected herself and hurriedly returned the box to Bruce. She had no intention of reconciling with him, she knew she couldn¡¯t ept such an expensive gift. Bruce frowned at her refusal. ¡°This is for you, and you deserve it.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s too valuable. I can¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°Why are you being so estranged from me?¡± Joanna¡¯s cheeks flushed, and her heart raced. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m just¡­¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Irvin grinned, attempting to persuade her. ¡°Mommy, just ept it! The yellow diamond ne and earrings will look stunning on you.¡± ¡°Yes. Mommy will look incredibly beautiful wearing this jewelry set. Mommy, just put it on to show us.¡± Lilia chimed in! Joanna frowned. It wasn¡¯t that she disliked it; she simply couldn¡¯t ept it. epting such an expensive gift would feel as if she were epting his love. ¡°Mommy, put it on!¡± Bruce took the diamond and said, ¡°Let me put it on for you.¡± Joanna froze, finding herself unable to refuse. Bruce gently put it around her neck. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so beautiful! This diamond ne makes Mommy even more radiant.¡± ¡°Mommy looks like a fairy who descended to earth. When I grow up, I hope I will be as beautiful as Mommy.¡± Joanna¡¯s face colored slightly. She had thought about refusing, but seeing the children¡¯s joyful faces, she silently epted it. ¡°Daddy, what gift did you prepare for us?¡± ¡°Of course, I did!¡± Bruce smiled faintly, handing three contracts to the three little ones. The three little ones looked puzzled. They had expected toys or pretty clothes from Daddy, never anticipating that he would give them a folder. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s this?¡± Joanna also looked confused. It didn¡¯t seem like a gift at all. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the City Trust Fund!¡± ¡°What?¡± The three little ones didn¡¯t understand what it was and looked bewildered. Joanna, too, was startled. She looked at Bruce in astonishment. The people around them couldn¡¯t help but cover their mouths in surprise. The City Trust Fund was internationally renowned, specializing in managing the assets and legacies of the wealthy. Some affluent individuals worried that their children would squander their inheritance after their passing. Therefore, they would annually invest a sum of money in the foundation or deposit a substantial amount. The dedicated trust fund would then manage the funds. In the event of bankruptcy or financial difficulties, the beneficiaries could receive a monthly ie from the foundation, ensuring they would never face deprivation in their lifetime. When Joanna¡¯s mother passed away, she entrusted all her assets to the City Trust Fund, resulting in Joanna receiving a monthly sum of money from the foundation all these years. As Joanna absentmindedly opened the folder, however, she was even more astonished. Chapter 465 Chapter 465 Bruce had taken the initiative to establish trust funds worth more than 2 billion dors for each of his kids. This meant that his kids would be financially secure no matter what happened to the Everett Group. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you think the kids are too young for this?¡± Joanna asked with a voice filled with concern. Bruce pursed his lips and said calmly. ¡°You never know what happens tomorrow. In case something happens to me in the future, I want to make sure that both my kids and you enjoy financial security.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were welled up with tears. Bruce was so considerate that he had thought about everything. The kids, still confused about the situation, eagerly asked. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s it?¡± Joanna pondered for a moment, then leaned down to affectionately pat her son¡¯s head. ¡°This shows the immense love your Daddy has for you. You should treat your Daddy well.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The three little kids¡® eyes blinked in confusion. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Irvin, as a clever boy, quickly showered his father with ttery. ¡°Thank you, Daddy. I promise to treat you well. I¡¯ll give you delicious food. I¡¯ll buy you anything that you want.¡± Lilia echod, I¡¯ll treat Daddy well too!¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± Bruce nodded approvingly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s make a wish and cut the cake!¡± Before them stood a magnificent five¨Ctiered birthday cake adorned with more than ten candles. The little ones gathered around the cake and blew out the candles together. Davian sped his hands together, closed his eyes, and earnestly made a wish. ¡°I hope Lilia recovers from her illness quickly ¡°I hope Daddy and Mommy can remarry soon.¡± ¡°I hope our family will always stay together!¡± The three little ones made their wishes one by one. Joanna patted their heads affectionately. ¡°Wishes won¡¯te true if spoken. You¡¯d better make your wish silently.¡± ¡°With a sincere heart, wishes cane true. I want to say my wish out loud because I fear the gods might not hear it otherwise. So, I¡¯m going to express my wish loudly.¡± Irvin spoke with a devout expression. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut the cake!¡± The three little ones each held a knife, trying to make a cut on the cake. Since the cake was too big, the kids just made a cut symbolically, and then the servants came to cut the cake and distribute the slices. ¡°This piece is for Mommy, and this one is for Daddy!¡± ¡°Help yourself. Let¡¯s enjoy the cake together.¡± Joanna smiled and said to everyone. ¡°Thank you!¡± The doctors and nurses each took a slice of cake. The birthday party ended. The doctors and nurses left with red envelopes and exquisite gifts. Bruce, Joanna, and their two older children, Davian and Irvin, prepared to return home. Lilia¡¯s condition had stabilized, and now the care of a nurse was enough for her and there was no need for Joanna to stay at the hospital. At the Sherane Bay Vi. By the time they arrived home, it was already past ten in the evening, and the two little ones had fallen asleep in the car. The servants carried Davian and Irvin to their respective rooms for a good night¡¯s sleep, while Bruce and Joanna made their way to their own bedroom. After washing up, Bruce stepped onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette with an air of restlessness. Seeing this, Joanna silently approached. ¡°The surgery is scheduled for next week. Take good care of yourself during these days, don¡¯t stay upte, and cut down on smoking.¡± ¡°Okay, got it,¡± Bruce extinguished the cigarette upon hearing her words. I¡¯ve told you countless times to quit smoking, but you never truly do,¡± remarked Joanna. ¡°Joanna, I love you!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes suddenly grew profound, revealing a touch of mncholy. In these past few days, before retiring to bed each night. Bruce would gaze deeply into Joanna¡¯s eyes and said with a deep voice, ¡°I love you.¡± Joanna sensed a sense of uneasiness, feeling that something serious was about to unfold. Women are known to be strong from the outside but tender in heart. A man who haspletely taken over her physically has also won her heart over. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve been acting strangelytely. Is there something you¡¯re keeping from me?¡± Joanna stared at him with a questioning gaze. Bruce shrugged his shoulders. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t believe him and continued to scrutinize him suspiciously. ¡°Really?¡± Trust me. There¡¯s really nothing¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything, you must tell me.¡± ¡°Mm. I understand. Let¡¯s go to bed!¡± Bruce interrupted before she could say more. He bent down, lifted her up by holding her back, and gently ced her on the soft mattress of the bed. The next day. Bruce had just woken up when his phone started ringing. The cellphone beeped. ncing at the screen, he saw that it was a call from Zachary. Bruce casually answered the call, ¡°Hello, why are you calling so early?¡± On the other end of the line, Zachary¡¯s voice came through with anxiety. ¡°Bruce, you mentioned before that you would introduce me to some influential officials in Porash. When can you make that happen?¡± Bruce furrowed his brow upon hearing this. ¡°I¡¯ve been busytely! My daughter is having surgery, so it¡¯ll have to wait for a while.¡± Just spare some time to help me out. I¡¯m really in a hurry.¡± Bruce replied impatiently, ¡°I really don¡¯t have the time right now! How about this, I¡¯ll make arrangements for you. I can have the other shareholders in mypany help introduce you!¡± ¡°Alright, I guess that works.¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s consider it settled. I¡¯ll get everything arranged and give you a call!¡± Bruce said, ready to hang up the call. ¡°No, no, no. Don¡¯t hang up so quickly. I haven¡¯t finished talking!¡± Chapter 466 Chapter 466 ¡°What else do you need?¡± Bruce asked impatiently. Zachary smiled awkwardly and said with some embarrassment, ¡°There are some financial issues in my company. I want yourpany¡¯s financial director to help me verify the financial statements.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! It won¡¯t take long, just one day. Yourpany¡¯s financial director is a top elite in the industry. I feel more at case having him verify the statements.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel at ease if someone else verified them!¡± Bruce became even more annoyed. But since they were good friends, he reluctantly agreed to this small favor. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll talk to the financial director.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Thanks.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± Bruce finished speaking and ended the call abruptly. ¡°Whose call was it?¡± Joanna, who had finished washing up, asked curiously. Lately, she had been inexplicably worried about Bruce, especially considering the aftermath of the investigations made by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. ¡°It¡¯s no one important, just Zachary calling!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she didn¡¯t pursue the matter further. Bruce lifted the nket, sat up straight, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to thepany to organize the uing work. I won¡¯t go to the hospital today. Let Lilia know, and I¡¯ll visit her tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it!¡± Bruce stretchedzily and got up to freshen up. Ten minutester¡­ Bruce put on a well¨Cironed shirt and a neatly tailored suit, ready to head out. ¡°Baby, I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Go!¡± Joanna replied, disapproving of his teasing. Bruce leaned over and kissed Joanna on the lips. ¡°Baby, tell me you love me!¡± ¡°Here you go again. Can¡¯t you stop bothering me?¡± ¡°I want to hear it! And remember, we¡¯re still bound by our contract. If I ask you to say it, you have to say it,¡± Bruce said with a smirk as he affectionately held her waist. Joanna had no choice but to take a deep breath and respond casually, ¡°Fine, I love you, okay?¡± Bruce chuckled and said with loving voice, ¡°Baby, I love you too!¡± Upon heard this, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but feel goosebumps all over her body. This damn guy could be so cheesy, it was almost unbearable. Unfortunately, she had no other option but to endure it. After Bruce left, Joanna rolled her eyes in annoyance. ¡°I really hate this.¡± It was all just a y, but she couldn¡¯t help but get caught up in the drama. Sometimes, that is just how people are! When you get used to something, you really get used to it. When a man says ¡°I love you¡± every day, even if he doesn¡¯t mean it, those words will gradually be ingrained into your subconsciousness. At the Everett Group, as soon as Bruce¡¯s car arrived at thepany and he stepped out of the car. Out of nowhere, Jennie materialized. ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce turned his head and saw Jennie. Jennie must have been waiting in the underground parking lot for a long time. When she saw his car, she suddenly jumped out. Jennie, what are you doing here?¡± Chapter 466 ¡°I waited here specifically for you!¡± Jennie pouted, looking alluring. Bruce¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°You waited for me? Is there something important?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Ie to see you if there¡¯s nothing important?¡± Bruce furrowed his brows, feeling a hint of annoyance rising within him. He had already chosen Joanna and naturally had no interest in other women! But Jennie kept clinging to him like this, which really annoyed him. Moreover, she was his good friend¡¯s younger sister. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If there¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll go to thepany first!¡± Bruce said as he walked towards the elevator. Jennie hurriedly followed, jogging to catch up. ¡°Hey, Bruce, I have something important to discuss with you!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well, I wanted to ask you if you introduced Roxanne to my brother¡¯spany.¡± Jennie had no other topic but to pick up one casually. ¡°That¡¯s true; what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jennie pouted and replied, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble for our Garcia family!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Jennie sneered, ¡°That Roxanne is not well¨Cbehaved at all. Now, she¡¯s doing everything she can to get close to my brother!¡± Bruce¡¯s sight shifted, and his expression became unreadable. It was not surprising for Roxanne to be attractive. After all, she managed to keep attracting him for six years. And Zachary was a yboy. It was also understandable that they hit it off! ¡°Moreover, my brother seems to really like her and doesn¡¯t mind her past at all!¡± Jennie continued. ¡°That¡¯s your brother¡¯s business. Besides, Zachary is an adult. He¡¯ll make his own choices.¡± Jennie persisted, ¡°I came here today to ask you to persuade my brother not to take Roxanne too seriously.¡± ¡°She used to be your girlfriend. How can she be my brother¡¯s girlfriend? Bruce, you have to scold my brother and make him realize the absurdity!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help you with that! I have a meeting to attend now, and I don¡¯t have time to chat anymore. You¡¯d better go back first. Bruce didn¡¯t want to be talking with her anymore and ask her to leave directly. ¡°Hey, Bruce, wait for me¡­¡± Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Bruce had already stepped into his private elevator, and the bodyguard intercepted Jennie. ¡°Mr. Everett is about to attend a meeting. Miss Garcia, please stop following us!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Jennie snorted coldly and angrily went away. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll make you cry and beg me some day.¡± Inside the conference room at Everett Group, Bruce was conducting a meeting with the directors and executives as usual. ¡°There are three main points for today¡¯s meeting,¡± Bruce announced. ¡°First, the Green Bay project has officiallymenced, and we need to prioritize advertising and promotion before the pre¨Csale phase!¡± The directors, who were concerned that the Green Bay project might be dyed, finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the project now officially underway, their embezzled funds wouldn¡¯t go to waste. Bruce surveyed the room with a somber expression and continued, ¡°Second, there will be changes in the personnel department. Some members of the management team will be leaving thepany, so those involved should be prepared for the handover.¡± Ever since Marlowe¡¯s release from prison, he had been working against the Everett Group in every means either by spending a significant amount of money to poach talent from thepany or by bribing high¨Clevel executives to obtain insider information. Several high¨Clevel managers had already resigned, and they possessed crucial information about the Everett Group¡¯s operations. It was imperative to ensure a smooth handover and adjust thepany¡¯s management structure. Vice President Tommy reported. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mr. Everett. The handover work and management adjustments have already been arranged.¡± Bruce nodded and continued. ¡°The third point is that I won¡¯t being to thepany for a while. Everyone should focus on their own tasks, and if there¡¯s anything, direct it to Tommy. If anything significant arises, Tommy will inform me.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Does anyone have any other matters to discuss?¡± ¡°No! As long as the Green Bay project can officially begin, we will be at ease,¡± the directors smiled with content. ¡°Then today¡¯s meeting is over.¡± ¡°Tommy,e to my office for a moment,¡± Bruce said, striding out of the conference room. He had something to discuss with Tommy. It was in the office. ¡°Tommy, how about the matter that I asked to deal with?¡± Tommy handed a stack of documents to Bruce and said solemnly, ¡°These are internal documents from the Yanice Group. Additionally, here is evidence of their shellpany getting listed. If we submit this to the relevant authorities, it will definitely cause significant trouble to the Yanice Group.¡± Yes, yes. Keep these for now. They mighte in handy in the future!¡± ¡®Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡®I might take a half¨Cmonth vacation for the next period. Keep a close eye on those cunning guys for me,¡± Bruce said, with his eyes flicking a hint of coldness. The cunning foxes he referred to were the directors of thepany. These individuals had grown bolder and were secretly colluding with the Yanice Group! Since they wanted to y both sides, he would do as they wished and seize this opportunity to kick them out of thepany. ¡®Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you may leave now.¡± ¡®Okay.¡± Tommy respectfully responded and left the office. At the secretary¡¯s desk. Andy and Mark sat with cups of coffee, wearing serious expressions. ¡®Mr. Everett might be in big trouble this time.¡± ¡®Why do you say that?¡± Mark wondered, taking a sip of his coffee. Chapter 467 ¡°I heard that severalpanies are preparing to file a joint appeal, using Mr. Everett of engaging in monopolistic practices that are causing small businesses hard to operate.¡± ¡°And also, some key officials in the city government have been reassigned. The new officials are strict when ites to cracking down on business monopolies. The Everett Group might truly be in trouble.¡± Mark raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°So what? The Everett Group is involved in a wide range of industries. If one business. doesn¡¯t work out, we can always switch to another.¡± ¡°Well, I believe Mr. Everett will handle it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± ¡°The Everett Group is currently facing many problems. Look, Mr. Everett is even shifting the investment focus to the Mossbourne.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, is that Princess Martha still making harassing phone calls?¡± Upon hearing this. Andy instinctively put down his coffee cup. ¡°Uh, why do you ask?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious. It¡¯s been over half a year now, and issues between Martha and Mr. Everett have finally been settled.¡± Andy furrowed his brow and remained silent. Although Princess Martha hadn¡¯t been making calls or sending messages, there was a period when she bombarded them. with curses and threats. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She even sent several messagesst month. All these indicate that she hadn¡¯tpletely let the past go. However, due to theplexity of their international rtionship, she didn¡¯t dare seek revenge in person recklessly. Mark couldn¡¯t help but tease with augh, ¡°Who would have thought that after going around in circles, Mr. Everett would finally be defeated by Miss Haynes¡­¡± Before he finished his words, Bruce suddenly appeared in front of them, and had caught their conversation. Upon seeing Mr. Everett, Mark almost spewed his coffee and turned pale. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Andy¡¯s heart also beat more quickly, and almost knocked over his coffee cup in his hand. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± They hadn¡¯t expected Mr. Everett to appear like this. In the past, he used to call the server directly and rarely came to the secretary¡¯s desk himself. Everett¡¯s face darkened, and though he was in anger, he restrained himself from releasing his anger. ¡°Focus on your work during working hours. Don¡¯t gossip.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Everett furrowed his eyebrows slightly and didn¡¯t say anything more. He strode past them. ¡°Oh, you scared me! My heart is still throbbing.¡± ¡°Well, have you noticed? Mr. Everett¡¯s temper seems to have improved.¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s definitely much better than before, but still quite intimidating!¡± Andy patted his chest to calm himself down. They had worked for Bruce for seven or eight years and knew his temperament very well. In the past, if they had said something like this, Mr. Everett would immediately fire them. Even if he didn¡¯t fire them, he would still be infuriated. But today, he simply med them in a few words and left, which was quite unexpected. Chapter 468 Chapter 468 In the blink of an eye, it was Monday. It was time for Lilia¡¯s second bone marrow transnt. In the ward, the father and daughter had undergone full¨Cbody disinfection andpleted all the necessary examinations. They were now preparing to enter the operating room. There was nervousness on Lilia¡¯s pale face. What she feared the most was entering the cold operating room! Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Bruce,ying on the other hospital bed, gently held his daughter¡¯s small hand. ¡°Lilia, my baby, don¡¯t be afraid. Daddy will be by your side the whole time.¡± ¡°Yeah, Lilia isn¡¯t scared.¡± Lilia blinked her eyes, attempting to encourage herself, but deep inside, fear still gripped her. Joanna approached andforted her daughter. ¡°Sweetie, be brave. Mommy is here to cheer for you.¡± ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened, and turned around to Bruce. ¡°Bruce,e on.¡± Bruceughed andforted Joanna instead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Our daughter and I will be fine.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes welled up with tears for a moment, and there was lingering unease in her heart. ¡°When you recover, I¡¯ll make spaghetti for you.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll look forward to eating spaghetti.¡± Bruce smiled to her. Soon, the nurses wheeled Bruce and Lilia into the operating room. Joanna prayed outside, hoping that both her husband and daughter would have a smooth and safe operation. ¡°Bruce, Lilia, may heaven bless you!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry too much. Dr. yton is highly skilled, and everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m just nervous!¡± Time passed away minute by minute, and each minute felt like an eternity for Joanna. She suddenly realized that, everything else was secondary to heath in our life. A few hourster, the lights in the operating room finally dimmed, and Dr. yton stepped out. Seeing this. Joanna rushed over, and anxiously asked, ¡°Dr. yton, how did it go?¡± ¡°The operation was very sessful. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡± Shortly after, Bruce was the first to be wheeled out, followed by Lilia. The nurses wheeled them back to the hospital room with a wheeled stretcher. After getting to the room, the nurses worked together to transfer Bruce onto the bed. Joanna stepped up to check on him and asked with concern, ¡°Bruce, how do you feel?¡± Due to the full¨Cbody anesthesia for the bone marrow treatment, although he was now awake, Bruce couldn¡¯t move. Other than being conscious, all his other nerves were paralyzed. Im so thirsty. I want some water!¡± ¡°No, the doctor said you can¡¯t drink water yet. Drinking water now would cause choking.¡± Because of the anesthesia, Bruce Everett¡¯s lips were dry and ufortable. He felt a sense of weakness throughout his body. It made him acutely aware of his paralysis. No matter how much he willed his body to move, his nerves simply wouldn¡¯t respond ¡°Joanna, I feel so ufortable.¡± Observing his restlessness and anxiety, Joanna quickly reassured him, ¡°The effects of the anesthesia will wear off soon. Don¡¯t be so restless. Rest quietly! Everything will be fine when you wake up.¡± After that, Joanna hurriedly went to check on Lilia. If adults were feeling so ufortable, it would be even worse for a child. As she was about to leave, Bruce became even more flustered. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t go!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go far. I¡¯m just going to check on Lilia, and I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Chapter 468 Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened, and a mistyyer of tears appeared in his eyes, making him look like a child feeling wronged. ¡°Thene back quickly, I feel anxious when I can¡¯t see you!¡± Unable to move, this feeling pushed him to the brink of copse. Despite domineering and cold personality create an impression of invincibility of him on the outside, his inner side was remarkably fragile andcked security. After all, he had lost both his parents and had no siblings. Over the years, he had wrapped his fragile heart in valor. Exined in the terms in psychology, this kind of personality of him was a reflex of extremely self¨Cprotection. Joanna was stunned and looked deeply into Bruce¡¯s eyes. It was the first time he had revealed such vulnerability in front of her, like a restless and anxious child, even more so than Lilia. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Joanna reassured him, and she quickly went to check on Lilia. Lilia hadn¡¯t fully regained consciousness yet. Shey on the hospital bed, connected to a venttor and heart monitor, in a drowsy state. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached, and she gently touched her daughter. ¡°My dear, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± The nurse quickly reassured her, ¡°Miss Hayness, don¡¯t worry too much. The operation was sessful. As long as there¡¯s no rejection, Lilia will recover soon.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Joanna nodded. However, her worries now centered more on Bruce. He had already donated bone marrow twice to his daughter, and they imed it wouldn¡¯t affect his health. But could that really be true? Each surgery depleted his life force. A single surgery was equivalent to releasing the vitality in his body. ¡°You take good care of Lilia. I¡¯ll go see Bruce.¡± The nurses replied in a professional manner, ¡°Got it!¡± After ensuring Lilia¡¯s well¨Cbeing, Joanna quickly returned to be by Bruce¡¯s side. At this moment, Bruce needed her more than Lilia did. Chapter 469 Chapter 469 ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°Why did it take you so long?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Please, I only went to check on Lilia. It didn¡¯t even take five minutes.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes reddened, and he looked at Joanna with painful expression, as if he were an abandoned orphan. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s body went weak for no apparent reason. She held his hand and said, ¡°Alright, rest well. I¡¯ll be here with you.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Time flew. Bruce had spent five days in the hospital. His recovery was progressing well, and he could already walk with assistance. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s recovery is going well. He can be discharged the day after tomorrow. However, Lilia needs to stay in the hospital for further observation.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± Bruce, supported by Joanna, paced back and forth in the room. Just as they were conversing, the hospital room door swung open, and a group of police officers in uniforms barged in. Bruce and Joanna were shocked. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± One officer shed his badge and said solemnly, ¡°Mr. Everett, we are from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. There is a major economic case, the investigation of which requires your cooperation.¡± Joanna, even more worried, pleaded, ¡°Officer, could you please show some mercy? He¡¯s still in the hospital and underwent surgery not long ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this case is with significant social influence, and he must fully cooperate with the investigation.¡± ¡°Officer, please, he can¡¯t leave the hospital right now. He just had surgery.¡± Joanna tried to buy some time. She knew Bruce must have been keeping something from her, and she wanted to find out what it was. After hearing this, one officer approached and confirmed that Bruce had indeed just undergone surgery. ¡°Officer, please consult with our senior officer first. Mr. Everett has just had surgery,¡± the officer suggested. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll make a call¡­¡± As the officers entered the hospital, the bodyguards quickly notified thewyer toe. Soon. Bruce¡¯s personalwyer arrived. ¡°I am thewyer of Mr. Everett. ording to thew, patients are not allowed for interrogation during their hospital stay¡­ Bruce¡¯swyer began using his legal expertise to prevent the officers from taking Bruce away. Helpless. Officer ordered, ¡°Keep an eye on him at all times. Monitor him 24/7. As soon as he¡¯s discharged, bring him to the police station!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Anyone not involved, please leave.¡± ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­ Joanna wanted to inquire about the situation but was stopped by the officers. ¡°From now on, nobody is allowed near the hospital room.¡± ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Joanna anxiously paced back and forth. Bruce stayed in the hospital for another three days. On the day when he was discharged, Bruce was taken away by the police after all. ¡°Mr. Everett, you have been reported for illegal acquisition of bids. You are also suspected of bribery and illegal financing.¡± ¡°This is an arrest warrant. You are now officially under arrest!¡± Bruce remained silent and followed the police to go outside. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Joanna followed him, her face filled with panic. Bruce gave her a faint smile and said calmly, ¡°Joanna, take good care of Lilia. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Joanna hesitated, not knowing what to say, and simply looked at him with teary eyes. ¡°Get into the carl¡± Joanna followed Bruce out of the hospital and watched him get into the police car. ¡°Andy, what exactly has happened to Bruce?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. Mr. Everett was framed by others. Now Patrick has already brought the team over. Don¡¯t be too anxious.¡± ¡°If anything happens, inform me immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I sec.¡± Soon, the news of Bruce Everett being taken away by the police was reported by the media. ¡°Bruce Everett was taken away by Independent Commission Against Corruption again. Someone is using Bruce Everett of illegal financing and bribery!¡± ¡°The President of the Everett Group, is about to face life imprisonment.¡± Once the news was reported, the entire Greyport was stirred. ¡°Oh my god, Bruce Everett was taken away by the prosecutors again. I think the Everett Group is really going to be over this time!¡± ¡°How could this happen? He has always been handling with people from both the good side and the bad side!¡± ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t know yet, right? The old chief governor has stepped down, and the new chief governor intends to deal with these oligarchs!¡± ¡°The Everett Group has been the richest in Greyport for many years. It¡¯s natural that he will be investigated!¡± ¡°Wow, if it¡¯s like this, Bruce Everett probably can¡¯t be released this time.¡± ¡°Which one of the rich has a clean background? It¡¯s just unlucky of him to have been reported.¡± There was a lot of discussion online about this issue. At the hospital, Lilia had not seen his daddy for many days and did not know what had happened. ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy?¡± ¡°Bruce, he¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She did not know how to exin it to Lilia ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Daddy for a few days. Where did he go?¡± ¡°Daddy is overseas on a business trip. He might not be back after a long time.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Lilia asked innocently, ¡°How long?¡± Joanna could onlyfort her daughter. ¡°Dear, your Daddy will definitelye and see you as soon as hees back.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Lilia looked disappointed and helpless. ¡°Miss Haynes, Lilia is recovering very well. She can basically be discharged.¡± ¡°After she¡¯s discharged from the hospital, take her to return to the hospital for a checkup every week!¡± ¡°Okay, I see!¡± ¡°Lilia, you can be discharged!¡± Lilia was very happy to hear that. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. I can finally be discharged. Mommy, will Daddy come and pick me up?¡± ¡°Daddy isn¡¯t back yet. Your brothers wille back to pick you up!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin}¡± ¡°Lilia!¡± Davian asked solemnly, ¡°Mommy, is Daddy being arrested?¡± ¡°How? I saw on TV that Daddy is a bad man!¡± ¡°Mommy, when will Daddy return home?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°No matter what happens, he¡¯ll always be your daddy.¡± ¡°Lilia has just recovered. Don¡¯t tell her about Daddy! ¡°What if Lilia asks?¡± ¡°Just say that Daddy has gone to overseas on a business trip!¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± It was at Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°It¡¯s great. Home is still the mostfortable ce in the world. It¡¯s just unfortunate that Daddy isn¡¯t home.¡± ¡°Lilia, eat this. This is your favorite food.¡± ¡°Thank you, Davian.¡± ¡°Lilia, you haven¡¯t gone to kindergarten for almost half a year. Do you miss your friends?¡± Chapter 470 Chapter 470 ¡°Of course I do!¡± After returning home, Lilia became particrly excited and chatted non¨Cstop about how she wanted to go to kindergarten and how much she missed her teacher. Davian and Irvin wore forced smiles. They already knew something had happened to their father. Although they didn¡¯t. know the specifics, they were aware that it was something serious. However, in front of their little sister, they didn¡¯t dare show it! ¡°Mommy, when can I go to kindergarten?¡± Joanna lovingly stroked her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Darling, you can go to kindergarten as soon as you fully recover from your illness.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Mommy, Christmas ising soon. Will Daddye back?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes filled with worry. It had been nine days since Bruce was taken away. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, a day for family reunions. ¡°Yes, he wille back, Joanna answered, trying to reassure her daughter. Lilia blinked her big eyes and coquettishly suggested, ¡°Mommy, can I make a video call to Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy is busy with work and might not have time to answer your call,¡± Joanna replied, trying to manage her daughter¡¯s expectations. ¡°He¡¯ll be back soon after he¡¯s done with work.¡± ¡°Oh- Lilia buried her head in her food again. Davian and Irvin were also fiddling with the food in their bowls. Their faces were filled with worry and they didn¡¯t have an appetite. Seeing this, Joanna urged them. ¡°Hurry up and eat. You need to go to bed early after dinner.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The children quickly finished a few bites and obediently went back to their rooms to sleep. As the children went to bed, Joanna¡¯s mind started to wander. She had been preupied with taking care of Lilia at the hospital and hadn¡¯t had a chance to visit Bruce in the detention center. Tomorrow, he would be eligible for bail, and she had to go pick him up. The next day, Joanna arrived at the detention center early in the morning. Bruce¡¯swyer had already arranged for his release on bail. He couldn¡¯t leave the country during the appeal period and had to be avable for questioning by the police at any time. As he stepped out of the gates of the detention center, Bruce spotted Joanna waiting outside. Their eyes met, and a mixture of sadness and longing filled their gaze. They had not seen each other for more than ten days! Bruce appeared unchanged, except noticeably thinner. They silently locked eyes for almost a minute before Joanna snapped back to reality. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Bruce agreed, and they both got into the car. Bruce settled himselfzily in the seat, crossing his legs as if he had just returned from a short trip. Joanna sat beside him, and an ufortable silence settled between them as they drove. Halfway through the journey, unable to contain herself any longer, Joanna broke the silence. ¡°Bruce, how are you? Are you doing okay in there?¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled withplex emotions. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Thewyer will handle everything.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m really worried,¡± Joanna admitted, her concern evident in her voice. ¡°Worried about what? Worried that I¡¯ll go to jail?¡± Bruce smirked, his eyes yfully fixed on Joanna. His large hand couldn¡¯t resist resting on her shoulder, ready to pull her into an embrace. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± Joanna straightened up, trying to maintain a serious demeanor. ¡°Can you stop fooling around? It¡¯s not the time for jokes. Why are you in such a lighthearted mood?¡± ¡°Really, don¡¯t you miss me?¡± Bruce persisted, not letting up on his yful tone. ¡°Stop it!¡± Joanna tried to push away his hand, feeling a mix of emotions. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you miss me. Just answer me, Bruce insisted, his eyes searching hers. Joanna¡¯s eyes darted around, and she evasively replied, ¡°The children miss you a lot.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t speak, but her teary eyes spoke volumes. At a time like this, this damned man¡¯s mind was still filled with such thoughts. Secing Joanna¡¯s tears, Bruce¡¯sughter subsided. ¡°Why are you crying? I¡¯m not dead. Why do you make that expression? Cry when I¡¯m dead!¡± he said, his tone tinged with a mix of yfulness and vulnerability. The moment Joanna heard that, she covered his mouth reflexively. ¡°No, you can¡¯t say such a word?¡± ¡°Why? Are you afraid I¡¯ll die?¡± Joanna stared at him fixedly, her tears kept running down. Regardless of whether he was the children¡¯s father, she didn¡¯t want him to die, even if he were just an ordinary friend. ¡°Don¡¯t say such a grave word. It¡¯s not as serious as you make it sound.¡± Joanna pleaded, her voice choked with emotion. ¡°Oh, then why are you crying?¡± Bruce raised her chin, a more serious expression on his face. ¡°I got something in my eye. Is that okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still pretending. You¡¯re clearly worried about me but refuse to admit it,¡± Bruce remarked, his hand wrapping around her as he pulled her into a passionate kiss. ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t mess around¡­¡± Joanna instinctively tried to avoid him, but her resistance faded as they embraced. Bruce bit her lip gently. ¡°Joanna, I want you to remember me, remember this feeling.¡± Joanna stopped struggling and melted into his arms, seeking sce in their connection. ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t get into any trouble, okay?¡± Bruce put away his previous frivolity, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes as he gently stroked her back. The gravity of the situation seemed to have surpassed his expectations. He might indeed end up in jail, but he didn¡¯t know the duration of his potential sentence. Thankfully, he had made preparations for the children and Joanna, ensuring their financial security even if he were incarcerated. Sherane Bay Vi, 40 minutester, they were home. When they got out of the car, Joanna subconsciously reminded Bruce, ¡°I told my daughter that you went overseas for a business trip. Don¡¯t let it slipter.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± At the entrance of the vi, the servants were expecting Bruce. Lilia¡¯s stroller was pushed onto thewn, allowing her to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Seeing her daughter, Bruce¡¯s mood immediately lifted. ¡°Lilia, Daddy is back.¡± Lilia turned her head and saw her father. Her excitement knew no bounds as she tried to jump out of her stroller. ¡°Daddy, I missed you so much. You finally came back.¡± Bruce quickly approached thewn. ¡°Mhm, let Daddy see if my baby is all better now.¡± As he spoke, Bruce lifted Lilia with care by her armpits, raising her into the air. Lilia giggled joyfully. After her surgery, she had made a remarkable recovery and had be stronger. ¡°Give Daddy a kiss!¡± ¡°Kisses, kisses!¡± Lilia nted several kisses on her father¡¯s face. *Daddy, are you still going on a business trip?¡± Bruce smiled indulgently. ¡°Not for now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Lilia eximed. ¡°Christmas ising soon. I want to prepare a gift for Daddy.¡± Bruce was momentarily taken aback. Time had flown by so quickly. Before they knew it, Christmas had arrived once again. After Christmas. New Year¡¯s Day would soon follow. However, he didn¡¯t know if he would be able to spend New Year¡¯s Day with the children and Joanna at home. ¡°Mhm, when it¡¯s Christmas. Daddy will take you to the amusement park. How about that?¡± ¡°Great! And Davin and Irvin and Mommy wille too,¡± Lilia eximed, thrilled by the idea. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll go together as a family.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Lilia vigorously eagerly, her eyes sparkling with joy. Even though Daddy loved her, he barely had the time to stay with her, let alone taking her to an amusement park, and therefore it was a rare treat. Chapter 471 Chapter 471 ¡°Mom, did you hear that? Dad is taking us to the amusement park.¡± Seeing how happy her daughter was, Joanna had mixed feelings. She didn¡¯t dare to imagine how sad the kids would be if Bruce went to jail. While they were talking. Davian and Irvin returned from kindergarten. The boys were stunned when they saw their father standing in the courtyard. They thought they must be seeing things. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Davian and Irvin said in unison and ran toward Bruce. Then, they hugged Bruce¡¯s legs from both sides. Bruce looked nkly at them, feeling ttered. These two brats never treated him so warmly. Compared to the other two kids, Davian was more reluctant to get close to him. But now, he actually took the initiative to hug his leg! ¡°You two brats, let go of me.¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t.¡± The kids refused to loosen their grips as if their dad would disappear if they let go of him, their eyes turning red. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in a daze. Joanna¡¯s eyes also turned red. ¡°The kids are happy to see you.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m so d that they finally start caring about their dad. Good! I didn¡¯t raise them for nothing.¡± Bruce smiled faintly as he patted his sons¡® heads. He then bent down and picked them up. The two boys were already more than six years old and both were very strong. Bruce had a hard time holding them at the same time. ¡°Gosh, the two brats are really heavy!¡± ¡°Dad, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re back. We¡¯re relieved now.¡± ¡°Wee home, Dad. We won¡¯t be naughty anymore!¡± After they finished speaking, the boys kissed Bruce on the cheek from both sides. Bruce could not stay calm anymore and tears sprang to his eyes. Joanna had given birth to such cute and sensible children for him. He no longer had any regrets in his life. ¡°Bruce,e on. Put them down. You still have an injury on your lower back.¡± ¡°Go y on yourselves.¡± Bruce ced the boys on the ground with a chuckle and gave each of them a kick. He was just ying with the kids and didn¡¯t exert any strength, so it didn¡¯t hurt at all. ¡°Joanna, didn¡¯t you say that you would make spaghetti for me when I returned? Now that I¡¯m back, shouldn¡¯t you make it for me?¡± Joanna took a deep breath andughed. ¡°Yes. As long as you want to eat it, I can make it for you every day.¡± Bruce was moved. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m hungry now!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make it for you now.¡± When the three kids heard that their mom was going to cook, their eyes lit up instantly. ¡°Mom, we want to eat dumplings. Can you make dumplings for us?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Joanna would not reject the children¡¯s request, of course. ¡°That¡¯s great! We will have dumplings! Mom, you have to make more. I can eat three tes of dumplings.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Joanna squatted down and gave their faces a gentle squeeze. ¡°Okay. Mom will go cook right now.¡± As she spoke, she looked at Bruce. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen now. Stay here with the children.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Dad, will you still¡­ go on a business trip?¡± Davian asked carefully. In fact, he wanted to ask if his dad would be arrested by the police. However, he could not put it straight in front of his sister. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Well, Dad won¡¯t be going on business trips for the time being. During this period of time, I will spend more time, apanying you guys. You can tell me anything you want. I will fulfill your wishes one by one.¡± When Irvin heard this, he jumped up excitedly. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s great! ¡°Dad, can you take us riding?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She looked at Bruce and said sternly, ¡°Bruce, your injury hasn¡¯t recovered yet! Davian, Irvin, your dad has just undergone surgery and hasn¡¯t recovered yet. He can¡¯t ride a horse¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s been so many days since the surgery. I no longer have any problems with my lower back,¡± Bruce said, looking at Joanna with an ambiguous smile. Joanna blushed. ¡°That won¡¯t do either. It¡¯ll be too bad if you get injured again.¡± ¡°Well, Dad, can you teach us how to ride a horse? You can just watch from the side and don¡¯t have to ride a horse yourself.¡± ¡°Rx. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go outside to y with the children for a while.¡± ¡°The dinner is almost ready. Why don¡¯t you go after we¡¯re done with eating?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± While Bruce was building blocks and ying games with the kids in the living room, Joanna went to the kitchen. She took out the ingredients from the fridge one by one and prepared to make dumplings. The fridge in the Everett family¡¯s house was very big and she could find any ingredients she needed inside. The servants saw that and hurried over. ¡°Madam, do you need help?¡± ¡°No need. You guys may leave now. I can handle it myself.¡± ¡°Okay. Madam, please let us know if you need anything.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Joanna replied. She wanted to personally cook a meal for Bruce and the children and did not want anyone to help. Chapter 472 Chapter 472 Joanna began to knead the dough a whileter. After it was done, she put the chicken breast, green onions, ginger, and mushrooms into the meat grinder and minced them. When the dumpling filling was ready, she added various seasonings to it and mixed them up. After that, she began to make dumplings. Bruce also liked dumplings, so she specially made some more this time. An hourter, the fragrance of the dumplings came out of the pot and the spaghetti was also ready. Joanna used a tray to carry the food into the dining room. After cing it on the table, she shouted at her husband and kids. ¡°The dinner is ready. Come on, go wash your hands.¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, they ran over excitedly. ¡°Wow!That¡¯s great. We¡¯ll have dumplings!¡± Bruce also walked over with Lilia in his arms. Looking at the dumplings, he couldn¡¯t help swallowing hard. ¡°I want dumplings too!¡± Joanna pretended to be in a dilemma. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to eat spaghetti?¡± ¡°But I also want to try dumplings.¡± Joanna smiled gently and filled a te of dumplings for him. Bruce sat down by the diner table with the kids and began to enjoy his meal. ¡°Well, no wonder the children love dumplings so much. They are really delicious!¡± Hearing his deliberatepliments, Joanna rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Come on, don¡¯t make it look like it¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve ever had dumplings I made.¡± Bruce smiled ambiguously. ¡°It¡¯s especially delicious today. I want to eat three tes too.¡± ¡°Stop it. I didn¡¯t make so many of them.¡± After Bruce finished the food on his te, he used his spoon to scoop a dumpling from Irvin¡¯s. Irvin pouted and protested, ¡°This is mine. Dad, don¡¯t snatch it from me.¡± ¡°Dad, you can have mine.¡± Lilia immediately pushed her te to her dad. ¡°Unlike the two brats, my daughter cares about me the most.¡± ¡°Dad, you can have mine!¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, they quickly pushed their dumplings to Bruce. Bruce smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Dad is just joking with you.¡± Joanna was happy to see Bruce interact with the kids at the dining table. It was great that the Everett family became lively again. The servants looked at them outside the dining room, dumbfounded. ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Mr. Everett is particr about food. I didn¡¯t expect him to like spaghetti and dumplings so much. ¡°We can cook the two staples more often for him in the future,¡± a chef said. The other chef rolled his eyes. ¡°Forget it! Mr. Everett likes them because they were made by Mrs. Everett. He won¡¯t want us to make them for him. ¡°Believe it or not, he will definitely be picky again when we cook the same food for him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. It was already 10 o¡¯clock at night. After washing up. Bruce and Joanna were ready to go to bed. ¡°Come on, go to sleep.¡± ¡°It has been a long time since ourst intimacy. Don¡¯t you want me? I miss you so much that I¡¯m going crazy.¡± Bruce came over and pulled Joanna into his arms. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a bit. ¡°Stop fooling around. Can you be a little bit more serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I miss you so much that I can¡¯t sleep every night.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re already 30 years old. Can you not be so flirty?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t people be in love at 30?¡± With that, Bruce nted a kiss on her lips. Joanna did not push him away. This was the first time she had been so rxed when he kissed her. In the past, whenever he touched her, she would instinctively resist fiercely. However, it only made Bruce want to conquer her even more. He wouldn¡¯t stop suppressing her until she gave in helplessly every time. Therefore, Joanna had never really enjoyed their intimacy. Now, she was very rxed. Bruce was no longer as domineering and crazy as before. For the first time, Joanna experienced the pleasure of being a woman. The next day, Bruce woke up early in the morning. He had been out of the office for many days and had to go back to take a look. Joanna turned over and woke up. Seeing that Bruce was changing his clothes, she asked drowsily, ¡°Are you going to the office now?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy as he spoke. Without him around, those old foxes would probably turn thepany upside down. Joanna sat up quickly. ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. After hesitating for a few seconds, he eventually agreed. ¡°Well, alright.¡± Joanna hurriedly got up to wash up. The two of them came to their daughter¡¯s room and said goodbye to her. ¡°Lilia, Dad and Mom are going to the office. Be good at home.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia was very considerate. She never pestered them when they were going to work. Bruce and Joanna reached the Everett Group¡¯s office building at 8:30 a.m. As they expected, a bunch of reporters were already waiting outside. As soon as the two of them appeared, the reporters rushed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, may I ask if you¡¯re on bail pending trial? Are you still under investigation?¡± ¡°Will you be leaving Greyport for a while?¡± ¡°Will the Everett Group still operate as usual?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, if you really go to jail, who will be your sessor to be in charge of the Everett Group?¡± ¡°Get out of the way. Mr. Everett won¡¯t ept the interview.¡± The bodyguards stopped the reporters. ¡°Miss Haynes, may I ask if you¡¯ve remarried Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Have you thought about how Mr. Grimm would feel when he knew that you got back together with Mr. Everett? Are you still in contact with Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Does Mr. Grimm know that you¡¯ve remarried Mr. Everett?¡± The reporters¡® questions were getting more and more tricky and mean. Chapter 473 Chapter 473 ¡°Back off. Don¡¯t get close.¡± The bodyguards formed a human wall to keep the reporters from approaching Bruce. Bruce wrapped his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder and quickly walked toward the elevator. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go upstairs.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna was most afraid of the reporters bombing her with questions and couldn¡¯t wait to leave. The elevator went straight to the floor where the conference room was. ¡°Wait outside. I¡¯ll attend a meeting. Come in when I ask you to do so.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna meaningfully. Joanna smoothed his tie and replied, ¡°Got it.¡± The shareholders and executives were talking about Bruce in the conference room. ¡°Mr. Everett was released on bail yesterday. He shoulde to the office today, right?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is already at the office. I just saw his car outside.¡± ¡°So much happened recently. Mr. Everett¡¯s detention caused quite a stir. Countless reporters are waiting downstairs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I wonder how the Everett Group will keep going if Mr. Everett¡­¡± A shareholder paused for a while before he continued hesitantly, ¡°What if Mr. Everett really goes to jail? Who will take over the Everett Group? Well, it¡¯s just at hypothesis.¡± *Whoever has the most shares will take over,¡± another major shareholder blurted out. Everyone discussed uneasily as if Bruce was doomed to go to jail. While they were talking, the door of the conference room was pushed open. Bruce appeared in front of everyone with a gloomy face and scanned around coldly. The originally noisy conference room instantly fell silent. Everyone sat upright in a hurry. Bruce walked in and calmly sat down at the head of the table. ¡°What were you talking about just now? Continue.¡± After hesitating for a while, the others smiled awkwardly and greeted him, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a faint smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west met. I miss you guys very much.¡± ¡°Yes, we miss you as well.¡± ¡°A lot of things that happened recently have had a negative impact on ourpany. I believe everyone knows about it. ¡°What do you think about this? Just say it. We can discuss it together and figure out a solution.¡± Bruce crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked around at everyone. When the others heard this, they felt a chill run down their spines, and no one dared to speak first. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a lively discussion just now? Why are you silent when I¡¯m asking you to speak whatever you want?¡± ¡°Uh, Mr. Everett, thepany is indeed in trouble recently. But I believe that under your leadership, we can get rid of the negative impacts soon,¡± a small shareholder ttered. Everyone knew what had happened to thepany recently and they thought Bruce might really be in big trouble. However, before the final oue came, they had to count on him. ¡°Thew is fair, and the legal officers of the Everett Group are professional. We will definitely get those who spread rumors. to be punished.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Those who spread rumors must be severely punished. Whoever dares to defame the Everett Group or Mr. Everett must be held legally ountable.¡± Seeing someone take the lead, everyone started to tter Bruce. Bruce¡¯s face grew even gloomier when he heard that. ¡°We¡¯re holding a meeting today to discuss thepany¡¯s operation. ¡°If I really have to leave thepany one day, I want it can operate normally.¡± Everyone echoed, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Twant to hear your suggestions and opinions. Don¡¯t answer me perfunctorily or try to pass the buck to the others!¡± Bruce reprimanded them coldly. Amanager mustered his courage and suggested, ¡°Mr. Everett, I think you¡¯d better note to the office for the time being. ¡°There are so many reporters waiting downstairs. If you show up, it will probably attract their attention again. This will affect the Everett Group badly.¡± Chapter 473 Another manager also plucked up and echoed, ¡°That¡¯s right. Those reporters love to make groundless usations and spread rumors. ¡°Mr. Everett, you may stay at home for the time being and preside over the meeting remotely, or you may choose an acting director to manage thepany on behalf of you for a while.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at the manager thoughtfully. If he left thepany, the power would fall into the hands. of the secondrgest shareholder, Liam Miller. The shareholders didn¡¯t dare to cause trouble with Bruce around, but if he left, someone might take the Everett Group from him and thepany¡¯s assets might be divided up. Apany asrge as the Everett Group naturally had many shareholders other than Bruce. The second major shareholder Liam was nearly 50 years old and was Bruce¡¯s biological uncle. However, the two of them had long been estranged and were not like a family at all. Although Liam only had 8% of thepany¡¯s shares, he was already the secondrgest shareholder. If Bruce really went to prison, other shareholders would naturally select him as the new chairman. Bruce scanned around with a faint smile, an insidious look shing across his eyes. ¡°Well, I have something important to announce to you guys today.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Everyone looked at him expectantly. Bruce snapped his fingers at his assistant. ¡°Let Miss Haynes in.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett.¡± The assistant hurried out. Joanna, who was waiting outside the conference room, had heard what Bruce said, so she followed the assistant in. She came over today for no other reason than to see how Bruce would hold the board meeting. She had a lot to learn from him at work. When Joanna walked in, everyone turned to her in unison and eyed her from head to toe. Bruce stood up, pulled Joanna to the stage, and said to the crowd, ¡°During my absence, Joanna will temporarily rece me as the Everett Group¡¯s executive director and assume all my other duties.¡± Hearing that, everyone froze on the spot, their eyes wide open in shock. Joanna was stunned as well. She looked at Bruce, her eyes full of surprise and panic. Bruce gave her an affirmative smile, not looking like he was joking at all. ¡°Well¡­¡± The face of Liam who was sitting below the stage stiffened and aplicated look shed across his cloudy, gloomy eyes. Bruce actually handed the Everett Group to an outsider than to his uncle! He could not understand or ept this. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. No one expected Bruce to suddenly make such a decision. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡­ you must be kidding!¡± Everyone¡¯s expectant gaze instantly turned into contempt for Joanna. They admitted that Joanna was not an ordinary woman. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to get the men who were as brilliant as Bruce and Jaydon so obsessed with her. But It was not because she was outstanding at work. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t even run a smallpany like the Haynes Group well. How could she manage such a hugepany like the Everett Group? ¡°I¡¯m not joking. If I¡¯m no longer around, Miss Haynes will be your chairman and take over my work.¡± Chapter 474 Chapter 474 ¡°I will temporarily transfer all my authority to Miss Haynes.¡± Everyone looked at each other, their eyes popping out in shock. Liam¡¯s face darkened at Bruce¡¯s words. He was so angry that he felt like he was about to explode. Over the years, he had been doing his best to assist his nephew until he became the richest man in this city. He didn¡¯t believe Bruce¡¯s business would have developed so smoothly without his effort. Because of this, he took it for granted that Bruce would leave thepany to him during his absence. However, things didn¡¯t go as he expected. Obviously, Bruce did not trust him. At this critical moment, he would rather give the power in his hand to an outsider than give it to his biological uncle. Liam felt disappointed to the extreme and hated Bruce even more. Bruce looked at Joanna with a smile and said solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, from today onwards, you will officially join the Everett Group. ¡°During this period of time, I¡¯ll hand over all my work to you. You have to familiarize yourself with the management model of the Everett Group as soon as possible.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and whispered, ¡°Bruce, stop joking around!¡± ¡°Alright. That¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting. ¡°Starting tomorrow, Miss Haynes will be your new president.¡± ¡°Huh? Well¡­¡± Everyone smacked their lips, not knowing what to do. Bruce wrapped his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder and left the conference room. When they reached his office, Joanna couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy?¡± Bruce smiled calmly. ¡°No.¡± Joanna scratched her head anxiously. ¡°You¡­ I was not prepared at all when you suddenly announced your decision. How can you hand over such a hugepany like the Everett Group to me?¡± Bruce grabbed her shoulders andughed mockingly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid?¡± ¡°You should think it over before you made such a decision!¡± Joannained, as anxious as if she was being roasted on fire. The Everett Group had a total market value of hundreds of billions. It had dozens of shareholders and none of them were easy to deal with. She really didn¡¯t have the confidence to manage thepany well. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been very confident? Didn¡¯t you say that I limited your ability at work? ¡°I¡¯m giving you the chance to fulfill your potential. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± Joanna let out a long sigh and said anxiously, ¡°I¡­ I really can¡¯t do it. Come on, leave the job to someone else.¡± The management of the Everett Group was 100 times moreplicated than that of the Haynes Group. A smallpany already made her feel mentally and physically exhausted, let alone the Everett Group. There was no way she could handle it. ¡°Why? I believe in you. You can do it.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna firmly. He had a foreboding that he would not be able to get away this time and might really be imprisoned for a few years. At this critical moment, he would not feel at ease handing thepany over to anyone. Right now, the only person he trusted was Joanna. Only by handing the Everett Group over to her could he ensure that it would fall into someone else¡¯s hands. ¡°I really can¡¯t. I¡¯m not capable enough toplete such a tough mission.¡± ¡°Joanna, give yourself some confidence. I¡¯ll support you from behind. You can ask me anytime if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to do anything other than pass on the message to me.¡± When Joanna heard this, she grew even more nervous. She looked at Bruce in horror and asked, ¡°Wh¨C What do you mean by that? Where are you going after you hand thepany over to me?¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds and then looked at Joanna seriously. ¡°Listen to me. I might really go to jail. ¡°The shareholders of thepany might not be on my side. If I really go to jail, they will definitely show their true colors and cause trouble.¡± Joanna was terrified. She held Bruce¡¯s arm tightly and stammered, ¡°But, L..I really can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do. During this period of time, I¡¯ll hand over my work to you. Ask me if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to support you and I¡¯ll also teach you how to deal with those people.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be like this!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. She threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms and hugged him tightly. She did not want anything to happen to Bruce. She did not want him to go to jail. ¡°For our kids and for me, you have to be strong!¡± ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t let anything happen to you. The children need you¡­¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Tears sprang to Bruce¡¯s eyes. He lowered his head and nted a kiss on Joanna¡¯s lips. It took him a long time to let go of her. When Bruce raised his head, his eyes were filled with tears and his voice became hoarse. ¡°In this world, I don¡¯t trust anyone except you. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Even if I go to prison. I¡¯ll be out soon. Are you willing to wait for me?¡± Tears streamed down Joanna¡¯s face. She never expected that Bruce would go to jail one day. Seeing that she was crying, Bruce smiled with tears in his eyes, wiped her tears away with his hand, and said. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t cry. Seeing you cry makes me feel even worse.¡± Chapter 475 Chapter 475 ¡°Bruce, can you tell me what you did?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce and asked between sobs. Bruce¡¯s heart ached even more and tears welled up again. No one could keep clean in the dirty business world, let alone stay out of trouble. The punishment for his crime might be severe or light. He could be sentenced to death or be considered not to havemitted a vicious crime. It was up to how thewyer would fight for it. It would be best if he could be out of the hook after paying some fine. If it couldn¡¯t be solved by money, he would ask thewyer to help him get a lesser charge so that he could be released from jail a few years earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me anymore. It¡¯s not good for you to know too much.¡± Joanna sniffed and punched him twice. ¡°Bruce, you bastard! Why do you always make me cry?¡± ¡°Stop crying. This is not the time to cry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be in jail for a few years at most. I¡¯ll be out soon. ¡°Be good when I¡¯m not around.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t answer and cried even more bitterly. Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and joked around with her, ¡°If I¡¯m only sentenced to three or five years, you have to wait for me and can¡¯t have an ambiguous rtionship with any other man. ¡°Of course, if I¡¯m sentenced to more than 10 years, you don¡¯t have to wait for me. Find a good man for yourself and marry him. But you have to leave my property to our children. I¡¯ll be pissed off if you give my money to another guy.¡± When Joanna heard this, she punched his chest angrily. ¡°You bastard! what are you talking about? No one wants your stinky money!¡± As Joanna spoke, tears streamed down her face. Bruce chuckled and continued to tease her, ¡°You¡¯ve been hating me. Now I got what I deserved and might have to spend the rest of my life in prison. You should be happy, right?¡± ¡°Why are you still in the mood to tease me at this moment?¡± ¡°What can I do? It¡¯s toote to regret now.¡± Joanna threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, crying. At this moment, she really could not bear to part with him. All the hatred she had for him in the past vanished in an instant. She did not want to and she wouldn¡¯t hate him anymore. Bruce raised her chin and looked into her eyes affectionately. ¡°Come on, stop crying. Even if I went to jail, I might be able to do something. ¡°If you have any problems that you can¡¯t solve, you can ask me. I¡¯ll leave all my most capable assistants and bodyguards to you. Indeed, even if he was put into jail, he might not lose control of the Everett Group. Joanna was just his spokesperson in thepany. Of course, this spokesperson had to be someone he trusted the most. So far, the only person he could trust was Joanna. Although Liam was his uncle and had helped him a lot in business, Bruce knew that he had long wanted to rece him and control the Everett Group. Therefore, he would rather hand thepany over to Joanna than to Liam. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Everyone in the conference room was in an uproar. ¡°Do you guys think Mr. Everett is crazy? It¡¯s unbelievable that he handed thepany to his ex¨Cwife!¡± ¡°That¡®s right! His ex¨Cwife is just a little girl. What¡¯s so great about her? How could he appoint her as the Everett Group¡¯s president?¡± ¡°Yes. That woman got everything she had by sleeping with men. If she were in charge of thepany, it would definitely be ruined.¡± The major shareholders patted their chests and stomped their feet as theyined. They were so worried that their teeth began to hurt. The vice president Tommy immediatelyforted everyone, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. When Mr. Everett inherited the Everett Group, he was only 20 years old. Everyone thought he couldn¡¯t run thepany well. ¡°But what happenedter? Not only did Mr. Everett manage the Everett Group very well, but he was also more enterprising than the previous chairman. ¡°So, it¡¯s very likely that Miss Haynes can do a good job as well. Since Mr. Everett personally chose her, there must be something special about her. We should just do our part.¡± ¡°Hmph! Mr. Everett is doing this for his own benefit, not for the future of the Everett Group.¡± ¡°How can you put it that way? Mr. Everett is thergest shareholder of the Everett Group. He has the right to hand thepany over to anyone! ¡°If you have any objections, you can quit from the Everett Group.¡± His words rendered everyone speechless. Bruce owned 51% of thepany. Of course, he had the right to give his shares to anyone. A few shareholders left the office resentfully. These people were all supporters of Liam, so they were naturally dissatisfied with Bruce¡¯s arrangements. The reporters were still waiting outside the office building. When they saw someoneing out, they immediately rushed. over. ¡°Hello! We saw Mr. Everette to work just now. Is he in a good mood?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Please say something. Will Mr. Everett resign because of the incident?¡± A small shareholder could not hold back his anger anymore and said indignantly, ¡°Hmph! The Everett Group already has a new president!¡± His words instantly caused an uproar. ¡°May I ask who it is? Is it the vice president Liam Miller?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t tell you more at the moment.¡± Chapter 476 Chapter 476 The reporters were interviewing when they saw Liam and his assistant walk out of thepany. They swarmed towards Liam again. ¡°Mr. Miller, may I have a word with you?¡± Dozens of microphones were handed over, and more than ten bodyguards stepped forward to stop them. Unfortunately, they were outnumbered and could not resist the reporters¡® madness. ¡°Mr. Miller, it¡¯s heard that Mr. Everett voluntarily resigned from the president¡¯s position. What do you think about this?¡± ¡°Will Mr. Everett pass the position to you?¡± ¡°Did Mr. Everett pass the president¡¯s position to his ex¨Cwife? Is that true? The reporters bombarded him with questions. Liam¡¯s face was dark and he did not say a word. Surrounded by bodyguards, he finally passed through the crowd and made his way into the car! Reporters who were broadcasting live were even vying to be the first to report thetest news. ¡°The Everett Group¡¯s president Bruce Everett resigned voluntarily and will face 20 years in prison.¡± ¡°Bruce Everett¡¯s ex¨Cwife may be the biggest winner and will sessfully take over the Everett Group¡¯s assets worthy of billions of dors.¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes was crowned as the strongest ex¨Cwife of the contemporary era. Even after the divorce, she still dominated her ex¨Chusband¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°A dramatic reversales. Mr. Everett and his ex¨Cwife get remarried.¡± The inte was filled with news about Bruce and Joanna remarrying. The poprity of their remarriage overshadowed the hot topic of Bruce¡¯s arrest. People in front of the television were even more excited. ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that they will get back together. Look, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°After all, they have three children. It¡¯s normal for them to remarry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I hope that they can remarry. At the very least, give the children aplete family.¡± Jaydon¡¯s fan girls were even more indignant. ¡°Are you kidding me? Joanna actually remarried Bruce? Then what about Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm even took a bullet for her. I didn¡¯t expect that he would still be dumped.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know who Mr. Grimm¡¯spetitor is? That¡¯s Bruce Everett. It¡¯s not embarrassing to lose to him! Besides, they¡¯re already husband and wife. It¡¯s normal for them to remarry now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Mr. Grimm was infatuated because, in the end, he paid the Wrong The Garcia Group was also focusing on this news. amount.¡± Looking at the reports, they were all about Bruce and Joanna remarrying. Roxanne was angry and hateful, and her entire face turned green. Moreover, Bruce handed over the billions of dors of asset in the Everett Group to Joanna so hastily. ¡°All of this should belong to me, but it was snatched away by Joanna Haynes. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Bruce Everett, I promise you will regret it. This is only the beginning. I will ruin your reputation and leave you with nothing.¡± Zachary looked at Roxanne¡¯s vicious expression and felt a chill run down his spine. ¡°Rox, why don¡¯t we forget about it? It¡¯s not that easy to take down Bruce¡­¡± When Roxanne heard this, she instantly flew into a rage. ¡°No way! That¡¯s impossible. I won¡¯t let him go.¡± ¡°At this point, it¡¯s toote for you to regret it. Don¡¯t forget it¡¯s you who personally handed the evidence of his bribery to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. ¡°Hahaha, Bruce would never have thought that it was his bro who stabbed him in the back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I¡­ Zachary frowned deeply. He vaguely regretted doing so. Roxanne¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as she stared into his eyes enchantingly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you regretting it?¡± Zachary¡¯s gaze wavered as he said anxiously, ¡­ No, Bruce will be bailed out. He might not be sentenced. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll take revenge¡­¡± Roxanne sneered and interrupted him. ¡°Greyport is in the antitrust system. The Everett Group has always liked to monopolize the industry. It¡¯s normal for them to be suppressed! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The second wave of punishment will arrive very soon. Didn¡¯t you gather evidence of his monopoly on the x microchips? As long as you hand this evidence over, he will soon face the consequences of their actions. Chapter 476 ¡°Moreover, the Yanice Group has already joined forces with hundreds of small and medium¨Csized enterprises to sue the Everett Group for illegal financing.¡± When Zachary heard this, his head was in a mess and he could only hear a buzzing sound. ¡°Rox, listen to me. Bruce and 1 are buddies after all. I think it would be disloyal of me to hit him when he¡¯s down.¡± Roxanne sneered and said mockingly, ¡°Hmph, do you know the biggest difference between you and Bruce Everett?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Roxanne tapped his chest and mocked him contemptuously. ¡°You are indecisive and soft¨Chearted. If you were Bruce, he would hit his buddy without hesitation! ¡°So, he¡¯s more sessful than you. He¡¯s more daring than you! You deserve to be defeated by him for the rest of your life¡­¡± Roxanne deliberately used these insulting words to stimte his nerves! When Zachary heard this, he was indeed infuriated. He grabbed her hand fiercely and said fiercely, ¡°So what? You still followed me.¡± After saying that, Zachary pushed Roxanne onto the sofa. He and Bruce were born at the same starting line. Why was Bruce so much ahead of him? He was extremely unconvinced and jealous! Bruce could live well, but not better than him. Bruce could be more excellent than him, but not by much. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be friends. This was human nature. Seeing that Zachary was angry, Roxanne immediately put on a charming expression and hooked his cor coquettishly. ¡°Darling, this is a critical moment. If you don¡¯t want to live in his shadow, you have to defeat him. ¡°As long as we hand over the evidence, we can definitely give a heavy blow to him. He will never rise again for the rest of his life!¡± Zachary took two deep breaths and stared nkly at Roxanne, not a wording from his mouth. He began to hesitate again. Seeing that he had a lot on his mind. Roxanne smiled charmingly. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a good day now. Don¡¯t let others affect our mood!¡± Upon hearing of this, Zachary quit thinking about these terrible things. He hugged Roxanne and walked to the lounge beside the office. After a hot battle, Zachary was so tired that he copsed to the side. Roxanne nced at him in disdain, and her heart was filled with despise. Although Zachary was a yboy, he had yed with too many women, so his body had long been overdrawn. He could not satisfy Roxanne at all. Roxanne was purely using him against Bruce. Roxanne got up and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. She turned on the tap and washed away the traces he left behind in disgust. ¡°Hmph, what a waste of a man. A loser. ¡°So obsessed with that thing. How disgusting!¡± After cursing in her heart, Roxanne fiercely rubbed her body. Other than hating Bruce, she also missed Gavin. She missed the satisfaction and the joy that he brought her. Unfortunately, Gavin was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She could no longer find a lover who understood her as well as Gavin. Chapter 477 Chapter 477 After showering, Roxanne wrapped her hair in a towel and came out in a bathrobe. World of Tanks: Free Online War Game World of Tanks: Free Online War Game Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 World of Tanks: Free Online War Game The spacious and luxurious office became a paradise for the two of them. Most of the time, employees rarely came in to disturb them, so she could freely wear a few clothes that didn¡¯t cover her body. Unexpectedly, this time, as soon as she walked out of the bathroom, she bumped into Jennie. Jennie entered her brother¡¯s office without knocking. Now that she saw Roxanne in a bathrobe, she immediately imagined what she had just done with her brother in the office. ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?¡± Jennie cried out. He looked like she wanted to shoot Roxanne to death. Seeing this, Roxanne was not to be outdone and sneered, ¡°He¡¯s inside!¡± ¡°Roxanne, you¡¯re really shameless. Doing such a thing in my brother¡¯s office in broad daylight¡­.. Before Jennie could finish scolding, Roxanne sneered. ¡°If you want to me someone, me your brother. You shouldn¡¯t me me. ¡°Your brother¡¯s the boss. No matter what he wants to do, the only thing I can do is obey his orders.¡± When Jennie heard this, she was so angry that her face turned red. She pointed at Roxanne¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°Roxanne Haynes, you will never be my future sister¨Cinw even though my brother is ying with you. ¡°You¡¯re a bitch. Don¡¯t get cocky. Roxanne could not help but retort, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m still better than you! You want to be a whore, but no one wants you!¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, I heard from your brother that you like Bruce a lot, right? What a pity. You¡¯re just daydreaming.¡± When Jennie heard this, she gritted her teeth even more angrily. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Seeing that Jennie could not beat her in scolding, Roxanne became even more arrogant. ¡°Do you want me to teach you how to please Bruce?¡± Jennie chuckled. ¡°You? Wake up! If you really know how, you wouldn¡¯t have been dumped by him!¡± ¡°Hmph. no matter what, I was once Bruce¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I¡¯ve dated him for six years. I know his preferences better than anyone.¡± Jennie ruthlessly responded, ¡°Since you know him so well, why aren¡¯t you Mrs. Everett now? ¡°Why didn¡¯t Bruce marry you? And why did he marry your sister?¡± This sentence did pierce Roxanne¡¯s heart. If it weren¡¯t for Joanna, she would already be Mrs. Everett. Damn it, Joanna stole everything that originally belonged to her. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to hear it. I don¡¯t have to waste my time!¡± Roxanne snorted arrogantly and turned to walk. towards the lounge. ¡°Bah, you slut!¡± Jennie was extremely irritated. She sat on Zachary¡¯s office chair, her heart filled with indignation. ¡°Don¡¯t be smug. I¡¯ll get my brother to dump you sooner orter!¡± After cursing, Jennie suddenly saw a stack of documents on the desk. Theputer was also dormant and did not lock up. ¡°What is this?¡± There was a pile of messy documents on the table and a CD! She casually flipped through the document. It was the Everett Group¡¯s internal management information and financial statements! ¡°Why does my brother have financial statements for the Everett Group?¡± Jennie casually flipped through it again. There were also private photos of Bruce with many other people. One of them was a political figure from Greyport. However, this political figure had already copsed some time ago. He had been stripped of all his duties and sentenced to life imprisonment! She hurriedly flipped through a few more photos. They were all revtions regarding Bruce and the Everett Group. After reading these documents, Jennie waspletely shocked. ¡°Oh my god, why did Zachary collect so much evidence of the Everett Group¡¯s crimes? Could it be¡­ that he is the one who wants Bruce to go to jail?¡± Thinking of this, Jennie¡¯s entire body turned cold. She flipped through it again in disbelief. Just as she was engrossed in watching, she suddenly heard Zachary¡¯s voice. ¡°Jennie, what are you doing?¡± Jennie shuddered and stood up abruptly. She raised the evidence in her hand and questioned her brother, ¡°What are these?¡± Zachary¡¯s face darkened and he immediately went forward to snatch it. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to take a fancy to my things. Don¡¯t enter my office in the future. Put it down and get out right now!¡± ¡°Tell me, are you the one who frames up the Everett Group privately? Is that right?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Nonsense! Get out quickly. This has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°So what are these things? Why are you collecting these things? What exactly do you want to do?¡± Jennie questioned her brother relentlessly. ¡°Jennie, this is not what it looks like.¡± ¡°Stop lying. I¡¯m not a child!¡± ¡°You and Bruce have been good friends since you were young. How can you stab him in the back? ¡°Besides, you know that I like Bruce. How could you set him up? ¡°Please destroy this evidence. You can¡¯t go against Bruce. I won¡¯t allow you to do this!¡± As she spoke, Jennie took the evidence from the table and started to run away. ¡°Put it down!¡± Zachary quickly chased after her. When Jennie had already run to the office door and was about to pull it open, Zachary caught her up and pped his sister without any exnation. There was a crisp sound. ¡°You pped me? How could you p me?¡± ¡°Jennie, Bruce is not a good man. He is not suitable for you, and he will not love you. Why are you so stubborn?¡± Chapter 478 Chapter 478 There are so many good men in Greyport. You have so many better choices. Why do you have to love Bruce?¡± ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng Tears streamed down Jennie¡¯s face as she looked at her brother in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re so horrible. How could you do that? This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I can¡¯t see you do it. I¡¯m going to tell Bruce¡­¡± Seeing this, Zachary panicked. ¡°Jennie! Put it down quickly and stop causing trouble!¡± Bruce wasn¡¯t in prison yet. If he found out the truth, the consequences would be unimaginably terrible. Seeing that Jennie was about to run out, Roxanne picked up the vase beside her and smashed it hard on the back of Jennie¡¯s head. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Ahhh¨CJennie groaned. Her vision turned nk, and then she fell heavily to the ground. Dark red blood instantly flowed from the back of her head. Seeing his sister get hurt, Zachary was instantly frightened out of his wits. ¡°Jennie, Jennie!¡± ¡°Roxanne, she¡¯s my sister. How could you hit her so hard?¡± Roxanne looked innocent. ¡°If I don¡¯t do anything to her, she¡¯ll ruin our n! If she spreads our secret, Bruce won¡¯t let us off!¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t hit my sister so hard!¡± Zachary felt frightened, but when he saw the blood on the ground, he was even more at a loss. ¡°Someone, please call an ambnce!¡± He said loud again, ¡°Call an ambnce!¡± Roxanne stood at the side indifferently. Anyway, she had been to a mental hospital before! Even if she was caught by the police, she is free from criminal responsibility because she had a history of mental illness. Even if she killed someone, the police could only send her to a mental hospital. Soon Jennie was sent to the hospital. The back of her head was seriously injured and she was sent straight to the operating room. The doctors had been trying their best to resuscitate her! Jennie¡¯s parents rushed to the hospital after receiving the news. ¡°Dad, Mom¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? How did she get injured?¡± Zachary was flustered. He did not dare to say that it was Roxanne to me. He replied in a timid voice, ¡°Jennie¡­ When she was going down the stairs, she identally bumped into¡­¡± ¡°How could she be so careless?¡± ¡°God bless Jennie!¡± After more than four hours, the door of the operating room finally opened. The doctor walked out. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient? Is it serious?¡± ¡°The patient was bleeding internally. Now that the umted blood has been cleared, there is still some clotted blood that needs to be slowly absorbed.¡± ¡°How long will it take to wake up?¡± ¡°That depends on the patient¡¯s subsequent condition. If it¡¯s ideal, she can wake up in three to five days. The worse case is that it might take three to five months. We can¡¯te to a conclusion yet!¡± ¡°Oh my god, how did this happen? My Jennie!¡± Mrs. Everett pounded her chest and stamped her feet in pain. When Zachary heard this, he felt even more uneasy. On one hand, he was worried that his sister¡¯s life would really be in danger. On the other hand, he was worried that his sister would tell his parents the truth when she woke up. If his parents found out the truth, they would definitely not let him off. Fortunately, he did not know when Jennie would wake up. He still had time to do the remedy work. Bruce and Joanna stayed in thepany until 6 PM. Bruce carefully exined thepany¡¯s management model and handover work to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s stop here for today! It¡¯s time to go home!¡± ¡°Continue tomorrow. I¡¯ll take advantage of this time to arrange all of this stuff.¡± ¡°Bruce, I still feel uneasy. I really can¡¯t¡­¡± Chapter 478 Stop saying that again. If I say you can do it, you definitely can. Give yourself some confidence. You¡¯re the best!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce helplessly. She wanted to refuse, but looking at his determined gaze, she knew that she could not shirk the responsibility. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. If we go backte, the children will be worried. Hurry up and go back!¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna straightened her sore waist. She had been staring at theputer for the entire day and listening to Bruce¡¯s speaking. Her mind was in a mess and she could not figure it out. This was especially true for management concepts. For a moment, she really could not ept them. Bruce packed his things, turned off hisputer, and left the office with Joanna. ¡°Mr. Everett, there are still reporters waiting downstairs!¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Damn it. It seems these reporters won¡¯t leave.¡± Joanna also frowned very tightly. She was most afraid of these reporters¡® bombarding questions. ¡°Andy, get some people to distract these reporters away.¡± ¡°Alright. Mr. Everett!¡± Andy replied and quickly went out to do his work. A momentter! A man and a woman dressed up as Bruce and Joanna. They deliberately wore caps, sunsses, and masks on their faces! Surrounded by bodyguards, they hurried out of thepany building. ¡°Mr. Everett is out. Go, go, go!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, may I have an interview with you?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, may I ask if the two of you are really remarried? Don¡¯t go! Please¡­¡± The reporters ran after the two of them, and the bodyguards surrounded them. No one could get closer. Chapter 479 Chapter 479 ¡°Mr. Everett, please say something! Have you resigned as president¡­¡° ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 The car was slowly driving out of the garage. The reporters followed it out of the parking lot. Even if they could only take at photo of the side profile of the person involved, this kind of news would still attract a lot of traffic. Andy came into the office and replied, ¡°Mr. Everett, the reporters have been lured away!¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. Joanna tried to retort, but in the end, she held it in. Moreover, she was in a hurry to go home, not in the mood to argue with him. When they came out of the staff passageway, Bruce drove a backup car! Joanna got into the passenger seat. After she fastened her seatbelt, she could not help but massage her sore waist and neck. ¡°I¡¯m so tired!¡± After Bruce started the car, he nced at her. ¡°Are you tired? I¡¯ll give you a massage when we get back.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and thought that he was just saying it casually and he didn¡¯t really mean it. A man like him, who had his hands full and his food open, was born to enjoy life. How could he wait on others? Bruce drove out of the underground garage, turned the steering wheel, and drove towards the suburbs. Joanna thought that he was worried about being tracked by the reporters, but after watching for a while, she clearly felt that something was wrong. He drove in the exact opposite direction of home. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± Bruce grabbed the steering wheel and looked straight ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a drive!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Where are you going for a drive?¡± ¡°The night view of Greyport is still charming. I really want to go and take a look today.¡± Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be able to see it in the future. But he didn¡¯t say this out loud. Half an hourter, Bruce drove to Harbor Bay. They had been to this ce before. It was called Lover¡¯s Bay! It was also part of the hairpin turn. Beside the road was the sea, and above it was the top of the Emerald Mountain! Not only could they see the sea and the mountains, but they could also see the dazzling lights of thousands of families. Bruce got out of the car and walked to a hill beside the road. He stood where he had stoodst time. He lit a cigarette and looked into the distance. His deep eyes were a little blurry. Joanna also got out of the car. It was almost December, and the weather was already a little cold. As Christmas wasing, various neon lights were very eye¨Ccatching. In Greyport, festivals like Christmas were still popr. Therefore, the atmosphere was quite intense. ¡°Look at this ce. It¡¯s quite beautiful!¡± Bruce blew out a smoke ring. Joanna subconsciously took two steps back, in fear of passive smoking. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold. Let¡¯s go back.¡± She no longer tried to persuade him to quit smoking! Since she couldn¡¯t make it anyway, she might as well let him be! ¡°Why don¡¯t you have any feelings at all?¡± Bruce tilted his head and looked at her, teasing her unhappily. Then, he took off his suit and draped it over Joanna¡¯s shoulders. Although he was not fat, he was too tall. His suit was draped over Joanna as if she was wearing a windbreaker. ¡°It¡¯s not cold now, is it?¡± Joanna tightened the suit. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Come on, take a walk with me!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna was a little reluctant.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The couple held hands and strolled along the beach. They walked for about a few minutes without speaking to each other. But the atmosphere was peaceful, without a hint of Chapter 479 awkwardness or oppression. It was like an ordinary old couple strolling after dinner. Bruce enjoyed this feeling of rxation. Even if he didn¡¯t say anything, he could feel satisfaction and warmth. They walked hand in hand for another five to six minutes. Joanna looked at her watch and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s really gettingte. It¡¯s already past seven. Let¡¯s go back quickly.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Can you walk around with me for more minutes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid the children will worry!¡± ¡°Then let them worry for a while! It¡¯s rare for us to have such a peaceful walk.¡± There was a hint of pleading in his eyes. Joanna had no choice but to continue walking with him. ¡°Joanna, do you think we can still walk like this fifty yearster?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. She had never thought so far ahead. Seeing that she was silent, Bruce asked again, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± Joanna sighed, not knowing what to say. She didn¡¯t talk much usually. Now, although she didn¡¯t hate him that much. She still couldn¡¯t act cute and joke with him. The estrangement had notpletely dissipated! Bruce pursed his lips andined, ¡°Joanna, I realized that you¡¯re really quite boring. Sometimes, I¡¯m found it tedious to stay with you. ¡°It¡¯s like walking with you is dull as dishwater. There¡¯s no romance at all.¡± That was true. When he was with other women, they would rack their brains to please him. Even Princess Martha would think of ways to make him happy. Only when she was with Joanna, she was really a little depressed. Not to mention feeling pleased, it was already a blessing for him not to fly into a rage when staying with Joanna. Joanna narrowed her eyes and said calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to be with me. If you think I¡¯m bored, you can find another woman! I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Bruce choked in anger. Look, this damn woman was so unromantic. She didn¡¯t know what flirting was at all, let alone reading people¡¯s expressions. ¡°Then I really went to look for other women?¡± Bruce deliberately smiled teasingly, trying to trigger her jealousy. ¡°Go ahead! As long as you¡¯re happy, you can do whatever you want,¡± Joanna replied seriously. She did not look angry at all. Bruce was so angry that he could no longer hold it in. ¡°Hey, if I find another woman, are you really not angry?¡± Joanna thought for a few seconds and shook her head solemnly. If he really went to find someone new, she really wouldn¡¯t be angry, and there was nothing to be angry about. Some injuries would create an antibody in one¡¯s heart. It was just like how a person would fall ill when asionally getting a little bit of bacteria if they grew up in a sterile. environment. After being with bacteria for a long time, a symbiotic immunity would take form. She had been hurt too badly in the past and had long lost all hope in love. Now, naturally, no one could hurt her. ¡°Up to you! As long as you¡¯re happy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so heartless!¡± Hearing her answer, Bruce spat fiercely! This damn woman was really hardhearted. He had been trying to enter her heart but she was still as invulnerable as a rock. Joanna was not interested in ying emotional games with him. She just kept urging him. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Hurry up and go back. If we don¡¯t go back soon, the children will really be anxious.¡± As she spoke, Joanna was already walking ahead. Bruce slowly followed behind her, a lot of dissatisfaction growing in his heart. This boring woman really drove him crazy. Chapter 480 Chapter 480 What made him even crazier was that he had hopelessly fallen into it. Could this be what people meant by being cheap? The more she ignored him, the more irresistible he was. ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 Seeing that the distance between the two of them was gradually increasing, Bruce chased after her close. He suggested indignantly. Joanna, can you.. be a little more like a woman in front of me?¡± Joanna stopped in her tracks and looked at Bruce in confusion. ¡°I mean, you can show more femininity. You always look so serious and cold like an iceberg. You¡¯ll dampen my enthusiasm!¡± Joanna¡¯s big watery eyes narrowed as she stared at him seriously. ¡°Alright! How to show my femininity?¡± ¡°Poof¡± Bruce was speechless when he heard that. She was a woman. How could she ask a man how to show her femininity? ¡°For example, when you speak, use a gentler and more coquettish voice. When you look at me, give me a more affectionate and affectionate gaze. That means your charming eyes are like silk, and you should cast more flirtatious nces. Do you understand? ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the way you look at me is like a beast? You look fierce as if you want to kill someone,¡± Bruce said dejectedly. Joanna waspletely stunned. Her brows furrowed into a knot. Habit was a second nature. The rtionship between her and Bruce was hard to exin in a few words. She really didn¡¯t know how to suddenly be gentle to him. ¡°When you look at Jaydon, your eyes are much gentler. In front of him, your posture is like a gentle and charming little Woman ¡°However, when looking at me, you are either fierce or grumpy! Am I inferior to him?¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes instantly darkened, and her already tight brows furrowed even tighter. It had been more than three months since she went to see Jaydon. Thinking of this, she wondered if his body had recovered. Although Jaydon said he had lost his memory, she felt that it was impossible. Perhaps, he simply didn¡¯t want to face the fact. ¡°Why do you keep silent again?¡± Bruce subconsciously put his arm around her shoulder. He seemed to have realized that he shouldn¡¯t have mentioned Jaydon. Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with worry as she walked forward silently. ¡°Are you thinking about him again?¡± ¡°Bruce, can you not be so annoying?¡± ¡°I am annoying?¡± ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to talk so much!¡± As she spoke, Joanna took off her suit and strode towards the car. She did not want to discuss anything about Jaydon with Bruce. Jaydon was more like a benefactor to her. She could do nothing to repay his kindness. Back in the car, Joanna¡¯s face was still tense. Seeing this, Bruce did not dare to mention anything else. Half an hourter, they arrived at Sherane Bay Vi. When they got home, it was already half past eight. The three little kids were ying around and waiting in the living room. When they saw their parents return, they immediately came up to them. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, why are you back sote?¡± ¡°We called you just now, but we couldn¡¯t get through!¡± When Joanna heard the kids¡®int, she exined gently, ¡°Babies, Daddy and Mommy are a little busy today in thepany, so we came backte. ¡°Have you all had a meal?¡± The three little fellows nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ve just finished it.¡± The Everett family¡¯s dinner time was usually at seven in the evening. Bruce used to work overtime often, so the children did not have to wait for him toe back for dinner. ¡°Lilia, how are you today? Are you feeling better?¡± Bruce lovingly carried his daughter. Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m much better now!¡± ¡°Mm.. From tomorrow onwards, Daddy and Mommy might have to stay longer at thepany for work. I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have much time to apany you! Let Lilian take care of you, okay?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, alright!¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes lost bright suddenly. Seeing the disappointment in the children¡¯s eyes, Bruce smiled lovingly. ¡°Daddy will take you out for Christmas when Daddy is done with work!¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Bruce had to take advantage of the limited time to hand over his work to Joanna as soon as possible so that she could quickly familiarize herself with thepany¡¯s work model and management. Otherwise, when they were caught off guard, the consequences would be catastrophic. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Back in the room, Joanna hastily showered andy down on the bed, already tired and unbearable! Looking at Joanna¡¯s exhausted expression, Bruce smiled gently. ¡°Are you tired? Do you want a massage?¡± ¡°Forget it. You¡¯re born to be served, not to serve others.¡± ¡°My technique is very good. Try it if you don¡¯t believe me! ¡°Hurry up and turn it over. I¡¯ll give you a massage!¡± Bruce said as he forcefully turned her around. Then, he began to massage her waist! His hands were soft and vigorous. When he pressed her body urately, every muscle he touched felt rxed. It was afortable experience. ¡°Feel better now?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not bad!¡± Joanna was a little resistant at first, but after a while, she waspletely convinced. Less than 20 minutester, Joanna fell asleep quietly. Under a lot of mental pressure, she had been too tired recently. It was a rare day for her to rx and she fell asleep.fortably. Seeing that she had fallen asleep, Bruce gently pulled the nket and tucked her in. He originally wanted to do something special, but now he could not bear to wake her up again. Chapter 481 Chapter 481 The next day, Joanna woke up early, feeling incrediblyfortable. google B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. She had never slept so well in such a long time without taking sleeping pills. Bruce had already awakened. He propped his head on his elbow, delightfully observing her peaceful sleeping form. ¡°Are you awake?¡± he asked. As soon as Joanna opened her eyes, she found Bruce staring at her intently. Startled, she quickly covered her head with the nket. ¡°Um¡­ why are you looking at me like that?¡± she eximed. ¡°Because you look beautiful!¡± Bruce said as he affectionately smiled. ¡°Come on, wake up! What time is it?¡± Joanna mumbled sleepily, stifling a yawn. She stretched her limbs, threw back the covers, and climbed out of bed. ¡°It¡¯s already eight o¡¯clock!¡± Bruce chimed. ¡°Ah! Why didn¡¯t you wake me up earlier?¡± Joanna eximed in surprise. Bruce shrugged and answered nonchntly, ¡°Why should I wake you up?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to have a meeting? If we¡¯rete, it would be embarrassing,¡± Joanna said. ¡°That¡¯s alright. We can let them wait for a bit!¡± Bruce replied. Joanna fell silent. ¡°Let¡¯s have some breakfast!¡± Bruce suggested. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna agreed. After freshening up and changing clothes, they headed to the dining hall for breakfast. ¡°Once we arrive at thepany today, no matter what they say, don¡¯t be afraid, and do not back down even a bit, Bruce said. Joanna was eating a sandwich when she heard those words, and her gaze became unsettled. Managing the Haynes Group was challenging enough with just Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul to contend with, giving her frequent headaches. But now, the Everett Group had more than 20 shareholders, not to mention numerous high¨Clevel executives, none of whom were easy to deal with. She felt utterly overwhelmed, wondering how she would navigate their tricky personalities and rein in those wily old foxes. ¡°Bruce, I¡­¡± Joanna stammered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce asked as he arched an eyebrow, his face disying a faint smile.. ¡°Do you trust me? I feel¡­ I really can¡¯t handle it,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Here you go again. With me around, you can do it,¡± Bruce chuckled. Half¨Cteasingly, he said reassuringly, ¡°Have some confidence in yourself. Show me the unruly and indomitable spirit you have in front of me! Why would you be afraid of those old geezers if you¡¯re not afraid of me?¡± Joanna listened and furrowed her brow, thinking, ¡°How can business matters be the same as emotions?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce said. Half an hourter, the pair arrived at the Everett Group. The moment they step out of the car, arge group of journalists can be seen anxiously waiting outside. ¡°Mr. Everett, please share a few words!¡± they urged as they swam the pair. ¡°Is it true that you resigned as president?¡± they inquired, their curiosity burning. Having fallen into the trap yesterday, the reporters were even more determined today. Their thirst for information from Bruce was unquenchable. They would not give up until they achieved their goal. Contrary to his evasive attitude the previous day, Bruce now calmly faced the camera lenses of the journalists. ¡°Yes, I have officially passed on the position of president of the Everett Group to Ms. Haynes,¡± he revealed as he maintained aposed demeanor. ¡°Ms. Haynes is now the new president of the Everett Group. Feel free to interview her and ask any questions,¡± Bruce announced, his voice carrying a faint smile. Chapter 481 With that, he smoothly pushed Joanna into the spotlight, directly in front of the eager reporters. Camera shes nearly blinded Joanna, and a sea of microphones thrust forward, each vying for her attention. ¡°Miss Haynes, can you confirm that you have taken over the Everett Group?¡± the reporters inquired, their voices filled with anticipation. ¡°Is it true that you and Mr. Everett are remarried?¡± they pressed, their curiosity peaked. ¡°Are you confident in managing the Everett Group?¡± they probed, eager for her response. ¡°Miss Haynes, do you still maintain contact with Mr. Grimm? Will he congratte you on your remarriage?¡± they bombarded her with questions, leaving Joanna Haynes overwhelmed. Faced with the relentless barrage of questions, Joanna felt her mind buzzing Feeling overwhelmed, Joanna silently cursed, ¡°Bruce, this damn brat! He enjoyedunching surprise attacks and never consulted me beforehand. Now, he even trusted me into the limelight without any warning.¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m very grateful to Mr. Everett for trusting me. I will do my best,¡± Joanna responded, her words stiff and formal. The relentless bursts of camera shes persisted. ¡°Thank you all for your concern. Regarding the takeover, it will take some time for things to settle. I will hold a press conference shortly to officially announce the details. For now, we need to proceed upstairs for a meeting.¡± Joanna said as she put on a brave face and delivered a few official statements. After that, the bodyguards swiftly stepped forward, preventing the reporters from continuing their relentless questioning. As the reporters had a rtively fruitful day, they did not bombard Joanna as intensely as they did the day before. Under the protection of the bodyguards, the two hurriedly entered the elevator. Frustrated and angry, Joanna pounded Bruce¡¯s arm several times as she silently cussed, ¡°Damn bastard! Can¡¯t he discuss things with me before thrusting me into the spotlight? I was not mentally prepared for this!¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, you damn bastard! Why did you push me in front of the reporters?¡± Joanna cursed, her voice seething with frustration. Bruce chuckled in a lighthearted tone and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you enjoy taking charge? I¡¯m merely helping you develop your adaptability skills!¡± Joanna Haynes grew even more furious when she heard that. She asked, ¡°You jerk! Why didn¡¯t you inform me beforehand? At least let me mentally prepare for this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping you build your ability to adapt to unexpected situations. There will be plenty of them in the future, so I want you to get ustomed to them as soon as possible. It¡¯s for your own good,¡± Bruce laughed as he exined, his voice filled with amusement. Joanna rolled her eyes fiercely, her frustration was evident. ¡°We are almost there. Stop fussing. Bruce reminded as he adjusted his expression, reverting to his usual icy and stern demeanor. Joanna also suppressed her annoyed expression, striving to maintain aposed and expressionless facade. Inside the conference room, panic ensued.. ¡°He¡¯s gone mad,pletely mad. Mr. Everett haspletely lost it.¡± Chapter 482 Chapter 482 A few minority shareholders could not contain their dissatisfaction and started inciting others. ¡°Yesterday, I thought Mr. Everett was joking, but it turns out he actually handed over the position of president to his ex¨Cwifel¡± one of them eximed. ??ng ky t¨ºn mi?n, hosting gi¨¢ r?, uy t¨ªn t?i Host123 B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng B¨¢n h¨¤ng t? ??ng, t?ng doanh s? b¨¢n h¨¤ng google ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett even confirmed it in front of the media. It¡¯s absolutely reckless, another shareholder remarked. Another shareholder nced at Liam¡¯s face and cautiously asked, ¡°Mr. Lurk, what should we do? The Everett Group is such arge enterprise with investments in no less than a hundredpanies. Now, with a woman in charge, is it safe?¡± ¡°Exactly, in terms of qualifications and capabilities, it would be more appropriate to entrust this position to Mr. Lurk. Mr. Everett¡¯s decision is simply a careless move. He is treating the future of the Everett Group as a joke!¡± one of the shareholders criticized. Several minority shareholders turned their gaze toward Liam in unison. ¡°Mr. Lurk, how about¡­ you talk to Mr. Everett about this?¡± one of them suggested. Liam sat with his hands folded, his originally kind and amiable face now dark and gloomy. Bruce, his nephew, had consistently shown a dismissive and apathetic attitude towards him, never valuing their rtionship. Attempting to convince Bruce to do something would undoubtedly result in an unfavorable oue. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°How could 1 persuade Bruce? He has never consulted me regarding his ns,¡± Liam sarcastically remarked. ¡°This is troublesome! Hundreds ofpanies are now preparing to file a jointwsuit against the Everett Group. If Mr. Everett goes through with this, we¡¯ll have to deal with this mess!¡± the shareholders lamented. A sharp¨Cminded director had an idea. ¡°How about this? When Mr. Everett arrivester, we all work together to oppose him handing over the position of president to Joanna Haynes!¡± the director proposed. ¡°Yes, yes! If we persist in our opposition, Mr. Everett definitely will not go against everyone¡¯s wishes. At that time, we can all rmend Mr. Lurk as the new president!¡± another shareholder added. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s agree on that. When the timees, we all speak up together, and nobody should back down,¡± the director said. ¡°Good, you speak up first, and we¡¯ll immediately follow suit!¡± one of the shareholders suggested. The sharp¨Cminded director became anxious upon hearing this. ¡°How can that work? If we¡¯re all supposed to speak up together, why should I be the first? Are you trying to use me as a scapegoat? If we¡¯re supposed to speak up together, nobody should try to avoid it¡­¡± the director said as he hurriedly refused. Just as they were discussing, the door to the conference room was pushed open. Andy walked in with a serious expression. ¡°Mr. Everett has arrived. Let¡¯s all remain quiet,¡± he informed. Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly straightened their postures, no longer daring to discuss or comin. Joanna began to feel inexplicably nervous at the conference room entrance, her heart pounding rapidly. ¡°Bruce,¡± she whispered, her voice filled with unease, I¡¯m still a bit nervous. Will they give me a hard timeter?¡± Bruce chuckled and adjusted the cor of her shirt as he quietly encouraged her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said teasingly, ¡°if anyone gives you a hard time, just summon the courage you had when you confronted me before.¡± He leaned closer and added, ¡°You dared to challenge me, so why would you be afraid of them? Come on, show me a fierce look!¡± Joanna red at him. ¡°It¡¯s already such a critical moment, and you still have the mood to joke?¡± she retorted, her frustration. evident. ¡°Rx, Bruce said, his tone half¨Cjoking and half¨Cserious. ¡°No matter how formidable they are, can they be more formidable than me? Why would you be afraid of them if you dared to challenge even me?¡± He smiled mischievously and continued. ¡°If anyone gives you a hard time, just hit back fiercely. If you can¡¯t win in an argument¨Cresort to physical confrontation. There will always be a way, alright?¡± Joanna was speechless at his suggestion. ¡°Oh my, let¡¯s stop with the jokes!¡± she eximed, exasperated. ¡°What you¡¯re suggesting is just tantrums and acting out. I¡¯m not a shrew!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I believe in you!¡± Bruce said, his voice reassuring. ¡°You were fierce when you hit and bit me. If I did not even dare to fight back. Would they dare to fight you?¡± Joanna frowned, her face filled with exasperation. ¡°Can¡¯t you be serious? I¡¯m talking to you seriously. Why do you have to babble?¡± she questioned helplessly. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Who would dare to give you a hard time with me around?¡± Bruce said, his voice full of confidence. ¡°Even if they do, they¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯m dead! Let¡¯s see who dares to touch you as long as I¡¯m alive!¡± Despite his joking tone, his words had an underlying aura of dominance. Chapter 482 Inside the conference room, silence reigned. The people present resembled courtiers awaiting the arrival of a monarch, each wearing a solemn expression. Bruce entered, his face sharply defined like a deck of cards, emanating a cold and intimidating aura that made people retreat. ¡°Good morning. Mr. Everett!¡± the shareholders greeted in unison. ¡°Good day, everyone!¡± Bruce said in amanding voice as he walked directly towards the president¡¯s seat. Joanna followed suit, but her confidence seemed somewhatcking. ¡­Hello, everyone!¡± she greeted, her voice slightly uncertain. The others were taken aback, their gazes turning unfriendly as they stared at Joanna silently. The Everett Group employed only the most exceptional individuals. The directors and managers within thepany were allpetent and aplished. However, they now found themselves confronted with an unexpected and challenging situation: they were required to answer to a notorious woman who was perceived as less qualified and experienced. Unquestionably, this sudden turn of events left every single one of them reluctant to embrace the new reality. Bruce took his seat in the president¡¯s position, with Liam, the secondrgest shareholder, sitting beside him. The seats in the boardroom were arranged in descending order, with the smallest shareholder sitting the furthest away from Bruce. ¡°Move back, make room for Miss Haynes!¡± Brucemanded in an authoritative voice, as he nced at Liam and motioned for him to give up his seat for Joanna. Bruce had never had much fondness for his uncle. Moreover, Liam had a significant connection to his father¡¯s death. Although no direct evidence proved Liam was the culprit, Bruce had always suspected his uncle¡¯s involvement. Seeing Bruce¡¯sck of regard for him, Liam¡¯s eyes narrowed, his anger ready to explode on the spot. However, he managed to restrain himself, standing up with a sullen expression and motioning for the thirdrgest shareholder to move back. As a result, more than twenty shareholders stood up and shifted their seats back. Seeing the vacant seat, Bruce¡¯s expression remained indifferent as he gestured for Joanna to sit. ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± he said, his voice calm but firm. Joanna felt a tightness in her scalp, feeling extremely awkward. Because of her, more than twenty people had given up their seats. But now she could not refuse to sit, so she reluctantly took the seat recently vacated by Liam. Bruce¡¯s face turned stern, and he said, ¡°Yesterday, I spoke about this matter, and I believe you all understand.¡± He paused briefly before continuing, ¡°Miss Haynes will now be the new president of the Everett Group. I hope you will cooperate well with Miss Haynes in the future. By the end of this month, I willplete the handover of all tasks. From now on, if you have anything to report, go directly to Miss Haynes.¡± Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if a fishbone was stuck in their throats. Liam nced at the sharp¨Cminded director, signaling him to take the lead in opposing Bruce¡¯s decision. Understanding the signal, the sharp¨Cminded director, Mr. Young, smiled and cautiously spoke up. ¡°Mr. Everett, can I interject?¡± he asked, his voice tentative. Bruce¡¯s eyes shed, and he immediately declined, his tone resolute. ¡°I have not finished yet. Later, I¡¯ll give you all time to express your opinions. I know everyone must have objections to my decision and concerns about Miss Haynes¡® abilities. I can vouch for her character, and she is absolutely capable of being the president of the Everett Group,¡± he said firmly. Chapter 483 Chapter 483 Chapter 483 ¡°I also believe that the Everett Group can make further progress under Miss Haynes¡® leadership. I hope everyone will respect Miss Haynes just as they respect me. At the same time, I urge you all to cooperate with Miss Haynes¡® work fully,¡± Bruce said as he observed the shareholder¡¯s reactions. Seeing the disgruntled expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, it was evident that they were unwilling to consider Joanna Haynes as their leader. However, whether they liked it or not, once Bruce made a decision, he would not easilypromise. Bruce¡¯s tone shifted as he continued his speech, ¡°Of course, if anyone has doubts or questions Miss Haynes¡® abilities, they can leave the Everett Group today!¡± After speaking, Bruce¡¯s sharp gaze swept over the crowd one by one, exuding an unquestionable coldness. He wanted to make it clear that opposition would not be tolerated. The previously grumbling individuals suddenly became dejected, resembling mute statues. Bruce had made it clear that anyone who opposed Joanna Haynes would be kicked out of the Everett Group. Who would dare to speak up now? ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve finished speaking,¡± Bruce said, his eyes ncing at Mr. Young. ¡°If anyone has any objections or opinions, please speak up now!¡± ¡°You,¡± he pointed at Mr. Young as he said, ¡°you wanted to express your opinion earlier. Now is the time.¡± Mr. Young¡¯s throat tightened, and he stammered, ¡°¡­Uh, well, I¡­ I have no objections. I fully support Mr. Everett¡¯s decision.¡± Upon hearing this, everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock! He was the one who had been most vehemently opposing the decision just now, rallying everyone to join the opposition. But now, as soon as the threat of expulsion from the Everett Group arose, he was the first to back down. Seeing that everyone remained silent, Liam could not sit still any longer. He said carefully, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s not that I question your decision, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± Bruce questioned as he raised an eyebrow slightly. ¡°Are you expressing dissatisfaction with me or with Miss Haynes? I¡¯m sorry if you have issues with me, but I can pass on my position to anyone I choose. If you have issues with Miss Haynes, I suggest you hold off for now. After all, she has not officially taken over yet,¡± Bruce remarked. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Bruce¡¯s response was sharp and decisive, leaving no room for mercy orpromise. Liam¡¯s throat tightened, his face turning red with anger. He clenched his fists, struggling to find words to articte his thoughts. Bruce no longer bothered to look at him and turned his attention to Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, Chapter 483 your appointment as the president of the Everett Group is an honor for thepany,¡± Bruce said, his voice filled with authority. Then, he announced, ¡°Let us apud Miss Haynes!¡± After speaking, Bruce led the apuse, pping his hands enthusiastically. The rest of the shareholders followed suit, pping their hands with forced smiles. Their apuse lacked genuine enthusiasm, but they had no choice but to join in. Bruce¡¯s words had been final, leaving no room for reversal. Any opposition now would be futile and would only lead to their expulsion. Even if the shareholders were resentful, they had to endure it. Bruce would not indulge any of them. They exchanged knowing nces, silently acknowledging the difficult path ahead. However, there were countermeasures to be taken. Once Joanna officially took over, these old foxes would find ways to make things difficult for her. When she could not bear it anymore, she would naturally step down. They had their ns to deal with the situation. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s your turn to give a speech!¡± Bruce said, gesturing for her to step forward. Joanna moistened her dry tongue and forced herself to appear calm. ¡°¡­Hello, everyone,¡± she greeted with a nervous smile. ¡°I want to thank Mr. Everett for his trust in me, and I hope we can cooperate well in the future. I will do my best to manage the Everett Group. For now, I am only temporarily assuming Mr. Everett¡¯s position. Once Mr. Everett has resolved his personal matters, he will continue in his role. After her speech, Joanna smiled slightly and took her seat, her heart pounding with anticipation. These words were purely to appease the shareholders. It would give them the illusion that Bruce would return soon. She was acting as a temporary recement and not permanently upying the position of the president of the Everett Group. She knew the delicate bnce she had to maintain. Bruce once again initiated the pping, his face full of appreciation. The others followed suit, apuding once more. Their apusecked genuine enthusiasm, but they had no choice but to join in. Joanna, despite her brief speech, felt an inexplicable sense of unease. She had never experienced this level of pressure during her time at the Haynes Group. ¡°Alright, does anyone have any questions orments?¡± Bruce asked, his gaze swept over the room with a semi¨Csmile. He maintained amanding presence, silently daring anyone to challenge him. ¡°Uh, congrattions, Miss Haynes,¡± one of the attendees said, his voiceced with insincerity. ¡°I hope the Everett Group will reach new heights under your leadership and achieve even greater sess.¡± ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± Bruce said, rising from his seat. ¡°That concludes today¡¯s meeting. You are dismissed!¡± Afterward, he walked confidently toward the exit, expecting Joanna to follow. Chapter 483 Once the pair had left the conference room, a sigh of disappointment filled the air. The shareholders had all nned to unite and oppose Bruce¡¯s decision, but now their ns had crumbled. They exchanged nces, silently acknowledging their shared defeat. ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to stand together and oppose him? Why has everyone be mute?¡± one of the attendees muttered, his frustration evident. ¡°Let¡¯s take it step by step! People will be judged by their abilities,¡± another attendee said, hist voice tinged with bitterness. ¡°If Mr. Everett insists on passing the position of president to his ex¨Cwife, let him face the consequences!¡± ¡°When she can no longer bear the weight of the position, she will naturally step down!¡± a third attendee chimed in, his tone filled with skepticism. ¡°That¡¯s right, let it be!¡± another attendee concurred, resignation evident in his voice. Although they could not unite and overturn Bruce¡¯s decision, they understood each other implicitly. They would not easily let Joanna lead them by the nose. These old foxes had their ways of dealing with the situation, silently scheming. Chapter 484 Chapter 484 Chapter 484 All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. In the office, Joanna took a deep breath and exhaled, ¡°Bruce, did I overreact just now?¡± she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty and self¨Cdoubt. ¡°No! Your performance was excellent!¡± Bruce said, giving her a thumbs¨Cup, his eyes shining with admiration. ¡°Really? Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± she pleaded. ¡°Why are you losing confidence now?¡± Bruce said, hooking his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. He looked at her affectionately and indulgently as he gently lifted her chin, his touch reassuring andforting. ¡°Last night, you deliberately pretended to be asleep and didn¡¯t do the assignment. Now you must make up for it!¡± Bruce said, his voice teasing, his hands yfully wandering. A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes. Joanna frowned and turned to the side, her frustration evident. ¡°Oh,e on, can you not be so childish? Seriously, can you act more maturely?¡± she asked, her tone a mixture of exasperation and longing for seriousness. ¡°How am I immature?¡± Bruce replied nonchntly, his gaze filled with tenderness and a hint of mncholy. He did not know when he would end up in jail! Once he was in prison, who knew when he would be released? With their limited time now, he did not want to be apart from her even for a moment! ¡°If you keep doing that, I¡¯ll get angry!¡± Joanna warned firmly, forcefully prying open his mischievous hands, her determination shining through. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce asked. Joanna blushed and scolded, ¡°It¡¯s daytime, and we¡¯re in the office. Can¡¯t you stop thinking about that kind of thing? If we really have to, can¡¯t it wait until we get home at night?¡± she implored, her voice tinged with embarrassment and a hint of yfulness. Bruce smiled at her words, his expression softening. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll listen to you, alright? Don¡¯t be mad, darling,¡± he reassured her, his voice warm and understanding. ¡°Can you not be so cheesy?¡± Joanna said, her tone exasperated. Bruce smiled helplessly, his eyes locked with hers. ¡°Let me be a little cheesy. I want to express all my my love. Darling, you and the children are my everything,¡± he confessed, his voice filled with sincerity and devotion. Bruce said, his eyes tinged with a hint of crimson, yet his expression remained void of disappointment or sadness. His emotions ran deep, hidden beneath his calm facade. Joanna felt a stir in her heart and gazed deeply into his eyes, captivated by theplexities hidden within. ¡°Though he has a hot temper and frequently flies off the handle, he is remarkably good at hiding his true feelings. Sometimes, even when he seems to be smiling, he might be extremely annoyed deep down. And when he gets angry, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he is distraught. No one can read his true emotions from his face, not even me,¡± she silently murmured. Chapter 484 ..Bruce Everett, why have you been acting strange these days?¡± she inquired, her curiosity piqued, her eyes searching for answers. Bruce smiled calmly, his gaze locked with hers. ¡°Joanna Haynes, can you say ¡®I love you¡® to me? I want to hear it,¡± he requested eagerly, his voiceced with hope and vulnerability. ¡°I¡­¡± Joanna hesitated, her lips trembling. But the words ¡°I love you¡± got stuck in her throat, and she could not bring herself to say them, her emotions swirling within her. Disappointed, Bruce sighed, his gaze dropping slightly. ¡°Is it really that difficult to say ¡®I love you?¡± he questioned softly, his vulnerability exposed. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike you, is that okay?¡± she replied tentatively, her voice tinged with a mix of affection and uncertainty. Bruce rolled his eyes in extreme dissatisfaction, his determination unyielding. ¡°Not disliking me and loving me are twopletely different things! You can also say ¡®I don¡¯t dislike you¡® to a trash can! How does that convey love?¡± he argued. ¡°Oh, stop pressuring me. I really can¡¯t say it!¡± Joanna protested, her face flushed with embarrassment, her inner turmoil evident. Bruce persisted, refusing to let go of his desire. ¡°But you said it while we were in bed, right? Why can¡¯t you say it now?¡± he pressed, his voice insistent. Joanna listened, her face turning pale. ¡°This damn bastard, he can be so ruthless in bed. When he wants something, he always achieves his goal. If you don¡¯t cooperate with him, he¡¯ll never give up. Faced with no other choice, you can only¡­ yield. But in the current situation, those three words ¡®I love you,¡® I really can¡¯t say them,¡± shemented silently, her heart torn between her own emotions and his unspoken desires. Seeing Joanna¡¯s troubled expression, Bruce decided not to force her anymore. ¡°Alright then, if you do not want to say it, let us just focus on the handover of work,¡± he said, his voice. filled with understanding and a hint of disappointment. ¡°Come, let me y something,¡± Bruce said as he walked directly to the safe. He opened it, revealing numerous files and disk¨Clike objects. ¡°What is this?¡± Joanna asked, her curiosity piqued. ¡°These are all thepany¡¯s hard drives. They contain all the data and information of thepany. Take a good look at them when you go back! These arepany secrets, and besides you, no one else should have ess to them,¡± Bruce exined, his voice serious and authoritative. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Joanna replied as she nodded. ¡°In the next few days, I will quicklyplete the handover of work with you to avoid any dys,¡± he assured her, his tone determined and focused. Upon hearing this, Joanna started feeling uneasy. ¡°Is it that urgent?¡± she asked, her voice tinged with concern and a hint of worry. Bruce frowned, his silence revealing the gravity of the situation, his mind filled with the weight of his impending fate. Indeed it was quite urgent! The period for filing an appeal for release on bail was three months, and he had about three months of freedom left. So, he needed to hand over the work as soon as possible. He wanted to spend a good Christmas with the children. Perhaps, by the time the new year arrived, he would lose his freedom! Bruce straightened up, no longer being casual, and began earnestly handing over the work, his focus unwavering as he navigated the intricacies of the transfer. In the blink of an eye, it was already noon, the passage of time reminding them of the pressing tasks at hand. Bruce checked the time on his watch, his gaze shifting from the ticking hands to Joanna. ¡°It is already noon. Let us go for lunch!¡± he said as he suggested. ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna replied in acknowledgment, her weariness evident in her voice and the slight rubbing of her tired eyes, her dedication to the task unwavering. The two of them left the office, their footsteps echoing through the corridor. Andy approached them with a serious expression, interrupting their thoughts, and reported, ¡°Mr. Everett, I heard that Miss Garcia fell down the stairs. She is currently in the hospital!¡± ¡°Really? When did it happen?¡± Bruce replied in surprise. ¡°It happened a couple of days ago. I heard her injuries are severe, and she still has not regained consciousness,¡± Andy informed, his voiceced with worry and sympathy. Bruce pondered for a moment, weighing the situation in his mind. ¡°Let us visit her after lunch,¡± he said after a brief moment. ¡°Alright,¡± Joanna responded in agreement. Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Chapter 485 In the gloomy Greyport Hospital loomed, Jennie remained trapped in aa, her fragile existence confined to the sterile walls of the ICU ward. ¡°Doctor,¡± her family members anxiously implored, their voicesced with worry and desperation. ¡°Two days have passed, and yet Jennie shows no signs of awakening. What could be the reason?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! When will she open her eyes and return to us?¡± they pleaded, their voices. trembling with a mix of faith and fear. ¡°We beg Jesus to bless her with recovery.¡± These past two sleepless nights had tested Grayson and his wife, Mrs. Garcia, as a relentless worry engulfed their weary souls. Mrs. Garcia pondered, her mind lost in thebyrinth of unanswered questions. ¡°How could fate be so cruel as to have our daughter stumble down the stairs? Witnessing her in this condition¡­ it feels like an inexplicable tragedy,¡± she silentlymented. The doctor paused, inhaling a deep breath before delivering his words with sympathetic eyes. ¡°Mr. Garcia, Mrs. Garcia, the blood clot at the back of your daughter¡¯s head persists, defying our hopes for a swift resolution. We must patiently wait for itsplete dissipation, as it holds the key to her awakening,¡± he reported. ¡°Furthermore¡­¡± the doctor said as his voice trailed off, and a weighty silence filled the room. Grayson furrowed his brow, his voiceden with anticipation and anxiety. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Please tell us the truth,¡± Grayson anxiously asked. The doctor¡¯s brow furrowed even deeper as he delivered the unsettling news, shattering their fragile hopes. ¡°The injuries Miss Garcia sustained are inconsistent with injuries from a mere fall. There are indications of a deliberate strike, possibly by a blunt object. ¡°Upon closer examination, we found traces of ceramic shards that caused thecerations. I urge you, Mr. Garcia, to report this to the police immediately,¡± he said, emphasizing the urgency of this issue. ¡°What?¡± Grayson and his wife gasped, their voices trembling with disbelief. They exchanged worried nces before shifting to look at their son. Mrs. Garcia¡¯s voice trembled with confusion and distress as she questioned, ¡°Zachary, what really happened to Jennie? You said she fell down the stairs, didn¡¯t you?¡± Zachary stumbled over his words, the weight of guilt bearing down on him, his forehead beaded with sweat. ¡°Well¡­ um¡­ you see,¡± he stammered. Stepping forward, Roxanne assumed control of the conversation, her voiceposed and steady. ¡°Allow me to exin. When Jennie lost her footing and fell down the stairs, she collided with a vase near the entrance, which resulted in a minor scratch,¡± she interjected, her words aiming to quell the growing storm. Mrs. Garcia¡¯s eyes widened at Roxanne¡¯s revtion. ¡°Why did you hide this information until now?¡± she asked, disappointment seeping into her tone. Roxanne calmly responded, her voice unwavering. ¡°Amidst the chaos of that day, we were overwhelmed with the urgency of rushing Jennie to the hospital. Hence, it slipped our minds to mention the incident involving the vase.¡± Chapter 485 After all, she had already taken a life once before. Margaret met her untimely end ather hands. It was often said that criminals would experience their greatest fear when theymitted. their inaugural act of murder. However, with the passing of a second victim, their apprehension began to wane. The absence of consequences following Margaret¡¯s demise only emboldened Roxanne, further fueling her growing courage. Hearing this, Zachary hurriedly interjected, his voice tinged with nervousness. ¡°Yes. When Jennie fell down the stairs, she identally brushed against the vase, which fell on her head when shended on the ground. At that moment, I was so focused on attending to Jennie¡¯s injuries, and this caused me to overlook the shes caused by the shattered vase.¡± Ultimately, Jennie¡¯s injury was situated at the back of her head, presenting an enigma. Was it the consequence of a mere fall, or had someone struck her intentionally? Only the authorities could shed light on this lingering question. Mrs. Garcia¡¯s expression turned stern as she warned her son, ¡°Regardless of her circumstances, Jennie suffered her injuries at your office. If anything urs to her, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Zachary nodded earnestly, determination resonating in his voice. ¡°I understand. I will remain by Jennie¡¯s side until she makes a full recovery. Dad, Mom, you have endured so much these past two days. Please, go home and rest. I will handle everything here.¡± ¡°Honey, you haven¡¯t slept for two consecutive days. Let¡¯s head home and have a good rest. We should not tire ourselves out,¡± Grayson urged as he tenderly consoled his wife. Despite being a top¨Ctier tycoon, Grayson greatly respected and admired his wife. After being married for so long, there was no single scandalous news article about them. ¡°That¡¯s right! Jennie won¡¯t wake up for a while. Mom, it will be even more difficult if you fall ill too!¡± Zachary insisted as he tried to send his parents away as soon as possible. Mrs. Garcia, already weakened by her fragile health, had endured two sleepless nights, pushing her body to its limits. Letting out a weary sigh, she sighed in agreement. ¡°Fine! Your father and I will return and rest. If there¡¯s any news about Jennie, call and inform us!¡± Zachary nodded repeatedly as he replied, ¡°Yes, I will do that!¡± Grayson and Mrs. Garcia exchanged a few words, finding sce in each other¡¯s support as they reluctantly departed from the hospital. Once his parents were out of sight, Zachary could no longer keep up the facade. Agonizing, he clutched his head and desperately eximed, ¡°Sigh, what am I supposed to do? If Jennie awakens and reveals the truth to our parents, how will I handle it?¡± Witnessing his distress, Roxanne let out a cold snort, her skepticism evident. She rebuked, ¡°She hasn¡¯t even regained consciousness yet! How can you be so certain she¡¯ll wake up?¡± Those words ignited a fire within Zachary, causing his anger to erupt instantly. ¡°Roxanne, that¡¯s enough! What are you insinuating? Are you secretly hoping my sister won¡¯t wake up?¡± he eximed in fury. ¡°I never said that!¡± Roxanne retorted defensively. Chapter 485 ¡°She¡¯s my sister! How dare you curse her like that?¡± Zachary questioned in a fury. Roxanne responded sarcastically, and her tone dripped with malice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one worried about her awakening and revealing the truth to your parents? I¡¯m simply ying along with your words! ¡°Besides, with just the two of you in the family, won¡¯t all the family assets fall into your hands if she doesn¡¯t wake up? Your parents dote on her so much. She¡¯s bound to im at significant share of your inheritance!¡± Unable to bear her words any longer, Zachary¡¯s hand rose abruptly, delivering a resounding p across Roxanne¡¯s cheek. Realization struck Zachary, his eyes wide with the realization of Roxanne¡¯s true malevolence. He angrily eximed, pointing his finger at Roxanne, ¡°How could I have been so blind to your true nature? Can money everpare to my sister¡¯s life? Get out of sight! This marks the end between us!¡± my Clutching her stinging cheek, Roxanne¡¯s eyes shed with a dangerous gleam. ¡°You think it ends here? Hmph, nothinges so easily.¡± Zachary¡¯s rage ignited, his bloodshot eyes filled with fury. ¡°What do you want, then? Money? How much? You are such an opportunist! I haven¡¯t settled the score with you for what you did to my sister! Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± Those words drove Roxanne into a maddened frenzy. Seizing a nearby cup of scalding hot. water, she mmed it onto Zachary¡¯s head with a resounding bang. Zachary screamed in agony as the searing water scalded his skin. Blood trickled from the wound on his head. ¡°Ah¨Cow, have you lost your mind?¡± he cried out, his voice a mix of pain and disbelief. Never had he expected Roxanne to dare such extreme measures. With a chilling expression, Roxanne locked her gaze on him, her malevolence shining through. ¡°Zachary, if you dare to abandon me, I¡¯ll expose the incident where you stabbed me in the back! I know all of your secrets! We will go down together! If I can¡¯t live happily, I won¡¯t let you live happily, either. If you provoke me, I will fight tooth and nail to make you face the consequences.¡± Zachary¡¯s mind went nk as he listened, shocked and fixated on Roxanne¡¯s words. He had never fathomed that beneath her innocent appearance, like a fragile white rabbit, she harbored such sinister thoughts and schemes! No wonder Bruce had been determined to break up with her. He had previously believed Bruce had fallen out of love, but now, reflecting on it, the situation was far from that simple. Chapter 486 Chapter 486 Chapter 486 ¡°Zachary, we¡¯re now in the same boat! If you let me down, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± ¡°Then, what do you want?¡± Roxanne inched forward, her gaze piercing. ¡°What do I want? I absolutely refuse to let myself be dumped by a man for the second time!¡± Zachary was shocked by her gaze and subconsciously took two steps back. After nearly a minute, Zachary¡¯s eyes quickly shifted, and his tone softened as he spoke. ¡°Silly, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was just too impatient. I apologize to you!¡°, Now, he found himself caught in Roxanne¡¯s grip, and for the time being, he dared not confront her head¨Con. He couldn¡¯t risk a situation where everything would be destroyed if she decided to reveal the truth. Roxanne smiled sinisterly and said, ¡°Are you giving up so easily?¡± ¡°I give up. Please don¡¯t be angry. From now on, I¡¯ll listen to you, alright?¡± Zachary was quite skilled in appeasing women, quickly wrapping his arm around her shoulder and offering his apology. ¡°That sounds right! As long as you don¡¯t do anything to hurt me, I still love you.¡± Roxanne promptly humbled herself. ¡°Oh, your head is bleeding. Let me have the doctor bandage it for you.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± At the entrance of the hospital. Grayson and his wife had just left the hospital when they bumped into Bruce and Joanna. Bruce was the first to greet him. ¡°Mr. Garcia, Mrs. Garcia!¡± Seeing that it was Bruce, Grayson pushed his sses up in surprise. ¡°Bruce! Why are you here?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious as he said with concern, ¡°I heard that something happened to Jennie, so I came to see her!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°How is Jennie now?¡± Bruce asked with a frown. After all, their families had a long¨Cstanding rtionship; he and Zachary had been close friends since childhood. It was natural that he came to check on her when something happened to Jennie. Grayson looked anxious. He said worriedly, ¡°Jennie hasn¡¯t woken up yet. How could something like this happen!¡± Bruce sincerelyforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I just called the director and asked him to arrange the best doctor for Jennie!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. We¡¯ll go in and take a look at Jennie!¡± Chapter 486 ¡°Bye.¡± After saying goodbye, Grayson and his wife got into the car. Bruce and Joanna walked towards the ward. At the entrance of the ICU ward. Zachary, with his forehead bandaged, sat on the chair with a downcast and dispirited expression. Bruce shouted warmly, ¡°Zachary!¡± Zachary looked up and saw that it was Bruce. His face was filled with shock. ¡°Bruce, you, why are you here?¡± As he spoke, Zachary abruptly rose to his feet, casting an uneasy gaze at Bruce. He seemed to suspect that Bruce had arrived to hold him ountable for something! ¡°I heard that something happened to Jennie, so I came over.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he gestured for his assistant to hand over the flowers and nutritional supplements. Seeing this, Zachary felt a little more at ease. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is!¡± Roxanne smiled at Joanna. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re here to see Miss Garcia too?¡± Joanna looked at Roxanne in surprise. ¡°Roxy, why are you here too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m now Mr. Garcia¡¯s personal secretary. Of course, I have to serve Mr. Garcia twenty¨Cfour hours a day.¡± ¡°Oh, are you tired?¡± Roxanne smiled sweetly. ¡°No! Mr. Garcia treats me very well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Joanna patted her shoulder gently. Roxanne looked at Bruce sweetly and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce did not seem to hear her. He only stared at Zachary¡¯s forehead. ¡°Zachary, what happened to your head?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I identally bumped into it!¡± Bruce stared at him with a half¨Csmile, his gaze seemingly mocking. ¡°Are you overworking yourself? Take care of your health as well. Don¡¯t exhaust yourself over Jennie and end up damaging your own well¨Cbeing.¡± Zachary did not dare to look into his eyes and stammered, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. That¡­ Jennie will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°Good. Anything you need help with? Just give me a call¡± ¡°Well, thank you foring to see Jennie. She¡¯ll be very happy!¡± When Bruce heard this, he paused slightly. ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave first! Call me if there¡¯s anything.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Joann, let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna also said goodbye to Roxanne. ¡°Roxy, I¡¯m leaving first. Call me if anything happens. Chapter 486 Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Got it¡­¡± Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder affectionately and left. As she watched their retreating figures, Roxanne¡¯s heart seemed to be pounded by a hammer a few times, and her eyes quickly formed an arc. Bruce should have belonged to her. Now, Bruce unexpectedly entrusted billions of dors to Joanna for management, which left Roxanne feeling extremely jealous and resentful. ¡°Bruce, Joanna, enjoy your moment of triumph while itsts. I won¡¯t allow you to go. unscathed,¡± Roxanne vowed, her nails sinking mercilessly into her skin as she harbored a deep and vengeful curse against them in her heart. Zachary sat on the stool. ¡°Ouch, it scared me. I thought Bruce was here to cause trouble.¡± Upon hearing that, Roxanne cast a gloomy and contemptuous nce at him. ¡°Hmm, such cowardice. You trembled like a mouse in the presence of Bruce. No wonder you¡¯ll never amount to anything compared to him!¡± Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Chapter 487 When Zachary heard this, he was so angry that his chest tightened. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Zachary took a deep breath, his frustration building up. As one of the most admired and envied scions of Greyport, who wouldn¡¯t show him respect upon meeting him? Zachary¡¯s patience grew thin as Roxanne continued to trample upon his pride. However, considering her earlier outburst, Zachary managed to restrain himself and held back his anger. Roxanne nced at Zachary¡¯s gloomy face and realized that her words had gone too far. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry. I was just joking just now. Why are you so serious? ¡°So what if Bruce is powerful? His time will soone to an end!¡± Zachary pursed his lips and leaned against the stool in frustration. Seeing that he was still angry, Roxanne quickly sat on hisp again. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be angry! How about¡­ doing something enjoyable?¡± Roxanne said enticingly as she leaned into his shirt, attempting to flirt. Although she was unwilling to do that with him, she despised his weak body. After all, it was better than having nothing at all. Zachary was distraught. How could he be in the mood to think about that? He pushed Roxanne away. ¡°Roxanne¡­ I¨CI¡¯m not interested now!¡± Roxanne¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Hmph, do you not love me anymore? ¡°You¡¯re always the one who takes the initiative, but now that I¡¯m making a move, you show no interest? What exactly do you mean by that?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m really¡­ Besides, we¡¯re in the hospital. What if someone sees us?¡± Zachary stammered, looking flustered! After seeing her outburst, Zachary knew her true color. He no longer had the mood for that. Roxanne red at him fiercely. ¡°I want it now!¡± As she spoke, Roxanne took off his clothes. Zachary remained unresponsive. He wore a disillusioned expression, seemingly disinterested, as he allowed her to fuss around without any reciprocation. After a while, Roxanne, feeling increasingly frustrated, became utterly disappointed as her attempts were met with indifference. ¡°Hmph, what a piece of trash!¡± Roxanne stood up with a dark expression. She tidied up her clothes and left in her high heels! After Roxanne left, Zachary slumped on a chair in the corridor. He sighed and was troubled about how to bring the situation to a close! He started to regret it! All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. He shouldn¡¯t have messed around with Roxanne, let alone listened to her instigation and go Chapter 487 against Bruce. It was useless to regret now. He couldn¡¯t get rid of her even if he wanted to. Meanwhile, Bruce and Joanna left the hospital together. In the car, Bruce¡¯s arm remained draped over Joanna¡¯s shoulder, his gaze filled with adoration as he couldn¡¯t seem to take his eyes off her. His gazing caused Joanna to feel a prickling sensation all over. ¡°Can you not look at me like that? It¡¯s as if you¡¯re looking at a monster!¡± ¡°Darling, I love looking at you like this! I¡¯ve always been watching you, imprinting your image deep into my heart.¡± Joanna was speechless, but she did not want to refute it! Every word he said to her now felt like he was giving hisst words. She felt terrible, but she didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas!¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s already the 20th today. It¡¯ll be Christmas in five days,¡± Bruce said as he subconsciously took out a cigarette from his pocket. Just as he was about to light it up, he remembered that Joanna hated him smoking, so he held it in. ¡°You can smoke if you want!¡± ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not good for you to inhale second¨Chand smoke.¡± As Bruce spoke, he continued to gaze at Roxanne¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Hmm, why is no news yet?¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce teased, ¡°What do you think?¡± Joanna then red at him in frustration. ¡°We already have three children. We won¡¯t have any more!¡± ¡°Who says that? I want three more.¡± ¡°Three more? Do you think I¡¯m a physiological machine?¡± ¡°Even having just one would be fine! When Davian, Irvin, and Lilia were born, I wasn¡¯t by their side. I didn¡¯t even get to see them as babies, so there is still some regret!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It¡¯s all in the past!¡± ¡°Do you still hate me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate you anymore.¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°Nonsense! You wanted me dead before, and now you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t hate me? How is that possible?¡± Joanna looked at him deeply. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Where are we taking the children for Christmas?¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell the children to bring them¡­¡± Bruce originally wanted to bring the children overseas! Now that he remembered that he Chapter 487 was restricted from leaving the country, he could only y at Greyport! ¡°Uh, just take the children to Disnend and Ocean Park!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine too. Kids love it!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s settled then. Take them to Disnend in the morning and Ocean Park in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Come on, these two parks are huge. We can¡¯t walk through them all in a day.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s move it forward by two days. We¡¯ll go to Disnend on the 24th and Ocean Park on the 25th. Is that okay? We have to arrange our work in the next two days quickly!¡± ¡°Okay. We¡¯re at thepany. Get out of the car!¡± Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Both of them had initially nned to return to the office and continue their work, but upon checking the time, they realized it was alreadyte. ¡°Forget it; it¡¯s already past four o¡¯clock. Let¡¯s call it a day and leave work early today!¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Alright, go back early to apany the children.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Wait in the car. I¡¯ll go up to the office to get something. I can do it at home tonight.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna sat obediently in the car and waited. Bruce got out of the car and returned to thepany. At the office, Bruce opened the safe and took out a stack of documents and some hard drives. Then, he closed the safe. Twenty minutester, Bruce came out of thepany with a briefcase. ¡°Are you done with your things?¡± Bruce got into the car. ¡°Yes. If you have time tonight, take a good look at the documents inside.¡± ¡°Wow, so much?¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°This is only a part. I¡¯ll show you these simple things first.¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately felt immense pressure. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go home!¡± Bruce got into the car and hugged her shoulder affectionately! Kody started the car and stepped on the elerator to drive out of the parking lot. Sherane Bay Vi! When the two of them returned home, the three kids were extremely excited. ¡°Wow, Daddy, Mommy, why are you back so early today?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not even five o¡¯clock yet!¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys happy?¡± ¡°Of course. We thought that Daddy and Mommy would workte again.¡± Davian, filled with concern for Joanna, quickly ran over and took the bag from Joanna. ¡°Mommy, are you tired? Let me give you a shoulder massage!¡± Irvin also fawned over her. ¡°I¡¯ll get Mommy a ss of water!¡± Her two sons were so sensible and considerate. Joanna was especially gratified. ¡°Thank you.¡± Upon witnessing this. Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a slight frown. ¡°Oh, no one shows concern for me?¡± Davian pulled a long face and said seriously, ¡°Daddy is a man. You don¡¯t need to be taken care of! ¡°Me, Daddy, and Irvin, the three of us are men. We have to protect Mommy and Lilia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re men. We must treat the girls better and be their heroes,¡± Irvin said. Although the children were right, Bruce felt jealous. His two sons only had Joanna in their hearts. Lilia loved Bruce the most. She said sweetly, ¡°Daddy, can I sing for you?¡± ¡°Lilia, you know how to cheer me up!¡± Bruce said as he lovingly picked up Lilia. ¡°You two brats, have you finished your homework?¡± ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Did you practice piano?¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯ve also attended tutoring sses.¡± The two little guys looked smug. Bruce raised an eyebrow, attempting to find fault with the two kids, but surprisingly, he couldn¡¯t find anything to criticize about them. ¡°Since you¡¯ve done it, then¡­ do fifty push¨Cups. Practice the boxing that Daddy taught you earlier. ¡°After that, practice judo.¡± The two little guys were dumbfounded. Chapter 488 When Joanna heard this, she could not help but frown. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ll tire them out if you let them learn so much at the same time. ¡°How can? I¡¯ve been training like this since I was young!¡± When Irvin heard this, she looked at him with admiration. ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t Daddy¡¯s martial arts very powerful?¡± Bruce raised his head arrogantly. ¡°It¡¯s not very powerful!¡± Then, he corrected Irvin. ¡°It¡¯s special, extremely powerfull¡± ¡°Oh my, if Daddy meets Iron Man or Batman, who¡¯s better?¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s because they haven¡¯t encountered me. If they were to face me, I would turn them into a pile of scrap metal and bat specimens.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± The two little guys looked at their daddy in admiration. Joanna was on the verge of coughing up blood. ¡°Bruce, do you really have to be so¡­ confident?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that my absolute strength doesn¡¯t allow me to be humble.¡± Joanna was speechless. This arrogant bastard had always had an inted sense of self. ¡°When we grow up, we will be as outstanding as Daddy and surpass him.¡± Bruce smiled contemptuously at his two sons. ¡°You can be outstanding, but it¡¯s impossible for you to surpass Daddy.¡± ¡°Alright, then stop bragging. Hurry up and go upstairs to change.¡± Ms. Chain walked up with a smile. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett, dinner is ready!¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. We can eat with Daddy and Mommy! Mommy, after dinner, can we go to Willows Harbor to y and watch the night scenery?¡± Irvin asked Joanna excitedly. Joanna frowned. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I heard that there are Christmas lights installed there. It¡¯s especially beautiful at night! Mommy, bring us there!¡± Joanna nced at Bruce to see if he agreed. Bruce smiled and agreed readily. ¡°Go if you want to!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go together after dinner!¡± Bruce waved his hand. ¡°I have some work to doter. Take the children with you.¡± Joanna was stunned for a moment before agreeing. ¡°That works too!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. We can watch the night scenery tonight!¡± ¡°Then hurry up and wash your hands for dinner!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Davian and Irvin skipped off to wash their hands. The childminder also brought Lilia to wash her hands. After dinner, Davian and Irvin happily went upstairs to change their clothes. Lilian also helped Lilia change her clothes! After everything was settled. Joanna prepared to bring the children out. ¡°Daddy, We¡¯re going to see the night view!¡± ¡°Okay, be careful! Bring a few more bodyguards.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Joanna replied and left with the children. Apanying them were the nanny and bodyguards. They all dressed in a very discreet manner. Masks, hats, and scarves were essential essories, ensuring their privacy and security. Not long after Joanna left, Roxanne came over. At the gate, When Ms. Chain heard the security guard¡¯s report, she hurriedly came out to wee her. ¡°Ms. Haynes, why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for my sister!¡± ¡°Oh, what a coincidence. She took the children out.¡± ¡°Is that so? Did she say how long she¡¯ll be back?¡± Roxanne came up with an idea. ¡°That¡¯s not mentioned.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for her!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The servant opened the door and let Roxanne in. After all, Roxanne had lived there before, and Joanna allowed her toe over at any time. Chapter 489 Chapter 489 Chapter 489 Roxanne walked in and pretended to ask casually, ¡°What about Bruce? Didn¡¯t he go out with children?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett is in the study. He didn¡¯t go with Mrs. Everett!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she raised her eyebrows, and a sly look shed across her eyes. ¡°I see!¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, drink coffee.¡± ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ll just wait for Joanna here.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then. Ms. Haynes, if you need something, just let me know.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Okay.¡± Ms. Chain didn¡¯t say anything else. After serving coffee, she left the living room. Roxanne walked around the living room and secretly made up her mind. Being familiar with the surroundings, Roxanne knew exactly where the cameras were ced. With Joanna not being at home, it was indeed a rare moment for her to take advantage of the situation. Ten minutester, Ms. Chain walked out of the pantry carrying a tray, heading towards the second floor. When Roxanne saw this, she immediately had an idea in her heart. She hurriedly went up to her. ¡°Ms. Chain, what is this?¡± ¡°Oh, this is Mr. Everett¡¯s calming coffee. He mentioned having a headache earlier, so I brewed a coffee for him!¡± ¡°Then hurry up and send it to him. Don¡¯t let him wait too long.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ms. Chain replied and left with the tray. Unexpectedly, when she passed by Roxanne, Roxanne deliberately stretched out her left leg and pretended to nudge Ms. Chain identally. Ms. Chain staggered, and a full cup of calming coffee spilled on Roxanne. Roxanne deliberately eximed and pretended to be scalded. ¡°Ah!¡± Seeing this. Ms. Chain panicked and hurriedly put down the tray to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Haynes. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll go change my clothes first!¡± Roxanne kept fanning the ce that was scalded. Ms. Chain frowned. ¡°Tll go get a set of Mrs. Everett¡¯s clothes for you!¡± ¡°Okay. Sorry to trouble you!¡± ¡°Then wait a moment. I¡¯ll go get the clothes.¡± After Ms. Chain finished speaking, she hurriedly ran to get her clothes. Roxanne nced around and saw that there was no one around. Immediately, Roxanne opened her bag and took out a small blue bottle. She then opened the bottle and poured the powder into the coffee. Five minutester, Ms. Chain came over with pajamas that Joanna rarely wore. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you should change your clothes first.¡± ¡°Ms. Chain, I¡¯m really sorry. Half of the coffee has been spilled!¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just go pour another cup!¡± ¡°Alright! Thank you.¡± Half of the coffee spilled out, but luckily there was a bit extra brewed earlier. Bruce sat by theputer in the study, reading the information attentively. There was a knock on the door. *Come in.¡± Ms. Chain pushed the door open and walked in. She respectfully brought coffee to Bruce¡¯s desk. ¡°Sir, your coffee.¡± Bruce did not even raise his head as he replied indifferently, ¡°Okay, just leave it here!¡± Ms. Chain did not dare to say anything else. After putting down coffee, she hurriedly left the study. As Bruce flipped through the documents, he became increasingly frustrated. The contents of the files were giving him a headache. Chapter 489 He simply closed the document and took a sip from his coffee. ¡°Hmm. The taste of today¡¯s coffee seems a bit different, Bruce pondered. Then he thought it might be because of the coffee beans. Therefore, he did not think too much and drank a few more mouthfuls. A momentter, Bruce felt dizzy, and his breathing quickened. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is there something wrong with this coffee?¡± Bruce shook his head. Everything in front of him became a double image. The blood in his body flowed in reverse and burned as if it was boiling. ¡°Water, water¡­¡± Bruce staggered out of the room. He was about to explode and only wanted to drink a ss of ice water. As soon as Bruce walked out of the study, Roxanne weed him. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were blurry, and he couldn¡¯t see who it was at all. Due to their simr body shape and height, as well as Roxanne wearing Joanna¡¯s clothes, there was a moment of confusion where Bruce mistook Roxanne for Joanna. ¡°Joann, didn¡¯t you go out?¡± With a charming smile, Roxanne approached and gently held his arm, flirting. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Bruce?¡± Bruce could no longer control himself. He loosened his tiepletely and bent down to carry Roxanne into his room. In his room, Bruce threw her heavily onto the soft bed. ¡°Joann. I¡¯m so ufortable. It¡¯s so hot¡­¡± Bruce said as he impatiently tore her pajamas apart. Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but feel smug as she pandered. ¡°Joanna, eight years ago, you impersonated me and climbed into Bruce¡¯s bed. You stole everything from me. ¡°I will make you pay for what you did, Joanna. I won¡¯t let you get away with taking everything that should have been mine. Even if I can¡¯t regain what was lost, I will ensure that you don¡¯t derive any satisfaction from it.¡± Then Bruce kissed her passionately. Suddenly, he felt that something was wrong. He had never felt like this before. It was obvious that he was drugged. Moreover, he had experienced this feeling once before when he was with Roxanne. Bruce tried his best to control his consciousness and looked up at Roxanne. Upon closer inspection, the person on the bed appeared somewhat like Roxanne, but upon further scrutiny, there were resemnces to Joanna as well. Being biological sisters, it was natural for them to share some simrities in their appearance. Chapter 490 Chapter 490 Chapter 490 ¡°Are you Roxanne or Joanna?¡± Bruce shook his head hard, attempting to stay alert and clear¨Cheaded. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m Joanna¡­ Roxanne said charmingly and took the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck. Bruce¡¯s forehead perspired, and his breath came out in hot puffs. His body felt like it was on the verge of exploding from the intense emotions. At this moment, he really wanted to simply ¡°conquer her¡± as long as she was a woman! ¡°No, Joann wouldn¡¯t be so proactive towards me¡­ Bruce bit the tip of his tongue. The immense pain woke him up for a moment. He saw that the woman on the bed was Roxanne. Immediately, Bruce broke out in cold sweat and stood up angrily. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Bruce, it was me!* Bruce bit his tongue once again, jolting himself awake from the bed. Despite the potent effects, his strong willpower allowed him to retain a trace of rity amidst the haze of confusion. ¡°Get lost, get lost¡­ Roxanne¡¯s expression changed. She still tried to charm Bruce. ¡°Bruce, stop restraining yourself. I know you¡¯re feeling terrible.¡± ¡°Since Joanna isn¡¯t at home, let me help you! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell her, and she won¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Bruce, do you know? I¡¯ve always loved you. I¡¯ve always thought of you!¡± Roxanne said charmingly, wanting to jump into his armis. ¡°Get lost!¡± Bruce shouted like a beast about to copse. With his remaining consciousness, Bruce was determined not to touch Roxanne. He knew he couldn¡¯t let her seed in her deceitful ns. ¡°Bruce, why are you making yourself feel so ufortable?¡± Roxanne approached step by step. She knew that Bruce wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for long! Roxanne believed that if she could sleep with Bruce, she would be able to break up him and Joanna: ¡°Get out of here now, or I will shoot you dead!¡± Bruce shouted angrily as he reached into the drawer and pulled out a handgun. He aimed it directly at Roxanne¡¯s head. Seeing this, Roxanne was shocked. ¡°Ah! Bruce, don¡¯t¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll leave now!¡± After saying that, Roxanne didn¡¯t dare to continue. She panicked and scrambled out of the room. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. However, Roxanne¡¯s clothes were already torn and in disarray, and her hair was disheveled. Her body was partially exposed, with the clothing unable to conceal her flesh. Downstairs, Joanna happened to be back with the children. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s so cold today!¡± Irvin¡¯s hands were trembling from the cold. ¡°That¡¯s right. Remember to wear more clothes next time. Quickly take a hot bath and go to bed early!¡± Due to the cold weather, Joanna returned early with her three children. After all, Lilia wasn¡¯t in good health, and she couldn¡¯t risk her getting chilled. To her surprise, as soon as she entered the house, she saw Roxanneing out of the room in disarray, her clothes in disarray, and her expression filled with panic. ¡°Roxy, what, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Seeing Joanna, Roxanne instantly shouted in panic, ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re finally back. Bruce just¡­ He just¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± After hearing this, Roxanne¡¯s mind exploded! When servants heard themotion, they also came out! They were all dumbfounded when they saw the scene in front of them! They thought that Bruce had sex with Roxanne. ¡°Emma, take the children away first!¡± ¡°Lilia, Irvin, Davian, follow me back to your room!¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Chapter 490 ¡°Go back to your room!¡± Joanna shouted at the children! Then, she quickly rushed upstairs! ¡°Bruce, what exactly did you do to Roxy?¡± In the room. Bruce was bare¨Cchested and only wore a pair of shorts. Her gaze was filled with bewilderment, and the bed was inplete disarray. One could only imagine what had just happened. Joanna felt a momentary dizziness, and her vision went ck for a split second. She nearly lost her bnce and had to steady herself to regain herposure. ¡°Bruce, you damn bastard, how can you do this?¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna gave him a p! ¡°Joann, listen to me. It¡¯s not what you think! I didn¡¯t touch her. I was framed by her. Don¡¯t fall for her tricks.¡± Roxanne followed closely behind, sobbing uncontrobly. ¡°Boohoo, I really didn¡¯t mean for this. It was Bruce who insisted on pulling me in, and I couldn¡¯t break free. That¡¯s why he¡­ Joanna¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s anger reached its boiling point. ¡°Shut the hell up, Roxanne! You bitch! You never change!¡± Joanna, you have to believe me. I really didn¡¯t touch her!¡± ¡°If I was interested in her, I wouldn¡¯t have pursued you again!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t bear to listen any longer. ¡°Bruce, you have truly disappointed me. You never change. ¡°You¡¯ve always been wavering between us. What exactly are you trying to do? You¡¯re absolutely disgusting!¡± ¡°Joann. I didn¡¯t. I really didn¡¯t!¡± Joanna gave him another tight p and ran away. She couldn¡¯t believe it. She had only been gone for less than two hours, and Bruce raped Roxy. She couldn¡¯t ept the reality of what he had done. She found it difficult toe to terms with the person he had be at that moment. Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Chapter 491 ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± Bruce chased a few steps. Unfortunately, the medicinal effects tortured him to the verge of copse. The blood in his entire body boiled as if he was about to explode! Bruce shook his head again and staggered into the bathroom. Then, he turned on the tap and washed his entire body with. cold water in an attempt to wake himself up! The cold water rushed from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. He could not suppress the restlessness and could only¡­ use his hands! The servants were all as silent as the grave. They could not believe the scene before them. ¡°Oh my god, did Mr. Everett really do that to Miss Roxanne?¡± ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s going on? Why is Mr. Everett always not content? He keeps thinking about Miss Roxanne when he is with Miss Joanna.¡± ¡°But when he is with Miss Roxanne, he is more concerned with Miss Joanna. Sigh, it¡¯s a pity that this isn¡¯t ancient times. Otherwise, both sisters might as well marry Mr. Everett together.¡± The butler also heard themotion and came over to check. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Hurry up and disperse!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The group of servants did not dare to say anything else and quickly dispersed. Joanna ran all the way out of Sherane Bay Vi and ran down the mountain along the greenery! Sherane Bay Vi had a mountain view. Usually, one had to drive up. It would take at least half an hour to reach the road at the bottom of the mountain by foot. The bodyguards chased after Joanna. ¡°Madam, Madam!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te over, don¡¯t follow me,¡± Joanna shouted hysterically at the bodyguards. The bodyguards were so frightened that they could only stop in their tracks, not daring to follow her anymore. Joanna only wanted to escape quickly. She turned around and ran away. The weather was cold that day, and it even began drizzling. The temperature dropped to about 41 degrees Fahrenheit! Joanna did not wear a coat or drive. She just ran aimlessly! At two in the morning! Ona ce. Joanna walked for nearly four hours, stopping in between, and finally arrived at Ona ce. Fortunately, she continued renting the house there. Otherwise, she did not know where else to go! ¡°Ding dong, ding dong!¡± Joanna was on the verge of copse. She leaned against the door and rang the doorbell. The doorbell rang a few times, and Miranda¡¯s sleepy voice came from inside. ¡°Who is it?¡± Then, Miranda looked at the surveince camera on the doorbell and was shocked. Outside the door was a disheveled Joanna. Miranda did not hesitate and hurriedly opened the door. ¡°Joann, why are you back?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was as pale as paper, and her entire body was drenched. She staggered in and almost lost her bnce. Miranda panicked and quickly went forward to support her. ¡°Joann, how did you end up like this? Where did youe from?¡± Joanna¡¯s eptire body was about to freeze. Her dry white lips trembled uncontrobly. Along the way, it wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t get a taxi. It was just that she wanted to torture herself in that way. ¡°Come in quickly. It¡¯s so cold today. Why aren¡¯t you wearing your coat? Did you quarrel with Mr. Everett again?¡± Joanna did not say anything. She entered the house and staggered to the second floor. ¡°Have you eaten? Do you want me to cook something for you?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and said weakly, ¡°Miranda, I¡¯m very tired now. I want to sleep. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Let me be alone!¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Miranda looked at Joanna with heartache. She wanted to ask more but did not dare to. She could only wipe her tears and say, ¡°Look, you¡¯ll freeze. I¡¯ll fill the bath with hot water for you. Take a hot bath! Otherwise, you¡¯ll catch a cold¡­¡± Chapter 491 ¡°No need!¡± Joanna said as she summoned herst bit of strength and went up to the room on the second floor. ¡°Bang!¡± After returning to her room, Joanna locked the door from the inside. Then, she fell onto the bed without even taking off her clothes! She was exhausted and was about to copse. Other than sleeping, she did not want to do anything else, let alone think about. ill Outside the door, Miranda was heartbroken and helpless. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll get you some medicine. You¡¯ll catch a cold like this!¡± Then, Miranda hurriedly made a cup of hot coffee and brought it to Joanna. Unfortunately, Joanna did not open the door, no matter how hard she knocked. On the other side! After Joanna had run away, there was no one else to look after Roxanne, and she hurriedly left Sherane Bay Vi. Outside of Sherane Bay Vi, Roxanne called a paparazzo calmly. Beep, beep, beep! ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hello, are you a reporter from The City Daily?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Roxanne lowered her voice and said into the phone, ¡°I have breaking news!¡± When the paparazzi heard that, he instantly became awake. ¡°What breaking news?¡± ¡°I found a woman in disheveled clothes near Sherane Bay Vi. She seems to have been raped by someone. She looks like Bruce Everett¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend!¡± When the paparazzi heard that, he was overjoyed. If the news was true, it would really be explosive news. ¡°Is it true?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. I¡¯m sure of what I saw. It¡¯s Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend, Roxanne Haynes! Hurry up and come over before she leaves!¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be there soon. Please tell me the specific address¡­¡± In less than ten minutes, a few paparazzi rushed to the address given by Roxanne. Roxanne was already prepared. She deliberately messed up her hair and tore her clothes even more. Her arms wrapped tightly around her tattered clothes. as she squatted by the roadside and sobbed in a daze. ¡°Oh my god, is she really Bruce Everett¡¯s ex¨Cgirlfriend?¡± After the paparazzi confirmed that it was Roxanne, they were all shocked and went forward to interview her. ¡°Miss Roxanne, why are you here alone? Did you encounter some difficulties? Why don¡¯t I send you to the hospital¡­¡± Roxanne deliberately nced at the paparazzi in panic. ¡°No, there¡¯s no need! Don¡¯t take photos of me. Please, don¡¯t take photos of me in such a sorry state!¡± Roxanne cried as she curled up her body helplessly. Coupled with her disheveled appearance, she indeed looked like she had been raped. Seeing that, the paparazzi felt even more sympathetic. ¡°Miss Roxanne, don¡¯t be afraid. What is the problem? We can help you! Can you tell us what happened to you?¡± ¡°No¡­ No¡­ Please, don¡¯t take photos of me. Sob, sob.¡± Roxanne cried in grievance and begged helplessly. However, her heart was filled with smugness. She thought, ¡°Go ahead and take photos. Let it cause a sensation and let everyone think I was raped by Bruce.¡± Anyway, she was going all out. ¡°Hmph, Joanna, Bruce, I must break the two of you up! This time, I don¡¯t believe that Joanna will forgive you!¡± ¡°Miss Roxanne, why are you in such a state? Can you tell me what happened?¡± The paparazzi took photos of her expression from all angles as they gossiped. ¡°Waa¡­ Waa¡­ Roxanne sobbed and cried bitterly. Chapter 492 Chapter 492 Chapter 492 ¡°Stop crying. Why don¡¯t I call the police for you? Have you been bullied?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call the police. Please don¡¯t call the police. Boohoo¡­ ¡°Then where did youe from?¡± Roxanne cried even harder. ¡°Stop asking. I beg you, stop asking!¡± A paparazzo blurted out. ¡°This is near Mount Lance. Oh my god, Miss Roxanne couldn¡¯t have been from Sherane Bay Vi, right?¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ Roxanne paused for a moment before crying even more weakly and helplessly. She deliberately made people¡¯s imaginations run wild. Seeing that, the paparazzi were even more dumbfounded. Judging from her reaction, they could basically confirm that she ran from Sherane Bay Vi. Moreover, she was bullied by Bruce. ¡°Miss Roxanne, were you bullied by Mr. Everett? Do you need me to call the police?¡± One of the paparazzi even took off his coat and put it on Roxanne! ¡°Please, don¡¯t call the police. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to ruin my sister¡¯s rtionship with Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s send you to the hospital!¡± ¡°Thank you, but there¡¯s really no need! I want to go back and take a hot shower now! Please, can you send me home?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The paparazzi quickly agreed. They were very happy to help her! Soon, Roxanne was personally sent home by the paparazzi. Of course, she collected a lot of information along the way. The next morning- Another wave of shocking news shocked the entire Greyport. [Miss Roxanne is so pitiful. She was from a wealthy family, but now her family has been destroyed, and she can¡¯t even escape the clutches of her ex.] [Satan of the century, Greyport noble suspected of ¡°bullying¡± his sister¨Cinw.] [The two sisters of a wealthy family fight over one husband.] [Mr. Everett still has feelings for her ex¨Cgirlfriend. While his current girlfriend is away, he extends his ws to his sister¨Cinw.] [The daughter of a wealthy family cried helplessly on the side of the road after being bullied.) All sorts of shocking headlines coupled with photos of Roxanne weeping in disheveled clothes instantly infuriated everyone. Greyport media was surprisingly fast. In order to grab the headlines, they had to be faster and more urate. The scandal exploded on the Inte the next morning. Bruce was already embroiled in all kinds ofwsuits. Now that such a huge scandal had appeared, one could imagine how angry theizens were. In particr, it was as if everyone wanted to seize that opportunity to attack him! The next day. Early in the morning. After Zachary saw the news, he rushed to the vi he rented for Roxanne. In the room, Joanna was still sleeping soundly. Bang! Zachary suddenly pushed the door open. Roxanne was awakened and muttered unhappily, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zachary barged into the room. His eyes were red as he asked loudly, ¡°Rox, did Bruce really do that to you?¡± Although he was a little afraid of Roxanne¡¯s madness, she was his girlfriend. His dignity would never allow anyone to cheat on him! When Roxanne heard that, she snorted disdainfully. ¡°Hmph, what do you think?¡± When Zachary heard that, he thought that Roxanne had tacitly agreed. He was so angry that his organs began to hurt. When had he, Mr. Garcia, ever suffered such humiliation? His girlfriend had actually been raped by his good friend. ¡°Bruce Everett, this bastard. He knows you¡¯re my girlfriend now, but he still dares to do that to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll settle the score with him right now!¡± Roxanne raised her eyebrows slightly. She got off the bed and stopped Zachary. ¡°Forget it! It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t slept with him before. What¡¯s wrong with one more time?¡± Zachary Garcia was shocked when he heard that. From the looks of it, she seemed to be very happy to be raped by Bruce! Not only was she not sad, but she was also showing oll ¡°Roxanne, are you still thinking about Bruce Everett? Do you want to rekindle your rtionship with him?¡± Roxanne rolled her eyes and smiled coldly! Of course, she wanted to! But she knew it was impossible. Therefore, since she couldn¡¯t get him, she would destroy him! ¡°Why? Are you furious? You have to know that I dated him for six years. What haven¡¯t we done in the past six years?¡± When Zachary heard that, he was even angrier. ¡°How is that the same? The past is the past, and the present is the present!¡± ¡°You¡¯re no longer his girlfriend. How can he treat you like this? Rox, let¡¯s call the police now and arrest this bastard Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call the police. This is embarrassing enough.¡± Roxanne looked dejected as if she had really been bullied! Actually, she knew very well in her heart! She was with Bruce Everett for so many years, and the two of them had never crossed the line! However, she would not let anyone know that secret. At Sherane Bay Vi. After Bruce showered in cold water for half the night, the butler called the doctor over. At five in the morning, the effect of the medicine finally subsided. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After waking up. Bruce quickly called Joanna. Beep, beep, beep! ¡°The number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Bruce mmed the table heavily. Chapter 493 Chapter 493 Chapter 493 He had already made more than ten calls, but none of them went through without exception! Andy also called early in the morning. ¡°Mr. Everett, the news online is very unfavorable. It¡¯s all negative news about you!¡± Bruce gritted his teeth. He could guess what kind of false news was being spread about him on the Inte without even looking! ¡°Damn it! Get awyer to settle these things! I don¡¯t want to see any more scandals about Roxanne Haynes on the Inte.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± After hanging up, Bruce¡¯s expression was extremely gloomy. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Go and find out who colluded. with that bitch Roxanne Haynesst night to tamper with the coffee.¡± ¡°Also, those who let Roxanne in yesterday and those who had intimate contact with her are all fired!¡± ¡°Ah! Mr. Everett, we¡­ we¡¯re innocent!¡± Five servants, including Ms. Chain, had all greeted Roxanne the night before. Bruce was toozy to ask who colluded with Roxanne. Anyone who came into contact with Roxanne was fired. ¡°Please leave this ce immediately!¡± A few bodyguards stepped forward and chased them away coldly. Ms. Chain and the other servants were so frightened that they almost knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. ¡°Mr. Everett, please give me another chance. We really didn¡¯t collude with anyone. We are really wronged!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened as he waved his hand impatiently.. The bodyguard no longer hesitated and directly and forcefully chased them out of Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Hurry up and leave. Stop making so much noise!¡± Ms. Chain, along with two servants and three guards, who came into contact with Roxanne the night before, were all fired. One had to know that even the servants of the Everett family earned a higher sry than white¨Ccor workers outside. Moreover, all kinds of benefits and bonuses were very generous. Ms. Chain and the others were crying. They were naturally unwilling to leave. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. After chasing Ms. Chain and the others away, Bruce was still so angry that his teeth hurt! Roxanne was really unafraid of death. She had challenged his bottom line time and time again! At first, on ount of their old rtionship, plus the fact that she was Joanna¡¯s younger sister, he did not want to be on bad. terms with her! But he really couldn¡¯t take it anymore! Beep, beep, beep! Bruce picked up the phone again and called Zachary The call was answered very quickly. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°Zachary, it¡¯s me¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Zachary roared, ¡°Bruce, you still dare to call? Are you fucking human? I treat you as a brother, but you touched my girlfriend?¡± Bruce could not be bothered to exin to Zachary. He said coldly, ¡°Where is Roxanne Haynes?¡± ¡°You still dare to look for Rox? You know she¡¯s my girlfriend now, but you still dare to bully her like that? Do you even care about me? I don¡¯t have a friend like you. From today onwards, I¡¯m cutting ties with you. You¡¯re no longer my friend!¡± Bruce choked in anger. It seemed that he had no choice but to exin. ¡°Zachary, can you calm down?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything else from you now. I¡¯m not done with you! I¡¯m warning you, if you dare to find trouble with Rox again, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± ¡°m!¡± Zachary was so angry that he hung up the phone! Bruce was so angry that he gritted his teeth, and the veins on his temples bulged. Unexpectedly, he was tricked by Roxanne again! However, he would not tolerate it again! The most important thing was to rify the truth with Joanna as soon as possible! At Ona ce. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me. Open the door!¡± Miranda looked through the peephole and was instantly furious. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± ¡°Where is Joann?¡± ¡°Hmph, Joann isn¡¯t here!¡± ¡°Open the door. I know she is here.¡± Miranda had also seen the news and really thought Bruce and Roxanne slept. ¡°Why are you still looking for Joann? Scum like you don¡¯t deserve to be with Joann!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. Open the door quickly!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Miranda directly mmed the door outside! Joanna had already instructed her not to open the door for Bruce. ¡°m open the door!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± The bodyguards began to use the chainsaw to force open the door. In less than five minutes, the door was forced open! Bruce walked in. ¡°You can¡¯t break into private property. Hurry up and get out. If you don¡¯t get out, I¡¯ll call the police.¡± Miranda was so frightened that she panicked. ¡°Joanna,e out!¡± ¡°Joann is not here!¡± Bruce went straight to the second floor. ¡°Joanna, if you don¡¯te out, I¡¯ll kick the door!¡± ¡°Bang bang!¡± Bruce kicked the door open! Joanna was shocked. ¡°Bruce, what exactly do you want?¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m here to exin to you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything else from you. Hurry up and leave!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened, and his expression was indescribably ugly. ¡°Joanna, after going through so much, I thought you would trust me. I didn¡¯t expect the trust between us to be so fragile!¡± Joanna was unwilling to say anything more. ¡°Bruce, how can I believe you? I see the truth with my own eyes!¡± Chapter 494 Chapter 494 Chapter 494 Bruce was angry and hateful. He suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips. He held her tightly in his arms. ¡°Ah! Let go!¡± Joanna hit him with all her might. Bruce bit her hard, then let go of her and shook her body fiercely. ¡°Joanna, do you not trust me that much?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna¡¯s body was about to fall apart. She looked at Bruce with dispirited eyes. Her gaze was filled with anger coldness. Actually, after a night, Joanna had already calmed down. Although Bruce was a bastard, he was not shameless enough to rape Roxanne at home. and However, that bastard was too domineering and did not give others a chance to breathe. Therefore, Joanna still had a lot of resentment towards him. ¡°Bruce, can you let go of me first? Let¡¯s talk properly!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and stared at Joanna angrily. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you onest time. I didn¡¯t touch Roxanne Haynes. She sneaked into my house and drugged me!¡± ¡°I was druggedst night and mistook her for you! Fortunately, I retained a trace of consciousness at thest moment and didn¡¯t touch her!¡± ¡°She¡¯s framing me and deliberately trying to break us up! It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know what kind of person she was in the past! I asked you not to interact with her, but you refused to listen! Can you not be so saintly? Can you not have too much. sympathy for Roxanne Haynes?¡± Joanna tried hard to shake off his control. She already believed what he said. On the other hand, Bruce was hot¨Ctempered and could not tolerate others maligning him. He thought that Joanna did not believe him and kept exining angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. I don¡¯t want to hear anymore!¡± Joanna was angered because that bastard had scratched her too painfully. Moreover, he had just bitten her. She was about to faint from the pain. ¡°You have to listen!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m interested in her, I¡¯ll die a horrible death. I¡¯ll have no descendants, and my entire family will die!¡± When Joanna heard that, she stared at him coldly! If she still did not forgive him, he would probably go crazy from anxiety! That damn bastard. It would be great if his temper was better. Bruce¡¯s eyes were red as if they were about to spew fire. ¡°Joanna, you still don¡¯t believe me, do you?¡± ¡°I knew it. No matter what I say, you won¡¯t believe me! You have always thought that I¡¯m a bad person, right?¡± ¡°After so many things. I thought you would change your opinion and trust me a little. I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± The more Bruce spoke, the more his heart ached. The more he spoke, the colder his heart became. The person he loved so deeply had never been willing to give him a trace of trust. Looking at his dejected and resentful expression, Joanna pursed her lips and said coldly, ¡°I believe you!¡± Suddenly, the air froze. Bruce¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. The originally intense anger instantly subsided! In the past, Joanna would definitely not listen to his exnation. No matter what he said, she would nail him to the execution rack and pin the title of the bad guy into him. ¡°What did you say? Say it again!¡± Bruce asked in disbelief. Joanna¡¯s eyes became much gentler. ¡°I said, I believe you!¡± When Bruce heard that, he was so excited that he almost jumped up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. Now that I think about it, the reason Roxanne put so much effort to get in touch with me might not be simple!¡± As she spoke, Joanna sighed sadly. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect her to still be like this. She hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± Upon hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Bruce instantly rxed his shoulders and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a damn woman. Then why did you run awayst night? Do you know that I¡¯ve been worried about you all night? Do you know I used my hand in the bathroom all night?!¡± As Bruce spoke, the anger in his eyes turned into a deep grievance. Chapter 494 The drug that Roxanne had given him was too strong. How could it be extinguished by cold water? Joanna was not by his side to help him as the antidote. He felt so ufortable that he almost died. His hand hurt from exhaustion. Looking at his relieved expression, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Look at you. You even broke the door! How am I going to exin it to thendlord?¡± Bruce smiled in anger and hugged her tightly. ¡°At most, I¡¯ll buy this house!¡± As he spoke, Bruce looked around at theyout of the room in disdain. To be frank, he looked down on that sort of house. Seeing the sight, Miranda and Kelly also heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. As long as the misunderstanding is resolved, everyone will be happy!¡± ¡°This door doesn¡¯t matter. Help thendlord change a new door. At most, it¡¯ll cost a few thousand dors!¡± When Bruce heard that, he smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll just let my assistant settle it!¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home!¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Joanna¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°You can go back first!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna looked around the room and said quietly, ¡°I have to stay and fix the door. Also, I need to pack my personal belongings. I don¡¯t think I¡¯lle back here anymore.¡± Bruce was overjoyed when he heard that. Did that mean that Joanna had really epted him? ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay and help you clean up.¡± ¡°No need! You should go back to work! These are my private belongings. I don¡¯t want others to interfere.¡± A trace of worry shed across Bruce¡¯s eyes. He was not sure if that was a stalling tactic. ¡°Then¡­ are you sure you¡¯re not angry? You¡¯re not thinking of running away with your luggage, are you?¡± In the past, after their divorce, she went missing for four years. He was really afraid. Joanna sighed at him. I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m not angry!¡± ¡°Then smile!¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯re being childish.¡± ¡°How about a kiss?¡± Joanna was reesigned. In order to send him away quickly, she could only stand on her tiptoes and kiss his cheek. Bruce was relieved. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going first.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else and kissed her forehead again. Only then did he leave in a hurry and rush to thepany. After Bruce left, Miranda still looked worried. ¡°Joann, Mr. Everett, is he okay?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Miranda, tell thendlord that from next month onwards, I¡¯ll stop renting this house.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Miranda, Kelly, and Tracy were dumbfounded. If she stopped renting the house, it meant that the three of them might lose their jobs. ¡°Alright then!¡± The frio¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. Joanna was the best employer they had ever had. They really didn¡¯t want to lose such an easy¨Cgoing boss. ¡°Miranda, Kelly, Tracy, you¡¯ve been with me for so long. I¡¯m very grateful to all of you!¡± Miranda¡¯s eyes were extremely red. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t have to thank us. We should thank you for taking care of us for so long!¡± Indeed, even though there was nothing for them to do at the house, Joanna continued to rent the house and pay their sries! Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Moreover, Joanna was really easy to get along with. She did not put on any airs at all. Kelly and Tracy could not help but cry. ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡­ really can¡¯t bear to part with you!¡± Joanna was stunned for a moment and immediately understood. ¡°Oh, what I mean is, I¡¯m not renting the house here anymore. The three of you can move to the Everett family with me!¡± ¡°At that time, your sry will be paid ording to the Everett family¡¯s standard!¡± When the three of them heard that, they were instantly dumbfounded. They could not believe their cars. ¡°Miss Haynes, what did you just say?¡± Tm saying that you guys will work with the Everett family in the future and continue to take care of the children!¡± Kelly, who was the youngest, was instantly overjoyed. ¡°You scared me to death. Miss Haynes isn¡¯t going to fire us.¡± Tracy patted her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I was so scared just now!¡± When Joanna heard that, she smiled slightly. ¡°How can that be? I¡¯ll let you pack your things and go back with me to Sherane Bay Vi. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia miss you all very much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! We¡¯ll go and pack now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Go on.¡± The three of them happily packed their luggage. They originally thought they had been fired, but they did not expect to be asked to work at Sherane Bay Vi! To work in the Everett family, they would have to go through a lot of screening. They would also have to go through all kinds of strict training before they could be hired! Of course! The sry was also higher, so they were naturally happy! After Miranda and the others went downstairs, Joanna sat on the bed and couldn¡¯t help but take out her phone to call Roxanne. Beep, beep, beep! No one picked up the phone. Unwilling to give up, Joanna called a few times. Finally, on the sixth call, Roxanne answered. ¡°Hello, Roxy. Why aren¡¯t you answering your phone?¡± On the other end of the phone, Roxanne paused for a moment. Then, she said with a heartbroken voice, ¡°Joanna, why are you looking for me? Boohoo¡­¡± As she spoke, she deliberately sniffled a few times.. Joanna frowned. ¡°Roxy, where are you now?¡± ¡°Joanna, I don¡¯t have the face to see anyone now, let alone you!¡± Before she could finish, Joanna interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯m asking you where exactly are you now? I want to meet you now,¡± Joanna, don¡¯t look for me anymore. I really don¡¯t have the courage to live anymore! Don¡¯t resent Bruce. Bruce¡­ couldn¡¯t help but mistake me for you! ¡°Sister, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t fight with you over Bruce! I won¡¯t make him take responsibility for me. Just pretend that nothing happened.¡± Roxanne deliberately fanned the mes pitifully and insisted that she had slept with Bruce. Joanna could not take it anymore and said bluntly, ¡°Roxanne, stop pretending!¡± ¡°Did Bruce really touch you?¡± On the other end of the phone, Roxanne¡¯s sobbing stopped abruptly, and a hint of nervousness appeared in her eyes. Joanna stopped being polite to her and asked coldly, ¡°Did you drug Bruce? He didn¡¯t touch you at all, right?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Roxanne inhaled a breath of cold air and remained silent! Unexpectedly, the n to sow discord did not seed! That made her grit her teeth in hatred. She originally thought that she wouldpletely destroy Joanna and Bruce¡¯s rtionship. ¡°Roxanne, I want to ask you, what exactly do you want? What is your motive for doing this?¡± Seeing that the matter had been exposed, Roxanne could not be bothered to pretend anymore. She mocked, ¡°What do you mean You were the one who reported the news online to the paparazzi, right?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was cold. Sherane Bay Vi was a top¨Cnotch luxury vi district. When she left the residencest night, she did not encounter any paparazzi along the way. How did Roxanne have to run into them? Needless to say, she must have taken the initiative to expose it! After all, it was not the first time she had done such a thing. Roxanne sneered. ¡°Hmph, so what if I did? Looks like you¡¯re not too stupid!¡± ¡°Roxanne, I¡¯m warning you! Don¡¯t y these tricks again. I want you to take the initiative to rify this matter with the media now. Otherwise¡­ Joanna paused! ¡°Otherwise, what?¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Roxanne, we¡¯re biological sisters. I don¡¯t want to be your enemy.¡± ¡°But if you insist on doing this, I really can¡¯t treat you as my sister anymore.¡± When Roxanne heard that, she felt a strong sense of disgust. She roared in exasperation, ¡°Heh, what a huge joke! If you really treated me as your sister, you wouldn¡¯t have snatched my man, let alone everything that belongs to me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that I am in my current state. Dad and Ryan¡¯s deaths are all thanks to you.¡± ¡°Joanna, just wait. I¡¯ll definitely take revenge! You ruined my family and ruined my life. Even if I die, I won¡¯t let you have an easy time!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Roxanne, I advise you not to be stubborn!¡± ¡°Joanna, stop pretending to be a good person! I¡¯ll never forgive you for the rest of my life. Just wait. One day, I¡¯ll make you lose everything and wish you were dead!¡± Roxanne said fiercely and hung up. Chapter 496 Chapter 496 Chapter 496 ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± The call had already ended. Joanna¡¯s brows furrowed into a knot. It seemed that it was not so easy to repay evil with kindness. She had never wanted to hurt anyone. Unfortunately, they were the ones who could not leave her alone. At the Everett Group. Bruce had just arrived at thepany. Before the car could stop, arge group of reporters swarmed over! ¡°Bruce is here. Quick, quick, quick!¡± ¡°Oh my god, luckily, we didn¡¯t wait in vain. I thought he wouldn¡¯t dare to show up today!¡± The reporters scrambled to rush forward! ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Roxanne was bulliedst night. Was it you?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, can you tell us more? How are you feeling now? Will you be responsible for Miss Roxanne?¡± Bruce got out of the car with a dark expression. The reporters pushed and squeezed. Twenty bodyguards could not stop them at all. ¡°Don¡¯t get close. Mr. Everett will not be interviewed!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, are you still in love with Miss Roxanne?¡± ¡°Have you changed your mind again? Have you gotten back together with Miss Roxanne?¡± ¡°The day before yesterday, you said that you would pass the position of the Everett Group president to Miss Joanna. May I ask if you will change your mind now?¡± The reporters¡® questions were getting more and more difficult. A few of them were hired by the Yanice Group, and they were not afraid of offending Bruce. Faced with the reporters bombardment, Bruce¡¯s expression was ugly. However, he could not exin that matter rashly. The more he exined, the more it would make things worse. It would be easier for others to attack him with it. Just as there was no way out, a Ferrari sports car drove over! The car door opened. A pair of slender legs appeared behind the door. Then, Joanna got out of the car elegantly. She was wearing a fitting white dress with a camel¨Ccolored cashmere coat that reached her knees. Her exquisite face was slightly powdered. She looked elegant, beautiful, and dazzling. ¡°It¡¯s Miss Joanna!¡± Immediately, the reporters pounced on Joanna like they had discovered a new continent. When Bruce saw that, he panicked and hurriedly went forward with his bodyguards to save Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m warning you not to mess around!¡± Arge group of security guards also rushed over to maintain order. Under the protection of the bodyguards, Bruce forced his way in front of Joanna. ¡°Joanna, why are you here?¡± Joanna smiled and did not reply. *Miss Joanna, do you know what happenedst night?¡± Joanna smiled calmly at the media. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to read the news.¡± ¡°Was Mr. Everett with Miss Roxannest night?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Someone took a photo of Miss Roxanne being suspected of being raped by someone. Someone said that it was done by Mr. Everett. What do you think about this?¡± When Joanna heard that, she pretended to be surprised and confused. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°Last night, Bruce was with me and the children. I was by Bruce¡¯s side all night. How could he bully others?¡± ¡°As for Roxanne being bullied by Bruce, I think it¡¯s really a misunderstanding. We¡¯ve already called the police. I believe the police will arrest the offender as soon as possible!¡± Joanna said thest sentence very coldly. It directly confirmed that Roxanne had indeed been raped the night before, but the person who did it was not Bruce. Anyway, Roxanne did not care about her reputation and took the initiative to expose to the media that she had been raped. Joanna naturally had to fulfill her wish. As soon as she said that, it instantly caused an uproar! Even Bruce was shocked. He never expected that Joanna would stand up for him at that juncture. At that moment, regardless of whether Joanna¡¯s words were true, with her, his girlfriend, stepping forward to protect him, the negative impact on him would naturally be minimized. ¡°Thank you for your concern. If there¡¯s any progress in the case, we¡¯ll inform everyone officially!¡± ¡°Everyone, please stop. Don¡¯t affect ourpany¡¯s employees.¡± Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder and walked quickly into thepany under the escort of the bodyguards. In the elevator, Bruce tilted his head and stared at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Joanna stared at him awkwardly. Bruce raised his eyebrows and smiled teasingly. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to speak up for me! In his impression, Joanna had always stood against him! Unexpectedly, she finally did not side with outsiders and knew to protect her boyfriend! ¡°Ive already called Roxanne, and she¡¯s already admitted it herself! She¡¯s indeed trying to take revenge on us!¡± ¡°Look, I told you that old habits die hard. A leopard can¡¯t change its spots! If you treat her well, she is not going to repay you. Do you regret it now that she has bitten you?¡± Bruce was a little afraid. He was just one step away from making an irreversible mistake! This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Fortunately, his willpower was strong enough. Even with such a powerful medicinal effect, he still maintained a trace of consciousness! Otherwise, the consequences would be irreparable! When Joanna heard that, she sighed deeply! Although she and Roxanne were not born from the same mother, they were still biological sisters! However, she never expected a sister not born from the same mother to be more cruel than a stranger. Therefore, she had already made up her mind. Even if she did not remarry Bruce, she would definitely not give birth to another man¡¯s child. Chapter 497 Chapter 497 At the conference room. Thepany¡¯s shareholders began to sigh and frown again Things have been really troublesome recently. Thewsuit hasn¡¯t been resolved yet, and now this is happening!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is still young! He doesn¡¯t take care of the big picture.¡± ¡°Great, now it¡¯s a bauble who¡¯s going to be the president of the Everett Group. This isplete nonsense. I think Mr. Everett purely wants the Everett Group to decline.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Haynes can¡¯t even handle her private life well. How can she handle her work?¡± A few small shareholders began toin again. Liam¡¯s expression was even more solemn, and his eyes revealed a sinister look. ¡°It¡¯s decided now. What else can we do? I don¡¯t think everyone should be so pessimistic. Maybe it¡¯s not as bad as everyone thinks.¡± ¡°Forget it! Anyway, I don¡¯t trust her¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking, Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes have already arrived at thepany!¡± When the small shareholders heard that, they hurriedly fell silent. They only dared toin in private. How could they dare to show it in front of Bruce? A minuteter, the conference room¡¯s door opened. Bruce and Joanna walked in one after another. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett! Good morning, Miss Haynes!¡± Bruce sat down at the president¡¯s position. His well¨Cdefined face was tense and meticulous, looking noble and cold. Joanna calmly sat down beside him. After the room waspletely silent. Bruce pursed his thin lips and said. ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting!¡± ¡°Today¡¯s meeting is mainly about five things. First, the work I have on hand has beenpletely handed over to Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Starting next week, I will no longer be the Everett Group¡¯s president!¡± ¡°Secondly, there will be some changes in thepany¡¯s management. The secretary will send the list of specific changes to the chatter.¡± Everyone looked at each other, but they did not dare to express any objections. Bruce coughed lightly and looked at Joanna. ¡°Let Miss Haynes convey the remaining three points to everyone!¡± As he spoke, Bruce handed the meeting notes that his secretary had printed to Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, please convey the remaining three points to everyone!¡± Joanna calmed herself down and took the notes. She nced at it and said, ¡°Mr. Everett just said two points. Next, I¡¯ll tell everyone about three more problems¡­¡± Liam couldn¡¯t take it anymore and interrupted Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett, I have a point to make!¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes and looked at Liam seriously. ¡°Mr. Miller, please speak.¡± Liam frowned Now that the news has blown up so much, it has already had a bad impact on the company. At this time, I think the impact of rashly changing the president will be even worse!¡± When a small shareholder heard that, he immediately echoed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if we are changing the president, we have to choose someone who knows the Everett Group¡¯s work culture.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I wish to be unpleasant, but I feel that Miss Haynes is too young. I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t bear such a heavy burden¡­¡± When Bruce heard that, his sinister eyes darkened. ¡°Are you questioning my ability or my judgment?¡± Seeing that Bruce had spoken, the small shareholder¡¯s heart trembled in fear. He hurriedly exined, ¡°No, no. How could I dare to question Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°I. I mean to say, after all, Miss Haynes doesn¡¯t know enough about the Everett Group¡¯s work culture! I¡¯m worried that such a heavy burden will crush Miss Haynes!¡± After hearing that, Bruce¡¯s face darkenedpletely. He said bluntly, ¡°I think you should worry about yourself first!¡± Chapter 497 ¡°You¡¯re out of the board now. You can go through the relevant procedures this afternoon. Mr. Young was shocked when he heard that. ¡°Huh? Mr. Everett, I was giving a suggestion. You can¡¯t do this¡­¡± With a dark expression, Bruce snapped his fingers at Andy behind him. ¡°Andy, get the bodyguards to invite him out.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Soon, a few bodyguards entered the conference room and grabbed Mr. Young by his arms. ¡°Please leave immediately!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ Mr. Miller, say something for me!¡± Seeing that, everyone was speechless. Mr. Everett had always been fast, ruthless, and urate. If small shareholders like them disobeyed, they would be forced to sell the shares in their hands and be kicked out of the board of directors. Bruce would not spoil any of them! ¡°Let¡¯s continue the meeting. Does anyone have any objections?¡± Everyone lowered their heads. Mr. Everett had just made an example out of them. Who would still dare to speak up at such a point? Even if they were dissatisfied, they should endure it first! They could bring it up after he leaves Seeing that no one dared to make a sound, Bruce¡¯s expression softened, and he gestured for Joanna to continue. He had to help Joanna clear the obstacles as much as possible! That was to ensure she could stand in the president¡¯s position firmly. Joanna calmed herself down and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. As long as everyone works together, I believe the Everett Group will reach a higher level.¡± ¡°The Azure Bay project has already begun. The nning and marketing n has been implemented!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read through all information of the Everett Group in the past 20 years!¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Of course, if anyone has any objections, you can raise them now!¡± Another shareholder broke the silence and asked carefully, ¡°Then what ns does Miss Haynes have?¡± Joanna replied seriously, ¡°At present, thepany will maintain all the old management and business models. There won¡¯t be much change. Of course, there will be some small loopholes that will gradually be perfected! I also believe everyone here will cooperate well with each other¡¯s work.¡± A few shareholders asked a few more questions one after another, and Joanna answered smoothly! Then, Joanna talked about two other things. The meetingsted for more than an hour. Bruce folded his hands and listened attentively to Joanna¡¯s answers. Although the others had objections, they did not dare to be too arrogant. Joanna looked at the time. It was already ten o¡¯clock. Everything that needed to be said had been said. It was about time for the meeting to end. ¡°Any questions?¡± ¡°Oh, not for the time being!¡± ¡°Alright then! That¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting.¡± Chapter 498 Chapter 498 After the meeting, Bruce and Joanna walked out of the conference room first. ¡°Tk isk, she is really unafraid of us!¡± ¡°Sigh, she¡¯s just talking about everything in theory. It¡¯s not that easy to achieve what she said!¡± Liam replied angrily. ¡°Let them do whatever they want. They will regret it!¡± Bruce did not respect him as his nephew. Bruce deliberately kicked Mr. Young out of the board of directors despite knowing that Mr. Young was promoted by Liam. That was a p to his face in public! ¡°I think Mr. Everett has good taste. Miss Haynes¡¯s idea is quite unique. It might be a new start for the Everett Group¡­.¡± ¡°Heh, I hope so!¡± Bruce and Joanna returned to their private office. Joanna was so nervous that her palms were sweating. She was just pretending to be calm just now! She already had a premonition that those people would not let her sitfortably in the position of president! However, she was also forced to take over that hot potato by Bruce. Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled dotingly. ¡°You did great just now!¡± ¡°Alright, stop consoling me. Joanna frowned. She knew very well how much she was capable of Previously, when she managed the Haynes Group, just Mr. Roger, Mr. Paul, and the others had already given her a headache. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Now, she was facing a group of old sly foxes. One could imagine how much pressure she was under! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll support you from behind! If you dare to charge forward bravely, I¡¯ll clean up the aftermath for you.¡± ¡°Bruce, do you really trust me that much?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll run away with your money?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and smiled at her foolishly. ¡°Haha, my money is for you to spend. You can spend as much as you want. Do you still need to run around with it?¡± ¡°Besides, even if you really take all my money, as long as you take good care of the children, I¡¯m willing! If I die, I¡¯ll leave all my assets to you!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. Her heart was in turmoil. ¡°What do you mean by that? It¡¯s as if you¡¯re saying yourst words. It makes me panic!¡± ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t you want me to die?¡± ¡°Who wants you dead? Can you stop saying such depressing things?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m sentenced to life imprisonment and have to stay in prison for the rest of my life, I might as well die!¡± When Joanna heard that, her heart ached even more, and her eyes turned red. ¡°Can you stop saying such depressing words?¡± ¡°Alright, alrigh, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore!¡± Coincidentally, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± ¡°Come in!¡± Andy walked in with a stack of documents. ¡°Mr. Everett, these are the documents and schedule for the next few days!¡± ¡°Leave it here!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Andy respectfully ced the document on the desk. Bruce sat in the leather swivel chair and pushed all the documents before Joanna. Joanna was stunned. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the new president. Of course, you¡¯ll be handling these documents and contracts.¡± 10:28 D Chiapter 498 Joanna stared at him in disbelief. Come on, she was only the spokesperson for Bruce In other words, the Everett Group¡¯s actual controller was still Bruce. Joanna only took on the title of president. Seeing her hesitation, Bruce raised his eyebrows and urged, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and work! Do you want to ck off?¡± Joanna pouted and carried a stack of documents to the small desk. Fortunately, those documents were not a problem for her! She had been the Haynes Group¡¯s chairman, so she took over rtively quickly. Dealing with those miniature problems was not diflicult. They were just a little more troublesome. After all, many things. had to be read seriously one by one. After reading them, she had to make annotations too. Joanna concentrated and worked hard. On the other side, Bruce sat leisurely on a leather swivel chair with his legs crossed. He was tasting coffee and scrolling through his phone with relish! An hourter, Joanna finally finished dealing with the stack of documents. Her eyes were dry from it! She rubbed her sore neck and looked up at Bruce. That damn man was really carefree! With her working for him as aborer, hepletely gave up on work! ¡°Hey, are you asleep?¡± ¡°Hmph, no!¡± ¡°Not yet? You just snored!¡± Bruce rubbed his eyes and yawned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna looked at him speechlessly! The situation was urgent, yet he wasn¡¯t anxious at all. ¡°Is there something you don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done all this work. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Me?¡± A gloating smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. ¡°My job now is to supervise you!¡± When Joanna heard that, she was even more speechless, but she had no rebuttal.. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me. Let me sleep for a while more. I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night,¡± Bruce said as hezily lay on the swivel chair. He even turned the chair into massage mode and enjoyed the massage comfortably! Seeing that. Joanna sighed helplessly and could only continue to review the documents. She had no choice. Bruce was embroiled in awsuit! She knew that he was actually under a lot of pressure. It was better for her to do what she could for him! Chapter 499 Chapter 499 The next day, Roxanne got dressed and prepared to go out to look for Marlowe. Now that that had happened, Zachary probably couldn¡¯t be relied on anymore. She had to cozy up to Marlowe. Roxanne drove out of the vi. Unexpectedly, after driving for a distance, the car was forced to stop by two ck cars! Roxanne¡¯s heart tightened. She had a vague feeling that something was wrong! Unfortunately, those two cars blocked her car from in front and behind. Soon, four to five men in ck got out of the car and walked toward her aggressively! When Roxanne saw that, she felt even more uneasy. She hurriedly took out her phone and wanted to call the police. However, it was already toote. Four or five men in ck walked quickly to the front of the car. One of the men in ck. held a window¨Cbusting hammer and smashed open her window without any exnation! Then, he reached out and opened the car door. ¡°Ah!¡± Roxanne was so frightened that her face turned pale as she shouted in horror. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± Without another word, the men in ck dragged her out of the car. ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± ¡°Help! Someone¡¯s kidnapping me!¡± The man in ck moved very quickly and stuffed her into the ck car. Then, the two cars drove away. The entire process took less than three minutes! ¡°What are you? What do you want to do? Do you want money?¡± The two men in ck in the backseat sandwiched her between them. One of them took out a blue medicine bottle from his pocket. Then, he grabbed her chin and poured all the powder into Roxanne¡¯s mouth! Roxanne was so scared that she kept screaming, ¡°Cough! Cough! No!¡± ¡°What exactly did you feed me? Let go of me. Where are you taking me?¡± A full bottle of medicine was forcefully poured into Roxanne¡¯s mouth! ¡°Uh, cough, cough, no!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± A man in ck took out a stun baton and knocked her out. Roxanne¡¯s vision went ck and she lost consciousness. When Roxanne woke up again, she felt like she was about to explode! She was groggy as if she was dreaming! ¡°What is this ce? What exactly is this ce?¡± There were a few men in ck standing in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t you like this medicine very much? Then I¡¯ll let you have a good taste of it.¡± Roxanne looked around in horror. That was actually a cruise ship. On the cruise ship, there seemed to be a party going on! The atmosphere was very insane. The group of men and women were unbearable to look at. ¡°Let me go. Let me go.¡° ¡°What exactly do you want to do? How much money do you want? You can tell me. I can give you the money. I beg you not to hurt me!¡± One of the men in ck gave her an ambiguous smile. ¡°Miss Roxanne, rx. We won¡¯t hurt you. On the contrary, we¡¯ll bring you pleasure!¡± As he spoke, seven or eight fat and strong men waved their hands. ¡°This is a famous director from Roseliand. He specializes in pornography.¡± ¡°We chose you to be the female lead and want to film a movie for you. You just have to enjoy it.¡± Chapter 499 After hearing that, Roxanne broke down. ¡°No, no¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this. Did Bruce Everett employ you? I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t do anything rash! Joanna Haynes is my sister. She won¡¯t allow Bruce Everett to treat me like this!¡± Roxanne shouted in fear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t know anything about Bruce Everett! We just want you to be the female lead!¡± *Director, I¡¯ll leave her to you. Do a good job!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Help, help¡­ Roxanne kept screaming! Unfortunately, she was dragged into the middle of the dance floor by a few male actors! Those men were all actors who specialized in pornography. Coupled with thenguage barrier, they thought Roxanne was Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. also an actor. Seeing that her reaction was so realistic and intense, they thought she was acting well! For a full ten hours, Roxanne filmed with more than ten male actors. The more she screamed, the crazier those actors became. In the end, Roxannepletely lost all ability to resist and fainted! After the filming waspleted, Roxanne fell to the ground, unconscious, like a torn doll. When she woke up again, she was already thrown at the entrance of the hospital. Soon, Roxanne¡¯s film began to sell well in Roseliand. Of course, some of the videos were leaked online! That caused an uproar among countless people! ¡°Heavens, why¡­ why does this look so much like Roxanne Haynes?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t just look like her. It does seem to be her.¡± ¡°My God, why would she do that kind of film?¡± ¡°You have a point. No matter how depraved the Haynes family is, there¡¯s no need for her to film such a movie.¡± ¡°This is Photoshopped, right? There¡¯s a feature to change the face? This should be fake!¡± ¡°No, no, no, this is definitely real! Look, there¡¯s no trace of Photoshop!¡± ¡°Oh my god, isn¡¯t this too much?¡± The moment Joanna saw that online, her entire mind buzzed! She could not believe that Roxanne would be hurt like that! Although she hated Roxanne, she had never hurt her like that! ¡°Bruce, did you do it?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Let me ask you, is the information on the inte and the people who bullied Roxannee hired by you?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean this? I don¡¯t know. This seems to be a regr film! She should have been voluntary!¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. Although Roxanne was scheming, how could she be willing to film that kind of film? Even if the Haynes family had declined, the inheritance left behind by their father was enough for her to live a carefree life. She did notck money, so how could she film that kind of film? Chapter 500 Chapter 500 Bruce had an indifferent expression on his face. He did not have much of a reaction to that matter, as if she was just a stranger who had nothing to do with him. That made Joanna even more certain that he was behind it. After all, his methods were notorious. Those who offended him would not have a good ending! And Roxanne had been plotting against him and drugged him. It suited his personality to find someone to take revenge on her. ¡°Bruce, tell me the truth. Did you hire someone to do it?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were gloomy as she looked at Bruce anxiously! Although she did not have a good impression of Roxanne and did not sympathize with her, her oue was too tragic for a woman! She really didn¡¯t dare to imagine the scene of Roxanne being bullied by more than ten people. Not to mention that Roxanne was her biological sister, if it was an unrted stranger, her heart would ache when she heard such an encounter. Bruce¡¯s furrowed his brows. His eyes were like a wolf¡¯s, emitting a faint gloominess. Joanna¡¯s words once again pierced his heart! It hurt him that she still didn¡¯t trust him that much. ¡°Joanna, do you really think I did it?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with hatred. Her voice was sharp and anxious. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone else other than you. Roxy is a girl, after all. No matter what, she¡¯s still my sister.¡± ¡°At this point, you¡¯re still pitying her?¡± ¡°Im not pitying her. I just think it¡¯s too cruel! Even if you wanted to punish her, you shouldn¡¯t do it this way.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and stared at Joanna angrily. ¡°Joanna, you underestimate me. Am I that bad in your eyes?¡± ¡°I admit that I hate Roxanne, and I really want to teach her a lesson. But no matter what, I won¡¯t use such a method to deal with a woman!¡± That was true. He was dealing with people who opposed him in the business world. He was really not interested in dealing with a woman. Even if he wanted to take revenge, he would not use such an inhumane method. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t you?¡± Joanna questioned again. Bruce¡¯s heart instantly turned cold. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? Or am I such a despicable person in your heart?¡± Looking at Bruce¡¯s angry expression, Joanna did not dare to ask anymore. The anger in her eyes dissipated a lot. It was best if he didn¡¯t do it! Otherwise, such a man was too terrifying. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Then who could it be? Who would treat Roxy in such a vicious way?¡± When Bruce heard that, a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes. Although he would not take revenge on Roxanne like that, it definitely did not mean that he sympathized with her! ¡°Who cares who it is? It¡¯s not us.¡± ¡°Roxanne is in this state because she asked for it!¡± Brucemented coldly. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t know that Roxanne had hooked up with Marlowe. And he knew very well what kind of person Marlowe was! If Roxanne was close to him, it would definitely not end well for her. ¡°Sigh. I¡¯d better go to the hospital to see her!¡± Joanna was a little worried, and her heart was in a mess. When Bruce heard that, he pped her forehead angrily. ¡°Joanna, how many times have I told you to stay away from her!¡± ¡°Why do you care? She won¡¯t be grateful to you anyway! Just let her fend for herself. Why do you seek trouble for yourself?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank, and her eyes were filled with sorrow! No matter what, Roxanne was still her biological sister. Now that their father had passed away, it was even more impossible for Derick to take care of Roxanne. ¡°No, I¡¯d better go over and see her! Before Dad passed away, I promised Dad to take good care of Roxy. Now that something like this has happened to her, I should at least go over and take a look!¡± ¡°I really have to hand it to you. Do whatever you want!¡± Knowing that he could not persuade her, Bruce felt mncholic and depressed. However, he did not stop her too much. Chapter 500 Joanna¡¯s heart was still too soft. With such a personality, it was destined that she would suffer. At the hospital. Roxanne slept for two days before waking up in a daze. Zachary¡¯s heart ached for her, and he was helpless. He had been taking care of her and was worried that Roxanne would not be able to take the blow! On the hospital bed. Roxanney quietly like a mummy that had lost its soul. Her face was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood. Those male actors were too fierce. Roxanne had multiple soft tissue injuries all over her body, and the wounds on her private part were torn and bleeding. ¡°Rox, you¡¯re awake? Do you want some water?¡± Zachary saw that she was awake and asked gently. ¡°Go away, don¡¯t touch me. Go away, go away!¡± Roxanne was traumatized, and she was so frightened that her entire body trembled. ¡°Rox, it¡¯s me! There are no bad people now. You¡¯re safe now!¡± Zachary¡¯s heart ached, and he felt helpless. He could only After a while, Roxanne finally saw that the person in front of her was Zachary. She immediately threw herself into his arms. in panic and cried loudly. She said, ¡°Zachary, boohoo¡­ ¡°Do you still want me after I¡¯ve been bullied?¡± When Zachary heard that, his frown deepened. He only patted her back tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It must be Bruce¡¯s doing!¡± ¡°Bruce?¡± Roxanne was crying when she suddenly frowned. Her eyes were as red as a ghost¡¯s. Other than Bruce, she really could not think of anyone else who would treat her like that. She really did not expect the man who had loved her for six years would treat her so cruelly. ¡°Rox, rest well first! When you recover, I¡¯ll send you overseas for a period of time¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s heart sank when she heard that. ¡°Why are you sending me overseas?¡± ¡°This matter is so bad. I¡¯ll send you overseas to lie low!¡± ¡°You despise me, don¡¯t you? You don¡¯t want to avenge me at all, right?¡± Zachary sighed deeply and did not answer her question. ¡°Rest well first!¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± An assistant walked in. ¡°Mr. Garcia, someone is here to see the patient!¡± Zachary left the ward upon hearing that. Outside of the ward, Joanna was standing with a solemn expression. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Upon seeing Zachary, Joanna was stunned. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯m here to take a look at Roxy!¡± ¡°You are not wanted here. Rox doesn¡¯t want to see you either. Leave quickly.¡± Zachary coldly ordered her to leave. ¡°Let me go in and see her. After all, Roxy is my sister.¡± Zachary thought that it was Bruce¡¯s doing, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t be polite to Joanna. He replied impatiently, ¡°If you don¡¯t leave, don¡¯t me me for being rude to you!¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze deepened as she looked at Zachary in confusion. ¡°I am just worried about Roxy. I want to see her. I don¡¯t mean anything else.¡± ¡°I just told you that Rox doesn¡¯t want to see you. Don¡¯t make things difficult for yourself. Hurry up and leave!¡± Zachary said coldly and turned around to enter the ward. Bang! The door of the ward was mmed shut again. Chapter 501 Chapter 501 ¡°Ms. Haynes, please leave!¡± The assistant at the door politely persuaded Joanna. Tatiana also advised. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t we go back first? ¡°Miss Roxanne probably doesn¡¯t want to see anyone now.¡± Joanna sighed deeply, believing that it made sense. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. *All right. I¡¯lle again another day.¡± Roxanne probably didn¡¯t want to meet Joanna. Even if they met, Roxanne might be even more irritable. Joanna and Tatiana turned around and walked out of the hospital. The four bodyguards behind them followed suit in a calm.manner. Just as they made their way out of the hospital, they saw a man who was dressed fashionably in suspenders with slicked¨Cback hair. There were about seven bodyguards with solemn expressions beside him. Before Joanna could react, the man in front of her greeted her, ¡°Hi, Ms. Haynes. It¡¯s been long. Now, you¡¯ve even be a president.¡± Joanna took a closer look and found that it was Marlowe. ¡°Hello, Mr. Yanice!¡± Marlowe acted as if they were familiar and asked with a cheeky smile. ¡°Ms. Haynes, why are you here? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m visiting a friend here,¡± responded Joanna. ¡°Then I¡¯m relieved. I¡¯m also here to visit a friend. Have you met your friend?¡± Marlowe was like a chatterbox, not caring if others were annoyed or not. Joanna forced a smile. ¡°Yes, I have. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± Marlowe turned around and blocked Joanna¡¯s way, thinking that he was acting cool. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s rare to meet you. Why not chat for a longer while?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I still have something important to attend to. Goodbye!¡± Joanna replied politely and then nodded slightly at him as an apology. Because Joanna also brought a few bodyguards along with her, Marlowe didn¡¯t dare to go too far, and he could only let Joanna leave. Then, he watched Joanna walk away. Marlowe gave a mocking smile. ¡°Ha, Bruce¡¯s taste is quite unique!¡± An assistant beside him casually echoed, ¡°Exactly. Bruce seems to really love his ex¨Cwife. ¡°I heard that he even let her be the president of the Everett Group.¡± When Marlowe heard this, he took out a cigar. Seeing this, the assistant beside him immediately lit it for him. ¡°Ha! Bruce is actually a f*cking romantic. Interesting! ¡°I¡¯d like to see how much he¡¯s into this woman. ¡°To be fair, his ex¨Cwife is pretty good¨Clooking.¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, are you also attracted to this woman? She¡¯s a real stunner. I¡¯ve heard that Mr. Grimm is also charmed by her. ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that she has children.¡± Marlowe took puff of his cigar, sniggering. He thought to himself, ¡°Since Bruce is so into this woman, would he be in much pain if I destroy her?¡± ¡°Sir, smoking is not allowed in the hospital.¡± A nurse stepped forward to dissuade Marlowe. Marlowe didn¡¯t say anything and extinguished the cigar he had taken a puff of Marlowe smirked as he looked at Roxanne, who was lying on the bed in the ward. ¡°Ik, Isk, tsk. You look so miserable¡± When Roxanne heard this, she was even more frustrated and madder. ¡°Mr. Yanice, please avenge me. I beg you, please!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely help you!¡± Marlowe¡¯s eyes were filled with scheme as he replied perfunctorily. Joanna returned to Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce was surprised to see her back so early. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Hi¡± Joanna responded in frustration. ¡°Did you see Roxanne?¡± asked Bruce. Joanna shook her head sadly. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. ¡°Zachary is taking care of Roxy. He didn¡¯t let me into the ward, saying that Roxanne didn¡¯t want to see me.¡± When Bruce heard this, he burst outughing. ¡°How can you stillugh?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t Iugh retorted Bruce. ¡°Do you know everyone thinks that you¡¯re the one who instigated it?¡± questioned Joanna. Bruce shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Then they should call the police and let the police investigate. Anyway, I didn¡¯t do it. I have. nothing to be afraid of ¡°Forget it. I can¡¯t be bothered to talk so much to you.¡± ¡°Tomorrow is the 24th, and Christmas is around the corner. How do you n to spend it?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Just as usual. Or how else?¡± As they were talking, the two little guys returned from outside. ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± ¡°Where are we going tomorrow?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to Disnend first!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Rest early today!¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Bruce and Joanna didn¡¯t go to work the next day. They woke up early in the morning and brought the children to celebrate the holidays. Greyport Disnend was rtively small because of its limited area. However, it wasvishly decorated with all kinds of entertainment facilities. It was a good ce for children to have fun. This was the first time the three little guys hade out to have fun with their parents. They were especially excited. ¡°Wow, this ce is so beautiful.¡± ¡°Exactly! Last year, when we were still in kindergarten, the school organized a visit here. However, we preferred toe with Daddy and Mommy.¡± Chapter 502 Chapter 502 Chapter 502 This was Lilia''s first time here, so she was even more excited. "Wow, this ce is so beautiful. This is my first time here. "Mommy, the Mickey headband on that girl''s head looks great. I want one too." "Alright, I''ll buy you one in a while." "Mommy, can you buy me a Mickey Mouse?" "Sure!" It was rare for Joanna to see the children being so excited. "Then let''s have fun today!"This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. "Great!" Then, Bruce and Joanna brought the children to a shop, and they happily picked their favorite stuffed toys. "These are some Mickey headbands. Here you are!" "Wow, it''s so beautiful! Mommy, you and Daddy should wear one too." "Well...." Joanna nced at Bruce. He probably wouldn''t wear such a thing. As expected, Bruce had an impatient look on his face. He was not interested in these things at all. "Daddy, let me help you put it on!" Lilia said as she put a glittering Mickey Mouse headband on her daddy''s head. "Does it look good?" "Yes, it''s beautiful. There''s a button here. Press it and it will glitter. It looks even better when worn at night," Lilia introduced enthusiastically. Bruce, who always looked cold and noble, instantly appeared silly because of this headband. He was really not lovely at all. Joanna couldn''t bear to look at him and echoed perfunctorily, "Yes, it''s beautiful." "Mommy, let me help you put it on, too!" "Okay." Joanna was a little reluctant, but to avoid spoiling the children''s good mood, she still smiled the entire time. As it was a festival, Disnend was especially crowded today. Besides, Bruce brought arge number of bodyguards and assistants, and they naturally attracted more attention. "Look over there! They seem to be Bruce and his ex-wife." "Wow! It seems true!" Joanna is actually still in the mood to have fun here after what happened to her sister. I can''t believe this. The tourists. couldn''t help but point at Joanna and pulled out their phones and secretly took photos. "s! I heard that it was Bruce who plotted against Roxanne." When another tourist heard this, he asked in surprise, "What? Really? Who did you hear that from?" "It''s said all over the Inte. I''m not sure if it''s true." "Take a photo of them! Hurry up!" The bodyguards stepped forward to stop them and warned with serious expressions, "Please don''t take photos!" "All right. We''ll stop. What''s the big deal?" the tourists mumbled and quickly slipped out of the shop. This was the first time Bruce hade to a ce with so many people. Although there were bodyguards following him the entire time, he still felt ufortable. "Joanna, someone is taking photos of us over there. "There are too many people here. Let''s go over there!" The children didn''t care. They ran around excitedly. In just a short while, they had already run out of the shop. "Stop running around, you two! Be careful! Or you might get lost." "Guys, hurry up and follow them. Don''t let them get lost." The bodyguards hurriedly chased after the children. Joanna sighed softly. "It''s a rare festival today. Just let them have fun!" The family spent the entire day ying in the amusement park. After watching the fireworks at night, they nned to go home. "Did you have fun today?" The three children were still unsatisfied and nodded vigorously. "Yes, I''m especially happy." I''m so hungry now. Shall we go eat?" Bruce smiled. "You two brats only think about food and eating "We''re going to Fraynter." "Happy Christmas Eve! Remember to eat apples!" The family went to Frayn Restaurant for a big meal. They yed until 10 p.m. before finally returning home. When they returned to Sherane Bay Vi, Davian and Irvin were so tired that they could barely walk. "I''m so tired, but I''m so happy." Joanna was also exhausted. "Alright. Take a shower and go to bed." "Mommy, are we going to Ocean Park tomorrow?" Joanna nodded. "Yes, rest well, or you won''t have the energy to y tomorrow. Go to sleep." "Okay, good night, Daddy and Mommy!" Davian and Irvin said in unison. "Good night, sweethearts!" "Good night!" Joanna Haynes was so tired that she copsed on the bed as soon as she returned to her room, not wanting to move at all. Bruce, on the other hand, looked energetic and came over. "Honey!" Joanna replied crossly, "What''s wrong?" Bruce winked at her with a mischievous smile. Needless to think. Joanna knew what he wanted to do. "You''re being annoying. I''m too tired today. Can you have a rest today and do it tomorrow?" "No! I can''t let you go, not even for a single day." Bruce refused decisively. "Man! Aren''t you tired? My legs are cramping. I want a rest today. Please spare me!" "Come on! You don''t have to do anything. Just enjoy yourself. How can you be tired? I don''t even find it tiring!" Bruce didn''t give up. Joanna was speechless. She didn''t understand why he could be so energetic. After she went out for the entire day, her legs and stomach were cramped, but he still had the stamina and even wan Chapter 503 Chapter 503 Although Joanna was reluctant, she relented in the end as Bruce kept pestering her. She was then lured to have sex and spend a wild night with him. At eight the following morning. Bruce woke up punctually. Joanna had been through a lot the night before and was really exhausted. She was still sleeping soundly in Bruce¡¯s arms. Bruce¡¯s arm was so numb that he could barely feel anything. However, when he saw that Joanna was sleeping soundly, he still could not bear to pull his arm out and wake her up. The children had gone to bed early the previous night and were excited about going out to y today. Therefore, they got up at a little past eight o¡¯clock. N?velDrama.Org There was a knock on the door at 8:10 am. Davian and Irvin could not wait to wake their parents up at the door. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, it¡¯s time to get up. The sun is high in the sky now.¡± Joanna woke up with a start and opened her eyes in a daze. ¡°Who¡¯s shouting?¡± Seeing that Joanna was awakened, Bruce frowned and finally pulled out his numb arm. ¡°Man! Why did the two brats get up so early?¡± Joanna stretched and asked drowsily, ¡°What time is it now?¡± Bruce gave her a mischievous smile. ¡°It¡¯s past eight.¡± ¡°Oh, no! It¡¯s gettingte. Why didn¡¯t you wake me up earlier?¡± Joanna said as she yawned sleepily. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and prepared to get up. Bruce pouted and asked for a kiss. He opened his arms and pleaded, ¡°Honey, I want a hug. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Stop fooling around. The children can¡¯t wait. Hurry up and get up!¡± There followed another knock on the door. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are you up?¡± Despite the good soundproofing of the room, Joanna and Bruce could still hear the knocking on the door and Irvin¡¯s and Haynes¡¯s shouts. Bruce cursed in a muffled voice, ¡°Damn! Those two brats just can¡¯t keep quiet for a moment. Both of them deserve to be taught a lesson.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was extremely speechless. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to apany the children?¡± Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist and as if he was acting like a spoiled child, he responded, ¡°I just want to apany you.¡± ¡°Stop fooling around and get up!¡± ¡°Then you should kiss me first,¡± Bruce asked for a kiss without feeling ashamed. Joanna had no choice but to kiss him on the cheek. ¡°No, I want a kiss on the lips.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even brush your teeth.¡± Joanna looked disgusted. Bruce chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t dislike you.¡± Joanna shook her head crossly. In order to prevent him from continuing to pester her, she had to quickly kiss him to send him away. Otherwise, he would bother her endlessly. Bruce wrapped her arms around Joanna¡¯s waist and kissed her back deeply. Joanna was not in the mood to be intimate with him. ¡°Alright! Get up right now! Don¡¯t keep the children waiting for too long!¡± ¡°Hmph, you only care about the children. You never care about me¡± Bruce pouted, jealous. Joanna could not be bothered to talk with him anymore. She quickly got out of bed and opened the door. The door was opened. Chapter 503 The two little guys poked their heads in. ¡°Good morning. Daddy and Mommy!¡± ¡°Good morning, sweethearts!¡± ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s already past eight o¡¯clock. Are we going to Ocean Park today? We have to go early.¡± ¡°Well, have you freshened up?¡± Davian and Irvin nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve washed our faces and brushed our teeth. The servants had already helped the children change their clothes. The two little guys were wearing identical ck sweaters and white sneakers. They looked handsome and cool, like two child models. Lilia, on the other hand, was wearing a pink sweater withce socks and small ck leather shoes. There was a bow hat on her head, making her look like a precious princess. ¡°Then go downstairs and wait for a while. Your dad and I will go to you after getting changed.¡± ¡°Okay. The two little guys stuck their heads out and dawdled, reluctant to leave. They were especially curious about their daddy and mommy¡¯s room. Although the children¡¯s room was also veryfortable and luxurious, it was definitely still inferior to their parents¡® room. ¡°Wow, Daddy, Mommy, your room is so big. Can we go in and take a look?¡± Although the children had lived in the Everett family for a year, they had never entered their father¡¯s room. Of course, the children were curious. ¡°Can we, Mommy?¡± When Joanna heard this, she couldn¡¯t help butugh. What was wrong with the children visiting her room? Did they have to be so cautious? ¡°Sure! Come on in!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Davian and Irvin slipped in curiously. Sherane Bay Vi was very big. The children had yed everywhere, but they had never dared toe to their daddy¡¯s room and study to have fun. Now that they finally had a chance, the two little guys were excited. Bruce was taking off his pajamas when he saw his two sons enter. His handsome face darkened like a lion king seeing lion cubs barging into his territory. ¡°Get out. You brats! Do you want to be taught a lesson?¡± ¡°All right. Davian and Irvin pouted and fled in fear. Seeing this, Joanna was extremely speechless. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really too much. What¡¯s wrong with the childrening in? Why are you so mean?¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Bruce raised his head and looked at Joanna arrogantly. ¡°Imph, I won¡¯t allow any other man to enter my room.¡± ¡°Oh, please! They¡¯re your sons. ¡°So what? They are men too.¡± ¡°Come on! They¡¯re still children.¡± ¡°They¡¯re six years old now and know everything. How can they watch their mother get changed?¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard that. She thought to herself. ¡°Man! This guy is really something. Sometimes, I can¡¯t understand what¡¯s on his mind at all. ¡°Did I say anything wrong? Sons should avoid their mothers¡® private rooms when they grow up. They have their own rooms. How can they enter our room casually?¡± Bruce dered confidently. ¡°If they see something they shouldn¡¯t see, it will be bad for them.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright. I can¡¯t win against you. Hurry up and change your clothes!¡± With that, Joanna went straight to the bathroom. Bruce followed her in with his muscr upper body naked. When Joanna brushed her teeth, Bruce fixed his eyes on her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I want to brush my teeth, too. You used to squeeze toothpaste for me.¡± Bruce reminded her with a pout. In the past, before the two of them divorced, Joanna would squeeze toothpaste and prepare face¨C washing water for him every morning. She would even personally make breakfast for him. Unfortunately, at that time, Bruce did not appreciate it at all. It was impossible for him to receive that kind of treatment now. ¡°You have your own hands. Just do it by yourself!¡± Bruce protested unhappily, ¡°You should be a good wife and a good mother like before and take good care of your husband. You have to love your husband wholeheartedly like before. Don¡¯t look at any man other than your husband and don¡¯t fall for any other man. ¡°You have to know that your husband is the best and the most handsome man in the world. Of course. I¡¯m just the best and most outstanding man in the world.¡± Joanna was left utterly stunned and speechless. ¡°He¡¯s really narcissistic, thought Joanna to herself. Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Joanna was speechless. In order to prevent him from continuing to bber, she squeezed the toothpaste and casually handed it to him. A smile appeared on Bruce''s face. He took the toothbrush in satisfaction and started brushing his teeth. He just liked the feeling of being taken care of by Joanna. He looked cunning and bossy, he had a child-like heart and someone acted like a child. Joanna and Bruce were washing up and changing. At the door, the children could not help but urge again, "Daddy, Mommy, are you done?" "Yes, it''ll be done soon." Joanna quicklyforted the children. Bruce never spoiled the children as Joanna did. "Shut up! Why the rush?" Irvin grumbled, "It''s almost nine o''clock. We will arrive at Ocean Park, it will almost be ten o''clock." "If you keep urging me. I won''t go," snapped Bruce. "Daddy, Mommy." The two little guys seemed disappointed. Joanna red at Bruce and said to the children, "Your daddy is just joking with you. "Have you had breakfast?" "Yes, we''ve already eaten. As the children had to go to school, they did not have to wait for their parents to have breakfast together in the morning. Moreover, most of the time, their dad and mom did not eat breakfast at home. A momentter, Bruce and Joanna left the room and walked toward the dining room together. The servants had already made breakfast. There was milk oatmeal, bread, coffee, fruit juice, caviar sandwiches, and so on. "Have a ss of milk!" "I prefer coffee" "No! Coffee stimtes the nerves. Try to drink as little as possible." As Bruce spoke, he served a bowl of milk oatmeal for Joanna. "Women should have more milk oatmeal." "Linda, don''t prepare coffee for breakfast in the future." When Linda, the cook, heard this, she replied with a respectful smile, "Yes, Mr. Everett." Joanna couldn''t drink coffee, and she won''t be able to have coffee for breakfast anymore. She red at Bruce, displeased. Sheined inwardly, "Damn it! This guy is really nosy. He even cares about such a small matter as breakfast." "Hurry up and eat. It will be bad for your health if it gets cold." Bruce did not mind her re at all. Joanna smiled bitterly and picked up her spoon to eat milk oatmeal, not bothering to argue with him. Fifteen minutester, the two of them finished breakfast. The children could not wait any longer and looked at their parents eagerly. If not for the fact that they were afraid of being scolded by their father, the children would have started urging them again. "Breakfast''s over. Let''s go!" "Oh, that''s great. We can finally go to Ocean Park. When they arrived at Ocean Park, it was already past ten in the morning. It was Christmas, so there were a lot of people. Normally, Bruce would book the entire Ocean Park. However, the park would not be reserved for anyone alone on Christmas. After entering the park, Bruce flipped through the tour guidebook. "Well, let''s go to the aquarium first." "Okay" There was an underwater passage in the aquarium that allowed one to enter the bottom of the sea to see the marine animals up close. Chapter 504 The elevator went straight to the underwater world. Through the ss, one could see all kinds of creatures swimming above. Irvin''s eyes lit up. "Wow, there are dolphins here. There''s also a mermaid. Wow, this mermaid is so beautiful" When Lilia Haynes heard this, she quickly went to take a look. As expected, a few mermaid princesses were swimming around like fish. Their long fishtails were very elegant and beautiful. "Wow, there are really mermaids. They are so stunning." Davian, who had a chubby face, burst intoughter. "Lilia, they are fake. It''s a human disguise."Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. They are still beautiful, though. I want to swim, too. I want to pretend to be a mermaid princess," Lilia said, bing increasingly excited. When Joanna heard this, her heart ached slightly. She looked at Bruce. "By the way, didn''t you ask the doctor from Gaprington to perform corrective surgery on Lilia?" Bruce replied calmly, "Yes, but we might have to wait until next year." "Let''s go to Gaprington together then and apany Lilia when she has corrective surgery." "Okay," Bruce replied casually. A trace of gloominess inadvertently appeared on his face. He did not know if he could still be by their side next year. Right now, he cherished every moment he spent with them. Davian and Irvin were attracted by other animals and trotted inside. "Davian, Irvin, don''t run around! Be careful, and don''t bump into anyone!" When they left the aquarium, it was already past one in the afternoon. It happened to be time for lunch. There were also many fast-food restaurants in the park. Many tourists were queuing up to buy fried chicken and burgers. When Davian and Irvin saw this, they swallowed hard. "Daddy, Mommy, we''re so hungry. Can we have some fried chicken?" Joanna thought for a moment and decided to fulfill the children''s wishes. "Sure thing." Because Joanna couldn''t be bothered to line up, she paid to exchange for the chance to get the food first. She bought two fried chicken sets. The children were overjoyed and ate happily. "Yummy! The fried chicken drumstick is really delicious. I want to eat another piece." It was rare for Davian and Irvin to eat fried chicken drumsticks and fries, so they were especially happy. "You can''t eat too much fried food. It''s not healthy," said Joanna. "But we just want to eat it." "Just let them eat as much as they want!" It was rare for Bruce to be so tolerant. Send Gift Comment Chapter 505 Chapter 505 Chapter 505 Usually, food like fried chicken, burgers, and fries would not appear on the Everett family''s dining table. However, the children liked this kind of food very much. Then let''s buy some more!" "Mommy, I want an ice cream." Joanna felt upset when she heard this. Lilia also looked at Joanna eagerly. "Mommy, I want to eat ice cream, too." "No, ice cream is too cold. It''s easy to have stomach problems if you eat ice cream after having fried chicken "All right." The three children pouted, disappointment full of their eyes. Bruce smiled mischievously at Joanna. "Honey, I want to eat ice cream, too." "Oh, please! All of you can''t eat ice cream on such a cold day, especially you. I''m afraid you''ve forgotten the pain of gastric perforation, right?" "We''ll just have a little bit. Please! It''s a rare festival. We should celebrate it." Seeing that their dad wanted some ice cream as well, the three children became even more persistent. "Dad is right. It''s Christmas today. Just let us eat once." Seeing this, Joanna could onlypromise. "Alright. I really can''t do anything to you." Soon, Joanna bought three ice creams, for Davian, Irvin, and Bruce. But she still fought the urge to buy one for Lilia because of the little girl''s poor health. "Wow, it feels really great to eat ice cream after eating fried chicken." "Yep, yep. I think I can eat three ice creams. "Just enjoy it, but don''t show off in front of Lilia, please!" Lilia pouted. "Mommy, I want to eat ice cream, too." "Sweetie, be good. Let''s not eat it now. I will buy one for you when you recover. Okay?" "Fine" The family began to climb toward the top of the hill after lunch. "Wow, the elevator goes so highly." Ocean Park was the highest point at Greyport, but it was not too difficult to climb to the top of it. This was because there was an elevator built on the hill path. One could take the elevator to the middle of the hill. Then, they could take the cable car to the top. They did not have to make much effort during the entire process. "Daddy, Mommy, we want to take cable cars, too." "Alright." Bruce''s assistant had already gone to line up first, so although there were many people, there was no need for Joanna and her family to line up. The cable car could not amodate too many people at once. The family of five boarded a cable car while the bodyguards and assistants boarded another cable car behind them. After getting into the cable car, the three children were even more excited. Theyughed and shouted, "Wow, this ce is so high. The sea is below. It''s so beautiful!" "Are you happy?" The three children nodded vigorously. "Yes, I''m extremely happy "Daddy, Mommy, when are weing again?"All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Joanna felt annoyed andughed. "How greedy you are! You haven''t even left today, yet you''re already thinking ofing back to y next time." "Sure! We are the happiest when staying with you and Dad" The three children smiled happily. Chapter 505 These two days were the happiest they had ever been in their lives. In the past, when they were abroad, their mother was busy working and earning money, so she rarely brought them out to y. asionally, she would bring them out for fun, but they would return home soon. After the children returned to Greyport, their dad didn''t have time, either. And they had to go out for fun with the bodyguards and servants. However, how could the bodyguards and servants''pany rece that of their parents? Bruce was alsoughing all the time, and his eyes grew even redder. If he could, he wanted to apany Joanna and the children forever and live a peaceful and happy life with them. The cable car swayed until it was halfway up the hill. Bruce sat in front with Lilia in his arms. Joanna sat opposite him with their two sons on her left and right. With a thud, the cable car jerked to a stop and stopped moving forward. Joanna was startled. "What happened?" Bruce was also shocked. "Why did the cable car stop?" "It seems to be out of power. "Oh, my God! It''s so high. Daddy, Mommy, will we fall down?" Irvin looked down in horror. "Don''t jinx it. How can we be so unlucky?" Davian scolded Irvin. Joannaforted the children. "Definitely not. Don''t be afraid. Perhaps there are too many people today and the heavy load caused the power to go out. It should be electrified soon. "We can just enjoy the hill scenery here. Let''s wait quietly for a while." "Okay." The children were not so afraid after hearing their mother''sforting words. The cable car was hanging halfway up the hill. The elevation here was quite high, and the sea was below. "Irvin, don''t look out. It''s dangerous." "It''s okay, Mommy." Irvin looked down curiously. They waited for half an hour. The cable car was still out of power, and the people around were getting anxious. Bruce couldn''t wait any longer. He called Andy and ordered. "Andy, call them immediately and tell them to fix the problem as soon as possible." "Mr. Everett, I just called the park staff and they said that there was a failure of power and it was being repaired." "How long will it take?" "It will take another two hours." "What? Then we will be trapped for another two hours, won''t we? "Andy, have Darcy send a helicopter over," Bruce ordered. "Yes, Mr. Everett. Send Gift Comment Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Time was precious. So, they could not waste it on boring waiting time any longer. Joanna felt a little uneasy about it. She frowned and asked, "Bruce, don''t you think that it is too exaggerated by asking someone to send the helicopter over to rescue us?" Bruce raised his eyebrows and replied impatiently. "It has already been more than half an hour. We can''t wait any longer. Time is precious, we shall not waste it no more." "What time is it now?" asked Bruce. Joanna lowered her head and nced at her watch as she said, "It is already half past three." Bruce calcted the distance and said. The helicopter will arrive in about 20 minutes. Let''s wait a little longer!" "Daddy, do you know how to fly a helicopter?" asked Davian curiously. His eyes lit up when he asked. "Of course!" said Bruce without hesitation. When Irvin heard about it, his face was filled with admiration. "Wow! Is it true? Daddy, you are so awesome! You actually know how to fly a helicopter!" Davian was so amazed by it that he looked at his Daddy with disbelief. In every children''s mind, it was exceptionally amazing to know how to fly a helicopter or ne. "Ahem! Of course! In fact, Daddy knows a lot more things than that. Flying a helicopter is just peanuts!" said Bruce arrogantly. He even added another sentence to boost his awesomeness. When the three little fellows heard about it, they were rapt in admiration of their Daddy. "Wow! Wow! Wow! What else do you know, Daddy?" "You should ask me what I don''t know instead!" said Bruce as he leaned against the cable car with pride. Joanna was so speechless upon seeing such a scene. Would this scumbag die if he stopped bragging about himself for a minute? The children''s interest was aroused instantly. They gathered around their Daddy and started to ask a lot of questions. As a matter of fact, Bruce enjoyed the admiration gazes from his children. Hence, he continued to brag about his achievements. Of course, he was not braggingpletely. Some of them were true as well. There was also something that Joanna did not. even hear about it. So, he must be bragging about it. Soon... "Wop! Wop! Wop!" Suddenly, the thrum of helicopters could be heard from the sky. They could see two silvery gray helicopters approaching them from afar. Andy, who was on the other cable car behind them, was directing the helicopter to the location of the rescue using the walkie-talkie. The helicopters circled in the sky for two rounds before locating the cable car to be rescued. The other tourist eximed when they saw such a scene. "Look! Helicopters are heading our way. Why are they here?" "Are they here to rescue us?" "It must be it!" "What''s going on? Why did the helicopters rescue them first?" Another male tourist exined enthusiastically. "Come on! Those are private helicopters!" "Private helicopters?" "Wow! It''s good to be rich indeed. This is too exaggerated! Don''t you think so?" The helicopters were still circling in the sky. Andy was still exining the situation via the inte. "This way, this way! Yup! You may put down the ropedder now!" "Alright! We have gotten Mr. Everett in our sight." Without a second dy, the helicopter''s cabin door opened. A softdder was then put down from the cabin. A bodyguard in a camouge uniform climbed down from the softdder instantly. Chapter 506 "Mr. and Mrs. Everett, you may board the helicopter now. Here you gol Safety gears and safety cocks!" Bruce opened the door of the cable car and gestured for the two little fellows to board the helicopter first. Irvin''s face turned pale instantly. He did not dare to get out of the cable car at all. "Daddy, Mommy, I am scared!" "What is there to be afraid of? Be brave like a man! Hurry up!" Bruce urged him as he frowned. On the contrary, Davian seemed to be braver aspared to Irvin. So, he volunteered to go first. "Daddy, I''ll go first!" "Alright!" Bruce replied casually and instructed the bodyguard to take Davian first. The bodyguard had already gone down from the softdder to the cable car. He geared up Davian with the safety gears and cocks. Then, the bodyguard carried Davian as he climbed up the softdder again. The softdder rose back to the helicopter''s cabin automatically. Another bodyguard in the cabin then carried Davian into the cabin. With Davian''s demonstration, Irvin became bold and followed the same steps to board the helicopter. After that, Bruce and Joanna boarded the helicopter one after another too. As for the other helicopter, it flew over to the other cable car to rescue the bodyguards and assistants. In the helicopter. The three little fellows were so curious about everything in the helicopter. They were exceptionally excited too, "Wow! This is so fun! Mommy, Daddy! I want to learn how to fly when I grow up!" "Me too! I want to learn it too!" "All right. You may learn anything you want when you grow up.¡± In less than ten minutes. The helicopters flew over the sea and mountain andnded at the foot of the mountain steadily. Even though they did not manage to go up to the top of the mountain today, they had a good time. The only thing that troubled them was being stuck in the cable car for more than 40 minutes. However, it was still fun and satisfying. At Sherane Bay Vi. By the time they reached home, it was already eight o''clock in the evening. "Do you have fun today?" "Of course! We are so happy today!" said the three little fellows excitedly even though they were tired. It was so rare for all of them to have such a reunion dinner together. "Merry Christmas!" "Merry Christmas." "Mommy, is Santa going to give us presents today?" "Of course, he will. But, all of you must sleep early tonight. When you wake up early in the morning tomorrow, you will definitely receive the presents from Santa." Joanna did not want to disappoint the children and ruin their childlike innocence. Hence, she would stuff presents in the children''s socks every Christmas. Three of them were so delighted upon hearing it. "Alright!" After finishing their dinner, Bruce and Johanna returned to their bedroom to rest. Joanna changed into droopy silk pajamas and was about to put on a facial mask before going to bed. Bruce leaned against the headboard and stared affectionately at Joanna. "Why are you looking at me in such a manner?" "I like it!" "Look! Here you go again! Don''t you think that you are so mushy nowadays?" "Why? Don''t you like it?" Joanna was speechless. She continued to apply the excess essence of the mask on her face. "It''s gettingte now. Let''s go to bed!" Chapter 506 "Joanna Bruce looked into Joanna''s eyes as if he had something to say to her. "What''s wrong?" "Nothing Sleep early then!" "By the way, when I am not around, please take good care of yourself and the children, okay?" said Bruce as he caressed Joanna''s head. Joanna was stunned. She asked Bruce, "Why are you saying such a thing again?" "Erm... Hurry up and get some rest then!" Perhaps, they were too tired tonight that Bruce did not disturb and torture Joanna in bed. The next day. Bruce went to work as usual. Unexpectedly, the moment Bruce entered the Everett Group, a group of police officers were already waiting for his arrival. "Hi, we are from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. This is our badges and IDs" "Regarding the bribery and illegal financing that you are involved in, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has opened a case for investigation. The police have also obtained thetest evidence. So, please cooperate with us and follow us to the police. station for further investigation!" Bruce''s face darkened instantly. He looked at the police officers without saying a word. "Let''s go! Cuff him!" Two police officers put the handcuffs on Bruce immediately. "Take him to the police car!" "I can walk on my own!" Bruce said calmly. Joanna''s heart skipped a beat upon seeing such a scene. She chased after him subconsciously and said, "Bruce..." Bruce turned his head around and smiled at Joanna as he said, "Don''t worry about me. Take good care of yourselves." After Bruce finished his words, he walked towards the police car calmly.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Joanna''s mind went nk instantly. She felt so lost all of a sudden. In the past few days, she had almost forgotten that Bruce was still fighting withwsuits. Initially, she thought that the matter hade to an end. Never did she expect that what wasing woulde eventually. Send Gift Chapter 507 Chapter 507 After Bruce was taken away, Mr. Jameson rushed over along with his assistant too. But this time. Bruce was detained directly and was disqualified from bail. In less than a day, the news that Bruce was arrested was exposed. ¡°Latest news, Bruce Everett has been arrested by the Anti¨CCorruption Bureau. The police attached great importance to this case and have set up a special task force to investigate this matter.¡± ¡°If convicted. Bruce Everett could have faced the maximum penalty of life imprisonment!¡± ¡°The Cradle Will Rock! Greyport Number One noble young master has fallen¡­¡± All kinds of news about Bruce going to jail were spread on the inte. Theizens were watching the fun while the troll defamed and criticized him unscrupulously. ¡°Oh my god! It seems that the matter is real!¡± ¡°I am pretty sure that it is true! He was already being arrested once some time ago. Now that the police have new evidence against him. I guess that he will be sentenced to jail for sure!¡± ¡°Hmph! None of these rich people are clean and innocent! The capital of these monopolistic industries should have been suppressed long ago!¡± Soon¡­ A big group of police officers went into the Everett Group and started to investigate. Fortunately, Bruce had destroyed most of the information. In the blink of an eye¡­ Bruce was already being arrested for five days. In the past five days, even though Joanna was anxious, she could not do anything to help at all. The lawyers were more experienced in such a case. Hence, it would be best to leave the case to them. As for Joanna, the only thing she could do now was to take good care of the children and take on the burden of the Everett Group. ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy?¡± ¡°We have not seen Daddy for the past few days.¡± asked the three kids in confusion. In fact, the kids had been asking about their father¡¯s whereabouts these few days. Joanna was speechless. Her eyes darkened as she choked with sobs. Lilia was very unhappy. She pouted her tiny mouth and said, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s been a few days since we last saw Daddy. Where is he?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes slightly and caressed her daughter¡¯s hair as she said, ¡°Daddy has to deal with some troublesome. matters now. So, he might not being back for the time being!¡± ¡°I see. Did Daddy go on a business trip overseas?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she said. She did not want to say much about it. Upon seeing Joanna¡¯s reaction, Davian and Irvin knew that something was wrong. The two of them had stronger instincts aspared to Lilia. In fact, their Daddy had been arrested once some time ago. It seemed that their Daddy was being arrested again. Davian then asked Joanna cautiously, ¡°Mommy, is Daddy a bad guy?¡± Joanna was stunned. She asked her son in confusion, ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± ¡°Then, why Daddy was being arrested by the police?¡± Lilia was so shocked upon hearing it. ¡°What! Daddy was being arrested?¡± Joanna kept quiet. She did not know how to react to their questions. After giving it a thought, Joanna stared at the three children. She knew that she could not hide it from the kids any longer. Hence, she decided to tell them the truth! ¡°Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes! Chapter 507 ¡°Even the best make mistakes sometimes. But, if you know how to learn from mistakes and are willing to correct them, you are still a good kid.¡± ¡°Do you mean that Daddy has done something wrong?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened again. In fact, these things were hard to say. It depended on how it was justified. It was absolutely useless to say anything right now. Only thewyers could clear Bruce¡¯s name now. ¡°Even though Daddy had been arrested by the police, it doesn¡¯t mean that he is a bad guy. ¡°Daddy might have done something wrong. But, Mommy believes that Daddy has learned his lesson and will correct his mistakes for sure!¡± ¡°Then, when is heing back?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and said, ¡°Perhaps, he would not be able toe back for quite some time. Don¡¯t ask about this matter in the future! ¡°Daddy will return when it is time for him toe back.¡± ¡°Okay. The three little fellows did not ask anything further for fear that their Mommy would get angry. The next day. At the Everett Group. In the conference room, the shareholders were discussing animatedly about this matter. ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! I bet that Mr. Everett is doomed this time!¡± That¡¯s right! What should we do now? It has been days that no one cares about our work. Miss Haynes did note to thepany too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! If anything were to happen, someone from the upper management will deal with it first.¡± As they were talking¡­. The door of the conference room was being pushed open. Joanna, who was in a ck suit, entered the conference room with a serious expression. Bruce was imprisoned now. She had the obligation to guard thepany for him.. ¡°Miss Haynes is here.¡± ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± ¡°Good morning, Miss Haynes!¡± Joanna calmed herself down and sat on Bruce¡¯s usual seat. She then said, ¡°Is everyone here? Let¡¯s start the meeting then!¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°The agenda of today¡¯s meeting is mainly¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish her words, one of the shareholders from the middle¨Clevel management could not help but raise an issue. ¡°I have a question, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°You may speak.¡± ¡°I would like to ask about the matter regarding Mr. Everett!¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned serious immediately. She said, ¡°Mr. Everett has entrusted thepany to me now. As for his personal affair, it is not convenient for me to answer for the time being. In fact, I am not very sure about it either.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? How would you not know anything about it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Everett is in jail now. You should be the one who knows about this matter more than anyone else!¡± Now that Bruce was in jail, all the shareholders of the Everett Group no longer worried about anything. Thus, they started to make things difficult for Joanna one after another. ¡°So, what do you intend to do?¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk is the person who has been in charge of the Green Bay project all along. Now that something had happened to Mr. Everett. So, I would like Mr. Lurk to continue being in charge of this project¡± ¡°The Green Bay project has started developing. So, there would not be many changes. It could be carried out as usual¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish her words, another shareholder interrupted her. ¡°Except for the Green Bay project, there are also other projects that need some adjustment¡± Chapter 508 Chapter 508 ¡°That¡¯s right! Also, Mr. Lurk is always the one who coborates with our business partners in Escostan! You just take over the president position now, so there are still a lot of things that you are not familiar with yet. We are worried that you could not handle those people there!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened instantly. She knew that these few people were trying to make things difficult for her. ¡°So?¡± ¡°So, we would like Mr. Lurk to take care of the matters in Escostan since he is very familiar with the situation there!¡± In fact, before Bruce was sent to jail, he had taken away most of Liam¡¯s rights. The few important projects that he was in charge of previously had been handed over to others as well. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Miss Haynes is still new to the Everett Group. Why don¡¯t you familiarize yourself with the corporate culture first?¡± Upon hearing what they said, Joanna could not help but twitch her mouth into a sneer. These few cunning people were indeed bullies who preyed on the weak. Bruce had just been sent to jail. Yet, they could not wait to fight for some powers in hand. ¡°No worries. Just focus on the work that is assigned to you. As for other people¡¯s work, you don¡¯t have to worry so much about it!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, you have to take thepany¡¯s future into consideration first!¡± Joanna sneered angrily as she said, ¡°Well! How did you know that I can¡¯t take on the job?¡± The shareholders who spoke just now were speechless all of a sudden. They did not expect thisdy to be such a sharp tongue. ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant! We just want you to familiarize yourself with the operation of thepany and the Everett Group¡¯s culture first!¡± Joanna interrupted that person instantly. ¡°I think I am already familiar with the culture of the Everett Group. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. All you need to do is to cooperate with me and focus on your assigned tasks.¡± Joanna nced at everyone calmly after she finished her words. Each and every projects of thepany were like scepters, the emblem of authority. If the scepters were scattered, it would not be easy to retrieve them back eventually. Especially now that Bruce was in jail, she had the obligation and responsibility to guard every inch of thend that belonged to the Everett Group. When Liam heard about it, he could not endure it any longer. He retorted, ¡°Hmph! I know Miss Haynes is capable!¡± ¡°But, Bruce is in trouble now. As his wife, don¡¯t you think that it is better for you to hire a goodwyer to clear his name and get him out of jail first? ¡°As for the business affairs, you could decide after Bruce returns!¡± In other words, they felt that Joanna should spend her effort on rescuing Bruce from jail instead. After all, a lot of women were in such a manner. Whenever their men were in trouble, the women would be in a mess while crying and begging people for help. As for all these cunning people here, this was what they wanted to see on Joanna. However, Joanna was not a pushover! She would not be instigated by these cunning people. She knew that it would not be easy for Bruce jo clear his name in such a crime! Furthermore, even if he had to be sentenced and appealed, or reduced the sentence to the minimum, it would be years. before he could be released from jail. If Joanna did not manage thepany for a few years, she bet that the Everett Group would be taken over by someone else by that time. ¡°Thanks for your concern! ¡°I will let Mr. Everett know about your concern tool¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I think we should cooperate with Miss Haynes on her work!¡± ¡°Now that Mr. Everett is in trouble. We are not sure when he ising back too.¡± ¡°We have to work together as one!¡± A few of Bruce¡¯s trusted subordinates started to speak up for Joanna. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Everett say before? Whoever has doubts about Miss Haynes¡¯s capability could quit and resign from the Everett Chapter 508 Group!¡± The few shareholders led by Liam went silent all of a sudden! Among these 20 shareholders, even though there were quite a lot of Liam¡¯s followers, most of them were Bruce¡¯s alliances. Upon seeing everyone had gone silent, Joanna flipped open the booklet in her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡± ¡°From now on, I wille to work as usual to handle all thepany matters. I hope that everyone will cooperate with me.¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. After the meeting ended, Joanna packed her things and left the conference room. Andy was in charge of Joanna¡¯s daily work arrangements. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is Mr. Everett¡¯s office. You may use it from now onwards!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°This is the key to the office safe and these are all kinds of information you might need to know. If there is anything that you don¡¯t understand, you may ask me anytime.¡± ¡°All right. Thank you, Andy.¡± ¡°Well, I shall make a move first.¡± Joanna replied with a hum. Andy and Mark were Bruce¡¯s special assistants. They had been following Bruce for many years. Now that Bruce was not around, they had the obligation to assist Joanna. However, even though the two of them were capable, Joanna felt like having a female assistant by her side instead. Therefore, Joanna took out her phone and made a call to Cora. ¡°Ring!¡± Cora picked up the call soon. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Hello Cora, how are you recently?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, I heard that something happened to Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. How¡¯s thepany on your side?¡± ¡°Everything is fine. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°I would like you to return to Greyport to work for me.¡± Cora went silent all of a sudden. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You are not willing to do so?¡± asked Joanna in doubt. In fact, she trusted Cora¡¯s ability very much. Chapter 509 Chapter 509 On the other end of the call, Cora hesitated for a moment. She said, ¡°Miss Haynes, I am pregnant! So, I don¡¯t think I could return to Greyport for the time being. You know that I am not young anymore. If I don¡¯t give birth now, I would be reaching the advanced maternal age and have a higher risk during pregnancy¡­ Joanna was delighted when she heard about it, ¡°Really? When did you get pregnant? ¡°It¡¯s been three months!¡± Joanna smiled and said happily. ¡°Congrattions! You are going to be a mommy soon. Well, you may put your work aside and take good care of yourself during your pregnancy. ¡°Thank you. Miss Haynes¡± ¡°Well then. Take care and bye.¡± After hanging up the call, Joanna knitted her eyebrows. She was almost suffocated by all the pressure she was suffering now! She really wished that Cora coulde over to help her. However, Cora was already 33 years old. It was time for her to have her own child. So, she could not let Cora dy it because of work. In the blink of an eye, it was already two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Joanna was still engrossed in her work in the office. In fact, she had already vetted through one¨C quarter of therge pile of documents on her table. She had to get the hang of it quickly and familiarized herself with the operation and management models of thepany as soon as possible. At the secretary¡¯s desk. Mark and Andy felt a little mncholy. ¡°Miss Haynes is such a workaholic. It is already two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Yet, she has no intention to have her lunch.¡± Andy frowned and sighed as he said, ¡°Mr. Everett is in such big trouble now, how could Miss Haynes have the appetite to cat.¡± ¡°By the way, is there any news from Mr. Jameson? How¡¯s thewsuit going on?¡± ¡°Sigh! I heard that it is a little tricky. There are a lot of enterprises that submit joint appeals which led Mr. Everett into bigger trouble now.¡± ¡°What will happen to thepany if Mr. Everett goes to jail? Is he really going to let Miss Haynes take over it?¡± said Mark with disbelief. ¡°What else can be done? We will just have to work as usual then. Anyway, Miss Haynes has already taken over thepany. Why are you still having a hysteria?¡± Mark drew his lips together and said, ¡°What I mean is that I thought Mr. Everett was joking and would make a better arrangement. Never did I expect that he would hand thepany over to Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Stop saying all these. I¡¯ll go and ask Miss Haynes if she would like to eat something for her lunch.¡± Andy walked to the office as he spoke. In the office. Andy knocked on the door before entering the office. Joanna was still engrossing in her work. ¡°Miss Haynes, it is already two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Do you want me to order some food for you?¡± Joanna lifted her head and looked at her watch upon hearing it. She did not expect the time to pass so fast. It was already two o¡¯clock in the blink of an eye. ¡°Well, I am not hungry now. Could you get me a cup of coffee instead?¡± Joanna liked to have a cup of coffee while working. It helped to give her a lift and stay focused. Andy¡¯s expression changed drastically. He then replied with caution, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett has instructed us not to let you drink coffer¡± Joanna was speechless. She lifted her head and looked at Andy in stunned. ¡°What else did he instruct you?¡± ¡°Ahem! Mr. Everett also instructed us not to let you work overtime. You have to leave the office and go hometest by six o¡¯clock in the evening¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°He also instructed us to remind you to have your meal on time¡­ Andy continued to say a lot of things. In fact, all of them Chapter 509 were trivial matters. It seemed that Bruce was being so thoughtful that he had arranged everything properly for her in every possible way. ¡°Well then, order some food for me and get me a cup of coller too. Thank you¡± ¡°Yes, Madam!¡± After Andy went out of the office, Joanna closed the document she was vetting through. She was so touched by everything that Bruce had done for her. She would like to visit Bruce in jail. But, it was considered a major economic case and was still under investigation. Hence, other than thewyers, no one was allowed to visit him during the trial. In addition, even though Bruce and Joanna had patched up. They had not registered for marriage and gotten the marriage license yet. Therefore, Joanna was still not considered his next of kin legally. There was a crystal photo frame with Bruce¡¯s photo on the table. Joanna took it up carefully and looked at it. In the photo, Bruce wore a suit with leather shoes. He was in high spirits. He was such a charmer indeed. Suddenly, Joanna realized that she missed him so much. Her eyes started to well up when she looked at Bruce¡¯s photo. ¡°How are you, Bruce? Are you okay?¡± Joanna almost burst into tears at that moment. Half an hourter. Andy went into the office again with a few lunch boxes in his hands. ¡°Miss Haynes, here is your lunch.¡± Andy opened the lunch boxes one after another. There were about six to seven dishes disyed on the table, which included fish, prawns, fruits, etc. It looked like a table of a meal with a bnced diet. ¡°Why is it so much food?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has instructed before that you must eat a proper and nutrition meal as you are too skinny.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes welled up instantly upon hearing it. ¡°Got it. You may go out now!¡± ¡°Yes, Madam¡± After Andy left the office, Joanna shed her tears uncontrobly. She picked up the tableware and started to eat a mouthful of food. Bruce was being so considerate. She could not let him down. This incorrigible scumbag was indeed the hybrid of a demon and savior. He would do anything for the one he loved wholeheartedly without hesitation. He could even get his loved one the rarest things in the world regardless of anything. After having her lunch, Joanna made a call to Mr. Jameson. In fact, she would call Mr. Jameson to ask about Bruce¡¯s case every alternate day. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Ring!¡± The call was picked up soon. ¡°Hello, good afternoon.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Jameson. I am Joanna Haynes.¡± ¡°Hi, Miss Haynes. Is there anything that I can help?¡± Joanna frowned as she said, ¡°I would like to ask about Bruce¡¯s situation now.¡± Mr. Jameson¡¯s voice turned solemn as he said, ¡°It is very tricky indeed. There is a piece of important evidence that is against Mr. Everey. They are suing Mr. Everett for monopolizing the X¨Cmicrochips in the market. They are in the midst of searching for the evidence to counter thewsuit!¡± ¡°Which enterprise is it?¡± ¡°In fact, several enterprises joined forces to appeal!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and said, ¡°Is there anything that I can do for him?¡± ¡°What we can do now is to get those enterprises to withdraw their appeals. Secondly, we have to gather strong evidence against the other party for framing Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What are the chances of winning?¡± Mr. Jameson pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, please be mentally prepared that it will be a hapter 3 tough protracted war. Thewsuit might take a long time.¡± ¡°Can you think of a way to bail him out?¡° ¡°I am afraid not for the time being!¡± ¡°Well then! Got it!¡± Joanna then hung up the call worriedly. Her mind was in a mess now. She could not just sit back and do nothing about it. She had to think of a way to do something for Bruce. At the hospital, Jennie was still in aa. The members of the Garcia family were worried sick for the past few days. ¡°It has been so many days. When will Jenniee around?¡± said Mrs. Garcia as she wiped off her tears. ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad, Mrs. Garcia. During these two days, Miss Garcia¡¯s heart rate fluctuated a lot. I bet that she woulde around soon.¡± Mrs. Garcia asked anxiously upon hearing it, ¡°Is that so? When will shee around then?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Miss Garcia seems to have slight consciousness when we talk. I think it won¡¯t take long for her toe around.¡± ¡°That will be great! ¡°As long as Jenniees around, I am willing to do anything in return for it!¡± Zachary, who was standing at one side, burst into cold sweat upon hearing what they said. If his younger sister came around and told their parents the truth regarding her injury, their parents would burst into mes for sure. Zachary and Jennie were the only children in the Garcia family. Their parents doted on Jennie more. If they knew that he was the one who caused Jennie to be in such a state, they would not let him off for sure. Chapter 510 Chapter 510 Roxanne was in the same hospital too, but on another floor instead. After Zachary left his sister¡¯s ward, he went straight to Roxanne¡¯s ward on another floor. Roxanne had been treated in the hospital for four days. Her external injuries were basically healed. It¡¯s over! It¡¯s over! Do you know what the doctor said just now? He said that Jennie ising around soon! She is going to e awake soon! If shees around and tells my parents the truth. I will be doomed!¡± Zachary was a little out of wits. He cas mumbling dejectedly on the chair. toxanne rolled her gloomy eyes as shey on the bed in the ward. he was already in such a miserable state. If Zachary had fallen, she would have no one to rely on anymore. Therefore, she could not let anything happen to Zachary right now. After all. Roxanne had only suffered from external injuries. After being treated for so many days in the hospital, she was Dasically healed. n addition, she had suffered simr injuries once in the past. Hence, it did not cause much trauma to her psychologically ust that, her rage twisted her mind and led her to insanity. What should I do now, Rox? Why don¡¯t we go overseas and hide for a while? We wille back when the coast is clear. We will only return to the country when my parents are no longer angry with me¡­¡± Roxanne could not be bothered at all. She was having something else in her mind at that moment. She had no intention to leave Greyport now. If that was the case, the only way for her to cling to Zachary for a longer time was not to let Jennie wake up forever! In the blink of an eye, it was already ten o¡¯clock at night. Roxanne changed into a nurse¡¯s uniform, wore a mask and a nurse¡¯s hat. Then, she pushed a small wheeled stretcher, specially used by the hospital, and walked towards Jennie¡¯s ward! Jennie¡¯s caregiver thought that the nurse was making rounds in the ward as usual. Hence, she did not get suspicious about it. Roxanne managed to sneak into Jennie¡¯s ward easily. On the bed in Jennie¡¯s ward. Jennie was lying on the bed quietly. Her entire body was hooked onto various types of equipment. Even though the blood. clot in her brain had cleared, she was still in aa. ¡°Hmph! Jennie Garcia, don¡¯t ever think ofing around! I will not let anyone get in my way! ¡°Don¡¯t me me for being ruthless to you! What can I say? You could only me yourself for being unlucky!¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes turned ferocious as she walked towards Jennie¡¯s bed. She intended to pull away Jennie¡¯s oxygen mask. In less than a few minutes, Jennie would die fromck of oxygen if she did so. In the past, she did the same to Margaret too. Furthermore, nobody noticed it, and she was still free and yet to receive any punishment. Well, this indeed gave Roxanne a shot in the arm! On the other hand¡­ When Zachary returned to Roxanne¡¯s ward, he found that Roxanne was not in the ward. She was not in the washroom too! Zachary¡¯s heart skipped a beat all of a sudden He had witnessed Roxanne¡¯s insanity. He knew how crazy Roxanne could be! This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Roxanne had gone a little crazy now! To be precious, she had gone off the deep end! Thus, she might hurt his younger sister again, or even kill her! Suddenly, he had a gut feeling of something bad was going to happen Without a second dy, he rushed over to Jennie¡¯s ward as fast as possible ¡°ck!¡± Jennie¡¯s ward door was being pushed open all of a sudden. Zachary rushed into the ward, breathing heavily! As expected, he was shocked by the scene right in front of him! Roxanne had already pulled away Jennie¡¯s face mask. She was covering Jennie¡¯s face with a pillow now, trying to suffocate Chapter 510 herl ¡°Are you out of your mind? What are you trying to do now?¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Zachary shouted as he pushed Roxanne away hurriedly. Then, he took a nce at Jennie in panic. Fortunately, Zachary came to the ward in time. Jennie was still breathing. If he waste for another two minutes, Jennie would have died by then. ¡°What the hell are you doing? How dare you do this to my younger sister? Are you fucking crazy?¡± Roxanne was shocked too. She stared at Zachary with her ferocious eyes as she said sarcastically, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we are doomed if Jenniees around?¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t do this to her! She is my younger sister!¡± ¡°So what?¡± Roxanne sneered as she said. Her face turned utterly terrifying now. Zachary took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he said, ¡°Get out of here right now! If you dare to do such a thing again, don¡¯t me me for being harsh to you!¡± The caregiver and nurses ran into the ward upon hearing the noise. ¡°What are you doing here, Mr. Garcia?¡± The caregiver was shocked to see Zachary in the ward. ¡°Nothing. I¡­ I juste over to take a look at Jennie.¡± ¡°Ahem! Ahem!¡± Jennie had been stimted by Roxanne¡¯s act just now that she actually woke up. She coughed weakly all of a sudden. ¡°The patient hase around! The patient is awake!¡± ¡°Quick! Call the doctor! And inform Mr. And Mrs. Garcia now!¡± Soon¡­ The doctor rushed into the ward to check on Jennie. Mr. and Mrs. Garcia rushed over to the hospital hurriedly upon hearing the news too. Finally, Jennie came around after the emergency treatment. However, she was still very weak and had not fully regained her consciousness. Mrs. Garcia approached Jennie excitedly and said, ¡°Jennie, I am Mommy! Can you hear me?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­ Jennie called out softly. ¡°Oh, my darling! You have finallye around. Do you know how worried I am?¡± Mr. Garcia could not help but shed his tears. He wiped his tears as he said, ¡°Thank God that you have finallye around, Jennie! You have been in aa for half a month!¡± Jennie¡¯s parents stayed by her side. They could not stop crying upon seeing such a scene. Zachary was frozen on the spot. He stood at the side in feat. He did not even dare to get closer to Jennie! As for Roxanne, she had already made herself scarce a long time ago. ¡°The patient has juste around and cannot be too agitated. Please let her rest first!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right Doctor, please do your best to save my daughter. Please don¡¯t let her suffer from any trauma in the future.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Garcia. We will do our best.¡± Chapter 511 Chapter 511 the next consecutive three days. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. nnie had been recuperating in the hospital. She did not say a single word regarding what Zachary and Roxanne had done. her. is put Zachary¡¯s mind at ease for the time being n the fourth day. achary could not hold it any longer. He took the initiative to apologize to Jennie when his parents were not around. e really hoped that Jennie would forgive him! am sorry, Jennie¡­¡± nnie sneered at Zachary with a pair of sharp eyes. These few days, she had heard about the news that Bruce was being rested by the police.¡± f course! Jennie knew that Zachary was the one behind it. pon seeing Jennie¡¯s sharp gazes, Zachary felt more panic. ¡°I am sorry, Jennie! Please! I beg upon you! Please don¡¯t tell our arents the truth. It is all my fault!¡± nnie snorted as she said, ¡°Well, it is fine for me not to tell our parents about it. But, I have a condition!¡± achary asked hurriedly upon hearing what Jennie said, ¡°Tell me! Let alone one condition, I will agree to all of them even if here are ten conditions!¡± ennie narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Zachary, is Bruce being arrested by the police?¡± achary¡¯s gaze drifted upon hearing it. He then replied to Jennie vaguely, ¡°Well, I think so!¡± I want you to rescue Bruce and stop going against him!¡± Zachary was stunned. After that, he looked at Jennie as if he was caught in a difficult situation. ¡°Jennie, not that I don¡¯t want o agree with you on this. Just that Bruce hasmitted a serious crime this time. Furthermore, I am not the judge. How do you want me to rescue im? Other than this, I will agree to any condition you stated. There is really nothing I can do about this.¡± ennie¡¯s face darkened as she sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t care. No matter what you do, you have to rescue Bruce. I know that you have a way of doing your thing. In fact, you colluded with others to backstab Bruce. Am I right? You are the one behind all these!¡± How dare you do this to Bruce? He has been treating you well like his own brother! Jennie continued. ¡®Jennie, I did not¡­ Zachary was caught in a difficult situation now. He was in a dilemma. Roxanne and Marlowe worked together to force him into dealing with Bruce. Of course, he was the only person who could easily gather so much evidence. Indeed, most of the time, it was the most familiar people that would backstab someone on their back. ¡°Zachary, if you don¡¯t agree to it, I will tell our parents immediately about this matter! ¡°By the way, I am giving you one day to think about it. It¡¯s all up to you!¡± said Jennie as she turned her face away coldly. She did not want to see Zachary anymore. ¡°Jennie, Bruce has already entrusted thepany to his ex¨Cwife now. He will never love you. Even if you managed to rescue him, he will not be grateful to you. Why are you asking for trouble now?¡± ¡°Stop talking! I have my ways to let him marry me instead!¡± Zachary was speechless. He was choked with anger at that moment. In fact, he did not understand why Jennie liked Bruce so much. ¡°I am giving you one day to think about it. If you don¡¯t agree with me, you shall bear the consequences yourself!¡± Zachary gave it a thought and braced himself to agree with Jennie. ¡°Alright! I will agree to it I will think of a way to rescue him!¡± ¡°However, I can¡¯t promise that I am capable of rescuing him. I can only say that I will try my best to do it.¡± Zachary went to see Roxanne aftering out of Jennie¡¯s ward. Now, he had to persuade Roxanne to agree with him in destroying the evidence against Bruce. Otherwise, he would be caught in a difficult situation again. Roxanne burst into mes upon hearing it. ¡°Are you kidding me, Zachary?¡± Chapter 511 you ¡°Do know how much it cost to gather all this evidence? Now that you are telling me that you want to revoke! Are you out of your mind?¡± Zachary was so helpless right now. He said, ¡°If I don¡¯t agree with Jennie on this, she would tell my parents the truth. My parents will not let me off easily if they knew that I am the one who caused Jennie in such a state.¡± Roxanne refused directly. She said. ¡°No way! I will never let Bruce off easily! Never! Over my dead body!¡± *Please, Roxanne. I beg upon you. Please stop all your nonsense! Do you know that I am so scared of you now? You are putting me in a difficult situation. Have you ever stood in my shoes and given it a thought for me?¡± Zachary was in the verge of breaking down. Roxanne was so furious upon hearing it that she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you regretting it now? You don¡¯t love me anymore. Am I right?¡± Zachary was even more frustrated right now. Initially, he was indeed very fond of Roxanne. He felt happy and satisfied being with Roxanne. However, after getting along with Roxanne for quite some time, he saw the true colors of Roxanne! This woman was too terrifying! He could not be with her any longer. Just that, Roxanne clung to him like a sticky candy that he could not get rid of her at all. ¡°Leave me alone! I am so frustrated right now!¡± ¡°I warn you, Zachary Garcia! You will regret it for sure if you dare to abandon me!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go overseas and hide for the time being?¡± ¡°No way! I am not going anywhere. I want you to marry me! I want to get married to you!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Zachary could not help but shout out loud. How could it be possible for him to marry Roxanne? It was just a fling! Furthermore, Roxanne¡¯s issue had gone viral on the inte. How could it be possible for him to marry such a woman? Chapter 512 Chapter 512 Even if Zachary was willing to marry Roxanne, his parents would not agree to it for sure. Roxanne was exceptionally sensitive to the word ¡°crazy¡± as if it would trigger the time bomb inside her. ¡°Who are you calling crazy?¡± ¡°I say who are you calling crazy!¡± Roxanne jumped off the bed and grabbed Zachary¡¯s tie ferociously. Her eyes were burning with the rage of anger! Zachary gasped and said cowardly. ¡°I am crazy! I am the one who is crazy! Happy?¡± In today¡¯s society, one could provoke anyone in the world but never offend a crazy person. Roxanne let go of his tie and asked angrily. ¡°When are you going to marry me?¡± ¡°Roxanne, it is not the time yet. You have to let me discuss it with my parents first. ¡°Furthermore, marriage is such a big matter. I can¡¯t make my own decision. However, rest assured that I will talk about it nicely with my parents,¡± said Zachary to coax Roxanne and calm her down for the time being. ¡°I warn you, Zachary! If you dare to abandon me, I will not let you off easily.¡± Zachary¡¯s gaze drifted again. He could not hide the regret he felt now from his face. He was so regretful right now! How did he provoke such a crazy woman? ¡°Rest well. Rox. I wille and see you again tomorrow! Jennie has juste around. I¡¯ll need to keep an eye on her to prevent her from telling my parents the truth.¡± In fact, Zachary did not want to stay with Roxanne any longer. Thus, he got himself an excuse to get away from her. ¡°Are you trying to avoid me? Are you afraid of me now?¡± ¡°No! Of course not! You are thinking too much. I am really going to see Jennie now! If sheins to my parents about the matter, then we will not be able to get married anymore.¡± Roxanne narrowed her eyes and stared at Zachary in doubt. Zachary smiled gently and kissed Roxanne¡¯s forehead as he said, ¡°Be nice and stop thinking too much. Take good care of yourself, okay?¡± Afterforting Roxanne, Zachary fled the ward in panic! It seemed that it was absolutely impossible for Roxanne to hand over Bruce¡¯s evidence of bribery. If that was the case, he had no choice but to search for them in person. Soon¡­ At Cove Vi. Zachary returned to the vi where he rented and stayed together with Roxanne. After searching through all the cupboards and drawers, Zachary finally found the evidence against Bruce in one of the drawers in a cupboard. It was a thumb drive and a few private photos of Bruce with some government dignitaries. ¡°Fortunately, Roxanne has not given it to Marlowe yet. I¡¯ll have to destroy all these immediately¡­¡± Zachary took the things and was about to leave. Suddenly, Roxanne¡¯s high¨Cpitch voice was sounded. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Zachary was so shocked that he stood up hurriedly. The orange light in the room was a little dim. Roxanne dressed in a white dress and stood at the door with messy hair. She stared fiercely at Zachary like a malicious ghost. ¡°Roxanne, L. L Roxanne stared at Zachary as she approached him step by step. She then said, ¡°Give me back my things!¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Zachary held the thumb drive and the photos high above his head and refused to give them to Roxanne no matter what. ¡°Roxanne, I am sorry that I can¡¯t give them back to you. I have promised Jennie to destroy the evidence. ¡°If I don¡¯t do it, she will tell my parents the truth. Do you want to see me being lectured by my parents?¡± ¡°Give them to me! Hurry up and give them back to me!¡± said Roxanne angrily. Then, she stepped forth and tried to snatch them from Zachary. ¡°Don¡¯t force me, Roxanne! Could you be considerate and put yourself in my shoes? You know clearly that it will not end well if we go against Bruce.¡± Chapter 512 Roxanne could not be bothered at all. She was still trying her best to snatch the thumb drive back from Zachary. However, she was too short that she could not reach it at all. However, Zachary¡¯s arms and cheeks were bleeding badly after being scratched by Roxanne¡¯s sharp nails. ¡°Enough of your nonsense! Are you out of your mind? Could you act like a normal person instead?¡± ¡°You are the one that is out of your mind! I will never let anyone be in my way! Nobody is going to stop me! Those who stop me shall die!¡± During the fight, Zachary waspletely enraged. He gave Roxanne a push, causing her to stumble and fall heavily on the ground. ¡°How dare you hit me? I am going to fight you to the death!¡± Roxanne rolled her eyes as she said. Then, she acted like a mad woman and dashed towards Zachary ferociously. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Enough of your craziness!¡± Both of them grappled with each other for several minutes. ¡°Bang!¡± Zachary was so furious that he grabbed a baseball bat on one side and hit on Roxanne¡¯s head. ¡°Argh!¡± Zachary hit it so hard on Roxanne¡¯s head that Roxanne fell to the floor directly. Blood then started to ooze out from the back of her head. Zachary was shocked upon seeing such a scene. He shouted anxiously, ¡°Rox! Rox!¡± However, Roxanney motionless on the floor as if she had died. ¡°ng!¡± The bat fell to the ground from Zachary¡¯s hand. Zachary pretended to be calm as he braced himself to check on Roxanne¡¯s breathing. Roxanne was not breathing at all. He could not feel any warm airing out from her nostrils too. ¡°Oh god!¡± ¡°I have killed someone! I have killed someone!¡± Zachary was so panicked that he took a few steps back before sitting on the ground in fear. ¡°What should I do now? I¡­ I have killed someone!¡± Zachary¡¯s first reaction was to call the ambnce. However, on second thought, he remembered how Roxanne threatened him. Thus, he changed his mind instantly. As a matter of fact, wasn¡¯t it better for Roxanne to die just like that? He no longer had to worry about being threatened by her anymore. He did not have to think of a way to get rid of her too. But the problem was, how should he get rid of Roxanne¡¯s body? If someone found Roxanne¡¯s body, he would be tracked down eventually. Zachary calmed himself down and smoked two cigarettes consecutively. In the end, he made up his mind and nned to get rid of Roxanne¡¯s body quietly. Soon¡­ Zachary carried Roxanne¡¯s body to the trunk of his car. After that, he drove and left the vi. He had to get rid of the body and obliterated all traces as soon as possible! Along the way, Zachary could not help bursting into cold sweats. Whenever he came to think about the body in the trunk, he would tremble uncontrobly The moment he reached a ring road, he saw a few police cars parked in the middle of the road. All the cars queued up one after another. Upon seeing such a scene, Zachary was extremely panicked that he burst into sweats again. Beads of cold sweat started to flow down from his forehead. He almost abandoned his car and fled! ¡°Stop the car!¡± Two traffic police stopped Zachary¡¯s car. Zachary¡¯s heart was pumping like crazy now. He even had the urge to break through the checkpoint! However, he kept telling himself that he could not be so nervous at such a critical time. ¡°Checking on drunk driving!¡± One of the traffic police took out a breathalyzer and instructed him to blow into the mouthpiece. Zachary calmed himself down and blew into the mouthpiece of the breathalyzer! Fortunately, it was only a check on drunk driving. He did not drink any alcoholic beverages. Hence, he was released soon. One hourter. Zachary drove to a hill in the suburbs! There were mountains and rivers in the vicinity with no one around this area. Indeed, it was a perfect ce to dump the body. The sky was getting dark, Zachary took a puff in the cold breeze. He was thinking about how to get rid of the body at that time. Should he dig a hole and bury the body or tie the body to a rock and dump it in the river? After giving it a thought, it would still be better to dig a hole and bury the body! If he dumped the body into the river, it would be easily discovered if the body floated eventually! With such thinking in mind, Zachary decided to dig a hole instead! Chapter 513 Chapter 513 It was such a pity that Zachary did not bring any tools like a shovel with him! If he was to dig the hole with bare hands, he probably would not be able to do it till the next morning! ¡°Forget it! I will just dump it into the river then!¡± Zachary opened the trunk and carried Roxanne¡¯s body out of it. Then, he heaved a heavy rock and staggered off, puffing and blowing from the strain. He was preparing to tie it to Roxanne¡¯s body to prevent it from floating after he dumped the body into the river! ¡°Don¡¯t me me for doing this to you, Roxanne! You are the one who forced me into it! ¡°If you have a chance to reincarnate, I hope that you will do well. Don¡¯t you evere and look for me again¡­¡± Zachary mumbled as he tried to look for a rope. However, it was too dark at that moment. In addition, he was exceptionally nervous at that point of time. Suddenly, he tripped! Roxanne¡¯s body rolled down the hill and went straight to the river. ¡°Ssh!¡± Roxanne¡¯s body dropped into the dark river instantly. Zachary felt so nervous after seeing such a scene! He looked down from above. However, it was too dark that he could not see anything at all. So, he predicted that the water must be very deep. It was absolutely impossible for him to go down there to bring Roxanne¡¯s body up again! Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Forget it then! Since it is heaven¡¯s will, so be it!¡± In addition to the ce where the body was dumped, the atmosphere in such a deste ce was so creepy. Zachary did not dare to stay here any longer. Hence, he drove off nervously at the speed of light. By the time he returned to the city, it was already past midnight. Zachary returned to the vi again to clean up all the possible traces of blood being left on the scene. Then, he threw away all his clothes as well. He washed his car several times to assure that no bloodstains were being left behind. His mind could finally be at ease now after getting all the things done. The next day. Zachary rushed over to the hospital. He wanted to pass all the evidence to his younger sister before his parents arrived. ¡°Jennie, these are all the evidence against Bruce. I have gotten all of them! Here you go!¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes lit up upon seeing them. She reached out her hand to take it over from Zachary and said, ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yup. That¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Did you lie to me?¡± ¡°Why should I lie to you? That¡¯s all I have in my hands. Don¡¯t underestimate all this evidence! They are enough to put Bruce in jail for life! ¡°Jennie, I let Bruce off all because of you. So, you have to promise me that you will not tell our parents the truth that I am the one who caused you in such a state!¡± Jennie twitched her mouth into a smug smile and said, ¡°Rest assured! We are even now. I am not going to tell our parents about it!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Jennie stroked the thumb drive as she let her imagination run wild uncontrobly. Although several enterprises had joined forces to appeal and sue Bruce, they were actually small cases where they did not have enough evidence to sentence Bruce to serious punishment. In other words, as long as the evidence in her hand now was not being submitted to the authority. Bruce would not face many problems. At most, the authority would only fine him and he would be released in no time. If she was able to save Bruce from trouble and hold the evidence in her hands as stakes, it would not be difficult for Bruce to marry her. Chapter 513 It was only a matter of time before she could be Mrs. Everett officially! In a sh, a week had passed. Roxanne had already gone missing for one week! At the Everett Group. Joanna went to work as usual every day and took over all of Bruce¡¯s work. ¡°Ring!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone rang all of a sudden when she was busy with her work. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the call, Derick said aggressively, Joanna Haynes! Where did you hide Roxy?¡± Even though Derick was the sessor of his family, Roxanne was his only next of kin. Of course! He was still concerned. about her. Usually, he would call Roxanne every alternate day to show concern for her. However, it had been a week since. he lost contact with her! Derick had a strong feeling that something bad had happened to Roxanne. If something were to happen to Roxanne, the first suspect would definitely be Joanna! No doubt about it! ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Joanna as she frowned. She could not recognize Derick¡¯s voice all of a sudden. ¡°I am Derick!¡± Joanna was stunned. Then, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡± Derick said furiously, ¡°Stop pretending, Joanna! Roxy has been missing for days. Are you going to tell me that you don¡¯t know anything about it?¡± ¡°Roxy is missing?¡± Joanna was shocked. ¡°Stop pretending! It must be you! I am not going to let you off easily if you dare toy your finger on Roxy!¡± Joanna was so angry that she yelled over the phone, ¡°I have not seen her at all! What had happened to Roxy exactly?¡± ¡°You are not the one?¡± ¡°I have not seen her for days.¡± Derick pondered for a few seconds. Upon hearing that Joanna did not seem to be lying. He hung up the call immediately. Joanna ran her fingers through the loose strands of her hair on her forehead. She started to feel panic now. Roxanne and Zachary were in a rtionship now. So, it would be better for her to give Zachary a call. ¡°Ring!¡± The phone rang for quite some time before Zachary answered the call. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hi, Mr. Garcia. I am Joanna Haynes!¡± Upon hearing Joanna¡¯s voice, Zachary was so shocked that he almost lost his grip on his phone. ¡°Uh! What¡¯s up? Anything I can help?¡± ¡°Where is Roxy? Is she with you¡± Zachary hesitated for a few seconds. Then, he forced himself to remain calm and said, ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°No?¡± said Joanna as she knitted her eyebrows. ¡°How is that possible? Didn¡¯t she with you all the time? Where is she? Tell me now! I have something urgent to tell her!¡± ¡°She¡­ She¡­ Zachary stammered. He did not know how to answer the question at all. Chapter 514 Chapter 514 Hearing Zachary¡¯s panicked tone, Joanna became even more worried. ¡°Where did Roxy go? Tell me.¡± Zachary had a guilty conscience, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead. ¡°She¡­ She seems to have haven¡¯t seen her for the past few days.¡± gone abroad. I ¡°Go abroad?¡± That¡¯s right. You should also know about the movie¡­ Rox might have gone overseas to rx because of it. Zachary didn¡¯t know how to prevent Joanna from suspecting him, and he could only fake a random excuse first. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She felt that Zachary¡¯s words made some sense. Roxanne had encountered that kind of misfortune. It was normal for her to go overseas to rx. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna was still a little uneasy. If Roxanne nned to go abroad, she would have told Derick about it. But she didn¡¯t. ¡°Did something happen to Roxy?¡± Joanna muttered to herself and called Roxanne a few more times. However, Roxanne¡¯s phone was switched off as before. If something happened to Roxanne, Zachary would definitely be involved. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Joanna was holding the phone and lost in thought when Andy knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Andy?¡± Joanna looked at Andy suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s six o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It¡¯s time to get off work. ¡°Uh?¡± Joanna lowered her head and looked at her watch. It was really time to get off work. Every day at six PM, Andy would remind her to get off work. Even if Joanna wanted to work overtime, Andy would use all kinds of reasons to persuade her. ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna shut off theputer, took the unfinished documents, and prepared to go home. The work was important, but taking care of the children was more important. Now that Bruce was in detention, Joanna had to take good care of the children. She went back to Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Mommy, you are finally off work.¡± ¡°Yes. Have you had a nice day today?¡± Irvin held a te of spaghetti and looked at Joanna with concern. ¡°I made spaghetti for you. It is still steaming. ¡°You cook today?¡± ¡°Yes. Mommy, try it and see if it is tasty.¡± ¡°Good boy. Who taught you about it?¡± ¡°I learned it from you. Daddy loves to eat the spaghetti you made. I want to make it for Daddy, too. ¡°Since Daddy isn¡¯t around, I¡¯ll cook for you.¡± When Joanna heard that, her eyes could not help but turn a little wet. ¡°Davian, Irvin, thank you.¡± ¡°Daddy said that we¡¯re men. We have to protect the girls and take good care of them! ¡°Daddy isn¡¯t at home. Irvin and I are naturally responsible for looking after Mommy and Lilia.¡± Joanna blinked and was so touched that tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged Davian and Irvin tightly in her arms. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t cry. We¡¯ll protect you on Daddy¡¯s behalf.¡± ¡°Thank you. With your protection, I¡¯m the happiest woman in the world. ¡°Where is Lilia?¡± Chapter 514 ¡°Lilia is painting. Christmas ising. Lilia said she wants to make a Christmas gift for Daddy.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see her.¡± Joanna got up and went to Lilia¡¯s room. In the children¡¯s room, Lilia sat in a wheelchair with a small table in front of her. There were various brushes and drawing papers on it. ¡°Lilia, what are you doing?¡± Joanna walked in and asked gently. Lilia did not even raise her head. She held her paintbrush and was drawing seriously. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll draw another family photo.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna walked over and took a look. Lilia drew a picture of five cartoon characters. Two adults, two little boys, and a little girl were included. Needless to say, it was their family of five. Although the strokes were crooked, Joanna could tell that Lilia had put much effort into the drawing. The colors Lilia chose were also vibrant. The family of five snuggled together, and the scene looked warm and cozy. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so beautiful. ¡°Mommy, I want to give this painting to Daddy.¡± Joanna was stunned. Bruce was still in detention, and his family members were not allowed to visit him at the moment. Lilia looked at Joanna and begged, ¡°Mommy, can you help me send it to Daddy? ¡°If Daddy can¡¯t see us, he must miss us very much. With this painting, if Daddy misses us, he may feel better. ¡°Is it okay, Mommy?¡± Joanna came back to her senses and kissed Lilia¡¯s cheek gently. ¡°Of course. I will hand the painting to your daddy tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. You must give it to Daddy.¡± ¡°No problem! ¡°Hurry up and wash your hands. Davian cooked spaghetti. Let¡¯s enjoy it together!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna carried Lilia and helped her wash her hands. Then, they went to the dining room for dinner. Although the servants also prepared food, Joanna didn¡¯t want to disappoint Davian and Irvin. After all, it was rare for them to cook. Therefore, Joanna ate all the spaghetti Irvin made. ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep.¡± ¡°Good night, Mommy!¡± ¡°Good night!¡± ¡°Mommy, remember to send the painting to Daddy!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will give it to him tomorrow. Joanna smiled gently at Lilia. The next day, Joanna woke up early in the morning. After reaching thepany, she called thewyer. Although she could not meet Bruce now, she would like to ask hiswyer to bring Lilia¡¯s painting to him. Chapter 515 Chapter 515 Because of the sudden withdrawal of the intiff who used Bruce of bribery, as well as thewyer¡¯s effort, Bruce¡¯s case became much lighter, and he was transferred to an ordinary detention center. His family members were also allowed to visit him. There were still several days before Christmas. Joanna visited Bruce at the detention center for the first time. Bruce, shaven¨Cheaded and wearing a prison uniform, was led into the visiting room by two guards. Joanna was already waiting there. Through the ss, they met each other with a hint of excitement in their eyes. Joanna took the telephone handset and asked in a choked voice, ¡°Bruce, are you okay?¡± Bruce sat opposite her and held the handset. He reached out a hand and pressed it against the ss, signaling her to ce. her hand on it. Joanna was stunned for a moment, but she still ced her hand on his palm. Although they were separated by the ss, she seemed to feel him. Bruce smiled at her without a trace of disappointment or pessimism in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about you?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Joanna felt a lump in her throat. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°How about our three children?¡± ¡°They are all fine. They miss you very much and hope to see you soon.¡± Hearing that, Bruce swallowed and stared at Joanna with his deep eyes. Her face was still so soft and beautiful that he could not get enough of her. How he wished he could hug her now, even if it was just for a moment. Joanna also looked at Bruce quietly. His appearance had not changed, yet he was obviously haggard and much thinner. She could imagine that his life in the detention center was not that easy. ¡°Bruce, take care of yourself. I¡­ I will wait for you.¡± Bruce felt warmth in his heart, and he scratched the ss even harder. He could not grab Joanna¡¯s hand, so he could only express his feelings in such a way. ¡°The shareholders in thepany didn¡¯t make things difficult for you, did they?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. Not wanting him to worry about her, she smiled and said, ¡°No. Everything is fine.¡± How was that possible? Those cunning shareholders were always up to no good. Fortunately, Joanna was strong enough to withstand pressure and didn¡¯tpromise with them. The shareholders could not stump her for the time being. It was just that they had been causing trouble for her behind her back, making her not dare to rx her guard. Even though Joanna said so, Bruce could see the fatigue in her eyes. He said with pity, ¡°If you can¡¯t hold on anymore, take the children and live with them overseas. Don¡¯t force yourself.¡± In any case, Joanna¡¯s happiness was of greater importance than the Everett Group. Moreover, Bruce had invested more than 2 billion dors in a trust fund for Joanna and three children each. Even if she didn¡¯t work, they could live well. However, if the Everett Group was not under the control of his trusted aides, it would probably be taken over by Liam soon. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Three children and I are all waiting for you toe home.¡± Bruceughed bitterly. He didn¡¯t know how long it would take by the time he was released. Chapter 515 ¡°Mr. Jameson said that the intiff who used you of bribery has withdrawn thewsuit. I believe that the case will be resolved and that you will be released soon.¡± Afraid that Bruce would lose confidence, Joanna tried tofort him. Bruce had known about it. Besides, he also knew who had plotted against him behind his back. However, he was still troubled by something else, and it was impossible for him to get away easily. ¡°Time¡¯s up. You should be leaving A police officer came and urged Joanna. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll be leaving. I¡¯ll visit you another day.¡± Joanna stood up and was about to leave. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he said reluctantly, ¡°Joanna, I love you!¡± Joanna felt sad. She wanted to say that she loved him too.. However, she choke with sobs and could not utter a word no matter how hard she tried. Time¡¯s up. Leave now!¡± ¡°Okay. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m leaving. Take care of yourself. The children and I are looking forward to out reunion.¡± The next day, Joanna went to the Everett Group as usual. Because it was the end of the year, she was even busier. At the office, Joanna was dealing with work when Andy knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, Miss Garcia said that she has something important to tell you, and it is about Mr. Everett. She¡¯s downstairs. Do you want to see her?¡± Joanna looked up and did not react for a moment. ¡°Miss Garcia? Which Miss Garcia?¡± ¡°The daughter of the Garcia Group, Jennie Garcia. Joanna was stunned. ¡°Oh. Has she been discharged?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s in the lobby downstairs now. She said she would like to tell you something important about Mr. Everett,¡± Andy repeated. Joanna thought for a few seconds and decided to see Jennie. ¡°Let her in.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Andy replied and turned to leave. Fifteen minutester, Andy walked into the office with Jennie. Jennie was wearing a white dress and a luxurious fur coat. She looked noble and elegant with a unique aura belonging to socialites. ¡°Long time no see. Jennie parted her red lips slightly and greeted Joanna with a faint smile. ¡°Miss Garcia, nice to see you again. Please take a seat.¡± Andy asked respectfully, ¡°Miss Garcia, do you want tea or coffee?¡± ¡°Lemonade, thank you.¡± ¡°Please wait for a moment. After Andy left, Jennie sat down elegantly on the sofa and crossed her legs. ¡°Miss Garcia, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Joanna stared at Jennie and asked. ¡°About something important.¡± Joanna pondered for a moment and did not bother to bend the bush with Jennie. She went straight to the point and asked, ¡°What is it? Just tell me directly.¡± Jennie smiled at Joanna and sized her up without blinking. Joanna felt ufortable. ¡°Miss Garcia, is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Jennie pursed her lips slightly and said in disdain, ¡°Actually, you look quite ordinary.¡± Joanna frowned and looked at Jennie in confusion. She thought, ¡°How can she say that? Isn¡¯t it rude? Joanna had been in the business circle for a long time, so she could control her emotions well. Chapter 515 Jennie¡¯s expression was arrogant. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would Bruce take a fancy to you?¡± In Greyport, Jennie could be considered the best among socialites. In her opinion, a man like Bruce should be matched with a woman like her. However, he actually fell in love with Joanna, which made Jennie indignant. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°I mean, I like Bruce, I want to marry him. Joanna frowned more tightly. Bruce had always been popr among rich youngdies, but this was the first time she had seen someone so straightforward. ¡°So?¡± Chapter 516 Chapter 516 Jennie became serious and said bluntly, ¡°So, you have to make room for me.¡± She looked at Joanna provocatively with a determined expression. Joanna could not help but sneer. ¡°Miss Garcia, I think you haven¡¯tpletely recovered. ¡°Bruce is still in jail. No one knows when he will be released. Besides, even if he is released, I don¡¯t think he will marry you. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s boring for you toe here to talk with me about it?¡± Jennie retorted shamelessly, ¡°Joanna, as long as you leave Bruce and vacate Mrs. Everett¡¯s position for me, everything is possible. ¡°I have a way to make Bruce marry me.¡± Joanna was so angry that sheughed. ¡°Why should I agree to it?¡± Regardless of whether she wanted to remarry Bruce, even if she did not, no one else had the right to interfere in her choices. ¡°You will agree to me. Jennie put on a mysterious smile and paused deliberately. Joanna took a deep breath and said bluntly, ¡°Miss Garcia, I¡¯m busy with work now. I don¡¯t have time to beat about the bush with you. You can leave now. ¡°By the way, I¡¯d like to remind you one thing. It¡¯s better for women to be reserved.¡± Jennie snorted, not angered by Joanna¡¯s words. ¡°What if I tell you that I can save Bruce?¡± Hearing that, Joanna looked at Jennie in disbelief. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± After all, even Bruce Everett couldn¡¯t save himself. How could Jennie do it? ¡°As long as you leave Bruce, I will get him out of jail. ¡°I¡¯m not with him now.¡± ¡°Stop being pretentious. Bruce has appointed you as the president of the Everett Group. How dare you say that you¡¯re not with him? ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. If you don¡¯t leave Bruce, he¡¯ll be imprisoned for the rest of his life, and no one can save him. ¡°If you love him truly, you should leave him. Moreover, he and I are more like a perfect match, and the Garcia family can help him in business. If I marry him, the two families will form a strong alliance. ¡°On the contrary, you will only drag him down.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and stared at Jennie in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. ¡°Hmph! Are you really that stupid?¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, why should I believe you?¡± Seeing that Joanna was unwilling to believe her, Jennie smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe me or not. ¡°Why do you think the intiff suddenly dropped the case? ¡°Is it only because of his conscience?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded and looked at Jennie in shock. Indeed, Bruce was previously charged with major bribery and illegal financing. And now, his user had suddenly dropped the case. The Anti¨CCorruption Bureau had no evidence to prove that he hadmitted bribery, so they could only leave him to the judicial authorities. This way, the charges against Bruce were much lighter, and he might only have to be fined. At most, he would be sentenced to three to five years of probation and didn¡¯t have to be imprisoned, which was not a huge problem. ¡°Are you the one behind it?¡± Chapter 516 ¡°Of course. ¡°Do you think I will only watch the man I love go to jail and do nothing, just like you? ¡°You¡¯re not worthy of loving Bruce. When Jennie finished her words, her eyes turned gloomy. She said inwardly, ¡°Obviously, I love Bruce more than she does. However, Bruce was blind and took a fancy to her instead. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll make good use of the evidence to force Bruce to be with me.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Jennie doubtfully. If Jennie could indeed save Bruce, she was really willing to fulfill Jennie¡¯s wish. However, she did not believe that Jennie would be that capable. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°You have to believe me. I can make it. ¡°As long as you leave Bruce, he will be acquitted! As long as you¡¯re gone, Bruce will definitely marry me.¡± Jennie ced her hands on the desk and looked at Joanna provocatively with her beautiful eyes. ¡°Miss Garcia, you are being too naive. ¡°Bruce and I have three children. If he was released, he wouldn¡¯t ept you easily. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After you leave, I¡¯ll make him ept me. As for the children, it¡¯s best if you take them with you. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll treat them as my own children. Think about it carefully.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Joanna replied gloomily. ¡°You can consider it for two days. Call me when you think it through. I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± Jennie put her business card on the table. She turned around arrogantly and walked out of the office with her stilettos. After Jennie left, Joanna leaned back in her seat with a gloomy expression. She had to sort everything out. Could Bruce¡¯s ident be rted to the Garcia family? Was it the Garcia family who framed him behind the scene? However, the Garcia family and the Everett family had always been on good terms. There was no reason for them to do such a thing. Chapter 517 Chapter 517 ¡°How can Jennie be so confident that she can get Bruce out of jail? It is strange. Joanna could not figure out why, and her heart was filled with doubts. However, no matter what happened, as long as she could save Bruce, she was still willing to give it a try. Beep¡­ The ringtone of the phone interrupted Joanna¡¯s thoughts. She took the phone and looked at the screen. It was another call from Derick. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°This is Derick.¡± Joanna was a little stunned and had a premonition all of a sudden. Roxanne had been missing for more than ten days. For the past ten days, Joanna had been unable to get through to Roxanne on the phone. She had also sent people to look for Roxanne but failed. Roxanne seemed to have disappeared into thin air. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Derick¡¯s anxious voice came from the other side of the line. ¡°Did you hide Roxy? It¡¯s been so many days, but there¡¯s still no news of her. I¡¯ve checked her departure records. She never left Greyport.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Perhaps she doesn¡¯t want to see anyone for the time being and is deliberately hiding. How about this? Call the police and let them investigate.¡± Hearing that, Derick still suspected that Joanna had done something to Roxanne. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m warning you. If you did anything to harm Roxy, I would never let you off.¡± Joanna choked in anger and replied coldly, ¡°I¡¯m also worried about her and looking for her everywhere! ¡°I¡¯m warning you onest time. I haven¡¯t seen Roxanne for a long time. If you ndered me again, I would not be so polite to you.¡± Derick directly hung up the phone. Joanna was even more frustrated. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Although she no longer had a good impression of Roxanne, Roxanne was still her sister. If something happened to Roxanne, she had to show some concern. Beep¡­ Joanna couldn¡¯t help but call Zachary. Anyway, Roxanne was with Zachary before she went missing. ¡°Sorry! The subscriber you dialed can not be connected for the moment, please redialter¡­¡± Joanna called Zachary a few times in a row, but she only heard the customer service reply. Needless to say, Zachary must have cklisted her number. ¡°Andy, I want to go to the Garcia Group. Arrange a car immediately.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the Garcia Group, Zachary sat in the office, a little out of his wits. These few days, he had lived a hard life. Every night, when he closed his eyes, he would have a dream about Roxanneing back to take his life. Moreover, there seemed to be Roxanne¡¯s fragrance everywhere in the office, which caused Zachary to dare not to stay there alone. Fortunately, he had a lot of mistresses and assistants. A young and beautiful assistant asked sweetly, ¡°Mr. Garcia, why are you looking so worried? ¡°Smile, please. I haven¡¯t seen you smile in a long time. The assistant had a hot figure and sat on Zachary¡¯s thighs directly. In the past, she was also Zachary¡¯s mistress. However, ever since Roxanne came, her limelight had been stolen. Now that Roxanne was finally gone, she had to perform well. Zachary was burning with anxiety and was not in the mood to flirt. ¡°Don¡¯t bother me. I¡¯m annoyed.¡± The assistant pouted and said jealously, ¡°Mr. Garcia, are you missing Roxanne? ¡°What¡¯s so good about her? What if she left? I will always be with you¡­¡± It would have been fine if the assistant hadn¡¯t mentioned Roxanne. Once she did, Zachary hit the roof instantly. ¡°Get out of here! Don¡¯t fucking bother me!¡± Zachary was distraught and roared at the assistant. Right now, he only wanted someone quiet to apany him and did not intend to do anything else. Unexpectedly, the assistant was chattering non¨Cstop, which upset him a lot. The assistant left aggrievedly. Another male assistant knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Mr. Garcia, Ms. Haynes is here.¡± Upon hearing ¡°Ms. Haynes¡°, Zachary was scared. He stammered and asked, ¡°Ms¡­ Ms. Haynes? Which Ms. Haynes?¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, the current president of the Everett Group.¡± Zachary rxed a little and heaved a long sigh of relief. He med the assistant in his heart. ¡°He didn¡¯t make things clear enough and almost scared me to death. ¡°I even thought that Roxanne was back to me.¡± Zachary said coldly, ¡°Make yourself clearer, okay? Is Joanna here?¡± ¡°Yes. Miss Haynes is downstairs right now. She said she has something important to talk to you, Mr. Garcia.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t see her. Just tell her that I¡¯m not here.¡± Zachary had a premonition and left the office hurriedly with his car keys. Joanna muste because of Roxanne. Zachary hurried down to the underground parking lot. Unexpectedly, before he could get into the car, Joanna suddenly appeared. ¡°Mr. Garcia.¡± Zachary had a guilty conscience and was frightened by Joanna¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡­ Why are you here?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened as she stared coldly at Zachary. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯m here to ask you where Roxanne went.¡± More than ten bodyguardsing with Joanna surrounded Zachary. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Where did Roxanne go? She¡¯s been with you since the incident. I couldn¡¯t contact her.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯ve seen her before¡­¡± Chapter 518 Chapter 518 ¡°Impossible. She was with you all the time. How could you not have seen her?¡± Joanna did not believe Zachary¡¯s exnation. Zachary was a little exasperated, and his tone became unfriendly. ¡°Please, she¡¯s an adult and can go wherever she wants. Can I control her? ¡°She¡¯s your sister. She¡¯s missing, and you¡¯re asking me for her whereabouts? How ridiculous. You can only me yourself for not taking good care of her.¡± Joanna froze for a moment, and her tone was no longer polite. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯ve called the police. I believe the police will soon intervene in the investigation. I hope you¡¯re telling the truth¡± ¡°Go ahead! Even if I go to the police station, I¡¯ll give the same answer.¡± Zachary pretended to be calm, but he panicked in his heart. He kept thinking about whether there was any key evidence that he had missed. He hoped that no one would find Roxanne¡¯s body. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I want to ask you, Mr. Garcia.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Joanna crossed her arms and stared at Zachary coldly. ¡°Miss Garcia came to me just now and said a lot of strange things to me.¡± Zachary¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Joanna warily. ¡°What did she tell you?¡± ¡°She asked me to leave Bruce, saying that she had a way to get Bruce out.¡± ¡°So, I want to ask, do you know the method she mentioned?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Did she really say that to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Garcia said that you have a way to save Bruce. So I¡¯d like to ask you what exactly it is.¡± Joanna deliberately tricked Zachary, The corners of Zachary¡¯s lips twitched. He replied angrily, ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯m not a judge. What can I do?¡± ¡°Then why is Miss Garcia so sure that she has a way to save Bruce?¡± ¡°That¡¯s her business, and you should ask her. How can I know her inner thoughts?¡± Zachary¡¯s eyes glinted with a hint of guilty. A mixture of anger, hatred, and helplessness appeared in his heart. He thought, ¡°Jennie has indeed gone crazy. How could she go to Joanna? Wasn¡¯t she exposing herself? ¡°Was she afraid that others would be unaware that I was the one who schemed against Bruce behind the scene?¡± ¡°I have something urgent to deal with. Let¡¯s talk another day,¡± Zachary said resentfully and was eager to leave. Zachary¡¯s bodyguards also came. Joanna guessed that Bruce¡¯s ident was definitely rted to Zachary, However, Bruce was still in the detention center. She could not fall out with Zachary for the time being. Zachary got into the car and left in a hurry. Tatiana nced at Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, let¡¯s go back.¡± Joanna let out a breath and instructed a few bodyguards, ¡°Continue to look for Roxanne these few days. If there¡¯s any news, let me know immediately.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. We will try our best.¡± Soon, both Derick and Joanna called the police. The police began to file an investigation. However, no one had found Roxanne¡¯s body, and Zachary¡¯s motive to murder couldn¡¯t be proved. The police could only treat it as an ordinary missing person case. They called Zachary to the police station to learn the situation and then let him go back. In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year. Joanna went to work as usual. Chapter 318 As soon as she entered the office, Andy rushed over to report, ¡°Miss Haynes, bad news!¡± ¡°What happened¡± ¡°The Green Bay Project has been halted. The construction site has been forcefully closed, and all the workers have been dispersed Joanna¡¯s heart sank ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I heard that someonemed that the approval for the Green Bay Project was not qualified. It was an illegal construction and destroyed the ecological environment in Green Bay¡± Joanna¡¯s expression changed when she heard that ¡°Call an emergency meeting immediately¡± ¡°Okay¡± In the conference room, other shareholders had alto received the reset and all looked anxious. A least a billion dors was invested in the Green Bay Project. If the project seat stopped, they would suffer a great low ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do? ¡°How worrying. We have invested so much money in Green Bay Project 1 it¡¯s suddenly stopped. The construction site is forcefully closed, and even the funds have been frozen¡± ¡°Everyone don¡¯t be anxious Let¡¯s look into the situation first¡± ¡°The approval clearly states that the construction of the Green Bay Project is qualified Why did someone suddenly check the contract and said that the project would destroy the ecologicalment) It is obvious that he is looking for trouble¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even the funds in our ounts have been frozen If the project is over, we¡¯ll lose everything?¡± The other shareholders assets naturally could notpare to Besser¡¯s. They had invested almo all of their assets in the Green Bay Project They could not afford the potential losses. The major shareholders were burning with anxiety ¡°I¡¯ll go to Mossbourne tomorrow to find out more¡± ¡°The project has been suspended What¡¯s the use of going to Mos relevant departments in Mossbourne will be on ammual leave¡± wout to be Christmas, and the ¡°It¡¯s such a big project We¡¯ll losr hundreds of thousands of dors a day if it is stopped. How can we cover the loses Two shareholdersined. They did not have much money, unlike Bruce who and didn¡¯t have to care about the lona. Most of the shareholders took out a loan from the bank and borrowed investment funds from somewhere else. So, just a day¡¯s interest was enough to make them anxious Now that the project had stopped there were were not any profits, and they were naturally flustered ¡°Everyone calm down. Since there¡¯s a problem, we have to think of a way to solve it.¡± Liam¡¯s face turned gloomy as he said. ¡°You¡¯re now the chairman of the Everett Group You have to quickly think of a way to cover the current losses¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°That¡¯s right As the leader, Miss Haynes, you have to bear all the responsibility and losses¡± The shareholders all began to Target Joanna Joanna frowned, and she could onlyfort others first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will bear all the losses during the suspension.¡± When the shareholders heard that, they were all relieved. ¡°Then it¡¯s sefiled. All losses and expenses during the shutdown will be covered by Miss Haynes¡± Joanna did not say anything else After saying that the meeting was over, she left the conference room Now, others were waiting to see her make a fool of herself, hoping that she wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the pressure and Take the initiative to give up the position of president. However, the more pressure she faced, the more strong¨Cminded Joanna would be. She had no intention of giving up and fulfilling their wishes. No matter what happened, she had to hold on until Bruce was released from prison. After work Joanna went back to Sherane Bay Vi The children were busy in the living room, their faces stained with flour. ¡°Momo, you¡¯re back¡± Joanna put down her bag and looked at her children in shock. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Irvin replied happily, ¡°We¡¯re helping Miranda make a roasted turkey!¡± ¡°Roasted turkeys?¡± Joanna was stunned. Miranda walked out of the kitchen with a te of flour. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s only several days before Christmas Eve, and I think we can prepare a roasted turkey in advance to kill time. My family usually did so.¡± Miranda was from a big family, and she and her family enjoyed gathering and cooking together during festivals. Chapter 519 Chapter 519 Now, although Miranda moved to Sherane Bay Vi, she still retained the habit. ¡°Christma¡¯s Eve ising soon¡­¡± Joanna heaved a sigh and went upstairs to change her clothes. Recently, she had been busy with work and ignored the date. Unexpectedly, a new year was about to begin soon. After a while, Joanna changed her clothes and walked downstairs. The children were making a roasted turkey themselves, and she joined them. Lilia brought a bowl of sauce and asked excitedly, ¡°Mommy, look! Did I make it well?¡± Joanna took a look and praised. ¡°Yes, it looks pretty good. Lilia, you are so awesome.¡± Certainly, a six¨Cyear¨Cold child was not good at cooking. However, Joanna thought that she should praise Lilia¡¯s work and encourage Lilia more. ¡°Mommy, will Daddye back during Christma?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. When Davian heard Lilia¡¯s words, a hint of maturity beyond his age appeared on his little face. ¡°Lilia, even if Daddy is not with us, we have to celebrate Christma happily with Mommy.¡± Lilia fell silent. Her big eyes were filled with disappointment. Worried that Joanna would be sad, Davian and Irvin had been racking their brains to make her happy. ¡°Mommy, you have to eat moreter. We made it in person.¡± ¡°Okay. I will finish the roasted turkey all.¡± Joanna smiled gently, affirming their hard work. Although Davian and Irvin were smiling, Joanna could tell that they also wanted Bruce toe back. ¡°If your daddy knows that you guys miss him so much, he will be very happy. If he knows that you guys are getting more and more sensible, he will be even happier.¡± The three little guys looked at Joanna in unison. ¡°Mommy, is it true?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Mommy, can you bring us to see Daddy?¡± Lilia asked carefully. Joanna was stunned again. If she brought three children to the detention center, she might have no way to exin what exactly happened to Bruce to them. Besides, she didn¡¯t want them to know too much about Bruce¡¯s current situation. After all, being in detention was not a good thing. Lilia pouted and begged in a childish voice, ¡°Mommy, just bring us there! We miss Daddy very much, and we really want to see him.¡± Joanna subconsciously looked down at the three little guys. They looked at her expectantly. ¡°Alright. As long as you¡¯re obedient, I will bring you to see your daddy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! We miss Daddy badly!¡± The three little guys instantly cheered. Joanna¡¯s heart ached slightly. It was said that children¡¯s feelings were the purest. Whether they liked someone or not, they would express themselves. directly. In just a year, Bruce hadpletely won the children¡¯s hearts, and it meant that he was a qualified father. Lilia looked at the yet¨Cto¨Cbe¨Ccooked roasted turkey and smiled brightly like a sunflower. ¡°Mommy, I want to keep some of the roasted turkey. I¡¯ll bring it to Daddy when I go to see him.¡± ¡°No need. Even if you bring it over, Daddy can¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Irvin quickly replied, ¡°Are you a fool? The roasted turkey will go bad in a few days. Daddy will have a stomachache if he eats ¡°We can put it in the fridge and freeze it. On the day we go to see Daddy, we can heat it before bringing it to him.¡±) Joanna smiled and did not want to disappoint the children. ¡°Alright, keep half of it for your daddy. We¡¯ll eat the rest.¡± She could not stop the children from being filial to their daddy. ¡°Miranda, make the roasted turkey now.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do it now¡­¡± Twenty minutester, Miranda brought out the cooked roasted turkey. ¡°Joann, kids, the roasted turkey is ready. Enjoy it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miranda.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The next day. Joanna went to work as usual. It would be Christmas¡® leave a few dayster. She had to hurry up and deal with her work. After the meeting with the directors, Joanna decided to make a trip to Mossbourne and figured out why the Green Bay Project was suddenly suspended. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you really going to Mossbourne?¡± ¡°Yes. I have to learn more about the situation of the Green Bay Project.¡± Andy nodded. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll go arrange a car now.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Beep¡­ Just as Joanna packed up her things and was about to go to Mossbourne, her phone rang. She took the phone and checked the caller ID. On the screen was an unfamiliar number. Joanna frowned but still picked up the call. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°This is me!¡± Jennie¡¯s arrogant voice came from the other side of the line. Joanna paused and asked with some disgust, ¡°Miss Garcia, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jennie could not help but tease. ¡°You¡¯re indeed forgetful. ¡°It seems that you didn¡¯t take what I said to heart. It¡¯s been so many days, but you didn¡¯t call me once.¡± Joanna sneered and said bluntly, ¡°Miss Garcia, I don¡¯t believe you. I don¡¯t believe that you are capable enough to save Bruce, either.¡± Jennie was so angry that her voice choked. ¡°Do you believe that he will be sued again soon?¡± Chapter 520 Chapter 520 ¡°If so, no one can save him.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jennie replied arrogantly, ¡°It means what it says.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re going to sue Bruce for bribery?¡± Jennie choked with anger and scolded, ¡°Are you crazy? I love Bruce so much. Why would I sue him?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not the one who used him, why are you so confident that you can withdraw the usation?¡± Jennie¡¯s face darkened. She did not know how to refute it for a moment. ¡°Were you behind the shutdown of the Green Bay Project?¡± Joanna suddenly asked. Actually, she knew that Jennie wasn¡¯t that capable. However, Jennie might more or less know some inside information. Jennie paused. She could tell that Joanna was worried about Green Bay Project. In order to make Joanna believe in her, she admitted it deliberately. ¡°You¡¯re not that stupid.¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before. As long as you leave Bruce, I promise to get him out.¡± Joanna raised an eyebrow. Jennie¡¯s tone turned cold as she continued, ¡°If you love Bruce truly, you should consider for his good. You are not worthy of him, and he should marry a woman as influential as me.¡± Joanna was speechless. She thought, ¡°How much does Jennie love that bastard Bruce? She does not care about her reserve and self¨Cesteem anymore. ¡°My love for Bruce might not beparable to hers.¡± Joanna said. ¡°You know that I¡¯m now the acting president of the Everett Group. Even if I want to leave, I can¡¯t just leave it behind only to fulfill your wish.¡± Jennie changed the topic. ¡°You can resign voluntarily and leave Greyport forever. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After you leave, Bruce will be released soon. When the timees, everything will return to normal.¡± Joanna was going crazy. ¡°Are you so sure that he will fall in love with you? What if you are overestimating yourself?¡± Jennie smiled arrogantly and said confidently, ¡°Without you, Bruce will definitely fall for me. Only I am worthy of him.¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, your way of thinking is really¡­ ¡®interesting Joanna could not help but mock. She originally wanted to say ¡®childish¡®, but she changed it to ¡®interesting. ¡°You still don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you. ¡°How about this? After you save Bruce, I promise you that I¡¯ll leave Greyport.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? What if you go back on your word?¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Joanna snorted. ¡°I mean what I say. I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± ¡°Hmph! Even if you go back on your word, I can¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°Then tell me, how can you trust me?¡± Jennie pondered for a moment before making a rather strange request. ¡°Tell Bruce that you¡¯ve fallen in love with another man and have to leave him forever.¡± ¡°Bruce won¡¯t believe it, Joanna replied indifferently. She was confident about it. Bruce would never believe that she would fall in love with another man so easily. Including Jaydon. Joanna agreed to Jaydon¡¯s proposal only to repay his kindness. It was not because of love, Jennie smiled. ¡°I have plenty of ways to make Bruce believe it. Or, you can have sex with another man and marry him ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a lover before? You can go to him.¡± Joanna had a headache. Jennie was indeed out of mind. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are going too far?¡± Jennie said. ¡°You have to separate from Bruce with a reasonable excuse. If Bruce finds out that you have sex with another man, he will agree to break up with you.¡± Joanna coughed twice and waspletely speechless, not knowing what to say. Jennie¡¯s mind was purely vicious. If Joanna agreed, there must be something wrong with her. ¡°How is it? Isn¡¯t it a good idea?¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, I think you¡¯d better go to the hospital to see if you are normal.¡± Joanna mocked unceremoniously. Jennie choked in anger and cursed, ¡°Joanna, what do you mean by that? ¡°Don¡¯t you want to save Bruce? I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a cheap woman. Bruce was just blind back then, or he wouldn¡¯t have chosen you¡­¡± Joanna did not want to continue arguing with Jennie. ¡°Miss Garcia, go ahead and do whatever you want. I¡¯m still busy. I don¡¯t have time to argue with you.¡± With that, Joanna hung up the phone. ¡°Hello? Hello¡­ Joanna, you damn bitch!¡± Jennie roared furiously. ¡°Since you don¡¯t follow my arrangements, I¡¯ll go straight to Bruce and tell him that I¡¯m the woman who loves him the most. ¡°No matter what happens, he has to marry me!¡± Jennie put away her phone. She took out a small mirror and carefully checked her makeup. She decided to go to the detention center to see Bruce. Chapter 521 Chapter 521 ¡°Mr. Everett, someone came to visit you¡± In the detention center, the guards brought Bruce to the visiting room Although Bruce was detained, everyone in the detention center was polite to him because of his special identity. Bruce thought that it was Joanna who hade, and he was overjoyed for a moment. However, as he reached the visiting room, he saw Jennie through the ss window. Bruce¡¯s face instantly darkened. He picked up the handset and said coldly, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Upon seeing Bruce, Jennie could not hide her excitement. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m here to see you.¡± Bruce frowned and sat opposite her gloomily. ¡°Bruce, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time. You¡¯ve lost some weight, and you look haggard. My heart aches so much.¡± Jennie felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes turned slightly red and were filled with tears. She touched Bruce¡¯s reflection on the ss affectionately. Bruce didn¡¯t say a word. He did not like Jennie and did not even want to see her. Seeing that Bruce was unwilling to chat with her, Jennie quickly cut to the chase and said ingratiatingly, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m getting someone to save you. ¡°Just wait a little longer. You¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked at Jennie in frustration. Other than himself, no one could save him from the crime he hadmitted. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me? ¡°Bruce, say something. I worked hard to get the chance to visit you here. I just want to talk with you and tell you the good. news.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and frowned. ¡°Go back right away. Don¡¯te here again.¡± As he spoke, he stood up and was going to return to the prison. Jennie panicked. She patted the ss window and shouted into the headset, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t leave so hurriedly. I have something important to tell you.¡± Bruce stopped in his tracks. His handsome face was expressionless. ¡°L.. L. Jennie hesitated. She was so anxious that she almost failed to hold back her tears. She was in a detention center, and she couldn¡¯t speak many things bluntly and openly. She could only express her intentions tactfully. ¡°Bruce, I¡­ If I help you out, are you willing to marry me?¡± Bruce felt nauseous. His brows furrowed tightly as he cursed inwardly, ¡°What a crazy woman! ¡°How can I marry her? It is simply her wishful thinking.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t intend to marry any woman except Joanna in his life. Moreover, under the current circumstances, he was unable to marry any woman. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Even if he was freed one day, he would transfer all his assets to Joanna. And he wouldn¡¯t get a marriage license with her, It was a way to protect Joanna and the children. Noticing Bruce¡¯s numb and disdainful expression, Jennie felt sad and said sincerely, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m serious. ¡°As long as you marry me, you¡¯ll definitely be fine. No matter how hard it is, I¡¯ll save you. ¡°Bruce, I love you. Are you still unwilling to give me a chance?¡± Jennie looked at Bruce pitifully with tears in her eyes. She thought, ¡°Bruce used to be high and mighty, and it was eptable that he didn¡¯t like me. ¡°But now, he was a prisoner. If I became his savior, he should be willing to marry me Bruce remained silent and was not touched at all. He had rejected Jennie more than once. Unexpectedly, the more ruthless he was, the more persistent she became. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so heartless to me? L.. I have given up all my pride and self¨Cesteem to love you. Can¡¯t you see my sincerity? Chapter 521 ¡°I can swear to heaven that I can give up everything for you if you¡¯re willing to be with me¡­¡± Bruce sighed slightly. ¡°Jennie, I¡¯m grateful that you think so highly of me. ¡°But I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t ept your love. I will only love one woman in my life.¡± Jennie became emotional instantly and raised her voice. ¡°Bruce, Joanna is not suitable for you, and she is unworthy of you. I can do whatever she can do for you. Even if there is something she can¡¯t do, I will do it for you! ¡°Why don¡¯t you try dating me? If you give me a chance, I¡¯m sure you will fall in love with me!¡± Jennie¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness, jealousy, and hatred toward Joanna. She shouted inwardly, ¡°What is so good about Joanna? Why is Bruce so obsessed with her?¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯te here again.¡± Bruce stood up and was about to leave. Jennie was rejected again, and she was angry and indignant. ¡°Bruce, would you rather go to jail than ept me? ¡°You have to think about it carefully. If you don¡¯t marry me, you might spend the rest of your life in prison. On the contrary, if you do, you will obtain your freedom quickly!¡± Jennie shouted into the handset at the top of her lungs, saying everything that was on her mind. Her maternal grandfather was a high official in the court. She could go to him for help at any cost. As long as Bruce agreed to be with her, she would do her best to get him out. Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy and indifferent. He did not even look at Jennie. It made Jennie disappointed and aggrieved. Her tears streamed down as she tried to convince Bruce. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t care if you love me. I only want you to be with me! ¡°If I get a chance, I¡¯ll make you fall in love with me bit by bit. Or, what type of woman do you like? I can change myself for you. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ept a woman who loves you? Why do you have to be infatuated with a woman who doesn¡¯t love you? ¡°Do you think Joanna loves you? She doesn¡¯t love you. If she did, she would give up everything for you. ¡°I¡¯m willing to sacrifice my life for you. Will she?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. Indeed. Joanna did not have much love for him now. He could only try his best to keep her by his side. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy of your love. Don¡¯t waste any more time on me.¡± After saying that, Bruce put down the phone and left without looking back. ¡°Bruce! Bruce¡­ Jennie patted the ss window in despair, her face filled with tears of grievance. She had been proud since she was young. So many men were attracted by her, yer she couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at them. But now, she had lowered herself to pursue a man but was mercilessly rejected by him. It was hard for Jennie to ept the fact. However, Bruce left heartlessly without looking back at her. ¡°Miss Garcia, time¡¯s up. You should go back.¡± ¡°Bruce, I feel sorry for you! You abandoned an outstanding woman like me and chose a bitch like Joanna!¡± Jennie was so angry that her face turned ashen. She could not understand why she had lost. Chapter 522 Chapter 522 Late at night! The Royal Holiday Nightclub. Zachary got very drunk and staggered out of the nightclub. He was with two hot girls, one on either side, his arms on them. Zachary didn¡¯t indulge in nightclubs for a long time after he had been in a rtionship with Roxanne. But now, Roxanne, the sticky ster, was finally shaken off. So he could again go back to the days when he was unrestrained. When the three people came out of the elevator and went down the stairs, the tall and slim girl supported Zachary tenderly and coquettishly said: ¡°Mr. Garcia, be careful!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. This bit of wine can¡¯t knock me out!¡± Zachary smiled drunkenly and pinched the girl¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Garcia, you¡¯re so naughty!¡± ¡°Pop, pop!¡± Zachary kissed the two girls on his right and left. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Get in the car! I¡¯ll take you to a good ce.¡± The driver had already opened the car door respectfully. One of the girls got into the back seat first. Then Zachary and the other one followed. They sat cuddling in the back seat. ¡°I had a good time today. I haven¡¯t been so happy in a long time!¡± The fair¨Cskinned girl with big boobs said flirtatiously. The fox¨Ceyed girl, who was tall and slim, also smiled gently: ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought Mr. Garcia had forgotten about us.¡± In the car. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. The two girls kept wheedling and fawning over Zachary! They were former beauty pageants but now were high¨Css courtesans in his nightclub. The car drove out of the parking lot. When the car turned the corner, Zachary suddenly caught a glimpse of a woman in a red dress with disheveled hair and at pale face. She resembled Roxanne so much! ¡°Ah, stop the car!¡± Zachary screamed in fear. The driver was shocked too and hurriedly braked. Suddenly, all of them in the car were thrown forward. ¡°What¡¯s happened? Mr. Garcia?¡± Zachary was half¨Cawake from drunkenness and looked back in panic. But the woman in the red dress was out of sight. Zachary was still in shock. His heart kept thumping. ¡°Mr. Garcia, anything wrong? You scared us. The tall and slim girl said coquettishly. Zachary took a few deep breaths and asked in fear. ¡°Did¡­ did you see a woman in red just now?¡± ¡°Where?¡± The two girls rolled down the car windows and looked back. It was already past three in the morning. The parking lot was dim and there were all kinds of luxury cars in the parking space. How could there be a woman in red? ¡°Mr. Garcia, you must be seeing things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why would there be a woman in red?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! You promised to be with us today.¡± The fair¨Cskinned girl wrapped her arms around Zachary¡¯s neck and kept wheedling. The two girls thought that Zachary was amazed by an attractive woman passing by, so they were jealous. Zachary¡¯s heart was still beating wildly. The cold sweat on his head kept flowing dowIL He was in such an unsettled state of mind! This was impossible. Roxanne was already dead. Chapter 522 Zachary remembered clearly that he had thrown her body into ake in the wilderness. ¡°It was impossible that she would be here.¡± Could it be that¡­ she had turned into a malicious ghost ande here to take his life? The more Zachary thought about it, the more flustered he became. Now his high¨Cspirited mood completely dissipated. ¡°Let¡¯s just gol Mr. Garcia, you must be seeing things!¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go.¡± Zachary keptforting himself. Perhaps he was seeing things, or maybe he was thinking about the woman every day and night that he was living on tenterhooks every day. Besides, he drank and got drunk. So it was normal for him to have hallucinations. The driver was also in confusion but he stepped on the elerator and drove away. The next day. Early in the morning. Joanna rushed to Porash with a group of people. ¡°Miss Haynes, Project Green Bay is ahead. We can go around the nearby area to have a look first.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°The person in charge of Project Green Bay has already been waiting in the office. We can ask him to exin in detail after we have some understanding of the nearby area.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna replied absent¨Cmindedly. She opened the car window and looked outside. She hadn¡¯t been to Mossbourne for months! On the way to Green Bay, she would pass by her factory. She was still a little worried after not visiting it for so long. ¡°Driver, make a U¨Cturn ahead and go to the factory first!¡± ¡°To the factory?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna replied. Her factory was still under normal operation! Jaydon and her held the shares of thepany. She had not seen Jaydon for almost half a year. She wondered what he had be now. As Joanna could not take care of the factory herself, she asked Michael and Nichs to run it. Although the two men were quite capable, they didn¡¯t own thepany. There were many things that they would not pay full attention to. Over the past half a year, thepany did not make a profit! Joanna seldom came to Mossbourne, so she decided to have a check there today. Soon, the driver made a U¨Cturn on the left¨Chandne ahead. Ten minutester. The car had already arrived at the entrance of the factory. The driver got off the car and immediately opened the door, and Joanna got off. The factory was still operating normally butcked vitality. Even the security guard at the door was drowsy. ¡°Who are you? You can¡¯te in ¡­¡± ¡°Just look who this is! Miss Haynes!¡± The security guard got tense and quickly put on his hat. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna frowned slightly and went into the factory with the group of people following, and she felt that something must have been amiss. Chapter 523 Chapter 523 It was ast¨Cminute decision toe and inspect. Therefore, Joanna did not call Nichs or Michael and walked straight to the office. In the office. Michael, Nichs, and two senior administrators were ying poker. The other clerks were lyingzily on the table, dozing. off Seeing this, Joanna felt she had fallen into an ice cave. ¡°Whatever are you doing here?¡± She sneered coldly. Michael and Nichs turned around and immediately broke out in cold sweat. Miss Haynes¡­¡± The two of them stood up immediately. As the table for ying poker was knocked over, pokers were everywhere. They never expected that Joanna would suddenlye to inspect. Joanna saw what was before her, her brows furrowed into a knot, and her facepletely darkened. She had not been here for more than four months, but thepany had be like this. Of course, she no longer needed to rack her brains to earn money, for Bruce gave her so much money that she couldn¡¯t use it up even for several lifetimes. Though this factory did not make much money, it was founded by Jaydon and her through painstaking work. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Michael stammered: ¡°Miss Haynes, what brings you here?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t havee, should I?¡± ¡°Ah, no, no, no¡­¡± ¡°Is it working hours?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± Miss Haynes¡® face darkened and he sneered. ¡°Whatever are you doing here?¡± ¡°We¡­ Michael stammered. The sweat on his forehead started to drip down again. He was the general manager of thepany. Now that thepany was in such a state, how could she not be angry? Joanna used toe to inspect the factory from time to time, so they had to work hard. Now, even though Joanna didn¡¯t show up for a few months, their sry and various benefits were still paid as usual. As for the operation of the factory, it waspletely up to them. Over time, they began to pocket money and treat the factory as their private business. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, I¡¯m really disappointed with you two.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, we, we thought that you don¡¯t care about this factory any longer.¡± The two of them stammered. Indeed, Miss Haynes was now the acting president of the Everett Group and could allocate and spend all the assets under Bruce Everett This factory was invested only several million dors. To them, it was just a drop in the ocean. The other employees also straightened their backs and did not dare to make a sound. With a cold face, Joanna turned around and walked towards the workshop. Most of the workers had already left. In the few workshops that were barely operating, only a few workers were there and they all looked listless. It was obvious that they were cking off Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart turned even colder. It was not too much of a big deal if thepany incurred losses, but Jaydon¡¯s six million dors for investment was included. Thepany was almost bankrupt now. How was she going to exin this to Jaydon? ¡°Miss Haynes, we, we¡¯ll rectify it immediately!¡± Joanna did a round of checks. She really wanted to fire Michael and Nichs on the spot. But on second thought, she suppressed her anger. The two of them had worked hard to set up the factory with her. Chapter 523 You have one month to get this factory on the move again.¡± ¡°Next month, if the profits don¡¯t improve, you¡¯ll all pack up and leave!¡± ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes! We understand. We will do our best. Thank you, Miss Haynes, for giving us another chance¡­ Michael and Nichs were so terrified and so cautious! ¡°Roxanne, let¡¯s go! It¡¯s gettingte. We still have to rush to Green Bay¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go now. Tell the people there that we areing right now.¡± After saying that, Joanna left with his assistants and her cold face. ¡°Oh! Dear god! I was almost scared to death. Why did Miss Haynes suddenlye over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s already the richest woman in Greyport. How would she still be interested in this asset?¡± Several million dors was an astronomical figure to ordinary people, but to people of the Everett Group, it was just a drop in the ocean. So, they thought that Joanna had already given up on this company. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up! Project Green Bay is more important.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. In the car. Joanna looked extremely surly. As expected, she had to do so many things in person. She had yet to go to thepany market of Greene Town. It had been a long time since she went to Greene Town. Probably, the work efficiency there was not so much better. Moreover, Cora was pregnant, so she did not have much energy to take care of the company. But as she had spent all her energy on the Everett Group, she really could not spare any energy to manage these things. When this inspection was done, she really had to pick a capable person and make some adjustments. Taking a step back. even if thatpany really closed, she had to keep Jaydon¡¯s investment. It didn¡¯t matter if she lost money, but she didn¡¯t want Jaydon Grimm¡¯s money to go down the drain as well. Half an hourter. Joanna and the group of people arrived at the base of Project Green Bay. The Real Estate Green Bay owned more than 10,000 acres ofnd here and a nearby sea area was even a gimmick for it. Chapter 524 Chapter 524 Half an hourter, the car arrived at Green Bay¡¯s premises. It was the end of the year, and the project had stopped. Nobody was around except for the security guards guarding the materials. Donald Hall, the person in charge of the project, and a few vice presidents were already waiting at the door. After Joanna got out of the car, they quickly approached her with a respectful demeanor. ¡°This is Miss Haynes, Andy introduced. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes!¡± Donald and the other vice presidents stepped forward to shake hands with Joanna. ¡°Hello¡± Joanna reached out and shook hands with Donald first. Following that, Andy began to introduce the people in charge of the project. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is Mr. Hall. ¡°He¡¯s the overall person in charge of this project. These two are vice presidents, Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Yancey.¡± Donald smiled. ¡°Thank you foring. You must be tired from the trip. Miss Haynes.¡± Donald was about 50 years old and had a stout figure. He was wearing a suit and had a rounded belly. Donald had a full head of shiny ck hair. There was not a single strand of white hair. He should have dyed his hair often. He looked younger than his actual age. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯ve had a long journey and must be tired. We have already booked a table at a hotel for lunch. Let¡¯s have a meal before discussing work.¡± Donald spoke like a sordid merchant.. It was obvious that he was a wily old fox. Andy frowned. ¡°Miss Haynes came over to get an understanding of the situation here. We should talk business first.¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°We can¡¯t do that! It¡¯s almost noon. No matter what, we still got to eat,¡± Donald insisted. Joanna hated attending such social engagements. ¡°No need. You should just tell us about the project¡¯s current status.¡± Upon hearing that, Donald said with a solemn expression, ¡°Okay. It¡¯s said that there are rare aquatic animals in this sea, so we can¡¯t do thend remation here. ¡°Also, they uncovered many ancient tombs from thisnd. A few archaeologists deliberately found fault with us andined that ourpany destroyed ancient artifacts. They want to build an archeological base here.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. ¡°How¡¯s thewsuit now?¡± Donald replied, ¡°Oh, regarding that¡­ It¡¯s almost the end of the year, so all the relevant departments are closed. ¡°No matter how anxious we are, we can only deal with this after the new year. ¡°Besides, all the workers have gone home for Christmas, so they can¡¯t start work now.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds before she said, ¡°I¡¯m not rushing you guys to start work. I¡¯m just here to understand the situation.¡± Donald said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a way to handle this. ¡°However, I need some time. As for those archaeologists¡­ I¡¯ll have a talk with them when the time comes.¡± ¡°Be tactful when negotiating. Don¡¯t make things worse,¡± Joanna reminded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re all reasonable people. We definitely won¡¯t use violence on them,¡± said Donald. When Joanna heard this, she felt a little more at ease. ¡°That¡¯s good. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the sea and take a look. Also, get the designers and engineers to propose a few rectification ns. See if there¡¯s for us to achieve the greatest value of this project without doing thend remation¡± a way ¡°All right, I¡¯ll inform the engineerter and give them ten days to hand over the reform n,¡± Donald said. Joanna nodded. ¡°All right!¡± Donald appeared to be an obese andzy man, but he did pay great attention to Green Bay¡¯s project. ¡°Miss Haynes, what else do you want to know? You can ask me if you have any queries,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d like to take another look around,¡± Joanna said. Donald had a solemn look on his face. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll bring you there now. ¡°The few of you, go and find a few safety helmets. Chapter 524 ¡°Please bring your safety helmet along, Miss Haynes, as there is a risk of falling objects at construction. This is something inevitable.¡± Joanna, Andy, and the others all put on their safety helmets. Then, under Donald¡¯s lead, they entered the construction site. Building materials were everywhere inside. The cranes were not operating, but the foundation had already been built. They would make quicker progress if they only needed to do construction. Theypleted the inspection of the construction site. Joanna went to the sea area in the vicinity to take a look. Therge sea also belonged to theirnd. They originally nned to reim thend. However, the relevant departments did not allow them to do so now. If both sides were unable to reach apromise, they would have to make changes to their n. Joanna thought about it. It was fine if they could not do thend remation. Perhaps they could build an aquarium instead and turn it into a tourist attraction. An hourter, they finished inspecting most of the ces. The rest of the problems could only be resolved after the new year. Donald concluded, ¡°So that¡¯s basically our current situation. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Haynes. After the New Year, we¡¯ll definitely get someone from the relevant department to make an exception for us.¡± Joanna said. ¡°Try to apply and get approval for thend remation. If you really can¡¯t get it, we¡¯ll change our strategy or n.¡± ¡°Okay, so that¡¯s it,¡± Donald said. After saying that, he looked down at his watch. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s already past one in the afternoon. Let¡¯s have a meal!¡± Joanna shook her head slightly. ¡°No need! We still have to rush back to Greyport.¡± Donald said. ¡°But we have already booked the hotel¡­ ¡°There¡¯s really no need.¡± Joanna interrupted. She smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t be eating. I¡¯d rather spend more effort on the project and solve the problem as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. After the annual leave is over, I¡¯ll immediately look for the relevant departments,¡± Donald reassured. Joanna said, ¡°Okay, then that¡¯s settled. ¡°Andy, ask the driver to drive the car here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Andy replied and quickly called Kody. Joanna and the others did not stay for dinner. They insisted on leaving after the inspection. Joanna had basically understood the situation here and felt a little more at ease. However, the relevant departments were all on holiday. nning and marketing were her forte. Joanna originally wanted to take a look there, but she could only wait until after the New Year. ¡°Miss Haynes, please get in!¡± Andy said. ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna replied When Joanna returned to Greyport, it was already past three in the afternoon. Andy asked respectfully, ¡°Miss Haynes, should I send you back to thepany or Sherane Bay Vi?¡± Joanna thought for a moment. ¡°Send me to the detention center!¡± ¡°Are you going to see Mr. Everett?¡± Andy asked. ¡°Yup!¡± Joanna said. ¡°Kody, to the detention center, Andy instructed. ¡°Will do,¡± replied the driver. Twenty minutester. Kody stopped the car in front of the detention center. Joanna got out of the car and entered the conference room under thewyer¡¯s lead. Chapter 524 In the meeting room. Joanna sat on the stool and waited anxiously. After thewyer and the guard hadpleted the visitation procedures, Bruce finally came over. Just like a few days ago, Bruce was wearing a prison uniform. His head was shaved clean and shone as if it had been polished. Although Bruce was still handsome. he looked exactly like a criminal now. Joanna took the phone and called out softly, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce sat down on the other side of the ss window. As soon as he picked up the phone, he comined unhappily, ¡°Why haven¡¯t youe to see me for so many days?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I just came overst week. Joanna said. Bruce snorted. ¡°It¡¯s already been a week. You¡¯re finally willing toe and see mel¡± Bruce frowned with dissatisfaction. Joanna sighed. She had slightly red¨Crimmed eyes. This was the first man she slept with and the father of her children. How could she not be worried when he was in jail? ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°You¡¯ve already said everything, what else is there for me to say?¡± Joanna said. Chapter 525 Chapter 525 ¡°Did you miss me?¡± Bruce smiled mischievously. He stared at her, eyes zed with desire. In response, Joanna merely rolled her eyes. ¡°I miss you so much every night that I can¡¯t sleep. Do you feel the same as me?¡± Bruce asked. Joanna rolled her eyes again. ¡°Pervert!¡± Bruce smiled evilly at her. ¡°I¡¯m just expressing my true feelings. How am 1 a pervert?¡± After saying that, he smiled even more wickedly at her. From the beginning to the end, Bruce was not a good man, much less an upright gentleman who practiced abstinence. On the contrary, Bruce was a man with aplicated personality. He was a domineering, cunning, and scheming man. He would rather betray the world than let anyone betray him. Of course, he did not care to be a righteous gentleman. ¡°Can we not talk about this?¡± Joanna frowned. Bruce looked indifferent. ¡°If we don¡¯t talk about this, what should we talk about? ¡°Hurry up and tell me, how much do you miss me? I think about you every moment.¡± Joanna waspletely speechless. ¡°How mushy! I¡¯ve really got to hand it to you! You¡¯re already in the detention center, yet you still have the mood to think about that.¡± Bruce felt very scornful. I am a normal man. It would be abnormal if I didn¡¯t think about women.¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna truly had no words. ¡°Fine! What you said sounds reasonable.¡± Joanna was toozy to argue with him. Bruce was already in the detention center, and there was no telling when he would be released. She would let him have fun with his words. ¡°I went to inspect the Green Bay project today!¡± Joanna said. Bruce froze before making a sound of acknowledgment. ¡°How is it?¡± he asked. Joanna answered, ¡°Someoneined that we had illegally seizednd for the project, so it¡¯s been called off. ¡°Today, I went over to understand the situation. Donald told me about some problems that we currently have. He said that there was a problem with getting the approval for thend remation. Additionally, there are several ancient tombs discovered at the construction site. ¡°Now, there¡¯s a group of archeologists who insist on building an archeological base. They im that they want to protect the ancient tombs, but I feel that they¡¯re deliberately causing trouble. ¡°Donald said that it¡¯s already been resolved, but everyone is on their annual leave now. We can only deal with the relevant departments next year.¡± When Bruce heard this, he stroked his chin. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s not a big problem. With Donald around to help you, you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± Bruce acknowledged Donald¡¯s ability. Joanna narrowed her eyes in sadness. She said softly. ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas. Take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Bruce said. Through the ss window, they gazed deeply into each other¡¯s eyes. Time gradually passed. In the blink of an eye, visiting hours were about to end. The desire in Bruce¡¯s eyes vanished. In its ce was a deep longing. A deep look came over his face. ¡°Honey, I love you so much. ¡°Do you love me? I really want to hear you say that you love me.¡± When Joanna heard this, she tsked. She could not bring herself to say such mushy stuff. After holding it in for a while, Joanna replied, ¡°We¡¯re already an old married couple. It¡¯s too mushy to talk about this every day.¡± Chapter 525 An old married couple. He liked this form of address. At least, Joanna still treated him as her husband. Joanna suddenly remembered something important. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something else that I want to tell you!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce leaned close to the ss window and looked at her affectionately. Joanna hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him what Jennie had said. What if Bruce was willing? If Jennie could get Bruce out, Joanna was willing to leave this rtionship and give them her blessing. ¡°Well, Jennie came to see me,¡± Joanna said. Bruce immediately knew what Joanna was going to say. He snorted. ¡°She said that she had a way to get me out of here, right?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°She came to you, too?¡± she asked. Bruce said mercilessly, ¡°Ignore her. She¡¯s out of her mind.¡± ¡°Did she tell you the same thing?¡± Joanna pressed him for an answer. ¡°Honey, just ignore whatever she says.¡± Bruce smiled bitterly. Joanna countered, ¡°But what if she really has a way? ¡°If she can really save you, I can agree to her request¡­¡± Upon hearing that, a dark look came over Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°What I mean is, if she can really get you out of here, I¡¯m willing to give you two my blessing.¡± Joanna replied. Bruce¡¯s face fell. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Joanna paused, not knowing what to say. Bruce said. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll tell you onest time. Apart from me, don¡¯t trust what anyone else says. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Joanna nodded. As they were speaking, the guard walked in. ¡°Visiting time is over!¡± he said. Joanna stood up. She said with a mncholy expression. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave first, Bruce. I¡¯ll visit you again in a few days.¡± ¡°Okay. Bring Lilia along with you too. I miss her,¡± Bruce remarked. ¡°I will. The children miss you too,¡± Joanna said. After Joanna finished speaking, she walked out of the conference room, turning back repeatedly to look at Bruce. Bruce also watched her until her figurepletely disappeared. Only then did he withdraw his gaze. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s time to return to the cell,¡± the guard said. Bruce stood up silently and walked toward the cell.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter 526 Chapter 526 After leaving the detention center, Joanna was still in low spirits. She was used to Bruce being by her side. She was a little unustomed to the fact that he was suddenly locked up. ¡°Miss Haynes, are we going back to Sherane Bay Vi now?¡± Kody asked. ¡°Yes, but I want to go to Skyluxe Mall first. I have to buy something.¡± Joanna said. ¡°Will do,¡± said Kody. He started the car again and drove to Skyluxe Mall. This was the most luxurious shopping mall in Greyport. It sold high¨Cend goods and food. The children loved the cakes here. It was almost Christmas, so Joanna had to buy some Christmas goods. She also had to buy some gifts for the children. Fifteen minutester, Kody stopped the car at the entrance of Skyluxe Mall. Joanna got out of the car. As she intended to do some shopping, Joanna did not want too many people to follow her. Therefore, she only brought Tatiana and Andy. The rest waited outside for her. She had just entered the mall and had not shopped for long when a man wearing a mink trench coat approached her. He said. ¡°Oh! Miss Haynes, is that you? ¡°Long time no see! You¡¯re in the mood for shopping today?¡± Joanna turned around and saw that it was Marlowe. Out of courtesy, Joanna greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Yanice.¡± Marlowe¡¯s eyes were filled with mischief. ¡°What a coincidence meeting you here! Looks like there is a fated affinity between. Joanna shrugged, at aplete loss for words. This was the most high¨Cend mall in Greyport. Wealthy people liked to shop here. It was normal for them to meet here. Joanna could not be bothered to deal with such a person and walked away. Marlowe took a few steps after her. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be in such a hurry to leave! Let¡¯s have a chat! I¡¯ll treat you to coffee.¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes and replied coldly, ¡°Mr. Yanice, we aren¡¯t on such close terms yet.¡± ¡°I just want to be friends with you! By interacting more, naturally, we¡¯ll be friends,¡± Marlowe said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m in a hurry,¡± Joanna said. However, Marlowe kept following Joanna. He smiled craftily. ¡°Mr. Everett is in jail now. I think you must be very lonely, right? ¡°We¡¯re all young people anyway. What¡¯s wrong with making more friends? Besides, I¡¯m in no way inferior to Bruce.¡± When Joanna heard this, anger surged within her. Marlowe was up to no good. Joanna could not believe that he dared tease her openly like this. ¡°Mr. Yanice/please move aside. I¡¯m going shopping now!¡± Joanna said. Seeing this, Tatiana and Andy also went forward to stop Marlowe. Both of them had dark expressions. Joanna said, ¡°Mr. Yanice, please show some respect. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude to you.¡± Marlowe¡¯s face darkened. He smiled coldly at Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t you want to know your sister¡¯s whereabouts?¡± Joanna was about to leave, but when she heard his words, she immediately turned around. ¡°You¡¯ve seen Roxanne? You know where she went?¡± Joanna asked. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Marlowe remarked, ¡°Earlier, I said I wanted to treat you to a cup of coffee, but you had to reject me.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Mr. Yanice, my sister has been missing for several days. If you really saw her, please let me know!¡± Marlowe chuckled. ¡°Of course, I will, but aren¡¯t you going to treat me to a cup of coffee?¡± Chapter 526 Joanna continued to press Marlowe for answers about Roxanne¡¯s whereabouts. She did not stay mad at him anymore. ¡°Where on earth is Roxanne? Have you got her hidden away somewhere?¡± Marlowe said, ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m very thirsty now. If you want to ask me about your sister¡¯s whereabouts, don¡¯t you think you ought to treat me to a drink?¡± Joanna froze before saying, ¡°All right! There¡¯s a cafe here. I¡¯ll treat you to a drink here, Mr. Yanice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it, Marlowe said. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Andy coldly. ¡°All of you, wait outside. Don¡¯t disturb my conversation with Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± Andy said worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You guys wait outside!¡± Joanna instructed. This was a cafe. Joanna believed that Marlowe would not dare to try anything here. Andy had no choice but to wait with Tatiana at the cafe¡¯s entrance. Joanna and Marlowe entered the cafe. Most of the people here were couples or businessmen chatting. Hence, the booths were elegant and private. Marlowe deliberately chose a corner booth. ¡°Where is my sister?¡± Joanna asked anxiously. ¡°You¡¯re so direct. How unromantic of you!¡± Marlowemented. Joanna was seething with anger. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cwife to be so beautiful,¡± Marlowe added. ¡°Mr. Yanice, what do you mean by that?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Nothing at all. I¡¯m just praising you for being beautiful! It¡¯s really rare to see a natural beauty like you,¡± Marlowe answered. Joanna snapped, ¡°Where the hell is my sister? Please don¡¯t beat around the bush! My patience is limited. I don¡¯t have time to chat with you.¡± Marlowe said, ¡°Gosh! We¡¯ve barely spoken, so why are you angry? ¡°But I feel that the more bad¨Ctempered a woman is, the more charming she bes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind!¡± Joanna cursed and sshed coffee in Marlowe¡¯s face. She stood up and wanted to leave. ¡°Who are you calling crazy?¡± Marlowe¡¯s face turned cold instantly. He was looking for trouble, to begin with. ¡°Let go of me! What do you want?¡± Joanna said. Marlowe said. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re so rude! I¡¯m justplimenting you, why must you ssh coffee on me? ¡°However, I like women with your personality. The more shrewish you are, the more likable you are. The fiercer you are, the more charming you be. No wonder Mr. Everett likes you so much!¡± Chapter 527 Chapter 527 Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I used to think that you are a cultured and gentlemanly man, Mr. Yanice. I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d behave no differently from a local ruffian. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to tell me where Roxanne is, I won¡¯t ask anymore,¡± Joanna said and walked out carrying her bag. Although she thought of Roxanne as her younger sister, Roxanne might not think of her as an older sister. Now that Roxanne was missing. Joanna simply wanted to make sure that she was still alive. Since Marlowe knew where Roxanne was, it meant that she was still alive. Naturally, Joanna did not feel like meddling too much in this matter. Marlowe had a cold smile. ¡°Ha! How interesting¡­ One day, I¡¯ll make sure that youe crying to me!¡± He wiped the coffee stains on his face. His eyes had a crafty and cocky look in them. Hearing this, Joanna felt goosebumps spread all over her skin. However, she did not stop and continued to walk away. She walked out of the cafe. Tatiana and Andy had grave expressions. ¡°Miss Haynes, he didn¡¯t do anything to you, right?¡± they asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go,¡± said Joanna. Her mood waspletely ruined by Marlowe, so she was not in the mood to shop anymore. Joanna left the mall, wanting to head home. She arrived at the car park. Kody was surprised to see Joanna return so quickly. ¡°You¡¯re done shopping so quickly?¡± Usually, when Joanna came to Skyluxe, she would shop for at least two to three hours. This time, she was back in less than half an hour. That was really strange. ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡± Joanna instructed. She, Tatiana, and Andy got into the car. ¡°All right!¡± Kody did not dare to ask further. He started the car and drove out of the parking lot. The car drove steadily in the direction of Sherane Bay Vi. The bodyguards were in the car behind theirs. The distance between Skyluxe and Sherane Bay Vi was about half an hour by car. Kody was driving. As soon as he got off the ring road, he saw a ck car speeding toward them. Seeing this. Kody hurriedly turned the steering wheel. The car swerved and he barely avoided the oing car. The passengers behind were thrown off bnce by the sudden erratic motion of the car. Andy was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Do you even know how to drive?¡± Kody said exasperatedly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that car just now? It was driving in the reverse direction!¡± Joanna was also stunned. Her heart was beating wildly. ¡°Stop arguing¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, she heard a whistling sound. A car drifted and stopped in front of their car. ¡°Ah! Be careful!¡± Joanna cried out. There was a loud bang. Kody did not manage to step on the brake and their car crashed into the car in front of them. Both cars went out of control and started spinning. Joanna¡¯s car made a full 180¨Cdegree spin on the spot and the back of their car smashed into a few other cars. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna and Tatiana both shouted in rm. They were instantly locked in their seatbelts. Fortunately, the car was not driving very fast, so it did not overturn. The four of them were wearing seatbelts so they were not severely injured. ¡°Kody, what¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna asked. Kody was an experienced driver and would not make the mistake of tailgating. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car and see if anyone is injured.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression changed. She had a feeling that something was amiss. ¡°Don¡¯t get out of the car yet. Hurry up and call the police,¡± she said. Tatiana also looked around vigntly. ¡°Miss Haynes, be careful. I think you¡¯ve encountered an enemy.¡± There was a traffic jam, so the bodyguard¡¯s car was stuck at the previous intersection and could not catch up to Joanna¡¯s car. Chapter 527 Noticing that something was amiss, Kody did not dare to get out of the car. He started the car again and started to drive forward. As expected, the car had just started when something happened. Bang! Bang! Bang! Several gunshots broke through the car windows. A few men in ck behind them held guns as they speedily caught up with Joanna¡¯s car. Kody did not dare to stop the car. He stepped on the elerator and sped away. A few men in ck also quickly got into a car and chased after Joanna¡¯s car. Bang! Bang! Bang! More shots rang out. Kody grunted as he was shot in the left chest. He lost his hold on the steering wheel and the car crashed onto the treewn. ¡°Kody!¡± Joanna eximed. Tatiana and Andy could not attend to Kody now. ¡°Miss Haynes, get out quickly!¡± This was a critical moment. Their enemy was behind them. If the trio did not flee, they would die there and then. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. The car door opened. Tatiana and Andy escorted Joanna out of the car hurriedly. Bang! ¡°Ah!¡± Andy was shot in the back and fell heavily to the ground. Tatiana also took out her weapon and said urgently, ¡°Miss Haynes, you should leave first! I¡¯ll hold them back!¡± Joanna nced at Tatiana. Having no other choice, she could only leap across the treewn and run off into the distance. At the same time, the bodyguards car drove over. The five bodyguards got out of the car and hurriedly went to help Tatiana. At this time, Joanna had just run passed the opposite road. There was a deafening roar. A motocross bike stopped in front of her. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna cried out in rm. She tried to gain the upper hand by attacking first. On the motocross bike was a man wearing a helmet. ¡°Joann, get in the car!¡± he yelled. Joanna was momentarily stunned. She knew that he was not an enemy and quickly got on the bike. The man drove the bike down the alley and quickly shook off the people behind her. The man continued to drive for about 20 minutes. When he was certain that no one would catch up to him, he finally stopped the bike. ¡°Is it you, Jay?¡± Joanna thought. ¡°Joann, are you all right?¡± Jaydon took off his helmet, revealing his handsome face. He had a resolute expression. Seeing that it was indeed Jaydon, Joanna could not hide her excitement. ¡°Jay, it¡¯s really you! Why are you here?¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna with aplicated expression. Joanna suddenly paused. She asked gingerly, ¡°Jay, I¡­ I thought you lost your memory?¡± Jaydon did not say anything. The mncholy in his eyes deepened. Joanna¡¯s heart ached. She stared at Jaydon with a guilty gaze. Indeed It was impossible for him to lose his memory. Jaydon simply did not want to put her in a difficult position, so he deliberately pretended to lose his memory. Now that he saw that she was in danger, he could not keep up the pretense anymore. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry. 1-1 have let you down.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached. Tears welled in her eyes and blurred her vision. In this lifetime, Jaydon was the one who she had let down the most. She had no way of repaying his kindness. The corners of Jaydon¡¯s lips curled up. He reached out, and his palm gently caressed her cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. You didn¡¯t let me down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you hate me?¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes. Jaydon shook his head sadly. He knew very well that Joanna had been tricked by Bruce. Bruce was the one who had pestered Joanna and refused to let her go. How could she get away from him? Jaydon knew that even if Joanna got married to him, Bruce would still not be willing to let her go. He would use all kinds of methods to break them up. Therefore, Jaydon did not me Joanna. Even if he had to hate someone, it would be Bruce. ¡°It¡¯s not safe here. Let¡¯s go somewhere safe first, Bruce said. ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna said. Chapter 528 Chapter 528 Then, Jaydon and Joanna got back into the car again. Joanna felt calm in her heartpletely. At the same time, she was conflicted to the extreme. Bruce and Jaydon both loved her very much, and they had both sacrificed a lot for her. It was hard to answer the question about who Joanna loved. In fact, Joanna¡¯s feelings couldn¡¯t lie. The person she loved was actually Bruce. However, Joanna was deeply traumatized by her previous marriage. Because of that, she blocked all her love for Bruce. Joanna kept telling herself that she didn¡¯t love Bruce. Now, Bruce had forcefully taken down the walls in Joanna¡¯s heart. Bruce found a way into Joanna¡¯s heart again. As for Jaydon, what Joanna felt for him has been friendship and kindness from the beginning to the end. It was just that Jaydon was too good to her. Other than agreeing to his proposal, Joanna couldn¡¯t think of another way to repay him. After a while. At the Cloudtop Vi. Jaydon returned to his house with Joanna. ¡°Are you shocked? Have some water first.¡± Jaydon personally poured a cup of hot water for Joarma. ¡°Thank you.¡± This was Jaydon¡¯s home in Greyport. It was once the wedding house of Joanna and Jaydon. Joanna checked the ce around and felt a little sad. ¡°Jay, when did youe back?¡± Jaydon frowned slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve been back for a while.¡± Joanna felt her heart tremble. She said in a timid voice, ¡°How are your injuries? Have they healed yet?¡± ¡°Yes, they are fine now.¡± When Joanna heard that, she looked at Jaydon guiltily, not knowing what to say. ¡°What about you? How have you been?¡± Jaydon asked casually. Joanna bit her lower lip and nodded slightly. ¡°Does¡­ does he treat you well?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened as he asked inexplicably. Joanna knew that Jaydon was asking about Bruce. In fact, Bruce was the kind of person who was stubborn but soft¨Chearted. Sometimes, when he wanted to be good to someone, Bruce would do the opposite. For example, some men doted on a woman and would cook for her, wash her clothes, and say endless sweet nothings. As for Bruce, his way of showing love was very different. He would be very fierce, barbaric, and unreasonable. But in fact, this was just Bruce¡¯s way of expressing himself. The more he liked someone, the more he wanted to control them. Seeing that Joanna did not answer, Jaydon smiled slightly. Even if Joanna did not answer directly, Jaydon should have guessed that Bruce was very good to her. Bruce loved Joamma so much and had spent so much effort to keep Joanna by his side. How could Bruce not treat Joanna well? Moreover, Bruce had given all his assets to Joanna. The news had already spread throughout Greyport. Jaydon was well aware of that. It was often said that a man¡¯s heart was where his money was. The fact that Bruce was willing to give all his money to Joanna was enough to prove his unreserved love for her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you this. As long as you¡¯re doing well, I can rest assured As Jaydon spoke, her eyes could not help but turn red. Seeing this, Joanna felt terrible. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry. In this life¡­ we can only be friends. ¡°If there is a next life, I will definitely repay you¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, tears streamed down her face. Jaydon patted Joanna¡¯s shoulder andforted her gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is not your fault.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°In this life, I came to your life toote. If there was a next life, I would definitely arrive by your side faster than him.¡± Chapter 528 Joanna choked. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t hate me.¡± ¡°Silly girl, why would I? Why would I hate you? ¡°As you said, our rtionship was far beyond a romantic rtionship. We are not family, but it felt like we are more than family.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled with tears in her eyes and gently leaned on Jaydon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Jay, thank you! I don¡¯t want you to treat me like family in the future. You¡¯re like my brother.¡± Jaydon patted her back gently, but his heart was already hurting. Jaydon¡¯s love for Joanna was no less than Bruce¡¯s. It was just that Jaydon had bad timing. ¡°Joann, without Bruce, would you really fall in love with me?¡± Joanna was stunned. She paused for a few seconds before answering. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. In my next life, I¡¯ll definitely look for you earlier. Tears appeared in Jaydon¡¯s eyes. Joanna did not answer again. She just hugged Jaydon tightly. Jaydon was a good man. Although he was a yboy, he was also a principled person. Many men were yboys before marriage and had had enough fun before marriage. Once they got married, they would change their lifestyles and remain loyal only to their wives. However, those men who were usually honest and had never had any fun, after getting married, often could not resist the temptation With just a little flirtation, they would cheat. As for men who were used to all kinds of temptations, they would usually have enough fun before marriage. After getting married, they would be able to stop ying. Joanna was only in a momentary daze. She quickly came back to her senses. ¡°We have to call the police quickly. I wonder how Tatiana and Andy are doing?¡± ¡°I think these people rushed up. Don¡¯t show your face for the time being ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened again. Kody and Andy had both been shot. No one knew how they were doing now. Chapter 529 Chapter 529 Jaydon quickly called the police. Beep, beep, beep! Joanna quickly took out his phone and called Tatiana. She prayed that Tatiana was safe and sound. After a long time, Tatiana finally picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes¡­¡± ¡°Tatiana, how are you? Are you alright?¡± Joanna asked urgently. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Tatiana took a deep breath. Her voice was a little weak. Although Tatiana had not been shot, she had been stabbed in the abdomen during the fight with the criminal. She was now in the ambnce, rushing to the hospital for treatment. ¡°What about Kody and Andy? How are they doing?¡± Tatiana took a deep breath. ¡°The police have arrived. The criminals have already escaped. ¡°Kody and Andy have been sent to the hospital!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice paused. ¡°What about you? How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in an ambnce heading to the hospital!¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more worried. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll rush to the hospital now.¡± Tatiana took another deep breath. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t show your face for the time being. I¡¯m afraid the criminals will make aeback. ¡°Gael has already rushed over to the hospital with his men. ¡°If you want to stay safe, don¡¯t show yourself so easily!¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was in turmoil. Joanna hung up the phone. Joanna was still uneasy and wanted to go to the hospital to check on the three of them immediately. Who was the vicious person that wanted Joanna dead? Moreover, the person was so brazen as to chase after Joanna with a gun on the street. Jaydonforted Joanna. ¡°Joann, stay here for a few days. Don¡¯t show your face for the next few days. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°If there¡¯s something you want to know, I¡¯ll help you find out.¡± Joanna shook her head sadly. ¡°No, I have to go back to Sherane Bay Vi. The children are still at home. I¡¯m afraid the children will be in danger.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There are so many security personnel and bodyguards in Sherane Bay Vi. The criminals won¡¯t dare to attack them there!¡± Even though Joanna heard what Jaydon said, she still felt uneasy. In the past, Ingrid had hired someone to kill Joanna. And now, she didn¡¯t know who else would hate her so much. ¡°Could it be Marlowe? 1 offended him today¡­¡± Joanna muttered. On second thought, she felt that it was unlikely. Marlowe had just met her. It was a little illogical for Marlowe to hire an assassin to kill her immediately. Could it be Roxanne? Joanna couldn¡¯t figure it out. Now, Roxanne had been missing. It seemed reasonable to send an assassin to kill Joanna. However, judging from the fact that the men in ck dared to hurt people with guns, they probably didn¡¯te from an ordinary club. Even Roxanne probably did not have that ability. Jaydon frowned and reminded, ¡°Joanna, think about it. If you die, who will benefit the most?¡± ¡°Who would benefit the most?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes. Now that Bruce was in jail, no one knew when he would be released. Chapter 529 The Everett family did not have any other heirs. If Joanna died, her children would be the heirs of the Everett family. However, the children were still so young. They could not manage such a vast business empire as the Everett family. Thinking of this, Joanna felt a chill run down her spine. If she died and Bruce went to jail, the biggest beneficiary would probably be Liam. Liam was Bruce¡¯s biological uncle and the secondrgest shareholder of the Everett Group. If Joanna died, Liam would be the sessor. And because of this kinship. Liam would be the sessor to Joanna¡¯s three children. Thinking of this, Joanna shuddered. The person chasing after her was most likely sent by Liam. ¡°No. I¡¯d better get home. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll do something to the children.¡± Liam was Bruce¡¯s uncle. Although their rtionship was not good, they could still have a conversation. If something happened to Joanna, Liam might take this opportunity to go to the Everett family. Joanna knew what Liam wanted. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t panic now!¡± ¡°No, I really have to hurry home.¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll send you back.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Jaydon took the car key and left with Joanna. Half an hour passed. At the Sherane Bay Vi. The two of them hurried over. As expected, Liam had already arrived with his men. ¡°Mr. Miller, why are you here?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes¡­¡± Liam¡¯s eyes darkened! Liam was ying with the three children in the living room. When he saw Joanna rushing back, there was a strange glint in his eyes. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia.¡± ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally back?¡± ¡°Granduncle brought us a lot of gifts!¡± Davian and Irvin smiled happily and showed Joanna the gifts Liam had brought for them. Joanna¡¯s heart trembled as she looked at Liam with hostility. Liam did note with good intentions. If he came at this time, he definitely wanted to do something bad. ¡°Mr. Miller, why are you here?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was cold and sharp. Liam frowned at Joanna¡¯s attitude and replied unhappily, ¡°Bruce is in trouble now. Shouldn¡¯t Ie over to see his children? What¡¯s with that tone? Even if you don¡¯t wee me, you shouldn¡¯t treat me with such an attitude. I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s uncle after all. You should call me uncle.¡± Chapter 530 Chapter 530 Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with vignce. Shepletely ignored Liam¡¯s exasperation. Joanna would not react so dramatically if Liam just came to visit on any other day. But today, Joanna had just been shot by the criminals, and Liam hade to the door. It was hard not to connect the two things. In particr, if something happened to Joanna and her child. Liam would undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiary. ¡°Mr. Miller, it¡¯s gettingte. I think it¡¯s time for you to leave. I won¡¯t keep you for dinner.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was in turmoil as she directly ordered Liam to leave. When Liam heard this, he was even angrier. Bruce, Liam¡¯s nephew, did not take Liam seriously. Now, even Joanna was going against Liam. How the husband and wife were in cahoots was disgusting for Liam. ¡°Hmph!¡± Liam snorted and walked away. Liam left the house. Davian and Irvin looked at their mommy in confusion. ¡°Mommy, why are you so angry toward Granduncle?¡± Usually, their Mommy was very gentle. She was especially polite when she face her elders. But today, Joanna was like a bulldog. She was not gentle at all. ¡°Davian, Irvin. In the future, when Mommy is not by your side, you can¡¯t ept anything from anyone.¡± As Joanna spoke, she took away all the gifts that Liam had given to the children. After all, there were a lot of radioactive chemicals now. A little bit of them mixed into a child¡¯s toy would produce a huge amount of radiation, causing the child to be unconsciously prone to a serious illness. Now, all Joanna cared about was her children. She had to be prepared in advance for even the slightest danger. The two little guys looked at the brand new limited edition toy and were reluctant to part with it. ¡°Mommy¡­ Joanna coaxed her children patiently. ¡°Be good. What do you like? Mommy can buy it for you. Don¡¯t ept gifts or food from strangers, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know!¡± Davian and Irvin replied and obediently handed all the toys to the servants. Joanna frowned and said, ¡°Lilian, Ryodan, clean up these things.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Joanna instructed the servants. Joanna was physically and mentally exhausted, and she felt a little dizzy. Joanna sat weakly on the sofa. Davian and Irvin hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Mommy is fine,¡± Joanna said as she stretched out her arms and hugged her two sons with lingering fear. ¡°By the way, Mommy needs to make a call. You guys go out and y first!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Joanna suddenly thought of something and quickly took out her phone to call Gael. Beep, beep, beep. The call went through. Joanna wanted to ask about Kody and Andy. Gael answered quickly. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Gael, are you in the hospital now?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°How are Kody and Andy? Are they seriously injured? Will their lives be in danger?¡± Gael¡¯s heart sank, and his tone was extremely solemn. ¡°Kody was shot in the chest. He¡¯s still being resuscitated. ¡°Andy¡¯s condition is slightly better. He¡¯s injured in the thigh of his left leg. His life is not in danger.¡± ¡°What about Tatiana?¡± Joanna asked anxiously. Chapter 530 Gael said in a deep voice, Tatiana suffered a knife wound and is currently being treated. She is safe now. ¡°Kody is in a critical condition. Miss Haynes, you have to be mentally prepared. He might not be able to survive this¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened even more. Kody had driven for Bruce for many years and was Bruce¡¯s favorite and trusted driver. ¡°Gael, you must ask the doctor to save Kody by all means. He must use the best medicine, and tell the doctor to save his life at all costs.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it. Call me immediately if anything happens.¡± ¡°Okay, I will¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± Joanna hung up the phone. She was still worried. Firstly, she was worried about Kody¡¯s injuries. Secondly, she was scared because the criminals had not been caught yet. These criminals were too crazy and audacious. It could be told that the person behind the gunshot must have a powerful background. Joanna still couldn¡¯t figure out who had done this to her. Davian and Irvin went to the living room for a walk and returned to Joanna¡¯s side. They could tell that there was something wrong with their mommy today. They were also very worried. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you in a daze?¡± ¡°Mommy is fine. Hurry up and go upstairs to sleep after you¡¯re done eating.¡± ¡°Mommy, can you bring us out to y tomorrow?¡± The children still did not know that their mommy almost could not make it home today. Joanna frowned. ¡°Be good. Stay at home for the next few days and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s Christmas now. It¡¯s too boring to stay at home.¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. It was rare for her to speak to the children in such a cold tone. ¡°You have to stay at home even if you¡¯re bored.¡± ¡°Hurry up and go back to your rooms to sleep. Otherwise, Mommy will be angry.¡± ¡°Oh, alright!¡± Seeing that their mommy was angry, the two little guys did not dare to say anything else and quickly returned to their room obediently. Soon, the police began to conduct an investigation. It was a vicious crime with a bad social impact. When the police arrived, the criminals had already abandoned the car and fled. These criminals were obviously not from the country. Many of them were smuggled from poor countries in Southeast Alendor. Those people specialized in doing the dirty work. Once they failed, they would escape by boat overnight. Therefore, it was very difficult to capture them. If the criminals were not caught on the spot, it was almost impossible to capture themter. The next day. Joanna did not sleep the entire night. She woke up early in the morning. [There was a shooting on Eastern Avenue, seriously injuring three people.] The target of the gunshot is suspected to be the Everett Group¡¯s new president.] In the detention center. Bruce was special. Therefore, he lived in a separate cell that was even equipped with a television. After watching the news early in the morning. Bruce was so shocked that his scalp went numb. He felt as if the blood in his body flowed backward. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± Bruce pounded on the prison door. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. A guard walked over. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°I need to make a phone call!¡± Chapter 530 ¡°No, you¡¯re still in custody¡­.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened and he shouted, ¡°I have to make a call now, or you have to bear the consequences.¡± Seeing that Bruce was agitated, the guard did not dare to act on his own. He quickly went to ask his superior. Bruce¡¯s request was approved by the higher¨Cups. Bruce finally got the phone and immediately called Joanna. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me.¡± Joanna was stunned and asked in disbelief, ¡°Bruce, why are you calling me?¡± Bruce frowned and asked anxiously, ¡°There was a shootingst night. Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Joanna stammered. Chapter 531 Chapter 531 Bruce was still in detention, and Joanna didn¡¯t want him to worry. ¡°Hurry up and tell me the truth, Bruce asked anxiously. ¡°Alright. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t hide it from Bruce, Joanna could only answer honestly. ¡°I was attacked by criminals on my way homest night. Kody and Andy were seriously injured and are now in the hospital. for emergency treatment.¡± ¡°What? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m finel¡± ¡°What are those bodyguards doing? What were they doing when the criminals attacked?¡± Bruce was furious. Every year, the Everett family spent a huge sum of money on paying the bodyguards. Now that the bodyguards almost let Joanna lose her life, how could Bruce not be angry? Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t me them. ¡°Those criminals came prepared and deliberately created an opportunity to separate the bodyguards.¡± Bruce frowned again and again. After pondering for a while, he said solemnly, ¡°Joann, listen to me. You don¡¯t have to do anything now. ¡°Take the children and leave the country immediately. No matter what, you and the children have to be safe.¡± Joanna paused. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t just leave the Everett Group and go away. If I leave, what will happen to thepany¡­ Bruce¡¯s voice was filled with an unquestionable order. ¡°No, I won¡¯t allow you and the children to be in any kind of danger. Money can always be earned again, but you only have one life. ¡°Go abroad with the children and live a stable life. Don¡¯te back to Greyport until I¡¯m out of prison.¡± Joanna was naturally unwilling to leave Greyport now. There was still too much to do here. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The children and I will be careful.¡± Joann, just listen to me!¡± Bruce sounded helpless. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s not as bad as you think. At most, I¡¯ll bring more bodyguards when I go out in the future.¡± Joannaforted Bruce. No one knew when Bruce would de out again. If Joanna left the No matter why Group unattended now, thepany would get lost and in trouble. she had to protect the Everett Group for Bruce. The call continued until the battery died. Bruce still could not persuade Joanna to leave. It was Christmas Eve. At the Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna helped the children change into new clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Mommy will bring you to see Daddy today. Our family can be together today!¡± When the three little guys heard that, they instantly cheered. ¡°Oh, oh, that¡¯s great. We can finally see Daddy.¡± It was the most important festival of the year. Joanna decided to bring the children to see Bruce. Of course, she had to make sure that the security was well prepared. In the past, Joanna did not like to bring bodyguards when she went out, nor did she like the feeling of being surrounded by people and making a big fuss. She always felt that it was especially troublesome and eye¨Ccatching. However, after so many critical incidents, for safety¡¯s sake, Joanna had to pay attention to safety, After a while, Joanna and the children got into the nanny van. There were two BMWs in front and behind the van, both filled with bodyguards. At 2:00 p.m., Joanna arrived at the detention center with the children. In the meeting room, the children were already waiting eagerly. Seeing Bruce walk out, everyone was very excited. Chapter 531 ¡°Daddy, we¡¯re here to see you!¡± Bruce was stunned, but he still walked quickly to the window and picked up the phone excitedly. ¡°Joanna, why did you bring the children over?¡± Joanna sighed slightly and said softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to see the children? Today is Christmas. I brought them here to see you.¡± Lilia could not wait to hand the painting she had drawn to the ss window. ¡°Daddy, this is the painting I made for you.¡± In the painting, it was a family of five. It was warm and healing. ¡°That¡¯s great. Lilia, you¡¯ve done such a good job.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red as he smiled lovingly at his daughter. ¡°Daddy, are you okay in there?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy is quite good. You have to be obedient and not make Mommy angry.¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat. He felt sad and soft in his heart. ¡°We know. We¡¯ll protect Mommy for Daddy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my good girl!¡± ¡°Daddy, when can youe out? We really want you to take us out to y.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a punch in his heart again. ¡®Daddy¡­ Daddy will be out soon. Be good when Daddy isn¡¯t around. Don¡¯t be naughty, and don¡¯t make Mommy angry.¡± Yes, we will.¡± Give the phone to Mommy. Let Daddy and Mommy have a few words.¡± oanna took the phone. Her eyes were still a little red. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the children have been good.¡± At this moment, Bruce wanted to smash the ss window and hug the four of them. Joanna, I¡¯m really worried about your safety. If anything happens to you, I can¡¯t ept¡­¡± oanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°After the New Year, I¡¯ll send the children overseas.¡± What about you?¡± Of course, I stay here!¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes turned even redder. le suddenly regretted it. ruce felt that he should never have given the Everett Group president¡¯s position to Joanna! e was in prison now and had no way of protecting Joanna. Being the president of thepany, Joanna was at the center of Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ie storm. ruce was afraid that Joanna wouldn¡¯t be able to take the pressure. Chapter 532 Chapter 532 Unfortunately, Bruce had lost his freedom How Joanna¡­ Bruce¡¯s eyes were a little gloomy as he ced his palm on the ss window. Joanna ced her hand where Bruce ce his and said gently. ¡°The children and I will wait for you to come out. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I will take good care of myself.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. Bruce knew that he could not persuade Joanna. No matter how much he tried, Joanna would not listen to him. Right now, he could only think of a way to get out of prison as soon as possible. Only by regaining his freedom could he protect Joanna and the children. ¡°Visiting time is up¡± Joanna stood up and said gloomily, ¡°Bruce, the children and I will leave now. You have to take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were red as he looked at Joanna and the children reluctantly. Joanna lowered her head and looked at the three little guys. ¡°Say goodbye to Daddy!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Daddy!¡± The three little guys waved at Bruce.. ¡°Bye, darlings¡± Out of the detention center! Joanna and the children got into the car again and were ready to go home. Lilia looked at Joanna carefully. ¡°Mommy, why was Daddy arrested?¡± ¡°When will hee out?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t Daddy the best? Why was he arrested?¡± Irvin¡¯s face was filled with frustration. Irvin had always admired his daddy the most and felt that his daddy was omnipotent. But now, his daddy was actually captured. It was as if the hero Irvin worshipped in his heart had suddenly gone down! Irvin was naturally disappointed and sad. Joanna did not answer the children¡¯s questions. Davian¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t disturb Mommy anymore. Can¡¯t you see that Mommy is very sad now?¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± Lilia and Irvin quickly shut their mouths. Since their mommy was in a bad mood, they did not dare to make her angry again. Joanna was still deep in thought and did not pay attention to what the children were saying! She suddenly thought of Jennie Garcia. Joanna wanted to go see Jennie. She wondered if Jennie had a way to get Bruce out. If Jennie really had a way to save Bruce, then Joanna was willing to leave and let them be together. Joanna would leave Greyport and nevere back. Thinking of this, Joanna suddenly said to the new driver, ¡°Sam, take the children home first.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I have a personal matter to attend to.¡± ¡°Let use with you. If something else happened, the consequences will be unimaginable.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine!¡± Then, Joanna found Jennie¡¯s number and called Jennie ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± The call was picked up very quickly. The arrogant voice of Jennie came from the other end of the line. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Joanna.¡± ¡°Heh, look what the cat dragged in. Why did you call me?¡± Jennie seered. ¡°Miss Garcia, can we meet somewhere?¡± Chapter 532 ¡°Did I hear you correctly? You want to meet me?¡± ¡°Yes, are you free? Right now. Joanna¡¯s tone was also a little cold. Jennie sneered disdainfully. ¡°If you have anything to say, say it over the phone. I don¡¯t want to see your annoying face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more convenient for us to meet and talk,¡± Joanna insisted. After all, phone calls could be easily monitored. Considering Jennie might use shady methods, it was better that Joanna talked to Jennie in person. ¡°Then tell me, what do you want to talk to me about? See if I¡¯m interested?¡± Jennie replied arrogantly. Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°I want to talk to you about Bruce.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Jennie was stunned. Jennic had looked for Joanna and Bruce before, but they all rejected her. Now that Joanna had taken the initiative to look for Jennie again, Jennie was surprised. ¡°Why? Have you thought it through? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for him?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Yes, if you really have a way to get Bruce out, I¡¯m willing to ept your suggestion to leave Greyport and nevere back.¡± Jennie rolled her eyes when she heard that. ¡°Are you serious? You¡¯re not going to tease me again, are you?¡± ¡°Why would I? I¡¯m very sincere.¡± ¡°Alright then. Come to City Coffee.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± The call was hung up. ¡°Sam, drive to City Coffee!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± City Coffee is Greyport¡¯s most upscale coffee shop. At the same time, Jennie owned the ce. It should be very safe to meet here. Thirty minutester. Sam drove the car and arrived at City Coffee. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯m already at the door.¡± ¡°Thene in!¡± ¡°Sam, take the kids home first, then pick me up.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Joanna got out of the car. There was already a barista waiting at the entrance of the coffee shop! ¡°You¡¯re Miss Haynes?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Please follow ine.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She took a deep breath and followed the barista into the coffee shop. ¡°Mommy, can wee with you?¡± ¡°Be good and go home first. Mommy will be back to apany you soon.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± The children did not dare to argue anymore and could only follow the drivers home. Chapter 533 Chapter 533 The barista brought Joanna into the coffee shop. The shop was elegant and beautiful. It formed a strong contrast with the arrogant attitude of Jennie. A few minutester. ¡°Ms. Haynes, pleasee in. Miss Garcia is waiting for you in the private room.¡± The barista brought Joanna to a private room with a professional smile on his face. The door opened, and Joanna walked in. Before she walked in, Joanna smelled the refreshing fragrance of coffee. Jennie sat on an elegant red sandalwood stool. In front of her was a red sandalwood table with a set of coffee cups on it. ¡°Hello, Miss Garcia.¡± Jennie nced at Joanna arrogantly and said with a fake smile. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect it. Miss Haynes actually came to look for me personally.¡± Joanna did not beat around the bush and said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for you because of Bruce.¡± ¡°I know! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to meet you!¡± Jennie smiled slightly. Jennie poured a cup of coffee. She handed the cup to Joanna with a look of charity. ¡°Try it! My grandfather personally nted this coffee. It¡¯s not avable on the market, and it¡¯s hard to buy even if you have money. Joanna replied indifferently, ¡°Thank you. ¡°You came to me previously and said that you have a way to get Bruce out. I want to hear what it is.¡± When Jennie heard this, her big round eyes narrowed, and she sneered. ¡°Haha, how can I tell you this?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me how, how will I know if you are telling the truth?¡± ¡°Since you came to me personally, you naturally believe that I was telling the truth.¡± After saying that, Jennie looked up indifferently and nced at Joanna arrogantly. Joanna frowned slightly and quietly observed Jennie¡¯s expression. Joanna tried to tell from Jennie¡¯s expression if she was lying. ¡°Alright! I want to ask you how confident are you in getting him out?¡± ¡°Well!¡± Jennie pursed her lips and smiled again. ¡°I can only say that I will do my best to save Bruce. Even if I can¡¯t acquit him, I will minimize the consequences.¡± After saying that, Jennie revealed even more confidence through her eyes. Joanna pondered for a moment and blurted out, ¡°Alright then! I promise you that as long as Bruce is acquitted, I will leave Greyport and nevere back.¡± There was no better solution at the moment. Joanna didn¡¯t know any politicians who could help her, let alone help Bruce get away with it. Perhaps Jennie had such connections. Jennie smiled arrogantly. ¡°How can I believe you? ¡°What if I try my best to save Bruce and you refuse to leave? What can I do?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I mean what I say.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no proof. Why should I believe you?¡± ¡°Then tell me, what do I do so you can trust me?¡± Joanna asked coldly. ¡°Okay.¡± Jennie turned around. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult. ¡°I told you before that as long as you¡¯re with another man and make Bruce believe that it¡¯s true, I¡¯ll trust you.¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, isn¡¯t your suggestion a little too much? I can¡¯t just randomly find a man on the streets, right?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Besides, why should I trust youpletely? You haven¡¯t done anything to get Bruce out.¡± ¡°If I say I can do it, then I can do it. Believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you.¡± Jennie turned hostile in a second. Chapter 534 Chapter 534 ¡°You¡¯re the one who came to me, not the other way around. If you don¡¯t believe me, you might as well go back¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, I¡¯m asking you for help sincerely. If you continue with this attitude, we really can¡¯t continue this conversation¡± Joanna stood up and pretended to leave. Seeing this, Jennie panicked and suddenly stood up. ¡°Joanna, what do you want?¡± Joanna shrugged slightly. ¡°I said that as long as you can get Bruce out, I will definitely leave Greyport. I will keep my word. ¡°I can write you a guarantee.¡± ¡°Hah, what¡¯s the use of that?¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Of course. It has legal effect. ¡°As long as I leave Greyport, with your outstanding looks and family background, Bruce will definitely fall in love with you over time.¡± When Jennie heard this, her eyes darkened. She also agreed with Joanna¡¯s words. If Joanna really left Greyport forever, then Jennie¡¯s chances with Bruce were considerable. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll believe you this once. Then write me a guarantee. If you go back on your word at that time, I¡¯ll definitely make you pay.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Jennie immediately pressed the server button and asked the waiter for a pen and paper. A minuteter. A waiter came in. ¡°Miss Garcia. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Get some paper and a pen, and some ink.¡± ¡°Alright, please wait a moment.¡± Soon. The waiter brought a pen and paper over. ¡°Miss Garcia, here¡¯s a pen and paper.¡± ¡°You can leave now!¡± The waiter smiled and left the private room. ¡°Joanna, you can write it now.¡± Jennie handed the pen and paper to Joanna. Joanna took the pen and paper and wrote a guarantee. As long as Jennie could save Bruce from prison, Joanna promised to leave Greyport forever. If Joanna went back on his word, she was willing to be punished¡­. After writing the guarantee, Joanna pressed her fingerprint on the signature. Jennie took it and looked at it. A satisfied smile appeared on Jennie¡¯s face. ¡°Joanna. If you go back on your words, I want you topensate me with 200 million dors.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Joanna replied calmly. Anyway, Joanna didn¡¯t want to be with Bruce. The reason why Joanna was getting along with Bruce now was because he was in jail. And out of sympathy, Joanna didn¡¯t want Bruce to feel too bad. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it this way! After the New Year, I¡¯ll do something immediately. I guarantee that Bruce will be out soon,¡± Jennie said proudly. ¡°Goodbye, Joanna said and left the private room with her bag. After Joanna left, Jennie looked at the guarantee and could not help butugh. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you even think about getting away from me for the rest of your life. You have no choice but to marry me.¡± Jennie now had the critical evidence of Bruce¡¯s bribery. As long as Jennie had this piece of information, Bruce would have no choice but listen to whatever Jennie said. Outside the coffee shop. Sam and the others were still waiting at the door. They were probably afraid that something would happen to Joanna, so the driver and bodyguards did not bring the children back. Chapter 534 This was all Joanna could do for Bruce now. ¡°Miss Haynes, are you done?¡± ¡°Yes, we can go home now. Joanna got into the car. Davian and Irvin were tired from waiting. They had already fallen asleep in the car. Half an hourter, the driver drove back to Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna shook the three little guys awake. ¡°Babies, we¡¯re home. You can¡¯t sleep anymore.¡± Irvin¡¯s son was sleeping soundly. He mumbled sleepily. I¡¯m so sleepy. I still want to sleep.¡± ¡°Be good. If you sleep too much now, you won¡¯t be able to sleep at night,¡± Joanna said as she patted Irvin and shook Davian. Lilia was not in good health. Joanna could not bear to wake Lilia up and carried her daughter out of the car. Davian yawned. ¡°Ummn, are we home? I¡¯m so sleepy.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get out of the car! Tell Irvin to get out.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± Davian rubbed his eyes and yawned. *Irvin, get out of the car quickly.¡± Perhaps it was because Davian was older, Irvin was very afraid of Davian. When Irvin heard his brother call him, he quickly got up. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for dinner. After dinner, take a shower before going to bed.¡± ¡°Mommy, isn¡¯t it Christmas Eve today? Do we have to stay up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You also have to give us gifts.¡± Irvin yawned. He didn¡¯t forget to ask for gifts. Joanna frowned. She had been troubled too much recently. There was no time for her to create a festive atmosphere. It was Christmas now. She still had to prepare some gifts for the servants who worked in the Everett family. Back in the house, Miranda was already waiting. ¡°Joann, what took you so long?¡± ¡°Oh, something came up.¡± Miranda smiled kindly and said with the concern of a mother, ¡°We¡¯re having Christmas Eve dinner today. I even made the roasted turkey.¡± ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Miranda.¡± When Irvin heard this, he instantly lost his sleepiness. ¡°Oh, oh. My favorite food is the roasted turkey Miranda makes.¡± ¡°Then you should have some moreter!¡± ¡°Wow, Mommy, can we set off fireworks after the Christmas Eve dinner?¡± ¡°Yes, but be careful.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Today was Christmas Eve. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Almost everyone returns home to spend the New Year with their families. The Garcia family was naturally no exception. At the Garcia residence. As soon as Jennie walked into the house, Mrs. Garcia stood up with me on her face. ¡°Jennie, you¡¯re finally back. I called you so many times but you didn¡¯t answer. What were you so busy with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m back now! Happy New Year, Daddy and Mommy! Jennie hugged Mrs. Garcia happily. Grayson stood in front of the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling window. He pushed up his round¨Cframed sses and said unhappily, ¡°What time is it? Why isn¡¯t your brother home yet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! What¡¯s going on with Zachary recently? He doesn¡¯te back more and more.¡± ¡°He¡¯s also listless and distracted every time hees back. This brat is getting more and more outrageous.¡± When Jennie heard this, she secretly curled her lips in disdain. Jermie knew that her brother and Roxanne were dating. Now that his little girlfriend was gone, Zachary must be sad. 11:03 However, what Jennie did not know was that Zachary identally killed Roxanne. ¡°Hurry up and call your brother. Tell him toe back quickly.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jennie took the phone and went upstairs. As she walked, she dialed Zachary¡¯s number. ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡± Jennie called Zachary three times in a row before Zachary finally picked up! As soon as the call was picked up, Zachary¡¯s tired voice came up. ¡°Hello, Jennie¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Jennie¡¯s dissatisfied voice sounded. ¡°Zachary, where are you now? Why aren¡¯t you back yet?¡± ¡°Uh, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zachary asked in a daze. When Jennie heard this, she was instantly furious. ¡°It¡¯s Christmas Eve today. Grandpa, Daddy, and Mommy are waiting for you toe back for a reunion dinner. Why aren¡¯t you home yet?¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Zachary instantly shuddered. Zachary lowered his head and looked at his watch in a daze. Only then did he realize that it was already Christmas Eve! That day, after Zachary saw a woman in a red dress who looked like Roxanne in the parking lot, he felt as if he had been possessed. He panicked and was in fear. Now, Zachary did not even dare to return home. He spent time in the hotel every day. Of course, he did not dare to sleep alone in the hotel. He had to ask a woman to apany him every day. Zachary originally had poor health, and he was overly frightened. Moreover, he could not stand the temptation of beautiful Women Therefore, in just a few days, Zachary was like a zombie that had his life sucked out of him. He was so thin that he had lost his shape. Jennie impatiently urged again, ¡°Hurry up ande back! The whole family is waiting for you!¡± ¡°Oh, oh. I understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, then. I¡¯ll hang up first,¡± Jennie said coldly. Ever since her brother and Roxanne had hurt her, Jennie¡¯s feelings for Zachary had changed. Jennie and her brother¡¯s rtionship was no longer as good as before.. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back immediately. Tell Grandpa and Dad that I¡¯ll be home soon¡­¡± After hanging up the phone, Zachary pounded his groggy head and prepared to get up and freshen up. There was a beautiful woman lying on the bed. Zachary and the woman had been having too much fun for the past few days, and now the woman was sleeping very soundly. She did not notice that Zachary had woken up. This was a six¨Cstar hotel. Zachary had been staying in the hotel for the past few days. He did not dare to go back to his parents¡® house or his own house. It was Christmas Eve, so he could only brace himself and go home. Zachary got off the bed. His legs went soft and he almost lost his bnce. After a long while, the weakness gradually disappeared. Chapter 535 Chapter 535 Zachary staggered to the bathroom and subconsciously looked at himself in the mirror. Even he was shocked by what he saw. Zachary¡¯s once fair and handsome face had now be dark and haggard. His skin was also dry and fragile, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken like two ck holes on his face. The stubble on his chin was even more messy, and he looked like a middle¨Caged sloppy man. ¡°Oh, my god¡­ Zachary touched his face. It was Christmas this year. When Zachary returned hometer and his parents saw how he looked, his parents would definitely ask all sorts of questions. Zachary quickly took out a razor, foamed it up, and prepared to shave. ¡°Hiss!¡± The de was sharp, and Zachary shaved in a hurry. In a moment of carelessness, Zachary made a wound in his jaw. ¡°What kind of lousy razor is this? I should makeints about this hotel. The fee was so expensive, but they actually gave me a manual razor! ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s unlucky to shed blood on Christmas.¡± Zachary quickly pressed on the wound. After a long while, the bleeding finally stopped. Zachary changed his clothes. He threw down a stack of money and left the hotel room, rushing home. Five minutester, the elevator reached the floor of the parking lot. As it was Christmas Eve today, there were not many guests in the hotel. The parking lot was very empty. It looked a little sinister! Zachary was already feeling guilty, and he subconsciously shivered. It was probably because he saw the woman in red in the parking lotst time that his heart was racing. He quickly walked to the car and hurriedly opened the car door. It was not until he got into the car that Zachary¡¯s pounding heart felt a little better. ¡°Hurry up and go home¡­¡± Buzz! After Zachary started the car, he got out of the parking lot as if he was fleeing. This hotel was about 25 miles away from the Garcia residence. If there was no traffic, Zachary could reach home in less than an hour. The Garcia family was also a wealthy family. Wealthy families paid more attention to privacy and safety. Their residences. were usually very remote. Many of the residences were mansions halfway up the mountain, far away from the city. Zachary was driving home. It was halfway through the journey. After a few more turns of the tree¨Cpaved roads, Zachary would be able to see the top of the mountain where the Garcia residence was located. ¡°Beep, beep, beep¡± When Zachary made a turn, his phone suddenly rang. ¡°How annoying¡­ Zachary thought that his sister was urging him to go home again, so he picked up the phone and answered it. ¡°I already said I¡¯ll be home soon. Stop calling. I¡¯ll be home in twenty minutes¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, a strangeughter suddenly sounded. It didn¡¯t sound like the voice of a normal human. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Zachary trembled and broke out in cold sweat. He quickly hung up. As soon as the call ended, a loud bang sounded as Zachary was absentminded for a minute. His car seemed to have hit something and made a loud sound! Chapter 535 Based on what Zachary felt, he should have hit a living creature. Zachary subconsciously stepped on the brakes, and the car made a squeaky sound. The unlucky ones tended to be more and more unlucky. It was as if Zachary had hit someone. His heart was pounding. Zachary sat in the car and took a few deep breaths. He got out of the car and prepared to check. Zachary pushed open the door and got out of the car uneasily. The streetlights were a little dim, and only blood could be seen. Zachary walked forward to take a look. It looked like a living creature had been ced in a woven bag. Now it was smashed by the wheels! Seeing this, Zachary was so frightened that his hair stood on end. From the size of the bag, it looked like a three or four¨Cyear¨Cold child. ¡°Oh my god, could it be a person inside? ¡°I¡¯d better call the police! ¡°No, I can¡¯t call the police¡­¡± Cold sweat broke out on Zachary¡¯s head. He trembled as he opened the woven bag to check. If there was really a person inside, Zachary had to quickly call for an ambnce. Unexpectedly, just as Zachary bent down, he was about to open the woven bag. ¡°Bang!¡± Zachary¡¯s head was hit hard by the stick! ¡°Ugh!¡± Zachary grunted. Before Zachary could turn around to see who it was, he had already fallen to the ground¡­. An hourter. In the Garcia residence! Grayson¡¯s expression became darker and darker. ¡°Didn¡¯t Zachary say that he would be back soon? What time is it now? Why isn¡¯t he back yet? ¡°This child is getting worse and worse. It¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯te back usually, but today is Christmas Eve. He actually doesn¡¯te back.¡± At the dining table, John¡¯s expression also turned dark! The old man naturally doted on his grandchildren very much. Because Zachary did note to see John on other days, it was very difficult for John to see his grandson. Today was a rare festival. John did not expect Zachary to not take it seriously at all. ¡°Hurry up and call him again. Let¡¯s see where he went. ¡°This bastard. If he doesn¡¯te back, he won¡¯t have toe back in the future!¡± Mrs. Garcia quickly put in a good word for her son. ¡°Zachary might be stuck in a traffic jam. I have to call him now!¡± ¡°Why would there be a traffic jam? It¡¯s Christmas Eve today. Everyone has gone home for reunion dinner at Christmas. How can there be anyone on the street? ¡°Zachary is so useless now because you¡¯ve spoiled him since he was young¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you ming me?¡± Mrs. Garcia retorted unhappily. Jennie hurriedly persuaded, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, stop talking. I¡¯ll call him now and urge him again!¡± Chapter 536 Chapter 536 Beep, beep, beep! Jennie called Zachary again! Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g The phone rang for a long time until a customer service voice sounded. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°Huh, what¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t Zachary answering the phone?¡± Jennie was shocked. Beep, beep, beep! Then, Jennie called again! Just like before, no one picked up the call. There was only the voice of the customer service! Unable to get through, Jennie sent him another voice message. ¡°Zachary, where are you now? Why aren¡¯t you answering the call? ¡°Grandpa, Mum, and Dad are very anxious. They¡¯re all waiting to have the family dinner with you! Come back quickly!¡± ¡°Schwoof!¡± The voice message was sent.. After waiting for ten minutes, there was still no reply! Jennie turned on the phone again and could not help but mutter, ¡°What¡¯s going on? We just agreed to come back. It¡¯s been more than two hours. Why aren¡¯t you back yet? ¡°Zachary, where are you? Come on, this isn¡¯t funny. Everyone in the family is waiting to have dinner with you!¡± Jennie Garcia sent a few more voice messages in a row. Mrs. Garcia couldn¡¯t help but urge again, ¡°Jennie, did you get through to your brother?¡± Jennie looked serious. ¡°Nope! No one picked up on his end. I called more than ten times and sent him messages, but he never responded¡­¡± Mrs. Garcia sighed and shook her head helplessly. ¡°This child is getting more and more outrageous. When hees back, I¡¯ll definitely teach him a lesson!¡± ¡°Hand me the phone and let me call him.¡± Grayson was also very angry. The family began to take turns calling Zachary. Unfortunately, they still couldn¡¯t get through to him! At this point, four to five hours had passed since the first call. Mrs. Garcia¡¯s eyebrows kept twitching. She had a bad feeling. ¡°Will something happen to Zachary?¡± Grayson frowned and said angrily. ¡°What could happen to him? Who knows where he went to y again? This rascal is bing more and more useless.¡± ¡°Forget about him. Let¡¯s eat first.¡± ¡°Impossible. No matter how ridiculous Zachary is, today is a special day, he couldn¡¯t possibly be not coming back today!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been unable to get through to him. Something must have happened! Let¡¯s quickly send someone to look for him.¡± When Grayson heard this, his frown deepened. Zachary liked to spend time drinking and merry¨Cmaking and preferred toe and go alone. Therefore, he did not like to bring bodyguards, Furthermore, during this period of time, he had a guilty conscience and did not want to have any acquaintances by his side. Hence, he did not bring any bodyguards with him. Jennie also started to get anxious. ¡°Something might have really happened to Zachary. Just now he said that he would be home in half an hour. It¡¯s been more than four hours, and he¡¯s not picked up any of our calls! ¡°Even if he weren¡¯ting back, or he encountered some trouble, he would definitely call back. He wouldn¡¯t just stay silent and not answer the phone like this.¡± When the whole family heard this, they began to panic! ¡°What car was he driving?¡± ¡°Zachary drives a Ferrari these days.¡± ¡°Quickly take a look at his car GPS. See where he is now.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Chapter 536 Jennie hurriedly opened the car search app. Through the location disy, she found the current location of Zachary¡¯s car. ¡°Dad, Mom, I¡¯ve found it. This shows the location of Zachary¡¯s car is in the East Lake Reservoir!¡± ¡°East Lake Reservoir?¡± Grayson and Mrs. Garcia gasped when they heard that. The East Lake Reservoir was at least 62 miles away from the Garcia residence. How did he get so far away? ¡°Oh my God, is Zachary kidnapped?¡± Mrs. Garcia said in a low voice. She felt terrible. ¡­¡± When the whole family heard this, their hearts were in turmoill This was indeed possible. Zachary was born into a super¨Crich family. It was very normal for him to get targeted by robbers. ¡°Then what should we do? Let¡¯s quickly call the police!¡± Mrs. Garcia promptly put a stop to that. ¡°We can¡¯t call the police. What if the robbers decide to kill Zachary? ¡°Let¡¯s wait a while. If he¡¯s really kidnapped, the robbers will definitely call us. Let¡¯s wait and see if they will call! ¡°Also, send someone over there quickly!¡± Grayson also became nervous. He hurriedly called over the bodyguards at home. ¡°Hurry and go to the East Lake Reservoir. Go find Zachary ording to this location.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The dozen or so bodyguards did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly drove to the East Lake Reservoir! An hourter, one of the bodyguards called. ¡°Hey, how did it go? Did you find him?¡± ¡°Sir, Zachary¡¯s car has been found.¡± Grayson¡¯s throat tightened. He quickly asked, ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°His car was driven into theke!¡± Boom! After hearing this, Grayson¡¯s vision darkened, and the hand holding the phone trembled. ¡­Then, have you found Zachary?¡± The bodyguard replied solemnly, ¡°We haven¡¯t found him yet. At the moment, the car is being salvaged. So far, we haven¡¯t seen Zachary himself.¡± This news was like a bolt from the blue.. John and Mrs. Garcia even closed their eyes and fainted from fear. ¡°Grandpa, Grandpa, Mommy¡­. ¡°Call the doctor, quickly!¡± Mrs. Garcia fainted for less than two minutes before suddenly waking up again. ¡°Zachary, my son! ¡°You¡¯re my only son. Please don¡¯t let anything happen to you. Otherwise, Mommy won¡¯t be able to live anymore. Boohoo!¡± Mrs. Garcia started wailing straightaway. Grayson quicklyforted his wife. ¡°Don¡¯t be so worried now. We¡¯re not sure what really happened yet! ¡°My son, God protect you, keep you safe and well! ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and send everyone to search. We must ensure that Zachary is safe.¡± The Garcia family was inplete panic. The entire Garcia residence was in chaos. All the bodyguards and servants that could be mobilized had been mobilized to find Zachary, The entire night had passed! It was 6.00 a.m. There was still no news from or regarding Zachary. The entire Garcia family was as flustered as ants on a hot pan. They had been searching everywhere for the entire night. ¡°This won¡¯t do, Zachary must have been kidnapped. Let¡¯s quickly call the police. It¡¯ll be toote if we dy any longer!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t call the police!¡± ¡°It be toote if we don¡¯t call the police. On a deserted ind, Zachary woke up in a daze! As soon as he woke up, he felt a splitting pain in the back of his head, and his entire body was in excruciating pain. ¡°Argh, where is this¡­¡± He looked around. This ce was like an abandoned underground tunnel. It smelled of mold and was nauseating. As his eyes moved bit by bit. Zachary¡¯s gaze turned to the far left. He saw a woman in a red dress standing about 10 yards away. The woman¡¯s hair was draped over her head and shoulders, covering most of her face! ¡°Aah Seeing this, Zachary was scared out of his wits and retreated profusely! ¡°Arc, are, are. are you a human or a ghost? ¡°Don¡¯te over, don¡¯te over! ¡°Aah He wanted to run Unfortunately, his legs were already tied up with iron chains. He couldn¡¯t run at all, let alone break free. The woman in red held a sinister¨Clooking boning knife in one hand. Her hair covered most of her face as she walked towards him bit by bit Zachary¡¯s heart was pounding to hard that he was about to faint! ¡°Ro Roxanne I know it¡¯s you Don¡¯t scare me. I know it¡¯s you! ¡°Let¡¯s talk things over. Don¡¯t do anything rash Please don¡¯t do anything rath. What do you want? You can tell me¡­. ¡°Aah Roxanne had already walked to hus ude step by step and lightly brushed her hair aside, revealing a face as pale as paper! When he saw clearly that it was Roxanne, Zachary was even more frightened. He had already seen how crazy Roxanne was! Now that he was in her hands, he would probably not be able to get out alive! ¡°Rox. Rox, calm down first. 1. I¡¯ve let you down! ¡°However, I was also forced to do it. I was also forced into a dead end by you. I love you. I really love you!¡± Roxanne was unmoved. She just held the boning knife and waved it around in front of him, as if looking for a more suitable ce to stab and cut Zachary¡¯s hair stood up slightly as he said shakily, ¡°Rox, calm down. As long as you don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯ll do anything you want. ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯ll agree to anything you want me to do. I¡¯ve been on the verge of breaking down recently. Without you by my side. I¡¯m really better off dead¡± Roxanne smiled faintly and stared at him as if she was looking at a monkey! There was a sinister cold glint in her eyes! That day, Roxanne had fainted, and Zachary had thought she was dead. After she had fallen into the water, she had been jolted by the cold water and woken up again. During this period of time, she had deliberately hidden herself so as to contemte how to take revenge on Zachary Compared to Bruce¡¯s mere coldness, Zachary was aplete scumbag. Chapter 537 Chapter 537 ¡°Aah, hrmph¡­ Roxanne stabbed the sharp knife into his thigh. At once, Zachary almost fainted from the pain. ¡°Zachary, I¡¯ve told you before. If you let me down, I won¡¯t let you off ¡°Haha, I really hadn¡¯t expected you to treat me like that! You actually wanted to kill me to silence mel ¡°Do you hate me that much?¡± Roxanne said sinisterly and abruptly pulled out the boning knife. Zachary sucked in a breath of cold air and said in fear, ¡°Ah, um¡­ Rox, Rox, don¡¯t be rash! ¡°I slipped up that day. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose! ¡°Please forgive me. Please don¡¯t kill me! I can do anything you want me to do! ¡°Don¡¯t you want to marry me? As long as you let me go, I promise to marry you. I won¡¯t let you down again. Let¡¯s start all over again and live a good life, okay?¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡­ Roxanneughed hoarsely. In the dim tunnel, a ray of sunlight shone in and onto her face. The light and shadow intertwined, making her look even more eerie. ¡°Hahhahhahha¡­¡± Roxanne¡¯s throat let out a series of strangeughter. It was impossible to tell if she In her life, she had experienced three rtionships that ended in sorrow. The first was with Gavin. was crying orughing. Although he was very poor, Gavin really loved her. He was willing to give her everything he could, even his life. If time could be turned back, she really did not want to marry into a rich family anymore. To have a man who truly loved her, that would be true happiness. She should not have despised Gavin. She truly regretted it. The second rtionship was with Bruce. When she had thought of Bruce, she had initially been filled with regret and unwillingness to ept how things turned out. However, after this period of tribtions, she suddenly understood! From the beginning. Bruce had never belonged to her. She was the one who reced Joanna through deception. Now that Bruce had returned to Joanna¡¯s side, it was a punishment Roxanne probably deserved. Long story short, it was all because of her greed. The third rtionship was with Zachary Thisplete scumbag really made her hate him to the bone! It was also through theparison with Zachary that she suddenly stopped hating Bruce. No matter how heartless Bruce was, he would never shirk his responsibility as a man. Zachary¡¯s thigh was dripping with blood, and his breathing was gradually weakening. However, he continued to beg. ¡°Rox. Rox¡­ please, don¡¯t kill me! Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t you hate Bruce? I¡¯m willing to take revenge on him for you!¡± When Roxanne heard this, she felt even more disdainful. If he had not begged her and acted more like a man, she might have decided to not really kill him. ¡°Zachary, I hate you even more now. You disgust me so much. What¡¯s more, when I recall having dated you, it disgusts me to the core. ¡°A man like you will only harm more people if you live.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± As Roxanne spoke, she raised her knife hand and then stabbed down. Another stab went viciously into Zachary¡¯s thigh. ¡°Argh¡­ Zachary whimpered in pain. He gave one screamed after another and fell to the ground, struggling. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. If you let me down, I¡¯ll kill you myself! ¡°And don¡¯t mention Bruce again. Your name doesn¡¯t deserve to be put together with his. Your whole life, you¡¯d neverpare to even a tiny fraction of the man he is!¡± Okay, I know, I know! What do I have to do so that you¡¯ll let me go? I really don¡¯t want to die, I really don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± ¡®Pift!¡± Roxanne raised her knife and viciously stabbed him again. Chapter 537 A short whileter, the Garcia family still could not find Zachary, so they could only call the police. Through various clues, the police quickly determined that Roxanne had kidnapped Zachary However, Roxanne had made a careful n beforehand. After having driven Zachary¡¯s car into the East Lake Reservoir, she had changed to a ck car that she had prepared beforehand She had avoided the surveince cameras on the road and brought Zachary to this deserted ind. However, this was not a difficult problem for the police. The police mobilized arge number of their forces to surround this hill. Roxanne also knew that she was about toe to the end of her life. But at thest moment of her life, she suddenly wanted to call Joanna. She wanted to talk to her, and even more¡­ to apologize to her. After this period of tribtions, she had already thought things through. At Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna was also feeling uneasy! She also knew about Zachary¡¯s disappearance. Grayson even specially called her to ask about Zachary¡¯s whereabouts. It was the fifth day of Christmas. Joanna Haynes was sitting in the courtyard in a daze, her heart in a mess. Beep, beep, beep. Her phone suddenly rang. Joanna Haynes took out her phone and looked at it. The phone number was an unknown number. However, this was her private phone number and only her family and friends knew about it. ¡°Hey.¡± There was silence on the other end of the line. No one answered. ¡°Who is it?¡± Joanna Haynes asked again. There was no sound on the other end of the line, only a busy tone! Joanna was baffled. ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± There was still no answer on the other end of the line. Joanna frowned and instinctively guessed that it was Roxanne. ¡°Is it Roxy?¡± There was still no reply from the other end of the line. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She had a feeling that the other party was Roxanne. ¡°Roxy, where are ¡°Do you know? I¡¯m worried about you. So is Derick. We¡¯re all looking for you everywhere.¡± ¡°Please tell me now, where have you gone?¡± you After a while, the reply finally came. ¡­Joanna!¡± Roxanne¡¯s voice was very hoarse, like an 80¨Cyear¨Cold woman. Upon hearing it, Joanna had a feeling that something might have happened to Roxanne. Although Roxanne had fied to her and manipted her time and time again, Joanna did not want to hate her in the end. ¡°Roxy, where are you? I¡¯ll look for you now. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything stupid. There¡¯s a second chance for everything.¡± Joanna Haynes had also realized that Zachary was in danger. Roxanne pondered for half a minute and suddenlyughed hoarsely. ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s toote¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank when she heard that. ¡°Roxy, what¡¯s wrong? Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve let you down.¡± *.* Joanna felt her heart being wrenched, and the corners of her eyes were already a little sore. Soft¨Chearted people were born to be so. Iwas in their nature. She was a soft¨Chearted person by nature. This was an unchangeable fact. Roxanne¡¯s face was covered in tears, and her voice was filled with endless sighs. ¡°Sister, the most regretful thing I¡¯ve done in Chapter 537 my life is that I shouldn¡¯t have snatched your things. I¡¯ve already gotten my retribution now. I really regret it!¡± Joanna was afraid that Roxanne would carry on to the path of no return, so she could only try her best to persuade her sister. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t say so much. Please tell me quickly, where are you now? Do you know? The police are looking for you everywhere. ¡°Did you kidnap Zachary Listen to me. Please don¡¯t do anything stupid. You¡¯re still very young now. You still have a long way to go in the future¡­. Before Joanna could finish, Roxanne interrupted her. ¡°Joanna, I killed someone!¡± Boom! Joanna¡¯s scalp went numb and she almost couldn¡¯t hold the phone in her hand! Zachary had been missing for a few days! The police were now issuing wanted notices for Roxanne everywhere. Yet, a tragedy had still happened. Roxanne had really killed Zachary. ¡°Roxy, listen to my advice. Hurry and turn yourself in.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not turning myself in. I don¡¯t have long to live. Before I die, I just wanted to call you.¡± ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t say such depressing words. Where are you now? I won¡¯t look for you, ok.¡± Tears streamed down Roxanne¡¯s face as she said with a sigh. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve done so many bad things. Don¡¯t you hate me?¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart felt extremely heavy! It was impossible to say that she did not have any resentment. However, Roxanne was her little sister after all. And since Joanna was the elder sister, she would naturally disy the attitude of an elder sister. In the past, Roxanne had also been a carefree little princess. Though Roxanne also had herself to me for falling into this state. Joanna¡¯s heart still ached for her inexplicably. ¡°Roxy, don¡¯t say so much. Hurry and tell me where you are. Don¡¯t carry on with the mistakes.¡± ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re really too kind. If we can start all over again, I really want to treat you as my elder sister. ¡°If I could start all over again, I wouldn¡¯t fight with you for Bruce. He belonged to you, to begin with¡­ As Roxanne spoke, she could not hold back the tears from flowing out of her eyes. Chapter 538 Chapter 538 Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips and did not know what to say. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it! Joann, take care,¡± Roxanne said and hung up. Joanna frowned and called out a few more times, ¡°Hello, hello, Roxy¡­¡± Unfortunately, Roxanne had already hung up. After hanging up, Joanna brushed the hair on her forehead and felt even uneasier. She already had a premonition that Roxanne was walking on a path of no return this time. She probably would not turn back At the same time, the police located the deserted ind where Roxanne kidnapped Zachary Soon, the police organized arge number of police officers to rescue Zachary On the deserted ind, arge number of armed police officers surrounded the tunnel. ¡°People inside, listen up. Hurry up ande out and surrender. You¡¯re already surrounded. Don¡¯t resist in vain!¡± ¡°The criminal is just a woman. I suggest we rush in and rescue the hostage.¡± The Garcia family also sent someone to rescue Zachary. After hearing the police¡¯s suggestion, he immediately objected. ¡°Sir, please don¡¯t! ¡°What if we anger the woman and she hurts the hostage? We should negotiate with her first and make sure the hostage is safe¡± The Garcia family¡¯s only wish now was to ensure Zachary¡¯s safety. When the police heard this, they agreed and called the negotiator over. Twenty minutester, the negotiator came over and shouted into the tunnel. ¡°Ms. Haynes, what requests do you have? You can state them now.¡± ¡°You have to be careful. Don¡¯t anger the kidnapper. It won¡¯t be good if she hurts the hostage. The butler of the Garcia family reminded them in a low voice. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I know you¡¯re inside. Everything can be discussed slowly. Don¡¯t act recklessly.¡± Roxanne stayed in the cave and knew that she could not escape no matter what. She hadpletely broken down. She waved the boning knife in her hand and roared, ¡°Don¡¯te over! If any of you dare toe closer. I¡¯ll kill Zachary When the butler of the Garcia family heard this, he said urgently, ¡°Mr. Wilson, don¡¯t anger this female kidnapper. She has a mental illness. It won¡¯t be good if she hurts Mr. Garcia. ¡°She has a conflict with Mr. Garcia about love. I suggest we break through from this key point!¡± The police and people from the Garcia family did not know that Zachary had been killed and were still trying to calm Roxanne down. Coupled with the constant pressure from the Garcia family, the police did not dare to use violence to save Zachary. They could only negotiate and think that Roxanne would take the initiative to let Zachary off After all, most women didn¡¯t kidnap men for money. Most of them were emotional problems. Usually, when the emotional problems were properly resolved, they would give up resisting. ¡°Ms. Haynes, if you have any requests, feel free to ask. As long as we can, we will definitely satisfy you.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ Roxanne coughed weakly a few times. She curled up weakly in the hole, her pale face devoid of any color, Her body was severely injured and had not received any good treatment. She was already seriously ill and extremely weak! ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hurt you. I just want to have a good talk with you.¡± ¡°Can you tell me why you kidnapped Mr. Garcia? Or do you want to solve some problem?¡± The negotiator approached the tunnel step by step with a harmless expression. Roxanne waved the boning knife a few more times. ¡°Don¡¯te over. If you take another step, I¡¯ll kill him.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t go over. We¡¯ll talk here. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you have to think about your family and friends. ¡°Or if there¡¯s anyone you want to see now, you can tell me.¡± When Roxanne heard this, her bloodshot eyespletely darkened. At this point, she no longer had any reason to live. Right now, the person she wanted to see the most wasn¡¯t Ingrid or Bruce. Instead, it was¡­ Gavin! Her mind suddenly recalled the good times when they were on campus. She recalled the happiness and care that Gavin had once given her. If she had chosen to be with Gavin from the start, she would probably be very happy now! Unfortunately¡­. The negotiator used all his negotiating ability to talk to Roxanne for nearly an hour. Roxanne finallypromised and mentioned her requests. ¡°I want to see Joanna. Once I see her, I¡¯ll let Zachary go.¡±. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. We¡¯ll send someone to pick her up immediately.¡± In order to sessfully rescue Zachary as soon as possible, the police hurriedly sent someone to inform Joanna. Sherane Bay Vi The police rushed to the Everett family as fast as they could. ¡°Are you Miss Joanna Haynes?¡± Regarding the arrival of the police, Joanna¡¯s heart still tightened. ¡°It¡¯s me! I¡¯m Joanna.¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°We¡¯re the police.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter, sir?¡± A police officer looked at Joanna solemnly. ¡°Roxanne is your sister, right?¡± ¡°Yes, she is¡­ What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Joanna subconsciously replied. ¡°She kidnapped Mr. Zachary Garcia. Her emotions are very unstable now. We hope you can help the police and get her to release Mr. Garcia.¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°The kidnapper has made a request to see you. You¡¯re her elder sister. If you persuade her, she might give up resisting.¡± Joanna agreed without hesitation. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll try my bestf Soon, the two police officers brought Joanna to the deserted ind as quickly as possible. The police had been dealing with Roxanne for the entire afternoon. The negotiator¡¯s mouth was dry, but Roxanne still refused to let go. She was even more unwilling to come out of the tunnel and asked to see Joanna. ¡°Miss Joanna Haynes, the kidnapper is in the tunnel now! You can persuade her, but don¡¯t go near the tunnel. She has a weapon in her hand. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll attack.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Joanna walked forward, slowed down her tone, and shouted inside, ¡®Roxy, are you inside? I¡¯m.. Joann! I¡¯m here.¡± When Roxanne heard the voice, she could not help but tremble. She struggled to look out of the tunnel. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re finally here!¡± Joanna tried her best to calm Roxanne down. ¡°Roxy, follow their order, and don¡¯t do anything stupid again.¡± ¡°Humph Roxanne smiled faintly. Joann,e here!¡± Roxanne said and waved at her. The two of them were more than 50 steps apart. Joanna saw her eyes in which there was a bright glint. Joanna subconsciously swallowed her saliva. She was not sure why Roxanne wanted to see her. Although Roxanne had called her previously to express her guilt and apology, who knew if that was Roxanne¡¯s scheme? In any case, Roxanne had already walked into a dead end. It was not impossible for her to hurt Joanna. Joan,e here. I have something very important to give you.¡± Roxanne blinked her grape-like big eyes and looked at Joanna pitifully. Chapter 539 Chapter 539 ¡°Roxy, be good and turn back. You¡¯re still very young. As long as you put down your weapon, there¡¯s still a chance for you to start a new life¡­¡± Joanna calmed herself down and took two steps forward! There was no death penalty in Greyport. Moreover, Roxanne had proof of serious mental illness. Therefore, even if she killed someone, the police could only send her to the mental hospital for treatment first. It was very difficult to convict her. Seeing Joanna approaching step by step, the police began to worry about her safety. ¡°Miss Joanna Haynes, don¡¯te any closer. If she hurts you, the gains won¡¯t make up for the losses.¡± ¡°Yes, we invited you here to help us rescue the hostage. We have to make sure you¡¯re safe first. We can¡¯t make you in danger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± At the entrance of the tunnel, Roxanne waved at Joanna again and urged. ¡°Joann,e over quickly.¡± The bodyguard Darcy immediately stopped Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, you can¡¯t go over there. Who knows if she¡¯s up to no good again? ¡°She hates you so much, so she¡¯s going to hurt you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Haynes, don¡¯t fall for it. This woman is heartless to the core. Her heart is vicious.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t put you at risk¡­¡± Hearing this, Joanna subconsciously stopped in her tracks. The words of the bodyguards and the police were not without reason Roxanne hated her so much. Who knew if Roxanne wanted to hurt her before Roxanne died? Sering that Joanna had stopped again, Roxanne¡¯s gaze froze and she smiled coldly Joann, didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re still willing to treat me as your younger sister? ¡°Why? Even you are lying to me, right?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll keep my word. As long as you¡¯re willing to give up and acknowledge me as your elder sister, I¡¯ll forget about the past and still treat you as my younger sister!¡± Joanna said and walked forward again step by step! Darcy panicked and blocked Joanna with all his might. ¡°Miss Haynes, you really can¡¯t go any further ¡°Mr. Everett instructed us to ensure your safety. We can¡¯t let you take such a risk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. If there are any problems, I¡¯ll bear them myself¡± Joanna pushed Darcy away and held her breath as she walked into the tunnel. She didn¡¯t believe in Roxanne bin in herself. Even if Roxanne wanted to attack her, she was not afraid. Before she came, she had already made a foolproof n. She was wearing a bulletproof vest and had a high-voltage taser in her pocket. If Roxanne really attacked, Joanna was confident that she could take Roxanne down in a few seconds. Roxanne saw Joann¨¢ really walking over. Roxanne¡¯s eyes shed with a strange light. ¡°Humph, Joann, you really trust me? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll hurt you?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and stared at Roxanne intently. ¡®Roxy, don¡¯t make another mistake. ¡°Listen to me. Give up resisting and try to get lighter punishment. Joanna¡¯s eyes were very sincere, without a trace of hypocrisy. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g She really hoped that Roxanne could turn back and start a new life. Roxanneughed with tears in her eyes. She looked at Joanna and said, ¡°11a-ha, Joann, I finally know why I lost. ¡°You¡¯re such a kind person. Of course, you deserve Bruce¡¯s love.¡± Joanna frowned and tried to ease the knot in her heart. ¡°Roxy, you didn¡¯t lose! ¡°In a rtionship, there¡¯s no winning or losing, only fate. ¡°Bruce is just your absession. As long as you¡¯re willing to let go of this obsession, you can live happily. ¡°You¡¯re still very young. There are still countless possibilities in your life. Follow my words and quickly give up resisting.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with deep pity and sympathy. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget the past forever and start a new life, okay?¡± When Roxanne heard this, tears streamed down her face. At this point, it was toote to say anything. ¡°Joann,e closer,¡± Roxanne seemed to be holding something in her hand as she mysteriously urged Joanna toe closer. Joanna hesitated for a few seconds but still walked forward. Seeing this, Roxanne suddenly looked up at the sky and cried. Then, she deliberately acted as if she was attacking Joanna. She raised the thing in her hand and stabbed it at Joanna. Joanna was also shocked. She subconsciously grabbed the taser in her pocket. ¡°Oh no, watch out!¡± The police officers eximed, thinking that Roxanne was holding a knife. Bang! A gunshot was heard. Roxanne was shot in the chest. She staggered a few steps back and fell weakly to the ground. Joanna¡¯s entire body trembled, and her pupils constricted. ¡°Roxy¡­¡± ¡°Joann, this is for you¡­ Blood gushed out of Roxanne¡¯s mouth. She shakily exhaled a mouthful of cold air, and the blood in¡± her chest kept flowing out. ¡°Roxy!¡± Joanna could not care less and ran to her side in a few steps. When she arrived in front of Roxanne, she saw that there was no weapon in Roxanne¡¯s hand. It was a ck USB sh drive. Roxanne¡¯s actions just now were clearly suicidal. ¡°Roxy, why are you so stupid? Why did you do this?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached as she subconsciously hugged Roxanne. Seeing that they had subdued Roxanne, arge number of police officers also rushed into the tunnel to rescue Zachary. ¡°The kidnapper is down. Go get the hostage.¡± The butler of the Garcia family also rushed into the tunnel. Chapter 540 Chapter 540 Arge number of police officers surrounded Joanna and Roxanne to prevent Roxanne from attacking again. ¡°Roxy, Roxy¡­ Joanna shouted twice, and tears fell uncontrobly. After all. Roxanne was her sister. The bloodline could not be cut off. She was not so cold-blooded and could not remain indifferent. Roxanne smiled sadly. With trembling hands, she held up a ck USB sh drive and handed it to Joanna. ¡°Joann, take it¡­ and save Bruce!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Roxanne in disbelief. ¡°Roxy, you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll send you to the hospital now! ¡°Hurry up! Call an ambnce.¡± Roxanne shook her head with difficulty. Blood gushed out of her mouth and nose. She said weakly, ¡°Joann, I am about to die. Please go to the prison¡­ Help me¡­ say something to Gavin¡­¡± ¡°Alright, tell me. I¡¯ll definitely say it to him¡± Joanna subconsciously pressed on the spot where Roxanne was bleeding and wanted to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, the wound was too big and the bleeding could not be stopped. ¡°Help me say something to Gavin¡­ ¡°Just say, I¡­ I love¡­¡± As Roxanne spoke, her throat tightened. In the end, she did not say thest word clearly. She tilted her head and fell weakly into Joanna¡¯s arms. However, she did not close her eyes. There was a faint smile on her lips, probably because she was recalling the beautiful memories. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s pupils dted. ¡°Roxy, Roxy, don¡¯t die! ¡°Roxy¡­ Tears streamed down Joanna¡¯s face. She could not believe that Roxanne had died just like that. After a long while, Joanna closed Roxanne¡¯s eyes with trembling hands. ¡°Rest in peace! I¡¯ll definitely bring your message to Gavin. Although Roxanne did not say thest word clearly, Joanna guessed that she wanted to say that she loved him! In the tunnel. The police had also found Zachary¡¯s body. He was already dead, and livor mortis had grown on his body. He had probably been dead for a few days. Everyone could not help but gasp in shock, expressing their regret. In the end, they still failed to save the hostage. The butler of the Garcia family knelt on the ground and cried, ¡°No, Mr. Garcia, Mr. Garcia, hurry up and call an ambnce! ¡°Please save Mr. Garcia. Hurry up and save Mr. Garcia! Mr. Grayson Garcia only has one son. If you die, the Garcia family will be done for! ¡°What bad luck! To encounter such a disaster at such a young age!¡± ¡°He¡¯s already dead. Let¡¯s inform his family.¡± ¡°Oh my god, how am I going to exin this to Mr. Grayson Garcia and Mrs. Garcia? Mr. Grayson Garcia is in poor health. If he knows that something like this happened to Mr. Garcia, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand this blow!¡± The butler cried and panicked. Soon, Zachary¡¯s body was carried out. After Grayson and Mrs. Garcia received the news that their son had been killed, Mrs. Garcia immediately fainted. She could not believe that such a tragedy would happen to her son. ¡°Zachary, my son, my son will not die¡­¡± Grayson also cried. Jennie also cried in grief. ¡°Zachary, Zachary, you died so pitifully. Your death was not worth it. I told you that Roxanne was jinx and told you to stay away from her, but you refused to listen. ¡°The two daughters of the Haynes family are both troublemakers. Why do you have to be obsessed with her?¡± ¡°Jennie, don¡¯t tell your Grandpa. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to take this blow.¡± ¡°Got it, Dad¡± Grayson walked toward the funeral home. He wanted to see his son onest time. Although he had been dissatisfied with his son in the past and felt that he was a profligate son, he still could not ept that something like this had happened to his son. This was his only son. A few dayster. Joanna bought two graves and buried Roxanne¡¯s body properly. She buried Roxanne together with Shaun. Looking at the two tombstones, Joanna felt an indescribable pain in her heart. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. She did not know why the Haynes family hade to this point. In just two years, her father had died, and so had Ryan and Roxanne. Although it wasrgely because they had embarked on a path of no return, it was still because of her. However, her heart was iparably heavy now. It was probably that she couldn¡¯t feel better for a long time. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry. I still couldn¡¯t take care of Roxy. ¡°Roxy is with you now. You should take care of her yourself!¡± Derick choked in anger and said in a shrill voice, ¡°Joanna, you bitch, are you finally satisfied now? Our family members are either dead or in jail because of you. I¡¯m the only one left now. Why don¡¯t you just kill me too?¡± Joanna raised her eyes and looked at Derick coldly like an ice-de. Derick. I¡¯ve never thought of harming anyone. You know very well who¡¯s responsible for what has happened! ¡°Behave yourself. Take good care of the business that Dad left behind!¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything more to him and turned around to leave. Derick was so frightened by her gaze that his heart trembled. He pursed his lips and did not dare to say anything else. Chapter 541 Chapter 541 After arranging Roxanne¡¯s funeral, Joanna took the time to visit the men¡¯s prison Roxanne had asked her to say something to Gavin before Roxanne died, so she naturally had to visit Gavin. In the meeting room of the men¡¯s prison, Gavin was confused when he saw that it was Joanna who came to see him. He took the phone and said in a deep voice. ¡°Why is it you?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at Gavin coldly. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± After a moment of silence, Joanna replied coldly. Tve been entrusted by Roxanne to say something to you on her behalf.¡± ¡°Roxy, how is she doing now?¡± Gavin¡¯s eyes lit up and he leaned forward. He stretched his neck and pricked up his ears, afraid that he would miss a word. ¡°Why¡­ why didn¡¯t shee to see me personally?¡± Joanna was extremely depressed. She did not have a good impression of Gavin. This man was the main reason why Roxanne was ruined. However, since Roxanne asked her to pass on the message, she would still pass on the original words. Although Roxanne did not say thest word before her death, Joanna guessed that Roxanne still wanted to say that she loved Gavin, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? What did Roxy ask you to tell me? Is she doing well now? Is she okay? ¡°I know that she definitely doesn¡¯t want to see me again¡­ As Gavin spoke, his eyes turned red as he lowered his head and kept nagging. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. Roxy must hate me to the core. It¡¯s only right that she doesn¡¯t want to see me. ¡°Roxy, I¡¯ve let you down. It¡¯s all because I¡¯m too useless. I can¡¯t protect you, let alone give you the life you want. I¡¯m too useless!¡± Hearing Gavin¡¯s self-me, Joanna felt a stab in her heart. No wonder Roxanne asked her to send a message to Gavin before she died It seemed that Roxanne probably had this man in her heart too! Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. However, back then, when faced with the courtship of a superior man like Bruce, she naturally wouldn¡¯t choose Gavin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself. Roxy has already forgiven you. She doesn¡¯t hate you!¡± ¡°Impossible. Roxy must hate me to the core. I¡¯m so useless!¡± Gavin lowered his head in frustration. Although he was in prison, he could still find out about what happened outside through the media reports. However, the news of the murder of Zachary had not been widely reported yet. The police were afraid of causing a bad influence, so they had already blocked the news. Therefore, Gavin still didn¡¯t know that Roxanne was dead. After a moment of silence, Joanna finally said, ¡°Roxy has passed away!¡± Boom! Like a bolt from the blue, it shattered all of Gavin¡¯s beliefs and fantasies. After a long while, Gavin could not recover from his shock. After a full three minutes, he looked at Joanna with dull eyes in disbelief. ¡°W-What did you say? Say it again.¡± Joanna frowned slightly I said, Roxy has already passed away¡± Gavin¡¯s pupils constricted when he heard this. He shook his head mechanically. ¡°Impossible, this is impossible! ¡°I won¡¯t believe your nonsense. How could Roxy die? This must be impossible. You¡¯re lying to me. I won¡¯t believe you. How can such a beautiful girl like Roxy die so early?¡± Joanna was toozy to exin too much to him, nor did she want tofort him. ¡°Before Roxy died, she asked me to tell you something.¡± When Gavin heard this, his eyes turned red as if blood had seeped out. He stared at Joanna angrily. ¡°What did Roxy say?¡± ¡°She said that she loves you!¡± After Joanna finished speaking, there was a sharp look in her eyes. Gavin couldn¡¯t believe it. He waspletely silent. After a long while, he suddenly leaned on the window sill and wailed. He moved his head and mmed it against the stage. ¡°Row, Roxy, I¡¯ve let you down. I am so sorry?¡± ¡°Calm down!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to live anymore. Please shoot me I want to apany Roxy¡± When the guard saw that Gavin had hurt himself agam, he hurriedly went forward to stop Gavin. ¡°The prisoner is emotionally unstable Visiting hours are over ¡°Ms. Haynes, please go back first! Don¡¯t agitate the criminal anymore.¡± When Joanna saw this, her heart ached. She stood up and walked out She had already told Gavin what Roxanne wanted to say. She didn¡¯t want to ask about the rest, nor was she interested However. Gavin really loved Roxanne. With a man who loved her so much. Roxanne could rest in peace. Joanna left the prison. Joanna nned to repair the thumb drive given by Roxanne. Over the past few days, she had already watched it several times. Unfortunately, the thumb drive was a little damaged. The image was very blurry, and she could not see the content at all She might need to fix the data. However, this was a major secret regarding Bruce. If she wanted to repair it, she had to find someone reliable and not trust anyone easily. Detention center. Bruce¡¯s case was about to start, and as soon as it started, he was basically convicted. Joanna wanted to get evidence in favor of Bruce before the trial started. In the meeting room, Bruce looked at Joanna resentfully His heart was filled with dissausfaction. ¡°You heartless woman, why haven¡¯t youe to see me for so long? ¡°It¡¯s been half a month. Do you finally want to visit me?¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes became a little unfocused, and her mood became iparably gloomy and heavy ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Seeing that she was in a daze, Bruce¡¯s heart choked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale? Did something happen again¡± Through the ss window. Bruce really wanted to touch her pale and haggard face! Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said softly, ¡°Roxy is dead!¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat and his eyes shifted. Regarding Roxanne, his heart was no longer affected at all. What did her death have to do with him? Moreover, thewyer had already told him about it, so he had no reaction at all. ¡°Zachary is dead too¡± When Bruce heard this, his sinister eyes revealed a hint of pity He and Zachary grew up together He did not expect Zachary to die at the hands of a woman. More importantly, Zachary was actually killed by Roxanne. Thinking about it, he felt that it was a good thing that he had already cut ties with Roxanne. ¡°Yes, I already know¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. After all, Roxanne had been with him for six years ¡°They have died. I hope they can rest in peace,¡± Bruce shrugged and replied indifferently. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She wanted to tell him about Roxanne giving her the thumb drive. However, the thumb drive had yet to recover its data. It was better not to tell him for the time being ¡°Not yet. way. didn¡¯t that you say you wanted to send the children overseasst time? How is it? Is the matter settled?¡± ¡°I feel that it¡¯s better to keep the children by my side. Even if I send the children overseas, they might not be safe.¡± Chapter 542 Chapter 542 ¡°If I keep the children with me, I can take good care of them in time.¡± When Bruce heard this, he agreed. ¡°Joanna, I told you before. If you can¡¯t hold on, bring the children overseas. You really don¡¯t have to worry about me. Just take care of yourself and the children!¡± Joanna did not speak. Her beautiful eyes stared straight at Bruce. She would not leave until he was released from prison. Seeing Joanna¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Bruce became even more anxious. ¡°Fool, why are you in a daze? Did you hear what I said?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say another word. I know what I¡¯m doing. ¡°Take care of yourself. I¡¯ll leave first. I¡¯ll visit you another day.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more resentful. ¡°Hey, the visiting time is not over yet. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­ miss me?¡± After saying that, Bruce was extremely depressed. He missed her so much that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep every day. He waited for a long time, and finally, she came. However, she was in a hurry to leave after staying for less than three minutes. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. What a heartless woman. He really wanted to teach her a lesson. ¡°Bruce, I have something very important to deal with. Take care of yourself,¡± Joanna said as she stood up, eager to leave. That was because she suddenly wanted to go to someone who could repair the data on the thumb drive. Moreover, he was very reliable, She had to find him quickly and ask him to repair the thumb drive so that she could get Bruce out as soon as possible. ¡°Hey¡­ Hey, hey,¡± Seeing her leave in such a hurry, Bruce was so angry that he smashed the ss window a few times. ¡°Damn woman, you are too heartless.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, stop smashing the window. If you break it, you¡¯ll have to pay! Bang! Bang! Bruce hit it even harder. ¡°What a joke. Can¡¯t I afford it?¡± If only he could really break it. He would definitely jump out and teach that heartless woman a lesson. In the Garcia family, Zachary¡¯s funeral waspleted! Mrs. Garcia and John were seriously ill. They could not ept this cruel reality. This was especially true for John. He was already in his eighties. Now that his grandson had suddenly passed away, he could not withstand such a blow. He was directly sent to the ICU and had yet toe out Mrs. Garcia¡¯s health wasn¡¯t good, to begin with Now that something had happened to her son, she couldn¡¯t recover from it. Shey on the hospital bed and never got up again. The funeral was organized by Grayson and Jennie. Outside the cemetery, the reporters also rushed over after hearing the news. ¡°Mr. Garcia, can you reveal the cause of your son¡¯s death?¡± Grayson¡¯s already gloomy face became even gloomier. ¡°No interview.¡± The bodyguards quickly dispersed the reporters. However, the reporters were best at making groundless usations. They still found out the cause of Zachary¡¯s death through various rumors. ¡°Zachary was tragically murdered. The murderer is Bruce¡¯s ex-girlfriend.¡± ¡°Bruce¡¯s ex-girlfriend Roxanne killed Zachary cruelly ¡°The second daughter of the Haynes family became a murderer. The former socialite ended up in a miserable state.¡± All sorts of rumors on the Inte shocked the entire Greyport. After all, the Garcia family was a wealthy family. This kind of influence was very bad, and they did not want to talk about it in front of the media. Therefore, they had been suppressing a lot of news. ¡°Dad, Zachary died because of the two daughters of the Haynes family. Chapter 542 ¡°We can¡¯t let the Haynes Group go so easily. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I will avenge Zachary I won¡¯t let the Haynes family have a foothold in Greyport. A strong hatred. appeared on Jennie¡¯s face. Although Roxanne was dead, she was still the Haynes family¡¯s daughter. Therefore, the Haynes family should pay this blood debt for her Joanna was Roxanne¡¯s elder sister, so Joanna was naturally the first target of revenge. Due to the death of Zachary, many of the Garcia family¡¯s businesses could only be taken over by Jennie. Grayson was immersed in sadness and did not want to make any decisions at all. He could only let his daughter do whatever she wanted. Beep beep beep. Jennie called Joanna directly. ¡°Hello, Miss Garcia.¡± Jennie shouted fiercely into the phone, ¡°Joanna, I want you to get out of Greyport now.¡±- Joanna said. ¡°Miss Garcia, Bruce hasn¡¯t been released from prison. Our agreement still doesn¡¯t count. How can I leave?¡± ¡°Humph, your younger sister killed my elder brother. You should be responsible.¡± ¡°What responsibility do I have?¡± ¡°Roxanne is your younger sister. You should bear the greatest responsibility for her killing my brother. If it weren¡¯t for her. my brother wouldn¡¯t have died at all. ¡°Now that Roxanne is dead, you should bear the responsibility.¡± ¡°Hmph, what kind of responsibility do you want me to bear? Funeral fees?¡± Jennie was at a loss for words. Joanna retorted bluntly and said. ¡°It¡¯s true that Roxanne is my sister, but I¡¯m not sure about the entanglement between her and Zachary. -¡°Now you suddenly call me and want to aim at me. How ridiculous.¡± Joanna, although you¡¯re not the murderer who directly killed my brother, you¡¯re the murderer who indirectly killed my brother¡­¡± Jennie, please be careful with your words. If you do this again, I can sue you for nder.¡± Seeing that Joanna not only did not give in but also criticized her impolitely, Jennie was even more exasperated. ¡°Joanna, I think you don¡¯t want Bruce to be released from prison, right? Do you believe that I¡¯ll let him spend the rest of his life in jail?¡± Chapter 543 Chapter 543 When Joanna heard this, she sneered. This was the first time she had seen such an unreasonable person. ¡°Whatever!¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Jennie choked. ¡°You really don¡¯t care about Bruce?¡± ¡°Inparison, I think you care more about him than I do!¡± Naturally, Joanna would not be fooled by Jennie. Even if she wanted to save Bruce, she would not let Jennie pester her endlessly! ¡°Even if Bruce doesn¡¯t get out of prison, it won¡¯t do me any harm! After all, he left all his money to me. Whether hees. out or not doesn¡¯t affect me at all.¡± Since Jennie cared so much about Bruce, Joanna would deliberately say something to hurt her heart. Jennie gritted her teeth in anger and said gloomily. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be smug. I won¡¯t let you have it easy. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely snatch Bruce from you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that sheughed. ¡°Miss Garcia, I also advise you to be kind to others. If you be friends with me, I will treat you sincerely. ¡°If you want to be my enemy, I won¡¯t show any mercy. ¡°Also, it¡¯s not honorable to be a mistress. You¡¯re young, rich, and beautiful. Why do you have to cast a greedy eye on other people¡¯s men? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re shameless?¡± When Jennie heard this, she was so angry that her entire body trembled. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t tter yourself. Bruce isn¡¯t your man yet. The two of you haven¡¯t remarried yet. Why can¡¯t I pursue him?¡± ¡°Alright! If you want to chase after him, go ahead! As long as you can capture his heart, I have no objections.¡± Joanna was toozy to say anything to her. ¡°Humph, just wait and see.¡± ¡°Wait and see!¡± Bang! Jennie directly hung up! Now that her brother was dead, she had be the only sessor of the Garcia Group. In the future, she would inherit. such a huge business empire like the Garcia Group. She did not believe that Bruce would be so stupid as to let a woman like her go and insist on being with Joanna. ¡°Bruce, I must make you submit to me! There¡¯s no man I can¡¯t get! ¡°If you want to choose Joanna, don¡¯t me me for being heartless to you,¡± Jennie said angrily and directly took out the evidence that her brother had given her. She had already decided to confront Bruce directly. If he was willing to ept her and marry her, she would destroy the evidence. If he still rejected her, she would not beg him anymore. She would hand this evidence to the court and let him stay in jail for the rest of his life. Beep beep beep. After Joanna hung up on Jennie, she immediately called Jaydon. He was an expert in this field. Davian had learned a lot of hacking skills from him. It was not difficult to find him to repair the thumb drive. Moreover, Jaydon was very reliable and she couldpletely trust him. The phone rang twice before Jaydon answered. ¡°Hello, Joann. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Jay, are you at Greyport now? I need to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been at Venturas for the past two days. I¡¯ll only be at Greyport next month. Why are you looking for me?¡± ¡°I wa want you to fix a very important thumb drive.¡± ¡°Fix a thumb drive? You can repair it by taking it to the maintenance station outside.¡± Joanna said anxiously, ¡°No, I can¡¯t give it to the people outside. I¡¯m worried! ¡°In this world, the person I trust the most is you. Other than you, I don¡¯t trust anyone else. Chapter 543 This thumb drive is very important to me and can¡¯t be leaked. Therefore, I can only ask you to repair it. I¡¯ll be worried if I give it to others.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he became nervous. ¡°Is it a very important thumb drive?¡± ¡°Yes, very important to me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t return to Greyport at the moment. If you¡¯re in a hurry,e to Venturas to look for me. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can fix it. If I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll find someone reliable to do it for you.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Joanna agreed immediately. ¡°When will youe to Venturas? I¡¯ll pick you up!¡± Joanna thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll go over tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll be there at about ten o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°All right, then! I¡¯ll pick you up at the docks at ten o¡¯clock tomorrow morning. Be careful. Make sure you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, then. See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± Joanna said and hung up. After hanging up, Joanna was still a little worried. Jaydon and Bruce were not on good terms. Previously, when Bruce went against Jaydon, he made Jaydon lose tens of million dors. Now, she didn¡¯t know if Jaydon was willing to help her! However, other than Jaydon, she really couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who could help her. ¡°Davian, Irvin. Mommy is going to Venturas tomorrow. You guys stay at home and take good care of your sister.¡± ¡°Oh, then how long will you be gone for, Mommy?¡± Davian asked curiously. Joanna patted Davian¡¯s head. ¡°Well, one day at most. Mommy will be back soon.¡± ¡°Alright then! Come back early.¡± ¡°Yes, after school, don¡¯t stay outside. You have to go home early, understand?¡± Chapter 544 Chapter 544 Joanna woke up early in the morning. After washing up, she changed her clothes and prepared to go to Venturas. She didn¡¯t want to attract too much attention, so she only brought two bodyguards. Tatiana¡¯s body had already recovered, so Tatiana had to go with her. Greyport and Venturas were facing each other across the sea. It took about an hour by ship. 9:30 A.M. Joanna and her people arrived at Venturas. They disembarked. Jaydon was already waiting at the dock. When he saw Joanna get off the ship, he immediately weed her. Although she was wearing sunsses and a mask, he recognized her immediately. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon was wearing casual clothes, looking handsome and elegant. After Joanna heard the voice, she quickly walked toward him. ¡°Jay, you¡¯ve waited for a long time, right?¡± ¡°No, I just arrived not long ago. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The car is ready.¡± Jaydon said gently and looked at Joanna affectionately. ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them walked side by side. Tatiana and the two bodyguards followed behind them, vigntly observing their surroundings. ¡°Why have you been staying at Venturas recently?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. Jaydon didn¡¯t answer directly, but there was an unnatural expression on his face. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Last year, Jaydon fell unconscious after being shot, and Carmel happened to be pregnant with his child. In order to leave a descendant for his son, Tim forcefully kept Carmel in the Grimm family. Now, Carmel was about to give birth. She would give birth the next month, so Jaydon naturally had to apany her. However, Jaydon did not want to talk about this with Joanna. He did not want Carmel to bear his child, either. However, his father insisted on having this child, and Carmel¡¯s belly was big, so it was not suitable for her to have an abortion. Therefore, he reluctantly epted it. They got into the car. The driver drove. Jaydon and Joanna sat in the backseat. ¡°Joann, what kind of sh drive do you want me to fix?¡± ¡°This one. The data inside is a little damaged.¡± Joanna opened the bag and handed a ck USB drive to Jaydon. Jaydon took it and looked at it. It was just an ordinary ck USB drive. Logically speaking, it was rtively easy to repair. However, Joanna insisted on letting him repair it personally. It must be something very important. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Yes! Please.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon. She wanted to say something but hesitated. She didn¡¯t know what was inside either, and she didn¡¯t know how Roxanne got this USB drive. Soon, Jaydon brought Joanna to his private vi. ¡°Let me give it a try!¡± Jaydon turned on theputer and began to plug in the USB drive to download the data inside. The USB drive was severely damaged. It took Jaydon a long time to repair it slightly. In the blink of an eye, it was already past three in the afternoon. Joanna looked at the time and could not help but ask, ¡°Jay, how is it? Is it easy to repair?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes were fixed on the data on theputer. His eyes were sore. Jpann, it might take two to three days. If you¡¯re not in a hurry, stay here for a few days!¡± Joanna frowned. She was worried about the children and it was really inconvenient for her to stay for too long. Chapter 544 However, in order to repair the data on the USB drive as soon as possible, she braced herself and agreed. ¡°Fine!¡± Jaydon was meticulously restoring the program on theputer. Gradually, the content of the program was restored bit by bit. On the interface, a video of Bruce meeting with a few dignitaries was disyed. Moreover, one of them was the president of the country. Jaydon took a look and his heart sank. ¡°Is this a video about Bruce?¡± Jaydon frowned and continued to repair it. The data became clearer and clearer. Bruce and a few dignitaries of Porash were discussing the development of the Green Bay Project. There was also the scene of signing the contract! With this evidence, it was sufficient to prove that Bruce had obtained the right to develop Green Bay through legal tenders. It was definitely not obtained through illegal means. Moreover, there was a video showing him doing charity work. He had donated 200 million dors to build roads and schools in poor areas of the country. However, this donation was pocketed by the local government. Now that those politicians were in jail, his donation was framed as a bribe. After Jaydon read this, his brows were tightly knitted together. There was a faint hint of hostility in his eyes. No wonder Joanna insisted on asking him to repair it. It turned out that the USB drive was so important. Jaydon sucked in a deep breath of cold air. His eyes narrowed into arcs. Now, as long as hepletely erased this data, no one could prove Bruce¡¯s innocence. Bruce had caused him so much trouble. It was normal for him to take revenge on Bruce now. While Jaydon was having a fierce internal struggle, Joanna walked over. Jay, you haven¡¯t eaten all day. I made you a te of Spaghetti. Eat something firs As she spoke, Joanna brought a te of Spaghetti to Jaydon. Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened, and he subconsciously closed the interface. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not very hungry yet. I¡¯ll eatter!¡± Joanna leaned forward to take a look. ¡°Jay, is it impossible to repair?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Let me take a look.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ready yet. It might take another day.¡± When Joanna heard this, her lips curled into a smile. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. What¡¯s on it?¡± ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t beenpletely repaired yet. I can¡¯t see everything clearly for the time being Actually, it had already beenpletely repaired. It was just that Jaydon was conflicted. It was a great opportunity to take revenge. If he missed this opportunity, it would not be so easy for him to take revenge on Bruce. ¡°Then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to repair itpletely, right?¡± Jaydon forced a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think so.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jay!¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon gently, her eyes filled with gratitude and trust. She trusted Jaydon unconditionally. She wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else easily except for him. Looking at Joanna¡¯s trusting gaze, Jaydon¡¯s heart ached slightly. The mouse in his hand was originally clicking the delete button. After thinking for a moment, he saved the data. ¡°Joann, as long as you can be happy, I will be happy too.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart suddenly ached. ¡°Jay, the luckiest thing in my life is to know you. What did I do to deserve a friend like you?¡± When Jaydon heard this, he took a deep breath, and his eyes were filled with endless tenderness ¡°Perhaps I owed you in my previous life. Therefore, I have to repay you in this life.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Jaydon still didn¡¯t want to disappoint Joanna after a fierce mental struggle He pretended to fiddle with it for a while longer, pretending that he had just restored it. He stretched and said. ¡°Alright, the data is repaired¡± Chapter 545 Chapter 545 ¡°So soon? Didn¡¯t you say you needed another day?¡± Joanna was even more surprised! ¡°Oh, it was repaired just now, but there are still some ws that haven¡¯t been preserved. I was afraid that you would be in a hurry, so I hurriedly repaired it.¡± Jaydon casually replied. Joanna did not suspect anything and quickly came over to check. What she saw shocked her even more. It turned out that Bruce was really wronged. She didn¡¯t expect that Bruce had done so much charity work behind her back. and they were all anonymous. It was really¡­ surprising. With this evidence, it could fully prove his innocence. There was no bribery. At the same time, Joanna felt a lingering fear in her heart. No wonder Jaydon looked so nervous just now. He must have thought of taking revenge on Bruce just now. Fortunately, he was an upright man and a good person. Otherwise, others would not have disregarded the past and helped an enemy. ¡°Jay, I really don¡¯t know what to say. ¡°If Bruce knew that you were helping him like this, he would probably¡­¡± Joanna said as her throat tightened. A gentle smile appeared in Jaydon¡¯s eyes as he looked at Joanna affectionately. ¡°I¡¯m not helping him. I¡¯m helping you. ¡°I don¡¯t have any interaction with him. If it weren¡¯t for you begging me, I wouldn¡¯t have helped him no matter what.¡± Hearing this, Joanna¡¯s cheeks were still burning, and she could not say a word! Jaydon paused for a few seconds and suddenly said sadly, ¡°Joann, I know you love him very much. If he spends his life in prison, you will definitely be very sad. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you sad, so I¡¯m willing to help him.¡± ¡°Jay¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, tears instantly welled up in her eyes, and her heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. If only they could cut her in half. ¡°Alright, hurry up and take this USB drive to save Bruce,¡± Jaydon said as he caressed her face gently and affectionately. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy, I¡¯m happier.¡± ¡°Jay, if there¡¯s a next life, I¡¯ll definitely repay your kindness to me¡­¡° ¡°Alright, stop talking so much. You only live once, so enjoy your life. Perhaps I owed you in my previous life,¡± Jaydon smiled and teased. ¡°Jay, thank you. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Joanna had been in Venturas for three days. She was really worried about the children and did not dare to stay any longer. ¡°I¡¯ll send you ¡°Yup!¡± off!¡± They got into the car. Jaydon personally drove her to the pier. In the main driver¡¯s seat, Jaydon drove silently. Joanna sat in the front passenger seat with a simrly heavy heart. The two of them did not speak to each other, but they were telepathic and did not need to talk too much. They reached the pier! ¡°Be careful. Call me when you arrive in Greyport!¡± ¡°Okay, I see.¡± ¡°Goodbye,¡± Joanna said, turned around, and hurried back to the cabin. ¡°Joann!¡± Jaydon suddenly called out to her. Joanna stopped in her tracks and looked back at Jaydon. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon took a few steps forward and ced his hands on her shoulders. He looked at her deeply and said, ¡°Joann, you must¡± live a happy life!¡± Chapter 545 After that, Jaydon bent down and kissed her on the forehead. It was probably a kiss goodbye, right? His love for Joanna was fulfillment and tolerance. However, he knew that once Joanna left, she would probably be with Bruce for the rest of her life. His heart was still aching a little. Joanna also looked at Jaydon emotionally and subconsciously hugged him. ¡°Jay, take care of yourself too. You have to be happy.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jaydon smiled at her with tears in his eyes. Although he loved Joanna very much, he still decided to let it go. He knew that the person Joanna had always loved was Bruce. Crack! Crack! Crack! From a hidden spot, the camera took a series of shots. The scene of them hugging happened to be captured by the paparazzi. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Although Joanna¡¯s trip this time was already very secret, she was currently at the center of attention. Countless reporters and paparazzi wanted to capture her whereabouts. Now that this scene was captured, it would be another piece of shocking news. ¡°Wow wow wow, Joanna is really here to meet her ex¨Cboyfriend!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She came to Venturas three days ago and stayed in her ex¨Cboyfriend¡¯s vi for three days withouting out. When this news is exposed, it will definitely cause an uproar in Greyport.¡± Another paparazzo said gloatingly, ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Mr. Everett handed over billion¨Cdor assets to her to manage. I didn¡¯t expect that in the end, she actually betrayed Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°As soon as he went to jail, his ex¨Cwife couldn¡¯t help but go to see her ex¨Cboyfriend. She is so horny¡­¡± Soon, photos of Jaydon and Joanna kissing at the docks were exposed online. This instantly caused an uproar in Greyport. In less than a day, all the major media outlets and websites reposted it. Although Bruce was in the detention center, he was not an ordinary criminal. He had many privileges here. He had a separate cell and there was even a television in the cell to watch. Chapter 546 Chapter 546 In addition, the legal team would visit Bruce every day and report thetest developments in the case. Therefore, it was impossible for Bruce not to know the news about Joanna and Jaydon. The media generated misleading headlines and even wrote nonsense to attract attention. Such news misled the public without any doubt. Joanna met with her ex¨Cboyfriend, spending three days together in a vi] [Billionaire Bruce is infatuated with the wrong woman and bes a cuckold.] [Bruce¡¯s ex¨Cwife can¡¯t stand loneliness when Bruce is in jail.] Joanna¡¯s meeting with Jaydon became a heated topic online, and many media wrote news about it. Undoubtedly, Jennie¡¯s had credit for this event. The news was so explosive that different trending topics emerged every hour. However, Bruce was so angry that he almost had a heart attack when he saw the news. Bruce never expected Joanna to meet Jaydon again. Bruce thought. ¡°When Joanna visited me that day, she left in a hurry after staying here for three minutes. She told me she had something important to do and needed to rush to meet someone. Thinking about it, she must rush to see Jaydon that day.¡± Joanna had stayed in Venturas for three days. Besides, there were photos of Jaydon kissing Joanna on the forehead at the harbor. Thus, everyone would consider something must have happened between Joanna and Jaydon since they had been together for three days. Bruce was paranoid, bad¨Ctempered, and obsessively jealous. Therefore, he was so furious that he almost passed out when he read the news. Bruce shouted, ¡°Joanna! Joanna! How dare you cheat on me for Jaydon? ¡°Good. Very good!¡± Bruce punched the wall heavily, and the skin of the back of his hand was instantly broken. Bruce knew deep down inside nothing would happen even if Joanna went to see Jaydon. However, Bruce still became jealous and angry because he could not ept something was between Joanna and Jaydon. Bruce wanted Joanna to love him wholeheartedly and not to have any man in her heart. When Bruce was sulking, Joanna arrived at the detention center to visit him. She couldn¡¯t wait to tell Bruce the good news she had. Thus, she rushed to the prison the moment she returned to Greyport. Joanna thought, ¡°I can get Bruce out of jail if I submit this evidence to the court. I don¡¯t need to beg Jennie for help, either. Joanna kept waiting anxiously in the meeting room. However, Joanna did not see Bruce appear after waiting a long time. After another while, a guard walked out. The guard said, ¡°Ms. Haynes, please go back.¡± Joanna was shocked when she heard that. She immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Mywyer has made an appointment for this meeting.¡± The guard replied, ¡°Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t want to see you!¡± Joanna was too shocked to speak. She thought, ¡°What? Bruce doesn¡¯t want to see me? ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded and stared at the guard in disbelief. Joanna returned from Venturas and only stayed at home for a night. After that, she rushed to visit Bruce early this morning. Therefore, Joanna had no idea what had happened online. She did not know the paparazzi had taken photos of her hugging Jaydon. What¡¯s worse, the media had turned it into breaking news of Joanna getting back together with her ex¨Cboyfriend. Joanna was confused and asked, ¡°Bruce doesn¡¯t want to see me? How is that possible? Is he feeling unwell?¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Joanna thought, ¡°Damn it. Bruce used to make a scene if I didn¡¯te to see him for several days. ¡°Now he doesn¡¯t want to see me when I bring the great news to him!¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s questions, the guard pursed his lips slightly. Then, a trace of disdain appeared in his eyes. 1/2 F Chapter 546 The guard replied, ¡°This is Mr. Everett¡¯s order. We can do nothing about it. Ms. Haynes, you should probably go back.¡± ¡°Is Bruce doing okay?¡± asked Joanna. The guard replied inly, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Joanna said. ¡°Well¡­ Okay then. The excitement in Joanna¡¯s eyes gradually extinguished. After Joanna left, the two guards couldn¡¯t help but gossip. ¡°This woman is coquettish. She probably can¡¯t stand only one man in her life.¡± ¡°Exactly. Mr. Everett has been in jail for days, and Joanna can¡¯t help but go and have an affair with her ex¨Cboyfriend.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe Joanna is so shameless that she still dares to meet Mr. Everett. How can she do that?¡± ¡°I feel sorry for Mr. Everett. He works hard to be a billionaire, but his woman cheats on him for another man¡± Joanna left the detention center, still feeling baffled. Joanna thought, ¡°Why did the guards look at me strangely?¡± When Joanna was in a daze, her phone rang. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Joanna took out her phone and looked at it. It was Jaydon calling- Thus, Joanna picked up the phone. ¡°Hi, Jay. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jaydon¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, did you see the trending topics?¡± Joanna asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I haven¡¯t had time to read the news online. Did something happen again?¡± Jaydon replied, ¡°You won¡¯t believe it. The paparazzi took photos of us hugging at the harbor yesterday. ¡°The media write news about it, and people have heated discussions online. I¡¯m worried that something will happen to you and call you to check if you are doing okay.¡± Joanna felt a chill down her spine when she heard Jaydon¡¯s words. Joanna immediately said, ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll call you backter!¡± Joanna quickly hung up the call and unlocked her phone to read the news. The news left Joanna dumbfounded! Joanna thought, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. I became a trending topic overnight again.¡± Joanna randomly clicked on one and saw a photo of her and Jaydon hugging passionately. The title was even more misleading! [Joanna met with her ex¨Cboyfriend, spending three days together in a vi.] Joanna couldn¡¯t help but gasp after reading it. Joanna thought, ¡°Gosh. When Jaydon kissed me on the forehead, there was nothing romantic about it. ¡°That was merely Jaydon¡¯s goodbye kiss. ¡°I hugged Jaydon simply because I wanted to express my gratitude for everything he had done for me. ¡°Unexpectedly, in the eyes of the media, these behaviors became proof of an affair. No wonder Bruce refused to see me. He must have read the news too. ¡°Crap. Bruce the jealous baby, will probably get mad again.¡± Chapter 547 Chapter 547 Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The phone in Joanna¡¯s hand vibrated It was Jaydon again. Joanna answered it subconsciously ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice sounded anxious on the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, are you alright? I¡¯ve already asked some people to deal with the news. However, it is very tricky this time. The rumors run wild for days, and the impact is severe. It will probably take days to get the trending topics to disappear. Joanna sighed slightly and said, ¡°Thanks. I understand it.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Joanna was already used to it Simr situations would happen once in a while. Although Joanna was not a star, she was more famous than those A¨Clist celebrities. Every word and action of hers could cause a huge uproar online. Jaydon was worried that Joanna could not hold the pressure, so he quicklyforted her. ¡°Joann, things will work out in the end. Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure. ¡°If you need anything, feel free to call me. If necessary, I¡­ I can exin everything to Bruce personally.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was touched and replied, ¡°Thanks, Jay. You don¡¯t have to do that. Bruce is different from others. He will get more and more suspicious if you exin everything to him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about the news too much, either. Focus your energy on what you want to do. Don¡¯t pay too much attention to the news.¡± Jaydon smiled and said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll care too much about the news.¡± Joanna replied. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t take it to heart. I can handle it. Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Jaydon said. ¡°That¡¯s good. Call me if you need anything.¡± Joanna replied, trying to sound calm. ¡°Thank you, Jay¡± ¡°Well. That¡¯s it, then I¡¯m hanging up the phone now.¡± Joanna sighed in frustration after she hung up the phone. What Joanna was worried about now was how to exin things to Bruce. Joanna thought. ¡°Bruce is a big baby. It¡¯s hard to turn him back to normal once he gets angry. ¡°No, I have to exin it to Bruce. Who knows what crazy thing he will do this time?¡± Thus, Joanna hurriedly returned to the detention center. Joanna had to exin it to Bruce. Otherwise, Bruce would make a scene again. Unexpectedly, as soon as Joanna walked into the detention center, she saw Jennie At this moment, Jennie was sitting in the hall waiting. Joanna thought. ¡°Needless to say, Jennie must be here to visit Bruce¡± Sering Joanna. Jennie stood up from the chair and pursed her red lips. Then Jennie mocked, ¡°Heh. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here¡± Joanna rolled her Coldly at Jennie and could not be bothered with her. Jennie crossed her arms and looked at Joanna arrogantly and disdainfully, saying, ¡°Ms. Haynes, are you here to visit Bruce? ¡°Tsk. tsk.that every impressed by you How can you have rtionships with two men for a long time? You keep the secret so well fails to discover it for years. ¡°Can you teach me how to mantam rtionships with many men without letting them get jealous of each other? Don¡¯t you feel tired when you have to keep the rtionships with Jaydon and Bruce? ¡°If I were you, I would have been too ashamed to see anyone if others took photos of me having affairs with others.¡± After saying that, Jennie showed a mocking smile and looked at Joanna as if Joanna was a sexual worker. Joanna frowned slightly and sneered at Jennie, saying, ¡®Rumors stop at the wise. you see I have rtionships with two men? Or do you want to maintain rtionships with two men? ¡°Wait, I was wrong. Miss Garcia lives a promiscuous life She must have men more than two¡± The smile on Jennie¡¯s face froze when she heard that. Then she warned, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t mess with me. I will make you disappear soon.¡± Joanna retorted coldly, ¡°Heh. Let¡¯s see if you can do that.¡± Jennie shouted, ¡°You!¡± Jennie was too angry to retort. When she was about to pick up a fight with Joanna, a guard walked over and said, ¡°Miss Garcia, you may enter the meeting room now. Please follow me.¡± When Jennie heard this, her expression changed. She said, ¡°Joanna, we¡¯ll see. Joanna hurriedly walked to the guard and asked, ¡°Sir, could you please send a message to Bruce saying I have something very important to tell him?¡± The guard replied. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m sorry. Mr. Everett refuses to see you. There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± After the guard finished speaking, he brought the smug Jennie into the meeting room. Before Jennie entered the meeting room, she hurriedly shook her fluffy curly hair a few times to make her hair look. flowing Then Jennie pursed her red lips to make the lipstick more natural. She took a while to tidy herself up before walking into the room. Bruce walked into the room before Jennie waited for three minutes. Bruce did not want to see Jennie. However, he changed his mind because he was angry at Joanna. Bruce thought. ¡°Joanna can meet Jaydon and stay with him for days. Why can¡¯t I have some moments with another woman? ¡°I got to piss Joanna off.¡± Bruce sat down opposite Jennie. Jennie¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw Bruce. Then she hurriedly grabbed the phone from the wall. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m here to see you again. How have you been recently?¡± Bruce replied inly, ¡°I¡¯m doing okay.¡± Jennie frowned slightly and said in a sorrowful tone, ¡°Look at you. You¡¯ve lost weight. Although you have some privileges here, the prison can neverpare to your house. Bruce, I wish you coulde out tomorrow.¡± Hearing this, Bruce frowned. Noticing Bruce¡¯s cold attitude, Jennie changed the topic. ¡± Bruce, I have bad news for you. My brother passed away.¡± As Jennie spoke, her eyes turned red, and tears welled up in her eyes. When Bruce heard this, he felt upset. However, he could notfort Jennie through the ss window. Thus, Bruce said. ¡°I was so sad to hear of your loss.¡± Jennie sobbed and said, ¡°You¡¯re my brother¡¯s best friend. Seeing you reminds me of the great memories when I was a kid.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and sighed inside. Bruce thought, ¡°I viewed Zachary as my childhood friend. ¡°However, I would never expect Zachary to stab me in the back. Now that Zachary was dead, all I wanted to do was sigh. Other than that, I don¡¯t have other feelings.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m asking you onest time. Won¡¯t you give me a chance?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes slightly and looked at Jennie in disgust when he heard that. Bruce replied, ¡°Your brother has just passed away. But now, you are still thinking of a rtionship. Do you think it is the right time for that Bruce was always sharp¨Ctongued and never cared about others¡® feelings, Jennie¡¯s face jurned red out of shame when she heard Bruce¡¯s words. Her crying appeared to be unnatural. Jennie said, ¡°My brother. He¡­. ¡°It¡¯s because my brother passed away that my parents want me to start a family and have a child as soon as possible.¡± Jennie stared at Bruce again and said, ¡°Bruce, no other women in this world love you more than 1 Do you know what Joanna has done when you are in prison? ¡°You cherish her, but she treats you for another man Aren¡¯t you angry about that?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. Then, his eyes were on lire. Bruce thought, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m angry! Ti so angry that I feel my body is on fire.¡± No matter what Joanna had done, Bruce would not be too emotional. However, when Joanna was with Jaydon, Bruce could not control his anger, as if Bruce was a cat and someone had stepped on his tail. Chapter 548 Chapter 548 Noticing Bruce was getting gloomier, Jennie knew her n worked. Thus, she continued, ¡°Bruce, a woman like Joanna doesn¡¯t deserve your love. ¡°Joanna has been with Jaydon for three days. Do you think nothing happened between them? They probably still love each other, and Joanna keeps the rtionship with Jaydon. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Bruce, you are a smart man. How can you fall in love with a woman like Joanna?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°Enough!¡± Jennie sighed again. After pondering for seconds, she continued, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m here today to give you an ultimatum!¡± Hearing this, Bruce raised his cold eyes and looked at Jennie. Jennie adjusted her expression. Then she looked at Bruce sulkily, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to get straight to the point. ¡°I don¡¯t want to maintain my deserved manners. I¡¯m telling you onest time. If you marry me. I¡¯ll do my best to get you out of jail. ¡°To tell you the truth. I have your dark secrets. ¡°If those secrets are made public, you can¡¯t leave the prison for the rest of your life. Of course, if you marry me, I¡¯ll keep your dark secrets confidential.¡± When speaking, Jennie leaned forward and stared into Bruce¡¯s eyes resentfully. Jennie was madly in love with this man. Unfortunately, Bruce had always been cold to Jennie. Thus, Jennie¡¯s love for Bruce was gradually changing into horrible possessiveness. Jennie would rather destroy Bruce if he rejected her again. Jennie thought, ¡°If I can¡¯t get Bruce, I¡¯ll destroy him.¡± Hearing Jennie¡¯s words, Bruce did not have any reactions. His face was still as cold as usual.. Seeing this, Jennie was exasperated. She raised her voice and said, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m serious. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m joking.¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Heh. Jennie, you know I hate being threatened the most. ¡°Are you forcing me to give in?¡± Jennie replied. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not threatening you. It is because I love you so much that I can¡¯t ept that you are with another Woman ¡°However, you never ept my love. I have no choice but to apply extreme measures. Aren¡¯t you the same? You¡¯ll do anything to get the person you like.¡± When Bruce heard this, he subconsciously raised his eyebrows. ¡°Heh. It looks like you and I are simr.¡± Jennie got excited when she heard that. Thus, she raised her voice and agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re the same, Bruce. We can make a good team and grow old together because we are simr. ¡°My brother was gone. So, I¡¯ll inherit all of The Garcia Group¡¯s assets and businesses. You won¡¯t lose anything if you marry me.¡± When Bruce heard this, he clicked his tongue meaningfully. Jennie had made her point clearly. She would bring all of the Garcia Group¡¯s assets and businesses to Bruce if he married. her. Although the Garcia Group was notparable to the Everett Group, it was still a family business worth several billion. dors. The Garcia family only had Jennie as the heir since Zachary was dead. Thus, Jennie was precious like a diamond now. Countless men in Greyport, Frayn, and other regions wanted to marry her. Jennie got emotional, and her eyes turned red again. ¡°Bruce, I love you so much that I abandon my reserved manners and confess my feelings to you! ¡°Don¡¯t you have any feelings for me? I have a decent appearance, a good figure, and money. How can Joannapare to me?¡± When speaking, Jennie stared at Bruce with desire, hoping he would give her an answer. Bruce nced at Jennie and wanted to reject her. Jennie did look good. Chapter 548 These features made her look aggressive. Bruce thought for a while. Then he said perfunctorily, ¡°Give me some time to consider it!¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ?? ? ? ?? Jennie¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. She asked, ¡°How much time do you need to make a decision?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Huh. Marriage is not child¡¯s y. I had to get out of jail first, even if I wanted to marry you.¡± Jennie was overjoyed when she heard that. She cried, ¡°Bruce, does that mean you¡¯re willing to give me a chance and date. me?¡± In the past, Bruce mercilessly rejected Jennie every time she confessed her feelings to him. Bruce¡¯s answer was ambiguous. However, his attitude was different this time. Bruce said, ¡°Well. I can give it a try. However, I need time to get into a rtionship.¡± Jennie immediately replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can wait.¡± When they were talking, Jennie suddenly became suspicious. She asked, ¡°Bruce, did you lie to me? What if you change your mind after you get out of jail?¡± Bruce asked, ¡°Am I not a man of my word?¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes widened when she heard Bruce¡¯s words. Then she cried excitedly, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll do my best to get you out of here!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Great. We will see when I get out of jail. Everything has a process.¡± He did not make a firm promise. Bruce couldn¡¯t wait to get out of prison. Even if Bruce had to return to prison after getting out for days, he would be more than happy to do so. Jennie said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal.¡± Bruce replied, ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± At this time, a guard announced, ¡°Visiting hours are now over.¡± Jennie said, ¡°Bruce, I got to go now. I¡¯ll wait for you outside. I¡¯ll wait for you forever.¡± Chapter 549 Chapter 549 Bruce was less defensive of Jennie now, which made Jennie very excited. Then, she left the conference room in satisfaction. Joanna was still waiting outside the detention center. Seeing Jenniee out with a happy expression as if she had won a lotto, Joanna subconsciously frowned and felt worried. Joanna thought. ¡°Look at Jennie¡¯s big smile. She must have gotten what she wants.¡± Jennie noticed that Joanna was still there. Then she smiled smugly at Joanna and said, ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t left until now. Are you still waiting to see Bruce? I think there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Joanna mocked coldly, ¡°Miss Garcia, I admire your persistence. You must like Bruce very much.¡± Jennie answered without caring about Joanna¡¯s feelings, ¡°Of course. I can tell you the truth. I will get Bruce soon. He can only be my man in this life.¡± Joanna raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Did Bruce make a promise to you?¡± Jennie crossed her arms and replied proudly, ¡°Exactly! ¡°Joanna, you can pack your luggage and get the hell out of Greyport now. Bruce said he¡¯s willing to try it and date me.¡± Joanna asked in disbelief, ¡°Did he really say that?¡± Jennie said. ¡°Of course. Why would I lie to you? ¡°Joanna, do you think Bruce will forgive you for doing such a shameful thing? Fortunately, you still have Jaydon. ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, you should return to Jaydon as soon as possible. After all, it¡¯s better to leave yourself than to be cast out.¡± Joanna shrugged slightly and said. ¡°I will leave after Bruce gets out of jail.¡± Jennie snorted and said. ¡°Hmph. Just wait and see. The trial of Bruce¡¯s case will open next Monday. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to let Bruce get away with what he has done. He¡¯ll be out soon. You¡¯d better hurry back and pack your luggage.¡± Joanna retorted, ¡°We¡¯ll see then!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Jennie snorted and walked away on her stilettos. Joanna took a deep breath and left the detention center. Joanna thought, ¡°Forget it. How do I exin everything to Bruce since I can¡¯t see him? ¡°Bruce won¡¯t believe me even if I exin it to him. ¡°Anyway, the trial is next week. ¡°I can get awyer and prepare everything. I will exin it to him when he gets out of jail.¡± Then, Joanna got into the car. ¡°Miss Haynes, where are we going now?¡± Joanna answered with a frown. ¡°To Greyport Hospital, please.¡± Sam replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Then he drove to the hospital. Joanna thought, ¡°Kody and Andy still stay in the hospital. ¡°Kody¡¯s injuries are more serious. Although his life is no longer in danger, he is under treatment. ¡°It has been days. I should visit them and see if they are doing okay.¡± Half an hourter, they arrived at the Greyport Hospital. Sam said, ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡¯ve arrived at the hospital.¡± ¡°Good. Now go to buy some high¨Cend nutritional supplements and fruits.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Sam bought several boxes of good milk and sea cucumbers at a high¨Cend gift shop near the hospital. Then he bought two baskets of imported fruits. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯ve got everything.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Chapter 549 Then Joanna and Sam walked toward the hospital. In the ward. ¡°Kody, Andy, Miss Hayneses to visit you!¡± ¡°What? Are you kidding?¡± It¡¯s true. They are at the entrance of the hospital now.¡± When Kody and Andy heard this, they quickly sat up from the hospital bed. Kody could not get out of bed because his injuries were more serious, while Andy could walk with a walking stick since he just got a shot in the leg. They requested to be stayed in the same ward. Thus, they would not feel too bored when staying at the hospital. Joanna pushed open the door and walked over. ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you here?¡± ¡°Ie to visit you. How are you doing these days? How are your injuries?¡± Andy replied respectfully, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m much better now. The doctor said I can be discharged after recuperating for days.¡± Joanna went up to take a look. Andy¡¯s leg was still splinted. However, Kody¡¯s injury was more severe. Kodyy on the bed and could not get up on his own. Although Joanna had not visited them at the hospital over the past few days, the butler reported everything to her. Andy had no problem recovering. However, Kody had difficulties recovering as before. Even if Kody recovered, he could probably not drive again. What¡¯s worse, there was the possibility that Kody would be disabled. Luckily, the insurancepanypensated a lot for Andy and Kody. The Everett Group also compensated a decent amount of money for Andy and Kody getting work injuries. Thepensation for Andy and Kody was enough for them to live well for the rest of their lives if they did not squander the money. They would probably quit their jobs at the Everett Group when their injuries healed. Joannaforted them gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything. Just take your time to recover.¡± ¡°Got it. Miss Haynes, thank you foring to see us.¡± ¡°If you need anything, just let the butler know.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes. ¡°Take good care of yourselves!¡± Joanna left in a hurry after she talked to Andy and Kody for a while and expressed her care for them. After Joanna left, Andy could not help but click his tongue. Then heined to Kody, ¡°Tsk, tsk. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Miss Haynes is thinking. Mr. Everett treats her so well. How can she betray Mr. Everett? She should be loyal to Mr. Everett. I can¡¯t believe she gets back to Jaydon again. It looks like it¡¯s never enough for her! ¡°Considering Mr. Everett¡¯s temper, he probably gets crazy when he reads the news.¡± When Kody heard Andy¡¯s words, he sighed and said, ¡°Well. Anything about rtionships is always mysterious and difficult to exin.¡± Chapter 550 Chapter 550 Andy said, ¡°The trial of Mr. Everett is next week. I don¡¯t think there will be any problems. I know Mr. Everett well. When he gets out of jail, he will probably fly into a rage and do something crazy. Thinking about it makes me nervous for Miss Haynes.¡± Kody let out a long sigh. Then he said. ¡°I quite like Miss Haynes. I hope she can get through this.¡± In the Sherane Bay Vi. When Joanna returned home, it was already six in the evening. Joanna thought. I have been out a day for nothing. ¡°I didn¡¯t see Bruce or go to work.¡± Irvin ran over happily and cried, ¡°Mommy, wee back!¡± Joanna put down her bag and rubbed her son¡¯s head, replying, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Irvin answered. ¡°We¡¯re ying with blocks with Lilia.¡± Joanna asked casually. ¡°Have you done your homework?¡± Irvin pouted and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already finished the homework. ¡°But we¡¯re so bored! We want to ride horses. ¡°Mommy, can you take us to ride horses? We haven¡¯t ridden a horse since Daddy goes to jail. Irvin pouted with a dissatisfied expression. Hearing this, Joanna frowned. Irvin kept asking. ¡°Mommy, the weather is so good today. Can you take us to ride horses, please?¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Irvin, Mommy is a little tired today. Can we go another day?¡± Irvin said. ¡°Then I massage your shoulders.¡± Irvin was the best at ttery. He blinked his big round eyes and looked at Joanna adorably. Joanna smiled and replied, ¡°Haha, okay.¡± She went upstairs to change into pajamas before returning to the living room. A castle made of building blocks was in the corner of the living room. Davian focused on building a defensive wall with blocks. Lilia sat in the castle and handed building blocks to Davian. Joanna sat rxed on the sofa and watched her children y. Joanna thought, ¡°Being with the children makes me fulfilled and warm. Even if I don¡¯t do anything. I feel so happy.¡± Irvin asked. ¡°Mommy, do you feel good?¡± Irvin was massaging Joanna. His chubby little hands did have strength. He massaged Joanna¡¯s neck and shoulders like a little. masseur. Joanna replied, ¡°Yes, I feel very good. Irvin, you are amazing.¡± When Irvin heard this he put in more effort. His chubby hands clenched into small fists as he massaged Joanna¡¯s back. He smirked and said, Heh, heh. I¡¯m a professional. Mommy, enjoy it.¡± Ten minutester, Irvin was still massaging Joanna. Thus, Joanna felt strange and raised her eyebrows slightly. She did not want her son to get exhausted and asked, ¡°Irvin, you are too nice today. What do you want?¡± Irvin rolled his eyes as he thought. Then he replied, ¡°Well. Mommy, I want a toy.¡± Hearing Irvin¡¯s request, Joannaughed and said, ¡°A toy? Heh, heh. What toy do you want?¡± Joanna thought, ¡°This little guy works hard to get a toy.¡± Irvin replied, ¡°Well, I want to have a puppy!¡± Joanna was a little surprised and asked, ¡°A puppy? Is that all?¡± Irvin tilted his head and said cutely, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Joanna carried her son to her knees and asked, ¡°What kind of dog do you want?¡± Joanna used to live in a small apartment with the kids. Thus, she did not allow the children to have pets. 10.1467 Chapter 550 However, things were different now. The Sherane Bay Vi was more than enough to keep pets. ¡°I want a Tibetan mastiff They look big and mighty!¡± When speaking, Irvin proudly stretched his arms to show how big the dog he wanted. Joanna repeated to confirm. ¡°A Tibetan mastill?¡± ¡°Yes! Tibetan mastiffs look majestic and domineering. A Tibetan Mastiff can guard the house and y with me.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. Joanna thought, ¡°Tibetan mastiffs arerge¨Csized and fierce. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to have one with my children.¡± Thus, Joanna said, ¡°Well. Maybe not a Tibetan mastiff? It¡¯ll be troublesome if it bites you! I think a teddy or a corgi sounds. like a better choice.¡± Hearing this, Irvin shook his head heavily. ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t like small dogs. ¡°I like Tibetan mastiffs. They look like lions! ¡°By the way, Daddy also keeps many animals in his backyard. However, Daddy never allows us to enter!¡± Davian and Lilia were ying with building blocks. However, they ran over quickly when they heard Irvin could have a pet. Davian carried Lilia over since Lilia could not walk herself. Lilia got sick very often, so she was thin. Davian had no difficulties carrying her. Davian ced his sister on the sofa. Then he sat on the other side of Joanna and said sweetly, ¡°Mommy, I want a pet tool¡± ¡°Davian and Lilia, you want pets too?¡± asked Joanna. Davian and Lilia cried. ¡°Yes!¡± Joanna thought for a moment and decided to be fair. Thus, she asked, ¡°Then what do you like?¡± Davian frowned and thought for seconds. Then he answered, ¡°Mommy, I like birds. Can you get me a parrot? I want a colorful macaw!¡± Joanna frowned more tightly when she heard Davian¡¯s request. Lilia pleaded, ¡°Mommy, I want a pet too.¡± ¡°What do you want, Lilia?¡± ¡°Well, I want a little rabbit. I want one with big ears and long furl¡± Hearing this, Joanna looked at the three little fellows dotingly and frustratedly. Joanna thought, ¡°They are triplets, but they like different things. ¡°Can I have a pet, Mommy?¡± The three kids were scared that Joanna would not agree with them. Thus, they shook Joanna and acted cutely. Joanna said, ¡°Okay. You can have pets as long as you behave well. However, you must be responsible for your pets. You can¡¯t abandon them after having them for days or ask the servants to take care of them for you. The three little fellows nodded and said in unison, ¡°Yes, we will take good care of our pets.¡± ¡°That depends on your effort. If you behave well, I will buy you pets you like.¡± ¡°What is behaving well Joanna smiled and replied, ¡°Behaving well means you don¡¯t make mistakes and listen to me in the next month. ¡°Then I will fulfill my promise next month and buy you all your favorite pets.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna answered the children seriously, ¡°Of course!¡± It didn¡¯t cost Joanna much to buy pets. She was worried that the children¡¯s passion for animals would onlyst for days. Joanna thought, ¡°The kids should be responsible for their pets if they want to keep them. I will agree to their requests if they still want those pets after a month.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal!¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Deal!¡± Miranda walked over and said gently, ¡°Joann, dinner¡¯s ready now.¡± Joanna replied. ¡°Thanks, Miranda.¡± Then she said to the kids, ¡°Now go wash your hands and get ready for dinner.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Joanna picked up Lilia and walked toward the washroom Miranda hurriedly went forward and was about to carry Lilia. ¡°Let me carry her.¡± Joanna smiled at Miranda and said, ¡°Thanks. Miranda. But I want to carry her.¡± Miranda had been in charge of the other servants since she came to Sherane Bay Vi. There were more than 20 servants in the vi, all managed by Miranda. In addition to the servants, there were bodyguards and security guards. There were almost a hundred people in Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna held her daughter and shook her gently to feel her weight. Then Joanna said, ¡°Baby Lilia, you seem to put on weight.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Lilia giggled and buried her face in Joanna¡¯s neck. Chapter 551 Chapter 551 Joanna gently looked at Lilia and said, ¡°Lilia, I¡¯ll take you to get corrective surgery in two months. *After the corrective surgery and some rehabilitation training, my baby Lilia can stand up and walk.¡± Lilia cried, ¡°Really, Mommy?¡± ¡®Of course!¡± ¡°Oh, great! I want to take dancing lessons when I can get up and walk.¡± Joanna touched her daughter¡¯s nose and said dotingly, ¡°No problem. Mommy will hire the best dance teacher to teach my baby Lilia how to dance.¡± Joanna suddenly had a headache after she said that. Joanna thought. The fake news goes rival on the Inte. I know Bruce well. He will probably make a scene again when he gets out of jail. ¡°Besides, Jennie keeps sowing discord in me and Bruce. I maypletely break up with Bruce. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m okay to break up with Bruce, but I don¡¯t want to be separated from my children.¡± After dinner with the children, Joanna returned to the bedroom and called Mr. Brycen and a PR representative. Joanna asked Mr. Brycen to sendwyer¡¯s letters to the heads of the websites where rumors spread. Then, she asked the PR representative to redirect the discussion online. Joanna thought, ¡°I won¡¯t allow anyone to nder me this time.¡± The next day. Joanna woke up early in the morning and went to work. Joanna thought, ¡°I haven¡¯t gone to work for five days. If I don¡¯t go to work today, people will think I have resigned over the matter!¡± Joanna arrived at the Everett Group at 8:30 A.M. When Joanna walked in, the receptionists at the front desk were so shocked that they dropped their jaws. Rumors about Joanna and Jaydon went viral online in the past two days. After all, Joanna was a public figure. The media would write news about her, and people would discuss her if anything had happened to her. There was no doubt that almost everyone read the news about Joanna and Jaydon since it was too explosive. A big¨Ceyed beauty at the front desk whispered to the customer service manager beside her, ¡°Tsk, tsk. I didn¡¯t expect Miss Haynes to dare toe back to work. I thought she was too ashamed to see anyone and hid away.¡± The customer service manager pursed her lips. Then she sighed andmented, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. After all, that¡¯s Miss Haynes. She has been through a lot and has seen everything. The rumors this time are nothing to her.¡± Another customer service representative with a round face and short hair mocked, ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Haynes is famous for attracting handsome and wealthy men. ¡°Some people had to work hard their entire lives. However, Miss Haynes goes faster and higher in her career than anyone by using men as her stepping stones. In just two years, she has be the richest woman in Greyport. ¡°Well, people have different storylines. I have to say Miss Haynes¡® tracks are pretty good. I also want to get a rich man, but I don¡¯t have the resources!¡± The big¨Ceyed beauty pursed her lips and looked indignant, saying, ¡°Hmph. Let¡¯s see if Miss Haynes canugh dayster. Mr. Everett will be mad if he finds out Miss Haynes has cheated on him. I feel sad for Mr. Everett.¡± The big¨Ceyed beauty mmed the cup in her hand on the table when speaking. She looked angry and jealous. The big¨Ceyed beauty roared inside, ¡°I graduated from a prestigious university. I¡¯m young, beautiful, and have a decent. degree. Why can I only be a customer service employee at the Everett Group? ¡°Why can Joanna be so lucky? It¡¯s unfair!¡± After Miss Haynes walked past the front desk, the female receptionists could not help but gossip. They were so jealous that they wished Joanna would not have her days soon or suffer from a big failure. In the conference room.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Joanna pushed the door open and entered. All the directors and executives were already in position. ¡°Good morning. Miss Haynes!¡± Chapter 551 Joanna walked into the conference room with a straight face and greeted. ¡°Hello, everyone!¡± After Joanna sat down, she found Liam Miller was absent. Joanna frowned andined. ¡°I sent a notification yesterday to tell everyone the shareholders¡® meeting is today. Why isn¡¯t Mr. Miller here yet?¡± One of the shareholders replied casually. ¡°Well. Maybe Liam encounters a traffic jam on the way.¡± Joanna looked at the time and found it was already nine in the morning. Thus, Joanna said. ¡°Mark, call Mr. Miller and see what¡¯s going on.¡± Mark replied, ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes.¡± Then he quickly went out to make a call. Five minutester, Mark returned to report. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Miller said that he¡¯s not feeling well today and can¡¯t go to work.¡± Joanna frown more tightly when she heard that. Joanna thought, ¡°I don¡¯t need to think about it. Liam must do it on purposel In addition to Liam, the others were disdainful. It was obvious that they all believed that Joanna did not go to work days ago because she was busy enjoying her moments with Jaydon. Joanna was now the acting president of thepany. However, it was because Joanna was now the acting president that no one respected her. They all thought they would see Joanna again when Bruce returned to work. They were scared of Bruce, so they were polite to Joanna before. Now that they all knew Joanna had cheated on Bruce, they looked down upon Joanna without any doubt. Moreover, Mr. Everett would not let Joanna get away with what she had done since she dared to cheat on him for another man. Therefore, the people present did not consider it necessary to be respectful to Joanna. Joanna nced at everyone and said. ¡°Let¡¯s have the meeting without Mr. Miller then¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish speaking, Mr. Nelson stood up with a painful expression. He said. ¡°Gosh. My belly feels ufortable. Sorry, I need to go to the washroom. I might have eaten some bad food in the morning! ¡°Excuse me. Please start the meeting without me. I¡¯ll be backter.¡± Instead of waiting for Joanna to approve his request, Mr. Nelson kicked the chair away and ran out of the conference room, holding his belly. Joanna¡¯s face darkened even more when she saw that. Joanna thought, ¡°I won¡¯t be angry if Nelson does have diarrhea!¡± Chapter 552 Chapter 552 It was obvious that Mr. Nelson did it on purpose. If Bruce was in the meeting, Mr. Nelson would probably not dare to leave even if he couldn¡¯t hold it in and shit in his pants. ¡°Then let¡¯s continue with the meeting. I haven¡¯t been in the office for a couple of days. ¡°Everyone, report me on your work for the past few days. I have something else to tell you guyster.¡± As soon as Joanna finished speaking, a female director in her fifties looked at her with a fake smile, saying, ¡°It¡¯s the beginning of the new year and we have just resumed work. We don¡¯t have much to report. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have anything to report. Miss Haynes, you may ask the others and see if they have anything to say.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s only been less than 10 days since we resumed work. We don¡¯t have anything to report,¡± another director also said indifferently. Joanna was Bruce¡¯s beloved woman and they could not afford to offend her before. But now, everyone knew that she cuckolded Bruce. She was nothing without Bruce¡¯s support and no one would take her seriously. The look in Joanna¡¯s eyes turned stern. ¡°It¡¯s been 10 days since we started work after the new year holiday. You guys should at least summarize what you¡¯ve done during this time, right?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, you must be kidding. You haven¡¯t been to the office for five days, but you¡¯re asking us to do a work summary. ¡°If you want us to report on our work, you should take the lead to report on yours, right? After all, you¡¯re now the head of the corporation, the female director said sarcastically. She joined Everett Group when Bruce¡¯s grandfather was in charge of thepany and had been working here for almost 30 years. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Even Bruce had to show some respect to her. She had a bad impression of Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, how about you tell us what you have been doing for the past few days?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! We want to know as well!¡± ¡°Miss Haynes. I¡¯m afraid you haven¡¯t seen the news yet. Everett Group has be everyone¡¯s laughing stock. Why are you still acting as if nothing happened? This is strange!¡± ¡°How you are going to exin to Mr. Everett when hees out?¡± several small shareholders echoed. Joanna nced at them coldly, her face turning gloomy. These old foxes¡® attitudes changed so quickly! Bruce hadn¡¯t done anything to her yet, but these people had already started to make things hard for her, ¡°Bang!¡± Joanna mmed the table angrily. ¡°We are having a meeting. How can you guys gossip about such a thing? ¡°Besides, this is between Mr. Everett and me. I know what to do. You guys don¡¯t have to worry about it. ¡°Since you guys haven¡¯t summarized the work of the past 10 days, you can¡¯t get the dividends for the first quarter,¡± Joanna said with a grim look These people thought she was a pushover and tried to bully her, so there was no need for her to show mercy again. Every year in March, thepany would distribute dividends for the previous quarter to shareholders. It was already mid¨CFebruary, and the payout date was less than a month away. As the acting president, Joanna naturally had the right to decide whether to give them dividends or not. Everyone panicked when they heard that. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you deducting our dividends?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even Mr. Everett wouldn¡¯t dare to deduct our dividends at will. This is everyone¡¯s dividend. You don¡¯t have the right to deduct it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the right?¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Tim Everett Group¡¯s president now. I have the final say in everything about thepany¡® The major shareholders retorted in anger, ¡°Hum! You¡¯re thinking too highly of yourself! Even Mr. Everett won¡¯t be as 12:15 1 Chapter 352 domineering as you!¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Really? Then get him here to support you.¡± Everyone was pissed off, but they didn¡¯t know what to say. They thought angrily. ¡°This woman did such a disgraceful thing, but she¡¯s still so arrogant in front of us. This is too much!¡± ¡°Give me your work reports before you guys get off work this afternoon. Anyone who doesn¡¯t submit it doesn¡¯t have toe to work tomorrow.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t you think you are being too overbearing? Imph! I¡¯m not going to do it. What can you do to me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t write it! Let¡¯s see what wille next!¡± Joanna said as she stood up and walked out with a gloomy face. ¡°Hum! She¡¯s just acting president. How dare she treat us like this? ¡°I¡¯ve been working at Everett Group for more than 30 years. I don¡¯t believe she dares to kick me out of thepany! ¡°Does any of you guys want to do it? Anyway, I won¡¯t,¡± Ms. Linken pushed up his gold¨Cframed sses and said resentfully. As a veteran of thepany, he didn¡¯t take Joanna seriously at all. ¡°I won¡¯t write the report either. I don¡¯t believe she has the guts to kick all of us out. If she does so, let¡¯s see how she is going to exin it to Mr. Everett when hees out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She has gone too far, even more aggressive than Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going back to my office.¡± ¡°I want to go back to my office as well. The small shareholders did not dare to argue with Joanna. They quickly went back to their offices to prepare their work reports. It would be unwise to fight against Joanna. As the final decision¨Cmaker of thepany, she might really kick them all out if she was annoyed. Even if Bruce was acquitted, it would probably take two to three months for him to be released. During this period, Joanna might kick them all out without his permission. It was not worth it to take the risk.. The major shareholders showed no intention to give in. They did not believe that Joanna would really dare to punish them. Chapter 553 Chapter 553 When Joanna returned to her office, she was still filled with anger. Those snobs began to cause trouble when they found out that she might have fallen out with Bruce. Bruce¡¯s case was about to start. Judging from Jennie¡¯s tone, Joanna could tell they seemed to have reached an agreement. After Bruce was released from prison, the first thing he would do would probably be to get even with her. Even so, Joanna would do her best at work before his return. When Joanna was in a trance, she heard someone knock on the door. ¡°Come in¡± Mark and David pushed the door open and entered. They ced a pile of documents in front of Joanna and said. respectfully. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is the report on our recent work.¡°. ¡°The other managers¡® work reports will be sent over immediately.¡± Joanna frowned She was asking the board members to report on their work, not the employees. It seemed like the employees who had just participated in the meeting were frightened. ¡°Alright, just leave them on the table.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, do you have any other instructions?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go out first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Mark and David left, Joanna stroked her forehead and called Donald. She wanted to ask if the Green Bay project was done. Ring! Ring! Hearing his phone ring. Donald answered quickly, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mr. Hall, it¡¯s me, Joanna.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Oh, Miss Haynes! How may I help you?¡± Donald asked respectfully. ¡°How is the Green Bay project going?¡± Donald pondered for a moment before he answered, ¡°Well, it¡¯s in progress. There should be a result soon.¡± ¡°When can the construction site be resumed?¡± ¡°Uh, we¡¯re waiting for a document to be approved. As soon as it¡¯s approved, we can get back to work. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on it. I¡¯ll report to you if there¡¯s any news.¡± ¡°Alright! Thank you for your hard work.¡± After hesitating for a while, Donald asked tentatively, ¡°Well, Miss Haynes, when will Mr. Everette out?¡± ¡°Why are you asking about this?¡± ¡°I have something to report to Mr. Everett.¡± When Joanna heard this, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°It¡¯s the same if you tell me. I¡¯ll tell him.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Donald hesitated for a moment and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s talk about it after Mr. Everettes out.¡± Joanna was a little upset, but it would be inappropriate to ask further if Donald didn¡¯t want to tell her. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else. I¡¯ll hang up then.¡± With that, Joanna hung up. ¡°Forget it. Since they don¡¯t trust me, I don¡¯t need to worry so much,¡± she said inwardly. At the thought of this, Joanna decided to finish the work at hand and leave the other businesses to Bruce. In the blink of an eye, it was already four o¡¯clock in the afternoon Small shareholders sent in their work reports one after another. By five o¡¯clock, more than half of the company¡¯s 20 shareholders hadpleted their work reports. Of course, there were still a few unyielding ones. Liam, Ms. Linken, Mr. Young, and a few other major shareholders hadn¡¯t Chapter 553 reported on their work yet. Joanna flipped through the work reports on her table and then made a list of people who had not done the work report yet. Since they did not listen to her, she would not show mercy. After she listed the names of those people, Joanna pressed the button on the wall. Mark was in his office when he saw the service light turn on. He hurried over to Joanna¡¯s office and knocked on the door. *Pleasee in.¡± Mark pushed open the door and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, what can I do for you?¡± said he respectfully. ¡°Demaize these people¡¯s work cards. They are not allowed to enter the Everett Group¡¯s office tomorrow,¡± Joanna said coldly and handed Mark a list. Mark took the list and looked at it, and then sweat popped out on his forehead. Except for the major shareholders like Mr. Miller, Ms. Linken, and Mr. Young, there were also a few small shareholders on the list, a total of seven people. ¡°Well, Miss Haynes, are we really going to do so?¡± Joanna frowned and said coldly, ¡°I said in the meeting this morning that anyone who didn¡¯t submit his work report in the afternoon would not be allowed toe to work tomorrow. ¡°They can¡¯t enter the office until they hand in their work reports. ¡°If I don¡¯t get their reports within three days, I will see it as them giving up thepany¡¯s shares automatically. Thepany will buy the shares in their hands at the original price.¡± Hearing this, Mark felt a chill running down his spine. Miss Haynes was really ruthless. Even Mr. Everett would not dare to offend so many directors. When Joanna saw Mark hesitate, her brows furrowed even tighter. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go!¡± ¡°Okay¡± Mark did not dare to retort and hurried out with the list. Joanna looked at her watch, only to find it was time to get off work. Anyway, she was not the real owner of the Everett Group. In a few days, she would return thepany to Bruce. She must get everything she wanted done in this period. There was one more thing that upset her. She wanted to remove Ethan as general manager when she was still the acting president. Back then, Ethan coborated with Bruce to trick her into mortgaging herpany¡¯s shares for a loan. If it weren¡¯t for him. the Haynes Group wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. And now, Bruce appointed Ethan to be the general manager of the Haynes Group. She would not let it go easily. After Joanna arranged the work at hand, she picked up her bag and went home. She returned to Sherane Bay Vi at 5:30 PM. When the three kids saw their mom return, they hurriedly over to please her. Irvin said with a lovely smile, ¡°Mom, today is the first day we didn¡¯t make any mistakes. We all performed very well. ¡°We¡¯ve done with our homework and our afterschool lessons.¡± Joanna smiled gently when she heard this. ¡°There are still 29 days left. Don¡¯t give up halfway! Irvin patted his chest and promised, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. We will definitely stick to the end.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m so proud of you guys¡± Davian blinked with a solemn look on his face. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Joanna turned to him and asked with concern, ¡°Davian, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Davian looked at his mom gloomily as if he had something to say. ¡°Come on. Say it if you have something to tell me.¡± After hesitating for a few seconds, Davian said worriedly, ¡°Mom, are you¡­ with Mr. Grimm again?¡± Joanna¡¯s head buzzed. She looked nkly at her son, not knowing how to answer. Davian paused for a few seconds before continuing, ¡°Mom, Mr. Grimm is good. We like him very much too. Chapter 553 ¡°But we just want him to be Uncle Grimm forever and not our dad.¡± Irvin immediately said in response to Davian¡¯s words, ¡°That¡¯s right. Mom, you said that you would wait for Dad toe out, right? ¡°Mom, can you not abandon Dad? I want our family to be together forever.¡± Joanna looked at the kids helplessly, saying, ¡°You silly, who told you all this?¡± ¡°We saw the news on the Inte!¡± Joanna took a deep breath again and stroked the children¡¯s heads one by one. ¡°Sometimes, what you see might not be the truth. That¡¯s all nonsense written by the media. ¡°Do you believe what mom told you or the story other people made?¡± When the kids heard this, they said in unison. ¡°We believe in Moin, of course!¡± Chapter 554 Chapter 554 ¡°That¡¯s good. Since you trust me, I will tell you what happened I met up with Mr. Grimm because I had something important to discuss with him. It¡¯s not like what¡¯s written in the newspaper¡± The kids blinked. their big eyes shining brightly. ¡°Mom, so you still love Dad and won¡¯t leave us?¡± Joanna smiled slightly. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t leave my sweethearts. How can I bear to part from you guys? But¡­ Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened and she did not continue. Given Bruce¡¯s personality, he probably wouldn¡¯t listen to her exnation aftering out of jail. And it was very likely that he would separate her from the children to punish her. The kids were so young that they couldn¡¯t figure out the profound meaning in their mother¡¯s words. They jumped up and down cheerfully and shouted, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! ¡°We¡¯ll be happy forever as long as Mom loves Dad forever and our family are together forever!¡± Joanna let out a long sigh. There was no way she could keep everything under control. She had to wait and see what Bruce would do next. If he didn¡¯t believe her, then it was useless no matter how she exined. It was better to be mentally prepared so that she would not get hurt again. At 8:00 p.m., Joanna called Mr. Brycen again and gave him the thumb drive, asking him to help Mr. Jameson with thewsuit. With the thumb drive as evidence, Bruce would definitely be acquitted. Even if he would be punished, he would be released after paying some fine. But the evidence could only help him escape the crime of bribery. There was nothing she could do if he hadmitted any other crimes. Ms. Linken arrived at the Everett Group¡¯s office building at 8:30 am the next day. He walked up to the elevator in the lobby and elegantly took out his work card that symbolized his identity and swiped it on. the elevator exclusive for the directors. ¡°Beep! Beep! Beep! Your work number is invalid.¡± Ms. Linken froze for a while before he swiped his work card again. However, the result was the same. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is the elevator broken?¡± Seeing this, the lobby manager in the front hall hurried over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Linken. Your work card can¡¯t open the elevator because it has been demaized.¡± This elevator was especially for board members, and no one could enter without a special work card. When Ms. Linken heard this, his eyes instantly widened. ¡°What did you say? ¡°How is that possible? My work card has always worked well. How could it be demaized?¡± As he spoke, Mr. Young came up to him and asked, ¡°Ms. Linken, your card doesn¡¯t work either? ¡°Damn it! My work card is also demaized and I can¡¯t get to my office. What the fuck!¡± Mr. Young was so angry that he blurted out a few cursing words. ¡°What the hell is going on? We¡¯re the board members. How could our work card be demaized suddenly?¡± The lobby manager whispered nervously, I¡¯m sorry, but Miss Haynes issued a notice yesterday, saying that those who haven¡¯t submitted their work reports were to have their work cards demaized and not allowed to enter the office. When the two directors heard this, they looked at the lobby manager in disbelief and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes also said that if you didn¡¯t submit your work reports within three days, you were automatically giving up Everett Group shares and thepany would buy your shares at the original price.¡± When Ms. Linken and Mr. Young heard this, they were so angry that they almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. They thought that Joanna was just bluffing yesterday and did not expect her to mean what she said. ¡°This is too much! How dare she treat us like this? ¡°We¡¯re the shareholders of thepany. Obviously, she doesn¡¯t take us seriously!¡± ¡°Ms. Linken, Mr. Young, this is Miss Haynes¡¯s order. We can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Chapter 554 That woman has gone too far! Who does she think she is? She doesn¡¯t have the right to do sol She sees herself as the most powerful person in thepany simply because Mr. Everett made her the acting president. It¡¯s ridiculous!¡± The two of them were so angry that they couldn¡¯t help trembling. They made a scene in the lobby despite what the others thought of them. At this time, Liam came to work. He was wearing a suit and leather shoes and his hair wasbed neatly in disarray. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Behind him were his assistant and beautiful secretary. Seeing that Ms. Linken and Mr. Young wereining, he asked in surprise, ¡°What happened?¡± When the two directors saw him, they were more confident. ¡°Mr. Miller, you¡¯re finally here! Our work cards have been demaized, and we can¡¯t enter the office.¡± Liam was stupefied. ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s Miss Haynes¡® order. She insisted that we hand in the work report. If we don¡¯t do as she said, she will kick us out of thepany. ¡°How dare she? Seems like she really thinks that the Everett Group is hers. She did such a disgraceful thing, but instead of keeping a low profile, she¡¯s trying to challenge us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She won¡¯t dare to be so arrogant when Mr. Everettes out.¡± Liam frowned and swiped his work card on the elevator. ¡°Beep! Beep! Beep! The card number is invalid.¡± He froze on the spot as well. Even his work card was demaized! ¡°Oh my god, even Mr. Miller¡¯s work card is invalid. Joanna has gone too far. She¡¯s so heartless!¡± ¡°Hurry up and get Joanna here. We want her to exin it to us. What the hell does she want from us?¡± Liam was thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder and Bruce¡¯s biological uncle. He did not expect Joanna to be so ruthless even to him. Chapter 555 Chapter 555 ¡°That¡¯s right. Hurry up and get her out! She has to exin it to us. This is too much. How could she treat us like this?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes said that if you didn¡¯t submit your work reports within three days, you were giving up your shares in thepany, the lobby manager reminded them Ms. Linken¡¯s lips trembled from anger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? It¡¯s fine if she doesn¡¯t take us seriously. How can she be so mean even to Mr. Miller? ¡°Come on, get her out! ¡°If she doesn¡¯te out, we¡¯ll break in.¡± Mark hurried to Joanna¡¯s office to report what had happened. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Miller and Ms. Linken are making a fuss downstairs! They want you to go down and exin why you demaized their work cards.¡± ¡°Leave them alone!¡± Joanna flipped through the documents, not wanting to waste her time arguing with those people. Anyway, after Bruce came out of jail, she would not stay in the Everett Group anymore. At that time, it was very likely that she would leave Greyport forever. Since they might never meet again, there was no need for her to show mercy to those people. Moreover, they challenged her first. They deserved to be punished. An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Two small shareholders in the lobby couldn¡¯t take it anymore and eventually gave in. ¡°Ms. Linken, Mr. Miller, why don¡¯t just write the work report?¡± We¡­ ¡°Are you kidding me? She¡¯s being too arrogant! If you guys want to write the report, go ahead. I don¡¯t know how to write anyway. Ms. Linken said grumpily. The lobby manager did not dare to say anything else. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take the staff elevator up. We won¡¯t let it go if she doesn¡¯t give us a reasonable exnation.¡± As they spoke, the shareholders walked towards the employee elevator. Seeing this, the head of the security guards immediately walked over with his men and blocked their way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Without Miss Haynes¡¯s permission, we can¡¯t let you in.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know who we are? We¡¯re the directors of thepany!¡± The security chief was so nervous that sweat popped out from his forehead. I¡¯m really sorry, but we can¡¯t disobey Miss Haynes orders.¡± Joanna was now the highest decision¨Cmaker of Everett Group. She even had the guts to kick the directors out of thepany, let alone employees like them. If the security chief wanted to keep his job, he naturally had to listen to her. ¡°I¡¯m really pissed off! I¡¯ve never been treated like this since I joined the Everett Group 30 years ago. ¡°Mr. Everett is short¨Ctempered, but even he doesn¡¯t dare to treat us like this. Who does she think she is? How dare she do such a thing to me?¡± Ms. Linken was so angry that his entire body was trembling. A small shareholder said timidly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just write the work report?¡± Another shareholder immediately echoed. ¡°That¡¯s right. It won¡¯t take more than five minutes to finish a work report. There¡¯s no need to argue with her. If she wants us to write it, we¡¯ll write it.¡± ¡°Yes, yes We¡¯re gentlemen. We shouldn¡¯t argue with women.¡± The two small shareholders knew that their chances of winning were slim if they continue to fight against Joanna, so they could only lower their heads andpromise The lobby manager quickly went to the front desk to get pens. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g The two small shareholders then began to write their work reports. Actually, everyone knew it well The work report was not important. What mattered was that they did not take Joanna seriously. They thought Joanna would give in if they yed tough However, they did not expect her to fight them to the end. ¡°Forget it. Go write a report for me,¡± Liam struggled to hold back his anger and said to his secretary behind him. Chapter 555 Alright, Mr. Miller.¡± The seven people took paper and pens and wrote their work reports at the front desk. 10 minutester, they handed their work reports to the lobby manager. ¡°Please tell Miss Haynes that we have finished our work reports.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The lobby manager quickly went to the secretary¡¯s desk to report. Joanna was in the office when she heard knocks on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Mark pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°Miss Haynes, here¡¯s the work reports of Mr. Miller, Ms. Linken, and the other five shareholders,¡± said he respectfully. When Joanna heard this, her lips curled into a sneer. She thought, ¡°This is human naturel. ¡°When I showed respect to them, they didn¡¯t take me seriously, but when I yed tough, they all became cowards.¡± ¡°Leave them on the table.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Mark carefully ced all seven work reports on Joanna¡¯s table. Joanna took a look at the reports. Although those people only made a perfunctory effort, they handed in their work reports. Now that they hadpromised, she could not continue to y tough. ¡°Inform the personnel department to re¨Cmaize their work cards¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The seven shareholders downstairs were still burned with anger. ¡°Hmph! Miss Haynes is so arrogant! ¡°Let¡¯s see if she still dares to be so aggressive when Mr. Everettes out.¡± ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s useless to say that. Now that she is the boss, we should lower our heads and not confront her for the time being.¡± ¡°Oh, right, Mr. Everett¡¯s case will be heard next Monday. He will probably be acquitted very soon. Let¡¯s put up with her for at few more days. Everything will be fine when Mr. Everettes back.¡± ¡°Hmph! Do we even have options?¡± Bruce¡¯s case was finally about to go to trial. At eight o¡¯clock on Monday morning, Joanna went to Court No 1. in Greyport. No matter what, she should show up. Chapter 556 Chapter 556 Jennie also came to the court early in the morning. When she and Joanna met, they gave each other a murderous look. Joanna took a seat on the left side of the gallery. Jennie deliberately sat down on her right. She rolled her eyes and said arrogantly, ¡°Hum! I didn¡¯t expect you toe. Don¡¯t you feel ashamed? ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t havee to embarrass myself.¡± Jennie had been well¨Cprepared before she came. A bunch of reporters were waiting outside the courtroom. As long as the trial ended, they would definitely rush over to bomber Joanna with questions. Joanna was currently at the center of the storm, so it was true that she shouldn¡¯t have shown up. When she just arrived, the reporters asked her a lot of questions. If the bodyguards hadn¡¯t pushed them away, she would not be able to enter the courtroom. Hearing Jennie challenge her arrogantly, Joanna immediately shot back, ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re not me and it¡¯s difficult for you to be me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Why should I want to be you? What¡¯s so great about you? Hmph Jennie rolled her eyes. coldly. Joanna shot her a cold re and stopped talking to her. ¡°Quite down, please!¡± The judge and jury walked into the courtroom. Thewyers were well¨Cprepared for the argument of the case. When the judge announced the official start of the trial, everyone stood up. Thewyers from both sides and the people in the gallery all rose to their feet. Under the escort of two police officers, Bruce entered the courtroom. Then, he walked up to the defendant¡¯s stand and sat down in the small cubicle. ¡°Bruce!¡± Jennie called out to him. Joanna reflexively looked over. Bruce¡¯s face was icy cold. The terrifying aura he was giving off would make anyone who saw him want to run away. Joanna¡¯s heart sank and she was filled with uneasiness. She knew Bruce very well. He must still be brooding about her and Jaydon. ¡°The trial will now begin. Lawyers for both sides, please present the facts and show the evidence.¡± After the judge finished speaking, thewyers of both sides began their defense. Bruce¡¯s legal team was the strongest international legal team. In addition, Joanna had got him the best lawyer in Greyport to assist in the case. It was obvious that they had a good chance of winning the case. Thewyers didn¡¯t argue much before the case was settled a whileter. Now that the person who used Bruce of bribery had withdrawn thewsuit, Bruce was only charged with illegal financing. In the end, he was given a suspended sentence due to insufficient evidence. ¡°The deferidant is now sentenced to a suspended three¨Cyear prison term. The defendant has to pay a fine of 6 million dors¡­ When everyone heard the verdict, they all heaved a sigh of relief. A suspended sentence meant that Bruce would not have to go to jail. As long as he did not make the same mistake within three years, he would be exempted from imprisonment. As for the fine, it was nothing to him. Joanna was finally relieved when she heard the oue of the trial. Her efforts were not in vain. ¡°Bruce, congrattions! I said that you would be fine,¡± Jennie ran up to the defense table excitedly and said in a ttering way. Chapter 556 Bruce looked at her with a doting smile. ¡°Bruce, you promised that you would try to start a rtionship with me as long as you came out. Does it still count? When Bruce heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but shift his gaze to the gallery. Joanna stood there in a daze and looked at him with aplicated expression. ¡°I¡¯m nothing to that damn woman. Since she doesn¡¯t care about how I feel, I don¡¯t have to treat her like a treasure. Tll get myself another girl to piss her off!¡± Thinking of this, Bruce said to Jennie, ¡°I won¡¯t break my promise, of course.¡± Jennie smiled at his words. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ve been waiting for so long. Now I finally get what I want! ¡°Bruce, do you know how much I like you? Do you know how much I love you?¡± Jennie confessed her love for Bruce in front of everyone. She couldn¡¯t wait to let Joanna know that Bruce was hers. After she finished speaking, she threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms excitedly. ¡°Come on! We¡¯re in the courtroom.¡± With that, Bruce stretched out his arm and gently held her shoulder. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. In the meanwhile, he nced at Joanna from the corners of his eyes. He wanted to make her jealous and let her know what it felt like to be pissed off. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m so happy! Do you know how much effort 1 spent to get you out? Thank God, my effort is not in vain.¡± The more Jennie spoke, the more emotional she became. She was even moved by herself and her eyes were filled with tears. Seeing that, Joanna took a deep breath. At this moment, there seemed to be no need for her to stay any longer. She could leave as long as Bruce was safe. She did not want to argue with Jennie about who deserved credit for Bruce¡¯s acquittal. After all, she was photographed kissing Jaydon. It was difficult for her to exin herself. Even if she exined, Bruce would not believe her. Joanna silently stood up and left the courtroom. It was time for her to leave. Watching her walk out of the courtroom without saying anything. Bruce could tell that she must be jealous and felt much. better. However, though he had got back at Joanna, he was still filled with anger. He would not forgive her easily this time.. As soon as Joanna walked out of the courtroom, arge group of reporters swarmed over and reached their microphones toward her. ¡°Miss Haynes, are the results of Mr. Everett¡¯s trial out?¡± ¡°Excuse me, what about Mr. Everett? Was he acquitted?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, does Mr. Everett know that you and Mr. Grimm were kissing on the pier?¡± ¡°Can you tell me who you really love? Will you get back together with Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Get out of the way. The bodyguards blocked the reporters. Under their escort, Joanna got into the car with a gloomy face. ¡°Miss Haynes, please say something¡­¡± The reporters did not want to give up. They gathered around the car and kept asking questions. Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, ¡°Mr. Everett ising out! Let¡¯s go interview him!¡± When the reporters heard this, they stopped pestering Joanna and ran toward the entrance of the courtroom. The door of the courtroom opened from the inside. Bruce and Jennie walked out side by side. Jennie snuggled intimately beside Bruce with a sweet smile on her face. At first nce, everyone would think that she was Bruce¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°Click Click! Click¡­ The reporters took photos even more crazily. ¡°Mr. Everett, can I give you an interview?¡± A bunch of police officers and bodyguards hurried over to keep the reporters from approaching Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett is not epting interviews. Thank you.¡± Bruce walked toward the parking lot with a poker face. No matter what the reporters asked, he never said a word. ¡°Miss Garcia, why did youe out with Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has been acquitted. Everyone, thank you for your concern,¡± Jennie answered on behalf of Bruce. Then, she took Bruce¡¯s arm smugly. Chapter 557 Chapter 557 However, Bruce was rather impatient and was in no mood to take care of Jennie. He walked so quickly that Jennie found it hard to catch up with him in her high heels. Having no choice, she could only quicken her pace. ¡°Bruce, why are you walking so fast?¡± Bruce strode forward and stopped in front of his car a short whileter. ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to start a rtionship with me?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Jennie, I¡¯m very tired now. I want to go back and rest.¡± ¡°Bruce, we should be celebrating your acquittal. I want to go back with you.¡± ¡°No need. Uh¡­ I¡¯ll go meet you another day,¡± Bruce said perfunctorily. With that, he bent down and got into the car. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Seeing this, Jennie wanted to slip into he car as well. However, the car door closed with a loud bang. Bruce had no intention of letting her get into the car. ¡°Start the car.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Bruce! Bruce¡­¡± Jennie called out after him. Watching Bruce leave in the car, Jennie stomped her feet hard. ¡°Hmph! Bruce, don¡¯t even think about denying it. ¡°If you don¡¯t keep your promise, I¡¯ll upload the evidence to the Inte and send you back to jail.¡± After Joanna got rid of those reporters, she left the court in the car. ¡°Miss Haynes, where are we going?¡± Joanna nced out of the window, not knowing where to go. After a while, she said, ¡°Go back to Sherane Bay Vi¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Half an hourter, Joanna returned to Sherane Bay Vi with a heavy heart. She was very uneasy because she knew what kind of terrible thing Bruce would do when he lost his mind. Thinking of what he had done to her before, Joanna shuddered uncontrobly. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯ll be unwise to stay here anymore. I¡¯d better leave as soon as possible.¡± The more Joanna thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.. When Bruce doted on someone, he would give that person everything. But once he was irritated¡­ Joanna did not dare to think further. She quickly returned to her room as if someone was hunting her. Then, she pulled out a suitcase and began to pack her things up. Actually, she didn¡¯t have many belongings. The most important thing for her was to take enough cash and her credentials. She knew that once she left, Bruce would definitely freeze all the bank cards under her name. She could only take as much cash as possible for future use. She had no attachment to Bruce. The only thing that worried her was the children. But now, she didn¡¯t have time to think that much. She had to escape from here first. Although Bruce was cruel, he was nice to the children. Therefore, she did not have to worry that Bruce would vent his anger on them. ¡°Joann, why are you packing?¡± Miranda saw Joanna packing things up in a hurry and came over. ¡°Yup!¡± Joanna replied casually. Hearing that, Miranda grew tense instantly. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Joanna put all her credentials into her suitcase and looked at Miranda with lingering fear in her eyes. Bruce looked like he was going to kill her when she saw him in the courtroom just now. 15 Chapter 557 She thought that Bruce would let it go after she told him the whole story. However, when she saw the way he looked at her, she knew it would be toote if she didn¡¯t leave immediately. ¡°Miranda, we might have to leave this ce.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Joanna did not have time to exin. ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore. Anyway, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll go wherever you go,¡± Mirandaforted Joanna. ¡°No, it¡¯s toote.¡± ¡°Miranda, stay and take good care of the children. I have to go.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she picked up her suitcase in a panic and rushed downstairs. She did not dare to stay any longer. Bruce would definitely be back soon. If she didn¡¯t leave now, it would be toote. Joanna walked out of the courtyard with her suitcase. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Next, a few cars drove into the courtyard. The door of the Rolls¨CRoyce opened, and Bruce got out. The servants who lined up beside the car said, ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce walked straight into the house with a gloomy expression. In the past, he believed in luck. Every time he came back from an unpleasant ce, he would ask the servants to boil the grapefruit for him. It was said it could help people get rid of the bad luck. But now, he was in a hurry to get even with Joanna and had no time to get rid of his bad luck. When Joanna saw Bruce get out of the car, she was so frightened that her face turned pale and the suitcase in her hand fell to the ground. Bruce walked up to her, as horrible as a demon from hell. He nced at Joanna¡¯s suitcase with a gloomy face and grew even angrier. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t you wait to move in with Jaydon?¡± said he with a sneer. Joanna¡¯s heart trembled in horror and she subconsciously took a few steps back. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll exin it to you¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, I didn¡¯t expect you to betray me again,¡± Bruce said coldly as if he was sentencing someone to death. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Listen to me¡­. ¡°No need. ¡°You¡¯ve been living with him for three days. Don¡¯t tell me nothing happened between you two!¡± Chapter 558 Chapter 558 Joanna took a few steps backward in quick session and replied with a shaky voice, ¡°Bruce, you still don¡¯t believe me! There really is nothing between me and Jay¡­¡± When Bruce heard that, he became even more angry and his eyes were filled with fury. Jaydon had be a taboo for him, and he loathed even the mention of that man¡¯s name to the point of gritting his teeth. Still, she dared to go behind his back and spend three days with that man. It was something he could not possibly ept. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Bang!¡± With a kick, Bruce sent her suitcase flying 10 feet away. He was like a roaring lion as he shouted, ¡°Jay? Jay? If you like Jaydon so much, why don¡¯t you go to him now, Joanna? You heartless woman, do you think I can¡¯t live without you? Do you think that I will never kick you out of my life? I¡¯ve told you countless times that you¡¯re not allowed to get involved with Jaydon anymore. Why did you ignore my words?¡± He reached out and grabbed her shirt as he spoke, fiercely pulling her in front of him. As she looked at him in fear and helplessness, her heart beat very quickly. She knew that he would be furious. However, she never expected him to be furious to such an extent. ¡°Bruce, can you calin down? Can you listen to me? I can exin. I went to see him for something very important. It¡¯s not what you think!¡± When he heard that, his handsome face turned extremely gloomy in an instant. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m as naive as a three-year-old? How could it be possible that nothing happened when you were alone with a man for three days? Joanna, can¡¯t you think twice about lying? You¡¯ve been photographed kissing him and yet here you are, still making excuses.¡± As he spoke, he pped her in the face as he could no longer suppress his anger. It was a ruthless blow to her. ¡°Joanna, you are so cheap!¡± She fell hard to the ground, blood immediately seeping from the corner of her lips. She covered her face and looked at him. in horror. ¡°Bruce, from the beginning to the end, you never believed me. In that case, it¡¯s better for us to separate¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, he sneered sinisterly. His malicious eyes revealed a trace of ruthlessness as he replied, ¡°Separate? Ha! Who are you to tell me to separate? Do you really think that you are my wife?¡± She was left speechless. In the meantime, she covered her swollen face while her heart rose and fell fiercely! ¡°Then what do you want to do exactly?¡± He countered in exasperation, ¡°What do I want to do? Joanna, I¡¯ve told you before already. If you ever betrayed me, I would make sure that you wish you were dead! Listen, I can make you and I can destroy you.¡± He approached her step by step, like a demon descending upon the world. ¡°I didn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like what you think at all. There really is nothing going on between Jay and me, and we have never done the kind of things that¡­¡± He could not bear to listen any longer. He sneered coldly, shouting, ¡°Shut up! How can you continue lying now? Do you think I can be easily fooled? Do you think I can¡¯t find other women? You think I have no choice but to settle for you?¡± Looking at the furious man in front of her, she realized that there was no point in exining. She said hopelessly. ¡°Alright! Say whatever you want! It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe me or not. Throughout my entire life, I have had no other men but you. Listen, you¡¯re not calm right now and you won¡¯t listen to anything I say! I think it¡¯s best if we separate for a while. We can talk when you¡¯ve calmed down!¡± As she spoke, she struggled to stand up as she wanted to leave Sherane Bay Vi. Seeing this, he forcefully grabbed her wrist, dragging her into his embrace, ¡°Al¡­¡± She let out a scream because her bones were almost crushed by his grip. ¡°Bruce, let go of¡­¡± He sneered with a gloomy expression, saying, ¡®Joanna, don¡¯t forget that you have signed a contract to sell yourself. The two-year contract isn¡¯t up yet, so don¡¯t you think about leaving mel I want you to stay by my side and be my vel¡± As he spoke, he bent down and carried her horizontally against her will. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? Don¡¯t mess around. Let go of me already!¡± Chapter 558 He had spent nearly three months in the detention center. In other words, he had not touched a woman in three months. He could no longer hold it back! He wanted to punish her harshly, and he was well aware that he would not stop until the anger inside him faded. ¡°Bruce, I beg you! Calm down. I didn¡¯t betray you. Nothing happened between me and Jay, okay? I went to see him to have a thumb drive fixed. I swear I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± She exined continuously in a state of panic. The servants were frightened as well. Meanwhile, Miranda was so terrified that she did not know what she should do. ¡°Mr. Everett, please don¡¯t misunderstand Joann. She really didn¡¯t do anything against you.¡± ¡°Go away¡± He carried Joanna and went straight into the bedroom. Then, he forcefully threw her onto the bed! ¡°Ah¡­ Bruce, no¡­ Please¡­¡± She was almost knocked unconscious by the impact, but the fear deep within her enabled her to struggle. He had always been ruthles in bed. Judging from his state of fury, it might be possible that he kill her in bed. ¡°Rip¡­ Her clothes were instantly torn apart! He pounced on her, fiercely pressing her under him¡­ Chapter 559 Chapter 559 ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed in agony like a hunted prey. This man, as if blessed by the heavens, possessed strong masculine traits and an overwhelming surge of hormones. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ No¡­¡± Her breath was interrupted, then her tense nerves rxed, rendering her arms to hang limply by the pillow. She fainted from the pain as a thinyer of sweat appeared throughout her body. Unfortunately, Bruce was still enraged. He was ruthless¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± She woke up from the pain again. Before their divorce, he had misunderstood her, which led to his violent and abusive behaviors. However, every time she found it unbearable and pleaded, he would show some restraint. However, he showed no restraint whatsoever this time. He wanted to punish her through this method. He wanted to make her suffer, to make her afraid, to make her remember the consequences of infuriating him. Deep down, he knew she would not do anything with Jaydon. But he could not ept the fact that they still maintained contact, nor could he ept the fact that she replied on Jaydon. In his eyes, he was her everything, her only one. No matter what happened, he would not allow her to seek Jaydon¡¯s help. Itsted for the entire afternoon. She drifted between unconsciousness and wakefulness constantly. No how she pleaded and surrendered, he did not demonstrate the slightest gentleness¡­. In the evening After the children had finished their art ss, they returned home. They heard from the driver that their dad hade home today. So, as soon as the art ss ended, they were eager to rush back home. ¡°Miranda, is Daddy back today?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Where is Daddy? We miss him. We want to see him.¡± When Miranda heard this, her eyes turned red as she anxiously nced toward the bedroom. The room had good sound instion, capable of isting even low-decibel sounds. However, intermittent screams could still be heard. One could imagine how piercing Joanna¡¯s cries were. However, the servants dared not interfere. Instead, they all went about their business. ¡°Your parents are in the bedroom¡­¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, they rushed to the second floor with excitement. ¡°Then let¡¯s go find Daddy and ask him to take us horseback riding! It¡¯s been so long since we did it. I want to ride a horse so bad.¡± Miranda quickly grabbed the two little ones. ¡°Davian, Irvin, please don¡¯t go there!¡± Davian asked with puzzlement, ¡°Why not?¡± Miranda¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. She sniffled slightly and did not know what to say. After all, it was better not to let the children know about this. Irvin yfully flicked his nose and said mischievously, ¡°You silly boy. Daddy hasn¡¯t seen Mommy for so long, so I bet he misses her so much. Let¡¯s not disturb them and let them have a good time.¡± Davian found it reasonable. ¡°You¡¯re right, let¡¯s not disturb them!¡± Time flew by. It was already seven o¡¯clock in the evening In the dining room, dinner was already served. Though the three little ones were famished, they still waited for their parents to have dinner together. ¡°It¡¯s past 7 o¡¯clock. It¡¯s time for dinner. Why haven¡¯t Daddy and Mommye out yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, my stomach is growling.¡± ¡°Should we call Daddy and Mommy toe down and have dinner?¡± Miranda brought thest dish to the table and nced at the closed bedroom door. It seemed that they would note out for dinner. ¡°Children, go ahead and eat! You don¡¯t need to wait for Daddy and Mommy.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± The three little ones obediently sat at the dining table and started eating dinner sadly. After all, their father rarely returned. Yet when he finally did, he spent the entire afternoon in the bedroom, hiding away from them ¡°Aren¡¯t they hungry? Why are they staying in the bedroom for so long? Lilia said with a puzzled face as she ate. Irvin smirked cunningly. ¡®Haha, little sister, don¡¯t meddle in their business! Just eat!¡± ¡°After finishing dinner, let¡¯s take a shower and go to bed.¡± Miranda and Lilian helped the three children bathe. After dinner. After the trio had washed up, they took a walk to facilitate digestion. At 8:30 in the evening, they were ready for bed. In the children¡¯s room. Davian and Irvin insisted on sharing a room even though there were many rooms in Sherane Bay Vi. Therefore, the two little ones stayed in the same room. ¡°Davian, do you think Daddy will leave this time?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± Irvin said, ¡°That¡¯s great. We can be a family again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Hurry up and sleep! Tomorrow we¡¯ll have Daddy take us horseback riding.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Mmm! Goodnight.¡± The two turned off the bedsidemps and went to sleep. The next day. Seven o¡¯clock in the morning. The three children were so eager to get up as they had not seen their father for a long time. ¡°Daddy and Mommy aren¡¯t up yet I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Lilia pouted, looking very upset. ¡°It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock. It¡¯s still early, so let¡¯s wait a little longer!¡± ¡°Hmph, Daddy only cares about Mommy. He doesn¡¯t want us anymore.¡± ¡°Haha, this is called ¡®absence makes the heart grow fonder¡¯!¡± Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. Bruce finally got up. After a night of torment, Joanna was exhausted. She felt as if her bones had been disassembled and reassembled. Meanwhile, every joint ached, and she had no strength left in her body. Brice got out of bed and went straight into the bathroom. After taking a cold shower, he shaved his beard. ¡± Then he changed into a proper white shirt, paired with a well-fitted dark blue suit. After tidying up. he regained his noble and elegant posture. He looked radiant, handsome, and captivating Indeed, clothes made the man. With this transformation, he appearedpletely different. No one could imagine that he was like a hungry wolfst night. The door finally opened. The three children had been waiting eagerly with their eyes fixated on the door. When the door finally opened, they joyfully ran toward the staircase. Although Lilia could not walk independently, she was equipped with advanced electronic prosthetics. Once activated, the machinery would assist her in walking slowly. ¡°Good morning, Daddy.¡± As Bruce saw the three children, his mood improved in an instant. With a loving smile on his lips, he descended the stairs. gracefully, taking long strides like a gentleman. ¡°Good morning, my darlings¡± ¡°Wow, Daddy, you look so handsome and stylish today!¡± ¡°Yes! Daddy is super handsome. When I grow up. I¡¯ll find a boyfriend as handsome as Daddy¡± Irvin and Lilia beamed with smiles, showering their father withpliments. Bruce, hearing the children¡¯s praises, wore an even wider smile on his face. ¡°Well, 1 am handsome and stylish every day.¡± As he spoke, he reached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Kids, did you miss me?¡± Chapter 560 Chapter 560 The three children nodded and replied in unison, ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Bruce bent down, lifting Lilia into his arms and gently nting kisses on her cheek. ¡°I miss you, Lilia. Come, give me a kiss.¡± Lilia beamed with a radiant smile and nted several kisses on his cheek. ¡°We want to give Daddy kisses too.¡± Irvin went ahead to greet his father while hopping around like a cute monkey. The father chuckled, saying, ¡°Go away. Only girls can give me kisses.¡± ¡°No!¡± Having been rejected, Irvin pouted, demonstrating displeasure. ¡°Daddy, are you hungry?¡± ¡°Yes, a little.¡± Of course, he was hungry. He had not eaten since yesterday afternoon, after all. After a night of intense activity, he waspletely drained of energy. It would be strange if he was not hungry. ¡°We¡¯re waiting for you to have breakfast together! We¡¯ve got you a steak sandwich, your favorite!¡± He smiled warmly, carrying his daughter as he walked toward the dining room. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I will have breakfast with you guys.¡± Then, he brought the children to the dining room. The breakfast was particrly abundant, and it was even more so today. There was a wide range of optionsid out on the table. The four sat at the dining table, ready to start eating Davian looked up at the second floor and asked with a puzzled expression. ¡°Daddy, why isn¡¯t Mommy getting up yet?¡± As he spoke, he got off his chair and said, ¡°Tll go wake Mommy up for breakfast.¡± Bruce lifted an eyebrow and casually said. ¡°No need to wake her up. Mommy is still sleeping, so don¡¯t disturb her.¡± The three children¡¯s faces were filled with astonishment. After all, their mother had note out of the bedroom since yesterday afternoon. Therefore, she must be hungry after such a long time without food. Davian¡¯s eyes flickered as he cautiously asked, ¡°Daddy, is Mommy ill? Bruce calmly cut a piece of Wagyu sandwich with his knife and fork, and without thinking, he replied, ¡°Yeah, Mommy caught a cold, so she needs more sleep.¡± ¡°Can I go check on Mommy?¡± The father stopped smiling immediately. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about Mommy. Sit down and have your breakfast.¡± Seeing the change in the father¡¯s expression, the two boys nced at each other, feeling that something was not right. After all, their mother rarely slept in. They thought to themselves, ¡®Daddy returned only yesterday, so why would Mommy be sleeping in?¡± ¡°You need to go to the kindergarten after breakfast. Don¡¯t bete.¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned serious, not wearing a smile anymore. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± The three children dared not to make more fuss. Instead, they sat down and had breakfast obediently. After breakfast. ¡°Daddy, we¡¯re going to school¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± The children then headed toward the school. Bruce had just finished his breakfast. He had initially nned to go to the office, but on second thought, he supposed that Joanna must be hungry having not eaten anything. He could order a servant to take care of her. However, he wanted to continue venting his anger as he still felt upset. He bought sandwiches and a ss of milk into the bedroom. Inside the bedroom. Joanna, with her disheveled hair cascading over her face, remained in a deep slumber. ¡°Get up¡± Hismand was cold and emotionless. She did not react at all. Meanwhile, she appeared to be almost lifeless. ¡°Get up already. Did you hear me? His voice sharpened as he urged her again. She remained silent. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake. What happenedst night was a punishment for you. Joanna, from today onwards, you are no longer my wife, but only my pleasure ve. Do you hear me? Now that he enjoyed tormenting her, he spoke without regard for her feelings She still did not respond His gaze turned cold as he walked over in annoyance. He lowered his head to take a look, and he noticed that her cheeks were extremely red while her neck was covered in bruises He reached out and touched her forehead, feeling an intense heat. She had a high temperature His expression darkened, and he decided to call the family doctor Twenty min The family doctor hurriedly arrived with medical equipment. After reaching the bedroom the doctor measured Joanna¡¯s temperature. ¡°Forty-one degrees. The patient¡¯s burning up pretty badly¡± Bruce furrowed his brows. ¡°Give her some injections and medications to help with the temperature.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°Okay!¡± the family doctor said, ncing at Joanna¡¯s pitiful state A sense of pity welled up in his heart The doctor realized that being the woman of a wealthy man was not as easy as it seemed. She may appear morous on the surface, but behind the scenes, she had to endure many unsavory aspects. The doctor administered the injection that helped with the fever and departed after providing some instructions. It was 10 o¡¯clock in the morning Seeing that Joanna was only having a fever. Bruce believed there would not be any major issues. Therefore, he decided to go to the office. Ring, ring, ring! Just as he was about to head to the office, his phone started ringing. He checked lus phone and saw that it was a call from Jennie. ¡°How annoying!¡± He immediately hung up the phone for he had no intention of answering her call. Chapter 561 Chapter 561 While Bruce was in prison, he had casually mentioned being willing to try dating Jennie, but it was merely a way to brush her off. He never expected her to take it seriously. This gave him an enormous headache, as he despised women who clung to him persistently. ¡°Keep a close eye on Joanna. Don¡¯t let her step one foot outside Sherane Bay Vi!¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± With that, he put on his zer and headed straight to thepany. At the Everett Group. It was half past ten in the morning. Inside the conference room. All shareholders and executives stood up with smiles on their faces. ¡°Mr. Everett, congrattions! You have finally returned. If you had stayed away any longer, the Everett Group would have faced significant trouble.¡± ¡°Could it be that serions?¡± he smiled, raising an eyebrow. Ms. Linken pushed his sses up and said indignantly. ¡°Mr. Everett, you have no idea. During your absence, Miss Haynes exhausted us and she nearly drove us to the brink of breakdown. ¡°She either made us submit work reports or sent us on field inspections. Justst week, she even had the personnel department cancel our ess cards, threatening to kick us out of the Everett Group.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Miss Haynes constantly interferes, acting like she¡¯s in charge. You know, she drives us crazy. If you hadn¡¯t returned, Mr. Everett, I would seriously consider resigning from the Everett Group,¡± Mr. Young chimed in, adding fuel to the fire. The shareholdersined one after another, wishing that Joanna could get out of Greyport instantly. As Bruce listened, his eyebrows slightly raised, though he maintained a poker face while looking at the crowd. However, deep inside, he could not help butugh with satisfaction because Joanna had done exactly what he wanted. After all, this group of cunning, old men deserved to be taught a lesson, especially Ms. Linken and his group. With their old age and tenure, they were particrly pretentious and difficult to deal with. Although Bruce had a temper, he was rtively restrained and polite when dealing with older individuals. He was very pleased that Joanna had taken care of them all. ¡°Well, starting today, I am officially back to work. Temporarily, Miss Haynes will not hold the position of president at the Everett Group.¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± The shareholders apuded enthusiastically. ¡°We have been eagerly anticipating your return, Mr. Everett. We have been hoping and waiting for it, and finally, you have returned¡­ The shareholders¡¯ meeting ended shortly after. He then returned to his office. At the office. He opened the work files and checked the backup data on hisputer. He had expected everything to be in chaos. However, to his surprise, Joanna handled everything in an orderly manner andpleted all the tasks he had left behind. This was outside of his expectations. Before he went to prison, he had appointed her as the president of the group temporarily. Still, he never expected that she would perform so well. He had underestimated her. ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡± The sound of knocking echoed ¡°Came in!¡± Mark walked in, wearing a respectful expression. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia is here. She is currently do sk Chapter 561 and says she has something very important to discus He furrowed his brows upon hearing this. with you.¡± ¡°Why is she here again? She¡¯s like a ghost that can¡¯t be gotten rid of. He did not want to see Jennie at all. The more ambitious a woman was, the less he liked it. Jennie, who wore all her intentions on her face, was a woman he did not want to get involved with. ¡°Do you want to see her, Mr. Everett? If you don¡¯t, I can tell her that you¡¯re not in the office.¡± His brows furrowed even more, but then he relented. ¡°Well, bring her in¡± ¡°Alright, Mark said, turning around to deliver the message. He let out a subtle sigh, disying impatience on his face. He did not want to see her. However, if he refused, she might stir up some kind of trouble. Therefore, to avoid any trouble, he supposed it was better to establish clear boundaries with her as soon as possible. Ten minutester. Mark brought Jennie over. ¡°Miss Garcia, please go in. Mr. Everett is in his office¡± ¡°Okay¡± Jennie gracefully stepped into the office in her high heels. She was dressed particrly elegantly today as if attending an important event. She wore a high-end designer dress, and her hair and makeup were meticulously done. ¡°Bruce, why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? I¡¯ve been calling you since yesterday. Are you avoiding me intentionally?¡± Her tone was petnt and soft, carrying a hint of grievance as she spoke. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Oh, I was in a meeting so I didn¡¯t hear the calls!¡± He pretended to be clueless, saying, ¡°What brought you here? Do you have something to talk to me about?¡± She pouted, then said with a yful and tender voice, ¡°Bruce, you have such a bad memory. You haven¡¯t forgotten our agreement, have you? You didn¡¯t forget who helped you get a quick release, did you?¡± Indeed, she had put in some effort, although it did not produce much impact. Still, she at least managed to suppress those who falsely used him. He seemed to be smiling at this point. ¡°You promised me that we would start dating. What? Do you want to use and dump me? Let me warn you, I have all the evidence against you. If you betray me, I won¡¯t easily let you off the hook.¡± Chapter 562 Chapter 562 Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at Jennie, and one could not tell whether he was pleased or displeased. ¡°Do you really like me so much?¡± Her nose tingled, and her eyes turned red instantly ¡°Bruce, I have loved you for fifteen years. Are you still unsure about my feelings for you?¡± Upon hearing this, he asked with curiosity. ¡°How much do you love me?¡± Her eyes shimmered as she took a few steps closer and spoke with a sobbing voice, ¡°Bruce, my love for you is unwavering until death. I am willing to give everything to you. As long as you agree to be with me, everything I have is yours. Bruce, just give me a chance, and I will make you fall in love with me. He touched his chin thoughtfully, asking. Really?¡± ¡°Of course. I will do anything for you, Bruce. I will love you more than Joanna ever could. I will never let you down, and I will gradually make her disappear from your heart.¡± He raised an eyebrow slightly. ¡°Are you really willing to do anything for me?¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°Absolutely, I am willing to give everything.¡± She blinked, looking at him with teary eyes. Then, she walked over and sat on hisp. ¡°Bruce, I really love you. I love you so much. Please don¡¯t reject me anymore, okay?¡± As she spoke, she became infatuated, taking the initiative to kiss him. ¡°Jennie, don¡¯t.¡± He pushed her away forcefully and stood up from the swivel chair. She was taken aback. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m a woman, and I don¡¯t mind. So what are you worried about? We¡¯ll be happy together.¡± He walked away from the desk, maintaining a 7-foot distance from her. ¡°Jennie, what exactly do you love about me?¡± ¡°I love everything about you. I won¡¯t ever marry anyone else! She drew closer to him, leaning into his embrace while her arms tightly wrapped around his neck as she sobbed. After sobbing for a few seconds, she looked up at him with infatuated eyes, tearfully pleading, ¡®Bruce, just ept me! Please don¡¯t reject me anymore¡­¡± He was indeed very handsome. His facial features were deep and well-defined. His eyebrows, which were thick and dark, were neatly ced on his face. His physique was exceptional as well. He stood at 6.2 feet, and there was not an ounce of excess fat on his body. Meanwhile, he was muscr, exuding a strong sense of masculinity. Even if he did not have money, his appearance alone could attract many women. He handed her two paper napkins and gently pushed her away from his embrace. ¡°Jennie, I¡¯ve always seen you as a sister. You and I won¡¯t work¡± Her face changed upon hearing his words. ¡°Since you really love me and are willing to give everything for me, then I have a request for you. Please retract your love for me. I really cannot bear it.¡± He firmly rejected her, not wanting to leave her with any room for hope. Women were like this. Sometimes, if you gave them a chance, they would weave a dream for themselves, trapping themselves in that dream and refusing to wake up. And they would consider it love. He was indeed despicable and heartless. But there was one thing good about him: he despised the idea of ying with a woman¡¯s feelings. He believed that love should be absolute and hold no room for ambiguity. Therefore, he would never sway from one woman to another. Although he had slept with many women, those women were there to gain something, and their goal was money. Therefore, they were well aware of the rules of the game. In other words, they would not get hurt, nor would they invest their emotions. Besides, he was generous. Of course, there were some women who had ulterior motives and wanted to be his only one. For those women, he would offer no opportunity whatsoever. 11:55 Chapter 562 After hearing his response, she underwent an instant transformation. Her once gorgeous face was now contorted to the extreme as she said, ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to burn bridges? You promised me while you were in prison. You promised me that you would give us a try. How can you go back on your word?¡± He furrowed his brows slightly while a cold curve formed at the corner of his lips. ¡°Jennie. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re not gonna work.¡± When he promised her a chance while in prison, it was purely out of anger. Of course, it was also to secure a quick release from his charges. However, when it came to love, he did not want to force it or hurt anyone. ¡°Hmph, so you and Joanna are gonna work? What does she have that I don¡¯t? Is she worthy of your loyalty?¡± ¡°She¡¯s different¡­ His brows furrowed even more. ¡°What¡¯s so different about her? She simply gave birth to three children! I can give birth too, give you as many as you want. Do you know what she did behind your back¡± so how many do you want? I can He did not want to listen any further. ¡°I¡¯ve said what needs to be said. We aren¡¯t suitable for each other. Don¡¯t waste your time on me.¡± At this point, her face turned pale with anger and her tone became sharp. ¡°Bruce, if that¡¯s your decision, then don¡¯t me me for being unkind to you. If I can get you out, I certainly can send you back in. If I can¡¯t have you, no one can either.¡± ¡°Fine by me!¡± He pressed the call button, summoning Mark toe in Seeing this, she felt utterly defeated as tears streamed down her face. ¡®Bruce, how can you be so cruel to me? You should consider the consequences!¡± He took a deep breath and spoke with seriousness. ¡°Jennie, this isn¡¯t cruelty. There was never love between us. Besides, what Im doing is for your own good. You¡¯re such an outstanding young woman, and you¡¯ll find a man who is suitable for you. You should go and seek happiness. I¡¯m not a good man, and I can¡¯t give you the happiness you desire.¡± ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s only when you¡¯re with me¡­¡± She sobbed as she poured her heart out The office door was pushed open. Mark walked in with respect, saying, ¡°Mr. Everett, how may I be of use?¡± A dark expression appeared on Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°Escort Miss Garcia out.¡± Mark then extended his right arm respectfully, gesturing for her to leave. ¡°Miss Garcia, please follow me.¡± She choked up while her chest heaved heavily. ¡°Bruce, I will make you regret it! One day, you will beg for me with teary eyes. You will regret it¡­¡± With impatience, he replied, ¡°Ha, I will never regret it. Mark, escort Miss Garcia out.¡± Without hesitation, Mark said respectfully yet forcefully, ¡°Miss Garcia, please leave immediately.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± she huffed angrily, her eyes brimming with tears as she stormed out. After she had left, he went to the window side and pulled out a cigarette with irritation. Just as he was about to light the cigarette, he reconsidered his decision to quit smoking. After three months in the detention center, he had made significant progress toward quitting. Not wanting to undo his progress, he decided to put the cigarette back. Chapter 563 Chapter 563 It was five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Bruce could not concentrate at work because he was worried that Joanna would do something unpredictable again. Thus, as soon as it struck five, he left the office and headed home early. Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Good evening. Mr. Everett,¡± the servants greeted in unison. He walked into the house with a gloomy expression. Miranda was waiting in the living room. When he saw her, he asked with a long face, ¡°Miranda, how is Joanna doing?¡± Miranda wore a mournful face as she replied sadly, ¡°Joanna has been in the room and hasn¡¯te out yet!* He frowned after hearing that. ¡°She didn¡¯te out for the entire day ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Has she eaten anything?¡± His brows furrowed even more now. He was very worried because when Joanna, a stubborn woman in his eyes, got angry, she would torment herself like crazy. Although he was mad at her, he had no intention to break ties with her He wished she were smarter, capable of coaxing him a little more. He also longed for her to show concern for his feelings and pledge to cut all ties with Jaydon, erasing his contact information. By doing so, perhaps his anger would diminish, and a sense of tranquility could ultimately be restored. After all, all married couples quarreled. ¡°I brought her some food, but she hasn¡¯t eaten anything.¡± Upon hearing that, he took off his suit zer and headed toward the master bedroom on the second floor. In the bedroom. Joanna remained in a state of daze, with every joint in her body throbbing in pain. Last night, she kept breaking into cold sweats and was exhausted to the point of copse. She was drenched in so much sweat that she felt as if she had been pulled out of water She was experiencing fluctuating temperatures, resulting in a persistent high fever. ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce forcefully pushed open the door. She knew he had returned. Instantly, she trembled in fear and quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. She wished he were dead. She also wished she could tear him apart. He walked to the bedside with a cold expression, then grabbed the corner of the nket, yanking it open. ¡°Stop ying dead and get up!¡± Deep down, he was worried about her. However, he had a sharp tongue and was ustomed to hurting people¡¯s feelings. She still kept her eyes closed, ignoring him. He approached and reached out to touch her forehead, feeling that it was even hotter than in the morning. ¡°Didn¡¯t the doctor give you a shot to bring down the fever? Why is your temperature still so high?¡± She slightly turned her head away, paying no attention to him This instantly infuriated him again. Now, it was he who was angry. He found it unbelievable that she dared to give him a cold shoulder. ¡°Joanna, remember, what happenedst night was a punishment for you! If you anger me, I will punish with you harshly She weakly and angrily opened her eyes. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re no human, you¡¯re a devil¡­¡± Upon hearing that, he gripped her jaw, giving a coldugh. ¡°Yes, I am a devil. It¡¯s you who turned me into a devil! It¡¯s all your doing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± With onest burst of strength, she struggled fiercely His face darkened as he ordered, ¡°Get up anul cat. You haven¡¯t had anything sincest night. What? Are you trying to y the victim with me? I¡¯m telling you, I have no pity for you whatsoever.¡± As he spoke, he slid his arm around her neck and forcibly lifted her off the bed. Then, he brought over milk and oatmeal from the table. ¡°Eat up!¡± She weakly nced at him with her beautiful eyes, which were filled withplex emotions. While mountains and rivers could change, one¡¯s nature was hard to change! She was truly afraid of a man like him-a man born cruel and unpredictable. *Eat up. During the contract period, everything about you belongs to me, so your body belongs to me as well. If I tell you to eat, you cat ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re insane¡­ She red at him with resentiment as tears welled up in her eyes immediately. Seeing her reaction, he became even more furious. ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t make me angry again! You¡¯d better do as I say.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat¡­¡± ¡°You have to eat even if you don¡¯t want to. You haven¡¯t eaten since yesterday. Do you want to die? Even if you want to die, you need my permission.¡± Tension escted between the two. ¡°Knock, knock, knock Knockings echoed. ¡°Who is it?¡± he sternly questioned. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, can wee in?¡± The children¡¯s voices came from outside the door. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We want to see Mommy!¡± After a brief pause, he made the decision to let the children in, knowing that they held a special ce in her heart and hoping that they could persuade her. Without hesitation, he walked to the door and let the children in. ¡°Mommy, what happened to you?¡± Davian and Irvin were taken aback by their mother¡¯s listless appearance as soon as they entered. Lilia also said anxiously, ¡°Mommy, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Joanna weakly lifted her gaze toward the children. ¡°Did you two have another fight?¡± The three children cautiously asked as they sensed that something was wrong. Lilia pouted, looking pitiful as she gazed at her father. ¡°Daddy, can you please stop fighting with Mommy? We¡­ we don¡¯t. want you to fight again¡­¡± Chapter 564 Chapter 564 Upon hearing that, Bruce instantly put on a loving and gentle smile. ¡°You guys are good kids. Well, Daddy and Mommy didn¡¯t have a fight. You¡¯re overthinking!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The three little fellows were skeptical. ¡°Of course. Daddy and Mommy will never fight. We¡¯re the most loving couple. You know, Mommy caught a cold and doesn¡¯t feel well. That¡¯s all.¡± As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder and affectionately kissed her on the lips. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, honey? Tell them how much we love each other.¡± As Joanna listened, her eyes revealed a hint of despair. The word ¡°loving¡± echoed in her mind. She found it ridiculous. However, she did not want to expose him in front of the children, nor did she want them to worry or be frightened. She extended her hand to gently caressed her daughter¡¯s cheek, then she said with immense weakness. ¡°Sweetie, Mommy¡¯s caught a cold. Don¡¯t worry, eh? Cough. Cough.¡± Lilia quickly reached out her tiny hand to touch her mother¡¯s forehead. ¡°Oh. Mommy, your forehead is so hot. And why do you have so many bruises on your neck? Does it hurt a lot?¡± Lilia¡¯s ¡®s eyes were filled with fear as she looked at the bruises on Joanna¡¯s neck Last night, Bruce went crazy and left many hickeys on her body. Her delicate skin appeared particrly concerning today.. and it looked as if she had been beaten. Irvin also said anxiously. ¡°That¡¯s right! Mommy, why do you have bite marks on your arms? Who bit you?¡± Faced with the children¡¯s questions, the father pursed his lips with a gloomy expression. A cold smile appeared on Joanna¡¯s lips as she replied weakly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I got bitten by a dog by ident.¡± *Pit!¡± After hearing that, Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed instantly. He was filled with rage and he wished to vent his anger immediately. ¡°Bitten by a dog? That¡¯s not good. What if it was a rabid dog? You might get rabies. Mommy, you need to get a rabies vine.¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze coldly swept over the children¡¯s father. Tll get the rabies vine after I have recovered from the cold.¡± ¡°Yeah, you gotta get a rabies shot.¡± Irvin frowned, looking worried as hemented, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to keep a Tibetan Mastiff anymore. If it bites, I¡¯ll have to get a rabies vine too.¡± Davian wore a cold expression, saying. ¡°Dogs that bite people must be put down, or they¡¯ll bite again.¡± Bruce could not bear to listen anymore. At this point, his cheek bulged as he clenched his teeth. ¡°Mommy hasn¡¯t eaten yet. Tell her to eat something!¡± ¡®Mommy, why aren¡¯t you eating? You should eat something!¡± Joanna let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry ¡°You can¡¯t skip meals. Even if you¡¯re sick, you still need to eat on time.¡± The three children bombarded her. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Cough, cough.¡± She weakly coughed a few times. Due to the fever, she nowcked strength. ¡°Mommy is tired and wants to rest for a while. Why don¡¯t you and Daddy go out and y?¡± ¡°Right, didn¡¯t Daddy say he would take us horseback riding? Can you take us today, Daddy?¡± Bruce took a deep breath, then said, ¡°Some other day! I need to stay with Mommy today. Don¡¯t disturb her rest, eh? Go y.¡± ¡°Okay! Mommy, you need to rest well!¡± ¡°Yes, sure¡­¡± The children left. In an instant, Bruce¡¯s expression shifted, and he looked at Joanna with cold eyes. ¡°Joanna, what did you mean by that? Bitten by a rabid dog? How dare you? Do you want more punishment?¡± apter 564 As he spoke, he sat on the bed, leaning over with half of his body. Seeing this, her heart sank. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Can you stop behaving like this?¡±. ¡°It depends on whether you¡¯ll be good or not. If you listen to me, maybe I¡¯ll be a little gentler with you. If you don¡¯t behave, I might do all sorts of things.¡± He looked at her with a stern gaze, exuding a strong sense of oppression that made one want to escape. Her eyes were filled with tears while a hint of coldness passed over her face. Right now, she did not want to say anything more to him. There was no point in talking anyway. To escape from the suffering, she must distance herself from him as much as possible. If she stayed with a man like him, it would be equivalent to living with a time bomb, and she might get shattered into pieces at any moment. Observing her silence, he added angrily. In the future, you will still be a good mother in front of the children. But when we are alone, you are just my toy. Do you understand?¡± She tightly closed her eyes, refusing to look at him any longer or utter a single word to him. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Do you hear me?¡± She kept her eyes shut, allowing him to shake her. Her response, however, drove him to the brink of madness. She was like a flexible knife, seemingly harmless but capable of inflicting significant harm. She excelled at the silent treatment and disliked arguing with him. It seemed to him that no matter how angry or violent he became, she would retaliate in the gentlest yet most devastating way. It always drove lum to the brink of madness, making him want to conquer her in bed. Chapter 565 Chapter 565 In the next few days, Joanna continued suffering from high temperatures. Because of that, Bruce, perhaps carrying a hint of humanity, did not push her further. Besides, he had to go to Mossbourne to manage the Green Bay construction project, so he did not spend much time in Greyport In other words, she had narrowly avoided a disaster. On the fifth day. After five days of recuperation, her body had recovered to some extent. Although the fever had subsided, she still felt mentally exhausted. However, there was no way for her to leave. Sherane Bay Vi was heavily guarded with over a hundred security personnel and servants. In other words, escaping was harder than reaching the heavens. Ring, ring, ring! Her phone began to ring. She picked up the phone and s knew. unfamiliar number. Meanwhile, it was her private number that only very close friends. Though she did not know who was calling, she quickly answered, ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Jaydon¡¯s concerned voice came through, ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me!¡± Her heart skipped a beat while she instinctively nced around. She was worried that Bruce had installed surveince cameras in the room. If he found out that she was still in contact with Jaydon, he would probably go crazy again. Even though there was no one in the room, she instinctively lowered her voice. ¡°Jay, is there something you need from me?¡± Listening to her anxious voice, Jaydon¡¯s heart tightened instantly. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Why does your voice sound so hoarse? I¡¯m really worried about you!¡± Hearing his concerned voice, her nose tingled as tears filled her eyes in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­..¡± ¡°Are you really though? Bruce didn¡¯t make things difficult for you, did he?¡± He clearly did not believe her. The two¡¯s photographs had caused a huge uproar in the city, after all. Even an ordinary man would have a hard time epting it, let alone someone like Bruce. For the past few days, he felt particrly uneasy as he had not heard anything from her. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. You don¡¯t have to worry about me!¡± she said, but tears streamed down her face uncontrobly. She did not want him to worry about her, so she tried her best not to cry. He could tell from her voice that something was wrong, so his brows furrowed even more. Joann, you must tell me if something is wrong. Don¡¯t force yourself, eh? If there¡¯s anything I can help with, please let me know. I will always be by your side no matter what happens.¡± As she listened, tears flowed even more vigorously. She could only bite her lips tightly, preventing herself from crying out loud. He was very good to her. He was gentle and chivalrous. If she were with him, she would definitely be happy. Unfortunately, it seemed that their paths would never cross again in this lifetime. She took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself. ¡°Jay, please don¡¯t call me during this period of time.¡± He frowned and pressed further, ¡°Is he giving you a hard time? Should I go talk to him and clear up the misunderstanding?¡± She shook her head and quickly deterred him from doing so. ¡°No, please don¡¯t. Jay, at this time, please don¡¯t provoke him any further. When things calm down, everything will be fine.¡± He decided not to insist after pondering for a few seconds ¡°Okay then, take care of yourself! If you need anything, call me.¡± ¡°I know. You take care too.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s hang up for now.¡± She hung up the call. She curled up in the nket, bursting into painful sobs while her body trembled uncontrobly. She cried for several minutes. Then the door opened with a click. She knew it was Bruce, so she quickly wiped away her tears. Bruce walked into the room and noticed her lying under the nket, seemingly asleep. After a busy day, he was exhausted. He walked up to her and took off his suit zer, sitting on the bed. Joanna, my head hurts. Give me a massage. She did not react at all. Not hearing any response from her, he took off his shoes and got ready to lie down. Only when he lifted the nket did he realize that she was crying. At this point, her eyes were swollen. Immediately, his expression changed. ¡®Why are you crying? Do you feel wronged?¡± She coldly replied, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t I even get to cry?¡± He had intended to lie down and rest, but now he was no longer in the mood. ¡°Hmph, do you find being with me particrly distressing, Joanna?¡± She averted her gaze, remaining silent. He stood up abruptly. ¡°Since you¡¯re so unhappy, then go find Jaydon. I don¡¯t want a resentful woman by my side.¡± As he spoke, his eyes carried a sense of mockery and derision. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . She let out a faint sigh, not bothering to answer him. His anger grew upon seeing her indifference. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Are you refusing to speak to me now? Since you don¡¯t love me, I don¡¯t want to force you to stay by my side. Get out of here before I change my mind!¡± Her face appeared gloomy and her gaze was somewhat hollow. She knew that he loved to speak in reverse. He was just provoking her by saying all this. If she really did as he said, he might end up killing her. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Can¡¯t you hear me? Having lost patience, he grabbed her by the cor, lifting her up. She lifted her eyes slightly, looking at him with exhaustion and indiffere ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really tired! Can you just let me go?¡± His heart skipped a beat while his brows furrowed immensely. Meanwhile, his heart ached as well. ctice. He was not a narrow-minded man, but when it came to the ambiguous rtionship between Joanna and Jaydon, he offered no room for tolerance. He could not bear the thought of her having another man in her heart, even if it was just a small fraction. Her beautiful eyes were now filled with endless sadness. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s let go of each other, eh? I don¡¯t want anything anymore and I just want a little freedom. Please let me go. I¡¯m willing to give up everything, including the Haynes Group.¡± As herst sentence trailed off wearily, tears welled up in her eyes, tracing down her pale face. She had no choice but to enter into a two-year contract with him, in order to safeguard the Haynes Group and preserve her grandfather¡¯s lifelong efforts. Although nearly a year had psed, she could not bear it any longer. She was utterly drained, reaching the brink of mental and physical exhaustion. In Bruce¡¯s presence, she could not fathom finding peace. After all, he would employ different tactics to oppress her, to restrain her freedom, transforming her into apliant pet trapped in his cage. She just wanted to leave him once and for all As he looked at her deste expression, he felt as if his heart was being cut open. Joanna, do you really hate me this much? Do you really want to leave me desperately? Chapter 566 Chapter 566 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife By Zara Gibbon Chapter 566 He really loved her. It was also because he loved her so much that he became a control freak. He wanted to conquer everything about her, including her heart. Suddenly, Bruce sneered and hid the disappointment in his eyes. ¡°Hehe, you want to leave me so badly just because you want to return to Jaydon¡¯s side, right? You can go and look for him! ¡°When you hold your wedding. I¡¯ll give you a big gift, Bruce said as he pinched her chin. Joanna looked down weakly and closed her eyes in pain. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s enough, that¡¯s really enough! ¡°A man like you is doomed to die alone.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right! I will die alone. I know you can¡¯t wait to return to Jaydon¡¯s side. ¡°Does he has anything better than me that is worth your concern? Is he richer than me? Is he more handsome than me? Or¡­ is he better in bed? Bruce looked at Joanna evilly. He couldn¡¯t understand why Jaydon was inferior to him in every aspect but Joanna insisted on being entangled with him. He continued, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true! He¡¯s yed with many women, so his skills must be much better than mine. It¡¯s expected that you can¡¯t bear to part with him. ¡°Come on. Tell me how he made you happy, how he left an unforgettable memory on you, and how he made you unable to leave him.¡± These words were unbearable to hear. Joanna felt even more heartbroken and disappointed! ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really disgusting! That¡¯s true. You can¡¯tpare to Jaydon. He won¡¯t speak as rudely as you.¡± This very sentence instantly detonated the tension. Bruce gritted his teeth in anger as if steam was about toe out of his cars. Im that disgusting. And I will disgust you for the rest of your life! ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t even think about getting back together with Jaydon, not even for a second. I won¡¯t let you go even if I have to ruin your life.¡± As he spoke, Bruce loosened his tie and threw Joanna onto the bed. ¡°Ahhh¡± Joanna screamed and protected her chest with her arms. The fear from a few days ago had yet to subside when a new wave of fear struck again. Bruce was infuriated. He punished her again and again¡­. In the blink of an eye, a month passed. Joanna didn¡¯t know how she got through it. Even though she could no longer bear the burden, she still could not escape the cmity he gave her every night. During the day. Bruce maintained the image of a kind father in front of the children. At night, he would turn into a demon in front of his wife and destroy her body and mind evilly Although he would not be very barbaric and rude, the overbearing aura was really unbearable for women. One day, while Bruce was on a business trip. Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore and called Jaydon Jaydon picked up the phone very quickly ¡°Hello, Joann What¡¯s wrong¡± After a long whale Joanna said hoarsely, Jay ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . When Jaydon heard her hoarse voice, his heart was about to break ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong with you? Is Bruce treating you badly!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. Her tears were just dripping down. ¡°Joann, what happened? Hurry up and say something Don¡¯t make me anxious. Hurry up and tell me what happened.¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice became more and more worried! He knew that Bruce would not let Joanna off. Jay, Leart take it anymore. I want to leave this ce,¡± Joanna replied in despair, When Jaydon heard this, his heart almost skipped a beat. ¡°Joann, did he torture you? What exactly did he do to you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Don¡¯t ask anything.¡± Jaydon clenched her fists and tried his best to suppress his anger. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t ask. How do you want me to help you?¡± ¡°Help me escape from here. I really can¡¯t take it anymore. If I stay any longer, I will die.¡± After saying that, Joanna closed her eyes in pain. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you think of a way. Bear with it for a while longer. I¡¯ll definitely save you.¡± Footsteps sounded outside the door. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Bruce seems to be back. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± As she spoke, Joanna hurriedly hung up the phone. At the same time, the door was kicked open. Bruce walked in with a gloomy expression. ¡°Joanna, who are you talking to?¡± ¡°N-no¡­No one.¡± ¡°No one?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with a sense of murder ¡°Give me your phone.¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t!¡± Fear appeared in her eyes. Bruce sneered and snatched her phone away. In the past month, he had deliberately not confiscated her phone to see if she would contact Jaydon. Of course, Joanna¡¯s phone had already been installed with a listening system. Bruce would know it if she called anyone. After reading the call log, Bruce smiled sinisterly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you have nothing to do with Jaydon? ¡°Why are you calling him now? Do you want him to save you?¡± Seeing this, Joanna retreated in fright! Looking at the fury in Bruce¡¯s eyes, Joanna trembled. Chapter 567 Chapter 567 In the past month, Joanna¡¯s depression had rpsed again. She was struggling on the verge of a mental breakdown. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯te over, don¡¯te over¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, it seems you still haven¡¯t learned your lesson!¡± Bruce was like a vicious wolf about to prey as he walked towards Joanna step by step. ¡°Do you have to irritate me? You know I hate Jaydon, but you still have to find him?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re too scary. I¡¯d rather die than be with you¡± Joanna was inplete despair. She screamed and ran out of the room. Bruce was indeed too scary. He said that he was going on a business trip, but Joanna didn¡¯t expect that he was lying to her on purpose. Moreover, as soon as she called, he immediately came over. From this, it could be seen that he must have installed numerous monitoring devices to monitor her. It¡¯s an overwhelmingly depressing feeling. She really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. The only thing she wanted to do was escape from here and from Bruce¡¯s control. Bang! Joanna opened the door and ran out barefoot. She was really frightened. She was even more afraid of staying alone with him. Even though she knew that she had nowhere to go, she still subconsciously fled. Bruce chased after her. ¡°Joanna, stop right there. Where do you want to escape to?¡± The second floor was a circr staircase with a balcony and guardrails. The living room and lounge were downstairs. There were many bodyguards guarding the door of the house and the courtyard. She would be stopped if she went out. Joanna had nowhere to run. In a moment of desperation, she stepped on the handrail. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t force me. If youe over again, I¡¯ll jump down from here.¡± After saying that, Joanna crossed one leg over the handrail. This was the second floor. Although she might not necessarily die if she jumped down, if she identally fell on her head, she would die on the spot because the ground was made of marble. Bruce gasped and his expression changed slightly. However, he did not believe that she dared to jump. He maintained a trace of dominance in his tone. ¡°Joanna, are you threatening me? ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be threatened by you? Do you still think I care about you?¡± Joanna¡¯s two legs went over the guardrail, and most of her body slid down the handrail. Realizing she was serious, Bruce¡¯s nerves twitched. He subconsciously took two steps back and his tone immediately softened. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I won¡¯t go over, okay? ¡°Come back first. I won¡¯t be angry with you. Let¡¯s say that nothing happened, okay?¡± Joanna¡¯s chest heaved violently. She looked downstairs with a hint of despair in her eyes. It was an awkward height. Even if she jumped down, she might not die. However, it was very likely that she would break her legs and arms. If her luck was a little worse and she fell until she was paralyzed, which would be even more painful. ¡°Joann, be good. Don¡¯t make such a dangerous joke. You know how much I love you. Be kind and come down. Let¡¯s reconcile, okay?¡± Bruce tried his best to calm her downl Every nerve in his body tensed up like a leopard ready to pounce at any moment and pull Joanna down. The servant people on the first floor also heard themotion and ran out to check. When they saw the situation, they were all dumbfounded. ¡®Madam, be careful. It¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡± Miranda and Kelly also ran out. They were even more frightened by this situation. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s too dangerous. Go back quickly.¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be stupid. The children will be frightened if they see this.¡± ¡°Hurry up and go back. Don¡¯t take things too hard. You, hurry up and get the mat in case Madam falls.¡± When the servant members heard this, they hurriedly went to the storeroom to get soft cushions. Joanna was overly panicked. Her vision turned ck, and her brain was fragmented for a few seconds. Her entire body swayed and almost fell. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart instantly jumped to his mouth. ¡°Joanna, calm down. Come back first. Let¡¯s have a talk. ¡°I just love you too much. I am so afraid of losing you. If you don¡¯t want to live like this, I can make some changes. As long as youe down, that contract will be written off. You will still return to work at the Haynes Group. I won¡¯t control you anymore, okay¡­ Bruce started to fall into the underdog¡¯s stance. Joanna had done a lot of crazy things in front of him. What if she really jumped down from here? Then he would really regret it. Joanna was still in a mental breakdown. What Bruce said waspletely unbelievable. After a few seconds, the ckout in her head dissipated. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t force me. I want to leave this ce. Let me go! If you don¡¯t let me leave this ce, I¡¯ll die now.¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be rash. Think about the children. Can you bear to leave the children? If you die, what will happen to the children? Can you bear to see them without a mother?¡± Joanna was stunned and calmed down! If she died, the children would definitely be very sad! However, if she stayed here, she would definitely die. ¡°Bruce, I want a car. Let me go. I¡¯m leaving now. Give me my passport and identification¡­¡± ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t push your luck!¡± Chapter 568 Chapter 568 Bruce subconsciously took another step forward. Seeing him move, Joanna panicked even more. ¡°Don¡¯te over, don¡¯te over!¡± Her emotions turned increasingly unstable, and her hoarse roar made her ck out and fall out. ¡°Ahl¡± ¡°Joanna!¡± Bruce cried out in surprise. He rushed forward and grabbed the handrail with his hands. Unfortunately, he only managed to grab the sleeve of her pajamas. The thin silk pajamas tore and Joanna fell straight down. ¡°Oh my god, hurry, hurry, hurry!¡± The servant members downstairs were also panicking and went forward to pick it up. Fortunately, the servants had already brought over the cushion in time. As Joanna fell, they hurriedly pushed the cushion to pick her up. ¡°Bang!¡± Joanna was blocked by the cushion and fell onto it. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s eyes were wide open. He took strides down the second floor. ¡°Joanna, Joanna¡­..¡± The servants were also frightened. ¡°Madam, Madam¡­¡± Joanna fainted on the spot. Although there was a cushion to cushion the gravitational force, she still fell to the ground! ¡°Joanna, Joanna!¡± Bruce was terrified. He hugged her tightly in his arms, his heart beating violently. ¡°Take Madam to the hospital!¡± ¡°Call 911.¡± ¡°Why are you still calling 911? Hurry up and get the driver. Send Madam to the hospital.¡± ¡°hen Bruce reacted, he was even more anxious. He carried her and quickly rushed out of the door. *Joanna, you will be alright. I forbid anything to happen to you. Do you hear me? ¡°Go to the hospital as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett,¡± Ten minutester, they arrived at Greyport Hospital. The driver ran a few red lights along the way and sent Joanna and Bruce to the hospital at the fastest speed. As soon as the car stopped, the bodyguard immediately went forward to open the door. Bruce panicked and got out of the car with Joanna in his arms. He rushed towards the hospital running like a leopard. ¡°Someone, someone,e quickly.¡± When several nurses at the nurse¡¯s desk saw Bruce, they were even more shocked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°She fell from upstairs. Hurry up and save the patient! Hurry up and inform all the surgical experts.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The nurses quickly nodded. ¡°Get the patient to the emergency room.¡± The nurses did not dare to dy. They quickly pushed the wheeled stretcher over and rushed Joanna to the emergency room Bruce paced back and forth outside the emergency room. ¡°Joanna, you really know how to torture me!¡± Bruce¡¯s face was ashen, and his heart was in turmoil. More than ten bodyguards stood in two rows, all of them as mute as fish. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the doctore out? It¡¯s been so long.¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing a checkup now, Mr. Everett, please calm down!¡± In the blink of an eye, another hour passed. The emergency room door finally opened. Two top surgical experts walked out with solemn expressions. Bruce¡¯s heart was in his mouth. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Joanna?¡± ¡°Mt. Everell, don¡¯t worry. The patient is not in danger. She just fractured her calf and needs to put on a cast now When Bruce heard this, he frowned and asked nervously. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just given the patient a full body checkup. Other than a fracture in his calf, he¡¯s fine.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Oh, right, there¡¯s one more thing. She is pregnant.¡± When Bruce heard this, his pupils suddenly constricted. ¡°¡­What? Say that again?¡± The doctor said with a serious expression, ¡°The patient is pregnant. Fortunately, the fetus is fine! However, we can¡¯t be too careless. Her condition is very weak. It¡¯s best to stay in the hospital to protect the fetus for the first three months. It¡¯ll be better to leave the hospital after the fetus¡¯s condition stabilizes.¡± Bruce frowned and looked a little dazed. Joanna is pregnant? This news was too sudden and unexpected, causing him to be unable to recover for a long time. Looking at his expression, the doctor thought that he didn¡¯t want this child too much. He changed the topic and suggested, ¡°Uh, of course! If you don¡¯t want this child, you can choose to terminate the pregnancy¡­¡± Before the doctor could finish, Bruce¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Who told you I don¡¯t want it? ¡°All of you, do everything you can to help Joanna keep the baby safe until it¡¯s safely delivered.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. ¡°We¡¯re going to make a n now. Mr. Everett, you can go in.¡± The two doctors were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They found an excuse to leave. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯in finally going to be a father again.¡± The worry and nervousness on Bruce¡¯s face were gone. His eyes were filled with irrepressible surprise. What an unexpected surprise! He had wanted to have another child, but Joanna refused. Thest time Joanna identally miscarried made him feel heartbroken. It¡¯s great that she was finally pregnant again. In the ward, Bruce could not contain his joy. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna was lying on the hospital bed. Her calf was already splinted, and she was a little out of her wits. Bruce seemed to have forgotten about the conflict and argument just now. He excitedly shook Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°Joann, I have good news for you¡± Joanna¡¯s face was numb. He continued, ¡°The doctor said you¡¯re pregnant. We¡¯re having another baby,¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyelids drooped slightly, but she still did not reply. This child came at the wrong time. She did not want to give birth to his child again. Bruce buried his head in her belly, sticking close to this unborn child. ¡°Joana, are you happy?¡± ¡°I hope this child is a girl so Lilia can havepany. However, it doesn¡¯t matter if we have a boy. Anyway, the more, the better. After this child is born, we¡¯re going to have another child.¡± The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He waspletely immersed in the joy of being a father. He had long forgotten what had happened in the morning. He was like that. Emotions came and went in a sh. Bruce switched from his previous tyrannical behavior and was as excited as if he were standing on top of the world. Joanna ignored him and left him to himself. Suddenly, Bruce seemed to have realized that his actions these days had forced Joanna to jump off the house. Presumably, Joanna was no longer willing to bear his child. What if she secretly had the baby aborted behind his back? Then he was going to go crazy again. ¡°Joann, let¡¯s¡­ stop fighting, okay? Take good care of the baby. Let¡¯s stop holding our grudges and pretend that nothing happened, okay?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed in a second. He gently held Joanna¡¯s hand and kissed it again and again. Joanna¡¯s expression was cold and indifferent to his goodwill. Why did he have the right to determine everything? She hadpletely given up on him and would never fall for his tricks again. ¡°Joanna, we love each other very much. During these days, I¡¯ve been angry and lost my mind. Can you forgive me?¡± Bruce knew that ¡°better bend than break.¡± Hepletely put down his arrogant attitude. Chapter 569 Chapter 569 Seeing that Joanna was ignoring him, Bruce¡¯s heart sank. He knew that Joanna was not so easy to comfort. If he failed to show his whole sincerity, she would probably not forgive him. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me, okay? If you don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll feel terrible! ¡°Honey, you know that I can¡¯t control my emotions because¡­ I care about you too much. I won¡¯t do it again. Can you forgive me this time?¡± Bruce stuck his head into her arms and rubbed against her like a spoiled child. Joanna¡¯s expression changed. She replied indifferently. T¡¯m tired. I want to have a break.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Close your eyes. I¡¯ll stay by your side.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he adjusted his sitting posture and sat carefully at the end of the bed, with his big hand gently stroking her hair. No matter what would happen, he did not dare to provoke her anymore. The anger in his heart dissipated. As long as Joanna drew a clear line with Jaydon, even if she offended God, he was willing to pamper her and go along with her. Joanna ignored him andy down to rest. At the nurse¡¯s desk, a few young nurses could not help but gather together to gossip. ¡°Oh my god, Mr. Everett and Joanna haven¡¯t broken up yet?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is too magnanimous, right? Joanna has openly cheated on him, but he still cares about her so much?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She didn¡¯t really break off with her ex-boyfriend. They still connected with each other and spent three days together. Ordinary men can¡¯t take it. I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to be willing to be a cuckold¡± Another nurse in her thirties said in surprise, ¡°And wow, I just heard from Dr. yton that Miss Haynes seems to be pregnant again. Guess if she¡¯s pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child or Mr. Grimm¡¯s child?¡± ¡°I guess only the person involved knows about this! The life of the rich is too messy for ordinary people to ept.¡± ¡°Come on, stop gossiping here. Go and do your job! If they don¡¯t mind, why should we worry?¡± In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed. Joanna slept groggily for a while. Her arm had been numb, and she moved her body slightly. Bruce saw that she was awake and quickly went forward Joann, you¡¯re awake? Does your body still hurt? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Ell get someone to prepare it.¡± Joanna replied coldly, ¡®Im not hungry!¡± ¡®You haven¡¯t eaten anything all day. How can you not be hungry?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the kitchen to prepare a few more specialties. They¡¯re all your favorites. They¡¯ll be sent to the hospitalter, Bruce said gently and dotingly Joanna was indifferent to his goodwill. Bruce was used to punishing her and then rewarding her.. When he got better, he could be the perfect man. When he was bad, he would let her know what the devil was. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Even if he stopped throwing tantrums, she still did not want to be with him anymore. A man like him was too controlling and obsessivepulsive. It was really unbearable to live with him. Especially in bed, he was nasty and difficult to deal with. It was obvious that she could only ept one round, but he insisted on five rounds, tormenting her to death. Who could stand him? ¡°Rest well for a while. I¡¯ll wake you up after the meales!¡± Joanna did not reply. Due to the anesthetic, she was in a daze. She turned over slightly and continued sleeping. At 6 p.m., Miranda came to deliver dinner with one servant. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia Haynes all followed. As soon as the three children entered the ward, they could not help but ask, ¡°Mommy, do you have a baby?¡± Joanna looked at her children and hesitated. The three little fellows did not know that their mammy had experienced the moment of life and death when she jumped off 1/2 10:381 Chapter 569 their house today. It was only because her mommy was pregnant that she was hospitalized. Of course, it was also Bruce¡¯s order not to let anyone tell the children that Joanna had jumped today. ¡°Mommy, can I look at Mommy¡¯s belly?¡± ¡°Is mommy going to give birth to a little brother or sister again?¡± Bruce replied on behalf of Joanna, ¡°That¡¯s right! Are you happy?¡± ¡°Yes. If Mommy gives birth to a little baby, will she still love us?¡± ¡°Silly, of course!¡± Davian grinned. I want a little sister!¡± Irvin chimed in. ¡°I want a sister too.¡± ¡°Mommy better give us three sisters so that we can each have one! ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. How can it be so easy to get pregnant with triplets? Bruce smiled happily. ¡°We are triplets!¡± Irvin replied slyly Indeed, triplets were very difficult to conceive. When Joanna was pregnant with the three of them, Margaret had repeatedly urged her to have children. So, the ovtion injections were given months in advance. That was how she got pregnant with triplets. Joanna struggled slightly and tried to sit up. Seeing this. Bruce hurriedly asked with concern. ¡°Joann, what do you want to do?¡± ¡°Are you feeling unwell Tell me, I¡¯ll call the doctor over.¡± ¡°I need to go to the bathroom¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll carry you there,¡± said Bruce. Without any exnation, be carefully carried Joanna to the bathroom. Chapter 570 Chapter 570 Joanna entered the washroom and copsed tiredly on the seat of the toilet. Now that she was pregnant, Bruce¡¯s attitude towards her changed. It wouldst until she gave birth, and then Bruce would. definitely return to how he was initially! Joanna didn¡¯t want to live like this anymore. She had to be free of Bruce. His love was too suffocating Joanna inadvertently looked at theyout of the bathroom. There was arge window in this bathroom, and this was on the second floor, which was not far from ground level. If she escaped through the window, she couldpletely avoid the surveince of the bodyguards at the door. At the thought of this, Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up. This might be a good opportunity. As long as she left Greyport, she could be rid.of Bruce. However, her calf was fractured now. It was almost impossible for Joanna to break through the window and escape. Even if she wanted to escape, she would have to wait until her leg healed. Outside the washroom, Bruce knocked lightly on the door and asked with concern, Joanna, are you done? Let me know if you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be done soon. Wait a moment.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. There¡¯s no rush. Take your time.¡± Five minutester, Joanna managed to keep a lid on her emotions. At this moment, it was best not to let Bruce see that she intended to escape. Otherwise, he would have her watched even more strictly. ¡°You cane in now.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Bruce pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll carry you out.¡± Joanna did not say anything and obediently let him do whatever he wanted. They returned to the bed. Joannay weakly on the hospital bed again. She still looked a little distracted. Noticing that her expression was not right, Bruce hurriedly and gently coaxed her, ¡°Joann, take good care of the child. If this child is born smoothly. I will reward you with a gift¡± When Joanna heard this, she raised her eyes slightly and nced at him. Bruce pondered for a few seconds as if he had made a major decision. He looked into her eyes gently and said solemnly, ¡°That contract can¡­ be nullified in advance. ¡°When the timees, you can manage the Haynes Group or find someone to manage it. ¡°As long as the child is born safely, I will fully support you in whatever you want to do. Do you have any opinions on the matter? You can tell me, and I will respect them. ¡°However, I only have one request.¡± At this point, Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I want you topletely draw a line between you and Jaydon. No matter what happens, you can¡¯t have anything to do with him. ¡°I only have one simple request for you. I won¡¯t ask you to do anything else.¡± Bruce keptforting Joanna. After the fall, Bruce waspletely frightened. He also realized that his control over her might be too strong. When Joarna heard this, she was not moved at all. She no longer believed in Bruce. Even if Bruce really returned the Haynes Group to her, he would never let her go. As long as Bruce was around, he would have total control over her. No matter what she did, Joanna would not be able to escape him. Now, Joanna had made up her mind. Even if she had to give up everything, she had to leave Bruce. Joanna didn¡¯t n to keep the Haynes Group anymore. h would be an asset left for the children. Joanna also believed that Bruce would make the Haynes Group prosperous, ¡°The food has been sent over. Let¡¯s ent!¡± 1/2 Chapter 570 As he spoke, Bruce ced the lunch boxes on the table. ¡°These are all your favorites. Eat them while they¡¯re hot!¡± Joanna was thinking silently on the hospital bed, not reacting to him. After receiving utensils from him, she ate mechanically. If Joanna left him, she needed money. Joanna nned to sell the properties in Porash and Greene Town. At the same time, she would also sell the properties Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. overseas. Bruce had once given her a ck card. Joanna had used part of it, but there were still over 20 million dors on it. She could use this time to cash out all these things and then choose the right time to leave him. Seeing that Joanna only are rice and did not pick up any of the other dishes, Bruce leaned over and peered at her for a few seconds. He asked suspiciously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look like this? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡­ I¡¯m fine! It¡¯s just that my calf hurts a little,¡± Joanna replied quietly. ¡°Ill call the doctor and tell him to prescribe you some more painkillers. ¡°No need. It¡¯s not good to take too many painkillers.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached slightly. He held Joanna¡¯s hand again Joann, I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t force you anymore. If there¡¯s anything, we canmunicate properly. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t do anything stupid again¡± When Joanna heard this, she sneered inwardly, untouched by his apology However, to prevent him from seeing through her, she nodded obediently. ¡°Well, L¡­ I¡¯m also in the wrong. I won¡¯t be so willful in the future, nor make you angry again. I¡¯ve let you down too. I hope you can forgive me.¡± After saying that, Joanna looked at Bruce docilely When Bruce heard this, he was especially excited. He really could not believe that Joanna would forgive him so easily nor take the initiative to apologize to him. ¡°Joann, let¡¯s not apologize to each other from now on. Let bygones be bygones¡± ¡°Hungry?¡± Bruce smiled. Chapter 571 Chapter 571 He picked up the oatmeal on the dining table and scooped a spoonful gently. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll feed you. This is your favorite maple and brown sugar oatmeal. You have to eat more now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna obediently ate the oatmeal. Bruce patiently fed her spoonful by spoonful. He would even considerately feed her the exquisite side dishes between mouthfuls of oatmeal. In the past, during Joanna¡¯s first pregnancy, Bruce didn¡¯t do his duty as a husband. He didn¡¯t witness the first moments when the children were born and missed out on their infancy. Now, Joanna was pregnant again. Bruce had to make up for this regret and give Joanna the best he could provide. Over the next few days, Bruce seemed to have be a different person. He only went to work in the morning every day. In the afternoon and at night, he would transform into a loving husband and a good caretaker. The next day, at eight o¡¯clock in the morning, there was a series of loud knocking on the door. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Come in.¡± The door of the ward was pushed open, and rows of people in white uniforms walked courteously into the ward. ¡°Good evening, Mrs. Everett. The twelve people stood in two rows and greeted her respectfully. Joanna was stunned. ¡°Who are you?¡± A man who looked to be in his thirties with a clean and refreshing face had a professional smile on his lips. He introduced himself meticulously, ¡°Hello, Mrs. Everett. My name is Carson, and I¡¯m your personal butler. We¡¯re nutritionists and expert caregivers hired by Mr. Everett to look after you. ¡°During the length of your pregnancy, we will prepare the best nutritious meals ording to the nutrition requirements of the pregnant woman as stated by scientific standards. ¡°At the same time, we will also take care of your leg injury and apany you for rehabilitation training. ¡°In the future, during the postpartum recovery and the period of breastfeeding, we will also take good care of your health. Looking at the rows of nutritionists and expert caregivers in front of her, Joanna was shocked and speechless. She had just gotten pregnant, and Bruce could not wait to hire nutritionists and caregivers. He had even thought of postpartum recovery and nannies for the baby. He was really proactive. ¡°Actually, I enjoy peace and quiet¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. Just pretend we are invisible. We won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Carson work. miled and instructed the caregivers to get to Before Joanna could react, the caregivers had already moved a beauty bed into the room. Without much ado, Joanna treatment. was carried onto the beauty bed. A beautician quickly cleaned her face and began Joanna¡¯s facial The other two beauticians worked together to clean Joanna¡¯s hands and legs. They also trimmed Joanna¡¯s nails and cuticles. The entire process was very scrupulous and professional. Joanna did not need to say a word at all until all the cleaning and treatments had beenpleted. Half an hourter, Joanna had not recovered from her daze when she was carried back to the hospital bed. The nutritionists, beauticians, and others left the ward as they were trained. They cleaned up all traces of their presence as if no one had been there. Joanna was utterly speechless. It felt like she had done everything, but it also felt like she had done nothing. At breakfast time, another batch of nutritionists walked in and delivered a well-nned nutritious meal. Joanna was still astounded. If this continued, she would be a good-for-nothing who could not take care of herself. In the blink of an eye, it was one in the afternoon. Bruce came over. At the same time, he was carrying a bunch of things. As soon as Bruce walked in, he showed off his spoils excitedly. ¡°Honey, look. I got someone to order a lot of baby products 10:39 Chapter 571 from overseas. There are also clothes for the baby, for either boy or girl.¡± Still dazed, Joanna subconsciously drew in a deep breath. Bruce put down his things and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead a few times. Also, I¡¯ve thought about it. I¡¯m going to build an amusement park in the back of the house. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia are moring to go to the amusement park every day. I might as well build one for them. *Including the one in your stomach, all four children need the amusement park. That should be enough for them to y with.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Bruce, are you serious?¡± Bruce looked solemn. ¡°Of course. There¡¯s a piece ofnd in the back of the house that was bought a few years ago. It just hasn¡¯t been used. ¡°Ites in handy now. We¡¯ll build a children¡¯s yground for our children to y in Joanna frownrd and looked at Bruce, transfixed ¡°Also, Ive thought about it. My next step is to invest in a school¡± As he spoke, Bruce touched his chin and said regretfully. ¡°Tsk. Why didn¡¯t I think of investing in this sector in the past? ¡°If we had invested earlier, it would be more convenient for the children. However, it¡¯s not toote now. When they go to middle school and university, it wille in handy. Tve already thought about it. When they¡¯re in middle school, I¡¯ll still send them overseas for education. During vacation, they cane back to Greyport for private sses!¡± Joanna waspletely speechless after hearing this. She could notment on his actions besides saying he was a willful spendthrift! Bruce kept talking non-stop. When he saw Joanna¡¯s stunned expression, he quickly went up to her. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you look like this? Are you feeling unwell ¡°Nol Aren¡¯t you¡­ being too anxious?¡± When Bruce heard this, he chuckled. ¡°How can that be? Including the construction andpletion time, it¡¯s not considered early at all! Tve thought about it. I¡¯m going to build a fairytale castle in the back and let the children live there in the future! ¡°Honey, what do you think?¡± ¡­Up to you!¡± Joanna frowned and said perfunctorily. Who could stop what he wanted to do? ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯ve hired aestheticians and physiotherapists. They¡¯ll probably be here tomorrow. Haven¡¯t you always found the stretch marks on your stomach repulsive? Tve already invited the top aesthetic experts over. They can help you with treating and preventing wrinkles and marks.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more amazed! Bruce had really thought of everything. See! Even when Bruce set his mind to pamper someone, it was also very unbearable. Bruce¡¯s face was filled with excitement. He wrapped his arms around Joanna¡¯s shoulders and said affectionately, ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have to do anything now. You don¡¯t have to think about anything. Just take good care of the baby and recuperate. I¡¯ll arrange everything else. ¡°As long as you¡¯re obedient, you can even take my life.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes shed. She was unwilling to look Bruce in the eye. Bruce was always like this. His way of expressing his feelings was very intense and extreme. Bruce was like a ball of fire. He could give the other party endless warmth and protection, but he could also burn the other party to ashes without leaving a corpse. Ahem, Bruce, I think¡­ you don¡¯t have to do this. I can¡¯t take it.¡± ¡°Why not? You just need to ept it and enjoy it!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in confusion. Chapter 572 Chapter 572 Chapter 572 His eyes were like dark pools of mystery, as though they were capable of infinite possibilities. It would make one¡¯s hair stand on end. After a while, Joanna squeezed out a reluctant smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡­ will listen to you!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. As long as you¡¯re obedient and don¡¯t make me angry, I¡¯ll dote on you very much. As Bruce spoke, he reached out and stroked the top of Joanna¡¯s head. Then, Bruce kissed her cheeks and forehead passionately. Although Bruce¡¯s actions were adoring and gentle, Joanna always felt like a pet dog being forcefully petted by its owner. Joanna believed that Bruce loved her. However, Bruce¡¯s love always made people feel suffocated. It was like a high and mighty master forcing a pet dog to be loyal and attached to its master. Once the dog showed any signs of disloyalty, its master would fly into a rage and want to beat the dog to death. At the nurses¡¯ station, a few nurses and female doctors gathered together to gossip. ¡°Tsk, tsk. tsk. Joanna is really lucky. Look at that lineup. Tsk, tsk. Only empresses get this treatment, right?¡± A young female doctor could not help but envy. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s really fortunate to get a man like Mr. Everett in her life. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable that such a promiscuous woman should be so blessed.¡± A well-behaved-looking nurse with bangs also clicked her tongue. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth? What¡¯s wrong with this rich person¡¯s brain? He doesn¡¯t want any of the many good women and instead chose a woman who has no morals at all.¡± ¡°Well, her womb lives up to it as well. She has already given birth to three children, not to mention that she is currently pregnant. If she gives Mr. Everett another son, Mr. Everett will be so happy!¡± ¡°Tsk 15k, we¡¯re just drowning ourselves in envy if wepare ourselves to her. When I go home and see my good-for-nothing husband, I want to divorce him. It¡¯s really not worth it thinking about it. I work so hard every day for absolutely nothing¡± ¡°Forget it. We¡¯re just here for the gossip. Or do you think we¡¯ll really leave our husbands?¡± The few nurses were chatting enthusiastically when their pagers lit up. ¡°Let¡¯s hustle and stop chatting. Ward eight¡¯s pager just lit up. Hurry up and check up on it.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Although the nurses were gossiping and joking around, they did not dare to ck off when it came to Joanna¡¯s ward. At the Garcia Group, Jennie swept everything on the desk to the ground. ¡°God is so unfair. Joanna is actually pregnant again. Even though shemitted such a shameful act as adultery, Bruce doesn¡¯t care! ¡°Joanna must not be human. She must be a vixen. I can¡¯t see what¡¯s so good about Joanna to have bespelled Bruce to this extent.¡± Crash! Jennie angrily threw an antique vase onto the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this. I can¡¯t ept this. How am I inferior to Joanna? Jennie was furious. She willfully smashed another crystal ornament that was worth thousands of dors. Coincidentally, Jimmy, Jennie¡¯s secretary, pushed open the door and walked in. When Jimmy saw the mess on the ground, his heart could not help but ache. ¡°Miss Garcia, be careful not to hurt yourself.¡± Jennie was so angry that her eyes were red, and her entire body trembled violently. ¡°Bruce, I won¡¯t let you off. ¡°How dare you y me around like this? I won¡¯t let you off easily.¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, Mr. Yanice is here. He¡¯s downstairs in the lobby.¡± When Jennie heard this, she took a few deep breaths and tried her best to suppress her emotions. ¡°Let Itim in!¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Ten minutester, Jimmy entered the office with Marlowe. Marlowe walked in and looked at the mess on the ground. He teased, ¡°What, who provoked Miss Garcia?¡° Jennie rolled her eyes coldly and said angrily, ¡°What brings the prestigious President Yanice here today?¡± 10 10.26 Chapter 572 A sly look appeared in Marlowe¡¯s eyes as he said in a glib tone, ¡°Miss Garcia, long time no see. I really miss you.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Jennie snorted. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it!¡± Jennie rolled her eyes arrogantly and impatiently. Marlowe might be one of the wealthy second generations, but he was not popr in the elite circle of rich second generations. After all, Marlowe had been imprisoned for nine years. Moreover, Marlowe¡¯s reputation was not good. The elite circle of affluent second generations was not very willing to associate with him. ¡°Look at what you are saying, Miss Garcia. You¡¯re so distant-¡± Jennie did not have time to exchange pleasantries with Marlowe, ¡°Why are you looking for me? If you have something to say, just say it. Otherwise, get the hell out of here.¡± The smile on Marlowe¡¯s face froze as well. He smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for you because I want to discuss a coboration!¡± ¡°What kind of coboration? Tell me about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about¡­ the Everett Group.¡± When Jennie heard this, her eyes widened suddenly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°As far as I know, Miss Garcia has contributed a lot behind the scenes to Bruce¡¯s sessful liberation this time.¡± Jennie snorted. ¡°So what?¡± Marlowe smiled sarcastically and said deliberately, ¡°What a pity. It¡¯s all for nothing. Miss Garcia, after working so hard, you¡¯re only helping others and letting Joanna take advantage of your efforts.¡± The entire Greyport knew that Jennie was crazy about Bruce. On the day Bruce was released from prison, Jennie was busy running around handling everything like an official girlfriend. Everyone thought that Mr. Everett had a new girlfriend again. However, nothing could be further away from the truth! Chapter 573 Chapter 573 Chapter 573 Since Joanna got pregnant, Bruce ignored Jennie even more. Jennie was so angry that her heart hurt. She said fiercely, ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you here to see me make a fool of myself?¡± Marlowe quickly put on a smile. ¡°Miss Garcia, don¡¯t be angry. I sincerely want to cooperate with you.¡± ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. There¡¯s no need to beat around the bush.¡± ¡°Bruce let you down like this and you¡¯re willing to ept it? This doesn¡¯t fit your personality, Miss Garcia!¡± Jennie rolled her eyes again. Of course, Jennie was unwilling! However, so what if Jennie was unwilling? Bruce did not care about Jennie at all, let alone take her seriously. Even if Jennie had helped Bruce, he would not ept her kindness at all! This really made Jennie furious and at the same time, spiteful. Seeing this, Marlowe added fuel to the fire and went straight for where it hurt most. ¡°With Miss Garcia¡¯s family background, as well as looks and figure, there¡¯s no woman in Greyport who canpare to you. ¡°Bruce is really blind to not appreciate you. Any other man would choose you.¡± Marlowe deliberately ttered Jennie to fan the mes! ¨C Face filled with indignant jealousy, Jennie retracted her re. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Marlowe smiled coldly. ¡°What I want to say is that we should join forces and fight Bruce together. ¡°I believe that with our strength, as long as we join forces, we can definitely make Bruce suffer.¡± Jennie, said nothing, raising her eyebrows slightly and looking at Marlowe coldly. ¡°If Bruce falls, he will be able to bow down to you. At that time, you can get him to do whatever you want. ¡°He¡¯s at his peak now, high-spirited and arrogant. When he¡¯s in a desperate situation and only you can save him, what do you think he¡¯ll choose?¡± When Jennie heard this, she took a few deep breaths. She was still furious. ¡°Why should I work with you?¡± ¡°Because we have the same goal! You want him, and I¡¯m doing this to vent my anger.¡± Back then, Marlowe went to jailrgely because he had offended Bruce. Jennie knew about this too. ¡­I¡¯ll think about it! ¡°However, I can¡¯t guarantee that I will cooperate with you. Even if I work with you, it¡¯s only because I want Bruce.¡± ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t I say it just now? You want Bruce, and I just want to vent my anger. ¡°Think about it carefully. Contact me when you¡¯ve thought it through.¡± Marlowe smiled sinisterly, put down his business card, and left. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Jennie mmed her fist forcefully on the desk, her eyes burning with fire. ¡°No, I have to go look for Bruce again and give him onest chance. ¡°If he¡¯s still stubborn and insists on choosing Joanna Haynes, I won¡¯t be merciful to him anymore.¡± The next day, at eight-thirty in the morning, Bruce arrived at thepany as usual. As soon as his car stopped, Jennie walked over angrily in stilettos. Bruce frowned but still got out of the car. ¡°Jennie, why are you here?¡± Jennie took a deep breath and looked at Bruce with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m here to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce frowned. Jennie sneered. ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you going to invite me up to the office?¡± Im heading to a meeting shortly. I really don¡¯t have time. If you have anything to say, just say it here!¡± When Jennie heard this, she was instantly furious. ¡°Bruce, stop pretending. Do you know why I¡¯m looking for you! ¡°What? Do you want to deny It? Or do you think women are easy to bully? Jennie¡¯s face contorted with fury. Jennie reached out and grabbed Bruce¡¯s arm. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s bodyguards came forward at once! Bruce waved his hand to stop his bodyguards from approaching. ¡°What do you want to say? I¡¯ll give you five minutes. Tell me now!¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes turned red as tears flowed uncontrobly. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll ask you onest time. Are you really not going to give me any chance?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Jennie, I¡¯ve told you many times that we¡¯re really notpatible. Even if you ask me a hundred times, I¡¯ll give the same answer.¡± ¡°Bruce, I really don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s so good about Joanna? ¡°A bitch like her has cheated on you so many times. Don¡¯t you mind at all? Don¡¯t you feel disgusted? I really look down on you, I truly despise you¡­¡± Before Jennie could finish, Bruce¡¯s expression suddenly changed. Bruce said coldly, ¡°Miss Garcia, this is myst warning. ¡°You can scold me however you want, but if you dare to nder Joanna again, I won¡¯t be courteous to you anymore.¡± Jennie was so angry that her heart was about to explode. ¡­Bruce, did I say something wrong? ¡°You really don¡¯t mind at all about Jaydon and her? You really don¡¯t mind at all that she¡¯s fooling around with another man?¡± Chapter 574 Chapter 574 Chapter 574 Bruce¡¯s expression was dark and cold. Bruce grabbed Jennie¡¯s wrist tightly. ¡°Watch your words. ¡°Also, don¡¯t try to pull any tricks behind the scenes. You hired someone to nder Joann on the inte, right? ¡°I advise to be sensible and remove all of them! Otherwise, I¡¯ll let you have a taste of the consequences.¡± you After saying that, Bruce let go of her hand, Jennie¡¯s high heels faltered, and she hit the ground on her knees. Bruce did not look at Jennie again and left coldly. Bruce really didn¡¯t want to spend any effort arguing with a woman. However, Jennie was going more and more overboard. Bruce couldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore. Looking at Bruce¡¯s departing figure, Jennie gritted her teeth in anger. ¡®Bruce, I will definitely make you regret it!¡± ¡°Be careful, Miss Garcia. Jimmy hurried forward to help her. Jennie staggered to her feet, but she fell down again in pain. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Her ankle was twisted, and her knee was badly scraped. Dark red blood flowed from her knee. Jimmy quickly took out a tissue and helped her press down on the bleeding area. ¡°Mr. Everett is too much. How could he abuse you physically? I¡¯ll send you to the hospital immediately.¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes were extremely red, and her jaw trembled. Jennie did not expect Bruce to be so heartless and disregard herpletely. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already given you onest chance. You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t cherish it. I won¡¯t be merciful to you anymore. ¡°Joanna, I won¡¯t let you off easy either. The two of you are daydreaming if you think you can tread on me.¡± Jennie gritted her teeth in anger. It was all thanks to her that Bruce could get out of prison so quickly. Jennic believed that without her help, Bruce would not have been exonerated at all. The truth was that Bruce¡¯s release from prison had nothing to do with Jennie. The best that could be said was that Jennie ran errands and contacted people. Bruce would stille out if Jennie had done nothing. However, Jennie did not think so. Jennie felt that Bruce had cast her aside after she had outlived her usefulness and that he was being ungrateful. Therefore, Jennie¡¯s love for Bruce changed to hatred. Jennie now wanted to kill Bruce and destroy him with her own hands. In the conference room at the Everett Group, a few small shareholders could not help but joke and gossip when Bruce did not arrive after some time. ¡°Mr. Everett has been acting possessed recently. He only stays in thepany in the morning every day. In the afternoon, he can¡¯t be found.¡± *Look, we¡¯re runningte again today. It¡¯s almost nine o¡¯clock, and Mr. Everett still isn¡¯t here. He won¡¯t stand us up again today, right?¡± Mr. Young lowered his voice and smiled mysteriously. ¡°I saw Mr. Everett¡¯s car in the parking lot just now. Mr. Everett has already arrived at thepany. ¡°However, I think I saw the daughter of the Garcia Group harassing Mr. Everett downstairs.¡± When Ms. Linken heard this, her interest was piqued. ¡°That¡¯s odd., Miss Garcia was so demonstrative about her love for Bruce a short time ago. We all thought that Miss Garcia would be Mr. Everett¡¯s new girlfriend ¡°However, I didn¡¯t expect that it was all bark and no bite. Miss Garcia did not even budge Joanna¡¯s position.¡± As soon as Ms. Linken finished speaking, the door to the conference room was pushed open. -Bruce walked in with a dark expression. He happened to catch thest of Ms. Linken¡¯s words. Seeing this, everyone quickly schooled their expressions. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce raised his left eyebrow slightly and said in a neutral tone, ¡°Are you all very free?¡± ¡°No, of courte not!¡± ¡°I think all of you are so free that you have time to gossip.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ The shareholders and senior staff stared at each other in silence. Bruce then walked to the head of the conference table and sat at the central seat. ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting. Turn on yourputers. Everyone quickly turned on theirptops Chapter 574 Mark then turned on the projector and switched to the content of the meeting. ¡°Project Green Bay has officially resumed work. Are the project ns and marketing proposals completed?¡± ¡°They have basically been confirmed. They have been sent to Mr. Everett¡¯s email. Mr. Everett can go through them,¡± thepany¡¯s senior staff replied respectfully ¡°Okay, good¡± ¡°Next, we¡¯ll focus on the markets of Melta and Surbano¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was cold as he meticulously gave instructions in the inecting. It was already half past ten by the time the meeting was over. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°That¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting. If you have any questions, you can put it together and send it to Mark¡± After saying that, Bruce stood up. He strode out of the conference room. Upon his departure, everyone broke out in cold sweat. All of them could not help but sigh in relief. Mr. Everett had not lost his temper recently. Even when Ms. Linken joked about him just now, Mr. Everett only asked a few questions. Throughout the entire meeting. although his face was solemn, everyone could see a faint smile on his lips. Mr. Young Could not help but be rmed for Ms. Linken ¡°Look. Mr. Everett is really in high spirits over recent fortuitous events. There¡¯s even a smile in the corners of his eyes. If this was in the past, he would have lost his temper.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Mr. Everett has a huge business enterprise. Naturally, he wants to have more children. Joanna is pregnant again. Mr. Everett is going to be a father once more. Of course, he is happy.¡± When Ms. Linken heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but say coldly. ¡°Who knows if she¡¯s even pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child¡¯ ¡°Women like her are promiscuous. We don¡¯t know how many men she has slept with. Mr. Everett is really something to have tolerated her¡­¡± Bruce had returned in the midst of her speech. He had left his proposal on the conference table. When he came back to retrieve it, he happened to hear Ms. Linkei¡¯s sarcastic remarks. This time, Bruce waspletely furious. When Ms. Linken saw Bruce, she also looked embarrassed. ¡­Mr. Everett, why are you back again?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He ignored Ms. Linken and took the proposal lying on the table before leaving. In the past, Bruce had always been polite to her because she was older and a senior member of the company. However, some people took advantage of their seniority and actually gossiped about him behind his back. More importantly, Ms. Linken actually dared to criticize Joanna After Bruce left, Mr. Young was somber. ¡°I told you not to say so much, but you didn¡¯t listen. Now you¡¯re in trouble.¡± Ms. Linken¡¯s nostrils red, and she adjusted her sses. A trace of disdain appeared on her well- maintained face. ¡°Im telling the truth. ¡°That Joanna might not be pregnant with Mr. Everett¡¯s child. She¡¯s allowed to do shameless things, but we¡¯re not allowed to criticize her?¡± ¡°Stop talking. If Mr. Everett hears about this again, you¡¯ll suffer!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t you see how dark Mr. Everett¡¯s face was just now?* Ms. Linken snorted arrogantly. Her tone was filled with superiority. ¡°I¡¯ve worked at the Everett Group for more than 30 years. I still have a bit of influence. ¡°Back then, when the previous Mr. Everett was still alive, I followed him through the most difficult times.¡± Ms. Linken was rather pleased with herself! She was sure that Bruce would not touch her to matter what. Chapter 575 Chapter 575 When Bruce returned to his office, his face was extremely dark. It was not up to others to judge the rtionship between Joanna and him. Moreover, Bruce believed that nothing had happened between Joanna and Jaydon. Bruce was only angry because he was jealous. Bruce felt that Joanna did not care about his feelings. No matter what, only he could bully Joanna. If the others wanted to push Joanna around, they would be courting death. Since returning to work. Ms. Linken had repeatedly expressed her dissatisfaction with Joanna in front of him. Bruce presumed that Ms. Linken had made things difficult for Joanna when he wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Mark, go and check on Ms. Linken¡¯s work file.¡± Mark was stunned. Usually, when Bruce wanted to fire someone, he would send someone to check their work file in advance. Then, Bruce would randomly find a mistake and use it as an excuse to fire them. These directors and senior staff were in high positions. Who would not make any mistakes? Ms. Linken had been in thepany for many years and had always been domineering because of her seniority. If Bruce wanted to find fault with her now, he could easily find plenty of them. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett. ¡°Uh, what kind of file do you need?¡± Bruce frowned and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one day to investigate all of her vitions in thepany.¡± After saying that, Bruce yed with the ring on his finger, his face turning cold. This time, Bruce would not show mercy to Ms. Linken! At the same time, Bruce wanted to make an example out of her. It would teach those shareholders a lesson ¡°Understood,¡± Mark replied and left the office. At the secretary¡¯s desk, Andy had also recovered, and he had returned to work. However, Andy was still a little weak. Thus he was only a secretary and assistant temporarily. ¡°Mark, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so worried?¡± Mark sighed. ¡°Mr. Everett asked me to investigate Ms. Linken¡¯s work file!¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Andy had followed Bruce for such a long time, so he naturally knew what this meant. ¡°Huh? How did Ms. Linken offend Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because of what Ms. Linken said. She actually dared to question the legitimacy of Joanna¡¯s child and mocked Mr. Everett for turning a blind eye.¡± Andy was speechless. ¡°What¡¯s even worse was that Ms. Linken was denouncing them publicly. It serves her right to be unlucky and happened to be heard by Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. No wonder Mr. Everett is so angry.¡± Andy could not help but click his tongue. ¡°The child¡¯s legitimacy is not the issue here. Whether the child belongs to Mr. Everett¡¯s or not, it¡¯s not up to Ms. Linken to talk nonsense.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why one should talk less and work more.¡± Andy subconsciously wiped the cold sweat off his head! ¡°I¡¯m going now. I can¡¯t talk to you anymore. Mr. Everett only gave me a day!¡± ¡°Alright, go on! Mark had a list of Ms. Linken¡¯s crimes by the next day. ¡°Mr. Everett, there are a few sums of money under Ms. Linken¡¯s name that don¡¯t match up.¡± Chapter 575 ¡°Also, Ms. Linken once moved thepany¡¯s funds into her private ount. Ms. Linken also deducted the expenses of her and her family¡¯s overseas vacation from thepany¡¯s ount. And¡­ Before Mark could finish. Bruce had already waved his hand with a cold expression. ¡°Inform the personnel department to freeze all of Ms. Linken¡¯s shares and dividends in thepany.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Inform thewyer to check the ounts with Ms. Linken properly. Make her spit out ten times how much she secretly took.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now.¡± Mark brought a few security guards and went straight to Ms. Linken¡¯s office. With a dark expression. Mark told Ms. Linken about Bruce¡¯s decision. When Ms. Linken heard this, she thought she heard wrongly and was shocked. ¡°What? Mr. Everett froze my shares and dividends! What¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Mark pulled a long face and said sternly. ¡°Ms. Linken, you vited thepany¡¯s rules. Thepany is now conducting a full investigation.¡± When Ms. Linken heard this, she was even more enraged. ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯m a director of the company!¡± ¡°Your shares have been reacquired by thepany. You are no longer a shareholder of the Everett Group. Ms. Linken waspletely dumbfounded when she heard this. It felt like a lightning bolt out of the blue. Ms. Linken was thunderstruck. It took a long time before Ms. Linken returned to her senses for a long time. ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯ve worked for the Everett Group for more than thirty years. I¡¯ve been conscientious and willing to do anything¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. The Everett Group has raised you for more than thirty years and provided you with a good job and tform.¡± ¡°You! How dare you speak to me like that?¡± Ms. Linken was no longer a director of thepany, so Mark naturally would not be polite to her anymore. ¡°This is Mr. Everett¡¯s decision. ¡°Now please pack your personal belongings and leave thepany immediately.¡± Ms. Linken panicked. ¡°I want to see Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is not in thepany. Mr. Jameson will send you a legal letterter suing you for misusing thepany¡¯s assets and embezzling thepany¡¯s public funds.¡± When Ms. Linken heard this, her entire body turned cold and she fell heavily onto the chair. Ms. Linken never expected that she would be eliminated just like that. Moreover, there was no room for negotiation. This matter was hard for Ms. Linken to ept, and her entire body trembled uncontrobly. ¡°No, I want to see Mr. Everett!¡± Mark then ordered the bodyguards to force Ms. Linken out of the Everett Group. After a week of recovery in the hospital, Joanna¡¯s calf no longer hurt as much. However, such injuries usually took three months to recover. Joanna still couldn¡¯t get out of bed yet. The physical therapist stood by the bed and gestured inscrutably. ¡°Mrs. Everett, please follow and do aerobics with me now.¡± Chapter 576 Chapter 576 Chapter 576 Joanna drew in a deep breath. ¡°Focus your energy on your abdomen. Regte your breathing: Joanna followed suit. Half a minuteter, the physical therapist let out a long breath. ¡°Exhale!¡± Though bored, Joanna followed the physical therapist through the set of aerobic exercises. To her, it was aplete waste of time. All Joanna did wasy in bed and practice breathing repeatedly. Moreover, the fees were quite expensive. Joanna really couldn¡¯t understand what was wrong with Bruce. Why did Bruce insist on finding her a physical therapist? Joanna had just finished the set of breathing exercises when the door of the ward was pushed open. Bruce walked in happily. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Good day. Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tm teaching Ms. Everett aerobics!¡± The physical therapist was very good at bamboozling. He came up with theories one after another and talked non-stop, bragging about the benefits of this breathing exercise. It was as if by practicing this breathing exercise, one could be immortal. Bruce listened happily. As long as Bruce heard it was good for her body, he would arrange it for Joanna Joanna was speechless. She wanted to retort, but she held herself back. Bruce could do whatever he wanted. After listening to the physical therapist, Bruce acted as though he was very knowledgeable and said, ¡°Honey, this is the best therapeutic exercise. You have to train well with the therapist.¡± Joanna pouted. The physical therapist smiled respectfully. ¡°We¡¯re done with the aerobic training today. I will leave now.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± After the physical therapist left, Bruce smiled brightly and kissed Joanna¡¯s face again and again. ¡°Honey, did you miss me today?¡± Joanna was silent. She had no desire to talk to Bruce at all. ¡°Let me listen to the baby. I want tomunicate with him,¡± Bruce Everett said as heid his head on Joanna¡¯s stomach and continued to speak to the baby. ¡°Baby, it¡¯s daddy. How are you? ¡°You have to grow up and be good in there!¡± Joanna was so exasperated that it showed on her face. Inwardly she called Bruce overdramatic. ¡°Honey, have you eaten?¡± Joanna cleared her throat. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already eaten.¡± ¡°Are your feeling better today, then? Do you feel like vomiting? I got someone to buy fruits for you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to buy them anymore. The nutritionist will provide fruits with every meal.¡± When Bruce heard this, he shrugged it off. ¡°It¡¯s fine to eat more fruits. There¡¯s no such thing as having too much nutrition so far as you are notcking in it. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered the best package at the Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. When you¡¯re about to give birth, you can go there directly.¡± Although Greyport Hospital was good, the Avery Women¡¯s Hospital was a high-end maternity and childcare hospital. It specialized in taking care of pregnant women and infants. All the rich wives and celebrities in Greyport liked to give birth here. Oh, okay, I¡¯ll listen to you, Joanna said perfunctorily. She would go along with whatever Bruce said now. Bruce could do whatever he wanted. Joanna had already made up her mind that she would not give birth to this child! And she most definitely would not get together with Bruce! Joanna had already secretly called Michael Lawrence in the meantime and asked him to deal with the factory in Porash. At the same time, she also called Brother Trumpet and said that she wanted to quit Charmont Media Group. Now, Joanna would take advantage of this time to raise as much cash as she could. The more, the better. When her calf was healed, Joanna would find a suitable time to leave Bruce. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Why are you acting strange recently?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Not at all!¡± Bruce frowned. He still could feel Joanna¡¯s perfunctory attitude towards him, which made him extremely uneasy. ¡°No? Why do I feel like you¡¯re nning something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking far too much. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m pregnant and want to sleep every day.¡± ¡°Oh, sleep more if you want. But do some aerobics once in a while. If you don¡¯t want to get out of bed, I¡¯ll get someone to do physical therapy for you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but frown. ¡°No need. You¡¯ve done too much. It makes me feel¡­ suffocated!¡± ¡°Joann. I¡¯m making up for what I owe you previously. So, I want to give you the best. ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied with anything, you can tell me. I¡¯ll do it no matter how much it costs.¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°Bruce, you¡­ you only know how to spend money ¡°I can¡¯tmunicate with you properly. You can leave. I¡¯m tired and want to sleep. As Joanna said this, she had alreadyid down and closed her eyes to ignore him. Seeing this, Bruce could not help but feel disappointed. He knew that Joanna definitely had something on her mind and would not forgive him so easily. However, Bruce had already done everything he could think of. He really did not know what else he could do. ¡°Joann, are you still angry with me?¡± Chapter 577 Chapter 577 Chapter 577 ¡°But you were in the wrong first. You knew that I hated that person. Why did you still have to make things difficult for me? Bruce leaned against the bed. He hugged Joanna gently from behind and buried his head in the curve of her neck. After hearing this, Joanna felt even more distressed. She only went to look for Jaydon to save Bruce. That had been such a big issue. Other than Jaydon, Joanna didn¡¯t dare to trust anyone else. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve told you. I went to look for Jay because of something very important. It¡¯s not what you think at all,¡± Joanna could not help but exin. Although Joanna had already decided to leave, she still did not want Bruce to misunderstand her. When Bruce heard this, his handsome face was covered in ayer of icy frost. Jaydon had be a thorn in Bruce¡¯s heart. Even the mention of Jaydon¡¯s name made Bruce extremely angry. Therefore, even if Joarma was looking for Jaydon for serious business, Bruce would not allow it. After all, Jaydon had always been eyeing Joanna covetously. If Bruce hadn¡¯t tried so hard to ruin things behind their backs, Joanna and Jaydon would have gotten married long ago. *¡­Alright, let¡¯s not talk about him anymore. ¡°Let the past be the past. We have to be happy from now on. I will not let anyone affect our rtionship. ¡°If you trust me a little more, I¡¯ll trust you more too. Let our love be indestructible¡± Joanna¡¯s eyelids drooped slightly as she ignored Bruce. How could the pain and grievance in a woman¡¯s heart be easily erased? None of the things Bruce had done were worthy of forgiveness. Seeing Joanna¡¯s cold expression, Bruce panicked even more. ¡°Honey, please forgive me. I really know my mistake!¡± As he spoke, Bruce shook her shoulder coquettishly. Bruce had always been like this. He could be hard or soft. He could be shameless or y the innocent. Bruce used all these disguises interchangeably. Joanna was getting annoyed by his pestering. She braced herself and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not angry.* ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes shed. Bruce smiled foolishly and said shamelessly. ¡°Since you¡¯ve really forgiven me. kiss me.¡± ¡°Bruce, I want to sleep now.¡± ¡°Look, you¡¯re still mad at me.¡± Joanna frowned and replied impatiently. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not angry with you.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not angry, kiss me.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and kissed his cheek perfunctorily. ¡°This won¡¯t do. It¡¯s too half-hearted.¡± Joanna was exasperated. However, Joanna had to steady him for now, Whatever Bruce asked her to do, Joanna would do her best to cooperate. Joanna calmed down and kissed the left side of Bruce¡¯s face again. Bruce smiled knowingly and kissed her back in satisfaction, At present, Joanna¡¯s calf was fractured and she was pregnant. Bruce did not dare to use force on her anymore. Even if Bruce had the intention, he had to rein it in However, he was still a fully-fledged man. He could not help but get aroused. 10.301 Chapter 577 As they kissed, Bruce¡¯s hands began to wander. Joanna frowned and pushed him away forcefully. ¡°Bruce, stop fooling around!¡± Bruce looked up at her with misty eyes. ¡°Honey, I haven¡¯t dared to touch you for more than half a month. I can¡¯t take it anymore. L¡­ just want to kiss you!¡± ¡°Will you stop it?¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry. Bruce quickly froze. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I was wrong. I won¡¯t touch you again, okay? ¡°Don¡¯t get angry at the drop of a hat. Be careful of the baby.¡± ¡°Hurry up and go back! I can¡¯t rest well if you stay here.¡± ¡°I just want to spend more time with you!¡± ¡°How can I rest well when you keep talking here?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll leave. Is that okay?¡± Bruce sighed. Joanna was pregnant now, so he didn¡¯t dare to anger her. After Bruce left, Joanna turned around in bed and quickly borrowed the caregiver¡¯s phone to call Michael. Michael¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± *Michael, how are things going?¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s voice, Michael¡¯s attitude immediately became respectful. ¡°Oh, yes, it¡¯s almost done. Mr. Grimm has personally taken over. He¡¯s now handling the procedures for the transference of the contract.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand¡­ Within this time, Joanna had transferred the factory in Porash and cashed out on the shares of the mediapany she had founded with Brother Trumpet. Together, it would be around thirty-eight hundred thousand dors. Jaydon was also a shareholder in these twopanies, so all the money was saved in Jaydon¡¯s ount. At the same time, Joanna also nned to sell two properties overseas. In the meantime, Joanna had to take advantage of this period of time to work on her physical therapy and strive to recover her calf as soon as possible. As for safeguarding pregnancy, Joanna didn¡¯t care at all. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna had been very cooperative. Whatever Bruce asked her to do, she would do it obediently. Everything seemed to have returned to normal. Bruce gradually rxed. As usual, Bruce came to apany Joanna at the hospital every day, rain or shine. ¡°What day is it today?¡± Joanna pretended to be surprised and asked. Bruce looked at the date on his watch. ¡°It¡¯s April 20th today.¡± ¡°Hey, is it your birthday soon? I remember your birthday is on April 28th.¡± Bruce was astonished. ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s going to be my birthday again soon.¡± ¡°Time passes so quickly. I¡¯ve aged another year,¡± Brucemented. Joanna smiled. ¡°How do you n to spend this year?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have a party at the hospital. Let¡¯s keep it simple.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned. ¡°How can we celebrate in the hospital? ¡°Thest time the children celebrated their birthdays, they spent it in the hospital. If you also do the same, others will think that our family is always sick. This is too inauspicious.¡± Bruce felt that it made sense. *It¡¯s fine. We are doing this to keep youpany.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better to celebrate at home.¡± ¡°Celebrate at home?¡± Bruce echoed without thinking. ¡°We can¡¯t do that. If we do that, you wouldn¡¯t be there.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°I can go home too. ¡°My calf is almost healed now. I should be able to go home for a day. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t do any strenuous exercise, the doctor will agree.¡± Joanna tried her best to persuade Bruce to go home and hold a birthday party. This way, she would have a chance to return to Sherane Bay Vi to retrieve her evidence and passport. Seeing the look of anticipation on Joanna¡¯s face, Bruce nodded in agreement. ¡°¡­That works too!¡± In the blink of an eye, it was already April 27th. Bruce came a day in advance to pick up Joanna. At the Sherane Bay Vi. In the past, on the day of Bruce¡¯s birthday, he would usually invite his friends, rtives, and arge group of beauties to his private yacht for a party. As he grew older, he gradually began to settle down and stopped secking out excitement. Chapter 578 Chapter 578 Chapter 578 They returned to Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce put Joanna onto the wheelchair and pushed her into the house. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia were already waiting to wee their mother. ¡°Mommy, wee home. We missed you so much.¡± ¡°Babies, I missed you so much.¡± ¡°We miss you too. The three children threw themselves into Joanna¡¯s arms and surrounded her, chirping happily. Looking at the three children¡¯s little faces, Joanna had a smile on her face, but her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. She wanted to be with her children forever. However, she had no choice but to bear the pain and leave the children. It was too suffocating to be with Bruce. A man as unpredictable as him was like a time bomb that would explode at any moment. It was really too tiring to get along with him. ¡°Mommy, why is your belly still so small?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you¡¯re pregnant, shouldn¡¯t your belly be bigger?¡± ¡°You¡¯re silly. Mommy has only been pregnant for more than a month. How could her belly grow this fast?¡± ¡°Oh, then when mommy was pregnant with us, was her stomach this big?¡± Irvin said as he spread out his arms. Joanna smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! When I was pregnant with you guys, I thought my belly was about to explode. It was really hard.¡± Because she had triplets, it was an especially difficult pregnancy for Joanna. She almost lost her life twice. When she was seven months into the pregnancy, someplications happened and she had no choice but to undergo a C-section. When Bruce heard this, a hint of heartache appeared on his face. He said gently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t take care of you and the children back then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to support you for this pregnancy.¡± When Joanna heard this, her pupils contracted and she looked elsewhere. At that time, she felt too lonely, so she decided to give birth. Now, she already had three children. She wouldn¡¯t give him another child. If she was able to leave sessfully, she would go to the hospital to get an abortion. Since Bruce wanted this child so much, she would not let him have his way. She also wanted him to have a taste of heartache. ¡°Mommy is so great!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You must be filial to your mother when you grow up. Don¡¯t make her angry, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, we understand.¡± Bruce immediately smiled. ¡°Alright, Mommy must be tired. Daddy will send Mommy back to her room to rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce carefully carried Joanna in his arms and brought her to the bedroom on the second floor. ¡°Are you tired?¡± ¡°A little. I still want to sleep, Joanna said and deliberately yawned. *Pregnant women are more sleepy. Have a good sleep. I¡¯ll need to do some work now. I have an online meeting with the higher-ups.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± Bruce lowered his head and kissed her forehead. After Bruce left, Joanna quickly got off the bed and limped to the safe. Then, she opened the safe and took out her documents, passport, and a few bank cards. She was about to close the safe when she saw a few jewelry boxes at the side. Inside was the jewelry Bruce had given her. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 578 She needed money now. The few sets of jewelry could be sold for a lot of money. Thinking of this, Joanna opened the jewelry box, took out the jewelry, and ced them all in her medicine bag. She had never been a greedy woman, but Bruce had taken the Haynes Group from her through despicable means. This really made her hate him to the extreme. She was only taking the jewelry now to make up for a small part of her loss. After all, there was always a silver lining. Although the Haynes Group was in a precarious situation, it was still worth hundreds of millions of dors in market value. It was not too much to take this measly jewelry. As for the Haynes Group¡¯s assets, she would leave all of them to the children. She had decided to start over. She had to prove that she could still gain a foothold in the business circle after leaving Bruce. It was 6.30 PM the next day. ¡°Mommy, the party¡¯s starting!¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s so lively downstairs! Let¡¯s celebrate Daddy¡¯s birthday together!¡± ¡°Yes, sure.¡± It was a poolside party. Although Bruce didn¡¯t like crowds, it was his birthday after all. He still invited some friends and the company¡¯s directors to attend. The poolside was decorated quite grandly. The Everett family even invited the best chefs to prepare a luxurious birthday buffet for everyone. Guests came one after another. Most of the men were dressed in suits and leather shoes, while the women wore evening gowns. They were all dressed to the nines. ¡°Mr. Everett, happy birthday!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Joanna was in her wheelchair, and she came over with the children. ¡°Daddy, happy birthday. I hope you get more and more. handsome every year, and that you¡¯re always healthy.¡± ¡°Thanks, baby.¡± Joanna also smiled. ¡°Happy birthday.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Bruce leaned over and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. ¡°Wow. Congrattions, Mr. Everett.¡± A guest asked, ¡°How far along is Miss Haynes in her pregnancy? When is her due date?¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but smile. ¡°She¡¯s not due so soon. We¡¯re barely into the second month of her pregnancy.¡± Chapter 579 Chapter 579 Chapter 579 Another guest said respectfully, ¡°Ten months go by very fast. At the end of the year, Mr. Everett will have yet another child.¡± ¡°Congrattions. When the timees, you have to invite us to your baby shower¡­¡± The others also congratted him in advance. ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He held Joanna¡¯s shoulder lovingly. ¡°To Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s to you too. Cheers.¡± Bruce was very happy today. He drank a few sses of red wine in a row. Unknowingly, he was already starting to get a little drunk. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re drunk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to cut the cake!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, make a wish!¡± A servant pushed over a cart that had a nineyer cake on it. 3 ¡°Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you¡­ Everyone surrounded the cake and sang a birthday song. Davian and Irvin ran around the cake excitedly. ¡°Wow, this cake is so big! It¡¯s even bigger than the cakes we had on our birthday.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like cakes the most? You can eat to your heart¡¯s content now.¡± After singing the birthday song, they all cheered and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, hurry up and make a wish!¡± Bruce sincerely made a wish in front of his nineyer cake. ¡°I hope my wife can give me another daughter.¡± ¡°Wow, wow, wow. So Mr. Everett likes daughters.¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°I like both son and daughter. I just want another daughter. It¡¯ll make the numbers even.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you will definitely get what you want! Even if this baby isn¡¯t a girl, you can still have another baby.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s good to have more children!¡± ¡°The luckiest person is still Miss Haynes. She actually gave birth to so many children for Mr. Everett. She¡¯s extraordinarily lucky,¡± a guestmented, but he couldn¡¯t hide the disdain in his eyes for Joanna. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She subconsciously held her belly, and a hint of hatred appeared in her eyes. ¡°You should say that he¡¯s the lucky one.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. You and Mr. Everett are the luckiest people on this earth.¡± Joanna pursed her lips. She was not interested in feigning civility with these people.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Without waiting for the birthday party to end, she said to Bruce, ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going back to my room to rest.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you back to your room.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. You can stay and entertain the guests. I¡¯ll get the servant to send me back to my room.¡± ¡°That works too.¡± Then, the servant pushed Joanna away. Joanna could only say that she was extremely disappointed in Bruce. At the same time, she hated him for being violent and selfish. In the face of absolute power, she could not take revenge on him, but now, she suddenly thought of a way to take revenge on him. By the time the party ended, it was already past 11 PM. Bruce returned to his room a little drunk. ¡°Take ine to the hospital.¡± Chapter 579 ¡°Joann, don¡¯t leave tonight, okay?¡± Bruce reeked of alcohol and subconsciously wanted to hug Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She was afraid that he would have drunken sex with her again. ¡°No, I have to change the wound dressing early tomorrow morning.¡± Td better get back to the hospital. That way, I don¡¯t have to get up early tomorrow.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Then I¡¯ll send you¡­¡± Seeing this, Joanna quickly stopped him. ¡°Forget it. Look at you. You¡¯re drunk. You should go to bed now. I¡¯ll get the driver and servant to send me.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. I would be worried.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? There are so many people taking care of me. It¡¯ll be fine. Hurry up and go to bed. You still have to wake up early tomorrow.¡± Bruce was still holding her hand, reluctant to let her go. ¡°Joann, can you stay here with me tonight? I don¡¯t want you to leave¡­¡± ¡°Silly, do you still want a daughter? The doctor said that you can¡¯t have sex with me during the first three months of my pregnancy.¡± ¡°And you never know how to restrain yourself. What if you hurt the child?¡± When Bruce heard this, he sighed and obediently dismissed that thought. ¡°Alright, then you should go to the hospital. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to control myself.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to leave like that?¡± ¡°What more do ¡°Give me a kiss.¡± you want?¡± Joanna leaned down and kissed him. Bruce then called the driver over and instructed solemnly, ¡°Carson, send Joanna to the hospital. Be careful on the road. Don¡¯t drive too fast.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t send you off.¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± Most of the time, Bruce apanied Joanna when she had to go to the hospital. However, he had drunk quite a few sses of alcohol today and was a little dizzy. He had the will but not the strength. After Joanna arrived at the hospital, she handed all the packed things to the nurse. ¡°These are cakes and red wine for you, as well as some other snacks.¡± When the nurses saw this, they were very happy. ¡°Thank you, madam.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°Give me a piece of cake.¡± ¡°Give me a piece too.¡± The nurses happily ate cakes. ¡°Tsk tsk. They¡¯re indeed from a wealthy family. This red wine is delicious.¡± The caregiver in the ward fought to grab the cakes, red wine, and other food. Joanna watched from the side. An hourter, all of them began to sleep soundly. ¡°n, Nina!¡± Joanna called out. They were all in a deep sleep and did not hear Joanna¡¯s shout at all. Chapter 580 Chapter 580 Chapter 580 During this period, she used the excuse of insomnia to get the doctor to prescribe her some sleeping pills. However, instead of consuming them, she secretly saved up the sleeping pills. When she finally got the chance today, she had mixed the sleeping pills into the dishes and red wine. After eating the drugged food, the servants and nurses had fallen asleep one by one. Here, Joanna quickly threw aside her nket and sat up in bed. She had been recuperating for over a month, and the fracture in her calf was much better. Although she could not exercise much, she was already able to walk. Despite this, she had been pretending to everyone else that she was still unable to do so. She could not let anyone find out how fast she was recovering. Joanna picked up the medicine bag next to her and walked straight to the bathroom. She pushed open the window. There was a ten-foot drop to thewn below. It would not be realistic for her to jump out of the window. Thankfully, Joanna had already drawn up a n beforehand. She stripped the bed of the sheets and duvet covers and tore the fabric into strips. Then, she tied these strips together using a dead knot, forming a long rope. She tied the rope securely to the window frame and threw the other end of it out of the window. Carefully, she climbed out of the window and slid down the rope she had just made. Afternding safely. Joanna sighed heavily. She felt as though she had just escaped from a cage. Soon, Joanna changed into a nurse¡¯s uniform, put on a mask, and slipped out of the hospital through the back door. The next day, the servants and nurses finally woke up, feeling exceptionally dizzy. n patted his head groggily and couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Gosh, the wine was way too strong. Did everyone fall asleep?¡± The nurses and servants were responsible for Joanna and usually took it in shifts at night. However, all four of them had fallen asleep yesterday night. n subconsciously looked at the bed, only to find that Joanna was already gone. Immediately, he panicked and shook his colleagues awake. ¡®Where¡¯s Mrs. Joanna?¡± ¡°Oh, my God. Madam¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Stop sleeping! Wake up. Something big has happened. Madam is missing¡­¡± The other three also got up in a daze. Looking at the empty bed, their hearts skipped a beat. Instantly, they no longer felt sleepy. ¡°What happened to Mrs. Joanna?¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna is missing, hurry up and go look for her!¡± The four of them panicked and split up to search. There were four bodyguards standing guard at the door. They were responsible for guarding the door day and night for Joanna¡¯s protection. Nina rushed out and asked them, ¡°Did you guys see Mrs. Joanna exit this room?¡± One of the bodyguards shook his head nkly when he heard her. ¡°No. Isn¡¯t Mrs. Joanna always in the ward?¡± When Nina heard this, she was so anxious that she nearly burst into tears. ¡°Oh no, Mrs. Joanna is missing!¡± ¡°What?¡± The four bodyguards were also shocked. ¡°Mrs. Joanna is gone¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± The bodyguards hurried into the ward to search for her. As expected, Joanna had already disappeared from the ward. ¡°How could a whole person disappear from the ward without a trace? You must have beencent in your work!¡± 1/4 10:391 Chapter 580 The bodyguards and nurses started to me one another. Suddenly, n shouted from the washroom. ¡°Oh no,e here! The window in the washroom has been removed from its frame!¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna must have escaped through the window!¡± When the others heard this, they hurried into the washroom immediately. ¡°Mrs. Joanna made a rope and used it to climb out of the window.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the both of you? She must have made a hugemotion. Didn¡¯t you hear her at all?¡± ¡°We ate the food that Mrs. Joanna brought over yesterday night. The moment we finished eating, we fell asleep immediately. I think she must have drugged the food with sleeping pills.¡± ¡°What should we do? Hurry up and call Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right, I¡¯ll do that right now.¡± The nurses and bodyguards were so worried that they were practically frothing at the mouth. Their mission was to protect and watch over Joanna Now that she had disappeared, they could not absolve themselves from the me. With Mr. Everett¡¯s bad temper, they were surely going to get into huge trouble. Meanwhile, Bruce went to work at the Everett Group at 8:30 am as usual. As it often did, his day started with a meeting with the higher-ups. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting centers around five main topics of discussion¡­¡± Beep beep beep! Bruce¡¯s phone vibrated. In the past, he would never listen to the phone while in a meeting. But these days, he was worried about Joanna. Therefore, he always carried his phone with him no matter what he was busy with Bruce picked up his phone and looked at the screen. It was a call from the hospital. He subconsciously frowned and quickly answered. ¡°Hello¡± The bodyguard¡¯s trembling voice could be heard on the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ I have some bad news.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened as he had a sudden bad premonition. ¡°What happened? ¡°It¡¯s Mrs Joanna she has disappeared¡± In a second. Bruce felt as though his brain had exploded. It was as though someone had shot him in the heart and plunged him into a freezing abyss ¡°Have you all looked for her? How did she disappear?¡± The bodyguard said timidly. ¡°Mrs Joanna climbed out of the washroom window. We can¡¯t find her now¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce shouted and shot up from his seat. He was so angry that the leather swivel chair slid away from him and mmed into the wall behind hurn. When everyone saw this, they were so frightened that their hearts skipped a beat. They watched helplessly as Mr. Everett strode away ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡± The higher-ups beside Bruce had gotten a rough gist of the phone conversation. ¡°I think something happened at the hospital!¡± ¡°Huh? Mr. Everett is so anxious. Did Miss Haynes have a miscarriage?¡± ¡°Shut up! If Mr. Everett hears about this, you¡¯ll suffer.¡± Twenty minutester, Bruce arrived at the hospital, having rushed there as quickly as possible. In the ward, the bodyguards and nurses waited for him, scared out of their wits. ¡°What should we do? Hurry up and check the surveince cameras to see if Mrs. Joanna has left the hospital!¡± ¡°Why did she run away for no reason?¡± They were discussing anxiously when Bruce suddenly walked in with a stormy expression. His handsome facial features seemed to be frozen. He looked like an alpha wolf in the desert, exuding a sinister and Chapter 580 murderous aura. ¡°M¡­Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Have you found her?¡± ¡°Well, n¡­no,¡± the bodyguard stammered. Bruce looked at him contemptuously. ¡°A worthless bunch. With so many of you around, how could you have let her disappear like that?¡± ¡°We¡­ we¡­¡± Bruce was too anxious to hold them ountable right now. ¡°Hurry up and find her.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett. Soon, all the nurses and bodyguards of the Everett family had joined the search for Joanna Haynes. ¡°Joanna, Joanna¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he punched the bed frame. He knew that Joanna had not forgiven him. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. No wonder she had been behaving like a docilemb. As it turned out, she had been nning her great escape the whole time. She deliberately pretended to reconcile with him so he would let down his guard. Chapter 581 Chapter 581 Chapter 581 No wonder she acted as though she had forgotten about the past. She was already making ns to flee! ¡°I¡¯ll give you two hours to find Joanna. If you can¡¯t find her, all of you can get lost.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Beep beep beep. Gael was calling again. Bruce answered the call, feeling slightly frustrated. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news. ¡°I just checked the safe. Mrs. Joanna¡¯s documents and passport are missing.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a wave of dizziness. His throat was tightening with a rush of hot air. ¡°Even if you run to the ends of the world, Joanna, I¡¯ll find you!¡± He turned his attention back to Gaul. ¡°Keep looking!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Two hourster, several waves of bodyguards came back dejectedly. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve already checked with the airport. They have no records of Mrs. Joanna flying out of the country.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve checked with the marine authorities too. She did not exit the country by ship or go to Mossbourne.¡± ¡°The port authorities also confirmed that she did not head to Venturas.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes widened. ¡°So, she¡¯s still in Greyport. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Hurry up and search for her again. ! We have to find her at all costs.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± The bodyguards did not dare to dy their search and rushed off immediately. ¡°Joanna, where the hell have you gone? ¡°How can you be so cruel to me? You¡¯re punishing me on purpose, right?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. Thest time he cried was when he was a child. Bruce could count the number of times he had ever cried on the fingers of one hand. However, this time, the intense frustration and anxiety he felt turned into a strong sense of grievance. He couldn¡¯t help but cry. He really cared about Joanna. It was precisely because he cared so much that he could not ept that she did not care about him. He could not believe the fact that she had abandoned him. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Seven years ago, when they divorced, he pretended to be tough on the outside. Secretly, he had never gotten over it. But Joanna had been even more heartless: it was four years before she returned to him again. ¡°Keep your calm, Mr. Everett. With so many people on the search team, we¡¯ll find her soon ¡°Besides, Mrs. Joanna¡¯s leg is injured, and she¡¯s pregnant. She can¡¯t have made it very far.¡± ¡°Get lost, get lost. Stop bothering me and go find her instead!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t stand listening to them. He was as irritable as a lion king who had lost everything. He loved Joanna He could not ept her departure. If Joanna Haynes left him, she would certainly look for Jaydon Grimm. Here, Bruce¡¯s scalp felt as though it was on fire. The blood in his entire body instantly rushed towards his head. ¡°Jaydon Grimm¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she must have gone to Jaydon Grimm again.¡± Bruce took a deep, icy breath and took out his phone to call Jaydon. 10:07 Beep beep beep. The phone rang several times before Jaydon picked up. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± Upon hearing Jaydon¡¯s voice. Bruce gritted his teeth and said fiercely. ¡°Jaydon Grimm, where have you hidden Joanna?¡± Confused, Jaydon frowned and asked, ¡°Who are you? What are you talking about?¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°I said, where did you hide Joanna? Hurry up and hand her over.¡± At this moment, Jaydon realized that it was Bruce speaking. He flew into a rage immediately. ¡°You¡¯re one crazy bastard. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Stop pretending, Jaydon! ¡°Joanna must have gone to look for you. I demand that you hand her over immediately. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make sure you die a horrible death.¡± Jaydon choked and asked nervously, ¡°Is Joann missing? When did this happen?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and did not speak. Jaydon could not help but curse at him. ¡°Bruce Everett, what a bastard you are. ¡°If anything happens to Joann. I won¡¯t let you off.¡± ¡°Where did you hide Joanna Haynes? Answer me!¡± Bruce demanded. Jaydon was exasperated. ¡°Are youpletely shameless, Bruce? You were the one who lost her, and now you have the cheek to ask me where she is! ¡°Some man you are, Bruce. ¡°Joann has never been happy with you. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have risked her life to escape from you. ¡°If you don¡¯t cherish her, you should let her go and live her life. Stop trying to control her and harassing her all the time.¡± Bruce was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. ¡°Shut the hell up, Jaydon Grimm. ¡°Hurry up and hand over Joanna Haynes. I¡¯m warning you, if you dare to have any ill intentions towards her again, I¡¯ll get someone to break your legs again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Why are you looking for me when she¡¯s the one who has disappeared?¡± Bruce paused for a moment before replying, ¡°¡­ she really didn¡¯t look for you?¡± Jaydon retorted fiercely. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t! Why, I should be asking you where you¡¯ve kidnapped her to! ¡°You¡¯d better find her soon, Bruce Everett. If anything happens to her, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± With that, Jaydon banged the phone down and hung up. Bruce¡¯s chest heaved violently as he digested Jaydon¡¯s words, his features twisted in a murderous rage. Judging from Jaydon¡¯s tone, he was probably telling the truth. Joanna had not gone to look for him. This made Bruce even more worried. If she encountered bad people, the consequences would be even more unimaginable. Night soon fell on Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce returned home and rushed to the second floor. After looking at the safe, he was even more anxious. ¡®Mr. Everett, we still haven¡¯t found her.¡± Chapter 582 Chapter 582 Chapter 582 The bodyguards had searched for an entire day, but they still could not find Joanna. They had no choice but to return and report their failure to Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, the bodyguard team faces constraints in our abilities. Perhaps we should call the police instead.¡± When Bruce heard this, the corners of his lips twitched. ¡°Call the police? Is there something wrong with your worthless brains?¡± If they called the police, it might rm the media. Once the media was alerted, the news of Joanna¡¯s escape would probably be known by the entire Greyport. If this attracted the attention of criminals, Joanna would be plunged into unimaginable danger. Hurry up and mobilize more people. Continue searching! Even if you must turn Greyport upside down, you must find her and bring her back to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett¡± Before the bodyguards could catch their breath, they were sent out to look for Joanna Haynes again. Unfortunately, Joanna had also left her phone behind, so they could not track her using her phone location. The bodyguards had also checked the surveince cameras thoroughly but could not find a trace of her. Joanna had long been prepared and easily avoided the surveince cameras. There was no way to find her through them. The three children looked at their frantic father, as well as the servants, who looked as though the end of the world had arrived. They turned to look at each other, wondering what had happened. Irvin pouted and asked in confusion. ¡°Davian, did something happen?¡± Davian looked equally confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Why is Daddy so flustered? Something big seems to have happened!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ask Miranda.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Worried, the three of them hurried to find Miranda so she could exin the situation to them. ¡°Miranda, did something happen at home?¡± Miranda¡¯s eyes turned red. She could only force a smile and coax the children. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, you boys. Go back to your rooms and sleep. You still have school tomorrow.¡± ¡°What happened? 1 feel like Daddy is very anxious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. Daddy¡­ lost a valuable piece of jewelry. He¡¯s sending people to look for it now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Hurry up and go to sleep.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Davian and Irvin were skeptical. However, their father had a bad temper and looked like he might fly into a rage any minute. They were too scared to hang around him and could only obediently return to their rooms to sleep. The rest of the night, Bruce stayed up and smoked two packs of cigarettes in a row. He looked as though he had aged ten years overnight. His eyes were bloodshot, and his stubble had appeared. The three boys woke up early the next morning and waited for their daddy downstairs. -Bruce didn¡¯t sleep the entire night. As soon as the sun rose, he left the room and prepared to look for Joanna personally. As soon as he stepped into the living room, Davian greeted weakly, ¡°Good morning, Daddy.¡± ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Hurry up and get to kindergarten!¡± With that, Bruce strade out. Then, he drove out of Sherane Bay Vi. He was going to search all the ces the two of them had been to. Joanna, where did you go? I love you so much. How can you treat me like this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll hurt me like this. Do you know how much my heart hurts?¡± Bruce drove aimlessly while crying sadly. At the same time, he got more worried about Joanna¡¯s safety. What if she was kidnapped by criminals? Just the thought of it made him feel afraid. Meanwhile, Joanna had spent the night in a homestay. She knew that Bruce would definitely go crazy and look for her. She had to think of a way to leave Greyport as soon as possible. However, she could not take the normal route. If she wanted to leave Greyport without anyone knowing, she could only smuggle herself out. Unfortunately, she was wearing so much expensive jewelry. She might get into trouble if the smuggling agency was a bunch of criminals. Suddenly, her stomach heaved, and she threw up. She was more than a month pregnant now, and her morning sickness was awful. As the pregnancy dragged on, it would only get worse. Her body would have to put up with even more then. The more she thought about it, the more abortion seemed like an attractive option. ¡°Sorry, my child. Mommy has let you down. ¡°But I really can¡¯t give birth to you.¡± Joanna thought over it seriously for a night and decided to abort the child with pills. The hospital was not an option for her right now. Besides, there werews against abortion. Soon, Joanna put on a disguise and made her way to a private clinic. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Hello, what can I help you with?¡± ¡°Do you have abortion pills here?¡± ¡°No, no!¡± The doctor refused repeatedly, sizing her up suspiciously. ¡°Please help me, doctor. ¡°I really need the abortion medicine. How much is it? Just tell me. I know you must have it here.¡± Joanna took out 200 dors from her pocket. These small clinics definitely had abortion drugs and private abortion services. However, to avoid being investigated by the police, they never sold them openly. ¡°Uh¡­ you have to think about it carefully. Do you really want the abortion medicine?¡± ¡°Yes, please help!¡± Joanna was wearing a cap, arge mask, and sunsses. The doctor could not tell that she was Joanna Haynes at all. He thought she was a poor girl who identally got pregnant. Chapter 583 Chapter 583 Chapter 583 The doctor carefully sized up Joanna a few more times. Seeing that she was serious about her purchase, he continued relievedly, ¡°Well, I do have this medicine here, but it¡¯s not suitable for everyone. ¡°If you really want it, I can help you make it. However, it can¡¯t be done until tomorrow.¡± Joanna agreed without hesitation. ¡°Okay.¡± The doctor put the money away and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll take 400 dors as your deposit first. Come fetch it tomorrow!¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Please leave me your number. I¡¯ll call you when the medicine is ready.¡± ¡°Uh, I lost my phone and didn¡¯t have time to buy a new one. Why don¡¯t you tell me when it will be ready tomorrow? I¡¯lle over directly¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine too. This is traditional medicine and needs to be brewed. It might not be ready until tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯lle over tomorrow at three in the afternoon to get the medicine.¡± ¡°That will do.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and turned to leave the clinic. Back at the homestay, Joanna sat in her room, feeling an indescribable feeling. She was very worried about the children and could not bear to part with them. But there was no way she could put up with that life anymore. If she stayed with Bruce, she would die of depression and torture. Therefore, she had no choice but to leave. She did not have to worry about the children suffering. Bruce had hired many servants and professional childcare teachers to care for them. Even if she wasn¡¯t around, the children would be well taken care of. In the evening, Bruce returned home to Sherane Bay Vi, exhausted. The bodyguards also returned one after another. ¡°Good evening, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Have you found her?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°A bunch of worthless trash! ¡°There are so many of you looking for a single person! Is it really so difficult?¡± The group of bodyguards lowered their heads in silence. They had tried everything they could to find Joanna. However, Greyport was so big that it was not easy to find someone. Seeing the bodyguards¡¯ dejected expressions, Bruce became even angrier. ¡°Continue searching. If you still can¡¯t find her, don¡¯te back. Consider yourselves fired!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± the bodyguards said obsequiously. They could only brace themselves to continue searching. The Everett family had already mobilized nearly 200 bodyguards. Although they tried their best to keep this hush-hush, news about Joanna¡¯s escape had leaked. This was especially evident in the hospital. News had spread from the doctors and nurses that Joanna Haynes had escaped. A few nurses gathered around the nurses¡¯ desk to gossip. ¡°Tsk, tsk. Joanna Haynes doesn¡¯t know how lucky she is, does she? She had everything she could ask for. Why did she run away for no reason?¡± Another nurse with bangs said indignantly, ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett was so good to her that he was willing to go to the ends of the world for her. Why did she ditch him and make a run for it?¡± ¡°Who knows? She¡¯s probably just throwing another tantrum.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t figure out what she¡¯s thinking. If I were her, I would stick to Mr. Everett like a piece of gum!¡± As she spoke, the young nurse¡¯s eyes sparkled. In a voice trembling with emotions, she said, ¡°Mr. Everett is handsome and rich. Besides, he¡¯s still so young. How good would it be if he liked me¡­¡± An older nurse could not help but snort. ¡°You can¡¯t just look at the surface. Life in a wealthy family is very stressful. Joanna Haynes¡¯s life might seem morous, but you don¡¯t know what goes on behind the scenes or how much bitterness she has to bear. Besides, those rich men have strange kinks! I wonder how their wives put up with their perverted behavior¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Ordinary people like us can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like. Ordinary women can¡¯t withstand that kind of behavior. The young nurse with bangs didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Tsk, how pervertic can it get? It¡¯s all just sex, right? Besides, Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t look like a man with heavy tastes. Even if he has heavy tastes. I¡¯ll sacrifice myself!¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. The more handsome a man is, the more twisted his mind is.¡± Soon, news of Joanna Haynes¡¯s disappearance had spread like wildfire. The media found out about Joanna Haynes¡¯s disappearance through a mysterious informant. By the end of the day, news of her escape had already been released online. ¡°Bruce Everett left dejected as pregnant ex-wife escapes¡± ¡°You run, I chase¡­ you can¡¯t escape even if you have wings! Joanna Haynes deliberately disappears.¡± ¡°Bruce Everett¡¯s rtionship with ex-wife crumblespletely. Joanna Haynes possibly abandoned.¡± As soon as the news was released, the Inte exploded again, and the entire city joined in to watch the show. ¡°What¡¯s going on between Mr. Everett and his ex-wife? Why is there so much news every other day? I hear so much about their melodramatic lives that I¡¯m tired of watching them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We can¡¯t have a moment of peace. I thought they were getting along, and then one is running away! What are they up to now?¡± ¡°If they want to remarry, they should remarry as soon as possible. But if they want to break up, they should do it immediately! If not, their rtionship status is so unclear. It¡¯s tiring for the onlookers.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, do you? This is a ploy.¡± ¡°What ploy?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice? Every time drama happens between the Everett and Haynes Groups¡­ it bes so popr that there¡¯s no need for advertisement. Do you know how much advertising costs the Everett Group can save annually?¡± ¡°Tsk, Bruce is already the richest man. The Everett Group is so famous. Why would he still need to advertise?¡± ¡°In this era, social media is king, and poprity can earn you money. If you don¡¯t understand, you should educate yourself!¡± Some self-righteousizens distorted the truth. Meanwhile, at the Garcia Group, Jennie Garcia also quickly learned that Joanna was missing. After knowing that Joanna was missing, a me of hope lit up in her heart again. ¡°Joanna Haynes is missing! Why did she run away?¡± Her secretary Jimmy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe he¡¯s throwing a tantrum with Mr. Everett!¡± When Jennie heard this, she gritted his teeth in anger! She couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°What a pretentious vixen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an injustice for her and Bruce to end up together. Did she cast a spell on him? How could he ever fall for someone like her?¡± Jennie heaved a few heavy sighs, so furious that she wanted to explode. ¡°Miss Garcia, why don¡¯t we take this opportunity to¡­ care for Mr. Everett?¡± Jennie rolled her eyes. ¡°Forget it. He clearly doesn¡¯t want me around. Why should I volunteer to get iced by him? ¡°I¡¯ll sort Joanna out first. It¡¯s time for her to get a taste of what I can do. Jimmy, send someone to find her. ¡°Remember, we have to find her before Bruce Everett does.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Miss Garcia, why are you looking for her?¡± ¡°To send some people after her and teach her a lesson!¡± Jimmy was stunned speechless. He wanted to caution her against it, but he didn¡¯t know how. This woman was too jealous. Women who were rich and capable were even more jealous. Hence they were also more dangerous. Women without money could only curse andin when they were jealous. But rich women would really take action! ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go!¡± Chapter 584 Chapter 584 Chapter 584 Bruce was furious when he saw the overwhelming news online. Although he did not search for Joanna with great fanfare, the media took a deep dive when it got wind of any information and subsequently made up all kinds of rumors. It resulted in endless headaches and worries for Bruce.¡± The incident of Princess Martha being kidnapped was still vivid in his mind. A lingering fear had haunted him since. Moreover, Joanna was being hunted down time and time again. Bruce was genuinely worried. On the third day since Joanna¡¯s disappearance, there were still no signs of her whereabouts. Bruce¡¯s initial anger turned into worry and frustration. Joanna¡¯s unwillingness to bear his child made him even more desperate. Joanna had secretly gone to Porash for an abortion when pregnant before, Bruce suspected her sudden disappearance to abort the child deliberately was to take revenge on him. Bruce became restless at the thought of this. He had been on the edge since: his heart felt like being torn apart and gave him spasms because of the unbearable pain. ¡°Darcy, any luck today?¡± Darcy said solemnly. Not yet, Mr. Everett; the media has already leaked the current status. I think it¡¯s better to call the police!¡± Bruce closed his eyes upon hearing this; he felt like a walking dead. He had not slept for three days and was utterly exhausted. He only hoped Joanna was safe and sound! ¡°Where the hell are you, Joanna?¡± he growled. ¡°You¡¯re so ruthless, even more so than me!¡± Bruce propped his forehead with his hand. Her heart throbbed in pain, and a faint taste of blood was in his throat. He had not eaten much thest three days. People with stomach problems could not go on an empty stomach for long. The corrosion caused by stomach acid made his stomach ulcer rpse again. ¡°Mr. Everett, you look terrible. Do you want to take a break?¡± Darcy said with concern. Bruce shook his head sadly and swallowed a mouthful of saliva to ease the pain in his stomach. ¡°Darcy, inform the major media I want to hold a press conference immediately.¡± ¡°All right; right away, sir!¡± Darcy replied and quickly left the room. Meanwhile, in the suburbs. Joanna returned to the small clinic to get the medicine at the agreed time. ¡°Doctor, is the medicine ready?¡± she asked. The doctor nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s ready for collection.¡± ¡°I concocted some medicine that¡¯s less harmful to the body and has milder medicinal effects.¡± The doctor was alone in the small clinic; there were no nurses. He handed the medication to Joanna. Joanna looked and saw a dozen or so ck-brown medicinal bags in the stic carrier. ¡°How do I take it?¡± ¡°It is traditional medicine ready for consumption. Take a packet every morning, noon, and night for three consecutive days. The fetus will turn into blood and discharge through your vagina, the doctor instructed carefully. Joanna¡¯s brows knotted, and she vaguely felt her abdomen twitch as if the fetus inside her sensed danger and protested silently. ¡°Okay, how much is it?¡±. 400 dors!¡± Joanna frowned again. Then she took out 400 dors from her wallet. The fee was indeed a little expensive. A reputable hospital would have cost less than 800 dors for an induced abortion. However, she could not be bothered to bargain. She could well afford the abortion medicine. ¡°Warm it up beforehand,¡± the doctor advised. ¡°All right, thank you.¡± Joanna left with the medicine. Joanna returned to the homestay after that. She took out one medicinal bag and put away the rest of the medicine. It was a suburban homestay, a small hotel run by local residents. It was very hidden and basic. The surrounding was nothing out of the ordinary. People stay here were poor, primarily foreign workers. Although Joanna could well afford to stay in a better hotel, it would require an identity registration. On the other hand, no identity card was required at the homestay. ¡°Bear with it, baby. Soon it will all be over,¡± she said quietly. The room was basic, and there were no pots and pans. Joanna had no choice but to walk out of the room to ask thedy boss of the homestay for a kettle and a bowl for the medicine. She could not boil water in the room, so she did so in the public living room instead. Then she submerged the medicinal bag in hot water in the bowl. Joanna waited for five minutes before emptying the content of the medicinal bag into the bowl. She stared at the bowl full of medicine before her. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. It emitted a muddy herbal scent when she sniffed it. Joanna gulped with difficulty, feeling a little uneasy. After all, she was unsure if the small clinic was reliable or if the medicine would abort the fetus sessfully. She tasted it with the tip of her tongue; it was very bitter. Coincidentally, thedy boss of the homestay walked past her and saw her taking traditional medicine. ¡°Youngdy, are you sick?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°Yes, I have a cold.¡± Joanna told a white lie. Thedy boss did not say anything; she felt it was peculiar. Most people would take modern medicine for a cold; it was rare to see someone taking traditional medicine, especially a young woman like Joanna. ¡°Where are you from, youngdy? Your ent doesn¡¯t sound local, thedy boss stood before Joanna and asked with interest. She sized Joanna up at the same time. Joanna wore a simple white T-shirt and old jeans to keep a low profile. She carried a big filthy canvas bag. No one would guess it contained jewelry worth tens of millions of dors. Her hair was tied up casually under a cap, looking like an ordinary factory worker. Therefore, thedy boss did not expect her to be Bruce¡¯s ex-wife. Chapter 585 Chapter 585 Chapter 585 Suffice it to say, someone of Joanna¡¯s status would not stay in a ce like this. Therefore, thedy boss did not overthink it. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Then she turned on the TV and did not enquire further. Bruce popped on the screen instantly when it was turned on. He sounded distraught. ¡°Where are you, Joann? I¡¯m worried sick about you. The kids and I are worried about you. Come back soon!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were red, looking tired and worn. He was no longer the refined and high-spirited self as before. Instead, he looked like a lonely and sad man. ¡°Wherever you are, do take care of yourself. Don¡¯t hurt yourself, and don¡¯t hurt the baby.¡± ¡°The kids and I will wait for you to return. Don¡¯t stay away for too long. Pleasee home early. We love you forever,¡± Bruce pleaded desperately before the camera. He had entirely disregarded his image and pride. Joanna was stunned and at a loss for words. She subconsciously put down the abortion medicine she was about to drink. She had never expected this. Bruce often resorted to the same way of looking for her. Bruce quietly stared at the camera, his eyes filled with destion and concern. His mncholy made others feel sympathetic toward him. The homestaydy boss was surprised after watching the news on TV. ¡°Oh my god, is Bruce Everett¡¯s ex-wife missing? I thought the media was making things up. I didn¡¯t expect it to be true. ¡°Tsk, sk, tsk. I didn¡¯t expect it. Not at all! Bruce Everett is so rich yet so infatuated. I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Thedy boss scoffed before changing the channel with a remote control. Unexpectedly, Bruce Everett also held a press conference on the other channel. She switched a few channels consecutively; all were news about Bruce Everett looking for Joanna Haynes. Bruce booked the prime time advertising for several TV stations for this purpose. ¡°If any of you know the whereabouts of Joanna Haynes, please inform me. You will be rewarded handsomely,¡± Bruce promised. ¡°Oh, my! Bruce Everett is lofty indeed to look for his missing wife during prime-time TV. A rich man always gets his way with money.¡± Thedy boss nced at Joanna subconsciously as shemented sarcastically. Only then she realized something unusual with the young woman before her. Joanna wore a cap and sunsses in an ordinary outfit.¡± However, her temperament was different from the homestay¡¯s other guests. She had exquisite facial features, and her skin was delicate and translucent. In fact, she looked a lot like Joanna Haynes. Thedy boss¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She could not help but size up Joanna again. ¡°Oh my god could she be Joanna Haynes?¡± she muttered silently. The more she looked at Joanna, the more she was convinced thetter was Bruce Everett¡¯s missing wife. Thedy boss subconsciously clenched her fists and became excited. If the youngdy were Joanna Haynes, she would strike -gold if she told Bruce Everett the news! ¡®Hey, youngdy, why didn¡¯t you drink your medicine?¡± thedy boss moved closer to Joanna and asked. Joanna became rmed. ¡®Oh, I have something on; I¡¯ll drink itter!¡± She quickly put down the medicine, took her canvas bag, and rushed out the door. Thedy boss immediately chased after her, ¡°Hey, youngdy, wait a moment!¡± Joanna realized thedy boss might have recognized her given her enthusiastic reaction After all, she was Greyport¡¯s hot topic at the moment. Her exposure was even higher than that of A-list celebrities Joanna would be in trouble if she were recognized. Spter 585 She fled from the homestay hurriedly. ¡°Wait a minute, youngdy. I haven¡¯t returned your deposit. Are you staying for the night?¡± ¡°Tll be backter!¡± Joanna replied casually and fled in a hurry. Thedy boss was even more shocked. ¡°Oh my god, the youngdy must be Joanna Haynes! I was such a blind old fool! There goes my reward for getting rich.¡± ¡°Hubby, hurry up and make a call¡± she yelled. ¡°That youngdy is Bruce Everett¡¯s ex-wife. Hurry up and make a call. We may get a reward!¡± Joanna went to the street in the town center. She felt uneasy. ¡°I can¡¯t stay on; someone will expose my whereabouts. I have to leave Greyport immediately!¡± she thought. ¡°I can¡¯t dy any longer and can¡¯t drink the disgusting abortion medicine either. I¡¯d better go to Mossbourne first and find a ce to settle down before making other ns.¡± Joanna gathered her thoughts quickly. She would have to contact a people smuggler to help her out. After all, people still wanted to sneak into Greyport. Thus, keeping the smugglers in business. Joanna walked aimlessly on the street; her heart was in turmoil. She passed by a shopping mall with arge LED screen broadcasting Bruce Everett¡¯s missing person notice. ¡°Joann, you can tell me if you feel distressed. I¡¯m willing to change. Pleasee back quickly; I beg of you.¡± Chapter 586 Chapter 586 Chapter 586 The advertising panels on the streets and alleys were pastured with advertisements looking for Joanna. Passersby, who came across them, eximed, ¡°Bruce Everett is such a rich and willful man, spending so much money looking for his ex-wife!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t agree more. He should have spent the money doing something more meaningful. ¡°Joanna Haynes is too much! She should count her blessings for having Brue Everett as her backing. Why did she run away in the first ce?¡± Joanna lowered her cap when she overheard the passersby¡¯s remarks. She then took a cab and headed toward Greyport West. Greyport West was the closest seafront to Porash and a ma for stowaways. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. There were specialized smugglers using fishing boats to smuggle people. Despite severe police crackdowns, smuggling activities continued to flourish. It was the only way for Joanna to leave Greyport without exposing her identity. Meanwhile, at Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce Everett searched for Joanna with great fanfare, and the media sensationalized it and created a frenzy. The children learned their mother was missing! Davian Haynes, the eldest, stammered. ¡°Daddy, where did Mommy go?¡± His younger brother, Irvin, and sister, Lilia, looked at Bruce anxiously for an answer. Bruce squatted down next to them. His face showed hints of fatigue and numbness. He did not know how to reply to his kids. Irvin asked hesitantly, ¡°Daddy, does Mommy not want us anymore?¡± Davian immediately retorted, ¡°No, Mommy won¡¯t abandon us!¡± Meanwhile, Lilia poured and cried, ¡°I want Mommy, I want Mommy!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, kids. Mommy wille back soon!¡± Bruce gently hugged his daughter tofort her. The four of them snuggled together, looking sad and aggrieved. The butler hurried in and announced excitedly. ¡°Mr. Everett, good news!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°What good news?¡± ¡°Someone just called to say he found Mrs. Joanna at a homestay on Newton Street.¡± Bruce immediately stood up and asked excitedly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. ording to the informant¡¯s description, it should be Mrs. Joanna.¡± Bruce put his daughter down and did not dy for another second. ¡°Hurry up and find her!¡± he said anxiously. ¡°Daddy, we want to go too!¡± ¡°Be good and stay at home. Behave yourselves while I¡¯m gone.¡± Bruce said and hurriedly left with the butler. Half an hourter, Brace arrived at the homestay in the suburbs. He was with an entourage of bodyguards and servants. ¡°Where is she?¡± Bruce asked anxiously. Thedy boss of the homestay was shocked to see so many burly men in suits appearing at her door. She stammered, ¡°She has already left. Look, is this her?¡± She quickly pulled out the surveince footage. The public living room was equipped with surveince Chinese medicine and was about to drink it. Bruce took a look and became excited. ¡°Yes, yes! That¡¯s her!¡± On the surveince video, Joanna Haynes held a bowl of At the same time, his heart sank. ¡°What was she drinking? What was it?¡± ¡°Oh, she said she had a cold. It¡¯s cold medicine,¡± thedy boss replied. ¡°She left this behind,¡± she quickly brought over Joanna¡¯s medicine. ¡°Mark, go and check immediately what¡¯s in this medicinel¡± Bruce instructed. Mark looked closer and replied worriedly, ¡°Mr. Everett, the form is abortion medicine.¡± Boom! Bruce staggered and almost lost his bnce; his heart hurt instantly. ¡°How dare you, Joanna?¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Bruce could feel a stream of air rushing to his throat, but he forced it back down. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and find her.¡± ¡°You guys search all the hotels and homestays nearby.¡± ¡°You guys, search all the malls and restaurants.¡± ¡°The rest of you go and pull up all the surveince camera footage on this street and find out which direction she has headed.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Bruce felt his chest tighten after instructing his men. Another stream of air surged up his throat again; he could not hold it down. Bruce felt he had vomited blood again; he quickly wiped the corner of his lips with his hand. As expected, there was a trace of scarlet in his saliva. Some time back, Bruce drank until his stomach was perforated, and vomited blood several times. He could barely eat in thest few days, and his gastritis worsened. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± The butler was shocked when he saw Bruce vomiting blood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Hurry up and find her.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The bodyguards and servants dispersed at hismand. Bruce cked out and slumped in the driver¡¯s seat. He had not slept for almost three days. Theck of sleep and anxiety sent him to the brim of copse. ¡°You wanted to abort the child! I will never forgive you for the rest of my life. Chapter 587 Chapter 587 Chapter 587 Joanna soon made up her mind. She took a cab to Greyport West. She made arrangements in advance, and she found the smuggler almost effortlessly. ¡°Michael told me about you. How much does it cost to take me to Mossbourne?¡± Joanna asked. The smuggler was a middle-aged man in his fifties, nicknamed Rooster. He was a scrawny man with a deep tan due to his prolonged time at sea. His beady eyes were cunning and shrewdl. ¡°You want to go to Mossbourne?¡± Rooster looked at Joanna curiously. Most people wanted to sneak into Greyport from Mossbourne and seldom vice versa. Still, there were exceptions. asionally, some people would use this method to go to Mossbourne. Joanna subconsciously lowered her cap and tried to look calm. ¡°It¡¯ll take two days to get to Mossbourne. One day for us to send you to the sea boundary, you can swim to the maind yourself. The cost is cheap, only 1,000 dors,¡± said Rooster. ¡°Of course, if you want to be morefortable, we can arrange to take you across the sea boundary. Very risky for us and will cost more. It¡¯s 4,000 dors.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna chose the expensive option without hesitation. ¡°No problem. 4,000 dors it is. When can we leave?¡± Rooster took another drag on his cigarette. ¡°We can¡¯t leave today. We¡¯ll have to wait.¡± Joanna was puzzled. ¡°Why?¡± Rooster became impatient. ¡°Come on, didn¡¯t you see the weather forecast? There¡¯s a typhoon tonight. The waves will be strong. We can¡¯t leave.¡± Joanna was anxious. ¡°When can we leave, then? ¡°Not for at least another two days,¡± said Rooster indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s the typhoon season now. The Parrot will bending soon. We won¡¯t be able to leave for the next two days.¡± ¡°Please help me! I¡¯m in a hurry. I can pay more,¡± Joanna said in a panic. She could not waste any more time. Greyport was a small ce. Bruce would find her sooner orter. Bruce¡¯s tyrannical temper meant Joanna would suffer a fate worse than death if captured. She could not take the risk. Rooster¡¯s face darkened as he stubbed out his cigarette. ¡°This isn¡¯t about money. ¡°We want to live even if you don¡¯t. It¡¯s a level-eight typhoon. How can our small fishing boat withstand it? ¡°If you¡¯re really in a hurry, go find Sensing that he would not ¡°eone else!¡± Rooster pursed his lips and looked indifferent. Joanna finally ¡°I¡¯lle back when the typhoon is over!¡± ¡°Mhmm!¡± promised. ¡°All right then!¡± Joanna did not say anything more. She secured the canvas bag in her arm and turned to leave. Rooster¡¯sckey walked over after she left. ¡°Rooster, that woman is a strange broad. She doesn¡¯t look like someone who came to Greyport to make a quick buck. I wonder where she came from?¡± ¡°Who cares? As long as she¡¯s willing to pay,¡± Rooster said as he lit another cigarette. As a norm, Rooster did not ply into his customers¡¯ privacy in his line of work. Although it was unorthodox, he had to observe the underworld¡¯s rules. Joanna became even more aimless after leaving Greyport West. The weather changed gradually, and dark clouds gathered. The wind blew strongly as if it was clearing the streets of pedestrians. The storm was apparently about to descend. Joanna felt the chill and tightened her jacket. She had to find another ce to stay quickly. Although she had money, she would have to register with her identity card to stay in a better hotel. The same regtion applied to ordinary homestays. It was challenging to find another homestay without an identity card. Joanna subconsciously stopped in her tracks when she passed by an overpass. Many unemployed people and vagrants gathered under the overpass. Land in Greyport was scarce, and every inch was worth its weight in gold. Many could not afford the tiniest house and resorted to living under the overpass. Joanna looked around. Many homeless people had set up mosquitos to make independent tents. She would probably have to do the same under the overpass if she did not want to register with her identity card. ¡°Forget it; I¡¯ll make do here for two days! Joanna found an empty spot under the overpass. Then, she found some newspapers and spread them on the ground. She also picked up a few pieces of torn cardboard and made an enclosed space. She had jewelry worth over 20 million dors. Safety was her first consideration. Therefore, she carried a stun gun and pepper spray wherever she went. In addition, she had also practiced self-defense for many years, and ordinary people could not subdue her. Although Joanna¡¯s self-defense skills could protect her from harm, she was vulnerable in the face of Bruce. He had practiced boxing and wrestling since he was young and was at the level of a coach. She could not possibly beat him. Meanwhile, on the other side of town. Bruce led a group of bodyguards, almost turning Greyport upside down. Unfortunately, he still found nothing. Bruce never expected Joanna to live under the overpass. In the blink of an eye, another day passed. Bruce¡¯s bodyguards did not make any progress. There was no sign of Joanna anywhere. It was as if she had disappeared from the surface of the earth. ¡°Have you not found her yet?¡± The bodyguards lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.. Bruce sighed heavily. He was not in the mood to lose his temper or scold the bodyguards. He waved his hand; his mind was perplexed. ¡°Continue searching!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Where did you go, Joanna?¡± Bruce sighed before his stomach felt ufortable again as it was corroded by gastric acid. His vision darkened, and he almost fainted. Bruce¡¯s butler hurriedly held him up. ¡°Mr. Everett, take care of yourself.¡± Bruce took a long time to calm down before the ck clouds in front of him gradually dissipated! The butler sighed and persuaded him. ¡°You can¡¯t go on like this, Mr. Everett. You have to take care of your body. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten much or slept in three days. How can you endure this any longer? No one, no matter how strong, can bear it!¡± The butler sighed. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Bruce pushed him away. Then he washed his face with cold water and rinsed his head to stay awake. Bruce realized he could not continue searching like this. He feared the more anxious he was to find Joanna, the more she would hide, Bruce put a lot of thought into his next move. He decided the children had toe forward. The children were Joanna¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel. Bruce did not believe she would be so cruel to her own children. Chapter 588 Chapter 588 Chapter 588 Bruce Everett immediately contacted the media after making up his mind. The media went into another frenzy on the following day. ¡°Mommy ran away from home. Bruce Everett¡¯s daughter is critically ill.¡± *Bruce Everett¡¯s youngest daughter rushed to hospital, suspected of leukemia rpse.¡± The media reports included photos of Bruce Everett sending Lilia Haynes to the hospital. Davian and Haynes also recorded a video and posted it online. In the video, the two little boys cried and said pitifully to the camera, ¡°Mommy, where are you? Come back quickly. Lilia is sick and needs you badly. ¡°We miss you so much, Mommy. If you don¡¯te home soon, Lilia may be unable to hold on.¡± The camera switched to Bruce Everett immediately afterward. ¡°Joann, where are you? Come back quickly. Lilia had a rpse. The doctor advised for a third bone marrow transnt,¡± he said, eyes welling up. ¡°If you don¡¯te home soon, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote!¡± Bruce paused before continuing. Joann, even if you don¡¯te home, please let me know you¡¯re safe. The children and 1 are very worried. Davian and Irvin haven¡¯t gone to school for a few days. *I know I¡¯m a control freak and have made you feel suffocated. I hope the people of Greyport can witness my vow to you; I promise to turn over a new leaf. I also apologize to you for hurting you. Please forgive me!¡± Bruce had utterly let go of his pride and spoke sincerely in front of the media. Meanwhile, under the overpass. Joanna Haynes slept through the night on the ground, her whole body ached terribly. She did not have a cell phone. Therefore, she could not ess any news on the Inte. Joanna had just awakened. She put away the cardboard pieces and was about to go out and buy food when she suddenly. heardughter next to her. She turned around and saw a homeless man beside her as he scrolled through his cell phone with relish. ¡°Haha! Bruce Everett is such a lunatic! He¡¯s a rich man who can get his hands on any woman he fancies. ¡°Why did he put aside his pride to look for his ex-wife in such extravagance? Tsk, tsk, if I were as rich as him, I would have a different woman every day. I wouldn¡¯t be so devoted to just one.¡± Another homeless man immediately chimed in, ¡®Tis ex-wife is also a lunatic. She abandoned the three children and disappeared without a trace.¡± ¡°Her daughter is in the hospital, yet she doesn¡¯t care for the kid¡¯s wellbeing!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank when she overheard the two men gossiping away. ¡°Excuse me, sir. May I borrow your cell phone?¡± The two vagrants nced at her casually while staring at the phone. ¡°No way. My phone is running out of battery. I have to charge it at the convenience store soon! ¡°Moreover, what kind of a person doesn¡¯t have a phone nowadays? Why did you ask to borrow mine?¡± Joanna feared Bruce would trace her cell phone¡¯s location. Therefore, she left it behind. Joanna would have to register with her real name if she were to apply for a new SIM card. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll buy your cell phone instead¡± Joanna took a wallet from the canvas bag and retrieved 200 dors. pay for your phone. You can use the money to buy a new one,¡± Joanna said and handed the money to the homeless man. The homeless man looked surprised and became speechless. He stared at Joanna skeptically. He thought it strange that Joanna offered 1.000 dors to buy his old cell phone. She could have bought a brand new one with that amount. The homeless man was puzzled. Moreover, someone who casually forked out 1,000 dors could easily stay anywhere she desired. Why did she sleep under the overpass? Joanna put the money beside the homeless man and anxiously snatched the old phone from his hand. She quickly scrolled through the online tforms. News about Bruce Everett looking for her abound. There were also videos of Lilia Haynes in the hospital. ¡°Is my darling Lilia sick again?¡± Joanna muttered worriedly. At the same time, she wondered if Bruce deliberately used the kids to y tricks on her. He was unscrupulous in achieving what he wanted. He could have taken advantage of Lilia¡¯s illness to force Joanna to show up. In fact, Bruce Everett was capable of anything. However, Lilia¡¯s health had always been poor. Joanna would undoubtedly go back to care for her daughter If thetter¡¯s illness rpsed, Joanna thought long and hard. Yet she still felt uneasy. After much hesitation, she could not help but call Bruce. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce¡¯s cell phone rang. He quickly picked it up and took a look. It was an unknown number. Bruce held his breath and answered the call ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± Joanna felt a lump in her throat and subconsciously tightened her grip on her phone. ¡°Say something. Who is it?¡± Joanna became inexplicably nervous and terrified when she heard Bruce¡¯s voice. She felt her throat stuffed with cotton wool and could not utter anything. Bruce frowned and guessed the other party was Joanna Haynes. ¡°Hello, is it Joann?¡± ¡°Joann, where are you now?¡± Bruce suppressed his mixed emotions and spoke in a calm and gentle tone. At the same time, he immediately turned on the speaker and wrote down the phone number. Then, he waved at the butler beside him and signaled him with his eyes to quickly check the phone¡¯s current location. The butler understood, immediately took the phone number, and activated the GPS tracking. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and tried to calm Joanna down. ¡°Joann, why aren¡¯t you talking? Do you know that the children and I are worried about you?¡± ¡°Lilia is sick. Pleasee back quickly!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce Everett, is Lilia really sick?¡± ¡°Of course she is. Would I joke about my daughter¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You must be lying to me,¡± Joanna replied coldly. Bruce had always been scheming and quick-witted. Joanna no longer trusted his words. Joanna did not believe a word Bruce said; she could only determine if he spoke the truth from the tone of his voice. Bruce paused for a moment; his brows knotted tightly. ¡°Joann, stop fooling around. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault! If you have any dissatisfaction with me, you can tell me. I¡¯m willing to change.¡± Bruce gradually became excited as he spoke. Judging from his words, Joanna was almost sure Lilia was not sick. Bruce deliberately lied to her. If Lilia were seriously ill, Bruce would not be in the mood to ask for forgiveness. ¡°Stop talking, Bruce. I won¡¯t believe your nonsense anymore!¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t hang up yet. I beg you; please don¡¯t hang up!¡± ¡°Joann, I beg you to forgive all my wrongdoings. Please, I beg of you! You must not hurt the unborn child!¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was humble. He feared that Joanna would abort the baby. Joanna¡¯s brow furrowed as she gently stroked her abdomen; she had yet to drink the abortion medicine. Realizing Bruce cared about the unborn child so much, Joanna decided to take revenge and let him taste his own medicine. She wanted to stab his heart so hard that he experienced the same heartache he had caused her. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve already aborted the child, Bruce!¡± Boom! Bruce¡¯s heart almost stood still. He felt like he had suddenly fallen into an ice cave. Chapter 589 Chapter 589 Chapter 589 Bruce Everett returned to his senses momentster and said hoarsely, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You must be lying to me!¡± ¡°Joann, I know you hate me. But the child is innocent. You must be lying to me, right?¡± Bruce took a deep breath, unwilling to ept the fact. His parents passed away when he was young, and he had no siblings. His children were his only bloodline. Bruce already had three children. However, when Davian, Irvin, and Lilia were born, he was not by their side. He did not experience the joy of being a first-time father then. Bruce was fully prepared this time around and waited cagerly to wee a new life into the family. Therefore, he could not ept the abortion. Joanna Haynes paused momentarily before replying coldly, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. The child has been aborted.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to lie to you. There¡¯s nothing else for you to expect¡± Suddenly, there was utter silence on the other end of the phone. Bruce could hear the sound of his heart being torn apart. Momentster, he roared angrily, ¡°Joanna Haynes, how dare you do this to me? ¡°That¡¯s my child. How dare you abort it without my permission?¡± Bruce was hysterical. ¡°Anyway, I have aborted it. End of discussion.¡± Joanna said matter-of-factly. Bruce heaved heavily to disperse his anger; his body trembled uncontrobly. ¡°Joanna Haynes, you want to punish me! You did it on purpose, right?¡± he growled. ¡°How could you kill your own flesh and blood? You¡¯re so cruel! Utterly inhumane!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart-wrenching roar did not move Joanna. Instead, sheughed coldly. ¡°Cruel? Inhumane? Hahaha!¡± ¡°I dwarf by you, Mr. Everett, Joanna sneered and said sarcastically. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Can¡¯t you take it? I¡¯m surprised you can feel heartache too?¡± Bruce knitted his brows, his heart ached so much he could barely breathe. ¡°You¡¯re taking revenge on me on purpose! ¡°You¡¯ve always hated me. You¡¯ve never forgiven me, have you? The happy times we had were all fake! ¡°You don¡¯t love me anymore. You want to take revenge on me!¡± Bruce snarled Joanna sighed and smiled, feeling unprecedentedly rxed and at ease. ¡°That¡¯s right! I already said on the day we divorced that I didn¡¯t love you anymore,¡± she said indifferently. ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive you for the pain you¡¯ve caused. I want you to taste what it feels like to be in so much pain that you want to die.¡± A chill ran down Bruce¡¯s spine; he was stunned by what Joanna said. In the past, he always thought coaxing a woman was a piece of cake. At most, he would shower her with expensive jewelry and buy her a luxurious mansion and yacht. Money was no object. The woman would eventually change her mind if he showed ample sincerity. But Bruce suddenly realized his arrogance was at y. A woman would not forgive him easily if she were emotionally hurt. ¡°Bruce, the pain you feel now is what I went through in the past, Joanna said calmly. ¡°Except that my pain was ten times worse than yours. Think about what you¡¯ve done to me. Do you think I¡¯d still love you? Did you ever really love me? Don¡¯t kid yourself, Bruce Everett! ¡°That¡¯s not love. It¡¯s just possessiveness. Your love is like a master¡¯s control over his pet. It¡¯s unequal and lopsided. It was not lovel¡± Bruce was utterly stumped; his eyes were bloodshot. Joann, I¡¯ve always loved you. Why do you think otherwise?¡± he said. Tm willing to give up everything for you. I can give you all my money.¡± Jaanna sneered upon hearing. ¡°Haha, Bruce Everett, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ridiculous! Yes, I have spent your money. 1 ¡°But what I spent was not even a drop in the oceanpared to the market value of the Haynes Group.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°You snatched the Haynes Group from me unscrupulously through despicable means. Ultimately, what¡¯s the difference between you and a robber? ¡°It¡¯s my money you used to support me, and now you im you¡¯re willing to give up everything for me? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ironic? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s funny? ¡°You¡¯re utterly despicable!¡± Joanna scoffed. Bruce held his breath and closed his eyes tightly. He refused to ept that Joanna had aborted the baby. He was ecstatic when he found out she was pregnant. s, the more ecstatic he was in the past, the more disappointed he was now. Moreover, his love for Joanna seemed so pathetic in perspective. ¡°All right, Joann, so be it!¡± Bruce sighed in resignation. ¡°I beg you to give me another chance to make amends now. I¡¯m going to prove that I love you. ¡°As for the Haynes Group, I¡¯ve never considered keeping it for myself. My goal has always been to keep you by my side. ¡°I love you, Joanna. I love you so much!¡± Bruce said with heart-wrenching pain. Tears rolled down his face uncontrobly. Joanna hung up before he could finish. She did not want to listen to his nonsense. Beep, beep, beep! The busy tone came from the other end of the phone. Bruce Everett became instantly furious! He immediately made another call. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable.¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce smashed his cell phone into smithereens and kicked the coffee table across the room. ¡°How can you misunderstand me like this, Joanna** ¡°Cough, cough, cough! Argh!¡± Bruce was extremely anxious and angry; his face turned dark red. Blood gathered in his throat, and he instantly puffed out a mouthful. The butler returned with the found location. He went mumb when he saw Bruce vomiting blood. ¡®Mr. Everett, how are you?¡± Bruce looked at the dark red blood on the floor; the explosive feeling in his chest subsided, and he felt better. He had gastric problems and had not eaten much for the past few days, causing his acute gastric ulcer to worsen. His stomach bled as a result. His extreme anger did not help either, causing him to vomit blood again ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Bruce said dismissively. ¡°No, Mr. Everett, you have to go to the hospital immediately, the butler urged. ¡°I said don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Bruce wiped away the blood stain with his sleeve at the corner of his lips. ¡°Have you found the location?¡± he asked coldly. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ve already found it.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Under an overpass in the Soris Gate area.¡± ¡°Gather everyone to find her immediately. We must find Joanna Haynes!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. The butler looked at him worriedly. Whatever caused his vomiting of blood, it was usually a nasty illness. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go!¡¯ Bruce growled. The butler dared not say anything else. ¡°Okay, right away, sir.¡± Meanwhile, under the overpass. Joanna knew that Bruce woulde looking for her soon after hanging up. She quickly discarded her cell phone in the trash can and hurriedly left. The two vagrants nearby looked at Joanna with their mouths agape Chapter 590 Chapter 590 Chapter 590 One of the vagrants whispered. ¡°Did you see that woman just now? She just tossed away her phone after spending 1,000 dors to make a call. This is just too extravagant.¡± The other vagabond nodded repeatedly. ¡°With such avish spending, she surely must be carrying a lot of cash on her.¡± ¡°Looks like our golden opportunity has arrived¡­¡± With these words, the two men exchanged knowing looks. With greed on the edge of their courage, they decided to rob Joanna. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Observing that Joanna had left the overpass, they hastily got up and stealthily trailed her. Joanna exited the overpass. It was already past ten in the morning, she¡¯presumed Bruce would arrive shortly. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here, I need to leave now.¡± Joanna was about to hail a taxi to escape from there. Unfortunately, this was amercial district and taxis were scarce. Joanna tried to hail more than ten cars in a row, but all of them were upied. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go to the next intersection and try there!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t want to waste any more time and swiftly headed to the next intersection After walking for five minutes, Joanna felt an unsettling sensation, a feeling that someone was railing her. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, she tightly held the canvas bag under her arm, and quickened her pace. Simultaneously, she stealthily reached into her pocket and pulled out her stun gun. ¡°Look at that bulging bag she carries, it surely must hold something valuable.¡± The pair noticed Joanna picking up her pace, they realized if they didn¡¯t act now it would be toote. Once they reached the crowded downtown area, they wouldn¡¯t have another opportunity to act. The pair decided not to wait any longer, readying themselves for a bold snatch and grab. Consequently, they increased their pace to catch up with her. One of the vagrants lunged to snatch Joanna¡¯s canvas bag. Joanna spun around and recognized him as the vagrant from before. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The two vagrants didn¡¯t respond, they just desperately tugged at her bag. Joanna could no longer tolerate this, she swiftly pulled out her stun gun from her pocket, aimed it at the vagrant¡¯s hand, and pulled the trigger. ¡°ZAPI¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The powerful current instantly brought the vagrant down. He screamed as he fell t on the ground. Seeing this, the other vagrant was taken aback. But blinded by greed, he gathered his courage and lunged to snatch the bag. ¡°ZAP! Joanna shocked the other vagrant. ¡°Ah. Both the vagrants writhed on the ground in agony. Joanna fel¨ª ?a a wave of revulsion, she went up to them and retrieved her 1,000 dors from one of the vagrant¡¯s clothes. She turned around and left. He was really biting off more than she could chew, for giving him 1,000 dors for a shoddy phone, yet he still wanted to rob her. This kind of person was not deserving of sympathy. She was determined to get her money back. Quickly, more than ten luxury cars arrived, roaring beneath the overpass. More than ten luxury cars roared under the overpass. Bruce got out of the car angrily. Dozens of bodyguards in suits also got out of the car hurriedly. 1/3 10:40 apter 590 The homeless folks under the overpass, had they ever seen such a disy? They were all terrified. ¡°Have you seen this person?¡± ¡°Um, no, no.¡± ¡°Speak up. There will be a hefty reward.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, I think I just saw this woman. She went that way!¡± A female beggar stuttered. Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Which direction did she go?¡± The female beggar pointed to the exit of the overpass, ¡°She went that way.¡± ¡°Chase after her, now.¡± As he spoke, Bruce instructed his bodyguards to give the female beggar a 2000-dor reward. Joanna had just reached the next intersection and was about to hail a cab. She could vaguely see a few men in ck suits standing across the street, searching for something? A sense of panic overtook Joanna, she no longer cared about hailing a cab, she immediately darted into the nearby women¡¯s restroom. ¡°Mr. Everett, we still haven¡¯t found her. However, ording to surveince, she should be in this area.¡± ¡°Joanna, no matter where you run to, I will find you.¡± ¡°Block these streets immediately, find her!¡± Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± The bodyguards split up again and began a systematic search, street by street. Joanna hid in thedies¡¯ room for half an hour. Once she estimated that the bodyguards had left, she cautiously exited. Beside her was arge shopping mall. As she rode the elevator, she saw the bodyguards who had brushed past her again. Fortunately, she was wearing a hat and a mask, and her clothes were very casual, so the bodyguards did not recognize her at first. Joanna¡¯s heart pounded wildly, and she hastily walked away in fear. Seeing that she was about to run into another group of bodyguards, Joanna had no choice but to duck into a women¡¯s clothing store. ¡°Wee!¡± ¡°Miss, do you want to buy clothes?¡± ¡°We have thetest styles here, feel free to look around.¡± Joanna quickly grabbed a piece of clothing from the rack and darted into the fitting room. ¡°Miss, you have good taste. This is one of our new arrivals. The saleswoman enthusiastically introduced. Joanna carefully opened the door of the fitting room and said to the saleswoman, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite satisfied with this piece. Could you please pick out a few more for me?¡± ¡°Oh, of course! I¡¯ll go pick some for you right now!¡± ¡°Wait, could I borrow a phone, please?¡± Sure. The saleswoman smiled sweetly and enthusiastically handed the phone to Joanna. Joanna took the phone and returned to the fitting room. After pondering for a while, she couldn¡¯t resist calling Jaydon. She didn¡¯t want to trouble Jaydon again, but she couldn¡¯t find anyone else who could help her at this point. If she was caught and brought back by Bruce, her fate would surely be dire Chapter 591 Chapter 591 Chapter 591 Ring, ring, ring! Joanna dialed up Jaydon¡¯s number. The call connected almost immediately. Jaydon picked up. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Jay, it¡¯s me.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was on edge. Recognizing Joanna¡¯s voice, Jaydon¡¯s anxiety spiked. ¡®Joann, where are you? How are you holding up?¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m at the Omni-Trade Skyline.¡± ¡°Bruce¡¯s men are close by. I¡¯m hiding out in a women¡¯s clothing store. Jay, I¡¯m really out of options¡­¡± Jaydon cut her off, Joann, you don¡¯t need to exin. Just send me your location and I¡¯ll get someone over to rescue you right away.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you Jay! Joanna then sent Jaydon her location using the shop assistant¡¯s phone. Outside the fitting room, the shop assistant eagerly said, ¡°Miss, your call is finished! I¡¯ve picked out a few more styles that would suit you, you can try them on¡­¡± Opening the fitting room door, Joanna handed the phone back to the shop assistant. ¡°I¡¯m done with the call. thank you!¡± ¡°What about these clothes!¡± ¡°Oh, just pack all of them up for me. I¡¯m taking them all.¡± ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t even tried them on yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I trust your taste.¡± The shop assistant stared at Joanna in disbelief. These clothes all carried hefty price tags and she hadn¡¯t even asked about the price, was she really sincere in buying them? Moreover, she was dressed rather casually, not resembling a wealthy person at all. The shop assistant, eager to increase her sales performance, would have been contented if Joanna bought just a piece or two. ¡°Can I rest here for a bit? I¡¯m a bit tired. Also, I¡¯d like to select some essories.¡± ¡°Of course. The shop assistant responded, her enthusiasm increasing. Appearances can indeed be deceptive. ¡°The wig on your mannequin looks nice too! Could I try it on?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± In no time, Joanna was in a new outfit,plete with a long wig. From behind, one could hardly recognize her. In Venturas, at the Emerald Oak Medical Center, after receiving the call from Joanna, Jaydon was burning with impatience and prepared to leave in haste. Upon seeing this, Carmel Basil, heavily pregnant, hurried after him, ¡°Mr. Grimm, where are you off to?¡± T have an urgent matter to attend to.¡± ¡°Im about to give birth, and you¡¯re leaving now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s reassuring to have doctors and nurses here. I¡¯m really in a rush!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, Mr. Grimm¡­¡± Jaydon has already taken his leave without a backward nce. Watching Jaydon¡¯s retreating figure, Carmel couldn¡¯t help but tear up. She was on the brink of giving birth, yet the father of the child disregarded them, abandoning her without a second thought. ¡°Miss Basil, there¡¯s no need for fear. Even if Mr. Grimm isn¡¯t here, we will attend to your every need.¡± Carmel rolled her eyes, exasperated. Then she found sce in her thoughts, ¡°Once the baby is born, my connection to the Grimm family is indisputable. He can chase after that seductress for all I care.¡± Carmel was surprisingly broad-minded. The baby in her belly was her lifeline for thetter part of her life. Even if Jaydon didn¡¯t love her, she would be financially secure for life, with no need to worry about livelihood. In Greyport, the bodyguards had practically ransacked the entire street. Predictably, they came up empty-handed. ¡°Utterly useless, the lot of you. Still no trace of her.¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna might have slipped away.¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t find Joanna today, you¡¯re all getting the sack.¡± Bruce lost his patience once more. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, resume the search!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± An hourter, Jaydon arrived at the scene with his team as quickly as possible. Jaydon dialled a recently contacted number. When the store clerk answered, realizing he was looking for Joanna, shended the phone over to Joanna Joann, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sending someone disguised as a delivery man. You can leave in the delivery truck.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Alright, understood!¡± ¡°Miss, your clothes.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t want these clothes anymore. They¡¯re yours.¡± ¡°What The shop assistant was dumbfounded. In her years of retail, she¡¯d never encountered such a customer who paid the usual price but refused the clothes. Moreover, these clothes were expensive, with each piece costing over 200 dors. If more customers were like this, she¡¯d strike gold. Bruce got into his car, preparing to do a citywide search. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t that Bruce just now?¡± A group of people brushed past them, with none other than Bruce¡¯s sworn enemy, Marlowe Yanice, bringing up the rear ¡°Looks like him. Why is he by himself?¡± Upon hearing this, Marlowe turned around to check, indeed it was Bruce. Currently, he was without a single bodyguard or assistant. Alone in a Bentley, there were no other cars in his entourage, ¡®Perfect, let¡¯s teach him a lesson¡± Immediately, Marlowe smirked coldly, signaling to the people around him, ¡°Follow him closely, let him have a taste of his own medicine.* ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Yanice.¡± Bruce was lucky enough to be driving, doing a city-wide loop. ¡°Ahem, ahem!¡± His throat had been persistently itchy. Chapter 592 Chapter 592 Chapter 592 It¡¯s a small world. In a surprising turn of events, he came across Marlowe Yanice. Bruce, whenever he stepped out, was usually apanied by a swarm of bodyguards. Even in their absence, he was incredibly discreet in his movements, doing everything possible to avoid being identified. He was, after all the wealthiest man in Greyport. There were plenty who wouldn¡¯t mind stirring up trouble for him. Marlowe gave a malevolent smile, ¡°Execute it smoothly. Let¡¯s not stir up any fuss.¡± The assistant responded in a devious tone, ¡°Rest assured, President Yanice.¡± Il arrange it over a call¡­ As Bruce drove, there was a churning unease in his chest. Summoning every ounce of strength that remained, he attempted to swallow a few times, aborious task that seemed to drain him more than he¡¯d like to admit. Yet, the uneasy difort refused to subside, lingering at the back of his throat like an unwee guest. His throat itched unbearably, prompting a string of harsh coughs that resonated within the confined space of the wrecked vehicle. His futile attempt to regain control of his situation was punctuated by a low, involuntary groan, ¡°Cough, cough, ugh¡­ He couldn¡¯t suppress the urge to cough out a mouthful of blood. Bruce frowned and instinctively wiped the corner of his lips with his sleeve. With almost three days of no sleep, his body was sumbing to extreme exhaustion. Driving in this state was a recipe for disaster. Finding himself momentarily lost in a daze, Bruce was abruptly pulled back into the realm of reality by the unexpected sight of a dpidated van. Without so much as the courtesy of a blinker, the driver recklessly manoeuvred his vehicle into The adjacentne. ¡°Ahl¡± Bruce eximed, quickly maneuvering his car. He narrowly avoided crashing into the van. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Bruce cursed under his breath, ¡°What the hell, learn to drive!¡± Before he couldpose himself, the van deliberately changednes again, blocking his way. Simultaneously, another car swerved in aggressively, boxing in his vehicle. The grinding noise of metal on metal sparked friction. Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed as he realized he was in trouble. Even though he was skilled and could handle a handful of attackers, any armed adversary would spell danger, For now, it was best not to exit the car. Bruce mmed the elerator, aiming to overtake the obstructing vehicle. Unfortunately, the van kept hitting the brakes, attempting to halt his progress. ¡°Crash, crash!¡± Two cars from either side sandwiched Bruce¡¯s vehicle in the middle. Bruce¡¯s face fell, He revved the engine, barreling forward with full throttle. The doors of his car were utterly deformed from the relentless assault. a ¡°Bang!¡± To the astonishment of the other drivers, they had not only failed to stop Bruce but their vehicles crashed into each other instead. In an instant, both vehicles flipped over. Bruce had barely breathed a sigh of relief when a woman pushing a stroller appeared in front. Ignoring the traffic signal, she crossed the road directly. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Bruce, driving too fast to swerve in time, was forced to in the brakes and steer away. ¡°Crash! Bang!¡± The car,pletely beyond the driver¡¯s control, spun around its own axis in an all too familiar dance, reminiscent of a top. The once shiny rubber tires dragged vehemently against the rough road surface, leaving behind an undeniable circr evidence of the vehicle¡¯s skid The inertia proved too overpowering to resist. The car, forced into submission, carried out an astonishing 360-degree aerial rotation. Following this stunning disy, the vehicle met with an unforgiving crash, as it mmed heavily onto the unforgiving asphalt. The colossal force propelled the car forward several meters until it hit a flower bed. Passersby at a distance were left stunned. The scene was reminiscent of a Hollywood car crash movie special effect. In such a disastrous ident, it seemed unlikely for anyone inside the car to have survived. ¡°Oh my god, there¡¯s been a car ident up ahead.¡± ¡°Someone should help! Call the police quickly.¡± ¡°How awful!¡± Onlookers rushed towards the wreckage, ready to help. Caught in the maelstrom. Bruce found himself pinned cruelly under the weight of the car, his chest feeling as if it had been put through a shredder. Several ribs had snapped under the crushing pressure. Blood, rich and crimson, spurted from his mouth in pulsing waves. As if mocking the cruel twist of fate, the blood found its way past the confines of the car, staining the exterior in a grim reminder of the unfolding catastrophie. Chapter 593 Chapter 593 Chapter 593 ¡°Call an ambnce, call the police immediately¡­ Some good Samaritans immediately pulled out their phones to call for an ambnce and report the incident to the police. Several concerned bystanders tried in unison to overturn the vehicle, attempting to rescue the casualty. ¡°No, no. The casualty is still alive. We mustn¡¯t move the vehicle to prevent causing any additional injury.¡± ¡°Exactly, we mustn¡¯t disturb the vehicle.¡± ¡°He is losing a lot of blood. Don¡¯t touch him, let¡¯s wait for the paramedics.¡± The vehicle¡¯s frame was severely distorted. The car window was shattered,ttering the ground with shards of ss. Bruce was covered in cuts, bleeding incessantly. Bruce struggled for breath, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. He was barely clinging to life. The sight was so gruesome that it made the faint-hearted turn away. Inside the shopping mall, Joanna was looking around nervously. For some reason, her right eyelid started to twitch violently. Then, her right temple started to throb. Suddenly, a wave of impending dread washed over her. Every time something unfortunate was about to happen, her right eye would twitch. But this time, the twitching was much more intense than ever before. Joanna was filled with anxiety. Suddenly, she heard someone yell. ¡°There¡¯s been a car crash downstairs.¡± ¡°Terrible news, there¡¯s been a car crash on the road!¡± ¡°Look! the car has rolled over. Such a horrifying sit!¡± Several onlookers cried out. Through the window of the mall, one could see the site of the car crash on the street. Especially, the deafening crash at the moment of the ident had echoed into the shopping center, Curious shoppers and onlookers gathered at the window to witness the spectacle. Upon hearing about the car ident, Joanna was filled with even more anxiety. Joanna felt even more inexplicably uneasy. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she followed the crowd to the window to look. Through the broken car window, she saw that the car involved in the ident was a silver-grey Bentley. It looked strikingly simr to her own car. Seeing this. Joanna¡¯s heart sank She had the same car which Bruce sometimes drove. Today, Bruce had dispatched all their bodyguards, and all the cars from their garage had been driven out. So Bruce had taken her car out, Suddenly, Joanna felt ¨¢ void in her mind. She had an ominous feeling that the person in the car crash could be Bruce. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be Bruce. It surely can¡¯t be him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s so capable, how could he be in a car crash¡­ Joanna felt a chill run through her body as her heart pounded in her chest. She prayed fervently that it wasn¡¯t Bruce. Although she loathed him, yet, Bruce was the father of her children. She desperately didn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to him. She would rather hold onto her resentment and anger towards him than see him in danger. ¡°My God, such a catastrophic crash? The driver must have died instantly, right?¡± ¡°Of course, didn¡¯t you see the car flipped over? How could they survive? Geez, driving is too dangerous. I¡¯m d I can¡¯t afford a car¡­¡± Some bystanders eximed. Upon hearing this, Joanna felt a growing sense of unease. Without a second thought, she rushed out of the shopping center, sprinting towards the scene of the car crash. She had to confirm whether the person in the car crash was Bruce. Two minutester, Joanna sprinted non-stop to the site of the car ident.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. She managed to discern the license te mimber through the gawking crowd. ¡°5211¡± BAM! Joanna felt as if her brain had exploded into simithereens, her world spinning around her. In a daze, she felt her soul rip through the crown of her head, departing from her physical shell. That was her car. And the only one who dared to drive her car was Bruce The world darkened before Joanna¡¯ eyes, her legs turned to jelly, and she nearly passed out. The spectators nearby promptly caught her, ¡°Miss, are you okay? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Joanna drew a breath to steady herself, forcing her consciousness to remain. ¡°Bruce, it can¡¯t be you¡­ it just can¡¯t be..¡± With a desperate prayer in her heart, Joanna staggered towards the car. A sea of shattered ssy before her. The driver¡¯s seat was stained with a pool of blood. The sight was so gruesome that some spectators could no longer bear to watch. One step, two steps¡­. Joanna felt as if her legs were made of lead, her heart pounding so fiercely it felt as if it would leap out of her throat. ¡°The car is leaking fuel, it might explode.¡± ¡°We need to disperse the crowd, the police will be here any moment!¡± A good three meters away. The sight she dreaded came into view. The person in the car was indeed Bruce. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Brucel¡± Realization hit Joanna, and she dashed madly towards the car. A passerby kindly warned her, ¡°Miss, the car might explode Stay back!¡± ¡°Let go of me Joanna threw off the hands of the well-meaning crowd. She ran frantically to the car, intending to save Bruce without thinking. The sight that met her eyes chilled her to the bone. Bruce was pinned inside the car, his entire body covered in blood, still coughing out more from his mouth and nose. He had already coughed up a lot of blood. His white shirt was soaked through with red, his pupils gradually dting. The ground was awash with a ring crimson. Joanna copsed to her knees, at a loss as to what to do, ¡°Bruce, Bruce!¡± Joanna gripped his hand in terror, attempting to press down on his wounds to stop the bleeding. But his body was marred with so many wounds that she had no idea which bleeding gash to press. Hearing Joanna¡¯s sobs, Bruce drew a final breath and weakly opened his eyes. He was losing too much blood, making it almost impossible to even open his eyes! But he so desperately wanted to look at her one more time. ¡°Joann.. Joann¡­¡± Bruce whispered, his voice so weak it was almost imperceptible. Joanna immediately dropped to her knees and leaned in close to his lips, ¡°Bruce, Bruce, don¡¯t be scared. You¡¯re going to be okay.¡± ¡°The ambnce is on its way. You have to hang in there!¡± Joanna clung to his hand, her tears falling like a bursting dam, dripping onto his palm. The blood and tears mingled together, sliding onto the ground. Her emotions towards him were a mix of love and animosity. She loathed him, yet she also loved him. The piercing sound of the ambnce¡¯s siren filled the air, and arge number of police officers arrived. ¡°Set up a police line, quickly disperse the crowd.¡± ¡°A few of you,e help flip the car over!¡± Joanna was a tear-streaked mess, ¡°Bruce, you must hold on, you must hold on. Help is on the way!¡± Bruce¡¯s lips were dry and pale, trembling heavily. He mustered thest bit of his strength to grip Joanna¡¯s hand, Joann¡­ Joann¡­ I¡­ I truly, truly love you¡­¡± ¡°I know, I know. Don¡¯t say any more.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce vomited another mouthful of blood, his feeble, raspy voiceing to an abrupt halt. He no longer had the strength to open his eyes. He squeezed out onest sinile towards Joanna, then his head tilted, and his eyes closed. Chapter 594 Chapter 594 Chapter 594 ¡°Bruce. Bruce,¡± Joanna screamed mournfully as she shook his hand. *Miss, please make way. The victim needs treatment immediately. We cannot dy any longer.¡± Lifting Joanna up and away from Bruce, the two policemen forcefully pulled Joanna to the side. ¡°Turn the car over first.¡± ¡°Be careful. Be careful.¡± ¡°1, 2, 3, lift!¡± More than a dozen policemen and some helpful bystanders worked together to flip the car over. The doctors and nurses waiting at the side hurriedly went forward to put an oxygen mask on Bruce. ¡°The patient has lost too much blood. He needs a blood transfusion immediately.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the patient¡¯s blood type? Hurry up and check his blood type.¡± Finally returning to her senses, Joanna rushed to the nurse and answered, ¡®He has type B blood. Please give him type B blood quickly!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Joanna nodded anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m sure. He has type B blood. Please save him. doctors. You must save him!¡± ¡°We will.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get type B blood. Prepare for a blood transfusion!¡± Hearing themotion, Jaydon rushed over. ¡°Joann! Joann, are you alright?¡± Still in shock, Joanna shook her head and answered, Tm alright. I¡¯m alright. After saying that, she immediately pushed Jaydon away and rushed to Bruce¡¯s side again. Joanna was determined to stay by Bruce¡¯s side until he woke up. The doctors and nurses were quick to provide emergency treatment for Bruce. Then, they ced him on a stretcher and lifted him into the ambnce. ¡°Bruce, be strong! You will be alright. Don¡¯t be afraid. I will always stay by your side,¡± Joanna said as she held onto Bruce¡¯s hand and refused to let go, no matter who tried to persuade her. ¡°You¡¯re the victim¡¯s family, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I am!¡± Calming herself. Joanna nodded her head mechanically. ¡°Thene with us to the hospital.¡± Joanna nodded frantically and got into the ambnce. Meanwhile, Jaydon also frowned. He was worried about Joanna and decided to drive to the hospital too. The onlookers were left speechless by the scene before them. Only after a while did they realize that the car ident¡¯s victim was Bruce. ¡°Oh my gosh, the car ident¡¯s victim was Bruce Everett!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Joanna Haynes?¡± ¡°Yeah! Oh my god, Bruce Everett got into a car ident.¡± ¡°Looks like Mr. Everett has met his end this time. I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t be saved.¡± ¡°What a pity, Bruce Everett is only in his early thirties. What will happen to the Everett Group if he dies? It¡¯s such a huge corporation.¡± ¡°Ha! Why are you worried? You have no shares in thepany anyway. The crowd continued gossiping away. ¡°Whoop! Whoop!¡± Sirens ring, the ambnce rushed toward the hospital. Meanwhile, inside the ambnce, Joanna was holding Bruce¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t die. Please. Please hold on to life, alright? Bruce, don¡¯t be like this!¡± The ambnce arrived at the hospital ten minutester. The doctors and nurses calmly and quickly lifted the stretcher out of the ambnce. ¡°Quick, quick! Send the patient to the operating room immediately.¡± ¡°Prepare two litres of type B blood sma for surgery immediately.¡± ¡°Inform all the surgeons toe over¡± Bruce was quickly pushed into the operating room. It was not until Bruce entered the operating room that Joanna finally copsed onto a chair nearby. Soon after, Jaydon, the butler, arrived anxiously in the hospital, one after another. ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s going on? Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Did Mr. Everett get into a car ident?¡± Joanna sat outside the operating room, dazed. Her mind was nk, and she seemed oblivious to the questions of others. Not knowing how tofort her, Jaydon looked at Joanna worriedly. Joanna had never given thought to the fact that Bruce was mortal and would eventually die one day. He was always so arrogant, proud, and brutal. She could not imagine him dying. Everything that had happened was like a nightmare to Joanna, and she desperately hoped that everything would return to normal when she woke up. Meanwhile, the doctors tried their best to save Bruce in the operating room. ¡°Blood pressure is 65. Pulse rate is 70¡± ¡°Hurry up and get another bag of type B blood!¡± ¡°Doctor Leach, Mr. Everett¡¯s injuries are too serious. He has stopped breathing,¡± a nurse said, shocked. ¡°Get the defibritor and make onest attempt.¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce¡¯s chest rose and fell with the electric current. ¡°Increase the voltage.¡± ¡°Beep!¡± After twenty minutes of resuscitation, Bruce lost his pulse. He had sustained fractures all over his body, and his entire chest cavity was filled with blood. ¡°This won¡¯t do. The patient has already stopped breathing!¡± The doctors were dejected. They had tried all the methods they could think of ¡°Let¡¯s inform the family of the patient¡¯s death.¡± After two hours of waiting outside the operating room, its door finally opened. The doctors and nurses walked out one after another. Instantly reinvigorated, Joanna rushed to a doctor and grabbed his arm tightly. ¡°Doctor, how is he?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯ve tried our best. You should make preparations for his funeral.¡± Hearing this, Joanna staggered back and felt her vision blurring. ¡°Miss Haynes, please take care. We have tried our best and offer our deepest condolences.¡± ¡°No. This is impossible. Impossible. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t die. He¡¯s not dead. ¡°Doctors, there must be something else you can do! There must be! I¡¯m begging you. Please save him. He can¡¯t die. He can¡¯t die!¡± foana¡¯s knees went weak as she begged, and she knelt before the doctors. The living often suffered more than the dead. Joanna would rather die first and leave Bruce to suffer alive. She didn¡¯t want Bruce to die before her. ¡°Joann, calm down. Don¡¯t be too agitated. You have to take care of your health.¡± ¡°No, no, he won¡¯t die. He won¡¯t die.¡± Joanna instantly lost control of her emotions and begged the doctors desperately. ¡°Doctors, there must be something you can do. Please think of something.¡± Try sorry, but we have already tried our best.¡± Unable to process the news, Joanna¡¯s vision went ck, and she fell forward. ¡°Joann, Joann!¡± Joanna had only fainted for less than a minute before she recovered her senses. ¡°I¡¯m going in to apany him. He isn¡¯t dead,¡± Joanna said as she charged toward the operating room. ¡°Don¡¯t stop her. Let her in.¡± Brucey quietly on the operating bed inside the operating room. The clothes he had been wearing had been cut open, and his body was covered with a surgical nket. There were blood stains all over his body. ¡°Bruce. You bastard! You bastard. How could you do this to me? ¡°Get up, get up! Did you hear me? I told you to get up! I know you heard me.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached so much that she could hardly breathe. She could only hug Bruce tightly and cry. She never expected such a disastrous ident to befall Bruce. She wanted desperately to reverse time. Unfortunately, that was not possible. Chapter 595 Chapter 595 Chapter 595 The gods were cruel. Sobbing uncontrobly, Joanna threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms and shook him. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m begging you. Please wake up. ¡°You can¡¯t die. What will the children and I do if you die? ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been insufferably arrogant and domineering? Get up. I¡¯m willing to tolerate your insufferably arrogant and domineering behavior. Please, wake up.¡± Heartbroken. Joanna could not bring herself to face reality. She desperately hoped Bruce would suddenly open his eyes and start arguing with her unreasonably, just as he did before. Unfortunately, she was met only with an icy silence. Bruce¡¯s face was as white as snow, and he looked asleep. His body temperature was also gradually falling by the minute. Joanna could only cry her heart out beside him. Scenes of the past reyed in her mind. Bruce would win every time they bickered or argued. However, while his words were domineering, his gentleness and love for her always overflowed in his actions. Like a child, his temper came and went quickly. Joanna swore she would not bicker with Bruce again if he could wake up this time. She just wanted him to be alive. ¡°Please¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart-wrenching cries echoed throughout the operating room. Joanna was filled with endless regret and grief. If she had known this would happen to Bruce, she would not have lied to him about aborting their child. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you want this baby very much? ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret. I didn¡¯t abort the baby. The baby is alright. Feel it if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Tears streamed down Joanna¡¯s face as she led Bruce¡¯s hand and ced it on her abdomen. ¡°Didn¡¯t you enjoy lying on my stomach and talking to the baby? ¡°Wake up then. The baby can¡¯t lose its father. Can you bear to see it grow up without a father? ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you wish for a daughter? This baby must be a girl. Won¡¯t you wake up and talk to your daughter? ¡°Wake up. Please wake up.¡± Holding Bruce¡¯s hand tightly and pressing it against her abdomen, Joanna tried to get Bruce to feel the baby in her womb. Bruce had been on the verge of breaking down when Joanna had lied about getting an abortion. She could hear how heartbroken and disappointed he had been from his voice then. Recalling this, Joanna pped herself in regret. ¡°How could Bruce be dead? ¡°He¡¯s Bruce Everett ¡°The youngest and most powerful tycoon in Greyport!¡± Joanna refused to believe that Bruce had died just like that. She cried and cried. Suddenly, she looked up, crazed, and said to herself deceivingly, ¡°Bruce, you aren¡¯t dead, are you? You must be pranking me, right? You must be joking. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a prankster. ¡°Fine, you win. I was wrong. I¡¯ll go home with you and never leave again.¡± Unable to ept reality, Joanna kept making lies to deceive herself. ¡°Alright, stop fooling around. Let¡¯s not joke around anymore. Let¡¯s go home. We won¡¯t be separated again. We won¡¯t bicker or fight anymore, alright? Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve loved you since the beginning and still love you.¡± Outside the operating room, Bruce¡¯s butler and bodyguards ad the others couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°Mr. Everett can¡¯t be dead. That¡¯s impossible. Doctors, please think of something else to save him!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is so young. He just celebrated his 31st birthday. Why did something like this happen to him?¡° ¡°Our condolences.¡± Other than offering their condolences, the doctors were helpless. Chapter 596 Chapter 596 Chapter 596 News of Bruce¡¯s car ident was quickly leaked to the media by an informant. This news instantly caused a sensation on the inte. All the major media outlets scrambled to publish the first headline, afraid they would be one step behind the others. [Bruce Everett, involved in a car ident near Omni-Trade Skyline, is critically injured.] [Serious ident on Creeks Avenue results in three cars colliding.] [Bruce Everett¡¯s enemies suspected to be behind his car ident. The ident scene was devastating.1 In just a few hours, all the major media outletspeted to broadcast the news of Bruce¡¯s ident. Many reporters flocked to the hospital to wait for further updates. ¡°Oh my gosh, Bruce Everett got into a car ident. Look. Look!¡± A young girl said to another girl sitting beside her on the subway, shocked. When the other girl saw the news, she looked even more worried. ¡°Wow, is it that serious? Oh god, I hope Bruce will be alright. Nothing untoward must happen to him. I do adore him.¡± ¡°He is so powerful. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be alright.¡± Looking at photos of the devastating ident scenes, the two girls¡¯ hearts ached so much that they almost cried. After all, Bruce was handsome, rich, and powerful. A man like him was the dream partner in the hearts of many Greyport Women Many young girls dreamed of marrying him. Everyone in Greyport was shocked by this news and discussed it. Meanwhile, in the Yanice Group, Marlow was so happy that he could barely speak. Hahaha! So you¡¯re mortal, after all, Bruce! ¡°Aren¡¯t you always so proud and arrogant? Try being arrogant now!¡± Marlowe¡¯s assistant at the side said ingratiatingly, ¡°President Yanice, rest assured. Bruce is done for this time. I just heard from the hospital that the doctors have pronounced him dead¡± Hearing this, Marlowe pped his leg in glee andughed. ¡°Hahahaha! He¡¯s finally dead! Finally! ¡°Bruce, you have been a constant thorn in my side. Rest in peace now that you¡¯re finally dead and in hell. I¡¯ll make sure to recite some prayers for you.¡± As Marlowe spoke, he took a deep puff from his cigar and was so happy that he began dancing with his assistant in the office. Suddenly, his expression darkened again. ¡°By the way, what about those people? Make sure they don¡¯t cause unnecessary trouble.¡± ¡°Those people are criminals and desperate. They¡¯re already taken the money and fled. They won¡¯t be traced to you, President Yanice.¡± ¡°Well done.¡± Marlowe smiled sinisterly as he danced in joy. He was delighted to hear Bruce was dead. He had been imprisoned for nine years because of Bruce and had finally got his revenge today. In the Garcia Group, Jennie was also shocked to hear the news of Bruce¡¯s car ident. ¡°What did you say? Bruce was in a serious car ident?¡± Jimmy nodded, searched for the news on his phone, and handed it to Jennie. ¡°Yes, I heard Mr. Everett was almost dead when he was sent to the hospital. He¡¯s probably already dead now.¡± Jennie hurriedly snatched the phone from Jimmy and read the news. Jennie knew the news of Bruce¡¯s car ident was true as it was already a trending topic. Gasping, Jennie fell back into her chair. She could not help but mutter to herself, ¡°This is impossible. How is this possible?¡± ¡®It¡¯s true!¡± Twant to go to the hospital. I must go to the hospital and say my goodbyes to Bruce, Jennie said as she suddenly stood up fron her chair and rushed out of the office. ¡°Bruce is in this state because of that jinx, Joanna. ¡°Her sister killed my brother, and she killed Bruce. She and her sister were born to be jinxes. Why did Bruce fall for such a woman?¡± In the hospital¡¯s operating room, Joanna hugged Bruce and buried her face in his neck. She had cried so much that her tears had dried up. Her warm tears flowed down his neck. As Bruce wasatose, many of his organs were failing However, he could still hear his surroundings. He could hear Joanna crying. When he heard Joanna say she had not aborted their child. Bruce heaved a silent sigh of relief. Finally, he was able to find a sliver offort in this whole fiasco. He was grateful that he would at least die knowing the truth. ¡°Bruce, I love you. I can¡¯t live without you. As long as you wake up. I promise I won¡¯t stay angry at you anymore.¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s heart-wrenching cries. Bruce tried to open his eyes. Unfortunately, even though he had the will, hecked the strength. Worried that Joanna would do something foolish, Jaydon quickly walked into the operating room to comfort her. ¡°Joann, the dead cannot be revived. My condolences.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not dead. He won¡¯t leave me and the children behind. ¡°Bruce, wake up¡± Joanna cried in despair as she hugged Bruce and shook him desperately. Jaydon watched helplessly from the side, his heart filled with sorrow, At this moment, he finally understood that Joanna had only ever loved Bruce, even if she had refused to admit it. Jaydon reflected that perhaps women always meant the opposite of what they said. Jaydon gently patted Joanna¡¯s shoulder andforted her ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Joann The dead cannot be revived. Let him go in peace. ¡°You have to take care of yourself. You still have the children. You still have me. I¡¯ll take good care of you and the children.¡± Increasingly desperate, Joanna cried, ¡°No, Bruce, wake up! I¡¯m begging you. Wake up!¡± ¡°Joann, stop shaking him Let him go in peace ¡°Let me go in peace?¡± Bruce was so angry when he heard Jaydon¡¯s words that he nearly shot up from the operating bed. He cursed Jaydon viciously in his heart. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, and this damn Jaydon is already trying to seduce Joanna. ¡°No. I can¡¯t die.¡± Bruce¡¯s survival instinct was immediately triggered. Bruce had initially felt that his body was as light as a feather. It was like he was about to break free from his mortal shell. However, he had tenaciously refused to take hisst breath until now. ¡°I can¡¯t die! I can¡¯t die! ¡°That bastard Jaydon wants me dead. I can¡¯t let him have his way. ¡°I want to wake up. I must wake up. I¡¯ll beat that bastard Jaydon silly when I do.¡± ¡°Beep!¡± As if reconnected to a power source, the electrocardiogram device suddenly sounded. Joanna quickly raised her head and vaguely felt Bruce¡¯s fingers move. Although it was very subtle, she could feel it clearly. She was sure his fingers had moved just now. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re still conscious, right? N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Doctors, doctors,e quickly! He¡¯s still conscious. He¡¯s not dead yet!¡± Not daring to dy. Joanna stopped crying and shouted for the doctors waiting by the operating room¡¯s door. When the doctors heard Joanna shouting, they hurriedly ran in ¡°Doctors, his fingers moved just now. He¡¯s still conscious. He¡¯s not dead yet. Please save him!¡± Afraid that the doctors would not believe her, Joanna was flustered and anxious. However, the doctors did not find the situation strange when they heard Joanna¡¯s words. They had seen many such cases. Since the nervous system would not immediately shut down once a person died, the patient would sometimes tear move slightly even after being pronounced dead. However, in medical terms, if a person¡¯s brain were dead, he would be considered beyond saving. However, due to Bruce¡¯s identity, the doctors immediately performed another round of checkups. Chapter 597 Chapter 597 Chapter 597 The doctors looked at the electrocardiogram and were surprised to see a slight fluctuation where it had tlined. Seeing this, the head of the surgical department did not dare dy rescue efforts. ¡°The patient shows signs of life. Hurry up and resuscitate him. Let¡¯s make onest attempt.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°You two leave the operating room first. We will try resuscitating the patient onest time.¡± ¡°No. Im not leaving Doctor, please let me stay here with him.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t stay here. Time waits for no one. Hurry up and get out.¡± ¡°Joann, let¡¯s wait outside. If you stay here, the doctors will be distracted, Jaydon said, grabbing Joanna¡¯s shoulder and quickly dragging her out with him. ¡°Apply the defibritor and turn it up to maximum frequency.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Using the defibritor on Bruce¡¯s chest, the doctors continued to deliver shocks to his heart. Bruce¡¯s body was lifted into the air every time a shock was delivered. The doctors continued their resuscitation efforts for 20 minutes. Finally, Bruce recovered his pulse. ¡°Mr. yton, the patient¡¯s pulse is recovered.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Hurry up and continue the surgery.¡± Joanna put her palms together outside the operating room and knelt on the ground. ¡°Please, gods, hear my prayers and let Bruce recover. ¡°As long as he wakes up, I¡¯m willing to trade my life in return for his. I don¡¯t want anything else. I want him to live.¡± ¡°Joann, get up quickly. You¡¯re pregnant. Your body can¡¯t bear such exertions.¡± Frowning, Jaydon tried to help Joanna up. Jay, don¡¯t mind me. Just let me be.¡± Kneeling and her hands sped together, Joanna prayed fervently. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Tap, tap, tap¡± High heels tapping against the ground could be heard from the corridor¡¯s end. Jennie walked over with a sorrowful expression. ¡°Bruce Where is Bruce? I want to see him onest time.¡± Seeing this, the butler and bodyguards stepped up to stop Jennie from advancing. ¡°Miss Garcia, Mr. Everett is still undergoing operation. Please don¡¯t make so much noise.¡± Jennie suddenly cried when she heard this. ¡°What? Bruce is still under operation? Didn¡¯t they say he¡¯s already¡­¡± Thinking that Bruce was already dead, she had rushed over to see him onest time. ¡°He is still in critical condition, and the doctors are trying to save him.¡± Jennie heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that. ¡°That¡¯s good, fat¡¯s good. I was terrified. I thought Bruce had already¡­ Jennie paused and quickly swallowed the rest of her words. At the same time, she saw Joanna kneeling outside by the operating room¡¯s door as if atoning for her sins. Jennie was instantly enraged and began screaming at Joanna, ¡°Joanna, you damn bitch! It¡¯s all your fault that Bruce is in this state! ¡°If you didn¡¯t deliberately disappear, Bruce wouldn¡¯t have gone around looking for you, let alone meet with such a terrible ident! ¡°How dare you stay here? Get lost!¡± Joanna remained kneeling on the ground. She was so focused on praying for Bruce that she didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with Jennie. Seeing Joanna¡¯sck of reaction, Jennie became even more excited. ¡°What? Do you finally feel guilty now! ¡°Ha! So you know what guilt is? You and your sister are such jinxes! ¡°You should be the one to die. If I were you, I would have killed myself long ago. I would be too embarrassed to continue living!¡± Joanna continued ignoring Jennie and turned a deaf ear to her scoldings. ¡°Joanna, you shameless vixen. Don¡¯t y the victim here. Don¡¯t think that Bruce will forgive you¡± Jaydon couldn¡¯t stand hearing Jennie anymore. ¡°Miss Garcia, please watch your mouth.¡± Jennie crossed her arms and nced at Jaydon arrogantly. ¡°Well, well. I was wondering who was speaking. So it¡¯s you, Mr. Grimm ¡°You adulterous couple! The gall of the two of you to remain here!¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression darkened, and his tone turned icy. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t go overboard. Don¡¯t think I shy away from hitting women like you.¡± ¡°Hmph Go ahead and hit me, then! Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you? ¡°Bruce is in this state because of you two adulterers. It¡¯s all your fault! ¡°The two of you have done so many despicable things. I¡¯m shocked you two don¡¯t find your behavior revolting. The gods. will punish you two for your sins. Even if they don¡¯t, Bruce will surely seek revenge on you two even if he dies.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes suddenly opened when she heard this, She was so focused on praying for Bruce that she was not in the mood to argue with Jennie. However, she couldn¡¯t stand Jennie making a scene and insulting her and Jaydon anymore. ¡°p¡± Joanna stood up and gave Jennie a hard p on the face. As Jennie was wearing high heels, she staggered back and almost fell to the ground. ¡°How dare you hit me?¡± ¡°p!¡± The crisp sound of another p hitting Jennie¡¯s face was heard. Jennie lost her bnce and fell heavily to the ground. -Without giving Jennie a chance to get up, Joanna grabbed her hair and pped her across the face several times. Seeing this, Jimmy hurriedly stepped forward with two of Jennie¡¯s assistants to stop Joanna. ¡°What are you doing? How could you hit Jennie?¡± Seeing Jimmy step forward, Carson and Darcy immediately stop the trio. Carson even pushed Jimmy on the chest, threateningly asking. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing Carson, Darcy, and theirpanions were Bruce¡¯s most capable bodyguards. Within their ranks were a world-ss bare-knuckle boxing champion and another boxing champion. Any one of them from within the group could fight ten men by themselves. Frightened, Jimmy and Jennie¡¯s two assistants dared not advance any further. Joanna¡¯s hands became sore after a few minutes of beating Jennie, and she finally stopped. ¡°Who do you think you are? How dare you cause a scene here?¡± Dazed from the beating. Jennie was speechless. She red at Joanna angrily and hatefully. Joanna¡¯s hair was meny, and her hands and clothes were covered in Jennie¡¯s blood. She looked fierce and terrifying ¡°Darcy kick them all out of the hospital¡± ¡°Understood Darry inediately stepped forward. ¡°Get out, get out! Get lost quickly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push me! I can walk ¡°Joanna, remember this. I won¡¯t let you off. I me you for my brother¡¯s death and the state Bruce is in¡± Joanna stared coldly at Jennie ¡°TIl be ready for you anytime.¡± Jennie took a few deep breaths and quickly left with Jimmy. Seven hourster, the door of the operating room opened again. The doctors came out looking exhausted. ¡°Doctor, how is Bruce?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was beating wildly. ¡°Mr. Everett has recovered his heartbeat¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great!¡± Joanna could not help but cry tears of joy. The doctor continued with a serious expression on his face, ¡°But don¡¯t be too optimistic. ¡°Although Mr. Everett has recovered, he has suffered many fractures all over his body. He has lost a lot of blood, and his brain has also suffered serious damage. ¡°In addition, he has also sustained damages to many organs. Therefore, the chances of him regaining consciousness is not high.¡± Chapter 598 Chapter 598 Chapter 598 The doctor frowned and his tone became even more grave. ¡°Even if Mr. Everett wakes up, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± ¡°Afraid of what?¡± Joanna looked at the doctor with bloodshot eyes. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for the time being. He might remain in a vegetative state or never wake up. Miss Haynes, you have to prepare yourself mentally. ¡°In short, we can only try and hope for the best. It would be a miracle if he regains consciousness. If not, we can only ept reality.¡± Although the doctor spoke tactfully, the meaning behind his words were clear. Bruce was probably already dead. Simr cases existed in the hospital whereby the patient was actually already dead, but family members were unwilling to give up and insisted on using all kinds of expensive medicine and nutrient solutions to keep the patient alive. Although injecting nutrient solutions and drugs would ensure these patients¡¯ bodies did not rot, they were akin to the living dead and perhaps even worse off than those in a vegetative state. When Joanna heard this, her legs went weak and she almost lost her bnce. The glimmer of hope that had just been ignited in her heart was instantly extinguished and reced by hopelessness. She didn¡¯t dare to imagine what the future had in store for Bruce. She couldn¡¯t bear to see such proud and arrogant person like Bruce in a vegetative state. However, she had no choice but to settle for this next best option. Bruce remaining alive was the most important thing to Joanna. Even if he remained in a vegetative state, she would be willing to take care of him for the rest of her life. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t get your hopes up. Prepare for the worst,¡± the doctor added. Joanna¡¯s heart shattered into pieces. She nodded and choked with grief and said. ¡°Doctor, please do everything you can to save him. You have to keep him alive no matter what.¡± She no longer had hope that he would wake up. She only hoped that he could still live. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will do our best to save Mr. Everett. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse us. We have to attend a meeting and discuss on how best to treat Mr. Everett moving forward. ¡°Alright¡­¡± After the doctors left, Joanna¡¯s vision went ck. She could no longer hold on and fell to the ground.. Seeing this, Jaydon quickly took a step forward and supported her. ¡°Joann, Joann, quickly sit down.¡± As he spoke, he helped Joann to a chair nearby. ¡°Go get water for her.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Joann, have some water.¡± Dizzy, Joanna leaned against the chair weakly. After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, she recovered slightly. ¡°Joann, are you feeling better? Why don¡¯t we get a doctor to take a look at you. I¡¯m worried about you,¡± Jaydon said, his eyes filled with worry, ¡°Jay, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Look at the state you¡¯re in now. You haven¡¯t eaten anything all day. Your body won¡¯t be able to take the toll if you continue like this. No matter what, you have to eat something and replenish your strength.¡± As he spoke, Jaydon handed Joanna a piece of bread. Joanna shook her head weakly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just don¡¯t feel like eating anything.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Before she could finish speaking, tears streamed out of her eyes again. ¡°Stop crying. You¡¯ll go blind if you continue crying like this,¡± Jaydonforted Joanna gently, not knowing what else to say. Heartbroken, Joanna buried her face in her knees and whimpered in despair and regret. She had never been so afraid before. Everything felt terrifying and despairing to her now. If she could choose, Joanna would rather she be the one lying in the operating room ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault! ¡°If I hadn¡¯t left, thus wouldn¡¯t have happened¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but cry Reying the scene of the car ident mumerous times in her mind, and how Bruce was crushed under the car, bloodied and injured. Joanna could not stop the tears from flowing down her face. Jaydon sighed seeing this ¡°Joann, don¡¯t me yourself too much. The ident had nothing to do with you ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t the doctors say that Bruce had recovered his pulse? Medicine is so advanced now. I¡¯m sure Bruce¡¯s life can be saved¡± Unable to listen to Jaydon¡¯s words offort, Joanna just hugged her knees and continued crying Ring Ring Ring Jaydon¡¯s phone rang again He subconsciously turned to check his phone and saw that there were dozens of missed calls, all from Orvin. ¡°Joann, Im going out to answer a call¡± With that. Jaydon took his phone and walked out of the hospital ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± On the other end of the line, Orvin reported the good news. ¡°Mr. Grimm. Miss Basil has sessfully given birth¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Jaydon said nonchntly ¡°Yes. Miss Basil gave birth to a girl weiglung 8 pounds. The girl is healthy and pretty. Both mother and daughter are alright.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he replied coldly. ¡°That¡¯s good. Take good care of them¡± ¡°Understood. Mr. Grimm.¡± After hanging up, Jaydon frowned and took another deep breath. There was no love between him and Carmel. Carmel was an artist under Jaydon¡¯spany, and Jaydon was a yboy. It was impossible for their rtionship to remain. innocent Bruce was one of the reasons why Jaydon had gotten Carmel pregnant. At the thought of this, Jaydon gritted his teeth in hatred. Even though Bruce was now lying in intensive care unit, Jaydon still felt like charging in and beating him up. Jaydon had been shotst year and was on the verge of death. Worried that he would not survive, Jaydon¡¯s father was determined Jaydon leave an heir and has thus forcefully detained Carmel and force her to give birth to Jaydon¡¯s child However, it was useless to say anything at this point. Since the child was already born. Jaydon would have to be responsible for her However, Jaydon would not marry Carmel. In any case, Carmel was a practical woman who wouldn¡¯t mind not having the title of Jaydon¡¯s wife as long as he gave her enough money. Moreover, Carmel had also hooked up with several men at the same time while dating Jaydon She was a clear-munded woman who knowing Jaydon would not marry her, was only focused on earning money. Bruce was soon transferred to intensive care unit. Through the surveince video, one could see the various medical instruments and tubes attached to his body. He resembled a dected corpse that had beenpletely disfigured Lilian and Miranda brought th children to the hospital the next day When Davian and Irvin saw Joanna, they instantly burst into tears and rushed into her arms, crying loudly. ¡°Mommy, where did you go! We thought you didn¡¯t nt us anymore¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached even more. She hugged her two sons tightly Davian, Irvin, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault!¡± The children cried sadly. Joanna also started crying. Tm sorry, my darlings. Please forgive me.¡± Davian¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as he sobbed ¡°Mommy, did something happen to Daddy?¡± Her eyes bloodshot from crying, Joanna could not find an answer to Davian¡¯s question. Irvin was also crying ¡®Mommy, please stop crying¡± ¡°Now that something has happened to Daddy, will Mommy leave us behind again?¡± Chapter 599 Chapter 599 Chapter 599 Irvin Haynes sobbed. ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to be orphans. We are so happy as a family being together. ¡°We really want to be with Daddy and Mommy forever, never to be apart.¡± Davian Haynes also cried fiercely. ¡°That¡¯s right! We used to have Mommy without Daddy. Now we have Daddy, but Mommy left again. Can¡¯t we have both Daddy and Mommy with us? We really want a complete family¡­¡± Lilian and Miranda, listening to them at the side, could not help but shed tears. When Joanna Haynes heard this, she felt even more heartbroken. If time could turn back, she would never run away. She would sacrifice herself for the children, just to give them aplete family. ¡°It¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault. It¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault.¡± Davian and Irvin threw themselves into Joanna¡¯s arms and cried loudly once again. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop crying. ¡°What about Lilia?¡± Davian sniffled and said, choking with tears. ¡°She¡¯s at home and doesn¡¯t know that Daddy had an ident. ¡°We were afraid that she would be sad, so we did not dare tell her.¡± ¡°Good boy! You¡¯re so sensible. Joanna held her two sons in her arms and held back her tears. If she cried, the children would cry even harder. Irvin raised his little face and looked at his mommy innocently. ¡°Mommy, when Daddy gets better, we want our whole family to be together forever, okay? ¡°Mommy, please don¡¯t be mad at Daddy anymore. Daddy really loves Mommy. ¡°When Mommy was not around these days, Daddy was very sad. He did not eat or sleep, and I saw him crying secretly. Joanna, listening to this, felt even more heartbroken. ¡°Mommy knows, it¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault. Mommy won¡¯t leave again, our family will be together forever.¡± ¡°Great, when Daildy is discharged from the hospital, we¡¯ll go home together and never be apart again. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell Lilia the good news so that she won¡¯t be sad anymore.¡± The children only knew that their father was in a car ident. However, the children were only six years old after all, and did not know the severity of the situation. In their hearts, Daddy was invincible, a victorious hero. They never thought that Daddy would die. Therefore, the children only thought that their father was hospitalized,pletely unaware that his life was in danger. ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna tried her best to squeeze out a mncholic smile. ¡°Behave yourself and go home. Mommy will stay here with Daddy. When Daddy is discharged, we will go home together.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two little ones nodded heavily. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ll go back now. You have to tell Daddy that we love him. Even though he¡¯s strict, we still love him.¡± Irvin pouted and said innocently, ¡°After Daddy is discharged from the hospital, we hope his temper can improve and he will never be so harsh on us.¡± Listening to the children¡¯s innocent words, Joanna felt like her heart was being torn apart. But the children were still too young, so she could not bring herself to tell them the truth. ¡°Sure, Mommy will tell Daddy. ¡°Hurry up and go back with Lilian!¡± ¡°Bye, Mommy.¡± After the children left. Joanna felt even heavier in her heart and wanted to pass on the children¡¯s words to Bruce. ¡°Doctor, can I go in and see him?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Jordan yton looked hesitant. The head of the surgical department, however, nodded. ¡°Let her in. Let the person closest to the patient talk to him more. can stimte the patient¡¯s will to survive.¡± ¡°Alright then! ¡°Miss Haynes, please change to a surgical gown and perform full body disinfection.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Sure.¡± Inside the intensive care unit. Joanna changed into a surgical gown and walked in with a heavy step. The temperature in the intensive care unit was very low, and as soon as she entered, a chilling sensation seeped into her bones. Bruce¡¯s hair had beenpletely shaved off, and his head was wrapped in thick bandages. His face was stitched up, and his chest and limbs were all fractured. Looking at his injuries, even if it were the best-case scenario or if he woke up, he would probably be disabled. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna choked up, her heart trembling with pain. She approached him and gently touched his face. She hated this man. But even though she hated him, she never wanted him dead. This feeling was like seeing a majestic lion fall. Knowing that a lion was a dangerous animal, but still wanted to see it maintain its majestic appearance forever. ¡°Bruce. I had a check-up today. ¡°The doctor said that the baby is very healthy. When Davian, Irvin, and Lilia were born, you were not by my side. You said not being there to witness the birth of our children was your biggest regret. ¡°When our fourth baby is born, I hope you can be there with me¡± Joanna kept talking incessantly, saying a lot to Bruce. Even though she knew he could not hear her, Joanna still insisted on speaking. Outside the intensive care unit. Liam Miller hurriedly arrived at the hospital with his wife and son. ¡°How¡¯s Bruce?¡± With a serious expression, the butler Gael said, ¡°Mr. Everett is still in the intensive care unit. ¡°Ah, this is a cmity! How could such a tragic thing happen?¡¯ ¡°Can I go in and see him?¡± Chapter 600 Chapter 600 Chapter 600 Gael shook his head and spoke seriously, ¡°Mr. Lurk, it¡¯s not convenient right now. The doctor is still in the operating room!¡± Upon hearing this, Liam furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Where is Joanna? With such a big incident involving Bruce, why hasn¡¯t she shown up?¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna is now in the intensive care unit, talking to Mr. Everett.¡± Liam¡¯s wife, L, curled her lips and said angrily, ¡°Hmph, who does she think she is, calling herself a wife? It¡¯s because of her that Bruce ended up like this. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, Bruce would not have gotten into this trouble. ¡°By the way, honey, if Bruce can¡¯t be saved, we should be guardians for his three children. After all, Bruce does not even have any rtives. At the very least, you¡¯re his uncle, and you should take care of his children for him.¡± After hearing this, Gael looked at L in astonishment. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Everett had not died yet! Even if he really died, the children¡¯s guardians would undoubtedly be their mother, not them. How could they assume the role of guardians? L¡¯s eagerness to be the children¡¯s guardian was nothing more than an attempt to seize control of the Everett Group¡¯s assets. Liam also realized that his wife had gone too far with her words and said displeasedly, ¡°What are you talking about? Bruce will be fine. He will definitely recover. He¡¯s still young and full of vitality. He will ovee this crisis.¡± L pouted. ¡°I¡¯m just saying ¡°what if You should always be prepared for the worst.¡± L was Liam¡¯s third wife. She was only in her thirties, nearly twenty years younger than him. She was a beauty pageant. winner but had no other merits besides her looks. Liam frowned slightly and gave his wife an impatient nce. Even if she had such thoughts, she could not say them publicly now. ¡°It¡¯s truly unpredictable. Everyone has their own fate. How could there be a car ident for no reason¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking, just shut up!¡± Liam red at his wife again. While they were talking, Joanna came out of the intensive care unit. ¡°Joanna, how¡¯s Bruce?¡± Liam asked, pretending to care. He was Bruce¡¯s uncle on his mother¡¯s side. Naturally, he had toe and have a look when his nephew had an ident. Joanna remained silent, not saying a word. ¡°Mr. Lurk, Mrs. Joanna is in a heavy mood right now. Why don¡¯t you go back first?¡± Gael dismissed them. After all, Bruce was never close to this uncle. They probably had ulterior motives foring here. Gael naturally would not be too polite to them. ¡°How can that be? I have to wait until Bruce wakes up before I can leave! ¡°With such a major incident happening to him, as his uncle, I am truly¡­¡± Liam said, pretending to wipe away tears as he took off his sses. ¡°Mr. Everett probably won¡¯t wake up so soon. If anything happens, I will notify you by phone,¡± said Gael, the butler of the Everett family, who took care of the affairs of Bruce¡¯s household and could speak authoritatively. ¡°Oh, alright then! ¡°You two take good care of Bruce here. Don¡¯t worry aboutpany matters. I will take care of them.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she remained silent, not interested in engaging in conversation or thinking about anything else. At this moment, other than Bruce¡¯s safety, nothing else mattered. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll get going first.¡± The next day. At the Everett Group. In the conference room, N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Shareholders and senior executives of thepany all had worried expressions and discussed in whispers. ¡°Whata cmity! Mr. Everett was perfectly fine, how could such a disaster happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as if fate is envious of the talented. Mr. Everett was so young, and yet¡­..¡± Mr. Young looked indignant. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s all because of that vixen Joanna Haynes. ¡°No wonder people said indulging in lust can lead to downfall. ¡°Who would have thought that Mr. Everett, who dominated the business world, would ultimately be destroyed by a woman?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s such a pity.¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk is here!¡± With that, Liam walked in with a serious expression. Then, he sat down directly at Bruce¡¯s usual seat. ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk.¡± Liam paused for a moment and with a heavy expression. ¡°I believe you all know.¡± ¡°How could we not know about such a major incident?¡± ¡°Now that Mr. Everett is in trouble, what should thepany do?¡± Liam frowned slightly. ¡°Mr. Everett is in trouble, and I am currently servi as the acting president of thepany. I will handle all of Mr. Everett¡¯s work¡± The people were stunned for a moment. ¡°I agree!¡± ¡°I agree too.¡± ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t panic. Although Mr. Everett has encountered an ident. Mr. Lurk will take continue to operate as usual¡± over, and the ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, everything will be fine as long as thepany maintains normal operations!¡± At the hospital. ¡°It¡¯s not good! The patient¡¯s pulse is showing anomalies. ¡°There¡¯s intracranial bleeding. We need to perform immediate surgery. ¡°Prepare the critically ill notification form right away¡­ Bruce¡¯s condition suddenly worsened, and his heartbeat became abnormal again. ¡°Miss Haynes, the patient is suffering from intracranial bleeding. We need to performan immediate craniotomy. Please sign on the consent form.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart pounded as she trembled while holding the pen. ¡°Bruce, you must be safe. You must ovee this danger.¡± Chapter 601 Chapter 601 Chapter 601 Bruce¡¯s injuries were too severe. There was a ruptured blood vessel in his brain, causing intracranial bleeding. The situation was critical, and an immediate craniotomy was necessary. The doctors remained on high alert. ¡°Prepare for the craniotomy. Begin the preoperative preparations.¡± ¡°Understood. Mr. yton.¡± The nurses were well-trained and quickly prepared for the preoperative work. All the surgeons in the entire Greyport Hospital entered the operating room. Craniotomy was different from other surgeries. identally severing a nerve could have a severe impact on the entire brain. As Joanna watched Bruce being pushed into the operating room again, her already tense heart reached its limit. Her face turned pale as paper, her hands and feet grew cold, and her eyes revealed deep anxiety and panic. Jaydon saw the situation and felt even more heartbroken, unsure of how tofort her. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry too much!¡± Miranda also advised Joanna at the side. ¡°Take it easy. Don¡¯t forget that you have a child in your belly.¡± ¡°Jay. Miranda, I really¡­ Before she could finish speaking, a surge of nausea overwhelmed her, and she could not control herself as she vomited. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She was too nervous, causing spasms in her stomach. Craniotomy was a dangerous surgery, andbined with Bruce¡¯s critical condition, the situation was extremely severe. Miranda quickly handed Joanna a bottle of water and helped her vomit by patting her back. Joann, you¡¯re pregnant now. You can¡¯t keep crying like this, and you should not put too much pressure on yourself Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°The most important thing for you now is to take care of yourself and protect the child in your belly, only then will Mr. Everett be able to rest assured. From a different perspective, even if Mr. Everett unfortunately¡­ Miranda paused, hesitating to speak any words with bad luck. ¡°If you can safely give birth to this child for Mr. Everett, he will know, and it will bring himfort.¡± Hearing this, Joanna held back his tears. She leaned weakly against the chair, silently praying for God to protect Bruce. Three whole days had passed since Bruce had the ident. During these three days, Joanna had hardly eaten anything and barely drank any water. Her body was already under extreme stress and fatigue. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re too tired. Close your eyes and rest for a while. You have not slept for three days. How can you go on like this? ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s fate lies in the hands of the heavens. God will surely protect him.¡± Jaydon could not help but console her as well. ¡®Yes, don¡¯t be too anxious. Take a break and don¡¯t exhaust yourself.¡± Im fine. I can take it¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself anymore. You¡¯ve got sunken eyes. If you don¡¯t rest soon, your body will copse. ¡°You have to pull yourself together. You still have Davian, Irvin, and Lilia. If you fall, the children will lose all their support.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Joanna responded with a heavy heart and closed her eyes to rest. She was so tired that her whole body felt drained. Originally, she just wanted to close her eyes and take a rest. But as soon as she closed her eyes, not even two minutester, she fell into a deep sleep. ¡°Joann, Joann, wake up!¡± Joanna felt someone calling her in her dazed state. She groggily opened her eyes. In front of her stood Bruce. His eyes were filled with smiles as he tenderly gazed at her. He looked just like before, dressed in a well-fitted suit, his hair neatlybed, exuding a handsome and dignified aura. Joanna was startled and stood up abruptly. ¡°Bruce, are you alright? Are you really alright?¡± Bruce, just like before, smiled mischievously and fondly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming, am I? Are you really fine?¡± As she spoke. Joanna, overwhelmed with emotions, threw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms and burst into tears. ¡°Bruce. you jerk! You scared me to death! Don¡¯t ever y such jokes on me again. ¡°Do you know how worried I was?¡± Bruce gently stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. ¡°Joann, take good care of the children. I have to go now¡± Joanna froze, looking at him anxiously. ¡°Bruce, where are you going? ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you go. You can¡¯t leave!¡± ¡°Take care of yourself and our children.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t go!¡± Joanna was eager to pull Bruce back. + In an instant, blood started flowing from his face, hisplexion turned pale and weak, and his body rapidly retreated toward the corridor. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t go, don¡¯t go!¡± Joanna was terrified and wanted to grab him Seeing Joanna with her eyes closed, shouting as if in a nightmare, Jaydon hurriedly approached and shook her awake. ¡°Joann. what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna let out a cry and reached out, but only grasped empty air. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Joanna suddenly opened her eyes, panting heavily Cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her body was covered in goosebumps. ¡°Joann, did you have a nightmare?¡± Joanna stood up abruptly, an intense sense of unease gripping her heart.. The dream she just had was so vivid. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± As she spoke. Joanna ran towards the entrance of the operating room. ¡°He¡¯s still in the emergency room. He has note out yet!¡± That¡¯s right! The craniotomy isn¡¯t that fast!¡± Joanna felt uneasy, feeling a tingling sensation running through her body. ¡°I had a terrifying dream just now. I dreamt that he was bidding me farewell. ¡°Bruce, I beg you, don¡¯t go!¡± Joanna had a feeling that the dream just now was not a dream. Bruce was truly saying goodbye to her. Chapter 602 Chapter 602 ¡°You¡¯re just too nervous. That¡¯s why you had such a dream! ¡°Rx and don¡¯t scare yourself.¡± Joanna remained silent, but cold sweat kept pouring out of her. Her sixth sense had always been very strong. She had a feeling that Bruce¡¯s surgery might fail. ¡°Bruce, if your soul is nearby. I beg you, don¡¯t go. ¡°I know it was you saying goodbye to me just now. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry. I regret it, I shouldn¡¯t have been so stubborn. ¡°I know you love me, and you love the children too! ¡°I hope you can hear me, don¡¯t go, don¡¯t leave.¡± Joanna kept talking to herself in a rambling manner. Although she was highly educated with scientific knowledge, she believed that people truly had souls. Seven years ago, when she was in Melta, she had already lost contact with everyone and did not even know her grandfather was critically ill. One night, she dreamt that her grandfather said goodbye to her and urged her to return home quickly. Therefore, she came back from Melta without any warning After she returned to the homnd, just as she had expected, her grandfather was truly in critical condition and was on the brink of death. And the dream just now was almost identical to the previous one. Hearing Joanna talking to herself, Jaydon did not know how tofort her. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re really too nervous!¡± Joanna checked the time. Bruce had already been in the operating room for almost an hour. Normally, a craniotomy would take about an hour. This moment was crucial. If the surgery failed, Bruce would probably be beyond saving. No, I must force him to do something! Joanna kept muttering to herself as if she was possessed. Suddenly, she thought of someone. Although it might not work, desperate times called for desperate measures. She still wanted to hold on to the fantasy and give it a try. ¡°Mr. Lewis, what¡¯s Mr. Lewis¡¯s phone number?¡± Everyone was puzzled, looking at her inexplicably. Joanna hurriedly asked Gael, ¡®Gael, you should know Mr. Lewis¡¯s number, right? Bruce contacted him before.¡± Gael suddenly remembered. He quickly took out his phone, flipping through the contacts. ¡°Oh, right, I know.¡± ¡°Hurry up and find it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Previously, Joanna and Lilia had a recurring high fever that could not be cured no matter what they did. Later, Bruce called Mr. Lewis toe over. Strangely enough, Mr. Lewis set up a strange formation in the house, iming it was for some purpose. Even more strangely, after Mr. Lewis left, the high fever for both her and Lilia inexplicably subsided. Mr. Lewis was the most powerful wizard in Pedrana, and many celebrities and wealthy people regarded hirm as God. Somehow, the richer one was, the more one believed in wizardry and fate. Soon, Joanna dialed Mr. Lewis¡¯s phone number. Ring, ring, ring. The phone rang a few times before Mr. Lewis picked up. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Lewis?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was hesitant and filled with panic and stuttering. On the other end of the line, Mr. Lewis¡¯s voice sounded heavy. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Chapter 602 ¡°Mr. Lewis. I, I want to ask you for a favor, it¡¯s about Bruce¡­¡± Before she could finish, Mr. Lewis interrupted her, as if he had already figured out why she called. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to say anything. I already know what it¡¯s about. ¡°Go find a piece of clothing that Mr. Everett has worn, and squeeze three drops of blood onto it. Then drape the clothes over. a broom and shout his name loudly in the hospital corridor. *Shout it 99 times, you must concentrate and shout. After shouting, cover him with the clothes.¡± ¡°Sure, sure, thank you. I understand! I¡¯ll do it right away¡± Mr. Lewis had real skills. In the past. Margaret Everett had great respect and trust in him. She would see him every year to discuss things and catch She even funded the construction of altars for Mr. Lewis in Pedrana and Greyport! Therefore, Mr. Lewis was willing to help. After hanging up the phone, Joanna¡¯s heart was rekindled with hope. She turned to the bodyguard and said, ¡°Hurry, go find the clothes Bruce has worn and get a broom.¡± Jaydon and Miranda looked at Joanna in shock upon hearing this. ¡°Hurry up and go!¡± Darcy Juke realized and quickly said, ¡°Oh, there are Mr. Everett¡¯s clothes in the car, Ill go get them now!¡± Bruce had a cleanliness obsession and would change several sets of clothes in a day. So, there were always a few spare sets of clothes in the car. Five minutester. Darcy returned panting, holding the clothes. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, here are the clothes¡± Joanna took the clothes and cut her index finger with a knife, letting three drops of blood fall onto the clothes. Then, she draped the clothes over the broom. After doing all this, Joanna held the broom and began to scream mournfully in the hospital corridor. ¡°Bruce,e back quickly. Bruce, lurry back¡­¡± Inside the operating room. ¡°It¡¯s not working, the patient¡¯s heart has stopped.¡± ¡°Hurry up! Bring the defibritor!¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This time it¡¯s really over.¡± The heart rate on the electrocardiogram had almost ttened into a straight line. Bruce¡¯s pupils were gradually dting. His injuries were too severe, and with the intracranial bleeding, the situation had worsened. ¡°Dere the surgery a failure¡­ Outside the operating room. Joanna screamed over and over again in the hospital corridor, like a madwoman. Each scream was like a mournful cry, filled with heart-wrenching despair. ¡°Bruce,e back! Bruce,e back!¡± This floor was the VIP floor, but there were still other patients. Watching Joanna¡¯s crazy appearance, the other patients were shocked. ¡°Has she gone mad?¡± ¡°What era is it? There are still people performing wizardry to summon spirits in the hospital?¡± ¡°This is too scary!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t doubt it. Our hometown really has such methods. It might actually work.¡± Imph, I don¡¯t believe in this. Joanna ignored the strange looks from others and continued to shout one after another. Regardless of whether it would work or not, she had to give it a try. Chapter 602 Many things could not be exined by science. She was more willing to believe that miracles could happen. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, 99 shouts are enough.¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna quickly took off the clothes on the broom and hurriedly walked toward the operating room. ¡°Director, quickly open the door to the operating room.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± As the hospital was owned by the Everett family, the director naturally did not dare to dy. Two minutester. Joanna entered the operating room with the clothes in a rush under the director¡¯s lead. ¡°Miss Haynes, you can¡¯t enter the operating room. It¡¯s a sterile environment, there may be a risk of bacterial infection!¡± The director followed and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have given my permission.¡± After hearing this, the doctors and nurses dared not say anything more. ¡°Bruce, you must hold on!¡± Joanna hurriedly walked to the operating table and gently covered Bruce with the clothes. Chapter 603 Chapter 603 Chapter 603 The doctors and nurses were speechless, looking at Joanna as if she were crazy. They were all materialists and did not believe in these superstitious things. However, they did not dare to argue and could only watch silently. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Joanna covered Bruce with his clothes, looking at his pale face, her heart aching. ¡°Bruce, the children and I are waiting for you to wake up! If you truly love me, please wake up. ¡°The children need you, and I need you even more. After you wake up, we won¡¯t argue or have conflicts anymore. ¡°Can we trust and cherish each other?¡± As she spoke, Joanna ced his hand gently on her belly. ¡°The baby is almost two months old. It will definitely be a girl, just as you wish. Don¡¯t you want to see the child being born?¡± Joanna spoke while tears continuously streamed down her face, warm tears dripping into Bruce¡¯s palm. A hint of moisture appeared in the corners of Bruce¡¯s eyes. His cerebral cortex also showed a slight trace of consciousness. ¡°Doctors, please do everything you can to save him!¡± The doctors exchanged nces. They were just about to dere the surgery a failure. However, witnessing Joanna¡¯s dazed and crazy appearance, the doctors did not dare to announce the result immediately, fearing that she would not be able to handle the blow. They could only say tactfully, ¡°We will do our best. Please leave for now¡­¡± Just as the words fell, a nurse who had been watching the electrocardiogram eximed in surprise, ¡°Doctors, the patient¡¯s heart rate is fluctuating again!¡± The doctors quickly checked when they heard the exim. Indeed, the electrocardiogram, which had almost be a tline, began to slowly fluctuate again. ¡°What a medical miracle! The patient¡¯s heartbeat has actually returned.¡° ¡°I did not expect Mr. Everett to have such strong vitality and will to live. Let¡¯s continue the surgery and make the final rescue ellort! ¡°Miss Haynes, please leave for now. We need to save time for rescue.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna nodded hurriedly. Hearing that Bruce had a strong will to live and his heartbeat had recovered, she felt a slight sense of comfort in her heart. Outside the operating room. Joanna could not help but pray again, hoping that Bruce would ovee the danger. Jaydonforted her. ¡°He will be fine, just rx.¡± Gael quickly chimed in. ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Lewis is so capable, his methods must be effective. ¡°Mrs. Joanna and Miss Lilia had a high fever before, but Mr. Lewis casually gave some advice, and both of your fevers immediately subsided. ¡°Now that Mr. Lewis is takingmand, Mr. Everett will surely ovee this crisis.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± While they were talking, Jaydon¡¯s phone rang again. Ring, ring, ring. Jaydon checked his phone and saw that it was a call from his father. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ll go outside to take this call.¡± Outside the hospital, Jaydon quickly picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, Dad¡± On the other end of the line, Tim Grimm¡¯s voice sounded stern. ¡°Jay, where are you now?¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m in Greyport¡­¡± 2 When Tim heard this, his expression darkened and his tone revealed extreme displeasure. ¡®Hurry up ande back to Venturas.¡± Jaydon was worried about Joanna. He could only frown and say, ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t leave right now!¡± ¡°Your child has already been born. As a father, how can you note back and take a look?¡± Tim was extremely angry. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll go back when I have time. But right now, I really can¡¯t leave.¡± Upon hearing the reply, Tim was even more furious. ¡°No, I want you toe back immediately. If you don¡¯te back soon, then you¡¯re no longer my son. ¡°And also, I want you to keep your distance from Joanna. She¡¯s not suitable to be a member of the Grimm family, and you should not go to her anymore.¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± Jaydon tried to exin. He loved Joanna. However, his love was not as intense and extreme as Bruce¡¯s. He mostly wanted Joanna to truly be happy. Moreover, the two of them had known each other since childhood, and their bond had surpassed mere romantic love. Whenever Joanna faced difficulties, he was willing to selflessly help her. Tim was already roaring on the phone, saying, ¡°Come back immediately. If you are noting back now, then don¡¯t evere back again.¡± ¡°Alright! I understand. I¡¯lle back right away!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I want to see you by six tonight.¡± With that, the call ended with a click. After hanging up. Tim could not help but sigh. He used to dote on Jaydon the most, but this child always caused him the most worry. In his understanding, women were like clothes, they were everywhere. One could be infatuated, but never be foolish. He did not want to interfere in his son¡¯s love life before, nor did he want to forcefully separate the couple. Unfortunately, his son was willing to risk his life for a woman and almost died while shielding Joanna from a bullet. His son¡¯s actions had exceeded his tolerance andprehension. This was uneptable to him¡­ Chapter 604 Chapter 604 Chapter 604 Jaydon looked at his watch helplessly. It was one o¡¯clock. He suddenly remembered that tomorrow was his father¡¯s sixtieth birthday. He had no choice but to go attend the birthday banquet. He was really worried about Joanna. However, his father had never spoken to him in such a stern tone. Therefore, he had to go back and take a look. ¡°Ding!¡± The lights in the operating room were finally turned off, and the automatic door opened. A few doctors walked out with serious expressions. Joanna was anxious and hurriedly went forward to ask, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the surgery going?¡± Jordan took off his mask and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s really a medical miracle. Mr. Everett¡¯s vitality is still very strong. His heart almost stopped just now. After resuscitation, he was still alive.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes flickered. ¡°Then¡­ Is he still in danger?¡± Jordan frowned. ¡°Uh, the craniotomy was considered sessful. However, we can¡¯t let our guard down. We still have to observe his condition and continue the treatment. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s already a miracle that he can stay alive now.¡± ¡°Doctor, please, you must save his life!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll do our best!¡± The doctorforted Joanna. Actually, the doctors were well aware of Bruce¡¯s situation. The chances of him waking up were only 10%. Moreover, even if he woke up, he would be almost a cripple. However, Bruce was the richest man in Greyport after all. He had plenty of money. Even if he had to take the most expensive gene regeneration shot every day to save his life, he could completely afford it. Then, a few nurses pushed the wheeled stretcher out of the operating room. Bruce, who was wrapped in gauze, was pushed out. Seeing this, Joanna hurriedly went forward. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get close, let alone touch the patient. The patient is very fragile. Any bacteria can cause complications. He needs to be transferred to the ICU ward immediately.¡±. When Joanna heard this, he quickly retracted his hand and looked at Bruce with a pained expression. ¡°Thank you!¡± The nurse did not dare to dy and hurriedly brought Bruce into the ICU ward. Joanna immediately put her hands together and prayed piously. Jaydon watched from the side and felt a little upset. When he was shot, his life was in also danger. Jonna was also sad at that time but faced with her how she appeared when Bruce¡¯s life was in danger, he could tell the difference. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry too much. Since the surgery was sessful, he will definitely recover.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Im calling Mr. Lewis now¡­¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll go back first. Take care of yourself. Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure.¡± When Joanna heard this, she still looked at Jaydon with red eyes. Over the past few days, because she was worried about Bruce, she hadpletely ignored Jaydon¡¯s feelings. ¡°Tm sorry, Jay ¡°It¡¯s okay. Take care of yourself¡± Jaydonforted Joanna. He looked at the time again. It was already three o¡¯clock. He had to hurry back to Venturas, Tll get going first. Call me if anything happens.¡± Yes, yes. Be careful on the road.¡± Jaydon smiled and patted her shoulder gently before turning to leave. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± After he left, Joanna felt dizzy and copsed weakly like a deted ball. Seeing this, Miranda was frightened. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Doctor,e over quickly!¡± When the doctors and nurses heard themotion, they quickly went forward to check. After some examination, the doctor said solemnly, ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯s exhausted. Hurry up and give her some glucose.¡± Chapter 605 Chapter 605 Chapter 605 A few nurses helped send Joanna into the ward and injected her with glucose and medicine to prevent miscarriages. ¡°Miss Haynes¡¯s blood pressure is very low and her body is very weak. She has to rest well. Otherwise, the baby will be affected.¡± Miranda nodded nervously. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°She needs more nutrition. The fetus is developing now. If she doesn¡¯t have enough nutrition, the fetus will be affected.¡± ¡°Alright, doctor. We will talk to her.¡± Miranda and Tracy were in charge of taking care of Joanna at the hospital. Other than them, there was also a group of professional nurses. Joanna was really too tired. Her body was already exhausted to the limit. She had yet to wake up in the afternoon. Venturas. Marhall Hospital. Jaydon finally came to the hospital to visit Carmel and the child. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Carmel was already four days intobor. This was the first time he had appeared. In the ward. The nurse carried the wrapped baby and said happily, ¡°Mr. Grimm, congrattions. You¡¯ve gotten a daughter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Look at how much she looks like you, Mr. Grimm. Look at her nose and eyes. She¡¯s exactly the same as you.¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at the little baby in the nurse¡¯s arms gently. ¡°Mr. Grimm,e and hold her.¡± As she spoke, the nurse handed the child to Jaydon. Jaydon carefully took the child. He was as terrified as if he was holding an explosive bag. The baby in his arms was so little and soft. She had the smell of milk all over her body. He even didn¡¯t dare to breathe in a loud voice in case the baby was terrified. ¡°She¡¯s quite cute!¡± Looking at his daughter in his arms, Jaydon felt that his heart went soft. After all, it was his first time being a father. He still had an indescribable feeling. ¡°Mr. Grimm, your father came to see your little girl personally yesterday. He promised to pick Miss Basil and the little girl back to the Grimm family together.¡± Orvin said with a smile. When Jaydon heard this, his eyes darkened but he did not say anything else. On the hospital bed. Carmel was lying weakly on a high pillow. Although Jaydon was not by her side during this delivery, she still arranged for a professional team of caregivers to take care of her. Therefore, Carmel and the child were well taken Looking at Jaydon¡¯s teary eyes, Carmel called out weare of. I am¡­ ¡®Mr. Grimm, you only cared about the child. You¡¯ve forgotten that Jaydon looked up and nced at Carmel. A faint smile appeared on his face. ¡°Thank you very much. Tears welled up in Carmel¡¯s eyes as she looked at Jaydon with a grievance. ¡°Mr. Grimm, now that our daughter has been born, shouldn¡¯t we¡­¡± Jaydon paused. He knew what she wanted to say and interrupted her. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Take care of yourself. Don¡¯t think of things that don¡¯t belong to you.¡± Jaydon carried the child and replied without looking up. Carmel was stunned and pouted in disappointment. She originally thought that Jaydon would give marry her since she gave birth to his child. But now, it seemed that she was still overthinking. However, Carmel had always been clear-headed. Since she couldn¡¯t marry him, she would just ask for some money. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I can¡¯t give birth to a child for nothing, right? ¡°I¡¯m having a child out of wedlock now. My career is all ruined. I can¡¯t survive in the entertainment industry anymore. I won¡¯t be able to earn money in the future. You can¡¯t watch me and the child live a terrible life, right?¡± Jaydon finally turned his head and looked at Carmel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already arranged for you and the child. ¡°When the baby is a month old, take the baby to live in Surbano. I have a house there. It¡¯s yours now. ¡°You can use my secondary card as you wish.¡± Although Jaydon wouldn¡¯t marry Carmel, he wouldn¡¯t mistreat her and her daughter. His house in Surbano was worth more than over 20 million dors. And the secondary car he gave her didn¡¯t have a limit at all. During festivals, Tim wouldn¡¯t mistreat his granddaughter. When Carmel heard this, she pouted and smiled coquettishly, ¡°Alright then! Mr. Grimm, since you have already made the arrangements, I have nothing to object to.¡± Carmel dly epted the arrangement. She didn¡¯t care about the status as Mrs. Grimm. It was impossible for a woman like her to marry into the Grimm farnily. Money was more important. Some men still spent money on other women and indulged in wine testing after getting married. As he spoke, the ward door was pushed open and an assistant walked in. ¡°Mr. Grimm, your father is here!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he quickly ced the child in Carmel¡¯s arms and prepared to wee his father. A minuteter. Tim walked in with a dignified expression. Jaydon called out cautiously, ¡°Daddy.¡± Tim nced at his son and sighed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. Come to my study tonight. I want to talk to you.¡± ¡°Okay, Dad¡± Jaydon hesitated for a few seconds, but he still bit the bullet and agreed. Tim strolled to the bed and looked down at the child in the swaddling clothes. ¡°Did you give the child a name?¡± Carmel worked in the entertainment industry before. Naturally, she was good at dealing with others. She immediately said sweetly, ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m waiting for her grandfather to give her a name.¡± When Tim heard this, he chuckled and thought for a few seconds. ¡°Well, let¡¯s call her Patricia Grimm. I want her to be a noble girl.¡± Since Tim named the girl himself, it meant that he recognized her as a member of the Grimm family. Carmel was even more excited. ¡°This name is really nice. Patricia, quicklye to thank your grandfather.¡± ¡°Look! Patricia is smiling at her grandfather. It seems that she likes the name her grandfather gives you.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Timughed heartily and gently held his granddaughter¡¯s little face. Carmel kept ttering Tim. Timughed happily as she talked to him. Tim was one of the richest people in Venturas. If Carmel curried favor with him, she would live a better life with her daughter. Tim already had a few grandchildren, but this was still Jaydon¡¯s first child. He was happy anyway. ¡®I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°When Patricia is one month old, I will give her a big gift.¡± ¡°Patricia, hurriedlye to thank your grandfather. ¡°Hurry up and say goodbye to Grandpa.¡± Carmel held the child and waved at Tim. Tim did not say anything else. After seeing his granddaughter, he left in a hurry. At night. Jaydon came to his father¡¯s study. Tim smoked his cigar and looked at Jaydon with a gloomy gaze, ¡°Jay, do you know why I want to see you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jaydon pondered for two seconds, still ying dumb. Actually, how could he not know? His father just wanted him to draw a line between him and Joanna. Tim frowned and looked at Jaydon with an even more unfriendly gaze. ¡°When will you be mature? When will you truly grow up?¡± Chapter 606 Chapter 606 Chapter 606 Jaydon frowned. ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± When Tim heard this, his gaze became even sharper! ¡°You¡¯re almost 30 years old. Why are you still ying the love game of a child? Do you know what others think of you? They say that you care about nothing but love. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed? Don¡¯t you blush?¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression changed. He tried to exin, ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Tim waved his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you exin too much. You don¡¯t have to fool me. ¡°You can like women, but you can¡¯t indulge in them. You¡¯re already obsessed with Joanna. She¡¯s not worth all this.¡± Jaydon felt a lump in his throat. ¡°My health is getting worse and worse. Have you had enough fun outside? It¡¯s time for you toe back to the family business to train.¡± Jaydon shook his head sadly. ¡°Dad, Cassius and my uncle can take care of thepany well. I don¡¯t want to get involved.¡± ¡°How can that do?¡± Tim¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You¡¯re my favorite child. You¡¯ll be the sessor of thepany in the future. I want you to inherit it.¡± ¡°Dad, Cassius is better than me. He¡¯s more suitable to inherit thepany¡± ¡°No, no, no, you don¡¯t understand. I have my own reasons for doing this. If I ask you to do something, just do it obediently.¡± Tim frowned and took another deep puff of the cigar. Tim¡¯s eldest son, Cassius Grimm, was indeed capable and outstanding in all aspects. Cassius was indeed the best candidate to seed in thepany. Unfortunately, such an outstanding child was not Tim¡¯s biological son. Tim had been unrestrained all his life and had seen countless women. He was also very open-minded and magnanimous. When Cassius¡¯ mother married him, she was already pregnant. However, he still epted her and nurtured Cassius Grimm -as his own son. However, Cassius was not his biological child after all. He could give Cassius money and help Cassius start a business, but the family business would definitely have to be handed over to his biological child. ¡®Dad¡­¡± Jaydon was still trying to say something. Tim had already stood up and extinguished the cigar. ¡°I only have one thing to say to you. We, the men of the Grimm family, must not have stupid men in love. ¡°You should find a girlfriend and start a family. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve told you everything that needs to be said. You should think about it yourself! I¡¯m old, so don¡¯t let me worry too much.¡± Jaydon frowned and did not dare to retort. ¡°Got it, Dad.¡± In the blink of an eye, a week had passed. Greyport Hospital. Joanna invited famous doctors from all over the world to help treat Bruce while asking Mr. Lewis to help pray for Bruce. Anyway, she used all methods she could use. As long as she could think of it, she would use it. Although Bruce did not wake up, his vital signs were finally stable. The Yanice Group. Marlowe was originally overjoyed. He was waiting for Bruce¡¯s funeral. At that time, he would show up to say some sarcastic words. Unexpectedly, Bruce was still alive after ten days. After his assistant heard thetest news from the hospital, the assistant immediately reported it to Marlowe. When he heard his assistant say that Bruce was still alive, Marlowe was really angry. ¡°What did you say? Bruce is still alive? Didn¡¯t you say that he¡¯s already dead?¡± The assistant sighed. ¡°The doctor did announce his death! ¡°But who knew, he came back to life.¡± ¡°However, Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. Bruce¡¯s condition isn¡¯t optimistic. Even if he can survive, he¡¯s probably in a vegetative Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. state¡± When Marlowe heard this, he gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°No, even if he still has a chance of survival, he¡¯s still the greatest threat. ¡°I¡¯ll take his life while he¡¯s weak! No matter what, only when he¡¯s dead can I vent the hatred in my heart.¡± The assistant looked troubled and said timidly, ¡°Mr. Yanice, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not easy to make a move now. Besides, there¡¯s no need. ¡°He had such a serious car ident and had a craniotomy. He¡¯ll probably be lying on the hospital bed for the rest of his life!¡± ¡°No, I want him dead. I want him dead. As long as he¡¯s not dead, I won¡¯t be safe.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to do it now. There are arge number of bodyguards in the hospital, as well as doctors and nurses. We can¡¯t sneak in at all. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to kill Bruce in the hospital.¡± Marlowe red at the assistant fiercely. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Think of a way to kill him immediately.¡± The assistant rolled his eyes and said sinisterly. ¡°Yes, if we really want to kill him, it¡¯s notpletely impossible. ¡°I have a way to get him to die without anyone knowing. But it might cost a few more bucks.¡± ¡°What can we do? As long as we can kill Bruce, it doesn¡¯t matter how much money we spend.¡± When the assistant heard this, he lowered his voice and said, ¡°Mr. Yanice, we can collude with the doctor. Bruce¡¯s so badly injured now. If there¡¯s a doctor who can help do something, we can kill him secretly¡± ¡°A doctor? Will that work? Marlowe frowned. ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s a doctor in Greyport Hospital who seemed to be involved in a murder case two years ago. Although it was left unsettled in the end, I think there must be something wrong with this person. He can be bribed!¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Yes, I think this person can be put to good use.¡± Marlowe smiled coldly. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll leave this to you. After this is done, you¡¯ll be heavily rewarded; ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. Just wait for the good news!¡± In the hospital. In the ICU ward. Joanna sat in front of the hospital bed and kept talking to Bruce, who was unconscious. *Bruce, Davian and Irvin should be in the first grade. ¡°And Lilia. She also wants to go to school Tve already asked someone to find a school for them. They can go through the admission procedures soon.¡± Bruce was lying quietly on the hospital bed with an oxygen mask on. His entire body was filled with various treatment instruments, and he was wrapped up like a mummy. The ward was yery quiet. Only the ticking of the electrocardiogram could be heard. ¡°You have to wake up. The children ask me every day when you can go home.¡± ¡°And our fourth child. I did a prenatal checkup. The doctor said¡­ there¡¯s a high chance that it¡¯s a girl. I know you like girls. When you wake up, we can have another child.¡± Every day. Joanna would change into a surgical gown, enter the ICU ward, hold his hand, and talk to him. People said that ten fingers were connected to the heart. When two people held hands, they could feel what the other side was thinking. How Joanna wished that she could pass her thoughts to Bruce through their held hands. Chapter 607 Chapter 607 Chapter 607 Joanna talked to him as much as possible and told him everything she had never said to him before, even if he couldn¡¯t hear Every day, in addition to regr treatment, the doctors would give Bruce a gene regeneration shot of up to 200 thousand dors. Surgical experts from all over the world were invited to Greyport to discuss treatment ns with local surgical experts. In just a week, the medical fees had already reached tens of millions. Of course, the effect of spending so much money was obvious. His vital signs gradually stabilized, and some minor external injuries were already recovering quickly. However, his brain and chest were severely injured. Whether he could wake up or not was up to fate. In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. Joanna still stayed at the hospital every day and did not leave at all. Beep beep beep. The butler called Joanna to report on the children¡¯s enrolment. ¡°Hey, Gael!¡± On the other end of the phone, Gael¡¯s meticulous voice sounded. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, the applications for admission of your two sons and your daughter have been epted. You have to be interviewed with the kids in the middle of June.¡± Joanna frowned and said worriedly. ¡°It has to be me? Can others go in my ces?¡± ¡°The rules in Jemton Elementary School are strict. Parents have to go. Otherwise, the kids can¡¯t pass the assessment.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make an appointment with the school now. Mrs. Joanna, take some time to bring them to the school for an interview.¡± Joanna thought for a few seconds and said solemnly. ¡°Then let¡¯s do it tomorrow. Just do it as soon as possible, so that I can rest assured.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make an appointment now.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Kids of the Everett family would naturally go to the best private school in Greyport. All children in the school. They were all kids of rich people of stars. To ensure the safety of all kids, the school had to assess every family. Being rich wasn¡¯t the only factor for the kids to be admitted. ¡°Bruce, I might have to leave the hospital tomorrow and take the children to school for an interview. ¡°You have to be well. I¡¯ll be back soon to apany you, okay?¡± Joanna took his hand and gently rubbed it against her face. On the hospital bed, Bruce was unusually quiet. Bruce was a mean guy. He liked to retort to others no matter what others said. Right now, he became so quiet and honest. No matter what Joanna said, he just stayed other quietly without saying any mean words. ¡°I¡¯m leaving! Joanna tucked him in gently and left intensive care unit with a gloomy expression. ¡°I¡¯m going backter. Keep an eye on him. Keep an eye on the surveince cameras and pay attention to his situation.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry.¡± Yes, Mrs. Joanna.¡± After Joanna sternly instructed the doctor and caregiver, she prepared to pack her things and go home. At the entrance of the hospital. As soon as Joanna and the bodyguards appeared, the reporters, who had been waiting outside, were instantly excited. ¡°I think Joanna is out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s her!¡¯ ¡°Hurry up, hurry up and catch up.¡± The reporters swarmed forward like a beehive. A reporter directly pushed the long microphone in front of Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, can you tell us about Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation?¡± ¡°Is Mr. Everett still in the intensive care unit? Can you tell us something? ¡°Mr. Everett is seriously injured now. Did he make any arrangements in advance? If Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t wake up, who will be in charge of the Everett Group?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, will you consider taking back custody of the children?¡± The reporters scrambled to surround Joanna. shbulbs shed as they frantically snapped photos of Joanna. The mask and sses Joanna wore were almost pulled down. Darcy and Carson immediately stepped forward and blocked the reporters. ¡°Move aside. Miss Haynes won¡¯t be interviewed.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, say something. Miss Haynes, say something!¡± ¡°Is there any hope for Mr. Everett to recover? We¡¯re all very concerned about Mr. Everett¡¯s injuries and want to know the situation¡­¡± ¡°Noment!¡± Joanna¡¯s face was gloomy as she hurriedly got into the car under the escort of her bodyguards. More than ten bodyguards were still maintaining order. The scene was chaotic. ¡°Hurry up and drive. The reporters are crazy.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Joanna.¡± How could the reporters not go crazy? No one knew if Bruce was dead or alive after the car ident. No media would let go of such hot news. In the car. Joanna leaned back in her chair in exhaustion. She felt extremely heavy in her heart. She had been in the hospital for almost ten days. In the past ten days, she had been so frightened that she had not even bothered to take a shower. Now, she had to go home and deal with the children¡¯s enrollment. She could also take a good shower and get a few sets of clean clothes. She hadn¡¯t been home for so many days. The children must be extremely worried about her. She had to go back andfort the children. Half an hourter. Sherane Bay Vi. When Davian and Irvin saw their mommy return, they ran to her happily. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back.¡± Joanna squatted down and rubbed the two little guys¡¯ heads. ¡°Mommy, how¡¯s Daddy? We saw on the news that Daddy¡¯s injuries are very serious,¡± Davian asked with a worried expression. Irvin also asked worriedly, ¡°Yes! Mommy, didn¡¯t you say that Daddy would be fine soon? It has been quite a few days. Why didn¡¯t hee back home?¡± ¡°Daddy will definitely get better.¡± Lilia heard themotion and slowly walked out of the house with her electric prosthesis. ¡°Mommy, when will-Daddye back?¡± ¡°When Daddy recovers, he¡¯lle back.¡± ¡°Mommy, we want to go to the hospital to see Daddy.¡± Joanna said gently, ¡°Be good. I will bring you guys there when Daddy is better,¡± Bruce was still in the intensive care unit. His body was connected with all kinds of instruments. If the children saw this, they would definitely be traumatized. It was more appropriate to bring the children to see him after he got better and was transferred to a normal ward. ¡°You¡¯re going to be in first grade soon. You¡¯re going to be big children in the future. You have to be sensible, understand?¡± The three little ones nodded sensibly. ¡°We understand, Mommy We¡¯ll be obedient and study hard, Mommy, don¡¯t worry about us.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt extremely sorry. The children were really too sensible. They matured unusually early. She felt very guilty. ¡°Kids, you are really good. You are the best gifts heavens gave me.¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna¡­¡± Gael walked over and greeted her with a serious expression. ¡°Have you made an appointment with the school?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already made an appointment. Two o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon!¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Back to the room!¡±. Davian looked up and frowned. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re hungry, right? We haven¡¯t eaten together for a long time. I really want you to eat with us.¡± ¡°Yes! Mommy, you seem to have lost a lot of weight¡­¡± Chapter 608 Chapter 608 Chapter 608 ¡°You guys eat first. I want to take a shower first before changing into clean clothes¡± The three little fellows looked serious and said firmly. ¡°No, Mommy, we have to wait for you to eat with us.¡± ¡°Be good. You really don¡¯t have to wait for me. I have to take a good shower. It might take a long time.¡± The three little fellows shook their heads firmly. ¡°No, we just want to wait for you to have dinner together. It¡¯s been a long time since we ate with you.¡± Joanna felt terrible when he heard that. Looking at the expectant and innocent gazes of the children, she felt even more upset. They were Bruce¡¯s children. They had everything they needed in terms of material life. They had a lot of servants to take care of them every day. However, this did not necessarily mean that children were happy. After all, what children needed the most was thepany of their parents. She and Bruce Everett were too busy. The childrenckedpany since they were born. Gradually, they became more and more sensible and obedient. This was a quite sad thing actually. At their age, they should be innocent and carefree. However, they matured earlier than most children because they left their parents¡¯ care earlier than they should. Seeing that the children insisted on waiting for her to eat dinner, Joanna could onlypromise. ¡°Okay, I will take a shower as soon as possible.¡± ¡®Mommy, don¡¯t worry. We can wait slowly. None of us are hungry.¡± In the hospital. Joanna was worried about Bruce every day. Every nerve in her body was tense. And now, she really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. After not bathing for ten days, her entire body seemed to be crawling with lice. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and went upstairs to take a shower. She returned to her room. Joanna immediately took off her dirty clothes and filled the bathtub with warm water. Because the children were still waiting for her to eat, she did not dare to dawdle for too long. In less than 20 minutes, she was done showering. After taking a shower, Joanna changed into clean pajamas and walked downstairs. In the dining room. The children sat obediently, facing the table full of delicacies. No one began to eat. ¡°Mommy, are you done showering?¡± Joanna wiped her wet hair with a towel and said guiltily. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Mommy, eat this. I remember that you like oatmeal with seafood a lot Davian said as he carefully got Joanna some oatmeal. He put the bowl in front of Joanna. Irvin also hurriedly got his mother some food. ¡°This is a duck! You also like ducks, Mommy. Mouuny, you have to eat more. You have lost so much weight. We feel heartbroken.¡± Seeing the food the kids got her in the bowl, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but have her eyes turn red. ¡°Okay, thanks, babies.¡± I will definitely finish the food. Hurry up and eat. ¡°Mommy, after the interview tomorrow, do you still have to go to the hospital to apany Daddy?¡±- Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes, he needs mypany right now.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± After dinner. Joanna went for a walk in the garden with the kids after dinner. it Was time for the children to sleep. The three kids refused to leave Joanna. They insisted on sleeping with her. ¡°Mommy, can we sleep with you today?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Joanna also wanted to spend more time with the children. In the room. The three little fellows snuggled up to Joanna and chattered excitedly. After all, in the past, they were not allowed to enter the room, let alone sleep with Joanna. However, they were children after all, so they naturally relied more on their mother. Lilia gently touched Joanna¡¯s stomach and asked curiously, ¡°Mommy, when will the baby be born?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s June. If there¡¯s not a problem, it¡¯ll be born in January of next year.¡± Irvin also came over. ¡°Mommy, is it a little boy or a little girl in your belly?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said gloomily, ¡°Daddy likes little girls. I hope it¡¯s a little girl.¡± ¡°I want a little sister too!¡± ¡°When Mommy gives us another sister, we¡¯ll have two sisters. When Joanna heard this, she rubbed the children¡¯s heads one by one and said gently, ¡°Hurry up and sleep! You still have to wake up early tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes. Mommy. Good night.¡± ¡°I will turn off the lights, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna immediately turned off the lights in the room. The next day. Joanna and the children got up early. ¡°Good morning, Mommy ¡°Good morning, darlings.¡± After washing up, the four of them sat in the dining room and prepared to eat breakfast. ¡°How nice! I can have breakfast with Mommy.¡± At the dining table. There was milk, oatmeal, sandwish, pasta, steak, salmon, and sd. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The three little fellows fought to get Joanna food. ¡°Alright, alright! Just eat by yourself. I can eat by myself.¡± During this period of time in the hospital, Joanna never ate a proper meal. Now that she was with the children, she had to eat even if she didn¡¯t want to. Davian ate the sandwich and sighed. ¡°s, Mommy, I miss the dumplings you make for us a lot. I think that¡¯s the most delicious food in he world.¡± ¡°I want to eat too¡­¡± Irvin and Lilia echoed. ¡°Mommy, when will you be free? Make dumplings for us, okay?¡± Just wait for a little longer, okay? When Daddy gets better, I will take some time to make you dumplings.¡± Chapter 609 Chapter 609 Chapter 609 ¡°Okay, okay. We¡¯ll wait then!¡± ¡°Good kids!¡± After breakfast, Joanna checked the children¡¯s recent homework. She also called the servants and nannies over to give them some instructions. Actually, she did not need to worry about these things at all. Gael was the butler of the Everett family. He was very responsible. He did his best to deal with everything in the family. He was also one of Bruce¡¯s most trusted people in the world. Gael would arrange everything at home. 1:00 p.m. Joanna took the three children to Jemton Elementary School. This was the most expensive private elite elementary school in Greyport. No matter in terms of educational level or environment, it ranked at the top. Because the students who enrolled were all rich children, the recruitment of students was especially strict. Virtue, intelligence, physique, and the environment in which they grew up were all references for admission. Davian and Irvin were sessfully epted after the interview. As for Lilia, she was not epted because of her disability. Lilia was very disappointed with this result, but she also deeply felt that she was different from others. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Looking at Lilia¡¯s teary eyes, Joanna quickly hugged her andforted her. ¡°Be good. Don¡¯t be sad. ¡°There are so many elementary schools. Although you are not epted here, you can go to another school.¡± ¡°Mommy, do they all despise me?¡± Lilia looked at her mommy aggrievedly. Joanna kissed her daughter¡¯s little face. ¡°How could that be? Lilia, you are the cutest girl in the world. You are the angel of me and your father.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t they refuse me?¡± ¡°Baby, this is their loss, not your problem. There¡¯s no need to be sad.¡± Davian¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. Since Lilia can¡¯t study in this school, we won¡¯t study here either. Let¡¯s change schools and go to the same school as Little Sister¡± That¡¯s right. Which school will Lilia study in? We will go there too. I don Joanna frowned and thought for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s still a female noble elementary school in Greyport. It¡¯s not worse than here. It¡¯s better for Lilia to study there. I think it¡¯s more suitable for her. ¡°Since the two of you have been epted, it¡¯s better for you to stay there and study. When you¡¯re in junior high school, I¡¯ll send you to Melta.¡± ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be sad, okay?¡± Lilia nodded weakly and asked nkly, ¡°Mommy, can my leg still recover?¡± Joanna tightened her arms to hold Lilia more tightly. ¡°Of course. ¡°Daddy is injured. He can¡¯t leave the hospital for now. When he gets better, I will take you to Gaprington for treatment. Then you will be able to stand up! I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Gael, please go to the female noble elementary school to apply for admission again. Let Lilia study there.¡± Gael frowned slightly. ¡°Alright, Mrs. Joannal Leave it to me!¡± Joanna looked at Gael gratefully. ¡°Gael, you¡¯ve worked hard during this period of time. I¡¯ll have to rely on you to take care of the family matters.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s what I should do. Mrs. Joanna, just take good care of Mr. Everett.¡± Gael looked at Joanna with a heavy heart. He wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°Mrs. Joanna¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Gael?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Gael suddenly swallowed his words. Seeing this, Joanna felt even more uneasy. ¡°What exactly is it? Just say it! There¡¯s no need to hesitate.¡± Gael looked serious. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about it for now.¡± ¡°The most important thing now is Mr. Everett¡¯s health. Nothing else is important. As long as Mr. Everett can recover, everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Gael, you¡¯ve been in the Everett family for so many years. You¡¯re like a family. What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t hide it from me. Especially now that something has happened to Bruce, you can¡¯t hide it from me.¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna, sigh¡­ I think you have to guard against Mr. Lurk.¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk?¡± Joanna frowned and looked at Gael in confusion. ¡°What is it? Please tell me directly. I will feel more uneasy since you don¡¯t finish your words.¡± Gael hesitated for a few seconds before telling the truth. ¡°Mr. Lurk, he called me earlier and told me some things¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Not something good anyway. Mrs. Joanna, you have to be prepared so as not to be caught off guard.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What do they want?¡± ¡°They¡­ want custody of the children.¡± Joanna choked and looked at Gael in disbelief. Wasn¡¯t this a joke? What did the children have to do with them? What right did they have to get custody of the children? Bruce wasn¡¯t dead yet! Even if Bruce really died, the custody of the children should be hers. She was the biological mother of the children! Chapter 610 Chapter 610 Chapter 610 ¡°They want custody of the children? What right do they have?¡± Gael frowned and said sincerely and earnestly. ¡°Madam, you need to know that Mr. Everett has no parents, let alone siblings, Especially when you and Mr. Everett haven¡¯t been really remarried yet. ¡°And the children are still young and don¡¯t have the ability to be independent. To put it bluntly, if anything really happens to Mr. Everett, with the Everett family¡¯s huge business, how can others not covet it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Joanna was shocked and could not help but gasp. Indeed, Bruce had no parents, no legal spouse, and no siblings, If he really died, though the three children were his heirs, they were still young and needed someone to be their guardian. Bruce did not make a will either. And Liam was Bruce¡¯s uncle. Even if they didn¡¯t get along, they were still rted. Liam, of course, was eligible to apply to be the children¡¯s guardian. Of course, his real goal was not to take good care of the children. Instead, he wanted to control the Everett Group¡¯s huge billion-dor assets by being the children¡¯s guardian. The kids were only 6 years old this year, and there would be too many changes before they turned 18. Whoever acted as their guardian during this period was equivalent to holding the Everett Group¡¯s billion-dor assets. ¡°Mr. Miller¡­ He can¡¯t be that shameless, can he?¡± When Gael heard this, a bitter smile appeared on his face. ¡°Madam, human beings die in pursuit of wealth, and birds die in pursuit of food. You must know that, right? ¡°If Mr. Everett is a pauper, no one would care so much about him. However, Mr. Everett is the richest man in Greyport. He has more than billion-dor personal assets. Mr. Miller is his only blood rtive. Do you think he doesn¡¯t have other thoughts?¡± Joanna felt a chill in her heart when she heard that. After Bruce¡¯s ident, she was inconsble with grief. She ced all her energy on saving Bruce¡¯s life. As for other things, she really did not have the energy to think about them. If not for Gael¡¯s sudden reminder, she would not have thought of this at all. After all, in real life, when a nephew died, very few uncles would be so shameless as to fight for property. Seeing Joanna¡¯s expression change, Gael reminded her again, ¡°Now, Liam has used Mr. Everett¡¯s ident as an excuse to act as thepany¡¯s acting president. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°If he wants topletely control the Everett Group, his next n will definitely be to fight for the custody of the children. If he gets the custody of the children, all the assets of the Everett family will probably end up in his pocket.¡± Previously, Bruce had invested more than 2 billion dors in a trust fund for all three children. Even if he died, the children would have nothing to worry about. However, the Everett family had businesses all over the world and countless properties. These assets were all under his personal name. He was so young, so he naturally had yet to make a will. After he died, someone would definitely have to take control of these assets. ¡°Then Gael, what do you think we should do?¡± ¡°What I mean is, Madam, you have to be prepared in advance. Don¡¯t be immersed in sorrow. You have to be prepared in advance for that.¡± Joanna narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°I know. Thank you for your reminder, Gael.¡± ¡°Madam, you¡¯re wee. I¡¯m also very sorry that something happened to Mr. Everett. I¡¯m very sad. ¡°Although you didn¡¯t remarry Mr. Everett, 1 know that Mr. Everett wants you to inherit everything of his.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The next day. ¡°Babies, Mommy is going to the hospital to apany Daddy again today. I might not have time to apany you guys recently. Be good.¡± The three children nodded heavily. ¡°Okay, Mommy, don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll be good.¡± Joanna squatted down and kissed the children¡¯s faces one by one. ¡°You¡¯re really Mommy¡¯s good babies.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Bye, Mommy.¡± The three little guys waved at their mommy reluctantly. Joanna¡¯s eyes stung. She could not bear to look into the children¡¯s eyes anymore and quickly got into the car. But now, she didn¡¯t have the time to keep the childrenpany, Bruce needed her more than the kids did. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the driver replied and started the engine. At the hospital, Liam and his wife, L, appeared in the doctor¡¯s office early in the morning. ¡°Doctor, how is Bruce? What are the chances of him waking up?¡± The head of the surgical department looked solemn as he said ambiguously, ¡°Well, it depends on his recovery. I can¡¯t give a definite answer at present.¡± L pursed her lips and said impatiently, ¡°Doctor, just tell me a little. With his current situation, can he survive? How much can he recover?¡± The doctor flipped through the medical record and said solemnly, ¡°Well, Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation is not very optimistic. The chances of him waking up are not very high!¡± When L heard this, her eyes lit up and she quickly asked, ¡°Then what are the chances?¡± ¡°ording to Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation, even if he wakes up, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be a normal person. He won¡¯t be able to recover to his previous state.¡± ¡°Are you saying that he might be a vegetable?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The doctor did not answer. His expression became even more solemn. When Liam and L saw this, they looked at each other and felt more confident. Bruce had such a bad ident. Even if he barely survived, he would be a vegetable. A vegetative person was naturally no different from a dead person. He could not do anything. Liam was his only rtive, so he naturally had to take care of everything for him. L was secretly delighted. When Bruce had an ident, the Miller family benefited from it and became the biggest beneficiary! This time, Liam would be the one and only person in charge of the Everett Group. And she would be the richest woman in Greyport soon. ¡°Oh, how pitiful. Doctor, you must do your best to save Bruce.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will¡­¡± As they were talking, there was a knock on the office door. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Joanna opened the door and walked in. ¡°Doctor, did he get the gene regeneration shot today¡­ Before the doctor could answer, Joanna looked up and suddenly saw Liam and L. Immediately, Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to visit Bruce.¡± ¡°He¡¯s recovering very well now. There¡¯s no need for you to worry about him.¡± L sneered and said disdainfully, ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no need to lie to us. We¡¯ve already asked the doctor just now. The doctor said that the probability of Bruce waking up is very small.¡± Joanna asked coldly, ¡°So what?¡± ¡°So what? Well, of course, we have to talk it out, Ms. Haynes.¡± Since the probability of Bruce waking up was very small, Liam and his wife naturally did not have to worry about anything else. Especially since Joanna and Bruce did not go through the remarriage procedure, they did not need to take her seriously. Chapter 611 Chapter 611 Chapter 611 ¡°What do you want?¡± L crossed her arms and said disdainfully, ¡°Since the chances of Bruce waking up are slim, we have to consider some things in advance.¡± ¡°Consider what?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned cold as she looked at L in disgust. ¡°Why are you ying dumb? Bruce is the richest man in Greyport. He has countless assets under his name. Now that something has happened to him, he naturally has to be taken care of by his closest family.¡± Joanna was speechless. It seemed that Gael was right. Bruce wasn¡¯t dead yet, but Liam and his wife couldn¡¯t wait to fight for the benefits. Joanna felt a chill in her heart. She said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t need to introduce my rtionship with Bruce to you again, right?¡± L pursed her lips and deliberately said unreasonably, ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Bruce? You¡¯re already divorced. From a legal point of view, you have nothing to do with each other anymore.¡± ¡°Even if Bruce and 1 are divorced, we have three children, and I¡¯m pregnant with another one. Do you think we¡¯re not rted? ¡°Moreover, no one would hope for his recovery more than I do! And no one would take better care of him than me.¡± L sneered. ¡°It¡¯s true that you have three children, but the custody of the children is not yours. ¡°And who knows whose bastard child you¡¯re carrying now? ¡°Now I officially inform you that we will take care of Bruce from now on, and you don¡¯t have toe to the hospital anymore! ¡°What did you say? Joanna asked with an angry sneer. L ced her hands on her hips and said aggressively, ¡°I said, I¡¯m officially informing you now that you can¡¯te to the hospital again. ¡°Please get out of the Everett family immediately. Before Bruce wakes up, you are not allowed to step into the Everett family again.¡± ¡°Hmph, what right do you have to control me?¡± ¡°Because my husband is Mr. Everett¡¯s biological uncle, and I¡¯m his aunt.¡± Joanna was toozy to argue with her. She looked at Liam coldly. ¡°Mr. Miller, is this what you want?¡± Liam pursed his lips and put on a worried expression. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s biological uncle. Now that something has happened to him, I naturally have to take responsibility to the end. ¡°After all, you and Bruce are already divorced. We¡¯re worried about you taking care of him now.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°So?¡± Liam paused for two seconds before saying shamelessly, ¡°So, you can only leave. From now on, I¡¯ll take full responsibility for Bruce¡¯s matters.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Liam in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s not up to anyone to order me and Bruce around. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and look after Bruce until he¡¯s fully recovered.¡± When L heard this, she was so angry that she flew into a rage. ¡°You still have the cheek to say this? It¡¯s all your fault that all this happened to Bruce. ¡°You¡¯re a jinx. Do you have to kill Bruce to be satisfied? ¡°Get lost and leave the hospital immediately.¡± L said as she pushed Joanna arrogantly. Anyway, Bruce was now a living dead. No one would support Joanna anymore. There was naturally no need for L to be polite to her. While L was pushing her, Joanna was so angry that her liver was about to explode. She grabbed L¡¯s wrist and pped her hard in the face. ¡°You¡¯re the ones who should get lost. Bruce has long disowned Liam as his uncle. What right do you have to deal with everything about him?¡± ¡°Ouch L was pped. She covered her face and retaliated indignantly. think you are? How dare you p me?¡± Joanna was already furious. Naturally, she would not care whether she behaved gracefully. With a twist, she grabbed L¡¯s long hair and pped her hard again. ¡°Bam!¡± This p was even heavier than the previous one. L¡¯s foot tilted and she fell to the ground. Joanna had been practicing women¡¯s self-defense for years, so although she was vulnerable in front of Bruce, it was more than enough for her to deal with people like L. ¡°Joanna, how could you p others? You¡¯re too much!¡± Liam quickly stepped forward to stop the fight. ¡°You¡¯re the ones who went overboard! I¡¯ve never seen such strange rtives like you! ¡°Even if Bruce wakes up, he won¡¯t allow you to take care of everything about him. ¡°Hurry up and leave. Otherwise, I will have to be rude to you.¡± Liam quickly helped his wife up and scolded Joanna angrily, ¡°Joanna, don¡¯t be unreasonable here. I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s biological uncle and his only rtive. ¡°I¡¯m certainly qualified to handle everything about him after he dies, including his children¡­¡± ¡°Everything about him after he dies? Do you mean that he will never wake up? Mr. Miller, are you cursing him? Or do you not want him to wake up at all?¡± Liam was at a loss for words. ¡°Mr. Miller, it¡¯s not right to handle things the way you do! Bruce has long drawn a clear line with you. Please be sensible and don¡¯t make a scene here.¡± L was still furious. She said boldly and viciously, ¡°Making a scene? You¡¯re clearly the one who¡¯s unreasonable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know what you have in mind. You hope Bruce will die so you can take over all his assets and have a happy life with another man, right?¡± Chapter 612 Chapter 612 Chapter 612 L got more and more agitated as she spoke. ¡°Let me tell you, no way! All of Mr. Everett¡¯s assets should be taken over by his uncle, and you can¡¯t plunder and snatch it away.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°You¡¯d better watch yournguage.¡± ¡°What? If you can do it, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid of others talking about it. Be sensible and get out of the hospital now. Don¡¯t force us to chase you out.¡± Joanna was toozy to argue with such a person. She shouted out the door, ¡°Darcy, Carson,e and chase them out.¡± Then, Darcy and Carson walked in aggressively with two bodyguards. Seeing the four tall and burly bodyguards in front of her, L¡¯s aura weakened. ¡°Let¡¯s see who dares to attack. I¡¯m Mr. Everett¡¯s aunt. My husband is Mr. Everett¡¯s biological uncle.¡± ¡°Beat her up!¡± Joanna was really angry. Darcy was no longer polite. He said forcefully, ¡°Get out quickly. Don¡¯t force us to do it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess around¡­¡± L tried to call their bodyguards in. Unfortunately, how could their bodyguardspare to Bruce¡¯s personal bodyguards? Especially Darcy, who was the world boxing champion for five years. 1le was 6 feet and 9 inches tall and covered in muscles/ All of Bruce¡¯s bodyguards were under hismand for training. On normal days, he would even apany Bruce to practice boxing. In the entire Greyport, only Bruce could exchange a few moves with him. One punch of his was enough to knock down an 1. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any regard for thews? How dare you attack me? I¡¯ll definitely sue you!¡± Joanna urged, ¡°Throw them all out of the hospital. Don¡¯t let them get close to the ward again!¡± ¡°Get out.¡± Darcy and Carson pushed Liam and L. They chased them out of the office like they were chasing away chicks. After chasing away Liam and L, Joanna looked at Bruce¡¯s attending doctors with a gloomy gaze. ¡°And you guys, if you reveal Bruce¡¯s condition to anyone else, I will make you pay a painful price!¡± When the doctors heard this, they broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be angry. We¡¯ll be careful in the future! ¡°Did he get the gene regeneration shot today?¡± ¡°Yes. Miss Haynes, you can go in and take a look at Mr. Everett.¡± Joanna suppressed her anger and turned to walk into the changing room. She wanted to change into a surgical gown and enter the ICU ward to talk to Bruce. On the other side. Darcy and Carson forced Liam and his wife out of the hospital. ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. I can walk myself¡± L cursed as she walked, ¡°Joanna, you little vixen. Just wait. We¡¯ll go to court and sue you right now. Don¡¯t even think about seizing Mr. Everett¡¯s assets¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Casually, Darcy and Carson shoved them out the hospital door. ¡°Honey, go get awyer right now and send Joanna awyer¡¯s letter immediately, and also, Mr. Everett is in danger now, so we must hurry up and snatch custody of the children. ¡°We can¡¯t let that bitch Joanna beat us to it!¡± L said hatefully. It was as if Bruce¡¯s assets were her family¡¯s assets. Liam shook his head and sighed. ¡°Oh, what are you talking about? Bruce isn¡¯t dead yet. Why are we fighting for custody? ¡°We don¡¯t have a sufficient reason, and the court won¡¯t ept it!¡± ¡°Howe there¡¯s no sufficient reason? Mr. Everett is already in a vegetative state and has lost all mobility. ¡°At this time, we definitely have to make hay while the sun shines. As long as we get the custody of his three children, won¡¯t the Everett Group be ours?¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking too simply. How can it be as easy as you think?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°How do you know it won¡¯t work if you don¡¯t try? ¡°Honey, listen to me. Hurry up and send awyer¡¯s letter! Get this matter done as soon as possible. We can¡¯t let that slut Joanna beat us to it.¡± ¡­.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. He did not know what to say. Of course, he was also eager to take over all of Bruce¡¯s assets. However, Bruce had not died yet, after all. If he sent awyer¡¯s letter now, it would seem like he was very anxious. L shook Liam¡¯s arm and said coquettishly, ¡°Honey, why should you care what others think? The most important thing is to get the assets. ¡°Think about it. If you can take over Mr. Everett¡¯s assets, you¡¯ll be the new richest man in Greyport.¡± ¡°¡­ Let me think about it. We can¡¯t rush this!¡± In the intensive care unit, Joanna changed into a surgical gown and walked in. Bruce was still the same. He was covered in instruments and catheters as hey lifelessly on the hospital bed. Joanna sat down beside him and ced his hand on her abdomen as usual. ¡°Bruce, me and the little baby are here to visit you. Are you feeling better today? ¡°I took the kids to Jemton Elementary School for an interview yesterday. Davian and Irvin passed the interview smoothly. ¡°Unfortunately, the school refused to ept Lilia because she has a disability in her leg. But it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already applied for her at the female noble elementary school next door. ¡°You have to wake up quickly. It¡¯s best if you send the children to school yourself.¡± Chapter 613 Chapter 613 Chapter 613 Joanna rambled on. Bruce didn¡¯t react and justy there lifelessly. The recovery from the craniotomy was very slow. His head was now wrapped in thick straps and a fixer. It had been seven days, but he was still not out of danger. Local surgeons in Greyport, in conjunction with foreign medical experts, had discussed thetest treatment n. Joanna paused and sighed before continuing to say, ¡°You know what? Liam and his wife came to the hospital today. They also talked about fighting for custody of the children and taking over all your assets. ¡°With your bad temper, if you heard this, you would definitely be angry on the spot. ¡°I really hope you can wake up quickly and let your uncle give up that strange thought?¡± Joanna held his hand and told him everything that had happened in the past few days. There was a saying in medicine called neurostimtion therapy. Whether it was useful or not, she had to persevere and try every day. She hoped that he would suddenly wake up if she talked to him more. On the other side and in the doctor¡¯s office, Kensley had been engaging a patient meticulously when the nurse suddenly knocked on the door and came in. ¡°Doctor Leach, there¡¯s someone here to see you¡± Kensley did not even raise his head as he continued to prescribe the prescription. He casually asked, ¡°Is it a patient?¡± Before he could finish his sentence, a tall and thin young man appeared at the door of the consultation room There was a faint smile on the young man¡¯s face as he said evilly, ¡°Doctor Leach, long time no see!¡± ¡°You are¡­¡± Kensley subconsciously adjusted his sses. He had no impression of this patient. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know me, but I know you.¡± ¡°¡­ Kensley¡¯s scalp went numb, and ayer of cold sweat subconsciously appeared on his back. Then, Kensley pretended to be calm and handed the prescription to the patient. ¡°Well, you can go pay the fees with this prescription!¡± The patient took the medical list, thanked him again, and walked out. After the patient left, the young man got even more unrestrained. ¡°Doctor Leach, I heard you¡¯ve made a fortune recently and even bought a mansion in Greyport.¡± When Kensley heard this, his eyes flickered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± ¡°You sure? Do you want me to help you recall?¡± The young man stretched his neck and stared at Kensley. Those who had done nothing wrong were not afraid of being used. But Kensley had done something wrong, so when he heard the young man¡¯s words, his scalp exploded, and the sweat on his forehead kept flowing. The year beforest, Margaret was critically ill. During hospitalization, Roxanne removed Margaret¡¯s respirators, resulting in Margaret¡¯s death. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. He happened to see this scene. At that time, Roxanne knelt down and begged him to keep it a secret and also promised to give him a sum of money as hush money. Seizing this opportunity to make a fortune, he nned to extort Roxanne¡¯s 20 million dors. However, Roxanne did not have that much money at that time. She first transferred him one million dors and then another 2 million dors. Later, something happened to Roxanne and he was also involved in the murder. Fortunately, in order to protect her daughter, Ingrid took all the me. Roxanne was also sent to a mental hospital, and he sessfully got rid of suspicion. In the past two years, he had been promoted to deputy head of the surgical department because of his good performance. He had almost forgotten about it too. ¡°Looks like you really forgot, Doctor Leach. Let me help you sort it out again!¡± Kensley stuttered, ¡°You, I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± ¡°Should I give you a heads-up?¡± ¡°Margaret¡¯s death, well¡­ The young man smiled evilly and looked straight at Kensley. Kensley immediately copsed on the chair. ¡°You¡­ Who the hell are you? What do you want?¡± The young man took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Kensley. ¡°Well, it is not the right ce to talk. Here¡¯s my business card. Let¡¯s make an appointment this afternoon and talk about it.¡± Kensley took a deep breath. ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡± ¡®Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no need to be so nervous. It¡¯s not a bad thing. Instead, it¡¯ll benefit you!¡± The young man smiled. mysteriously, put down the business card, and turned to leave the hospital. After the young man left, Kensley was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. His heart was beating rapidly. He med himself for being too greedy. If he wasn¡¯t so greedy, how would he cause such trouble now? The year beforest, Margaret suddenly passed away. Kensley demanded an exorbitant price, intending to extort Roxanne 20 million dors. Roxanne came from a rich family, but she didn¡¯t have much cash, so she only gave him 3 million dors. Originally, he should have quit while he was ahead after taking the money. In particr, Roxanne was sent to a mental hospital after the incident. She had been in the mental hospital for nearly a year. After Roxanne was released from the mental hospital, Kensley still wanted to continue extorting her. Roxanne was forced into a corner and could only seek refuge with Marlowe, Bruce¡¯s archenemy. She borrowed 6 million dors from him and gave Kensley. Therefore, Marlowe knew the inside story. The more Kensley thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He had thought that the matter was settled with the death of Roxanne and that no one else would know. However, he never expected that there would be someone who knew about this. Chapter 614 Chapter 614 Chapter 614 ¡± Kensley spent the whole day feeling uneasy. At one point, he even thought of packing up and escaping overseas, But¡­ thinking about it carefully, he couldn¡¯t bear to do so. After all, he had just bought a house in Greyport and got married. His wife was gentle and beautiful and was pregnant. Now, he really couldn¡¯t bear to give up everything that he had worked so hard for. After struggling for a day, it was finally time to get off work. After thinking about it, Kensley dialed the number on the business card in the end. There was a continuous beep. Someone picked up the call very quickly. ¡°Hey, hello! Doctor Leach¡± Kensley was stunned and subconsciously asked. ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± ¡°Well, I only gave you this number! I know you will definitely call¡± Kensley calmed himself down and asked solemnly. Just say it! Who are you? What do you want to do?¡± The young man¡¯s rxed teasing voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Rx, Doctor Leach. I came to you because I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set up a time to meet and talk.¡± ¡°Im avable now.¡± ¡°Alright then! Come to Room 808 of Yanice Club¡± ¡­Alright. Kensley hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. After hanging up, Kensley called his wife again and told her not to wait for him to eat. At 7:30 PM., Kensley arrived at Yanice Club. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. The receptionist seemed to have known that he wasing because as soon as he was there, the beautiful receptionist came over and greeted him warmly. ¡°Hello, Mr. Leach. This way, please.¡± Kensley took a deep breath and followed the receptionist in This clubhouse was very high-end. There were spas, karaoke, catering, cinemas, and so on. All the entertainment activities one could think of were there. Of course, the cost was also very expensive. ¡°This is Room 808. Mr. Leach, you can go in.¡± Kensley began to feel uneasy again. He carefully pushed open the door and entered. The atmosphere in the private room was foul and the lights were dim. Kensley could vaguely see a few people sitting on the luxurious leather. In the middle was Marlowe, and beside him were two famous rich second-generation heirs. Beside them sat two beauties in gauzy bikinis. The coffee table was filled with expensive famous wine and certain forbidden goods. The entire private room was filled with extravagance and decadence. Two beauties were already unconscious, lying on the ground and squirming like snakes, Seeing this, Kensley was still shocked. He had just heard that some rich kids could be really crazy, and their lives were really messy and depraved. Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he did not expect it to be even more exaggerated than the rumors. These rich kids were all well-dressed, elegant, and noble, looking highly cultured in front of the media cameras. But secretly, that was who they really were. The young man from the day stood up unsteadily. ¡°Doctor Leach, you¡¯re finally here. Hurry up and come this way. ¡°Let me introduce you. This is President Yanice,¡± ¡°Hello, President Yanice. I wonder what you want to see me about?¡± Marlowe puffed on his cigar arrogantly. ¡°Well, Doctor Leach, your medical skills are superb. Now that you¡¯ve been promoted to the head of the surgical department, your future is limitless!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like that. I was just lucky,¡± Kensley stamunered, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re indeed lucky! You made a windfall previously, and now, you have another chance to make a windfall¡± ¡­ Kensley rolled his eyes when he heard this. His entire body was covered in sweat. ¡°L.. I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean?¡± ¡°Pete, talk to him.¡± The young man called Pete hooked his arm around Kensley¡¯s neck. ¡®Come,e here. Come and sit ¡°President Yanice asked you here because there¡¯s something he needs you to do. Of course, you¡¯ll get a lot of money when it¡¯s done.¡± Kensley frowned and asked nervously, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well, how¡¯s Bruce now?¡± ¡°This, this is not within the scope of my treatment.¡± Indeed, he was not qualified enough to treat a patient like Bruce. Especially when Joanna had invited a group of famous surgical experts from overseas. ¡°To tell you the truth, President Yanice wants Bruce to die in the hospital without anyone knowing¡± Kensley¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You¡¯re a doctor. You must have a way. As long as you use your brain a little, Bruce will die. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Yanice said that as long as Bruce dies, he will give you 20 million dors as a reward. ¡°Are you still going to be a doctor for the rest of your life? Take the money and enjoy yourself! Pete said and patted his shoulder teasingly. Even though he did not hit him very hard, Kensley still staggered. Kensley¡¯s mind exploded. ¡°President Yanice, I¡­ You think too highly of me. I can¡¯t get close to Mr. Everett¡¯s ward at all. He¡¯s under Director¡¯s and Mr. yton¡¯s personal responsibility. I don¡¯t have a chance at all¡­¡± ¡°You do. You even had a chance in Margaret¡¯s death, let alone Bruce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different!¡± Kensley was sweating profusely. Margaret¡¯s death was the work of Roxanne. And he just bumped into it on his rounds. It was not his ce toe into contact with patients of Bruce¡¯s level. ¡°Do something. You can do it.¡± ¡°No, I really can¡¯t do it, Kensley refused again and again. Marlowe¡¯s expression changed. He said impatiently. ¡°Since you can¡¯t do it, I will be rude to you. ¡°I heard that your wife just got pregnant. She¡¯s about to give birth, right?¡± When Kensley heard this, he panickedpletely. ¡°President Yanice, I beg you. Please don¡¯t touch my wife! ¡°L.. I¡¯ll think about it!¡± Marlowe crossed his legs and smiled darkly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you one day to think about it. But don¡¯t take too long. I don¡¯t have time to wait for you.¡± Chapter 615 Chapter 615 Chapter 615 ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I¡¯ll consider it carefully!¡± Marlowe smirked again and said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to y any tricks. Otherwise, it will be easier for me to crush you than to crush an ant. If Bruce wakes up and finds out that his grandmother was killed by you and Roxanne, he would not let you off.¡± Kensley¡¯s eyes widened, and all the hair on his body stood on end. He thought, ¡°Indeed, Bruce was not a kind person. If one offended him, they would probably die without even knowing how they died.¡± Marlowe continued. ¡°Think about it! Only when he¡¯s dead can thus secret be buried forever. Besides, you still have a lot of money to earn. Why not?¡± When Kensley heard this, his heart sank. He muttered¡­.I know. I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t be easy to do it.¡± Marlowe replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out¡± ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll go back first. Let¡¯s think of a better way,¡± Kensley responded. ¡°Alright! You can leave! Marlowe concluded. Kensley smiled weakly and walked out of the private room in fear. Pete smiled obsequiously and said. ¡®President Yanice, don¡¯t worry! This person doesn¡¯t look like a good person at first nce. He will think of a way. Besides, there¡¯s no one more suitable than him.¡± Marlowe pursed his lips and sniggered while mming the cigar into the ashtray. ¡°Bruce Everett. I¡¯ll kill you this time! Our grudges must bepletely settled.¡± Seeing this, the beautiful woman beside him quickly tried to change the topic and said, ¡°President Yanice, don¡¯t be too bothered over those unhappy things. Let¡¯s have a good time¡­ The next day. Kensley came to the hospital to work as usual, He did not sleep wellst night. His eyes were sunken and he looked listless. As Kensley was walking to the staff canteen to get breakfast, he bumped into the head nurse. The head nurse greeted him as usual, ¡°Doctor Leach, good morning! ¡°Morning¡±¡± Kensley responded. The head nurse nced at his expression and teased, ¡°Oh god, didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night? Why do you look so listless?¡± Kensley smiled weakly and replied, ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t sleepst night!¡± ¡°Was it because your wife is about to give birth and you¡¯re too nervous to sleep?¡± the head nurse asked. ¡°Oh, right¡± Kensley responded. Then, Kensley thought of something and pretended to ask casually, ¡°Hey, by the way, is Mr. Everett¡¯s condition getting better? What¡¯s the probability of him waking up?¡± The head nurse looked around. Secing no one else, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s a little difficult! However, he¡¯s so rich. He¡¯s already injected so many gene regeneration needles. He won¡¯t die for a while.¡± Kensley rolled his eyes and concurred, ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s good to be rich! If it were ordinary patients, they would have died long ago.¡± The head nurse looked surprised and enviously eximed, ¡°Of course. This money wasn¡¯t spent for nothing.¡± ¡°A gene regeneration shot costs more than 750 million dors! How can ordinary people afford it? Moreover, they¡¯ve been injecting it for so many days. ¡°Sigh, the money for the injection alone is enough to buy a vi halfway up the mountain.¡± With that, the head nurse finished her breakfast and prepared to go to the nurse¡¯s desk. ¡°Are you done eating?¡± Kensley asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to check on Mr. Everett now and change the dressing,¡± the head nurse responded. Kensley replied, ¡°Oh, oh, go ahead then!¡± The head nurse did not say anything else and turned to leave. Kensley¡¯s temples hurt, and cold sweat started appearing on his forehead. Bruce lived in the intensive care unit. Only the attending doctor, a few specific head nurses, and caregivers could enter. The others were not allowed to approach at all. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. It was almost impossible for him to sneak in. Moreover, all the medicine used by Bruce had to be checked by the attending doctor every day. He couldn¡¯t tamper with it easily. However, if he did not find a way to kill Bruce, Marlowe would not let him and his family off, especially if Bruce woke up and discovered the real cause of his grandmother¡¯s death. He probably would not allow him to live in this world anymore. ¡°What should I do? President Yanice is right. If we want this secret to disappear forever, we can only make Bruce die. But what should I do? Kensley pondered. Kensley returned to his office with unease. He subconsciously held his forehead and thought hard of a solution He needed to think of a way to kill Bruce without anyone knowing. ¡°If the medicine or equipment were tampered with slightly, it could sometimes only take a few seconds to kill the patient,¡± he thought. However, Bruce had a special status. In addition to the attending doctor and professional caregiver, bodyguards and Joanna also stayed 24 hours a day by Bruce. If Kensley did not n it carefully, he would have no chance of making a move. Therefore, he had to think carefully about every step. Kensley had been in a daze. He did not even know that the director of the hospital had entered. ¡°Doctor Leach, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you so restless all morning the director asked. Hearing the director, Kensley was even more shocked. He quickly stood up and eximed, ¡°Oh, nothing!¡± ¡°You seem to have a lot on your mind. Do you want to transfer from work? Take a break in the afternoon,¡± the director asked with concern ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to. I didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday, that¡¯s all. Director, I¡¯m fine, Kensley tried to brush off. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± the director continued to question. To really line. Thank you for your concern, Director, Kensley tried to convince his superior. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good! You have to be more serious during work. Don¡¯t ck off the director said as he picked up his coffee sses and slowly returned to his office. After the director left, Kensley was restless again. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll find an opportunity to go over and take a look, he thought. During the lunch break. Kensley walked towards the floor where Bruce¡¯s room was. Although he was not the attending doctor of Bruce, he was still the deputy director of the hospital. It was reasonable for him to use the excuse of observing the patient¡¯s condition to be in the premise. As soon as Kensley entered the floor, he was stopped by Darcy. He looked at Kensley sternly and questioned, ¡°What are you doing?* ¡°Oh, Mr. Lurk asked me to find a room and disinfect the floor. As you know, this floor is supposed to be a sterile environment. It has to be disinfected every day.¡± Darcy suspiciously looked at Kensley¡¯s work pass and saw the title ¡°surgeon¡± written on it ¡°Go on in!¡± Darcymanded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be quick. It won¡¯t take too long,¡± Kensley responded. Kensley pushed a trolley, which was filled with medicine, into another ward. As Kensley pretended to disinfect the empty ward, his heart beat wildly Coincidentally, Joanna walked our of the intensive care unit at this moment. When she saw the door to the ward open, she frowned and muttered, ¡°Why is the door beside open?¡± She recalled transferring the other patients living on this floor to the ather floors to prevent anyone from harming Bruce. Moreover, she had experienced it once before. The killer disguised himself as a doctor and speaked into the ward. She had almost been killed then. Chapter 616 Chapter 616 Chapter 616 Joanna subconsciously walked towards the ward. She looked at Kensley suspiciously and barked, ¡°Who are you? Who allowed you to enter this floor?¡± Kensley panicked and tried his best to pretend to be calm ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a surgeon here. I specially came to disinfect the floor.¡± Hearing this, Joanna looked at his work pass even more warily. She had seen Kensley before. Although she did not have a deep impression of him, she knew he was a doctor in the hospital. ¡°Go out! Don¡¯te to this floor again,¡± shemanded. ¡°Yes, yes. I understand, Kensley said as he packed up and left hurriedly Joanna did not want Bruce¡¯s condition to be known. Even if this doctor did not harbor ill intentions, she could not allow too many unnecessary people to attend to Bruce. ¡°Darcy, from now on other than the attending doctor, the specialists, and the designated nurses and caregivers, no one else is allowed to enter this floor,¡± Joanna instructed. ¡°Got it. Miss Haynes, Darcy replied. When Kensley returned to his office, he was even more anxious. Tm dead,¡± Kensley thought. ¡°They¡¯re so strict. How am I going to kill Bruce? Kensley scratched his ears and checks anxiously The phone suddenly rang, startling him. ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± Kensley spoke into the phone. Peter¡¯s eerie voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Doctor Leach, have you thought about it? President Yamice is waiting for your reply.¡± Kensley sighed and said anxiously, ¡°The problem is a little tricky now. It¡¯s difficult to do anything. Give me some time. I need to think of a perfect solution.¡± Peter replied. ¡°Is a week enough?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°How can a week be enough? This is too rushed. Moreover, his ex-wife and bodyguards are guarding him round-the-clock. They won¡¯t allow anyone to approach him. ¡°Even as a doctor in the hospital. I¡¯m unable to get in Kensley retorted. Pete sneered. ¡®I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll give you a week. You will live with the consequences if Bruce doesn¡¯t die within a week. Kensley panicked and raised his voice. ¡°Hey, tell President Yanice. Give me a little more time. One week really won¡¯t do¡­¡± Pete had already hung up impatiently. ¡°That¡¯s tricky. How can Ie up with a solution within a week?¡± Kensley thought, feeling even more uneasy. Kensley was distracted when he counsulted patients. He barely managed to attend to five patients in the entire afternoon. Soon, it was almost time to get off work before his wife called. Kensley answered the call distractedly. ¡°Ii, honey¡± His wife¡¯s happy voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡®Hubby, thank you for the flowers. love you!¡± Kensley was stunned and asked, ¡°What flowers? I didn¡¯t ask anyone to send flowers¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. If it¡¯s not from you, who else could it be? A courier came over today and sent a huge bouquet of roses. He said you asked someone to send them. Thank you, hubby. I like it very much.¡± Kensley¡¯s wife eximed. Kensley was dumbfounded when heard this. It seemed that Marlowe had already sent someone to his house. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t open the door to strangers in the future,¡± he warned his wife. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± his wife replied. ¡°I still have a patient to attend to. I¡¯ll hang up first,¡± Kensley said hastily. *Finel¡± his wife responded. Kensley felt even more uneasy after talking to his wife on the phone. He quickly called Pete again. The phone rang several times before Pete picked it up casually, ¡°Hi¡± Kensley shouted angrily into the phone, ¡°I told you, I¡¯m already thinking of a way. Why are you harassing my family?¡± Hearing this, Pete chuckled sinisterly, ¡°No! I just sent a bouquet to your wife for you. Why are you so nervous?¡± Kensley took a deep breath. He did not want to say anything else and responded, ¡°Alright, one week it is. During this period, don¡¯t harass my wife again¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s work together happily. Bruce dies, and nothing will happen to you and your wife. You will also get a huge windfall. Pete assured Kensley. ¡°That¡¯s it, then!¡± Kensley hung up after saying that. Kensley could not back down now. He could, only continue down the same path until the end. Since Kensley could not enter Bruce¡¯s ward, he could not rece the medicine. He could only find other ways to create other idents. For example, external factors such as electricity, weather, etc. Bruce was now covered in various equipment, which could not be removed from the power source. Kensley had to think of a way to stop electricity on that floor. It would only take five minutes for Bruce to die. While this method seemed simple, it was dangerous. The circuit breaker was on that floor and locked. It would be even more difficult to open the electrical panel. However, for the sake of his and his wife¡¯s safety and the stability of their life in the future, he could only take the risk. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t me me. Someone wanted to take your life, not me. If you want to me someone, me Marlowe!¡± ¡°I was also controlled by others and had no choice.¡± After work. Kensley deliberately stayed around till past seven o¡¯clock. He had to find an opportunity to go to the electrical panel. Chapter 617 Chapter 617 Chapter 617 After work. Kensley left the hospital and went to the hardware store to buy a set of professional tools. Then, he sneaked back to the hospital. After returning to the hospital for the second time, he quickly changed into an electrician workwear He already knew that if he were to go to the electrical room, he needed to turn off the surveince system first. Disguising as a maintenance worker allowed him to temporarily turn off the surveince system. Because he was familiar with everything in the hospital, he fooled the security guards and sessfully essed the surveince room without much effort. After that, he lied that it would take ten minutes for the maintenance and surveince cameras¡¯ software to upgrade. The security guard believed him and did not suspect anything. A few momentster. After the surveince cameras were turned off, Kensley found an excuse to send the security guards away and sessfully sneaked into the electrical room. Using professional tools, two electric currents were intertwined. The huge voltage instantly caused a power outage in the entire building. The enure building instantly fell into darkness. Only the signboard in the corridor was lit. Meanwhile, in the intensive care unit The doctor and bodyguards were shocked and eximed, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is there a power outage? Why would there be a power outage in the hospital? Did the fuse burn? What should we do? All the equipment on Mr. Everett requires electricity. Mr. Lurk frowned andmanded. ¡°Hurry up and activate the backup power supply* ¡°Oh, sure¡±¡± a nurse quickly tried to turn on the backup power supply. Unfortunately, even the fuse for the backup power supply had been burned. ¡°Dr. yton, bad news. The backup power supply is also faulty, the nurse reported ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± Dr. yton eximed *All the electrocardiogram, venttor, and catheter have stopped working, the mirse shouted anxiously. Joanna was also anxious: ¡°Doctor, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Call security. ¡°Tell the electrician to get the power back on.¡± Dr. yton instructed. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the intensive care unit immediately Chief Physician Smith said as he rushed Bruce into the intensive care unit with two other nurses. ¡°Perform CPR immediately lest the patient suffocates,¡± Bruce¡¯s injuries were too severe. He could no longer breathe and was supported by oxygen from a full- screen venttor ¡°What?¡± the nurses asked in shock. ¡°Let me do it!¡± Joanna volunteered without hesitation. She took a deep breath and quickly breathed into Bruce¡¯s lips to perform CPR on him. Joanna had learned resuscitation technique from a physical therapist some time ago. Now, the CPR skills came in handy. ¡°Hurry up and restore the electricity supply¡­¡± Joannamanded. A faint call for help came from the corridor again, ¡°Oh no, there¡¯s a fire. There¡¯s a fire. Extinguish the fire quickly!* ¡°How did this happen?¡± Joanna eximed. ¡®Get someone to put out the fire and call [191¡å In an instant, all the staff on duty were in chaos. Some were running for their lives, while others were trying to put out the fire¡­ Seeing that the fire was spreading to this floor, Mr. Lurk was terrified and asked, ¡°What should we do? Miss Haynes, this is an emergency. We need to evacuate immediately¡± Joanna retused decisively and said, ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave. Bruce, 1 won¡¯t give up on you. I will never give up on you.¡± As she spoke. Joanna ignored everyone and continued performing CPR on Bruce. Darcy and Carson quickly ordered the bodyguards to get busy. ¡°Hurry up and seal the windows and the doors with a wet. cloth. Don¡¯t let the smoke spread in ¡°Yes!¡± The bodyguards immediately sprinkled water on the bedsheets and sealed the windows and the doors. ¡°As the fire was not very strong, it would take a while before it spread to where they were, they thought. They could only hope that the firefighters would rush over and extinguish the fire as soon as possible. At the same time, Darcy and Carson, who previously trained as firefighters, quickly extinguished the fire with water hoses. 20 minutester. The fire was put out, and electricity in the building resumed. Joanna was already drenched in sweat by then. For the next 20 minutes, she did not dare to stop. She kept performing CPR on Bruce. Seeing that the equipment was working again, she was finally relieved.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 618 Chapter 618 Chapter 618 ¡°Cough, cough. Such thick smoke. Open the windows for venttion quickly!¡± Joanna said as she coughed and quickly. ordered someone to open the windows to disperse the smoke Darcy frowned and said. ¡°What¡¯s going on! Why is there a power outage? It must be intentional. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t we call the police for an investigation!¡± When Joanna heard this, she said calmly. ¡°Let¡¯s send our folks to investigate the reason behind the fire first¡± As Joanna spoke, Carson hurried over and reported, ¡°Miss Haynes, the billboard outside caught fire and burned the insted cotton inside. Someone upstairs must have thrown the cigarette butt on the billboard. As for the power outage, it was caused by the voltage fluctuation just now! It should be a coincidence.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard this. These two events seemed coincidental, but they were not pure coincidences. They were intentional. After all, she was already traumatized by the countless schemes plotted against her time and time again. She would always associate any events with assassination plots. ¡°From now on, you have to strengthen your security measures. No strangers are allowed to approach! Also, get the hospital director toe over immediately. Joanna instructed. ¡°Got it¡± the bodyguards responded before leaving the ward. Joanna quietly held Bruce¡¯s hand again and consoled him, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be 120% focused from now on and protect you well. I won¡¯t let anyone harm you. You have to work hard and wake up as soon as possible. Since so many people want you dead, you can¡¯t let them have their way. You have to be strong, do you hear me?¡± Bruce had already been connected to the venttor again. His eyes were closed, and he did not react. He was still handsome, but there was a four-to-five-inch scar from his left eyebrow to his temple. If he were not hooked up to a venttor, everyone would have thought he was sleeping Joanna could not help but gently caress the scar on his eyebrow. There was still an indescribable pain in her heart. In the past, even though this man mistreated her, she could not bear to be ruthless towards him! He had many faults, but¡­.. he also had a gentle side. He had good intentions, but his way of expressing himself was too overbearing for her. His possessiveness and desire for control made her feel constricted when she was with him. Loving him was as painful as being loved by him. Soon, the director received a call from the hospital. Upon hearing about the fire in the hospital, the director eximed, ¡°What? There¡¯s a fire in the hospital? And there was a ckout? ¡°Yes, the power outage almost killed Mr. Everett. Fortunately, the power was restored in time, and the fire was extinguished.¡± reported the other party on the other side of the line. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll rush to the hospital now!¡± the hospital director said as he hung up the phone. He made his way to the hospital immediately. The security guards and medical staff on duty were already gathered in the hall on the first floor, waiting for the director¡¯s instructions. The director looked at the medical staff. Many of them were still covered in dirt and burned medical equipment. He was somber and said. ¡°Investigate thoroughly and see what happened. Pull out the surveince footage immediately!¡± The head of security responded, ¡°Director, I just asked the security guard in the surveince room. He said that at 7:30 p.m., someone went over to upgrade the surveince camera software. He imed to have been sent by the hospital director. The surveince footage in the electrical room was not visible.¡± ¡°What? I didn¡¯t ask anyone to upgrade the surveince system at all,¡± the hospital director eximed. ¡°Al? Everyone said in shock when they heard that. The hospital director¡¯s scalp tingled as he asked anxiously, ¡°What does that person look like?* The security guard in the surveince room stammered, ¡°He was wearing a work cap and mask. He was about 5.5 feet tall and had a medium build. 1-1 didn¡¯t see his appearance clearly¡­¡± ¡°Then how was he able to touch the surveince cameras?¡± the hospital director questioned. The security guard was terrified and tried to exin, ¡°He had a note from the director and our hospital¡¯s work pass. ] assumed he was sent by the director!¡± The security guard and Kensley worked in the same hospital. However, the hospital was big and had ten floors. Kensley and the security guard held different positions. It was natural for them to not know each other. ¡°Director, Miss Haynes is furious and wants you to send someone to investigate the incident immediately.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± said the hospital director. The hospital director inmediately went to look for Joanna to apologize. ¡°Miss Haynes, this matter has serious implications. We should not make a big deal out of it for now and investigate in private to avoid alerting the enemy,¡± said the hospital director. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna responded. A doctor said somberly, ¡®Director, could it be Mr. Everett¡¯s archenemy?¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. I think so. People from higher socioeconomic status are tooplicated. Those assassinations and murders are everywhere, the hospital director responded ¡°But who would do that?¡± ¡°It must have been Mr. Everett¡¯spetitor or enemy, the hospital director concluded. Joanna frowned when she heard that. Bruce had a bad temper and was arrogant and conceited. He naturally offended many Given his position, many wanted him dead. Although this matter did not blow up, it was still reported in the news. A group of reporters rushed over after catchung wind of the incident. The hospital director was about to return home after he was done with his work. Seven or eight reporters surrounded him unexpectedly the moment he left the hospital. ¡°Was there a fire at Greyport Hospital just now? Were there any casualties? Were any patients affected? It seemed like the electricity in the entire building was cut off just now. What¡¯s going on? This has never happened before. Was this intentional?¡± the reporters asked one after another. The director was overwhelmed and wanted to get into the car quickly. ¡°Oh, the incident is still under investigation. It¡¯s not convenient to reveal the exact details for the time being. I can tell everyone that there were no casualties. In the future, we will increase security precautions. Thank you for the concern With that, the director hurriedly got into the car. Although the danger was averted, the incident kept Joanna and the bodyguards on their toes. Over the next few days, they became even more careful with the people entering and leaving the hospital. The number of bodyguards on duty doubled. Kensley felt even more dejected when he saw this! Although no one traced the incident back to him, it was difficult for him to find another opportunity to kill Bruce. In the staff dining hall. While the head nurse was getting her food, she bumped into the distracted Kensley again. ¡°Doctor Leach, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so distracted these two days?¡± Kensley smiled and replied, ¡°My wife is about to give birth. I¡¯m nervous.¡± The head nurse smiled knowingly andforted him, ¡°Ah, I understand. After all, you¡¯re going to be a new father! By the way, have you booked the delivery ward?¡± ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s already booked!¡± Kensley replied. The head nurse smiled again and consoled Kensley, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Just take it easy. All new parents go through this¡± ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± Kensley replied with a weak smile. Chapter 619 Chapter 619 Chapter 619 As they were talking¡­ The phone vibrated in his pocket. The phone rang like an explosion. Seeing the name on the phone, Kensley was so shocked that he almost dropped the te of rice in his hand. Kensley hurriedly put down his te and walked to a secluded corner to answer the call, ¡°Hi¡­¡± Pete¡¯s sinister voice could be heard on the other end, ¡°Doctor Learh, it¡¯s already the fifth day today. How¡¯s the progress?¡± Kensley felt his scalp tingle. He stammered, ¡°Mr. Logan, can you talk to President Yanice on my behalf? Please give me a few more days. Ive already made a move a few days ago. I was almost discovered. I don¡¯t have any chance of making another move now. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll think of something better. Ill work.¡± Pete hesitated for a few moments before saying. Alright, I¡¯ll give you another five days! If you still can¡¯t settle it, you know the consequences!¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I know, I know!¡± Kensley assured Pete. After hanging up. Kensley was covered inyers of sweat. In the afternoon, he was not in the mood to work. He could only take sick leave and rush home feeling uneasy. Now that the people around Bruce were on high alert, Kensley could not find a chance to kill him. Meanwhile, Marlowe was pressuring him again. ¡°I should just run away with my wife,¡± Kensley thought. Back home. Without a word, Kensley dragged out his suitcase and ced his passport and bank card inside, ¡°Hubby, why are you off work so early today? Why are you packing your things?¡± Kensley¡¯s wife was stunned and looked at her husband in confusion Kensley could not be bothered to exin. He urged his wife anxiously, ¡°Honey, let¡¯s pack up quickly. We¡¯ll leave Greyport today. Hurry up and put your passport and valuables in! We¡¯ll go to Pedrana for a while first!¡± Kensley¡¯s wife was shocked when she heard this. She thought that there must be something wrong with her husband. ¡°Hubby, are you running a high fever today? If you leave Greyport, what will happen to your work? What will happen to our home?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about that for now. Right now, our priority is to stay alive, Kensley said as he packed a few new clothes. ¡°Pack your things!¡± ¡°Honey, what happened?¡± Kensley¡¯s wife continued asking. ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore. In short, it¡¯s a very tricky matter! If we don¡¯t leave now, it¡¯ll be toote¡­¡± Kensley retorted. As he spoke, the doorbell rang. *Ding dong, ding dong¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone at the door. I¡¯ll open it!¡± Kensley¡¯s wife said. Kensley quickly went forward to hold his wife back. ¡°No, don¡¯t open the door¡­¡± ¡°Dear, what¡¯s wrong with you? I just ordered food delivery. It must be here.¡± Kensley¡¯s wife replied. With that she shook her husband¡¯s hand off and went to open the door. The security door opened. Two tall and well-built men in suits stood outside the door. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kensley¡¯s wife asked. Pete chuckled, ¡°Oh, we¡¯re friends of Doctor Leach¡± ¡°Oh,e on in then!¡± Kensley¡¯s wife invited. Pete and the other man strolled in. Kensley happened to walk out of the room with his suitcase. When their eyes met, Kensley was stunned. ¡°Doctor Leach, why are you going out sote at night?¡± Pete asked. ¡°Oh, no, no¡­¡± Kensley muttered. Kensley¡¯s wife still did not know what had happened. She enthusiastically poured sses of water for them and told the two, ¡°Sit down and have a ss of water!¡± ¡°Thank you, Sister-inw. You¡¯re quite pretty. You¡¯re seven months pregnant, right?¡± Pete smiled sinisterly while asking. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Kensley¡¯s wife replied. ¡°Congrattions!¡± Pete responded. ¡°Thank you!¡± Kensley¡¯s wife said. ¡°Mr. Logan, why don¡¯t¡­ we talk outside!¡± Kensley stammered. ¡°No need. We just came to see you and Sister-inw. I didn¡¯t expect Sister-inw to be so beautiful.¡± Pete replied. A trace of fear appeared in Kensley¡¯s eyes. He was at a loss for words ¡°L, L¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem? Or is it too difficult for you toplete?¡± Pete said. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Kensley tried to assure Pete ¡°Honey, what are you talking about? Kensley¡¯s wife asked. 10 Pete continued to smile sinisterly, ¡°Oh, we¡¯re discussing surgery with Doctor Leach. Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Doctor Leach¡¯s medical skills are superb ¡°Go to your room first. I have something to discuss with my friend. Kensley instructed. ¡£ ¡°Oh, okay¡­ Kensley¡¯s wife said as she quickly went into the room, even though she was at loss. Her husband¡¯s expression did not look good. ¡°Doctor Leach, are you trying to y tricks? Pete hollered. ¡°I think of a way this time. Please believe me and give me another chance. I¡¯m begging you to give me another chance. I¡¯ll think of a good idea,¡± Kensley said as he knelt on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t try any more tricks. We¡¯re watching you at all times. We¡¯ll know if anything happens to you.¡± Pete warned. ¡°Yes, yes, I understand!¡± Kensley tried to assure Pete. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Petemanded his man as they walked away. Pere had sessfully intimidated Kensley into obedience. Kensley¡¯s wife came out of the room and felt uneasy. She asked, ¡®Hubby, who are they? Did you commit a crime? Tell me quickly!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay! I can handle it, Kensley tried to assure his wife. ¡°Really?¡± his wife asked. Kensley smiled at his wife andforted her. ¡°Yes, you just have to take care of the baby. Don¡¯t think too much about everything else.* At the hospital. Joanna was about to enter the intensive care unit to talk to Bruce. Carson hurried over and reported. ¡®Miss Haynes, Mr. Lurk and his wife are here again.¡± When Joanna heard thus, she grew somber and said, ¡°Why are they here again?¡± ¡°They brought many others with them. It looks like they¡¯re going to cause trouble,¡± Carson replied. Just as they were talking¡­. Liam, L, and their son, Evan, brought arge group to the hospital. ¡°What are you nning to do with so many people?¡± Joanna asked. L pursed her lips and said coldly, ¡®Joanna Haynes, we¡¯re here today to negotiate!¡± ¡°I have nothing to say to you,¡± Joanna responded. ¡°After what happened at the hospital yesterday, you¡¯re still acting like nothing happened.¡± L chuckled. ¡°Bruce¡¯s life cannot be taken care of by you. We¡¯re here today to personally take over the task of providing care for Bruce.¡± When Joanna heard this, she somberly said, ¡®Impossible. Other than me, no one else will be responsible for taking care of ¡°Joanna Haynes, don¡¯t assume we don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking! Bruce is already in a vegetative state. He won¡¯t wake up. You¡¯re all over Bruce now to inherit his assets,¡± L hollered. Liam also took a tough stance and said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯ve already decided to raise Bruce¡¯s three children on his behalf. Also, I¡¯ll be in charge of taking care of him from now on. Now, please leave the hospital quickly. I¡¯ll get awyer to send you a letterter.¡± Joanna frowned and shouted furiously, ¡°Who told you that Bruce is in a vegetative state? He¡¯s recovering very well now and will wake up soon.¡± ¡°Who are you kidding? Do you think we¡¯re three-year-olds? We¡¯ve already asked the doctor. The chances of Bruce waking up are slim. He will never wake up in this lifetime. We have to make ns for him and his children. We can¡¯t let you benefit for nothing. Chapter 620 Chapter 620 Chapter 620 ¡°I¡¯m warning you, this is a hospital. Stop being unreasonable.¡± L had been at a disadvantagest time. This time, she purposely brought arge group of people. She was more confident and ced her hands on her waist, provoking, ¡°Joanna, who do you think you are? What right do you have to take care of Bruce?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re divorced. You don¡¯t have a rtionship with him. Don¡¯t be unreasonable here.¡± Joanna choked in anger. ¡°Bruce and I are divorced, but everyone knows our rtionship.¡± ¡°Ha, what business do you have with each other? All I know is that you didn¡¯t remarry, Legally, you¡¯re strangers.¡± ¡°My husband is Mr. Everett¡¯s biological uncle. Surely, he has the right to take care of him and take over everything When Joanna heard this, she angrily gritted his teeth. Some time ago, in an attempt to win back Joanna¡¯s heart, Bruce advertised his affection for Joanna throughout Greyport. Even a fool knew how much Mr. Everett cared about his ex-wife. Now that Bruce was in a situation, Liam and his wife came out of nowhere to cause trouble. Who wouldn¡¯t know what they were up to? However, ording to thew, as a rtive of Bruce, Liam indeed had more control andmand than Joanna. ¡°Mr. Lurk, Bruce is currently in the critical stages of recovery. I advise you not to be difficult. This will affect his recovery.¡± Liam puffed out his chest and pretended to be serious. ¡°For the sake of Bruce, we¡¯re here to pick him up today.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted another hospital for him. I will transfer him to another hospital because I¡¯m worried about him being treated here.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was speechless. ¡°Mr. Lurk, this is Greyport¡¯s leading hospital. The doctors here are the best surgical experts. ¡°Apart from that, I¡¯ve also hired a team of foreign surgical experts. Now you¡¯re telling me you will transfer him to another hospital?¡± ¡°What top quality do they have here? I don¡¯t trust this hospital. I want to transfer him to a private hospital. The doctors there are the best.¡± Joanna stomped her feet in anger. ¡°Did I hear incorrectly? You want to transfer him to a private hospital?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t §Õ§à too far with this. Bruce would never agree.¡± L sneered. ¡°Bruce is in this state. It¡¯s all because of this doctor you found to treat him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why his injuries are getting worse. Don¡¯t think that we don¡¯t know what your motive is. You just want to kill Bruce to embezzle his assets!¡± ¡°Shut up. No one in this world wants him to get better than me! Stop ndering me. I¡¯m not trying to be rude to you.¡± ¡°What? Do you still want to fight? Try doing that again!¡± ¡°Well, Bruce has been treated but is still in this state. He surely can¡¯t make a decision. If Bruce wakes up treated him so viciously, he will not let you off.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and clenched her fists. ¡°I told you, Bruce is recovering well. He will wake up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to us. Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re simply trying to use Bruce¡¯s illness to try and pocket his assets! Perhaps Bruce has already¡­.¡± Joanna could not take it anymore. ¡®Darcy, kick them out!¡± When Darcy and Carson heard the order, and immediately chased them out. ¡°Get out quickly.¡± and knows you Liam instantly flew into a rage. He called out to the group of bodyguards and his hooligan friends behind him. ¡°What are you guys going to do?¡± ¡°What do you want? I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t touch mel¡± Liam and L came prepared this time. They brought about thirty to forty people with them. With so many people, the entire hospital corridor was filled! ¡°We¡¯re going to take Bruce away now. We can¡¯t let him fall into the hands of someone like you!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go in there!¡± Carson and Darcy fought, and the people in the front row were instantly knocked out. Although Darcy and the others were a dozen people, it did not take them more than five minutes to deal with this motley crowd. ¡°They¡¯re beating them up. They¡¯re beating them up. All of you, attack. Don¡¯t let them be too rampant.¡± ¡°Crackle¡­¡± ¡°Thump¡­ Crack¡­¡± The two groups of people started fighting. The corridor instantly became chaotic, and many people fell into a heap on the floor. The nurse¡¯s desk was overturned. A few nurses were so frightened they hid in the ward. ¡°Hurry up and call the security office. Get all the security guards here!¡± ¡°Hurry up and call the police. There¡¯s a gang fight!¡± Momentster! The security chief rushed over with a group of security guards. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Some people hurriedly called the police. When the security chief arrived with his men, he was stunned by the scene before him. Those in ck suits beat those not wearing suits until they wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves. All of them were injured. With all themotions, Darcy and Carson held back and did not kill anyone. Liam¡¯s people would have been beaten to death if they hadn¡¯t. ¡°Stop fighting, stop fighting. Let¡¯s talk things out!¡± The security chief didn¡¯t enter the fight and only tried to stop it. ¡°We called the police. They¡¯ll be here soon Stop it!¡± ¡°Darcy, stop fighting!¡± When Darcy heard this, he waved his hand and stopped his subordinates. Liam¡¯s 30 to 40 people were all injured and bruised. Chapter 621 Chapter 621 Chapter 621 L and Liam were even more angry and anxious. Bruce¡¯s bodyguards were not to be underestimated. They had brought so many bodyguards, but they were all knocked out. Even Liam had received two blows to the neck. Half his face was as swollen high. Joanna looked at Mr. and Mrs. Miller coldly and said rigidly, ¡°Regardless of whomever¡¯s rtion to Bruce, I won¡¯t allow anyone to take him away. If you know what¡¯s good for you, leave quickly.¡± Liam and L were so angry that they panted heavily when they heard this. It seemed impossible to take Bruce away by force. Bruce¡¯s bodyguards had excellent fighting skills. The over 30 people they brought were useless against them. Even if they got 300 or 400 people, Bruce¡¯s bodyguards would defeat them all. ¡°Joanna, what right do you have to stop us from taking Bruce? You must be guilty. How is Bruce doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still recovering. If y U make a scene now, it¡¯ll affect his recovery!¡± ¡°Hmph, to put it bluntly, Bruce has been like this. There is now he will recover well!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see him now and ask the doctor toe. We want to ask him in person!¡± ¡°I told you, he¡¯s recovering very well. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Joanna, aren¡¯t you going too far? You don¡¯t want us to take him, and now you don¡¯t even want us to see him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why can¡¯t we see him? Bruce is my cousin. I have the right to know his recovery!¡± ¡°When he gets a little better. I¡¯ll let you see him. Right now, he is still unstable. You can¡¯t go in and disturb him.¡± L pursed her lips. ¡°Ha, didn¡¯t you just say he was recovering very well? Why are you switching and saying he is unstable?¡± At this moment, the hospital director and the police arrived, A police officer said sternly, ¡°What are you all doing? Why are you fighting?¡± ¡°Oh, this is a personal conflict!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fight here, whether or not it¡¯s a private conflict. Everyone, go to the police station.¡± ¡°This group here and that group over there. All of you go to the police station.¡± ¡°Director, you came at the right time. What¡¯s going on with Mr. Everett? Can he wake up or not? Tell me!¡± ¡°Uh, about that! It¡¯s hard to say at the moment. It depends on his recovery in the next few days.¡± When L heard this, she became even more aggressive. ¡°Look, the director says he is uncertain, yet you still lie to us!¡± ¡°We have to get to the bottom of this today. In front of the police. No matter what, we have to know the truth about Mr. Everett.¡± When the director heard this, he looked troubled and said carefully, ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t we let them go in and take a look at Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Mr. Miller is Mr. Everett¡¯s biological uncle. He has the right to know about Mr. Everett¡¯s condition.¡± Joanna thought for a few seconds andpromised. ¡®Alright then!¡± ¡°You must be careful. Don¡¯t make too much noise.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t need you to remind me.¡± The hospital director found surgical gowns and disinfected them before bringing them into the ward. Crack! The door of the ward was pushed open. Liam and L did not care. They could not wait to enter the intensive care unit! On the hospital bed! Bruce was still lying lifelessly. There was a venttor in his nose, an IV drip in his left arm, and a nutrient solution in his right arml His chest was connected to an electrocardiogram and a catheter. It was clear that he was on the verge of death. ¡°Look, what did I say? Mr. Everett won¡¯t wake up at all. You¡¯re taking care of Bruce now because you want to control his empire! Let me tell you. No way will that happen!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more furious. ¡°He¡¯s still breathing. He¡¯s still conscious. He¡¯ll definitely wake up!¡± ¡°Mr. Miller, he¡¯s your nephew. I believe you hope he wakes up! If you take him away now, you¡¯ll risk his life!¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Joanna, I don¡¯t like what you¡¯re saying! Bruce is my nephew. Of course, I want him to be well! ¡°I¡¯m picking him up now to find a better hospital. I don¡¯t want to watch him die!¡± When Joanna heard this, she sternly rejected it, saying. ¡°No, he¡¯s seriously injured now. He can¡¯t be transferred!¡± ¡°You think we can¡¯t do it just because you say so? Let me tell you, Bruce has no parents, no siblings, and no other rtives. Now that his life is in danger, all his funeral matters should be handled by his uncle!¡± *Don¡¯t say anything else. No matter what you do, I won¡¯t let him transfer to another hospital.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to you. We can¡¯t put Bruce¡¯s life in your hands¡­¡± Liam and L said aggressively. When she turned around, she suddenly saw Bruce¡¯s eyes open. Chapter 622 Chapter 622 Chapter 622 His eyes were dark and sullen. They looked empty. He looked like an average person who had opened his eyes and was lying on the bed ¡°Aaah ¡°L was so frightened she hastily backed up a few steps as also ambfounded The nerves at the corner of his lips twitched uncontrobly. Ahh Bruce You¡¯re awake aken his uncle seriously. let alone his aunt, who wo about his age Bruce had nev They had the nerve to be arrogani because they believed Bruce would die. Now that he had woken up, they were scared out of their wits. When Bruce lost his temper, no one could stand up to him. Right now, he would have been particrly annoyed by his uncle It was likely that Mr and Mrs. Miller wouldpletely disappear from Greyport after causing such a stir Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She rushed forward to check ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re awake! Are you awake? I knew you would wake up.¡± As Joanna spoke, she hugged him excitedly. Her eyes instantly turned red Thest few days were tough, and she was on the verge of breaking down. Thank goodness Bruce was finally awake. When Bruce came to his senses, Joanna quickly called for the doctor outside ¡°Doctor,e in quickly. The patient is awake¡± When the hospital director and Mr. yton heard this, they rushed in to take a look As expected. Bruce¡¯s eyes had already opened when they entered the ward ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s eyes are open. That¡¯s great. It means that he¡¯s recovering well. Let¡¯s quickly give him another detailed physical examination to see how much consciousness Mr. Everett has regained?¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go prepare the equipment now¡± The other doctors rushed into action. ¡°You can leave now!¡± Liam saw this and broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°Ah, this ¡± ¡°Since Bruce is awake, that¡¯s great. We well leave L was so frightened that her face turned pale She stammered, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. As long as Mr. Everett is fine, we are relieved¡± Without the slightest hesitation, the two scurried out of the ward like rabbits. In the past. L would have needed the courage to show her face before Bruce. Now that he was awake, she was even more frightened Joanna looked at the doctor excitedly and worriedly ¡°Doctor, how is he? Will he wake up soon?¡± Ten minutester. The doctor finished examining Bruce Jordan¡¯s tone was solemn ¡°Uh. Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be too optimistic! Mr. Everett opening his eyes was just a conditioned ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean that he has regained consciousness Sometimes, the human nerves will react on their owns. It was a normal physiological phenomenon¡± Tve just examined Mr. Everett He hasn¡¯t regained consciousness yet. In medical terms, he¡¯s not awake¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s all it was Joanna heard this and felt disappointed again! She had just seen Bruce open his eyes She was thrilled and thought he had woken up. After the doctor¡¯s exnation, her heart sank again. But it was good. At least it scared off the couple. Honestly, she did how to deal with them. Joanna, don¡¯t be discouraged. This is also a good ugn. It proves that Mr. Everett s nerve activity is very high. There will be other physiological reactionster on Drooling and crying for example, are all normal physiological reaction¡± Joanna listened to the doctor¡¯s exnation, and her eyespletely dimmed ¡°Doctor, when will he wake up?¡± Jordan frowned. ¡°I¡¯s hard to say Mr Everett¡¯s brain has already absorbed the umted blood. However, the damage (i his brain is severe. He needs to be treated slowly and recover slowly.¡± ¡°Even if Mr. Everett wakes up, it¡¯s probably going to be¡­.¡± ¡°What do you reckon?¡± Jordan took a deep breath and said solemnly. ¡°I just exined that Mr. Everett underwent a craniotomy. No matter how sessful the surgery was, there is no way to avoid damaging some of the nerves in the brain.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s brain would probably still be affected, causing some after-effects. When Joanna heard this, her heart sank again. She asked worriedly. ¡°What after-effects will there be?¡± ¡°Usually, a loss of memory. It¡¯s also possible that his intelligence will decline. We can only confirm everything when Mr. Everett wakes up.¡± ¡­Alright! I understand.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll head out then. The doctor did not say anything else. He packed up his equipment and left the ward. After the doctors left. Joanna sadly sat beside Bruce. She gently stroked his cheek. ¡°Bruce, when will you wake up?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up soon, I won¡¯t be able to hold out much longer.¡± Joanna then held his hand and gently turned it. She gave him a massage and moved his knuckles. Then, she ced his hand on her stomach. ¡°Our baby is almost three months bulging. She was gradually showing signs of pregnancy. ¡°Bruce, can you wake up so and will be moving soon. Don¡¯t you want to hear it?¡± Joanna¡¯s abdomen was slightly Look, as soon as something happened to you, everyone rushed to abuse us. Do you want us to be harassed? Please wake up; you need to protect us.¡± Bruce closed his eyes again and returned to his previous lifeless appearance. On the other side! Kensley was still overwhelmed and anxious. Three more days went by. If Marlowe didn¡¯t take action soon, he would run out of time. Since the fire at the hospital and the chaotic arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Joanna tightened security and brought more bodyguards to guard the hospital. He could not find any opportunity to attack.. Early in the morning. Kensley came to her office as usual. On the surface, she looked calm and collected, but deep down, her thoughts were scrambling. Just as she began to feel anxious. The director¡¯s voice suddenly came from outside the office. ¡°The gene regeneration shot is here. Hurry up and inject Mr. Everett.¡± Jordan quickly replied, ¡°Alright, Director¡­¡± When Kensley heard this, she quickly stood up and left the office. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Wow, Director, what does this gene regeneration shot do?¡± Mr. yton and a few other specialists had already brought over the frozen box containing the gene regeneration shots, This gene regeneration shot was a high-tech extraction of active gene cells. It had to be imported because the local medical technology had not yet advanced to that level. ¡°Why is it so expensive?¡± Because the expiration date will be in two days. Extracting one dose required thousands of living organisms. Moreover, because the expiration period was so short, there was no way to mass-produce it. It had to be stored in the cold storage box because it took more than ten hours to transport it from Melta. This type of treatment was not something ordinary people could afford because it was worth over 20 dors per shot. ¡°We need to inject Mr. Everett now. Hurry up and prepare. ¡°It¡¯s ready. Chapter 623 Chapter 623 Chapter 623 Jordan and the nurse were about to give Bruce the injection. Kensley hurriedly chased after him. ¡°Mr. yton, Mr. yton, please wait a moment.¡± ¡°What is the matter?¡± Kensley smiled awkwardly and subconsciously looked at the cooler. ¡°Um, is the gene regeneration shot inside?¡± Jordan nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Jordan, I have a request. I¡­ Can I watch from the side and see how you operate? After all, I¡¯ve never personally used such an expensive medicine on a patient!¡±, When Jordan heard that, he had no doubts and nodded without thinking. ¡°Yes, sure.¡± After all, they were all colleagues, and Kensley was also someone he had taught. It was a legitimate request for him to learn and observe. ¡°That¡¯s great. Thank you, Mr. yton. Thank you, Mr. yton.¡± Kensley bowed three times in a row with a grateful. expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all colleagues. There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± At the intensive care unit. Jordan led Kensley and four nurses to Bruce¡¯s ward. ¡°Get the syringe.¡± ¡°Disinfect. Rx his muscles.¡± When the nurse heard that, she quickly took out iodine and disinfected the ce where Bruce was going to be injected. Jordan and a few other experts carefully opened the cooler and operated it meticulously. That was over 200 thousand dors apiece! If they identally spilled it, there was no way they could pay for it. Soon, Jordan sucked the liquid into a special syringe and injected it into Bruce concentratedly. Kensley stood at the side and watched in a daze. From N?velDrama.Org. He hoped Jordan¡¯s hand would tremble and identally inject the liquid into Bruce¡¯s muscles. Unfortunately, he knew that was impossible. Jordan had been a doctor for so many years. It was impossible for him to make such a low-level mistake. ¡°When you inject the patient in the future, you must remember that the syringe must be inserted into the vein. There can¡¯t be any mistakes, or the patient¡¯s life will be in danger¡­¡± Upon hearing that, a thought shed across Kensley¡¯s mind, and light gradually gathered under his eyes. Although he couldn¡¯t mess things up and couldn¡¯t touch Bruce, he could tamper with the syringe. That kind of gic regeneration cell was actually a kind of poison. If it was injected into the muscles instead of the blood, it would produce a chemical reaction, causing the patient¡¯s entire body to stiffen and suffocate to death. ¡°The injection isplete. The few of you, pay attention to the patient¡¯s vital signs.¡± The head nurse nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. yton!¡± Jordan did not notify anything else. He casually said to Kensley, ¡°Then let¡¯s go out.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Kensley quickly hid the gloominess in his eyes and followed Jordan out. ¡°You¡¯ve learned it, right? It¡¯s actually very simple. It¡¯s not much different from ordinary injections. It¡¯s just that you have to be especially careful¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mr. yton! I¡¯ll treat you to a meal another day.¡± ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. We¡¯re all colleagues.¡± Kensley smiled shyly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to the office first. Let¡¯s eat together another day.¡± ¡°Okay, okay Kensley returned to the office. His mind was racing again. How could he get his hands on those special syringes? ¡°How can I get those syringes and put them back without anyone knowing?¡± Kensley thought about it for an entire morning, but he still had no clue. Those special syringes were all in the infirmary and were personally kept by the head nurse. When they were needed, the head nurse would go and get them. If he rashly asked for those syringes, it would definitely arouse the head nurse¡¯s suspicion. Moreover, he still had to tamper with the syringes before putting them back. It would be even more difficult not to be discovered. At noon. Kensley was thinking uneasily. The office door was suddenly pushed open and the head nurse stuck her head in. ¡°Doctor Leach, it¡¯s time for lunch.¡± Every day during lunch, the head nurse woulde over and warmly call out to him. Kensley was stunned and stared at the head nurse. The head nurse was a woman in herte forties. She was short and plump, and her facial features were not very good-looking. However, she had a cheerful personality and was happy with everyone. Especially towards Kensley, she was even more enthusiastic. Sometimes, he wondered if the head nurse was interested in him. However, there was a ten-year gap between their ages. Moreover, they were both married. Therefore, although he had suspected it, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. But now¡­ Perhaps he could try a honey trap. ¡°Are you free tonight?¡± Kensley¡¯s eyes were filled with mncholy as he looked at the head nurse very sincerely. The head nurse was stunned. She looked at Kensley in disbelief. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kensley forced a smile and braced himself. ¡°I. I want to ask you out for a meal!¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me out for dinner?¡± The head nurse¡¯s eyes lit up, and her cheeks turned slightly red! ¡°Yes! Can I?¡± The head nurse chuckled again. ¡°Doctor Leach, what¡¯s wrong? Why did you suddenly think of asking me out for a meal?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just¡­ not in a good mood. I want to talk to someone!¡± ¡°Did you quarrel with your wife?¡± The head nurse¡¯s eyes were filled with concern. Chapter 624 Chapter 624 Chapter 624 Kensley got an idea when he heard that. He was even more certain that the head nurse was indeed interested in him. In particr, the head nurse¡¯s husband had been paralyzed for many years, and she had had no sexual life. On the other hand, Kensley looked decent and had a strong figure. A middle-aged woman whocked sexual life faced such a handsome young man every day. Even if she could not get him, she was still pleased. Now that the handsome young man had taken the initiative to ask her out for a meal, her heart fluttered even more. ¡°Sigh, don¡¯t mention it. I can¡¯t go on anymore. I think¡­ we¡¯re going to get a divorce soon.¡± Kensley deliberately said in disappointment, looking sad and lonely. Generally, men who wanted to cheat would describe their marriage as all kinds of misfortunes, thus attracting the sympathy of women. But in reality, that was simply a trick they used to deal with their prey. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you after work tonight.¡± Kensley gave the head nurse an ambiguous smile. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± The head nurse¡¯s ears turned slightly red, and a hint of a young girl¡¯s shyness appeared on her face. After all, it had been a long time since a man had asked her out for a meal. Moreover, it was a handsome young man who was ten years younger than her. At half past six in the evening, the head nurse finally got off work. After changing her clothes, she specially put on some light makeup. Kensley was already waiting in the parking lot. When he saw the head nurse, he quickly got out of the car and opened the door for her like a gentleman. ¡°Get in the car.¡± The head nurse smiled shyly and got into the passenger seat. ¡°Not bad, Mr. Leach. You¡¯re already driving a BMW.¡± Kensley stuiled awkwardly. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s second-hand. It didn¡¯t cost much.¡± The head nurse looked around the car and said, ¡°No way. This car looks quite new. It doesn¡¯t look secondhand.¡± Kensley¡¯s eyes shed, but he did not reply. He extorted nine million dors from Roxanne. After buying the house, he bought a BMW. He originally wanted to buy a more expensive car, but he had to go to work every day. He did not dare to buy a top-notch car to avoid attracting attention. However, that was already enviable enough. ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡± ¡°Anything is fine. You¡¯re in charge.¡± Kensley suppressed his unwillingness and suggested. ¡°Then let¡¯s go have seafood.¡± When the head nurse heard that, she looked at Kensley in shock. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that too expensive?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare for me to treat you to a meal. So be it.¡± ¡°Haha, did Doctor Leach strike it rich?¡± Kensley smiled awkwardly. ¡°Tve wanted to treat you to a meal for a long time, but I never had the chance.¡± and The head nurse did not refuse. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on with your wife? Your wife is very beautiful! She¡¯s young capable.¡± When Kensley heard that, he quickly picked up the conversation and poured out his grievances. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. She¡¯s just a pretty face. She doesn¡¯t know how to be considerate to men at all. Her temper is so bad, and she doesn¡¯t know how to do anything.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not as gentle and understanding as you. Whoever marries you is really lucky.¡± When the head nurse heard that, her face turned even redder. It had been a long time since someone had praised her like that. Twenty minutester, Kensley brought the head nurse to a high-end sushi bar. Eating sushi meant that apart from them being expensive, the quantity was also extremely small. That was especially the case in that kind of high-end sushi bar. Two people would not spend less than a couple hundred dors. ¡°Come, you must eat well today¡± Kensley deliberately ordered the most expensive seafood set meal. There were king crabs, geoducks, Australian dragon sashimi, and special oysters. Looking at the table full of expensive seafood, the head nurse was dumbfounded. It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t eaten before, but she didn¡¯t expect to treat her to such an expensive meal. She thought it was just a few dishes. She didn¡¯t expect it to be so expensive. ¡°Bring another bottle of red wine!¡± The head nurse quickly shook her head to stop him. ¡°No, you have to driveter. Don¡¯t order anymore¡­¡± ¡°How can that do? Without red wine, I feel like I¡¯mcking something!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t drink. You have to driveter!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. At most, we¡¯ll take a taxi back.¡± Then, Kensley ordered another bottle of Lafite¡­ ¡°Cheers, Mary¡± When the head nurse heard him call her name, her face turned even redder. ¡°Cheers!¡± An hourter, after finishing a bottle of red wine. Kensley ordered another bottle of sake. ¡°I can¡¯t drink anymore. I really can¡¯t¡± ¡°Apany me? Have another drink with me One ss after another¡­ Kensley continuously chugged the head nurse! The two of them drank from eight o¡¯clock until ten o¡¯clock. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. They should be closing up. We really should go back -Kensley stood up unsteadily. ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± After settling the bill, the two of them walked out of the sushi bar drunk. ¡°Mr. Leach, you can¡¯t drive. Let me take you home!¡± ¡°Mary, I don¡¯t want to go home. I don¡¯t want to go home. I¡¯d rather face you than my wife!¡± Kensley said as he hugged her shoulder under the influence of alcohol. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The head nurse was even more confused and didn¡¯t refuse. She eximed, ¡°Mr. Leach, you¡¯re really drunk!¡¯ Kensley repeated, ¡°Anyway, we can go anywhere. I just don¡¯t want to go home!¡± ¡°Yes, I have an apartment nearby. Why don¡¯t you go there and rest for a while to sober up before going home?¡± *Alright!¡± Soon, the head nurse took him to an apartment nearby. Although the head nurse¡¯s marriage was unfortunate, her career was very smooth. As the head nurse of thergest hospital in Greyport, her sry and employee benefits were very decent. Hence, she even bought an apartment here and asionally went back to stay! Back at the apartment. ¡°Mary, like you!¡± ¡°Doctor Leach, you¡¯re really drunk.¡± Kensley took the opportunity while he was drunk and pushed the head nurse onto the bed. The head nurse was half-reluctant. She had not slept with someone for many years and was actually looking forward to it. Anyway, she was so many years older than him. Even if she did that with him, she did not feel she had been taken advantage of Kensley fully activated his honey trap and used all his techniques. After an intense night¡­. The head nurse had never felt so satisfied before. Her throat hurt from shouting.. She was subdued by Kensley¡­. Chapter 625 Chapter 625 Chapter 625 When he woke up in the morning, Kensley pretended to look guilty and apologized to the head nurse, ¡°Mary, I¡¯m sorry. L¡­ I was drunkst night!¡± The head nurse looked shy as she snuggled into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not ming you¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t felt like this in a long time. Kensley, you¡¯re amazing. As she spoke, the head nurse was as shy as a young girl and covered her head with the nket. Kensley frowned slightly and felt disgusted. He had tried his best to get himself half-drunk the day before. Otherwise, he really wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything when facing a middle-aged woman like the head nurse. ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t me me. L.. really like you too much, so¡­ Kensley stammered as he coaxed the head nurse. Only by coaxing her would he have a way to tamper with the needle. Otherwise, he would never do it with a woman who was more than ten years older than him. The head nurse smiled shyly. She believed that Kensley liked her. She said considerately, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ruin your family. I¡¯m already very happy that we can go out for a date asionally.¡± Kensley smiled at her and kissed her cheek. ¡°Mary, you¡¯re so nice¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s almost time to go to work.¡± The two of them cuddled on the bed for a while before getting up to freshen up. When he washed up. Kensley¡¯s waist was extremely sore, and his legs were a little weak as well. In order to impress the head nurse, he put in a lot of effort. After washing up, it was almost time for work They got on the way to the hospital. Beep, beep, beep! Kensley¡¯s phone rang Kensley panicked and quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, baby.¡± His wife¡¯s gentle voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, hubby!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe backst night?¡± ¡°Oh, there was an emergency surgeryst night thatsted until thetter half of the night. I was afraid I would disturb your sleep, so I snuggled up in the office and didn¡¯t go home.¡± ¡°Is that so? That must be tough, right?¡± Kensley¡¯s wife did not suspect anything else. After all, her husband was the associate chief surgeon and often worked overtime to perform surgeries. ¡°Oh, a little!¡± ¡°So where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going out to buy some breakfast. After that, I¡¯ll go back to the hospital.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± After hanging up, Kensley heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt a little guilty. Fortunately, his wife was more innocent and believed his words without a doubt. Any suspicious woman would not be fooled so easily. The head nurse was a little jealous. ¡°Your wife called to check on you?¡± Kensley reacted and quickly changed his expression. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m so annoyed. She is so controlling and doesn¡¯t understand how tiring it is for a man to earn money to support his family. You¡¯re still the best. You have a career and a job. You¡¯re independent and won¡¯t burden a man.¡± Those words hit the nail on the head. The only thing the head nurse could offer was her financial independence. ¡°Let the take you to work.¡± ¡°Put me down at the intersection ahead. Don¡¯t let your colleagues see you, lest others gossip. It won¡¯t be good for you.¡± ¡°Mary, you¡¯re so sweet.¡± ¡°This is nothing.¡± At the intersection, Kensley stopped the car by the roadside. ¡°Then Ill get off first¡­¡± Seeing the head nurse was about to get out of the car, Kensley pretended to recall something ¡®Oh right, Mary, you are the one who looks after the syringe for the gene regeneration shot, right?¡± The head nurse nodded. ¡°Yes! Why?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just asking.¡± ¡°I saw Mr. yton operating it yesterday and saw that this syringe is different from other syringes. I¡¯m a little curious.¡± ¡°Uh, can I take a look? I want to study it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to study about syringes?¡± The head nurse was puzzled. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t I watch how Mr. yton injected it yesterday? I still want to study it carefully and see if there are any other breakthroughs.¡± ¡°If we encounter such patients in the future, we can also help¡± When the head nurse heard that, she smiled in praise. ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s great. Here, have the key. Go take a look yourself!¡± As she spoke, the head nurse took out the key from her pocket and handed it to Kensley. Seeing that, Kensley was overjoyed and quickly took the key. ¡°Remember to give me the key after you¡¯re done studying it. Don¡¯t let anyone know.¡± ¡°Well, Mary, you¡¯re very kind, Kensley said and kissed her on the forehead again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get off first¡± At noon. Kensley arrived at the infirmary. The nurses on duty had all gone, and there was no one guarding it Soon, Kensley opened the box containing the syringes. There were ten syringes inside. Kensley took out all of them. Then, he used a special small iron hook to drill a small hole in the middle of the syringe. Since the needle was thin, the hole could not be seen with the naked eye. In that way, the medicine would seep into the muscles through the small hole when injecting the patient. If Bruce dies, people would only think that Jordan made a mistake. No one would suspect that someone had tampered with the needle. After doing that, Kensley prayed in his heart that nothing would go wrong again. After returning to the office, Kensley¡¯s heart was pounding fast. He still could not suppress his nervousness. Just as he was feeling uneasy, the door was pushed open with a click. The head nurse sneaked in. ¡°Doctor Leach.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡± The head nurse blushed and said shyly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just came to see you.¡± Kensley forced a smile on his face. ¡°Here¡¯s the key!¡± ¡°Are you done with the research so soon? The head nurse felt like a young girl in love. She went around to his side and flirted with him. Although Kensley was disgusted, he could not kick her out immediately. He could only bite the bullet and brush her off. The two of them were fooling around ambiguously. The office door was opened again. Kensley¡¯s wife happened to arrive with a lunch box in her hand. ¡°Hubby¡­¡± She pushed open the office door and happened to see Kensley flirting with the head nurse. Seeing that, Kensley immediately pushed the head nurse away and looked at his wife nervously. ¡°Wifey, why are you here?¡± ¡°You worked overtime for the surgeryst night. I specially made soup for you.¡± As she spoke, Kensley¡¯s pregnant wife walked in. Kensley quickly got up to support his wife. ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient for you to move now. Don¡¯t run around.¡± The head nurse was even more embarrassed. Her expression changed, and she felt guilty. ¡°Well, you guys chat first. I¡¯ll go out first.¡± After the head nurse left, Kensley¡¯s wife was still suspicious. ¡°Tubby, why is she here? What were you doing just now?¡± Kensley tried his best to suppress the panic in his heart and pretended to be rxed as he said, ¡°The head nurse is like this. She mixes well with everyone. None of us treat her as a woman. She¡¯s just a tomboy.¡±From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Is it so?¡± Chapter 626 Chapter 626 Chapter 626 ¡°What do you mean by that? You¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Kensley deliberately pulled a long face. When his wife heard that, she frowned. She also felt that she was overthinking. After all, she was young, beautiful, and had a good figure. On the other hand, the head nurse was just a short, fat, middle-aged woman. She didn¡¯t believe her husband was flirting with such a woman. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s not talk about her anymore. Hurry up and drink the soup. It won¡¯t taste good when it gets cold¡± His wife opened the thermos box and gently and considerately scooped a bowl of chicken soup for him. Kensley knew when to stop. ¡°Thank you, honey!¡± The next day. Kensley arrived at the hospital early in the morning. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be able toplete the mission. Marlowe promised to give him 20 million dors as a reward for Bruce¡¯s death. At that time, he would take the money and live abroad with his wife. ¡°Please, God, don¡¯t let anything happen again.¡± On second thought, heforted himself. ¡°No, there won¡¯t be any idents.¡± At nine o¡¯clock in the morning. Jordan¡¯s voice finally came from the office next door. ¡°Bring the gene regeneration shot for today. Hurry up and prepare to inject Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. yton!¡± The gene regeneration shots had to be shipped over from Melta every day as the expiration period was only two days. It took more than ten hours to send them over. Therefore, they did not dare to dy for a moment. When Kensley heard the sounds outside, he felt even more uneasy. His hand that was holding the pen was trembling with nervousness. Half an hourter, Jordan had already injected Bruce. Kensley waited quietly in the office, waiting for the bad news from Bruce. However, there was no urgent news from the hospital until the afternoon. The various departments were busy with their own work.. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I clearly did something to the needle. As long as it is injected, the medicine will definitely leak ipro the muscles. It¡¯s impossible for Bruce to be fine.¡± Although he had never injected the patient with a gene regeneration shot, he knew the characteristics of that shot. If it was identally injected into a person¡¯s muscles, it would cause death in less than two hours Of course, the effect of the needle was also very powerful. It could promote the regeneration of new genes in the human body. No matter how serious the illness was, it would be very effective. It could cure many cancer patients. A single injection would kill most cancer cells. ¡°What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s been five hours and there¡¯s still no movement.¡± ¡°How is this possible? This is absolutely impossible! What went wrong?¡± Kemsley sat restlessly in his office, sweating profusely. Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a knock on the door. ¡®Come in The head nurse pushed open the door and stuck her head in ¡°Doctor Leach!¡± She felt she was deeply infatuated with the strong and handsome young man. Not seeing him for a moment felt like ages ¡°Oh, what¡¯s up?¡± The head nurse nced at his forehead and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is your forehead covered in sweat!¡± ¡°Oh, the weather is a little stuffy. I can¡¯t stand the heat¡­ The head nurse said with a pained expression, ¡°Really? Look, you don¡¯t even turn on the air conditioner. As she spoke, she was about to turn on the air conditioner. ¡°There¡¯s no need to turn it on. I¡­ I¡¯m a little cold now!¡± The head nurse asked in confusion, ¡°Are you a little cold or hot?¡± ¡°Ah! Maybe I didn¡¯t rest well¡­¡± Kensley said perfunctorily in a panic. When the head nurse heard that, she smiled sweetly. Recalling the madness the night before, she couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°That¡¯s true. Take good care of your health.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Hey, by the way, did Mr. yton inject Mr. Everett with a gene regeneration shot today?¡± The head nurse nodded. ¡°He did¡¯ Why are you suddenly asking this out of the blue?¡± Kensley¡¯s eyes narrowed subconsciously. ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s nothing. I was just asking!¡± Kensley quickly went to the medical trash bin and searched everywhere for the medical waste disposed of that day! He found the syringe that Mr. yton had injected! He examined it carefully. The syringe was actually intact. He had not tampered with it. ¡°Strange, I clearly tampered with the syringe. Why is this syringe intact?¡± Thinking of that, ayer of cold sweat appeared on Kensley¡¯s back. ¡°Could it be that someone found out? Impossible, this is definitely impossible!¡± The more Kensley thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He quickly went to the nurse¡¯s station to look for the head nurse. He wanted to ask what was going on. Had the syringe been discovered?N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Chapter 627 Chapter 627 Chapter 627 At the nurses¡¯ station. The head nurse was smiling brightly and chatting with a few young nurses. ¡°Doctor Leach, what¡¯s the matter?¡± A few young nurses greeted Kensley sweetly when they saw him. ¡°Uh, I have something on with Mary. Come with me to the office.¡± When the head nurse heard that, the smile on her face became even more shy. She pretended to be rxed and replied, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m busy now. I¡¯ll be there in a while.¡± ¡°Yes, okay,¡± Kensley replied casually and returned to the office with worries. Ten minutester, the head nurse came into his office. ¡°Kensley, why are you looking for me? Did you miss me?¡± As soon as the head nurse entered his office, she closed the door. Then, she walked to his side and hugged his waist coquettishly. Kensley was flustered and pushed her hand away stifly. ¡°Mary, I want to ask you something!¡± Seeing his worried expression, the head nurse said, ¡°Oh, tell me!¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The syringe of the gene regeneration shot. I¡­ I¡¯d like to study it some more.¡± He wanted to see which part had gone wrong. When the head nurse heard that, she heaved a sigh of relief. She took a medical bag from her clothes bag and handed it to Kensley. She said ingratiatingly, ¡°Haha, I knew you would want to study it. Here, I¡¯ve already taken it out for you.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re going to study it, you should study it thoroughly. What results can you get from just taking a look? Here, these are all for you. Take them back and study them slowly.¡± Looking at the bag of syringes, Kensley waspletely stunned. He casually flipped through it.. That¡¯s right. They were the ones that he had tampered with Unexpectedly, the head nurse brought them to him again. ¡°You¡­ Why did you take out these syringes?¡± Kensley was instantly enraged. His eyes revealed a murderous glint. The head nurse was shocked and stammered, ¡°To give it to you to study!¡± When Kensley heard that, he was even more dumbfounded. His eyes were bloodshot. Who the hell wanted to study the syringe of a gene regeneration shot? The stupid woman had ruined his ns! Thinking about how he had sacrificed his body for it, he was so angry that he wanted to strangle her to death. ¡°You were the one who said that you wanted to study how to inject this gene regeneration shot. How can you practice injection once or twice? Therefore, I took it out for you to study carefully so that you will have a greater advantage when promoting¡­ When Kensley heard that, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He had put in a lot of effort and finally came up with an idea. He did not even hesitate to sell himself and used a honey trap! He did not expect to fail on the verge of sess. ¡°You, you¡­¡± Kensley gritted his teeth in anger. However, he suppressed his anger and did not dare to vent it. The head nurse looked kind. ¡°Kensley, what¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you say that you were interested in this? I want to help you!¡± ¡ª ¡°Besides, these syringes have already been exposed. We can¡¯t let Mr. Everett use them again!¡± When Kensley heard that, his eyes instantly widened. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is a special personnel, so we have to be very careful with every step. If anything happens, I won¡¯t be able to bear the responsibility. Therefore, as long as the packaging of the medical equipment is removed, we can¡¯t let Mr. Everett use it!¡± The head nurse answered seriously! Although she was immersed in the excitement that Kensley gave her, she still had to be meticulous in her job. Therefore, when she saw that the packaging of the needles had been removed, she gave it to Kensley and not keeping it for Bruce¡¯s usage. Squatting on the chair, Kensley waspletely speechless. There were only two days left before the time limit Marlowe gave him. In those two days, he really couldn¡¯t think of any other way to make Bruce die without anyone knowing. ¡°Kensley, what¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s the matter? You can tell me.¡± Kensley replied impatiently, ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. You can leave now.¡± ¡°What is it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I asked you to leave.¡± Kensley still could not hold back his anger. The head nurse was stunned but didn¡¯t dare to continue asking. She could only turn around and leave the office. ¡°What should I do? It¡¯s almost time!¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t kill Bruce Everett, I¡¯m going to be killed.¡± Kensley rubbed his hair in frustration and anxiety. ¡°No, I¡¯m still thinking of a way! There are still two days left. I can¡¯t wait! I have to think of a new way¡­¡± At the intensive care unit. Joanna came in to talk to Bruce again. ¡°Bruce, Lilia has alreadypleted the school admission procedures.¡± ¡°When the summer vacation is over, she will go to a private girls¡¯ elementary school to study. Oh, right. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to apany Lilia to Gaprington for corrective surgery?¡± ¡°Lilia is six and a half years old this year. She¡¯s about to turn seven. The doctor said the effect won¡¯t be that good if they perform the surgery after she¡¯s seven years old. ¡°You love Lilia so much. Do you want to wake up quickly? Let¡¯s bring our daughter to Gaprington for corrective surgery. Isn¡¯t your greatest wish to see Lilia stand up?¡± Joanna said as she gently massaged the muscles and joints of Bruce¡¯s limbs. There were many fractures in his body. Fortunately, he had been unconscious and did not have to worry about moving around. Coupled with the injection of the gene regeneration shots every day, the external injuries on his body recovered very quickly. Chapter 628 Chapter 628 Chapter 628 Although he had been in aa for nearly a month, he was well taken care of. Therefore, the complexion was not bad. ¡°Touch my belly. The child is kicking me!¡± As Joanna spoke, she gently ced his hand on her stomach and let him feel the child. Actually, she was only three months pregnant now, so there was no fetal movement. She just wanted to say more words to agitate him so that he could wake up quickly. ¡°Did you feel it? Is the child moving? The child even told you that you should wake up quickly! We all need you!¡± Bruce was still lying quietly without any reaction. A few days ago, he could still open his eyes from time to time and needed to keep giving him eye drops to moisten them. Joanna rambled on for more than ten minutes. Then she found it was almost time to go out. ¡°Be good. I¡¯ll go out first!¡± After saying that, Joanna gently covered him with a nket and left the ward. As soon as she walked out of the ward, Darcy walked over. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, Gael just called you.¡± ¡°Oh, got it.¡± Joanna immediately picked up the phone and called Gael back. Gael quickly picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, Mrs! Joanna.¡± ¡°Hello, Gael, why did you call just now?¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna, Lilia¡¯s enrollment is fully implemented. Irvin and Davian¡¯s admission qualifications have beenpleted. When the summer vacation is over, they can enroll. ¡°Got it!¡± Gael continued, ¡°The Everett mansion¡¯s courtyard and basement need maintenance!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Well, next month is Mrs. Margaret¡¯s death day. Since Mr. Everett has be like this, I am afraid that he can¡¯t go to worship. Are you going to worship instead of him?¡± Indeed, she should pay her respects in ce of Bruce, but she was pregnant now. It was not suitable for her to do such a thing. Besides, she had to take care of Bruce and could not leave for too long. ¡°Gael, I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t leave the hospital for long. Please go and pay your respects!¡± Gael hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Gael hesitated. ¡°Gael, what¡¯s wrong? If you have something to say, just say it.¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna, I heard that Mr. Lurk is selling the Belle Building under the Everett Group. ¡°Although this building is under his name, the actual property rights belong to the Everett Group. Mr. Lurk is obviously trying to pocket money.¡± ¡°What? Sell the Belle Building?¡± Joanna was shocked. Gael said solemnly, ¡°In the past month, Mr. Lurk has been trying to cash out as interim president. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If this continues, the Everett Group will probably be hollowed out. And the other shareholders are also doing the same. They¡¯re all thinking of ways to cash out.¡± Joanna frowned, and her eyes darkened. Bruce was now in trouble, and his life was in danger. The shareholders of the Everett Group took the opportunity to make their own profits. In particr, a few cunning shareholders were probably in cahoots with each other to gain benefits. ¡°I understand.¡± Alright then! That¡¯s all. Mrs. Joanna, you should think about coping measures and not always be immersed in grief.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hanging up, Joanna was even more worried. Her brows furrowed, and her face was covered with a dark cloud. Back then, when she was managing the Haynes Group, she only had Mr. Roger and Mr. Paul under her. However, she was still in a bit of a tricky situation. Now, the Everett Group had almost 20 shareholders. Being of the same generation as Bruce¡¯s grandpa, some of them always took advantage of their seniority. Other than Bruce, no one else could suppress them. Bruce had a fiery temper and was domineering. Moreover, his methods were ruthless, bold, and he had a strong desire for revenge. Whoever dared to go against him would be courting death. He subdued these old fellows with force. In the past, Bruce¡¯s parents died early. Without any siblings, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and inherit the family business. When he first took over as the president of the Everett Group, he was not even 20 years old. These old shareholders were naturally unconvinced and did not take him seriously at all. If Bruce had taken a step back, there would not be the leadingpany today. The Everett Group would have been divided up long ago. Unexpectedly, with his investment vision, he doubled the profits of the Everett Group a year. Whoever dared to disobey would immediately be kicked out. He definitely wouldn¡¯t show any mercy. After more than ten years, Bruce got these old fellows wrapped around his finger. Now that Bruce was in trouble, all of them lost control. Joanna sighed deeply and muttered to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t know when Bruce will wake up. Even if he wakes up, I¡¯m afraid he` won¡¯t be able to get back to work immediately. ¡°When his bodypletely recovers, the Everett Group will probably be hollowed out.¡± Joanna was not greedy. However, the Everett Group was Bruce¡¯s asset, and it would be her children¡¯s asset in the future. She could not let others takey away what belonged to her children. Joanna thought about it and still went to the doctor¡¯s office. She wanted to confirm Bruce¡¯s recovery. ¡°Jordan, how is Bruce now?¡± When Jordan heard this, his expression was not as grave as before. ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett is currently out of danger. ¡°After another week of observation, if there are noplications or other factors, he can be transferred to a normal ward. ¡°This is already very rare. It¡¯s a medical miracle. Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be too anxious. Based on Mr. Everett¡¯s recovery, he might really wake up.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. How long will it take for him to wake up?¡± Jordan frowned. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not sure for now. But Mr. Everett is basically out of danger. ¡°As for whether or not he can wake up, and when he can wake up, it¡¯s still unknown. I can¡¯t guarantee it for you. ¡°However, ording to Mr. Everett¡¯s current recovery, it¡¯s very likely that he will wake up in half a year. It might also be three to five years. ¡°There are simr cases overseas. One racer was in aa for six years. Originally, the doctor advised his family to agree to euthanize the patient, but his wife was unwilling to give up treatment. ¡°She insisted on treating her husband. After being in aa for six years, he finally recovered.¡± As Jordan spoke, he subconsciously adjusted his sses and said earnestly, ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation is very simr to that racer¡¯s.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart sank again. Chapter 629 Chapter 629 Chapter 629 Six years¡­ It was really a long time. Although she was willing to wait, the Everett Group might be unable to afford it. Moreover, it was not urate. It might be even longer. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After returning to the door of the ward, Joanna looked gloomy. Seeing this, Darcy couldn¡¯t help but ask with concern, ¡°Miss Haynes, are you worried about Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± Darcy had been following Bruce for more than ten years. Darcy was his mentor and friend. Although Bruce was his boss, Darcy taught him boxing in private. Bruce learned very quickly and was almost on par with Darcy. Now that something had happened to Bruce, there was no one who could exchange blows with him. Therefore, Darcy really hoped that Bruce would recover as soon as possible. ¡°I think that since Mr. Everett is out of danger, Miss Haynes, you should rece him in charge of thepany ¡°Me?¡± Joanna subconsciously looked at Darcy. Darcy nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no better one than you now. Besides, other than you, I¡¯m afraid no one is truly on the same side as Mr. Everett. ¡°Moreover, you¡¯ve been in charge of the Everett Group before, and you¡¯ve also been the acting president. It¡¯s perfect for you to take over thepany temporarily. I think Mr. Everett will definitely be willing to let you take over thepany.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered when she heard that. Even if she was willing, those old fellows would probably not be willing. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. After all, people were realistic. Who wouldn¡¯t want to fish for more benefits? Now, many mercenary people were eying the Everett Group. Under such circumstances, no one would show mercy to others. ¡°But I¡¯m still worried about Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the doctor say that Mr. Everett¡¯s life is no longer in danger? As for when he will wake up? There¡¯s no guarantee at all. We have to wait! ¡°Maybe three to five years, maybe ten to eight years. If no one manages the Everett Group, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Darcy suddenly stopped. Even Darcy didn¡¯t say it, but Joanna knew the stakes. ¡°Darcy, you¡¯re right! I do want to protect his family business on behalf of Bruce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you think that way! ¡°After all, we still have to move forward. Even if Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t wake up, you need to lead your children to protect the Everett Group.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression darkened, and a resolute glint appeared in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right. I do want to manage thepany for him. I won¡¯t allow anyone to take away what belongs to him. ¡°After Bruce is out of danger and transferred to a normal ward, I¡¯m going to thepany to be the agent president.¡± When Darcy heard this, he smiled. ¡°If Mr. Everett knows, he will definitely be very gratified.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else. She knew those old guys would give her a hard time, but she would give it her best shot. At the office, Kensley was anxious to the point of depression. Then the phone rang, startling him.. ¡°Hello?¡± A sinister voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Doctor Leach, today is the final deadline, How¡¯s it going?¡± When Kensley heard this, he said with a trembling voice, ¡°Mr. Logan, please, give me a few more days. ¡°I had already nned it, but it was ruined by a person¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense. If there¡¯s no news of Bruce¡¯s death tomorrow, you know the consequence!¡± With that, the call was hung up with a bang. ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± There was no response on the other end of the phone. ¡°Fuck¡± Kensley cursed and mmed his desk. He was already running out of options. Just as he was feeling anxious, his phone rang again. Kensley answered impatiently, ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± ¡°Are you Beata¡¯s husband?¡± When Kensley heard this, his heart sank. ¡°Yes, I am!¡± ¡°Oh, your wife was in a car ident. Come over quickly.¡± When Kensley heard this, all the hairs on his body stood on end. He asked anxiously, ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s near Kotto Community.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Kensley had a lot on his mind. He hurriedly called the ambnce in the hospital and rushed to the location of his wife¡¯s ident. Ten minutester, the ambnce arrived at the spot of the ident. Kensley jumped out of the car anxiously. ¡°Honey, how are you feeling now?¡±, Kensley¡¯s wife was still sitting on the ground. Her knees and elbows were covered in blood. Some kind- hearted people. already helped her stop the bleeding. Seeing that Kensley had arrived, Beata started crying in fear. ¡°I¡¯m fine. A car almost hit me just now.¡± ¡°Let me take a look!¡± Kensley quickly checked his wife¡¯s injuries. ¡°Ouch, it hurts.¡± Beata twisted her ankle and broke her elbow and knee. However, it was not a big deal. They were all minor injuries and did not hurt the child in her belly. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± Then, Kensley and the nurse helped his wife onto the stretcher and carried her to the ambnce¡­ Soon, the ambnce arrived at the hospital. Chapter 630 Chapter 630 Chapter 630 Kensley personally disinfected his wife and bandaged her wound. Although her vital organs were not injured, she still had to stay in the hospital for a day because of the terrible quickening. Kensley was even more anxious. He knew that this was a warning from Marlowe. This time, he did not kill his wife. The next time, his wife and unborn child would not be that lucky. Seeing that Kensley was worried and uneasy, Beata turned over andforted him. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Honey, I just feel sorry for you¡­¡± Kensley was still in shock. He gently hugged his wife and kissed her forehead. When Beata heard this, she leaned into his arms. ¡°You¡¯re so good to me.¡± ¡°Of course. You¡¯re my wife. That is what I should do.¡± ¡°No matter what, I¡¯ll do my best to protect you and the child. I won¡¯t let you get hurt.¡± Although Kensley comforted his wife, he was actually not confident at all. If he still did not take action, not to mention his wife and child, even he would probably have an ident. The head nurse pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing this scene in front of her, she still felt jealous. Some women were like this. When she gave her body to a man, she could no longer control her feelings. She was clearly almost 40 years old and no more innocent, but she still couldn¡¯t control her emotions. ¡°Mr. Leach, this is your wife¡¯s medicine. I left it here!¡± The head nurse put down the medicine and turned to leave coldly. Kensley felt even more guilty. Heforted his wife a little more and found an excuse to go out to look for the head nurse. Ten minutester, Kensley met the head nurse in the morgue. This ce was very quiet and hidden. Usually, no one woulde there. The head nurse thought that he had asked her out for that kind of thing, so she couldn¡¯t help bute over. ¡°Kensley, why did you ask me toe to such a ce?¡± The head nurse said as she hugged his waist shyly. On second thought, it was quite appropriate for them to have a tryst here. They were all doctors, so they naturally wouldn¡¯t avoid these things. Kensley hesitated for a moment. In the end, he mustered his courage and stammered, ¡°Mary, I¡­ I want to ask you for a favor!¡± The head nurse smiled gently. ¡°What is it?¡± Kensley was so nervous that his temples bulged, and his breathing was rapid.. He was really at the end of his rope. Now he could only give it a shot and see if the head nurse was willing to help him. As long as Bruce died, it was a big deal to divvy up the money with her. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Just tell me, why are you hesitating?¡± Kensley¡¯s forehead kept sweating. He didn¡¯t know how to start, nor did he know if the head nurse would agree. After hesitating for another three minutes, he finally made up his mind and said with a sobbing tone, ¡°Mary, I¡¯m really at my wits¡¯ end. Could you please save me?¡± With that, Kensley knelt on the ground with a plop. When the head nurse saw this, she was shocked. ¡°Kensley, what exactly do you want me to do? Just say it, As long as I can, I will definitely help you.¡± Kensley took two deep breaths and said in a trembling voice, ¡°I want you¡­ to help me kill Bruce.¡± When the head nurse heard this, she was so frightened that she was dumbfounded. She looked at Kensley in horror. ¡°Kill someone? ¡°Kill Bruce?¡± This¡­ she would rather die than do it. ¡°Doctor Leach, you¡­ You¡¯re joking with me¡­ I still have something on¡­¡± The head nurse didn¡¯t dare to call his name affectionately anymore. She panicked and wanted to leave. Kensley hugged her legs tightly and cried as he begged, ¡°Mary, don¡¯t go. Only you can save me now. I beg you. As long as Bruce dies, I¡¯ll give you 10 million dors!¡± The head nurse was even more shocked! Usually, only people who were desperate would take the risk. She had a sessful career and no worries about food and clothing. People who were not short of money would not kill for money. Moreover, as the head nurse of Greyport Hospital, her monthly sry was close to 20 thousand dors, and her retirement pension was as high as tens of millions. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. She wasn¡¯t going to do anything illegal. ¡°Doctor Leach, I can pretend that I didn¡¯t hear what you said. I really have to get busy¡­¡± Kensley hurriedly stopped her. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s too little? I can give you 20 million dors. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 20 million dors as long as Bruce dies. Listen, someone asked me to buy Bruce¡¯s life. He also said he would give me 20 million dors on the condition that Bruce dies unknowingly. ¡°He¡¯s so badly injured now. As long as we join forces and do it secretly, we can kill him without anyone knowing. ¡°When we get this money, we can live a carefree life. I¡¯ll divorce my wife. When the timees, I¡¯ll marry you, and we¡¯ll go overseas together¡­¡± Kensley became more and more excited, and his eyes widened. The more the head nurse listened, the more afraid she became. A chill ran down her spine. No wonder Kensley wanted to treat her to a meal and treated her well. So this was the real purpose! ¡°Doctor Leach, don¡¯t do anything rash. If you continue like this, I¡­ I¡¯ll call for help! This¡­ This is killing. Find someone else!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t tell anyone what you told me. I¡¯ll leave first¡­¡± After the head nurse finished speaking, she quickly turned around and wanted to escape. Chapter 631 Chapter 631 Chapter 631 Seeing that Mary refused toply and was so frightened, Kensleypletely panicked. He was worried that Mary would leak the news about him. Before Mary could escape, Kensley rushed forward and grabbed her neck. He covered her mouth and nose with his other hand. ¡°Mary, I beg you, don¡¯t shout, don¡¯t shout¡­¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Let go¡­ Help¡­¡± Mary became even more panicked and struggled with all her might. The more she struggled, the more scared Kensley was. He covered her mouth and nose to prevent her from calling for help.. ¡°Mary, I¡¯m begging you. No one can help me. If Bruce doesn¡¯t die, my entire family will die. ¡°Help me. When the timees, we¡¯ll go far away. We¡¯ll leave Greyport together¡­¡± Kensley said in a panic as he covered Mary¡¯s mouth and nose tightly and strangled her neck forcefully with his other arm. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Mary¡¯s voice became smaller and smaller, and her struggles became weaker and weaker. Five minutester. She stopped struggling and couldn¡¯t make a sound. Kensley panicked and let go of her arm. Then, Mary copsed to the ground. ¡°Boom!¡± Kensley¡¯s blood pressure skyrocketed, and he was utterly dumbfounded. He was just afraid that Mary would shout and attract others over. He didn¡¯t want to kill her. ¡°Mary, Mary!¡± Mary fell to the ground, her eyes rolled up, and she lost control of her dder. Kensley¡¯s mind was blown. He checked her breathing and found that she was no longer breathing. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kensley was so frightened that his legs went limp and he staggered to sit on the ground. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m screwed! I just killed someone!¡± He panted non-stop. His eyes were filled with panic.¡± Fortunately, he was at a morgue. No one usually came here. ¡°What should I do? What should I do? I killed her. I killed her¡­¡± Kensley¡¯s heart was pounding. The head nurse was not an ordinary person. If she went missing, many people in the hospital would definitely look for her. However, he couldn¡¯t care less now. He had to put the doctored syringe in the infirmary quickly. But he had to endure tonight. Jordan would inject Bruce tomorrow morning. As long as Bruce died, Kensley would be at ease. If necessary, he would simply take the money and flee abroad. Then, Kensley opened Mary¡¯s bag with trembling hands and took her keys. Then, he carried her into the body bag and put her inside an empty body freeze. Finishing, he left the morgue in a panic. Then, he quietly went to the infirmary. After making an excuse to send away the two nurses on duty, he ced the doctored syringe into the medical box. ¡°Heavens, please don¡¯t let any idents happen again!¡± Then, Kensley went to wash his face and tried his best to calm down before entering his wife¡¯s ward. Beata leaned against the bed and saw him enter in a panic. She asked with concern, ¡°Hubby, what¡¯s wrong? Where did you go just now?¡± Kensley¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he quickly tidied up. ¡°Beata, I¡¯ll send you home now.¡± Beata was shocked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kensley?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Hurry up ande with me.¡± As he spoke, Kensley picked up Beata¡¯s bag and hurriedly helped her put on her shoes. Seeing that Kensley was so anxious, Beata didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± After leaving the hospital, Kensley directly sent Beata to customs. He just wanted to send her away as soon as possible. The farther, the better, Kensley, where are we going? This isn¡¯t the way home!¡± Kensley didn¡¯t say anything. He drove the car all the way to the vicinity of the checkpoint before stopping the car. Then, he took out a bank card from his pocket. ¡°Honey, there are two million dors on this card. Take the money and go to Mossbourne to give birth to the baby.¡± Beata was from Mossbourne. After marrying Kensley, she moved to Greyport. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Take the money and go to Mossbourne to have the baby. Remember to transfer the money to your card or withdraw it in cash when you get back to your mother¡¯s house. The password is your birthday.¡± Beata was left speechless in shock. ¡°Go. I will take you across the checkpoint now. Go back to your mother overnight and nevere back again.¡± When Beata heard this, she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. ¡°Kensley, what happened¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t ask so much nonsense.¡± Then, Kensley dressed up Beata and gave her all the cash and valuables on him. ¡°Beata, don¡¯t contact me for the next few months. I¡¯ll pick you and the baby up when things calm down.¡± Beata was still worried. She grabbed Kensley¡¯s arm and cried. ¡°Kensley, what¡¯s wrong with you? Did you do something illegal? ¡°If that¡¯s the case, turn yourself in quickly. Be brave and ept the punishment. It¡¯s okay. The baby and I will wait for you to be released!¡± When Kensley heard this, his eyes instantly turned red. He hugged Beata tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore. It¡¯s not good for you to know too much. You just have to remember that I love you and the baby.¡± After he said that, Kensley¡¯s eyes turned moist. He could only put on a serious face to force Beata to leave. He was already in a dilemma. There was no way out. At 9:30 A.M. the next day. ¡°The gene regeneration shot has been delivered. Hurry up and inject Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the head nurse? What time is it? Why isn¡¯t she at work yet?¡± Jordan spent the entire morning looking for Mary. The other doctor also looked shocked. ¡°That¡¯s right! Did she take leave? She¡¯s never beente before.¡± ¡°Call her quickly and see if she¡¯ste.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I just called her! I¡¯ve already called several times, but I can¡¯t get through.¡± Jordan frowned when he heard that. He looked at the time. It was toote. ¡°Forget it. Don¡¯t wait for her. Let¡¯s inject Mr. Everett first. The two of you hurry up and get the syringe.¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± a nurse replied and quickly went to the infirmary to get the syringe. Jordan carried the cooler with the gene regeneration shot in it and went to the ward of Bruce with two other doctors. Seeing Jordan enter the ward, Kensley¡¯s heart was beating violently as he paced around uneasily. He kept praying in his heart that nothing would go wrong again. As long as Bruce died today, he wouldplete his mission. At the intensive care unit. Jordan opened the cooler and took out the gene regeneration shot. He then put it into a special syringe and got ready to give the shot. ¡°Hurry up and disinfect Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Joanna was watching quietly aside. ¡°How many shots had he been injected until today?¡± ¡°This is already the 27th injection today. After three more injections, there¡¯s no need for it anymore.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Thirty gene regeneration shots, plus transportation fees and so on, had already cost nearly 80 million dors. This did not include other medicines and treatments. Bruce¡¯s injuries were too severe, and he was only kept alive by money. If it was an ordinary person with such serious injuries, how could he afford such an expensive fee? He might have ended up Chapter 632 Chapter 632 Chapter 632 When everything was ready, Jordan picked up the syringe and got prepared to inject Bruce. In the nick of time, the intensive care unit¡¯s door was suddenly pushed open. A woman in a sorry state barged in. ¡°No, don¡¯t inject¡­¡± Everyone was shocked. Only then did they realize that it was the head nurse. The head nurse looked like a hot mess with disheveled hair and a deathly pale face. Her clothes were also covered in filth. ¡°Don¡¯t do it. There¡¯s something wrong with this shot¡­¡± After saying that, she weakly copsed to the ground. Darcy and Carson followed closely behind. ¡°Miss Haynes, the head nurse said that someone wanted to harm Mr. Everett. We didn¡¯t dare to dy and could only let her in.¡± Everyone looked at each other and was stunned for a few seconds beforeing back to their senses. Jordan was even more terrified and hurriedly stopped the injection. ¡°How can there be a problem? I¡¯ve been watching this gene regeneration shot since it was sent to the hospital. It¡¯s impossible for it to be swapped!¡± Mary¡¯s voice was hoarse, like grinding gravel against granite. ¡°Ugh, ahem, ahem, it¡¯s not the injection that¡¯s the problem. It¡¯s the syringe!¡± After saying that, she no longer had the strength to speak. Her throat hurt as if being cut by a knife. ¡°Is there a problem with the syringe?¡± When Jordan heard this, he was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. He quickly pressed on the catheter and pushed it out a little. As expected, there were two holes in the syringe. Seeing this, Jordan was so frightened that he couldn¡¯t speak. Fortunately, the head nurse arrived in time. Otherwise, he would have caused a huge disaster. ¡°Who did this?¡± Seeing this, Joanna also broke out in cold sweat. It seemed that the person who wanted Bruce to die really racked his brains to think of such a method. It really scared her. She held Bruce¡¯s hand tightly, and her heart beat uncontrobly. She was afraid that Bruce would leave this world forever if she let go of his hand. He was the father of the children. For that alone, she would not allow anyone to harm his life. ¡°Mary, what¡¯s wrong with you? ¡°How did you end up like this? How did you know that there¡¯s something wrong with this syringe?¡± Everyone helped Mary up and asked. Mary took two deep breaths, her eyes unfocused. ¡°Kensley Leach¡­ He¡­ Don¡¯t let him run away¡­¡± Jordan was still in disbelief. He asked in shock, ¡°Doctor Leach did it?¡± Mary could no longer speak. She only nodded with all her might. Then, her head tilted, and she fainted. Yesterday, she was strangled by Kensley, and her breathing stopped. Kensley thought that she was dead, so he wrapped her in a body bag and put her in a morgue freezer. Fortunately, she was not destined to die. After resting in the freezer for the entire night, she actually came back to her senses at around five in the morning. At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the patrol heard movement in the freezer and rescued her. Joanna came back to her senses. There was a hint of fierce in her eyes as she said hatefully, ¡°Darcy, hurry up and catch him. Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Will do,¡± Darcy responded and called a few bodyguards to catch Kensley. The other doctors quickly carried Mary to a wheeled stretcher and sent her to the emergency room for treatment. At the same time¡­ Kensley had already heard themotion. He knew that the matter had been exposed. If he did not escape now, it would be toote. He didn¡¯t have time to pack his things. He hurried out through the fire escape, wanting to get out of the hospital immediately. Unfortunately, It was toote. Darcy hadmanded the security department to activate the electronic lock switch on the fire escape. There was no way out: Kensley hurriedly turned another corner to leave through the side door of the hospital. However, before he reached the door, he saw arge group of security guards walking toward the door aggressively. Darcy and a group of bodyguards were blocking the exit on the first floor. Kensley panic and could only run up the stairs to the top of the building. Soon, a security guard found his whereabouts in the surveince room and immediately reported it to the other security guards through the pager. ¡°I¡¯ve found him. Kensley is in the west corridor. Hurry up and catch him.¡± When the bodyguards and security guards heard this, they rushed to the west corridor. ¡°Stop! Stop! It¡¯s him!¡± A group of bodyguards and hospital security guards all caught up. When Kensley saw this, he panicked even more. Like a headless chicken, he risked his life to run up to the roof. The hospital was 32 stories high. With a burst of energy, he ran all the way to the rooftop. On the rooftop, there was no ce to hide. He looked around. There was nowhere to run unless he jumped off the building. ¡°Ahem, ahem¡­¡± Kensley knelt on one knee, foaming at the mouth and gasping for breath. Then, Darcy and the others also rushed to the rooftop. ¡°Speak. Who instructed you to harm Mr. Everett?¡± Kensley took a few deep breaths and retreated step by step. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯te over. Don¡¯te over¡­¡± As Darcy and his crew approached, he had no choice but to climb over the railing of the rooftop and retreat to the balcony. ¡°Don¡¯te closer. If youe closer, I¡¯ll jump down, and you¡¯ll never know who ordered me to do it.¡± After Darcy heard it, he quickly signaled everyone not to get closer so as not to pressure Kensley to jump off the building. After all, he was just an unknown young doctor. It was impossible for him to attack Bruce for no reason. There must be someone behind him. The most important thing was to find out who was behind this. Joanna called Darcy through the security guard¡¯s pager. ¡°Darcy, have you caught him?¡± ¡°Got him. He¡¯s on the roof now.¡± ¡°Catch him and make him say who the mastermind is!¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Joanna!¡± Three minutester. Jordan took the elevator to the top floor with his colleagues. As soon as he saw Kensley, he cursed angrily. He wished he could kick Kensley down the rooftop. ¡°Kensley Leach, you -ungrateful thing. I treated you so well in vain. How could you do such a crazy thing? ¡°You actually want to use me to kill Mr. Everett. You¡¯re too vicious,¡± Darcy restrained the furious Jordan and signaled him not to pressure Kensley anymore. After all, his life was worthless. Even if he was forced to jump off the building, it was just one ant less in the world. ¡°Say it quickly. Who asked you to do this? As long as you tell me the truth, I¡¯ll let you live.¡± Kensley sneered miserably. ¡°I won¡¯t say it. I won¡¯t say it! ¡°Unless you let me go. As long as you let me go, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Kensley suddenly stopped. Even if he said it, Marlowe would not let him off, let alone his wife and family. At this point, he had no way out. ¡°As long as you tell the truth, we won¡¯t make things difficult for you. We know that you must have been instructed by someone. ¡°You have to think carefully. Standing against Mr. Everett is not a wise choice.¡± Darcy raised his eyebrows slightly and said suggestively, ¡°You can still switch to Mr. Everett¡¯s side now. Don¡¯t worry about retaliation from your enemies. Mr. Everett will protect your family. Chapter 633 Chapter 633 Chapter 633 From N?velDrama.Org. When Kensley heard this, he felt even more desperate. Of course, he would be willing to snitch on Marlowe. However, he knew that he could not do that. Darcy continued to persuade, ¡°You can¡¯t escape anymore. Do you want to continue to resist?¡± ¡°Let me think about it. Give me some time!¡± Kensley closed his eyes, his brain working rapidly. He didn¡¯t want to end his life like this. His life had just begun! How could it end so abruptly? As time dragged on, ten minutes passed. A few more people rushed over from the rooftop corridor. Beata was worried about her husband, so she secretly came back. She didn¡¯t expect to hear this bad news as soon as she arrived at the hospital. She couldn¡¯t believe it and rushed to the top of the building while panting. When she saw the scene in front of her, she was even more shocked. ¡°Kensley, Kensley, what are you doing? Come back here! It¡¯s too dangerous. Come back¡­¡± When he saw Beata, Kensley¡¯s mind went nk, and his eyes almost popped out. ¡°Beata, why are you here? Didn¡¯t you go to Mossbourne?¡± Beata¡¯s beautiful face was covered in tears as she cried. ¡°Kensley, what have you done? Don¡¯t be afraid. We¡¯ll take responsibility together. ¡°Hurry up and turn yourself in. Don¡¯t keep making mistakes. Don¡¯t worry. Even if you go to jail, I¡¯ll wait for you toe out. No matter how long it takes, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± When Kensley heard this, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He could not help but cry He just wanted to earn more money and live a good life. But why did the heavens get him into such a desperate situation? ¡°Beata, Hove you! It¡¯s my greatest blessing to be able to marry you in my entire life.¡± As Kensley spoke, he closed his eyes in pain and despair. He was having a fierce mental struggle. If time could turn back, he would never walk down this dead end again. One wrong step led to another, and everything fell apart in the end. Now that he was dead, Marlowe could still let his wife and child off. If he snitched on Marlowe, his entire family would probably die. In particr, Margaret¡¯s death was also rted to him. Once this matter was exposed, Bruce would not let him live either. Therefore, he had no way out and was doomed to die. He might as well be a man and die quickly so that he could protect his wife and child. At the same time, no one would pursue the nine million dors that he had extorted from Roxanne. This money was enough for his wife and child to live for the rest of their lives. Beata was still crying in despair. ¡°Kensley,e back here. Don¡¯t scare me. It¡¯s not a big deal. Even if the sky falls, I¡¯ll carry with you¡­¡± ¡°Beata, I¡¯ll make it up to you in my next life. Take care of yourself and have our baby. I¡¯ll¡­ leave first!¡± With that, Kensley made up his mind and jumped down with his eyes closed. ¡°Kensley, no¡­¡± Beata let out a mournful wail. When Darcy and Carson saw this, they hurriedly pounced forward to pull him back. Unfortunately, he was determined to die and jumped more than 3.2 feet away. There was no stopping him. Kensley fell from the rooftop just like that. ¡°Kensley! Kensley!¡± it Kensley had already fallen straight down with a loud bang. The sound of something heavy hitting the ground could be heard from the 32nd floor. ¡°Kensley, um¡­¡± Beata couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She closed her eyes and fainted. Darcy Carson, and the others were all left silent. All of them had solemn expressions. Ten minutester. Everyone returned downstairs. Someone quickly called the police and informed them. Joanna saw Darcy¡¯s serious expression. ¡°Darcy, how is it? Have you caught him?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, he jumped off the building.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. Unexpectedly, they still couldn¡¯t find the mastermind behind the scenes. However, Bruce had so many enemies. No matter who the mastermind was, he had to be careful in the future. Jordan was still furious. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°He deserves to die. This kind of person is too evil and too scary. Even death can¡¯t relieve my hatred. ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that he wasted a gene regeneration shot. This kind of person is just causing trouble for himself and others. A scumbag in society!¡± Jordan had always been gentle and refined, but today, he had totally lost his cool. Kensley almost ruined his reputation and even put his life and fortune in danger. He wanted to curse Kensley with all the dirty words he knew. ¡°God bless. It didn¡¯t cause an irreversible disaster. It¡¯s fortunate, considering the circumstances.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Fortunately, Mary arrived in time! I really didn¡¯t expect that Kensley Leach, who looks so gentle, would do such a crazy thing.¡± The other doctors were freaked out too. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is recovering quite well now. I don¡¯t think he needs another gene regeneration shot.¡± When Joanna heard this, she nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go out first. You can talk to Mr. Everett. This will help stimte his brain nerves and help him regain consciousness as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± After everyone left. Joanna¡¯s eyes stung. She could no longer hold it in. ¡°Bruce, why aren¡¯t you waking up yet? Do you see how many people want you dead?¡± Chapter 634 Chapter 634 Chapter 634 ¡°Please wake up. I really don¡¯t know what I can do to protect you! I¡¯m really afraid that something like this will happen again.¡± As Joanna spoke, she gently buried her head in Bruce¡¯s chest. ¡°You vile bastard,¡± said she inwardly. When she was with Bruce, she had the urge to punch his head countless times and beat him to death every However, when he was really about to die¡­ day. She suddenly realized that she could not ept this fact. She would rather he was still as bad as before. She would rather hate him like before. As long as he could live safe and sound. Joanna was sobbing silently when she vaguely felt her stomach being scratched gently. She was shocked and quickly looked up.. Coincidentally, Bruce¡¯s finger moved slightly again. Although it was a very slight movement, she saw his finger move. She knew that Bruce definitely wanted to stroke her stomach. She put Bruce¡¯s hand on her stomach every day and talked to him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re conscious, aren¡¯t you? You can hear me, right?¡± Joanna quickly ced Bruce¡¯s hand on her abdomen. ¡°Feel it. The baby is already moving. Vpl coon, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you really wanna witness the birth of your kid? If you don¡¯t wake up soon, you¡¯re going to miss that moment again!¡± Joanna said excitedly. She felt Bruce¡¯s fingers move again. Although it was not a big movement, she could see it clearly. The corners of his lips seemed to curl up slightly. ¡°Bruce, that¡¯s great. You¡¯re finally conscious! ¡°I knew you¡¯d recover. You¡¯ll definitely wake up. You¡¯re so evil, and you¡¯re such a bastard. How can you be willing to lie there lifelessly¡­¡± In the blink of an eye. Another week passed. After Jordan gave Bruce anotherplete body checkup, he felt relieved. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s condition is stable now. He can be transferred to a general ward.¡± When she heard this, Joanna asked somewhat worriedly, ¡°Really?¡± A slight smile appeared on Jordan¡¯s face. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. ¡°And that¡¯s also because you¡¯ve been working tirelessly day and night to protect him¡­¡± Soon, Bruce was transferred to a general ward from the intensive care unit. Many of the instruments on him were taken down, and only an oxygen mask and an electrocardiogram monitor were kept. ¡°When will he wake up?¡±/ Joanna had already asked this question countless times. She asked this almost every two days. And the doctor¡¯s answer didn¡¯t change. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Now we can only rely on fate, and only daily care is needed. As for when Mr. Everett will wake up, it¡¯s really hard to say for now¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed slightly. ¡°Okay, I understood!¡± 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 5 F * Darcy and Carson were also very happy. ¡°Great, Mr. Everett has finally been transferred to the general ward. Does this mean that Mr. Everett is finally out of danger?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I hope Mr. Everett will wake up soon.¡± Darcy heaved a sigh of relief after hearing it. Suddenly, his expression turned gloomy. ¡°Ms. Haynes, since Mr. Everett is out of danger, I don¡¯t think you have to be so worried. ¡°You should devote some energy to other things!¡± Joanna was stunned when she heard it. Indeed, she had more important things to do. The Everett Group would be in deep trouble if she didn¡¯t act soon. ¡°Yes, yes. Inform all the shareholders. There will be a shareholders¡¯ meeting next Monday. All shareholders of the Everett Group must be present.¡± ¡°Got it, Ms. Haynes.¡± The Everett Group had been under Liam¡¯s control for nearly two months. He had secretly embezzled hundreds of millions of dors in cash. The other shareholders followed suit and used all kinds of methods to cash out. If this continued, all the assets would be drained dry. By the time Bruce woke up, his money would be gone. That would be even more pathetic. Chapter 635 Chapter 635 Chapter 635 At the conference room of the Everett Group on Monday. The shareholders began to discuss and whisper, ¡°Joanna is actually holding a general meeting. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I guess it¡¯s about Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°I heard that Mr. Everett has passed the critical period. He might really wake up.¡± When another shareholder, Mr. Young, heard this, his face was filled with disbelief. ¡°Ah! No way? He hurt so badly. Can he still be saved? I heard that the doctor has already announced his death.¡± Mr. Obrien continued, ¡°He was resuscitated afterward! I heard that he received gene regeneration shots every day for more than a month. He also had to undergo various rehabilitation treatments. He spent tens of millions of dors on medical fees for a month. So, of course, he would be doing well now.¡± ¡°How could money bepared to life? If it were me, I would definitely do the same.¡± When Mr. Bourn heard this, he could not help but tease, ¡°Ah, Mr. Everett¡¯s life is really tough!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s too tough. Look at Mr. Everett. He was a jinx to his family. He lost his parents and siblings at an early age, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t jinx his wife. It¡¯s magical. Haha.¡± ¡°Who said that he isn¡¯t a jinx to his wife? His ex-wife was almost jinxed to death several times. Fortunately, she¡¯s divorced now. Otherwise, she would have been jinxed too!¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Mr. Everett¡¯s life is too tough. I wonder if he¡¯ll jinx his kid?¡± The more Mr. Obrien spoke, the more excited he became. He almost forgot his manners. When the others heard this, they stared at Mr. Obrien in shock. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you cursing Mr. Everett¡¯s child?¡± Mr. Obrien also realized that he had gone overboard and quickly tried to make up for it. ¡°I, I don¡¯t mean anything. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just feeling emotional!¡± ¡°Stop talking. Mr. Miller is here.¡± The office door was pushed open. Liam and Evan walked in with gloomy expressions. During this period of time, Liam brought his son to thepany and promoted him to vice president. It was obvious that he wanted to nurture his son to be the sessor. More urately, he was trying to take over the Everett Group by making his son the heir of the Everett Group. ¡°Mr. Miller, good morning!¡± ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Liam strolled to the center of the conference table and sat down in the seat where Bruce had previously sat. ¡°Joanna has gathered everyone for a general meeting today. What do you all think?¡± Liam wanted to check out everyone¡¯s attitude first. After all, he had guessed that Joanna¡¯s return was definitely not a good thing. At least for him, it was not a good thing. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what she has to say first!¡± The other shareholders also nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s see what Ms. Haynes has to say first.¡± As they were talking, the conference room¡¯s door was pushed open. Andy, Mark, Darcy, and Gael walked in one after another. Then, Joanna walked in. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± When everyone saw Joanna, they subconsciously replied, ¡°Morning, Ms. Haynes.¡± Joanna was wearing a ck suit with a striped shirt underneath today. She had ck-framed sses on her face and looked solemn and calm. She walked directly past the others and went to Liam¡¯s side. When Liam saw this, he snorted and pretended that nothing had happened. He did not move, nor did he have any intention of giving up his position. Joanna did not say anything and just stood beside him. Then, she supported herself with her arm on the desk and looked around at everyone. ¡°I called you for a general meeting today because I have something to announce.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, what do you have to announce?¡± Joanna gave Andy a quick nce. Andy understood instantly and looked at everyone calmly. He said coldly, ¡°From tomorrow onwards, Ms. Haynes will officially return to thepany to work.¡± After everyone heard it, they were all looking at each other confused. Liam was the first to express his dissatisfaction. ¡°Ms. Haynes, did I hear it wrong? You¡¯ll work at the company?¡± Joanna stared at Liam and replied calmly, ¡°Yeah, you heard it right!¡± ¡°Humph, what position do you want to take? Thepany doesn¡¯t keep ckers.¡± Mr. Young immediately chimed in, ¡°Yeah, Ms. Haynes, you are still pregnant. There¡¯s no suitable position for you in thepany.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming back to work, obviously in my previous position.¡± When everyone heard this, they stared at each other confused. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Joanna¡¯s previous position acting president?¡± they wondered. Evan sneered. ¡°Ms. Haynes, may I ask what makes you qualified for that position?¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked down at Evan. ¡°Because I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s ex-wife, I have an obligation to help him manage hispany well.¡± When Liam heard this, he could not hold it in anymore. He retorted, ¡°You are not one of the Everett Group¡¯s shareholders, let alone Bruce¡¯s legal spouse. What right do you have for the position of acting president?¡± ¡°This is what Bruce meant. I think he wants me to take care of his work for him, too.¡± ¡°Humph, Ms. Haynes, may I ask if Mr. Everett is awake? Does he have a clear order?¡± After hearing it, Joanna was speechless. Bruce was still unconscious, and it was impossible for him to issue any orders.. Liam would definitely grasp this point and dy hering back endlessly. Seeing that Joanna was silent, Liam grasped the main point. ¡°If it¡¯s indeed Mr. Everett¡¯s instructions, then we will definitely obey. But now that Mr. Everett is in aa, thepany is already in a precarious situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t put the future of thepany on you.¡± Joanna scanned the crowd coldly. ¡°Bruce had previously appointed me as the Everett Group¡¯s acting president when he was at the detention center. ¡°He¡¯s in aa now. Naturally, I¡¯ll continue to hold the position of president for him until he wakes up.¡± ¡°Humph, it¡¯s true that Mr. Everett asked you to be the acting president. But you also said that that was before, and this is now. ¡°If you want to take on the position of acting president, either Mr. Everett himself appoints you, or everyone yotes. ¡°If all the shareholders present vote for you, you will naturally be appointed as the president of the Everett Group.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled coldly. ¡°Mr. Miller, your words are a little unreasonable. ¡°As you know, Bruce is still in aa. How is it possible for him to appoint me personally?¡± Liam shrugged proudly. ¡°Then we can only let everyone vote. There are 21 shareholders in the company. If more than half of them support you taking the position of acting president, I have no objections.¡± He knew that the shareholders would not choose Joanna as the acting president. He was just provoking her on purpose. Mr. Young had already taken the lead. ¡°I object.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Mr. Obrien followed suit and said, ¡°Uh, I object too.¡± Seeing that someone objected, Mr. Bourn immediately echoed, ¡°I object too. Anyway, I won¡¯t agree to Joanna being president.¡± Seeing this, Liam nced at Joanna triumphantly. Now, he was racing against time to earn money. As long as he stayed in the position of president for one more day, he could make an extra day¡¯s worth of money. Chapter 636 Chapter 636 Chapter 636 Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She coldly looked around at everyone. ¡°Anyone else?¡± Mr. Ball smiled embarrassedly and tried to please both sides. He did not want to offend anyone. ¡°Well, about this matter! I think it¡¯s better to think about it at length. ¡°Let¡¯s talk things over! We can alwayse up with a win-win solution!¡± Another shareholder, Mr. Feron, who had always been at odds with Liam, chose to stand on Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°I support Miss Haynes.¡± Another shareholder, Mr. Warren, also expressed his support. ¡°I also support Ms. Haynes.¡± P After hearing that, Liam gave the two of them a sullen nce. His gaze was clearly filled with warning. Mr. Feron was not afraid of the threat in Liam¡¯s eyes at all. ¡°Ms. Haynes. During the period when you and Mr. Everett were not around, a lot of things happened in thepany. ¡°I suggest you investigate thepany¡¯s ounts. Also, I heard that Mr. Miller is selling the Belle Building. I wonder if that¡¯s true.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked straight at Liam. ¡°Mr. Miller, is this true?¡± When Liam heard this, he was even more furious. ¡°Joanna, you have nothing to do with the Everett Group. What right do you have to ask about thepany¡¯s internal information? ¡°Besides, the Belle Building is an estate under my name. I can sell it at any time. There¡¯s no need to ask for anyone¡¯s permission!¡± Joanna was left choked in anger, saying coldly, ¡°As far as I know, the Belle Building is the property of the Everett Group. It¡¯s just under your name. You can¡¯t sell it privately without thepany¡¯s permission.¡± Evan immediately stepped forward to support his father. ¡°Humph, Joanna Haynes, what right do you have to interfere in our family¡¯s matters? ¡°Get this straight. You and my cousin divorced a long time ago. There¡¯s nothing going on between the two of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the mother of his child. This concerns my child¡¯s interests, so of course, I have the right to interfere! ¡°Also, it¡¯s a shareholders¡¯ general meeting today. No outsiders are allowed to enter. Darcy, get him out.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mr. Miller, please leave immediately.¡± When Evan heard this, he flew into a rage. ¡°Joanna Haynes, you¡¯re too unreasonable. Your thoughts are written all over your face. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to!¡± When Liam saw this, he was also furious. ¡°Joanna Haynes, stop making gestures andments here. You¡¯re pregnant, so we don¡¯t want to argue with you. Please leave thepany now.¡± As he spoke, Liam began to call for the bodyguards toe in. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re not a shareholder of the Everett Group at all. You¡¯re the one who should leave.¡± Joanna was totally chill and took out a document from her bag, ¡°This is the will that Bruce made earlier. ¡°If anything happens to him, I¡¯ll be in charge of everything for him. You can take a look.¡± Seeing this, everyone was even more speechless. They all stared curiously at the document in her hand. ¡°Are you kidding me? Mr. Everett is so young. Why would he make a will?¡± Joanna nced at everyone calmly. ¡°You can take it to the judiciary to check its authenticity. ¡°Now, I want to announce to everyone that from today onwards, I will officially be the acting president of the Everett Group until Brucepletely recovers.¡± ¡°This will must be fake. I¡¯ve never heard of Bruce making any will.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°That¡¯s right. This will is totally fake.¡± When Gael heard this, he immediately retorted with a serious expression, ¡°I¡¯m the butler of the Everett family. When Mr. Everett made the will, Mr. Jameson and I were right beside him. ¡°I can guarantee that this will was personally made by Mr. Everett. ¡°If you think it¡¯s fake, you can take it to awyer to verify it and see if it¡¯s fake.¡± Gael¡¯s words carried a lot of weight and instantly stunned everyone. After all, he had been working in the Everett family for nearly thirty years. When everyone heard this, they had different expressions on their faces. In the past, Bruce had advertised with great fanfare to look for Joanna. Moreover, he had even disregarded his reputation and apologized to Joanna in front of the major media. Therefore, most people believed it and felt that this will was definitely real. If something really happened to Bruce, Joanna would naturally be the Everett Group¡¯s legal sessor by virtue of his will. At that time, if she dealt with them again, they would not be able to bear the consequences. Seeing that everyone was stunned, Joanna immediately changed the topic. ¡°Of course, I still have to get everyone¡¯s permission for the position of acting president. ¡°Now, you can vote. Those who support me as acting president, please raise your right hand. ¡°Supporting Mr. Miller as acting president. Please raise your left hand.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± When everyone heard this, they were even more troubled. Of course, they wanted to choose Liam as the acting president. After all, they could reap benefits without restraint. However, Joanna had the will. Moreover, she had three children with Mr. Everett and was pregnant with another child. Even if Bruce did die, his estate would be inherited by his four children and Joanna. At that time, they would fall into Joanna¡¯s hands again. They would probably not have a good time. ¡°Choose quickly, choose quickly!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I, can I forfeit¡­¡± ¡°You can forfeit.¡± Joanna nodded slightly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll forfeit too.¡± A few minority shareholders expressed their attitude. Chapter 637 Chapter 637 Chapter 637 Only Mr. Sims, Mr. Bourn, and Mr. Young were left. ¡°Well, I, I choose¡­¡± Mr. Sims thought about it. After weighing the pros and cons, he could only choose Joanna. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Ms. Haynes!¡± ¡°I also think Mr. Everett is more suitable.¡± ¡°I still support Mr. Miller. After all, he¡¯s been in thepany for so many years.¡± ¡°I¡­ I support Ms. Haynes.¡± Mr. Nelson also expressed his stance. Then, he added, ¡°After all, it¡¯s Mr. Everett¡¯s idea. We still have to abide by it! Didn¡¯t Ms. Haynes say that Mr. Everett will recover soon?¡± He did not really support Joanna, but he was worried that Bruce would take revenge when he woke up. Bruce was not a good person. Offending him would not end well. Seeing that everyone had changed their words to support Joanna, Mr. Young panicked. He smiled awkwardly. ¡°Ms. Haynes, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to support you. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that your body won¡¯t be able to take it. After all, you¡¯re pregnant now. The most important thing for you is to take care of yourself and your baby. As for work, I think Mr. Miller is the one who should handle it¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned cold, and her eyes showed a hint of disgust. ¡°Cut the crap that has nothing to do with work! ¡°Whether I¡¯m pregnant or not has nothing to do with work. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. You just have to express your stance and choose who you support.¡± She wanted to force these people to take sides. She was now representing Bruce. Those who chose to support Liam were naturally not on the same side as Bruce. When he saw Joanna¡¯s domineering attitude, the corners of Mr. Young¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Well, well, well, I, I¡¯d better forfeit!¡± ¡°Andy, count the results!¡± Joanna indicated Andy. When Andy heard this, he immediately began to count the number of people. ¡°One, two, three, four¡­ All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Uh, A total of nine votes for Ms. Haynes! ¡°Five votes for Mr. Miller. Everyone else has forfeited.¡± -Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Liam coldly. ¡°Mr. Miller, what else do you have to say?¡± Seeing this, Liam was even more furious. ¡°We still don¡¯t know if your will is real or fake. I still have to take it for an appraisal!¡± ¡°You can do the test, but only under my watch.¡± Joanna red at Liam coldly. ¡°What if the will was switched or deliberately damaged? Wouldn¡¯t I be in a very passive position then?¡± Liam was left speechless and furious. Of course, this will was fake. She just took it out to bluff everyone. Of course, she also knew that most people would not verify the authenticity of the will. ¡°Gael has personallye out to testify. How can the will be fake? Mr. Miller, you are overthinking it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. This will must be true. Besides, everyone knows that Mr. Everett confessed to Ms. Haynes openly in front of the media.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s Mr. Everett¡¯s intention, we definitely have to abide by it. Mr. Miller, it¡¯s better to hand over the work quickly and not make things difficult for Ms. Haynes!¡± When Liam heard everyone¡¯s words, he was so angry that he could not utter a word. He also felt guilty. He knew that Bruce disliked him, so how could Bruce let him be the acting president? He had already reaped a lot of benefits from being the acting president for more than a month. ¡°Fine! Fine! Fine! ¡°Since everyone agrees with this, you can take on the position of acting president!¡± ¡°Mr. Miller, please hand over your work today and return to your own position tomorrow. You no longer need to serve as the acting president,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Alright, alright. You won. I give up!¡± As he spoke, Liam became so angry that he stormed off. Evan quickly followed him out. Joanna returned to Bruce¡¯s office. Andy could not help but praise, ¡°Ms. Haynes, that¡¯s a really good move!¡± ¡°Yeah! I didn¡¯t expect them to believe it.¡± ¡°Well, they gotta believe it. Mr. Everett loves Ms. Haynes so much. He definitely wished Ms. Haynes to take over his everything.¡± ¡°Stop talking and tidy up quickly! We¡¯re going to start work tomorrow officially, and we have to pull the company onto the right track,¡± Joanna said seriously. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m gonna go reorganize all the departments now.¡± ¡°Go!¡± After Andy and Mark left, Joanna could not help but sigh again. She opened theputer. She knew that Liam wouldn¡¯t give up easily. Moreover, there would be further actions soon. However, her first goal had been achieved. She had sessfully taken back the position of acting president. The second step was to clear thepany¡¯s ounts. No matter how much wealth they had pocketed, they had to spit it all out. ¡°Ms. Haynes is really impressive. She actually defeated Mr. Miller and sessfully took back the position of acting president.¡± ¡°I thought there would be a huge battle!¡± ¡°Ah! She¡¯s only throwing her weight around because she has a will. Who would care about her if she didn¡¯t have the will?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. After all, the will is a holy grail. Even if Mr. Everett really dies, she will be the biggest beneficiary.¡± ¡°Oh! It seems that our good days havee to an end again. Previously, it was Mr. Everett. Now, it¡¯s Ms. Haynes. They are one tough couple. We better watch our backs around them.¡± ¡°Come on. We have already got so many benefits. We can¡¯t be too greedy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Chapter 638 Chapter 638 Chapter 638 After Kensley¡¯s case came to an end, Beata couldn¡¯t take the stimtion and gave birth prematurely, giving birth to a daughter. The police did a simple investigation and did not find any important inside information. With the death of the suspect, the case could only be treated as an ordinary murder case and the case was quickly closed. Joanna did not make things too difficult for Beata and her daughter. She only sent more bodyguards and special caregivers to protect Bruce. At the Yanice Group, Marlowe held a cigar with a vicious expression. As he continued to inhale and exhale, smoke lingered in front of his eyes. Pete and his subordinates were divided into two groups and stood on both sides. All of them were tense and silent. Marlowe had been in an extremely bad mood these past few days. He was about to fly into a rage at any time. He was different from Bruce when he lost his temper. When Bruce lost his temper, it was because someone else had done something wrong. Moreover, he only lost his temper with the higher-ups and directors. He would directly fire the higher-ups or directors who had done something wrong without hesitation. On the other hand, Marlowe was a little crazy. He enjoyed taking it out on the people under his command. He didn¡¯t care about anything, let alone it was men, women, or children. If one was unlucky and happened to meet him when he was angry, he would beat one up. ¡°You¡¯re all good-for-nothings. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed that you can¡¯t even do such a small thing?¡± P¨¦te and his men lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. ¡°Bang, bang, bang.¡± Marlowe tapped heavily on the table with his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m asking you. Say something. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would definitely kill Bruce? How about the result? What¡¯s the result?¡± Pete looked miserable. ¡°President Yanice, you really can¡¯t me me for this. That doctor vouched for me. Who knows¡­¡± Marlowe¡¯s eyes widened as he cursed, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking exin. You¡¯re all good for nothing. You¡¯re more stupider than donkeys. You dumb ass.¡± Even as he cursed, he still couldn¡¯t vent his anger. He picked up the documents and the leftover takeaway boxes on the table, and so on, throwing them at Pete and the others. ¡°Swoosh¡­¡± The takeaway boxes flew everywhere. More than ten people were covered in leftovers, but they were still standing there still. Pete bowed even more and kept ttering Marlowe. ¡°President Yanice, please calm down. I didn¡¯t expect that doctor to be so useless. Besides, he¡¯s already dead. There¡¯s no point in cursing him¡­ ¡°Am I cursing him? I¡¯m fucking cursing you. Don¡¯t you understand human speech? ¡°Hurry up and think of another way. I must make Bruce die.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± Pete was submissive for a moment. Seeing this, Marlowe became even more crazy as he kicked and hit Peter. ¡°You only know ¡®Oh, oh¡±? If you can¡¯t think of a good solution today, I¡¯ll let you die for him.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll think of something now.¡± Pete and a few of his men did not dare to stay in the office for another moment. They quickly ran away in fear. From N?velDrama.Org. After returning to their private lounge, a few of his men could not help butin as they cleaned up the trash on their bodies. ¡°Pete, I can¡¯t live like this anymore. Look, my head is bleeding.¡± Another subordinate, Soli, could not help but alsoin, ¡°That¡¯s right. President Yanice¡¯s temper is too bad. It¡¯s too difficult to serve him. ¡°We feel so aggrieved following him. He¡¯s even harder to serve than an emperor. He treats us like dogs. No, we¡¯re getting treatment even worse than dogs can get.¡± When Peter heard this, he frowned and sighed heavily. ¡°s, it¡¯s hard to survive in the world now. Whoever has money is the boss. I just want to take you to earn more money. ¡°When we¡¯ve saved enough money, we can go somewhere else and be bosses, too.¡± Soli said gloomily, ¡°But what he wants us to do is too difficult. This is almost impossible.¡± ¡°s, what¡¯s the alternative?¡± Pete sighed again, deeply. He was unwilling to follow Marlowe either. However, most of them had been to prison before. It was impossible for them to find a job with such a high sry elsewhere. They were unwilling to work in apany with a lower sry. Therefore, they had no other choice. Top-notch groups of wealthy families like the Everett Group and Grimm Group had very high requirements for hiring bodyguards. Pete and his men couldn¡¯t even pass the basic interview. Marlowe had also been in prison before, so he didn¡¯t care about these things. In any case, he liked to gather a group of desperadoes. Pete knew that his subordinates were angry, so he could onlyfort them. ¡°Try to bear with it a little longer! Bear with it for a few more years. When we save enough money, we can move to another ce to retire.¡± ¡°But he asked us to kill Bruce. This is too difficult. We might even lose our lives!¡± The bald man could not help but mutter. They were not good people, let alone had a conscience. It was just that this task was too difficult. Pete said viciously, ¡°After we finish this deal, we¡¯ll probably be able to have enough money to retire. ¡°Wealthes from danger. If we want to make a fortune, we can only do things that others don¡¯t dare to do. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for us to start with the doctor now. It also attracted the attention of Joanna and the police.¡± Soli¡¯s expression was solemn as he said timidly, ¡°Pete, how about we just stop this task?¡± ¡°You make it sound so easy. If we stop it now, do you think he¡¯ll let us go?¡± ¡°If anyone tries to back out again, I¡¯ll take his life now.¡± When the others heard this, they did not dare to say anything else. After a while, Rene turned his head. ¡°Pete, if we need to deal with Brice, I don¡¯t think we have to target Bruce. ¡°We can start with the people around him. That way, it will be better!¡± ¡°People around him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ll deal with whoever is most important to him! ¡°Like his ex-wife and his kids. This will be more heartbreaking for him than killing him.¡± Pete¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that. That was a good idea. It was much easier to deal with the people around Bruce than to deal with him directly. After that, Pete returned to the office. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Pete knocked lightly on the door a few times. ¡°Come in.¡± In the office, Marlowe was enjoying himself with his secretary. Even when Pete came in, he had no intention of stopping. After Pete walked in, he was already used to the scene in front of him and did not feel embarrassed at all. ¡°President Yanice, I suddenly have a better ideal¡± Marlowe panted heavily and said impatiently, ¡°If you have something to say, say it!¡± ¡°Bruce is half-dead now. I think there¡¯s no point in dealing with him. It¡¯s better to think of a more. ruthless method to make his life feel worse than death.¡± When Marlowe heard this, he paused for a moment and red at Pete. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Pete said quickly, ¡°What I mean is to make Bruce¡¯s life a living hell. Make him lose everything he values the most. When he up and sees that his wife and children are dead and thepany is bankrupt, what do you think will happen to him?¡± wakes Marlowe¡¯s eyes widened as heughed maniacally. He immediately let go of the secretary who was about to be tortured to death by him. You¡¯re so fucking mean. ¡°You can even think of such a sinister method.¡± Chapter 639 Chapter 639 Pete rolled his eyes and said sinisterly, ¡°President Yanice, since you want revenge, we might as well take revenge on the people around him. ¡°This way, when Bruce wakes up and finds out that everyone in his family is dead and that he has no money, he will definitely wish he was dead.¡±¡± ¡°Ha, that makes sense. Go on.¡± Pete sneered and continued, ¡°The people Bruce cares about the most are none other than his ex-wife and children. ¡°As long as we kill that woman, the Everett Group will definitely be in a state of disunity. ¡°I heard that Joanna is holding a shareholders¡¯ meeting. She will hold the position of acting president of the Everett Group. ¡°Bruce and his uncle have never been on good terms. I think we can get his uncle to deal with Joanna. We can bankrupt the Everett Group first and then take Joanna¡¯s life.. ¡°When Joanna dies, the three brats of Bruce will be nothing for us. They can¡¯t pose any threat to us.¡± When Marlowe heard this, he could not help but p his hands and exim, ¡°Haha, this is a very good idea! ¡°You¡¯re really a fucking genius to think of such a ruthless method.¡± ¡°Well, this is all thanks to President Yanice¡¯s nurturing. Without President Yanice¡¯s nurturing, I would be nothing.¡± When Marlowe heard this, his face darkened. These words sounded like Pete was humiliating him.. ¡°Do you know what to do?¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, President Yanice. Just leave it to me. I¡¯ll definitely think of a way to let the Everett Group have an internal conflict first. ¡°I¡¯ll use Bruce¡¯s uncle to deal with Joanna. Let them target each other so that we can reap the benefits.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Marlowe let out a strangeugh and casually lit another cigar. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and move.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll think of a way immediately¡­¡± After Liam was taken away from the position of acting president, he was so angry that he did not have the appetite to eat for a day. After returning home, L hurriedly went forward. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re back. How is it?¡± Liam sighed heavily and took off his suit. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Evan replied gloomily, ¡°Dad is no longer the Everett Group¡¯s acting president.¡± When L heard this, she was instantly dumbfounded. ¡°Huh? How did this happen? ¡°If your dad doesn¡¯t take on the Everett Group¡¯s acting president, who else can take on such an important position?¡± ¡°Joanna!¡± When L heard this, she was even more furious. ¡°What right does she have to hold such an important position? ¡°Honey, you didn¡¯t agree to her request, did you?¡± ¡°What else can I do? This is the result of the board of directors¡¯ votes. Most people support her, so it¡¯s useless even if I object!¡± ¡°No, it can¡¯t be, right? Most people support her? What the hell?¡± Liam could not be bothered to say anything else and sat on the sofa. L quickly came over and asked Evan, ¡°Evan, what¡¯s going on? Tell me quickly!¡± Evan sighed heavily. ¡°Joanna took out a will. It was Bruce who made the will and let her take full responsibility for everything. ¡°When the other shareholders saw this, they all changed sides and supported Joanna as the acting president!¡± ¡°It¡¯s that all? They stripped your dad of his presidential position just because of a will?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Upon hearing this, she became even more anxious. ¡°Honey, you can¡¯t give up just like that. Mr. Everett isn¡¯t even dead yet. His will is not valid at all!¡± ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t think we can give up either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is billion-dor assets. Even if there¡¯s a small chance, we have to do our best to fight for it! We can¡¯t let Joanna benefit for nothing.¡± ¡°Seriously, Mr. Everett is still so young. Why did he make a will? ¡°Who knows if that will is real or fake? Maybe Joanna is deliberately fooling everyone.¡± ¡°Oh, stop arguing. I¡¯m dizzy. I¡¯ll go upstairs and sleep first.¡± As Liam spoke, he went upstairs. After seeing his father leave, Evan gave L a look. L blushed and whispered coquettishly, ¡°Got it. You go first!¡± Evan didn¡¯t say anything else. He stood up and walked out. ¡°I¡¯m noting back for dinner today. You don¡¯t need to leave food for me!¡± The servants replied respectfully, ¡°Okay, Mr. Miller!¡± Half an hourter, L also found an excuse to leave the house. Liam had a total of two sons. Evan was the eldest son, and his second wife had given him a son and a daughter. L was his third wife. She was more than 20 years younger than him. Evan and L were about the same age, only two years apart. Moreover, L was a beauty pageant girl, only just in her early thirties. She was well-maintained and in good shape. Although she was in her thirties, she looked like a twenty-four or twenty-five-year-old girl. She even looked more charming than a twenty-something-year-old girl. From N?velDrama.Org. She and Evan had been together for a long time. It was Evan who had even personally introduced L to his father. However, after L became Evan¡¯s stepmother, the two of them still maintained a ¡°secret rtionship¡±. Whenever there was a chance, the two of them would secretly meet. Chapter 640 Chapter 640 Chapter 640 Soon, the two of them arrived at the ce where they often went on dates! It was a small vi. This was also the secret love nest that Evan had bought specially for his tryst with L. As soon as the two of them met, they started to have sex as usual! An hourter, L was satisfied. She coquettishly snuggled into Evan¡¯s arms with her cheeks blush. ¡°Do you like me? Or my old Dad?¡± L hit him coquettishly. ¡°You¡¯re so bad. If your-Dad finds out, he¡¯ll skin you alive.¡± ¡°Before he skins me, I¡¯ll skin you first¡­¡± As Evan spoke, he started to make another round of love with L. Although Liam was old, he was still strong. However, Evan was young and vigorous. Therefore, of course, L liked Evan more. Back then, Evan had racked his brains to push L to his father¡¯s side so that she could deal with Liam¡¯s second wife and the son of his second wife. L didn¡¯t let him down. She quickly charmed Liam. Not long after, Liam dumped his second wife and married the young and beautiful L. With the help of L, Evan was naturally liked by Liam. Liam handed most of the businesses to Evan to manage. As for Liam¡¯s youngest son, he was directly sent overseas to study, and was not given the chance to take over Liam¡¯s property at all. ¡°Evan, I really don¡¯t want more¡­ After they finished the second round of having sex, Evan started to brainwash L again. ¡°L, you have to work hard to incite my Dad to fight for the Everett Group¡¯s assets.¡± There were some things that it was useless for him to tell his father, but it was much simpler and more effective for L to tell his father. L¡¯s eyes were blurry as she said coquettishly, ¡°Evan, your Dad already has enough money. Besides, we¡¯ve already earned a lot of money during this period of time. It¡¯s better to stop it before it¡¯s toote. How about we just stop it? Lest we end up empty-handed!¡± Indeed, Liam was also ranked in the top 20 billionaires of Greyport. His personal assets amounted to more than 10 billion dors. However, the richer one was, the greedier one was, and the more one would want to earn more money. Evanughed mockingly and teased L. ¡°Heh, you women are too short-sighted. You¡¯re too easily satisfied. ¡°Is several billion dors enough?¡± L pouted and retorted unhappily, ¡°Several billion dors isn¡¯t enough? How much more do you want then?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I have a younger brother and sister. When the timees, my Dad will definitely give half of his money to them. ¡°Also, who knows if my Dad has illegitimate children outside or not? What if a bunch of illegitimate children pop up to fight for family assets? How much can I get? ¡°Now, we can only try our best to control as many assets as possible. Bruce has an ident. If my Dad can take over his assets, we can then really rest easy for the rest of our lives.¡± In the past, Evan had never dared to have any ideas about Bruce. However, ever since Bruce¡¯s incident, Evan¡¯s ambitions had -suddenly swelled. ¡°s, Bruce has children. It¡¯s not your Dad¡¯s ce to, inherit his assets.¡± Evan¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Hmph, if we don¡¯t work hard to fight for it, we definitely won¡¯t be able to inherit it. ¡°But don¡¯t forget that my Dad is Bruce¡¯s biological uncle. If Bruce dies, my Dad naturally has the right to take over the Everett Group. ¡°Therefore, even if there¡¯s only a one in ten thousand chance, we have to try our best to fight for it.¡± L¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked at Evan faintly. ¡°Evan, to tell me the truth, have you really thought of marrying me? ¡°You promised me in the past that as long as I can control your Dad to drive away your stepmother and her son, you¡¯ll be with me.¡± Evan arched his eyebrows. ¡°Aren¡¯t I with you now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different. What I want is for you¡­ to marry me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t joke around. You¡¯re my stepmother now. What will others think of us if I marry you? ¡°Isn¡¯t it good for us to be like this now? In front of outsiders, you¡¯re still my stepmother, and we¡¯re a harmonious family. ¡°In private, we¡¯re like a couple, doing everything couples do. What else are you dissatisfied with?¡± When L heard this, a trace of disappointment appeared in her eyes. She was already in her thirties and did not have any children. When she grew old, she would probably not even have to rely on. ¡°Evan, how about¡­ we make a child?¡± When Evan heard this, his eyes widened! She was now his nominal stepmother. Wouldn¡¯t it be a mess if he had a child with her? anyone ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Children are a burden. Why would I want a child? Let¡¯s talk about itter! It¡¯ll be terrible if my Dad finds out.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. L frowned in dissatisfaction. ¡°What are you afraid of? If I¡¯m pregnant with your child, I¡¯ll say that it¡¯s your Dad¡¯s child. He definitely won¡¯t find out. ¡°Even if we do a paternity test, the child is still rted to him by blood¡­¡± When Evan heard this, he felt even more incredulous. ¡°L, can you stop fooling around?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m already in my thirties. I must have a child. ¡°Either you have a child with me, or I¡¯ll have a child with your Dad. It¡¯s up to you!¡± After saying that, L got up angrily and put on her clothes. Seeing that L was angry, Evan quickly hugged her andforted her. If he really angered her and she really gave birth to a child with his father, there would be another more person to share the family assets with him. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. You¡¯re the boss here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°But let¡¯s make it clear first. We can make a child, but not now.¡± L¡¯s face turned gloomy. ¡°When should it be?¡± ¡°When my Dad settles Joanna and officially takes over the Everett Group!¡± L sneered, ¡°Heh, then how long will it take? I don¡¯t care. I must give birth to my own child this year. ¡°Whether you want a younger brother or a son, it¡¯s your choice.¡± Evan was deted and speechless to the extreme. L¡¯s words made him not know what to say ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I want a son. I want a son, okay? ¡°Next time, I won¡¯t do any measures. I¡¯ll try to do it in one go so that you can get pregnant with a baby.¡± ¡°You said it yourself. You can¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in your hands. How can I lie to you?¡± When L heard that, she instantly kissed Evan¡¯s face a few times happily. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had already ¡°exhausted¡± from the two rounds of having sex, L would definitely want him. to make a baby with her immediately. ¡°However, don¡¯t just be happy for now. For the sake of our happy days in the future, you must think of ways to incite my Dad. ¡°We can¡¯t give up even if there¡¯s only a little hope. We have to get the Everett Group,¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t worry! I have plenty of ways to deal with Liam.¡± ¡°You little bitch. My Dad failed miserably in your hands.¡± ¡± ¡°Alright, hurry up and go back! If you go back toote, my Dad will be suspicious.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll take my leave first,¡± L said. Supporting her weak limbs, she got up and put on her clothes. Chapter 641 Chapter 641 A weekter, in the conference room of the Everett Group, Joanna had officially taken up the position of acting president. Although many people were still unwilling to ept it, they could only be angry in their hearts but not dare to say anything. At nine o¡¯clock in the morning, Joanna walked into the conference room with a serious expression, wearing a ssic suit that made her look very capable. ¡°Let¡¯s have a meeting.¡± ¡°Morning, Miss Haynes.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Joanna sat down in the seat that Bruce had previously upied. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting will focus on three matters.¡± The long conference table was upied by thepany¡¯s shareholders and senior executives. Only Liam¡¯s seat was empty. He had been forcibly stripped of his position as acting president and was still angry. He had been so angry that he had note to thepany for a week. It was good that he did note. Joanna would not rush him to work either. She would just treat him as nobody. ¡°Firstly, Ipared thepany¡¯s profits in the first half of the year. In the past two months, the company¡¯s profits have fallen by 28%. ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility of objective factors. However, the main factor is thexity of the various departments and the inaction of the shareholders and higher-ups. As Joanna spoke, she nced at the people sitting there. Some of the shareholders straightened their backs slightly, while others had unfocused looks in their eyes. They had all kinds of expressions. Joanna paused for a few seconds before continuing solemnly, ¡°I request all shareholders and senior executives to reflect on your actions one by one and write out a detailed work report.¡± When the shareholders and higher-ups heard this, they stared at each other. They knew that Miss Haynes was not easy to deal with. See, they knew it. A new official would apply strict measures. Joanna began to constrain them in arranging their work as soon as she took the position. Joanna was not in the mood to argue with these people, nor did she want to adopt a gentle governance n. She said bluntly, ¡°Secondly, I found that there are many problems with thepany¡¯s ounts. There are many payments that can¡¯t be matched, and there are many holes in thepany¡¯s bank ounts.¡± When everyone heard this, a portion of them began to panic. ¡°I¡¯ll give everyone a week to check on yourselves. If the ounts still don¡¯t match after a week, then I¡¯m sorry. ¡°I¡¯ll take strict legal measures to investigate thepany¡¯s ounts. I won¡¯t tolerate anyone.¡± Joanna knew it very well. It was impossible for all the shareholders to be unaffected by bad culture. She gave them a chance now, and if they were sensible enough to automatically make up for the holes in the ounts, she would turn a blind eye and let them off this time. However, if they were still stubborn and insisted on not taking it seriously, she would definitely not condone their bad habits. ¡°The third thing is about Mr. Miller wanting to sell the Belle Building under the Everett Group. I¡¯m now informing everyone that the Belle Building belongs to thepany property of the Everett Group. No one has the right to sell the Belle Building without thepany¡¯s permission. ¡°I¡¯ve finished my three points. What do you want to discuss? What problems do you have? You can raise them now,¡± Joanna said calmly and looked at everyone. Mr. Young¡¯s face revealed a hint of mockery. He said half-teasingly, ¡°Heh, Miss Haynes does things swiftly and decisively. You¡¯re not inferior to Mr. Everett at all, How would we dare to have any problems? We have no problem. No problem at all.¡± When Joanna heard his sarcasm, she did not have the slightest intention of letting him off. She retorted bluntly, ¡°Mr. Young, what do you mean by that? Are you mocking me for being unreasonable, or are you mocking Mr. Everett for being ¡± ¡°How would I dare? I¡¯mpletely out of admiration¡­¡± Joanna looked at him coldly and could not be bothered to say anything more to him. Anyway, this person was standing on the other side of Liam. In the future, when she found an opportunity, she would definitely kick him out of thepany. She could not let such a person mix in with the team ¡°Does anyone think there¡¯s a problem? You can ask directly. There¡¯s no need to beat around the bush or insinuate anything.¡± Mr. Bourn¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Uh, then I¡¯ll make a small suggestion.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Mmm, I think there¡¯s been a huge change in thepany¡¯s personnel department. This has a very bad impact. Some of the old employees have already left. I think we can make some welfare adjustments for thepany. It¡¯s also time to increase the sries of the grassroots employees.¡± ¡°Your suggestion is very good. I¡¯ll consider it. I¡¯ll give you an answer in three days.¡± ¡°Who else has a problem? You can bring it up now. We can discuss it together.¡± ¡°Then I also want to make a small suggestion!¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡± ¡°Regarding the Green Bay project, I think we should be more detailed and let thepany¡¯s shareholder to better understand the progress of this project!¡± Hearing this, Joanna nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, your suggestion is very good¡­¡± -The meeting continued until 11:30 a.m., and Joanna also seriously tabted everyone¡¯s problems. ¡°That¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting. Don¡¯t forget to submit the work n tomorrow. I¡¯ll carefully consider everyone¡¯s questions and give everyone an answer as soon as possible. Let¡¯s end the meeting now.¡± Chapter 642 Chapter 642 Chapter 642 After the meeting was over, the shareholders walked out of the conference room in twos and threes. The shareholders who were on good terms could not help but gather together and whisper, ¡°See, I knew it. Once Miss Haynes takes office, it will definitely not be easy for us.¡± ¡°As soon as she took office, she attacked with a heavy punch. She made such a big scene.¡± When Mr. Bourn heard this, he sighed. ¡°s, what can we do? Just follow Miss Haynes¡¯s instructions!¡± ¡°You guys are really worrying for nothing. She has policies and we have countermeasures. Think of a way.¡± ¡°Since she wants us to write a work n, we¡¯ll do it,¡± Mr. Young teased. He was best at cking off and neglecting work. No matter what instructions Joanna gave, he would just follow them. However, he would deliberately do it half-heartedly or deliberately mess it up. When the others heard his words, they pursed their lips and became mncholic. Those who were greedy for money were already starting to panic. However, there were also a few people who were afraid of nothing and did not take it seriously at all. This was because they thought that Joanna was just saying it and that she would not really make a big fuss. At six o¡¯clock in the evening, after Joanna got off work, she went straight back to Sherane Bay Vi. It was Friday. She wasing back to spend some time with the children. Joanna returned home at 6:40 p.m. Davian and Irvin were already waiting on thewn. Seeing the driver drive back, the two little guys hurriedly ran over and personally opened the door for their Mommy. ¡°Mommy, we miss you!¡± Joanna smiled and got out of the car. ¡°I miss you, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help Mommy carry the bag!¡± ¡°Mommy, be careful!¡± ¡°Good boys. You¡¯re so obedient.¡± Joanna rubbed her two sons¡¯ heads dotingly. ¡°Mommy, is Daddy¡¯s injury better? When can we visit Daddy?¡± Joanna thought for a moment. Tomorrow happened to be Saturday! Bruce had already been transferred to a normal ward. There were not many restrictions. She could bring the children to visit him more often. Perhaps it could stimte his consciousness. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bring you guys to Daddy tomorrow!¡± The three little guys asked in unison, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, really.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. We can finally see Daddy.¡± ¡°Then go to bed early after dinner and wake up early tomorrow. ¡°Okay, okay. I understand, Mommy.¡± After having dinner with the children and ying with them for a while, Joanna urged them to sleep early. After the children slept, Joanna took out herptopputer and began to work overtime to deal with thepany¡¯s umted work. During the time she and Bruce were not in thepany, many problems had arisen in thepany. Now, she had to strengthen management and solve these problems as soon as possible. She was busy until ten o¡¯clock at night. Joanna looked at the time. She closed theptopputer and prepared to sleep. It was actually not veryte. In the past, when she worked, she often worked overtime until two or three o¡¯clock in the morning. At six or seven o¡¯clock in the morning, she woke up on time and only sleep for about four to five hours a day.¡± But now, she was pregnant. For the sake of the baby, in her stomach, she had to let herself sleep for eight hours. The next day at eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the children could not wait to get up. They had not seen their Daddy for almost a month. After breakfast, Joanna took the children to the hospital. In the ward, Bruce was still lying quietly as if he had fallen asleep. His eyebrows and eyshes were born well. His eyebrows were thick and long. His eyebrows were slightly arched, and they were evenly distributed, revealing the unique determination and heroic spirit of a man. And his eyshes were also very beautiful. When his eyes were closed, his eyshes looked like a fine feather fan, casting a shadow on his eyes. Sometimes, when Joanna stared at his eyebrows, she would unknowingly be distracted. How could there be such a beautiful brow shape? Unfortunately, his face had been disfigured ever since the car ident! There was an additional scar on his left eyebrow. Although it had healed, a scar that was a few inches long could still be seen. Joanna and the children walked into the ward. Irvin ran to his father¡¯s bedside first. ¡°Daddy, we¡¯re here to see you.¡± Lilia quickly stopped Irvin. ¡°Shh, be quiet. Don¡¯t disturb Daddy.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s all keep our voices down.¡± you wake up?¡± Liliay beside Bruce¡¯s ear and said in a childish voice, ¡°Daddy, we miss you so much. When will Davian was more reserved and he was not good at expressing himself. He just stood in front of the bed and watched silently. Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly and gently held Bruce¡¯s hand. ¡°Bruce, I brought the children to see you!¡± As she spoke, she looked at the three little guys again. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, tell Daddy more about the interesting things that happened to you in school.¡± Irvin loved to talk. He immediately talked without stopping. ¡°Daddy, there are many children and beautiful teachers in our _school! ¡°Daddy, you love to look at beauties. When you wake up, I¡¯ll introduce my beautiful form teacher to you. She¡¯s a super beauty. ¡°I¡¯m sure Daddy will like her when you see her!¡± Before Irvin could finish his words, there was a clear ¡°p¡± sound. Davian pulled a long face and hit Irvin¡¯s head without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re creating an opportunity for Daddy to make a mistake! Daddy can only be Mommy¡¯s. How can you introduce other beauties to Daddy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Mommy is the most beautiful woman. Daddy only loves Mommy. Other than Mommy, Daddy won¡¯t look at other women.¡± Lilia rolled her eyes coldly at Irvin When Irvin heard this, he looked indignant. ¡°Ouch, it hurts. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mommy say just now that we have to talk about something that Daddy is interested in? Daddy is a man, so he definitely likes beauties!¡± As Irvin spoke, he looked at his Mommy angrily. ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t you just say that we have to talk about more topics that Daddy likes to stimte Daddy¡¯s brain nerves? ¡°Daddy usually loves to look at beauties. If we find a group of beauties to talk to Daddy every day, Daddy may wake up soon.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna was speechless. She actually did not know what to reply. What Irvin said¡­ seemed to make sense. Bruce, this damn bastard, really liked beauties! It was like for a glutton, even if he was asleep, as long as the delicacies were ced by his nose, he would immediately be awakened by the fragrance of the delicacies. ¡°Uhh, Bruce. Look, how well our son knows you. ¡°How about I find you a few beauties?¡± On the hospital bed, Bruce¡¯s eyshes trembled slightly as if he wanted to open them, but he was too weak to do so. He was sometimes conscious and sometimes unconscious. Now that he heard someone talking in his ear, he wanted to wake up, but he couldn¡¯t. Irvin was the first to see his father¡¯s reaction. He immediately eximed, ¡°Look, look. Daddy reacted immediately when I mentioned beauties. ¡°Look, Daddy¡¯s eyes are moving. This proves that Daddy is indeed interested in beautiful women.¡± Joanna frowned. She was really speechless. It was true. Bruce¡¯s eyelids were really trembling. Although he didn¡¯t open his eyes, she could clearly see his eyeballs moving under his eyelids. Joanna did not know if she should be happy or angry at this scene. Indeed, men were lustful even if they were about to die. Chapter 643 Chapter 643 Chapter 643 All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Looks like we really have to find a few beauties for Daddy¡­¡± Before Irvin could finish being excited, he was hit on the head again. ¡°If you dare to spout nonsense again, I¡¯ll blow your head off.¡± Irvin had been hit on the head twice. Due to Davian being his brother, he did not dare to resist him. He could only look at Joanna even more pitifully. ¡°Mommy, I didn¡¯t mean that. ¡°I just want to make Daddy wake up as soon as possible by talking about the topic that he¡¯s interested in. I don¡¯t really want Daddy to find other beauties. ¡°I¡¯m Daddy¡¯s son. I know Daddy the best. Looking at beauty is like enjoying flowers. We can enjoy them, but we don¡¯t have to pluck them.¡± Lilia immediately interrupted him and retorted unhappily, ¡°Irvin, you¡¯re so disgusting. When you grow up, you¡¯ll definitely be very fickle. Whoever marries you will definitely not be happy. ¡°Davian is still the best. He definitely won¡¯t be as fickle as you.¡± When Irvin heard this, he said disapprovingly, ¡°A man like me is just like Daddy. We look like yboys, but we¡¯re actually very loyal. ¡°A real man has to have the heart to love beautiful women and the ability to restrain himself. He dares to take responsibility for his actions and doesn¡¯t care about trifles. This is a real man.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned. ¡°Irvin, you¡¯re so young. Who taught you so much nonsense? I don¡¯t see you putting in the effort to do your homework, but you know more than anyone else about learning such nonsense.¡± These three little fellows were really bing more and more precocious. Some things they knew were even moreprehensive than hers. This was too terrifying. Joanna thought she had to strictly discipline them. ¡°Hmph, is there a need to teach me these things? I¡¯m Daddy¡¯s son, so I naturally inherited Daddy¡¯s excellent genes.¡± Joanna was even more speechless after hearing this. Irvin really admired Bruce. He was deliberately imitating Bruce in his words, actions, and temperament. Irvin imitated Bruce¡¯s fanatical confidence and sharp tongue very well. In this respect, Irvin was a one¨C to¨Cone copy of Bruce. ¡°Uh¡­ ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve all seen Daddy. You can all go out now. Don¡¯t affect Daddy¡¯s recovery.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Daddy, we¡¯ll leave first. We¡¯lle and see you another day. I hope you wake up soon.¡± The three little guys kissed their Daddy¡¯s face one after another before leaving the ward reluctantly. After the children went out, Joanna sighed faintly and began to massage Bruce¡¯s wrists. ¡°Bruce, wake up quickly and discipline your son well. I don¡¯t know how to discipline them now. ¡°They are getting more and more precocious and know too much. They don¡¯t look like six¨Cyear¨Colds at all. I¡¯m worried that if this continues, there will be bad consequences¡­¡± In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed. Joanna went to work during the day, went to the hospital at five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and went back to apany the children on Friday and Saturday. She was as busy as a top and could not rest well every day. In particr, there was a huge hole in thepany¡¯s ounts. A few shareholders secretly filled in their holes, while some stubborn people remained indifferent. This was especially true for Liam, who caused a hole of hundreds of millions of dors in the company¡¯s ounts to be missing. All this money went into his private ount. Joanna had already given him a chance, but he ignored it and even looked down on her. Anyway, he was the secondrgest shareholder of thepany. 1/2 11:03 Chapter 643 At that time, if Bruce really woke up, Liam could only bear the pain and spit out these hundreds of millions of dors. If Bruce never woke up, these hundreds of millions of dors would be Liam¡¯s private property. Liam would never return them to thepany, let alone let Joanna take control of this money. During this period of time, L kept inciting Liam to fight for the Everett Group. Liam¡¯s ears were ringing from hearing it. No one could withstand others¡® constant persuasions. Moreover, L was like a repeater, nagging in his ears every day. Gradually, Liam felt that the Everett Group was his private property. ¡°Honey, we can¡¯t let her off so easily. Why should we give her all the money? This is our family¡¯s money. Why should we use it to make up for thepany¡¯s losses? ¡°I heard that Bruce is already in a vegetative state. He will never wake up in this lifetime. ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t think we can sit back and wait for death now. We should take the initiative to attack. ¡°Even if there¡¯s the slightest hope, we have to hold on to it! Think about it. If you really take over the Everett Group, you¡¯ll be the richest man in Greyport.¡± The more L spoke, the more excited she became. She kept shaking Liam¡¯s arm coquettishly. Liam sighed heavily. ¡°s, it¡¯s not as easy as you say. Joanna has Bruce¡¯s will in hand. Evetr if Bruce really unfortunately dies, Joanna and her children are also beneficiaries. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± When L heard this, she said after she thought about it for a while, ¡°Honey, since she has the will, let¡¯s think of a way to make this will void. ¡°Bruce is now in a vegetative state. We can say that he made his will while unconscious. ¡°Anyway, he and Joanna didn¡¯t remarry. Legally, they¡¯re strangers. You should take this opportunity to apply to the court to be Bruce¡¯s guardian.¡± When Liam heard this, he felt that it was even more ridiculous. ¡°Honey, can you stop fooling around? He¡¯s an adult. How can I ask for custody of him?¡± Seeing that Liam couldn¡¯t understand her words, L sat on hisp. ¡°Honey, he¡¯s in a vegetative state now. He doesn¡¯t have any self¨Cawareness, let alone self¨Ccare ability! ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any other rtives, and you¡¯re his biological uncle. So, you can definitely apply to be his guardian. ¡°As long as you be his guardian, you can get whatever you want. Who is Joanna? What right does she have to monopolize the billion¨Cdor assets of the Everett family?¡± Chapter 644 Chapter 644 Chapter 644 Liam was already filled with anger. When he heard L¡¯s instigation and incitement, his thoughts wavered. Half of the credit for the Everett Group became so powerful belonged to his sister. Although his sister was no longer around, he should take over her share. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m going to help my sister secure Bruce¡¯s assets. I can¡¯t let that woman Joanna benefit for nothing¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Who does Joanna think she is? How is she qualified to manage the Everett family¡¯s business? If Mr. Everett never wakes up, all the Everett family¡¯s assets will fall into her hands.¡± When Liam heard this, his turbid eyes turned serious. ¡°I¡¯ll go find awyer now and discuss this matter¡­¡± The next day, L snuck off to look for Evan again. As usual, the two of them had sex as soon as they met. After they finished, Evan smoked a cigarette and asked immediately, ¡°L, how is it going?¡± L smiled weakly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already persuaded Liam. I think he¡¯ll take action soon! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll definitely lead him to do what you asked.¡± After saying that, L softly stretched her sore and slim waist and looked at Evan with satisfaction. It was better to have sex with a young man. The abundant physical energy of young men was so attractive. Although Liam was also vigorous, he was still old. He was like a broken car with insufficient power, and from time to time, his engine would turn off. When Evan heard this, he was especially satisfied. He hugged her again. ¡°L, keep going. As long as we can deal with my Dad, I¡¯ll immediately get you to give birth to a son for me!¡± ¡°Evan, don¡¯t let me down. I did all of this for you. ¡°I¡¯ve done so much for you. You can¡¯t make me sad.¡± ¡°Silly, why would I let you down?¡± As he spoke, Evan was like a revved car, instantly full of energy¡­. In the office of the Everett Group, less than ten minutes after Joanna arrived, Andy knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, I received a court summons today!¡± Andy said and handed a summons to Joanna. ¡°What summons?¡± Andy sighed and said speechlessly, ¡°Mr. Miller filed awsuit to be Mr. Everett¡¯s guardian. ¡°At the same time, he has officially charged you. He requests that you no longer interfere in Mr. Everett¡¯s marters from now on.¡± Joanna was speechless upon hearing this. ¡°Liam applied to be Bruce¡¯s guardian? Did he make a mistake?¡± ¡°Yes, he requested full authority as the guardian of Mr. Everett during his illness, citing Mr. Everett¡¯s severe illness and incapacitation.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She really did not have the strength toin. Andy sighed again and said solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, you have to think of a way. If he really sues the court, it will be very disadvantageous for you. After all, he is Mr. Everett¡¯s biological uncle and also Mr. Everett¡¯s rtive and elder.¡± Joanna exhaled a mouthful of breath. Her eyes widened. ¡°He¡¯s really greedy!¡± ¡°s, we all know what he¡¯s thinking! But the court won¡¯t care about this, let alone reject his request. ¡°Moreover, once the matter of the fake will is exposed, the consequences will be even more disadvantageous to you.¡± Joanna looked up slightly. ¡°Andy, what do you think we should do now?¡± Andy pondered for a few seconds and frowned. ¡°I think¡­ Miss Haynes, you should discuss this with Mr. Miller in private and see if there¡¯s a better solution. If you go to court, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be disadvantageous for both sides. ¡°Although we all know about Mr. Everett¡¯s rtionship with him, legally speaking, he does have more obligations as a guardian than you do.¡± 11:05 Chapter 644 When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously bit her lip and felt upset. No one knew when Bruce would wake up. If Joanna really went to court with Liam because of this, the fake will would definitely be exposed. At that time, Liam really had a high chance of winning thewsuit. ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll let you go first.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Andy replied and left the office. After Andy left, Joanna quickly called Mr. Jameson to discuss thewsuit with him. If there was really awsuit, Joanna could not be caught off guard. In addition, she decided to have a private chat with Liam. The next day, Joanna called Liam. Beep, beep, beep. The phone rang a few times before it was picked up. ¡°Hello.¡± Joanna coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Miller, it¡¯s me, Joanna.¡± Liam¡¯s indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°I know. Tell me what¡¯s the matter!¡± ¡°I want to talk to you!¡± ¡°About what?¡± Joanna did not stand on polite form and said bluntly, ¡°I want to talk to you about Bruce¡¯s guardian.¡± ¡°Sure! ¡°I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s biological uncle. My current request is to be his guardian until he recovers.¡± Joanna choked and still tried to persuade him. ¡°Mr. Miller, he¡¯s much better now. He¡¯ll wake up soon. I¡¯ll do my best to take care of him. You don¡¯t have to worry about this at all¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish, Liam interrupted her impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me so much. I just don¡¯t believe you. That¡¯s why I have to be Bruce¡¯s guardian and guard his assets for him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, half of the Everett Group belongs to my sister. ¡°My nephew is in trouble now. As his uncle, I naturally have to help him deal with the aftermath.¡± After hearing this, Joanna could no longer suppress her anger. ¡°Mr. Miller, I know you¡¯re his uncle. ¡°But legally, you¡¯re not his immediate family either. And you¡¯re certainly not the first or second in line to inherit his estate. What makes you think you can apply to be her guardian?¡± When Liam heard that, he immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation. ¡°What right do you have to criticize me? Heh, you¡¯re talking to me about thew now? ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about thew properly. No matter what, I¡¯m his biological uncle. ¡°And you are just a stranger to him. What right do you have to be his guardian? And what right do you have to control all his assets? ¡°Let me tell you, not only do I want to be Bruce¡¯s guardian, but I also want to take good care of his children for him. They are the Everett farmily¡¯s children. They have nothing to do with you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she gritted her teeth in anger. She thought in her heart, ¡°Liam is really greedy. ¡°Now, not only does he want custody of Bruce, but he also wants custody of the children? ¡°Nevermind. It seems like I shouldn¡¯t have made this call.¡± After Joanna thought about it, she said, ¡°All right then! I¡¯ll see you only in court.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Beep!¡± Liam hung up the phone. Joanna asked with a gloomy face, ¡°Mr. Jameson, what are the chances of winning thiswsuit?¡± Mr. Jameson pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Well, actually, the probability of him winning thewsuit is not high either.¡± Chapter 645 Chapter 645 Chapter 645 ¡°Although he¡¯s Mr. Everett¡¯s biological uncle, he¡¯s not an immediate family member after all. And your rtionship with Mr. Everett is obvious to everyone in Greyport. ¡°Moreover, you¡¯re the mother of Mr. Everett¡¯s children. You might not lose thewsuit.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a slight sense of relief. She said, ¡°Well. Prepare to sue him now. At the same time, gather evidence and charge him with embezzling the Everett Group¡¯s public assets. ¡°If he continues to be so stubborn, I won¡¯t be polite to him.¡± Liam embezzledpany funds totaling hundreds of millions of dors. If the charges were proven, he could very well end behind bars for a long time. up ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. I will do my best to win thewsuit.¡± Mr. Jameson looked at Joanna confidently and calmly. He was the bestwyer in Greyport and had the strongest legal team under him. Taking on this kind of lawsuit was a piece of cake for him. Liam might not be able to gain anything. ¡°However, once this goes to court, it will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. ¡°It might take years, and he has the right to apply to the court to not allow you toe into contact with Mr. Everett during the trial.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. She didn¡¯t want to go to court either. The will in her hand was fake. If she went to court, this would definitely be exposed. Therefore, she could only counter¨Cim Liam for embezzlement to restrain him. ¡°Mr. Jameson, is there any better way?¡± Mr. Jameson thought for a while. ¡°Well, the only other way would be to prove that Mr. Everett is not in a vegetative state and that his injuries are not as severe. Of course, it would be best if Mr. Everett could wake up before the trial.¡± ¡°Alright. I understand.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave first. If anything happens to Miss Haynes, call me anytime.¡± ¡°Well. Okay.¡± Mr. Jameson did not say anything else and turned to leave. ¡°Andy, send a car immediately. I¡¯m going to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Twenty minutes had passed. Joanna arrived at the hospital. She entered the doctor¡¯s office. ¡°Dr. yton, how¡¯s Bruce¡¯s situation now? Is there a better way to wake him up as soon as possible?¡± Joanna asked solemnly. When Jordan heard this, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett¡¯s external injuries have recovered very well. He¡¯s basically fine. ¡°He¡¯s mainly suffering from cerebral nerve damage now, which is moreplicated. We can only wait for him to slowly recover. There¡¯s no effective treatment for him at the moment.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Is there no way at all?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We can only treat him conservatively. If we use extreme treatment, it might backfire and worsen his condition. ¡°Miss Haynes, just wait patiently. Mr. Everett¡¯s current recovery situation is already a blessing. It¡¯s like snatching a life back from the clutches of death. We couldn¡¯t have higher expectations.¡± ¡°Alright. I understand.¡± Joanna was a little dejected. ¡°I¡¯ll go see him.¡± Then Joanna was back in the ward Bruce was still lying quietly. Hisplexion was better than a few days ago. Joanna approached the bedside and instinctively took hold of his hand. ¡°Bruce, can you wake up quickly? ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up, there will be a lot of trouble.¡± 1/2 11:05 Chapter 645 Joanna said in a low voice, and her eyes turned red uncontrobly. Miranda, standing beside Joanna, watched quietly. Seeing Joanna¡¯s distressed expression, she quickly offered words offort. ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t we try finding Mr. Lewis again? ¡°Medical science may not have a solution for this problem, but we can explore other methods. Maybe there¡¯s something that could work. ¡°Especially when someone has been unconscious for so long, apart from physical damage, there could be other factors at y.¡± After Joanna heard that, her eyes lit up. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°That¡¯s right. How could I forget about Mr. Lewis? ¡°I¡¯ll call him right now and ask him to think of another solution.¡± As Joanna spoke, she immediately took out her phone and found Mr. Lewis¡¯s number. Then a notification sound could be heard. The phone rang for a long time before Mr. Lewis finally picked up. ¡°Hello.¡± Joanna felt a rush of excitement in her heart and quickly spoke with reverence, ¡°Hello, Mr. Lewis. I¡¯m Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Please go ahead.¡± Mr. Lewis sounded a little tired. Joanna paused for a moment. ¡°Mr. Lewis, I¡¯d like to ask for your help in saving Bruce again. ¡°Bruce has been in aa for more than two months. I don¡¯t know when he will wake up. ¡°You¡¯re very powerful. There must be a way to wake him up as soon as possible.¡± The other end of the phone fell silent. ¡°Mr. Lewis, or is there any other way you can think of? I¡¯m begging you. Pleasee up with another way.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was very sincere. On the other end of the line, Mr. Lewis pondered for nearly a minute. ¡°I¡¯m at Pedrana now. I¡¯ll make a trip back to Greyport next week. ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll go to the hospital to take a look first.¡± ¡°Well. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Lewis. I¡¯ll arrange for a private ne to pick you up immediately.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then.¡± With that, Mr. Lewis hung up. Joanna couldn¡¯t contain her excitement. ¡°That¡¯s great. That¡¯s great! I hope Mr. Lewis can find a way to help Bruce soon. ¡°Bruce, you have to keep fighting. You have to wake up as soon as possible.¡± Chapter 646 Chapter 646 Chapter 646 The call ended. Miranda looked at Joanna solemnly. ¡°Joann, how did it go? What did Mr. Lewis say?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up. She said excitedly, ¡°Mr. Lewis said that he will personally make a trip to Greyport next week.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Since Mr. Lewis is willing toe in person, it means he must have a solution. Thank goodness for that. Mr. Everett¡¯s luck has finally turned around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call Gael immediately and ask him to arrange for a private ne to pick up Mr. Lewis.¡± ¡°Well.¡± Joanna quickly called Gael. Joanna was so excited that her fingers were trembling slightly. The call went through quickly. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, what can I do for you?¡± Joanna said anxiously, ¡°Gael, immediately arrange for a private ne to go to Pedrana to pick up Mr. Lewis.¡± ¡°Mr. Lewis ising to Greyport?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. He said he¡¯s going toe over personally next week. Hurry up and contact him now. After confirming the time, send a private ne to pick him up.¡± After Gael heard this, he looked serious. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll make the arrangements immediately.¡± ¡°Gael, please pick him up personally. It seems more sincere.¡± ¡°Yes. I know.¡± Then Joanna hung up the phone. Joanna put her hands together and prayed silently. ¡°May God bless him. May Bruce wake up early.¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s anxious expression, Miranda said with concern, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be too nervous. ¡°Mr. Lewis is very powerful. Since he¡¯s willing toe here personally, he must have a way.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I hope so. ¡°We¡¯re still ten days away from court. I wonder if he¡¯ll wake up.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is blessed. He will definitely wake up.¡± Soon, the day came. Gael sent a private ne over and personally fly to Pedrana to pick up Mr. Lewis. Previously, Joanna and Mr. Lewis had met once. In her impression, Mr. Lewis wore a long white cotton robe and a pair of cloth shoes. He looked very thin and had the aura of an otherworldly expert. It was around five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. After the ne arrived in Greyport, Joanna arranged for a driver to pick him up and take him to the hospital. Joanna was in the hospital. Joanna and a group of bodyguards were already waiting respectfully. ¡°He is here. He is here. Mr. Lewis has arrived.¡± ¡°Hurry up and wee him,¡± Joanna said and quickly walked to the entrance of the hospital. Then Joanna could see them. Mr. Lewis was apanied by Gael. And they were walking towards the hospital. ¡°Wee, Mr. Lewis. You¡¯ve had a long journey.¡± Joanna and Miranda received Mr. Lewis very grandly. Mr Lewis walked over. Facing the respect and piety of Joanna and the others, he did not respond much. Gael helped Mr. Lewis carry his backpack and followed him to the ward with a solemn expression. 1/2 11:05 Chapter 646 ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look first.¡± ¡°Okay. This way please.¡± Joanna quickly led the way. After a while, they arrived at the ward. Mr. Lewis walked in and walked to the bedside. He lowered his head and nced at Bruce. The rest of the people did not even dare to breathe loudly as they looked at him with all their attention. The room was extremely quiet. Mr. Lewis observed Bruce for five to six minutes. Then, he closed his eyes and seemed to be in meditation. Seeing this, Joanna did not even dare to breathe loudly. She was so nervous that her entire body was covered in ayer of sweat. Gael watched attentively. A while had passed. Mr. Lewis finally raised his head. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s soul has been damaged. Only half of it is left.¡± Silence filled the air. Joanna and Gael looked at each other. They did not understand what Mr. Lewis meant at all. However, even a fool could tell that this was definitely not good news. ¡°Well. What should we do?¡± Joanna asked nervously. Mr. Lewis was silent for a while and then he sighed. He said, ¡°I can only try my best. ¡°As for whether he canpletely recover in the future, it will depend on his luck. Moreover, it will depend on the will of God.¡± After hearing that, Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. She did not know what to do. However, she did not dare to ask anything rashly. Then, Mr. Lewis took out apass¨Clike object from his satchel. Then he took out a porcin bowl. ¡°Give me a bottle of water.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Miranda quickly handed him a bottle of pure water. Mr. Lewis took the water and poured it into the bowl. Then, he took a needle and ced it in the bowl. He bent down and ced the bowl under the bed. ¡°Put this bowl under the bed for seven days. Don¡¯t touch it.¡± ¡°Well. Okay.¡± ¡°Mr. Lewis, how about seven dayster?¡± ¡°After seven days, pour out the water in the bowl and wrap the needle in red thread. Find a secluded ce and bury it.¡± ¡°Well. Okay.¡± Chapter 647 Chapter 647 Chapter 647 ¡°That¡¯s all. Then I¡¯ll go back first.¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly tried her best to persuade him to stay. ¡°Mr. Lewis, we¡¯ve already set up a banquet to wee you¡­¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s best if Mr. Everett wakes up. If he doesn¡¯t, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± Mr. Lewis said with a gloomy expression. He ignored Joanna and Gael¡¯s persuasion and insisted on leaving. Moreover, he did not ept any payment or gratitude. He even refused the remuneration offered by Joanna. Then Mr. Lewis left. A few caregivers could not help but discuss it in private. One of the caregivers, Jane, could not help but question, ¡°Mr. Lewis just came over to take a look and not do anything. Is this really useful?¡± Another caregiver, Laura, said with a devout expression, ¡°Mr. Lewis is really capable. If he suggests doing it this way, it must be useful.¡± ¡°I hope so. Mr. Everett has been unconscious for three months. It¡¯s time for him to wake up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If he doesn¡¯t wake up soon, Mrs. Joanna and the Everett family will be in trouble again.¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk is really too much. He actually wants to sue Mrs. Joanna. It¡¯s really ridiculous. Everyone in Greyport knows that Mr. Everett loves Mrs. Joanna deeply.¡± ¡°How could he have the nerve to sue Mrs. Joanna for custody of Mr. Everett?¡± Jane could not help but sneer. She said, ¡°It¡¯s all because he wants to take over Mr. Everett¡¯s assets. I really hope that Mr. Everett can wake up and teach Mr. Lurk a lesson.¡± Joanna was in the ward. Joanna did not dare to be negligent at all. She instructed caregivers over and over again. ¡°All of you, make sure to keep an eye on it. Don¡¯t let anyone touch the bowl filled with water under the bed.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Joanna.¡± Despite Mr. Lewis¡¯s assistance, it was still essential to have the doctor¡¯s full dedication to treatment. There should be no room for negligence at any stage. After that, the first day came. Joanna stayed by Bruce¡¯s side for almost 24 hours, constantly observing his condition. She hoped to be the first one to know when he woke up. Unfortunately, a whole day passed. There was nothing different. Bruce remained lying quietly. Then the second day came. As usual, there was still no significant change. Everything was the same as yesterday. On the third day, everything was the same. Meanwhile, Joanna¡¯s phone was almost exploding with notifications. She had not been to thepany for three days. And all sorts of issues were piling up on her. Especially since she had just managed to get thepany¡¯s order back on track. But now it was reverting back to its previous chaotic state as she let go. Gael could tell that Joanna was anxious. He persuaded her gently. He said, ¡°Mrs. Joanna, why don¡¯t you go to thepany to take care of it? We¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± After Joanna heard that, she looked up at Gael. She was more at ease with Gael. If it was he who watched over Bruce throughout the night, she would feel more reassured. ¡°Well. Okay. You must keep an eye on him twenty¨Cfour hours. If anything happens, call me immediately. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, don¡¯t worry.¡± Joanna gave a few more reminders before heading to thepany uneasily. Then Joanna arrived at the Everett Group. After nearly two months of restructuring by Joanna, the shareholders were much more honest. A few of them had secretly N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. 1/4 11:05 Chapter 647 filled up the hole in thepany¡¯s ounts and returned the embezzled money. In response to this, Joanna chose to turn a blind eye and not pursue extreme measures against them. After all, it wasn¡¯t the right time yet. Her priority was to maintain the current order of thepany and ensure its smooth operation. Everything would have to wait until Bruce woke up. Joanna was in the office. Andy diligently reported his work over the past few days to Joanna. Although Joanna hadn¡¯t been in the office during this time, the shareholders had noticeably be more well¨Cbehaved. ¡°Andy, how¡¯s the preparation for thewsuit?¡± ¡°Mr. Jameson is ready. Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Well. That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out first.¡± ¡°Well. Make me a cup of coffee,¡± Joanna said habitually. But then she realized something. She was pregnant now and could not drink coffee. ¡°Forget it. Pour me a ss of lemonade.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes,¡± Andy replied and turned to leave. Joanna was busily attending to thepany¡¯s affairs. She aimed to wrap up all the work from the past few days as much as possible. At the same time, she had to find some time to deal with Liam. She was so busy that she ended up being busy until noon. It was twelve o¡¯clock in the noon. Andy knocked on the door again and entered. ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s already noon. Should I order lunch for you or instruct the nutritionist to deliver it?¡± Joanna looked up at the clock and realized that it was already noon. ¡°It¡¯s already 12 o¡¯clock?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Joanna rubbed her sore back and stood up from her office chair, supporting her belly. As soon as she stood up, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My stomach hurts a little.¡± Seeing this, Andy became concerned. ¡°Miss Haynes, you need to take care of yourself. Don¡¯t overexert yourself while pregnant.¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m fine.¡± Joanna endured the pain and sat down to ease the pain for a few minutes. She was four months pregnant now, and her belly was gradually getting bigger. To be on the safe side, she decided to temporarily put her work on hold. After all, there was nothing more important than ensuring a healthy pregnancy. Then she got up and was about to leave the office. At that moment, a notification sound could be heard. Her phone rang. Joanna picked up her phone and looked at it. It was a call from Jaydon. Ever since the incident with Bruce, Jaydon hadn¡¯t been in touch with her for almost two months. And because Joanna was worried about Bruce, she hadn¡¯t reached out to Jaydon either. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± On the other end of the phone, Jaydon¡¯s gentle and attractive voice sounded. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I know. Did something happen?¡± ¡°No. Ijust wanted to give you a call and see how you¡¯ve beentely.¡± 2/4 11:05 Chapter 647 When Joanna heard this, she raised her eyebrows slightly. And then she said gently, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jaydon Grimm asked in disbelief. After all, there hadn¡¯t been a break in the coverage about Joanna for the past few months. Moreover, the news about Liam nning to sue her had been making waves. ¡°I¡¯m really fine¡­¡± ¡°Are you really fine? Don¡¯t deliberately hide anything from me. If you need any help, just let me know. ¡°I will always be there to support you from behind. And I¡¯ll step up anytime you need me,¡± Jaydon said. As he spoke, he suddenly stopped. During this period of time, he did not call Joanna. And Joanna did not take the initiative to call him. Although Jaydon knew that a future with Joanna was impossible, he still felt extremely disappointed and upset. When Joanna heard Jaydon¡¯s words, she also felt very upset. She really did not know how to repay Jaydon¡¯s kindness to her. ¡°Jay, how have you been recently?¡± Joanna could only pretend to be rxed and change the topic. In the past month or so, she had wanted to give Jaydon a call. However, she managed to hold it back. Bruce had encountered such a huge disaster. In the end, arge part of the reason was that Bruce was jealous of Jaydon. Bruce really disliked Jaydon. And even more so, he disliked Joanna being in contact with Jaydon. Therefore, Joanna wanted to maintain a good distance from Jaydon and remain just friends. Chapter 648 Chapter 648 Chapter 648 Jaydon mustered a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine too. I¡¯m just a little worried about you.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Jay, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. I can handle everything on my own. You¡¯ve already done so much for me. And I really don¡¯t want to trouble you anymore.¡± After hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Jaydon fell intoplete silence. In the past, if Joanna had any difficulties, she would tell him. And now, she was deliberately alienating him. ¡°So, how is he doing now?¡± After hearing this, Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡± ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°The doctor said that we can only wait patiently. It¡¯s already a blessing that he managed to survive.¡± ¡°So, what are your ns?¡± Jaydon could not help but ask again. Bruce had such a serious car ident. There were all kinds of spections online every day. They were all reporting that Bruce was in a vegetative state and would never wake up for the rest of his life. In fact, it was pretty much the case. Four of Bruce¡¯s sternums were broken. Moreover, his left arm and right calf were fractured. There were dozens of wounds all over his body, and he had hundreds of stitches. Coupled with the intracranial hemorrhage, he had a slim chance of survival. With such serious injuries, it was really a blessing that he managed to survive. ¡°Joann, do you really n on taking care of him for the rest of your life?¡± Even Jaydon thought that Bruce would probably be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life and that there wouldn¡¯t be a day when he would wake up. Joanna pursed his lips slightly and did not answer. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m still worried for you. You have to think about your current situation. You have three children take care of, and you¡¯re pregnant with another one. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°In addition, you have to take care of him and manage the Everett Group. Can you handle it?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and then forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can do it. ¡°Besides, with servants helping me, I won¡¯t be so tired.¡± Jaydon fell silent again on the other end of the phone. His heart couldn¡¯t help but ache. His love for Joanna was definitely no less than Bruce¡¯s. However, his way of expressing it would be gentler and more tolerant. He was not as possessive as Bruce, and his personality was not as extreme as Bruce¡¯s. Jaydon still hoped that Joanna would voluntarily give up on Bruce and choose to be with him. However, he knew that this was his wishful thinking. Joanna didn¡¯t know what to say. She could only reply awkwardly, ¡°Jay, thank you.¡± ¡°There you go again. How many times have you thanked me? ¡°Every time you say thank you, it creates more distance between us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Joanna felt even more guilty. When Jaydon heard this, he could not help but mock himself. The two phrases Joanna said to him the most were ¡°Thank you¡± and ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can hang up now,¡± Jaydon said with a sigh. He didn¡¯t want to put Joanna in a difficult position. When Joanna heard this, her heart ached.. She wanted to say something. But she couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°You hang up first.¡± ¡°You hang up first.¡± Jaydon was used to Joanna hanging up first. Joanna didn¡¯t insist anymore and finally ended the call. She knew there was no longer any possibility between them. She didn¡¯t want to give him any hope. Moreover, she didn¡¯t want him to waste any more time on her. 75% In this lifetime, no matter what happened, and regardless of what the future held for Bruce, she had made up her mind to be with Bruce. She did not want to waver between the two of them anymore. Through this car ident, she realized her true feelings. She loved Bruce. At the moment when the doctor pronounced Bruce dead, she truly fell apart. She was unable to ept this oue. And finally, she realized just how much she loved him. Of course, alongside the love, she also despised this terrible jerk. After all, he was so cruel and domineering, with an insatiable desire for control and conquest that no woman could tolerate. However, Bruce had that kind of enchanting power that made people both love and hate him. When love and hatred coexisted deep within Joanna¡¯s heart, she knew she couldn¡¯t leave him in this lifetime. Joanna was at the hospital like always. ¡°How is he doing? Any improvements today?¡± ¡°No. Mr Everett is still the same.¡± After hearing that, Joanna¡¯s expression darkened. Then she slowly approached Bruce¡¯s bedside. Bruce was lying on the hospital bed. Bruce was still lying there quietly. But hisplexion had a slightly healthier color. He appeared to have gained some vitality. ¡°Ouch.¡± Joanna Haynes had just sat down when she felt a tremor in her stomach. She was already four months pregnant and could feel the baby moving. Seeing this, Miranda asked with concern, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°My stomach is hurting as if it was pulled by something.¡± ¡°You look so pale. Are you too tired?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°You should see a doctor right away. Don¡¯t take any chances with your health or the baby¡¯s.¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯ll go now,¡± Joanna said. Then she stood up while enduring the pain. To her surprise, as soon as she stood up, she could feel Bruce¡¯s hand gripping hers. Joanna was taken aback and quickly lowered her head to take a look. Just a moment ago, it was her hand holding Bruce¡¯s hand. But now, the tables had turned, and Joanna clearly felt Bruce gripping her hand tightly. Chapter 649 Chapter 649 Chapter 649 Joanna subconsciously let go of her hand. As expected, Bruce was really holding her hand tightly. Bruce¡¯s hand was still in midair, without descending. ¡°Miranda, did you see that?¡± Joanna instantly became excited. When Miranda saw this scene, she was also stunned. ¡°Oh, my god. Mr. Everett actually grabbed your hand. ¡°Mr. Everett has a reaction. I told you. Mr. Lewis is very powerful. With him personally taking action, Mr. Everett will definitely wake up.¡± Then Joanna grabbed Bruce¡¯s hand excitedly and whispered into his ear, ¡°Bruce, can you hear me?¡± Bruce still did not react. He only held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and did not let go. Under his eyelids, his eyes were also rolling slightly. Unfortunately, he was still unable to open his eyes. ¡°Miranda, call the doctor! ¡°He¡¯s reacting. He¡¯s really reacting!¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll call the doctor now.¡± As Miranda spoke, she hurriedly went out to call the doctor. Three minutes had passed. Jordan and another surgical expert rushed to the ward. ¡°Doctor, he¡¯s really conscious. He just grabbed my hand tightly¡­¡± Joanna was so excited that she was incoherent. Jordan opened Bruce¡¯s eyelids and shone the small shlight. Sure enough, his eyeballs were rolling uncontrobly. ¡°This is a good sign. Mr. Everett might really wake up soon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Bruce, wake up quickly. ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up soon, I won¡¯t be able to take it anymore.¡± As Joanna spoke, she felt a lump in her throat and tears. instantly blurred her eyes. Without Bruce, she was really uneasy. The time passed quickly. It was already the seventh day. ¡°Joanni, today is the seventh day. ¡°Mr. Lewis said that after seven days, we can take out the bowl under the bed.¡± ¡°Alright. Miranda, take out the bowl.¡± Miranda bent down and carefully brought out the small bowl filled with water under the bed. Joanna went forward to check. The water in the bowl was clearly much more turbid, and there was a faint fishy smell. The needle in the bowl was already rusty. ¡°Wow. It¡¯s only been a few days, but this needle is already so rusty,¡± Miranda could not help but exim. ¡°Well. Hurry up and bring me the red thread.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± Jane handed the red thread that she had prepared earlier to Joanna. Joanna took the red thread and wound it around the needle in loops. Then, she wrapped it in a piece of red cloth. ¡°Find a secluded spot to bury it.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Joanna.¡± Jane took the needle wrapped in the red cloth and buried it beneath arge tree in the flowerbed. Then everything was done. Joanna stayed by the bedside and quietly waited for Bruce to wake up. ¡°Everything is done. I hope Mr. Everett wakes up soon.¡±¡± ¡°He will. He will wake up. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re the strongest. You¡¯re indestructible. You have to wake up.¡± As Joanna spoke, she ced her hand on her abdomen. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you love cuddling with children the most? ¡°The baby is already moving. Don¡¯t you want to hear it?¡± Joanna kept talking to Bruce. Unfortunately, Bruce still showed no signs of waking up. In the blink of an eye, it was night again. Joanna was already exhausted and dizzy from waiting. ¡°Joann, eat something! How can you not eat?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Joanna responded. Just as she was about to stand up, the cramp in her stomach came again. ¡°Ouch. It hurts.¡± ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong with ¡°My stomach hurts, Joanna said as cold sweat dripped down her face. ¡°Oh, my god. Hurry up and call the doctor. Could it be something that happened to the fetus?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctor right away.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but take two deep breaths of cold air. Suddenly, Bruce¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, look. Mr. Everett¡¯s eyes are open¡­¡± After Joanna heard this, she quickly turned around. Sure enough, Bruce¡¯s eyes were open. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re finally awake. It¡¯s great. You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Bruce opened his eyes and his eyeballs rolled slightly. Then, he closed his eyes again. Seeing this, Joanna was still extremely excited. Bruce was indeed awake and conscious. Previously, he would asionally open his eyes. However, he would only stare at the ceiling with empty eyes. His eyeballs would not move. But this time, his eyeballs clearly moved from side to side. ¡°Doctor, he¡¯s awake. He¡¯s really awake¡­¡± Soon the doctor came. A few medical experts entered the ward. Even the doctors were shocked when they saw the situation in front of them. ¡°Oh, my god. What a medical miracle.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Mr. Everett actually woke up.¡± ¡°Hurry up and conduct aprehensive examination on Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Yes. If Mr. Everett really wakes up this time, it will indeed be shocking news both domestically and internationally.¡± The doctors quickly got busy and rushed to do all kinds of examinations. At the same time, Liam was at the entrance of the hospital. Liam, L, and Evan had once again arrived with arge number of people. ¡°We¡¯reing to see Bruce. ¡°This time, we must transfer him to another hospital.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We were fooledst time. This time, we won¡¯t be fooled by Joanna again.¡± Chapter 650 Chapter 650 Chapter 650 L said angrily, ¡°This time, we must use legal means to kick Joanna out of the Everett Group.¡± Evan echoed L¡¯s words and said indignantly, ¡°Yes. We won¡¯tpromise this time. Dad must fight for my cousin¡¯s custody.¡± As they spoke, the group of people had already arrived at the floor of the ward aggressively. Seeing this, Darcy, Carson, and the others immediately went forward to stop them. ¡°What are you doing? No one cane in as he please.¡± L sneered, ¡°Why can¡¯t wee in? We¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s rtives. Why can¡¯t wee and see him?¡± Liam also said with a dark expression, ¡°This time, we have to transfer Bruce to another hospital. We can¡¯t let Joanna do whatever she wants.¡± Evan also shouted, ¡°We¡¯ve already sued Joanna in court. She has no right to take everything from my cousin.¡± ¡°If you have anything to say, you can talk to thewyer and Miss Haynes. You can¡¯te in right now.¡± Darcy looked at the group of people in front of him coldly. Liam choked in anger. ¡°I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s uncle. Now he is in a vegetative state. Naturally, I need to take care of things for him.¡± ¡°I suspect that you must have colluded with Joanna to seize my cousin¡¯s assets. Hurry up and step aside. Otherwise, I¡¯ll sue all of you together,¡± Evan said. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. Nom what you say, you can¡¯t enter now. ¡°If you continue like this, don¡¯t me me for being impolite to you.¡± ¡°What are you trying to do? Are you going to get physical? Let me tell you that I won¡¯t be afraid of you.¡± ¡°Everyone, calm down. Don¡¯t be rash.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already applied to the court. Joanna is not allowed to approach Mr. Everett until thewsuit is over.¡± The corridor of the hospital was in an uproar. Liam and hispanions were at odds with Darcy and the others, each refusing to give way. Joanna soon heard themotion outside. Then she walked out of the ward. ¡°Mr. Lurk, what are you up to again?¡± ¡°Joanna, you came out just in time. We¡¯re here today to inform you that you are no longer allowed to be in close proximity to Mr. Everett. ¡°Until thewsuit is settled, you are not permitted to enter the Everett mansion for any reason.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡± ¡°Well. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that Mr. Everett has already be a vegetable. We are now applying to be Mr. Everett¡¯s guardian as rtives,¡± L said. She red at Joanna with her big eyes. When Joanna heard this, she also red at L. Then she said, ¡°Who told you that Bruce became a vegetable?¡± Liam sneered, his drooping face revealing a few creases. ¡°Joanna, stop fooling us. No matter what, we have to take Bruce away today. ¡°Don¡¯t think that we don¡¯t know that the will in your hand is fake. You actually dared to forge the will. You¡¯ve alreadymitted a criminal offense. You still dare to be so arrogant now. You¡¯re extremely audacious.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. 75% After hearing that, Joanna rolled her eyes in disgust. She could not be bothered to argue with them anymore. ¡°Stop being unreasonable. Bruce has already woken up.¡± ¡°Well. Do you want to fool us? Last time, we were fooled by you. This time, we won¡¯t fall for your trick again. ¡°Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know that Bruce is already in a vegetative state. He has been unconscious for more than three months. How can he wake up? ¡°Hurry up and hand over Bruce. He¡¯s my nephew. I have the right to take responsibility for him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It was clearly you guys who yed tricksst time.¡± ¡°Mr. Miller and Mrs. Miller, you¡¯re just in time. ¡°Mr. Everett has really woken up. If you don¡¯t believe me, you cane in and take a look.¡± Liam and L fell silent. They looked at each other in disbelief. They thought inwardly, ¡°How could this be possible? ¡°Didn¡¯t they say Bruce had be a vegetable? Moreover, he had been unconscious for more than three months. How could he wake up?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. She must be fooling us again.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go in and take a look,¡± Joanna replied. When L and Liam heard this, they were still skeptical. Their faces were filled with disbelief. ¡°Actually, we were just thinking about that.¡± ¡°Well. Come in.¡± After saying that, Joanna turned around and walked towards the ward. Liam and L quickly followed. With Joanna¡¯s words, Darcy did not stop them. Then they entered the ward. Joanna pushed open the ward door and walked in first. Jordan and two other doctors were examining Bruce. Bruce was on the hospital bed. Bruce had already opened his eyes. And he was half leaning against the cushion. Although his eyes seemed a bitckluster, it was evident that he had indeed woken up. As Liam saw the situation in front of him, his face darkened. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. ¡°Uh. Bruce, you¡¯re really awake¡­¡± Bruce did not respond. His eyes shifted slightly as he looked at them with an expressionless face. However, Bruce¡¯s gaze was terrifying. It was like a wild beast looking at its prey. His eyes were filled with endless coldness and emptiness, sending shivers down one¡¯s spine. L was even more shocked when she saw this. She did not dare to go forward at all. She said, ¡°It¡¯s great that Mr. Everett can wake up¡­ Liam realized the situation and quickly forced a fake smile. ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, as your uncle, I can rest assured.¡± Joanna crossed her arms and looked at the two of them angrily. ¡°Do you see it now? ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± ¡°Well. We didn¡¯t say that we don¡¯t believe you. We just have good intentions and want to care about Bruce. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll leave now. Bruce, take care and get well soon.¡± 75% By the time Liam finished speaking, he was already covered in ayer of cold sweat. He quickly walked out of the ward with his wife. Then they left the ward. Evan quickly went up to them. ¡®Dad, how is my cousin? Has he really woken up?¡± Liam waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Bruce is really awake.¡± Evan felt as if he had heard doomsday when he heard the news. He felt terrible. ¡°Oh, my god. How is this possible? Didn¡¯t they say that my cousin is already in a vegetative state? How can he still wake up?¡± ¡°Bruce is really awake. He even blinked at me.¡± As Liam spoke, he could not help but get angry again. ¡°I told you that Bruce will definitely wake up. But instead of listening to me, you just wanted me to sue Joanna. Now we¡¯vepletely fallen out. ¡°Hurry up and inform thewyer to withdraw theint against Joanna. ¡°Well. It¡¯s unbelievable how he could wake up out of nowhere.¡± L and Evan looked at each other. They felt a great sense of urgency. They thought that Bruce would never wake up in this lifetime. But to their surprise, he actually woke up. Now, all their ns had been disrupted. Liam was even more distressed. During the period when Bruce was in aa, Liam embezzled hundreds of millions of dors from thepany. Now Bruce was awake. Liam knew that he was in trouble. And he needed to quickly figure out a way to make amends. Chapter 651 Chapter 651 Chapter 651 Joanna was in the ward. The doctor had already finished examining Bruce. ¡°Doctor, how is he? Will he no longer be in aa?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Jordan adjusted his sses and said with relief, ¡°It¡¯s really a medical miracle, ¡°Based on the current situation, Mr. Everett is recovering well. Since he has regained consciousness, he won¡¯t go into aa again. I really didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to wake up so quickly. ¡°This is really a major breakthrough in medicine as well as a miracle in medicine.¡± Jordan seemed even more excited than Joanna. He kept marveling at the medical miracle. Joanna cried tears of joy and smiled with tears in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, thank God you¡¯re finally awake. Do you know? I was so worried.¡± As she spoke, Joanna held Bruce¡¯s hand tightly and buried her head in his chest. Bruce did not react to this. He just looked at Joanna in a daze. Joanna burst into tears andughter as she spoke for a while. Bruce still did not respond. He looked like a soulless doll. Joanna finally realized that something was wrong. ¡°Doctor, why isn¡¯t he reacting at all?¡± Jordan said in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Everett has just woken up. He needs some time to recover. ¡°Moreover, Mr. Everett underwent craniotomy. There will definitely be some nerve damage, and it¡¯s inevitable that there will be some lingering effects. ¡°His memory and intelligence will be affected. He might not recover for a while.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Bruce, do you know me? I¡¯m Joanna Joanna looked at Bruce with anticipation and waved her hand in front of his eyes. He must not have lost his memory. Bruce blinked and looked at Joanna in a daze. Even though the two of them were looking at each other, there was no spark in his eyes, and his pupils were not focused. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart sank even more. And she increased the intensity of her hand waving. ¡°Bruce, can you see me?¡± As Joanna waved her hand, Bruce¡¯s eyes followed the movement N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Fortunately, he had a reaction. His eyes could see and his ears could hear. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be too anxious. Mr. Everett has just woken up. He definitely won¡¯t be used to it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡± Joanna still felt uneasy in her heart. She looked at Bruce with concern and worry. Then a notification sound could be heard. Just as Joanna was feeling restless, the phone rang. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, it¡¯s a call from Mr. Davian.¡± Nina handed the phone to Joanna. ¡°Hello, Davian.¡± 75% On the other end of the phone, Davian¡¯s voice sounded. He asked in a surprised tone, ¡°Mommy, is Daddy awake? I heard Mr. Gael say that Daddy¡¯s awake. Is that true?¡± Joanna nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes. He has woken up.¡± ¡°Then can wee to the hospital to see Daddy?¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll have Mr. Gacl take us to the hospital right away.¡± ¡°Well. Okay.¡± Then, Joanna hung up the phone. After that, twenty minutes had passed. Gael rushed to the hospital with the three little kids. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, we are here¡­¡± Before Gael could finish his sentence, Davian and Irvin ran in impatiently. Behind them, Gael carried Lilia into the ward. ¡°Mommy, is Daddy really awake?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Joanna replied. Davian and Irvin rushed to the bedside excitedly. ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± Gael carried Lilia to Bruce¡¯s bedside. Lilia said, ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re finally awake. I missed you so much. I knew Daddy would definitely wake up.¡± The three little kids gathered around the bedside, chattering away incessantly. A while had passed. Bruce still didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t even respond to his beloved Lilia¡¯s words. The children sensed that something was wrong. They cautiously looked at their mommy and asked, ¡°Mommy, why is Daddy ignoring us?¡± Joanna fell silent as she frowned. Bruce had just regained consciousness. It was still uncertain if there were anysting effects. ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s/Lilia,¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and kept calling out to Bruce. ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m Davian. He is Irvin. Why are you ignoring us? Can you talk to us?¡± Bruce just looked at the little kids in a daze. Other than numbness, there was no reaction on his face. Davian pursed his lips and subconsciously looked at Joanna. Then he asked, ¡°Mommy, did Daddy lose his memory? It seems like he doesn¡¯t recognize us anymore.¡± After hearing that, Joanna smiled gently at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, these are our three children. Don¡¯t you remember? ¡°And we have Devin, our fourth child, who will be born in a few months.¡± As she spoke, Joanna reached for his hand and gently ced it on her growing belly. Coincidentally, the baby in her womb moved. Bruce caressed Joanna¡¯s belly. Maybe he sensed the response of the little life inside. Finally, Bruce had a reaction. He grinned at Joanna. As a result, saliva dribbled down his lips. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong with Daddy?¡± Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached. Bruce had undergone a craniotomy, so it was inevitable that there would be aftereffects. Irvin muttered softly, ¡°Mommy, why does Daddy look a little funny?¡± Chapter 652 Chapter 652 Chapter 652 Hearing the children call her mommy, Bruce pursed his lips and called out to her in a low voice, ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Joanna was stunned. She looked at Bruce in shock and heartache. ¡°Mommy¡­ Mommy¡­ Mo¡­¡± Bruce imitated the children and kept calling Joanna ¡°Mommy¡±. ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t call me mommy.¡± Davian said gently, ¡°Daddy, you should call her honey. We¡¯re all your children. Mommy is your wife!¡± ¡°We can call Mommy, but you can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Mommy! Haha!¡± Bruce mumbled ¡°Mommy¡± again, and saliva flowed out of his mouth again! N?velDrama.Org content rights. When Joanna saw this, she felt her heart skip a beat. She looked at Bruce with her heart full of anxiety. The doctor said that his intelligence might be affected. ¡°Oh god!¡± Joanna asked inwardly. ¡°Did he really be a retard?¡± She didn¡¯t even dare to imagine how sad it would be for someone with such a high IQ and supercilious attitude to suddenly be a retard. The next day, the doctor gave Bruce a moreprehensive examination, as well as an intelligence test. Joanna stayed with Bruce and waited for the results uneasily. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s brain has been damaged. After testing, we found that his current IQ is only equal to that of a three- or four- year-old kid!¡± ¡°Three or four years old?¡± Joanna felt a chill run down her spine! ¡°Yes, the test shows that Mr. Everett¡¯s current IQ is no more than that of a five-year-old kid.¡± Joanna gasped, and a hint of destion appeared in her eyes. ¡°Then¡­ when will he recover?¡± Jordan nced at the EEG and said with a heavy expression and replied, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. He might recover in a short time, or he might¡­ never recover. This is the aftereffect of the craniotomy. There¡¯s no way to avoid it.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt as if the whole world was spinning. She really did not expect Bruce to have such serious side effects. ¡°What should we do now, Dr. yton? Can it be cured?¡± Steve sighed and said regretfully, ¡°There¡¯s no way to treat this at the moment.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nerve damage to Mr. Everett¡¯s brain. Actually, nerve damage to the human body is the most difficult to treat. Medical science has yet to reach the level of being able to treat it.¡± ¡°Alright, I see.¡± Back in the ward, the servants were trying to feed Bruce some liquid food. Bruce was like a child. He ate as he spat out the food in his mouth. He kept spitting out bubbles, which stained the entire bed. When Joanna saw this, her heart ached so much that it was about to break into pieces. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Seeing that Joanna had returned, Bruce smiled foolishly at her and shook his arms. ¡°Mommy! I want you to hug me!¡± 75% When Joanna heard this, tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She walked slowly to him and held his head in her arms. Bruce snuggled in Joanna¡¯s arms and smiled even more happily. The liquid food on his face rubbed against her clothes. Joanna gently stroked his head, giving him as much gentleness and security as she could. She knew that he was at his most vulnerable state right now. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, Mr. Everett refuses to eat properly. Look, he¡¯s spitting out food everywhere.¡± The servants all looked at Joanna helplessly. Joanna took the bowl from a servant and looked at Bruce. She said gently, ¡°Can I feed you?¡± ¡°Okay! I want Mommy to feed me!¡± Hearing this, Joanna hid her tears. She scooped a spoonful of liquid food made of nutrition powder and brought it to his lips. Bruce giggled foolishly and obediently opened his mouth to eat. ¡°Joann, no matter what, it¡¯s already a blessing in disguise that Mr. Everett can wake up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s already very lucky that he didn¡¯t lose any limbs or organs after such a serious car ident. It doesn¡¯t matter if he bes stupid.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett has such a bad temper. It might be a good thing now. Take good care of him!¡± After feeding Bruce, Joanna reached out and touched his cheek. He smiled foolishly at her and drooled on her hand. ¡°No matter what you be, I will always take care of you and¡­ love you! Forever!¡± ¡°Mommy, I want you to hug me¡­¡± Bruce hugged Joanna and kept burrowing his head into her arms. Born in such a family, it was impossible for Bruce to have too much maternal love since he was young! The moment he was born, he was handed over to a specialized nurse! In the early years, his mother had to apany his father to conquer the business world, so they could only have servants take care of Bruce. When Bruce was eight years old, he was sent overseas to study! When he returned from overseas, his father and mother had already passed away! In his subconscious mind, he craved maternal love. Now that his brain was damaged, the powerful castle built in his heart had copsed. He subconsciously regressed to his childhood state. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can get out of bed and take a walk!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You need to do more exercise. It¡¯s good for your treatment!¡± ¡°No, no, I want Mommy!¡± Bruce could not speak clearly. He had to pause for a few seconds after saying a few words. However, when he heard the children call Joanna mommy, he thought that she was his mommy as well and was extremely dependent on her. ¡°Okay, okay, let me help you.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Bruce drooled again and giggled foolishly. Like a child, he asked Joanna for a kiss and a hug. He even asked her to lift him up. Unfortunately, Bruce was so tall. In front of him, Joanna was simply like a little girl. Chapter 653 Chapter 653 Chapter 653 Although Bruce had been unconscious for more than three months and had lost a lot of weight, he was 6 feet and 3 inches tall. Joanna was only as tall as his chest, which made it very difficult for her to support him. Besides, she was pregnant. She was really helpless in the face of such a strong man. ¡°Be careful, Mrs. Joanna¡­¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna, you¡¯re pregnant now. Be careful!¡± ¡°Let us help Mr. Everett¡­¡± Without waiting for servant to finish her sentence, Bruce pushed her away angrily. ¡°No! I want Mommy to hug me! ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Come on. Let me help you!¡± Joanna quickly went forward and held Bruce¡¯s arm. Her right arm hugged his waist tightly and tried to help him up. Bruce¡¯s left arm rested on Joanna¡¯s shoulder, which made him look like a gibbon. Then, he stood up shakily, his tall body enveloping her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just rx.¡± The servants stood on both sides nervously, ready to help Bruce when he fell. Bruce smiled foolishly and hugged Joanna like a little child. ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± He did not know how tall he was at all and only wanted to get close to Joanna. ¡°Slow down! Slow down!¡± Joanna struggled to hold him. ¡°Hug! I want Mommy to hug me!¡± Joanna felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her, but she was afraid that if she used too much force, it would be bad for her baby. She could only hug Bruce on the spot, not daring to move a single step. In the past, every time Bruce hugged her forcefully, he would wrap his arm around her waist and lift her up with one hand. Now, however, she had no idea how she could lift up such a grown-up ¡°little kid¡±. After barely moving a few steps, Joanna could no longer hold on. ¡°Oh no! I can¡¯t take it anymore! Come and support him.¡± Joanna was drenched in sweat. When the servants saw this, they quickly went forward to support Bruce. There were many fractures on his body. Although they had almost healed, his muscles had atrophied after lying down for so many days. He still had to undergo rehabilitation care and some muscle training. ¡°No! No! Don¡¯t leave me, Mommy!¡± Seeing Joanna let go of him, Bruce was like an abandoned child, bursting into tears anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯ll stay by your side, okay?¡± ¡°No¡­ I want Mommy to hug me!¡± Joanna was speechless. Her heart softened when she saw how aggrieved Bruce was. ¡°Be a good boy, okay? Don¡¯t cry.¡± Bruce sniffled and shrank his big head into Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Joanna is pregnant. It won¡¯t be good if she hurts the baby,¡± Miranda coaxed Bruce softly. 96% The intensive caregiver also coaxed him gently, ¡°That¡¯s right. Mrs. Joanna is pregnant with your little baby. You must not hurt the little baby.¡± ¡°I¡­ I just want Mommy to hug me¡­¡± Joanna touched Bruce¡¯s head, took his hand, and gently ced it on her belly. ¡°You¡¯re the baby¡¯s daddy, so you can¡¯t call me Mommy anymore, understand?¡± Bruce was in a daze. As if he had understood, he smiled foolishly and touched Joanna¡¯s belly. ¡°Little baby? Is there a little baby in your belly?¡± This was the first time Joanna had seen such an innocent look in Bruce¡¯s eyes. She smiled gently and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! This is our baby, and you are its daddy.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more shy. ¡°Ha ha! Ha ha!¡± He couldn¡¯t stop giggling. Although his intelligence had regressed to that of a three- or four-year-old kid, his remaining memories of Joanna still intermittently appeared in his brain. All these scenes turned into a piece of information in his mind. The woman in front of him was the person he liked the most in this world. Joanna gently stroked the long scar on Bruce¡¯s head again. ¡°So, you can¡¯t call me Mommy. You have to call me¡­ honey, understand?¡± ¡°Honey! Honey! Ha ha!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed into two crescent moons as heughed foolishly for a long time. When the servants saw this, they could not help butugh. It seemed that even a ¡°fool¡± would be happy when he knew that he had a wife. Looking at Bruce¡¯s silly smile, Joanna felt her heart ache and her eyes sting. ¡°Honey, do¡­ do you want to give birth to a baby for me?¡± With tears in her eyes, Joanna smiled gently at him. ¡°Yes, are you happy?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m happy! I¡¯m so happy!¡± Bruce stammered. He pped his hands twice and pressed his head close to Joanna¡¯s belly. In the past, Bruce liked to lie on Joanna¡¯s belly, trying to get close to the baby. Subconsciously, he still remembered this scene. In the blink of an eye, it was already noon. Joanna stayed in the hospital with Bruce for several hours. At lunch, Joanna fed Bruce another bowl of oatmeal. After all, he had just recovered from a serious illness and his brain was deprived of oxygen. After waking up for a while, he was about to sleep. Soon, hey on the bed and fell asleep. Seeing that Bruce had fallen asleep, Joanna checked the time and found that it was almost 2 P.M. She had to go to thepany to settle some matters. ¡°Take care of him. I¡¯m going to the office.¡± The intensive caregiver and servants replied respectfully, ¡°Got it, Mrs. Joanna.¡± Joanna gave a few more simple instructions before rushing to thepany. There was still a lot of work to do at thepany. For the past few days, Joanna had spent most of her time in the hospital and could only go to the office every few days. There was already a lot of work piled up in thepany. If she did not deal with it quickly, many documents and contracts would be overdue. Joanna rushed to the Everett Group at 2:30 P.M. ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna walked quickly to her office while talking to her business partner on the phone. ¡°Andy, inform the president of Sunrise Group immediately. We can meet at two in the afternoon to discuss our cooperation. ¡°Also, change the meeting at Escostan to a remote one.¡± Andy¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Alright, Ill make the arrangements immediately.¡± As he spoke, Joanna had already walked to the door of the office. ¡°Bring me the schedule for the next few days. Assign all the business trips to someone else.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Joanna pushed the door open and entered the office. The huge desk was already covered with contracts and documents that needed to be signed, Andy carried another stack of documents over and said, ¡°Miss Haynes, these are work reports submitted by shareholders and adjustments made by various departments. ¡°Nory is facing an economic crisis. They might have to withdraw their investment. ¡°All the investment statements of first-tier cities such as North City, Salen City, and Greene Town are here. Please take a look at them, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Okay, put them all here! I¡¯ll check them out as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Andy put down the documents and left the office. Joanna hurriedly turned on herputer. There were already hundreds of messages piled up in her email. There were many documents and contracts waiting for her signature. Joanna could only ce the paper contracts on the side in order. She had to deal with the paper contracts first before dealing with the electronic version. Looking at the time, she found that it was almost three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Joanna did not dare to dy for a moment. She had to quickly deal with her work. After work, she had to go to the hospital to take care of Bruce Chapter 654 Chapter 654 Chapter 654 One document after another was flipped through. After reading it, he signed and stamped it. Then, he put it aside and handed it to Andy to mail. It was four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. In the past hour or so, she did not dare to dy for a minute. She handled more than ten documents in a row. Now that the phone rang, she realized that she was dizzy. She quickly rubbed her eyes and answered the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± The call was from Miranda. She sounded especially anxious. ¡°Joann, pleasee back to the hospital now.¡± Joanna was shocked, thinking that something had happened again. ¡°Miranda, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Miranda sighed and said anxiously, ¡°Mr. Everett has woken up. He¡¯s throwing a tantrum and insisting on seeing you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a headache. Looking at the pile of documents, her head hurt even more. ¡°Can you coax him first? ¡°I¡¯ve got work to do and can¡¯t leave right now. I can probably go back at six in the evening.¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t do! Mr. Everett has been throwing a tantrum. He¡¯s crying and moring to see you. We can¡¯t coax him.¡± Joanna was at a loss for words. She frowned and did not know what to do. ¡°You know Mr. Everett¡¯s temper. He¡¯s very stubborn when he throws a tantrum. You can¡¯t even stop him. If you don¡¯te back soon, he¡¯ll probably tear down the hospital.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll rush back immediately.¡± Andy was helping with the documents. When he heard that Joanna was going back, he quickly asked, ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do with these documents then? ¡°If we don¡¯t deal with them now, they¡¯ll be overdue. In that way, we¡¯ll have topensate for viting the contract regtions.¡± Joanna sighed. She packed up all the contracts and brought them to the hospital along with theptop. She had no choice but to go to the hospital to apany Bruce. While he was sleeping, Joanna wanted to see if she could find some time to settle her work. ¡°Okay. Andy didn¡¯t dare to dy and quickly loaded the documents and workptop. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Half an hourter, Joanna rushed to the hospital with a big belly. When she had just reached the door of the ward and was about to enter, she heard heart-wrenching criesing from inside. It sounded like the crying person had suffered a great grievance. Crack! Joanna was shocked. She hurriedly pushed open the door and walked in. £¤96% The ward looked as if it had been ransacked. Everything inside was smashed into a mess. Bruce sat on the ground barefooted and wailed. His feet were already dripping with blood from the broken ss. More than a dozen servants stood at the side, trembling with fear. They looked helpless. When Bruce lost his temper, no one could withstand it. Especially since his mind was not clear and he did not know to hold back. The servants were even more terrified and did not dare to stop him at all.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna walked in with a shocked expression. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± When Bruce saw Joanna, he cried even harder. He was like a child who had been left at home by his mother for many days and finally saw his mother. The grievance was obvious on his face. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached and she quickly walked to Bruce¡¯s side. ¡°Well, well, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t cry, okay?¡± Bruce curled up in Joanna¡¯s arms and cried pitifully. Seeing him cry so sadly, Joanna could not help but shed tears. She had never seen Bruce cry so miserably before. His shoulders were shaking with tears and snot flowing down his face. He was sobbing so hard that he could not breathe. ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying. Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m back now, aren¡¯t I? Don¡¯t cry, okay?¡± Joanna hugged him and wanted to wipe his tears. Bruce buried himself in her arms and cried miserably. His tears drenched Joanna¡¯s clothes. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Andy watched from the side and felt sorry for Bruce. Was this still the same tycoon of the business world who had always been strong and decisive?, If Bruce¡¯s rivals in the business world knew that Bruce had be like this, they would probably celebrate/happily, right? ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Andy wanted to say something but hesitated. He only sighed and did not know what to say. Bruce cried endlessly. Joanna was also sobbing. She really did not expect such a vile fellow could cry so hard one day. ¡°Alright, stop crying. I won¡¯t leave you behind again, okay?¡± Bruce nestled in her arms and nodded, still sobbing. Tears in his eyes blurred his vision. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t leave me¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± He-struggled to finish his sentence intermittently. Then he hugged Joanna and cried bitterly again. Subconsciously, he was afraid that Joanna would leave again. Every time she left, she was very determined and would never turn back easily. During the four years she disappeared, he thought about her every day. He thought about how she could suddenlye back and how she could take the initiative to contact him. Unfortunately, she did not even once. If she did not have to inherit her grandfather¡¯s inheritance, she would probably nevere back. Bruce was stubborn outside, but he was actually afraid of losing her inside. However, he refused to admit it, no matter what. On the contrary, Joanna was hard-hearted. Once they separated, she would definitely not bother with him anymore. ¡°Get up quickly. I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯ll never leave you again.¡± Joanna had been coaxing Bruce gently for a long time before she finally managed to calm Bruce down. When the nurse cleaned his wound, Bruce was still tugging at Joanna¡¯s sleeve tightly and staring at her without blinking. It was as if he was afraid that Joanna would disappear again if he did not keep his eyes on her. Deep in his heart, he was extremely insecure. However, he had known since he was a child that the strong ruled. Especially after his parents passed away, he knew that no one in this world could be relied on. No one would feel sorry for him anymore. He could only force himself to be strong and be an unbeatable king. Chapter 655 Chapter 655 Chapter 655 The nurse carefully treated Bruce¡¯s wound and thoughtfully bandaged it. ¡°It¡¯s done. Keep the wound out of water for a week in case it gets infected and inmed.¡± Joanna said in a deep voice, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The nurse smiled and left with the tray. Looking at Bruce¡¯s feet which were wrapped tightly in gauze, Joanna felt heartache but helplessness as well. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± she asked. Then she continued, ¡°The floor is covered in ss shards. Are you really so stupid to step on it like this? And you guys, why don¡¯t you stop him?¡± The servants looked cautious and said in a low voice, ¡°When Mr. Everett gets angry, he¡¯s like a fierce lion. We don¡¯t dare to approach him at all¡­¡±¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed again and did not me these servants anymore. She couldn¡¯t even handle Bruce when he was angry, let alone those servants. ¡°All of you guys can leave!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± At this moment, Bruce was like a docile sheep, quietly snuggling in Joanna¡¯s arms. He looked at her with timid and aggrieved looks in his eyes. He seemed apletely different person from his irritable and uneasy appearance just now. ¡°s, how did it be like this?¡± Joanna gently ran her hand through Bruce¡¯s hair with a sigh. A long scar was left on the back of his head up to the top. From his left eyebrow to his temple, there was a scar a few inches long. Four or five scars could be seen on his arm, with a deep suture line on his chest. It looked like he was covered in wounds, making one¡¯s heart ache even more. ¡°You do know how to torture me. I really can¡¯t do anything to you.¡± As Joanna spoke, her eyes could not help but turn red again. She gently caressed his wound and felt sorry for him. She said deep down, ¡°You damn bastard do know how to break my heart, But despite all this, I can¡¯t let go of you. I can¡¯t bear to be apart from you.¡± ¡°Be good. I have work to do, okay?¡± Bruce blinked in confusion and looked at her obediently. Without any other choice, Joanna could only get someone to set up a small table on the bed and ce theptop on it. She, on the other hand, was half-lying on the bed, apanying Bruce as she handled her work. Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on herp. Bruce¡¯s head was heavy. In less than ten minutes, Joanna¡¯s legs went numb. Even though it was very ufortable, she still did not dare to move. Bruce had been crying for more than an hour. It was not easy to coax him. Joanna did not dare to provoke him again. Now that he was finally tired from crying, he fell asleep with her leg as his pillow. ¡°It¡¯s really tough for Mrs. Joanna. She¡¯s pregnant, but she has to deal with work. What¡¯s more, she has to take care of Mr. Everett while dealing with Mr. Miller. It¡¯s really too difficult¡­¡± The servants were also worried for Joanna. They shook their heads and sighed. Soon, the news of Bruce waking up was exposed by the media. ¡°Bruce has been unconscious for three months and has woken up recently.¡± ¡°It can be called a medical miracle. Bruce narrowly escapes from death.¡± 96% ¡°Bruce Everett and Joanna Haynes seem to be getting remarried in the near future. Joanna Haynes finally waited for this day.¡± ¡°Wish Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes a happy life forever.¡± The inte was filled with news of Bruce¡¯s awakening. The onlookers who were originally watching the fun also became Bruce and Joanna¡¯s fans, looking forward to them. remarrying as soon as possible. Of course, the bodyguards kept a close watch on the ward. The reporters could not interview Bruce and Joanna at all. Therefore, the media only knew that Bruce had woken up. They did not know that his intelligence had degenerated to that of a child at the age of three or four. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Joanna also strictly told the doctors and nurses to keep the truth about Bruce a secret. At Yanice Group, after learning that Bruce had woken up, Marlowe stomped his feet in anger. ¡°Bruce, it seems you¡¯re really lucky. You were already on the verge of death but actually survived. ¡°How did this happen? How did he survive? How annoying! ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that he was in a vegetative state? Didn¡¯t they say that he would never wake up? It¡¯s only been more than three months. How did he wake up?¡± Seeing this, Pete and his subordinates were even more nervous. ¡°President Yanice. If it were an ordinary person, they would have died a long time ago in such a serious car ident. ¡°But Bruce is so rich. He had more than 30 injections of gene regeneration shots alone. He spent no less than 200 million dors on all kinds of life-prolonging medicine and treatment. ¡°He has to wake up¡­¡± When Marlowe heard this, he was even angrier. ¡°Stop talking! I¡¯m so angry! ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ve gone to deal with the people around him? How is it going?¡± ¡°At the moment, I haven¡¯t found a suitable time¡­¡± Pete shrank his neck and answered carefully. ¡°Stupid thing! Useless loser!¡± Marlowe was instantly enraged again. He then punched and kicked Pete and the others. ¡°Hurry up and think of something. I want Bruce to die.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. We¡¯ll quickly think of something.¡± Other than Marlowe being angry, Liam, L, and the others were shocked, angry, and helpless as well. ¡°How is it? Darling, the indictment has been revoked, right?¡± L asked unwillingly. s, what can we do if we don¡¯t withdraw thewsuit? Bruce has already woken up. It¡¯s already good enough that he doesn¡¯t find trouble with us. ¡°How would we dare to provoke him now?¡± L choked in anger. ¡°How could it happen? He¡¯s already in a vegetative state. How did he wake up? ¡°We were on the verge of getting everything we wanted, but now it¡¯s all ruined.¡± ¡°Enough. Stop thinking about other people¡¯s things.¡± Chapter 656 Chapter 656 Chapter 656 Liam was also upset. His rtionship with Bruce was tense in the first ce. They had fallen out this time, and things between them might probably get worse in the future. The next day, Evan and L each found an excuse and met up in the vi, where they had cheated secretly. In the past, the two of them would eagerly have sex the moment they met. But Evan wasn¡¯t in the least bit interested this day. He was pulling a long face and couldn¡¯t look worse. ¡°Damn it! It turns out I¡¯ve been working for nothing. It¡¯s all in vain.¡± L pursed her lips and said unhappily, ¡°What should we do now? Liam has withdrawn thewsuit. And the Everett family¡¯s business has also beenpletely ruined.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve done my best. Don¡¯t make things difficult for me again.¡± When Evan heard this, he got even more depressed and annoyed. He smoked one cigarette after another. ¡°Let¡¯s think of something else and see if there¡¯s room for negotiation.¡± ¡°What else can we do? No matter what, I¡¯m at my wit¡¯s end. L said as shey on the bed angrily. Evan¡¯s eyes darkened as he put out his cigarette. Some time ago, Marlowe came for him and kept inciting him to fight for Bruce¡¯s assets. Marlowe even said that he would help him behind the scenes. Evan also believed the Everett family¡¯s assets would be in his back pocket. Unexpectedly, Bruce was so lucky that he had woken up again. What a pity. If he wanted to take over power and assets from Bruce again, he would undoubtedly be putting himself in danger and digging his own grave! L waited angrily for a long while. But Evan just kept smoking in frustration. He did not look like he was going to have sex with her. This made her even more dissatisfied. ¡°Evan, didn¡¯t you say you wanted me to have a child? I¡¯m on ovtory period now and¡­¡± Before she could finish her words, Evan interrupted her impatiently. ¡°For God¡¯s sake, forget that! I¡¯m not in the mood to have a child now.¡± As he spoke, Evan took his car keys and was ready to leave. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going out for something. Leave me alone these few days.¡± Saying it, Evan had already mmed the door and left. Seeing Evan left in determination, L pounded the bed hard. ¡°Evan Miller, you bastard!¡± She felt uneasy deep down. She began to feel that Evan was only using her. As she couldn¡¯t help him anym his attitude changed drastically. She was already 32 years old and was at the best age of a woman. So, she was dying to seize the chance and have a child soon so she could rely on him in the future. ¡°Huh, since you don¡¯t want to have a child with me, I¡¯ll do it with Liam. No matter what, I must have a child to guarantee my future life.¡± Although Liam was over 50 years old, logically speaking, he should be able to give her a child. But for some reason, she didn¡¯t get pregnant though they had been married for a few years. She had never been able to conceive a child. However, it did not matter. Since the IVF technology was well-developed, she could have a test-tube baby instead. She had decided she could no longer wait and would talk to Liam about having a test-tube baby the next day. In such a wealthy family, if she didn¡¯t have a child and once Liam passed away someday, she would not be able to get many of his assets. Since Evan refused to give her a child to guarantee her future life, she did not want to waste more time on him. It was in the ward of the hospital. For the past two days, Joanna had been working in the hospital. She could only work in a hurry when Bruce was sleeping. ¡°Jesus! Put it down. You can¡¯t tear it.¡± In a blink, Bruce had thrown all the documents she had dealt with everywhere and even torn a few. Joanna saw that and hurriedly snatched it from his hand. Bruce pouted his lips and looked at Joanna like a child. ¡°Joanna! Honey! y with me¡­¡±. Joanna was tired and troubled. She could only coax Bruce while she was organizing the documents. ¡°Okay! Okay! I¡¯ll y with you after I finish working on the documents, okay?¡± ¡°No! No! I want you to y with me now.¡± Bruce shook her arm, looking aggrieved. Joanna couldn¡¯t do anything with him, so she had to put down her work and focus on ying with him. However, she had been swamped for the past few days and could not rest well. She was exhausted then. ¡°Ouch! I have a backache!¡± Joanna subconsciously rubbed her waist and back. Bruce stuck his head out and looked at her waist. ¡°Honey, you have a pain in the back?¡± ¡°Yes, a little!¡± Joanna said and couldn¡¯t help but lie down on the bed. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Her back was so sore that she had to lie down and take a break. ¡°Oh, let me do a massage for you.¡± Bruce chuckled and began to massage her waist and back with all his strength. ¡°Ouch! Be a little more gentle, please.¡± ¡°Okay, honey.¡± Bruce had be a child in his intelligence, but he had the strength. He squeezed and pressed her back and waist with both hands, which made her feel quite good. At first, Joanna didn¡¯t think he would do it properly, and she was also afraid that he would hurt the baby identally, so she dared not rx. However, Bruce surprised her a few minutester. He turned out to be a professional in massage. Joanna rxed and allowed him to continue massaging her. Ten minutester, Joanna got a little sleepy. The pain in her back and waist had also eased a lot. As he went on with the massage, Bruce was distracted. He stopped massaging her back and waist. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Joanna was slim, but she had good curves. She had big boobs, a thin waist, and a big booty. Subconsciously, he was obsessed with Joanna. He still remembered the times when they had sex. Joanna sensed that something was wrong. She frowned and knocked his hands off her. ¡°What are you doing? See what you are massaging on?¡± Bruce just smiled foolishly at her. ¡°Honey, kiss me! I want you to kiss me.¡± As he spoke, Bruce came closer to her lips to ask for a kiss as he did before. And he was feeling her up at the same time. Joanna was at a loss for words. He was not clear-headed, yet he still remembered having sex with her. Oh, man! This was what a man was! ¡°Gosh, you are impossible! Why are you still thinking about having sex even when you are like this? ¡°Alright. Stop it now.¡± Bruce continued to giggle. ¡°Honey, you are so hot. I want to kiss you.¡± After saying that, he insisted on kissing her face a few times. Joanna sighed and looked at his silly face sadly. She found it annoying and funny and didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Does your foot still hurt?¡± ¡°Yep. It hurts a lot.¡± Joanna got up and gently rubbed his foot. ¡°Don¡¯t lose your temper for nothing again, and don¡¯t smash things at will, understand? Bruce nodded heavily and chuckled foolishly. Saliva flowed out of his mouth again. In the blink of an eye, it had been one week. Bruce¡¯s foot injury was almost healed, and he had had rehabilitation training for the past few days. He could walk back and forth without help from others. Mr. yton gave him another full-body checkup and said with a rxed face, ¡°Mr. Everett is recovering very well. He can be discharged.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Chapter 657 Chapter 657 Chapter 657 Jordan smiled lightly. ¡°But he still has to do rehabilitation training at home. Come to the hospital for further consultation in ten days.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°You can go through the discharge formalities now. Remember to continue taking these medicines at home.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Joanna finally sighed with relief. She went back to the ward. The servant had alreadypleted the discharge procedures, while Miranda and the others had also finished packing their stuff. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We can go home now.¡± Bruce hugged Joanna abruptly. ¡°Hurray! We can go home now!¡± Joanna smiled gently and touched his face. ¡°We can go home now. Are you happy?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so happy.¡± Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s arm tightly like a child. He had been in the hospital for a full four months. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when he could finally check out of the hospital. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Is everything packed?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all packed.¡± Joanna and Bruce walked side by side. Gael, Darcy, and the others had sent the bodyguards to escort them. Darcy said with a straight face, ¡°Miss Haynes, many reporters are waiting at the entrance.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more troubled. She I had enough of these media outlets. ¡°Send more guys to keep peace in case of any chaos.¡± the Although the time when Bruce would go home had been kept a secret from the public, the reporters and paparazzi were very resourceful. They had figured through various rumors and hearsays that Bruce would check out from the hospital this day. ¡°Copy that!¡± Over 40 bodyguards and 20 security guards were crowd-controlling at the hospital entrance. The bodyguards formed a human wall and escorted Bruce and Joanna out of the hospital. Quite many reporters and paparazzi were waiting outside the hospital. The news that Bruce would be discharged from the hospital had somehow leaked. Almost all the paparazzi and reporters in Greyport hade to get first-hand information. In addition, arge number of onlookers came to join in the fun. As a result, the entrance of the hospital was surrounded. The reporters had been in an uproar when Bruce and Joanna showed their faces. ¡°They¡¯reing out. They areing out. It¡¯s Mr. Everett! It¡¯s Mr. Everett¡­¡± In an instant, arge group of reporters carrying cameras and microphones rushed toward Bruce and Joanna like a violent tide. Snap! Snap! Snap! The reporters snapped photos with their cameras frantically and put their microphones forward one after another. There were too many people, and several short reporters fell to the ground. ¡°Mr. Everett, can I interview you? Can you say a few words?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is discharged from the hospital. Will you two remarry right away?¡± ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Everett. What¡¯s your opinion about Mr. Lurk suing Miss Haynes?¡± The reporters vied with each other to ask questions. The group of crazy fans also shouted loud along, ¡°Bruce! Bruce, be happy!¡± ¡°Make way! Make way! Excuse me. Mr. Everett won¡¯t ept any interviews! Please get out of the way!¡± Darcy and a group of bodyguards maintained order, trying their best to prevent anyone from breaking through the human wall. Even 40 to 50 bodyguards could barely stop the fanatical reporters and onlookers. Bruce¡¯s brain had been damaged, and his intelligence had degenerated to three to four years old. It was big chaos before him, and the screams and noises were big enough to wake the dead, which had annoyed him, endlessly. ¡°Ah! No! No!¡± Bruce was shocked. He screamed and instantly became agitated. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s okay.¡± Joannaforted him as she pulled him toward the car. Unfortunately, the reporters and paparazzi had blocked the car and the aisle. They couldn¡¯t walk through at all. ¡°Mr. Everett, please say something!¡± ¡°How did you feel while you were in the hospital? Will you immediately remarry Miss Haynes?¡±; ¡°Will you return to work in the Everett Group right afterward? Please say something! Please say a few words!¡± The long microphone avoided the security guards and came very close to Bruce. ¡°Make way! Everybody, get out of the way!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Miss Haynes, please say something first. Will you remarry Mr. Everett? Do you feel guilty about Mr. Everett¡­¡± Joanna frowned. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Bruce looked at the chaotic scene before him and saw a group of strangers shouting at him. He was agitated and started crying out of fear. ¡°Wah¡­ Honey, I¡¯m scared! I¡¯m so scared.¡± ¡°Wah¡­¡± Bruce burst into tears in front of the media outlets. ¡°Go away! Go away. I hate all of you!¡± The reporters were shocked and fell into dead silence for a few seconds. ¡°Go away! Wah¡­ I want to go home! I want to go home!¡± ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll get in the car now!¡± Joanna quickly pulled the crying Bruce and walked faster toward the car. When the reporters saw this, their minds went nk for a few seconds! What? Was this Bruce Everett? Unexpectedly, he burst into tears. He had cried like a fool in public! The reporters came back to their senses and snapped photos more crazily. Snap! Gael was also shocked by the scene. He said solemnly, ¡°Stop taking photos. You¡¯re bothering the patient. Mr. Everett has just recovered. Stop taking photos, or you will agitate him.¡± ¡°Is Mr. Everett suffering from any seque? Can you go into details? Why is Mr. Everett crying?¡± The reporters started taking photos of Gael like crazy, looking like they had met their savior. Chapter 658 Chapter 658 Chapter 658 ¡°Stop filming, stop filming! You guys have gone overboard. If you continue filming like this, I won¡¯t be polite anymore.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett will not be interviewed!¡± The scene got even more chaotic. Bruce was the wealthiest man in Greyport. His every move certainly affected everyone in Greyport. Especially in the past two years because reporters had targeted Joanna. ¡°Oh my god, why does Mr. Everett look like he is mentally disabled?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that he looks it; he is mentally disabled.¡± ¡°I heard Mr. Everett had a craniotomy. The after-effects of this surgery are quite severe. If they are indeed severe, he will be mentally disabled.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, what a pity¡­¡± It took a while to get through the crowd before they finally got to the car. The assistant opened the car door. ¡°Hurry up and get in!¡± Joanna shielded Bruce as they struggled to enter the car that their bodyguards surrounded. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± Bruce was crying like a child the entire time. It wasn¡¯t until they got into the car that he gradually calmed down. ¡°Hurry up and drive!¡± Joanna urged, frowning. The bodyguards stopped the reporters from approaching the car. The driver immediately started the car and made his way out of the crowd with difficulty. The car drove off, but the reporters were still frantically snapping photos behind them. Half an hourter. Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°We¡¯re home. Let¡¯s get out of the car!¡± Bruce got out of the car carefully and hugged Joanna¡¯s arm the entire time. She looked around uneasily like a frightened sheep. 178 11:58 9 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett. Wee home, Mrs. Joanna!¡± All the servants of Sherane Bay Vi wore neat uniforms. They were lined up in two rows and greeted respectfully. Miranda had boiled grapefruit water. ¡°Mr. Everett has been in the hospital for so long. We still need to get rid of the bad luck!¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Joanna took the grapefruit water and sprinkled it on Bruce. Then, she let him step over the fire pit. Bruce was both familiar and unfamiliar with everything in front of him. He felt affectionate and afraid. He was a little stunned and at a loss for words. The children stood at the door to wee him. ¡°Wee home, Daddy!¡± ¡°Daddy, this is a gift we made for you. I hope you like it!¡± Davian and Irvin handed over their handmade ¡°Here you go, Daddy!¡± paper cranes! ¡°Daddy, this is my family portrait. I hope our family can be together forever.¡± Lilia was good at drawing; she drew a unique family portrait. ? Bruce took it and looked at it. There were five people in the painting, two adults and three children. The family of five held hands and stood on thewn, smiling happily. It looked homely and heartwarming. ¡°Hehe¡­Hehe¡­¡± Bruce giggled. ¡°This is Daddy, and this is Mommy. This is Big Brother, this is Irvin, and this is me,¡± Lilia introduced enthusiastically. ¡°This is my wife, and this is me!¡± Bruce also pointed at the people in the painting, Perhaps it was the sentimental connection to his children, but Bruce was pleased to see them. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the house!¡± ¡°Lunch is ready. Are you all hungry?¡± ¡°Oh, good. We can finally have a reunion today. Our family hasn¡¯t had dinner together for a long time.¡± ¡°Daddy, we prepared all your favorite dishes for lunch!¡± The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife ¡°Hehe, hehe!¡± Bruce just giggled. They entered the house together with their children surrounding them. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and change your clothes!¡± Bruce followed Joanna upstairs. They reached the room. The servants helped Bruce take off his clothes. ¡°Mr. Everett, take off your clothes.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Bruce covered his chest tightly and shook his head like a rattling drum. ¡°No, no¡­ Please don¡¯t take it off¡­ My wife is angry¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, sheughed speechlessly. ¡°You guys can go out! I¡¯ll help him change!¡± ¡°Okay, Mrs. Joanna.¡± The servants left. Joanna took a set of silk pajamas and handed it to Bruce. ¡°Come, let me change your clothes. You¡¯ll feel better in your pajamas.¡± -Bruce smiled foolishly. ¡°I want my wife to take it off!¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Joanna shook her head and smiled bitterly. She did not know if he was mentally disabled or pretending. This way¡­ The news of Bruce being discharged instantly went viral on the Inte. Various media outlets were in an uproar. Over an hourter, more than a dozen trending topics were at the top of the news stories. [The after-effects of Bruce¡¯s car ident. Mental disability.] [Bruce will fall off the pedestal and be a dummy.] [Bruce cried in public. He is mentally disabled.] The inte was filled with news of Bruce bing mentally disabled. Chapter 659 Chapter 659 Chapter 659 At the Yanice Group. Pete saw the news online. He felt like he had been saved. He was worrying about how to deal with Bruce. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. This was great news. He didn¡¯t have to do anything. Bruce had already died. He had to report this great news to President Yanice immediately. At the office. ¡°President Yanice. I¡¯ve got good news, great news¡­¡± Pete reported excitedly. Marlowe was slumped in a massage chair and was smoking a cigar in frustration. ¡°What good news?¡± Pete quickly handed the phone to him. ¡°President Yanice, look at this. Bruce has been discharged but seems to have be a dummy.¡± When Marlowe heard this, he quickly took his phone and scrolled through the news. As it turned out. There was a photo disyed of Bruce crying. It was clear that he was mentally disabled. The apanying title read, [Bruce bawling in public/Suspected to be mentally unstable.] Pete rambled, ¡°I heard that his craniotomy caused it. The aftereffects of this kind of surgery are severe.¡± ¡°His brain has been damaged, and he has be mentally disabled. Look at the crying expression on his face. It¡¯sughable. Hahaha¡­¡± Another assistant quickly chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. In the past, he could always act cool in t of the media.¡± ¡°Look, he¡¯s a dummy now. This is better than him dying. It¡¯s more satisfying.¡± Marlowe casually flipped through a few more trending topics. Without fault, there were many news stories about Bruce bing a dummy. They were all apanied by photos of him crying. After reading them. Marlowe pped his leg andughed. He stretched out his arm, and Pete took the cigarette butt from him. ¡°Ahahaha¡­ Bruce has actually be a dummy?¡± ¡°This is unexpected. Wow! Look at his crying face.¡± Pete smiled obsequiously. ¡°That¡¯s right! If this photo didn¡¯t have his name captioned, who would have guessed that this was Bruce?¡± The trending topics were filled with photos of Bruce crying. He even clutched Joanna¡¯s arm tightly like a child. In the past, Bruce had always been dressed in a suit and leather shoes, especially in front of the cameras. He was noble and elegant, looking like a tycoon. Compared to what he looked like now, it was pretty surprising. Suddenly, Marlowe¡¯s face darkened again. ¡°Even if he bes a dummy, it won¡¯t subdue the hatred in my heart.¡± ¡°I want him to lose everything. I want him to feel so much pain that he feels like dying. I want him to regret what he did!¡± Marlowe clenched his fists tightly. His joints made cracking sounds. He ground his teeth at the memory of his nine years in prison. He was imprisoned during the best years of his life, between the ages of 23 and 34. He was still young, but those golden nine years had been wasted All of this was Bruce¡¯s doing! So, Marlowe ¡°Hurry up and think of another n!¡± refused to hold in his anger. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Lunderstand, President Yanice.¡± Pete quickly shrank and left the office when Marlowe was about to get Eravagain. Apart from Marlowe, another person was ¡°following¡± Bruce, paying close attention to his every move. The Garcia Group. Jennie also saw the news of Bruce¡¯s recovery and his discharge. Jennie was shocked to see Bruce crying like a dummy. ¡°Oh my. Is this Bruce? How did he be like this?¡± Jimmy nodded affirmatively, ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett¡¯s brain nerves were damaged. This is the aftereffect of the craniotomy.¡± When Jennie heard this, her face instantly turned green. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°It¡¯s all because of that slut, Joanna.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, Bruce wouldn¡¯t have be like this.¡± ¡°I want to know what¡¯s so special about her for Bruce to be so head over heels.¡± Jennie mmed her phone on the table. She was so angry her heart pounded fast. ¡°Mrs. Garcia, don¡¯t be angry. The damage has been done. Bruce is now unworthy of your attention.¡± ¡°With your aplishments, what kind of man can equal you? There¡¯s no need to lose your mind over him!¡± Jennie¡¯s almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened! Indeed. Ever since Zachary died, she had be the Garcia family¡¯s heir. The Garcia family had a market value of several billion dors, which she inherited. She was young, had good looks, a great figure, and had excellent academic qualifications. Countless men tried to woo her from Greyport to Frayn. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Bruce had be a knot in her heart that she struggled to let go of. He was her dream lover. She had had a crush on him since she was a girl. It was no longer a matter of love but a lingering feeling. The more Bruce wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her love, the more unwilling she was to let go! ¡°Hmph, Bruce is blind.¡± Jimmy also looked resentful and agreed with his boss. ¡°That¡¯s right. He was blind from the beginning!¡± ¡°Now, his retribution hase. He has turned into a dummy. It can only be his punishment¡­¡± Before Jimmy could finishining, Jennie was even more furious. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to talk about him like that.¡± Jimmy was stunned and looked at Jennie in fear. ¡°I can scold him, but what right do you have to scold him?¡± ¡°Is he someone you can scold? Do you have the right to scold him?¡± Jennie red at Jimmy angrily. His expression was very ugly. Jimmy panicked and quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Garcia¡­.¡± ¡°You may leave now!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jimmy bowed and left the office uneasily. He just wanted to tter her. Unexpectedly, his ttery had failed and instead angered the boss. After leaving the office, Jimmy looked mncholic. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°A beautiful woman like Mrs. Garcia is so rich. She¡¯s as beautiful as the moon.¡± ¡°Why does such an outstanding woman have to be obsessed with a married man?¡± Jimmy looked up to Jennie. However, he knew that he was not worthy! Chapter 660 Chapter 660 Chapter 660 He was nothing more than a mere secretary, while Jennie had ascended to be the wealthiest woman of Greyport. There was no way she would ever be interested in him! After Jimmy¡¯s departure, Jennie mmed the table with a resounding thud, her beautiful face contorted with intense resentment. For the past four months, she had thought that Bruce was trapped in a state of persistent vegetative existence. Despite her heartbreak and eagerness to remain by his side, she knew it was not her ce to protect him. She yearned to expunge him from her heart and erase all memories of him. However¡­ that was just the nature of humanity. The more one attempted to control their emotions, the more uncontroble they became. It was like the poisoned apple in Eden; despite knowing its toxicity, the temptation to taste it could not be resisted. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­ I truly despise you! How could such a tragedy ur if you were with me? What does she makes her worthy of your possess at love? What is so captivating about her that you adore her like this?¡­ Bruce, even if you were to be a fool, I would never let you go!¡± Jennie passionately cried. Her eyes aze with fury while tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrobly. The more unattainable someone seemed, the more fervently they were desired. Moreover, conceding defeat was never an option for someone as proud and arrogant as Jennie. She relished in overthinking and embracing the most challenging of situations. In the dining room of the Sherane Bay Vi, the dining table was filled with various dishes as the family celebrated Bruce¡¯s discharge from the hospital. It was rare for the whole family to gather for dinner, and the three little ones were incredibly excited, chattering away without a care, forgetting their usual mealtime silence. ¡°Wow, our whole family is finally eating together,¡± eximed one of the little ones excitedly. The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been over half a year since west had a meal together. I cannot even remember when that was. I hope our family can stay together forever,¡± another child cried. Hearing the children¡¯s joy mixed with concern, Joanna felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart. She knew that her young children, who were only six and a half years old, needed their parents¡¯ companionship the most at this tender age. Unfortunately, the children had never experienced a complete family. Maybe she should consider remarrying Bruce to give the kids aplete home and take better care of both Bruce and the children. Bruce was all smiles, and he was even happier than the kids. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± he chirped, his speech slurred. Irvin immediately began to fawn over his father, picking up a medium-rare steak for him. ¡°Daddy, this is your favorite medium-rare wagyu beef,¡± he said. Noticing that Lilia also eagerly served Bruce a piece of cheese-baked lobster, saying, ¡°Daddy, have this big lobster!¡± Her eyes filled with excitement as she offered the delicacy to Bruce. ¡°Daddy, you should have some tonic, like this bowl of Cordyceps stewed duck soup¡­ Seeing this, Joanna quickly stopped the kids¡¯ attempts to serve their father. ¡°Kids, don¡¯t serve this food to your father,¡± she gently reminded them. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± The three little ones asked as they looked at their mom in confusion. They just wanted their dad to get well and be happy. Joanna furrowed her brows slightly, ¡°Daddy still has wounds to heal from, and he cannot eat seafood or beef. Beef and seafood can cause inmmation when consumed in excess,¡± she exined. ¡°Oh, okay, got it!¡± The children replied, nodding their heads in understanding. ¡°Come, have some beancurd and eggs,¡± Joanna said as she served Bruce some beancurd with fish roe and eggs with organic vegetables. Bruce looked at the lobster and the steak he once loved in his bowl and shook his head repeatedly. ¡°Meat, I want to eat meat¡­¡± he insisted, showing a strong aversion to the All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. suggested dishes. Seeing him so picky about his food, Joanna had to coax him patiently, ¡°You cannot eat those yet. You have more high-protein foods, be good and listen, okay?¡± Bruce shook his head like a rattle, showing a strong aversion to the beancurd and vegetables that Joanna offered. ¡°No, no, I want this!¡± he insisted adamantly. ¡°Mommy, let Daddy eat a little bit. It should be fine,¡± one of the little ones pleaded. ¡°Yes, Daddy¡¯s weak right now, so he should eat more nutritious food,¡± another chimed. ¡°Besides, Daddy used to hate eating beancurd and vegetables the most. He¡¯s been in the hospital for months without any meat. He probably forgot what meat tastes like,¡± one of the little ones pleaded. Joanna found this reasonable and replied, ¡°Okay¡­ but you can only have a little taste of it, do you understand?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Bruce eximed with joy, his eyes brightening as he quickly -picked up his fork, excited to indulge in the treat. Joanna, however, had already taken his bowl. She expertly peeled the lobster and removed two-thirds of it. Next, she also cut a small portion of the steak for him and ced it in his bowl. ¡°Here you go!¡± She said, offering him a bnced yet tempting meal. Bruce nced at his bowl and pouted, ¡°I want more!¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t have more! When your body fully recovers, you can eat whatever you want,¡± Joanna said firmly, sticking to her decision to prioritize his recovery. She then turned to the chef nearby and instructed, ¡°In the future, avoid cooking seafood and dishes with beef ormb. Prepare lighter, high-protein meals.¡± The chef responded respectfully, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll take note of that.¡± ¡°Come, have some eggs. They are easier to digest for your weak stomach,¡± Joanna suggested, knowing it suited his current condition. Bruce still resisted, looking unwilling, and grumbled, ¡°I want you to feed me!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Joanna replied as she smiled affectionately. Mixing the eggs with rice, she carefully spooned a portion to his lips. Given his weak stomach after recovery, it was better for him to eat dishes like beancurd and eggs, which were easy to digest yet packed with nutritionparable to sea cucumber and milk. ¡°Open wide!¡± she said with a yful smile. Bruce obediently opened his mouth and ate bite by bite. ¡°Mmm, Mommy, I want Mommy to feed me too,¡± Irvin said with a mischievous smile, wanting the same attention. ¡°You¡¯re already this old and still want Mommy to feed you? If your ssmates find out, they¡¯ll make fun of you!¡± Joanna teased yfully. Irvin slyly smiled and confidently replied, ¡°But Dad is even older than me! He wants Mommy to feed him, so why can¡¯t I?¡± Hearing this, Joanna could not help but sigh. She knew Irvin was looking for attention, but she did not have the energy to cater to every whim of her beloved children right now. ¡°Just eat your food!¡± Joanna gently reminded, shifting her attention back to Bruce. ¡°Exactly! Dad is sick now, so Mommy has to take care of him more!¡± one of the children said, showing concern for their father. The eldest son, Davian, who had been silent, finally asked with concern, ¡°Mommy, Dad would not be like this forever, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, when will Dad recover to how he was before? I¡¯m still waiting for him to teach me horseback riding, martial arts, andbat techniques!¡± Irvin added enthusiastically. Joanna¡¯s expression darkened slightly at the children¡¯s questions, uncertain of how to answer them. Chapter 661 Chapter 661 Chapter 661 Joanna could not fathom when Bruce would fully recover. The doctors had even mentioned that he might never fully recover in his lifetime. ¡°I do not want to eat¡­ I do not want to eat¡­¡± Bruce mumbled as he shook his head. Joanna snapped out of her thoughts and used a spoon to scoop up the food on his te. ¡°Be good, finish these eggs,¡± she said, ¡°and then you do not have to eat anymore.¡± Bruce was inwardly reluctant, but his subconscious told him that his wife would be unhappy if he refused. He reluctantly opened his mouth and said, ¡°Fine.¡± He did not want to make his wife unhappy, so he only reluctantly opened his mouth, ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna carefully fed him the remaining bites of eggs. These eggs wereid by the chickens they raised in the backyard, and they were highly nutritious. She wanted him to have more. In the city of Greyport, wherend was scarce and expensive, only the wealthiest families could afford to have a dedicated area for raising chickens. After finishing their meal, the family gathered again for chitchat and took a stroll in the backyard. Soon, it was nine o¡¯clock, and the children knew it was time to bathe and sleep. Simrly, Joanna and Bruce also prepared to rest for the night. Miranda expressed concern and asked, ¡°Joanna, where will Mr. Everett sleep tonight?¡± Joanna furrowed her brows. She was almost five months pregnant now, and her belly had grown. Considering Bruce¡¯s disoriented state, sleeping together might risk harming the baby. ¡°Let him sleep in the master bedroom,¡± she said, ¡°and prepare another guest room for me.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Miranda replied and quickly left to make the arrangements. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s time to shower and sleep!¡± Joanna called out. ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce replied as he grinned foolishly at Joanna. ¡°You guys, take him for a shower,¡± Joanna instructed. ¡°Yes, Ms. Haynes,¡± the four male nurses, who were responsible for Bruce¡¯s private care and hygiene, replied respectfully. Then, Joanna immediately led Bruce to the bathroom and handed him over to the nurses. ¡°Darling, do not leave¡­ shower with me¡­¡± Bruce whined. ¡°No, we cannot shower together. You be good,¡± Joanna replied firmly, ¡°and I will wait for you outside.¡± With that, Joanna headed to the guest room, which also had a bathtub. She felt exhausted and wanted to soak in warm water. Ten minutester, as the water had just been filled, Joanna had not even had a chance to undress when one of the male nurses rushed out of the bathroom,pletely soaked. ¡°Ms. Haynes, where are you¡­¡± he called out desperately. Hearing themotion, Joanna quickly stepped out of her bedroom. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she inquired. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please go in and check! Mr. Everett is in a tantrum again,¡± the nurse replied frantically, ¡°and insists on seeing you!¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna sighed inwardly, ¡°This guy is not giving me any peace. He even made a fuss when I am just trying to take a shower.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it,¡± Joanna replied. Reluctantly, she shuffled toward Bruce¡¯s bathroom with her big belly. Inside the bathroom, therge bathtub was already filled with warm water. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. However, the ones soaking in the tub were not Bruce but the other three male nurses. Bruce had thrown them into the water and stood in the corner looking aggrieved and frightened. Although he knew how to swim, he had experienced drowning twice before and, thus, had a subconscious fear of water. When Bruce saw Joanna enter, he cried out, ¡°Honey! They bullied me!¡± The nurses exchanged looks of speechlessness and helplessness. They thought, ¡°Who is bullying who? Besides, although his intellect has regressed, hisbat abilities remain intact.¡± Bruce had been practicing martial arts andbat techniques since a young age and had reached the skills and abilities of a coach. In the entire city of Greyport, hardly anyone could beat him in a hand-to-hand fight. Now, he dared to im he was bullied. ¡°There, there, do not cry!¡± Joanna said as she tried to console him. She was also at a loss. It was one thing for his intelligence to decline, but bing such a crybaby was utterly unexpected. He cried at the drop of a hat, which drove her crazy. Chapter 662 Chapter 662 Chapter 662 ¡°Ms. Haynes, we would never dare to bully Mr. Everett. Even if we had to be firm with him, we would not dare!¡± the nurses exined anxiously. While Joannaforted Bruce and reassured the nurses, saying, ¡°I know. I know. I will not me you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Haynes,¡± said the nurses as they stumbled out of the bathtub. ¡°Darling, they are bad people! They tried to take off my pants!¡± Bruce wailed. His demeanor resembled a giant baby. ¡°Alright, alright. Stop crying. They want to give you a bath, not bully you,¡± Joanna patiently exined. Bruce wiped his teary eyes and pouted. ¡°I do not want to bathe with them. I want to bathe with my wife¡­¡± ¡°No, we cannot bathe together!¡± Joanna firmly rejected it. ¡°I want to! I want to! I want to bathe with my wife,¡± Bruce insisted.. Joanna sighed. ¡°No more crying. If you cry again, I will ignore you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he pursed his lips and dared not cry anymore. ¡°Peter, Belson, help him remove his wet clothes, so he will not catch a coldter,¡± Joanna instructed. ¡°Yes, Ms. Haynes!¡± The four male nurses replied. They approached cautiously, saying, ¡°Mr. Everett, we will help you change your wet clothes!¡± ¡°Honey, I am scared,¡± Bruce cried in fear. ¡°Do not be afraid. I will be right here with you, alright?¡± Joanna consoled. ¡°Hmm, will you bathe with me?¡± Bruce pleaded. ¡°There are other guys here. How can I bathe with you?¡± Joanna reasoned. Bruce seemed thoughtful as he looked at Joanna and said, ¡°Then ask them to leave, so they will not see you! Let¡¯s bathe together. I do not want them to see my naked butt!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Bruce pouted his lips and gripped his pants, looking extremely shy. Joanna was speechless and did not know how to react. Usually, Bruce was a very thick-skinned man, yet now he seemed shy. 176 19.05 However, with her big belly, she could not care for him alone. ¡°Listen to me. Be good, and let Peter and Belson help you. I¡¯ll stay right here with you!¡± Joanna declined his invitation. ¡°No, no! Honey, you will bathe with me!¡± Bruce said, tugging Joanna¡¯s arm and pulling her towards the bathtub. ¡°Let go quickly. You¡¯re hurting me!¡± Joanna cried out. Then, she slipped under her feet and fell backward,nding on the ground with a loud thud. ¡°Honey!¡± Bruce hurriedly tried to help her, but it was toote. Joanna groaned in excruciating pain as she sat on the floor. ¡°Honey, I am so sorry. I did not mean to!¡± Bruce apologized anxiously. ¡°Ms. Haynes, are you alright?¡± The servants cried out in panic as they rushed forward to help her. Bruce was petrified, and he did not know what to do. ¡°Quick! Call Dr. Down,¡± one of the servants eximed. ¡°Urgh,¡± Joanna moaned in pain. She was five months pregnant, and her belly was already as big as a basketball. After falling so heavily, she felt a slight pain in her abdomen, and her face turned pale instantly. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please get up!¡± The servants urged. They were also scared out of their wits, and all of them hurriedly helped Joanna up. Upon hearing themotion, Miranda rushed in to check, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes slipped and fell in the bathroom!¡± one of the maids reported. Miranda became even more anxious, and she eximed, ¡°Oh no! This is not good! Hurry, call the family doctor! Hurry, help Ms. Haynes onto the bed first.¡± Bruce looked helpless, his face filled with fear. He apologized, ¡°Honey, I am sorry. I did not mean to!¡± Joanna was lying on the bed, her pale face covered in cold sweat and her abdomen throbbing in pain. She winced, ¡°Ow.¡± 12:06 ¡°Joanna, lie down and do not move. The doctor will be here soon,¡± Miranda reassured. Twenty minutester, Dr. Down rushed in urgently. He was the Everett family¡¯s doctor who provided them with medical consultations all year round. His medical skills were exceptional, and he could handle most issues unless they requiredrge specialized medical equipment, in which case, he had to refer them to a hospital. For other minor problems, Dr. Down made house calls. ¡°What happened?¡± Dr. Down asked immediately upon entering the room. ¡°Dr. Down, Ms. Haynes identally slipped and fell in the bathroom. Please help her so that it does not affect the pregnancy,¡± one of the maids reported. When Dr. Down heard this, he wasted no time and quickly entered the bedroom to check on Joanna. Joannay weakly on the bed, cold sweat constantly oozing from her body and her lower abdomen experiencing painful contractions. Dr. Down promptly took out his stethoscope and began examining Joanna. ¡°Why were you so careless? Ms. Haynes¡¯s body is already weak, and falling is dangerous,¡± Dr. Down chided. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I did not mean to. Honey, please be okay!¡± Bruce pleaded as he held Joanna¡¯s hand. Tears were streaming from his eyes./ Looking at Joanna¡¯s pale and weak appearance, he was terrified. ¡°First, I will administer two doses of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. She must rest in bed for the next few days!¡± Dr. Down said. ¡°Okay,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°I will also prescribe some supplements to aid in her recuperation and do moxibustion,¡± Dr. Down said. Afterward, he instructed his assistant to set up a stand at the foot of the bed to elevate Joanna¡¯s legs, preventing the centa from descending. ¡°Ms. Haynes needs to lie down and rest to protect the pregnancy. At least one week of bed rest. If there¡¯s no bleeding after one week, the baby should be fine,¡± Dr. Down instructed. Miranda nodded solemnly, ¡°Alright, thank you, Dr. Down!¡± Dr. Down then prepared an incense box and ced it on Joanna¡¯s belly for moxibustion. After that, he administered two doses of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. Joannay on the bed in a daze. Her face was pale without a trace of blood. Bruce stayed at the bedside, tears still streaming, tightly holding Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t cry anymore; it might disturb Ms. Haynes while she rests,¡± Dr. Down reminded him. When Bruce heard this, he stopped crying but continued holding Joanna¡¯s hand, pressing it against his face. ¡°Ms. Haynes¡¯s body is weak now, and she must rest well. Make sure she does not get out of bed for a week,¡± Dr. Down instructed./ ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Miranda replied mechanically. ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous. Ms. Haynes is already five months pregnant, and the baby is not as fragile as you might think. However, her body is weak, and she must avoid overexertion. She needs to have more nutritious food as she¡¯s too thin. Being underweight can also affect the baby,¡± Dr. Down said. ¡°Understood,¡± Miranda responded. ¡°I wille by again tomorrow. If there¡¯s anything, call me,¡± Dr. Down said. ¡°Alright!¡± Miranda replied. ¡°Dr. Down, take care.¡± Gael and the maids saw Dr. Down off while Miranda, Kelly, and the others stayed in the room. Bruce dared not cry anymore but remained carefully at Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t you rest in your room? We¡¯ll take care of everything here,¡± Miranda suggested. Bruce shook his head with a sorrowful expression, struggling to speak -clearly, ¡°No, no, I want to stay here with my wife.¡± Seeing this, Miranda did not dare say anything further. On the bed, Joanna was incredibly tired. She had not had a proper rest for quite some time. Now, she finally had the chance to lie down and get some much-needed sleep. Chapter 663 Chapter 663 Joanna slept deeply through the night. It was already past four in the early morning when she woke up. Feeling her arm numb, Joanna opened her eyes groggily. Bruce was slumped over at the bedside, still asleep, with his hand tightly gripping hers. His drool had even flowed onto her arm, and his head rested on her arm, making it numb. Joanna tried to pull her hand away, but it failed as Bruce was still deeply asleep. Unable to free her hand, Joanna sighed softly. She had to turn to lie on her side. At the same time, she reached out her other hand and gently touched his head. A scar, which was a few inches long, remained above his left eyebrow, adding a touch of world-weariness to his appearance. Despite Joanna¡¯s gentle movements, she still woke Bruce up. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re awake!¡± He chirped. ¡°Mm, it¡¯s already past four in the morning; you should go back to your room and sleep!¡± Joanna replied. Bruce rubbed his eyes and spoke with a tinge of guilt, ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere. I want to stay here with you. Darling, I really did not mean to hurt you. You can hit me if you want. Just don¡¯t be mad at me, okay?¡± Joanna did not say anything but looked at him tenderly. Then, she moved slightly to the side and said, ¡°Then lie down and sleep! How can you sleep well while sitting on a chair?¡± When Bruce heard this, his face lit up with surprise, and he carefully asked, ¡°Honey, can I lie down here?¡± ¡°Of course, you can,¡± Joanna responded. The bed wasrge, 7.8 feet long and 6.6 feet wide, with plenty of space for the two of them. Without hesitation, Bruce obedientlyy beside Joanna, curling up his body and cautiously watching her. He did not dare to touch her. ¡°Honey, can I touch our baby? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be very gentle, and I would not hurt the baby,¡± Bruce asked with great care and a pitiful look. Joanna felt an indescribable mix of emotions upon hearing his words. She gently took his hand and ced it on her lower abdomen. As if he was touching a bomb, he caressed Joanna¡¯s abdomen with extreme caution. He cooed, ¡°My baby, you¡¯re alright.¡± Joanna felt a tinge of soreness in her nose and was at a loss for words when she witnessed him so nervous and submissive. In the past, he was the absolute dominant one in bed. Whatever he wanted, he would achieve it. Sometimes, even being held by him was a form of torture. He would tightly embrace the other person and had powerful arms that made struggling impossible. He was aggressive and domineering in intimate matters, entangling endlessly until she cried, and he would feel satisfied. Then, he would coax her gently until shepletely surrendered and lost all her resistance. He would conquer her and made her do whatever he wanted. His way of expressing love was utterly the opposite of other men. While other men pampered women, saying all sorts of sweet words and being amodating, treating them like princesses, he was like a hungry wolf, full of intense aggression, always ready to hunt, wild and dangerous. When there was danger, he would do whatever he could to save the one he loved. When there was no danger, however, he was the biggest threat. In short, loving him and being loved by him were both headaches! In short, loving him and being loved by him were both headaches! On the other hand, Evan almost jumped for joy when he received the news of Bruce¡¯s mental disability. L hade to visit him at the vi as nned. As soon as they met, L could not help but mock, ¡°Why are you still looking for me?¡± Evan was excited and eximed with eagerness, ¡°L, have you seen the news?¡± ¡°What news?¡± L asked. ¡°Did you hear the news? Bruce had be mentally disabled,¡± Evan shared excitedly. ¡°So what? What does it matter if I¡¯ve seen it or not?¡± L questioned with a frown. ¡°Here¡¯s our second chance!¡± Evan eximed excitedly. His eyes sparkled as if he had seen a mountain of gold. L frowned and red at him in silence. ¡°Now that he¡¯s mentally disabled, he does not have the ability to manage his own affairs! Now, Dad can apply to be his guardian!¡± Evan said excitedly. ¡°Ugh, please stop causing trouble!¡± L replied as she rolled her eyes and poured herself a ss of juice absentmindedly. Liam had agreed to take care of her health and undergo IVF with her. She had already started taking folic acid and receiving ovtion induction injections. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Since Evan refused to have a child with her, she did not want to wait for him anymore. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you happy with such great news? Do you know what this means?¡± Evan asked. L sneered, saying with a sullen face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not interested! My biggest interest is to have a child as soon as possible.¡± Evan grabbed her shoulder and said excitedly, ¡°L, here you go again. You can have a child anytime, but this opportunity might be lost forever. So, no matter what, we must seize this chance. We cannot let it go to waste.¡± Chapter 664 Chapter 664 L could not bear to listen to Evan any longer. ¡°I don¡¯t see any opportunity!¡± she said adamantly. ¡°L, how can you not see such a great opportunity? Bruce has be mentally disabled. Do you understand what that means?¡± Evan asked, pressing on. Impatiently, L forcefully pushed his hand away. ¡°Can you stop causing trouble? What does his mental disability have to do with me? You can do whatever you want but do not involve me. I must take care of my health and bear your little brother.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Taken aback by her words, Evan quickly embraced her waist, gently coaxing her. ¡°L, what¡¯s wrong? Everything was fine, why are you angry again? Why are you saying such hurtful words? I promised you we¡¯ll have a child together.¡± L struggled to break free from his embrace and questioned, ¡°Huh, how do I know when you¡¯ll have a child with me? I¡¯m already 32 years old this year, and it¡¯ll be toote if I do not have a child soon. Liam has already said he¡¯s willing to undergo an IVF with me. I cannot wait anymore. I must get pregnant this year!¡± Evan furrowed his brow and asked, ¡°L, you love me. How can you have a child with Liam?¡± ¡°Stop joking. I¡¯m already your stepmother!¡± L retorted. ¡°Darling, can you stop being angry? Let¡¯s have a child today? Can we not use protection? Let¡¯s aim for a direct hit,¡± Evan suggested. ¡°Just leave me alone. I¡¯m getting annoyed¡­¡± L replied. ¡°Sweetheart, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Evan tightly held her and said, ¡°I know I¡¯ve been neglecting you these past few days, and you¡¯re not feeling well. But I¡¯m nning for our future. Consider it. Bruce¡¯s assets are worth billions, not to mention the countless jewelry, antiques, and properties. Don¡¯t you want them? Aren¡¯t you tempted?¡± ¡°Just because you want something does not mean you¡¯ll get it. Those are Bruce¡¯s assets, and you¡¯re not his son. Why should you inherit his stuff?¡± L retorted. A hint of uncontroble greed appeared in Evan¡¯s eyes, and he said with ambition, ¡°My cousin is completely mentally disabled now. As long as we control him, his assets will be ours. Think about it, several billion dors in assets. Once we get our hands on them, what¡¯s the point of us struggling for the rest of our lives?¡± ¡°Huh, can you stop daydreaming? He¡¯s just temporarily not in his right mind. Who knows when he¡¯ll recover. Then, all your efforts will be in vain,¡± L said. ¡°That¡¯s why we need to seize the opportunity and strike first,¡± Evan said, wearing a sinister smile. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. We need to take action now while he¡¯s under this condition. Even if he recovers one day, we¡¯ll already have control of his assets. We can say he¡¯s mentally ill and have him sent to a mental hospital.¡± L crossed her arms, sneering. ¡°And what about Joanna? That woman is not to be underestimated. Will she stand by and watch you send Bruce to a mental hospital?¡± ¡°Hmph, she and my cousin are no longer remarried. What right does she have to interfere? Besides, when the timees, she won¡¯t have a choice but to agree!¡± Evan dered. After thinking for a moment, L began to waver. ¡°Evan, Liam already has a lot of assets. I think¡­¡± ¡°This matter has to be handled by Liam! So, continue to influence him in the future and make him refile thewsuit against Joanna,¡± Evan said. Hearing this, L could not help but sneer sarcastically as she said, ¡°Really? You just had Liam withdraw the charges against Joanna, and now you want him to file them again? What do you think he will do?¡± Evan sighed with regret. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. We thought Bruce had fully recovered! Who knew fate would help us again and make him mentally disabled again? He¡¯s practically no different from a vegetable now. Liam naturally has the qualifications to apply for guardianship. Besides, that woman, Joanna, will try everything to remarry my cousin. What we need to do now is to stop them from remarrying at all costs. At the same time, we need Liam to expedite the process of bing Bruce¡¯s guardian.¡± L listened to Evan, but she was still hesitant. She stammered, ¡°Evan, Liam has enough assets. I think¡­¡± Before she could finish, Evan interrupted her, saying, ¡°One should be ambitious in life! Even if Liam has a lot of assets, it¡¯s still only approximately 10 billion dors. Most of which are in shares and real estate. And don¡¯t forget, Liam has a son and a daughter. Who knows how many illegitimate children he has in secret? Even if we divide the assets in the future, there won¡¯t be much left. That¡¯s why I must think of other ways to ensure we can live freely andfortably in the second half of our lives.¡± L listened, her eyes reflecting contemtion. Indeed, Liam¡¯s total personal assets amounted to around 10 billion dors! But most of these assets were not in cash, mainly consisting of shares and real estate. If they were to be sold in the future, their value would decrease significantly. Even if they were to divide the assets in the future, Evan might not receive 400 million dors! After all, the assets included houses,pany shares, and other non-liquid assets. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can convince Liam,¡± L said. ¡°L, I believe you can. You¡¯re the best; no one else will help me like you. As long as you can influence Liam and sessfully seize Bruce¡¯s assets, I¡­ I¡¯ll marry you! We can go abroad and enjoy life. Liam is getting old. Do you really want to serve him for the rest of your life?¡± Evan pleaded. Chapter 665 Chapter 665 L¡¯s heart was stirred again, and she looked at Evan with some anxiety. ¡°Evan, are you being truthful? You¡¯re not deceiving me, right?¡± she asked. Evan quickly embraced her and solemnly swore, ¡°How could I deceive you? I swear, only if you can handle Liam will I have a child with you. Once we have the money, I¡¯ll take you and our child to settle abroad!¡±. L¡¯s eyes flickered upon hearing his words. ¡°Really?¡± she inquired. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. If I lie to you, may lightning strike me dead¡­¡± Evan swore earnestly. L hurriedly covered his mouth and coquettishly said, ¡°Alright, stop talking. I trust you! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of things with Liam.¡± Evan¡¯s heart leaped with joy at her words, and he replied, ¡°Good girl, then let¡¯s continue making a baby¡­¡± Another passionate session followed their conversation. At the Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna had been lying on the bed for a whole day, and her limbs were almost stiff. She wanted to get up and walk around, but the doctor had instructed her not to. As such, she had obedientlyplied. Two servants had to apany and support her even when she used the bathroom. After that, she had to return to the bed immediately. Despite lying down, she could not find peace of mind as many matters in thepany still required her attention. Although most tasks could be delegated to the vice president or assistants, critical contracts, legal matters, and financial issues could not be trusted by anyone else. Only the highest executive of the group had the authority to sign them. As the president, she could not decline. Seeing Joanna looking restless, Miranda knew she could not lie still and quickly tried to persuade her, ¡°Joanna, the doctor said you cannot exert yourself anymore. You should lie down and rest. Let the work be put on hold, or delegate it to someone else.¡± Joanna furrowed her brows as she replied, ¡°No, I can¡¯t! Some of the contracts are crucial. I can¡¯t afford any mistakes. I have to resolve them as soon as possible.¡± After saying that, Joanna called Andy and had him bring the contracts to her home. She also had her assistant bring theptop to the bed, and then she worked while lying down. Bruce had been obediently sitting on the side, looking pitifully at her. ¡°Darling, don¡¯t ignore me. I¡¯m bored and want to talk to you,¡± he pleaded. Joanna gently nced at him, ¡°I need to work for a bit. Can you go out for a while? Once I finish, I¡¯ll chat with you, alright?¡± she requested. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave your side!¡± Bruce whined stubbornly. ¡°Sweetie, Davian and Irvin will be back from school soon. How about you y with them for a while?¡± she proposed. Upon hearing this, Bruce¡¯s mouth curled up in delight as he said, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t chase me away! I¡¯ll stay by your side! I promise not to cause any trouble.¡± Bruce obediently propped his chin with his hands as he spoke, gazing at her. Joanna sighed and had no choice but to agree. She then opened herptop to start working. Bruce stood by her side like a quiet and well-behaved kitten. His once sharp and cunning eyes no longer disyed any trace of wickedness, and they now emitted an innocent and harmless radiance. Twenty minutester, joyful voices could be heard outside the bedroom, ¡°Mommy, Daddy, we¡¯re back from school,¡± Davian and Irvin eximed as they opened the bedroom door. ¡°Sweeties, why did you finish school so early today? Where¡¯s Lilia?¡± she inquired. The children exined, ¡°We finished school early today, but Lilia¡¯s school probably finishester.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Seeing the children, Bruce grinned foolishly. He used to forbid these little rascals from entering his bedroom, but now, no one stopped them, and they could freelye and go in every room. ¡°Pavian, Irvin,¡± Joanna asked, ¡°can you guys y with Daddy for a while? Mommy needs to handle some work right now.¡± The two little ones nodded eagerly. ¡°Sure! Sure! We¡¯ll y with Daddy. Does that mean we don¡¯t have to do our homework?¡± they asked. ¡°How can that be? You have to do your homework first,¡± Joanna replied. She yfully looked at Bruce, intentionally adopting a pleading tone. ¡°Bruce, can you do me a favor?¡± she said, her eyes hopeful. Bruce felt a sense of aplishment being needed by his wife and nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Of course!¡± he eximed. ¡°Then, can you please watch the children do their homework? If they don¡¯t want to do it properly, you can give them a lesson,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Sure!¡± Bruce replied as he nodded heavily, his face filled with a sense of responsibility. The two little ones were no longerposed. They were most afraid of their father. Even though their father¡¯s mind was now somewhat simple, in the hearts of these children, he was still the lion king of the family. ¡°Hurry up and start doing your homework. Only after finishing it can you do other things,¡± Joanna instructed. ¡°Oh¡­ alright,¡± the two little ones sighed and had no choice but to start doing their homework. Bruce had a serious look on his face as he followed behind them. Back in the children¡¯s room, the two little ones took their books from their school bags and began doing their homework on the table. ¡°Hurry up and do your homework. If you don¡¯t do it, you¡¯ll get spanked¡­¡± In the past, their dad never had time to watch them do their homework. But now, with their dad sitting behind them, the two little ones felt immense pressure. They feared that their dad¡¯s hand woulde down on them with one careless mistake. Although their dad had never actually hit them, they couldn¡¯t help feeling scared, thinking that he might be very strict. However, they were only in the first grade, and their homework was not much. So, in less than half an hou they finished their assignments. ¡°Daddy, we¡¯re done with our homework. Please check it,¡± the children said. Bruce received the children¡¯s exercise books with a somewhat bewildered expression and carefully checked their work. Although he didn¡¯tplete college and dropped out in his sophomore year to return home to inherit the Everett Group, it didn¡¯t mean hecked education. Practical experience was always more valuable than theory. Besides, he was surrounded by world elites, so his knowledge became extensive over time. ¡°Well, you did a good job with your homework. Well done,¡± Bruce praised, acting with a sense of importance as he checked their assignments. ¡°Daddy, can we y with building blocks together?¡± the children asked. Bruce shook his head, ¡°No, I want to go and apany your mom¡­¡± ¡°Mommy is working and doesn¡¯t want us to disturb her. Building blocks is fun, and we can build a castle together. We need Daddy¡¯s help,¡± the children pleaded. ¡°Alright then!¡± Bruce agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The children cheered as they pulled their dad along and ran towards the toy room on the side of the living room. ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce replied as he followed the children somewhat reluctantly. Soon, Davian and Irvin, with their dad, headed to the toy room beside the living room. There, various toys and a variety ofrge building blocks were piled up! Chapter 666 Chapter 666 Bruce, now mentally regressed to the age of three or four, disyed a childlike innocence. He quickly joined his kids in enthusiastic y. ¡°Daddy, hand me that one and the triangr building blocks,¡± Davian said. Davian constructed an Ecostanian-style castle with building blocks, while Irvin built a mansion in the style of ancient architecture. Bruce seemed to catch on and meticulously began building a structure reminiscent of a pce. ¡°Let¡¯s see who finishes first and whose creation looks the best. We¡¯ll take pictures and let Mommy be the judge¡­ one of the children proposed. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to make mine look better than yours,¡± the other replied confidently. ¡°Hmph, we¡¯ll see about that!¡± the children eximed as they challenged one another. The two little ones were engrossed in building with the blocks. When they turned around, they were astonished to find that their father had nearlypleted his creation. The design was grand and sophisticated,pletely surpassing the children¡¯s expectations. ¡°Wow, Daddy, you¡¯re amazing!¡± they eximed excitedly. ¡°What style is this? It looks like a school but also resembles an ancient castle,¡± Irvin said, his face full of disbelief. Davian carefully examined it again and said, ¡°Yes! Daddy, why did you build something so strange? We have never seen anything like this in our picture books!¡± Images of an odd-looking house had shed through Bruce¡¯s mind, and he instinctively built it ording to its style. ¡°Daddy, can you fold paper airnes?¡± one of the children asked. ¡°I¡­ I can fly nes¡­¡± Bruce chuckled in response. ¡°Daddy is just bragging! We have never seen you fly one,¡± one of the children said. ¡°Mommy said Daddy knows how to fly helicopters!¡± the other replied. Bruce blurted out without thinking, ¡°I can fly fighter jets too¡­ and tanks.¡± The two kids were dumbfounded! While they did not understand fighter jets, the two little ones joined in theughter as they eximed, ¡°Daddy loves to brag!¡± ¡°Daddy, I will teach you how to fold paper airnes. Take out the paper first, then fold it in half,¡± Irvin exined while demonstrating. ¡°It¡¯s fun¡­ I want to fold one too!¡± Bruce said, his mouth involuntarily drooling Nearby, several servants could not help but feel emotional. They could not imagine that Mr. Everett would one day be a simpleton. ¡°Sigh, will Mr. Everett always be like this?¡± one of the maids asked cautiously. Another maid replied sadly, ¡°Right? Seeing Mr. Everett like this breaks my heart. I hope the heavens will open their eyes and allow Mr. Everett to recover! The Everett family will face great trouble if he does not recover soon. Miss Haynes is a delicate woman, and now she is pregnant too. How can she handle such arge estate all by herself?¡± ¡°Shh, let¡¯s not talk about this. If the butler hears us, we will be in trouble!¡± another maid reminded. The maids sighed and grumbled for a moment before returning to their duties. Joanna finally had time to attend to her work inside the bedroom after Bruce left with the children. She had not rested for even a moment during the past two hours. The Everett Group had finally regained its stability, and she could not afford to ck off, lest it trigger a harmful cycle! A knock was heard. ¡°Come in,¡± Joanna said. The door opened, and Miranda entered with a ss of milk. ¡°Joann, you should replenish some nutrients. I¡¯ve heated up some milk for you,¡± Miranda said, gently reminding her. ¡°Take a break. It¡¯s not good for the baby if you overwork.¡± Joanna did not lift her head and simply replied, ¡°I know, Miranda! I will finish up this, and that will be all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ce the ss of milk beside you,¡± Miranda said, setting it down carefully. ¡°Drink it while it¡¯s still warm.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Joanna replied. Before she could finish her sentence, the phone rang. It was Andy calling. ¡°Hello, Andy,¡± Joanna said as she answered the call. On the other end of the line, Andy¡¯s voice sounded grave. ¡°Miss Haynes, there¡¯s a financial crisis erupting in Nory. Thepanies there are struggling to survive! Mr. Nelson will return to Greyport next week to report on the liquidation process.¡± Joanna frowned slightly upon hearing the news. ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± she replied. ¡°Also, the first phase of the Green Bay project has almost sold out.¡± Andy continued, ¡°but there are issues with the approval for the second phase. You might have to go to Mossbourne in person!¡± ¡°Understood. I might be busy these days, so it will probably have to wait until next month,¡± Joanna responded. ¡°Mr. Hall is urging us to hurry,¡± Andy emphasized. ¡°Headquarters wants to send someone in charge there as soon as possible. If you¡¯re not able to go, we can send a director instead.¡± Joanna thought for a moment and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll consider who to send tonight and give you an answer tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright then. That¡¯s all for now,¡± Andy replied before ending the call. After hanging up, Joanna felt overwhelmed. There was a pile of internalpany matters, as well as numerous external affairs. She had already turned down so much work! Suddenly, she realized that Bruce¡¯s bad temper might have a reason behind it. ¡°With such immense pressure every day,¡± she thought, ¡°it¡¯s inevitable for emotions to build up. Joanna rubbed her throbbing eyes and casually asked, ¡°Miranda, what are Bruce and the children doing?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett is ying with the kids, building blocks!¡± Miranda replied with a smile. ¡°They¡¯re having a great time! Don¡¯t worry.¡± Joanna frowned. She hoped that a miracle would happen again and Bruce would recover quickly. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t,¡± she thought worriedly, ¡°I might not be able to bear it much longer.¡± ¡°Joann, there¡¯s something I¡¯m not sure whether I should say or not,¡± Miranda said as she looked at Joanna with some concern. ¡°Just say it. There¡¯s no need to be too polite between us,¡± Joanna replied. ¡°Joann, you and Mr. Everett can¡¯t keep dragging things out like this,¡± Miranda said with a caring tone. ¡°It¡¯s not going to end well. Chapter 667 Chapter 667 Miranda paused for a moment, her tone bing more earnest as she said, ¡°I think you should quickly go through the process of remarriage! Dying like this can lead to trouble.¡± Joanna listened, taken aback. Though she had considered this issue before, Bruce¡¯s current mental state made it seem as if their purpose might not be genuine if they remarried now. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the importance of that marriage certificate. It can protect many things! It can also prevent unnecessary troubles. Especially now, with Mr. Everett in this state, it¡¯s inevitable that people might harbor ill intentions. Though everyone knows about your rtionship, it¡¯s not legally protected. If someone decides to make a big deal out of it, it could be detrimental to you,¡± Miranda reasoned. Joanna¡¯s expression grew serious, and she replied, ¡°I understand, Miranda!¡± ¡°Go ahead and drink your milk. It won¡¯t taste good if it gets cold,¡± Miranda reminded her. ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna agreed. As Joanna was drinking milk, the door to the room was pushed open again. Bruce and the two children came in, full of excitement. ¡°Mommy, look at the blocks we stacked. Tell us whose building is better!¡± one of the children asked, handing Joanna the phone with pictures. ¡°Wow, they all look amazing!¡± Joanna eximed in awe. ¡°So, which one do you choose? Which one do you think is the best?¡± the children probed. ¡°This one!¡± Joanna replied as she instinctively picked the building Bruce had constructed. ¡°See, I told you that yours is the best,¡± the children told Bruce. ¡°Alright, both of you, go wash your hands and get ready to eat. Mommy needs to talk to Daddy about something,¡± Joanna said. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Okay,¡± the children responded before they hurriedly ran out again. The children-ran out of the room rapidly. ¡°Bruce,¡± Joanna said hesitantly as she gazed at him with a worried expression. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce asked with a foolish smile. ¡°Um¡­ are you willing to marry me?¡± Joanna carefully asked. ¡°Yes, I am willing!¡± Bruce happily nodded. Joanna¡¯s heart sank, her eyes filled withplicated emotions. ¡°Then next week, shall we go and process the remarriage paperwork?¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s great!¡± Bruce replied with a bright smile. Although Bruce¡¯s mind was unclear, Joanna knew he would remarry her. Before, she had been evasive and resistant. But now, they had to proceed with the remarriage paperwork. ¡°Honey, kiss me!¡± Bruce said, and Joanna tilted her head slightly, receiving several kisses from Bruce. In the blink of an eye, a week passed, and Joanna was finally able to get out of bed and walk around. ¡°Do you have all the documents ready?¡± ¡°Yes, the driver¡¯s license, the divorce certificate, and the passport are all in ce.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s quicklyplete the remarriage process. Once done, everything will be above board, and we¡¯ll have legal protection. Others won¡¯t dare to mess with Mr. Everett again.¡± At City Hall, Bruce and Joanna had just arrived at the entrance when they encountered Liam, Evan, and others. Clearly, they had expected the couple to remarry and deliberately waited to intercept them. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Liam and Evan asked. ¡°We¡¯re here to register our marriage!¡± Joanna replied. When Liam heard this, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°How cunning. You¡¯re dragging Bruce here to remarry you when he is not in the right mind. What motives do you have?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter between Bruce and me; it¡¯s none of your business!¡± Joanna replied, feeling irritated. ¡°I am Bruce¡¯s uncle. Since he¡¯s not in his right mind, you¡¯re forcing him to marry you. Aren¡¯t you just after his wealth?¡± Liam questioned. Joanna was furious upon hearing this. If she were after Bruce¡¯s wealth, she would have remarried him long ago; there would be no need to wait until now. ¡°Mr. Lurk, don¡¯t nder me. The rtionship between Bruce and me is well-known in Greyport. When he was in his right mind, he proposed marriage multiple times. Our remarriage is to take better care of him,¡± Joanna replied. Evan sneered. ¡°Hmph, I see you¡¯re just after his money! Joanna, don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know your intentions. You¡¯ve been chasing after my cousin for over a decade just for his money. Now, you¡¯re tricking him into marrying you while he¡¯s not in his right mind! Trying to seize his assets! Let me tell you, don¡¯t even think about it!¡± ¡°Evan, don¡¯t nder me! Our marriage is none of your concern!¡± Joanna warned. ¡°Try me!¡± Evan stood in front of them, blocking their way! But a fierce punchnded on his face before he could finish speaking. ¡°Ouch, ouch!¡± Evan cried out in pain. ¡°You dare to bully my wife? If you ever dare to raise your voice at my wife again, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡± Bruce warned as he red fiercely at Evan. ¡°Bruce, this woman is tricking you. Don¡¯t fall for her lies!¡± the men warned. Chapter 668 Chapter 668 ¡°Don¡¯t you dare be mean to my wife like that again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡± Bruce clenched his fists, his face filled with ferocity. Liam¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively took a step back. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m your uncle. I¡¯m doing this for your own good! ¡°She only wants to remarry you now as a deliberate attempt to take advantage of your confusion to try and gain control of all your assets. ¡°You must listen to me. You can¡¯t remarry her. Quickly sever ties with this woman.¡± When Joanna heard this, her faced turned green with anger. ¡°Mr. Miller, it seems you are the one eagerly trying to control all of Bruce¡¯s assets. ¡°What does it have to do with you if Bruce and I remarry? Who are you to interfere?¡± Liam ced his hands on his hips and said indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s uncle. I won¡¯t allow anyone to harm him! ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to. As long as I¡¯m around, you can forget about manipting Bruce!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really unreasonable. I¡¯ve never seen someone shameless like you!¡± Joanna was infuriated. If it wasn¡¯t for her big belly, she would have pped him. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ve taken this to court. During the proceedings, you can¡¯t remarry Bruce. ¡°Furthermore, Bruce is alive and well. Regardless of whether your will is real or fake, it is invalid. ¡°Therefore, as a shareholder of thepany, I demand that you immediately leave Everett Group and never step foot in thepany again. Otherwise, I will use you of disruptingpany order and stealing internal secrets of Everett Group.¡± Liam became more aggressive as he spoke, as if Everett Group was his personal private enterprise. Joanna gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. ¡°With an uncle like you, Bruce is truly pitiful. When he wakes up one day and realizes how you have schemed against him, do you think he will spare you?¡± Liam and Evan sneered inwardly when they heard this. As long as they could get custody of Bruce, they would have the final say. By that time, they would surely have transferred all his assets. Even if Bruce did wake up, they would find a way to control his personal freedom, ensuring he never had a chance to rise again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. It¡¯s best if Bruce wakes up! However, if Bruce doesn¡¯t wake up for the rest of his life, as his uncle, it is only natural that I will have to take care of everything for him. ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯d better leave Everett Group and Bruce as soon as possible. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be in jail for the rest of your life.¡± Liam was smug. However, he was caught off guard when suddenly there was a loud bang. Bruce swung his fist hard,nding a heavy blow on the left side of Liam¡¯s chubby face. ¡°Ouch!¡± Liam wailed and staggered a few steps before falling to the floor. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Dad!¡± Evan rushed forward in a panic to support his father. Bruce took the opportunity to kick Evan hard in the back of his waist. A crisp sound echoed. Evan felt a sharp pain in his lower back, and he copsed on top of Liam. Both of them writhed in pain on the floor, grimacing in agony. ¡°Ouch! My back hurts.¡± Upon seeing this, several bodyguards rushed forward to assist them. ¡°How are you guys?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. I¡¯m afraid my bone is fractured.¡± Evany on the floor, his face contorted in pain. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy? How could you hit your uncle?¡± Liam covered his mouth as he staggered to his feet with the help of his bodyguards. How could he withstand this punch when he was so old? His words came out of his mouth along with blood and broken teeth. Bruce¡¯s eyes regained their former fierceness and coldness. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to shout at my wife again, I¡¯ll beat you to death.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Liam¡¯s mouth bled as half of his face began to swell. The assistant beside him quickly handed him a tissue. ¡°Sir, here you go.¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡­ Ouch¡­¡± Evan grimaced in pain. With cold sweat, he said, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s fine if you hit me, but how could you hit my father? ¡°We¡¯re doing this for your own good. You don¡¯t know how to appreciate kindness!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fist, ready to beat the father and son again. He had never been a good-tempered man. If he was provoked, he would hit someone without hesitation. Although his mind was not clear, hisbat skills were still intact. No one could withstand his punches. Darcy and Joanna watched with cold expressions, not intervening. After all, Bruce was not in a clear state of mind. Even if he injured them, he would not have to bear legal responsibility. Seeing that Bruce wasing forward again, Evan and Liam panicked. They quickly called out to their subordinates, ¡°Hurry up and stop him. Don¡¯t let him hit us!¡± The bodyguards reluctantly stepped forward to intervene upon hearing the order. Seeing this, Darcy took two steps forward. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯d like to see who dares to make a move.¡± Upon hearing that, the dozen or so bodyguards did not dare to make a sound. Although they were also bodyguards, in the presence of Darcy and Carson, they were just a group of underlings. They still remembered thest beating they received from Darcy at the hospital. ¡°Bruce, stop this. You can¡¯t resort to violence. ¡°Dad and I are doing this for your own good! Why don¡¯t you understand us?¡± Evan stated as he disregarded the pain and staggered to his feet. ¡°Hurry up and get lost. Don¡¯t let me see you again!¡± Bruce spat. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll see you in court. Just wait and see! ¡°You can forget about ever remarrying Bruce! Liam said as he helped his son leave the scene with difficulty. ¡°Let¡¯s go too! Just Ignore them,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Okay, honey.¡± Bruce instantly turned into an obedient follower and hugged Joanna¡¯s arm with a silly smile. Outside City Hall, several reporters were waiting. When Bruce and Joanna appeared, they hurriedly approached them for an interview. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you here today toplete the remarriage formalities?¡± Darcy, Carson, and the others immediately blocked the reporters. ¡°Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t want to be interviewed. Please make way for them. Thank you.¡± With their help, Bruce and Joanna hurried into the lobby of City Hall. They could have had awyer handle the remarriage formalities on their behalf. However, it would have required providing many documents. Moreover, it would take at least half a month, which was more troublesome than handling it personally at City Hall. Therefore, Bruce and Joanna didn¡¯t ask awyer to handle it. The hall seemed somewhat empty. There were not many couples lining up at the marriage registration window. On the contrary, the line at the divorce registration window was quite long. In today¡¯s society, young people were getting marriedter. Moreover, the divorce rate was rmingly high. Many young couples had self-centered personalities and refused topromise, often leading to divorce. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Everett, you¡¯re next!¡± Chapter 669 Chapter 669 ¡°Wow! I didn¡¯t expect it to be so quick!¡± Joanna smiled. She had thought there would be many people waiting in line. Unexpectedly, there were less than three couples in line. They waited for less than ten minutes before it was their turn. ¡°Honey, be careful.¡± Bruce carefully supported Joanna as they walked to the registration window. Although his mind was muddled and his demeanor seemed a little clumsy, he wasn¡¯t naturally intellectually impaired. As a result, many of his behavioral habits were preserved in his subconscious. He was like a drunk person, not fully aware, yet carrying a hint of sobriety. He was unlike those born with intellectual disabilities, who only knew how to eat. At the registration window, the two of them handed over their identification cards, birth certificates, and divorce certificate. After the staff member examined the documents, he turned to the couple regretfully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help you with the remarriage procedures for the time being.¡± Joanna was taken aback and asked, ¡°Why?¡± The staff looked at Bruce and said in a serious manner, ¡°As Mr. Everett¡¯s intellectual capacity is currently affected, we cannot be certain if he¡¯s really willing to remarry you. ¡°Furthermore, there is currently someone filing awsuit against you. Therefore, this remarriage requires the consent of Mr. Everett¡¯s legal guardian.¡± ¡°Those are twopletely unrted matters. How does someone suing me have anything to do with our remarriage?¡± Joanna asked in confusion. The staff member responded seriously, ¡°Because Mr. Everett currentlycks the capacity to act personally. ¡°If you wish to proceed with the remarriage procedures, you must obtain the consent of Mr. Everett¡¯s legally appointed guardian.¡± Joanna was mad upon hearing this. ¡°Come on, he¡¯s an adult. Why would he need a guardian? Besides, his parents and grandparents have already passed away.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry, but we cannot process the registration procedures for you!¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Please help us out,¡± Joanna pleaded. ¡°Ms. Haynes, we¡¯re all following the prescribed procedures! It is necessary to obtain consent from Mr. Everett¡¯s legal guardian,¡± said the staff member. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have a guardian. Can I be his guardian?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°That won¡¯t do. Legally speaking, you are considered strangers. It would be best if one of his rtives became his guardian.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna became even more frustrated and anxious, realizing she could do nothing about it. Now everyone in Greyport knew that Bruce had be intellectually impaired. She didn¡¯t expect the process of remarrying to be soplicated. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s go back for now,¡± Joanna told Bruce. Bruce looked at Joanna in confusion. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not sick. I want to remarry you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re truly sorry, but please return for now,¡± said the staff member. ¡°No, I want you to process our remarriage registration right now!¡± ¡°Please refrain from causing a scene here. If you cause any trouble, we will have to involve the authorities!¡± said the staff member. Joanna quicklyforted the irritable Bruce. ¡°Be good, darling. Let¡¯s go for now! We¡¯lle back another day.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna with a sense of grievance. The two went back to Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna called herwyer, Mr. Jameson, to discuss possible solutions. ¡°Now we¡¯re in trouble. We can¡¯t even get married. ¡°It seems we¡¯ll have to enter into a fight with Liam again,¡± Joannained. Upon hearing this, Mr. Jameson spoke with a serious expression. ¡°Miss Haynes, I suggest you fight for custody of the three children.¡± Joanna was taken aback and looked at thewyer in confusion. ¡°Fight for custody of the children?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. It is currently the best way to ensure your and the children¡¯s well-being. ¡°You need to file awsuit with the court, citing Mr. Everett¡¯s unsuitability to continue as the children¡¯s guardian and transfer custody to you,¡± thewyer answered. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Are you saying I should sue Bruce?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation isplicated, and for safety reasons, this is the best course of action. ¡°Because the children are the primary heirs to Mr. Everett¡¯s estate. You can only transfer the custody of the children to your name and protect Mr. Everett¡¯s assets through guardianship of the children. ¡°Otherwise, things will be moreplicated if Liam manages to obtain guardianship over Mr. Everett!¡± Joanna felt a pang of difort upon hearing this. ¡°Fine! Let me think about it. You can go ahead and prepare the specifics first!¡± she said. ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes!¡± Mr. Jameson left shortly after. Miranda could not help but sigh. ¡°Ah, everything was fine. Why did Liam and his family have to get involved?¡± Lilian also looked indignant. ¡°Exactly! Mr. Everett used to despise him the most. How could Mr. Everett agree to let him be his guardian?¡± ¡°Right now, Liam¡¯s legally Mr. Everett¡¯s only rtive and elder. Thew might very well decide that he¡¯s Mr. Everett¡¯s guardian!¡± ¡°I believe Liam wants to take advantage of the situation, to control Mr. Everett and his money!¡± ¡°We all know that, but thew only recognizes facts!¡± Joanna felt restless upon hearing this. With Bruce¡¯s current condition, even her desire to take care of him seemed inappropriate. If she was to sue Bruce, she would have to subject him to an intellectual assessment and provide evidence to the court that he was intellectually impaired andcked the capacity to act independently. She didn¡¯t want to do that. But if she didn¡¯t do it, Liam would fight for Bruce¡¯s guardianship. It was highly likely that he would also try to take custody of the children. ¡°Honey, why aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna. Joanna hesitated as she looked at his face and gently touched his cheek. Chapter 670 Chapter 670 ¡°Sigh, Bruce, when will you recover?¡± Joanna¡¯s tears streamed freely as she spoke. Bruce looked carefully at Joanna. ¡°Honey, why are you crying? ¡°Did I do something wrong again? Did I make you angry?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, she tenderly caressed his neck and cradled him in her arms! Bruce obediently snuggled in her arms and pressed his ear against her belly. ¡°I can feel movement!¡± ¡°Honey, if I can feel movement from your stomach, does that mean the baby is moving?¡± Bruce was pleasantly delighted when he felt the baby¡¯s movements. ¡°That¡¯s right! Devin is due in a few months.¡± When Bruce heard this, heughed even more heartily. ¡°Be good, little baby. Don¡¯t kick Mommy.¡± ¡°If you hurt Joanna, I¡¯ll spank you!¡± The next day! Joanna still decided to take Bruce to the hospital for an IQ test. ¡°Honey, where are you taking me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m bringing you to the hospital for a checkup.¡± Bruce looked horrified when he heard this. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital. I¡¯m scared!¡± Joanna exhaled a sigh. Her heart was aching somewhat. ¡°Be good and give it all you¡¯ve got. I¡¯ll never leave you again, no matter what. You¡¯re not thinking clearly right now. There are bad people devising schemes to take your assets. ¡°I¡¯m doing everything I can to protect your and the children¡¯s rights. I hope you won¡¯t hold it against me when you¡¯re sober.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce did not want to irritate Joanna, so he obediently agreed to go to the hospital. Shortly after. Joanna brought Bruce in for a neurological checkup. Subsequently, Joanna filed awsuit in court seeking a change in the custody of the three children. At the same time, Liam also sued Joanna. Joanna was asked to stay away from Bruce, and Liam wanted to be Bruce¡¯s guardian. When the higher-ups of thepany found out about this, they discussed animatedly and created a stir. ¡°Have you heard? Mr. Lurk is suing Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard about such a big thing?¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk wants to take custody of Mr. Everett. But that sounds a little strange.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? I think it¡¯s very normal, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Mr. Everett is considered lucky or unlucky. I mean, he lost his parents at a young age and doesn¡¯t have any siblings. ¡°Look what happened to him now. What¡¯s the use of having such assets? He can¡¯t even make a decision for himself!¡± The other higher-up also looked indignant. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? He has so much money. It¡¯d be odd if others weren¡¯t jealous of him.¡± ¡°Anyone rted to him will most likely rush to get a share of his assets. Mr. Lurk also happens to be Mr. Everett¡¯s only biological uncle. He won¡¯t pass up such an excellent opportunity.¡± Actually, everyone was well aware of Liam¡¯s intentions. However, aristocratic families were inherentlyplex, and the situation with Mr. Everett was even more intricate. Apart from being mere spectators, others had no right to intervene. Joanna was preparing to change the custody of the children. Beep, beep, beep. A call from Andy came in. ¡°Hello ¡°Miss Haynes, please hurry up ande to thepany!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk has forcefully ousted you using his position as thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder.¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He said that the will in your hand is fake,¡± Andy replied anxiously. ¡°He wants to fire you in the name of thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder!¡± ¡°He¡¯s back in charge as acting president!¡± Joanna inhaled deeply. ¡°Liam is going way too far!¡± ¡°He has already sealed your office and cleared up all of your belongings. Pleasee over as soon as possible¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Joanna hung up the call. Joanna went upstairs to change her clothing before heading to the meeting. ¡°Joann, what happened?¡± ¡°I have to go to thepany now!¡± ¡°Joann, your body is so weak now. You shouldn¡¯t be running around,¡± Miranda said worriedly. ¡°No, I have to go to thepany now. If I don¡¯t go now, it¡¯ll be toote.¡± Joanna had already gone upstairs to change as she spoke. At the same time, she notified Carson and Darcy to go to thepany together. Five minutester. Joanna dashed downstairs after changing. Seeing that she was about to leave, Bruce rushed after her. ¡°Honey, where are you going? I¡¯d like to go along with you!¡± ¡°Be good. Stay at home and don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll be back soon. School will end soon for Davian and Irvin. Let them y with you first.¡± ¡°No, I simply want to follow you. Where are you going? Anyway, you can¡¯t just leave me here. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll vanished¡­¡± Bruce nced pityingly at Joanna.. Seeing this, Darcy said, ¡°Mrs. Joanna, let Mr. Everett follow you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Only Mr. Everett has power over Liam. It would be best if he could give the father and son a good beating. They¡¯re simply too much.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Joanna paused for two seconds before concluding that he was correct. The father and son were practically begging for it. It would be amazing to let Bruce bash them up once more. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get in the car.¡± Chapter 671 Chapter 671 Half an hourter. Joanna and Bruce rushed to the Everett Group. When the two stepped into thepany, the receptionist was astonished to see Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ Miss Haynes¡­¡± The two of them nodded slightly in greeting and entered the elevator. ¡°Wow, Mr. Everett has also appeared today. There¡¯ll most likely be a terrific show to watch today,¡± the receptionist at the front desk eximed. Another customer service manager chimed in, ¡°Mr. Everett seems quite normal, unlike what the reports have been saying.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Sigh, Mr. Everett¡¯s brain has been damaged. Of course, you can¡¯t tell what¡¯s wrong on the surface.¡± ¡°What a pity. I really want Mr. Everett to quickly return to how he was before.¡± The director of customer service could not help butugh. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? I also want Mr. Everett and the company to get back to where they were. ¡°A while back, Mr. Lurk mishandled thepany and caused chaos. Despite Miss Haynes taking over and showcasing herpetence, she still can¡¯t measure up to Mr. Everett¡¯s abilities.¡± The customer service manager nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Of course! The Everett Group was built from the ground up by Mr. Everett himself, making it a leadingpany. How can anyone compare to Mr. Everett?/ ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett represents the Everett Group¡¯s corporate culture. No one can rece him¡­¡± The few customer service managers who had gathered at the front desk could not help but muse and sigh. Five minutester. Joanna and Bruce did not bother taking the express elevator and went straight to the president¡¯s office. Sitting at the secretary¡¯s desk, Andy and Mark looked anxious. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes, you¡¯re finally here.¡± ¡°Mr. Lurk dispatched a group of people to break down door to the president¡¯s office. They¡¯re currently clearing up the things inside¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, her face turned ice-cold. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look,¡± Joanna said. They walked past the fitness area and went straight to the administrative office. The door to the president¡¯s office had already been unlocked. A few employees wearing work attire were upied with packing up items. There were already some cardboard boxes filled with Joanna¡¯s personal items. ¡°Mr. Everett is here. Stop what you¡¯re doing!¡± The employees outside quickly stopped. ¡°Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes are here!¡± One by one, those who were about to move the objects halted their actions and purposefully took positions on either side of the hallway wall. ¡°What are you doing? Who gave you permission to touch my stuff? ¡°Who allowed you to enter the president¡¯s office?¡± Joanna scolded sternly. The employee¡¯s leader said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Lurk told us to pack your things.¡± ¡°Even Mr. Lurk isn¡¯t qualified to enter the president¡¯s office. What right does he have to order you to enter?¡± Joanna reprimanded. The employees bowed their heads and kept quiet. ¡°Well, we¡¯re a movingpany. Whatever the client wants us to move, we must do it without any hesitation!¡± ¡°So if the client wants you to move money out of a bank, will you do it?¡± The movingpany¡¯s leader heard this but did not have the courage to respond. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and move the things back. If any items are missing, I would like to know how you n up for the losses.¡± to make ¡°Okay, okay, okay. We¡¯ll move everything back immediately!¡±. The movingpany¡¯s leader quickly ordered everyone to move the items back into the office as he was speaking. ¡°Where¡¯s Liam? Tell him toe over quickly!¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was cold as she called Liam¡¯s real name. She used to call him Mr. Lurk out of respect for the fact that he was Bruce¡¯s uncle. However, it was no longer necessary to treat him politely. After a while. Liam brought arge group of people over from his office. ¡°I was the one who asked them to move it!¡± ¡°Liam, this is the president¡¯s office. No one is qualified to move the stuff here except for the president of the Everett Group.¡± Joanna sternly remarked as her gaze fell on Liam. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overstepping your authority?¡± Liam retorted. Liam straightened his back and said, ¡°Joanna, as the secondrgest shareholder of thepany, I order you to leave the Everett Group immediately.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also officially filed awsuit with the court asking you topensate for all the damage caused to the Everett Group during this period of time.¡± Joanna became enraged upon hearing this. Sheughed icily. ¡°You¡¯re really pushing your luck.¡± ¡°Bruce is here now. Are you nning to kick him out of the corporation too?¡± Joanna pushed Bruce toward Liam as she spoke. When Liam saw Bruce, he was so terrified that he scurried behind the bodyguards to hide. ¡°Bruce, your mind isn¡¯t clear right now. I naturally have to take on the president position in the company.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re nning to fire Bruce and take over the Everett Group as president, right?¡± Joann retorted sarcastically. ¡°Joanna, the will in your hand doesn¡¯t count at all! Bruce¡¯s brain isn¡¯t working, so of course I have to be president!¡± Although Bruce¡¯s mind was not clear, he could tell that they were talking about him. Bruce took a step towards Liam with his long legs, looking like a lion approaching its prey. Liam became even more frightened after seeing this. As Bruce approached, he shoved the bodyguards to the front. ¡°What are you doing, Bruce? ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m doing this for your own good: Don¡¯t fall for this woman¡¯s trap¡­¡± Bruce had previously been punched in the mouth at City Hall, resulting in the loss of one of his teeth. Moreover, his face was still swollen on the left side.. Liam naturally did not dare to approach Bruce and hid behind the bodyguards. Evan¡¯s lumbar spine was also fractured. He was currently still lying in the hospital and could not move. Bruce stared nkly at Liam, who was hiding from him. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t bully Joanna! ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll knock all your teeth out.¡± When Liam heard this, he was even more frightened. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really not clear-headed. This woman is scheming against you. You can¡¯t listen to her¡­¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey- Don¡¯t hit him! Hurry up and stop him!¡± In order to stop Bruce, the bodyguards could only block him. ¡°Mr. Everett, please stop acting so irrationally. Please calm down.¡± ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes revealed an unfriendly glint. Bruce, you can¡¯t hit me anymore. I¡¯m your uncle. I¡¯m the person closest to you. How could you hit your uncle like that? ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m taking Bruce to the hospital for a testter. ¡°The court will be in session next week. In the meantime, you are not to approach Bruce, let alone incite him to attack others.¡± Joanna sneered coldly. ¡°Liam, you embezzled thepany¡¯s money privately and haven¡¯t made up for it yet. I¡¯ve already officially charged you with embezzlement. You¡¯d better spit out the money quickly.¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re not even a member of the Everett Group. What right do you have to interfere in our internal affairs?¡± Liam snorted. ¡°I¡¯m now thepany¡¯s acting president. I represent Bruce,¡± said Joanna. ¡°That¡¯s what you said. We didn¡¯t agree to it.¡± Liam did not back down. They were at daggers drawn. After hearing the news, the other shareholders also hurried over. The entire office building floor was filled with people. Upon seeing the situation, Mr. Xander quickly put on a smile and tried to mediate, ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Lurk, please calm down. ¡°Everyone, sit down and talk calmly. Let¡¯s think of a way to get the best of both worlds.¡± Chapter 672 Chapter 672 Mr. Young also hurriedly intervened, saying, ¡°Yes, yes! Even though Mr. Everett¡¯s mind is unclear, he is still thepany¡¯s president. Now, let¡¯s all sit down calmly and devise a better solution. We can also ask for Mr. Everett¡¯s opinion¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s mind is not clear now. What¡¯s the point of asking for his opinion? Mr. Lurk should be the one to take on the role of president,¡± Mr. Nelson added impatiently. Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he looked at Mr. Nelson intensely. ¡°Who¡¯s the one with the unclear mind? Who are you talking about?¡± he questioned. Mr. Nelson was startled by Bruce¡¯s tone and expression. He did not seem like someone with an abnormal mind. ¡°I, I¡­¡± Mr. Nelson stammered. ¡°Mr. Everett, please calm down. Let¡¯s all sit down and talk together!¡± Mr. Young said. Liam sneered. ¡°I have nothing to talk about with her. She must leave thepany now.¡± Joanna retorted in a simrly cold manner, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll just leave if you ask me to? You¡¯re the one who should leave.¡± ¡°Since we have so many directors here, let¡¯s be clear. Everyone knows our true intentions. I am Bruce¡¯s uncle, so naturally, I have ns for him! Why should an outsider be involved in our family affairs? Don¡¯t forget, you and Bruce divorced a long time ago,¡± Liam said. Joanna took a deep breath and responded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Bruce and I haven¡¯t gone through the remarriage procedures yet. But, the whole of Greyport knows about our rtionship. We have three children together, and the fourth is about to be born. Do you think there¡¯s no rtionship between us? Also, I am taking care of him as the mother of his children!¡± Her words choked Liam, and he hurriedly replied, ¡°You don¡¯t need to argue forcefully. Without remarriage, you are not legally considered a couple. Even if you were a couple, you wouldn¡¯t have the qualifications to manage Everett Group.¡± Mr. Young quickly intervened, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s stop arguing. Let¡¯s sit down calmly and discuss.¡± Liam also realized that he couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand today and proposed, ¡°Joanna Haynes, let¡¯s bothpromise for now. Both sides are not allowed to enter the Everett Group during the formal prosecution. After the court¡¯s final judgment, let¡¯s see what you have to say.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. She was six months pregnant, and there were still three months until childbirth. The final judgment might take about three months. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s settled,¡± she agreed. ¡°Darcy, have someone watch over the president¡¯s office,¡± Joanna instructed. ¡°Yes, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Joanna Haynes, now, as Bruce¡¯s uncle, I demand to take Bruce to the hospital for evaluation!¡± Liam requested. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible. Bruce won¡¯t go to the hospital with you,¡± Joanna replied. Hearing her reply, Liam was even more infuriated. With his remaining consciousness, Bruce replied instinctively, ¡°Why should I go to the hospital with you? ¡°Bruce, you are being bewitched by this woman¡­¡± Liammented. Joanna looked at Liam with a stern expression and she reminded, ¡°Even though Bruce¡¯s mind is slightly damaged, it doesn¡¯t mean hecks personal d¨¦cision-making abilities. What you are doing now is clearly taking advantage of the situation. When he regains his rity, let¡¯s see how he views you, his uncle. Let¡¯s go back. For now, Mr. Xander will temporarily take over thepany¡± The two sides parted ways without any pleasantries. On the way/back, Joanna and the others discussed what had happened. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°This Liam is really outrageous. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so obvious about his intentions.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s disgusting. I¡¯ve never seen an uncle trying to fight for his nephew¡¯s assets like this. Miss Haynes, what should we do now?¡± Joanna furrowed her brows and sighed. ¡°Now that things have escted to this point, we can only take one step at a time.¡± Looking at Joanna¡¯s serious expression, Bruce embraced her shoulder and apologized, saying, ¡°Darling, it¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t protect you just now¡­¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve already done well. No matter how hard it gets, we will get through it together!¡± Joanna comforted him gently. Bruce nodded with his remaining consciousness, and drool uncontrobly flowed from the corner of his mouth, ¡°Yeah, no matter what happens, I¡¯ll be by my wife¡¯s side.¡± Joanna quickly submitted all the applications to the court the next day, requesting a change in the children¡¯s custody. custo Soon, the court epted the case. Mr. Jameson was the most powerfulwyer in Greyport, and having him take on the case made it a piece of cake. After the judgment came out, it was not unexpected that the court granted Joanna custody of the children. Joanna finally breathed a sigh of relief on the day the judgment was issued. No matter what, she had to protect the custody of the children. Meanwhile, Liam was infuriated when he learned that Joanna had changed the children¡¯s custody. ¡°This Joanna Haynes is truly hateful. I didn¡¯t expect her to act so quickly and secure the children¡¯s custody,¡± he cursed. Upon hearing this, L quicklyforted and incited him, saying, ¡°Honey, you have to try harder. Otherwise, maybe she¡¯ll take away Mr. Everett¡¯s custody as well. We¡¯ve already put so much effort into this. We can¡¯t give up so easily.¡± Liam¡¯s wavering mind was firmly decided after L¡¯s instigation. He could not give up even if there were only a slight chance. Chapter 673 Chapter 673 After all, Bruce had arge amount of assets under his name. If he could win this case, Liam would directly ascend to the position of the wealthiest person in Greyport. No matter how much effort it takes, it was worth a try. The next day, L went to the hospital to visit Evan to report the progress of these few days. Inside the hospital room, Evany there with a touch of mncholy. When he saw Ling over, a sh of anxiety showed on his face, and he asked, ¡°L, how are things going these two days?¡± L pursed her lips and said helplessly, recounting, ¡°The trial began, but the situation is quite complicated. The court rejected Liam¡¯s ims and requested medical proof and rted procedures.¡± Evan¡¯s face clouded upon hearing this. Although Liam was Bruce¡¯s uncle, he was not a direct blood rtive, and winning thewsuit might not be easy. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. Liam has filed a second appeal. The next court session will be half a monthter. We have collected new evidence and hope it will be useful for the next hearing,¡± L reassured. Evan frowned in response, ¡°Hmm, you must keep a close eye on Liam and don¡¯t take anything lightly. Even if there¡¯s only a one percent chance, we cannot give up.¡± ¡°I know. You take care.¡± L replied, her eyes showing a hint of annoyance. Looking at him like this, he seems to need some time to recuperate. She nned to have children with him, but now it was uncertain when that n could be carried out. Liam had finally agreed to go to the hospital to do the IVF procedure with her, and she was already preparing her body for it. She really could not wait any longer. ¡°What is wrong? Why do you look unhappy?¡± Evan noticed L¡¯s displeasure and asked with concern. ¡°It is nothing. I am just worried about you! Bruce¡¯s kick was too harsh! You have been lying here for a month and haven¡¯t recovered!¡± L pouted. ¡°Is it because you miss me?¡± Evan asked as he grabbed her hand. ¡°Hmph, you wish,¡± L replied and rolled her eyes. ¡°Just wait a bit longer. I will recover soon. Once I am better, we can prepare to have our child,¡± Evan reassured her. ¡°Alright,¡± L responded as her expression finally eased a little. ¡°I will head back now. Liam is closely monitoring things these days, so I will note here often.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± Evan said. L then pecked his cheek and said, ¡°Evan, I am leaving.¡± After bidding farewell, Evan¡¯s expression turned serious again. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g He does not want to have a child with her. If they do have a child, it willplicate things. He was using her. However, Bruce¡¯s kick was too hard, breaking his spine. He feared he would have to stay in the hospital for another month. Back at the Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna was spending time with Bruce. Since reaching an agreement with Liam, she had not been to Everett Group for almost a month. Of course, she would still be updated on thepany¡¯stest news through Andy and Mark. Simrly, Liam was also not allowed to enter thepany. It is fair to say that Liam was even more anxious than Joanna. ¡°Joann, you are almost seven months pregnant. You must get plenty of rest and not be too anxious,¡± Miranda reminded her ¡°Hmm, I know, Miranda,¡± Joanna replied as she slowly stirred her milk and oatmeal. ¡°Honey, your belly is so big,¡± Bruce said with a smile. He was still following Joanna closely every day Since his mind was no longer clear, he had changed, and there were no more quarrels or conflicts between the couple. ¡°The children will be back from school soon. Let¡¯s go to the entrance and greet them. We can also take a walk in the garden outside,¡± Joanna said with a gentle smile. She actually enjoyed the current state of their rtionship. Bruce no longer got angry or acted authoritarian. Every day was filled with love and warmth. Although there were still many worries, her mood had improved significantly. Bruce was delighted to hear that and gently held Joanna as he said, ¡°Alright, I will apany you, H. Let¡¯s go pick up the kids¡­¡± The weather was great that day, the sun was shining brightly, and the flowers in the yard were in full bloom. Joanna would walk a fewps in the yard daily for some exercise. When she gave birth to Davian and Irvin, she had to opt for a cesarean section due toplications and fetal distress. This time, she wanted to have a vaginal birth. Although vaginal birth was more challenging, the recovery was rtively quick. Some mothers can recover after just one week. On the other hand, she was bedridden for a whole month after her previous cesarean section. ¡°Darling, this is for you!¡± Bruce eximed excitedly. He had plucked a rose from the flower bushes and handed it to Joanna with a foolish smile. Joanna smiled tenderly and epted the rose he offered, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. If my wife likes them, I will pick more for you,¡± Bruce said. ¡°No need! This one is enough. Let the rest of the flowers grow in the garden!¡± Joanna replied gently. As they were chatting, the couple heard the sounds of a car outside. ¡°It should be the kidsing home from school!¡± Joanna said as she slowly headed to the entrance. When she reached the entrance, Davian and Irvin exited the car and ran happily toward her. ¡°Mommy, we are back from school!¡± Davian and Irvin eximed. Chapter 674 Chapter 674 Davian Haynes and Irvin Haynes were studying in the same school, while the all-girls school that Lilia Haynes was in was a little far from Sherane Bay Vi. Therefore, Lilia¡¯s brothers would arrive home 20 minutes earlier than her every day. Joanna Haynes looked at the two little boys running over with a loving smile. ¡°You¡¯re back, my babies.¡± Davian and Irvin had already grown a lot taller. They had long legs just like their father and they were much taller than the other children. The two of them were already at the height of Joanna¡¯s chest. Irvin had always had a glib tongue. He said with a bright smile, ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful today, mommy!¡± Joanna bent down slightly and kissed the two boys¡¯ faces affectionately as usual. Seeing this, Bruce Everett red at the two brats with displeasure. How could his wife kiss another boy? Even if they were his own sons, that wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Honey, I want a kiss too.¡± Bruce pouted with an unhappy expression. When Joanna heard this, she sighed in resignation. Ever since Bruce¡¯s brain went haywire, she felt that she had a new son that was constantly jealous, He had to have what the children had and he also had to have what the children didn¡¯t have. For example, if she didn¡¯t kiss him after kissing the children, he would be angry. If she bought toys for the children but not for him, he would be even angrier. In short, she could not neglect him at all, not even a little bit. If Joanna identally ignored him, he would start by throwing a tantrum first. If she still ignored him, he would cry aggrievedly and it would take a long time to coax him. ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t love me anymore. She doesn¡¯t want to kiss me even after she kissed them.¡± Seeing that he was about to cry again, Joanna smiled helplessly and gave in, ¡°Alright, fine. Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll kiss you too.¡± As she spoke, she raised her head to kiss him. Unfortunately, he was too tall. Even if Joanna stood on her tiptoes, she could not reach his face at all. Bruce giggled and quickly bent down to bring his face to Joanna¡¯s lips. Joanna kissed his right cheek before asking, ¡°Will this do?¡± ¡°Here too!¡± Bruce said as he pointed at his left cheek as well. Joanna had no choice but to kiss the left side of his face again. Although she had to kiss him many times every day, he still enjoyed it. ¡°I want to kiss you too, honey!¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead, cheeks, and chin. He wanted to prove to the two brats that he was the most important and beloved person to his wife. Davian and Irvin stood at the side and watched. They were grinning so widely that they¡¯re mouths were about to reach their ears. ¡°Eh, daddy is getting more and more mushy.¡± Irvin inherited Bruce¡¯s venomous tongue and he loves to roast others. ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is getting more and more greasy. Urgh, it hurts my eyes. I can¡¯t bear to look.¡± ¡°Disgusting!¡± The two little boys gave their father a thumbs-down. Bruce raised his head proudly like a child as he unted, ¡°Hmph, you guys are just jealous of me.¡± The two boys grabbed their mother¡¯s hands and asked indignantly, ¡°Mommy, tell daddy who you dote on the most.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna looked helpless stuck between her son and husband. This was a really difficult choice. Of course, she doted on the children more, but how could she dare to say that? If she had said that out loud, Bruce would probably cry from anger again. Bruce¡¯s face darkened even more. He grabbed the cors of the two boys and said, ¡°Get your hands off her. You can¡¯t touch my wife.¡± What he did every day was topete with the children for Joanna¡¯s favor. He did not feel tired of it and even enjoyed it. The children were also extremelypetitive and refused to give in to him at all. Therefore, the three of them quarreled and fought every day. After the two boys were thrown to the side, they were extremely dissatisfied. ¡°Mommy, daddy is getting more and more overboard. We¡¯re his sons, but he treats us as love rivals.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled bitterly and felt helpless. Bruce had an overbearing and domineering personality. Not only that, he was especially possessive. Even though his mind was not clear now, his personality had not changed much. As the saying goes, a leopard never changes its spots! Men would always be childish no matter their age. Never arouse a man¡¯s desire to win, even if it was a game. ¡°Mommy, we have no school tomorrow because it¡¯s Independence Day! Can we go on a trip then?¡± ¡°Is it already Independence Day tomorrow?¡± Joanna asked in surprise. The two boys nodded in unison before replying, ¡°Yes! It¡¯s already the end of September today.¡± Joanna frowned. She had lost track of time. Time passed really quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already October. It had been more than three years since she returned to Greyport. In the past three years, she felt as if she had been walking on thin ice every day. She felt extremely tense every day, and she had never been rxed for a single day. From N?velDrama.Org. Irvin had already thought of a n as he suggested excitedly, ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go to Disnend during the holidays, okay? We haven¡¯t gone out to y for a long time.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we just go there a while back?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we go again after going once?¡±. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna looked troubled. Davian red at his younger brother and said considerately, ¡°Mommy is pregnant now, so she can¡¯t do anything too tiring.¡± ¡°Since these few days are public holidays, there must be a lot of people at Disnend. It would be dangerous if they bump into mommy.¡± When Irvin heard that, he said, ¡°Oh right, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s rare that we have such a long holiday. It will be boring to stay at home every day. I really want to go out and y.¡± ¡°We can find some activities that aren¡¯t too tiring, such as going to a barbecue.¡± Irvin¡¯s big eyes flickered as he suggested excitedly. They were children after all so they didn¡¯t have so many worries. They also didn¡¯t know how much pressure there was for the adults. Of course! Joanna wouldn¡¯t tell the children about Liam Miller and thewsuit so the children didn¡¯t know that they were currently facing so many troublesome problems at home. ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t we go to Beach Park to barbecue?¡± ¡°This way, there will be delicious food and beautiful scenery. Mommy won¡¯t be tired, and our family can go out to rx.¡± ¡°Mommy, what do you think?¡± ¡°Go to barbecue at Beach Park?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darted around! As the name suggests, Beach Park is a coastal park by the sea. The scenery was beautiful and pleasant. It was also extremely near the sea which made it a suitable spot for a family outing. There were many barbecue grills in the park that were specially for guests to rent for barbecue! She had gone there once many years ago and had not been there for more than ten years. She wondered if there had been any changes now. Joanna thought about it for half a minute before agreeing to the children¡¯s request. ¡°Sure!¡± After all, it was rare for the children to have a long vacation. Moreover, she and Bruce rarely had the chance to apany the children to y! Anyway, these troublesome matters could not be resolved in a short period of time. It was better to have fun in the midst of the problems and take the children to y and rx. Chapter 675 Chapter 675 When the two little boys heard that, they were instantly overjoyed. They did not expect their mother to agree to their request. ¡°Mommy, are we really going to go out to y?¡± ¡°Of course! Since both of you want to go, I shall fulfill your wish.¡± After saying that, Joanna Haynes looked at Carson and instructed, ¡°Carson, go and book a barbecue pit now. We might not be able to rent one if we¡¯re toote!¡± Carson replied with a smile, ¡°Yes, madam. I¡¯ll book a barbecue pit now!¡± The two boys jumped up in joy as they eximed, ¡°Oh yes, that¡¯s great. We can have a barbecue now.¡± Seeing how excited the children were, even Bruce Everett could tell that it was a good decision. He started to chuckle foolishly. ¡°It¡¯s just a barbecue. Why are you guys so happy about it?¡± ¡°Of course we are! It¡¯s very exciting especially since we get to go with daddy and mommy.¡± ¡°Sigh, I really can¡¯t do anything about you guys,¡± Joanna sighed in resignation. Just as they were ying around, the gate slowly opened again. A Mercedes-Benz van slowly drove in. ¡°Lilia has returned from school.¡± Davian Haynes and Irvin Haynes immediately skipped toward the car. They couldn¡¯t wait to tell their sister the good news. A maid opened the door and carried Lilia Haynes out of the van. Lilia was equipped with an electronic prosthesis and could walk slowly. However, she was not as agile as an ordinary person and she couldn¡¯t walk fast. ¡°Are you back from school, Lilia?¡± Lilia was especially ted to see everyoneing out to wee her. Her face beamed brightly like a sunflower as she announced, ¡°Mommy, daddy, Davian, and Irvin, I¡¯m back!¡± Irvin could not wait as he immediately blurted out, ¡°Lilia, I have some good news for you!¡± ¡°What good news?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a school holiday tomorrow due to Independence Day so mommy said she¡¯s taking us to Beach Park for a barbecue¡± When Lilia heard this, her big grape-like eyes widened. She looked very adorable as she asked,/Really?¡± ¡°Of course! You can ask mommy if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Lilia looked at Joanna excitedly and asked, ¡°Mommy, is what Irvin said true?¡± Joanna smiled gently before confirming Irvin¡¯s words, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s rare for you guys to have a break from school. Daddy and I also happen to be free so it would be nice for all of us to spend some time together.¡± ¡°Oh yay, that¡¯s great!¡± Lilia instantly cheered. Bruce happily picked his daughter up and raised her up high. ¡°You¡¯re so cute, my baby Lilia!¡± As he spoke, he kissed Lilia¡¯s face again. As the saying goes, a daughter is her father¡¯s lover from his past life. He did not dote on his two sons so much but he is really affectionate to his daughter to the core. ¡°Miranda, go prepare the ingredients for the barbecue.¡± ¡°You can prepare more. It¡¯s rare for everyone to have time to get together so you, Kelly, and Tracy, can come with us.¡± ¡°Alright, Joann,¡± Miranda replied with a smile. Carson had already booked the barbecue pit. ¡°Mrs. Joanna, I¡¯ve already called to book thergest barbecue pit area.¡± Initially, no more barbecue grills were avable as they had already been booked. However, Carson offered to pay more money and reserved one of the barbecue pit areas in the park. ¡°Good job. Go and make arrangements for tomorrow¡¯s trip then!¡± ¡°Okay, Mrs. Joanna.¡± The whole family prepared to sleep early. Joannay on the soft andfortable bed and flipped through the documents sent by Andy. Brucey beside her, a strange glint shing in his eyes. For the past month or so, the two of them had been sleeping on the same bed. Although Bruce was very clingy to her, he did not do anything that would cross the line. However, being right next to her and not being able to touch her made him feel very ufortable. Tonight, he was even more irritable and kept tossing and turning. Seeing this, Joanna could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you tossing and turning? Can¡¯t you sleep?¡± Although Bruce was not clear-headed, he was still a man after all. Moreover, he had never been an abstinent man in the past. Even if his mind was not clear now, his brain still remembered the process of sleeping around. ¡°Honey¡­ I don¡¯t feel good¡­¡± Bruce looked at Joanna pitifully. His hands started to be a little naughty. Joanna frowned. She knew what he wanted to do. She immediately pushed his restless hands away and warned him sternly, ¡°No!¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°You¡¯ll hurt the baby.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I, I¡¯ll be very gentle¡­¡± When he spoke, he even moved closer to Joanna and looked at her with desire. Joanna¡¯s frown deepened. She was rendered speechless by him. ¡°I really have to give it to you. You¡¯re not even in the right state of mind anymore, yet you still remember such things so clearly.¡± ¡°Sometimes I wonder if you¡¯re really stupid, or are you just pretending.¡± Pretending to be stupid¡­ That was probably impossible. Even if he was really pretending, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it up for so many days. ¡°Honey¡­ Honey¡­¡± Bruce pouted and kept twirling her hair with his fingers.. He looked like he was in pain. That was how it was when ites to matters like these! Once a person has a taste of sleeping around, it would be difficult for them to abstain from it unless they had health problems. Just like how cats would not care for the taste of fish if they haven¡¯t had fish before. However, once they have tasted fish, it would be impossible for them to forget the taste of fish. ¡°Honey, please¡­ I¡¯m begging you¡­¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± ¡°No! Honey¡­¡± Bruce kept whining like a baby. Chapter 676 Chapter 676 Joanna Haynes.could not take his whining anymore. Her expression turned serious as she dered, ¡°You¡¯re really a despicable bastard. If you continue being like this, I¡¯ll sleep in separate rooms with you.¡± Seeing that he was still restless and his hands were still fooling around, Joanna had no choice but to warn him sternly. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want him to touch her! It was just that she was almost seven months pregnant and the condition of the fetus had always been unstable. Her body was also very weak so she really could not afford to mess around. Moreover, this damn bastard was so¡­ strong and wicked. She couldn¡¯t even stand him when she wasn¡¯t pregnant, let alone now when she was. There was no way she could not let him mess around. Otherwise, their fetus would really be in danger. ¡°Bruce Everett, I¡¯m warning you. As long as the child is not born, we can¡¯t do ¡®that.¡± ¡°If you hurt our baby, it¡¯ll be toote for regrets. Do you still want another daughter or not?¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce quickly stopped and asked reluctantly, ¡°Then can I at least kiss you?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes but still fulfilled his request. She agreed, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡± With that, Joanna kissed him. Bruce pouted, looking like he hadn¡¯t had enough. However, when his eyes met Joanna¡¯s sharp gaze, he did not dare to be impudent. He could only turn around unwillingly and hug the pillow to sleep. Looking at his difficult and reluctant expression, Joanna could not help but secretlyugh. There was really no way for her to scold him. He had already lost his mind but yet he was still so¡­ wicked. Hmph! Men! The next day. It was past eight in the morning. The excited chatter of children could be heard from downstairs. ¡°Daddy, mommy, get up quickly!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going out for a barbecue today. Wake up.¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and yawned. Bruce was still sleeping soundly. In the past, he was always under a lot of pressure so it was rare for him to sleep so peacefully. His brain was always working every minute of the day so even when he fell asleep, he couldn¡¯t sleep well. Now that there was something wrong with his brain, all his worries and pressure were gone. He could eat well and sleep well. ¡°It¡¯s morning! Wake up!¡± Joanna patted him and woke him up. Bruce subconsciously turned around and hugged her. He mumbled in his sleep, ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna was taken aback and quickly pushed him again. ¡°Bruce Everett, wake up quickly. The children are already calling us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still so early. Let¡¯s go in the afternoon!¡± Bruce replied without a thought. Joanna was even more stunned after hearing his words. His reaction when he was half-awake was exactly like a normal person¡¯s reaction. It was exactly how he would speak and act in the past. However, when he sobered up, it was as though he had an intellectual disability again. Did this mean that he still retained a lot of his memories in his subconscious? If he managed to stimte those memories, he might really be able to recover. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep anymore. The children are already getting restless. They¡¯re rushing us non-stop outside.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Bruce rubbed his eyes before opening them in a daze. As expected, when he woke up, his brain seemed to have lost its signal and became intermittent. Joanna washed up and left the room first. She was already wondering if she should find another brain specialist to treat him. ¡°Joann, the ingredients have been prepared!¡± Miranda announced with a smile. Joanna came back to her senses and asked casually, ¡°Alright, what have you prepared?¡± ¡°You cane over and take a look. Tell me if there¡¯s anything missing and I¡¯ll go and get it.¡± Joanna followed Miranda to the kitchen. She looked at the cooler box. There were abalones, lobsters, prawns, squid, sea cucumbers, chicken wings, vegetables, and some other food. ¡°Looks good. Have you prepared the seasonings required for the barbecue?¡± Although seasonings for barbecue were sold at the barbecue areas, they contained more salt and MSG than usual. They were more unhealthy so it was better to bring them from home. ¡°They have been prepared!¡± ¡°That¡¯s about it then. We can leave after breakfast!¡± The children were even more thrilled when they heard that. ¡°Yay, that¡¯s great. We can have a barbecue soon.¡± ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to eat breakfast now. I want to save some space in my stomach for the barbecue later.¡± ¡°No, you have to eat breakfast. Even if you¡¯re going to a barbecue, you can¡¯t eat too much of it, understand?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± Just then, Bruce made his way downstairs. After breakfast. The family of five, dressed in matching attires, set off for the park. Due to therge number of people, Bruce and Joanna did not take the same car. In total, including the servants and the bodyguards, they traveled in two vans and five sedans. At noon. The family finally arrived at their destination. At Beach Park. There were a lot of people today, and there were also a lot of people who came to barbecue. The park was also divided into several areas, each with dozens of barbecue pits. Carson had booked the area closest to the seaside so all the tourists were in the other areas. ¡°Set everything out and start the barbecue!¡± ¡°Daddy,e y the beach ball with us!¡± Although it was October, there was no winter in Greyport. The climate was neither hot nor cold, and it was veryfortable, Bruce happily yed the beach ball with the children. On the other hand, Joanna was instructing the servants, and then preparing to start the barbecue. Chapter 677 Chapter 677 The entire park was booked. More than twenty bodyguards spread out and guarded the area vigntly. Miranda, Kelly, Tracy and the others began to take the ingredients out of the cooler box. Carson, Kody, Darcy and a few other men helped to start a fire and burn the charcoal. Because there were many of them, they started four barbecue pits. Lobster, abalone, sea cucumber, fish, and other ingredients wereid out one by one. Of course, they also prepared mutton and beef to make skewers for the barbecue. However, the ingredients were far more expensive than ordinary beef and mutton. The beef they prepared was A5 wagyu beef, while the mutton was fresh mutton that was flown over from Surbano. ¡°Cut the beef and mutton into small pieces and skewer them!¡± ¡°Alright, Mrs. Joanna.¡± The two chefs came along with them as well and were busy cutting the meat and vegetables. ¡°Make more skewers since there are many people today,¡± Joanna Haynes specially instructed. Miranda smiled and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Joann! I¡¯ve definitely prepared enough today. I guarantee that everyone will leave with their stomachs full.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s rare for everyone toe out and y together so we must make sure everyone eats to their heart¡¯s content.¡± Joanna has always been quite generous and kind to the servants. Since it was a gathering, she had to make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink. The bodyguards watching from the sidelines could not help but drool. ¡°Wow, how extravagant. They actually used wagyu to make skewers! I¡¯ve never eaten A5 wagyu before.¡± The apanying servants could not help but drool just by looking at the ingredients. On the other hand¡­ -Bruce Everett was happily ying the beach ball with Davian and Irvin Haynes on the sand. ¡°Daddy, catch the ball.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re awesome, daddy. We can¡¯t even catch the ball!¡± Bruce bragged smugly, ¡°That¡¯s because you guys are too lousy¡­¡± Lilia Haynes sat beside Joanna gloomily as she watched Bruce and her brothers y with the beach ball. ¡°Mommy, daddy, Davian, and Irvin are having so much fun. I¡¯m sad that I can¡¯t y!¡± Joanna rubbed her daughter¡¯s head before offering, ¡°Hehe, how about you help mommy barbecue something?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Lilia obediently took the skewers from Joanna. | She imitated Joanna and ced the skewers on the grill to cook. Half an hourter. The two boys were no longer in the mood to y. That was because Bruce did not give in to the two boys at all, causing them to lose every round. ¡°I¡¯m so tired. I¡¯m not ying anymore. It¡¯s so boring to y with daddy because we can¡¯t win at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Let daddy y alone!¡± ¡°Hmph, you guys are sore losers. You guys suck!¡± Bruce was still unsatisfied. He gave his two sons a thumbs-down and gestured disdainfully at them. ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s go y the go-kart. It¡¯ll definitely be more fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go too¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce threw away the ball in his hand and brought the two boys to y the go-kart instead. ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m so happy today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so fun and exciting.¡± The three of them were having a great time. Hearing theirughter, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but smile as well. How good would it be if he could be this carefree for the rest of his life? Another half an hour passed. The barbecue pit was already emitting an alluring fragrance. The lobsters, abalones, and prawns were almost done cooking. The mutton and beef skewers were also sizzling as they cooked. They were seasoned with ayer of cumin, and the fragrance wafted all around. ¡°Wow, do you smell the aroma?¡± ¡°I smell it. It smells so good! Mommy and the others must be done with the barbecue! Let¡¯s hurry up and eat.¡± Bruce and the two boys smelled the aroma of the food and stopped ying with the go-kart immediately. They hurriedly ran back to the barbecue pit. Davian could not wait to ask, ¡°Mommy, is the food done?¡± ¡°Wow, it smells so good!¡± Irvin¡¯s eyes were stuck on the sizzling and fragrant mutton skewers and he could not help but gulp. The children didn¡¯t eat much for breakfast because they deliberately saved their stomachs for the skewers. After ying for most of the afternoon, they were extremely hungry. Joanna looked at the two boys lovingly. Her two sons were sweating from ying. ¡°Look at how sweaty you guys are. Hurry up and wipe your faces and hands with disinfectant wipes.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The two boys hurriedly took out two wet tissues and wiped their little faces. Bruce also walked over and put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wow, it smells so good! Honey, you¡¯re awesome. I want a kiss!¡± As he spoke, he pouted and asked for a kiss. Joanna smiled grumpily and kissed him on the lips. Bruce then returned two more kisses. Seeing this, their three little children could not help butin, ¡°Daddy, mommy, can you guys stop kissing? You¡¯re very mushy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re about to starve to death. We want skewers!¡± ¡°All right, fine.¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away and hurriedly handed the food they barbecued to the two boys. Everyone had twomb skewers and two beef skewers. ¡°You can¡¯t eat too many skewers. It¡¯s too unhealthy.¡± Davian and Irvin could not wait anymore and took the skewers. They ate the skewers with relish. ¡°Yes, alright. It¡¯s so hot.¡± The Everett family was very strict about their diet. When the chefs cooked, they would work together with a nutritionist and pay attention to the nutrition and freshness of the ingredients. Therefore, most of the dishes they eat were very light. It was rare for the children to have such heavy food. They only got to eat it once in a while so they enjoyed it. ¡°Eat slowly. No one is fighting with you. Don¡¯t burn yourself.¡± Seeing how much the children enjoyed the food, Bruce was also tempted. ¡°Honey, I want some too!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°You can¡¯t eat that!¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked dissatisfied. He immediately questioned, ¡°Why can¡¯t I eat that?¡± ¡°These are all heaty food. You haven¡¯t recovered from your illness yet so you should eat some vegetables instead.¡± Bruce pouted before demanding, ¡°I don¡¯t want vegetables. I want skewers too!¡± ¡°Then have some grilled fish and chicken wings¡­¡± ¡°No, no, I want the mutton skewers.¡± Bruce picked up the barbecued mutton skewers and ate them happily. He used to be very picky about food.. And now, he was still very picky about food. He would never eat things like barbecue. However, the ingredients they used today were very fresh, so he could not help but eat heartily. N?velDrama.Org content rights. A bit of time has passed. The two boys had already wolfed down the skewers in their hands. ¡°Mommy, I want to eat moremb skewers and beef skewers!¡± Joanna smiled before agreeing, ¡°I¡¯ll give you two more skewers!¡± ¡°Mommy, I want one too!¡± Lilia was also very excited. ¡°My baby, you can¡¯t eat too much.¡± Joanna only gave Lilia one more skewer. After all, Lilia¡¯s body was very weak, and her immune system was very weak as well so they had to pay attention to the food she eats. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s rare for the children toe out and y. Don¡¯t care about anything else. Let the children eat what they want. It¡¯s just once in a blue moon.¡± Bruce subconsciously spoke up for the children, Joanna felt that his words made sense. She tended to be a little too strict with the children sometimes. ¡°Alright then!¡± She then called out to the servants beside them. ¡°Everyone,e over! Help yourself to whatever you want to eat.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± The servants and the bodyguards were very happy to hear that. They began to barbecue some food in another barbecue pit. Of course, the responsibility of the bodyguards was to protect the safety of their employers. Hence, they did not dare to rx too much and could only ask the servants to help them barbecue and bring them some food to eat. Chapter 678 Chapter 678 Chapter 678 This was truly a luxurious barbecue feast, with each ingredient being of the highest quality. The servants could not wait to eat. ¡°Wow, wow, wow. This is really the best delicacy in the world. It would be great if there was some cold beer.¡± ¡°There is! It¡¯s in the trunk of the car. I¡¯ll bring it over,¡± Peter said and hurriedly went to the car to bring a box of beer over. Dahlia also hurriedly waved. ¡°Give me a bottle too!¡± ¡°Who else wants it?¡± Peter gave each of them a bottle. Bruce suddenly said, ¡°Give me a bottle too.¡± Peter was stunned when he heard this. The others looked at each other. Mr. Everett actually wanted to drink beef? This beer that Peter had bought was very cheap. Bruce had always been very picky, and he basically only drank red wine that cost tens of thousands of dors or 200 thousand dors a bottle. Bruce had never even tried this kind of cheap beer. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Bruce urged impatiently with a mouthful of food. Peter reacted and hurriedly handed him a bottle. ¡°This is for you, Mr. Everett.¡± He opened the bottle cap at the same time. Bruce took the bottle and took a sip of beer. ¡°What¡¯s this taste? Why does it taste so strange?¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t drink beer.¡± ¡°How can I eat barbecue and not drink beer?¡± Bruce retorted. Joanna choked in anger and snatched the beer bottle from Bruce¡¯s hand. ¡°There¡¯s freshly squeezed juice here. You can drink juice instead. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you still have stomach problems. It¡¯s already an exception to let you eat barbecue now.¡± Before Bruce could taste the beer carefully, it was snatched away. He pouted and was very dissatisfied. ¡°How can I drink juice while eating barbecue?¡± Joanna did not say anything. She just shot him a warning look. ¡°Oh, okay, okay, okay. I won¡¯t drink beer.¡± Bruce picked up the ss of fruit juice and drank it resentfully. After eating the barbecue, the two little guys patted their round bellies and pestered Bruce to y again. ¡°Let¡¯s continue driving the go-kart!¡± Bruce replied without hesitation, ¡°Sure!¡± Bruce stood up excitedly along with the two little guys. ¡°Be careful!¡± Joanna reminded Bruce worriedly. Joanna had a lingering fear and did not want Bruce to touch her car anymore. Even if he was driving a kart, she was still worried. ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s okay. This kart is very safe.¡± As Bruce spoke, he got into a kart. ¡°Buzz!¡± ¡°Hahaha, go faster, go faster.¡± As Bruce drove the kart, he showed off his driving skills on the beach and drifted in the sand from time to time. When the two little guys saw this, they apuded in admiration. ¡°Wow, Bruce is so awesome!¡± ¡°That goes without saying!¡± Bruceughed. Miranda helped Joanna pack her things. She smiled and said, ¡°Joann, look at Mr. Everett. He¡¯s like a little child, having so much fun.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Joannaughed bitterly. He was indeed much happier now. He did not have much worry, nor did he have much pressure to work. But¡­ Seeing that Joanna¡¯s face darkened, Miranda knew that she was starting to worry again. ¡°Joann, we¡¯ll cross the bridge when we get there. Don¡¯t think too much. Things will pass eventually.¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Come, you haven¡¯t eaten much, right? This is for you.¡± Joanna handed a te of grilled abalone and lobster to Miranda. ¡°Let me grill it myself. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just sitting here anyway,¡± said Joanna. Then, she took themb and beef skewers and ced them on the grill to roast. Joanna thought to herself, ¡°After Bruce and the children get tired from yingter, they¡¯ll surely get hungry. I should grill the food for them first, so they won¡¯t be growling with hungerter.¡± On the beach. The three of them were still ying around. ¡°Bruce, hurry up!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m any faster, you won¡¯t be able to catch up to me¡­¡± On the shore, a man in ck clothes and ck pants quietly appeared. At this moment, he was holding a gun and hiding behind the coconut grove, quietly waiting for an opportunity. Bruce still did not sense the danger and drove the go-kart closer to the coconut grove. Closer. Closer¡­ The assassin in ck took the opportunity and fired a shot at Bruce. Bang! Bruce was still driving the go-kart when he heard the gunshot.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. A reflex in Bruce¡¯s bones instructed him to flip over and leap, tumbling from the go-kart onto the sand. The bodyguards heard the gunshot and rushed over to check. ¡°There¡¯s an emergency. Hurry up and go over.¡± ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Before Bruce could get up, two more gunshots sounded! The bullet brushed past Bruce¡¯s hair, and the other bullet hit the wheel of his go-kart. Despite hisck of clear consciousness, Bruce¡¯s reflexes and sensitivity had not diminished in the least. Bruce rolled on the sand and hid behind the wheel of the go-kart. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Darcy and Carson had already arrived in time. They took out their pistols and shot at the criminals. Seeing that he had missed, the criminal hurriedly turned around and fled. ¡°The few of you, hurry up and chase after him. Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is injured.¡± Chapter 679 Chapter 679 Chapter 679 The other bodyguards hurriedly went forward to check on Bruce. Bullets whizzed past Bruce¡¯s scalp, and a fragment from one of them pierced into his skull. His tongue was now bleeding, and his consciousness gradually blurred. When Joanna heard the gunshots, she was even more frightened. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± The children were also frightened. ¡°Bruce!¡± The bodyguards formed a circle, surrounding Bruce, Davian, and Irvin. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°Joann, there¡¯s a criminal. Hurry up and hide!¡± Joanna could not care less. She hurriedly stood up and ran toward Bruce. ¡°Bruce, Bruce! ¡°How¡¯s Bruce?¡± Joanna asked anxiously. ¡°Mrs. Haynes, Mr. Everett is injured. We have to send him to the hospital quickly!¡± Joanna had alreadye to Bruce¡¯s side. When she saw the blood on Bruce¡¯s head, she was even more frightened. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, nothing must happen to you!!¡± ¡°Mrs. Haynes, let¡¯s take Mr. Everett to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Take Davian, Irvin, and Lilia home. I¡¯ll go to the hospital with Bruce.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, quickly follow me into the car.¡± ¡°Joanna, we want to go to the hospital with you!¡± ¡°Be good and go home quickly.¡± Joanna did not have the time tofort the children. She instructed the bodyguards to send the children home first. Soon. Bruce was carried into the car and rushed to the hospital. In the car. Bruce felt groggy and disoriented, as if he was caught in a whirlpool, spiraling downward. Memories rewound like a fast-forward tape, crazily ying back in Bruce¡¯s brain. This gave Bruce a splitting headache, and he almost could not hold on. Joanna was so frightened that she hugged Bruce tightly. ¡°Bruce, you have to hold on. We¡¯ll arrive at the hospital soon.¡±¡± ¡°Joann, my head hurts. My head hurts.¡± Bruce¡¯s head hurt so much that he was about to faint. ¡°We¡¯ll arrive at the hospital soon. Bear with it.¡± ¡°Go faster, faster¡­ 15 minutester. The driver drove Bruce to the hospital as fast as he could. ¡°Doctor,e out quickly! Mr. Everett is injured!¡± The doctor and a few nurses had already received the call in advance and hurriedly pushed a stretcher over! ¡°Hurry up and carry Mr. Everett onto the stretcher.¡± Soon, Bruce was sent to the operating room. Though Bruce¡¯s head was not directly hit by a bullet, it was grazed by a fragment. One piece of bullet fragment was deeply embedded into his skull. ¡°Hurry up and get the bullet fragment out.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The nurses hurriedly made the preoperative preparations. Outside the operating room. Joanna¡¯s hands were covered in blood. Her mind was nk, and she was in a daze. ¡°Bruce, please be alright, please be alright¡­¡± Thest time he had a craniotomy, the surgery was very risky. The doctor had issued two critical illness notices. It was not easy for him to survive. Unexpectedly, his head had to be operated on again. This time, Joanna really did not know what would happen. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry too much. Mr. Everett is lucky. He¡¯ll definitely be fine.¡± ¡°He was just grazed by a bullet fragment, so there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues.¡± Joanna could not listen at all. Her entire body was covered in cold sweat. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so nervous. It¡¯ll be terrible if you hurt the fetus.¡± Miranda put her arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder andforted her. Two hourster. The lights in the operating room finally went out. Joanna immediately stood up. ¡°Doctor, how is it?¡± Joanna asked nervously. ¡°I¡¯ve taken the bullet fragment out and bandaged Mr. Everett¡¯s head. Mr. Everett is still in aa. He might not wake up so soon.¡± ¡°Is he alright? Will his life be in danger?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much for the time being. His life is in no danger.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good¡­¡± Joanna finally felt relieved. ¡°However, Mr. Everett might¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure yet, but Mr. Everett will probably have other seque. You have to be mentally prepared.¡± Boom. When Joanna heard this, her heart sank even further, and she staggered. Joanna thought to herself, ¡°Bruce will have other seque? ¡°Will hepletely remain in a vegetative state this time? Will hepletely be a fool?¡± ¡°Bruce, nothing must happen to you!¡± Joanna said. Joanna could not hold back her tears and started sobbing. It was already difficult enough, and she really could not bear any more hardships. She was really afraid that Bruce would die. It was very soon. Chapter 680 Chapter 680 Chapter 680 Liam and L also learned that something had happened to Bruce. The two of them rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard. L¡¯s high heels tapped on the ground in a hurry. And L arrived opposite Joanna even faster than Liam. ¡°I heard that Bruce was shot. How is he now?¡± Liam took a deep breath and asked urgently. Joanna did not reply. And she looked uneasy. Seeing that no one responded, Liam was even more furious. Then he shouted, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. How is Bruce now?¡± A nurse hurriedly replied, ¡°Mr. Everett just finished his surgery. And he is transferred to the intensive care unit now.¡± ¡°What? Why would something like this happen out of nowhere?¡± Joanna and the bodyguards ignored Liam and L. ¡°Joanna, you are a jinx. Every time Bruce is with you, something will happen to him. ¡°Tell me. Did you get someone to instigate this?¡± At that moment, Joanna was only worried about Bruce¡¯s safety. And she was not in the mood to care about this couple. She just kept a cold face and did not say a word. Seeing that Joanna was silent, Liam and L became even more arrogant. ¡°If something happened to Bruce this time, it must be your fault. ¡°You are a jinx. You should have stayed away from Bruce a long time ago,¡± Liam could not help but curse again. L echoed Liam¡¯s words. And she said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett turned out this way because of you. You¡¯re still shamelessly clinging to him. How shameless you are. ¡°If you really love him, you shouldn¡¯t harm him like this.¡± While verbally berating Joanna, the two of them were actually ecstatic deep down. Bruce was already a retard. Now he had been shot. It would definitely make things worse. He might never wake up again. As long as he never woke up, it would be a great thing for them. They no longer had to worry about anything and could openly request to take over the Everett Group. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question now. Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? ¡°Are you feeling guilty? Bruce must be blind to fall for a woman like you. ¡°Get out of the hospital now and don¡¯te near Bruce again.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could no longer suppress the anger in her heart. ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble here.¡± ¡°You almost killed Mr. Everett, and now you won¡¯t let us say a word. I think you¡¯re colluding with the criminals.¡± Joanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she said coldly, ¡°Darcy, kick them out.¡± Darcy walked forward with a grim expression. Then he said, ¡°Get out of here right now!¡± As he spoke, he pushed them with his hands on their backs and forcefully shoved them out of the hallway. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t touch me. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re too much. What right do you have to chase us away? You¡¯re the one who should leave.¡± Although L and Liam were moring, they were still forced out. ¡°This damn bitch is too much. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s uncle, and I¡¯m Mr. Everett¡¯s aunt. What right does she have to chase us away? ¡°You bodyguards are too much. You¡¯ll regret it one day.¡± ¡°Get out of here right now.¡± Darcy looked at the two of them coldly. Seeing this, Liam and L had no choice but to leave. Then they were back in the car. L¡¯s worried expression quickly changed, and she had a delighted look on her face. ¡°Honey, do you think Mr. Everett will wake up again this time? ¡°I heard that he was shot in the head by the criminal. I reckon that he must have died by now. ¡°We should bring more people with us. We can¡¯t let Joanna lead us by the nose.¡± After hearing what L said, Liam sighed and didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Honey, keep an eye on the hospital at all times. As long as Mr. Everett is dead, we should immediately get the media to report this matter and say that Joanna instigated it.¡± As she spoke, L suddenly paused. Then she continued, ¡°Oh, my god. Could it be that it¡¯s actually her doing?¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°Why not? After Bruce died, her three children were the heirs of the inheritance. And she took over the custody of the children, which is equivalent to taking over Bruce¡¯s inheritance. ¡°No. We can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. We have to think of a way to stop Joanna from taking over the inheritance.¡± Liam took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°Can you stop arguing? It¡¯s giving me a headache.¡± ¡°Honey, I¡¯m just concerned about the ownership of Everett Group. You¡¯ve dedicated half your life to Everett Group. And now Mr. Everett is in trouble. It¡¯s only fair for you to take over the business. ¡°Joanna is such a wicked person. She¡¯s always been against us. If she takes control of Everett Group, she definitely won¡¯t treat us well. ¡°Well. I told you to step up your efforts earlier. If you had fought for Bruce¡¯s custody rights sooner, it wouldn¡¯t be toote Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. now.¡± L kept rambling on and on without stopping. She suddenly realized that if Bruce really died, the situation would be very disadvantageous to them. ¡°God, please bless Bruce and ensure he doesn¡¯t die. Let him be a vegetable and never wake up again.¡± L sped her hands together and started praying devoutly. ¡°I¡¯m really fed up with you. Can you be quiet for a moment? Let me have some peace.¡± Liam¡¯s mind was in a mess. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m just worried.¡± ¡°What are you worried about? Do you need to worry about it?¡± ¡°Bruce has so many assets. You¡¯re his uncle, so you definitely have to take over a portion. Even if you can¡¯t take overpletely, you have to take at least half of it. Otherwise, Joanna will get all of it.¡± ¡°Bruce isn¡¯t dead yet.¡± ¡°Come on. He was shot in the head. Can he survive that?¡± After hearing that, Liam was distraught. Then he sneered, ¡°Shut up and stop nagging. Let me have some peace.¡± His mind was in a mess. He had to think about what to do next. If Bruce really died, this vast business empire would certainly need someone to take over. He was not the heir to Bruce¡¯s inheritance, so he definitely had no way of inheriting it. He could only completely kick Joanna out by exerting pressure on the board of directors. As long as he could assume the position of president of the Everett Group, Bruce¡¯s immovable assets would still be under his control. At the same time, Joanna was at the hospital. After making a series of arrangements, Jordan finally walked out of the intensive care unit. Seeing this, Joanna quickly walked forward and asked, ¡°Jordan, can I go in and see him?¡± Jordan hesitated for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. ¡°Sure.¡± Joanna immediately changed into sterile clothes and followed Jordan into the intensive care unit. The familiar scene appeared again. Brucey lifelessly on the hospital bed and his body was adorned with various medical devices. The hair he had managed to grow was shaved off again. His head was wrapped in thick bandages. Moreover, a nasal cann adorned his nose, and his fingers were connected to an electrocardiogram machine. It was identical to how he appeared after the car ident. Witnessing this sight, Joanna felt a pang in her heart. And tears streamed down her face. She murmured, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Chapter 681 Chapter 681 Chapter 681 She really did not dare to imagine what would happen to her if Bruce really died! The children would definitely be even more heartbroken. Although they loved to bicker with their daddy, the children actually loved their daddy very much. ¡°Boohoo¡­ You must be safe and sound. The children and I need you. You must hold on! You can¡¯t leave the four of us¡­¡± Joanna could not help but cry miserably. Her tears fell like beads. God was too cruel. He had just escaped from death. She did not expect that he would be like this in just two months. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Woo-woo¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but cry in grief. Seeing this, Mr. yton could not help butfort her. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t cry too hard. You¡¯re already seven months pregnant, and the fetus is showing signs of prematurebor. ¡°Too much sadness will affect the fetus.¡± Joanna¡¯s tears blurred her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to cry, but she really couldn¡¯t control herself. Everything was clearly going well, and she had already epted him again in her heart. Unfortunately, God was cruel and wanted to take him away from her again. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s situation is different this time. It¡¯s not as dangerous as thest operation. He just performed a simple operation on his head to remove the shrapnel. ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as the previous cerebral hemorrhage. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna looked at the doctor with tears in her eyes. Mr. yton nodded heavily. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then when will he wake up?¡± Mr. yton frowned and said solemnly, ¡°Although it¡¯s not as dangerous as thest surgery, it¡¯s still a surgery. ¡°As for when Mr. Everett will wake up, it¡¯s still unknown. ¡°Maybe tomorrow, or maybe a weekter! It depends on how he recovers.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank when she heard that. Doctors tended to be ambiguous when they spoke. ¡°Dr. yton, tell me the truth. Will he wake up or not? I want the truth. You don¡¯t have to worry that I won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± ¡°Well, all the surgeries don¡¯t guarantee 100% sess. ¡°At the moment, I can only tell you that Mr. Everett¡¯s surgery was very sessful. ¡°If there are no idents orplications, Mr. Everett will wake up.¡± After hearing Jordan¡¯s affirmation, Joanna finally felt a little more at ease. ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good! ¡°As long as he wakes up, nothing will be a problem. As long as he can keep his life, everything isn¡¯t too bad. ¡°I pray for the heavens to bless him. He must wake up.¡± Seeing this, Jordan could not help but sigh deeply. ¡°s, Miss Haynes, you have to be mentally prepared!¡± Joanna wiped her tears and looked at the doctor with a solemn and uneasy expression. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s brain had already suffered serious damage previously, and now he¡¯s injured again. His intelligence is very likely to decrease again¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, the tears in her eyespletely disappeared. She was ready. As long as he was alive, even if his intelligence became zero, she was willing to protect him forever. She only wanted him to live. ¡°I see! As long as he can keep his life, nothing will be a problem.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go out first. You can apany Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Jordan didn¡¯t say anything else and turned to leave. ¡°Bruce, you have to wake up quickly. ¡°If you sleep as long asst time, you¡¯ll miss the birth of the baby again.¡± Joanna covered his hand sadly and muttered to herself. After one blow after another, she had figured it out. As long as Bruce woke up this time, she would take him and the children away from Greyport. As for Everett Group, she would leave it to Liam! Bruce had a billion-dor personal saving, including real estate, jewelry, stocks, and so on. Previously, he had bought more than 2 billion dors in trust funds for each of the three children. Even if she didn¡¯t want Everett Group, the money was enough for her to spend for a few lifetimes with him and the children. Of course, the total market value of Everett Group was more than 100 billion dors. But total market capitalization and personal assets were different. His personal assets werepletely his, and thepany¡¯s total market value was the estimated total value of thepany. The value would change with thepany¡¯s shares, and many of them were immovable assets. Joanna said a lot intermittently. Brucey quietly on the hospital bed without any response. In the president¡¯s office in Yanice Group, Marlowe was furious at his subordinates again. ¡°Idiot, trash. ¡°You can even miss such a good opportunity. You didn¡¯t even kill him with a single shot. What were you all doing?¡± Pete looked humble and terrified. ¡°President Yanice, although he has be a fool now, I didn¡¯t expect his reaction to still be so quick-witted. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, he seems to have been shot in the head¡­¡± Before Pete could finish, Marlowe went crazy again. ¡°Then was he shot or not?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Pete couldn¡¯t see clearly either. He only saw the bullet fly past Bruce¡¯s scalp. Chapter 682 Chapter 682 Chapter 682 Pete stammered, ¡°In short, he was shot, but I really couldn¡¯t see where he was hit.¡± Marlowe took a deep breath and said sinisterly, ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°The hospital has already sealed off the news. We don¡¯t know the exact situation yet! ¡°However, don¡¯t worry. There will definitely be news in two days. Perhaps Bruce is already dead!¡± Marlowe was so angry that he copsed on the massage chair. He lit a cigar and took a deep puff. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really fucking lucky. ¡°I¡¯m so angry. I¡¯m pissed off¡­¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. As Marlowe cursed, he suddenly stood up and swept everything on the desk to the ground. ¡°What about the killer? He wasn¡¯t caught by the police, was he?¡± ¡°No, he has sessfully escaped.¡± ¡°Tell him to go overseas and hide. Don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Yanice. I¡¯ve already bought him a shipping ticket to Southeast Alendor. He will set off tonight.¡± ¡°You can leave now!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Pete and the others bowed and walked out in fear. ¡°Bruce, I want you to be dead. You must die! ¡°As long as you¡¯re alive, I won¡¯t be able to appease the hatred in my heart.¡± In order to get rid of Bruce, he had already spent a lot of money. He had even changed three batches of the assassins. If Bruce did not die, all the money would be wasted. It would be a huge loss. Sherane Bay Vi. The three children were also frightened. When they returned home, they cried very sadly. ¡°Mr. Gael, will Daddy die? Boohoo¡­¡± Gael keptforting the children. ¡°Sweetheart, no, no. Mr. Everett is blessed by God. He will definitely be fine.¡± Irvin cried even more sadly. ¡°Boohoo¡­ It¡¯s all my fault. Daddy wouldn¡¯t have been attacked if I hadn¡¯t suggested going to barbecue. ¡°If Daddy dies, I¡¯ll never forgive myself.¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± The children wailed. ¡°Mr. Haynes, Miss Haynes, don¡¯t cry anymore. Your Daddy will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°Mr. Gael, we want to go to the hospital to look for Mommy. We want to see Daddy!¡± ¡°Be good. Let¡¯s just wait at home obediently. Don¡¯t go to the hospital to add to the confusion. Be obedient. ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as your Mommy stays by your Daddy¡¯s side in the hospital. When Mr. Everett recovers, they¡¯ll be back.¡± The three little guys nodded with tears in their eyes. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s pray for Daddy at home.¡± Seeing this, Gael felt extremely upset. He had served the Everett family for almost 30 years. He had even watched Bruce grow up. Now that something like this had happened to the Everett family, he really didn¡¯t feel good. Irvin wiped his tears. ¡°Davian, who do you think wanted to kill Daddy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Davian sniffled and shook his head sadly. Bruce had so many enemies in Greyport. There were many people who wanted him to be dead. Soon, the media was already reporting on the shooting incident. ¡°A shooting happened in Beach Park. The suspected target is Bruce.¡± ¡°Someone was shot in Beach Park. The police are on high alert. The entire city is involved in the investigation.¡± ¡°A man was attacked by a gun in Beach Park. The man who was shot is suspected to be the president of Everett Group.¡± ¡°Bruce was shot in the head and hospitalized again. His fate is unknown.¡± Although the hospital had blocked the news, many people saw the shooting in Beach Park. Especially the gunshots, many people heard them. The Inte was filled with spections that Bruce was the one who had been shot. This news instantly exploded on the Inte. The shareholders of Everett Group, as well as the executives of the various departments, were also shocked by the news. ¡°Oh my god, Mr. Everett has been admitted to the hospital again! I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll really die this time!¡± ¡°Yeah! I heard that he was shot in the head. He¡¯s probably dead.¡± ¡°s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why people shouldn¡¯t be too arrogant. Look, Mr. Everett has so many enemies.¡± Another executive retorted, ¡°What does this have to do with being arrogant? For Mr. Everett to be able to get to his current status, it will definitely harm the interests of his peers. ¡°It¡¯s normal for him to be envied. After all, many people hate the rich now. ¡°Mr. Everett is so rich. Even if he¡¯s not arrogant, he¡¯ll still be hated.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? If Mr. Everett really passes away, who will inherit Everett Group?¡± The shareholders were even more anxious and discussed. Mr. Young smiled teasingly. ¡°Needless to say, it¡¯s either Mr. Miller or Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Then guess which one of them will be the final winner?¡± ¡°Hiss, that¡¯s hard to say. I feel that Mr. Miller has a higher chance of winning. After all, Miss Haynes is a woman with three children. She¡¯s even pregnant with a baby now. How can she have so much energy to manage thepany? ¡°Moreover, she¡¯s not familiar with the management of Everett Group. She probably can¡¯t take on this heavy responsibility.¡± The other shareholders nodded in agreement. ¡°Mr. Young¡¯s analysis makes sense. I also feel that Mr. Miller will take over Everett Group!¡± ¡°Alright, since everyone¡¯s conjecture is the same, there¡¯s no need to worry too much.¡± The scale in everyone¡¯s hearts had automatically tilted toward Liam. Chapter 683 Chapter 683 Bruce had been unconscious for a day and a night. Joanna also guarded him for a day and a night. Miranda had also been by her side the entire time. She was even more worried about Joanna. ¡°Joann, hurry up and rest! How can you endure it if you continue like this?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. She said sadly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡± ¡°Joann, even if you don¡¯t care about your health, you have to take care of the child in your belly. Hurry up and rest. You can¡¯t continue like this. ¡°The child is already seven months old. You must not affect the fetus. Be good and go to sleep for a while. Mr. Everett is guarded by doctors and special nurses. He will be fine.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Joanna rubbed her belly and stood up with difficulty. Shey down on the nurse¡¯s bed. She had not slept for a day and a night, and her body was extremely exhausted. As soon as shey down, she fell asleep in less than five minutes. It was probably because she was very nervous that she started having nightmares again when she fell asleep. Then, she dreamed of Bruce being murdered and covered in blood. ¡°Uh¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Joanna was in a nightmare. Her entire body trembled non-stop, but she could not wake up no matter what. Fortunately, Miranda was by her side. Sensing that she was possessed, Miranda quickly went forward to wake her up. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Joann, wake up quickly.¡± In a nightmare, Joanna had a clear mind, but her limbs were in a deep sleep. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t wake 1. Miranda shouted a few times before Joanna woke up from her nightmare. ¡°Ah-¡± ¡°Joann, are you possessed? Quickly sit up and drink a ss of water to sober up.¡± Hospitals usually had too much negative energy. People with weak bodies would easily be affected by nightmares if they slept in the hospital. This was especially true for those who often had nightmares. Joanna rested for two minutes before the fatigue in her body and the fear in her nightmares gradually dissipated. Miranda, how long have I been asleep?¡± Miranda handed her a ss of warm water and said gently, ¡°You¡¯ve only slept for more than an hour. ¡°Sleep for a while more. I¡¯ll stay here and watch over you. Sleep in peace.¡± Joanna shook her head in a daze. Then, she lifted the nket and got out of bed. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping anymore. It¡¯s better for me to guard him.¡± ¡°Joann, sleep a little longer¡­¡± Joanna ignored Miranda and insisted on going to Bruce¡¯s ward. In the ward. Another few hours passed. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ouch¡­¡± Bruce gradually regained consciousness and opened his eyes in a daze. This surgery miraculously connected his nerves again. The consciousness in his brain was slowly recovering. The memories seemed to be regained and surged into his mind like a tide. ¡°Ouch¡­ My head hurts¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously raised his hand to touch his aching head. At the same time, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the ceiling. ¡°Where am I? Why does my head hurt so much?¡± Bruce muttered in his heart. When he moved his hand, he realized that Joanna was lying beside his pillow. It seemed that she was asleep. He moved slightly and Joanna woke up. Joanna opened her eyes in a daze and subconsciously looked at Bruce¡¯s face. With one look, she was no longer sleepy. Unexpectedly, Bruce woke up! And his eyes were so energetic and bright. Joanna was instantly shocked. Her entire body was as excited as if her blood was boiling. She held his hand tightly and said. incoherently, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°You¡¯re finally awake? You¡¯re finally awake¡­¡± As she spoke, tears streamed down Joanna¡¯s face. Her crying,ughing, and excited expression made Bruce¡¯s heart ache. Bruce was stunned. The events of the past few months began to appear in his mind again. The events of the past few months were still vivid in his mind. It was as if he was dreaming. Now he had finally woken up from his dream. Looking at Joanna¡¯s familiar and haggard face, Bruce subconsciously reached out to touch her face. However, he had just woken up and his body was still very weak. He raised his hand for a long time, but it was too heavy to lift. Sensing his ufortable expression, Joanna hurriedly covered his hand over her heart, her eyes filled with endless tenderness. ¡°How are you? Does your head hurt?¡± Bruce was stunned and couldn¡¯t say a word for a long time. He just looked at her face in a daze. At this moment, she was really gentle, as if she was protecting a baby who was less than a month old. ¡°You must have a headache, right? I¡¯ll call the doctor now. Wait for me.¡± After saying this, Joanna hurriedly stood up. She held her waist clumsily and protected her big belly as she anxiously walked out. She was already more than seven months pregnant, but her back was still very delicate. Other than her belly, there was almost no meat on her other parts. Seeing how nervous Joanna was, Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. He thought back to this period of time. It seemed that she was exceptionally gentle and concerned about him. She took care of him meticulously and no longer red at him. This was something he did not even dare to think about in the past. Joanna had already walked out of the ward. ¡°Doctor,e and take a look at him. He¡¯s awake.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Three minutester, Mr. yton and two other doctors rushed to the ward to take a look. After a round of inspection, the doctors were also surprised that Bruce woke up earlier than they expected. ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to wake up so quickly. This is really a medical miracle.¡± When Joanna heard this, she still looked nervous. ¡°Then will he faint again in the future? Will there be other dangers?¡± Mr. yton checked Bruce¡¯s eyelids and said affirmatively, ¡°Since Mr. Everett has woken up, his life will no longer be in danger. ¡°It¡¯s just that his brain has been severely injured. At the moment, we¡¯re not sure if there will be any seque.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but cry tears of joy. She finally heaved a sigh of relief. Since Bruce¡¯s life was not in danger, everything was not too bad. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. As long as we can save his life, everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ll give Mr. Everett another full checkupter. He has to recover well during this period of time and not stimte his brain.¡± ¡°Got it, Doctor!¡± Spon, the doctor finished the examination. They took Bruce¡¯s blood for testing and then took a CT scan of his brain. The doctors left. ¡°You bastard, you really scared me to death. Thank God you¡¯re finally awake. Do you know how afraid I was that you wouldn¡¯t wake up? Boohoo¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, she could not help but bury her head in his arms. She held his arm tightly and cried bitterly. Bruce looked like he was enjoying it. He rolled his eyes slightly. He swallowed the words he wanted to say. It seemed like¡­ it was good to be a fool. Before he became stupid, Joanna had never said such things to him. She would not be so devoted to him. Chapter 684 Chapter 684 Chapter 684 Moreover, a lot of things seemed to have happened in thepany during the time he was in trouble. Liam and the few shareholders of thepany exposed their true colors and were reallywless. Especially Liam, he actually wanted to take Bruce¡¯s ce and embezzle Bruce¡¯s assets. Humph¡­ If he hadn¡¯t gotten into a car ident, he wouldn¡¯t have known that Liam had such ¡®capabilities¡¯. Also, the shareholders of thepany were on the same side as Liam. Speaking of which, he had to thank this car ident. At the very least, it allowed him to recognize the true colors of the people around him. Since that was the case, he might as well have some fun with them. They wanted to y tricks on him. However, they had to know their limits first. He had always been the one scheming against others. If others dared to scheme against him like this, they were purely courting death. He had never been a good person. ¡°Ouch¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Bruce deliberately pretended to feel painful and mumbled in a muffled voice. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g After all, it was not easy to pretend to be a genius. But who didn¡¯t know how to act dumb? Seeing this, Joanna quickly moved her head away from his arms. With tears in her eyes, she asked with concern and caution, ¡°Did I press down on your wound? Where does it hurt?¡± Bruce deliberately blew on his saliva and mumbled foolishly, ¡°My head hurts¡­ It all hurts¡­¡± ¡°Be good. Don¡¯t move around. Your head hasn¡¯t recovered yet. It will definitely hurt now. It won¡¯t hurt anymore after some days,¡± Joanna said and quickly grabbed his hand to prevent him from touching the needle. Looking at Joanna¡¯s gentle and caring expression, Bruce¡¯s heart surged with warmth. During this period of time, his mind had not been clear. He finally believed that Joanna was sincere with him. In the past, he had been too extreme. He had hurt her deeply, which was why she had wanted to leave him again and again. If he suddenly returned to normal now, she would probably want to escape again. ¡°After you recover, we and the children¡­ will stay away from this troublesome ce. ¡°Once we go overseas, let¡¯s find a ce where there are no conflicts and live a simple and stable life, okay?¡± Joanna looked at him with tears in her eyes. She had already thought it through and did not want to waste her time and energy on deception in the business world. She should bring the person she loved to live a peaceful and stable life. ¡°Since Liam wants Everett Group so much, we won¡¯t fight with him anymore. After Devin is born, we¡¯ll emigrate with our children and nevere back.¡± When Bruce heard this, tears welled up in his eyes as he looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes. He was touched and really wanted to live a peaceful and stable life with Joanna. However, he could never hand over the business empire that several generations had painstakingly built to Liam. He was not that magnanimous. -As for those who schemed against him, none of them could escape. He had never held a grudge because he would take revenge on the spot. Dying it was a waste of time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Does your head still hurt? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. You¡¯ve only just woken up. How can I tell you so much? Can you close your eyes and rest? I will stay by your side and take care of you.¡± ? ?? ?? ? Bruce came back to his senses and immediately put on a silly expression. ¡°Honey, it hurts so much¡­¡± ¡°Be good. I know you¡¯re in pain. My heart hurts even more. It¡¯s all my fault for causing you to be injured again.¡± As Joanna spoke, she could not help but cry again. Bruce had a wound on his forehead. The back of his head had surgery, and then he had head surgery again. Looking at him who was covered in wounds, Joanna really couldn¡¯t help but feel heartache. Seeing that Joanna was crying non-stop, Bruce couldn¡¯t bear it. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t cry. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. I lied to you. It really doesn¡¯t hurt¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, more and more tears ran down her face. Judging from the way he spoke, although he was still retarded, he was much better than she had expected. She originally thought that he would be a vegetable or a fool. Unexpectedly, it was much better than she had expected. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault for not taking good care of you. It¡¯s all my fault for being too willful that I caused you to suffer such a cmity. ¡°For the rest of my life, I will definitely take good care of you. I won¡¯t let you get hurt again, nor will I let you be bullied again. From now on, it¡¯s my turn to protect you.¡± Bruce was stunned. He subconsciously clicked his tongue. Would she protect him? Humph, forget it! This innocent woman couldn¡¯t even protect herself, let alone him. He should continue to protect her. However, it felt pretty good to pretend to be a fool! It was rare for Joanna to be so gentle and careful with him. He decided to pretend until the end. At the same time, he would teach Liam and the others a lesson. Didn¡¯t Liam say that he wanted to be his guardian? Then he might as well take the chance and let Liam get what he wanted. However, Liam would regret it sooner orter. In the past, on ount that Liam was his uncle, although he hated Liam, he still thought of kinship and let Liam enjoy riches. with him. Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t expect Liam to be so greedy! Chapter 685 Chapter 685 Chapter 685 Soon, the doctor gave Bruce a thorough examination. In the end, he concluded that Bruce¡¯s IQ was still only three or four years old. Of course, Bruce was deliberately putting on an act for this test. When he was asked such a simple question, he deliberately smiled foolishly and said that he didn¡¯t know. Brain damage was different from other injuries, and the instrument could not detect it. After the test, Mr. yton looked serious. ¡°A certain nerve of Mr. Everett might have suppressed. His intelligence is still the same as before.¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately heaved a sigh of relicf. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. Anyway, he is already silly enough now. As long as he can maintain the current situation, I¡¯m already satisfied.¡± Indeed, as long as Bruce could maintain the current situation, she was really satisfied. After all, he had escaped death from the Grim Reaper. It was already not easy for him to survive. ¡°Yes, yes. Try to do more brain-enhancing activities to stimte Mr. Everett¡¯s brain nerves. Perhaps he will recover one day. ¡°Moreover, even if he can¡¯t recover, Mr. Everett¡¯s situation will be like a child¡¯s growth. His intelligence will gradually increase. As long as you teach him patiently, his intelligence might recover to the age of seven or eight.¡± Joanna smiled gently and said with lingering fear, ¡°Ha-ha, he¡¯s already quite good like this. Even if he¡¯s like this for the rest of his life, I¡¯m willing to take care of him forever.¡± As Joanna spoke, she looked away. ked at Bruce dotingly. Sering that there was drot the corner of his lips, she helped him wipe it He was quite cute like this. When he returned to normal, who knew how bad he would be?. Compared to the past, she was more willing to ept him as he was now. He was silly and cute. Although he was a little clingy, he was very pure and innocent. She did not have to worry about being tricked and bullied by him again. She really enjoyed this kind of interaction. When Bruce saw the gentleness in Joanna¡¯s eyes, he could not help butin in his heart, ¡°How much did you hate me in the past? So much so that you would rather want a fool than a normal person! ¡°Alright! So you like this kind of man. Then I¡¯ll cooperate with you. Since you like fools, I can only pretend until the end.¡± After cursing silently, Bruce subconsciously pursed his lips and shrugged. It seemed that he was really unlikable in the past. He still had to change in the future. Although he was injured this time and almost lost his life, he still gained something. At least, it made him normal again. The nerves that had been adhered to previously had unexpectedly returned to normal after this surgery. It could be considered a blessing in disguise. Over here, Liam and L were even more relieved when they heard that Bruce had woken up again. ¡°That¡¯s great. That¡¯s great. God is kind to us. He woke up again. I was really worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. If he really dies, his billion-dor assets would really benefit Joanna and the three children.¡± Liam also heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s right! I was also worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. However, I heard that his intelligence has decreased even more. He¡¯spletely a fool now.¡± L¡¯s eyes lit up as she said happily, ¡°That¡¯s great. Hubby, even God is helping you. You have to take this opportunity and take action quickly. No matter what, you have to get his custody. ¡°Look, if you can¡¯t get custody, you won¡¯t get anything. I told you long ago that I wanted you to fight this lawsuit, but didn¡¯t do what I said. You can¡¯t give up so easily this time. You have to get what you want.¡± you Liam nodded heavily. His eyes widened. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We have to work harder. We have to get custody of Bruce.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go to the hospital to take a look at the specific situation. We can¡¯t make any mistakes again. ¡°It¡¯ll be toote for regrets then!¡± ¡°Yes, we must go to the hospital immediately.¡± The two of them changed their clothes and rushed to the hospital with arge group of people. Half an hourter, Liam and L rushed to Greyport Hospital with their men. Unfortunately, the corridor was already blocked by Bruce¡¯s bodyguards. Darcy and the others did not let them get close at all. ¡°People unrted are not allowed to enter. No one is allowed to step onto this floor.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. When L heard this, she choked in anger. ¡°What? What right do you have to stop us? Look carefully. We¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s rtives. ¡°Call Joanna out. We¡¯re here to visit Mr. Everett.¡± Darcy had a cold expression on his face as if he did not hear anything. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. No one is allowed to enter. Please leave!¡± Darcy¡¯s face was as cold as ice. He did not care about their mor at all. ¡°Hey, you¡¯d better know what¡¯s good for you! Don¡¯t regret it in the future. I think you still don¡¯t know what the current situation is, right? Don¡¯t stand on the wrong side! When the timees, I¡¯ll fire all of you. Don¡¯t regret it,¡± L said fiercely to Darcy. It was as if the Everett family had already be her possession. When Darcy heard this, he was indifferent and did not take them seriously at all! They had been by Bruce¡¯s side for a long time, and they were very proud deep down. Not just anyone could order them around. Other than Bruce, they really would not obey anyone¡¯s orders. ¡°Hubby, hurry up and call Joanna. Tell her that we¡¯re here to visit Mr. Everett. She can¡¯t be so domineering and not even let us see him!¡± Chapter 686 Chapter 686 Chapter 686 ¡°Hurry up and call Joanna out. Otherwise, bear the consequences.¡± Darcy and the others were still expressionless,pletely treating them as air. Helpless, Liam gritted his teeth in anger. He could only take out his phone and call Joanna. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. She looked at her phone and saw that it was Liam calling. ¡°Liam is really aggressive and intolerable. I really don¡¯t understand. How can there be such a greedy and shameless person in the world?¡± Joanna cursed with a dark expression and hung up. Although Bruce was lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, his ears were sharp. Hearing Joanna¡¯s words, he raised his eyebrows slightly. Since his dear ¡®uncle¡¯ wanted to see him so badly, he would definitely let his uncle get what he wanted. Bruce suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Joanna with a retarded expression. ¡°Honey¡­ It¡¯s so noisy outside¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them!¡± Joannaforted him gently. Outside the ward, L and Liam could not help but curse, Joanna, get the hell out here. ¡°What¡¯s your motive for controlling Mr. Everett like this? Come out quickly. Otherwise, we can only go through judicial proceedings and forcefully take Mr. Everett away.¡± Liam also shouted angrily, ¡°Joanna, hurry up ande out. What right do you have to not let us see Bruce? I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s biological uncle. I have the right to take care of him.¡± ¡°Stop arguing!¡± Darcy warned with a dark expression. ¡°What are you doing? How many benefits did Joanna give you? You¡¯d better open your eyes and see who Mr. Everett¡¯s closest person is.¡± The two of them kept arguing. In the ward, Joanna was really annoyed by the noise and could only walk out of the ward. Seeing that Joanna hade out, the two of them became even more confident. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re finally out!¡± Joanna looked at the two of them coldly. ¡°What do you want to do now?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to do anything. We just heard that Bruce is awake and specially came to take a look at his injuries.¡± ¡°What right do you have to not let us see Bruce? Tell me, what are your intentions?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and replied coldly, ¡°Bruce has woken up. His life is not in danger for the time being. You can go back.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. If we don¡¯t see Bruce today, we won¡¯t go back.¡± Liam also looked at Joanna aggressively. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve already filed anotherwsuit with the court. If you still refuse to let us see Mr. Everett, we can only ask the police to investigate.¡± Joanna was speechless. She frowned and stared at the two of them helplessly. ¡°Hurry up and get out of the way. Don¡¯t be so reckless.¡± ¡°Joanna, if you don¡¯t let us see Bruce today, we¡¯ll call the police now and charge you with illegally controlling the freedom of others.¡± Joanna heaved a long sigh. She could not be bothered to argue with them anymore. ¡°Alright! Since you insist on seeing him with your own eyes,e in.¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Although she was not afraid of them, if they really called the police¡­the police would definitely have to go through the motions when they arrivedter. They would have to make a statement and do some reconciliation. It was too troublesome. It was better to let them see Bruce¡¯s current situation with their own eyes so that they could leave here as soon as possible. ¡°Darcy, let them in.¡± When Darcy and Carson heard this, they stood in two rows and made way for them. L cursed fiercely. ¡°Humph, remember this. I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± After saying that, the couple followed Joanna angrily to the ward. In the ward. ¡°Bruce, I am here to see you!¡± Liam said carefully and pretended to walk forward to check. Brucey on the hospital bed and rolled his eyes. He deliberately crooked his lips and nted his eyes. Bubbles were stilling out of his mouth, and he kept chewing on his saliva. ¡°Wow¡­ Ha-ha¡­¡± He waspletely a retard and an idiot. When Liam and L saw this, they immediately felt confident. God had really helped them a lot. Bruce actually became even more idiotic. However, Liam still pretended to be concerned. ¡°s, Bruce, you were fine. How did you be like this all of a sudden? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of you for the rest of your life. I won¡¯t let anyone scheme against you, nor will I let anyone have ill intentions toward you. ¡°Bruce, are you willing to go home with me? Will you let me take care of your life in the future?¡± ¡°Ha-ha!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at Liam with a silly smile. ¡°Hello, Uncle¡­ Hello¡­¡± Hearing Bruce call him uncle, Liam looked happy. ¡°Hey, I heard it. ¡°Will you go home with me?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± When L heard this, she was even more delighted. She looked at Joanna in disdain. ¡°Did you hear that? Mr. Everett is willing to let his uncle take care of him. So, don¡¯t stop him. Be sensible and leave Mr. Everett quickly.¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°He¡¯s not clear-headed now!¡± ¡°Ha, Joanna, how do you know that he doesn¡¯t want me to take care of him when he¡¯s sober? ¡°I¡¯m his biological uncle, and he¡¯s my biological nephew. Now that something has happened to him, as his elder, I naturally have to take good care of my sister¡¯s child. ¡°Prepare yourself as soon as possible and move out of the Everett family.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes coldly. She really did not want to argue with such a person. ¡°Bruce, when you¡¯ve recovered, I will bring you home. In the future, I will personally take care of your life.¡± Bruce smiled foolishly and replied while chewing his saliva, ¡°Ha-ha, Uncle is so nice. I will go home with Uncle¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she felt even more troubled. Bruce used to hate Liam the most, let alone call him uncle. And now, he was really stupid. He actually acknowledged Liam, the evil person, as his uncle. This really made her helpless. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve already seen his condition. You can go back now.¡± Joanna did not stand on ceremony and asked them to leave. ¡°What right do you have to rush us back?¡± ¡°He¡¯s just woken up. The doctor said he needs a good rest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry When thewsuit is decided, if the court really gives you custody of him, I will let you take him away,¡± Joanna retorted coldly. ¡°But now, he has to recuperate well. If you stay, it will only affect his recovery.¡± When the two of them heard this, they did not retort. They were not interested in taking care of Bruce. They were only interested in his property. ¡°Hubby, let¡¯s go back first. Let her take care of Mr. Everett for a few more days. ¡°If anything goes wrong with Mr. Everett, I¡¯ll hold you responsible.¡± Joanna was speechless when she heard that and looked disgusted. This kind of person was really disgusting. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll go back first! Bruce, take good care of yourself. I will visit you another day.¡± The two of them had achieved their goal and left without wasting a minute. Chapter 687 Chapter 687 Chapter 687 They left the hospital. L gloated. ¡°Hubby, that¡¯s great. Bruce is aplete fool now. He¡¯s even more stupid than thest time we met. ¡°Look at him now. He doesn¡¯t have any ability to do things alone.¡± ¡°We will definitely win thewsuit. The court will definitely award you custody of him.¡± Liam pursed his lips. ¡°s, I hope so!¡± After Liam left, Joanna looked at Bruce helplessly and sadly. She reached out and gently caressed his face. ¡°s¡­¡± She wanted to say something, but she felt like a fishbone stuck in her throat. Bruce heard her sigh and knew what she was worried about. However, everything was under his control. He still couldn¡¯t tell her the truth. He wanted everyone to think that he was stupid. Only then would he be able to know the true colors of the people around him. At that time, he would catch them off guard and give them a head-on blow. He was sure that they would all beg him for mercy while crying and regret it. Bruce chewed on his saliva and smiled foolishly at Joanna. ¡°Honey¡­ I¡¯m sleepy¡­¡± ¡°Then have a sleep. I¡¯ll watch over you.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Bruce answered obediently. He held Joanna¡¯s hand and closed his eyes to rest. It was not that he was really tired, but he had been pretending to be an idiot with a crooked mouth, nted eyes, and constantly chewing saliva. To be honest, it was quite tiring. If he identally exposed himself, it would be even worse. It was better to pretend to be asleep. Joanna patted his shoulder gently to coax him to sleep as if she was coaxing a baby. She was afraid that he would feel a little ufortable, and she was even more afraid that he would not sleep well. Bruce enjoyed this feeling. How good would it be if she treated him like this for the rest of their life? It was much better than the way she used to scowl at him and keep a distance from him. He was really worried that after he returned to normal, Joanna¡¯s attitude toward him would be distant and cold again just like how she used to be. Beep, beep, beep! Joanna¡¯s phone vibrated. Joanna carefully took out her phone and took a look. It was the butler Gael calling. Joanna was afraid of waking up Bruce, so she quickly hung up the phone. Then, she gently pulled her hand out of his grip. She gently covered him with the nket and made sure that he did not wake up. Then, she stood up and tiptoed out of the ward to call Gael. As soon as Joanna left, Bruce¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. ¡°Oh, this feels so good. It¡¯s good that she cares about me so much and treats me so well for the rest of our life. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect her to have such a gentle side. I have to pretend to be a fool for a few more days and enjoy this wonderful feeling.¡± Joanna left the ward. She quickly called Gael back. Beep, beep, beep. The call was picked up very quickly. However, it wasn¡¯t Gael who answered. Instead, it was Davian¡¯s voice. ¡°Hello, Mommy, it¡¯s me, Davian.¡± ¡°Baby, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Mommy, how¡¯s Daddy now? We¡¯re all very worried about him.¡± Davian¡¯s voice was hoarse. It seemed like he had been crying for the past few days. When Joanna heard her son¡¯s voice, she quicklyforted the children. ¡°Babies, don¡¯t worry. Daddy has already woken up. He can be discharged in a few days.¡± Hearing that, Davian asked in disbelief, ¡°Really? Mommy, don¡¯t lie to us.¡± ¡°Why would Mommy lie to you? Daddy is really awake. He can go home in a few days. You don¡¯t have to worry. Tell Irvin and Lilia not to worry either.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Then can we go to the hospital to visit Daddy? We¡¯re really worried.¡± ¡°Babies, stay at home obediently and don¡¯te to the hospital. I am worried that something bad will happen. Besides, there are many paparazzi waiting at the hospital these few days. I don¡¯t want you to be harassed.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Give the phone to Mr. Gael.¡± ¡°Mr. Gael, it¡¯s Mommy,¡± said Davian as he handed the phone to Gael. ¡°Hello, Gael.¡± ¡°What can I do for you, Mrs. Everett?¡± ¡°Thank you for taking care of the children these days.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take good care of the children. ¡°However, if you can spare the time, you should try your best toe back. The children are very worried about Mr. Everett. These few days, they have no appetite and are making a fuss about going to the hospital.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt extremely upset. ¡°I¡¯ll go back tonight!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Joanna had already been in the hospital for three days. The children must be anxious. She had to go back andfort the children. After hanging up, Joanna returned to the ward. -Bruce seemed to be sleeping soundly with his eyes closed. Joanna gently stroked his cheek. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going back to Sherane Bay Vi to see the children. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. You have to be good.¡± After saying that, Joanna gently touched his forehead and kissed him. She knew that Bruce relied on her. If he woke upter and couldn¡¯t see her, he would cause a scene again. She could only rush back while he was sleeping. Bruce had surgery and had lost too much blood. He might sleep for a few hours. So, the time was enough for her to make a trip home. Chapter 688 Chapter 688 Chapter 688 Joanna left. Bruce suddenly opened his eyes. It was good that she had left. He had been worried that he would not be able to find an opportunity. Now that she was not around, he could find someone to investigate the person who had harmed him. He thought about it. It had been more than half a year since he had a car ident. After his ident, the shares of the listedpanies in the charge of the Everett Group fell to a record low. Thepany management was even worse, and they suffered heavy losses. This was nothing. What angered him the most was that he had almost lost his life several times. If he did not retaliate, those people would really think that he was a pushover. Smack! Bruce deliberately knocked away the ss of water on the table. Outside the ward, Darcy and Carson frowned when they heard that. ¡°There¡¯s movement in the ward.¡± The two of them hurriedly pushed the door open and entered to take a look. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just that the cup fell to the ground.¡± Seeing that everything was fine, the two of them prepared to call for someone to clean it up. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Darcy, Carson!¡± Bruce suddenly called the two of them. Darcy and Carson were shocked. ¡°Mr. Everett, have you returned to normal?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy. He wanted to sit up, but his body was a little weak. Seeing this, Darcy hurriedly went forward to help him up. ¡°Mr. Everett, that¡¯s great. I¡¯ll call the doctor now.¡± Bruce said coldly, ¡°No need. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone that I¡¯m back to normal. Just keep it between the two of you.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The two of them nodded solemnly. The two of them had been with Bruce for many years and were Bruce¡¯s most trusted bodyguards. A hint of ruthlessness appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome and cold face. ¡°Go and find out who nned my car ident and this attack.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I had already investigated it when you were in the car ident. It was done by people from Southeast Alendor. ¡°Now those people from Southeast Alendor have run away. It will probably be very difficult to catch him again.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. In Greyport, there were many illegal underground gangs smuggled from Southeast Alendor. They specialized in illegal business. Some rich people would spend money to find these people to settle things that they couldn¡¯t handle. Moreover, these people had special smuggling channels, so it was very difficult for the police to arrest them. Of course, Bruce had done this before. ¡°Investigate further. We must find out who the mastermind is.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°And don¡¯t let anyone know about my situation.¡± ¡°Especially Joanna. I can¡¯t let her know about this.¡± Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes looked at Darcy gloomily. He had always been a vengeful person. He would not let the matter rest if someone dared to attack him behind his back. However, it was best not to let Joanna know about this. With her personality, she was still too kind and innocent. If she found out, she would probably persuade him to call the police to deal with it. However, there were some things that could not be solved by the police, just like the car ident. There was no way to investigate it. Even if he knew who did it, the other party would not leave any evidence for the police. Moreover, the murderers had already fled overseas, so there was no way to arrest them. Therefore, he could only give them a taste of their own medicine. ¡°You can go out!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, Darcy found the boss of the gang. ¡°Jude, can you help us investigate some people?¡± The man called Jude had a serious expression. ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°Last time, Mr. Everett was attacked at Beach Park. Help us find out who did it.¡± Jude was the boss of thergest underground gang in Greyport. In Greyport, most of the people in the gangs were hisckeys. Especially those scumbags from Southeast Alendor, he knew all about them. ¡°Those were people from Southeast Alendor. They are missing now. ¡°They are probably hired!¡± ¡°Who hired them?¡± Darcy asked with a frown. Jude¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Uh, you also know that the mastermind behind this won¡¯t show up easily. Most of them have to go through a few transfers before they can find those people from Southeast Alendor. ¡°So, I don¡¯t know who the mastermind behind the scenes is either. I only know that there¡¯s someone called Rene who¡¯s very close to those people from Southeast Alendor. ¡°You can ask him!¡± Jude, who was in the underground world, was naturally two-faced. Even if he knew that the mastermind was Marlowe, he would not dare to say it out loud. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Peter, investigate Rene.¡± In less than a day, they got a result. ¡°I found it out. He used to be in the Star Gang. Later, he was beaten up and sent to prison. He became a driver.¡± ¡°Find him!¡± After a thorough investigation, they quickly found out about Rene. Chapter 689 Chapter 689 Chapter 689 In less than a day, Darcy had traced the source back to Pete. Pete was Marlowe¡¯s right-hand man. So the answer naturally fell into ce. In the ward. Taking advantage of Joanna¡¯s absence, Darcy entered the ward and reported the results to Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve identified the mastermind behind the scenes.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± Bruce leaned against the hospital bed with a menaced expression. Wearing a poker face, Darcy spoke emotionlessly, ¡°It was Marlowe Yanice, the heir of Yanice Group, who ordered the attacks.¡± ¡°He orchestrated both the previous car ident and the recent shooting¡± ¡°Marlowe Yanice?¡± Bruce frowned, a cold glint shing in his eyes. He had almost forgotten about this scumbag. Over a decade ago, the two were about the same age and were both top-tier wealthy second- generation elites in Greyport. Naturally, people liked topare them. Marlowe was not only arrogant but also had a despicable character. He always wanted topete with Bruce. Among the wealthy second-generation elites in Greyport, he was known as ¡°Trash Marlowe¡± due to his terrible personality. Despite being wealthy, he constantly engaged in disgusting behavior. He would use women without paying them, refuse to acknowledge gambling losses, and not repay debts. He particrly enjoyed pursuing innocent and naive college girls. One of these girls became pregnant after he dated her. However, he abandoned her without anypensation. These young college girls were inexperienced and emotionally vulnerable. They couldn¡¯t handle the emotional blows. One of them tragicallymitted suicide by jumping off a building. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g After the incident, Marlowe showed no remorse but boasted about his charm instead. The incident caused a sensation. throughout Greyport. Though Bruce was a despicable bastard himself, he disliked others who were also despicable. Furthermore, he might have had a bad temper, but he had principles and a clear sense of right and wrong. He knew what should and shouldn¡¯t be done in critical situations. Especially a decade ago, Bruce was also in his rebellious and self-assertive phase. It was easy to imagine what happened when Marlowe provoked him. As a result, Marlowe ended up in prison, serving a solid nine years behind bars. People thought that spending nine years in prison would reform this scum and bring about a change in him. Yet things didn¡¯t turn out as expected when he finally got released. ¡°Hmph, he really messed up this time.¡± ¡°To fall into the hands of such a trash.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes glinted with a hint of viciousness. He felt even more disgusted. He could have epted defeat if his opponent had been someone on his level. But to be defeated by someone like Marlowe was like a lion being ambushed by a pack of hyenas. It was simply humiliating. After contemting briefly, Bruce coldly ordered, ¡°Go give him a lesson. Teach him how to behave.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Make sure to clean the mess up. Don¡¯t leave any trouble behind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett.¡± Darcy had been working for Bruce for years. This was not the first time Bruce had ordered him to do something like this. Naturally, he would handle it wlessly and leave no evidence behind. ¡°Also, check thetest updates on Liam¡¯s side! He wants to fight for custody over me! Satisfy his demands.¡± Though Darcy looked slightly puzzled, he respectfully responded. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± As they were talking¡­. The ward door was pushed open. Joanna walked in clumsily with a big belly and a thermos in her hand. ¡°Miss Haynes.¡± Darcy greeted her. In the blink of an eye, Bruce¡¯s expression changed, and he instantly reverted to his foolish appearance. ¡°Wifey, I want a hug.¡± Seeing Darcy in the room, Joanna looked surprised. ¡°Darcy, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­ just now¡­¡± Darcy¡¯s poker face turned awkward. He did not know how to answer Joanna¡¯s question. Though he had exceptionalbat skills, he was terrible at socializing, let alone lying. Not wanting Darcy to expose himself, Bruce quickly changed the subject. ¡°Wifey, I¡¯m so hungry. I want something to eat.¡± Hearing this, Joanna didn¡¯t probe further and quickly opened the thermos. ¡°Oh, I made some spaghetti for you.¡± ¡°I want you to feed me.¡± Bruce chewed on his saliva and spat out bubbles. He pretended to look foolish and silly. Darcy was speechless. Bruce looked as if he was having constipation. He found Bruce¡¯s appearance ridiculous. Bruce acting like a retard was simply extraordinary. Previously, he didn¡¯t know that Bruce was acting, so he didn¡¯t feel that embarrassed. Now that he knew it was an act, he suffered so much holding back hisughter. ¡°I¡¯ll make a move first.¡± Joanna was focused on pouring the spaghetti out of the thermos and did not notice anything unusual between the two. ¡°Here, open up. Be careful. It¡¯s hot.¡± Joanna wound the spaghetti around the fork and carefully fed it to him. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Bruce opened his mouth wide like a bird fed by its mother. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°Yes, my wife¡¯s spaghetti is the best,¡± Bruce praised with a silly smile. Joanna was stunned and looked at Bruce in surprise. Logically speaking, he had suffered two brain injuries and shouldn¡¯t remember that she had made spaghetti for him before. However, she didn¡¯t dwell on it too much. After all, it was his favorite dish in the past, and it was normal for him to remember it subconsciously. ¡°Eat slowly. Don¡¯t burn yourself.¡± ¡°Whoo¡­ It¡¯s hot¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna quickly cooled down the spaghetti before carefully feeding it to him. Bruce enjoyed Joanna Haynes¡¯ attentive care. He couldn¡¯t be more content in his heart. He really loved seeing her gentle and careful demeanor. Meanwhile¡­ After finishing work, Pete went to the usual massage parlor with a few of his henchmen. As usual, he ordered the masseuse he was familiar with. Shortly after, Peteid quietly on the massage bed, waiting for the arrival of the beautiful masseuse. Ten minutes flew by. The beautiful masseuse did note. Instead, four burly men in ck entered the room. Realizing that it wasn¡¯t the masseuse, Pete immediately panicked. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± As he spoke, he attempted to run towards the door. However, it was toote. One of the men grabbed his shirt cor and pushed him against the wall. Without hesitation, he pressed a pistol against Pete¡¯s lower back. ¡°Stay still. If you dare to make a move, today will be the day you die.¡± Pete was startled and dared not struggle any further. ¡°Brothers, which gang are you from?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± The man in ck sneered in disdain. Pete¡¯s mind raced, and he deliberately knocked over the table, trying to make a loud noise to draw the attention of his henchmen in the adjacent room. ¡°No need for those tricks. We¡¯ve taken care of all yourckeys. No one ising to save you. You¡¯d better cooperate.¡± Hearing this, Pete knew he had encountered a formidable opponent today and quickly put on a submissive smile. ¡°Do you know why we¡¯re looking for you?¡± ¡°Brother, if you have something to say, just go straight to the point!¡± Pete admitted defeat in a second. ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb.¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been acting arrogantlytely!¡± Pete gulped nervously and stammered, ¡°N-no. I was only doing my job.¡± ¡°You guys are quite bold to mess with our boss. You should have known what the consequences you would face.¡± Chapter 690 Chapter 690 Chapter 690 Boom. Pete¡¯s eyes flickered with fear. He could already guess who sent them before they revealed anything to him. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m just making a living. If I¡¯ve offended you in any way, please tell me¡­¡± Pete stammered, his entire body drenched in sweat. He knew all too well about Bruce¡¯s methods. Messing with him was equivalent to messing with the King of Hades. The man in ck smiled sinisterly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous. Today, we¡¯re here to give you a chance to live.¡± ¡°Whether you want to live or not depends on your choice.¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡± The next day. It was past three in the morning. Marlowe and his gang stumbled out of a nightclub,pletely drunk. Two beautifuldies supported him by holding his armpits. ¡°Be careful, President Yanice. Where are we going for supperter?¡± In a drunken haze, Marlowe burped. ¡°My house, of course. Hehehe!¡± ¡°Oh my, President Yanice, you¡¯re so naughty!¡± The two beauties flirted and cooed. ¡°President Yanice, please get in the car. The bodyguard had already opened the car door. The two beauties helped the swaying Marlowe into the car. Then, they followed suit and got in as well. Pete¡¯s face darkened as he ordered his bodyguards to enter the two cars behind. Usually, Pete was in charge of Marlowe¡¯s safety. They would have more than ten bodyguards during outings, but Pete had only arranged five to apany them today. The driver started the car and headed towards Marlowe¡¯s vi. Pete and the other bodyguards sat in the car behind, leisurely following Marlowe¡¯s car. In the car, Pete suddenly turned to the driver and said, ¡°Drive slower!¡± ¡°If we¡¯re any slower, we won¡¯t be able to keep up with President Yanice.¡± Pete red at him. ¡°I told you to slow down. Why are you talking so much?¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The driver subconsciously slowed down and maintained a certain distance from the car in front. Soon, Marlowe¡¯s car drove past Silver Ring Avenue. Meanwhile, Pete¡¯s cars were stopped by a red light, creating a gap between the two vehicles. Pete looked at his watch. It was already four in the morning. At this hour, there were hardly any cars on the street. Especially the Silver Ring Avenue. Pedestrians were even rarer. One could see the deserted road at a nce, and the dim streetlights added to the eerie atmosphere. ¡°President Yanice, you look so handsome!¡± ¡°Come on, give me a kiss!¡± ¡°Stop it¡­¡± Marlowe was in the middle of flirting with the two beautiful women. ¡°Boom!¡± Two ck cars came rushing down the nearby small road. The cars were speeding, heading directly for the back of Marlowe¡¯s car. ¡°ng!¡± ¡°Crash! Boom!¡± The cars collided forcefully with Marlowe¡¯s car, and without stopping, the driver mmed harder on the elerator, ramming into Marlowe¡¯s rear repeatedly. Marlowe¡¯s car lost control and crashed into a flower bed before finallying to a halt. ¡°Ah-ah!¡± The car erupted with screams. The front and back of Marlowe¡¯s car werepletely deformed, leaving debris scattered all over the ground. Marlowe was scared out of his wits. Although the airbag in the car had been deployed, they were useless. He was thrown forward, and the two beautiful women mmed against the car door. ¡°Ah¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± The driver had already fainted on the spot. ¡°Squeak¡­¡± Before Marlowe Yanice could get out of his car, another car came roaring up to the front. Marlowe knew he was in trouble, and the effects of the alcohol hadpletely worn off. In a dazed state, he looked around and realized that his car was blocked by the two cars in front and behind. The car door opened. Five or six burly men in ck got out of the car, brandishing machetes as they approached Marlowe¡¯s car. Immediately, Marlowe screamed in fear, ¡°Pete! Pete! Where the f*ck did you go?¡± ¡°Ah, help! Help!¡± The two beautiful women were even more frightened. They screamed in panic. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± The ck-d men smashed the car window open with two blows. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. One of the burly men reached in and dragged the terrified woman out of the car. Then, without hesitation, they attacked Marlowe with vicious shes. ¡°Ah-ah!¡± Blood sttered everywhere. The beauty on the right screamed in fear and fainted on the spot. ¡°Ah, help! Help!¡± Marlowe wailed in despair. Pete, who was only 200 yards away from Marlowe, remained seated in the car indifferently. Marlowe had always treated them with contempt and treated them like ves. He thought he could bumiliate them by paying them a meager ie. Now that he was being attacked, Pete and the few bodyguards intentionally dyed going to his rescue. The ck-d men finished their attack on Marlowe. Then, they grabbed him and dragged him out of the car. Lying on the ground, Marlowe was losing consciousness. ¡°Vroom!¡± The car behind started its engine. It directly ran over Marlowe¡¯s legs. Afterward, the ck-d men swiftly got into their car and vanished in the blink of an eye. The entire process took less than five minutes from the beginning to the end. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Marlowe let out a shrill cry and fainted from the pain. Pete calcted the time. It should be done by now. Only then did he call the driver to help. ¡°Speed up. Cchase after President Yanice to protect him. Chapter 691 Chapter 691 Chapter 691 The distance between the two cars was actually just a short distance away. They were separated only by a traffic light. Two minutester. Pete rushed over with a few bodyguards. ¡°President Yanice! President Yanice!¡± ¡°Hurry up and send President Yanice to the hospital. Quick!¡± ¡°Call an ambnce. Someone call the police!¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± The bodyguards pretended to be busy. The few of them secretly shared knowing nces. After all, Marlowe had treated them so poorly in the past. They were only human and couldn¡¯t help but resent him. Now that Marlowe had been severely injured and his legs were crushed, they found some relief in their hearts. ¡°Beep, beep!¡± The ambnce arrived quickly. The medical team quickly provided basic treatment to Marlowe and hastily lifted him onto the ambnce stretcher. ¡°Beep, beep!¡± Afterward, the ambnce sped toward the hospital. Ten minutester. The ambnce arrived at Greyport Hospital. A few doctors and nurses on duty rushed out to receive them. After all, Marlowe was a prominent figure. The hospital couldn¡¯t afford to be careless with his treatment. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Be careful!¡± Marlowe had lost a significant amount of blood and suffered severe injuries. He was already unconscious, and his legs were mangled from being run over by the car. Even if they managed to save him, his injuries were so severe that he would likely need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life! ¡°Quickly, take the patient to the operating room and give him a blood transfusion¡­¡± ¡°Notify the patient¡¯s family!¡± ¡°President Yanice¡¯s legs are in critical condition; we may need to amputate them immediately.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s that serious?¡± Pete eximed, his face filled with horror. At the same time, Pete quickly called Marlowe¡¯s father¡¯s secretary. Ring, ring. ¡°Who is it?¡± Marcus¡¯ secretary, Be Ackers, answered the callzily. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m President Yanice¡¯s assistant. President Yanice has had an ident. He was attacked and stabbed multiple times. He is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. Please quickly inform Mr. Yanice,¡± said Pete in a panic. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. They didn¡¯t have direct ess to Marcus¡¯ contact information. So they had to reach out to his secretary. Upon hearing the news, Be was instantly wide awake. She sat up in a hurry. ¡°What did you say? President Yanice had an ident?¡± ¡°Yes, he may have been targeted by his enemies. His car was forced to stop on Silver Ring Avenue then he was attacked and stabbed multiple times. His legs are severely injured, and the doctors may have to amputate them. Please inform Mr. Yanice toe to the hospital quickly.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Be hung up and quickly called Marcus. Fortunately, it was already past five in the morning. It was almost six o¡¯clock. Marcus would awake at this time to y golf. Shortly after, Be informed Marlowe¡¯s father, Marcus, about the situation. Despite not having a good rtionship with his son, Marcus was naturally anxious and worried upon hearing about his son¡¯s condition. He hurriedly rushed to the hospital with his men. The surgery was still ongoing. It had been more than ten hours, but the surgery was still not over. At 6:30 a.m., Marcus arrived at the hospital anxiously. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°His enemies must have tried to take revenge on him. We already called the police¡­ ¡°What did the doctors say?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still undergoing emergency treatment,¡± Pete replied, his face filled with fear as he forced himself to remainposed. Marcus took out a handkerchief and subconsciously wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then, he removed his sses and cleaned the lenses.. This son of his always caused him headaches. He had hoped that after spending nine years in prison, Marlowe would turn over a new leaf and be a better person. Unfortunately¡­ The incident on Silver Ring Avenue quickly reached the cars of journalists. News about Marlowe¡¯s attack spread like wildfire across the inte. [Yanice Group¡¯s Heir Severely Injured in Brutal Attack.] [Malicious Car ident on Silver Ring Avenue Leaves Three Injured, One in Critical Condition.] [Marlowe Yanice¡¯s Life Hangs in the Bnce¡­] A series of news articles instantly flooded the inte. Upon seeing the news, Joanna was horrified and deeply disturbed. ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s been so unsettledtely. Another person has been attacked.¡± ¡°Darcy, Carson, you must ensure your safety and take every precaution. We cannot afford to have any simr incidents.¡± ¡°Yes, we understand.¡± Back in the ward. Joanna was still shaken, her face full of panic and distress. The incidents involving Bruce and Marlowe were extremely heinous, and they urred within less than a week of each other. Was public security so bad now? She was genuinely worried. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce asked with a silly smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just don¡¯t ask.¡± Bruce chewed on his saliva and chuckled foolishly. ¡°Come on, tell me! I really want to know!¡± Sighing with lingering fear, Joanna sighed. Joanna recalled the scene from yesterday when Marlowe was rushed to the hospital. She happened to witness it when she came out. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s better not to know.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce worriedly. After all, Bruce had just run into the robbers a few days ago. Joanna wondered if there were terrorists deliberately trying to kill the tycoons. However, on second thought, she felt that it was impossible. Robbers would usually ask for money, but in Bruce and Marlowe¡¯s cases, the criminals did not seem to ask for money. They simply wanted their lives. Chapter 692 Chapter 692 Chapter 692 Bruce was well aware of the incident, and a dark, smug glint shed across his eyes. However, he remained calm and unaffected on the surface. Of course, he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to have his own men carry out such an act. Instead, he took matters into his own hands and hired individuals from a gang to teach Marlowe Yanice a lesson. After attacking Marlowe, the thugs had already taken their money and fled the country overnight. It was nearly impossible for the police to track them down, even if a report was filed. ¡°The security in Greyport is getting worse and worse. Just thinking about it makes me afraid. After you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, let¡¯s immigrate to a safer country abroad.¡± ¡°We should find a country with better security and environment to lead a peaceful life.¡± Joanna was still frightened by the recent events. She kept praying for the safety of the people around her. Little did she know that Bruce was the one who had orchestrated the attack. When Bruce heard this, he could not help but chuckle. Women were simply timid. They would get afraid of the slightest things. Therefore, he could not let her discover all the things he had done. Hearing Bruce¡¯s inexplicableugh, Joanna stared at him suspiciously. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Bruce quickly concealed the cunning glint in his eyes and replied, ¡°Wifey, I¡¯m thirsty. I want water¡­¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna quickly got up and poured a ss of warm water before carefully bringing it to his lips. ¡°Be careful while drinking. Don¡¯t choke.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. Thank you, wifey.¡± Bruce pretended to be silly and innocent. He believed in the principle of an eye for an eye. While he initially didn¡¯t want to have any further involvement with Marlowe, thetter had nearly cost him his life. Naturally, he had to seek revenge. Meanwhile, Marlowe¡¯s surgery continued in a tense atmosphere. Marcus and his personal secretary also wore worried expressions. ¡°Sigh, this child is a pain in the arse. I knew he would get into trouble, but I never expected it to be this serious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for not raising him properly. I¡¯ve let his mother down!¡± As Marcus spoke, his eyes turned red. He subconsciously took off his sses and wiped the lenses with a handkerchief. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g At over sixty years old, he could be considered a senior citizen. Although the Yanice family was slightly inferior to the Everett family, they were still a prestigious and well-established family in Greyport. Unfortunately, all of his three sons were good-for-nothings. As a result, even though he was in his sixties, he did not dare to retire as his family did not have a suitable sessor. His eldest son, Marlowe, had a difficult temperament and seemed mentally unstable. Handing over the company to him was undoubtedly a risky proposition. Although his second son had a gentle personality, he had issues with his love life. He refused to enter any romantic rtionships and often dressed femininely, which annoyed Marcus to no end. As for his third son, there was little hope. Despite being young, he got involved with drugs and had already been sent to rehab three times. Unfortunately, it had proven ineffective, leaving Marcus incredibly distressed. He couldn¡¯t understand why he, with all his sess, had raised three incapable sons. On the other hand, the Everett family had Bruce, who was an exceptional sole heir. He skillfully managed the family business and led it to thrive. ¡°Mr. Yanice, you can¡¯t be so hard on yourself. You¡¯ve also put in a lot of effort.¡± ¡°President Yanice has a strong personality. He needs to be taught slowly.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Marcus¡¯s face darkened as he let out a deep sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Yanice! President Yanice will be fine.¡± Marcus took another deep breath. ¡°I hope so.¡± He was really distressed about his eldest son. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Marlowe was his own flesh and blood, he would prefer not to even look at him. The surgerysted for 17 to 18 hours before it finally ended. ¡°Ding!¡± The lights in the operating room were finally turned off. The doctors and nurses walked out of the operating room with exhausted expressions. Seeing this, Marcus quickly approached them with concern and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is my son?¡± Mr. yton wore a solemn expression and said, ¡°The patient¡¯s wound has been treated, but he hasn¡¯t regained consciousness yet.¡± ¡°He has been transferred to the intensive care unit for further observation.¡± ¡°You must do your best to heal my son.¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± ¡°However, you have to be mentally prepared. The patient¡¯s condition is not optimistic. We can only try our best to treat him.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± Marcus replied wearily. Marlowe had been stabbed fifteen times in total. He suffered two severed tendons in his hand, five stab wounds in his chest, and three on his head. The most fatal blow was the sh on his neck, which narrowly missed a major artery. After the surgery, his left leg was barely saved, but the lower leg bone on his right leg was crushed and required amputation. This incident served as a painful lesson for Marlowe. Whether he could be as fortunate as Bruce and recover from the brink of death would depend on his fate. As time passed, Bruce stayed in the hospital for another week until his wounds were mostly healed. He was finally discharged and allowed to return home. In the doctor¡¯s office, Mr. yton conducted another examination for Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can be discharged now. Remember toe back for follow-up appointments on time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop taking these medications; continue to take them as prescribed daily.¡± Joanna listened attentively to the doctor¡¯s instructions. ¡°Alright, understood. Is there anything else we need to know?¡± ¡°When you have free time, engage in brain-stimting games. It will be beneficial for Mr. Everett¡¯s cognitive recovery.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°Very well! You can go ahead andplete the discharge procedures. In about a week, you cane back to the hospital to have the stitches removed.¡± ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± Chapter 693 Chapter 693 Chapter 693 Back in the ward. Joanna smiled gently at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, we can finally leave the hospital now.¡± When Bruce heard this, his handsome face lit up with a silly smile. ¡°Oh, oh. I¡¯m so happy we can go home!¡± Joanna then turned to the several bodyguards. ¡°Have you packed everything?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Everett. Everything is packed, and the discharge procedures have beenpleted.¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna double-checked the ward to make sure nothing important was left behind before feeling at ease to leave. ¡°Wifey, be careful.¡± Bruce took the initiative to hold Joanna¡¯s hand. Afraid someone would identally touch her, he gently wrapped his other hand around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. Joanna smiled gently at him. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Darcy, are there any reporters outside?¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s question, Darcy replied solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. The car is already waiting at the elevator entrance. Once we step out of the elevator, we¡¯ll be able to get into the car safely.¡± ¡°This time, we have taken all necessary security measures. You and Mr. Everett won¡¯t be affected or harassed.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s a relief.¡± Thest time Bruce was discharged from the hospital, arge number of reporters and onlookers waited outside. The scene was chaotic. Bruce was greatly affected and even broke down in tears in front of the media. This time, they couldn¡¯t let history repeat itself. The security personnel had made thorough preparations to ensure their safety. Ding! The elevator went directly to the parking lot. Right as Bruce and Joanna stepped out, the waiting reporters went crazy. ¡°Mr. Everett, can we have a quick interview? Please say a few words!¡± Click, click! The reporters went crazy with their cameras. However, this time, the security arrangements were well-executed. The bodyguards and security personnel formed a pathway with barricades, keeping all the reporters outside/ At the elevator entrance, there was an extended Rolls-Royce and several Mercedes-Benz cars waiting. The servants respectfully opened the car doors, saying, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett, please get into the car. Joanna was worried that Bruce Everett might get overwhelmed by the situation, so she urged him, ¡°Bruce, hurry up and get in!¡± Bruce grinned foolishly. ¡°Wifey, you can go in first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You go first.¡± ¡°No, I want you to go first.¡± Bruce was more worried that the reporters might harrassed Joanna. So he wanted her to enter the car first Joanna couldn¡¯t persuade him otherwise and had no choice but to get into the car first. The extended Rolls-Royce had plenty of space, and the genuine leather seats were incredibly comfortable. However, being over seven months pregnant, Joanna¡¯s movements were somewhat restricted. She got into the car clumsily. Just as he was about to move to her seat, Bruce had already gotten into the car from the other side. ¡°Wifey, sit tight and don¡¯t move around! Remember to buckle up your seatbelt,¡± Bruce said as he swiftly pulled the seatbelt over Joanna and carefully fastened it for her. Joanna was slightly surprised by his thoughtfulness. She had intended to get into the car and move to the inside seat to make room for him. Unexpectedly, he entered from the other side and even helped her fasten her seatbelt. She couldn¡¯t help but think that this little fool was quite considerate. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the driver responded and calmly started the car. The bodyguards quickly got into the other Mercedes-Benz behind. Soon, the cars left the parking lot and headed towards Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce affectionately wrapped his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder inside the car, and his other hand gently caressed her belly. Joanna was about to call the butler when the baby suddenly kicked her stomach. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s face immediately showed a hint of concern upon hearing her exmation. ¡°Wifey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The baby kicked me just now.¡± ¡°Really? Let me hear it, let me hear it!¡± Bruce said excitedly and quickly pressed his head against her belly. Seeing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but push his head away. ¡°Stop fooling around. We¡¯re in the car now!¡± ¡°Come on. I just want to hear it, and I want to talk to the baby too.¡± ¡°Baby, you have to behave yourself inside. Don¡¯t kick Mommy randomly; she¡¯s already been through a lot. If you misbehave, Daddy will spank your bottom, okay!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes yfully. ¡°The baby hasn¡¯t even been born yet. It can¡¯t hear or understand anything you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Hehe, your belly moved again. The baby is kicking you!¡± ¡°Of course, the baby is seven months old; it¡¯s bound to be active.¡± Bruce chuckled at her response. Then, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Joanna was stunned. She found Bruce¡¯s behavior a little strange. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing, hehe¡­¡± Bruce smiled foolishly again and nuzzled his head affectionately on Joanna¡¯s shoulder. At this moment, he felt really blessed. When he heard Joanna say she wanted to abort the baby after the car ident, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. Yet now, seeing the baby healthy and about to be born, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. Unfortunately¡­ He had secretly asked the doctor about the baby¡¯s gender and knew it was a baby boy, not a girl. If it were a girl, he would have been even happier. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. However, it did not matter. He was overjoyed regardless of the baby¡¯s gender, as long as it was his child. ¡°Why did you sigh? Are you feeling sentimental about something?¡± Joanna asked, and she couldn¡¯t help but smile at her own question. This damn guy was mentally retarded now. What kind of thoughts could he possibly have? The sigh just now was probably only a reflexive action Chapter 694 Chapter 694 Chapter 694 Twenty minutester, the car slowly drove into the courtyard of Sherane Bay Vi. Gael and the children were waiting on thewn to wee them home. The door opened. Before they got off the car, they heard the children¡¯s excited and clear voicesing into their ears. ¡°Wee home, Daddy. Wee home, Mommy.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, you¡¯re finally back. We missed you so much.¡± The three kids each held a bunch of flowers and ran happily toward the car. ¡°Babies, how have you been doing? Have you all been good?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Daddy, these lilies are for you. Mommy, these carnations are for you.¡± Joanna took over the flowers and smiled lovingly at the kids. ¡°Thank you, babies.¡± ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m so d you¡¯ve finally checked out of the hospital.¡± Lilia hugged Bruce¡¯s legs coquettishly. ¡°Yes, dear Lilia. Daddy misses you so much,¡± Bruce said as he subconsciously carried Lilia in his arms. Then, he kissed her little face again and again. ¡°Oh no! Daddy has another long scar on his head. Daddy, does it hurt a lot?¡± Looking at the inches-long wound on Bruce¡¯s head, where the surgical stitches were yet to be removed, Lilia got even more worried. Seeing his precious daughter Lilia in tears, Bruce¡¯s heart almost melted. He quicklyforted Lilia, ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetheart. It doesn¡¯t hurt. Daddy haspletely recovered. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a long wound. How can it not hurt?¡± ¡°Really. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Thank you, my baby girl. You care so much about Daddy.¡± -Bruce was so happy that he identally changed the tone of his voice to the normal one when he spoke. Joanna was stunned for a second and stared at Bruce in a daze. The tone of his voice was the same as before. Ever since the ident, he had not been able to speak fluently. Sometimes, he would talk too fast and even drool uncontrobly. In addition, even when he said something, he would use many childnguages. This was the first time he had spoken so smoothly. Bruce realized it and noticed that Joanna was watching him. He quickly narrowed his eyes and tilted his mouth. He made a weird half-paralyzed gesture and tried to make himself look more like a fool. ¡°Oh¡­ Your hair clip is so beautiful. Can you give it to me as a gift?¡± Lilia heard it and immediately nodded. ¡°Of course!¡± Saying it, Lilia quickly took the little white rabbit hair clip off her head. ¡°Daddy, here you are.¡± Bruce stuck out his tongue and giggled. ¡°My god, it¡¯s so cute. Can you put it on for me?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure! Bruce¡¯s hair had been shaved off during the surgery. Another two weeks had passed, and his hair had grown a little. It was okay to put the hair clip on it though it was still very short.¡¯ Lilia then pinned the little rabbit hair clip on his head. Since his hair was too short and only the hair top was slightly longer, she could only ce it straight on the top of his head. The rabbit on the hair clip wobbled on top of his head. It made him look funny and idiotic with that. ¡°Oh, honey, look at me. Do I look good?¡± Bruce deliberately chewed on his saliva and smiled like a fool. Seeing this, Joanna sighed sadly. It was an illusion. It seemed it was her illusion only. He was still the same as before. His intelligence was like that of a two or three-year-old child. Darcy and Carson stood behind him. They were almost frozen to see Bruce acting like a fool. They looked at each other and pursed their lips tightly, trying to hold back their emotions. Indeed, Mr. Everett was damn good at ying foolish. That idiotic look on his face didn¡¯t match his handsome facial features at all. They were more used to seeing Mr. Everett looking noble and aloof, in a suit and a tie, and looking high-spirited and vigorous. Gael also smiled kindly. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get in the house. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared bath water. Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett, please take a good bath to refresh yourself and wash the bad luck away.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Joanna nodded seriously. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. In the past, she didn¡¯t believe in these things or pay much attention to stuff like bad luck. However, since the doctor had said Bruce couldn¡¯t live and she had asked Mr. Lewis for guidance/she gradually started to believe in these things. Of course, most of the credit for Bruce¡¯s revival was due to the doctor¡¯s superb medical skills. Otherwise, Bruce would still have died if he had only counted on Mr. Lewis¡¯s guidance. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get in.¡± There were several wooden crosses at the door. Gael gave Bruce one cross first, and then he gave another to Joanna. ¡°Take the cross with you. God bless you! Take a good bathter. You¡¯re finally home! May God be with you and bring you good luck.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After doing all this, the two of them went into the house. The servants had also run the bath water for them. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett. Please get changed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Not surprisingly, they had to change the clothes they had worn in the hospital. The clothes and things were dirty, so they must get some new ones. Soon enough, Bruce and Joanna changed their clothes and were about to take a good bath. The servants who had looked after them in the hospital were no exception. They also had to take the crosses with them and take a bath. They couldn¡¯t enter the Everett¡¯s Residence unless they had cleaned themselves. Joanna entered the bathroom. Bang! She heard someone knocking on the door right after she undressed herself. ¡°Honey, I want to take a bath with you. Can Ie in?¡± Hearing that, Joanna panicked and turned him down immediately. ¡°No, you can¡¯te in. Go to another restroom and say you want a bath.¡± ¡°No, I want to take a bath with my wife.¡± ¡°Honey, open the door! Open the door now!¡± Bruce was unwilling to give up and kept yelling and banging on the door. Joanna felt extremely bothered! What the hell? She wondered if he could just cut her some ck! For r God¡¯s sake, he was driving her crazy. Bang Bang! Bang! ¡°Honey, please open the door. I want toe in. I want to have a bath with¡­¡± ¡°Alright! Alright! Stop knocking on the door!¡± Chapter 695 Chapter 695 Chapter 695 What else could she do? Joanna had no choice but to open the door for him. The Everett family hired high-level private nurses who would bathe and change clothes for them when they took a bath. They didn¡¯t need to do anything themselves. But Joanna was not used to having someone watching her when she bathed, so she never let the private nurses help with her bath. Crack! The bathroom door opened. Bruce wore a bath towel and smiled like a fool. ¡°Honey, I want to take a bath with you¡­¡± ¡°Gosh! Come in!¡± Joanna sighed lightly and let him in. ¡°The bath water is ready. Go in and bathe yourself.¡± Joanna¡¯s hair was casually tied into a bun. The hair on her temples was wet and stuck to her pretty face, which made her look more attractive in the mist. Bruce looked at her without blinking. Gradually, his eyes began to sparkle with the fire of desire. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re so beautiful¡­¡± Earlier, he could still stand life without desire before he had recovered his intelligence. But things were different. Joanna noticed something was wrong with Bruce and red at him. ¡°What are you looking at? Eyes off me and turn around. You can¡¯t look at me like that.¡± ¡°Oh, honey, you are so pretty!¡± Bruce said as he subconsciously swallowed. ¡°I¡¯ve told you to turn around. You can¡¯t look at me like that now,¡± Joanna warned him with a frown. Her heart was pounding even harder. She felt he was acting weird this day, particrly when he stared straight at her, looking like a wolf. It made her flush and her heart racing. She got a little flustered. Joanna dodged and walked sideway to the shower head. Seeing her moving a little clumsily, Bruce hurriedly went forward to support her. ¡°Honey, there¡¯s water on the floor. Be careful. Let me help you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°No, I want to shower with you,¡± Bruce said as he hugged her shoulder affectionately. It didn¡¯t mean he must have sex with her. He just wanted to be close to her, He would like to see her frown and smile more. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that again. I¡¯ll be embarrassed if you keep looking at me like that,¡± Joanna said as she wrapped the towel tightly around herself. Her face turned red. Jesus! He tried to get physical with her even when he was not clear-minded. Seeing the resistant look on Joanna¡¯s face, Bruce did not dare to go too far. He just obediently got in the bathtub. However, he was still worried that Joanna would fall and get injured. So, Bruce kept watching her at all times. Joanna felt goosebumps under his stare and was too embarrassed bathe first, so he could leave after he was done. ¡°You haven¡¯t enjoyed a good bath in the hospital. Come on to take off the bath towel. She had no choice but to let him Joanna said it and took the initiative to soak the bath Let sponge to Ime wash the back for you.¡± spray The sexual desire Bruce had just suppressed was aroused again in a second. ¡°Honey¡­¡± on his back. Joanna red at him and sternly stopped his next move. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t move your hands. Just enjoy the bath ¡°Okay. I only want to touch the baby and talk to him.¡± Bruce deliberately put on a foolish and innocent smile. ¡°Stop fooling around. You¡¯ll do that after the bath. ¡°Davian, Irvin, and Lilia are waiting for us to have lunch. We must hurry up, or they will run out of patience.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Bruce pursed his lips and suppressed the urge inside him. If it were before, he would have cared about none and made her surrender to his masculinity in bed. But she was already seven months pregnant then. He didn¡¯t dare to be rough with her, let alone make her angry. He had decided to turn over a new leaf and be a new person after going through many critical moments of life and death. He had decided to change his temper and personality and.tried to be a good guy with a kind and soft heart. Of course, he would be kind and gentle only in front of his wife and children. After the bath, Bruce and Joanna each changed into silk pajamas beforeing out of the bathroom refreshed. When they went down the stairs, Bruce was still carefully supporting Joanna. ¡°Honey, watch your steps.¡± They were on the second floor, but after all, they still had to take the stairs. It would be too inconvenient for Joanna to go up and downter, and he decided to find a good excuse to move back to the Everett mansion. The Everett mansion was big and had much better decorations and living conditions. Besides, it was further away from downtown and more suitable for pregnant women and children. The three kids were getting impatient in the living room downstairs. Their Daddy and Mommy were back home today. And they were supposed to wee their parents with a fancy meal. Seeing their parentsing downstairs, the three kids immediately came up to receive them. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are you done bathing? Time for lunch.¡± Joanna gently stroked Davian¡¯s head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry, sweetie. We¡¯ve kept you waiting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. We haven¡¯t waited for long.¡± Davian said in earnest, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are you hungry? I¡¯ve made handmade cookies for you. Irvin has cooked spaghetti, and Lilia has baked some cakes. ¡°We specially made them for Daddy and Mommy.¡± ¡°Wow, babies, great job. Daddy and Mommy are proud of you.¡± The three kids had lots of extracurricr activities in their school. The teachers would teach the children various handicrafts and some simple cooking techniques. Therefore, the kids¡¯ hands-on abilities were impressive. The family sat around the dining table. It was a big lunch. In addition to the cookies and cakes made by the kids, the chef also prepared a lot of food, including several traditional food and different soups. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, try the cookies I made for you.¡± Davian handed over a small te of cookies to them. Seeing this, Joanna smiled happily. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re amazing. Mommy must try it now.¡± As she spoke, Joanna took two pieces of cookies and gave one to Bruce. ¡°You try it too.¡± Bruce chuckled, took over the cookie, and put it in his mouth. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°Mm, yep¡­¡± Looking at the child¡¯s innocent and expectant eyes, he swallowed back his words and didn¡¯t tell the truth. were in the past, he would not have been able to The cookie tasted so sweet and greasy that Bruce almost choked. If it w swallow something with so much sugar. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g However, the kids had made the cookies personally after all. Not to disappoint the kids, he still swallowed it with difficulty. ¡°Mommy, take a bite.¡± Joanna smiled and put the biscuit into her mouth. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s so delicious. It tastes good.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Joanna hugged Davian and praised him. The biscuits were so sweet that he must have put too much sugar in them. But they tasted okay. The children were only seven years old. It was something for them to have cooked the food so nicely. Irvin was smart. He could tell from Bruce¡¯s face that the cookie didn¡¯t taste good, and he said proudly, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, you should try my spaghetti. I¡¯m sure Daddy will love it. You know what? I especially learned it from Mommy.¡± As he spoke, Irvin pushed the spaghetti to Bruce. ¡°Daddy, I cooked the spaghetti, especially for you. I hope you like it. Wee home, and may God bless you.¡± Bruce cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. He just liked the spaghetti cooked by Joanna. He probably wouldn¡¯t like it if someone else cooked it for him, no matter how good it tasted. Chapter 696 Chapter 696 Chapter 696 ¡°Daddy, please try it! I cooked it for you specially.¡± Irvin eagerly tried to curry favor with his father. ¡°Well, I¡­¡± Bruce was in a dilemma. Joanna smiled. ¡°Irvin made it for you. Just try it.¡± ¡°Um, okay,¡± Bruce said and giggled. Bruce bit the bullet, picked up a bit of spaghetti with his fork, and slowly put it into his mouth. What the hell! Bruce frowned and was frozen for seven to eight seconds as if he was bewitched. ¡°Daddy, how is it? Does it taste as good as Mommy¡¯s spaghetti? It is delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bruce came back to his senses and could not help but cough dryly. The cookies he had just tried were too sweet, but the spaghetti was too salty. He wanted to spit it out immediately. ¡°Um, it tasted even better.¡± When Irvin heard this, he was over the moon. He looked at Davian smugly. ¡°See? I¡¯ve told you so. My spaghetti is much better than your cookies!¡± Davian looked unconvinced. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. My cookies are better. End of story!¡± Seeing this, Lilia immediately offered the cake she had baked herself. ¡°Daddy, you haven¡¯t tasted my cake yet. I baked the cake for you specially. It¡¯s full of my love for you.¡± Bruce had yet to swallow the spaghetti in his mouth. He had already tried the terrible cookies and spaghetti. And he thought he was supposed to ept the cake with a smile since his darling daughter Lilia had baked it for him specially. Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly again and swallowed the salty spaghetti with difficulty. Indeed, he knew Davian and Irvin were trying to show their love and care for him. But the food they made for him had almost killed him. ¡°Daddy, it took me the whole morning to bake the cake.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, sweetheart. I¡¯m so touched that I feel like crying.¡± Bruce braced himself and smiled gently at Lilia. Looking at the badly burned cake before him, Bruce did feel like crying. He could tell the cake would taste awful only by looking at its appearance. In particr, he had always been a picky eater. He really couldn¡¯t convince himself to enjoy the food made by the kids. ¡°Come on, Daddy, take a bite!¡± ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± Bruce took over a small cake and carefully took a bite of it. ¡°Daddy, how is it? Is it good?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Not bad!¡± Bruceughed awkwardly. That taste was indescribable. He had never eaten anything so disgusting. He¡¯d like to say the cake was the worst food he had ever tried though his daughter had baked it herself. ¡°Daddy, if you think it¡¯s good, you must eat them all.¡± Lilia looked at Bruce with expectation. Bruce coughed dryly and almost spat the cake out of his mouth. God knew how difficult it was for him to swallow the cake. But not to break Ii neart, he forced himself not to spit it out. Seeing this, Joanna immediately stopped them. ¡°Alright, alright, babies! Daddy and Mommy know how much you love us. Thank you for your hard work, babies! Well done! ¡°Lunch is ready. Let¡¯s dig in. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Daddy is weak. He needs more nutrition and should eat properly.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Bruce heard that and hurriedly put down the cake in his hand, feeling like he had escaped a cmity. The family was about to get started with their lunch happily. Gael walked to them with a straight face. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett. Mr. Miller and Mrs. Miller are there for a visit.¡± Upson hearing that, Joanna was stunned and subconsciously put down the fork. Bruce heard it and also stopped eating and put down the fork. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She was sick with them and said, ¡°I guess they¡¯re up to no good again. Gosh, they are a real piece of work. They are so persistent and driving me crazy!¡± Gael frowned slightly. ¡°Mrs. Everett, do you want to see them? If-not, I¡¯ll send them away now.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and sighed heavily. ¡°Forget it. Just let them in. I¡¯m curious what kind of trouble they¡¯ll make today!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gael said and turned to leave the dining room. ¡°Babies, stay with Daddy here and finish your lunch. Mommy is busy. We¡¯ve got visitors.¡± Joanna stood up as she spoke. The three kids looked at Joanna confusingly. ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t you invite them to eat with us?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. Focus on your lunch. Mommy will be right back. Okay?¡± After that, Joanna stood up and walked toward the living room with the big baby bump. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a faint sneer. It was sarcastic that Liam had paid so much attention to him, and Bruce knew what Liam wanted. If he didn¡¯t do anything in return, Bruce thought he would disappoint Liam. So, he had made up his mind. He would let Liam be the Everett Group¡¯s president and make him his guardian. Joanna was already more than seven months pregnant and would be due soon. After giving birth to the baby, she was supposed to have a postpartum recovery. He could not bear to see his beloved wife working so hard. Since Liam wanted to be promoted so much, he would do as he wished. But he was sure that Liam would be sorry-soon in the future. Anyway, he had to get someone to take the me and pay for the Everett Group¡¯s old debts, losses on the books, and those several economicwsuits. For the sake of the fact that Liam was his uncle, Bruce had never thought of getting Liam to be the scapegoat before. But Liam hade for them first, and Bruce didn¡¯t think he had to be softhearted with him. Chapter 697 Chapter 697 Chapter 697 Ten minutester, Gael led Liam and L to the living room. Twowyers hade with them. It was clear that they hade prepared. ¡°Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, please wait for a moment. ¡°Would you like coffee or juice?¡± Gael looked earnest and asked out of courtesy. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Lilian, get Mr. Miller and Mrs. Miller coffee.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lilian replied. She turned around and went to get them coffee. Liam sat down on the sofa with a straight face. L sat beside him and subconsciously looked around the living room with her big almond eyes. The living room was super luxurious. She saw M¡¯s paintings hung on the wall and an entire row of ss cabs filled with many expensive porcin jade artifacts. What a good house it was! L could not help but feel excited when she thought these nice things might belong to them in the future. The two of them sat there for nearly ten minutes. But Bruce and Joanna hadn¡¯t shown up yet. Joanna had deliberately kept them waiting and wouldn¡¯te to meet them until she thought it was about time. They were here to push their luck, but she mustn¡¯t let them get it their way. A long whileter, Liam was already impatient from waiting. He had finished the coffee, but no one had come to meet them. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? Why isn¡¯t he here yet?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett is having lunch. I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯te to meet you now!¡± ¡°What about Joanna? Why hasn¡¯t shee out yet? How much longer do we have to wait? Does she deliberately stop Bruce froming to see us? ¡°Damn it! This woman has gone too far. She¡¯s controlling Bruce and has everything about Bruce to her own. Does she think she¡¯s still Mrs. Everett? She¡¯s crossed the line. Tell her to bring Bruce out now¡­¡± Liam cursed, looking like he could no longer wait. ¡°Please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go and tell them.¡± The servant finished speaking and hurriedly reported to Joanna., Liam and L were getting impatient. Joanna slowly came out of the room and walked over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.¡± L was so angry that her face darkened. She mocked, ¡°Oh, surprise! It turns out you know you¡¯ve kept us waiting!¡± ¡°Do you have any sense of shame? How could you keep us waiting for so long? I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s uncle!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t bother to talk nonsense with them. ¡°Why are you here today?¡± L sneered and said, ¡°Let me introduce these two gentlemen here. This is Mr. Brycen, and this is Mr. Josh. They arewyers. We¡¯re here today to discuss Mr. Everett¡¯s custody with you. ¡°We¡¯ve already consulted the doctor. Mr. Everett can¡¯t take care of himself right now. He needs a guardian.¡± Awyer then handed over an indictment. ¡°Ms. Joanna Haynes, this is the indictment. You can take a look first.¡± ¡°Huh, just leave it there for now! ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the court¡¯s final judgment. Then I¡¯ll tell mywyer to negotiate with you.¡± Thewyer smiled professionally. ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t want to bring it to court, we can mediate it out of court.¡± ¡°Mediate what?¡± Joanna asked in disdain. Liam didn¡¯t want to argue with Joanna. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? You have to let hime out to meet us. I heard he had checked out of the hospital and came to see him.¡± ¡°Come off it. Don¡¯t be so hypocritical. What do you think you¡¯re doing? You know it better than anyone else. ¡°I think we all know if Bruce needs a guardian.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Watch your mouth, or I¡¯ll sue you for nder! ¡°Don¡¯t be too arrogant. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯ve divorced Bruce. You¡¯re strangers now. ¡°As Bruce¡¯s family, we can kick you out of the house. Know your ce and learn to be grateful!¡± ¡°Oh, funny¡­¡± Joanna sneered. She wondered if they could be more shameless and unreasonable. Both sides were at daggers drawn. ¡°Honey, who are you talking to?¡± Bruce walked over from the dining room with a silly smile. When Liam saw Bruce, he put on a kind smile. ¡°Bruce, Uncle Liam is here to see you.¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very kind of you, Uncle Liam.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Liam was joyful to hear that. ¡°Come here. Let me see if you¡¯re recovering well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve recovered ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± well. Thank you, Uncle Liam.¡± Bruce said and giggled like a fool. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Bruce stared at Liam. ¡°Uncle Liam, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to bring me homest time? When are we going? Is it fun in your house? I want to go to your house very much.¡± Hearing this, Liam could not help but get even more excited. ¡°Do you want to go home with me? You can have lots of fun in my house!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! I do want to go¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, her face instantly turned pale. ¡°Bruce, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. I¡¯m going to y in Uncle Liam¡¯s house.¡± Bruce answered and smiled foolishly. Chapter 698 Chapter 698 Chapter 698 Liam and L were even more excited when they heard this. Now that Bruce was willing to get close to them, the judge was more likely to award them custody of him. As long as they got his legal custody, they could make all the decisions on his behalf. At that time, Everett Group and Bruce¡¯s personal assets would be at their disposal. ¡°Bruce, are you willing to live with me in the future?¡± Liam took Bruce¡¯s hand with an amiable smile on his face as if he cared about his nephew very much. Bruce gave a silly smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m willing to.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°That¡¯s great! Will you go home with me today?¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°Sure, sure!¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere.¡± When L heard this, she became even more aggressive. ¡°Joanna, you have gone too far. Since Mr. Everett is willing to go with us, why don¡¯t you just let him stay with us for a couple of days? ¡°Who do you think you are? You don¡¯t have the right to restrict Mr. Everett¡¯s freedom!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to control him, and he doesn¡¯t need a guardian. He hasn¡¯t fully recovered from his injuries yet, so he still needs someone to take good care of him.¡± ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m his biological uncle. I¡¯m closer to him than an outsider like you no matter what. Are you afraid that I can¡¯t take good care of him?¡± Liam turned to Bruce and said, ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t believe anyone dares to stop you!¡± Liam pulled Bruce out as he spoke. Seeing this, Joanna was so angry that her chest tightened. She immediately went forward to stop Liam. ¡°He¡¯s not wide awake now. He can¡¯t go anywhere. ¡°You can¡¯t afford the consequences if something happens to him.¡± ¡°Hmph! What can happen to him? I¡¯m his uncle. Do you still suspect that I will hurt him?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes, not wanting to waste her time arguing with Liam. She held Bruce¡¯s arm and coaxed him gently, ¡°Bruce, be good. Go back to your room first. Don¡¯t go anywhere, okay?¡± Bruce shook his head. ¡°No. Honey, I want to go to my uncle¡¯s house to have some fun!¡± ¡°Be good. Your physical condition is still poor and you can¡¯t go anywhere. Stay at home before you completely recover.¡± ¡°No, no! I want to go now.¡± Bruce shook Joanna¡¯s arm like a child. He could not wait to go home with Liam. Only by staying by Liam¡¯s side could he know what he was going to do next. But he could not tell Joanna about it openly. ¡°Joanna, stop bossing Mr. Everett around like this. You should know who you are. ¡°Mr. Everett,e with us. I prepared a lot of delicious food and lovely toys for you,¡± L said. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s great!¡± Joanna was pissed off. ¡°The court hast decided yet. He won¡¯t leave here and go with any of you.¡± Liam sneered. ¡°What if we insist on taking Bruce away?¡± ¡°Then even you two can not leave. ¡°Darcy! Carson!¡± When Darcy and Carson heard Joanna call out to them, they immediately took a few steps forward, looking like they were ready to pick a fight at any time. Secing this, Liam took a deep breath. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re really something!¡± ¡°Gael, see our guests off.¡± Gael immediately walked over. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Miller, please leave.¡± Seeing how angry Joanna was, Bruce felt a twinge in his heart and dropped the idea to go with Liam. ¡°Liam, why don¡¯t you go back first? I¡¯ll go to your house after I recover.¡± ¡°Well, alright then. I wille to see you another day. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ll regret it. Let¡¯s go.¡± Liam shot Joanna a fierce re before he left. L stood up and sneered at Gael and Darcy. ¡°You guys will regret helping Joanna one day. Hmph!¡± The two of them walked out angrily. Thewyers quickly caught up with them. ¡°Liam, L, bye.¡± When Liam heard this, he stopped in his tracks again. ¡°Bruce, we will leave first. Don¡¯t worry, I promise I will take good care of you after I get custody of you.¡± ¡°L, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Joanna, just wait and see. I¡¯ll definitely teach you a good lesson.¡± Joanna shot back with a sneer, ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡± She was ready for a longwsuit. Everything was well-prepared, so she might not lose thiswsuit. However, something happened to Bruce one after another. She was scared and wanted to take him and the children away from this dangerous ce. On their way That¡¯s Great! back home in the car, L said excitedly, ¡°We didn¡¯te for nothing today. I finally have some confidence. ¡°Bruce was so friendly to us just now. Looks like he has really be an idiot. I hope we can win this lawsuit.¡± Liam let out a sigh. ¡°I hope so!¡± He then said to thewyers, ¡°You guys must follow up on this as soon as possible and do everything you can to win thiswsuit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Miller. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± After kicking out Liam and L, Joanna looked at Bruce worriedly. The case would go to trial on the second of next month. Now that Bruce¡¯s attitude towards the couple had changed so much, it was very likely that she would lose thewsuit. It was like fighting for custody of a child, the judge would take the child¡¯s will into consideration before he decided who should be the guardian. Thinking of this, Joanna could not help but let out a long sigh, her face full of worries. Bruce knew what she was worried about. However, he could not tell her the truth yet. He wanted everyone to think that he was retarded. ¡°Honey, are you angry?¡± Bruce chuckled and hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulders intimately. Then, his hands ran down all the way to her lower back. Joanna sighed again and looked gloomily at his face. ¡°Did I do something wrong to make you angry again?¡± §¯ Joanna pondered for a few seconds and then leaned against his shoulder listlessly. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t make me angry.¡± Bruce was wearing white silk pajamas, and Joanna could smell a light, pleasant sea-scented cologne on him. She pressed her head against his chest and heard his heart beating vigorously. Joanna closed her eyes weakly, feeling so tired. Right now, she just wanted to snuggle in Bruce¡¯s arms like this. If she really lost thiswsuit, she might not be able to stay by his side anymore. The thought of this made her upset again. Warm tears streamed down her face and seeped through Bruce¡¯s silk pajamas. Bruce noticed that she was crying, and his heart ached even more. ¡°Honey, I said I was going to his house to y. I will be back after having some fun. ¡°I¡¯m not really living with him. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be by your side to protect you for the rest of my life. I won¡¯t let anyone hurt and no one can separate us.¡± Bruce voiced his thoughts in a silly tone. Joannaughed bitterly when she heard that. She didn¡¯t know that Bruce meant every word he said. She said with a sigh, ¡°I can only y it by ear.¡± Chapter 699 Chapter 699 Chapter 699 Bruce lowered his head and kissed the top of Joanna¡¯s head, saying foolishly, ¡°Honey, the most important thing for you now is to recuperate so that you can give birth to the baby smoothly. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be there for you.¡± Joanna leaned against his chest and quietly wrapped her arms around his waist. Bruce often said this in the past, but she had never taken it to heart. However, this time, she felt at ease to hear that though he was not clear-headed. my ¡°Honey, there¡¯s nothing to be worried about. The sky won¡¯t fall. I¡¯m taller than you. Even if it fell, it would hit head first.¡± Although Bruce was smiling like an idiot, there was an unfathomable glint in his eyes. Now, he just wanted to y a game with those people. He was waiting for them to fall into his trap and suffer a huge setback. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Bruce wasn¡¯t someone who was easy to mess with. He would never go easy on those who schemed against him. He wrapped her arms around Joanna dotingly and kept stroking her back. Now that he could not have sex with her for the time being, he took it for granted that he should get some benefits aspensation. Although Joanna was born with a small frame, she had a curvy, soft body. Her chest was busty, especially after she was pregnant. When Bruce hugged her, he never wanted to let go of her. Joanna was originally sad and worried, but when she felt the obvious change in Bruce¡¯s body, she couldn¡¯t help but yell, ¡°You are so annoying. Get your hands off my body!¡± ¡°Honey, since you don¡¯t agree to sleep with me, you have to make it up to me.¡± With that, Bruce pulled Joanna into his arms dotingly like he was petting a cute ragdoll. Joanna was speechless. ¡°Damn it! What a shameless jerk!¡± she cursed inwardly. She had never seen such a shameless man. ¡°Come on, can you stop touching me?¡± ¡°No. Honey, I want a kiss!¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he was about to kiss Joanna despite her reluctance. ¡°Oh my god!¡± The three kids walked over and saw their dad and mom hugging each other intimately. They quickly covered their eyes and began toin. ¡°Dad, how can you make out with Mom here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You should kiss her in your bedroom, then we won¡¯t see it.¡± 1 When Joanna heard this, she pushed Bruce away grumpily. ¡°Stop fooling around. The children are here. Behave yourself in front of them in the future.¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re my wife. Can¡¯t I kiss you?¡± Bruce said shamelessly. Joanna rolled her eyes without saying anything. ¡°Sweethearts, are you done eating?¡± The kids nodded. ¡°Yes, we are done. Mom, you haven¡¯t had anything yet. The food will get cold a while later.¡± Joanna let out a sigh and said, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯m full of anger.¡± ¡°Mom, did Dad make you angry again? Do you want us to hit him for you?¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but smile in relief. ¡°Good boys. You¡¯re Mom¡¯s little warriors.¡± Davian and Irvinughed and were certain that their dad had bullied their mom just now. They turned to Bruce and made the gesture of Ultraman fighting a monster. Seeing this, Bruce chuckled. ¡°You heartless brats, get lost. Don¡¯t interrupt my romantic time with my wife.¡± ¡°You are so cheeky! ¡°Hurry up and let go of me. I¡¯m going to eat.¡± ¡°Honey, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Bruce said. Joanna ignored him and walked towards the dining room with a smile. Bruce followed behind her. When they were about to reach the dining room, the phone in Joanna¡¯s pocket buzzed again. She took out the phone and looked at it. It was Jaydon. Joanna frowned and unwittingly nced at Bruce. It had been more than two months since Jaydonst called her. He must be calling her for something important. Bruce was ying with the children and didn¡¯t notice Joanna¡¯s reaction. ¡°You guys y with Dad. I will go answer the call.¡± ¡°Okay, Mom.¡± After the three kids finished speaking, they yed around Bruce cheerfully again. Although Bruce had mental problems, Joanna still did not want to answer Jaydon¡¯s call in front of him. She left the living room and walked to thewn outside the house. ¡°Hey, Jay!¡± On the other end of the line, Jaydon paused for a few seconds before he spoke, ¡°Joann.¡± Hearing the worry in Jaydon¡¯s voice, Joanna frowned and asked with concern, ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Nothing happened. I¡¯m calling to see if you¡¯ve been doing well recently.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked back into the house and saw Bruce still ying with the children through therge floor-to-ceiling ss window. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry. ¡°What about you? How have you been?¡± Jaydon fell silent again. He was very upset these days. Tim asked him to work in the family business. He did not want to join the family business, but Tim showed no intention topromise. He said he wanted Jaydon to umte experience at work and even made him thepany¡¯s vice president. Grimm Group specialized in three major gambling businesses, thergest of which was managed by Cassius. Now, Tim appointed Jaydon as the vice president of thepany. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he wanted Jaydon to rece Cassius. Chapter 700 Chapter 700 Chapter 700 The Grimm family was one of the richest families in Venturas. It wasrge and the rtionship between its members was veryplicated. As a dandy, Tim had many children, most of them from different women. Cassius was Tim¡¯s nominal eldest son. He was outstanding in all aspects and Tim had been treating him as his own son. However, he was not Tim¡¯s biological child after all. When Cassius¡¯s mother married Tim, she was already pregnant. Tim was an open-minded person and did not think it was a big deal for a woman to get pregnant before her marriage, so he epted the child. However, as his health was getting worse, he wanted to hand over the most important business of the company to his biological son. Among his five sons, Tim doted on Jaydon the most. Therefore, he put Jaydon in charge of the business he valued the most. During this period of time, Jaydon was not happy working in his familypany. Cassius could tell that his position was in danger, so although he did not show it on the surface, he had already begun to make arrangements secretly. The two brothers had been at odds with each other. Now, they hated each other even more. After a while, Jaydon broke the silence and asked softly, ¡°I heard that Bruce was discharged from the hospital. Is he alright now?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. He is much better now,¡± Joanna replied. Jaydon fell silent again at her words. He wanted to say something, but he did not know what to say. Joanna looked back at the room from time to time because she was afraid that Bruce would get angry when he found out she was talking to Jaydon on the phone. ¡°Jay, do you have anything to tell me?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I just¡­ want to hear your voice.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but frown. She had no idea what to say either. Jaydon had taken special care of her over the years just like family. Without his help, Joanna and the children might have died. In a way, Jaydon was their savior. So, it was impossible for Joanna to cut off her rtionship with him and treat him as a stranger. Bruce was ying with the children in the room. Through the ss window, he saw Joanna talking on the phone with someone. She looked gloomy and worried. Judging from her expression, Bruce immediately figured out that the caller might be Jaydon. He was burned with jealousy in an instant. ¡°Dad, catch it!¡± When Bruce was still in a trance, Davian threw the basketball in his hands at him. Bruce did not see the basketball. It hit his face, then fell to the floor. Even so, Bruce did not seem to notice it and was still staring at Joanna talking on the phone. ¡°Dad! Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce looked out of the window with a gloomy face, his gaze unfathomable. ¡°Damn it! Jaydon is clinging to Joanna like sticky candy!¡± he thought angrily. He had to pretend to be an idiot now, or he would definitely snatch the phone from Joanna and curse Jaydon. That scheming man had been trying to seduce his wife. He wished he could break Jaydon¡¯s head with a punch right now. ¡°Jay, take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay, you too. If there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t handle, remember to call me. ¡°I will always protect you from behind.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes turned red as he spoke. He loved Joanna as much as Bruce. However, he could only let her go. It was because he knew that the person Joanna truly loved was Bruce. When Joanna heard this, she felt even more upset. ¡°If there is nothing else, I will hang up.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon wanted to say something but hesitated. He still could not bear to hang up. It had been two months since hest saw Joanna and heard her voice. He wrestled with himself mentally for a long time before he finally mustered the courage to call her. He still wanted to talk to her for a while. Even if¡­ it was just a simple conversation about daily life. Bruce stood in the living room and gazed at Joanna in the yard, his eyes shining with murderous intention. He struggled to hold back his anger, but two minutester, Joanna had not hung up yet. He could not take it anymore and rushed into the courtyard. ¡°Honey, who are you talking to?¡± Hearing his voice, Joanna panicked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not talking to anyone.¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m hanging up. I¡¯ll call you another day,¡± Joanna said and hurriedly hung up. Bruce¡¯s handsome face turned icy cold. He felt very ufortable and jealous. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. He could not even fake his signature retarded smile. Joanna hurriedly went forward and coaxed him gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hmph! My wife ignored me, but she¡¯s talking to someone else on the phone!¡± Bruceined, full of anger. ¡°Come on, I have hung up. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Bruce was still angry, rolling his eyes with a grim look. What upset him the most was the ambiguous rtionship between Joanna and Jaydon. Even if they were just friends, he still found it hard to ept it. Chapter 701 Chapter 701 Chapter 701 ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna turned to Bruce and studied his expression. ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce snorted and looked away angrily. Overwhelmed with jealousy, he almost lost control of himself. He was a person who knew how to hide his true emotions. Sometimes, when he smiled at someone, it was very likely that he was thinking about how to kill that person. Sometimes, when heshed out at someone, it might be because he cared a lot about that person. Joanna blinked, feeling so helpless. Judging from Bruce¡¯s reaction, she could tell that he was probably angry because he knew that she had just talked to Jaydon on the phone. ¡°This guy must have a grudge against Jaydon in their previous life. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have hated each other so much,¡± Joanna thought. She seriously suspected that the two of them were husband and wife in their previous life, and that was why they became enemies in this life. It was because the theory of causality said that those who were enemies in their previous life would be husband and wife in this life. Joanna now kind of believed in Karma. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be mad. It¡¯s all my fault. I won¡¯t make you angry in the future.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce frowned, his face still gloomy.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Joanna knew how much he hated that jerk Jaydon, but she still kept in touch with him. It really pissed him off. Joanna shook his arm and exined, ¡°Jay and I didn¡¯t do anything other than say hi to each other. ¡°Can you not be jealous? Come on, don¡¯t be so narrow-minded!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not hold back his anger anymore and stopped acting. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll get myself a hot girl and call her every day to say hi to her. Can you stay calm and not be jealous?¡± Joanna was even more surprised when she heard this. She moved closer to Bruce, trying to find some clue on his face. The way he spoke was the same as a normal person. Bruce did not dare to meet her eyes and he simply roll his eyes and pouted to show his unhappiness. Seeing how angry he was, Joanna could not help butugh aloud. ¡°I didn¡¯t talk to him on the phone every day. It has been a long time since hest called me. I thought he might have something urgent to talk to me when I received the call just now, so I picked it up. ¡°I swear Jay and I are just friends. If I really loved him, I would have been with him long ago. ¡°Then I would not have got back together with you. Why are you brooding over it?¡± With that, Joanna let out a sigh. She muttered to herself, ¡°He is not even clear-headed. How can he be so jealous?¡± ¡°It is strange! ¡°But, it seems like even cats and dogs will be jealous. Although he only has an IQ of a three-or-four- year-old, it¡¯s probably normal for him to be jealous.¡± When Bruce heard this, he pursed his lips and felt a little better. However, he was still very angry. He hated Jaydon so much that even hearing his name would drive him crazy. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be angry anymore. ¡°We agreed that we should tolerate and understand each other, right? ¡°It was not long ago. Have you forgotten?¡± Bruce clicked his tongue, and his face softened a little. Indeed, the day before yesterday, he had sworn to himself that he would try to keep his temper in check. He didn¡¯t know why he would lose control of himself so easily today. Moreover, after spending so long with Joanna, Bruce knew well how she felt about him. She really loved him, just like he loved her. No one could break them up again. After pondering for a while, Bruce gradually calmed down. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten it. I got mad because my wife talked to someone else on the phone and ignored me.¡± The next second, the silly look reappeared on Bruce¡¯s face and he seemed to return to the retard. Seeing this, Joanna was stunned again. She felt that something was wrong with Bruce, but she simply could not tell what it was. In any case, he was a little different from thest time he woke up. Although he still looked silly, there was a hint of cunning and mystery in his eyes. She found it hard to figure it out. ¡°Honey, promise me that you won¡¯t call or meet a strange man alone in the future. ¡°Otherwise, I will be angry! You should know what will happen when I¡¯m unhappy.¡± Joanna let out a sigh and smiled helplessly. ¡°Alright, I promise you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! ¡°Give me a kiss!¡± With that, Bruce lowered his head and moved closer to Joanna¡¯s face. Joanna kissed him on the cheek. Bruce showed his signature idiotic smile again and kept giggling. In the meanwhile, he told himself to be more generous in the future. ¡°Why do I have to be jealous of Jaydon? There¡¯s nothing great about that bastard. I shouldpletely ignore him just like he doesn¡¯t exist at all.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the room. I haven¡¯t had anything yet and I¡¯m starving,¡± Joannained. When Bruce heard this, he carefully took her arm and said, ¡°Honey, hurry up and go eat, or you¡¯ll have an upset stomach. ¡°The road is bumpy here. Honey, be careful.¡± Chapter 702 Chapter 702 Chapter 702 When Joanna and Bruce got back to the dining room, the food on the table was already cold. Joanna did not think it was a big deal. She picked up the fork and was about to eat. As she was pregnant, she needed to eat immediately when she felt hungry. When Bruce found that the dishes had turned cold, he immediately said to the maid beside him, ¡°Linda, go heat it up. Also, this and this. Heat them all up.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need to heat them up¡­¡± However, before she could finish speaking, Bruce interrupted her, ¡°How can that do? You¡¯ll get a stomachache if you eat something cold. ¡°Have some snacks first,¡± Bruce handed her a te of snacks as he spoke. ¡°Uh, alright!¡± Joanna said. After Joanna had lunch, the children gathered around them cheerfully again. Joanna was sitting on the sofa while Bruce was leaning against her intimately. Davian and Irvin kept talking like little birds chirping by Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°That¡¯s great. We have Dad and Mom to y with us today.¡± Irvin asked with a sly smile on his face, ¡°Dad, Mom, it will be our birthday soon. What gift are you preparing for us?¡± Last year, Bruce gave each of the three kids a fund worth billions of dors. Thus, even if Everett Group went bankrupt in the future, the children would be able to livefortably for the rest of their lives. However, the kids were too young to understand their father¡¯s intention and they preferred their birthday gifts to be toys. ¡°You guys¡¯ birthday ising so soon?¡± The three kids nodded in unison. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s already November!¡± ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll definitely prepare some gifts for you when the timees.¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°Mom, can you tell us what gift you¡¯re going to give us this year? ¡°Last year, Dad gave each of us a document. We can¡¯t eat or y with it. ¡°Don¡¯t fool us this year. It¡¯s best if you buy us toys.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Dad was so stingy that he gave each of us a shitty piece of paper as a birthday gift. Hmph!¡± ¡°I want aptop,¡± Davian then told Joanna the brand of theptop. Theputers of this brand weremonly used by hackers and were equipped with the most advanced hardware. Irvin echoed, ¡°Mom, you promised to buy me a dog previously. Can you buy me one for my birthday this year?¡± ¡°Mom, I like Barbie dolls.¡± ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll buy them for you guys.¡± The kids were overjoyed when they heard that. ¡°Mom is the best. We love you the most.¡± ¡°Dad, look, Mom is much more generous than you. She won¡¯t give us a piece of paper as a birthday gift.¡± Bruce was speechless. The assets he gave each of the children were worth billions of dors, but they couldn¡¯t bepared with a toy in their eyes. Joannaughed out loud. ¡°Fortunately, your dad¡¯s mind is not clear now. ¡°If he returned to normal and heard what you just said, he would probably cough up a mouthful of blood from anger.¡± The kids burst intoughter as well. ¡°We like Dad the way he is now! ¡°At least he¡¯s not as fierce as before and he will y with us.¡± It had been a long time since Joanna wasst so happy. Sheughed so hard that tears almost popped out. Watching themugh, Bruce secretly rolled his eyes andined in his heart. ¡°Hmph! Keepughing. Seems like you guys really think I¡¯m an idiot. ¡°I¡¯ll see if you can stillugh out loud when I suddenly return to normal in front of you one day.¡± Afterughing for a while, Joanna let out a sigh and he pulled Lilia into her arms. Lilia was already more than seven years old. Joanna nned to take her to Gaprington for corrective surgeryst year. However, too many things had happened in the past two years, and until now, she had not had the time to carry out her n yet. ¡°Oh, poor baby.¡± Lilia punched her calf and looked at her mom cutely. ¡°Mom, when will you take me overseas for corrective surgery?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said seriously, ¡°Well, after the baby is born, Dad and I will take you for the surgery no matter what.¡± ¡°Mom, Lilia will be able to walk normally after the surgery, right?¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course. The doctor said Lilia had a good chance of recovery.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s great! Our sister can y ser with us then!¡± As Davian spoke, he looked at Joanna¡¯s belly with a serious expression. ¡°Mom, is the baby in your womb a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably a girl,¡± Joanna replied casually. Actually, she did not know the gender of the fetus either. Although she could ask the doctor about it during the prenatal checkup, she did not do so. She did not want to know the child¡¯s gender in advance. ¡°It must be a girl.¡± Irvin blinked his big round eyes and said happily, ¡°I think it¡¯s a girl as well. We all like girls. it must be a girl in mom¡¯s womb. ¡°I think the same way.¡± Joanna smiled and stroked her bulging belly as she spoke. Bruce listened from the side and raised his eyebrows resentfully. He had already secretly asked the doctor. Joanna was having a boy, so his dream of having another considerate daughter was shattered. He would have one more troublemaker. People often said that their sons were born to cause them trouble. It seemed like he would have one more ¡°enemy¡±. ¡°By the way, Mom, have you thought of a name for my little sister?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. What should we name her?¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce, who had been ignored by the kids, and asked with interest, ¡°Bruce, what do you think?¡± ¡°Uh..¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t we each give our sister a name?¡± ¡°How about Flora?¡± Davian said. When Irvin and Lilia heard this, they said with disgust. ¡°It is too old-fashioned.¡± ¡°Well, her sister¡¯s name is Lilia. How about we call her Dara?¡± ¡°Dara?¡± Joanna raised an eyebrow. The name sounded a little like Lilia. It was not bad. Of course, it was a nickname. They would give the baby an official nameter. When Bruce heard this, he scratched his head resentfully. The child was about to be born, so it was time to give him a name. Davian and Irvin had already changed their surnames back to Haynes, and Bruce¡¯s grandmother especially asked a wizard to name them. Bruce had already thought of a name for the baby. He wanted to call him Jaime. Although it sounded a little old-fashioned, the meaning behind it was ¡°May God protect.¡± Chapter 703 Chapter 703 Chapter 703 ¡°I need to think it over.¡± The three kids were still discussing cheerfully. ¡°Her nickname is Dara. That¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s give her a formal name.¡± Looking at their smiling faces, Joanna could not help but smile gently. At this moment, she felt very satisfied. If it weren¡¯t for thepany¡¯s troubles, she would be able to live happily with her family, then she would have nothing to ask for. Now that Bruce had just been discharged from the hospital, he couldn¡¯t stand too much noise and had headaches again. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Hiss!¡± He frowned and reflexively held his head. Seeing that, Joanna hurriedly asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a headache?¡± ¡°Well, kind of.¡± Joanna grew tense instantly and the smile on her face disappeared. ¡°Come on, go back to our room to have a rest. I¡¯ll get the family doctor here right now.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m going back to our room. I¡¯ll be fine after a nap.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Sweethearts, be quiet. Dad has just been discharged from the hospital. Don¡¯t make him too tired.¡± ¡°Oh, got it.¡± The kids stopped shouting immediately and did not dare to make a sound anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll apany you to our room.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while. It¡¯s rare for the kids to have a break. You should spend more time with them.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Bruce got up and walked to the room upstairs, without saying anything else. ¡°Mom, is Dad alright?¡± ¡°Dad has just been discharged from the hospital. He is still very weak.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to our room. Don¡¯t disturb Dad¡¯s rest.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to our room,¡± Davian and Irvin said in unison. ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna stood up and went to Davian and Irvin¡¯s room with the kids. It had been a long time since shest checked the children¡¯s homework. Besides, she got them into many extra-curricr activities. She wondered if their academic performance regressed. Since she was free today, she wanted to check what the children had learned recently. Bruce returned to his room andy down for a while, but he could not fall asleep. He then sent a message to Darcy and asked him to wait for him in the study. Five minutester, Darcy walked into the study with a respectful expression. At this moment, Bruce was sitting behind the desk with a gloomy face. ¡°Mr. Everett, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°I asked you to investigate Liam. Did you find anything?¡± Darcy frowned. ¡°Mr. Everett, the investigation is almost over. ¡°During this period of time, Liam embezzled hundreds of millions of dors from thepany and even nned to sell Belle Building, ¡°A few of thepany¡¯s shareholders are on his side. Some time ago, Miss Haynes managed the company for a while, and it gradually got back on track. ¡°But after what happened to you, Miss Haynes never went to thepany, so Liam took over everything.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face was terrifyingly gloomy. ¡°Now, thepany is a mess again. The shareholders are all trying to cash out.¡± ¡°Tell Mr. Jameson that we must lose thiswsuit and let Liam get my custody!¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Also, spread the rumors that there will be an equity carve-out for Everett Group, and its subsidiary Hartfield Enterprise might be delisting.¡± ¡°Huh? But this will cause thepany¡¯s share price to plummet.¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to happen to Hartfield Enterprise.¡± Darcy looked puzzled when he heard this. However, he did not dare to ask further and only nodded respectfully. ¡°I¡¯ll do it now.¡± Hartfield Enterprise was the most important listedpany under Everett Group, and most of Everett Group¡¯s shareholders had shares in thepany. Bruce wanted to let Liam be the most powerful man in thepany before making thepany¡¯s shares plummet. Then people would believe that Hartfield Enterprise was about to be delisted. At that time, the shareholders and investors would definitely sell their shares. Bruce would buy all the shares at the lowest price. In that case, he would be able to kick out the other shareholders andpletely control Hartfield Enterprise. While the two of them were chatting, the door was pushed open. Joanna walked into the study. She had just returned to their room to check on Bruce. Seeing that he was not in the room, she guessed that he might be in the study. Sure enough, he was in the study. Seeing Darcy, Joanna was even more confused. ¡°Darcy, why are you here?¡± Darcy rarely came to the study. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to¡­¡± Darcy looked anxious, not knowing how to exin it. ¡°Honey, why are you back? I asked Darcy to find something for me.¡± Bruce giggled and walked up to Joanna. Joanna was stunned. Over the past few days, Darcy and Bruce seemed to have gotten much closer. She had bumped into them a few times when they were talking alone. She didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but they looked mysterious. Such a thing had never happened before. Darcy quickly walked out. ¡°I¡¯m going. Tell me if there¡¯s anything you want me to do.¡± ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Hey, what were you looking for just now? Did you find it? Tell me and I¡¯ll help him find it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found it!¡± Chapter 704 Chapter 704 Chapter 704 Joanna was still a little puzzled and asked curiously, ¡°What exactly are you looking for?¡± ¡°Nothing! I¡¯m just looking for¡­¡± Bruce began chuckling. ¡°What exactly are you looking for?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Ouch, my head hurts!¡± Bruce said as Bruce pretended to brace his head in pain. ¡°No, I have to hurry back to the room and lie down. Perhaps my brain doesn¡¯t have enough blood supply. I¡¯m so dizzy!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce in confusion, trying to deduce something from Bruce¡¯s face. Bruce stuck out his tongue at Joanna and blew saliva bubbles, looking extremely stupid. Joanna shook her head speechlessly at this sight. When Bruce woke up this time, it seemed as though Bruce¡¯s brain was fine sporadically. Sometimes, Bruce¡¯s logic was very clear when spoken to. At those times, Bruce did not look like a fool at all. At other times, that notion would be dispelled at once when Joanna saw that Bruce had a stupid expression on. ¡°You just said that you have a headache. Why did youe to the study instead of sleeping in your room?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling better. I¡¯ll go back to sleep now.¡± Joanna did not want to ask any more questions. ¡°Then quickly go back to your room and lie down!¡± Bruce smiled foolishly and hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder affectionately. ¡°Honey, can you take an afternoon nap with me?¡± ¡°No, I still have things to do.¡± ¡°No! If you don¡¯t sleep with me, I won¡¯t be able to sleep!¡± Bruce said and shook Joanna¡¯s shoulders like a clingy child. ¡°Honey, sleep with me!¡± Joanna had no choice but topromise. Joanna sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what to do with you.¡± Bruce grinned. ¡°I knew my wife would treat me the best.¡± Joanna heaved a long sigh and could only follow Bruce back to the room. Upon returning to the bedroom, Joanna looked at the time and realized it was already past two in the afternoon. It would be good to rest for half an hour. ¡°Honey, you lie on the outside. I¡¯ll lie on the inside!¡± Bruce mindfullyy on the inner edge of the bed and gave the empty space on the outside to Joanna. In the past, Bruce always slept on the outside. Bruce preferred to hold Joanna tightly in his arms when he slept. Although Joanna would be so hot she would sweat, Joanna couldn¡¯t break free from Bruce¡¯s embrace. Now that this bastard was not clear-headed, he knew how to be considerate and gentle. Joanna alsoy down. ¡°Sleep well. Your brain is injured now. You have to sleep more to recover.¡± As Joanna spoke, she patted Bruce¡¯s shoulder gently as if she was coaxing a child. Joanna nned to take a half-hour nap after coaxing Bruce to sleep. Joanna still had to go through a few documents when Joanna woke upter. During this period, Joanna had been taking care of Bruce in the hospital and did not have the time to inquire about thepany. Liam must have made plenty of trouble for Joanna behind her back again. Then there was still thewsuit. Joanna had to do her homework in advance so that Joanna wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard on the spot. Brucey down, but he was feeling frustrated. Bruce really couldn¡¯t¡­ take it anymore. Honey¡­ Bruce mumbled, his voice tiny like a mosquito. Joanna looked at Bruce with concern. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling too good!¡± When Joanna heard this, Joanna propped up her body and checked the wound on Bruce¡¯s head. ¡°Where do you feel ufortable? Is it a headache?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. Bruce just looked at Joanna with burning eyes. At the same time, Bruce¡¯srge hands began to wander up and down Joanna¡¯s body restlessly. ¡°If I didn¡¯t try, how would I know that my wife wouldn¡¯t agree? ¡°What if¡­ Joanna agree to it?¡± Bruce thought. There was a pause. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No! ¡°The doctor said we can¡¯t sleep together in thest three months beforebor. ¡°The baby is already more than seven months old. What if you hurt the baby?¡± ¡°But I feel terrible!¡± Bruce said aggrievedly. Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with intense desire. ¡°How about¡­¡± As he spoke, Bruce looked at Joanna¡¯s cherry-colored lips meaningfully. Joanna instantly understood what Bruce meant. Joanna pinched Bruce¡¯s shoulder twice in anger. ¡°Bastard, shameless! ¡°Shameless!¡± This damn bastard was far too vile. Although it was normal for a husband and wife to be physically intimate, Joanna sincerely disliked these intimacies from the bottom of her heart. In the past, when this bastard was in the mood, he would also strongarm his way through. However, on the whole, Bruce did not do anything too outrageous. Seeing that Joanna had such a big reaction, Bruce frowned and went for the next best thing. ¡°Then¡­ Can you use your hand?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more speechless! ¡°Bastard, will it kill you to rein it in?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce nodded honestly. Bruce had never been abstinent. These matters were as essential to Bruce as eating and sleeping. It would be as difficult for a wolf that was used to eating meat to switch to eating grass suddenly. Joanna¡¯s face instantly turned red as Joanna struggled to sit up. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m impressed. ¡°You¡¯ve nearly died and you¡¯re still thinking about this every day.¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce admitted defeat in a second. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, honey!¡± Bruce began wailing. ¡°I-I won¡¯t dare to do it again. ¡°I¡¯m going straight to sleep, okay?¡± Bruce made a pitiful and stupid expression once more, pouting like a child. It was very difficult to appease Joanna once Joanna became angry. Bruce felt that he waspletely under Joanna¡¯s control. Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce¡¯s heart would involuntarily clench. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t get angry so easily. I only want to do it with you because I love you! ¡°Besides, I¡¯m only asking you. Even if you don¡¯t agree, I wouldn¡¯t say anything either!¡± Joanna made a loud noise, her facial expression icy. Joanna really couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why was Bruce so¡­ interested in it?¡± Joanna thought. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t be angry! Don¡¯t be angry anymore! ¡°In the future, I-I¡¯ll go to the washroom to settle it myself. Is that okay?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes again, not knowing what to say. As Bruce¡¯s wife, Joanna had the obligation to help him. Even if the two of them did not remarry, their rtionship was no different from that of a married couple. Moreover, some wives were more adventurous in bed. The most important thing was, Joanna was really reserved and a bit resistant to it. It was probably trauma left from Joanna¡¯s past. Seeing that Joanna was still silent, Bruce became even more nervous. From time to time, Bruce would nudge Joanna¡¯s shoulder with his head. ¡°Darling wife, don¡¯t be angry, okay? ¡°I won¡¯t dare to do it again¡­¡± After a while, Joanna sighed softly. Then, Joanna unbuttoned her pajamas. ¡°You have to be careful. You can¡¯t be like before!¡± Although Joanna was more than seven months pregnant, it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem if they were careful, as long as it wasn¡¯t rough or endlessly long. Bruce¡¯s eyes widened as Bruce looked at Joanna in disbelief. Bruce didn¡¯t think that Joanna would agree! ¡°See, this was why one had to ask. Otherwise, how would one know it would be possible?¡± Bruce thought to himself. ¡°Really, honey? Can I?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes could not help but light up with surprise. Joanna looked at Bruce tenderly and did not say anything. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Bruce lowered his head and carefully kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. Chapter 705 Chapter 705 Chapter 705 It had probably been a long time since Bruce had touched Joanna. Although Bruce was very restrained, he was still a little rash. However, overall, Bruce was still exceptionally gentle and careful. Fifteen minutester, a satisfied Bruce kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. If Joanna wasn¡¯t pregnant, Bruce definitely wouldn¡¯t have finished in such a short time. However, Joanna was pregnant now, and Bruce was afraid he would hurt Joanna. Thus, Bruce could only take a nibble. Even so, it felt amazing and wonderful. It was an entirely different experience Bruce had never felt before. ¡°Honey, I love you! ¡°Do you love me?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes burned. Joanna blushed and could not help but shyly ducked her head. Joanna had always been very reserved when expressing her feelings. Joanna was not as intense and passionate as Bruce. ¡°Answer me, do you love me?¡± Joanna blushed and replied simply, ¡°I do.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°I love you very much!¡± Joanna said as Joanna gently hugged Bruce¡¯s neck. Bruce smiled mischievously again. ¡°How much do you love me?¡± Joanna pursed her lips, speechless at Bruce¡¯s redundant question. ¡°Should I write an essay for you? Describe it in detail?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. You just have to tell me how much you love me.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. Joanna did not want to answer Bruce¡¯s rhetorical and corny questions anymore. ¡°Get lost now. Don¡¯t lie on top of me.¡± This bastard always liked to ask embarrassing and rhetorical questions. Moreover, there was no end to the questions once Bruce began. It was too shameful for Joanna to answer. ¡°Honey, tell me, how much do you love me?¡± ¡°Not at all. Now get lost.¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away. Then, Joanna got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Joanna had to clean herself up. ¡°Honey, tell me how much you love me.¡± ¡°Go away. Can you stop bothering me?¡± ¡°Tell me and I won¡¯t bother you!¡± Bruce followed Joanna to the bathroom. Joannaughed in exasperation and replied half-heartedly, ¡°I love you very much. You¡¯re my darling, my precious little sweetie. Is that alright?¡± Bruceughed. ¡°You¡¯re my darling too. ¡°Honey, I hope we¡¯ll always be so loving, sweet, and happy.¡± As Bruce spoke, Bruce wrapped his arms around Joanna from behind and rested his head on Joanna¡¯s shoulder. When Joanna heard this, goosebumps appeared all over her body. Joanna was different from other women. Other women might enjoy hearing sweet nothings and romantic words from men. However, when Joanna heard them, Joanna felt incredibly cheesy. ¡°Stop it. I need to take a shower.¡± After cleaning up, both of them went back to bed and fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms. By this time, Joanna was really tired. In any case, every time Joanna was intimate with Bruce, Joanna would feel extremely tired, as if her energy had been sucked away by Bruce. This time, although Bruce was very gentle and careful, Joanna could not help but feel exhausted and weak. Joanna had initially nned to take a half-hour nap. However, Joanna ended up sleeping till the afternoon. Bruce did not sleep much. Bruce only slept for less than twenty minutes and was full of energy. Bruce¡¯s stamina had always been shockingly abundant. This was in addition to Bruce¡¯s injury and his still-weak condition. In the past, Bruce would not have needed to take a nap. Bruce looked at Joanna, who was still sleeping soundly. Bruce gently yed with Joanna¡¯s hair, his eyes filled with gentleness. ¡°Indeed, being with the person you love feels so blissful,¡± Bruce thought. ¡°Perhaps this is what it means for two people to love each other to the day they die.¡± Bruce was tenderly looking forward to their future. Beep! An imperceptible alert for an iing message sounded. Bruce¡¯s expression changed slightly at once. Bruce immediately stood up, got off the bed, and went to a counter at the side. Bruce opened the drawer and took out an ancient phone. This phone was a very old model. Besides being able to answer calls, it had almost no smart functions. Bruce had broken countless phones in a year. However, this was the only phone that had been cherished and kept in the drawer for ten years. It was always charged, and its bills were paid on time. Of course, these old phone models had a very long battery life. Sometimes, even if it had only been charged once every two to three months, the battery would still be full. The phone number had never been changed too, and there was only one person¡¯s number in the contact list. Bruce was a little excited because this phone had not rung for fifteen years. Bruce quickly checked the phone. There was only one message on it. Bruce¡¯s hands were trembling as Bruce hurriedly opened the message. [Bruce, how are you doing? I¡¯ll be back in the country next month. Is it convenient for us to meet?] After reading the message, Bruce was petrified and did not recover for a long time. Bruce had waited for 15 years. Aria Bridges had finallye to look for him. Bruce held the phone tightly, his brows furrowed. When Bruce was eight years old, he was sent overseas to study at the Royal Academy in Antlen. During that time, Bruce had his first and short romantic rtionship. When Bruce was sixteen years old, his family was met with misfortune, and Bruce was forced to return home to study while taking over the family business. Left with no choice, the two of them could only separate. Chapter 706 Chapter 706 Chapter 706 Of course, there was also a deep misunderstanding between both of them. Back then, Bruce had asked Aria to return to the country with him. However, Aria rejected Bruce and chose to break up with Bruce. The failure of Bruce¡¯s first love and the changes in his family circumstances had dealt a heavy blow to Bruce¡¯s heart. Bruce had always been an arrogant person. If the other party did not contact him, Bruce would not make the first contact. Therefore, Bruce had not contacted Aria for many years. Bruce stared at his phone silently for a long time. Bruce still didn¡¯t reply in the end. Bruce put the phone back into the drawer. Let bygones be bygones. Bruce and Joanna had finallye this far. Bruce would never let anyone ruin it. ¡°What time is it?¡± Joanna asked in a daze after waking up. Seeing that Joanna was awake, Bruce immediately closed the drawer. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already past five.¡± This drawer had a fingerprint and password lock. Once it was closed, it was equivalent to being locked. Other than Bruce, no one could open it. Bruce did not have to worry that Joanna would discover his secret. Furthermore, Joanna would never touch his personal belongings. ¡°Oh my, have I slept for two hours?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and yawned as Joanna sat up in bed. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Joanna was still nning to deal with thepany¡¯s documents. Joanna didn¡¯t expect herself to sleep for more than two hours. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have to work so hard. ¡°I saw that you have been working too hard, so I wanted you to sleep a little longer. Look at you, you¡¯re already seven months pregnant, but you¡¯re still so thin,¡± Bruce said as he hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder, his heart aching. Indeed, after Joanna got pregnant, her belly was the only thing that got bigger. Joanna¡¯s arms and legs didn¡¯t gain much weight at all. ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Honey¡­¡± Bruce wanted to say something but didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°What happened?¡± Bruce smiled foolishly. ¡°No, nothing.¡± Sensing the change in Bruce, Joanna looked into Bruce¡¯s eyes curiously. ¡°Why are you acting weird? Your eyes are red. Did you cry just now?¡± ¡°No! Why would I cry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because I just woke up. That¡¯s why my eyes are red!¡± Bruce pretended to rub his eyes. Joanna heard Bruce and did not ask any more questions. Joanna yawned, stretched, and prepared to get up. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go downstairs and see how the kids are doing?¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± At the same time, L found another opportunity and came alone to meet Evan. Evan had been recuperating for more than a month. Although his fracture had healed, Evan could only shuffle slowly and could not do anything vigorous. ¡°L, how is it? How far have things progressed?¡± L smiled smugly. ¡°The trial will start next Tuesday.¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problems this time.¡± ¡°Bruce haspletely be a retard. He actually wants to go home with the old man. The heavens are really helping us. When the timees, the judge will definitely award Bruce¡¯s custody to the old man.¡± When Evan heard this, his eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s great. As long as we get custody of Bruce, we¡¯ll be one step closer to sess! ¡°I can¡¯t wait anymore. I want to see the mes of victory!¡± Lughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can.¡± ¡°L, this is all thanks to you. Don¡¯t worry. When we get Bruce¡¯s assets, I¡¯ll definitely take you far away.¡± When L heard this, her face instantly fell. L stammered, ¡°Evan, I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Evan was stunned. Evan stared at L in disbelief. There was a strange light in L¡¯s eyes. L couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time. No matter what, L would give birth to this child. Evan was currently recuperating now. When Evanpletely recovered, who knew when L would be able to get pregnant with Evan¡¯s child? Moreover, if L really had a child with Evan, Liam would skin them alive if Liam found out. Therefore, after thinking about it, L decided that it was more appropriate to give birth to Liam¡¯s child. ¡°Who? Whose?¡± L looked at Evan bitterly. ¡°Whose else could it be?¡± When Evan heard this, his face instantly turned red. Evan had been recuperating during this period of time and had no chance to touch L at all. The child could only belong to his father. ¡°The child belongs to the old man, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Evan was instantly enraged. ¡°L, didn¡¯t I promise you I would have children with you? ¡°How can you have a child with the old man? Hurry up and abort this child. We can¡¯t let this child ruin our n.¡± When L heard this, her heart ached. ¡°Evan, I can¡¯t wait anymore. I¡¯m already 32 years old this year and about to turn 33. I have already reached advanced maternal age. I really can¡¯t wait for you anymore. ¡°No matter what, I have to give birth to a child to safeguard myself in the future. I told you a long time ago, but you were the one who disagreed. I had no choice but to go to the old man.¡± Chapter 707 Chapter 707 Chapter 707 Evan felt as if he had swallowed a few flies. Evan already had two step-siblings who would take away more than half of his inheritance in the future. Evan was already very dissatisfied with that. Now L would give birth to a younger brother who would also fight with Evan for the family inheritance. ¡°I really have to hand it to you. Is there something wrong with your brain? Have you gone crazy from wanting a child?¡± When L heard this, her heart turned cold. L¡¯s eyes stared coldly at Evan¡¯s angry face. ¡°Hurry up and abort the child. This child can¡¯t be born,¡± Evan said angrily and impatiently. Evan struggled to get up from the bed, grabbed L¡¯s shoulder, and shook L with all his might. ¡°We definitely can¡¯t have this child. If you give birth to my younger brother, then what about us? ¡°How can I be with you in the future? Don¡¯t you want to marry me?¡± When L heard this, she could not help but sneer. ¡°Impossible. I won¡¯t abort this child no matter what. The old man already knows that I¡¯m pregnant. It¡¯s impossible for me to abort the child.¡± ¡°You!¡± Evan was so angry that he could not say anything. Evan paced in circles in frustration. L knew very well that Evan would not marry her. Even if Evan was really willing to marry her, with their current rtionship, what would people think of them? Although L loved Evan, L knew that love was not everything. L had met Evan when L was twenty-four years old and had always dreamed of marrying Evan. Unfortunately, Evan made L marry his father. For many years, Evan had made L fight for the family assets on his behalf. Evan had made L deal with his second stepmother and her children. ¡°L, what do you want?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I just want a child. That¡¯s all. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you many times that I want to have a child with you. You¡¯re the one who keeps dragging it out. You¡¯re the one who refuses to have a child with me.¡± As L spoke, there was a hint of piercing grief in L¡¯s eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. I¡¯m too old to dy any longer.¡± Evan took a deep breath and red at L fiercely. ¡°Then have you thought about our future? What will happen after the child is born?¡± ¡°So what? The old man would take care of me. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Evan could not help but snort a few times. ¡°You¡¯re really something.¡± Hearing his snorts of derision, L¡¯s heart turned even colder. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been used by you throughout these years. Shouldn¡¯t I make some ns for myself now?¡± Evan said sarcastically. Evan pushed L onto the sofa and wrapped his hands around L¡¯s neck. ¡°The so-called n for yourself is to give birth to a younger brother for me, right? So that you can have a share of my inheritance in the future?¡± L couldn¡¯t breathe, so L did her best to push Evan away. ¡°Let go¡­¡± L coughed out. Seeing L¡¯s face turned red, Evan let go resentfully. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect you to betray me like this.¡± L coughed and panted for a long time until L regained her breath. ¡°Evan, you lunatic. Are you trying to strangle me?¡± ¡°I think you need to be taught a lessontely,¡± Evan said fiercely. Evan wanted to push L down and tower over L like before. Then¡­ Evan would proceed to conquer L ruthlessly. Unfortunately, Evan¡¯s waist had yet to recover. As Evan bent over and was about to get his hands on L, the area where his lumbar vertebra was fractured began to hurt again. With his waist hurting, Evan lost his desire. Evan could only grit his teeth and support his waist as Evan staggered and fell on the sofa beside him. Seeing this, L sneered.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. This was the man L had loved for more than ten years. When Evan heard that L was pregnant, Evan immediately revealed his true evil character. More than ten years of L¡¯s youth were wasted. ¡°You can say whatever you want. Anyway, I¡¯ve decided that I must have this child. ¡°Whether you agree or not, I won¡¯t abort this child,¡± L said firmly. Evan¡¯s waist hurt terribly. Evan drew in a few deep breaths to assuage the pain, yet Evan was so furious he felt like vomiting blood. Evan initially thought he could control the chess piece that L was for the rest of his life. Evan never expected that the chess piece would turn on him, that there would be a time when Evan could not control her. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are letting me down by doing this? Have you considered my feelings? Or are you no longer in love with me?¡± L took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve followed you for many years and helped with many things. I think I¡¯ve done enough for you. On the other hand, what have you given me? ¡°The old man gave me everything I eat, use, wear, and live in. You only know how to weave me a fantasy and use me to charm the old man. ¡°Have you ever loved me? You haven¡¯t! You¡¯repletely using me.¡± The more L spoke, the more agitated L became. L vented all the grievances and dissatisfaction in her heart. ¡°L, how can you say that? If I didn¡¯t love you, I wouldn¡¯t have nned for our future.¡± L could not help but snort when L heard that. If Evan really loved her, Evan wouldn¡¯t have sent her to Liam. However, L had always fantasized about leaving Liam in the future and marrying Evan. But now, L finally recognized the reality. Seeing L¡¯s resolute attitude, Evan could only suppress the anger in his heart and quickly change his tone to coax L. ¡°Alright, alright. Since you want to have a child, go ahead! ¡°However, don¡¯t forget what you have to do. You have to keep an eye on the old man. Don¡¯t stop.¡± When L heard this, L felt even more upset and closed her eyes in anger. ¡°This selfish man was still thinking of using me. Had Evan ever been sincere to me?¡± L thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Take good care of yourself!¡± As L spoke, L picked up her bag and prepared to leave. ¡°L, don¡¯t forget our ultimate goal!¡± ¡°When weplete our ultimate goal and obtain Bruce¡¯s assets, we can-¡± L looked back and said jokingly to Evan, ¡°What about us?¡± Evan averted his gaze. Evan could noveven make up a lie anymore. ¡°When L gives birth to my younger brother, it¡¯s not like I can treat the kid as my son, right?¡± After a while, L¡¯s tears finally gave up and flowed down her cheeks. L said sadly, ¡°Evan, I love you. I love you very much. ¡°However, I know that it¡¯s impossible for us to be together. It¡¯s time for me to wake up from my ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to do what you want me to do. But from today on, our rtionship ends here. ¡°The old man treats me very well, and he is looking forward to the child in my tummy. We should return to our respective positions and not continue like this,¡± Evan rolled his eyes. Inside, Evan¡¯s heart was about to explode. Naturally, what Evan felt for L could not be true love. It was just that Evan was used to controlling L. Evan was used to L looking up to him. Evan also liked how L understood men and waspatible in bed with him.. Chapter 708 Chapter 708 Chapter 708 ¡°You¡¯re on your own! I¡¯m leaving.¡± L did not say anything else. L turned around and left resolutely. In the past, L really couldn¡¯t part with Evan. L really loved Evan to the point of insanity. For each night L was with Evan, L only grew more infatuated. But now, as L grew older, L became more and more uneasy. It was especially so after L married Liam. L had already sessfully be a wealthydy and enjoyed the envy and admiration of ordinary people. If L¡¯s rtionship with her stepson were exposed, what awaited L would be eternal damnation. L could be impulsive when she was young, but at her age, L was no longer allowed to make a mistake. Therefore, while she was pregnant, L decided to break up with Evan, even though L was still reluctant to part with Evan. Upon reaching home, Liam, who happened to be home from work too, saw L carrying bags of purchases. Liam hurriedly went forward to help L with them. ¡°Honey, where did yo you go?¡± L put on a sweet and pleasant look. ¡°Oh, I just went for a walk and bought some baby products.¡± ¡°Just let the maids buy these things. Why do you have to tire yourself out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more reassuring to go by myself. I can also choose what I like. At the same time, I can exercise more.¡± L smiled charmingly at Liam. Liam chuckled. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± Liam happily took the things from L¡¯s hands. ¡°Thank you, hubby!¡± After L spoke, she kissed Liam¡¯s face coquettishly. Liam had a satisfied smile on his face. Even though Liam was already in his fifties, Liam would have a child again soon. One could imagine how much Liam doted on this little wife. ¡°Honey, thewsuit is next week. How confident are you? ¡°Should we go to the Everett family again? Should we get in touch with Bruce again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Thewyer is fully prepared this time. The odds are good.¡± When L heard this, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed withughter. ¡°Yes, when we get custody of Bruce, we¡¯ll be able topletely control the Everett Group. At that time, my husband will be Greyport¡¯s richest man.¡± Liam frowned and could not help but take a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s hope thewsuit goes well!¡± Although Liam did not have much kinship with Bruce, Bruce was still his sister¡¯s only son. However, Bruce had always spoken coldly to Liam. Now that Bruce was in this state, Liam would take over everything. At the same time, Liam would take good care of Bruce. No matter what, Liam could not let the Everett family¡¯s assets fall into the hands of outsiders. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Don¡¯t let it affect your mood!¡± ¡°Got it, honey. I¡¯ll go cook dinner for you now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Let the maid cook!¡± L smiled gently and said coquettishly, ¡°No, I enjoy cooking for my dearest honey!¡± When Liam heard this, his mood improved further. Liamughed. ¡°I really can¡¯t do anything about you.¡± The reason why L was able to edge out Liam¡¯s previous wife and sessfully be the next Mrs. Miller was not simply because of L¡¯s beauty. Since knowing Liam, L learned various skills such as coffeemaking, culinary, flower arrangements, piano, dance, and more. L learned almost everything she could. L treated Liam like she was serving the king. L had to do everything herself. Otherwise, Liam would not have doted on this little wife so much. At Sherane Bay Vi, at ten o¡¯clock in the evening, Joanna was ready to sleep after washing up. Because Joanna had slept for more than two hours in the afternoon, Joanna had insomnia. Bruce was very well-behaved today. Brucey on the bed obediently and slept on his side. He did not move or stick to Joanna. Bruce had closed his eyes seemed to be in a deep sleep. Joanna worked for a while more. It was already half past ten. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Joanna yawned and turned off the lights to sleep. and In the past, no matter howte it was, Bruce would wait for Joanna to sleep. Bruce even insisted that Joannay on his arm. It was rare to see Bruce as honest as he was today. Joanna did not think too much about it. After lying down for a while, Joanna fell asleep. After Joanna fell asleep, Bruce opened his eyes. Bruce¡¯s handsome face was shrouded in a mask of gloom and mncholy. Bruce was recalling many things from the past. Bruce remembered the times when Bruce was still a student and when Bruce was with Aria. Bruce really didn¡¯t expect Aria to contact him. At midnight, Bruce still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Bruce quietly got up and walked to the drawer, Bruce quietly opened the drawer and took out the phone. Bruce was a little hesitant, not knowing if he should reply to the message. Joanna slept. However, when Joanna turned over, there was no support for her arm. ¡°Where are you?¡± Joanna groggily reached out for Bruce. There was indeed no one beside her. ¡°Did you go to the toilet?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and opened them to take a look. Bruce was not in the room. Joanna nced at the bathroom again. The lights were not on, so Bruce was probably not in the bathroom either. ¡°Where did he go?¡± Joanna wondered. Joanna was worried. Joanna put on slippers and prepared to look for Bruce. Just as Joanna was about to leave the room, Joanna realized that the balcony door was open. Bruce stood on the balcony, his tall silhouette looking very lonely. Joanna frowned and felt even more puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Joanna thought. Joanna walked quietly to Bruce¡¯s side. If Bruce wasn¡¯t sleeping in the middle of the night, Joanna wanted to see what he was up to. { Chapter 709 Chapter 709 Chapter 709 Bruce was so engrossed in his thoughts that Bruce did not notice Joanna walking toward him. Joanna stopped when she was about to reach Bruce. ¡°Is he sleepwalking?¡± Joanna wondered. Joanna noticed that Bruce was motionless. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. Joanna thought that Bruce was sleepwalking and did not dare to rm him rashly. If Bruce was really sleepwalking, Joanna had to watch him carefully. Joanna couldn¡¯t wake Bruce up lightly and had to wait till Bruce went back to bed by himself. ¡°He didn¡¯t have any symptoms of sleepwalking in the past! What is he doing?¡± Joanna pondered. Curious, Joanna took two steps closer to see if Bruce was sleepwalking. Bruce was lost in his thoughts when his ears pricked up as Bruce heard someone approaching from behind. Bruce turned around in an instant. His right hand reflexively formed an eagle hook, and his left elbow lashed out. Joanna let out a scream. Taken by surprise, Joanna was almost tackled by him. Joanna staggered a few steps backward and began to fall. Bruce came back to his senses and hurriedly lunged towards Joanna, reaching out to grab Joanna¡¯s waist. With a strong tug, Bruce pulled Joanna into his arms. Joanna was still in shock. Her heart was pounding in fear.. Fortunately, Joanna did not fall to the ground. Otherwise, Joanna would have suffered a miscarriage. When Joanna had been pregnant with the triplets, Joanna had fallen in the washroom and nearly had a miscarriage. It had caused Joanna to hemorrhage. Joanna had never known Bruce¡¯s reflexes to be so lethal. Bruce was also terrified. ¡°Honey, are you alright?¡± The phone fell to the ground with a crash. However, Bruce couldn¡¯t care less about his phone. Bruceforted Joanna frightfully. Joanna calmed herself down and asked unhurriedly, ¡°What are you doing?¡± There was a sh in Bruce¡¯s eyes, and Bruce instantly regained his mask of a fool. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I stayed here to look at the stars.¡± ¡°Stargazing?¡± Joanna was clearly in disbelief! ¡°That¡¯s right! Looking at the stars, they twinkle¡­¡± Joanna subconsciously looked at the sky. It was a cloudy day. Dark clouds covered the sky, and there were no stars at all. At the same time, Joanna realized that something had fallen to the ground! ¡°What dropped?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing!¡± Bruce quickly picked up the phone and held it tightly in his hand. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What are you holding? Let me take a look.¡± ¡°No, nothing¡­¡± Bruce looked a little flustered.. There was only one person¡¯s phone number saved in the phone. If Joanna saw it, it would be disastrous. When Joanna was angry, she could not easily be appeased with just a few words. Seeing Bruce¡¯s nervous expression, Joanna was even more curious about the object in Bruce¡¯s hand. ¡°What is it? Hurry up and show it to me.¡± Bruce took a step back. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing!¡± Joanna frowned and became a little angry. ¡°Hurry up and bring it over for me to see!¡± Joanna hated it the most when Bruce Everett hid and lied to her. The more Bruce refused to let her see, the more Joanna wanted to know what it was. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing. Honey, hurry up and go back to your room to sleep. I¡¯m so sleepy!¡± Bruce said and pretended to yawn. Then, Bruce put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulders and tried to coax Joanna into the bedroom. Joanna looked unhappy and stared at Bruce with a hint of anger in her eyes. If Bruce didn¡¯t show her what it was today, no one would be able to sleep today. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing¡­¡± ¡°Bring it here. I¡¯ll say it onest time.¡± Seeing that Joanna was furious, Bruce couldn¡¯t fool her anymore: Bruce could only hand the phone over guiltily. ¡°Alright, alright, here you go. You can a look!¡± Joanna took the phone and looked at it. It was an ancient phone that would only be used in thest century. Joanna tried to turn on the phone, but it was no longer functioning. Seeing this, Bruce inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. The phone had fallen to the ground just now, and now it was broken. ¡°What are you doing with such an old phone? Why didn¡¯t you sleep in the middle of the night? Why did youe to the balcony!¡± ¡°No, nothing! I just had a dream about my mother. I wanted to call my mommy.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes sparkled! ¡°Is this your mother¡¯s phone?¡± In the meantime, Bruce was searching for a reasonable exnation. When Bruce heard Joanna, he immediately went with the flow. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! My mother left this for me. She said that if I miss her, I can call her.¡± Chapter 710 Chapter 710 Chapter 710 Joanna believed Bruce and looked at Bruce with pity and heartache. Seeing Joanna¡¯s face softened, Bruce immediately squeezed out a child-like aggrieved expression but inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Honey, I miss Mommy so much. I broke Mommy¡¯s phone. I can¡¯t call her anymore.¡± After saying that, Bruce pretended to cry. Bruce¡¯s ability to adapt to situations was absolutely amazing. Bruce¡¯s acting skills were also top-notch. It was a waste of talent that Bruce didn¡¯t win an Oscar. Seeing Bruce like this, Joanna felt even more guilty. ¡°Be good. It¡¯s okay. It will be okay. We¡¯ll take this phone to repair tomorrow. When it¡¯s fixed, you can continue using it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s okay that the phone is broken. When I miss Mommy, I tell the stars in the sky. ¡°Mommy said that she would be a star in the sky. When I miss Mommy, I only have to look up at the stars, and it¡¯s the same as seeing Mommy.¡± When Joanna heard this, Joanna felt even more upset. Joanna¡¯s voice was extremely gentle as Joanna said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t be angry with me, okay?¡±- Bruce looked at Joanna aggrievedly. ¡°I won¡¯t be angry with my wife. I love my wife the most. I can¡¯t bear to be angry with wife. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. my ¡°Okay, then hurry up and go to bed! It¡¯s already sote.¡± ¡°Okay, Honey!¡± Bruce said as Bruce put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder lovingly and walked towards the bed. The moment Bruce turned around, Bruce raised an eyebrow, looking as though he had just been relieved of a heavy burden. Fortunately, Joanna did not pursue the matter. The next day, at past ten in the morning, Andy came over with numerous contracts and files. In the living room, Andy ced a stack of files on the table. 7 ¡°Miss Haynes, these are the files thepany has umted over the past few days. There are also somepany contracts.¡± Joanna nced at them. There were about forty to fifty of them. ¡°Yes, put them there! I¡¯ll deal with them as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Haynes. Call me if you have any further instructions.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Andy did not dare to linger. Andy put down the files and left. Joanna put on her sses, turned on herputer, and began processing these files.. It would probably take two days to finish dealing with so much work. Seeing that Joanna still had to work hard despite her pregnancy, Bruce couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be so tired. y with me!¡± ¡°No, look at how many files are piled up. If we don¡¯t resolve them quickly, they will continue to build up.¡± Bruce said half-jokingly and half-seriously, ¡°Then let someone else handle it! Why do you have to work so hard? You¡¯re really making it difficult for yourself. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Uncle Liam want to handle these? Why don¡¯t we just let him handle them?¡± In any case, Bruce had already nned to mess with, Liam. It would be even better to push these onto Liam. The worse Liam did, the better. By the time Bruce pulled in the, these would all be evidence of Liam¡¯s crimes. At that time, even having ten billion dors would not be enough topensate.¡± When Joanna heard this, Joanna could not help but sigh. Joanna didn¡¯t want to tire herself out either. However, these were all important documents of thepany. Only the chairperson had the right to sign off on them. If Joanna handed these to Liam, Joanna would be even more worried. A while ago, Liam had moved about hundreds of millions of dors from thepany. If left unattended, the Everett Group would be an empty shell. On top of this, news came out of nowhere that Hartfield Enterprise was about to be delisted, causing the stockholders to panic and the shares of Hartfield Enterprise to fall drastically. ¡°Honey, we¡¯ll cross the bridge when wee to it. There¡¯s no need to work so hard. Come, let me give you a shoulder massage. Enjoy yourself,¡± Bruce deliberately said foolishly and hinted at Joanna. Unfortunately, Joanna did not have telepathy. How could Joanna tell what Bruce was thinking from his words? Joanna didn¡¯t know that everything was under Bruce¡¯s control. ¡°Honey, the most important thing for you now is to take good care of the baby. Nothing else is important. Don¡¯t tire yourself out because of work. It won¡¯t be worth it if it hurts you and the baby.¡± As he spoke, Bruce massaged Joanna¡¯s shoulders. Bruce didn¡¯t want to see Joanna so tired. Joanna was due in two months. Bruce just wanted Joanna to have a smooth pregnancy. Joanna patted Bruce¡¯s hands and gestured for him to stop. ¡°Alright, I know you care about me. I won¡¯t tire myself out. ¡°Go y with the children for a while. I¡¯ll apany you after I¡¯m finished with these files, okay?¡± ¡°Honey¡­¡± ¡°Be good. I¡¯ll settle these by noon. I¡¯ll y with you in the afternoon, okay?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± /Bruce reluctantly agreed. In any case, Bruce knew that he could not persuade Joanna, so Bruce could only let Joanna do whatever she wanted. ¡°Then you have to promise me not to tire yourself out. No matter what, you¡¯re not allowed to work in the afternoon.¡± Joannaughed. ¡°I understand. Hurry up and leave!¡± Bruce sighed and went to the other end of the living room. When Davian and Irvin saw that their daddy was free, they quickly surrounded Bruce. ¡°Daddy, can you apany us to horseriding?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We haven¡¯t gone horseriding in a long time!¡± Bruce hesitated. Joanna heard the children moring to go horseriding and immediately stopped them sternly. ¡°No one is allowed to go horseriding, do you hear me?¡± ¡°Why? We¡¯re very bored!¡± The two little guys rebelled unhappily. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s Sunday today. We definitely have to do some extracurricr exercises!¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s body hasn¡¯t recovered yet. The stitches on his wound haven¡¯t been removed yet. How can he go horseriding? It¡¯ll be terrible if his wound is reopened,¡± Joanna warned the children sternly. Horseriding was still very dangerous. Last time, Davian fell off his horse and fractured his arm. Bruce¡¯s mind was not clear now. If Bruce were to take the children horseriding, Bruce might run amok. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°Then Daddy can teach us boxing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We almost forgot the moves that Daddy taught us previously. Daddy, teach us again today!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce agreed readily and happily taught the children how to box. In the past, Bruce was far too busy with work and did not have much free time to apany the children. During this period, Bruce had time to spend with the children. ¡°Watch carefully.¡± Bruce got into position and started showing, off the moves. Due to his injuries and the fact that Bruce was teaching the children, his punches were still rtively gentle, Bruce only demonstrated the moves and did not really exert strength. Naturally, Bruce did not look as fierce as Bruce should have been when he was really boxing. Even so, the children still had looks of admiration on their faces. ¡°Wow, wow, wow. Daddy is so awesome. ¡°Daddy, I want to learn too.¡± The two little guys practiced diligently with their daddy. After boxing, Bruce yed with the children again. Bruce grabbed a little fellow with each hand and spun in the air. The childrenughed ecstatically as if they were on a swing. Although Bruce had a smile on his face, Bruce was suppressing a heaviness in his heart. Aria hadn¡¯t contacted him for so many years. Why would Aria contact him at this time? Aria was his first girlfriend. Aria was of mixed descent. Her other name was Arianne. In the past, they were both from the Royal Academy and were in different sses in the same year. Aria studied biology and was now the most renowned biology professor in the world. Although the two of them had not seen each other for more than ten years and had not contacted each other, they had paid attention to each other¡¯s current situation from the reports. An hourter, it was almost time for lunch. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s not y anymore. Daddy is a little tired. Let¡¯s rest for lunch.¡± ¡°Alright! We¡¯re a little hungry too.¡± The children were tired from ying as well. ¡°Daddy is dizzy and needs to go back to his room to rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and walked straight to the room upstairs. Back in the bedroom, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but take out the SIM card and put it in another phone. As expected, as soon as the SIM card was installed, a text message came. [Bruce, I¡¯ll arrive at Greyport in mid-December. There is something important that I have to see you in person about. Aria.] Aria specifically left her name at the end of the message. This was also the second message Aria had sent him. Bruce hesitated for more than ten minutes before replying. [Got it. I¡¯ll pick you up then.] After replying to the message, Bruce could not help but feel excited again. Chapter 711 Chapter 711 Chapter 711 ¡°Why did Aria suddenlye to Greyport? Why is she looking for me?¡± Bruce wondered. Brucey on the bed worriedly and began to recall the bits and pieces of his time with Aria. Aria was the same age as him. Aria was the first woman Bruce loved when Bruce first fell in love, Joanna and Aria were about half as simr in looks and personality. They both had small frames and looked petite and delicate. They even looked alike. Their facial features were exquisite, and they were fair. They also had big eyes that were as bright as the stars. It was not that the two of them looked identical, but they were beauties of the same type. However, Aria¡¯s personality would be gentler and wiser. Aria would not be as fixated as Joanna could get sometimes. To arge extent, it was because of their physical simrities that made it difficult for Bruce to resist Joanna.¡± Beep. Aria sent Bruce another message. [Okay, Bruce. See you then.] After reading the message, Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. Before Aria arrived, Bruce had to settle the score with Liam and finish dealing with thepany¡¯s matters as soon as possible¡­ Bruce initially wanted to drag it out and slowly toy with his prey. But now, Bruce had to quickly resolve the mess and deal with the troublesome matters around him as soon as possible. Bruce was lost in thought until someone knocked on the door. ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s time for lunch!¡± The children knocked on the door and called Bruce for lunch. ¡°Oh, okay. Got it,¡± Bruce responded and left the room. ¡°Where¡¯s Mommy?¡± Irvin pouted and said, ¡°Mommy is still working.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Did you call Mommy for lunch?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already called her. Mommy said she¡¯lleter and let us eat first.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help but frown when he heard that. Bruce quickly went down the stairs and walked to the living room. Joanna was still buried in work. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re not done yet?¡± Joanna did not even raise her head as she casually replied, ¡°Soon, soon. I just need to finish this one.¡± Bruce grumbled unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s almost one o¡¯clock. The children are all hungry. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I¡¯ll be done in twenty minutes.¡± ¡°What? Another twenty minutes?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be done soon. You and the children can eat first. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡± Joanna was looking at a document and having a headache. This contract was written in Fraynice. Although the secretary had already tranted and annotated it, Joanna wanted to check the contract use by use. Thus, it would take some time. Some business partners would deliberately y word games. It would be very easy to step into a trap if one did not look carefully. Bruce took two steps forward and nced at the document curiously. It was a contract in Fraynice. It should be about the cooperation with the partners in Frayn. ¡°Honey, what are you dealing with? Why is it taking so long?¡± ¡°This contract is in Fraynice. I want to read it one by one.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. There¡¯s a trantor.¡± Joanna signed. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because there¡¯s a trantor, so I have to take a closer look!¡± Joanna said as she pushed up her sses. ¡°I think there¡¯s something wrong with this contract, so I have to be careful,¡± Joanna said casually. Hearing this, Bruce calmly took the contract and looked at it. As Bruce had expected, there was indeed something wrong with this contract. The Frayn business partners had deliberately yed word games, taking advantage of the difference between the twonguages to deliberately create loopholes. One of the terms was deliberately misrepresented. Although one of the tranted uses seemed to have the same meaning, it was actually very different. Bruce knew Fraynice and often dealt with wily business partners. In the past, those business partners did not dare to y such tricks on Bruce! Now, they probably knew that the president of the Everett Group had been reced and used these tricks again. After pondering for a few seconds, Bruce smiled foolishly. ¡°Honey, I think it¡¯s best to let Uncle Liam handle this document. He¡¯s more experienced and will definitely be able to handle it better!¡± Joanna was stunned. Joanna looked at Bruce in confusion. ¡°This contract is so tricky. How can we let Liam handle it? What if Liam can¡¯t handle it?¡± Liam relied on Bruce to enter the circle of the wealthy. Joanna knew just how capable Liam was. With this contract in Liam¡¯s hands, Liam would definitely not be able to see the problem and would definitely step into the trap. When Bruce heard this, he sneered inwardly. Bruce wanted Liam to step into the pit. One of the uses of this contract was a word game. Once signed, they would fall into the other party¡¯s trap. Fortunately, Joanna was alert and noticed the loophole in the contract. However, it would take some time to settle it. However, this document was exactly what Bruce wanted. If Liam were to sign it, Liam would not be able to exin himself if this matter was pursuedter. The losses caused by thepany would also be borne by Liam personally. ¡°Alright, alright. Honey, stop working. I¡¯m starving. Hurry up and eat,¡± Bruce said and forcefully closed the document. ¡°Stop fooling around. It¡¯ll be over soon¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m starving. If you don¡¯t eat with me, I won¡¯t eat either!¡± Bruce deliberately wheedled and made trouble, not letting Joanna handle this document. Joanna had no choice but to tidy up the documents and turn off theputer. ¡°Alright, alright! Let¡¯s go eat first! I¡¯ll deal with itter-¡± Before Joanna could finish, Bruceined again, ¡°You just promised me that you would only work in the morning and y with me in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll deal with it tomorrow, okay?¡± Bruceughed. ¡°Hurry up and let¡¯s go eat! The children are all waiting!¡± Bruce urged Joanna again. Joanna had no choice but to follow Bruce to the dining room, While Joanna was not paying attention, Bruce reached out and ced that document into the pile that had already been processed. Andy woulde to collect these files in the afternoon. When Andy arrivedter, Bruce would find a suitable time to get Andy to send this document to Liam for processing. With Liam¡¯s tiny brain, Liam would definitely not be able to see through the trap in the contract. Liam would certainly step into the trap. In the dining room, lunch had already been served. On the dining table, there were sd, salmon, cream pasta, chicken soup, and so on. They were all rtively light and nutritious dishes. ¡°Time to eat!¡± Yes. Have you all washed your hands?¡± The three children sat down in unison and said with smiles, ¡°I¡¯ve already washed them.¡± Joanna also smiled. ¡°Mommy will go wash her hands too!¡± Joanna said. Joanna went to the bathroom to wash her hands, and Bruce went with her. Bruce was afraid that she would identally fall again. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s cream pasta today. My favorite!¡± ¡°The cholesterol is high for this. You have to eat less and eat more vegetables.¡± ¡°But I like cream pasta!¡± Davian and Irvin dug into their pasta with big forks. Even if they did not eat the other dishes, Davian and Irvin could eat a huge bowl of pasta. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Be good. You have to eat more vegetables and fish so you can grow taller.¡± ¡°Tsk, I have Daddy¡¯s good genes. I¡¯ll definitely grow as tall as Daddy.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes zed. Joanna still wanted to educate her sons. Joanna could not let the little fellows be so picky. If the children were picky about food, they would eventually develop the bad habit of being picky eaters like their daddy. ¡°No, all of you have to eat vegetables, or you¡¯ll be just like Daddy when the timees.¡± ¡°Just let the children eat whatever they want! There¡¯s no need to listen to Mommy. If they¡¯re picky, so be it. What¡¯s wrong with being picky?¡± Bruce said indignantly. It wasn¡¯t like the Everett family couldn¡¯t afford it. No matter how picky they were, the children would still have bnced nutrition. Joanna sighed. Looking at the children and Bruceughing, Joanna felt anxious. Next week, they would go to trial. Although it was rejectedst time, Liam would definitely appeal. Even if Liam lost this time, Liam would not let it go. Liam was sure to refile anotherwsuit. If Joanna gave Liam custody of Bruce, Joanna might have to be separated from Bruce again. Joanna had already thought it through. If Joanna lost this time, she would have a good chat with Liam. At most, Joanna would let Liam take charge of the Everett Group. Joanna only wanted Bruce and the children. However, Liam and L seemed to have a huge appetite. Not only did they want the Everett Group, but they also wanted Bruce¡¯s private assets. Therefore, even if Joanna didn¡¯t want to deal with the likes of Liam anymore, Joanna had to fight Liam to the end. Otherwise, Joanna and Bruce would end up having nothing. Chapter 712 Chapter 712 Chapter 712 After lunch, Joanna was still worried about the contract. ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with that contract-¡± Bruce pouted unhappily. ¡°Honey, you said you would y with me in the afternoon.¡± Joannaughed dryly and coaxed Bruce gently, ¡°It¡¯s just for a short while. I¡¯ll be done soon! When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll y with you, okay?¡± Bruce shook his head stubbornly. ¡°No, my wife doesn¡¯t keep her word. I¡¯m unhappy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really just for a little while. It won¡¯t take long.¡± Hearing this, Bruce pouted even more and pretended to be pitiful. ¡°I hate people who go back on their words the most. My fragile heart will be hurt!¡± Listening to his childlike tone, Joanna could onlyfort Bruce. ¡°Be good! It¡¯s just for a while!¡± Bruce sniffed in disapproval. ¡°You don¡¯t keep your word every time you make a promise. I don¡¯t want to believe you anymore,¡± Bruce said and turned his back on her. ¡°Alright! Alright! I¡¯ll y with you, okay? Don¡¯t be angry.¡± This damn guy was not clear-headed now. If Joanna made Bruce cry again, Joanna would have to coax Bruce for a long time. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. I want a kiss!¡± Joanna smiled in exasperation and could only kiss him. Br¨²ce grabbed her waist, and his hands started to wander again. Although it was just a light kiss, Bruce¡¯s entire body felt as if he had been fired up. It felt too good yesterday. Bruce could not get enough. The only shoring was that Bruce did not satiate his appetite. Furthermore, Bruce also did not dare to use his full strength. It was simply too bad for Bruce. Bruce could only endure for now. After all, Joanna had already made an exception yesterday. For the entire afternoon, Joanna apanied Bruce and the triplets to watch boring cartoons and do some handicrafts. At six in the afternoon, Andy came over. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m here to pick up the documents that have been processed.¡± Joanna handed a few documents to Andy. ¡°These have been taken care of.¡± ¡°Will do, I¡¯ll mail them tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go now. Miss Haynes, call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Andy smiled and said nothing more. Andy took the documents and prepared to leave. While Joanna wasn¡¯t paying attention, Bruce patted Andy¡¯s shoulder and whispered into Andy¡¯s ear, ¡°You better let Mr. Miller go through these again.¡± With that, Bruce walked away as if nothing had happened. Andy was stunned. Andy subconsciously looked at Bruce¡¯s retreating back. ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that Mr. Everett was cognitively impaired? Why did Mr. Everett speak so logically just now?¡± Andy wondered to himself. ¡°Oh my god, is Mr. Everett pretending?¡± Thinking of this, Andy¡¯s entire body trembled, and his hair stood on end. Andy had been working for Bruce for almost nine years, so Andy naturally knew Mr. Everett¡¯s temper and personality very well. Although Andy couldn¡¯t be absolutely right about everything, Andy could take a good guess on many things. After interacting with each other for a long time, sometimes, with a simple look, Andy would know what Mr. Everett was hinting at. This is known as tacit understanding in the workce. For example, the confidante of the king has to figure out what the king is thinking at all times. Andy could no longer remain calm. Andy¡¯s heart was pounding rapidly, such that it was about to jump out of his throat. ¡°Oh my god, have I done anything wrong recently? ¡°Did I say anything I shouldn¡¯t have? Did I do anything I shouldn¡¯t have? ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s over. It¡¯s over.¡± Andy stood rooted to the ground and broke out in a cold sweat. Joanna saw Andy standing there looking dumbfounded. ¡°Andy, is there anything else?¡± ¡°N-no, nothing else. I¡¯ll head back now.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Miss Haynes. Goodbye, Mr. Everett.¡± Andy¡¯s initially cool attitude instantly became ten times more respectful. ¡°Be careful on the road. Don¡¯t lose the documents!¡± Bruce winked at Andy meaningfully. Even though Bruce¡¯s voice was not loud and was even very gentle, when Andy heard Bruce, Andy felt a chill run down his spine. Andy swallowed hard and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. Lunderstand.¡± After saying that, Andy did not dare to dy for a second and quickly left. Andy still had lingering fears after he left Sherane Bay Vi. Andy recalled and sorted out everything he had done recently. Fortunately, there were no slip-ups and Andy had given no sign of betraying Mr. Everett. During this period, although Mr. Miller and the other shareholders kept trying to rope Andy in, Andy withstood the temptation and did not switch sides easily. Otherwise, Mr. Everett would definitely skin him alive. After Andy left, it was time for dinner. The family had dinner happily again. After dinner, the family took a walk on thewn. At around nine o¡¯clock, they returned to their rooms to rest. The next day, when Joanna woke up early in the morning, the children had already gone to school. After a simple breakfast, Joanna hurriedly went to deal with the work she had left behind yesterday. ¡°Why is it so strange? Why can¡¯t I find the documents from yesterday?¡± Joanna muttered to herself. Joanna searched her desk thoroughly. Unfortunately, after going through the pile of documents, Joanna still could not find that specific contract. ¡°Lilian, has anyone touched these files?¡± Head shaking in denial, Lilian said, ¡°No. No one came there at all.¡± ¡°Why is it so strange? How did that Fraynice document disappear?¡± Joanna mumbled and started looking around again. Joanna searched the entire living room, but she still could not find it. Joanna remembered very clearly that she had ced it on the table yesterday. But today, the contract had disappeared without a trace. No matter how hard Joanna searched, Joanna could not find it. The children would note here. It was impossible for the children to take it away. ¡°Honey, what are you looking for?¡± Bruce walked over and asked knowingly when Bruce saw Joanna looking for something. Bruce pretended he had just woken up. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the Fraynice contract from yesterday. Did you see it?¡± ¡°I sawit ¡°Where is it?¡± Bruce said nkly, ¡°Weren¡¯t you looking at it yesterday?¡± Joanna choked in anger. ¡°No, I¡¯m asking your if you saw it today. ¡°I just woke up and haven¡¯t been to the living room. How can I see it?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna innocently. How strange. Why is this document missing? ¡°Oh no, could Andy have taken it?¡± Thinking of this, Joanna was shocked. Joanna quickly took out her phone and called Andy. Andy quickly picked up the call. ¡°Miss Haynes, hello. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Andy, how many files did you take with you yesterday?¡± ¡°Oh, a total of eight,¡± Andy answered truthfully. ¡°Eight?¡± When Joanna heard this, her frown deepened. ¡°Oh no, this is bad. It looks like Andy really took it,¡± Joanna thought. Joanna processed a total of seven documents yesterday. Joanna thought she had been careless and identally ced the document on the pile which had been processed. ¡°Oh, what a nuisance! Where are the files now?¡± ¡°It was given to Mr. Miller yesterday.¡± Andy had initially nned to give them to Liam today. However, recalling what Bruce had said to him, Andy did not dare to procrastinate. Andy had personally sent the documents to Liam¡¯s house yesterday. When Joanna heard this, she became even more anxious. There was something wrong with the contract. Even Joanna was almost fooled. If it was handed to Liam, Liam would definitely fall into the trap. ¡°There¡¯s a loophole in one of the Fraynice documents. Hurry up and ask Mr. Miller if he has signed it.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s anxious tone, Andy did not dare to overlook this issue. Andy quickly went to Mr. Miller¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Miller, have you seen the documents I sent over yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already had the secretary mail it. Is there a problem?¡± When Andy heard this, Andy could only brace himself and say, ¡°Miss Haynes called just now and said that there¡¯s a problem with the contract with the Frayn winery.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes didn¡¯t say.¡± When Liam heard this, Liam waved his hand impatiently. ¡°There¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ve already signed the contract. Tell her not to worry.¡± ¡°Mr. Miller¡­¡± Andy hesitated. ¡°Get out!¡± Liam said with a gloomy face. After all, Andy was Bruce¡¯s senior assistant. Andy was not on the same side as Liam. During this period of time, Liam had been trying to rope in Andy. Unfortunately, Andy didn¡¯t cooperate with Liam at all. Andy would feign ignorance and refuse to work for Liam Therefore, Liam would not be amiable with Andy. Andy left Liam¡¯s office and called Joanna. ¡°Hello, Andy. How did it go?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Miller has signed that document.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell him there was a problem? Tell him to intercept the file quickly.¡± ¡°Mr. Miller said it¡¯s been mailed out!¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked even more anxious. Joanna sighed. ¡°That¡¯s so fast.¡± Usually, Liam would drag his feet in everything he did. Chapter 713 Chapter 713 Chapter 713 Joanna didn¡¯t think that the document would be dealt with so quickly. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Then, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna replied and hung up. Liam had beenpeting with Joanna all along. Now that the document was in Liam¡¯s hands, it was impossible to get it back. Even if Joanna said that there was something wrong with the document, Liam would not believe her. After hanging up, Andy made a face, his heart still pounding over what had happened. Back at the secretary¡¯s desk, Mark looked at Andy¡¯s dejected expression and asked curiously, ¡°Andy, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you so nervous? Did Mr. Miller scold you?¡± Andy sighed deeply and hesitated. Mark leaned forward and gossiped in a low voice, ¡°What happened?¡± Andy sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Mark was stunned and looked at Andy in confusion. ¡°What do you mean? Do you have insider information about thepany? I heard that Mr. Miller filed anotherwsuit with the court and requested to be Mr. Everett¡¯s guardian. Do you think Mr. Miller has a chance of winning this time?¡± When Andy heard this, he sneered. ¡°You have to be more cautious in your actions recently. Don¡¯t say anything wrong, and don¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Mark was even more confused after what Andy had said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°In short, work more and speak less. Adhere to your principles. Maintain the bottom line. A loyal subject does not serve two kings. Do you understand?¡± During this period, Liam tried his best to rope in the group of people who used to follow Mr. Everett. Naturally, Mark had also been approached. Mark blinked, trying to get some clues from Andy¡¯s face. ¡°Andy, we¡¯ve been friends for so many years. Don¡¯t hide anything from me!¡± ¡°Just listen to me! Don¡¯t be fooled by the illusion in front of you. You have to withstand the temptation and stand firm.¡± As Andy spoke, he patted Mark¡¯s shoulder meaningfully and walked towards his work desk. Andy was only guessing that Mr. Everett was pretending and could not be absolutely sure. Moreover, since Mr. Everett was putting on a pretense, it probably meant Mr. Everett didn¡¯t want anyone to expose him unless Mr. Everett revealed himself. Therefore, even if Mark was his best friend, Andy did not dare to reveal this secret. Looking at Andy¡¯s departing figure, Mark was even more dumbfounded. On the other side, listening to Joanna¡¯s sighs and seeing her frightened expression, Bruce intimately massaged her shoulders and gently kissed Joanna¡¯s head. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be so agitated. It¡¯s fine!¡± Joanna still looked anxious. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. There¡¯s a loophole in that document¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Uncle Liam is an adult. How can he make a mistake in handling the document? Perhaps you¡¯re overthinking it, Rx!¡± Bruce tried his best tofort Joanna. When Joanna heard this, her heart inexplicably tightened. A trace of cold mockery appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. Bruce wanted to see Liam step into the pit. In any case, no matter how much losses Liam caused to thepany in the future, Bruce would have Liampensate them. ¡°The trial is starting on Thursday. I don¡¯t know what the oue will be this time. No, no, I better call Mr. Jameson¡­¡± As she spoke, Joanna prepared to call Mr. Jameson again. Joanna wanted to ask Mr. Jameson how confident he was about the oue. ¡°Calm down, calm down. ¡°You can depend on your husband. My wife doesn¡¯t have to worry. I love my wife. My wife loves me. No one can separate us.¡± Hearing this, Joanna subconsciously looked into Bruce¡¯s eyes. Even though Bruce still looked cognitively impaired, Joanna caught a sh of slyness in Bruce¡¯s eyes. Bruce also seemed to be rejoicing about something. What was Bruce nning? Joanna¡¯s scalp tightened when she saw this. Joanna looked at Bruce even more closely. After Bruce came back from the hospital this time, he waspletely different. Although he was still cognitively impaired as before, the reasoning and logic of his speech were clearly simr to that of a normal person: Sometimes, Bruce¡¯s actions revealed deliberate concealment ¡°He¡­ He can¡¯t have returned to normal, right?¡± Joanna¡¯s mind was suddenly in shock at this thought. Sensing that Joanna was observing him, Bruce subconsciously avoided her gaze. Bruce didn¡¯t want to lie to Joanna either. However, Bruce really enjoyed the feeling of Joanna protecting him and taking care of him like a baby. If Bruce returned to normal, Joanna might not have been so careful with him. Both men and women had protective instincts and would naturally protect the weak and helpless. Therefore, Bruce was worried that Joanna would not be so concerned about him after knowing that Bruce had returned to norm¨¢l, let alone be so gentle with him. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Yes, what?¡± With a big belly, Joanna slowly walked around to Bruce and stared into Bruce¡¯s eyes, trying to see through him. Bruce felt a little guilty under Joanna¡¯s scrutiny. Bruce¡¯s gaze shifted ufortably. In the past, when Joanna looked at him, Bruce¡¯s pupils were dissipated and lifeless. And now, Bruce¡¯s eyes had clearly recovered their vitality. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think I¡¯m super handsome?¡± Bruce deliberately stuck out his tongue and smiled foolishly at Joanna. Joanna choked and said in a deep voice, ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you promise me before that you would never deceive to me again?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. How could his current actions be called deception? It was a lie of love at best. Bruce chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, honey? Of course, I won¡¯t lie to you! I¡¯m an honest and obedient child,¡± Bruce said and hugged Joanna coquettishly. ¡°Honey, you look so fierce. I¡¯m so scared. Did I do something wrong again?¡± Joanna was momentarily stunned and felt even stranger. Joanna suspected that Bruce was pretending, but if Joanna asked Bruce directly if he was pretending, Bruce would definitely not answer honestly. ¡°Yes, I hope we can be honest with each other. We won¡¯t lie to each other. If there¡¯s anything, we have to tell each other.¡± Bruce was taken aback and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Of course not. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Bruce had many secrets that he could not tell Joanna. There were times when Bruce had no choice but to lie. Bruce was also under a lot of pressure. However, Bruce felt that he could bear the pressure himself. Bruce did not want Joanna to be under such stress. ¡°Then let me ask you, who am I?¡± Bruceughed dryly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re my wife. Why are you asking such a question?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you what my name is.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and secretly wondered why Joanna asked this. This question seemed simple, but it was really difficult to answer. If Bruce answered correctly, Joanna would definitely suspect that Bruce was pretending to be cognitively impaired. If Bruce answered wrongly, Joanna would still suspect that Bruce deliberately answered wrongly. Bruce was silent. Joanna continued to interrogate Bruce, saying, ¡°Bruce, let me ask you onest time. Have you recovered now? ¡°If you¡¯re back to normal, you have to tell me.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he avoided Joanna¡¯s gaze. Bruce didn¡¯t understand what Joanna meant by that. ¡°Was Joanna nning to leave me once again when she found out that I have recovered? ¡°That must be it!¡± Bruce thought. Previously, Joanna hated Bruce so much that she wanted to escape from Bruce no matter what. Now, Joanna was staying by Bruce¡¯s side so she could take care of him. Sometimes, Bruce could guess other people¡¯s thoughts very urately. However, Joanna¡¯s thoughts would always elude him. ¡°Honey, why do you keep asking such a question? I¡¯m so scared when I hear it. Do you want to leave me again? ¡°Honey, can you promise me that no matter what happens, we won¡¯t be separated? ¡°Without you by my side, I¡¯m panicking.¡± As Bruce spoke, his eyes began tearing up and turning bloodshot. Seeing how nervous Bruce was, Joanna softened her tone. ¡°No, I¡¯m just asking you!¡± Bruce was so anxious that he began coughing. Seeing this, Joanna hurriedly went forward to check on Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Perhaps Bruce had been thinking too much, but he felt his head beginning to ache again. ¡°Honey, my head hurts.¡± ¡°Really? Let me see.¡± As Bruce spoke, ayer of cold sweat appeared on his temples. Bruce had a splitting headache and could not help but stagger. ¡°Oh¡­ It really hurts¡­ Chapter 714 Chapter 714 Chapter 714 Upon witnessing the situation, Joanna felt her heart tighten with worry, and without hesitation, she swiftly extended her hand to support him. ¡°Lilian, call our doctor, now!¡± ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± Lilian promptly retrieved the doctor¡¯s number and dialed it without dy. ¡°Have a seat first!¡± Bruce stumbled and took a seat on the nearby sofa. His face was notably pale, and cold sweat started to form on his forehead. Over the past two days, he had been dwelling on something, which resulted in excessive mental strain. Unfortunately, the cerebral hemorrhage had already inflicted significant damage to his brain. Witnessing his pale face, Joanna¡¯s anxiety and heartache intensified. She refrained from asking any further questions, not wanting to add to his distress. She called two servants to assist and gently helped Bruce back to his room, making sure he could lie downfortably. Soon, the family doctor came over. Dr. Down examined Bruce and administered an injection to alleviate his pain. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s brain injury is quite severe. He has just started recovering and needs to rest properly. Otherwise, there¡¯s a risk of another cerebral hemorrhage.¡±. Upon hearing this, Joanna instinctively took in a sharp breath. ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s a chance of a rpse?¡± ¡°Indeed, many illnesses carry the possibility of rpse. Therefore, subsequent recuperation is crucial. ¡°However, there¡¯s not much of a problem at the moment. Mr. Everett has to rest more and avoid violent activities. ¡°The stitches will be removed in a few days. I¡¯lle back then.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Alright, see you then!¡± Dr. Down replied as he instructed his assistant to pack up the first aid kit. ¡°Lilian, send Dr. Down out.¡± Lilian nodded respectfully and gestured with a weing motion. ¡°Dr. Down, please follow me this way,¡± she said, leading him in the designated direction. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Thank you,¡± Dr. Down replied politely and left with Lilian.¡± The family doctor left. Joanna took a seat at the head of the bed, her expression filled with fear. She tenderly tucked Bruce in, and her heart instantly raced with worry and concern. Filled with regret, she realized she had doubted him unjustly. He had narrowly escaped death, and she regretted ever interrogating him. He had been lying in the hospital for almost five months since the day of his ident. Later on, he faced another life-threatening attack with a spear and nearly lost his life. It was a challenging journey for him to survive these trials. She realized she should cherish and take care of him more than ever. Since the day hey in the operating room, she had fervently prayed to God countless times. She was willing to sacrifice everything as long as he could survive and continue to live. Now, God had granted her wish. He came back to life safely. She understood that she should cherish every moment when he was a part of her life. ¡°Bruce, have a good sleep!¡± Bruce opened his eyes tiredly and held Joanna¡¯s hand weakly. ¡°Honey!¡± Joanna leaned over and gently kissed him on the lips. ¡°I¡¯m here, and I¡¯ve been watching over you. Now, get some rest. ¡°Dr. Down said that if you want to recover quickly, sleep is crucial,¡± Joanna added. Bruce¡¯s face was still pale, and he gazed weakly at Joanna, tightening his grip on her hand. ¡°Honey, I love you!¡± Joanna was momentarily taken aback, but then a gentle smile graced her face, revealing a pair of shallow dimples on her cheeks. ¡°I love you too,¡± Will you love me forever?¡± ¡°Yes, I will!¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Bruce also smiled at Joanna. Joanna tenderly stroked the scar on his forehead, her gaze filled with even more gentleness and affection. ¡°Now, get some sleep! You¡¯ve just had an injection, so you must be feeling very sleepy now, right?¡± Joanna said. This type of injection often contains medications that induce drowsiness in people. He should be sleepy. ¡°Yup.¡± Bruce closed his eyes tiredly and quickly fell asleep. For nearly a year, he had been recuperating and had not done anything big. And now, he felt even more exhausted physically and mentally. Looking at Bruce¡¯s sleeping face, Joanna calmed down and took a deep breath worriedly. It wasn¡¯t easy for them to get to where they were that day. She needed more tolerance and trust. No matter how deep their love was, without trust, it would disappear easily. She had chosen him, so she should trust him unconditionally. She avoided him before because she didn¡¯t trust him and her guard against him was too high. Eight o¡¯clock in the evening. The effects of Bruce¡¯s drug had worn off. He woke up in a daze. ¡°Uh, hiss¡± Joanna immediately went over when she saw him awake. ¡°Bruce?¡± ¡°How long have I been asleep? What time is it now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s eight o¡¯clock in the evening!¡± Bruce struggled to sit up. ¡°Have I slept for so long?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Yup!¡± Bruce shook his head slightly. His headache had eased a lot, but he was a little dizzy now due to sleeping for too long. ¡°Are you hungry? You haven¡¯t eaten for a day. You must be very hungry.¡± ¡°I am fine!¡± ¡°I had them cook some oatmeal. It should be done. Get up and try some.¡± ¡°Mm, okay!¡± Bruce lifted the nket and stood up from the bed! Joanna had already instructed the servants to bring the oatmeal and ce it on the bedside table. In the past, Bruce would never eat in the bedroom, but now, he couldn¡¯t make it downstairs. ¡°It took an entire afternoon to cook this oatmeal,¡± Joanna said as she personally served it to him, showing her care and effort in preparing the meal. The oatmeal was fragrant and nutritious, with a delightful aroma enhanced by a sprinkling of pepper on the surface. Bruce ate the oatmeal in silence, his expression showing signs of distress and distraction. In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday. It was the day of the court hearing. Early in the morning, Joanna apanied Bruce and hiswyer to the court. At the court entrance, Liam and L also arrived with theirwyers. They entered the court. ¡°Rise¡­¡± The jury read out Liam¡¯s applications. ¡°Mr. Bruce Everett, due to a significant ident, suffered severe intellectual damage, leading to the loss of his personal and criminal capacity to act. In order to protect the future rights and interests of Mr. Bruce Everett, I, Liam Miller, am applying to be his legal guardian¡­¡± The atmosphere in the courtroom was solemn and oppressive. ¡°Mr. Miller is Mr. Everett¡¯s uncle and the only elder rtive. He is highly respected in society and fully qualified to be a guardian¡­¡± Liam¡¯swyer was thoroughly prepared and put forth his utmost effort to win thewsuit. Bruce¡¯swyer appeared to have performed subparly as he barely made any arguments in the case. The debatested for an hour. It was time for the verdict to be announced. The judge asked Bruce earnestly, ¡°Mr. Everett, do you wish Mr. Miller to be your guardian?¡± Bruce smiled foolishly. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Boom! When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce in astonishment When they were at home, Joanna had already persuaded him not to agree in court. Why did he change his mind? Chapter 715 Chapter 715 Chapter 715 Bruce blinked slightly at Joanna, and a faint smile graced his handsome face. Anyway, he had already made his will in advance. He had already made his willst year, wherein all his assets were left to Joanna and the children. The will had been kept in a safe, so Joanna was unaware of its existence. If he were to pass away, all his money and shares of Everett Group would be inherited solely by Joanna and the children. No one else would be entitled to a single cent of his assets. And now, Bruce was willing to let Liam have custody since Liam desired it so intensely. If Bruce caused any trouble during this period of time, Liam would be responsible for facing the consequences. When Liam heard Bruce¡¯s response, he was ted and wore a triumphant expression as he looked at Joanna. Joanna felt a lump in her throat as if stuck by a fishbone. ¡°All right, it¡¯s over.¡± It was quick. After a period of adjournment, another round of intense debate ensued in the courtroom. The judge announced the verdict. Custody of Bruce was granted to Liam. This result was far beyond Joanna¡¯s expectations. Mr. Jameson was one of the most professionalwyers in Greyport, and perhaps even in the entire world. However, he lost thewsuit so easily. ¡°Withdraw.¡± The judge delivered the verdict. Joanna appealed in court. However, this did not affect Liam and L¡¯s triumphant mood. They looked at Joanna with arrogance and said, ¡°Joanna, do you have anything else to say?¡± Joanna had a solemn expression but couldn¡¯t say anything. With the impending birth and exhaustion, she didn¡¯t have the energy to continue arguing with them. The appeal must wait until the babyes out. ¡°As Bruce¡¯s guardian, I¡¯m formally requesting you to vacate Sherane Bay Vi immediately and not bother Bruce again,¡± L was even more refreshed, and she asserted, ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t assume I¡¯m unaware of your intentions. Let me be clear, with my husband¡¯s presence, you won¡¯t get a single cent of Mr. Everett¡¯s assets. ¡°If you¡¯re wise, leave Sherane Bay Vi before we take the necessary steps. Joannaughed and retorted, ¡°Hmph, who are you to chase me away? ¡°Even if you¡¯re Bruce¡¯s guardian, I¡¯m carrying his child now, and we already have three children together. Just based on this, none of you can dictate what I should do,¡± Joanna asserted. ¡°Hmph, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re pregnant with Bruce¡¯s child, I would haye evicted you from Sherane Bay Vi today,¡± As Liam spoke, he directed his gaze at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, I promise to take good care of you in the future!¡± L¡¯s joy was evident as she urged Liam, ¡°Hubby, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s bring Bruce home with us today!¡± ¡°I am going home with my wife!¡± Bruce dered, hugging Joanna¡¯s shoulder affectionately. ¡°Uh¡­ Liam frowned. His original n was to evict Joanna from Sherane Bay Vi as soon as he gained custody of Bruce, Then, he would take over the Everett Group at the same time. However, he had to take things one step at a time and proceed with caution. Indeed, Joanna¡¯s pregnancy made him cautious about acting hastily. He didn¡¯t dare to use it recklessly, as it could potentially impact public opinion and lead to unfavorable consequences for him. ¡°Bruce, haven¡¯t I mentioned before that I would bring you to my house? From now on, I¡¯ll take good care of you and your life,¡± Liam said. He was eager to gain control over Bruce¡¯s freedom as soon as possible. As long as he controlled Bruce, he would be controlling everything. ¡°Hehe, my wife takes care of me. Uncle, you just need to handle the business. ¡°My wife is about to give birth, and I need to be with her to take care of her,¡± Bruce exined. Liam choked on his words and subconsciously nced at Joanna¡¯s belly Liam realized that forcibly separating Bruce and Joanna now would undoubtedly have a negative impact on both of them and those around them. Furthermore, considering that Joanna had already given birth to three children for Bruce, and now she was pregnant with another child, it was clearly unrealistic to simply kick her away and disregard their family situation. However, Liam was aware that he held the power to distribute the assets. As for how much he would give her, it depended on whether Joanna wouldply with his wishes and be submissive to his control. ¡°Hmm, Mr. Everett¡¯s suggestion seems reasonable. Let her take care of Mr. Everett for now! After the child is born, we can take Mr. Everett with us,¡± L proposed. ¡°Okay, that makes sense,¡± Liam agreed, deciding not to furtherplicate things for Joanna. Now that he had this judgment in hand, everything was under his control. He was not afraid of Joanna¡¯s tactics or schemes. ¡°Then go back with her first! I will pick you up in a while.¡± ¡°Alright, Uncle.¡± Bruce smiled at Liam. Feeling pain in her belly, Joannacked the strength to argue with them any further. ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± ¡± ¡°Honey, be careful. I¡¯ll support you,¡± Bruce said quickly, moving forward to assist Joanna as she was experiencing difort. Back in the car. Joanna could not help but look worried. ¡°What exactly is going on? Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®Mr. Jameson is so professional. Why did we lose thewsuit so easily?¡± Bruce looked at her carefully. ¡°Honey, are you angry?¡± Joanna sighed helplessly. He didn¡¯t appear to be pretending to be foolish. How could she argue with him? Chapter 716 Chapter 716 Chapter 716 ¡°Are you ming me for having my uncle as my guardian?¡± Bruce pouted and cast a pitiful look at Joanna, questioning her. ¡°No, how could I me you?¡± Joanna said gently, offeringfort as she held his hand reassuringly. No matter what, his brain was damaged. Even if he did something wrong, she couldn¡¯t me him for it. ¡°Let¡¯s take it one step at a time! For now, let¡¯s go home first!¡± Joanna suggested. Bruce¡¯s lips curved into a peculiar smile as he reassured Joanna, ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, my love. I won¡¯t go to Uncle¡¯s house. I¡¯ll be by your side forever. Nobody can ever separate us, right?¡± As Bruce spoke, he intimately hugged Joanna, expressing his affection and love for her in a heartfelt embrace. However, despite the smile on his face, there was a hint of mncholy, hinting at underlying emotions or concerns. Aria had not contacted him for many years. Now that she had suddenly reached out to him after so many years, he felt unusually uneasy about the situation. He was afraid that his peaceful life would be disrupted, and even more concerned that the people around him would be hurt in the process. ¡®But¡­ He acknowledged that whatever was toe would eventually happen, and he had no way to prevent Aria¡¯s arrival or the potential changes it might bring. : Joanna was also troubled and annoyed. ¡°Ouch, hiss¡­¡± Bruce was shocked and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna subconsciously held her belly. ¡°My belly hurts a little!¡± ¡°Is the baby kicking you?¡± ¡°Well, ouch, maybe¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned pale as she spoke. For the past few days, her lower abdomen had been hurting from time to time. Perhaps she was worried about too many things, or perhaps she was too tired. In short, the already unstable fetus felt even more ufortable. ? ? ? ? ?? ¡°Why don¡¯t I take you to the hospital now?¡± Joanna wanted to refuse, but her belly hurt again. ¡°Yes! Alright¡­¡± The child was already more than seven months old, almost eight months old. During this period of time, she went to the hospital often. Antenatal check-ups were even more essential. ¡°Carson, go straight to the hospital!¡± ¡°Okay. Carson turned around and disappeared in the direction of the hospital. Twenty minutester. At the hospital. The attending doctor of the Gynecology Department performed a series of tests on Joanna. ¡°Doctor, how is it? Why do I feel pain in my lower abdomen these few days?¡± The doctor¡¯s expression turned solemn as they said, ¡°There¡¯s a slightly low level of amniotic fluid, and there are signs of prematurebor.¡± ¡°Ah! Then what should we do?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°I rmend that you stay in the hospital to protect the baby.¡± ¡°Again?¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked even more depressed! In the past two to three years, she had spent most of her time in the hospital. Now, seeing the hospital, she felt afraid and anxious. If she wasn¡¯t feeling unwell today and didn¡¯t have to go for a prenatal checkup, she would have preferred not to step into the hospital again. Joanna frowned and asked, ¡°Doctor, can you prescribe some medicine? I¡¯d rather go home.¡± ¡°Uh, I suggest you stay in the hospital. ¡°This way, if anything happens, we will have enough time for an emergency treatment.¡± Joanna felt a chill in her heart. When Bruce heard this, his expression became even more serious. Without waiting for Joanna to reply, he took the initiative and made a decision on her behalf. ¡°Alright, arrange for her to be hospitalized immediately.¡± ¡°Bruce, no! I don¡¯t want to be hospitalized. Why don¡¯t we go home?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No, this is a critical moment. No ident must happen.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Speak no more. Nothing is more important than you and the baby.¡± Joanna sighed deeply again. She hated to be hospitalized. Seeing her reluctance, the doctor offered apromise, saying, ¡°How about this? You can stay in the hospital for a week for observation. After a week, if your condition improves, you can go home.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go arrange it now.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna said as he struggled to stand 1. Her belly was already quiterge, and coupled with the exhaustion of the past few days, it became heavier. Staying in the hospital for a few days was a prudent decision. Chapter 717 Chapter 717 Chapter 717 Even though she really didn¡¯t want to be hospitalized, after hearing the doctor¡¯s grave concerns, Joanna could only reluctantly agree to stay in the hospital. ¡°Go take care of the hospitalization procedures!¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Soon after, the hospitalization procedures werepleted. Joanna was assigned to the special VIP ward. There were almost no patients on this floor. Ordinary patients would not be arranged toe to this floor. As they entered the VIP floor, they noticed a few nurses and doctors escorting a patient out of the elevator. The patient was also arranged on this floor. An assistant in a suit approached Marcus and said, ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. Mr. Derick¡¯s life has been saved. ¡°He has been transferred to a normal ward!¡± On the other end of the phone, Marcus appeared to be exining something to the person on the call. The assistant nodded submissively while on the phone. ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± Marlowe had spent over ten days in the intensive care unit, but today, he was finally transferred to a regr ward. However, they had to amputate his right leg from the knee. Therge tendons at his neck were cut off. Although they managed to reattach it, his neck was now crooked to the left. ¡°Uh, uh, uh¡­¡± Marlowey there, whimpering in pain and difort. What a narrow path! Joanna and Bruce happened to run into Marlowe. Given that he was the eldest son of the Yanice family, and was one of the wealthiest young guys in Greyport, it was no surprise he was staying in the VIP ward. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± When Marlowe saw Bruce, his previously dispirited and weak expression instantly brightened up. He became excited and struggled to sit up straight. But Marlowe¡¯s injuries were still very severe. Even if he tried with all his strength, he could only manage to squirm. ¡°Mr. Derick, please don¡¯t get too agitated. You haven¡¯t fully recovered yet,¡± the assistant quickly comforted him. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Marlowe tried to mumble something, but he was unable to speak clearly. Despite his inability to speak, Marlowe¡¯s gaze was piercing and filled with resentment, resembling that of a venomous snake. Bruce coldly nced at Marlowe, and with a shrug, his expression seemed to convey the message, ¡°That¡¯s right, my people did it.¡± Even the police had no way to investigate such a matter. Just like how Marlowe had hired someone to seek revenge on Bruce, the murderer had already fled overseas, making it nearly impossible to conduct a thorough investigation. Indeed, everyone was well aware of the situation, but despite their suspicions, they couldn¡¯t find any concrete evidence. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is your ward.¡± The nurse opened the door and gestured with her right hand. Joanna and Bruce entered the ward. ¡°I heard that Marlowe¡¯s leg was amputated. He might be paralyzed for the rest of his life,¡± Joanna said with a casual sigh. Marlowe was also a well-known celebrity in Greyport, and his amputation had be a prominent news story covered extensively by the media. Bruce sneered. ¡°Who cares? He deserves it!¡± Joanna nced at Bruce.. ¡°Why is he so cold-blooded?¡± She thought.¡± Even a stranger would feel sorry for the person who went through this. But Bruce mocked him. How cold-blooded! Despite seeing the sympathy in Joanna¡¯s eyes, Bruce¡¯s disdain for Marlowe seemed to intensify. He remarked, ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have to sympathize with someone like him. ¡°This kind of scum doesn¡¯t deserve any sympathy.¡± Joanna listened and did not say anything else. She did not sympathize with Marlowe. Shemented how terrifying the murderer must have been to sh Marlowe multiple times and then drive over his legs. The cruelty of the act was deeply unsettling and horrifying to her. Joanna even suspected that the criminals who attacked Marlowe and those who attacked Bruce might be the same group of people. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not care about him.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m going to administer a pregnancy stabilizer injection now,¡± the nurse informed Joanna. ¡°Okay.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this text. The nurse swiftly began to prepare the medicine and inserted the needle into Joanna¡¯s arm. ¡°You¡¯d better rest in bed during this period of time. Don¡¯t walk around.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out first. If you need anything, please press the server.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The nurse bowed politely and left the ward, maintaining a professional and reassuring smile on her lips. After the nurses and intensive caregivers left, Joanna could not help but sigh deeply. In the past few days, Joanna had been feeling uneasy and had a lingering premonition that something significant was about to happen. H Joanna¡¯s sixth sense had always been remarkably urate. Whenever something bad was about to happen, she would experience various signs like her eyelids twitching, her hair trembling, or feeling inexplicably depressed. This was a sign that something bad was about to happen. ¡°Honey, why are you looking so sad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about the children. I¡¯ll be hospitalized for another week.¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you miss the children, I can get someone to bring them over.¡± When Joanna heard that, she immediately shook her head in disagreement. ¡°Forget it! Let¡¯s not take the children to the hospital. It¡¯s not a good ce to visit.¡± ¡°Hehe, then I¡¯ll apany you in the hospital.¡± As Bruce spoke, he gently pressed his big head against Joanna¡¯s stomach. On this side¡­ the Marlowe was sent to another ward in the same floor. Although their wards were on the same floor, there was a considerable distance between them, as there were only two patients on this floor. Chapter 718 Chapter 718 Chapter 718 ¡°Boohoo, Bruce¡­¡± Marlowe mumbled, his words filled with anger and a desire for revenge against Bruce. He was aware that Bruce must have orchestrated someone to seek revenge on him. However, despite his emotional state and desire for revenge, Marlowe couldn¡¯t help but feel scared of Bruce now. Bruce didn¡¯t kill him this time; he merely taught him a harsh lesson. Marlowe realized that if he dared to provoke Bruce again, the consequences could be much more severe, possibly even fatal. ¡°Mr. Yanice, please refrain from moving. If you need anything, just let me know. After whimpering a few times, Marlowe¡¯s spirits seemed to dete, and hey down in a dispirited manner, resembling a deted ball. Marlowe was well aware that confronting Bruce at this moment would be courting death. He realized that it would be wiser to hold back for now and focus on his recovery rather than seeking revenge on Bruce immediately. ¡°President Yanice, what are you trying to say?¡± Marlowe¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he closed his eyes fiercely. Marlowe never expected that Bruce would survive the attack and, to his surprise, end up with more severe injuries than Bruce himself. Filled with resentment and a burning desire for revenge, Marlowe swore in his heart, vowing that he would never let Bruce off the hook for the suffering he had caused. Despite his weakened state and the uncertainty of his future, he was determined to seek retribution even if it meant haunting Bruce for the rest of his life. Marlowe¡¯s anger and resentment consumed him, and he vowed with venomous determination, ¡°Just you wait. When I recover, I will not only take your life but also the lives of your entire family! I, Marlowe, will never coexist under the same sky as you. We can¡¯t live peacefully together.¡± Despite closing his eyes, Marlowe¡¯s emotions continued to fluctuate violently. His inner turmoil was evident, and the intensity of his feelings seemed to overpower him, making it difficult for him to find peace or sce. Marlowe¡¯s injuries were severe, leaving him permanently disabled and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The loss of his right calf and multiple sh wounds had taken a toll on his physical and mental well-being, leaving him unable to even speak clearly. It was almost noon. Marcus came to the hospital to visit his son. At the same time, some of their friends in business came to visit them. ¡°How is Marlowe doing? ¡°I heard that he was transferred out of the intensive care unit today, so I came over to see how he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Marcus thanked the guest politely. Grayson and his wife also came to the hospital to visit Marlowe with Jennie. Given the interconnections and business dealings between wealthy families, it was only natural for the Garcia family to maintain friendly rtions with the Yanice family In such social circles, it was not umon for the elders to exchange polite yet somewhat hypocritical words. Jennie was notfortable in such social settings and found herself disliking these asions. She politely bid farewell to Marcus, using an excuse to gracefully excuse herself from the ward. In the corridor. ?? ? ? ? Bruce also went to check his body. After the checkup, he was about to return to the ward. He saw Jennie right in front of him. Jennie also saw Bruce. Her eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce sized up Jennie. Then, he forced a retarded and idiotic smile at her. Jennie was stunned as he stared nkly at Bruce. The man standing before her remained asmanding and handsome as ever. His imposing presence and the scar on his forehead only added to his allure, giving him a captivating and slightly enigmatic aura. Jennie could not help but feel excited again. ¡°Bruce, are you alright now?¡± As she spoke, Jennie walked excitedly towards Bruce. Her igh heels clicked on the ground. Seeing how agitated she was, Bruce¡¯s heart tightened. He could only pretend to have lost his memory. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± Jennie was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s right, Bruce. Don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯m Jennie!¡± Bruce frowned and smiled foolishly. Of course, he knew Jennie. However, it was not easy for him to cut ties with her. He did not want to get into trouble again. ¡°Bruce, long time no see. I thought you¡­¡± Ass he spoke, Jennie choked. She thought that Bruce would never wake up again. She didn¡¯t expect to see him now. ¡°Hehe¡­ Do we know each other?¡± Bruce pretended to be dumb. After all, when he was in prison, he had only jokingly agreed to date her. She took it seriously and chased after him. He was really afraid and did not want to get himself in trouble again. ¡°Bruce, how did you be like this?¡± Jennie¡¯s nose turned sour, and her yes instantly turned red. Then, she started cursing Joanna again. ¡°It¡¯s all that b*tch Joanna¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for her, you wouldn¡¯t have be like this. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really happy for you to see you recover. Without waiting for Jennie to finish, Bruce directly interrupted her. ¡°Hehe, my wife is still waiting for me. I have to go. Bye.¡± Bruce did not dare to dy any longer. He quickly turned around and walked towards Joanna¡¯s ward. Jennie watched as Bruce fled. Her eyes turned even redder. She really liked Bruce and had loved him for so many years. Unfortunately, he had never given her a chance. Last year, she thought she would be closer to Bruce. But he was just patronizing her. As soon as he was released from prison, he dumped her. He had no intention of being with her. Hearing that he had an ident, she wanted to visit him. During this period, she had been trying to convince herself to let go of her obsession and end the rtionship. However, upon seeing him again, the emotions in her heart surged once more. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re being foolish. Joanna is the one responsible for your current state, yet you still cherish her like a precious treasure! ¡°If you had chosen me, such a disaster wouldn¡¯t have happened. ¡°Joanna, you damn bitch, how did you bewitch Bruce to such an extent?¡± The more she thought about it, the more indignant she became. She stood in the hospital corridor, her gaze fixed on the direction where Bruce had left, hoping he would return. Fifteen minutester. Grayson and his wife walked out of the ward. Seeing his daughter standing there like a stone pir, Mrs. Garcia¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Jennie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jennie did not speak. She continued to stare nkly at the end of the hospital. ¡°Jennie, what are you looking at? Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jennie kept looking back. Her heart was in turmoil. She still couldn¡¯t let go of Bruce. Even though she knew that he had be an idiot, she still could not let go. In the ward. Bruce returned to the ward, still feeling a little frustrated. ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°Yes, is it long?¡± Bruce sat at the head of the bed. ¡°It¡¯s been almost an hour. Isn¡¯t that long?¡± Joanna grumbled unhappily. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. He hadn¡¯t been gone for too long. But she was worried that Bruce would met bad people. ¡°I¡¯m back now!¡± ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± The nurse replied, ¡°The doctor prescribed medication for Mr. Everett and asked him to return for a follow-up checkup after some time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joanna was relieved. ¡°Honey, does your belly feel better?¡± ¡°Does it still hurt? Did the baby kick you again?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt so much anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, the doctor said that you have to lie down and rest. Don¡¯t be too tired and don¡¯t think too much.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Joanna could not help but sigh heavily. ¡°Turn on the television! It¡¯s so quiet in this ward.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The nurse then turned on the television. Unexpectedly, as soon as the television was turned on, they saw some gossip news. [Everett Group is about to have a new chairman. Liam Miller has officially taken over Everett Group.] [Hartfield Enterprise may face the risk of delisting. Can the new chairman turn the tide?] [Bruce stepped down from the position of chairman. His brain has been severely damaged¡­]. The news anchor finished his report with a serious expression. The scene changed to an outdoor reporter interviewing Liam. ¡°Mr. Miller, are you about to take over as Everett Group?¡± ¡°Mr. Miller, are you Mr. Everett¡¯s legal guardian from now on?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Mr. Everett¡¯s uncle. Now that he¡¯s in trouble, of course I have to take care of everything for him.¡± In front of the camera, Liam and L were beaming with joy. Even though the two of them had tried their best to control their expressions, the joy in their eyes could not help but be revealed. ¡°Can Mr. Everett¡¯s brain recover?¡±. ¡°The doctor said that there¡¯s no way for him to recover at the moment, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of him for the rest of his life,¡± Liam said to the reporters with a rosy face. Looking at the report on the television, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but sneer. He would soon tear apart Liam¡¯s hypocritical face. On the day Liam became the chairman, he wanted to appear unexpectedly and teach him a lesson. However, this way, he wouldn¡¯t be able to pretend to be retarded. He enjoyed pretending to be retarded, because he had Joanna¡¯s meticulous care and love for him. However, the situation was special now. He couldn¡¯t pretend any longer. In less than two weeks, Aria would be Greyport. He wanted to settle everything in thepany before Aria arrived. Only then would he have the energy and time to face Aria. Chapter 719 Chapter 719 Chapter 719 ¡°How are your wounds? Come over, let me have a look.¡± Alright¡­¡± Bruce tenderly reclined in Joanna¡¯s embrace. His hair had grown longer. Joanna tenderly brushed his hair aside to look at his wounds. He had four scars in total on his head! The wound on the back of his head looked like a ferocious centipede tattoo. It was bald there. The good thing was, that the wound was on the back of his head and wouldn¡¯t affect his overall appearance. If the scar was on the top of his head, he would definitely be bald. But then, he would be ugly. Now he was not affected at all. Nheless, he had forever trimmed the hair on the back of his head shorter than the front. Thus, with a dab of hair gel, he resembled a model. ¡°Is the injury still painful?¡± Joanna inquired with a heavy heart as she touched his scar. ** ¡°It hurts. How can it not hurt? It hurts a lot.¡± Bruce said aggrievedly and snuggled into her arms like a spoiled child. His grasp on her waist was firm,parable to an overly clingy canine. Joanna delicately massaged his head and blew on it soothingly. Bruce couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter He adored her gentle appearance and relished thefort of resting in her embrace, savoring the faint fragrance that surrounded her. ¡°You should be fine after a week or two. Don¡± as you do now?¡± ¡°Darling, I mean, by the time my wounds are healed, would you treat me as kind as you do now?¡± Joannaughed, feeling a little bit of annoyance. ¡°Am I a gentle person?¡± She would never use the word gentle to describe herself. She was a quiet person. She didn¡¯t like talking too much. ¡°Of course. I love it when you are so gentle.¡± Sheughed upon hearing this. Bruce raised his head, looking at Joanna, his eyes full of emotion. ¡°Darling, I love you so much!¡± Joanna put on a faint smile. ¡°Me too! I love you very much.¡± ¡°My love, will you adore me as much as you do now for eternity? Will you perpetually be benevolent towards me?¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered as he apprehensively asked, ¡°If the day arrives when I fully recuperate, will you still be as affectionate and solicitous as you are present? Will you bestow upon me the same love and kindness?¡± ¡°Oh yes!¡± Joanna answered without hesitation. ¡°What happened? You have been weird recently. Why do you keep asking such boring questions?¡± ¡°Are these boring questions? But I really wanted to know the answer!¡± ¡°If one day you discover that I lied to you, will you be upset?¡± Bruce was genuinely puzzled by Joanna¡¯s thoughts. He was probing her reaction with careful questions, trying to understand her feelings. Joanna was astounded and cast her gaze downward toward him. His brain was now damaged. How was he going to lie to her even if he wanted to? Bruce nced at her seriously as well. He no longer wished to conceal the truth from her. He was about to tell her that he had recovered and retrieved his memory. ¡°Darling, I didn¡¯t want to lie to you. I¡­¡± Bruce said, then suddenly paused. He didn¡¯t know how to say it.. He was afraid that if he really said it, Joanna would be pissed off. Joanna pondered for a few seconds, touched his cheek, and said seriously, ¡°Well, why did ¡°You know, I always hate liars. ¡°Are you lying to me? If you are, you¡¯d better tell me the truth now.¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°What would you do if you found that I lied?¡± Joanna pondered seriously for a few seconds after hearing it. What would she do if she found him lying to her? you lie? She shouldn¡¯t forgive him. He lied to her many times in the past. He shouldn¡¯t lie to her, even if it was out of goodwill. Irrespective of the justifications, deceit was still deceit. Joanna¡¯s expression changed. ¡°You know, I hate men who lie. ¡°Just picture the person you love the most who has been lying to you all this time. It¡¯s: s scary, right? ¡°Lying to someone who is dear to you is inexcusable! Ponder over it, if the individual can deceive those in his surroundings. He is atrocious. ¡°Hence, I have instilled in the children the value of truthfulness and honesty. You too must be an upright individual. Please refrain from lying to me, even if it stems from benevolence.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce seriously. When Bruce heard this, his eyes instinctively shifted. He took a deep breath of cold air. Holy shit! Fortunately, he was unable to divulge the truth at that very moment. If she were to discover that he had concealed the truth from her for a prolonged duration, she would be undoubtedly infuriated. He knew her too well. She might have an abortion after knowing that he lied again! ¡°Forget it, forget it. I¡¯ll tell herter. ¡°Joanna is on the brink of giving birth. If she uncovers my deceit, it could initiate prematurebor. ¡°Until after she gives birth, I won¡¯t reveal the truth,¡± Bruce whispered to himself, firmly deciding to keep it from Joanna to avoid anyplications during this critical time. Bruce didn¡¯t want Joanna to be too upset or stressed, especially during her pregnancy. ¡°By the way, what was it that you intended to tell me just a moment ago?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes rolled, his guilt evident on his face. As Joanna discerned Bruce¡¯s evasion, her countenance turned somber. ¡°Bruce, did you deceive me once again? ¡°Tell me, did youmit misconduct again?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Acturally, I¡­¡± ¡°What have you done this time? Tell me honestly. ¡°Come clean now, and I might consider forgiving you. But if I have to discover it myself, be prepared for serious consequences,¡± Joanna said firmly, her expression stern and resolute. Joanna was determined to break Bruce¡¯s habit of lying and ensure he understood the importance of honesty. This guy used to be quite skilled at lying. He wouldn¡¯t change so easily. Even if his brain was damaged, she had to reminded him that lying was wrong. Bruce rolled his eyes and said sheepishly, ¡°Darling, I identally peed on my shoes just now!¡± After saying that, he deliberately pinched his ears, pretending to feel guilty for the mishap. Puffl As Joanna heard this, she was rendered speechless. She nced at him in astonishment. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the courage to tell you. I dread your anger.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t expect this answer. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say. But in fact, she had to admit that it was funny and she was amused. ¡°Why would you be scared?¡± ¡°I was afraid that you would mock mel ¡°After all, only people with short penis pee on their shoes. ¡°I was apprehensive that you would detest me!¡± Bruce intentionally diverted the discussion. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t pee on his shoes. He was just joking. He was just trying to make Joannaugh. Puff Upon hearing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. ¡°Hehe, what a little idiot.¡± At the same time, she affectionately hugged his head. She found him utterly adorable. ¡°Darling, will you look down on me because of that?¡± ¡°Come on, why would I do that? ¡°This happens to every o one of us. Joanna didn¡¯t want tough, but she couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter as she imagined the scene. He had always appeared to be an ¡­ ¡®intimidating¡¯ person. Peeing on his shoes just didn¡¯t sound like something he would do. It was humorous to merely contemte it. Observing Joanna¡¯s uncontrobleughter, Bruce felt even more indignant. ¡°Look at you. You promised you wouldn¡¯tugh at me. Hmph, I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡± As he spoke, Bruce pretended to be angry. She actually believed him so easily. He couldn¡¯t help butin in his heart, ¡°This silly woman is so gullible. She actually believed those words. She¡¯s too innocent. She¡¯s the real little fool. And yet, she calls me a little fool.¡± Joanna thought he was genuinely upset and quickly reassured him, ¡°I¡¯m notughing at you, I promise.¡± ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re clearly stillughing! Hmph, you¡¯re mocking me for urinating on my shoes. If I had foreseen this, I wouldn¡¯t have confided in you. ¡°I genuinely am not mocking you. Please don¡¯t be upset, alright?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t suppress her amusement. However, it was so hrious to imagine that he had peed on his own shoes. She just couldn¡¯t stop laughing. She couldn¡¯t believe that Bruce would actually pull off such an embarrassing stunt. ¡°Quitughing! If you keep it up, I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll stop, I promise?¡± Joanna bit her lip and tried her best to hold back herughter. In the past, whenever she was with Bruce, she had always been extremely nervous. She barely smiled, not to mentionughing out loud. And now, with his brain damaged, she found immense joy in every day she spent with him. ¡°Hmph, you have to make up forughing at me.¡± ¡°Well, alright. What do you want?¡± ¡°I need some kisses.¡± Bruce pointed to his lips, forehead, and cheeks. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna agreed without hesitation and kissed him. After that, she even showered him with a few more kisses on the forehead. ¡°That should suffice, shouldn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t be angry any longer!¡± Joanna stated, endeavoring to pacify him. ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s better,¡± Bruce replied, feeling more content Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Sigh, I really don¡¯t know what to do with you. How did you turn into such a little goofball?¡± Joanna said, teasing him affectionately. When Bruce heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. Bruce sighed. What a foolish woman! Fortunately, he was her husband. If she had married a bad man, she would have been miserably deceived. He lied just to win her love. Other men might lie to exploit her for her wealth and beauty. Beep. The phone rang once more. ¡°The phone is ringing. See who¡¯s calling.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± Bruce replied and quickly picked up the phone. ¡°It¡¯s the kids.¡± ¡°Answer the call. The children are probably worried.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce immediately answered the call. ¡°Hey, Daddy, Mommy, where did you go?¡± ¡°Mommy is at the hospital right now. Are you guys finished with school?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re already done with school,¡± the kids replied. ¡°What happened to Mommy this time? Why did she have to go to the hospital?¡± the kids asked, concerned. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. I¡¯m going to stay in the hospital for a few days. Behave well at home!¡± Joanna said and quickly picked up the phone. Lilia asked curiously and with concern, ¡°Mommy, where are you feeling unwell? Are you going to have a baby?¡± ¡°Not so fast. I¡¯m just a little bit sick,¡± Joanna replied, trying to reassure her daughter. Chapter 720 Chapter 720 Chapter 720 Joanna smiled gently andforted the children. ¡°Be good at home,¡± she said. ¡°Mommy will be back in a few days.¡± Davian nodded obediently and said, ¡°Oh. Okay. Mommy, take good care of your health.¡± Irvin also stuck his head out to greet Joanna. He said, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all then,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± the three children said in unison.¡±Goodbye, Mommy and Daddy.¡± The children had gotten used to their parents not being at home, so they did not throw a tantrum. After hanging up, Joanna could not help but sigh. It was a precious moment being with the children, yet they now had to be separated for so many days. Upon hearing that, Bruce frowned and said, ¡°Honey, why do you like to sigh so much? Stop sighing all the time.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± Joanna asked involuntarily. ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you sigh 800 times a day. ¡°I¡¯ve told you. Just focus on taking good care of yourself during pregnancy. Don¡¯t think about anything else. ¡°I¡¯ve got everything covered. Even if the sky were to fall, I would hold it up for you.¡± Bruce could not help but console Joanna. She always liked to overthink and have random thoughts. Excessive worrying could harm one¡¯s body. ¡°Haha, how can a little fool like you hold it up?¡± Joanna said. She could not help but want to sigh again. On second thought, she restrained the urge to sigh. She thought, ¡°People often say that one should not sigh all the time. It would make good luck go away. ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been sighing quite frequently. I should definitely pay more attention to it in the future.¡± Hearing Joanna call him ¡°Little Fool¡±, Bruce felt extremely annoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®Little Fool¡¯ anymore,¡± he said. ¡°You have to call me ¡®Hubby¡¯ in the future!¡± ¡°Haha, dream on,¡± Joanna replied angrily. ¡°Why?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Are you thinking of looking for another husband?¡± As Bruce talked, his big hand began to wander yfully. Joanna was left speechless. She frowned. ¡°Our fourth child is about to be born,¡± Joanna thought. ¡°Why would I want to look for another partner? N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°I will spend the rest of my life with him in a daze.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± Bruce said. ¡°You want to look for another husband again, huh? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re still thinking about that annoying person!¡± Bruce could not help but feel jealous again. Joanna took a moment to understand what Bruce was trying to say. ¡°Which annoying person am I thinking about?¡± she asked. Bruce was extremely displeased. He said in a jealous tone, ¡°Hmph, you know whom I¡¯m talking about. It¡¯s that annoying and bothersome person.¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly realized that the annoying person he was talking about was Jaydon. Sigh! ¡°They really are long-standing enemies,¡± Joanna thought. ¡°They are still at odds with each other to this day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really amazed by you,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Your mind is not clear, yet you still think about such nonsense.¡± ¡°Regardless of whether my mind is clear or not, you can only have me in your heart,¡± Bruce said. ¡°You can¡¯t think about any other man. ¡°Even more so, you can¡¯t have any ambiguous rtionships with other men. You are to only love me and think of me.¡± Joanna could not help butugh. ¡°Alright, alright, alright,¡± she said. ¡°I will only love you and think of you, okay?¡± ¡°No, you have to swear,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Alright, I swear that I¡¯ll only love you and think of you for the rest of my life,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Call me ¡®Hubby¡¯ then,¡± Bruce said, remaining relentlessly persistent. 10:27 Chapter 720 Joanna pondered for a few seconds before reluctantly calling out. ¡°Hubby!¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Bruce said. He was especially satisfied when he heard that. He put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder and kissed her forehead again and again. ¡°You have to call me that from now on,¡± Bruce said. Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°Uh, we haven¡¯t remarried yet,¡± she said. ¡°So to call you ¡®Hubby¡¯, isn¡¯t that a little¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Well um,¡± Joanna said. ¡°A little awkward.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t I feel awkward calling you ¡®Honey¡±?¡± Bruce said. Joanna chuckled with a hint of annoyance and was even more speechless. ¡°He is thick-skinned, so how could he possibly feel awkward?¡± Joanna thought. This was especially the case in the past. He liked to say some suggestive and shameless words. To him, calling her ¡°Honey¡± was not awkward at all. However, the two of them had not gone through the process of remarriage. Now that Liam had guardianship over Bruce, if they wanted to proceed with the remarriage process, they had to obtain Liam¡¯s consent. Thinking about all these things, Joanna could not help but feel overwhelmed and stressed. ¡°Let¡¯s have a good talk with Liam another day,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he would be reasonable and not go too far.¡± ¡°What do you want to talk to him about?¡± Bruce asked with a disdainful expression. ¡°He¡¯s your guardian now,¡± Joanna said. ¡°If we want to remarry, we have to get his consent. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. As long as he doesn¡¯t make unreasonable demands, I don¡¯t want to engage in awsuit with him anymore. I just want to be with you and the children¡­¡± Before Joanna finished talking, Bruce could not help but sneer. He said, ¡°Our remarriage has nothing to do with him. ¡°Why do we need his consent? Who the hell does he think he is?¡± Joanna was at a loss for words. Upon hearing that, she stared nkly at Bruce. The domineering tone when he spoke was exactly the same as before. Bruce realized that he had given himself away. He quickly changed his expression and pretended to be retarded. Heughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Honey. I will definitely marry you. ¡°After the baby is born and you recover, we¡¯ll immediately go through the remarriage procedures. From then on, no one can ask us to be separated.¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not know what to say in response. She could only reply casually, ¡°Haha. Okay!¡± Liam had be Bruce¡¯s guardian. He would definitely not agree to Bruce remarrying her. However, in order not to disappoint Bruce, Joanna did not refute him. At Everett Group, when the news that Liam was about to take over as the chairman spread, there was amotion in the entire office. A few directors could not help but gossip. ¡°Hey, have you heard? Mr. Miller won thewsuit, and Mr. Everett¡¯s custody was given to him.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the news? Mr. Miller is about to take over as the chairman of Everett Group.¡± Mr. Nelson¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°So, does that mean that Mr. Everett truly won¡¯t be able to recover?¡± Mr. Young chuckled and said, ¡°Haha! Mr. Everett¡¯s era is over, and his glory is also in the past. From now on, Mr. Miller will have full authority over Everett Group.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be sensible and adapt to the changing situations. Let¡¯s stick with Mr. Miller and follow his lead.¡± ¡°Tsk, I still feel a little upset. Mr. Everett is still young. He was perfectly fine. Why did such a thing happen to him?¡± ¡°Yeah. Mr. Everett is only in his thirties. It¡¯s the best age for a man. The prime of life.¡± ¡°Even heroes fall for beauties. A good man like him will eventually fall under the power of women.¡± ¡°Let me tell you, it¡¯s all his ex-wife¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for his wife pestering him, Mr. Everett wouldn¡¯t have gotten into such 2/4 10:27 Chapter 720 trouble.¡± Mr. Bourn could not help but retort, ¡°How can you say that? If we were to think like you based on the conclusion you just shared, men might as well avoid getting involved with women altogether¡­¡± The directors and senior executives were discussing animatedly. As for the employees, they felt even more uneasy. At the secretary¡¯s desk, Mark said anxiously, ¡°Andy, have you heard? Mr. Miller will officially take over the position of chairman next week. What should we do about this? Once he bes the chairman, will we still have it easy?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Andy said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it.¡± ¡°What are your ns now?¡± Mark said. Andy looked gloomy. He sighed and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got no ns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know any insider information?¡± Mark said. Andy was at a loss for words. He remained silent. He suspected that Bruce had recovered and returned to his usual self. However, after losing thewsuit, he could not help but fall into a state of confusion and uncertainty. ¡°Given Mr. Everett¡¯s personality, if he has truly recovered and returned to his usual self, he would definitely make a powerfuleback and immediately take down Mr. Miller, Mr. Young, and others all at one and deal with them ruthlessly,¡± Andy thought. However, he did not know what Bruce was thinking at all. Surprisingly, there had been no actions or any indications of retaliation from him. He even started to suspect if Bruce had truly be a retard. ¡°Perhaps it was just my imagination when I saw Mr. Everett dropping a hint to me that day,¡± he thought. ¡°It¡¯s impossible,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s absolutely impossible! Mr. Everett is such a powerful person. How could he be willing to let Mr. Miller dominate him?¡± Mark was perplexed. He asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Andy said. ¡°I just find it strange.¡± He looked conflicted. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss. Mark said, ¡°Wait. You just said it¡¯s absolutely impossible. What¡¯s absolutely impossible?¡± Andy sighed and said, ¡°Mark, let me tell you a secret.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Mark said. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Andy said with a serious expression, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but you must not tell anyone else.¡± ¡°Mm, don¡¯t worry,¡± Mark said. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone. We¡¯re close buddies. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Andy was relieved. ¡°That day, I went to Sherane Bay Vi to deliver some documents to Miss Haynes,¡± he said. ¡°Then, Mr. Everett suddenly told me to hand these documents to Mr. Miller¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡± Mark said. He thought Andy would tell him a shocking secret. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be like this? ¡°The key is that Mr. Everett¡¯s expression and tone of voice arepletely normal,¡± Andy said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like someone with a mental illness at all.¡± Mark was left speechless. He was shocked. He stared nkly at Andy. ¡°Are you saying that Mr. Everett is pretending to be retarded?¡± Mark said. ¡°That he¡¯s actually recovered but is pretending to be retarded?¡± Andy involuntarily looked around and said, ¡°Shh! Lower your voice. I¡¯m just being suspicious now. I¡¯m not certain. ¡°I have a feeling that Mr. Everett must be pretending.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Mark said, ¡°Really? Why is he pretending to be retarded then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea,¡± Andy said. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s thoughts have always been the hardest to guess. Perhaps he¡¯s nning something again. I keep feeling that something is wrong, but I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s wrong. That¡¯s why I wanted to talk to you and find out what you think.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s pretending,¡± Mark said. ¡°If Mr. Everett is really pretending, would he let Liam be so arrogant? This doesn¡¯t seem like Mr. Everett¡¯s personality. Maybe you¡¯re overthinking things?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I find it strange,¡± Andy said. ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to hint to me that day.¡± Chapter 721 Chapter 721 Chapter 721 ¡°I can¡¯t figure it out either,¡± Andy said. ¡°So we can only bear with it a little longer.¡± Mark was at a loss for words. Upon hearing that, he wore a troubled expression as well. They were initially the most capable people working for Bruce. In terms of power and influence in thepany, they were second only to Bruce in the past. Now that Liam had taken over as the chairman, they were unwilling to switch allegiance to him. As a result, their status plummeted, and they could no longer stand tall with the same authority and influence they once had. At Everett Group the next day, Liam smugly walked into the conference room in a smooth suit that was free of wrinkles. He was wearing a dark red tie. ¡°Hello, everybody,¡± Liam greeted. All shareholders of various stakes in thepany had long waited in the conference room. ¡°Hi, Mr. Miller,¡± they greeted in return. Liam¡¯s lips curved with an uncontroble smile as he took a seat in the position where Bruce used to sit. ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting,¡± Liam said. All the shareholders had solemn expressions as they looked at Liam respectfully. ¡°I believe everyone read the news the past few days, right?¡± Liam said. Mr. Young smiled obsequiously and ttered. He said, ¡°How could I not read such an important piece of news? ¡°Mr. Miller, you are Mr. Everett¡¯s guardian from now on, so naturally, you will also be the leader of Everett Group, ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Miller. ¡°With you leading us from now on, we will definitely be able to reach greater heights.¡± Upon hearing that, Liam felt extremely pleased, but his face was still tense. Liam said, ¡°I hereby announce officially that I will take over the position of chairman of Everett Group. ¡°I hope everyone can work together from now on to promote the development of Everett Group¡¯s business.¡± Everyone cheered and apuded upon hearing that. A few shareholders who did not get along with Liam had no choice but to lower their heads and p along with everyone else. ¡°Since I¡¯ve taken over Everett Group, I definitely have to make a notable impact,¡± Liam said. ¡°Many of thepany¡¯s previous deficiencies and shorings have to be corrected.¡± ¡°Mr. Miller, we believe that you will definitely be able to take thepany to new heights¡­¡± After Liam officially announced his session as the chairman of thepany, a staff meeting was quickly convened. At the meeting, he promised to increase the sries of lower-level employees, make adjustments to thepany¡¯s benefits, and more. For a week in a row, Liam was in the limelight. He either epted exclusive interviews from the media or conducted inspections at various subsidiarypanies. The rich circle of Greyport also praised him highly. He looked like a king who had ascended the throne, enjoying everyone¡¯s admiration and ttery. He was greatly satisfied as his ego was massaged. Unfortunately¡­ The good times did notst for two weeks. All kinds of negative effects began to surface. The stock price of Hartfield Enterprise and Sunrise Enterprise, which were owned by Everett Group, plummeted rapidly. It was almost like a cliff-edge drop. There was a difference between shares listed in local stock exchanges and shares listed in foreign stock exchanges. Unlike shares listed in local stock exchanges, there was no lower limit to how much share prices listed in foreign stock exchanges could fall. On the other hand, there was a limit on daily price decline for shares listed in local stock exchanges. They would hit the limit after dropping ten percentage points. For shares listed in foreign stock exchanges, it was different. It was not umon to see a stock dropping by twenty percentage points or even more in a single day. Thepany¡¯s shareholders were anxious and restless. All of them cried for help in a pitiful manner. There was a meeting in the conference room. ¡°Mr. Miller, Hartfield Enterprise¡¯s shares have been falling continuously,¡± Mr. Nelson spoke up first. ¡°Could it be on the verge of a copse?¡± ¡°Yes, and there¡¯s also the Green Bay project. Mr. Hall said the capital chain is about to break. We need a new round of financing.¡± ¡°And Sunrise Enterprise too. Its share price has also been falling sharply recently.¡± ¡°If this continues, how are we supposed to handle it¡­¡± All shareholders had gloomy expressions. Two small shareholders had been so worried that they had not slept for three days. After all, they had only such a small amount of assets. How could they withstand such a drastic decline in share prices? After hearing this, Liam frowned. A smile could no longer be seen on his chubby face. He had only been in the limelight for a week since he took office, but he started to face problems. These problems were quite tricky. ¡°Mr. Miller, the stock price has already fallen by dozens of points. If it continues to fall like this, we really won¡¯t be able to hold on anymore.¡± ¡°Immediately get a financial analyst to analyze it,¡± Liam said. ¡°And also, we will inject new capital into thepany again to boost the stock price.¡± Liam had been worried for a few days. He could only come up with this solution. That was equivalent to selling goods at a loss to improve business prospects in the future. To prevent the devaluation of one¡¯s products, one had no choice but to buy one¡¯s own products at a higher price. This was simply drinking poison to quench one¡¯s thirst. It would only make things worse in the long run. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The other shareholders exchanged nces, feeling even more distressed. Liam intended to raise the stock price by buying at a low price. 1 However, the current situation was not the same as it used to be in the past. While they showed great respect to Liam on the surface, everyone knew deep down that his abilities were far inferior to Bruce¡¯s. In the current market situation, everyone was reluctant to spend money and would rather keep their wallets closed. Who would dare to invest money in a risky venture? ¡°Mr. Miller, it¡¯s not that we¡¯re unwilling to inject capital, but we¡¯re just businesspeople with limited financial resources. We really can¡¯t afford to lose money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re not like you, Mr. Miller. You¡¯ve got lots of wealth. You are not worried about spending such a small sum of money. We, um, we¡­¡± Seeing that the shareholders were hesitant and apprehensive, Liam became even more frustrated and impatient. ¡°Since all of you refuse to inject capital, I¡¯ll do it myself then,¡± he said. ¡°Mr. Miller is so magnanimous. Let¡¯s hope he can restore the share price.¡± Soon afterward, Liam injected 600 million dors as capital in an attempt to boost the stock price of Hartfield Enterprise. Unfortunately, though 600 million dors sounded like a lot of money, it was just a drop in the bucket when it was distributed among the price of all share units. It was unable to make any significant impact. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. The stock price only rose slightly by 16 cents. It then fell in less than a day. Liam had no choice but to add another 1 billion dors. However, it was still useless. It was as if the stock price was sliding down a slide. It fell miserably. Two weekster, the stock prices of Hartfield Enterprise and Sunrise Enterprise had already dropped by two-thirds. Shareholders were wailing. ¡°It¡¯s not working! It¡¯s not working! The stock market is really copsing. We have to cut our losses quickly¡­ Small shareholders could not take it anymore. They even felt like jumping off buildings. The number of shares was huge. It was simply impossible to increase the share price with just hundreds of millions of dors. Hartfield Enterprise¡¯s share price fell from its peak of 42 dors to over 8 dors. The original value was over 40 billion dors, but now the value was less than 10 billion dors. The 1.6 billion dors that Liam injected was gone. Moreover, this was not the lowest point of the share price. There was still a downward trend. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore,¡± Mr. Young said. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. I want to sell off my shares and stocks.¡± Mr. Young was the first person that could not bear it any longer. The stock price had plummeted so much that it was equivalent to three-quarters of his assets being wiped out. If he were to cut losses now, he could still retain some money. Mr. Nelson was also so worried that he wanted to jump off a building. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore too,¡± he said. A few small shareholders sold their stocks and even transferred their shares. Liam waspletely restless now. He had initially thought that taking over Everett Group would be a wonderful beginning. However, after going through one setback after another, he no longer felt spirited. Liam was back at home! He was distressed. He sighed and said, ¡°Why did this happen?¡± The secretary and financial analyst took turns to persuade him. ¡°Mr. Miller, divest a portion of your assets to protect the core interests of Everett Group.¡± ¡°From the looks of it, the situation is beyond recovery. Hurry up and sell off the stocks you hold so that you can at least retain a portion of your investment. Cut your losses in time.¡± When Liam heard this, he got even angrier, but there was nothing he could do. His 1.6 billion dors, in addition to his initial stocks and shares, had now shrunk by three-quarters in value. It seemed unstoppable and would continue to decline in value. He could only make a tough decision to cut losses by selling off his shares. After going through a series of ups and downs, he lost over 4 billion dors. For two consecutive days. Liam was so upset that he could not eat and did not even go to the office. ¡°Sigh¡­ All my savings over the years will be wiped out in an instant,¡± Liam said. He could not help but feel dejected. Seeing this, L quicklyforted him. ¡°Hubby, stop sighing,¡± she said. ¡°You will incur losses. So be it. ¡°Anyway, we still have Everett Group. We can afford to lose this bit of money.¡± Liam was at a loss for words. He remained silent. He took a sip of wine. If this continued, he could forget about expanding Everett Group. He might end uppletely destroying thepany. ¡°Honey, I want to take maternity photos,¡± L said. ¡°Do you want toe with me?¡± Liam shook his head and sighed. He said in frustration, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood. Go by yourself.¡± ¡°Hubby, please apany me,¡± L said. ¡°Can you stop bothering me?¡± Liam said. ¡°I¡¯m feeling frustrated right now. How can I have the mood to take any maternity photos?¡± Fuming with anger, Liam no longer had the patience to speak gently to his young wife. When L heard this, she did not dare to annoy him anymore. ¡°Hubby, I notice that you are very frustrated, so I want to cheer you up,¡± she said. ¡°Stop bothering me!¡± Liam said. ¡°Unless I can get back over 4 billion dors, nothing can cheer me up. Liam shouted at L angrily. He then got up and walked to his room. With such a massive loss of money, he was extremely furious. Naturally, he had no mood for anything else. Chapter 722 Chapter 722 Chapter 722 At Sherane Bay Vi, seeing that it was about time, Bruce smiled coldly. He intended to make his final move to achieve his goal. Aria would arrive at Greyport in a few days. He had to quickly settle thepany matters. In the study, Darcy reported to Bruce with a serious expression Mr. Everett, we can basically make a move now,¡± he said. ¡°Hartfield Enterprise¡¯s share price has already fallen to its lowest point.¡± ¡°Mm, we can make a move now,¡± Bruce said.. ¡°Okay,¡± Darcy replied. He began to make arrangements. Soon afterward, Bruce bought arge amount of Hartfield Enterprise¡¯s shares at the lowest price possible. At the same time, he also acquired the shares owned by small shareholders. Initially, he held 51% of the shares, but now it had immediately increased to 86%. With absolute authority, he hadplete. control over everything in thepany. However, by doing so, he could no longer pretend to be retarded! Joanna was at the hospital. She had been staying in the hospital for two weeks. She received medical treatment to ensure the safety and health of her unborn baby. After the doctorpleted a series of examinations today, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. J ¡°Miss Haynes, you can be discharged today,¡± the doctor said. ¡°The fetus is now basically stable.¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. She said, ¡°Mm. Okay.¡± The doctor said, ¡°After you¡¯re discharged, try to do some aerobic exercises. ¡°Your estimated delivery date is January 8th. You have toe to the hospital one week in advance.¡± ¡°Got it, Doc,¡± Joanna said. She was already more than seven months pregnant. It would be eight months soon. There was a little over a month left, and then it would be time for delivery. This time, she wanted to try a vaginal delivery. After all, only through a vaginal delivery could she experience theplete process of motherhood. Bruce came over to pick her up from the hospital. ¡°Honey, you can be discharged now,¡± he said. ¡°Everything has been packed. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Joanna nodded and said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve been feeling so ufortable in the hospital. I can¡¯t wait to go home now.¡± Bruce said, ¡°Haha. Be careful. Let me hold you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so careful,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯m not that weak.¡± Joanna supported her waist with one hand and held her belly with another hand as she walked out happily. Bruce still insisted on holding her shoulders. He was afraid that she would fall and slip. Looking at Joanna¡¯s big belly, his eyes were filled with tenderness. He really did not want to lie to her anymore. He said,- ¡°Honey¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna said. ¡°I, um, I want to tell you something,¡± he said. He wanted to tell her that Aria wasing to Greyport. Although Joanna did not know Aria, Bruce still felt it was necessary to inform her. Otherwise, if he rashly met a female stranger, it would definitely lead to unnecessary misunderstanding. Even if he and Aria only had a simple romantic rtionship and did not have any physical intimacy, the fact remained that Aria was his first love. It would be strange if Joanna did not mind. ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± Joanna said as she turned around and looked at Bruce gently with her beautiful big eyes. Her eyes were truly beautiful. After spending this period of time together, her eyes had regained a trace of moisture and radiance. He watched as her eyes lit up again. Bruce was moved further. He lowered his head and gently kissed her eyes. ¡°I want to tell you, my wife, that you are so beautiful,¡± Bruce said. ¡°You rascall¡± Joanna said angrily. She then added, ¡°Get in the carl¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Bruce said. Joanna got into the car clumsily with her big belly. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the kids in almost two weeks,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I miss them so much.¡± Bruce sat down on the seat beside Joanna and carefully helped her fasten her seatbelt. ¡°The children miss you too,¡± he said. ¡°They must be waiting for you at home.¡± After a few seconds of contemtion, Joanna sighed and said, ¡°I hope that the future days will be better, and we won¡¯t encounter any more troublesome situations.¡± Bruce was at a loss for words. Upon hearing that, his heart sank. A trace of unfathomable anxiety appeared on his face. He also wanted to live a peaceful and happy life like this. However, he knew that it would be difficult for him to break free from his current situation. Sometimes, one sought peace, but external disturbances or challenges persisted, making it difficult to achieve that state. He might not be able topletely withdraw from his current situation. He could only cherish the happiness that he currently felt as much as possible. Half an hourter, the car was driven into Sherane Bay Vi. The children were waiting on thewn as usual. When they saw the car being driven in, they ran over happily like little birds. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Joanna got out of the car and touched the children¡¯s cheeks lovingly and gently. ¡°Yes, babies,¡± she said. ¡°Mommy misses you a lot.¡± ¡°We miss Mommy and Daddy too!¡± Irvin circled around Joanna and eximed in surprise, ¡°Wow, Mommy¡¯s belly has gotten so much bigger. ¡°Oh yes! It¡¯s like a big basketball. Mommy, can I touch my little sister?¡± ¡°Of course, you can,¡± Joanna said. Irvin was the first to touch Joanna¡¯s belly. ¡°Hello, my little sister¡± Irvin said. ¡°I¡¯m Irvin.¡± One after another, Davian and Lilia greeted as they looked at Joanna¡¯s belly. ¡°I¡¯m Davian,¡± Davian said. ¡°And I¡¯m Lilia,¡± Lilia said. Bruce let out a chuckle and urged, ¡°Alright. Alright. Hurry up and enter the house. ¡°Mommy just came back. Don¡¯t tire her out.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the children said. ¡°Let¡¯s go in quickly, Mommy.¡± ¡°Are you guys on holiday again?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± the children said. ¡°Halloween ising soon.¡± Irvin pouted unhappily and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. During the time when Mommy was sick, Mommy didn¡¯t prepare any birthday gifts for us.¡± ¡°Oh my,¡± Joanna said with a guilty expression. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t forget. I¡¯ll definitely make it up to you.¡± The children¡¯s birthday was at the end of November. Unfortunately, she had been staying in the hospital to keep her unborn baby safe and healthy, so she had not had the time to celebrate the children¡¯s birthday. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the children said, ¡°As long as Mommy remembers our birthday, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Haha, my babies are so considerate,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I feel so lucky and happy. You guys are the best gift God has given me.¡± With one hand holding each child, Joanna walked into the house with a satisfied smile on her face. As Bruce watched the warm and tender scene of Joanna and the three children, his lips curled up and there was an indescribable gentleness on his face. However, he felt anxious for some reason. He involuntarily took out his phone to take a look. As expected, Aria sent him another message. [Bruce, due to the flight dy, I may only be able to arrive in Greyport on the twentieth of the month.] Bruce pondered for half a minute before replying. [Got it.] 1 Aria immediately replied. [Please help me arrange a quiet ce with privacy.] N?velDrama.Org owns this text. [Okay. I¡¯ll pick you up on the 20th.] After replying, Bruce felt even more uneasy. The sense of anxiety was increasingly overwhelming. In his thirty years of life, he had never been as anxious as he was in the past few days. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the more one has, the more afraid one is of losing it,¡± he thought. On Monday, there was a meeting in the conference room of Everett Group. ¡°Hartfield Enterprise¡¯s shares have been bought at a rock-bottom price, and now its price is skyrocketing like crazy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Who has made such arge investment in buying shares to actually cause a turnaround for investors in such a short period of time?¡± When Mr. Young heard this, he looked regretful. ¡°Oh no. Had I known that the price would rebound, I¡¯d have held on a bit longer. Now that I¡¯ve already sold all the shares that I have, it actually rebounded. It¡¯s so frustrating. I lost hundreds of millions of dors for no reason¡­¡± ¡°I know, right? If I had known that it would rebound, how could I have sold my shares at a loss? I would have definitely held on. I really didn¡¯t expect it to y such a big joke on us!¡± ¡°Cough, Cough. Stop talking. Stop talking!¡± Mr. Paul could not bear this blow anymore. He was so angry that he had a heart attack. ¡°Mr. Paul, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me!¡± ¡°Hurry up and call an ambnce. Hurry up and send him to the hospital!¡± ¡°Call the security guards over right now. Mr. Paul, hang in there! The conference room was in chaos. All shareholders had gloomy faces and looked listless. Now that Mr. Paul¡¯s heart condition had rpsed, everyone was even more flustered. The stock market was like a ride on a roller coaster for the past few days. At first, it had fallen crazily to over 10 dors. Now, in less than a week, it had actually increased to over 20 dors. At this rate, it would soon rise back to its original price. This made the shareholders who sold their shares regretful. Even Liam was extremely angry, let alone small shareholders, who were anxious and restless. ¡°Hurry up and call Mr. Miller. Why hasn¡¯t hee to the office yet? How could he not show up when such a big thing happened to thepany?¡± ¡°I know, right? He hasn¡¯t been to the office for three days. Call him quickly and ask him toe back for a meeting ¡°I¡¯ll call him now!¡± Beep. Beep. Beep. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is Mr. Miller¡¯s phone turned off? I can¡¯t reach him. What does this mean?¡± Chapter 723 Chapter 723 Chapter 723 Liam was extremely distressed. He was flustered. It had been three days, and he had not dared to show up at the office. He did not dare to answer calls from the shareholders of thepany. They were now calling his home phone in an attempt to reach him. L said, ¡°Hubby, Mr. Bourn, Mr. Nelson, and the others have already called the home phone. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry to the office. Hiding like this won¡¯t solve anything.¡± L also had a worried expression on her face. She was anxious about the situation that Liam was in. Liam remained silent. He sighed heavily. Thepany had lost so much money. There was no way Liam could avoid facing the problem. The small shareholders were even more adversely affected. They faced an unprecedented blow. Even though Liam did not want to go to the office, he had to bite the bullet and go. ¡°Driver, please arrange the car.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Miller¡± At half past nine, Liam slowly arrived at Everett Group¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Miller is here. Mr. Miller is here.¡± ¡°Mr. Miller, what do you think we should do now? Thepany is in such a situation. We don¡¯t know what to do.¡± As soon as Liam appeared, the shareholders were in an uproar. One after another, they chased after him to ask questions. Liam pulled a long face. His chubby face showed a helpless expression. He said, ¡°You people ask me, but who am I supposed to ask?¡± When the shareholders heard this, they were even more furious. ¡°You¡¯re the chairman of thepany. Who else should we ask if not you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re the leader now, so we naturally listen to you. When Mr. Everett was still around, the company had never fallen to such a state.¡± The shareholders could not help butin. When Liam heard this, he became even more dejected. ¡°I¡¯m also very upset that something like this has happened to thepany, but what can I do?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve lost more money than you.¡± ¡°What should we do now? We¡¯re about to go bankrupt¡­¡± Shareholders who owned a lot ofpany shares were doing fine. They had other forms of investment, and they had rtively strong assets. Although they were anxious and upset about the significant losses, they would not go bankrupt. On the other hand, shareholders who owned a small quantity ofpany shares did not have such a large amount of assets. This kind of blow was simply a disaster for them. All of them were feeling extremely stressed and frustrated. They wereining and ming others for their problems. At ten o¡¯clock, Bruce¡¯s car arrived at the office. The car door of the Rolls-Royce slowly opened. Someone with a pair of long legs stepped out from inside. Bruce got out of the car and looked around at the main entrance of Everett Group. There was a hint of a sinister vibe in his sharp eyes. The bodyguards also got out of the car one after another. All of them were dressed in suits and leather shoes, well-trained to clear the way ahead. Bruce was at the front desk of the office. Upon seeing him, the receptionist and clerk at the front desk eximed, ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Eve-Everett¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god. Mr. Everett is here. It¡¯s really Mr. Everettl¡± The dozen or so employees at the front desk of thepany were in an uproar. They were incredulous. Bruce was dressed in a well-tailored suit, looking dignified and imposing. As he walked toward the employees, his powerful aura exuded a strong sense of oppression, leaving people somewhat breathless. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± the customer service manager greeted. He instantly became very enthusiastic. He immediately rushed forward and pressed the elevator button The door of the elevator that was exclusively used by the president opened. Bruce immediately strode into the elevator. Behind him, Darcy, Carson, and a few other bodyguards followed. The rest of the bodyguards went straight into the staff elevator. ¡°Oh, golly. Mr. Everett actuallyes to the office. I¡¯m not dreaming, right? Mr. Everett actually comes¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I knew Mr. Everett would definitely get better!¡± Several beautiful female customer service representatives could not contain their excitement. At the secretary¡¯s desk, Andy and Mark had already seen Bruce enter the elevator through the surveince cameras. The two of them were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes. They hurriedly stood on both sides of the elevator and waited. Ding! The elevator door opened. As soon as Bruce stepped out of the elevator, Andy and Mark greeted him. ¡°Greetings to you, Mr. Everett!¡± Andy and Mark greeted respectfully. Both of them were about to cry.. Bruce nced at the two of them and smiled. ¡°Mr. Everett, I knew that you would definitely make a powerfuleback!¡± Andy said. He was so excited that his speech was incoherent. If it weren¡¯t for his boss¡¯s powerful presence, which made him less approachable, he really wanted to give his boss a big hug. In the conference room, the shareholders were still arguing and ming each other. Crack! The conference room¡¯s door was pushed open. A few bodyguards in ck suits walked in one after another. Everyone was stunned and looked at the door in confusion. Upon seeing this, Liam became even more impatient and started shouting, ¡°Who let you in? This is a shareholders¡¯ meeting. People who are not invited to this meeting are not allowed toe in. Get out of here!¡± The bodyguards ignored him. They continued to walk in one after another. Afterward, they formed two rows, standing neatly in line. ¡°Who asked you toe in?¡± Liam screamed angrily again. ¡°Get out quickly. Do you hear me?¡± Then, Andy and Mark walked in one after another. Everyone was left speechless. Upon seeing Andy and Mark, they looked at each other in surprise. Liam¡¯s eyes widened, thinking that Joanna had brought these people over. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± he said. ¡°Who asked you toe in? ¡°Is Joanna the one that sent you here to cause trouble? Are you trying to cause disruption¡­¡± Before Liam finished talking, the lights at the door dimmed, and a cold sensation swept in. With a gloomy expression, Bruce walked in with long strides. Bruce¡¯s presence wasmanding and intimidating in the first ce. After lying low and not making public appearances for an extended period, his presence was even colder and more imposing. ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± Bruce said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Is everybody doing fine?¡± Bruce was expressionless. One could not tell from his tone if he was happy or angry. Mr. Eve-Everett¡­¡± Everyone was shocked. One after another, they stood 1. When Liam saw that it was Bruce, he was shocked too. He looked at Bruce in surprise and said, ¡°Ah. Bruce! Why, why are you here? ¡°Can¡¯t Ie?¡± Bruce said. He then pursed his lips and smiled faintly. Looking as if a king had descended, he walked past everyone and walked straight to Liam¡¯s side. Liam involuntarily stood up. When he saw Bruce¡¯s unfriendly gaze, his Adam¡¯s apple involuntarily bobbed twice. The two of them had a height difference of 8 inches. Liam could only look up and gaze at Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Miller, do you find the chairman¡¯s seatfortable?¡± Bruce said coldly. Liam was at a loss for words. He was stunned. Cold sweat trickled down his temples. ¡°Bru-Bruce, you, um, you¡¯ve recovered, huh?¡± Liam asked. Bruce sneered slightly. He said, ¡°Why, Mr. Miller? Did you hope that I would recover or did you hope that I wouldn¡¯t recover?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Liam said, ¡°No. I certainly, um, certainly hope that you would recover¡­¡± Bruce sneered as he walked a step forward, emitting a strong sense of oppression that made it difficult for Liam to breathe. Liam did not dare to look at Bruce¡¯s expression anymore. As Bruce approached, Liam involuntarily moved two steps backward. Bruce unceremoniously sat in the seat he previously upied during the meeting. ¡°Everybody, please take a seat!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, that¡¯s great!¡± everyone stuttered as they sat down. All of them hadplicated expressions on their faces. Some were amazed. Some were pleasantly surprised. Some were shocked. In short, everyone¡¯s facial expressions were different. Bruce swept his sharp eyes over everyone present. ¡°I¡¯ve been away from thepany recently,¡± he said. ¡°I appreciate all your hard work.¡± It was clearly a polite remark that might not reflect Bruce¡¯s true feelings, but when everyone heard it, they felt a chill down their spine. During this period of time, most of the shareholders had their own ulterior motives. Taking advantage of the fact that Bruce was seriously injured, a few of them were eager to make moves and secretly did many things that vited thepany¡¯s rules. Now, Bruce was unexpectedly back alive and well. They were dead meat. They would probably face even more difficulties. However, not all shareholders were feeling guilty and afraid. Small shareholders like Mr. Bourn and Mr. Ball had been rtively well-behaved. They did not dare to join Liam and others and engage in improper actions. ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Wee back, Mr. Everett. Great. Mr. Everett is finally back. We can all feel relieved now.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right¡­¡± Before Mr. Paul finished talking, Bruce¡¯s eyes shed with a cold glint. He stared at Mr. Paul coldly. Mr. Paul panicked. He quickly lowered his head. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m doing this for your sake, because you¡­¡± As Bruce spoke, he quickly changed the topic. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re back now. You should take over the position of chairman.¡± Liam still had a sense of self-awareness. He quickly took the initiative to step ¡°Haha!¡± Bruceughed coldly. down. Upon hearing this, everyone felt even more terrified. Liam¡¯s foreliead kept sweating profusely. ¡°Without going through this disaster, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see everyone¡¯s true colors,¡± Bruce said. Everyone remained quiet. When they heard this, they lowered their heads and dared not look up. Bruce, you know, you¡¯ve been sick for so long,¡± Liam said. ¡°Thepany definitely can¡¯t be without someone to manage it. I¡¯m doing this for your own good¡­¡± ¡°Haha, Mr. Miller, you¡¯ve managed thepany very well,¡± Bruce said. Liam was at a loss for words. He choked up. He knew that Bruce was being sarcastic. Chapter 724 Chapter 724 Chapter 724 ¡°Look at all the good things you¡¯ve done!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Darcy, show him all the contracts he has handled,¡± Bruce said as he looked at Liam coldly. ¡°Got it,¡± Darcy replied. Then, he handed several contracts to Liam. ¡°This is the contract you signed with Fraynst month,¡± Bruce said. ¡°It caused thepany to lose a few percentage points in profits. ¡°Also, do you intend to treat Belle Building as your own property?¡± ¡°Bruce, I, I¡­¡± Liam was sweating profusely. Bruce could not be bothered to say much. He immediately gave Darcy a look that signaled a message. Darcy immediately walked toward the door. Two minutester, a group of solemn-looking police officers and a fewwyers walked in. One of thewyers walked up to Liam and shed a letter of summons. He said, ¡°Hello. I am Mr. Everett¡¯s appointedwyer. ¡°The losses incurred by Everett Group during your tenure will be borne by you. ¡°This is a letter of summons. Mr. Everett uses you of corruption, bribery, and misappropriation of company assets for personal gain. ¡°And also, you have been charged with 21 offenses which youmitted during the period when Mr. Everett was seriously ill, including forcing Ms. Joanna Haynes to withdraw from Everett Group through intimidation and coercion¡­¡± Boom. Before thewyer finished reading, Liam waspletely panicked. He never expected that Bruce did not actually be retarded and that Bruce would take action so quickly. He said, ¡°Bruce, listen to my exnation. ¡°Why would I do such a thing? Listen to me. Let¡¯s settle our matters in private. There¡¯s no need to rm the police andwyers. You can tell me directly what you want me to do¡­¡± Bruce sneered and said, ¡°Go and exin to them!¡± With that, Bruce pushed away Liam¡¯s hand that was clinging to him without hesitation. A few police officers shed the arrest warrant at Liam and said coldly, ¡°This is the arrest warrant. Pleasee with us.¡± Liam¡¯s legs went weak and he almost lost his bnce. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it, Bruce,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m your uncle. Are you nning to send me to jail? ¡°Besides, I¡¯m also a shareholder in thepany. Even if I misappropriate thepany¡¯s assets, it¡¯s my right to do so. What right do you have to ask the police to arrest me?¡± Thewyer then took out a hostile takeover letter and said, ¡°Mr. Miller, you are no longer a shareholder of Everett Group. ¡°Mr. Everett has already purchased all your shares through the acquisition. This is the acquisition contract.¡± ¡°What?¡± Liam said. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Who agreed to the acquisition?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett currently holds 86% of thepany¡¯s shares,¡± thewyer said. ¡°ording to legal regtions, he can forcefully acquire the shares in your possession¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Thewyer was still rambling. Liam¡¯s face was pale and his body was covered in cold sweat. He seemed to have realized that the continuous drop in Hartfield Enterprise and Sunrise Enterprise¡¯s share prices was due to Bruce manipting things behind the scenes. He had always thought that Bruce had be a retard. He did not expect that Bruce had plotted so many schemes behind his back. Every move made by Bruce drove Liam into a difficult situation. ¡°Take him out of here!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Bruce. Bruce¡­¡± Not allowing Liam to defend or exin himself, the task force immediately handcuffed him, Bruce charged him with 21 counts of crime. Any one of them could result in a sentence of eight to ten years. With so many charges against him that had been substantiated with evidence, he was likely to spend a long time behind bars. Moreover, even if he were to sell all his assets, it might not be enough topensate for the company¡¯s losses. In the past, due to family ties, Bruce did not want to take drastic measures against Liam. He had always allowed Liam to work in thepany to earn money. If he had not gone through the life-and- death situation this time, he would not have been able to bring himself to ruthlessly deal with his uncle, who had a rapacious desire for power and wealth. Everyone watched as Liam was taken away by the police. The other shareholders were sweating profusely. Their legs could not help but tremble. Bruce was known for being ruthless. Now, he sent even his own uncle to prison, let alone them. After dealing with Liam, Bruce nonchntly scanned the group of shareholders, looking like a king calling the names of ministers who had done something wrong. He said, ¡°Mr. Young, Mr. Lurk, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Parker¡­¡± The several shareholders who were called out felt fearful and uneasy, as if they had a d¨¦j¨¤ vu of nearing death. After Bruce was done calling out the shareholders, a cold and sinister expression shed in his eyes. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten someone to print out the list of things you¡¯ve done in thepany during this period of time that vites thepany¡¯s rules and regtions. ¡°From today onwards, you are no longer shareholders of Everett Group.¡± Boom! As soon as these shareholders heard this, they were greatly frightened. ¡°I¡¯ll get mywyer to talk to you in detail about the losses thepany has suffered during this period of time,¡± Bruce added. ¡°Mr. Everett, we admit that we did the wrong thing¡­ Can you give us a second chance?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. Mr. Everett¡­¡± Mr. Young was extremely frightened. Ignoring everyone present, he walked up to Bruce, trembling in fear. Then, he knelt down with a thud. ¡°Mr. Everett, please, I beg for your mercy,¡± he said. ¡°Spare me this time. I have parents and children to take care of. I can¡¯t go; to jail. ¡°I¡¯ve caused thepany to suffer losses. I, I, I can make up for all of the losses. Please¡­ please give me a chance to mend my ways.¡± Bruce was expressionless. He could not be bothered to say anything more to such a person who had no integrity and principles. He merely tilted his head slightly to the bodyguards behind him. The two bodyguards understood his signal. They immediately went forward, grabbed Mr. Young¡¯s arm, and dragged him out of the conference room. ¡°Now, please leave immediately,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Thewyer¡¯s letter will be sent to your homester.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, don¡¯t do this!¡± Several shareholders begged for mercy in fear. The bodyguards did not bother to say anything. They immediately dragged them away, giving them no chance to defend themselves or beg for mercy. The whole process was swift, urate, and ruthless. The entire process waspleted in less than half an hour. It could be described as swift and powerful like thunder. The remaining dozen or so shareholders were all pale. They lowered their heads and did not dare to breathe loudly. In today¡¯s society, very few people kept themselves clean and righteous. Most people were more or less driven by greed for wealth. However, these remaining dozen or so shareholders did not go overboard. Bruce said, ¡°Within one week, self-reflect and acknowledge all the things you have done that vite the company¡¯s rules. ¡°Make up for thepany¡¯s losses and fill the loopholes. I will take actions against you if you do not do that within a week. ¡°From today onwards, I officially return to thepany.¡± After Bruce was done talking gloomily, he immediately stood up. When the shareholders heard this, they heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Okay. Got it, Mr. Everett. Rest assured that we¡¯ll definitely review our actions to identify the things that we have done wrong.¡± ¡°If we vite thepany¡¯s rules, we will definitely make up for our mistakes.¡± ¡°The meeting is over,¡± Bruce said coldly. Then, he immediately walked out of the conference room with long strides without wasting a second. Instantly, Andy and Mark¡¯s former imposing demeanor was restored. They followed Bruce and walked out of the conference room. Bruce returned to his private office. It was already upied by Liam. It was filled with Liam¡¯s personal belongings. ¡°Throw out everything that Liam has touched in the office, including the furniture,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Renovate it all over again.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett,¡± Andy and Mark said. Bruce¡¯s eagle-like eyes turned cold. ¡°Inform¡¯ all the senior executives,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll have a meeting at two in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Andy and Mark said. ¡°Also, all the senior executives from abroad are to attend the remote meeting,¡± Bruce added. ¡°No one is allowed to be absent.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Andy said. ¡°I¡¯ll inform them immediately.¡± At Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna slept until ten in the morning before getting upzily. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce?¡± she said. Lilian, who was the maid, replied respectfully, ¡°Uh, Mr. Everett has something to attend to. He has gone out.¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°He has gone out?¡± she said. ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett didn¡¯t mention when he went,¡± Lilian said. ¡°He only said that he had something to attend to. He told us not to wake you up.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression changed instantly. She said, ¡°How can you let him out? ¡°Whom did he go out with?¡± ¡°He went out with Darcy and Carson,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Mr. Everett said not to worry, Madam. He¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Upon hearing that, Joanna got even more worried. She thought, ¡°Stubborn guy. His mind isn¡¯t even clear now, yet he¡¯s still thinking about going outside. ¡°Did he forget that he was attacked by criminals justst month?¡±: §£§Ö§Ö§â. §£§Ö§Ö§â. §£§Ö§Ö§â. Joanna hurriedly called him. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently not avable. Please try againter.¡± ¡°Jeez, why didn¡¯t he pick up the call?¡± Joanna said. The butler, Gael, quickly came over tofort Joanna. ¡°Madam, Mr. Everett said not to worry,¡± he said. Joanna still could not feel at ease, so she called Darcy again. Unfortunately, there was still no answer, just as before. ¡°Where the hell did that rascal go?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam,¡± Gael said, smiling andforting her. ¡°Mr. Everett said that he is personally going to pick Halloween gifts for the kids. He will be back soon.¡± When Joanna heard Gael say that, she felt slightly relieved. Then, she got him to turn on the television. It was shocking when she saw it. On the news, it was all about the imminent bankruptcy of Hartfield Enterprise, a subsidiary of Everett Group. Joanna was even more worried when she saw thepany¡¯s information. During her time in the hospital, she had not been paying attention to thepany¡¯s news. Now that she was back home, she realized that Everett Group was facing such a big problem. ¡°No, I¡¯ve got to rush to the office right away,¡± she said. ¡°If things continue like this, thepany will be completely ruined.¡± ¡°Madam, you should rest well,¡± Gael said. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Chapter 725 Chapter 725 Chapter 725 Joanna¡¯s mind was in turmoil. She said, ¡°How can I sit back and do nothing when such a big problem has happened to thepany? ¡°Hurry up. Get the car ready. I have to go to the office.¡± ¡°Madam¡­¡± ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Hurry up. Go.¡± Seeing that she insisted on going, the butler could only reluctantly agree. ¡°Alright then,¡± he said. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna made another call to Bruce. The phone rang for a long time before Bruce finally picked up. ¡°Hey, honey!¡± Bruce said. Hearing Bruce¡¯s voice, Joanna felt a tightness in her chest. ¡°Bruce, where did you go?¡± she asked. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bruce hesitated. ¡°Quick, tell me,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°Honey, I¡¯m outside now,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°What are you doing outside?¡± Joanna said. ¡°You sneaked out. Do you know that I am very worried?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice revealed a hint of anger. ¡°I, um, I¡¯ve got to attend to something,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Jo¨¢nna was at a loss for words. She choked up. ¡°So how long will it take you to get back?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Um, I¡¯ll be back at about six in the evening,¡± Bruce said. Upon hearing this, Joanna instantly became furious. ¡°Six in the evening?¡± she said. ¡°Where exactly are you now?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds and could only make up a lie. ¡°Uh, Jordan introduced me to a therapist for psychotherapy,¡± he said. ¡°I saw you were still asleep in the morning, so I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Then why did Gael say you went to buy gifts for the children?¡± Bruce chuckled and said, ¡°After the psychotherapy session, I¡¯ll go buy gifts for the children. In any case, I¡¯ll definitely be home before six o¡¯clock.¡± Joanna was skeptical. ¡°Is it true?¡± she said. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Jordan said it is very difficult to schedule an appointment with this therapist. He is only avable in Greyport today. ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t have time to tell you. You know, I¡¯m not intelligent. Maybe I¡¯ll be smarter after the psychotherapy session.¡± Joanna was even more skeptical after hearing this. However, Bruce¡¯s lie sounded so smooth that she had no choice but to believe it. ¡°Alright then,¡± she said. ¡°In the future, you need to let me know when you¡¯re going out,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Don¡¯t go out alone. What if you encounter bad people?¡± ¡°Honey, don¡¯t worry!¡± Bruce said. ¡°I brought along Darcy and Carson. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Come home early after you¡¯re done with the psychotherapy session,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be home before six.¡± Upon saying that, he pretended that it was his turn in the queue. He pretended to talk to someone, saying, ¡°Okay, Doc. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°Honey, it¡¯s my turn now,¡± he said. ¡°I won¡¯t talk to you for now. I need to quickly go in for the therapy.¡± ¡°Mm, alright, Joanna said. ¡°Kiss me,¡± Bruce said. He then took the lead to give Joanna a kiss over the phone. Joanna did not overthink it. She also responded with a kiss over the phone. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up now,¡± Bruce said. After hanging up, Joanna looked at the clock. It was only one o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Bruce would not be back until six. ¡°Taking advantage of this period of time that he is away by going to the office is the most appropriate thing to do,¡± Joanna thought. This was especially the case as she had to talk to Liam about Bruce¡¯s guardianship. So, she had to go to the office. However, what she did not know was that thepany was currently in the midst of purging the negative elements in the organization. Wrongdoings were being corrected and order was being restored. Liam was already in the police station drinking coffee. ¡°Gael, have you gotten the car ready?¡± Joanna said. Gael said, ¡°Madam, you had better not go¡­¡± Joanna said solemnly, ¡°If I don¡¯t go, thepany will go bankrupt. No matter what, I have to go to the office to understand the situation.¡± Gael knew that he could not persuade her, so he could onlypromise. ¡°Alright then,¡± he said. After a while, Joanna hurriedly went upstairs to change her clothes. She asked Miranda and Kelly to apany her to the office. Seeing that Joanna was about to leave, Gael felt somewhat worried. He quickly took out his phone to call Bruce. ¡°I had better give Mr. Everett a call and let him know that Madam is going to the office,¡± he said. Beep, beep, beep. Gael quickly dialed Bruce¡¯s number and made the call. Unfortunately, the phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up. After Bruce hung up on Joanna, he went to the conference room to prepare for the meeting. He did not answer any calls from anyone. Gael said, ¡°Jeez, why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett answering the phone? ¡°Carson and Darcy aren¡¯t answering their phones either. I¡¯m so damn worried!¡± Gael could not feel at ease, so he quickly arranged a car, wanting to go to the office to check on things. An hourter, Joanna walked into the business building of Everett Group with a few servants. The customer service representatives at the front desk were shocked when they saw Joannaing over. ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you here?¡± they asked. Joanna did not say anything. She merely smiled at the employees and walked straight to the elevator. ¡°Gosh, what¡¯s happening today? Mr. Everett is here, and now even Miss Haynes is here.¡± The customer service manager could not help but talk critically. ¡°What¡¯s so surprising about that?¡± she said. ¡°Miss Haynes has been helping Mr. Everett manage thepany all along. ¡°Now that such a big thing has happened to thepany, Miss Haynes will definitelye over personally to take a look.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Miss Haynes¡¯s belly is so big now,¡± one of the customer service representatives said. ¡°She¡¯s probably going to give birth soon, right?¡± ¡°Stop gossiping,¡± the customer service manager said. ¡°Get back to work!¡± Ten minutester, Joanna arrived directly at the floor where the conference room was located. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. She did not know that such a huge change had happened in thepany. ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you here?¡± A group of bodyguards stood at the entrance of the conference room. Carson even personally guarded the door. When Joanna saw Carson, she was even more shocked. ¡°Carson, why are you in the office?¡± she asked. Carson was at a loss for words. He looked awkward. ¡°Didn¡¯t you apany Bruce for the therapy?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Carson looked away. He did not know how to respond. Joanna was stunned for half a minute before it finally dawned on her was actually happening. ¡°It seems that Bruce didn¡¯t go to some bullshit psychotherapy session at all,¡± ¡°In other words, that idiot has been lying to me.¡± she thought. ¡°Instead, he came to the office. When Joanna brought her wandering mind to the present, she was intensely angry. Her brows were tightly furrowed. She nced at the conference room. The blinds outside had all been pulled down. Hence, she reckoned that a meeting was probably in progress inside. ¡°Who are in the meeting?¡± Joanna said. She tried her best to suppress her anger, but deep down, she still had a small hope that there might be a reasonable exnation for Bruce¡¯s actions. She thought, ¡°Maybe¡­¡± She said, ¡°Uh, thepany¡¯s shareholders and senior executives are having a meeting inside. ¡°Open the door. I want to go in.¡± Her gaze became intense. She thought, ¡°Bruce must be inside. ¡°And he must be hiding a lot of things from me.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, you can¡¯t go in,¡± Carson said. ¡°Bruce is in there, right?¡± Joanna said. Carson was quiet. He did not dare to say a word. ¡°Mr. Everett must be in there,¡± he thought. ¡°It¡¯s his order for all the senior executives to have a meeting.¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Joanna said. She immediately walked toward the conference room. ¡°Miss Haynes, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is having a meeting inside. You can¡¯t go in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going in now,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to get out of the way. Do you hear me?¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze turned intense. Her chest was filled with a surge of rising anger that she could not suppress. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you wait a moment? I¡¯ll go in and report!¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Joanna said. She could not wait any longer. ¡°Bruce must be hiding a lot of things from me, she thought. Although she had suspected that he pretended to be retarded, she had been fooled by his superb acting skills time and time again. Seeing that Joanna was really angry, Carson did not dare to forcefully stop her. After all, Joanna was already eight months pregnant. Even Bruce cherished her greatly. They did not dare to anger her. Chapter 726 Chapter 726 Chapter 726 In the conference room, Bruce sat on the president¡¯s tform with a solemn and ferocious expression. The spacious conference room was filled with people. It was densely packed. Thepany¡¯s shareholders and senior executives all had solemn expressions. They kept quiet out of fear. The atmosphere was tense and solemn. In front of Bruce, there was a projection screen and a remote broadcast setup. The overseas senior executives were also participating in a video conference. Due to the time difference, it waste at night in Ceru. However, when they heard that Bruce was going to have a meeting, no one dared to take it lightly. All of them got up in the middle of the night to join the long-distance meeting. Bruce said, ¡°There¡¯s been a huge change in thepany recently. ¡°As the chairman of Everett Group, I am answerable to the change. ¡°Now, thepany has readjusted the shareholding and the basic information of the shareholders¡­¡± Bruce was conducting the meeting meticulously. Crack! The door of the conference room was pushed open forcefully. Joanna appeared at the door angrily. Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to look at the door in unison. Joanna was left speechless. Upon seeing this, she felt immensely angry. Initially, she had thought that Bruce was just a foil used by Liam when thepany held a shareholders¡¯ meeting. However, to her surprise, it turned out that Bruce was the one chairing the meeting. At this moment, Bruce was d in a suit and leather shoes. He sat on the president¡¯s podium, exuding an air of elegance and authority. He was exactly the same as he had been when he was in a meeting in the past, giving off an oppressive sense of dominance as well as a powerful presence. Joanna thought, ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like a retard at all. ¡°Liar! ¡°He is a big liar!¡± In an instant, tears welled up uncontrobly in her eyes. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°How could this evil bastard lie to me like this?¡± she thought. Bruce was left speechless. He was also stunned. His originally ice-cold and handsome face melted into a soft expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to take three minutes of your time.¡± Upon saying that, Bruce hurriedly got off the president¡¯s chair and walked toward Joanna with long strides. ¡°Joann, why are you here?¡± Bruce asked. Joanna did not speak. Her gaze was like an ice de as she stared intently at Bruce. She thought, ¡°Bastard! ¡°This detestable bastard who deserves to die ten thousand times!¡± She really wanted to tear apart this lying bastard in front of her with her own hands. Bruce lowered his voice and said gently and guiltily, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m in a meeting right now. Can you wait for me in the office first?¡± The senior executives and shareholders looked at the two of them silently. Bruce naturally could not show that he was a henpecked man in front of his employees. He could only comfort Joanna with a sense of reluctance and determination. ¡°Joann, be a good girl,¡± he said. ¡°Go to the office and wait for me. ¡°Lots of people are watching. Let¡¯s talkter¡­¡± Before Bruce finished talking, Joanna could not help but burst into anger. She roared sorrowfully, ¡°Bruce, why did you do this? Bruce was at a loss for words. He choked up. He involuntarily turned around and nced at the meeting attendees, The senior executives quickly lowered their heads and pretended not to see anything. Bruce frowned. He took two steps forward, trying to hold Joanna¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be angry,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll slowly exin things to you after the meeting is over¡­¡± Joanna said, ¡°What is there to exin? ¡°You¡¯ve been lying to me all along, right?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice became even angrier. Tears streamed down her face. She thought, ¡°How could he lie to me like that? ¡°And he has lied to me for so long.¡± ¡°Bruce, why did you lie to me?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Why did you lie to me?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice suddenly became stern. Her entire body trembled with anger, and her face flushed with great intensity. Upon seeing this, Bruce disregarded his dignity and authority. He hurriedly exined, ¡°Joann, please don¡¯t be so agitated. I, I did notpletely lie to you. ¡°Calm down first. Let me exin it to you straightforwardly. It¡¯s not what you think.¡± Joanna pushed his hand away fiercely and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re talking nonsense! ¡°You never be mentally retarded at all. You¡¯ve been lying to me all along. Bruce, I just don¡¯t understand. Why did you lie to me like this? ¡°Is it because you think it¡¯s fun to lie to me? Why are you always like this?¡± Teardrops of grievance and disappointment fell one after another. Joanna clenched her fists and punched Bruce¡¯s chest forcefully. ¡°Bruce, you bastard,¡± she said. ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Joann, calm down first!¡± Bruce said. ¡°I did not lie to you. I really had a brain injury previously¡­¡± Seeing how agitated she was, Bruce hurriedly exined. He was afraid that her anger would affect the baby in her womb. ¡°Shut up, you big liar!¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯ll never trust you again, not even a single word that you say. ¡°I hate you so much. Why did you lie to me like this? Boohoo¡­¡± Bruce was dumbfounded and at a loss for words. He did not know how to exin himself. He let Joanna hit him with all her might. When he got into the car ident, his brain was indeed injured. However, after the shooting, he underwent another surgery. As a blessing in disguise, he recovered and became normal. ¡°Joann, you have to believe me,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to lie to you. Neither did I lie to you. My mind was really not clear at that time. It¡¯s not what you think. I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you.¡± ¡°Stop talking, Bruce,¡± Joanna said. ¡°You¡¯re really scary. You make me feel afraid!¡± Joanna retreated step by step. Her hands were clenched into fists. Tears of deep emotional distress kept streaming down her face. She thought, ¡°This man is really terrifying. ¡°He has actually lied to me for nearly a year! And he has even made me live in fear for nearly a year. ¡°How could he do this? How could he be so cruel to me?¡± Chapter 727 Chapter 727 Chapter 727 ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so agitated,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Please, I beg you to calm down and let me exin slowly, okay? ¡°I¡¯m really not what you think I am. I really love you. You should know that I really love you!¡± As Bruce spoke, he walked a few steps forward, attempting to hug her. Joanna forcefully hit his hand and said, ¡°Bruce, let go of me. Don¡¯t touch me again!¡± Bruce said, ¡°Joann, Joann, after everything we¡¯ve been through, can you give me a chance to exin¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached. He looked at Joanna helplessly. ¡°Let go,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Let go of me!¡± She had an emotional breakdown. She thought, ¡°I could not eat or sleep well every day for such a long period of time. ¡°And he actually had the heart to lie to me like this? ¡°Why is there such a man that loves to lie so much in this world? ¡°And he can lie without showing any signs of nervousness or guilt on his face and in his heartbeat.¡± This truly disgusted her. Bruce took a deep breath. He knew that there was no point in exining anymore. He should quickly admit his mistake and apologize. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong. I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have lied to you. I was really wrong. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, okay? Joann, I¡¯m really sorry!¡± As Bruce spoke, he still held her tightly in a domineering manner and apologized continuously. ¡°Bruce, you bastard,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Let go!¡± She hit and pushed him with all her might. Unfortunately, it was in vain. Her strength waspletely ineffective against Bruce. Being hugged by him forcefully, she had no strength to break free. ¡°I know,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I know. Joann, I¡¯m so sorry. ¡°I swear to God that I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you. Previously, my brain was indeed not functioning properly. After the second operation, I inexplicably recovered. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t mean to lie to you. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just afraid of losing you. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll leave me. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. Can you forgive me onest time?¡± Bruce held her tightly in his arms. He rested his chin on her head and kept apologizing. Joanna could not break free. She could only bury herself in his arms and cry loudly. ¡°Bruce, you bastard,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Boohoo¡­ How could you lie to me like this? How could you do this?¡± Listening to Joanna¡¯s heartbroken crying, Bruce¡¯s eyes turned teary and his nose started to feel sore. He involuntarily kissed her head tofort her, wishing he could hold her tightly and closely. He said, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m so sorry. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. It¡¯s all my fault. You can hit me or scold me. As long as you can vent your anger, you can do whatever you want.¡± Joanna buried herself in his chest and cried until she gasped for breath. Warm tears seeped through his white shirt, making her feel restless. These many days of worry, fear, uneasiness, regret, and self-reproach intertwined and became an unresolved sense of grievance. Joanna opened her mouth and bit his chest. ¡°Ouch¡­ Bruce winced in pain, but he tried his best to endure the pain. Joanna bit him hard, but she could not bear to bite him hard again. He had undergone surgery on his chest. A long incision was made from his chest to his navel. Although the wound had healed, there were still a few scars on his chest. ¡°Go ahead and bite,¡± Bruce said. ¡°As long as you can vent your anger, you can even bite me to death. Joanna stopped biting, but she still cried with a sense of grievance and anger. She kept crying. Her stomach suddenly began to convulse, as if someone was pulling her intestines. ¡°Sss¡­¡± The immense pain almost made her faint, causing her to involuntarily bend forward. Seeing this, Bruce panicked. He asked anxiously, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Joanna was too agitated earlier. This caused her uterine muscles to contract. As a result, she felt severe pain in her belly. A faint stream of warm liquid flowed down her thigh. She seemed to have broken her amniotic sac. ¡°I have a terrible stomachache!¡± she said. ¡°Did your uterine muscles contract?¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital now.¡± Bruce did not dare to dy any further. ¡°Ah, my stomach hurts!¡± Joanna¡¯s face instantly turned pale from the pain. The warm liquid between her legs increased. Upon seeing this, Bruce got even more frightened. He hurriedly carried her. ¡°Darcy, hurry up and get the car ready,¡± he said. ¡°We need to go to the hospital right away.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett,¡± Darcy said. With Joanna¡¯srge belly, it was very difficult to carry her in an arms carry. Miranda and Kelly also hurried forward to help Bruce carry Joanna. ¡°Quick, inform the hospital!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Call the doctor immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Andy said. He was panicked too. He quickly called the maternity hospital. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t move,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯m in so much pain!¡± Joanna was in so much pain that she could not stand straight. She could only curl up and squat on the floor. ¡°Joann, hang in there,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital now. You¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡± Although Bruceforted Joanna, he was extremely nervous. In the conference room, everyone looked at each other. ¡°Oh my, um, do we still have to continue this meeting?¡± ¡°What meeting? Didn¡¯t you see that Miss Haynes is going to deliver?¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mr. Everett is really¡­ He¡¯s quite strange!¡± ¡°I know, right? He ispletely controlled by Miss Haynes. It¡¯s really unexpected that someone like Mr. Everett is so afraid of his wife.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s pampering your wife, not being afraid of your wife.¡± ¡°This is good too. Happy events bring joy. Hopefully, with the joy of Miss Haynes giving birth, Mr. Everett will be in a good mood and won¡¯t be so strict¡­ Chapter 728 Chapter 728 Chapter 728 The higher executives were left ignored in the conference room. All of them stared at each other, not knowing what to do. They did not dare to leave the conference room. ¡°Will Mr. Everett be back for the meetingter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so! Miss Haynes is about to give birth, so he has to go to the hospital to apany her!¡± ¡°He might be back. It¡¯s just giving birth to a child! Many pregnant women go to the hospital to give birth themselves.¡± ¡°Oh, I need to pee. I want to go to the toilet. If the meeting is canceled, can I leave?¡± ¡°Bear with it for now! If Mr. Everettes back for a meeting and sees that we¡¯re all gone, he might be mad at us again.¡± Bruce quickly sent Joanna to the hospital. They were in the car on the way to the hospital. ¡°Drive faster! Drive faster!¡± The driver was so nervous that he did not dare disobey or say anything. He kept mming on the elerator. The car roared as it sped in the direction of the hospital. ¡°Argh¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Joanna was in so much pain that her entire body was covered in a cold sweat. ¡°Joann, hold on. We¡¯re going to the hospital now!¡± ¡°Speed up!¡± ¡°Argh, um¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Joanna screamed in pain and almost fainted. Marks A Bruce held her tiny face andforted her. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be at the hospital soon!¡± ¡°Driver, speed up!¡± The car drove past several red lights, ignoring the traffic rules. Fifteen minutes had passed. They arrived at the Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. That was Greyport¡¯s most expensive private maternity hospital. Many rich people and celebrities gave birth to children and had their postpartum recovery programs in this hospital. When the car door opened, the nurse and doctor had already received the news and were waiting with a stretcher. ¡°Quick, quick, quick!¡± ¡°Be careful. Put the pregnant woman on the stretcher first.¡± The well-trained nurses carried Joanna onto the small cart. The doctor quickly put an oxygen mask on her. ¡°The patient¡¯s water has broken. Send her to the operating room immediately!¡± ¡°Ouch, it hurts so much!¡± Bruce got out of the car. He was so nervous that his legs turned to jelly. ¡°Honey! Honey, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll always be with you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient¡¯s water has broken. We have to arrange for delivery immediately!¡± ¡°Please make way. We¡¯re sending the pregnant woman to the delivery room now.¡± When Bruce heard this, he quickly nodded. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± He was so nervous that his mind went nk. ¡°Mm¡­¡± The nurse pushed Joanna and rushed to the delivery room. ¡°God bless them. Please bless Joann and the child.¡± Bruce followed behind uneasily. He was a little out of his wits and did not know what to do. When Joanna gave birth to their triplet, he did not know at all. Naturally, he could not feel the excitement and joy of being the father of a newborn. Now that Joanna was about to give birth, he was only nervous. Meanwhile, Joanna was already in the delivery room. The doctor examined Joanna¡¯s condition. ¡°The uterus hasn¡¯t opened big enough for the fetus toe out, but the water has broken.¡± ¡°What can we do about it now?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, do you still have the strength to give birth?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to inject you with some drug to inducebor now. It might hurt a little!¡± Previously. Joanna had said that she wanted a natural delivery. Therefore, the doctor tried his best to cooperate with her request. However, in her current situation, if she insisted on giving birth naturally, she and the baby would probably be in danger. Ah! It hurts!¡± Joanna took two deep breaths. The pain was unbearable. Her body spasmed like her spine had been extracted. Shey weakly on the hospital bed, closed her eyes, and fainted. ¡°Oh no, the patient fainted. The patient is weak now. She probably doesn¡¯t have the strength to give birth naturally.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to perform a C-section surgery!¡± ¡°Immediately inform the patient¡¯s family to sign the consent form¡­¡± They were quick and decisive. The doctor and nurse came out to look for Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news. Mrs. Everett has fainted!¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart hammered. He subconsciously walked toward the direction of the operating room. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can¡¯t go in!¡± Bruce¡¯s mind was in a mess. He thought that Joanna had a difficultbor. ¡°No matter what, you must make sure the mother is alive. I choose to save the mother.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. The patient had just fainted. We have to arrange for a C-section surgery immediately.¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s water has already broken. There might be no way to continue giving birth naturally. The mother and fetus might be in danger if we dy any longer.¡± Bruce nodded hurriedly. ¡°Alright. Okay. Quickly perform the surgery then.¡± ¡°Doctor, please prioritize my wife¡¯s life no matter what.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! Please sign here.¡± Bruce picked up a pen and signed the surgical consent form. However, his hands were trembling uncontrobly. In the past, he had signed tens of thousands of contracts. No matter how important the contract was, his hands had never shaken. But now, his hand trembled so badly that he almost couldn¡¯t hold his pen. ¡°I have signed it!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s arrange for a C-section surgery immediately.¡± ¡°Oh, God! Please bless Joann and our baby.¡± ¡°Honey, you have to make it through!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were red. He paced anxiously in front of the delivery room. The butler also brought experienced postpartum nurses and wetnurses to the hospital. These people were all recruited in advance. They had been arranged to wait for Joanna to give birth. Seeing that Bruce was so nervous, Gael quicklyforted him. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t be so flustered. The gynecology department of Avery Women¡¯s Hospital is very professional. Mrs. Everett will definitely be fine.¡± Miranda chimed in, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. God will bless Joann. She and the baby will definitely be safe!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t listen to them and was still anxious. He would not be so nervous if Joanna were due to give birth. However, she was so angry that she gave birth prematurely. How could he not be afraid? Moreover, since ancient times, there had been a saying that premature babies born in the seventh month of pregnancy would usually live, but those premature babies born in the eighth month would probably die. Joanna was pregnant for eight months. Of course, Bruce was even more nervous. He was no longer worried about his child¡¯s safety but about Joanna¡¯s. Seconds ticked by. Bruce felt like days had passed. He stared at the delivery room and held his breath nervously. Two hourster¡­ The sound of a baby crying finally came from the delivery room. ¡°She has sessfully given birth.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skilled a beat, and he was even more dumbfounded. In the end, Joanna did not get to deliver the baby naturally. The doctor performed a C-section surgery on her. The door of the delivery room opened, and the maternity doctor walked out. ¡°Doctor, how is everything?¡± ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Everett. The mother and son are safe. Mrs. Everett has given birth to a boy.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Hearing this, Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. He was happy they were fine. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Congrattions on the birth of your son, Mr. Everett.¡± The servants were also relieved and congratted him. ¡°The patient has been sent to the ward.¡± ¡°Can I go in and meet her?¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett has woken up, but she is in a weak state.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce eagerly entered the delivery room. Joanna had just undergone a C-section surgery. She was lying weakly on the bed with an oxygen tube attached to her nose and an intravenous drip on her arm. Her lower abdomen had already been sutured and wrapped in a thick hemostatic bandage.¡± ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes shimmered in tears. He dashed toward the hospital bed. Although Joanna had woken up, the anesthesia had yet to wear off. Her face was as pale as a piece of white paper, and she looked frail. ¡°The baby. Where is our baby¡­¡± Joanna weakly reached out to touch her belly. Her belly had ttened. ¡°Honey, the doctor did a C-section surgery for you. You have delivered him sessfully.¡± Hearing this, Joanna felt a little more at ease. Then, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly to the side, not wanting to look at him. She wanted to give birth naturally. However, her body was weak, and she could not give birth naturally. In addition, her water had broken, so the baby was delivered in advance. ¡°Honey, thank you for everything!¡± Bruce reached out and gently stroked her hair. He said as he sobbed, ¡°Honey, we won¡¯t have children in the future. Four children are enough.¡± ¡°Thank you for giving birth to four children for me,¡± Bruce said as tears rolled down his face. ¡°Where¡¯s the baby? Hurry up and bring him over for Mr. Everett to take a look,¡± said someone. ¡°Mr. Everett. The child was born a month prematurely and is a little weak. He has to be ced in the incubator for two weeks. ¡°If you want to see the baby, you can go to the childcare area.¡± The baby was born prematurely. Although he was delivered safely, he was very weak. After he was born, he was immediately ced into an incubator. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Bruce followed the nurse to the childcare area. Through the incubator, Bruce nced at the tiny baby inside. The child was wrapped in a cotton nket and looked very small. His face was still covered with a faint layer of fetal fat, but his hair was quite dense.¡± Chapter 729 Chapter 729 Chapter 729 Bruce stood there and watched for a long time. His heart was about to melt. That was his son. Joanna gave birth to another son for him. Although he already had three children, he had not seen them when Joanna delivered them. Therefore, this feeling was bizarre. He watched the baby for a while. After that, Bruce immediately returned to the ward to apany Joanna. ¡°Honey, I just went to see our son. He is so cute!¡± ¡°Honey, look. This is a photo of our son. I took it. Take a look.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Bruce excitedly opened the photo album on his phone and showed Joanna the photo he had just taken. Of course, he took the photo from outside the incubator, so it was not very clear. Although Joanna did not want to talk to him, she could not help but take a look at the photo. However, she had already given birth to Davian and the others. Therefore, although she was excited, she did not show it. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re awesome! You are amazing!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t care and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead a few times. Joanna rolled her eyes and turned her head to the side, ignoring him. It was obvious from her expression, though. She was still angry, but her anger had subsided a little. Indeed, she would forgive him if he apologized sincerely. ¡°Honey, take good care of yourself! If there¡¯s anything you want to eat, let me know.¡± Gael and Miranda watched from the side and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Look at how happy Mr. Everett is!¡± Gael said with a smile, ¡°Of course he is happy! Mrs. Everett is a great woman. She gave birth to another son Mr. Everett. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Mrs. Margaret had passed away. Otherwise, she would definitely be delighted.¡± The Everett family had always had few children. In Bruce¡¯s generation, he was the only one left. Joanna had given birth to three sons and a daughter for him. She had made a great contribution to the Everett family. ¡°By the way, have you arranged for Joann¡¯s postpartum recovery?¡± ¡°Have you brought the wet nurse, postpartum nurse, and nutritionist?¡± Bruce suddenly looked at the butler. Gael smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett! Everything is ready. They are all trained ording to the highest standards. They will definitely take good care of Mrs. Everett¡¯s postpartum recovery.¡± ¡°Okay. Good.¡± Actually, Avery Women¡¯s Hospital had a special postpartum package. It was very professional. Of course, it was also costly. There was no need to employ another nurse. However, Bruce was still worried. He still recruited arge number of people to take care of Joanna and the baby. ¡°Joann, I just went to see the baby. The baby is adorable. He is very handsome and looks just like me. ¡°When he grows up, he¡¯ll definitely be more handsome than me. Sigh. Looks like I would have a competitor in the future.¡± When Joanna heard this, she turned away and did not want to look at him. This bastard had lied to her for so long. She would never forgive him so easily. Never! Especially now, he still had the mood to brag about his handsomeness in front of her. He was chatty and noisy. His shamelessness made her speechless. Seeing that Joanna was still ignoring him, Bruce started to apologize again. ¡°Joann, my dear wife, please forgive mel ¡°After your postpartum period, we¡¯ll immediately go through the remarriage procedures. At the same time, we¡¯ll hold a grand wedding. We won¡¯t be separated again, okay? ¡°I swear to God. I¡¯ll be a good husband and a good father in the future. ¡°If I did not keep my promise, I¡¯ll die. I¡¯ll die a horrible death¡­ As Bruce spoke, he put on a serious look, raised his hand, and swore. Joanna had her eyes closed and didn¡¯t want to talk to him. However, when she heard him swearing such a vicious oath, she still opened her eyes resentfully. He was the father of four children. If he died, the children would have no father. ¡°Ahem! Shut up!¡± In the past, she didn¡¯t believe in swearing and oaths. However, it wasn¡¯t until she met Mr. Lewis. It wasn¡¯t until she personally experienced so many things that couldn¡¯t be exined by science that Joanna began to fear nature. Some things had to be avoided. ¡°Honey. Darling. Tell me, what do I have to do to make you forgive me?¡± Bruce¡¯s gaze on Joanna was gentle as he leaned before Joanna and coaxed her with care. ¡°As long as you can forgive me, I¡¯ll agree to any request you make!¡± When Joanna heard this, she still put on a straight face and refused to forgive him. Bruce noticed that her expression had softened and knew she had forgiven him deep down. ¡°Honey, please forgive your handsome husband! He had already realized his mistake. Please be magnanimous and forgive him!¡± Bruce purposely used his previous childish tone to tease her. At the same time, he made a funny face to coax her. ¡°Honey, do you think I¡¯m handsome? Wifey! Honey¡­ please forgive your man!¡± Joanna nced at his face. It was reallyical and ridiculous. In particr, he had never made too many facial expressions in the past! He had always maintained a handsome and stern face. The impact was too strong now that he had made such a funny face. She could no longer hold it in. ¡°Pfft!¡± Sheughed out loud. ¡°Go away. You¡¯re annoying. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± Seeing her smile, Bruce made all kinds of funny faces even harder. His tone was even more like when he was developmentally disabled in the past. ¡°Honey, I promise I won¡¯t make any mistakes again. I won¡¯t lie to you anymore. I won¡¯t bully you again.¡± ¡°After you¡¯re done with your postpartum period, we¡¯ll immediately remarry.¡± Gael and Miranda watched from the side awkwardly. They were so embarrassed they wanted to get out of that ce immediately. Oh my god! Was this still Mr. Everett? Although he had made faces before, it was not that exaggerated. To make Joanna happy, he did not even care about his reputation. ¡°Mr. Everett treats Mrs. Everett so well!¡± ¡°To make Mrs. Everett happy, he didn¡¯t hesitate to put on funny faces!¡± ¡°Sigh. I hope things will turn out well for them. I hope that their life will be smooth and harmonious from now onwards.¡± Miranda smiled knowingly. ¡°Definitely: Mr. Everett loves Mrs. Everett so much, and Mrs. Everett loves Mr. Everett so much. They have four such cute children. They will definitely live a happy life every day in the future.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett has just given birth and is still weak. Why don¡¯t we give some space for Mrs. Everett to rest?¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Honey, rest well. Don¡¯t be angry anymore.¡± ¡°You are annoying!¡± Joanna could not help but roll her eyes. However, the smile on her face was still bright. Women are soft-hearted. They might quickly get angry but, at the same time, easily coaxed. She had initially nned never to forgive him but could not resist his grimace. In this life, she would probably really be controlled by him. However, forget it! He loved her, and she loved him. There was nothing wrong with being controlled by the person she loved. As long as he could change in the future, she was still willing to continue being with him, even if it was for the children¡¯s sake. Bruce left the ward. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Everett! Congrattions, Mr. Everett!¡± The bodyguards and assistants also congratted him. Bruce¡¯s mood instantly improved. ¡°Gael, go prepare some gifts. Give everyone here some bonus.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. How much do you want to give them?¡± ¡°Count how many people are there. Give everyone here 20 thousand dors! ¡°Don¡¯t forget the medical personnel.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± When everyone present heard this, they instantly cheered. Mr. Everett was really generous. The bonus would cost Bruce millions of dors. The bonus was given immediately. The butler ordered someone to gather everyone¡¯s bank ount number. The drivers, bodyguards, assistants, doctors, nurses, and so on immediately received bonuses. Even the hospital¡¯s cleaners got the reward. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Everett. Mr. Everett, you and your wife will live a long and happy life together!¡± Buzz¡­ Bruce was immersed in the joy of being a father when his phone vibrated. He subconsciously took out his phone to take a look. It was from Aria. [Bruce, I¡¯m preparing to board the ne now! I¡¯ll be able to reach Greyport at about 4.00 p.m. tomorrow.] After reading the message, the smile on Bruce¡¯s face froze. After looking at the message silently for ten minutes, he replied to Aria with a message, [Alright. See you tomorrow!] [Bruce, see you tomorrow. I¡¯m looking forward to meeting you this time.] Aria sent him another message. After reading it, Bruce felt a strange anxiety rising in him and did not reply to her message. [The ne is about to take off. I¡¯m turning off my phone. See you tomorrow!] [See you tomorrow!] Bruce replied. Chapter 730 Chapter 730 Chapter 730 Meanwhile, Joanna was in the ward. Joanna¡¯s anesthesia gradually subsided, and the wound began to hurt. Although she had taken a painkiller, she still couldn¡¯t help but feel the pain. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. Bruce stood guard at the side. He felt sorry for her. ¡°Honey, it must be painful.¡± Joanna closed her eyes in a daze. The doctor injected her with more painkillers. After the medicine took effect, the pain subsided a little. Generally speaking, although the baby was premature, it was still a close call. It was far smoother than when she gave birth to her firstborn. When she gave birth to the triplet, she had no experience at all. She was busy with work, and there was no one to take care of her. She almost died giving birth to them, and it was all thanks to Jaydon that she was sent to the hospital in time. Therefore, she had always regarded Jaydon as her savior. Without him, she and the children would probably be buried in the grave. It was soon the second day after Joanna delivered the baby. After a night of rest, Joanna felt a little better. Bruce stayed by her side and asked from time to time, ¡°Honey, are you feeling better? Does the wound still hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, it hurts!¡± ¡°Doctor, inject more painkillers for my wife. I want the best.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! I just changed the medicine. When the medicine takes effect, the wound won¡¯t hurt much.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As they were speaking, the nutritionist pushed the cart into the ward. ¡°Mrs. Everett, it¡¯s time for your meal.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The postpartum meal was quite rich. There were eight dishes, a broth, and a dessert. It was a bnce of meat and vegetables with a fresh fruit sd. All of them were quite exquisite. Joanna felt a little hungry. She had not eaten anything for the entire day yesterday. Today, she was in better spirits and began to feel hungry. The nurse used a remote control to raise the bed and set up the special table in the ward. The dishes were ced on the table one by one. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ll feed you!¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± Joanna was not used to being fed. Unfortunately, she felt a piercing pain in her belly and could not even sit up straight. She could only lean against the soft headboard. It was inconvenient for her to hold his fork.. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you!¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. He picked up the bowl and scooped a spoonful of broth for Joanna. ¡°Here, have some broth first.¡± ¡°Open your mouth. Drink slowly.¡± Bruce carefully fed Joanna. Joanna was hungry. She did not reject him and opened her mouth obediently. Bruce fed her, and she ate obediently. Watching Joanna eat bite by bite, he felt a sense of satisfaction and aplishment. It turned out that caring for the person he loved felt blissful. Fifteen minutes passed¡­ Joanna was already full. She couldn¡¯t eat anymore. Although there were still many dishes left, she could not finish them. After all, she had been lying down for an entire day. ¡°Eat more!¡± I¡¯m fulll¡± Meanwhile, Joanna was in the ward. Joanna¡¯s anesthesia gradually subsided, and the wound began to hurt. Although she had taken a painkiller, she still couldn¡¯t help but feel the pain. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. Bruce stood guard at the side. He felt sorry for her. ¡°Honey, it must be painful.¡± Joanna closed her eyes in a daze. The doctor injected her with more painkillers. After the medicine took effect, the pain subsided a little. Generally speaking, although the baby was premature, it was still a close call. It was far smoother than when she gave birth to her firstborn. When she gave birth to the triplet, she had no experience at all. She was busy with work, and there was no one to take care of her. She almost died giving birth to them, and it was all thanks to Jaydon that she was sent to the hospital in time. Therefore, she had always regarded Jaydon as her savior. Without him, she and the children would probably be buried in the grave. It was soon the second day after Joanna delivered the baby. After a night of rest, Joanna felt a little better. Bruce stayed by her side and asked from time to time, ¡°Honey, are you feeling better? Does the wound still hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, it hurts!¡± ¡°Doctor, inject more painkillers for my wife. I want the best.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! I just changed the medicine. When the medicine takes effect, the wound won¡¯t hurt much.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As they were speaking, the nutritionist pushed the cart into the ward. ¡°Mrs. Everett, it¡¯s time for your meal.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The postpartum meal was quite rich. There were eight dishes, a broth, and a dessert. It was a bnce of meat and vegetables with a fresh fruit sd. All of them were quite exquisite. Joanna felt a little hungry. She had not eaten anything for the entire day yesterday. Today, she was in better spirits and began to feel hungry. The nurse used a remote control to raise the bed and set up the special table in the ward. The dishes were ced on the table one by one. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ll feed you!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± Joanna was not used to being fed. Unfortunately, she felt a piercing pain in her belly and could not even sit up straight. She could only lean against the soft headboard. It was inconvenient for her to hold his fork. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you!¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. He picked up the bowl and scooped a spoonful of broth for Joanna. ¡°Here, have some broth first.¡± ¡°Open your mouth. Drink slowly.¡± Bruce carefully fed Joanna. Joanna was hungry. She did not reject him and opened her mouth obediently. Bruce fed her, and she ate obediently. Watching Joanna eat bite by bite, he felt a sense of satisfaction and aplishment. It turned out that caring for the person he loved felt blissful. Fifteen minutes passed¡­ Joanna was already full. She couldn¡¯t eat anymore. Although there were still many dishes left, she could not finish them. After all, she had been lying down for an entire day. ¡°Eat more!¡± ¡°I¡¯m full!¡± ¡°Drink some more broth, then! There is still so much left!¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t eat anymore. I can¡¯t drink anymore.¡± Joanna pushed away the spoon that he brought to her mouth. ¡°Alright then!¡± Bruce did not continue. Looking at the leftovers, she had only eaten a third of them. She had only eaten one or two bites of a few dishes. Then, Bruce picked up his fork and started eating casually. He also drank the remaining half a bowl of broth. The maids watched from the side, and their jaws almost dropped. Gosh! This was the first time Bruce had eaten someone else¡¯s leftovers. His diet had always been extremely picky. Not to mention eating other people¡¯s leftovers. Even if it were a top chef who racked his brains to make fresh dishes for him, he would still be picky. Now, he was eating Mrs. Everett¡¯s leftover confinement meal with relish. Joanna didn¡¯t eat much during the meal. Bruce ate happily. Those who didn¡¯t know better would think he was in postpartum recovery, not Joanna. ¡°Are you full?¡± Joanna asked, both angry and amused. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m full.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. You can work today if you have something on in thepany.¡± Bruce rinsed his mouth with mouthwash and frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t leave you here alone. Giving birth to a baby is a big deal. Of course, I have to stay here with you.¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze darkened. Yesterday, his meeting at thepany was interrupted. Today, he was staying in the hospital for another day. What would happen to thepany then? Everett Group had not been managed for more than half a year. Now, he had to correct many things. ¡°You¡¯d better go back to thepany! ¡°Doctors, nurses, and even postpartum nurses are here to care for me. I¡¯m fine.¡± Bruce thought for a moment. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll go to thepany to settle some matters. I¡¯ll rush back to apany you in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Be good. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. Take good care of your body.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. Her beautiful eyes revealed a trace of resentment. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you ever lie to me again! ¡°If you lie to me again, I really won¡¯t forgive you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked away before he said, ¡°Yes, I swear! I won¡¯t lie to you again.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and warned him again, ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you onest time. I¡¯m serious this time. If you lie to me again, our rtionship will bepletely over.¡± Bruce dared not look at her in the eyes. There were some things that he really couldn¡¯t tell Joanna. He had to keep it a secret until the day of his death. ¡°Joann, I can swear to the heavens that I love you. I will only love you for the rest of my life. I will never love anyone else.¡± Bruce swore but avoided that topic. When Joanna heard this, her anger red up. ¡°I¡¯m telling you not to lie to me again.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try my best!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at him. ¡°Try your best? ¡°You mean you¡¯ll still lie to me, right?¡± Bruce reacted and quickly shook his head to deny it. ¡°Nol I mean, I¡¯ll try my best not to lie to you! ¡°But you know that sometimes, some things can be overlooked!¡± When Joanna heard this, the anger in her immediately surged again. ¡°What do you mean by that? Bruce, what exactly do you mean by that?¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce quickly exined, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be agitated. I mean¡­ Sigh, I don¡¯t know how to say it. ¡°In short, it¡¯s inevitable that I forget to tell you sometimes. When you askter, you¡¯ll think I¡¯m lying to you. ¡°For example, if I don¡¯t like chili, then if you made it for me personally, even if I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll subconsciously say that I like it. Is this considered lying to you?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That definitely doesn¡¯t count! I¡¯m talking about something important and against my principle. Don¡¯t lie to me again!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Calm down!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll report something to you now in case you get angry when you find out in the future.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Erm, I¡¯m going to pick up a friend this afternoon,¡± Bruce replied hesitantly. Seeing his unnatural expression, a trace of suspicion arose in Joanna¡¯s heart. ¡°What friend? A male or female?¡± ¡°A ssmate!¡± ¡°A male or female?¡± Joanna only wanted to know if it was male or female. Bruce hesitated for a few seconds before replying honestly, ¡°A female.¡± ¡°A female or just a ssmate?¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned gloomy as she looked at Bruce resentfully. He was already in his thirties but still in contact with his female ssmates? Moreover, he hadn¡¯t even finished university and left campus for over ten years. He actually contacted a female ssmate? ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with her?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. We were just¡­ ordinary schoolmates.¡± When Joanna heard this, her expression had turned gloomy. Looking at his guilty reaction, this female ssmate¡¯s rtionship with him was not ordinary. ¡°Really? Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°I am not lying.¡± ¡°Bruce, you said that you wouldn¡¯t lie to me! If I knew that you lied to me, do you know the consequences?¡± Bruce pursed his lips and braced himself to say, ¡°Erm. Heh¡­ When we were in our teenage years and first understood love, we had a good impression of each other. ¡°But that can¡¯t be considered love. I was so young and didn¡¯t know anything!¡± The more Bruce spoke, the more guilty he felt. His expression was alsoplicated. When Joanna heard this, her expression turned even uglier. In that case, wasn¡¯t that his first love? He even said that it was alright. If nothing was between them, why would she still look for him after being separated for more than ten years? He even wanted to go and pick her up personally! ¡°Hmph!¡± Joanna snorted and turned her head to the side. She knew that a scumbag like him would not change easily. It was true that he loved her, but it could not stop him from loving others too! forced me. Men could say they loved more than one person. They could really love a few women at the same time. Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce quicklyforted her. ¡°Look! I didn¡¯t want to tell you, but you ¡°You got angry again because I told you. So, I don¡¯t want to tell you too much about things like this.¡± Joanna was even angrier when she heard that and snapped. ¡°Then, stop talking! I¡¯m not angry. Go and pick up your female ssmate, then.¡± Bruce did not know what to do and looked at her aggrievedly. Sometimes, women liked to be sarcasticl He couldn¡¯t tell if she was being serious or sarcastic! ¡°Joann, can we talk about it nicely? Don¡¯t get angry so easily.¡± Chapter 731 Chapter 731 Chapter 731 ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to pick her up, I won¡¯t go!¡± Joanna retorted, ¡°You should go and pick her up! Otherwise, you¡¯ll say that I¡¯m getting angry for nothing again.¡± ¡°Honey, we¡¯ve been through so much. We¡¯ve already had four children. Are you still afraid that I¡¯ll have anything to do with her?¡± Bruce leaned against her pillow as he spoke and buried his head in her neck. ¡°Honey, we are really just ordinary friends. I am going to pick her up purely because we were alumni.¡± ¡°Since she is an ordinary friend of yours, why can¡¯t you get your assistant to pick her up?¡± ¡°Joann. She¡¯s now a world-renowned biology professor. She came to Greyport for an academic exchange! ¡°Next year, we¡¯re going to build a new pharmaceutical factory in Escostan. We will need her to be a consultant, so I decide to pick her up personally. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s 30 years old. She might already be married.¡± 1 Joanna listened and did not say anything else! If she said too much, it would make her sound jealous and not magnanimous enough. No one could stop him if a man thought of cheating on his wife. If he wanted to like someone else and if he really wanted to betray her, she would not be able to control him. Loyalty depended on self-awareness. Anyway, she never had high expectations for Bruce. Even if he really liked someone else, she would leave him forever! ¡°Alfight, you don¡¯t have to exin. Anyway, you¡¯re not a child. Many things depend on self-awareness. ¡°I only have one thing to say to you. You must tell me if you change your mind one day and want to date someone else.¡± As Joanna spoke, her eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re imagining things again! Why do you refuse to trust me? ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I¡¯ll only love you in this life. I¡¯ll keep my promise. Perhaps I was wrong in the past, but I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± Indeed, he was a man of principle. Once self-disciplined, he would be even more ruthless than a wolf. Unfortunately¡­ Joanna no longer trusted him. She still felt insecure even after Bruce said that. There were too many temptations around a man like him. All kinds of outstanding women would constantly throw themselves at him. Take the cat, for example. Even if it didn¡¯t want to steal fish to eat, it couldn¡¯t resist all kinds of delicious canned fish. They were always tempting him to eat them. There was probably no one who could resist temptations. Therefore, the period when Bruce¡¯s brain was damaged was the time when she felt most at ease. ¡°Alright, stop talking. I¡¯ll believe in you for now!¡± Bruce patted her head and said dotingly, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. Do you hear me? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll have to leave now. Be good, and don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. ¡°I¡¯ll return to the hospital as soon as I¡¯ve settled her in. Of course, you can call any time to check on me.¡± The more Bruce exined carefully, the more ufortable Joanna felt. Why did he care so much about exining if there was nothing between them? ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin so much. I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Bruce was speechless. ¡°Good girl. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Bruce looked at the time. It was already 1:00 p.m. Bruce still had to make a trip to the office. He really could not dy any more time. Bruce left. Joanna could not help but frown. She felt ufortable, and something was disturbing her mind. There must be a story between him and that female friend. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so nervous. Perhaps this female ssmate was his first woman. In any case, he was no longer a virgin when they were married. She had given him her first time, and it was obvious that it was not his first time. Moreover, he was pretty experienced. Before her, he seemed to have countless actual experiences. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. However, those were all before they married, and she did not want to know about it. The past was all in the past. But from now on, it depended on his performance. Miranda noticed Joanna was worried and subconsciouslyforted her. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t think too much. You¡¯ve just given birth. It¡¯s better to maintain a joyous mood.¡± ¡°Miranda, I am not thinking too much about it!¡± ¡°Joann, you and Mr. Everett already have four children. He will still care about the children even if he doesn¡¯t care about you. It¡¯s not so easy for other women to rece you.¡± Miranda tried her best to comfort Joanna. When Joanna heard this, she felt worse. She believed that Bruce loved her and the children. He would also treat her and the children well for the rest of his life. But¡­ That would not affect him from having something to do with other women. Didn¡¯t men like to keep many women since ancient times? They would keep mistresses as long as their wives knew nothing about it or did nothing. That was how men were. They would not mind having more than one woman in their life at the same time. Some men looked ordinary, had no money, and had no ability, but they still wanted to enjoy the pleasure bright by women other than their wives. Bruce was rich, handsome, and bold. He could always choose to be a yboy. ¡°Joann, what wille wille. It¡¯s useless to worry now. I think Mr. Everett is a principled person. Other than you and¡­ Miss Roxanne, there hasn¡¯t been any scandal of him with others all these years!¡± ¡°Hmph, Miranda, you don¡¯t know him well!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes coldly. Bruce and Jaydon were the exact opposite. Jaydon had never stopped having scandals around him, but there might only be a few people who really had a rtionship with him. Although Bruce had no scandals about him, it did not mean he had never had any woman. It was also possible he had done an excellent job of keeping it a secret. Of course! That was just Joanna¡¯s guess and imagination. After all, she had never trusted Bruce. However, in reality, Bruce was extremely busy every day and did not have the time to spend on women. Upon hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Miranda did not say anything else. She could onlyfort her. It was four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Bruce drove to the airport. He looked at the time. The ne wouldnd in half an hour. The two had not seen each other for more than ten years, but Bruce had seen news of Aria in the media reports. After all, she was the world¡¯s most famous and youngest biology professor. Back then, Bruce¡¯s family had encountered misfortune, and Bruce had no choice but to give up on his study. He had asked Aria to apany him when he returned to the country. However, Aria refused. After Bruce returned to the country, Aria devoted all her time to her studies. Now, she had fulfilled her ambitions and ideals. ¡°Mr. Everett, the flight from Antlen has arrived.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce wore sunsses and a mask. He was waiting for Aria at the entrance of the VIP passageway with his bodyguards. It was ten minutes past five. Tourists walked out of the passageway one after another. Bruce¡¯s heart pounded wildly. Finally, a familiar and petite figure appeared at the passageway¡¯s entrance. She was wearing a white cashmere dress with a camel-colored cashmere coat. Her facial features were exquisite, and there were no traces of cosmetics. She was wearing round- framed sses on her high and delicate nose bridge. Overall, she looked elegant and intellectual, exuding a strong schrly aura. J Although they had not seen each other for more than ten years, they still recognized each other at a nce. ¡°Bruce!¡± Aria pushed the luggage cart and waved at him with a smile. Bruce subconsciously took two steps forward. ¡°Aria, long time no see!¡± Aria quickly walked out of the passageway and looked at Bruce gently. ¡°Long time no see!¡± Bruce also smiled. ¡°You¡¯re still the same. You haven¡¯t changed at all. You¡¯re still so beautiful.¡± ¡°You too! You haven¡¯t changed much since school.¡± The two of them exchanged pleasantries and shook hands implicitly and politely. Behind Aria was a young man in his twenties. ¡°This is my assistant, Leo! ¡°This is Mr. Bruce.¡± ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Bruce shook hands with Leo. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce turned around, and Aria followed behind him. The two of them didn¡¯t talk much and walked toward the parking lot. ¡°Please get into the car!¡± Bruce personally opened the car door for Aria. ¡°Thank you.¡± Aria and Leo got into the car one after another. The bodyguards ced their luggage in the trunk. ¡°Bruce, have you booked a ce for me to stay?¡± Chapter 732 Chapter 732 Chapter 732 Bruce smiled calmly. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve arranged everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s at Riverview Vi. The environment is quiet, and it¡¯s also far from the city.¡± Aria smiled at him. ¡°Thank you for going through all the trouble to arrange everything for us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± After talking about the stay, the car fell silent again. Aria adjusted her sses and secretly sized up Bruce from the corner of her eye. His facial features had not changed much from when he was on campus, but he was no longer immature. He had be more mature and calm. His figure had also be taller and more muscr. He had grown from a youth to a man. Bruce sensed that Aria was sizing him up and subconsciously rolled up his sleeves, pretending to look at his watch. At the same time, he leaned his body slightly toward the car window and tried his best to avoid eye contact with her. He did not want to give her the illusion that he was being ambiguous and cause her to misunderstand. The car drove steadily. The atmosphere in the car was especially awkward. Bruce¡¯s reaction was cold, which disappointed Aria. She initially thought Bruce would be as excited and happy to see her as she was. But in the end¡­. An hour had passed. The car drove into a manor halfway up the mountain. That was another mansion that belonged to the Everett family. It was a mountain vi manor. The area inside was vast, the greenery was beautiful up there. and However, it was in the suburbs, far from the city. Therefore, Bruce was only used to amodate guests and never lived here. The car stopped on thewn of the manor. ¡°Aria, we have arrived!¡± ¡°You can take a look at the ce.¡± The security guard at the door had already eagerly opened the car door. Bruce got out of the car first and opened the door for Aria gentlemanly. Aria got out of the car elegantly. A faint smile on her exquisite and elegant face made her look beautiful. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged amodation. These are the butler and maids of Riverview Vi. If you have any needs, you can ask for their help.¡± A middle-aged man who looked like a butler stood on thewn with a row of maids behind him.. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± After Bruce helped Aria take her luggage off the car, he looked at the time. It was already past six o¡¯clock. He had to hurry back to the hospital. Joanna would let her imagination run wild again if he went back toote. Seeing that he had no ns for tonight, the disappointment on Aria¡¯s face was obvious. ¡°Bruce, are you leaving just like that?¡± Bruce heard this and subconsciously stopped. ¡°I thought you¡¯d have a lot to say to me.¡± Bruce frowned. He wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°Bruce, I came to Greyport this time because I have an important mission. You should know that!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he looked straight into her eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So, now I need you to help me with this mission.¡± Bruce listened and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°What mission is it?¡± Aria paused for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first. It¡¯s not convenient to talk about it here.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bruce personally helped her carry her luggage and led the way. Aria followed behind him gloomily. They entered the house. Bruce ordered the maids to leave. ¡°Now, can you tell me what mission that requires you to carry out?¡± Aria looked at Bruce meaningfully. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make it short. My colleague and I have developed a new generation of RA-3 Bio-virus in Antlen. ¡°This virus sample will be the most powerful biochemical weapon in the future. Now, scientists from the Melta and Antlen have secretly studied the virus sample. ¡°However, our staff has already secretly extracted the side sample and stored it in a secret base in Antlen. ¡°Now, I want to take it back to our country and hand it over to the scientists in the country for research. But as you know, all the research results of biologists are not allowed to be taken out of the borders.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard this. That was a difficult task. If he failed, he would probably be hunted down by secret agents from all over the world. Seeing Bruce¡¯s troubled expression, Aria let out a long sigh. ¡°Bruce, I know this operation is very dangerous. If it fails, it will attract a fatal disaster. ¡°Other than you, I can¡¯t find anyone else to help me bring the virus sample back to the country. This virus sample concerns the interests of the country. We can¡¯t let scientists from other countries develop biological weapons first.¡± When Bruce heard this, his frown deepened. He did not want to interfere in such matters. Especially since he and Joanna had finallye this far, he didn¡¯t want to ruin their happy life. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria looked at him expectantly. ¡°As long as we can bring the virus sample back to our country, our country will be able to stand firm internationally in the field of biochemical weapons. ¡°The honor and benefits of the country are above everything, above our own lives. We have to be prepared to sacrifice. ourselves at any time for our country.¡± When Bruce heard this, he closed his eyes. The gap between him and Aria was still so difficult to bridge. Aria was too noble. She valued honor more than her life. He had never admired anyone, let alone felt inferior in front of anyone. However, in front of Aria, he felt exceptionally small and inferior. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you think of a way.¡± ¡°Yes! Please, I believe you can do it,¡± As Aria spoke, her eyes shimmered in tears. She looked at him with aplicated gaze. Bruce did not dare to look her in the eye. He said with a slightly uneasy expression, ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯ll excuse myself first.¡± ¡°Bruce, wait a minute!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Aria¡¯s delicate face flushed red. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for so many years. Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡± Bruce subconsciously turned around. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m¡­ married.¡± When Aria heard this, she was stunned for a few seconds. She forced a smile, and her eyes turned r¨¦d. Seconds passed¡­ Then, she spoke in a half seriously and half-jokingly, ¡°Bruce, when we were in school, didn¡¯t we swear an oath under that parasol tree? ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you wanted to hold my hand and grow old together¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce interrupted her. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s been so many years. Don¡¯t mention the past anymore.¡± ¡°Back then, I was young and don¡¯t know what love is. Besides, I already have someone I love.¡± Aria was at a loss for words. It had been 15 years of separation. Yet, she had always kept him in her heart and never had a boyfriend. She thought that their rtionship wouldst forever. She also thought that he would always wait for her. Unexpectedly, he decided to give up on her! ¡°Your wife¡­ I saw about her in the media.¡± ¡°She is¡­ pretty!¡± ¡°Heh. She is not bad.¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Do you love her very much, then?¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But why did you get a divorce? ¡°Since you¡¯re divorced, your rtionship must still be unstable, right?¡± Chapter 733 Chapter 733 Chapter 733 Bruce frowned. ¡°Aria, what are you trying to say?¡± Aria looked at him bitterly, and her heart ached even more. ¡°Bruce, I want to say that I¡¯ve never forgotten you.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s personal or business, your ce in my heart has never changed.¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d stay where you were and wait for me. I thought, when I finished my studies, we could-¡± ¡°Aria, thank you for telling me this. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯ll never be with each other again in this lifetime,¡± Bruce interrupted her stiftly. He didn¡¯t want to give her any hope. Back then, when he was forced to return to the country, he begged her to return to the country with him to start a business, but she refused without hesitation. Moreover, she insisted on breaking up with him. After Bruce returned to the country, he was depressed. Coupled with the fact that his parents were in trouble, his heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife. He was about to break down. Another time, he and his grandmother went to the Haynes family. During his lunch break, he was swimming in the backyard pool when he drowned. At that time, he was inches from death for a few minutes in the water. At that moment, he suddenly felt that life was the most precious thing on Earth. Just when he thought he was going to die, a girl jumped into the water and fished him out of the pool. From that moment on, he had given up on his love for Aria. He wanted to repay the girl who had saved his life. Other than devoting his life to her, he couldn¡¯t think of any other repayment that was more sincere than this. Unbeknownst to her, she didn¡¯t just save him, but she also saved his grandmother and Everett Group. If he died, his grandmother would definitely be heartbroken and would have no hope of living. Of course¡­ Later on, even though he did give his heart to the girl who saved him, it was a huge misunderstanding. He treated Roxanne as his savior and doted on her for a few years. Now, he didn¡¯t want to let Joanna down again. He wanted to make it up to her. Other than Joanna, he didn¡¯t want to have any emotional entanglements with any other woman for the rest of his life. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for so many years. I have a lot of things to tell you. I regret not returning to the country with you back then!¡± ¡°If I could go back in time, I would give up everything ande back with you¡­¡± The more Aria spoke, the more emotional she became. She subconsciously grabbed his arm, her big eyes glistening with tears. Bruce took a step back and kept a distance of 3.2 feet from her. He then changed the topic. ¡°By the way, my wife gave birth to another son for me in the hospital yesterday. Do you want to go to the hospital with me to see her?¡± Aria was stunned, and the tears in her eyes froze. She felt really awkward. She thought that Bruce had married another woman just to spite her and that he definitely did not love that woman. But now, it seemed that he had really fallen for his wife. ¡°Your wife gave birth yesterday?¡± Bruce smiled and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a boy. He¡¯s our fourth child!¡± ¡°Although I really wanted a daughter, I got a boy. But it doesn¡¯t matter. I like both boys and girls.¡± When Aria heard this, she deted like a balloon. The things she wanted to tell him were stuck in her throat, and the smile on her facepletely disappeared. Exactly. It had been so many years, and she had never taken the initiative to look for him. It was normal for him to look for other Women. Over the past fifteen years, she had put most of her heart and soul into her studies and academics, but a small part of her heart was always reserved for him. Originally, she wanted to wait until she finished her studies before thinking about marriage. Then, she woulde back and reconnect with him. What a pity! She had overestimated her ce in his heart. After a long while, only then did Ariae back to her senses and say weakly, ¡°Then¡­ congrattions!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll hold a wedding with my wife next month. I hope you can attend my wedding banquet.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that! I¡¯ll be returning to Antlen next month.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare for you toe to Greyport. Stay for a while longer. My wife and I will bring you to see the scenery in the country.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass. Aren¡¯t you afraid that your wife will be angry?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Bruce chuckled. ¡°No, my wife is very kind. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She¡¯s very interesting. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like her.¡± Aria¡¯s expressionpletely darkened, and her heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it in the future!¡± ¡°Right now, I need you to help me bring the virus vine back to the country as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll settle it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯ll leave first. If I go backte, my wife will be angry.¡± H After saying that, Bruce did not dare to stay any longer. He turried around and prepared to leave. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria muttered, but she held it in. He was someone else¡¯s husband now, and there was no ce for her in his heart. She had better know her ce and stop ttering herself. At the hospital, Joanna was uneasy. Actually, she was jealous. Her eyes kept darting to the clock. Bruce said that he would be back before six o¡¯clock, but now, it was already half past seven and he was still not back. He sure was a yboy! She could imagine how excited he would be when he met his first love. Perhaps he had already forgotten about her and was now having a candlelit dinner with his first love, chatting andughing. As for her, she had been angered by him to the point of giving birth to their fourth child prematurely. After she gave birth, he abandoned her in the hospital. Men! They were all the same. They were never satisfied with what they had and couldn¡¯t forget their ex- girlfriends. They couldn¡¯t control their hearts and their restless lower bodies. The more Joanna thought about it, the angrier she got. Her heart ached like a knife was shing it. She was so angry that she didn¡¯t even eat her dinner. At 7.50 PM, Miranda pushed the door open and came in. She said happily, ¡°Joann, Mr. Everett is here, Mr. Everett is here!¡± ¡°I told you that he woulde back. Something must have dyed him.¡± Hearing this, Joanna immediately pulled the nket over her head and covered herselfpletely. At the same time, tears of grievance rolled down her face. She hated it the most when he was not punctual. He had agreed to be back before six, but it was almost eight now Why did hee back? He might as well apany his first love. Three minutester, Bruce walked in with arge bouquet of roses in his arms. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back! I brought you your favorite oatmeal and egg tarts, as well as mille crepe cake from Skyluxe.¡± Joanna was under the nket, tears pouring down her face. Bruce came to the head of the bed and put down the items. He called out tentatively, ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna ignored him and continued to stay under the nket. Miranda gave him a look, telling him that Joanna was jealous and angry that he waste. Seeing this, Bruce knew that Joanna was jealous. He couldn¡¯t help butugh in his heart and forcefully lifted the nket. ¡°Honey, are you angry again?¡± Joanna turned her head to the side and wiped her tears away forcefully. She said coldly, ¡°No!¡± ¡°Are you jealous too?¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. What¡¯s there for me to be jealous about?¡± Joanna tried her best to keep a straight face to prevent her tears from flowing. ¡°You¡¯re still saying that you¡¯re not jealous? I can smell jealousy even from here.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes at him. Her face was as cold as ice. ¡°This is for you, honey!¡± Bruce quickly handed arge bouquet of flowers to Joanna. Joanna nced at the roses and sneered in her heart. One who was unountably solicitous was hiding evil intentions. He must have done something wrong. That was why he bought flowers to coax her. He was such a yboy. Perhaps he had already done something indescribable with his first love just now. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. It was as if she had already caught them in the act. ¡°Honey, why are you angry?¡± ¡°What time is it now? Why are you back?¡± Bruce was stunned for a moment before he smiled and coaxed her, ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte!¡± ¡°The roads were congested today. I went t buy flowers and food for you, so I came backte.¡± ¡°Please forgive me and don¡¯t be angry anymore!¡± Chapter 734 Chapter 734 Chapter 734 Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. Although she was angry, she wasn¡¯t too unreasonable. After all, he did not make any substantial mistakes. ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying!¡± Bruce leaned forward and kissed her eyes dotingly. He made a face at her as if he was coaxing a child. Seeing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh. She was both angry and amused. She wasn¡¯t the kind of person whoughed at jokes easily, but when she saw him making faces, she couldn¡¯t help but want tough. When men and women quarreled, the most taboo thing was tough. No matter how bad the fight was, as long as one partyughed, he or she would immediately be the loser and be controlled by the other party. Bruce knew Joanna¡¯s weakness. Every time she was angry, he would make herugh. It worked every time. Joanna wiped away the tears from the corner of her reddened eyes with the back of her hand and stopped crying. She did not continue to be angry at him. It wasn¡¯t easy for the two of them to get to where they were today. They had to give each other more trust and tolerance.- Seeing her smile, Bruce ruffled her hair and quickly took out the cake he bought. ¡°Here, your favorite mille crepe cake. I went to Skyluxe to buy it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat so many desserts during postpartum recovery. I¡¯ll get fat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind a few pounds. You¡¯re even thinner than you were before, so you have to eat more.¡± As Bruce spoke, he cut the cake and brought it to her mouth. Joanna opened her mouth and ate the cake. The sweet and smooth cake filled her mouth, making her feel much better. ¡°Is it good?¡± Bruce looked at her lovingly as she ate the cake bite by bite. ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°Then eat more.¡± ¡°By the way, have you decided on the child¡¯s name? Should we call him Jaime or Devin?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce hesitantly, Bruce pondered for a few seconds and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to call him Devin.¡± ¡°Jaime sounds like the word Je t¡¯aime. It¡¯s not suitable for a name. Joanna agreed. ¡°I think so too.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. His name will be Devin Haynes.¡± ¡°As for his nickname¡­ Didn¡¯t Davian give Devin a nickname? Was it Dara?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Dara sounds like a pet¡¯s name!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s fine as long as the children like it. Anyway, Devin¡¯s a brat. His siblings can call him whatever they want.¡± Joanna was speechless. He made it sound like she gave birth to Devin just so the children would have a pet. ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore. I¡¯m sick of it.¡± Bruce put down the cake andined that Devin was a brat, but he could not hide the joy on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look at Devin!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± After coaxing Joanna, Bruce went to the neonatal intensive care unit hurriedly. Devin wasying in the incubator. He was really tiny and was sleeping soundly. Bruce¡¯s newborn was connected to Bruce by blood. Bruce stood guard outside the incubator. His eyes were filled with fatherly love, and he couldn¡¯t get enough of it. He really wanted to hug his son and cherish him. Unfortunately, Devin was too weak to be held for now and could only stay in the incubator. The next day was Saturday. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia followed Gael to the hospital to visit Joanna and the newborn baby. Creak. The ward door was pushed open. Davian and Irvin walked in. Behind them, the servant came in carrying Lilia in her arms. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re here to see you.¡± When she saw her children, Joanna smiled and said gently, ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Mommy, we heard that you had a baby, so we specially asked Mr. Gael to bring us here to see you.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the little girl?¡± Irvin¡¯s big eyes rolled around as he searched the ward. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not a little girl. It¡¯s a little boy.¡± The three little children looked adorable. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°In the neonatal intensive care unit.¡± ¡°Can you bring us there? We can¡¯t wait to see what the baby looks like!¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s go. Daddy will show you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, Bruce took the children to the neonatal intensive care unit. The three children widened their eyes and looked curiously and pleasantly at Devin who was moving around in the incubator. ¡°Daddy, is this our little brother?¡± Davian looked up at him and asked cutely. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Irvin¡¯s expression was filled with disdain. ¡°Ew, why is he so ugly? He¡¯s not cute at all.¡± Lilia said in an adult-like tone; ¡°Babies look like this when they are born. They will look better when they grow up.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Daddy?¡± Bruce kissed his precious daughter¡¯s cheek lovingly. ¡°Of course. ¡°Hehe, I think our little brother is quite cute.¡± ¡°Daddy, can we hold him?¡± ¡°Not yet. Your little brother was just born. He needs to stay in the incubator for a while.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± ¡°We¡¯re done seeing our little brother. Come on, let¡¯s go see Mommy.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce carried Lilia and returned to the ward with the children. As soon as they returned to the ward, the children chattered excitedly. Bruce took out a few wedding proposals and handed them to Joanna with a smile. ¡°Honey, take a look at these.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°This is the wedding n from all major weddingpanies.¡± ¡°After you rest for a month, we¡¯ll go through the remarriage procedures. After that, we¡¯ll have our wedding and our child¡¯s 100-day celebration together.¡± Joanna casually flipped through the proposals. ¡°Oh, you can look at them yourself.¡± ¡°I still want you to choose!¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. We¡¯re already an old married couple. I don¡¯t mind what kind of wedding we have.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. When we got married for the first time, the wedding wasn¡¯t very nice. We have to hold a nice wedding this Bruce spoke excitedly and began to flip through the wedding proposal. When he and Joanna got married for the first time, there was a misunderstanding between him and Joanna. He thought that Joanna pulled some dirty tricks to separate him and Roxanne, so he was sullen the entire wedding. After the wedding, he even humiliated Joanna. Now, he just wanted to make it up to her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you. Just make the arrangements.¡± Joanna honestly didn¡¯t mind what kind of wedding she had. In any case, since Bruce said that he would hold it, he should make the arrangements. The children were especially excited. ¡°A traditional wedding like this looks especially festive.¡± ¡°Modern weddings are more romantic.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we hold a traditional wedding and a modern wedding? Why couldn¡¯t we attend Daddy and Mommy¡¯s first wedding?¡± ¡°Are you silly? We weren¡¯t even born when Daddy and Mommy got married for the first time.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. My brain is not working. I said the wrong thing.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at the children with a blissful and gentle expression. The children were making a fuss, while Joanna wasughing. Bruce looked at them dotingly. Happiness and satisfaction filled his heart. After a while, Bruce rested his head on Joanna¡¯s shoulder. Her eyes were a little sore. ¡°Honey, I love you. Thank you!¡± Joanna was startled. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± ¡°Thank you for giving me four lovely children. Thank you for making me feel happy and fulfilled.¡± Joanna could not stand it when he got mushy. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Honey, do you love me?¡± ¡°The children are watching. Don¡¯t be mushy!¡± ¡°Answer me now.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re really annoying. Can you stop asking these mushy questions?¡± ¡°But I want to hear it!¡± Bruce refused to give up. Deep down, hecked love. He desired to have a family and someone who really loved him. ¡°Alright! I do. I love you very much, okay?¡± ¡°You make it sound so perfunctory. It didn¡¯t sound affectionate at all.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t push your luck.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but pinch him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop!¡± Bruce chuckled. In a sh, a week passed. Liam was officially detained. Everett Group¡¯s shareholders also examined themselves to make up for the deficit and losses they had caused. L and Evan were even more regretful. They felt their worldse crashing down. Unexpectedly, instead of gaining benefits, they got into trouble. L rushed to Evan¡¯s vi. As soon as the two of them met, they started to me each other andin to each other. ¡°It¡¯s over! Liam has been arrested. Most of the assets of the Miller family have been frozen. Even the house has been seized.¡± ¡°Evan, what should we do now?¡± Chapter 735 Chapter 735 Chapter 735 Evan had been anxious for the past few days and was in an extremely bad mood, so he snapped, ¡°How would I know what to do?¡± When L heard this, she could not help but wail. ¡°What should I do in the future? I¡¯ve just gotten pregnant, and Liam actually suffered such a blow¡± ¡°How am I going to live in the future?¡± Evan sneered and said sarcastically, ¡°Whose fault is it? I told you that you shouldn¡¯t get pregnant back then, but you didn¡¯t want to listen to me!¡± ¡°You brought this on yourself.¡± ¡°Evan, how can you say that? Liam is already in prison. Aren¡¯t you anxious? He¡¯s your father.¡± Evan snorted coldly, his face filled with disdain. Evan was indeed anxious that Liam was in prison, but fortunately, Evan was smart enough to rely on L to influence Liam. He managed to get a lot of money from Liam. Liam had already transferred arge portion of his assets to Evan. Therefore, even if Liam went to prison, at most, Evan would not be able to get the remaining assets of Liam, and Evan¡¯s dream of getting Everett Group and bing the richest man in Greyport would be completely shattered. The other areas of his life would not be affected. On the other hand, L was different. Although she had some money in her bank ount, she and Liam were husband and wife. They were bound together for better or worse. Now that Liam¡¯s assets had been seized, she was also in big trouble. ¡°Evan, I¡¯ve been with you for so many years. Don¡¯t leave me for dead! I have nowhere to go now!¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do? I can¡¯t even protect myself now. Besides, you¡¯re someone else¡¯s wife. Why should I care about you?¡± Evan took a deep breath. When L heard this, she was stunned at first. Then, she gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°Evan, how can you say such a thing?¡± ¡°I married Liam because of you.¡± ¡°For me? Come on!¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing this for glory and wealth!¡± The mockery and coldness in Evan¡¯s eyes intensified. He just wanted to use L¡¯s young and beautiful appearance to deal with his stepmother. L was useless now. She wouldn¡¯t be able to help him now, so of course, he would not take her seriously anymore. ¡°Evan, I can¡¯t believe you would treat me like this! So these are your true colors!¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave my house! Don¡¯te back ever again.¡± As Evan spoke, he snapped his fingers toward the second floor. A young and beautiful woman walked down the stairs with a smile. Then, she leaned into Evan¡¯s arms coyly. Seeing this, L was so angry that she thought she was going to have a heart attack. ¡°Evan, you¡¯re shameless! You¡¯re cheating on me!¡± L flew into a rage out of humiliation and wanted to hit the two of them. Evan pushed her away fiercely. ¡°Know your ce. Don¡¯t be unreasonable here.¡± L staggered and almost fell to the ground. At the same time, she finally realized how despicable Evan was. ¡°Fine! You¡¯re really something. You win!¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Just wait. I won¡¯t let you go so easily,¡± L said in a heartbroken manner and staggered out of the vi. In addition to Liam, three of Everett Group¡¯s shareholders were also arrested. After that, thewyers presented their case in court. Then, it was time for the judge to pass the sentence. The verdict of the court case was that they would be imprisoned for at least ten years. Because of this, the other shareholders of Everett Group became obedient at once. Thepany quickly got back on track. For the past few days, Bruce had been busy at thepany. After getting off work at six in the evening, he would go to the hospital to apany Joanna. Hence, he didn¡¯t have the time to care about Aria in the past few days. At the office, Bruce was meticulously going through business contracts. Beep, beep, beep. The phone rang. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Bruce answered reflexively. Aria¡¯s aggrieved voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bruce, are you busy?¡± Upon hearing Aria¡¯s voice, Bruce subconsciously frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°Yes. What is it?¡± Aria didn¡¯t say anything and just silently held her phone. She had been in Greyport for a week. Other than their meeting on the first day, they had never met again. Her biology conference at Greyport would be over in a few days. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Aria remained silent. ¡°You can tefl 1. I¡¯ll get my assistant to do it.¡± Aria was silent for nearly half a minute before saying softly, ¡°Bruce, when do you n to do what I told you previously?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was stunned for a moment. He wanted to wait until Devin was one month old before going to Antlen to do this. However, Aria clearly couldn¡¯t wait any longer ¡°As you know, this virus vine is of great importance and concerns the interests of the country. We can¡¯t dy it any longer.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m already making preparations.¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I can only take the time to go to Antlen after I¡¯m done with my work.¡± After hearing this, Aria fell silent again. ¡°What else is more important than this?¡± Bruce remained silent. He knew that this was a serious matter. However, he just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Joanna and the children. After all, this mission was extremely dangerous. It was very likely that he would not be able to return. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t refuse. He could only do it himself because no other person could do it well. ¡°I¡¯ll speed things up.¡± ¡°Bruce, are you¡­ free today?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was exceptionally solemn. ¡°I-I want to see you!¡± Aria stammered, her face turning red. I¡¯m finished with my business at Greyport. I might be leaving here next week. I want to see you again before I go.¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds before agreeing. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then do you want toe over, or do you want me to go to you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to you.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m hanging up now. Bye.¡± ¡°Byel¡± Bruce looked at the time. It was three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. He could take the time to see Aria now and rush back to the hospital before six. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you leaving thepany now?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Take these contracts and mail them. Also, inform everyone that the afternoon meeting is canceled.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Andy replied and quickly went to deal with it. Bruce left thepany and drove to Riverview Vi. At Riverview Vi, Aria was already waiting on thewn at the entrance. She was wearing the white cashmere dress she had worn when she came. She wasn¡¯t wearing makeup and there was a gentle smile on her exquisite face. Bruce got out of the car. Aria walked over to him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± Bruce replied indifferently. He didn¡¯t know what else to say after that. ¡°Why are you standing there? Come in.¡± Aria smiled gently. Bruce was a little uneasy. ¡°Aria, I only have an hour. If you have something to say, you Aria was stunned. FI should say it now.¡± The tenderness on her face could not help but turn into disappointment. ¡°Are you so afraid of your wife?¡± ¡°No. I just promised her I¡¯d be back before six.¡± ¡°Looks like you really love your wife.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything to that. ¡°Bruce, this mission is very difficult. Why don¡¯t I go with you?¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯ll be more convenient for me to go alone.¡± ¡°So when do you n to leave?¡± ¡°Probably the middle of next month.¡± ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± ¡°I want to hold a wedding with my wife first¡­¡± When Aria heard this, she looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Do you think this is a good time?¡± ¡°Why is it not a good time?¡± ¡°What if¡­ what if you don¡¯t make it back? Won¡¯t your wife be devastated?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. He hadn¡¯t considered this point. He just wanted to make it up to Joanna and hold,a grand wedding with her. At six in the evening, Bruce arrived at the hospital feeling uneasy. ¡°Joann, I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going on a business trip to Antlen in a few days.¡± ¡°Oh, for how many days?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. If it¡¯s fast, it¡¯ll take a week. If it¡¯s slow, it¡¯ll take ten days to half a month.¡± When Joanna heard this, his eyes subconsciously trembled. ¡°Alright then. Come back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Chapter 736 Chapter 736 Chapter 736 When Bruce heard this, aplicated emotion appeared in his eyes. ¡°Honey, I want a hug¡­¡± He didn¡¯t want to be separated from Joanna and the children. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna asked, looking puzzled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be apart from you!¡± Bruce said while hugging Joanna. ¡°Silly! You¡¯re just going on a business trip. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll nevere back.¡± Joanna looked at him, slightly irritated. Bruce remained silent. He simplyy his head in her arms as if he were a kid seeking sce in his mother¡¯s love. If he went to Antlen this time, he might be unable to return. However, since he had promised Aria, he had no choice but to go. ¡°Well, when are you going?¡± Bruce took a deep breath and said sadly, ¡°It might take a few days. After I¡¯ve arranged thepany¡¯s matters and you¡¯re feeling better, I¡¯ll go over.¡± Joanna listened and did not ask further. After all, Bruce went on frequent business trips. The trips varied in length,sting from three to five days to one to two months. It was normal for someone as busy as him to go on a business trip. Joanna thought he was going on an ordinary business trip, so she did not pay much attention. Bruce sank deep into her embrace. His heart felt especially warm as he smelt her faint fragrance. ¡°Honey, my head hurts,¡± Bruce said, sounding mncholic. When Joanna heard this, she assumed he was genuinely suffering from a headache and offered, ¡°Let me massage it for you.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Bruce adjusted his posture obediently, his arms still hugging her tightly. Joanna knew he had a habit of getting a headache and gently reached out to massage his temples. Despite the fact that the Everett family had a professional physiotherapist who could give him a full- body massage, he preferred to let Joanna massage his head since it made him feel happy and loved. Ten minutes passed. Bruce was sofortable that he was about to fall asleep. However, afraid that Joanna would be tired, he said, ¡°Honey, that¡¯s enough!¡± Bruce theny beside her on the pillow, and his hawk-like eyes fixated on her without blinking. Joanna felt goosebumps all over from his stare. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°Nothing much. You¡¯re so adorable, which makes me want to keep looking at you like this. I want to engrave your appearance in my mind so I can recognize you immediately, even in my next life. ¡°This life isn¡¯t over yet! Let¡¯s focus on living this life to the fullest first!¡± ¡°Honey, will you still love me in your next life?¡± Joanna was most afraid of the corny words of love that Bruce would say. ¡°Annoying- Can you not be so mushy in the future?¡± She honestly couldn¡¯t stand his cheesy words and preferred his cold and distant demeanor in the past. Being mushy all the time only made him seem greasy. ¡°Tell me, will you love me in the next life?¡± ¡°Stop being silly, my stomach hurts¡­¡± The two were bantering yfully. Ring¡­ Joanna¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Whose phone is ringing?¡± ¡°Oh, I think it¡¯s mine.¡± Bruce was stunned for a moment and immediately let go of Joanna. Miranda quickly handed the phone to Joanna. After ncing at the screen, she realized that it was a call from Jaydon. Joanna¡¯s expression changed slightly, and she dared not answer the call. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you picking up?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joanna silently muted the phone. Presumably, Jaydon already found out about her giving birth. He probably called to congratte her and ask her how she was doing. However, since Bruce and Jaydon were sworn enemies, it was better not to answer Jaydon¡¯s call in front of him. After a while, Bruce looked up in confusion, wondering why Joanna was not picking up the phone. ¡°Who¡¯s calling? Why aren¡¯t you picking up?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing!¡± Joanna pretended to be nonchnt. Seeing this, Bruce frowned. Looking at Joanna¡¯s uneasy expression, he suddenly came to a realization. ¡°Was it that annoying bastard who called?¡± When Joanna heard this, her face darkened. ¡°Bruce, can you not make it sound so unpleasant?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the way you speak is very malicious, which makes people dislike you? Can you stop swearing at people?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce rolled his eyes in disdain. He had always been sharp-tongued and good at criticizing people. He did not want to pretend to be sanctimonious. It had always been others pretending in front of him. He did not need to put on a hypocritical mask in front of anyone, pretend to be serious, and preach about ethics and morals. The more refined some people pretended to be, the more it proved they needed such a mask. They might have done many unsightly things in secret. ¡°Give me the phone!¡± ¡°Aiya, stop being annoying! So what if Jay called?¡± Joanna choked in anger. ¡°Hmph, so what? What do you think?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression instantly changed. He hated Jaydon to the core. Even the mention of Jaydon¡¯s name was enough to make him breathless with anger. ¡°Give me the phone. I¡¯ll give him a good scolding! ¡°If he dares to call you again, I¡¯ll break all the bones in his body. When Joanna heard this, she was even more speechless. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so bossy? ¡°Did I say anything when you were flirting with your first love? Why can¡¯t I have a friend?¡± Bruce widened his eyes and frowned. He thought, ¡°How could this be the same? Aria and I were ssmates; so¡­ ¡°But what was Jaydon? He had ulterior motives and had been eyeing Joanna Haynes covetously. Moreover, he was very principled. He could control himself and could maintain an appropriate distance from Aria. ¡°However, Joanna was different. She might be stolen away from me by that bastard Jaydon. ¡°Pass the phone to me. Come on!¡± ¡°Nol ¡°Hurry up and give it to me!¡± Bruce was so angry that his heart ached. He tried to snatch Joanna¡¯s phone from her. This caused anger to sweep over Joanna. She hugged the phone tightly to her chest. ¡°Bruce, you bastard! ¡°If you dare to call and scold Jay, I¡¯ll ignore you forever.¡± When Bruce heard this, he went red with fury. ¡°Joanna, do you have feelings for him?¡± ¡°Bruce, can you stop being unreasonable? You are friends with your first love, so why can¡¯t I have friends of the opposite gender?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. I can, but you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You mean anything you do is eptable? But I can¡¯t do anything? Is that what you mean?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce hesitated! ¡°Bruce, you promised me you wouldn¡¯t be overbearing anymore. ¡°Are you trying to go back on your word?¡± Bruce exhaled and forced himself to calm down. ¡°Joanna, I have no other requests for you. I only want you to cut ties with Jaydon andpletely cut off all contact.¡± ¡°Breaking ties is out of the question! Jay was the children and I¡¯s savior. Without him, we would have died.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to be an ungrateful person by asking me to cut ties with him? ¡°Besides, Jay and I were only friends in the past. If I wanted to be with him, I would have been together with him long ago. There was no need to wait until now.¡± Seeing that Joanna refused to cut ties with Jaydon, Bruce was enraged. ¡°Ha! Sure! Great!¡± Chapter 737 Chapter 737 Chapter 737 ¡°Would you rather be together with him or me?¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more speechless and angry. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again. He¡¯s just my friend. But you¡¯re my child¡¯s father. How can you evenpare the two?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°Alright, let me ask you a question!¡± ¡°If Jaydon and I fell into the water at the same time, who will you save first?¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard that. How could they bepared to each other? Jaydon was her benefactor, so she would definitely save Jaydon. However, Bruce was the person she loved the most. Of course, she couldn¡¯t abandon him. Joanna¡¯s silence only served to make Bruce even more furious. ¡°Why? Is this question difficult to answer?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and threw the question back at him. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll ask you too. If your first love and I fell into the water, who will you save first?¡± Bruce sneered and said without hesitation, ¡°Needless to say, I¡¯ll definitely save you! ¡°You don¡¯t even need to mention my first love, I¡¯ll save you first even no matter who falls into the water.¡± When Joanna heard this, her furrowed brows rxed slightly. This damn guy¡¯s desire to live was really strong. However, a man¡¯s mouth was full of lies. It was fine to listen to romantic words from a man. But it was essential not to take them too seriously. If you believed in their words, you would lose. ¡°Alright! Answer me!¡± ¡°Both Jaydon and I fell into the water. Who are you going to save first?¡± ¡°¡­Save him!¡± Joanna said half-jokingly. However, she did not expect that her answer would hurt Bruce. ¡°¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes He had never expected this. widened. That dog, Jaydon was actually more important to her than him. She actually chose to save that dog first?? Crack! His heart was broken into pieces. Bruce¡¯s heart ached, and his lips began to droop downwards. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he wanted to cry on the spot. How unfair! This was too unfair. Just like females, when a man was wronged, he would also cry from anger. ¡°Alright! Fine! Go and save him! Go and save him!¡± Bruce exhaled heavily. He was so upset that his Seeing Bruce¡¯s reaction, Joanna felt the urge tough out loud. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet! After we save him, I¡¯ll die with you, okay?¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to die! Why should I die while he¡¯s alive?¡± eyes turned red. Seeing that he was outraged, Joanna coaxed him, ¡°Aiya, isn¡¯t this just a hypothetical scenario? Can you not ask such a boring question in the future? ¡°This scenario is impossible to happen in real life! Besides, both of you can swim. I might as well not save either of you and let the two of you save me.¡± However, Bruce¡¯s heart still hurt. He could not ept such an answer, even if it was just a joke. He wanted Joanna to love him and only him. ¡°Alright! I finally know who you love. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You love Jaydon! You don¡¯t love me at all. You¡¯re deceiving me to cheat my feelings¡­¡± The more Bruce spoke, the more aggrieved he became. Joanna could not take it anymore. She shouted angrily, ¡°Bruce, you bastard!¡± This damn man was so good at being jealous. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a bastard. But Jaydon is a good person, right? So I can¡¯tpare to him, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she got so angry that her wound started to hurt. This damn man was really¡­ not inferior to a woman at being unreasonable. Look at that flustered and exasperated look. Look at that jealous look. Who would dare to imagine that this would be the Mr. Everett of the business world who made decisions decisively and made people tremble in fear? ¡°Alright, alright, stop being angry! ¡°I was just joking with you just now. If you really fell into the water, I would definitely save you first! ¡°You¡¯re my child¡¯s father and the man I love the most. Why would I save someone else? ¡°Although Jay is my good friend, he¡¯s just a friend. How can hepare to the person I love the most?¡± Joanna Haynes quickly coaxed him! If this damn guy was furious, it would not be fun for her! Bruce still felt upset, and his eyes reddened further. For the sake of Joanna, he was willing to give up his life! How could she hurt him like this? How could she not care about his feelings like this? He was also vulnerable. He also neededfort! Seeing that Bruce was still ignoring her, Joanna tugged at his sleeve and said in an exceptionally gentle voice, ¡°Hubby, can you stop being uselessly jealous? ¡°We¡¯ve been through so much. Why should we quarrel over such a small matter? ¡°I¡¯ve already given birth to four children for you. How can I still love another man? If I didn¡¯t love you, I wouldn¡¯t have given you Devin at all, and I wouldn¡¯t have been guarding you like this!¡± Hearing this, Bruce felt a little better. Men! They get angry easily, but their anger also dissipates fast! Once a woman gives in, their anger would immediately disappear. However¡­ Joanna rarely said such sweet words to him. Hence, Bruce pretended to be angry so that Joanna would spout more sweet words in order to coax him! ? ? ?? ? ¡°Hmph! You don¡¯t have to exin anymore. I¡¯ve already seen through your heart! You¡¯re taking revenge on me. First, you made me fall in love with you. Then, you reject me, and made me unable to get what I wanted.¡± Joanna was stunned. She did n to do that in the past! However, ns change over time! Chapter 738 Chapter 738 Chapter 738 ¡°Hubby, my good husband, you often ask me not to overthink. I think you¡¯re the one who likes to let your imagination run wild the most. ¡°Alright, be good! Let¡¯s not be angry anymore, okay? ¡°Didn¡¯t we say before that we have to be tolerant of each other, amodate each other, and trust each other? ¡°I¡¯m at ease with you and your first love. Why are you so worried about me?¡± Joanna coaxed him gently. Bruce straightened his back and said indignantly, ¡°That¡¯s because I abide by my principles!¡± Joanna could not help butugh. ¡°Then what makes you think that I don¡¯t abide by principles? ¡°You¡¯re the only man I¡¯ve had since the day I first married you. ¡°What about you? Tell me honestly, how many women have you touched?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered, and he subconsciously bit his lips. This, this¡­ he had never counted the number of women before. Men! Which guy didn¡¯t love beautiful women? Before he got married, he did have a fling for a while. However, it was only for a short period of time! ¡°¡­Nonsense, I, I only have you as a woman¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, do you think I¡¯ll believe you?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes coquettishly and stared at him. This damned man. He was quite experienced and knew women¡¯s weaknesses. It was easy to figure out that he was a veteran at dating once they entered a ¡°Cough cough!¡± Bruce coughed dryly to hide his embarrassment. He was even more afraid that Joanna would continue to interrogate him. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. After all, women were best at settling scores. They could dig up old matters one by one and use them as weapons to attack men. However, Joanna was not an unreasonable person. She would not pursue it as this was something that had happened to him in the past. It would be good enough for her if he could restrain himself and be a faithful man after they married. After one would only behave when they are married after having enough fun before marriage. Most yboys were like this. Before marriage, they would indulge in all kinds of pleasures. However, once they got married, they would immediately change and seem to be a different person. That was because he had enough fun before marriage. After marriage, he would be mature and hence, reluctant to cheat. On the other hand, some men had been prim and proper since they were young. They had not seen much of the world and did not have the chance to fool around. After they married, their hearts were still filled with longing and curiosity about such pleasures. Hence, with any slight temptation around them, they would be unable to resist and cheat. Instead of that, it was better to let him fool around before marriage. ¡°Hurry up and tell me honestly. How many women have you had that kind of rtionship with?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Haha, honey, let¡¯s change the topic. ¡°No, let¡¯s just talk about this!¡± Bruce coughed dryly. ¡°I really didn¡¯t! Ever since you came back, you¡¯re the only woman I have. ¡°I swear to God, no matter how many I used to have, you were always thest. ¡°I¡¯ll never have an affair with another woman again!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Joanna scoffed. Bruce quickly hugged her and started to coax her. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hear you out for the timel ¡°I, Bruce, am a man of my word!¡±, Joanna turned the tables and quickly reupied the high ground. She had never done this in the past before. It felt strange to her. But now, it seemed that digging up old scores was indeed useful. When she couldn¡¯t win an argument, she should dig up his old scores.. Even if she was being unreasonable, she could still win if she brought up his past. Of course! It should only be used under special circumstances. Using it too often would really hurt the rtionship. Bang! Bang! There was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Miranda walked in and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Everett, Joann, there¡¯s ady outside.¡± ¡°He said he¡¯s here to visit Joann!¡± ¡°Ady?¡± Both of them asked. Joanna did not have many female friends in Greyport. After all, she had grown up overseas since she was young. Furthermore, she had been away for four years! Therefore, she did not have any particrly good female friends! ¡°Oh, she said her name is Aria!¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression immediately changed. Looking at Bruce¡¯s reaction, Joanna immediately realized that Aria was most likely his first lover. However, it was unexpected that Aria took the initiative to visit her. She probably did note with good intentions! Was she here to show off to her? Joanna was a little ?onfused. ¡°Let her in!¡± ¡°Oh, oh!¡± ¡°Jo¨¢nn, let¡¯s not meet her!¡± ¡°Why? Why are you feeling guilty? What are you afraid of?¡± Chapter 739 Chapter 739 Chapter 739 Bruce¡¯s eyes widened, and he forced a smile. Looking at Bruce¡¯s ufortable expression, Joanna¡¯s heart ached even more. From his reaction, she could tell that he had a close rtionship with his first love. She wanted to see who Aria was. After a while. Miranda brought Aria into the ward. ¡°Miss Bridges, pleasee in.¡± Miranda respectfully gestured for her toe in. Aria nodded slightly and smiled politely and elegantly as she walked in with a bouquet of flowers. This was a top-notch VIP ward. The decoration inside did not look like a hospital at all. Instead, it looked like a six-star hotel. There were more than ten servants guarding the living room outside the room, and there were even bodyguards guarding the door. The servants greeted Aria politely after she walked in. Miranda brought her to the suite inside and opened the door. ¡°Miss Bridges, pleasee in!¡± Aria walked into the ward. Joanna kept staring at the room door. The door opened, and an elegant and well-mannered beauty walked in. The two of them looked at each other and were stunned. It was as if they had seen another version of themselves. The two of them did not look very simr, but their temperaments and appearance types were very simr. After being stunned for a few seconds, Aria smiled and greeted Joanna first. ¡°Hello, my name is Aria. I¡¯m Bruce¡¯s ssmate.¡± Joanna Haynes hesitated for two seconds and replied subconsciously, ¡°¡­Oh, hello!¡± With just a nce at Aria, an inexplicable uneasiness had already arisen in Joanna¡¯s heart. The feeling of uneasiness was very strong, and a strong sense of danger apanied it. In the past, even when she faced strong love rivals like Roxanne, Jennie, and Princess Martha, she had never felt such a sense of crisis. And now, she had an awful premonition, and ayer of cold sweat inexplicably rose all over her body. Aria elegantly walked to the bed and said confidently, ¡°I heard from Bruce that you had a second child, so I specially came over to visit.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Joanna subconsciously sized Aria up again. Aria¡¯s appearance was the same as hers. She had the same small frame, fair skin, and exquisite facial features. She wore sses and exuded a strong intellectual, schrly aura. In terms of demeanor, Aria was even more outstanding than her. She blended Eastern gentleness with Western women¡¯s calmness and kindness. No wonder Bruce couldn¡¯t forget her. It had been more than ten years since he graduated. When he heard that his first love had returned to the country, he immediately went to pick her up personally. It turned out that Aria was more outstanding and beautiful than she had imagined. Bruce was clearly feeling a little uneasy. He remained silent and did not say a word or even say hello. ¡°Where are the children?¡± ¡°Oh, the child is still young. It¡¯s not convenient to bring him out for the time being.¡± Aria also stared at Joanna intently. She just wanted to see what the woman who could change Bruce¡¯s heart looked like. The moment she saw Joanna, a strange feeling arose in her heart. Her emotions, which were feeling low, immediately rose. Joanna had the same type of appearance as her. In that case, it meant that Bruce had never forgotten about her. Even the wife he found was based on her appearance. Aria suddenly felt relieved! She thought that Bruce was still in love with her. He only found a substitute that looked like her as they had been apart for too long. The love between them had never disappeared. ¡°Take a seat! Miranda, pour coffee!¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble! I¡¯ll leave after a while.¡± ¡°I heard from Bruce that you¡¯re very interesting and that he loves you very much. I especially wanted to come and see you. Sure enough, it¡¯s just as Bruce said.¡± When Joanna heard this, her expression instantly turned ugly. She thought, ¡°Why did Bruce tell Aria about this? ¡°And what was the point of telling me? ¡°She was clearly the guest, but her words made her sound like she was the mistress of the house. Or is it right to say that she came here to show off?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t misunderstand. Bruce and I are just ordinary ssmates. I came to Greyport this time because I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time. I¡¯m just catching up with Bruce. Don¡¯t mind me When Joanna heard this, she was even more furious. Wasn¡¯t she being so insincere? ¡°My husband told me about you. He said that you came to Greyport to do academic research, and I specially asked him to pick you up! ¡°Where are you staying now? I¡¯ll invite you to our house another day!¡± ¡°Thank you. For now, Bruce is the one arranging has a ce for me to stay at, I¡¯ll be staying at Riverview Vi.¡± Aria looked at Joanna Haynes with a smile. Although her expression was kind and gentle, Joanna felt provocated. ¡°You¡¯re living in Riverview Vi now?¡± Joanna asked in surprise. She thought that Bruce would arrange for Aria to stay in a hotel. However, she never expected that he would arrange for her to stay at Riverview Vi! Although Riverview Vi was not as luxurious as Sherane Bay Vi, it was Bruce Everett¡¯s dream house. In fact, he personally made all the decorations and designs inside. There were only his personal items inside. Even she had never entered before. But now, he arranged for Aria to stay inside. Was he trying to hide his mistress under her nose? Although Joanna felt aggrieved, she still forced a smile on her face. ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll treat you to coffee another day! ¡°When the child¡¯s one-month-old celebration is held, you can join our celebration.¡± When Aria heard this, she nced at Bruce with an ambiguous gaze. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I might not be able to make it!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back to Antlen next week. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll make it in time for the baby¡¯s one-month-old.¡± ¦§ D When Joanna Haynes heard this, her heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked at Bruce Everett. He had just told her that he was going on a business trip to Antlen! Now, Aria was also going back to Antlen. It was hard not to overthink. ¡°Are you going back to the country next week? Why not stay for a few more days?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s something that¡¯s very important to do in Antlen. However, I¡¯lle back to Greyport again next year. We can have a good gathering then.¡± ¡± H ..¡± Joanna Haynes blinked twice and looked at Bruce Everett even more bitterly. When this bastard said he was going on a business trip to Antlen, he was probably lying. Instead, he nned to go there to continue his rtionship with Aria and cheat! ¡°That¡¯s such a coincidence. My husband is also going to Antlen for a business trip next week. The two of you happen to be going at the same time, so you can take care of each other,¡± Joanna said sourly. Hearing this, Bruce felt goosebumps on his back. Oh no, oh no¡­ This time, Joanna would not believe his exnation no matter what. Joanna Haynes definitely thought that he was going overseas to do something bad? ¡°Honey, I¡¯m going on a business trip to Lundi!¡± ¡°Aria is flying to Eighcaster. Our destinations are different! How can we look out for each other!¡± Bruce quickly exined, afraid that Joanna would overthink. Hearing his exnation, Joanna felt even angrier. ¡°Lundi is only 400 to 500 kilometers away from Eighcaster. It¡¯s only a few hours by car. You can definitely take care of each other.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare for Miss Bridges to contact you. You have to treat her well!¡± Joanna said, the smile on her face completely gone. To think that she was worried that he would be tired from his business trip. From the looks of it, not only would he not be tired, but he would also die from happiness. Right! Die of Happiness! She was still in postpartum recovery. It had been a long time since they had touched each other. How could a man like him take it when he hadn¡¯t touched a woman for so long? Now, it was all good. Wouldn¡¯t he die of happiness after touching a beautiful girl like Aria? Joanna¡¯s face darkened as she imagined the scenario. She didn¡¯t want to leave any face for Bruce and Aria. If they wanted to be together, he would fulfill their wish andpletely withdraw from his world. Aria could also tell that Joanna was angry, and an awkward smile appeared on her face. ¡°I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. I¡¯ll visit you another day when I¡¯m free!¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna sneered secretly and did not ask her to stay. ¡°Hubby, hurry up and send Miss Bridges off.¡± Bruce forced a smile. ¡°¡­Mm, okay!¡± ¡°Aria, she¡¯s acting like this due to postpartum syndrome. It¡¯s inevitable that she¡¯s a little agitated. She¡¯s not usually like this¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean anything? Well, I¡¯ll send Aria out first!¡± As he spoke, Bruce hurriedly called Aria to leave. ¡°Farewell.¡± Aria maintained her self-restraint and bowed slightly to bid farewell. Joanna¡¯s anger was ignited entirely. It seemed that they really had something going on! She knew it. How could a repeat offender like Bruce be devoted to her? Bruce sent Aria to the entrance of the hospital. His expression darkened. ¡°¡­Why are you here? Why didn¡¯t you call me before you arrived?¡± Chapter 740 Chapter 740 Chapter 740 ¡°I¡¯m here to see what your wife looks like!¡± Aria smiled at Bruce as her gaze demonstrated a hint of flirtation. She was in a very good mood today. It was exceptionally good. Because she knew he still loved her. Even though he was married, she believed that his wife was merely a recement who looked like her. The reason he was unwilling to admit his love for her was probably because of the responsibilities he had as a husband and father! She thought to herself, ¡°But haven¡¯t they divorced already?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Anyway, since he and Joanna had not remarried, there was still hope for her. Indeed, she was aware that she should not destroy their lives so selfishly. However, when it came to love, no one was obligated to be generous. This time, she wanted to be selfish. Besides, she was merely reiming the love that had originally belonged to her. They had been away from each other for fifteen years. and she was now thirty years old. Therefore, she could not wait any longer. She wanted to pursue love bravely, to be madly in love once. ¡°What¡¯s there to see? Haven¡¯t you seen her in the media?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same, you know. Seeing her in person is much better.¡± Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed even more upon hearing her words. After all, it was no piece of cake when it came to calming down the angry Joanna. He figured that Joanna would misunderstand him once again now that Aria hade to the hospital. However, had no intention of flirting with Aria whatsoever. Seeing him in a state of anxiety, Aria smiled gently. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve never seen you so tense! Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives¡­¡± she instinctively exined. She did not want him to have a bad impression of her. After all, confident and intelligent women would never allow themselves to be portrayed as a mistress in someone else¡¯s rtionship. She wanted to rekindle his love for her bit by bit, making him return to her side willingly. At the same time, she wanted Joanna to back off. It appeared to her that Bruce and Joanna were not meant together. Rather, she was the only one who truly understood him. ¡°You can leave now. I won¡¯t walk you out, but I¡¯ll have the driver take you home.¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s been many years since I¡¯ve been in Greyport, and I want to walk around on my own.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± He replied dismissively, getting ready to leave. Yet she stopped him as she spoke mysteriously, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t forget toplete the mission as soon as possible!¡± When he heard this, his gaze darkened. He pondered for a while. After moments of hesitation, he finally voiced the words that had been weighing on his heart, ¡°Aria, let the organization know that, afterpleting thisst mission, I¡­ I will be resigning.¡± Boom! She was stunned at hearing of his words, looking at him in disbelief. ¡°Bruce, what did you just say?¡± He took a deep breath, then said solemnly, ¡°I was saying, afterpleting thisst mission, I will be retiring!¡± Her eyes widened, and she could note to react for a moment. ¡°Bruce, do you realize what you¡¯re saying? When we joined the organization, we swore in front of the g! Are you going to give up on honor? Are you going to dismiss your achievements?¡± He interrupted her without hesitation, saying, ¡°Whatever. Consider it an early retirement, okay?¡± She was very anxious at that point, speaking in a tone of frustration, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re only thirty-one years old. Even if you want a retirement, it¡¯s not possible at such a young age. The organization values you greatly and has high expectations for you. You might have countless potentials in the future. You will be more than just the wealthiest person in Greyport¡­¡± As he listened, he frowned in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything now. Ijust want to live a peaceful life with my wife and children!¡± She waspletely shocked, looking at him with disappointment. ¡°Bruce, you disappoint me. You should look at the bigger picture and not be confined by rtionships¡­¡± He cut her off, saying in a gloomy tone, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the bigger picture anymore, and I don¡¯t want to pursue any more honors. All these years, I¡¯ve been living in constant fear, carrying immense pressure and burdens. I¡¯m exhausted now. I¡¯m fed up with this kind of life. All I want is to live like an ordinary person. Tell them that this is thest mission for me. But rest assured, I¡¯llplete it even if I have to risk my life. As he spoke, his tone became particrly solemn. ¡°I only hope that, after all these years of risking my life and working tirelessly for them, they can allow me to live like an ordinary person. I¡¯m not as noble as you, and I don¡¯t have such great ambitions. Right now, I just want to leave¡­¡± She subconsciously pushed up her sses and looked at him in extreme disappointment. ¡°Bruce, do you know how much effort they put into cultivating an outstanding member? How can you give up halfway? They will be extremely disappointed and heartbroken when they find out! And I will also be very disappointed and heartbroken too! I think it¡¯s because you have been away from the organization for too long. You know, you have been contaminated by the bustling world! I advise you to adjust your mindset and not get lost in the current environment. I know you have higher ideals and ambitions. You know you want more than just being a wealthy person¡­ She earnestly persuaded him, trying her best to dispel his intention to quit. He sighed heavily as he narrowed his eyes, saying, ¡°Say whatever you want! This will be myst mission. Whether they agree or not, I¡¯m quitting anyway!¡± At the age of fourteen, he had joined the organization, fueled by passion and ambitious aspirations. The organization had also provided him with significant assistance and power. Still¡­ Exhausted and weary, he no longer wished to live in such a mentally tense state. She did not know what to say for a moment. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t act impulsively, okay? Calm down! I know you have children now, and it¡¯s natural that you have concerns. However, the interests and honor of the country are above everything else. Since the day we joined the organization, we have always known that we would be dedicating our lives to the mothend. These years, you have indeed been outstanding, and they have given you high honors and awards. In a few years, your achievements could be recorded in the history book and you could be a national hero. But if you quit now, all your aplishments will be in vain. Are you willing to be just a wealthy businessman from now on? Do you really want to abandon all your ideals and ambitions?¡± His eyes flickered, and he spoke solemnly, ¡°Please, say no more. I just want to be an ordinary person now. I only want to lead a simple life with my wife and my children.¡± Realizing that she could not persuade him, she could only calm him down for the time being. ¡°Alright then. Finish thisst mission first. I will tell them about your early retirement. However, whether they approve it or not is not up to me. I will do my best to help you with that, but don¡¯t hold too much hope.¡± ¡°Aria, thank you!¡± It took him great courage to take this step. ¡°I gotta go now!¡± ¡°Bye now.¡± After saying that, he turned around and entered the hospital without looking back His heart was heavy. All these years, he had traveled far and wide, and everyone thought he was doing business. Indeed! He was indeed doing business, but at the same time, he was also carrying out missions assigned by the organization. In the past, he had enjoyed the thrill and excitement of this kind of life. Yet now¡­ He only wanted to settle down, to live an ordinary life. In the ward. Joanna was about to explode with anger. After all, Bruce had used her of having postpartum syndrome. She simply could not believe that he would use her of that because of his first love. She was furious. Chapter 741 Chapter 741 Chapter 741 Joanna could tell from his attitude that he cared a lot about his first love. This was uneptable to her. To her, love must beplete. If she were to share a man with another woman, she would rather quit voluntarily. Five minutester. Bruce came back, and as he pushed the door open, there was a slight look of guilt and eagerness on his face. Seeing his expression, she felt even more disgusted. She coldly turned her head away, refusing to look at him. He approached the bedside cautiously, using a soft and gentle tone to coax her. ¡°Darling, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you ignoring me?¡± Observing her silence, he came to the realization that she was angry. He put a pleasing smile on his handsome face as he gently shook her arm, ¡°Honey, are you overthinking again? I swear to the heavens, Aria and I are just friends. Honey, don¡¯t get angry with me. We said that we should be understanding and amodating to each other, don¡¯t you remember?¡± Silence. No matter what he said, it seemed as if she had not heard anything. She liked to sulk, keeping her thoughts bottled up inside. She especially enjoyed giving him the cold shoulder. If he did not take the initiative to talk to her, she would genuinely consider giving up on this rtionship. In other words, she would rather be in agonizing pain than easily give in. After a while¡­ His brows furrowed, and his face was shrouded with ayer of gloominess and weariness. There were things he did not know how to exin to her, after all. Also, there were other things he could not tell her at all. Perhaps, until the day of his death, all his secrets would remainpletely unrevealed. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said what I said earlier. I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned postpartum syndrome. I apologize to you. This trip to Antlen is for business reasons. It¡¯s definitely not what you think¡­¡± Silence. ¡°Joanna, my love, please talk to me!¡± He helplessly shook her arm. She closed her eyes, remaining indifferent to his words. No matter what he said, she refused to open her eyes or speak to him. This drove him crazy. He would rather have her argue and quarrel with him. What he dreaded the most was her giving him the cold shoulder. Every time she gave him the cold shoulder, he had nevere out as the winner. She was headstrong, after all. Sometimes, he felt as though she was like a flexible knife, which might seem harmless but was capable ofsting damage. Each time, he would surrender first as he could never overpower her. Though he had beenforting her for a long time, it was in vain. His patience was wearing thin, and he was about to be overwhelmed with frustration.¡± ¡°Joanna, can you stop doing this? What do you want? Tell me what¡¯s on your mind, okay? You can tell me. Can you please stop giving me the silent treatment? Between me and¡­ Aria, it¡¯s not what you imagine at all. Joanna, open your eyes and look at me!¡± He could not bear it anymore. He pulled back the nket, cupping her face and shaking her a few times. She was like a soulless puppet, allowing him to exploit her. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m upset. You know exactly how to deal with me. Besides you, I¡¯ve never surrendered to anyone. I¡¯m begging you, can you say something to me? Can you stop making me feel so miserable? I¡¯m really helpless. Do you know that I can¡¯t bear to be harsh with you because I love you?¡± Still, silence. Shepletely ignored him. At that point, she was like an object, treating him as if he were invisible no matter how he acted. Yet¡­ Her actions pushed him further into madness with each passing moment. ¡°Joanna, what do you want? Look at me!¡± He shook her face again. He felt so helpless. Whether in the business world or during missions, he had always been invincible, swift, and decisive, achieving whatever he set out to do. There was nothing he could not handle, and he always managed to achieve his goals. Yet it was a different story in front of her. He felt helpless, hitting a wall all the time. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m fed up with the cold war. Just tell me what you want!¡± He had exhausted all the kind words, but they produced no effects whatsoever. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. He could only retreat in order to advance. She opened her eyes slightly and said calmly, ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s break up!¡± Boom! Though her voice was not loud, it hit him like a thunderstorm, leaving a profound impact. He stared at her. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Her eyelids flickered, and her gaze revealed a hint of destion and hollowness. ¡°I said¡­ let¡¯s break up!¡± She disliked this feeling. Bruce had a multitude of admirers, and even though he did not actively seek out women, there were always some trying their best to approach him. But he was not to me. It was simply the truth. With his wealth, handsome looks, charisma, and youthful demeanor, it was only natural that he drew the attention of women around him. Of course, the cleaningdy would not have any feelings for him because she knew he was out of her league. Even if he had no connection with Aria, there might be other women appearing in the future. He inhaled deeply as his voice choked up a bit. ¡°Joanna, I¡¯m giving you a chance to change your mind.¡± Her gaze shifted, and she looked at him with her heart in turmoil. ¡°I¡¯m serious. Let¡¯s break up. We are better off as friends! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t fight for custody of the children. I don¡¯t want anything, you know. I just want to leave once and for all.¡± She knew that once she had a falling out with him, he would not give her the children. Besides, she could notpete with him at all. Therefore, she decided to give everything to him. His eyes narrowed as his lips twitched slightly. The atmosphere became stern instantly. The two fell into silence for almost five minutes. He took a deep breath, raised an eyebrow, and then made a funny face at her. ¡°Haha, Joann, you are joking, right? Honey, stop messing around. I know I said the wrong things today. If I ever say anything wrong again, I¡¯ll cut my tongue off. Aria? Who? You are my wife and you can do whatever you want. Listen I had a loose tongue earlier, and I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned postpartum syndrome, let alone said you were agitated. I¡¯ll punish myself now. My tongue shall rot if I ever speak to other women again.¡± As Bruce spoke, he pped himself twice on the face. p, p¡­ He pped himself fiercely, demonstrating his seriousness about the matter. His left and right cheeks now bore four distinct palm prints. Seeing this, her heart ached, and she turned her gaze away, not wanting to look at him anymore. He was ustomed to using this tactic of self-inflicted pain. Every time he got hurt, she could not help but give in. Every time he tortured himself, she could not help but give in. But this time, she did not want to give in anymore. ¡°Bruce, stop. I¡¯ve thought about it seriously, and we really aren¡¯t suitable for each other. You¡¯re back to normal now, and thepany¡¯s affairs have been resolved. You¡¯re still young and can live the kind of life you want.¡± His eyes welled up with tears, and his voice became even more choked. ¡°The life I want is to be with you and the children.¡± She became emotional as tears welled up in her eyes as well. ¡°Bruce, stop lying to yourself. You can¡¯t let go of the fun, and you won¡¯t give up the entire garden for just one flower. I don¡¯t want to wait until we remarry, only for you to get entangled with other women again. I¡¯m exhausted and I don¡¯t want to be hurt anymore. I don¡¯t feel secure being with you.¡± Hearing this, he moved close to her. He was just a few centimeters away from her face as he stared into her eyes intensely. ¡°Then what do you want me to do to make you feel secure?¡± She fell silent again. A sense of security. A sense of security was something difficult to exin, and even harder to put into words. Of course, everyone had different standards and requirements, meaning it could not be generalized. All she wanted was a devoted husband, someone who would never betray her or cheat on her. Yet he always gave her a sense of insecurity. She was afraid of entrusting her heart to him again, only to be ruthlessly trampled upon. She feared the day she would catch him with another woman. When that time came, she might take her own life as she would find it unbearable. So, she decided to step on the brakes in tirne before shepletely let go of her guard against him, or before she fully entrusted herself. It was not that she did not love him; she just did not trust him and feared being hurt. Chapter 742 Chapter 742 Chapter 742 ¡°Why? Is it because of Aria?¡± Joanna remained silent. Aria was merely a trigger; the underlying cause was her deep-rootedck of security. Bruce pondered for a few seconds, then took out his phone from his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll call her right now and exin everything. I¡¯ll ask her to move to a hotel.¡± He was about to make a call. Seeing this, Joanna frowned and grabbed his hand. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t. Let¡¯s not involve others in our rtionship.¡± He pursed his lips, looking at her with despair. ¡°Then tell me, what kind of security do you want? I¡¯m willing to give up my life for you. I can give you everything I have, so why do you still feel insecure? Do I have to give you my life, and die in front of you, for you to believe that I love you?¡± She could not control her tears as she listened. Her heart was in turmoil at this point. He took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°I know I¡¯ve hurt you in the past, harming you physically and psychologically. You don¡¯t trust me, and you think I will treat you like before. But Joanna, let me say it onest time, I swear that you¡¯re myst woman. If you want security, all my assets can be transferred to you. I¡¯ll call mywyer right now to draft a prenuptial agreement. If we divorce, or if I ever do something to hurt you, all my assets, as well as the custody of the children, will be given to you. I¡¯ll be left with nothing. What do you say?¡± She did not say anything. Although she needed money, she did not ce too much importance on it. To her, money was just a number. 2 Her mother had left her a trust fund, from which she could withdraw 40 thousand dors every month. Therefore, even if she remained unemployed, she would be all right. Observing her silence, something seemed to strike him as he said earnestly, ¡°You¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll betray you or get involved with other women, right? Tomorrow, I¡¯ll undergo a vasectomy. Apart from our four children, there¡¯s no way I could father any more kids with other women. Will you finally believe me then?¡± Puff! She could not help but almost choke on her surprise and disbelief. She looked at him, partly shocked and partly speechless. A vasectomy. She was speechless. It seemed that in some wealthy families, such a measure was indeed taken. Some rich people¡¯s wives were very open-minded. They did not bother about their husbands¡¯ mistresses. In other words, their husbands¡¯ extramarital affairs did not concern them as long as there were no bastard children involved. After all, such children could lead to the division of family assets, which would be the ultimate dealbreaker for these rich ladies. As a result, some women would request their husbands to undergo a vasectomy. After the procedure, the husbands could freely indulge in their desires. As long as there were no illegitimate children involved, it would merely be a matter of spending some money for pleasure. Before Joanna could react, Bruce had already stood up and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll have the doctor perform the surgery tomorrow¡­¡± She blinked, quickly grabbing his sleeve, saying, ¡°Bruce, stop messing around!¡± His gaze turned stern. ¡°Joann, I wish I could pull my heart out to show you. I spoke out of line today, and I shouldn¡¯t have sided with Aria, let alone say negative things about you. I will learn from this and be cautious in the future. If it happens again, I¡¯ll cut out my tongue. I was wrong today. You know, you are the best woman in the world. You are the most gentle, beautiful, and lovely. Even if you¡¯re not gentle or virtuous, I should defend you, and protect you in front of others. I was wrong. It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± Her head was spinning from listening to his endless chatter. She could not stand it anymore and said, ¡°Alright, enough already!¡± She had no idea that he had be so chatty. After all, he used to be very frugal when it came to speaking. ¡°Honey, can you forgive me?¡± She let out a sigh. Now that he had made such assurances, there was no way she could remain angry with him. If she did not forgive him, he might actually go ahead with the vasectomy. She thought to herself. ¡°Damn! You knew I would give in to this!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll forgive you one more time.¡± He smiled instantly. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to break up with me so casually again. You know, such words can hurt our rtionship. If there¡¯s anything I¡¯ve done wrong or if you want me to do something differently, just tell me.¡± Then, he dialed Mr. Jameson¡¯s number without hesitation. Ring, ring, ring. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Mr. Jameson,e to the hospital immediately.¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Alright, then. See you soon.¡± Joanna wore a face of puzzlement after the call had ended. ¡°Bruce, what do you want to do now?¡± He heaved a sigh, then said, ¡°I asked him toe and arrange a prenuptial agreement for us and handle the remarriage procedures.¡± ¡°Now?¡± She was taken aback. ¡°Yes! Initially, I wanted to wait until you were past the postpartum period. We could then proceed with the remarriage and even have a grand wedding ceremony. But now, I think it¡¯s better to handle the remarriage procedures sooner to avoid unnecessary troubles. You know, you might being up with all sorts of weird thoughts again.¡± She furrowed her brows, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought it through.¡± Her eyes flickered. Indeed, she had not thought it through. If she went through with the remarriage with him, she could not escape from him for the rest of her life. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. After all, she had no clue how long he could keep up his good behavior. He furrowed his brows. ¡°What else is there to consider? You¡¯ve already given birth to four children for me, so where else do you want to go? Who else can you marry but me?¡± Hearing this, she became irritated. ¡°Are you saying that no one wants me now that I have given birth?¡± He quickly beamed a smile in embarrassment. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. I didn¡¯t mean that. What I mean is, for the sake of our four children, we should give them aplete family.¡± She did not say more. She decided not to argue over this. He had a point, after all. Maybe the purpose of the remarriage was to provide their children with a complete family. Bruce found the time to call Aria again. Ring, ring, ring. Aria picked up the phone quickly. ¡°Hi, Bruce!¡± ¡°Aria, there¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡± She smiled. ¡°What is it? Go ahead.¡± He hesitated for a few seconds, then plucked up the courage to say, ¡°I might not be able to go to Antlen this month.¡± She was taken aback. ¡°I want to stay with my wife through the postpartum period. She just gave birth and is in dire need of security. You know, she is the most vulnerable now, so I can¡¯t leave her for an extended period. Once she is out of the postpartum period, I can focus on the mission and go to Antlen.¡± ¡°Bruce, if we dy any longer, our colleagues abroad will have to bear extra anxiety and worry.¡± ¡°Let them worry for a bit! If they can¡¯t wait any longer, they can send someone else. All I know is that I need to wait until my wife is past the postpartum period. Besides, my son is still in the incubator, so I need to wait until they are out of the hospital before I can focus on the mission.¡± Aria became even more worried upon hearing this. This mission was crucial, and no one else could handle it except him. ¡°Bruce, please reconsider. This mission is urgent, and we can¡¯t afford to dy it for too long.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s urgent, then they¡¯ll have to send someone else! Right now, the safety of my wife and son is the most important to me. I can¡¯t leave them when they need me the most. You see, I need to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband and a father. I must take good care of them,¡± he said firmly. He had made up his mind. He could not possibly leave Joanna when she needed him the most. After all, she kept saying that she felt insecure. Perhaps it was because he was never by her side when she needed him. ¡°Alright¡­ I will request a temporary hold from them.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it!¡± ¡°Bruce, I wanted to meet up with you¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s handle everything through phone calls. From now on, let¡¯s minimize in-person meetings. I don¡¯t want my wife to misunderstand anything, and I certainly don¡¯t want to upset her.¡± Chapter 743 Chapter 743 Chapter 743 Aria felt a pang of pain in her heart after hearing Bruce¡¯s response. Perhaps, she had overestimated her importance to him. In fact, he and his wife were the ones truly in love, and she had been overthinking. Ville ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that for now. Goodbye,¡± Bruce hung up the phone without waiting for her response. He subsequently instructed the butler to fetch Aria from Riverview Although his actions might have seemed a bit ungentlemanly, he did not wan anything. and arranged for her to stay at a six-star hotel. t Joanna to overthink or misunderstand Three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Mr. Jameson arrived at the hospital as promised. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna was a bit taken aback by Mr. Jameson¡¯s arrival, as she had never expected that Bruce was being serious about this. ¡°Mr. Jameson.¡± Bruce sat on the couch and casually gestured to the seat beside him. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± Mr. Jameson smiled politely and took a seat on the leather couch. ¡°Mr. Everett, you mentioned on the phone that you want me to draft a prenuptial agreement, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mr. Jameson then opened his briefcase and pulled out a prenuptial agreement temte. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is the temte for the prenuptial agreement. You can take a look at it first, and if there are any additional uses you want to include, we can add themter.¡± Thewyer had handled so many agreements of such nature, so he was aware that the content was always roughly the same. It wasmon for wealthy individuals to protect their existing assets by signing prenuptial agreements. In case of a divorce, they made sure that their pre-marital assets remained untouched by their spouses. Wealthy individuals were always shrewd and cautious, ensuring their properties were safeguarded. Bruce took the agreement and nced at it, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. ¡°I asked you to draft a prenuptial agreement, but not this kind.¡± Mr. Jameson gazed at him in confusion. After all, such agreements were designed to ensure the assets of the wealthy were protected to the fullest extent. Bruce pursed his lips and said solemnly, ¡°Draw up a prenuptial agreement where all my assets are shared with my wife.¡± Mr. Jameson was immensely shocked. He could not believe what he had just heard. This was highly unusual, after all. It was especially so for a billionaire like Bruce. If he signed such an agreement, it would mean giving away half of his assets to his wife. In the event of a divorce, his spouse would have an unconditional right to im half of his wealth. He wondered why a wise man like Mr. Everett would make sure an irrational decision. ¡°Mr. Everett, what did you just say? Can you repeat it?¡± Mr. Jameson asked for repetition, fearing that he had misheard. ¡°Oh, I called you here today to help us draft a prenuptial agreement. Also, to assist with the remarriage procedures.¡± Mr. Jameson took a few seconds to regain hisposure, as he had never encountered such a request before. ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce pondered and said, ¡°use one: after marriage, all my assets are to be shared with my wife. In the event that I have an affair, I will voluntarily give up all my assets¡­¡± Pfft. Mr. Jameson was startled again. At this moment, he spected that Mr. Everett might have gone crazy or had some sort of mental illness. He discreetly nced at Bruce, who appeared exceedingly serious, showing no sign of joking. ¡°Uh, alright. Mr. Everett, please continue.¡± Mr. Jameson hurriedly took out a recording pen to make notes while nodding incessantly. Bruce proceeded to add a few more uses to the agreement. None of them were in his favor; instead, they maximally protected the interests of his wife. ¡°Mr. Everett, you must carefully consider the implications of these uses. Once the agreement is signed, it will be legally enforceable.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll prepare the agreement and send it to your emailter. If there are no issues, both parties can sign it, and then we can have it notarized at the notary office.¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Good, please have it done as soon as possible.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°And regarding the remarriage procedures, please take care of that as well.¡± Mr. Jameson replied with utmost seriousness, ¡°Certainly, it will take approximately a week. Kindly provide me with the identification documents of both parties, and I will make copies of them.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression remained serious as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll have my secretary send them to youter.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett. I¡¯ll leave now. By next Sunday, I will have the agreements and remarriage procedurespleted,¡± Mr. Jameson said politely as he stood up. ¡°Okay, take care.¡± Mr. Jameson did not say much more, heading toward the door as soon as he picked up his briefcase. These matters were left to thewyers to handle. Now, it was only a matter of time. After all, such agreements had to be notarized, printed, and recorded. The entire process would take at least a week. After Mr. Jameson had left. Joanna looked at Bruce in astonishment, unable to believe what had just happened. ¡°Bruce, you¡­ you really mean it?¡± He gazed tenderly at her and smiled affectionately. ¡°Of course, I never joke about such things.¡± She remained stunned, staring at him like a deer in headlights. She was in disbelief that he wanted to share all his assets with her, even transferring a substantial portion of the Everett Group¡¯s business to her name. Besides, it included the Haynes Group, which had previously been acquired. ¡°What? You still don¡¯t believe that I love you?¡± She was left speechless, unsure of what to say. There was a saying. ¡°A man who spends money on you may not necessarily love you. But a man who refuses to spend money on you definitely doesn¡¯t love you.¡± In other words, a man¡¯s heart was where his money was. If a man was willing to entrust all his money to his woman, it disyed his sincere intention to spend his life with her. Although Joanna did not care a lot about material things, she was still moved by his gesture. ¡°Bruce, you better think it through. Don¡¯t regret itter.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through. I won¡¯t regret it.¡± She pouted, speaking with some annoyance, ¡°If you ever do something wrong after we get married or have an affair with another woman, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Before she could finish, he gently rubbed her head and said with a chuckle, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t betray us. If I ever do something to hurt you, I¡¯ll leave with nothing, and all the money and assets will be left for you and the children.¡± She red at him as she had not finished speaking yet. His eagerness to make these promises made her feel as if she cared too much about material things. ¡°Bruce, then let¡¯s establish some ground rules. Once we¡¯re married, you must not betray me, or hurt me or the children. And you must never lie to me.¡± He nodded seriously. ¡°Alright, I promise. I also want to establish some ground rules with you.¡± ¡°Go ahead!¡± His expression turned serious, and he said with some irritation, ¡°First, you must not betray me. You must not love anyone except me.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she replied without any hesitation. ¡°Second, no more silent treatment or disappearing without a word.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯ll try not to give you the silent treatment, but you can¡¯t purposely provoke me,¡± she said, ncing at him. ¡°Third, no more meeting with that jerk Jaydon.¡± She looked at him with an expression of helplessness. She had no idea that he took Jaydon so seriously. ¡°I told you, Jay and I are really just friends.¡± He frowned, sternly saying, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re just friends or ex-lovers. From today onward, you can¡¯t meet him alone, and you must not contact him behind my back. Even if you want to meet him, I must be present.¡± ¡°What if you¡¯re not around?¡± ¡°Then you can¡¯t meet him.¡± She was speechless. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Did you hear me?¡± ¡°I heard you!¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t said anything yet!¡± She sighed helplessly, ¡°Alright, I promise you. I won¡¯t meet him alone or contact him behind your back, okay?¡± ¡°What if you can¡¯t keep your promise?¡± He still could not find. peace of mind. ¡°Well, then what do you suggest?¡± He furrowed his eyebrows, a hint of mncholy appearing on his handsome face. There was a long silence. ¡°Just as you said, we are both adults, and we need to restrain our behaviors in many aspects. If you meet him behind my back, I can only say that I¡¯ll be very sad.¡± She gave a wry smile. ¡°Okay, I understand what you mean. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll keep my promise and won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°Honey, starting today, let¡¯s cherish and trust each other wholeheartedly. Let¡¯s take care of each other and not let others¡¯ words sway our feelings. Misunderstandings should have no ce between us, eh? Whenever conflicts arise, let¡¯smunicate openly and honestly, instead of resorting to threats of breaking up or divorce.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Chapter 744 Chapter 744 Chapter 744 Joanna suddenly thought of something. ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you say that you had to go on a business trip to Antlen? When are you leaving exactly?¡± Bruce embraced her and said gently, ¡°Well, I have changed my mind. I will stay until after the postpartum period.¡± As she listened, she looked at him instinctively. ¡°Can you really wait that long? If it is something urgent, you should go ahead and have it done. You know, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. There are so many people here taking care of me right now, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± After all, she did not want him to dy thepany¡¯s affairs for her sake. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the business trip now. Your health is the priority, eh? You know, we can talk about the business trip after you have left the hospital. I know you¡¯ve mentioned feeling insecure, so I want to ensure that you feel safe and supported. From now on, whenever you feel vulnerable or need me, I will be right by your side.¡± He kissed her gently on the forehead after speaking. His words brought warmth to her heart. He was usually sarcastic and rarely spoke such heartfelt words, after all. ¡°Well, are you sure that thepany will not be affected?¡± ¡°I am sure.¡± She smiled and leaned closer to him. ¡°Okay then.¡± To her, his willingness to give up work in order to be with her was heartwarming. At this moment, she felt secure for the first time. In a sh¡­ A week had passed. Finally, Devin was able to leave the incubator and be reunited with his mother. With a friendly smile, the nurse walked into the ward, holding little Devin in her arms. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett, Devin is here.¡± Joanna could not contain her excitement as she eagerly said, ¡°Let me hold him!¡± ¡°Certainly. Devin, herees Mummy¡­¡± As the nurse spoke, she brought the baby to Joanna. The infant was swaddled tightly, looking like a little chubby bundle. Despite being born prematurely, he carried the typical baby fat, which made him look plump and adorable. Tears well up in Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly as it was her first time seeing Devin up close. Bruce carefully handed the baby to her, reminding her to be cautious. ¡°I got it.¡± She was full of motherly love as she cradled the baby in her arms. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia were visiting today. They were all amazed by Devin¡¯s transformation. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s only been about ten days, and Devin has be so handsome and so cute!¡± ¡°Absolutely! Thest time we saw him, he looked like a wrinkled little monkey. Now he¡¯s be so adorable! It¡¯s incredible!¡± Miranda, who was standing nearby, chuckled at hearing of that. ¡°Of course, he is growing up. You see, children grow up s quickly. I bet he will be even more adorable after a month.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly as she held Devin¡¯s tiny hand. ¡°Hello, Devin.¡± ¡°Waah¡­¡± The little one squirmed in her arms, raising his hand with surprising strength. As Joanna kissed the baby¡¯s cheek, her face radiated with deep maternal love, and she looked immensely happy. ¡°Let¡¯s take a family photo!¡± Bruce suggested with a smile. ¡°Surel¡± Bruce extended his big hand to hold Joanna¡¯s. Meanwhile, Davian ced his hand on her palm. SO Irvin followed suit by cing his hand on Davian¡¯s while Lilia held Devin¡¯s hand. ¡°Cheese!¡± The family smiled happily at the camera. The servant took a few photos with her camera. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s done. See if you like them.¡± Bruce was very satisfied with all the photos. He picked one and instructed, ¡°Print this one in arge size and hang it in the bedroom. Also, print a smaller one, four-inch, for me to keep in my wallet.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett. After selecting the photos, he embraced Joanna and said with a smile, ¡°Honey, thank you for giving birth to these four adorable children.¡± She nestled in his embrace, smiling with delight. ¡°Waah¡­¡± Devin began crying with his mouth wide open, perhaps because he was hungry. ¡°Oh! Devin is crying!¡± ¡°The baby¡¯s probably hungry. He needs to be fed.¡± ¡°Quick, feed the baby!¡± They called for two wetnurses, who were specifically dedicated to breastfeeding the baby. Although baby forms were also nutritious, they could neverpare to breast milk. Therefore, Bruce hired two wetnurses at a high cost. Soon, the servant took the baby away. ¡°Honey, Mr. Jameson has just called me. The remarriage procedure is scheduled for tomorrow, and the Civil Affairs Bureau officers wille over to handle the registration in person.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t bought me a ring yet.¡± She was taken aback. Bruce looked at her with displeasure. ¡°During our first marriage, you didn¡¯t even prepare a wedding ring for me. Now, are you still not going to get me one?¡± ¡°Is the bride supposed to buy the wedding ring?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a gesture of love and a symbol of our affection. Wearing the wedding ring signifies that we are no longer single.¡± She smiled gently. ¡°Haha, okay! I¡¯ll buy you one after I¡¯ve been discharged.¡± He smiled along. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about it! After I return from my business trip, we will arrange the wedding reception and celebrate the baby¡¯s first month.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Once we¡¯re done with all of this, we need to take Lilia to Gaprington as soon as possible for her corrective surgery. You know, we should not dy it any longer.¡± ¡°Right. After Ie back from the trip and finish with the wedding reception arrangement, I will take Lilia for the surgery.¡± As they were talking. Ring, ring, ring. Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Instinctively, he pulled out his phone. After taking a look, he realized that the caller was Aria. His smile froze for a moment. ¡°Honey, I¡­ I need to take this.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead!¡± She smiled slightly. Seeing his strange reaction, she supposed the caller was Aria. She supposed that she might have been overly sensitive about that woman. She should trust Bruce. Despite his ws, he had many good qualities and had done a lot for her. Therefore, she should not suspect his rtionship with Aria. Bruce walked out of the ward and returned Aria¡¯s call. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Aria¡¯s sounded weak and sorrowful. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She hesitated for a few seconds before saying softly, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m leaving Greyport and going back to Antlen tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, safe travels. I¡¯ll have the driver take you to the airport,¡± he replied casually. There was silence on the other end of the phone. There was a long pause. She sadly asked, ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t youing to see me off in person?¡± He firmly declined. ¡°Better not. I have to handle the remarriage procedure with my wife tomorrow. I can¡¯t leave.¡± Upon hearing this, her heart ached even more while she clutched the phone tightly. She wondered if he would never be hers. ¡°Bruce, I still want to see you one more time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I have brain cancer¡­¡± she said out of the blue. Boom! He was taken aback, and he was unable to react for a moment. ¡°Aria, what did you just say? Please say it again. I didn¡¯t hear you clearly.¡± She took a deep breath before saying, ¡°I said, I have brain cancer, and it¡¯s already in the advanced stage.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°What?¡± He felt a tightness in his chest at this moment. ¡°Well, the doctor said that without surgery, I may have about half a year left.¡± He waspletely stunned, not knowing what to say. He no longer loved her. However, they were once ssmates and colleagues. Hearing this news, he felt an overwhelming pain and he wished it were not true. She was still so young. He wondered why a wonderful woman like her could be so unfortunate. It appeared that it could be so unfair. Chapter 745 Chapter 745 Chapter 745 Bruce¡¯s heart ached as he asked in a deep voice, ¡°When did you find out?¡± Aria hesitated for a few seconds before whispering, ¡°About two months ago.¡± He was once again speechless, not knowing how tofort her. They fell into silence once more. After a long while. She took a deep breath, then she said with a slightly trembling voice, ¡°So, I took this opportunity to come to Greyport, specifically to see you. I wanted to tell you what I¡¯ve kept buried in my heart for many years. I¡¯m afraid that if I don¡¯t say it now, I¡¯ll never get the chance.¡± She spoke while holding back her sobs. As he listened, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart. ¡°Aria, with the advancements in medical treatment nowadays, you¡¯ll surely be fine. Don¡¯t worry. I will find you the best neurologists in the world. You have to stay positive, eh? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recover¡­¡± She smiled sadly. ¡°I do hope so. Well, that is why I was hoping you cane and see me tomorrow. I¡¯m afraid that we won¡¯t see each other ever again.¡± Hearing this, he had an indescribable feeling. ¡°Alright, I will definitelye to see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Then it¡¯s settled!¡± After finishing her sentence, she hung up the call without waiting for him to say anything. Some believed that the most precious things in life were often the ones we could never possess or those we had lost forever. She wanted to leave a deep imprint on his heart, to make him remember her forever. Her love and devotion for all these years would find meaning and purpose as long as she continued to reside in his heart. ¡°Bruce, if I can¡¯t be your wife, then let me be your evesting memory!¡± After hanging up. Restlessness consumed him, prompting him to pace back and forth in the corridor while chain-smoking several cigarettes in session. Even though he had quit smoking, the turmoil in his heart now made him crave the relief that cigarettes could provide. He could not believe that Aria had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He knew how horrifying this condition could be. Even with the best neurologists from around the world, the chances of aplete cure were only 10%. He never imagined that she would fall seriously ill. Over the years, although they had not been in touch, they both kept tabs on each other through the organization they worked for. She had been dedicated to her studies in the field of biology and had achieved considerable sess. Within the organization, there was no hierarchical structure, but she was primarily responsible for coordinating members in different locations. He used to have a handler, through whom all Yet, unfortunately, that handler had tragically lost his life half a year ago. The organization then assigned a new handler to liaise with Bruce. Upon learning about this, Aria volunteered to take on the role of his new handler. Therefore, after more than a decade of nomunication, they suddenly reconnected. Of course, other than work, she also had some personal motives. After spending over half an hour in the corridor, Bruce, who was distraught, finally returned to the hospital ward. In the ward. Joanna wasughing and chatting with her children. The three little ones were exceptionally excited and joyful today since it was a rare asion for them to visit the hospital. ¡°Mummy, after you¡¯re discharged, we have to re-celebrate Halloween, Davian said with a wide grin. Irvin chimed in, ¡°Yeah! This year¡¯s Halloween was so boring because Daddy and Mummy didn¡¯t spend it with us.¡± Joanna gently rubbed the faces of the two little ones, saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get you gifts after I have been discharged.¡± Lilia remained snuggled in Joanna¡¯s arms, blinking her big, bright eyes at her mother. ¡°Mummy, I want to set off fireworks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so romantic to set off fireworks by the seaside. Unfortunately, Greyport doesn¡¯t allow fireworks on ordinary days.¡± ¡°Mummy, can we go somewhere to set off fireworks?¡± Joanna thought for a moment and happily agreed.¡±Of course, we can. When springes, let¡¯s reserve a private ind in Bali and celebrate there!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Lilia, after I have been discharged, I will take you to Gaprington to have the surgery done immediately,¡± Joanna said as she gently rubbed her daughter¡¯s leg with concern. Lilia was already seven years old, and it might be toote if she did not proceed with the corrective surgery soon. Joanna¡¯s only hope now was for her daughter to stand up on her feet as soon as possible. ¡°Mummy, we can¡¯t wait! After Lilias¡¯ treatment, we can go swimming by the sea together!¡± ¡°Haha, the recovery might take some time though.¡± The mother and her three children were happily chatting. The door opened. Bruce walked in dejectedly. ¡°Daddy, why did you take so long to make a call?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± he replied absentmindedly. Joanna nced at him, and she could tell that he was forcing a smile. ¡°Why did it take so long?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing!¡± As he spoke, he had already approached the bed, lifting Lilia up into his arms. As he got closer, Joanna caught a strong smell of smoke, causing her to frown instantly. ¡°Are you smoking again?¡± He subconsciously sniffed his cor! Whenever he felt stressed, he had the urge to smoke. After all these years, he could not quit the habit. When he was hospitalized for months after the car ident, he finally managed to kick the habit. But now, he could not resist the temptation to smoke again. ¡°Smoking is harmful to you. Didn¡¯t you promise me you would quit? Why did you smoke again?¡± He chuckled nervously, then said, ¡°Honey, I¡¯ll try to smoke less, okay?¡± She furrowed her brows, looking somewhat upset with him. ¡°I¡¯ll try to smoke less often.¡± She sighed deeply. In fact, she did not want to be too controlling.. Life for a man who did not smoke, drink, or pursue women could be rather¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t smoke so often, eh? You know, it¡¯s not good for your health, and it¡¯s not good for the people around you.¡± ¡°Right, I understand.¡± The butler knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett, it¡¯s gettingte. The little ones have to go to school tomorrow, so we should take them home.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Sweethearts, it¡¯s time to go home.¡± The three little ones nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, bye, Daddy and Mummy.¡± ¡°Goodbye, my darlings.¡± Be careful, eh? Go to sleep early. Don¡¯t stay upte. ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The butler led the three children out of the ward with a smile. After the children had left. Bruce took off his coat as he felt a bit tired. He theny down beside Joanna. ¡°Honey¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± He scratched his head but did not say much. He decided not to tell her about Aria¡¯s matter in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. However, Aria¡¯s words still made him deeply distressed. It was not that he had any love left for her, but rather a profound sense of pity and sympathy. After all, they had once loved each other, and now, he could not help but worry for her knowing that she had such a serious condition. He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. However, with so much on his mind, there was no way he could fall asleep. As he kept tossing and turning constantly, Joanna realized that he had something on his mind. Normally, he would not fidget so much when lying down. However, she did not want to pry if he did not proactively share what was bothering him. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. The next day. 9:30 A.M. Joanna asked, ¡°What time is Mr. Jamesoning?¡± ¡°The appointment is scheduled for ten o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast!¡± Bruce attentively served her breakfast himself. Just as they were about to have breakfast, the phone rang. Ring, ring, ring. His phone began ringing. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Mr. Jameson¡¯s anxious voice came through, ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m stuck in traffic, so I might not arrive until eleven o¡¯clock.¡± Hearing this, Bruce frowned. Aria¡¯s flight was scheduled to depart at 11:55. Originally, he had nned toplete the remarriage procedures early so that he could rush to the airport to send Aria off. But now, it seemed like he might not make it in time. ¡°Can you hurry up?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m stuck on the highway now. There was an ident ahead causing a major traffic jam. I¡¯ve already gotten out of the car and am going to take the subway. But the staff from Civil Affairs Bureau may not be ready that quickly. It will probably be around eleven o¡¯clock at the earliest.¡± Hearing this, Bruce felt even more agitated. ¡°If I¡¯m not present, can the remarriage still be processed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Both parties must be present.¡± He contemted for a moment, and asked, ¡°Is it possible to reschedule for the afternoon?¡± Chapter 746 Chapter 746 Chapter 746 ¡°Well, let me get in touch with the City Hall¡¯s officers now.¡± ¡°Okay, reschedule for three in the afternoon preferably.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett. I will call the officers right away,¡± Mr. Jameson nodded hurriedly. Bruce had to find a solution as he had not foreseen such troublesome circumstances today. ¡°That¡¯s it, then.¡± He then hung up the call. Seeing him distressed and absent-minded, Joanna could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± With a sigh, he said, ¡°Mr. Jameson is stuck in traffic and may not arrive soon.¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to rush!¡± Sheforted him instead. ¡°Honey, I have an urgent matter to attend to now. I have rescheduled the remarriage procedures with Mr. Jameson for three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡± She was startled by his words, wondering what could be more important thanpleting the marriage procedures. However, seeing how burdened he looked, she agreed. ¡°Alright! If you have something important, go ahead and take care of it!¡± He smiled gently, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°You take care, eh? I will be back soon. Love you.¡± ¡°Okay! I love you too.¡± Even though she was unhappy on the inside. However, she did not dwell on it, nodding as she said, ¡°Go ahead. Come back soon!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild, eh? Just wait for me.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± He then kissed her forehead again. He checked the time to find it was already past nine. Aria probably had not left for the airport yet. Therefore, he supposed it would be better to meet her at the hotel. He quickly grabbed his car key and put on his suit jacket, then hurriedly left the hospital ward. After Aria¡¯s departure, there might not be a chance for them to see each other again in this lifetime. Despite the circumstances, he feltpelled to say his farewell to her. It was past ten o¡¯clock. Hilbert Hotel. Bruce personally drove to the Hilbert Hotel. Ding dong, ding dong. Aria was packing her luggage when she heard the doorbell ringing. ¡°Coming. I¡¯ming.¡± She hurriedly went to open the door. Through the peephole, she saw Bruce standing at the door with a gloomy expression. She hurriedly tidied her hair, then slowly opened the door. ¡°Bruce.¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± he responded heavily. Meanwhile, his gaze was filled with deep sympathy andpassion. ¡°Come in.¡± He furrowed his brows, walking in with long strides. ¡°Aria, are you really leaving? Just like that?¡± She smiled gently. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve already packed my things and Leo has already arranged the car. You know, there are some urgent matters at the research institute that I need to attend to.¡± He looked at her pale face, feeling even more distressed. ¡°Aria.¡± As their eyes met, both of them struggled to find the right words. ¡°Have you thought about staying here for treatment? Greyport boasts some of the finest neurologists in the world, and I can take care of all the arrangements for you. The chances of a sessful cure are significantly higher if we detect the condition early.¡± A hint of disappointment shed in her eyes as she thought he wanted to share his feelings. It turned out that he was just concerned about her health. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I have to return to Antlen as soon as possible. My colleagues there can¡¯t wait any longer. I already talked to the organization a few days ago, requesting that your mission be postponed to next month. Also, I mentioned your desire to retire. Unfortunately, they rejected it. I did my best to fight for you, but, unfortunately, it was no use. But don¡¯t worry, when there¡¯s an opportunity, I will continue to fight for you.¡± After saying that, she looked sadly at him in the eyes. He felt even more distressed upon hearing her words. ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about all that right now. Your healthes first. Listen, you must seek treatment immediately. Don¡¯t miss the critical window for treatment, or the condition may worsen with time.¡± As he spoke, he held her hand tightly. ¡°Come on, let me take you to the hospital right now. Don¡¯t take this lightly, eh? You must take responsibility for your own body!¡± She smiled gently at him, allowing him to hold her hand. ¡°Bruce, thank you, but I really don¡¯t need to go to the hospital. I know my condition better than anyone else; Even if surgery is required, I have to wait until this mission is sessfullypleted! RA-3 Bio-virus project represents the efforts of me and several other biologists. You know, the research data was preserved with great effort, so I will regret it for the rest of my life if I fail to bring it back.¡± He could not bear to listen any further, looking at her with a serious expression. ¡°But you can¡¯t just focus on work and neglect your health. Does the organization know about your condition?¡± ¡°Bruce, I can hold on!¡± She gazed at him tenderly, as if she wanted to soften his heart with her eyes. She added, ¡°The doctor said that I can hold on for at least another six months. After the mission is completed, I will work with the doctor and undergo surgery as soon as possible. We are at a critical moment now, and I don¡¯t want the organization to know about my condition. If they had known, they would not have sent me to Greyport. I must wait until the virus copy is safely returned before I can seek treatment in peace.¡± He spoke with even more seriousness, ¡°No, nothing is more important than your life! Everything else is secondary. You know, one¡¯s life is the most precious. Aria, please, listen to me and ept treatment. As for the virus, I will take care of it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Bruce, no!¡± She struggled slightly, gazing softly at his face. Her bright eyes were filled with unshakable affection, conveying her feelings for him. He looked away, avoiding her gaze. ¡°Weren¡¯t you and your wife going to proceed with the remarriage procedures today? All done?¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Um¡­ not yet!¡± ¡°Is it because of me?¡± she asked softly. This question made him uneasy. Facing her endless tenderness and passionate gaze, he became even more anxious. Right now, he was only concerned about her health. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m just worried about your health! My marriage registration with my wife is scheduled for three o¡¯clock this afternoon, so I have to go back soon.¡± She waspletely shocked. Originally, she thought that he had canceled the marriage registration for her sake. Yet it turned out that he had merely postponed it. At the thought of this, her heart ached. A few secondster, she cked out, copsing forward. He hurriedly held her up. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ um¡­¡± she said weakly, though she could no longer stand straight. He became even more anxious now. ¡°Arial Aria! I will take you to the hospital right away!¡± She weakly leaned into his arms and said, ¡°Bruce, there is really no need. I am fine¡­¡± *Fine? You are fine? Say no more. You must go to the hospital for treatment now.¡± As he spoke, he bent over to carry her in his arms. Then, he hurriedly left the hotel room! He was panicking and wanted to send her to the hospital as soon as possible. Ding! The elevator doors opened. He rushed in urgently with her in his arms. Meanwhile, two stylishly dressed young couples happened to witness this scene. ¡°Honey, doesn¡¯t that man look like Bruce?¡± The young man nced carefully. ¡°What do you mean ¡®look like? That¡¯s exactly Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Oh my! Why is he in a hotel with a pretty woman in his arms?¡± ¡°Right. Hurry up and take some photos!¡± Snap snap! The young man quickly took out his phone and snapped some photos. The young woman could not help but remark, ¡°Tsk tsk, these rich people live such a nasty private life. I actually believed he was going to reconcile with his ex-wife and turn over a new leaf! Who would have thought he couldn¡¯t resist temptation so quickly!¡± ¡°Exactly! Well, when looking for a partner, one should find a good man like me. You know, someone loyal.¡± ¡°Absolutely. Jerks like him deserve to be exposed! Let¡¯s expose his ugly deeds online¡­¡± Soon. This young woman posted the photos of Bruce carrying Aria on Facebook. The two only meant to criticize Bruce a little. But to their surprise, once the photos were shared, they quickly went viral online. In less than an hour, thousands of people had reposted them, and they swiftly became a trending topic. Bruce rushed Aria to Greyport Hospital. Chapter 747 Chapter 747 Chapter 747 The doctors quickly began examining and providing emergency treatment for Aria. Half an hourter, the doctor came out of the emergency room. Bruce hurriedly approached him and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is she doing?¡± The doctor furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient is very weak. I rmend that she be hospitalized immediately. Now, we need to conduct aprehensive examination for her.¡± ¡°Yes! You must do everything possible to treat her!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please rest assured.¡± The doctor proceeded with various tests, including blood work and conducting a brain CT scan for Aria. This series of tests would take several hours. Bruce remained seated in the corridor, perpetually gripped by anxiety. He never imagined that after so many years apart, their reunion would turn into such a tragedy. Two and a half hourster. ¡°Doctor, are the test results avable?¡± Clutching severalb reports, the doctor borated, ¡°There are indeed nodules in the patient¡¯s brain, but whether it is a malignant tumor or not can only be determined after the surgery. During the procedure, we can remove the mass and conduct further tests.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and asked solemnly, ¡°What are the chances of recovery if she undergoes surgery?¡± ¡°Due to the tumor¡¯s precise location on the cereber nerve, the surgery bears an exceptionally high risk. We must be ready- for the worst-case scenario.¡± ¡°Are there any better treatment options avable?¡± The physician pondered for a moment and replied, ¡°The best course of action currently is to proceed with surgery as soon as possible, then conduct a biopsy to determine if it is a malignant tumor. If it turns out to be malignant, immediate radiation or chemotherapy will be necessary¡­¡± Hearing the doctor¡¯s advice, he became even more worried! Aria¡¯s condition indeed resembled brain cancer, but there was also a 10% chance that it could be osteophyte. If it was thetter, her life would not be at risk. If it did turn out to be brain cancer, the outlook was bleak. Even with sessful surgery, her life expectancy might be limited to just a few years. ¡°That¡¯s how it is for now. I rmend immediate hospitalization for treatment,¡± the doctor concluded. Hearing this, Bruce¡¯s heart was filled with indescribable pain. Indeed, life was unpredictable, and unforeseen events could ur at any moment. In the face of death and illness, all beings were equal. He was aware that Aria¡¯s parents had divorced when she was very young. Subsequently, they both remarried and formed new families, with each of them having more children. In other words, her parents did not have a strong emotional bond with her. Now, her parents were not reliable sources of support. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. She had no husband or boyfriend, meaning the only person who could take care of her was Bruce. By the bedside. Ariay unconscious. Meanwhile, her pale, beautiful face carried mncholy and vulnerability. She looked particrly pitiful, stirring a protective instinct in people. Bruce stood by her bedside as his eyes became teary again and again. He found her absolutely unfortunate. She had been unconscious for more than three hours, and gradually, she regained consciousness. Like a frail little kitten, she whimpered softly, calling out, ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Seeing that she was awake, he quickly went up to her and said gently, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± She blinked slightly, then weakly.extended her pale, slender hand. Seeing this, he instinctively held her hand. ¡°Aria?¡± She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and finally recognized the person before her as Bruce. ¡°Bruce¡­ where am I?¡± ¡°You fainted just now. You¡¯re now in the hospital!¡± ¡°What time is it now? I need to catch a flight¡­¡± As she spoke, she struggled to sit up. ¡°You need to lie down and rest. You¡¯re ill, so ¡°Bruce¡­¡± you can¡¯t be so reckless.¡± With a frown, he gently guided her back to her original position. Please, listen to me. Treatment is of utmost importance at the moment. The doctor emphasized the need for you to undergo surgery as soon as possible.¡± She shook her head resolutely. ¡°No, I can¡¯t have the surgery with peace of mind before the RA-3 virus is returned!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go to Antlen as soon as possible, eh? No matter what, I will bring the virus back.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she weakly replied, looking at him with a pitiful expression. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± she softly murmured. His heart ached as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I want to tell you the things I¡¯ve kept in my heart!¡± His eyes flickered, and instinctively, he wanted to pull his hand back. He was certain that she was about to confess to him. However, he did not want to engage in an ambiguous rtionship anymore. She tightly held his hand, looking at him with almost pleading eyes. ¡°Bruce, can you please listen to me? I¡¯m afraid if I don¡¯t say it now, I might not have another chance in the future. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not asking anything from you, and I certainly don¡¯t want toe between you and your wife. I just want to tell you the words that have been buried in my heart all these years.¡± ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m listening.¡± Her eyshes trembled as tears welled up. ¡°Back then¡­ we were both so young, and I didn¡¯t have the courage to go back with you. But now, looking back, I really regret it. For so many years, I¡¯ve been thinking about you every day, reminiscing about every moment we spent together. You know, the time I spent with you was the happiest in my life. Sometimes I think, once I finish my studies, I wille to find you. In fact, I thought you would be waiting for me just like I waited for you.¡± He let out a sad sigh, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. I never med you. Well, we can only me the bad timing.¡± Hearing this, his eyes turned red in an instant. Her words indeed touched his heart. They met at the most innocent age. However, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, they were not mature enough. Had they fallen in love at the right age, they might have already been married and had children by now. Unfortunately¡­ Some people were simply not meant to be together. ¡°Bruce, I want to ask you one question. If your wife had never appeared, would you have waited for me?¡± His throat tightened, and he did not know how to answer. Men and women were different, after all. Most men were very rational and not as emotional as women. Especially when it came to fidelity, most men did not have the concept of keeping their chastity for anyone. Whenever a suitable woman appeared, a man would often find himself tempted. Yet it did not necessarily mean the man was a jerk. In real life, most men were like this. After pondering for a while, with a nod, he said, ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled warmly at him. ¡°Good!¡± She added, ¡°Bruce, I know I don¡¯t have much time left.¡± As she spoke, she carefully looked into his eyes and said with sadness, ¡°Well, can I make a somewhat unreasonable request?¡± He became apprehensive at that moment. ¡°I hope that you can be by my side in my final moments. You see, the thought of dying all alone terrifies me. I have never been married, nor have I be the bride of the man I love the most.¡± Tears slid down her cheeks as she spoke. At the age of thirty, she remained a virgin. She honestly wanted to give herplete self to him before she died. Otherwise, she would feel that her life had been lived in vain. Hearing this, his heart felt even more torn. After all, her request was something he could not possibly refuse. ¡°Aria¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, before I die, I do hope that the person I love the most can be with me during my final moments. If you are by my side, then I will have no regrets in this lifetime.¡± After saying this, she could not help but burst into tears. She leaned into his embrace like a dying, fragile rabbit, seeking protection in his arms. ¡°Bruce, I love you so much. I know my request is unreasonable, but¡­ I don¡¯t want to die all alone. I¡¯m really scared¡­ His brows furrowed deeply, and his heart ached even more. This was indeed an unreasonable request. If he had not proposed to Joanna, he would undoubtedly have agreed without hesitation. After all, she was on the brink of death. Therefore, he would have considered it a good deed to fulfill herst wish. However¡­ Joanna had an extreme and strong-willed personality. In other words, she would never be able to ept his feelings of pity and tenderness toward another woman. Chapter 748 Chapter 748 Chapter 748 Seeing Bruce¡¯s reluctant expression, Aria put on a wistful smile. ¡°Bruce, if you find it difficult, just forget about it.¡± Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed and unfolded repeatedly as he hesitated to respond. ¡°Aria¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to promise you, but¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re afraid that your wife will be angry and sad, aren¡¯t you?¡± He remained silent, indicating that she was right. He had already hurt Joanna so many times, after all. If he agreed to Aria¡¯s request, Joanna would absolutely find it uneptable, leaving him consequently. ¡°Forget it. I was just joking. You didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± She tried her best to hold back her tears. However, the more she acted this way, the more his heart ached ¡°Aria, medical technology is so advanced now; you will definitely be fine. Don¡¯t think too much, eh? Work with the doctors and focus on your treatment. And if¡­ if it reallyes to that point, I will¡­ definitely be by your side.¡± He subconsciously agreed to her request as he could not reject her. ¡°Thank you!¡± she said as she leaned weakly in his arms. He shivered slightly, instinctively wanting to push her away. But seeing how vulnerable she was, he could not bring himself to do it. Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. Miranda, who looked at the clock constantly, could not help but mutter, ¡°It¡¯s already half past two. Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett back yet?¡± Lilian chimed in, ¡°Yeah! He shouldn¡¯t have left on his wedding day.¡± Joanna smiled helplessly. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s rted to work.¡± ¡°Work can¡¯t possibly be more important than getting married.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s wait a little longer!¡± Joannaforted Miranda with a smile. Ironically, it was Joanna¡¯s wedding, but Miranda seemed even more nervous than her. Joanna instinctively checked the time again. It was already half past two, so she wondered why he had yet to return. After all, Bruce had always been punctual. There was still half an hour left, and she was certain that he would arrive before three o¡¯clock. Soon. It was three o¡¯clock. Mr. Jameson arrived at the hospital with the City Hall¡¯s officers, right on time. ¡°Mrs. Everett, where is Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call him now. He should be on his way. Please wait a moment. Miranda, pr¨¦pare some coffee.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Miranda hurriedly poured coffee for Mr. Jameson and the officers. Then, she set out wedding cupcakes and fruits on the coffee table. Meanwhile, Joanna quickly called Bruce. Ring, ring, ring. The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Hello, the number you dialed is currently unavable.¡± She was puzzled. She wondered what was going on. It was rare for him not to answer her calls, after all. She began to panic, and her first thought was that he might be in danger again. Ring, ring, ring. Feeling anxious and confused, she quickly dialed his number again. However, after three attempts, there was still no response. Because Aria had just passed out, Bruce did not want to disturb her. Therefore, he put his phone on silent. Unable to reach Bruce, Joanna hurriedly called Darcy. Ring, ring, ring, Darcy answered the phone quite promptly. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes, what¡¯s up?¡± Her heart tightened, and she anxiously asked, ¡°Darcy, where is Bruce?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Mr. Everett isn¡¯t with me!¡± Her expression turned serious. ¡°He isn¡¯t with you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Everett gave me the day off today. He went out alone, and he didn¡¯t want us to follow him.¡± Hearing this, a chilling sensation surged through her body. She wondered what was on his mind. A while ago, he had experienced an attack from bad people. Now, he was heading out once more, but this time without any bodyguards. This made her wonder if he was intentionally seeking trouble. The City/Hall¡¯s officers started urging, ¡°When will Mr. Everett arrive? We still have to process marriage registrations for other couples, and we can¡¯t dy for too long!¡± ¡°Just give him a little more time. He¡¯ll be here soon,¡± Mr. Jameson quickly reassured the officers. In the blink of an eye, another twenty minutes had passed. It was already half past three. ¡°Mrs. Everett, it¡¯s already half past three. We can¡¯t wait any longer,¡± the officers said as they stood up. ¡°Yes, time is pressing. We have to move on to the next couple.¡± ¡°Mr. Philips, please wait a bit longer!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t wait anymore¡­¡± ¡°Please, just a little longer!¡± Mr. Jameson pleaded. The officers replied with some distress, ¡°We can wait for another twenty minutes at most. If Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t make it back by then, we¡¯ll have to reschedule for next week.¡± ¡°Okay.Thank you.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was filled with anxiety as she continued to call Bruce. Finally¡­ On the eighth call, he picked up. ¡°Hello¡­¡± After the call connected, she anxiously asked, ¡°Bruce, where are you right now?¡± He was astonished when he heard that. He had been too preupied with worrying about Aria¡¯s condition that he had forgotten about the appointment at three o¡¯clock. He hurriedly nced at his watch; it was already a quarter to four. Joanna, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Something came up, and I got dyed. I¡¯m on my way back now.¡± ¡°What happened? Is there some kind of ident?¡± She was worried about his safety. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be back soon! See you very soon!¡± He did not want to say more, fearing that she would keep asking questions. He quickly hung up the phone. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m sorry. I have to go back now. I¡¯ll have Leoe to the hospital to take care of you.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ His face was filled with panic at this point. He did not want to dy any longer, hurriedly leaving the hospital. He rushed to the underground parking lot, started the car, and sped off to Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. The two hospitals were about 9 miles apart, and it would take around 20 minutes to get there under normal traffic conditions. He kept ncing at his watch, feeling remorseful. How could he have forgotten such an important event? However, he did not do it intentionally. The doctor had been discussing Aria¡¯s test results and condition non-stop. Besides, she was crying constantly. Therefore, he lost focus and forgot about the arrangement. Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer! He¡¯s already on his way back!¡± The officers from the City Hall were visibly impatient, having waited for an hour. ¡°Mrs. Everett, you can take a look at the agreement first! If there are no issues, you can sign it now, and as soon as Mr. Everett returns, he can sign it directly.¡± Though Joanna was immensely anxious, she decided to sign the document regardless. She checked the time. She came to the realization that it was already 3:55 p.m. Bruce was known for his punctuality, particrly during significant events. Nevertheless, today she found him running an hour behind schedule. She fightly held her phone, preparing to call him and ask where he was. Ding! A new notification popped up on her phone, showing a piece of news. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She nced at the message. She then found the apanying picture, which showed Bruce¡¯s face. Startled by the sight, she clicked on the news link without hesitation. The link opened. A photo of Bruce carrying Aria in a hotel appeared. The title was even very suggestive. [Bruce Everett¡¯s New Love? Hours Spent at the Hotel] Boom! She felt like she had been struck by lightning and she did not react for a moment. ¡°Mrs. Everett¡­ Mrs. Everett¡­¡± Her blood rushed to her head, and her entire body felt numb. She realized that he had not gone to thepany. Instead, he had gone to the hotel to meet Aria. A man and a woman meeting in a hotel, alone¡­ She wondered if he wanted to have onest wild encounter with Aria before the wedding. ¡°Mrs. Everett, you may sign now! Once Mr. Everett returns, he can simply add his signature to the agreement, and it will be effective. You know, he adores you deeply. Throughout my many years as awyer, I have never witnessed such profound love for a spouse or someone who is so eager to sign an agreement¡­¡± Mr. Jameson said with a beaming smile and great pleasure. She snapped back to her senses and coldly uttered, ¡°You can leave now! We¡¯re not getting married today.¡± Mr. Jameson looked bewildered, thinking he must have misheard. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What, what did you say?¡± ¡°I said, we¡¯re not getting married today. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, please don¡¯t joke around. How can you cancel such an important matter just like that? Is this what Mr. Everett wants?¡± Mr. Jameson asked cautiously. He knew Mr. Everett would regret this! After all, only a fool would sign such a disadvantageous agreement. A wise man like Mr. Everett would do such a thing. ¡°Get out!¡± Chapter 749 Chapter 749 Chapter 749 Joanna¡¯s voice suddenly became emotional. At this point, she was like a hedgehog under attack, raising its quills in defense. Mr. Jameson and the officers exchanged awkward nces as they were taken aback. She had always been gentle and refined, after all. Therefore, her sudden loss of control left everyone puzzled. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Miranda, who was rmed, hurriedly approached to inquire. ¡°Everyone, get out!¡± Joanna shouted hoarsely. Before the echoes of her shout subsided, the hospital room door was forcefully pushed open. Bang! Bruce arrived, gasping for breath while his entire body was drenched in sweat. The white shirt clung to him, and sweat drops dripped down from his forehead in a steady stream. His face flushed, and he took deep breaths as his trembling legs carried him to the bedside. He had encountered heavy traffic on the way here. Without hesitation, he abandoned the car and ran for more than ten minutes to arrive as fast as possible. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯mte¡­¡± Mr. Jameson looked at him awkwardly, then at Joanna, ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ well, we¡­¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m really sorry. Luckily, the officers are still here. Let¡¯s proceed with the procedures right away!¡± He unbuttoned a couple of shirt buttons for venttion as he spoke. Joanna¡¯s eyes turned crimson, locking onto him with a spooky gaze. Seeing this, he felt a chill on his back and quickly apologized again. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ll exin to youter. Let¡¯s proceed with the remarriage procedure first!¡± Her gaze held a touch of ridicule as she uttered, ¡°No need!¡± With shock, he took two deep breaths to calm his pounding chest slightly. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be angry. I got held up earlier! Look, I rushed back as soon as I could. Please don¡¯t be upset¡­¡± As he spoke, he sat sideways on the hospital bed, tenderly reaching out to embrace her. ¡°Mr. Jameson, where¡¯s the agreement?¡± ¡°Oh, here it is!¡± Mr. Jameson hastily handed over the contract. With a cold snort, Joanna quickly snatched the document. Her eyes were filled with despair and emptiness now. She looked like a robot as she started tearing the agreement into pieces, bit by bit. Bruce, witnessing this, gasped in shock. He was indeed negligent earlier. When Aria, who was severely ill, conveyed herst wishes to him, he was overwhelmed with grief, losing track of time. ¡°Joann, what¡­ what are you doing?¡± ¡°Leave! All of you, get out!¡± Joanna muttered coldly, tossing the torn agreement at him. He became apprehensive in an instant, and he hurriedly embraced her, saying anxiously, ¡°Joann, what exactly happened? I know I waste, but there was an urgent matter that dyed me. I didn¡¯t mean to, okay? I¡¯ve alreadye back as soon as I could. Being an hour early orte doesn¡¯t make much difference, does it? There¡¯s no need to be so angry. Please, let¡¯s not make a scene. There are people watching!¡± Her beautiful eyes turned cold, fixing on him with resentment and despair. ¡°Haha¡­ Bruce! You are disgusting. I should never have trusted you again! A man like you doesn¡¯t deserve my love.¡± He was astonished by her words, looking at her with disbelief. ¡°Joann, I shouldn¡¯t have beente. I deserve punishment! We talked about being understanding and amodating to each other just yesterday, right? Can you just forgive me?¡± ¡°Haha!¡± She let out a bitterugh, unlocked her phone, and showed him the news about him carrying Aria. ¡°So, the important matter you mentioned was meeting your first love, right? Haha! Onest indulgence before the wedding, huh? Wow, it must have been so intense. Otherwise, she would not have passed out. Was she so irresistible? Did she make you burn with desire?¡± She red at him coldly. After all, he had always been dominant in bed. Therefore, it was not unusual for him to get worked up and cause someone to faint. In the early days of their marriage, after he had wed Joanna, he inisunderstood her, believing she was ying tricks on him. Consequently, he would often resort to sex as a means to punish her. This often left her feeling tortured and unconscious. And now¡­ Having abstained from women for such a long time, it was natural that he found the temptation irresistible. Besides, his first love had taken the initiative to deliver herself to him; therefore, it would be strange if he had not cheated. His heart sank as he hastily looked at the content shown on the phone. In the picture, he appeared anxious as he carried Aria. Moreover, the headline was quite suggestive. Boom! N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Seeing the photo, his mind went nk. ¡°Joann, let me exin. It¡¯s not what you think!¡± ¡°What else is there to exin? Was it thrilling? Enjoyable? Satisfying?¡± Joanna spoke very vulgarly, using words she had never uttered before. She had never used suchnguage before. His eyes flickered, and he stared at her in a daze. ¡°Mr. Eyerett, we¡­ we should leave now. Once you and Ms. Haynes decide on a date, we can arrange another meeting.¡± Mr. Jameson and the staff, who would rather not stay, quickly exited the room. ¡°All of you, leave now!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Miranda and the servants were frightened, leaving the scene with their heads down. After everyone had left¡­ Bruce¡¯s eyes reddened with tears as he frantically tried to exin, ¡°Joann, it¡¯s not what you think. You have misunderstood. I¡¯m not as casual as you think. I swear I have not touched another woman ever since your return. If I lied, may I be struck by lightning and never find peace in death. I swear! If I lied, may I be burned in hell! You must listen to my exnation. Aria is¡­¡± ¡°p!¡± A crisp p echoed. Joanna pped him hard, instantly entering a hysterical state. ¡°Bruce, get out! I never want to see you again! Get out!¡± ¡°Joann, calm down!¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Her shout became a high-pitched scream while her whole body trembled uncontrobly. Years of restraint and grievances erupted like a volcano at that moment. ¡°Get out! Ahh!¡± Her piercing scream echoed through the entire hospital. She had lost her sanity. Throwing off the covers, she leaped off the bed and grabbed whatever she could find. Like a madwoman, she hurled a water ss, tes, and anything else within reach at him. ng! Bang! His forehead was cut open, causing blood to gush out instantly. ng! Bang! The ss coffee table was overturned and the coffee set on it shattered all over the floor. Joann, don¡¯t do this. Calm down¡­¡± ¡°Get out! Get out!¡± She lost control, stomping on the shattered ss as she rushed toward him, ready to throw punches. Her delicate, fair feet were now covered in blood from the shards of ss. ¡°Joann, please stop. Joann, you can hit me, but don¡¯t harm yourself!¡± He was terrified, quickly lifting her in his arms. ¡°Let me go! Let go!¡± Her eyes were crimson now. Since she was being held by him, she could not break free. Bang! Bang! Bang! She fiercely rammed her forehead against his as though she was determined to take her life. Men¡¯s bones were born stronger than women¡¯s, however¡­ He was unharmed after the impact, but her forehead turned ck and blue, swelling up instantly. Her head was cut open, and her nose was also bleeding. Both of them were bleeding profusely, blood dripping down their cheeks. ¡°Joann, please don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± He felt a heart-wrenching pain and had no choice but to lift her onto the bed, tightly restraining her hands. ¡°Bruce, let me go!¡± She screamed in anguish, struggling as if her life depended on it. She did not want to live anymore. She could not ept his betrayal. If she had notpletely given her heart to him, she would not have had such high expectations. But¡­ He weaved a beautiful dream of love for her. Just when she started to believe in love again, he ruthlessly exposed the ugly act of betrayal. She supposed that there was no love between them at all. It was all fake. It was so deceitful and cruel. ¡°Joanna, can you calm down and listen to me?¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡± She was gasping for breath. Only ten days had passed since she had given birth. Therefore, the incision on her abdomen had just started to heal while the stitches had not yet been removed. Her agitation had caused an immediate gush of blood from her incision. The pain was excruciating, making her feel as if she were undergoing torture. Right now, her body contorted in agony. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± Frightened by her reaction, he quickly let go of her. ¡°Get someone! Somebody! Help!¡± The servants hurriedly entered the ward as soon as they heard the shouts from outside. ¡°Bang!¡± The door was mmed open. Miranda and two servants ran in. Chapter 750 Chapter 750 Chapter 750 ¡°Ah? What is going on?¡± Miranda was utterly shocked by the scene. Earlier, she had a strong feeling that something was about to go wrong. Joanna¡¯s bleeding seemed unstoppable. In the meantime, the incision on her abdomen had ruptured, drenching the once pristine snow-white nightgown in a pool of crimson blood. Boom! Witnessing the scene, Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He let out a terrified roar, shouting, ¡°Call a doctor! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Oh, right¡± Miranda eximed in a state of panic, rushing outside to call for help. ¡°Joann, please calm down. Listen to me, I was taking Aria to the hospital because she is seriously ill. There was absolutely nothing between her and me!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Joanna convulsed in excruciating pain, curling up into a ball and coughing up blood repeatedly. Earlier, she had strained herself too much while yelling, causing the capiries in her air pipe to burst, resulting in continuous bleeding. It turned out that one could cough up blood when pushed to the extreme. The unbearable sensation surged through her, making her feel as if every cell in her body was engulfed in agony. As he beheld her in this condition, Bruce was engulfed by fear, and his voice quivered as he called out, ¡°Joann! Joann! Please, Joann¡­¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± The relentless coughing persisted, causing her entire jaw to be covered with red blood. Her once pale face now turned ashen, and she felt as if every inch of her body was being ripped apart. ¡°Doctor! Doctor! Hurry! Get help!¡± He screamed once more, his temples pulsating with prominent veins, and tears flowing uncontrobly from his eyes. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not what you think, eh? Please don¡¯t hurt yourself!¡± He began consoling her desperately. At that moment, he sensed himself teetering on the edge of a breakdown. He was absolutely terrified now. The thought of Joanna¡¯s potential death left him questioning the purpose of his own existence. He now regretted meeting Aria. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would never have gone to see her. ¡°Gah¡­¡± Joanna writhed in pain, coughing up another mouthful of blood. A distressing, dreadful stain materialized on the once pristine white bedsheets. Witnessing the sight, fear overwhelmed him, and he acted frantically, using his hand to wipe the fresh blood from the corners of her mouth. ¡°Joann, please don¡¯t scare me! You¡¯ll be fine! It¡¯ll be okay! I was wrong. I am to me! Please don¡¯t torment yourself¡­¡± He knew she would be angry, but he never expected her to be furious. In fact, she was already enduring severe depression, perpetually trapped in a state of anxiety and unease. Ever since Bruce¡¯s incident, she had been holding on solely by sheer willpower. Whenever she felt overwhelmed, thoughts of her children and Bruce lying in the hospital bed helped her find the strength to keep going. By doing that, she could make herself hold on. But now, she could not bear it any longer. The repeated deception, disappointment, and betrayal¡­ No one could endure that kind of pain. Two minutester. The doctor and nurses hastily rushed to the ward. As they beheld the scene before them, fear and unease etched across their faces. ¡°Oh my, how did this happen?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions! Hurry up and save her!¡± Bruce roared in anger. ¡°Right!¡± The doctor quickly stepped forward to examine the patient. Joanna writhed and struggled, desperately fighting for her life. ¡°Let go¡­ let go of me¡­ Cough, cough¡­ Mommy, Mommy, save me¡­¡± She kept calling for her mother. In fact, her mother passed away when she was only twelve years old. In her delirium, she had subconsciously forgotten that her mother had passed away long ago. In her mind, only her mother loved her genuinely, only her mother treated her kindly, and only her mother could protect her. Those on the verge of death would often call their mothers. Hearing her cries, Bruce could not help but burst into tears as his heart ached immensely. Regret consumed him. If he had known that she would suffer such immense harm, he would never have gone to see Aria. So what if Aria had cancer? Even if she died, he would feel sad at most. However, if Joanna died, he would not be able to go on living. ¡°The patient is too agitated. Administer a tranquilizer immediately.¡± ¡°Bruce, let go of me! Let go of me!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna screamed in pain again, clutching her abdomen and rolling in agony. Her once pristine nightgown was now covered in blood. ¡°Joann, I beg you. Please don¡¯t do this! Please! Try to stay calm!¡± ¡°Hold her down and give her a tranquilizer.¡± Soon. Two nurses stepped forward to restrain Joanna, allowing the doctor to inject a tranquilizer into her arm. The injection soon took effect. In less than ten seconds, her body went limp, and she fell into a deep slumber. ¡°The patient¡¯s incision has burst open. We need to treat it immediately. Arrange for surgery right away¡­¡± Bruce snapped back to reality, tightly gripping the doctor¡¯s arm as he pleaded, ¡°Doctor, you must save her! You have to save her, eh? Don¡¯t let anything happen to her! She has to be okay!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please rest assured. We will do everything we can. Now, hurry up and send the patient to the operating room¡­¡± Without a moment of dy, the well-trained nurses lifted Joanna onto a stretcher, hurriedly wheeling her toward the operating room. ¡°Joann, you must hold on. I will be with you all the way.¡± Bruce tightly held Joanna¡¯s hand as he ran alongside the stretcher. Outside the operating room. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can¡¯t go inside. Please wait outside.¡± ¡°No, I have to go inside. I want to stay with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t go inside,¡± the nurse said solemnly, closing the door of the operating room. He felt utterly lost at that moment. He sank into a chair, sobbing with his head in his hands as his emotion became uncontainable. ¡°Joann¡­¡± His crying was so intense that he almost passed out. Throughout his entire life, he had never cried like this. Even when his parents passed away, he only shed silent tears. But now, he was crying desperately with regret. If he had known that she would suffer so much, he would never have gone to see Aria. So what if Aria had cancer? She was just a first love after all. Even if she died, he would feel sad at most. However, if Joanna died, he would not be able to go on living. Inside the operating room. Joanna was hastily brought into the operating room, where the doctors promptly treated her injury. ¡°The incision has burst open. We need to remove the stitches and suture it again. Get the hemostatic forceps, and give her oxygen immediately¡­¡± She was too agitated just now, causing the previously healed incision topletely reopen. The injury to her uterus was exceptionally severe, necessitating another surgery. Meanwhile, her cut feet continued bleeding. The doctor carried out the surgery in a hurry. Outside the operating room. Bruce was in deep anguish, while Miranda and several other servants were also in tears. Today was meant to be a joyous wedding day. The servants had adorned the ward in advance, eager to celebrate the couple¡¯s reunion. However¡­ It turned into a tragic and heart-wrenching ordeal unexpectedly Two hourster. The exhausted physician emerged from the operating room. Bruce¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying, and everything seemed blurry before him. His voice was hoarse as he asked, ¡°Doctor, how is she doing?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, the injury has been treated, and she is fine at the moment. However, she remains in critical condition. In case ofplications, I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce staggered a little. ¡°We must minimize her pain. Please use all possible means to help her.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please rest assured. We will provide the best treatment to the patient. However, Mrs. Everett¡¯s highly agitated, so it would be best to have her consult with a psychologist. Otherwise, even the best treatment may not be effective.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Soon after, Joanna was wheeled into the intensive care unit. Bruce followed along. Shey on the hospital bed. She was wearing an oxygen mask and had an IV line in her arm. Meanwhile, she looked pale and lifeless. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. She appeared extremely unwell. ck and blue could be observed on her pale face, making her look like a deceased person in a mortuary. Seeing her like this, his heart ached immensely that it felt as if it was about to shatter into pieces. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m terribly sorry!¡± He knelt by the bedside, unable to control his tears of anguish. He did not mean to hurt her, and he would much rather take the pain for her. He had made a firm decision: if Joanna died, he would ce thepany¡¯s assets into a trust fund and ensure the well-being of their children¡¯s lives. Then, he would join her in death. On the hospital bed. Joanna remained unconscious for several hours. ¡°Mummy¡­ Mummy¡­¡± she kept murmuring in her dreams. In her dream, she happily snuggled in her mother¡¯s embrace. Throughout her life, her mother had showered her with love, allowing her to experience true happiness. Despite growing up without her father¡¯s presence, she still managed to lead a carefree and joyful life. Unfortunately¡­ At the age of twelve, her mother¡¯s depression worsened and eventually turned into cancer. Since her mother¡¯s passing, she was taken in by the Haynes family. While she was with the Haynes family, Joanna was always cautious, striving to please everyone to the best of her abilities. Chapter 751 Chapter 751 Chapter 751 However, even though she was exceptionally obedient and docile, she was still not epted by this family. Ingrid regarded her as a thorn in her side and made things difficult for her. People often said that as long as there was a stepmother, there would be a stepfather. In addition, Joanna hadn¡¯t been with Shaun since he was young, so her father did not have much parental affection for Joanna. So, at the age of 13, she was sent to boarding school and only was carried back home on holidays. ¡°Mommy¡­ I miss you¡­¡± Joanna fell into a dream of being protected by her mother, unwilling to wake up. Bruce felt extremely upset, he held her hand and could not stop crying. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯ve let you down! ¡°I really didn¡¯t know you would be so hurt. If I had known this would happen, I would never have gone to see her!¡± ¡°Joann, Joann¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± Looking at Joanna, who was on the verge of death and covered in wounds, his heart ached so much that he almost could not breathe. Hisrge hands kept stroking her hair, wishing he could hold her in his hands like a treasure tofort her pain. Thinking about the damage he had done to her, he felt even more regretful. He clearly wanted to make it up to her and love her more. However, it was as if he had been possessed and hurt her all over again and again. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m really sorry. I really, really deserve to die. I shouldn¡¯t have let you be so hurt. And I shouldn¡¯t be so close to another woman¡­¡± Bruce cried as he spoke. His eyes were swollen like walnuts, and he wished he could kill himself to atone for his sins. The girl he loved the most had been tortured to this state by him. Even though she had just given birth and was supposed to be at her fattest, she was pitifully thin. She was lying on the hospital bed like a small ball. She was as weak as dew on a leaf and a breath could crush her into pieces. But she used to be happy, healthy, and energetic. In just a few years, she had be like this. She was like apletely different person from before. As time flies, more than ten hours passed. Joanna had been running a high fever and was in aa. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mommy, please don¡¯t go, please don¡¯t go¡­¡± Joanna was still trapped in the dream.. This dreamsted for a long time. It was so warm and safe that she did not want to wake up no matter what. In the dream, her mother had made her her favorite dumplings andbed her cute ponytail. In the end, her mother looked at her kindly and said reluctantly, ¡°Joann, it¡¯s time for Mommy to leave. You must take good care of yourself.¡± As she spoke, she gently rubbed her head. ¡°Mommy, I want to go with you. Where are you going? Don¡¯t leave me behind¡­¡± Joanna reached out weakly and tried her best to grab her. ¡°Joann, you can¡¯t go where Mommy is going. ¡°Love yourself well. Mommy won¡¯t be by your side, so you have to take good care of yourself. Mommy really should go¡­¡± Her mother¡¯s voice became fainter and fainter, and her appearance became more and more blurry. Gradually, she disappeared, and everything in front of her became nk. ¡°Mommy¡­ Mommy¡­¡± Joanna ran around looking for her. As she ran, she missed a step. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna was shocked and suddenly woke up from her dream. ¡°Joann! You¡¯re finally awake!¡± Bruce had been guarding the bed. His eyes were as red as blood, and his eye sockets were swollen. Joanna coughed weakly. Her breathing was as dry as if she was being roasted by a fire. ¡°¡­Mommy, water¡­ water¡­ where am I¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he hurriedly staggered to get up and pour a cup of warm water. ¡°Joann, here.¡± ¡°Where am I? Where¡¯s Mommy? Mommy!¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°Joann, we¡¯re in the hospital!¡± As he spoke, he carefully ced the cup in front of her mouth. Joanna took almost three minutes to recover. Only then did she graduallye back to her sense, and she saw that the person in front of her was Bruce. She instantly became agitated again and struggled while coughing and panting. ¡°Bruce¡­ Fuck off..¡± Bruce was stunned. His voice was hoarse as he begged, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so agitated. You¡¯re seriously injured now. Don¡¯t be too agitated, lest your wound opens again!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Her chest was in so much pain that it seemed like it was about to split open. Her voice was weak and filled with hatred. ¡°Fuck off¡­ I don¡¯t want to see you¡­¡± ¡± As she spoke, Joanna struggled to sit up and became even more anxious. ¡°Joann, please, don¡¯t move!¡± Bruce was anxious and wanted to hold her hand down to prevent her from moving. But she was now like a ss that had been glued together. A light touch would instantly turn her into a pile of broken pieces. He didn¡¯t dare to anger her, and he was even more afraid that she would do something to hurt herself again. ¡°Joann, please. Give me a minute to exin.¡± As Bruce spoke, his knees went weak. He knelt heavily at the head of the bed and looked at Joanna helplessly and painfully with his scarlet eyes. ¡°Just give me a minute. After listening to me, I¡¯ll go out immediately and disappear from your sight.¡± Joanna did not want to listen to his apology anymore. Her eyes were filled with despair. She didn¡¯t want to see him at all now. Even just looking at him made her heart ache so much that she couldn¡¯t breathe. This man was a demon! A devil! He was the King of Hell! She shouldn¡¯t have loved him, let alone been deceived by him, and she shouldn¡¯t have believed his nonsense again and again. ¡°Joann, Aria had brain cancer. I was sending her to the hospital. ¡°I only went to see her to send her off. I definitely don¡¯t have any romantic feelings for her. If I lie to you, I¡¯ll die a horrible death¡­ ¡°Aria really had brain cancer. I only saw her for thest time out of sympathy. I was afraid that you would be angry, so I didn¡¯t dare to tell you. ¡°That photo in the media was when I sent her to the hospital. Joann, haven¡¯t you always been the softest and kindest? Haven¡¯t you always hoped that I would be a good person? ¡°I was really just sympathizing with her. I definitely didn¡¯t have any other thoughts. I have no rtionship with her at all. If I lie to you, I¡¯ll die immediately.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ off¡­¡± Joanna was unwilling to listen to him at all. So what if what he said was true? She didn¡¯t know Aria, nor did she have any rtionship with her. There was no need for her to sympathize with her, let alone be magnanimous enough to allow her husband to pity another woman. He could sympathize with Aria. He could spend money to treat her illness and find the best doctor for her. However, he could have left it to his subordinates to do it instead of rushing to be the escort himself like a bootlicker. So Joanna could not forgive him. She would rather die than get back together with him. ng! ng! Joanna knocked down the IV stand. ¡°Fuck off¡­ I don¡¯t want to see you ever again!¡± Joanna shouted at the top of her lungs as she struggled to sit up. However, she failed andy back down weakly and helplessly. The pain all over her body made her gasp. She no longer had the strength to struggle. She also forcefully pulled out the syringe on her wrist. Because she did not press the needle hole in time to stop the bleeding, blood kept flowing out like dark red beads. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s scalp went numb. He hurriedly went forward to press the needle mark to stop the bleeding. ¡°Joann, please calm down! ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself anymore. After you recover, you can hit me, punish me, and even kill me. I beg you not to hurt yourself now!¡± ¡°Bruce, fuck off!¡± Joanna roared weakly, trembling on the verge of copse. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll go now. Don¡¯t be so agitated¡­¡± Joanna was too agitated. He did not dare to stay any longer in case he agitated her. Then he left the ward. Bruce quickly went to look for a doctor. ¡°Doctor, doctor, she¡¯s awake. Come quickly.¡± Two minutester. The doctor and nurse rushed to the ward. Joanna had already rolled from the hospital bed to the ground, squirming helplessly. ¡°Hurry up and inject another tranquilizer into the patient.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡± With the injection of the potion, Joanna fell asleep again. ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient is very agitated now. You need to find a psychiatrist to counsel her immediately. If this continues, no treatment will work.¡± When Bruce heard this, he fell onto the stool dejectedly. His mind was nk. How did it end up like this? It had not been easy for him and Joanna to get this far. It was all over now. Going to the hotel to see Aria was the stupidest and most regretful thing he had ever done Chapter 752 Chapter 752 Chapter 752 The doctors and nurses in the hospital also looked worried. ¡°Oh my god, Mr. Everett has been crying so much these past two days that his eyes are swollen. It¡¯s simply¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t expect a man like him to cry like that. How did this happen?¡± A young nurse looked regretful. Some time ago, after Joanna sessfully gave birth to a son, Mr. Everett was happy and directly gave each of them a big tip of 20 thousand dors. Everyone in the obstetrics and gynecology department had it, even including the cleaner. Of course! This was not a bribe, but a good wish. The hospital allowed them to ept the money. Therefore, when they found out that Mr. Everett and Joanna were about to get married, they were all very happy. They were also waiting for Mr. Everett to give them another big tip. Unfortunately, the money was gone. What awaited them was a tragedy. A plump middle-aged nurse gossiped, ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you see the news? It seems that Mr. Everett has a new lover. That¡¯s why Ms. Haynes is so hurt. He was caught red-handed in the hotel. The Inte has been in an uproar for the past two days. Didn¡¯t you see the news? Tsk, tsk, tsk. This news is really shocking¡­¡± ¡°How can I not see such big news? I really don¡¯t know what these rich people are thinking. None of them are willing to live a stable life with their family.¡± ¡°Well, this man just likes the new and hates the old. He loves everyone he sees. He will never be satisfied.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes has already given birth to four children for him, and he still has to find another mistress outside. Moreover, it¡¯s during the period of Ms. Haynes¡¯s postpartum recovery. I think no woman can stand such a matter.¡± When the older nurse heard this, she snorted, ¡°That¡¯s how rich people are. They might not be happy even if they¡¯re very rich.¡± ¡°If it were me, I would be willing to just find an ordinary man and live a peaceful and loving life with him.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know if Ms. Haynes can make it this time. I heard that she has copsed. Her uterus is severely damaged. She probably won¡¯t be able to give birth in the future.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Anyway, she¡¯s already had four children. Even if she can¡¯t have children in the future, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that this blow was too great. That day, I went into the ward to take a look at the scene. It was really tragic. There was blood all over the ground. It was a shocking sight.¡± ¡°Stop talking! I hope Ms. Haynes can be more optimistic. A man like Mr. Everett must be a yboy. If she can ignore it, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being a richdy.¡± ¡°After all, Mr. Everett is so rich. If it were me, I would definitely ignore it. Who cares which woman he goes to? As long as he gives me enough money, I won¡¯t make any trouble.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just afraid that Joanna will take things too hard!¡± A few nurses could not help but whisper to each other¡­. In Greyport Hospital. ¡°Beep, beep, beep¡­. ¡°The number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter.¡± Aria stayed in the hospital for a couple of days and called Bruce so many times. However, without exception, she couldn¡¯t get in touch with him. She didn¡¯t know what had happened to him. She only knew that Bruce left her in the hospital and never showed up again. This made her feel extremely depressed and sad. Originally, she thought that Bruce would apany her at all costs when he found out that she had cancer and would spend thest days of her life with her. Unfortunately, he was still so cruel to her. [Bruce, I¡¯ve already booked a flight this afternoon. I¡¯ll go back to Antlen at 2 p.m. today. Thank you for taking care of me. Take care. Goodbye.] Aria sent a message to Bruce through Messenger. Moreover, she had specifically told him the exact time and ce that she will leave. She wanted him to ask her to stay, but more than that, she wanted him to apany her. At the same time, she despised Joanna¡¯s pettiness. ¡°How could she argue with a dying person like me?¡± she thought. ¡°Bruce, are you really that heartless? You¡¯re not even willing to apany me on thest journey of my life?¡± After Aria finished muttering to herself, tears streamed down her face. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be! ¡°Bruce wouldn¡¯t be so heartless to me. He loves me, I know that. ¡°It must be his wife who stopped him froming to see me and apanying me! Aria couldn¡¯t help but sneer. She was filled with disdain for Joanna from the bottom of her heart. ¡°That bitch. ¡°She was so petty and calctive. ¡°If it were me, I was definitely willing to let my husband help a dying person achieve thest wish. ¡°I was about to die, so I would not pose a threat to Joanna¡¯s life at all. ¡°Even if Bruce apanied me to thest journey of my life, it would not exceed half a year at most. ¡°And Joanna still had a lifetime to be by his side,¡± she thought. At the airport. Aria kept observing behind her, hoping that Bruce would suddenly appear. Unfortunately, it was almost time to board the ne, but Bruce still did not appear.Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Leo urged again, ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s time.¡± Aria still sat there in a daze, wanting to wait and see. She was looking forward to a miracle. She hoped that Bruce woulde at thest moment and say to her, ¡°Aria, stay!¡± ¡°Aria, we really can¡¯t wait any longer. The ne is about to take off.¡± Leo patted her shoulder again and urged her to get on the ne. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Aria slowly stood up and walked towards the boarding gate. Standing at the boarding gate, Aria suddenly stopped. She said solemnly, ¡°Leo, I think you can go back first. I want to stay for a few more days!¡± When Leo heard this, he looked at her in surprise. Aria looked worried. ¡°I suddenly remembered that I have something very important to do. I still have to stay for a few more days. You can leave first.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already stayed for more than a week. Let¡¯s go back quickly!¡± ¡°No, you go first! I really can¡¯t leave!¡± When Leo heard this, he looked at her helplessly. ¡°If you don¡¯t leave, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No. You should go back to the research institute first and help me apply for a few days of leave. ¡°I still have some private matters to deal with. If I don¡¯t handle them well, I¡¯ll have regrets for the rest of my life.¡± When Leo heard this, he couldn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°Alright then! Take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± With that, Leo turned around and left. The academic conference here had already ended, so he had to hurry back. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t from the organization, so he didn¡¯t know what Aria wanted to do. Aria decided to stay. She was about to die and didn¡¯t want to waste too much time. Her time was too precious. Every day was a countdown. If Joanna happily let Bruce apany her on thest journey of her life, she would bless Bruce and Joanna before she died. At the same time, she would wish them all the best. But now, she suddenly hated Joanna. ¡°Beep, beep, beep¡­¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help but call Bruce again. ¡°The number you have dialed is unavable!¡± Aria was stunned. She did not understand why Bruce would disappear for no reason. He didn¡¯t even answer the phone. She had already called several times. After thinking for a while, she could only call Darcy. Darcy had helped her arrange amodation before, so she had Darcy¡¯s number. ¡°Beep, beep, beep¡­¡± Darcy picked up the phone very quickly. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Mr. Juke, I¡¯m Aria.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was a little uneasy. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter?¡± When Darcy heard Aria¡¯s voice, his attitude was a little angry. ¡°Um, is Bruce in the office now? Why haven¡¯t I been able to contact him? Did something happen?¡± When Darcy heard this, he felt even more disgusted. ¡°What do you want for Mr. Everett?¡± Aria pondered for a few seconds and stammered, ¡°Oh, is it convenient for him to answer the call? I have something urgent to talk to him about!¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Bridges, you¡¯re really shameless. ¡°Being a mistress is not a glorious thing. You will suffer retribution for deliberately destroying someone else¡¯s family,¡± Darcy replied bluntly. Aria was stunned. ¡°Mr. Darcy, what do you mean by that?¡± Darcy sneered and said gloomily, ¡°Miss Bridges, if you have any shame, stop pestering Mr. Everett. You knew that he and Miss Haynes were about to get married, but you still deliberately pestered Mr. Everett! ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡± Darcy swallowed the word ¡°shameless¡±. Aria felt a chill down her spine. ¡°That¡¯s it. Stop pestering Mr. Everett! Miss Haynes was so badly harmed by you!¡± Darcy said and hung up. Chapter 753 Chapter 753 Chapter 753 ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Aria thought. Aria was stunned for a long time and decided to go to the hospital to take a look. She had gone to the hospital to see Joanna before and guessed that Bruce must be in that hospital too. In the Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. Joanna¡¯s emotions were agitated. She was in a state of anxiety and could not calm down at all. The doctor had no choice but to inject another tranquilizer into her and make her fall asleep again. For the past two days, she had not drunk nor eaten. She relied on glucose and nutrient solution. Half an hourter, the doctor gave Joanna medicine again and checked it carefully. After confirming that it was fine, he walked out of the intensive care unit with a serious expression. Bruce was waiting anxiously outside the ward, feeling extremely nervous. Joanna¡¯s personality was soft on the outside but tough on the inside. She was sensitive, weak, and stubborn. It was casier to get to a dead end. When she was angry, she was very difficult to coax. Such a personality was clearly very unlikable. However, he was possessed, like a ferocious beast that she had subdued. As the two of them fought again and again, they confronted each other again and again. He¡­ waspletely defeated. He was clearly an unruly and domineering person, but in front of Joanna, he could not be unruly no matter what. In reality, there was no such thing as a peaceful life after falling in love at first sight. Love needs to be forged time and time again before both of them would bleed. Only when they made it through would their love be stronger. A man like him was like a wolf that needed to be tamed. It was just that the process of taming was very painful, and there was a high chance that he would be crushed to pieces. ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient¡¯s external injuries have been treated. ¡°We used less medicine this time. She will wake up in about an hour or two. I¡¯ve already arranged for a psychiatrist toe over. After the patient wakes up, we have to give her psychological treatment.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. You muste up with the best and most professional treatment method.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry.¡± The doctor nodded slightly at him and walked towards the office. Bruce took a deep breath and walked into the intensive care unit with tears in his eyes. On the hospital bed, Joanna was still lying lifeless like a soulless doll. Her skinny appearance made one¡¯s heartache and sad. Bruce¡¯s legs felt like they were filled with lead. He walked to the bed with difficulty. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Bruce leaned against the headboard and sobbed. ¡°After all we¡¯ve been through, are you still doubting my love for you? ¡°If I had known this would happen, I really wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Joanna did not react at all andy unconscious. As the old saying goes, ¡°Rome was not frozen in a day.¡± Deep down, she had umted too much disappointment and distrust for him. This time, it was just a collective outburst. An hourter, the door to the intensive care unit was pushed open. A nurse walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Bridges is here! She said she¡¯s your friend and wants to see you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised his head slightly and then looked down sadly. ¡°No, let her go back.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± the nurse replied and quickly went out. Bruce closed his eyes. His face seemed to be covered in ayer of frost that could not be melted. ¡°What did it have to do with me whether she came or not?¡± he thought. Now that things had turned out like this, he was no longer in the mood to show mercy to Aria. When he went to the hotel to see her being photographed, he was already filled with regret. Outside the ward. The nurse said politely to Aria, ¡°Miss Bridges, Mr. Everett just said that he doesn¡¯t have time to see first!¡± When Aria heard this, she was subconsciously stunned. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait here! When he¡¯s free, we can meet.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± The nurse did not refuse and went straight to the nurses¡¯ station. Aria raised her spirits slightly and sat down on the stool with a heavy heart. you. Please go back This was not a VIP ward, so there were still many peopleing and going. A few nurses couldn¡¯t help but point at Aria. ¡°Look, that¡¯s the mistress. She actually dared toe to the hospital to look for Mr. Everett. How shameless!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that she¡¯s a very professional biology expert. I didn¡¯t expect her character to be so bad¡­¡± ¡°She looks refined and beautiful. But she actually specializes in seducing other people¡¯s husbands.¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Aria also felt the strange gazes of others and felt ufortable. Half an hourter. When he found out that Aria was still waiting for him, Bruce asked the servants to chase her out again. At this juncture, how could he dare to see her again? What if Joanna woke up and found out that Aria was here? Who knew how agitated she would be? Miranda personally came out to chase her away. She looked at Aria coldly. ¡°Miss Bridges, Mr. Everett asks you to go back first. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have time to see you now. Don¡¯t waste your time here.¡± Aria sized up Miranda and said gently, ¡°I came to visit Ms. Haynes and exin the misunderstanding to her.¡± She roughly knew about Joanna just now. Knowing that Joanna had suffered a huge blow, she still felt a little guilty. After all, it was not an honorable thing to bebeled as a mistress. A lofty and arrogant person like her would naturally not be willing to be recognized as a mistress. Even if she wanted to be with Bruce, she had to do it openly. ¡°Miss Bridges, there¡¯s no need for that. ¡°Because of you, Joann has already lost half her life. She even canceled their marriage. ¡°It¡¯s a little inappropriate for you to stay here!¡± Miranda still tried her best to be polite and did not say anything too unpleasant. ¡°What? Was their marriage registration canceled? ¡°Then I can¡¯t leave. I have to exin it to Ms. Haynes! ¡°This is between me and Ms. Haynes. Don¡¯t interfere. Thank you for your understanding.¡± Aria finished speaking unhurriedly and ignored Miranda. When Miranda heard this, she could only shut 1. After all, she was only a servant. With her eloquence, how could shepare to a highly intelligent elite like Aria? With just a few words, she was rendered speechless. Another hourter, Joanna woke up in a daze. The doctors and psychologists were also guarding her. ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient is about to wake up. Please leave first.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Bruce saw that Joanna had woken up. Although he really wanted to stay and apany her, he was afraid that she would be agitated again, so he could only quickly leave the ward. He had just left the ward dejectedly. Aria walked over. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce nced at her coldly. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°I¡­ I was worried about you, so I came to take a look.¡± Bruce frowned as an indescribably gloomy expression appeared on his face. ¡°Bruce, did your wife misunderstand us? I specially came to exin to her personally. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t mean to ruin your rtionship. Please let me exin to Ms. Haynes in person and ask for her forgiveness.¡± Bruce replied impatiently, ¡°No need. You can go back first.¡± ¡°No, I want to exin it to Ms. Haynes in person. I can¡¯t let him misunderstand you like this.¡± Aria looked at Bruce gently with an understanding expression. ¡°I said no need to exin. Leave!¡± ¡°I only found out about such a serious misunderstanding after reading the news online today. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out like this. I just¡­¡± As Aria spoke, tears instantly filled her eyes. Bruce was groggy and annoyed. ¡°Please go!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria looked at him gently and weakly, as if she was about to cry. Seeing this, Bruce felt even more disgusted. ¡°I told you to leave. Don¡¯t you understand? ¡°Leave me the fuck alone!¡± Aria looked at Bruce in surprise. She never expected Bruce to swear at her. His tone was also so bad. ¡°Bruce, I¡­ You¡¯re ming me, aren¡¯t you? I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. If I¡¯ve affected you, I¡¯m deeply sorry. ¡°I really just wanted to exin it to your wife. Once it¡¯s exined, she won¡¯t be angry with you anymore.¡± Bruce¡¯s face was filled with hostility as he said impatiently, ¡°Can you stop talking? I told you to leave. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Chapter 754 Chapter 754 Chapter 754 Aria¡¯s heart ached as she looked at Bruce sadly. Was this still the elegant and gentlemanly man she remembered? Indeed, when he was a student in the past, he was very gentlemanly. However, ever since he dropped out of school, he came into society too early. Moreover, the moment he went into society, he was faced with mutual deception about the business world and all sorts of difficult missions sent by the organization. He faced heavy pressure from all walks of life. He had long been smithed beyond recognition. He was no longer the young and happy boy from before. Instead, he was a man filled with ruthlessness and decisiveness. Aria was still stunned. Bruce didn¡¯t want to say anything else. He took the cigarette and walked out of the corridor. He was extremely annoyed and regretted it. Why did he always make such a low-level mistake? Or perhaps, in his subconscious mind, he did not think that this was a mistake at all. However, Joanna was too serious and did not trust him enough. After a while, the doctor also walked out of the ward. ¡°Mr. Everett, the patient is now suffering from severe depression and anxiety. She needs regr psychological counseling and medical treatment. ¡°During this period of time, she can¡¯t suffer any more stimtion. And she has to maintain a comfortable and calm mood. Otherwise, the subsequent treatment will be very difficult. ¡°Moreover, Miss Haynes had suffered from serious depression before. It¡¯s in a worsening stage now. We can¡¯t ignore it anymore!¡± the doctor said. ¡°¡­ I understand. ¡°Then¡­ what kind of treatment should we do now?¡± Bruce asked with a heavy heart. Joanna had been taking medicine for depression for many years. Her body was already unable to bear the burden. He had put in so much effort to get the Haynes Group away from her just so that she could set aside her workpletely and take good care of her body. Of course, it was also to control her by his side. He always thought that he had made the best n for Joanna. However, the result was counterproductive and self-defeating. Every time, he would do something bad out of goodwill, causing the two of them to go against each other. The psychiatrist¡¯s face was solemn. ¡°For the next few days, don¡¯t show up for the time being, lest you agitate the patient¡¯s emotions. ¡°Now, we have to calm the patient down before we can do the follow-up treatment. ¡°If you appear rashly, it will aggravate the patient¡¯s condition.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached even more. He wanted to exin everything to her so that she wouldn¡¯t misunderstand him. He had no rtionship with Aria at all, nor did he have any feelings for her. Still, he couldn¡¯t me her. It was indeed easy for people to misunderstand that a man and a woman were together in a hotel. Moreover, it was on the day of their wedding. It would be strange if Joanna didn¡¯t hate him. ¡°I understand. You have to enlighten her properly and not let her hurt herself again. ¡°If she gets hurt again or does anything to hurt herself, you will all be unemployed,¡± Bruce said. His eyes suddenly shed with a sinister look. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry. We will try our best. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go make preparations first! We¡¯ll report the subsequent treatment methods to you in detail.¡± After the doctor finished speaking, he quickly found an excuse and left. After the doctor left, Bruce leaned against the wall in exhaustion. He had not slept for two days. All of a sudden, Aria walked over again and looked at him carefully. ¡°Bruce, can we talk again?¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± Aria looked sad. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t want you and your wife to misunderstand. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t have appeared, and I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ made such a request of you. I regret it very much now, I really regret it¡­¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Stop! I¡¯m very frustrated now. I don¡¯t want to hear this anymore.¡± Bruce tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart. He hated women who kept pestering him. He had already told her to go back first. She still had to talk so much. It really annoyed him. ¡°Bruce¡­ Do you hate me very much?¡± Aria sobbed as tears silently rolled down her face. She looked pitiful and hurt. Bruce subconsciously nced at her and swallowed his anger. After all, she was a cancer patient now. No matter what, his attitude towards her should not be too bad. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re sick now. The most important thing is to hurry up and treat yourself. ¡°If you want to be treated here, I can arrange for the best doctor for you. If you want to go overseas for treatment, I can help you bear all the expenses.¡± ¡± When Aria heard this, she shook her head sadly. ¡°No need. That¡¯s not what I need! ¡°I know my illness. There¡¯s no point in treating it! I just want to make sure that I don¡¯t have any regrets at thest moment of my life! ¡°I can swear to God I¡¯d never want to destroy your rtionship. I just¡­¡± As Aria spoke, she was already sobbing. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart ached. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! ¡°I really can¡¯t agree to your request. ¡°Aria, I know you¡¯re hurt, but my lover is hurt even more, ¡°I regret it very much now, and I me myself very much.¡± Aria interrupted him. ¡°I know. I¡¯m really sorry. I really deserve to die for causing you such trouble. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll book a flightter and disappear from your sight as soon as possible. I really, really didn¡¯t want to ruin your rtionship with your wife. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡± Aria spoke of her sorrow over and over again. Tears flowed down her face. Seeing this, Bruce became even more anxious. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be like this. If others see this, they¡¯ll misunderstand again.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m leaving now!¡± As she spoke, Aria looked at Bruce worriedly. ¡°However, don¡¯t forget your true identity. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your ideals and pursuits. Don¡¯t let the troubles of the outside world restrict you. You¡¯re a person who will do significant things. Love will only hold you back.¡± Bruce was even more upset when he heard that. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. I¡¯ve already said that I want to quit the organization. ¡°After this job, no matter what, I quit.¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be impulsive. Don¡¯t go against the organization either. They have spent a lot of effort to nurture you for so many years. Don¡¯t give up halfway, and don¡¯t let the organization down¡­ ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Before Aria could finish speaking, Bruce sneered. Of course, the organization had indeed given him a lot of power in some aspects. However, this was only mental strength. And he had done so many things for the organization. He only wanted to live a few years peacefully now. Wasn¡¯t that enough? Did he have to sacrifice himself bravely to be considered an outstanding person? No, he was tired. He did not want to continue like this. He only wanted to be an ordinary person now. Chapter 755 Chapter 755 Chapter 755 Also, the organization is already urging you toplete the mission as soon as possible. We really can¡¯t dy any longer Or it will only cause more serious consequences¡± Aria looked at him solemnly Brace lowered his head, looking extremely dejected Aris sed her chin slightly and said sadly, Bruce, I¡¯ll leave first. Think about it carefully ¡°I know you love your wife very much, but you have to think carefully. You¡¯re not an ordinary person. ¡°If you¡¯re with her, you¡¯ll harm her instead. In the future, once your identity is exposed, you have to think about the consequences for the people around you. If you really love her, it¡¯s best to keep a good distance from her. This is the best protection for her As Aria spoke, she took a deep breath, copsed her bag, and turned to leave Bruce leaned against the chair dispiritedly. His eyes were filled with fatigue and pain. Indeed, he had no choice now. Internationally, he was the most wanted spy Codename: ck Rain. No one would have thought that a top tycoon with a worth of billion dor would be a top secret agent in the world. Every year, they would steal countless important information from all over the world, as well as many troublesome problems that were inconvenient for the country to deal with overseas. They would all be handed over to these agents to solve Once his identity was exposed, what awaited him would be the pursuit of agents from all over the world. Three years ago, Melta¡¯s top agent and his family were assassinated because his identity was exposed. Although his current identity had not been exposed yet, he knew that once it really happened, his oue would only be Wor He was already in a difficult position. He could not guarantee that he would protect Joanna for the rest of his life, let alone give her a lifetime of happiness. Perhaps he would never be able toe back after this trip to Antien. If Joanna really married him, she would be a widom Joann. I love you I love you so much. ¡°But now, I can¡¯t make a lifelong promise to you. Wait for me ¡°When I¡¯m free of all my concerns. I¡¯ll make you fall in love with me again and ept me again.¡± As time for a week passed In tur past few days, Joanna¡¯s condition gradually stabilized under the treatment of a psychiatrist and a wargson. Because of the medase, she was groggy andzy most of the time. Every day one, the doctor would inject her with a sleeping drug to help her sleep better Only when she was asleep did Bruce dare to appear in the ward in the ward after Joe fell asleep Bruce quietly walked in On the hospital bed jua was in a deep sheep without a trace of consciousness Joana, Joann Im going to Anties in a few days. If I go I¡¯m afraid. I won¡¯t be able toe back! ¡°But that¡¯s good too. You wou have to hate me anymore, Bruce and sadly. Has big hand gently stroked the soft hair at her temples ¡°If I cane back safely. I will never leave your sade again. If I can¡¯te back, you have to live a good life with your child ¡°You always say that I can¡¯t give you a sense of security that in a yboy. But I¡¯m trying to tell you that you¡¯re the only woman I¡¯ve really loved¡± Bruce rambled on and stayed by her side the entire night. He would only leave quietly when she was about to wake up in the morning. The next day, Joanna woke up in a daze. Miranda and a few intensive caregivers were guarding the bed. When they saw that she was awake, they hurriedly went forward to serve her. ¡°Joann, do you want to go to the toilet? ¡°I¡¯ve prepared warm water for you. You can drink some first¡­¡± Miranda looked after her earnestly. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. The other intensive caregivers were also busy with their own work. Some were preparing medicine, some were caring for the body, and some were preparing breakfast. All in all, everyone was fully focused on serving Joanna. Over the past week, Joanna¡¯s emotions had stabilized a lot. Coupled with the calming effect of the medicine, she could not re up even if she wanted to. Every day, she was like a dispirited sheep, allowing the doctors and intensive care personnel to do whatever they wanted. After breakfast, the doctor then examined Joanna. ¡°Well, all the indicators are gradually stabilizing. You can be transferred to a normal ward now!¡± ¡°Yes, Doctor.¡± Soon, Joanna could leave the intensive care unit now. The nurses transferred her to the VIP ward where she used to live. It was almost noon. Miranda brought over a bowl of medicine. ¡°Joann, here. It¡¯s traditional medicine. ¡°The doctor said that we have tobine multiple cures. This is a medicine to condition your body.¡± ¡°Leave it for now!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was soft and gentle. There was not a trace of light in her big eyes. She took antidepressants every day and was especially dispirited. She slept most of the time every day. Click! The door of the ward opened slightly. Miranda and Joanna subconsciously looked at the door. The door opened a crack, but it was notpletely open. A tall figure seemed to be standing at the door, peeking in. However, he only stood at the door and did not dare to enter. Miranda knew that the person standing at the door was Bruce. Although she also felt sorry for Joanna, she still hoped that the two of them could reconcile. ¡°Joann, Mr. Everett has been watching over you for the past few days. He has be much more haggard. ¡°I think¡­. there must be a misunderstanding between you. Why don¡¯t you let him in¡­¡± Without waiting for Miranda to finish, Joanna¡¯s eyes suddenly revealed a strong sense of hatred. ¡°Stop talking. I don¡¯t want to see him.¡± ¡°Joann, even if you don¡¯t want to see him, you have to make it clear to him!¡± When Bruce heard this, he carefully pushed open the door and hesitated, not daring to approach. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna turned her head to the side, not wanting to look at him. Seeing that Joanna was not as agitated as before, Bruce strode in. ¡°Miranda, go out first. I have something to tell Joann.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Take your time. Don¡¯t be in a hurry to get angry,¡± Miranda said and left worriedly. ¡°Joann.¡± Bruce looked sorrowful and subconsciously wanted to hold her hand. Joanna instinctively retracted his hand, refusing his touch. If not for the calming effect of the medicine, she really would not have been able to control her emotions. Seeing this, Bruce felt even worse. He said in a trembling voice, ¡°Joann, I know you won¡¯t believe anything I say now. ¡°But I still want to have a good chat with you. Believe it or not, I¡¯m going to tell you. ¡°I did do something wrong that day. I shouldn¡¯t have hidden it from you to see Aria.¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Her chest was also beating violently. ¡°Stop talking. I don¡¯t want to hear it, and I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± ¡°No, you have to listen. ¡°I went to see her because she had cancer. ¡°Who knew that it was such a coincidence? Her illness had just acted up, so I sent her to the hospital. I swear to God if I had any rtionship with her¡­ ¡°Bruce, stop. I don¡¯t want to listen to you anymore.¡± Chapter 756 Chapter 756 Chapter 756 ¡°Okay! Okay! ¡°I won¡¯t say anymore. Don¡¯t be so agitated.¡± Bruce hurriedly stopped, afraid of provoking her. Joanna caught her breath and closed her eyes weakly. She didn¡¯t have the strength or the spirit to argue with him now. Due to the effects of the medicine, her heart rate was very slow. Even saying a word was extremely weak. After a long while, she finally calmed down. Bruce tried to exin, ¡°Joann, I know I did something wrong. Can I apologize to you? ¡°Honey, forgive me! I really don¡¯t want you to be angry. It hurts to see you like this. I don¡¯t know what else to say except to say I¡¯m sorry.¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat, and his scarlet eyes turned even redder. Then, his knees went limp, and he knelt upright at the head of the bed. In front of her, he had no bottom line. It didn¡¯t matter if she forgave him or not. He just didn¡¯t want her to hate him anymore. He didn¡¯t want her to do anything to hurt herself. Joanna¡¯s eyes subconsciously darkened as she looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have to be like this. We¡¯re done here. There¡¯s no need to y this trick.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached even more. After pondering for half a minute, he slowly said, ¡°Joann, I know that no matter what I say, you will never forgive me again. But I still want to tell you that I really love you. My life is meaningless without you. For you, I could give up my life¡­¡± Joanna slowly raised her eyes and looked at him coldly. ¡°Bruce, if you really love me, let me go. ¡°Let¡¯s not hurt each other anymore. Let¡¯s retreat to being friends.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Joanna with heart-wrenching pain. He really didn¡¯t want to lose Joanna. It hadn¡¯t been easy for them to get this far. He really couldn¡¯t bear to let go. Joanna took a deep breath and said in an ethereal voice, ¡°I¡¯m in too much pain. I really can¡¯t take it anymore. Let me go! I¡¯ll let you go too. ¡°It¡¯s more appropriate for us to be friends. It¡¯s also more appropriate for you and your¡­ first love. ¡°If you have any true love for me, please let me go! I really don¡¯t want to be entangled with you anymore.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart ached so much that he could not breathe. This feeling was extremely weak. ¡°Joann, you still don¡¯t trust me, right? Or do you suspect that I have that kind of rtionship with Aria? ¡°I¡¯ll tell you onest time. I don¡¯t have that kind of rtionship with her at all. Ever since you came back, I¡¯ve only touched you. If I lie to you, I¡¯ll die a horrible death.¡± Joanna closed her eyes and did not speak. ¡°Whatever he says! ¡°In any case, he can tell a lie easily. Whether he is telling the truth or not, I don¡¯t want to hear it again. ¡°I¡¯m really tired and in pain. If this continues, I will really die. Now, even if I die, I won¡¯t want to have anything to do with him. Even if I die, I would stay far away from him. ¡°I would rather die!¡± she thought. ¡°Joann, do I still have a chance?¡± Joanna remained silent. Bruce let out a long sigh. His heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. After pondering for a long time. He sighed and said, ¡°Joann, I agree to break up with you and never pester you again. ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want you to leave Greyport. The children can¡¯t go without a mother, and they can¡¯t change schools frequently. You stay at Greyport and take good care of the children, okay?¡± Joanna nodded slightly and did not look at him anymore. She did not believe that he would let her off so easily. ¡°I know you¡¯re miserable with me, and I¡¯ve done a lot of things to hurt you. I don¡¯t deserve your forgiveness anymore. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t disturb your and the children¡¯s lives anymore. ¡°Whatpensation do you want? You can take anything. ¡°As long as I can do it, I will give you everything I can.¡± Hearing this, Joanna opened her eyes slightly. As long as he stopped pestering her, she had nothing else to ask for. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything, I just want custody of the children and the Haynes Group.¡± She was their mother, so of course they belonged to her. The Haynes Group was an asset that her grandfather had left for her. Of course, she had to take it back. Other than that, she didn¡¯t want anything from Bruce.. Without any hesitation, Bruce replied solemnly, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you everything.¡± When Joanna heard this, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. She couldn¡¯t believe that he would give her custody of all four children. In the past, in order to fight for the custody of the children, he was really unscrupulous and did not care about any feelings. Bruce looked into her eyes sadly. ¡°Are you really willing to give it to me?¡± Bruce smiled coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of taking anything from you. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since I promised to give it to you, I definitely won¡¯t go back on my word. Other than that, I¡¯ll try my best to make it up to you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to make it up to me. I just want custody of the four children and the Haynes Group.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get awyer to transfer it tomorrow¡­¡± Chapter 757 Chapter 757 Chapter 757 Joanna still looked at him in disbelief. Bruce sniffled. His haggard face was covered in ayer of gloom. ¡°Joann, I don¡¯t want to say anything more. I only want you to be fine, and also the children. ¡°It wasn¡¯t because I don¡¯t love you that I agree to break up. ¡°It¡¯s because I know that you don¡¯t love me. I don¡¯t want you to suffer like this nor to be hurt because of me. ¡°Thank you for giving birth to four children for me. And thank you for loving me so much. I didn¡¯t cherish it. I ruined our love.¡± As Bruce spoke, his tears fell uncontrobly. His voice was choked with sobs, and he could not speak clearly. God knew how much his heart ached when he said that he agreed to break up. But he didn¡¯t dare to waste her time. Aria was right. If he left her now, it would be good protection for her. He wanted to wait until he completely left the organization andpletely broke away from his previous identity before loving her again. Joanna¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Stop talking!¡± Bruce frowned deeply and looked exhausted. ¡°No, since we¡¯ve already broken up, let me say what¡¯s on my mind. ¡°There have been too many misunderstandings between us. There have been many misunderstandings since the beginning. ¡°Your misunderstanding of me is too deep. It can¡¯t be resolved in a short time. I agreed to break up now because I hope you can live a good life. ¡°The doctor said that you have to recuperate well. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to work too hard or feel too much pressure.¡± As he spoke, Bruce pondered for a few seconds. ¡°So, in addition to the Haynes Group, I will transfer the ownership of the Sherane Bay Vi to you. You can continue to live there with the children. I will also transfer the ownership of the Everett mansion and Reagan No. 8 Residence to you. ¡°The liquid funds in my hands will also be transferred to you. I¡¯ve already hired the most professional management team. You only need to check the ounts regrly. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about money, let alone work hard. You just have to take care of the children and live a good life. Can you promise me that?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna with heartache and pain. Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. She was not touched at all. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve said it before. Other than the children and the Haynes Group, I don¡¯t want anything else. ¡°Even without you, I can still raise the children well¡­¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t care, and you don¡¯t like my money. ¡°But these things of mine are also reserved for the children, not entirely for you. They are also my children, and I want to give them the best material life and education. ¡°All of this is inseparable from money. There are still many ces where you have to spend money in the future. ¡°So, you have to ept it,¡± Bruce replied decisively, not allowing her to refute. He would not be able to spend all his money in a few lifetimes. What did he need so much money for? It was better to leave it to her and the children. Since it couldn¡¯t give her the sense of security she wanted, he would give her enough money. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Whether she needed it or not, this was his love for her. Joanna did not retort. ¡°Anyway, if he is willing to give it to me, so be it. ¡°As long as he agrees to break up and stop pestering me, he can do whatever he wants,¡± she thought. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll get awyer tomorrow and have him handle the transfer of the ownership. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Take care of yourself!¡± Bruce said as he staggered to his feet. His tall back looked exceptionally lonely. He took two steps. He looked at Joanna reluctantly, then turned around and walked out of the ward. However, his legs were so heavy. With every step he took, he had to turn around and look at her again. He was afraid that he would never see her again. He only wanted to engrave her appearance in his heart. Even in his next life, he would not be afraid to find her. Joanna lowered her eyes, not wanting to look at him anymore. It wasn¡¯t until his figurepletely disappeared that Joanna¡¯s tears couldn¡¯t help but fall. They had finallye this far. Love¡­ was still so fragile. After Bruce left, Miranda hurriedly walked in again. When she saw Joanna crying, she hurriedly went forward tofort her. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying again? ¡°Did Mr. Everett bully you again? How can he be like this? You¡¯ve already be like this, but he still doesn¡¯t repent? ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. Your body is so weak now. You must take care of your body. Don¡¯t be angry. Being angry is harmful to your body. No one will take your ce. ¡°Look at me. I¡¯ve never lost my temper. Mr. Everett¡¯s temper is just like this. He¡¯ll get better when he grows up. Even if it¡¯s for the sake of the children, you have to be strong. I believe Mr. Everett will definitely know his mistake¡­¡± ¡°Miranda, we¡¯ve already broken up.¡± Joanna closed her eyes slightly and said with a dead heart. Miranda looked at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said, we¡¯re done. It¡¯s over. Let¡¯s hope he means what he says.¡± When Miranda heard this, she was subconsciously stunned and could not recover for a long time. Chapter 758 Chapter 758 Chapter 758 They had experienced so many hardships and were about to get married. Unexpectedly, they still failed on the verge of sess. They actually broke up again. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Miranda trembled and gently held her shoulders. ¡°Joann, you have to think carefully. Don¡¯t be impulsive. ¡°Although there¡¯s something wrong with Mr. Everett¡¯s personality¡­ he¡¯s already much better than many men. ¡°You should turn a blind eye. You¡¯ll get through this. Don¡¯t be stupid. ¡°If you break up with him now, aren¡¯t you obviously pushing him into another woman¡¯s arms? That Miss Bridges, I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t wait for you to break up with Mr. Everett. She can take advantage of the situation, but you must not let her seed.¡± Miranda couldn¡¯t help but persuade Joanna. Bruce had many ws. But he was still a very sessful man. At least he was rich, responsible, and handsome. Compared to other rich men, he was really not a yboy. If it were any other woman, they would probably not be able to obtain this fortune even if they begged. How could a man be perfect? ¡°Besides, you already have four children. Even if it¡¯s for the sake of the children, try your best to make do. Mr. Everett isn¡¯t too much of a yboy. At most, he¡¯s just a little bit of phndering¡­¡± Before Miranda could finish, Joanna did not want to listen anymore. She had heard simr words too many times. ¡°Miranda, don¡¯t say anymore. My head hurts now and I want to rest. You can go out first.¡± ¡°Alright! Have a good rest and think about it. It¡¯s really not easy for you to get to where you are today. ¡°If you can, you¡¯d try your best to be together. Even if you break up and find another man, he might not beparable to Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Joanna said coldly and annoyingly. Did she have to find a man after breaking up? If she broke up with Bruce, she would not fall in love again. For the rest of her life, she only wanted to lead a good life with her children. Seeing that she was feeling uneasy, Miranda did not dare to say anything else. She could only sigh and leave the ward. She prayed silently in her heart that Joanna would think positively. After all, for a man like Mr. Everett, to be honest, a lot of women were staring at him! The next day. Joanna had just woken up in a daze and had yet to brush her teeth and wash her face. A text message notification sounded from her phone. ¡°Buzz buzz!¡± A bank transfer message popped up. [Your current ount bnce¡­] Joanna picked up her phone in a daze and looked at it. She only saw a long string of numbers. She thought it was a trashy message. She nced at it casually and closed the phone. ¡°Buzz buzz!¡± Another text message came. Joanna opened her eyes and turned on the phone again. Another long string of numbers appeared. ¡°What¡­¡± After taking a closer look, it did not seem to be a trashy message. It was really a transfer bnce message sent by the bank. Joanna subconsciously counted the decimal points. At first, she thought it was 20 million dors. However, after counting twice, there was an additional zero. This meant that she had earned 200 million dors in one go. ¡°Buzz buzz¡­¡± More than ten messages were sent in a row. The few bank cards received the transfer information at the same time. The smallest amount was also in the nine digits. Joanna frowned. She had mixed feelings. ¡°Buzz buzz¡­¡± The text messagested for an hour before it finally stopped. Needless to say, all the money was transferred by Bruce. Joanna was toozy to look at it, let alone calcte how much money he had transferred to her. Anyway, it was estimated to be at least 2 billion dors. However, she had never been obsessed with money. Even if he transferred so much money to her, she did not care about using his money. However, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to reject him. Anyway, he had so much money. If he was willing to give it to her, so be it. He had always been like this. He liked to use money to knock people out. He thought that money was omnipotent and that everyone would submit to money. Unfortunately, he had misjudged her. As far as she knew, it was fine as long as she had enough money. She did not have much obsession. This time Bruce directly transferred over 4 billion dors to Joanna¡¯s private ount. This was his liquidity at Bank Greyport. Of course, the liquidity in his hands was far more than 4 billion dors. There was also money in foreign ounts, a lot of real estate, and money in thepany¡¯s ount. This 4 billion dors was just his liquid funds in Greyport. To put it bluntly, it was his pocket money. Therefore, he transferred all of them to Joanna. In addition, some of Greyport¡¯s fixed industries were also transferred to Joanna. However, it would take at least a few days for the transfer to bepleted. In the Everett Group. At the office, severalwyers were busy printing out various procedures and information. d in a ck suit, Bruce sat elegantly on the leather swivel chair. ¡°Rename Belle Building to JoannBruce Building. ¡°Rename Double Star Building to LoveJoann Building. ¡°Transfer these twomercial buildings to Joanna.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± As thewyers sorted out the documents and contracts, they could not help but be shocked and speechless. Mr. Everett was really crazy. He actually gave an asset with a market value of several billion dors to a woman so easily!!! He was really crazy. Was this woman iid with gold? Was she worth spending so much money? Thewyers broke out in cold sweat for Bruce. If the two of thein broke up in the end, the money would be wasted. The other rich people were desperately protecting their assets, afraid that after the divorce, the woman would take away the assets. Mr. Everett, on the other hand, was giving away so much money before they were even officially married. ¡°Mr. Everett, the renaming contract for Belle Building has been printed. Please take a look at it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce took it and flipped through it. Belle Building was previously registered to Liam. Now, it was taken back by Bruce. Its name had also been changed. This building had a total of 52 floors and was worth more than 2 billion dors. The Double Stars Building was also built by him in the early years. When he first built it, he had already spent hundreds of millions of dors. Now, its value had already increased by more than ten times. ¡°Also, transfer the Sherane Bay Vi, Reagan No. 8 Residence, and the Everett mansion to Joanna.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± He had more than ten top-notch mansions in Greyport. And these three mansions were the most valuable. This was especially true for Sherane Bay Vi and the Everett mansion. When they were first built, they had spent more than 200 million dors to buy thend and renovate it. The market value had already increased several times. For the next few days, thewyers went through the transfer procedures. Soon, before the transfer procedures werepleted, the news had already spread like wildfire. This directly caused a sensation in the entire Greyport. There were many rich people who spent money on women, but it was rare to see someone give several billion dors at once. Before Joanna could finish her postpartum period, she was pushed to the throne of the richest woman in Greyport. She had more than 14 billion dors of assets. Of course! Not only that, but Bruce also had a lot of fixed assets, other than Everett Group. A few foreign companies and real estate were also being transferred to her. The people of Greyport were in an uproar. All of them were talking about it. ¡°Wow, did this woman Joanna save the world in her previous life?¡± ¡°Why is she so lucky to be able to charm Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is this what people often say? ¡®Men conquer the world with strength, while women conquer men with beauty¡¯?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that beautiful! Why is she so charming and blessed?¡± Some of the women who couldn¡¯t stand Joanna were even more jealous. ¡°She¡¯s really lucky. She gave birth to three sons for Mr. Everett in a row. Think about it, how lucky is she?¡± ¡°Hmph, I hope she can hold on. Some people don¡¯t have so much wealth in their lives. If they suddenly be rich, they won¡¯t be able to withstand it. Those with poor luck won¡¯t be able to hold back so much wealth. Instead, their lives will be shortened!¡± ¡°Look at how skinny she is. She doesn¡¯t look like someone blessed. Mr. Everett gave her so much money at once. How can she withstand it? It will definitely shorten her lifespan. Just wait! She definitely won¡¯t live long¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not be jealous. She¡¯s lucky to be able to hook up with a man like Mr. Everett.¡± Everyone in Greyport was in an uproar.. The media took turns to report on this matter. Chapter 759 Chapter 759 Chapter 759 Even the people around her in the hospital were talking about Joanna¡¯s being the richest woman in Greyport. ¡°Well, Mr. Everett still loves Miss Haynes very much. He actually transferred so many assets to her. Tsk, tsk, tsk. For the sake of money, Miss Haynes should forgive him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not a big deal. Mr. Everett just went to the mistress just once. If it were me, even if my husband changed lovers every day, I would happily make their beds.¡± The other special nurse¡¯s eyes could not help but sparkle. ¡°That¡¯s several billion dors! If it¡¯s exchanged for cash, it can probably fill up our room. When will we finish spending it?¡± ¡°Do you think this is only several billion dors? It¡¯s far more than that. With so much money, all the assets in the future will be left to the four children, which is equivalent to Miss Haynes. ¡°That¡¯s different. It¡¯s not something in your ount. It doesn¡¯t belong to you after all.¡± ¡°Some richdies seem to have married a top-notch tycoon on the surface, but in reality, they don¡¯t have any status at home. They can only take a little living expenses every month and are not qualified to use their husband¡¯s money.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is different. He directly transferred several billion dors of assets to Joanna. Tsk, tsk. tsk. This is a real doting wife. It¡¯s too enviable.¡± The thing that the servants liked to talk about the most in private was Joanna being promoted to the richest woman in Greyport. Although they won¡¯t get the money, it¡¯s still enjoyable to talk about it. Unfortunately, Joanna still knew nothing about this matter. She had been recuperating recently and was in a bad mood, so she did not in the mood to read the media gossip reports. What she did not know was that Bruce had transferred Belle Building and the Double Star Building to her and even changed their names. He Used ¡°JoannBruce¡± and ¡°LoveJoann¡± to express his love for her. Moreover, he had deliberately put her name at the front. It was enough to prove how much he cared about her. In the ward. Miranda carried another bowl of traditional medicine and said carefully. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s time to take your medicine.¡± ¡°Leave it for now! I¡¯ll drink it when it¡¯s cold,¡± Joanna replied calmly. She hated traditional medicine the most, and she was most afraid of drinking it. Unfortunately, she had to drink three doses of traditional medicine every day to nourish her body. Moreover, the medicinal ingredients for it were very expensive. A single dose of the form¡¯s medicinal ingredients costs several thousands of dors. She didn¡¯t want to waste money, so she still forced herself to drink it every day. A few professional nurses also said very respectfully, ¡°Mrs. Everett, we¡¯re going to give you physical care and skincare today!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do itter!¡± Joanna waszy all over. Even though she was lying down, she still felt tired. ¡°Oh, okay. We¡¯ll wait outside.¡± ¡°And you still have to undergo psychological therapy today. Do another psychological test. If you get better, the medicine can be reduced¡­ The doctors and nurses were all especially respectful during this period of time. They looked at her with a hint of reverence and envy. In the past, although their attitudes were also very respectful, they were definitely not as respectful and careful as they were TOW Joanna felt a little strange. What happened to these people? Did Bruce threaten them again? This was very likely because it was also his usual style. ¡°Miranda, bring Devin over,¡± Joanna ordered calmly. She was worried that Bruce would do something behind her back again. It would be bad if he secretly took the child away while she was recuperating. ¡°Alright, please wait a moment, Miranda replied and quickly went to the nursery. Ten minutester. The nurse walked in with Devin. The little guy was well taken care of, even though he was born a month prematurely. He was small when he was born, but now he had gained weight like¡¯a full-term baby. ¡°Mrs. Everett, look at how cute he is. He looks exactly the same as Mr. Everett. ¡°The doctor said that he doesn¡¯t have to stay in the incubator anymore. He¡¯ll be by your side from now on until you are out of the postpartum period.¡± After seeing the child, Joanna calmed down a little. Bruce finally had some conscience. He did not take the child away, nor did he use the child to force her to submit. ¡°Joann, look at how cute the child is. For the sake of the child¡­¡± Miranda said and quickly stopped. She did not dare to mention Bruce¡¯s name again. ¡°Oh, dear.¡± A hint of softness appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. She hugged her son and kissed him. She had originally nned to go through the postpartum period for a month. However, her wound broke open again. She had no choice but to extend it to 40 days. Even so, she still wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible, ¡°That¡¯s right. He looks like Mr. Everett the most! ¡°I heard that Mr. Everett also applied for a trust fund for him. It¡¯s a total of 2 billion dors.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Mr. Everett really dotes on you and the children too much.¡± The nurse couldn¡¯t help but suck up to her in Joanna frowned unhappily. She didn¡¯t want to hear Bruce¡¯s name now. They had already broken up. This time, it was a real,plete breakup. But the people around her still regarded her as Mrs. Everett. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me Mrs. Everett anymore.¡± The doctors and servants looked at each other in confusion. Mr. Everett had already given so much money to her. Why didn¡¯t she know what was good for her? She really didn¡¯t know how lucky she was. ¡°Doctor, when can I leave?¡± ¡°Uh, your injuries have just stabilized. It¡¯s best for you to stay in the hospital for another half a month.¡± ¡°No need. Help me with the discharge procedures tomorrow,¡± Joanna replied in frustration. She had been in the hospital for 35 days. Although she had not fully recovered, she still did not want to stay in the hospital. Every day she stayed in the hospital made her extremely frustrated and anxious. Although the psychiatrist woulde every day. But in fact, she didn¡¯t like the psychiatrist, much less being controlled by others. During this period of time, Bruce never came to the hospital again. He had been busy with transferring the ownership and arranging thepany. He could not dy any longer. He had to hurry to Antlen and bring the RA-3 virus back to the country. However, this trip was very dangerous. envy. He had to make arrangements for all the matters before he left. Especially, he had to make arrangements for Joanna and the children¡¯s lives. This way, even if he couldn¡¯te back, they wouldn¡¯t be in trouble. ¡°Mrs. Everett, your current condition is not suitable for you to leave the hospital. Mr. Everett said that you can only be discharged after you havepletely recovered¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even angrier. ¡°I said I¡¯m going to be discharged tomorrow. I know my own body. Don¡¯t tell me anything else.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, please don¡¯t be so agitated!¡± ¡°I just said, don¡¯t call me Mrs. Everett. Please call me Ms. Haynes The doctor choked and smiled obsequiously. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll go ask Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°No need. Just settle the discharge procedures for me.¡± The doctor looked troubled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. We have to be responsible for your body and listen to Mr. Everett¡¯s opinion.¡± Hearing this, Joanna¡¯s face darkened. As expected, even if Bruce agreed to break up, he would still interfere in her life. This would also restrict her freedom. However, there was one thing she hated the most. He had never respected her thoughts, let alone listened to her opinions. He had always been stubborn and self-righteous. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Joanna insisted on being discharged. The doctor had no choice but to call Bruce for instructions. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. Hello, I¡¯m Dr. Marlow.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, Mrs. Everett insisted to be discharged tomorrow. We don¡¯t dare to let her be discharged rashly, so we called to report to you.¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Bruce frowned when he heard that. ¡°Although Mrs. Everett¡¯s condition has improved, I still suggest that she stay for another ten days to consolidate her condition.¡± ¡°But¡­ Mrs. Everett was impatient and won¡¯t listen to our persuasion at all. ¡°We don¡¯t dare to persuade her¡­¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, I see. I¡¯ll be there immediately.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± With that, Bruce hung up. Sometimes, Joanna really made him annoyed. How could a patient be such stubborn? Sometimes, he really couldn¡¯t do anything to her. Half an hourter, Bruce arrived. He had not been to the hospital for more than ten days. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to see her, but he was afraid of provoking her. Chapter 760 Chapter 760 Chapter 760 In the ward. Joanna was still very annoyed and in a bad mood. She could not make the decision of her own body. She asked to be discharged, but the doctors and servants did not obey her. Instead, they had to ask Bruce for instructions. ¡°I told you, I can make my own decisions. ¡°I¡¯ve already broken up with Mr. Bruce. We don¡¯t have any rtionship now. So I don¡¯t need his permission to leave the hospital.¡± Joanna was a little exasperated. The doctor and servants lowered their heads, and silence reced their response. If Mr. Everett did not relent, they would not dare to ck off for a second, much less let her leave the hospital. Seeing this, Joanna was even angrier. ¡°Hey, did you hear me?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t be so agitated. I just called Mr. Everett for instructions. ¡°Mr. Everett is also on the way. Please wait a moment!¡± ¡°What? What have you done?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened with anger She really hated the feeling of being coerced. Bruce had already rushed to the hospital and happened to hear Joanna getting angry. ¡°Click!¡± He pushed open the door. Everyone turned around and saw that it was Bruce. Everyone looked as if they had met their savior. ¡°Mr. Everett is here!¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce frowned slightly and walked into the ward with his long legs. They had not seen each other for more than half a month. Their eyes met, which were filled withplicated emotions. Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with helplessness and fatigue. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked. Joanna calmed down and said irritably, ¡°Bruce, I want to be discharged now. ¡°Will you stop interfering in my life? Will you stop restricting my freedom?¡± Bruce said to the doctor and servants, ¡°All of you, leave.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Seeing this, Joanna immediately stopped them. ¡°All of you, stay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk in front of everyone.¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Bruce frowned and repeated in a sinister voice. How could the doctor and servants dare to disobey? All of them hurriedly left the ward. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯ve already broken up. I hope you won¡¯t interfere in my life anymore.¡± Bruce did not say anything, just looking at her. Seeing that he was silent, Joanna became even angrier. Her tone was exceptionally unpleasant. ¡°Bruce, do you know? What I hate the most is your domineeringness and self-righteousness. ¡°You never consider other¡¯s feelings when you do anything. You never care what others think. You¡¯re really annoying. Very, very annoying!¡± Joanna was emotionally unstable. Coupled with the doctor restricting her from being discharged, she could only vent all her anger on Bruce. Bruce just looked at her and quietly waited for her to vent her emotions. She actually said that he was very, very annoying. This made him feel exceptionally ufortable. Every word she said was like a needle pricking his heart. He had to admit that he was indeed arrogant at times. He thought that she would feel happy and content if he helped her arrange the best life and solve all her difficulties. He thought that his arrangement was the best decision. However, he had overlooked one thing. Joanna was an adult, not a pet. She would not feel content if he just gave her enough food and water and let a group of people serve her. But he knew she was emotionally unstable and in need of catharsis. Therefore, he endured his heartache and silently listened to her hurtful words. Joanna took a deep breath and tried her best to hide the tears in her eyes. She did not want him to see her cry, nor did she want him to see her weakness. The more one truly loved someone, the more one could not tolerate a small matter. What she wanted was his unreserved love. However, in the deepest part of his heart, he still left a little space for another woman. This was uneptable to Joanna. She would rather quit from now on than have any impurities in their love. After a while, seeing that she had calmed down a little, Bruce said, ¡°Are you done? ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy with me, you can say it out loud. ¡°Or, what do you want me to do? You can tell me.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart ached and she fell silent. ¡°My actions just now were really pretentious and childish. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Since we had already broken up, we had to maintain dignity. ¡°Why was I still angry with him? It made me look like I was not carefree enough,¡± she thought. ¡°Joann, I know you¡¯re in a bad mood now. I also know you¡¯re emotionally unstable, so let¡¯s calm down for a while. ¡°When you¡¯vepletely calmed down, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Bruce said as he subconsciously reached out to hold her hand. Joanna reflexively retracted her hand and looked at him coldly. ¡°Mr. Everett, I want to be discharged now. ¡°I hope our paths will never cross again.¡± When Bruce heard this, he let out a long sigh. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t have to deliberately keep a distance from me. I¡¯ve said before that I won¡¯t disturb your life again. ¡°But you¡¯re my children¡¯s mother. There are some things I can¡¯t ignore. ¡°Your body is still very weak. You need to recuperate and have a good rest. ¡°When you¡¯re fully recovered, I definitely won¡¯t interfere with you.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at him coldly. He was good at coaxing people. He was cloquent and could be said to be a PUA master. If it was the first time interacting with him, one would definitely be moved by his words. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I, Bruce, will keep my word. ¡°My only request for your is to recuperate and live a good life with your children. You don¡¯t have to worry about money, nor do you have to work hard for your life! ¡°I¡¯ll give you everything you want, and I¡¯ll give you enough money¡­¡± Joanna interrupted him. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve told you before. I only want the children and the Haynes Group. I don¡¯t want anything else.¡± Bruce sighed. His handsome and cold face approached her. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you want it or not. It has already been transferred to you. ¡°I handed the children over to you to raise. Naturally, I have to provide enough living expenses. ¡°They¡¯re my children. I can¡¯t watch them live in poverty. You¡¯re the children¡¯s mother and the woman who¡¯s been with me. I won¡¯t let you live such a shabby life.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more disgusted. She was not his pet, nor was she his mistress. She was on the same level as him and did not need his charity. A woman working hard was not just for money. Instead, it was to enrich her knowledge and broaden her horizons. Simrly, it was also to realize her value in life. But he did not understand this at all. He only knew how to give money. ¡°Bruce, stop! ¡°You¡¯ve never known me. You¡¯ve always imposed your own ideas on others. ¡°Have you ever respected me? Have you ever really known me? ¡°No! All you have is your imperious and selfish. All you have is deception and lies.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt even worse. There was an indescribable bitterness in his heart. Perhaps he really didn¡¯t know Joanna well enough. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so agitated. Whatever you say, I¡­ will try my best to respect your thoughts in the future¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°No need, it¡¯s over. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say. I just hope that you won¡¯t interfere in my life again.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was stunned on the spot. The pain in his heart was indescribable, and he felt his eyes were ufortable. After a long while, Bruce looked up at the ceiling and tried his best to force the tears back into his ¡°Joann, can I¡­ hug you onest time?¡± ¡°No.¡± eyes. ¡°This is thest time. In the future¡­ I might never have the chance to hug you again.¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes were extremely red. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart softened. ¡°Take it as a final farewell. I won¡¯t disturb you anymore,¡± Bruce said in a hoarse voice. He saw that she did not resist. Bruce walked to the bed heavily and bent down to hug her. Joanna¡¯s body tensed up, and her eyes instantly moistened. There was still a faint smell of marine cologne in his arms, and his heartbeat was still strong. When she got close, she would feel like she was being protected. His embrace was also the safest ce, making one unable to help but sink into it. ¡°Joann, take care of the child and live well.¡± Chapter 761 Chapter 761 Chapter 761 ¡°Take care of yourself and the children when I¡¯m not by your side. ¡°I will always be there to protect you and the children no matter when as long as I live. ¡°You can alwayse to me if you have been wronged or have difficulties. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee you that I¡¯ll protect you forever, but I can promise you I won¡¯t allow you and the children to suffer any grievances as long as I¡¯m alive,¡± said Bruce, the tears streaming down his face. His tears dripped onto the top of Joanna¡¯s head. His voice trembled with sobs. Bruce hoped badly he could live happily ever after with Joanna and their children. ¡°Say no more. It¡¯s meaningless for you to say these anymore¡± said Joanna. She struggled with all her might and held back her tears. Bruce could even forget such an important thing as getting married for Aria¡¯s sake. It showed clearly how Aria mattered to him. She would give him what he wanted. since he cared so much about another woman. When Bruce was with Roxanne in the past, he was so inconstant that he asked her to be his lover. Some things never change. He probably wanted Aria to be his lover now. Bruce hugged her tighter and tighter, wishing he could rub her into his body. ¡°Joann, I love you. I will always love you. Whether you believe it or not, you¡¯re the only woman in my heart¡­¡± said Bruce. Joanna could hardly breathe. She scolded him hatefully, ¡°Bruce, stop saying these words hypocritically. Let go of me, let go of me. Let wanit ¡°You bastard. I won¡¯t believe another word you say. The person you love the most has always been you. I don¡¯t want to see you again. Let go of me.¡± Joanna could not be soft-hearted. She would never forgive him no matter what he said or did this time. She would break up with him totally if she wanted to do so. She couldn¡¯t share a man with another woman. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­ You still don¡¯t believe me,¡± Bruce mumbled dreamily. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. He suddenly lowered his head and kissed Joann¡¯s lips without warning. Then, there was a ferocious invasion¡­. Sometimes, he really went crazy. This little thing made him exhausted and miserable. He really wanted to kill her ruthlessly because she always broke his heart. Joanna held her breath and pushed him even more fearfully. ¡°Let me go¡­ ¡°Bruce Everett, you bastard¡­¡± His kiss was as aggressive as ever, zing like fire. Joanna was shocked and angry. She kept hitting Bruce¡¯s shoulders. The vile bastard. Bruce only cared about himself and never cared about the other party¡¯s feelings. Was Bruce going to force her before she recovered? Her body had yet to recover and could not withstand his strength. How could Bruce do this to her? Bastard! Beast! Demon! ¡°Bruce¡­ Bastard¡­¡± Joanna punched Bruce weakly. The terrifying demon. Joanna was already in this state, yet he still wanted to bully her. He was really inhumane. If he really forced her this time, she have to call the police. She would never be soft-hearted again. Bruce kissed Joanna for five minutes. Until Joanna stopped struggling and was powerless to resist. Only then did he reluctantly let go of her. Bruce pushed Joanna down and held her hand tightly. ¡°Joann, Joann¡­ Can you hug me?¡± He spoke with a hint of supplication in his tone. As Bruce spoke, hey in her arms in agony. He was like a helpless child, yearning for someone to love him. Joanna¡¯s heart ached as she started to cry. Tears streamed down her face and wet the pillow. ¡°Bruce, why are you doing this? Why? ¡°I hate you. I hate you so much!¡± said Joanna, also bursting into tears. They had clearlye this far. It was not easy for Joanna to believe Bruce again. But why had he shattered her dream? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry! There are some things that I don¡¯t know how to exin to you. Time is the best proof,¡± said Bruce. He looked up at her with sparkling tears. ¡°Stop talking so much nonsense. Let go of me,¡± said Joanna. Her chest heaved violently, and her tears flowed even more fiercely. Seeing her crying, Bruce¡¯s heart ached even more, and he couldn¡¯t breathe. He couldn¡¯t stay any longer. Bruce was afraid he would lose control again if he stayed here any longer. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m leaving,¡± said Bruce. ¡°Take care of yourself and the children. ¡°I will definitelye and look for you again when I have enough confidence to love you one day.¡± As Bruce spoke, he kissed Joanna deeply on her forehead. Then he quickly got up and left without looking back. It was often said that a woman could not escape a man when he loved her very much. He was 100 percent confident that he could get Joanna back. Except¡­ The current situation did not allow Bruce to do so. And he didn¡¯t dare to do so. Bruce had to wait until he was done with his troubles and quit the organization altogether before pursuing Joanna again. Joanna could not help but cry bitterly after Bruce left. Women were like this. There was more love, and there was more hate. The more a woman hated, the more she loved. How could Joanna not love Bruce? However, when Joanna thought of Bruce and Aria, all her love turned into hatred. If it was in the past, he would definitely pester her desperately and never agree to break up with her. Now, he had agreed to break up with her easily because he wanted to continue his rtionship with Aria! Then she took the initiative to give up the position of Mrs. Everett as he wished. In the parking lot downstairs. Bruce got into the car and leaned on the steering wheel, crying uncontrobly. Joanna had never trusted him, which hurt him badly. ¡°Joann, have I always been a jerk in your heart? I thought you would trust me after everything we¡¯ve been through. Unfortunately¡­¡± Indeed, once a bridge of trust copsed, it would be hard to rebuild it. Ten minutester. Bruce calmed down and prepared to return to thepany. Just as he was about to start the car, his phone rang. Beep, beep! He picked up his phone and saw it was a number from Antlen. Bruce frowned but still answered the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Aria¡¯s gentle voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me, Aria.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Bruce replied coldly. ¡°It¡¯s been so long now. The organization has urged us three times. We really can¡¯t dy any longer,¡± Aria said awkwardly. Bruce replied in a deep voice, ¡°I know. I¡¯ve booked a flight for tomorrow. ¡°I¡¯ll leave tomorrow afternoon and be there by noon the day after tomorrow.¡± Aria heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Bruce¡¯s words. She said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pick you up at the airport then.¡± ¡°No, thanks!¡± said Bruce. Aria was stunned and subconsciously fell silent. Bruce pondered for a few seconds, then asked, ¡°Have you gone to see a doctor? ¡°Your illness can¡¯t be put off any longer. You¡¯d better go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible! The longer you dy, the more serious it will be, and the less hope there is for treatment.¡± Regardless of whether it was for public or private reasons, Bruce hoped that Aria could live well. It had nothing to do with love. It was just out of concern and sympathy between friends and colleagues. Not to mention that they had once been in a rtionship, even if he had never loved her. Bruce did not want such an outstanding young biologist to die too early. Aria sighed and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I can only rx and undergo treatment after the mission ispleted. ¡°I just can¡¯t calm down right now.¡± Bruce did not say anything more when he heard her words. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for now.¡± Just as Bruce was about to hang up¡­ Aria hurriedly added, ¡°By the way¡­ there¡¯s something else I want to tell you.¡± ¡°Tell me,¡± said Bruce. ¡°The organization wants us to form¡­¡± Aria could not help but want to stop saying something as she spoke. The organization expected Bruce and Aria to work together as husband and wife. In this way, it would not arouse the suspicion of the outside world when the two interacted. It also added another protective barrier to Bruce¡¯s identity. Aria was naturally happy to ept such an arrangement. However, she had witnessed Bruce¡¯s dedication to Joanna. She was not sure whether he would. Therefore, she did not dare to say it out loud. ¡°What does the organization want?¡± Bruce asked in confusion. ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t talk to you for now. I¡¯ll tell you when you reach Antlen!¡± said Aria. ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s do this for now!¡± Bruce said and hung up the phone. Aria also hung up weakly. Chapter 762 Chapter 762 Chapter 762 Aria had been paying attention to Greyport¡¯s news though she had returned to Antlen. In the past 20 days or so. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Bruce had transferred so many assets to Joanna. The news had attracted attention overseas, so Aria naturally knew about it. At the same time, Aria was exceptionally sour and disappointed. The fact that a man was willing to transfer so much money to a woman was enough to prove that he was not being hypocritical toward her. It seemed that Aria was overthinking. Bruce loved his wife very much, and Aria had long been reduced to a passerby in his heart. ¡°Bruce, do we really not have a chance in this life? ¡°But¡­ I just can¡¯t get over it. I do want to really have you for once¡­¡± After Aria muttered to herself, tears streamed down her face. It was not that she hadn¡¯t been courted by any outstanding men over the years. However, Aria was stubbornly waiting for Bruce. She kept her purest body and her first kiss for him. Now that Aria had cancer, she didn¡¯t have a long time to live. She didn¡¯t want to talk about etiquette and honor anymore. She just wanted to fall in love seriously at the end of her life. Even if it was only for a few days, it could be considered to settle her lifetime regret. The next day. At the Avery Women¡¯s Hospital. ¡°Miss Haynes, the discharge procedures have beenpleted. You can be discharged today.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna insisted on being discharged. She was still weak but could get out of bed and slowly walk. Therefore, she did not want to stay here any longer. Miranda instructed the servants to pack their things. Joanna carried Devin and sat quietly on the sofa, waiting. At the nurses¡¯ station. The servants and nurses had been getting along for many days and had be familiar with each other. Now that Joanna was discharged from the hospital, the nurses could not help but gossip, ¡°Hey, Miss Haynes is discharged today. Will Mr. Everette to pick her up?¡± A servant shook her head and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard that they¡¯ve been breaking up recently!¡± ¡°Huh? Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Miss Haynes did not allow us to call her Mrs. Everett anymore these days.¡± Another servant added, ¡°Well, It was nothing more than a flirtation between a couple. Which couple doesn¡¯t quarrel? Which couple doesn¡¯t have conflicts? ¡°When a young couple fights, they will make up soon. In less than three days, they will reconcile. Previously, Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes were in an uproar and lived a cat and dog life. ¡°Then what happened? They got back together.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s different this time¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference? Just wait and see. They will surely get back together in less than two months! ¡°Mr. Everett isn¡¯t a fool. If he didn¡¯t n to spend the rest of his life with Miss Haynes, how could he easily transfer several billion dors of his assets to her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s don¡¯t care about it so much. They will not cut off our wages whether or not they break up.¡±. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± The nurses and servants waved goodbye. At the Sherane Bay Vi. They finally returned to Sherane Bay Vi when it was almost noon. Joanna stayed at the hospital for 36 days. She did not want to stay in the hospital anymore. So she insisted on being discharged today. Although Joanna did not want to return to the Sherane Bay Vi, she had nowhere better to go for a while. Many of her belongings were still here, and her children were used to living here. So she had toe back here. Besides. Bruce had transferred this mansion to her name. Now, it belonged to her. After Joanna got out of the car, she walked into the house with the help of the servants. Before they could go to the room on the second floor. Out of the blue, Bruce walked down from the second floor with a cold and stern expression. Halfway down, Bruce happened to see Joanna. His footsteps subconsciously slowed down, and a deep andplicated expression appeared on his handsome face. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re discharged¡­¡± Bruce pursed his lips and greeted Joanna stiffly. He was going to fly to Antlen today. Therefore, he had speciallye back to get his luggage, documents, and passport. Of course! Bruce had more than a dozen passports as a top agent. All of which were authentic and legal. Sometimes, he would use a passport with another identity when he could not use his own identity. The organization would also cooperate with him and provide him with multiple identities to facilitate his missions. After seeing Bruce, Joanna¡¯s face turned chilly as she replied coldly, ¡°I¡¯m here to pack my things!¡± Then Joanna walked around him and wanted to walk toward her room. Bruce frowned and stretched out his arm to stop her. ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°Get out of my way. You said you wouldn¡¯t disturb my life again,¡± said Joanna. When Bruce heard Joanna, he looked at her helplessly and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t go. I will go, okay? ¡°Stay here with the children. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t set my feet in here again without your permission. ¡°The Sherane Bay Vi will be your and the children¡¯s home. I won¡¯te back without your permission.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna deeply and sadly after saying so. Joanna also looked up and stared at Bruce coldly. Five secondster. Joanna¡¯s eyelids sank as she nced at the suitcase in his hand. From the looks of it, Bruce was preparing to go on a business trip. He told her before that he was going to Antlen for a business trip. She had thought that he was really on a business trip. But from the looks of it, he could not wait to fly to Antlen to reunite with his first love. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Take care of yourself.¡± Bruce looked down at his watch, It was almost 1 p.m. The flight was at 2 p.m. He had to rush to the airport immediately. Joanna did not stop Bruce and only retreated and made way for him when she heard Bruce¡¯s words. Bruce did not dare to dy any longer and hurriedly went downstairs. When he passed by the pram, he stopped and kissed his son¡¯s little face. After Bruce left, Joanna suddenly felt an inexplicable emptiness, as if someone had dug a hole in her heart with a spoon. The emptiness made people feel especially lost. They felt like they had lost everything. Women were such strange creatures. Joanna could not forgive Bruce when she was angry. But Bruce had to coax her. If it was in the past, he would surely coax Joanna and beg for her forgiveness. He would definitely not be as indifferent as he was now. Moreover, he had not been to the hospital during this period. He did not even pick Joanna up when she was discharged today. It seemed that he had given up during this period. Well, it was true¡­ His first love hade back to find him. Of course, he couldn¡¯t wait to return to his first love. Joanna had been thinking about something for the past few days. Why was Bruce so good to Joanna? It wasn¡¯t until Joanna saw Aria that she seemed to know the reason. It was probably because Joanna looked like Aria and had always been Aria¡¯s substitute. Thinking of it, Joanna felt so much pain in her heart that she could not breathe. She staggered back to her room and quickly swallowed a few tablets of tranquilizers. After a while, she gradually regained herposure. Joanna was used to being hurt, and the protective wall in her heart was much higher than the average person¡¯s. After all, she had walked through the darkest nights. Now, what else could she not bear? ¡°Joann¡­ I¡¯ll put the things back first!¡± ¡°Yes. Put everything away. Have you prepared a nursery for Devin?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Gael has prepared it in advance.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else andy down on the bed. Which was just as well. In the future, she could do whatever she wanted. She had to get rid of himpletely in her life. At the airport. Darcy nced at the time and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, the ne is about to take off. You can board now¡­¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°We are ready for the auction the day after tomorrow. This is the information for the auction,¡± Darcy said as he handed a data card to Bruce. ¡°Mmm!¡± Bruce took six assistants and four bodyguards on the trip. The group of eleven people flew to Lundi together. Of course! Bruce was also a famous tycoon internationally. His trip would naturally attract some people¡¯s attention. Therefore, he came to Lundi in the name of participating in the Star of the Century auction. The king of the bid in this auction was a mummy of an Ekitian pharaoh, as well as some expensive porcins, ancient paintings, and so on. There were many auction items that had been from the country to abroad. In any case, he attended such arge-scale auction every year and bid back the treasure, which had been lost overseas. He donated the antiques with research significance to the national museum for free. Some of them were in his private collection. This time, he was bidding for the king of the bid, an Ekitian mummy from the 17th century. Chapter 763 Chapter 763 Chapter 763 Of course! His real target was not the mummy but to use it to divert people¡¯s attention. At the same time, he would use the mummy as a cover to bring the RA-3 virus back to the country. At Lundi Airport. Bruce and the others got off the ne. ¡°Mr. Everett, the cars have been arranged. Let¡¯s go back to Izaberg vi.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Bruce responded with some unease. Izaberg vi was his residence in Lundi. He had residences in first-tier cities around the world. He rarely stayed in hotels but in Izaberg vi when he came to Lundi on a business trip every time. When they had just walked out of the VIP passage, a clear and familiar female voice sounded. ¡°Bruce¡­ Here, here¡­¡± Aria was already waiting at the exit and waving at him. ¡°Aria, why are you here?¡± asked Bruce, stunned. Aria was in another city. Bruce didn¡¯t expect her toe here specifically to pick him up. Aria smiled sweetly at him and said gently, ¡°I know you¡¯ll be here today, so I came to pick you up!¡± Bruce subconsciously frowned when he heard Aria¡¯s words. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pick me up,¡± said Bruce. ¡°I know Lundi like the back of my hand. It¡¯s a couple of hours¡¯ drive from Eighcaster. It¡¯s too much trouble for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not troublesome. It¡¯s better for me to pick you up personally. I just have a few more things to talk to you about.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce braced himself and replied. ¡°Yes!¡± Aria replied weakly and followed him to the parking lot. Darcy looked even more depressed and unhappy when he saw Aria. He had a good impression of Joanna. He sincerely hoped that Bruce and Joanna would be happily together. In particr, Bruce and Joanna had given birth to four children. Anyone who saw them would hope that they could live happily ever after. However, Aria¡¯s appearance broke the harmony. Darcy was annoyed by this kind of woman who knew what was good for her and deliberately destroyed other people¡¯s feelings. Hence, Darcy had a dark expression the entire time and could not stand her! However, he did not dare to say anything. He could only watch silently as Aria followed behind Bruce. In the parking lot. There were already a few luxury cars parked here. The drivers were all waiting by the car doors. ¡°Get in the car, please!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Bruce was still uneasy with a grim face after getting into the car. Aria peeked at him from time to time. ¡°Bruce, are you nervous?¡± asked Aria. Bruce shook his head sadly and said, ¡°No¡­¡± Aria paused for a few seconds and couldn¡¯t help but ask carefully, ¡°Well¡­ how are you and your wife? Are you guys back together? ¡°I saw on the news that you transferred many assets into her name. I heard that the girls in the country are more realistic. She definitely won¡¯t be angry with you anymore.¡± In other words, most girls in the country valued money, and Joanna was no exception. Now that Bruce had given Joanna so much money, how could she still be mad? Bruce was speechless. His expression became even gloomier, and he did not answer Aria¡¯s question. Bruce would not have to worry so much if he could solve it with money. However, the problem was that Joanna was not such a materialistic person. Bruce would be much less worried if she were. But then again. If Joanna were a greedy woman who valued his money, he probably wouldn¡¯t love her either! They arrived at Izaberg vi an hourter. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡± Bruce opened the car door for Aria like a gentleman. It was a traditional castle built in thest century. It covered arge area, and there was a manor inside. It did not give a sense of antiquity and was very luxurious even though it was built many years ago. Walking in it was like walking into a dream castle. There were also the butler and the servants in it. In the past, Bruce woulde here two or three times a year. But he hadn¡¯t been back here in more than a year since the ident. ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett.¡± The Antlenish butler greeted them very gentlemanly in Antlenish. A row of servants also bowed in greeting. Bruce nodded slightly and walked into the castle. Aria followed him. As they walked¡­ Aria suddenly staggered and fell forward unsteadily. Bruce was quick to react and held her up. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. My head is a little dizzy¡­¡± Aria weakly fell into his arms. Her face was pale. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital right now. You can¡¯t dy any longer In your current situation,¡± Bruce said. ¡°No. I can still hold on. ¡°I¡¯ve said I can only treat my illness peacefully until the mission ispleted. ¡°I¡¯m okay. You don¡¯t have to worry¡­¡± Aria struggled to stand firm as she spoke. However, she was weak and powerless. Instead, she slipped and fell to the ground. Seeing her like that, Bruce hesitated for a few seconds before carrying her up. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital first.¡± ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t¡­ Listen to me. I really can¡¯t go to the hospital now. If the organization finds out about my illness, it will surely make me leave. I must wait until I havepleted the mission before going to the hospital.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know how to persuade her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely get the virus back to the country as soon as possible,¡± said Bruce. Aria smiled gently at him and said, ¡°Yes. I believe in your ability.¡± ¡°By the way, what did you say on the phone the organization wants us to do?¡± asked Bruce. Aria¡¯s cheeks burned when she heard Bruce. She looked at him uneasily and said, ¡°Bruce¡­ The organization said¡­¡± ¡°Said what?¡± ¡°The organization said that they hope we can be the husband and wife partners because my current identity is quite unique and will attract the attention of the relevant authorities. ¡°If you contact me, it will definitely arouse the suspicion of outsiders. ¡°Only by pretending to be the lovers or husband and wife will our contact be legitimate. It will also dispel the suspicion of others.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce asked, looking even more surprised at Aria. Seeing his solemn expression, Aria hurriedly added, ¡°Of course, it is the organization¡¯s suggestion. It didn¡¯t force us to do Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. so.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened, and he looked depressed. ¡°It is not necessary.¡± ¡°Bruce, it is just a suggestion of the organization! ¡°It¡¯s also better to hide your identity and not mix in other factors. Even if we appear as husband and wife, it¡¯s only toplete the mission. ¡°It is just a show for outsiders and not real.¡± ¡°No, absolutely not. Not even if it¡¯s fake.¡± Bruce refused without hesitation. If Bruce and Aria pretended to be husband and wife, Joanna would probably believe it if she knew about it. By the time Bruce settled everything, it would be impossible for him to reconcile with Joanna. Moreover, Joanna had never trusted Bruce. Even if Bruce told her that he and Aria were pretending to be a couple, Joanna would absolutely not believe him. It was better not to cause such trouble. ¡°Bruce, are you afraid that your wife won¡¯t agree and will misunderstand you? ¡°You can exin it to him. It¡¯s a fake. ¡°Your wife will understand you!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was gloomy and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say another word. Absolutely not.¡± Aria still tried her best to persuade Bruce. ¡°Bruce, the organization is doing this for your safety. ¡°I¡¯m also doing this for your safety. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll personally exin everything to your wifeter. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna ruin your rtionship with your wife.¡± Bruce was even more upset when he heard that. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the virus back to the country. I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Can you not be so stubborn? Don¡¯t underestimate the surveince cameras of the World Bureau of Special Affairs! ¡°You must know that you¡¯re in the most dangerous industry now! Any hint of it will bring about a huge disaster. ¡°I¡¯m now an academician of Antlen¡¯s top research institute. If we connect in private, it will definitely arouse suspicion. ¡®We can only do better by pretending to be a couple. Of course! It¡¯s only temporary. ¡°After the virus is shipped back to the country and the mission ispleted, we can pretend to break up.¡± Bruce still refused. ¡°I said no! ¡°All you need to do now is provide me with information about the RA-3 virus and the source of the goods. You don¡¯t have to worry about the others.¡± ¡°Bruce, things are not as simple as you think. ¡°The virus has to be brought out from the gene bank first. It has to be sealed and dry-frozen. And it¡¯s not so easy to carry. You might have to stay for a month or two. For such a long time, if there¡¯s no suitable name, I¡¯m afraid¡­ Chapter 764 Chapter 764 Chapter 764 Aria looked at Bruce with a solemn expression. The RA-3 virus weighed 110 lbs. Coupled with the incubator, it weighed at least 220 to 330 lbs. It was not a small object that could be carried around. ¡°The virus is heavy and inconvenient to carry. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have specially asked you to do the job,¡± said Aria. ¡°How heavy is it?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°The virus weighs 110 lbs. With the incubator, it weighs at least 220 lbs.¡± Aria answered. Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed when he heard Aria. He was somewhat surprised. He thought it would be something the size of a syringe. He did not expect it to be so big. ¡°Where is it now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s at the underground research institute in Eighcaster. It¡¯s over 373 miles from here. ¡°You might want to take time to go there and look at it first.¡± ¡°I will go there the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. I thought you had to stay in Antlen for at least a month or two. ¡°This can¡¯t be done overnight. For the sake of your identity, I think it¡¯s better to ept the organization¡¯s arrangements¡­¡± Before Aria could finish her words, Bruce interrupted her stiffly. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. ¡°I¡¯m going to the auction tomorrow. After the auction, we¡¯ll discuss the matter of the virus in detail.¡± Aria pondered for a moment after she heard Bruce¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to the auction tomorrow! I can be your femalepanion,¡± said Aria. Bruce hesitated after hearing Aria. ¡°I happen to be studying an exhibit, too,¡± said Aria. ¡°The day before yesterday, I also received news that agents from other countries might sneak into the auction. ¡°It¡¯s easier to gather information when I¡¯m there with you.¡± ¡°Alright then! Prepare yourself tonight,¡± said Bruce. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria smiled gently at Bruce.. After all, most tycoons would bring their femalepanions to such an auction. Aria was beautiful and had a high education level. She also had a certain amount of influence in academia. It would not be embarrassing to bring her along. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll stay in a hotel tonight!¡± said Aria tentatively. After all, it was inappropriate for Aria to ask to stay here. When Bruce heard her, he frowned and subconsciously replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay in a hotel. I¡¯ll get someone to arrange a room for you.¡± Izaberg was huge. There were more than a hundred rooms in the entire vi. It was no problem to arrange a ce for Aria to stay. Aria was d to hear Bruce¡¯s words. But she still restrained herself and said, ¡°Is it a good idea? ¡°If your wife finds out, it will cause unnecessary trouble.¡± Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°No. There are so many rooms here. We¡¯re not staying in the same room. What¡¯s there to misunderstand?¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Bruce then looked at the butler from Antlen and instructed him in Antlenish, ¡°Tommy, arrange a bedroom for Miss Bridges.¡± Tommy Moore was an Antlenish man in his fifties. He was very gentlemanly and polite. He gave Bruce a standard Antlenish smile and said. ¡°Okay. ¡°Miss Bridges, please follow me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The next day. Bruce woke up early in the morning. He got up, washed, and shaved. Then hebed his hair neatly over his head and used hair gel to set it. The servants had prepared his clothes for today. An expensive high-end blue suit with a striped tie and a luxurious belt. Bruce was tall and muscr. After dressing up, his aura was oppressive, noble, and refined. One could tell he was the king of the business world. Bruce left the room. Aria was already waiting for him in the living room. The two of them were going to participate in the Star of the Century auction today. Therefore, the butler also found a high-level stylist to help Aria with her makeup and styling. Aria was a beautiful girl. Under the professional makeup of the stylist, she looked radiant. She wore a tight white dress with her hair tied up in a princess style. Her makeup was even more appropriate shades, and her exquisite facial features were stunning. ¡°Bruce, good morning.¡± Seeing Bruce had gone downstairs, Aria stood up elegantly and looked at him smilingly. Bruce nced at Aria and could not help but be stunned. The way she had dressed¡­ was stunning. Moreover, her temperament and makeup were very simr to Joanna¡¯s. He remembered that Joanna was dressed like this once for an event. Joanna wasuded in the media for her beautiful appearance at that time. Her photo had once appeared in foreign fashion magazines. He didn¡¯t expect Aria to be dressed the same way today. ¡°Well¡­¡± Bruce hesitated. Aria elegantly turned around and asked, ¡°How is it? It won¡¯t be impolite, will it?¡± Bruce frowned. He didn¡¯t like the way Aria was dressed. Moreover, he didn¡¯t like Aria d¨¦liberately imitating Joanna. Seeing that Bruce was silent, Aria¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Is it ugly? ¡°How about I change into another dress?¡± Bruce lowered his head and looked at the time. The auction was about to begin. It was better not to waste any unnecessary time. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± An hourter. At Baylon skyscraper. It was the most prosperous business building in Lundi. The Star of the Century auction was held there. Those who could participate in the golden auction were all plutocrats from all over the world. All of them were wealthy top-notch tycoons. At the door of the auction house. The decoration was especially grand. A long red carpet was spread from the roadside to the door. On both sides of the corridor were rows of security guards in suits. Luxury cars drove over one after another. The doormen would immediatelye up to greet them, open the doors, and help the guests park their cars. At 9:10 a.m. A Rolls-Royce Phantom drove into the venue¡­. The car door opened. Bruce got out of the car elegantly. At the same time, he opened the car door for Aria like a gentleman.. Crack! Crack! The reporters from all over the world had been waiting for a long time. They took pictures of everyone they saw. Especially a handsome tycoon like Bruce was the target of the photographers. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After all, it was rare to see someone so young and handsome like him though so many wealthy people were here today. Chapter 765 Chapter 765 Chapter 765 ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria was a little nervous. After all, she rarely attended such events and was not used to being chased by the media to take her photos. Now being chased by the photographer, she appeared a bit uneasy. Upon seeing that, Bruce stood before her gentlemanly and escorted Aria toward the venue door. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Think of it as going to a party,¡± Bruceforted her in a low voice. Aria nced tenderly at Bruce and grabbed his hand tightly. Knowing that she was nervous, Bruce couldn¡¯t push her away. Crack! Crack! The camera¡¯s shes kept shing wildly. The photos of the two of them were extremely ambiguous. In the pictures, Bruce looked like a highly protective boyfriend. On the other hand, Aria nestled cautiously beside him. They looked like a perfect match, especially pleasing to the eye. Especially, Aria and Joanna looked a little simr to each other. Now Bruce and Aria appeared here at the same time. Some unfamiliar media reporters thought that Aria was Joanna. Many people thought that Bruce and Aria were husband and wife or lovers. They entered the venue. Most of the wealthy people had arrived. Bruce was consideredte. After the staff reviewed their invitations, they led Bruce and Aria to the VIP seats arranged for them. The auctioneer stood on the stage and looked at the guests with a face full of smiles. The magnesium light shone on everyone¡¯s faces, illuminating them with a noble and dazzling light. ¡°Today¡¯s auction officially begins,¡± said the auctioneer. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, wee to the auction. It will be a grand event that will shock the world today.¡± The auctioneer began his speech with great enthusiasm in Antlenish. He rambled on for five to six minutes. Then the auction officially began. ¡°The first auction item is an antique flower vase from Frayn¡­¡± The auctioneer introduced the auction item in detail. ¡°The starting price is 100 thousand dors! N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Everyone, please start bidding¡­¡± Immediately after, the guests below the stage began to whisper and discuss in low voices. Bruce sat there without saying a word. He had no interest in it at all. Soon. The first lot went to an Imatian. The auctioneer began to introduce the next auction item. The fifth item was a diamond brooch. ¡°This is auction item number five today. It¡¯s called Angel¡¯s Tears. It was once worn by the Queen of Antlen when she seeded the throne!¡± ¡°The starting bid is one million dors.¡± The guests were obviously very interested in this auction item. A few wealthy people raised their signs and bid as the auctioneer finished his words. ¡°1,5 million dors.¡± ¡°2 million dors!¡± ¡°2,5 million dors¡­¡± As the tycoons raised their signs one after another, the bidding price quickly rose to 8 million dors. It was already a sky-high price. The tycoons began to whisper to each other, not daring to bid any higher. After all, the diamond brooch was only ten carats. ¡°10 million dors!¡± Bruce shed the sign while everyone was hesitating. ¡°Wow¡­¡± The audience could not help but exim as they turned their gazes to Bruce. The jewel itself was not particrly expensive. However, it was valuable because it was worn once by the Queen of Antlen. Once jewelry was rted to the royal family or some famous person had worn it, its value would increase by several or even a hundred or a thousand times. Bruce was expressionless. He loved this brooch, the Angel¡¯s Tears.. He wanted to bid for it and give it to Joanna. ¡°10 million dors going once, 10 million dors going twice!¡± ¡°10 million dors going thrice!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± With the sound of the mallet, the brooch, the Angel¡¯s Tears, was bought by Bruce for 10 million dors. The host couldn¡¯t help but interview Bruce on the spot. ¡°Mr. Everett, may I ask if this diamond brooch is for the beautifuldy beside you?¡± The auctioneer knew Bruce but didn¡¯t know Joanna well. Aria and Joanna looked simr, so the auctioneer thought Aria and Joanna were the same person. The auctioneer also knew Bruce had transferred several billion dors to his beloved wife Joanna not long ago, so he had the conclusion without thinking. He thought the brooch was a gift from Bruce to his beloved wife, who was by his side right now. ¡°Well¡­¡± Bruce was awkward as he nced at Aria in embarrassment. ¡°Wow. Mr. Everett, you really dote on your wife!¡± Aria looked at him shyly and expectantly. Under such circumstances, most wealthy people bid for the jewelry and give them to their confidants. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can put it on this beautifuldy yourself. Wow, the Angel¡¯s Tear will suit this beautiful lady perfectly.¡± The auctioneer was still fanning the mes with self-righteous humor. Bruce frowned. He was particrly awkward now. He didn¡¯t bid it for Aria at all. Although Bruce had given many women jewelry, this diamond brooch was still worth collecting. Bruce nned to give it to Joanna. But the atmosphere now had reached this point in front of everyone. He didn¡¯t know how to end it. In particr, Aria would surely misunderstand that he was expressing his love for her if he gave it to Aria. Under everyone¡¯s watch, Bruce pondered for a moment but still braced himself and said, ¡°Well, the brooch is for my collection! ¡°As for whether I should give it away, it¡¯s confidential for now. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The auctioneer looked embarrassed. Then he smiled and quickly changed the topic. Aria¡¯s expectant gaze dimmed. The atmosphere was so good just now that she really thought that Bruce would give it to her. Now, it seemed that she was overthinking again. ¡°The auction continues!¡± In the blink of an eye, it was already 11:30a.m. The auctioneer said, ¡°It¡¯s a half-time break. The second round will start at 2 p.m. ¡°Everyone can go to the dining room to eat or visit the treasures that will be auctioned in the afternoon.¡± After the crowd dispersed, Bruce, Darcy, and the others walked toward the restaurant as if nothing had happened. Aria followed them to the restaurant after sheforted herself. The auction usuallysted for an entire day. During this period, the auction would prepare the most high-end buffet for the guests, as well as the afternoon coffee and so 1. In the dining room. People were choosing their food. Some people did not eat the food in the buffet at all. Bruce was picky about the food, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t eat these things. He only took a little sd with a cup of lemonade and sat down to kill time. Aria, Darcy, and the others were not so particr and took some food. A handsome young man walked to Aria¡¯s side and hit on her. He greeted her in Antlenish. ¡°Excuse me, are you from Bridia?¡± Aria looked up at the handsome young man who was hitting on her. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± The handsome young man extended his hand enthusiastically, indicating he wanted to shake Aria¡¯s hand. Aria was stunned with an awkward expression. She really didn¡¯t know how to deal with a strange man hitting on her. Bruce nced at the handsome young man indifferently and came over to help Aria. He deliberately ced his arm on her shoulder. ¡°Sorry, my friend is calling me!¡± ¡°Hi, Mr. Everett. So it¡¯s you. How are you doing?¡± The handsome young man caught a glimpse of Bruce and immediately talked to him. Bruce didn¡¯t enjoy chatting with people, especially on such asions. Some people like to pretend to be familiar with everyone. Bruce only smiled politely at him and put her arm around Aria¡¯s shoulder before walking away. Of course. Those who could participate in this auction were either wealthy or noble. Many people came to the auction not only to auction items but also to make friends. The handsome young man was thick-skinned. He chased after them and praised, ¡°Thisdy is gorgeous!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Bruce, I feel that person is weird. Why is he following us?¡± ¡°Ignore him!¡± Bruce blocked Aria with his arm and pretended to eat at the buffet. At 2 p.m. After the lunch break, the guests entered the venue one after another. ¡°After a break, the second auction is about to begin.. ¡°There are ten treasures in the afternoon auction.¡± The auctioneer enthusiastically introduced the uing items up for auction.. Chapter 766 Chapter 766 Chapter 766 Still, Bruce was not interested in those auction items until thest one. It was also the highlight of the day. A seventeenth-century Ekitian mummy. In the end, Bruce got it for 6 million dors. After the transaction was sessful, the auction wasing to an end. Aria didn¡¯t understand his decision. She couldn¡¯t help but ask in a low voice, ¡°Bruce, why are you auctioning a mummy?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I want to collect it. I¡¯m personally interested in it.¡± Aria was even more puzzled. Bruce was not an archeologist, much less a collector of special items. She couldn¡¯t understand why he would pay such a high price to auction off a mummy that was hundreds of years old, Snap! Snap! The auction ended. Bruce and Aria walked out of the venue and were photographed by the media again. Soon, the photo of the two of them was posted on the media all over the world. At Sherane Bay Vi, Greyport. Joanna saw the photo of Bruce and Aria. Seeing them standing together intimately at the auction, Joanna was instantly stunned. She¡­ had really overestimated her importance in Bruce¡¯s heart. She guessed that after the two of them broke up, he would look for Aria to continue their rtionship, but she didn¡¯t expect them to progress so quickly. Still, that was also his usual style. Giving expensive jewelry to women and capturing their hearts was his usual trick. There was probably no woman in the world who could resist expensive jewelry. Moreover, such a generous show of love. Joanna felt a dull pain in her heart. Her three children surrounded her and Devin and chattered non-stop. ¡°Mommy, where did Daddy go?¡± Joanna fell silent. Lilia said cutely, ¡°Daddy is on a business trip. He told us before he left.¡± ¡°Huh? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡± Irvin was dumbfounded. ¡°Mommy, when is Daddying back?¡± Joanna remained silent. ¡°Hey, Mommy, look. Daddy is on the news again.¡± ¡°Mommy, who is this pretty auntie? Why is she so close to Daddy?¡± Seeing the news, Davian and Lilia¡¯s faces darkened. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Previously, Roxanne and Jennie had been pestering Daddy. They were worried that it was another woman with ulterior motives. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Stop watching TV and go to sleep.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± The children returned gloomily to the bedroom. Irvin asked dejectedly, ¡°Davian, is Daddy having an affair again?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ve said it before. Daddy likes beauties. Look, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°In the media reports, that auntie is really pretty. It¡¯s normal for Daddy to have an affair!¡± 1 Davian¡¯s expression changed. ¡°How can you say that about Daddy?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s think of a way to matchmake Daddy and Mommy. We can¡¯t let Daddy do anything wrong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as you think. Daddy has a strong rtionship with Mommy and will not fall in love with another woman so easily!¡± Irvin was disdainful and said slyly, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Don¡¯t you see that Mommy has been very unhappy for the past two days?¡± When Davian heard that, he felt especially conflicted. They did not want their daddy and mommy¡¯s rtionship to be in danger again, nor did they want another woman to be their stepmother. ¡°We¡¯ll ask Mommy tomorrow¡­¡± At a secret researchb in Eighcaster. ¡°This is the RA-3 virus!¡± ¡°We have to find a way to transport it back to the country!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a way.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Disintegrate it and disguise it in the package containing the mummy!¡± After all, mummies were ancient corpses. During the transportation process, arge amount of chemicals were needed to protect it from bacteria and prevent it from decaying and drying up. Chapter 767 Chapter 767 Aria looked at Bruce reluctantly. ¡°Bruce, when returning to the country?¡± Bruce lowered his voice. ¡°I¡¯m preparing for the customs clearance now. I¡¯ll return immediately after the procedures arepleted.¡± He really did not want to stay there for a moment longer. He saw the news for the past few days. Everyone misunderstood that he and Aria were a couple. That really made him feel especially uneasy. Things were often unexpected. It was clearly a small and simple matter, but after being embellished by the media, it immediately became ambiguous. Aria was still a little speechless. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re going back with the virus just like that? I keep feeling that this method isn¡¯t very reliable!¡± ¡°Moreover, the virus is important. If it gets detected by the customs, all our efforts will be in vain!¡± Bruce smiled calmly. ¡°The most dangerous method is usually the most sessful!¡± ¡°This is also the fastest and most effective way.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still a little worried¡­¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help but worry The method was indeed too risky. He nned to swagger through international customs with the virus. Well¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, trust me.¡± Bruce gave her a confident look. Aria frowned, not knowing what to say. Especially since she didn¡¯t want him to go back so early. Once he returned to the country, she would probably never see him again. She wanted ¡°Bruce, you to spend as many days with him as possible. Even if it was just one more day, it was extremely precious. still have to be careful. I have a feeling that this method is not reliable. If the customs find out, not only will the virus be confiscated, but you will also be detained by the police!¡± ¡°And it¡¯s very likely that your identity will be exposed. The consequences are too serious. We can¡¯t bear them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It won¡¯t happen.¡± Bruce smiled confidently. Then, he said sympathetically, ¡°After the virus is sent back, you can go for surgery early.¡± ¡°You only have one life. We all have to cherish it. You¡¯re still young. If you go for surgery as soon as possible, the chances of recovery will be higher.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Aria¡¯s expression darkened, and a trace of loneliness appeared on her f. ¡°Then that¡¯s settled. Just leave the virus to me.¡± As Bruce spoke, he loaded the virus onto the freezer truck. Naturally, he could not let others do that for him. He handled the entire process himself. Seeing that he was about to leave, Aria subconsciously took a step forward. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Aria pondered for a moment before hesitating. ¡°I¡­ Have you considered what I told you previously?¡± Bruce was stunned and looked at her in confusion. ? ? ? ?? ? ?? Aria¡¯s face burned. She lowered her head pitifully and said sadly, ¡°What I mean is, if the surgery fails, I might¡­ leave this world.¡± ¡°Before my surgery, I hope you can stay by my side.¡± After saying thest word, Aria¡¯s tears rolled down her cheek. Her thin shoulders also trembled with her sobs. She looked very vulnerable and helpless, and anyone could not help but pity her. Bruce¡¯s gaze shifted, and his expression revealed aplicated emotion. To be honest, he didn¡¯t want Aria to die. He hoped that she could live well. After all, she was so young and outstanding. However, even if he agreed to stay by her side, he would¡­ 1 t be able to apany her for long. The illness was very dangerous. If the surgery failed, there ¦°¦¯ chance for her to survive. Even if he stayed behind to apany her, it would only be for a month or two at most. As her friend, colleague, and ex-boyfriend, he should agree to her request. But¡­ He was extremely uneasy. Joanna was extremely sensitive and fragile. She could not tolerate a single imperfection, let alone betrayal. If he stayed behind to apany, Aria, there would be no going back between him and Joanna. The misunderstanding between the two of them would probably not be reconciled even until death.¡± Compared to losing Joanna, it was better for him not to interfere and let Aria fend for herself. ¡°Aria, I pity you!¡± ¡°As a friend, I really should be by your side.¡± ¡°But¡­ I have to go back and discuss it with my lover.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have my lovere with me to take care of you.¡± When Aria heard that, her heart ached and her eyes revealed deep disappointment. In Bruce¡¯s heart, he really only treated her as an ordinary friend. That was uneptable to her. ¡°Bruce, what I mean is that I hope you can stay as my¡­¡± Aria swallowed the word ¡°husband.¡± He didn¡¯t even love her anymore. It was too much for her to make such a request. Moreover, it would note true at all. ¡°Forget it. Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Aria sobbed, and her body trembled even more. ¡°I wish you happiness.¡± ¡°Aria, take care of yourself too,¡± Bruce said in a deep voice. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°By the way, when return to the country, I will talk to Mr. Thompson personally.¡± When Aria heard that, her eyes suddenly widened. ¡°Why?¡± Exhaustion and numb appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve decided that afterpleting this mission, I must leave the organization.¡± ¡°Bruce, you have to consider it carefully! You¡¯ve alreadye this far. Don¡¯t give up halfway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through. I¡¯m really tired.¡± Every man had a dream of saving the world when they were young. No one wanted to be an ordinary person. Of course, he was no exception. He was chosen by Mr. Thompson into the top secret organization of the country, the National Defense Bureau, at a young age. At one point, he was very excited and felt he was about to embark on the path of maintaining world peace. But after more than ten years, he was really tired. His dreams had also changed. ¡°Mr. Thompson said that he¡¯s going to grant you the highest honor title. In the future, when he retires, you¡¯ll be his sessor and take his ce.¡± ¡°If you withdraw now, all your efforts will be in vain¡­¡± Mr. Thompson¡¯s position was the highest position in the National Defense Bureau. He directly obeys the highest executor of the country. He also enjoys countless privileges and glory. In the future, it will be officially recorded in the annals. The identity was far more glorious than a billion- dor corporation owner. Of course, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. The heavy responsibility that they shouldered was not something that ordinary people could bear. Bruce shook his head numbly.. Not to mention the highest position, even if he was asked to be the emperor, he did not want to be. He just wanted to return to a peaceful life. He just wanted to go home and apany his wife and children. ¡°Bruce, I really feel sorry for you. You should have better achievements and not stop here.¡± ¡°You still have countless possibilities in the future. There will be a more glorious path¡­¡± Bruce shook his head sadly. ¡°Everyone has their own ambitions. You don¡¯t have to persuade me anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. No one can change my mind.¡± When Aria heard that, she pouted and said sadly and regretfully, ¡°Then let¡¯s leave it at that. I can¡¯t persuade you either.¡± As she spoke, Aria¡¯s vision turned ck again. She staggered and fell straight forward. Seeing that, Bruce hurriedly supported her. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria¡¯s nose began to bleed as she copsed to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Aria weakly wiped the blood from her nose. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital now. Your illness can¡¯t be dyed any longer.¡± Bruce was shocked and could only send her to the hospital. Half an hourter, Bruce took her to a local hospital. Aria had been treated in this hospital before, so the doctor knew her condition very well. In the infirmary, the doctor exined in Antlenish Aria¡¯s condition. ¡°Miss Bridges needs to undergo surgery as soon as possible. We can only confirm what the tumor in the brain is after the surgery.¡± ¡°There are two possibilities now. One is benign, and the other is malignant.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s benign, there¡¯s a 50% chance of recovery. If it¡¯s malignant, it might¡­¡± When Bruce heard that, he frowned. ¡°Doctor, if it¡¯s malignant, how long can shest?¡± The doctor shrugged and said regretfully, ¡°If it¡¯s malignant, she might notst a month or even a week.¡± Bruce inhaled a breath of cold air. ¡°Can you arrange an operation for her as soon as possible?¡± ¡°Are you a family member?¡± ¡°I¡¯m her friend!¡± When the doctor heard that, he shook his head. ¡°Then you can¡¯t sign the surgery form on her behalf. It has to be the family or herself.¡± Chapter 768 Chapter 768 Chapter 768 ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s wait until she wakes up before making a decision.¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± the doctor said and left the infirmary. With a heavy heart, Bruce smoked two cigarettes outside the corridor. His heart was in a mess. Aria was so sick. If he returned to the country, there would really be no one to take care of her. Although he could find the best caregiver for her, she must have someone guarding her when her condition worsened, and she needed to sign various surgical forms. That was not something a caregiver could do. He thought about it. He decided to call Joanna and inform her of the current situation. That was to prevent the misunderstanding between the two of them from worsening. Beep, beep, beep. He quickly called. Due to the time difference, Joanna was in the wee hours of the morning. The phone rang for a long time before she picked it up. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s deep voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me.¡± Joanna was stunned and subconsciously wanted to hang up. She didn¡¯t want toe into contact with him, let alone say a word to him. ¡°Beep¡­¡± The line went dead. ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± Beep, beep, beep. Bruce dialed her number again. This time, Joanna did not approach her phone again. Instead, she turned off her phone. Bruce had no choice but to call Gael and ask Gael to hand the phone to Joanna. After hanging up the phone, Joanna was still furious. He had not contacted her for many days. Why would he suddenly contact her? Ten minutester. Knock! Knock! There was a knock on the door. ¡°Madam, it¡¯s Mr. Everett. Please answer it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not answering it. Just hang up on him.¡± Outside the door, Gael was in a difficult position. He knocked on the door politely. ¡°Madam, you should answer it!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t pick up the phone, you know Mr. Everett¡¯s temper. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll call for the entire night.¡± When Joanna heard that, she could only get out of bed angrily and open the door. Indeed A bastard like Bruce would not care about others¡¯ feelings. If he wanted to do something, he would definitely achieve his goal. Crack! She opened the door. ¡°Pass me the phone.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Gael quickly handed the phone to Joanna as if he had a hot potato in his hands. ¡°Bruce, why are you calling? It¡¯s two o¡¯clock in the morning. What is your problem?¡± Joanna took the phone and cursed at Chapter 768 the phone. Bruce pondered for a few seconds on the other end of the line. After Joanna finished scolding, he said resignedly, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t hang up first.¡± ¡°I have something to tell you now.¡± Joanna calmed down and replied coldly, ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡± Bruce paused for a moment before saying slowly, ¡°Aria¡¯s illness is very serious. It might be brain cancer. She has to undergo surgery now. I might need to take care of her¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she felt a tearing pain in her heart. Did he call her in the middle of the night to tell her he needed to take care of his first love? ¡°Bruce, what you want to do has nothing to do with me. There¡¯s no need to call me.¡± Joanna was about to hang up again. Bruce panicked and raised his voice. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t hang up yet.¡± ¡°I just want to ask you a question.¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°What question? Ask away!¡± Bruce organized his thoughts. ¡°If Jaydon had cancer and needed you to be by his side, what would you do?¡± When Joanna heard that, her gaze darkened. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Did you do something to Jay again?¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m warning you. Do not target Jaydon again. Do not do anything despicable and sinister behind my back.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached when he heard that. She still cared so much about Jaydon. ¡°Joann, I understand you now. I also understand your rtionship with Jaydon.¡± ¡°As for me and Aria, it is like the friendship between you and Jaydon.¡± ¡°Can you understand that?¡± When Joanna heard her, her expression changed, and she was stunned. Her rtionship with Jaydon¡­ was indeed quite simr to Bruce¡¯s rtionship with Aria. If Jaydon had cancer and wanted her to be by his side, she would not hesitate to apany him. That had nothing to do with love. It was purely out of kindness. However, the many years of friendship between her and Jaydon had long surpassed love. It was not something ordinary people couldpare to. As for Bruce and Aria, they had not seen each other for so many years. They were so passionate about each other the moment they met, so she naturally could not ept it. Bruce sighed deeply and still tried to persuade her. ¡°Joann, I want you to think in my shoes.¡± ¡°If you were me, what would you do?¡± ¡°Before you answer that question, I want to tell you something. The person I love is you.¡± ¡°Aria and I are only friends. Even if I pity her or help her, it¡¯spletely out of friendship.¡± Joanna fell into deep thought. Seeing that she was not angry, Bruce continued, ¡°Just like when Jaydon was in a car ident, you did not hesitate to apany him.¡± ¡°Back then, I could not understand what you were doing. Now, I can empathize with you.¡± Joanna interrupted him. ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by telling me this now?¡± ¡°What I mean is that Aria needs surgery now. She does not have other friends or family.¡± ¡°And I am her only friend¡­¡± Joanna could not help but sneer when she heard that. She could tell what he was implying. He just wanted to stay and take care of Aria, but he was afraid that she would be angry. He hoped that she would understand him. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Still, she could not feel sympathy for Aria, let alone treat her as a friend. Her view of Aria was just like how Bruce hated Jaydon. She hated Aria as much as he hated Jaydon. In the past, she had no choice but to ept Jaydon¡¯s help. However, it was different for Bruce and Aria. Jaydon and Joanna were single before their rtionship. Jaydon had the right to court her, and she had to right to date any man. However, Aria was different. She knew that Bruce had a lover, so she deliberately interfered. 1 Therefore, Joanna could not sympathize with Aria. ¡°Mr. Everett, we have already broken up. It¡¯s your freedom to do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Since Miss Bridges is so sick, I think you should marry her immediately and fulfill her wish.¡± ¡°Do not call me again. We agreed not to disturb each other when we broke up. There is no need to tell me about your matters.¡± Bruce waspletely flustered. ¡°Joann, can you not act on anger?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to take care of her, you can tell me.¡± ¡°As long as you tell me, I will go back immediately and apany you¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she could not help but sneer. There was a hint of determination in her voice. ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± ¡°I just said that we have already broken up. What you want to do is your business.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bed now. Please do not call me again.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Joanna hung up the phone. ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± Bruce hung up in frustration. From Joanna¡¯s tone, he knew how angry she was. He thought about how much he hated Jaydon previously. He suddenly understood Joanna¡¯s feelings. Her feelings were probably the same as how he felt about Jaydon. In that case, he should not take it further. He did not want her to feel so ufortable. Bruce then contacted Joanna with another text message. [Joann. I will book a flight tomorrow and be able to reach Greyport the day after tomorrow. I love you. Wait for me toe back.] ¡°Bruce, you are not a savior. You can¡¯t save anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯d better love the people around me first!¡± Bruce muttered to himself. Then, he called Leo. Aria had to be taken care of. He could only call her assistant to take care of her. Besides, he was not a doctor. Staying here would not help much. He did not want to hurt Joanna anymore. ¡°Darcy, prepare for action immediately. We mustplete this mission.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Then let us set off!¡± ¡°We are going to the airport tonight. Everyone must pay full attention.¡± Darcy replied, ¡°Alright, I will inform the others now¡­¡± Chapter 769 Chapter 769 Chapter 769 He couldn¡¯t stay any longer. If one was indecisive, one would be in trouble. In the future, other than Joanna and his daughter, he would not pity any other woman. An hourter, Leo came over. He was Aria¡¯s assistant, so it was most suitable for him to take care of Aria. Of course, Bruce left a sufficient sum of money for Aria. It was more or less a token of his appreciation. After arranging for Aria, Bruce drove the off-road vehicle toward Lundi overnight. The linear distance between the two ces was almost 400 miles. The drive would take about six to seven hours. Including the time spent resting and during unexpected situations, it would take about eight to nine hours to reach their destination. Due to the importance of the matter, he did not bring any bodyguards or assistants. Darcy had also arranged a private jet at Lundi and booked airline tickets. They had to split up into two groups. Some people would take the private ne back, while others would take ordinary passenger nes. He wanted to confuse others and not let them know his true whereabouts. The off-road vehicle roared down the road. When Bruce set off, it was already past eight in the evening. They were expected to arrive around five in the morning the next day. At midnight, the deste road stretched as far as the eye could see. The area he passed by was sparsely popted. Even with the headlights, it still looked lonely and strange. The road ahead was very dark, and he could only see the distance shone by the headlights. Bruce had been driving for more than four hours. It was considered a tiresome drive. He rarely drove long distances like that. After all, Greyport was only so big, and most of the trips were driven by chauffeurs. Bruce yawned and was about to drink some water to refresh himself. All of a sudden¡­ There was a car parked in the middle of the road ahead. A sign was also ced behind the car, and one of the tires on the left side of the car was removed. A thin middle-aged man was bending over and repairing the car with a wrench. Beside the road stood a woman with blond hair and blue eyes. She seemed to be anxiously urging the man to repair the car. Their car was obviously malfunctioning. The roads were very deste, and very few cars passed by. The young woman quickly walked to the middle of the road and waved at the car the moment she saw him as if she wanted to ask for help., Seeing that, Bruce subconsciously slowed down. He sized up the woman who stopped the car. She seemed to be in her thirties. Her stomach was very bulging, like a pregnant Woman: However, it was best not to get out of the car in the middle of the night. After all, he was alone, and the car was carrying the RA-3 virus. Thinking of that, Bruce did not n to stop the car. Seeing that, the young woman did not give up on asking for help. She stood straight in the middle of the road and waved at him anxiously. Seeing that the young woman refused to give way, Bruce hesitated for two seconds before stepping on the brakes. The young woman immediately walked to the driver¡¯s window and knocked on it. ¡°Excuse me, can you lend a hand?¡± 1 Bruce rolled down the window halfway and asked in Antlenish, ¡°How can I help you?¡± The young woman saw that although he had a foreign face, he knew how to speak Antlenish. She was very excited and quickly replied in Antlenish, ¡°Oh, our car broke down here. It has a t tire.¡± ¡°We need a new tire, but our jack¡¯s busted. Can we borrow yours?¡± Usually, the trunk of a long-distance off-road vehicle would be equipped with a jack in case the car bursts a tire so that it could be reced in time. Bruce looked at the two of them again. The middle-aged man looked very thin and weak, and there was also a pregnant woman. It didn¡¯t seem dangerous at all. Moreover, from their expressions, it seemed like they really needed help. Bruce subconsciously turned off the engine, intending to help them. Then¡­ Bruce pushed open the door and got out of the car, preparing to open the trunk. The young woman followed behind him and saw that he had let down his guard. Suddenly, she took a wrench from her pocket and smashed it against Bruce¡¯s head. At the same time, the thin middle-aged man also took out a foot-long knife from his pocket and stabbed it toward Bruce¡¯s heart. There were robbers everywhere. Especially when the robbers saw that he was a foreigner and was driving a luxury car, it was obvious that he was rich. Who would they rob if not him? However, their luck did not seem to be too good. Bruce¡¯s ears were very sensitive, and his reaction was even faster. Sensing themotion behind him, he immediately turned sideways to avoid the young woman¡¯s attack. At the same time, he sent a roundhouse kick at the young woman¡¯s heart. This kick was very heavy. The young woman staggered a few steps back as if she had been ejected. She fell heavily to the ground, and the wrench in her hand was flung away. Seeing that, the middle-aged man¡¯s expression turned fierce. He raised his dagger and stabbed even more crazily. Bruce¡¯s expression changed. He dodged left and right a few times, and the dagger could not touch him at all. At the same time, Bruce grabbed the man¡¯s wrist and snapped it. The man¡¯s arm was broken, and he cried out in pain. Then, Bruce threw the man over his shoulder and threw him to the ground. The young woman also fell to the ground and rolled around in pain. ¡°Shit,¡± Bruce cursed and got into the car resentfully. It seemed that hijacking tricks were the same, domestically or abroad. He got into the car and started the engine. ¡°Buzz¡­¡± He stepped on the elerator, and the off-road vehicle roared away. Behind him, the young woman and the middle-aged man were still in pain. At the same time, the man took out his phone and made a call while trembling, as if he was informing someone. Bruce drove the car at a speed of 90 miles per hour. That section of the road was very deste and was also the best ce for robbers and the Mafia to appear, Beep, beep, beep¡­ Bruce called Darcy and asked him to set off immediately on a helicopter to pick him up. The road was not peaceful. If he encountered the local mafia, it would be very troublesome. The car drove for about an hour. i Behind his car, two cars were chasing after him. ¡°Oh no, looks like I¡¯ve run into some trouble.¡± Bruce kept stepping on the elerator, and the car was almost flying.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. On and on and on¡­. The road ahead was suddenly barricaded, and four hooligans stood guard on both sides of the road. ¡°Buzz, buzz¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t stop the car. Instead, he depressed the elerator and rushed past the barricade. ¡°Shit.¡± The few young men cursed. Then, they got into the car and chased after Bruce. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Several gunshots rang out, directly shooting at Bruce¡¯s carriage. Fortunately, the vehicle was equipped with bulletproof ss. The wheels and tires were also made of explosive-resistant material. Ordinary bullets could not shoot through them A few cars were chasing on the road. It was like a group of hyenas chasing a lone lion crazily. Bruce did not dare to let his guard down and kept elerating. Unfortunately, huge rocks wereyered onto the road ahead. ¡°Bang!¡± A loud sound was heard. The wheels were stuck in the rocks and could no longer move forward. It was even more impossible to retreat. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m so unlucky today,¡± Bruce cursed under his breath. His face was shrouded in a murderous aura. It had been a long time since he had¡­ killed anyone. From the looks of it, these people were forcing him to start a massacre. The cars behind caught up and stopped one after another. Seven or eight young men dressed in fashionable hooligan clothes got out of the car arrogantly and cursed loudly in the Antlenish. That cursed all kinds of insulting words.. ¡°Hands in the air. Get out of the car.¡± Bruce frowned and locked the car door. At that time, he definitely couldn¡¯t open the door. This group of youths had guns in their hands. They were probably from a local gang. At the same time, Bruce¡¯s hand quietly reached under the seat. ¡°Come out quickly, you coward¡­¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± A few young men had already begun to smash the door with bricks and crowbars. The ss of that vehicle was bulletproof, and it would not shatter instantly. However, no matter how hard the ss was, it could not withstand such smashing. Moreover, he was trapped in the car and could not leave at all. If it was a robbery, it would not be a big deal. However, if he lost the virus, it would be a problem. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°These people are really courting death.¡± Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes turned cold as he calmly observed the movements outside the car. At the same time, he quietly loaded the gun. Chapter 770 Chapter 770 Chapter 770 He had carried out many missions before, and it was not like he had never killed anyone. However, he had no choice but to kill those people. Moreover, it was mostly self-defense. Therefore, there was no need for legal liability.. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± The banging on the window became more and more intense. A crack had already appeared on the car window. If they continued to smash the window, the car window would be shattered. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. The young man was focused on smashing the window, and there were already cracks in the window. If he fired, he would definitely hit the target in one shot. Bruce took the opportunity and fired without hesitation. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± A young man was shot and fell into a pool of blood. The others were shocked. They did not expect Bruce to make the first move. They thought that their prey was within their control and would not have the chance to resist. Wack! Two more young men immediately came up to smash the ss. Bruce suddenly pushed open the car door. The car door opened. Before the young man could react, Bruce was like a cheetah with explosive power as he flew out of the car. At the same time, he pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang! Several gunshots rang out. Another two young men fell in a pool of blood. The remaining five youths were shocked and pulled out their guns to shoot. Bruce had already rolled to the side of the road and flipped over to hide behind a boulder. Bang! Bang! Another two shots were fired. The offenders hurriedly squatted down and found a ce to hide. They had never expected the prey to be so hardcore. His marksmanship was so urate, even more than that of a professional shooter. Bruce hid behind a huge rock while the young men flipped over and hid on the other side of the car. Neither side dared to show their faces. Bruce observed in the dark. The offenders also had guns in their hands. There were only three bullets left in his gun. It would be difficult to get rid of five people. The young men did not dare to attack rashly. As they vigntly watched for any motion, one of them immediately called for help. It was really a bad start for the day. They had eight people, but three of them were killed on the spot. That was a great humiliation to them. After all, they were the most famous mafia in the area. Bruce was also a little anxious. The longer he waited, the more disadvantageous it was for his situation. In particr, if the police were alerted, he would only be in more trouble. No matter what, he had to protect the virus. He could only hope that Darcy would rush over as soon as possible. Being able to locate Bruce¡¯s phone, Darcy should be able to rush over to fetch him soon. The two sides fell into a stalemate. They were all waiting for an opportunity. At the same time, Joanna did not sleep the whole night either. As soon as she fell asleep, she would suddenly wake up. The ends of her hair kept sticking up, and her left eyelid was twitching non-stop. Her sixth sense had always been very urate. Every time her left eyelid twitched, something very unlucky would happen. If her hair was also sticking up, it would be even worse. ¡°What could it be? Why do I keep feeling uneasy?¡± Joanna had not slept the entire night, and her eyes were red. It was almost noon, but she was still not sleepy at all. Her heart kept beating uncontrobly. She had a bad premonition. Something bad was going to happen. Joanna calmed herself down and went to Devin¡¯s room to take a look. The caretaker took good care of Devin. He ate his fill and did not cry or make a fuss. He was extremely obedient. Moreover, he didn¡¯t look like he was going to be sick at all. Joanna was relieved and immediately called the school to ask about Davian, Irvin, and Lilia. She was informed that they were fine. Moreover, they had bodyguards to pick them up when they left school. Usually, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. Joanna was slightly relieved, but at the same time, she felt even more uneasy. The most important people were the children. Other than worrying that something would happen to the children, there was only¡­ Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyelids kept twitching. She pinched some paper and pressed it against her eyelids. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t suppress it. Her eyelids were still twitching. Joanna was extremely nervous and could not hold back anymore. She had to make a call and ask. Although she had broken up with him¡­ he was still the children¡¯s father. No matter what, she still didn¡¯t want the children to be fatherless. Beep, beep, beep¡­. Joanna hesitated for a moment before calling Bruce. After all, he was overseas. Beep, beep, beep¡­. The phone rang for a long time. Unfortunately, no one picked up. Bruce¡¯s phone was in the car. At this moment, he was so engrossed in mediating with the criminals that there was no way for him to hear the phone ring. Joanna called him three times in a row, but the calls did not get through without exception. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable¡­¡± That made Joanna even more uneasy. Bruce would never ignore her calls, especially since she had called three times in a row. ¡°Is he¡­ in trouble again?¡± ¡°Never mind. So what if he is? What has that got to do with me?¡± ¡°He¡¯d better¡­ die overseas and nevere back,¡± Joanna said angrily. However, she was still extremely worried. Even though she hated him, resented him, and was angry with him at the thought of him dying, she couldn¡¯t help but worry. 1 ¡°I am not worried about him. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just worried about him for the children.¡± ¡°After all, he¡¯s the father of the children. No matter what¡­¡± Actually¡­ He was really good to her and the children. Thinking of that, Joanna didn¡¯t dare to think further and immediately called Darcy. She wanted to ask about Bruce¡¯s situation. If nothing happened to him, she would be relieved. Even if something happened between him and Aria, let him be! At most, she would never forgive him and never see him again. As long as he was safe and sound, he could do whatever he wanted. Chapter 771 Chapter 771 Chapter 771 ¡°Miss Haynes, Devin has been crying. I can¡¯t coax him no matter what!¡± The nanny and nurse had already tried coaxing him for a while. However, they could not coax him no matter what they did, so they could only bring Devin to Joanna. The little boy wailed, crying until he was out of breath. Joanna hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Is he hungry?¡± The nurse looked worried and said carefully, ¡°I just fed him. He shouldn¡¯t be hungry.¡± ¡°Is it time to change his diaper then?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°I¡¯ve checked everything. I just changed his diapers as well.¡± ¡°Darling, let Mommy carry you.¡± Joanna took Devin and hugged him tofort him. Unfortunately, Devin cried even harder. Devin kicked his legs and cried heartbreaking tears until his face turned blue. Ever since Devin was born, he had been very obedient and rarely cried like this. Joanna panicked and hurriedly instructed the servants, ¡°Quickly call Dr. Dotson toe and take a look!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The servant quickly called the family doctor. Ten minutester, Dr. Dotson rushed over. Dr. Dotson checked on Devin and did not find anything wrong. The child just kept crying for some reason. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached so much that she cried as well. ¡°Darling, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, Devin might have colic. ¡°I¡¯ll prescribe him some medicine to soothe his stomach, and we¡¯ll do some exercises to help relieve his gas.¡± As Dr. Dotson spoke, he flipped Devin over and carried Devin facedown. Nannies knew all this basic knowledge when it came to infants. They had already tried carrying Devin in this manner earlier, and it hadn¡¯t worked. Devin had probably tired himself out from crying and slowly stopped wailing. Although Devin had quietened down, Joanna still felt a little uneasy. Joanna had had a feeling that something would happen, and it seemed that it was now happening to Devin. Thus, although Joanna was still anxious, she did not think about anything else. Meanwhile, Bruce had been in a deadlock with the criminals for nearly an hour. Bruce had been shot in the left shoulder, and although he had bandaged it, blood still oozed uncontrobly out of his wound. If this continued, it would be very disadvantageous to Bruce. ¡°This won¡¯t do. I can¡¯t continue wasting time like this. I have to think of a way to break through¡­¡± Bruce endured the pain and took a deep breath, quietly touching a small stone on the ground. Then, Bruce threw the stone high into the air. When the criminals heard the sounds, they thought that Bruce was going tounch a sneak attack, and they pulled out their -guns, firing wildly. A young man subconsciously stuck his head out to take a look. A gunshot rang out with a loud bang, and the young man fell to the ground weakly. When the remaining four criminals saw this, they were even more scared, retreating further to the back of the car, not daring to reveal themselves. One of the bearded criminals used Antlenish to ask the frightened young criminal, ¡°How long until the others arrive?¡± The frightened young criminal looked at his fallen partner and was so scared he wet his pants. He stammered, ¡°¡­I¡¯ve already called. They said they¡¯ll be here in half an hour.¡± ¡°What? Another half an hour?¡± The other three were even more terrified when they heard this. ¡°We have no choice but to wait!¡± Bruce threw out three more stones. After hearing themotion, the terrified criminals became even more jittery. ¡°I want to go home. I surrender¡­¡± There was a loud bang. Following the gunshot, the young man who had been speaking was also shot and fell to the ground. This time, the remaining three people panicked even more. They had never expected this man to be so tough and kill five of their people. ¡°Why¡­ why don¡¯t we retreat?¡± ¡°No, so many of us have died. We have to teach him a lesson¡­¡± The three of them became even more timid and terrified, cowering behind the car in fear, not daring to casually poke their heads out again. Bruce frowned. He had run out of bullets. If they were all unarmed and Bruce fought with these hooligans, they would definitely not be his match. However, they were now holding guns. No matter how skilled Bruce was, no skill couldpare to guns, Just as they were in a deadlock, there was a buzzing sound from above. The whirring sound of a helicopter¡¯s rotors reached them. From within the helicopter, two bodyguards saw Bruce¡¯s car through their binocrs and quickly gave Darcy instructions. ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Everett¡¯s car. Hurry up andnd!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± The helicopter circled over the area, the whirring sound hovering above Bruce. Seeing this, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. At the critical moment, Darcy had arrived just in time. ¡°Boss, what¡¯s that? It¡¯s not the police, is it?¡± ¡°Who cares who they are!¡± The bearded man raised his gun and shot at the helicopter. Unfortunately, the criminals were too far away, and the bullet couldn¡¯t reach the helicopter at all. One of the criminals didn¡¯t dare to resist anymore and ran toward the car parked at the side as if he was running for his life. Then, the criminal quickly got into the car, started the engine, and drove away. Seeing this, the bearded man and the other criminal hurriedly ran after the car. When the car passed by them, one pounced on the roof and the other jumped in through the window. As the criminals escaped, Darcy had also found a suitable position tond the helicopter. A few bodyguards got off the helicopter and rushed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you alright? ¡°Sorry that we¡¯rete.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Bruce staggered to his feet. Bruce had been shot in the left shoulder and had lost too much blood. He was already in a daze. ¡°Mr. Everett is injured. We have to send him to the hospital quickly. ¡°Mr. Everett, hurry up and get in the helicopter. We¡¯ll take you to the hospital now.¡±, Bruce¡¯s face was as white as a sheet. With hisst bit of consciousness, he said, ¡°Darcy, immediately execute the n.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content. When Darcy heard this, he looked worried. ¡°Mr. Everett, we should take care of you first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡± Bruce said as he lost consciousness. ¡°Hurry and send Mr. Everett to the hospital. ¡°I¡¯ll carry out the n.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two bodyguards hurriedly carried Bruce into the helicopter, leaving one person to stay and call the police to deal with the aftermath. Bruce was rushed to the hospital in the helicopter. The next day, the news of the vicious gun attack shocked the entire country In less than a day, it had be international news. ¡°A foreigner was attacked in Ashlem. In order to protect himself, the man shot and killed five criminals on the spot. ¡°The police are vigorously investigating this matter¡­¡± The news was quickly reported to the public. Although there was no mosaic of the victim¡¯s photo, Joanna felt vaguely uneasy after seeing the news. ¡°It¡¯s not Bruce, is it?¡± There was a beep from the other end of the line. ¡°The number you have dialed is currently unavable¡­¡± Joanna tried to call Bruce again, but unfortunately, there was still no answer. This made Joanna feel even more uneasy. Bruce had said he would be back the day before yesterday, but two days had passed, and Joanna couldn¡¯t even get through to him. Joanna couldn¡¯t get through to Darcy¡¯s phone either, which made her even more anxious. Joanna had no choice but to call Bruce¡¯s other subordinate, Tommy. Tommy answered very quickly. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Tommy, this is Joanna Haynes.¡± ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes. What can I do for you?¡± Chapter 772 Chapter 772 Chapter 772 Joanna frowned and asked worriedly, ¡°Tommy, did you go on a business trip to Antlen with Bruce?¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± ¡°Where is he now? Why haven¡¯t I been able to contact him? ¡°Did something happen? Is he with you right now? Please put him on the phone. Tell him that I have something important to tell him.¡± Joanna could no longer care about being angry with Bruce as she asked Tommy a series of questions. Tommy pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not with Mr. Everett now, and I¡¯m not very clear about his status. ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you call Darcy and ask him?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get through to Darcy either. That¡¯s why I could only call you.¡± Joanna told Tommy. Tommy frowned. ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know about Mr. Everett.¡± When Bruce had been sent to the hospital, he had briefly regained consciousness. Before Bruce was brought to the operating theater, he had specially instructed his subordinates not to tell Joanna that something had happened to him. Bruce didn¡¯t want to scare her. Therefore, the bodyguards did not dare to tell Joanna the truth. Joanna felt a tightening in her chest and asked anxiously, ¡°Tommy, where did you go, then?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett sent me to Jusc on a business trip. I¡¯m on my way to Jusc now.¡± Tommy answered. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Joanna hung up weakly. Joanna had a feeling that something must have happened to Bruce. Otherwise, Bruce would have answered her call. Even if he was busy and missed her call, when Bruce saw a missed call from her, he would call her back. Joanna was extremely uneasy and sent a message to Bruce, [Bruce, why can¡¯t I get through to you? Call me back when you see this message. Devin is sick. I have something important to tell you.] Joanna had deliberately said in the message that their son was sick and hoped Bruce would call her back as soon as possible As long as Joanna could confirm that Bruce was safe, she would not think of anything else. Bruce could do whatever he wanted to in Antlen if that was the case. At the hospital, Brucey unconscious in the hospital bed for a full day and night before finally waking up. Seeing that Bruce had woken up, Aria immediately went up to him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re awake?¡± Bruce blinked weakly and looked at Aria in confusion. ¡°Where am I?¡± Aria held Bruce¡¯s hand, her eyes especially red and swollen from crying. ¡°Bruce, this is the hospital.¡± ¡°Hospital?¡± Bruce looked around. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only There were white colors everywhere, and the air smelled of disinfectant. ¡°How long have I been unconscious?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been unconscious for a whole day and night. You almost scared me to death.¡± As Aria spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but cry bitterly. Bruce frowned and subconsciously pulled his hand back. ¡°Aria, aren¡¯t you supposed to be having surgery in the hospital? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was scared out of my wits when I heard you¡¯d had an ident, so I rushed here overnight. Thank goodness the doctor said the bullet happened to hit the middle of your bone crevice and missed your vital areas. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up now.¡± As Aria spoke, she buried her head in his arms and cried weakly. Seeing this, Bruce felt even more disgusted. Bruce had a bad habit. Bruce liked to chase after prey and did not like to be treated as one. Simrly, in love, he liked to be the active party instead of the passive one. The more Aria pestered him like this, the more disgusted Bruce felt. Get up. I want to get out of bed¡­¡± Bruce pushed Aria away and struggled to get up. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t move. ¡°The doctor has already treated your wound. If you move around, it will affect your wound! ¡°Tell me what you need.¡± ¡°No, I have to hurry back home¡­¡± Bruce said as he lifted the nket and tried to get out of bed. However, Bruce¡¯s body was very weak. As his wound was inmed, his high fever was not subsiding either. ¡°Bruce, hurry up and lie down. Your health is the most important now. Nothing will happen if you return after you recover.¡± Brucey back down weakly and subconsciously asked, ¡°The criminals¡­ how did it go?¡± ¡°The police are already investigating. They¡¯ve got a preliminary conclusion. The gang are local criminals, and the police had some problems with them as well. ¡°By shooting them, you did a public service to them all. It¡¯s an act of self-defense. I¡¯ve already found the bestwyer to handle this. ¡°You should be fine soon. Don¡¯t think too much about anything now. Just rest.¡± ¡°What about the products in the car?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°The police have taken the car into their custody. Once you sign it out, you can take the car back.¡± Aria answered. When Bruce Everett heard this, he frowned and did not say anything more. Bruce had destroyed the virus and mixed it with a pile of mummified preserving agents. The police were not professional biologists. Under normal circumstances, they would not be able to detect it. Bruce hissed as he moved his arm and felt a piercing pain. Bruce probably wouldn¡¯t be able to return home in the short term. Aria looked at him and said weakly, ¡°Bruce, rest well for a few days. Your body is very weak now. You can¡¯t continue like this. Chapter 773 Chapter 773 Chapter 773 ¡°Aria, where¡¯s my phone?¡± Bruce looked around for his phone. ¡°Oh crap, I have to make a call¡¯ quickly¡­¡± Bruce said. Aria¡¯s expression changed as she said weakly, ¡°Oh, your phone can¡¯t be turned on. Perhaps¡­ it¡¯s out of battery.¡± Aria had seen the message Joanna had sent Bruce. However, Aria had already deleted it. Aria didn¡¯t want Joanna to confuse Bruce further. Bruce froze. ¡°Aria, you are so weak. You should quickly go and receive treatment. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take care of me here. You should take care of yourself.¡± Aria smiled and said in a carefree tone, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll hold on for as long as I can. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to undergo surgery.¡± Bruce looked at Aria in confusion when he heard this. ¡°Why?¡± Aria didn¡¯t say anything and just looked at him with a pitiful expression. ¡°Aria, your condition can¡¯t be dyed any longer. Hurry up and go to the hospital for treatment. ¡°The sooner you¡¯re treated, the better your chances of recovery. If you drag this on, you¡¯ll just be heading for death.¡± A trace of sadness appeared on-Aria¡¯s face. Aria pretended to be strong and said, ¡°Even if I undergo surgery, I might not be able to survive.¡± Bruce choked after he heard this, and for a moment, he didn¡¯t know how tofort her. Aria smiled and spoke almost as if she was talking to herself, ¡°I just want to cherish each of the remaining days I have in this limited life of mine. ¡°I¡¯ve asked the doctor. If I don¡¯t undergo surgery, I can probablyst for another three months. ¡°However, if I go through with the surgery and they find it¡¯s malignant¡­ I may not evenst a week. ¡°So, I don¡¯t want to do the surgery.¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t do the surgery. Even if there¡¯s only a 10% chance, you should not give up.¡± Aria let out a chuckle. ¡°Even if I undergo surgery, I might not be able to live. Moreover, I have to lose all my hair and be terrifyingly ugly. ¡°Instead of that, let me enjoy every day I have left. ¡°Even if I die, I want to maintain my most beautiful appearance.¡± As Aria spoke, she lowered her head weakly. Her tears were about to fall, making one¡¯s heart ache to look at her. Bruce felt extremely stifled. Bruce did not know what to say to persuade Aria to go for treatment. Aria took a deep breath and said faintly, ¡°Bruce, in thest moments of my life, I¡­ I really want you to be by my side.¡± As Aria spoke, the tears in her eyes fell. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t ruin your rtionship with your wife. ¡°After I die, you can return to your wife¡¯s side. I just want you to pity me and treat it as myst wish. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other wishes. I just want to die in the arms of the man I love.¡± As Aria spoke, she was already crying bitterly. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. Bruce knew that he could not agree to her request. Otherwise, the misunderstanding with Joanna would only deepen. Bruce merely sympathized with Aria. He did not love her. However, seeing Aria crying so sadly and begging him so pitifully, Bruce could not directly reject her either. ¡°Aria, let me think about it,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you to think about it.¡± ¡°Could you get my phone, please? I need to make a call.¡± Bruce asked Aria. When Aria heard this, her eyes darkened. Aria immediately guessed that he was going to call Joanna. ¡°Bruce, your phone might be broken. It might not be working! ¡°Why don¡¯t you use my phone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Please help me find a phone.¡± Bruce insisted. ¡°Oh, then wait a moment. I¡¯ll go now.¡± As Aria spoke, she slowly stood up and was heading out when she paused. ¡°Bruce, are you going to call your wife?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Yes, I need to let her know,¡± Bruce answered. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t tell her about your situation. Otherwise, she¡¯ll be scared. ¡°If she knew how badly injured you were, she¡¯d be worried. She has to take care of four children and terrifying just thinking about it.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned and felt that Aria was right. It was better not to tell Joanna about his current situation. Bruce didn¡¯t want to scare her. However, Bruce still had to tell Joanna that he was safe. Soon, Aria passed him a phone. Bruce made the call, and there was a beeping sound. worry about you. Chapter 774 Chapter 774 Chapter 774 ¡°The number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± Joanna was busy taking care of Devin and did not have her phone with her. As a result, Joanna had not answered the call from Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t she answering?¡± Bruce made a second call. Unfortunately, there was still no answer. Bruce frowned and felt even more uneasy. The one thing he couldn¡¯t tolerate was Joanna not answering his calls. Bruce wanted to fly back to Greyport immediately and be by Joanna¡¯s side. Just as Bruce was about to continue trying to call Joanna, the door of the ward was pushed open. A nurse pushed a small cart in and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s time to change your dressing.¡± Aria hurriedly took the phone from Bruce¡¯s hand and said gently, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s time to change the dressing for your wound. You should quickly change the dressing first.¡± Bruce frowned but did not refuse. ¡°Alright.¡± The nurse walked toward the bed and took out some antiseptic and dressing before she carefully removed the old bandage. After disinfecting Bruce¡¯s wound, the nurse began to change his dressing. Bruce had a gunshot wound on his left shoulder. Although the bullet had been removed, it left a ck wound. Bruce had to reduce the wound¡¯s inmmation every day to prevent infection and inmmation. At Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna had been tormented by Devin for more than an hour. Devin had only fallen asleep after tiring himself out. ¡°Devin is asleep.¡± ¡°Shh¡­ Keep your voice down. Don¡¯t wake Devin.¡± Joanna carried her son and carefully ced him in his crib. The little boy was asleep, and there were still tears under his long eyshes. Devin¡¯s chubby little face was flushed red as if he had rouge on his cheeks. For the past two days, the little boy had been very difficult. The moment Devin woke, he would cry until his voice turned hoarse, and it was difficult tofort him. Joanna looked at her son with heartache and raised her sore arm! Then, Joanna hurriedly called for the servants to leave. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go outside.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Joanna and the nanny tiptoed out of the nursery, afraid that they would wake the little guy up again. When Joanna returned to her bedroom, she finally had the time to look at her phone. Joanna took a look and saw that there was a missed call on her phone. ¡°Wait, who called?¡± Joanna picked up her phone and looked at it.¡± There were three missed calls from an Antlen number. ¡°Could it be Bruce?¡± Thinking of this, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened and she quickly called the number back. The phone beeped and the call quickly went through. Aria felt her phone vibrate and subconsciously looked at it. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. When Bruce had made the call earlier, his call had not gone through. It was definitely Joanna returning his call now. Aria¡¯s eyes darkened. Seeing that Bruce was still changing his dressing, she quietly walked out of the ward. Aria¡¯s phone continued vibrating. Aria¡¯s expression changed and she subconsciously wanted to reject the call. Just as Aria¡¯s fingers were about to press the reject button, she suddenly changed her mind and picked up the call. ¡°Hello.¡± Hearing Aria¡¯s voice on the phone, Joanna¡¯s body stiffened. Joanna had thought it was Bruce who called her. Joanna had not expected Aria to call her. ¡°Miss Bridges, did you call me just now?¡± ¡®Well¡­ yes.¡± Aria replied indifferently. Joanna tried her best to calm her emotions and asked indifferently, ¡°May I ask why you called me?¡± Aria was silent for a moment. Aria really wanted Bruce to be by her side during thest moments of her life. In this life, Aria only wanted to be selfish once. Thinking about the fact that she was about to die and that she was still an old singledy, Aria felt extremely regretful. Aria was already a 30-year-old woman, but she was still a virgin. Moreover, she was now terminally ill. If Aria were to die a virgin, that would be her biggest regret. Aria had nothing else to ask for. She only wanted to give herself to the man she loved before she died. ¡°I just¡­ wanted to talk to you.¡± Joanna was stunned when she heard this, and her eyes subconsciously darkened. Joama didn¡¯t want to talk to Aria. However, Aria and Bruce were both in Antlen. Aria definitely knew where Bruce was. ¡°Is Bruce with you?¡± Aria hesitated for a few seconds before replying in a low voice, ¡°Yes.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart instantly exploded, and her chest felt like it was being squeezed inexplicably. Bruce was indeed with Aria. Since that was the case, their rtionship was over. ¡°He¡¯s okay, right? I¡¯ve been trying to reach him for a few days, but I haven¡¯t been able to get through. ¡°I just want to make sure he¡¯s safe.¡± As long as Joanna could confirm that Bruce was not injured and that the foreigner on the news who had been shot was not Bruce, he could do whatever he wanted. Joanna didn¡¯t want to ask about anything regarding Bruce and Aria any longer. ¡°Bruce is great. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Aria¡¯s answer was very ambiguous. Aria was deliberately trying to tell Joanna that she and Bruce were in an ambiguous rtionship. After hearing this, Joanna felt even more suffocated. ¡°That¡¯s good. I wish you both happiness. Bye.¡± With that, Joanna wanted to hang up. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please wait a moment. I want to talk to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything for us to talk about, right?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was cold. When Aria heard this, sheughed lightly. ¡°I know you hate me, but we both love Bruce deeply. ¡°So, I think we should have a good chat.¡± Joanna exhaled and asked with a sneer, ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you already know about my past rtionship with Bruce, right?¡± Joanna did not say anything. Bruce had told her about it before. When they had been students, Bruce and Aria had dated for some time. Aria was Bruce¡¯s first love./ Aria continued resentfully, ¡°I¡¯ve known him since I was 12 years old. I met him much earlier than you did.¡± ¡°And?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°I know you must hate me. You must think I¡¯m a third party who ruined your rtionship with Bruce. ¡°But I just want to say that I¡¯m not the third party. I met him earlier than you did.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that she was speechless. ¡°You mean that I¡¯m the third party?¡± Aria did not answer, but that was enough of an answer. From Aria¡¯s standpoint, she felt that Joanna was the third party in this rtionship. Aria felt that the love between her and Bruce had never disappeared. Joanna was the person who had forced her way in, which was why Bruce¡¯s attention had been diverted toward Joanna. Joanna sneered and couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°Miss Bridges, I don¡¯t care when you met him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you existed either. I only know that Bruce and I are in love, and our rtionship was broken apart because of your appearance.¡± After saying that, Joanna pressed the audio recorder. Joanna wanted to record what Aria was about to say. For an angelic bitch like Aria who was smart, there was a high chance she would start to say words to act innocent next. Aria smiled and deliberately maintained her politeness. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I didn¡¯t call to quarrel with you. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no point in arguing about who the third party is now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to snatch Bruce from you.¡± Joanna sneered coldly. ¡°No need for snatching. If you like him, you can have him.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you don¡¯t have to be so angry. It¡¯s just that I love Bruce too much and want to have him by my side at the end of my life. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have cancer, I would definitelypete with you to the end. Unfortunately, I¡¯m about to reach the end of my life. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be the final winner.¡± When Joanna heard that, she felt even more nauseated. From Aria¡¯s tone, she was telling Joanna that if not for the fact that she was dying, Bruce would definitely choose Aria. ¡°Miss Bridges, I know you and Bruce were once in love, but Bruce and I have four children. Our rtionship is not as fragile as you think,¡± Joanna subconsciously retorted. Now, Joanna was the one who didn¡¯t want Bruce anymore. Not the other way around. Joanna was confident that Bruce truly loved her. Aria chuckled. ¡°Whatever you say. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have the time or opportunity to prove anything to you, ¡°I just wanted to tell you something. Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something simr about us?¡± Joanna choked. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°What I want to tell you is that the love between me and Bruce has never disappeared. ¡°Although you took my ce, I don¡¯t hate him at all.¡± Joanna became even more frustrated after hearing this. Chapter 775 Chapter 775 Chapter 775 Joanna felt nauseous. Joanna wasn¡¯t going to be anyone¡¯s stand-in or recement. If Bruce really loved her because she was simr to Aria, Joanna would have preferred never meeting him. ¡°Why are you telling me this now?¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t mean any harm by telling you this. ¡°The doctor said I can¡¯t live for more than three months. ¡°I just want Bruce to be by my side at the end of my life. Don¡¯t worry. After I die, Bruce will return to your side.¡± Joanna asked coldly, ¡°Did Bruce ask you to tell me this?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. Joanna was a very tolerant person. She could even forgive Roxanne, so why would she be calctive with a cancer patient? However, she didn¡¯t like Aria¡¯s attitude. Or rather, she hated Bruce¡¯s wavering personality. Joanna had believed that Bruce loved her. However, if Bruce had chosen to love her, he had to give her all his love. Joanna could not tolerate that he still had another woman in his heart. Even if it was just a little, she could not ept it. ¡°Is this what he wants?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Aria let out a sigh and said solemnly, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t object, he won¡¯t object.¡± Joanna let out a dark chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t object. Since he¡¯s so noble, I naturally have to fulfill his wish.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, you don¡¯t have to me Bruce. ¡°As a woman, you should be more magnanimous and considerate of him.¡± When Joanna heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but raise her voice. ¡°Aria, enough of all this nonsense. ¡°Whether I¡¯m magnanimous or not has nothing to do with you. Please don¡¯t call me again. Since Bruce is willing to apany you, he can apany you forever. ¡°I wish you a long and happy life together.¡± After saying that, Joanna hung up angrily. Joanna then sent the recording of the call to Bruce¡¯s Messenger. This disgusting bastard. On the one hand, Bruce kept saying that he loved her, but on the other hand, he was still tender and loving to his first love. Since Bruce was so loving, Joanna would let him love Aria to his heart¡¯s content. However, from now on, she would no longer exist in his world. After the recording was sent, Joanna was still so angry that her heart was about to explode, so she clicked on the voice message icon. ¡°Bruce Everett, I have no objections if you want to be with your first love for the rest of your life You don¡¯t have to disgust me again and again. ¡°You¡¯ve already informed me, and now you¡¯re asking your first love to tell me. I know you two are truly in love, but there¡¯s no need to show off in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. We¡¯re broken up. It¡¯s your freedom to do whatever you want. If you disgust me again in the future, I¡¯ll y this recording for your children to hear. I¡¯ll let them hear how disgusting their father is.¡± Joanna sent five or six voice messages in a row. At the same time, Joanna blocked all of Bruce¡¯s numbers and Messenger IDs. A man like this should really be thrown into the sewers and made to eat shit. Of course, Joanna wouldn¡¯t let the children listen to this recording. Joanna didn¡¯t want things between adults to affect the children. At the hospital, after changing his dressing, Bruce still felt uneasy. At that moment, Kody entered the ward Bruce frowned and said irritably, ¡°Kody, go and buy me a phone immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± Kody replied and hurriedly left the ward. Twenty minutester, Kody returned with a brand new phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, here¡¯s the phone.¡± ¡°Okay, help me change my SIM card immediately,¡± Bruce instructed.. ¡°Okay.¡± Kody took out the phone case and reced it with the new phone. Bruce took the phone and logged into his Messenger. As soon as the phone was turned on, a few messages popped up on his Messenger. Bruce quickly opened it and took a look. They were all from Joanna. When Bruce saw Joanna¡¯s message, he felt nervous and excited. Joanna rarely took the initiative to send him messages. This was particrly true after they had fought or had some conflict. Bruce hurriedly opened a voice message, and Joanna¡¯s angry voice immediately yed. Bruce listened to them one by one. The more he listened, the more anxious he became. After listening to the voice messages sent by Joanna, he subconsciously clicked on the recording sent by Joanna. The recording of the call between Joanna and Ariasted about five to six minutes. After listening to the entire recording, Bruce¡¯s heart sank. Every cell in his body was furious, and his face was extremely dark. Bruce loved Joanna. It had absolutely nothing to do with Aria. It was purely a coincidence that they looked alike. At this moment, Aria pushed the door open and walked in. Aria looked at Bruce gently. ¡°Bruce, have they finished changing your dressing?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything: He just looked at Aria coldly and with disgust.. Bruce¡¯s gaze was extremely cold, and Aria subconsciously felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed and he said coldly, ¡°Did you call Joanna just now?¡± When Aria heard this, her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, you were changing your dressing just now. Ms. Haynes happened to call, so I¡­ answered it for you.¡± ¡°Is that all you did?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darted around a little as she exined in a low voice, ¡°Bruce, your wife and I only chatted briefly. I didn¡¯t say anything I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± When Bruce heard what Aria said, he clicked on the recording and yed it for Aria. When Aria heard this, her entire face immediately turned pale. Aria had thought that she was already smartly speaking to Joanna. However, Aria never expected that Joanna would record what she had said and send it to Bruce. When Aria was on the phone just now, she did not think she had gone overboard. Now that Aria heard it again, it sounded like she was indeed very scheming. ¡°Bruce, I just wanted to exin to your wife and ask her not to be angry with you. ¡°I just want you to apany me. After I die, you can return to her side¡­¡± As Aria spoke, tears streamed down her face. ¡°Crazy! Are you crazy?¡± Bruce instantly roared. ¡°Aria, listen to me. The only emotion I have for you is sympathy. ¡°There¡¯s only one person I really love, and that¡¯s my wife. ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about our past in the future. At the age of 16 or 17, we didn¡¯t know anything at all. Even if we had love in the past, it has long gone with the wind. ¡°Don¡¯t imagine things in the future. Otherwise, we won¡¯t even be friends anymore.¡± With that, Bruce lifted the nket. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so badly injured. Where are you going?¡± Bruce scolded Aria coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Aria hurriedly chased after Bruce and grabbed his sleeve tightly. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean any harm¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you meant any harm. You¡¯ve already hurt my wife. ¡°During this period of time, because of you, my family has been hurt. It has already made me extremely regretful. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me anymore!¡± Bruce said and swung his arm fiercely. Aria staggered and fell heavily to the ground. ¡°Bruce! Bruce!¡± Bruce left without looking back. Bruce¡¯s heart was a mess, and he only wanted to return immediately. Bruce wanted to resolve this misunderstanding with Joanna immediately. He loved Joann, and there were no external reasons for this. If there was an external factor, it was probably because Joanna had saved him from drowning back then. Other than that, there was no other reason. Bruce just loved Joanna. ¡°Kody, prepare to return immediately.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, but¡­ I¡¯m afraid there will be trouble at customs!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t care. Even if I¡¯m detained by customs, I have to return to Greyport. I have to board the ne tonight¡­¡± Bruce said and couldn¡¯t help but cough. ¡°Mr. Everett, can your body take it? The doctor said you have to stay in the hospital for a few more days. We can return after you¡¯re better. ¡°Now that you¡¯re so seriously injured, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to take it. You should stay for a few more days.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m fine, so I¡¯m fine. Hurry up and get moving. Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense. Go immediately. Now, you¡­¡± Bruce snapped. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll prepare it immediately!¡± Chapter 776 Chapter 776 Chapter 776 ¡°Mr. Everett, the fastest flight would be afternoon two dayster¡­¡± ¡°Arrange for a private ne immediately.¡± Kody said anxiously, ¡°It¡¯s cloudy now. Even if it¡¯s a private ne, the fastest would still be the day after tomorrow.¡± Tommy could not help but persuade him, ¡°That¡¯s right! Your body is seriously injured. You should stay in the hospital for two more days.¡± Bruce frowned in frustration. ¡°Arrange for the fastest flight as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s a regr flight or a chartered flight, whichever is the fastest, use that one.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Cough cough¡­ Hiss¡­¡± Bruce coughed twice and subconsciously frowned. His left shoulder hurt terribly. Even if it was just a cough, the pain spread through the nerves of his entire body, causing cold sweat to break out. ¡°Mr. Everett, let¡¯s help you back to the ward first,¡± Kody and Tommy said as they carefully went forward to help him up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to help me.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth, supported himself with determination, and walked towards the ward while covering his wound. Back in the ward. Bruce sat on the bed and subconsciously took out his phone to send Joanna a message. ¡°Joann, something came up, and I was dyed. I will return to the country as soon as possible. Once I am back, I will exin everything to you.¡± Buzz¡­ Message sent¡­ The text message failed to send, and a big red exmation mark popped up. ¡°You¡¯re not Messenger friends yet. Please add as a friend first¡­¡± Bruce, ¡°¡­¡± Did she delete him? ¡°Damn it!¡± Bruce was so angry that he took two deep breaths and immediately dialed Joanna¡¯s number. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently engaged. Please try againter.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce frowned. What was going on? He was persistent and made three more attempts, and the line was engaged for all the attempts. He quickly understood. Joanna not only deleted him in Messenger but also blocked his number. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± Bruce was so angry that he coughed twice and almost vomited blood. This damn woman dared to block him. Why couldn¡¯t she be more¡­ understanding? Last month, he transferred more than 14 billion dors in assets to her. This heartless woman, even if it¡¯s for the sake of money, Joanna shouldn¡¯t have offended him. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is she going to cut ties with me?¡± Bruce became more and more uneasy as he thought about it. This damn woman had so much money. What if she went to find that scumbag Jaydon. Then he¡¯ll be left with nothing, losing money and his reputation. Thinking of this, he felt even more anxious and nauseous. Joanna was very likely to look for Jaydon. Every time she encountered a difficult situation or was feeling heartbroken. That Jaydon scoundrel will surely take advantage of the opportunity to emerge as the knight in shining armor. ¡°Damn woman, if you dare to betray me, I will definitely¡­ cough, cough¡­¡± After imagining the worst, Bruce¡¯s anger red up, and he panted a few times. His chest was in so much pain as though it was about to explode. The thought of that cunning woman, always knowing how to control him through his weaknesses, made his chest ache with frustration. She never seemed to be understanding. She was always out of his control, often driving him crazy. However, the more difficult it was to subdue her, the more he found himself irresistibly drawn to her. Kody saw that he was so angry till he panted. He thought he was mad about being unable to get a flight today. Kody braced himself andforted him. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s a cloudy day. The flight was being dyed for safety reasons.¡± ¡°This is an external factor. There¡¯s no way to avoid it!¡± ¡°You should stay in the hospital for two more days.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Bruce replied angrily. There was nothing he could do, even if he was anxious. While still feeling mad, the door was pushed open with a click. Aria walked in with eyes red and puffy. She said weakly, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned cold. He said with disgust in his tone, ¡°From now on, I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± Aria was stunned for a few seconds. Her tears flowed down continuously. ¡°Bruce, are you really angry with me?¡± ¡°Take her away. I don¡¯t want to see her anymore. Don¡¯t let here to the ward again.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± the two bodyguards spoke, they immediately went forward to chase her away. ¡°Miss Bridges, please make your way out.¡± ¡°Bruce, Bruce, I don¡¯t have any ill intentions. I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone¡­¡± Aria said weakly. Her legs went soft, and she staggered forward. With a determined heart, Bruce refrained from reaching out to her. The assistant beside her did not help her up either. Aria fell weakly to the ground. Her vision turned ck and she fell into aa. ¡°Kody, take her to the ward.¡± ¡°Get her a nurse.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Soon. Kody found a nurse and carried Aria into a wheelchair before pushing her out. Subsequently, Bruce informed Leo toe over and take care of her. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to ask about Aria anymore. He just wanted to return to his country immediately. Since the misunderstanding with Joanna could not be resolved, he was not in the mood to do anything else. This damn woman dared to block his mobile number. Yes, it seemed like she dared to do whatever she wanted just because he loved her. How dare she block him¡­ Indeed, if a woman is not dealt with firmly, she will never know the terror of a man. Brucey on the hospital bed with his mind in a mess. Then, he borrowed the bodyguard¡¯s phone to call Joanna. Beep, beep, beep. The call went through quickly. On the other side¡­ Joanna¡¯s phone rang. She saw that it was a call from Antlen. She immediately hung up and blocked the number. She didn¡¯t want to hear anything about Bruce and Aria anymore. Therefore, as long as it was a call from Antlen, she would block it and hang up. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°Joanna¡­ Would you only be satisfied once you angered me to death?¡± Since the call couldn¡¯t go through, he didn¡¯t want to try calling again. He only wanted to return immediately. He would then throw her on the bed and teach her a harsh lesson. A disobedient woman like her could only be taught a harsh lesson through this method. Only by making herpletely submissive then would she be obedient. Damn that woman. She just needed to be taught a lesson. Ever since she got pregnant, he happened to be in a car ident. Hence, she had not been taught a lesson for nearly a year. So, her arrogance grew stronger and stronger. Thinking back to the past, she used to be so obedient and submissive in front of him. How could she dare to be so arrogant in front of him now? When he returned, he had to reorganize himself. Two dayster. After enduring for two days. Bruce rushed to the airport with his men. At the airport. Dressed in a ck suit, Bruce sat on the chair with a gloomy expression and waited. ¡°Mr. Everett, the tickets are ready. You can check in now.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± The assistant began to lift therge box containing the mummy. While he was handling the consignment. Suddenly¡­ A few people in police uniforms walked over with solemn expressions. The leader was a blond-haired, blue-eyed Antlen citizen. He looked like a police officer. Bruce knitted his brows, and a solemn expression appeared on his face. He had seen this person at the auction. At that moment, he felt something was off with the person, and he turned out to be a police officer. ¡°Roger that, Roger that.¡± The blond-haired, blue-eyed police officer said something into his headset while he searched the crowd. They had already received a confidential report that a foreign spy would steal the RA-3 virus shortly. However, this source of information was not very urate. He could not be sure which country the agent was from. Seeing this, Kody and the others also became nervous. ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Calm down.¡± Five minutester. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. The blond police officer led a few people and targeted Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s inside? ¡°It¡¯s an artifact.¡± ¡°Are the goods dered?¡± Kody quickly pulled up all the permits and paperwork and handed them to the police officer. ¡°These are all the approved permits.¡± The blond police officer nced at the permits and looked at Bruce with a faint smile. ¡°We need to check again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce shrugged with a rxed expression. Soon. A few police officers dragged the big box to the examination room at the side and began inspecting it. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Kody looked worried. Bruce¡¯s expression was dark. There was nothing unusual on his face.. ¡°What¡¯s in here?¡± ¡°These are antiseptic and mold-proof items. They are all qualified.¡± ¡°Those required a special deration. The process may not be that quick.¡± ¡°How many more days?¡± ¡°Well, these tests take a special route. If it¡¯s fast, it¡¯ll take an hour or two. If it¡¯s slow, it might take a week or two.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do?¡± Bruce smiled calmly at the police officer. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll cooperate fully with the test.¡± Chapter 777 Chapter 777 Chapter 777 After saying that, Bruce looked at Kody indifferently. ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kody was shocked when he heard that. Now he needed to stay back? Oh my, this mummy was worth more than 6 million dors, in addition to the various embalming and transportation costs. The total amount was an astronomical price. What would he do if customs refused to let him in? Seeing his shocked expression, Bruce patted his shoulder. ¡°It is fine. I will leave it to you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I think it will be difficult¡­¡± Kody still looked troubled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can.¡± Bruce was eager to return home and did not have the mood to waste any more time. Moreover, this process was endless. It was not something that could be done within a week. He left the mummy with Kody in Antlen to deal with it. ¡°Alright then! I will bring the cultural relics back to Greyport.¡± ¡°Yes, you can do it.¡± Bruce gave him an encouraging look. After that. After Bruce gave some simple instructions, he boarded the ne back home with his other assistants. 5:10 PM. The ne finally took off sessfully. It was not until the moment the ne took off that Bruce¡¯s uneasy heart finally calmed down a little. The virus was not in the mummy at all. Instead, he had Darcy use a specialized smuggling group to transport the virus through ship freight and bring it back to the country. He deliberately added various preservatives inside the mummy to confuse people¡¯s perceptions. It made them suspect that someone had tampered with it. No one did tamper with it¡­ Fifteen hourster. The ne finallynded. Due to the time difference, it happened to be in the afternoon. Bruce looked at the sun in Greyport and had mixed feelings. Once again, he hadpleted his mission and returned safely. Every time hended safely. His heart was pushed to its limits, and then a sense of rxation. When he was young. He loved this excitement in his life. It made his adrenaline rush every time. But now.. He just wanted to go home immediately. Go home and deal with that disobedient damned woman. She dared to block his phone number in Messenger. He would teach her a lesson and make her realize how vile her actions were. Let¡¯s see if she still dares to block him in the future. Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna did not know that Bruce wasing back today. For the past few days, she had been so angry that she could not eat or sleep well. Every minute and second felt like a thorn pierced in her heart. It hurts all the time. She felt like she was in hell. ¡°Miss Haynes, the sun is very bright today. You could take Devin for a walk on thewn.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed! The sun is warm today, and it¡¯s good for Devin to get some sunlight and absorb some vitamin D,¡± the servant added casually. Joanna didn¡¯t want to go at first. However, it was already December. Although it would not snow during winter in Greyport, the weather would still be a little cold. It was rare for the sun to be out today, so it was a good time to bring Devin out to sunbathe. Moreover, it was almost four o¡¯clock. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia would also be finishing school soon. It was about time to pick them up. ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°Devin, let¡¯s go get some sun.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. Let us carry Devin!¡± ¡°He seems to be crying less for the past two days?¡± ¡°That was right! Dr. Dotson prescribed a wind-relieving medicine for him. Devin has been sleeping soundly these days without causing any trouble.¡± The babysitter smiled too. ¡°That was right. Dr. Dotson¡¯s medical skills are quite brilliant.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna forced a smile. She had been in a bad mood for the past two days. when she saw her child, she could not help but soften. She also did not proactively console herself. Why lower your level to the scumbag? She considered him dead, and from now on, he would no longer exist in her life. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Since he does not care about her feelings, is broad-minded, and cares about his first love so much, she would let him spend the rest of his life with her. From now on, she and the children would never see him again. ¡°Devin, are you feeling happy?¡± The babysitter hugged and teased him. Devin had not made a fuss for the past two days. He was like an angel,ughing whenever he was teased. When he smiled, he was chubby and cute. ¡°Miss Haynes, look how adorable Devin is when he smiles. He¡¯s so clever too. He¡¯s just over a month old, yet he¡¯s already smiling and responding to us.¡± ¡°He would be outstanding in the future. He would be a genius. I reckon he can even surpass Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Needless to say, the genes of Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes are excellent. Their children would naturally be the smartest.¡± As they spoke, they had already forgotten that Joanna and Bruce had broken up. Joanna¡¯s expression darkened when she heard that. However, she did not say much. They were right. Bruce¡¯s genes were good, and the gic inheritance was also strong. The children did not look much like her. Instead, they looked very much like their father. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia all resembled him and had the same level of intelligence. Devin was probably no exception. He would take after Bruce. Buzz buzz¡­ The electromechanical door was opened. A few luxury cars drove into the vi one after another¡­. ¡°Oh, my? Who is back?¡± The servants were all dumbfounded when they saw the car enter. ¡°Has Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvine back from school?¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± The servants stood obediently at the side and watched the luxury car enter. Sherane Bay Vi now belonged to Miss Haynes. No one was allowed to enter without her permission. Mr. Everett was currently overseas and couldn¡¯t possibly return this early. ¡°Oh my, is Mr. Everett back?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is back.¡± ¡°Oh my, hurry up and inform Miss Haynes¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The servant who opened the door hurriedly ran towards thewn. Unfortunately¡­ Bruce had already gotten out of the car. He was emitting a vicious aura as he walked towards thewn. He could already see Joanna from afar. Joanna¡¯s reaction was a bit slow, and she didn¡¯t respond until Bruce was about to walk past her. Only then she She turned and saw Bruce walking toward her aggressively. He looked like the King of Hell himself. ¡°Bruce, why are you back so soon?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded and subconsciously took two steps back. Bruce did not say anything and approached her. He was like a tyrant who had returned from the battlefield. His entire body exuded a strong sense of grievance and blood. He quickly walked to Joanna¡¯s side. Without another word, he grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand like an eagle grabbing a chick and pulled her into his arms. Then, he bent down to carry her into his arms and walked towards the room. ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, are you crazy? Let go of me. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°What do you want? You can let me go¡­¡± Joanna was pulled into his arms like a little chick. She swung her hands and feet, struggling in fear. Unfortunately¡­ How could she break free? Bruce exuded a fierce and overwhelming aura as he trapped her tightly, leaving no room for her to struggle. The servants were even more stunned. ¡°Oh my, this¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s business. Mr. Everett and Miss Haynes being able to reconcile is the best thing that could happen¡­¡± In the room. Bruce threw Joanna onto the bed. ¡°Joann¡­ Give it to me¡­¡± His kiss was fierce. It was filled with surging passion and force. There was no other choice but to endure it. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna trembled and cried. His love was like a raging fire that burned everything to ashes wherever it went. Joanna did not dare to struggle anymore. In an instant, she was wrapped in the mes. Her body and soul no longer belonged to her. Being conquered¡­ was an extreme form of love. About¡­ When a woman is subdued by a man entirely, her heart would often surrender along with her resistance. His personality indeed has ws, and he has many imperfections. However, the radiance emitted within him is enough to overshadow all those shorings. Chapter 778 Chapter 778 Chapter 778 The smokey session continued for a long time¡­. His wound was torn open, and bright red blood seeped through the gauze, dyeing the white gauze bright red. Unfortunately¡­ The pain from his wound was catalyzed into a raging anger. He did not care. He let the blood flow freely¡­. As Joanna pushed and hit him, her hands were stained with blood. She was too scared to continue pushing him. His body temperature was terrifyingly high. It was not the body temperature of a normal person at all. He was having a high fever. ¡°Bruce, you bastard, you lunatic.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Do you want to die? Let go of me now¡­¡± Joanna cried in fear. From the intense resistance at the beginning to the heart-wrenching worry. Finally. She did not dare to resist anymore. She knew that the more she resisted, the more agitated he would be. She could only hug him tightly and begged him not to do this. ¡°Bruce, stop¡­ Let me take a look at your injuries¡­¡± If this continued, he would die. She was afraid of this man who was so evil till it drove him crazy. People often say that the woman a man loves the most is the one who always makes him smile. And women, on the other hand, love the man who always makes them cry. That was indeed the case. Women have no emotional fluctuations towards men they don¡¯t love. They couldn¡¯t care less about how he felt, as it was none of their concern. When a woman truly loves a man, every move made by him could affect her emotions. Sometimes, even if the man merely spouts the wrong words, it can make her sad and upset for a long time. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Tears filled Joanna¡¯s eyes and slid helplessly onto the pillow. An hourter. The storm finally calmed down¡­ Bruce¡¯s eyes seemed to be burning like two balls of mes. ¡°Honey, do you love me?¡± Joanna no longer had the strength to answer any of his questions. Her entire body was about to split open. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± Bruce coughed and fell onto the bed in a daze. In the past few days. He felt extreme anxiety every moment, and his wound had not been recovering well. His wound was inmed, causing him to have a high fever. And now, his mind had finally rxed. He could not hold on any longer. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡±. Seeing this, Joanna could not stay angry with him. Enduring the pain, she struggled to sit up. She wanted to check where he was injured. How many injuries did he sustain? There was already a lot of blood being stained on the white bedsheets. ¡°Hurry up and let me see it.¡± Joanna gently removed the gauze on his left shoulder, which was already on the verge of falling off. The gauze was removed. Joanna¡¯s scalp went numb. She felt like her head was about to explode. Under the gauze. It was a bloody hole that looked like a ck pit. Although the hole had been surgically sealed, it could still be seen. This wound was deep, and it was not a knife wound. ¡°Bruce, how did you get injured?¡±, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Bruce replied weakly. He grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding loudly, and her mind was nk. Just now, she knew he was injured, but she did not expect it to be more serious than she had ever imagined. ¡°Was this wounded by a gunshot?¡± Joanna blurted out. Bruce did not answer. He just closed his eyes and panted. ¡°Bruce, why exactly did you go to Antlen?¡± ¡°I will take you to the hospital now!¡± Bruce shook his head weakly. ¡°I can¡¯t go to the hospital. Otherwise, it will cause unnecessary trouble.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just encountered a robbery overseas!¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not care about asking for further details on what exactly happened. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to inform Dr. Dotson toe over immediately.¡± Joanna hurriedly jumped off the bed with her limp body. Then, she shouted at the servant outside the door, ¡°Lilian, call Dr. Dotson over immediately!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Ask him to prepare more anti-inmmatory medicine and medicine to treat external injuries.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± After instructing the servants. Joanna didn¡¯t bother to clean herself up and quickly put on an oversized nightgown. She then brought over the readily, avable medical kit at home. She wanted to help ease his inmmation and stop the bleeding first. This detestable bastard. He always gave her heartache. Three minutester. Joanna opened the first aid kit and took out iodine and medicine to stop the bleeding. She also took out disinfectant cotton balls. She carefully wiped away the blood on his wound. Bruce slowly opened his eyes and looked at Joanna, who was wiping away tears while applying medicine for him. He couldn¡¯t help but smile. This woman only had a stubborn mouth. She still loved him in her heart. ¡°Tell me, why did you block me?¡± Bruce purposely put on a stern face and questioned. ¡°Joanna¡¯s hands trembled as she looked into his eyes with tears in her eyes. Bruce snorted. ¡°You despicable little thing. I haven¡¯t been teaching you a lesson recently. Had your wings hardened?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teach you a lesson every day from now on. Let¡¯s see if you still dare to be so disobedient.¡± When Joanna heard this, her tears instantly fell uncontrobly. Her heart was filled with anger and heartache. She had mixed feelings and was filled with sorrow. ¡°You damn bastard, can¡¯t you see the situation now? You still have the mood to say such shameless words.¡± Seeing her crying harder, Bruce did not dare to tease her anymore. He quickly apologized in all seriousness, ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t dare to do it again. Don¡¯t be angry with me anymore, okay?¡± Bruce struggled to get up and wanted to hug her. Joanna pushed him away. ¡°Get lost. You say that every time, but you never keep your promise.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust you anymore. I¡¯ll never trust you again. Why did youe back? Why did youe back to make me so sad?¡± As Joanna scolded him, she wiped her tears in grievance and anger. Since the other woman was so good, why did he return to look for her? Bruce frowned. He stretched out his arm and forcefully held her in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll keep my word this time.¡± ¡°Hurry up and let go¡­¡± A hint of helplessness appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Honey, why don¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°It was all your wrongdoings. How can I trust you? Let go of me. I hate you to death.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to protect your first love? Why did youe back?¡± The resentment in Joanna¡¯s heart could not be released. She could not forgive him easily. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Hearing this, Bruce suddenlyughed. It was rare for him to see Joanna so angry and jealous. In the past, she could truly endure a lot, maintaining an indifferent attitude toward everything, especially rtionships. She was distant and restrained. He had once thought that she was such an unromantic woman. Unexpectedly, this heartless and cold woman. How could she be so jealous? ¡°Honey, are you jealous?¡± Bruce smiled evilly. With a high fever, his face was flushed red, resembling someone who had drunk too much. His expression looked even more mischievous and deserving of a p after smiling. ¡°No, who¡¯s jealous? I¡¯m just stating facts!¡± Joanna wouldn¡¯t admit that she was jealous. Indeed, he was at fault, yet he was still teasing her for being jealous of another woman. So what if she was jealous? He shouldn¡¯t have made his wife jealous of other women if he were a responsible man. Ultimately it was still his fault. ¡°Honey, are you that unconfident in yourself?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. ¡°Crazy, am I not confident? What does it have to do with you having an affair?¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Do you think Aria can hold a candle to you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Joanna Haynes was stunned. Tears brimmed in her eyes. ¡°If I wanted to find a woman, do you think I couldn¡¯t find anyone I wanted openly? Do I need to sneak around with her?¡± ¡­ Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened, and she became even angrier! This cunning bastard had a glib tongue. He is quick-witted and fast-thinking. Most people can¡¯t keep up with his mind. She has to be careful and not let him manipte her. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not a 20-year-old child. I¡¯m mature enough when ites to rtionships.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already in my 30s. I¡¯m confident enough to control my feelings.¡± ¡°Aria has cancer, and my feelings for her are purely out of sympathy. If I am involved with her romantically, would I rush back like this?¡± Joanna sneered coldly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin so much to me.¡± As Bruce saw she was unwilling to forgive him, he deliberately covered his wound and groaned, ¡°Ah, it hurts.¡± ¡°Cough, cough. I might be dying soon.¡± ¡°Honey, if I die, take good care of our children and yourself.¡± ¡°Find another good man to marry.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one thing, though. You can¡¯t marry that creep, Jaydon.¡± Chapter 779 Chapter 779 Chapter 779 ¡°¡­¡± Joanna was instantly petrified. Bruce took a deep breath and said emotionally, ¡°If you dare to marry that annoying person, I won¡¯t die in peace even if I go to theherworld.¡± ¡°Ah, it hurts so much¡­ just let me die quickly. I don¡¯t want to live anymore. There¡¯s no point in living,¡± said Bruce. His face became even more grim, giving the impression that he might pass away. ¡°¡­¡± Joanna was speechless. She knew that he was pretending. But it was not entirely an act. After all, his lips were pale and devoid of any color. The wound on his left shoulder was gruesome, enough to shock anyone who saw it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. You¡¯re so detestable! Even the Grim Reaper would not dare to take you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really in pain. I swear that if I am pretending, I¡¯ll be struck by lightning,¡± Bruce said as he looked at Joanna pitifully. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked haggard and sloppy. Seeing this, her heart couldn¡¯t help but soften. Joanna¡¯s lips trembled, and she quickly went forward to check. ¡°Where does it hurt? Hurry, and let me take a look. How did / this happen? Where are Darcy and the others?¡± ?? Bruce looked at her with a sad and deep gaze. He held her hand and held it to his heart. ¡°It hurts/here. It hurts so much that I¡¯m about to die.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how to cherish your man. When he dies, you will be a widow.¡± Joanna choked. Joanna felt a headacheing on. She was speechless. She felt like she was sitting on a roller coaster, spiraling around in the air. There were all kinds of feelings. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t look at me so fiercely! I¡¯m really in pain. I almost couldn¡¯te back.¡± ¡°Iam either-thinking of you or our children. I might die overseas. If I do, you won¡¯t even have the chance to collect my body.¡± ¡°Shut up, stop talking about this. What was going on? How did it end up like this?¡± Joanna immediately covered his mouth with her hand. People say good things don¡¯te true, but bad things do. So, never speak inauspicious words. ¡°Honey, can you forgive me?¡± Bruce looked into her eyes. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°If you still don¡¯t forgive me, I might die of pain.¡± Bruce blinked twice, revealing an innocent expression. He looked like a little puppy that needed its mother¡¯s protection. He was apletely different person from the crazy look he had when he lost control just now. Just now, she felt that she was going to be tortured to death by him. Perhaps it had been too long since he had been intimate with her, so he could not control himself. Until now, her entire body was weak and soft. If it weren¡¯t for the serious injury he sustained, she would probably have fallen asleep from exhaustion by now. This man, I don¡¯t know how many faces he¡¯s hiding. He always surprised me with his interrogations, making my heart ache. Seeing Joanna¡¯s softened gaze, Bruce knew she hadpletely softened her heart. If he added more persuasion, he could make herpletely yield. ¡°Ouch, just let me die of pain.¡± ¡°My poor children. They will be losing their father at such a young age¡­¡± ¡°If you keep saying these inauspicious things, I will sew your mouth with a needle.¡± ¡°You deserve to die from the pain. You asked for it,¡± Joanna said as she quickly applied medicine to him. Seeing this, Bruce smiled smugly and closed his eyes in satisfaction. When this woman was angry, she could not be coaxed, no matter how hard he tried. Indeed, the trick of pretending to be injured never fails. However, it¡¯s a bitter act. It was not something an ordinary person could endure. Fifteen minutester. Dr. Dotson rushed over with the first aid kit. ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s wrong with Mr. Everett?¡± Joanna exined his situation anxiously. ¡°He¡¯s injured and refuses to go to the hospital no matter what. Hurry up and take a look at him.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Dr. Dotson tensed up. He quickly went over to examine Bruce. After looking at the wound. Dr. Dotson frowned. ¡°Oh my, this looks like a gunshot wound.¡± ¡°Yes, he ran into robbers abroad.¡± Joanna believed Bruce¡¯s story. ¡°Why are the stitches broken? You¡¯ve got to stitch it up quickly and treat the inmmation, or it could lead to an infection, which would be troublesome..,¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more nervous. ¡°Please, Dr. Dotson. Please treat him. Don¡¯t leave any aftereffects.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± As Dr. Dotson spoke, he quickly opened the first aid kit and began to treat Bruce¡¯s inmmation¡­ Ten minutester. Bruce¡¯s wound had been treated. ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s wound is already inmed. We have to reduce the swelling and inmmation first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to stitch it up for the time being. Don¡¯t do any strenuous exercise for the next few days. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be even more troublesome if the wound breaks open again.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Joanna nodded hurriedly. Dr. Dotson nced at the messy bed and the tissues on the ground that had not been cleaned up. / Heined in his heart, ¡°Mr. Everett is too extreme. He¡¯s already injured to this extent, yet he¡¯s still in the mood to do that?¡± ¡°He is reckless.¡± ¡°Alright, I will give him an anti-inmmatory injection now. I wille over again tomorrow to change Mr. Everett¡¯s dressing.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you foring over, Dr. Dotson.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± After Dr. Dotson finished speaking, he bid farewell and left. The doctor left. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia had already finished school. ¡°Hey, is this not Daddy¡¯s car?¡± ¡°Is Daddy back?¡± ¡°He might be.¡± ¡°Miranda, is Daddy back?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The two boys asked in surprise. Miranda was also happy. ¡°It is true. He is in the room upstairs now.¡± ¡®Oh, that is great. Daddy is finally home.¡± was worried that Daddy will be charmed away by a vixen. Thank goodness, Daddy is finally back,¡± Davian and Irvin said as they ran happily to the room on the second floor. Seeing this, Lilia also walked up to the second floor happily. ¡°Davian! Irvin! Please wait for me. Do not run so fast. Unfortunately, she was walking on an electronic prosthetic leg. So she could not run as fast as her brothers. ¡°Miss Lilia, I will carry you!¡± On the second floor¡­. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± The two little boys knocked on the door excitedly. ¡°Mommy, open the door. Is Daddy back? We miss Daddy so much. Open the door quickly.¡± In the room. Bruce and Joanna heard the children¡¯s voices. ¡°The children are here. Be serious.¡± Joanna said and quickly went to open the door. Crack! The door opened. Davian and Irvin ran in excitedly. ¡°Wow, Daddy is back.¡± ¡°Mommy, when did Daddye back?¡± ¡°Around today afternoon!¡± ¡°Haha, that is great. Daddy, we missed you so much.¡± The two little boys stood at the door and chattered. They heir heads out and looked into the bedroom. The bedroom was huge. They could only see the bed and his daddy lying on it. Bruce had given Davian and Irvin strict orders not to enter Mommy and Daddy¡¯s room without permission. Therefore, the little boys only dared to chatter at the door and did not dare to enter rashly. Although it had been a while since they saw their Daddy, Bruce¡¯s authority still lingered. ¡°Why did Daddy go to bed so early?¡± Joanna said gently, ¡°Be good. Daddy just came back from a business trip. He wants to sleep now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t disturb Daddy first. Let Daddy rest, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When the two little boys heard this, they looked unhappy. Their daddy had just returned, and they were extremely excited. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only They wanted to y with their daddy now, but they did not expect their daddy to be sleeping so soon. As they were speaking. Someone carried Lilia to the door. ¡°Daddy, are you back?¡± Lilia¡¯s clear voice sounded. Bruce was originally very tired. Coupled with the high fever, he was already sleepy. He was not interested in the enthusiasm of the two brats. After all, he needed to rest now. But now, he heard his daughter¡¯s voice. It was as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He struggled to sit up. ¡°My precious Lilia,e in quickly. Daddy missed you so much.¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, they looked depressed. Chapter 780 Chapter 780 Chapter 780 ¡°Daddy, Lilia missed you so much! Why did you go on a business trip for such a long time?¡± Lilia¡¯s voice was crisp and cute, with a nasal tone of grievance. ¡°Daddy missed you too.¡± Hearing his daughter¡¯s aggrieved voice, Bruce¡¯s heart almost melted. He insisted on sitting up straight and hugged his precious daughter. ¡°Daddy¡¯s precious girl, hurry up and show Daddy how tall you have grown.¡± Lilia pouted, and herrge eyes turned red. She had not seen her daddy for so many days. She missed him. Now that her daddy was finally back, the little girl cried excitedly and aggrievedly. ¡°Yes, I did! Mommy said I had grown taller!¡± Bruce rubbed his daughter¡¯s little face. Her eyes were sore from crying. ¡°Hurry up and kiss Daddy.¡± Lilia stretched her neck and kissed his cheek twice. Bruce smiledfortably and hugged his precious daughter tightly in his arms. His heart was about to melt. In this world, other than Joanna, the other person he loved the most was his daughter. The three other brats could notpare to his precious daughter¡¯s position in his heart. ¡°Daddy¡¯s darling, Daddy¡¯s little darling!¡± Bruce was filled with emotions and kept kissing his daughter¡¯s face. He almost couldn¡¯te back from his trip to Antlen. Fortunately, luck was on his side. So that he could return safely and be reunited with his family. At this moment, he was satisfied. He didn¡¯t want anything else for the rest of his life. All he wanted was for him to be with his family. ¡°Daddy, could you not go on business trips in the future anymore?¡± -¡°Did you know that your Lilia missed you a lot?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy would not be going on business trips in the future.¡± ¡°Then let us pinky swear.¡± Lilia stuck out her little finger at her daddy cutely. Bruce smiled dotingly and stuck out his pinky to pinky swear with his daughter. ¡°Pinky swear. You are not allowed to lie for 100 years¡­ The father and daughter were openly showing off their father-daughter rtionship. Davian and Irvin stood at the door and watched with envy and dissatisfaction. ¡°Irvin pouted, almost reaching his ears, and enviously said, ¡°Davian, isn¡¯t Daddy being a little too much?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although Davian¡¯s personality was quiet and aloof, he was also speechless about this. ¡°Isn¡¯t Daddy too biased? He only cares about Mommy and Lilia and doesn¡¯t dote on us at all,¡± Irvin comined sourly. ¡°It¡¯s not a little biased. It¡¯s very biased!¡± Davian also expressed his dissatisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is too biased. He does not even care about us!¡± ¡°Do not expect us to be filial to him in the future.¡± The two little guys pouted, expressing their disappointment at their daddy¡¯s bias. However, Lilia was born with a disability. The entire family would pamper her and give in to her. She had always been the little princess of the family. The two boys did not mean what they said. They would notpete with Lilia for favor at all. Joanna was more meticulous and cared more about the children¡¯s feelings. Seeing her two sons looking at her eagerly, she could only remind Bruce in a low voice, ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you going a little overboard?¡± Bruce was stunned. He looked at Joanna in confusion. Joanna gave him a stern look, indicating that he should look at his two sons. Bruce reacted and turned to look at the two brats at the door. Then, as if summoning a puppy, he waved at the two brats. ¡°Come here,e over here.¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± When the two little boys saw this, they instantly beamed and ran into the room happily. Thanks to Lilia, they could finally enter their daddy¡¯s room. The two little boys had an inexplicable admiration for Bruce. Especially, Irvin, he admired his daddy even more. When Daddy was free. He would bring them to practice boxing, mixed martial arts, horse riding, shooting, and more. He would even bring them to y games. Moreover, Daddy¡¯s various skills were powerful,parable to a professional coach. Boys are naturally drawn to the strong. Slowly, they began to worship their daddy in their hearts. Davian and Irvin came to the bed. ¡°Did you listen to Mommy when I was away for a business trip?¡± Bruce flicked the two little boys¡¯ heads perfunctorily like a dog. It could be considered a greeting. The two little boys were very eager to show off. ¡°Yes, of course, we always listen to Mommy.¡± ¡°Have you forgotten the martial arts Daddy taught you? Did you practice every day?¡± ¡°Of course, we practiced every day!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What about homework? Did youplete it on time every day?¡± ¡°Of course! Mommy will check it every day.¡± ¡°What about the extra-curriculum activities and tuition sses?¡± ¡°We attended both of them on time!¡± The two little boys answered wlessly. ¦§ Bruce pouted. He wanted to find fault with these two brats but could not. He wanted to scold them, but he couldn¡¯t find any excuse. He was unhappy. The two little boys looked at their father smugly. They knew that their daddy would ask these questions. They were well prepared, and they would not be scolded in vain! Of course. When Daddy wanted to scold them, he didn¡¯t need a reason. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so well-behaved. What a surprise!¡± Bruce mumbled. When Joanna heard this, she was even more speechless. She looked at his expression. It was as though his sons were too obedient, and he was unhappy about it. ¡°Daddy, can you apany us for horse riding?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t today. Maybe another day!¡± ¡°Why? It is still early today..¡± As the two little boys spoke, they began to shake their daddy¡¯s arm. The little boys were smart and loved to challenge their father¡¯s wits. ¡°Ouch¡­ Bruce Everett¡¯s shoulder started to hurt again. Li was shocked and asked with concern, ¡°Daddy, what is wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Seeing that Bruce instantly broke out in a cold sweat, Joanna hurriedly stopped the boys. ¡°Daddy has a cold. He needs to rest well now.¡± ¡°You boys go out and y first. Daddy will y with you after he recovers from his cold, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The little boys were unwilling to go out. ¡°Be good, don¡¯t disturb Daddy. He needs to rest. Hurry up and go out! When Daddy recovers, he can y with you two.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t dare to tell the children that Bruce had been shot. He could only say that he had a cold. Anyway, the children were young and gullible. ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Although the two little boys were disappointed, they did not dare to dawdle too much. They could only reluctantly leave the room. ¡°Lilia, let Daddy rest too!¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Okay. Daddy, have a good rest. Lilia loves you!¡± Lilia was the best being coquettish with Daddy. ¡°Daddy really cannot bear to let Lilia leave!¡± The father and daughter were being cheesy again! Davian and Irvin looked back and shook their heads speechlessly. ¡°Davian, do you think we are not Daddy¡¯s biological children?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Sigh, Daddy does not dote on us at all. He¡¯s only doting on Lilia. It¡¯s as if Lilia was his only biological daughter.¡± ¡°Alright, stoppeting and being jealous! It¡¯s because we are boys! Dad has three sons and only one daughter. It is natural he will dote on her more.¡± After the children went out. Joanna also sighed and prepared to take a good shower. ¡°Have a good rest. I will go out first.¡± He grabbed Joanna¡¯s sleeve like a clingy ko. ¡°Honey, where are you going?¡± ¡°I have to take care of the children!¡± Bruce pouted. ¡°I need to be taken care of even more!¡± ¦§ ¡°When Joanna heard that, goosebumps rose all over her body. ¡°Honey, can you stay by my side?¡± When Joanna heard this, she pursed her lips. ¡°Alright, I will go out after you fall asleep.¡± ¡°Yes, lie in my arms.¡± ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± ¡°I can only sleep with you in my arms!¡± ¡°Honey, I need a hug.¡± H ¡°¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s face fell again. ¡°Bruce, I am warning you, do not push your luck.¡± ¡°I have not forgiven you yet. Do not be so shameless as if nothing happened. I¡¯m taking care of you because you are injured.¡± ¡°When you recover, I will settle the score with you.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Bruce did not make any more requests and could only lie down obediently. Despite being very tired and sleepy, the body had reached the point of exhaustion. However, he could not bear to close his eyes and just stared at Joanna. ¡°Stop looking at me like that. Go to sleep.¡± ¡°No, I like looking at you like this. My wife is so beautiful. The more I look at her, the prettier she looks¡­¡± Joanna, ¡°¡­¡± She was speechless. This man was a despicable bastard. Chapter 781 Chapter 781 Chapter 781 He was so big and tall, yet he talked coquettishly like a girl. It was really¡­ unbearable. If outsiders heard that, they would not believe that someone like Mr. Everett would act cute. ¡°Hurry up and sleep! What do you want to eat tonight? ¡°I¡¯ll get the servants to prepare dinner now.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of an appetite. I don¡¯t want to eat anything.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d better get the servants to prepare dinner ording to the menu.¡± When Bruce heard that, he looked at Joanna quietly. ¡°Honey, why don¡¯t you make me a bowl of spaghetti? I haven¡¯t eaten the spaghetti made by you in a long time. I really want to eat it.¡± ¡°Alright, sleep well first. I¡¯ll make it for you when you wake up.¡± ¡°Okay. I love you. Hug me,¡± Bruce said dotingly as his eyelids slightly drooped and closed. Bruce had not really slept much these few days. He was anxious and agitated, which caused his wound to be very inmed. It was his determination that had kept him going. Now that he was rxed, he fell into a deep slumber less than two minutes after he closed his eyes. His entire face was flushed, and only his lips were dry and pale. He looked like he was critically ill Although Joanna disliked Bruce for having a foul mouth, she was still worried about his injury. She subconsciously touched his forehead and felt that it was exceptionally feverish. He had a high fever of at least 104 degrees Fahrenheit. ¡°Oh dear, why is he so feverish? ¡°I take my hat off to him. He doesn¡¯t care despite having a serious fever¡­¡± Joanna frowned and quickly went downstairs to get a few ice packs to apply on his forehead to cool him down. At the same time, she ced ice packs under his armpits and knees. He might have a foul mouth, but his condition was really not optimistic. If he contracted sepsis, his life would really be in danger¡­. Bruce had fallen asleep. Joanna could not afford to be careless. She kept vigil by his side to observe his reaction at any time. The caregiver and family doctor were also on standby for emergency treatment outside. Downstairs, the servants worked extra hard today, and their faces were filled with delighted smiles. Although Joanna treated them quite well and the property rights of the house had also been transferred to Joanna, the servants still felt that Mr. Everett was the male owner and their boss. Now that the boss was finally back, the servants were, of course, happy. ¡°That¡¯s great. That¡¯s really great.¡± ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Everett have reconciled. It¡¯s really a joyous asion. These days, I¡¯d been afraid that they¡¯d really break up.¡± ¡°Great, Mr. Everett is finally back. I hope the couple won¡¯t have any more conflicts.¡± Another servant added, ¡°Mr. Everett looks sick and pale!¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°That couldn¡¯t be, right? Why didn¡¯t I notice?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice it in the afternoon? Mr. Everett looked very haggard and sallow as if he was seriously ill. ¡°Also, Dr. Dotson just came over.¡± ¡°Oh, maybe Mr. Everett had been too depressed! After all, Mr. Everett had been angry with Mrs. Everett for so many days. It¡¯s inevitable that he¡¯d look a little haggard.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s make a few more dishes today to wee Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Of course, we must¡­¡± In the blink of an eye, five to six hours passed. Bruce slept very soundly until ten o¡¯clock in the evening. He had slept for five to six hours yet showed no signs of waking up. Seeing this, Joanna was still a little worried. She wanted to wake him up to eat something, but she also wanted him to sleep a little longer. A buzzing sound was heard. Bruce¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated. Joanna heard it and subconsciously took a look. In the past, she did not have the habit of looking at his phone. But today, for some reason, she wanted to look at his phone. She had a feeling that it was Aria who had called him. She tried to endure it again and again¡­ Joanna could not help but take Bruce¡¯s phone. Bruce was strange. He had never set a password for his phone. Moreover, he had never deleted chat records and such Therefore, she did not have to waste much effort to peek at the secrets in his phone. But then again, Bruce broke countless phones in a year, so he did not have to set a password frequently. Joanna picked up the phone to take a look. It was indeed a call from Antlen. ¡°It¡¯s Aria again. She¡¯s really persistent.¡± Joanna frowned as anger rose in her heart. She really wanted to answer Aria¡¯s call and scold her. But after thinking about it, Joanna restrained herself. ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s no need to argue with such a person!¡± Joanna put down Bruce¡¯s phone. Bruce was right. She should have confidence in herself. Previously, she had been too inferior and thought that Bruce would not love her sincerely. Therefore, she had not trusted him. But now¡­ She already knew that Bruce truly loved her. After all, he transferred more than 14 billion dors worth of assets to herst month. There were still assets being transferred to her name now. He said that if he was merely putting on a show, he did not have to really do it. With that much money, he could have found countless beautiful women. The phone rang a few times and automatically hung up. After a while, a beeping sound was heard. Aria sent a text message. [Bruce, have you reached Greyport?] [I¡¯m worried about you. Can you give me a call? I really don¡¯t have any ill intentions toward you. I¡¯m very sorry.] [I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me.] [I¡¯m preparing for surgery next week. I¡¯ll leave my life to fate. I wish you and your wife happiness.] Joanna was speechless. After reading the text message, Joanna frowned. She thought at first that Aria would send Bruce all kinds of love messages. She was surprised that Aria really had cancer. However, this could also be one of Aria¡¯s tricks. Just like how Bruce used a ruse to evoke her sympathy, Aria could also have used one on Bruce. A buzzing sound was heard. The phone rang again. Joanna pondered for a few seconds and could not help but answer the call. ¡°Hello, Bruce. Are you still angry with me? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so, so sorry. Please forgive me. I really didn¡¯t want to destroy your family. And I certainly didn¡¯t want to sabotage your rtionship with your wife. ¡°I just¡­ I just¡­¡± As Aria spoke, she could not help but cry. Aria thought it was Bruce who answered the phone. Joanna felt even more annoyed when she heard Aria¡¯s words. ¡°Miss Bridges, it¡¯s me.¡± Aria was speechless and stunned, and she suddenly stopped talking. Chapter 782 Chapter 782 Chapter 782 ¡°Miss Bridges, I don¡¯t care what kind of difficulties you have. Do you really think it¡¯s good for you to keep pestering someone else¡¯s husband like this?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone was cold, but she still maintained some self-restraint. Aria was speechless. She did not say anything, but she did not hang up either. Joanna continued, ¡°I sympathize with your illness. However, I despise your actions. ¡°Adults should practice restraint where love matters are concerned. Affinity also matters. You should keep a distance from someone who doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± When Aria heard that, she pondered for a few seconds and begged in a sobbing voice, ¡°Ms. Haynes, I beg of you. Can you let Bruce apany me for some time? ¡°I¡¯m about to die. After I die, he¡¯ll still belong to you. I just want him to apany me until thest moment of my life. Please, it won¡¯t be long.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, no.¡± Joanna rejected Aria coldly. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just be nice?¡± Joanna retorted righteously, ¡°Miss Bridges, he¡¯s not an item. ¡°This is the bottom line of morality. It has nothing to do with whether you¡¯re sick or not.¡± Aria took a deep breath. She did not want to say anything more to Joanna. ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? Please let him listen to the call. ¡°I want to hear him reject me personally. This is myst request!¡± ¡°Miss Bridges, Bruce is sleeping now. It¡¯s not convenient for him to answer your call. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. When he wakes up, I¡¯ll tell him that you called him. ¡°As for whether he will call you back, I won¡¯t interfere.¡± Joanna was rtively rational when dealing with rtionships. ¡°Ms. Haynes¡­¡± Aria stammered, not knowing what else to say. ¡°Let¡¯s do that! I wish you sess in your surgery. At the same time, I hope you can face up to your rtionship problems. ¡°In this era, being a mistress isn¡¯t a glorious thing. You¡¯re young, knowledgeable, and beautiful. When you recover, you¡¯ll find a partner more suitable for you. ¡°From today onwards, I don¡¯t want you to pester Bruce for any purpose. I don¡¯t care what kind of past he had with you, but now, he¡¯s my husband and the father of my children. ¡°If you continue to be stubborn, I can only say this to you¡­ You¡¯re shameless!¡± Joanna said methodically and clearly without spouting any vulgarities. Although she was angry, she would never curse like a shrew. Aria was speechless the entire time. She thought that Joanna was a woman who had charmed Bruce with her beauty. But now, she realized that Joanna was definitely not a simple-minded woman. In fact¡­ Joanna was epted by a reputable university at the age of 16. She had been a top student since she was young. In terms of academics, she was not inferior to Aria at all. Originally, she even had a chance to get a doctorate! Unfortunately¡­ When Joanna was 18 years old, because of Ingrid¡¯s series of actions, Joanna¡¯s innocence was identally ruined by Bruce. In the end, under the pressure of Margaret and Raymond, Bruce and Joanna had no choice but to get married early. Others were looking for a job after graduating from university. As for Joanna, she got a divorce after graduating from university. Although she was only 27 years old this year, she had already experienced the vicissitudes, hardships, and joys of life. How could such a woman be silly and naive? Likewise, she managed to win the heart of a man like Bruce. That was enough to prove that she was not a simple woman. ¡°That¡¯s all. I wish you a speedy recovery.¡± With that, Joanna hung up without saying anything else. It was past ten in the morning the next day Brucezily turned around and finally woke up in a daze. Joanna had been keeping vigil at his side the entire time. The moment he opened his eyes, she sensed it. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± As Joanna spoke, she touched Bruce¡¯s forehead again. Fortunately, it was no longer as feverish as before. Bruce opened his eyes tiredly. After a long moment, he finally snapped out of his confusion. ¡°Well, honey, how long had I been asleep?¡± ¡°You¡¯d been asleep for 15 hours!¡± ¡°Had I slept for that long?¡± Bruce struggled to sit up and shook his dizzy head. He was indeed too tired. Coupled with his high fever and the sleeping pills he took, he slept for such a long time. Dr. Dotson had been waiting for a long time. Now that Bruce was awake, he quickly came to change his dressing. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s time to change your dressing.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Then, Dr. Dotson began to change Bruce¡¯s dressing carefully. At the same time, he injected Bruce with an anti-inmmatory drug¡­ 15 minutester. ¡°The dressing has been changed. I¡¯lle back in the afternoon to give Mr. Everett an injection.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Dr. Dotson did not say anything else. He packed his things and left. Joanna looked at Bruce gently. ¡°You must be hungry, right?¡± ¡°A little. By the way, didn¡¯t you say yesterday that you were going to make spaghetti for me?¡± Bruce suddenly remembered. Joanna smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s have some oatmeal now!¡± As Joanna spoke, she brought over the oatmeal with fruits. Oatmeal helped in increasing blood iron levels. Bruce had lost too much blood, so he had to replenish his blood. Moreover, oatmeal was the easiest to digest and absorb. ¡°Did you prepare it yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Joanna held a bowl of oatmeal and stirred it quietly. Seeing that, Bruce happily epted it. ¡°Alright! I want my wife to feed me personally.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Joanna gently stirred the oatmeal with a spoon and fed him spoonful after spoonful. ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce took one mouthful after another. ¡°Does it taste nice?¡± Joanna asked him gently. ¡°As long as it¡¯s something prepared by my wife, it will be delicious. My wife¡¯s culinary skills are the best. She¡¯s iparable. Bruce looked at Joanna dotingly, his eyes filled with tenderness. Bruce was clearly a picky eater. However, as long as it was something prepared by Joanna, he would eat it without question. Whether it was delicious, he would eat it with relish. He finished the bowl of oatmeal. Joanna put down the bowl and pretended to be nonchnt as she said, ¡°Aria called youst night.¡± Bruce was speechless. When he heard that, his eyes darkened, and he looked at Joanna a little uneasily. ¡°Because you were asleep, I answered the phone for you.¡± When Bruce heard that, a trace of nervousness appeared in his eyes, and his face instantly turned pale. ¡°Well she¡­¡± Online Joanna also looked straight at Bruce, trying to check his every subtle reaction. ¡°Honey, I really have nothing to do with her. ¡°Did she tell you something she shouldn¡¯t have? Don¡¯t believe her. She has gone off the deep end. Ignore whatever she said. Don¡¯t pay any attention to her at all¡­¡± Joanna could not help but chuckle when she heard that. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous. ¡°I just told her to stop pestering you.¡± Bruce was speechless. He looked at Joanna in disbelief. She was actually¡­ so calm? ¡°What else did you talk about?¡± Joanna shrugged. ¡°She said she¡¯s going to have surgery next week. She hopes you¡¯ll be by her side in the final stage of her life. ¡°Also, she hopes I can let her have you.¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t know what to say. Bruce was even more upset. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve already told you. When she undergoes surgery, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to fly over to apany her.¡± Joanna acted as if it did not matter. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Anyway, the initiative was in his hands. She would not interfere with his choice. Men were creatures that could not be controlled. They depended on their own self-awareness in many things. Instead of disciplining them forcefully, it was better to carefully guide them into developing good habits. Bruce could not tell Joanna¡¯s real emotions. He became even more flustered. ¡°Honey, why do you still not believe me? ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that I only feel sympathy for her. If I have any thoughts about her, I¡¯ll die a horrible death¡­¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t curse yourself.¡± Joanna stretched her hand to cover Bruce¡¯s mouth. ¡°Stop talking about death. Hurry, spit a couple of times.¡± For these kinds of things, good things might not happen, but bad things would. Therefore, it was better to avoid jinxing oneself as much as possible. When Bruce heard that, he looked at Joanna a little aggrievedly. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll be angry. ¡°You¡¯re a nasty woman who is really used to breaking my heart. You¡¯ve never been willing to believe me. In your eyes, no matter what I do or say, it¡¯s all bad things.¡± Chapter 783 Chapter 783 Chapter 783 Joanna interrupted him angrily when she heard his words, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Why are you so nervous?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll be angry. My good wife, I¡¯m really begging you. Don¡¯t get angry so easily in the future, okay? And don¡¯t give me the cold shoulder at every turn, okay?¡± Bruce said as he hugged Joanna¡¯s waist. He buried his head in her arms, looking vulnerable and dependent on her. ¡°Honey, if you¡¯re dissatisfied with me, you can tell me directly. Don¡¯t let me guess what you¡¯re thinking. ¡°As you know, I¡¯m an insensitive and unromantic man. If you ask me to guess a woman¡¯s mind, I really can¡¯t.¡± When Joanna heard that, she looked at Bruce speechlessly with a choked expression. This aggravating guy¡¯s survival instinct was getting stronger. Before she even said anything, he was already asking for mercy. ¡°My good wife, is that okay? Let¡¯s not have any more conflicts in the future, okay? I really love you and our children. ¡°When my injury is better, we¡¯ll go through the remarriage paperwork immediately. I don¡¯t want to dy any longer. No matter what, we have to get married. ¡°In the future, let¡¯s live a good life as a family and never be separated, okay?¡± As Bruce spoke, his eyes instantly turned red. He had already made up his mind. After the RA-3 virus was sessfully handed over to the country, he would apply to leave the organization. This time, he would not stay no matter who asked him to. Even if the top leader asked him to stay, he insisted on leaving. Joanna frowned slightly when she heard Bruce¡¯s passionate confession. She was not entirely touched. After all, this aggravating guy still had room for improvement. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. When he was in a good mood, he was the nicest. But when he turned hostile, he was a beast and a demon. ¡°Well¡­ I only have one request for you.¡± ¡°Tell me. I¡¯ll agree to even-100 requests, let alone a request.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds, looked into Bruce¡¯s eyes, and said seriously, ¡°I request that you be loyal to our marriage from now on. ¡°After we get married, you can¡¯t cheat on me. If you fall in love with another woman one day, you can tell me, and I can leave. ¡°I won¡¯t pester you or covet anything from you. However, I won¡¯t allow you to lie to me. ¡°And I won¡¯t allow you to have sex with another woman behind my back. ¡°Can you promise me?¡± When Bruce heard that, he sighed deeply. ¡°Honey, in your eyes, am I so¡­ fickle? ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll fall for any woman?¡± Joanna put on a straight face and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t evade my question, and don¡¯t change the topic. ¡°Answer my question seriously.¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± Bruce sighed deeply again. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to swear such a vicious oath again! ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll transfer all my assets to you. ¡°You know that money is a man¡¯s lifeline. I¡¯m handing my lifeline to you. What else are you worried about? ¡°If I betray our marriage, I¡¯ll be left with nothing.¡± Joanna snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t want your money. I only want your promise.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He reached out and pinched Joanna¡¯s cheek. ¡°Stupid woman, I¡¯ve given you all my money. Do you think there will still be any woman who will fancy me? Will there still be any woman who will seduce me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. After all, you look so¡­¡± Joanna swallowed back the words, ¡°So handsome.¡± This aggravating bastard had always felt good about himself. He had overwhelming confidence and was exceptionally thick-skinned. Even when she didn¡¯t praise him, his ego was already big enough. If she praised him, wouldn¡¯t his ego inte so much that not even outer space could contain it? ¡°After all, what do I look like?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows, feeling very pleased. This was the first time Joanna had praised him for being handsome. Although she did not say it out loud, he had already guessed what she wanted to say. Therefore, he could not help but be overjoyed. Joanna was speechless. Her face tightened as she rolled her eyes angrily. Bruce continued to ask shamelessly, ¡°Honey, what did you just say about my looks?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know what you look like?¡± ¡°I want to hear you tell me personally!¡± Bruce looked like he was waiting for her praise. Joanna deliberately frowned and looked troubled. ¡°Well, to be fair, your looks¡­ ¡°Your looks are quite¡­ average. ¡°Look at your eyes. The ends of your eyes are lifted like a wolf¡¯s eyes. And your nose is too high. It¡¯s not delicate at all. ÂéËÖ ¡°The worst thing about you is your mouth. Your lips are too thin. People often say that the thinner a man¡¯s lips are, the more heartless he is. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Overall, I¡¯ll give you 59 points for your looks at most.¡± Pfft¡­ Bruce was furious when he heard that. 59 points? He didn¡¯t even pass the mark? ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I do seem quite ugly¡­¡± Bruce pouted, looking a little depressed. When Joanna heard that, she could not help butugh inwardly. This aggravating bastard always liked to act arrogant in front of her, She refused to encourage his arrogance. If truth be told, based on his looks and overwhelming manliness, many women would be willing to be with him. There was no way he could be a pauper. After all, he would definitely attract many rich women with his physical qualities. ¡°Sigh, you have poor taste. You really have a poor taste!¡± Bruce sighed resentfully andy on the pillow. Only this aggravating woman would go against her conscience and say he was ugly. If he was really as ordinary as she said, why would there be so many socialites chasing after him? However, forget it. Let this heartless woman say whatever she wanted. He could only get his wife to dote on him by being man who would not argue with her. He used to be too sharp-tongued. After a while, Joanna sighed again and said hesitantly, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m thinking. Why don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Since Aria has cancer, why don¡¯t you bring her to Greyport for treatment?¡± When Bruce heard that, his eyes instantly widened. ¡°What? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kidding!¡± a ¡°You said before that she doesn¡¯t have any rtives or friends. Then bring her to Greyport. You can also find a better doctor for her.¡± ¡°Honey, please, don¡¯t joke around.¡± Bruce did not look pleased with Joanna¡¯s suggestion. ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. Bring her over. I can take care of her for you,¡± Joanna said seriously. She did not like Aria and did not want Aria to have anything to do with Bruce. . After all, Aria was Bruce¡¯s first love. If Aria died just like that without Bruce doing anything to help her, she would definitely be Bruce¡¯s dream lover after her death. Since that was the case, she might as well take Aria off the pedestal table. After bringing Aria over, she could find someone to take care of Aria. At the same time, she wanted Aria to understand that even if Bruce were by her side, he would not ept her at all. ¡°Honey, knock it off! Don¡¯t you find it troublesome enough?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not messing with you. Since she¡¯s so pitiful, let¡¯s take pity on her. ¡°Just consider it yourst kindness to her. However, you¡¯re only supposed to show your kindness as a friend. If you have other thoughts¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I have any other thoughts, I¡¯ll die a horrible death.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing it again!¡± Joanna really took her hat off to a sly guy like him. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Bruce frowned after he said that. After all, he did not want Aria to really die of illness. At the same time, he wanted to contact Mr. Thompson through Aria. After all, his identity was special, and Mr. Thompson was from the National Defense Bureau. If they wanted to meet, they had to be very careful. There was no way they could contact each other casually. They had to look like they werepletely distant. And, of course, that was indeed the case. No one would have thought that a billion-dor tycoon who dominated Salen City and was all-powerful in Greyport would be someone from the National Defense Bureau. At the hospital in Venturas. ¡°Dad, Dad¡­¡± Jaydon and his siblings surrounded the bed and cried. Tim suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died in the hospital. [On December 30th, the gaming magnate, Tim Grimm, died of illness in the hospital. He was 62 years old¡­] [Arge inheritance shall be distributed among the Grimm family!] Chapter 784 Chapter 784 Chapter 784 [The Gambling King of a generation had passed away. Tim Grimm passed away before he could usher in Christmas.] Less than an hour after Tim¡¯s death, the news had already been exposed by the media. Tim was the richest man in Venturas. This news shocked the people of Venturas and Greyport. ¡°Dad, Dad¡­¡± Jaydon knelt before the hospital bed and held his father¡¯s hand, unwilling to believe this fact. Dressed in a ck suit, Cassius stood at the side with a sad expression. ¡°Jaydon, the dead can¡¯t be revived. Let¡¯s take care of Dad¡¯s funeral first.¡± Jaydon was still immersed in grief and shock. His handsome face was covered with sorrow. ¡°Dad couldn¡¯t have died. Dad was admitted to the hospital the day before yesterday. How could he have passed away so suddenly today? ¡°There must be something fishy about Dad¡¯s death¡­¡± Cassius¡¯s expression was solemn as he said sadly, ¡°Dad has always had a cerebral infarction, and his health has always been poor. ¡°The doctor said that Dad had a myocardial infarction caused by cerebral infarction. He died before he could be resuscitated.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. After saying that, Cassius sighed. His face, which was usually emotionless, revealed endless sorrow. Jaydon did not listen tall. He was still unwilling to believe this fact. He merely left Venturas for two days when his father suddenly passed away. This was too sudden. Grace was in tears. She kept shaking her father¡¯s body. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t die.¡± She cried. ¡°I won¡¯t let you die.¡± ¡°Jaydon, Dad is gone. What should we do?¡± Grace cried. Jaydon could not be bothered tofort his sister. Tears kept falling from his eyes. Other than the siblings, Tim¡¯s other children were also standing at the side. However, none of them dared to stand in front of their father¡¯s body. The Grimm family was arge one. Tim had always been a generous and sentimental person. Therefore, after he became rich, he guided and supported his younger brother and two younger sisters. At the same time, he had been very romantic and charming all his life. There were seven or eight women who had given birth to his children. After Tim died of illness, the entire family rushed to the hospital. Some people who were only distantly rted to the Grimm family also rushed over. Just the family members alone had filled the VIP floor. Almost the entire floor was filled with people from the Grimm family. Cries were heard in the hospital. Of course, some people were really crying, while others hypocritically pretended to cry, After all, the death of Tim meant that everyone could have a share of the inheritance. ¡°Tim, you passed away so suddenly. What should we do now that you¡¯ve left your family behind?¡± Yasmine and Yvette also cried in each other¡¯s arms. Jaydon looked at his father¡¯s body. His mind was in a state of confusion and daze. He hated his father for falling in love with someone else back then, causing his mother tomit suicide out of sadness. As a result, he did not like to be close to his father. However, it was undeniable that he and Grace were his father¡¯s most beloved children. Perhaps because of his father¡¯s guilt toward his mother, his father treated him and Grace far better than the other younger siblings of his. Although Jaydon was ranked second in his family, Cassius was not Tim¡¯s biological son. Thus, Jaydon was his father¡¯s eldest son, in truth. The family business was supposed to be handed over to Jaydon. However, Jaydon could not let go of his hatred for his father. Therefore, Jaydon chose to start his own business after graduation and refused to join the family business. Tim had no choice but to let Cassius temporarily take over thepany. ¡°The dead can¡¯t be revived. It¡¯s better to take care of Dad¡¯s funeral,¡± Cassiusforted Jaydon sadly. Cassius was now the top executive director of the Grimm Group, in charge of nearly 70 percent of the Grimm Group¡¯s businesses. Now that his father was dead, he was the leader of the Grimm Group. Therefore, he was not as sad as Jaydon about his father¡¯s death. Jaydon took a deep breath. His eyes were as red as blood. ¡°Dad is dead. This is too sudden. When I saw Dad the day before yesterday, Dad was still well. How could he¡­ have passed away so suddenly? ¡°I¡¯ll ask the doctor again. I¡¯m sure the cause of Dad¡¯s death isn¡¯t simple¡­¡± Cassius frowned. ¡°Cut it out. Dad¡¯s health has always been poor! ¡°You haven¡¯t been there for Dad all these years. And you don¡¯t know anything about Dad¡¯s actual physical condition. ¡°The doctor has already done a checkup. Dad died of a sudden myocardial infarction. ¡°Aren¡¯t you deliberately making our family aughingstock by causing a scene like this?¡± ¡°Yes, Tim passed away before the new year. This news doesn¡¯t sound good to begin with. If something else happens, it will make peopleugh at our Grimm family.¡± Usually, when someone did something immoral, people would curse him to die on Christmas Eve other Now, Tim had died on Christmas Eve. His reputation had suffered when the news spread. If other melodramatic inside stories were to happen, they would be made aughingstock. In any case, Tim was already dead. It was better to hold a grand funeral to preserve some dignity. After all, wealthy families valued their reputation the most. The few elders also started to persuade Jaydon. Their purpose was to let Tim be buried as soon as possible. They were still waiting to split the inheritance. However, Jaydon still refused to listen. He felt that everything had happened too suddenly. Although his father was not in good health, he could not have passed away so suddenly. However, he was devastated now, and his brain could not function properly. ¡°Jay, let¡¯s deal with your father¡¯s funeral first. ¡°The dead can¡¯t be revived. We still have to continue with our lives.¡± ¡°Dad, Dad!¡± When Grace heard that, shey on the bed and cried. Chapter 785 Chapter 785 Chapter 785 Even though Jaydon was heartbroken, he did not have the time to think too much. He could only get someone to deal with his father¡¯s funeral. At the same time. The news had already spread throughout both Venturas and Greyport. Although the Grimm family had deliberately concealed the news of Tim¡¯s death, the news still spread. Mudvale Bay. It was the Christmas. The servants decorated the mansion with a festive atmosphere. It was filled with the atmosphere of Christmas. The children were on vacation, and all of them were having their great time. After Bruce rested for a few days, his condition gradually stabilized. Although his wounds had yet to heal, it was not a problem for him to walk. The servants of the Everett family also saw the news and were all iparably shocked. After changing shifts, the servants gathered in the dormitory and could not help but discuss, ¡°Oh my god, Mr. Tim actually died of illness?¡±¡± ¡°It happens so suddenly! Is it true?¡± ¡°Even the newspapers have reported the news. It can¡¯t be fake.¡± Hearing the discussion, the dessert chef in the kitchen said in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Grimm family refute the rumors?¡± When the gardener in charge of the garden heard this, he said disdainfully, ¡°Come on, Mr. Tim died on the Christmas¡¯s Eve. The Grimm family will definitely conceal the bad news.¡± ¡°But the paparazzi nowadays are so well-informed. They would not let go of such important news.¡± ¡°Tsk. Tsk. This is too sudden. Mr. Tim is only in his sixties. He¡¯s not old enough to kick the bucket. How did he suddenly die of illness?¡± ¡°It is the unforeseen that always happens.¡± ¡°Well. We are all equal in death¡¯s eyes, whatever the age is. It¡¯s a pity that Mr. Tim died in his sixties. s, the poor and the rich are the same in death¡¯s eyes.¡± A young maid sighed and said, ¡°Stop talking. It¡¯s Christmas. It¡¯s inauspicious to talk about this.¡± ¡°s, I wonder how Mrs. Everett will feel when she knows this news.¡± ¡°Shh, stop talking.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for Mr. and Mrs. Everett to reconcile. We don¡¯t want them to have any conflicts because of Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Shut up and don¡¯t discuss anymore.¡± The servants muttered andined before they quickly dispersed. Joanna and Jaydon had been having an affair for a long time, and the two of them were about to get married. Jaydon even took a bullet for Joanna at the wedding. Now that his father was dead, Joanna would definitely not be indifferent. However¡­ How could Joanna not know such important news? She had already seen the news. After learning that Jaydon¡¯s father had passed away, Joanna was at a loss and felt uneasy. She really wanted to call Jaydon. He must be very sad now. However, Joanna did not dare to call Jaydon rashly. Bruce hated Jaydon so much. If Bruce knew that Joanna was on the phone with Jaydon again, with Bruce¡¯s temper, he would probably throw tantrums again. What was more, it was Christmas. The entire family was preparing for the Christmas happily. It was better not to spoil the children¡¯s moods. In the living room downstairs. Lilia was decorating the Christmas tree, ready to hang some decorations on it. However, the tree was so tall that she could not hang the decorations up on it. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Daddy, I want to decorate the tree.¡± ¡°All right,¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. He carried Lilia and raised his daughter high enough to reach the top of the Christmas tree. Lilia carefully hung a pair of red stockings on the tree. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful. I hope the pair of red stockings can bring good luck to our family.¡± After Lilia finished speaking, she pped her hands and prayed sincerely. Looking at his daughter¡¯s adorable and serious face, Bruce felt that his heart was warm. He kissed Lilia¡¯s little face lovingly. ¡°Baby, what are you praying for? Tell me, and I¡¯ll help you realize it.¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and whispered into her father¡¯s ear, ¡°Well, I hope that Daddy and Mommy will never quarrel again and that our family will never be separated.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart melted. ¡°It will defintelye true.¡± Davian and Irvin were even happier in the living room. The two of them held their toy guns and chased each other in the living room. Bang! A stic bullet hit one of the stockings Lilia had just hung. And all of a sudden, the stockings fell to the ground. Seeing this, Lilia cried in anger. ¡°I hate you! Why did you shoot the stockings I just hung?¡± Bruce felt distreseed when he saw his daughter crying. ¡°Get over here, you two brats.¡± Seeing that they had caused trouble, Davian and Irvin did not dare to make fun anymore. The two little guys looked at each other and stood rooted to the ground in fear. When Bruce was angry, he would really beat them up. The two guys did not dare to imagine what would happen if he pped them. That was too terrible. ¡°Hurry up ande over.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Apologize to Lilia.¡± The two little guys shrunk their necks and quickly apologized. ¡°Lilia, We¡¯re sorry. We didn¡¯t do it on ¡°We¡¯ll rehang them for you.¡± Lilia rubbed her eyes and said, ¡°Alright!¡± purpose.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess around, you guys., and don¡¯t shoot randomly. If you hit someone, I will teach you a good lesson.¡± The bullets were made of stic. But they would cause terrible damages if they hit someone in the eyes. Because it was Christmas, Bruce didn¡¯t scold the two guys. He only gave them a verbal warning The two little guys soon started making a fuss again. ¡°Daddy, when are you taking us to practice shooting?¡± ¡°Daddy, can we go set off fireworks?¡± ¡°Daddy, I want to go out to sea¡­¡± -The children chattered around Bruce. Being pestered by the children, Bruce didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh. But he felt happy. Chapter 786 Chapter 786 Chapter 786 ¡°Merry Christmas, Daddy and Mommy.¡± ¡°Merry Christmas, Daddy and Mommy. Have you prepared gifts for us?¡± The clock struck twelve. And the children hurried to wish their parents a Merry Christmas. Bruceand Joanna looked at each other and smiled. They took out some gifts that they had prepared earlier and gave them to the children one by one. ¡°This is yours, Davian. This is for you, Irvin. And this one is for you, dear Lilia.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy and Mommy.¡± Davian, Irvin, and Lilia happily received the gifts. Devin was still young and did not know how to ask for gifts. However, Bruceand still gave him a small gift. Devin only focused on drinking milk. With a light wave of his little hand, he swept the gift to the ground. Irvin was naughty and smart. He immediately picked up the gifts and said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep the gift for Devin.¡± Seeing this, Davian immediately went forward to snatch the gift. ¡°No, this is Devin. You can¡¯t keep it for him.¡± ¡°Once you take the gift, it will be yours. I¡¯ll keep it for him¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it for him.¡± The two little guys refused to give in to each other and fought to keep the gift for Devin. Seeing this, Bruce felt a headache He did not know what to do. It was not good to have too many sons. Now, they were all fighting over the gift. Bruce thought that when he died, the three of them might fight for the property. Thinking of this, Bruce had a headache. ¡°Give the gift to Mommy. Take good care of your own gifts. Mommy will take care of Devin¡¯s gift.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± The two little guys did not dare to argue anymore and gave the gift to Joanna. Joanna¡¯s face stiffened as she lectured the two guys. ¡°What did I tell you before? You have to be polite and love each other. Have you forgotten about that?¡± ¡°Mommy, we won¡¯t do it again.¡± The two little guys quickly lowered their heads and admitted their mistakes. Joanna pursed her lips and said, ¡°Alright, go to sleep!¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re staying up till dawn today.¡± ¡°No, it is already past 12 o¡¯clock. Now that you¡¯ve received the gifts, you have to go to sleep,¡± Jo¨¢nna lectured the little guys with a straight face. Davian tilted his head and asked, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are we going to pay visits to our rtives tomorrow?¡± ¡°I heard from my ssmates that they visit their friends and rtives every year. But we haven¡¯t done this before.¡± Joanna subconsciously raised her eyebrows when she heard this. She and Bruce really did not have many rtives. Their parents had passed away, and Bruce had no siblings. And her sibling¡¯s were all¡­ As for friends¡­ Bruce was the richest man in Greyport. No one around him was as rich as he was. Therefore, it was others who paid their visits to Bruce. And Bruce would then return gifts to them. ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep! We will talk about this tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Good night, Daddy and Mommy.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± The children then returned to their rooms. Bruce and Joanna also returned to their rooms and prepared to sleep. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Neither of them had the habit of staying up all night on Christmas Day. And they did not like having much fun. Therefore, other than sleeping, there was nothing else that they could do. After Joanna washed up, shey on the bed, looking uneasy. Bruce leaned over, his eyes burning with passion. It was obvious that he did not intend to do anything good. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna¡¯s body tensed up as she looked at Bruce uneasily. Bruce had already leaned over. ¡°Nothing. It is just that we haven¡¯t done that thing in a long time.¡± When Joanna heard this, she wanted to push him away. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Stop fooling around. You haven¡¯t recovered yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m recovered. I can even go up the mountain to hunt tigers,¡± Bruce said. His big hands were already wandering around Joanna. ¡°Come on. Can you be more honest? Your wound would split open again. ¡°If it does, you are going to suffer¡­ Get lost!¡± Before she could finish speaking, Bruce kissed her on the lips. ¡°Stop, Bruce. You¡¯re really annoying¡­¡± Joanna said. She was a little flustered. His wound had just healed a little, but Bruce wanted to have sex with her now. But¡­ This bastard would not let her off so easily. Moreover, Bruce was really difficult to get rid of. When he wanted to do something, he had to achieve his goal. If Joanna didn¡¯t cooperate with him, Bruce would pester her endlessly until she gave in. Soon. Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. However, he was indeed much better now. At the very least, he would care about Joanna¡¯s feelings, and he was not as domineering as before, nor was he as bad as before. An hourter¡­ Joanna was about to copse, and she fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion. Bruce still wanted more. But seeing how exhausted Joanna was, he couldn¡¯t bear to keep tormenting her. The next day. It was past nine in the morning. Joanna turned around and woke up in a daze. It had been a long time since she had slept so deeply. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna opened her eyes sleepily, and her limbs felt weak. Bruce looked at her with a wicked smile and a wicked glint in his eyes. ¡°Look, your insomnia gets cured by me.¡± When Joanna heard this, her face instantly got red. ¡°Damn bastard, you¡¯re so shameless.¡± ¡°Tsk. Tsk. What a heartless woman. You don¡¯t know how good I am at all. ¡°Do you remember what you saidst night? You cried and said that you loved me.¡± When Joanna heard this, her face was even redder. ¡°Get lost! If you say this again, I won¡¯t talk to you again.¡± She had already given birth to four children. However, Joanna was still reservative. She was still reserved and restrained. Listening to him say such hot and mushy words, she would still be as shy and embarrassed as a young girl. ¡°Little thing, how dare you scold me?¡± ¡°Bruce, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything. If you scold me, I¡¯ll punish you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you. You can only do this once a week in the future.. ¡°And it can¡¯t be that long¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he was disdainful. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my wife. Why can¡¯t I have sex with you?¡± Joanna gnashed her teeth angrily, her cheeks flushed red. When he saw Joanna, Bruce was immediately intoxicated. He loved to see Joanna embarrassed. She was beautiful and seductive. He could not get enough of her.. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± ¡°You are really annoying. Hurry up and get up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting up!¡± Bruce was shameless. He dragged her and did not allow her to get up. ¡°Oh, stop fooling around. The children are waiting for us downstairs¡­¡± This damned bastard. She had to reject him. Otherwise, he would really torture her. Of course. Some women with strong lusts might love a man like Bruce. But how could someone as weak as Joanna tolerate him being so unrestrained? ¡°Hurry up and get up!¡± Bruce looked unhappy after being rejected. He pursed his lips and said sadly, ¡°Honey, do you not love me anymore?¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Hey, get up quickly.¡± ¡°Hmph, you must not love me anymore.¡± Bruce pressed his lips unhappily. He looked aggrieved. ¡°In the past, you would never reject me. But now, when I touch you, you actually negotiate so many conditions with me.¡± Joanna did not know what to say. She subconsciously gritted her teeth. In the past, how would she dare to reject him? He was so rude in the past, and the more Joanna rejected him, the more irritable Bruce became. When he had misunderstood her at that time, he had always been aggressive in sex. If Joanna dared to reject him, she would get tortured. If she cooperated with him obediently, she would suffer less. Therefore, at that time, she naturally did not dare to reject him. But it was different now. Every dog has its day. Now, he waspletely under Joanna¡¯s control. Bruce could no longer be arrogant in front of her. ¡°Get up quickly. Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense.¡± As Joanna spoke, she lifted his nket and urged him to get up. ¡°s, damn woman. You¡¯re not gentle at all. I¡¯m injured now,¡± Bruceined resentfully. However, Bruce was afraid that Joanna would be angry, so he could only get up obediently. She was the queen of the family now. As a ¡®captive¡¯ who took the initiative to surrender, how could Bruce dare to disobey orders? Chapter 787 Chapter 787 Chapter 787 Downstairs. The children had already woken up. They went to bed tootest night, so they slept until almost ten o¡¯clock today. Gael, the housekeeper, was also sending gifts to the servants. The servants were also sending gifts to each other. Greyport was different from Mossbourne. Those who lived in Greyport would send give to others. It was just that the gift might not be generous, as it was just a symbol of blessing. Although they were servants of the Everett family, they also sent gifts to the four little fellows as blessings. ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± Davian and Irvin said to the servants. They were so happy to receive gifts that they didn¡¯t even have time to have breakfast. Of course. The children just wanted to have fun and did not really need the gifts. Moreover, Bruce was quite generous in giving gifts to the servants. Therefore, the servants scrambled to give the children the gifts. In the dining room. The children had all gone to ask for gifts. Only Bruce and Joanna were left for breakfast. Joanna was not in the mood to eat breakfast at all. After thinking for a while, she could not help but say carefully, ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I want to discuss something with you.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Seeing that Joanna was hemming and hawing, Bruce rolled his eyes at her and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well, did you see the news yesterday?¡± ¡°What news?¡± Bruce took a sip of the milk and ate some oatmeal. He pretended not to know anything. It was Christmas. However, the Inte was filled with news of Tim¡¯s death. How could he not have known about it? Joanna looked at him uneasily. She wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°Oh, um¡­ Jay¡¯s father died of illness. Have you seen this news?¡± ¡°Uh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna fiddled with the milk and oatmeal in the bowl and said hesitantly, ¡°I want to call Jay. Is that okay?¡± When he heard about this, Bruce¡¯s expression clearly froze, and his chewing slowed down. He knew that Joanna wanted to tell him about Jaydon. Seeing his uncertain expression, Joanna quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand and don¡¯t get angry. ¡°As you know, v, Jay is my best friend. Now that his father has passed away, I should call and express my condolences to him.¡± ¡°Like you said before, my feelings for Jay are the same as yours for Aria. ¡°I do this out of concern for a friend!¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked unhappy. However, he still endured it. Since Joanna had taken the initiative to tell Bruce, it meant that she was starting to care about his feelings. Then Bruce might agree. If she secretly called Jaydon behind his back, Bruce would definitely fly into a rage again. ¡°Sure! If you want to call him, just call him.¡± ¡°You agree?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Aus tou cure that you won¡¯t be angry?¡± Joanna asked worriedly. This damn guy loved to say one thing and mean another. Joanna had to make sure that Bruce would not get angry, lest he would get jealous again. ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. Am I that petty? ¡°However, you have to call him in front of me, and you can¡¯t talk to him about anything other than asking him about his father.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could only bite the bullet and agree. ¡°Alright.¡± Then, Joanna took out her phone. And she looked for Jaydon¡¯s number Then she called him. It was Christmas. Actually, she shouldn¡¯t have called Jaydon. However, there was no need to deliberately avoid anything with their close rtionship. The phone rang for a long time. Jaydon slowly picked up the phone and said hoarsely, ¡°Hello!¡± When she heard Jaydon¡¯s voice, Joanna¡¯s heart suddenly tightened. From his voice, she could tell that he was extremely sad. ¡°Jay, it¡¯s me.¡± Jaydon paused for a few seconds before replying sadly, ¡°I know, What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna choked, not knowing what to say. ¡°Well, I saw news about your father online. I was especially worried about you, so I called you. ¡°Are you alright? What¡¯s your father¡¯s illness? Why did he pass away so suddenly?¡± ¡°Joann, I really want to see you!¡± Jaydon said in pain. His voice instantly choked. At this moment. He felt disheartened and wanted to see Joanna even more. When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously nced at Bruce. The phone was on speaker, so Bruce was also listening attentively. ¡°Jay, L¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and he let out a muffled cough. Joanna frowned. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry to hear that. The dead can¡¯t be revived, and you have to take care of yourself.¡± Jaydon could tell that Joanna was in a difficult position. He said disappointedly, ¡°Lunderstand. You too.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. I have to go.¡± With that, Jaydon hung up. He knew that Bruce was right next to Joanna. He knew what kind of person Bruce was like. Jaydon did not want the two of them to have another quarrel because of him. As long as Bruce could make Joanna happy, Jaydon was really willing to let her go. Joanna hung up the phone. Joanna looked at Bruce and asked, ¡°Why were you coughing for no reason?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes resentfully. ¡°Hmph, look. Jaydon still hasn¡¯t given up on you. ¡°He actually said that he wants to see you. If I don¡¯t cough, I don¡¯t know if he will say something even worse. ¡°This bastard is shameless. No wonder his father passes away¡­¡± Bruce cursed. At the same time, he saw that Joanna¡¯s expression was not good. He could only shut his mouth. ¡°Then has Aria given up on you? Why are you only allowed her to contact you and not allow me to contact Jay?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Bruce sighed resentfully. ¡°I¡¯m already at ease with you interacting with Aria. Why can¡¯t you be at ease with me contacting Jaydon? ¡°We¡¯re all friends. You have your friends, and I have to have mine.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that his heart ached. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make a pact now!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cut ties with Aria, and you¡¯ll cut ties with Jaydon. Neither of us is allowed to have friends of the opposite sex, let alone interact with them.¡± ¡°You start again.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you already arrange for Aria toe to Greyport for treatment? How can you cut ties with her now? How are you going to deal with this?¡± ¡°Hmph! I can do it,¡± Bruce replied angrily. Joanna frowned and softened her tone. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry. ¡°Can¡¯t you be more generous?¡± ¡°Anything else is fine, but not this one,¡± Bruce said. Seeing that he was stubborn, Joanna did not want to coax him anymore. ¡°Alright. Do whatever you want.¡± After she said that, Joanna walked out of the door angrily. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Joanna did not say anything and left the room without looking back. Seeing this, Bruce stomped his feet in anger. ¡°She actually dares to throw a tantrum at me.¡± ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Bruce said and quickly chased after Joanna. Chapter 788 Chapter 788 Chapter 788 ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check on the kids,¡± Joanna said. ¡°These little guys don¡¯t even eat breakfast. I¡¯ll go and see what they¡¯re doing¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he instantly smiled. Anyway¡­ Joanna chose to be with him. It was almost impossible for Jaydon to snap Joanna away from him again. There was no need for Bruce to be so alert. After all, everyone has their past. Let the past be the past forever. The future was the most important. In the blink of an eye. A week passed. Tim¡¯s funeral was going to be held. After all, Tim was famous in Venturas. His funeral naturally attracted much attention. Reputable and wealthy people from both Greyport and Venturas, as well as some political figures, would attend Tim¡¯s funeral. Joanna thought about it carefully. She decided to attend Tim¡¯s funeral. However, she had to get Bruce¡¯s permission. The best thing to do was to let him attend the funeral with her. ¡°Hubby, can I ask you for a favor?¡± Joanna stammered and took the initiative to call him Hubby. When Bruce heard this, his eyebrows instantly raised. ¡°Honey, what is it?¡± Joanna bit her lips and held his arm stiffly. ¡°Hubby, can you apany me to the funeral?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that. ¡°Whose funeral?¡± Joanna did not speak. Her beautiful big eyes looked at him sadly. Bruce immediately understood and shook his head. ¡°Are you kidding me? You want me to attend that bastard¡¯s father¡¯s funeral? Are you kidding me? ¡°I¡¯d rather die than go. This is non-negotiable.¡± Joanna pursed her lips and sighed, ¡°Alright then! It is fine if you don¡¯t go, but I have to attend the funeral. I¡¯ll go Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. ¡°No, you can¡¯t go to the funeral alone! ¡°You¡¯re my wife now. What will others think of me if you attend Jaydon¡¯s father¡¯s funeral?¡± Joanna said, ¡°Bruce, can you not be so petty? ¡°How about youe with me? Or I¡¯ll go myself. You will have to choose one. alone.¡± ¡°You know that Mr. Tim is famous in Venturas. All the famous families in Greyport will send representatives to the funeral. ¡°You¡¯re a junior. There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about you to attend Tom¡¯s funeral.¡± ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± Bruce was extremely angry. Joanna looked at Bruce and said to him sadly, ¡°You remember? When I gave birth to Davian and Irvin, I slipped in the washroom and felt ufortable. It was Jay who arrived in time and sent me to the hospital. ¡°Otherwise, the children and I wouldn¡¯t have survived at all, and you wouldn¡¯t have gotten three children. For that alone, you and I should thank Jay for the rest of our lives. ¡°Now that his father has passed away, as a junior, how can we not attend the funeral?¡± Joanna said with red eyes. Jaydon had helped her too much. She owed him a great debt. Joanna continued, ¡°Besides, if Jay had not taken a bullet for me, I¡¯m afraid I would have died long ago. He saved my life. I can¡¯t requite Kindness with enmity. ¡°Moreover, Jay is a nice guy. I hope that you can be friends with him. He¡¯s really not as bad as you think. If you are willing to let go of your grudges, you can definitely be very good friends with him.¡± This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. When Bruce heard this, his eyes widened in anger. ¡°Forget it! I¡¯m not interested in being friends with a man like him,¡± Bruce said. When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her cheeks puffed up, and she red at Bruce. This damned man. Bruce had always been very vicious. ¡°So be it. But you can¡¯t stop me from going. ¡°Bruce, we agreed to understand each other and to face everything together. I hope you are not just saying it.¡± After she said that, Joanna did not want to say anything more to him and walked straight to the room. She had packed up. No matter what happened, she would have to attend Tim¡¯s funeral tomorrow. Bruce frowned. Seeing that she had started to pack her things, he was afraid that she would do something stupid again. ¡°Alright. I will go with you!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! How can I be at ease with you going alone? I¡¯d better go with you,¡± Bruce replied angrily. ¡°Then pack your things and attend the funeral with me.¡±¡± ¡°Got it. My dear wife.¡± When Joanna heard this, her expression finally improved a little. He had finally made some changes. Then, Joanna hugged his neck and tiptoed to reward him with a kiss. Unfortunately, Bruce was too tall. Even if she stood on tiptoe, she could not reach his lips. She could barely kiss his chin. Seeing this, Bruce smiled and lowered his head to kiss her. ¡°You have to make it up to me tonight¡­ As they were talking¡­ Bruce¡¯s phone rang in his pocket. §£§Ö§Ö§â. §£§Ö§Ö§â. §£§Ö§Ö§â. He took out his phone and saw that it was from Darcy. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± On the other end of the line, Darcy said, ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m back to Greyport.¡± ¡°Oh, great. Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Everything is fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Send it the things to Sootheration immediately.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll meet you the day after tomorrow,¡± Bruce said with a serious expression. ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After hanging up. Joanna asked curiously, ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± ¡°Darcy.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more curious. ¡°Darcy? Why did he take such a long leave this time? haven¡¯t seen him for almost a month. What is he up to?¡± Brace subconsciously touched the tip of his nose. ¡°Oh, he has something important to do. I approved his leave.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you taking such a long leave?¡± Joanna asked in confusion. Although she did not know much about Darcy¡¯s background, she knew something about him. He seemed to only have one mother alive. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. Maybe he went back for a blind date!¡± ¡°A blind date? Does he need a blind date?¡± Joanna could not help butugh. ¡°He¡¯s already in his thirties, but he is still single. His mother urges him to get married,¡± Bruce said. Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard that. Darcy was nearly 6.6 feet tall and had lots of muscles. He was very skilled and was Bruce¡¯s most capable bodyguard. It was often said one would get rich when he was with the richer. Therefore, Bruce¡¯s right-hand men were all wealthy. Although Darcy was a bodyguard, he was very rich, and his assets had long exceeded over 20 million dors. In addition, he was so handsome. Wouldn¡¯t it be easy for him to find a girlfriend? However, Darcy had always been quiet. He was not good at socializing, let alone flirting. It was possible for him to go on a blind date. The next day. Elizabeth¡¯s Graveyard. The people present today were all reputable people from Greyport and Venturas. In the cemetery, people were holding ck umbres. Men were wearing a ck suit, and the women were wearing a ck dress with a white veil on their arms. Cassius and Jaydon were all wearing mourning clothes. Bruce was wearing a ck suit, and Joanna was wearing a ck dress. The two of them wore sunsses as they came to the tombstone. Chapter 789 Chapter 789 Chapter 789 Bruce and Joanna took three bows before the tombstone. Cassius and Jaydon, also Tim¡¯s family members, bowed in return It was an extremely solemn atmosphere. There was a shadow hanging over the guests present. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jaydon had scarlet and swollen eyes, with messy stubble in the jaw. His face looked dark and gloomy. He must be haggard since his father had gone. Just a nce at Jaydon¡¯s exhausted expression made Joanna heartbroken. She really wanted to comfort him. Unfortunately, even if she had thousands of words, she could only suppress them deep in her heart. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m so sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Jaydon replied indifferently. He was not surprised that Joanna attended the funeral. What surprised him was that Bruce also came along. The two of them had always been mortal enemies. He had even suffered a few setbacks due to Bruce, Therefore, the two men were adverse against each other like fire and water. Even if they just met, there was a sense of mutual hostility. However, today was not a good day for a fight. They had a tacit understanding and ignored each other¡¯s existence. In Jaydon¡¯s heart, as long as Bruce treated Joanna well, he did not want to embarrass him too much. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. When they passed by Cassius, the two of them looked at each other. Cassius nodded slightly at him in thanks. Bruce walked past him expressionlessly with Joanna in his arms. ¡°Mr. Everett attended Mr. Tim¡¯s funeral? So unexpected.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Everett and Mr. Jaydon have always been love rivaling in love. I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Everett to attend the funeral today.¡± ¡°What a surprise.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a surprise at all. In business, there¡¯s no such thing as a permanent friend or a permanent enemy. Everyone wants benefits to coexist and seeks cooperation. Those small conflicts are not worth mentioning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± A few pairs of guests were also silently watching the show. Bruce did not like such crowded asions. He hated the feeling of everyone¡¯s gazes on him, which urged him to leave. ¡°Joann, we¡¯ve already paid our respects. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Mm, okay.¡± When they just walked out of the cemetery, the reporters started snapping photos upon the sight of this couple. ¡°No photos are allowed. Everyone, show us a line.¡± Arge group of security personnel maintained order and did not allow the reporters to approach. Finally, Bruce and Joanna got into the car and left the park under the escort of bodyguards. In the car, Joanna¡¯s heart was heavy. An involuntary anxiety ran through her body. She had been worried about Jaydon. Now that Tim had suddenly passed away, she was afraid that there would be a war of inheritance between Jaydon and his siblings. Jaydon had always been self-possessed and indifferent to fame and wealth. He was not the kind of greedy man who had a morbid lust for money. However, his brother, Cassius, was the same kind of man as Bruce, who had a strong desire for money and power. She was really worried that Jaydon would suffer greatly in the war with Cassius. As Joanna was feeling uneasy, Bruce suddenly said, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m going to Sootheration tomorrow.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce in surprise. ¡°Why are you going there?¡± Bruce smiled at her dotingly. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a business trip.¡± ¡°A business trip again?¡± Joanna¡¯s pretty eyes instantly widened! ¡°How long this time?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be very fast. Three days at most.¡± His lips curled into a strange smile. When Joanna heard this, she looked at him sadly, her eyes moving in a disturbance. Fortunately, it was only for three days. Moreover, it was a domestic trip. There shouldn¡¯t be any big problems. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t bear to part with your husband?¡± Bruce said in a yful tone. Hearing this, Joanna leaned in his arms and ced her delicate hand on his chest, like a timid and lovable little woman. She was indeed afraid of being separated from him now. Every time they separated, an ident would happen to him and she felt like they would part forever. ¡°Why don¡¯t¡­ youe with me?¡± Bruce said and nted a kiss on her forehead gently. She pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Let¡¯s forget it. I have to take care of the children. If we all leave, the children will be worried again.¡± Joanna cared more about the kids. ¡°Please be back soon. Be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry! It¡¯ll be very fast this time. I¡¯ll be back in three days at most.¡± ¡°Do you have to go? Could it be someone else?¡± Joanna said as she snuggled in his arms. ¡°No, there¡¯s something very important this time. I have to go personally. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Alright then! You must be careful. When you reach Sootheration, you must keep a low profile. When you¡¯re discussing business with people, watch your mouth and be polite,¡± Joanna said worriedly. He had always been ill-tempered. No one dared to offend him in Greyport. However, it was different in Sootheration. There were so many high-ranking officials there, many of them with the backing/ of the government. If he offended the wrong.people, it would be very troublesome. ¡°I understand, honey. I¡¯m not a child. Do I need you to teach me?¡± Bruce felt warm and amused when he heard Joanna¡¯s. words. What a silly woman. Did she really think that he had lived all these years for nothing? He could keep a good rtionship with both the criminal world and the officials. Joanna¡¯s eyes were red, and she still said a few words of unease to remind him. At 8 p.m., before the funeral ended, everyone could not wait to discuss the distribution of the inheritance. ¡°Dad¡¯s body has beenid to rest. Are we going to divide Father¡¯s inheritance ording to the will?¡± Tim¡¯s youngest son, Chris Grimm, went straightforward to this key matter. ¡°That¡¯s right. How are we going to distribute Dad¡¯s inheritance?¡± ¡°Dad should have left a will. We should respect his will¡­¡± After listening, Cassius shrugged slightly. ¡°Will? Did Dad leave a will?¡± When the others heard this, they all looked at Cassius in shock. ¡°Dad must have made a will before he died. Why didn¡¯t he make a will?¡± Cassius tugged at his tie. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Dad making a will.¡± Everyone looked at each other in speechless despair when they heard this. ¡°Get the butler here. He must know if Dad has made a will.¡± Soon, the butler was called over. He was Tim¡¯s private butler and had been working for him for more than 30 years. He was also Tim¡¯s most trusted person. Yes, I didn¡¯t hear Mr. Tim say he had made a will. Now that he has left so suddenly, he hasn¡¯t had the time to make a will.¡± The butler¡¯s words made all the other siblings panic even more. ¡°Then how should we distribute the inheritance now?¡± Cassius stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m now the executive director of Grimm Group and the eldest son of the family. Naturally, I have to take over the corepany of the Grimm Group¡­¡± Before Cassius could finish, Joe, the fourth son of Tim, immediately jumped out to retort, ¡°Since Father didn¡¯t make a will, as his children, we should split the inheritance equally. Now, why it¡¯s you who controls the corepany of Grimm Group and owns 60% of the shares? ¡°That¡¯s right. When Dad was alive, he let Jaydon enter the Grimm Group as the vice president. His original intention was to train him into the sessor of thepany! That position belongs to Jaydon!¡± After all, Jaydon had always been generous and friendly to his younger siblings. If he became the head of the family, everyone would benefit. But Cassius¡¯s personality was exactly the opposite of Jaydon¡¯s. It was probably because he knew that he was not Tim¡¯s biological son. Therefore, he did not have much sense of security since he was young. That was why he took money and power so seriously. In addition, he was not rted to his younger siblings by blood, so there was naturally no kinship between them. ¡°Is that right?¡± Cassius swept his gaze across the crowd. He was the oldest and the most scheming. As soon as he graduated from university, he entered thepany. Now, after more than ten years of training, he could already hold his own and dominate thepany. Except for Jaydon, the other younger siblings were still young. Some of them had just graduated from university and did not have enough social experience. It was obvious that they were no match for Cassius! ¡°Anyway, thepany can¡¯t be left unmanaged now. We can only distribute it like this. If you have any dissatisfaction, we can negotiate in court. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll get mywyer to talk to you about the inheritance distribution one by one,¡± Cassius said as he stood up and left. Now that their father was dead, he no longer had to be afraid of anyone. Right now, he was thepany¡¯s representative. No one could threaten his status anymore. ¡°Jaydon, how could he do this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already expected this,¡± Jaydon replied resentfully. Chapter 790 Chapter 790 Chapter 790 Jim had told Jaydon before that Cassius was not his biological son. Moreover, he had clearly said that he wanted Jaydon to inherit the family business in the future. However, Jaydon had never paid much attention to this matter. He always thought that his father was still young and could continue to manage thepany for years. Now, he had finally agreed to enter thepany. His father would suddenly pass away in less than a year. Nobody could expect this ident. Cassius had been working in thepany for more than ten years. His power had long been deeply rooted. While Jaydon had only been in thepany for less than a year and had yet to establish a solid foundation. Now, Cassius personally controlled 60% of the shares of the Grimm Group under the guise of consolidating Grimm Group¡¯s management. He would give dividends to others every year. The remaining shares would be divided equally among the other siblings.. Everyone would only get a few percent of the shares. As for the dividends, that was even more of an empty promise. It was up to him to give as much as he wanted. Therefore, his little brothers and sisters were all in an uproar. They were extremely dissatisfied with Cassius¡¯s actions. Although the assets under Jaydon¡¯s name also amounted to billions of dors. However,pared to the whole assets of Grimm Group, that was just a small figure. He definitely had to fight to the end and would not give up so easily. At 8 o¡¯clock, Bruce was preparing to go on a business trip today, Joanna woke up early in the morning to pack his luggage. ¡°Have you packed everything? Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything else missing.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing much to pack. I¡¯m just going for a few days. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Have you brought your documents? Keep them well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Andy has prepared these things.¡± As Bruce spoke, he suddenly took out an exquisite box from his luggage. ¡°Oh right, this is for you.¡± Joanna asked in surprise, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°This is a diamond brooch I bought in an auction in Antlen. I¡¯ve always forgotten to give it to you. If I hadn¡¯t packed my luggage yesterday, I would have forgotten about it,¡± Bruce said as he opened the jewelry box. Joanna took a look. Inside was a diamond brooch. It was elegantly shaped like a swanR¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so beautiful.¡± She had seen ¨ªt in the news before. She thought that he would give it to Aria. Unexpectedly, it was for her. ¡°Is it beautiful?¡± Bruce smiled gently. ¡°Yes, it looks good.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes revealed a hint of joy. ¡°Here, let me put it on for you.¡± As Bruce spoke, he picked up the brooch and carefully pinned it to her clothes. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. It fits you very well.¡± ¡°Thank you, honey.¡± Joanna could not suppress her joy and smiled brightly at him. Bruce lowered his head and kissed her eyes.. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes, I like it very much.¡± He had given her a lot of jewelry before. All of them were priceless treasures that could only be chanced upon by luck. However, she did not like to wear these. Firstly, she was worried that she would lose them, and secondly, she did not have a suitable asion to wear them. ¡°I should give it to her as a dowry when she gets married in the future.¡± ¡°Hehe, this is for you. It only belongs to you. I¡¯ll prepare another dowry for Lilia Haynes,¡± Bruce muttered unhappily. When Joanna heard this, a smile bloomed in her eyes, and she gave him a hug. ¡°Honey, you have to be careful. Come back early after you¡¯re done.¡± Bruce hugged her hard. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡± ¡°Yes, be careful.¡± Bruce was just about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. ¡°Oh, right! Aria called me and said that she¡¯ll be arriving at Greyport tomorrow. I hope you can go to pick her up then. And put her away in a hospital¡± Joanna nodded absent-mindedly. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Afraid that she would be angry, Bruce said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, and don¡¯t sulk. If there¡¯s anything, just tell me. She¡¯s a patient now. She might say something out of line. Just calm down. Don¡¯t lower yourself to her level.¡± ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°And what?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned fierce. He said in a serious tone, ¡°When I¡¯m not around, you¡¯re not allowed to contact that bastard Jaydon behind my back.¡± When Joanna heard this, she rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense. Shut up. Hurry up and go.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce carried the luggage downstairs and prepared to go out. Joanna was also about to send him out. In the living room downstairs, the nanny was carrying Devin, pacing back and forth in the house. The little baby kept crying. Bruce walked up to his son and tried to give him a hug. ¡°My good son, give Daddy a kiss!¡± Devin cried even harder, its little face turning twisted. Seeing this, Bruce frowned. ¡°Is Devin feeling unwell? Why is he crying so loud?¡± When Joanna heard this, she hurriedly pulled her son into her arms. ¡°Hush. My little baby, don¡¯t cry. Mommy is here.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.¡± ¡°If he won¡¯t stop, take him to the hospital. Or call Dr. Dotson and ask him toe to take a look.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Hurry up and take him down to feed him. Maybe he¡¯s hungry.¡± Bruce frowned, feeling a little uneasy. Every time he hugged the little guy, he would cry non-stop, as if there were thorns on his body. ¡°Hurry up. It¡¯s about time. Don¡¯t worry about kids.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll get going.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead again. Then, he left with his assistant.. After they got into the car, the driver drove back to the airport. It was about a three-hour flight from Greyport to Sootheration. After arriving at the airport, Bruce called Darcy. Darcy Juke picked up quickly. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Hey, Darcy, where are you now?¡± Bruce asked in a muffled voice. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve just arrived at Sootheration. I was just about to call you! Bruce looked at the time. ¡°I¡¯m getting ready to board the ne now. I¡¯ll be there in about three hours.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pick you up at the airportter.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see youter.¡± After hanging up, Bruce boarded the ne with a dark expression. On this trip to Antlen, he deliberately diverted everyone¡¯s attention with his journey. At the same time, he instructed Darcy to find a group of people who specialized in smuggling to transport the RA-3 virus back. Today, he was going to hand the virus over to the confidential research institute. After handing in the virus, he would find an opportunity to meet Mr. Thompson personally. This time, no matter what, he had to withdraw from the organization. Back in Sherane Bay Vi, it¡¯s still not noisy at home. ¡°Madam, Devin is crying again.¡± The nanny looked helpless. ¡°Why does he keep crying all the time?¡± ¡°Is it colic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried everything to put him to sleep, but it still doesn¡¯t work.¡± Joanna took a closer look at his son. The little one was already out of breath from crying. ¡°My good boy, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I just called Dr. Dotson and asked him toe over.¡± ¡°If it still doesn¡¯t work out, we can only go to the hospital.¡± ¡°¡­Joann, I think Devin¡¯s crying is very strange. Could it be a sign?¡± When Joanna heard that; she was instantly covered in goosebumps. ¡°People say that there¡¯s a reason why children cry for no reason.¡± Chapter 791 Chapter 791 Chapter 791 Miranda looked at Devin with a worried expression. After all, she was old and had experienced a lot. People of her generation believed that the top of the baby¡¯s skull was not closed, so it could sense things that many adults could not. For example, babies would always look at a ce for no reason. Sometimes they would suddenly burst into crying, and sometimes they would giggle. Joanna¡¯s body tensed up as she looked at Miranda in disbelief She did not believe in these things in the past. However, Bruce just encountered an ident. But with Mr. Lewis¡¯s guidance, Bruce turned danger into safety. Therefore, she began to hold these superstitious things in awe and veneration. ¡°Miranda, then tell me¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Miranda frowned and started nagging. ¡°Well, it¡¯s Christmas now. It¡¯s possible that an ¡®old man¡¯ has returned home to visit his descendants.¡± When Joanna heard that, goosebumps immediately appeared all over her body. Bruce¡¯s parents had passed away early, and he didn¡¯t even have the time to be a good son. Therefore, he valued the rites of paying respects to his ancestors and elders during festivals. During Christmas, he even ced photos of his parents and grandparents in the living room as if he were celebrating the festival with his family.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°Miranda, stop talking about this. I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Miranda said earnestly, ¡°Joann, you grew up overseas. You might not care much about the local folk customs. That¡¯s why you never believed in these things. You didn¡¯t pay your respects to the ¡®old man¡¯ during festivals. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I have a recipe here. You can give it a try? ¡°What recipe?¡± Joanna asked hesitantly. She did not really believe in these things. She had never worried about paying her respects to their ancestors. It was all arranged by Bruce. ¡°There¡¯s a saying in my hometown that if ate old manes back, you can find a bowl of water and put a fork in it. If the fork stands up, that means that there is indeed someoneing back.¡± Joanna frowned in doubt when she heard that. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try!¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s someone deceased in the family, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Present a bouquet before his photo and give your prayers. Then he would leave.¡± Miranda went straight into the kitchen. She took a porcin bowl and filled it with water. Then, she took out a fork and ced it in the middle of the water. As she operated, she muttered something like an incantation. Joanna looked at Miranda skeptically.. She was materialistic and had never believed in superstition since she was young. However, there were too many unsolved mysteries in the universe. There were many mysteries that even scientists could not exin. ¡°Are you Devin¡¯s grandfather here?¡± Miranda moved her hands away, and the fork immediately fell. ¡°Are you Devin¡¯s grandmother?¡± Miranda mumbled again. The fork still couldn¡¯t stand up. ¡°Are you Devin¡¯s Great-grandma?¡± Just as Miranda finished, the fork immediately stood up in the water bowl. ¡°Joann, look, look.¡± Miranda looked terrified and gestured for Joanna to look.¡± Joanna took a look and also found it strange. The fork stood upright in the water. However, in terms of physics, it was not that magical. ¡°Is¡­ Is there a reason for this?¡± Miranda lowered her voice and said piously, ¡°It¡¯s Margaret Everett. She¡¯s back to see the child.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt like her scalp exploded. She had a strained rtionship with Margaret.. Although Margaret had passed away, it was inevitable that she would feel ufortable. She felt guilty for her death despite the fact that it was not her to me. ¡°Joanna, please put some flowers here and make a prayer sincerely.¡± As she spoke, Miranda had already lit three candles and began to pray sincerely in front of the water bowl. ¡°Mrs. Margare, Devin is still young. I know that you love your kids. But he is too young to withstand your love. You should hurry back.¡± There was a saying among the people that after the elders in the family passed away, the more they loved someone, the more often they woulde back to visit him. People who were loved, or frankly speaking, who were haunted, would often cry for no reason. They would have a fever, lose consciousness, or have an ident. Most of these result from a series of collision reactions caused by the maic field. Of course, these were all folk tales circted among the vige. There was no scientific basis. When the other servants saw this, they also popped their heads out to watch Miranda¡¯s ritual. All of them had surprised expressions. Seeing this, Joanna still felt that it was a bad influence. ¡°Miranda, don¡¯t do such strange things in the future. Take these things away! Call Dr. Dotson immediately and ask him toe and see what¡¯s going on with Devin.¡± After saying that, Joanna¡¯s face turned gloomy. Sometimes, for superstition, it resides where men believe it resides. If you are brave enough, it won¡¯t sting you. If you are timid and take it too seriously, then you would never get out of its haunt. The more afraid you are, the more bad luck he would be gued by. The more one did not believe it, the more powerful one¡¯s spirits were. Even if there were really some evil things, one would not be approached by them at all. Miranda did not seem to hear Joanna¡¯s order and was still making her prayers. Three minutester, the fork fell on its own. At this moment, Miranda opened her eyes and mumbled, ¡°The fork has fallen. Mrs. Everett is gone.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more disgusted. ¡°Miranda, don¡¯t say such superstitious things anymore. Look at the ear we are in. We have to believe in science and stop messing around with all this ridiculous nonsense.¡± ¡°This is a custom left behind by the older generation. It has been passed down for centuries. If it¡¯s fake, how can it be passed down until now?¡± Miranda was very stubborn and insisted on her own opinion. Joanna did not refute her. After all, Miranda had received enough education. She was born and raised in an older generation, so it was inevitable that she had these superstitious beliefs. But it was strange that after Miranda¡¯s nagging, Devin stopped crying. ¡°He stopped crying. Look,¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite magical.¡± The babysitter carried Devin over to feed him. The little boy enjoyed the milk again and stopped crying. Seeing this, Joanna still felt a little uneasy and had an indescribable doubt in her heart. ¡°I¡¯ll make a call and ask Mr. Lewis! Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s really something to avoid¡­¡± Joanna felt uneasy and called Mr. Lewis. The call went through quickly. Mr. Lewis answered the call. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Lewis. I¡¯m Joanna Haynes.¡± On the other end of the line, Mr. Lewis was silent for a few seconds. His tone was a little heavy. ¡°Ms. Haynes, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Well, I want to ask you to give me some guidance¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish, Mr. Lewis interrupted her. ¡°Everybody¡¯s fate is predestined and even doomed. It can¡¯t be avoided. There¡¯s no way to guide you.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart almost stopped beating. ¡°Mr. Lewis, could youe to Greyport? I want to make an appointment with you to perform a ritual for Bruce¡¯s grandmother.¡± When Mr. Lewis heard this, he roughly got her intentions. ¡°It¡¯s the same if I do it in my ce. Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Margaret and I are old friends. Even without your ask, I¡¯ll help you perform the ritual to release her soul from the human world.¡± ¡°Then¡­ there¡¯s one more thing. My husband is going on a business trip to Sootheration. Will he¡­ be in trouble?¡± Joanna asked hesitantly. ¡°God¡¯s design must not be revealed to mortal ears.¡± Mr. Lewis replied briefly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you onest thing. You can¡¯t avoid what¡¯sing. umte good deeds and be careful¡± ¡°Alright, thank you, Mr. Lewis.¡± After saying that, Mr. Lewis hung up without saying anything else. Joanna felt even more uneasy after this conversation. At this time, the flight should have already taken off. She wanted to make a call to Bruce but decided to wait until he got off the ne. At 1 p.m., Brucended. Darcy was already waiting for him at the airport. ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± As soon as Bruce appeared, Darcy greeted him with a serious expression. Bruce also had a solemn expression and asked in a low voice, ¡°Darcy, how is it?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s going well.¡± Bruce nodded and followed Darcy out of the airport. ¡°Mr. Everett, please get in the car!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± In the car, Bruce called Ari to tell her that he had already transported the things back. Aria immediately picked up the call and said weakly, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Aria, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria¡¯s voice suddenly became excited. ¡°I¡¯m already in the Sootheration. You can inform the research institute to pick up the goods.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange it soon. ¡°Bruce, thank you. ¡°I¡¯ll call the research institute and get them to pick you up.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Bruce replied calmly. ¡°By the way, where are you now?¡± Aria paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m preparing to board now. I might be able to reach Greyport tomorrow. Chapter 792 Chapter 792 Chapter 792 Bruce calmed down and said, Trust the doctor and receive the treatment. You must be able to get through it.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Aria replied sadly. ¡°That¡¯s it, then. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Bruce frowned at Darcy and asked, ¡°Darcy, where¡¯s the goods?¡± ¡°In the refrigerator car!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not damaged, is it? Show me.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry!¡± Darcy said as he drove Bruce to a vi in the suburbs. The house was kind of remote and surrounded by greenery. Outsiders could not see the situation in the courtyard at all. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re here.¡± Darcy personally opened the door of the Mercedes-Benz. Bruce got out of the car. A freezer car was parked in the garage of the vi. ¡°Open thepartment.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy took out the key and opened the freezerpartment. As the door opened, a bone-chilling coldness assaulted his face. The RA-3 virus was stored in an airtight refrigerated honey jar, which was wrapped around with a cooling membrane. ¡°You did a great job, Darcy.¡± Bruce praised sincerely. Darcy was indeed his most capable and trusted subordinate. Every time he was given a mission, he would sessfullyplete it. This really made Bruce feel much more worry-free. Darcy frowned and asked in confusion, ¡°Mr. Everett, what exactly is inside? Why did you go to such great lengths to transport this thing from Antlen back to Greyport?¡± Bruce heard his question but did not give any answer. He just opened the cooling membrane. He wanted to see how powerful the RA-3 virus was that required the organization to give out missions in person. When he opened the wrapper, there was only a transparent ss honey jar inside. He could see the blue liquid flowing inside. Bruce took a closer look and subconsciously reached out to touch the jar. Unexpectedly, the moment his fingers touched it, he immediately felt as if he had been scorched. ¡°Hiss-¡± Bruce quickly retracted his hand. Seeing this, Darcy asked with concern, ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Maybe¡­¡± Bruce said with a solemn look. He seemed to have been scorched by a lighter just This was clearly a refrigerated can. It should be cold to the touch. But when he touched it, why did it feel like it was burning? Bruce did not dare to touch it again. He quickly covered it with the cooling membrane again. ¡°Close the door.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy closed the car door. Twenty minutester, an unfamiliar number came in. Bruce thought that it was someone from the research institute and answered the call without hesitation. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s that?¡± A thick male voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, wee to Sootheration.¡±/ ¡°Oh, hello.¡± ¡°Hello. We¡¯re from the secret research institute. Ms. Bridges called us just now and asked us to contact you.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it.¡± ¡°I heard tha you¡¯re transporting the RA-3 virus back to Greyport. Is that true?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. The thing is with me. Hurry up and send someone to take it away!¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Please send us an address.¡± Half an hourter, the personnel from the research institute rushed over. Two researchers were overjoyed after checking the virus. ¡°Oh my god, this is the third-generation biochemical virus? This sample will be a huge leap for our research progress.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re amazing¡­ Bruce was not interested in listening to this. Right now, he only wanted to ensure a smooth transfer of the virus. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Then, he would end this matter as soon as possible. ¡°Hurry up and take it away.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, thank you very much. For the research industry¡­¡± Bruce interrupted the researcher. ¡°No need to thank me. This is my duty.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll take it with us.¡± ¡°Yeah. Take it away.¡± After the researchers left, Bruce suddenly felt a little flustered and dizzy. He almost fell to the ground. Darcy hurriedly helped him up. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Maybe¡­ I haven¡¯t recovered from the gunshot.¡± Bruce shook his head and felt ¡°Then you should take a rest!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± After saying that, Bruce walked straight into the house. In just a short while, he suddenly felt strangely tired and light-headed. This had never happened before. very tired. Back in the house, Bruce didn¡¯t have time to return to the bedroom andy down on the sofa. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you not feeling well? What about going to the hospital?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Maybe my cold hasn¡¯t recovered yet. I¡¯ll rest for a while.¡± After saying that, Bruce closed his eyes. This feeling was like a severe cold. He felt weak all over and had no strength at all. ¡°Shall I get you some cold medicine?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, sure¡­¡± At this moment, Joanna called. Bruce answered the call torpidly. ¡°Hello, Joann!¡± ¡°Bruce, are you in Sootheration?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re already here¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing now?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve just returned to my residence.¡± He actually felt a little strained when opening his mouth. Joanna could tell that something was wrong with him. She worriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is your voice so hoarse?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Maybe I still have a cold!¡± ¡°Is that so? Then hurry up and go to the hospital to take a look. Don¡¯t make it worse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry. I might be fine after sleeping for a while¡­¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he no longer had the strength to say anything else.. ¡°Hey, Bruce, what¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Joanna asked a few more questions. Unfortunately, there was no reply from the other end of the phone. Joanna panicked and hung up the phone. She then made a video call. The phone rang for a long time. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t he answering his phone again?¡± She was torn with anxiety. Darcy came over with the cold medicine. However, he found that Bruce was already unconscious. The phone was ringing non-stop, but there was no response. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, how do you feel?¡± Bruce had copsed unconscious on the couch. Darcy shook him. He no longer felt anything. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong with you? ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital now! Hold on!¡± Darcy immediately called another bodyguard to carry Bruce to the car. The two of them did not dare to dy for a second and sent Bruce to the hospital as quickly as possible. Chapter 793 Chapter 793 Chapter 793 Twenty minutester, Darcy and Carson arrived at Northshore Hospital. Carrying Bruce, they rushed into the building and called for a doctor. ¡°Get a doctor over here immediately! He needs urgent medical attention.¡± Shocked, the nurses rushed forward to check on the situation. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± With a frightened expression, Darcy replied, ¡°He was perfectly alright just a few moments ago. We don¡¯t know why he passed out all of a sudden!¡± Noticing their aggressive demeanor, the nurses realized immediately that these people were no ordinary men. That aura was especially apparent in the patient himself. Although he was passed out in his friends¡¯ arms, he stillmanded a significant presence. Besides, his clothes belonged to an expensive brand that not many people could afford. He was definitely a big shot. ¡°Call the doctor right away!¡± ¡°Put an oxygen mask on the patient immediately and take his blood pressure.¡± A few nurses at the front desk rushed forward to surround them and hurriedly carried Bruce onto a hospital gurney. ¡°The patient¡¯s blood pressure is abnormally low. His diastolic pressure is only 60, and his pulse is also feeble. He must undergo an operation immediately.¡± Not daring to hesitate another moment, the nurses pushed Bruce into an emergency room without another word. Seeing this, Darcy and Carson felt their hearts drop to their stomachs. Their minds went nk, and they suddenly felt a bit lost. Mr. Everett was fine when he got off the ne. He even carried on a normal conversation with them. Yet things had changed all of a sudden. They couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on either. They felt like they were out of their wits. ¡°Darcy, what should we do now? Mr. Everett was fine just now. Why did he suddenly fall into aa?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t know either! What should we do?¡± ¡°Call Miss Haynes immediately and tell her toe over quickly!¡± ¡°Oh, right. We should give her a call.¡± Darcy had never been so flustered before. When he took out his phone, his hand was trembling. Beep beep! His call to Joanna went through very quickly. Joanna was a little surprised to receive a call from Darcy. ¡°Hello, Darcy. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s me.¡± Darcy was practically stuttering with how panicked he was. ¡°I thought you asked Bruce for an extended vacation.¡± Darcy was in no mood to make small talk right now. Jumping straight to the point, he said, ¡°Miss Haynes, something has happened to Mr. Everett. ¡°Hurry up and make a trip to Soother?tion! You have to do this as soon as possible¡­¡± Instantly, Joanna¡¯s body stiffened as if she had been struck by lightning. ¡°W-What did you say?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is in trouble and is being treated in the hospital. Come to the hospital in Sootheration immediately. I¡¯m afraid it might be toote if you don¡¯te now.¡± Darcy had never been good with words, nor had he any tact. When Joanna heard this, she staggered and almost fainted from shock. ¡°How¡­ How could this be? What happened to him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin too much to you. Hurry up ande now! ¡°Long story short, when we met Mr. Evertt at the airport just now, he was still fine. But for some reason, he suddenly fainted while talking. We sent him to the hospital, and the doctors are trying to save his life now!¡± After Joanna heard this, she felt a chill run down her spine. The blood seemed to have frozen in her veins. She had a feeling that something was going to happen to Bruce. Her worst nightmare hade true. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°Which hospital are you at? Send me an address immediately.¡± ¡°It¡¯s at Northshore Hospital. I¡¯ll send you a location now¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± After hanging up., Joanna felt like she was in a trance. It was as if she had lost his mind. ¡°Sootheration¡­ I have to go there quickly¡­¡± Seeing this, Miranda immediately asked with concern, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± 1 ¡°I¡¯m going to Sootheration now. Gael, Miranda. I¡¯ll leave the children to you for the time being.¡± ¡°Joann, what happened?¡± Joanna fiddled with the loose hair at her temples and forced herself to calm down. ¡°I¡¯ll exin to you when Ie back. I have to leave immediately.¡± ¡°Gael, arrange a private ne for me immediately. I want to fly to the capital immediately¡­¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, what¡¯s so urgent?¡± Joanna held her breath as tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Something happened to Bruce. I have to rush over to see him now.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange for a ne right away.¡± Gael also looked flustered when he heard that. Joanna didn¡¯t have time to say too much. She hurried upstairs to get her passport. Five minutester., Joanna reappeared downstairs with her passport. She hadn¡¯t even bothered to pack her clothes. ¡°Joann, be careful!¡± ¡°Miranda, help take care of the children!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Although Miranda was just a family servant, she had been with Joanna for a long time. They were like mother and daughter, Every time Joanna went out, she took care of the children. Joanna never had to worry about leaving her kids under Miranda¡¯s care. Joanna gave her a few instructions about the children and left quickly. Although the Everett family had a private ne, it was parked at the airport. She had no choice but to rush down to the hangar. On the ne, Joanna kept praying that Bruce was ying a nasty prank on her. She hoped that he just wanted to scare her so she could fly over for them to reunite. That had to be it¡­ or so she prayed. After Joanna left, Miranda and Gael looked at each other in worry. ¡°Oh my god, why did something happen to Mr. Everett again?¡± ¡°Over the past year, the Everett family has been gued with trouble. Did something happen? Could someone have cursed Mr. Everett?¡± When Gael heard this, his expression also turned solemn. This was not impossible. Many people in Greyport and Venturas were devout believers in the Ghost Boy and Tame Head. They were famous legends in Southeast Alendor. They were alsomonly referred to as ¡®Ghost Children¡¯. Worship of the Ghost Children was popr amongst people down on their luck. Third-rate celebrities who wanted to be famous would even go to Southeast Alendor and purchase a Ghost Child to rear. Of course, there were people with evil intentions who would use them to ce curses on others. ording to legends, these curses worked extremely well. Ghost Children were popr in Southeast Alendor, and their powers were potent. Bruce had such a domineering personality and was ruthless towards his enemies. It was inevitable that he would offend many people. Some people hated him to the core, but they could not take revenge on him. They could only deal with him through curses and jinxes. ¡°Sigh, God help poor Mr. Everett. No matter what, let¡¯s wait for Miss Haynes¡¯s reply.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ we¡¯re overthinking!¡± Gael said, but in his heart, he agreed with Miranda. However, there was nothing they could do at this moment. He still had to wait for Joanna to go over and see what was going on. Four hourster, Joanna arrived in Sootheration. As soon as she got off the ne, she rushed to the hospital. When she got there, she bumped into Darcy. ¡°Darcy! How is Bruce?¡± Seeing that Joanna had rushed over, Darcy¡¯s expression became even more solemn. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett is still in the emergency room. He hasn¡¯te out yet.¡± Joanna Haynes stopped listening and instantly sucked in a cold breath. Five hours had passed since Darcy called her. Bruce was still being operated on. Clearly, his life was in real danger this time. This was too much for Joanna. Her mind went nk immediately, as though a nerve had snapped in her brain. Her vision turned ck, and she fell to the ground. ¡°Miss Haynes, be careful!¡± Chapter 794 Chapter 794 Chapter 794 ¡°Bruce Everett, Bruce Everett¡­ You¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯re the strongest. You¡¯re the strongest.¡± ¡°No matter what happens, you will survive,¡± Joannaforted herself. Her tears fell uncontrobly, and her heart beat like a drum. Even she seemed to hear her own heartbeat. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be so pessimistic. The doctors have been operating on him all this while. No news is good news.¡± ¡°I hope so¡­¡± Another half an hour passed. Finally, the emergency room¡¯s doors slid open, and doctors and nurses walked out one after another. Seeing them, Joanna practically pounced on the first doctor she said and asked tremulously, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± The doctor looked at Joanna with a solemn expression. ¡°Which one of you is the patient¡¯s family member?¡± ¡°I am. I¡¯m his wife.¡± The doctor frowned and pondered before saying slowly, ¡°The patient¡¯s current symptoms are unusual. We think he may infected with an aggressive virus. Unfortunately, we have never seen such a case in the country yet. ¡°The white blood cells in his body are dying rapidly. Our hospital isn¡¯t equipped to treat his condition. ¡°We can only give him a few antibiotics and medicine to suppress the spread of the virus for the time being to stabilize his condition. be ¡°I urge you to hurry and arrange a transfer for your husband. Find a specialized hospital for epidemic prevention. Perhaps his condition will get better there¡­¡± ¡®When Joanna heard that, her legs went soft and she fell forward. ¡°Miss Haynes, Miss Haynes¡­¡± Darcy rushed forward hurriedly to support her. Joanna¡¯s heart stopped for a moment, and she felt as though she might faint. ¡°Miss Haynes, Miss Haynes, wake up.¡± Seeing that she had fainted, Darcy Juke and Carson became even more terrified. Seeing this, the doctor hurriedly went forward and pinched an acupuncture point under Joanna¡¯s nose with all his might. It was one of the most painful acupuncture points in the human body. However, the doctor had to pinch her for over a minute before Joanna regained consciousness. Only God knows how she managed to survive that arduous year alone. Now that things had finally gotten better, he actually¡­ After Joanna woke up, she struggled to stand up. ¡°Bruce Everett¡­ Bruce Everett¡­ You¡¯ll be fine. I won¡¯t allow anything to happen to you.¡± ¡°Doctor, please save him. You have to save him. He can¡¯t die¡­¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any experts in this area at the moment. This illness is also highly unusual.¡± ¡°In order not to dy the treatment, you should find an expert in this area as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Bruce Everett¡­¡± Joanna choked. Her heart hurt so much that she could not breathe. In the past year or so, Bruce had experienced jail time, gun attacks. dr idents, and Every time, it made her extremely worried. Now, his situation had finally gotten better. They had only reconciled for less than a month, but such a horrible disaster had already happened. Joanna cursed silently at God. Why did he have to keep torturing them like this? Joanna cried helplessly. She really couldn¡¯t take this blow anymore. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll definitely be fine! ¡°I¡¯m going to see him. I¡¯m going to apany him now.¡± The doctor and nurse quickly stopped her. ¡°Madam, it¡¯s inconvenient for you to go in now.¡± ¡°The patient is now infected with some kind of virus. I¡¯m afraid it will be contagious. ¡°It¡¯s best to iste him now. It¡¯s not suitable for him to interact with outsiders.¡± ¡°Doctor, I beg you. You must have a way. Your hospital is so big. There must be something you can do for him. ¡°Please think of another way. No matter how much it costs, we can afford it¡­¡± The doctor looked at Joanna helplessly and said solemnly, ¡°This is not about money. We can understand your feelings. ¡°But we tried. We do our best to save every patient thates through those doors. ¡°You should transfer him to Paragon Infectious Disease Hospital immediately. There are specialists there who specialize in various infectious diseases. Perhaps they can save your husband. ¡°You must decide now. Your husband cannot afford to wait.¡± When Joanna heard this, she nodded firmly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have to trouble the hospital to arrange his transfer immediately. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem no matter how much it costs. We have to transfer hospitals as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange it now¡­¡± The doctor did not dare to be careless and quickly instructed the ambnce on the transfer. At the same time, he ordered the nurses to change into protective clothing and enter the ward to take care of Bruce Everett. ¡°I¡¯m calling the director of Paragon Infectious Disease Hospital now and asking them to prepare for treatment. When your husband arrives, we can arrange for treatment immediately.¡± ¡°Alright, sorry to trouble you, doctor. Thank you.¡± Joanna bowed a few times to express her gratitude. A flurry of activity soon followed. The doctor immediately called the director of Paragon Infectious Disease Hospital and briefly exined Bruce Everett¡¯s situation. ¡°It¡¯s been arranged. Hurry up and follow the ambnce to the epidemic prevention hospital.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get in the ambnce right away.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, we¡¯re driving. Why don¡¯t you take our car?¡± Darcy asked. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Joanna did not have time to think. She was only focused on transferring Bruce Everett to another hospital. ¡°Bruce Everett, nothing is allowed to happen to you. If you dare to abandon me and our son, I will never forgive you¡­¡± Chapter 795 Chapter 795 Chapter 795 Soon, Bruce was quarantined and transported into the ambnce by professional nurses. The ambnce quickly drove him to the epidemic prevention center. Darcy drove behind, following the ambnce. ¡°How far is the epidemic center from here?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°The epidemic wards are usually not in the city. I estimate it will take at least 20 minutes.¡± When Joanna heard this, her mind went nk. Tears streamed down her face. ¡°How could this be? How could this be?¡± ¡°Bruce, you must survive!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for us to get this far. You can¡¯t be so cruel. You can¡¯t leave me and the children like this!¡± When Carson heard this, his heart ached. He could not help butfort her. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be too sad. Perhaps the epidemic prevention hospital can cure Mr. Everett.¡± Carson did not know what to say tofort Joanna. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Joanna paused for a few seconds and suddenly thought of something. ¡°Darcy, what did hee into contact with today? Did he meet anyone else?¡± Darcy thought for a while and seemed to recall something. ¡°Oh right, Mr. Everett saw some people who imed they were from the research institute. ¡°Also, Mr. Everett asked me to smuggle back a box of items from Antlen. But I don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside. Mr. Everett only said that it¡¯s something important.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes suddenly widened. Smuggling? What was he smuggling? With so much money, he could buy anything he wanted. Was there a need to smuggle? Darcy continued, ¡°Those were the only noteworthy things that happened today.¡± ¡°Did he say what kind of item it was?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. It¡¯s some kind of liquid. It¡¯s blue, and it¡¯s in a sealed refrigerated can.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the source of the infection.¡± As Darcy spoke, he could not help but feel a chill run down his spine. He toured several countries with this item before bringing it home. If this liquid carried an infection, he should be infected too.. However, he felt perfectly fine. Mr. Everett had only touched it lightly. How could he be infected just like that? Joanna choked when she heard this. Instantly, she forgot about her sadness. All she wanted to know now was what this item was. ¡°Bruce, what else are you hiding from me? Didn¡¯t you say you were going to Antlen for a business trip? Why did you do such a thing?¡± Darcy thought for a few more seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you call Miss Bridges and ask her?¡± ¡°Miss Bridges?¡± ¡°Yes, when he was in Antlen, Mr. Everett went to see Miss Bridges alone. During that period, he didn¡¯t allow us to follow him. He was so mysterious. ¡°Miss Bridges might know something. Miss Haynes, why don¡¯t you ask her?¡± When Joanna heard this, she did not dare to hesitate. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call her immediately!¡± Saving people was like putting out a fire. She could not waste a second. Joanna wiped her tears and hurriedly took out her phone to call Aria. Unfortunately, the call did not go through. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? I can¡¯t get through to her.¡± ¡°Give it a few more tries.¡± Joanna tried calling Aria three times in a row. Unfortunately, her phone seemed to be switched off. ¡°Her phone is turned off. I can¡¯t get through.¡± Joanna was even more flustered now. Aria definitely knew something. Joanna desperately wanted to contact Aria and ask her what was going on. ¡°By the way, Mr. Everett said Miss Bridges wille to Greyport for treatment. She should be on the ne now, so she¡¯s probably unreachable by phone. Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡± Joanna was even more upset when she heard that. ¡°What about the people from the research institute? Should we contact them? Why don¡¯t we call them?¡± Darcy frowned. ¡°Mr. Everett was in contact with them. He might have their contact information on his phone!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s his phone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still in the vi. I might have to go back and get it.¡± ¡°What?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was so anxious that she wanted to vomit blood. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be anxious. You and Darcy go to the hospital first. I¡¯ll return to the vi immediately to get Mr. Everett¡¯s phone.¡± ¡°Mm, okay. Be quick.¡± ¡°I got it. Darcy, stop at the intersection ahead and let me out.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Darcy stopped the car at an intersection. Carson hurriedly got out of the car, hailed a private car, and rushed to the vi. ¡°Bruce Everett, you have to hold on. You¡¯ll definitely be fine. ¡°The children and I need you. No matter what? You can¡¯t let us down.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t be so flustered. Mr. Everett will be fine. He¡¯s just unconscious now. Medicine is so advanced now. There must be a way to treat him. ¡°Besides, Mr. Everett¡¯s body is different from ordinary people¡¯s. Ordinary viruses definitely won¡¯t hurt him.¡± ¡°I hope so! God bless him¡­¡± Joanna kept praying along the way, begging the heavens not to torture them like this again. Chapter 796 Chapter 796 Chapter 796 Half an hourter, Bruce arrived at the Paragon Infectious Disease Hospital. The ambnce doors swung open, revealing a waiting line of doctors and nurses. ¡°Hurry up and push the patient into the protective room¡­ ¡°Immediately extract the patient¡¯s blood and take it for testing. ¡°This is the patient¡¯s treatment information in our hospital. It can be used as a reference.¡± The doctor from the Northshore Hospital quickly handed a stack of test results to the doctors at the epidemiological hospital. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± : Soon, Bruce was pushed into the protective room. The doctor had already collected his blood and saliva for testing Because Bruce¡¯s illness was so unusual, a few specialists in the hospital were invited to the consultation. Their country had never seen a case like this. Joanna also got out of the car. Seeing the line of doctors entering Bruce¡¯s ward one after another, she jumped forward and begged every one of them. ¡°Doctor, please, you must save him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll do our best.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce being pushed into the protective room and felt a sense of destion in her heart. Then, like a snake with its spine removed, she slumped weakly onto a nearby stool. Now, there was really no other way but to pray Seconds ticked by. To Joanna, every second felt like a year. Another half an hourter, Carson rushed over with Bruce Everett¡¯s phone. ¡°Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett¡¯s phone is here.¡± Carson panted as he handed the phone to Joanna. ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna quickly took the phone and hurriedly opened his call log. Her eyes lit up immediately. There was an unfamiliar call record on it. Joanna held her breath and hurriedly dialed the unknown number. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable. Please check before dialing.¡± Joanna was even more anxious by now. ¡°How can it be an unused number?¡± ¡°Darcy. Are you sure this number is the one he called?¡± Darcy looked serious. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I only know that Mr. Everett spoke to the other party at this time. It should be this number.¡± ¡°But why does this show that it¡¯s an unused number?¡± When Carson and Darcy heard this, they were also confused. With the call failing to go through, Joanna felt even more deste. The situation looked very bleak. Their only hope had failed them. Now, she could only ce all her hopes on Aria. Crack! The door of the ward was pushed open. Two doctors walked out. Seeing this, Joanna quickly went up to ask, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± ¡°The patient has been quarantined. His condition is highly unusual. Regr treatment ns don¡¯t work at all. We have an emergency meeting now to create a new treatment n.¡± Hearing this, Joanna¡¯s legs trembled like she had fallen into an ice cave. ¡°Then¡­ is it serious? Will his life be in danger?¡± ¡°The patient is infected with a strange virus. We believe it¡¯s a form of chemical radiation. In a short period, it can cause a person¡¯s organs to fail rapidly. ¡°The only thing we can do now is to use the antiviral serum to suppress the poison temporarily. ¡°Next, we need to wait for the test results to be out and then formte a new treatment n¡­¡± The doctor went on to say a lot of technical terms. Joanna was no longer in the mood to listen. She only knew that Bruce was seriously ill. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the meeting first. It¡¯s useless to be anxious now.¡± After the doctors finished speaking, they did not say anything else. Joanna called Aria every hour. Now, she could only count on her. Ten hourster, Aria got off the ne. When she turned on her phone, she saw that she had several missed calls. Knowing that this was Joanna Haynes, she called her back immediately. Beep, beep, beep¡­ Just as Joanna was about to give up, her phone finally rang. As if suddenly on steroids, she quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Is this Aria Bridges?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was hoarse and excited. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Joanna Haynes.¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Joanna asked anxiously, ¡°Where are you now? I have something important to ask you!¡± ¡°Did Bruce ask you to contact me? I just arrived at Greyport and got off the ne¡­¡± ¡°Bruce Everett is in trouble. He¡¯s in the hospital now,¡± Joanna exined the situation bluntly. When Aria heard this, her entire body stiffened. She asked nervously, ¡°What happened?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°The doctor said he was infected with a virus and is in aa. He¡¯s being treated at the Paragon Infectious Disease Hospital in Sootheration.¡± ¡°Infected with a virus?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes widened! ¡°Yes, I heard from Darcy. When Bruce was in Antlen, he met you alone. You should know the source of the virus. ¡°The doctor said this virus has never appeared in the country, let alone a good treatment method. So, I want to ask you, do you know if there is a good treatment method?¡± Aria didn¡¯t have time to exin anything to Joanna. She asked anxiously, ¡°How is Bruce now? How bad is he?¡± ¡°His condition isn¡¯t ideal! He¡¯s already in a severea. The doctor said that his organs are rapidly failing¡­¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll rush to Sootheration now! ¡°Give the phone to the doctor. I want to ask them to exin!¡± When Joanna heard this, she didn¡¯t have time to ask further and hurriedly ran to the office to find a doctor. In the office, the doctors were in a meeting to study the treatment n. When they saw Joanna rushing in, all of them pursed their lips. ¡°Family members are not allowed to enter here.¡± ¡°Doctor, please listen to the phone!¡± A doctor in his fifties who seemed to be Director answered the call patiently. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the phone, Aria said anxiously, ¡°Please inject the patient with saline first, as well as antiviral serum number three¡­¡± Then, she mentioned the names of a few more medicines. When the Director heard this, his expression became even more solemn. ¡°If so many serums are used together, there will be a rejection reaction.¡± The next time Aria spoke, she sounded more stiff. ¡°I¡¯m Aria Bridges from Antlen¡¯s Institute of Advanced Studies. Treat the patients ording to my method first. I¡¯ll rush to your hospital immediately.¡± When the Director heard Aria¡¯s name, his attitude changed to deep respect. ¡°Oh, oh, okay. We¡¯ll do it now.¡± The doctor did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly followed the treatment method provided by Aria. He injected Bruce with saline, antiviral serum, and other drugs. Meanwhile, Aria didn¡¯t dare to dy for a moment. She took the private ne that Joanna had arranged for her and rushed to the hospital. Three hourster, she finally arrived at the hospital. After seeing Aria, Joanna felt relieved. A trace of hope reignited in her heart. ¡°Miss Bridges, you¡¯re finally here.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Bruce now?¡± Joanna said with extreme hesitation, ¡°He¡¯s still in aa. The doctor doesn¡¯t allow anyone to enter the ward¡­¡± When Aria heard this, she went to look for the doctor. Not long after, Aria changed into a protective suit and entered the protective room apanied by the doctor. Joanna could only wait outside uneasily. However, her heart could finally calm down a little. Aria was a biomedical professor, so the odds were high that she knew how to cure the poison. Moreover, she looked very confident. She could definitely figure out what kind of virus Bruce had been poisoned with! Half an hourter, Aria finished looking at Bruce¡¯s condition. She walked out of the ward with a solemn expression. ¡°Miss Bridges¡­¡± Joanna Haynes stood up and looked at Aria expectantly. Aria frowned and said darkly, ¡°Bruce is infected with g a virus. The situation is very uncertain now.¡± ¡°Miss Bridges, you must have a way to save him. Since you know what virus he¡¯s infected with, you must know how to detoxify him!¡± Aria didn¡¯t answer. She just looked at Joanna sadly. ¡°Miss Bridges, I beg you to save him: Joanna almost cried out as his entire body trembled uncontrobly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll think of a way to save him. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± As Aria spoke, a troubled expression appeared on her face. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Judging from her expression, she was probably preparing to make some harsh request. She loved Bruce so much. It was very likely that she would use this chance to threaten Joanna to leave Bruce Everett. However, Joanna couldn¡¯t care less. As long as Bruce could live, she would give up anything. ¡°But what? Miss Bridges, what do you need my cooperation for? Just tell me.¡± Chapter 797 Chapter 797 Chapter 797 Aria pondered for a few seconds. ¡°We still can¡¯t develop an antidote for this virus for the time being in our country.¡± ¡°Then what can we do?¡± This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°If we want to save him, we can only bring him to Antlen. ¡°There¡¯s a specialized research team there. They¡¯ll be able to develop an antiviral serum.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes instantly dimmed, and she was at a loss for words after she heard this. Bruce had just returned less than a month ago. She did not want him to go overseas again. ¡°There are also top-notch research teams in our country. Miss Bridges, why don¡¯t we research the antidote in our country?¡± Before Joanna could finish, Aria interrupted her. ¡°The research institute in our country doesn¡¯t have the necessary infrastructure to study such serum for the time being. ¡°Moreover, it requires a lot of researchers to study it together. Therefore, if we want to save Bruce, we can only bring him to Antlen.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached, and a trace of hesitation appeared in her eyes when she heard this. Bruce probably wouldn¡¯t be able to return in a short period. The children were still young. She was worried about leaving them at home for so many days. Even though many servants were looking after the kids, they were not their parents. ¡°Bruce¡¯s situation is very urgent. We can¡¯t dy any longer. If we dy for another hour, the organs in his body will fail at an elerated rate. ¡°It¡¯ll be toote by the time all the organs in his body fail.¡± When Aria noticed Joanna hesitating, she could only warn her of severe consequences. Joanna understood. There was no time to hesitate. Although she worried about the children, she was more concerned about Bruce now. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll work with you as long as I can keep Bruce alive. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to get a private ne ready now. We¡¯ll send him to Antlen for treatment immediately.¡± When Aria heard this, her expression changed. ¡°Not everyone can enter the secret research institute.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Royal Supreme Secret Research Institute. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter.¡± Joanna froze and was at a loss for words after hearing this. What did she mean by that? Could it be that she intended to take Bruce away alone and not let her follow? Seeing Joanna¡¯s confusion, Aria hurriedly exined, ¡°However, you don¡¯t have to worry. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. I¡¯ll take good care of Bruce.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and said anxiously, ¡°Then I won¡¯t go to the research institute. I¡¯ll stay somewhere nearby to apany him. If there¡¯s anything urgent, I can help at any time.¡± Aria said bluntly, ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t help much with the antiviral serum research. ¡°If you go, you¡¯ll cause unnecessary trouble. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of Bruce. ¡°I have brain cancer now and don¡¯t have much time left. I have to develop the antiviral serum within a limited time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When the virus in Bruce¡¯s body is cleared, I¡¯ll send him back safely.¡± There was nothing else Joanna could say. Time is tight now. We really can¡¯t dy any longer. Every second we dy will cause immeasurable damage to Bruce¡¯s body. ¡°Stay in Greyport and take good care of your children. I¡¯ll do my best to save Bruce. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry that I¡¯ll take this opportunity to snatch Bruce away. After all, I¡¯m about to die. I hate Bruce, but I won¡¯t ruin his happiness.¡± After Joanna heard this, she closed her eyes, and tears streamed uncontrobly. There was no point in crying over spilled milk. She had no other choices as long as Bruce could live. Even if she had to give him to Aria, she would. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll get someone to arrange a private ne to send you to Antlen immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, as soon as possible! We can¡¯t dy anymore. If we dy any longer, Bruce will not be saved.¡± ¡°Miss Bridges, please,¡± Joanna said as she subconsciously held Aria¡¯s hand tightly. Tears streamed down her face. Aria also looked at Joanna sadly. She squeezed her hand and said sincerely, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will develop the antiviral serum even if I have to risk my life.¡± ¡°Miss Bridges¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t speak. She had mixed feelings. ¡°You¡¯re so sick, and now you have to study the antiviral serum. I¡¯m worried about your health.¡± Aria smiled and said righteously, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I know my own body well. ¡°Even if I go through surgery now, I might not be able to recoverpletely. I might as well give up on myself and do my best to treat Bruce.¡± After hearing this, Joanna felt even more ashamed. ¡°Miss Bridges, I thank you on behalf of Bruce.¡± ¡°You¡¯re treating me like an outsider. ¡°After all, we both love Bruce deeply. Even after I pass away, I¡¯ll be much more at ease with you looking after Bruce for me.¡± Joanna choked and was at a loss for words as if a needle was poking her heart. If not for the fact that she had a favor to ask of Aria, Joanna probably couldn¡¯t help but get angry after hearing her words. But now¡­ ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange the ne now.¡± Beep, beep, beep. Joanna sniffled, suppressed her grief, and dialed the butler¡¯s number. When Gael received Joanna¡¯s call, he was extremely nervous. ¡°Hello, Madam.¡± ¡°Gael, please arrange for a private ne to Antlen immediately.¡± ¡°Arrange for a private ne?¡± Gael was stunned. ¡°Yes, please arrange it immediately.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°By the way, how is Mr. Everett now? Is he out of danger?¡± ¡°Not yet. We have to send him to Antlen for treatment immediately.¡± When Gael heard this, he became even more worried. ¡°Send him to Antlen for treatment? ¡°What illness is so serious that he has to go overseas for treatment?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t exin it to you right now. Prepare the ne immediately. We can¡¯t dy any longer. We have to send Bruce overseas immediately.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get someone to arrange it immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. After hanging up, Joanna felt as if countless devil ws were tearing at her heart. She was miserable and helpless. ¡°Miss Bridges, I¡¯ve sent someone to arrange it. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get ready and head to the airport.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Aria negotiated with Director. Director also agreed with it and sent Bruce to the airport in an ambnce. ¡°Watch out. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the patient¡¯s body. Be careful.¡± A few nurses in protective clothing pushed Bruce into the ambnce. Bruce was wrapped in a protective bag with an oxygen mask on his nose and an IV drip on his wrist. Seeing that Bruce was pushed out, Joanna¡¯s tears instantly burst out. She suddenly pounced forward. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­ ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t get close to him. ¡°The virus infected by Bruce is infectious. Don¡¯t get close to him.¡± Aria held Joanna back, not letting her get close to Bruce. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I want to see him. Bruce, you must wake up. The children and I will wait for you here. ¡°You have toe back. The children and I can¡¯t live without you,¡± Joanna said. She still couldn¡¯t help but want to get close to Bruce. She was afraid that she would never see him again after this farewell. ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t go near him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Bruce wille back. I¡¯ll do my best to save Bruce. If you¡¯re infected by the virus, it¡¯ll be even more troublesome.¡± Darcy and Carson also started persuading, ¡°Miss Haynes, it¡¯s better not to get close.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett will be fine. You have to believe in Miss Bridges¡¯ ability.¡± Joanna covered her mouth, unable to control her emotions. Aria patted her shoulder. ¡°Ms. Haynes, we can¡¯t dy now. We¡¯ll leave first. When we reach Antlen, I¡¯ll contact you at any time and update the situation to you.¡± ¡°Yes, please. You must save him. As long as you can save him, I¡¯m willing¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, she could not help but feel a sharp pain in her heart. If Aria could save Bruce, then she was willing to let go of Bruce to Aria. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. The most important thing now is Bruce¡¯s life. Everything else is secondary. Don¡¯t overthink or be too pessimistic. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t have much time left. I won¡¯t fight with you for Bruce anymore.¡± ¡°Miss Bridges, thank you.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Take good care of her. We¡¯re rushing to the airport now.¡± ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll leave Mr. Everett to you Aria didn¡¯t say anything else and got into the ambnce. ¡°Beep, beep, beep, beep!¡± The ambnce headed in the direction of the airport. ¡°Darcy, let¡¯s go to the airport to send them off too. We have to make some other arrangements for them too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy drove Joanna to the airport. Along the way, Joanna kept crying. Chapter 798 Chapter 798 Chapter 798 ¡°Darcy, Carson, you should go to Antlen to protect Bruce! ¡°No matter what, he has to have someone by his side. Even if you can¡¯t enter the research institute, you should stay in Antlen and be prepared to receive him anytime.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll arrange it immediately.¡± Because the situation was urgent, by the time Joanna arrived at the airport, Aria had already boarded the ne with Bruce. Darcy and Carson had no choice but to book ne tickets immediately and take a passenger ne to Antlen. Subsequently, Joanna also booked a flight back to Greyport. Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna reached Greyport exhausted the following morning. She was in a daze all along till she returned home. Miranda and Gael were waiting for her at the door. Seeing that she was finally back, Miranda quickly went up to her ¡°Joann, you¡¯re finally back?¡± ¡¤ ¡°Madam, how is Mr. Everett now?¡± Gael also looked anxious. Joanna did not answer their questions. Joanna shook her head tiredly and sadly. Then, she walked towards her room.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. She was exhausted now and had not slept for two days. Coupled with her anxiety, she felt like she was about to copse. Miranda followed behind her and brought her slippers and pajamas. ¡°Joann, can I get a doctor to look at you? You look so pale.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m tired now. I want to rest for a while,¡± Joanna said weakly andy on the bed. When Davian and Irvin heard that Joanna was back, they immediately ran in. ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Daddye back with you? Didn¡¯t he say that he wouldn¡¯t go on business trips anymore? Why is he gone for so many days?¡± Irvin pouted and muttered unhappily. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she almost cried out when she heard this. She did not know how to answer their questions. However, she still had to be strong in front of the children. She did not want to pass this pain to the children. ¡°Bruce has something important to do. He might not being back for a while.¡± The two little boys looked disappointed when they heard that. ¡°I see. When will Daddye back?¡± ¡°Could it be that, like the previous time, he has been gone for over half a month?¡± ¡°Daddy has promised us not to go on business trips again, but now he has been gone for four to five days.¡± ¡°He also said he would teach us how to shoot on Sunday. He didn¡¯t keep his word. Hmph, another holiday wasted. Joanna widened her eyes and tried her best to control her tears. ¡°Be good. Go out and y first. I¡¯m a little tired and want to rest for a while.¡± When Davian heard this, he hurriedly touched Joanna¡¯s forehead. He said with concern, ¡°Mommy, are you sick?¡± ¡°No, I just came back. I¡¯m tired and want to sleep.¡± ¡°Alright then. Mommy, have a good rest,¡± Davian said as he thoughtfully covered Joanna with the nket. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ll go out first.¡± ¡°Alright. The two little boys dared not disturb Joanna anymore and left the room uneasily. Irvin lowered his voice and said furiously, ¡°Davian, don¡¯t you think Mommy is a little strange? ¡°She looks sad.¡± Davian¡¯s cute face tensed up. ¡°I noticed it too. Mommy¡¯s eyes are so red. She must have been crying for a long time.¡± ¡°Davian, do you think Daddy could be¡­¡± Irvin hesitated, his eyes filled with uneasiness. ¡°What will happen to Daddy? Irvin frowned and said furiously, ¡°Do you think Daddy cheated on Mommy? ¡°That¡¯s why Mommy is so sad. Moreover, Daddy seems to have had a rtionship with a woman surnamed Bridges. I heard that she¡¯s Daddy¡¯s first love. Do you think she has an affair with Daddy?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. How is that possible?¡± ¡°Why not? Daddy is so handsome and rich. Those women must want to hook up with Daddy. ¡°Daddy is a man. Inevitably, he won¡¯t be able to control himself when he sees a pretty woman. Perhaps he has already hooked up with that woman. Otherwise, why would Mommy be so sad recently?¡± When Davian heard this, his eyes darkened, and he felt extremely uneasy. Although they were only seven years old, they already understood many things. In particr, they had matured very early since they were young and were much more intelligent than kids of the same age. ¡°What if Daddy cheats on Mommy?¡± ¡°Sigh, I don¡¯t know either. I hope Daddy doesn¡¯t let Mommy down. Otherwise, I¡¯ll hate him so much,¡± Davian said as he clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯ll hate Daddy so much too, but I hate the woman who seduced Daddy even more! When I grow up, I¡¯ll especially teach those women with ulterior motives a lesson.¡± When Davian heard this, his expression was still solemn. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Lilia too much about these things, lest she gets sad.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have the phone number of Bridges. Otherwise, I would call her and scold her, telling her to stay away from Daddy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no evidence yet. Don¡¯t jump to conclusions first. Perhaps Daddy is busy working.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± Irvin shrugged with a depressed expression. In the bedroom. Joannay weakly on the bed. She was mentally exhausted, and her entire body was exhausted. However, she still could not fall asleep. She kept feeling muddle-headed. How could she sleep when she had something on her mind? ¡°Bruce, you must be safe. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t leave me and the children behind!¡± In the afternoon, Joanna slept for four to five hours before waking up again. Aria should have arrived at Antlen based on the time. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna hurriedly called Aria. She wanted to ask about Bruce¡¯s situation. ¡°The number you dialed cannot be reached at the moment¡­¡± ¡°What happened? Why isn¡¯t Aria answering her phone?¡± Joanna frowned and looked at the time. It had been more than 20 hours. Logically speaking, Aria should have arrived in Antlen long ago. Now that she could not contact her, she felt even more uneasy. Beep, beep, beep. No one picked up the phone. In the end, there was a voicemail notification. ¡°Hello, this is Aria. It¡¯s inconvenient for me to answer your call for the time being. You can leave a message for me, and I¡¯ll get back to you as soon as possible.¡± Hearing this, Joanna could only leave a voicemail message. ¡°Miss Bridges, have you gotten off the ne? How is Bruce now? ¡°I¡¯m worried about him. Please get back to me as soon as you hear my message. Sorry to trouble you.¡± After leaving the voice message, Joanna took off the nket and got out of bed. She had not showered for two days and had not eaten anything. She had low blood sugar. She would probably be taken to the hospital if she did not start eating now. After leaving the room, Miranda was waiting for her in the living room. Seeing that she had woken up, she hurriedly said with concern, ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake? Are you hungry? ¡°I¡¯ve made you some lobster bisque. Hurry up and drink a bowl!¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring it over for you now,¡± Miranda said and hurried to the kitchen. After a while, a bowl of lobster bisque that had been prepared for hours was brought out. Then, she took a bowl and spoon. ¡°Joann, your body is too weak. You need to drink some for energy.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miranda.¡± Joanna took the spoon and gently stirred the lobster bisque in the bowl. ¡°Joann, what happened to Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°He was infected with a virus and has been sent to Antlen for treatment.¡± ¡°Infected with a virus? Is it that serious?¡± ¡°Yes. Aria took him to Antlen and said she would find a way to treat him.¡± When Miranda heard this, she felt uneasy. ¡°Joann, since Mr. Everett is so seriously ill, why don¡¯t you go with him?¡± Joanna sighed and frowned. ¡°Aria said that their research institute is not open to outsiders. It¡¯s useless even if I go.¡± When Miranda heard this, she was even more surprised. She said suspiciously, ¡°Joann, could this be a trap set up by Miss Bridges?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the trap?¡± ¡°Think about it. She¡¯s already eyeing Mr. Everett. Now that she insists on taking Mr. Everett away and doesn¡¯t allow you to follow her, she probably has ulterior motives, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s sick. Both of the most authoritative hospitals in Sootheration have verified that he¡¯s infected with a rare virus. There¡¯s no way to treat him in our country for the time being.¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m still worried. I think Miss Bridges is not simple. ¡°Think about it! Even if the research institute doesn¡¯t let outsiders in, don¡¯t they let you find a ce nearby to apany them?¡± Miranda looked angry. Chapter 799 Chapter 799 Chapter 799 ¡°She does not want you to follow her. She ultimately wants to keep you and Mr. Everett apart.¡± The more Miranda spoke, the angrier she became. When Joanna heard this, a trace of fatigue and heartache appeared in her eyes. ¡°I know. ¡°But what can I do? As long as Aria can treat Bruce, I am willing to fulfill her wish.¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m afraid this matter isn¡¯t that simple. ¡°Miss Bridges is a biological researcher. She must be very familiar with all kinds of viruses. ¡°Maybe she purposely infected Mr. Everett with some kind of virus. Then, she deliberately cured him to improve her rtionship with Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Stop it. It¡¯s useless to say anything at this point,¡± Joanna said. She could not help but put her hands on her temples. It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t thought of what Miranda had said. But¡­ So what if she thought of it? Even if Bruce was plotted against by Aria, she could only let her lead him by the nose. After all, even the Northshore Hospital and the Paragon Infectious Disease Hospital in Sootheration could not treat this virus. From this, it could be seen how rare this virus was. Even if the researchers in the country developed an antidote, Bruce would probably not be able to wait. She did not dare to risk Bruce¡¯s life. Only by handing him over to Aria could he survive. Aria loved him so much. As long as she let go of Bruce, Aria would save him. Therefore, in this situation, she could only let go. Miranda cursed again. ¡°Sigh, Miss Bridges is indeed difficult to deal with. Even if Miss Roxanne and Miss Garcia team up, they are probably not her match. ¡°I hope God bless Mr. Everett. God, please. Mr. Everett will recover soon. Don¡¯t be fooled by her.¡± When Joanna heard that, her heart ached even more. Indeed¡­ hearten Not to mention Roxanne and Jennie. Even with her, they probably would not be able to win against Aria. The only thing that could drive a woman crazy was love. On the other hand, an intelligent wornan like Aria was countless times more disciplined and scheming than ordinary people. It was so difficult to survive in academia, but she could get the title of professor and academician at such a young age This was not something an ordinary person could do. Once such a woman was serious about love, she would win it. ¡°Now, we can only hope that Aria can¡­¡± Joanna could not continue speaking. Joanna was so clever that she could naturally guess Aria¡¯s thoughts. If she wanted Bruce to live, she could only let go. Otherwise, Aria might end Bruce¡¯s life due to hatred caused by love. If she could not have him, she would destroy him. Joanna was distraught and out of her wits. Beep, beep, beep. Her cell phone rang. Joanna hurriedly picked up her phone and took a look. It was Aria calling her back. ¡°Hello, Miss Bridges.¡± On the other end of the phone, Aria¡¯s gentle and intellectual voice sounded. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I was just concocting a potion at the research institute and didn¡¯t hear your call. I¡¯m very sorry.¡± Joanna¡¯s body tensed up. ¡°It¡¯s alright. How is Bruce now?¡± ¡°All we can do now is give him a first-generation antiviral serum. ¡°It¡¯ll stabilize the virus in his body for the time being, but topletely cure the virus in his body, I have to at least develop the second-generation antiviral serum.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°How long will it take to study the second- generation antiviral serum?¡± Aria paused for a few seconds. ¡°At least a month.¡± ¡°One month?¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°Yes. This can¡¯t be done overnight. We can¡¯t rush it. ¡°As you know, after every potion is developed, it has to go through repeated experiments. It can only be used on the human body after confirming that the medicinal properties are safe. ¡°The research will take a very long time. It will take at least three months topletely kill the virus in Bruce¡¯s body.¡± ÈË When Joanna heard this, she felt even more despair, ¡°More than three months? ¡°Will it take too long? Can he wait?¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. With me around, nothing will happen to him!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m worried about your health! ¡°Can youst three months? Didn¡¯t the doctor say that if you don¡¯t undergo surgery within three months, your life will be in danger?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m willing to give up my life to treat Bruce,¡± Aria replied firmly. ¡°Miss Bridges, you¡¯re amazing,¡± Joannaplimented her hypothetically. She knew that Aria was here to snatch her husband away. However, she had no choice but to endure it. ¡°Alright, I have to go in and take care of Bruce now. I can¡¯t talk to you anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll update you when Bruce wakes up and gets better!¡± ¡°Alright, take care of yourself too.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern. I will take care of myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then. I¡¯ll leave Bruce to you. Please keep him alive. As long as you can keep him alive, I¡¯m willing to give up anything,¡± Joanna choked up. That was all she could say right now. She had to show Aria her attitude. Otherwise, Aria would probably not do her best to save Bruce¡¯s life. After hanging up the call, Joanna heaved a long sigh of relief. Her heart was aching. Judging from Aria¡¯s confident tone, Bruce probably would not die. The virus in his body was rted to Aria. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Is the call from Miss Bridges?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°She¡¯s too despicable. I bet that Miss Bridges was the one who poisoned Mr. Everett. ¡°Such a scheming woman is too scary. Joann, we must think of a way. ¡°Do not let her seed, let alone snatch Mr. Everett away.¡± Miranda was worried for Joanna. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna was still in a daze when her phone rang again. She took out her phone and saw that it was from Jaydon. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± Joanna quickly picked up the call. Jaydon¡¯s maic voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°What happened? Is there anything I can do for you?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Jaydon fell silent. Jaydon had not called her for a long time and did not dare to call her. Now that he suddenly called her, it must be something important. After all, they had already reached some kind of tacit understanding. Even if they did not contact each other, their friendship still existed. ¡°Jay, what happened?¡± Joanna asked with concern. During this period, the family started a fight over the inheritance in the Grimm Group. Cassius took over most of the family assets and turned hostile. He spared none of his siblings. Jaydon had never fought for anything all along. He probably did not get any benefits either. ¡°Sigh. There are indeed some small problems,¡± Jaydon answered truthfully. Chapter 800 Chapter 800 Chapter 800 ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Do you need my help?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can handle it,¡± Jaydon replied with a forced smile. Joanna frowned. She could hear the helplessness in his voice and roughly guessed what was going on. Human beings died in pursuit of wealth, and birds died in pursuit of food. Money was the most important thing, especially among wealthy families. Even if they were biological brothers and sisters, for the sake of fighting for an inheritance, they would disregard their brotherhood and fight. Moreover, his siblings were not born to the same mother. Naturally, he would not be lenient when fighting for the family assets. During this period, Joanna still heard some rumors about the Grimm Group¡¯s inheritance conflict. Cassius was ruthless. He seemed to have sued his other siblings and frozen the assets under their names. Attempts were made to recover the assets already in their names and to demand a joint division. To put it bluntly, it was a ssic example of extermination. With Jaydon¡¯s personality, he was probably not Cassius¡¯s match. To be able to deal with someone like Cassius, it could only be someone as vile as Bruce. Unfortunately, Jaydon was not the kind of person who was domineering, nasty, and vengeful. ¡°Jay, if there¡¯s anything you need my help with, just let me know. As long as it¡¯s something I can help with, I definitely won¡¯t refuse.¡± Joanna told Jaydon sincerely. Although she could not help him much now, she had enough cash and could still lend it to him. When Jaydon heard this, he felt even more upset. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. I just wanted to call you. ¡°That¡¯s it! I don¡¯t want your husband to be angry again.¡± As he spoke, Jaydon nned to hang up. He had always been protecting and taking care of her. Now that he was down and out, he didn¡¯t want her to know about his situation. When Joanna heard this, her heart ached. No one had reported that Bruce was infected with the virus yet. Jaydon now risked calling her. He must have encountered some difficulties. Otherwise, he would not have called her casually. ¡°Jay, I happen to be free. Let¡¯s arrange for a meet-up. We haven¡¯t seen each other for such a long time. It¡¯s time to catch up.¡± Joanna took the initiative to meet. Jaydon found it unbelievable. What kind of person Bruce was? He had learned it well. He had already braced himself up to call Joanna. ¡°Is it convenient for you? I¡¯m worried that your husband will be jealous.¡± Joanna sighed faintly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s on a business trip now. He won¡¯t be returning to Greyport in the short term.¡± ¡°A business trip?¡±. ¡°Yes, he¡¯ll be away for a long time. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Jaydon remained silent and hesitated for a moment. The assets under his name had already been frozen. He could not evene out with the money for thewsuit. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Even though he still had properties and real estate overseas, those were not cash. Even if he wanted to mortgage and cash out, that would take time. Moreover, he did not dare to expose it for the time being. Once it was exposed, he was afraid that Cassius would target him again¡­ To prevent Cassius from transferring most of his assets, he had to join forces with his other siblings to sue Cassius as soon as possible and ask for a division of his father¡¯s inheritance. Therefore, he needed money now. Moreover, it was not a small sum. Lawyers in Greyport charged expensive fees, and suchwsuits sometimessted for years. He could easily borrow 600 thousand to one million dors from his friends. However, if he wanted to borrow tens of million dors or even more, they might not be able to take it out. ¡°If it¡¯s convenient, let¡¯s meet.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s meet then,¡± Joanna said, looking at the time. ¡°Tomorrow morning at nine o¡¯clock, let¡¯s go to Blue Pavilion for breakfast.¡± ¡°Okay, see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± After hanging up, Joanna frowned. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart. She was worried about Bruce. At the same time, she hoped that she could help Jaydon. After all, he had helped her so many times in the past. She only wanted to repay him for his kindness. ¡°Waaaaaaa.¡± The babysitter walked out of the nursery with Devin in her arms. Joanna was interrupted by her son¡¯s cries. She quickly went over to check. ¡°Devin, let me carry you.¡± Joanna took the child from the babysitter¡¯s arms and hugged him tofort him. The little boy cooed in Joanna¡¯s arms a few times and closed his eyes to sleep. ¡°Deyin is so cute. He looks like Mr. Everett.¡± The babysitter ttered him casually. When Joanna heard this, she did not say anything. She just silently hugged her son. Although this little boy was born prematurely for a month, he was well-nourished and chubby. Joanna hugged him for a while. Her arms were so tired that they hurt. She could only hand the child over to the babysitter and ask her to bring Devin back to his room to sleep. The next day. Blue Pavilion. Joanna woke up early in the morning and left with four or five bodyguards, including Tatiana and Cherron. At half past eight in the morning, they arrived at the said restaurant. Joanna walked in and waited for Jaydon at the reserved table. There were a lot of restaurants serving breakfast in Greyport. People used to meet up and have breakfast in a restaurant like this. Breakfast and coffee were a great way to start a day in Greyport. The breakfast in the morning was also rich. There were chicken and waffles, custard rolls, shrimp shakshuka, ham and eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, and so on. There were a lot of varieties, but the portions were small. This was the most high-end restaurant, and every dish was exquisite. Joanna ordered a cup of coffee, ordered some food, and began to wait for Jaydon to arrive. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna was still in a daze when Jaydon called. ¡°Hello, Jay ? ¡°Joann, are you there yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already here. I am at the same table we used to sit at. You will see me ¡°Okay, noted.¡± After confirming, they both hung up the phone. youe to the restaurant.¡± Five minutester, Jaydon walked in with a gloomy expression. He was tall. He was wearing a ck sweater and a knee-length ck coat. He looked as handsome as ever. However, his handsomeness was different from Bruce¡¯s. In terms of facial features, he was more exquisite than Bruce. His facial features were also gentler. He looked softer and more humble. On the other hand, Bruce was a typical type of handsome man. His facial features were not too exquisite. He had unique features, making him look cold and aggressive. His entire body exuded an aggressive aura. On the other hand, Jaydon¡¯s appearance was much gentler. He looked like a humble man with good manners. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Jaydon waved at her. Joanna also waved at him. ¡°Jay, long time no see.¡± Jaydon smiled gently and sat down across from her. ¡°Has it been a long time? We just metst month.¡± When Joanna heard this, an awkward expression appeared on her face. She was at a loss for words. They had indeed met each otherst month. But that was at his father¡¯s funeral. The two of them did not have a chance to talk at all. That meeting was not much different from not seeing each other. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered some food. What do you want to eat?¡± Joanna said with an unnatural smile on her face. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m not very hungry. I just want to see you.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes turned red. There was an indescribable mncholy in her heart. ¡°How have you been recently?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jaydon replied. His gaze was a little erratic. He did not want to ask Joanna for help. After all, he was the one who helped her in the past. ¡°Then what about Carmel and Patricia?¡± When Jaydon heard this, he smiled bitterly. ¡°They¡¯re all doing good.¡± Seeing this, Joanna did not continue asking. Carmel had always been a restless woman. Jaydon refused to marry her. She was still so young. Naturally, she would not spend her life with her child. Hence, she joined the entertainment industry again. As for Jaydon¡¯s filmpany, ever since it was screwed up by Bruce, it had been unable to recover from the setback. Now, it was gone. Carmel had now signed with another agency. The child was left to Jaydon to raise alone. Although Joanna did not pay much attention to the entertainment industry, she still heard rumors about Carmel She knew that Carmel seemed to be in a scandal with a celebrity, However, it was hard to tell whether the matters in the entertainment industry real or fake. She could not tell if Carmel had broken up or if she was in a rtionship with someone else. ¡°What about Patricia? Who¡¯s taking care of her now?¡± Jayd smiled tiredly. ¡°Patricia is at Surbano now. I¡¯ve hired a babysitter to take care of her.¡± Chapter 801 Chapter 801 Chapter 801 Joanna¡¯s brow furrowed even more when she heard this. ¡°How can it be handled like that? ¡°It¡¯s not a good way to leave the children entirely in the care of the servants when their parents are not around.¡± Joanna understood this point very well. It was best for children to be with their parents. Whether it was their father or mother, they had to at least have a rtive to look after them. Servants would only take care of the children¡¯s basic needs, but they would not invest any other emotions in them. She had a female friend who had experienced this before. Because of her busy work, she left her child entirely to the care of a servant. As a result¡­ The child kept falling sick, and during a hospital check-up, they discovered that the child had multiple needles stuck in the abdomen. Some of the servants might seem gentle and kind on the surface, but secretly, who knew what kind of resentment they might have toward their employers? After suffering some frustration, they might end up taking it out on the child. That was why the surveince cameras were installed in every corner of the Everett mansion. There were several caretakers looking after the children, and they never allowed a child to be alone with a single caretaker to prevent any simr incidents from happening. ¡°Well, I also wish I could, but now¡­ the situation does not allow it.¡± Jaydon Grimm sighed sadly. As a grown man, he had no idea how to take care of children.. Although he loved his daughter dearly, he did not know how to take care of her at all and had not fully embraced the role of a father yet. Joanna was worried about Patricia and suggested. ¡°Bring the child back! Or¡­ I can take care of her for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll take care of her?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked at Joanna. ¡°Since I¡¯m already taking care of four children, adding one more won¡¯t be a problem.¡± With so many servants in the Everett family, taking care of one more child would bepletely manageable. ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to cause you any trouble.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be a trouble, why would it be? ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯ll take care of her as if she were my own daughter. It¡¯s not suitable to leave such a young child all alone in Surbano.¡± ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡± Joanna remained silent, took a sip of her coffee, and gazed firmly at Jaydon. ¡°Have something to eat!¡± After waiting for a while, Jaydon had yet to ask for her help. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t you have something to tell me?¡± Joanna took the initiative to ask. She knew Jaydon¡¯s personality well and understood that he was hesitant to speak up. ¡°Well, you have be more beautiful now. Indeed, your taste is quite good,¡± said Jaydon, his heart subconsciously skipping a beat. Although he loved Joanna, he knew that Bruce Everett loved her Joanna¡¯s decision to be with Bruce was the right one. even more. If she had chosen him, their life might not have been as good as it was now. Joanna was speechless. A hint of mncholy appeared on her face. It was better not to let too many people know that Br was ¡°He treats you really well, even more than I expected,¡± said ¡°d. Indeed. a faint tone. Bruce transferred more than 14 billion dors in assets to Joanna, and most of his properties were still being transferred to her name. This was enough to prove how much Bruce loved her. Jaydon thought to himself. ¡°If she had chosen me, I would not have had the ability to give her that much money.¡± ¡°Jay¡­ there are some things that are hard to put into words. Joanna sighed with a touch of sadness as she replied. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Some things are just superficial, and only we know the sadness inside. What others see is always just the surface.¡± Jaydon listened attentively and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is he treating you badly?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes welled. up with tears, and her heart felt as though it were being pricked with needles. ¡°He¡­ he treats me quite well.¡± ¡°I can tell.¡± Jaydon smiled. Joanna¡¯s eyes drooped and tears instantly overflowed her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did he do something to let you down?¡± Jaydon asked, concerned about her reaction. For a man like Bruce, it was quite normal for him to date more than one woman at the same time. He could love Joanna and other women simultaneously. After all, there were rumors about him dating some biologist and getting caught in a hotel some time ago. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then why do you look so upset?¡± Joanna did not know how to respond. ¡°Never mind, forget about me. Tell me about yourself! ¡°How have you beentely? I saw the news about your brother inheriting the Grimm Group and being in awsuit with you and your siblings. ¡°What¡¯s going on? The situation does not seem good.¡± Upon listening to this, Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened, and a hint of coldness appeared on his face. He had never expected Cassius Grimm to be so ruthless. It was in vain that he had always respected him, treating him like his own big brother. Even when their father wanted him to take over the Grimm Group, he considered his brother¡¯s feelings and did not agree outright. But who would have thought that he treated Cassius as his brother, but Cassius did not see him as a sibling? Especially after their father¡¯s passing, Cassius revealed his true colors, showing no consideration for anyone¡¯s feelings. Not only did he take the majority of their father¡¯s inheritance, but he also aimed to reim and redistribute the assets owned by their siblings. How could this be? Those assets were divided among them by their father when he was alive. Now, Cassius had even set his sights on these smaller sums of money? It was truly disheartening even to think about it. ¡°Jay, are you in some kind of trouble? ¡°If you need any help, just ask.. ¡°While I might not be able to offer much, I do have some funds that you can use anytime if you need it.¡± Upon hearing this, Jaydon felt a pang of emotion and looked at Joanna. ¡°Joann, I really don¡¯t need it.¡± In the past, Jaydon had selflessly helped her, and now, asking her for money was something he could not bring himself to do. Joanna had already guessed Jaydon¡¯s difficult situation and sighed. ¡°Jay, you don¡¯t need to be so polite to me. There¡¯s no need to keep a distance between us. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I might not have been able to hold on for this long. You helped me when I was in need. ¡°Now that you¡¯re facing difficulties, it¡¯s only right for me to help you.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and said, ¡°Joann, I am indeed facing some difficulties now. I need some funds to get through¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, Joanna had already opened her bag and taken out a ck card, handing it to him. ¡°Take it first.¡± Seeing this, Jaydon¡¯s face showed astonishment. The ck card had no spending limit, which meant he could spend over 20 million dors or even hundreds of million dors from it. ¡°The password is your birthday. Take it! ¡°I know you probably need money urgently, so don¡¯t be polite with me.¡± ¡°Joann, this¡­ if Bruce finds out, he might get really angry. It¡¯s better to forget about it,¡± said Jaydon, quickly pushing the card back to her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is my own money, and I can decide how to use it.¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m afraid that if I lose thewsuit, I might not have the money to pay you back.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s really the case, then you don¡¯t have to repay me.¡± Jaydon felt even more moved by her response. He held back his tears, but they could not help but fall. He had never expected this. When he needed help the most, it would be Joanna who stepped up to help him. Trembling, Jaydon picked up the card. ¡°Thank you, Joann.¡± Joanna smiled at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree before not to act like an outsider to each other and not to say thank you? ¡°By the way, this is Mr. Jameson¡¯s business card. I¡¯ll talk to himter, and you can ask him for help with thewsuit.¡± Mr. Jameson was very skilled in the field, and he was also Bruce¡¯s personalwyer. With him handling thewsuit, the chances of winning would be much higher. ¡°Joann¡­ thank you so much.¡± ¡°Here we go again. You don¡¯t have to be so polite to me. ¡°Alright, I should go now. Chapter 802 Chapter 802 Chapter 802 ¡°Joann, I will make sure to return the money to you as soon as possible¡­¡± Jaydon was still very embarrassed. After all, he had never borrowed money from anyone before, especially not from the woman he loved the most.. It made him feel uneasy and upset. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t need the money urgently. ¡°I should get going now. If you need any help, just give me a call.¡± Joanna said as she stood up and prepared to leave. She knew that Jaydon was a person who valued a lot about his pride and self-esteem. If she continued to stay here, it would only add to his psychological burden. It was best not to make others feel embarrassed when helping others.. Some people, even if they did somebody else a small favor, would keep mentioning it over and over again, fearing that others might forget. However, Joanna only wanted to quietly help Jaydon without causing him any psychological burden. ¡°Alright, let me see you off.¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna with a touch of sadness. ¡°No need, I have my driver.¡± Upon hearing this, Jaydon smiled dazedly. Her current worth now was much higher than his, so naturally, she would not travel alone. ¡°Alright then! Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Joanna smiled gently at Jaydon, carried her bag, and walked out. The children also loved the snacks here. So, before leaving, Joanna packed some custard rolls, biscuits, and other treats for them. Although the chefs at the Everett mansion could make snacks, they could not match the taste of a restaurant. After leaving the restaurant, it was already past ten in the morning. Joanna checked the time, it was only 10:30 in the morning. Due to the time difference, it was still around 3 o¡¯clock in the morning in Antlen. She would have to wait until the afternoon to call Aria Bridges. ¡°Miss Haynes, are we going home now?¡± Tatiana asked respectfully as she opened the car door. Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s go to thepany first. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since thest time I visited thepany, and it can¡¯t be left unattended for too long.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Bruce had not been going to thepany during his recovery period, and now, he was abroad for treatment and would not be back anytime soon. Joanna felt it was necessary for her to go to thepany and oversee things. Twenty minutester, the driver parked the car in the Everett Group¡¯s parking lot. ¡°Miss Haynes, we have arrived at thepany. You can get off now.¡± ¡°Okay, you can take the snacks home for now ande back to pick me upter.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Without saying much more, Joanna elegantly stepped out of the car. With Tatiana and Cherron, she headed towards thepany¡¯s lobby. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes!¡± ¡°Good day, everyone.¡± Joanna nodded slightly in acknowledgment to the front desk staff, and then she took the elevator. On the office floor. Andy received a report from the front desk and learned that Joanna had arrived at thepany. He hurriedly went to the elevator to wee her. Ding! The elevator arrived at the designated floor. As soon as Joanna stepped out, Andy respectfully greeted her. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Mm, how¡¯s thepany doing recently?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡± The two walked towards the office as they spoke. ¡°Miss Haynes, when will Mr. Everett be back? Some contracts and documents need his signature, and we can¡¯t dy any further.¡± Andy looked at Joanna with a serious expression. Joanna frowned, feeling a mess in her mind. Indeed, work would not wait for anyone. Bruce would not be back in Greyport in the near future, so she had to handle these matters on his behalf. ¡°Bring those contracts and documents over.¡± Andy was confused for a moment and looked at Joanna with hesitation. She took a deep breath and exined. ¡°During this period, Mr. Everett won¡¯t being to the company. I¡¯ll take over his work for the time being.¡± Andy became even more anxious. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t Mr. Everett on a business trip? Hasn¡¯t hee back yet? ¡°He initially nned to be gone for three days, but today is the fifth day, and he has not returned and his phone is unreachable. ¡°The pre-arranged cooperations are waiting to meet Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dealing with some health issues and needs to rest at home. ¡°Notify all the shareholders that I will temporarily be in charge of his work from today.¡±/ Seeing Joanna¡¯s serious expression, Andy knew she was not joking and quickly acknowledged. ¡°Understood. I will send out a notification in the workgroup chat right away.¡± Shortly after, Andy sent a message in the workgroup chat, announcing Joanna¡¯s temporary takeover of Bruce¡¯s work. In less than five minutes, the executives and shareholders in the workgroup chat were shocked by the news. ¡°What? Is this for real? Miss Haynes is taking over Mr. Everett¡¯s work again? What¡¯s going on this time?¡± Another shareholder could not help but tease. ¡°Is Mr. Everett thinking of retiring? Why is he noting to thepany so often now?¡± ¡°I guess so.. Look, he has already transferred so many assets to Miss Haynes¡¯s name. ¡°Now, who knows what he¡¯s up to? He has note to thepany for so many days.¡± ¡°Eh, I heard from a gossip that Mr. Everett seems to be sick again.¡± Several shareholde were surprised. ¡°Who told that?¡± you ¡°I heard it from someone else. It seems quite serious. He has been resting at home for so many days, and he still has not recovered.¡± ¡°What? Is it true?¡± Ding! Another message popped up in the workgroup chat, tagging every member in it. ¡°Quick, check the message. Miss Haynes is going to hold a staff meeting tomorrow. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s going to announce this matter.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Whatever. Whether it¡¯s Mr. Everett or Miss Haynes managing thepany, we can¡¯t avoid our work. Miss Haynes¡¯s temper is better, so we might get yelled at less.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± In the office, Andy and Mark walked in with arge stack of files. ¡°Miss Haynes. These are some recent documents and contracts that need attention. ¡°There are also some urgent contracts that can¡¯t be dyed any longer.¡± Joanna nced at the files and furrowed her brows. ¡°Alright, leave them here. I¡¯ll deal with themter.¡± ¡°Sure ¡°Miss Haynes, do you want some coffee or lemon water?¡± Joanna furrowed her brows. She used to enjoy strong coffee during her work days. However, her body had gradually adjusted over time to give up the habit of relying on strong coffee for energy. ¡°Bring me a ss of lemon water, please.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Andy responded and turned to leave the office. Mark asked in a mysterious tone, ¡°Andy, what¡¯s going on? ¡°Why did Miss Haynes suddenlye to thepany? Did something happen to Mr. Everett again?¡± Andy sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know either! Miss Haynes just mentioned that Mr. Everett is experiencing some minor health issues and needs to rest at home.¡± Mark was shocked. ¡°What? Is Mr. Everett still not fully recovered from his earlier health issues? ¡°I saw him improving not long ago, but I wonder what happened now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Andy sighed heavily once more. As Bruce¡¯s personal assistant, he was well aware of Bruce¡¯s schedule. Although he did not know the specifics of what happened to Bruce, he was certain that Bruce was not in Greyport recently. Chapter 803 Chapter 803 Chapter 803 In the office, Joanna opened the files and began to process them meticulously. Fortunately, she had previously served as the acting president of the Everett Group, and Bruce had entrusted her with many tasks. Combined with her extensive experience at the Haynes Group, dealing with these tasks was not a problem at all. In the blink of an eye, the entire morning passed. Joanna had not even had time for lunch, focusing intensely on processing dozens of contracts. Finally, it was already 2 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Joanna rubbed her tired eyes and checked the time on her watch. It should be morning in Antlen by now. Ring, ring, ring. ¡°Antlen should be around 7 o¡¯clock now. Aria should be awake by now. ¡°I¡¯d better call and ask about the situation¡­¡± Setting aside her work, Joanna eagerly dialed Aria¡¯s number. The phone rang for a long time. Just as she was about to hang up, Aria picked up the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened, and she quickly said, ¡°Miss Bridges, good morning. It¡¯s me.¡± On the other end of the call, Aria¡¯s voice was calm. ¡°Oh, Ms. Haynes, hello.¡± ¡°How is Bruce today? Has there been any improvement?¡± Joanna wanted to make small talk in the first ce. However, she really could not think of what to say, so she went straight to the point. Aria hesitated for a few seconds before gently replying, ¡°For the time being, there¡¯s been no change. The toxins in Bruce¡¯s body need to be gradually cleared, and he won¡¯t wake up so quickly.¡± When Joanna heard the situation, she became even more anxious and uneasy. ¡°Are you avable for a video call? I want.., to see how he¡¯s doing. ¡°I¡¯m really worried about him and I want to see him now.¡± Aria interrupted Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but phones are prohibited in the research institute. ¡°Therefore, I can¡¯t talk with you through video call. I¡¯m preparing to go to the research institute now, so I won¡¯t say more for the time being. ¡°If Bruce¡¯s condition improves, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± With Aria¡¯s words, Joanna had no choice but to say, ¡°Alright then. Thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s what I should do.¡± Joanna did not know what else to say. ¡°That¡¯s it then. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± Aria said and directly ended the call. Joanna still held the phone and stayed for nearly a minute. She had no idea about Bruce¡¯s current condition, nor did she know Aria¡¯s true intentions. Other than cautiously trying to please Aria, she really had no other way. After hanging up the phone, a blissful and infatuated emotion appeared on Aria¡¯s face. She reached out and gently stroked Bruce¡¯s cheek, greedily moving from his forehead down to his chest¡­ Bruce was still unconscious, lying on the white, soft bed as if asleep. In this state, he resembled a perfectly carved Greek sculpture, handsome and wless. ¡°Bruce, I love you. I really love you. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°No one loves you more than I do. ¡°I just want you to be with me, even if it¡¯s only for a short time, I¡¯ll be satisfied. ¡°Bruce, have you forgotten our promise? That year, under the sycamore trees, we vowed to love each other for a lifetime, unwavering until death. ¡°Why did you¡­ change your mind so easily? Do you know that all these years, I have kept myself pure for you?¡±. As Aria spoke, she could not help but press her face against Bruce¡¯s chest, warm tears falling drop by drop onto him. Then she curled up in his embrace and began kissing him passionately, greedily wanting to merge with his body. Of course, Bruce was still in aa, like a living dead, without any reaction or response. But even so, Aria still felt very satisfied, even if it was just hugging and kissing. She felt like she owned him. She loved him so much. She even wanted to give herselfpletely to him before her impending death. But¡­ Bruce coldly rejected her love, and even if she was on the verge of death, he still refused to ept her. So, she used this method to keep him by her side. ¡°Bruce¡­ I love you, I really love you¡­ ¡°Will you let me be your woman? -¡°You love me, don¡¯t you? Love me wholeheartedly, just once, please?¡± Aria clung to him tightly and could not stop fussing over Bruce. At this moment, she felt very satisfied. Even without any substantial breakthrough, just being able to intimately embrace him was enough to make her content. ¡°Bruce, I really can¡¯t bear to part with you. I want to be with you forever and ever. ¡°God is so unfair, reuniting us just to separate us for the rest of our lives. ¡°I really can¡¯t bear to leave you, I truly love you! ¡°Can we never be apart? Bruce, will you hate me? ¡°Will you hate me for being so selfish? But¡­¡± Aria kept murmuring in his ear. Bruce did not seem to have any reaction. He had been infected by the virus and was in a state of unconsciousness. Previously, when he was in aa, there would be some level of consciousness in his brain, but he could not wake up. However, this time, he had no consciousness at all. Chapter 804 Chapter 804 Chapter 804 Aria did not bring Bruce Everett to the research institute at all. Instead, she brought him to her own home. For the past three days, Bruce was like a soulless doll,pletely at Aria¡¯s mercy. Every day, Aria personally bathed him, changed him into clean pajamas, posed him in various positions, chatted with him even though he could not respond, and fed him. At night, she would greedily sleep in his arms, obsessing over every inch of his body. Despite receiving no response from him, Aria felt fully satisfied emotionally. In Greyport. After hanging up the phone, Joanna remained uneasy, emotionally suffocated, and felt an indescribable strangeness in her heart.. After thinking it over, she called Darcy Juke again. Ring, ring, ring¡­. Darcy answered the phone very quickly. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart suddenly tightened. ¡°Darcy, have you arrived in Antlen now?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m already in Antlen, currently in Izaberg.¡± Joanna sighed and said in a low voice, ¡°I just can¡¯t shake off my worries about Bruce. Aria is too mysterious. ¡°No matter what I ask her, she refuses to tell the truth. I suspect that she¡­¡± Joanna stopped herself mid-sentence. At this point, it was just suspicion, and she did not want to think too negatively. Darcy said seriously, ¡°Miss Haynes, what do you need me to do now? Just give me your orders,¡± Joanna frowned and started to think. It was not that she did not believe Aria¡¯s words, but she felt there were many loopholes in them. She could not be sure if Bruce had already received treatment. After all, Aria now had cancer, and some women¡¯s love could be irrational. What if her cancer could not be cured, and she would drag Bruce to death with her, bing a ghost couple in the underworld? She believed that Aria had the ability to cure Bruce. However, she was also afraid that Aria might not take the treatment seriously ¡°Darcy, my mind is in a mess now I want you to find out about the research institute where Aria is. ¡°Just gather some information, even if it¡¯s just a tiny clue. It will give us some peace of mind. ¡°Now that Aria is unwilling to say anything, the more she keeps it a secret, the more uneasy I feel.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll fly to Eighcaster tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, make sure to be careful and pay attention to safety.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± rosa Darcy replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll report it to you if there¡¯s any news.¡± ¡°Great, be sure to take care.¡± Joanna, still concerned, reminded Darcy once more. After the call ended, Joanna let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy ¡°Bruce, you must hold on ande back safely. stone had been lifted from her heart. ¡°Both the children and I need you. As long as you wake up, even if it means¡­. giving you up, I¡¯m willing to do it,¡± said Joanna, her eyes bing teary. Meanwhile, on Darcy¡¯s end¡­. After hanging up the phone, he immediately set off for Eighcaster. He also felt that Aria was not an ordinary woman, and he was afraid she might have some ulterior motives. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s have a ss of red wine.¡± Aria poured two sses of red wine and looked seductively at Bruce. Bruce was ced on a stool and sat there like a lifeless puppet, without a trace of consciousness. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll feed you myself. Open your mouth, let me feed you¡­ is it good?¡± Chapter 805 Chapter 805 Chapter 805 Aria held the red wine in her mouth and fed it to Bruce. Unfortunately¡­ Bruce was unconscious and could not swallow.. The red wine spilled from the corner of his lips. ¡°Tsk, tsk. Look at you. Such a grown man, and yet you¡¯re leaking the drink like a child.¡± Aria gently wiped away the traces of wine from Bruce¡¯s lips as she kept saying. Nestled in his embrace like a little bird, she gazed admiringly at his handsome and cold face without blinking. ¡°Bruce, are you hungry? I¡¯ll cook for you, okay? ¡°After dinner, let¡¯s go take a medicinal bath together. I¡¯ll give you a massage and give you a back rub. ¡°Well, if you are not answering, I will take that as a yes! -¡°You just wait, I¡¯ll make you something tasty.¡± Aria continued to babble as she deeply kissed his lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck softly like snakes. Bruce sat on the couch with closed eyes, like a motionless silicon statue, allowing Aria to treat him like a puppet, ying with him as she pleased. He had always been rebellious and domineering, his masculinity bursting with aggression and conqueror¡¯s desire, especially in bed. He always took control of others, not liking women to be too attentive to him. Every woman he had encountered had willingly fallen for him before he even started his conquest. It was boring. Except for Joanna. She constantly resisted him, always guarding her world against him and refusing to let him enter, which only fueled his desire to conquer her even more. But now, the tables had turned, and he had be prey as someone else¡¯s meal. Luckily, he was a man, so after losing consciousness, no one could do anything to him. If it were a woman, she would probably have been taken advantage ofpletely. But if Bruce woke up to find that he had been taken advantage of by a woman like this, he would probably explode with rage as well. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Aria whispered his name like a cat, feeling a sense of passion inside her heart. She knew hypnosis. After detoxifying him, she would erase his memory with hypnosis. For so many years, she had focused all her energy on her studies, neglecting many beautiful things, such as love. During her academic years, she loved Bruce deeply. But she knew that if a woman only relied on her beauty, she could not hold a man¡¯s heart forever. Only with both beauty and intelligence could she gain a man¡¯s eternal love and respect. So, she dedicated all her energy to her studies, nning toe back to Bruce afte achievements. However, life did not go as nned. Just when she finally felt worthy of him afterpleting her studies, she was diagnosed with cancer. If she had not gotten cancer, she might not have been so crazy and unrestrained now. Even without love, she would have focused all her energy on her studies and career. But now, she was going to die. All the principles and beliefs she once revered became meaningless. With her life on the countdown, what was the point of maintaining dignity and rationality? She just wanted to do all the things she had wanted to do but did not dare to before she died. Twenty minutester. Ariay weakly in Bruce¡¯s arms, covered in cold sweat, her chest heaving heavily. The cancer cells inside her body were voraciously devouring her, leaving her with little energy to struggle. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so bad, making me so tired.¡± Ariained softly, still cuddling in his embrace, holding him tightly. She wanted to treat him like a husband and dedicate everything to him. Even if Bruce could not respond, she still felt satisfied in her heart. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry, I will prepare the antiviral serum for you soon. ¡°Once all the toxins arepletely cleared from your body, can we be a real couple?¡± Aria said with a hint of shyness on her face. ¡°I have bought many beautiful nightgowns that you will surely like.¡± After Aria finished speaking, she shyly buried herself in his embrace again¡­ She nned to hypnotize him when he woke up, erasing all his memories. Then, she would tell him that she was his wife. At that time, they could be a real couple, and she could truly be his woman. She loved him deeply, loving every part of him. Every night, she would greedily admire every inch of his body, and even¡­ At Sherane Bay Vi. It was 6 o¡¯clock in the evening when Joanna finally dragged her exhausted body back home after a long day of work. ¡°Madam is back.¡± The servants hurriedly opened the door and took Joanna¡¯s bag, respectfully helping her with her slippers. Joanna had just changed her shoes and had not had a chance to catch her breath when Davian and Irvin Haynes rushed over, saying, ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back.¡± Joanna subconsciously nced at the little ones. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia were all in the living room, each with a heavy look on their faces. Joanna was concerned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my darlings?¡± ¡°Nothing. We¡¯re just waiting here for Mommy toe back.¡± Joanna was even more puzzled and casually handed her bag to a servant at the side. Davian looked at Joanna with bitterness and said, ¡°Mommy, can you tell us the truth? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us not being able to ept it. We are all big kids and can understand Daddy and Mommy¡¯s decisions. ¡°But we want to hear the truth now.¡± Joanna was even more confused. ¡°What truth do you want to hear?¡± ¡°Mommy, please be honest with us. Are you and Daddy fighting again? Are you breaking up again?¡± The children looked at Joanna with a pitiful expression. Joanna looked at them in confusion and subconsciously replied, ¡°No! Who told you that Daddy and Mommy are fighting?¡± Lilia pursed her lips, on the verge of tears. ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t Daddye back for so many days?¡± ¡°Mommy told you that Daddy went abroad on a business trip.¡± ¡°Mommy is lying.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened, and tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t have to lie to us. If Daddy is on a business trip, why can¡¯t we reach him on the phone?¡± Lilia asked, pouting. ¡°Yeah, we called him many times these days, but he never answered our calls. Daddy used to answer our calls whenever he was on a business trip. ¡°But these days, we have called him so many times, and we could not get through at all.¡± Hearing this, Joanna took a deep breath and looked at her children with an aching heart. ¡°Mommy, stop lying to us. Did you break up with Daddy again?¡± Joanna frowned and said with a heavy voice, ¡°Really, there is no break-up. Daddy¡­ he¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t believe it, Mommy. We just want aplete family. ¡°Even though Daddy has a bad temper and scolds us, we still love him very much. ¡°If Daddy did something that hurt you, we apologize on his behalf.¡± Hearing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached even more, feeling as if it was about to break. ¡°My darlings, you really don¡¯t need to worry. Daddy and Mommy did not fight, and we won¡¯t break up.¡± ¡°Then why can¡¯t we reach Daddy on the phone?¡± Joanna did not know how to exin, so she sighed heavily and gently touched the heads of the three little ones. ¡°Alright. Didn¡¯t Mommy tell you that Daddy is sick and he is receiving treatment overseas? ¡°It might take two or three months before he cane back.¡± Joanna still told the children the truth. They were already seven years old and knew how to think. back for sure.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The three little ones¡¯ eyes instantly turned red. ¡°Be good. You all have to behave yourself, understand?¡± The three little ones seemed to mature all at once, like little birds, they threw themselves into Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ll be good. Daddy loves you so much, and he loves us so much, he will definitelye back. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯te back, we¡¯ll go find him and bring him back.¡± She did not want them to live in a fairy tale world excessively. Upon hearing this, the three little ones looked surprised. ¡°What? What illness does Daddy have? Why does it take such a long time?¡± ¡°In any case, it¡¯s a difficult illness to treat.¡± ¡°Mommy, will Daddy die?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened and she reassured them with certainty. ¡°No, he won¡¯t. Daddy wille Chapter 806 Chapter 806 Chapter 806 ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not cry. We should encourage each other and be strong for Daddy.¡± Davian wiped away his tears and said sensibly, ¡°Okay, we won¡¯t cry, Mommy, you don¡¯t cry either. ¡°We have to stay strong together and send the best wishes for Daddy to get well.¡± ¡°Stay strong!¡± Joanna forced an encouraging smile and reached out her hand. The little ones followed suit, cing their hands on top of Joanna¡¯s, chanting ¡°Stay strong¡± in unison. ¡°During this time, Mommy might not have much time to be with you. You guys need to study hard, alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mommy. We will study well and not cause any trouble for you and Daddy.¡± The three little ones reassured in unison. Joanna smiled in relief. ¡°You are all such good kids. ¡°And make sure to take good care of your little brother, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, we know.¡± Joanna bent down and kissed each of their faces one by one. The babysitter also brought Devin over. ¡°Madam.¡± Devin had just finished eating and was babbling in baby talk. ¡°Is my baby crying?¡± Joanna walked over to check. ¡°Darling,e to Mommy for a hug.¡± ¡°Madam, you just came back from outside. It¡¯s better to change your clothes and wash your hands before holding Mr. Devin.¡± The babysitter reminded with a smile. Joanna hesitated for a moment, then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Having just returned from outside, she might be carrying germs. Devin was still young and had a weak immune system. She needed to be careful. Joanna went-upstairs, took off her clothes, and then went for a quick shower in the bathroom. Afterward, she changed into a clean set of pajamas and returned to the living room. ¡°Darling,e to Mommy for a hug.¡± Joanna gently took her son from the nanny¡¯s arms and hugged him affectionately. Even though the Everett family had many servants, Joanna did not have to look after the baby herself. She still made it a point to hold her son every day, to be close to him, and shower him with maternal love. She understood that if she did not invest enough motherly affection, her child might not be close to her when he grew up. The little one held a pacifier in his mouth and looked at Joanna with big, round eyes. Despite his small size, he seemed to exude boundless energy, igniting all of Joanna¡¯s maternal love and strength. Joanna¡¯s heart melted as she kissed her son¡¯s chubby little face, then yfully entertained him for a while. At 7 o¡¯clock in the evening, the servants had done preparing dinner. ¡°Madam, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°Hmm, okay. ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°Be right there.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. After a short while, four of them all sat in the dining room, quietly having their meal. ¡°After dinner, everyone should rest early.¡± ¡°We know, Mommy.¡± After dinner, Joanna brushed her teeth and returned to her bedroom. Every corner of the room still carried Bruce¡¯s presence, and every item reminded her of the moments they shared. ¡°Bruce, how are you doing now? ¡°I¡¯m really worried about you, you jerk, always making me worry. ¡°From the moment I met you until now, you have been tormenting me.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she spoke, unable to hold back her emotions. At the beginning of their marriage, he had misunderstood her, treating her with cruelty and indifference. Later, he used all kinds of inhumane methods to bring her back, almost driving her to the brink of a mental breakdown, making her feel like dying. But thinking about it now, Bruce might not have been as terrible as she thought. Looking at it from a different angle, he was just too extreme and domineering in his methods. Overall, he did not really want to harm her but rather wanted her to stay by his side. The problem was that she could notprehend his intentions at the time, could notpromise, and could not reconcile with him. Later on, the misunderstandings between them were finally cleared, and she thought they had finally found happiness. Who would have known that he would lead to a series of troubles again? Over the past year, she lived every day in fear and anxiety, constantly on edge. Thinking about it, he could be such an infuriating jerk. But¡­ this infuriating jerk hadpletely conquered her heart. Joanna picked up the phone and repeatedly pressed Aria¡¯s number but could not bring herself to call. She did not dare to call Aria too often and was afraid that pestering her might make her unwilling to save Bruce. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call tomorrow instead! ¡°Aria, if you really love Bruce, you must save him¡­¡± Joanna murmured to herself, filled with sadness. But then she thought again, everyone had different thoughts. If she were the one with cancer, she would do everything to ensure that Bruce and their children had the best life. From another perspective, even if she did not have children, she would not want anyone to suffer because of her. However, Aria was not her and her thoughts might be different. Time flew, and it was already past midnight. Feeling a bit tired, Joanna turned off the lights and went to bed. After all, there was a staff meeting the next day. The following day, at 7 o¡¯clock in the morning, Joanna was already up, brushing her teeth and washing her face. She applied light makeup and put on her business attire from the past. Today, she had to conduct the staff meeting and temporarily manage thepany on behalf of Bruce. ¡°Good morning, madam. Breakfast is ready.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Joanna took her suit jacket and bag and left the bedroom. Although she did not feel like eating breakfast, she knew she needed energy for work. So she still had a bowl of oatmeal with milk. At 8:30 in the morning, at the Everett Group. Joanna arrived at thepany on time. The meeting was scheduled for 9 o¡¯clock. Inside the conference room, shareholders and top executives of thepany had arrived one after another. ¡°What¡¯s going ontely? Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everetting to work when he was perfectly fine?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! If this continues, what can we do? ¡°Thepany has finally gotten back on track, and now it¡¯s under Miss Haynes¡¯ management. I¡¯m really worried about thepany¡¯s future.¡± ¡°It should be fine. Miss Haynes ispetent. As long as she does not make reckless decisions and follows thepany¡¯s existing systems, thepany will be okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± ¡°I hope Mr. Everett cane back soon. He used to be such a workaholic, hardly ever neglecting his duties. But now, he seems to have no idea what he¡¯s thinking, taking a break every other day¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about that too much. Let¡¯s focus on our own responsibilities and do our job well. We should not concern ourselves too much with other matters.¡± ¡°Stop talking. Miss Haynes is here. Quiet.¡± Everyone fell silent upon knowing Joanna¡¯s arrival. Chapter 807 Chapter 807 Chapter 807 After two minutes, Joanna walked into the conference room with a gloomy expression. Hundreds of people looked at her in unison. Everyone present was shareholders of thepany, as well as high-level managers. Everett Group had businesses around the world and was involved in various industries. It mainly operated in real estate and financial investments in Greyport. Its side businesses included supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc. ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± Joanna walked to the president¡¯s chair and greeted them coldly. Everyone replied in unison, ¡°Hi, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna sat down calmly in the president¡¯s chair. After everyone quietened down, she said, ¡°The meeting is officially starting now. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting is mainly about a few questions. ¡°Firstly, Mr. Everett might not be able toe to work for the time being because of his health. ¡°During this period, I will temporarily take over his work,¡± Joanna said. After that, she looked at everyone calmly. ¡°Does anyone have any objections?¡± Everyone looked at each other. No one dared to object. Previously, Joanna had also acted as the acting president of Everett Group. However, at that time, many people were unconvinced. They openly and secretly made things difficult for Joanna and refused to cooperate with her at all. And now¡­ Bruce directly transferred more than 14 billion dors worth of assets to her, and the assets under his were still being transferred to her name one after another. In addition to her former assets and the Haynes Group, Joanna was the richestdy in Greyport now. Her fortune was ranked in the top 100 worldwide. Some people said that a sessful woman was supported by countless sessful men. And there were only two reasons for a young female tycoon to seed. Either the person who slept with her was a big deal, or the person who slept with her mother was a big deal. To put it bluntly, either her husband was rich or her father was rich. However, no matter what, it was undeniable that Joanna had be the richest in Greyport. No matter how others were unconvinced or ndered behind her back, it didn¡¯t affect her bing a legendary figure. She also became a woman that all women in Greyport and Venturas envied. To be able to make a man willingly give so much she was already a very sessful woman. Of course, there would be people gossiping behind her back, saying she didn¡¯t have much ability and relied entirely on men.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. To think about it, when a person¡¯stood on the top of the pyramid, who would ask whether he stepped up himself or others pushed him up? No matter what, the oue was the most important. Seeing that no one was speaking, Joanna continued saying, ¡°I¡¯ve been handling some work at the company for the past two days. ¡°I¡¯ve also discovered some problems and loopholes in thepany. I gathered everyone for a meeting today to discuss. these problems with you guys.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she gestured for Andy to take out a stack of contracts and documents. Then, she turned on the projector and opened the conference document. ¡°These contracts were all signed in the past month.¡± As she spoke, Joanna frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading it carefully for the past two days. The problem inside is very severe. Is it because Mr. Everett isn¡¯t around and everyone thinks you can fish in troubled waters, or is your job thisx?¡± After saying that, Joanna raised her eyes slightly and scanned the crowd with a gloomy expression. When the people present heard this, they secretly broke out in cold sweat. This was human nature. When the boss was away for a long time, their work attitudes would gradually rx. Bruce had not been in thepany for such a long time. It was inevitable that these higher-ups would take a passive attitude toward their work. There was nock of ckers who were cking off. As Joanna spoke, she took out a folder and looked at Mr. Walker, a vice president who was in charge of the engineering department. ¡°Mr. Walker, Mr. Lincoln, were the two of you in charge of the Jade Water Cloud Project?¡± ¡°Oh, oh, yes.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a problem? We don¡¯t even have market approval yet, and you dare to start construction? ¡°If something goes wrong, who will take the me? Will you guys take the me?¡± When Mr. Walker and Mr. Lincoln heard this, they immediately broke out in a sweat. ¡°¡­ Oh, we¡¯ll go back and do a self-review. We¡¯ll fix it immediately.¡± ¡°I want to see a satisfactory answer tomorrow. Don¡¯t me me for being unkind if you continue to be perfunctory.¡± There was a hint of coldness in Joanna¡¯s tone, but she did not step on their pride too much. ¡°If it was Bruce, they would probably have to immediately pack up and leave. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The two of them nodded hurriedly. ¡°And who¡¯s in charge of the tempered board project?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Mr. Zangwill squeezed out a stiff and dry smile. ¡°Who asked you to change the ss A material to ss B material?¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, this can reduce the cost by 1/3¡­¡± Before he could finish, Joanna interrupted him. ¡°Thepany doesn¡¯t need to cut corners like this. Recall all the products of ss B materials immediately. ¡°All products produced by Everett Group must be of the highest quality in the industry. They can¡¯t be reced with defective products or simr products.¡± ¡°¡­ Miss Haynes, I¡­ I¡¯m also doing this to save thepany¡¯s costs. If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll change back to my original n¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s not suitable for you to continue staying in this department. I¡¯ll inform the personnel departmentter to transfer you to a new position.¡± When Mr. Zangwill heard this, his heart skipped a beat, but he did not dare to refute it. ¡°¡­ Alright!¡± Joanna then turned on the projector and exined thepany¡¯s loopholes one by one. Over the past year, Bruce had rarely been in thepany. Under the leadership of Liam, thepany had already been in a foul state. After Bruce returned, although most of the problems were rectified, there were still a small number of details that he did not have time to sort out. Now, he could not spare any energy to manage thepany. Therefore, Joanna had to perfect i it for him. him. Two hourster, Joanna pointed out the problems discovered one by one and personally communicated with the various departments to implement them. ¡°All right, I¡¯m done with my questions. ¡°What questions do you have? Or do you have anything to discuss? You can speak as much as you want now.¡± ¡°Um, Miss Haynes, I have a small question.¡± Joanna looked at the employee who raised the question and nodded politely. ¡°Please say it!¡± ¡°Regarding Everett Group¡¯s expatriate personnel, I feel it should not only assign local employees. Foreign employees should also enjoy the same qualifications.¡± When Joanna heard this, she attached great importance to this suggestion. ¡°Andy, record the question he raised and deal with itter!¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Does anyone have any other questions¡­¡± For the entire morning, Joanna was in a meeting with her employees. At the same time, she asked Andy to record all the employees¡¯ suggestions. In the past, Bruce would not have cared about these details, let alone put himself in their shoes. Joanna was different. She would be more meticulous and pay more attention to the employees¡¯ feelings. In terms of management, she would not pursue highly intensive management like Bruce. Hence, after the entire meeting, the directors and higher-ups of thepany got to know Joanna again. The two of them reallyplemented each other. Mr. Everett was stubborn, irritable, decisive, and had a bad temper. And Miss Haynes, on the other hand, was gentle, generous, and rtively approachable. As for some of the loopholes that Bruce had overlooked, Joanna would make up for him. In terms of management, she was also more humane. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting is over!¡± ¡°p, p, p.¡± Everyone stood up and apuded. Joanna smiled and left the conference room. ¡°I really got to know Miss Haynes again today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! In terms of management, I feel that Miss Haynes¡¯s management model is more humane.¡± ¡°Tsk, if Miss Haynes didn¡¯t have any real skills, Mr. Everett wouldn¡¯t have been so easily manipted by her.¡± ¡°Alright, stop discussing the bosses¡¯ private life.¡± The higher-ups teased and quickly stopped. At the same time, they also had more respect and recognition for Joanna¡¯s management ability. ¡°At this rate, it¡¯s very likely that Mr. Everett will transfer Everett Group to himself.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say, it¡¯s really possible¡­¡± After returning to the office, Joanna was a little thirsty after a morning of meetings. After drinking two sses of lemonade in a row, her throat felt a little better. Just as she was about to take a break, she heard a series of beeps. The phone rang. It was from Darcy. Joanna quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, I¡¯m in Eighcaster now.¡± ¡°How is it? Did you find out anything?¡± Chapter 808 Chapter 808 Chapter 808 On the other end of the phone, Darcy said solemnly, ¡°Miss Haynes, I called Leo, Aria¡¯s assistant, and asked him about Mr. Everett. ¡°He said that Aria didn¡¯t return to the research institute at all. She¡¯s currently in a state of loss of contact. ¡°The people from the research institute can¡¯t contact her at all.¡± ¡°What?¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning and could not recover for a long time. ¡°Darcy, what did you say? Say it again?¡± Darcy said gloomily, ¡°I asked Leo, who said Aria hadn¡¯t returned to the research institute yet, and he hadn¡¯t heard that the research institute would treat Mr. Everett. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even know the whole thing about researching the second-generation antiviral serum¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt like she was breaking down. She was unable to listen to the rest of Darcy¡¯s words at all. ¡°Miss Haynes, ording to Leo, Aria took Bruce away on her own ord. She might be carrying out some unspeakable secret. ¡°I¡¯ve already rushed to Aria¡¯s house, but unfortunately, there¡¯s no one at her house.¡± Joanna gasped and said in a panic, ¡°Darcy, immediately deploy more people from Antlen. Find Aria and Bruce as soon as possible. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t help, call the police as soon as possible. Use the police to find Aria as soon as possible.¡± When Darcy heard this, he replied in a serious voice, ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s all for now. I need you to talk to me anytime when you got any information.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I will.¡± After hanging up, Joanna¡¯s blood flowed in reverse. She was too anxious. She actually handed Bruce to Aria. This was bad. Joanna still didn¡¯t know what Aria had in her mind. If she really wanted Bruce to die with her, it would be toote for Joanna to regret it. ¡°God, what the hell is Aria trying to do? ¡°Is she really going to be a ghost couple with Bruce? ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re so stupid. How could you believe her so easily?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but me herself. She regretted letting Aria take Bruce away even more. But the situation was so dangerous back then, and Aria made it sound so severe that anyone would fall for it. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± After thinking about it, Joanna called Aria in a panic. ¡°Beep, beep, beep¡­¡± Joanna called five to six times before Aria finally picked up the phone. She askedzily as if she was still half-asleep, ¡°Hello¡­¡± Hearing Aria¡¯s voice, Joanna took a deep breath and tried to calm down, not daring to alert the enemy even more. ¡°Miss Bridges, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Aria said and couldn¡¯t help but yawn. She had been tormented for the entire night by Bruce. Today, she was even more sleepy and listless. Of course, Bruce was in aa and could not do anything substantial. However, this did not stop Aria from ¡°entertaining herself¡±. She enjoyed it very much. ¡°Well, um¡­ How¡¯s Bruce today? I¡¯m a little worried about him. I still want to make a call to ask about the situation. Joanna tried her best to speak calmly, not daring to expose Aria easily. When Aria heard this, her tone became a little impatient. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you yesterday that I was studying the second-generation antiviral serum? It won¡¯t be so soon. If there¡¯s any news, I¡¯ll take the initiative to contact you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ but I¡¯m still a little worried. I want to know more about him. ¡°How far has the research institute progressed?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice became more cautious. Aria replied coldly, ¡°This is a secret of the research institute. It¡¯s not convenient for me to reveal it to you Joannaughed dryly. ¡°Miss Bridges, Bruce¡­ has four kids. now.¡± ¡°The kids are still young. They can¡¯t live without a father.¡± Joanna braced herself and tried to remind Aria tactfully. ¡°Ms. Haynes, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Oh, what I mean is, please treat Bruce. You love him so much, so you don¡¯t want his children to lose their father, right?¡± Joanna could only retreat to advance, saying something else to try to move Aria. Aria was stunned when she heard this. She felt like a needle in her heart and did not speak for a moment. ¡°Well, our Devin was only born more than three months ago. ¡°If he loses his father¡­ he will be very pitiful. You and Bruce were once lovers. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want his children to lose their father forever.¡± Joanna was now very worried that Aria would drag Bruce down with her. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. It was also at this moment that she had to calm down. She couldn¡¯t anger Aria and could only try to move her. She prayed that Aria would be touched. When Aria heard this, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I can understand your feelings. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to save Bruce.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Bridges, you¡¯re kind-hearted and love Bruce very much. I¡¯m sure you will show consideration for him..¡± Before Joanna could finish her sentence, Aria didn¡¯t want to continue talking to her. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m going to the research institute now. I will talk to youter.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna broke into a cold sweat and hung up the phone quietly. After hanging up, Joanna¡¯s heart began to beat violently. Now, she was certain that Aria definitely had an ulterior motive. ¡°No, I¡¯ll rush to Antlen immediately. ¡°Andy, book a ne ticket to Antlen for me immediately. The sooner, the better.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes.¡± After instructing Andy, Joanna hurriedly called Darcy again. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Darcy, I just talked to Aria on the phone. She was still lying, saying she was going to the research institute.¡± Darcy frowned deeply when he heard this.. ¡°I¡¯ve already made the decision to rush to Antlen immediately. I¡¯ll send you Aria¡¯s numberter.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t alert the enemy now. Let¡¯s track her location through her cell phone.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all for now!¡± Joanna said and hurriedly hung up the phone. ¡°Bruce, Thope God will bless you. I hope you can get through this.¡± Joanna could not help but cry secretly. Then, she left thepany in a hurry. She had to go home to pack up and fly to Antlen immediately. On this side, after Aria hung up the phone, an uneasy expression appeared on her face. Although Joanna¡¯s tone was very calm, she was smart enough to sense the crisis. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m taking you to a new ce now. ¡°It¡¯s not safe here anymore. I¡¯ll take you back to the country ranch. The air¡¯s fresh there, and we¡¯ll be isted. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it. ¡°Bruce, I love you, and you love me too, right?¡± As Aria spoke, she sat on Bruce again. She even took off Bruce¡¯s pajamas. She started to admire every inch of his skin greedily. Chapter 809 Chapter 809 Chapter 809 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Iwon¡¯t let you die.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I want you to belong to mepletely now¡­¡± Aria murmured and kissed him deeply on the lips again. Then, Aria got up and went to the private research room. She opened a storage freezer and took out an antiviral serum. Then she took a box of disinfectant cotton balls, disinfected Bruce¡¯s arm, and carefully injected the injection into him. After injecting the medicine, Aria looked at Bruce¡¯s face with a sad look. Then she muttered to herself, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t hate me. I had no choice but to do this.¡± She had deliberately applied the RA-2 virus to the istion cover of the RA-3 virus. This virus was highly infectious. Once one inhaled a little, it could quickly spread throughout the body. Especially those with wounds on their bodies were more likely to be infected. Darcy was lucky that he did not open the packaging. Aria knew Bruce would look at the sample of the virus curiously. However, he would never have thought that another virus would be smeared on the sealed outer cover of the virus. ¡°Alright, we have to leave this ce quickly and go to our private world.¡± As Aria spoke, she stood up and pushed the small cart over. Then, she carried Bruce and carefully moved him onto the small cart. She had already realized that Joanna was pregnant, so they had to leave as soon as possible. ¡°Bruce, but we¡¯ll be safe when we get to the new ce. You¡¯re going to love the new ce.¡± Then, Aria pushed the cart and pushed him into the garage. Then, she used a special lift to push Bruce into a medium-sized boxcar. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re leaving now!¡± Aria fastened Bruce¡¯s seatbelt, firmly fastening him to the small bed in the car. Then, she injected two bottles of nutrient solution into his arm. After doing all this, Aria got into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car. Her grandfather had left her a farm. It was more than 62 miles away. That was the countryside of Antlen. It was vast and sparsely popted, and transportation and signals were extremely inconvenient. It was quite difficult for outsiders to find that ce. In the car, Bruce regained a trace of consciousness amidst the bumps. ¡°Uh¡­¡± He opened his eyes slightly. After a long while, his eyes gradually focused. The dark brown roof of the car gradually reflected in his eyes. ¡°¡­Where am I?¡± Bruce shook his head weakly. He felt light-headed and dizzy. He tilted his neck with all his might and saw two IV drips hanging above his arms as if they were injecting him with an IV drip. ¡°Hiss¡­ Where am I¡­¡± His first reaction was that he had been kidnapped. Bruce was startled. He wanted to struggle to sit up, but halfway through, hey down weakly again. He had several seatbelts tied around his body, firmly securing him to the bed. Moreover, he was infected by the virus, so although he had been given two antiviral serums, the poison in his body had not all been killed, so he was weak and could not break free. ¡°Damn it,¡± Bruce cursed in his heart. He thought that he had really been kidnapped by criminals. He quickly calmed down and began to analyze the environment he was in. He also began to think of a way to save himself in his brain. Bruce took a deep breath and observed carefully the carriage. Through the car¡¯s istion window, he could vaguely see the back of a woman¡¯s head. ¡°The kidnapper is a woman?¡± Bruce was shocked. The hairstyle looked a little familiar, but she didn¡¯t look like a kidnapper. ¡°¡­ Who is this? Why does she look like¡­ Aria?¡± After carefully identifying it, he knew he was right. It was Aria. At the thought of this, Bruce nced at her in a daze again, and his heart calmed down a little. At the same time, countless doubts arose in his heart. Why was he with Aria? Where was she taking him to? On this side, in Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna took her passport and identification documents after she returned. She also packed some necessities and prepared to rush to the airport. Seeing this, Davian and Irvin hurried over. ¡°Mommy, where are you going in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Babies, Mommy is going on a business trip for many days. Be good at home.¡± ¡°What? Mommy, you¡¯re going on a business trip again?¡± Davian and Irvin looked depressed when they heard that. Their daddy was not back yet, and now their mommy was also going on a business trip. Joanna lowered her head and kissed the two little guys¡¯ faces. ¡°Be good. Mommy will go and fetch your daddy back. ¡°Be good and take good care of Lilia and your younger brother.¡± ¡°Mommy, are you going to pick Daddy up? Can I go with you?¡± When Davian heard this, he instantly became excited. Irvin hurriedly said, ¡°Mommy, I want to go too¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned serious as she rejected them directly. ¡°No, you have to go to school. You can¡¯t take leave casually. ¡°It¡¯s toote. Mommy should go.¡± As she spoke, Joanna stood up and instructed the butler, ¡°Gael, Miranda, I¡¯ll leave the family and children to you. ¡°Call me if you need anything.¡± Miranda looked at Joanna worriedly. ¡°Joann, you have to be careful¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t go alone. Tatiana and Cherron will go with me.¡± ¡°¡­ You still have to be careful when you¡¯re overseas. Bring more people,¡± Miranda reminded her again, still worried. ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t worry!¡± Joanna did not say anything else and left in a hurry. Half an hourter, Joanna arrived at Greyport Airport. She rushed there with Tatiana, Cherron, and two other bodyguards. ¡°Miss Haynes, there are no direct flights to Eighcaster right now. We¡¯ll have to go to Lopshire, then catch a connecting flight to Eighcaster.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Ticket checks have started. There¡¯s no luggage to check-in. We can get on the ne now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The group began to prepare to board the ne¡­. The ne took more than ten hours to fly. Half an hourter, Joanna and Tatiana boarded the ne. After more than ten hours of flying, they finally arrived at Lopshire Airport. Afterpleting the procedures, Joanna hurriedly put her documents and passport into her bag. ¡°Pit-a-pat!¡± The passport identally fell to the ground. She was in a hurry to get out of the airport and did not notice that her passport had fallen. As for Tatiana and the others, they were all handling the procedures in front of her and did not notice that Joanna¡¯s passport had fallen. Joanna took a few steps. Behind her, a deep and maic male voice suddenly sounded. ¡°Miss, you dropped something.¡± Joanna did not know who called her, but she was still focused on walking forward. The man behind her personally picked up the passport and quickened his pace to catch up. ¡°Miss, you dropped your passport.¡± Joanna was stunned and hurriedly rummaged through her bag. That was right. It was her passport. She quickly took it and replied in Antlenish, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The other party smiled at her and replied in Antlenish. Joanna put away the passport and looked up at the other party. It was a young man dressed in Mednd attire. He was nearly 6 feet and 3 inches tall. He wore a white silk robe unique to Mednd and had a white cloth covering his head. It should be someone from Aresnend or Mednd. The man looked at Joanna with a burning gaze. His eyes were filled with surprise. Behind him stood more than ten bodyguards. It was obvious that his identity was not simple. Joanna was a typical ssic beauty. Although she had given birth to four children, her figure was still tight and slender. Although she was about to turn 28, her appearance was very young. She looked like a little girl in her early twenties. Even if she did not deliberately dress up, her temperament was still outstanding. This was the first time the Mednd man had seen such a beautiful ssic woman. ¡°Miss, can you give me your contact number? I want to be friends with you.¡± The middle-aged man looked at her with a smile and asked her directly for her contact number. When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously frowned and replied in Antlenish, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m in a hurry now.¡± With that, Joanna nodded slightly and apologized. Without waiting for his response, she quickened her pace and walked away. After the middle-aged man was rejected, he was instantly stunned and froze on the spot, looking at Joanna¡¯s departing figure in disbelief. This was the first time he had been rejected. Even the bodyguards behind him were stunned.. He was the prince of a certain country in Mednd and one of the richest countries in the world. And he was the only heir to that country. Chapter 810 Chapter 810 Chapter 810 Their prince took the initiative to ask for someone¡¯s contact information, but he was actually rejected. After leaving the VIP passage, Joanna and the others rushed to another gate. They still had to hurry to Eighcaster. The ne would take off in an hour. Time was tight and they did not dare to dy for a moment. ¡°Miss Haynes, I seem to have seen the person who greeted you just now on television,¡± Tatiana said, recalling with a shocked expression. Joanna frowned. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The man from Mednd.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve read about him. I think he¡¯s a prince from some Mednd country. He is Prince Harman or something. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet him at the airport.¡± However, it was normal for them to meet him. Joanna sat in the first-ss cabin and took the VIP passage. People from all over the world came to Lopshire for either tourism or business. Most of them were business elites who were either rich or noble. Prince Harman used to study in Antlen, so he came here every year to y. Speaking of which, he and Bruce were schoolmates. It was just that the two of them were two years apart. In addition, Bruce had dropped out of school early, so the two of them did not know each other. Joanna was also stunned when she heard that. However, she had never been interested in these things. Regardless of whether he was a prince or not, she was not interested in knowing this. She only wanted to quickly find Aria¡¯s whereabouts and find Bruce as soon as possible. After two hours of bumpy rides, Aria finally stopped the car. In front of her was an endless ranch, but it was already abandoned and looked very deste. It was like an abandoned vige. She had not been here for a long time. Weeds grew everywhere in the ranch, almost drowning the road. In a pile of weeds, there were a few rows of wooden huts. The huts were surrounded by fences and looked a little old. The sides of these huts were also covered with nts and vines. Aria stopped the car and got out/¡±We¡¯re finally here. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to clean it up properly. ¡°But nature feels so good.¡± After Aria finished muttering to herself, she took two deep breaths of fresh air. Then, she opened the back of the car. Hearing that, Bruce quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious. Aria said gently, ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re here. This is our paradise. You¡¯ll definitely like it here. __¡±Although it looks a little deste now, after cup a little, it will be a paradise on earth. ¡°In the future, let¡¯s live here, just the two of us, okay? We won¡¯t be died by anyone. And no one can find us.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he did not dare to open his eyes. His body was very weak now. There was no strength in his body, and he was tied up.. He wasn¡¯t sure why Aria had brought him here, so it was better not Aria didn¡¯t know that Bruce had already woken up. After all, people who were infected with the RA-2 virus would not wake up so quickly. They had to get at least three antiviral serums before they could wake up. She had only given Bruce two injections, so she was not worried he would wake up. However, Bruce¡¯s body was different from ordinary people¡¯s. When he was in a car ident previously, he received more than 30 gene regeneration shots and took various rare medicines. Therefore, although he was poisoned, his immunity was still much stronger than ordinary people¡¯s. ¡°We¡¯re home, honey,¡± Aria said as she pushed Bruce out of the car. ¡°Huney, stay here obediently. I¡¯ll go in and clean up. I¡¯ll be back soon. Be good.¡± As Aria spoke, she kissed his face a few times and kissed him deeply on the lips. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± After saying that, Aria turned around and entered the warehouse of the hut. She began to look for tools for weeding and an engine to generate electricity. Bruce frowned and struggled with all his might. He was so angry that he wanted to explode on the spot. ¡°What a crazy woman! Why did she bring me here? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she wants me to be her ghost husband before she dies?¡± At the thought of this, Bruce felt a chill run down his spine and struggled with all his might. Unfortunately, he was dizzy and could not muster any strength. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why do I have no strength at all¡­¡± Despair filled Bruce¡¯s heart as he tried his best to recall what had happened previously. However, he couldn¡¯t remember anything. He only remembered sending a virus to Sootheration. He couldn¡¯t remember anything else. And after he woke up, he came here. Judging from the surroundings, he should be overseas. Now that his hands and feet were tied, he did not have the strength to struggle. Chapter 811 Chapter 811 Chapter 811 The house was in disrepair and the lock was broken. Aria opened the door. The room was filled with a thickyer of dust and spiderwebs. ¡°Oh, looks like I have to clean it properly. It¡¯s so dirty. I have to spend a lot of time and energy.¡± Aria frowned, not knowing where to start. Fortunately, the furniture was stillplete. She found a broom and nned to sweep the house first. Although she had to clean up and might get tired; she was still very happy. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. No one would find them in such a secluded and barren ce. She could spend as much time with him alone as she wanted. In two days, after the antiviral serum in his body was absorbed, she could inject him with the third serum. As soon as he woke up, she would hypnotize him. After the hypnosis, she would be able to be his real wife. In the past few days, she bathed him personally every day. His figure was perfect. His shoulders were broad, his waist was narrow, and his muscles were well-defined. He wasparable to those famous models. Especially his male reproductive organ, it was even more unimaginable. It was even more¡­ She might not be able to take it. However, this was exactly what she had expected. Although she had never had sex with a man, she was already a thirty-year-old mature woman. Of course, she liked stronger and more experienced men. Bruce¡­ Of course, he had experience. Moreover, he was very experienced. Coupled with the superior innate conditions, he definitely would not disappoint her. She had fantasized countless times about the scene when she gave herself to him. At the end of her life, she wanted to have him like crazy. She wanted it every day. In the apartment, Darcy quickly found Aria¡¯s previous residence, which was a high-end apartment. However, he was still a step toote. He missed. Aria had already moved to another ce with Bruce. ¡°Damn it. I¡¯mte again.¡± When his bodyguards saw this, their expressions turned solemn, ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Darcy pondered for a few seconds and said sinisterly, ¡°Tommy, hack into the surveince system immediately and get the surveince footage to see where Aria went¡­¡± ¡°Got it, okay.¡± Tommy immediately took theputer out, used a special way, and entered the nearby surveince system. Through the surveincework, they quickly found traces of Aria. She got into a medium-sized touring car and drove north. ¡°That¡¯s her. It¡¯s Mr. Everett in the car. Link up and track her immediately.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Thirty minutester, the carpletely disappeared from the screen. The surveincework did not cover such a wide area. ¡°We can¡¯t. The surveince cameras can¡¯t track her. We lost her traces when her car got here. ¡°The GPS data is also hidden in the car. We can¡¯t track it.¡± When Darcy heard this, he frowned. ¡°Go get a map immediately. Let¡¯s narrow down the search area first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go get one now,¡± one of his men replied, hurrying off to find a local map. In less than five minutes, his subordinate brought over a map. Darcy unfolded the map, took a pen, and drew circles on the map. ¡°Mr. Everett disappeared here. If the car goes another 31 miles, it¡¯ll reach the mouth of the channel, and there will be no morend. ¡°In other words, Mr. Everett must be within 31 miles radius. ¡°If they don¡¯t leave by boat, they should be near Koada Town.¡± When his subordinates heard this, they nodded in agreement. ¡°Send more men and cars over immediately. We¡¯ll rush to Koada Town now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± His subordinates immediately split up to take action. Now, he could basically confirm that Aria was within a radius of 31 miles. However, it would not be easy to find someone within 31 miles. Darcy had just gotten into the car when there were beeping sounds. Joanna called. Darcy quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Joanna said in an urgent tone, ¡°Darcy, I¡¯m off the ne now. Where are you now? ¡°Have you found Aria¡¯s whereabouts?¡± Darcy took a deep breath and said regretfully, ¡°I was a step toote. Aria has already moved to another ce with Mr. Everett.¡± Joanna gasped when she heard that. ¡°However, we¡¯ve already determined Aria¡¯s location through the surveince system. She¡¯s basically within a 31 miles radius of Koada Town.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened, and she said anxiously, ¡°Then please send more people now. Call the police immediately and use the police¡¯s strength¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish, Darcy interrupted her. ¡°Miss Haynes, I don¡¯t think we can call the police.¡± ¡°Why? We don¡¯t have enough manpower now. It¡¯s better to let the police investigate.¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not sure why Aria kidnapped Mr. Everett. If we rashly call the police, I¡¯m afraid it will backfire. ¡°Moreover, Miss Haynes and Aria¡­ are both famous people. Once the media exposes it, it definitely will cause unnecessary trouble.¡± Darcy had followed Bruce for a long time, so he had a certain understanding of his true identity. Although he did not know Mr. Everett¡¯s exact identity, he was sure that Mr. Everett was a special agent of the country. His hidden identity was too important to be exposed. Also, after Mr. Everett sent the virus back to the country, he found this was the country¡¯s top secret operation. Once it was leaked, not only would it cause trouble for Bruce, it would probably cause severe problems for the country.. Then we can only send more people. We have to find Aria¡¯s whereabouts as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know.¡± ¡°Give me an address now. I¡¯ll meet you there immediately.¡± ¡°We¡¯re preparing to rush to Koada Town now. Why don¡¯t we meet up in Koada Town?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Joanna heaved another sigh of relief. The most important thing now was that she wanted to call the police. She wanted to ask the police to send more people to carry out a carpet search. However, after hearing Darcy¡¯s words, she dismissed the idea. If she angered Aria, Aria might go all out and fight to the death. Just thinking about it made her feel afraid. ¡°Bruce, where the hell are you? ¡°Aria, what are you trying to do? Please, God, please don¡¯t¡­¡± Joanna prayed and sighed deeply. Tatiana looked gloomy. ¡°Miss Haynes, what should we do next?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to Koada Town right now to rendezvous with Darcy.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Joanna was not familiar with Eighcaster. She didn¡¯t have properties or businesses here too. Fortunately, they could rent cars here. There was a navigation system in the car. As long as they followed the navigation system, there would be no problem. The four of them rented an off-road vehicle and drove toward Koada Town. In the ranch, Aria panted heavily. She had been busy for more than an hour without stopping. The house was too big to clean up in a day. She could only tidy the bedroom and living room first and settle down provisionally. As for the rest, she could only slowly tidy them up. Outside the house, Bruce was still strapped to the movable four-wheeled cot. It had been over an hour. He was about to faint again. He could only force himself to stay conscious and not fall into aa. Soon, a tawny coyote emerged from the grass nearby. This ce had been abandoned for many years. It was inevitable that there would be wild animals and little ferocious beasts. Antlen was a country that paid the most attention to the ecological environment and did not allow animals to be killed at will. Therefore, there were especially many small animals, and even more in the wilderness. The coyote peered at Bruce with its dark eyes. Bruce nced at the coyote and instantly trembled. His heart skipped a beat. Holy shit! There were wolves. ¡°Crack, crack, crack¡­¡± Bruce struggled with all his might, but unfortunately, he was tied up too tightly. Ar¨ªa was still in the house and did not notice the danger outside! Bruce was so anxious that his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He kept whispering, ¡°Don¡¯te over. Don¡¯te over. Go away¡­¡± He did not dare to shout loudly and could only make a shooing sound in his throat. However, the coyote wasn¡¯t scared off. In fact, it bared its teeth at him because he was driving it away. ¡°Damn it. What should I do?¡± Bruce was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat. Amidst the rain of bullets and the sabers and swords, he survived. Now if he was bitten to death by a wolf, it would be very embarrassing if word got out. He would vomit to death and die with his eyes wide open. Seeing the coyote approaching tentatively, in desperation, Bruce kicked the spare medicine off the cart. There was a sound of ng! Chapter 812 Chapter 812 Chapter 812 Aria heard themotion in the house and hurriedly came out to take a look. When she saw it, she was immediately shocked. Less than 16 inches away from Bruce, there was a coyote guarding him, eyeing him covetously. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria panicked and hurriedly shouted. Then, she picked up what she could and threw it at the coyote. The coyote took a few steps back in shock, but it didn¡¯t go far. This kind of animal was very smart and wouldn¡¯t be scared away so easily. Aria shouted a few more times to intimidate the coyote. Then, she immediately entered the house and took out a shotgun hanging on the wall. Fortunately, the shotgun was still useful. ¡°Crack! Crack!¡± She loaded the gun. ¡°Boom!¡± A shot rang out. The coyote hadn¡¯t been hit, but it was thoroughly spooked. It turned tail and ran. Seeing that the coyote had fled in fear, Aria finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Bruce, Bruce!¡± The coyotes overseas were all small, not much bigger than pastoral dogs. Otherwise, it would really be difficult to chase them away. ¡°Bruce, how are you? Are you injured?¡± Aria ran to Bruce¡¯s side to check. Bruce hurriedly closed his eyes and pretended to faint. He could not let Aria discover that he had woken up. He wanted to wait and see what she was going to do to him. Aria checked him from head to toe. Fortunately, he was not bitten by the wolf. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have left you here alone, causing you to almost¡­¡± As Aria spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but cry. She had really been careless.. She almost caused him to lose his life. Aria did not dare to hesitate. She hurriedly pushed the small cart and pushed Bruce into the house. The bedroom had already been cleaned. The bed was also made. Although the nket was a little moldy, it could still be used. It was better than nothing. ¡°Bruce, stay in the room. I¡¯ll go get my things ande back to stay with you.¡± As she spoke, Aria carefully moved Bruce to the bed and covered him with the nket before rushing out of the house. She had to quickly bring down the daily necessities and food from the car. Since coyotes had been discovered nearby, there must be other predators. She had to repair the doors and windows quickly. At the same time, the generators were put into operation to generate electricity. ¡°Bang, bang, bang.¡± Aria found a few wooden boards and fixed the broken door and window. There were sr panels on the roof and generators in the house to generate electricity. It was barely enough to maintain the lighting and electricity in the room. After she was done, Aria went to the bathroom and tried the water pipes. Fortunately, the water pipes were working. As long as there were water and electricity, everything else was not a problem. In the bedroom, after Aria left, Bruce quickly opened his eyes and checked the surroundings of the house. This was a typical Antlen-style wooden house in the countryside. He then looked at the murals and decorations on the wall and at the arc of the sun¡¯s refraction. He quickly confirmed that this was northwest of Antlen Through some decorations and subtle discoveries in the house, he could roughly determine his location. ¡°What is this crazy woman trying to do? ¡°Why did she bring me here?¡± Bruce thought to himself. Bruce was freed. He moved his limbs and tried to sit up. ¡°Ahem, what¡¯s going on? Why am I so weak? This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°¡­ I should be poisoned, right?¡± Bruce shook his head as he thought. He connected all his thoughts and quickly reacted! He had probably fallen into Aria¡¯s trap. These reactions in his body were all reactions after being poisoned. And Aria was a biomedical expert. She must have poisoned him. However, he did not know why he hade to Antlen and how many days he had been here. ¡°Joann, you must be worried about me¡­ ¡°No, I have to think of a way to leave this ce quickly. Otherwise, Joann will definitely be very worried.¡± At the thought of this, Bruce calmed down even more and checked the surroundings of the house. He wanted to find out what Aria was trying to do. Of course, the poison in his body had not been cleaned up. He had no strength all over his body and probably could not defeat even a child. Therefore, it was best to wait and see.. Outside the bedroom, Aria worked for more than half an hour before everything was done. She was also drenched in sweat from exhaustion. ¡°Bruce, everything¡¯s done. ¡°Next, we¡¯re going to spend our alone time here. ¡°I¡¯m too tired. I want to rest.¡± Aria took a deep breath andy down beside him. She naturally snuggled into his arms. Bruce¡¯s body tensed up and he subconsciously wanted to push her away. But he didn¡¯t have any strength in his body. He didn¡¯t know what Aria was going to do to him. He could only brace himself and continue to pretend to faint. Twenty minutester, Aria got up gently and kissed his cheek. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s take a shower and go to bed early. ¡°I¡¯ll go fill the bathtub. Wait there obediently!¡± As she spoke, Aria got off the bed and walked toward the bathroom. Bruce frowned. From the looks of it, Aria didn¡¯t have any ill intentions toward him. She was probably just after his¡­ body. In that case, he shouldn¡¯t be in danger. Soon, Aria cleaned up the bathtub and filled it with warm water. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s take a shower.. ¡°After we shower, we can¡­¡± Aria started to take off Bruce¡¯s pajamas, using her gentle little hand to take his clothes off bit by bit. Chapter 813 Chapter 813 Chapter 813 Bruce frowned slightly, and his heart was filled with resistance. Aria had already unbuttoned his coat and was rubbing her soft little hand on his chest muscles. The pajama pants were stic and as she pulled them down, his waist and buttocks instantly felt cold. ¡°No, no, no¡­ What the fuck¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart exploded. He was a normal man. Now that Aria was doing this, it was inevitable that he would react. Of course, this was only an instinctive reaction of his body and had nothing to do with love. He did not have any feelings for Aria at all. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Aria had clearly noticed the change in him. She stared at him without blinking, her face flushed with surprise and shyness. ¡°Wow, Bruce¡­¡± Then, she leaned over gently. Bruce calmed down and hoped that she would not do anything else.. Ever since he reconciled with Joanna, he had never touched another woman, nor would he touch another woman. In his heart, once he set his mind on a specific woman, it would be a matter of life. He would never be unfaithful to his partner again, let alone allow himself to betray his marriage. But now, he was actually being ¡°harassed¡± by a woman. He really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Bruce, I love you. I want to be your woman. I don¡¯t want to wait another moment. ¡°We¡¯re the ones who deserve each other. We¡¯ve already missed too much time. We have to cherish every minute and second that follows. ¡°Honey, I love you. I love you so much. I miss you every night. Today, I want to be your bride¡­¡± Aria muttered in his ear and kissed his face. Her hand went straight for his crotch. Since he was reacting now, that was great. She could give herself to himpletely now. ¡°You¡¯re fucking crazy,¡± Bruce cursed in his heart. He suddenly opened his eyes and mustered all his strength to push her away. If he continued to pretend to be unconscious, she would really ¡°rape¡± him. Fuck. He had always been the one who made a move on women. Now, he was almost¡­. No wonder people said that men had to protect themselves when they were outside. They couldn¡¯t think it was safe to be men. Those female lunatics really would dare to rape a man. He had seen it on the news before. A young man overseas was tied up by a middle-aged woman and was drugged. Then, they started doing it. Even his cartge was broken. He had thought that this was fake news that was only to get people¡¯s attention. How could there be such a¡­ horny woman in the world? Only today did he know that such a fucking ridiculous thing existed, and it had happened to him. Aria was still intoxicated in her ardor when she was suddenly pushed away. Her body tilted and she fell onto the bed on one side. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria looked at Bruce in shock. ¡°Ahem.¡± Bruce groaned and pretended to have just woken up. He asked groggily, ¡°Where are we? ¡°Water¡­ I want to drink water¡­¡± Aria looked at him in disbelief, shock written all over her face. She had just injected him with two antiviral serums. Logically speaking, it was impossible for him to wake up. And now, he had actually awakened. No wonder he had a physical reaction just now. ¡°Bruce, you¡­ you¡¯re awake?¡± Aria was instantly nervous, and her face turned red. When Bruce was in aa, she, of course, could do whatever she wanted. She didn¡¯t have to care about being reserved or rational at all. She could release true thoughts in her heart. However, now that he had woken up, she really could not do it again! Bruce took a deep breath and shakily pulled the nket over his naked body. ¡°Aria, why is it you? ¡°Where is this ce? Why am I here?¡± After Bruce covered himself with the nket, he struggled to sit up. But he was powerless. Although he had woken up now, the poison in his body had not beenpletely removed. He still had no strength to sit up and weaklyy back down again. Aria¡¯s heart was pounding. His sudden awakening hadpletely disrupted her n. ¡°Water¡­ I want to drink water. I want to drink water¡­¡± Aria reacted. ¡°Oh, oh, I¡¯ll get you some water immediately.¡± After that, Aria hurriedly jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom. She took a bottle of water from the piles of items she had just unloaded from the car. ¡°Bruce, the water is here. Drink slowly.¡± Bruce was thirsty. He drank half a bottle of water in one go. ¡°Drink slowly. Don¡¯t choke.¡± Bruce/coughed dryly. ¡°Ahem, what¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Aria¡¯s heart tightened as she replied, ¡°Oh, you identally contracted the RA-2 virus. I¡­ I¡¯m treating you now.¡± Bruce looked around and pretended to be calm as he asked, ¡°Where is this ce? Why are we here?¡± ¡°This is¡­ a secret research base. It¡¯s suitable for your treatment.¡± After Aria finished speaking, her eyes were a little flustered. When Bruce heard that, he felt even more nauseous. Her so-called treatment for him was probably to sleep with him, right? Still, he was smart. The current situation was very disadvantageous to him. He could only pretend that he did not know anything. ¡°Then when will the poison in my body be removed?¡± ¡°Uh, you can inject the third antiviral serum in two days. After the third serum is injected, the poison in your body will bepletely cured.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m awake now. Can you inject me with the third antiviral serum?¡± ¡°No, there should be a few days between. I¡¯m afraid your body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± After all, the antiviral serum was also a virus vine. She was using the virus to restrain the virus, to achieve the effect of fighting fire with fire. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can take it. Hurry up and inject me with the third antiviral serum. I can take it¡­¡± As Bruce spoke, he grabbed Aria¡¯s sleeve tightly, his eyes filled with pleading. ¡°Aria, I feel terrible. The virus is making my entire body ache. Hurry up and inject me with the third virus. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me not being able to handle it. I¡¯m fine.¡± When Aria heard this, her eyes subconsciously darted around. If he was injected with the third serum now, the poison in his body would be cleared. He would soon return to his former physical state. Then it would be impossible for her to control him again. When the poison in his body was cured, he definitely would leave her immediately and return to Joanna¡¯s side. ¡°¡­Bruce, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely inject you with the third serum. ¡°It¡¯s just that there must be a few days between. If I inject you now, your body won¡¯t be able to take it. ¡°Just wait patiently for two days. I can only give you the third injection after the serum in your body has beenpletely When Bruce heard this, he felt even more hatred in his heart. She was finding an excuse not to inject him. It was obvious that she wanted to control him. Chapter 814 Chapter 814 Chapter 814 ¡°Aria, I can really take it. Please inject me with the third serum¡­¡± When Aria heard this, she subconsciously took two steps back and looked at him in a daze. ¡°Aria¡­¡± Bruce looked at her with the same deep gaze. The atmosphere fell silent and awkward. After a long while, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to inject you, but I¡¯m worried that your body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Aria repeated the same sentence as she looked at him with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I really love you. As long as you cooperate obediently. I will definitely inject you with serum.¡± ¡°Aria, stop fooling around. Your body can¡¯t wait anymore. Inject me with the third serum quickly, and you should go to the hospital for treatment immediately. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°We¡¯re all adults. There are some things we can¡¯t do wrong.¡± Aria took a deep breath, her expression turning from angry to shocked and then from shocked to furious. Never mind. She didn¡¯t want to pretend anymore. She had to get him, whether he agreed or not. She had to have him. ¡°Bruce, if I inject you with the third serum, will you leave me immediately?¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes wandered. The answer was yes, for sure. Was he crazy? If he didn¡¯t leave, was he really going to stay and keep herpany? Looking at Bruce¡¯s reaction, Aria already knew the answer. ¡°Bruce, I beg you. Please don¡¯t leave me, okay?¡± ¡°I really love you. I just want to ask to truly have you once before I die.¡± As Aria spoke, her tears slid down her pale face as she looked at him pitifully. ¡°I know you love your wife very much. ¡°After I die, you can return to her side! ¡°I¡¯m just begging you to fulfill myst wish. I don¡¯t have much time left. I won¡¯t take up too much of your time.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt disgusted and speechless. At the same time, he felt a trace of sympathy. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be so pessimistic! ¡°Hurry up and go to the hospital for treatment. There¡¯s still hope for you to be cured¡­¡± Before he could finish, Aria instantly lost control of her emotions. ¡°I don¡¯t want to receive treatment. My illness can¡¯t be cured at all. ¡°I just want you to spend some time with me before I die. What¡¯s wrong with that? Is that too much to ask? ¡°After I die, you can go back to your old life. Just pretend that I¡¯ve never appeared in your life. Why can¡¯t you say yes to me? ¡°Can you just take pity on me? I have nothing left. I don¡¯t want anything anymore. ¡°I was just loving with all my heart before I died. Is that wrong?¡± Aria¡¯s body trembled as she finished speaking. She couldn¡¯t help but cry bitterly. Bruce was speechless. He was not a cold-blooded person. He was willing to apany her to the end of her life. He could also give her care and take care of her. But this was not what she wanted now. What she wanted him to do was not simply to apany her. Instead, she wanted him to sleep with her like her husband and wanted to be histe wife. How could he agree to this? Even if he agreed, Joanna would not agree. He would lose Joanna and his family if he did what Aria asked. Therefore, he could not shatter his family to satisfy her alone. ¡°Aria, I deeply sympathize with your condition and am speechless about your actions. As a friend, I¡¯m willing to keep youpany, to take care of you like a brother. ¡°But I really can¡¯t agree to your other requests. ¡°In this life, we can only be friends. If in the next life, I can¡­ be with you.¡± When Aria heard this, her heart sank as if she had fallen into an ice cave. ¡°Save it. I don¡¯t want the next life. I just want to live this life. I don¡¯t want to meet you again in my next life. ¡°Bruce, it really hurts to love you. I, I¡­¡± Aria closed her eyes deeply. He still refused to agree to her request. Since that was the case, she could only resort to extreme measures. She didn¡¯t want to do this either, but she was about to die. She didn¡¯t need any rationality anymore. Aria looked at him steadily and started to slowly take off her clothes. Seeing this, Bruce could no longer remain calm. ¡°Aria, what are you doing? Are you crazy? ¡°Don¡¯t be like this.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry. Just treat me as a disgusting bad woman and hate me to your heart¡¯s content.¡± As Aria spoke, she had already taken off her shirt. She took off her clothes one by one in front of him. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be like this. You can put on your clothes.¡± Bruce held his breath and hurriedly shifted his gaze to the side. Ar¨ªa¡¯s eyes were empty and dismal. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s been so many years. I¡¯ve always maintained a virgin for you. ¡°I¡¯m giving you the most precious thing now, whether you want it or not. I¡¯m going to leave you the most precious thing I have. I can¡¯t walk to my death with this regret.¡± With that, Aria pounced on him. Bruce was already weak and could not resist at all. ¡°Aria, are you crazy? ¡°Get up quickly. If you continue like this, we won¡¯t even be friends.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll be a ghost couple. ¡°Bruce, if you turn me down, I¡¯ll drag you down with me. Don¡¯t even think about me injecting you with the third serum.¡± Chapter 815 Chapter 815 Chapter 815 ¡°Aria, are you fucking crazy? | ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a bitchy and cheap woman like you,¡± Bruce could not help but curse. She had cancer, and he didn¡¯t want to be too heartless to her. However, she was pushing her luck. It was really unbearable to him. Aria¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Just treat it as if there¡¯s something wrong with my brain. If you turn me down, you won¡¯t be able to leave Antlen alive. ¡°If you want to live, you have to cooperate with me.¡±. As she spoke, Aria held his arm firmly. ¡°Get lost.¡± Bruce struggled with all his might. Unfortunately, he did not have any strength left in his body. It was as if he had been injected with anesthesia. His arms were pinned to the pillow by Aria, and he couldn¡¯t resist at all. In the past, he loved to treat Joanna this way. Every time, Joanna would struggle crazily and resist the feeling of being controlled by him. But the more she struggled, the more he wanted to conquer her forcibly. And now it was his turn to be forcibly conquered. Only then did he realize that this feeling¡­ would fucking drive one crazy. He swore that if he could return safely this time, he would never treat Joanna like this again. ¡°If we¡¯re going to die, we¡¯ll die together. Even if you hate me, I want to do this.¡± Aria didn¡¯t care about his anger at all. Bruce waspletely at a loss. He took two deep breaths and his mind was racing. ¡°Alright, I agree. ¡°But I don¡¯t have any strength in my body now. I can¡¯t do anything at all. ¡°Be good. Inject me with the third serum immediately so that we can have a good experience, okay?¡± Bruce could take temporary setbacks. He instantly restrained his anger. He looked gentle. And there was a hint of coaxing in Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. his voice. Aria was stunned and let go of his arm weakly. He had to give in. He felt weak all over now. If she really raped him, he would be traumatized for the rest of his life. ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have to lie to me. I know you¡¯re lying.¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a stiff and dry smile. ¡°Silly girl, why would I lie to you? ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯ve already be like this. You love me so much, I should satisfy yourst request. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t keep the oath we made under the parasol tree,¡± Bruce said and gently reached out to hug her. Aria trembled and let him hug her in a daze. Even though she knew that he was lying and he only wanted her to inject him with the third serum as soon as possible, it sounded so sweet though it was a lie. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Ariay on his chest and couldn¡¯t help but sob. Bruce gently stroked her beautiful hair. He had mixed feelings in his heart. She was really hateful and he should not have shown her sympathy. However, he knew that she really loved him. Even if he didn¡¯t love her, he still didn¡¯t feel good about a woman doing such a crazy thing. ¡°Be good and stop crying. I¡¯ll apany you for the rest of your days. I¡¯ll fulfill your requests no matter what you want. This is what I owe you. I should make it up to you.¡± ¡°Bruce, I love you. I really love you too much. I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me. I didn¡¯t mean to do this either. ¡°I just love you too much, and I can¡¯t get you.¡± ¡°Silly girl, I don¡¯t hate you. I just¡­¡± As Bruce spoke, his eyes could not help but tear up. He was not a sentimental person, nor a man who would cheat on his wife. However, he couldn¡¯t help but pity Aria. Of course, although he sympathized with her, he wouldn¡¯t really do anything with her. Women were silly. Sometimes, they would choose to believe a man even though they knew he was lying. Therefore, he could only coax her into injecting him with the third serum. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Aria cried sadly and emotionally. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go find you the third serum.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± Aria smiled brightly at Bruce with tears in her eyes. How could a smart woman like her not tell that he was coaxing her? However, even if it was to coax her, she was still happy. On this side, Joanna had almost reached Koada Town. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Darcy quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Darcy, how¡¯s it going? Did you find anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve narrowed it down and sent Tommy and Benny to look for him. They¡¯re still searching. They should be able to find some clues soon.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m about to reach Koada Town. Send me your location now. I¡¯ll rush over to meet you.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send it to you now.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Miss Haynes, how is it? Did you find Mr. Everett? Did you find any clues? This ce is very barren. Aria wouldn¡¯t bring Mr. Everett here, would she?¡± Chapter 816 Chapter 816 Chapter 816 Joanna looked out of the car window. The scenery outside was indeed getting more and more deste. They were al already far away from the town. It had been a long time since they had encountered a vige or a pedestrian. ¡°This ce seems to be abandoned. After driving for so long, I haven¡¯t seen a single family, let alone a vige.¡± ¡°Why did Aria bring Mr. Everett here?¡± Joanna frowned even more when she heard that. Whatever the purpose was, all in all, it was definitely not a good thing. Now that Aria had cancer, it was very likely that she wanted to die here with Bruce. Thinking of this, Joanna became even more uneasy. She wished she could grow wings and fly to Bruce¡¯s side. Half an hourter, they arrived at Koada Town. Joanna followed the location and finally met up with Darcy. ¡°There¡¯s Darcy and the others in front. You can stop now.¡± When Darcy and the others saw a car approaching, they hurriedly waved at it. ¡°Miss Haynes, you¡¯re finally here.¡± The car stopped. Joanna hurriedly got out of the car and asked anxiously, ¡°Darcy, how is it?¡± Darcy then unfolded a map. ¡°This is a map of the local area. We¡¯ve already searched these ces marked in red. There¡¯s no trace of Mr. Everett. ¡°For now, we can only continue to search north. We¡¯ll search region by region, and every ce we have been will be marked with a red line.¡± Cherron looked at the map and frowned. ¡°Huh? There are still so many ces. How long will it take to find them?¡± ¡°Well, I think we¡¯ll need another three to four days to search through all the surrounding areas,¡± Darcy said as he circled a fewndmarks with his pen. ¡°It¡¯s just that this area is very barren. There¡¯s not even a gas station. We¡¯ll have to go to the gas station 62 miles away when we need to refuel the car.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more frustrated. If they continued searching like this, how long would it take them to find Bruce? Although the 31 miles range was not too big, it was not easy to find someone immediately. ¡°Bring me the map. Let me see it.¡± Darcy immediately handed the map to Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, here you go!¡± Joanna took the map, unfolded it on the hood of the car, and began to study it in detail. Many of thendmarks on it had been circled in red by Darcy. Joanna studied the map carefully for a while. Now, they could only try their best to narrow down the area. ¡°The map shows the strait line starts here. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re going there. ¡°And there are mountains nearby, so it¡¯s not convenient for cars to drive. Therefore, there¡¯s a high chance that they¡¯ll head north¡­¡± As she spoke, Joanna saw a smallndmark at the bottom of the map. ¡°Hey, what is this ce?¡± ¡°Oh, this seems to be a pastoral area, but I heard that there was a gue twenty years ago, and many vigers died. ¡°After that, it was abandoned and became a forbidden area.¡± Joanna listened and stared at the ce named Mund for a long time. Since there were vigers living there, it proved that there were conditions suitable for human survival there. Even though it was abandoned now, many pieces of equipment from the past had been preserved. It was most suitable for hiding or living in seclusion. It was far more convenient than exploring an unfamiliar environment. ¡°Let¡¯s go look around this ce!¡± When Darcy and Cherron heard this, their faces were filled with disbelief. ¡°Miss Haynes, this ce is deste and remote. Aria shouldn¡¯t have brought Mr. Everett here, should she? ¡°I suggest that we look for these ces first. After we finish searching these ces, if we don¡¯t find them, we¡¯ll go there to look.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mund is quite far away. Why should we give up what¡¯s near and seek what¡¯s far?¡± Joanna shook her head subconsciously when she heard that. She had a feeling that Aria would definitely bring Bruce here. If she was Aria, she would definitely find a convenient and remote ce. ¡°Listen to me. Let¡¯s search here first.¡± ¡°Benny, Tommy, you guys search around here. Darcy and I will go to Mund.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it. We¡¯ll split up and take action¡¯ immediately.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± They did not say anything else and got into the car. They split up and took action. In the ranch, Bruce tried to sit 1. Aria left the house and went outside to get the third antiviral serum. Five minutester, Aria walked in with a syringe in her hand. Bruce subconsciously nced at her and then at the syringe in her hand. ¡°Aria¡­¡± Aria smiled gently at him. ¡°This is the third serum. I¡¯ll inject it into you now.¡± Hearing this, Bruce squeezed out a stiff smile. ¡°Okay, thank you! * Aria lifted the nket and put his arms in suitable positions. ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t be nervous. The injection will be quick.¡± Brucey weakly on the pillow and looked at Aria without blinking. Aria took out the disinfectant iodine and began to wipe his arm gently. ¡°After the virus is injected, you¡¯ll be very sleepy. ¡°However, you don¡¯t have to worry. This is a normal drug reaction. ¡°Originally, I had to stop for two days before I could inject you, but you¡¯re in such a hurry now, so I could only inject you first.¡± As Aria operated, she talked to him to distract him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it,¡± Bruce replied indifferently. At the same time, his eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. The next second, a crystal pendant suddenly appeared in front of him. The heart-shaped pendant swayed back and forth in front of his eyes in a regr pattern. His eyelids became heavier every time the pendant swayed. In less than ten seconds, he felt his eyelids so heavy that he could not open his eyes. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re very sleepy now. You need to sleep. ¡°Just rx. Just rx a little more. Don¡¯t think about anything. You just need a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± Aria¡¯s voice, apanied by the swaying of the crystal pendant, produced a huge hypnotic effect. Bruce¡¯s eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they finally closedpletely. His entire body felt like sinking into the clouds and kept falling. His body also became weaker and weaker, and he felt more and more weightless. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°Bruce, continue to rx. Rx a little more¡­ ¡°You need to sleep. Rx your nerves. Empty everything. Empty everything again. Don¡¯t think about anything. Your mind is nk right now¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes hadpletely closed as he entered a state of light sleep. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re totally rxed now. ¡°Then do as I say, okay?¡± Bruce¡¯s consciousness entered a light sleep state. He couldn¡¯t hear anything but Aria¡¯s voice. His brain and consciousness involuntarily followed her voice and issued instructions to cooperate. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to ask you a question now. You just have to tell me what you saw. ¡°Is there a door in front of you?¡± As soon as Aria finished speaking, a door immediately appeared in Bruce¡¯s mind. ¡°Open the door¡­¡± Aria¡¯s voice carried a hint of warm temptation as she put the crystal pendant in front of him away. She knew that he had already entered a hypnotic state. Now she was going to purge him of all memories so that he would remember only what she looked like. ¡°Open that door and you¡¯ll see your wife.¡± Bruce listened and followed the voice that was reminding him. He slowly walked toward the door. ¡°That¡¯s your wife. Please remember her face and walk over to hug her.¡± Bruce had already entered a hypnotic state. As if he was dreaming, he was about to push open the door. The nerves in his brain jumped. ¡°No, am I dreaming?¡± Bruce suddenly stopped as he walked toward the door. ¡°No, I¡¯m not dreaming. I¡¯m¡­ hypnotized. ¡°I can¡¯t be hypnotized by her. I definitely can¡¯t¡­¡± Bruce talked to himself in his mind. Bruce¡¯s consciousness tightened, and he suddenly regained a trace of consciousness from the hypnosis state. However, the cerebral cortex sent an uncontroblemand for him to open the door. ¡°No, I can¡¯t follow the instructions.¡± Bruce used all his strength to bite the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain on the tip of his tongue woke him up a little more. He began to pinch his fingers again, trying to keep himself awake from the pain. Hypnosis was very effective on people with weak consciousness. It was hard to hypnotize people with strong willpower. Some people were strong-willed and were not easily affected or controlled by brain waves. As a top talent of the National Defense Bureau, Bruce was naturally strong-willed. Chapter 817 Chapter 817 Chapter 817 Aria also sensed Bruce¡¯s reaction. Knowing that his consciousness was resisting, Aria could only postpone themand and continue to hypnotize him. ¡°Bruce, rx. ¡°You must be very tired now. Just put your mind at ease and sleep. Rx your nerves. Don¡¯t be nervous and don¡¯t think about anything!¡± Bruce felt as if he was being haunted by a nightmare. He was able to think clearly, yet he could not wake up. He was sometimes aware of the surroundings and sometimes unconscious. Aria was a self-disciplined woman who was always strict to herself. Especially in the academic fields that she was interested in, she always did everything to the extreme. In addition to biological research, she was also very proficient in hypnosis. ¡°Bruce, continue to rx!¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t be controlled by her,¡± Bruce shouted inwardly again and bit the tip of his tongue even harder. The immense pain sobered him up a little. At the same time, he knew very well that if he resisted, Aria would take a deeper level of hypnosis. If his body was in a normal state, he would definitely not be easily controlled and hypnotized by her. However, now that he was infected with the virus, he was unable to resist at all. If Aria injected him with drugs like tranquilizers, he would have even less ability to resist. Bruce¡¯s mind was racing. In just a few seconds, he had alreadye up with several approaches. He could only pretend to be hypnotized by her. Only then would Aria let down her guard. Bruce stopped resisting, and his eyes stopped moving rapidly. Soon, he fell asleep. ¡°Bruce, rest well.¡± Aria heaved a sigh of relief when she saw his muscles rx. She touched her forehead and found that she was in a cold sweat. Hypnosis seemed very simple. But actually, she needed to be fully focused. It was very tiring to perform hypnosis, especially when hypnotizing those with strong willpower. One had to be even more focused without rxing at all. Seeing that Bruce was finally asleep, Aria took a deep breath with resignation. Bruce¡¯s willpower was too strong. Aria could only get him to sleep now. It was impossible to hypnotize him further for the time being. She waspletely out of energy. Besides, she had driven and cleaned up for the entire day. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only She was already exhausted and needed to have a rest. ¡°Bruce, have a good sleep. ¡°I¡¯m tired too. I want to have a good sleep too. Let¡¯s not shower today. I¡¯ll help you take a shower tomorrow.¡± As Aria spoke, she copsed into Bruce¡¯s arms. In less than two minutes, she could not help but fall asleep. An hourter, Bruce shuddered and woke up in a daze. He slowly opened his eyes and felt dizzy. A long whileter, the dizziness gradually disappeared, and he felt tightness in his chest as if it were pressed by something. Ariay on his arm, still sleeping in his arms. She was sick, and she had been through a whole day today. She waspletely exhausted, and she really couldn¡¯t hold on anymore. Bruce frowned and felt disgusted. At the same time, his eyes were darting around, as he was looking for something to use. He could no longer tolerate Aria. What she had done hadpletely crossed Bruce¡¯s bottom line. He nced around and found that only the water ss on the table could be used. Bruce moved slightly and mustered all the strength in his body. He moved his body to the side of the table and reached out to grab the water ss with trembling hands. At the same time, Aria was awakened. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Bruce holding a ss and ring at her viciously. Instantly, Aria was shocked. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re awake.¡± Bruce gathered all his strength and smashed the ss hard on Aria¡¯s head without thinking much. There followed a loud thud. The ss shattered on Aria¡¯s head. ¡°Bruce!¡± Aria muttered and weakly fell onto the bed. Dark red blood flowed down her forehead. A trace of coldness appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. Aria¡¯s head was bleeding, and her red blood streamed onto the pillow. ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce raised a shard of shard with a fierce look in his eyes. Now as long as he hardened his heart and gave her another heavy blow, he couldpletely put her to death. ¡°Bruce, just kill me!¡± Aria looked at him weakly and pitifully. Bruce held up the shard. Unfortunately, after hesitating for a while, he still couldn¡¯t have the heart to do that. He was not a soft-hearted person. However, when he saw Aria¡¯s bitter and pitiful gaze, his heart softened. She just loved him too much. As a result, she did many irrational things. Bruce exhaled and threw away the ss shard in his hand. He turned Aria¡¯s head to the side and used all his strength to knock the back of her neck. Aria groaned and fainted weakly. Bruce took a deep breath and staggered to his feet. Then, he scrambled out. Since Aria said that she would inject him with the third viral serum, the viral serum must be in the house.. Bruce had to find it quickly and inject himself. Bruce tried to stay conscious and staggered from the bedroom to the living room. In a corner of the living room, there was a pile of things. There were daily necessities, food, medicine, and so on. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Bruce stumbled toward the pile of junk. With a thud, Bruce fell to the ground. He could only crawl over with difficulty, trembling as he searched for the serum. Finally, he found a potion among a pile of medicine. ¡°This should be the serum.¡± Bruce picked up the serum, but his hands were trembling badly. Chapter 818 Chapter 818 Chapter 818 Bruce had double vision. He shook his head hard, only to barely see everything in front of him. ¡°Cough! Cough! The syringe is here.¡± Due to the virus in his body, his hand began to tremble violently again. The syringe was only 3.2 feet meters away from his hand, but he was too weak to get to his feet. At this moment, his head was filled with images of Joanna and the children. His strong desire to survive forced him to squirm toward the syringe bit by bit. ¡°I can¡¯t die here. I-I must go back home.¡± He tried to move closer and closer. He stretched his arm as far as it would go, and his fingertips could already touch the syringe. Yet, Aria abruptly appeared like a ghost. Then, she bent down mechanically and picked up the syringe. Bruce was taken aback and his eyes darkened. He no longer had the strength to raise his head. Aria¡¯s forehead was still bleeding, the blood dyeing half of her face red. Aria looked straight at Bruce, like a zombie that had lost its soul. There was no resentment or any other emotion in her eyes. Bruce let out a dry cough. There was a hint of despair in his voice. ¡°Aria, hand it to me. Hurry and hand it to me!¡± He regretted showing mercy to Aria earlier. He should have just killed her. Aria did not reply. Instead, she picked up the syringe and found a potent antibiotic in the pile of medicine. Then, she silently injected herself with it. This potent antibiotic was specially used for terminally ill patients. It could quickly stimte the final potential of the human body and was also an effective painkiller. Aria injected this potent antibiotic daily to maintain her physical fitness. However, it was equivalent to over-drafting thest of her body¡¯s vitality. Once the antibiotic no longer took effect, it would elerate the failure of various organs. Therefore, it could only be used to prolong the life of seriously ill patients. Aria quickly recovered her stamina and energy after the injection. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t do this again!¡± Bruce gasped andy on the ground weakly. Aria let out a weirdugh. ¡°Ha, Bruce, I knew you were lying to me. ¡°As I said, if you¡¯re willing to cooperate with me and apany me through the final stage of my life, I¡¯ll inject you with the third serum. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I can only make you die with me.¡± After that, Aria¡¯s eyes turned cold as she red daggers at Bruce. ¡°You crazy woman! I really misjudged you. I really shouldn¡¯t have shown mercy to you just now.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth, angry and resentful. He really shouldn¡¯t have been merciful earlier. He should have killed Aria decisively to prevent future troubles. Aria had already lost her rationality, and Bruce could no longermunicate with her with a normal mind. Aria¡¯s gaze suddenly softened. She squatted down and gently stroked his bare back. ¡°Bruce, as long as you behave, I¡¯ll keep your life. ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to cooperate with my hypnosis, I¡¯ll inject this serum into you.¡± As Aria spoke, she snatched the serum from Bruce¡¯s hand. Then, she waved the syringe in her hand smugly in front of him. ¡°If you don¡¯t cooperate with me, I¡¯ll throw the serum into the toilet now. ¡°You know you wouldn¡¯t even survive a week without it.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that veins stood out on his temples. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re really detestable. I hate your guts.¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m just detestable. Sorry for letting you down!¡± Aria ignored the blood on her forehead and continued to look at Bruce infatuatedly. ¡°Bruce, look at you. You¡¯re covered in dust. Can I help you take a shower?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Hurry up and leave me alone!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and resisted her touch. However, the more he resisted, the more excitedly Ariaughed. As if she was ying with a rare treasure, she gently wiped the dust off Bruce¡¯s body. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really the most perfect man. ¡°And I¡¯m also perfect.¡± As Aria spoke, a trace of resentment and confusion appeared in her eyes. ¡°Why are you so resistant to me? Is it because I¡¯m not beautiful enough? ¡°Or do you think I¡¯m not hot enough?¡± Very few men in the world could resist the charm of a beautiful and capable woman like Aria. She really couldn¡¯t understand why Bruce rejected her. After all, when a man slept with a woman, only the woman would get the short end. Besides, Aria was such a beautiful and smart woman. She was willing to give everything she had to him, and she wondered why he refused to ept her. ¡°Aria, you don¡¯t understand love at all. ¡°Your so-called love is just your possessiveness. You don¡¯t love me at all. You can¡¯t stand the fact that I got over you first. That¡¯s why you feel indignant and frustrated,¡± Bruce replied coldly, feeling disgusted. Joanna had said this sentence to Bruce before. Now, he said it to Aria word for word. When Aria heard this, she looked at Bruce thoughtfully. Perhaps, she was just indeed indignant. However, her life wasing to an end. She no longer wanted to think about right or wrong. ¡°Whatever you say. ¡°Now, you can only belong to me. Your body and your heart can only belong to me.¡± Bruce waspletely lost for words. He felt extremely disgusted. What Aria said to him was what he had said to Joanna in the past. It was true that there was karma. Bruce could now deeply understand the hatred and disgust Joanna had for him back then. Aria didn¡¯t say anything else. She coldly turned around and pushed the wheelchair over. Then, she moved Bruce to the wheelchair and pushed him toward the bathroom. Aria was a special talent of the National Defense Bureau, so she was quite skilled at fighting. Even if she was now a terminal patient, she could still defeat about ten burly men. After a few hours of searching, Joanna, Darcy, and the others finally followed the instructions on the map and found this ce. ¡°Miss Haynes, look, there are traces of car tires here. Aria and Mr. Everett must be nearby.¡± Joanna took a look and was even more excited. ¡°They must be here. Hurry up and look for them.¡± Cherron hurriedly drove forward along the ruts. After driving for about 1.2 to 1.9 miles, a row of wooden houses appeared in front of them. There was a medium-sized touring car parked beside a patch of weeds. Seeing this, Darcy became even more excited. ¡°We¡¯re right. This is Aria¡¯s car. She just drove this car to take Mr. Everett away.¡± ¡°Then hurry and stop the car. Let¡¯s go in and take a look,¡± ordered Joanna. ¡°Miss Haynes, be careful. Aria is a cunning woman. She will definitely be on guard.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Yes, we have to be wary of such a cunning woman.¡± Joanna agreed after hearing their words. Chapter 819 Chapter 819 Chapter 819 Darcy and Cherron got out of the car first. Both of them brought ivory pistols. Antlen was also a country that banned guns. Therefore, they could only bring specially modified guns when traveling far away to prevent the police from finding them out. To the rafias and the local gangs would definitely not be restricted. Ho arrogant. ¡°Be careful. Go over there, and I¡¯ll go this way.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy and Cherron split up. Tatiana observed for a while and couldn¡¯t wait to rush in to save Bruce. ¡°Miss Haynes, most people were still not that go in too.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Send Benny and the others a location first and ask them to bring people over immediately.¡± When Tatiana heard this, she felt disdain. Inwardly, sheined, ¡°There is just a weak woman inside, isn¡¯t it? Is it necessary to mobilize so many people as if we were facing a great enemy?¡± However, Tatiana still replied casually, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send it right now.¡± Darcy and Cherron went left and right respectively. The two of them slowly approached the wooden house. Through the window, Aria could already see that someone had broken in. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Then, she took out the tranquilizer gun that she had prepared long ago. Coincidentally, Cherron walked toward the door. Suddenly, something swooshed past him. Cherron was caught off guard and felt a pain in his arm. He looked down and found a small needle on his arm. Less than five secondster, his entire body went numb. Before he could even scream, he had already fallen straight to the ground. Darcy did not notice that Cherron had been defeated. Darcy went around to the back of the house, intending to see if there was a back door. He walked around to the back of the house.. As he expected, there was a back door and an old-fashioned ss window. Darcy looked around warily and cautiously approached the back door. Aria had already discovered his figure. She sneered and with another swoosh, she shot out another anesthetic needle. Darcy¡¯s reaction was rtively fast. He nimbly turned his body and the anesthetic needle swooshed into the grass behind him. At the same time, Darcy loaded his gun. He immediately hid behind a pir at the side and observed the direction of the anesthetic needle with greater vignce. Unfortunately, he was not familiar with the terrain and the structure of the house. Aria had lived here before, so she was naturally familiar with theyout of the house. She quietly went up to the second floor and opened the window. Then, she quickly aimed at Darcy and shot a few anesthetic -needles. Darcy was too busy keeping a wary eye on the doors and windows on the first floor to pay attention to the second floor. ¡°Ouch!¡± Darcy¡¯s shoulder was shot by the anesthetic needle, and he quickly fell to the ground. Joanna and Tatiana also got out of the car and slowly walked in through the main door. With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open and Tatiana walked in first. As soon as she entered, something that looked like a flying needle swooshed over. Due to the distance, Tatiana had enough time to react. ¡°Watch out, Miss Haynes!¡± Tatiana raised the dagger in her hand and blocked the anesthetic needle. Joanna was shocked and subconsciously took a step back. Aria was wearing a white silk nightgown. She stood on the stairs on the second floor and looked at Joanna with a faint smile. Joanna also saw Aria and was instantly furious. ¡°Aria, where is Bruce?¡± When Aria heard this, she put down the anesthetic gun in her hand. Anyway, all the needles had already been shot, and it was pointless to hold it. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re quite something. You actually found this ce.¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened as she roared angrily, ¡°Aria, where is Bruce? What did you do to him? ¡°I trusted you so much to let you take him away. I really didn¡¯t expect you to do such a thing.¡± When Aria heard this, she smiled disdainfully at Joanna. ¡°Ha! Joanna Haynes, I really don¡¯t understand why I actually lost to a woman like you. ¡°What¡¯s so good about you that makes Bruce love you so much?¡± Joanna snapped, ¡°Aria Bridges, cut the crap! What did you do to him? ¡°Hurry up and hand him over. I¡¯ve already called the police. They¡¯ll be here soon. ¡°If you hurt Bruce, you won¡¯t be able to get away from it.¡± ¡°Things havee to this point. Why should I be afraid of thew¡¯s punishment?¡± After Aria finished speaking, sheughed even more maniacally. ¡°Miss Haynes, let me deal with her. Hurry up and find Mr. Everett.¡± Tatiana was ready tounch an attack. Joanna looked at Tatiana worriedly. ¡°Tatiana, be careful.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tatiana randomly moved her limbs and looked at Aria warily like a cheetah ready to attack. Aria stood on the stairs and looked down at Tatiana with a hint of disdain in her eyes. Joanna couldn¡¯t care less and rushed to the side. She couldn¡¯t wait to go to the bedroom to look for Bruce. Seeing this, Aria slid down the stairs nimbly. Just as she was about tond, she made her legs stiff and straight. With the help of inertia, Aria focused all the strength in her body on her legs and gave Joanna a fierce side kick. Joanna was shocked when she saw this. She retreated and rolled to the side, avoiding Aria¡¯s fatal kick. ¡°Aria Bridges, don¡¯t go too far.¡± Joanna dodged the fatal kick. Arianded steadily on the ground, surprise appearing in her eyes. ¡°Ha! I didn¡¯t expect eye candy like you to have some skills as well.¡± Joanna frowned and stared at Aria sinisterly. Joanna had practiced female self-defense before, and her reaction was agile enough. Even if she was not Aria¡¯s match, she would not be defeated by Aria in one move. Chapter 820 Chapter 820 Chapter 820 Tatiana stood in front of Joanna, shielding her. ¡°Miss Haynes, leave this to me.¡± ¡°Tatiana, be careful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got this.¡± Tatiana answered, taking two steps forward. She was ready to give Aria an over-the-shoulder drop. Aria sneered. She leaned onto the table with one hand and jump-kicked Tatiana in her chest. Tatiana stumbled a few steps back before she managed to stand upright. Only an expert would have known how good that move was. Once both were engaged in the fight, Tatiana no longer risked letting her guard down. She had never expected Aria, who looked so weak, to be so skilled. Even as a special bodyguard, Tatiana knew she couldn¡¯t win the fight using only her skills. Both women made a couple more moves. Neither of them took the fight lightly. Tatiana¡¯s skills were quite impressive. Even though she had struggled to subdue Aria from the get-go, she still managed to hold on for a while. Joanna took the opportunity to escape and rushed toward the bedroom. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, where are you?¡± ¡°Bruce,/answer me if you hear me¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t in the bedroom. Joanna quickly searched another room and a warehouse. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t there. Joanna¡¯s heart was in a state of unrest. She was afraid that Bruce had already run out of luck. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡±. Joanna walked around the first floor again. Just as she was about to go up to the second floor to continue searching, she noticed another bathroom on the first floor. She quickly ran towards the bathroom. Bang! The bathroom door was kicked open. There was water all over the bathroom floor. It was up to her ankles. The tap was running. ¡°Bruce, are you inside?¡± Joanna took a few steps inside, wading through the water. Opening the shower curtain, she saw a massive double bathtub inside. Water continuously gushed out of the bathtub. Bruce¡¯s hands and legs were tied up, and his body was doused in the bathtub. His head waspletely submerged in the bathtub. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Because of the virus, Bruce no longer had the strength to resist, let alone break free from the rope and climb out of the bathtub. He was about to suffocate, but his strong will to live made him use all his strength to take a deep breath at the water¡¯s surface before sinking back into the water. He drank countless mouthfuls of water over and over again. ¡°Oh my god, Bruce¡­¡± Joanna screamed as she rushed to the bathtub.. She reached out and cradled his head in her arms. Then, she used all her strength to drag him out of the bathtub. Bruce was ¡°naked.¡± His hands and feet were tied tightly with a rope. His face had already turned dark purple, and he was about to lose consciousness. When Joanna saw this, it felt like her heart was being cut through with a knife. Tears flowed down her face instantly. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± She hurriedly untied the rope on Bruce¡¯s hands and feet and ced his body t on the floor. ¡°Bruce. Please. You have to hold on. It¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯ll all be fine.¡± While crying, Joanna began to perform chestpressions and mouth-to-mouth. She performed a few rounds of CPR, especially mouth-to-mouth. Finally¡­ After doing more than ten rounds of CPR. ¡°Uh, uh, uh, uh¡­.¡±. Water continuously spewed out of Bruce¡¯s mouth and nose. Seeing this, Joanna was relieved and quickly helped him to calm his breathing. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Cough cough. Joann. Cough cough.¡± Bruce weakly said and smiled at her. If Joanna hade anyter, Bruce definitely would have drowned. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you out of here. We¡¯ll leave this ce immediately.¡± Joanna put Bruce¡¯s arm on her shoulder and tried to help him. Unfortunately, Bruce was 6.2 feet tall. His entire body was wet, and Joanna could not pick him up, no matter how hard she tried. ¡°Joann, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. Leave quickly. You need to leave quickly¡­¡± ¡°Aria has gone crazy. If you don¡¯t leave now, you¡¯ll be out of luck¡­¡± Bruce panted and was in a daze. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already sent our location to Benny and Tommy. They¡¯ll be here to pick us up soon.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get up. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital immediately.¡± Joanna grabbed his arm and tried her best to pull him up. Bruce tried not to dy any longer. He mustered all his strength and staggered to his feet. ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t be afraid¡­ Ah¡­¡± Joanna barely took two steps when Bruce staggered and fell heavily to the ground again. ¡°Bruce, be strong and get up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Bruce poured out a soft breath and said weakly, ¡°¡­Joann, I can¡¯t take it anymore. Don¡¯t worry about me. Please hurry up and leave this ce.¡± ¡°No, I am not leaving without you.¡± Joanna burst into tears. She hugged him tightly and tried to pick him up. Bruce had no more strength left in him. He knew he would die without taking the third antiviral serum, even if he sessfully left this ce. ¡°Joann. Listen to me. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. We can¡¯t both die here. You need to go back and take good care of our children¡­.¡± As they were talking¡­ The door drifted open, revealing Aria¡¯s figure. She was holding a revolver in her hand and walked towards Joanna viciously. ¡°Joann, watch out¡­.¡± Chapter 821 Chapter 821 Chapter 821 Aria treaded through the water and pounced over, hitting Joanna¡¯s head with the revolver. Aria had be a killing machine, killing many people and sacrificing everything. Since Bruce and Joanna gave Aria a hard time, Aria didn¡¯t intend to make them have it easy. Aria¡¯s blow smashed Joanna¡¯s head, causing it to split. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s pupils constricted, and his heart stopped momentarily. ¡°Joann¡­¡± He used all his strength to try and shield Joanna. Unfortunately, he was too powerless to fight or do anything. He watched in despair and horror as the revolver fell to the ground. The revolver was right in front of him. Joanna had no time to react. She could only make a hasty attack. Instead of running away, she advanced and used all her strength to collide with Aria. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± Joanna crashed into Aria¡¯s arms. Aria staggered from the impact. The revolver in her hand misfired, hitting Joanna¡¯s arm. Crack! ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Joanna screamed. Her arm was wounded, and it was so painful she almost passed out. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce cried out weakly. Joanna¡¯s arm was hurt. Thankfully the revolver did not fire at her head. Her wrist was damaged, but it saved her life. ¡°You want to die!¡± Aria¡¯s eyes revealed a hint of ferocity as she tried to shake off Joanna. Joanna used all her strength to push Aria. ¡°Ssh!¡± Aria staggered a step back and fell to the ground. Joanna¡¯s arm felt painful but she did not let go of Aria. She pushed her to the floor and held her down. Aria couldn¡¯t push Joanna off her. So, she picked up the revolver and hit Joanna¡¯s back several times. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna cried out in pain and rolled on the ground with Aria. Water was all over the ground, and the two women got drenched as they fought in the water. What a pity! Joanna was no match for Aria, even though she tried her best and put her life on the line. Aria was an exceptional fighter. She was at the same level as Bruce. Tatiana was no match for Aria, let alone Joanna. She had no chance. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Joanna was too powerless to fight back. Aria grabbed her hair and flung her off her body. Joanna tumbled and rolled to the bathroom door. ¡°Cough, cough, uh¡­¡± Joanna opened her mouth and spat out two mouthfuls of blood. Then, she slumped to the ground and was about to faint. Aria stood up and straightened her neck as she looked at Joanna viciously. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s all this woman¡¯s fault for ruining our love.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let this intruder, this culprit, die in front of you right now.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Aria with grief and resentment. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t¡­ I beg you¡­ don¡¯t hurt her.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°As long as you let her go¡­ I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to do¡­ I beg you, let her go!¡± Bruce begged as he grabbed Aria¡¯s ankle with trembling hands. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her, please¡­¡± The more he begged her in a lowly and panicked manner, the more Aria felt like thousands of swords were piercing her Bruce had always been unruly and arrogant when he was with her. No matter how much she had threatened and tempted him, he always refused to give in to her. And now, he was humbly begging her to let this woman go.. She couldn¡¯t stomach the feeling of being unable to love him. Ariaughed maniacally. As sheughed, tears streamed down her face again. ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re the perfect match.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all this woman¡¯s fault for ruining our love. When she dies, we can be together atst¡­¡± ¡°Aria, I beg you, don¡¯t hurt her! I will do anything you want¡­¡± Bruce was utterly panicked. All that mattered was that Aria released Joanna. Bruce didn¡¯t care about anything else. While Aria was distracted, Joanna mustered enough courage and energy; she got up wobbling. She couldn¡¯t beat Aria. She could only try to stall for as long as possible and deal with Aria the best she could. Benny and Tommy had been sent a location and were probably close. They had to have rushed over as soon as they received the message, ¡°¡­Aria, I¡¯m not afraid of you. Come and kill me if you can.¡± Joanna feared that Aria would harm Bruce, so she kept provoking her. As expected, Aria was enraged. She kicked Bruce off her legs and chased Joanna out of the bathroom. ¡°Oh, you had a chance. to die but chose to suffer instead. There¡¯s no way out of this; you will suffer and die.¡± ¡°I only wanted to spend thest part of my life with Bruce peacefully. Now you¡¯ve brought people to mess it all up. You can¡¯t me me for killing you!¡± ¡°You have led yourself to your death.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. All three of us can die and go to hell together¡­¡± Joanna covered her arm to stop the bleeding and quickly calmed down. She focused on Aria¡¯s every move and retreated step by step. The house¡¯s interior was veryplicated. There were many misceneous items and obstacles everywhere. She couldn¡¯t defeat Aria, and of course, she couldn¡¯t fight her head-on. She could only rely on her intelligence and calmness to stall for as long as possible. ¡°Aria, you don¡¯t understand love at all. True love is fulfillment and tolerance, not possession and paranoia.¡± ¡°You were the one who abandoned Bruce back then. What right do you have to force him to love Aria approached Joanna step by step and became hysterical. ¡°Joanna, it¡¯s all your fault. You stole Bruce-from me.¡± ¡°Bruce wouldn¡¯t have changed his mind if it weren¡¯t for you.¡± you now?¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who deserves to die the most. I didn¡¯t want to hurt you initially, but you got ahead of yourself.¡± ¡°No one in the world loves Bruce more than I do. No one knows him better than me. How can a vulgar person like you be worthy of Bruce¡¯s love?¡± Joanna sneered. She had finally reached the living room and had sessfully lured Aria out of the bathroom. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re such a despicable woman; it¡¯s terrifying.¡± ¡°Of course, Bruce wouldn¡¯t love you. You think you know him well. Well, that¡¯s only in your imagination.¡± ¡°Do you know what he likes? Do you know his favorite food? Do you know what color he likes to wear?¡± ¡°If you truly know him, you should know why he doesn¡¯t love you anymore.¡± ¡°He might have loved you once, but that was only in the past! Love never disappears; it just moves on. You should look within yourself for answers instead of hating others like a lunatic!¡± Joanna¡¯s words angered Aria. ¡°Don¡¯t dare say another word. As long as I kill you, Bruce and I will return to what we were in the past.¡± When Aria finished speaking fiercely, she quickened her pace and pounced at Joanna like a lioness. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna dodged and quickly moved to the other side of the table to circle Aria. When Aria chased Joanna to the left, Joanna ran to the right. She chased Joanna to the right, and Joanna quickly dodged to the left. After a few rounds around the table. Aria was exasperated and roared fiercely, ¡°You deserve to die.¡± ¡°If you think you have the guts to defeat me, let¡¯s fight it out. If you win, I¡¯ll let you take Bruce away.¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Aria, just because I can¡¯t beat you doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m afraid of you.¡± ¡°How can Ipare myself to a lunatic? A lunatic attacks people recklessly. I can¡¯t match up to a lunatic¡¯s attack.¡± When Aria heard this, she gritted her teeth. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll make you pay for your sharp tongue.¡± She chased Joanna around a few times. Aria still struggled to catch Joanna. She was sick, after all. She had been given strong antibiotics, and her stamina was still limited. Aria changed her mind and jumped onto the table. She spun and tumbled across the table to Joanna. Seeing this, Joanna did not attempt to fight with her. She immediately turned around and ran towards the second floor. There was a room on the second floor. She could temporarily keep herself safe as long as she could hide in her room and lock the door. Aria then chased after her to the second floor. On the other side¡­. Bruce¡¯s consciousness was gradually fading. However, his heart rate was elerating because he was worried about Joanna¡¯s safety, and his adrenaline was soaring. His strong desire to live helped him as he struggled to crawl out of the bathroom. Then hey down in the bedroom for a bit. He knew that Aria had ced the third antiviral serum in the bedroom. There was nothing he could do now¡­ He had to find the serum and inject it into himself immediately. Only after removing the poison from his body could he have the ability to save Joanna. ¡°Bruce, you must persevere. You can do it. You don¡¯t give up.¡± Bruce used both hands and feet to crawl. He bit his tongue hard with every step and used the pain to motivate himself not to faint ¡°Uh,e on. You can do it. Joann, please hold on¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turnedpletely red as he broke out in a cold sweat. Chapter 822 Chapter 822 Chapter 822 Bruce did not give up and could not allow himself to do so. He had to risk everything and crawl toward the bedroom. Joanna had already run up to the second floor. There were several bedroonis on the second floor. She hurried to the bedroom closest to her, pushed open the door, and ran in. Then, she hurriedly closed the door. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna screamed. It was toote to close the door. Bang! Before she could close the door, Aria kicked it open. Joanna held her breath and turned to smash the vase and random items at Aria. ng! ng! Aria was like a bitter ghost that was after Joanna¡¯s life. She didn¡¯t care what Joanna threw at her. Soon. Joanna had already smashed everything within her reach, but that didn¡¯t stop Aria¡¯s advance. Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding as she took more steps backward. In the blink of an eye, she could no longer retreat. She had reached the wall behind her, feeling like a mouse forced into a corner by a vicious cat. ¡°Run! Keep running!¡± Aria looked at Joanna mockingly, her eyes filled with killing intent. Joanna couldn¡¯t help but shiver. There was a hint of despair in her voice. ¡°Aria, Bruce won¡¯t love you even if you kill me. He will only hate you even more.¡± ¡°We could have been friends. You ruined everything for Bruce. You ruined our happy family.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the intruder. You¡¯re a crazy and hateful home-wrecker.¡± ¡°Oh, look at you. You¡¯re still so stubborn, even at the brink of death!¡± Aria raised her eyebrows and looked at Joanna disdainfully. ¡°I¡¯ll knock out your teeth one by one. I hate women like you the most. You¡¯re always favored, and have luck on your side.¡± As Aria spoke, her eyes darkened. She raised the revolver in her hand and smashed it at Joanna again. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna could no longer step back or run away. There was no room for her to fight back. She could only close her eyes in despair and wait for death. At the same time. Bruce had already crawled to the bedroom with difficulty. The antiviral serum was lying on the table. Bruce was excited. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and crawled to the table. Finally, finally¡­ He crawled to the table and staggered to his feet. He looked at the antiviral serum in front of him. He did not dy for a moment. He immediately opened the serum potion and sucked it out with a syringe. When all the medicine got into the syringe, he injected the vein in his left arm without hesitation. The serum was introduced into his body. Bruce¡¯s breathing gradually stabilized, and his turbid vision slowly recovered. In less than a minute, he had recovered a lot and was no longer as powerless as before. Although he had not fully recovered from his usual physical strength, his attitude improved. Bruce did not wait for the serum to absorb and bepletely effective. He rushed to the second floor like an arrow released from its bow. In the bedroom on the second floor. Aria raised the revolver high and was wildly smashing it at Joanna. Joanna was already powerless to resist. She could only curl up as much as possible and protect her head with her arms. At that moment, her saving grace hade. Someone suddenly grabbed the hair on the back of Aria¡¯s head. Then, a fierce force dragged Aria by her hair and lifted her off the ground before throwing her out heavily. ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Aria screamed. ¡°Plop¡­¡± Aria flew into the air and fell hard to the ground. Her entire scalp was almost torn off. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Aria rolled on the ground in pain and staggered to her feet while clutching her scalp.. Dark red blood dripped down her scalp. The blood had blurred her vision, and she could barely see. In front of her¡­ Bruce¡¯s stood looking cold and gloomy. His scarlet eyes stared at her with a murderous look. Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She staggered again and nearly knelt on the ground. ¡°¡­Bruce¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned fierce. He kicked Aria¡¯s chest before she could stand up again. ¡°Bang¡­¡± ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± Aria let out another miserable and weak scream. ng! ng! ng! ng! Aria was at the staircase on the second floor when Bruce kicked her away. Her entire body flew into the air and fell heavily on the stairs. Then, she curled up into a ball and rolled down the stairs. ¡°Pfft, pfft!¡± After Arianded, her mind went nk. She tilted her head and spat out two mouthfuls of blood. There were fractures all over her body, and her internal organs felt like they had shifted. Bruce wasn¡¯t bothered about dealing with Aria anymore. He hurriedly rushed into the room to check on Joanna¡¯s injuries. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± Bruce was burning with anxiety as he scrambled to Joanna¡¯s side. Joanna was covered in blood and had many fractures all over his body. She nced at Bruce weakly. Blood kept flowing out of her mouth and nose. ¡°Bruce¡­ Uh, cough¡­¡± Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart ached so much that it felt like it was about to give out. He used his hand to catch the blood from her mouth and nose. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault for causing you so much pain like this.¡± As Bruce spoke, he hugged Joanna tightly in his arms. His heart hurt so much that he could not breathe. Joanna¡¯s body trembled as she leaned into Bruce¡¯s arms. Her heart was still beating violently. A few secondster. It was only then that she realized that she had escaped death. Although she was seriously injured, a trace of life remained in her. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t protect you enough.¡± Bruce began to cry. Joanna¡¯s hands trembled as she gently hugged Bruce. Unfortunately, her left hand was broken, with several fractures all over her body. Her body was so painful that she could not move at all. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. She could only slightly hug him in response. She was thankful to be still alive. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± Joanna hid in Bruce¡¯s arms and cried fearfully. A moment ago, she had thought she was going to die. ¡°Bruce¡­ Boohoo¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± ¡°¡­As long as you¡¯re fine. As long as you¡¯re okay.¡± Joanna hugged Bruce as hard as possible and cried loudly. After that moment of life and death, she was shaken. She did not want to travel out of the country again. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. Let¡¯s leave now. We¡¯ll never be apart again. Never¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce bent down and used all his strength to carry Joanna. She was seriously injured and had to be sent to the hospital for treatment immediately. Bruce staggered down the second floor with Joanna in his arms. Downstairs. Aria had many fractures all over her body. Thest kick she had endured severely injured her. It felt like her heart and lungs had almost exploded. Now that she was on the ground, she no longer had the strength to stand up. Crack! The door was kicked open. Benny and Tom rushed in with the other bodyguards. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes! We¡¯ve finally found you.¡± Chapter 823 Chapter 823 Chapter 823 The house was a mess. It was as if it had been ransacked. It shocked everyone. There was blood everywhere on the ground. Tatiana and Aria were both lying in a pool of blood, on the verge of death. Darcy and Cherron were also anesthetized and lying outside the house. Mr. Everett¡­ He was ¡®naked¡¯ and covered in wounds. This was the scene in front of them. It gave them the wrong impression that Mr. Everett was having an affair with another woman and was caught in a battle. But in reality¡­ He had almost lost his innocence and his life. ¡°¡­ Mr. Everett, are you alright?¡± Benny asked cautiously. ¡°What do you guys think? What a load of crap. It¡¯s all over, and you guys only thought ofing here now.¡± Bruce cursed fiercely. These bodyguards received the best treatment and were known as the most professional specialized bodyguards. However, all of them were stupid and did not seem to be smart at all. Especially Darcy and Cherron, they were simply useless. But, they could not be med entirely for this. Aria was such an intelligent woman. Bruce had suffered a considerable setback, let alone his bodyguards! ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and help me save her.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± The bodyguards obediently rushed forward to check on Tatiana, Darcy, and everyone else. ¡°Tatiana, are you alright?¡± Tatiana took a deep breath and struggled to get up as she was weak. Unfortunately, she copsed again. ¡°Sorry we werete.¡± The bodyguards looked around vigntly, their eyes filled with anxiety. They were afraid Mr. Everett would get even more angry and fire them. ¡°Cough, cough, stop ming them¡­¡± Joanna almost lost her life, but she still pleaded weakly on behalf of the bodyguards. Bruce frowned when he heard her speak. Although the bodyguards had arrived veryte, Bruce and Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. After all, both were seriously injured and needed immediate care. Tom nced at Aria. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes. How should we handle this woman?¡± Bruce nced at Aria sinisterly. Aria was already on the verge of death and kept vomiting blood. Her eyes were filled with despair as she looked at Bruce unwillingly. ¡°¡­Ah, Bruce¡­¡± Aria¡¯s throat made an extremely weak sound as she tried to speak. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he snatched a specialized, modified pistol from Benny¡¯s hand. Bruce aimed the gun straight at Aria. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Bruce was still furious and fired three shots at Aria. The first shot hit her left shoulder. The second shot hit her in the shin. The third shot hit a few inches above her head. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Aria was shot twice, and she let out another painful whimper. Unfortunately, she no longer had the strength to struggle. Even breathing was incredibly difficult. ¡°Ugh, ah, Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me by my name.¡± ¡°Aria, I really want to shoot your head off,¡± Bruce said hatefully and sinisterly. He pulled back his wrist and put away the pistol. It would be easy to kill her. He wanted to shoot her. However, he couldn¡¯t. Aria had a unique reputation. She was also a unique, talented agent, particrly chosen and secretly trained by Mr. Thompson. To a certain extent, they were colleagues. If he killed her, he had no way to exin to the organization. Even if he wanted to dispose of her, he¡¯d be better off handing her over to the organization. Aria whimpered in pain. Tears and blood blurred her eyes. ¡°¡­Ah, Bruce, I beg you, give me another shot¡­¡± ¡°Let me¡­ let me die in pain!¡± After Aria finished speaking, she couldn¡¯t help but breathe out. Although Bruce shot her twice, he did not hit her vitals. She would not die instantly or anytime soon. However, the intense pain all over her body and the pain in her heart made her want to die. At that moment, Aria just wanted to die a quick death. She only wanted to die by his hands. ¡°Hmph, you think killing you is enough for me?¡± Bruce said coldly and did not look at her again. ¡°Benny, drive to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do with this woman?¡± Bruce frowned and thought for a moment. ¡°Throw her at the hospital entrance and let her fend for herself.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, do we need to call the police?¡± Bruce calmed down and said coldly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to call the police. Send someone to throw her at the entrance of the hospital.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Then. The bodyguards split up and carried Darcy and Cherron into the car. They also bandaged Tatiana and took her into the car Bruce staggered back to his bedroom and found his clothes. After putting on his clothes, he carried Joanna and left the cabin. They all rushed to the hospital. In the car. Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and said with heart-aching pain. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be at the hospital soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for not protecting you well. You almost lost your life because of me!¡± As Bruce spoke, he felt a lump in his throat and could not help but cry.. He had always promised Joanna that he would protect her for the rest of her life and not let anyone hurt her. He had always. been confident he could protect her and the children well. However, reality¡­ was not always as nned. Many things in life are unexpected and beyond his control. ¡°I hate myself for what has happened. I shouldn¡¯t have let a lunatic into house.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been merciful¡­¡± my ¡­Cough, cough, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Joanna smiled at him, wanting tofort him. Unfortunately, she was too severely injured and passed out. Several of their cars were speeding toward the hospital. The nearest hospital was more than 62 miles away. The drive would take at least an hour. Fortunately, Aria¡¯s touring car had glucose, antibiotics, and painkillers.. Bruce bandaged Joanna and gave her painkillers. An hour and a halfter. At the hospital. Benny drove Joanna and Tatiana to thergest private hospital in the area. Tom drove Aria to another hospital on his own. Bruce wanted to kill Aria with his bare hands. But he reasoned with himself and did not kill her. He had to truthfully report this situation to Mr. Thompson and request that Aria be rigorously punished. Moreover, when he returned to the country, he would immediately submit his resignation letter to Mr. Thompson and leave the organization by all means. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re at the hospital.¡±. ¡°Get out of the car.¡± Bruce carried Joanna out of the car. ¡°Doctor, quickly save her¡­¡± Soon after. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Joanna was pushed into the operating room, and Tatiana was taken into another. Joanna¡¯s left arm and one of her ribs were broken. Her left eardrum was also ruptured, and she was afraid she would have a hearing impairment. Tatiana was covered in wounds. She was in worse condition than Joanna. Darcy and Cherron were drugged, but they were stable. They only had a few bruises. Chapter 824 Chapter 824 Chapter 824 Once they arrived at the hospital. Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief and sent Joanna into the operating room. He staggered, and his vision turned ck as he fell forward. The two bodyguards reacted quickly and instantly supported him. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Oh no, Mr. Everett has fainted. Hurry up and call the doctor¡­¡± Bruce had already lost consciousness. He injected himself with the third antiviral serum but was physically exhausted. Moreover, it seemed that the serum was very potent. After injecting it into his body, it caused his body to develop a high fever and drowsiness. Until this point, he had relied entirely on his willpower to keep going. Ten hourster. Bruce had slept long before finally waking up in a daze. ¡°Joann¡­Joann¡­¡± Darcy and Benny were close to him, guarding him. They came over to greet him when they saw that he was awake. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re awake?¡± Bruce opened his eyes weakly. After nearly a minute, the nerves in his brain finally wired back to normal. ¡°¡­Where¡¯s Joann? Where is she now?¡± Bruce suddenly sat up straight. Because he got up too quickly, he felt a rush in his brain. His head felt congested, and it hurt even more before it calmed. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry. Madam has already received treatment. She¡¯s resting in the ward now¡­¡± ¡°I need to see her immediately!¡± Bruce said as he lifted the nket. He was anxious to see Joanna. Unable to dissuade Bruce, the two bodyguards had no choice but to bring him to Joanna¡¯s ward. In the other ward. Joanna¡¯s left arm was splinted, and her head was wrapped in thick gauze. Many parts of her body were sealed with needles, and her wounds were bandaged. She was a shocking sight to see. Her injuries looked severe, but they were not fatal. She would fully heal after three to five months of recovery. ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce pushed the door open. ¡°Honey, honey, how are you feeling?¡± Bruce took three steps and then basically flew to Joanna¡¯s bed. Joanna¡¯s eyes were so swollen she could barely open them. Her head was also bandaged like a mummy. ¡°¡­ Cough, cough¡­ Thank goodness, he¡¯s not dead¡­¡± Bruce heard this, and his eyes instantly turned red. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. I¡¯ve made you suffer a lot.¡± ¡°We have been shown mercy. We are fortunate to have survived,¡± Joanna said weakly, smiling at Bruce. Aria had forced her into a corner. Deep in her heart, she felt like she was doomed. She had even thought of herst words. When Bruce heard Joanna say those words of gratitude, he held her hand tighter. Their eyes seemed to be glued to each other. Both of them felt like they had been reborn after surviving a cmity. After that life-and-death mishap, their feelings, for each other grew even stronger. Their love was pure; it was a valuable and evesting kind. ¡°Honey, I love you. I¡¯m terrified of losing you,¡± Bruce said as he gently buried his head in Joanna¡¯s arms. *If you leave me, I won¡¯t be able to live¡­¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Me too, honey. I¡¯m also afraid of losing you.¡± Joanna wrapped her right hand around his neck gently. Her voice could not. help but choke up. It felt so good to be alive. She had never been afraid of death in the past. However, in that life-and-death moment, she realized her life was precious. She had so many things to worry about, especially her children. She could not bear to part with them. ¡°I want to go home. I miss the children so much¡­¡± ¡°When you feel better. I¡¯ll go back home immediately.¡± ¡°I want to go back now. I don¡¯t want to wait another moment.¡± Bruce listened-he agreed with her. ¡°No, your injuries are quite serious now. You have to receive treatment in the hospital for some time.¡± Joanna sniffled sadly. ¡°I can take it. I want to go home now. I don¡¯t want to stay here for a moment longer.¡± When Bruce heard her, he frowned and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡± 1 With that, Bruce stood up and left the ward. It was also better to return to their home country as soon as possible to prevent other incidents from happening. ¡°Benny, quickly arrange a private ne. We need to return home immediately. The sooner, the better.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Also, hire the most professional medical care team. Don¡¯t worry about the money. Everything has to be the best.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it right away.¡± After giving his instructions, Bruce immediately returned to the ward. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve already asked Benny to prepare a private ne. At the same time, I¡¯ll hire a medical team to apany us. Once we¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll go home immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, I really miss the children.¡± Joanna nodded in response, her tears still flowing uncontrobly. ¡°My sweetheart, stop crying.¡± ¡°When you cry, I will start to cry too.¡± As Bruce spoke, his tears flowed even more than Joanna¡¯s. In the past, he was not a sentimental person. Three to five years would go by, and he would not shed a tear. However, his tear ducts had be extremely active since he got together with Joanna. When he was happy, he would cry. When he was sad, he could not help but cry. He became more of an emotional and gentle person. Chapter 825 Chapter 825 Chapter 825 Beep, beep, beep. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. The bodyguard was handing it over to her! ¡°Miss Haynes, your phone is ringing. Do you want to answer it?¡± Joanna frowned and asked, ¡°Please check. Who is calling me!¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Mr. Derick calling.¡± When Bruce heard this, he sighed. ¡°You¡¯re injured now. It¡¯s best not to answer it. You wouldn¡¯t want to scare the children.¡± ¡°Pass me the phone.¡± Joanna reached out her right hand and took the phone. Davian was video-calling her on Messenger. Joanna switched the video call to a voice call and answered the call. ¡°Hello, baby¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Davian¡¯s worried voice sounded, ¡°Mommy, why haven¡¯t you been answering your phone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been calling you a lot these past few days. Why didn¡¯t you answer? Do you know how worried my siblings and I are?¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more upset. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, baby. Mommy had a small problem to handle and couldn¡¯t answer your call.¡± ¡°Mommy, what happened to you?¡± Davian asked even more worriedly. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just a small issue, but it¡¯s all settled now.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Oh, did you find Daddy?¡± ¡°How¡¯s Daddy doing now?¡± When Joanna heard this, she unconsciously nced at Bruce. When Bruce heard that his son was concerned about him, the corners of his eyes could not help but curl up. The brat was finally not useless anymore. He was now worrying about his father. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already found Daddy.¡± ¡°When are you guysing back? We miss you so much.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and replied gently, ¡°Soon. We¡¯ve already booked a ne back home. We¡¯ll be back in about three days. Five days at most.¡± They could not return home immediately if they booked a private ne. There were still a lot of procedures that needed to be done. It would take at least three to four days. When Davian heard this, he was a little disappointed. ¡°Huh? It will take that long?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Before Davian could finish, Irvin had already snatched the phone away impatiently. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s Irvin.¡± Then, Lilia¡¯s crisp voice sounded, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s Lilia. Why didn¡¯t you turn on your video?¡± ¡°We miss you so much. We want to video call you.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Mommy can¡¯t take a video call now.¡± ¡°Mommy, is Daddying back with you?¡± Lilia asked impatiently. When Bruce heard this, he took the phone and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Yes, Lilia, baby. Daddy and Mommy wille back together.¡± When Lilia heard her father¡¯s voice, she was instantly overjoyed. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s Daddy!¡± ¡°Devin, Daddy¡¯s on the phone. Daddy, where are you? Why didn¡¯t you call us? You have no idea how worried we are about you¡­¡± After saying that, Lilia couldn¡¯t help but cry. Hearing Lilia¡¯s voice, Bruce¡¯s eyes could not help but sting again. He could not help but want to cry again. He could not wait to return home and hug his precious little princess. ¡°It¡¯s all Daddy¡¯s fault. I¡¯ll make it up to you when Ie back.¡± ¡°Do you miss Daddy? Daddy misses you very much, Lilia.¡± ¡°Of course I do! Daddy,e back quickly with Mommy. My brothers also miss you guys very much.¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re Daddy¡¯s favorite. He only misses you and doesn¡¯t miss the two of us at all.¡± ¡°No, I miss you too, Devin.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy has a favorite; he doesn¡¯t miss us¡­¡± Irvin strongly expressed his dissatisfaction. Chapter 826 Chapter 826 Chapter 826 Bruce did not care about the mor of the two brats. After all, he had three mischievous sons and only had one caring little cute girl. That¡¯s why he favored Lilia the most. ¡°Baby Lilia, Daddy will bring you a gift when we return. Tell me, sweety, what do you want?¡± ¡°Daddy, please buy me anything you can.¡± When Irvin heard this, he looked even more envious. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ Davian, are we not his children too?¡± Davian nced at his younger brother. He was also very speechless. But he would not fight with his sister to receive affection. Lilia sniffled and replied warmly, ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I want Daddy and Mommy toe back quickly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Daddy¡¯s darling. Don¡¯t worry! When we return home, I will bring you the most beautiful clothes, bags, and toys.¡± ¡°Daddy, I don¡¯t need anything¡­¡± Lilia quickly rejected Bruce¡¯s offer. Bruce doted on his daughter. Whenever a new toy model or clothing style was on the market in Greyport, Lilia would surely be the first to own them. They were some of the world¡¯s top luxury brands. Lilia¡¯s beautiful clothes were never worn out.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. As for the other two brats, they did not receive such special treatment from Bruce. Irvin hurriedly took the phone. ¡°Daddy, can you please buy me a limited edition figurine?¡± ¡°I want¡­¡± ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t have time to buy it.¡± Upon hearing this, Irvin¡¯s face darkened. Tsk, tsk, tsk! He was so unfair. He shouldn¡¯t expect him to be filial in the years ahead. ¡°Alright, Daddy and Mommy will be back soon. Be good at home.¡± ¡°Yes, okay. I understand.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s all for now. I¡¯ll hang up now. Daddy.¡± ¡°Mwah!¡± Lilia kissed the phone. Bruce also blew a kiss back at the phone. ¡°Goodbye, my baby.¡± After hanging up. Joanna looked at him speechlessly. She didn¡¯t want Bruce to be unfair to the children and have a favorite. Children¡¯s hearts were very immature and fragile. If they were treated differently, their personalities would be delicate. However, she couldn¡¯t say much. She was seriously injured, and her speech was wimpy. It was better to wait until they returned to Greyport before she talked him through this issue. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± There was a knock on the door. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Benny pushed open the door of the ward and walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett,¡± he said respectfully, ¡°The airline has already confirmed the flight route.¡± ¡°The ne leaves at 10:00 a.m. next Monday.¡± Bruce subconsciously asked, ¡°What day is it today?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Wednesday.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t it take off earlier?¡± ¡°This is the earliest route we can take.¡± Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s arrange it then.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Benny said, then turned and left the ward. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do for now, but it¡¯s good. You can rest in the hospital for a few more days.¡± Joann¨¢ didn¡¯t say anything else. Bruce couldn¡¯t rush the ne, so that¡¯s all he could do now. In a sh. It was already the following Monday. The medical staff transferred Joanna to a small stretcher early in the morning. They carefully pushed Joanna into a specialized ambnce and went to the airport. A team of twelve medical personnel apanied them back to their country. Greyport. After a 12-hour flight. The ne finallynded safely at Greyport Airport. The butler had already organized a specialized vehicle to pick them up. After getting off the ne, medical personnel escorted Bruce and Joanna out of the airport. Gael and Miranda, and many others were stunned when they saw a group of people walking over to them. ¡°Oh my god, how did this happen again?¡± They already knew that Joanna-was injured but didn¡¯t expect it to be so severe. ¡°Joann, how did it end up like this?¡± Miranda almost did not recognize Joanna. She walked up to her with a look of horror and despair. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Hurry up and send Joann to the hospital.¡± ¡°Alright, the car is ready.¡± The medical staff escorted Tatiana to Greyport Hospital. It was past eight in the evening. The children were also brought to the hospital to visit their parents. In the ward. Davian and Irvin were the first to push the door open and enter. Mommy, Daddy¡­¡± Behind the two boys, Lilia walked in, followed by the babysitters The three little kids were stunned when they saw their parents. They could not believe the woman lying on the bed was their mommy. Mommy was okay when she left. How did she be like this when she returned? Her arm was splinted and cast, her head was wrapped in thick gauze, and her eyes were so swollen that she could barely open them. ¡°¡­Is that Mommy?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my babies?¡± Joanna replied weakly. The three children were even more shocked when they heard their mommy¡¯s voice. ¡°Mommy, how did you be like this?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, Mommy got into an ident overseas!¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while.¡± Joanna was afraid. She didn¡¯t want the children to know too much, so she hid the truth. ¡°Mommy, are you in a lot of pain?¡± The three little ones asked, carefully surrounding Joanna. Everyone¡¯s eyes were wet, and Lilia even cried. ¡°It¡¯s alright! Mommy¡­ isn¡¯t in pain.¡± As if it didn¡¯t hurt. Bruce was also very excited to see the children. ¡°My babies.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes reddened as she walked towards her daddy.¡± Bruce hurriedly lifted his daughter. ¡°Wow, Lilia. You have grown taller.¡± As he spoke, Bruce rubbed his daughter¡¯s leg with grief. She could only wear electric prosthetics every day. Although she could still walk sluggishly, it was pretty ufortable. When Joanna felt better, he would take his daughter to Gaprington for corrective surgery. ¡°Give Daddy a kiss.¡± ¡°Mwah, mwah.¡± After hugging Lilia. Bruce¡¯s eyes drifted to Devin again. The little guy was well-fed. His arms and legs were chubby. They were like pink rounded rods. His plump face was fair and delicate. Bruce hugged his son and could not help but kiss his face. Then, he buried his nose in the crook of his son¡¯s neck and sniffed the milky fragrance on his body. At this moment. He felt happiness was that simple. ¡°Look at this munchkin. He¡¯s so chubby now.¡± When the babysitters heard this and smiled happily. They f¨¦lt gratified and proud of taking care of Devin and obtaining Mr. Everett¡¯s praise. These three months of hard work were very worth it. ¡°Hmph, Daddy is unfair.¡± ¡°He only hugged Lilia and Devin. He ignored us. Hmph¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help butugh awkwardly. Then, his face fell again. He held back hisughter and looked at Davian and Irvin. ¡°You two are the older ones. I treat you like big boys.¡± ¡°We¡¯re brothers!¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, they were even more speechless. When Joanna heard this, she was speechless and sighed. ¡°Bruce, they¡¯re still children. This is the time when they need fatherly love. You should treat everyone equally.¡± Bruce shrugged and nced at the two little troublemakers in front of him. Davian and Irvin had inherited his excellent genes. Their legs were long, and their backs were straight. Their figures were perfect. Their appearances were almost a carbon copy of Bruce¡¯s face. They were very handsome. Chapter 827 Chapter 827 Chapter 827 Davian was not yet eight, but he was so tall he could reach the height of Bruce¡¯s chest. He was already a big child. It seemed awkward to kiss, hug, and lift him now. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll treat everyone equally.¡± ¡°Come,e,e. Daddy will carry you,¡± Bruce said as he put Devin down. He stretched out his arms towards Davian, ready to lift him. ¡°Ew¡­ It¡¯s so gross.¡± Davian dodged Bruce with a look of disgust. ¡°Come to me,¡± Bruce said as he bent down to kiss his son again. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Davian¡¯s face darkened. Bruce smiled awkwardly and braced himself to continue, ¡°Let me hug my eldest son.¡± ¡°No. Forget it. You should carry Irvin.¡± ¡°Alright! Come to Daddy. Let me hug you, Irvin.¡± ¡°Ahh. I¡¯m not used to this¡­¡± Irvin was happy to be lifted by his daddy. Bruce carried Irvin. His love for his children was the same. He loved his two sons very much. However, these two boys were already old enough. The way Bruce expressed his love to them was different. In addition, they had not grown up around Bruce, so he wasn¡¯t used to being physically close to his son. ¡°Come and kiss Daddy.¡± Bruce pouted. Unfortunately, he still couldn¡¯t kiss his son¡¯s face. He was his biological son. He was also a big boy! Bruce did not have a habit of kissing people of the same gender. Devin was still young, so it was not awkward to kiss him. ¡°Alright, scram!¡± Bruce could not bring himself to say anything else. He reluctantly put down Irvin again. Davian and Irvin giggled. ¡°Haha, Daddy is so gross.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s too gross. We can¡¯t take it. We don¡¯t want it.¡± The two little guys giggled. They still couldn¡¯t stand their daddy¡¯s kisses and hugs. Bruce and his sons wereughing and bickering in front of Joanna¡¯s bed. Bruce genuinely enjoyed bickering with his two little guys. ¡°Daddy, when are you going to take us riding? It¡¯s been long since you¡¯ve taken us horseriding!¡± ¡°When Mommy feels better, I will take you guys to ride horses.¡± ¡°When I wasn¡¯t around, did you guys practice what I taught you?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m a little rusty.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t find excuses. You are probably beingzy¡­¡± ¡°When did we getzy? We¡¯re¡­ very active!¡± The two brats refused to admit that they werezy. Bruce was bickering with the children. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. The servant handed her the phone. ¡°Madam, your phone is ringing. Do you need to answer it?¡± ¡°Oh, bring it over, please.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± The servant handed the phone over respectfully. Joanna raised her right hand and reluctantly took the phone. The call was from Jaydon. Joanna nced at the phone number. Her expression changed, and she immediately muted it. Bruce was the ultimate jealous man. He hated it when Joanna was in contact with Jaydon. It was best not to answer Jaydon¡¯s call at that moment. She had lent so much money to Jaydon. If Bruce knew, all hell would break loose, and everything woulde crashing down. Seeing that Joanna did not pick up the phone, Bruce¡¯s face turned green. He asked resentfully, ¡°Who called? Why didn¡¯t you pick up?¡± ¡°¡­ Ugh!¡± Joanna looked guilty. She wanted to say something but hesitated. She was thinking about whether or not to tell him. This damn bastard was vile. If she told him, he would be angry. He would be even angrier if she didn¡¯t tell him and he found out later. Seeing Joanna¡¯s hesitation, Bruce frowned. He was not happy at all. ¡°Could it be that annoying man again?¡± Joanna choked. His guess was too urate. Seeing this, Bruce was even more furious. ¡°Call him back and hand the phone over to me. Let me scold that damn annoying man.¡± ¡°What a persistent creep. Even now, he is still hitting on you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯re going to get married again tomorrow.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t start this again.¡± ¡°If Jay contacted me, it doesn¡¯t mean that he is hitting on me. Didn¡¯t I tell you this before? We¡¯re just friends¡­¡± ¡°Hmph. Friends, friends. Bullshit ones.¡± ¡°There will be no friendships between men and women. From today onwards, I won¡¯t make friends of the opposite sex, and you¡¯re not allowed to make friends of the opposite sex.¡± After Aria¡¯s incident, Bruce suffered a huge setback. He learned his lesson and decided never to be friends with anyone of the opposite sex again. Aria, for example. Bruce treated her as a friend, but she¡­ It was the same for Jaydon now. Joanna treated him as a friend. It was not like he did not have any thoughts about her. It would be a total disaster if Jaydon ended up being like the crazed Aria. ¡°Give me the phone. I¡¯ve got to give him a piece of my mind.¡± ¡°If he dares to call you again in the future, I¡¯ll break all of his legs¡­¡± Chapter 828 Chapter 828 Chapter 828 ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re doing it again. Can you not behave like this?¡± Joanna eximed. She really disliked him for this behavior. Bruce was even more furious and shouted, ¡°Honey, have you not learned your lesson after that incident? What if this annoying person is like¡­ that lunatic Aria? In the end, our family will be ruined. It¡¯ll be toote for regrets.¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard that. She replied, ¡°It¡¯s different with Jay. He¡¯s not that kind of person. You can¡¯tpare Aria to Jay.¡± ¡°Eh, how are they different? It¡¯s clearly the same,¡± Bruce insisted. ¡°Previously, I treated Aria as a friend and thought that she was a decent person. I never expected her to be a fucking lunatic.¡± Bruce recalled how Aria had almost raped him. He could not help but feel angry. Aria had almost killed him and Joanna. Now, he started being paranoid. Beep, beep, beep. Jaydon called again. When Bruce heard the phone ring, he turned somber andmanded Joanna, ¡°Give me the phone. Let me talk to him.¡± Joanna responded, ¡°Quit being like that. You¡¯re very annoying.¡± ¡°Hurry up and give me the phone¡­¡± Bruce refused to give up and insisted. He reached out to snatch the phone. However, he identally touched Joanna¡¯s wound. Joanna screamed, ¡°Ah¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Seeing this, Bruce quickly gave up fighting for the phone and checked on Joanna nervously, ¡°Sorry, where did I hurt you?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna instantly broke out in cold sweat from the pain and took a few deep breaths. She was hurting all over now. Even if she took a breath, she would identally tear her wound. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my wife. Sigh, I just¡­¡± Bruce frowned apologetically. He was upset and heartbroken. After a while, Joanna could not help but assure Bruce, ¡°I said it many times. Jay won¡¯t be like this.¡± Bruce was speechless as he frowned. If it weren¡¯t for Joanna being seriously injured, Bruce could not bear making her angry anymore. He was so close to exploding in fury. ¡°I need to tell you something else. Don¡¯t be angry,¡± Joanna threaded carefully. ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Promise me first, don¡¯t be angry, okay?¡± Joanna was still afraid. When Bruce heard this, his eyes subconsciously flickered and said, ¡°Tell me what¡¯s this regarding first?¡±. If she did something wrong to him, how could he not be angry? Joanna¡¯s eyes softened as she said in a timid voice, ¡°Promise me first, okay?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, how can I promise you?¡± Bruce retorted. ¡°What if, and I mean what if¡­ you cheated on me. It would be strange if I weren¡¯t angry,¡± Bruce replied resentfully. When Joanna heard this, she frowned and looked at Bruce before saying, ¡°I really have to hand it to you. Am I such a woman to you?¡± ¡°I¡­ I said what if¡­ I didn¡¯t say that you would really do it,¡± Bruce tried to defend himself. Joanna¡¯s expression changed. She waspletely infuriated. This damn bastard isn¡¯t just bad. He likes to make wild guesses tob. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it!¡± Joanna retorted. Honey, please don¡¯t get angry so easily. You¡¯re the one who likes to get worked up the most. Alright, alright, I promise you. As long as it¡¯s not a matter of principle, I won¡¯t be angry, okay?¡± Bruce quickly admitted defeat. Joanna paused for a moment and decided to tell Bruce the truth. The consequences would be worse if he found out about it himself. Some time ago, I gave Jay the ck diamond ck credit card you gave me,¡± Joanna said. When Bruce heard this, his expression changed, and he instantly frowned. He was speechless. There was no spending limit on that ck diamond ck card. In other words, Jaydon could even spend hundreds of millions of dors on the card. Joanna saw Bruce¡¯s expression change and quicklyforted him, ¡°You¡¯ve said it before. You promised not to be angry.¡± ¡°Cough, cough,¡± Bruce subconsciously coughed dryly, and his chest felt suffocated to the point of vomiting blood. Blood all over his body rushed to the top of his head. Bruce had given Joanna so much money to give her a sense of security. It was not for her to spend on gigolos. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Bruce questioned, ¡°Joanna, what were you thinking? Didn¡¯t you consider the consequences before you did this? Or? Do you not give a shit about my feelings?¡± Joanna exined, ¡°I care about your feelings, which is why I must tell you the truth now!¡± ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t be angry?¡± As Bruce retorted as he subconsciously stood up. Joanna took a deep breath and quickly exined, ¡°Hear me out first.¡± ¡°¡­Alright, I need a reasonable exnation,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Jay¡¯s father had passed away, and his eldest brother seized all the family¡¯s assets. Even the assets allocated to Jay have been frozen. Jay doesn¡¯t even have the money to file awsuit,¡± Joanna said. ¡°I lent him some money just to help him get through this tough period. Besides, I believe in Jay¡¯s character. He does not borrow money and not return it.¡± Chapter 829 Chapter 829 Chapter 829 Even if Jaydon did not have the money to repay her, she would not have minded. However, she still needed to exin it clearly to Bruce. Bruce was utterly stumped. He had a somber expression on his handsome face. He was furious with Joanna¡¯s actions. He had worked hard to umte his wealth. If Jaydon had evil intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable. However, now that things hade to this, what was done was done. If he argued with Joanna again, it would only hurt their rtionship even more. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, okay?¡± Joanna looked at his face and whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡± Bruce replied resentfully. It would be strange if he were not furious. He was about to die of anger. ¡°Look at your furrowed brows. Your face is as ck as the bottom of a pot, and you still insist you¡¯re not angry?¡± asked Joanna. Bruce pursed his lips slightly and suppressed his dissatisfaction. He retorted, ¡°Forget it. This is the only time I¡¯ll allow it to happen. There won¡¯t be a next time. Before you make any decisions in the future, please discuss them with me first.¡± Joanna quickly nodded and eximed, ¡°Yes, yes, I promise.¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Bruce paused for two seconds before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll call the bank governor tomorrow and have him cancel that card.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened and she was speechless. Bruce added, ¡°You can lend him money. You can transfer as much as he needs. However, you can¡¯t just pass him the ck diamond credit card. Do you know what that card could cause?¡± Bruce paused and said earnestly, ¡°If Jay has ill intentions, cashes out several billion dors, and flees abroad, we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡± Joanna immediately retorted, ¡°No, Jay is not that kind of person. I can guarantee it!¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re just too naive. You trust others too easily.¡± Bruce sneered unhappily. Sometimes, Joanna was too soft-hearted and too naive to guard against people. With such a personality, it was very easy to be taken advantage of However, Bruce was conflicted deep down. He liked her soft-heartedness and kindness. He was also fond of her tolerance and restraint. A man like him had seen all kinds of beautiful women. Although Joanna was dazzling, others were even more attractive. There were countless beauties in the world. No matter how beautiful Joanna was, there woulde a day when he would get tired of looking at her. The only thing that could fascinate him forever was her unmatched charisma. ¡°I can assure you that Jay will never do that,¡± insisted Joanna. ¡°What if he does?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°He won¡¯t!¡± Joanna assured Bruce. Joanna trusted Jaydon¡¯s character. Jaydon would never do that. They had known each other for a long time. Joanna knew very well the type of person he was. ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce snorted coldly and was even more disdainful. The more Joanna thought highly of Jaydon, the more disdainful Bruce became. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already given him the card..Can you stop asking?¡± Joanna retorted. Bruce refused decisively. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Since you gave me the money, I have the right to use it!¡± Joanna eximed. ¡°You have the right to use it, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can pass it to another man,¡± Bruce snapped. When Joanna heard this, she paused momentarily before saying gloomily, ¡°If you do this, then you might as well take back all the money you gave me. I don¡¯t have the right to use it as I desire. Why are you giving it to me then?¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Joanna in surprise. He was speechless. Joanna turned her head to the side. Her eyes were so swollen that she could not open them. She was even more unwilling to look at Bruce. Bruce was so furious that he took several deep breaths and barked, ¡°Are you ignoring my feelings for Jaydon? You¡¯d rather make me angry and think of ways to help him?¡± ¡­Bruce, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care about your feelings,¡± Joanna tried to exin. ¡°It¡¯s because Jay needs help now. I can¡¯t help him much. The only thing I can do is lend him some money. I¡¯ve told you many times that Jay saved my life and the children¡¯s. Without him, we wouldn¡¯t be where we are today. Now that he¡¯s in trouble. I have to help him.¡± When Bruce heard this, he gritted his teeth in anger and screamed, ¡°Joanna, I¡¯ll ask you again. Do you care more about me or him?¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more troubled. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again. How can you make such aparison? He¡¯s just a friend. And you¡¯re¡­ the father of our children. There¡¯s no way I canpare the both of you. Don¡¯t ask these ridiculous questions.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask you onest time,¡± Bruce questioned as he looked at Joanna withplex emotions. ¡°If Jaydon and I fell into the water all at once, who would you save first?¡± Bruce was utterly jealous of Jaydon. How could Joanna care so much about him? Joanna looked at him speechlessly. He had asked her this question before. ¡°Answer me now!¡± Bruce insisted. ¡°I just told you that Jay is just a friend of mine. And you are the father of our children. You are also¡­ the most important man of my life,¡± Joanna said. Her eyes subconsciously flickered, and there was a hint of embarrassment in his tone ¡°How important?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°¡­Very important,¡± Joanna muttered. ¡°How important is it?¡± Bruce questioned. He liked to see her embarrassed and shy look. Joanna took another deep breath, not wanting to answer his absurd questions. She was not a woman who liked to express her emotions. She didn¡¯t like being flirtatious or acting cute. Bruce leaned in and continued interrogating her shamelessly, ¡°Tell me quickly. I want to hear it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very tired now. Ahem, I don¡¯t want to talk too much,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re not even willing to say a few words to humor me. And yet you insist that I¡¯m the most important man in your life,¡± Bruce concluded. ¡°The most important man doesn¡¯t mean the man you love the most, right?¡± ¡°Bruce, can you stop asking these tricky questions? I don¡¯t even know how to answer your questions anymore,¡± Joanna eximed. Bruce raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Just follow your inner thoughts and answer truthfully. You¡¯ve never really said ¡®I love you¡¯ to me before.¡± ¡°I did say that!¡± Joanna insisted. Bruce snorted and said in dissatisfaction, ¡°You said it patronizingly. You¡¯ve never been solemn when you professed your love for me.¡± Joanna choked, ¡°Sigh. If I didn¡¯t love you, I wouldn¡¯t havepromised again and again. I wouldn¡¯t have forgiven you again and again and risked my life to save you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. I want to hear your serious answer.¡± Brucemanded. Joanna blinked her heavy eyelids and stammered, ¡°¡­.I¡­love you..¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I love you, okay?¡± Joanna eximed. ¡°How patronizing!¡± Bruce chided. Joanna rolled her eyes and did not say anything else. She was a very restrained and reserved woman. She would not say sweet nothings. But she would use her actions to prove that she loved him. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be angry anymore.¡± Chapter 830 Chapter 830 Chapter 830 Joanna pleaded, ¡°Jay helped me so much before. I should help him now. If I leave you to die, I¡¯ll feel guilty.¡± When Bruce heard this, he sighed helplessly, ¡°Aye, I can¡¯t deal with you. Since you want to help Jay out, I won¡¯t stop you. However, I have to cancel this ck diamond credit card. You can lend him money, but you must ask him to for an IOU.¡± Upon hearing this, Joanna instantly exploded, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll be very embarrassed if I need to do that.¡± ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Joanna was so agitated that she identally tore her wound again and coughed in pain. ¡°Don¡¯t be too agitated. These are all small matters,¡± said Bruce. ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re so agitated at the mention of Jaydon.¡± As Bruce spoke, he went to pour Joanna a ss of warm water and said, ¡°Come, have a ss of water. There¡¯s no need to be so agitated. I didn¡¯t ask you to leave your friend in the lurch. It¡¯s just an IOU. There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. Even between biological brothers, ounts have to be settled clearly. You lent him money and didn¡¯t charge him interest. You¡¯re already treating him as a friend. Besides, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle it myself. I won¡¯t embarrass you.¡± Since Bruce had already said so much, Joanna did not know how to refute him. ¡°Sigh, I have to give it to you. You¡¯re making things so difficult for me,¡± Joanna said furiously and tilted her head to her side, unwilling to continue the conversation anymore. Buzz, buzz¡­ The phone vibrated again, indicating that there was a notification on Messenger. Joanna guessed that it might be from Jaydon. She quickly picked up her phone and looked at the message. ¡°Joann, thank you very much. But I¡¯ve thought about it carefully. It¡¯s better not to use your money. I appreciate your kindness, but I really can¡¯t use your money. I¡¯ve already sent someone to return the card to you. It will be delivered to Sherane Bay Vi in about 20 minutes. Please take it back.¡± After reading the message from Jaydon, Joanna¡¯s heart clenched. She was disappointed. She really wanted to help Jaydon out. Bruce peeked at Joanna¡¯s Messenger from the side. After reading it, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and said teasingly, ¡°Hmph, at least you¡¯re a man.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When Joanna heard this, she became even angrier and retorted, ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°Barely! Besides, this is something he himself doesn¡¯t want to use Bruce said and shrugged. Bruce finally felt a little more at ease. He had always looked down on Jaydon. However, this incident made him change his opinion of Jaydon. Joanna was good at reading people. Jaydon had a manly character. ¡°Sigh, what should we do about this?¡± Joanna was worried sick. ¡°What should we do? He took the initiative to reject your offer. It¡¯s not that you didn¡¯t want to help him. He simply doesn¡¯t appreciate it.¡± Bruce chided. Joanna rolled his eyes when she heard that. She knew that Jaydon was afraid she would be put in a difficult position. He was also worried that Bruce would get angry at her. That was why Jaydon chose not to use her money. This made Joanna even more upset. Cassius was not a kind person, and Jaydon did not have any money now. Joanna was afraid that Jaydon could not deal with Cassius. Moreover, Jaydon had a zen attitude toward life. He was not obsessed with money. If he lost thewsuit, there was a high chance he would rather bear it silently. Grimm Group was one of the top gamblingpanies in Venturas and had a hundred billion dors of assets. Joanna would be heartbroken for Jaydon if such a massive asset fell into Cassius¡¯s hands. Bruce rang up Gael, his butler. Beep, beep, beep¡­ Gael picked up the phone quickly and said on the other end, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Someone might send a credit card to Sherane Bay Viter. Please retrieve it and keep it safe,¡± Bruce instructed. ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett, Gael replied. ¡°That¡¯s all for now,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Everett,¡± Gael responded. After hanging up, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and stood up to stretch himself. Although his impression of Jaydon had improved, it did not mean Bruce was willing to help him. He would not be magnanimous as to rush to help his love rival. Joanna frowned and pondered. She had to help Jaydon win thewsuit and get back his assets. However, Cassius was not easy to deal with. He was cunning and shrewd. In addition, he had been managing the Grimm Group. His power was already deeply rooted in thepany. It would not be easy to deal with him. After thinking about it, Joanna nced at Bruce and set her sights on him. To some extent, Bruce and Cassius were simr. Defeating magic with magic seemed to deliver a higher chance of sess. ¡°¡­Bruce, can I make a small request?¡± Joanna carefully finished her sentence. Aplex emotion appeared in her eyes. Chapter 831 Chapter 831 Chapter 831 Bruce looked at her affectionate gaze and could not help but tremble. He immediately went forward and said, ¡°Honey, just one request? ¡°I¡¯ll agree to 100 thousand requests. As long as it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Uh, really?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were gentle and her expression was soft. Bruce enjoyed it even more. He kissed her lightly on the forehead. ¡°Of course. ¡°But I still refuse to help Jaydon. He¡¯s annoying.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard that. ¡°s, you are saying this again! ¡°I just want to beg you to help him. He¡¯s really in a difficult situation now. He helped you before! If he didn¡¯t help you fix the thumb drive, you might still be in prison now. ¡°So, now that he¡¯s in trouble, you should help him too!¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes instantly darkened. ¡°Are you kidding me? How can I help him? ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. You can help him if you want. I have no objections. If you want to lend him money, I also have no opinion about that. ¡°I¡¯ve alreadypromised like this. What else do you want me to do? I can¡¯t give him all my money.¡± Joanna hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s not about money. ¡°I feel that money isn¡¯t enough to help him.¡± ¡°Not money? Then what do you want me to help him with?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes rolled. He had a bad feeling in his heart. Joanna looked at Bruce pitifully, her eyes filled with pleading. She looked at him for more than a minute. Bruce felt goosebumps all over his body from her stare. He could not stand her pitiful gaze even more. ¡°Okay, Darling, you have to tell me what¡¯s going on first, right? ¡°How would I know if you didn¡¯t tell me?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said hesitantly, ¡°The Grimm Group is now involved in an inheritancewsuit. It has caused amotion. Do you know?¡± ¡°I know!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in confusion. There were reports on the news every day, so how could he not know? However, thewsuits of the Grimm Group had nothing to do with him, right? ¡°This matter is very tricky now. The inheritancewsuit is already a mess. Many of the assets under the name of Jay and his sister have been frozen. Cassius has also stopped Jay¡¯s work and won¡¯t allow him to enter thepany group. ¡°Jay¡¯s brothers and sisters are fighting fiercely for the family assets.¡± Bruce sneered and teased, ¡°That¡¯s what Tim deserves. He let so many women give birth to so many children for him. Now that he¡¯s dead, it¡¯s normal for his kids to fight for his inheritance.¡± Siblings in rich and powerful families wouldn¡¯t have much love for each other. Sometimes, each sibling born by the same parents would fight for money. As for Tim¡¯s kids, they were not even born by the same mother. Cassius was not Tim¡¯s biological son, so he naturally did not have much kinship with his younger siblings. In addition, Jaydon was the real eldest son and was a threat to him. Of course, he had to kill Jaydon to prevent future troubles. Joanna interrupted Bruce. ¡°The key is that most of the assets are now upied by Cassius. Others won¡¯t get much of the inheritance at all. Anyway, they still have to give up their own assets.¡± ¡°So what? The society is like this. It¡¯s where the strong prey on the weak!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too unfair?¡± Bruce said disdainfully, ¡°There are too many unfair things. How can we interfere?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°I just feel that Cassius went too far. He¡¯s simply too greedy. Not only does he want to upy most of the assets, but he also wants to kill his other siblings. ¡°Moreover, I think it¡¯s impossible that Mr. Tim didn¡¯t make a will when he was alive. Now, all of the assets worth a few billion dors have been seized by Cassius. ¡°That¡¯s not all. He even wants to sue his other siblings and freeze their assets. How can there be such a domineering person?¡± Bruce snorted coldly, looking like he had nothing to do with the whole incident. It really had nothing to do with him. This was what people not involved in the incident thought. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Honey, I want you to help Jay.¡± ¡°Tsk, how can I help him?¡± ¡°You must have a way to help him. I believe you must have a way,¡± Joanna said as she subconsciously held his hand and begged him pitifully. Bruce was a vile and immoral bastard. He could fight violence with violence: Letting him deal with people like him¡­ ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be ridiculous. What can I do? ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t Jaydon awesome? He definitely has a way. We don¡¯t have to worry about him,¡± Bruce rejected decisively. He would not meddle in other people¡¯s business. ¡°Honey, please help him.¡± ¡°Jay is not that¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say that Jaydon wasn¡¯t that vile like Bruce, but she still swallowed her words back. ¡°Jay is moderate. I¡¯m worried that he can¡¯t deal with Cassius. ¡°If you don¡¯t help him, he¡¯ll definitely suffer.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more disdainful. ¡°That¡¯s good. Everyone will suffer! ¡°If he suffers a few more losses, he¡¯ll be smarter. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you always think he¡¯s better than me? Can¡¯t he do anything?¡± Joanna choked. ¡°When did I say that he¡¯s better than you?¡± ¡°Anyway, you made me feel that he¡¯s better and stronger than me in your heart.¡± Bruce looked indignant. If this had happened to Bruce¡­ Actually, nobody dared to plot against him and let him suffer. If that really happened, Bruce would definitely make his enemy regret targeting her and beg for mercy. Of course. It depended on whether he was willing to help or not. If he was willing to help, he would definitely be able to help Jaydon turn the situation around However, Bruce had always regarded Jaydon as a thorn in his flesh. There was a high chance that Bruce would not help Jaydon. Chapter 832 Chapter 832 Chapter 832 Upon hearing Bruce¡¯s words, Joanna waspletely speechless. What a heartless bastard! She was about to lose her life for him. Yet he actually said such sarcastic words. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Bruce looked at her face carefully again.¡± Joanna closed her eyes and pondered. ¡°I have nothing to say to you. You can say whatever you want.¡± ¡°Are you angry?¡± Joanna pursed her lips. She really did not want to talk to him anymore. Bruce hurriedly coaxed her when seeing that she was a little unhappy. ¡°Darling, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing to help. But it¡¯s his family matters. I can¡¯t interfere with others¡¯ family affairs. Right? ¡°Besides, I have a bunch of things to do in the Everett Group. Lilia¡¯s illness has been dyed for two years. If we dy any longer, it might be toote to do the corrective surgery. ¡°The doctor said that it was better to do the surgery before 8 years old. Lilia is about to be 8 years old. Her bones will turn harder and harder. ¡°I¡¯m considering taking her to do the surgery after you get better. We can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± When Joanna heard this, she suddenly opened her eyes again. She frowned even more. What he said was true. Lilia¡¯s leg disease could not be dyed any longer. They were supposed to bring her for corrective surgeryst year. However, because of Bruce¡¯s incident and the series of troublesome matters that followed, they didn¡¯t have time to go abroad for surgery the next year. It was the golden period to treat her. If this period was missed, Lilia¡¯s bones would turn harder. In that case, she might not be able to stand up for the rest of her -life. Seeing that Joanna¡¯s expression softened, Bruce continued, ¡°Think about it. You¡¯re so badly injured now. You¡¯ll have to stay in the hospital for at least two to three months. ¡°Lilia will need at least three to five months of recovery after the corrective surgery in Gaprington. We will only be back after at least half a year. ¡°Thewsuit of the Grimm Group willst for a long time. Maybe three years or five years, or even longer. We can¡¯t dy our daughter¡¯s treatment because of him, right?¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more worried. ¡°Alright. You still said this.¡± ¡°Lilia¡¯s illness really can¡¯t wait any longer. I mean you can help Jay think of a way to deal with Cassius¡­ Just teach him, okay?¡± ¡°Tsk, forget it! Damn Jaydon. He¡¯s not capable enough, but he¡¯s arrogant and proud. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll ept my help?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. It was true. Jaydon was very prideful. He was probably unwilling to ept Bruce¡¯s help. ¡°You can lend him money if you want to help him. You can also provide him with the bestwyer team. You really help him a lot by doing that. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°As for others, outsiders really can¡¯t interfere. Moreover, he¡¯s a man. There are some paths that he has to walk himself.¡± Joanna waspletely convinced and decided not to beg him anymore. ¡°Alright, alright, stop talking. You¡¯re really nagging.¡± ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d be angry, wasn¡¯t I? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d think I refuse to help your ex. When Joanna heard this, she immediately red at him sharply. She and Jaydon¡­ Actually, Jadyon couldn¡¯t be considered her ex. Back then, she agreed to his proposal because he had an ident and almost lost the desire to live. Joanna agreed to marry him in order to cheer him up and repay his kindness. Thinking about it now, Joanna suddenly shuddered. Was Bruce behind Jaydon¡¯s ident? It sounded quite possible. Bruce had said more than once that he wanted to break Jaydon¡¯s legs. ¡°Heh¡­ Honey, can you not look at me like that?¡± Bruce felt guilty after being stared at by Joanna. Every time she looked at him like that, it meant that she was angry. Moreover, once she got angry, the consequences were very serious. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I was wrong, okay?¡± Bruce quickly admitted defeat and rubbed her hair ingratiatingly. ¡°My dear wife, I was wrong. Don¡¯t get angry so easily. Getting angry will ruin your health. Don¡¯t be angry.¡± ¡°Bruce, did you n Jay¡¯s car ident?¡± Joanna suddenly asked. Bruce was at a loss for words. He widened his eyes, appearing that he was wronged. ¡°You said more than once that you wanted to break Jay¡¯s leg. And his leg was broken during the ident. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. You¡¯re not allowed to hurt Jay behind my back.¡± When Bruce heard that, he looked even more wronged. ¡°Oh, my goodness. I¡¯m really wronged. ¡°What does his car ident have to do with me? Am I that free to deal with him? ¡°You, you, you¡­ I¡¯m a good man. You can¡¯t use me. I always obey thews. I¡¯m a good citizen.¡± When Joanna heard this, she took a deep breath. Even if he did it¡­ He wouldn¡¯t admit it either. Besides, it had been so long, there was no need to pursue the matter. It was fine as long as he could turn over a new leaf in the future and not do those crazy things. ¡°Alright, I was just asking casually. I didn¡¯t say that you did it.¡± Bruce retorted angrily, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it in the first ce. Why are you using me?¡± ¡°Humph, I¡¯m never a good man in your opinion. You always me me for whatever bad things. ¡°I feel so wronged? I¡¯m such a good man. Are you all blind? Why are you alling to use me and scold me? Do you have a conscience?¡± still Joanna could not help but feel angry and amused when she saw how annoyed he was. ¡°Alright, alright, alright I¡¯ll apologize to you, okay? I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you.¡± ¡°Yes! You should never doubt me. ¡°I¡¯m such a good man! I¡¯m a good person who always obeyws. I love my wife and kids. I devote a lot to the society and my family. ¡°There¡¯s no other man as good as me in the world. I¡¯m the only one¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore and wentpletely crazy. This damn guy felt good about himself and thought that he was extraordinary. ¡°Ahem, ahem. Bruce, can you not be so narcissistic? I can¡¯t bear that any longer.¡± ¡°s¡­ Don¡¯t talk so much. Hurry up and leave!¡± When she saw him, she felt dizzy. Out of sight, out of mind. Bruce red at her. ¡°Where do you want me to go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. I want to rest. ¡°Also, I¡­ I¡¯m a little hungry. Go find me something to eat. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get someone to prepare it.¡± ¡°Also, if you want to lend money to Jaydon, 100 million dors at most.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°No reason. This is my bottom line. Even if you owe him, you can¡¯t help him with all your might. ¡°In that case, the friendship between you will change. You have to know your limits. Understand?¡± Bruce sounded meaningful. He didn¡¯t want Joanna and Jaydon to have any connections any longer. But in this situation¡­ He knew that he could not stop it. Chapter 833 Chapter 833 Chapter 833 ¡°You¡¯re a nag. Got it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out first. You haven¡¯t said what you want to eat yet.¡± ¡°Yes, I want to eat oatmeal with abalone.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get someone to prepare it.¡± With that, Bruce kissed her forehead and turned to leave the ward. Joanna sighed deeply and quickly called Jaydon back. Beep, beep, beep. The call went through quickly. Jaydon answered the call and said gloomily, ¡°Hello, Joann¡­¡± ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry! I couldn¡¯t answer the phone just now.¡± ¡± Jaydon paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I could guess that it was inconvenient for you to answer the call just now.¡± ¡°How are you now?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Jaydon pondered for two seconds. ¡°Same as always.¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°I¡¯m asking you about thewsuit. How is it going now? Any developments?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and fell silent. He was indeed no match for Cassius. In the past, he had always treated Cassius as his biological brother. Jaydon was not guarded against Cassius at all. When their father was still alive, Cassius was very kind and gentle to his other siblings. Unexpectedly¡­ After their father passed away, Cassius seemed to have be a stranger and revealed his true colors. He was no longer kind and good to his siblings. Cassius was especially cruel to Jaydon. He even refused to appear to be a kind brother. After all, when Tim was alive, he had let Jaydon join thepany as the vice president. Tim nned to let Jaydon take over thepany. Therefore, Jaydon was the person who posed the greatest threat to Cassius. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Jaydon took a deep breath and was a little upset. ¡°s, I don¡¯t know where to start. Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about these bad things.¡± ¡°How are you now? Is Bruce alright?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine. He¡¯s fine too.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t want Jaydon to worry. Therefore, she did not n to tell him too much. ¡°By the way, Jay, I¡¯ve already seen the message you just sent me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why did you send the card back to me? I already said that you don¡¯t have to be polite with me¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish, Jaydon interrupted her. ¡°Joann, I appreciate your kindness. ¡°However, after thinking about it for a few days, I still feel that this is not good. ¡°That ck card is too valuable. I¡¯m worried that Bruce will me you if he finds out. ¡°Forget it! I¡¯ll think of another way.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more anxious for Jaydon. ¡°What other way do you have now? Jay, can you not be so stubborn? ¡°You helped me so much. I should repay you now. ¡°Since you¡¯ve returned the card to me, I¡¯ll transfer the money directly to your ount.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you much. I can only help you financially. How much do you need? Just tell me. ¡°No need for that. I mean it.¡± Jaydon choked. He still refused. All the funds under his name had been frozen. Now, he nned to use a few properties overseas as coteral. He would use them to fight awsuit and maintain his daily expenses. Born in a wealthy family, he had been used to being extravagant since he was young. The daily expenses were very huge. Moreover, he had to raise his daughter. Even if he had to live a simple life, he had to offer her daughter the best life. He had servants, bodyguards, and drivers. He had to pay them. That was also a great sum of money. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say so much. You don¡¯t have to refuse my help. In the past, you always helped me. Now, let me help you this time,¡± Joanna replied firmly. ¡°Joann, there¡¯s really no need for that!¡± Jaydon was still embarrassed to ept his help. He was used to protecting her. Now that he suddenly needed her help, he really felt like a failure.` ¡°That¡¯s it. Just think that I lend the money to you. Don¡¯t refuse me, okay? Don¡¯t be so polite. Or I will be angry.¡± With that, Joanna hung up. She had given him the ck diamond ck card previously because she did not know how much he needed. Therefore, she simply gave him the card and let him swipe it as he pleased. But he was too embarrassed to use it now. She would have to transfer it to his ount. When Joanna ran factories in Mossbourne, she was in trouble. Jaydon transferred her 6 million dors. Therefore, her problem was solved. So they opened a joint bank ount for corporate reconciliation. Soon, Joanna transferred 100 million dors to the joint ount. Jaydon¡¯s funds were now frozen. It was impossible for her to transfer the money to his private ount. Because as soon as the money was transferred to his private ount, the money would immediately be frozen by the bank. This sum of money was enough to pay for hiswsuit and cover his daily expenses. Bruce warned Joanna not to lend more than 100 million dors to Jaydon, but Joanna had her own money. She could transfer tens of millions of dors to him secretly. After transferring the money, Joanna sent Jaydon a message. [Jay, I¡¯ve transferred the money to our former joint bank ount.] [It¡¯s for your urgent use. If it¡¯s not enough, tell me.] Chapter 834 Chapter 834 Chapter 834 After reading Joanna¡¯s message, Jaydon¡¯s eyes were a little moist, and he had mixed feelings. He would just ept her help. Fine, he would return the money to her after thewsuit. He would just think that she lent the money to him. As for the ck card, he really did not dare to use it. Because he knew that it was the sub card that Bruce had given her. If he used it, Bruce would definitely think nonsense based on Jaydon¡¯s understanding of Bruce. He didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for Joanna. He didn¡¯t want her to be hurt because of him either. The way he loved her was different from Bruce¡¯s. It was past 6 p.m. Bruce sent an assistant to inform the chef, asking the chef to make oatmeal with abalone. After oatmeal was done, he went home personally. Of course, he had to go back home and get the ck card himself. On the way back to the hospital¡­ Beep, beep, beep. Bruce¡¯s phone rang. He picked up his phone and found that it was an unfamiliar number. Bruce frowned and hesitated. ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°Hey, are you Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your former ssmate. It¡¯s been a long time. I want to meet you.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. This was the secret code of the National Defense Bureau. Previously, his contact with the organization had unfortunately died. Later on, the organization sent Aria to contact him. Now, there was a high chance that Aria would be removed from the organization. Of course, the organization had to send a new liaison to contact him. ¡°Okay. I will meet you.¡± ¡°Thene to Scenic Hotel tonight. Let¡¯s meet there.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there on time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, then.¡± The person on the other end of the call hung up without any pleasantries. After Bruce hung up the call, his frown deepened. Who would be the new liaison sent by the organization this time? Also¡­ In any case, he had to quit the organization this time. Twenty minutester. Bruce walked into the ward with the thermos box. ¡°Honey, the oatmeal is here.¡± ¡°Yes, leave it there for now.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly and personally opened the thermos box. ¡°Ouch, it¡¯s so hot¡­¡± ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t burn yourself. Let Miranda do it.¡± Bruce refused immediately. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. I can do it.¡± As he spoke, he personally scooped a bowl of oatmeal and carefully brought it to Joanna. Joanna was nervous when seeing his actions. The way he carried the bowl was like carrying a bomb. ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s a little hot.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t burn yourself,¡± Joanna said worriedly. ¡°Tsk, am I that stupid?¡± Bruce carefully ced oatmeal at the head of the bed. ¡°Come, let me feed you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a little worried. How about¡­ I do it myself?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce worriedly. This damn guy. He was good at anything else. However, he was really inexperienced in taking care of people. The oatmeal was so hot. If he spilled it, he would definitely be burnt. ¡°s, honey, are you so worried about me?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°No, why would I?¡± Joanna replied with embarrassment. She was just worried. ¡°Come, open your mouth.¡± Bruce scooped a spoonful of oatmeal with a spoon. After gently blowing on it to cool it, he brought it to Joanna¡¯s mouth. ¡°Is it hot?¡± ¡°Not hot anymore.¡± ¡°Have some more.¡± Joanna gradually rxed. Bruce said casually as he fed her, ¡°Honey, I¡¯m going out tonight.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to see a client! Thepany is really in a mess now since I haven¡¯t seen a client for so long.¡± ¡°What client? Why do you meet a client at night.¡± ¡°I have no choice. I have to be with you during the day, right?¡± Joanna was shocked. Usually, when discussing business, it was during the day. Only clients who liked to drink and y with women would choose nighttime. However, with Bruce¡¯s status, he no longer needed to go to social gatherings like a dinner party. After all, the Everett Group was a leadingpany. Clients of the Everett Group would try their best to please Bruce once they got a chance to cooperate with him. ¡°So how long will you be gone?¡± ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be long. Two or three hours, tops.¡± ¡°Alright! Come back early.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll definitely be here before ten. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything bad.¡± Joanna nodded and did not say anything else. In any case, she was rtively at ease with Bruce. She didn¡¯t think that he would go out to drink or do other things with his clients. It seemed like he was really just going to discuss business with a client. Chapter 835 Chapter 835 Chapter 835 Bruce tidied up, changed into a proper suit, and rushed to Scenic Hotel. Scenic Hotel was Greyport¡¯s most peculiar hotel. It was a state-owned enterprise that mainly received foreign guests and dignitaries from all over the world. All these years, it was actually not very profitable, but it was still standing strong. At 7 pm. Bruce arrived at Scenic Hotel on time. As soon as he got out of the car, two waiters in uniforms walked toward him respectfully. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. Your room is ready. Please follow me.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°It seemed that the handler was quite impressive this time. ¡°The waiter was already waiting for me at the door,¡± thought he. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce felt uneasy and followed the waiter to the hotel. Theyout of the hotel was marvelously peculiar. It looked ordinary on the outside and did not even meet the standards of a four-star hotel. However, as he proceeded further in, the interioryout became increasingly expansive. There was truly a whole new world inside. In front of Room 818. After walking for five to six minutes, the waiter finally brought Bruce to a very hidden room. Pushing open the door, the waiter respectfully extended his right hand to invite Bruce in. Bruce took a deep breath and strode into the room. The living room was huge, and the decorations were not particrly luxurious. However, it was very refined and grand. Bruce walked to the middle of the living room and saw that there were two more rooms inside. One of them was probably the reception room. The door was open. ¡°Bruce! Long time no see.¡± A sonorous male voice came from the reception room. Bruce was left speechless as he looked in the direction of the voice. Inside the reception room was a desk. Behind it sat a middle-aged man in his fifties. The middle-aged man had neatlybed hair and was wearing a suit. He held a cigarette in his hand, and his eyebrows were thick and sharp. His eyes were filled with wisdom and heroic spirit. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. His aura was strong, perfectly portraying his dignity. ¡°Mr¡­ Mr. Thompson¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. Although he hadn¡¯t seen Mr. Thompson for almost ten years, Bruce still recognized him at a nce. ¡°Haha, you didn¡¯t expect it to be me, did you?¡± Mr. Thompson put out the cigarette in his hand. He stood up and walked toward Bruce with a kind and dignified smile on his face. Bruce was stunned for a moment, unable to grasp what had just happened for a brief moment. He did not expect it to be Mr. Thompson. ¡°In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. When I first saw you, you were still a young boy.¡± Mr. Thompson walked up to Bruce and patted his shoulder like an elder who had not seen him for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m really d that you¡¯ve grown into a real man.¡± Bruce¡¯s mind went nk for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he quickly reached out and shook hands with Mr. Thompson. ¡°Hello, Mr. Thompson. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you toe and meet me personally.¡± ¡°Bruce! You¡¯ve performed very well all these years. ¡°You didn¡¯t let me down. Haha, my judgment is still very good,¡± Mr. Thompson praised him sincerely. When Bruce heard this, a chill ran down his spine. He had always been unruly and domineering. He did not yield to anyone, Only in front of Mr. Thompson was he like a primary school student, filled with admiration and respect. Mr. Thompson was the supreme executor of the National Defense Bureau. National Defense Bureau was the most unique and mysterious department, It had pretty great privileges. When it was inconvenient for the country to resolve matters and when special methods were needed to gather information from all over the world, National Defense Bureau would step in. Consequently, National Defense Bureau was directlymanded by the highest executor of the state. No one other than the highest executor of the state can mobilize and investigate the people of the National Defense Bureau. If it were in ancient times, it would be equivalent to the King¡¯s most trusted subordinates. They would directly listen to the King¡¯s orders, and no one else would have the right to order them around. Of course, they still enjoyed the highest privileges and honors even now. Anyone who entered National Defense Bureau would be awarded the highest honor. If they were unfortunately sacrificed, they would be awarded the highest hero medal. This was not something that money could symbolize. It was an honor that could not be bought, no matter how much money was spent. ¡°Bruce,e, have a seat. Don¡¯t be so restrained. Just consider this merely as two old friends chatting.¡± Mr. Thompson spoke, graciously offering his seat. Bruce retracted his previous domineeringness and obediently sat down opposite Mr. Thompson like an obedient primary school student. Mr. Thompson smiled cordially and poured a cup of coffee for Bruce. ¡°Bruce, youpleted the mission of the RA-3 virus very well. ¡°Because of your outstanding performance, the National Research Bureau has officially started researching military virus weapons. ¡°Here, this is a medal bestowed upon you by the state. It¡¯s also an affirmation from the state.¡± As Mr. Thompson spoke, he opened a red brocade box and took out a beautifully designed medal. Then, he personally pinned the medal to Bruce¡¯s chest. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson!¡± Bruce lowered his head and looked at the medal. His eyes were actually a little red. The young boys all had a dream of being heroes. For a medal of honor that symbolized a hero, they could really stake everything without any scruples. One should never think that agents would only be chosen from the children of poor families. In fact, National Defense Bureau preferred the children of wealthy families. This was because these childrencked nothing since they were young. Only after the thorough fulfillment of material existence could one pursue the realm of the spiritual world. These children¡¯s admiration for heroes and their sense of honor would be stronger. As for children from poor families, it was still a problem for them to feed themselves. How could they have the energy and opportunity to pursue the spiritual world? Of course, there were also some exceptions. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Mr. Thompson suddenly changed the topic and deliberately asked with a regretful expression, ¡°Bruce! I heard Aria Bridges¡¯ report to the organization. You n to retire early and leave the organization. Is this true?¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Mr. Thompson, it¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Umm, can you give me a reason? Is there some difficulty in life? Or is there a problem that can¡¯t be solved? ¡°You can tell me. We will definitely think of a way to help you solve it if we can.¡± Mr. Thompson looked concerned. ¡°I¡­ I just want to change my living environment.¡± Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. He did not know where to start. He couldn¡¯t possibly tell Mr. Thompson that he was going home to apany his wife and children. When Mr. Thompson heard this, he pondered for a few seconds and said earnestly, ¡°Bruce! You¡¯re still very young and have a bright future. You have to consider it carefully. If you miss some opportunities, you won¡¯t have them anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll be retiring in two to three years. In the future, National Defense Bureau will have to choose a leader with both virtue and talent.¡± Chapter 836 Chapter 836 Chapter 836 *After all these years of observation, I think you¡¯repletely qualified. When I retire, you can take over my position. I¡¯ll introduce you to lead the National Defense Bureau.¡± National Defense Bureau was different from other departments. Here, the new sessor was nominated by the retiring leader. Mr. Thompson valued Bruce very much and wanted to elect Bruce to rece him when he retired. One had to know that this was a very important responsibility. It was far more glorious than being the wealthiest man in Greyport or a billionaire tycoon. In other words, a billionaire tycoon was nothing in front of the National Defense Bureau. If the National Defense Bureau wanted one to go bankrupt, one would lose everything in less than half a year. Of course, having this kind of privilege didn¡¯t mean it would be abused. Upon hearing this, Bruce became restless and instinctively stood up. ¡°Mr. Thompson, you overestimate me. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t handle such an important position. ¡°All these years¡­ I¡¯m really tired. Right now, I just want to apany my family¡­¡± Bruce stammered but still said his request. When speaking with Mr. Thompson, he experienced a feeling of nervousness for the first time. This waspletely different from the feeling of him being swift and decisive in business and having everything under control. When Mr. Thompson heard this, he did not immediately refute it but only nodded at Bruce affirmatively. ¡°Oh, I can understand you. ¡°To bnce work and family is what makes a man truly exceptional. ¡°Back then, I was also young and conflicted. I also have the same feeling as you, so I totally understand how you feel.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s great. ¡°Mr. Thompson was still very easygoing and understood my feelings,¡± he thought. ¡°But¡­¡± Mr. Thompson frowned and changed the topic. ¡°National Defense Bureau is currently in need of manpower, and you are the most capable in the organization. ¡°National Defense Bureau needs you, and so does the country. I hope you can consider it carefully. This is not only about personal interests but also about the country¡¯s interests. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°We are members of the National Defense Bureau. Everything we have will be dedicated to our great homnd from the moment we joined the organization, and everything we do is to defend our country. ¡°The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. I hope you can consider it carefully. You¡¯vee a long way to get here today, and that¡¯s really something. Don¡¯t give up now.¡± Since ancient times, those who excelled in politics had always been adept at brainwashing and manipting people. Bruce was originally determined to leave the organization. However, Mr. Thompson easily rejected his request with just a few words. At the same time, his determination swayed. ¡°Mr. Thompson, I¡­¡± Bruce stuttered. His thoughts began to waver. It was indeed not easy for him to reach this point. He also wanted to continue walking and see the scenery at the end. After all, it was easy to be a rich person. However, being a special talent in National Defense Bureau was not so easy. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can understand your feeling.¡± Mr. Thompson patted his shoulder again. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to do anything. About leaving the organization, I¡¯ll give you half a year to consider it carefully. ¡°If you¡¯re still determined to leave the organization after half a year, I¡¯ll respect your choice.¡± When Bruce heard this, he paused for a moment. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson. I¡­ will seriously consider it.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯re still very young. ¡°There¡¯s still a long way to go. You have to be careful no matter what decision you make.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson.¡± Mr. Thompson didn¡¯t say anything else and pressed the server button. Two minutester. A thin young man wearing sses walked in. ¡°Mr. Thompson, hello.¡± Mr. Thompson introduced, ¡°Bruce, this is Dexter Woolery. He will be in charge of your liaison work for the next six months.¡± Bruce was the first to extend his hand. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± They shook hands. ¡°Oh right, Mr. Thompson. How does the organization n to deal with Aria Bridges?¡± Bruce was still brooding over Aria, hoping that the organization would punish her severely. When Mr. Thompson heard this, he sighed deeply. ¡°Aria Bridges has disappeared. No one can reach her. ¡°The organization is also looking for her everywhere now, so I can¡¯t give you a conclusion about your comint for the time being. ¡°When the organization gets in touch with her, we will definitely give her the most severe punishment.¡± ¡°Disappeared?¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t believe it. Aria had brain cancer. Bruce kicked her into a serious injury. How was it possible that she was not in the hospital and went missing? This made his heart skip a beat. He had a bad feeling. ¡°Yes. No one can get in touch with her now. ¡°However, you can rest assured that I have sent someone to look for her.. ¡°As soon as there¡¯s a result, I¡¯ll get Dexter to inform you.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you, Mr. Thompson.¡± Mr. Thompson did not say anything else. ¡°Then that¡¯s it for our meeting today. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave Greyport.¡± Chapter 837 Chapter 837 Chapter 837 ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going first. Goodbye, Mr. Thompson.¡± ¡°Goodbye,¡± Mr. Thompson replied with a smile. After saying goodbye to Mr. Thompson, Bruce rushed to the hospital uneasily. Aria Bridges was now missing. This made him extremely uneasy. After this bloody lesson, he had a deep understanding of Aria and was even more shocked by her madness. ¡°Now that she had gone missing. Would shee to harass Joanna and me again?¡± he wondered. Thinking of this, Bruce felt suffocated and subconsciously reached for the cigarette in his pocket. When he was upset, he wanted to smoke. After fumbling around his pocket for a while, he did not find a cigarette. He had already promised Joanna to quit smoking. Now, he had finally made some progress. It was better not to smoke again. However, he stillforted himself in his heart that Aria had cancer and probably wouldn¡¯t live long. So she probably wouldn¡¯t have the chance to look for him again. Of course, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. 9:20 PM at the hospital. Bruce returned to the hospital. ¡°Click!¡± He gently pushed open the door. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Miranda and a nurse quickly stood up to greet him. The lights in the ward had been turned off, leaving only a small bedsidemp. Joanna should be asleep. ¡°Is Joann asleep?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Oh, she¡¯s already asleep. Do you want me to wake her up?¡± The servant asked respectfully. Hearing this, Bruce quickly waved his hand. ¡°Shh, lower your voice. Don¡¯t wake Joann up.¡± Hearing this, Miranda and the servant quickly shut up. Bruce walked into the ward inside and came to the bed quietly. Joannay on the bed with her eyes closed. It looked like she was sleeping soundly. She had splints on her hands and a repair belt on her waist. There wereyers of gauze wrapped around her head, making her look a little tragic. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He sat down quietly at the head of the bed. As he gazed upon the slumbering Joanna, a faint ache tugged at the depths of his heart. He was really afraid that Aria woulde looking for him and Joanna again. Mr. Thompson¡¯s words today made him waver again. He wanted to withdraw from the organization entirely, but¡­ he was a little reluctant. He was really conflicted now, and his heart was iparably conflicted. Three minutester. Bruce still didn¡¯t say anything. Joanna quietly opened her eyes. Seeing him sitting at the head of the bed in a daze, Joanna suddenly asked, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Bruce was in a daze and was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sleeping,¡± Joanna retorted with a hint of annoyance. How could she possibly sleep? How could she be at ease when Bruce went out to discuss business at night? Even though she knew that he would not do anything bad.. However, she could not help but let her imagination run wild. After all, Bruce had been in a few idents in a row. Now that he was out, she was naturally a little worried. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± Bruce gently stroked her hair. Joanna did not answer the question but asked, ¡°Why are you back so early? How can I sleep if you¡¯re not back?¡± Bruce looked down at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s already half past nine. It¡¯s not too early!¡± ¡°Hmph, I thought you would y until one or two.¡± ¡°Why would I? I was meeting a client, not eating, drinking, or having fun. Besides, you¡¯re still lying in the hospital. I¡¯m not in the mood to y,¡± Bruce said as he continued to stroke Joanna¡¯s hair gently. ¡°At least you have some conscience.¡± Bruce smiled gently, his eyes filled with tenderness. ¡°Honey, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I just feel ufortable all over. I really want to get up and have a walk.¡± Joanna had been lying on the bed for a few days. Lying on the hospital bed for so many days was really ufortable. Especially since there were two or three fractures on her bone, she couldn¡¯t even move, let alone go to the bathroom Although the intensive caregiver and servants took care of her meticulously, she was still in a distraught state. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Hurry up and lie down. You can¡¯t get up yet. The doctor said that you have to lie down and rest. For the fractured part, it needs more careful nurturing.¡± Bruce was afraid that Joanna would move, so he quickly warned her. ¡°s¡­¡± Joanna let out a heavy sigh. During this period of time, their family could be considered to have gone against the hospital. They spent most of their time in the hospital this year. ¡°Perhaps Miranda is right. Maybe it was caused by some kind of negative energy. After being discharged from the hospital, I must find a master who understands this to analyze the situation,¡± Joanna thought. ¡°Which client did you see today?¡± Bruce nced at her. ¡°Umm, a client from the north. You don¡¯t know him.¡± ¡°Which corporation?¡± ¡°Just¡­ Ah, my brain is a little tired now. I forgot about that name Bruce said vaguely. Joanna was stunned for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so dispirited? ¡°Did the deal not go through?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a little trouble. It might take a while to negotiate.¡± ¡°Ah! What kind ofpany has such a powerful background?¡± ¡°Just a business up north. ¡°Dear, can you stop asking? I¡¯m a little tired now and want to sleep,¡± Bruce said as he leaned against Joanna. Joanna was in the VIP ward. The bed was different from ordinary hospital beds. It was veryfortable and spacious, enough for two people to sleep in ¡°Get up quickly. You haven¡¯t even showered.¡± Chapter 838 Chapter 838 Chapter 838 Bruce was slightly obsessed with cleanliness and would never sleep without taking a shower. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m really tired today. As he spoke, Bruce closed his eyes in exhaustion. Seeing this, Joanna was shocked. ¡°What was wrong with this guy today? ¡°Why was he getting so tired after a short trip?¡± she wondered. However, seeing how tired he was, Joanna did not urge him to take a shower. Bruce closed his eyes to rest, but his brain was working rapidly. He was really a little uneasy now. Aria was too smart. When such a woman became paranoid, it was really too scary. The next day. Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. Bruce was officially going back to work in the group. He got up on time. After washing up, he changed into a dark blue suit and a pure-colored tie. His hair was styled meticulously, with a bit of hair gel to hold it in ce. After shaving, he returned to his previous noble and elegant appearance, looking like an abstinent business elite. ¡°Honey I¡¯m going to work today. ¡°Be good at the hospital. I¡¯lle back to apany you tonight.¡± ¡°Okay, be careful on the road,¡± Joanna said with concern. Bruce smiled dotingly and leaned in front of her. ¡°Give me a kiss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re annoying. Be serious.¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face tensed up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a kiss? Hurry up.¡± Joannaughed angrily and kissed Bruce on the cheek. Bruce smiled and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead, cheeks, and lips. If not for the fact that she was seriously injured now, he really wanted to¡­ ¡°Pity. ¡°I was probably going to endure another period of asceticism,¡± said he inwardly. ¡°Be good!¡± ¡°Be careful on the road!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± On the way to work. Bruce had a malicious look on his face. His expression was as cold as ice that hadsted for thousands of years. ¡°Darcy, check on Aria¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°If she¡¯s dead, that¡¯s for the best. If she¡¯s not dead, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s still trouble¡­¡± When Darcy heard this, he replied solemnly, ¡°Will do, Mr. Everett.¡± Ten minutester. The driver drove to Everett Group. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re at thepany.¡± When the security guard at the door saw that it was Bruce¡¯s car, he hurriedly went forward to open the door. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce got out of the car expressionlessly. The bodyguards quickly got out of the car and followed Bruce into thepany. The receptionists were originally busy, but they were all surprised when they saw Mr. Everett. They hurriedly greeted him respectfully, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce nodded slightly and walked toward the elevator. ¡°Oh my god, why did Mr. Everett suddenlye back to work today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Didn¡¯t they say that Mr. Everett was seriously ill? Why does it look like he¡¯s not sick at all?¡± ¡°Those are all rumors. Look at Mr. Everett. Isn¡¯t he fine?¡± ¡°That¡¯s great¡­¡± The beautiful customer service managers at the front desk were even more excited and happy. Even though they knew that Bruce wouldn¡¯t like them, they were still very happy to see him every day. On the other side¡­ Darcy quickly called Leo to ask about Aria¡¯s whereabouts. In the afternoon, Darcy already had a general update on Aria. In the office. Bruce was dealing with the umted work. Darcy knocked on the door and entered. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce put down the document in his hand and asked with a frown, ¡°How is it? Did you find out anything?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Aria¡¯s basic information has been investigated,¡± Darcy said in a deep voice. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Darcy looked gloomy. ¡°I called her assistant, Leo. ¡°Leo said that Aria had been removed from the research institute for viting the research institute¡¯s discipline. ¡°She¡¯s no longer a researcher at the research institute. Then I called the hospital and asked her attending doctor. ¡°It seems that she only stayed in the hospital for three days before leaving. Moreover, her attending doctor said that her brain cancer was a misdiagnosis.¡± ¡°What? Misdiagnosis?¡± Bruce was utterly dumbstruck. He couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Yes, ording to the news from the hospital. Aria has a pituitary osteoma. The symptoms of this disease are very simr to brain cancer. ¡°But the mortality rate isn¡¯t that high. She¡¯s been misdiagnosed before.¡± When Bruce heard that, he was filled with anger. His hawk-like eyes gleamed with a cold light as he said, ¡°So you¡¯re telling me Aria Bridges didn¡¯t actually have brain cancer?¡± ¡°Yes, just a brain disease very simr to brain cancer.¡± When Bruce heard this, he took a deep breath, and his expression changed constantly. The news made him even more worried. No wonder Aria kept dying the surgery. She must have known that she had been misdiagnosed. ¡°Continue the investigation. Even if she¡¯s hiding in outer space, we have to find her.¡± ¡°Will do! Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°You can leave now.¡± Darcy did not say anything else. He turned around and left the office. Half past five in the afternoon. Bruce left thepany early and came to the hospital to apany Joanna. In the ward. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Why are you off work so early?¡± Joanna asked casually. ¡°I was in a hurry toe back for you. I was afraid that you would be bored, so I came back early to apany you.¡± Joanna smiled gently. Bruce immediately took off his suit and loosened his tie. He was only wearing a white shirt. Three buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing his Adam¡¯s apple and part of his chest. He looked casual and unrestrained¡­ with a hint of a¡¯mature man¡¯s seductiveness. Joanna subconsciously looked away from his chest. ¡°This damn guy has a good appearance that people would never get tired of looking at,¡± said she inwardly. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± ¡°Are you busy with work?¡± ¡°Yes, a little,¡± Bruce said as he walked to the bed. He leaned against Joanna side by side, his arm resting lovingly on the top of her head. ¡°Take care of yourself. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± ¡°Okay, you have to rest well too. Don¡¯t think too much.¡± ? Just as Joanna finished speaking, she heard amotion outside. ¡°What¡¯s that noise outside?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve sent a few extra bodyguards. It could be Darcy giving them orders.¡± ¡°Why did you send so many bodyguards?¡± ¡°To keep you safe.¡± Joanna stuttered and looked at Bruce in surprise. Greyport¡¯s security was pretty good. In addition, there were servants and special care personnel in the ward. Ordinary people could not approach at all. Moreover, there were also bodyguards at the door. Now, Bruce had actually sent a few more bodyguards. ¡°Bruce, did something happen again?¡± Joanna could not help but worry. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then why do you always look so troubled these past two days?¡± ¡°Do I?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m still a little scared after that incident. ¡°Honey, when you¡¯re better, we¡¯ll take Lilia to get her operation done. ¡°When the timees, our family will live happily every day¡­¡± As Bruce was talking, he suddenly stopped. Chapter 839 Chapter 839 Chapter 839 Bruce suddenly fell silent. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She asked worriedly, ¡°Bruce, did something happen again? If something happens, you must tell me. Don¡¯t hide it from me.¡± ¡°Nothing happened!¡± Bruce smiled andforted Joanna. There was no conclusion yet. He didn¡¯t want Joanna to be scared. Besides, this was Greyport. Even if Aria came, he wouldn¡¯t be worried. What he was afraid of was that Aria would y tricks behind his back. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. She was a biomedical expert. If she were to create a virus behind his back, it would really be impossible to guard against. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She still looked at Bruce suspiciously. She had known Bruce for more than ten years. Joanna understood very well what kind of person he was and what personality he had. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t hide it from me. You know that I hate it when you lie to me. If something really happened, you should have told me earlier so I could be mentally prepared. ¡°Haven¡¯t we talked about this before? We have to be honest with each other and face difficulties together.¡± Hearing this, Bruce let out a soft sigh. ¡°Aria Bridges went missing now.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened when she heard this. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she¡¯s hiding now, and I¡¯m sending people to investigate her whereabouts.¡± Bruce originally thought that the organization would deal with Aria severely. However, he did not expect that Aria had already gone missing before the organization could punish her. ¡°Didn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t she get brain cancer?¡± ¡°I asked Darcy to investigate. Her brain cancer was a misdiagnosis. She didn¡¯t have brain cancer at all. Instead, she had a pituitary osteoma that was very simr to brain cancer.¡± Upon hearing it, Joanna was utterly choked up. She had to admit it. ¡°This Aria is truly intelligent, and she is totally entric and paranoid. ¡°If such a woman embarked on the path of crime, the consequences would be unimaginable,¡± said Joanna inwardly. ¡°Then what should we do? Will she¡­¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°So, I¡¯m very worried that she wille and pester us again.¡± When Joanna heard this, she nced at Bruce and did not know what to say. A hidden enemy was dangerous, but it was true as they said, ¡°Better the devil you know.¡± If Aria was hiding in the dark and ying tricks, it would really be impossible to guard against, ¡°Bruce, I think Aria Bridges is too crazy. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll take revenge on us. You¡¯d better send more men to protect the children. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll do them harm.¡± If Arfa wanted to take revenge on them. It was highly possible that she would attack their child first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will,¡± Bruce said with a frown. Both of them were a little upset. After a while, Joanna sighed. ¡°Look, it¡¯s all because of you. Tell me honestly, how many more of these love affairs are out there?¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes widened. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m really innocent! She and I¡­ We just had a rtionship when we were in school. ¡°But I can assure you that nothing has ever happened between us! ¡°Besides, she¡¯s the one clinging to me now. I¡¯m not the one provoking her.¡± Joanna frowned and rolled her eyes at Bruce. ¡°You don¡¯t have to shirk responsibility. You must have given her hope or an illusion. ¡°Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have provoked you like this.¡± When Bruce heard this, he found it hard to retort. ¡°I¡­ Forget it. I can¡¯t be bothered to argue with you. ¡°In any case, it¡¯s toote to say anything now that things have escted to this point. We can only be more careful to avoid being involved with such people again.¡± Hearing this, Joanna rolled her eyes again. It was all Bruce¡¯s fault. At the end of the day, it was because he was too weed among women. He always attracted the attention of women. ¡°Ah, this is a lesson learned. If you can¡¯t get love, it will turn into hatred. ¡°If Aria is like this, Jaydon Grimm might also be like this too. ¡°Therefore, you have to keep a good distance from him. Don¡¯t let him have any misunderstandings.¡± Joanna was left speechless and looked at Bruce hopelessly. ¡°Jaydon wouldn¡¯t do that. ¡°With his magnanimous personality, he would hot do such a crazy thing. ¡°Moreover, he was really a gentleman. ¡°If he wanted to take revenge. ¡°When I asked him to repair the USB drive, he could have tampered with it. ¡°However, he didn¡¯t do anything and still chose to help Bruce. This was enough to prove that he was kind and generous. ¡°Of course, being a yboy was his only weakness. ¡°In fact, it was not that he was a yboy. It was just that he was more affectionate. The beautiful woman beside him threw herself at him with all their might. Very few people could resist this temptation,¡± Joanna said inwardly. ¡°Jay is different. Don¡¯tpare him to Aria Bridges in the future When Bruce heard this, he sneered. ¡°How is it different? Hmph, if Jaydon isn¡¯t interested in you, I¡¯ll eat my hat.¡± Chapter 840 Chapter 840 Chapter 840 ¡°There you go again. I can¡¯t stand you! ¡°We¡¯re talking about Aria Bridges now. Why are you bringing up Jay again?¡± Joanna was extremely annoyed. ¡°Ican guarantee you that Jay is not such a person. He won¡¯t do such a crazy thing. If he wants us to live a tragic life, he wouldn¡¯t have helped you regardless of past grievances.¡± ¡°How did he help me? ¡°Do I need him to help me?¡± Bruce scoffed. Indeed. Back when he was in jail, he was not afraid at all. After all, he was working for the National Defense Bureau. When he had no choice, he could simply reveal his identity. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it to you.¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry, Bruce quickly changed the topic. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about him anymore.¡± ¡°Hmph, you were the one who brought him up first. You have the final say in everything.¡± Bruce quickly held Joanna¡¯s shoulders and apologized gently, ¡°Okay, okay, okay. It¡¯s my fault. You are always right. I¡¯m always wrong. ¡°We have to make rules in the future. When we quarrel, one party must remain silent. ¡°Besides, arguing is one thing. We can¡¯t just break up at the drop of a hat.¡± Joanna deliberately pulled a long face. ¡°That depends on your performance.¡± ¡°Ha! We¡¯re already at this stage. Do you still want to escape? ¡°Once you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, we¡¯ll immediately settle the remarriage procedures. We definitely can¡¯t dy it any longer. ¡°So you won¡¯t start overthinking and end up getting lured away by other men. ¡°Ugh! Fine, you win!¡± In the blink of an eye. A month passed. Joanna¡¯s injuries had basically recovered, and the splint on her arm had been removed. Although she could not carry heavy objects yet, she could still do basic daily activities. The doctor did a series of tests on her and confirmed that she could be discharged. ¡°Miss Haynes can be discharged today. Come back for a checkup in half a month.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief.. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Today, the three little kids also came to fetch their mommy from the hospital. ¡°That¡¯s great. Mommy can finally be discharged.¡± Davian said excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s right! We haven¡¯t eaten Mommy¡¯s dumplings for a long time. Wow, I can¡¯t help but drool just thinking about it. ¡°Mommy, when are you going to make us dumplings?¡± Joanna moved her wrist. Although she could not lift anything heavy, it was not a problem to make dumplings. It had been a long time since she cooked for the children. Although there were several chefs in the Everett family and every meal was different, she still wanted to cook for the children every few days. ¡°If you want to eat it, I can make it today.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. ¡°Mommy, I want two big bowls of it.¡± ¡°Mom, I want two big bowls two.¡± Bruce red at them. ¡°Eating so much, aren¡¯t you afraid of making mom tired?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Making dumplings isn¡¯t heavy work,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Well, then, can you make spaghetti for me? You haven¡¯t made it for a long time.¡± Bruce also took the opportunity to ask for benefits. Joanna smiled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll satisfy all of you today.¡± When the three little kids heard this, they cheered. ¡°Wow, Mommy is so good. We¡¯re so happy.¡± Bruce also followed the children and cheered. ¡°Wow, my wife is so good. I¡¯m so happy too.¡± Just like that, the month passed peacefully. At first, they were still afraid. But now that nothing had happened, they gradually rxed. At Sherane Bay Vi. After returning home, Joanna went straight into the kitchen. Bruce and the children surrounded her. ¡°Honey, do you want me to help you?¡± ¡°Sure. Wash your hands. Come and make dumplings.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Mommy, we want to make dumpling too.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll satisfy all your requests today.¡± ¡°Go wash your hands ande over to make dumplings.¡± The family was happy and crowded in the kitchen to make dumplings. The servants outside the kitchen were all dumbfounded. ¡°Mr. Everett is cooking?¡± they wondered, ¡°Wow, Mr. Everett is interested in cooking!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Howmendable. Thest time Mr. Everett entered the kitchen was two years ago. He almost burned the ce down.¡± Chapter 841 Chapter 841 Chapter 841 The materials were all ready-made. Preparing the filling and kneading the dough were both aplished at a swift pace. After Joanna mixed the chicken filling well, she proceeded to cut the shrimp, mushrooms, andtro stems. Subsequently, she added an egg and various seasonings. Seeing that Joanna was adding things one by one, Bruce approached her curiously. ¡°Honey, what are these things? ¡°Will it taste strange with so many spices?¡± Bruce kept a mild diet. Whenever the chef cooked for him, they always tried to maintain the original taste of the ingredients. Now that he saw Joanna add so many seasonings, he could not help but start to be picky. ¡°This is seasoning!¡± answered Joanna. ¡°Why did you add so much?¡± Bruce looked disgusted. ¡°Tut-tut! Will it not affect one¡¯s health by adding so much seasoning?¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes widened. ¡°Move aside. Don¡¯t get in the way here.¡± ¡°This damn guy was really annoying. ¡°The foods that displease him are strictly prohibited from appearing on the dinner table. Therefore, the entire family had to cater to his taste. ¡°Now, I had finally cooked a meal for the children, and this guy hade to tell me what to do. ¡°He really deserved a beating,¡± said Joanna inwardly. ¡°You can choose not to eat it. I didn¡¯t prepare it for you. Besides, what¡¯s the big deal if the children eat it once in a while?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°I was just asking!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes at him and mixed the filling. She started making dumplings. Bruce watched from the side, eager to give it a try. ¡°How d I 6% that?¡± Joanna demonstrated as she spoke. ¡°Here, put some stuffing on the dumpling wrapper first. Roll it up and fold it, then squeeze it the other way. Look, it¡¯s in the shape of a crescent. That¡¯ll do.¡± Bruce look. at with disdain. ¡°That¡¯s it? It¡¯s so simple.¡± As he spoke, he used the fork to poke arge lump of filling and ced it on the dumpling wrapper. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°That¡¯s too much stuffing. A little less. What are you doing? Making a pizza?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s thin-skinned with generous fillings. Everyone likes it.¡± ¡°Oh my, the stuffing is out.¡± Bruce was flustered, and the meat fillings fell to the ground. The dumpling wrapper in his hands seemed to be intentionally going against him. Each pinch resulted in it sticking to his fingers, causing the dumpling to burst. The stuffing was all over his hands. Seeing this, Joanna was left speechless. ¡°How is it possible for a man to be so clumsy? ¡°Those who saw it would be driven crazy,¡± said she inwardly. ¡°Uh, go away! Don¡¯t be a hindrance.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked defiant. ¡°It must be because the dumpling wrapper is too soft. ¡°I can¡¯t wrap it up at all¡­ ¡°Oh my, it fell.¡± Alump of stuffing was squeezed out from the middle of the dumpling wrapper. Coincidentally, it fell at the zipper of his pants. Being a clean freak, Bruce quickly swept it with his hand. ¡°ng!¡± His elbow knocked the basin to the ground. Flour spilled all over the ce. Joanna was left utterly dumbfounded and speechless. ¡°Fuck!¡± Bruce cursed angrily and bent down to pick up the basin. He was too tall and didn¡¯t notice the pot on the stove behind him. He knocked it over again. Half a pot of hot water was sshed everywhere. Joanna felt her heart began to ache. Seeing this, Bruce waspletely dumbfounded. How was he here to help? He was clearly here to demolish the kitchen. The servants who were peeping at the kitchen door hurriedly came in to clean up. ¡°Tut-tut! ¡°I knew that Mr. Everett wouldn¡¯t be able to do it,¡± they thought. ¡°Honey, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It¡¯s all because of this damn dumpling wrapper.¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. The wrapper isn¡¯t good. You can go out now.¡± Joanna pushed his back, wanting him to go out quickly. ¡°Honey, do you despise me?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then, why did you chase me out?¡± Bruce asked gloomily. He was clearly so outstanding and smart. He learned everything very quickly. But¡­ he knew nothing about cooking. ¡°I¡¯m not taking no for an answer today. I¡¯m pretty smart. I can¡¯t possibly fail to learn how to make dumplings.¡± ¡°Ugh. Fine! Go on.¡± Bruce sullenly took another dumpling wrapper. This time, he imitated Joanna and carefully made one dumpling. Although it did not seed, it was much better than before. ¡°Honey, look, am I good?¡± Joanna nced at it. His dumplings looked like dog poop. Joanna bit her lip and didn¡¯t have the heart to criticize him. ¡°Um, that¡¯s more like it. ¡°However, you have to squeeze it a little tighter. Otherwise, it¡¯ll fall apart when you cook it.¡± ¡°Mommy, do you think our dumpling is better than Daddy¡¯s?¡± Davian and Irvin were very smart. They caught on quickly. Needless to say, the dumplings they made were quite on point. After taking a look at their dumplings, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Baby, you¡¯re awesome.¡± Soon. ¡°The water¡¯s boiling. Time to drop in the dumplings!¡± The dumpling that the father and sons had made was the first to be cooked. There was no suspense. Bruce¡¯s dumplings all fell apart, and when boiled, they turned into a pot of soup. ¡°Oh no, why these dumplings are all falling apart!¡± said Bruce ¡°I told you to squeeze it a little tighter. ¡°Let¡¯s eat the filling soup today!¡± replied Joanna. ¡°Mommy¡¯s the best.¡± ¡°Here, one bowl for each of you. Don¡¯t waste it.¡± Joanna scooped a bowl of dumplings for each of them with an angry expression. Davian and Irvin carefully tasted it and revealed surprised expressions. ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually not bad.¡± ¡°These are all made by you. You have to finish them. ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to eat Mommy¡¯s dumplings after finishing these.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t want the children to develop a habit of wasting food. Therefore, she still asked the kids to finish them. Bruce let out a sigh and looked at the bowl of crappy dumplings. He found it hard to eat it. ¡°Daddy, try it. It¡¯s not bad.¡± Bruce was very disgusted with his works and looked picky. After dinner. Joanna and Bruce yed with the children for a while. Soon, it was 9:30 p.m. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Hurry up and take a shower. Go to bed quickly. ¡°I have to get up early tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh, got it, Mommy.¡± The three little kids obediently went back to their room to take a shower and sleep. Joanna returned to the bedroom and went to take a shower. After taking a shower, she changed into a set of silk pajamas and took a facial mask, preparing to put it on and sleep. However, before she could apply the facial mask, Bruce had already approached her with a meaningful smile. ¡°Honey¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°What do you think?¡± Joanna subconsciously nced at the door. ¡°You are annoying. The children are still awake. Stop fooling around.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if the children sleep or not. We are going to sleep¡­¡± As he spoke, Bruce stooped down and swept Joanna into his arms. Then, he carried her to the bed and pulled the nket over, covering themselves under it. He had never been an abstinent man. Joanna had been in the hospital all this time. He was about to go crazy from holding it in. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so annoying. Can you please be a little more patient?¡± Joanna was really a little overwhelmed by him. ¡°This bastard was truly vile,¡± thought Joanna. Every time, he would really make her cry. Although she had only the appetite for one dish, he forcefully insisted on feeding her a second, third, and even fifth. Anyone else would have wept in this situation. Chapter 842 Chapter 842 Chapter 842 However, Bruce was much better now. At the very least, he would take into ount Joanna¡¯s feelings. To a certain extent, he would also be more restrained. He would not be like before, where the more Joanna could not take it, the more he would ask for. An hourter. Joanna was drenched in sweat as if she had just been through a steam bath. Her voice was hoarse, and two of her nails had been broken. She really couldn¡¯t take it. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m so tired. I¡¯m going to sleep¡­¡± Joanna did not wait for Bruce to respond. Overwhelmed with exhaustion, she fell asleep immediately. Bruce hadn¡¯t fully satisfied his desires yet. However, seeing how tired Joanna was, he could only stop. ¡°Little thing, you fell asleep so quickly. ¡°Do you think you can escape? You can escape today, but yo you can¡¯t escape tomorrow. ¡°Let¡¯s see how I¡¯ll deal with you tomorrow¡­¡± The next day. When Joanna woke up, it was already past ten in the morning. Bruce had already gone to work. His stamina and energy were really terrifying. No matter howte he had slept the night before or how tired he was, he could get up on time the next day with abundant energy. Of course. He was not too tiredst night¡­ It had only been an hour, and he was already being very conservative and restrained. Joanna opened her eyes sleepily and sat up with her hands on her waist. She felt her entire body in sharp pain, especially her limbs. They were so sore that she could not lift them up. Downstairs. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Joanna brushed her hair and yawned as she went downstairs. Her throat was a little hoarse and aching. ¡°Lilian. Make some lemonade tonight.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± The servant respectfully ced the breakfast on the dining table. Joanna came to the dining room, drank a ss of milk, and ate two pieces of sandwich. ¡°Madam, Mr. Everett said that he¡¯sing back for lunch.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Joanna finished her breakfast and went upstairs to change her clothes. Then, she took out her phone and started looking for information about the h She could already take care of herself now. Next week, she was going to take Lilia for corrective surgery in Gapringto Bruce had also been busy withpany matters for the past for surgery. few days. was preparing to free up some time to take Lilia The sound of a car came from the courtyard. A Rolls-Royce Phantom drove into the courtyard. The servant hurriedly went forward to wee Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, you are back.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Bruce was wearing an Itona-style light-colored suit today. He looked gentlemanly and romantic. He was in high spirits and seemed to be in a good mood. Joanna was already waiting for him at the entrance of the living room. Seeing him get out of the car, she said, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back, baby.¡± ¡°You should just have lunch at thepany. Why did youe back? It¡¯s so troublesome to run around!¡± Joanna looked at Bruce in confusion. ¡°How can thepany¡¯s food be better than home-cooked meals?¡± Bruce smiled dotingly and reached out to hook his arm around Joanna¡¯s waist. His eyes showed a hint of a gleam, like a wolf eyeing its prey. Joanna looked at his gaze and immediately tensed up. ¡°This bastard. ¡°Could it be that he specially came back in the afternoon to¡­ ¡°After all, I had fallen asleep before he was donest night. ¡°ording to the wicked deeds of this man in the past, he will not ¡°Kiss me,¡± said Bruce. give up so easily,¡± thought Joanna. ¡°Bruce Everett, there you go again. I really can¡¯t stand you.¡± A hint of rejection appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. The feeling of being forcefully fed was truly maddening. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve been enduring for so long. Shouldn¡¯t you offer some sort ofpensation?¡± ¡°How do you expect me topensate? At least have some restraint!¡± ¡°I have exercised great restraint. It was merely an hourst night!¡± Joanna was left speechless. When she heard this, she really wanted to punch Bruce to death. ¡°Stop it! ¡°I¡¯m talking business with you now. I called Doctor Carl today. ¡°I¡¯ve already made an appointment for Lilia¡­¡± ¡°Just make the arrangements,¡± Bruce said as his breathing quickened. He spent so much money and effort to coax Joanna. He couldn¡¯t let her be idle. ¡°The servants are all watching. Can you be more serious?¡± Joanna pushed his restless hand away. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°What? Can¡¯t I kiss my own wife?¡± ¡°Hurry up, give me a kiss,¡± As Bruce spoke, he lowered his head and brought his face close to Joanna, waiting for a kiss. Joanna was both angry and amused. She could only kiss Bruce on the cheek. ¡°Is that enough?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough.¡± ¡°How annoying. Can¡¯t you be more serious?¡± ¡°Why do I have to be so serious in front of my wife? Tell me, do you love me?¡± ¡°Annoying. I can¡¯t stand you anymore.¡± ¡°Tell me now. I want to hear it.¡± Joanna¡¯s face flushed uncontrobly. ¡°Lunch is ready. Have your lunch quickly.¡± Chapter 843 Chapter 843 Chapter 843 ¡°Can you stop fooling around? There are so many people watching¡­¡± Even though she had already given birth to four children, Joanna was still as shy as a young girl. Especially in front of him, she had always been conservative and protective. But¡­ The more she kept her distance and refused to pour out her heart, the more Bruce wanted to completely enter her inner world. One might be able to maintain her allure in front of Bruce forever if she always maintained a hint of mystery and did not let himpletely see through. ¡°Have you made arrangements for your work? Can you spare the time next week? ¡°I¡¯ve already made an appointment with Doctor Carl. We¡¯ll fly to Gaprington next week.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s more or less arranged.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to arrange the itinerary. I¡¯ll call the school tomorrow and help Lilia apply for leave.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°s, I hope this trip to Gaprington will go smoothly. I really hope that Lilia can stand up soon. As long as Lilia can recover her health, I¡¯m willing to exchange my ten-year lifespan for it.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Why are you saying such depressing words? Lilia will definitely recover. ¡°And we¡¯ll also live to a ripe old age. We¡¯llpany each other forever. ¡°Let me see how you¡¯re going to escape when you¡¯re old and all your teeth fall out.¡± ¡°Ughh, we¡¯re already an old married couple. Can you not be so mushy?¡± Joanna¡¯s face blushed. Bruce pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head lovingly. ¡°After Lilia recovers, we¡¯re going to hold a grand wedding. ¡°I n to book an ind overseas and party for a week.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk so much. Hurry up and eat. The dishes are getting cold.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry yet!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not hungry? Then why did youe back at noon?¡± ¡°I came back¡­ to eat you, of course.¡± Bruce smiled evilly and bent down to carry her into his arms. ¡°Damn little woman, you didn¡¯t satisfy mest night. I didn¡¯t even let out all my sexual desire. ¡°Do you think you can escape? Watch how I deal with you today.¡± With that, Bruce carried to the room. Joanna opened her eyes and struggled in fear. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t do anything rash. ¡°It¡¯s broad daylight, don¡¯t be so shameless¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m shameless. So what? ¡°Damn little woman, let¡¯s see if you still dare to ignore me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ You¡¯re really annoying¡­¡± Another hourter, Joanna was about to fall apart. This damned bastard really knew how to torture her. Bruce took a nap. After he got up, he took a shower and changed into a new set of clothes. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m going back to the office.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± Joanna replied sleepily, feeling weak all over. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Seeing that she was like a sleepy kitten, Bruce smiled dotingly and kissed her cheek again. ¡°Be good and stay at home. I¡¯ll be back before six in the evening.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Bruce did not say anything else. He straightened his tie and rushed to thepany. Recently, thepany had been quite busy. Especially since he had to make time to take her daughter to the surgery. Moreover, it would take at least two to three months. Therefore, all the work had to bepleted in advance. In the office of the Everett Group, Bruce ordered, ¡°Andy, bring me the Stark Group¡¯s contract immediately. ¡°Also, make an appointment with the president of the Neorace Group. I want to meet him at ten o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Also, take care of these documents and send them to the post immediately. ¡°Arrange the schedule for the next two months immediately. I¡¯m going to Gaprington in April and May.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange it immediately.¡± Chapter 844 Chapter 844 ¡°By the way, there¡¯s also the contract for the Construction Group. We have to deal with it quickly.¡± Knock! Knock! Knock! There was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Mark pushed open the office door and walked in with a serious expression. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia is here.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Miss Garcia?¡± ¡°Yes, the president of Garcia Group.¡± ¡°Jennie?¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. Mark nodded. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s waiting in the reception room downstairs.¡± ¡°What¡¯s she doing here?¡± ¡°She said she wanted to talk to Mr. Everett about investing in the Green Bay project.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face darkened even more. The Green Bay real estate project was located near Humenance City, Porash. It was also thergest and most high-end real estate project in Porash. It was also an entertainment and tourism development project. The total investment was close to a billion dors. Of course, Everett Group was not the only investor. There were several other investors. Now, the Green Bay project had been steadily developed. They were preparing to continue expanding the surrounding projects. The project was too big, so they naturally needed to continue recruiting new investors. Since the tragic death of Zachary, Jennie was now the executive president of the Garcia Group. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see her. Tell her that I¡¯m not here,¡± Bruce said and continued to read the document. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Garcia has already made three appointmentsst week. I¡¯ve already refused her twice before. If I refuse her again now, won¡¯t it be a little¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he replied without looking up, ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to see her. Just tell her that I¡¯m not in thepany.¡± Jennie was not a good woman. It was better to avoid provoking her. Although the Green Bay project was being expanded and urgently needed powerful new investors, Bruce would rather find another investor than cooperate with Jennie. Mark pouted. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll reject Miss Garcia now.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Mark responded and turned around to leave. ¡°Andy, hurry up and urge Mr. Matthews and Mr. Young to implement the Construction Group contract as soon as possible. Also, gather all the shareholders and higher-ups for a meeting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you go!¡± Andy carried a stack of contracts and left the office respectfully. After Mark and Andy left, Bruce returned to the task at hand. He was like this. When he wasn¡¯t working, he was aszy as he could be. Once he got to work, he was fully focused and meticulous. In the reception room downstairs, Mark pushed the door open and entered respectfully. ¡°Miss Garcia.¡± Jennie was sitting on the leather sofa, thinking about what to say to Bruceter. When she saw Mark enter, her face quickly darkened. ¡°How is it?¡± Mark had a professionally humble and fake smile on his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Mr. Everett just went out. He¡¯s not in thepany now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jennie frowned. Her beautiful face instantly turned as cold as ice. These words were usually meant to reject. She really did not expect this. She put down her pride and took the initiative to ask for an investment, but she was actually rejected. One had to know that the Garcia Group was also one of the top ten wealthy families in Greyport. Its assets were billions of dors. Since her brother¡¯s death, Jennie would inherit all the Garcia family¡¯s assets worth billions of dors. She had also be the youngest and richest unmarried billionaire in Greyport. ¡°Hmph, is Mr. Everett really not here, or is he unwilling to see me?¡± Jennie sneered. Mark bowed slightly, and his fake smile became bigger. ¡°Miss Garcia, you must be joking. Mr. Everett really went out for a meeting! I¡¯m very sorry.¡± Jennie took a deep breath and asked with a glimmer of hope, ¡°When will he be back?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s hard to say.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Jennie snorted and stood up resentfully. She knew that Bruce was unwilling to see her. Jennie stomped off in her high heels. Returning to the underground parking lot, Jennie got into the car in frustration. The driver carefully asked, ¡°Miss Garcia, where are we going now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯ll just wait here.¡± The driver and secretary Jimmy looked at each other, not daring to say another word. Jennie¡¯s beautiful face was filled with gloom. She was really asking for trouble. Although there were many men pursuing her, she was only willing to take out several billion dors to y with Bruce. While in the eyes of Bruce, she was still nothing. But some people were like that¡­ The more one could not get something, the more one was unwilling to let go.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. She was rich, beautiful, and young. She really could not understand how she had lost to Joanna. Jimmy sat in the car and kept quiet out of fear. Miss Garcia¡¯s temper was getting worse and worse. She would vent her anger on him for no reason. Sometimes, when she was angry, she would really punch and kick him. Last time, because he had ordered the wrong food for her, she had pped him in the face more than ten times in public. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t believe you won¡¯te out. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here. Let¡¯s see how long you can hide. ¡°The more you avoid me, the more I want to see you.¡± Jennie had always been as proud as a queen. Which of the men in Greyport did not ¡°submit¡± to her? Only Bruce had never taken her seriously. But the more so, the more she wanted to conquer him. At six o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Bruce finally finished his work. Looking at the time, it was already time to get off work. In the past, he would work overtime untilte at night. Now, he did not want to stay at thepany for an extra minute after work time. ¡°Andy, take care of all this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Bruce spoke, he picked up his suit and walked out of the office. At the door of the office, when the bodyguards saw Mr. Everetting out, they followed behind him. In the underground parking lot, there were four bodyguards in front, four bodyguards behind, and Bruce walked in the middle. He walked toward the car with a frown. Suddenly, a delicate voice sounded. ¡°Mr. Everett, long time no see.¡± Upon hearing the voice, Bruce suddenly turned around. The door of the Maybach had opened, and Jennie got out. Her figure was slender, and she was dressed in a ck skirt and high heels. She walked over with a light step and a charming smile. When she walked closer and looked bright and elegant, she waspletely different from the gentleness of Joanna. As she looked at Bruce, she smiled brightly. ¡°Bruce, what are you doing here?¡± Jennie walked over in her high heels and said softly, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re not so busy anymore, right?¡± Bruce did not want to be entangled with her, and his expression was cold. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Ie to you for a cooperation project?¡± Jennie looked at Bruce provocatively. Bruce sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get involved with you.¡± Seeing this, Jennie hurriedly changed her tone and looked at Bruce with a sweet smile. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m here to talk to you about the Green Bay project. I¡¯m looking for an opportunity to invest.¡± Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Mr. Everett, you know there are many projects needing investment, and it¡¯s not easy to find new investors. Especially for the Green Bay project.¡± Bruce frowned slightly when he heard that. ording to Bruce¡¯s personality, he would always hesitate when faced with such situations. As he grew older, he learned thatpromising was sometimes necessary. ¡°Considering Joanna¡¯s sake, you¡¯re not able to participate in the Green Bay project.¡± Jennie¡¯s face turned cold, and she left angrily. The mark of a mature woman is knowing when to use her resources. 4o Chapter 845 Chapter 845 Chapter 845 Considering the rtionship between the Everett family and the Garcia family in the past, and also that Jennie was a woman, he didn¡¯t want to take advantage of her. Of course, the taking advantage he was thinking about was not to sleep with her, but rather taking advantage of her financially. ¡°Bruce, do you look down on me that much? ¡°I¡¯m here to invest in your project. Don¡¯t treat me like a child anymore.¡± Jennie¡¯s face flushed with anger as she looked at Bruce with her beautiful eyes. Bruce shrugged his shoulders at her. ¡°Jennie, I¡¯m just reminding you out of kindness. If you believe me, then don¡¯t get involved. If you don¡¯t, then forget about what I said. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m going home now.¡± Seeing his impatient expression, Jennie wentpletely crazy. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really here to discuss business with you. ¡°I really don¡¯t have any other thoughts. Why did you keep me away?¡± ¡°I just told you, this business isn¡¯t for you. ¡°If you¡¯re really interested, go talk to Mr. Matthews. I¡¯m not responsible for attracting investment.¡± Bruce said perfunctorily and walked toward the car. Jennie chased after him in her high heels. ¡°Bruce, wait a moment. I haven¡¯t finished yet. Why are you in such a hurry?¡± A few bodyguards quickly stepped forward and stopped her. ¡°Miss Garcia, please don¡¯t get too close.¡± ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Bruce ignored her shouts and got into the car. The driver stepped on the elerator and drove away. ¡°Miss Garcia, please leave!¡± Seeing that Bruce was still treating her so coldly, Jennie stomped her feet angrily. ¡°Hmph¡­ Bruce, I¡¯ll definitely make you regret it. ¡°So many people are begging me to invest, but I can¡¯t be bothered to agree with them. Now that I¡¯ve taken the initiative to look for you, you¡¯re treating me like this?¡± Jennie took a few deep breaths, her chest heaving violently from anger. ¡°Miss Garcia¡­ How about we go back first?¡± Jimmy said carefully. ¡°Do I need you to tell me that?¡± Jennie turned around. She opened the car door with all her might and sat in. After getting into the car, Jennie was still furious. She had been secretly in love with Bruce since she was 15 years old. After so many years, Bruce had never given her a chance. The way she expressed her love was also very suffocating. Not only was she not as smart as Aria Bridges, but she was also not as strong as Joanna. Therefore, Bruce was destined not to like her. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so angry, so angry¡­ ¡°Bruce, I will definitely make youe back crying and begging me one day.¡± At 7 pm, Bruce dragged his tired body back to Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Madam, Mr. Everett is back.¡± ¡°Oh, get ready. It¡¯s time to eat.¡± Joanna was very happy today. She specially cooked a few dishes in person. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Why are you sote? Didn¡¯t you say that you would be back the apron. He had always had a strict sense of time. six o¡¯clock?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously after she untied If he said that he would be back at six o¡¯clock, there would usually be no difference of five minutes. Now, he was almost an hourte. Bruce frowned. ¡°Something happened just now and I was dyed.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Bruce said bitterly, ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just about work.¡± Joanna looked suspicious upon hearing this. Bruce¡¯s expression was filled with annoyance. It seemed like it was not something good. ¡°Have you arranged everything for thepany? I called Lilia¡¯s school today and have already applied for leave for Lilia.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Thepany¡¯s matters are almost settled.¡± As Bruce spoke, he lowered his head and kissed Joanna¡¯s cheek. ¡°Then wash your hands and prepare to have dinner.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go upstairs and change.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, Lilia, it¡¯s time to eat. Come out quickly.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. In the dining room, the three little fellows sat around the dining table and looked at the dishes on the table. They could tell at a nce that their mother had made them. ¡°Wow, Mommy cooked personally today.¡± Davian¡¯s face was filled with excitement. Irvinughed too. ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re lucky to get something nice to eat!¡± ¡°I love Mommy¡¯s cooking the most.¡± Joanna smiled knowingly. Joanna thought she was actually quite happy on such days. Bruce was responsible for making money to support the family, and she was responsible for family affairs. He worked outside to earn money while she took care of the housework. Just like all ordinary couples, they lived a simple and ordinary life. Perhaps this was happiness! ¡°Lilia, I helped you apply for leave today. You don¡¯t need to go to school next Monday.¡± When Lilia heard this, her big eyes blinked adorably. ¡°Mommy, really?¡± Joanna smiled gently at her daughter. ¡°Of course, really. I¡¯ve already made an appointment with Doctor Carl for you. ¡°Next week, we¡¯re flying to Gaprington for corrective surgery.¡± When Davian heard this, he asked curiously, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, after the surgery, can Lilia walk like a normal person?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes, if the treatment works well, Lilia should be able to return to normal.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I hope Lilia can have the surgery sessfully this time and walk like a normal person in the future.¡± Irvin also hurriedly cheered for his sister. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Lilia, the surgery will definitely be sessful.¡± When Lilia heard this, her face was filled with longing. ¡°When I can walk like a normal person, I want to learn ballet.¡± ¡°Of course. When your legs recover, you can do whatever you want.¡± As they talked, Davian frowned and asked, ¡°By the way, Daddy, Mommy, how long will you be gone for?¡± ¡°Hmm, I asked the doctor. ording to Lilia¡¯s situation, it may take at least two months,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Ah? It¡¯ll take so long?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The corrective surgery is a little troublesome. It can¡¯t be rushed. Two months is just a conservative time now. It might be even longer.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we won¡¯t see Daddy and Mommy for two months? And Lilia either?¡± ¡°Not really. Daddy and I will find time toe back and see you.¡± ¡°What about Devin? Is he going too?¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. Devin was still too little. It was not appropriate to bring him there. However, if he was left at home, Joanna would be even more worried. ¡°Honey, what do you think? Should we bring Devin along?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bruce forked up a piece of beef, feeling a little anxious. Actually, it was fine to bring one more child. Anyway, he would bring bodyguards, servants, assistants, and a bunch of other people with them to Gaprington this time. But¡­ He was just a bit conflicted in his heart and did not want to take Devin with them. ¡°We¡¯ll let Devin stay at home! Gael and Miranda will take care of him. He¡¯s too little. It¡¯s inconvenient for us to bring him along.¡± ¡°But Devin is too little. That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried.¡± Joanna really couldn¡¯t bear to leave such a little baby at home. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should take him. ¡°The more people there are, the more troublesome it will be. If we take Devin, we¡¯ll have to bring seven or eight more servants. ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome¡­¡± Chapter 846 Chapter 846 Chapter 846 As they were talking, the sound of Devin crying came from the living room. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± Sherane Bay Vi was huge. It needed to take two to three minutes to walk to the living room from the dining room, and there was more than one living room on the first floor. There were three living rooms and a side living room. However, Joanna could still hear Devin crying in the dining room. ¡°Lilian, what¡¯s wrong with Devin?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°He¡¯s crying. He might be hungry.¡± Hearing this, Joanna put down her fork and stood up to check the living room. In the side living room, the babysitter wasforting Devin. The wetnurses and the servants were also watching worriedly from the side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is he crying so hard?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m getting ready to breastfeed.¡± Unfortunately, the little guy was obviously not hungry and refused to open his mouth. Joanna quickly walked up. ¡°Come, baby. Let me hug you.¡± The babysitter carefully handed Devin into Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Oh, oh¡­ Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. Mommy is here.¡± Joanna hugged her son and shook him a few times in her arms.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Devin was very soft and strong. He was heavy. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± The little guy cried non-stop in Joanna¡¯s arms. His chubby hands and short legs were moving casually, and he kept moving his body. He refused to calm down at all. Joanna held Devin in her arms and shook him. ¡°Oh, baby. Don¡¯t cry. Did you cry because you heard that we were going to leave you at home?¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± In the dining room, Irvin chewed on the green vegetable and muttered, ¡°Why does Devin like to cry so much? It¡¯s annoying to cry every day. ¡°I didn¡¯t like to cry when I was a kid!¡± ¡°Devin is still a baby!¡± Bruce said and also put his fork down. Now, there were seven to eight servants taking care of Devin alone. These seven to eight servants were only taking care of one little baby. But they could not make it sometime. He really didn¡¯t dare to imagine it. How did Joanna take care of the three children in the past? Moreover, she had took care of them so well. Joanna, of course, also hired someone to take care of the children, but she still had a lot to worry about. Moreover, she was still working at CI Technologies at the time and had done a good job. Bruce subconsciously stood up, intending to help Joannafort his son. He went to the side living room. ¡°Come, let me hug you. We let Mommy eat, okay?¡± Joanna patted his son¡¯s back and said, ¡°No need. Let me carry him. You go to eat!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let me do it.¡± As Bruce spoke, he reached out and was about to take Devin. Joanna could not be able to make Devin stop crying, so she could only hand the little guy to Bruce. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Bruce¡¯s expression turned fierce as he threatened Devin, ¡°Rascal, don¡¯t cry anymore. If you cry again, I¡¯ll spank your butt.¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Although the little guy was only a few months old, he could already understand the expression of others. He could tell that Bruce was scolding him. ¡°What¡¯s that smell? Why is it so smelly?¡± ¡°Should the diaper be changed?¡± As Bruce spoke, he subconsciously raised Devin. 26. Ze Roggen. Arer mon amouny de Anda, dode, drageri dev P de He sniffed the little guy¡¯s diaper. It was stink. ¡°E, did you poop? It stinks!¡± Bruce said as if he was holding a bomb. He immediately stretched out his arm and lifted Devin out of his arms. The babysitter quickly said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Devin has been having diarrhea for the past two days. We just changed his diapers. He might have diarrhea again. ¡°I¡¯ll change the diaper right now¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and carry him away. Hurry up.¡± Bruce looked disgusted. He was a clean freak. Even if it was his own son, he still couldn¡¯t stand it. Seeing this, Joanna frowned and looked at him speechlessly. His actions just now were like throwing an explosive bag! ¡°Is there a father like you? How can a father dislike his son?¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. He was willing to hold Devin for a while if he was clean. When Devin pooped or peed, he would avoid him. ¡°I¡¯m really impressed!¡± Joanna said as she took her son over. She nned to personally change her son¡¯s diaper. Bruce did not refute and just watch bitterly. Taking care of others had never been Bruce¡¯s specialty. Especially taking care of a baby who was only a few months old. He really had no experience. Moreover, he was so rich and powerful. There were a lot of servants and assistants at home, so he did not need to take care of his children personally. Joanna took out a diaper and ced the little guy on the sofa. ¡°Madam, let me do it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do it!¡± Bruce watched aside with disdain. He nced at Devin and immediately nced to the side. ¡°Honey¡­¡± Joanna turned to look at him. ¡°Come and give it a try. Change your son¡¯s diaper.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce was stunned. She was asking him to deal with Devin¡¯s dirty diaper? He was really reluctant to do so. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to be a good father? Aren¡¯t you even willing to change your son¡¯s diaper now?¡± ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t want¡­¡± Resistance filled all over Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m speechless. This is your son. Have you ever personally changed diapers for him?¡± When Bruce heard this, a stiff and difficult expression appeared on his handsome face. ¡°There are so many people. Why do you have to make me do it?¡± Joanna did not speak and only red at him. This damn bastard. She wanted him to experience the feeling of taking care of a child personally today. Seeing Joanna¡¯s dissatisfied expression, Bruce smiled awkwardly and braced himself. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Eww¡­¡± Bruce pinched his nose and carefully undid his son¡¯s diaper. Instantly, something yellow came into view. ¡°Barf! Barf¡­¡± Bruce retched twice and almost vomited the food he had just eaten. People with mysophobia really couldn¡¯t ept such a scene. The babysitter and servants hurriedly went forward. ¡°Madam, Mr. Everett has never done such a thing. Let us do it¡­¡± ¡°No, let him do it himself.¡± When the servants heard this, they did not dare to say anything else. Bruce resisted nausea. He took out more than ten pieces of baby wipes that were used to wipe the baby¡¯s butt. He did not even look at it before wiping on the little guy¡¯s butt. ¡°Barf, barf¡­ ¡°It stinks. It stinks.¡± More than ten wipes were thrown into the trash can after they were only used to clean a little of Devin¡¯s butt. Then, Bruce took out more than ten baby wipes again and repeated the steps just now. He used up a full packet of baby wipes when changing his son¡¯s diaper. Joanna was speechless as she watched from the side. Damn it, this man was really wasteful. However, she did not dare to say anything about him because she was afraid that she would dampen his enthusiasm. Chapter 847 Chapter 847 Chapter 847 After all, there was a first time for everything. It was alreadymendable that he was willing to change Devin¡¯s diapers. Joanna could not ask for too much. Men were sometimes¡­ both smart and stupid. When they were smart, women were far inferior to them, but when they were stupid, they really could not do anything well. And it was not so easy to change a man, especially a dominant man like Bruce. It required a little guidance. During the process of guiding, one had to be more patient and tolerant. Of course, one also had to use wisdom and methods. The husband-controlling method had existed since ancient times¡­ It was definitely not just because one was beautiful and acted cute and pitiful that she couldpletely control her man. Ten minutester, Bruce finally cleaned it up and clumsily put a diaper on the little guy. After the little guy changed into his clean diaper, he moved his arms and kicked his legs happily. A four-month-old child¡¯s calves were already especially strong. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. He suddenly felt a sense of aplishment in his heart. Although he only sessfully changed his son¡¯s diaper, this feeling was more satisfying than acquiring a listedpany. ¡°Stinky baby, you¡¯re really smelly! Why are you stillughing? What are youughing at?¡± Bruce looked at the little guy dotingly and helplessly. ¡°Babble¡­ Hehehe¡­¡± Devin seemed to like his Daddy very much and stopped crying. He kept waving his hands and legs while looking at his Daddy. He was so cute that Bruce¡¯s heart melt. Joanna watched from the side and smiled knowingly. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Bruce shrugged and replied with pretend anger on his face, ¡°It¡¯s smelly!¡± ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s go-to have dinner!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, how can I eat now?¡± Bruce could not help but feel nauseous. Fortunately, it was his biological son. If it were anyone else, he would probably not do it even if he was beaten to death. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s a first time for everything. As long as you ovee the psychological disorder for the first time, you¡¯ll be fine in the future. You¡¯re already one step closer to being a good father. ¡°You did great today. You did a good job!¡± Bruce was dismissive. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t need you to say that. I¡¯ve always been a good father. It¡¯s a blessing for this brat to be my son.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was instantly speechless. This bastard really couldn¡¯t be praised. He had always felt good about himself, and he was cheeky. He had never been stingy in praising himself. After dinner, the two finally finished everything and returned to their room at 9:30 pm. They were almost ready to sleep. Joanna pulled out a suitcase and began to pack up some necessities. Brucey on the bed and waited for her eagerly. ¡°Honey¡­ aren¡¯t you sleepy?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not sleepy. I¡¯ll pack some things. You sleep first!¡± Bruce patted the bed with a dissatisfied expression. ¡°Have you forgotten something?¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t even look at Bruce. She continued packing. After all, they might stay in Gaprington for a few months. ¡°It¡¯s time to have sex. Don¡¯t try to escape.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. ¡°Bruce, aren¡¯t you tired? Can you have a good rest for the day?¡± ¡°No, not even for a single day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very tired. I really can¡¯t stand you¡­¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and smiled yfully. ¡°We¡¯re in the honeymoon period now. So we have to be sweet every day.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t win against him. ¡°We agreed that you can only have sex once a night. ¡°You have to restrain yourself. You can¡¯t have¡­ as many times as you want,¡± Joanna said as her face turned blush. The life between husband and wife¡­ How should it be put? Every couple could not avoid it. Joanna and Bruce were no longer young girls and boys, but adult men and women. Having sex was something like eating and sleeping. It was an indispensable part of their life, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. However, Joanna thought Bruce still had to restrain himself and not be too indulgent. Bruce could not help but urge her again, ¡°Honey¡­ Come over quickly. It¡¯s already past ten! You still have to wake up early tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said that I have to pack our luggage. We have to bring these things. What if we don¡¯t have enough time to pack them before we leave?¡± ¡°What day is it today? There are still five or six days left. Why are you in such a hurry to pack the luggage? Besides, if we forget something, we can just buy it over there!¡± As Bruce spoke, he lifted the nket and got out of bed. He walked up to Joanna and carried her into his arms. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re really annoying. Wait a moment¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish her words, Bruce had already thrown her onto the bed. ¡°Honey, can we have another daughter? ¡°If I have another daughter, Lilia will have apanion!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes shed with a seductive light, and his voice was even more alluring.. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve said it before. I won¡¯t give birth to any child again! ¡°And the doctor said that I can¡¯t give birth again¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to you. You have to give birth to another daughter for me! After giving birth to another daughter, we¡¯ll definitely not have another child. But now, I still want a daughter very much¡­¡± As he spoke, Bruce had already pressed the light switch. The room fell into darkness. ¡°Ah¡­ Bruce, you¡¯re so annoying¡­¡± Chapter 848 Chapter 848 Chapter 848 The next day, Bruce got up early and went to thepany as usual. Joanna didn¡¯t wake up until after ten in the morning. Anyway, after the two of them reconciled, their daily lives were basically the same. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Joanna gradually adapted to this life. She had also slowly shifted the focus of her life to her family. Bruce had given notice of a meeting yesterday. At nine o¡¯clock in the morning, in the conference room of Everett Group, all the senior executives and shareholders of Everett Group arrived at the meeting early. At nine o¡¯clock sharp, Bruce was dressed in a ck suit and looked cold and dignified. He walked steadily into the conference room. ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Bruce sat down on the president¡¯s chair. Andy immediately turned on the projection. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting will focus on five matters.¡± ¡°About the general content of the meeting, I had Andy send it to our work group on Messenger¡¯yesterday. You¡¯ve all seen it, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve all seen it!¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk about the expansion of Green Bay. ¡°Also, regarding the acquisition of Melome Group, everyone muste up with a n today¡­¡± Bruce spoke meticulously without a trace of indecentness. He was apletely different person from the hungry wolf fromst night. He was like that. He was like two different people in work and life. At Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna continued to pack the luggage after waking up. She had been packing for an entire day, but it was still not done. ¡°Gather up all these things. We have to start packing now.¡± ¡°Okay, everything is ready.¡± Davian and Irvin had already finished school. ¡°Mommy, can we not go to school?¡± ¡°No! ¡°Be good at home. I¡¯ll bring Lilia for surgery. I¡¯lle back to see you when I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°Got it, Mommy.¡± At 5:30 pm, Bruce left work early. In the parking lot, he had just arrived at the parking lot and had yet to get into the car. ¡°Bruce, are you still not free today?¡± Jennie appeared again. Bruce nced at Jennie and immediately felt a little angry. This woman was really annoying. He had already rejected her outright, but she still shamelessly stuck close to him. Did she not understand humannguage? ¡°No, Jennie. What the hell are you looking for me about?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I told you, the investment business is not for you.¡± ¡°Bruce, I came to look for you today because I want to have a talk with you.¡± Jennie refused to give up. She would not stop until she achieved her goal. The more Bruce avoided her, the closer she approached him. ¡°About what?¡± Jennie didn¡¯t say anything. She just looked at him resentfully. Bruce looked back at her coldly. He made up his mind to rece all the guardster. Damn it. He had already instructed the guards yesterday not to let Jennie in again. But there were so many people in Everett Group. Most of the higher-ups and shareholders had to drive, and some employees had cars. The security guards at the door sometimes couldn¡¯t tell if it was an employee¡¯s car or a car of an outsider. Moreover, Jennie¡¯s cars were all luxury cars. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m off duty now. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going home now. ¡°Also, don¡¯te here again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll get someone to stop your car. Don¡¯t make things difficult for others and don¡¯t make yourself embarrassed¡­¡± Chapter 849 Chapter 849 Chapter 849 When Jennie heard this, her heart skipped a beat. She looked at Bruce angrily. ¡°Bruce, do you hate me that much?¡± Bruce pursed his lips and did not reply. Jennie was indeed¡­ not likable. If it were any other man, they would probably rush to be her bootlicker. However, how could a rich, powerful, and handsome man like Bruce be her bootlicker? ¡°Jennie, stop it. ¡°I have to go home now.¡± Jennie took a few deep breaths and stepped forward to block his path. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll ask you onest time. Are you really unwilling to let me invest in the Green Bay project?¡± Bruce¡¯s face tensed up and he said impatiently, ¡°I already said that if you really want to discuss business, you can look for Mr. Matthews. I¡¯m not in charge of this now.¡± He knew that what Jennie wanted to do was not to talk business with him at all. Instead, she was just pestering him openly in the name of cooperation. After the incident with Aria, Bruce really had lingering fears and did not want to date these crazy women anymore. ¡°Hmph, Bruce. You don¡¯t need to lie to me. You just don¡¯t want to see me and are deliberately patronizing me.¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes turned red and she was so angry that her face turned blush. Bruce was even more upset when he heard that. He had never expressed any good feelings for Jennie and had always rejected her explicitly. It was just that she was too delusional and self-righteous. Now, she looked so aggrieved as if he was a heartless man. How unreasonable. Those who didn¡¯t know the fact would think that he had really done something to her if they saw this scene. ¡°Whatever you say! I¡¯m going home now.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he did not want to say another word and got into the car. ¡°Drive.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± The driver stepped on the elerator and drove away. Seeing this, Jennie was even more furious. ¡°Bruce, great. You¡¯re really great. You¡¯re so ruthless. ¡°Since you¡¯re heartless to me, don¡¯t me me for being heartless to you. you. ¡°You¡¯re unwilling to ept my investment, but many people are willing to work with me. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t live without Just wait. I¡¯ll definitely make you regret it.¡± Seeing that Bruce was so cold to her, Jenniepletely gave up. ¡°Miss Garcia¡­¡± Jimmy said cautiously. Jennie exhaled and said fiercely, ¡°Drive to the Yanice Group, right now.¡± Jimmy was stunned. ¡°Huh? To the Yanice Group?¡± ¡°Yes, Marlowe has always been Bruce¡¯s nemesis. Since Bruce doesn¡¯t want to cooperate with me, I¡¯ll work with Marlowe. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that we can¡¯t destroy Bruce together,¡± Jennie said fiercely. Her eyes narrowed into an arc. With Garcia Group and Yanice Group¡¯s financial resources, they would be a strong alliance. She wanted to join forces with Marlowe to deal with Bruce together. She believed that Marlowe would definitely be happy to cooperate with her. When Jimmy heard this, he could not help but sweat for her. He said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Garcia, Marlowe is not a good person. ¡°If you work with him, I¡¯m afraid¡­ Jennie was furious. ¡°Why are you talking so much nonsense? Are you the boss or am I the boss? Drive.¡± Jimmy didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Marlowe had an extremely bad reputation in the rich heir circle of Greyport. He was sinister and stingy. He bullied the weak and feared the strong. In any case, he had all the traits that scumbags had. In the past, Jennie would have ignored this kind of person. But now, in order to deal with Bruce, she could not care less. As long as she could make Bruce regret the way he treated her, she was willing to do anything. Half an hourter, Marlowe was in his office at Yanice Group. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After more than half a year of recuperation, Marlowe was discharged from the hospital. His left leg was completely crippled and had been amputated. There was a hideous scar on his face and neck. Now, although the culprit had not been caught, and there was no evidence to prove that it was Bruce who arranged for someone to hurt him like this, it was obvious that other than Bruce, there was no one else. During these days, Marlowe was thinking of a way to deal with Bruce. In Marlowe¡¯s office, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°President Yanice, Miss Garcia is here.¡± Marlowe raised his eyebrows. ¡°Miss Garcia? Is it Jennie of Garcia Group?¡± The secretary nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her!¡± When Marlowe heard this, a hint of joy appeared on his face. ¡°Let her in immediately.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the past, a proud woman like Jennie would not look at a passerby like him. Now that she had taken the initiative to look for him, he was naturally excited. Five minutester, the secretary brought Jennie to the office. ¡°President Yanice, Miss Garcia is here.¡± Jennie walked in arrogantly and gracefully in her high heels. ¡°Hi, Miss Garcia. Nice to meet you. What brings you here? It¡¯s my honor to have Miss Garcia here.¡± Marlowe¡¯s face was full of smiles, making the scar on his face look even more ferocious. Then, he held onto his walking stick and staggered to his feet. Like a proud peacock, Jennie nced at him sideways. ¡°President Yanice, I came to you today to discuss cooperation with you.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡± Marlowe put on a fake smile. ¡°Take a seat, please.¡± Then, he instructed someone to pour coffee. ¡°All of youe out first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jennie sat down on the sofa and crossed her long and sexy legs. She exuded arrogance and pride. ¡°A straightforward person doesn¡¯t resort to insinuations. I¡¯ll juste straight to the point.¡± Marlowe stared straight at Jennie and said with a ttering smile, ¡°I like Miss Garcia¡¯s personality very much.¡± Although he had yed with many women, he could only look up to someone like Jennie. Now that she had taken the initiative toe to his door, of course, he was fantasizing to have something to do with her. Jennie¡¯s face tightened. ¡°A long time ago, I knew that you and my brother had a secret cooperation.¡± Upon hearing this, Marlowe raised his eyebrows. ?? ? ? ? ? Previously, Zachary had been instigated by Roxanne to join forces with Marlowe to deal with Bruce. They had already sent Bruce to jail. Unexpectedly, Zachary changed his mindter on and was not helpful at all. So, Marlowe missed the opportunity to give Bruce a fatal blow. Speaking of this¡­ Marlowe was so angry that he gritted his teeth. However, Zachary was already dead. Unexpectedly, his sister also came looking for Marlowe. ¡°Miss Garcia, what do you mean by that? Why don¡¯t I understand?¡± Jennie snorted. ¡°I know that President Yanice and Bruce have always been sworn enemies, right?¡± When Marlowe heard this, his nostrils red and he secretly took several deep breaths. He was so angry that the veins in his temples were bulging. When Bruce was mentioned, Marlowe gritted his teeth in hatred. They were not just archenemies. They were simply irreconcble. Arge part of Marlowe¡¯s life had been ruined by Bruce. Bruce caused him in prison for nine years. Chapter 850 Chapter 850 Chapter 850 Now, Bruce had caused Marlowe to lose a leg and even disfigured his face. Even Marlowe¡¯s voice had be ear-piercing. Even if Marlowe killed Bruce, it would not be enough to relieve the hatred in his heart. Even though he hated Bruce deeply, Marlowe still smiled and asked, ¡°Miss Garcia, why did you say that? I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s some misunderstanding.¡± Jennie interrupted him and sneered, ¡°I¡¯ll make it short. Ie here today because I want to cooperate with you to deal with Bruce.¡± After hearing this, Marlowe frowned and looked at Jennie suspiciously. In Greyport, everyone knew that Jennie had been secretly in love with Bruce for many years. Before Bruce was released from prisonst time, Jennie did not hesitate to run around for him. ¡°Haha. Miss Garcia, stop fooling around. ¡°This joke is not funny at all. Although I don¡¯t have much interaction with Mr. Everett, I¡¯m definitely not his archenemy.¡± Marlowe suppressed the hatred in his heart. After all, he didn¡¯t know what this woman was thinking about. Actually, he hated Bruce. However, he only dared to y dirty tricks behind his back. He was not that stupid to deal with Bruce openly. ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. I¡¯m seriously discussing a coboration with you. ¡°I must see Bruce lose everything, go to jail, and break up with his wife,¡± Jennie said as she gritted her teeth and punched the sofa. Seeing this, Marlowe became even more suspicious. Judging from her expression, Jennie seemed to hate Bruce even more than Marlowe did. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Well. What did Bruce do to you to make you hate him so much?¡± Jennie took a deep breath and said angrily, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. I only want to hear one thing from you now. Are you willing to cooperate with me?¡± Actually, Bruce did not have any grudges against her. She just couldn¡¯t have the love she desired, so she wanted to ruin him and make him regret it. Marlowe asked with interest, ¡°Miss Garcia, how do you want to cooperate?¡± ¡°Do you know about the Green Bay real estate project?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It was the main project of Everett Group in recent years. In Greyport, everyone knew it. Jennie sneered, ¡°Bruce intends to expand the Green Bay project. He is now looking for a new partner investor. you know, the Green Bay project is the most important project of Everett Group in recent years.. ¡°As ¡°We can work together to take over thend around Green Bay. Then we can develop new buildings and go against him. ¡°In this way, if the Green Bay project can¡¯t be expanded, it will definitely be affected. And we can also take their advantage to make a huge profit.¡± When Marlowe heard this, his expression changed. What Jennie said was exactly what he wanted to do. However, he knew that it was difficult to achieve sess alone. After all, he didn¡¯t have such strong financial backing to handle such a big project. Now, Jennie¡¯s suggestion was exactly what he wanted. She was the only daughter of the Garcia family. It would not be a problem for her to take out several billion dors. He was definitely willing to coborate with her. ¡°Miss Garcia, are you not joking? Are you serious?¡± When Jennie heard this, she instantly frowned. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Marlowe chuckled and then said, ¡°If what you said is true, I¡¯m willing to cooperate with you. However, I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯re making fun of me.¡± ¡°Well. Do you think I¡¯m in the mood to waste time with you?¡± Jennie¡¯s face was full of disdain.. She just had to deal with Bruce. Otherwise, she couldn¡¯t be bothered with Marlowe. ¡°Haha. Miss Garcia, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m just too happy. I wee you to join me. ¡°I hope we can work well together,¡± Marlowe said. He extended his right hand with a ttering smile, indicating that he wanted to shake Jennie¡¯s hand. Jennie looked at him in disdain. After hesitating for a few seconds, she still reached out her hand resentfully and shook his hand. ¡°Happy cooperation.¡± Marlowe held her hand reluctantly. He felt that her hand was so soft and delicate. And he felt that Jennie was so elegant and pretty. He really couldn¡¯t bear to let go. Seeing this, Jennie pulled her hand out with a look of disgust. ¡°We¡¯re talking about cooperation. Please have some self-respect.¡± Then Marlowe replied, ¡°Of course. ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a restaurant now and talk while we eat? We should n properly.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve already thought of a specific n. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯lle over with the contract. That¡¯s all for today. I¡¯ll take my leave first,¡± Jennie replied. As Jennie spoke, she had already stood up. Marlowe watched as Jennie left arrogantly. After that, Marlowe¡¯s expression changed instantly. He thought to himself, ¡°Bruce, I must kill you this time. ¡°This woman is so arrogant. I must get her. And I¡¯ll make her cry and beg for mercy.¡± At the same time, Joanna was at Sherane Bay Vi. It was 6 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Bruce returned home on time. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Well, wee back. Are you tired?¡± Joanna smiled as she greeted him. ¡°What have you been up to?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just packing my luggage and preparing dinner.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work, honey,¡± Bruce said and kissed Joanna on the forehead. ¡°Thank you for your hard work too, dear.¡± When Bruce heard this, a satisfied smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°Well. That¡¯s more like a woman.¡± Chapter 851 Chapter 851 Chapter 851 ¡°Nonsense. I¡¯m a woman from the beginning,¡± Joanna replied. When Bruce heard this, the smile on his face deepened. ¡°I¡¯m saying that I like how gentle you are now.¡± ¡°When have I not been gentle?¡± Bruce snorted and yfully tapped her nose. ¡°When have you ever been gentle? It¡¯s better now. In the past, you used to always have a bad attitude towards me.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and couldn¡¯t be bothered with him. In the past, Bruce was so mean. So Joanna couldn¡¯t be nice to him. However, things were different now. They had been through so much together. And they had also gone through many hardships and compromises. She finally believed that Bruce really loved her. Moreover, she realized that many things couldn¡¯t just be judged by appearances, but by deeper aspects. She suddenly realized that Bruce wasn¡¯t actually that bad. H sensitive personality. just had a tendency for being sarcastic and had a stubborn and He was very clear about right and wrong. Moreover, he had a strong sense of responsibility and duty. As long as she understood his temperament, he was actually ¡°Hurry up and wash your hands. It¡¯s almost time to eat.¡± ry easy to p get along with. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go upstairs and change my clothes now.¡± ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll serve the food for you first,¡± Joanna said with a smile. Actually, she did not need to do these trivial things. However, she still enjoyed the feeling of taking care of her child and her lover personally. Therefore, as long as she was free, she liked to do these things personally and did not like to let the servants interfere. Time passed in a blink of an eye. After that, five days passed. It was Saturday, 9 o¡¯clock in the morning. ¡°We¡¯re about to fly to Gaprington. Have you packed your luggage?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all packed.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll set offter,¡± Bruce said and smiled at Joanna. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was a call from Andy. Bruce picked up the call and said, ¡°Hello, Andy.¡± Andy¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s news from Green Bay that several pieces ofnd nearby have been sold at a high price. The transaction procedures have beenpleted yesterday.¡± ¡°What?¡± After hearing that, Bruce frowned. Bruce thought to himself, ¡°Buying a piece ofnd is not a piece of cake. ¡°In particr, who will have so much money to buy multiple pieces ofnd at once? ¡°It has only been five days. The transactions arepleted so quickly.¡± ¡°Who bought them?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Iheard that it¡¯s a new real estate project jointly developed by Yanice Group and Garcia Group.¡± After Bruce heard that, his heart skipped a beat. There was no doubt that someone wanted to challenge him on purpose. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. Dreand has been reported for unauthorized construction. Now, we need you to go there in person.¡± When Bruce heard this, his frown deepened. With such a big issue at hand, it seemed like he would not be able to go to Gaprington. ¡°Alright. I got it. I¡¯ll head over there immediately.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± At the same time, Joanna was downstairs. ¡°We¡¯re ready to set off. Wow, I¡¯m so excited. I hope my legs go smoothly,¡± Lilia said with a look of anticipation. Joanna smiled knowingly. ¡°Of course. Sweetheart, you¡¯ll definitely be able to stand up. ¡°Have you packed your things?¡± Lilia nodded excitedly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all packed.¡± Then a sound of footsteps could be heard, Bruce strode downstairs. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. But I can¡¯t go to Gaprington with you now.¡± Joanna was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Something happened to thepany. I have to make a trip to Porash immediately.¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. After hearing this, Joanna also panicked. Bruce frowned and said, ¡°Apany Lilia to Gaprington first. After I¡¯m done with my matters, I¡¯ll fly over to join you.¡± ¡°What happened? Is it serious?¡± Bruce sighed and then said, ¡°In short, I need to handle it personally.¡± ¡°Well. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll fly over to join you after I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s the same with me taking care of Lilia,¡± Joanna said and reassured him. What Joanna said was true. Joanna could go to Gaprington without him. Bruce just felt sorry for her daughter and wanted to apany her. Chapter 852 Chapter 852 Chapter 852 ¡°Then let me take you to the airport now.¡± Joanna hesitated and said, ¡°No need. Go and do your work first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll drop you off at the airport and head straight to Mossbourne.¡± ¡°Well. Alright.¡± ¡°Have you packed everything?¡± Bruce asked casually. ¡°It¡¯s all packed.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go now.¡± After hearing that, Joanna nodded. Then, as she looked at the butler and Miranda, she said, ¡°Gael, Miranda, I¡¯m leaving Davian, Irvin, and Devin in your care for now. Please take good care of them.¡± Gael and Miranda nodded solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will do our best to take care of them.¡± Davian, Irvin, and Devin all stayed at home. Actually, the Everett family had many servants, including babysitters, tutors, and personal caretakers. But they still needed someone to oversee everything. ¡°Then we¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Have a safe trip. Call us when you get to Gaprington,¡± Miranda said with a worried expression. ¡°Okay. I got it,¡± Joanna replied and nodded. The driver had already opened the door and was waiting respectfully beside the car. Joanna and Lilia got into the car first. Bruce followed closely behind and took the same car as them. The bodyguards, assistants, and the others quickly got into the other cars. Six cars drove out of Sherane Bay Vi in a grand procession. This time, they were flying to Gaprington. There were originally 22 people in the group, and they had specially booked a private ne. Now that Bruce had something on at thest minute, he could only change his original schedule. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Now they were sitting in the car. Lilia leaned into her daddy¡¯s arms and asked with a cute expression, ¡°Daddy, are you really noting with us?¡± Bruce rubbed Lilia¡¯s head adoringly. ¡°Sweetie, I have something urgent to attend to now. You and your mommy go ahead first. ¡°I¡¯ll fly over to join you as soon as I¡¯m done with my matters.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Although Lilia was a little disappointed, she still nodded sensibly. Bruce stretched out his arms and hugged his daughter and Joanna. A hint of worry appeared on his face. He was still a little worried about Joanna and his daughter. Joanna was also a little worried about him. Every time she wasn¡¯t by his side, something bad would happen to him. ¡°I¡¯m still a little worried. Can you handle it on your own?¡± Bruce smiled and rubbed Joanna¡¯s head. Then he said, ¡°Well. You underestimate ¡°It¡¯s just dealing with some minor issues. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle them quickly.¡± Joanna remained silent for a few seconds. Her beautiful big eyes were filled with mncholy and anxiety. your husband. ¡°Just be careful with everything.¡± ¡°Well, you guys too. Take care of yourselves. If you encounter anything that you can¡¯t handle, don¡¯t be anxious. Wait for me to go over and deal with it,¡± Bruce reminded Joanna worriedly. ¡°Got it.¡± Forty minutes had passed. The car arrived at the airport. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve arrived at the airport.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get off.¡± Bruce carried Joanna¡¯s bag in one hand and Lilia in the other. He sent them to the VIP waiting lounge. ¡°We¡¯ll head off now.¡± ¡°Be careful. Call me when you get there.¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment. She looked at Bruce worriedly. Then she replied, ¡°You too. Control your temper. Don¡¯t get angry at others so easily. ¡°And try not to scold people all the time. Communicate calmly when you encounter issues.¡± Bruce smiled and replied, ¡°Got it, honey.¡± ¡°Kiss me.¡± As Joanna tilted her face, Bruce leaned down to give her a kiss. After kissing Joanna, Bruce nted a firm kiss on Lilia¡¯s little face. ¡°Sweetie, when you get there, you have to listen to your mommy.¡± ¡°Got it, Daddy,¡± Lilia replied and returned a loud kiss. Then Bruce¡¯s face darkened. He turned to look at the bodyguards beside him. ¡°Darcy, Carson, you need to protect my wife and daughter.¡± ¡°We understand, Mr. Everett.¡± The two of them were Bruce¡¯s most capable bodyguards and his most trusted confidants.. Bruce decided to have them apany Joanna. Apart from them, six other bodyguards would also be going along. When Joanna heard this, she said worriedly, ¡°Let them stay and apany you.¡± ¡°No need. I feel more at ease with the two of them following you.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna deeply. ¡°But I¡¯m also worried about you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. We still have plenty of bodyguards at home. Besides, as a grown man, can¡¯t I take care of my own safety? ¡°You two, stay alert. If anything goes wrong this time, don¡¯te back to see me.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± ¡°Alright. Off you go.¡± ¡°Lilia, say goodbye to your daddy,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Goodbye, Daddy.¡± ¡°Goodbye, sweetie.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna and his daughter adoringly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Then Joanna and Lilia walked towards the boarding gate. Bruce kept watching them until they entered the boarding gate. Then he reluctantly withdrew his gaze. Cherron asked timidly, Mr. Everett, are we heading to Mossbourne now? Or are we heading back to the company?¡± Bruce frowned, and his face was instantly filled with malice. ¡°Inform Mr. Hall immediately. I¡¯m heading to Mossbourne personally now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Besides, inform Mr. Matthews and Mr. ter to go to Mossbourne too.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened, and a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes. He thought to himself, ¡°Marlowe is such a piece of trash. How dare he provoke me? ¡°And Jennie, that foolish woman, even runs off to collude with Marlowe. ¡°She will definitely regret it in the future. ¡°Well. ¡°If they want to go against me, they had better open their eyes and see how they¡¯ll end up.¡± At the same time, Joanna was on the ne. After Joanna and Lilia settled into their seats in first ss, Joanna turned to Lilia with concern and asked, ¡°Lilia, are you afraid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. ¡°Doctor Carl is very gentle.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°Good girl.¡± Joanna smiled and rubbed Lilia¡¯s head. Then they went through a 15-hour flight. They finally arrived at Gaprington. The nended at the airport of Palisrian City. ¡°Well. We¡¯re finally here. I¡¯m so tired.¡± ¡°Me too. I¡¯m so tired.¡± ¡°Oh. Mommy, it¡¯s still daytime here.¡± Joanna smiled and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. Our country has a six-hour time difference with Gaprington.¡± Due to the time difference, even though it was daytime when they got off the ne, it was almost 5 o¡¯clock. Joanna said, ¡°We need to find a hotel to settle in first. ¡°Tatiana, have you booked the hotel?¡± Tatiana nodded. ¡°It¡¯s already booked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote today. Let¡¯s go to the hotel and settle in. Tomorrow morning, we can go to the hospital.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Then the group got off the ne. As usual, they took the VIP passage. Although they had booked a private ne, the procedures were still the same. Then Joanna and the others were waiting for their luggage. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. A tall and handsome young man from the next aisle approached Joanna. ¡°Hi. What a coincidence. We meet again.¡± The young man greeted Joanna in Antlenish. His voice carried a hint of excitement he couldn¡¯t contain. Joanna was stunned for a moment. Then she turned around to take a look. There was a tall and handsome foreigner in a suit behind her. The man was apanied by more than ten bodyguards. Seeing Joanna¡¯s puzzled expression, the young man smiled gently and said in Antlenish, ¡°We¡¯ve met in Antlen before.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Joanna felt that this man looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember where she had seen him before. Judging from his appearance, he should be from Mednd. However, it was better not toplicate matters when one was in a foreign country. Although Joanna had brought eight bodyguards and four assistants, It was best not to cause trouble in a foreign country. Seeing that Joanna still couldn¡¯t remember him, the man from Mednd appeared visibly disappointed. Last time, he met Joanna at the airport of Antlen. From then on, he had been captivated by this ssic beauty and couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her. However, something unexpected happened. He actually bumped into her again in Gaprington. Joanna smiled politely at the man and ignored his enthusiasm. After that, a while passed. After the assistants took their luggage, the group rushed to the hotel. Then Joanna was in the car. Tatiana was still excited. ¡°Miss Haynes, don¡¯t you remember that man just now?¡± Joanna shook her head in confusion. ¡°I have a vague impression, but I can¡¯t recall where I¡¯ve seen him before.¡± Chapter 853 Chapter 853 Chapter 853 Tatiana¡¯s eyes lit up as she said, ¡°That is Prince Harman. He¡¯s the one we met at the airport of Antlen. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect him to still remember you.¡± ¡°Oh, I remember now.¡± Joanna suddenly realized it. Thest time she met him was in Antlen. Last time, he was dressed in Mednd¡¯s traditional men¡¯s ethnic attire, wearing a white robe and a white headscarf. Today, he had changed into a suit. So Joanna didn¡¯t recognize him right away. ¡°What a coincidence. I didn¡¯t expect to meet Prince Harman again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The world is so small. I can¡¯t believe we actually ran into him again,¡± Joanna could not help but tease. Lilia raised her head and asked curiously, ¡°Mommy, do you know that man we just met?¡± ¡°Well. I don¡¯t really know him. I just met him ¡°Oh. I thought he was a friend of one of your daddy¡¯s.¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes. At the same time, Prince Harman was still thinking about Joanna. He watched as Joanna and the others left. Prince Harman did not look away for a long time. He used to not believe in love at first sight. Now, he suddenly believed that there was love at first sight between men and women. In his country, polygamy was allowed. Even though he had already had three beautiful consorts, he still could not suppress his restless heart. He had always liked foreign culture and liked foreign beauties very much. The moment he saw Joanna, he was deeply attracted. He felt that she was a beauty from a fairy tale. If thest time they met in Antlen was a coincidence, this time, it was destined. He wanted to pursue this beautiful ssic woman. ¡°Check all the information on this beauty. I want to know everything about her within ten minutes.¡± ¡°Sure thing, your highness.¡± Joanna and the others left the airport and hurried to the hotel. ¡°Tatiana, which hotel did you book?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Hilbert Hotel. It¡¯s located in the downtown area.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about twenty minutes away.¡± ¡°Well.¡± The Hilbert Hotel was a world-famous chain of hotels. Joanna also liked to stay at this hotel when she went out. Twenty minutes passed. The car arrived at the hotel. Joanna and Lilia got out of the car one after the other. The bodyguards escorted them into the hotel lobby, while the assistants and the others instructed the bellboys to handle the luggage. ¡°Miss Haynes, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go take care of the check-in procedure.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± ¡°Mommy, this hotel looks so familiar.¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°Sweetie, when we first arrived at Greyport, we had been living in Hilbert Hotel for more than three months. ¡°This is a chain hotel. So the decor and style are the same. Naturally, it feels familiar to you.¡± Joanna smiled and exined to Lilia. Meanwhile, Tatiana and the assistants went to the front desk to check in. Joanna was currently apanying her daughter on a tour of the hotel lobby¡¯s design. ¡°Hello. ¡°You¡¯re staying in this hotel too?¡± Prince Harman¡¯s voice sounded again. After Joanna turned around and saw him, she was stunned. This world was really too small. Prince Harman and his entourage were also staying at this hotel. And at this moment, he was standing right behind Joanna. With surprise, his deep brown eyes looked at her gently. At this moment, Prince Harman felt that this was God¡¯s will. They had actually met by chance three times. This must be God¡¯s will. He suddenly made up his mind. No matter what, he had to woo this beauty. Actually, this was not surprising at all. The ces and modes of transportation frequented by the upper ss were almost the same. Hence, the chances of them running into each other were naturally much higher than ordinary people. For instance, in a hotel like this, the guests were all wealthy individuals. Chapter 854 Chapter 854 Chapter 854 Joanna smiled politely at him again. She didn¡¯t want to cause trouble. Then a notification sound could be heard. At that moment, Joanna¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Bruce. Joanna quickly answered the call. At the same time, she walked to the other side of the hotel. Then she said, ¡°Hello.¡± Bruce¡¯s concerned voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Honey, where are you now?¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I just arrived at the hotel. I¡¯m doing a check-in now. ¡°I won¡¯t make it to the hospital today. I¡¯ll bring Lilia to the hospital tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Okay. Be careful.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Seeing that Joanna walked away, Prince Harman chased after her and said, ¡°Hey, gorgeo¨´s. Please wait.¡± Seeing this, Darcy, Carson, and the others immediately went forward to stop him. ¡°Please don¡¯te close,¡± Darcy said in Antlenish with a dark expression. Seeing this, Prince Harman could only stop and did not dare to chase after Joanna. Just now, his secretary had already reported the basic information about Joanna to him. He knew that this beautiful ssic woman had been married before and was already divorced. However, this did not affect his enthusiasm. ¡°Miss Haynes, the room is ready. We can go to the room now.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± After she finished speaking, Joanna said into the phone, ¡°I¡¯m going into my room now. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m in my room. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lilia.¡± The assistant held Lilia and carefully walked towards the elevator. They entered the elevator. Lilia looked unhappy. ¡°Mommy, that foreign man is so strange. He keeps looking at you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna asked. She didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Yes. His gaze is weird. He doesn¡¯t look like a good person.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make unfounded ims, sweetie. You shouldn¡¯t be impolite like that.¡± Then they entered their room. Joanna and Tatiana were busy unpacking their luggage. Lilia couldn¡¯t wait to video call her daddy. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Meanwhile, Bruce¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello.¡± Bruce quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Daddy.¡± ¡°Sweetie, are you at the hotel?¡± ¡°Yes. We just got to the room.¡± ¡°Did anything happen? Were you well-behaved on the way?¡± course I was.¡± After Lilia finished speaking, she continued mysteriously, ¡°Daddy, let me tell you a secret.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Mommy and I bumped into a foreign man at the airport just now. He seems to know Mommy.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. It didn¡¯t sound like good news for him. Lilia continued to exaggerate. She said, ¡°Moreover, after we arrived at the hotel, that foreign man actually stayed in this hotel too. ¡°Besides, he looked at Mommy with intense eyes, which was very strange. I feel that he must have taken a fancy to Mommy.¡± When Bruce heard this, he instantly took in a sharp breath. He was very jealous. He couldn¡¯t stand any hint of ambiguous feelings between Joanna and the other men. ¡°What about your mommy? Has she taken a fancy to that foreign man too?¡± ¡°Not really. ¡°Daddy,e over quickly after you¡¯re done with your work. ¡°I¡¯m worried that the foreign man will pursue Mommy. Besides, I heard from Tatiana that the foreign man seems to be called Prince Harman.¡± ¡°Prince Hammer?¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s indeed quite handsome. But he¡¯s not as handsome as you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a pang in his heart. He wished he could fly to Gaprington immediately. He thought to himself, ¡°Joanna keeps using me of being unfaithful. ¡°But in fact, she attracts a lot of attention from other men. Especially when I am not around, she must attract a lot of admirers.¡± ¡°Lilia, what nonsense are you talking about with your daddy? Give me the phone,¡± Joanna said to Lilia. ¡°Hello,¡± Joanna said after she quickly took the phone. Bruce said angrily, ¡°Well. Our daughter just reported you.¡± ¡°Reported me for what?¡± ¡°Are you flirting with another man?¡± Joanna was stunned. As she looked at Bruce on the video call, she was speechless. Chapter 855 Chapter 855 Chapter 855 Joanna thought to herself, ¡°Bruce is getting jealous again.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? What¡¯s the deal with that Prince Hammer?¡± Bruce asked with a dark expression. Joanna sighed in annoyance. Then she said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Lilia¡¯s nonsense.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Tell me,¡± Bruce said. He kept pressing Joanna for more information. Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t let it go, Joanna pursed her lips. She could only tell the truth. Otherwise, Bruce would be thinking nonsense again. Then she said, ¡°I met this person at the airport of Antlen previously. I didn¡¯t expect to meet him again at the airport of Gaprington this time.¡± When Bruce heard this, his face darkened. ¡°Who is that person?¡± ¡°Well. He seems to be a prince from some country in Mednd. ¡°He was called Harman.¡± ¡°Harman?¡± Bruce frowned, and he instantly felt jealous. Although he had never seen Harman before, he had heard of him. Moreover, Harman was his junior in school, two years below him. When they were studying in Antlen, they attended the same school. school as soon as he entered. During their time at the school, Prince Harman was an influential figure in the so However, Bruce chose to drop out of school beforepleting his studies. Bruce dropped out the same year Prince Harman had just entered that school. Therefore, the two of them had not had the chance to meet. ¡°Is he Prince Harman from Saumi Cradia?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s him.¡± Bruce frowned and said disdainfully, ¡°Well. That guy is quite a womanizer. You had better be careful and not fall for his tricks.¡± Actually, Saumi Cradia was a small country in Mednd. However, this country was incredibly wealthy due to its oil and gemstone reserves. Moreover, the king held absolute power in the country. Unlike countries like Antlen or Roseliand, where the royal family had a symbolic role and no political power. Therefore, if Prince Harman took a genuine interest in Joanna, he would indeed be a formidable love rival. ¡°What are you thinking? He¡¯s a prince. How could he be interested in me? We just happened to meet. Stop overthinking things.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t consider any other possibilities. Bruce felt even more upset after hearing this. ¡°What¡¯s so special about being a prince? He¡¯s still just a regr man.¡± Joanna was the woman that Bruce could fall for. Bruce thought that other men would naturally be attracted to Joanna too. Bruce trusted his judgment. Honestly, Joanna was really very beautiful. Even though she was already the mother of four children, she still looked like a girl who was from a fairy tale. Her hair was longer now, and her temperament was gentler and more elegant. Any man would be mesmerized by her. Joanna was speechless. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°Alright) Stop being paranoid. Now, I have to unpack my luggage. I just got off the ne and I feel like I¡¯m falling apart. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower and have a good sleep.¡± ¡°Well. After you met that stupid prince, you don¡¯t even want to talk to me on the phone.¡± Joanna chuckled in exasperation upon hearing this. She thought to herself, ¡°Bruce is really so jealous.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened and he said gloomily, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re not allowed to hang up the video call.¡± ¡°Come on. I have to take a showerter and sleep early. I still have to go to the hospital tomorrow.¡± ¡°You still have to keep the video on.¡± Bruce¡¯s tone brooked no argument. When Joanna heard this, she felt both irritated and amused. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to keep my eyes on you at all times. I can¡¯t let you out of my sight.¡± After hearing that, Joanna waspletely speechless. ¡°Stop fooling around. I really need to take a shower.¡± Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Just do what you have to do. Just keep the video on.¡± ¡°The phone will run out of batteryter.¡± ¡°Then charge it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°Alright. Do as you please.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him. She kept the video on. Then she got up, took her sleeping robe, and went into the bathroom. She wanted to take a shower and have a good sleep. The two servants also helped Lilia take a shower. Twenty minutes passed. After showering, Joanna wiped her wet hair with a towel and came out of the bathroom wrapped in a sleeping robe. Then she looked at her phone. The screen was still lit. As expected, Bruce had not hung up. ¡°Haha. You¡¯re still on, huh?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Meanwhile, Bruce was handling work in the office. However, he would turn his head to look at the video screen from time to time. ¡°Are you done showering?¡± Bruce moved closer to the phone. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Well. I¡¯m really impressed by you. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What else can I do? I¡¯m working.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to Porash? Did you settle the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for news now. I might have to make another trip tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡± Joanna asked worriedly, ¡°Will it be very troublesome?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle it.¡± ¡°Well. That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Joanna said, stifling a yawn. Then she blew her hair with a hairdryer. After more than ten hours on the ne, she was really sleepy. After drying her hair, she applied a sheet mask. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up now. I¡¯m really tired and need to sleep. I have to go to the hospital early tomorrow.¡± Bruce replied nonchntly, ¡°Just put the phone on the bedside table and go to sleep.¡± After hearing that, Joanna looked at his handsome and serious face in astonishment. ¡°You don¡¯t seriously intend to video call all night, do you?¡± Bruce shrugged slightly. ¡°I already told you that I want to keep an eye on you at all times.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. The phone will explode.¡± ¡°Well. You can just go to sleep.¡± ¡°Alright. Do whatever you want,¡± Joanna replied. As Joanna spoke, she plugged in the phone and ced it on the phone stand at the bedside. She pointed the camera toward the bed. Bruce was extremely stubborn. If he wanted something done, nobody dared to go against his wishes, or they would invite trouble upon themselves. ¡°Is this okay?¡± ¡°Okay. Go to sleep.¡± Bruce¡¯s lips curled into a triumphant smile. ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Good night, honey,¡± Bruce said and kissed the phone screen. Joanna could not be bothered with him anymore. She crawled into bed and began to sleep. After shey down, a while passed. Then Joanna fell asleep in a daze. She slept soundly until dawn. The next day arrived. It was seven-thirty in the morning. Before the rm rang, Joanna woke up early. ¡°Good morning, Mommy.¡± Lilia came out of the other room. They stayed in the presidential suite, which had three rooms. She and Lilia each stayed in one. Tatiana shared a room with the nanny. ¡°Good morning, sweetie.¡± Joanna yawned and tore off the sheet mask that had dried up on her face. Bruce¡¯s drawling and attractive voice suddenly came from the phone at the bedside. ¡°You¡¯re awake, honey?¡± Joanna was stunned. She subconsciously nced at the phone. Chapter 856 Chapter 856 Chapter 856 The video call actuallysted all night long. ¡°Oh, my God. You really didn¡¯t hang up all night?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brucey on the bed with his eyes closed. On Greyport¡¯s side, it was past one in the morning. Seeing this, Lilia hurriedly went forward to greet him. She said, ¡°Hello. Good morning, Daddy.¡± ¡°Lilia, it¡¯ste at night here.¡± Lilia covered her mouth andughed. ¡°Well. Daddy, why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep soon. I am just worried about you and your mommy.¡± ¡°Worried about what?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at his daughter affectionately. Joanna sighed and took the phone. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the hospital now. And you should sleep.¡± With that, Joanna was about to hang up. ¡°I told you not to hang up.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Hurry up and sleep. I don¡¯t have time for this now,¡± Joanna said and hung up on him without hesitation. Joanna thought Bruce was just joking before. Unexpectedly, he really did not hang up the phone for the entire night. ¡°Lilia, quickly wash your face, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast.¡± ¡°Mrs. Joanna, Lilia can¡¯t eat breakfast. When we go to the hospitalter, there might be a blood test,¡± the servant reminded her. ¡°Well. Then go wash your face, brush your teeth, and change your clothes.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she immediately went to the bathroom to wash up. Twenty minutes passed. Joanna and Lilia had both finished washing up. Lilia changed into a Chanel-inspired suit with a lovely bow tied to her head. She slung a stylish children¡¯s backpack over her shoulder. Joanna changed into a casual hoodie and tied her hair into a high ponytail. After all, she had to go to the hospital. It was not convenient for her to have disheveled hair. Her skin was naturally wless. After she applied a moisturizing mask overnight, her skin now looked even smoother. Even without makeup, she was still stunning. When Joanna and her daughter stood together, they looked just like two sisters. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going to the hospital. ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow us. Just stay in the hotel.¡± Joanna had brought more than ten people with her on this trip. If so many people went to the hospital together, it would be too troublesome. Therefore, she decided to take only Tatiana, Lilian, Darcy, Carson, and the driver. The security in Gaprington was very good. And there was hardly any trouble happening. ¡°Slow down.¡± Joanna held her daughter¡¯s hand and carefully walked out of the elevator. Lilia was wearing a prosthetic limb. Although she could walk, her movements were very slow and she needed someone to support her. Then she stepped out of the elevator. At that moment, a tall and handsome young man stood at the entrance of the elevator. ¡°Hi. Good morning.¡± After hearing that, Joanna looked up. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She realized that they really ran into Prince Harman again. However, this was not a chance encounter. Prince Harman had deliberately waited here. ¡°Hello,¡± Joanna replied simply and politely. Then, she held her daughter¡¯s hand and walked out of the elevator. ¡°Is she your sister? She¡¯s so beautiful,¡± Prince Harman praised casually. He followed closely behind Joanna and walked towards the hotel entrance. He pretended that he was going out too. After hearing that, Joanna was speechless. When Lilia heard this, her face darkened. She immediately replied in Antlenish, ¡°This is my mommy.¡± When Prince Harman heard this, the smile on his face froze. He had checked the basic information on Joanna and knew she had four children. However, he did not expect her children to be so grown up. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Joanna smiled politely and did not say anything else. Under the escort of Darcy and Carson, they left the hotel. Prince Harman remained standing where he was, staring at Joanna¡¯s departing figure. He thought inwardly, ¡°This foreign girl is really so beautiful. She really fascinated me.¡± When he returned to his roomst night, he did not sleep the entire night. His mind was filled with every expression and movement of this ssic beauty. Chapter 857 Chapter 857 Chapter 857 Joanna was in the car. Lilia pouted unhappily. ¡°Mommy, that foreign man looked at you with that passionate gaze again this morning. ¡°I¡¯m sure he has bad intentions. We¡¯d better inform Daddy immediately and ask him toe over quickly.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help butugh. ¡°You little girl, what do you know?¡± ¡°How could I not know? Well. That foreign man¡¯s gaze is so creepy. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that he has bad intentions. Mommy, I feel that he wants to woo you.¡± ¡°Why are you behaving like your daddy?¡± Joanna could not help but tap Lilia¡¯s forehead. Being an older woman herself, having raised four children, Joanna didn¡¯t think she had that much charm. In her view, only Bruce and their daughter would think that someone was interested in her. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°I¡¯m serious. Mommy, he definitely wants to woo you. ¡°Well. Mommy, you can¡¯t give him any chance,¡± Lilia reminded Joanna worriedly. Now, her daddy and her mommy finally got together. Lilia was really afraid that they would separate again. ¡°What are you thinking about? Why do you have the same thoughts as your daddy? ¡°Besides, don¡¯t say this in front of your daddy.¡± Lilia looked up and asked in confusion, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your daddy will believe it when he hears it,¡± Joanna exined. What Joanna said was true. Others might just say it casually. But if Bruce heard it, he would take it seriously. When Bruce got jealous, it could be life-threatening. Half an hour passed.. They arrived at the Carl Hospital. ¡°Miss Haynes, we have arrived at the Carl Hospital.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡± Lilia looked at the entrance of the hospital and shouted excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s here. Daddy and I came here before.¡± Joanna smiled and held her daughter¡¯s hand as they got out of the car. She had also been here before. Because Jaydon had been hospitalized here, she was quite familiar with this ce. Ten minutes passed. They had already made an appointment in advance. Therefore, Joanna and Lilia sessfully met Doctor Carl. Doctor Carl was very easygoing and gentlemanly. ¡°Hello, Doctor Carl. We made an appointment before. ¡°Today, we are here for a follow-up visit.¡± Joanna used Antlenish to briefly exin the purpose of their visit. Doctor Carl smiled gently and went forward to examine Lilia. He replied in Antlenish, ¡°Well. Let¡¯s do a checkup first.¡± Then Doctor Carl performed a thorough examination. Joanna watched worriedly the entire time. ¡°Doctor, how is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no problem. Her bones are developing well. She can undergo corrective surgery.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. How long will it take for corrective surgery?¡± ¡°Well. I can¡¯t give you an urate answer at the moment. ¡°It depends on the patient¡¯s bone growth and recovery status.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± The hospital would start with a surgical procedure to correct the deformity in the bones. After that, they would use specialized corrective braces. Wearing the braces for about a year and a half, along with some rehabilitation therapy, Lilia would basically return to normal. ¡°Now, we need to take a blood sample for testing.¡± ¡°Sweetie,e on. I will be waiting outside for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia nodded obediently. Doctor Carl said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Today, we¡¯re just doing aprehensive examination. ¡°If surgery is needed, we¡¯ll schedule it for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, doctor.¡± It was very soon. Lilia changed into a hospital gown and was sent into the examination room. Joanna and Tatiana and the others were waiting outside. Then Joanna¡¯s phone rang. Bruce called again. ¡°Hello,¡± Joanna said after she picked up the phone. ¡°Honey, are you at the hospital?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m already at the hospital.¡± < 7 Bruce¡¯s voice was a little hoarse. ¡°What¡¯s the situation now? Can they proceed with the surgery?¡± ¡°Doctor Carl said that we have to do aprehensive examination today. And the surgery might be scheduled for tomorrow or the day after.¡± ¡°Well. How long will it take to recover?¡± ¡°That depends on the specific situation. If everything goes well, it will take about a year for Lilia to completely recover,¡± Joanna said. She repeated the doctor¡¯s words to Bruce. ¡°That¡¯s great. Whatever it takes, as long as our daughter can stand up, it¡¯s worth it.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart ached. And she could not help but worry for her daughter. Lilia had been gued by illness since birth. She had already undergone more than ten surgeries of various sizes. Joanna really hoped that fate could show some mercy to Lilia and stop tormenting this unfortunate child. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll hang up now. ¡°When will you be done with work?¡± Bruce said in a deep voice, ¡°Well. It¡¯s hard to say at the moment. It might take another two weeks to settle it.¡± ¡°Ah, still that long?¡± After Joanna heard that, her face showed disappointment. ¡°Yeah. Unfortunately.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Then Joarma hung up the phone. Bruce rxed his shoulders and immediately called Andy. Then he said to Andy, ¡°Andy, book a flight to Gaprington immediately.¡± He wanted to give Joanna a surprise visit. Chapter 858 Chapter 858 Chapter 858 Bruce wanted to check if Joanna was flirting with other men behind his back. Thinking about this, Bruce snorted. He thought inwardly, ¡°If I find out she has feelings for other men, even just a little bit, she will be in big trouble.¡± Actually, Bruce also wanted to give his daughter a surprise. His daughter¡¯s surgery was such a big deal, so he naturally had to be present to apany her. It was very soon. Andy called back. He asked, ¡°Mr. Everett, the earliest flight is at four in the morning. Would you like to book it?¡± ¡°I want the fastest route. How long does this flight take?¡± ¡°Well. This is the fastest flight. It takes 11 hours.¡± ¡°Then book this flight.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce nned to fly from Greyport to Palisrian City. Due to different airlines and aircraft types, the fastest one took only 10 hours, while a slower option would take around 15 hours. Bruce checked the time. If he headed to the airport now, he would make it just in time. By tomorrow afternoon, he should arrive at his destination. Meanwhile, Joanna was at the hospital. Lilia hadpleted a series of examinations. ¡°Doctor, how are the test results?¡± Doctor Carl looked at various reports. ¡°Well. They meet the requirements for the surgery. ¡°Now, we need to do some preoperative preparations. And the earliest we can schedule the surgery is on Wednesday at 10 in the morning¡±. Joanna asked in a low voice, ¡°Wednesday? Isn¡¯t that the day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Well. Now we can handle the hospital admission procedures.¡± After Doctor Carl finished speaking, he smiled at Joanna gently. ¡°Lilian, go and take care of the admission procedures.¡± Lilian nodded. ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes.¡± ¡°Doctor, can we go back now? Is there anything else?¡± The doctor nodded. ¡°Of course, you can go back. You can juste here on the morning of the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, doctor.¡± Joanna politely bid farewell to the doctor and left the examination room with Lilia. There was nothing to do today, so they could go back to the hotel. ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t be afraid, okay?¡± Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t be afraid.¡± ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to do? I can take you out to y tomorrow.¡± When Lilia heard this, a hint of disappointment appeared on her cute little face. She said, ¡°Well. I just miss Daddy a little. ¡°It would be great if Daddy could be here with me for the surgery.¡± Joanna rubbed her daughter¡¯s head and said gently, ¡°Well. Your daddy is busy with work now. So it might be another two or three weeks before he cane.¡± After hearing that, Lilia was a little disappointed. But she was very sensible. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°I know that Daddy has to work hard to earn money to support the family. Of course, I won¡¯t me him. ¡°I just miss Daddy a little.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled with emotion. It was often said that daughters were closer to their fathers. It was true. Davian and Irvin were not so close to their daddy. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. We¡¯lle back here on the morning of the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Actually, they hadpleted the hospital admission procedures. However, the hospital¡¯s conditions were still not asfortable as the hotel¡¯s. They could continue to stay in the hotel today and tomorrow. On the morning of the day after tomorrow, they woulde to the hospital on time.. Then they were back at the hotel. It was already past four in the afternoon. ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡± Joanna asked her daughter with concern. After all, Lilia was going to undergo surgery the day after tomorrow. Joanna wanted to fulfill her daughter¡¯s small requests as much as possible. Lilia thought for a moment. ¡°Well. I¡¯m not used to Gaprington¡¯s cuisine. I still want to eat Flech cuisine.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me check if there¡¯s a Flech cuisine restaurant nearby.¡± As they were talking, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, an attractive male voice came from ahead. ¡°Hello.¡± Joanna was stunned. Then she looked up. Prince Harman was standing in the small garden opposite her, gazing at her affectionately. The hotel¡¯s interior followed a resort vi management style,plete with a garden, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and so 1. The environment was very good. ¡°Are you greeting us?¡± Joanna subconsciously asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Prince Harman¡¯s smile grew wider. The bodyguards beside him seemed to have disappeared. ¡°Can we get to know each other?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered when she heard that. At first, she thought Prince Harman¡¯s greetings were merely coincidental. But now, she felt that Prince Harman might indeed have ulterior motives. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m already married.¡± Joanna smiled and shed the big diamond ring on her ring finger at him. Actually, she and Bruce had not remarried yet. However, the matter of the two of them remarrying was already set in stone. She didn¡¯t want to complicate things further or give any other man any hope. Actually, Joanna didn¡¯t like to wear jewelry. But she couldn¡¯t resist Bruce¡¯s insistence and had to put on her wedding ring. When Prince Harman heard this, he smiled awkwardly and replied in Antlenish, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. I just want to be friends with you. I want to understand foreign cultures. I don¡¯t mean anything else.¡± When Joanna heard this, her face subconsciously turned red. It seemed that she was overthinking. ¡°Hello.¡± Joanna took the initiative to shake his hand. If it was just about being friends, she was certainly open to it. After all, he was the prince of Saumi Cradia. It was a good opportunity to be friends with the prince. Prince Harman shook hands with Joanna gently. Then he took out a gold-ted business card from his pocket. ¡°This is my business card. Please keep it. ¡°I¡¯m very interested in foreign culture. I¡¯m going to your country for an international exchange event in your country in thetter half of the year. ¡°So, I wanted to get an early understanding of the local customs and culture.¡± Prince Harman was very courteous. ¡°Wee,¡± Joanna replied politely and took the business card from Prince Harman. Prince Harman smiled warmly at her, with a glint of cunning in his eyes. He thought inwardly, ¡°This ssic beauty said that she was married. ¡°However, I had already gotten someone to investigate her background. Most of what I found were news articles portraying Joanna as someone who used any means necessary to climb the social Therefore, Prince Harman firmly believed that Joanna was a vain and ambitious woman. Moreover, she had yet to remarry her ex-husband. But none of that mattered to him. What he was interested in was Joanna¡¯s beauty. As long as Joanna was a vain woman, he was confident that he could win her over. Men who enjoyed pursuing attractive women often preferred challenging conquests. The more difficult the target, the greater their interest. Seeing this foreign man trying to hit on her mommy again, Lilia was very displeased. She pouted and said, ¡°Well. Mommy, we should go back to our room.¡± Joanna snapped out of it and said, ¡°Goodbye.¡± Prince Harman promptly added, ¡°If you have time, we could have a coffee together and chat. I¡¯m particrly interested in finding a local guide from your country.¡± ¡°Well. How about this? This is my personal bodyguard and assistant. You can have her introduce you to our country,¡± Joanna said and nced at Tatiana. Seeing this, Prince Harman smiled gently. ¡°Alright then. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Tatiana, exin the basic customs of our country to this gentleman.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Haynes.¡± Joanna smiled faintly and didn¡¯t say anything else. Then she left with her daughter. After that, they returned to their room. Lilia still had a serious expression on her face. ¡°Mommy, I knew that this foreign man would definitely have ulterior motives toward you. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t fall for his tricks.¡± ¡°You little girl, what are you thinking at such a young age?¡± Joanna was a little worried. Lilia knew too much. This was not a good sign. ¡°Well. Mommy, I don¡¯t want you to be with any man other than Daddy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t have that much charm.¡± As Joanna spoke, she took off her coat and prepared to change her clothes. Lilia had already picked up the phone and was about to call her daddy toin. Then Lilia dialed the number. ¡°Hello. The number you have dialed is currently unavable¡­¡± A voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Well, Why can¡¯t I get through to Daddy¡¯s phone?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°Your daddy might be at Mossbourne. Once he¡¯s done with his business, he¡¯ll definitely call us back,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Alright.¡± After that, they finished dinner. Joanna checked nearby attractions again and nned to take Lilia for a stroll tomorrow. It was half past nine in the evening. Most of them were getting ready for bed. Joanna was in the bedroom. After showering, Joanna applied a sheet mask and prepared to sleep. She slept until midnight, in a drowsy state, when she heard a faint noise. There was a rustling sound outside the door. It seemed that someone was fiddling with the lock on the door. Joanna was a light sleeper. And any little noise could startle her awake. Upon hearing the sounds, she instantly broke into a cold sweat and quickly strained her ears. The sound of someone twisting the lock repeated once more. There really was someone attempting to open her door. However, Joanna had locked the door from the inside. So the intruder couldn¡¯t open it right away. Then Joanna asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Chapter 859 Chapter 859 Chapter 859 It immediately fell silent outside the door. Joanna was shocked and instantly lost her sleepiness. She knew that it definitely wouldn¡¯t be Tatiana and Lilian. Before they entered, they would definitely knock on the door first. They would definitely not dare to open the door and enter directly. Thinking of this, Joanna gasped and became even more afraid. She quietly lifted the covers and tiptoed out of bed. There was definitely someone outside the door. However, she did not dare to shout loudly. The bodyguards and assistants were guarding outside. If a criminal broke in, he would definitely alert the bodyguards first. And now¡­ Darcy and Carson must have been taken down. Joanna¡¯s heart was in her throat. She picked up a bronze ornament and tiptoed to the door. She looked out through the peephole. It was very dark outside, so she could not see anything. ¡°Oh no, it can¡¯t be a criminal, right?¡± Thinking of this, Joanna quickly returned to bed. Beep, beep, beep. She quickly called Darcy. Unfortunately, the phone rang for a long time, but no one answered it. Now, she was even more certain that Darcy and the others must have been taken down. ¡°It¡¯s over. I must be doomed!¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Joanna panicked and became even more worried that the criminal would hurt her daughter. She picked up the copper ornament and gently opened the door. If it was really a criminal, she would fight him to the death. Creak! The door opened slightly. It was dark and quiet outside. Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding as she scanned the area. There was no sign of anyone. Joanna was worried about Lilia, so she quickly went to her daughter¡¯s room. She had just reached the living room when a ck shadow suddenly darted out from behind the curtains. ¡°Ah!¡± Then, the person covered her mouth and dragged her back into the room. ¡°Ah¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Joanna struggled desperately in fear. Unfortunately, her entire body was lifted up. She had no room to resist as her body was suspended in the air. Immediately after, she was thrown onto the soft bed, and a tall shadow pressed down on her like a mountain. ¡°Help¡­ Ah¡­¡± Joanna shouted at the top of her voice. Seeing that she was struggling so hard, the ck shadow suddenlyughed. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s me.¡± Joanna was stunned. Her heart was about to jump out of her throat. Then she focused her gaze on the ck shadow and found it was actually Bruce. At this moment, Bruce had an evil smile on his face as he pressed her onto the bed. Instantly, Joanna got furious. ¡°You bastard! You scared me to death.¡± Joanna was shocked and angry as well. She punched Bruce¡¯s body a few times and was so frightened that she shed tears. Just now, she really thought that she had encountered a criminal. She didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be that asshole, Bruce. No wonder there weren¡¯t any signals from the bodyguards and assistants at all. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Bruceughed smugly as he was beaten up. ¡°You damn bastard! You scared me to death just now, you know?¡± Bruce chuckled. Then he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did you? What are you afraid of? Could there be a man hiding in the room?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Joanna was so angry that she was about to explode. She punched Bruce fiercely a few more times. Unfortunately, this damn bastard¡¯s muscles were very hard. She punched him hard, causing her hands to go numb instead. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would only be here in two weeks? Why did youe here without saying anything? You even deliberately pretended to be mysterious and scary here,¡± Joanna asked. surprise and see if you did anything bad behind back.¡± my Bruce clenched her fists. ¡°I just wanted to give you a ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Joanna was even more angry and afraid when she heard that. Her tears kept flowing down her face. Seeing that she was crying from fright, Bruce panicked again. ¡°Alright, alright. I was wrong. It was all my fault. I¡¯m sorry, dear.¡± Then he added, ¡°I really just wanted to surprise you. Forgive me! I promise I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Joanna wiped her tears and scolded him angrily, ¡°What bullshit surprise? You scared me out of my wits. I¡¯ll never forgive you if you do this again in the future.¡± When Bruce heard this, he quickly apologized, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Really I am. You can hit me.¡± ¡°Humph!¡± Joanna snorted angrily. It was too detestable. She really wanted to punch this vile bastard to death. ¡°Okay, okay, stop crying, okay? Don¡¯t cry, dear. I was wrong, okay? I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that again. It¡¯s really scary. I almost called the police, you know?¡± Joanna said. ¡°Hehe, I know. I¡¯ll keep it in my mind!¡± Bruce helped her wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled dotingly. ¡°Get up off me! You¡¯re heavy!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. Honey, I miss you so much¡­¡± As he spoke, Bruce nted a kiss on Joanna¡¯s lips, and his hands began to run restlessly over Joanna¡¯s body as well, They had been separated for four days, so how could he not miss her? ¡°Hey, Bruce! Will you stop being so irritating? You¡¯re very annoying¡­¡± Bruce held his breath at Joanna¡¯s words. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t you miss me?¡± ¡°No,¡± Joanna replied. ¡°You heartless little thing! You really need to be taught a lesson¡­¡± Bruce spoke hatefully and began to unbutton his shirt. ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t be like this¡­¡± Joanna shouted. However, her resistance had always been ineffective. The next day, Joanna felt sore all over. In the past, because of her biological clock, she would wake up at seven in the morning. But today, she slept until past eight o¡¯clock and wasn¡¯t awake. She had suffered a tiring time because of Bruce thetter half ofst night. ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± ¡°Mommy, why aren¡¯t you up yet? Didn¡¯t you say that you would take me out to y today?¡± Lilia was already knocking on the door outside. Bruce changed into his pajamas and got up to open the door. ¡°Lilia, my baby girl. Good morning.¡± 4 Lilia was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby? Don¡¯t you know me anymore!¡± Lilia came back to her senses, and her little face instantly revealed a bright smile. ¡°Oh my god, Daddy! When did youe over?¡± Bruce picked up her daughter and kissed her face a few times. ¡°I specially flew over to apany you!¡± ¡°Wow, I thought you wouldn¡¯te over, Daddy!¡± ¡°Are you happy to see me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy, of course!¡± Lilia said excitedly and kissed Bruce¡¯s face a few times. The little girl was overjoyed. Initially, she thought that her father would not apany her for the surgery. She did not expect him to give her such a big surprise early in the morning. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mommy awake yet?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°Mommy, Daddy is here.¡± The little girl was still young. She thought that her mommy did not know that her daddy was there. ¡°Mommy is sleeping in. Let¡¯s go wake her up,¡± Bruce said to Lilia. ¡°Come on, sleepyhead, get up quickly. Your daughter is here.¡± Joanna was woken up and stretched her sore limbs. Chapter 860 Chapter 860 Chapter 860 She had barely slept in the second half of the night. Now she was sleepy and tired, her whole body aching and weak. Bruce carried Lilia to the bed. Lilia said excitedly, ¡°Mommy, why are you still sleeping?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Baby, are you awake?¡± Joanna opened her eyes and yawned. ¡°Mommy, look who¡¯s here!¡± Lilia said excitedly and quickly pointed at her daddy behind her. Joanna looked up and nced behind Lilia. ¡°Daddy is here. Look. I¡¯m not lying to you. Daddy is really here,¡± Lilia said. Hearing her daughter¡¯s excited voice, Joanna smiled helplessly. ¡°Yeah, Mommy knows about it.¡± ¡°Then, Mommy, get up quickly! Aren¡¯t you taking me out to y today?¡± ¡°Uh, okay. I will get up now. Go out and wait with Daddy first. I need to brush my teeth, wash my face, and change my clothes,¡± Joanna said as she reached out her slender and fair arm and rubbed her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Lilia said. Bruce smiled dotingly at his daughter and said, ¡°Daddy needs to change too. Can you go out and y first?¡± ¡°Then Daddy and Mommy, you should hurry up.¡± ¡°Yeah, we will,¡± said Bruce as he carried his daughter out of the room. After turning back, Bruce sneakily came to the bed again. His voice had a hint ofzy and seductive maism. ¡°Get up, little piggy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so tired.¡± Joanna weakly sat up straight and gently massaged her weak waist. When he saw her dispirited expression, the smile on Bruce¡¯s lips deepened. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. How can you be tired?¡± When Joanna heard this, she rolled her eyes and could not be bothered with him. In terms of physical fitness, he wasparable to a special forces soldier, and there was no way for the average person to match him. Anyone would not be able to stand being ¡°tortured¡± by him for half a night. ¡°Shameless. Stay away from me.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked indignant. ¡°Humph, you heartless little thing. After enjoying my service, you immediately told me to stay away. You really deserve to be taught a lesson.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a lump in her throat and stared at Bruce. She cursed deep down, ¡°Nasty bastard. He was used to pretending innocence after taking advantage of others.¡± ¡°Besides, you¡¯re the one enjoying it. You don¡¯t have to do anything. Why are you so tired?¡± Bruce was getting more and more enthusiastic. Joanna wanted to beat him up after hearing this. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Can you be more serious?¡± Bruce moved closer and was about to run his hands over Joanna¡¯s body again. Because he had been ying golf and driving all year round, a thinyer of calluses had formed between his thumb and index finger and his palm. When he came into contact with her skin, Joanna would feel a slight pain. Joanna could not help but feel goosebumps all over her body. She pushed his moving hand away and said, ¡°Be decent!¡± ¡°How am I indecent? Is there a problem with touching my own wife?¡± Bruce asked righteously. His eyes were bright, revealing a hint of evilness. Joanna couldn¡¯t tell if he was smiling or not. ¡°Bruce, you really made me speechless. Can you stop thinking about such things all day long? ¡°Do you know that people will say that you¡­¡± Joanna felt a lump in her throat and could not say it. Bruce¡¯s looked down and asked disdainfully, ¡°What did they say about me? Humph, they¡¯re just jealous.¡± He didn¡¯t care what others thought of him. After all, he had always been arrogant. Joanna blushed and found it hard to say. She cursed deep down, ¡°This vile bastard was shameless. He¡¯s got no shame at all.¡± No matter how much logic she tried to reason with him, it was just of no use. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Seeing that she was so angry that she did not speak, Bruce approached her again. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± ¡°You¡¯re annoying!¡± ¡°I like to annoy you. The more you find me annoying, the happier I am.¡± Bruce was still grinning, making Joanna feel like punching him in the face. Joanna was furious and said angrily, ¡°Why do you have to make me angry?¡± ¡°Hehe, because¡­ you look especially cute when you¡¯re angry,¡± Bruce said. The affection in his eyes could not be dispelled. Joanna was speechless at Bruce¡¯s words. She thought his logic was different from everyone else¡¯s. Other men doted on their wives in various ways to make them happy. They were all sweet and obedient. However, Bruce seemed to want to piss her off every day. He seemed to think his life wasn¡¯tplete if he didn¡¯t make her cry every three days. However, a dating expert once said, ¡°If two men pursued you, one would always make youugh, and the other would always make you cry, then you must marry the man who made you cry.¡± For example, when a boy was in school, he always liked to bully the girl sitting next to his desk. Everyone thought that he hated that girl. But in fact, he liked that girl very much. He always used pranks to attract the girl¡¯s attention. ¡°Hurry up and get up! Don¡¯t let your daughter wait too long.¡± ¡°Give me a kiss¡­¡± Bruce pouted and leaned forward to ask for a kiss. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know what to do with you. Haven¡¯t you kissed me enough yesterday?¡± Joanna rejected his request. This bastard was easy to be aroused. If Joanna was not careful, Bruce would stick to her again. Bruce couldn¡¯t help butugh when he heard that. How could this be enough? As long as a man could still breathe, it was impossible for him not to think about that kind of thing Of course, it was another story if he didn¡¯t like women or with physical problems. Joanna pushed Bruce¡¯s head away, lifted the covers, and got out of bed. ¡°Hurry up to brush your teeth and wash your face. Stop dawdling.¡± This guy was too difficult to deal with. If he targeted her, there was no way she could escape. Moreover, he had always been tyrannical and overbearing. If he wanted to do something, he would definitely seed. It was useless for Joanna trying to resist. The more she resisted, the more she would suffer. Bruce chased Joanna to the washroom and refused to give up. ¡°You haven¡¯t kissed me yet.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of it? Stop being so clingy.¡± Before Joanna could finish, Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Joanna shouted. Bruce picked her up and ced her on the sink. ¡°Kiss me.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay¡­ I¡¯ll kiss you.¡± Joanna shook her head speechlessly and could only kiss Bruce on the cheek. ¡°Is that all right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s more like it.¡± ¡°Then put me down!¡± Bruce wrapped his arms around her slender waist again and carried her down. After washing up, Joanna changed into a simple white dress, a casual jacket, and low-heeled, square- toed leather boots. ¡°Where are you going today?¡± ¡°Well, I n to walk around the nearby scenic spots. And then I¡¯ll go to the mall and buy some daily necessities.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce changed into a casual suit, a white shirt, and no tie. He looked very handsome and had the aura of azy young man with a wealthy background. ¡°Mommy, I heard that there¡¯s a children¡¯s yground here. I really want to go¡­¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll goter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so happy. Daddy and Mommy are with me today.¡± The family of three got off the elevator happily. The bodyguards and assistant walked out of the elevator first after the elevator doors opened. Then, Joanna and Bruce walked out as well. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Prince Harman was already waiting outside the elevator. He seemed to have been waiting for Joanna for a long time. Joanna looked up with a trace of surprise on her face. Bruce¡¯s eyes widened as he sized up Prince Harman with hostility. Prince Harman was also taken aback as he looked Bruce up and down. Chapter 861 Chapter 861 Chapter 861 A few secondster. Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly and wrapped his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder affectionately. The foreigner in front of him was probably Prince Harman. Bruce watched as Prince Harman stared at Joanna with an affectionate look in his eyes. Bruce couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. ¡°Good morning.¡± Joanna took the initiative to break the awkwardness. ¡°Good morning.¡± Prince Harman looked a little embarrassed and disappointed. Joanna did not want to say anything else. She only smiled politely and said, ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Prince Harman simrly smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna held Lilia¡¯s hand and walked toward the door together. Bruce took another deep nce at Prince Harman with a hint of warning in his eyes. Prince Harman also stared at Bruce meticulously until their figures disappeared. They left the hotel. The driver had already parked the car outside. It was an extended version of Rolls-Royce. ¡°Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes, Miss Lilia, please get in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After getting into the car, Bruce looked displeased and said in a sarcastic tone, ¡°That guy is the so- called Prince Hammer, right?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard that. ¡°He¡¯s Prince Harman, not Prince Hammer.¡± When Bruce heard this, he rolled his eyes in disdain. ¡°Hmph, in my eyes, he¡¯s like a goddamn hammer. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to flirt with him, I¡¯ll break your legs.¡± ¡°Nonsense, do you think I¡¯m as half-hearted as you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say¡­¡± Bruce replied resentfully. He naturally did not care about ordinary men. As for this Prince Harman¡­ He was obviously taller, richer, and younger than him. Moreover, he was a real prince, He¡­ was really inferior to him. When Joanna heard this, she was instantly furious. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again. Can you stop being suspicious all day long?¡± ¡°Well, you must have given him the flirtatious signal. Why else would he keep bothering you like a goddamn fly? ¡°He¡¯s still waiting for you downstairs. Hmph, if you didn¡¯t give him any ambiguous information, why would he be so energetic? ¡°Well, that reminds me of the saying. It takes two to tango.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. Her face tensed up. ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that? ¡°What are you suspecting? Are you suspecting that I took the initiative to hook up with Prince Harman?¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat. ¡°So, you think I¡¯m just a promiscuous woman, right?¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s tone, Bruce frowned and subconsciously exined, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Then why did you ask me like that? ¡°Or did you never trust me?¡± ¡°Of course I trust you¡­¡± Bruce nced at her. Joanna¡¯s expressionpletely turned gloomy. There was a hint of anger in her voice. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll tell you onest time. If you think every woman is fickle in her affections and is willing to ept an open rtionship, you¡¯re wrong! ¡°You¡¯re insulting my dignity by suspecting me like this! You¡¯re spheming our love and distrusting our rtionship. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s not remarry. Let¡¯s not be together anymore, lest you nder me like this.¡± Seeing that Joanna was really angry, Bruce quickly admitted defeat. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I was wrong, honey. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I was just a little worried,¡± Bruce said and quickly put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I was not suspecting you. I was justining¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t trust me at all, do you? ¡°You think I¡¯m a half-hearted, vain woman, don¡¯t you?¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a headacheing on. He had never won an argument with Joanna. Especially when Joanna was angry, she was very difficult to coax. Bruce had never won against her. Every time, Bruce was the one who started the trouble arrogantly. In the end, he had to clean up the mess with a face full of helplessness. Every time, he had to apologize and lower his head. The more arrogant he was at the beginning, the more sorry he was at the end. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve never thought that way. If I thought that way about you, I wouldn¡¯t be with you at all.¡± When Joanna heard this, she still felt stifled. Today, she was going to turn the tables and teach him a lesson so that Bruce could realize how mean he was just now. She knew she could not let him do as he pleased. ¡°Don¡¯t say what you don¡¯t mean. You clearly think so. You¡¯re flirting with so many women. Have I ever suspected you?¡± ¡°Oh, that reminds me. You¡¯re not flirting at all. You are¡­¡± Seeing that Joanna was about to dig up the past, Bruce quickly admitted defeat. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s my fault. I was justining casually. ¡°I know that my wife is the best, the most devoted, the most infatuated, and the most trustworthy woman in this world. ¡°I was acting like an asshole just now. And I was being unreasonable and petty. ¡°Sweethearts Joanna just looked get angry with me, okay?¡± him coldly with red eyes. Bruce did not dare to look her in the eye and could only pout cutely. ¡°My sweetheart, you¡¯re a magnanimous person. Don¡¯t be so strict with me, okay?¡± Seeing that Bruce kept apologizing, Joanna decided to stop in time and give him a way out. Otherwise, if she really angered this headstrong man, he might cause trouble again. ¡°Bruce, if you continue to be so suspicious and suspect me, I won¡¯t forgive you.¡±.. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Swear it.¡± Bruce subconsciously looked at the bodyguards in the front seats. ¡°There are so many people watching¡­¡± This was an extended version of a luxury business car that could seat more than ten people. Therefore, Darcy and Carson were also in the same car. As for the assistants and servants, they stayed in the hotel. Joanna red at him. ¡°Are you swearing or not?¡± ¡°Alright, I swear. If I¡¯m ever suspicious of my beloved wife again, I¡¯ll die a horrible death, okay?¡± Joanna could not help but roll her eyes when she heard that. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to swear, not curse yourself.¡± ¡°Come on. What do you want me to do?¡± Bruce pretended to be aggrieved. ¡°Ah, you sly man,¡± Joanna murmured inwardly. ¡°You indeed know what my weakness is, don¡¯t you?¡± Lilia quickly put in a good word for Bruce. ¡°Mommy, Daddy already admitted his mistake. Please forgive him! ¡°Besides, Daddy is just worried about you. After all, that Prince Hammer has ulterior motives. Even I can tell that he has malicious intentions.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt an indescribable joy in his heart. Lilia was surely his savior. All those efforts he had made to dote on her finally paid off. ¡°Look, even our daughter can tell. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t get angry with me.¡± ¡°Fine, forget it. I¡¯ll forgive you this time.¡± ¡°Thank you, honey.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, he subconsciously nced at Darcy and Carson. Although they all had cold expressions on their faces as if they did not hear what Bruce said, in fact, they were just trying their best not to burst outughing at the moment. ¡°s¡­¡± They sighed inwardly. ¡°Poor Mr. Everett¡­ Now, he¡¯s being controlled by his wife and daughter. In the past, he was so decisive, domineering, and arrogant. But now, he had already be a ve to his wife and daughter. In the hotel. After watching Joanna and Bruce leave, Prince Harman frowned. He had more or less learned about Bruce¡¯s deeds on television. There was a reason why Prince Harman felt a little worried at the moment. As a former alumnus, Bruce was an influential figure in the school. Prince Harman had heard of Bruce who was two years senior to him. A bodyguard walked over and said in Saumi Cradian, ¡°Prince! ¡°The queen just called and said that Princess Alice is about to give birth. She wants you to return to the country immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. ¡°Investigate the background of that man,¡± Prince Harman ordered the bodyguard. ¡°Investigate the background of that man?¡± The bodyguard looked puzzled. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes.¡± Prince-Harman¡¯s face darkened. He and Bruce looked at each other for a few seconds. Although it was only a few seconds, it was like a century had passed, instantly revealing a lot of information about Bruce. The way Bruce walked and his habit of swinging his arms were totally different from those of ordinary people. Prince Harman was a prince of Saumi Cradia and the future heir to the throne of that country. Their country had many secret agents. As the crown prince, Prince Harman had the right to ask about the training of these agents, as well as their habits, and so on. He could notice actions that ordinary people couldn¡¯t. If Bruce was just an ordinary rich man, Prince Harman would not have ordered his men to investigate Bruce¡¯s background. But if Bruce was an agent, Prince Harman had to investigate him thoroughly. After all, Bruce had been to Saumi Gradia many times. In case Bruce stole state secrets from Prince Harman¡¯s country, extraordinary measures had to be taken. Chapter 862 Chapter 862 Chapter 862 Of course, at the moment, it was just a suspicion. He did not confirm it. He only felt that the way Bruce waved his hand was the habitual action of an agent preparing to draw a gun. How could an ordinary businessman act as if he was always defending against something and was going to attack at any time? Bruce and Joanna took their daughter to a nearby children¡¯s yground. They spent the entire morning there. In the afternoon, they visited the local museum and library. ¡°Lilia, are you happy today?¡± Lilia nodded excitedly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so happy. This is the happiest day of my life. ¡°However, I have a regret.¡± ¡°What regret is it? Tell Daddy. I will never let my little princess have any regrets.¡± Bruce had a doting expression on his face. Lilia frowned slightly. ¡°Unfortunately, Davian, Irvin, and Devin aren¡¯t here. If they were here too, we would be so happy to see such a beautiful scenery.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. Daddy will call the butler now and ask him to bring those three brats over.¡± As he spoke, Bruce was about to take out his phone to give instructions. Seeing this, Joanna quickly stopped him. ¡°Stop fooling around. Davian and Irvin still have to go to school.¡± ¡°Lilia, don¡¯t worry! There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. ¡°When your leg recovers after the surgery, we can travel around.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia nodded obediently. ¡°Come on. Wipe your sweat. You¡¯re sweating so much. Don¡¯t you feel hot?¡± Bruce asked his assistant for a handkerchief and personally wiped his daughter¡¯s sweat. ¡°It¡¯s not hot at all! I¡¯m very happy today.¡± Joanna checked the time. It was already past four in the afternoon. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s gettingte.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to the mallter and buy some daily necessities. ¡°Let¡¯s have another big meal tonight. It¡¯ll be a perfect day today.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After that, they went to the most high-end shop in the area. In fact, they had brought their assistants today, and they did not need to buy these daily necessities themselves. However, Joanna still enjoyed shopping very much. After all, it was rare for her to go on a long trip like this. She wanted to buy more local specialties and choose gifts for the three little fellows at home. When they returned to the hotel, it was already past seven in the evening. ¡°After taking a shower, you have to rest early. ¡°We need to go to the hospital at seven tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Okay, I see, Mommy! As they were talking, the phone rang. Beep! Beep!/Beep! Davian made a video call. Joanna quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Davian, Irvin¡­¡± On the other end of the video call, Davian and Irvin approached the screen. ¡°Mommy, Daddy, Lilia.¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°What are you guys doing at home?¡± ¡°School ended early today. We just got home. ¡°How¡¯s Lilia¡¯s leg? Is the surgery finished?¡± Davian asked with concern. ¡°Not yet. The surgery is tomorrow.¡± When Irvin heard this, he immediately cheered for his sister. ¡°Lilia, be brave! Davian and I will always be by your side. ¡°Believe in yourself. You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°Thank you, Irvin.¡± ¡°Did anything happen at home? Where¡¯s Devin? Did he cause trouble? Did he cry?¡± Davian smiled. ¡°He is sleeping.¡± ¡°You guys take care of your little brother at home, okay?¡± ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry, Mommy.¡± Irvin smiled mischievously. ¡°Devin eats and sleeps every day, just like a little piglet.¡± ¡°Well, take care of yourselves. Study hard and do your homework.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, when are youing back?¡±¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Well, your daddy will be back in a few days. I might not be back for a while.¡± ¡°Sigh, does that mean we can¡¯t see you and Lilia for a long time?¡± ¡°When it¡¯s summer break, you cane over here to apany Lilia.¡± ¡°Hooray, I really want summer break toe earlier.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still more than a month before summer break. Don¡¯t ck off in your studies. ¡°When summer breakes, we¡¯ll be able to y together.¡± The two little boys nodded in unison. ¡°Got it, Mommy.¡± ¡°Davian, Give the phone to Mr. Gael.¡± Davian handed the phone to Gael. ¡°Mr. Gael, Mommy wants to talk to you.¡± Gael took the phone. ¡°Hello, Madam.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Gael, did anything happen at home?¡± ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry! Everything is fine at home.¡± ¡°Take good care of the children. Let us know immediately if anything happens.¡± ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± Joanna gave a few more instructions. ¡°That¡¯s all, bye.¡± ¡°Good-bye, Madam.¡± After hanging up, Joanna began to urge Lilia to quickly shower and sleep. ¡°Lilia, you have to rest early today! You still have to get up early tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy, Mommy, good night!¡± Lilia said and yawned. She had had a wild day today and was tired and sleepy at the moment. Lilian and Tatiana took Lilia to tak¨¦ a shower. After returning to the room, Joanna took off her jacket and murmured to herself, ¡°Hurry up and take a shower. I gotta go to bed early today.¡± As she spoke, she had already entered the bathroom, ready to take a shower. Bruce followed her eagerly. ¡°Honey, I want to shower with you¡­¡± Joanna immediately closed the door and tried to shut him out. ¡°No, you can¡¯te in.¡± Bruce blocked the door with his foot and looked depressed. ¡°Why not? We¡¯re husband and wife. What¡¯s wrong with taking a shower together?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re such an annoying brat. You can¡¯te in here. Just get out.¡± ¡°No, I want to shower with you.¡± Joanna was speechless. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you shower first?¡± Bruce snorted and said domineeringly, ¡°No, you have to shower with me. I have seen every part of your body, haven¡¯t I? There¡¯s no need to feel shy in front of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not used to showering with others. Can you stop being so annoying?¡± Joanna blushed. ¡°I need some private space, okay?¡± Although she had already given birth to four children, she had to maintain a distance from Bruce and a sense of mystery. ¡°Honey, why are you trying to avoid me? I just want to be close to you. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you never leave me¡­¡± A trace of dominance appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes as he forcefully pushed the door Then, he took off his white shirt, revealing his muscr chest. ¡°Honey, I love you!¡± ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? You¡¯re so annoying¡­¡± Joanna covered her breasts in a flurry. Unfortunately, in the face of absolute strength, any resistance was meaningless. ¡°Can you take a shower first? You¡¯re covered in sweat¡­¡± She knew it. Nothing good would happen if Bruce got into the bathroom. ¡°I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Can we just rest early today? ¡°I¡¯m really tired. I can¡¯t stand it, for real.¡± After Bruce heard this, he looked unhappy. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t love me anymore, right?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°This has nothing to do with love!¡± she thought. He loved her, and she loved him as well. The problem was, however, that her body couldn¡¯t take it! She was not a woman who had a lot of sexual needs. Soon, however, the atmosphere of burning desire filled the entire bathroom. Finally, Joanna didn¡¯t even know how she got back to bed. She only knew that when she woke up the next day, she was already in bed. The next day. 6:30 A.M. open. ¡°Rise and shine. It¡¯s half past six. Hurry up and get up,zy piglet.¡± Bruce had no choice but to shake Joanna awake when he saw that she was still asleep. Joanna opened her eyes tiredly and asked weakly, ¡°What time is it?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s half past six.¡± ¡°What? Half past six?¡± Joanna¡¯s sleepiness instantly disappeared. She struggled to sit up. ¡°Hurry up and get up. It¡¯s getting toote.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re so tired, why don¡¯t you sleep a little longer?¡± Hearing this, Joanna shook her dizzy head. She was really envious of Bruce¡¯s energy. ¡°Why did you get up so early?¡± she asked. Bruce looked at Joanna in confusion. ¡°I had enough sleep, so I just woke up.¡± Joanna choked and looked at Bruce enviously, her eyes filled with admiration. They had been walking for the entire day yesterday and were exhausted. At night, he even¡­ However, he woke up so early this morning. Moreover, he did not look tired at all. Joanna wondered if this damn bastard was human. Knock! Knock! ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are you awake?¡± Lilia got up as well. Children usually went to bed early and woke up early. Also, with the surgery today, she knew she should get up early. ¡°Hurry and open the door.¡± Bruce hurriedly got out of bed and went over to open the door for her daughter. ¡°H Lilia. Good morning.¡± Lilia replied sweetly, ¡°Good morning, Daddy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sweetheart?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­ I¡¯m just¡­ a little nervous.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, sweetheart.¡± Chapter 863 Chapter 863 Chapter 863 When Joanna heard this, she quickly came over tofort her daughter. ¡°Lilia, you have to work hard.¡± Bruce bent down and carried his daughter. ¡°Daddy and Mommy will always be with you. Don¡¯t be afraid. This surgery isn¡¯t that scary. I asked the doctor. It only takes an hour.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m not afraid. I¡¯m just a little nervous.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Good baby, Daddy will give you strength. Daddy will protect you outside the operating room.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly and took the initiative to kiss her daddy¡¯s cheek. It was Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. At the Carl Hospital. All the preoperative preparations wereplete. Lilia changed into her patient gown andy quietly on the operating table, waiting. ¡°We¡¯re about to enter the operating room. Be brave, baby.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly again and gestured at her daddy and mommy. The nurse came over. ¡°The patient can enter the operating room now.¡± Bruce and Joanna sent their daughter to the door of the operating room. They waved at their daughter with tears in their eyes. The moment the door of the operating room closed. Joanna¡¯s tears fell uncontrobly. Although it was not a particrly big surgery, it was still invasive and she would bleed. ¡°How much would she suffer? If possible, I¡¯m really willing to bear it on behalf of Lilia¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached when he heard that. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Lilia will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°I hope God doesn¡¯t torture Lilia anymore. If there¡¯s any illness or pain in the future, transfer it all to me and let me bear it for her. Boohoo.¡± Joanna¡¯s tears fell. ¡°What are you talking about now?¡± ¡°Lilia will definitely be fine. Our family will be safe and happy.¡± ¡°After Lilia¡¯s surgery, we¡¯ll immediately settle the remarriage procedures and hold a grand wedding.¡± Joanna sniffled and became even sadder. Bruce continued, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of handing thepany over to a professional custodian company.¡± ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll be semi-retired. I can spend more time with you and the child.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened and she leaned weakly into his arms. ¡°I hope so!¡± ¡°It will definitely happen.¡± Bruce tightened his arms. There was a trace of worry and concern in his eyes. He had to leave the organization now. Although Mr. Thompson had said a lot to him and promised a lot. He was indeed a little tempted. However, after thinking about it for the past few days, he still made up his mind to leave the organization. He didn¡¯t even want to be the president of the country, let alone be the head of the bureau. Now, he just wanted to enjoy his family life and live an ordinary and simple life with his wife and children. At the thought of the organization, Bruce could not help but think of Aria again. So far, there had been no news from Aria. This made him more and more uneasy. He felt as if there was an invisible bomb buried beside him. If she died just like that, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry. However, there was no news of her at all. She was nowhere to be seen, and her corpse was nowhere to be seen. This made him even more worried. He was even more afraid that she would suddenly appear and catch him off guard. An hourter. ¡°Ding.¡± The door of the operating room opened. Two nurses came out with a trolley. ¡°Lilia.¡± Bruce and Joanna rushed forward to check. ¡°How was it? Was the surgery sessful?¡± Doctor Carl also walked out and said with a relieved expression, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The surgery was very sessful.¡± Lilia was lying on the bed. She had yet to wake up. She looked like a cute doll. ¡°Good girl, you¡¯ve suffered.¡± ¡°Now push the patient into the ward.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, doctor. Thank you, nurse.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. This is what we¡¯re supposed to do.¡± The nurse pushed Lilia into the ward. She was covered with a green surgical nket. Her legs were already splinted and wrapped in thick gauze bandages. From the outside, nothing could be seen. ¡°Doctor, how long will it be before this can be removed?¡± ¡°This will take at least two weeks.¡± ¡°In two weeks, the stitches will be removed and she will put on a special splint.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but worry. ¡°When will she recoverpletely?¡± The doctor pondered for two seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Now, we have to do the correction first. She has to wear the correction mold for three months and correct her deformed bones.¡± ¡°After her bones are corrected, she has to do some rehabilitation training.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take at least half a year for her to fully recover.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank As long as Lilia year. you, Doctor.¡± could recover and walk like a normal child, even three to five years would be worth waiting for, let alone a Bruce also heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everyone says that the surgery will definitely seed.¡± Joanna could not help but tear up. ¡°My poor daughter has suffered so much since she was young.¡± ¡°I hope that your life will be smooth-sailing in the future. You don¡¯t have to go through such pain again.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, her heart was still suffocated, and tears fell. Indeed, ever since Lilia was born, she had been gued with problems. By now, she had undergone more than ten surgeries, and she had taken countless injections and medicine. Bruce¡¯s heart ached when he heard that. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve caused you and the child to suffer. In the future, I¡¯ll love you and the child even more.¡± Joanna sniffed and leaned weakly in his arms. Everything was still worth it. Although there were many twists and turns in the process. However, God was still merciful. Bruce was a man worthy of her love. After so many things, she still believed that Bruce had already turned over a new leaf and would not be like before. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Lilia gradually regained consciousness and slowly opened her big eyes. ¡°Baby Lilia, you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Lilia answered weakly like a kitten. Lilia tried to struggle, but she did not have any strength left in her body. ¡°Why can¡¯t I move? Can¡¯t I move my entire body?¡± ¡°Baby, the anesthetic hasn¡¯t worn off yet. ¡°When the anesthetic wears off, you can move.¡± ¡°Mommy, I feel terrible. I really want to drink water¡­¡± Joanna gently touched her daughter¡¯s cheek andforted her gently. ¡°You just finished the surgery. You can¡¯t drink water yet.¡± ¡°You can only drink water after a few hours. Good baby, bear with it.¡± As Joanna spoke, she hurriedly took out a cotton swab. She gathered a little water and dabbed in on her daughter¡¯s dry little mouth. After so many surgeries, she was experienced. She knew that she could not drink water for the time being after the surgery. Lilia blinked obediently. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Daddy and Mommy can buy you delicious food tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Beep, beep, beep. Bruce¡¯s phone rang. He took a look and saw that it was Andy calling. Needless to say, it must be about thepany again. ¡°I¡¯m going out to take the call.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Bruce turned around and walked out of the ward to the corridor. ¡°Hello, Andy.¡± Andy¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news. Something big has happened at thepany. When are youing back?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± ¡°Something big has happened in Green Bay again. A few workers were killed at the construction site today. The project has been temporarily stopped. You need toe back personally.¡± ¡°Also, the real estate developers near us have already started advertising to warm up.¡± ¡°Yanice Group also stole all the engineers in our department¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I know. I¡¯ll go back the day after tomorrow,¡± Bruce replied gloomily. His daughter had just undergone surgery. No matter what, he had to apany her for another day. After he returned, he would deal with Marlowe and Jennie. The Green Bay project had always been carried out ording to the highest safety standards. Now that there were a fewwsuits with lives involved, someone must have done something behind the scenes. After all, only the death of a person could cause a hugemotion. This was a heavy blow to real estate. They must be tired of living to dare to mess with him. Back in the ward, Bruce returned to his loving and gentle appearance, as if nothing had happened. However, Joanna still sensed that something was wrong with his gaze. ¡°Did something happen to the company again?¡± ¡°Yes, but they¡¯re all small matters. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s an urgent matter, you can go back first. ¡°I¡¯m here with Lilia. It¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°Now that the surgery is over, there¡¯s no point in you staying here,¡± Joannaforted Bruce gently. After all, work was ever-changing. If he was not careful enough, he might not be able to recover. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll apany Lilia for another day. I¡¯ll go back the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Are you really alright? Don¡¯t be too willful¡­¡± Joanna asked worriedly. Bruce smiled at her andforted her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about thepany. Just take good care of Lilia.¡± ¡°Leave everything else to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your husband will protect you and your child.¡± Joanna gulped. Seeing how confident he was, she couldn¡¯t say anything else. However, she believed in his ability. Whatever he wanted to do, he would definitely seed. ¡°Alright then! You can make the arrangements yourself.¡± ¡°Uh-uh.¡± Greyport. Yanice Group. ¡°Hahaha, let¡¯s see what Bruce will do this time.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already taken thend here. Now, their chief designer and engineering team are working for us at a higher price.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if he can split himself up. This time, let¡¯s see how badly he loses¡­¡± Jennie said fiercely, as if Bruce was about to walk to a dead end. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we celebrate?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find a good ce to celebrate, of course.¡± Marlowe smiled obsequiously. ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t try that. We¡¯re just working together. Stop daydreaming. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± Chapter 864 Chapter 864 Chapter 864 ¡°I just want to treat you to a meal¡­¡± This was the first time Marlowe had lowered his voice to a woman. ¡°Who do you think you are? We¡¯re just cooperating. Don¡¯t have any crooked thoughts.¡± Jennie said arrogantly and turned around in her high heels like a proud peacock. She was hot. And now, she was wearing a tight dress, which made her look even more sexy. She swayed as she walked. Watching her leave, Marlowe was stunned for a few seconds before he suddenly sneered. ¡°What¡¯s this little slut pretending for?¡± ¡°Fuck, do you really think you¡¯re a chaste girl? If I want to mess with you, I can do it easily!¡± Marlowe was not a good person. His bad behavior waspletely different from Bruce¡¯s. Bruce only had a bad temper. He wouldn¡¯t bully the weak at all, nor would he use despicable methods to harm others. Moreover, he was working for the National Defense Bureau. What he showed in front of everyone was just superficial. On the other hand, Marlowe was a vicious person. He did everything a scumbag would do. If Jennie dared to look down on him like this now, he would not let her. Marlowe opened the drawer and took out a blue medicine container. He smiled coldly and said, ¡°Hmph, when there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll still pretend to be a chaste woman. Hehe¡­¡± Marlowe sneered and put the medicine container back into the drawer. A sinister thought surfaced in his mind. Wasn¡¯t Jennie very proud? Then he wanted to taste her. Not only did he want to taste her, but he also wanted to control her completely. If a woman identally took this medicine, she would immediately lose consciousness and be horny. When the time came, he would film the entire process for her. He did not believe that she would dare to disobey. After Jennie left Yanice Group. Her heart was still filled with anger. This time, she had put all her money on the line. It was for no other reason than to vent her anger. ¡°Bruce, just wait. I will definitely make you regret it. I will definitely make you regret it.¡± ¡°I want you to know that missing me is your greatest loss. And I want you to know even more that this is the price of your disdain for me.¡± Since Zachary died, Grayson and Mrs. Garcia were too sad and no longer cared about the family business. Jennie was now the controller of Garcia Group. She spent money like it was water. She was arrogant and willful. She did not cherish everything she had at all. Carl Hospital. ¡°Baby, it¡¯s been four hours. You can eat something.¡± ¡°Mommy cooked some oatmeal for you.¡± Joanna gently held the bowl and prepared to feed her daughter. ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡± ¡°Does your body still hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt very much yet.¡± Lilia shook her head weakly. Although the anesthesia in her leg had notpletely subsided, she would only truly feel pain after the anesthesia hadpletely subsided. Joanna scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and blew on it gently to cool it before bringing it to her daughter¡¯s mouth. ¡°Be good. Come and eat it. ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lilia obediently opened her mouth and ate it. Bruce looked after his daughter with a gentle smile. Lilia ate oatmeal and fell asleep again. It was 10 p.m. Joanna looked at the time. It was gettingte. There were not many apanying beds in the ward. Other than Joanna and Bruce, there were also two intensive caregivers. ¡°Hubby, I¡¯ll stay here. Go back to the hotel and rest.¡± When Bruce heard this, he immediately shook his head. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no extra bed here. You can¡¯t sit all night, can you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I want to spend more time with my daughter.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could only let him be. The apanying bed was very small, so the two of them could only sleep together. Lilia slept until midnight and woke up in a daze. Now that the effects of the anesthetic hadpletely subsided, the wound was hurting badly. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Joanna heard the call and immediately got up to check. ¡°Baby, what¡¯s wrong? Does it hurt a lot?¡± Lilia¡¯s face was very pale. It was obvious that she was in a lot of pain. ¡°Mm, my leg hurts!¡± ¡°Mommy will ask the doctor to bring the painkillers over.¡± Joanna felt sorry for her daughter and quickly pressed the call button. Soon. The nurse came in to check. After hearing Joanna¡¯s request, the nurse immediately refused. After all, using too many anesthetics and painkillers was not good for the body. ¡°Baby, it might hurt for a few days. Be strong.¡± ¡°Daddy is here with you.¡± Bruce looked at his daughter with heartache. Lilia nodded weakly. ¡°It¡¯s not very painful. I can endure it!¡± Bruce smiled gently and kissed his daughter¡¯s small hand. ¡°You are very brave, Lilia. Daddy is proud of you.¡± Bruce had already apanied his daughter in the hospital for two days. On the third day. ¡°Lilia, are you feeling better today? Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m much better now.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly at her parents. N?velDrama.Org content. Bruce could not dy any further. ¡°Daddy is going back today. Let Mommy take care of you here.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle back to apany you after I¡¯m done with my work, okay?¡± ¡°Daddy, go do your work!¡± ¡°Good girl. Daddy loves you.¡± ¡°I love Daddy too.¡± Lilia pouted and kissed Daddy¡¯s face. ¡°Be good. Daddy wille over early to apany you.¡± ¡°Yes. Have a safe trip, Daddy.¡± Joanna also reminded him worriedly, ¡°Be careful when you go back. Don¡¯t be too impulsive!¡± ¡°Got it, honey.¡± ¡°Give me a kiss.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly and put his face in front of Joanna. Joanna did not refuse and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°I won¡¯t send you off. Call me back when you get back to Greyport.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Take care of Lilia. Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Got it. You too.¡± ¡°Bye, honey. Bye, baby.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Daddy.¡± Lilia waved at her daddy. Bruce looked back at his daughter and Joanna reluctantly. Joanna sent him to the entrance of the hospital. After seeing that his car had gone far, she turned back to the ward. Fifteen hourster. Greyport Airport. As soon as Bruce got off the ne, calls came in one after another. Andy had already made several calls. ¡°Andy, I¡¯m already at Greyport.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett, you¡¯re finally back?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the situation in Green Bay?¡± Andy said anxiously, ¡°Mr. Matthews, Mr. Hall, and Mr. Nelson have already rushed to Mossbourne.¡± ¡°The families of the deceased are causing trouble now. It¡¯s obvious that this is ¨¤ professional medical dispute. It¡¯s already in the newspapers, and the relevant local authorities have already taken it seriously.¡± When Bruce heard this, he took a deep breath. Someone was definitely up to no good. ¡°Inform Mr. Matthews, Mr. Nelson, and the others immediately. They will have a meeting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± He had just hung up on Andy. Beep, beep, beep. Mark called again. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, have you received the notification?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back. I¡¯ll make a trip to Porash tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°Green Bay is already in an uproar. We can¡¯t even suppress it.¡± ¡°Also, the entirety of our designers were also poached. They didn¡¯t hesitate to take on the penalty fee to jump ship¡­¡± Mark reported the situation with a serious expression. ¡°Find a new project designer immediately. At the same time, sue the group of people who jumped ship.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± Just as he hung up, another call came in. From the looks of it, the situation was really a little serious. After hanging up. Bruce thought about it and decided to call Jennie. He wanted to give her another chance. If she insisted on going against him, he wouldn¡¯t hold back. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce dialed Jennie¡¯s phone. Seeing that Bruce had called, Jennie was overjoyed. She said sarcastically, ¡°Hey, president. Hehe, why are you in the mood to call me?¡± Chapter 865 Chapter 865 Chapter 865 Hearing Jennie¡¯s maniacalughter, Bruce frowned. ¡°Jennie, I heard that you and Marlowe set up a real estate developmentpany?¡± ¡°You even bought a few plots ofnd near Green Bay. Is that true?¡± When Jennie heard this, she felt even more carefree. ¡°Oh, as a president, you¡¯re quite well-informed!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve bought the few pieces ofnd near Green Bay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m now preparing to develop Walter Bay into an area for luxury vis.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and tried to persuade her patiently. ¡°Well, Jennie, I¡¯ve always treated you as my younger sister. I don¡¯t want to see you suffer.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°As your elder brother, let me give you a piece of advice. One will be marked by thepany one keeps. Marlowe is not a good person. If you cooperate with him, you will definitely suffer greatly in the future¡­¡± Before Bruce could finish, Jennie sneered. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll work with whoever I want. You¡¯re not willing to ept my investment, but a lot of other people are.¡± ¡°Jennie, doing business is not child¡¯s y, and you can¡¯t act on impulse. Stop, before things get out of hand!¡± ¡°On ount of my friendship with your brother, I¡¯m willing to clean up this mess for you. Don¡¯t work with Marlowe anymore.¡± After listening to Bruce¡¯s persuasion, Jennie was even more certain that he was afraid. ¡°Why? Are you afraid? Are you regretting it?¡± Bruce gave a deep sigh. When this woman wanted to die, there was really no way to stop her. What did he have to regret? With so many investments under the Everett Group, even if the Green Bay project did not expand, they could still make a lot of money. However, the Everett family had a close rtionship with the Garcia family in the early years. She was the only girl left in the Garcia family. He really could not bear to see her fall. ¡°Jennie, I¡¯ve already said that. If you insist, I can¡¯t be bothered to say anything else.¡± ¡°Hmph, you want me to change my mind, unless¡­¡± ¡°Unless what?¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯re with me!¡± Jennie was certain that Bruce was panicking. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re really unreasonable.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said everything I need to say. It¡¯s up to you whether you want to listen or not.¡± ¡°If you insist on going against Everett Group, don¡¯t me me for not considering our past friendship.¡± When Jennie heard this, she interrupted him angrily and said in frustration and indignation, ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong with me? Why do you hate me so much?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were bad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more suitable for us to be friends, but if you insist on doing this, we can¡¯t even be friends anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a chance to turn back. If you continue to be stubborn, pretend that I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Bruce¡¯s tone became impatient. In any case, he had already said what he needed to say. He had already done his best. ¡°Hmph, stop trying to persuade me. You want me to change my mind now? Dream on.¡± ¡°Bruce, I will definitely make you regret it.¡± ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re on your own!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want to say anything else and hung up. ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± Jennie called out a few times. Unfortunately, Bruce had already hung up. ¡°Very well!¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m going to make you regret it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, I want you to know my ability. You¡¯re blind.¡± Jennie gritted her teeth in anger. Then, she immediately called Marlowe. She wanted to continue investing and poach all the talents in Green Bay to herpany. Chapter 866 Chapter 866 Chapter 866 After listening to Jennie¡¯s call to continue investing, Marlowe could not help butugh sinisterly. ¡°This crazy woman is really fantasizing.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already spent so much money, but we still have to continue spending money?¡± ¡°Hehehe, how interesting.¡± Marlowe smoked a cigar and smiled evilly. In order to deal with Bruce, Jennie had already spent more than two billion dors. This was only the money needed to buy thend. There was still more money to be invested in the subsequent development. Although Marlowe was the eldest son of the Yanice Group, he didn¡¯t actually have much money on hand. After all, his father was extremely disappointed in him. It was impossible for his father to hand over the core business of the Yanice Group to him. ¡°Ms. Garcia is paying for us now. President Yanice is killing two birds with one stone.¡± The secretary sat on Marlowe¡¯sp and smiled charmingly. Marlowe squeezed the secretary¡¯s thigh and smiled darkly. ¡°This show isn¡¯t over yet. Let¡¯s give them a good fight.¡± Bruce left the airport. He did not even have time to return home before he rushed straight to thepany. In the car. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna called. ¡°Hey, honey.¡± Joanna¡¯s gentle voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Have you reached Greyport?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I just got off the ne and am rushing to thepany.¡± ¡°Oh, now that we¡¯re here safely, I¡¯m relieved.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly andforted her. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°How¡¯s our daughter?¡± Joanna handed the phone to his daughter. ¡°Baby, it¡¯s Daddy. Lilia said sweetly into the phone, ¡°Daddy, are you at Greyport?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy has safely reached Greyport!¡± ¡°Oh, then Daddy has to help me greet Davian, Irvin, and Devin. Tell them that I miss them very much and bring them the gift I prepared!¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled even more gently. ¡°Got it, baby. Don¡¯t worry. Daddy will definitely bring it for you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± ¡± ¡°Honey, I¡¯m almost at the office. I can¡¯t talk to you now. I¡¯ll call you when I get home tonight¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ? ? ? ? ? ? The next day. Everett Group. In the conference room. Bruce went to thepany early in the morning. He had a meeting with the shareholders today, so his face was solemn. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, a lot of things have happened to the Green Bay project recently¡­¡± Bruce said coldly, ¡°I know that the purpose of today¡¯s meeting is mainly to talk about Green Bay.¡± ¡°Regarding the families of the deceased, try topensate them as much as possible and make peace as soon as possible.¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°At the same time, hold a press conference to express our condolences. Investigate the cause of death of the injured and announce thepensation results.¡± Mr. Matthews said with a serious expression, ¡°But the chief engineer has been poached. The subsequent project ns will probably have to be changed.¡± Bruce pondered for two seconds and said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Recruit the world¡¯s top engineer.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯ve already thought about it. Change Dreand into a golf course and stop expanding the Green Bay project.¡± Everyone looked at each other when they heard this. ¡°Dreand can¡¯t be expanded now, and its area doesn¡¯t meet the high standards of the tourism industry. Naturally, it won¡¯t attract too many tourists.¡± ¡°In that case, we might as well change our original n.¡± ¡°Green Bay Real Estate and Walter Bay will be high-end vi districts in the future. It¡¯s perfect to build a golf course nearby.¡± ¡°This way, not only can we improve the high-end facilities of the real estate, but we can also have better investment returns.¡± ¡°If everyone agrees, let¡¯s make a statement.¡± ¡°Oh, I agree with Mr. Everett¡¯s proposal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it too.¡± A few directors chimed in. ¡°Since everyone agrees, I definitely have no problem with it.¡± ¡°Since everyone agrees, we¡¯ll change the n.¡± ¡°Change this plot ofnd and that plot ofnd into a high-end golf course.¡± Golf was a very expensive sport. An ordinary annual membership of a decent golf course could cost at least 200 thousand dors. Such a high-end course could naturally attract golf enthusiasts from Greyport, Porash, and Venturas. Chapter 867 Chapter 867 Chapter 867 There was nock of wealthy people in these areas. ¡°Since everyone agrees with this n, let¡¯s start re-nning,¡± Bruce said as he calmly nced at everyone. Mr. Matthews was the first to nod. ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°We have no objections. We¡¯ll listen to Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s readjust the new n.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Everyone naturally believed in Mr. Everett¡¯s investment taste. They were very relieved to be following Mr. Everett¡¯s footsteps.. Soon, the n was modified and there was a new n. Green Bay was not going to be expanded. Themercial town that was originally nned to be built was changed to a golf club. In this way, there was enoughnd. Moreover, the nearby mountains were also included in the club. At the same time, the vice president of thepany also personally came out to hold a press conference. Hepensated the families of the deceased with arge sum of pension and expressed his deep condolences. Actually, if thewyer were to handle it, he wouldn¡¯t need topensate so much money. However, lives mattered. 4 In addition to the insurancepany¡¯spensation, Bruce also asked thepany to increase the compensation. He was very worried about this incident and could only try his best to make up for it with money. The operation of the public rtions team quickly calmed the storm. In the past few days, Bruce had to go to Porash every day. In addition to meeting a few dignitaries, he also had to socialize with local partners. With Bruce personally overseeing the project, the Green Bay project had returned to normal in just a few days. ¡°Mr. Matthews, may I ask if you are nning to build a golf course for the Green Bay project?¡± After the reporters received the news, they reported thetest news of Everett Group for days. ¡°Yes, we are indeed preparing to build a golf course for the Green Bay project.¡± ¡°We will also make some adjustments to Dreand¡­¡± At the press conference, Mr. Matthews personally announced the news of building a golf course. When the owners heard this piece of news, they were even more excited. With more high-end facilities around property prices would naturally increase. In particr, high-end vis were to be built near Green Bay. In the future, property prices would rise even higher. The buyers who were still waiting to buy houses were fighting for them. Garcia Group. When Jennie heard the news, she was so angry that she almost vomited blood. Not only did her actions not suppress Everett Group, but it also indirectly advertised Everett Group. ¡°What? Bruce is not nning to expand?¡± ¡°Yes, they changed their original n for Green Bay. They are going to build this piece ofnd into a golf club.¡± ¡°This ce is close to the sea. There are mountains and rivers, and the scenery is beautiful. There are also high-end vis nearby. It¡¯s very suitable to build a golf club,¡± Jimmy said solemnly. ¡°Hmph! Bruce, you¡¯re really something. How can this not be a problem for you?¡± Jennie was so angry that her face was ashen. She felt suffocated. Jimmy frowned and carefully suggested, ¡°Ms. Garcia, our capital chain is almost broken.¡± ¡°I suggest that we stock up thend and not develop it. After stocking up for a few years, we¡¯ll resell it¡­¡± When Jennie heard this, she was even more exasperated. ¡°What do you know? I don¡¯t want to invest in anynd. If I want to do it, I¡¯ll do it with a bang.¡± ¡°I must surpass Bruce and the Everett Group. I must turn Xenos Real Estate into thergest real estate company in Greyport.¡± ¡°Ms. Garcia. The differences in different industries are like mountains. Real estate development is too complex. It¡¯s not suitable to dive headfirst.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already very good that you can manage the family business well and maintain your current state.¡± Garcia Group had been in the dock and port trading business for many years! It was easy to conquer a country, but difficult to defend a country. Jennie stepped on the shoulders of her grandparents and parents for two generations and easily ascended to the throne of Greyport¡¯s strongest woman. She was naturally a little arrogant and thought that she already had the ability topete with Bruce. ¡°What do you know? Stop talking nonsense.¡± Jimmy continued to persuade earnestly, ¡°Ms. Garcia, although we¡¯ve taken down thend now, we still need to apply for building qualifications and other documents for development. It¡¯s very troublesome to get the approval for all these documents.¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, the approval of bank loans is very strict now. We can¡¯t develop it sessfully with just the funds from the Garcia Group.¡± Jennie couldn¡¯t listen at all. She said impatiently, ¡°Isn¡¯t there still Yanice Group?¡± When Jimmy heard this, he sighed. ¡°Ms. Garcia, so far, it¡¯s always the Garcia Group who is paying.¡± ¡°President Yanice only provided an empty listedpany. In fact, he didn¡¯t invest much money in it.¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t find a new investor, we won¡¯t be able to get such a huge building at all.¡± Jennie red at him and said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I mustpete with Bruce.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to Yanice Group immediately.¡± ¡°If Marlowe is still ying with his words and refuses to show his sincerity, then I¡¯ll kick him out and fight Bruce alone to the end.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Jimmy could not persuade Jennie, so he could only bite the bullet and agree. At Sherane Bay Vi. 5:30 P.M. After work, Bruce went home early to apany the children. Beep, beep, beep. As soon as he got home, a Messenger video call from Joanna came in. ¡°Hey, honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce answered the call. ¡°Are you off work?¡± ¡°Yes, I just got home. I was about to call you.¡± Joanna pursed her lips and smiled. She asked with concern, ¡°How¡¯s the problem at work? Has it been resolved?¡± Bruce smiled confidently and teased, ¡°Of course. I have already dealt with it personally. It¡¯s just a piece of cake!¡± Joanna was speechless. ¡°Why does he always look so confident?¡± she wondered. Sometimes, hearing his arrogant tone really made one want to beat him up. However, he did have the right to be arrogant. No matter how difficult it was to solve, he could solve it perfectly. ¡°What about Lilia? Is she feeling better?¡± Hearing this, Joanna handed the phone to her daughter. ¡°Baby, Daddy is asking you a question!¡± Lilia smiled sweetly and took the phone. Her voice was crisp and sweet. ¡°Daddy, I missed you so much.¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°Yes, are you obedient? Did you listen to Mommy?¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯m so obedient every day!¡± When Davian and Irvin saw that their daddy was on the phone, they also went up to him eagerly. ¡°Hello, Lilia, we¡¯ve received the gift you asked Daddy to bring us!¡± ¡°Thank you, Lilia.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, brother.¡± Lilia waved at her brothers. ¡°We¡¯ll visit you after the summer break.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I missed you guys so much.¡± The three little fellows started chatting enthusiastically. ¡°Where¡¯s Devin?¡± Joanna asked worriedly. Chapter 868 Chapter 868 Chapter 868 ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Bruce said as he took Devin from the babysitter¡¯s arms. He ced the little guy on his knees and made him face the camera. ¡°Rascal, say hi to mommy!¡± Bruce raised his son¡¯s lotus root-like arm and waved it at the camera. ¡°Yiya¡­Uh-oh¡­¡± The fat baby drooled and refused to sit down obediently. He jumped on his daddy¡¯s knees and tried to stand 1. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Baby, call mommy.¡± Joanna looked at the little baby and could not help but feel a lump in her throat. Devin was the youngest child. Of course, she would be more worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! This brat is fine. Look at how fat he is,¡± Bruceined. He could not help but kiss his son¡¯s chubby little face. The little baby was forcefully kissed by his daddy, and his pink and fair face was pricked by his daddy¡¯s stubble. He opened his mouth fiercely and bit back, drooling all over Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, brat, you still dare to bite me? Do you want to be punished?¡± Bruce smiled dotingly and patted Devin¡¯s butt twice. Then, he moved his mouth close to his son¡¯s neck and sniffed him. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± The little fe giggled. Seeing this, Joanna sighed helplessly and amusedly. The little guy was well taken care of and was very happy. She could already imagine how the four of them would kick up a fuss when the children grew up. ¡°Davian, where¡¯s Irvin?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The two little guys heard their mommy¡¯s shout and ran over again. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re ying games.¡± ¡°What game?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Anyway, it¡¯s just games that boys like us enjoy.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned and reminded, ¡°Don¡¯t y too many games. It¡¯s not good for your eyes.¡± ¡°Yes, I know, Mommy.¡± ¡°Bruce, keep an eye on the children. Don¡¯t let them get addicted.¡± Bruce snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Irvin said cutely, ¡°Mommy, Daddy brought us to y it first.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. She wanted him to watch the children do their homework, but instead, he let the children y games every day. ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is much better than us.¡± Joanna¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°Bruce, I thought you didn¡¯t like to y games? You¡¯re already so old, yet you still y online games.¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled awkwardly. ¡°I y asionally. It¡¯s mainly to apany the children.¡± ¡°This is also to understand the children¡¯s perspective and psychology!¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard that. When he apanied the children, he would take them riding, shooting practice, or golf. Now, there are also online games. He really knew how to buy the children¡¯s hearts. Now, Davian and Irvin had already worshipped and relied on him. Bruce chuckled andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°The children are under a lot of pressure to study. They need to rx. They can¡¯t study blindly. Otherwise, they will be nerds in the future.¡± As he spoke, he looked at the two little guys. ¡°The two of you, hurry back and do your homework.¡± ¡°Oh, got it.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Mommy. Goodbye, Lilia.¡± After saying goodbye to Davian and Irvin, Davian ran away again. Joanna sighed deeply. ¡°Sigh, I really can¡¯t say anything about you guys.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m here for their growth.¡± ¡°In a few days, after I¡¯m done with my work, I¡¯ll go over to apany you and Lilia.¡± ¡°Did you miss me?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no need to rush over.¡± She didn¡¯t want him toe too early. For the past few days, she had slept veryfortably without him by her side. When he came over, he would torment her every day. She really did not have that great of a need. Once or twice a week was considered¡­ normal. However, when he was by her side, he really did not miss a single night. It was endless. She really couldn¡¯t stand his fanaticism. She was weak all day long and listless no matter what she did. Therefore, it was better if he was not by her side. ¡°By the way, did that toad pester you again?¡± Bruce suddenly thought of Prince Harman. When Joanna heard this, she could not help but roll her eyes at him. ¡°What are you thinking about? He¡¯s long gone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s leave it at that. I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hanging up! It¡¯s time for lunch.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°Kiss me.¡± ¡°Stop fooling around. The children are in front of us!¡± Joanna did not want to be mushy all day long. ¡°Hurry up.¡± ¡°Smack!¡± Lilia kissed the phone. ¡°Bye, Daddy.¡± ¡°Bye, baby.¡± After hanging up. Davian and Irvin ran over again. ¡°Daddy, did Mommy hang up?¡± ¡°She hung up already.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. We can keep fighting.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Davian suddenly thought of something and said worriedly, ¡°But Mommy asked us to do our homework.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. Why would we do homework? Of course we¡¯ll y games.¡± Since their father had spoken, Davian and Irvin were even more excited. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll do it tomorrow.¡± The three of them each had aputer and began to y games. ¡°We agreed to y until ten o¡¯clock. You must sleep.¡± Bruce still had some sense of propriety. ¡°Also, don¡¯t let Mommy know. If Mommy finds out, the three of us will be scolded.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand, Daddy.¡± The three of them were ¡®in cahoots¡¯ and yed the game to their heart¡¯s content. Chapter 869 Chapter 869 Chapter 869 On Jennie¡¯s side¡­ She called Marlowe several times in a row. Beep, beep, beep. Marlowe was partying with the beauties in the nightclub and did not hear the phone call at all. It wasn¡¯t until the fiesta ended that he had time to look at his phone. Coincidentally, Jennie called again. Marlowe quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Miss Garcia. Why are you in such a hurry to call me?¡± Jennie¡¯s cold voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Where are you now? I want to see you.¡± Marlowe smiled awkwardly. His arms were still wrapped around the two sexy and hot beauties. ¡°I¡¯m not at thepany now. I¡¯m drinking outside.¡± ¡°I need to talk to you about work.¡± ¡°Can we talk tomorrow?¡± ¡°No, we have to have a chat today.¡± Jennie had always been willful. She didn¡¯t have the patience to wait for tomorrow, ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m at Dynasty Nightclub now. Why don¡¯t youe here?¡± Jennie gulped and replied in disgust, ¡°Is it inconvenient for you to leave?¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, it¡¯s rare for me to be out and indulge myself.¡± ¡°The wine has been opened. It¡¯s not appropriate to leave now, right?¡± ¡°Besides, this is a private room. It¡¯s very convenient to discuss business in.¡± Marlowe said with a cheeky smile. Jennie swallowed and frowned in thought. ¡°Alright then, send me the address.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in room 888.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there in 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Yes, alright. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± After Marlowe finished speaking, an unfathomable sinister look appeared in the corner of his eyes. She was the one who delivered herself to his door. After hanging up the phone, Marlowe pushed the two beauties in his arms away. ¡°Get out, both of you.¡± ¡°President Yanice, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hurry up and scram.¡± Marlowe¡¯s expression changed in a second. He opened his leather bag, took out a stack of money, and threw it on the ground. He was such a scumbag who did not know how to respect others at all. He had no scruples, especially when it came to people with lower social status than him. One second, he was sweet-talking to a woman, and the next, he could kick the woman off the bed. He was moody and crazy. ¡°Hmph, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± The few beauties cursed in their hearts. They picked up the money and left the private room unhappily. To be honest, they also hated guests like Marlowe. However, life was so helpless. They needed to earn money, so they naturally had to endure all kinds of customers. Twenty minutester. Jennie, Jimmy, and two bodyguards rushed over aggressively. Bang! The door of the private room was pushed open. Jennie walked in angrily. Marlowe smiled obsequiously. ¡°Hey, Ms. Garcia, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see today¡¯s news?¡± Jennie¡¯s almond-shaped eyes widened. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Bruce has given up on expanding Green Bay and is preparing to build a golf club.¡± Marlowe smiled awkwardly and poured two sses of wine. ¡°I heard you. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re still in the mood to drink after such a big matter?¡± ¡°Ha, don¡¯t be in such a hurry!¡± ¡°This kid Bruce has always had remarkable abilities. How can it be so easy to deal with him?¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Jennie said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ve decided now to develop the project as quickly as possible!¡± ¡°Yes, I fully agree!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a price war with him. We¡¯ll be on the higher end, have better equipment and be of better value than his!¡± Marlowe echoed. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough funds now. We need to inject new funds!¡± Jennie said bluntly. Today, she came to look for Marlowe to ask him for money. Marlowe rolled his eyes. Although he was the eldest son of Yanice Group, a billion-dorpany, his father had always been extremely disappointed in him and was cold and indifferent. The businesses that he was in charge of were also insignificant. Although he did notck money to spend, he could not fork out hundreds of millions of dors or more than 2 billion dors. ¡°It¡¯s a deal. Let¡¯s work together.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯ve invested over 2 billion dors, but you¡¯ve invested less than 200 million dors in total.¡± ¡°Since we want to invest, we have to show our sincerity.¡± After Jennie finished speaking, she looked at Marlowe angrily. ¡°¡­Of course,¡± Marlowe said as he poured two sses of wine.. ¡°However, as you know, Yanice Group has always been managed by my father!¡± ¡°I need time to prepare to be able to fork out so much money at once. However, don¡¯t worry, I will definitely be able to keep up with the follow-up funds.¡± Marlowe continued to bluff Jennie. Actually, he couldn¡¯t take out anything. His father no longer trusted him. It was impossible for his father to give him too much money. And the assets in his hands were at most worth hundreds of millions of dors. However, he knew that Jennie was rich. The Garcia family now only had one daughter. In the future, all of Garcia Group¡¯s assets would be inherited by Jennie. Therefore, no matter what, he had to get his hands on Jennie. ¡°Marlowe, I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t just talk nonsense.¡± ¡°I want to see your actual ability. If you don¡¯t take action, our cooperation will end here.¡± Marlowe quickly put on a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! How can I let suffer?¡± you ¡°How can a bigpany like Yanice Group not have several billion dors?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already decided to invest 10 billion dors in our project. My father is also very supportive of my real estate project. He¡¯s already raising money for me.¡± ¡°Just wait patiently. The funds will be in ce soon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jennie was still a little relieved! Marlowe had always liked to boast. Previously, he had said that he wanted to invest 4 billion dors. But so far, the money he had invested was not even 200 million dors. Moreover, they were all in hispany¡¯s private ount. If he still refused to fork out the money, she really did not want to continue working with him. ¡°Here, cheers.¡± ¡°When have I ever lied to you?¡± Marlowe said. He picked up his ss and handed one to Jennie. Jennie did not take the wine ss and continued to stare at him doubtfully. Seeing that she still didn¡¯t believe him, Marlowe pretended to take out his phone. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show you my conversation with my father.¡± As Marlowe spoke, he opened Messenger and pulled up the records of his conversation with his father. Actually, he had made it up himself. His father was extremely disappointed in him. Not to mention investing 10 billion dors in him, even 100 million dors had to be carefully considered. After reading the message, Jennie felt slightly relieved. After all, Yanice Group was also one of the top threepanies in Greyport. Other than Everett Group, the strongest yer was Yanice Group. ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a toast to celebrate,¡± Marlowe said as he handed the wine ss to Jennie. Jennie hesitated for a moment before taking the ss. Her secretary and bodyguards were guarding outside the private room. He did not dare to mess around. Chapter 870 Chapter 870 Chapter 870 ¡°You have to keep your word. If you dare to fool me again, don¡¯t me me for being rude to you.¡± Jennie looked at Marlowe with a sharp and arrogant aura. ¡°Miss Garcia, how would I dare? No matter who I fool, I wouldn¡¯t dare to fool you.¡± As he spoke, Marlowe stuffed the wine ss back into her hand. ¡°Cheers. Let¡¯s celebrate our grand n.¡± Marlowe raised his ss at her and deliberately drank it in front of her. ¡°When the 10 billion dors arrive, you will be Greyport¡¯s richest woman in the future.¡± ¡°Who does Bruce think he is? He will still be trampled under your feet.¡± Jennie swallowed his ttery, but she was still very pleased in her heart. She frowned slightly, picked up the wine arrogantly, and drank it in one gulp. After all, he was willing to invest 10 billion dors. Of course, she had to give him some face. Marlowe picked up the bottle again and was about to pour her another ss. ¡°Miss Garcia, another ss.¡± Jennie pursed her lips and replied arrogantly, ¡°No, I still have to rush back.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I guarantee that you¡¯ll be¡­ ¡®iparably satisfied¡¯. Hahaha.¡± As Marlowe spoke, a sinister and cunning look appeared in the corner of his eyes. The wine was already drugged. As long as she drank, she would definitely fall for it. Haha¡­ How dare she be so arrogant in front of him? Did she really think he was a pushover? In less than a minute. The drug was already starting to take effect. ¡°Huh¡­ Why do I feel a little dizzy¡­¡± Jennie Garcia clearly felt that something was wrong. It was as if ants were crawling all over her body. It was as if she had swallowed a mouthful of boiling hot oil in her stomach, and an uncontroble heat rose. This was definitely not a symptom of being drunk. Moreover, her alcohol tolerance was very good, so she wouldn¡¯t copse from a single ss. Marlowe looked excited and reached out to support her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sit down and rest!¡± ¡°Get your dirty hands off me.¡± ¡°You¡­ Did you put something in the wine¡­¡± Jennie staggered and fell limply onto the sofa. Marlowe¡¯s already gloomy face became even more sinister and terrifying at this moment. The scar on his face became even more ferocious. ¡°Miss Garcia, it¡¯s just a ss of wine.¡± Looking at Marlowe¡¯s expression, Jennie panickedpletely. ¡°What wine? What wine did you give me?¡± ¡°Ha, don¡¯t worry. This is a very nourishing wine for women.¡± ¡°Later, you¡¯ll die of pleasure. Hahaha.¡± ¡°Jimmy, Jiminy ¡­¡± Jennie panicked even more and struggled to stand up. Her stomach felt even hotter, and she desperately wanted to shout for the secretary and bodyguards outside the door. Marlowe grabbed her cor and greedily covered her cherry-like mouth. ¡°Help, Jimmy!¡± ¡°Miss Garcia, let me help you sober up.¡± ¡°Let go of me, Jimmy, Jimmy ¡­¡± Jennie¡¯s body went limp, and her consciousness was gradually fading. Even though she was desperately trying to stay awake. Unfortunately, the effect of the drug was very strong. When Marlowe poured her wine, he had already secretly drugged her wine ss. A scumbag like him did not even bother to have a proper girlfriend. He had always used despicable methods that could only be used secretly. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll take you to the washroom to sober up,¡± Marlowe said as he held Jennie¡¯s arm and forcefully helped her up. Although he had amputated a leg, he had a prosthetic leg now and could still walk with a limp.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. There was only a trace of consciousness left in Jennie¡¯s mind, making her desperately want to resist. ¡°Let go¡­ Take your dirty hands away. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± Marlowe was not only despicable, but also ugly. Now that he had been disfigured, he looked even uglier. A proud woman like Jennie Garcia was naturally obsessed with looks. Just looking at him made her want to vomit, let alone being touched by him. Marlowe could no longer suppress his ecstasy. He leaned close to her ear and said sinisterly, ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson ¡°I want you to kneel on the ground and beg me¡­¡± With that, Marlowe¡¯s face darkened. He grabbed her arm and brought her to the washroom. The washroom was veryrge and well-equipped. Marlowe threw her onto the soft stool. Jennie¡¯s face was red and her clothes were disheveled. She looked extremely appealing and charming. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Let go¡­¡± Marlowe took out his phone and took a few photos of Jennie. Jennie was already wearing sexy clothes. If the low-cut dress slid down a little, everything would be revealed. ¡°Don¡¯t take pictures! Don¡¯t take pictures of me!¡± ¡°Help, Jimmy,e and save me¡­¡± Jennie called out weakly. Unfortunately, under the control of the drug, she still lost consciousness¡­ Twenty minutester. Marlowe tidied his pants and lit a cigar. He looked at Jennie with a teasing expression. ¡°Hmph, a rich youngdy. I thought you would feel good.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just so-so! You¡¯re no different from those prostitutes.¡± Marlowe turned on the tap and sshed some water on Jennie¡¯s face. Jennie was jolted awake by the water. She shook her head and felt light-headed. It took a long time for her pupils to focus. She looked down and saw that she was naked. Marlowe was half-naked. He smoked a cigar and looked at her teasingly. Boom. Jennie¡¯s brain exploded, and all the blood in her body rushed to her head. Oh no. Marlowe had done ¡®that¡¯ to her. ¡°Marlowe, what have you done to me?¡± ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Jennie instantly roared at the top of her lungs. ¡°Shh, shh, shh. Keep your voice down. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s losing your reputation. I don¡¯t care.¡± Marlowe had a yful expression. When Jennie heard this, her entire body trembled. Indeed. If people found out that she had been screwed by trash like Marlowe¡­ Then she would be too ashamed to face anyone in the top socialite circle. ¡°You¡­ You despicable and shameless person.¡± Jennie struggled to pounce on him and beat him up with all her might. Marlowe wasme and could not handle it. ¡°Why are you angry?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all adults. We¡¯re just ying around. There¡¯s no need to be so angry.¡± ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you have a good time just now?¡± BOOM. When Jennie heard this, her mind exploded again, and her eyes almost spewed fire. ¡°Bastard, I¡¯ll fight you to the death.¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Marlowe pushed Jennie away. Jennie was a woman after all. She lost her bnce and fell hard to the ground. Ever since she was young, she had always been as proud as a little princess. Everyone had always doted on her. When had she ever suffered such a loss? ¡°Marlowe, you¡¯re not human. How dare you treat me like this?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you go. I want you to die.¡± Jennie was about to go crazy. She never expected that Marlowe would dare to scheme against her like this. She could not ept that she had been raped by such an ugly and disgusting man. Just thinking about it made her want to copse and die. Chapter 871 Chapter 871 Chapter 871 In particr, Marlowe¡¯s private life was a mess. If he had some illnesses, he would pass it on to Jennie. Jennie hated for that to happen. ¡°You, I¡¯m going to kill you¡­¡± Jennie lost her mind and pounced forward to fight again. ¡°Stop pestering me. If you continue doing this, I¡¯ll post your photos. ¡°I will let your parents, family, and friends see how licentious you are.¡± When Jennie heard this, she instantly took a deep breath. It seemed that she had underestimated Marlowe¡¯s despicability. Marlowe held his phone and yed the video. The video of Jennie was unsightly. Due to the effect of the drug, Jennie was unconscious. She only reacted instinctively to her body. In the video, not only did Jennie not resist, but she seemed to be having fun. Before Jennie could finish reading, she had already copsed and closed her eyes. Jennie hugged herself tightly and cried. ¡°Ah! ¡°Go to hell! Go to hell!¡± Looking at Jennie¡¯s devastated expression, Marloweughed even more maniacally, revealing his true colors. ¡°Look, look at how slutty you were just now. You¡¯re no different from a whore who sells her body.¡± ¡°Marlowe, I am going to kill you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move. If you¡¯re still so insensible, I¡¯ll send your video out and let everyone see it. Who would have known that the high and mighty Ms. Garcia is actually so¡­ Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­¡± When Jennie heard this, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Marlowe knew that the higher the status of a woman, the more she valued her reputation and privacy. Once a proud girl like Jennie was exposed, it would cause a huge uproar. The entire Garcia family would probably be humiliated. An arrogant and high and mighty woman like Jennie was naturally most afraid of such things. ¡°No, I beg you not to.¡± ¡°p! p!¡± Marlowe pped Jennie¡¯s face hard. ¡°Bitch, kneel on the ground and bark like a dog. ¡°If you make me happy, I might consider deleting the video.¡± Jennie could not help but tremble. She no longer had the arrogance from before. ¡°Marlowe, what are you trying to do? I won¡¯t let you off. I definitely won¡¯t let you off.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you were the one who took the initiative to look for me. Jennie felt that her throat constricted, and despair appeared in her eyes. She really deserved it. It was toote for regrets. Marlowe squatted down and grabbed Jennie¡¯s chin with a sinister smile. ¡°Ah, tsk, tsk, tsk, look at how teary you are. You almost broke my heart. ¡°As long as you listen to me obediently, our cooperation can continue. ¡°You pay, and I contribute. Let¡¯s work together and destroy Bruce.¡± When Jennie heard this, she could not help but gasp. At this moment, Jennie finally came to a realization. From beginning to end, Marlowe had no intention of paying. He was counting on Jennie to fork out all the money. ¡°Marlowe, please delete the video first, and then we can discuss the coboration,¡± Jennie pleaded desperately. Marlowe possessed videos and photos of Jennie, leaving her with no choice but to compromise and beg Marlowe. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Hahaha, delete the video? Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± ¡°If I delete the video, what can I use to threaten you?¡± Marlowe smiled sinisterly, not hiding his despicableness at all. ¡°You¡­¡± Tears streamed down Jennie¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you want to use me to deal with Bruce. Actually, you love Bruce to the core. ¡°What¡¯s so good about him? Why do women like you speak so highly of him?¡± Marlowe said disdainfully. Jennie curled up on the ground and couldn¡¯t stop sobbing. Two hours ago, Bruce had called Jennie and warned her not to get close to Marlowe. Jennie only thought that Bruce was afraid. Now that she thought about it, she regretted it. ¡°Be good. As long as you¡¯re willing to listen, I¡¯ll dote on you. ¡°Be my girlfriend. We¡¯re a perfect match.¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes were frighteningly red. ¡°Marlowe, you¡¯re not a man. You¡¯re a despicable and shameless person. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than be your girlfriend.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to be my girlfriend.¡± ¡°As long as you pay, we¡¯ll continue to work together. I¡¯ll delete the video when we destroy Bruce.¡± Jennie choked. ¡°No, delete the video first. Otherwise, I won¡¯t work with you anymore¡­¡± ¡°Jennie, you have nothing to negotiate with me. Now that this video is in my hands, if you dare to disobey me, I¡¯ll ruin your reputation and make you the cheapest woman in Greyport.¡± When Jennie heard this, her eyes turned bloodshot, and her mind went nk. She had so many regrets. She should not have provoked Marlowe. Jennie knew that Marlowe was a despicable person with a bad character, but she was still willful and reckless. ¡°Come on, be good. ¡°If you don¡¯t want your reputation to be ruined, if you don¡¯t want the Garcia Group to be aughing stock, then serve me obediently. ¡°If you serve me well, I¡¯ll definitely protect this video.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Marlowe¡¯s face tensed up and he said fiercely, ¡°Do you believe me? I¡¯ll send your photo out now.¡± Chapter 872 Chapter 872 Chapter 872 ¡°No, no, don¡¯t send it out¡­¡± Jennie waspletely flustered. As an arrogant and conceited woman, Jennie naturally valued her reputation the most. If the photos and videos were leaked, Jennie wouldn¡¯t be able to face other people. Marlowe saw Jennie give in. Marlowe smiled in satisfaction and pushed Jennie onto the soft stool again. Then, he pounced over fiercely. Half an hourter. Jennie tidied up her clothes and walked out of the restroom in a daze. However, Jennie stumbled as she walked, appearing as though she might copse if even the slightest wind blew on her. Scumbags like Marlowe would never show mercy to women. Coupled with the fact that he liked drugs, Marlowe naturally became even crazier. Outside the private room, Jimmy was shocked when he saw Jennie¡¯s expression. ¡°Ms. Garcia, what¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jennie shook her head mechanically. ¡°No, nothing.¡± Looking at Jennie¡¯s dejected appearance, Jimmy¡¯s eyes were filled with shock. ¡°Ms. Garcia, did something happen?¡± ¡°Go back, I want to go home,¡± Jennie said softly. ¡°Ms. Garcia, did Marlowe bully you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going home.¡± Seeing that Jennie was unwilling to say anything, Jimmy could only give up. ¡°Alright!¡± Jennie was tortured badly. Her body was covered in nail marks and teeth marks. Marlowe¡¯s madness was no different from that of an animal. Hepletely disregarded the consequences. That was not surprising. Marlowe was no different from a beast. All the beautiful characters in the world had nothing to do with him. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. After returning home, Jennie soaked herself in the bathtub while scrubbing her body. She did not dare to recall that scene. Even if it was just for a second, it made Jennie break down to the point of wanting to die. However, it was toote for regrets. The next morning. At the Everett Group, In the conference room. ¡°Mr. Everett, the n for the golf club is finished. Please take a look. ¡°There are a total of five ns. You can choose one from them.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Yes, leave these proposals here for now. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you after I¡¯ve read it.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°The Neorace Group is rushing their order again, Mr. Everett. You might want to meet their president personally.¡± Alright, I understand.¡± Bruce was in meetings the entire morning. After the meeting was over, Bruce went back to his office. Bruce looked at the mountainous pile and felt a headache. Bruce wanted to settle the matters at hand as soon as possible so that he could fly to Gaprington to be with Joanna and his daughter. However, there seemed to be no end to thepany¡¯s matters. Every day, all kinds of incidents would appear, making Bruce frustrated. In the past, Bruce liked the feeling of being busy. But now, he suddenly didn¡¯t like this fast-paced life. He wanted to slow down and slowly enjoy life. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help but call Joanna. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Joanna answered the callzily. Due to the time difference, it was still morning on her side. ¡°Honey, what are you up to now?¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Umm, it¡¯s just dawn. I¡¯m getting ready to get up.¡± ¡°Littlezy girl, did you miss me?¡± ¡°Yes, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I miss you too. I miss you every second.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help but say sweet nothings. Joanna smiled awkwardly. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be mushy. We¡¯re already a long-married couple. You talk about these mushy things all day long. It gives me goosebumps.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Ah, you got me. Don¡¯t women like to listen to sweet nothings? ¡°Why don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like to hear it. ¡°It¡¯s just that when ites out of your mouth, I always feel very awkward,¡± Joanna could not help but tease. That was right. Joanna still liked Bruce¡¯s aloof and unsmiling appearance. However, he was bing more and more clingy. Chapter 873 Chapter 873 Chapter 873 ¡°Ah, you heartless little thing. I miss you every day, but you don¡¯t miss me at all. ¡°Little thing, watch how I punish you when I get there.¡± Joanna choked. ¡°Why did you say that? I clearly said that I missed you just now.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re not sincere. If you missed me, you would have urged me to go over long ago,¡± Bruce replied resentfully. Joannaughed. ¡°Where¡¯s Lilia? I want to video call my daughter.¡± ¡°Oh, wait a minute then,¡± Joanna said as she lifted the nket and left the room. Then, she took the phone and walked towards Lilia¡¯s room. With a crack, the door opened. Lilia had just woken up. When she saw her mommy enter, she greeted her mother nicely, ¡°Good morning, Mommy.¡± ¡°Good morning, baby.¡± Seeing her mother holding her phone, Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°Mommy, are you on the phone with Daddy?¡± ¡°Yes! Daddy wants to video call you.¡± Joanna came to the bed and handed the phone to her daughter. On the other end of the video, there was a gentle and doting smile on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Baby Lilia, are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Good morning, Daddy.¡± Lilia yawned with sleepy eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already afternoon here.¡± ¡°Oh, good afternoon, Daddy.¡± ¡°Are you still asleep?¡± Lilia was like a little kitten as she replied cutely, ¡°I¡¯m already awake, but I¡¯m still a little sleepy.¡± ¡°Alright! I can tell that you¡¯re so sleepy. Why don¡¯t you sleep a little longer.¡± ¡°Yes, I got it, Daddy.¡± Bruce gave his daughter a flying kiss. ¡°Daddy loves you, baby.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Daddy.¡± Lilia handed the phone back to her mommy. Joanna also yawned. ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t talk to you anymore. I still have to bring Lilia to the hospital for a follow-upter.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s it, then.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m hanging up!¡± Joanna said and was about to hang up. ¡°Just a kiss.¡± Bruce red at Joanna in dissatisfaction. This heartless woman was always in a hurry to hang up on him. Joanna sighed and kissed the camera. Bruce pursed his lips. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up. ¡°Lilia, you have to go to the hospital for a checkup today. Hurry up and get up.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Lilia had stayed in the hospital for five days and had now moved back to the hotel. After all, the hospital¡¯s amodation conditions were nothing like the hotel¡¯s. Moreover, there were not enough beds in the hospital. Joanna and the others moved back to the hotel. It was in the morning, 9:80 AM. At Carl Hospital. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my daughter¡¯s leg?¡± Doctor Carl did another detailed checkup on Lilia and replied in Antlenish, ¡°She is recovering well. She can do a second correction soon. ¡°Come back next week for a follow-up. This is the medicine prescribed today. Make sure she takes it on time.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Doctor.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Joanna said to Lilia, ¡°Say goodbye to Doctor Carl.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Doctor.¡± Lilia sat in the wheelchair and waved at Doctor Carl. Doctor Carl also smiled kindly at Lilia. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Miss, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The special carer Rose smiled and pushed the wheelchair out. Darcy and Carson were waiting outside the hospital. ¡°Madam, is Miss done with her follow-up?¡± Carson asked with concern. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s done. We can go back now.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell the driver to get the car now.¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± The group walked towards the entrance of the hospital. When he passed by thedies¡¯ restroom, Joanna frowned slightly: ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯m going to the restroom.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The group stopped and waited at the restroom door. Seeing this, Joanna suddenly felt that it was indecent. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you get in the car first? ¡°I¡¯ll find you guys after I go to the restroom.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± In any case, the restroom was not far from the entrance. At most, it was 200 yards away. Joanna walked straight to thedies¡¯ restroom. After going to the restroom, Joanna came to the sink, washed her hands, and brushed her hair in the mirror. In a sh, a familiar woman¡¯s figure walked past Joanna. Joanna was facing the mirror and happened to see it. ¡°Jesus¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Joanna was subconsciously stunned and hurriedly turned around to take a closer look. The woman was gone. Immediately, Joanna¡¯s heart thumped. She hurried out of the restroom and went to the corridor to look for the woman. Unfortunately, the corridor was already empty. ¡°Oh my god, look at this woman¡­ She looks like Aria.¡± Joanna still had lingering fears. She felt as if her blood had condensed in her body. Aria was currently missing. Joanna was worried that Aria would suddenly appear. Joanna was feeling uneasy when she heard a voice. ¡°Madam.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna was in a daze and was shocked. Seeing this, Tatiana hurriedly asked with concern, ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna was so frightened that she panicked. When she focused her gaze, she saw that the person behind her was Tatiana. ¡°It¡¯s you! You scared me.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Where is Lilia?¡± Tatiana¡¯s expression was a little solemn. ¡°Miss has already gotten into the car.¡± ¡°Oh, let¡¯s hurry up and leave Joanna was still uneasy and followed Tatiana to the car. After getting into the car, Joanna¡¯s heart finally calmed down a little, but her face was still pale. Seeing her mommy¡¯s unhappy expression, Lilia asked carefully, ¡°Mommy, why do you look so pale? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna smiled and rubbed her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Mommy, I want to go y in the parkst time.¡± ¡°Be good. Let¡¯s go back to the hotel as soon as possible. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Lilia pouted. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s still so early! I¡¯m just going for a walk. I¡¯ll be back at the hotel soon. ¡°After being cooped up in the hospital for so long and in the hotel for so many days, I¡¯m almost bored to death.¡± Joanna still did not agree. Her tone was firm. ¡°Be good. We¡¯ll go another day. Mommy is a little tired today and wants to go back and rest early.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Lilia could not help but look disappointed. Joanna sat in the car and began to feel uneasy. After so many days, Joanna had almost forgotten about Aria. Now, Aria suddenly appeared again. Joanna was really a little afraid. ¡°I hope I¡¯m just seeing things¡­¡± Back at the hotel, Joanna thought about it and decided to tell Bruce her worries. If Joanna was alone, she would not be so flustered. However, with Lilia by her side, Joanna did not dare to be careless. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Joanna anxiously dialed Bruce¡¯s number. The call went through quickly. ¡°Hey, honey, why are you calling me?¡± Bruce teased. Most of the time, he took the initiative to call her. Chapter 874 Chapter 874 Chapter 874 Unless it was something urgent, Joanna would not call Bruce. There was a hint of nervousness in Joanna¡¯s voice. ¡°Bruce, I saw someone in the hospital today.¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°Who did you see? ¡°Could it be that bastard again?¡± ¡°No, I think I saw Aria in the hospital.¡± Joanna hesitated for a few seconds before telling Bruce. Joanna keptforting herself that she was seeing things. However, there were very few people from their country here. Moreover, even if there were, it was impossible for them to look so simr to Aria. When Bruce heard this, the smile on his face froze. During this period of time, Bruce had also almost forgotten about Aria. Now that he heard Joanna mention it, Bruce started to panic: Aria was too crazy and too smart. If Aria still couldn¡¯t forget Bruce, she mighte and pester Bruce and Joanna again. ¡°Uh, I might have been seeing things. Besides, I only saw her back. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s her.¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± Bruce asked nervously. ¡°When I went to the bathroom at the hospital, I saw a woman¡¯s back in the mirror. ¡°However, it¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m seeing things. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± Bruce frowned and said solemnly, ¡°Honey, whether it¡¯s her or not, you have to be extremely careful.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know.¡± ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll fly over immediately to be with you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she asked worriedly, ¡°Have you settled all thepany¡¯s matters?¡± ¡°No matter how important work is, it¡¯s not as important as you and our daughter.¡± There was a hint of seriousness in Bruce¡¯s voice. When it came to the safety of Joanna and Lilia, Bruce could not remain calm. Darcy and Carson, as well as a few other bodyguards, were very good at fighting. Although they were all good fighters, they were not smart enough. Especially when facing a woman with such a high IQ like Aria, they didn¡¯t stand a chance. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. After all, thest time Joanna and Bruce were in Antlen, Aria used an anesthetic gun to easily take down Darcy and the others. ¡°Honey, you and Lilia should stay in the hotel for the next two days. Don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll book a ne ticket immediately and fly over as soon as possible.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but feel touched. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it then! I¡¯ll book the fastest flight right now.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± After hanging up, Bruce immediately pressed the server button. Two minutester, Andy rushed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, what can I do for you?¡± Bruce frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°Andy, book a ne ticket to Gaprington for me immediately. The sooner the better.¡± When Andy heard this, he looked shocked and bitter. Andy reminded Bruce in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Everett, your schedule for these few days is very full. ¡°Are you sure you want to turn it all down?¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I won¡¯t be dealing with those anymore. Let Mr. Matthews handle them. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll make the arrangements now,¡± Andy said respectfully and quickly went out to work. Andy felt even more miserable in his heart. Mr. Everett always did such things unexpectedly. It put Andy in a difficult position as a special assistant. At the secretary¡¯s desk. Seeing Andy emerging from Mr. Everett¡¯s office with a bitter and depressed expression, Mark hurriedly approached to hear the gossip. ¡°Andy, what happened? Did Mr. Everett lose his temper again?¡± ¡°s¡­¡± Andy sighed deeply. Bruce didn¡¯t throw a tantrum that much anymore. In fact, he had be gentler. However, Bruce was bing more and more willful. Bruce no longer cared how important someone was or how significant the order was. He would leave whenever he wanted. Mark rolled his eyes and gossiped even more. ¡°What exactly is it?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett wants to cancel the schedule for the next few days,¡± Andy said and could not help but hold his forehead. One had to know that Andy was the one who arranged these things. Arranging these itineraries was not easy. Andy needed to call the person who made the appointment a few days in advance, booking the time, the location, and the meeting theme. Everything had to be very rigorous and meticulous. There could not be any mistakes. Now, everything was canceled. Mr. Everett turned down everything just like that. Andy had to call the other secretaries of the companies one by one to exin and find all kinds of excuses. ¡°What? Mr. Everett canceled his schedules again?¡± Mark¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Mr. Everett is flying to Gaprington to apany Madam again. Get me to cancel all his schedules for the next few days.¡± ¡°Oh my god, I really have a headache. We¡¯re meeting the president of the Neorace Group tomorrow afternoon and Porash political figures the day after tomorrow. There¡¯s also Escostan¡¯s higher-ups, partners from¡­¡± The more Andy spoke, the more his head hurt. ¡°Bruce is too willful.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say. If we offend these partners, it will be a huge loss to thepany.¡± ¡°What will you do?¡± ¡°I had no choice but to arrange for Mr. Matthews to meet them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t talk to you anymore. I¡¯m going to book a ne ticket immediately!¡± Andy said and hurriedly opened the ne ticket booking app. Mr. Matthews was also a director of thepany. However, Mr. Matthews was a small shareholder after all, and he did not have much say. The partners all wanted to see Bruce. Chapter 875 Chapter 875 Chapter 875 Ten minutester.. Andy booked a flight and quickly went to the office to reply to Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, the ticket has been booked. ¡°The nearest flight is at seven o¡¯clock tonight.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± As Bruce spoke, he had already gotten up to pack his things and prepare to go home. Half an hourter. Bruce drove home. He returned to Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Gael, I¡¯m going to Gaprington tonight. Stay at home and look after everything for the next few days. ¡°Especially the safety of the children. You must take good care of them.¡± Bruce hurriedly packed a few clothes and prepared to leave with his IDs. Of course, Bruce would not go alone this time. He would bring at least six or seven bodyguards and assistants. Seeing that Bruce was in a hurry, Gael could not help but ask with concern, ¡°Is it that urgent?¡± ¡°Yes, something happened over there. I¡¯m a little worried. ¡°I need to get there now.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± When Davian and Irvin caught sight of their father carrying his briefcase and appearing as though he was about to leave, they rushed over. ¡°Daddy, are you heading to Gaprington again?¡± ¡°Yes, something happened at Mommy¡¯s ce. Daddy has to rush over immediately.¡± When Davian heard this, he said unhappily, ¡°Can¡¯t you go a few dayster?¡± Irvin also pouted and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. In another week, we can have the summer vacation. We also want to go to Gaprington to see Mommy and Lilia.¡± Hearing this, Bruce patiently coaxed the two little guys. ¡°Be good. Daddy will go first. ¡°When it¡¯s summer break, Daddy will get someone to send you there.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± The two little guys nodded in unison. ¡°Be good at home and don¡¯t be naughty.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The two little guys were still a little unhappy. When Bruce was around, he would y, ride horses, and y all kinds of crazy games with the kids. Now that Daddy was going overseas, the kids were really unhappy. The assistant had already packed the luggage. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve already packed everything.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to the airport now.¡± Just as Bruce was about to leave, Devin woke up and started crying. Hearing his son¡¯s cries, Bruce felt his heart ached. He quickly stopped in his tracks. ¡°Baby, be good. Daddy is going to see Mommy and your sister. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Devin cried louder and louder as if he was suffering terribly. He kept moving his arms and legs. The two babysitters and wetnurses went forward to coax Devin. However, the more they coaxed Devin, the more miserable he cried. Bruce frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Devin? Why is he crying so badly?¡± ¡°Is he hungry?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Devin refused to drink the milk just now.¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°Call Dr. Down immediately and ask him toe over and take a look.¡± Bruce was still worried and personally carried his son over. The little guy cried until his face turned pale. His voice was stuck in his throat as if he was about to die. ¡°Good baby, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Daddy will carry you.¡± Bruce hugged his son and shook him gently tofort him. However, Devin cried harder and harder, as if he was frightened. ¡°Is Devin sick? ¡°Why is he crying so hard? What did you do?¡± When the servants heard this, they were so frightened that they lowered their heads. None of them dared to speak. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­ I feel uneasy. Is something going to happen?¡± Miranda said worriedly. ¡°The child is crying so badly for no reason. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a bad sign¡­¡± Previously, when Joanna was about to go out, Devin cried so hard as well. After that, something really happened. Now that the little guy was crying hard again, Miranda couldn¡¯t help but think of this. When Bruce heard this, he frowned and red at Miranda unhappily. Bruce did not like to hear these superstitious things at home. He was more willing to believe in science. ¡°Hurry up and call Dr. Down. Get him toe over and see what¡¯s going on.¡± Chapter 876 Chapter 876 Chapter 876 Bruce checked the time. It was 5:30 pm. The ne would take off in an hour. However, the child was crying so hard now that Bruce couldn¡¯t bear to leave, ¡°Hurry up and call Dr. Down!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already urged him. Dr. Down said that he¡¯s on his way.¡± Bruce frowned as he carried his son and paced back and forth in the house. ¡°My good son, don¡¯t cry. Daddy begs you not to cry.¡± Devin cried so hard that his face turned purple, and he kept spitting out milk. Bruce finally understood how difficult it was to take care of a child. Fifteen minutester. Dr. Down rushed over with the first aid kit. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and see why Devin is crying so badly,¡± Bruce urged anxiously. Dr. Down did not dare to be negligent. He quickly disinfected his hands and examined Devin. After a round of inspection, Dr. Down said with a serious expression, ¡°Little Devin should have an acute hernia. He needs to be sent to the hospital for treatment immediately. ¡°I¡¯ve already given Devin a reset massage, but I still have to send him to the hospital for surgery.¡± When Bruce heard this, he gasped. ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. He looked at the time again. It was already past six. Bruce¡¯s flight was at 7. He probably wouldn¡¯t make it in time now. ¡°Arrange for a car tonight and send Devin to the hospital.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what about the ne?¡± ¡°Cancel it now. We have to wait until Devin is done with the surgery no matter what.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Bruce did not dare to dy for a moment. He carried his son and got into the car. The driver stepped on the elerator and rushed to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, a few pediatric attending physicians were already waiting. Dr. Down had called in advance and briefly exined the situation of Devin. Therefore, the doctors quickly prepared emergency treatment. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Bruce called Joanna. Joanna picked up the call and asked gently, ¡°Hello, are you on the one?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Honey, I might not be able to go for the time being.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened again?¡± Bruce opened his mouth. He wanted to tell Joanna that their After some thought, Bruce was afraid that Joanna would worry. was. After all, Joanna still had to take care of Lilia. If she knew that Devin was also sick, she would be even more worried. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just that there was an emergency at thepany. ¡°I might have to be a few dayste.¡± Bruce made up a random excuse, not daring to tell Joanna the truth. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Go back to work!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m worried about you and Lilia.¡± Joanna sighed softly andforted Bruce. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll try not to go out as much as possible. There are security guards in the hotel. And we also have Darcy and Tatiana. It should be fine.¡± Bruce hesitated. Now, he wanted to fly to Gaprington immediately. However, Bruce was worried about his son¡¯s sudden serious illness. ¡°Alright then! Be careful. If there¡¯s nothing important, don¡¯t leave the hotel. ¡°After I¡¯m done with my work for the next few days, I¡¯lle immediately to apany you.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it then. Love you, Honey,¡± Bruce said in a deep voice. ¡°I love you too.¡± ¡°Be good!¡± Bruce kissed the phone. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up. Lilia listened from the side and asked in disappointment, ¡°Mommy, is Daddy noting?¡± Joanna nodded gently andforted her daughter gently. ¡°Yes, something happened at thepany again. Daddy will be busy for a few days.¡± When Lilia heard this, she pouted and sighed. ¡°Ah, I miss Daddy and my brothers so much.¡± ¡°Be good. Daddy is busy with work. ¡°Your brothers will be on summer break in a few days. They mighte over together.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡± Lilia smiled. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s so boring in the hotel. Can we go out for a walk?¡± After all, a hotel was not as good as a home. There was a garden, a horse farm, and a small yground at home. Every day, Lilia could breathe fresh air. When she opened the window, she could see the sea and mountains. Now that Lilia was staying in the hotel every day, she had no ess to the natural environment at all. The little girl was suffocating. Joanna frowned and rubbed her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°Baby, it hasn¡¯t been safe recently. ¡°For safety¡¯s sake, we¡¯d better stay at the hotel and not go out.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lilia asked in confusion. Lilia was still young and did not know about the thrilling moments her parents had experienced. ¡°Umm, because there are bad people on the street!¡± ¡°Mommy, Darcy and Carson are so powerful. With them around, who would dare to bully us?¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed deeply and hugged her daughter. ¡°Bad people don¡¯t necessarily use force. ¡°Some bad people are very cunning. They might use other methods to harm others.¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes in confusion. Although she was very sensible, she was still young. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Lilia could not understand the darkness and danger between adults. ¡°So when can we get out?¡± ¡°Umm. We will have to bear with it for a few more days! When Daddyes, we can go out.¡± Joanna smiled andforted her daughter. Bruce was a nasty bastard. However, with him by her side, Joanna felt much more at ease. No matter what happened, Bruce could think of a perfect solution. ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Liliapromised. Although Lilia did not quite understand the danger her mommy was talking about, she had always been a very good and sweet child. Therefore, Lilia would not keep pestering her mother. At the Greyport Hospital. After the doctor finished the emergency treatment, they walked out of the emergency room. ¡°How is it? Can you perform the surgery now?¡± Bruce asked anxiously. ¡°Mr. Everett, we can¡¯t do the surgery today. We have to arrange it until tomorrow morning. ¡°Because there¡¯s a blood test. It¡¯s best to be done when he hasn¡¯t had breakfast.¡± ¡°Alright! Arrange it as soon as possible.¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. In the ward, the child was tired from crying and fell asleep again. Looking at his son¡¯s swollen face, Bruce felt a terrible heartache. Father and son were connected. Devin was Bruce¡¯s youngest son. Of course, Bruce wished he could bear the pain for his son. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t you go back and rest tonight?¡± The babysitter said respectfully. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of Devin here.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll stay with you at the hospital.¡± ¡°Alright, okay.¡± The next day. Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. The attending doctor arranged the operating room and prepared for Devin¡¯s surgery. The surgery was notplicated. It was done in less than half an hour. However, the child was still young, and postoperative care was very important. Sometimes, unexpected things happened. Poor families didn¡¯t take meticulous care of their children. Instead, those kids were healthy and had great immunity systems. On the other hand, children from rich families were always protected and cared for. However, the rich kids would fall sick at the drop of a hat, and their immunity was extremely poor. Bruce stayed up all night. Now, he was waiting anxiously outside the operating room. With a notification sound, the door of the operating room was pushed open. The doctor and nurse wheeled Devin out. ¡°How w was the surgery?¡± Seeing this, Bruce immediately went was the surgery?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry! The surgery was sessful. Devin just needs to stay in the hospital for two days. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. When the children were sick, even if it was just a small illness or pain, parents would be very anxious. ¡°It¡¯s just a newborn hernia. It¡¯s not a big problem.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then.¡± Bruce finally felt relieved. Thankfully, his son was fine. Back in the ward. ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Bruce called Andy again. ¡°Mr. Everett, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Book me a flight to Gaprington immediately.¡± Andy was stunned. Didn¡¯t Andy just book a ne ticketst night? Andy thought that Mr. Everett had already arrived in Gaprington. ¡°Mr. Everett, where are you now?¡± Andy blurted out. Bruce replied in a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital now.¡± ¡°Oh, where is the hospital?¡± ¡°Why are you asking so much nonsense?¡± ¡°I asked you to book a flight. Why are you asking so many questions?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone instantly became impatient. Andy¡¯s heart tightened. He said in a low voice, ¡°Oh, oh, I¡¯ll book it immediately. ¡°When do you n to leave, Mr. Everett?¡± Bruce looked at his son. He nned to stay with his son in the hospital for a few days. As long as his son passed the critical period, Bruce would be at ease. ¡°Book the day after tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll book it immediately. ¡°Um, Mr. Everett, do you n to recover your schedule for the following two days?¡± ¡°No need!¡± Chapter 877 Chapter 877 Chapter 877 ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± Andy replied respectfully and did not dare to say anything else. Bruce had always had a bad temper. Although Bruce had not been angry much recently, Andy dared not to provoke Bruce no matter what. After the call, Bruce went out to the corridor to smoke. Bruce promised Joanna to quit smoking, and he was trying his best to do it.¡¯ But when Bruce was under too much pressure, he needed a cigarette to help with the stress. Bruce walked out of the corridor. Suddenly, Bruce saw a woman wearing sunsses and a mask. The woman loitered at the door of the consultation room. Although the woman was wearing sunsses and a mask, Bruce could tell at a nce that it was Jennie. ¡°Jennie, what are you doing here?¡± Jennie was shocked by the sound. When she turned around and saw that it was Bruce, Jennie was stunned at first. Jennie subconsciously pushed up the sunsses on the bridge of his nose, and her posture became very unnatural. Jennie didn¡¯t expect to be recognized in this outfit. She had been feeling very ufortable for the past two days. That was why Jennie wanted to visit the gynecology department secretly. However, Jennie was afraid of being recognized. While she was hesitating, she happened to bump into Bruce. Bruce frowned slightly. ¡°Are you sick?¡± Jennie replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°No! I came to see a friend.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Bruce looked her up and down and did not say anything else. Jennie¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Thinking of Bruce¡¯s advice to her before, Jennie could not help but want to cry. But now, it was toote for regrets. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Jennie stammered. She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t find the right words to say. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Coincidentally, the phone in Jennie¡¯s pocket rang. When she heard the phone ring, Jennie felt as if she had been electrocuted. Her entire body trembled, and her voice became even hoarser. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of something urgent. I¡¯ll leave first. Goodbye.¡± Before Bruce could respond, Jennie had already fled. Bruce was speechless. In the past, when Jennie saw Bruce, she had always been arrogant and willful. Jennie used to be like a princess. It was a little strange today. Jennie wasn¡¯t like the aggressive her at all. Jennie arrived outside the hospital. She didn¡¯t want to answer Marlowe¡¯s call. However, she did not dare to disobey. She could only brace herself and answer the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Marlowe¡¯s sarcastic voice sounded. ¡°Ms. Garcia, I¡¯ve called you so many times, but answer. Why? Are you deliberately avoiding me?¡± ¡°No, no! I didn¡¯t hear it just now.¡± you didn¡¯t ¡°Hmph,e and see me immediately. I¡¯ll wait for you in your office.¡± When Jennie heard this, she was even angrier. ¡°Marlowe, what are you doing in my office?¡± ¡°Of course because I miss you!¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯m busy now. I can¡¯te over now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you 20 minutes. If I don¡¯t see you, I¡¯ll send your photo to the tabloids.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do this. I¡¯m begging you¡­¡± Jennie gave in in one second. ¡°That¡¯s it! If I don¡¯t see you in 20 minutes, your reputation will be ruined.¡± After saying that, Marlowe smiled crazily and hung up. After hanging up, Jennie stomped her foot, and her eyes instantly turned red.. Ever since she slept with Marlowe, Jennie had been feeling ufortable in her private parts for the past few days. It had been itchy. Marlowe must have had some illness that infected her. However, Jennie did not dare to go to the hospital for treatment openly. Jennie couldn¡¯t take it anymore today. She wanted to wear a disguise and go to the hospital for a check-up. Unexpectedly, Jennie was still recognized. Twenty minutester. Jennie rushed back to the office. ¡°Mr. Garcia, President Yanice is waiting for you in the office.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°All of you, stay outside. Don¡¯te in.¡± Jimmy¡¯s face was solemn. ¡°Did you hear that? No one is allowed toe in unless I call you.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± In the office. ¡°Ms. Garcia, it¡¯s really difficult to ask you out now.¡± Marlowe sat in seat Jennie and was smoking smugly. ¡°I¡¯m here now!¡± ¡°Hehe, you are a minutete. The photo has been sent out.¡± Marlowe had sent a private photo of Jennie to the tabloids. Jennie took a look, and her body instantly stiffened. Although she was wearing clothes in the photo, her expression was seductive, and the background was in the restroom. One¡¯s imagination would run wild with this photo. Fortunately, Jennie was fully dressed in the photo. ¡°Marlowe, you¡¯ve gone too far¡­¡± ¡°The next time I ask you toe over, if you dare to bete again, I will send some other photos.¡± After Marlowe finished speaking, heughed sinisterly. ¡°Strip.¡± ¡°Marlowe, what should I do so you can let me go?¡± Marlowe looked at Jennie strangely. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, why are you making it sound so serious? Aren¡¯t we in a cooperative rtionship? Besides, I like you so much. ¡°How can I bear to ruin your reputation? As long as you listen to me obediently, we can be a happy couple. ¡°How am I inferiorpared to Bruce?¡± When Jennie heard this, she was so angry that she choked and felt even more disgusted. ¡°Cut the crap and take your clothes off.¡± Jennie did not dare to disobey. She could only take off her coat. Marlowe pounced over like a hungry wolf¡­. Jennie was, after all, the daughter of a rich family. Jennie was very generous with spending money on herself, so she took good care of herself. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Her skin was as tender as a baby¡¯s. Her body was curvy and very hot. Marlowe was like a predator seeing its prey, unable to stop. Marlowe called Jennie over almost every day and then went crazy¡­ As expected, Marlowe¡¯s kidney had long been damaged. He was relying on medicine to support his madness. Three dayster. At Carl Hospital. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m on the ne now. I¡¯ll be there at about three o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon.¡± On the other end of the line, Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. ¡°Didn¡¯t you wait for Davian and Irvin? They would be on summer vacation soon. You can take them with you then.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. I just want to fly to you immediately. I miss you, Honey.¡± There was a trace of concern in Bruce¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Can you be more serious?¡± ¡°How am I not serious? You keep saying I¡¯m not being serious. Why?¡± Joanna was toozy to bicker with Bruce. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just go straight to the hotel.¡± ¡°How can I do that?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone sank. ¡°Be good and listen to me. Don¡¯t go anywhere. Just wait for me to go over.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s it then. The ne is about to take off.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Joanna hung up the phone, Lilia looked excited. ¡°Mommy, is Daddying over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is already on the ne. He¡¯ll be here at three o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon! ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. I miss Daddy so much. ¡°Mommy, will Yang and Irvine together?¡± ¡°No, the summer vacation doesn¡¯t start for another three days. Daddy wille over first.¡± ¡°That works too!¡± Lilia was still very happy! ¡°Mommy, can we pick Daddy up tomorrow?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Hmm, forget it. We¡¯ll wait for him at the hotel.¡± ¡°No, why don¡¯t we pick Daddy up at the airport? ¡°I¡¯ll give Daddy a surprise and go out for some fresh air!¡± When Joanna heard this, she was moved. Seeing the longing in her daughter¡¯s eyes, Joanna nodded subconsciously. After all, this ce was very close to the airport, about 18 to 25 miles away. It only took about half an hour by car. Moreover, they had been in the hotel for four to five days. Joanna couldn¡¯t even stand it, let alone the little girl. ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll pick Daddy up tomorrow and surprise him.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to prepare a gift for Daddy now!¡± Chapter 878 Chapter 878 Chapter 878 Joanna smiled gently and did not stop her daughter. Lilia could not help but be happy. ¡°Mommy, can you help me make a gift?¡± ¡°Haha, what kind of gift are you going to make?¡± Lilia tilted her head and thought for a few seconds. ¡°Right, I n to do handmade drawings. Then, I¡¯ll draw a family portrait. Daddy will definitely like it.¡± Lilia had drawn the family portrait many times. Whenever Lilia presented a portrait to Bruce, he would be overjoyed to see it. In addition, Bruce took the extra step of hiring someone to frame the portraits and disy them in his study and office. This time, Lilia wanted to draw another one. Since her youngest brother was born, Lilia had never drawn a family portrait. This time, Lilia could add her younger brother. ¡°Okay! Mommy will help you!¡±. Joanna asked the servants to bring over the watercolor pen, brush, and drawing paper. Lilia picked a piece of pink-colored paper and began to draw the family portrait carefully. Despite being only seven and a half years old, Lilia had shown a passion for drawing from a very young age. Bruce, her father, was incredibly supportive of her artistic interests. He went to great lengths and even hired a renowned painter to teach Lilia how to draw. Hence, Lilia¡¯s drawing skills were quite impressive, especially when it came to creatingics. She had a talent for vividly portraying the characters¡¯ characteristics. Each of her creations was entirely distinct from one another. Looking at her daughter drawing seriously, Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh. Bruce loved his daughter to the core. He doted on his daughter in every way he could. Bruce would give Lilia everything she wanted and more. Lilia was done drawing the family portrait. ¡°Lilia, are you done?¡± Joanna wanted to take a look first. Lilia covered the painting and said sweetly and mysteriously, ¡°You can¡¯t look at it yet. ¡°It¡¯s still a little short. I need to design it as a whole. I¡¯ll show it to Mommy after it¡¯s all done.¡± ¡°Haha, okay.¡± Joanna respected her precious daughter very much. ¡°Mommy, will you cut the paper for me? ¡°I need you to cut it all into little squares.¡± Joanna looked at the thick stack of colored paper. ¡°Wow, do we have to cut so many?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I need to use themter.¡± Joanna shrugged and smiled helplessly. ¡°This is a huge project!¡± Although Joanna said that, she still picked up the small scissors and carefully helped her daughter cut the paper. After a while, the mother and daughter cut out arge stack of colored paper. Lilia started folding the paper, making paper roses by hand. Joanna helped out at the side. It was a rare opportunity for her to help her daughter do handicrafts. After working for more than two hours, the drawing was finally done. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s done! I can show you now.¡± As Lilia spoke, she handed over the drawing paper. Joanna took it and looked at it. On the pink drawing paper was a family of six standing under the blue sky and white clouds. All of them had excited smiles on their faces. The edges of the drawing paper were all hand-drawn frames, and the flowers blooming on the grass were cut and pasted paper. In addition, there was a bouquet of colorful and exquisite handmade paper flowers tied with colorful streamers. It was obvious that Lilia had put in a lot of effort. Lilia raised her chin proudly and said sweetly, ¡°Mommy, do you think it looks good? Do you think Daddy will like it?¡± Joanna admired it seriously and could not help but praise it, ¡°Haha, it¡¯s too beautiful. Baby, you are awesome. Daddy will definitely like it.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s what I thought too.¡± Joanna said sourly, ¡°Ah, Mommy is really jealous of Daddy for having such a precious gift.¡± Joanna was a little jealous of Bruce. The three little kids were getting closer and closer to Bruce. They admired their daddy very much. The children had never prepared a gift for Joanna so diligently. ¡°Mommy, do you like it? If you like it, I¡¯ll give this painting to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll draw another one for Daddy.¡± Hearing this, Joanna instantly felt sweetness instead of jealousy. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m only joking with you. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Let¡¯s get some rest! ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll personally prepare a gift for you on your birthday, Mommy.¡± ¡°That would be great.¡± Lilia loved to do handicrafts the most. These handcrafted flowers were lifelike and very exquisite Moreover, it was made by Lilia. It was far more meaningful than real flowers. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s time to sleep. Hurry up and put these away!¡± Joanna said and could not help but yawn. ¡°Got it, Mommy.¡± Lilia loved her drawing tools very much. Every time she used it, Lilia would pack it up very carefully when she finished. ¡°You have to go to bed early today. You¡¯ll be able to see Daddy tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Good night, Mommy.¡± ¡°Good night, baby.¡± Joanna kissed her daughter¡¯s little face and yawned as she walked to her room. Joanna was so tired that she could not take it anymore. The next day. One o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Lilia and Joanna were ready to leave for the airport to pick up Bruce. ¡°Mommy, I want to wear that pink dress and the white leather shoes.¡± The servants smiled and changed Lilia¡¯s clothes. They also tied her hair into two cute ponytails. Lilia also wore an exquisite diamond headband from Dior. Lilia was already very good-looking. When she dressed up, she was even more beautiful. ¡°Mommy, does this dress look good?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really beautiful. Look at this little princess! You are so beautiful,¡± Joanna praised with a smile. Joanna was wearing a white Chanel dress with a casual jacket. She also had exquisite makeup on, and her long hair was casually fluffed over her shoulders. Joanna was beautiful and elegant. ¡°Mommy is so beautiful too,¡± Lilia praised her sweetly. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± This was a six-star hotel. The hotel would also provide customed transportation for guests. However, they needed to use more than one car. Therefore, they especially went to the local car rental shop and rented two luxury cars. They were a Rolls-Royce and a Mercedes-Benz MPV. After leaving the hotel, Joanna, Lilia, and Tatiana got into the Rolls-Royce. Darcy and Carson got into the Mercedes-Benz MPV behind them. The two cars slowly drove towards the airport. The journey wasn¡¯t particrly long, spanning approximately 21 miles. If they encountered no traffic jams, they could reach their destination in about half an hour. Lilia hugged the handmade flowers and sat in the back seat. She smiled excitedly. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m so happy today. ¡°I really miss Daddy. I¡¯ve been separated from Daddy for almost half a month. ¡°Mommy, do you miss Daddy?¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Yes, I do!¡± Bruce gave Joanna a headache when he was by her side every day. However, if they were apart for too long, Joanna would inevitably miss him. Lilia said with a look of prayer, ¡°Haha, I hope Daddy and Mommy will never quarrel again. Our family will always be happy together.¡± ¡°Daddy and Mommy won¡¯t fight anymore,¡± Joannaforted her daughter with a smile. It was true that Bruce had numerous ws, and he didn¡¯t fit the conventional definition of a good man. Bruce had serious male chauvinism, a bad temper, a sharp tongue, and a domineering and unreasonable way of doing things. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t stand him. Still, Bruce had many good points. The merits of Bruce could make up for the ws he had. Not long after they hit the road, two motorcycles chased each other on the road, almost crashing with the car Joanna was in. ¡°Be careful!¡± Joanna shouted in fear. The driver was also shocked and turned to another road. Then, he hurriedly stepped on the brakes. There was a creaking sound. The brakes seemed to have failed. No matter how hard the driver stepped on them, there was no reaction. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! Did we encounter a racer?¡± Tatiana instantly became vignt. ¡°It might be¡­¡± The driver broke out in a cold sweat. Two more motorcycles rushed over. From the looks of it, the riders were deliberately provoking. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. Afraid of getting into an ident, she quickly asked the driver to stop the car. ¡°Stop the car, quickly stop the car!¡± The driver stepped on the brakes a few more times. Unfortunately, he could not slow down the car at all. ¡°M¨¢dam, the brakes don¡¯t seem to be working!¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna instantly panicked. The driver was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He hurriedly turned around and approached the roadside. He looked for obstacles by the roadside, trying to force the car to stop and turn off the engine. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°ng!¡± The car knocked over the stall on the side of the road. The pedestrians were so frightened that they hurriedly dodged and cursed at the car. ¡°Do you even know how to drive? How could you drive toward the crowd? Are you blind?¡± ¡°Hurry up and call the police¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯sing again. The car probably malfunctioned! Dodge quickly.¡± The pedestrians on the street fled in all directions. ¡°Ah! Mommy¡­¡± Lilia screamed and closed her eyes in fear. The car was out of control. It kept bumping left and right, unable to be stopped. ¡°Quickly think of a way to stop the car. Don¡¯t hit anyone.¡± Joanna was afraid of hitting innocent pedestrians. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Madam, the car might have been tampered with¡­¡± The driver panicked. Not only did the brakes fail, but the steering wheel also began to lose control. The car elerated and collided with several vendors in session before plunging straight into the river by the roadside. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m so scared.¡± Lilia trembled in fear. Joanna couldn¡¯t care less about her own safety. She hurriedly hugged her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy is here.¡± Tatiana, who was seated in the front passenger seat, also broke out in a cold sweat. Tatiana kept hitting the car window, trying to smash it open. In the car behind, Darcy and Carson panicked when they saw what happened before them. ¡°What happened to the car in front?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s out of control.¡± ¡°Quick, go intercept them. Sit tight.¡± ¡°Buzz!¡± The Mercedes-Benz MPV quickly passed through the traffic, wanting to stop the car Joanna and the others were in. The Rolls-Royce crashed into the waist of the Mercedes-Benz. The powerful impact caused the two cars to lose control. The Rolls-Royce was like a bulldozer, pushing the Mercedes-Benz dozens of feet away. Fortunately, the Mercedes-Benz made a sessful interception, so Rolls-Royce did not rush down the riverbank. ¡°Bang¡­¡± The car window shattered. The car spun a few times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground. ¡°Mommy.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t care less about her own safety. At thest moment, she unbuckled her seatbelt and protected her daughter with her own body. ¡°Lilia.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The broken ss hit Joanna¡¯s back. Joanna was instantly bleeding. The car had been tampered with, and the airbag did not work. The driver died on the spot, and Tatiana instantly lost consciousness. ¡°There¡¯s been an ident. Hurry up and go to the rescue.¡± Chapter 879 Chapter 879 Chapter 879 The pedestrians on the road were stunned and gathered around to see what happened. ¡°Is there a problem with the brakes in such a serious ident?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Hurry up and call the police and an ambnce.¡± The pedestrians discussed in Gapringtonish in horror. Immediately after, another ck car drove over at high speed. Two men in suits got out of the car and went to the Rolls-Royce to take a look. Joanna had already fainted and was covered in broken ss. Although Joanna was seriously injured, she protected Lilia very well. However, after going through such a serious car ident, Lilia inevitably fainted. ¡°They fainted. I don¡¯t know if they have died.¡± The other man frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s take them away first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After the two men opened the car door, they dragged Joanna out. Then, they carried her into the car and sped away. On the ne, Bruce was sound asleep when his heart skipped a beat. Bruce suddenly woke up froin his sleep. ¡°Ah!¡± He had just had a very scary dream. He dreamed of the flowers all over the mountains and ins. In his dream, Bruce was strolling among the grass and flowers when he suddenly missed his footing and fell into a bottomless abyss. ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± Bruce opened his eyes in a daze and broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you awake?¡± Cherron, Bruce¡¯s assistant by the side, asked with a smile. Bruce shook his head and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. ¡°Cherron, what time is it now?¡± Cherron looked down at his watch and said respectfully, ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re almost there. ¡°The ne shouldnd in ten minutes. I was about to wake you up when you woke up.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Bruce replied in a deep voice and turned to look outside the ne. Outside the window, the rolling white clouds looked so clean. It was as if they had arrived in the world of cotton candy. ¡°Hiss, why does my heart hurt a little? I can¡¯t breathe.¡± Bruce subconsciously rubbed his chest What happened? Bruce felt a sudden pain in his chest, and his right eyelid kept twitching. The dream he just had was not exactly a good dream. Bruce didn¡¯t usually dream. The dream just now made Bruce fear. People usually said that dreams were the opposite of reality. Dreams of beautiful sceneries, such as flowers and grass, were usually not auspicious. On the contrary, it was good if one dreamed about bad and dirty things. Cherron handed Bruce a bottle of water. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t you drink some water? Maybe the air on the ne isn¡¯t ¨Cgood. ¡°The ne shouldnd in about ten minutes.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and took two sips of water. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get up and tidy up!¡± Bruce unbuckled his seatbelt and went to the restroom. He had to wash her face and tidy her hair. In a while, Bruce was going to see his beloved wife and daughter. He had to put on his most handsome look. Twenty minutester, the nended smoothly. Bruce got out of the ne. Bruce couldn¡¯t wait to turn on his phone and immediately called Joanna to tell him that he was safe. However, he had a bad feeling that he couldn¡¯t brush away. A few days ago, Joanna told him that she seemed to have seen Aria. This made him even more uneasy, afraid that another ident would happen. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t wait to call Joanna. Joanna¡¯s phone rang for a long time without anyone picking up. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unanswered. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t she picking up? Stupid girl. She knew that I wasing today. She must be doing this on purpose.¡± Bruce thought. Bruce frowned and continued to call Joanna. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Unfortunately, Bruce called Joanna three or four times in a row, but no one picked up. ¡°What the hell is this woman doing? She knows that I¡¯m getting off the ne at three, and she doesn¡¯t have her phone with her.¡± Bruce was a little angry and anxious. He was most afraid when Joanna didn¡¯t pick up his call. Every time Bruce couldn¡¯t get through to Joanna, he would feel restless. However, it was only when they had fights that Joanna didn¡¯t pick up his calls. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn¡¯t be so unreasonable. Therefore, this made Bruce even more uneasy. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Bruce then called Darcy and Carson. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable¡­¡± Bruce frowned with a gloomy expression. Then, Bruce called Tatiana. Still, no one picked up. ¡°What are they doing? Why is nobody answering the phone? ¡°Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m here today?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and became even more anxious. He had no choice but to call the hotel again. Then, he transferred the call to thendline in Joanna¡¯s room. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Thendline in the hotel room rang. When Lilian heard the phone ring, she thought that it was someone else. She quickly picked up the phone and answered, ¡°Hello, Madam.¡± After recognizing Lilian¡¯s voice, Bruce said anxiously, ¡°Lilian, it¡¯s me.¡± When she heard Mr. Everett¡¯s voice, Lilian seemed a little nervous. ¡°Mr. Everett, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Is Joanna at the hotel? Why isn¡¯t she answering her phone? ¡°Where did the others go? Why can¡¯t I get through to all of them? What are they doing?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was clearly a little anxious. Lilian looked confused and said in a low voice, ¡°Madam and Miss have already gone out to pick you up at the airport.¡± ¡°What? They came to pick me up at the airport?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ve already set off for more than half an hour.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He felt that something bad might have happened. Joanna would not ignore his call for no reason. Darcy and Carson¡¯s phones were always on standby 24 hours a day. So they would pick up Bruce¡¯s calls. However, Bruce still hoped for the best. He hoped that Joanna was ying with him on purpose, just like thest time Bruce flew over secretly and caught Joanna off guard. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± ¡°Oh, is something wrong?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and just walked quickly towards the exit of the airport. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Along the way, Bruce kept calling Joanna and Darcy. Finally, someone picked up Darcy¡¯s phone. However, it was not him who picked up, but a person with a Gapringtonish ent. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hey, Darcy!¡± ¡°Are you a friend or family member of the owner of this phone?¡± the other party asked in Gapringtonish. Bruce frowned. Fortunately, Bruce was proficient in Antlenish and two othernguages. He could understand what the other party was saying. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a friend of the owner of this phone. ¡°May I ask why my friend¡¯s phone is in your hands?¡± ¡°I¡¯m police. My ID number is 1147. ¡°Your friend was in a car ident and has been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Please come to Carl Hospital immediately¡­¡± Boom! ¡°My friend got into a car ident?¡± Bruce stuttered. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°May I ask how many people were injured? Were theredies and children?¡± ¡°A woman and a child were injured and have been sent to the hospital.¡± Chapter 880 Chapter 880 Chapter 880 Bruce held his breath and felt like the world was spinning. He could no longer hear what the other party was saying. A few secondster, Bruce staggered and almost lost his bnce. On the ne, he already had a bad feeling. As expected, the tragedy still happened. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong¡­¡± Cherron and Tom quickly supported Bruce and looked at him with fear and unease. Something big must have happened. Otherwise, Mr. Everett wouldn¡¯t have reacted like this. ¡°Hospital. Go to the Carl Hospital, now!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± His subordinates did not dare to dy. They left the airport in a hurry. Bruce didn¡¯t wait for the driver to pick him up and walked straight to the nearest taxi. Many tourists were queuing up for cars. A tourist finally got his turn and opened the taxi door. Bruce was already one step ahead. He got straight into the car. ¡°Go to Carl Hospital immediately.¡± The bearded tourist was furious when he saw the taxi being robbed. He raised his fist and scolded angrily, ¡°Hey, how can you cut the line? ¡°Now, please get out of the car and line up at the back¡­¡± Before he could finish scolding, Cherron dragged him by the shoulder and threw him to the side. Then, Cherron stuffed more than ten notes into his hand. Before the bearded tourist could react, ¡°Bang!¡± Cherron had already gotten into the car and closed the door. The bearded tourist looked at the dozen or so hundred-dor bills in his hand with a stunned expression. The tourist immediately smiled. He looked at the tourists queuing behind him, shrugged, and joked, ¡°Is anyone else wanting to cut the queue? You are more than weed.¡± The cab roared off toward Carl Hospital. Twenty minutester, Bruce passed by the area where Joanna had an ident. The scene of the car ident had been cleaned up, but there were still many pedestrians watching on the side. Through the car window, Bruce could see the mess outside. He could imagine the tragic scene of the car ident. His heart was in his throat. At the Carl Hospital. The car had just stopped when Bruce rushed into the hospital. ¡°Joann, Joann, Lilia, Lifia, I can¡¯t let anything happen to you. ¡°I pray to the heavens not to be so cruel to me. Don¡¯t be so cruel¡­¡± At the door of the ward, Bruce grabbed a few nurses and asked anxiously, ¡°Where are thedy and child who got into the car ident today?¡± ¡°Who are you to the victim?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the patient¡¯s husband¡­¡± When the nurse heard this, her expression turned solemn. ¡°Please follow me.¡± Then, the nurse brought Bruce to the resuscitation room. ¡°Several of the injured are still being treated.¡± ¡°Is their injury serious? Are their lives in danger?¡± Bruce asked with a trembling voice. His eyes were as red as blood. ¡°Two male patients have unfortunately died. The other two are slightly less injured and are currently undergoing emergency treatment.¡± ¡°What about the twodies?¡± ¡°Ady¡¯s injuries are very serious. The girl¡¯s condition is slightly better. You have to be mentally prepared¡­¡± The nurse said as she handed Bruce a few pieces of documents. ¡°Please sign on it.¡± Bruce swallowed hard when he heard that. He took the pen with trembling hands and signed it. Then, his legs went weak, and he fell onto the stool. ¡°Joanna, Lilia, you must be fine. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this. I can¡¯t ept this.¡± A few people dressed as police officers walked over again. ¡°Are you the family of the injured?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Please check the information of the injured¡­¡± ¡°Will do.¡± An hourter, the operating room¡¯s door opened. Seeing this, Bruce trembled and immediately went forward to ask. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient?¡± The doctor¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Thedy¡¯s injuries are too serious. We didn¡¯t manage to save her. She¡¯s already dead¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s throat went dry, and he felt as if his brain exploded. It took a long time for Bruce to regain his senses. Then, two nurses pushed the trolley out of the door. The person lying on the cart was covered by ayer of white cloth. Bruce looked at the corpse that was pushed out. He did not dare to go forward to take a look.. His eyes instantly turned as red as blood. ¡°Joann¡­ Good God. Why are you doing this to me¡­¡± Bruce staggered and fell straight to the ground. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett, be careful.¡± Cherron and Tom immediately supported Bruce. Bruce had already copsed to the He could not ept it. ground. His heart ached so much that he could not breathe. Bruce couldn¡¯t take the news of Joanna¡¯s death. Joanna was dead. There was no point in living anymore. The other assistant carefully removed the white cloth on the corpse¡¯s face and took a look. After seeing it, the assistant stammered, ¡°Mr. Everett. No, no¡­ It¡¯s not Madam. I think it¡¯s Tatiana.¡± When Bruce heard that, he instantly felt as if he had been electrocuted. Bruce bounced up, and he immediately removed the white cloth to check. The white cloth was removed. Lying there was Tatiana, not Joanna. Seeing this, Bruce rxed a little. He was stunned for a few seconds before he covered the white cloth with a sorrowful expression. ¡°Doctor, where¡¯s the otherdy? This isn¡¯t my wife. This is my wife¡¯s bodyguard.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a girl who¡¯s still in the emergency room.¡± Bruce¡¯s blood instantly rushed to his head. He said anxiously, ¡°No, there should be another adult lady¡­¡± The doctor shook his head and said solemnly, ¡°No, there are a total of six injured people. There are only two females.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. That¡¯s impossible. ¡°There¡¯s another one. Where¡¯s my wife?¡± Bruce immediately became excited. ¡°Sir, please calm down.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the information on the victims. Four males and two females.¡± The two police officers beside him nodded in confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s right. We were there the entire time. There were indeed only two women at the scene.¡± Bruce shook his head violently. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. My wife was definitely in the car. Why is she missing now? ¡°Hurry up and tell me where she is. Please don¡¯t make such a joke.¡± ¡°Sir, I¡¯m really sorry. ¡°We received a call to the police. When we rushed over, there were two cars involved in the ident. There was a total of six injured people. ¡°Four adult men, one adult woman, and one girl¡­¡± The police answered seriously. After listening to the police and doctor, Bruce became even more anxious. He found it unbelievable. Joanna was definitely with Lilia. There was no way Joanna would take another car alone. But now, everyone else was in the hospital except for Joanna. ¡°Officer, I¡¯m sure my wife is in the car. ¡°She might have been kidnapped. Please search for her quickly. ¡°There were a total of threedies in the car. Now one is missing. Someone must have kidnapped her.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart was in his throat again. When the police officer heard this, he looked at Bruce doubtfully. When they arrived at the scene, they did not see Joanna. However, seeing how anxious Bruce was, the police took it seriously. ¡°The camera on the car is broken. We can¡¯t find anything. ¡°All we can do is pull up the nearby surveince cameras and see what happened during the car ident. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. We¡¯ll investigate as soon as possible.¡± After that, the officer began to call the other officers. The police officer told his colleague the situation that Bruce had mentioned. He asked his colleagues over there to check the surveince cameras nearby. ¡°Sir, our colleague has already gone to retrieve the nearby surveince footage.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Madam is definitely fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Bruce was still in a daze. Joanna would never disappear for no reason. It must be Aria Bridges. She must have kidnapped Joanna. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. At the thought of this, Bruce felt even more uneasy. He clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes were bloodshot. ¡°Aria, if you dare to hurt Joanna¡­ ¡°I will do nothing for the rest of my life. The only thing I want to find you at all costs and make you wish you were dead¡­¡± Chapter 881 Chapter 881 Chapter 881 After the police finished investigating the surveince footage, they immediately contacted Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, the surveince near the ident site happened to be in a blind spot and didn¡¯t capture the specific ident.¡± ¡°However, ording to witnesses, a ck car drove over and carried one of the women to the car.¡± ¡°Maybe she was sent to another hospital for emergency treatment. Don¡¯t worry. Our colleagues are doing their best to investigate the situation¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What kind of man is he?¡± ¡°ording to eyewitnesses, there were two men around 30 years old. They were 180 centimeters tall, wore ck suits, and drove a ck Mercedes-Benz car.¡± The police chattered on about the information they had gathered. These clues were all useless information. Now that they were overseas, Bruce did not have much staff to mobilize. The only way was to rely on the locals. ¡°Officer, please, you have to get my wife back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will do our best to rescue the victims.¡± ¡°We will inform you immediately if there¡¯s anytest news.¡± The police said nothing else. They need to rush back to the police station immediately and continue investigating this matter with other colleagues. Affer the police left. Cherron asked solemnly, ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was sinister. Now, his mind was in a mess, and he lost the ability to think. ¡°Mr. Everett, Shane just went to the car ident scene for inspection.¡± ¡°The car Miss Haynes and the others were in had been tampered with.¡± ¡°This is the family portrait that Shane picked up at the scene of the car ident,¡± Cherron said, handing the portrait Lilia drew to Bruce. The painting was already covered in blood. Bruce nced at it and took it with trembling hands. The pink hues of the painting had been heavily stained by blood. The picture depicted their whole family of six. After he finished looking at the painting. Bruce¡¯s tears flowed out, and he choked on his words. He felt powerless now. He just wanted to squat on the ground and cry. But he knew that this was not the time to cry. Crying would solve nothing. ¡°Cherron, gather the team immediately. Find as many people as possible. Spare no expense to locate that ck car.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett. I¡¯ll do it immediately.¡± ¡°Tom, go find the local gang and request them to find these two people.¡± ¡°If anyone can provide useful clues, I will reward them generously.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett,¡± Tom responded. He immediately prepared to carry out the task. ¡°Also, send sorneone to the ident scene to inquire with pedestrians and expand the search area,¡± Brute added. ¡°Yes, okay.¡± The subordinates immediately split up after hearing the order. Now, Bruce could only use all the methods he could think of. In addition to seeking the help of the police. He also had to find local gangs and local business partners to help him find Joanna. ¡°Aria, I know you must be nearby.¡± ¡°Come out,e out.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything,e at me.¡± Another half an hour passed, Lilia was pushed out of the operating room. Bruce immediately went over and asked. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my daughter?¡± ¡°The surgery was sessful. Her life isn¡¯t in danger for the time being. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Lilia, Lilia¡­¡± Bruce almost threw himself onto the bed. Joanna shielded most of the damage for Lilia with her body. But inevitably, she was still hurt. Her entire body was covered in white bandages. But it was alright. They were all superficial wounds and did not hurt any vital points. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Daddy, daddy¡­¡± When Lilia saw Bruce, she cried even harder. ¡°Darling, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s okay. Daddy is here. Everything is fine now,¡± Bruce gentlyforted his daughter. Lilia cried even harder. ¡°Where¡¯s Mommy? I want Mommy, Mommy¡­ ¡°Mommy, she¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red, and tears fell uncontrobly. He couldn¡¯t bear to tell his daughter the truth. ¡°Daddy, is Mommy alright? Mommy, I want Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Mommy is still in the operating room. The doctor said that her surgery would not be done so soon.¡± Bruce tried his best to control his sobs. Unfortunately, his voice was still trembling until it was hoarse. ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°Mommy must be seriously injured. Mommy must be seriously injured from protecting me.¡± ¡°Daddy, tell me, Mommy won¡¯t die, right?¡± Lilia cried harder and asked Bruce. ¡°Silly child, Mommy will be fine.¡± ¡°Be good and don¡¯t think about anything. Be good and recuperate, understand?¡± ¡°Leave everything else to Daddy.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia was then pushed into the ward. Upon receiving the news, Lilian, Rose, and the others hurriedly rushed to the hospital to care for Lilia. Darcy and Carson were also seriously injured. Fortunately, their lives were not in danger for the time being, Unfortunately, Tatiana and the two drivers both died in the ident. -He settled his daughter down. Bruce went to the rooftop of the hospital. He couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He had to call Mr. Thompson immediately and ask Mr. Thompson to help him find someone. In addition, Mr. Thompson had a vastwork. Now that so much time had passed, it was impossible for him not to find Aria¡¯s whereabouts. There was only one possibility.. Mr. Thompson was covering up for Aria. After all, Aria is a rare talent. Moreover, the mistakes she made did not pose any harm to the country; they were merely her personal faults. Therefore, it was very likely that Mr. Thompson was covering for her because of her ability. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce dialed Mr. Thompson¡¯s secretary¡¯s number. Due to the uniqueness of his identity. He could not contact Mr. Thompson directly. Even his secretary could not be contacted casually. Even if there is a real urgent matter to contact, it requires reaching out to someone who is not easily essible, going through multiple channels, and barely managing to get in touch. In the past, he had a dedicated contact person responsible for delivering tasks and good news. However, two years ago, the contact person unfortunately passed away. After that, Aria took over the role. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please leave a message after the tone.¡± ¡°I need to speak to Mr. Thompson urgently.¡± Bruce left a message on the phone. He knew that the secretary would quickly find a way to contact him after hearing the message. Now, there was nothing he could do but wait. Chapter 882 Chapter 882 Beep, beep, beep¡­ Bruce heard his phone ring. His entire body trembled. He thought that it was Richard returning his call. He hurriedly picked up his phone and saw that it was a video call by Davian. After hesitating for a few seconds, Bruce braced himself and picked up the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Davian and Irvin came to the phone screen and said happily, ¡°Daddy, you got off the ne, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already gotten off the ne.¡± Bruce tried his best to suppress the lump in his throat. Davian pouted and asked gloomily, ¡°Where¡¯s Mommy? Why isn¡¯t she answering her phone? We called Mommy several times, but we couldn¡¯t get through.¡± ¡°Mommy, she¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s nose and eyes were sore. However, in front of the children, he still tried his best to suppress his grief. He did not want the children to start worrying. ¡°Where are Mommy and Lilia? We miss them so much. Let us talk to Mommy on the phone.¡± Irvin leaned forward and said sneakily, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We¡¯re going on summer break tomorrow. Daddy, we¡¯re going to Gaprington to see Mommy and Lilia too.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°Be good. Stay at home, and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± The two little boys were disappointed when they heard that. ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t we agree to go to Gaprington together during summer break?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. How can you go back on your words, Daddy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good to lie to a child. Be good, Daddy. Quickly send someone to pick us up.¡± Bruce frowned and said impatiently, ¡°Be good. Mommy¡¯s dealing with something right now¡­ You boys stay home and behave.¡± ¡°Daddy, what happened? Daddy, why are your eyes so red? Have you cried?¡± ¡°No, I did not!¡± Irvin blinked and asked nervously, ¡°Oh my, did Daddy and Mommy quarrel again?¡± ¡°Daddy, didn¡¯t you say it before? We¡¯re boys, and we should be considerate of girls. We have to be gentlemen and not argue with girls.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right! Daddy, don¡¯t make Mommy angry. Otherwise, we¡¯ll hate you,¡± Davian and Irvin said, though they admired their daddy very much. However, the children still loved their mother more in their hearts. Whenever their Mommy and Daddy argued, it did not matter who was right or wrong. They would always stand on Mommy¡¯s side. When Bruce heard this, his heart felt even worse. Looking at his two adorable sons, his heart ached so much that he could not speak. Seeing that their daddy was silent, the two little boys did not dare to chatter anymore. They said carefully, ¡°Daddy, where are you now? This doesn¡¯t seem to be a hotel.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Mommy? We want to talk to Mommy on the phone¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask any more questions. Daddy and Mommy have very important things to do these days. You all stay at home and take good care of your brother, Devin,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯ll hang up first,¡± Bruce said and hung up. He was not in the mood to talk to the two little boys. ¡°Wait, Daddy¡­¡± Davian and Irvin tried calling out a few more times, but Bruce had already hung up. ¡°Davian, what¡¯s going on?¡± Irvin looked at Davian in confusion. Davian frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? I can¡¯t get through Mommy¡¯s phone, and Daddy¡¯s expression is dark. He looks unhappy.¡± ¡°Davian, I have a bad feeling. Daddy and Mommy must have quarreled again.¡± ¡°Every time they fight, Daddy¡¯s very irritable.¡± ¡°Look at Daddy¡¯s expression just now. He looked like he wanted to kill someone.¡± Davian sighed and looked unhappy. ¡°Another fight? Oh my, why do they always fight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why do adults like to quarrel so much? Have they considered the feelings of us children?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t like adults fighting¡­¡± After listening to Irvin¡¯s words, Davian calmly thought for a few seconds and felt that something didn¡¯t seem right. ¡°I don¡¯t think they are arguing. There must be something else happening,¡± he said. ¡°Let us try calling Mommy¡¯s phone again!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Beep, beep, beep! The two little boys started to call their mommy again. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Mommy¡¯s phone is switched off!¡± Joanna¡¯s phone was out of battery and automatically turned off. ¡°Mommy never turns off her phone. What happened?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call Aunt Tatiana.¡± Irvin also became tense. He held his breath as he looked at Davian. Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang many times, but no one picked up. ¡°Oh no, I can¡¯t get through to Aunt Tatiana either.¡± ¡°Huh? No way?¡± ¡°Then call Aunt Lilian!¡± They had no choice. Davian had no choice but to call Lilian. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Lilian picked up her phone. ¡°Hello, Aunt Lilian, I¡¯m Davian.¡± When Lilian heard this, she asked gently, ¡°Mr. Davian, why did you call me?¡± ¡°Oh, well, I haven¡¯t been able to call through to Mommy¡¯s phone. Can you tell us what happened to Mommy?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lilian¡¯s eyes darkened. She wanted to say something but hesitated. She had worked for the Everett family for nearly ten years and assisted the butler in managing household affairs. The servants in the house were all managed by her, and she had never made any mistakes. Such a person was naturally astute and knew how to handle many situations. They didn¡¯t need explicit instructions or reminders. They instinctively knew what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do. Lilian pondered for seconds and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Mrs. Everett just went out and hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°Maybe she was dyed by something on the way. Or maybe she identally lost her phone.¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, they looked at each other in confusion. ¡°How about this! After Mrs. Everett returns, I¡¯ll get her to call you back, okay?¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Lilian dismissed the two boys easily. After hanging up, Irvin had a serious expression as he spoke with determination, ¡°Davian, I feel like they are hiding something from us. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Then Davian heard this, he also had a serious expression. It was hard for others to say. But Joanna would never ignore their calls unless something terrible happened. ¡°I¡¯ll track Mommy¡¯s cell phone location now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll check the local news in Palisrian City to see if anything big has happened.¡± The two little boys immediately took action. Davian switched on theputer and activated hacking mode. He used satellite software to track the location of Joanna and Lilia¡¯s phones. As long as he could track Joanna¡¯s location, he could hack into her phone and forcefully turn it on.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. This way, he could see what Joanna was doing through the camera on the phone. Davian was typing rapidly on theputer keyboard, breaking through the protective wall of various programs and software. Irvin had already turned on hisputer and entered Palisrian City¡¯s local official website to search for thetest news reports. Ten minutester, Irvin found out from the media reports on the inte that a major car ident had urred near the Lambert Hotel. ¡°Davian,e and take a look. Something bad had happened. I logged into an external web browser.¡± ¡°There was a major car ident near Brooklyn Street. This ce is very close to Mommy¡¯s hotel.¡± ¡°Could it be Mommy and Lilia?¡± ¡°Davian,e and take a look.¡± When Davian heard this, his heart tightened, and he hurriedly came over to take a look. ¡°At 1:55 PM local time, a major car ident urred on Brooklyn Street,¡± the anchor exined in the news broadcast, and the ident footage looked extremely severe. ¡°The ident resulted in four individuals injured and two individuals killed¡­¡± After watching the news report, Davian gasped. ¡°Oh my, Mommy and Lilia didn¡¯t get into an ident, did they?¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call Daddy right now.¡± Beep, beep, beep. The two little boys frantically dialed Bruce¡¯s number. Bruce did not pick up the call from the two little boys again. He was at a loss and extremely annoyed. Darron was back. ¡°Mr. Everett, we have already contacted thergest local gang. The gang leader said that those two men in ck are not affiliated with any gang.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already asked them to help find the whereabouts of the two men in ck and Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Furthermore, we have informed several local business partners about this incident. These people have significant influence in the area, and with their help, we should expect to have results soon.¡± ¡°We¡¯re also supervising the police.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce''s face turned... Chapter 883 Chapter 883 Chapter 883 ¡°Continue to intensify the search. Even if we have to turn Palisrian City upside down, we must find those two individuals.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Beep, beep, beep. An unfamiliar number called. Bruce looked at the number and quickly picked up. ¡°Hello.¡± Richard¡¯s strong and amiable voice sounded. ¡°Hello, Bruce!¡± In this world, perhaps only Richard dared to call him Bruce as an elder would. ¡°I heard your message. Have you been trying to contact me?¡± Richard said with a smile. Upon hearing Richard¡¯s voice, Bruce instantly became solemn. ¡°Hello, Mr. Thompson!¡± ¡°Did something happen? Why are you looking for me so urgently?¡± After a few seconds of contemtion, Bruce hesitated but finally mustered the indeed an urgent matter here, and I need your help!¡± ¡°What is it? Tell me about it first,¡± Richard replied calmly. courage to say, ¡°Mr. Thompson, there¡¯s Bruce said hesitantly and nervously, ¡°My wife is missing. I suspect that Aria took my wife away.¡± ¡°I am now requesting, Mr. Thompson, to mobilize our colleagues within the organization to help find the whereabouts of Aria and my wife.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Richard paused. ¡°I know. I shouldn¡¯t be using the organization¡¯s resources.¡± ¡°But I have no other choice now.¡± There was a hint of helplessness in Bruce¡¯s tone. When Richard heard this, he was not angry. Richardforted him kindly, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get the people in the organization to assist in looking for them.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson.¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t think Ms. Bridges did it.¡± ¡°Are you being too sensitive? Could it be that you¡¯ve gotten involved with someone else? Or perhaps, this is simply a kidnapping case,¡± Richard analyzed on his behalf. Bruce¡¯s tone sank as he listened attentively to every word Richard said. ¡°By the way, we previously discussed your request to leave the organization in Greyport. What are your current thoughts on it?¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson, my mind is in a mess now. I can¡¯t give you an answer for the time being.¡± Upon hearing that, Richard didn¡¯t press further and said, ¡°Alright then! Focus on your matters for now.¡± ¡°As for work, you can put it on hold for now.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson, for your understanding and help.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it! I¡¯ll get my people in the organization to help search.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson.¡± After hanging up. Bruce frowned, and his heart was in turmoil. He thought about every word Mr. Thompson said. However, he was still highly suspected of Aria. He felt that it was Aria who took Joanna away. ¡°Aria, where are you? Come out quickly¡­¡± At this moment He regretted giving Aria a way out. He should have shot her. ¡°Joann, where the hell have you been?¡± ¡®Do you know that I¡¯m going crazy?¡± ¡°I pray to the heavens to let me find Joanna as soon as possible.¡± Bruce had not eaten anything for the whole day. In just one night, a few strands of white hair seemed to have appeared on his temples. In the blink of an eye, three days went by. Joanna seemed to have vanished into thin air. There was no news at all. Even if Bruce used legal and illegal means, even enlisting the help of local powerhouses, he practically turned Palisrian City upside down in his relentless search. He still could not find Joanna. ¡°This is impossible. How could a living person disappear into thin air?¡± ¡°It could not be¡­¡± Bruce frowned and did not dare to think further. He was afraid that Joanna had already been killed. Aria was a biomedical professor. Dissecting corpses was child¡¯s y for her. It was very likely that she would turn Joanna into ashes and leave no trace in this world. In the blink of an eye, another day passed. Finally, there was a clue. ¡°Mr. Everett, I found the ck car.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°The ck car had been destroyed. We found the original owner of the car.¡± ¡°The original owner said that the car was bought by a mysterious person half a month ago.¡± ¡°The car has been burned and abandoned 200 kilometers away.¡± When Bruce heard this, he became even more anxious. ¡°Hurry up and bring that car owner over.¡± ¡°Who bought the car?¡± The original owner tried hard to remember. ¡°It was a middle-aged man in his thirties.¡± ¡°Yes. Medium build. About 175 cm tall.¡± The police had already learned this information through witnesses. The information was of no use at all. Now, not only did Joanna disappear from the face of the earth, even these two people could not be found. Moreover, there were no records from customs. This gave Bruce a headache. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Greyport. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavable.¡± Davian and Irvin were unable to get through both their parent¡¯s phones. No one picked up. ¡°Davian, something big must have happened. It¡¯s been three to four days, and I still can¡¯t get through Mommy¡¯s phone.¡± ¡°What should we do? I¡¯m worried that something will happen to Mommy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s worse is that I can¡¯t get through Daddy¡¯s phone too.¡± Irvin burst into tears. ¡°It seems certain now that the people involved in the car ident were Mommy and Lilia.¡± ¡°Besides, Aunt Tatiana is already dead. Mommy seems to have gone missing.¡± Media reports on the inte had already begun to report on the incident. The two little boys were certain that the missing person was their mommy. ¡°What should we do?¡± Davian was also worried. Irvin rolled his eyes and asked tentatively, ¡°How about?¡± ¡°We ask Mr. Grimm for help?¡± Davian¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Ask Mr. Grimm for help?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t even get through to Daddy¡¯s phone now. It¡¯s useless for us to stay at home.¡± ¡°We can only ask Mr. Grimm for help.¡± ¡°He and Mommy are such good friends. He¡¯ll be willing to help. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the only way.¡± Beep, beep, beep. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. The two little boys began to call Jaydon. They wanted to ask Jaydon to bring them to Gaprington. Apart from Mr. Grimm, the members of the family ignored their pleas. Jaydon answered quickly. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯m Davian.¡±. Jaydon was stunned when he heard Davian¡¯s voice. ¡°Davian, why are you calling me? What happened?¡± ¡°Yes, something bad happened,¡± said Davian as he sniffled. When Jayden heard this, his expression changed instantly. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Something seems to have happened to my daddy and mommy! ¡°What¡¯s going on? There¡¯s no need to rush. Take your time.¡± Jaydon was very worried. He thought that Bruce had gone crazy again and deliberately bullied Joanna. Davian and Irvin could not help but cry. They told him about what happened to Joanna. After listening to it, Jaydon¡¯s blood ran cold, and he felt a shiver down his spine. He was currently busy collecting evidence of Cassius¡¯s wrongdoing and investigating the sudden death of his father. In addition to that, he also had to engage in a legal battle over the inheritance with Cassius. The results of the first trial were out. He suffered an unsurprising defeat in court. Now, he had already filed an appeal. ¡°You boys, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll find out more about the situation first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Jaydon thought about it and couldn¡¯t help but call Bruce. Joanna was the woman he loved the most. Although she had already been married to Bruce, Jaydon couldn¡¯t erase her ce in his heart. Especially considering that Joanna had lent him so much money, he didn¡¯t want anything to happen to her, no matter what. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know it was Jaydon, so he answered the call subconsciously. ¡°It¡¯s me, Jaydon.¡± When he heard Jaydon¡¯s voice, Bruce was instantly enraged. ¡°Why are you calling me?¡± Bruce, what happened to Joann?¡± ¡°What happened to my wife? Does it have anything to do with you?¡± ¡°Bruce, stop messing around. Her life is at stake now. I hope you can tell me the truth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to Joann. If there¡¯s anything I can help with, I¡¯ll do my best to help,¡± Jaydon said anxiously. Chapter 884 Chapter 884 Chapter 884 When Bruce heard this, he was even more disdainful. Somethi he couldn¡¯t even handle. Could Jaydon handle this situation? If he had the ability, he would have defeated Cassius long ago. There wouldn¡¯t be a need for him to be so passive in this situation. ¡°Save yourself the trouble and stop overestimating your abilities. Moreover, don¡¯t harbor inappropriate thoughts about my wife,¡± Bruce retorted without mincing his words, leaving Jaydon with no room for dignity. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Bruce now is not the time to be jealous.¡± ¡°At this point, I hope you can put down the grudge between us first. With one more person helping, there¡¯s more hope.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any bad intentions towards Joann. I want to help.¡± ¡°No need. Stop meddling in other people¡¯s affairs,¡± Bruce replied darkly and promptly hung up the phone. He had always looked down on Jaydon. He was so worried about Joanna that he couldn¡¯t eat or sleep. In just a few days, he had lost more than ten kilograms. With Jaydon¡¯s interference, he became even more frustrated. ¡°Hello, Bruce¡­¡± The call had already ended. ¡°What a lunatic! How on earth did Joann fall for this self-righteous guy?¡± Jaydon was also furious and cursed at Bruce. ¡°Beep, beep, beep¡­¡± Jaydon called Davian again. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm.¡± There was a hint offort in Jaydon¡¯s voice. ¡°Davian, Irvin, don¡¯t worry. Mr. Grimm will do his best to help you Mommy.¡± Davian said timidly, ¡°Mr. Grimm, we hope you can do us a favor.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Could Mr. Grimm take us to Gaprington?¡± find Irvin chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right! We want to go to Gaprington to look for Mommy, but Mr. Gael and Miranda won¡¯t allow us to leave home.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, we are worried about Mommy. Can you take us to Gaprington?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jaydon Grimm frowned when he heard that. Davian and Irvin were not his children. How could he dare to take them out of the country without permission? Even if he had no malicious intent, he would still be perceived as having ill intentions. If Bruce knew that he had taken the children away, wouldn¡¯t he be hunted to death by him? ¡°Davian, Irvin, it¡¯s not that Mr. Grimm does not want to help you, but¡­ it¡¯s inconvenient.¡± ¡°How about this? Mr. Grimm will go to Gaprington to look for Mommy on your behalf.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s any news, Mr. Grimm will inform you immediately, okay?¡± Davian still wore an anxious look. ¡°But we want to go over personally.¡± ¡°Be good. You¡¯re too young. Even if you go, you won¡¯t be of much help. Instead, you¡¯ll have to be taken care of. Be good and wait for news at home.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm promised to help you find your mommy.¡± Upon hearing this, the two kids could only obediently nod and say, ¡°Alright then! Mr. Grimm, please promise to stay in touch and update us on thetest information.¡± ¡°Yes, I promise.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Grimm.¡± After hanging up. Without wasting a moment, Jaydon immediately instructed his assistant to book a flight to Gaprington. Whether he could be of any help, he had to go personally. He was very familiar with Carl Hospital. After all, it was where his leg was healed, so going there directly would be the best option. In an instant. Another two days went by. Bruce was already on the verge of copse, his entire body bing emaciated, and his scruffy beard was unshaven. ¡°It¡¯s been a whole week, and there are still no clues?¡± he eximed in frustration. ¡°Are you all a bunch of pigs? It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t find anyone, but you can¡¯t even find any clues?¡± Bruce flew into a rage and pointed at the group of bodyguards. He had not slept for several days and barely eaten anything. Now, as he bes enraged, blood rush to his head. His entire skull felt like it was about to split open from the intense headache. ¡°Other than the car we tracked down that day, we don¡¯t have any other clues,¡± Cherron braced himself and said. ¡°Mr. Everett, how about¡­ we investigate the culprit who tampered with the car first?¡± Tom added, ¡°Yes, as long as we find out who tampered with the car, we should be able to find Miss Hayne¡¯s whereabouts quickly ¡°As long as we find the culprit, we could find a way to save Miss Haynes¡­¡± ¡°Then hurry up and go.¡± After Bruce roared, he felt dizzy and fell onto the chair. His physical energy has beenpletely depleted. He urgently needs to replenish carbohydrates and nutrients and, most importantly, get proper sleep. If this continued, his body would not hold on any longer. ¡°Yes.¡± The bodyguards did not dare to dy any longer and hurriedly split up. Soon. After a week of investigation, the police found the culprit who had tampered with the car. ¡°Mr. Everett, wepleted our investigations concerning the tampered car.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. ¡°Who did this?¡± The police handed over a stack of documents. ¡°It¡¯s a few foreigners.¡± ¡°Foreigners?¡± Bruce frowned. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Yes, a few natives from the Eastern countries. They had fled abroad now, and the police are doing their best to apprehend them.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce felt his heart was about to shatter into pieces. In other words, there was little hope of capturing the murderer. The police couldn¡¯t help much either. To find Joanna, he still had to rely on his strength. They walked out of the police station. Bruce looked up at the sky and clenched his fist. His knuckles cracked. ¡°Aria, you had done well!¡± ¡°I hate myself¡­¡± Beep, beep, beep. An unfamiliar phone number called. Bruce hesitated when he saw the unfamiliar number, initially not wanting to pay attention to it. However, fearing that he might miss important information, he reluctantly answered. ¡°Hello¡­¡± An electric sound came from the other end of the phone. Bruce held his breath. ¡°Who is it? Say something!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The other party fell silent. ¡°Is that Joann?¡± Bruce asked in a trembling voice. He instantly became nervous. There was still silence on the other end of the line. Bruce felt even more uneasy. He guessed that it might be the criminal who kidnapped Joanna. ¡°Is my wife in your hands?¡± ¡°If so, please state your request. As long as you don¡¯t hurt my wife, I¡¯m willing to fork out any sum of money¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, after a few seconds of silence. A woman¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me.¡± Chapter 885 Chapter 885 Chapter 885 The call was from Aria. After recognizing Aria¡¯s voice, Bruce burned in rage. ¡°Aria Bridges?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was indifferent. Suddenly, Bruce seemed like a crazed lion, wishing he could tear her into pieces through the telephone line. ¡°Aria, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°I misjudged you. I should have shot you.¡± ¡°Where did you hide my wife? I am warning you, if you dare to harm her, I, Bruce Everett, will spend the rest of my life hunting you down. I will make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!¡± Aria listened quietly. When Bruce was done venting, she said quietly, ¡°Bruce, can you listen to my exnation?¡± ¡°Where exactly is Joanna? Hurry up and hand over my wife¡­¡± Aria pondered for a few more seconds. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll tell you after you calm down!¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. After hearing this, Bruce took a deep breath, suppressing the raging anger and murderous intent, ¡°Aria, I beg you, I¡¯m begging you. Please, you must not harm my wife.¡± ¡°Bruce, I know. No matter what I say, you would not believe me ¡°But I still want to tell you that I haven¡¯t harmed your wife and daughter,¡± Aria added, ¡°I have been in Gaprington all this time!¡± She already knew what had happened during this period. She also knew that Bruce mistakenly thought that she was the one who took Joanna away. Bruce said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not you?¡± Aria took a deep breath. ¡°Bruce, I do love you¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he flew into a rage. ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t say nonsense like you love me anymore.¡± ¡°You deranged woman. I was blind to think of you as my most important friend.¡± Aria felt like her heart was stabbed by thousands of knives. Her eyes turned red. ¡°Bruce, I know you hate me. I¡¯m sorry about what happened before.¡± ¡°I do not want to exin much. I want to say something to you. Even if I had any intentions to kill Joanna, I wouldn¡¯t do anything to your daughter.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t believe me, but I am speaking the truth.¡± Bruce struggled to contain his urge to kill, ¡°Where are you now? I want to meet you.¡± Aria choked and said with a trembling voice, ¡°Bruce, I was diagnosed with brain cancer previously. I was disheartened and did many things I shouldn¡¯t have done.¡± ¡°Now that I thought about it, I feel guilty and sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say any more. You, a woman full of lies, I just regret not shooting you dead.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± ¡°I thought I had cancer before. That¡¯s why I did so many irrational things. But it was only because I loved you so much. I just wanted to love passionately before I died, fulfilling my dream,¡± Aria exined. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt you, let alone anyone.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was filled with extreme regret and guilt. She was indeed very regretful. Previously, she had been misdiagnosed by the doctor as having brain cancer. During that period, she was disheartened and lost all her faith. She wanted to love passionately before she died, not wanting to leave this world with regrets. ¡®But¡­¡¯ What a joke the heavens had yed on her. She did not have brain cancer but a new type of pituitary tumor that closely resembled brain cancer. If she knew she didn¡¯t have cancer. She wouldn¡¯t have acted so recklessly. After all, she had received many years of education and training from the organization. ¡°I swear, I didn¡¯t hurt your wife and daughter. I didn¡¯t do this. I love you so much. How could I bear to hurt your flesh and blood?¡± ¡°No matter how crazy I am, I won¡¯t do anything to a child. Moreover, it¡¯s your child.¡± ¡°Furthermore, even if I wanted to harm them, there¡¯s no need to use such obvious methods. I would employ more professional techniques to make them quietly disappear,¡± Aria added. When Bruce heard this, his heart froze for a moment. Although he did not believe Aria¡¯s words. However, her words made sense. Aria was a biological expert. She only needed a little virus to kill someone without leaving a trace. She didn¡¯t need to involve anyone to tamper with the car; it was too troublesome. ¡°If it¡¯s not you, who else could it be? Could it be¡­ Prince Harman?¡± At the thought of this. In an instant, Bruce¡¯s mood was once again filled with pain. He had previously directed all his suspicions toward Aria. In doing so, h¨¦ overlooked Prince Harman and his involvement Prince Harman had ill intentions toward Joanna. It was very likely that he had taken Joanna away. However, on second thought, it was impossible, If he fancied Joanna, why would he tamper with the car? The motive to kill Joanna and Lilia was clear with their car tampered with. Prince Harman¡¯s wanted Joanna as his own. Thus he wouldn¡¯t resort to such methods. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson has already told us about your situation. He has also instructed his people in the organization to help search for you.¡± Aria tried his best tofort Bruce. But he was no longer listening. If Aria hadn¡¯t done this. Who else would it be?¡¯ Prince Harman also seemed to have no reason to do so. Chapter 886 Chapter 886 Chapter 886 ¡°No matter who did it, the most important thing now is to find Joanna.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will do my best to find her¡­¡± Aria said kindly. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help,¡± Bruce said. Right after that, he hung up. If it wasn¡¯t done by Aria, then he had nothing to say to her, and he never wanted to mess with her again. It had been eight days since Joanna went missing. This made Bruce extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do. The one who was able to take her away like this without leaving any traces must have a powerful background. At this moment, Bruce hoped that Prince Harman was the one who had taken away Joanna. After all, Prince Harman might have only taken a fancy to Joanna and would definitely not harm her. If she was taken away by other criminals, it was very likely that they wanted to take revenge on Bruce by hurting Joanna. ¡°The few of you, fly to Saumi Cradia immediately and investigate Prince Harman¡¯s recent whereabouts.¡± Bruce had a gloomy expression. When the bodyguards heard this, they looked at each other and didn¡¯t know what to say. Cherron said stutteringly, ¡°Go to Saumi Cradia? Well¡­¡± Bruce roared impatiently, ¡°Yes, hurry up and go!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Cherron and Tom braced themselves and agreed. In a luxurious private vi in Saumi Cradia, Joanna had been unconscious for seven days before she finally opened her eyes in a daze. ¡°Your Highness, she¡¯s awake. She¡¯s awake!¡± ¡°Where am I? Where is this ce¡­¡± Joanna opened her eyes weakly. She felt like she was spinning in a vortex. She struggled to see clearly. However, she could not see everything in front of her clearly. She could only see that above her eyes, there seemed to be a cone ball hanging. A Mednd man in a white coat with a white cloth on his head was shaking the ball in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. You¡¯re safe and rxed now. You just need to focus on what¡¯s in front of you¡­ ¡°Forget about your past. You have a new identity now. You will be reborn!¡± The man used Antlenish to hypnotize Joanna non-stop. As the ball swayed, Joanna¡¯s consciousness gradually fell into aa again. The remaining consciousness in her brain was also sealed bit by bit. Twenty minutester, the hypnosis ended. Prince Harman raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°How did it go?¡± The hypnotist said respectfully in thenguage used in Saumi Cradia, ¡°Your Highness, she has been deeply hypnotized. ¡°When she wakes up, she will forget her identity and everything about her in the past.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Okay. Good job.¡± ¡°Thank you for yourpliment, Your Highness.¡± ¡°You may leave!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness. The hypnotist respectfully withdrew from the room. Looking at Joanna¡¯s unconscious face, Prince Harman revealed a satisfied smile. She was really the most exquisite and beautiful ssic beauty he had ever seen. He was going to keep her for his own. Another half an hourter, Joanna woke up in a daze again. ¡°Mm. It hurts¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Prince Harman sat at the head of the bed and looked at her suggestively. ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡± Joanna asked feebly. ¡°You¡¯re in my home, my most beautiful princess!¡± Joanna blinked and looked weakly at Prince Harman. Everything around her was unfamiliar, and so was the man in front of her. ¡°What is this ce? Where am I?¡± ¡°My most beautiful princess, I just answered you. You¡¯re in my home.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Harman, your fianc¨¦.¡± ¡°Fianc¨¦?¡± Joanna shook her head and tried to think. Unfortunately, when she tried to do so, the intense pain in her head came to her. She couldn¡¯t think of anything. ¡°Who, who am I?¡± ¡°You are my fianc¨¦e. Your name is¡­ Hayley.¡± Prince Harman casually gave her a namemonly used in her country. He knew that the name Hayley had a beautiful meaning in her country. He wanted to give this beautiful ssic beauty a new name. ¡°Ah¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Joanna subconsciously touched her head. ¡°Doctors, give her another shot of anodyne immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Several doctors and nurses came in. Although this was a private vi, it was equipped with all kinds of medical equipment as well as doctors and nurses. Soon, the doctors gave Joanna a dose of anodyne intravenously, In less than five minutes, Joanna¡¯s pain hadpletely subsided, and she was much more energetic. This powerful anodyne contained arge number of drugs such as morphine. This was considered a prohibited drug in the country, and it was addictive. It was also prohibited in other countries. Only patients with terminal cancer were allowed to use it. However, it was legal to use this kind of anodyne in Saumi Cradia. Chapter 887 Chapter 887 Chapter 887 Joanna was seriously injured. | To wake up so soon and recover so quickly, she would definitely use some special forbidden drugs. The advantage of these medicines was that they were fast and powerful. They could quickly promote the immune and recovery functions of the human body. They were also quite expensive. The disadvantage was that those drugs contained an excessive amount of prohibitedpositions. After using them a few times, the users would get addicted. Once one became addicted, the human body would develop a strong dependence. The users would wish they were dead once they stopped taking those drugs. It was also very difficult to quit using them. Seeing that Joanna had quietened down, Prince Harman smiled like a gentleman. ¡°Hayley, does it still hurt?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes sparkled, and her body felt morefortable than ever. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. If it still hurts, tell the doctors, and they will give you anodyne,¡± said Prince Harman as he gently held her slender hand. These drugs were very expensive and difficult to prepare. However, he was the crown prince of Saumi Cradia. Even if Joanna needed to take those drugs for her entire life, he could still afford it. Joanna subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back and struggled to sit up. ¡°I want to get out of bed and walk¡­¡± Prince Harman held her hand reluctantly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can¡¯t get up for the time being. ¡°Your shank is broken. You need to recuperate.¡± With that, Prince Harman brought her hand to his lips and kissed it reluctantly. He wondered how her hand could be so soft and slender. It seemed to be made of high-quality silicone. Even the bones seemed soft. While just holding her hand, Prince Harman couldn¡¯t help but feel numb all over. Joanna¡¯s facial features were very delicate and gentle, and her figure was petite and exquisite, unique to foreign women. It was a strong contrast to the plump women with heavy makeup in Mednd. Prince Harman¡¯s dark brown eyes stared unblinkingly at Joanna. The more he looked at her, the more fascinated he became. Although Joanna¡¯s body did not hurt, she still felt very dizzy. Especially when Prince Harman was looking at her with such a burning gaze, it made her feel even more ufortable. Joanna forced a smile and retracted her hand stiffly. She was still trying her best to recall. But she couldn¡¯t remember anything. Prince Harman gently brushed the hair at her temples and said gently, ¡°Rest well. When you recover, we can hold the wedding.¡± Joanna felt as if she had been electrocuted. She felt as if he was petting her as a master. She was very resistant to such actions. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Bruce also liked to stroke her hair like this. Every time he did it, she would get especially angry. She resisted such intimacy to her core. ¡°How¡­ how did I get injured?¡± ¡°You identally got into a car ident.¡± Concern appeared in Prince Harman¡¯s eyes. ¡°What about my family?¡± Prince Harman¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Well, your family¡­ is no longer alive.¡± When Joanna heard this, she stared at Prince Harman in a daze. Her eyes clearly dimmed. ¡°Then how did we meet?¡± ¡°We met when we were studying abroad. We also fell in love during that period. ¡°After that, you followed me back to Saumi Cradia. Unfortunately, you got into an ident on the way. ¡°The doctors said that your brain is damaged and you might forget what happened in the past.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna¡¯s mind went nk. She had no impression of what he said at all. Prince Harman smiled. ¡°Then do you still remember me? Do you still remember how we got in love with each other?¡± Joanna shook her head in disappointment. She really couldn¡¯t remember anything. Moreover, everything around her was unfamiliar. This room was very luxurious. There was gold everywhere, and the walls were covered with wallpapers made of gold. ¡°Then let me reintroduce myself to you. ¡°I¡¯m Harman, your fianc¨¦. ¡°Your name is Hayley. You¡¯re from the mysterious East.¡± ¡°Hayley?¡± Joanna frowned. She seemed to have some impression of the name Hayley, which was very familiar to her, but she couldn¡¯t remember the specifics. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± As they were talking, a middle-aged man walked in. He looked like a servant. He whispered into Harman¡¯s ear, ¡°Your Highness, Princess Alice is calling. ¡°Princess Alice is very angry. No one can appease her.¡± Prince Harman frowned when he heard that. ¡°Got that.¡± Then, Prince Harman stood up and smiled gently at Joanna. ¡°Rest well.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see youter,¡± Prince Harman said and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. Joanna¡¯s body stiffened and she subconsciously tilted her head. She was a very traditional and conservative woman. Coupled with the damage that Bruce had done to her in the past, she had an inexplicable fear of men. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so nervous. I¡¯m your fianc¨¦. You¡¯ll slowly remember what happened between us.¡± When Joanna heard this, she still looked at him in a daze. Prince Harman was a typical handsome guy in Mednd. He was tall and burly, with deep eye sockets, a high nose bridge, and an exquisitely trimmed beard. Although he was very handsome, Joanna was not moved by such looks. She didn¡¯t like men like this type from the bottom of her heart. Even though she had lost her memory, she still resisted such a man. In particr, there was an indescribable smell on Prince Harman¡¯s body. It was like abination of mutton cuisine and high-end perfume. In short, he smelled weird. The servant rushed Prince Harman again. ¡°Your Highness, Princess Alice is throwing a tantrum again. She wants you to rush back to see her.¡± Got it. Tell her I¡¯ll be backter.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Prince Harman had married three consorts. The first was a princess from a neighboring country. It was a political marriage. Unfortunately, Prince Harman did not like this princess consort at all. The second was Saumi Cradia¡¯s beauty pageant champion and also a top model. Prince Harman took a fancy to her and she became the second princess consort. However, after only two years of love with the second princess consort, Harman was quickly amazed by the third princess. Princess Alice was his third princess consort and his favorite one. Alice¡¯s parents were from different countries. She had a very strong personality. She and Prince Harman got married out of love. Therefore, Alice was not as docile as the previous two princess consorts, and she was quite hot- tempered. After Prince Harman left, Joanna struggled to sit up. She held onto the edge of the bed and wanted to get out of bed. Coincidentally, two servants came in to check on her. Seeing that Joanna was about to get out of bed, the two of them hurriedly went forward to stop her. They spoke to her anxiously in Antlenish. ¡°Miss Hayley, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I want to get out of bed,¡± Joanna replied in Antlenish. ¡°Please let us help you!¡± The two of them hurriedly wheeled the wheelchair over. Joanna sat in the wheelchair and slowly walked to the window. She wanted to see what the outside of the building looked like. The windows were floor-to-ceiling windows. She could look out on the outdoor garden through an entire wall of ss. Chapter 888 Chapter 888 Chapter 888 Outside was a green meadow with many palm trees and various green nts. It looked very luxurious and grand. The region Mednd was in was a desert. Maintaining a nt would cost up to 3,000 dors a year. Now, to maintain such arge oasis, it was obvious how extravagant it was. Joanna was silently admiring the green world outside the window. Suddenly, a burly and majestic white lion appeared outside the window. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna was startled and almost fell from the wheelchair. The white lion stood outside the window and seemed to be very interested in Joanna. It just stood there and stared at her. ¡°Ahh! Go away!¡± When Joanna suddenly saw such a ferociousrge animal, the fear deep down in her burst out. ¡°Miss Hayley, don¡¯t be afraid. This is His Highness¡¯s pet,¡± the servant quickly exined. ¡°Pet?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding. Immediately after, another jaguar and Bengal tiger appeared in front of the window. In Saumi Cradia, tycoons liked to tamerge animals as pets, which was a symbol of status. As a foreigner, Joanna was iparably afraid of theserge beasts. Of course, these were level-one protected animals in her country. Private rearing was not allowed. But in Mednd, it was allowed to keep thoserge beasts. Although those animals were outside the ss window, Joanna was still a little flustered. ¡°Miss Hayley, don¡¯t worry. ¡°These pets are very docile. They won¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± Hearing this, Joanna calmed down a little. These animals were only a part of Prince Harman¡¯s possessions. It was simply arge zoo outside the building with all kinds of wild animals. ¡°Well, I want to go over there!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The servant wheeled her toward another window. ¡°What is this ce?¡± ¡°This is the Eagle Room. ¡°Inside are falcons and hunting falcons His Highness is keeping. They¡¯re very precious, and His Highness likes them very much.¡± When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously frowned. She suddenly had a feeling that she was also like these animals in captivity. The difference was just that she was human. ¡°Well, how long have I been in love with Harman?¡± Joanna subconsciously asked the maid about her past. N?velDrama.Org content. When the maid heard this, she gave her a bright smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just a servant.¡± Joanna sighed slightly. ¡°Then how long have I been here?¡± ¡°Hmm, about nine days!¡± ¡°I see. So I was in a car ident nine days ago?¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Hayley.¡± Joanna looked down at her splinted shank. Other than her broken shank, she also had many external injuries. The light wounds had already healed quickly. She did not feel any pain from the fracture on her shank. Of course, her recovery was supported by special medicines. When the effects of these medicines wore off, she would be in so much pain that she would rather die. Bored, Joanna asked curiously, ¡°Where did Harman go?¡± ¡°His Highness is busy with work and needs to deal with work. ¡°He should be apanying Princess Alice now.¡± ¡°Princess Alice?¡± Joanna stuttered as she stared at the maid. The maid smiled and said without hesitation, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± 1 Joanna was stunned for a few seconds before reacting. ¡°Aren¡¯t I Harman¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°You are, Miss Hayley! ¡°After the prince holds your wedding, you will be his fourth princess consort.¡± The maid looked at Joanna with a smile and envy. In Saumi Cradia, polygamy was allowed. Especially the men in the royal family, they were encouraged to get married with many women. In the eyes of the locals, not to mention being the fourth princess consort of the prince, even being the 40th princess consort would be a supreme honor. Joanna was stunned again. Although she had lost her memory, her core belief made her feel that being the fourth prince consort was uneptable Chapter 889 Chapter 889 Chapter 889 However, now that she had lost her memories, she could not understand how she could fall in love with Harman. She wondered, ¡°It¡¯s probably because I¡¯ve lost my memory and forgotten how we fell in love. ¡°I hope that I can regain my memory as soon as possible and remember who I am.¡± Joanna sat in the wheelchair in a daze. Two hourster, the drug in Joanna¡¯s body gradually subsided. The pain and difort all over her body became more and more obvious. ¡°Ahhh! Why do I feel so much pain all over¡­¡± Joanna could not help but shiver as if she had a bad cold. She felt stuck in her nasal cavity. Seeing this, the servant hurriedly went forward to check on her. ¡°Miss Hayley, are you alright?¡± Joanna found it difficult to breathe. Her entire body was trembling violently. ¡°I feel¡­ my entire body hurts so badly¡­¡± When the servant heard this, she hurriedly said, ¡°Let me wheel you back to your room! I¡¯ll ask the doctors toe over and inject you with anodyne now.¡± ¡°Mm, okay.¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body was in so much pain that she could not take it anymore. Cold sweat kept breaking out. It had only been four hours since she had been given the injection, but she was already losing control. She also gradually became dependent on drugs. Soon, the doctors came over and injected another shot of anodyne into Joanna. As the drug was injected, the pain in Joanna¡¯s body quickly disappeared. In Palisrian City. After several days of investigation and analysis. ¡°Mr. Everett, we checked all the surveince videos of the vicinity. ¡°A few days before Madam¡¯s ident, a few people from Mednd were found near the hotel. ¡°After Madam¡¯s ident, those people disappeared. ¡°I suspect that those Mednd people might be the mastermind.¡± Bruce frowned with a solemn expression. Over the past few days, he had calmed down a little. Gradually, he found some clues. It was true that Joanna¡¯s disappearance was rted to Prince Harman. ¡°Joann must have been taken away by that Prince Harman.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, the person who tampered with the car should have been instructed by Prince Harman.¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds as he analyzed the recent events. Prince Harman clearly had ulterior motives toward Joanna. There was a high chance that he would not let anyone tamper with the car. It was very likely that another group of people had done it. Prince Harman might have just happened to be there. Therefore, he seeded in secretly taking Joanna away. However, no matter who did it, the most important thing now was to find Joanna first. Everything else was not the priority. ¡°No. I have to rush to Saumi Cradia immediately¡­¡± Bruce was burning with anxiety. He did not dare to dy for a moment and asked his assistant to book a ne ticket immediately. However, before he left, he had to settle his daughter down. Lilia had just undergone surgery and was still recovering. After the car ident, she still had to stay in the hospital for half a month. Bruce came to Carl Hospital worriedly.. Lilia¡¯s external injuries had basically healed, but the fear in her heart had yet to subside. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Lilia, stay in the hospital obediently. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for your mommy I might note over to take care of you in the short term,¡± Bruce said as he looked at his daughter with a pained expression. Lilia nodded obediently. ¡°Okay. Daddy, you must find Mommy. I miss her so much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Baby, I will definitely find your mommy.¡± Lilia looked at her dad with tears in her eyes. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s pinky swear. Daddy, don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°I will never lie to you. When have I not done what I promised you?¡± Bruce tried his best tofort his daughter and hooked his finger with hers. ¡°Then you have to be careful, Daddy.¡± ¡°Okay, got it, baby.¡± With that, Bruce kissed his daughter¡¯s forehead. He then instructed Lilian and the others to take good care of Lilia. Then, he immediately brought his men to the airport. He was going to Saumi Cradia to find Joanna. At the airport. Because Bruce was in a hurry, he could only book thetest flight and could not use his private ne. After all, it was not that convenient to take a private ne. One had to arrange the flight route and report it in advance. Bruce got the first-ss seat. After getting on the ne, Bruce had just found his seat and sat down when he turned around and saw a familiar figure sitting beside him. On a closer look, he found that it was actually Jaydon. ¡°Jaydon, why are you here?¡± Jaydon was also shocked. He pushed away his sunsses and looked at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, why are you here?¡± Enemies were likely to meet each other. Two days ago, Jaydon had already arrived at Palisrian City. After investigation and analysis, he also found out that Joanna had probably been kidnapped and taken to Saumi Cradia. Therefore, he was also prepared to rush to Saumi Cradia to find out about what had happened. If Joanna was really trapped there, he would do anything to save her. However, he did not expect to meet Bruce on the ne. The two of them didn¡¯t speak. They widened their eyes and looked at each other resentfully. N?velDrama.Org content. A few secondster, Bruce sneered when a hint of disdain appeared on his face. This was a ne headed for Saumi Cradia. Needless to say, Jaydon must have found clues and knew that Joanna had been taken to Mednd. ¡°Jaydon, why are you going to Saumi Cradia?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible, ¡°Joann might have been taken to Mednd. I¡¯m going to save her.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt even more agitated. ¡°Humph, you¡¯re really worrying too much. You¡¯re nosy.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he got furious. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far. ¡°Joann is my best friend. How can I sit back and do nothing when she¡¯s in danger?¡± Seeing that Jaydon was still so concerned about Joanna, Bruce was even more jealous. ¡°Jaydon, are you fucking asking for trouble? ¡°Stop thinking about Joann. You¡¯re not good enough for her. ¡°You¡¯d better get lost and go home to deal with your crap. Don¡¯t make things difficult for yourself here.¡± Jaydon took a few deep breaths. He really wanted to p this unreasonable and barbaric man to death. ¡°Bruce, can you not be so fucking domineering?¡± ¡°Both of us are going to save Joann. ¡°We mind our own business. You do your thing, I do mine. Am I in your way?¡± Bruce¡¯s sharp eyes darkened, and his handsome face twisted in a terrifying manner. ¡°You¡¯re hindering me just by sitting beside me. I feel disgusted just by looking at you. ¡°Get off the ne and don¡¯t let me see you.¡± Jaydon spat and retorted angrily, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see me, you can get off the ne. ¡°You¡¯re not pressured to look at me. ¡°Get lost. ¡°Get out of here.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was instantly enraged. He immediately got up from his seat and wanted to beat Jaydon up. The air stewardesses heard the quarrel and hurried over to check ¡°Sirs, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Please stop arguing. It will affect the other passengers.¡± Jaydon looked at Bruce resentfully. ¡°Bruce, if you want to fight, we¡¯ll fight after we get off the ne. ¡°If we fight here, we¡¯ll both be demanded to leave the ne.¡± Chapter 890 Chapter 890 Chapter 890 The air stewardesses looked serious. ¡°Sirs, please solve your private problems after you get off the ne.¡± When the two men heard this, their expressions immediately returned to normal. After all, they were taking an international flight. If they were demanded to get off the ne, it would cause a lot of trouble. Seeing that they had stopped arguing, the stewardesses smiled politely and gestured for them to sit down. ¡°Sirs, the ne is about to take off. For everyone¡¯s safety, please sit back in your seats and fasten your seatbelts.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes at Jaydon. He could only suppress his anger and return to his seat. ¡°My apologies. My friend and I were just joking.¡± Jaydon apologized to the air stewardesses like a gentleman. The air stewardesses also smiled. ¡°Then you guys are fine now, right?¡± Jaydon shrugged. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re good friends and we were just making jokes¡±. When Bruce heard this, he pursed his thin lips and rolled his eyes in disgust. He thought, ¡°Humph, what a hypocrite. ¡°How could an indecent human being like Jaydon try to be friends with me? ¡°He can just dream on.¡± ¡°Humph.¡± Jaydon was also furious. He could not be bothered to lower himself to Bruce¡¯s level. He had already experienced what Bruce was like. He could not afford to offend such a person, but he could avoid him. ¡°The ne is about to take off. Please fasten your seatbelts and don¡¯t walk around casually¡­¡± Soon, the ne began to taxi into position. After taxiing for a distance, the ne left the ground and began to take off. Bruce cocked his head to the right, Jaydon to the left. Neither of them looked at each other. Although the two of them were only separated by an aisle, they did not exchange any eye contact. Their assistants and bodyguards were in economy ss. Therefore, no one could help them mediate. Palisrian City was more than 4,000 kilometers away from the capital of Saumi Cradia. The flight time was nearly four to five hours. Two hours had passed. Jaydon drank two more sses of water and vaguely felt like going to thevatory. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stood up, Bruce also stood up. The two of them were over 6 feet tall. Standing side by side, they looked majestic. Bruce rubbed his sore neck and looked at Jaydon resentfully. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jaydon retorted angrily, ¡°I¡¯m going to thevatory. What¡¯s wrong? Do I need to report to you?¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°I want to go to thevatory too. I stood up first. Line up behind me.¡± ¡°Fine. You go first.¡± Jaydon¡¯s temper was rtively mild. He could not be bothered to lower herself to his level. After all, the money Joanna Haynes lent him came from Bruce. To put it bluntly, the 100 million dors that Joanna Haynes lent him was actually Bruce¡¯s money. It was equivalent to Jaydon having borrowed 100 million dors from Bruce. Therefore, he was now a debtor, so he naturally had to give in to Bruce. ¡°Humph.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes again and walked toward thevatory resentfully. He was thinking, ¡°Damn him. He¡¯s spending my money and still thinking about my woman.¡± Just the thought of it made him want to beat this third-wheel Jaydon to death. When Jaydon looked at Bruce¡¯s back, his expression darkened. He was wondering that this damn guy was really unbearable. He was really worried for Joanna Haynes, living with such an arrogant andcent man like Bruce. He thought that she was truly unlucky. After Bruce went to thevatory and returned to his seat, he adjusted his sleeping posture and closed his eyes to rest with a gloomy expression. Jaydon clicked his tongue and took out a notebook. He wrote something on it seriously. It seemed that he was taking notes. Halfway through the flight, the passengers were drowsy. Suddenly, in the economy ss, six or seven fierce-looking men stood out one after another, each holding a gun made of ivory and special materials. These guns were not made of metal, and they had been disassembled and brought onto the ne. Therefore, it was impossible to detect them when those people were registered. Now that they had boarded the ne, they only needed to assemble the various parts of the guns, which would be lethal weapons. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Stay in your seats.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll shoot whoever moves.¡± The passengers woke up with a start and opened their eyes in a daze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Two criminals directly kidnapped the air stewardess who came to check. ¡°Ah!¡± The air stewardess was so frightened that her face turned pale and she screamed. ¡°God! What¡¯s going on? Is there a robbery on the ne?¡± A middle-aged man from Gaprington asked the person beside him in horror. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re terrorists.¡± When the man from Gaprington heard this, his entire body trembled. ¡°What?! Could it be that they are hijacking?¡± When the criminals heard themotion, they warned everyone even more fiercely. ¡°Silence! No one is allowed to speak.¡± Then, three criminals dragged the air stewardess and walked toward the cockpit of the ne. They had to hold the captain and co-pilot under their control. The air stewardesses and stewards were terrified and could only cooperate with the criminals obediently. Although incidents of aircraft hijacking were rare, they happened. The world-shocking incident where a ne in Melta crashed into a great building and a hijacking case were both terrorist attacks that shocked the world. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Sit still.¡± The criminals dragged the air stewardess to the first-ss cabin. When Bruce and Jaydon saw this, they subconsciously observed the criminals. Three or four fierce-looking criminals barged into the first-ss cabin. ¡°What¡¯s the password for the cockpit? Open the door now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know. Only the captain can get into the cockpit¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not cooperating, are you?¡± one of the criminals said fiercely. He raised his gun and shot an innocent passenger in the head. ¡°AH!¡± The air stewardesses and flight attendants were trembling in fear. ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? If you don¡¯t, it¡¯ll be your turn next.¡± An air stewardess cried.miserably as her entire body trembled. ¡°I really don¡¯t know¡­¡± Bang! ¡°Ah!¡± Seeing this, Bruce frowned and his expression was very tense. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. It seemed that those people were terrorists. Thinking that this was truly bad, he secretly nced at Jaydon, wanting to see his reaction at this moment. He knew that although Jaydon was annoying, it was undeniable that his skills were not bad. Although he was not as good as Bruce, he was much better than most people. However, Bruce did not expect Jaydon to have the guts to fight against these criminals. ¡°Hurry up and tell me the password.¡± One of the criminals interrogated the air stewardesses fiercely. Seeing that they were still unwilling to cooperate, he directly aimed the gun at Bruce. It happened in the blink of an eye. Without waiting for the criminal to make a move, Bruce elbowed his hand that was holding the gun. ck! Bang! The bullet hit the top of the ne. The well-trained guy Bruce bent and twisted, snatching the criminal¡¯s gun. Seeing this, anoother criminal immediately shot Bruce. Bang! Bruce had already shot him. However, there were three criminals in the first-ss cabin. After all, he was alone to deal with these two criminals, and he couldn¡¯t deal with the other one. Seeing that the only criminal left raised his gun and aimed at Bruce, Jaydon jumped up from his seat and kicked the gun away. Chapter 891 Chapter 891 Chapter 891 At the critical moment, with the help of Jaydon, Bruce was able to catch his breath and raise his gun. ¡°Ah!¡± The criminal was shot in the chest and took a few steps back before falling to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the three robbers were subdued. The flight attendants looked at the two men in front of them in disbelief. He did not expect them to be able to deal with the criminals with such ease. In the economy cabin. When the three remaining robbers heard the gunshot, they quickly came over to check. As soon as they appeared, their leader was shot down. Bruce¡¯s marksmanship was very urate. He almost never missed. Unfortunately, there were only six bullets in the gun. Now the bullets were all spent. When the two criminals saw their four aplices lying in a pool of blood, they immediately raised their guns to take revenge. ¡°You¡¯re courting death¡­¡± Bruce, Jaydon, and the others were all shocked, picking up one of the criminals and using his body as a blockage. ¡°Ah, ah, help!¡± The air stewardess eximed and the passengers all screamed in fear. The two criminals took a step closer, preparing to fire a second round. Six or seven more men stood out from behind them. Bang! Bang! Crack! Shane, Alvin, and the others attacked from behind, catching the two criminals off guard. They were all bodyguards of Bruce, so naturally they were very skilled. In less than three minutes, the two criminals were also dealt with. Shane hurried forward to check. ¡°Mr. Everett, are you injured?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just some minor grazes. Nothing serious,¡± Bruce said as he subconsciously nced at Jaydon. However, he could not bring himself to express his gratitude. Jaydon¡¯s face tensed up, pretending to not notice. In any case, he wasn¡¯t deliberately helping Bruce. It was just that the situation was critical. He did it for therger picture. Of course! Bruce was Joanna¡¯s most beloved man and the father of her child. Even if it was for Joanna, Jaydon could not leave Bruce in the lurch. It took less than twenty minutes. A ne crash was unavoidable. The terrorists¡¯ original n was to hijack a ne and crash into the tallest and most luxuriousndmark in Saumi Cradia, the Star Century Building. However, they had never expected to be defeated before they could attain their goal by a couple of men. The flight attendants took some time to react. ¡°p, p, p.¡± The surviving passengers apuded Bruce and Jaydon. ¡°Thank you for saving all our passengers.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°We were just trying to save ourselves.¡± Everyone was still in shock. They felt like they had just escaped death. ¡°Thump, thump, thump¡­¡± The ne was flying when it suddenly started descending rapidly. The aircraft started shaking and jerking uncontrobly. The criminals¡¯ bullets had pierced through the circuit board and control panel of the ne. The ne was losing control and gradually deviating from the original flight path. ¡°Gosh, is the ne going to crash?¡± ¡°Why is it shaking so badly?¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ I¡¯m still so young. I don¡¯t want to die yet¡­¡± The passengers immediately started panicking again, their eyes filled with fear. The air stewardesses were also flustered. They quicklyforted the passengers through the radio. ¡°The ne is only encountering slight turbulence. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. ¡°Please take your seats and don¡¯t move around.¡± Buzz, buzz, buzz! The ne suddenly fell again, almost jolting everyone out of their seats. ¡°Where¡¯s the parachute? I want a parachute¡­¡± In the cockpit. The captain was also panicking, nervously controlling the ne while radioing the aviation service station. ¡°Calling, calling¡­¡± ¡°Palisrian City flight to Saumi Cradia. Flight HD307 is malfunctioning. Please get ready tond.¡± ¡°Because of the damage to the ne¡¯s engine, we need tond urgently.¡± ¡°There may be bumps or vibrations during the descent. Everyone, please remain calm.¡± Some passengers were already crying in fear. Others even took out their phones and notebooks, preparing to jot down theirst words. ¡°God bless us!¡± Bruce and Jaydon were also a little nervous. They shared a look, feeling a wave of indescribable nausea rising from the bottom of their hearts. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect to die with a nuisance like you.¡± ¡°Shut up, you jinx.¡± ¡°How can you still be in the mood to argue at a time like this?¡± Bruce sighed, a trace of sadness appearing in his heart. Even if he died, he wanted to find Joanna. Only after confirming that she was safe could he die in peace. ¡°We¡¯re about to die. Let¡¯s be optimistic!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be lonely on the path of death.¡± Bruce¡¯s throat froze. He originally wanted to curse Jaydon back, but the ne suddenly fell again. The captain could onlynd at the nearest airport. In the cockpit. estail of fo The captain used all the methods he could think of to save the situation. Finally, with the captain¡¯s tireless efforts, the ne rose again, albeit flying unevenly. After another arduous ten minutes, they arrived at the nearest airport. The ne prepared to make an emergencynding¡­ This was Celia, Saumi Cradia¡¯s neighbor. It was also a very small country, but experienced internal strife all As a result of the war, the country¡¯s GDP fell sharply, making it the poorest country in the Mednd region. However, since the ne was malfunctioning, this airport was their only hope. ¡°Rumble¡­¡± At a height of three to four yards from the ground, the captain finally lost control of the aircraft. The nended heavily on the ground, gliding a few hundred yards before finally stopping. year round. The moment the ne stopped, the passengers stayed still for a full minute or two. After everyone confirmed that they were safe, they finally cried tears of joy. ¡°Phew, God bless.¡± ¡°We havended safely. We havended safely.¡± The passengers were scared to death. After experiencing such a terrifying moment, many couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°Everyone, please get off the ne quickly and gather at the terminal.¡± When the passengers heard the announcement, they rushed off the ne, not even bothering with their luggage. Ten minutester. Bruce and Jaydon also got off the ne. ¡°How far are we from the capital?¡± Bruce frowned and asked the airport staff in Antlenish. A flight attendant replied, ¡°About 430 miles away. We¡¯ve already informed the airline. Another ne will be sent to pick everyone up. ¡°Please forgive us for the inconvenience caused by this flight.¡± ¡°How long will the new ne take to arrive?¡± Bruce asked with a frown. ¡°It will take at least two days. Many passengers got injured and will have to be sent to the hospital.¡± ¡°Will it take at least two days? Can¡¯t it be faster?¡± The staff smiled politely. ¡°Sir, this is already the earliest.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡± ¡°430 miles¡­¡± Bruce frowned in thought. 430 miles. If he drove fast, it would only take him seven to eight hours. However, it would take at least two days for the airline to send a ne over. He really couldn¡¯t wait. Moreover, there was no telling what would happen in two days¡¯ time. The airline was notorious for being slow. He had only booked the flight out of necessity. ¡°Please stay at the airport and don¡¯t move around¡­¡± The airport staff were busy taking care of the passengers. ¡°Shane, go rent a car.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. This is a small city in Celia, poor and deste. Besides, this country is a riot zone now. There¡¯s war everywhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Why don¡¯t we wait for the airline to send a ne over?¡± Bruce only turned angrier. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I¡¯ll go find a car now.¡± An hourter. Shane had returned with an almost obsolete old car. Apart from the four wheels that were intact, there was almost no other part that was not damaged. Either the paint had fallen off or the iron sheet was missing. There was not even a window ss or headlights. Bruce nced at the car and immediately turned ashen with anger. ¡°I told you to find a car. This is what you found?¡± With a constipated look on his face, Shane said, ¡°Mr. Everett. It was already extremely difficult to get this car.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right. There are wars here all year round, with various warlords fighting for territory. The civilians are barely able to save their own skins, and their economy and productivity have all stopped. Even this car had to be bought at a high price.¡± ¡°Forget it, forget it. Let¡¯s go quickly! We¡¯ll think of something on the way.¡± Bruce frowned. He had never been in such a lousy car before. As soon as he sat down, his butt was pricked by something. ¡°Ugh, damn it!¡± Bruce cursed, quickly getting up again. Which bastard put nails in the seats?¡± He had sat down in a hurry, and a nail had pierced a hole in his hip. It was so painful that he wanted to hit someone. ¡°Mr. Everett, did you get pricked?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Shane and the two other bodyguards looked at Bruce in horror. Mr. Everett was covering his butt so tightly. Could it be that he had been stabbed in ¡°that¡± ce? ¡°Hurry up and drive.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Hum! Hum!¡± Shane started the old car. After a long time, the engine finally started. ¡°Tut, tut, tut¡­¡± The clutch released, and the car made a tractor-like sound. The car shook with every step, like an old cow panting. ¡°Do you even know how to drive?¡± Shane was already nervous. Now that Mr. Everett was throwing a tantrum, he felt even more afraid. In his nervousness, his legs loosened from the clutch. ¡°Tut, tut¡­¡± The old car stalled. He was unable to start it again. Bruce red at Shane. Shane was so frightened that his forehead was covered in sweat. The more anxious he was, the more he could not start the car. Bruce was so angry that he kicked the wheel. ¡°Useless, all of you are useless.¡± He really wanted to hit someone. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± The range of his movements was too big, hurting his injury again. Bruce was so furious his face turned green. Creak! A sidecar motorcycle passed by and stopped in front of him. Jaydon took off his helmet and nced at Bruce. ¡°What a coincidence! We meet again.¡± Bruce turned to look at Jaydon and turned even angrier. ¡°Jaydon, hmph, you¡¯re really persistent. Why do I bump into you everywhere I go?¡± Chapter 892 Chapter 892 Chapter 892 Jaydon pursed his lips, toozy to say anything else. ¡°Bruce, sometimes I really feel sorry for Joann. ¡°You barbaric man, you have no manners at all. Why did Joann fall in love with a man like you?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was furious. ¡°Jaydon, who the fuck are you calling rude? Get out of the *** car. We¡¯ve agreed to have a fight.¡± ¡°Hmph, I can¡¯t be bothered with you.¡± Jaydon put on his helmet back on and prepared to start the car. He thought it was impossible to reason with a barbarian like Bruce. Bruce felt a little dejected, rolling his eyes and looking at Jaydon disdainfully. ¡°Well, don¡¯t tell me you n on riding this stupid motorcycle to Saumi Cradia?¡± Jaydon rolled his eyes, not wanting to bother with him. This ce was still more than 430 miles away from Saumi Cradia. How long would it take for him to arrive on a motorcycle? He had spoken with the airport staff. There were still trains and buses operating normally in the city. He had nned to take a motorcycle to the train station and take the train to the border. Then he would travel by bus to the capital city of Saumi Cradia, Gitza. He had estimated the journey to take twenty hours at most. If he stayed to wait for the airline¡¯s flight, he would still have to make another flight transfer. The trip would take at least five days. Seeing that Jaydon was about to set off, Bruce became even more anxious. He red at Shane, who was repairing the car. ¡°Is the car repaired? How long will it take?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m afraid the car can¡¯t be repaired. The engine is malfunctioning.¡± ¡°Damn it, a bunch of trash.¡± ¡°Hurry up and make a call. Get someone to send a private ne over. It has to be as fast as possible. Do you hear me?¡± Shane trembled in fear, v¨°ice shaky. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is a war-torn country. Many routes have been canceled.¡± ¡°Our country is not connected to this ce at all. This airport is also abandoned. The ne was only forced tond at this airport. Even if we send a private ne, it won¡¯t be able tond.¡± After all, private jets had to be reported to the air service station in advance. They couldn¡¯t fly at will. Especially when it came to cross-domain flying, it had to be reported in advance. Otherwise, if a ne entered another country¡¯s aviation field, it would be taken down as an enemy ne. ¡°Then go get me a car. The best SUV. Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. The local area is very poor. The off-road vehicles have all been taken by the warlords and officials. We can¡¯t get them at all. Moreover, it¡¯s still wartime¡­¡± ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Bruce was furious. The ce was deste. He didn¡¯t want to wait, and he really didn¡¯t know what to do. Seeing how anxious Bruce was, Jaydon asked kindly, ¡°Do you want to get in the car? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± He didn¡¯t really want to help Bruce. However, Joanna¡¯s whereabouts were unknown. With one more person helping, there was more hope. Of course, he also hoped that Bruce could find Joanna as soon as possible. As long as Joanna was safe, he would be relieved. Bruce snorted coldly. ¡°Hmph, there¡¯s no need. ¡°With your lousy motorcycle, wouldn¡¯t it take eight to ten years to reach Saumi Cradia?¡± Jaydon grew even more speechless when he heard that! This barbaric man probably only knew nes and private cars as his his only transportation methods. He probably didn¡¯t even know that trains and buses existed, ¡°Hmph, forget it if you don¡¯t want to get on. Just wait here slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve already found out that Prince Harman from Saumi Cradia seems to be marrying the fourth princess consort. I suspect that the person he¡¯s marrying is Joann. ¡°Take your time here! When you arrive at Saumi Cradia, Joann will probably already be the princess consort of Prince Harman.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Vroom! Vroom! With that, Jaydon started the motorcycle. He stepped on the elerator and drove ahead. ¡°Goddamn it!¡± Bruce was even more frustrated and helpless. Indeed, he also suspected that the person Prince Harman was going to marry was Joanna. Although he wasn¡¯t 100% sure, it was highly likely. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t you take his motorcycle to the city and take the train to the border¡­¡± Shane quickly reminded him carefully. When Bruce heard this, he was instantly enlightened. He had really been blinded by his anxiousness. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ask earlier.¡± Shane lowered his head. Bruce was so angry that his heart skipped a beat. He red fiercely at Shane. When he returned to Greyport, he would fire Shane immediately. Currently, Carson and Darcy Juke were still hospitalised. Cherron and Tom had already rushed to Saumi Cradia. Shane, Alvin, and the others used to be under Darcy Juke and Carson¡¯smand. Therefore, he stillcked some ability and experience. Coupled with the fact that he was unfamiliar with Mr. Everett¡¯s personality and habits, he made mistakes repeatedly. The others were shocked and quickly lowered their heads. Seeing that Jaydon was moving further and further away, Bruce could not be bothered to be angry with his subordinate. He hurriedly limped and chased after him. ¡°Hey, hey, bastard¡­ You, wait a moment.¡± Jaydon heard the shouting and stopped the car again. He turned around unhappily. ¡°I have a name. I¡¯m not called ¡®hey¡¯, nor am I called ¡®bastard. Please be more polite and civilized.¡± Bruce choked and rolled his eyes angrily. ¡°How much is this three-wheeler of yours? Sell it to me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t sell it no matter how much you offer.¡± Jaydon returned his cold gaze. ¡°If you want to sit, I can give you a ride.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned angrily. There was no other solution at the moment. The three-wheeler was the only means of transportation. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± ¡°However, my car can only carry one person. I can¡¯t do anything about your subordinates.¡± Bruce turned to look at Shane and said in a low voice, ¡°You guys go back to the airport and wait for the ne.¡± ¡°As soon as the airline sends the ne, meet me at Saumi Cradia.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± The lot of them were submissive. Everett.¡± If Jaydon dared to go alone, then what was he afraid of? Next¡­ Bruce held his hip and limped towards the car. Jaydon looked at his strange walking posture and pained expression. He could not help but frown, thinking that he was not feeling well. ¡°Get in the carl¡± Bruce nced at the passenger seat of the motorcycle and said with disdain, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want me to sit on the sidecar?¡± Due to the war, this country¡¯s economy was especially bad. The vehicle was simr to a wartime sidecar motorcycle. It had an attached secondary seat to the side. ¡°What else?¡± Jaydon asked. ¡°Get off. I¡¯ll drive,¡± Bruce said resentfully. Jaydon looked at him disdainfully. ¡°Do you know the way? Do you know how to use the wireless navigation?¡± He really didn¡¯t know how to use it. After all, he always had a chauffeur when he went out. He rarely memorized the route himself.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Hurry up and get in the car. Stop wasting time,¡± Jaydon urged impatiently. ¡°If we rush to the train station now, we should be able to catch thest train. If you dawdle, we won¡¯t even be able to get on the train.¡± Bruce was helpless. He pursed his lips and strode into the passenger seat with a look of disdain. Vroom! Vroom! Vroom! Jaydon started the car and drove straight ahead. Perhaps he had gone too fast, Bruce had not been able to sit down properly and nearly knocked out his front teeth from the whish. ¡°Ouch, can you *** slow down?¡± Bruce was very unlucky today. First, he pricked his butt, and now he almost lost his front teeth. Jaydon rolled his eyes resentfully, not bothering with a response. On the way. Along the bumpy ride, Bruce¡¯s wound started hurting more. His butt had been pierced by a nail, and it really hurt. Now that the car was jolting, the wound began to bleed again. Through his grayish-white light-colored pants, his bleeding wound resembled a woman on her menstrual period who had identally leaked through her pants. There were a few obvious blood stains on his pants. Bruce frowned again. From time to time, he would rub his wound with a pained expression. Jaydon nced at him and said coldly, ¡°Are you having hemorrhoids again?¡± Pfft. Bruce was speechless. Seeing his expression, Jaydon really thought that he had hemorrhoids. After all, a bad temper often results in an unhealthy body. When one got angry, it was really easy to get hemorrhoids. Nine out of ten men had hemorrhoids. If the hemorrhoids were serious, it was indeed very easy to bleed. Looking at Bruce¡¯s expression, he guessed that he must have hemorrhoids. ¡°This kind of illness is indeed very torturous. I know a proctologist who treats hemorrhoids. Do you want me to introduce him to you?¡± Jaydon asked kindly. Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. He felt that Jaydon was teasing him and deliberately provoking him. ¡°Jaydon Grimm, you think this is funny, don¡¯t you?¡± Bruce said gloomily, ring daggers at Jaydon. ¡°You bastard,¡± Bruce thought. ¡°You wanted to make fun of me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Bruce wondered if he should give Jaydon a surprise attack, knock Jaydon out, and then leave with the car. Chapter 893 Chapter 893 Chapter 893 ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth. I do know a proctologist. ¡°Who is very experienced with this kind of proctological disease. ¡°This illness cannot be underestimated. We have to treat it in time¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s secretary, Orvin, had severe hemorrhoids. There were always a few times a year when he was tortured by hemorrhoids, making life difficult for him. Therefore, Jaydon had a certain understanding of this illness. Bruce clenched his fists so tightly that cracking sounds could be heard. There was also an unknown anger in his chest that was running back and forth in his heart. He really wanted to punch Jaydon¡¯s head. Seeing that Bruce was silent, Jaydon continued, ¡°This kind of illness is nothing. Just cut off the hemorrhoids as soon as possible. It will heal very quickly. When we return to Greyport, I will introduce you to that expert who specializes in cutting off hemorrhoids.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Are you *** crazy? You¡¯re the one with hemorrhoids. Hurry up and drive. Don¡¯t be a nag.¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°Look, you¡¯re so easy to get angry. This is the cause of having hemorrhoids.¡± When Bruce heard this, he waspletely furious. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore! He was going to beat Jaydon to death. He did not have hemorrhoids. He had just been poked by a nail. He did not have anything to bandage the wound with, so he could only use his hand to stop the bleeding. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bruce, why are so irritable? Are you schizophrenic? ¡°Let me tell you, schizophrenic is also a kind of illness that needs to be treated. s, why would Joann like a man like you?¡± Bruce took a deep breath and stared coldly at Jaydon. He wanted to find the most suitable opportunity to strike. It would be best if he could hit Jaydon in one hit. ¡°I¡¯m introducing you to a doctor out of goodwill. Why are you so anxious? ¡°Why can¡¯t we talk about it slowly? Besides, it¡¯s normal to have hemorrhoids! I won¡¯tugh at you.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth. ¡°If I have hemorrhoids, I¡¯ll cut them and feed them to you.¡± Puff! Upon hearing this, Jaydon shook his head speechlessly. Jaydon thought Bruce was a barbaric man who did not know what was good for him and it was better for him to just ignore Bruce. Bruce quietly raised his hand, preparing to give Jaydon a blow on the neck. ¡°Beep, beep¡­¡± Just as he was about to take action, the sound of mechanical motors and equipment came from not far away. Bruce frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± ¡°Sounds like a car.¡± ¡°No. We must have encountered the rebels again.¡± Jaydon immediately became nervous. He hurriedly stopped the car and looked around. ¡°Damn it. ¡°Hurry up and get out of the car. Let¡¯s hide first.¡± This country was a war-torn country. The country was already in shambles and was controlled by warlords everywhere. Small cities were in constant war, and there were sometimes fights between viges. The two of them quickly got out of the car. Then, they hid in the dense forest at the side. Soon, a few cars drove over. There were also some ordinary people running with the cars. ¡°Thump, thump, thump¡­¡± The two groups gathered together and started shooting at each other. ¡°Bam, bam, bam¡­¡± Bullets flew everywhere, and shouts and screams could be heard non-stop. Two jeeps drove over. There were seven or eight rebels with weapons sitting on them. They started to fire on anyone they saw. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. In the grass, Bruce frowned. ¡°Damn, why is this country so chaotic?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? This country has been in civil war for more than a decade.¡± ¡°Damn it. How can we get to Saumi Cradia?¡± ¡°I hope they leave as soon as they¡¯re done fighting.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait until nightfall and take the pathways.¡± ¡°s, that¡¯s the only way.¡± Bruce sighed with a gloomy expression. This was the first time the two of them had discussed so calmly. In Saumi Cradia, after more than ten days of treatment, Joanna had basically recovered. It was just that her calf and leg bones were fractured, so she still needed to recuperate for a while. However, with the strong healing effect of the special medicine, she could already stand up, Prince Harman came to visit Joanna every day. He was reluctant to part with her every time. ¡°Hayley, how do you today? Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m much better. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Joanna hesitated. She didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her. Every day, her mental state fluctuated between good and bad. Shepletely relied on special medicine. After injecting the special medicine, she was especially energetic and did not feel any pain. However, in a few hours, she would be dispirited. She would be even more anxious and ufortable. Coincidentally, the doctor came over to inject the medicine into her. ¡°Miss Hayley, it¡¯s time to use the medicine.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Joanna replied weakly.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ With the injection of the potion, she quickly became excited again. ¡°What kind of medicine is this? It¡¯s so magical and it works so quickly.¡± Prince Harman smiled gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is the medicine to heal you. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to ensure your health. I want you to recover as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Then¡­ should I keep using this medicine? If I don¡¯t use it, what will happen?¡± Joanna asked. Although she had lost her memory, she wasn¡¯t an idiot. She knew that some prohibited drugs had huge side effects. feel ¡°It¡¯s alright./As long as we get married, I can provide this special medicine to you all the time. You can use it as much as you want. It doesn¡¯t matter even if you use it for the rest of your life.¡± Prince Harman looked at Joanna dotingly. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to choose a gown. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to the banquet to meet my family tonight.¡± ¡°Your family?¡± Joanna was even more confused. Prince Harman nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right! When you¡¯recover, we¡¯ll hold a grand wedding. Now, of course, we have to meet my family. ¡°We need to get the blessings of our elders, and I also want you to get to know the rest of my family.¡± Although he was the prince, if he wanted to get the fourth princess consort, he still had to get the approval of the previous three princess consorts. Joanna listened, and her eyes darkened. She didn¡¯t know how she and Prince Harman fell in love. But¡­ She regretted it now. She didn¡¯t want to marry him. No matter how much they loved each other. But at this moment, she was very resistant to staying with Prince Harman. ¡°Harman, I think¡­ there¡¯s no need to rush the wedding¡­¡± Joanna thought for a long time before saying it. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to have the wedding sooner? ¡°After the wedding, you¡¯ll be my official wife. Aren¡¯t you happy to enjoy the envy and blessings of the entire world?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can remember many things. At the moment, weck understanding of each other. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until I remember the past before we talk about marriage, okay?¡± Joann looked at Harman seriously. Prince Harman looked at her in disbelief. Chapter 894 Chapter 894 Chapter 894 Joanna was a little flustered by his deep and hot gaze. ¡°Can you stop looking at me like that? I¡¯ll be very nervous,¡± Joanna said in a low voice. Women from Ziviet were mostly reserved and introverted, unlike women from Saumi Cradia who were passionate and unrestrained, Even if Joanna had lost her memories, some things were really innate and engraved in her bones. Harman paused. ¡°Hayley, do you not love me anymore?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Joanna hesitated, not knowing what to say. In the past, she might have really loved him. But now, she really had no feelings for him at all. Facing Harman, other than unfamiliar feelings, she had no other feelings for him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll remember. ¡°Only if you marry me can you always have this special medicine. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°If you don¡¯t marry me, I won¡¯t be able to provide you with a trace of strong coercion in his eyes. He was a prince and could not tolerate rejection. this special medicine.¡± Prince Harman said gently, but there was Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she stared nkly at Harman. She didn¡¯t know where she¡¯de from or who she was. Now, the only one she could rely on was Harman. Moreover, she was really relying more and more on special medicine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you marry me, I will provide you with an unlimited amount of this expensive special medicine. ¡°I¡¯ll also arrange a vi more luxurious than this ce for you. I¡¯ll make you my favorite princess consort. ¡°Hayley, I really like you.¡± Prince Harman looked at Joanna with burning eyes. He wanted to melt her with his gaze. Seeing this, Joanna felt even more uneasy and did not dare to look him in the eye. ¡°The banquet tomorrow night is very important. You have to prepare well. ¡°You can follow the servants now and choose a beautiful gown you like.¡± ¡°Do I have to go?¡± ¡°Yes, you do.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Okay, alright then! You make the decision.¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s unhappy expression, Prince Harman shrugged. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to choose a gown, I¡¯ll get someone to send it to you. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very charming at the party.¡± Joanna froze. She did not know what to say. Listening to Harman¡¯s tone, it was as if she was a rare pet that he couldn¡¯t wait to show off to his friends and family. This feeling made Joanna very ufortable. She didn¡¯t like this feeling. Even though she had lost her memories, the habits that had formed subconsciously remained in her bones. She had always been a reserved person who was not good at expressing her emotions. Or rather, she was very restrained and slow to warm up to feelings. ¡°It¡¯s still early. Shall we¡­ do something meaningful?¡± Prince Harman looked at Joanna gently and lovingly. Heinched closer to her. He couldn¡¯t wait to taste this ssic beauty. Joanna was shocked. Her petite body curled into a ball. ¡°Ahl What¡­ What are you doing?¡± Seeing this, Prince Harman took a step closer. ¡°I¡¯m your fianc¨¦. It¡¯s normal for us to do such intimate actions. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt her throat be dry. She stammered, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not feeling well. I might¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be gentle. ¡°I promise you¡¯ll like it.¡± ¡°No, I¡­ I think we should wait until we¡¯re married before doing this.¡± Joanna¡¯s face waspletely blushed. She looked nervous and afraid. Prince Harman looked at Joanna in surprise. This was the first time a woman had resisted him like this. He was a real prince. Countless women wanted to throw themselves at him. If he was on a whim, he only needed to casually extend one of his hands to women, and those women would pounce on him ecstatically. But this ssic woman in front of him was really special. ¡°Alright then! I respect you, Hayley!¡± Prince Harman was a gentleman in front of her. Or perhaps it was because she was injured and he could not bear to torture her. After three to four hours, Bruce and Jaydon finally arrived at the city. When they arrived at the train station and saw the simple and chaotic train station, the two of them were petrified. This country was really too backward. Although the train station was still operating normally, all kinds of equipment were very old and chaotic. It was not evenparable to the economic level of Ziviet in the 1960s and 1970s. ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re going to the border in this train?¡± ¡°Now we have no choice but to take the train.¡± Bruce flicked his tongue. Although he was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but topromise in the end. After getting on the train, there was no ce to sit at all. The carriage was filled with adults, children, and even animals. The train was seriously overloaded. There were many people even outside the train station. ¡°Ouch, you stepped on my foot.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± Bruce was packed like sardines. The people around him pushed and squeezed, and the stench of sweat filled the air. He really couldn¡¯t take it anymore and wanted to get out of the train immediately. ¡°Bear with it! This ce is like this.¡± ¡°How long do I need to bear?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be long. We¡¯ll reach the station in five hours. When we get off the train, we¡¯ll transfer to the bus. And then, we may not be in such a difficult position.¡± Bruce frowned and did not want to say a word. Although he really wanted to get off the train, when he thought about Joanna, he was really worried and did not want to dy for a moment. If it was in the past, he would never have taken such a smelly old train. Seeing that Bruce had been cramped in the carriage, Jaydon waved at him kindly. ¡°There¡¯s a seat here. Come here quickly.¡± ¡°Come on. That is the bathroom door.¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s already good enough to have a ce to stay. You¡¯re still so picky. If you don¡¯t want to stay at the bathroom door, you can continue to stay there and be squeezed,¡± Jaydon replied resentfully. Bruce nced at the crowd and gritted his teeth. So be it! At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be packed like sardines at the bathroom door. The next day, the prince asked the servants to send the gown over. ¡°Miss Hayley, the gown is here.¡± ¡°You can try and see if it suits you. Do you like the style?¡± The servant said with a smile as she carefully brought over a box from a luxury brand. Opening the box, there was a custom-made burgundy gown from the brand. ¡°Miss Hayley, please take a look.¡± The servant carefully unfolded the gown. It was a burgundy diamond evening gown with a fishtail-shaped hem. Under the light, the diamonds on the gown shone brightly. It was dazzling. ¡°We¡¯ll help you dress up now. The prince will send someone to pick you upter.¡± ¡°Can I not go?¡± Chapter 895 Chapter 895 Chapter 895 When the servant heard this, she thought that she had heard wrongly. ¡°Miss Hayley, what did you just say?¡± ¡°I said¡­ Can I not go?¡± Joanna forced herself to repeat. The two servants looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and envy. Being able to attend the prince¡¯s family banquet was something that many people dreamed of. This foreign girl was a little ungrateful. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to go. Could you please tell Harman?¡± Joanna pleaded softly. ¡°Miss Hayley, this is Prince Harman¡¯s order. You can¡¯t disobey him. ¡°Prince Harman¡¯s family and friends are invited to the banquet. If you¡¯re absent, Prince Harman will be very unhappy,¡± one of the servants reminded Joanna kindly. ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna had no choice but to reluctantly agree. After all, she had no memories now, let alone know who she was. She could only rely on Harman for now. Soon, a few stylists came over and started styling and putting on makeup for Joanna. Then, they helped her change her clothes. It was a burgundy evening gown with diamonds embroidered all over the bustier of the chest. It looked extremely luxurious and grand. After changing her clothes, Joanna looked in the mirror and almost couldn¡¯t recognize herself. She looked totally different from before in this gown. She had a good figure and facial features. When she dressed up in such a grand manner, she attracted everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Miss Hayley, you¡¯re so beautiful.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Joanna forced a smile. ¡°Prince Harman has arrived.¡± Prince Harman walked in, surrounded by a few attendants. ¡°Has she changed into her gown?¡± ¡°Yes. Miss Hayley, Prince Harman has personallye to pick you up.¡± Joanna slowly stood up and looked at Harman ufortably. Looking at Joanna, who was dressed up, Harman¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at her without blinking. ¡°Hayley, you¡¯re so beautiful. In your Zivietnguage, you¡¯re a fairy from heaven.¡± Prince Harman was very interested in foreign cultures. He especially liked to read the myths passed down from Ziviet. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Although Joanna¡¯s legs had not yet recovered, it did not affect her beauty at all. The banquet was held in the courtyard of the pce. The pce here was different from the pce in Ziviet. This was private. It was filled with the aura of modernity and high technology. Especially the auditorium, it was especially shocking. It was unforgettable. Joanna had been nervously following Prince Harman¡¯s side, Her feet were still splinted, so she could only rely on support to walk. Prince Harman was very gentlemanly. He personally supported her the entire time. ¡°Hayley, don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m here with you.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. As they were talking, two noblewomen dressed as Mednd nobles could not help but say, ¡°This must be the fourth princess consort that Prince Harman is going to marry, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Prince Harman admitted generously. ¡°She¡¯s a very beautiful girl.¡± ¡°Hello, congrattions on bing the fourth princess consort in Saumi Cradia.¡± Joanna felt a little weak. She looked at the three noble beauties sitting in their seats. Needless to say, these should be Harman¡¯s three wives. The princess consort in the lead was dressed very elegantly. She was wearing the typical ceremonial attire of a Mednd woman and had thick makeup on. She looked very dignified and elegant. The second princess consort sat at the bottom. She was a Miss Beauty before, so she naturally looked more beautiful.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ In the back row, the third princess consort, Alice, looked at her husband in love with another woman with a cold expression. 1 Princess Alice and Prince Harman got married through free love, so it was inevitable that everyone thought highly of her. Her looks were also the ***y and hot type. And she was the type that Harman liked the most. As soon as Joanna appeared, Alice¡¯s eyes were filled with ruthlessness. In the past, she had always been the morous one apanying the prince and enjoying everyone¡¯s envious gazes. But now, she could only sit aside. The beauty standing beside the prince was no longer her. Moreover, it could be seen that Prince Harman really liked this ssic woman. When the ssic woman became the fourth princess consort, she would probably be especially pampered for a long time. Thinking of this, Alice¡¯s face was as cold as ice as she looked at Joanna resentfully. Joanna naturally sensed everyone¡¯s hostile gazes. This made her feel even more ufortable. She didn¡¯t like socializing, and she didn¡¯t like the feeling of being stared at. But now, she felt like she was a high-level pet being led out by her owner to show off. ¡°Harman, I¡¯m a little tired. I want to go back first¡­¡± ¡°We just got here. There¡¯s no need to leave in such a hurry. ¡°I¡¯m introducing you to my family and friends today. I haven¡¯t finished yet.¡± Joanna looked at Harman stubbornly. ¡°But I don¡¯t like this kind of asion. I want to go back first.¡± When Prince Harman heard this, a disappointed expression appeared on his face. Men loved to show off. When they got good weapons, good pets, and good women, they couldn¡¯t wait to show them off to their friends and family. They enjoyed the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd. Joanna was indeed very beautiful, especially in Mednd. She appeared exotic there. Prince Harman¡¯s friends and ministers were indeed very envious of him. Chapter 896 Chapter 896 Chapter 896 ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m used to this kind of situation. ¡°I want to go back first. Is that okay?¡± Joanna looked at Prince Harman weakly. ¡°Alright then! After we greet them briefly, you can go back and rest!¡± Prince Harman agreed to Joanna¡¯s request. ¡°Okay.¡± Not far away, the three princess consorts were still waiting for Joanna to take the initiative to greet them. Unexpectedly, they did not get Joanna¡¯s greeting. ¡°Hmph, this ssic woman is really rude. She doesn¡¯t take the three of us seriously at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She only cares about the prince. Even if she bes the princess consort, she¡¯s still ranked fourth. So, she has to respect the three of us.¡± ¡°Perhaps she has just arrived here and is not familiar with the rules here. Everyone, please take care of her in the future.¡± The lead princess consort was more sensible, like a queen in the ancient pce who was both virtuous and talented. Alice looked resentful. ¡°Hmph, what¡¯s so good about this ssic woman? ¡°She¡¯s so skinny. She looks like a skeleton.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I wonder what the prince sees in her that he wants to marry her as the fourth princess consort.¡± ¡°Look, look, she¡¯s gone with the prince.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She didn¡¯t evene over to greet us. She really doesn¡¯t have any manners.¡± ¡°s..¡± The three princess consorts were a little angry. They were very dissatisfied with Joanna¡¯s actions. Joanna attended the banquet and left in a hurry in less than ten minutes. Prince Harman sent her back. ¡°Hayley, our wedding will be next week. You have to be mentally prepared.¡± Joanna was shocked. ¡°What? So fast?¡± Prince Harman smiled. ¡°Is it fast? I think it¡¯s too slow. I want to hold the wedding tomorrow, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to make it in time now. It can only be held until next Tuesday at the earliest.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we only have five days left?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right! Time is tight, so we can only simplify everything. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. After the wedding, I¡¯ll give you the best life.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even more mncholic. She realized that she didn¡¯t like Prince Harman at all. Now that he wanted to marry her, she really felt that something was amiss. But she couldn¡¯t remember the past. ¡°Hayley, are you unhappy? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Prince Harman asked with concern. ¡°No¡­ No! Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ a little unwell. Achoo¡­¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but sneeze a few times. Her entire body was even more sluggish, without a trace of strength. She knew she was addicted to the special medicine. 1/2 11:48 If she did not inject the special medicine for a day, she would feel pain all over her body. Seeing that Joanna was ufortable again, Harman said, ¡°Call the doctor over immediately and inject her with the special medicine.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Soon, the doctor walked over and injected the special medicine into Joanna¡¯s arm with ease. With the injection of the potion, Joanna gradually regained her calm. Joanna really felt like she was going to die just now. She was ufortable and felt like her body was about to explode. However, with the injection of the medicine, she quickly feltfortable and rxed again. The medicine took effect quickly. She was a little worried. She felt that it was not normal medicine. ¡°Harman, what is this? Why is it taking effect so quickly? I feel very ufortable all over if I don¡¯t inject it for a day. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Joanna hesitated. ¡°Be good and obedient, so that I¡¯ll offer you the medicine all the time.¡± Chapter 897 Chapter 897 Chapter 897 Joanna listened, staring at Harman in disbelief. Was he trying to control her with drugs? This made her feel uneasy. It was as if he was hiding something. However, she did not know what the problem was. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I want to rest for a while,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Alright! Rest well. I¡¯lle to see you again tomorrow,¡± Harman replied. ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± Joanna responded weakly as shey on the bed. Prince Harman smiled gently and kissed her forehead before leaving. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Rest well,¡± Prince Harman said. With that, he got up and left. After all, many rtives and friends were at the banquet, and he had to attend to them. After Prince Harman left, Joanna restlessly tossed the nket aside. She could not fall asleep at all. She was inexplicably resistant to his approach. Meanwhile¡­ Bruce and Jaydon were still on the train. Both squeezed in front of the restroom door. Fortunately, there were no more incidents along the way. Although they were disheveled, at least nothing happened. After a few hours of turbulence, the train finally arrived at the final station, a small city near the border of Saumi Cradia. As it was a border area, security was rtively better. Jaydon shook the drowsy Bruce awake and said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at the final station. We have to get down soon. Later, we will get to the bus station and take a bus to Saumi Cradia.¡± Bruce rubbed his throbbing temples but did not say anything. He looked dispirited. Seeing his difort, Jaydon asked with concern, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Bruce replied stoically. He was running a fever now, feeling heavy-headed and light-footed. The rusty nail had pierced his hips, and he had not treated the wound in time. It had be infected, causing Bruce to have a fever. ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look too good,¡± Jaydon said with a frown. Bruce rolled his eyes at Jaydon and insisted, ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need to be so long-winded.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he looked even more resentful. He could not believe how Bruce swatted him away. Because time was tight, they did not dare to dy further and hurried to the bus station. Forty minutes later. They arrived at the bus station. Jaydon bought the bus tickets and a few bottles of water and bread. N?velDrama.Org content. They had not eaten much during the journey and were famished. ¡°Are we taking this bus?¡± Bruce asked in a muffled voice. ¡°Yes, this is the bus to Saumi Cradia,¡± Jaydon replied. ¡°When we reach Saumi Cradia, we¡¯ll have the opportunity to change to a better means of transportation.¡± Jaydon was a romantic and loved to travel. In addition, he used to run an entertainment media company, so he had to travel for filming and had been to Celia previously. 1/3 11:48 So, he was somewhat familiar with the culture and geography of Celia. ¡°How long will it take?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°It¡¯s about 120 miles, and it¡¯ll take a little over three hours,¡± Jaydon replied. ¡°Alright! Get in the car!¡± Bruce said. ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon replied. After getting into the car, the two looked for seats and sat in front of each other in the first two rows. ¡°Here, have a bottle of water!¡± Jaydon said as he turned around and handed a bottle of water and a piece of bread to Bruce. Bruce hesitated for two seconds but eventually epted them. In the past, he was very picky and strict with his diet. He would not eat anything that was not fresh, visually appealing, or had too much seasoning. Now, he had to eat whatever was avable. Three hourster, after a journey of hardship, they finally arrived in Saumi Cradia. Bruce¡¯s phone finally had a signal.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Bruce quickly found a ce to charge his phone. As soon as it turned on, a call came in. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡±. ¡°Hello, Cherron,¡± Bruce said. On the other end of the phone, Cherron¡¯s anxious voice could be heard. ¡°Hey, Mr. Everett. Why couldn¡¯t I reach you these past two days?¡± ¡°I had some trouble with my phone; there was no signal,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Cherron, what¡¯s the situation over at your side now?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve been unable to contact you for two days, and I was getting worried,¡± Cherron said. Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Enough with the pleasantries. How is it over there? Have you found any crucial clues?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°We¡¯ve found that Prince Harman is nning to hold a wedding this Friday and marry his fourth consort,¡± Cherron replied. ¡°This Friday?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Cherron confirmed. ¡°What day is it today?¡± Bruce asked with a frown. Cherron replied, ¡°Today is Wednesday!¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart sank. He asked, ¡°That¡¯s the day after tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Cherron responded. ¡°Alright, I got it,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Mr. Everett, where are you now? How long will it take for you to get here?¡± Cherron asked. ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived at Saumi Cradia¡¯s territory and I¡¯ll hurry over immediately,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Cherron replied. After hanging up the phone, Bruce went straight to a car rental shop and rented an off-road vehicle, preparing to rush to the capital of Saumi Cradia. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s split up here,¡± Bruce told Jaydon. Jaydon raised an eyebrow in disbelief when he heard Bruce¡¯s words. ¡°I think our chances of sess will be higher if we stay together,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Hmph, better not!¡± Bruce stoically retorted and got into the car. These days, Bruce had had enough of Jaydon, this damn guy. Now, he did not want to look at Jaydon anymore. Chapter 898 Chapter 898 Chapter 898 The ce was less than 120 miles away from the capital. By driving, it would take a little over two hours to get there. Bruce drove off, leaving Jaydon alone. Jaydon, the arrogant guy, really¡­ was quite a headache. However, good riddance. Out of sight, out of mind. Bruce drove at the fastest speed possible to arrive at the capital of Saumi Cradia. Then, he met up with Cherron and the others. Cherron and Tom had been there for a week. Cherron and Tom had also found some key clues. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± they said. The moment Bruce¡¯s car stopped, he opened the window and asked Cherron, ¡°Cherron, have you found any trace of Joann?¡± ¡°We found that Prince Harman had indeed brought a woman back. The woman is most likely Mrs. Everett,¡± Cherron said. ¡°Did you find out where she was?¡± Bruce asked. Cherron frowned, ¡°Prince Harman has many properties, and many are anonymously owned. However, we¡¯ve been tracking him for a few days. We noticed that he goes to a vi on the outskirts every day. Mrs. Everett should be in that vi.¡± ¡°Lead the way, and let¡¯s rush over to take a look,¡± Bruce instructed. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Cherron responded. ¡°Get in the car quickly,¡± Brucemanded. Cherron, Tom, and the others did not hesitate and got into the car immediately. Cherron turned on the navigation system and entered the address. An hourter. Bruce drove the car to a desert. In the center of the desert, the group found arge oasis that covered a broad area. If one stood in the center of the oasis, one would think one was on a grasnd. ¡°Mr. Everett, the car can¡¯t go any further. Soldiers are guarding ahead, and we¡¯ll be spotted if we get too close.¡± The car stopped a few miles away from the oasis. Standing on the dune and looking down, the oasis was almost like a basin. Maintaining such arge oasis in the desert was an illustration of Prince Harman¡¯s wealth and supremacy. ¡°If we want to get closer, we¡¯ll have to get out of the car and walk.¡± ¡°You guys wait here,¡± Bruce instructed. ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett,¡± the rest of the group said in unison. Bruce, Cherron, and Tom alighted from the car and walked some distance. ¡°It should be here.¡± ¡°I heard that Prince Harman built a very luxurious vi here and reared manyrge ferocious animals. This should be his favorite residence.¡± ¡°He¡¯s beening to the vi in the oasis every day. If the woman he wants to marry is Mrs. Everett, he 1/3 11:48 will hide her here.¡± Bruce did not respond but frowned as he observed the terrain. Regardless of whether Joanna was inside, Bruce had to find a way to sneak in and see what was going on. ¡°We have to think of a way to sneak into the vi and take a look,¡± Bruce said. When Cherron and Tom heard this, they said solemnly, ¡°Mr. Everett, this ce is heavily guarded. How can we sneak in?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The soldiers here are all armed. It won¡¯t be easy to sneak in.¡± After all, this was not the residence of an ordinary person. If they sneaked in and were discovered, they would be beaten to their death. It¡¯s too dangerous. They could not help but think of retreating. ¡°We¡¯ll disguise ourselves as guests or servants to get in!¡± ¡°I heard that they¡¯re holding a banquet tomorrow. The banquet will be held for three consecutive days. There will be a lot of people arriving today.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°If we dress up as servants, we should be able to sneak in easily.¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s give it a try then!¡± Cherron and Tom said with determination. In the meantime. Bruce instructed Cherron to locate several sets of clothingmonly worn by people in Mednd. He also prepared hats and fake mustaches to disguise themselves. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. After changing his clothes, Bruce replicated some fake identity cards. The next day, early in the morning. Bruce and the others dressed up and confidently walked to the back entrance of the vi. As soon as he appeared, he was intercepted by a group of soldiers with guns who yelled, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re the temporary chefs hired by the prince. Here¡¯s our work permit.¡± The vi was hosting a grand banquet. They needed many servants and temporarily hired some from outside. The soldiers looked at their work permits and asked with suspicion, ¡°Why does it seem like you¡¯re not from this country? ¡°Yes, we heard the consort is from the East, so the prince specifically invited us to make some traditional food.¡± Upon hearing this, the soldier did not question them further. After all, several batches of temporary servants had already arrived today. ¡°You may enter!¡± they hollered. Bruce took along their work permits and confidently walked into thepound. Cherron and Tom followed behind him. The three of them managed to sneak in easily. ¡°Wow, that was close. We managed to get in just like this?¡± ¡°Be careful not to let the cat out of the bag. Stay alert and act like genuine chefs,¡± Bruce said without batting an eyelid. ¡°Mr. Everett, this ce is huge. Where should we start looking for Mrs. Everett?¡± the rest asked. Chapter 899 Chapter 899 Chapter 899 ¡°You two look over there. I¡¯ll go over here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll meet here in an hour, regardless of whether we can find her or not.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was dark. ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett.¡± They nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll split up. Be careful.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Cherron and Tom adjusted themselves and calmed down before walking to the right. Bruce looked around the generalyout of the vi and walked to the left. The vi was huge. It was three to four timesrger than Sherane Bay Vi. Bruce observed for a while and quickly confirmed the basicyout of the vi. They should be able to reach the master bedroom after passing through the front garden. ¡°This should be the master bedroom.¡± ¡°If Joann is really here, they would arrange for her to stay in one of the bedrooms here.¡± Bruce carried a fruit tray and walked towards the master bedroom of the vi. He had been living in a luxurious mansion, and the design concept of the world¡¯s top architects was simr. Therefore, he knew the roughyout of the vi. The bedrooms on the left had the mostfortableyout and were most suitable to live in. He was also a man. If he nned to keep a mistress, he would also put her in the room he thought was the most comfortable. In the bedroom, Joanna sat in front of the window, depressed. She looked at the various gowns and luxury jewelry piled up before her. However, she wasn¡¯t happy at all. On the contrary, she was a little distracted. Was she getting married? Moreover, she would be sharing a husband with other women. In ancient times, it was equivalent to being a concubine. She did not understand why she had agreed to Harman¡¯s proposal. ¡°Miss Hayley, the prince adores you so much! All the jewelry is limited edition. ¡°And this tiara had been passed down from the royal family. The queen wore it when she got married. Usually, one could only wear it when marrying the first princess consort.¡± Another servant also said enviously, ¡°When the prince married the Third Princess Consort, the princess only wore an ordinary tiara. It¡¯s not as precious as this tiara. ¡°And these gowns were all handmade by the top designer in Junewad.¡± The servants were envious and urged her to look at the other jewelry. Joanna was silent and frowned deeper. Looking at the jewelry, she was reactionless. She didn¡¯t think it was that precious, After all, Bruce had given her a lot of jewelry. Each of them was priceless. There were pink diamonds that were more than 20 carats, blue diamonds that were more than 10 carats, a whole set of emerald jewelry, as well as custom-made luxury jewelry from Cartier. He gave her everything. She had long lost her novelty. 1/3 11:48 Even if she had lost her memory, she would never feel that kind of surprise again. ¡°Please leave. I want to be alone for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I need help.¡± Joanna only wanted to think quietly. She desperately wanted to remember the past. The servants smiled. ¡°Oh, okay. We¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°Miss Hayley, please call us if you need anything.¡± ¡°Alright. Please leave.¡± The servants did not say anything else and left one after another. Outside the window, Bruce had already bypassed a few checkpoints and sessfully found Joanna¡¯s room. Through the bright and transparent floor-to-ceiling window, he vaguely saw the back of a woman sitting in a wheelchair. ¡°Is that Joann?¡± Bruce was excited and quickly took a few steps forward. That figure was petite and very familiar. ¡°It¡¯s really Joann!¡± Bruce was excited and quickly walked over with the fruit te. Even if it was just her back, he could recognize Joanna at a nce. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Two servants stopped him. ¡°The prince asked me to bring fruit to the new princess.¡± ¡°Leave it to us!¡± The two servants said and reached out to take the fruit tter from him. Bruce¡¯s gaze darkened. As he handed over the fruit tter, he knocked the necks of the two servants with lightning speed. Immediately, the two servants were unconscious. After that, Bruce put down the fruit te and dragged the two of them to the garden by the side. The nts and trees here were dense, so they shouldn¡¯t be discovered for a while. Then, Bruce carried the fruit tter back to the room. Near the door of the room. There were also a few servants guarding it. Bruce took the initiative to say, ¡°The prince asked me to deliver fruits to the princess consort personally. Please bring me to her room.¡± ¡°Leave it to us.¡± ¡°No, no, no. These are fruits flown in from the princess consort¡¯s hometown. They can only be enjoyed by the princess consort. The prince specially instructed that they must be personally handed over to the princess consort,¡± Bruce lied seriously. His mentality had always been strong.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ When he lied, he didn¡¯t even blush or panic at all. ¡°Alright, please follow me.¡± The servants showed him to the room with a smile. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°The princess consort is inside. Put down the fruits and leave quickly.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± A servant brought him into the room and was about to ask him to put down the fruits. Bruce squinted and immediately turned the servant¡¯s neck and knocked him out. In the bedroom, Joanna heard themotion outside and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on outside?¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s voice, Bruce was even more excited and quickly walked into the bedroom. 2/3 11:48 He entered the bedroom. As expected, the woman in the wheelchair was really Joanna Haynes. ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes instantly turned red as he choked while calling out her name. Joanna was in a daze when a man suddenly barged in, surprising her. ¡°Who are you? Someone,e quickly!¡± Joanna panicked and could not help but scream. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me!¡± Bruce quickly tore off the beard stuck to his face. Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with horror as she looked at the unfamiliar man¡¯ before her. Bruce choked and tears fell. After so many days of worry, he had finally found her. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Joanna was stunned. Then, she casually replied in her mother tongue, ¡°Who are you? Leave quickly. If you don¡¯t leave now, I¡¯ll scream.¡± She had been speaking in Antlenish for the past few days. Suddenly, she realized that her mother tongue was very good. Also, the man looked very unfamiliar. However, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce took a few steps forward and wanted to hug her. However, his actions shocked Joanna. ¡°Don¡¯te over. Someone¡ª¡± Bruce was stunned. He hurriedly rushed in front of her and covered her mouth. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? How can you not recognize me? Joanna¡¯s reaction did not seem fake at all. She really didn¡¯t recognize him anymore. This made Bruce even more anxious and heartbroken. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me. Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Chapter 900 Chapter 900 Chapter 900 ¡°Uh, uh¡­ Help¡­¡± Joanna panicked and struggled desperately. Bruce could only cover her mouth even harder, worried that she would attract attention. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. I won¡¯t hurt you. ¡°Can you stop shouting if I let go of you? I¡¯m not going to hurt you. Just rx.¡± Bruce tried his best to calm her down. Although Joanna was flustered, she still nodded gently. Bruce carefully let go of her. His scarlet eyes were filled with pain, and his voice broke out in tears. ¡°Joann, did you¡­ lose your memory? How can you not remember me?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with fear and unfamiliarity as she looked at him and asked tentatively, ¡°Do you know me? Who am I?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more heartbroken. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m your husband! We have four children. Don¡¯t you remember all of them?¡± When Joanna heard this, she shuddered as if she had been struck by lightning. The impact of this news was too great. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible¡­ My fianc¨¦ is Harman!¡± ¡°Joann, Prince Harman is lying to you. Don¡¯t believe him. ¡°He¡¯s a bad person. He set you up and caused you to get into a car ident. Then, he secretly took you away. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you for days!¡± Tears welled up in Bruce¡¯s eyes. Joanna frowned and tried hard to recall the past. However, she could not remember anything. Instead, her head started to hurt violently. This strange man¡¯s words had a huge impact on her. For a moment, she wasn¡¯t able to ept what he was saying. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. My¡­ My head hurts!¡± ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce walked forward, wanting to hug her. Joanna took a deep breath but could not breathe and her heart rate elerated. ¡°Medicine. Give me the medicine.¡± Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he hugged her tightly. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Medicine, someonee quickly!¡± Joanna¡¯s breathing quickened as she shouted. Then, she curled up like a shrimp. She had been injected with a special medicine for more than ten days. Her body was gradually relying on special medicine. Now that she was agitated, she had to use medicine to stabilize her emotions. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll show you something, and you¡¯ll believe me,¡± Bruce said as he hurriedly took out his phone. He opened the photo album on his phone and showed her their family photo. ¡°Take a look at the pictures. I¡¯m really your husband. These are our four children.¡± Bruce scrolled through the photos for her. Most of the photos in the album were of her and the children. He had secretly taken them when she was not paying attention. Joanna nced at the pictures. Suddenly, fragments of her memories seemed to be intermittently connected. However, it made her head hurt even more. ¡°Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much!¡± Joanna rolled to the ground, trembling violently. Bruce was shocked and distressed. ¡°Joann, where does it hurt?¡± ¡°I want it. Give me the medicine.¡± Joanna gripped his shirt tightly, her eyes filled with pain and desire. When Bruce saw this, he held his breath and looked at Joanna in disbelief. She looked like she was having an addiction. He did not dare to imagine what she had experienced in the past half a month. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t protect you well. ¡°I¡¯m taking you back with me. Let¡¯s get out of here. Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Ah! Help, medicine¡­ Doctor¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body curled into a ball. At this moment, she didn¡¯t want anything but medicine. Suddenly, there was the sound of the door being opened. When the two servants heard themotion, they hurried in to check. Hearing that, Bruce couldn¡¯t care less. He hurriedly ran to the window and hid behind the thick curtains. At the same time, the servants had already entered the room. ¡°Miss Hayley, why are you on the ground?¡± ¡°Give me the medicine¡­ Hurry up¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s breathing quickened, and her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. The servant hurriedly helped her up from the ground. ¡°Hurry up and call the doctor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m so ufortable. Hurry¡­¡± Joanna could no longer control herself and rolled on the bed. This feeling was worse than death. It was as if tens of thousands of ants were gnawing on her bones. Five minutester. The doctor rushed in and took out a medicine skillfully. Then, he injected Joanna. With the injection of the drug, Joanna¡¯s emotions gradually stabilized, and her breathing became smoother. When Bruce saw this from behind the curtains, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His heart ached so much that it seemed like it was about to split open. Looking at Joanna¡¯s pained expression, he wished he could suffer it for her. Joanna must have lost her memory after being taken away by Prince Harman. Moreover, he had injected her with an addictive drug. At the thought of this, Bruce clenched his fists tightly. He really wanted to settle scores with Prince Harman immediately.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ After Joanna gradually calmed down, the two servants pointed at the servant who had been knocked unconscious outside and asked suspiciously, ¡°Miss Hayley, why did she faint?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Joanna subconsciously nced at the curtains and lied. She knew that the strange man was hiding behind the curtains. However, she had a vague feeling that he was telling the truth. ¡°Please leave, all of you! Bring her out too!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The servants looked at each other and left. After the servant left, Joanna said calmly, ¡°Come out.¡± Bruce walked out from behind the curtains. He was depressed and feltplicated. ¡°Joann, you believe me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯d better get going! Before anyone notices you.¡± ¡°Joann,e with me. I¡¯ll bring you home. The children are still waiting for us at home.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna with bloodshot eyes. Joanna shook her head sadly. Although she had a sense of familiarity with him and also vaguely felt that he was speaking the truth, she knew that they would not be able to leave together. ¡°Hurry up and leave! It¡¯ll be toote if you don¡¯t. ¡°I can¡¯t leave with you.¡± ¡°Why? Joann, Prince Harman isn¡¯t a kind man. He¡¯s harming you. Don¡¯t you know that? ¡°You¡¯re already addicted to drugs, aren¡¯t you aware? Hurry ande back with me. I¡¯ll definitely think of a way to help you quit the addiction. You don¡¯t have to be afraid¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce in a daze and her heart could not help but waver. She wanted to leave with him. 0 ¡°Can we¡­ leave?¡± ¡°Yes. Someone is picking us up outside. As long as we leave this vi, we can leave Saumi Cradia.¡± Chapter 901 Joanna was silent as she stared deeply into Bruce''s eyes. His eyes were deep and bloodshot, revealing fatigue and heartache. Anyone who looked at them would feel their heart being crushed by his gaze. In an instant, his gaze pierced through all her defenses. Five secondster. "Alright, I''ll go with you." Joanna only hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to trust himpletely. When Bruce heard this, his eyes flickered, and he gripped Joanna''s hand tightly. "Honey, let''s go home. No one can separate us." "But how do we get out of here?" "Take off your clothes. They''re too conspicuous." "Change into this," Bruce said as he took out a servant''s outfit from his wide pocket. Joanna did not dare to hesitate. She hurriedly took off her luxurious gown and put on the servant''s uniform he handed over. "Let''s jump out the window!" When Joanna heard this, she quickly stopped him. "No, there are many ferocious beasts outside the window. There are lions and tigers." Bruce thought for a few seconds and looked around the room for a few more seconds. They definitely couldn''t walk through the main entrance now. He wanted to see if there was an air vent in this house. Before they could think of a way to leave, the door of the room was pushed open heavily. Prince Harman barged in aggressively with a group of armed soldiers. Joanna was shocked. "Oh no, someone''s here." Prince Harman had already walked up to her and sized her up. "Hayley, where are you going?" "I... I... I''m not your fianc¨¦e at all. Let me out of here." When Prince Harman heard this, the gentleness on his face immediately darkened. He stared at Bruce, who was behind her, gloomily. "You''re quite capable!" "Guards, arrest him." Bruce clenched his fists. He struck with his elbow and body-mmed someone. "Bang, bang!" Two soldiers were put to the ground. If he fought with his bare hands, a dozen of these soldiers might not be his match. But now, they had guns in their hands. "Don''t move. If you wait any longer, I''ll kill you with one shot," Prince Harman said as he pulled the trigger and aimed at Bruce. "No, don''t shoot." Joanna panicked and immediately blocked in front of Bruce. "You can''t shoot." She just couldn''t remember the past. However, she subconsciously wanted to protect him, and she did not want to see this strange man killed. "Hayley, this is an assassin. We have to get rid of him." "Harman, don''t kill him. Please let him go." When Harman heard this, his face tightened. "Hayley, are you nning to elope with this assassin?" "You have to think carefully. If you leave me, no one will provide you with wonder drugs." "Without the wonder drugs, you won''t be able to survive. Are you sure you want to betray me?" Prince Harman knew that Joanna had developed a dependence on wonder drugs. As long as she needed the drugs, she did not dare to leave easily. Joanna trembled when she heard that. She looked at Harman with pain in her eyes. "I... I didn''t want to betray you." "But you can''t kill him." "Why?" Joanna held her breath and her gaze shifted slightly. "Tomorrow is our wedding. If we kill someone, it will be very inauspicious. "I hope... our wedding will be peaceful and sweet." In order to save Bruce, Joanna could only pretend to be innocent. After all, the pain when the drug addiction acted up was really too terrifying.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. When Prince Harman heard this, his lips curled into a smile. "Alright, take him to the secret room to watch over him first." "Yes, Your Highness." Immediately, four soldiers stepped forward and twisted Bruce''s arm, lifting him up. "Joann, don''t fall for Harman''s trick. "I''m your husband." Looking at Bruce''s expression as he was escorted away, Joanna could not help but feel a dull ache in her heart. But now, she had no way to save him. She could only think of a way to dy as much time as possible, hoping that his aplices would hurry over to save him. Bruce was taken away. Joanna''s heart was still pounding. Now, she was certain that Harman had been lying to her from the beginning to the end. She would never fall in love with someone who lied to her. "Babe, are you frightened?" Prince Harman went forward andforted her gently. At the same time, he was also testing if Joanna''s hypnosis had been removed. "It''s not that bad. "Don''t believe what others say. We''re the ones who love each other." "Yes, I... believe you." Joanna smiled at Harman. However, she had already made up her mind that she would never marry Harman. No matter what, she had to think of a way to get rid of him. However, she was alone now. She could only think of a way to stabilize him and make him let down his guard. Half an hourter. Prince Harmanforted Joanna and left her room in a hurry. He wanted to personally interrogate Bruce. Thest time he was in Gaprington, he suspected that Bruce was an agent. Now, he was even more certain of his true identity. Since he had caught a foreign agent, he naturally had to interrogate him and see if he could get any useful information. "Keep an eye on Hayley. Don''t let her leave the room." "Yes, Your Highness." "Your Highness, do you need to hypnotize Miss Hayley again?" Chapter 902 When Prince Harman heard this, he raised his eyebrows. The doctor said obsequiously, "Your Highness, if you''re willing, I can hypnotize her again and make her fall deeply in love with you." "Not for now." "If you use hypnosis on everything, there''s nothing fun about it." Prince Harman smiled contemptuously, looking as if victory was in his grasp. He had absolute confidence that he could make her fallpletely in love with him. He hypnotized her because he did not want her to remember the past, nor did he want her to worry about the people in the past. "I''ll go to the interrogation room now." "I want to interrogate this... omnipotent spy personally." The agents and spies of the various countries were very well hidden. They roamed the world all day long, stealing secrets from other countries in various ways. People like them held secrets that were unknown to many countries. Now that one was in his hands, Prince Harman had to make good use of him. He would try to get more secrets from other countries. In the room. Joanna was filled with worry. She was not sure if Harman would kill the strange man just now.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. At the thought that the man might die, she could not help but feel anxious. "What should I do? How should I save him? "Just now, he told me that there would be someone outside to fetch him. In that case, he must have an aplice who came with him. "However, how should I find his aplices? How should I get them to save him?" Joanna walked around the room a few times with her walking stick. Although her legs were still not very agile, she could still walk with a walking stick. "No! I can''t stay in my room any longer." Then, Joanna leaned on her cane and walked towards the door. Just as she reached the door, two servants stopped her. "Miss Hayley, where do you want to go?" "I want to go out for a walk." "No, the prince just ordered you to stay in your room obediently." Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. "I''m just going to the garden for a walk. I won''t go far." "That won''t do either. This is the prince''s order. We don''t dare to disobey," the servant said firmly. Joanna''s expression hardened. "What if I insist on going out?" She really didn''t like the feeling of her freedom being restricted. She wasn''t a prisoner. What right did they have to control her like this? The servants looked at each other. "Move aside. I want to go out." Joanna''s tone also became a little tougher. No matter what, she had to get out. A servant turned around and said pitifully, "Miss Hayley, you really can''t go out. "If you insist on going out, we can only use forceful measures." Joanna''s eyes widened. "Are you nning to kill me if I go out?" The servants choked. This was the fourth princess consort that the prince was about to marry. How would they dare to really attack her? Joanna did not care and still insisted on walking out of the room. She did not believe that these servants would really dare to stop her. "Miss Hayley, if you really want to go out, we can go ask the prince now." "You can only go out after the prince agrees. Otherwise, we will be severely punished." Hearing this, Joanna felt even more annoyed. She didn''t like this ce at all, nor did she like the people here. "If Harman wants to punish you, I will bear the consequences for you. "But now, if you stop me, I will make Harman punish you even more severely." "Miss Hayley, Miss Hayley..." Joanna could not be bothered with these people anymore. She walked out of the room with her walking stick. Only by leaving the room would she have a chance to send a message. Therefore, she could only be so rude to the servants. "Let''s notify the prince." Joanna came to the garden. "Where are his aplices? "Where''s the secret room?" Across the garden, Cherron and Tom met up as scheduled. However, Bruce did not appear. "Hey, that seems to be Madam." "You think so?" "It really is." Chapter 903 "Mrs. Everett, Mrs. Everett..." Cherron called out softly. Joanna was stunned and looked at the two of them in surprise. "You, you know me too?" The two of them were stunned when they heard that. "Mrs. Everett, I''m Cherron!" "I''m Tom," as they spoke, they looked around cautiously. Fortunately, no one followed them. However, surveince cameras were installed everywhere in such a top-notch vi. Their every move would be exposed to the surveince cameras. They could only keep it short. Joanna still looked at the two of them in confusion. She had no impression of them at all. Tom said solemnly, "Cherron, Mrs. Everett doesn''t seem to recognize us." "Mrs. Everett, have you lost your memory?" "I... I indeed don''t have any memories, but I will believe you." "That''s great." "Mrs. Everett, did you see Mr. Everett just now?" "We agreed to meet here in an hour. It''s time now, but Mr. Everett is not here. We''re very worried." "Mr. Everett?" Joanna frowned. The "Mr. Everett" they were talking about was probably the strange man just now. "A man was arrested just now and has been taken to the secret room." Joanna looked anxious. "Hurry up and think of a way to save him." When the two of them heard this, they were even more shocked. "What? Mr. Everett has been discovered?" "Yes, leave this ce quickly. Don''t get caught." "Okay, we got it." "Be careful." "Yes, Mrs. Everett, you have to be careful too." "Someone''sing. We''ll go first." The two of them did not dare to dy for too long. They hurriedly adjusted their hats and left in a hurry. Cherron and Tom had just left. The servants heard themotion and walked over. "Miss Hayley, who were you talking to just now?" Joanna frowned and replied casually, "No one. I just saw two servants and instructed them to make some food for me." "Miss Hayley, if you want to eat, you can tell us." "Isn''t it the same if I instruct other servants?" Joanna asked deliberately. When the servants heard this, their faces darkened. They did not like this new princess consort very much. Previously, when serving the Second and Third Princess Consorts, they were very generous and friendly and would reward them with many things. And now, this new princess consort more or less did not know what was good for her. The prince doted on her so much, but she was always cold and indifferent. She was not as friendly to the servants as the other princess consorts. The servants'' faces tensed up. "Miss Hayley, you''d bettere back to our room with us." "We just asked the prince for instructions. The prince is very angry and will be back soon." "The prince will be even angrier if he doesn''t see you." "Alright!" Joanna replied casually. Anyway, she had achieved her goal. She returned to her room. Prince Harman was already waiting in the room. He was about to go to the interrogation room when a servant came to inform him halfway. He was told that the new princess consort did not listen to orders and forced her way out of the room.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Prince Harman was very angry when he heard that. He hated it most when someone challenged his authority. Even the woman he loved had to obey his orders. "Hayley, did you just go out?" Prince Harman looked at Joanna with a fake smile. Joanna''s heart tightened. He said in a low voice, "Yes, the room is too stuffy. I just went out for a walk." "Didn''t the servants tell you to stay in your room?" "Yes, but I really want to go out for a walk." Joanna tried to sound as calm as possible. "I''m sorry. I''ll keep an eye out next time." When Prince Harman heard this, he tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart. "After the wedding, I can bring you around." "I can take you wherever you want to go." Joanna smiled. "Sure." "The wedding will be held tomorrow. Hurry up and try on the gown you want to wear at the wedding! "Later, I''ll get someone to exin the wedding process to you. However, you can just refer to it. There''s no need to follow itpletely," Prince Harman said considerately. After all, Joanna was from a different ce. There was no need to follow the strict traditional customs of Saumi Cradia. Moreover, she was the fourth princess consort, so the wedding would not be too grand. Joanna listened absent-mindedly and could not help but ask, "Harman, what do you n to do with that person?" When Prince Harman heard this, his heart skipped a beat. "Which one?" "The man we caught today." "What do you want me to do with him?" Prince Harman looked at Joanna Haynes with a faint smile. The anger that had just been suppressed in his heart was instantly ignited again. They were going to have their wedding tomorrow, but she was still concerned about another man. It seemed that her hypnosis was not deep enough. However, he did not n to use hypnosis again. Since he could not melt her with tenderness, he would conquer her with power and skill. Joanna''s eyes flickered. "I don''t know. You''re the one who captured him. It''s your business how you want to deal with him." She knew very well that even if she begged for mercy, it might not be of any use. Therefore, she still maintained an indifferent attitude. "Haha, in that case, leave it to me to make the arrangements." "Tomorrow is our wedding banquet. Today, we can hold arge-scale battle between him and the ferocious beast." "A fight between humans and beasts?" Joanna''s eyes instantly widened. Saumi Cradia was rich in oil, and the country was also very wealthy. At the same time, the rich and nobles had cruel and entric past-times. Their favorite thing to do was to raise ferocious beasts. Their favorite games were hunting and fighting. In particr, they liked to watch people and animals fight. It was like watching a Spanish matador. Only, this was more exciting. "Hayley, you''ll love it." When Joanna heard this, his heart tightened. "Harman, isn''t this too cruel?" "Why would it be? It''s a very interesting game." Joanna shook his head violently. "No, how can a human fight with a ferocious beast? This will kill someone." Prince Harman smiled coldly. "Why not? That''s an assassin. I have the right to execute him." "Hayley, you don''t have to worry about anything else. Just watch the show obediently." "Harman, you can''t do this." Joanna was still trying to stop him. She had seen the lions, tigers, wolves, and many more that Prince Harman kept. All of them were fat and strong, and they were very ferocious. That strange man would definitely be bitten to death. "Harman, you can''t do this..." Before she could finish, there was a loud p. Harman pped Joanna. Joanna almost fell. She covered her face and looked at Harman in horror. Prince Harman''s expression changed in a second. He held Joanna''s chin fiercely. "As my princess consort, you have to abide by my orders." Chapter 904 "In a few days, I''ll get someone to teach you the traditional etiquette of Saumi Cradia. I''ll teach you how to be a qualified princess consort and how to serve your husband." Joanna did not say anything. She just looked at him with fear and indifference. Saumi Cradia was an extremely patriarchal society. It was even moremon for men to hit women. They did not think that there was anything wrong with hitting women. The status of a woman was also very low. Prince Harman had studied abroad since he was young, so he was slightly better. However, this did not mean that he wouldpletely abandon his original thoughts. Joanna repeatedly rebutted him and resisted him. She did not even let him get close to her. This made him very unhappy. Although he liked Joanna a lot, if she did not know how to appreciate favors, he would not tolerate her forever. Harman stared into Joanna''s eyes and warned darkly, "Only by being obedient can you enjoy endless wealth and glory. Only then will you have the enviable honor of being a princess consort and unattainable power. "If you keep making me angry, the consequences will be very serious." Joanna choked and looked back at him coldly. "Did you hear what I told you?" "I hear you." "Now, obediently change into your clothes and apany me to watch a fight between a human and a ferocious beast."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Change her clothes immediately and bring out the man in the secret room. Then bring out my White Lion." "Yes, Your Highness." "Harman, you can''t be so cruel. You can''t do this. Otherwise, I won''t be able to marry you." Harman sneered. "If you don''t marry me, I''ll cut off your wonder drugs today. Without it, you''ll wish you were dead." Joanna''s expression changed as she looked at Prince Harman with hatred. Prince Harman gave her the feeling that he was apletely different person. His attitude changed so much that it was simply terrifying. If she really married him, her future would be miserable! "Miss Hayley, let''s change your clothes now." "Let go of me..." Joanna struggled with all her might. She did not like to wear the traditional Saumi Cradia gown that Prince Harman had prepared for her. She didn''t like the feeling of being forced to change her clothes. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do. With six or seven servants working together, she was powerless to resist. Twenty minutester. Joanna was forcibly brought to the empty backyard. In front of her was a huge barbed wire fence. Outside the barbed wire, steel bars were also welded. It was shaped like a huge birdcage. Onlookers filled the seats surrounding the barbed wire All of them had excited expressions. They were already used to such fights between humans and ferocious beasts. After a while, a death row criminal would be escorted over to fight with the ferocious beasts. On the other hand, the aristocrats would start a huge gamble, betting on whether the winner would be the human or the beast. Those who could defeat the ferocious beast would be exempted from the death penalty. Of course! In most cases, the death row inmates would be bitten to death by the ferocious beast after struggling for less than five seconds. Some poor foreigners were desperate and eager to earn money and would take the initiative to sign up for such a fight. Regardless of life or death, they would receive arge sum of money. Prince Harman looked excited. He wanted to see how capable this foreign agent was. At the same time, he had to intimidate Joanna. She had dared to disobey his orders and leave the room on her own. Once or twice, he could tolerate it. However, as time passed, his authority and dignity as a prince were challenged. "Hayley, I got someone to reserve the best spot for you. From here, you can watch the most exciting performance." Prince Harman pulled Joanna to sit on the high-viewing tform. This position was elevated, and the view was very good. "I''m sure you''ll love such a wonderful game." "Harman, I beg you. Stop ying such a cruel game. I don''t want to watch it. I don''t want to watch..." Joanna begged. Prince Harman wrapped his arms tightly around Joanna''s waist and said evilly, "No, you have to watch it. If you don''t watch it with me, I''ll be very angry. "If you keep pissing me off, the consequences will be dire. Be good and don''t piss me off." Joanna took a deep breath. Her eyes were filled with despair and anger. Prince Harman ignored her anger and smiled teasingly at her. He leaned into her ear and said, "As long as you listen to me obediently and be a qualified princess consort, I''ll make you my favorite woman. Everyone will envy you." Joanna didn''t say anything. She was filled with hatred. Now, she could only pray for heaven''s blessing. She prayed that the strange man''s aplice could think of a way to save him. But she knew that this was probably impossible. There were countless soldiers guarding this ce. Even if hispanions came to save him, it would probably not be so easy to charge in. Even if they could take him away from the vi, it would also be difficult for them to leave Saumi Cradia. Chapter 905 "We can bring him in now," Prince Harman said excitedly. "Alright." Then, four soldiers walked over with Bruce. Bruce''s hands were tied behind his back, and his eyes were covered with a ck cloth. "Go in!" Someone opened the metal door. Bruce was pushed hard and he staggered into the iron cage. A soldier went up and pulled the ck cloth off his eyes. "Ah..." Bruce took a few seconds to calm down before he gradually saw everything in front of him. He was locked in an iron cage. He was surrounded by onlookers, it was as if they were watching monkeys in a zoo. All of their eyes were filled with greed and excitement. There were also some people pointing at him and talking excitedly. "What is he trying to do?" Bruce was shocked. Prince Harman looked at Bruce in the iron cage proudly. "Lead White Lion here." "Yes, Your Highness." "Roar!" Not far away, the low growl of a lion could be heard. A breeder slowly approached the iron cage with a fat and strong white lion. When Bruce saw this, he was even more shocked. He subconsciously took a few steps back and at the same time, his hands struggled to break free from the rope. This damn Prince Hammer was fucking insane. It seemed like they were nning to feed him to the lions. On the viewing tform. Joanna''s heart was in her throat. Her palms and forehead were covered in cold sweat. The huge lion looked like it weighed about 200 or 250 kilograms. Moreover, these ferocious beasts would deliberately be starved for two to three days before fighting. "Roar!" The lion''s eyes were bloodshot. Seeing the "prey" in the iron cage, the lion was even more excited and eager to enter the cage to eat. Click. The door of the iron cage was pushed open and the lion was let in. Bruce''s heart tightened as he looked at the lion warily. He was not afraid of fighting with other people at all. But now, he was facing an adult lion. Moreover, his hands were tied behind his back. Coupled with the fact that he was injured previously and that he had a serious cold, he was dizzy. He had a slim chance of survival when facing such a ferocious beast. "Roar!" The lion bared its teeth at Bruce and pounced on him. The onlookers immediately shouted excitedly, "Oh, that''s great." "How many seconds do you think this guy canst?" "I bet he can''t evenst three seconds." "No, no, no. He seems to be a foreigner. I heard that foreign martial arts are really powerful. I bet that he canst for ten seconds." "His hands are tied. I''m betting he won''tst five seconds." "Bet, bet, bet." "I bet he''ll fall in 10 seconds." "I bet he''ll fall in three seconds." A few aristocrats excitedly discussed the number of seconds Bruce couldst before falling. In the past, this kind ofbat would usuallyst for less than five seconds before the human was killed by the lion. The aristocrats often bet and see who won or lost. Whoosh! The white lion pounced at Bruce. "Ah!" Joanna was so scared that she closed her eyes. She did not dare to look anymore. There was an indescribable pain in her heart. She didn''t want to see this man torn to pieces by a lion.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. "Harman, I''m begging you. Stop this game." "I can agree to anything you want. All I ask is that you don''t treat him in such a cruel way." "Hayley, this is a great game." "Look at how excited the people below are. Everyone loves to watch." "Open your eyes and watch a few more rounds. You''ll like it." Chapter 906 Chapter 906 Chapter 906 Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes burned with anger. But there was nothing she could do to stop it. ¡°Roar!¡± The breath the lion exhaled was hot and bloody. It pounced fiercely at Bruce. Bruce was shocked. He jumped hard and went up onto the iron railing. He quickly took a few steps along the side of the iron railing and leaped behind the lion. The lion did not catch its prey and became even more violent and savage. It immediately turned around and continued to pounce on him. Bruce¡¯s hands were tied behind his back, and he could only dodge desperately. He used the same method to leap behind the lion. The crowd of onlookers let out a series of exmations. They werepletely stunned by the impressive leaps of this foreign man. It was said that there was a kind of skill that could make one float in the mysterious east. After seeing this foreign man¡¯s exquisite skills, they suddenly believed the myth that foreigners knew how to float. Of course. Bruce did not know any skill that could make him float. He was only forced by the lion to unleash the extraordinary potential of the human body. ¡°Huff¡­¡± After Brucended on the ground, he let out a few rough breaths, and his hair stood on end. ¡°Roar! Roar!¡± The lion turned its head again. This time, it was not in a hurry to pounce and bite like before. It bared its teeth and observed its prey. Bruce also stared at the lion warily and let out a shocking roar. Even though he was panicking, he tried his best to disy the most ferocious and powerful aura. He definitely could not show panic and fear. Otherwise, it would make the lion even more violent. ¡°Wow, this foreigner has some skills.¡± ¡°Five seconds have passed. Hahaha, you¡¯ve lost,¡± an aristocrat said proudly. Another aristocrat who had lost a bet cursed gloomily, ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯llst another ten seconds.¡± ¡°From the looks of it, he can probablyst for a minute.¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s continue betting.¡± A few aristocrats started betting excitedly again. Bruce was sweating profusely. His arms struggled to break free. He had to break free from the restraint as soon as possible. ¡°Roar!¡± The lion probed for a few seconds before continuing to pounce and bite Bruce. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Bruce struggled with all his might, the veins on his arms bulging. Finally, when the lion pounced on him again, there was a cracking sound. His wrist was freed from the rope. He didn¡¯t even bother to look at his bleeding wrist. He immediately flew up, grabbed the steel bars on the iron cage, and hung in the air. The lion did not pounce on its prey and became even more manic and anxious. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The lion bared its teeth and kept letting out muffled roars. 1/3 11:30 Bruce¡¯s legs hung in the air. He could only curl up following the lion¡¯s pounce. But there was limited space inside the cage. His shoes had been bitten off by the lion, and his toes had almost been bitten off. Bruce gasped and stared at the lion with all his attention. Humans could notpare to lions in strength. Even though his physical fitness had already surpassed most people, he was facing an adult male lion. The difference in strength was still too great. ¡°Roar! Roar!¡± The lion roared twice and stood up to chomp fiercely. The cage was no more than 16 feet in diameter and no taller than ten feet. There was no way to escape. Bruce could only go all out. He jumped andnded on the ground. Taking advantage of the lion¡¯s pounce, he slid across under the lion¡¯s belly. The moment the lionnded, he flipped over and jumped onto the lion¡¯s back. Then, he raised his fist and smashed it fiercely at the lion¡¯s eyes. He was wearing a knuckle duster ring. This kind of ring was not for fashion, but an extremely offensive weapon. It could increase the severity of a person¡¯s attack by several times. ¡°Biff!¡± The fist hit the lion¡¯s eyeball. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The lion suffered immense pain and instantly bled. It became even angrier and wanted to turn around and bite. Bruce gripped the lion¡¯s mane tightly with one hand and punched the lion¡¯s eyes with the other. After a few heavy punches, the lion¡¯s eyeballs exploded. Its eyes were dripping with blood, and it seemed like there were two ferocious beasts fighting in the cage. It was a soul-stirring sight. ¡°Oh my god.¡± The onlookers were all stunned. It was no longer a matter of ten seconds. Instead, this foreigner had exceeded their expectations. It looked like the lion was going to lose. ¡°Oh my god.¡± ¡°Foreign martial arts is amazing.¡± ¡°Bang, bang¡± Bruce did not dare to rx. His fists rained down. The lion was in extreme pain. It rolled on the ground and roared, forcefully throwing Bruce off its back. ¡°Ah!¡± Bruce fell to the ground and was also confused. However, he did not dare to rx. He jumped up from the ground like a carp. His expression was even more ferocious and violent than the lion. The lion¡¯s eyes were blinded and it had lost its aggressiveness. It rolled on the ground and roared in pain. Seeing this, Prince Harman was instantly stunned. Joanna was so shocked that she broke out in cold sweat. She did not dare to open her eyes to look at this bloody scene. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. She originally thought that the lion would tear this man into pieces. However, when she heard everyone¡¯s exmations, she dared to open her What she sawpletely stunned her eyes. The man in the cage was covered in blood. His head and face were covered in blood, but he looked like a god of death who had walked out of hell. His appearance was clearly terrifying, but it made one¡¯s heart ache. Chapter 907 Chapter 907 Chapter 907 ¡°Damn it,¡± Prince Harman gritted his teeth and cursed. Not only was this man not torn to pieces, but he had also blinded his beloved pet lion. ¡°Prince, the White Lion¡¯s eye is injured.¡± ¡°Bang, bang.¡± Bruce grabbed the lion¡¯s mane again and began to punch. His fists were heavy to begin with. Coupled with the knuckle dusters, he caused even more damage. If he hit someone, he could kill them with one punch. Although the lion was a ferocious beast, after taking so many punches, even if it didn¡¯t die, it was almost crippled. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The lion¡¯s roar became weaker and weaker. Seeing that the lion hadpletely lost its aggressiveness, Bruce shook his aching hand and stood up. The onlookers were dumbfounded and speechless as they stared at this violent man who was even more ferocious than a lion. This foreigner¡­ actually crippled the lion! A few secondster, the onlookers could not help but apud. They were all convinced by this foreign man. ¡°Impressive. Such a warrior should be pardoned.¡± ¡°Thank you for your amazing performance.¡± The aristocrats didn¡¯t even know where Bruce came from. They all thought that he was a death row criminal or participating in a fight for money. Seeing this, Prince Harman sneered darkly. ¡°You¡¯re indeed quite capable.¡± ¡°Go get my grizzly bear.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s so exciting, let¡¯s watch another performance.¡± ¡°Huh??¡± When the aristocrats heard this, they looked at Prince Harman in shock. ording to past practice, if a prisoner was lucky enough to win against a wild beast, he would be pardoned immediately. Or, he would immediately cash in arge reward and no longer arrange for any more fights. Moreover, the grizzly bear that Prince Harman kept weighed more than 700 pounds. When it stood up, it was more than 6.6 feet tall. A paw from this bear could crush a person¡¯s head. Of course. This ck bear had never fought with humans before. Even lions and tigers were not its match. ¡°Hurry up and go.¡± ¡°Yes, Prince,¡± the servant replied and immediately went to the bear courtyard. Joanna could not take it anymore. She stood up and said, ¡°Harman, you can¡¯t do this.¡± When Prince Harman heard this, he looked at her with a gloomy expression. ¡°Hayley, are you challenging my authority again?¡± ¡°If you insist, then put me in the cage too.¡± When Prince Harman heard this, he looked at Joanna angrily. Joanna also red at him with a fierce aura. Her beautiful face was filled with murderous intent and anger. Prince Harman¡¯s actions were really too much. She threw caution to the wind. 1/3 11:30 She could not watch this man die. Although she couldn¡¯t remember what kind of entanglement she had with this man, she knew that this man must be an important man in her life. Harman¡¯s tone sank. ¡°Hayley, you¡¯re making me very angry.¡± Joanna retorted coldly, ¡°Your actions make me very angry too. ¡°This is an unfair fight. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sending people to their deaths by making a ferocious beast fight with them? This is not the behavior of a man, let alone a hero. ¡°Although you¡¯re a prince, you can¡¯t treat human lives like grass. You can¡¯t be so cruel and inhumane.¡± Prince Harman was so angry that his face turned ashen. He suddenly stood up. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said, you¡¯re an inhumane viin. I despise you. ¡°If you were a man, you should have fought him yourself instead of sending a wild beast to fight him,¡± Joanna swore at Prince Harman. When Prince Harman heard this, he was so furious that blood rushed to his head. This was the first time someone had pointed at his nose and cursed at him like this. The aristocrats sitting below the stage all looked over. ¡°Hayley, you will pay for what you said. From now on, I will cut off your supply of wonder drugs until you admit your mistake.¡± ¡°Hmph, at most, I¡¯ll die with him. I¡¯m not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of paying any price?¡± After saying that, Joanna lifted her skirt and wanted to walk down the viewing tform. She wanted to enter the iron cage and die-with this man. ¡°Stop right there. Where are you going?¡± Prince Harman was flustered and exasperated. He held Joanna¡¯s arm tightly. He had yet to obtain the body of this foreign beauty. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Therefore, of course, he could not bear to see her die. At the very least, he would only lose interest in her after he was tired of ying with her. ¡°Let go of me, you cruel, despicable, inhumane piece of trash. I despise you. You want me to marry you? Dream on.¡± When Prince Harman heard this, he took a few deep breaths. ¡°What? Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Hayley, I¡¯ll give you onest chance.¡± Joanna sneered and said disdainfully, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to give me a chance, you liar. ¡°I¡¯m not your fianc¨¦e at all, and I¡¯ve never been in love with you. Of course! I¡¯m not likely to fall in love with a man like you.¡± ¡°Someone, someone, bring her to her room immediately.¡± Prince Harman was furious. It seemed that if he wanted to win over this foreign beauty, he needed to hypnotize her again. ¡°Miss Hayley, pleasee with us¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Let go of me.¡± ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± Bruce was trapped in the iron bars. When he saw Joanna being dragged away, he became even more anxious. Chapter 908 Chapter 908 Chapter 908 ¡°Harman, you despicable viin. ¡°I don¡¯t love you at all, and I don¡¯t want to marry you. ¡°Hurry up and let me go. I¡¯m not your fianc¨¦e. This is your scheme. We¡¯ve never been in love.¡± Joanna pointed at Prince Harman angrily. ¡°Hurry up and let him go. You can¡¯t abuse your power and kill innocent people¡­¡± ¡°Joann, Joann, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Bruce kept hitting the iron cage, worried about Joanna¡¯s safety. When the surrounding aristocrats heard this, they began to discuss carefully. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Isn¡¯t she the fourth princess consort that the prince is going to marry?¡± ¡°This new princess seems to know this foreign man.¡± The aristocrats were dumbfounded and started watching themotion. Seeing this, Prince Harman roared angrily, ¡°Take her away immediately.¡± ¡°Miss Hayley, please follow us down.¡± A few servants went forward and dragged Joanna forcefully. Joanna struggled and resisted desperately. ¡°Let go of me. Let go of me.¡± It was a pity. She was surrounded by soldiers and bodyguards with guns. She had no strength to resist. Prince Harman took a deep breath and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind now. Shoot this assassin immediately.¡± ¡°Give me the gun. I¡¯ll shoot him myself.¡± The servant immediately handed him a gun. Prince Harman took the pistol and aimed it at Bruce. ¡°No, no, you can¡¯t kill him¡­¡± Seeing this, Joanna wentpletely crazy. Gathering all the strength in her body, she pushed away the servant beside her and charged toward Prince Harman. ¡°Bang!¡± The shot missed. The bullet hit the top of the iron cage. Joanna stood in front of Harman¡¯s gun and said indignantly, ¡°If you want to kill him, kill me first.¡± ¡°Hayley, my patience is limited. If you trigger me again, I will kill you as well,¡± Prince Harman roared angrily. He was so angry that his entire body was trembling. ¡°Alright, then kill me too.¡± Joanna refused to back down and looked at Harman aggressively. Prince Harman took a deep breath. ¡°Are you really not afraid of death?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die than marry a man like you.¡± ¡°Joann, Joann¡­ Harman, if you¡¯re angry,e at me. Don¡¯t bully a woman¡­¡± Bruce kept hitting the iron cage. If he was outside the iron cage now, he would really punch this despicable man to death. ¡°Harman, you bastard. You¡¯re really shameless to take someone else¡¯s wife. ¡°Just you wait. I won¡¯t let you off.¡± They were in the midst of arguing. ¡°How dare you scold me? I¡¯ll send you to God now.¡± Harman was furious. He pushed Joanna away forcefully, pointed his gun at Bruce, and pulled the trigger. Click! Before he could fire, the lights in the entire vi suddenly went out, and the entire vi was plunged into darkness. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is there a power outage?¡± ¡°Why is there a ckout? Hurry up and take a look at the power supply system,¡± Prince Harman roared angrily and could only temporarily put away his gun. ¡°Why did the power go out for no reason? Isn¡¯t there a backup power supply system?¡± ¡°Yeah, nothing like this has ever happened before.¡± Top-notch mansions all had backup power supply systems. Even if the normal power supply system suddenly went out, it would automatically switch to a backup power supply system. Therefore, there was never a power shortage. Now that the power had suddenly gone out, there could only be one possibility. Someone deliberately turned off the power switch, or someone hacked into the power system and forcefully turned off the power switch. There was amotion. Everyone took out their phones and turned on their shlights. ¡°What¡¯s going on? There is no signal on my phone.¡± ¡°Do you have a signal?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no signal for me either¡­¡± The aristocrats began to feel that it was strange. ¡°Roar! Roar! Roar¡­¡± The roars of ferocious beasts rose and fell. Due to the sudden power outage, the electric switch and control door were out of power. The animals that were kept also began to be active and ran out from behind the electrical fence. ¡°Oh God! A bear ran out!¡± ¡°Ahhh!There¡¯s a wolf¡­¡± The nobles instantly panicked. Prince Harman kept manyrge ferocious beasts, some of which were kept as pets. Therefore, they would not attack humans. However, there was also arge number that was specially used forbat. They were wild and extremely aggressive. ¡°Hurry up and leave! Be careful.¡± ¡°Help! What¡¯s going on?¡± The aristocrats fled from their seats and shouted for their bodyguards. Everyone present fell into chaos. ¡°Protect the prince.¡± ¡°Hayley, Hayley¡­¡± Prince Harman anxiously searched for Joanna. ¡°Prince, there are a few cars around the vi. The cars are filled with mercenaries. It seems that they are here to rescue this foreign man.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± ¡°What?¡± When Prince Harman heard this, he ignored Joanna and hurriedly followed the bodyguards to escape through the emergency passageway. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Hurry up and restore the power system. Mobilize the guards immediately.¡± Saumi Cradia was a permanently neutral country with a total poption of only 20 million. Therefore, the country did not have an army. There were only tens of thousands of Royal Guards, a small number of border guards, and police. ¡°Prince, bad news! Someone hacked into our power system and destroyed all the power systems nearby.¡± ¡°Not only is there no electricity here, there¡¯s no electricity in the surrounding areas as well.¡± ¡°Damn it. Hurry up and repair it,¡± Prince Harman said angrily as he walked. 2/3 11:30 Arge number of bodyguards and soldiers carried guns with them. Buzz, buzz, buzz¡­ Overhead, he heard the drone of a helicopter. A few helicopters were circling in the sky. Prince Harman looked at the helicopter in the sky and was even more shocked. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are there helicoptersing?¡± ¡°Hurry up and shoot down all these helicopters.¡± Because a hacker had hacked into the localwork and satellite systems, no one discovered anything abnormal, helicopters and cars surrounded the vi before anyone realized it. ¡°Boom!¡± ¡°Boom!¡± Two stray bullets rained down. The four corners of the vi were bombed and immediately became a mess. A few military jeeps roared into the vi. Dozens of mercenaries jumped out of the jeeps¡­. ¡°Oh no, mercenaries areing.¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The guards and mercenaries in the vi started shooting at each other. In the darkness, there was only the bright sh of gunpowder. ¡°Prince, retreat quickly.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Hayley?¡± ¡°Prince, leave quickly! If you don¡¯t leave now, it will be toote.¡± Joanna took advantage of the chaos and ran toward the iron cage. She wanted to release him as soon as possible. The white gown she was wearing was especially eye-catching in the dark. He could still see her running toward the cage even if there was just a little glimpse of light. Tap, tap, tap. A volley of bullets was fired. ¡°Joann, be careful, get down!¡± Bruce was anxious in the cage. He was afraid that Joanna would be hit by stray bullets. Chapter 909 Chapter 909 Chapter 909 Bang! Bang! Bang! Bullets exploded behind Joanna, sending shrapnel flying onto her. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed. She missed a step and rolled down the steps. Bruce shouted anxiously, ¡°Joann, get down! Get down!¡± Joanna almost fainted from the fall. The people who were squeezing past one another and fleeing almost stepped on her and injured her. Ignoring the pain in her body, she struggled to get up. She knew that if she did not release him as soon as possible, he would die. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce screamed with red eyes. Joanna stumbled and crawled until she finally arrived in front of the iron cage. The iron cage was locked from the outside. ¡°Click.¡± Joanna opened the bolt and pulled it open. The door of the iron cage finally opened. ¡°Joann!¡± Bruce was flustered and moved, like a trapped beast that had been released. He rushed out impatiently and hugged Joanna tightly, pushing her to the ground. Boom! Boom! Boom! The explosions in the vi continued, and bullets whizzed past their heads. Bruce hugged Joanna and rolled to a safer corner. ¡°Joann, Joann, are you alright?¡± Bruce hurriedly checked on Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What about you?¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes as she threw herself into his arms. Even though she no longer had any memories, she still knew that this man was her lover. Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°Ah!¡± Groups of guards rushed in with weapons in their hands. The ground was littered with corpses, and fallen guns could be seen everywhere. ¡°Joann, hide behind me!¡± Bruce panicked. He picked up a submachine gun that had fallen and fired at the guards. Joanna was scared silly. She covered her ears tightly and hid behind Bruce. The fight became fiercer and fiercer. Whir! Whir! Whir¡­ A helicopter circled overhead. Then, the hatch opened and a ropedder hung from the helicopter. ¡°Get on the ne.¡± ¡°Joann, hug me.¡± Bruce was not in the mood to fight, nor did he have time to think too much. He tightened his grip on Joanna¡¯s waist with one hand and grabbed the softdder attached to the helicopter with the other. The helicopter rose, and the two of them followed suit. ¡°Hurry up and shoot down the helicopter.¡± Prince Harman was exasperated. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Bullets were fired at the helicopter and Bruce. 1/3 11:31 Bruce nced around. At one end of the stairs, a hundred meters away, a dozen people were gathered in a group as if protecting the person in the middle. Presumably, Prince Harman was standing in the middle. Bruce had extremely good eyesight. He immediately spotted Prince Harman in the middle. Then, he held his gun and aimed at Prince Harman, firing a few shots. Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Prince Harman was shot in the shoulder and screamed in pain, ¡°Ahhh! Damn it!¡± ¡°Prince Harman! Prince Harman!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Just now, the bodyguards had asked Prince Harman to retreat, but Prince Harman was arrogant and refused to retreat. He wanted to bring Joanna with him, so he turned back and nned to join the battle himself. It was his bad luck to have run into Bruce. Prince Harman gasped and gritted his teeth. ¡°We can¡¯t let them leave Saumi Cradia alive.¡± The other helicopters and mercenaries began to cover them. Darcy and Carson also wore bulletproof vests and jumped down from the other helicopter. ¡°Mr. Everett, quickly retreat. We¡¯ll cover you.¡± ¡°Okay, be careful.¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! The bullets in Bruce¡¯s gun had been used up, so he didn¡¯t want to continue fighting. He casually threw away the empty gun, hugged Joanna¡¯s waist with one hand, and grabbed the helicopter¡¯sdder with the other to climb up. The door of the helicopter was already open. Cherron and Tom quickly reached out to pull him. ¡°Mr. Everett, be careful.¡± ¡°Pull Joann up first.¡± Cherron then pulled Joanna¡¯s arm and pulled her up. Then, he pulled Bruce up. After getting into the helicopter. Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief and looked up. In the driver¡¯s seat was Jaydon. Jaydon steered the helicopter under the cover of the mercenaries and others. It circled around and flew into the distance. Bruce frowned and looked at him in surprise. ¡°Jaydon, why is it you?¡± Jaydon snorted. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be me?¡± Bruce choked and looked at Jaydon in disbelief. This annoying dog actually knew how to fly a helicopter? Indeed, he never expected that Jaydon would be the one flying the helicopter. Bruce was so smart. Of course, he couldn¡¯te to Saumi Cradia with his bare hands. When he came to Saumi Cradia, he was already fully prepared. He had Darcy and Carson go to Central Africa and hire arge number of mercenaries at a high price. These mercenaries were well-equipped and strong. They also specialized in fighting for a living. Anyone could hire them, as long as they had money. However, he did not expect Jaydon toe too. Seeing the surprise in Bruce¡¯s eyes, Jaydon retorted angrily, ¡°Hmph, do you think you¡¯re the only one who 2/3 11:31 knows how to fly a helicopter?¡± Bruce took a deep breath and pursed his lips. Damn it! He had actually managed to flex. However, no matter what, Jaydoning was still beyond his expectations. ¡°Mr. Everett, thanks to Mr. Grimm¡¯s help, our rescue n went so smoothly.¡± ¡°Yeah! Thanks to Mr. Grimm hacking into their local power and satellite systems. He disabled all their network surveince, and our helicopters were able to evade radar surveince.¡± When Bruce heard this, he pursed his thin lips and felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. The person he hated and looked down on the most had actually helped him so much. This really made him feel ufortable. He didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± Jaydon had no time to bicker with Bruce. He adjusted his course and flew directly toward the embassy of Saumi Cradia. The only thing that could protect them now was the foreign embassy in Saumi Cradia. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joann¡¯s body went cold, and she couldn¡¯t help but twitch. Seeing this, Bruce immediately put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Cold sweat broke out on Joanna¡¯s forehead. Her drug addiction was about to kick in. Without the special medicine, she would really wish she was dead. ¡°Joann, just bear with it a little longer. We¡¯ll reach our destination soon.¡± Bruce held her shoulders tightly with a worried expression. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna gritted her teeth. Seeing this, Jaydon also became nervous. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Joann?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Jaydon, go faster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already the fastest. It¡¯s a helicopter, not a car.¡± Joanna gritted her teeth tightly and endured for another five minutes. However, she had developed a reliance on the wonder drugs, making her feel as if ants were biting her bone marrow. It was as if there were hundreds of cat ws scratching her internal organs. She felt terrible. She felt like she was better off dead. ¡°Ahh! I feel terrible, I feel terrible!¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body was trembling. ¡°Joann, Joann, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Ah, ah!¡± Joanna could no longer control herself. Her body trembled as she slid under the seat. ¡°Give me the medicine! Give me the medicine!¡± ¡°Joann, bear with it.¡± Chapter 910 Chapter 910 Chapter 910 ¡°What happened to Joann?¡± Jaydon asked worriedly. Bruce gritted his teeth and said, ¡°That damn Prince Hammer controlled Joann with drugs and made Joann addicted.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart clenched when he heard that. ¡°This damned scumbag¡­¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Now is not the time to talk about this. Let¡¯s leave Saumi Cradia quickly.¡± ¡°The helicopter¡¯s out of gas. We have to change to a car.¡± With that, Jaydon began to adjust the altitude of the helicopter. They had already made a careful n. The helicopter was an obvious target, so they could only change cars midway. A few minutester. Jaydon parked the ne on the ground, and another group of people immediately drove over. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Grimm, get in the car.¡± ¡°Joann, let¡¯s get off the helicopter.¡± Joanna was already trembling so much that she could not stand. She was drenched in sweat. ¡°Give me drugs, give me drugs.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce was heartbroken. He hugged Joanna tightly and forcefully carried her off the helicopter. ¡°I¡¯m not going back with you. I¡¯m not going back with you.¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Drugs¡­ Give me the drugs¡­ Harman, Harman¡­ Ah!¡± Joanna¡¯s drug addiction acted up to the extreme, and her entire mind became chaotic. Bruce looked on with a pained expression. His arms tightly held her in his embrace. ¡°Start the car!¡±. ¡°The soldiers will catch up soon.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The car sped away. Half an hourter. The car arrived at a checkpoint. There were already roadblocks on the road. ¡°It¡¯s them. Stop them.¡± Whoosh. The car crashed through the roadblock and sped over. ¡°Hurry up and chase after them. Don¡¯t let them escape.¡± Immediately, more than a dozen local police cars drove and gave chase. ¡°Hurry up and stop. If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll start shooting.¡± ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± Bullets were fired. The car sped all the way. Twenty minutester. The car finally arrived at the local embassy. ¡°We¡¯re here, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Get out of the car.¡± ¡°Joann,e and get off.¡± Bruce dragged Joanna and carried her down. Jaydon, Cherron, and the others stayed to cover them. A group of people hurried into the embassy. 1/2 11:31 The local police immediately followed. The embassy staff immediately stepped forward to stop them. ¡°This is the embassy of Ziviet. What are you doing?¡± ¡°A few terrorists just broke in. We¡¯re going in to arrest them.¡± The diplomat retorted with a serious expression, ¡°There are no terrorists here. There are only our countrymen. You have no right toe in and arrest them.¡± ¡°Now we need to protect ourpatriots. Even if theymit crimes, our country will punish them.¡± When the local police heard this, they did not dare to rashly go in and arrest them. After all, this was an embassy with the g of Ziviet on it. This meant that they represented Ziviet. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll wait at the door. I don¡¯t believe they won¡¯te out for the rest of their lives.¡± The diplomats no longer paid attention to him and continued with their work. Inside the embassy. Bruce gave his organization number to the diplomat. The diplomat said with a solemn expression, ¡°I will contact the domestic personnel as soon as possible to protect you and your return to the country.¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson called me just now. I already know the gist of the situation. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll go and negotiate with the local authorities immediately.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. This is what we should do.¡± ¡°No matter when or where, your country will always be your strongest backing.¡± Soon. After the embassy negotiated with the other side, Bruce and Joanna were safely sent back to the country. The attack on Prince Harman¡¯s vi could only be defined as a terrorist attack. The King of Saumi Cradia also knew what his son had done. He was even more ashamed to pursue the matter, so no media dared to report this matter. Under the suppression of the King of Saumi Cradia, this matter waspletely hidden. Prince Harman was seriously injured. After being sent to the hospital, he was immediately sent to the Chapter 911 Chapter 911 Chapter 911 In Greyport. It had been more than 20 days since Joanna disappeared. After safely returning to Greyport, Bruce felt as if it had been a lifetime ago. At Greyport Hospital. ¡°Yes, I want to die. Let me die. I don¡¯t want to live anymore. I¡¯m in too much pain.¡± Joanna was tied to the hospital bed and forced to relieve her drug addiction. Bruce¡¯s heart was about to break. ¡°Joann, be strong. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be able to pull through. The doctor said that as long as you can survive for three weeks, you can basically quit¡­¡± ¡°Give me the drugs. Give me the drugs. Ah¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s drug addiction acted up and she lost control like a lunatic. ¡°ng! ng! ng!¡± The bed shook. The feeling when the drug addiction was acting up was really unbearable. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be like this, don¡¯t be like this.¡± Bruce stayed by her side. Joanna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and her throat was hoarse. ¡°Let me die. Please let me die!¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± ¡°I hate you! I hate you! You¡¯re a demon! Help¡­ Help me! I want medicine¡­¡± Joanna screamed crazily. Her tied hands and feet were already bleeding. ¡°ng! ng! ng!¡± Joanna kept hitting the head of the bed with the back of her head. She really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t do this. I¡¯m begging you!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached so much that it was about to split open. Seeing her in so much pain, he really couldn¡¯t bear to continue watching. ¡°Boohoo¡­ I¡¯m begging you. Please do me a favor! ¡°I feel terrible. I want to die. I want to die!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. Her pupils were completely red, as if blood had seeped through. Bruce couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Joann. Okay, I¡¯ll get someone to get you some drugs now. Bear with it for a while longer.¡± This kind of drug was also avable in the country. However, it was not allowed to be used in other ways. It was only allowed for terminally-ill cancer patients. This was because when cancer patients reached the point of death, many of them would be in so much pain that they would wish they were dead. Ordinary medicine did not have any effect at all. It could be used to ease the patient¡¯s pain. However, the effects of the medicine in the country were rtively weak. It was not as effective as the wonder drugs made by Prince Harman. Of course! The stronger the effect, the more illegal drugs would be added, and the greater the damage to the immunity of the human body. ¡°Doctor, inject that wonder drug into Joann immediately.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, this¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and go. Can¡¯t you hear me?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were red. 1/2 11:49 ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The doctor did not dare to refute this and quickly injected a dose of drugs into Joanna. With the injection of the drugs, Joanna gradually calmed down. Although the effect of the medicine was not that strong, it had already eased her difort. Coincidentally, Jaydon came to the hospital to visit Joanna. After learning that Bruce had asked the doctor to give Joanna medicine, he went crazy. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy? That drug is prohibited, and you still want to give it to Joann?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. When Bruce heard this, his face was filled with pain. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Seeing Joanna in so much pain, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He really didn¡¯t want to see her in so much pain. ¡°I am filthy rich. Even if I have to support Joann for the rest of my life, I can still afford it.¡± ¡°Bruce, are you crazy too? ¡°It¡¯s true that you can afford it. However, that medicine is harmful to the body. If Joann uses it long-term, there will be huge side effects. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see those people at the rehabilitation center?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Bruce hesitated. Jaydon continued, ¡°What we need to do now is who¡¯s going to help Joann get rid of drug dependence. ¡°Now, you can only be ruthless and help her stay clean. Otherwise, it will only harm her even more.¡± Hearing this, Bruce sobered up a little. Chapter 912 Chapter 912 Chapter 912 ¡°Even if you can afford it, have you ever thought about your children? ¡°What will happen if the children see their mother be such a drug addict? ¡°What will others think of Joann? Have you thought about these questions?¡± Jaydon grabbed Bruce¡¯s cor and said angrily. Those involved were blinded, and those who weren¡¯t could see clearly. After all, there was ayer separating Jaydon and Joanna. Bruce was exhausted during this period of time and temporarily lost the ability to think. ¡°If you really love Joann, you should let her recover. You shouldn¡¯t indulge her and watch her fall into hell.¡± Bruce was dejected and closed his eyes. He really had no choice. Seeing Joanna in such pain was more despairing than killing him. ¡°Joann has already resisted for a few days, and now you¡¯re injecting her with drugs. The week that she had pushed through was in vain, and she has to start from scratch again. ¡°She¡¯s going to be more miserable than she was before, you know?¡± Bruce¡¯s chest tightened. His heart ached so much that he could barely breathe. ¡°Stop talking. Stop talking.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to see Joann in so much pain.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were terrifyingly red, as if he had severe conjunctivitis. He had lost his rationality and limits because of his love for Joanna. Without Joanna, he would not be able to live. As long as she could live well, he didn¡¯t mind giving her wonder drugs for the rest of his life. Anyway, he had plenty of money and could provide for her indefinitely. As long as she was fine, he was really willing to risk everything. Although Jaydon also loved Joanna very much, they had never had any physical contact with each other and had no children. Rtively speaking, his feelings for Joanna would not be as strong and crazy as Bruce¡¯s. He could naturally look at the problem more calmly and rationally. ¡°Bruce, the most important person in whether Joann manages to ovee her drug addiction is not her. It¡¯s you. ¡°This is not the time to be soft-hearted. Your soft-heartedness will harm her. Do you know that?¡± Jaydon grabbed Bruce¡¯s cor and shook him crazily. They had fought so many times. He knew about Bruce¡¯s personality, more or less. He was worried that Bruce would be soft-hearted. He knew how crazy Bruce was. It was very likely that he could not bear to see Joanna suffer and give up on her oveing her drug addiction. With his wealth and power, it was a piece of cake for him to provide for her. Many heirs of wealthy families and celebrities were tainted with contraband. Some of them had been using it their entire lives and had never thought of quitting. 1/3 11:49 Anyway, they had money and didn¡¯t care about this at all. However, as Joanna¡¯s best friend, he could not watch Joanna walk into the abyss. ¡°Stop talking. Get out.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart was in a mess. His brain was fighting fiercely. ¡°Bruce, you have to remember that you have to be ruthless now. ¡°If you don¡¯t be ruthless now, you will only harm Joann and even the children.¡± Bruce sat weakly at the head of the bed. Looking at Joanna¡¯s haggard and pale face, his heart ached so much that he could not help but cry. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything else. I know what to do.¡± ¡°Bruce, you have to be strong too. ¡°Joann will definitely be able to get through this. We have to help her.¡± Bruce¡¯s scarlet eyelids sank as he said coldly, ¡°I know. I don¡¯t need you to keep reminding me. ¡°Hurry up and leave! Don¡¯t loiter in front of me.¡± Bruce was extremely annoyed and only wanted peace. If not for Jaydon¡¯s help this time, he would have punched him in the head. ¡°You¡¯re on your own. I¡¯lle back tomorrow to see Joann,¡± Jaydon said as he helplessly took a deep breath and left resentfully. After Jaydon left, Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand in despair and said with heartache, ¡°Joann, we will definitely be able to get through this. ¡°I will always be by your side, giving you courage, giving you love. ¡°You have to be strong too. As long as you canst three weeks, you can go back to how you were before.¡± Joannay in a daze, not feeling anything. It had been almost a week since she returned from Saumi Cradia. For the past week, without the drugs, she had been living a life worse than death every moment. She had suffered the pain of her drug addiction acting up. An hourter, Joanna moved slightly, her long eyshes trembling slightly. Bruce had been guarding the bedside. Seeing that she was awake, he immediately asked gently, ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna opened her eyes weakly and looked at Bruce nkly. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°This is a hospital.¡± Bruce frowned. His handsome face was filled with tenderness as his big hand gently stroked the hair at her temples. It had been a few days since she took a shower. The sweat stuck her soft hair to her face. She was like a kitten that had just been weaned. She was so weak that it was heartbreaking. ¡°Hospital?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Greyport Hospital. It¡¯s also our hospital.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes were filled with confusion. She could not remember anything. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then who am I?¡± ¡°Silly, you¡¯re my wife. I¡¯m your husband.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered as she stared nkly at Bruce. Although she believed that he was the most important man in her life, after what happened between Prince Harman and her, she still had lingering fears. ¡°Joann, do you remember everything that happened in the past?¡± Joanna shook her head sadly. Bruce then took out his phone and opened the photos of their everyday life. He showed it to Joanna one 2/3 11:49 by one and patiently introduced the members of their family to her. ¡°Look, these are our four children. ¡°This is Davian Haynes, this is Irvin Haynes, this is our daughter, and this is our youngest child. ¡°I¡¯m your husband.¡± Joanna did not have any strength in her arms. She could only try her best to crane her neck to take a few more nces. ¡°Your¡­ our kids are so cute. ¡°Where are they now?¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, and Devin are all at home. ¡°Lilia is now in Gaprington.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she asked weakly, ¡°Then when can I see them?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Now was probably not the time for the children to meet her. If her drug addiction acted up, it would scare the children. He did not want the children to see this side of their mommy either. ¡°Be good. When you¡¯ve sessfully quit your drug addiction and recovered, I¡¯ll get the children to meet you. Now is not the time to meet. ¡°And our daughter, she¡¯s undergoing corrective surgery in Gaprington. I called the hospital there yesterday. The doctor said that she¡¯s recovering very well. ¡°In half a year, Lilia¡¯s leg will be back to normal.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was expressionless and only sighed slightly. She believed he was telling the truth. Although she couldn¡¯t remember, the connection between mother and child still existed. Chapter 913 Chapter 913 Chapter 913 The moment she saw the photo of her children, her heart softened. That must be her child. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have such telepathy. ¡°Joann, you haven¡¯t eaten in days. Would you like something to eat?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Bruce opened the thermos box and scooped out a bowl of oatmeal. ¡°Come, open your mouth. This is your favorite oatmeal.¡± ¡°Can you let me go? I feel terrible like this.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she looked at Bruce weakly. Ever since she returned to the country, she had been tied up. She was constantly being devoured and tortured by her drug addiction. Now that Bruce had gotten someone to inject her with wonder drugs, she felt a little better. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to lie down forever.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be good.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart felt like it was being torn apart by something. It was painful and ufortable. 7 If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he wanted to help her stop her drug addiction, How could he bear to tie her up like this? Looking at her weak and helpless gaze, Bruce could not bear to be hard on her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you go now.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Bruce undid the restraints on her body. Anyway, she was very weak, and he had the ability topletely control her. ¡°Come, open your mouth.¡± Bruce picked up the bowl and carefully scooped a spoonful of oatmeal. He blew on it and brought it to her mouth. Joanna moved her wrist and obediently opened her mouth to eat the oatmeal that he fed. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Joanna nodded. The memories associated with taste would never disappear. It had been a long time since she had eaten something so delicious. ¡°Eat more if you like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you cook your favorite dishes every day. We have to increase your nutrition bit by bit.¡±¡® Bruce gently and patiently fed her spoon by spoon. Joanna was a little uneasy. After eating half a bowl, she started to lose her appetite. She started to feel anxious again. The feeling of ants biting her bone marrow was about toe back. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to eat anymore¡­¡± ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna helplessly and worriedly. There were fewer ingredients added to the wonder drug in the country, and its effects were rtively weak. Although a dose has just been injected, it could notst long. Now, she was about to re up again. 1/3 11:49 Bruce hurriedly put down the bowl and hugged her shoulders to cheer her up. ¡°Joann, you have to be strong and give yourself faith. ¡°You have to believe in yourself. You¡¯ll definitely quit your drug addiction. ¡°For me, for our children. And for yourself. You must persevere.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna let out a cold gasp as her entire body convulsed. ¡°I¡­ I feel so ufortable. I¡¯m so cold!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hug you. No matter how difficult it is, I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± Bruce quickly hugged her to prevent her from hurting herself uncontrobly when her drug addiction acted up. Joanna¡¯s entire body trembled. Her drug addiction could not help but re up again. ¡°Ah! I can¡¯t take it anymore. I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be like this. You¡¯ll definitely be able to hold on.¡± Joanna struggled in pain. ¡°Let go of me. Let go of me. I¡¯m going to find the drug.¡± ¡°Joann, if you don¡¯t quit the drug, your life will be ruined.¡± Bruce¡¯s arm tightened. Joanna could not break free and gasped. Like a child who had been wronged, she looked at Bruce with teary eyes. ¡°You said you¡¯re my husband, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your husband.¡± ¡°Then do you love me?¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Bruce¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Silly, if I didn¡¯t love you, I wouldn¡¯t have gone to look for you at all costs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t protect you well.¡± ¡°When you recover, I¡¯ll hand thepany over to a professional custodianpany. I¡¯ll be by your every day and won¡¯t leave you for even a single step.¡± side Joanna burst into tears. ¡°If you really love me, can you give me the drug? I¡¯m begging you. I really feel terrible. I really can¡¯t take it anymore¡­¡± Seeing her like this, Bruce held his breath and tears flowed down his face. His heart ached so much that it felt like it was about to split open. He really couldn¡¯t bear to see her like this. Joanna shook him with tears streaming down her face. ¡°I know you have the drug. Can you give it to me? If you love me, don¡¯t make me feel so ufortable.¡± ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll hate you.¡± Tears rolled down Bruce¡¯s face as he said in a trembling voice, ¡°Joann, your mind isn¡¯t clear now. ¡°I can¡¯t let it harm you. Be good. Be strong.¡± ¡°No, I just need the drug now. ¡°As long as you give it to me, I¡¯m your woman. If you don¡¯t give it to me, I¡¯ll go to Harman.¡± Joanna was controlled by the drug. She had already lost her rationality and did not know what she was talking about. At this moment, she only wanted the wonder drugs. She didn¡¯t want anything but wonder drugs. In front of her addiction. Kinship, love, friendship, money, and health would turn into nothingness. Therefore, some drugs were untouchable. Once someone touched it, they would lose everything. They would beplete ves of the drug andpletely lose themselves. ¡°Joann, I know you¡¯re not thinking straight right now. ¡°So, no matter what you say, I won¡¯t take it to heart. 2/3 11:49 ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you get well again.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Get lost¡­ Get lost¡­ I don¡¯t want to be healthy. I don¡¯t want anything. I only want the drugs. ¡°I¡¯ll be with whoever gives me the drugs. ¡°If you don¡¯t give it to me, let me go,¡± Joanna screamed hysterically. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m going back to Saumi Cradia.¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Ah, help!¡± Bruce held her tightly in his arms and let her scream and struggle. She bit him like a lunatic. His hand was like a pair of steel pincers that refused to let go. Joanna¡¯s shout startled the doctor. Looking at the scene in front of him, the doctor was also shocked. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­ ¡°Mrs. Everett won¡¯t be able to make it if she holds on like this. ¡°Now inject her with a tranquilizer.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, the doctor injected Joanna with another tranquilizer. Chapter 914 Chapter 914 Chapter 914 With the injection of the tranquilizer drugs, Joanna¡¯s body went limp and she quickly fell asleep. Bruce¡¯s arm, chest, and even neck were bitten by Joanna. He had a few bruises. He was also seriously injured and needed to convalesce. However, in order to protect Joanna, he forced himself to stay by her side. ¡°Mr. Everett, your wound has split open. I¡¯ll quickly treat it.¡± Bruce nodded slightly. The doctor quickly went forward to treat his wound. His chest and arms had been stitched up more than a dozen times, and now they had all burst open. The doctor had no choice but to help him reduce the inmmation, apply medicine, and treat him again. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett can¡¯t go on like this. ¡°After all, the hospital isn¡¯t a drug rehabilitation center. It¡¯s better to send Mrs. Everett to a specialized drug rehabilitation center¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression turned extremely terrifying. Specialized drug rehabilitation centers would not be as gentle as the outside world. If she went in, she would probably be worse off than dead. He would not bear to send her there to force her to quit taking drugs. Moreover, if it spread, it would not be good for her reputation. Looking at Mr. Everett¡¯s terrifying and gloomy expression, the doctor quickly swallowed his words. ¡°Mr. Everett. I mean, we can¡¯t keep injecting Mrs. Everett with tranquilizers. ¡°Her immune system will be destroyed if too many of it is injected.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened and he appeared gloomy. Of course, he knew that he could not use too much of the tranquilizer. However, in this situation, it was better to give her tranquilizers than to give her that kind of drug. After pondering for a while, Bruce frowned and asked, ¡°Doctor, is there any way to treat Joann¡¯s symptoms of amnesia?¡± If she regained her memories and thought of the past and the children, her conviction might be much stronger. He had to think of a way to let her regain her memories first. The doctor¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve already checked Mrs. Everett¡¯s brain repeatedly. ¡°Her brain is not injured, and there are no blood clots pressing down on her nerves. ¡°Logically speaking, Mrs. Everett shouldn¡¯t have lost her memory.¡± Bruce looked impatient. ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t she remember anything? ¡°Or do you suspect that Joann is pretending to have amnesia?¡± ¡°No, no, I-I didn¡¯t mean that. ¡°What I mean is that the cause of Mrs. Everett¡¯s amnesia is still unclear for the time being. She might have suffered some stimtion that caused her memory to be messed up,¡± the attending doctor exined nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t give me this ambiguous nonsense. I want to know now, what exactly caused the amnesia? ¡°Is there any way to recover as soon as possible?¡± Bruce could not help but ask. Seeing that Mr. Everett was angry, the doctors looked at each other, their hearts in their throats. Bruce was even angrier. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. Are you all mute? ¡°All of you im to be experts. Can¡¯t you even solve such a small problem?¡± 1/2 11:30 A young doctor nervously pushed up his sses and stuttered, ¡°Uh, Mr. Everett, is there a possibility that Mrs. Everett was hypnotized? ¡°Because, medically, we can¡¯t find the cause of the amnesia. It¡¯s a little like the symptoms of hypnosis¡­¡± ¡°Hypnosis?¡± Bruce frowned. When the other doctors heard this, it was as if they had met their savior. They quickly agreed. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s really possible that Mrs. Everett was hypnotized. ¡°From the CT scan of the brain, Mrs. Everett¡¯s cerebral nerves are normal.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened, and his expression became even gloomier. Previously, he had almost been hypnotized by Aria and almost had sex with her. This Prince Harman might very well hypnotize Joanna. ¡°Then how can we remove her hypnosis?¡± Bruce asked anxiously. The attending physician and assistant attending physician looked at each other. ¡°This might require an expert professional psychologist. ¡°Our hospital doesn¡¯t have a psychologist of this level for the time being. Every psychologist specializes in different things. It¡¯s best to find a psychologist who can hypnotize Mrs. Everett to remove her hypnosis.¡± When Bruce heard this, he became even more anxious. The person who hypnotized Joanna was Prince Harman. It was impossible for him to fly to Saumi Cradia to find someone now, right? ¡°Forget it. Go find all the best psychologists in Greyport first. ¡°No matter what, we have to recover Joann¡¯s memory as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± the doctors answered obediently and quickly turned around to leave. After the doctors left, Bruce let out two heavy breaths in mncholy. He was in a state of anxiety and frustration. He looked at the scarred and lifeless Joanna on the hospital bed. He was in so much pain that he wanted to die. He, Bruce Everett, was rich and powerful. He had billion-dor assets and he was also the top talent of the National Defense Bureau. There was nothing he couldn¡¯t do. If anyone married him, he would pamper her till she became the happiest woman on earth. But the reality was¡­ This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. He couldn¡¯t even protect his wife well, causing her to suffer so much. She had almost lost her life several times. He really felt like a failure. Chapter 915 Chapter 915 Chapter 915 Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m a failure. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that I could give you happiness. Now I realize that I¡¯m the cause of all your cmities. ¡°From now on, I won¡¯t leave you, even for half a step. I won¡¯t let you get hurt again. ¡°You have to be strong too. Get rid of your drug addiction and recover as soon as possible¡­¡± Beep, beep, beep. The phone rang. Over the past few days, Davian and Irvin had already called him many times. He was not in the mood to answer the call. Today, he picked up the little guys¡¯ call for the first time. ¡°Hey!¡± Davian¡¯s excited voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Daddy, are you back at Greyport already?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce suppressed the pain in his heart and tried to sound as calm as possible. Davian asked impatiently, ¡°Where are you now? Why aren¡¯t you going home? We¡¯re very worried about you.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Daddy¡­ has something to do now. I might not be able to go home for a while.¡± ¡°Daddy, did you find Mommy?¡± ¡°We miss Mommy very much. Where did Mommy go?¡± Irvin asked anxiously. ¡°Daddy has already found Mommy. Don¡¯t worry.¡± When the two little guys heard this, their frightened mood instantly turned into surprise. ¡°Daddy, is it true? Is Mommy really back?¡± Hearing the children¡¯s ecstatic voices, Bruce felt even worse. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Where is Mommy now? We miss her so much, and we miss Daddy too.¡± ¡°Mommy is¡­¡± Bruce held Joanna¡¯s soft hand tightly. His eyes were sore, and he could not help but choke. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong? Are you crying?¡± ¡°No!¡± The two little guys immediately became nervous again and asked carefully, ¡°Daddy, tell us the truth. Did something happen to Mommy?¡± In their eyes, Daddy was an omnipotent superhero. Something that could make Daddy cry must be very tragic. They were extremely worried and thought that¡­ their mommy was dead. Otherwise, Daddy would not have cried. Bruce calmed himself down and suppressed his sadness. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to worry. Mommy will go back soon.¡± ¡°We want to talk to Mommy now. We want to see Mommy and confirm it¡¯s her.¡± ¡°Mommy is sleeping now. It¡¯s not convenient for her to talk to you.¡± ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t lie to us. We want to know the truth.¡± Irvin also rushed to answer, ¡°That¡¯s right. Men don¡¯t lie to men. I hope Daddy can tell us the truth. We can bear it.¡± ¡°Mommy is really fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± 1/3 11:50 ¡°Daddy, please, let us see Mommy! I haven¡¯t seen Mommy for so long. I¡¯m really worried.¡± ¡°Boohoo, where are you and Mommy? Do you not want us anymore?¡± The two little guys could not help but cry. ¡°Silly children, why wouldn¡¯t Daddy want you?¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ Daddy, Devin is sick. He cries at home every day and no one can coax him. He must miss you and Mommy too. Come back and see us quickly.¡± ¡°We¡¯re about to be wild children without parents. Boohoo¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt indescribably upset and cried with the children. In the past, he was the kind of man who would never cry. Now, he was bing more and more emotional. The number of times he cried this year was many times more than the number of times he cried in the past. ¡°Daddy, just let us take a look so that we can be at ease.¡± ¡°Silly children, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want the children to be so worried, so he hung up and made a video call. Then, he aimed the camera at Joanna¡¯s face. ¡°Look, Mommy is fine!¡± The two little guys¡¯ eyes were filled with tears. ¡°Daddy, what happened to Mommy?¡± ¡°Mommy¡­ is sick. She¡¯s being treated in the hospital now. When Mommy recovers, she can go see you guys.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mommy?¡± ¡°Alright, stop asking questions. Now that I¡¯ve shown you your mommy, you can rest assured. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna murmured and woke up groggily. ¡°Mommy, Mommy!¡± Davian and Irvin shouted excitedly at their mommy in the video. Joanna blinked, her face nk. She was unmoved by the children¡¯s calls. The tranquilizer drugs that the doctor injected into her should have been enough for her to sleep for four hours. However, her drug addiction was acting up, and she woke up in less than an hour. ¡°Cough, cough. Uh, it¡¯s so cold¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s body twitched. She felt extremely ufortable. ¡°Joann.¡± Joanna trembled for a few seconds before suddenly screaming like a lunatic, ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her heart felt like a cat was wing at it. It made her wish she was dead. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Davian and Irvin were stunned. They had never seen their mommy act like a lunatic. Seeing this, Bruce hurriedly turned off his phone. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Why did you tie me up again?¡± ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me!¡± Joanna struggled with her limbs, shaking the hospital bed. Bruce quickly went forward tofort her. ¡°Joann, calm down.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t calm down. Untie me quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯m begging you. I really feel terrible.¡± Joanna cried at him. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart broke again. 2/3 11:50 ¡°I¡¯ll untie you. Don¡¯t run around, okay?¡± When Joanna heard this, she hurriedly nodded crazily. ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t run around. I guarantee that I¡¯ll be very obedient.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached, but he still let go of her. As soon as the restraints were undone, Joanna rushed to the door of the ward barefooted like a frightened rabbit. She really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If she didn¡¯t have the wonder drugs, she would rather jump off a building and die. Seeing this, Bruce was shocked and rushed forward to grab her. Then, he locked her tightly in his arms. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Let me go. Let me go.¡± Joanna was already as thin as a skeleton. Her face was so pale that it was almost transparent. Her big eyes were empty and confused. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m cold. I feel terrible.¡± ¡°I know. I know you feel terrible. Seeing you like this makes me feel worse than you do.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t break free. She also knew that she couldn¡¯t resist. She immediately showed weakness to him and revealed an extremely obedient and weak expression. ¡°Hubby, you love me, right?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll always love you. I¡¯ll love you forever. I¡¯ll only love you for the rest of my life.¡± Bruce rubbed her sweaty hair. His heart ached. Joanna raised her head and looked at him. Her big eyes were filled with pity and plea. ¡°Hubby, if you love me, give me the drugs. Alright?¡± Chapter 916 Chapter 916 Chapter 916 ¡°I¡¯ll only use one, I swear. Just one.¡± ¡°Joann, no.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t love me at all. You lied to me. If you loved me, you wouldn¡¯t be willing to see me suffer like this.¡± The more Joanna spoke, the more miserable and pitiful she became. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him with an extremely pitiful and helpless gaze. People who were addicted to drugs would really do anything to obtain the drugs. They would use all the excuses and means at their disposal to achieve their goals. They wouldpletely lose their personality and degenerate without any limits. Joanna was unconscious. But she knew that the man in front of her loved her very much. Moreover, he had the final say here. Everyone had to listen to him. As long as she begged him pitifully, he would definitely give in. As long as he was soft-hearted, she would have wonder drugs. ¡°Honey, I love you too.¡± ¡°I know you love me. Can you bear to see me live a life worse than death? Please, please, please.¡± Joanna hugged his waist with one small hand and looked up pitifully. She grabbed the shirt in front of his chest with one hand and shook it helplessly and pitifully. Bruce¡¯s heart was about to break when he saw her like this. ¡°Joann, I really can¡¯t. ¡°If I give you medicine, you¡¯ll be even more addicted. It¡¯ll be even more difficult for you to quit in the future. ¡°Make up your mind now. As long as you you can basically quit the drug addiction.¡± can hold on for three weeks, ¡°No, no¡­ Hubby, I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯m begging you. Please be kind and 11:27 take pity on me, okay?¡± Joanna said as her small hand gently shook his shirt. She even rubbed her head against his chest like a cat. ¡°I really only want one, just one, okay? ¡°I know you want me to be clean. I know you¡¯re doing it for my own good. All I want is for you to give me another one. I promise it¡¯ll be thest. ¡°I promise to be obedient in the future and cooperate with drug rehabilitation.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce closed his eyes in pain. ¡°Boohoo, Hubby, I really feel terrible.¡± Joanna buried herself in his arms and cried bitterly. Large warm tears soaked his shirt. She cried for ten minutes. Bruce could not help but feel soft-hearted again. He held her face with heartbreak. ¡°Stop crying. Stop crying.¡± ¡°Hubby, can you promise me?¡± Joanna looked at him pitifully with tears in her eyes. How could Bruce¡¯s heart not soften? Anyone would be soft-hearted. ¡°Alright, just one.¡± ¡°After using this one, you have to make up your mind to quit taking drugs, okay?¡± When Joanna heard this, she hurriedly nodded. ¡°Yes, alright. I promise I¡¯ll only use it this once.¡± Bruce hid his tears and pressed the call button. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Two minutester. The doctor rushed over. ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Inject another dose of the wonder drug into Joann immediately.¡± When the doctor heard this, he looked at Bruce in shock. ¡°Go. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± 11:271 Soon, the doctor brought over a dose of the wonder drug. Joanna panted heavily as she looked at the wonder drug greedily. As the dose was injected, Joanna took a few minutes to calm down. The unbearable torture all over her body also subsided. Bruce looked at her bitterly. ¡°Joann, this is thest time. You can¡¯t use it again.¡± Joanna gradually calmed down, and her brain became surprisingly clear. After waking up, she hated herself so much. ¡°I¡­ I think I¡¯m hopeless,¡± Joanna muttered to herself and closed her eyes in despair. Bruce pulled her into his arms andforted her gently. ¡°No, I¡¯ll definitely think of a way to help you quit. Joann, you have to be strong too.¡± Joanna cried and weakly leaned into Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°I hate myself so much. How did I be like this? ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever -recover.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Don¡¯t me yourself. You can¡¯t me yourself for this. Everything will be fine.¡± Bruce held back his tears and kept encouraging her. If it was that easy to get rid of drug addiction, the country would not strictly prohibit such drugs. So many people would not walk the path of no return. At night, Jaydon came to the hospital to visit Joanna again. Looking at Joanna¡¯s calm expression, Jaydon knew that Bruce must have given her wonder drugs again. ¡°Bruce, did you give Joann the drugs again?¡± Jaydon was furious. Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and just sat there in a daze. ¡°Bruce, do you know? The person who¡¯s really being tested isn¡¯t Joann, but you. ¡°If you indulge her like this, you¡¯ll harm her.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and stood up abruptly. ¡°What do you want me to do? ¡°Joann is in so much pain that anyone would feel sorry for her. So what if she can¡¯t quit? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have money to support her.¡± Jaydon was silent for a few seconds. ¡°Bruce, your thoughts are terrifying. Are you willing to believe me?¡± Chapter 917 Chapter 917 Chapter 917 ¡°I hope you can trust me this once. Let me help Joann quit. ¡°Don¡¯te to the hospital for the next three weeks. Don¡¯t see her either. Leave her to mepletely.¡± Bruce was silent. His eyes were a little unfocused and dull. He could not listen to Jaydon¡¯s persuasion at all. ¡°We all have the same goal. We hope that Joann can recover soon. ¡°You¡¯re too irrational now, and it¡¯s too easy for you to be soft on Joann. You might as well stay away from her and leave the rehabilitation to me.¡± Bruce came back to his senses. He slowly raised his head and stared at Jaydon with an unfriendly gaze. Jaydon¡¯s heart tightened. He quickly exined, ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. I just want to help Joann quit her drug addiction. ¡°I¡¯m more rational and sober than you are now. It¡¯s more appropriate for me to help Joann.¡± Bruce pursed his thin lips and stood up resentfully. ¡°Jaydon, did I hear wrongly? ¡°You¡¯re here to help my wife. Did you take the wrong medicine?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and looked at Bruce helplessly. ¡°Bruce, can your thoughts be healthier? ¡°I¡¯m good friends with Joann. I can¡¯t bear to see her like this. You don¡¯t have to worry about me having other thoughts about Joann. As long as Joann can be happy, I¡¯m willing to do anything for her.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up. Are you asking for a beating?¡± Bruce¡¯s anger was instantly 15 He raised his arm and wanted to grab Jaydon¡¯s cor. This bastard actually dared to plot against Joanna. His jealousy was ignited again. Jaydon subconsciously took a step back and said, ¡°Bruce, can you calm down a little? Can you put our personal grudges aside for now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help here. Get lost quickly and don¡¯t let me see you again.¡± Bruce was furious and his face turned green. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re going to get Joann killed. ¡°Your current soft-heartedness and heartlessness will serious ?? caus 11:27 consequences. ¡°I just hope you can trust me this once. I promise I won¡¯t have any unhealthy thoughts about Joann. ¡°I just want to help her get over her drug addiction. I just want to see her restored to her former health.¡± Jaydon paused and sighed again. ¡°You¡­ love Joann too much. When she cries, your heart softens. How can you help her quit her drug addiction like this? ¡°If you allow her to use wonder drugs repeatedly like this, it will cause a lot of damage to her body. She will never be able to quit. Then her life will bepletely ruined. ¡°Do you really want to see Joann be a drug addict? Do you really want the children to have a drug-addict mother? ¡°Have you ever considered that they¡¯re children? Aren¡¯t you afraid that they¡¯ll follow suit?¡± When Bruce heard this, the anger in his eyes dimmed, and his raised fist weakly lowered. That was indeed the case. Bruce¡¯s love was crazy and zing. He could not see Joanna suffering. This was like a mother who doted on her child very much. When she saw her child screaming from hunger, she could not bear to starve him all the time and would secretly feed him some unhealthy junk food. In any case, he wouldn¡¯t die from eating it. At most, his health would suffer. ¡°Don¡¯t continue¡­¡± Jaydon saw that Bruce¡¯s expression was a little shaken and immediately said reasonably, ¡°Bruce, can you not be so stubborn? Now is not the time to be calctive about personal grudges. ¡°Would a sessful man like you still be afraid that I¡¯ll pry Joann away?¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at Jaydon with some hatred. That was true. Jaydon was really his biggest love rival. If he still dared to have any thoughts about Joanna, Bruce would really tear him apart. Jaydon looked at him sincerely. ¡°Bruce, believe me this once. ¡°Give me three weeks, and I¡¯ll seed in getting Joann off the drugs. ¡°If I can¡¯t do it in three weeks, I¡¯ll continue to let you help her. Is that alright?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes again. He was a little hesitant. He was indeed too soft-hearted. His heart melted when he saw her miserable and crying pitifully. Of course, he was not a man who was easily soft-hearted. He just could not be ruthless to Joanna and his children. ¡°Just trust me this once! ¡°I don¡¯t have any ill intentions. I really just want to help Joann. I really don¡¯t want to see Joann be like this.¡± As Jaydon spoke, a trace of sadness and pain appeared in his eyes. Joanna was the woman he had protected for half his life. Even though he knew that their paths would never cross again in this lifetime, his heart still couldn¡¯t help but love her. However, his love was forbearance and fulfillment. He would not be like Bruce, who had such a strong desire to control and possess. Bruce touched the tip of his nose resentfully and said weakly, ¡°Jaydon, I¡­ will believe you this time. ¡°But I¡¯m warning you, if you dare to do anything bad, you know what kind of personality I have!¡±. Without waiting for Bruce, Jaydon curled his lips and said angrily, ¡°Bruce Everett, I have principles. ¡°I told you, Joann is my best friend. Since I¡¯ve decided to let go, I won¡¯t have that kind of thoughts about Joann anymore. ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t cherish her, if you don¡¯t love her, I¡¯ll be willing to protect and care for her.¡± When Bruce heard this, he instantly exploded again. This scumbag was indeed up to no good. ¡°Do you have a fucking death wish?¡± ¡°Let me finish first.¡± Jaydon looked at Bruce with a gloomy expression. ¡°I admit that I love 11:271 Joann very much. For her, I¡¯m willing to sacrifice everything I have.¡± Saying that, Jaydon¡¯s eyes revealed a hint of disappointment and sadness. ¡°But I know that the person Joann truly loves is you. Therefore, I can only let go and fulfill her wish. I don¡¯t want to be a burden or obstruction to her. ¡°If the person she loves is me, I willpete with you at all costs. Whether you believe what I say or not, it¡¯s the truth.¡± Jaydon said these words to Bruce so honestly for the first time.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Bruce frowned when he heard that. This bastard! He did indeed have some self-restraint and the demeanor of a man. At this point, Bruce admitted that he was indeed inferior to Jaydon. He had always been an unreasonable and domineering man who did not care about morals. Whoever dared to snatch his things was simply courting death. He could take the initiative to give it up, but others could not snatch it. If it belonged to him, it was best if no one else touched it. They should not touch it or think about it. He could not repay evil with kindness and sacrifice himself so selflessly. Chapter 918 Chapter 918 Chapter 918 ¡°Since you¡¯ve said so, I¡¯ll believe you this once.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all men. We have to keep our word.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I want to snatch Joann from you, you might not be able to win me.¡± This was the truth. If Jaydon wasn¡¯t so clear-headed and wasn¡¯t so open-minded, Joanna might not necessarily choose Bruce. Back then, he had taken a bullet for Joanna and had been in the intensive care unit for more than a month. Just based on this point alone, he could grab hold of Joanna and make her marry him willingly. However, he knew very well that the person Joanna truly loved was Bruce. Even if Joanna reluctantly epted him, her heart would still love Bruce silently. Instead of that, he might as well let go and help Joanna and Bruce. When Bruce heard this, he felt defeated. He wanted to re up, but he held it in after thinking about it. Jaydon was telling the truth. Previously, Joanna and Jaydon were about to get married. If he hadn¡¯t sabotaged them and ruthlessly obtained the Haynes Group, forcing Joanna to sign an ¡°indenture¡± for two years, Joanna would really marry Jaydon. Of course! He still had the ability to make Joanna change her mind. No matter what, Joanna still chose him in the end and fell in love with him. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll give you three weeks. ¡°If you can help Joanna get rid of her drug addiction, I¡¯ll help you deal with your brother.¡± Bruce did not want to owe him a favor. 11:27 If Jaydon could really help Joanna quit her drug addiction, he would also help Jaydon destroy Cassius in return. A vile and treacherous man like Bruce was really the right person to deal with Cassius. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. I¡¯m helping Joann without any conditions.¡± Jaydon was also very ambitious. He would never beg Bruce to help him. Bruce rolled his eyes resentfully and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯d better seed first!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s hard to say. From tomorrow onwards, don¡¯te to the hospital again.¡± Bruce paused and warned fiercely, ¡°I¡¯m warning you onest time. Don¡¯t have any bad intentions¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have to warn me. ¡°Joann has be like this. My heart feels even worse than yours. If I have such thoughts again, wouldn¡¯t I be worse than animals? ¡°Besides, she¡¯s your woman now. I don¡¯t want to be a third party, let alone make things difficult for Joann.¡± When Bruce heard this, he let out a deep breath. He had really broadened his horizons today. In this world, there really was such a stupid man like Jaydon¡­ In the ward. Joanna started to act up again. Her entire body could not help but twitch again. The wonder drug that Prince Harman had given her was the most potent. Therefore, her drug addiction was even harder to control than those of seasoned drug addicts. It acted up more frequently and violently. ¡°Ahhh!¡± When the two of them heard themotion, they hurriedly came in to check. They saw Joanna trembling on the bed. Bruce immediately rushed over and hugged her are you feeling ufortable again?¡± heartache. ¡°Joann, 11:270 ¡°Hubby, I feel terrible¡­¡± Joanna used the same trick again and looked at Bruce pitifully. ¡°Hubby, can you give me another dose?¡± When Bruce heard this, he said with a pained expression, ¡°Joann, didn¡¯t we agree just now? That was thest dose. Didn¡¯t you promise me that you would stop taking drugs?¡± Joanna blinked her big eyes, and tears fell like pearls from a broken string. ¡°Boohoo, I know, but I¡¯m really too ufortable. ¡°I can¡¯t take it. I really can¡¯t take it. Hubby, can we not give up on taking drugs? ¡°Aren¡¯t you very rich? Can you give me some money?¡± Bruce gently stroked her pale little face and said with heartache, ¡°Joann, my money is your money. I can give you all my money. ¡°But you have to get rid of your drug addiction.¡± When Joanna heard this, she shook her head with tears in her eyes. ¡°No, I really can¡¯t quit. Hubby, if I can¡¯t quit, will you still love me?¡± -¡°Joann, no matter what, no matter what you be, I will still love you as much as ever. ¡°However, I still hope that you can quit your drug addiction and recover your health. ¡°We still have children. We can¡¯t negatively affect the children¡­¡± Joanna could not listen to him at all. She threw herself into his arms pitifully and started to beg him like before. ¡°Hubby, I beg you, I beg you. Just one more dose! ¡°I promise this will be thest time. I swear to God this time. It really will be thest time.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. His heart ached so much that he could not breathe. Jaydon was right. He really couldn¡¯t be cruel to her. Seeing this, Jaydon patted Bruce¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Bruce, leave quickly! Leave this to me.¡± ¡°Alright, Jaydon, don¡¯t let me down.¡± After saying that, Bruce put his foot down and forcefully pushed Joanna away from his arms.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Chapter 919 Chapter 919 Chapter 919 If he stayed any longer, his heart would soften. Joanna clearly sensed something amiss. She had a feeling that once this man left, no one would dare to give her drugs again. ¡°Hubby, where are you going? Are you leaving me?¡± Joanna suddenly arched her body and grabbed the corner of Bruce¡¯s clothes tightly. She cried in panic and pity. Jaydon hurriedly went forward and said gently, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m Jay. Don¡¯t you remember me? ¡°From today onwards, I will help you get rid of your drug addiction.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon, her eyes filled with unfamiliarity and confusion. ¡°No, no. Hubby, don¡¯t go. I don¡¯t want you to go¡­¡± ¡°Joann, be good and listen to me.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart almost broke when he heard her cry so hard. He gently rubbed her face. ¡°Joann, Jaydon is your best friend. He will help you quit your drug addiction. ¡°I¡¯lle back to see you when you¡¯re clean.¡± ¡°No, do 1. Hubby, I¡¯ll be obedient. Don¡¯t go, okay? ¡°I don¡¯t want him to help me quit the drugs. I want you to help me. I want you to help me. Boohoo, don¡¯t go. I¡¯m begging you.¡± Joanna had a strong premonition. After he left, no one would dare to let her use the drug. If that happened, she would wish she was dead. Bruce hid his tears and steeled his heart. He forcefully pried her hand away and left the ward without looking back. ¡°Hubby, Hubby, sob¡­ Don¡¯t go, don¡¯t¡­¡± Joanna broke down and cried. Jaydon hurriedly went forward tofort her. ¡°Joann, be quiet. ¡°I¡¯m Jay. Don¡¯t you remember? ¡°I¡¯m your best friend. I¡¯ll help you. You have to give yourself strength and courage.¡± Jaydon tried to push her back onto the bed. ¡°Let go of me. Let go of me.¡± 11:271 ¡°Hubby,e back,e back. Help! Help!¡± Jaydon immediately instructed the nurses, saying, ¡°Hurry up and tie her up. Don¡¯t let her run around.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Six or seven nurses quickly went forward and held Joanna down firmly. They quickly helped her put on the restraints. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Joanna shrieked, shaking the hospital bed. She was clearly covered in injuries and had barely eaten for a few days. However, when her drug addiction acted up, she was actually as strong as an ox. Six or seven people could barely hold her down. Jaydon¡¯s face tightened as he said solemnly, ¡°Joann, from today onwards, you have to forcibly quit taking drugs. ¡°I won¡¯t give you any more wonder drugs. As long as you canst for three weeks, the effect of the medicine will basically disappear.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t want to¡­ Ah¡­¡± Joanna screamed like a madman until her throat was about to burst. -Outside the ward. When Bruce heard Joanna¡¯s heart-wrenching scream, he felt despair and powerless. He wanted to go back and hold her in his arms tofort her. But he endured it, covered his ears with his hands, and left the building with his long legs. Because they had to help Joanna get rid of her drug addiction, there were no patients on this floor. In the doctor¡¯s office, the doctor quickly showed Bruce the profile of the psychiatrist. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is the most famous psychiatrist in Greyport. ¡°This is his license number and his personal achievements. ¡°And this psychiatrist is also a world-renowned expert¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s face tensed up and he said impatiently, ¡°Don¡¯t introduce so much nonsense to me. Where are they now? Bring them to me immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I¡¯ve already made an appointmen with them. They can As he spoke, the doctor looked troubled again. ¡°But Mrs. Everett¡¯s 24 11:27 Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. condition is not optimistic. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t quit her drug addiction, I¡¯m afraid it will be very difficult to treat her psychologically. I suggest that we stop Mrs. Everett¡¯s drug addiction first before treating her.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. No matter what, he wanted Joanna¡¯s memory to be recovered as soon as possible. Joanna¡¯s personality was very tenacious. She was also very ruthless to herself. If she could regain her memory, she would definitely be determined to quit taking medicine. Therefore, he had to think of a way to restore her memory first. ¡°Bring them to the hospital tomorrow and let them diagnose Joann. We¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce was still worried and wanted to go back to the ward to take a look. But he knew his heart would definitely soften when he saw Joanna. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just trust Jaydon once! ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been home. I should go home and see the children.¡± Bruce changed his clothes and drove back to Sherane Bay Vi. He had been away from home for more than a month. Before he left, Devin had just undergone surgery. He hadn¡¯t been home for a long time and wanted to go home and take a look. Half an hourter. Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Mr. Everett is back.¡± ¡°Brother, Daddy is back. Daddy is back¡­¡± ¡°Really? Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I saw Daddy¡¯s car outside. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll go out quickly.¡± When the two little fellows heard this, they were very excited and hurriedly ran out of the house. Chapter 920 Chapter 920 Chapter 920 Outside the courtyard, their daddy was indeed back. However, Daddy looked haggard, unshaven, and much thinner. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Davian and Irvin ran toward their daddy one after another. When they arrived in front of their daddy, the two little guys were shocked. They looked at him as if he was a stranger. It had only been a month since theyst met, but their daddy seemed to have changed into a different person. He looked a little dispirited. He had dark circles around his eyes as if he had not slept for a long time. He was apletely different person from the handsome and cool person he used to be. ¡°You two brats, don¡¯t you know your daddy anymore?¡± Bruce smiled at his sons. Only then did they confirm that it was Daddy. ¡°Daddy, we missed you so much.¡± The two little guys still fell into their daddy¡¯s arms. Tears welled up in Bruce¡¯s eyes as he rubbed the two little boys¡¯ heads lovingly. After not seeing them for a month, the two boys¡¯ heads seemed to have be sharper and taller. It was obvious that they were well-developed and would definitely surpass their father¡¯s height in the future. ¡°Have you been good at home?¡± ¡°Did you do your homework?¡± Bruce asked subconsciously. ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce looked at the two guilty brats and said awkwardly, ¡°Is that so? Bring your homework to Daddy for inspectionter. If I find that you didn¡¯tplete it on time, just wait to get punished.¡± Irvin smiled slyly and said mischievously, ¡°Well¡­ Why should a man make things difficult for a man?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for Daddy toe back. Can¡¯t we talk about some nice topics that can improve our rtionship as father and son?¡± Bruce frowned and grabbed Irvin¡¯s head like he was grabbing a basketball. 11:27 ¡°You impudent brat. You haven¡¯t even grown up, yet you call yourself a man?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ground you for two days and you¡¯ll know how to be a man.¡± Irvin had always been a chatterbox. His little mouth would not stop talking all day long. His personality was not like Joanna¡¯s, nor was it like Bruce¡¯s. Davian¡¯s personality was very simr to Bruce¡¯s. He frowned like a mature little man. ¡°¡­Daddy, why have you lost so much weight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We almost didn¡¯t recognize you.¡± Bruce pursed his lips slightly and held the two little guys hands gently. ¡°I¡¯m still your father even if you don¡¯t recognize me. Hurry up and enter the house.¡± ¡°Daddy, are you tired? Let us massage your shoulders and back!¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Ha, there¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°Daddy, where¡¯s Mommy? Why didn¡¯t shee back with you?¡± The two little boys couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Daddy told you that Mommy isn¡¯t feeling well and can¡¯te back for the time being.¡± Davian looked nervous and asked worriedly, ¡°Then what illness does Mommy have?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened and he said softly, ¡°Mommy was in a car ident previously and her mind is not clear now. She needs to be treated in the hospital.¡± The two little boys looked horrified when they heard that. ¡°Oh my god, is it that serious?¡± ¡°Can I go to the hospital?¡± ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s go to the hospital to see Mommy. Mommy might get better when she sees me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for now. When Mommy gets better, Daddy will bring you to see Mommy.¡± He really couldn¡¯t let them see Joanna like this. ¡°Where¡¯s your brother?¡± Irvin shouted toward the servants¡¯ room, ¡°Miranda, Daddy is back.¡± When Miranda heard this, she hurriedly carried Devin out of the 24 11:28 servants¡¯ room. Seeing that Bruce had returned, she was even more surprised. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re finally back.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Devin? Did he recover well after the surgery?¡± Bruce subconsciously took the child. ¡°Devin is recovering well, but he¡¯s still a little noisy.¡± Bruce hugged his son. The little guy had obviously lost some weight. As soon as he picked him up, the little guy cried. ¡°Waaaaah!¡± Bruce quickly adjusted his posture. ¡°Oh, oh, be good. Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s Daddy. Don¡¯t you recognize Daddy?¡± The little guy was already seven months old and was starting to recognize faces. Bruce had not returned for a month. Now that he was unshaven, he looked as haggard as he could possibly be. The little baby was so scared that he started crying. ¡°Mr. Everett, you haven¡¯t been back for too long. The child knows how to recognize people now! ¡°Just let him get used to you for a couple of days.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better hurry upstairs to take a shower and change your clothes.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± Bruce responded faintly and handed the little baby back to Miranda. Then, Bruce walked upstairs with heavy steps. With every step, his legs felt as heavy as lead. He was uneasy and anxious, but he was still worried about Joanna. When he thought about how she was fighting with the drug addiction, his heart could not help but feel a tearing pain. Back in the bedroom. Bruce loosened his tie and took off his white shirt. There were a few more wounds on his tall and 33 war back. His abs were even more prominent, perhaps because he had lost weight. Bare-chested, he copsed onto the soft bed. He was really too tired to even take a shower. 11:28 When he was in the hospital, he was very tense and did not feel so tired. Now that he was lying on the bed, he actually fell into a deep sleep in less than three seconds. Downstairs. The two little fellows were still muttering non-stop. ¡°Davian, what happened to Daddy and Mommy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Daddy looks tired.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s always a good thing that Daddy found Mommy,¡± Davianforted his younger brother sensibly. ¡°It¡¯s almost ten o¡¯clock. Let¡¯s go to bed.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Bruce slept for more than an hour. His body jerked violently as if he had been woken up from a nightmare. He suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce opened his eyes. His heart was beating so fast that it was about to jump out of his chest. Several minutes passed. Only then did his anxiety and anxiety gradually subside. During this period of time, he was really too nervous. He checked the time. He had only slept for an hour. However, after lying down, he could not fall asleep. Then, he took out a cigarette and stood on the balcony to smoke. One stick after another, he smoked half a box in a row. The entire balcony was filled with smoke. ¡°It¡¯s already so difficult to quit using medication, let alone¡­ quit drugs.¡± Bruce casually extinguished the cigarette butt and felt uneasy. Chapter 921 Chapter 921 Chapter 921 In the ward of the hospital, no matter how Joanna shouted, cried, or scolded, Jaydon remained indifferent. He refused to give her the special medicine. ¡°Help me¡­ I¡¯m dying¡­ I¡¯m dying¡­¡± Jaydon stood by Joanna¡¯s side, gently wiping her sweat with a towel. ¡°Joann, you have to be strong.¡± ¡°Your pain now is for a better life in the future¡­¡± Joanna was almost out of energy. She shouted weakly, ¡°No, no, Hubby,e and save me. Come and save me.¡± ¡°Can someone help me?¡± asked Joanna helplessly. ¡°Joann, as long as you survive this stage, you can return to your previous healthy state¡­¡± Joanna was in so much pain that she kept banging her head against the pillow. The time when the drug addiction acted up was usually about half an hour. Half an hourter, the drug addiction was not as strong as before. Joanna hadpletely exhausted her strength and was gradually getting better. ¡°Joann, look, the first step has been sessfully passed. ¡°As long as you can persevere for another three weeks, you will definitely be able to ovee your drug addiction.¡± Joanna was sweating profusely. The effects of the medicine had worn off. However, without special medicine, it would re up again very quickly. It would re up at least a few times a night. ¡°Joann, would you like something to eat? ¡°You can divert your attention. Don¡¯t deliberately feel the physical difort.¡± Seeing that Joanna was gradually calming down, Jaydon hurriedlyforted her. 12:35 Joanna looked at Jaydon with hatred. ¡°Go away! I hate you! I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Jaydon was speechless and frowned when he heard that. There was an indescribable sadness in his heart. If Joanna hadn¡¯t lost her memory, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have said such a thing to him. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m Jay. We¡¯re best friends. I¡¯m doing this because I want you to recover¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it! Get out! I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were extremely red as he red fiercely at Jaydon.. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s up to you to hate me! As long as I can help you quit the medicine, I¡¯d rather you hate me.¡± The next day, it was five o¡¯clock in the morning. Bruce woke up early in the morning. He had been worried about Joanna for the whole night. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Bruce was even more unable to control himself and wanted to go to the hospital to see Joanna. As soon as he walked into the ward, a miserable cry came from inside. ¡°Ah, help¡­¡± ¡°I want to die. Please let me die.¡± Bruce stood outside the ward, watching the scene in the ward through the surveince camera. ¡°Joann, no matter how you shout now, no one will care about you. ¡°Now, you must bepelled to quit the drug.¡± Jaydon had not slept the entire night and had been personally guarding Joanna. Jaydon was totally different from Bruce. Although being heartbroken to see Joanna in such pain, Jaydon knew that Joanna would only get worse if he was not ruthless. ¡°Ah, help!¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. She would rather die than endure such a painful feeling. After a while, Joanna stopped screaming and seemed to be chewing something. 12:35 ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± Jaydon sensed that something was wrong and looked at her warily. ¡°Uh, cough, cough.¡± Joanna could not take it anymore. She bit her tongue and wanted tomit suicide. ¡°Joann, let go.¡± Jaydon reacted immediately and pinched Joanna¡¯s cheeks. Unfortunately, her tongue had been bitten open, and blood flowed from the corner of her lips. ¡°Joann.¡± When Bruce saw this from the surveince camera, he was so frightened, that his scalp went numb. Bruce pushed open the door and barged in. ¡°Joann, Joann.¡± ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Bruce pushed Jaydon away and hugged Joanna anxiously. There was blood at the corner of Joanna¡¯s lips. Her voice was so hoarse that she could not make a sound. Now that Joanna saw Bruce, her dark and lifeless eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Hubby, hubby¡­ Hug¡­¡± ¡°Be good, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Why are you so silly?¡± Bruce immediately untied the restraints on Joanna¡¯s arm and hugged her tightly in his arms. His heart ached so much that his tears kept falling. For the past few days, Bruce had been crying every day. Who said that men don¡¯t cry?Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ It was just that he had not reached the point of sadness. ¡°Hubby, I want to die. I really want to die.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was so raspy that it was almost inaudible. She was like a kitten that was about to drown suddenly seeing a life-saving straw. Joanna wrapped her arms tightly around Bruce¡¯s waist and cried pitifully. The blood foam in Joanna¡¯s mouth flowed even more fiercely, dyeing her white shirt red. Bruce was heartbroken as he helped Joanna to wipe away the blood foam. He tried his best tofort her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We won¡¯t quit. We won¡¯t quit. You¡¯re not allowed to do anything stupid, understand?¡± 12:35 ¡°Bruce, are you crazy?¡± Jaydon was furious. Jaydon grabbed the back of Bruce¡¯s cor and forcefully pulled Bruce away from Joanna. ¡°I told you not toe to the hospital at this time. Why didn¡¯t you listen?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes welled up with anger as he said to Jaydon, ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯ve changed my mind. If Joann can¡¯t quit the drug, then so be it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to waste your effort anymore. Just leave.¡± Bruce was shocked just now. He knew how stubborn Joanna was. When Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she wouldmit suicide. Compared to losing Joanna, Bruce would support her for the rest of his life. So what if she wasn¡¯t healthy? Bruce wouldn¡¯t despise her. Jaydon was so angry that he flew into a rage. ¡°Bruce, everything I told you has turned into a deaf ear, right?¡± ¡°Joann is pretending to be pitiful now, and you can¡¯t be soft-hearted. It isn¡¯t the time to be soft-hearted.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and he pushed Jaydon away angrily. ¡°Joann was already considering self-harm. Why are you still talking about quitting drugs? I¡¯m warning you. If anything happens to Joann, I¡¯ll bury you with her!¡± ¡°Bruce, why are you here again? Seems that everything I said to you yesterday is just a waste of breath.¡± Chapter 922 Chapter 922 Chapter 922 Jaydon tried to persuade Bruce, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. Give me three weeks and I¡¯ll make Joann quit her drug addiction.¡± ¡°Get out. You¡¯ll kill Joanna,¡± Bruce replied. Joanna spoke softly, ¡°Hubby, don¡¯t go¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­¡± Jaydon pushed Bruce with all his might and dragged Bruce out of the ward. ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t dare to attack you!¡± ¡°Bruce, even if you want to do so, you have to wait for Joann to quit her drug addiction.¡± Bruce was flustered and exasperated, hence he punched Jaydon. Jaydon took a solid hit. He gasped in pain and looked at Bruce angrily. Bruce gradually calmed down after punching Jaydon. He realized that he was too impulsive just now. ¨CHe shouldn¡¯t be angry at Jaydon since Jaydon had good intentions. However, Bruce would not apologize. ¡°Have you calmed down?¡± Jaydon asked angrily but had no intention of retaliating. Bruce sighed with a mncholic and helpless expression. ¡°People who are addicted to drugs are like this. You can¡¯t be soft on them. ¡°I want to save Joann. I don¡¯t want to see her deteriorate into a mere shadow of herself. It is precisely because I¡¯ve seen the horror of drug addiction that I don¡¯t want to see Joann heading down a path of no return.¡± As Jaydon spoke, a trace of pain appeared in his eyes. Jaydon had a younger sister who was seduced by notorious people and became addicted to drugs. No one could control her. The beautiful little girl became as thin as a rail. She hung out with a gang of troublemakers all day and disregarded shame entirely. Sometimes, she even went with more than ten hooligans simultaneously¡­ At that point, no one could save her. At the very end, she was pregnant with someone¡¯s child and had 178 12:35 overdosed.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ This resulted in her death due to poisoning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was too impulsive just now.¡± It was the first time someone as arrogant as Bruce lowered his head and apologized to others. ¡°Seeing Joann in so much pain makes me feel worse than your heartache,¡± Jaydon told Bruce. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s continue helping Joann.¡± It was eight o¡¯clock in the morning. Mr. yton came and informed Bruce, ¡°Mr. Everett, the psychiatrist is here.¡± ¡°Now let her see Joann.¡± Upon instruction, Mr. yton then took the psychiatrist to see Joanna. After the psychiatrist saw it, she felt a little troubled. ¡°Mr. Everett, in the patient¡¯s current state, there¡¯s no way to undergo psychological treatment.¡± ¡°Was she hypnotized by someone? Is there a way to treat her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but hypnosis is divided into many systems.¡± ¡°Each system is different, and since she¡¯s not hypnotized by me, I can¡¯t help her get out of it.¡± ¡°Is there any chance that she¡¯ll recover?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also possible, but the chances are rtively low. ¡°The best way is to find the psychologist who hypnotized her.¡± ¡°Is there any other way?¡± ¡°Yes, unless we find a higher-level psychologist. It¡¯s just that the current psychologist in our country hasn¡¯t reached that level.¡± ¡°Alright, you can leave now,¡± said Bruce with a serious expression. ¡°Yes.¡± After the psychiatrist left, Bruce and Jaydon were even more gloomy. They had managed to escape from Saumi Cradia with great difficulty. Hence, it was impossible that they would return there. ¡°Now, there are five world¡¯s top hypnotists. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°One is Aria, but¡­¡± ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°Aria.¡± As Bruce listened, his eyebrows furrowed into a knot. ¡®Yes. Got it¡­¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t forget what Aria had done to them. Chapter 923 Chapter 923 Chapter 923 Once bitten, twice shy. Bruce was already traumatized by Aria. Even if Aria really had the ability to help Joanna, he was worried about letting her help. ¡°Find the other four psychotherapists.¡± ¡°The psychologist in Melta is already in his 90s so we can only bring Joanna over there. The one from Feldend has retired while another one should be in Saumi Cradia. Thest one got into ¨¤ car identst year and is currently lying in the ICU.¡± When Bruce heard this, he sneered angrily. ¡°So, ording to what you said, there¡¯s no way to find all these people?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mr. yton went silent. Psychiatrists were different from other medical professionals. They were from a rtively niche and less mainstream industry. In each city, there were only a few highly skilled psychologists. Moreover, most of them were foreign psychologists. There were even fewer psychologists who could hypnotize people and tamper with their memories. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that in this vast world, we can¡¯t find a suitable psychologist. ¡°Immediately check the information and find all the professional psychologists you can.¡± Mr. yton nodded and quickly left the office. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. After the doctor left, Bruce took a deep breath and frowned. ¡°Joann, you must get better. God, please stop torturing me.¡± Bruce propped his elbow on the table and pinched the space between his eyebrows in frustration. He really had a splitting headache. For the first time, he felt helpless. In the past, he was very confident and always felt that he could control everything. But now, he realized that there were times when he was powerless. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s body twitched non-stop in the ward. In the end, she could not help but foam at the mouth. 15 12:551 Jaydon helped her wipe away the foam whileforting her. ¡°Joann, you will pull through this.¡± Joanna¡¯s ethereal eyes stared at Jaydon venomously. ¡°Go away. I don¡¯t want to see you. I hate you.¡± ¡°You go away¡­¡± ¦§ Jaydon turned a deaf ear to her. No matter how Joanna scolded him, he remained indifferent. His sister¡¯s death was too tragic. Every time Jaydon recalled that scene, he could not help shuddering and sighing endlessly. Although Jaydon and this sister were not born to the same mother, he had always been a soft-hearted and gentle person. He even sympathized with strangers, not to mention his blood-rted sister. Beep, beep, beep. Jaydon¡¯s phone vibrated. He took out his phone and realized it was a call from his sister, Grace. Two of them shared the same mother, so their rtionship was naturally closer. ¡°You guys keep an eye on her. I¡¯m going to take a call.¡± The two nurses nodded. ¡°Okay, Mr. Grimm.¡± Jaydon walked out of the ward and answered the call, ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± Grace¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Jaydon, where are you now? The second court session is next Tuesday. Why aren¡¯t you showing up?¡± Jaydon furrowed his brows, ¡°I-I have something important to do now.¡± ¡°What could be more important than thewsuit?¡± Grace sounded even more anxious. Cassius upied 80% of their family assets. All of his siblings had been kicked out of thepany. Now, these siblings had joined forces to sue Cassius. However, they were still too inexperienced. Even if they joined forces, they were still not match for Cassius. Additionally, theycked unity and were like a scattered group. Tim was a yboy; even though he had many children, most were not 12:35 from the same mother. Some of his young children had never even met one another. ¡°Grace, I understand. You go discuss countermeasures with the others first.¡± When Grace heard this, she was even more infuriated. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand you. Your daughter is sick, and you don¡¯t even care. Where are you going now?¡± When Jaydon heard this, his heart tightened. ¡°Is Patricia sick?¡± ¡°Yes! She¡¯s with me now.¡± ¡°Carmel is really too much. After giving birth to Patricia, she didn¡¯t even care about her and didn¡¯t even come to take a look,¡± Grace said, getting angrier as she spoke. Carmel was a vain and materialistic woman. At the same time, she was very cunning. She knew that Jaydon had no intention of marrying her. At the same time, her mediapany¡¯s business had plummeted. It was impossible for herpany to bring her good resources and connections. Therefore, after abandoning her child, she immediately immersed herself back into the entertainment industry to find a new sugar daddy and backer. In the past two years, Carmel had hooked up with another powerful figure. The man had invested in two movies and three television dramas for her in a row. Now, she had sessfully be an A-list celebrity. She lived each day so splendidly. How will she have time and interest to care about her daughter¡¯s life? ¡°Jaydon, what have you been busy with recently?¡± Jaydon sighed. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t ask anymore. It¡¯s something very important. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Patricia to you for now. I¡¯ll go back and see her in a few days.¡± When Grace heard this, she was distraught. The whole family was in chaos. The only brother who couldpete with Cassius was nowhere to be seen. She was extremely confused, frustrated, and helpless. 1234 Sometimes, being born into a wealthy family was not necessarily a good thing. ¡°The court session is on next Tuesday. Don¡¯t be absent.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try my best.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°That¡¯s all. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± After hanging up, Jaydon was in a daze. Money was really the most tempting thing in the world. He never expected that his elder brother Cassius would be an enemy to his own siblings after their father¡¯s passing. Cassius used to be so generous and amiable to everyone. Cassius not only seized control of the main business of the Grimm Group but also sought to eliminate his siblings, eyeing their rightful 10% shares of theirpany. What he did was too disappointing and infuriating. On the other hand, their father, Tim, was only a little over 60 years old and had a personal healthcare physician attending to him. Although Tim had some hypertension, it was not a big deal. Yet, he passed away so suddenly, without leaving behind a will. ¡°Dad, I will find out the real cause of your death andfort your soul in heaven.¡± He suspected that the cause of his father¡¯s death was abnormal and likely to be murder. However, Joanna¡¯s situation was dying him now, so he could only temporarily give up investigating his father¡¯s death. After Joanna was done with the detoxification, he could make time to properly investigate the cause of his father¡¯s death and deal with the inheritancewsuit. Venturas. Boulware Vi. ¡°Hehe, Mr. Grimm, you¡¯re so bad.¡± On the sofa, Cassius was hugging a beautiful woman with a hot figure. Cassius spent 2 million dors to invite this year¡¯s new beauty pageant winner to his vi for a ¡®friendly exchange. 12:36 5 Of course! Money wasn¡¯t spent for nothing. The beautiful woman was putting in a lot of effort, using all her charms, trying to attract Cassius. Naturally, it made him feel so good. He finally experienced the joy of being rich. In the past, when Tim was still alive, Cassius was very restrained. He never dared to do anything wrong, afraid Tim would be disappointed in him. Now, Tim was dead. He wanted to unleash his nature and y everything he wanted to y. Chapter 924 Chapter 924 Chapter 924 A fierce and passionate exchange of affections had just ended. Cassius slumped on the sofa in exhaustion. He felt the joy of being an king. ¡°Mr. Grimm, let¡¯s continue. I like you so much.¡± The beauty was delicate, like a seductive little fox. Though she was a beauty pageant champion, she faced one of the most wealthy men in the country. To capture the heart of such a rich man, just an innocent and fresh approach wouldn¡¯t work. Instead, she had to directly satisfy his desires. ¡°Little vixen, are you trying to exhaust me to death?¡± Cassius asked. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Cassius¡¯s good mood was interrupted. He asked impatiently, ¡°Who is it? Outside the room, the servant replied respectfully, ¡°Mr. Grimm, Ms. Grimm is here.¡± Cassius frowned. ¡°Which Ms. Grimm?¡± ¡°Ms. Yasmine Grimm.¡± Cassius¡¯s eyes darkened as he replied resentfully, ¡°Just tell her I¡¯m not around.¡± Before he could say anything more, Yasmine¡¯s sharp voice rang out behind the door. ¡°Get out of my way! How dare you stop me? Are you blind?¡± ¡°Bang!¡± The door was suddenly pushed open. Yasmine barged in angrily. ¡°Cassius, how long do you want to hide from me?¡± In the bedroom, Cassius and the beauty were caught red-handed. The two of them were shocked when they saw someone break in. The woman hurriedly tried to cover herself with her clothes. But unfortunately, they were on the sofa, not the bed. There was no nket around them. 1/5 12:56 Earlier, Cassius had torn the woman¡¯s clothes like a hungry wolf. Now, she could only grab a cushion to cover her body Seeing this, Yasmine was so angry that she was about to have a heart attack. ¡°You¡­ You¡­ What a shameless bastard! ¡°Good. So you already have a new lover.¡± As Yasmine cursed, she rushed forward to the beauty and started to beat her up. ¡°You slut, do you dare to touch anyone¡¯s man? Do you believe that I¡¯ll scratch your face right now?¡± The beauty¡¯s hair was in a mess. She was so frightened that she was trembling. She tried to ask for Cassius¡¯s help, ¡°Mr. Grimm, Mr. Grimm¡­ Ah¡­¡± Seeing this, Cassius pursed his lips. He had no intention of standing up for the beauty at all. He just watched the scene angrily. Anyway, this beauty was here to make money. He would just give her more money aspensationter. ¡°Little bitch, do you believe that I¡¯ll get someone to kill you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Help¡­ I won¡¯t dare to do it again.¡± The beauty cried miserably and begged for mercy nonstop. The beauty knew very well who Yasmine was. If she wanted to kill her, it would be easier than crushing an ant. Cassius could not stand it anymore and said, ¡°Alright, alright, stop fighting.¡± ¡°I paid for her toe over. Why did you hit her?¡± Yasmine was so angry that her entire body was shivering. She finally let go of the beauty. ¡°You can leave first.¡± The beauty was crying so hard that she didn¡¯t even have time to put on her clothes. She ran to the bathroom barefooted. ¡°Cassius, you¡¯re quite capable, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Cassius sneered. ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you looking for one outside too? What¡¯s wrong with me looking for one? 2N 12:56 ¡°If I don¡¯t care about you, what right do you have to care about me?¡±. When Yasmine heard this, she choked in anger. Then, she crossed her arms and said fiercely, ¡°Cassius, don¡¯t forget what you have promised me. If you dare to make me unhappy, think about the consequences.¡± Cassius snorted and came over to put his arm around her shoulders. ¡°I was just joking. You¡¯re my aunt. How would I dare to make you unhappy?¡± Yasmine sneered. ¡°You want to abandon those who once worked hard for you, don¡¯t you? ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ll tell others everything about you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry.¡± Cassius stood up and poured Yasmine a ss of red wine. ¡°It¡¯s just for fun. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Besides, didn¡¯t Auntie also keep a male model as your kept man?¡± Yasmine¡¯s face turned dark with anger. ¡°Since that¡¯s how it is, then let¡¯s part ways amicably. ¡°That¡¯s the end of our rtionship. Now I want fifty percent of the assets of the Grimm Group. ¡°Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off easy. Don¡¯t forget that I still have some leverage over you. ¡°If you dare to burn the bridge after crossing the river, I¡¯ll make you regret everything you¡¯ve done. I¡¯ll ruin your reputation and make you suffer in prison.¡± Yasmine red fiercely at Cassius. When Cassius heard this, he frowned and his face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I also have leverage over you. ¡°Harmony brings prosperity, right? If you have any conditions, you can sit down and talk slowly. There¡¯s no need to be so angry. ¡°Come on. Sit down. Have a ss of red wine to cool down first.¡± Cassius smiled faintly and handed the wine ss to Yasmine. Yasmine did not take the ss. She just looked at Cassius angrily. In the past, Cassius was like an obedient puppy in front of her. He would think of ways to make her happy, charming her like a delighted young girl.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ 36 12:56 But now, he dared to betray her and not take her seriously. This made her so angry that she felt that her lungs were about to explode. Yasmine was Tim¡¯s youngest sister and had been Grimm Group¡¯s finance director. She was also the company¡¯s vice president. She was only seven years older than Cassius. Yasmine and Cassius were together in thepany day and night. While Cassius wasn¡¯t Tim¡¯s biological son, after a while, Yasmine and Cassius hooked up. Yasmine was Tim¡¯s younger sister. She had long known that Tim intended to let Jaydon inherit the family business. Therefore, she immediately informed Cassius to prepare in advance. The two of them wanted to work together to take over Grimm Group. But who would have known¡­ Cassius had be more assertive, and Yasmine could no longer control him. This made Yasmine feel uneasy. She only wanted to split the share she deserved immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry! It¡¯s easy for women to age when they¡¯re angry. They might enter menopause early. Look, you start to have wrinkles on your face,¡± Cassius said with a teasing tone. Yasmine was already 42 years old. No matter how well she maintained herself, she could notpare to the natural youthfulness of an 18-year-old girl. ¡°Now you think I¡¯m old. A few years ago, you bastard were still licking my toes like a dog, weren¡¯t you?¡± Cassius was so angry that his expression changed. He hated it when people talked about his past. Despite being recognized as Tim¡¯s eldest son on paper, he knew from a young age that he was not his father¡¯s biological child. Therefore, ever since he was young, he had been restraining himself. He had never dared to be mischievous and act willfully. He tried his best to please everyone in the family and treated them kindly. He thought that as long as he treated Tim as his biological father, his father would see him as a real son. 12:56 C However, the reality shattered his hopes. Tim still chose Jaydon as the heir to thepany, rendering all Cassius¡¯s efforts meaningless in the face of bloodlines. Cassius tried tofort Yasmine, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s have a ss of Chapter 925 Chapter 925 Chapter 925 Yasmine rejected Cassius, ¡°Stop trying to get close to me. ¡°Now, let¡¯s settle our things. Take what you deserve, and I¡¯ll take what¡¯s rightfully mine,¡± Yasmine said coldly. Cassius pondered for a few seconds, and his eyes flickered. ¡°I know, but thewsuit is still in progress. We have to deal with other obstacles first. ¡°We can only enjoy life in peace after we¡¯vepletely dealt with them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯ll get what you deserve, and I won¡¯t take a penny more. You wanted ownership of Silvery Pce, right? I¡¯ll transfer-it to your name immediately.¡± ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be the chairperson of the Silvery Pce.¡± Silvery Pce was the secondrgest gambling business under the Grimm Group. Its annual revenue amounted to several billion dors, and Yasmine had long set her sights on it. ¡°You finally show some sense,¡± Yasmine rolled her eyes, feeling relieved -in her heart. She knew that today¡¯s trip was not in vain. ¡°I warn you, don¡¯t try to y dirty tricks against me. It¡¯s all about mutual benefit.¡± she continued. As she was speaking, she elegantly stood up. Her dominating aura made it hard for Cassius to breathe. ¡°I was trained by you. How can I dare to y tricks in front of you? ¡°Besides, thepany¡¯s operating license is about to expire. We still have topete for the license. Who knows if we can sessfully obtain it?¡± In Venturas, not everyone can run the gambling business. It requires the approval of business licenses from the State. Due to the industry¡¯s unique nature, acquiring this operating license is extremely difficult. Even if approved, ites with a limited duration. Thetest license the Grimm family had taken wouldst 30 years, and it was about to expire. After the license reached its expiration date, the bidding had to continue. However, with the Grimm family¡¯s influence in the gambling industry, it was undoubted that they would regain their business license. 12:56 D ¡°After the business license is approved, we¡¯ll put it under Aunt¡¯s name. At that time, Aunt will naturally be in charge of thepany. And I, to put it bluntly, am just an employee under you.¡± Cassius had been afraid of Yasmine for so many years. Even though he had grown in strength, the shadow in his heart had be a conditioned reflex. t was like being afraid of someone since childhood, and even if you¡¯ve be much stronger than them, you can¡¯t help but feel intimidated when you meet them. Upon hearing this, Yasmine¡¯s expression finally softened. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. If you dare to make any moves behind my back, I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± After Yasmine finished speaking, she slung her Herm¨¨s bag over her shoulder. Stepping lightly on her high heels, she left with a flourish. As Yasmine left, Cassius¡¯s expression immediately changed. He downed the rest of the red wine in his ss and spat it out fiercely. He had worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of sess. Now, it was impossible for him to let go of the things that he had obtained after great effort. ¡°Only dead people wouldn¡¯tpete with me. Since you¡¯re so eager for the operating license, I¡¯ll grant your wish. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt! When you reach theherworld, I¡¯ll visit your grave with countless operating licenses, ¡± Cassius muttered to himself viciously. He put down his wine ss and walked towards the washroom. The beauty had run into the washroom in fright. He needed to console her properly. After all, he hadn¡¯t had enough fun yet. In the hospital office building. Bruce was looking at the information on drug addiction. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± An unknown number called. ¡°Hello.¡± 12:56Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ There was silence on the other end of the phone. ¡°Who is this?¡± Bruce asked patiently. The other end of the phone was still silent. ¡°Crazy!¡± Bruce cursed in his heart. He frowned and said, ¡°Speak. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me¡­¡± Aria¡¯s uneasy voice came from the other end of the phone. When Bruce heard the voice, he subconsciously felt a chill run down his spine. ¡°Why are you calling?¡± Aria took a deep breath and quickly said ingratiatingly, ¡°Bruce, I heard that you¡¯re looking for a psychologist everywhere?¡± ¡°So what if I am?¡± Bruce replied coldly. Aria said timidly, ¡°I¡¯m a psychologist! I can help you.¡± She had been secretly paying attention to Bruce¡¯s situation. She knew that Bruce was in a terrible fix because of Joanna. ¡°Forget it! There¡¯s no need. Don¡¯t call me again,¡± Bruce said hatefully and hung up. Thinking of what Aria had done, his scalp went numb. Now, he did not dare to have any contact with her again. In the ward, Jaydon was still taking care of Joanna at all times. ¡°Water, I want to drink water.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was hoarse to the extreme. Jaydon hurriedly poured a ss of warm water and carefully handed it to her. Joanna was extremely thirsty and drank half a cup in one go. ¡°Joann, very good. You¡¯ve already survived for two days. ¡°Three weeks will pass quickly. As long as you grit your teeth and get through it, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± After Joanna finished drinking the water, shey down groggily again. She waspletely exhausted. ¡°Joann, eat something! Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°These are all your favorites,¡± said Jaydon as he brought over a bowl of oatmeal. 12:36 Bruce knew that she liked to eat oatmeal. Therefore, he asked the servants to make it every day and sent it to the hospital. ¡°Take it away¡­ I¡¯m not eating it¡­¡± Joanna still looked at Jaydon resentfully and knocked over the bowl in his hand. Jaydon felt a lump in his throat. He quietly got up and tidied up. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to eat. I¡¯ll bring it to you when you¡¯re hungry.¡± In any case, people who were addicted to medicine could hardly feel hungry. They can go without eating for three to five days without feeling hungry. As a result, people with drug addictions tend to be extremely thin, with their bones sticking out and appearing severely malnourished. ¡°I want the medicine¡­ Give me the medicine¡­¡± Joanna kept repeating the same words. At the same time, she hated the man in front of her. Ignoring her cries and curses, Jaydon got up and personally cleaned up the spilled oatmeal. Chapter 926 Chapter 926 Chapter 926 It was noon. Bruce had read the information for the entire morning. At noon, he nned to go out for a meal and sign a few documents at thepany. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. After all, he had not been to the office for a month. Some of the documents were already overdue. Therefore, he had to deal with them soon. Bruce left the office building and subconsciously wanted to go to the ward to take a look at Joanna. However, after taking a few steps, he stopped. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯d better make up my mind not to go.¡± Bruce knew that the moment he saw Joanna¡¯s pitiful appearance, his heart would soften. It was better to trust Jaydon once and hand it over to him. At the thought of this, Bruce walked out of the hospital again. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± At the corner of the corridor, someone suddenly called out to him. Bruce heard and took a closer look. There was a woman in a white casual outfit, wearing a hat and mask. Although the woman was covering her face, he could tell at a nce that it was Aria. Immediately, Bruce¡¯s adrenaline surged and his face darkened. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes were a little red, like a child who had done something wrong. She looked at Bruce weakly. ¡°Bruce, I know you don¡¯t want to see me.¡± ¡°I¡­ am very sorry about what happened before.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to say so much. I¡¯m warning you, disappear from my sight immediately.¡± The veins on Bruce¡¯s temples bulged as he immediately waved at the bodyguard. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve already understood your basic situation.¡± ¡°I know that your wife has been hypnotized. Give me a try. Perhaps I can help her¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. Hurry up and leave.¡± The four bodyguards had already stepped forward. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Throw this woman out immediately. Don¡¯t let her take another step closer to the 1/3Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ 09:40 hospital.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± When the bodyguards heard the order, they immediately chased Aria away with dark expressions. ¡°Leave the hospital quickly.¡± ¡°Bruce, please give me a chance to make up for my mistakes. ¡°You only need to give me three minutes to help her regain her memory. I know a way to help people get rid of hypnosis. I can also concoct medicine to relieve her drug addiction and help her quit her drug addiction as soon as possible¡­¡± ¡°Aria, stop ying tricks. I don¡¯t want to see you now. I shudder when I see you.¡± Bruce¡¯s face and eyes were filled with disgust. He really couldn¡¯t imagine Aria¡¯s madness. She actually almost raped him. Who would dare to think about it? ¡°Bruce, I know that you won¡¯t believe me no matter what I say now. ¡°But I want to tell you that I¡¯m not lying. I did think that I had brain cancer before, so I did a lot of things that I shouldn¡¯t have done. ¡°Now that I think about it, I really regret it and am ashamed¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking. I¡¯ll count to three. If you don¡¯t disappear from my sight, I won¡¯t be polite to you.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned sharp. Although he had a bad temper, he still had basic manners as a gentleman. He had never thought of hitting a woman. However, Aria¡¯s actions had already crossed his bottom line. ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± The bodyguards had already reached out and grabbed her arm, preparing to drag her away forcefully. ¡°Let go of me. I¡¯ll walk on my own.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes reddened, and she did not say anything else. She turned around and left quietly. ¡°Send more people. Don¡¯t let this woman enter the hospital. Especially in Joann¡¯s ward. Don¡¯t let any strangers approach.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce repeated his instructions three times, still feeling worried. Finally, he left the hospital. He had to leave and hurry back to thepany. He had schedule to sign a few important documents and meet Greyport¡¯s dignitaries. Chapter 927 Chapter 927 Chapter 927 In the ward, Joaana was screaming, ¡°Help¡­ I want to die, I want to die!¡± During the first week of oveing drug addiction, it is the most agonizing stage. Her body experienced extreme difort and frequent withdrawal symptoms because of the sudden cessation of the potent drugs. Joanna would experience nearly an episode every two to three hours. Every time it acted up, it was like a snake shedding ayer of its skin. ¡°Joann, you can definitely get through it. I know you¡¯re the strongest woman. You¡¯ve survived all those difficult times and struggles. ¡°You will definitely be able to ovee your drug addiction. I believe you can do it.¡± Jaydon could not help her much and could only cheer her on. In the face of difficulties, she could only endure the pain and walk through them alone. Others could not help her to go through it. ¡°Joann, bring out all your courage. As someone who isn¡¯t even afraid of death, how can you be afraid of drug withdrawal? ¡°Think about your four children. Are you willing to be an addicted mother to them? Children learn by example, and if they follow the wrong path, the consequences would be unimaginable.¡± Unfortunately, Jaydon¡¯s encouragement, to Han Qiao, was more like a suffocating spell. ¡°Get out. I don¡¯t want to see you. I hate you. ¡°Let Bruce in. I want Bruce to be here. He will give me the medicine. Hurry up and get him here¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s throat was filled with blood and she could barely make a sound. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Joann, give up.¡± ¡°No one will provide you with special medicine anymore. You have to quit even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Joanna was writhing in pain on the hospital bed, resembling a dehydrated fish on the brink of death. Seeing Joanna in this state, Jaydon felt nothing but heartache and sympathy. He had no other options. He could only be this ruthless and helplessly watch her suffer. He felt helpless at the moment. Suddenly, the sound of someone knocking on the door echoed. *Come in,¡± Jaydon subconsciously responded. The door was pushed open. A nurse wearing a medical cap and mask entered, pushing a small trolley in. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Now, we have to draw the patient¡¯s blood and conduct a full-body checkup. Could you please step outside for a moment?¡± The nurse¡¯s tone was indifferent. When Jaydon heard this, he subconsciously nced at the nurse. This nurse¡¯s figure was very slender and graceful. Although she was wearing a mask, her features were attractive. Her temperament waspletely different from other nurses, making her stand out among them. Jaydon vaguely felt that she looked a little familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen her before. ¡°Who are you? Why haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡± Jaydon inquired. The nurse didn¡¯t lift her head, skillfully picking up a syringe for drawing blood from the small trolley. Calmly and naturally, she replied, ¡°I was just transferred from another department.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has already instructed me to be Ms. Haynes¡¯s personal nurse.¡± ¡°We have to give Ms. Haynes a full-body cleaning now. It¡¯s not convenient for a gentleman to stay here.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly, somewhat skeptical. There were four caregivers assigned to take care of Joanna¡¯s daily needs. However, due to her drug addiction, she didn¡¯t let any of them get close to her. However, the nurse in front of him was calm. She had shown no sign of panic or nervousness. Presumably, she was telling the truth. ¡°After the blood is drawn, the patient needs to be cleaned up. She has low blood pressure and severe hypoglycemia. We¡¯ll administer some glucoseter.¡± ¡°Sir, please leave for a moment.¡± The nurse ced the syringe that had been drawn with blood properly and urged Jaydon to leave with a calm expression. A gentlemanly smile appeared on Jaydon¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Alright, please proceed quickly.¡± With that, Jaydon turned around and left the ward. Once Jaydon left, Aria immediately locked the door to prevent any interruptions. Afterward, she removed her mask and took out a pocket watch from her clothes. Joanna¡¯s drug withdrawal was causing her immense pain, and she was on the verge of fainting. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Aria took out a few bottles of body oil and applied it on Joanna. 2/4 09:41 T As Aria started to massage Joanna, her nerves and blood vessels seemed to have been electrocuted. Joanna¡¯s entire body went limp, and the feeling of being scratched by a hundred ws eased a lot. Her body was already exhausted from the drug addiction. Now, her consciousness was even more blurry. After Joanna calmed down, Aria gradually slowed down the movement of her hands. She took out the antique pocket watch once again and held it in front of Joanna. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you psychological treatment now. I need your cooperation.¡± Joanna blinked tiredly, like a fish waiting to be ughtered on a chopping board. Now, she could only be manipted by others. ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t be so nervous. This ce is safe, and you are in a secure environment.¡± Joanna followed Aria¡¯s soothing voice, and her body gradually rxed. ¡°Good, very good. Rxpletely. Now, you are surrounded by a sea of flowers, it¡¯s your favorite ce.¡± Aria¡¯s voice entered Joanna¡¯s ears like amand. Joanna¡¯s brainpletely rxed, as if she had truly entered a sea of flowers. ¡°When I ask you something, just answer, okay?¡± Joanna¡¯s body wentpletely limp, unknowingly sumbing to Aria¡¯s hypnotic influence Aria hung the pocket watch between Joanna¡¯s eyes and continued to sway slowly. itBooks Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Do you remember this pocket watch? It brought you here, and it¡¯s going to send you back now.¡± ¡°It will turn into a beam of light, and you will follow the light.¡± Unknowingly, Joanna¡¯s eyes started to droop, and drowsiness filled her. However, the scenes in her brain felt incredibly real. She could clearly see a beam of light and followed it forward. Aria carefully observed Joanna¡¯s reaction. Seeing Joanna¡¯s frown and a hint of panic on her face, Aria knew that Joanna¡¯s subconscious had returned to the point when she was hypnotized. ¡°Good. You don¡¯t have to go any further. You¡¯re already home.¡± ¡°Take a closer look. Is there a door in front of you?¡± Joanna followed Aria¡¯s guidance and a door gradually appeared in her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll count from one to three, and then you push open that door and wake up, .3/4 09:41 D alright?¡± Joanna had already fallen into a deep sleep, but her subconscious was still following Aria¡¯s instructions. ¡°One, two, three!¡± After slowly finishing the count, Aria snapped her fingers next to Joanna¡¯s ear. Joanna felt as if she heard the crisp sound of a belle, waking her up abruptly from her half-dreaming state. Her entire body trembled mechanically. She opened her eyes, and her vision was nk. It took her a while toe to her senses. Broken brainwaves and memories surged crazily into her brain. She remembered that she took her daughter to the airport to pick up Bruce. There was a car ident halfway, but she could not recall what happened after that. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Oh, my head hurts so much? Why is my head hurting like this?¡± ¡°Your memories have just been unlocked, and your brain is struggling to process so much information at once. It¡¯s normal to have a headache. You¡¯ll be better after resting for a while, ¡± Aria said calmly. Aria put away the pocket watch and tidied up the hypnotic equipment. Although Bruce had sent many bodyguards to guard the entrance of the hospital, their intelligence couldn¡¯t stop Aria. Once she wanted toe in, no one could stop her. ¡°Ah, my head hurts¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s limbs struggled subconsciously. Seeing her in such pain, Joanna approached and loosened her arm restraints. This allowed her to move within a limited range. Joanna rubbed her temples as memories rushed into her brain like a tide. She recalled her memories from Saumi Cradia. Unexpectedly, Prince Harman was so despicable. Not only did he secretly take her away, but he also used this drug on her. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Aria asked with concern. Chapter 928 Chapter 928 Chapter 928 After looking at her for a few seconds, Joanna finally came back to her senses. ¡°¡­Aria?¡± Aria did not reply. She just stood at the head of the bed and looked at Joanna. Joanna gasped and screamed, ¡°Ah! ¡°Help! Somebody, help!¡± Joanna struggled with all her might, desperately trying to get up. However, she was tied with a corset and was trapped on the bed. Seeing Joanna¡¯s reaction, Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, ¡°Ms. Haynes, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m only here to apologize to you. ¡°I¡¯m here to help you. I¡¯m really sorry about what happened in the past. ¡°I also feel deeply guilty for the damage I¡¯ve done to you and Bruce. We¡¯re all women, so we can rte to each other better.¡± As she spoke, Aria¡¯s eyes darkened and she sobbed. ¡°I just¡­ loved Bruce too much and thought I had cancer. That¡¯s why I did something so irrational.¡± ¡°Just stop talking to me. Somebody, help me¡­¡± Recalling what Aria had done, Joanna could not help but panic. Her limbs were tied to the bed, which made her even more scared. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I swear to God, I really had no intention of hurting you and Bruce, nor of doing any harm to your rtionship. ¡°I just wanted to fulfill my wish before I die because I thought that I had cancer and didn¡¯t want to die with regrets.¡± Aria tried to convince Joanna to believe her. However, what she said was indeed the truth. At first, Aria did think she had brain cancer. For the first 30 years, she devoted all her life to her studies and research. She had also missed out a lot on love and her youth. When Aria found out that she had cancer, she was really desperate. Her only wish was to let the man she loved take her virginity. And Aria thought that it was also very simple. She felt that after she died, Bruce and Joanna could go back to their old life without being affected at all. She simply did not want to die as an old maid. ¡°Help!¡± Joanna screamed again. ck, ck. Jaydon desperately turned the doorknob. 1/5 09:41 Unfortunately, Aria was afraid that someone would break in and interrupt her hypnosis, so she locked the door. Jaydon could not enter at all. ¡°Open the door!¡± Bang, bang, bang! Jaydon was also getting anxious and frantically turned the doorknob. Just as he was about to kick the door open, Bruce rushed over. He was about to go to work, but he was still worried about Joanna. Halfway there, he asked the driver to turn back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seeing Jaydon knocking on the door worriedly, Bruce felt quite uneasy. ¡°The door is locked. Joann is calling for help,¡± Jaydon replied in a hurry. Before Jaydon could finish, Bruce pushed him away, took two steps back, and mmed into the door. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Upon seeing this, Jaydon hurriedly mmed the door as well. Bang, bang, bang! Bang! The door was knocked open. Bruce was burning with anxiety as he charged in wrathfully. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Bruce, Aria¡­ Aria¡­¡± Joanna looked at Aria in panic with her heart filled with fear. Bruce took a look and found out Aria had sneaked in again. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re really asking for it!¡± As he spoke, Bruce walked towards Aria fiercely. Aria fell to the ground and she was terrified. Aria did not resist and just looked up at Bruce weakly. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m not here to hurt her. ¡°I¡¯m only here to help her. Please trust me, okay?¡± ¡°Aria, you didn¡¯t change at all/I was really blind!¡± After saying that, Bruce wanted to teach Aria a lesson. He really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He had already tolerated Aria time and time again, but she had repeatedly gone out of line. Seeing this, Jaydon quickly went forward to pull Bruce back. If Bruce really came at Aria, she might get seriously injured. ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t hit a woman no matter what! Can¡¯t you guys just have a talk?¡± Jaydon frowned and stood in front of Aria. ¡°Get out of the way.¡± 2/5 09:11 Jaydon replied angrily, ¡°No! How can a man hit a woman? ¡°A gentleman uses his tongue but not his fists. Can you stop throwing a tantrum like this?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more furious and even wanted to beat Jaydon up too. Jaydon had no idea that Aria was even more badass than him and she could take down eight to ten men. ¡°Get the fuck out of here.¡± ¡°Bruce, calm down first. ¡°She might not have any ill intentions. How can you hit someone without even knowing what is going on? Don¡¯t you have any manners¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she instantly defended Bruce. ¡°Jay, you don¡¯t know what she did in the past. ¡°She¡¯s a terrible lunatic. Bruce and I almost died at her hands.¡± After Jaydon heard this, he was shocked at first. Then, he looked at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°Joann, what did you just call me?¡± ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna replied weakly. When Jaydon and Bruce heard this, they ignored Aria and subconsciously turned to look at Joanna. ¡°Joann, do you know him now? ¡°Then do you know me?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna excitedly. Joanna frowned and said nkly, ¡°Bruce, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°Oh my god, you remember me? Do you know my name now? ¡°Joann, you¡¯ve finally regained your memory.¡± As Bruce spoke, he rushed forward and hugged Joann tightly. He was so excited that his tears streamed down uncontrobly. These days, she had been calling him Hubby. However, he knew that she did not really mean it. She was just trying to make him happy so that he could give her the special medicine. Bruce stroked Joanna¡¯s hair excitedly and sadly. ¡°Joann, did you know that you were hypnotized before? 1 ¡°I thought you¡¯d never remembered me. Thank God you¡¯re finally sober.¡± Joanna was stunned and her unfocused eyes gradually focused. During this period of time, she felt like she was having a nightmare. Jaydon was extremely excited when he saw this. ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s really great. Joann, you have finally regained your memory.¡± 3/5Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ 09:41 D Over the past few days, Joanna had always been so mad at him and treated him as an enemy. Now, she had finally regained her memory. This was also very helpful for her to quit her drug addiction. Bruce sniffled as tears streamed down his face. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t keep you safe. ¡°From now on, I will definitely protect you and our children.¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna froze as she looked at Bruce with red eyes. He looked very haggard. He had lost more than 20 pounds and lookedpletely different from the noble and arrogant man he used to be. ¡°Joann, you finally remembered me.¡± Bruce buried his head in her arms like a helpless child. No one could imagine that the once proud, overbearing, and ruthless man would have such a fragile side. ¡°Bruce, how did you be so thin?¡± As Joanna spoke, her tears fell uncontrobly. Her trembling hands caressed his face sorrowfully. Bruce¡¯s face was already scarred. Previously, when Bruce was in a car ident, he was left with a scar from his left eyebrow to his sideburn. Now, there were two more scars at the corner of his eyes and lower jaw. His face, once perfect like a sculpture, was now weathered and rough, which made him look more manly and masculine. However, she couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for him. ¡°Bruce, oh¡­¡± Joanna hugged his head and started crying. She really felt so terrible for him. Her man had be scarred and wounded like this because of her. ¡°Come on, stop crying. As long as you can remember it all, everything will be fine. ¡°Joann, I love you!¡± Bruce cried even harder than Joanna as he spoke. ¡°I love you too. ¡°Silly, you don¡¯t want me to cry, but now you¡¯re also crying!¡± How could he not cry? They felt like they had been through a life-or-death situation again. Jaydon and Aria could not help but feel sad as they watched from the side. Joanna and Bruce had gone through so much. In this life, no one would be able to Chapter 929 Chapter 929 Chapter 929 Especially for Aria. There was an indescribable pain in her heart. This man should have been hers. If she hadn¡¯t only focused on her studies and chosen to let go first, the woman Bruce loved deeply should¡¯ve been her. They must have gotten married long ago and had a bunch of children¡­ If she could turn back time and choose again, she would definitely choose to return to the country with Bruce without any hesitation. ¡°Alright, we can¡¯t cry anymore.¡± Bruce gently wiped the tears from the corners of Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Okay, you can¡¯t cry either.¡± The two of them hugged each other tightly, wishing they could melt each other into their souls. Jaydon broke the sorrowful atmosphere. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be so sad. It¡¯s a good thing that Joann can regain her memory.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s indeed a good thing.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Ah!¡± Before Bruce could contain himself, Joanna¡¯s entire body felt numb. The intense feeling of something eating her heart came again, and her limbs began to tremble uncontrobly. Seeing this, Bruce tensed up. ¡°Joann, is iting again?¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Her voice was so hoarse that she could barely make a sound. ¡°Ah! I feel so ufortable¡­This feels so terrible¡­¡± ¡°Joann, you have to be strong. As long as you canst for three weeks, you can quit your drug addiction.¡± Bruce was at a loss. ¡°You have to hold on for me and our children.¡± Joanna was covered in a cold sweat as she rolled on the bed. Although she had regained her memory, not many people could endure the pain she had every time she had an episode. ¡°¡­Bruce, give me a shot! This feels so unbearable.¡± ¡°Joann!¡± It was heartbreaking for Bruce to see this, Just as he was thrilled that Joanna had finally regained her memory, reality knocked him to hell again. Seeing this, Jaydon hurriedly said, ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t you go out first and let me watch over Joann?¡±/ Bruce nced at Jaydon. 1/4 09:111 For now, that was all he could do. ¡°Alright then!¡± Seeing that Bruce was about to leave, Joanna trembled and grabbed the corner of his shirt. ¡°Don¡¯t go. ¡°Bruce, listen to me. I really can¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°If you really love me, don¡¯t try to control me.¡± Joanna¡¯s body twitched as she looked at him in sorrow and despair. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce choked as his heart ached even more. In the past, when Joanna was unconscious, he could still withstand it when she talked like this. And now, Joanna was conscious. He wanted to respect her decision. ¡°Joann, hold on a little longer. If you really can¡¯t do this anymore, we¡¯ll just¡­¡± Before he could finish, Jaydon was enraged again. ¡°Bruce, get out quickly! Don¡¯t stay here and affect Joann anymore.¡± ¡°Jaydon, stop meddling in our affairs. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see Joann suffer like this.¡± Bruce¡¯s brows furrowed and he looked like he was ready to go all out. They could only live for a few decades. He and Joanna had already lived for almost half their lives. There were only a few decades left. If he controlled Joanna¡¯s dosage, she would be able to live a peaceful life since he had enough money to support her. He was so rich. Why did he have to watch her suffer? ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re doing it again. ¡°Do you know that this kind of idea could kill Joann?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯ve thought about it and done a lot of research. As long as she doesn¡¯t overdose, Joanna can live to old age safely. ¡°As for the degenerate women you mentioned, most of them are depraved because they don¡¯t have money. That¡¯s why they¡¯ve gone overboard. ¡°And I have enough money to support Joann.¡± After Bruce finished with a frustrated expression, his resolve to help Joanna kick her addiction began to waver again. Those women who were addicted to drugs ended up badly mostly because they had no money and no one cared about them. Therefore, they desperately wanted to earn money, so they could only do some 2/4 09:41 illegal things. But Joanna was different. He had enough money to support her with the special medicine for the rest of her life. Moreover, he would keep an eye on her and not let her be too addicted. In other words, money can solve a lot of problems. When Jaydon heard Bruce¡¯s words, his eyes almost popped out. But he couldn¡¯t refute Bruce. ¡°Oh¡­ I feel terrible. I really can¡¯t take it anymore. Bruce, give me the medicine quickly. ¡°I really can¡¯t quit it. Give me the medicine or just let me die.¡± Joanna was extremely ufortable and looked at Bruce in pain helplessly. ¡°Joann¡­ Okay, you don¡¯t have to quit it.¡± Bruce made up his mind and nned to call the doctor to inject her with the special medicine. ¡°Bruce, let me give it a try!¡± Aria walked up weakly. Bruce looked at Aria coldly. Aria looked at him with confidence. ¡°Trust me, I can help her.¡± Bruce frowned and still did not dare to trust Aria so easily. After all, who knew if she was really repentant? Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, ¡°Bruce, just let her try. Since she can stop Joann from being hypnotized, she might have a better way to help Joann. ¡°Anyway, the worst-case scenario is that she won¡¯t be able to quit.¡± Bruce frowned and thought for a while. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m warning you. If you can really help Joann, then we can forget about the past and I won¡¯t hold it against you anymore.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°However, if you dare to trick me, I will definitely make you live in hell.¡± Aria didn¡¯t say anything and just got some equipment from the shelf. Then, she used iodine to disinfect it and used it on Joanna. In less than one minute after the treatment, the feeling of being eaten alive gradually subsided. Although it was not as soothing as taking the special medicine, it greatly relieved Joanna¡¯s pain. Though it was still a little ufortable, the extent of the difort was within her tolerance. Bruce had been standing at the head of the bed, watching Aria¡¯s every move vigntly. ¡°Joann, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡­ I feel much better.¡± Joanna was covered in a cold sweat, but she felt much better than before. Aria paused for a few seconds. ¡°This kind of psychotherapy can reduce her 3/4 09:41 D difort by blocking the sensory nerves. ¡°However, this is only temporary.¡± ¡°Then, what if it happens againter? What should we do?¡± Jaydon asked. ¡°If the drug addiction rpsester, we can only continue with psychotherapy. ¡°This kind of physiotherapy can only relieve her symptoms. She still has to get through it to get rid of her drug addiction. ¡°However, during this period of time, when she has an episode, I can give her psychotherapy so that she won¡¯t be in so much pain,¡± Aria said sincerely and looked at Bruce weakly. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°This will greatly increase the chance of her drug withdrawal.¡± Indeed, as long as Joanna could get through three weeks, the remaining poison in her body would be cleaned out, and her dependence on the medicinal would gradually disappear. Coupled with the prescription, she would be able to sessfully get rid of her drug addiction after she recuperated for a period of time. ¡°Joann, how are you feeling now?¡± ¡°I feel much better now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! This works. Joann doesn¡¯t need any special medicine to reduce the pain,¡± Jaydon said excitedly. ¡°Bruce, now you can believe that I¡¯m helping her!¡± Bruce took a deep breath and looked at Aria warily. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m here to atone for my crime. ¡°I will definitely be able to help her if you¡¯re willing to believe me.¡± ¡°Bruce, just let her try.¡± Chapter 930 Chapter 930 Chapter 930 Bruce was still frowning and didn¡¯t want to trust Aria so easily. ¡°Joann, what do you think?¡± Joanna took a deep breath and looked at Bruce hesitantly. Now, she really did not feel that bad anymore. ¡°¡­I think we should give it a try.¡± When Bruce heard this, he clicked his tongue and looked at Aria with a deep gaze. ¡°Alright then! ¡°If you really want to help Joann, I¡¯ll be very grateful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will do my best to help her.¡± Aria¡¯s tone carried a trace of excitement as she looked at Bruce sincerely. She felt extremely guilty about what she did previously. Now, she really just wanted to make amends. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Bruce, how are the children? ¡°What about Lilia? Is she alright?¡± ¡°Lilia is still in Gaprington. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°What about her corrective surgery?¡± Joanna asked worriedly. ¡°I just called the doctor the day before yesterday. Lilia is recovering very well. The doctor said that we should be able to see the effect within half a year.¡± After hearing this, Joanna rxed a little. ¡°That¡¯s good. ¡°And what about Davian, Irvin and Devin? They must be worried sick after not seeing me for so long, right?¡± Bruce felt terrible as he held Joanna¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the children. Take care of yourself first. ¡°As long as you can recover from your illness, our family will definitely get better. You¡¯re the life source of our family, so you have to recover as soon as possible.¡± Bruce sobbed and his eyes started to turn red again. If one of them had to, die first, he would rather be the first to leave. After all, the children needed their mother more. The two of them were like two lovers from a tragedy, crying andughing with each other as if they had endless words to say to each other. Seeing this, Jaydon tactfully said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two alone! I¡¯ll go out first.¡± As he spoke, he looked at Aria. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here! It¡¯s better for us not to be a third wheel here.¡± 175 09:41 0 Aria was stunned and frowned awkwardly. The two of them left the ward one after another. After they left, Bruce became even more unrestrained. He sniffled and said, ¡°Honey, I really thought that we were going to be apart forever. ¡°I really can¡¯t imagine what I should do if I lose you.¡± ¡°Dummy, don¡¯t say such silly things again,¡± Joannaforted him gently. ¡°Honey, recently, I¡¯m really about to break down. Oh¡­¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help buty his head in her arms. ¡°When Lilia recovers, we¡¯ll get Lilia back. From then on, our family will never be separated.¡± Joanna looked at him just as gently. ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce kissed her hand and then her forehead and cheeks. The two of them stared at each other. For the first time, they felt that they meant so much to each other that neither could live without each other. This kind of psychological and emotional dependence had long surpassed love and turned into a kind of family tie. Of course, family and children are equally important. Outside the ward. Aria looked at the two people in the ward through the ss in a trance. The ward was huge, and she could only see Bruce¡¯s back. As she watched, her eyes turned red with envy. She really shouldn¡¯t have those wrong ideas about Bruce. Hepletely belonged to another woman. On the side, Jaydon sized up Aria from time to time. He could not help but get a strange feeling in his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that she still can¡¯t get over Bruce!¡± thought Jaydon. Jaydon used to be a yboy. He could always guess women¡¯s thoughts very urately. What Aria was doing was so obvious that even a fool could tell. At the thought of this, Jaydon was a little worried. Aria was a world-renowned microbiologist. He had heard of some of her achievements. This included Ariaing to Greyportst year for an academic exchange, which also caused a small sensation in academia. She even had a scandal with Bruce. Although Jaydon did not pay special attention to these things, he still heard some of them. 2/5 09.42 D ¡°If such an outstanding and beautiful woman still wants to get Bruce, wouldn¡¯t Joann be in danger? ¡°It¡¯s always easier for women to get men than for men to get women. It¡¯s inevitable that a man like Bruce can¡¯t resist her temptation.¡± Men got men the best. No men would be able to resist it if such an outstanding and gorgeous woman tried to court them. Sometimes, men did not care about love and their dicks controlled their heads. Moreover, most men did not think that cheating was a serious matter. In some men¡¯s understanding, if their wives did not find out, then they did not cheat. Even if their wives discovered it, as long as they refused to admit it, it was equivalent to not having done it. Of course, Bruce hadpletely fallen in love and was ready to jump into marriage with firm steps. Moreover, he had already withstood the test and temptation. No woman would be able to tempt him. Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened. He subconsciously pinched his chin and automatically started imagining. ¡°Aria used to have a scandalous rtionship with Bruce before. ¡°She has brought Joann so much pain. If she still wants to get Bruce¡­ ¡°No, I definitely can¡¯t let that happen. Even if it¡¯s just a small chance, I won¡¯t allow anyone to hurt Joann again. ¡°Aria is a hidden danger. Just let me solve it for Joann.¡± At the thought of this, Jaydon coughed dryly and extended his right hand like a gentleman. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Jaydon. ¡°Maybe we could get to know each other again. Umm, it¡¯s also for the convenience of taking care of Joann.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Jaydon¡¯s handsome face was giving her a warm and polite smile.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Aria didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Hi, my name is Aria.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The mncholy between Aria¡¯s eyebrows could not be dispelled. She said absent-mindedly, ¡°Nice to meet you, too.¡± The handshake was over. Jaydonplimented, ¡°Your medical skills are really amazing. You know psychology and also know psychotherapy. You¡¯re really amazing.¡± Aria nced at Jaydon indifferently. She had been a top student since she was young. She was already numb topliments and praises. 315 09:42 D ¡°It¡¯s really rare to see an outstandingdy like you. It¡¯s also really admirable¡­¡± Before Jaydon could finish, Aria interrupted him. ¡°So, are you trying to woo me?¡± When Jaydon heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously looked away. ¡°Well, hahaha¡­ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not lucky enough.¡± After Jaydon finished teasing himself, a hint of self-mockery appeared in his eyes. Now, he was at the lowest point of his life. His film and televisionpany went bankrupt, and his worth, which used to be hundreds of millions of dors, went up in smoke. The billion-dor assets in the family were taken away by Cassius again. What was even worse, he was a single dad now. To be honest, he had never been so unconfident in front of a girl. Aria looked quite indifferent, and her gaze became colder. She knew psychology. She could easily read a man¡¯s mind. Jaydon was indeed very handsome and had a nice body. He was 3.2 feet tall and was a muscr hunk. Also, he was actually prettier than Bruce. However, Aria didn¡¯t really care about this kind of thing. ¡°Miss Bridges. You don¡¯t have to be so serious. ¡°You¡¯re making me awkward. I¡­ really don¡¯t have any thoughts about you.¡± ¡°That would be the best,¡± Aria replied coldly. Jaydon looked like a yboy. She didn¡¯t like men like this. She still liked men like Bruce. Anyway, she couldn¡¯t describe that feeling. She knew that Bruce wasn¡¯t a good man in the traditional sense, but there was a fatal attraction about him. The more dangerous he was, the more addicted she got. Aria ignored Jaydon and sat down on the stool at the door of the ward. Jaydon had embarrassed himself and tactfully shut up. In the past, he had never been so defeated when it came to picking up girls. He was a handsome, young, and rich man. He didn¡¯t need to do anything and a lot of women would throw themselves at him. Especially since he used to run a filmpany, the female artists he signed were all incredibly beautiful. But for some reason, he would get insecure in front of Aria. This feeling only appeared when it came to two women. One was Joanna, and the other was Aria. Chapter 931 Chapter 931 Chapter 931 In the ward. The two of them were all lovey-dovey with each other. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Bruce. The phone is ringing. Check who¡¯s calling.¡± Bruce took out his phone and looked at it. ¡°It¡¯s a call from Gaprington.¡± When Joanna heard this, her chest tightened. ¡°It might be Lilia. Hurry up and answer it.¡± Bruce had already pressed the answer button. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Lilia¡¯s cute face showed up on the screen. ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s Lilia.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and his voice was so gentle that it gave Joanna goosebumps. ¡°Sweetie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lilia pouted and asked sadly, ¡°Daddy, how¡¯s Mommy? Is she feeling better? I miss Mommy very much and I¡¯m very worried about her.¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore. ¡°Sweetie, Mommy is here!¡± ¡°Bruce, give me the phone. I want to talk to my daughter.¡± Hearing that, Bruce put the phone in front of Joanna. On the other end of the line, Lilia burst into tears the moment she saw her mommy. ¡°Mommy, Mommy, oh¡­¡± Lilia felt a lump in her throat and couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t cry. Mommy is here.¡± Seeing her daughter cry, Joanna also wanted to cry. ¡°Sweetheart, don¡¯t cry anymore. Mommy is fine.¡± Lilia cried until she was out of breath. ¡°Mommy, oh¡­ I miss you so much. Where did you go? ¡°What took you so long? I thought I¡¯d never see you again.¡± Joannaforted her daughter, heartbroken. ¡°Silly girl, isn¡¯t Mommy back now?¡± Lilia wiped off her tears with her hands and cried pitifully. ¡°Mommy, Mommy, I miss you so much. When are you and Daddying to pick me up? I really want to go home. I don¡¯t want to stay here.¡± 10:17 ¡°I miss you too. ¡°Be good, baby. Wait patiently. In a few days, Daddy will take the time to visit you.¡± Lilia shook her little head repeatedly. ¡°No, I want to go home. I want to stay with Mommy, Daddy, and my brothers.¡± Lilia was alone in a foreign country with only servants and nurses by her side. Of course, she could not wait to return to her daddy and mommy. Bruce quickly coaxed his daughter, ¡°Be good. ¡°The doctor said that you still need half a year of treatment. After half a year, you¡¯ll be able to recover. ¡°You have to hold on now.¡± Lilia sobbed miserably. ¡°Oh, when will Daddy and Mommye to see me?¡± She only knew that her mommy was in a car ident. However, she was still a child and did not know that her daddy and mommy had been through so many dangerous situations. ¡°Be a good girl. Daddy will be there to see you soon.¡± ¡°How soon will it be?¡± Lilia asked worriedly. ¡°Well, be patient and wait a little longer. When Daddy books the ne tickets, I¡¯ll go over and see you, okay?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice became even gentler. He was even more doting and patient with his daughter than he was with Joanna. ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, then. I gotta go now.¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna felt uneasy and said worriedly, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m still worried about leaving Lilia alone in Gaprington. Why don¡¯t you take a flight over and check up on Lilia? ¡°Or we can bring her over to stay for a few days. We¡¯ll send her back when it¡¯s about time to change her dressing.¡± Bruce also missed his daughter very much and immediately nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get someone to arrange it immediately. ¡°I need to call Doctor Carl first. If he agrees, I¡¯ll get someone to bring Lilia back first.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t forget about Davian, Irvin and Devin! 10.125 ¡°I miss them too. I really want to see how they¡¯re doing.¡± They were all her children, so she naturally cared about all of them deeply. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Bruce frowned. ¡°It¡¯s best to wait until you recover before meeting the children.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Joanna said as her body twitched again. Bruce immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling ufortable again?¡± ¡°¡­Kind of.¡± ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll call Aria over now.¡± After saying that, Bruce hurriedly ran towards the door of the ward. Crack! The door of the ward was pulled open. Outside the door, Aria and Jaydon were shocked.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Aria, Joann is having an episode again. Please give her psychotherapy.¡¯¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Without another word, Aria immediately got up and walked into the ward. Seeing this, Jaydon subconsciously wanted to follow her into the ward. Bruce blocked him with his arm. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go in.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he frowned and looked at Bruce in confusion. Bruce said proudly in a cold voice, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve found a good treatment method for Joann, she can already hold on now. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of things here. You can go do your own thing.¡± After Jaydon heard this, his frown deepened. He thought, ¡°So, he can¡¯t wait to get rid of me now after I¡¯m no long useful to him?¡± ¡°Bruce, I want to wait for Joann¡¯s condition to stabilize before leaving.¡± Bruce pursed his lips and looked impatient. ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯m very grateful for your concern for Joann. ¡°However, don¡¯t worry about her too much. Joann will be fine soon. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Bruce, what do you mean?¡± Jaydon crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m kicking you out!¡± Bruce had always been snarky. 10:12 He never cared about other people¡¯s feelings. ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± ¡°She is my wife. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to stay here, right?¡± Bruce looked at Jaydon resentfully. Now that Joanna¡¯s condition was under control, there was no need for any special medicine. Moreover, Joanna had already regained her memory. Apanied by Aria¡¯s psychotherapy, Joanna could already withstand the pain brought by her drug addiction. In that case, Bruce could watch over Joanna himself. And Jaydon was not useful to him anymore. Of course, Bruce had always been a bastard who turned his back on others. Especially when it came to Jaydon, he was more ruthless. When Jaydon heard this, he was even more furious and speechless. He thought, ¡°Anyone who meets a man like Bruce is really out of luck. ¡°No wonder he doesn¡¯t have any friends. He has iting.¡± ¡°ording to what you said, I can¡¯t leave.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows and stared at Jaydon in an unfriendly manner. Jaydon shrugged at him. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for Joann topletely recover. At that time, you don¡¯t have to chase me away. I¡¯ll leave.¡± As he spoke, Jaydon ignored Bruce and walked straight into the ward. Now, he had to keep an eye on Aria and Bruce. He could not let them flirt with each other and hook up. There was not much he could do for Joanna. Chapter 932 Chapter 932 Chapter 932 The only thing Jaydon could do was to help Joanna block Aria, her love rival. Seeing that Jaydonpletely ignored him, Bruce was furious. ¡°Jaydon, you bastard. ¡°Are you looking for trouble? Or are you looking for a beating?¡± He couldn¡¯t bear to see Jaydon being so obsessed with Joanna. In the ward. Jaydon walked in with a gloomy expression. Joanna had already heard the argument outside and asked worriedly, ¡°Bruce, what were you arguing about with Jay outside just now?¡± In the ward, she could already hear the two of them shouting. She would be worried whenever the two of them met each other. From the day they met, Bruce and Jaydon had fought more than five times. They were really the kind of people who would fight at the slightest disagreement. Jaydon pursed his lips slightly at her. ¡°Well. It¡¯s fine, Joann. Your husband just thanked me. ¡°He said that in order to thank me, he wanted to treat me to a feast.¡± Joanna frowned and looked at Jaydon in disbelief. Then, she turned to look at Bruce. ¡°Really? Why does it sound like you two are arguing?¡± ¡°Haha, no.¡± Bruce gave her a strange sneer. If Joanna knew that he picked on Jaydon again, she would probably be mad at him. ¡°Bruce, Jay has helped us so much. We really have to thank him. ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for him¡­¡± ¡°Of course I won¡¯t! We¡­ have a really good rtionship! We¡¯ve long be buddies now.¡± As he spoke, Bruce stared at Jaydon with a fake smile. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Jaydon replied indifferently. 10:171 ¡°Alright then! As long as you two get along, I can rest assured.¡± Aria watched from the side with mixed feelings. At the same time, she was even more curious about Joanna. What kind of charm did Joanna have to make these two men care so much about her? ¡°Ouch¡­ My head hurts¡­¡± The nerves in Joanna¡¯s head started working up, and she subconsciously pressed her head. Seeing this, Aria immediately took out some equipment from the medical box. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m going to give you psychotherapy now.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Aria took out the equipment and started the treatment. Aria¡¯s medical skills were very good. She could hypnotize Joanna and reduce the pain when Joanna¡¯s drug addiction acted up. After a few rounds of treatment, Aria finally stopped. Bruce watched from the side and his heart was in his throat. ¡°Joann, how do you feel? Does it hurt?¡± Joanna blinked slightly. ¡°Well, it feels alright.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Bruce still felt bad for her as hebed her hair. ¡°It must be very painful to go through this treatment, right?¡±. Looking at the equipment all over Joanna¡¯s body, Bruce felt shivers down his spine. Jaydon sighed. ¡°Psychotherapy is better than using special medicine. At least, psychotherapy won¡¯t have any side effects.¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ten minutester. Aria removed the equipment and Joanna¡¯s emotions gradually subsided. ¡°Honey, does it hurt?¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°How can it not hurt when there is so much equipment on you?¡± Joanna smiled weakly at him. ¡°No matter how painful the psychotherapy is, it¡¯s still much better than the feeling of getting eaten alive from within. and going through a living hell when my drug addiction acts up.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes turned red. He didn¡¯t know what to say. 10.18 and just gently stroked her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. If her addiction acts up againter, you can call me anytime.¡± As Aria spoke, she packed her things and walked out of the door. Seeing how intimate they were, she still felt a little bitter. However, she would restrain herself now. She really wanted to atone for her sins and would not do anything irrational again. After Aria left, Jaydon¡¯s eyes flickered as he followed her out. Aria left the ward and sat on a chair in the corridor in a daze. She looked like she had a lot on her mind. ¡°Would you like some water?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Thank you.¡± ¡°Just have some water! You don¡¯t have to be so serious,¡± Jaydon said and handed her a bottle of mineral water. Aria slowly took the water with an absent-minded expression. Now that she had gone through so much, she had really gotten over it and sincerely hoped that Bruce and Joanna could be happy. However, Aria was still a little worried. Mr. Thompson had told her before that the scientists in Melta were secretly doing research on human gic mutation. They were extracting human genes and crossbreeding them with special animals to develop higher- level humanoid creatures. This was an experiment that went against human morality, and the United Nations firmly rejected this research. If higher organisms were really discovered, the human race would be in danger of extinction. Therefore, it is necessary to gather concrete evidence to expose Melta¡¯s evil deeds to the world.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Mr. Thompson nned to let her and Bruce carry out this mission together. Now, Bruce was still indulged in love and Aria really did not know how to say it. Moreover, this mission was very dangerous and difficult. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. She could only stall as much as possible. She would tell Bruce the news after Joanna recovered. Seeing Aria remain dumbfounded, Jaydon could not help but secretly size her up. 10:18 Aria¡¯s side profile was very attractive. Her nose was delicate, and her jawline was also very pretty. She was the kind of woman who made people want to protect her. To a certain extent, she was basically the same type of pretty girl as Joanna. It was just that Joanna¡¯s facial features were more exquisite. Soon, Aria noticed that Jaydon was looking at her. Then, her eyes darkened and she asked sullenly. ¡°Mr. Grimm, why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Haha, there are only the two of us here. If I don¡¯t look at you, who else can I look at? ¡°Besides, admiring beautiful women is also a pleasure,¡± Jaydon subconsciously teased, putting on an expression that he thought was very handsome. ¡°Is this how you pick up girls?¡± Aria¡¯s tone was a little unpleasant. She really did not like men who were too frivolous. Although Jaydon was very handsome, he gave her a feeling that he was just a flirtatious yboy. In addition, she still got her mind on Bruce. Moreover, she was about to carry out a difficult mission. She really wasn¡¯t in the mood to fall in love. Jaydon smiled. ¡°Miss Bridges, looks like you often get hit on like this. But that¡¯s understandable. Pretty girls always attract everyone¡¯s attention.¡± When Aria heard this, she sneered and said bluntly, ¡°If you only look at a woman¡¯s appearance, it only proves that you¡¯re a shallow man. ¡°I won¡¯t be friends with a shallow person. You don¡¯t have to waste your effort on me. Aria was so outstanding and beautiful. Naturally, there were many people wooing her. However, her standards were too high and she could not forget Bruce. That was why she remained single. Chapter 933 Chapter 933 Chapter 933 ¡°Miss Bridges, I think you¡­ misunderstood, okay? ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wanted to pursue you! I just¡­¡± Jaydon smiled awkwardly and hesitated. He was just afraid that she would not get over Bruce and wanted to help Joanna get rid of this hidden danger. To put it bluntly, he had loved Joanna for so many years that this love was already deep in his bones. Even if he was interested in other women, his love for Joanna would never go away at once. Aria was really ttering herself. ¡°That would be great,¡± Aria replied coldly. She didn¡¯t need these men chasing after her. Therefore, whenever there was such a sign like this, she would immediately put an end to it. It was not that she was socially awkward. She really didn¡¯t need it and was really afraid of being pestered and troubled. Aria immediately brought the conversation to a dead-end. Jaydon scratched his nose awkwardly and cursed in his heart, ¡°This woman is so cold and snarky. She¡¯s really the same as Bruce. ¡°Oh, why didn¡¯t the two of them be a couple? If they were together, there would be no more obstacles between me and Joann. ¡°What a pity! God is so unfair.¡± Indeed, if not for Bruce stealing Joanna, Jaydon and Joanna would have married long ago. If Joanna really married him, he would never let her suffer so much. In the ward. Bruce was lying in Joanna¡¯s arms like a spoiled child. ¡°Honey, get well quickly¡­¡± Joanna tried to pull her arm away. ¡°Stop resting on my arm like this. Your head is very heavy.¡± ¡°No, I want to rest my head on your arm just like this,¡± Bruce said and 10.18 snuggled deeper into her arms. ¡°Oh, why have you be so childish now?¡± Joanna could not argue with him and could only smile speechlessly. This nasty and domineering guy was bing more and more like a clingy child.. Men were like that. When he really fell in love with someone, he would slowly let down his guard and gradually rely on the woman he loved. Naturally, his behavior would be more and more like a brainless and retarded fool. Usually, when a man became more and more foolish in front of you, it meant that this man hadpletely fallen in love with you. ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t Jay in awsuit with Cassius?¡± Joanna suddenly remembered and quickly asked Bruce. ¡°How is Jay¡¯swsuit going? What¡¯s the final result?¡± ¡°Well, what else can it be? They lost thewsuit!¡± Bruce gloated. Although he did not deliberately try to find out things about Jaydon, the news of thewsuit of the Grimm family had already been spread throughout the city. It was difficult not to know anything about it. ¡°Huh? Has Jay appealed?¡± ¡°Tsk, what¡¯s the use of an appeal? If there¡¯s no new evidence that canpletely take Cassius down, the original judgment will basically be upheld even if there¡¯s a second trial.¡±. Bruce was quite experienced inwsuits.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ After all, he was in charge of such a bigpany that had so many branches. It was inevitable that he would encounter some unreasonable people. Therefore, Everett Group would be involved in a lot ofwsuits every year. Of course, the legal team of Everett Group was not to be trifled with. They rarely lost a case. When Joanna heard this, she was even more worried about Jaydon. ¡°Then what should he do?¡± ¡°How do I know what to do?¡± Joanna sighed and said hoarsely, ¡°Can¡¯t you think of a way to help him?¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. 278 10.18 ¡°How can I help him?¡± ¡°Hubby, Jay has helped us so much. Without him, we might not have been able to return to Greyport. ¡°I hope you can help him through this difficult time. When any of us is in trouble, we have to help each other. ¡°Jay is really a kind and good person. Try getting to know him and you¡¯ll be good friends with him.¡± When Bruce heard this, he rolled his eyes. ¡°Tsk, forget about me making friends with that jerk!¡± Unless there was something wrong with him, he would not make friends with a love rival who had designs on his wife. If Jaydon really stole his wife, Bruce would regret it for the rest of his life. ¡°You¡¯re acting like this again? I just want you to help him a little¡­¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°There¡¯s really no way to help with this kind of thing. He has to be on his own now.¡± ¡°Then you can give him some aid!¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I already done that? I lent him so much money and even provided him with awyer. What else should I do to help him? ¡°He¡¯s spending my money now.¡± Bruce sounded dissatisfied. Joanna directly lent Jaydon 100 million dors. Moreover, it seemed that she did not intend to let him return it. This money was all given to her by Bruce. In other words, Jaydon was basically spending his money. Chapter 934 Chapter 934 Chapter 934 In the blink of an eye, another two days passed. With the help of Aria¡¯s psychotherapy, Joanna¡¯s situation improved considerably. In the beginning, her addiction would act up seven to eight times a day and now it had been reduced to three to four times a day. Moreover, after the psychotherapy, Joanna could already resist the drug addiction when it acted up. Seeing that Joanna¡¯s condition had improved, Bruce finally felt relieved. Jaydon was very happy for Joanna. ¡°It¡¯s already been a week and in another two weeks, Joann will definitely be able to sessfully quit her drug addiction.¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s all thanks to Aria.¡± Bruce was still very grateful to Aria for this. At the same time, he no longer hated Aria that much. Aria smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just trying my best to help you guys.¡± Bruce smiled gratefully. ¡°When Joann recovers, I¡¯ll definitely thank you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. This is what I should do,¡± Aria said as she looked at Bruce with deep and sentimental eyes. Her eyes were filled with thoughts. Bruce looked into her eyes and immediately looked away. He did not want Aria to have any more thoughts about him. ¡°Um, when Joann recovers, we¡¯ll go and get remarried. At that time, we¡¯ll invite you over for the wedding banquet.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard that and she looked quite disappointed. Joanna interrupted him. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now. Let¡¯s quickly think of a way to bring Lilia back. I haven¡¯t seen the children for so long. I really miss them.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send a private ne to pick up Lilia next week. ¡°Once you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, we¡¯ll immediately go and remarry. At the same time, we¡¯ll hold a grand wedding and the children can all be at the wedding.¡± 10:181 Upon hearing this, Joanna smiled. ¡°We can get the remarriage procedures done but let¡¯s not hold the wedding for the time being.¡± ¡°Alright. That¡¯s fine too. No matter what, we have to settle the procedures first. We can¡¯t dy this time.¡± It was indeed time for them to remarry. If they kept stalling, who knew what would happen next time? It was better to get the marriage certificate as soon as possible. Only then would they feel more at ease. Jaydon smiled and said sincerely, ¡°Congrattions. ¡°Bruce, you have to cherish Joann. ¡°If you dare to treat Joann badly, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± ¡°Tsk, don¡¯t worry about it. ¡°I¡¯m also warning you. If you dare to have any thoughts about my wife again, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson with my fists.¡± ¡°What a barbarian! It¡¯s really difficult tomunicate with you,¡± Jaydon retorted resentfully. Since he had decided to let go, he naturally would not destroy their rtionship again.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ There were many kinds of love. At the same time, love could also be opposing and contradictory. Bruce¡¯s love was possession while Jaydon¡¯s love was tolerance and letting As long as Joanna could be happy, he really didn¡¯t care about anything else. Beep, beep, beep. Jaydon¡¯s phone rang. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and answer the call.¡± Jaydon nced at his phone and left the ward in a hurry. In the corridor. ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± Grace¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Jaydon, tomorrow is Tuesday. Where are you now? Why are you still missing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital,¡± Jaydon replied subconsciously. 10:15 ¡°You¡¯re in the hospital? Which hospital are you in? Are you sick? Did something happen again? Don¡¯t hide it from me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t be afraid that I won¡¯t be able to take it. If you¡¯re sick, just go ahead and tell me. You¡¯re the only one I have in this world. Nothing can happen to you.¡± The more Grace spoke, the more worried she became. Her brother had not shown up for almost a month. As his younger sister, she was really a little concerned. Subconsciously, Jaydonforted Grace. ¡°Well, a friend of mine is sick. It¡¯s not me. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± When Grace heard this, she was instantly furious. ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯re unbelievable. Your own daughter is sick, but you don¡¯t care at all. Why are you so concerned about your friend¡¯s illness? ¡°What kind of friend is that to make you so concerned?¡± ¡°Grace, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Tomorrow is Tuesday. Don¡¯t be absent.¡± ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all for now. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After the call, Jaydon frowned and his heart was in turmoil. He really had no confidence in tomorrow¡¯swsuit at all. At the same time, he didn¡¯t have a clue about his father¡¯s death. ¡°Father, your spirit must protect us in heaven. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t make a will. And I don¡¯t believe that your death was an ident.¡± Jaydon suspected that Cassius must have something to do with his father¡¯s death. Tim had so many children. How could he leave most of his assets to Cassius? This was clearly abnormal. Moreover, Cassius was not even Tim¡¯s biological son. No matter how Tim doted on him, so it was impossible for him to ignore his other children. However, Jaydon did not have any concrete evidence at the moment. In addition, he did not have the time and energy to investigate the truth. ¡°Jaydon, aren¡¯t you going to court tomorrow? What are you doing here? ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back and get ready right away?¡± Chapter 935 Chapter 935 Chapter 935 After the call, Jaydon returned to the ward. ¡°Have you finished your call?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything, but his expression was a little sullen. Seeing this, Joanna became even more worried. ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Jaydon smiled at Joanna. ¡°Is it about thewsuit again?¡± ¡°Joann, have a good rest. I gotta go back to Venturas tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Go about your business. Don¡¯t worry about me. If you need any help, just let me know. ¡°Do you still have enough money? If not, I¡¯ll transfer some more to you.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon sincerely. Other than trying her best to help him solve his money problem, she had no other way to help him. Jaydon smiled. ¡°No need. I have enough money. I¡¯lle and see you after I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. Let me know if you need anything.¡± Jaydon nodded and left the ward with a smile. Looking at Jaydon¡¯s lonely back, Joanna could not help but feel ufortable. ¡°From the look on Jay¡¯s face, I know he must be in big trouble again. ¡°I¡¯m really concerned that he won¡¯t be able to defeat Cassius.¡± Joanna looked worried. Cassius had been working hard in Grimm Group for many years and had already gotten all kinds of connections. It was normal that Jaydon would lose to him. Bruce didn¡¯t say anything and looked like he was deep in thought. No matter what, Jaydon had helped him a lot. Although Bruce kept making sarcastic remarks, he was already thinking about how to help Jaydon. However, before the matter was done, Bruce did not like to tell everyone 175 10 18 Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. about it and was always very calm. After the matter was settled, the feeling of catching everyone off guard and shocking everyone was the best. Joanna looked at Bruce with a heavy heart. ¡°Honey, what will you do if this kind of thing happens to you?¡± Bruce said teasingly, ¡°Haha. If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t let this happen at all. ¡°Even if it happens to me, I will let the other party regret being born into this world.¡± Bruce was kind of a jerk. It would be nice if he didn¡¯t scheme against others. If others dared to scheme against him, they were simply courting death. Joanna looked at him speechlessly. Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll cross the bridge when the timees. Even if the sky falls, I¡¯ll hold it up for you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still worried about Jay¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t die.¡± Bruce gave her an awkward smile. As they were talking, someone knocked on the door. Bang, bang, bang. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened. Gael and Miranda walked in with Davian and Irvin. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Everett.¡± Davian and Irvin smiled and rushed in like two wild horses. ¡°Mommy.¡± Seeing this, Joanna immediately sat up from the bed. ¡°Davian, Irvin, why are you here?¡± Davian had already pounced on the bed. ¡°We know that Mommy is hospitalized, so we beg Mr. Gael to bring us to the hospital.¡± Gael said kindly, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett. They were too worried about Mrs. Everett. ¡°They kept crying and begging toe to the hospital. They even sneaked out of Sherane Bay Vi a few times. ¡°I had no choice but to bring them to the hospital for a visit.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. Although he was a little upset, he did not say anything. 10:18 Joanna, on the other hand, was extremely excited. Her eyes were sore and wet. ¡°Sweethearts, I missed you guys so much.¡± ¡°Mommy, we were so worried about you. Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°I¡¯m much better now. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Oh! We miss you so much, Mommy.¡± The two little fellows also started crying. One after the other, they threw themselves into Joanna¡¯s arms and wept. Joanna hugged her two kids on both sides, crying andughing. ¡°Thank God, you¡¯re finally back, Mommy. If you don¡¯te back soon, we¡¯ll go crazy.¡± ¡°Silly, I miss you guys too.¡± Joanna hugged the two kids tightly and could not help but kiss them again and again. They were her children! No matter when or where she would always miss them. Irvin raised his handsome little face. ¡°Mommy, what illness do you have?¡± Davian was speechless. ¡°Dummy, Mommy got into a car ident.¡± ¡°Oh, I just remembered.¡± Irvin smiled in embarrassment.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Irvin kind of took after Joanna, and his facial features looked more exquisite. On the other hand, Davian looked more masculine. He was simply a mini version of Bruce and his face and figure were just like Bruce¡¯s ¡°Have you been good while I wasn¡¯t around? Did you guys do your. homework?¡± Irvin¡¯s nose twitched. ¡°Please, it¡¯s summer vacation now! Of course¡­ we have to rx. ¡°But we¡¯ve done our homework.¡± Joanna smiled. She didn¡¯t want to put too much pressure on the children. ¡°Well, that¡¯s great. ¡°Where¡¯s ¡®Devin? Is Devin doing well now?¡± ¡°Oh, Devin is still the same. He eats and sleeps every day. And besides that, all he does is cry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Devin cried all the time. He keeps crying every single day. and it¡¯s so annoying,¡± Irvin casuallyined. ¡°As big brothers, you have to love and protect your younger brother. You 375 10.18 can¡¯t talk about Devin like that.¡± ¡°Got it, Mommy.¡± Although the two little fellowsined about Devin, they actually doted on him very much. However, Devin was still too young and they couldn¡¯t y with him. Bruce looked at the time and estimated that Joanna was about to have an episode again. He hurriedly urged the two kids to leave. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve already seen Mommy. Go back now!¡± ¡°Daddy, we want to stay a little longer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯ve only been here for less than half an hour¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Your mommy needs to rest well now. She can¡¯t apany you guys for too long. When your mommy recovers, she¡¯ll spend more time with you. ¡°Be good and listen to me. Go home with Mr. Gael first. Your mommy can be with you guys every day after she¡¯s discharged.¡± Although Joanna could not bear to part with the two kids and also wanted to spend more time with the children, her entire body was starting to feel ufortable again. She told them to go back home so that she wouldn¡¯t scare the children. ¡°¡­Alright then!¡± The two boys pouted. Although they were a little reluctant, they still did not dare to go against their daddy. Just as they were about to leave, Aria pushed the door open and entered. ¡°What? Why is this bad woman here?¡± Davian¡¯s face was filled with vignce and anger. Irvin scolded directly, ¡°That¡¯s right! This bad woman has always wanted to steal Daddy away. She¡¯s not a good person. ¡°You bad woman, hurry up and leave¡­¡± ¡°Irvin, how can you be so rude? ¡°Apologize to Miss Bridges right now.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t want to apologize to her. I¡¯m just telling the truth. She had always wanted to seduce Daddy before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t want to apologize to such a bad woman.¡¯ When Bruce and Joanna heard this, their expressions turned awkward. Aria also looked a little embarrassed, but she quickly forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s 10:18. okay. They¡¯re just kids.¡± Chapter 936 Chapter 936 Chapter 936 ¡°Davian, Irvin, you can¡¯t be so rude.¡± Joanna scolded the two children. Although she was also very protective of her children, she still did not want them to be ill-mannered. The two kids pouted and said indignantly to Aria, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± With that, they snorted and left the ward unhappily. ¡°It¡¯s really okay. They¡¯re still children.¡± Bruce and Joanna looked at each other and did not say anything else. ¡°It¡¯s about time. I¡¯ll continue to give Ms. Haynes psychotherapy. ¡°In case you¡¯re caught off guard when the addiction acts up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aria didn¡¯t say anything else. She picked up the equipment and began to give Joanna psychotherapy. Twenty minutester. After the psychotherapy was done, Aria left the ward consciously. Coincidentally, Bruce also came out to answer a call. After the call, Bruce subconsciously prepared to return to the room. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria suddenly stopped him. Bruce paused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria hesitated and said, ¡°I¡­ I want to tell you something.¡± ¡°What is it? Just tell me,¡± Bruce asked in a low voice. Aria felt a lump in her throat. Suddenly, she could not say anything. Over the past few days, he and Joanna were like two lovers from a tragedy who had gone through all kinds of hardships. She really didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was a little cold. He did not want to be alone with Aria. Aria¡¯s eyes flickered and she decided not to tell him. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s talk about it in the future.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked Aria up and down. ¡°Aria, are you hiding something from me?¡± ¡°No!¡± Ariaughed uneasily. A trace of suspicion appeared on Bruce¡¯s face, but he did not want to get to the bottom of it. Seeing that she was unwilling to say anything, he could not be bothered to pay 1/4 09:49 attention to her anymore and walked straight to the ward. Now, he would no longer give her a good attitude. In Venturas. Jaydon finally showed up before the trial. Grace and the other siblings were already waiting at the entrance of the court. ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡± Jaydon asked subconsciously. ¡°Cassius is too arrogant. He¡¯s so overbearing.¡± ¡°The court session is about to start. Let¡¯s go in first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At ten past nine o¡¯clock in the courtroom. The judge officially examined the case. ¡°Defendant Cassius, you¡¯re charged with illegal embezzlement of assets under Grimm Group, as well as many assets under Mr. Tim¡¯s name¡­¡± The juror began to read the case. Jaydon, Grace, and the others sat cautiously in the hearing area. The other dozen or so children were also listening at the side. After rounds of intense debate, the results of the second trial were out soon. On an existing basis, the court ordered Cassius to pay monthly living expenses and dividends to his other siblings on time. Cassius could choose not to carry it out, or he could drag it out and not fulfill it. Even if he was willing to fulfill it, the living expenses determined by the judge wouldn¡¯t be much. Compared to the billion-dor assets of Grimm Group, it was really just a drop in the ocean. After the approval results were out, Tim¡¯s children were furious and could not ept this result. ¡°No, this is uneptable.¡± ¡°We have to keep appealing.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re gonna keep appealing.¡± Cassius walked out of the court in high spirits. Looking at the indignant siblings, he became even more fearless. ¡°Guys, you should save your breath! ¡°Otherwise, you won¡¯t even get your living expenses.¡± ¡°Cassius, you¡¯re really out of line.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m just following Dad¡¯s wishes and taking good care of thepany. Don¡¯t worry, guys. I¡¯ll transfer every cent of the dividends that I should give you every year to your bank ount. ¡°If you insist on making a scene like this, I can only apany you to the end.¡± 2/4 0949 ¡°Cassius, don¡¯t be so arrogant.¡± Jaydon was also furious. ¡°Jaydon, it¡¯s better for you to be more sensible,¡± Cassius said confidently as he got into the car. ¡°Cassius, stop right there and make things clear.¡± ¡°Jaydon!¡± Grace chased after Jaydon and stopped him. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°We can only appeal again now. Also, we have to collect new evidence. ¡°Dad¡¯s death is very strange. It¡¯s definitely not an ident. Moreover, it¡¯s impossible that Dad didn¡¯t make a will when he was alive. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Dad¡¯s old residence to search again. As long as we can find the will, we can defeat Cassius.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t believe Dad really didn¡¯t make a will, either. ¡°But the old residence is now controlled by Cassius. No one is allowed to enter. ¡°It¡¯s very difficult for us to get in.¡± ¡°Let me think of a way!¡± Jaydon frowned. No matter what, he had to make a trip to the old residence. He suspected that his father would have left the will in the safe in the study. At Greyport Hospital. Joanna kept pacing from time to time. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m still a little worried.¡± ¡°What are you worried about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about Jay¡¯swsuit.¡± Joanna looked quite concerned. Bruce saw thising and said teasingly, ¡°Hahaha. There¡¯s no point in thesewsuits at all. It¡¯s just a waste of time and all they do is talk nonsense.¡± ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait. When the time is right, the problem will naturally be solved.¡± As Bruce spoke, a confident smile appeared in his eyes. Seeing his strange smile, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just happy.¡± ¡°Oh, Jay must be feeling terrible. Don¡¯t hit him when he¡¯s down. Watch your mouth and don¡¯t be too snarky.¡± ¡°Tsk, so what if I¡¯m snarky? If he can¡¯t even withstand this, what else can he do?¡± Bruce said disdainfully. ¡°A coward like Jaydon should be taught a lesson. Only by learning his lessons can he get smarter.¡± ¡°Stop making sarcastic remarks. If you don¡¯t want to help, then don¡¯t. Why do you Chapter 937 Chapter 937 Chapter 937 ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. Take your time. This kind ofwsuit is indeed more troublesome.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Jaydon replied indifferently. Joanna pursed her lips, not knowing how tofort him. Jaydon smiled warmly at her. ¡°Joann, how are you feeling? Are you feeling better today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m much better. Don¡¯t worry about me. ¡°If you¡¯re busy, go do your own thing first.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon with sympathy and guilt. She didn¡¯t have any experience to share with him in such awsuit, let alone provide him with any help. She could only keep ncing at Bruce, hoping that he would say something. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Bruce had an indifferent expression as if he did not see anything. ¡°¡­Bruce, do you have any thoughts on this matter?¡± Joanna could not help but ask, hoping that Bruce would take the initiative to help Jaydon. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± Joanna had a pleading look on her face. ¡°What do I have to say? It¡¯s none of my business. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not a judge.¡± When Joanna heard this, she froze and didn¡¯t know what to say. Was this despicable bastard really nning to stand by and do nothing? ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry about me. I can handle it. ¡°I¡¯m also thinking of a way to deal with it. You¡¯d better take care of yourself.¡± Jaydon knew Joanna¡¯s intentions, and there was an obvious hint of resistance on his face. Bruce hated him, and he also disliked Bruce. They were all men. Jaydon/would definitely not ask for help. ¡°Since everything¡¯s okay, I can finally be relieved. ¡°I have to go now. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Previously, Jaydon was worried that Bruce would be soft-hearted and that he would give Joanna the special medicine. Now, with Aria¡¯s help, he no longer had such concerns. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry!¡± 1/5 09:49 D ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going first.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Jaydon did not say anything else. He just stood up and left. After he left, Bruce took out a thermos box as if he was presenting her with a treasure. ¡°Honey, this is your favorite oatmeal. Eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡± Joanna sighed in disappointment. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t eat.¡± ¡°You have to eat even if you can¡¯t.¡± As Bruce spoke, he had already opened the thermos box and scooped out a bowl of oatmeal. ¡°It¡¯s freshly made. Hurry up and try it. You¡¯re too thin now. You have to get more nutrition. Here, eat some.¡± Bruce scooped a spoonful of the oatmeal. He blew on it to cool it and brought it to Joanna¡¯s mouth. Although Joanna had no appetite, she didn¡¯t want to say no to him since he meant. well. So she just obediently opened her mouth and ate it. The moment she ate the oatmeal, she felt that it was way too salty. Joanna almost vomited. ¡°Eww¡­ Why does this oatmeal taste kind of strange? It¡¯s different from before. Did you change the chef?¡± When Bruce heard this, his face tensed up. ¡°Really? Is it bad?¡± Joanna took another sip and immediately spat it out. Not only was it salty, but there was a fishy smell. The oatmeal was also a little half-cooked. ¡°Who made this oatmeal? Why does it taste so bad?¡± Bruce¡¯s face stiffened. Before, he looked like he was offering her a treasure and asking for her praise. But now he looked frustrated. He had sneaked out just now to personally cook a bowl of oatmeal for her. ¡°Hurry up and take it away. It¡¯s too disgusting.¡± Joanna drank another cup of water to get that strange taste out of her mouth. ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± Bruce asked in disbelief. He had worked really hard to make this just now. He followed all the steps in the recipe online and used all the ingredients. How could it taste so bad? ¡°It¡¯s not just bad, it¡¯s like poison. Even a dog wouldn¡¯t eat it. ¡°Did the chef doze off? How can he cook such a gross meal?¡± Joanna was not a picky eater, but this oatmeal was really disgusting to the extreme. Bruce pursed his lips and said moodily, ¡°Are you exaggerating it?¡± Then, he took a sip of the oatmeal. ¡°Pfft, pfft! Who put dish soap in it?¡± As soon as he ate the oatmeal, he could not help but spit it out. Other than the terrible taste, there was also a strong smell of dish soap. ¡°Ugh. Water. Give me water.¡± Seeing this, the nurse quickly handed him a ss of water. Bruce took the water and rinsed his mouth a few times before he got that terrible taste out of his mouth. ¡°Forget it. Just don¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°Where did you get this this oatmeal?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I¡­ I bought it!¡± Bruce was too embarrassed to say that he made it himself, so he could only make things up. Joanna looked at him suspiciously, obviously not believing what he said. No restaurant could possibly make such a terrible meal. ¡°Just tell me the truth. You were out for almost an hour. What were you doing?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. Just now, he went out to smoke and happened to see a man carrying a lunch box to the hospital to deliver food to his wife. The wife was eating the food sent by her husband with a blissful smile. Although they looked like an ordinary couple, they were so lovely and warm. Then, something went wrong with his head and he suddenly became interested in cooking. Bruce imagined that Joanna would be as touched and happy as that patient when she ate the food her husband made. Therefore, he went straight to the hospital¡¯s kitchen and chased everyone away. It took him almost an hour to make this oatmeal. ¡°Juste clean. Don¡¯t even lie to me.¡± ¡°¡­Alright! I made this myself.¡± Bruce looked quite depressed. When Joanna heard this, she was dumbfounded. It took her a while toe back to her senses. ¡°You made it yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I made this for you myself. I followed the steps online. Why is it so bad?¡± Bruce was still puzzled. ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure it out how there can be such a strong smell of dish soap.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t identally pour the dish soap in, did you?¡± 3/5 09:491 Bruce carefully thought about the steps just now. ¡°I saw arge basin of water beside the pool, so I added a spoonful.¡± ¡°Oh my God. The dish soap in the kitchen is all poured out. That¡¯s not water. It¡¯s dish soap. They poured it out so that people can use it whenever they want.¡±¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked even more frustrated. He only saw a basin of transparent liquid beside the sink and thought it was water. Seeing his gloomy expression, Joanna smiled andforted him gently. ¡°But forget it. It¡¯s already good enough for you to know how to make oatmeal. ¡°Who taught you that?¡± ¡°I searched the recipe on my phone and followed the steps.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt a little touched. This oatmeal was indeed terrible. Even dogs wouldn¡¯t eat it. However, she could feel his sincerity. For a man like him, it was like killing him to make him cook. Bruce smiled awkwardly and hugged Joanna, saying dotingly, ¡°Honey, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll practice my cooking in the future and be a family man. I¡¯ll make you the happiest woman in the world.¡± ¡°Haha. Alright then. I believe you.¡± Joanna snuggled happily in his arms. At this moment, she really felt very blessed. It was as if she had finally seen the bright future ahead of her. All the hardships and grievances she had suffered in the past had passed. She was very d and grateful that the man she loved had finally be what she liked. Bruce suddenly felt conflicted again. He clung to Joanna and refused to let go. ¡°Honey, where do you think we should hold the wedding? In our country or in a foreign country? ¡°Why don¡¯t we hold a wedding both domestically and overseas? Let¡¯s have a traditional wedding and a modern wedding.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Forget it! It¡¯s our second marriage. There¡¯s no need to be so high-profile.¡± ¡°So what if it¡¯s our second marriage? The wedding of our second marriage still needs to be more morous than our first one. ¡°We¡¯re finally back together, so we have to do it grandly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to keep a low profile. I don¡¯t like too many people paying attention to us. Just invited some family and friends and have a small ceremony.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. That¡¯ll be boring.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s have it at Greyport and have a traditional wedding.¡± ¡°Alright, whatever you say. From now on, I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better keep your promise. Don¡¯t forget about all these principles and promises when you lose your temper.¡± ¡°Honey, I always keep my word. Since I promised you, I will definitely keep my promise.¡± Indeed, Bruce was still a man of his word. Either he didn¡¯t make any promises, or if he made a promise, he would certainly keep it. Of course, there was nothing he could do if there were some natural disasters and man-made disasters, as well as uncontroble factors. Chapter 938 Chapter 938 Chapter 938 In Venturas. At Boulware Vi. After Cassius won thewsuit, he was even more smug. Yasmine immediately came over to collect the debt. ¡°You¡¯ve already won thewsuit. It¡¯s time for you to fulfill your promise, right?¡± ¡°Aunt Yasmine, don¡¯t worry. When we get the business license, we can settle this once and for all.¡± ¡°We agreed that the business license would be under my name,¡± Yasmine emphasized worriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! As long as we get the business license, it will definitely be under your name.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hmph, you better keep your word. If you dare to fool me, don¡¯t me me for¡­¡± Before she could finish, Cassius gave her an ambiguous smile. ¡°Aunt Yasmine, don¡¯t worry! When have I not done what I promised you? ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to do our best to bid for the business license. ¡°Although it¡¯s practically certain that the Grimm family will win, there seems to be a newpetitor this year. ¡°Apart from Johnson Group and Henderson Group, Everett Group is also on the bidding list.¡± When Yasmine heard this, she was shocked. ¡°What? Everett Group is also on the bidding list?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Cassius sneered sinisterly and continued, ¡°Everett Group has never been in the gambling industry. I didn¡¯t expect them to want a share this year. ¡°But don¡¯t worry too much. ¡°Although Everett Group is pretty aggressive, they have no experience in the gambling industry and don¡¯t know how deep the waters are. I think Bruce is just here to join in the fun. ¡°On the other hand, Johnson Group and Henderson Group have been very strong in the past two years. We have to be fully prepared.¡± Yasmine narrowed her eyes and said gloomily, ¡°No matter what method we use, we must get the business license.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Yasmine. I¡¯ve already bribed the regtory departments in Venturas. If nothing goes wrong, the business license will definitely belong to Grimm Group.¡± 1/8 09:30 ¡°Alright. Then I can finally be relieved.¡± Yasmine said and left with her purse. After she left, Cassius¡¯s expression immediately changed. He spat fiercely. ¡°Hmph, you want to get the business license? ¡°Keep dreaming!¡± Cassius smiled viciously, and a trace of viciousness appeared in his eyes. If nothing went wrong, Yasmine probably wouldn¡¯t be able to live till tomorrow. He would definitely get the business license. How could he bear to give her such a profitable business opportunity? He wouldn¡¯t be that stupid. Soon. news of Everett Group¡¯s uingpetition for a gambling license was quickly spread. This news shocked countless people. Everett Group had always focused on industries and investments and almost dabbled in all industries. However, Everett Group had never been involved in the gambling industry. Unexpectedly, they wanted to enter the gambling industry this year. ¡°Oh my god, I heard that Everett Group is also running for a gambling license this year.¡± ¡°Well, the richer they are, the greedier they get.¡± ¡°Everett Group is really taking advantage of every opportunity. They want a share of every industry.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? The gambling industry is so profitable. Who wouldn¡¯t want a share?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°However, Everett Group has never dabbled in it before. They¡¯re probably not gonna win.¡± ¡°I think Grimm Group will get the business license this year.¡± People from Greyport and Venturas were all gossiping about the news. What they loved the most was thepetition between giants. At the hospital. Joanna soon heard the news as well. After learning that Bruce was also bidding for the gambling license, she could not remain calm anymore. His participation in the bidding was equivalent Competing with Grimm Group. ¡°Bruce, I heard that you¡¯re bidding for the business license of the gambling ¡°Bruce, I heard that you¡¯re bidding for the bu industry this year. 2/3 09:51 ¡°Is it true?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna indifferently. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, you clearly know that Jay is in a difficult situation now. Aren¡¯t you adding insult to injury by stepping in at this time? ¡°You¡¯re making things worse for Jay. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to help him, but how can you insult him like this?¡± Joanna really didn¡¯t like what Bruce was doing. However, this was his style. In the business world, he really did not care about anyone. Back then, he even gobbled up the Haynes Group. No one in the world couldpare to him in terms of greediness. ¡°Haha. Honey, who in the world wouldin about having too much money? ¡°We¡¯ll see! I¡¯m bidding legally and reasonably. There¡¯s no vition of the rules.¡± ¡°Oh, I still don¡¯t want you topete with Grimm Group. ¡°I also don¡¯t want to see you and Jay be business rivals.¡± ¡°Tsk, Grimm Group isn¡¯t Jaydon¡¯s at all. Do you really think that coward is qualified to be my opponent? Just save it!¡± That was true. In the business world, Jaydon couldn¡¯tpete with Bruce at all. Bruce controlled a group with a market value of more than 100 billion dors. His personal assets alone reached a few billion dors. This was not something that ordinary people could control. Chapter 939 Chapter 939 Chapter 939 Jaydon was already very outstanding. However, when it came to business, he was really not on the same level as Bruce. Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t say that about Jay. ¡°Jay has helped us so much. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t repay him, but how can you repay kindness with ingratitude?¡± ¡°Haha. Honey, just have a good rest. Don¡¯t worry about anything else, okay?¡± Bruce smiled mysteriously. ¡°Bruce, I feel that¡­ you already have enough money. You can¡¯t spend it all in a few lifetimes. Some money should be earned, and some money shouldn¡¯t be. ¡°You really should stop bidding. I don¡¯t want Jay to feel ufortable.¡± Bruce could not help but raise his eyebrows and smile when he heard that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Stop saying ¡®but. If you keep mentioning ¡®Jaydon¡¯, I¡¯ll be jealous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting like this again. Alright, alright, I won¡¯t say it anymore.¡± Joanna quickly stopped. She thought, ¡°This vile bastard can be really troublesome when he gets jealous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Joanna sighed gloomily and didn¡¯t bother to say anything else. Anyway, Grimm Group pretty much belonged to Cassius alone now. If Bruce could really bid for the business license, it would be a good thing. However, Everett Group had never been involved in the gambling industry, so he probably had no chance of winning. In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. The number of times Joanna¡¯s drug addiction acting up was decreasing. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re awesome. Today is already the eleventh day. ore ¡°Just hold on for a few more days. You definitely won¡¯t have an episode again.¡± ¡°Yes, I hope so!¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Over the past few days, with the help of Aria, she had gradually been able to resist the drug addiction. During the whole day, her addiction had only acted up twice today. If she could hold on for another week and recuperate well, she would be able to sessfully get rid of her drug addiction. 1/3 09:31 Aria watched from the side and smiled gently. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do so much today. We¡¯ll just do the most important part.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Immediately, Aria began to give Joanna psychotherapy. ¡°Thank you. When Joann recovers, I will definitely thank you properly.¡± Bruce said in a deep voice. These were two separate matters. Although Aria had hurt them before, she was willing to help Joanna now. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Bruce was still grateful to Aria from the bottom of his heart. He would let go of the past now. Sometimes, you shouldn¡¯t take things too far. After the psychotherapy, Joanna quickly fell asleep. ¡°Bruce,e out for a moment. I want to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Aria paused again and looked deeply at Bruce. Bruce looked her in the eye and immediately looked away. ¡°Aria, I hope you can put your mind to the right thing! Don¡¯t use it elsewhere. ¡°If this happens again, I really won¡¯t be easy on you anymore.¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve misunderstood.¡± Aria choked, and her eyes instantly turned red. Bruce still hated her so much. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about what happened before. I know that you won¡¯t really forgive me no matter what I say. But I want to say that I never wanted to hurt you and your wife from the beginning¡­¡± ¡°Just stop talking. What¡¯s past is past. There¡¯s no point in mentioning it again. I¡¯ve said it before. If you¡¯re willing to help Joann, I will let go of the past.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to talk about the organization.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with the organization this time?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°In short, it¡¯s a very tricky matter. I haven¡¯t figured out how to tell you yet. ¡°But I hope you¡¯re mentally prepared.¡± Bruce gasped and looked at Aria in frustration. ¡°I know that I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this now, but I really can¡¯t dy it anymore. The organization has already urged me several times, but I can only stall again and again.¡± Chapter 940 Chapter 940 Chapter 940 ¡°Last month, our third batch ofrades died. ¡°Therefore, Mr. Thompson is very sad and worried that if we send otherrades over, the same things will happen.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. ¡°Are you talking about Melta¡¯s Humanoid Research Foundation?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied seriously. Bruce took a deep breath and his expression turned even gloomier. ¡°Six months ago, a werewolf attack on humans was discovered in West Melta. ¡°Although this news has been suppressed by Melta and they said that the attacker had rabies, it can¡¯t be that simple. ¡°We suspect that Melta has been secretly using the genes of many creatures tobine with human genes, studying higher-level and more aggressive humanoid creatures. ¡°However, Melta has always been very secretive. Although we found some inside information, we don¡¯t have any substantial evidence. There¡¯s no way to expose Melta¡¯s misconduct to the world.¡± After Aria finished speaking, her expression was extremely solemn. Melta¡¯s secret research of humanoid genes was something that Bruce had heard of. However, he did not expect it to be so troublesome. Three batches ofrades had already been sacrificed in the organization. Bruce and Aria were the strongest agents in the organization. Mr. Thompson had no choice but to send the two of them. ¡°Now, almost all therades who joined the organization with us have been sacrificed. The new batch ofrades is still too weak to hold their own. ¡°If we send them on such a difficult mission, not only will they not be able toplete the mission, but they will also lose their lives for nothing.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What does Mr. Thompson mean?¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson wants the two of us to go.¡± When Bruce heard this, his chest tightened and he felt frustrated. As an outstanding agent of the country, he really had to carry out his missions. unconditionally, and he had to be prepared to sacrifice himself for his country at any time. It was both a mission and a responsibility. Seeing Bruce¡¯s serious expression, Aria also looked quite solemn. ¡°I know. It¡¯s not 1/5 09:51 the time to talk about this now. ¡°However, I can¡¯t stall anymore. I can only let you know first so that you can be mentally prepared.¡± Bruce¡¯s throat tightened. He asked in a low voice, ¡°When does Mr. Thompson want us to go?¡± ¡°It needs to be done this year.¡± Bruce listened and thought for a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s almost September. ¡°I¡­ I want to wait until my wife recoverspletely.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll try my best to talk to them about it.¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. He wanted to say something but hesitated. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Aria looked at him gently. ¡°Tell me. As long as I can, I will definitely fight for it for you.¡± Bruce paused and said seriously, ¡°Afterpleting this mission, I want to quit the organization.¡± Aria was silent for a moment and just looked at Bruce quietly. This mission was very dangerous. It was unknown if he could return. Of course, if they were lucky enough toe back alive, what awaited Bruce would be supreme glory and praises. Mr. Thompson had also said that when he retired, he would let Bruce rece him. ¡°Bruce, you have to consider it carefully. ¡°What Mr. Thompson means is that when he retires in the future, he will promote you to rece him. ¡°If you leave the organization now, do you know what that means?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone became deeper. ¡°There¡¯s no need to consider it. I¡¯ve already thought about it very clearly. ¡°This is myst mission. Afterpleting this mission, I will leave the organization forever.¡± Aria choked. Her eyes were filled withplicated emotions. ¡°I just want to live the life of an ordinary person and be with my family.¡± Aria raised her voice slightly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell that to Mr. Thompson.¡± Bruce was depressed for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°As long as Mr. Thompson agrees to my request, I¡¯ll ept this mission. ¡°Also, I need to be free for three months to deal with my personal matters. When I¡¯m done with them, I can spare the energy to carry out my mission.¡± He knew very well how dangerous this mission was. He just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Joanna and the children. 2/5 09:51 To be honest, with his current status and financial resources, there was no longer a need for him to do such dangerous work However, as the best agent in the country, he had an undeniable responsibility and burden on his shoulders. He could not back down when the country was in trouble. No matter what, he had toplete this mission. This was also a responsibility to the organization, the country, and himself. At the same time, it would also put a perfect end to his career as an agent. ¡°Um, does your wife know your identity?¡± Aria asked carefully. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know, and I won¡¯t let her know.¡± ¡°What about your remarriage? I think¡­¡± Before she could finish, Bruce interrupted her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯ll settle my private matters on my own.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± In the ward. Joanna slept for nearly two hours before waking up in a daze. As soon as she opened her eyes, Bruce¡¯s handsome and worried face approached her. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re awake?¡± Joanna rubbed her eyes and said sleepily, ¡°Oh my, why did I fall asleep?¡± ¡°Yeah! You fell asleep at the psychotherapy.¡± ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been two hours.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve slept for so long?¡± Joanna sat up in bed and yawnedzily. ¡°Well, I slept so well!¡± Bruce smiled and said gently, ¡°I¡¯ve just arranged for a private ne to pick up Lilia tomorrow. ¡°I think we¡¯ll see Lilia the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Really? So fast?¡± Joanna was in disbelief. Bruce grinned. ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t you miss our daughter? Then we¡¯ll bring her back as soon as possible.¡± Joanna sat up and instantly lost her sleepiness. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great. I haven¡¯t seen Lilia in more than a month. I really miss her.¡± ¡°By the time Liliaes back, you¡¯ll be ready to be discharged. Then we can go home together.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled from the bottom of her heart. ¡°That¡¯s great! 3/5 09:51 T ¡°Finally, our happy life is right in front of us. I hope our lives will be smooth in the future and there won¡¯t be so many bumps and obstacles.¡± ¡°Definitely. I¡¯ll give you and the children a better life,¡± Bruce said dotingly as he put his arm around her shoulders. ¡°Oh, by the way, there¡¯s also the matter of transferring the ownership. ¡°In the next period of time, I¡¯ll transfer all the assets under my name to you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Bruce in disbelief. Previously, Bruce had already transferred some assets which were worth more than 14 billion dors to her. To be honest, she had already felt his sincerity. He really did not need to do this to prove how much he loved her. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that! Even if you transfer so much money to me, I won¡¯t be able to manage it. You should manage it yourself.¡± Bruce pursed his lips and smiled. He said meaningfully, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wanna transfer all my assets to you. I¡¯ll let you and the children not have to worry about money for the rest of your lives. ¡°Although money can¡¯t solve all one¡¯s worries, it can guarantee one the best material life.¡± As Bruce spoke, a trace of mncholy appeared under his eyes. Joanna also clearly felt that something was wrong with him. She asked worriedly, ¡°Why are you telling me this for no reason?¡± ¡°Nothing! Didn¡¯t you always say that you didn¡¯t feel secure and you were afraid that I¡¯m not sincere enough to you? ¡°I¡¯ll give you all my money and assets so you¡¯ll feel secure enough.¡± Joanna smiled faintly. ¡°Silly, we¡¯ve been through so much together. There¡¯s no need to use these to prove it. ¡°I know you love me, and I love you. ¡°Thank God for making me believe in love again. And thank you for making so many changes for me.¡± ¡°Joann, if there¡¯s a next life, we must still be together and I¡¯ll definitely look for you earlier.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red and there were tears in his eyes. ¡°Silly, your life isn¡¯t over yet! Don¡¯t say things like this,¡± Joannained and snuggled blissfully against his chest. The white shirt he was wearing had his nice scent on it. Leaning in his arms and breathing in his scent, /she inexplicably felt a strong sense of security. Bruce frowned and hugged her tightly and his sharp eyes were all red. ¡°Joann, I love you. I really, really love you.¡± Chapter 941 Chapter 941 Chapter 941 ¡°I love you too, silly.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else. He just lowered his head and kissed her forehead deeply before kissing her lips. In Venturas. Jaydon rushed to Marhall Hospital. Grace had already brought her niece to see a doctor. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Grace, how¡¯s Patricia?¡± Seeing Jaydon, Grace looked anxious. ¡°Jaydon, Patricia¡¯s illness is getting worse. ¡°She just vomited and went into shock a few times.¡± Jaydon hurriedly went to the bed and said miserably, ¡°Patricia.¡± Patriciay quietly on the hospital bed, her face was red due to her high body temperature. She was almost three years old, but she still could not speak. The doctor diagnosed Patricia had severe autism. Ever since she was born, her biological parents had not been by her side and had left herpletely under the care of the servants. The servants would only take care of her basic necessities of life. As for the rest, it was not their responsibility at all. Therefore, Patricia had be autistic. She did notmunicate with anyone and did not speak. ¡°Baby, Daddy is here to see you.¡± Seeing that his daughter was so sick, Jaydon¡¯s eyes instantly turned wet. Patricia slowly opened her eyes and looked at Jaydon in a daze. A few secondster, she slowly closed her eyes again. ¡°Grace, what did the doctor say?¡± ¡°The doctor said that Patricia¡¯s condition is critical and she might need to be transferred to another hospital. ¡°Besides, the doctors aren¡¯t free.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll transfer her to another hospital now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jaydon did not dare to dy for a moment and hurriedly brought his daughter to another hospital. However, after they transferred Patricia to three different hospitals in a row, it was either the doctors were busy or there were not enough beds. Jaydon quickly understood that Cassius was behind this. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that all the doctors were not free? ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why does it look like God is deliberately going against us?¡± Jaydon remained silent. Now, they probably couldn¡¯t stay in Venturas any longer. Venturas was a very small city to begin with, and the total poption was only about 300 thousand. However, the local economic strength could not be underestimated. It is also the only gambling town allowed in the country. Cassius controlled most of Grimm Group¡¯s assets. It was too easy to find someone to target Jaydon now. ¡°Jaydon, why don¡¯t you take Patricia to Greyport? Let¡¯s go to Greyport Hospital. They have the best pediatric specialists there.¡± Jaydon thought for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Then Jaydon and Grace took Patricia to Greyport Hospital. This was Bruce¡¯s territory, and Greyport Hospital was also owned by Bruce. Even Cassius did not dare to do anything sneaky there. ¡°Doctor, please take a look at my daughter. She¡¯s very sick.¡± ¡°Excuse me, please line up first.¡± There was a long line at the entrance of the pediatric ward. ¡°We want to go to the emergency department.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. There are a lot of people waiting in the emergency department now.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he was even more upset. Just as he was feeling anxious, Bruce coincidentally came to the pediatrics department. Lilia wasing back from Gaprington the day after tomorrow, so he naturally had to personally arrange everything for his precious daughter. As soon as he arrived at the pediatrics department, he saw a familiar figure from afar. Bruce was furious, That jerk Jaydon was really haunting them. ¡°Jaydon, why are you here again? Didn¡¯t I tell you that I don¡¯t need your help here¡­¡± Jaydon looked anxious. ¡°My daughter is sick. Her illness is kind of serious. There are no doctors we can go to in the hospitals in Venturas.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes instantly darkened. ¡°Is that so?¡± 2/5 10:22 1 ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Bruce frowned and went forward to take a look. Jaydon was holding a little girl who was about three years old in his arms. There was a long line in front of the pediatrics department. ¡°Darcy, quickly go to find the best pediatric specialists and call them all to the office.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Arrange the best children¡¯s ward for the patient immediately.¡± When the head nurse heard this, she said respectfully, ¡°Alright. Mr. Grimm, please follow me.¡± Jaydon frowned. Originally, he only brought his daughter to see a doctor. He did not want to let Bruce and Joanna know. Unexpectedly, they happened to bump into each other. However, his daughter¡¯s situation was critical, so he did not have time to say anything. Soon, Jaydon and the others were brought to the children¡¯s VIP ward. In less than five minutes, five or six pediatric specialists rushed over. After a round of checkups¡­ ¡°How is it? Is it serious?¡± ¡°The child has severe meningitis and hydrocephalus. She needs to be hospitalized. immediately.¡± ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and do it.¡± ¡°Okay. Mr. Grimm, pleasee over and settle the procedures.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce looked at the little girl and saw her lying sickly on the hospital bed. She looked very dull, and her big eyes were nk. However, she was surprisingly good-looking and was pretty like a doll. After all, Jaydon was very handsome, and Carmel was also incredibly beautiful. When Bruce saw this little girl, he couldn¡¯t help but think of his own daughter. Half an hourter. After Bruce settled Jaydon and the little girl down, he returned to Joanna¡¯s ward. Joanna was looking for him everywhere. She thought that he had gone to cook some terrible food again! ¡°Honey, where did you go just now?¡± 3/5 10:231 Bruce sighed and said gloomily, ¡°Jaydon and his daughter are here.¡± ¡°Really? Where are they?¡± Joanna was excited when she heard that. She had only seen Patricia once. No matter what, Patricia was Jaydon¡¯s child. She should treat her as her own daughter. ¡°They¡¯re in the inpatient department. She seems to be quite seriously ill.¡± ¡°What? How did this happen?¡± ¡°Hmph, who knew how Jaydon has been taking care of that child? Under his care, his child has be like this.¡± Bruce looked disgusted. Although Bruce was mean and manic, he was gentle and patient when dealing with children. Even though Patricia was not his child, he still felt terrible when he saw that she was so seriously ill. ¡°Then hurry up and bring me over to take a look. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been almost three years. I haven¡¯t even officially met Jay¡¯s child.¡± As she spoke, Joanna had already put on her slippers and was preparing to go to the pediatrics department. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t even prepare a wee gift. It¡¯s quite embarrassing to go empty-handed.¡± After all, this was the first time she was officially meeting that child. No matter what, she had to prepare a gift. Bruce smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s easy to prepare a wee gift. I¡¯ll send someone out to buy it immediately. What do you want to give her? I¡¯ll get someone to buy it directly.¡± ¡°Would it be toote to go out to buy it now?¡± ¡°Why? That little girl is seriously ill. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll have to stay in the hospital for a while.¡± ¡°Okay. Then go and buy some of the best children¡¯s products and clothes.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll immediately tell my assistant to do that.¡± ¡°Also, buy a diamond ne.¡± ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Joanna rushed to the children¡¯s inpatient department. Patricia was already prepared for treatment. There was an intravenous drip on her thin wrist. ¡°Jay.¡± ¡°Joann, why are you here?¡± Jaydon stood up subconsciously. Joanna walked in. ¡°I heard that you brought your child to see a doctor, so I came over to take a look. 4/5 10:23 D ¡°How¡¯s the child?¡± ¡°The hospitalization procedures have beenpleted. We might have to do the surgery tomorrow.¡± Jaydon said worriedly. ¡°This is Patricia, right? ¡°Patricia, you¡¯re so adorable!¡± Joanna walked to the bed. Subconsciously, she wanted to hug the child. But the child had a drip on her arm, and Joanna managed to hold it in. ¡°Patricia, I¡¯m Joanna. I was in a hurry today, so I didn¡¯t have time to prepare a wee gift for you.¡± Jaydon replied lightly, ¡°No need for that.¡± Joanna nced at Patricia and instantly felt that something was wrong. Patricia was too quiet. There was no emotion on her face and she didn¡¯t have any reactions. She was like a doll without a soul. Seeing this, Joanna felt worried. ¡°Jay, what illness does Patricia have?¡± ¡°The doctor says she has meningitis.¡± When Joanna heard that, she felt even worse. Seeing that Jaydon and Joanna were chatting like this, Grace¡¯s eyes darkened as she said in a strange tone, ¡°Jaydon, you stayed in the hospital for so many days previously. You said that you were taking care of your friend. Could it be that you were taking care of her?¡± Grace¡¯s impression of Joanna was not good at all. Joanna had promised to marry Jaydon. Who knew that she would change her mind and go back to her ex-husband? Moreover, Joanna had even caused Jaydon to get shot and almost lost his life. ¡°Grace, don¡¯t meddle.¡± Chapter 942 Chapter 942 Chapter 942 Hearing this, Joanna finally noticed Grace, ¡°Grace, long time no see.¡± Grace rolled her eyes and ignored Joanna. ¡°Grace, she¡¯s talking to you. Why are you being so rude?¡± ¡°Jaydon, how could you do this?¡± Grace looked at Jaydon with dissatisfaction. ¡°You clearly know that something big has happened in the family, but you don¡¯t care. But you still have the time to take care of your old lover?¡± Grace said as tears streamed down her face uncontrobly. She really could not understand why Jaydon loved Joanna so much. Such a big incident happened in the family and he could just ignore it, but he was so concerned about this woman. Even if he was a simp, he shouldn¡¯t have gone so far! ¡°Grace, what are you talking about? ¡°Hurry up and go back! Stop making noise here. You¡¯ll disturb other people,¡± Jaydon scolded Grace with a serious expression. Grace held back her aggrieved tears and said unhappily, ¡°Patricia is so sick. How can I leave? ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯ve changed. You¡¯ve be such a stranger now. You¡¯re no longer the good brother in my heart.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. Seeing this, Joanna quickly tried to mediate. ¡°Alright, alright. Patricia¡¯s illness is the most important thing now. ¡°After Patricia recovers, we¡¯ll make a long-term n¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯re the one who caused Jaydon to be like this.¡± Joanna felt a lump in her throat and looked very ufortable. ¡°Grace, shut up. Stop talking nonsense.¡± With that, Jaydon looked at Joanna with a gloomy expression. ¡°Joann, you should go back to your ward too! I¡¯ll take care of things here. ¡°Grace is still young. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Joanna forced a smile. ¡°Well, just tell them if you need anything. You¡¯re always wee.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to leave. I¡¯ll leave. 1/3 10:23 1 ¡°You can¡¯t bear to see me anyway. I don¡¯t even have a home now.¡± Grace could not help but cry. She turned around and ran towards the door of the ward. In the past, she was also a spoiled little princess doted on by the entire family. However, ever since her father passed away, everything in the family had changed. It was only then that she realized that her family had two sides, Her aunts, brothers, sisters, and others had all be strangers who had taken off their masks. They were no longer friendly and nice to her and didn¡¯t even smile at her. Grace was in a hurry and wanted to open the door of the ward. Bang! The door was pushed open. ¡°Ah!¡± Grace was caught off guard. The door hit her forehead and she fell to the ground. The person who opened the door was Darcy. When he saw that he had bumped into someone when he opened the door, he hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Bruce also followed him in. Grace was covering her forehead and it was so painful that she almost fainted. ¡°Grace, how is it?¡± Jaydon and Joanna quickly went forward to check. ¡°Ouch, it hurts¡­¡± Grace¡¯s forehead was bruised and she started bleeding. She was already heartbroken, but now she was crying from the pain. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Darcy apologized helplessly. ¡°Darcy, hurry up and take her to attend to her wound.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Darcy quickly bent down in response. Seeing that Grace was crying miserably, he thought that she was injured very seriously. Without any exnation, he directly picked her up. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the surgical department to get your wound bandaged now. I¡¯m really sorry. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Grace, who was originally crying sadly, suddenly felt that her whole body was picked up. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already in the arms of a cold and determined man. She had never been carried by someone so powerful like this before. Moreover, the man was very tall. His arms were shockingly strong, and carrying her was as easy as picking up a pillow for him. After Darcy carried Grace away, Bruce looked quite worried. ¡°Honey, what were you arguing about?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± 2/3 10:23 ¡°I heard you guys arguing outside. Did someone pick on you?¡± Bruce stared at Jaydon with an unfriendly gaze. ¡°No, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Jaydon paused, not knowing what to say. ¡°Then let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll send you back to your ward. It¡¯s about time to start the psychotherapy.¡± ¡°Alright then! ¡°Jay, I¡¯ll go back to the ward first. If you need any help, let the head nurse know.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulder lovingly. Twenty minutester. Darcy came back with Grace. Her forehead was already bandaged. It was just a bump. She would be fine after recuperating for a while. After Darcy ced Grace on the bed, he said with a guilty expression, ¡°Well¡­ Have a good rest. I¡­I¡¯ll go get some food for you.¡± Grace bit her lip and leaned against the bed obediently. ¡°Grace, how is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Grimm! I¡¯ve already had her wound bandaged. The doctor prescribed her some anti- inmmatories and said that she¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days!¡± Darcy said apologetically. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± Chapter 943 Chapter 943 Chapter 943 ¡°Then you guys have some rest first! I¡¯ll go get you some food.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Darcy said and looked at Grace guiltily. Grace lowered her thick eyshes and a hint of shyness appeared on her charming face. She couldn¡¯t help but feel her heart race. Darcy was six feet five. He was very muscr and tall and looked very manly in a suit. Although he wasn¡¯t handsome in the traditional sense, he was still very easy on the eye. He was a real man and the type of boyfriend who could give his girlfriend a strong sense of security. Half an hourter. Darcy walked in with a few bags of things. ¡°These are some food I bought for you. I don¡¯t know what kind of food you like, so I bought all kinds of food. ¡°If you need anything, just let me know. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± As he spoke, Darcy ced the lunchboxes on the table one by one. There were traditional food dishes, as well as some exotic cuisines. There were also fresh fruits and cakes, which filled the whole table. Anyway, every time Mr. Everett bought food for Mrs. Everett, he would get someone to buy a lot of food that could fill a table, afraid that he would starve her. Therefore, he followed him. ¡°Why did you buy so much food?¡± Jaydon asked casually. ¡°Well, I was worried that it wouldn¡¯t suit your tastes, so I bought more.¡± ¡°This is such a waste.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you can¡¯t finish it, you can give it to the subordinates.¡± Every time Bruce bought a lot of food for Joanna, Joanna would only take a little from every dish most of the time. Some of the dishes had not even been touched. It would be a pity to throw them away so he would give them to his bodyguards and assistants. Of course, the food was all bought from five-star hotels or private chefs and it was extremely expensive. The bodyguards and assistants were also very happy to eat these ¡°leftovers¡±. 1/2 10:23 ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Mr. Everett instructed me to do this. ¡°Take your time and enjoy. I¡¯ll leave first,¡± Darcy said and turned to leave the ward. ¡°Grace,e and eat.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± During the meal, Grace was in a daze and her face would asionally blush. Seeing this, Jaydon subconsciously frowned, ¡°Grace, what are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jaydon silently put down the fork. He was an experienced yboy. He could easily read the expressions on women¡¯s faces. He knew which man his sister was interested in. He became sullen for a few seconds. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Grace, I¡¯m warning you. Bruce has a wife and children. Don¡¯t have any thoughts that you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Hearing that, Grace was dumbfounded. Jaydon looked at his sister solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything that¡¯s not yours.¡± ¡°Jaydon, what are you talking about? Who has thoughts that they shouldn¡¯t have? It¡¯s shameful to be a home wrecker. ¡°Hmph, who wants to be a home wrecker? Bruce has a wife and children. Even if he doesn¡¯t, he¡¯s not my type.¡± Grace looked angry. ¡°That¡¯s for the best.¡± Jaydon gave his sister a heads-up in advance. Opposite attracts, same repels. As a man, he really didn¡¯t understand what charm Bruce had. The women who had seen him would let their imaginations run wild. He would always attract arge number of women to pounce on him. He was afraid that his sister would have thoughts about Bruce that she shouldn¡¯t have, so he gave her a heads-up in advance. ¡°What do you mean by that? Is that how you see me? Am I that shameless?¡± Chapter 944 Chapter 944 Chapter 944 ¡°No, I¡¯m just giving you a heads-up. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, you should better worry about yourself instead of others. ¡°Joanna is already married. You¡¯d better not have any intentions towards her. ¡°Likewise, it¡¯s not an honorable thing to be a home wrecker. Take it as my Grace¡¯s quick and witty tongue had left Jaydon speechless. ¡°Forget it. I can¡¯t win against you.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Grace rolled her eyes, not wanting to talk to Jaydon anymore. advice.¡± When Joanna and Bruce returned to the ward, Aria was already waiting there. Seeing that Joanna had come back, she gave her a session of psychotherapy in time. After the psychotherapy. Bruce had been by Joanna¡¯s side with concern. ¡°Joann, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I already feel much better now. I don¡¯t even feel like I need psychotherapy anymore.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to consolidate. Don¡¯t take any chances, in case it rpses in the future,¡± Bruce reminded gently. ¡°Okay.¡± Bang, bang, bang. Someone was knocking on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Two servants pushed open the door and entered with bags in their hands. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Everett, the children¡¯s products you asked for have all been bought.¡± ¡°Oh, give these things to Jay! He came to the hospital in a hurry and definitely didn¡¯t have time to prepare them.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Bruce casually instructed, ¡°Tom, send these to Jaydon.¡± Before Tom could reply, Darcy said, ¡°Let me do it!¡± As he spoke, he went forward to take the things from the servant. Bruce looked at Darcy in surprise. Darcy was his most capable bodyguard. He was also the manager of all the bodyguards of Everett Group. All the bodyguards and assistants of the Everett family were under the management of Darcy. There was actually no need for him to personally do trivial things like delivering things. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. 1/4 10:23 D ¡°You wanna do it?¡± Bruce could not help but ask. Darcy smiled honestly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Darcy replied sullenly. He carried the bags and left the ward, heading towards the pediatrics inpatient department. Joanna was also a little surprised. In the past, Darcy always had a poker face no matter who he was faced with. Today, he smiled. ¡°Honey, why is Darcy so zealous today?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Bruce was also confused. However, he had never liked to ask his subordinates about their private matters. As long as they did their jobs well, he would not be bothered to ask about anything other than work. Looking at the time, Bruce noticed that it was already past nine in the evening. ¡°Honey, you should go to sleep now!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna yawned. Then, sheyzily on the bed. Bruce also walked over, took off his shirt, and started to unbutton his belt. Seeing this, Joanna panicked. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Honey, we haven¡¯t¡­ done it in a long time.¡± Joanna was stunned and pushed him away. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t recovered yet.¡± ¡°Honey, I love you.¡± Bruce leaned over without a care. It had been almost two months since the incident. Now, it was really hard for him to hold it in. ¡°Yuck, stop fooling around.¡± ¡°Honey, do you not love me anymore?¡± Bruce refused to give up. Previously, she had been very weak and tortured by her drug addiction. How could he have the mood to think about anything else? Now that she was getting better, of course he had to¡­ After they entangled for a while, Joanna finally gave in, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you.¡± As she spoke, she could only move to the side helplessly. Bruce smiled evilly andy down beside her. It was probably because he had endured for too long that he went overboard a little¡­ The next day. 2/4 10:23 1 When Joanna woke up, it was already bright outside. Last night, her drug addiction actually did not act up for the entire night and she slept until it was morning. Of course, it might also be because she was too tired. Bruce, this vile man, had too much strength. Once he became naughty, there would really be no end to it. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Joanna yawned. Her limbs were extremely sore. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost ten.¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly got up. ¡°Huh? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up earlier?¡± Patricia was going to undergo surgery today. Joanna had to go and take a look no matter what. ¡°It¡¯s only ten o¡¯clock. Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Bruce said as he pressed her back onto the bed. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be time for your psychotherapy session soon. Don¡¯t run around.¡± ¡°I need to see Patricia.¡± ¡°You ca? only go after the psychotherapy.¡± Joanna wanted to argue with him, but she held back. Bruce got up, opened the door, and called Aria in. In the room, the bed was still messy. The tissues in the trash can had not been cleaned up by the servants. It was obvious what had happened herest night. Aria blushed and pretended to be calm. She quickly picked up the equipment and put it on Joanna. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Aria was in a daze when she was putting the equipment on Joanna and identally hurt her. Blood instantly dripped from Joanna¡¯s arm. Seeing this, Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She quickly wiped the wound with iodine. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce looked anxious as he hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Aria quickly gathered herself and put the equipment on Joanna again. After the psychotherapy, Joanna felt that her drug addiction was basically under control. Although she still felt a little ufortable, she could resist it with her 3/4 10:23 D willpower. ¡°I think I can be discharged. Miss Bridges has been busy treating me for so many days. I can¡¯t make her stay here forever.¡± Joanna looked at Aria with a faint smile. Although she was grateful that Aria had helped her quit the addiction, she still felt a lingering fear when she thought about how crazy Aria used to be. Moreover, Aria¡¯s troubled expression just now clearly showed that she was hiding something. Therefore, as a precaution, Joanna did not want Aria to continue staying here. Bruce looked at her worriedly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s better for you to stay for a few more days to consolidate.¡± ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that. I¡¯m much better now. ¡°I feel like we can settle the hospitalization procedures tomorrow.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened. She was smart enough to know that Joanna was asking her to leave. ¡°Bruce, your wife¡¯s drug addiction has basically been controlled. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need psychotherapy anymore. She¡¯ll be alright after the psychotherapy session in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Bruce was still a little concerned. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. ¡°Even if she¡¯s still not used to it, I believe that a strong person like your wife will definitely hold on with her strong will. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for so many days. It¡¯s indeed time for me to go back.¡± Bruce looked at Aria meaningfully with a gloomy expression. Aria looked at Bruce awkwardly before quickly lowering her gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve already booked a flight for tomorrow. I¡¯m going to Melta tomorrow.¡± Chapter 945 Chapter 945 Chapter 945 Bruce did not reply, but his expression became even more solemn. ¡°So soon? What do you want in return, Miss Bridges?¡± Joanna asked bluntly. She did not want to owe Aria a favor. Aria had helped her treat her illness, so it was reasonable for her to pay for it. ¡°We¡¯re all friends. Why would I want anything in return?¡± Aria smiled stiffly. ¡°How can I not repay you? I can¡¯t let you work for so many days for nothing.¡± Joanna had already made up her mind to pay Aria enough money. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay me. I just¡­¡± Aria stopped what she was about to say. ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave in a hurry. Stay for a few more days!¡± Bruce asked Aria to stay, looking quite sincere. After all, it was too dangerous for her to go to Melta alone. As for him, he also wanted to settle his private matters first before he could the energy to carry out the mission. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°No, I¡¯ve already booked the ne ticket. I have to take this flight tomorrow. spare ¡°You guys talk. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± As she spoke, Aria packed up the medical box and left the ward in a panic. After Aria left, Joanna pulled a long face and grabbed Bruce¡¯s ear. ¡°Ouch! Honey, what are you doing?¡± Joanna pulled his ear hard. ¡°Aria just said she was leaving. Why did you ask her to stay? ¡°Tell me honestly, are you still thinking about her?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was shocked and quickly begged for mercy. ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯ve really wronged me! ¡°Why would I still be thinking about her?¡± ¡°Then why did you ask her to stay? Why did you flirt with her?¡± This was the first time Joanna treated Bruce so savagely. If this damn guy dared to; him again. any more scandals, she would really not forgive ¡°Honey, how would I dare? I¡¯m really wronged. I didn¡¯t flirt with her! ¡°If I really wanted to do something with her, wouldn¡¯t I have done it long ago? Why would I have waited for so long and almost lost my life?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Joanna let go resentfully. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to flirt with another woman behind my back again, I¡¯ll¡­¡± 1/3 10.23 Bruce couldn¡¯t help butugh when he heard that. Joanna finally got jealous now. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes irritatedly and did not speak to him. ¡°Honey, why would I ever do that? Do you still not trust me? ¡°I just called Mr. Jameson and asked him to settle the transfer procedures. If everything goes well, all the assets under my name will be transferred to your name within two months.¡± When Joanna heard this, her expression softened. Although she was not someone who cared a lot about money, the fact that Bruce was willing to do this still made her extremely touched and gave her a sense of security. Just like what people said, men who were willing to spend money on you didn¡¯t necessarily love you. But men who didn¡¯t want to spend any money on you didn¡¯t love you for sure. Men would spend their money on the people they loved. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, okay? We¡¯ve been through so much. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face leaned in front of her and he smiled dotingly. Joanna calmed down and changed the topic. ¡°How¡¯s Jay doing now?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already arranged for the best pediatrician to operate on his daughter.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go over and take a look!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Ten minutester. In the pediatric inpatient department. Joanna and Bruce walked over one after another. ¡°Jay¡­¡± Jaydon was standing at the operating room¡¯s door. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°How¡¯s Patricia? Is she done with the surgery?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still in the operating room and hasn¡¯te out yet.¡± Jaydon looked worried. Joanna quicklyforted him gently. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. Dr. Wells is the attending doctor of the pediatrics department. His medical skills are very exquisite.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Look at you. Why are you thanking me?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened. In the past, he had always helped Joanna selflessly. And Joanna would thank him every time. He always said that she was too polite. Now, the table seemed to have been turned. As they were talking, the operating room¡¯s door opened. The nurse wheeled Patricia out. ¡°How was the surgery?¡± ¡°She¡¯s alright. She¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Immediately after, Eddie Wells also walked out of the operating room. ¡°Dr. Wells, how¡¯s my daughter?¡± ¡°The operation was very sessful. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Great.¡± Eddie smiled. ¡°This is a minimally invasive surgery. She¡¯ll recover very quickly. ¡°However, the child has very serious autism. She needs a psychiatrist to guide her and her parents to apany her.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he frowned and a trace of sadness appeared on his face. He also wanted to apany his daughter. However, he was really busy enough with his own affairs now. Moreover, the child was from a single-parent family. Jaydon and Grace were unmarried. Even though they doted on Patricia, they were really inexperienced in educating and taking care of a child. Seeing this, Joanna pondered for a few seconds and said seriously, ¡°Jay, if it doesn¡¯t work, leave Patricia with me and I¡¯ll take care of her.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he looked at Joanna resistantly. ¡°Anyway, I have to take care of Davian, Irvin, Lilia, and Devin. One more child won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Chapter 946 Chapter 946 Chapter 946 ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll treat her as my own daughter.¡± Jaydon subconsciously turned her down. ¡°No need for that. It would be too troublesome for you.¡± Joanna smiled at him and said seriously, ¡°It won¡¯t be troublesome at all. ¡°I have more energy than you, and I have more free time than you. There are also many servants in the house who can take care of the children. Even if we take Patricia home, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. That was true. The Everett family had arge number of servants, babysitters, nutritionists, bodyguards, nurses, and tutors who tutored the children. Taking care of another child was not a problem for Joanna at all. ¡°How can I let you do that? Forget it!¡± ¡°Why not? Patricia can be my goddaughter. You cane and visit her anytime.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon sincerely. Joanna knew that he really did not know how to take care of a child. Even if the children were handed over to the servants to take care of, they still needed a guardian to check on them at any time. Otherwise, the servants would not have put in so much effort. When Bruce heard this, his eyes darkened. ¡°Joann, you still haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. How can you have the energy to take care of someone else¡¯s child? ¡°You should take care of yourself and your family first,¡± Bruce directly expressed his dissatisfaction. Taking care of a child was not a problem. Most importantly, if Jaydon used this as an excuse, he woulde looking for Joanna every other day. Wouldn¡¯t there be a risk if that happened? ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s convenient either. I don¡¯t think this will work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal.¡± As they were talking, footsteps came from the door of the ward. Gael brought Davian and Irvin to the hospital again. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re here to visit you.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, why are you here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to see you.¡± 10:37 ¡°We just went to your ward. The nurse said you are in pediatrics. So we came here to look for you.¡± ¡°Come over here. I will introduce you to a little girl.¡± ¡°Okay, who is this?¡± When Davian and Irvin saw a little girl lying on the bed, they thought it was Lilia. The two of them hurried over to the bed and took a closer look. Then they realized that it was a little girl that they didn¡¯t know. She looked like she was only two or three years old. However, she was surprisingly good-looking. Her skin was soft and tender, and her big eyes were flickering. ¡°Wow, what a beautiful girl!¡± ¡°This is Patricia.¡± ¡°Patricia?¡± The two little fes looked at their mommy in confusion. When did they have another sister? Joanna smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is Mr. Grimm¡¯s child. In the future, you have to love her and protect her like your own sister.¡± ¡°Okay. Got it, Mommy!¡± ¡°Hi, Patricia. My name is Charlie.¡± Davian waved at the little girl on the bed. ¡°From now on, I¡¯m your big brother.¡± ¡°My name is Luke. I¡¯m also your big brother.¡± Davian and Irvin surrounded the bed and looked at Patricia curiously. Perhaps, it was easier for children to get close to each other since they had their ownnguage. Patricia¡¯s originally dull eyes turned, and she actually had an expression on her face. She seemed to like her two big brothers very much. ¡°You see, children are only happy when they¡¯re with their own kind. Lilia will be back tomorrow. It¡¯ll be even livelier then.¡± ¡°Haha. You¡¯re right!¡± Jaydon also noticed the change in his daughter. ¡°Therefore, you can rest assured and leave Patricia to me. Then, focus on your own matters and don¡¯t have any worries.¡± Hearing that, Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else. Now, the only person he could trust might be Joanna. He was very relieved to entrust Patricia to Joanna. As long as Joanna took good care of Patricia, Jaydon would really have nothing to worry about. He was going to settle scores with Cassius. He would seek justice for the Grimm family even if he had to risk his life. Chapter 947 Chapter 947 Chapter 947 ¡°¡­In that case, I¡¯ll let you take care of Patricia.¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna with a bleak expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will definitely take good care of her. Whatever Lilia has, she will have.¡± The sincerity in Joanna¡¯s eyes became even more determined. There wasn¡¯t much she could do to help him. She could only try her best to let him have no worries about Patricia. Bruce¡¯s expression froze. He said resentfully, ¡°Honey, are you serious?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Shut up!¡± Bruce choked up in anger and could only shut up obediently. Jaydon turned a blind eye to Bruce¡¯s objections. Bruce would listen to whatever his wife said anyway. He didn¡¯t dare to disobey Joanna now. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take care of Patricia in the hospital for the next few days. When Patricia feels better, I¡¯ll hand her over to you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna nodded repeatedly. Anyway, she had to stay in the hospital for a few more days. After she was discharged from the hospital, Patricia would probably be discharged soon. When the time came, she could bring Patricia home to take care of her. Davian looked at Patricia, feeling bad for her. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong with Patricia?¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin. Patricia just finished her surgery and has to get a good rest. Don¡¯t make too many noises.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The two little guys immediately shut up, afraid that they would disturb this little girl who looked like an angel. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the ward!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Back in the ward. Bruce looked indignant. ¡°Honey, did you really agree to take care of Jaydon¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna asked solemnly. ¡°We already have four children, and we can barely handle our own children. How can you have the energy to take care of another one? I don¡¯t want you to be so exhausted.¡± 10:381 Joannaughed and said snappishly, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always wanted a daughter?¡± When Bruce heard this, he red and said angrily, ¡°What I want is for us to have- another daughter. ¡°This is Jaydon¡¯s daughter, not ours.¡± ¡°Oh, stop making a fuss over this. As you can see, Jay is already in a terrible fix. He can¡¯t even take care of himself. ¡°How can he still have the energy to take care of Patricia? Look at how thin Patricia has be. If no one takes good care of her, she will probably¡­¡± Joanna said and didn¡¯t want to say the consequences. Children¡¯s illnesses were the biggest headache. Every time Lilia got sick, Joanna felt like her heart was broken. Now that she saw Patricia so sick, Joanna could not help but think of Lilia. Seeing that Bruce was still unhappy, Joanna could only continue to enlighten him. ¡°Besides, Jay has helped us so much. We should help him too.¡± Bruce replied resentfully, ¡°Didn¡¯t we help him? We¡¯re already helping him, okay? ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty about him at all. ¡°Although he helped us, we are also helping him. I will return your favor on your behalf. Don¡¯t be so grateful to him as if he is your savior.¡± Bruce became more and more indignant as he spoke. He thought, ¡°I can¡¯t believe this hateful woman. I have done so much for her, but she is not touched at all. ¡°Jaydon only gave her a little help and she was so touched that she wishes she could put Jaydon on a pedestal.¡± He couldn¡¯t get angrier right now. Joanna¡¯s eyes widened. She was so irritated that she had nothing to say. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ve already made up my mind. Whether you agree or not, you have to do whatever I say.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked quite miserable. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve been ignoring me more and more now. ¡°You¡¯re not taking me seriously anymore and you don¡¯t care about my feelings anymore.¡± In the past, she was so gentle and nice in front of him. But now, she was giving him the attitude and mistreating him. His status had plummeted, and he was no longer as authoritative as before. Indeed, women should not be spoiled. Once he indulged her like this, she would really take control of everything 10:58 Joanna snorted and looked at him angrily. ¡°What? So what if I don¡¯t take you seriously?¡± ¡°It seems that I have no choice but to make you behave. ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and threatened fiercely. His big hands were tickling her even more restlessly. If he didn¡¯t teach this woman a lesson, she would really think that he was a pushover. Joanna felt itchy all over and could not help but fall onto the bed. ¡°Stop fooling around. It¡¯s so itchy!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if you dare to do it again.¡± Joanna hurriedly begged for mercy. ¡°I won¡¯t do it again. I really won¡¯t. Stop it. Just stop it. It¡¯s so tickling!¡± The two of them were messing about. Click. The door of the ward was pushed open. Davian and Irvin walked in. When they saw their daddy and mommy fooling around, they quickly came over to join in the fun. ¡°Mommy, Daddy, what are you guys doing? It looks like it¡¯s very fun. We want to y too.¡± ¡°Stop it. The children areing.¡± Joanna pushed Bruce away forcefully. Davian and Irvin came to the bed. Only then did Bruce let Joanna go. ¡°Why are you two brats here again? Didn¡¯t I ask the driver to send you home?¡± Davian seemed to have thought of something and asked seriously, ¡°Mommy, will Lilia be back tomorrow?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± When Irvin heard this, he instantly cheered. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. We miss her so much. We haven¡¯t seen her in a long time. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Unfortunately, school starts tomorrow and we don¡¯t have time to y with her.¡± Joanna smiled and looked at the two little guys lovingly. ¡°We¡¯ve still got a lot of time ahead of us! ¡°Don¡¯t just y. Have you done your homework?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good boys!¡± ¡°Mommy, what time will Lilia arrive tomorrow? Can we pick her up at the airport?¡± ¡°Yeah. Lilia will arrive at eight o¡¯clock tomorrow night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯re going to prepare a gift for Lilia and give her a wee party. 10:58 ¡°I wonder if Lilia¡¯s leg has recovered.¡± Joanna frowned slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. Lilia is- only back to stay for a few days. She still has to go to Gaprington to continue her treatment.¡± ¡°Can we pick up Lilia at the airport tomorrow?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked at Bruce weakly. Thest time, there were so many idents just because she went to the airport to pick up Bruce. Now that they mentioned going to the airport, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a lingering fear. Bruce shrugged. ¡°Our little princess ising home. Of course, we have to pick her up!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. We have to prepare a gift now. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, can you help us prepare a gift?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What do you n to prepare for Lilia?¡± Davian tilted his head and thought for a moment. He said seriously, ¡°Lilia likes to eat the cookies I make the most. I want to make chocte chip cookies for Lilia.¡± ¡°Then what should I make?¡± Irvin was also thinking hard. ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t we just make some dumplings for Lilia? ¡°Lilia has been overseas for so long. She must really want to eat Mommy¡¯s dumplings.¡± Davian snorted. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s craving them, right?¡± ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t you want to have some?¡± Joanna also smiled gently. ¡°Alright! ¡°Tomorrow afternoon, we¡¯ll make dumplings together. When Liliaes back, we can eat dumplings.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡± When he heard that Joanna was going to cook, Bruce also hurriedly asked for benefits. ¡°Honey, are you going to cook?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want to eat spaghetti.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so good about spaghetti?¡± Joanna frowned and looked at him in disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want it.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll make it for you!¡± Joanna smiled and sighed. This damn bastard was very picky. 10:58 She really couldn¡¯t understand why he loved her spaghetti so much. Every once in a while, he would keep gabbling about it and ask her to make spaghetti. Furthermore, he would always want a big bowl of it. Chapter 948 Chapter 948 Chapter 948 ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Joanna suddenly shivered, and snot flowed out from her nose. ¡°Joanna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce was worried. ¡°I might be a little tired,¡± Joanna said, sitting weakly on the hospital bed. Seeing this, the two little boys were even more worried. ¡°Mommy, what illness do you have? Why must you stay in the hospital for so many days?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Stop gossiping. Joanna isn¡¯t feeling well now. Hurry up and go home.¡± ¡°But we want to stay with Mommy.¡± The two little boys were worried, and their handsome faces were tense. ¡°I¡¯ll be here to take care of Joanna. Hurry up and go back.¡± Joanna also said softly, ¡°Be good and listen to your Daddy.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to prepare a gift for Lilia? Go home and prepare it first. Lilia will be back tomorrow, and I will make dumplings for you guys.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Bruce then instructed the servants, ¡°Hurry up and send Davian and Irvin back. Be careful on the way.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin, let¡¯s go.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Bye, Daddy and Mommy.¡±¡± After the children left, Joanna felt even more ufortable. She could not help but want to shiver again. ¡°Joanna, is your drug addiction acting up again? ¡°I¡¯ll get Aria over here and ask her to give you psychotherapy again.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary. I want to deal with it myself.¡± Joanna quickly pulled on Bruce¡¯s clothes. Aria said she was leaving the following day. Joanna did not want to cause any more trouble, let alone rely on Aria¡¯s psychotherapy. Now that her drug addiction was acting up. Although there would still be some reaction, she had already quit for 12 days, so the reaction to her drug addiction was much smaller. She felt that she should be able to handle it. ¡°Joanna, can you take it? Don¡¯t force yourself!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it.¡± 1/3 10.58 ¡°Alright then. If you can¡¯t take it anymore, let me know. I¡¯ll call Aria immediately.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna replied and began to walk around the ward. She took out the jumping rope and began to do some exercises. Half an hourter, Joanna was drenched in sweat. She relied on her tenacious willpower to endure the effects when her drug addiction kicked in. Bruce had been cheering her on from the side. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯re awesome.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I¡¯m going to take a shower first.¡± Joanna was drenched in sweat. Her body was sticky and ufortable. Bruce smiled dotingly and said mischievously, ¡°Hurry up and go! I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. You¡¯re not allowed to be there tonight.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes at him, picked up her pajamas, and walked to the bathroom. This damned bastard could not control himself at all. She had to reject him harshly. After Joanna entered the bathroom, Bruce¡¯s eyes instantly darkened again with aplicated expression. He suddenly felt very frustrated and wanted to smoke a cigarette. Joanna did not allow him to smoke. He did not dare to smoke in the room either. Therefore, he could only secretly take his cigarette and go to the hospital¡¯s garden. Just as when he was lighting the cigarette, Aria¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m leaving tonight. I¡¯ll say goodbye to you now.¡± Bruce listened and turned to Aria. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I booked a flight to Melta.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Aria with aplicated expression. He was at a loss for words. Aria smiled at him andforted him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ve already told Mr. Thompson. I¡¯ll go over myself first. Come over to meet me after you¡¯ve settled your private matters.¡± ¡°Then you have to be careful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You should deal with your private matters as soon as possible. ¡°Mr. Thompson also said that if we canplete the mission this time, he will consider your withdrawal from the organization.¡± Bruce was silent for a few seconds. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel at ease if you go alone. Why don¡¯t you wait for me to settle my private matters first¡­¡± Aria smiled and interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯ll go over and check on the situation first. Don¡¯t worry. Before you go over, I won¡¯t act rashly. ¡°Your wife¡¯s drug addiction has been almost cured. She doesn¡¯t need me to stay here anymore. 10:58 ¡°If I stay, I¡¯m afraid your wife will think too much again.¡± Bruce was stunned and speechless. It was good that she left first. He did not want Joanna to be angry again because of Aria. ¡°Alright then! Be careful.¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± ¡°Good-bye.¡± Chapter 949 Chapter 949 Chapter 949 After the two of them said goodbye, Aria did not say anything else and turned to leave. Right after Aria left, Jaydon walked towards Bruce. He had just seen Aria and Bruce talking in secret. ¡°Bruce, what were you guys talking about?¡± Jaydon asked straightforwardly. Bruce sneered. ¡°Does it have anything to do with you?¡± ¡°Well, it has nothing to do with me. But I can¡¯t ignore anything rted to Joann.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned without saying anything. Then, he stared at Jaydon with an unfriendly expression. ¡°Jaydon, what do you mean by that?¡± Jaydon¡¯s face tightened. ¡°I hope you can stay away from Aria. Don¡¯t make Joann upset.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too meddlesome? Does our matter have anything to do with you?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and looked at Bruce quietly. After pondering for a few seconds, he said softly, ¡°Bruce, Joann is a good woman. You must not let her down. ¡°Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you go in my whole life.¡± Bruce was stunned and was at a loss for words. He stared at Jaydon even more unkindly. Jaydon looked straight into his eyes and said sadly, ¡°I repeat. If the person Joann loves is me, I definitely won¡¯t let her get hurt, let alone give her to you. ¡°If you dare to do anything to hurt her, I will be upset and disappointed! I hope you won¡¯t let me down.¡± ¡°Jaydon, are you fucking crazy?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes widened. He felt like beating him up. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. You will learn a lesson from me if you dare to have any ill intentions towards Joann again.¡± ¡°You can say whatever you want! Take care of yourself,¡± Jaydon said calmly and ignored Bruce. Then he turned around lonely and walked out of the hospital. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Bruce watched as Jaydon left. Bruce raised his eyebrows. He had a bad premonition in his mind. Although Jaydon¡¯s personality was gentle and kind, he was a tough man. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this bastard is going to¡­¡± Thinking of this, Bruce immediately put out his cigarette and rushed to the ward. 10:58 In the blink of an eye, it was already past one in the morning. Jaydon sneaked back to the Grimm family¡¯s old mansion. He had already nned to investigate the cause of his father¡¯s death, even if it meant risking his life. He had to seek justice for his younger siblings. Jaydon was very familiar with the Grimm family¡¯s old mansion. He entered the vi without much effort. Then, he hacked into the surveince system of the Grimm family¡¯s old mansion. Afterward, he quietly jumped into the inner courtyard from the backyard. He had already set up the surveince system. In about twenty minutes, the surveince would fail. Because it was one o¡¯clock in the morning, the servants and bodyguards had already gone to bed. There were only two people left on duty. Jaydon quickly sneaked into the house. Then, he went straight to Tim¡¯s study room. ¡°Click.¡± Jaydon gently pushed open the door of the study room. The study room was big, more than a thousand square feet. The study room was full of Tim¡¯s personal belongings and his safe. He believed that there must be something he wanted in his father¡¯s safe. He also didn¡¯t believe his father hadn¡¯t made a will when he was alive. However, he did not know the password to the safe. He could only try his luck and make a guess. Beep, beep, beep. The password was wrong. Jaydon frowned and entered his mother¡¯s birthday. Beep, beep, beep. The password was still incorrect. Chapter 950 Chapter 950 Chapter 950 Jaydon tried a few more sets of numbers, but they still showed errors. For a safe with a password like this, it would not be easy to guess the password by luck. ¡°What should I do? All the passwords are wrong.¡± Cold sweat began to drip from Jaydon¡¯s forehead. He only had 20 minutes. His whereabouts would be discovered if he could not find what he wanted within 20 minutes. He was panicking. Jaydon suddenly looked up. There was a photo of Tim hanging in the middle of the bookcase. It was a wedding photo of his father and mother. They took a lot of pictures when they got married, and this was one of the solo shots. The date of the photo was marked. ¡°1987, April 21st.¡± Jaydon¡¯s mind went nk. The date was his mother and father¡¯s wedding anniversary. At the same time, it was also the anniversary of his mother¡¯s death. Tim was a yboy by nature. He hung out with women all day long. He was sincere to every woman, but he would not only be loyal to any woman. Jaydon¡¯s mother was a very traditional and conservative woman. She suffered from severe depression because she could not stand her husband¡¯s phndering. Ultimately, on their tenth wedding anniversary, she chose tomit suicide. His mother¡¯s suicide made Tim feel deeply guilty, and he behaved himself for a while. However, he only felt guilty for some time. Soon, he threw himself into the outside world again. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll give it a try!¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart ached as he tried to enter 870421. After all, his father had had so many women, and he might have long forgotten everything about his mother. After inputting the numbers. Click. The safe unlocked automatically, and then the door opened. Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, and he was at a loss for words. 10:59 He had only tried it just now and did not expect to open it at all. Unexpectedly, he made the correct guess. Inside the safe were stacks of documents and a few personal seals from Tim. Other than that, there were some jewelry and strange trinkets. Jaydon flipped through it and took out a stack of documents. Unfortunately, these were allnd deeds and property deeds. There were also some confidential documents and contracts of thepany. ¡°There is no Dad¡¯s will in it. Did I make the wrong guess? ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Someone as cautious as Dad couldn¡¯t have made no will.¡± Tim was already in his sixties when he passed away. At his age, it was impossible for him not to consider the will. Moreover, he had billion-dor assets and many children. Tim doted on every child very much. It was impossible for him not to think about them. ¡°Am I wrong? The will wasn¡¯t in Dad¡¯s safe?¡± Soon, he found another thumb drive in the secretpartment of the safe. Jaydon held it in his hand and looked at it a few times. He had a feeling there was something important on this thumb drive. Otherwise, Dad wouldn¡¯t have kept it in the safe. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Thinking of this, Jaydon quickly pocketed the thumb drive. He rummaged through a pile of documents, hoping to find something crucial. Just as he was searching for it, he suddenly heard a loud noise. ¡°Bang!¡± The door was kicked open. A few bodyguards walked in first. Then, all the lights in the study were turned on. Surrounded by bodyguards, Cassius walked in with a sinister smile. ¡°Jaydon, this is your home. Why did you sneak in? I thought there was a thief in the house, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be you.¡± When Jaydon heard the voice, he knew he could not hide it anymore. So he stood 1. ¡°Cassius, you greedy thing. Daddy dotes on you so much and thinks so highly of you, but what you did was heartless. How can you live up to your conscience? ¡°I really can¡¯t imagine that you would be like this.¡± Cassius sneered and said gloomily, ¡°Hmph, there are many things you can¡¯t imagine.¡± Halfway he spoke, Cassius looked at the safe behind him, and his eyes lit up. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m very grateful to you for opening the safe. I¡¯ve tried countless times but 10:59 couldn¡¯t open the safe. ¡°Look, the old man treated you so well. He even told you the password to his safe. I didn¡¯t even know it. Does he treat me as his biological son? Do you believe what you just said?¡± Cassius looked disdainful. Jaydon was disappointed. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything more to him. He also knew it would be difficult to leave the house today, so he asked directly, ¡°Were you responsible for Dad¡¯s death? ¡°If you were a man, if you did it, admit it. Don¡¯t be a coward.¡± When Cassius heard this, his expression froze for a few seconds before he smiled again. ¡°After all, I¡¯m Dad¡¯s son. Why would I hurt Dad?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be hypocritical. Dad passed away so suddenly. It couldn¡¯t have been an ident. It must have been you. ¡°Cassius, I advise you not to be too greedy. If you do all the bad things, there will be retribution.¡± Cassiusughed out loud as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. ¡°Retribution? Haha, you¡¯re right! ¡°Tim and the Grimm family have done too many immoral things, so God sent me here to punish you all.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he was so angry and speechless. God indeed sent Cassius to punish the Grimm family. ¡°No matter what, Dad has raised you for so many years and nurtured you for so many years. ¡°I¡¯ve always treated you as my elder brother. How could you do such a crazy thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. Dad¡¯s death has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°Stop quibbling. If it wasn¡¯t you, who else would it be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you want to believe it. Anyway, no one will pursue the matter now.¡± Cassius smiled smugly. ¡°Give it to me!¡± Jaydon was silent. He frowned and subconsciously looked at the bodyguards behind him. Looking at the situation, he had no choice but to hand it over. ¡°Here.¡± As he spoke, Jaydon handed over a stack of documents. Cassius¡¯s face darkened, He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I said, take out everything in your pockets! ¡°You are so brave. You dare toe here alone.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in my pocket. 10:39 ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me,e and search yourself.¡± ¡°Hmph, do you think I¡¯ll fall for your trick?¡± Cassius arrogantly took two steps forward and looked at Jaydon with disdain. Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened, and he stood there expressionlessly. Cassius took another two steps forward. The two of them were seven or eight steps apart. In his opinion, it was a safe distance. Besides, there was a table between them. ¡°You all said Dad dotes on me and treats me as his biological son. But if he treats me as his biological son, he won¡¯t let you inherit Grimm Group.¡± Chapter 951 Chapter 951 Chapter 951 Cassius said indignantly. He hadpletely underestimated Jaydon¡¯s fighting capacity The next second, before he could react, Jaydon suddenlyunched an attack like a cheetah. He leaped over the table and stretched his arm to clutch Cassius¡¯s throat. Cassius got shocked and hurriedly raised his arm to block his attack. In the past, he had also practiced boxing often. Ever since he was young, Jaydon was not his match. Unfortunately, he had been a little too arrogant recently and had gradually be indulgent. He spent almost every night with girls. Sometimes, he had fun with two or three different groups ofdies in just one night. He was now the richest man in Venturas, and he was also handsome. Naturally, the beauties were racking their brains to approach him. They would do everything they can to please such a tycoon. He had been leading a luxurious life. However, he was also dispirited. His legs were shaking faintly when walking. Naturally, he was no longer Jaydon¡¯s opponent. Jaydon clutched his throat firmly. With his other hand, he pressed the dagger against his neck. ¡°Ah, um¡­ damn it.¡± By the time the bodyguards reacted, Cassius was already being held hostage. Venturas was now vigorously crackdown on crime and terrorism, and the ban on guns was even stricter. Therefore, the bodyguards could only get ess to stun guns and batons. ¡°Freeze! Don¡¯t move or I¡¯ll kill him.¡± Jaydon stared fiercely at the bodyguards. ¡°This is between us. It¡¯s personal. If any of you dare to interfere, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± The bodyguards looked at each other and did not dare to act rashly. After all, many of them had long been employees of the Grimm family. Although they listened to Cassius now, they were also in awe of Jaydon and did not dare to go too far. Cassius¡¯s throat was tightly choked. He stuttered, ¡°Jaydon Grimm, don¡¯t be stupid. If you kill me, you won¡¯t be able to walk out of here.¡± Jaydon sneered as the dagger pressed closer. ¡°Cassius, I came here today with no intention of leaving alive. ¡°What do 1/3 you want?¡± 09.49 D ¡°To perish together with you.¡± ¡°Jay, put down the knife first. We are brothers. We can have a talk.¡± ¡°Let me ask you a question, were you responsible for Dad¡¯s death?¡± Jaydon raised his hand, and the sharp dagger drew blood from Cassius¡¯s neck. Cassius¡¯s body went limp as he hurriedly begged for mercy. ¡°Jay, I can swear to God that I definitely have nothing to do with Dad¡¯s death. You have to believe me¡­¡± 11 ¡°If it¡¯s not you, who else could it be? Come, follow me.¡± Jaydon seized Cassius and said fiercely, ¡°All of you, put down your weapons and take back. Take back!¡± The bodyguards did not dare to disobey. They put down the stun guns and batons in their hands and retreated to the corner. Jaydon dragged Cassius out. ¡°Jay, what do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to send you to see Dad today.¡± As Jaydon walked towards the garage, he grabbed Cassius with a strong urge to end his life. Two minutester, Jaydon took him to the garage. The people in the old residence were all rmed. ¡°Mr. Irvin, Mr. Derick, what are you doing?¡± butler was shocked. ¡°Mr. Irvin, put down the knife. Let¡¯s slow down here.¡± Cassius¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and a wave of panic swept his mind. It seemed that Jaydon might really kill him. He must break free from his hostage. At the thought of this, he deliberately sprained his ankle. ¡°Ouch-¡± Jaydon clutched his throat with one hand and raised his dagger with the other. He had to be wary of the bodyguards¡¯ sneak attack. So it was inevitable that he would be distracted. ¡°I sprained my ankle. Slow down, slow down. Jay, let¡¯s talk things out. What do you want? We can talk about it calmly. I¡¯ll agree to all your conditions.¡± Cassius was trying to distract Jaydon. He propped himself up and looked for a chance to resist. ¡°Shut up¡­¡± 11 Before Jaydon could finish his words, in the gap down the stairs, Cassius grabbed his arm and twisted it. The two of them finally separated, and Cassius finally got rid of the hostage. ¡°Arrest him.¡± Jaydon overturned the flower pot at the top of the stair and rushed out. 2/3 09:19 D ¡°Go! Capture him.¡± The fast bodyguards had already chased after him. Jaydon fought with the fastest bodyguard. His attacks were fierce and ruthless. ¡°Stop fighting, don¡¯t hurt Mr. Irvin¡­¡± butler shouted anxiously. Hearing the butler¡¯s shout, the bodyguards naturally did not dare to use all their strength to fight with Jaydon. Jaydon took the opportunity to kick one of them down. He rushed into the and quickly opened the car door. Buzz! He stepped on the elerator and the car sped out of the garage like a storm. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Bang!¡± There was a loud bang. The iron gate was knocked open by the car. ¡°A bunch of trash. Hurry up and chase after him. Don¡¯t let him leave alive.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The group of bodyguards got into the car and went after Jaydon. After Jaydon broke through the door, he sped all the way. The bodyguards also chased after them in their cars at their heels. garage When he was about to be caught, suddenly, a ck car rushed out in the opposite direction. With a loud crash, the car at the front was knocked over. The huge impact made the car roll a few times like a toy car. Chapter 952 Chapter 952 Chapter 952 The cars behind hurriedly stepped on the brakes. The huge inertia caused the car to drift a few circles. After that, they bumped into each other several times. Jaydon¡¯s car also stalled, and the hood of the car was almost destroyed. He was also injured. His head was broken, and he had been stabbed in the arm. ¡°Hu hu!¡± Another two cars sped over. Seeing this, Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. It was over. He was surrounded from the front and back. He was probably doomed. His eyes turned sharp. He picked up his dagger and prepared to fight these people to the death. Unexpectedly, the car door opened. It was Darcy and Cherron who got out of the car. Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Darcy, why are you here?¡± Darcy¡¯s expression was gloomy as he helped Jaydon out of the car. ¡°Mr. Grimm, leave here right away. We will handle this.¡± As he spoke, he helped him into the car behind. ¡°Send Mr. Grimm to Greyport immediately.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Darcy, be careful.¡± Jaydon looked worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Darcy said confidently. He was Bruce¡¯s most capable bodyguard. It was an easy case for him to deal with these people. Soon, Darcy and Cherron intercepted all the cars chasing after Jaydon¡­ Jaydon looked back for a few seconds. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He immediately understood that it was Bruce who had ordered thern to support him. He also trusted the abilities of Darcy and the others. There was no need to worry at all. Then, the driver started the car and hurriedly left the scene with Jaydon. After this incident, he couldn¡¯t stay in Venturas anymore, so he had to go to Greyport. Two hourster, Jaydon was brought to Greyport Hospital. 1/2 09:50 D ¡°Oh, you¡¯re injured.¡± Bruce teased at Jaydon who was bleeding all over. Jaydon gritted his teeth and held the urge to retort. After all, Greyport was not his ce. Bruce was indeed tart and mean. The things he said could really piss people off. However, this time his performance was still a little unexpected. Jaydon had never expected that Bruce would send someone to pick him up. Moreover, he did it so wisely that he predicted that he would go to the old residence of the Grimm family. ¡°Hurry up and bandage him up! Look at this poor guy. Joanna must be crying if she were there.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± The doctor and nurses quickly went forward to treat Jaydon¡¯s wound. His head was broken and was bleeding. He had also been stabbed in the arm, and his clothes were stained scarlet with blood. This scene was too horrible to look at. ¡°You¡¯re not capable enough, but you still like to do something heroic. Stupid! What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re just an utter fool. Go there to give your life? Wow, Jaydon, your brain must be broken!¡± Bruce could not help but curse. He talked like a bystander but also showed some sympathy. Although he didn¡¯t like Jaydon, he had to admit that Jaydon still had some integrity. He was a real man. Jaydon rolled his eyes, not in the mood to talk to this annoying man. ¡°Tell me! I¡¯m really wondering why you suddenly went to Venturas. To die in vain, right? I used to think you were smart. Why are you as stupid as a goose when you do things?¡± ¡°Bruce Everett, can you shut up?¡± Jaydon couldn¡¯t take it anymore and retorted angrily. ¡°Yo-ho, you¡¯re even throwing a tantrum at me. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t sent my fellows to pick you up, you must have been an ugly corpse. Now, instead of showing your gratitude, you¡¯re shouting at me. How dare you!¡± Chapter 953 Chapter 953 Chapter 953 Jaydon¡¯s heartbeat quickened. He couldn¡¯t say anything because he was so enraged. Ordinary folks simply couldn¡¯tpete with Bruce. The doctor had already stepped forward to treat his wound. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯m going to cut your sleeve open right now and treat the wound.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Jaydon frowned and endured the pain. After the sleeves were cut open, the doctor looked at the wound and said, ¡°This is a deep wound that needs to be sutured.¡± ¡°Hurry up and prepare the anesthetic. Bring me the iodine and gauze¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Two nurses assisted. ¡°Oh, you guys, take care of it slowly! I¡¯ll go back to bed for a while.¡± Bruce yawnedzily and turned to leave. Back in the ward. It was already past five in the morning, and the sky was about to brighten.. Even though Bruce sneaked around to keep quiet, he still awakened Joanna.. Joanna opened her eyes in a daze and asked sleepily, ¡°Where did you go?¡± Bruce took off his shoes and quietly slid into bed. ¡°Nothing much. I just went to the toilet.¡± Joanna was quite drowsy. ¡°What time is it now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only five o¡¯clock. It¡¯s still early! Just sleep!¡± Bruce said as he stretched out his arm. His arms were extraordinarily lengthy, and the muscles were tight and springy. On the surface of his skin, there were a few bulging tendons, disying the strength of a masculine arm. ¡°So close your eyes.¡± Joanna turned over and rested her head on Bruce¡¯s arm before sleeping peacefully again. In the past, she was most terrified of sleeping with Bruce. Every time shey beside him, she would have insomnia all night. She could not sleep well at all. But now, resting next to him, she suddenly felt incredibly peaceful and safe. She knew that even if the world was over, as long as Bruce was here, he would absolutely protect her. Looking at Joanna sleeping peacefully like a kitten in his arms, Bruce smiled dotingly and kissed her forehead. Then, he tightened his grip and hugged her even tighter. 1/4 09:50 He had gone through a lotst night. Therefore, he restrained himself today. In the past, he thought that men and women slept together solely for sex. Of course, as an adult, so long as he had the energy, it was not uwful for him to do it every day. Now, he suddenly felt that sleeping with the one he loved was still a wonderful and addictive experience even if they did nothing. He also began to learn how to manage himself and stop being so irritated. He also learned to consider others¡¯ feelings and try his best to make her happy. Of course, he was also very ¡°skilled¡± and experienced in bed. There was not a woman he¡¯s ever been with who hadn¡¯t fallen for him. However, he was gentler and more patient now. The next day, Joanna woke up and went to the pediatrics department to look after Patricia as usual. However, as soon as she entered the ward, she found Jaydon¡¯s head wrapped in thick gauze and his face swollen in ck and blue. Joanna was astonished and said in disbelief, ¡°Jay, what happened?¡± ¡°Uh, no, nothing¡­¡± Jaydon replied vaguely. Joanna gasped. ¡°Oh my god, your face is terrible. How can you be fine? ¡°And your arm¡­ Oh my god, did you fight with someone?¡± ¡°Mm, no, no.¡± Jaydon¡¯s brows furrowed as he answered in a muffled voice. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her gaze suddenly turned to Bruce. When she fell asleepst night, did they have a fight? Bruce was always moring to smash Jaydon. It was not impossible for an ill-tempered guy like him to hit Jaydon. Seeing Joanna looking at him suspiciously, Bruce frowned and denied, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I didn¡¯t hit him.¡± Joanna choked. Jaydon curled his lips and rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Last night, he went to Venturas alone to provoke Cassius. Look, he was beaten up by his brother.¡± Bruce gloated. Jaydon felt extremely ashamed when he heard that. This crazy man was ruining his reputation before the woman he loved! Bruce did not care about his feelings at all. ¡°Why are you staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong? Hmph, you still look unconvinced.¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed. ¡°Jay, did you really go to Venturas?¡± Jaydon nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± 2/4 09:50 D ¡°Oh my god, if you want to go, you shouldn¡¯t be alone. It is just like a sheep entering a lion¡¯s dance! Why?¡± ¡°I went back to the old mansion yesterday and opened my father¡¯s safe. I took this back,¡± Jaydon said as he took the thumb drive out of his pocket. Right now, the only person he could trust was Joanna. Therefore, there was no need to hide anything from her. ¡°Bring theputer over. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s on the drive.¡± Soon, the assistant brought over aptop. He connected the thumb drive to theputer and yed a video. As expected, the video was about his father¡¯s will. In the video, Tim Grimm sat upright and looked very energetic. He looked at the camera with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Tim Grimm. When you see this video, I might have already gone to another world. I don¡¯t have many regrets in this life. I¡¯ve almost aplished the wish I made when I was young¡­¡± Watching her dad¡¯s video, Grace could not help but cover her mouth and burst into tears. Jaydon¡¯s eyes also turned red. ¡°Now, I¡¯d like to make the following arrangements for my legacy. ¡°My son, Jaydon, will seed Grimm Group as chairman. My eldest son, Cassius Grimm, will be the vice president of thepany. At the same time, he will take over the Millego Casino Hotel.¡± It was the secondrgest enterprise in the Grimm Group in Venturas. From this, it could be seen that Tim treated Cassius quite well and left him fair assets. ¡°Jay, I trust you the most. I believe that you can take good care of your brothers and sisters.¡± Following Tim¡¯s exnation of how the legacy would be divided, Mr. Lynn, thewyer, joined the video and started the notarization process for the will. In addition to the video, there were two copies of the paper will. One copy was kept in Tim Grimm, and the other was kept by Mr. Lynn. When the video ended, Grace cried even more sadly. ¡°I told you, Dad will definitely make a will. Jaydon, let¡¯s sue Cassius right away and present this evidence in court.¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°No, this video is not enough. We have to obtain the printed will and a notarized will kept by thewyer.¡± Only a formal will like this would have full legal recognition and protection. A formal will was usually required in addition to a video personally recorded by the testator. The could only be legitimate if it had been notarized by awyer. Not a single one can be omitted, or it would cause wrangling and trouble. 3/4 09:50 D ¡°Now we have the video, but we don¡¯t have the paperwork and thewyer¡¯s notarial certificate yet. The document must be kept by Cassius. As long as we can find Mr. Lynn, We will undoubtedly be able to uncover his plot.¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Jaydon sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, ever since Mr. Lynn¡¯s father died, he disappeared for no reason. Until now, we don¡¯t even know if he is alive or dead. Also, previously, there was a burry in his office, and a lot of documents were lost.¡± ¡°So we still need to find the document will?¡± Grace looked worried again. ¡°Jay, Grace, don¡¯t sigh like that. We¡¯ll cross the bridge when we get there.¡± Chapter 954 Chapter 954 Chapter 954 ¡°There¡¯s always a way out. We¡¯ll definitely think of another way.¡± Joanna tried her best tofort them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Grace¡¯s opinion of Joanna had shifted slightly over thest two days. Only then did Grace realize Joanna truly regarded her brother as a friend. She did not utilize her brother as a bootlicker as she assumed. Jaydon¡¯s head hurt when thinking about how to get the will. He could not help but hold his head in pain. ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong? Does it hurt? Let me have a look. How many stitches are there?¡± Joanna leaned closer, concerned, to see if Jaydon¡¯s injury was serious. The two of them were close to each other. Joanna touched his wound. When Bruce saw this, he became envious. ¡°Hmph, old lovers after all. What a sweet scene.¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re saying it again.¡± Joanna red at him. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll go out, alright?¡± Bruce was extremely dissatisfied and walked out resentfully. Joanna¡¯s heart clenched as she saw Bruce was upset. She couldn¡¯t bear the thought offorting Jaydon any longer and hurriedly followed him out of the ward. What a goddam guy! He would do everything to please her even if she wanted the moon. Once he got angry, he suddenly became an indifferent stranger. It was better not to provoke him at this moment. ¡°You look upset.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Bruce snorted coldly and turned his body to the other side. ¡°Come on! Jay is in a bad mood now. I have tofort him!¡± Joanna exined carefully. She really didn¡¯t want to see him burning with jealousy. Bruce rolled his eyes. His handsome face was filled with displeasure. ¡°If you want tofort him, then comfort him! Why do you have to pat his shoulder? There is a limit on the body contact between men and women!¡± ¡°So, are you jealous?¡± Joanna turned to him again with a fawning smile. ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce arrogantly turned his face away. He couldn¡¯t bear to see her being so intimate with Jaydon. People would mistake them two as a couple. And he, the genuine husband, looked like ¡°the other man¡±. 1/8 09:50 B ¡°Alright, alright! Calm down. Don¡¯t be angry anymore. ¡°Lilia ising back today. We have to pick up our daughterter. Don¡¯t let it bother the kids.¡± As Joanna spoke, she hugged his waist from behind and pressed her face against his back. ¡°Honey, please don¡¯t be angry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t protect your feelings just now. I¡¯ll be careful in the future. Forgive me this time.¡± Upon hearing Joanna¡¯s gentle words, Bruce¡¯s anger instantly boiled away. Joanna had always had a tough temper. It was rare for her to get off her high horses tofort him like this. Therefore, he wanted to hear more. ¡°Hmph, it sounds so nice. Every time something happens to Jaydon, you¡¯re more anxious than anyone else. You¡¯re not even so anxious when something happens to me. Hmph.¡± ¡°Did I? No matter how good he is, he¡¯s just a friend. And you¡¯re the man I¡¯m going to spend the rest of my life with. Of course, you¡¯re the most important man in my life.¡± ¡°How important?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very, very important. I can¡¯t live without you. Is that important enough?¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Bruce couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course you are. I¡¯m telling the truth. I swear to God.¡± Bruce turned around and hugged her tightly. ¡°Forget it. Since I¡¯m so important to you, I¡¯ll forgive you this time.¡± But next time, remember to keep a proper distance from Jaydon. Don¡¯t cross the line. If you dare to cheat on me, I¡¯ll kill him. I promise.¡± ¡°Alright, alright! You¡¯re the rule, alright?¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Bruce instantly smiled again. ¡°Come, let¡¯s hurry up and prepare a gift for Lilia.¡± ¡°Davian and Irvin shoulde here soon. Devin will alsoe along today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Actually, men are so easy to coax sometimes. asionally, just be a coquettish woman and say a few sweet words. Then he will surrender to your tenderness. But, men cannot be spoiled too much. If you want to have a long and stable rtionship, that calls for skills and scheming. Women can never enter his love Chapter 955 Chapter 955 Chapter 955 ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s tell Jay that we¡¯re about to pick up Lilia this afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At 3 p.m., Gael brought Davian, Irvin, and Devin over to the hospital to meet up with Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart melted as she spotted Devin. She rushed forward, taking her kid in her arms. ¡°My baby,e on over and give Mommy a hug.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Mmm¡­¡± Devin¡¯s big round eyes blinked as he burbled. He looked very adorable. The little boy was nine months old and already weighed about 20 pounds. Joanna had not seen Devin for almost two months. Her eyes welled up with tears as soon as she saw him. ¡°My sweet baby, Mommy misses you so much.¡± Joanna kissed Devin¡¯s milky face again and again. Although she was not by his side, the little guy was well taken care of. She could barely carry him. Seeing that their mommy favored their younger brother so much, Davian and Irvin pouted. ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t even kiss us.¡± Joanna smiled lovingly. ¡°Oh, sorry. Mommy loves you too. You are Mommy¡¯s kids. Mommy loves each of you equally.¡± As she spoke, Joanna bent down and kissed Davian and Irvin hard on the faces. Seeing this, Bruce butted in, ¡°Honey, what about me?¡± Joanna gave him a sidelong nce. ¡°Stop fooling around.¡± When there was no one around, they could be intimate. However, with the children around, she still had some reservations. ¡°Hurry up. How could you leave me out?¡± Bruce looked dissatisfied. Joanna instantly pushed her husband into oblivion when she saw the children. This made him feel very upset. Even if they were his own children, he couldn¡¯t help but be jealous. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll kiss you too, alright?¡± Joanna tiptoed and kissed Bruce on the cheek. Bruce smiled dotingly. He held Joanna¡¯s face and pecked her lips a few times. ¡°Honey, I love you. I love you so much. Do you love me? Honey.¡± ¡°You idiot. Stop fooling around. Kids are here.¡± Joanna punched him hard. 1/2 09:50 ¡°I want you to say that you love me every day. Don¡¯t forget. Yesterday, you said that I¡¯m the most important person in your life. You can¡¯t live alone without me.. Now that you see the children, I¡¯m not even worth a dime, am I?¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Joanna was speechless. This damn guy was really a jealous type. He might be a gracious and magnanimous man at times and he was never reckless when it came to important concerns. However, sometimes, he was really petty about some trivial matter in daily life. He was very eager to be noticed and valued. Of course, this was also a w in his personality. He left his mother and traveled abroad to study at a young age. That was why he didn¡¯t experience enough maternal affection. Despite the fact that Joanna was his lover, he desired to feel the brightness of maternal love from her. To a certain extent, he would behave like a child. ¡°Daddy is getting more and more annoying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. He¡¯s getting more and more greasy and mushy.¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯spletely henpecked now.¡± ¡°When you two grow up and fall in love, you¡¯ll definitely be worse than Daddy.¡± ¡°Hmph, we don¡¯t want to fall in love.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Stop talking nonsense. Pack up. We¡¯re going to the airport soon.¡± ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s so lively today. Can you bring Patricia along?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Patricia is so beautiful. Lilia will definitely like her.¡± Chapter 956 Chapter 956 Chapter 956 ¡°Patricia¡¯s illness hasn¡¯t recovered yet. She can¡¯t be running around.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, we forgot.¡± ¡°Have you prepared your gifts?¡± Davian picked up the exquisite biscuit box and handed it to Joanna. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all ready.¡± The pink cookie box was tied with a bow, and the cookies inside emitted a sweet milky fragrance. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing. Can I try a piece?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Davian opened the exquisite biscuit box and took out a cookie. Joanna took it with a smile and tasted it carefully. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s so delicious. Baby, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Irvin also hurriedly offered the handmade candy he made. ¡°Mommy, try my Nougat.¡± Joanna pinched one and tasted it carefully. ¡°Not bad, not bad. You¡¯re much better than your daddy.¡± Joanna sincerely praised her two sons. They had really done a good job. They were indeed much more hands-on than their father. When Bruce heard that, his handsome face darkened. He looked unconvinced. ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s just cookies and peanuts. How does that make them better than me?¡± ¡°Then do you know how to make these?¡± Joanna teased with a smile. ¡°Just because I do not make them doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know how to. If I wanted to, even a Michelin chef wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to me,¡± Bruce said. arrogantly. Men remain youthful till death, hence don¡¯t arouse a man¡¯s desire to win. Even if it was a matter, they would still get carried away. Of course, Bruce had always been extremely confident in himself. He thought he was the most outstanding man and would not ept anyone¡¯s rebuttal. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s pack up and go to the airport.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Bruce pursed his lips and looked at Joanna worriedly. ¡°Honey, are you sure you want to go too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure! Why?¡± Joanna looked at him steadily. ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d¡­¡±. Joanna smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I feel like I¡¯ve sessfully quit it. I have had no cravings the entire day.¡± 174 10:21 ¡°However, you can be rest assured that even if it res up, I can withstand it.¡± Bruce hugged her waist affectionately and kissed the top of her head. ¡°That¡¯s great. I knew you were the most amazing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be mushy. Let¡¯s go! The children can¡¯t wait.¡± Forty minutester, the family arrived at the airport. Because they were worried about traffic, it was not even seven o¡¯clock when they arrived at the airport. The two little guys missed their sister so much that they couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, why isn¡¯t the ne here yet?¡± ¡°Not so fast. The ne doesn¡¯t get here until eight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock. There¡¯s still an hour.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡± ¡°Haha, there¡¯s a duty-free shop nearby. Why don¡¯t we go in and take a look? We have nothing to do anyway,¡± Joanna suggested. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Greyport Airport was one of thergest airports in the country. One needed to make a transfer here to go overseas. Therefore, there were many shops in the airport. They had nothing to do anyway, so they walked around to kill time. Bruce carried Devin while Joanna led Davian and Irvin. The family entered the duty-free shop. As soon as they entered the shop, they saw a familiar figure. Jennie was also in the duty-free shop with only an assistant. ¡°Jennie, what are you doing here?¡± Jennie looked up and saw that it was Bruce. Her body tensed up, and she said, ¡°Bruce.¡± After greeting, Bruce was stunned. It had only been two to three months since theyst met, and Jennie was almost unrecognizable. She had lost a lot of weight as if she had a serious illness. Her face was dark and listless, looking dispirited. She was apletely different person from the overbearing and morous youngdy in the past. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Melta.¡± A hint of panic appeared in Jennie¡¯s eyes as she hurriedly put on the sunsses in her hand. ¡°Oh, are you on a business trip?¡± Bruce asked with concern. 2/4 10:21 The Everett family and the Garcia family were also family friends. Therefore, even though Jennie was unruly and willful, Bruce was never truly angered by her. He only treated her as an ignorant little girl. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Jennie replied perfunctorily and rushed away with her bag. Bruce and Joanna looked at each other in disbelief. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s Jennie? Why did she change so much?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s ridiculously thin and doesn¡¯t look healthy either,¡± Bruce replied. In the past, Jennie was a proud peacock. She always looked charming and ostentatious when she appeared in front of everyone. But now, he seemed to have suddenly be much more low-key. After seeing Bruce, he was no longer as infatuated as before. ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t she investing in a real estatepany in Mossbourne? Did she cause trouble in Green Bay again?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to keep up with matters in thepany during this period of time.¡± ¡°Donald and Mr. Matthews didn¡¯t call me. The Green Bay project should be going smoothly. Otherwise, they would have called me long ago,¡± Bruce said calmly. That was how the society functioned. The richer the person, the richer they will grow. The poorer poorer they will be. the person, the Employees who could work inpanies like Everett Group were the cream of the crop. From the management level to the ordinary employees, all of them graduated from famous local and overseas universities. Ph.D. and graduate students were everywhere. With such a group of elites working for him to earn him money, he would naturally be richer and richer. On the other side, Jennie left the duty-free shop with a dark and uneasy expression. Although she had booked a private ne, it was not time to take off yet. Beep, beep, beep. The phone in her purse rang. She tensed, as flustered as if she¡¯d heard a bomb off. go She took out her phone, as expected, it was thest call she wanted to answer. During that period of time, Marlowe had been pestering her like a vengeful spirit. 3/4 10.21 D Once she refused, he would threaten her with private photos. She had no choice but to allow him to act as he desired. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Marlowe was Greyport¡¯s trashiest man. Some people behaved unkindly to protect themselves or to make a name for themselves. Therefore, they had no choice but to do bad things. As for Marlowe, he was evil to the bone. He could do any evil deed one could imagine. How could Jennie, a delicate princess, withstand his torment? Being tormented by Marlowe every night, Jennie was about to break down. What was worse was that her period had note for two months. She had secretly bought a pregnancy test kit, and she tested positive. She was impregnated by Marlowe. Moreover, her body was itchy and had many bumps. Marlowe loved to go to clubs. He had womanized countless shady women. He was definitely ill with one of those diseases. Jennie was infected. She was such a prideful person that she did not dare to visit a local hospital. Therefore, she could only go overseas for treatment and abort the bastard she was pregnant with. Chapter 957 Chapter 957 Chapter 957 The phone in her bag kept vibrating. Jennie did not dare to turn off her phone, nor did she dare to answer the call. She was so anxious that she was about to cry. ¡°Miss Garcia¡­¡± Jennie was panicking when she suddenly saw a group of people walking over. All of them were scanning the surroundings as if they were looking for someone. ¡°Ah!¡± Like a frightened bird, Jennie quickly returned to the duty-free shop. Then, she hid behind the shelves. Immediately after, the group of men in ck also entered the duty-free shop. ¡°You guys search that area. You guys search there. We must find her.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± In the children¡¯smodities section. Bruce and Joanna were shopping for children¡¯s items when they suddenly bumped into Jennie. Jennie hid behind the shelves, looking like she was trembling. Seeing that, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Jennie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes were filled with panic. Every few seconds, she would look around as if she was avoiding someone. Bruce and Joanna were even more puzzled. They followed Jennie¡¯s gaze. At the front of the shelf, there were a few hooligans who seemed to be looking for someone. Seeing the young men walking over, Jennie was even more frightened and hid. Bruce and Joanna were stunned. One had to know that Jennie had a high worth and was the only heir of the Garcia family. She usually brings around a lot of bodyguards and assistants. Young hooligans like that would not dare to even go near her. But then, she only brought a female assistant and not a single bodyguard. That was too strange. Jennie hid all around, from behind this shelf to behind that shelf. Unfortunately, she was still stopped by a young man. ¡°Miss Garcia, President Yanice is looking for you! Why are you hiding?¡± ¡°Don¡¯te over, don¡¯te over.¡± Jennie was in a daze and kept retreating. Just as she retreated to the shelf, she was suddenly hugged by someone. 1/4 10:21 D ¡°Baby, why are you avoiding me?¡± Marlowe had a sinister smile on his face as he hugged Jennie tightly. He now had an electric prosthesis and could walk like a normal person. From the outside, it was impossible to tell that he was missing a leg. ¡°Go back with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back. I¡¯m not going back.¡± Jennie¡¯s eyes were filled with fear. Marlowe had a sinister smile on his face. He dragged Jennie¡¯s arm and leaned against her ear. He scolded fiercely, ¡°Bitch, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re pregnant.¡± ¡°You want to abort my child? No way. Hahaha. Go back with me obediently and give birth to the child. Otherwise, I¡¯ll ruin your reputation.¡± After saying that, Marloweughed maniacally. When Jennie heard that, tears instantly welled up in her eyes, and her entire body was wrapped in helplessness and fear. ¡°I won¡¯t give birth to this child. I won¡¯t give birth to this child no matter what.¡± If she gave birth to that child¡­ Then she would be entangled with such a disgusting and trashy man for the rest of her life. ¡°Be good ande back with me.¡± ¡°No¡­ No¡­¡± Hearing themotion, Bruce and Joanna walked over. People started to surround them. Seeing that, Jennie felt even more despair. She didn¡¯t want anyone to know she had slept with a disgusting man like Marlowe. Moreover, she had gotten pregnant. To her, reputation was really more important than her life. If her videos and photos were leaked, she would not want to live anymore. Seeing it was Marlowe who was pestering Jennie, Bruce could not help but step forward. He grabbed the back of Marlowe¡¯s neck and flung him away. ¡°Let go of her.¡± ¡°Do you fucking want to die¡­¡± Marlowe was flung away and almost fell to the ground. He was originally cursing, but when he saw that the person who pushed him was Bruce, the arrogance and anger in his eyes immediately dimmed. ¡°Well, I was wondering who it is. Turns out to the mighty Mr. Everett.¡± Marlowe instantly changed his expression and looked at Bruce with a fake smile. 2/4 10:21 D Theckeys behind him immediately surrounded them. However, after seeing clearly that it was Bruce, the group of fierce-looking young- men were all listless. That was the man nobody in Greyport could afford to offend. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three and immediately disappear from my sight,¡± Bruce did not waste any time and said in a sinister tone. Marlowe¡¯s face fell. He tried his best to remain calm. He had always been used to tyrannizing others, so he still wanted to maintain his reputation in front of hisckeys. ¡°Mr. Everett, have I offended you recently?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all friends. Why are you so serious?¡± Marlowe said with a cheeky smile, but his feet were positioned to run anytime. ¡°One¡± ¡°Two¡­¡± Before Bruce could count to three, Marlowe¡¯s face darkened. He red fiercely at Jennie. ¡°You have guts. Just wait.¡± Then, he immediately left the duty-free shop. He dared to be arrogant in front of anyone, but not in front of Bruce. When Bruce said he would mess with him, he was joking. Previously, someone had destroyed one of his legs and shed him a dozen times. He had to stay in the ICU for half a year before he barely survived. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Although there was no direct evidence that Bruce had hired someone to do it, both of them were well aware of the truth. After Marlowe left, Bruce asked with concern, ¡°Jennie, is he threatening you with something?¡± ¡°I warned you not to deal with people like him.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Jennie¡¯s heart tightened as she denied it. ¡°I still have something to do. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± With that, Jennie fled. Although Bruce chased Marlowe away, Jennie was not happy at all. She immediately set off to find Marlowe. She knew that if she did not go to him immediately, Marlowe would really post her photos and videos online. She really didn¡¯t want anyone to know about her rtionship with Marlowe. Especially not Bruce. Bruce watched as Jennie fled. He frowned. He had a bad feeling. 374 10:21 D Jennie was definitely ckmailed by Marlowe. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to control Jennie so tightly. ¡°How did the two of them get together?¡± Joanna asked in confusion. In the past, the person Jennie liked was Bruce. She had also racked her brains to think of ways to pester Bruce. However, during that period of time, she seemed to have changed. She stopped pestering Bruce and stopped looking for trouble. She seemed to have be much more low-key. Even the socialite circle had lost sight of her. ¡°I think Jennie is in big trouble,¡± Bruce said gloomily. Since Zachary¡¯s death, Jennie became the only heir of the Garcia family. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s go pick up Lilia.¡± Chapter 958 Chapter 958 Chapter 958 Originally, they nned to shop in the duty-free shop to kill time. However, because of Jennie, they had not much free time left. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s almost time.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± On the other side¡­ Marlowe came to the parking lot. He gritted his teeth in anger, but there was nothing he could do. ¡°Bruce Everett, Bruce Everett, I want you to die. I want your entire family to die a horrible death. Just wait. One day, I¡¯ll make you kneel and beg me¡­¡± ¡°Jennie, you bitch. Since you disobeyed me, I¡¯ll-destroy you.¡± Marlowe¡¯s face contorted horribly as he prepared to get into the car. ¡°Marlowe.¡± Jennie hurriedly chased after him. Marlowe turned around. When he saw Jennie chasing after him, the smile on his face became even more twisted and terrifying. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re finally willing toe over?¡± ¡°I almost posted your video. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What do you think will happen if I send it to the tabloids?¡± As he spoke, Marlowe had already taken out his phone. He found the video and showed it to Jennie. ¡°Baby, look at this. Look at your expression and this reaction. Tsk, tsk, tsk. How exciting and tempting is that?¡± ¡°Which man can resist looking at you? Little baby, you¡¯re really the best in the world. Which man wouldn¡¯t be addicted?¡± Tears welled up in Jennie¡¯s eyes. Listening to his filthy words, she felt even worse. than death. She felt as if she had fallen into a bottomless dark abyss. She kept falling without end. Marlowe, that beast. The worst was not that he messed with her. The key was that he had strange kinks and liked filming. Every video was so unsightly that she did not dare to look at it directly. man like him was already in bad health. When his body could not keep up with his desires, he would take medicine. No one could stand the torment of being up all night. Now that Jennie was pregnant, Marlowe finally restrained himself a little. During that period of time, Jennie really wanted tomit suicide. 1/4 10:21 D However, she was the only daughter left in the Garcia family. If shemitted suicide, her parents would definitely not be able to withstand such a blow. ¡°Marlowe, I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯ll kneel down for you. Don¡¯t be like this. Let me go.¡± Jennie said as she knelt down. Marlowe hugged her and said in a strange tone, ¡°Don¡¯t. My heart aches so much. Baby, I really love you. You¡¯re pregnant with my child now. What if you hurt the baby?¡± ¡°Hurry up and get up. My heart will ache if you do this. We¡¯ll go to your house tonight to meet your parents and disclose our rtionship.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take responsibility for you and the child,¡± Marlowe said with a wicked smile. Jennie was born with a silver spoon and was the only heir of the Garcia family. Moreover, she was so beautiful and was a top student at a famous university. If he could marry Jennie, it would be a great honor. Of course, he really liked Jennie. After all, she was beautiful. She was many times better than those gold diggers. Jennie cried silently. ¡°Get in the car, get in the car. Don¡¯t just stand there.¡± Jennie was dragged into the car. ¡°Baby, listen to me obediently. Let¡¯s be like Bruce Everett and have a bunch of children.¡± ¡°What will it take for you to let me go?¡± ¡°ept your fate! You won¡¯t be able to escape for the rest of your life.¡± Marlowe smiled slyly and unbuckled his belt. The driver and the bodyguards in the front row were used to that and did not dare to look back. With tears in her eyes, Jennie could only submit¡­ Half an hourter, Marlowe smiled in satisfaction. He had an expression of gratification after having fun. ¡°Be good. As long as you behave, I¡¯ll be good to you and the child.¡± ¡°Our marriage is an alliance between two strong forces. Why do you keep thinking about that bastard Bruce Everett? I have everything he has!¡± ¡°When we get married, your money will be my money, and we can make a big move.¡± The tears at the corners of Jennie¡¯s eyes had already dried up, and she could not stop feeling disgusted. What a pity. 2/4 10:211 She was already in a difficult position and was sinking deeper and deeper. Marlowe was like a demon that haunted her at all times. If time could be reversed, she would not provoke Marlowe even if she was beaten to death. But¡­ it was toote. One mistake led to another. At 8:20. Bruce and Joanna stood at the VIP passage entrance, staring into it. ¡°She¡¯s here. She¡¯s here.¡± Lilian and Rose pushed suitcases, and the caregiver was pushing the wheelchair. A group of people walked over. Behind them were two tall and powerful bodyguards. ¡°Lilia, here, here.¡± Davian and Irvin waved at their sister. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Davian, Irvin¡­¡± Lilia waved excitedly at everyone in the wheelchair. Joanna quickened her steps and ran to her daughter. She hugged her daughter in her arms. ¡°Be good, baby. Mommy misses you so much.¡± ¡°Boohoo, I miss Mommy so much too.¡± Lilia buried herself in her mommy¡¯s arms and could not help but cry. ¡°Be good, don¡¯t cry anymore, don¡¯t cry anymore. No one is allowed to cry when it is such a happy day.¡± As Bruce spoke, his eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°Let Daddy see if you¡¯ve gained weight.¡± Bruce picked up his precious daughter and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°My darling, my favorite! Do you miss Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy, I miss you so much.¡± Lilia hugged her father¡¯s neck and buried her head in her father¡¯s shoulder as she cried. ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying.¡± ¡°Let me see how Lilia¡¯s legs are doing.¡± The caregiver said, ¡°It¡¯s still in the correction stage. In three months, the orthotics can be removed.¡± ¡°After correction and some rehabilitation training, Miss¡¯s leg will return to normal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good, Joanna could not help but tear up. As long as her daughter could stand up, she was really willing to exchange her legs for it. ¡°Lilia, this is the gift, I prepared for you. I made the cookies myself.¡± ¡°This is Nougat I made. It¡¯s delicious.¡± 3/4 10:21 She was already in a difficult position and was sinking deeper and deeper. Marlowe was like a demon that haunted her at all times. If time could be reversed, she would not provoke Marlowe even if she was beaten to death. But¡­ it was toote. One mistake led to another. At 8:20. Bruce and Joanna stood at the VIP passage entrance, staring into it. ¡°She¡¯s here. She¡¯s here.¡± Lilian and Rose pushed suitcases, and the caregiver was pushing the wheelchair. A group of people walked over. Behind them were two tall and powerful bodyguards. ¡°Lilia, here, here.¡± Davian and Irvin waved at their sister. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Davian, Irvin¡­¡± Lilia waved excitedly at everyone in the wheelchair. Joanna quickened her steps and ran to her daughter. She hugged her daughter in her arms. ¡°Be good, baby. Mommy misses you so much.¡± ¡°Boohoo, I miss Mommy so much too.¡± Lilia buried herself in her mommy¡¯s arms and could not help but cry. ¡°Be good, don¡¯t cry anymore, is such a happy day.¡± As Bru don¡¯t cry anymore. No one is allowed to cry when it spoke, his eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°Let Daddy see if you¡¯ve gained weight.¡± Bruce picked up his precious daughter and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°My darling, my favorite! Do you miss Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy, I miss you so much.¡± Lilia hugged her father¡¯s neck and buried her head in her father¡¯s shoulder as she cried. ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying.¡± ¡°Let me see how Lilia¡¯s legs are doing.¡± The caregiver said, ¡°It¡¯s still in the correction stage. In three months, the orthotics can be removed.¡± ¡°After correction and some rehabilitation training, Miss¡¯s leg will return to normal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good, Joanna could not help but tear up. As long as her daughter could stand up, she was really willing to exchange her legs for it. ¡°Lilia, this is the gift, I prepared for you. I made the cookies myself.¡± ¡°This is Nougat I made. It¡¯s delicious.¡± 3/4 10:21 D ¡°Thank you, Davian. Irvin.¡± ¡°Haha, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Honey, I think you¡¯re almost cured. Why don¡¯t we go home?¡± Joanna frowned and said hesitantly, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital!¡± ¡°Lilia¡¯s leg hasn¡¯t recovered yet. Patricia and Jay are also in the hospital. It will be more convenient for us to go to the hospital.¡± ¡°Besides, the hospital has already been set up. If we don¡¯t go, won¡¯t everything be wasted?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! We decorated the ward so beautifully to wee Lilia back.¡± ¡°If we go home, there is nothing set up! Won¡¯t our efforts be in vain?¡± The twoContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. little fellows protested one after another. Bruce pouted. ¡°Hmm, alright then.¡± Chapter 959 Chapter 959 Chapter 959 ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± ¡°Be careful. Let Lilia sit in the wheelchair!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s better for me to carry her like this.¡± Bruce hugged his daughter dotingly. He had three sons and only one precious daughter. Of course, he couldn¡¯t wait to dote on her. After returning to the hospital, it was already past nine o¡¯clock. The ward was decorated warmly with flowers and colorful balloons everywhere. Two dining tables were put together into arge table to hold the feast. The theme was white truffles, so every dish had white truffles. It was a top-notch and precious ingredient. One gram cost hundreds. That meal almost costs an ordinary person¡¯s house. ¡°Wow, this is too sumptuous. I love baked snails and truffle mushroom soup.¡± Lilia smiled happily. ¡°That¡¯s right! Daddy specially hired a Michelin chef to make a white truffle feast.¡± ¡°By the way, Mommy made dumplings today.¡± Lilia pped her hands excitedly and emotionally. ¡°Wow, I feel so happy.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Davian, Irvin, I love you so much.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Bruce and Joanna looked at each other and smiled. ¡°We love you too. Irvin could not wait to sit down for the meal. ¡°Cut the crap. I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°Wait another minute, and my cheese-baked lobster and steak are going to get cold.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. My favorite sea urchin sashimi and tuna are already summoning me.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and eat!¡± Joanna quickly waved her hand again, ¡°Wait, it¡¯s so lively today. Why don¡¯t we call Jay, Grace, and the others toe?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s all have a meal together.¡± When Davian heard that, she immediately nodded and agreed. ¡°Alright! Also, call Patricia.¡± ¡°Lilia, I¡¯ll introduce you to a little girlter. She¡¯s Mr. Grimm¡¯s daughter. She¡¯s super beautiful. You¡¯ll definitely like her.¡± ¡°Is Mr. Grimm¡¯s daughter in the hospital too?¡± ¡°Yeah, Mr. Grimm and his daughter are here.¡± 1/4 10:22 1 ¡°Wow, I miss Mr. Grimm too. Daddy, can you let Mr. Grimme to our gathering?¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and looked at her daddy hopefully. She knew that her daddy hated Mr. Grimm the most. Therefore, she had to ask for her daddy¡¯s permission. Bruce sighed. ¡°Since you¡¯ve all agreed, what¡¯s the point of me objecting?¡± When Davian heard that, he immediately stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll call Mr. Grimm.¡± Irvin also stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go too. I¡¯ll go too.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you two go ahead! You must invite him over.¡± Joanna smiled and instructed her two sons. Jaydon was also very stubborn sometimes. He might not be willing to eat with Bruce. Especially since he was troubled and probably not in the mood. ¡°Alright, we promise to invite him over.¡± Ten minutester, Davian and Irvin returned. Jaydon and Grace followed behind with Patricia in their arms. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm!¡± Lilia greeted sweetly. Jaydon looked at Lilia with a smile. ¡°Hi, Lilia!¡± ¡°Today is really a good day. Wee back, Princess Lilia.¡± Lilia was originally smiling happily, but when he saw Jaydon¡¯s bandaged arm and his head wrapped in thick gauze, she immediately became nervous. ¡°Mr. Grimm, what¡¯s wrong? Did you fight with someone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± Joanna quickly changed the topic and held Patricia in her arms. ¡°Lilia, this is Patricia. You have a little sister.¡± ¡°Hello, Patricia. I¡¯m Lilia.¡± Lilia went forward and greeted Patricia. Patricia also had a bandage on her head and an adorable nk expression on her face. The little girl had never seen so many people at once, and there were even a few children. Her big eyes carried a trace of nervousness. However, it could be seen that the little girl was still very excited. ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope all our gloom and misfortunes will be over soon.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drink to that.¡± Most of them were injured and could not drink alcohol. They could only change. it to freshly squeezed fruit juice. The chef moved the kitchen counter to the hospital ward. As he cooked, he served 2/4 10:22 D the dishes to everyone. While everyone was eating and chatting, Grace quietly picked up a truffle cake on the table and two palm-sized lobster ws. Then, she sneaked out of the ward. Darcy and the others were all guarding the living room outside. They were bodyguards, so they naturally couldn¡¯t eat with their employer. Grace quietly walked to Darcy with the cake. Then, she handed it to him obediently. ¡°For you.¡± Darcy was stunned. He looked at Grace with a ttered expression. ¡°Hurry up and take it!¡± Grace looked at Darcy with sparkling eyes. Darcy¡¯s cold and firm facial features tensed up, and the tips of his ears turned red for some reason. ¡°I don¡¯t like desserts.¡± As an unromantic man, he really didn¡¯t know how to deal with women. Therefore, he was already in his early thirties and was still a bachelor. After being rejected, Grace revealed a shy and embarrassed expression. Then, she ced the cake and lobster ws on the table. e turned around and fled. ¡°Take it or leave it.¡± With that, Although Grace¡¯s facial features were not attractive at first sight, they tended to grow on people. She had a small delicate face, soft eyebrows, and dazzling eyes. At a nce, it made one feel very comfortable, giving off an obedient and pleasant feeling. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Darcy stammered, wanting to say something. Unfortunately, Grace had already run far away. Cherron watched from the side and drooled with envy. ¡°Darcy, not bad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid Ms. Grace is interested in you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. She¡¯s still a little girl,¡± Darcy subconsciously replied. Indeed, Grace was at least ten years younger than him. That was too young for him. Besides, he hadn¡¯t been in a rtionship and didn¡¯t know how to deal with people. Although Grace was in dire straits, she was still a legitimate heiress. He was just a bodyguard. How could he dare to have such thoughts about her? ¡°I can see that Ms. Grace is definitely interested in you. Otherwise, why would she bring you a cake and not us?¡± ¡°She brought me the cake because I¡­ went to Venturas to pick up her brother, and she specially brought a piece of cake to thank me!¡± Darcy exined stupidly, but his heart was warm. 3/4 10:22 D That was the first time a woman had taken the initiative to express her goodwill to him. Of course, he had been single for more than 30 years, not because he could not find a girlfriend. On the contrary, many beauties wanted to be his girlfriend, but he was unromantic and did not give them a chance to get close. ¡°Tsk, didn¡¯t we go to Venturas.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like desserts, that¡¯s great. I like them.¡± ¡°Put it down. Who said I don¡¯t like to eat¡­¡± Chapter 960 Chapter 960 Chapter 960 During the meal, the children were the ones who were happy and noisy. Joanna only cared about looking after the children and did not have much time to care about Jaydon and Bruce. ¡°Let me feed Patricia! Now that Patricia is sick, she needs to eat liquid food that is easy to digest.¡± Joanna specially prepared a nutritious children¡¯s meal and carefully fed the little girl. Seafood was stimting food. Davian and Irvin didn¡¯t need to mind what they ate. They could eat seafood to their heart¡¯s content. The others were injured and didn¡¯t dare to touch seafood. ¡°We all know each other well. Don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to cater to you. You guys take care of yourselves,¡± Joanna said with a smile. Bruce raised his eyebrows and lowered his head to eat the truffle baked rice before him. Jaydon acted as if nothing had happened and ate the feast before him. Halfway through, he realized that his sister had disappeared. ¡°Where¡¯s Grace?¡± ¡°I think she went out?¡± Joanna looked around. No one knew when Grace had gone out. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for her.¡± ¡°No need, no need. Take your time to eat. I¡¯ll go find her,¡± Joanna said as she stood up and went out to look for Grace. In the corridor outside, Grace looked troubled, as if she was thinking about something. ¡°Grace, what are you doing?¡± ¡°No, nothing,¡± Grace replied ufortably. Joanna carefully sized up Grace. She saw that her expression was shy, and her face was red. It was obvious that her heart was fluttering. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you eat much. Hurry up and go in.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m on a diet.¡± Grace smiled at Joann¨¢. Previously, she was filled with hostility and hatred towards Joanna. However, after spending a few days together, she realized that Joanna was very easy to get along with. Not only was she kind, but she was also very sincere and gentle. She was very gentle and polite even when dealing with the servants. 1/5 10:22 D Moreover, her kindness and gentleness were not fake. They were natural to her. Some people were born with good intentions, while others were just born with evil intentions. In her previous impression, Joanna was a very scheming and ambitious woman who did not hesitate to use her beauty to climb the ranks. Grace finally knew that she had really misunderstood Joanna. ¡°You¡¯re so skinny. You don¡¯t need to lose weight.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Grace stammered, not knowing what to say. ¡°Grace, is there something on your mind? You can tell me.¡± Joanna probed. ¡°No!¡± Grace said shyly. Joanna smiled. ¡°Really?¡± Grace blinked her beautiful eyes and asked in embarrassment, ¡°Um, does Darcy have a girlfriend?¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Does he?¡± Grace asked again. Joanna rolled her eyes and could not help butugh. The youngdy had a straightforward personality. If she liked someone, she would not hide it at all. She was still envious of Grace¡¯s personality. ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± Grace asked worriedly. ¡°Uh, basically guaranteed.¡± Joanna looked at her with a smile. ¡°If he really doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend, then I¡¯ll pursue him.¡± ¡°Grace, are you serious? Darcy is at least ten years older than you. Does your brother agree?¡± ¡°I just need my own permission. It doesn¡¯t matter if he agrees or not.¡± Grace smiled mischievously. Her face was filled with the joy and shyness of a young girl who had just fallen in love. ¡°Well, you¡¯d better get your brother¡¯s opinion.¡± Joanna alsoughed. ¡°Darcy, he¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated. Darcy was indeed a good choice. He was unromantic. Outside work, he would either box or go to the gym for physical training. She had never seen him get close to a girl. However, Darcy was a very upright and sincere person. He never cheated, partied, or gambled. His social circle was very small. 2/5 10:22 D Of course! Since he worked under Bruce, he would never dare to have any bad habits. Bruce had a strange personality. The fact that Darcy could work for Bruce for so many years fully proved his character and ability. Although Darcy was a bodyguard, his worth was already tens of millions. Those who worked for millionaires were worth tens of millions of dors, while those who worked for people worth a few hundred thousand dors were worth tens of thousands of dors. He had been by Bruce¡¯s side for so long. Naturally, Bruce would not treat him poorly. ¡°Joann, do you think Darcy will like my type?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re so cute. Anyone would like you!¡± ¡°Then what does Darcy like to eat? Is there anything special I have to pay attention to?¡± Grace looked at Joanna with an adorable expression. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna choked for a moment. Darcy was Bruce¡¯s subordinate. As the boss, he naturally wouldn¡¯t pay too much attention to his employees. ¡°Let me ask around for you!¡± ¡°Alright, you must ask clearly.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the room!¡± In the blink of an eye, it was already ten o¡¯clock. Everyone finished their meal. ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for the children to stay in the hospital. Let them go home.¡± ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to be separated from you.¡± Davian and Irvin looked reluctant. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We haven¡¯t seen Lilia for a long time. We have to spend more time with her.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Be good. Be good. You still have ss tomorrow. Be good and go home.¡± ¡°Honey, why don¡¯t we discharge from the hospital? You¡¯re almost healed, anyway. You have a caregiver and a family doctor at home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to go home and recuperate.¡± Joanna thought about it and felt that it made sense. Her drug addiction was basically under control. Even if she went home, there would be no problem at all. ¡°I¡¯m mainly worried about Patricia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get the best doctors and nurses to take care of them.¡± 3/5 10:22 D Jaydon also smiled and said, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry! Patricia only needs me and Grace here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easy for Lilia toe back. You should go home and have a good reunion.¡± Joanna was still a little worried. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be too impulsive, and don¡¯t do dangerous things again.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything, you must tell us. There¡¯s strength in numbers. We can help you think of a way.¡± Jaydon nodded elegantly. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± At Sherane Bay Vi. When the family returned home, it was already 10:30 p.m. As soon as Davian and Irvin entered the house, they took off their coats and threw them on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m so tired today!¡± The servant behind them immediately took the clothes to theundry room. Due to the time difference, Lilia was in high spirits. ¡°Wow, home is still the best.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s better to be at home than anywhere else.¡± ¡°Lilia, does your leg still hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine now. It hurt a little when I first equipped the orthopedic apparatus, but it doesn¡¯t hurt as much now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The three little kids huddled together as if they had endless things to say. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Hurry up and go to bed. It¡¯s almost eleven.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, Okay!¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, good night. Lilia, good night!¡± ¡°Good night.¡± After saying goodnight to each other, the two little guys quickly went up to take a shower and then returned to their room to sleep. Devin had already fallen asleep. He was carried back to his room by his nanny. ¡°Lilia, you should sleep early too.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I understand, Mommy.¡± ¡°Honey, let¡¯s rest early too!¡± 4/5 10:22 T ¡°Will do.¡± Back in their room, Joanna massaged her waist and said tiredly, ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m so tired.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so tired that I don¡¯t even want to shower.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t. I don¡¯t mind anyway.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna dotingly. ¡°How can I do that? I¡¯ve been running around all day, and I¡¯m covered in sweat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower. You better hurry up and take a shower too.¡± Hearing that, Bruce immediately stood up with a wicked smile. ¡°I want to go with you.¡± ¡°No, behave yourself.¡± ¡°No, honey, I want to shower with you.¡± ¡°Can you be more serious?¡± Joanna was really not used to bathing with others. Even if it was her husband, that would not do. Women had to have some privacy. ¡°Why do I need to be serious in front of my wife?¡± ¡°Anyone who looks serious is pretending to be serious.¡± Chapter 961 Chapter 961 Chapter 961 Joanna choked. What kind of logic was this? ¡°Stop fooling around. I¡¯m very tired today.¡± A hint of tenderness appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. ¡°Honey, my beloved wife. Let¡¯s have another daughter.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became angry. ¡°The doctor already said that I can¡¯t get pregnant again for three years. Devin is only a few months old¡­¡± Before she could finish her words, Bruce hugged her lovingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that we¡¯ll have a kid now. I¡¯m just talking about the future.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it in the future.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes at him. She had already given birth to four children. She really did not want to give birth anymore. ¡°Hmmm¡­ How about let me practice making a daughter?¡± Bruce said as he bent down and scooped her in his arms. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Ah¡­ You¡¯re so annoying¡­¡± ¡°Honey, I love you.¡± Bruce kissed Joanna on the forehead and carried her into the bathroom. Joanna was exhausted. However, she could not withstand his passion. Soon, she was under his control. Her whole body was controlled and dominated by him¡­ The next day, Joanna slept until after ten o¡¯clock before waking up slowly. Outside the courtyard, Lilia was already awake and watering the flowers on thewn. There were many rare and exquisite flowers in therge garden. The little girl had personally nted roses. It was almost October, and the roses were still in full bloom. It wasn¡¯t surprising given that Greyport was a tropical city and flowers bloomed all year round. ¡°My baby girl, what are you doing?¡± Joanna was wearing white silk pajamas as she walked toward her daughterzily. ¡°Good morning, Mommy.¡± ¡°Morning, my girl. ¡°Where are your brothers?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already gone to school. When my legs recover, I¡¯ll also go to school.¡± ¡°Of course, you will. The semester just started, so there¡¯s no need to pressure yourself.¡± Joanna came to her daughter¡¯s side and smiled as she hugged her tightly. Lilia blinked and giggled. ¡°Mommy, why are you sleeping so much these days? ¡°You used to get up before 7:30 in the morning.¡± Joanna was speechless. Indeed, she found herself getting more sleep these days, probably because she had no pressure. In addition, Bruce was really¡­ Naturally, her sleep also improved. ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy?¡± ¡°Daddy went to work.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna took out her phone and called Bruce. This damn guy, he didn¡¯t even tell her when he went to work. Beep, beep, beep¡­ Bruce answered the phone call and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Hello, my darling wife¡­¡± ¡°Are you at work?¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Yes, darling. There was an emergency at thepany that required my attention.¡± ¡°What time will you get off work then?¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds and looked down at his watch. ¡°Uh, I should be done around five in the afternoon. Be good at home and call me if anything happens.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°See youter then!¡±. After hanging up the phone call, Bruce grinned. He didn¡¯t go to work but headed straight to Venturas. Today, there was something big to do. It was about the lottery council. Luxury cars were parked at the entrance of the council. Dozens of security guards lined up with solemn expressions guarding the walkway. The doormen promptly stepped forward to open the door for the esteemed guests. The people who got out of the cars were all world-famous tycoons from Greyport and Venturas. Outside the security line, countless media reporters had been waiting for a long time. sh! sh! ¡°Who will be the winner of today¡¯s lottery certificate of authorization? I heard that the Everett Group has also joined the bidding this year. I wonder if it will be this year¡¯s winner.¡± ¡°How is that possible? The Grimm Group is thergest lottery industry leader in Venturas, and it has the upper hand in every aspect ofparison.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way. The Everett Group has never been involved in the lottery industry. It definitely won¡¯t be chosen¡­¡± An elongated Rolls-Royce came to a stop at the entrance of the council. ¡°Mr. Everett is here. Mr. Everett is here.¡± sh! sh! The media reporters swarmed forward even before Bruce could step out of the car. The doormen quickly stepped forward and greeted Bruce respectfully. ¡°Wee, Mr. Everett.¡± As soon as the car door was opened, a pair of long legs gracefully stepped out of the car. Bruce¡¯s hair was neatly styled back and there was a hint of ruffianism in his noble and steady manner. His well- tailored suit entuated his domineering and powerful aura. Today, he was here to participate in the auction of the lottery council. At the entrance of the council, Bruce and Cassius met unexpectedly. They were all here to bid for the certificate of authorization of the lottery industry and were the two most powerful groups. The winner would be decided today. ¡°Mr. Everett, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so interested in the lottery industry,¡± Cassius said to Bruce with a condescending smile. Among the people who came today, Bruce was his fiercestpetitor. But he wasn¡¯t too worried. Although the Everett Group was very powerful, itcked a strong foothold in the lottery industry. What was more, he had already made preparations a year in advance. If everything went smoothly, the certificate of authorization would definitely be his. Bruce stood straight back, exuding the powerful aura of a king. He replied calmly, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m interested in all profitable industries.¡± Cassiusughed. ¡°The lottery industry is not something that anyone can handle. People who don¡¯t know the market situation here have lost a lot¡­¡± Cassius looked at Bruce resentfully. Bruce raised his eyebrows and replied with a faint smile, ¡°I like challenges. The more challenging the industry, the more it intrigues me.¡± Cassius coughed when he heard that. The fake smile on his face widened. ¡°Then let¡¯s wait and see.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Bruce could no longer be bothered to exchange pleasantries with Cassius. He walked toward the venue with a calm and confident expression. The lottery council¡¯s review and approval were very strict. Companies that wanted to participate in bidding for the lottery industry certificate of authorization must first have very strong funds. Thesepanies were also required to continuously meet tax, profitability, and reputation standards for ten years in a row. Only those with the above qualifications had a chance to be selected. Of course, even if one participated in the election, there was a high chance that one would fail. Due to the unique nature of the lottery industry and its huge profits, it could be viewed to be highly profitable. If one were greedy or broke the rules, it would have a very bad social impact. Therefore, the lottery council was highly cautious. Grimm Group obtained the certificate of authorization for three consecutive sessions. ording to Grimm Group¡¯s recent profits and reputation, there should be no problem for them to get the certificate of authorization this year. More than 20 potential candidates who were qualified were already sitting inside the council. The jury asked each of them questions, one by one, with solemn expressions, and also raised the stringent rules of the assessment. ¡°My philosophy is to run a green business. While ensuring profitability, I¡¯ll bring the lottery industry to greater heights and make it be an entertainment game for themon people¡­¡± Cassius stood up and gave a speech in a gentlemanly manner. Soon, after rounds of speeches and assessments, the jury announced the final result. ¡°I¡¯ll now announce the result of the election. Congrattions to the Everett Group for winning the bid.¡± After the result was announced, the scene was deathly silent. Everyone was shocked. Cassius was even more stunned. His expression instantly turned gloomy. The others also looked at each other. They never expected that the winner this year would be the Everett Group. ¡°Thank you. I will definitely manage the lottery industry well and not let down the jury¡¯s high regard and trust.¡± Bruce stood up with a victorious smile. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Everett.¡± The tycoons who were not chosen stood up and shook hands with Bruce to get close to him. Cassius was stunned. His eyes widened as he looked at Bruce in disbelief. Then, he turned to look at the jury. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. He actually lost? This meant that the Grimm Group could no longer continue its operation smoothly within the lottery industry. Even if his gambling institutions did not close down, he would still have to spend a lot of money to rent someone else¡¯s certificate of authorization, and the management rights would have to be under the name of another group. Less than ten minutes after the end of the council, this shocking news had already shocked major media outlets. ¡°Latest news from the lottery industry: Everett Group wins the certification of authorization.¡± ¡°Bruce may be the new generation of Gambling King in Venturas, making a strong entry into the lottery industry.¡± ¡°Everett Group transformed. Bruce may rise to the throne of Astria¡¯s richest man.¡± In less than an hour, the news that Everett Group had won the certificate of authorization of the lottery industry quickly made headlines in various news outlets. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re¡­ much more powerful than I thought you would be.¡± Cassius tried his best to maintain the aura of a sessful person. Internally, he was fuming with anger and rage. The lottery industry¡¯s jury was the strictest. He could not figure out how Bruce had actually won the bid. Chapter 962 Chapter 962 Chapter 962 ¡°Mr. Grimm, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. It¡¯s just apliment.¡± ¡°When doing business, the most important thing is to be honest. You don¡¯t need to listen to other people¡¯spliments. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Bruce smiled calmly. His eyes were filled with confidence. He obtained this year¡¯s certificate of authorization, and this move was equivalent to choking Cassius¡¯s throat. It was said that one had to find his enemies¡¯ weakness to defeat them. This time, Bruce¡¯s move really hit Cassius¡¯s weakness. This also meant that the most powerful gambling institutes under Grimm Group had to be closed down. It was a known fact that no more than fivepanies could obtain the certificate of authorization within the entire Venturas gambling industry. Although there were many gambling institutes of various sizes in Venturas, of them had to be put under someone else¡¯s name. many Of course, this was not for free. It required arge amount of money every year. Soon, Jaydon and Grace also heard the news. ¡°What? Bruce got the certificate of authorization?¡± Jaydon was shocked. ¡°Yes, the news is all over the Inte. Look!¡± Grace quickly showed her brother the trending topic. Jaydon took her phone and peered at it while saying in disbelief, ¡°When did this happen? This is so unbelievable.¡± ¡°Just today. ¡°When I heard that the Everett Group was participating in the auction, I thought that there was no hope for it to obtain the certificate of authorization. I didn¡¯t expect them to really get it.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he was dumbfounded. Bruce was really an impressive man. It didn¡¯t matter if he used unorthodox methods or formal means to bid. He actually found a way. This was really impressive. Jaydon had no choice but to admit defeat. Grace¡¯s expression was solemn as she said regretfully, ¡°Sigh, the gambling legacy that Dad worked so hard to maintain is probably going to end here. ¡°But this is good news. He won¡¯t let Cassius be so arrogant. Hmph, Cassius must 1/5 11:18 be so mad now. He must be furious! ¡°No matter what, Mr. Everett has helped us vent our anger.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he looked gloomy. ¡°What exactly is Bruce trying to do? He doesn¡¯t know how the gambling industry works, so why would he bid for the certificate of authorization?¡± Everett Group had a foothold in almost all industries. To be honest, he had always been in the business of industry and real estate. Why would he suddenly take interest in the gambling industry? This was really unfathomable. Jaydon¡¯s expression was very solemn. Although Bruce¡¯s actions had dealt a blow to Cassius¡¯s momentum, it was a huge blow to the Grimm Group as well. The empire that his father had worked so hard to build was about to crumble. ¡°Jaydon, what should we do now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it one step at a time. No matter what, you have to expose Cassius¡¯s scheme and take back Dad¡¯s inheritance. You also have to avenge Dad.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Even if the Grimm Group was no longer in the gambling industry, Tim¡¯s inheritance still amounted to billions of dors. Of course, Jaydon would not let it go so easily. ¡°One more thing. Aunt Yasmine seems to have gone missing. I haven¡¯t been able to contact her for the past few days.¡± Grace looked worried. Yasmine had been missing for more than a week and she could not be contacted. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah! I called her a few times, but no one answered. The others also tried calling her, but they couldn¡¯t get through either. ¡°I called her secretary, and she told me that Aunt Yasmine is overseas. ¡°But this is a critical moment. Why would she go overseas?¡± When Jaydon heard this, he frowned and had a bad feeling. Yasmine had always been very close to Cassius. She probably had got to know Cassius¡¯s secrets. ¡°Jaydon, should we call the police?¡± ¡°Not for now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in this matter, or you might get in big trouble. Cassius has gone crazy. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll do something to us.¡± Upon hearing this, Grace¡¯s eyes blinked, and the expression on her face became serious. ¡°Grace, you and Patricia are my two most important family members now. When 275 11:18 I¡¯m not by your side, you have to protect yourself,¡± Jaydon said as he looked at his sister, his face full of worry. Grace nodded in confusion. ¡°Yes, Jaydon, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be careful¡­¡± It was five o¡¯clock in the afternoon at Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna had personally cooked dinner for the children and Bruce. Davian and Irvin hade home from school. Seeing that their mommy was going to cook dinner, they all ran to the kitchen topete for her attention. ¡°Mommy, let me help you.¡± ¡°No need. Hurry up and revise your homework.¡± ¡°No, we want to help Mommy cook.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I want Mommy to teach me how to cook. I want to make a few dishes that I¡¯m good at.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still young. It won¡¯t be toote to learn when you¡¯re older. Now, your studies are the most important. Of course, you have to strike a bnce between studies and rest.¡± ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t have to worry at all. Davian is the top student in school. ¡°Ha, and I¡¯m in second ce. I¡¯m only one point behind Davian.¡± Irvin smiled. ¡°Wow, amazing. You both are good boys. But don¡¯t be proud. Learn to be humble.¡± Joanna looked gratified. As Bruce¡¯s sons, their starting line was already It was not that they were better than other children or had higher IQs. The most important factor was that their family education fund was far superior to that of ordinary people. They were only in the second year of primary school now, but the knowledge they had far exceeded that of middle school students. Bruce had already found two PhD students and a tutor who had Master¡¯s degree to teach them. In addition, swordy, horsemanship, shooting, painting, and so on were all scheduled as their daily entertainment. Bruce had hired the most professional coaches to guide them. Therefore, there was no doubt that they would be outstanding. It had been said that children from rich families were more likely to be ¡°geniuses¡±, and that was only because children from poor families had no chance to receive such a good education. ¡°Daddy is about to get off work. Let¡¯s show our filial piety and cook a sumptuous meal for Daddy.¡± When Joanna heard this, she chuckled. ¡°Alright then! You guys can help pick the vegetables.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± The two boys happily began picking vegetables. Just then, the sound of a car honking came from outside the courtyard. The two boys immediately put down the vegetables they were holding as if they were weing a triumphant general. ¡°Mommy, Daddy is back. Let¡¯s go get him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! I heard the car engine outside.¡± The two boys had already run out to the courtyard to wee their daddy home. Lilia wheeled her remote-controlled wheelchair chair out to the courtyard. ¡°Daddy, why are you back so early?¡± ¡°I came back as soon as I had settled things.¡± Joanna also walked out and smiled gently. ¡°Was it a busy day at the office?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything went well.¡± ¡°Okay, then get ready. It¡¯s almost dinnertime.¡± ¡°Wow, honey, are you cooking today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m free today, so I thought I¡¯d make some dishes for the children.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even make spaghetti for me yesterday. You must make it up to me today.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Bruce barely noticed the presence of the two boys. He ignored them and directly hugged his wife behind the children. ¡°Honey, kiss me!¡± As Bruce spoke, he lowered his head and kissed Joanna¡¯s cheeks lovingly. It was as if they had not seen each other for a long time. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Lilia also called out sweetly. ¡°Hey, Lilia!¡± Bruce replied happily. He let go of Joanna and lifted his precious daughter in his arms, kissing and hugging her tightly. ¡°Oh, sweetheart, do you miss Daddy?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Lilia smiled brightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± Bruce carried his daughter in one hand and held Joanna¡¯s shoulder in the other. They walked into the house together. Davian was speechless. Irvin remained silent as well. After a while, Davian said indignantly, ¡°Are the two of us really his children?¡± Irvin pursed his lips. ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel like it. ¡°Even if we¡¯re not, Daddy can¡¯t ignore us just like this, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We at least call him Daddy! How can he be so biased?¡± The two boys felt sad at being ignored by their daddy. Unfortunately¡­ Bruce had a soft spot for his daughter. Perhaps, Davian and Irvin were just unlucky that they were not girls! It was 6 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. The family gathered in the dining room for dinner. After dinner, Joanna finally had the time to check her phone. Just then, she saw the news. The shocking news of Bruce obtaining the certificate of authorization for the gambling industry in Venturas today had already went viral as a trending topic on the Inte. Chapter 963 Chapter 963 Chapter 963 ¡°My goodness, how could you not tell me anything about such an important thing?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t believe it. She continued scrolling through more than ten trending topics, and even financial websites were reporting this major news. After confirming that the news was true, Joanna was both shocked and astonished. She lost her appetite and quickly asked Bruce, ¡°Hubby, did you go to Venturas today?¡± Bruce sat at the dining table, enjoying the spaghetti Joanna made for him. ¡°Yes.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank, unable to calm down for a long time. Looking at the media reports, all of them were about Bruce obtaining the gambling certificate of authorization. ¡°You¡­ Did you really get the gambling certificate of authorization?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but ask again. ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce continued eating without looking up. Bruce just did something that could propel him to be the richest man in Astria. But for him, it was as simple as going to the market to buy vegetables. With the current financial resources and influence of the Everett Group, obtaining the certificate of authorization undoubtedly meant gaining a significant advantage. It was only a matter of time before Bruce became the richest man in Astria. Of course, he was already on the verge of bing the richest man in Greyport and ranked in the top ten in Astria. ¡°My goodness, it¡¯s such a huge achievement. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Is it more important thaning home to eat the meal my wife prepared?¡± When Joanna looked at him, her eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief. If anyone else acquired the certificate of authorization, he would probably throw a grand celebration for ten days or more. But Bruce was different. Bruce couldn¡¯t wait toe home and eat the meal his wife made. He didn¡¯t hold any celebrations and didn¡¯t even socialize with the Venturas celebrities in the gambling industry towork and build rtionships. However, his way of doing things had always been unexpected. ¡°You¡­ My goodness. I still find it hard to believe. How did you manage to aplish such a difficult task?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce with admiration. This wicked guy was truly invincible in the business world. Whatever Bruce wanted, he could make it happen effortlessly. ¡°Is it really that difficult?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna, seemingly unimpressed. Joanna¡¯s eyes widened with astonishment, unable to express her amazement. Bruce chuckled and teased, saying, ¡°Haha, for me, the most challenging ¡®project¡¯ to win over is you. ¡°To get you, I had to go through a lot of hurdles. From now on, I¡¯ll keep you by my side wherever I go.¡± After saying that, Bruce had an indecent and helpless smile. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and scolded Bruce resentfully. That was true. Whatever was to be done, Bruce always strategized and effortlessly achieved his goals. Whatever he set his mind to do, he made it happen. But it was different when it came to pursuing Joanna. Bruce overcame a lot of obstacles, and there were many times he almost lost his life. It was a hard journey. Bruce tried unimaginably hard to win back his ex-wife. Now, he had to pamper and protect her like a baby. Joanna hesitated and expressed her concern, saying, ¡°Ah. Now that you¡¯ve acquired the certificate of authorization, I wonder what Jay would think?¡± ¡°Haha, why should I care what he thinks?¡± Bruce continued eating. ¡°I¡¯m still worried about Jay. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll feel ufortable. ¡°I¡¯ll give him a call and exin¡­¡± Joanna got up, intending to call Jaydon. Seeing this, Bruce grabbed her. ¡°Why bother exining to him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want him to feel bad!¡± Joanna replied worriedly. After all, for the past 30 years, the Grimm Group had always been the owner of the certificate of authorization. If it weren¡¯t for Bruce¡¯s involvement in this auction, the certificate of authorization might have still ended up with the Grimm Group. Bruce winning the certificate of authorization made it look like apetition with the Grimm Group. ¡°I¡¯m worried about what Jay might think.¡± ¡°Hah, what can he think? He should be thanking me instead. ¡°If he really has any other thoughts about me, then he would be the most foolish person. ¡°I¡¯m actually doing him a favor. He should worship me like a God.¡± Listening to this, Joanna was stunned, staring at Bruce in amazement. Bruce looked indifferent and continued to focus on his meal. For him, no matter how significant the matter, nothing was as important as eating the food cooked by his wife. After pondering for a while, Joanna seemed to understand. Bruce obtaining the certificate of authorization might be a good thing for Jaydon. Bruce could rent the certificate of authorization to Jaydon at a cheaper price so that he could start afresh and make aeback. Meanwhile, Cassius had lost getting the certificate of authorization, and he would have had to pay a high price to lease someone else¡¯s. It was equivalent to investing in someone else¡¯spany using someone else¡¯s business certificate. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. The rental cost for such certificates was quite expensive, sometimes taking up to 50% of the profits. Despite this, there were stillrge numbers of people who were willing to rent at a high price. Seeing Joanna lost in thought, Bruce smiled fondly and affectionately patted her head, saying, ¡°Your food is getting cold. Let¡¯s eat, Honey.¡± ¡°Darling, what¡¯s your n next? Can you help Jayden start afresh?¡± Joanna thought about how good Jaydon had been to them, and she hoped her husband would help Jaydon this time. ¡°Haha. When the timees, everything will fall into ce naturally! ¡°I¡¯ve already done him a huge favor by beating up Cassius.¡± ¡°How do you n to help him?¡± The unreasonable Bruce might ask for a high price when he rented his certificate to Jaydon. Bruce had already finished a bowl of spaghetti. He wiped his mouth and said, ¡°Honey, the most important thing for you now is to take good care of your health. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything else; I¡¯m here for you!¡± ¡°Darling, I¡¯m still worried..!¡± Chapter 964 Chapter 964 Chapter 964 ¡°What are you worried about? ¡°Are you worried that I won¡¯t help him? Or are you worried about something else?¡± Bruce smiled faintly. ¡°Well, both, I guess.¡± Joanna sighed softly. During this period of time, Bruce gradually transferred many assets to Joanna. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she was now a billionaire. Seeing this, Davian said with interest, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, aren¡¯t you preparing to remarry? ¡°When will you two remarry? We¡¯re all getting impatient waiting.¡± Irvin chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We can¡¯t wait to attend Daddy and Mommy¡¯s wedding.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna subconsciously looked at Bruce. Now, Bruce gave Joanna enough reassurance, and she was never worried about being abandoned by him. However, they had agreed to remarry after being discharged from the hospital. But these days, Bruce stopped mentioning the remarriage. Bruce¡¯s smile froze a bit. He scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°Yes. Preparing for the wedding is a big deal. ¡°We have to make it grand this time. We definitely can¡¯t do it casually. ¡°Regarding the details and procedures of the wedding, we have to find the best weddingpany, wedding dresses, banquets, and so on.¡± When Joanna heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but smile happily. ¡°I don¡¯t think it needs to be so complicated. We can just get the marriage license and have a meal with friends and family.¡± ¡°How could that be? Our wedding this time must be grander than thest one.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. As he spoke, Bruce leaned close to Joanna¡¯s face and kissed her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I want to give you the most perfect and dreamy wedding. I will make you the happiest woman in the world.¡± When Joanna heard this, she turned a bit shy. Her expression was like that of a young girl. She truly felt it wasn¡¯t necessary. However, since Bruce had good intentions, she wouldn¡¯t refuse. After all, it was good to have some cherished moments in life. Surprises and attention were important factors. It would make great memories when they grew old. 1/4 11:19 ¡°Ah, Daddy is getting more and more mushy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I can¡¯t stand it.¡± Davian and Irvin teased mercilessly. Bruce rolled his eyes at the two little guys. ¡°Of course, we have to hold a wedding, but I want to wait until Lilia¡¯s leg recovers. ¡°Also, you¡¯ve just recovered. You have to recuperate well and gain some weight. You¡¯re too thin. You can¡¯t even support yourself in a wedding dress.¡± ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine.¡± Joanna blushed, nodding without hesitation. Anyway, the two of them were going to remarry. Whether it happened sooner orter didn¡¯t matter to Joanna. When their daughter¡¯s leg healed and her own body fully recovered, they could have a grand wedding then. Lilia smiled happily. ¡°I really hope my leg recovers soon. When the timees, I¡¯ll be Mommy¡¯s bridesmaid.¡± ¡°Silly, how can you be Mommy¡¯s bridesmaid? ¡°You can only be a flower girl at most.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Only Mommy¡¯s friends can be her bridesmaids.¡± ¡°Then Miss Grimm can be Mommy¡¯s bridesmaid, and Mr. Grimm can be the groomsman.¡± When Bruce heard this, he sneered disdainfully, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not inviting that scumbag to my wedding.¡± ¡°Again?¡± Joanna¡¯s face tensed. Bruce awkwardly chuckled, quickly diverting the topic. Now, he also wanted to remarry Joanna immediately. But he was hesitating again. He already promised the organization that he would go to Melta to carry out hisst mission. This mission was different from all the previous missions. It was also the most. dangerous one. Before him, three batches of colleagues had already sacrificed. Bruce couldn¡¯t be sure if he could sessfully complete the mission ande back safely. If he remarried Joanna now and unfortunately failed and couldn¡¯t return, then Joanna would be a widow. Thinking of this, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. Instead of this, it was better to wait until he returned. If Bruce could sessfullyplete the mission ande back safely, he would quit the organization and never get involved with them again. He could live happily with Joanna and his children for the rest of his life. But anything in life was uncertain. Seeing Bruce lost in thought, Joanna curiously asked, ¡°Honey, what are you thinking? Why are you spacing out?¡± Bruce snapped back to reality and indulgently smiled. ¡°Nothing, really!¡± ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s go get the marriage license first, and then we can n the weddingter?¡± Joanna blinked and asked for Bruce¡¯s opinion. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and looked a little mncholic. Seeing him troubled, Joanna felt an unexinable sinking feeling, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you finding it difficult?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that! I just¡­ I haven¡¯t prepared well enough.¡± Joanna was stunned when she heard that. She looked at Bruce with aplicated expression. Previously, Bruce had been urging her to get married. However, ever since Aria appeared, Bruce had never urged Joanna again. Joanna believed that Bruce loved her and loved the children very much. However, men were capable of loving more than one woman. A man could truly love two women at the same time. Although Joanna could not conclude that Bruce still had feelings for Aria, she was sure there was a secret between Bruce and Aria. Bruce forgave Aria so easily. It was hard not to think about it. Seeing Joanna¡¯s change in expression, Bruce quickly put on a smile, gently hugging Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I said I¡¯m not prepared. I meant I haven¡¯t found the right time yet. ¡°Also, we need to pick out things like wedding dresses, diamond rings, the banquet, the wedding venue, and so on.¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and tentatively said, ¡°As I just mentioned, we can postpone the wedding and first go get the marriage license.¡± Joanna was not in a hurry to get married. She just wanted to know if he was still hesitating. If Bruce was really hesitating, then the external factors he mentioned were not important factors. Besides, the process of getting married was straightforward. They would go to City Hall to get a marriage license or invite the staff of City Hall to their house. Joanna really couldn¡¯t understand. What exactly was Bruce hesitating about? ¡°Joann, give me a bit more time. After I finish dealing with the work matters and have some time, we will definitely get the license.¡± Joanna was speechless. Her eyes instantly darkened. Sure enough, Bruce hesitated. Was it because of Aria? The air instantly froze. The children were originally eating, but they also silently put down their forks. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s because you can¡¯t spare time from work?¡± A cold smile appeared on Joanna¡¯s face. Bruce saw her reaction and quickly put on a smiling face. ¡°I really can¡¯t spare the time right now. ¡°There are some issues at thepany in the Melta, and I may have to go on a business trip to resolve them.¡± Chapter 965 Chapter 965 Chapter 965 ¡°We¡¯ll get our marriage certificate after I return from my business trip.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°Half a year at most.¡± Bruce gazed at Joanna with deep affection and mncholy in his eyes. Joanna raised her eyebrows, feeling inexplicably jealous. ¡°Seriously? Half a year?¡± Aria had just gone to Melta, and Bruce¡¯s business trip was also to Melta. It was really hard for her not to overthink. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. I¡¯ll be working. Give me half a year and I¡¯ll definitely marry you.¡± Joanna choked upon hearing that. ¡°What does your work have to do with us getting married? We just need a day off to get our marriage certificate. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Why do I have to wait for half a year? Or are you going to¡­¡± Joanna swallowed her words. Aria had been pestering Bruce, repeatedly iming that she wanted to be his wife. Could it be that he wanted to deal with his rtionship with Aria before marrying Joanna? Before getting married, some men would passionately yearn for their ¡°unforgettable first love¡±. They might even indulge themselves before marriage, seeking opportunities to date or even have sex with their exes. ¡°Joann, after all we¡¯ve been through, why are you still doubting me? Or are you doubting my love for you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not doubting anything!¡± Joanna¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°Davian, Irvin, are you all done eating?¡± ¡°Yes, we are.¡± ¡°Then hurry back to your room and finish your homework. When you¡¯re done, take a shower and go to bed.¡± The boys exchanged a nce and replied, ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ¡°Lilia, hurry up and go for your physical therapy. Don¡¯t bezy now.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± Seeing that their mommy was angry, the children did not dare to dawdle. Joanna rose to her feet and walked toward Devin¡¯s bedroom. She needed to calm down, and there was no way of doing that if she was in the 1/3 11:19 D same room as Bruce. Bruce sighed. He really wanted to tease her and exin to her. But after thinking about it, he thought he was better off not exining. He really had business to deal with. Indeed, only by solving all the tricky problems could he bring her happiness. If he ended up failing the mission¡­ Whatever it was, he could not bear for Joanna to be widowed. As much as he was reluctant, he had already made preparations in the event that he¡¯d lose his life. If that really happened, he would entrust Joanna to Jaydon. Even though he hated Jaydon, he had to admit that Jaydon really loved Joanna. Moreover, Jaydon was an outstanding and righteous man. If Joanna married Jaydon, she would definitely be happy. Of course, in terms of his assets, Bruce would make proper arrangements. He would provide trust funds for his four children and Joanna. Even if Jaydon were to treat Joanna unfairly in the future, he would never allow Jaydon to touch Joanna¡¯s or the children¡¯s assets. However, after so many incidents, Bruce was sure that Jaydon was a good man. Presumably, Jaydon would treat Joanna well. In the blink of an eye, it was already ten o¡¯clock in the evening. Bruce waited in the bedroom for a long time, but Joanna did note back. It was obvious that she was giving him the silent treatment. Swish! His phone indicated that there was an iing message, Bruce¡¯s heart tightened. He picked up his phone urgently. He never carried his work phone with him after work. He would only take his personal phone with him. The only ones who knew Bruce¡¯s personal number were his close and most important business partners. [Bruce, the organization is pressing us. How long will it take for you to settle your private matters?] After reading the message, Bruce frowned and sent a message to Aria. [It will take at least another month before I can go to Melta.] Bruce hit the ¡°send¡± button. Phone in his hand, Bruce sat on the bed in a daze. His expression revealed a trace of gloom and worry. He was still a little worried about Aria being alone in Melta. 2/3 11:191 It wasn¡¯t that he had any romantic feelings for her. It was just that he did not want to see Aria die in vain. In the meanwhile, after putting the children to bed, Joanna returned to the room. The bedroom door was open, and she saw Bruce staring nkly at his phone. It was obvious that he had just been chatting with someone. Bruce was not a very patient man. If it was something rted to work, he would not even nce at it after work hours. It had to be a private matter. At the thought of this, Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She pretended as if nothing had happened and walked in. ¡°Still awake?¡± Bruce came back to his senses at the sound of her voice. ¡°Honey, how am I supposed to fall sleep without you?¡± As Bruce spoke, he hurriedly locked his phone and ced it on the bedside table. Joanna nced at his phone and asked, ¡°Were you on the phone with someone?¡± ¡°Uh, no!¡± ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t dropped your phone in a long time,¡± Joanna said as she picked up his phone. She never had the habit of checking his phone. It was not something she dared to do. However, his phone never had a password. Throughout the year, he dropped so many phones that setting a password would be too much trouble for him. But today, a password was set on his phone. Chapter 966 Chapter 966 Chapter 966 Seeing this, Joanna felt even more suffocated. However, she had always been fond of concealing her feelings. Even if she was unhappy, she would keep it to herself. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed!¡± Bruce quickly moved aside to make room for her. He even stretched out his arm for her to use as a pillow. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Joanna lifted the nket andy down with her back facing him. Her petite body curled slightly at the edge of the bed. Bruce knew she was angry and quickly leaned over. ¡°Hey, honey, what¡¯s wrong? Are you angry?¡± With a hint of impatience, Joanna sighed. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s just sleep!¡± ¡°Oh,e closer to me. You might fall off the bed.¡± Bruce promptly tucked his arm under her neck. Joanna retreated gloomily. ¡°Let¡¯s just sleep, okay? I¡¯m really tired today.¡± ¡°You can rest on my arm¡­¡± Joanna had always used his arm as a pillow and slept in his arms like that. Now that she refused to get close to him, it was obvious that she wanted to have a cold war. Every time there was a cold war, Bruce would be the first to admit defeat. Men were such magical creatures. Once their emotions were captured, they would be fully ensnared. They would willingly walk into the cage of love and sink deep in. However, that made sense. In the interactions between men and women, it was inherently a game of power. Either side might dominate the other at any time. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you angry all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Joanna tried her best to keep her voice calm. ¡°Why are you still insisting that you¡¯re not angry? You¡¯re ignoring me. You must be angry. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to deal with our conflicts promptly and avoid giving each other the silent treatment?¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Since when did I give you the silent treatment?¡± ¡°I know. Pushing back the wedding for six months might be too puzzling for you. ¡°But¡­ this really isn¡¯t the best time for us to get married. 1/3 11:150 ¡°Believe me. I won¡¯t marry anyone but you. Do you still not believe in my love for you?¡± Bruce said as he forcefully turned Joanna¡¯s face to him. He pressed down on her hands, making her look into his eyes. Joanna looked at Bruce gloomily. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It makes me look like I¡¯m forcing a marriage.¡± ¡°Joann, there are some things that are difficult to exin now. You¡¯ll understand in the future. ¡°After everything we¡¯ve been through, I hope you understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m unable to understand! ¡°You were the one who said that we have to be forting with each other. But you¡¯re clearly hiding something in your heart. Why aren¡¯t you being honest with me?¡± Bruce blinked his eyes, silent. ¡°Or are you nning to do something shameful behind my back?¡± ¡°Joann, you are still doubting my love for you? I¡¯ll be very sad if you say that.¡± That made sense. It did not matter even if anyone misunderstood him. He only wanted Joanna to believe him. As long as she loved him, misunderstanding didn¡¯t matter at all. ¡°I just want to know why our remarriage has to be postponed for six months. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to marry me, you can spell it out. I don¡¯t like your wavering attitude, and I don¡¯t know what exactly you¡¯re thinking!¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce hesitated. There were some things he really could not tell her for now. The organization was very strict. Other than the people in the organization, no one else could know his true identity. ¡°You said that you¡¯re going to Melta for a business trip. Are you going to see her?¡± Joanna could not help but ask. It was obvious that she was indeed jealous at the moment, and she didn¡¯t want Bruce and Aria to have anything to do with each other. In terms of a rtionship, Joanna didn¡¯t tolerate any ws. She would be loyal and devoted to her man, and in return, she expected the same unwavering If he couldn¡¯t fulfill that or disappointed her, she would rather abandon this rtionship altogether. ¡°Joann, here we go again. This has nothing to do with Aria. I¡¯m going to Melta on a business trip because I really have business to deal with.¡± 2/3 11:151 When Joanna heard this, she felt even more stifled. Aggrieved tears instantly filled her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t even mentioned a name. Why are you so sure that I¡¯m talking about Aria? ¡°Are you obsessed with her to begin with? Bruce, make yourself clear. ¡°If it¡¯s really because of her, you can tell me openly.¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat. He looked helpless. Joanna used all of her strength to push him away. Her tears fell uncontrobly. ¡°Between us¡­ Well, how do I put this¡­ ¡°You¡¯re the one who made me stop believing in love. You¡¯re also the one who made me believe in love again. I¡¯m really conflicted right now, and I¡¯m afraid of being hurt once more. ¡°Bruce, if you don¡¯t love me enough, you must tell me. I won¡¯t pester you, let alone cling to you persistently. ¡°If your heart is with Aria, tell me. I don¡¯t like you lying to me, and I certainly don¡¯t want to share the same man with anyone¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish, Bruce pressed his lips against hers forcefully. His passionate kiss left her breathless. He wanted to use his actions to tell her how much he loved her. Chapter 967 Chapter 967 Chapter 967 The intense mes of passion had burnt for a long time¡­ In the morning, Joanna was still asleep when she awoke to Bruce kissing her. ¡°Stop it¡­ Quit it¡­ I¡¯m so tired¡­¡± Joannamented. She was exhausted fromst night. Her entire body was sore, and she felt like her bones were falling apart. This jerk¡­ his stamina was crazy. Any woman would suffer being with him. Smiling dotingly, Bruce continued kissing her forehead and said, ¡°Littlezy piggy, wake up quickly. If you don¡¯t get up, I¡¯lle for you again.¡± Joanna blinked her heavy eyelids and pleaded, ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. Can you just let me sleep in peace?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not angry anymore?¡± Bruce chuckled as he asked. Joanna tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. She was so tired that all she could think about was sleep. As for her anger, she could re again after waking up. Seeing that she was closing her eyes again, Bruce gently cradled her head and shook it. He said, ¡°Wake up, no more sleeping! It¡¯s already half past eight! Hurry up and get up.¡± Bruce put his arm around her neck and dragged her up forcefully. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m exhausted!¡± Joanna said. Her body was so sore and weak that she did not want to move. ¡°We¡¯re going to get our marriage certificate today. We can¡¯t bete. I heard we have to get it before noon,¡± Bruce replied. Joanna was lost for words. Upon hearing that, she opened her eyes wide. Half of her fatigue was gone. She stared nkly at Bruce. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. Let¡¯s get our marriage certificate first. We¡¯ll talk about the restter,¡± Bruce said as he nced earnestly at Joanna. He had already thought it through. He would get the marriage certificate with Joanna to prevent her from being paranoid and suspicious. Bruce initially wanted to get the marriage certificateter because he feared that he would fail the mission. Failing the mission would mean that he would not be able to return. He did not want Joanna to be a widow. Upon seeing Joanna livid, Bruce reckoned he should not worry so much. 1/4 11:15 For the sake of Joanna and the children, Bruce would definitely protect himself and return safely. After a while, Joanna came to her senses, ¡°What¡­ What did you say?¡± Bruce looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes and repeated word for word, ¡°I said, let¡¯s go get our marriage certificate today. I don¡¯t want you to be paranoid and suspicious of me nor randomly use me of things.¡± Angrily, Joanna frowned and shrieked, ¡°Who¡¯s being paranoid?¡± Bruce pinched Joanna¡¯s nose and teased, ¡°Weren¡¯t you furiousst night? If we don¡¯t get married quickly, who knows what else you might suspect me of.¡± Joanna¡¯s face tensed up. She pushed his hand away and immediately retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not angry. You make it sound like I¡¯m forcing a marriage.¡± ¡°Okay, okay! Regardless, let¡¯s get our marriage certificate today. I forced the marriage, alright?¡± Bruce said as he looked at her tenderly but helplessly. ¡°Hmph, you haven¡¯t proposed yet, and I haven¡¯t agreed to your proposal either,¡± Joanna retorted as she tried her best to suppress her smile. She did not want him to see through her thoughts. ¡°Dear wife, please marry me!¡± Bruce knelt on one knee and held Joanna¡¯s hand like a gentleman. ¡°So simple? Where¡¯s the romance? You didn¡¯t even dere your love for me. It¡¯s so insincere,¡± Joanna said pretentiously. She had never been an unreasonable woman, let alone flirtatious. Now that she was being proposed to, Joanna wanted to put on a front to enjoy the romantic moment. A warm and sincere smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. With an alluring voice, he said, ¡°Dear wife, please marry me! I, Bruce Everett, solemnly propose to you and promise I will only love you and our family in this lifetime. I¡¯ll give you all my money. I can even give you my life. After we get married, you¡¯ll be my queen, and I¡¯ll be your captive. I promise to dote on my wife and love her. I will only listen to her. In the future, every cent I earn will be yours, and I won¡¯t hide any money from you.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was filled with bliss. Bruce always had a sharp tongue, and no kind words ever left his mouth. Unexpectedly, his confession was so pleasant to her ears. ¡°Is that enough?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Joanna replied. She straightened her back, hoping Bruce would shower her with sweet nothings. Unfortunately, things did not go as she had nned. ¡°Little rascal, you¡¯re teasing me again. You don¡¯t seem to know how powerful men 2/4 11:15 can be!¡± As Bruce spoke, he pounced on Joanna like a hungry wolf. He was going to¡­ Joanna screamed in shock, ¡°Ah¡­ Stop fooling around. Hurry and get up.¡± Bruce smirked, ¡°Are you afraid now?¡± ¡°I am! I am!¡± Joanna was so scared that she immediately gave in. She could not bear the consequences if she continued with her act. ¡°Do you love me?¡± Bruce asked in a dominating and overbearing tone. If she dared to say ¡°no¡±, he would definitely do something to her. ¡°Little rascal, if she weren¡¯t given a hard time, she would think that she could take men for granted,¡± Bruce thought. ¡°Of course!¡± Joanna replied as she hurriedly nodded and looked at him pitifully. Bruce smiled smugly, ¡°Do you want to marry me?¡± ¡°Yes! I want to marry you. Can you get up first? My¡­ My bones are about to break,¡± Joanna eximed as she guarded her chest, ready to defend herself anytime. Of course! Joanna¡¯s defense was of no deterrence to Bruce at all. Bruce could even cripple a lion if he wanted, let alone deal with her. ¡°Get up first! I have to change my clothes,¡± Joanna insisted. Thanks to Bruce, Joanna was suffering all night. She was afraid that he would force himself on her again. Bruce got off the bed and picked her up. ¡± Okay! Let¡¯s go get married!¡± Joanna¡¯s body suddenly became light, and she cried out, ¡°Ah! Put me down! What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you to change,¡± Bruce eximed as he hugged her and turned around excitedly. ¡°We¡¯re getting married! I have a wife now!¡± ¡°Stop spinning! I¡¯m going to throw up if this keeps up,¡± Joanna said as she hugged Bruce¡¯s neck tightly, feeling dizzy. Bruce smiled dotingly and carried her to the walk-in closet. He said, ¡°Hurry and change. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡± ¡°Let me change my clothes and put on some makeup,¡± Joanna replied. ¡°Don¡¯t go through that trouble. Quick, we¡¯d better register our marriage before 12 noon,¡± Bruce responded. ¡°Why before 12 noon?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce had a solemn expression. He said sincerely, ¡°I heard that marriages registered before 12 noon wouldst for a long time.¡± Joanna was stunned. She said doubtfully, ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡± ¡°Better safe than sorry,¡± Bruce replied. Chapter 968 Chapter 968 Chapter 968 ¡°We registered our previous marriage in the afternoon. In the end, we got divorced. This time, we must register it in the morning,¡± Bruce said as he carried Joanna to the walk-in closet. The huge walk-in closet looked like a luxury boutique. It was filled with clothes, bags, and shoes from various high-end brands. Meanwhile, Bruce¡¯s side consisted almost entirely of custom-made suits, limited to ck, white, and grey. Bruce changed into a suit and helped Joanna choose a white sweater. ¡°Wear this! It¡¯s more convenient,¡± Bruce said. It was convenient to slip on the sweater and be ready to go. There was no need to match bags and shoes carefully. Joanna took the sweater and looked at it before she eximed, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s such an important day today. I¡¯d better wear something more formal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. In my eyes, you look best without anything on,¡± Bruce said. Joanna tsked and rolled her eyes at Bruce in annoyance. In the end, with Bruce¡¯s convincing, Joanna changed into the sweater he had chosen. Without even her teeth being brushed, Bruce rushed Joanna out the door. ¡°I have to wash my face!¡± Joanna insisted. Bruce said anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t dy anymore. It¡¯s not toote to wash up after we get married¡­¡± The two of them went down the stairs one after the other. Upon seeing her parents, Lilia asked worriedly, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Daddy and Mommy are going to settle something important. Be good at home, Baby.¡± Lilia was dumbfounded. Bruce had already dragged Joanna toward the garage. The driver was on standby 24 hours a day, ready whenever he was called upon. ¡°Mr. Everett, where are we going?¡± the driver asked. ¡°To City Hall now, quick,¡± Bruce instructed. ¡°Okay, sure!¡± the driver replied. After getting into the car, Joanna still felt drowsy. She thought, ¡°Are we really going to register our marriage? Would it be too 1/3 11:16 rushed? Or too informal?¡± Half an hourter, at the City Hall. ¡°We¡¯re here. Hurry up and get out,¡± Bruce urged Joanna anxiously to alight from the car. After getting out of the car, Joanna was still dumbfounded. This was all too sudden. She was not mentally prepared yet. ¡°What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s hurry up and go in! It¡¯s already 9:30. If there are too many people, we¡¯ll have to queue,¡± Bruce insisted. When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously tugged at his sleeve and asked, ¡°Bruce, are you serious? Are you sure you¡¯ve thought this through?¡± ¡°Silly, of course, it¡¯s for real,¡± Bruce replied. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat before she said, ¡°Alright then!¡± She thought, ¡°In any case, we had dragged this on for so long. Some things just had to be done on impulse. The more thought put in, the more worried one bes. Sometimes, biting the bullet and getting it done would settle matters.¡± The two of them entered City Hall. It was a good day to get married. Many couples were queuing. Bruce looked at his watch. It was almost ten o¡¯clock. Although they would be done by noon, Bruce had no patience to wait. Hence, he instructed his bodyguards to cut in line. Of course, whoever he cut would be lucky, Anyone would be happy to let him cut the queue. ¡°Hello, may we cut the queue?¡± Bruce¡¯s bodyguard asked. When the couple first in line heard this, they furiously said, ¡°How can you do this?¡± Before they could finish speaking, Bruce¡¯s bodyguard had already handed them a wad of cash. Judging from the thickness, it was at least a few hundred dors. ¡°Oh, okay then,¡± The couple responded as their anger instantly dissipated, and they gave up their spot. A few hundred dors was still a windfall for ordinary folks. Bruce pulled Joanna to the counter and said, ¡°We¡¯re here to register our marriage.¡± ¡°Show me your identification cards,¡± the receptionist said. Bruce replied, ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Bruce and Joannal¡± When the staff saw their identification card, he was instantly dumbfounded. 2/3 11:16 N?velDrama.Org owns this. He thought, ¡°Mr. Everett¡¯s rumors with his ex-wife had been spreading for so long. It looks like they are getting married again.¡± ¡°Do you have a marriage photo?¡± the receptionist asked. ¡°Uh, no.¡± Bruce stammered. ¡°Then please take a marriage photo first and make a few photocopies of your identification cards. You¡¯ll also need to fill out a form and do a premarital checkup!¡± the receptionist instructed. ¡°We don¡¯t need all that. Just get us our marriage certificate,¡± Bruce insisted. ¡°Alright, then. Please fill up this waiver form to skip the premarital checkup,¡± the receptionist instructed. ¡°Okay,¡± Bruce replied as he picked up the pen and signed the form. After that, he brought Joanna to take their marriage photo. Once all materials were prepared, ¡°Chop!¡±. With two steel seals stamped on, their marriage certificate was issued. ¡°Congrattions! You are now legally married!¡± the receptionist announced. When Bruce saw the bright red marriage certificate, tears welled up in his eyes. He felt an indescribable excitement as he replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Kody, go buy some wedding cupcakes and candies and give them to everyone present,¡± Bruce instructed his bodyguard. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett,¡± Bruce¡¯s bodyguard replied. ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go!¡± said Bruce. The entire process, from entering City Hall to taking their marriage photo, and getting their certificate, took less than half an hour. Even after receiving the marriage certificate, Joanna had yet to react. She stared nkly at the red certificate in her hand and was deep in her thoughts. She thought, ¡°Did we remarry so smoothly?¡± Somehow, she felt like she was in a daze, and everything felt surreal. ¡°How should I describe this feeling? Anyway, I feel strange. I am so excited, happy, but also conflicted and worried at the same time. In summary, it is a mixed bag of emotions,¡± Joanna thought. Chapter 969 Chapter 969 Chapter 969 Back in the car. Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s shoulders tightly and said emotionally, ¡°Honey, we¡¯re husband and wife from now on. Now, you can rest assured about me, right?¡± Joanna batted her beautiful big eyes and said after a long while, ¡°Bruce, why do I feel like I¡¯m dreaming?¡± ¡°Haha, of course you would feel like you¡¯re dreaming. After all, marrying such a handsome, rich, capable and considerate husband is like a dreame true.¡± Joanna choked when she heard that. She stared at him, annoyed and amused. ¡°Do you have to be so cocky? ¡°Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed when you praise yourself like that?¡± ¡°Why should I feel embarrassed? I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Bruce shrugged innocently. He had always been very confident in himself. Joanna was speechless. However, today was also a big day for them. It was better not to bicker with him. If he wanted to say something, just let him say it. ¡°Where are we going now?¡± ¡°Well, of course we¡¯re going home! Then, let¡¯s have a celebration. ¡°We¡¯re married. We¡­ Hahaha!¡± Bruce was so excited that he could not even close his mouth like a happy child. Thest time they got married, he had a long face the entire time. At that time, he felt like he was being forced. But this time, he was overjoyed, and his heart was filled with indescribable joy and satisfaction. He couldn¡¯t stop giggling and Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°What are youughing about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy.¡± ¡°What is there to be happy about? ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not the first time we got married. Why are you so thrilled?¡± Although Joanna¡¯s heart was also full of happiness, it wasn¡¯t as strong as the joy Bruce was feeling. Kody happened to drive pass the entrance of Greyport Hospital. Seeing this, Joanna quickly instructed, ¡°Kody, stop at the entrance of the hospital.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett,¡± said Kody. He turned the steering wheel and prepared to turn into the intersection of the hospital. 1/3 11:161 Bruce frowned when he saw this. ¡°Why are we stopping at the hospital?¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°We¡¯re passing by the hospital anyway. Let¡¯s go in and take a look at Patricia and Jay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a festive day today. It¡¯s kind of a jinx to go to the hospital today.¡± ¡°Is that so? Besides, this is our family¡¯s hospital,¡± Joanna replied with a smile. In any case, they were just passing by and it saved them the trouble of making another trip here. When Bruce heard this, he rolled his eyes. He thought, ¡°Okay then. ¡°Then I can show the marriage certificate to that bastard Jaydon. ¡°He¡¯ll stop thinking about Joanna in the future.¡± ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Three minutester. The car stopped steadily at the entrance of the hospital. In the ward. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re here?¡± Seeing that Joanna and Bruce had arrived, Jaydon hurriedly came out to wee them. ¡°Yeah, I came to see Patricia. How is she doing? Is she feeling any better?¡± Jaydon nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s much better now! ¡°The doctor said that Patricia can be discharged after another week.¡± When Joanna heard this, she finally felt relieved. ¡°That¡¯s great. After Patricia recovers, I¡¯ll bring her home. You can focus on your own matters then.¡± ¡°Thank you, Joann.¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna gratefully. ¡°You¡¯re wee. You¡¯re being too polite. ¡°By the way, are your injuries better?¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon with concern. ¡°I¡¯m much better now. Don¡¯t worry.¡± As he spoke, Jaydon¡¯s eyes turned to Bruce. ¡°Bruce, I¡­ have something to tell you.¡± Bruce smiled smugly. ¡°What a coincidence! I have something to tell you too.¡± ¡°Alright, you go first.¡± Bruce coughed dryly and took out the marriage certificate from his pocket. Then, in front of Jaydon, he waved it smugly. ¡°Joann and I got married. This is our marriage certificate. ¡°From now on, we¡¯re legally married. Joann is a married woman now.¡± Jaydon was stunned when he heard that. He looked at the two of them in a daze. 2/3 11:16 Although he had already epted this fact in his heart, he still felt terrible for some reason when he saw their marriage certificate. Joanna eventually married Bruce. ¡°Haha, congrattions. When did you get married?¡± Jaydon tried his best to maintain his gentle expression. ¡°We did it just now,¡± Bruce answered proudly. ¡­Congrattions. Look, I haven¡¯t even had time to prepare a wedding gift¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled. ¡°No need for that. We¡¯ve only got our marriage certificate. The wedding won¡¯t be held so early. ¡°When the day of the wedding is set, I will definitely invite you and Grace to the wedding banquet.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jaydon looked gloomy, feeling a little lost. The woman he loved the most was finally married. Unfortunately, he was not the groom. However, he could control his emotions very well. Even if he loved Joanna deeply, he would never do anything to ruin her marriage. As long as she was happy, he would be happy for her. ¡°I just passed by the hospital and wanted toe and see you and Patricia,¡± Joanna added. Chapter 970 Chapter 970 Chapter 970 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Patricia and I are fine. ¡°You¡¯ve just got married. Of course, you have to go and celebrate¡­¡± Jaydon said as he looked away. At this moment, although he was sincerely wishing them well in his heart, his heart suddenly felt empty and a trace of bitterness appeared. He felt that the spiritual pir that had been supporting him for many years had suddenly copsed. He needed to calm down andpose himself. After showing off the marriage certificate, Bruce subconsciously asked, ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you say that you had something to ask me? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Forget it, it¡¯s fine.¡± Jaydon smiled and swallowed back his words. He originally wanted to ask what ns Bruce had for bidding on the certificate of authorization. He could provide some experience and help in running the gambling industry. However, after thinking about it, he felt that there was no need. Bruce was such a capable man and there were many elites working for him. Bruce would probably not be interested in Jaydon¡¯s experience. Bruce smiled faintly and did not continue asking. ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go back first.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon and said sincerely, ¡°Jay, if you have anything to say, just say it. You don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really nothing.¡± Jaydon forced a gentle smile. It was better for him to settle his own matters! ¡°Are you really fine?¡± Joanna asked worriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ Then we¡¯ll go back first. Call us if anything happens.¡± She knew Jaydon¡¯s personality. The more she took the initiative to help him, the more he would resist. ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna came to the bed again and smiled lovingly at Patricia. ¡°Patricia, say goodbye to Joann.¡± Patricia raised her small hand and waved it at Joanna. Although Patricia was autistic, she somehow felt close to Joanna and was willing to be close to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± 1/4 11:16 After Bruce and Joanna left, Jaydon was still in a daze, feeling as if his soul had left his body. Seeing this, Grace¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°Jaydon, are you still unable to let go of Joann?¡± Jaydon came back to his senses and subconsciously replied, ¡°No!¡± ¡°The way you looked at Joann just now was weird. Jaydon, I¡¯m warning you. Joann and Mr. Everett are now officially married. ¡°You must not have any other thoughts, let alone ruin their marriage.¡± ¡°Grace, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened. He was not in the mood to say too much. Loving someone was not just about possessing them. There was also another kind of feeling. It was not romantic love, but superior to love. ¡°Jaydon, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡± Jaydon went straight into the bathroom and locked the door. ¡°Joann, you must be happy. ¡°Bruce, you must take good care of Joann.¡± Jaydon took out his wallet and pulled out an inch-long ID photo from the wallet¡¯spartment. This was a picture of Joanna when she was still in university. It was the photo Joanna had posted in the student column. He had secretly taken it off and kept it for so many years. Jaydon looked at the photo and his eyes suddenly turned red. He wanted to tear the photo up. But after hesitating for a while, he couldn¡¯t bear to tear it up. He stuffed the photo into thepartment of the wallet. Then he came out of the washroom. Grace¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Jaydon, Aunt Yasmine has been missing for a few days. I feel that Aunt Yasmine must have been killed. ¡°Who do you think did it?¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything, but his frown deepened. Yasmine must have very important evidence in her hands. Now that she was missing, this must have something to do with Cassius. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Unfortunately, he had no way to prove it now. ¡°Grace, I¡¯m going to Venturas again.¡± Grace panicked when she heard that. ¡°Jaydon, are you crazy? That¡¯s Cassius¡¯s territory now. You¡¯re courting death if you go there.¡± 2/4 11:16 Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened, and a trace of ruthlessness appeared at the bottom of his eyes. ¡°I have to go again. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be too passive. ¡°I can¡¯t let Cassius take all of Dad¡¯s inheritance, let alone not find the truth about Dad¡¯s death.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m worried about you going alone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be careful. ¡°No matter what, I must find out the cause of Dad¡¯s death.¡± Grace frowned. She wanted to say something but hesitated. She also hoped to bring Cassius to justice, expose his scheme, and take back her father¡¯s inheritance. ¡°Jaydon, then you must be careful. If¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be careful. Take good care of Patricia,¡± Jaydon said and looked at Patricia with a worried expression. ¡°Jaydon, you muste back safe and sound.¡± Jaydon patted Grace¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Then, Jaydon changed his clothes and left the hospital. Yasmine was now missing. He had to investigate what the situation was like before Yasmine disappeared. If her missing really had something to do with Cassius, Jaydon would definitely find some clues. In the past, Jaydon only suspected that Yasmine and Cassius had an improper rtionship. However, they were still aunt and niece in name, so he forced himself not to think about this possibility. Now that Jaydon thought about it, nothing was impossible. She must have something on Cassius, which was why she was silenced. On this side¡­ In the car. Bruce was still immersed in joy. Heid his head on Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Honey, we¡¯re married. Look, this is our marriage certificate. ¡°Look, my photo on the marriage certificate is so handsome. Just a casual photo of mine is already so good-looking. ¡°Why do I look so good on camera?¡± When Joanna heard that, she got a big headache. This fool was getting more and more cheeky. ¡°Honey, how are we going to celebrate tonight?¡± Joanna¡¯s head tilted to the side so that it was touching his. ¡°How do you want to 3/4 11:16 celebrate?¡± ¡°Hmm, how about we bring the children to a feast?¡± Bruce immediately rejected the idea after he said that. ¡°Uh, there¡¯s no point in having a big meal. It¡¯s better to celebrate with something more creative.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Joanna was distracted and could not help but sigh. She was now a little worried about Jaydon. ¡°Honey, why are you sighing again? It¡¯s such a great day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not! Maybe I just have short breaths! I haven¡¯t been exercising much recently, so I often feel like I can¡¯t catch my breath.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll help you get some exercise tonight,¡± Bruce said with a wicked smile. His big hands also started running wild. Although Joanna was very thin, her body proportion was perfect. Joanna pinched him hard. ¡°Why is sex the only thing on your mind? Take dirty hands away.¡± your Bruce was in pain and said with an aggrieved expression, ¡°So what if I wanna be intimate with my wife? Is it illegal? ¡°I¡¯m your man now. Can¡¯t I touch you?¡± Chapter 971 Chapter 971 Chapter 971 ¡°In short, you have to have some self-control in the future. You can¡¯t¡­ mess around like this,¡± Joanna said, her face blushing. Although they had just gotten their marriage certificate, she already felt like they were an old couple. ¡°How do you think we should control ourselves?¡± ¡°One or two times a week at most!¡± Bruce was speechless. ¡°It can¡¯t be more than half an hour,¡± Joanna said seriously. ¡°Honey, are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°How can that work? ¡°Other women would think that their men aren¡¯t good enough in bed. You, on the other hand, despise me for being too good.¡± Hearing this, Joanna narrowed her eyes. ¡°Other women? ¡°Tell me honestly, how many women have you slept with?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and smiled awkwardly. He was really digging his own grave. He thought, ¡°Why did I mention other women for no reason? ¡°Moreover, even though I had once been a yboy, that was already in the past. ¡°Everyone has a past, right?¡± Bruce quickly changed the topic. ¡°Honey, what are we eating tonight?¡± Joanna frowned and reached out to twist his ear. ¡°I asked you a question just now. How many women have you slept with?¡± This damn bastard used to bully and oppress her. Now, she had to vent her anger. Bruce panicked and quickly exined, ¡°No, you¡¯re the only one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the old days.¡± ¡°In the past¡­ you were still the only one.¡± 4 ¡°Hurry up and tell the truth. If you confess, I¡¯ll forgive you. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll punish you.¡± Joanna¡¯s expression became even more tense. Today, she was going to use this as an excuse to dig out his secrets. ¡°Tell me the truth. Don¡¯t even try to hide it.¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly and said jokingly, ¡°If I really confess, you¡¯re gonna get 11:36 mad at me. If I don¡¯t, everything will be fine as always.¡± He wasn¡¯t that stupid to tell her about his past. Women were best at digging up the past. When they got into a fight with you, they could dig up your history from long ago and settle scorester. He would not give her reasons to attack him in the future. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re starting to be dishonest now, huh? ¡°Who said that he¡¯s never gonna lie to me again when he proposed to mest night? ¡°I¡¯m just asking you about your past. I won¡¯t argue with you about it. Just tell me. I¡¯m just a little curious.¡± Joanna changed her strategy and looked at him cutely. This damn guy was so experienced. He definitely had slept with a lot of women. Perhaps he had a hidden mistress by his side now. It was too easy for a man to cheat. He would be done having a good time in the time it took to go out and buy a pack of cigarettes. In the past, she would let that slide since they did not get married. But now, they had already gotten married. He definitely could not have any other woman by his side. ¡°I really didn¡¯t have been with other women, honey. ¡°You¡¯re really the only one,¡± Bruce quickly guaranteed. ¡°That¡¯s a lie. I won¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Why are you still asking if you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and refused to confess. Men¡¯s logic was like this. As long as they refused to admit it, the problem didn¡¯t exist. As long as they weren¡¯t caught, nothing ever happened. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She grabbed his ear again. ¡°Wow, we¡¯ve just got married today and you¡¯re lying to me here. ¡°I don¡¯t want a lying husband!¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. When Bruce heard this, his eyes darkened. ¡°Enough! No matter how many women I¡¯ve slept with in the past, you¡¯re myst one. ¡°Everyone else is just a passerby. You¡¯re thest lover in my life.¡± As Bruce spoke, he stopped acting frivolous and looked into Joanna¡¯s eyes seriously and sincerely. ¡°Honey, the past is all in the past. Let¡¯s forget about those bad memories. For the rest of our lives, we¡¯ll stick together and grow old together.¡± When Joanna heard this, she smiled sweetly at him. ¡°I was just teasing you! Look at how nervous you are.¡± She was not so bored as to dwell on the man¡¯s past. Just like what people said, a fault confessed is half-redressed. Only by experiencing the trials and temptations of life could one be more mature and preserved. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and said anxiously, ¡°How can I not be nervous? Oh, I¡¯m really eating out of your hands now. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, you have to love me for the rest of your life. You have to always think that I¡¯m the most important.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Of course. Other than the children, you¡¯re the most important. one to me.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°That also includes the children. ¡°In your heart, I have to be the most important one. The children can only rank behind me.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. The most important ones in my heart are always the children, followed by you.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t hide her true thoughts at all. Indeed, the most important ones in her heart were the children. Bruce really could only be ranked behind the children. ¡°So, ording to you, I¡¯m only ranked fifth in your heart?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re ranked fifth.¡± ¡°¡­Forget it! So be it. ¡°Other than the children, no one else can be more important than me,¡± Bruce ordered with a sullen expression. ¡°Okay, deal.¡± They kept talking, hugging each other affectionately again. Chapter 972 Chapter 972 Chapter 972 ¡°Honey, it¡¯s noon now. How about we go to have a romantic lunch? We can spend some time alone.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Kody, let¡¯s go to Blue Pavilion.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± At noon. The two of them went to have a feast and then went to watch a movie. They had never felt so rxed and at ease before. They were like an ordinary couple, immersed in happiness. At Sherane Bay Vi. At 3:30 in the afternoon. Only then did the two of them remember that it was time to go home. When they got home, it was almost four o¡¯clock. In the living room. Davian, Irvin and Lilia were sitting on the sofa with solemn expressions. The three kids looked uneasy and their little brows were tightly furrowed. ¡°I heard the car¡¯s engine. They¡¯re back.¡± Three minutester. Bruce and Joanna walked into the living room one after another. ¡°Sweethearts¡­¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°We¡¯re back. These are the cakes we brought for you. ¡°There¡¯s Davian¡¯s favorite cheesecake, Irvin¡¯s favorite mousse cake, and Lilia¡¯s favorite strawberry cake,¡± Joanna said as she ced the cakes on the coffee table. Seeing this, the three kids were dumbfounded. Last night, their daddy and mommy had already started fighting. It was probably not a good thing that their daddy was urging their mommy to go out early in the morning. Lilia had been worried for the whole day at home. As soon as her brothers finished school, she immediately told them about this. The three kids thought that their daddy and mommy were going to break up again and were worried sick. ¡°Hurry up and enjoy!¡± 13 11:36 ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are you guys alright¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine!¡± Bruce and Joanna were stunned. ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, please don¡¯t lie to us!¡± Joanna said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, babies?¡± Davian asked carefully, ¡°Mommy, you and Daddy didn¡¯t break up again, did you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Where did you go today?¡± Bruce smiled happily. ¡°Sweethearts, I¡¯m gonna announce some good news to you now.¡± The three kids were speechless. Judging from their father¡¯s expression, it did not seem like a bad thing. ¡°Ta-dah!¡± Bruce pulled out the marriage certificate like he was doing some kind of magic. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Our marriage certificate!¡± Bruce looked at the three kids proudly. The three kids looked at the bright red marriage certificate and were in a daze for a long time. In the past three years, their daddy and mommy had been on and off and were fighting all the time, which really made them worried. Now that they saw the marriage certificate, this huge surprise made the three kids unable to react. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the expressions on your faces? ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that Daddy and Mommy are remarried?¡± Davian was the first to react. He looked at their daddy in shock and ecstasy. ¡°We¡¯re not unhappy. We¡¯re simply¡­ too happy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re all so happy that we¡¯re about to jump. That¡¯s great! So great!¡± Irvin also cheered. ¡°Daddy and Mommy are finally remarried. Our family is finallyplete.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, are you sure this is a real marriage certificate? You¡¯re not fooling us, are you?¡± The three kids suddenly looked worried again. ¡°Look, this is the official seal of City Hall and it¡¯s protected by thew.¡± ¡°Oh my god, oh my god!¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are we dreaming? Daddy and Mommy are really remarried. Our family is finallyplete.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great!¡± The three kids were thrilled. They surrounded their daddy and mommy,ughing and jumping around them happily as if they were possessed. 36 ¡°Oh, keep your voice down. Don¡¯t scare your brother.¡± Joanna hurriedly took Devin from the servant¡¯s arms. ¡°Come and let Mommy carry you.¡± Devin was now a little chubby and Joanna was almost unable to carry him. She could only put him on the ground again. ¡°Devin. Daddy and Mommy are remarried. Look at how lucky you are.¡± ¡°Ah, boohoo. Mommy¡­¡± Devin propped himself up from the coffee table and tried to stand up shakily. Devin was at the stage where he was still learning how to talk and walk. He was clumsy and cute, and he could easily melt people¡¯s hearts. ¡°Mommy, Devin has learned how to stand now. He even held the coffee table to, walk just now,¡± Davian said with a smile. ¡°Really?¡± Bruce was a little surprised. When Davian and Irvin were learning to walk, Bruce was not by their side. Therefore, he had to be there when his son grew up this time. ¡°That¡¯s right! He just walked a few rounds holding the coffee table.¡± ¡°Tell the kitchen to make a big meal today. And we¡¯ll give some gifts to the employees.¡± Bruce was overjoyed and wanted to give out a lot of gifts. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± The servants all cheered. When Gael and Miranda heard this, they were also stunned for a long time. ¡°Oh my god! Mr. and Mrs. Everett got their marriage certificate just like that? This is too sudden and we don¡¯t know how to react. I thought they wouldn¡¯t get married this year. I didn¡¯t expect them to get married today.¡± ¡°Why is there no sign at all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I just heard the news. ¡°No matter what, this is a joyous asion. It¡¯s been a long time since there was such a blissful event. We have to hold a big banquet to celebrate. Such a happy asion has really overjoyed all of us.¡± Chapter 973 Chapter 973 Bruce was generous. He would give gifts to the servants during holidays or when there was a happy asion. Now that they had got married, he naturally had to give out some gifts. ¡°Mr. Everett, when are you going to hold the wedding? ¡°There might be more than a hundred tables that need to be set. We have to prepare gifts and invitations¡­¡± Gael smiled happily. Although he was a butler, he had watched Bruce grow up. In his heart, he had long treated Bruce as his child. Bruce smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s not hold a ceremony for now.¡± ¡°Huh? No ceremony?¡± ¡°Yes, I still have some work to do and I can¡¯t spare time. ¡°After we make time, we¡¯ll hold a big ceremony.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine too. If it¡¯s too rushed, there won¡¯t be enough time.¡± Miranda also chimed in and said with a pained expression, ¡°No matter what, as long as you got married, you¡¯ll be a legitimate couple. ¡°The children finally have aplete family. Joann, you and Mr. Everett have to tolerate and love each other from now on.¡± Miranda carefully reminded Joanna. Joanna and Bruce were all pretty stubborn and they would never budge. Miranda couldn¡¯t help but nag a little. Joanna looked at Miranda with a smile. ¡°Okay. Got it!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go and prepare dinner.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Gael and Miranda looked at each other and smiled. They went down to instruct the servants to prepare dinner. Davian and Irvin were still looking at their daddy and mommy¡¯s marriage certificate curiously. ¡°So this is what the marriage certificate looks like. Oh, I wonder who we¡¯ll marry in the future.¡± Irvin¡¯s face was filled with pride. ¡°Tsk, you definitely want to marry Leah.¡± Davian immediately retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t. I think you¡¯re the one who wants to marry Leah.¡± ¡°Who is Leah?¡± Lilia asked her two brothers curiously. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, Leah is our ssmate!¡± ¡°Your ssmate?¡± ¡°Yes! She¡¯s very beautiful. She¡¯s also the ss monitor and she got excellent grades. All the boys in our ss¡­¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Irvin mischievously smiled and stuck out his tongue. When Bruce and Joanna heard this, they also had gossipy smiles on their faces. Children nowadays matured very early. They knew everything at such a young age. Bruce raised his eyebrows and said in a dignified manner, ¡°You two brats are not allowed to have girlfriends at such a young age. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to date until you get into college.¡± When the two little guys heard this, they were shocked. ¡°Huh? Until we get into university? ¡°How can you do that? In Greyport, you¡¯re an adult once you turn 16 ording to thew.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do either. In our family, I¡¯m thew. ¡°If you dare to date before college, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson. ¡°Also, Lilia, you are not allowed to have a boyfriend before the age of 25,¡± Bruce ordered the children one by one. When Davian and Irvin heard this, they looked pretty defiant. ¡°Daddy, when did you date?¡± ¡°Exactly. Daddy, when did you have your first girlfriend?¡± ¡°As far as we know, Daddy and Mommy got married at a young age. Mommy married you when she was 18 and gave birth to us when she was 20.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes instantly widened. ¡°You rascals, your mommy was about to finish university when she was 18 old. Do you have the ability to do that?¡± years ¡°How do you know we won¡¯t skip grades? Maybe we can skip grades and get into university when we¡¯re 16.¡± Irvin giggled. ¡°Davian, Daddy means that we can only date when we go to university. Then let¡¯s study hard and try to skip grades like Mommy. ¡°When the timees, let¡¯s see what Daddy¡¯s gonna do about it.¡± ¡°You brats, are you trying to piss me off?¡± ¡°Hmph, you can¡¯t even do it yourself, but you¡¯re asking us to do it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy had already dated before he went to university, right?¡± ¡°Daddy, tell us honestly. When did you date your first love?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He really wanted to teach these two brats a lesson. 11:36 [ ¡°Yeah, I want to know too.¡± Joanna smiled at him teasingly. A hint of fear appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. He dated his first love probably when he was fifteen or sixteen years old. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really curious. When was your first kiss?¡± Joanna asked again, looking at Bruce with a faint smile. She knew that Aria was his first love. Joanna reckoned that his virginity must have been taken by Aria. But now that Joanna thought about it, it didn¡¯t seem possible. If Bruce had slept with Aria, Aria would not have been so persistent and insisted on sleeping with him. Since it wasn¡¯t Aria, it must be¡­ Roxanne. But now that Joanna thought about it, it was unlikely. Roxanne had told her before she died that she had never slept with Bruce. Since it wasn¡¯t them, there must be other women. In short, Bruce was no longer a virgin when he first married Joanna. In just a few seconds, countless doubts and assumptions appeared in Joanna¡¯s mind. Davian touched a sore spot and deliberately asked, ¡°Daddy, tell us your romantic history.¡± Irvin continued to add fuel to the fire. ¡°Daddy loves pretty women the most. He must have had many girlfriends before. But now you¡¯re trying to force us to do things you couldn¡¯t even do. That¡¯s so despicable.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and threatened to teach the two brats a lesson. ¡°I think you guys are really asking for a lecture.¡± Seeing that their daddy was about to get serious, the two boys quickly begged for mercy. ¡°Oh, we were wrong.¡± Joanna quickly stopped the argument and shielded her two sons behind her. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s stop talking about this topic. In Venturas. Jaydon went to Venturas alone. Yasmine was now missing. No one could find any trace of her. Jaydon wanted to find his aunt¡¯s secretary and ask about her situation before she disappeared. At night. At Willowbrook Vi. Jaydon quietly slipped into Yasmine¡¯s vi. Hunter Lynch, Yasmine¡¯s butler, was sleeping when someone suddenly pressed a knife against his neck. Hunter was in a daze when he felt a chill on his neck. He was so frightened that he¨C hurriedly opened his eyes. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound. If you make another sound, I¡¯ll stab you to death.¡± Jaydon¡¯s face looked ruthless as he pressed the knife even harder. Hunter was scared out of his wits. Only then did he see the person in front of him clearly. He said with a trembling voice, ¡°Mr. Jaydon, what are you doing¡­¡± Jaydon said sinisterly. ¡°Who did my aunt contact before she disappeared?¡± Hunter stammered, ¡°Um¡­ she said that she was going to the beauty salon that day and never came back. ¡°I really don¡¯t know who she contacted.¡± ¡°Have you called the police?¡± ¡°The police are already investigating, but there are no updates yet.¡± ¡°Open Aunt Yasmine¡¯s room. I want to go in.¡± When Hunter heard this, he looked troubled. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t do that.¡± Chapter 974 Chapter 974 Chapter 974 ¡°Hurry up and open it.¡± Jaydon pressed the knife against Hunter¡¯s neck. Hunter was so frightened that he did not dare to resist and said in fear, ¡°Alright!¡± After that, Hunter brought Jaydon to Yasmine¡¯s room and then opened the door with the key. Jaydon pushed Hunter in and walked inside. The room looked very high-end and luxurious. There was a wedding photo of Yasmine and her husband hanging on the wall. However, her husband passed away a long time ago. Jaydon knocked Hunter out with his hand. He walked straight to theputer and used hacking skills to log into Yasmine¡¯sputer and phone ount. Jaydon concentrated and flipped through Yasmine¡¯s call records and private information on the computer. ¡°Two days before Aunt Yasmine went missing, she really did talk to Cassius on the phone. ¡°Aunt Yasmine¡¯s disappearance must have something to do with him.¡± On the other side¡­ Hunter only fainted for about ten seconds before he woke up in a daze. Seeing that Jaydon was still checking theputer, Hunter quickly tiptoed towards the door. After escaping to the door, he locked it heavily. ¡°Somebody! Call the police! Someone broke in here.¡± When the dozen bodyguards in the vi heard the scream, they hurriedly ran towards the master bedroom. Jaydon cursed under his breath and hurriedly closed theptop. He tucked it under his arm and ran towards the door. Unfortunately, he was already locked in the bedroom and the door could not be opened. Jaydon thought for a few seconds and quickly ran towards the balcony. This was the second floor, so he could only jump down from the balcony. ck! Jaydon opened the balcony door. There were already some bodyguards running in this direction. Jaydon didn¡¯t have time to think too much and jumped over the balcony. He held onto the balcony pole to get closer to the ground. 1/3 11:36 Bang! Jaydonnded on the ground. Although the bedroom was only on the second floor, he still sprained his ankle. Jaydon did not dare to stop and hurriedly ran towards the back door. ¡°He¡¯s running towards the back door. Hurry up and chase after him,¡± Hunter instructed the bodyguards as he took out his phone and called Cassius. Jaydon had just run to the backyard when a dark shadow suddenly grabbed him. Jaydon took a closer look. It was Yasmine¡¯s nanny Abigail. Abigail was almost 70 years old and had Alzheimer¡¯s disease. Yasmine had been supporting her all this time. ¡°Mr. Jaydon,e over here. I have something to tell you.¡± Jaydon was stunned. Abigail could not be bothered to say anything else and pulled him into her room. The second they had just walked in, the bodyguards had already caught up to them and started banging on Abigail¡¯s door. ¡°Abigail, did you see any strangers?¡± ¡°What?¡± Abigail asked, acting confused. ¡°Did you see any strangers?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Did any strangerse into your room?¡± ¡°What room? I¡¯m going to bed now.¡± Abigail had Alzheimer¡¯s disease to begin with. Her mind would be clear one moment and muddled the next moment. The bodyguards outside the door were impatient and could not be bothered to ask further. ¡°He must have jumped over the wall and run away. Hurry up and chase after him¡­¡± After the bodyguards left, Abigail shakily took out a waterproof ck bag from under the bed. ¡°Yasmine gave this to me before. She said that if anything happened to her, I need to give this to you.¡± Abigail was Yasmine¡¯s most trusted person. Therefore, Yasmine handed the most important thing to Abigail for safekeeping. Although Abigail had Alzheimer¡¯s disease, she could remember everything about Yasmine. Jaydon got excited and quickly took it. The situation was urgent now, and he didn¡¯t have time to take a look, but he was sure it was something important. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Thank you, Abigail.¡± 2/3 Abigail opened the window and hurriedly urged, ¡°Mr. Jaydon, take the stuff and leave this ce quickly. ¡°There¡¯s a hole in the backyard. You can get out through it. ¡°I¡¯m too old and I can¡¯t help you anymore. The rest is up to you.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± Jaydon did not dare to waste a second. He took the ck bag and theputer and jumped out of the window. At five in the morning. At Greyport Hospital. Grace was so worried that she did not sleep the entire night. ¡°God bless Jaydon. Please let Jaydon be safe.¡± Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± ¡°Something must have happened to Jaydon. Why can¡¯t I get through to him?¡± Grace was panicking. Jaydon had already been gone for an entire night. She hadn¡¯t been able to get through to him the entire night. ¡°Something must have happened to Jaydon. Otherwise, he would have picked up the phone.¡± Finally, it was past six in the morning. Grace couldn¡¯t take it anymore and quickly called Joanna. Beep, beep, beep. The phone rang for a long time before Joanna answered. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Grace¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, this is Grace.¡± ¡°Grace, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you calling me so early?¡± Joanna yawned. It was not even half past six and she was still sleeping! ¡°Joann, something might have happened to Jaydon,¡± Grace said worriedly, sobbing ¡°He went to Venturas again yesterday afternoon and hasn¡¯t returned yet. I can¡¯t get through to him either. I¡¯m worried that something bad might¡¯ve happened to him, and I don¡¯t know what to do!¡± Chapter 975 Chapter 975 Chapter 975 Boom. When Joanna heard this, she hurriedly got up. ¡°Jay went to Venturas again yesterday?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I can¡¯t contact him now, so I¡¯m very anxious. I can¡¯t find anyone to help me, so I can only call you¡­¡± Grace said and started crying worriedly. Joanna quicklyforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll go to the hospital now!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce woke up and was also in a daze. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Hurry up and get up. Something happened to Jay.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked impatient. ¡°What could have happened to him?¡± ¡°He went to Venturas again yesterday. Now that he doesn¡¯t pick up his phone, he must have been caught by Cassius again,¡± Joanna said as she lifted the nket and got out of bed. When Bruce heard this, he suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°This jerk is really a troublemaker. ¡°He always overestimates himself and still tries to be the hero¡­¡± Bruce cursed, but he still got up immediately and put on his clothes. Jaydon was the type of person who puffed himself up at his own cost. Bruce was worried that Jaydon would go after Cassius again. ¡°Oh my god, I just told Jay yesterday not to be rash and act on impulse. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that he still didn¡¯t listen¡­¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°You¡¯re not his mother. Why would he listen to you? ¡°Maybe he was provoked by something? ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t want to live anymore after seeing us get married.¡± Bruce teased again. Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, stop making sarcastic remarks. ¡°No matter what, I just don¡¯t want anything to happen to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital now and see what¡¯s going on.¡± Bruce frowned but still got up to freshen up. . ¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett. Where are you going so early? Breakfast is ready.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going out cuz we¡¯ve got something to do. We won¡¯t be having breakfast.¡± As Joanna spoke, she wanted to leave in a hurry, but she was held back by Bruce. ¡°No matter how hurried you are, you have to eat some breakfast.¡± Then, Bruce called Darcy and ordered, ¡°Darcy, bring some people to the hospital- immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± After hanging up, Bruce looked at Joanna with a pained expression. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry. You have to eat breakfast! It¡¯s useless to be anxious now.¡± Joanna looked worried. ¡°How can I eat? Let¡¯s go to the hospital right away!¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to be so worried now. He¡¯s in Venturas. What¡¯s the use of going to the hospital? ¡°I¡¯ve already called Darcy and asked him to bring some people to the hospital to see what¡¯s going on. ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re so anxious about someone else¡¯s business.¡± Bruce said as he dragged Joanna into the dining room. ¡°Come on. Have something to eat first. Look at how skinny you are now.¡± Bruce looked at her worriedly. Joanna now only weighed about 70 pounds. She looked skinny as if she could be blown away with a single breath. If she didn¡¯t take good care of herself now, she might really get sick. Joanna had no appetite at all. ¡°I really don¡¯t wanna eat¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened and he said domineeringly, ¡°Come over quickly. If you don¡¯t finish your breakfast, I won¡¯t allow you to go out.¡± Joanna had no choice but to sit at the dining table. Bruce poured a ss of milk and handed it to her. ¡°You should eat more! ¡°No matter what happened, you have to eat.¡± Joanna had no choice but to pick up the ss and drank up the milk. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Have another ss of milk.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t drink anymore¡­ + ¡°You have to drink even if you can¡¯t. Hurry up.¡± Bruce forced her to eat breakfast with a long face. Joanna had no choice but to drink half of the milk again. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Hurry up and eat. We¡¯re in a hurry.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Darcy and Carson are already on their way. What does it matter if we don¡¯t go?¡± Bruce ate his breakfast andforted Joanna sulkily. In any case, even if something really happened to Jaydon and he needed help, it 18370 was impossible for Bruce and Joanna to do it personally. They could just instruct their subordinates to do it. At Greyport Hospital. Grace still looked anxious as she paced around the ward uneasily. She was feeling nervous. Bang! The door was knocked open heavily. Three to four strange young men barged in fiercely. Grace was shocked. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Come with us,¡± a young man said and immediately went forward to grab her. ¡°What are you doing? ¡°Ah! Help!¡± Bang! The man in ck hit Grace in the neck. Grace cked out and fell straight forward. The man in ck bent down and carried Grace on his shoulder. Then, another person pushed a wheelchair over. He ced Grace in the wheelchair, covered her with a nket, and put a white wig and mask on her. He disguised her as an olddy. ¡°And we gotta bring Jaydon¡¯s daughter too.¡± Before the man in ck could get Patricia, the lookout rushed in. ¡°Oh no, someone¡¯sing from outside. ¡°Retreat!¡± After receiving the news, Darcy, Carson, and the others rushed to the hospital. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Darcy was worried about Grace, so he quickly walked towards the ward. As soon as he reached the floor where Grace was, he saw a person pushing a wheelchair into the elevator. In the wheelchair, there seemed to be a white-haired olddy. Darcy and the others did not think too much about it and walked straight to the ward. The two of them brushed past each other. Chapter 976 Chapter 976 Chapter 976 Darcy rushed to the ward and happened to see the nurseing out. ¡°Where¡¯s Ms. Grace?¡± When the nurse saw this, she said with a nk expression, ¡°She was in the ward just now. I don¡¯t know where she went now¡­¡± Darcy couldn¡¯t care about anything else. He immediately pushed open the door of the ward and walked in. ¡°Ms. Grace, Ms. Grace.¡± Looking around, Darcy realized there was no one in the ward. ¡°Where did Ms. Grace go?¡± Darcy shouted anxiously, scaring the nurse so much that her body tensed up. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°You guys, hurry up and look around.¡± ¡°Darcy, Ms. Grace is indeed missing. I heard from a nurse that a few men just entered Ms. Grace¡¯s ward. ¡°They must have taken Ms. Grace.¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°What?¡± The nurse stammered, ¡°I took Patricia f¨®r an injection just now. I wasn¡¯t in the ward. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this to happen.¡± Darcy¡¯s mind went nk and his heart beat faster. He suddenly realized that when he stepped out of the elevator, he happened to bump into a young man pushing an olddy into the elevator. On this floor was the pediatrics department. It was impossible for there to be elderly patients. ¡°Crap. ¡°The person in the wheelchair just now must be Ms. Grace. ¡°Chase after them!¡± Darcy realized what happened and hurriedly chased after them with his mer men. Downstairs. The man in ck pushed Grace out of the hospital. There was already a 11:14 car waiting outside to pick them up. ¡°Get in the car.¡± The two men in ck carried Grace and stuffed her into the trunk. Then, they quickly got into the car. Bang! Bang! The car door mmed shut. ¡°Start the car.¡± When the driver had just started the car, Darcy had already rushed out of the hospital like a cheetah. ¡°Stop.¡± Vroom vroom. The car sped away. By the time Darcy went over, the car had already rushed dozens of feet away. ¡°Stop, stop!¡± Darcy chased after the car for some distance. Unfortunately, how could he outrun a car? ¡°Phew¡­¡± Seeing that he could not catch up, Darcy could only stop and pant heavily. After half a minute. Carson and the others had already driven over. ¡°Darcy, get in the car!¡± Darcy immediately jumped into the car and said anxiously, ¡°Hurry up and chase after them. Ms. Grace is in that ck car.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Carson stepped on the elerator and rushed out. Beep, beep, beep. Darcy immediately called Bruce to report. ¡°Hello, Darcy.. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news. Ms. Grace was taken away by a few strangers. We¡¯re chasing after them now¡­¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ms. Grace has been kidnapped. We¡¯re chasing after them. We need more men now. Mr. Everett, could you send more people over?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and frowned. ¡°Okay, I understand. Tell me the license te number to me immediately.¡± ¡°The license te number is HK808¡­¡± 25 11:141 ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get someone to stop this car immediately.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat, panicking. In the past, no matter how dangerous the mission he carried out, he had always been calm. And today, he was really as anxious as a cat on hot bricks. After the call was hung up, Joanna also realized that something big had happened. She quickly asked Bruce, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Bruce was afraid that Joanna would be worried, so he didn¡¯t dare to tell her directly. Then, he immediately called the traffic superintendent and asked him to set roadblocks to track down and stop this ck car. Greyport was a coastal city surrounded by the sea. As long as they set up checkpoints, those people could forget about taking Grace out of Greyport. After listening to Bruce¡¯s call, Joanna was even more flustered. ¡°What happened? Tell me quickly!¡± ¡°Grace was taken away.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Bruce instantlyforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already had them set up roadblocks to stop them. They won¡¯t take her out of Greyport. Darcy has already brought people to chase after them. ¡°I¡¯ll call Cherron immediately and get all the bodyguards toe and help.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart pounded loudly when she heard that. ¡°How¡¯s Patricia? Is she okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. They only took Grace.¡± Ten minutester. Joanna and Bruce rushed to the hospital. The two nurses were scared out of their wits. They guarded Patricia closely, not daring to leave. ¡°Patricia.¡± ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Everett, you¡¯re finally here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna asked as she held Patricia in her arms. 11:14 Patricia was autistic and wasn¡¯t afraid at all. She just obediently buried her head in Joanna¡¯s arms. She was like a little bird seeking protection. Joanna hugged Patricia tightly andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°We just took Ms. Patricia to do an X-ray. There was only Ms. Grace in the ward. ¡°By the time we got back, Ms. Grace was gone.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more scared. ¡°Oh my god, how could such a thing happen? It¡¯s all my fault.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself when anything bad happens. ¡°How can you me yourself? Cassius must be the one who took Grace.¡± Joanna was worried sick and asked anxiously, ¡°What should we do now? What should we say to Jay? ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If we hadn¡¯t left the hospitalst night, these men in ck wouldn¡¯t have dared to cause trouble. ¡°Grace wouldn¡¯t have had to go through this.¡± Bruce pursed his lips. ¡°Since Cassius has his eyes on Grace, even if we were in the hospital, he would still take Grace away. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so anxious now. Darcy and the police are already investigating this.¡± ¡°God bless Jay and Grace. I hope nothing bad will happen to them.¡± Joanna said as she took out her phone to call Jaydon. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable¡­¡± ¡°Crap. Why can¡¯t I get through to Jay either? ¡°What should we do? Bruce, do you think Grace is in danger?¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. It was hard to say. Grace must have been taken away by Cassius¡¯s people. The key was to find out why he took Grace away. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. After all, they¡¯ve been siblings for so many years. No matter how crazy Cassius is, he wouldn¡¯t hurt her. ¡°After all, his target is Jaydon.¡± Bruce subconsciouslyforted Joanna. From his standpoint, he felt that there was no need to make things difficult for a girl. If he was Cassius, he would only target Jaydon. Picking on a girl was too shameless. Of course, Bruce had schemed to destroy Joanna¡¯spany in the past just to keep her by his side so that she could not leave him. Essentially, he didn¡¯t really mean to hurt her. When Joanna heard this, she became even more worried. ¡°How is this possible? I heard from Jay that Cassius is not their biological brother at all and they¡¯re not blood- rted.¡± Chapter 977 Chapter 977 Chapter 977 ¡°Even if they¡¯re from the same mother, they might still fight ferociously. Moreover, they¡¯re not even blood-rted.¡± Joanna sighed sadly from the bottom of her heart. Indeed, even some siblings of the same father and mother would not hesitate to fight for property. For example, her rtionship with Roxanne, Ryan and the others was even worse than strangers. When Bruce heard this, he could only pat her shoulder tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. It¡¯s useless to be anxious now.¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, how about we call the police now?¡± ¡®What¡¯s the point of calling the police? I¡¯ve already called the traffic. superintendent. ¡°Besides, we don¡¯t know what Cassius¡¯s motive is now. We should wait until we get in touch with Jaydon. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Cassius came for Jaydon.¡± Joanna sighed deeply and said nervously, ¡°But I can¡¯t help but worry about Grace. ¡°She¡¯s a girl. What if¡­¡± Joanna swallowed back her words. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid or pessimistic. It¡¯s just a possibility. Even if she was really taken away by Cassius, Cassius might have done this to threaten Jaydon. ¡°Her life won¡¯t be in danger. You¡¯re so anxious now and you might even get sick from anxiety. She might be fine.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Oh, how did it end up like this? ¡°If anything happens to Grace, how am I supposed to face Jay?¡± ¡°Why are you feeling responsible for this? ¡°Even if something happened to Grace, it was Jaydon¡¯s fault. Who told him to go to Venturas without telling us? What does it have to do with us?¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but feel frustrated, and she was not in the mood to bicker with him. 11:14 ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Darcy and the others are already on it. ¡°They might have caught up with them by now.¡± Joanna pursed her lips. ¡°I hope so.¡± There was really no other way now but to pray and wait. On this side¡­ The ck car¡¯s license te was fake. Moreover, it was the peak hour. The road was very congested. The ck car turned into a few streets and then they abandoned the car to escape. When Darcy finally found the ck car, the car was already empty. Grace had already been moved. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯mte again. ¡°Why exactly did they kidnap Ms. Grace?¡± This time, they hadpletely lost track. They could only check the nearby surveince cameras to see who had taken Grace away. He had no choice but to call Bruce again. ¡°Mr. Everett. The ck car¡¯s license te is fake. We¡¯ve lost them.¡± When Bruce heard this, he choked. ¡°The car¡¯s license te is fake?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The ck car¡¯s license te is fake. They abandoned the car and fled on Culture Avenue. They changed the car and we lost them.¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll call the superintendent immediately and ask them to pull up all the surveince cameras nearby ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett. Please hurry. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°How is it?¡± Joanna was even more worried. ¡°There¡¯s no point in being anxious now. We have to take it one step at a time,¡± said Bruce. He had no choice but to call the superintendent again. At Mount Greenside. In an abandoned factory. Grace was dragged out of the car. Grace had already woken up. Looking at the man in ck in front of her, she was even more frightened. ¡°Oh, who are you? What are you doing? Let go of me¡­¡± ¡°Stop screaming. If you scream again, I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± 24 11:14 ¡°Let me go. Help! Help!¡± Grace shouted in panic. Bang! A young man knocked her on the neck again and she passed out. ¡°Ah!¡± Grace felt the pain and immediately fainted again. Then, the young man with a tattoo on his arm called Cassius¡¯s secretary. Beep, beep, beep¡­ The call went through quickly. ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°Mr. Lopaz, we only caught Grace. We didn¡¯t get Jaydon¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all a bunch of trash. You can¡¯t even do such a simple thing well. What¡¯s the use of hiring you guys?¡± Mr. Lopaz couldn¡¯t help but curse. When the young man who got scolded heard this, he did not dare to talk back. ¡°It¡¯s already very difficult for us to kidnap Grace. ¡°When we got there, Jaydon¡¯s daughter happened to not be in the ward. By the time we wanted to get her, someone had alreadye to block us.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Stop talking. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you only caught Grace. She can also be useful.¡± ¡°Okay. Then what should we do next?¡± ¡°Keep an eye on her and wait for Mr. Grimm¡¯s order.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then,¡± Mr. Lopaz said and hung up. After the call was hung up, a roguish young man asked, ¡°Johnny, what did Mr. Lopaz say?¡± ¡°Mr. Lopaz said we should keep an eye on that girl and wait for Mr. Grimm¡¯s instructions. Carry her into the house first.¡± ¡°Let me do it. ¡°Wow! This chick¡¯s skin is so soft and feels so good. And she¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡± The roguish young man could not help but pinch Grace¡¯s skin. A trace of viciousness appeared in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying. It¡¯s not like I really meant it. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s Mr. Grimm¡¯s sworn enemy¡¯s sister.¡± Chapter 978 Chapter 978 Chapter 978 ¡°Johnny, don¡¯t be angry¡­ Even if we really do something, Mr. Grimm won¡¯t me us.¡± ¡°Do you fucking know that we¡¯re doing serious business right now? Can¡¯t you take this seriously?¡± The young man with the tattoo on his arm suddenly raised his hand, wanting to kick hisckey. ¡°Skinhead, all you can think about is chicks. Will it kill you if you don¡¯t touch a woman for a day?¡± The hooligan named Skinhead couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Haha. Johnny, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m just saying. I¡¯ve never slept with such a high-ss woman before. I can¡¯t help but want to try her out.¡± Another hooligan nicknamed Rifle joined in the teasing. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s the daughter of a wealthy family. Although she¡¯s down and out now, she¡¯s still a high-ss chick. ¡°Look at that body and that pretty face.¡± Johnny red at them. ¡°I¡¯m warning you two. This is no ordinary woman. No one can touch her without Mr. Grimm¡¯s instructions. ¡°She is of great use to Mr. Grimm.¡± Skinhead could not help but feel impatient. ¡°Johnny, she¡¯s in aa now. She won¡¯t resist. Even if we do something to her, she won¡¯t know¡­¡± Bam, bam. Johnny pped Skinhead¡¯s head twice. ¡°Skinhead, I¡¯m warning you. Do not do anything rash. Hurry up and carry her into the house. ¡°Forget it. Leave her to me. I¡¯ll carry her,¡± Johnny said and took Grace from Skinhead¡¯s arms. Then, he walked into the dpidated house. With the beauty in his arms, Johnny could not help but take a few more nces. Although Grace was not like Joanna, who was a stunning beauty at first nce, she was definitely very eye-catching. She looked pure and innocent and was really attractive. Moreover, the youthful aura she exuded was exceptionally tempting to such hooligans. 11:15 These people were all gangsters and dared to do anything. However, she was the daughter of Grimm Group after all, so they didn¡¯t dare to do anything rash. After a while. Grace woke up from aa again. Looking around, she saw that she was in the wilderness and there were a few unfamiliar men in front of her. She was even more frightened. ¡°What is this ce? Who are you? Let me go.¡± Skinhead looked at her wretchedly. ¡°Gorgeous, don¡¯t be so afraid. We won¡¯t hurt you for the time being. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Grace panicked. ¡°Go away. Who told you to kidnap me? Is it Cassius? ¡°What is he trying to do? Just let me go.¡± Grace was so frightened that she started crying. She struggled and resisted in fear, and she had nowhere to run. The four or five hooligans in front of her were obviously not good people. In particr, there were two perverts staring at her and they were almost drooling. She was born with a silver spoon and had many servants attending to her needs since she was young. She was like a fragile little flower in a greenhouse and have never seen anything like this. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I said I won¡¯t hurt you. Hahaha.¡± ¡°Ah! Help! Help¡­ ¡°Don¡¯te closer. Don¡¯t youe closer!¡± Unfortunately, the more she resisted and feared, the more interested these people were. People ¡°You¡¯re so pretty. Don¡¯t be afraid, gorgeous! ¡°We¡¯re all very gentle. We won¡¯t do anything to you, okay?¡± Skinhead sounded like he wasforting her, but he was already reaching his wandering hands toward her. ¡°Then take your hands away and don¡¯t touch me! This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ah! Help! ¡°Jaydon,e and save me!¡± Grace cried in despair. 11:1 Seeing this, Johnny pped Skinhead and roared impatiently, ¡°Are you fucking crazy? Why didn¡¯t you listen to me? I told you not to mess around!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Forget it. When the rewardes, we can find any woman we want.¡± Another hooligan also persuaded. ¡°Haha. I didn¡¯t really do anything to her. I just touched her a little.¡± ¡°Piss off. Just tie her up. Don¡¯t let her escape.¡± ¡°Ah! No, no.¡± Unfortunately, this was the wilderness. Even if she shouted until her throat was hoarse, no one could come and save her. Darcy was about to go crazy from anxiety. Through the surveince cameras, he found that this group of people had gotten into another car. Then, they turned left and right and drove out of the surveince blind spot. After they changed the car a few times, they drove in the direction of Mount Rego and soon disappeared without a trace. The area of Mount Rego was all in the suburbs. It was arge deste mountain and upied a huge area. Even if everyone was mobilized, they might not be able to find them. ¡°What should we do? We¡¯vepletely lost them.¡± ? ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know where this group of people came from. You guys, go and investigate if anyone knows this group of people.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Carson immediately called the leaders of the gangs. The Everett family was a powerful force, so of course, they had connections in both the underworld and the legal circle. Now, they could only take screenshots of these people¡¯s photos and send them to the leaders of the gangs to see if they could find any clues. ¡°I¡¯ll call Mr. Everett now.¡± Bruce and Joanna were also anxious, especially Joanna, who was even more worried. Grace was Jaydon¡¯s only biological sister with the same father and mother. If something happened to her, Jaydon would be devastated. ¡°Why isn¡¯t there any news yet?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce uneasily. Chapter 979 Chapter 979 Chapter 979 Seeing Joanna be so anxious, Bruce frowned. He thought, ¡°There is nothing I can do. ¡°I can pull some strings and ask all the police officers and Special Duties Teams in Greyport to search for Grace. ¡°However, if so, too much information about me will be exposed. People may find out who I am. Once people know my identity, foreign secret agents wille to my family and children. ¡°That¡¯s too risky. I can¡¯t afford the result of doing so.¡± Therefore, Bruce said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do now. Given the state of things, waiting for Cassius to contact us is the best solution.¡± Hearing this, Joanna became even more anxious. She asked, ¡°But we can¡¯t contact Jay now. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. What should we do?¡± Bruce could not speak a word. He frowned and thought for a while, but failed to have a good n. Bruce thought, ¡°Waiting is the best solution now. I really can¡¯t figure out a better n.¡± Cassius had sent people to search for Jaydon in Venturas. Unfortunately, they could not find Jaydon even though they had searched every corner of Venturas. Mike reported solemnly, ¡°Mr. Grimm, we still can¡¯t reach out to Jaydon.¡± Cassius looked gloomy and murderous and cursed, ¡°Damn it. Find Jaydon no matter where he goes. You must force him to hand over what he has.¡± Cassius thought, ¡°Jaydon went to Yasmine¡¯s residencest night and took away Yasmine¡¯sputer. ¡°Jaydon must have something in his hand. He must be hiding somewhere now, waiting to give me a fatal strike. ¡°I have to snatch back the evidence in Jaydon¡¯s hands as soon as possible.¡± Mike asked, ¡°Then what about Grace? Johnny and the others are waiting for your instructions.¡± When Cassius heard that, he half-closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists tightly. Cassius ordered, ¡°Ask them to wait for my orders. Don¡¯t touch Grace until we have contacted Jaydon.¡± ¡°Okay, got it,¡± replied Mike. A day went past in the blink of an eye. Joanna still did not have any news about Grace and Jaydon. Joanna was so anxious that she was about to faint, crying, ¡°What should we do? ¡°If anything doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll go straight to Cassius. He must take Grace away.¡± Bruce sighed and said, ¡°Cassius won¡¯t admit it even if you go to confront him. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Do you think Cassius will admit it since you don¡¯t have proof?¡± Bruce thought, ¡°Besides, Cassius won¡¯t do it himself. He/must leave it to his subordinates. ¡°We have no evidence to testify against Cassius even if we ask the police to arrest him.¡± After hearing Bruce¡¯s words, Joanna was even more worried and uneasy. She asked, ¡°Then what should we do? We can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing, right?¡± Bruce answered, ¡°Darcy has called a guy named Rooster of the Star Gang. Rooster said some of his people know those who kidnapped Grace.¡± ¡°Then who are they?¡± asked Joanna. Bruce replied, ¡°They¡¯re just hooligans. Anyone can order them around with money. Rooster can¡¯t contact them either. ¡°Cassius must have bribed them¡­¡± Joanna sighed and said, ¡°Can you share something that I don¡¯t know? ¡°I also know Cassius did that, but what do we do to rescue Grace now?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds. Then he said, ¡°Eat something first. You have been worried for a whole day that you didn¡¯t eat anything today.¡± Joanna said, ¡°How can I be in the mood to eat? Those hooligans kidnapped Grace. If anything happens to her¡­ I can¡¯t imagine that.¡± Joanna did not dare to continue. She was afraid that her jinxed words woulde true. Then Joanna changed the topic and murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll send another 11:15 message to Jay to ask where he went.¡± [Jay, where are you? Grace is kidnapped. Reply once you read this message.] ¡°Swish!¡± Joanna sent the message on Messenger. Joanna had sent Jaydon more than a dozen Messenger voice messages and called him over ten times. Sadly, Joanna could not reach out to Jaydon. What Joanna could do for Jaydon now was to protect Patricia. Bruce suggested, ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go home first.¡± Joanna rejected, ¡°No, we should stay in the hospital! What if Jayes to the hospital?¡± Bruce sighed and said, ¡°Can you not be so nervous?¡± Seeing Joanna was so anxious, Bruce was frustrated and felt his heart ache for her. Joanna cared anything about Jaydon more than her matters. In the past, Bruce was always jealous when he saw Joanna cared so much about anything rted to Jaydon. Luckily, Bruce gradually felt less insecure after spending some time getting to know Jaydon these days. Bruce knew Joanna and Jaydon were really just friends, and Joanna was doing her best to repay Jaydon¡¯s kindness. Joanna said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Grace is Jay¡¯s only biological sister. I don¡¯t know how to face Jay if anything happens to Grace.¡± Joanna was at a loss and could not help but sigh. Joanna thought, ¡°Jaydon helped me a lot. I can never really repay Jaydon for what he did. ¡°Without Jaydon, my children and I won¡¯t be where we are today. ¡°When I experienced the most difficult times in my life, it was Jaydon who stood by me and helped me without asking anything in return. ¡°Now that Jaydon¡¯s sister is kidnapped, I can¡¯t sit back and do nothing.¡± Bruce could not figure out a better solution either. Thus, all he could do wasfort Joanna, ¡°Arge number of police officers and police dogs are out there to search for Grace on Mount Laypas and Mount Rego. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! There should be news soon!¡± Joanna replied, ¡°I hope we will receive some exciting news soon.¡± 11:15 Grace was in an abandoned mansion on Mount Rego. A wealthy family used to live in this mansion. However, this ce gradually became deserted since the descendants moved to the city. Skinhead gave the takeout to Grace and said, with a lecherous gleam in his eyes, ¡°Little beauty, here¡¯s something for you to eat!¡± Skinhead, like radar, was scanning Grace with his wretched eyes. Grace curled up on the ground in a terrible state. Her hands and feet were tied. She asked, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat it. I¡¯m begging you. Can you let me go?¡± Skinhead walked forward and handed a bottle of water to Grace, saying, ¡°Here. Drink some water first. Don¡¯t me us. We just follow the orders.¡± Grace mustered up courage and asked in fear, ¡°Who asked you to kidnap me? I don¡¯t have any money for you now. You won¡¯t receive anything if you lock me here¡­¡± Skinhead exined, ¡°We take the money and do our job. That¡¯s it. We don¡¯t care about anything else. ¡°Drink some water to stay hydrated!¡± Grace looked at Skinhead pitifully and pleaded, ¡°I¡­ I want to go to the washroom. Can you untie my hands? I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Rifle and Skinhead looked at each other when they heard Grace¡¯s request. Skinhead said, ¡°Well. She doesn¡¯t look like she is lying. Things will get tricky if she pees in her pants.¡± Rifle replied, ¡°Okay then. Take her to the washroom.¡± Skinhead showed a creepy smile. Then he carried Grace and untied her, saying, ¡°Little beauty, I¡¯ll untie you in seconds.¡± When speaking, Skinhead reached his hand into Grace¡¯s clothes and touched Grace¡¯s private parts. Grace panicked and cried, ¡°Ahh! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Skinhead said, ¡°Well. If you don¡¯t behave, I won¡¯t untie you.¡± Hearing this, Grace had no choice but to endure the humiliation. Then, she started sobbing in despair. Soon, Skinhead untied Grace and took her to a dpidated room at the back. Skinhead said, ¡°You can pee here.¡± 11:15 Grace sobbed and pleaded, ¡°Can you please turn around?¡± Skinhead replied, ¡°Rx. We won¡¯t peek at you.¡± Grace cried, ¡°Please! Turn around. I¡¯m embarrassed when you look at me like that.¡± Skinhead and Rifleughed when they heard Grace¡¯s begging. Then, Skinhead said, ¡°Huh. Lots of requests. Alright! We will turn around. Now hurry up and pee.¡± With that, Skinhead and Rifle turned around. However, they nned to peek when Grace was in the middle of her stuff. After confirming Skinhead and Rifle had turned around, Grace looked around. The windows of this dpidated room were rotten. Behind them was the dark wilderness. Chapter 980 Chapter 980 Chapter 980 Grace did not have time to figure out a n and tiptoed toward the window. Grace thought, ¡°Mountains are around the ce. As long as I can make it to escape from this abandoned mansion, they might not be able to find me if I hide in the dense forest.¡± Skinhead asked, ¡°Little beauty, are you done? ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t peek at you.¡± Half a minuteter, they did not hear the reply from Grace. The room was quiet. Skinhead and the Rifle sensed something went wrong and rushed into the room to check it. Skinhead cursed, ¡°Damn it. That girl ran away. Chase after her now!¡± The two of them panicked and immediately chased after Grace. Grace had not run far. She had no energy to run since she hadn¡¯t eaten anything for a day. ¡°She¡¯s there! Let¡¯s go! Stupid girl, stop right there!¡± Grace cried, ¡°Ahh! No! Don¡¯te over!¡± Grace panicked and stumbled into the distance. Sadly, she could not outrun the two strong men. Therefore, it only took Skinhead and Rifle minutes to catch up with Grace. Then, Skinhead grabbed the back of Grace¡¯s cor and dragged her to the ground. ¡°Trying to run away, huh? You know nothing about what¡¯s good for you. Now let¡¯s see where you can run to.¡± Skinhead then pounced on Grace. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Grace was frightened and struggled desperately, screaming, ¡°Ahh! No! No! Somebody helps!¡± Skinheadughed wildly and touched every part of Grace¡¯s body. Seeing this, Rifle could not stand it anymore. He said, ¡°Skinhead, that¡¯s enough. How can you really do that?¡± When speaking, Rifle grabbed Skinhead¡¯s cor and dragged him down from Grace. If Rifle did not stop Skinhead, Skinhead would definitely do it with Grace on the ground. Being dragged down, Skinhead was annoyed and angry, shouting, ¡°What are you doing? She is not your girlfriend. What about it if I do it with her?¡± Rifle asked, ¡°Do you dare to disobey Johnny¡¯s words?¡± Hearing this, Skinhead pursed his lips and forced himself to give up that idea. At that moment, Skinhead was about to lose control of himself. Skinhead used to self-deprecate that he was born to be a yboy. He even swore he would die on a woman if that day came. Skinhead warned, ¡°Stupid girl, I¡¯m telling you. If you run again, I swear I will do you.¡± Grace trembled in fear and cried, ¡°I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t run again.¡± Tears welled up in her eyes. At this moment, Grace wished her brother and Darcy could be here to protect her. Grace had been in rtionships and had sex with her boyfriends before. However, Grace¡¯s boyfriends were all gentlemanly, unlike these barbaric and rough hooligans. Grace could not take the humiliation and would break down if those hooligans took turns to have sex with her. Soon, Rifle carried Grace back to the mansion. After that, Rifle tied Grace up tightly again. Skinhead wanted to touch Grace badly. He said, ¡°What a pity. By the way, howe Mr. Lopaz hasn¡¯t contacted us? We¡¯ve been here for a day and a night. ¡°You guys stay here and watch her. I¡¯m going downtown to get a girl to release my urges.¡± Rifle could not help but make fun of Skinhead, ¡°You will die if you have a woman for a day, won¡¯t you?¡± Skinhead chuckled and replied, ¡°If I die in bed during sex with a girl, I will still be a yboy when I be a ghost. ¡°We are men. We are born to eat and have sex with women, aren¡¯t we? Otherwise, what¡¯s the point of living?¡± Skinhead could control himself if he did not touch Grace just now. However, Skinhead was turned on after he crawled up on Grace for a while. It was as if a wolf had smelled meat but had not eaten it. Skinhead was too horny to think now. Rifle said, ¡°Oh,e on. You must have been an animal in your previous life. How dare you leave while Johnny is not here?¡± Skinhead retorted, ¡°You and Sebastian stay here. You can keep an eye on that girl, can¡¯t you? ¡°I¡¯ll sneak out and sneak back.¡± Then Skinhead winked at the Rifle, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you two supper when I get back.¡± Rifle replied, ¡°Alright then. Come back quickly! Don¡¯t let Johnny know about it. Otherwise, he¡¯ll scold you again.¡± Skinhead said, ¡°Got it, got it. I promise I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Then he rode on his motorcycle, hummed a tune, and headed toward the town. Rifle was afraid that Grace would try to escape again. Thus, he red at Grace and threatened her fiercely, ¡°Girl, I¡¯m warning you. Do not mess around again. Otherwise, you¡¯ll see what we will do to you.¡± Sebastian asked, ¡°Rifle, why hasn¡¯t Mr. Lopaz sent instructions to us until now? ¡°It¡¯s been a day and a night. How much longer do we have to wait? This lousy ce is so gloomy that I may freak out if we had to stay here for another day.¡± Rifle said, ¡°How do I know? Here¡¯s your beer. Keep an eye on the girl.¡± The two of them each took a bottle of beer and started eating the instant. noodles. Sebastianined, ¡°Instant noodles taste awful. When will Skinheade back? ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m not eating anymore. I¡¯ll wait for Skinhead¡¯s takeout.¡± Hearing that, Rifle could not help butugh at Skinhead. He said to Sebastian, ¡°You are kidding me, aren¡¯t you? Waiting for Skinhead to bring you supper? ¡°How can Skinhead care about anything else when he¡¯s with girls?¡± Sam teased, ¡°That¡¯s true. Skinhead is the most lecherous man I¡¯ve ever met. He is as thin as a stick but is energetic for sex.¡± Riflemented, ¡°Skinhead is as thin as a stick because he empties his body. I think he¡¯ll be destroyed by a woman sooner orter.¡± As the two of them spoke, they could not help butugh. They agreed to let Skinhead go to the town because they were afraid that Skinhead would do Grace. Rifle thought, ¡°I know Skinhead well. He will make a mistake if we ask him to stay here and stare at Grace all night. ¡°If so, how do we exin that to Johnny when he¡¯s back? Thus, it¡¯s better to let Skinhead go to the town. Chapter 981 Chapter 981 Chapter 981 The next day, Bruce and Joanna woke up with dark shadows under their eyes. They had not slept for almost the entire night. So far, Grace had been missing for two days. Joanna anxiously said, ¡°There¡¯s still no news from Darcy or the police. What should we do now? ¡°Gosh, what should we do? Honey, do you think something has Original content from N?velDrama.Org. happened to Jay and Grace?¡± Joanna had dark circles under her eyes and was about to break down. Bruce looked gloomy and did not say a word. Bruce thought, ¡°Given the state of things, it¡¯s hard to say.¡± He started to be worried about Jaydon and Grace. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Joanna received a call from an unknown number. When she heard the phone ring, Joanna excitedly and quickly picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± Jaydon¡¯s weak voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me.¡± Hearing Jaydon¡¯s voice, Joanna finally sighed in relief. She said, ¡°Jay, where have you been? Why haven¡¯t I been able to reach out to you?¡± you?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m at Venturas now. I¡¯m doing okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Joanna cried, ¡°Oh my god, are you still at Venturas? Do you know Cassius¡¯ people are looking for you everywhere? ¡°Also, Grace is kidnapped. It¡¯s been two days now. I¡¯m about to die from anxiety.¡± Jaydon cried, ¡°What?¡± He was shocked and worried to learn that news. Joanna exined, ¡°The morning before yesterday, several men in ck broke into the ward and took Grace away. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I failed to protect them.¡± Joanna looked regretful. Joanna and Bruce only assigned two nurses to take care of them and did not ask bodyguards to stay there. They did not expect such an incident would happen. 10:35 Jaydon asked, ¡°Then what about Patricia?¡± Joanna quicklyforted Jaydon, ¡°Patricia is safe and sound. I¡¯ve already brought Patricia home. No worries about her safety.¡± Jaydon replied, ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Joanna asked, ¡°Jay, where are you now? I can ask Bruce to send some people to support you. No matter what, you shoulde over to Greyport first.¡± Jaydon exined, ¡°I have something important to do now. I can¡¯t go back for the time being.¡± Joanna reminded, ¡°Then be careful!¡± Jaydon said, ¡°I will. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± Joanna said, ¡°Hang on. How can we reach out to you? ¡°Also, Cassius has taken Grace away¡­¡± Jaydon interrupted, ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll call you again if needed.¡± With that, Jaydon hung up. After that, Jaydon dressed up and walked toward a Gitibank, taking the key from the document bag that Abigail gave him. Yasmine stored all the evidence of Cassius¡¯s crimes in a safe in that Gitibank. Cassius would be sentenced to death as long as Jaydon submitted the evidence to the court. After that, Jaydon made a call. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. ¡°Hello?¡± Jaydon said in a constricted voice, ¡°Hi, Cassius. It¡¯s me.¡± Hearing Jaydon¡¯s voice, Cassius raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Oh, Jay, you finally have time to call me. Huh. You are really something, aren¡¯t you? Jaydon snorted coldly, ¡°Cut the crap. Where did you take Grace? ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to do anything to Grace, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Cassius sneered and said sinisterly, ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯ll let Grace go if you hand over the thing in your hand.¡± Jaydon negotiated, ¡°Let Grace go first. Otherwise, I¡¯ll publicize all your 10:35 evidence.¡± Cassius suddenly raised his voice and shouted, ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t bargain with me. I hate it the most when people threaten me. Hand the evidence over to me now if you don¡¯t want your sister to die in a horrible state.¡± Jaydon asked coldly, ¡°Did you kill our aunt?¡± Cassius¡¯s eyes shed when he heard that. Jaydon said, ¡°Cassius, you¡¯re crazy. Why will Dad have a horrible son like you?¡± Cassius shouted, his lips trembling, ¡°Stop talking nonsense. I¡¯ll give you an hour to deliver what I want.¡± Jaydon retorted, ¡°In your dreams.¡± ¡°Jaydon, you make me do this. ¡°If you don¡¯t give the evidence to me, just wait to see your sister¡¯s dead body.¡± Jaydon cried, ¡°Cassius! Grace has viewed you as her brother for more than 20 years. You have no feelings, don¡¯t you?¡± Cassius shouted, ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t have feelings! ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to Grace if you hand the evidence over to me. Her life is in your hands now. How about this? I promise she¡¯ll be fine if you give me the evidence!¡± Chapter 982 Chapter 982 Chapter 982 ¡°I need to confirm if Grace is safe first.¡± Jaydon tried his best to sound calm. Cassius sneered and said meaningfully, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s very safe now. However, I¡¯m unsure what will happen to her if you continue to waste our time.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard the threat. A fierce look appeared on Jaydon¡¯s face. He grabbed the phone so tight that it was creaking. Jaydon would never give the evidence in his hands to Cassius. Giving the evidence to Cassius meant giving up the billion-dor inheritance provided by the Grimm Group. Even if Jaydon handed the evidence to Cassius and gave up the inheritance, his other siblings would probably not agree with this decision. Moreover, Cassius not only took the inheritance but also killed his father and aunt. Jaydon would not let such a criminal get away with it. Cassiusughed darkly and threatened, ¡°So? Are you still thinking about it? Grace is your biological sister. Think about it. Is your sister or money more important?¡± Jaydon fell silent. His brain was racing to figure out a solution. Half a minuteter, Jaydon still had not spoken a word. Seeing Jaydon did not reply, Cassius took a step back. Cassius said, ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. If you give the evidence to me, I¡¯ll let Grace go. I can also return all the properties under your name to you. ¡°In addition, I¡¯ll give you the Millego Group. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll give you 2 billion dors in cash. How can you be dissatisfied with these conditions?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Jaydon¡¯s expression darkened when he heard Cassius¡¯s condition. Jaydon replied, ¡°Give me some time to think about it.¡± Cassius snorted and said, ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t have the patience to wait for you for too long. Think about it. 2 billion dors and the Millego Group. This money is enough for you to spend for hundreds of years. You can¡¯t receive this amount if the inheritance is divided ording to Dad¡¯s will.¡± Jaydon said in a constricted voice, deliberately pretending to waver, ¡°What about the other siblings? What did they say?¡± 10:36 Hearing this, Cassius reacted like he had listened to a hrious joke. Heughed maniacally and said, ¡°Hahaha. Jaydon, you¡¯re a big fool. ¡°To put it nicely, you¡¯re kind-hearted. To put it bluntly, you¡¯re the stupidest fool in the world. ¡°You think for other people. However, have they ever thought for you? ¡°God save those who think for themselves. Do you know that? Here¡¯s the logic. The inheritance is like a cake. Two people eat it, and both of them will be full. However, do you think ten people share the cake and each of them will be full?¡± Jaydon pretended to negotiate with Cassius, saying, ¡°I want to hear Grace¡¯s voice first. I need to confirm her safety.¡± Jaydon did need to make sure his sister was safe. Secondly, he had to stall for time by negotiating with Cassius as much as possible. Jaydon continued, ¡°I won¡¯t give you the evidence if I can¡¯t talk to Grace. What if you change your mind after I give you the evidence?¡± Cassius quickly promised, ¡°I swear I won¡¯t. As long as you give me the evidence, I will give you everything that I have mentioned before.¡± Cassius thought, ¡°All I want is the evidence in Jaydon¡¯s hands. ¡°I still have the biggest proportion of the inheritance even if I give Jaydon 2 billion dors and the Millego Group.¡± Jaydon pondered for a few seconds. Then he replied, ¡°I want to hear Grace¡¯s voice now. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not satisfied with the amount. I want 10 billion dors, the Millego Group, and Dad¡¯s residence. I don¡¯t want anything else.¡± Hearing Jaydon¡¯s words, Cassius revealed a trace of sinisterness and deviousness in his eyes. He said, ¡°Well, well. Jaydon, you ask for too much. ¡°I¡¯ve read Dad¡¯s will. Even if we divide the inheritance ording to Dad¡¯s will, you won¡¯t get that much.¡± It was true. Tim was a yboy but did his best to treat his children equally. Tim¡¯s will stated that Jaydon would be the chairman of Grimm Group, and his other children would be entitled to receive the inheritance. Tim divided his current assets and cash into fifteen portions. Jaydon could take 20 percent of it, and each of the other children took 10 10:36 percent. Cassius was on the list and could take 10 percent. The Grimm Group was deep-pocketed. Cassius would receive over 2 billion dors even if he could only take 10 percent of the inheritance. Tim treated Cassius very nicely. Jaydon would receive over 6 billion dors since he was the eldest son. Based on the proportion, Tim did not give too much preference to Jaydon. However, men were always greedy. Compared with 40 billion dors, 2 billion dors instantly became a small number. Jaydon said, ¡°Cassius, no more talking. You know very well how much money Dad left for us. ¡°Even if I get 10 billion dors, it¡¯s only one-third of it. You still have much more money than me. ¡°You taught me the lesson just now. Let¡¯s have a win-win game. ¡°This is a big cake. If we eat it together, you¡¯ll have 70 percent, while I¡¯ll have 30 percent. You are still the winner.¡± Jaydon deliberately pretended to get more benefits and negotiate with Cassius about conditions. In fact, Jaydon would bring Cassius to justice even if Jaydon could not get a cent. But now, Jaydon had to negotiate to stall for time. Cassius gasped. Then he gritted his teeth and offered, ¡°4 billion dors. No more.¡± Jaydon refused to give in and said, ¡°10 billion dors, not a single cent less.¡± Cassius warned, ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t push me. If you push me too far, you will see Grace¡¯s dead body sooner orter.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and pretended to be okay with it. He said, ¡°Hmph. Cassius, this is what you taught me. God save those who think for themselves. ¡°10 billion dors and a sister? Of course, I choose 10 billion dors.¡± When Cassius heard this, he frowned and gritted his teeth in anger. His nostrils became bigger as he inhaled more air. Cassius thought, ¡°Jaydon is right. Some people would sell their children for thousands of dors, not to mention 10 billion dors. Besides, that¡¯s Jaydon¡¯s sister. If it were Jaydon, I wouldn¡¯t care about my sister¡¯s life.¡± 10:36 Cassius replied, ¡°No, 10 billion dors is too much. ¡°Besides, most of Dad¡¯s inheritance is fixed assets. There¡¯s not that much cash.¡± Cassius paused for a moment. Then he gritted his teeth and took another step back. ¡°6 billion dors. This is myst offer. Don¡¯t be too greedy, Jaydon. Coupled with Dad¡¯s mansion and the Millego Group.¡± After saying that, Cassius felt so sad to see his money go that he gritted his teeth tightly. Cassius added, ¡°You won¡¯t get so much money if we divide the inheritance ording to Dad¡¯s will.¡± Tim had seven sons, five daughters, a younger brother, and two younger sisters. Tim¡¯s assets were divided into 15 portions. Jaydon took 20 percent while each of the other children took 10 percent. The remaining 20 percent was distributed to Tim¡¯s younger brother and two sisters. Jaydon frowned and considered it for seconds. He thought, ¡°This is the end of the negotiation. If I continue to negotiate with Cassius, the deal -will go bad.¡± Thus, Jaydon said, ¡°Deal. However, I want to hear Grace¡¯s voice first. ¡°Also, I want you to transfer the assets to me. In addition, I need you to hold a press conference to officially announce it. Oh, wait. I also need you to write a statement. Otherwise, I can¡¯t do nothing to you if you break your word.¡± Cassius replied, ¡°Rx. You also said it just now. It¡¯s a win-win game. Since I¡¯ve agreed to the conditions, I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°So be it! Now let me hear Grace¡¯s voice.¡± Cassius paused for a while. Then he said, ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Chapter 983 Chapter 983 Chapter 983 After hanging up the phone, Jaydon was nervous and sweated a lot. Jaydon thought, ¡°I¡¯m not agreeing to Cassius¡¯s conditions. I said those words to buy me some time.¡± Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Jaydon called Joanna immediately after finishing the negotiation with Cassius. Joanna heard the phone ring and immediately picked it up. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Joann, is Bruce there?¡± Now, Bruce was the only one who could help Jaydon. Jaydon was unwilling to beg Bruce for help. However, turning to Bruce was Jaydon¡¯s only choice at the minute. Hearing Jaydon¡¯s request, Joanna subconsciously nced at Bruce and quickly nodded, replying, ¡°Yes, Bruce is right beside me.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Then put him on the phone. I need his help right now.¡± Joanna replied, ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Then she quickly handed the phone to Bruce. Joanna said, ¡°Jay wants to speak to you.¡± Bruce pursed his lips slightly. Then he took the phone and answered, ¡°Hello.¡± Jaydon¡¯s tone was solemn. ¡°Bruce, this is Jaydon.¡± Bruce replied straightforwardly, ¡°Yeah, I know. If you need anything, just say it.¡± Jaydon replied, ¡°I¡­ I need your help now.¡± He had no other choice but to beg for Bruce¡¯s help now. Bruce frowned and said, ¡°Tell me.¡± His expression was cold, and he kept themunication brief. Jaydon paused. Then he said, ¡°I called Cassius just now. He has Grace. ¡°I have evidence that can be a fatal strike to Cassius. However, he forces me to hand over the evidence by taking Grace¡¯s life to threaten me.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard that. Jaydon continued, ¡°I have no choice but to pretend to agree to Cassius¡¯s conditions. I asked Cassius to let Grace talk to me, so I can confirm she is 10:36 safe.¡± Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. As they were talking, Jaydon received a call from Cassius. Jaydon was holding two phones. He used one to speak to Bruce while he nervously looked at the call from Cassius on the other phone. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Bruce said, ¡°Just tell me how you want me to help you.¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart was beating fast. He said quickly, ¡°Cassius is calling now. Bruce, when I talk to Grace, I need you to trace the call and get Grace¡¯s location.¡± Bruce agreed readily, ¡°No problem.¡± Jaydon had no time for hesitation. He plucked up the courage and implored, ¡°Also, after getting Grace¡¯s location, please immediately send your people to rescue Grace.¡± Bruce replied decisively, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange it now.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Bruce called Mark immediately after finishing the talk with Jaydon. Mark asked, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett. What can I do for you?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°Track the location of a phone call for me right now.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett, please give me the phone number.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll send it to youter!¡± ¡°Noted.¡± With that, Bruce hung up. Bruce required his people to be prepared for his call at any time. Besides, Bruce was bad-tempered. Thus, those who worked for Bruce could not ck off for a minute. Mark quickly turned on hisputers and was ready to track the location of the phone call at any time. Then, Jaydon answered Cassius¡¯s call and put it on speaker so Bruce could hear the conversation. ¡°Hi, Cassius.¡± Cassius¡¯s suspicious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Why takes you so long to answer the phone?¡± 10:36 Jaydon exined, ¡°Nothing. My phone was charging just now. Where¡¯s Grace?¡± ¡°Listen.¡± Cassius also held two phones. Then, he put the other phone on speaker. Jaydon and Bruce focused their attention and did not even dare to breathe too loud. Jaydon said, ¡°Hi, Grace. How are you?¡± Grace¡¯s terrified, desperate, and weak voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Jaydon? Jaydon, is that you? This is Grace, Come and save me.¡± Jaydon asked, ¡°Grace, are you safe now? Did you get hurt? ¡°Where are you now?¡± Grace replied, ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯m so scared now. I don¡¯t know where I am. Come and save me. Please!¡± Jaydon was heartbroken when hearing his sister¡¯s terrified and desperate crying. He quickly sent Cassius¡¯s phone number to Bruce via text message. Jaydon asked, ¡°Where are you now?¡± Grace answered, ¡°I also want to know where I am. Mountains all around here¡­¡± ¡°Beep. Beep. Beep.¡± Before Grace could finish, Cassius hung up the phone. Cassius said gloomily, ¡°See? Grace is very safe now. You¡¯ve heard her. You can rx now.¡± Jaydon tensed up and did not know how to hold Cassius a little longer. Bruce sent the number to Mark immediately after receiving it from Jaydon. Jaydon frowned tightly and said, ¡°Alright. Now let¡¯s talk about how we do this trade.¡± Jaydon thought, ¡°All I can do now is to do my best to hold Cassius. ¡°I hope Bruce can find where Grace is by tracking the phone call and immediately send people to save her. ¡°However, I know very well that Cassius was calling another person when he called me. 10:36 ¡°Therefore, Grace is definitely not by Cassius¡¯s side. ¡°Bruce can only find Cassius¡¯s location by tracking the call from Cassius. ¡°So, I had to do something to buy Bruce more time.¡± Chapter 984 Chapter 984 Chapter 984 Meanwhile, Mark had immediately activated phone tracking. ¡°Mr. Everett, the location of the phone has been located,¡± Mark said. ¡°Where is it?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°It¡¯s at Venturas,¡± Mark said. ¡°At Bersachee Hotel.¡± Bruce was at a loss for words. He frowned when he heard that. ¡°This location is obviously wrong,¡± he thought. Although he did not know Grace¡¯s current location, he was certain that she was still in Greyport. Moreover, he had just heard Grace say on the phone that she was surrounded by mountains. It was obvious that the location of the phone that had been tracked was Cassius¡¯s location. Bruce shifted his eyes and thought for a while. ¡°Mark, help me check this number immediately,¡± he said. ¡°Find out whom this person talk to on the phone in the past hour. ¡°Locate the numbers that have been in contact with him. If you find any location near Mount Rego in Greyport, give me the address immediately.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett,¡± Mark said. Mark immediately activated hacker tracking. In less than a minute, Cassius¡¯s phone call records were traced, ¡°Mr. Everett, this number made five calls within an hour,¡± Mark said. ¡°Alright,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Locate all five calls. Check if there are any locations near Mount Rego and Mount Laypas. If there are, send them to me immediately.¡± ¡°Got it! Mark replied. He immediately initiatedprehensive tracking. He tracked the phones of the people who had spoken to Cassius again. Soon, Mark located Grace¡¯s position through a series of tracking methods. ¡°Mr. Everett, the location is found,¡± Mark said. ¡°There¡¯s an abandoned old house on Mount Rego. ¡°There are two more phone locations. One is on Red Street, and the Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. 10:36 other is at Haryna Mall.¡± Upon hearing that, Bruce immediately deduced that Mount Rego¡¯s location must be where Grace was located. He was such an intelligent person, and his brain was truly more developed than that of the average person. He could instantly figure out details that others overlooked. He would then be able to make quick judgments. ¡°Send me this location,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Alright,¡± Mark said. After the location was sent, Bruce immediately called Darcy. ¡°Beep. Beep.¡± At the other end of the line, Darcy¡¯s voice sounded a little hoarse. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett,¡± he said. ¡°Darcy, I¡¯ve found Grace¡¯s location,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Bring people over to save her immediately.¡± Darcy was stunned upon hearing that. He said excitedly, ¡°What? You¡¯ve -found Ms. Grace¡¯s location?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll send it to you now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Darcy said. He had been restless. Now that he heard Bruce mention that Grace¡¯s location had been found, he felt as if he had been injected with adrenaline. Soon afterward, Bruce sent him Grace¡¯s location. After Darcy received the location, he immediately gathered a group of bodyguards and rushed toward the abandoned old house on Mount Rego. Bruce looked calm andposed after finishing the call. Joanna was still puzzled. She did not know what arrangements had been made. ¡°Hubby, how is it?¡± she said. ¡°What did Jay tell you? ¡°You just called Mark. Whose location you want to check?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Bruce said as he called Mark to inform him. Mark was both his special assistant and thepany¡¯swork engineer. In the past, he used to determine Joanna¡¯s location through phone tracking. He did it urately every time. It was all thanks to Mark. 10:36 ¡°Hubby, what did Jay say?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Have you found Grace¡¯s location?¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce could not help but rub Joanna¡¯s head. ¡°Jeez, my precious wife, can you sit still?¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re moving around too much. It¡¯s making me feel dizzy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯m here. ¡°We¡¯ve already found Grace¡¯s location. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry over and save Grace then,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Haha, my dear wife, don¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± Bruce said. ¡°If you go, can you be of any help?¡± Joanna was at a loss for words. She choked up. Indeed, she would not be of much help if she went. Chapter 985 Chapter 985 Chapter 985 Jaydon and Cassius were still engaged in intense negotiations. Cassius said, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve heard Grace¡¯s voice, you can feel relieved. ¡°Hurry up and give me the evidence. I¡¯ll get someone to let her go immediately.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and said, ¡°No. I want you to release Grace first. ¡°As long as you release Grace, I¡¯ll definitely give it to you.¡± When Cassius heard this, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience anymore. There¡¯s a limit to my patience. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. As long as you hand over the evidence, I¡¯ll definitely let her go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not testing your patience,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to safeguard my interests. What if I give you the evidence and you go back on your word? ¡°There are so many assets. I don¡¯t think that you will readily give them to me. I need to see the money first before considering giving you the evidence.¡± Jaydon could only suppress his anger and constantly emphasize his interests. Cassius rolled his eyes. He replied angrily and helplessly, ¡°I said I won¡¯t go back on my word. That means I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± ¡°Verbal promises are not trustworthy,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°How can I then believe you based on what you said? You need to take some concrete actions so that I can see your sincerity.¡± Cassius was left speechless. Upon hearing this, he gritted his teeth. He really wanted to crush Jaydon into ashes right then and there. ¡°What do you want then?¡± Cassius said. ¡°Release Grace first,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Then, hold a press conference to announce that I¡¯m the new director of Millego Group. After that, transfer the 10 billion dors worth of assets to my name. I¡¯ll then give you the evidence.¡± Cassius tried his best to suppress his anger. He said, ¡°Haha. What if I fulfill your demands, and then you go back on your word?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°As long as you agree to my demands, I¡¯ll give you the evidence. Like you said, we can only be full if a cake is eaten by two people. 175 Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. 10:36 ¡°I just want to get what I want, and I don¡¯t care about others.¡± Jaydon was trying to strategically make a temporary concession in order to gain greater advantages. He was trying his best to deal with Cassius. Now, the two of them were engaged in an intense psychological game. The first person that compromised would be considered the loser. Of course, Jaydon would not let Cassius off. Cassius had caused the deaths of their father and aunt. He had also acted ruthlessly against his other siblings and forced them into desperate situations. Jaydon certainly wanted to seek revenge for them. Seeing that Jaydon was determined, Cassius could only make apromise. ¡°How about this?¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s both make apromise. ¡°As you know, transferring arge amount of funds and changing the ownership of apany take time. ¡°I can hold a press conference first and publicly announce that you¡¯re a director of Millego Group. In addition, I¡¯ll provide you with a promissory note of 10 billion dors, and I¡¯ll get awyer to notarize it. This way, you¡¯ll be able to trust me, right?¡± Cassius¡¯s patience had reached its limit. At the moment, he only wanted to get the evidence back as soon as possible. Otherwise, not only would his reputation be ruined, but he would also be imprisoned. Although neither Venturas nor Greyport imposed the death penalty, he still had to suffer life imprisonment. He had worked so hard to stand at the top of the pyramid. He would never let anyone shake his position. ¡°Okay, but you have to release Grace first,¡± Jaydon said. He still insisted and refused to back down. His only concern now was his sister. As long as his sister was safe, he would immediately hand over the evidence of Cassius¡¯s crimes to the police. The folder given to him by Yasmine contained all the incriminating evidence of Cassius¡¯s crimes, as well as Tim¡¯s handwritten will. Each piece of evidence was powerful enough to severely damage Cassius¡¯s reputation and lead to his downfall. 10:36 Cassius was very angry, so much so that he felt his lungs were about to explode. He lost control of his emotions and could not help but be hysterical. He said, ¡°Give me the evidence first, and I¡¯ll release Grace immediately. ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯ve run out of patience. Either give it to me immediately, or we¡¯ll both go down in mes. ¡°I¡¯m the chairman of Grimm Group now. If you push me too far, you can forget about getting any money. ¡°I¡¯ll donate all Grimm Group¡¯s assets to the National Foundation before I go to prison. At that time, you won¡¯t get a single cent¡­¡± Jaydon sneered and said, ¡°Up to you then. ¡°Since you said so, there¡¯s no need for us to continue this conversation.¡± He was certain that Cassius would never do that. ¡°Jaydon, do you really want to push me to go down in mes?¡± Cassius said. ¡°Would you believe me if I were to tell you that I could kill your sister right now? Think carefully. She¡¯s your only biological sister.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go down the mes with you,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Win-win cooperation is the way to go. ¡°I have no other requests. I just want you to release Grace first. Then, just give me what I want, and that¡¯s all. It¡¯s you who have been unwilling topromise.¡± After venting his emotions, Cassius¡¯s rationality took over again. He said, ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯ve already compromised this much. Don¡¯t push your luck. ¡°I promise you. As long as I get the evidence, Grace will definitely be safe. The money you want will be transferred to your ount in full without any deduction.¡± Currently, Grace was his only bargaining chip. If Jaydon went back on his word, Cassius would be in big trouble. Therefore, until he got the evidence, he would never release Grace. Jaydon knew that Cassius would not release Grace unless he received the evidence. Jaydon was just trying to stall for time. ¡°Cassius, I won¡¯t give it to you until Grace returns,¡± he said. ¡°If that¡¯s what you are saying, there¡¯s no room for negotiation then, right?¡± Cassius said. His voice suddenly turned sharp. There was a sense of aggression and hostility. 10:37 Jaydon lowered his head and looked at his watch. His heart was racing. He kept praying silently in his heart, hoping that Bruce would be able to locate his sister in time and save her. All he could do now was to buy time as much as possible. ¡°It seems that if I don¡¯t get serious with you, you will think I¡¯m a pushover,¡± Cassius said. ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t regret it, okay?¡± As he spoke, Cassius immediately called Mike. Mike answered the call and respectfully said, ¡°Mr. Grimm, please give your orders.¡± Cassius said fiercely, ¡°Teach that bitch a lesson immediately.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, to what extent should I teach her a lesson?¡± Mike asked. ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t get killed, you can teach her a lesson in any way,¡± Cassius said. His face was gloomy. ¡°It seems that if I don¡¯t y hardball, I can¡¯t control Jaydon, let alone make himpromise,¡± Cassius thought. ¡°Alright, Mr. Grimm,¡± Mike said. He immediately called Johnny. ¡°Cassius, don¡¯t you dare,¡± Jaydon said. He felt a sudden tightening in his chest. Now, he could only ce all his hopes on Bruce. Of course, he was just taking a gamble. ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning,¡± Cassius said. ¡°The best part is yet toe! ¡°I¡¯ll give you half an hour to think about it. After half an hour, I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen to your sister. ¡°In less than an hour, I¡¯ll have someone cut off one of her fingers.¡± ¡°Cassius, you crazy and heartless piece of shit,¡± Jaydon said as he gripped the phone in his hand tightly. Cassius said, ¡°You made me do this. ¡°Your sister¡¯s life is in your hands now. Don¡¯t take too long to consider. The longer you think, the more torture she will suffer.¡± When Jaydon heard this, the sweat on his head kept flowing. He had always been a warm and soft- hearted man. Naturally, he would not risk his sister¡¯s life. ¡°Alright,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°I agree to your demand. I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Chapter 986 Chapter 986 Chapter 986 Jaydon paused for a moment. He then reiterated his conditions. ¡°However, I want you to immediately hold a press conference and announce that I¡¯ll be serving as the director of Millego Group,¡± he said. ¡°On the 10 billion dors that you promise to give me, you are to prepare a promissory note and have it notarized by awyer. You have to transfer the money to my ount within a week.¡± Cassius said, ¡°Sure. ¡°But the 10 billion dors cash won¡¯t be avable that quickly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we have to take it one step at a time,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Grace. After the press conference, I¡¯ll definitely give it to you.¡± When Cassius heard this, he could not help butugh coldly. He said, ¡°Haha. Do you think I¡¯m stupid? You¡¯re still ying tricks with me? You think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, huh?¡± A press conference would take at least a few hours. It was obvious that Jaydon was stalling for time. ¡°Jaydon, stop acting like a tricky smartass,¡± Cassius said. ¡°Stop stalling for time. I¡¯ll give you half an hour. If I don¡¯t see the evidence, you¡¯ll definitely regret it! ¡°I¡¯m going to let your sister suffer a little first. Consider it an appetizer for you. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± A snap could be heard after Cassius finished talking. He immediately hung up the phone. At Mount Rego, Johnny looked at Skinhead and Rifle with a serious expression upon receiving Mike¡¯s call. ¡°Johnny, what did Mr. Lopaz say?¡± the two of them said as they looked at Johnny eagerly. They had been trapped here for two days. They had not received any instructions. They had long gotten impatient as they waited. Johnny nced at Grace, who was beside him, and said, ¡°Mr. Lopaz just called and asked us to teach this girl a lesson.¡± I 10:19 Upon hearing this, they instantly became very interested. ¡°What kind of lesson?¡± they asked. Bullying others could be addictive. Heartless thugs like them loved to derive pleasure from bullying others. They especially enjoyed seeing the victims desperately making a plea for mercy. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Mr. Lopaz said as long as she doesn¡¯t get killed, we can teach her a lesson in any way,¡± Johnny said. ¡°Teach her a lesson in any way?¡± Skinhead and Rifle said. They were so excited that their eyes lit up and they almost drooled. Looking at such a young and beautiful girl in the past two days, they had long drooled over her and itched to do something to her. Now that they received the order, they immediately rushed to Grace¡¯s side. Skinhead hastily hugged Grace and said, ¡°Hey, little beauty. Let me give you some pleasure.¡± Grace¡¯s hands and feet were tied. She could not break free at all. She screamed in fear. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡± Skinhead smiled with a lewd expression. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t scream so loudly. I¡¯m very gentle. I¡¯ve touched more women than you¡¯ve ever seen. I won¡¯t harm you. Neither will I hurt you. ¡°As long as you cooperate, I will make sure you will never forget me for the rest of your life.¡± Upon saying that, Skinhead could not wait to touch her. ¡°Ah! Help! Don¡¯t touch me. Don¡¯te over¡­¡± Grace shouted at the top of her lungs. Her voice was hoarse. She was in an extreme state of physical exhaustion. However, she still struggled with all her might. ¡°Skinhead, why are you in such a hurry?¡± Rifle said. ¡°Look, you scared the beauty. You should let Johnny have fun with her first.¡± Upon hearing that, Skinhead had no choice but to restrain himself and let go of Grace resentfully. ¡°Well, Johnny, please go ahead,¡± he said. Johnny nced at Grace and lit a cigarette with a heavy heart. ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± he said. 10:191 With that, he walked out of the house. ¡°Being lustful can bring oneself problems,¡± he thought. As the leader of the thugs, he kept himself clear-headed at all times. Skinhead said, ¡°If Johnny doesn¡¯t want, I¡¯m going to help myself then¡­¡± As he spoke, he could not wait any longer. He pounced again. When Rifle saw this, he looked displeased. ¡°What right do you have to go first?¡± he said. ¡°Everybody knows that the first person that eats a delicious dish always gets to enjoy it the most.¡± For the past two days, Skinhead had sneakily gone to the city to look for women. Rifle had long been displeased with him. ¡°Skinhead, you¡¯ve been having fun with women every day,¡± Rifle said. ¡°You¡¯ve long had enough fun. This time, let me go first. ¡°Let me taste this little beauty first.¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Skinhead said. Chapter 987 Chapter 987 Chapter 987 Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Skinhead said, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m a famous womanizer? ¡°I can let anybody go before me in anything, but not when ites to having fun with this beauty.¡± Skinhead was very domineering. He refused to let Rifle go first. Rifle gritted his teeth and quickly joined in. ¡°Let¡¯s go together then!¡± he said. ¡°Ah! Help¡­ Help¡­¡± Grace cried in even greater despair. Skinhead had already unbuttoned her blouse nimbly. Grace¡¯s hands and feet were tied, leaving her at the mercy of others. She looked like amb that was surrounded by two wild beasts. Her clothes were torn into pieces in an instant. The two jackals showed their ferocity. They looked as though they wished to swallow and skin her alive. Grace cried in despair. ¡°Help! Help!¡± ¡°Little beauty, save your energy,¡± Skinhead said. ¡°Don¡¯t shout. Let us show you affection. ¡°You¡¯ll enjoy it even more if you cooperate¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Jaydon,e and save me,¡± Grace said. ¡°Please. Please, don¡¯t do that¡­¡± Grace¡¯s crying made them even more keen in taking advantage of beautiful girls. Meanwhile, Darcy had already rushed over with his subordinates. ¡°Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.¡± More than ten well-trained bodyguards surrounded the old residence. ¡°Some of you go there, and a few others go to the left side,¡± Darcy said. ¡°Surround the old residence and block all escape routes from inside. ¡°And don¡¯t let anyone escape from here.¡± Darcy wore a serious expression as he ordered. ¡°Got it!¡± Then, Darcy led a group of people and quietly approached the old residence. 10:20 He was not sure how many people were there, but through infrared sensors, he roughly determined that there were four living beings there. This meant that there were at least four people inside. For Darcy and his team, this did not pose much of a threat, but they still had to be cautious and careful. ¡°Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.¡± Johnny was smoking at the dpidated door when he suddenly heard the sound of someone stepping on withered leaves. ¡°This ce has been abandoned for a long time,¡± Johnny thought. ¡°No one woulde here to y.¡± ¡°Somebody¡¯s here,¡± Johnny said. Johnny was highly alert. He immediately threw away the cigarette butt and pulled out his gun from his waist. ¡°Skinhead, Rifle, someone¡¯s here,¡± Johnny said. ¡°Little beauty¡­¡± Skinhead had already reached the crucial step and was about to taste the fragrance of the beauty. However, the back of his neck was suddenly grabbed by Johnny. ¡°Stop fucking messing around,¡± Johnny said. ¡°Someone¡¯s here. Hurry up and grab your weapons.¡± Skinhead was left speechless. He looked puzzled. However, he had also be alert. The three of them each found a favorable position and looked out of the house warily. ¡°Johnny, is it the police?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Be careful.¡± ¡°Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.¡± The footsteps were getting closer and closer. As they listened to the sound of the footsteps, they reckoned that there was more than one person. ¡°Mmm. Mmm. Help. Help!¡± Grace¡¯s mouth was covered. She could only squirm and struggle with all her might. ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound. If you dare to make a sound, I¡¯ll shoot you first.¡± Bang! There was a gunshot. One of the bodyguards was shot. Fortunately, Darcy was very experienced in dealing with such situations¡­ Before they set off, he had already ordered his subordinates to wear 10:20 bulletproof vests. ¡°Be careful. They have guns.¡± ¡°Oh no, Johnny. There are too many of them.¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t deal with them, let¡¯s retreat quickly!¡± ¡°Where can we retreat to? Their people are all over the ce.¡± Bang! Bang! Johnny had started shooting. ¡°Bang!¡± Several people kept shooting. Suddenly, mes from the gunshots illuminated the surroundings. It was very terrifying. ¡°Ah!¡± Grace was lying weakly on the ground in a sorry state. Her mouth was gagged with a ball of rags. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see¡­¡± Darcy immediately took off his uniform and covered Grace. Chapter 988 Chapter 988 Chapter 988 Darcy led the bodyguards to surround the old residence. They were all well-trained top-notch bodyguards. It would be easy for them to deal with a few hooligans. Rifle was shot dead on the spot, and Johnny was shot in the shoulder. Skinhead, who waspletely naked, cowered in a corner. He was trembling. Although he was not hit by a bullet, he was so frightened that he wet himself. When Skinhead saw Rifle ring with bloodshot eyes as he fell to Skinhead¡¯s feet, Skinhead was so frightened that his dder tightened and a pool of warm urine flowed down his thigh. ¡°Raise your hands. Whoever resists will be shot dead.¡± The bodyguards also surrounded them with guns. They trapped Johnny and Skinhead, looking as though they had brought both of them under control. Seeing that Darcy had brought people over, Grace¡¯s eyes were instantly filled with tears. She whimpered in grievance and fear. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Save me¡­¡± Darcy was shocked when he saw the scene in front of him. Grace¡¯s hands and feet were tied up. Her clothes were torn. She was lying on the ground in a weak and miserable state. Her youthful aura and well-proportioned figure caused one to be aroused. ¡°Ms. Grace,¡± Darcy cried out in distress and hurriedly took off his suit to cover Grace. ¡°Turn around!¡± Darcy ordered his subordinates in a stern tone. When the other bodyguards heard this, they quickly averted their gaze, not daring to stare at this enchanting beauty anymore. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Grace was still filled with lingering fear. She kept trembling. At this moment, seeing Darcy was like seeing a great hero. Grace thought, ¡°This is it. He¡¯s my man for the rest of my life. ¡°There will never be another man who can rece him.¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes were filled with distress and worry. He quickly wrapped 10:201 Grace in his suit. He was tall and had arge build, so his suit was naturallyrge. On the other hand, Grace¡¯s figure was petite and delicate. A single suit wasrge enough to cover her vital parts. ¡°Ms. Grace, you, um, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± Darcy said as he hurriedly pulled away the rag in her mouth and untied the ropes binding her hands and feet. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Why did it take you so long toe¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± Grace was like a frightened child. Without hesitation or concern for anything else, she nestled into Darcy¡¯s arms. If they hade anyter, she would really have been taken advantage of. Darcy¡¯s body tensed up. He did not dare to push her away. Neither did he dare to embrace her. After a long while, he stammered. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s alright now,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡± Carson had already started instructing the bodyguards. ¡°Tie them up,¡± he said. ¡°Darcy, what should we do now? Should we call the police?¡± Darcy had regained hisposure. He said, ¡°Bring them under control first and inform Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Grace hugged Darcy tightly and cried intensely like a pitiful child. She said, ¡°Why did it take you so long to save me? Boohoo¡­¡± Darcy was at a loss for words. His heart skipped a beat. There were some faint tears in his eyes. He wanted to say something tofort her. However, his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He could not say a word Darcy had always been a tough and resolute man. He was unyielding and firm. He really did not know how to say gentle andforting words. ¡°Ms. Grace, please don¡¯t cry anymore,¡± he said. ¡°Everything is alright now.¡± Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her head against. his neck. Warm tears rolled down his corbone, causing him to be 10:20 restless, unsettled, and unable to rx. This feeling was very strange. He felt uneasy, yet joyful at the same time. There was a sense of sadness, yet there was also a sense of excitement. All in all, it was a mixture of various emotions that made one¡¯s adrenaline surge. Beep. Beep. Beep. Carson called Bruce directly. ¡°Hello,¡± Bruce said. Carson said, ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Grace has been sessfully rescued. ¡°There are a total of three thugs. One has been killed on the spot, and the other two have been brought under control.¡± ¡°Is Grace alright?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Did she get hurt?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Carson said. ¡°It looks like she only has some minor external injuries.¡± When Bruce heard this, he lifted his eyebrows slightly and said, ¡°Great. Send her to the hospital for treatment. Bring the two thugs over.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Carson said. After hanging up, Cherron asked, ¡°What did Mr. Everett say?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett wants us to bring these two scumbags back,¡± Carson said. ¡°Okay.¡± A few bodyguards went forward and lifted up Johnny and Skinhead like they were little chicks. ¡°Ms. Grace looks very weak. She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.¡± When Darcy heard this, he brought his wandering mind to the present. ¡°Oh, right!¡± he said. As he spoke, Darcy had already carried Grace in a horizontal position. ¡°Quickly go and report to Mr. Everett,¡± Darcy said. ¡°I¡¯ll send Ms. Grace to the hospital.¡± After saying that, Darcy strode toward the exit. Carson and Cherron were at a loss for words. They looked at each other in surprise. After so many years, this was the first time they saw Darcy being so 10:20 concerned about a girl. ¡°Haha. Looks like the dull man who has been emotionally unresponsive for the longest time is finally going to have a girlfriend,¡± Cherron said. ¡°I hope so,¡± Carson said. ¡°If this emotionally unresponsive man doesn¡¯t start having romantic rtionships soon, he is going to decay.¡± ¡°But Ms. Grace looks like she¡¯s only in her early twenties,¡± Cherron said. ¡°Aren¡¯t they mismatched then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal if a man is more than ten years older than a woman,¡± Carson said. ¡°Besides, Darcy is still a virgin.¡± Carson spoke thest sentence very softly with a teasing tone. Cherron said, ¡°Pfft! ¡°Really? How is that possible? A ¡®virgin boy¡¯ in his thirties? Who would believe that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Carson said. ¡°He has never been in a rtionship, and he never goes out to drink and party. He might have wanked, but he has never gotten intimate with a woman.¡± ¡°Pfft. Haha¡­¡± Cherron could not help but burst outughing. On reflection, Cherron thought it was actually probable that Darcy was still a virgin. Darcy had been working for Bruce for at least ten years. He was Bruce¡¯s most capable confidant, and he was always on call round the clock. He rarely had the opportunity to interact with girls. Moreover, Bruce had a lot of issues. He had obsessivepulsive disorder and hated wickedness or wrongdoing. He could be a despicable person with no moral principles, but the people around him must all maintain high standards and good character. Therefore, his bodyguards were all cream of the crop. They had morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and beauty. At Sherane Bay Vi, after Bruce hung up, Joanna asked anxiously, ¡°Has Grace been rescued?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bruce said. ¡°She has been sent to the hospital for treatment. You can be relieved now¡± ¡°Is Grace alright?¡± Joanna asked. She was worried again. Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°She was just a little frightened,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. 10:20 ¡°Darcy has already sent her to the hospital. The thugs have also been caught.¡± ¡°d to hear that,¡± Joanna said. ¡°As long as Grace is fine, I¡¯ll be able to exin myself to Jay then.¡± Joanna still had lingering fears. She involuntarily patted her chest. Seeing her restless look, Bruce looked at her dark circles with heartache and said, ¡°Look at you. Worrying so much that you haven¡¯t slept for two days and nights. ¡°Others are fine, but you have dark circles. Quickly go get some sleep. Don¡¯t burn yourself out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Joanna said. ¡°You¡¯re still saying that you¡¯re fine,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Look at how dark your dark circles are.¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 989 Chapter 989 Chapter 989 Joanna was at a loss for words. She heaved a sigh of relief. A hint of relief finally appeared on her face. She said, ¡°I¡¯m really fine! ¡°Thank God, Grace is finally safe.¡± If Grace were to be harmed by those thugs, Joanna¡¯s conscience would be troubled for the rest of her life. Fortunately, Grace was in danger but ultimately unharmed. Joanna did not have to bear such a heavy psychological burden anymore. Joanna had just heaved a sigh of relief when she suddenly thought of Jaydon. She said, ¡°What about Jay? ¡°Hurry up and tell him the good news so he doesn¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Bruce frowned slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call him now.¡± ¡°Beep. Beep. Beep.¡± Meanwhile, Jaydon was anxious and distressed. He did not know what to do. Seeing a call from Bruce, he quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello,¡± he said. ¡°How is it?¡± Bruce¡¯s calm voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Your sister has been rescued and has been sent to the hospital,¡± he said. Jaydon was at a loss for words. Upon hearing this, his heart, which felt like it had been weighed down by a heavy burden, was instantly relieved. The hand that was holding the phone went from trembling at the beginning to being spasmodic now. He felt so grateful that he did not know what to say. After a long while, Jaydon then thanked him solemnly. He said, ¡°Bruce, thank you. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your help this time, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do. Anyway, how can I thank you¡­¡± Jaydon was so excited that he spoke incoherently. Now, he could deal with Cassius without any worries. 10:20 Upon hearing that, Bruce raised his eyebrows and smirked arrogantly. ¡°Enough of that!¡± he said. ¡°Hurry up and do your thing.¡± With that, he hung up without waiting for Jaydon to reply. Bruce had aplex personality. He was cold and arrogant. He also looked like the kind of person who would use people for his own benefit and subsequently discard them when they were no longer useful. In addition, he also looked like someone who would use any means necessary to achieve his goals. In actual fact, however, he was definitely the sort of person who would repay kindness. Even though he kept saying that he wanted to beat Jaydon to death, he would still help Jaydon at critical moments. Seeing that Bruce hang up so quickly, Joanna asked nervously, ¡°What did Jay say? ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to hang up? I haven¡¯t even heard what he¡¯s saying.¡± Joanna looked worried. Bruce looked at Joanna with a hint of jealousy and said, ¡°The matter has been perfectly resolved. Why do I still want to talk so much nonsense with him?¡± ¡°You can ask him if he needs any help or if there¡¯s anything we can do to assist,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Whatever,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Let him handle the rest himself.¡± He then leisurely sipped his coffee. Joanna was left speechless. She frowned upon hearing that. ¡°This damn guy is really despicable,¡± she thought. ¡°Can¡¯t you just help him and see things through to the end?¡± Joanna said. ¡°See things through to the end?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Should I help him until he goes to the afterlife?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes arrogantly and replied sulkily. ¡°Bruce, your mouth is really foul,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Can¡¯t you speak nicely?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce speechlessly. ¡°I¡¯ve already helped him solve the most difficult problems,¡± Bruce said. ¡°If he can¡¯t handle these remaining small issues, then he¡¯s not worthy of being called a man. If I were him, I would just die.¡± Bruce used his sharp tongue to mock Jaydon. 10:20 Joanna was left speechless. Bruce said, ¡°Okay. Okay. He can handle the rest of the matter on his own. ¡°If he can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll help.¡± As Bruce spoke, he could not help but be sarcastic again. He muttered under his breath, ¡°Sigh, when your old me is in trouble, you¡¯re more anxious than anyone else. ¡°If I were in trouble, I don¡¯t even know if you would be so anxious.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Joanna said. ¡°What are you mumbling about again?¡± Joanna looked displeased. ¡°This damn guy is being jealous again,¡± she thought. Bruce changed his expression instantly and chuckled at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said. ¡°What else can I mutter?¡± When Joanna heard this, she sighed helplessly. Then, she took the initiative to sit on hisp. She gently caressed his handsome face and said, ¡°Hubby, you did a good job these past few days. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I overlooked your feelings and made you jealous again.¡± Upon saying that, Joanna looked into his eyes affectionately. Then, she took the initiative to kiss his thin lips. ¡°In my heart, Jay is just a friend and someone that I am beholden to,¡± she said. ¡°My feelings for him are purely out of gratitude. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t be jealous of him. We¡¯re married now. We should trust each other and be understanding toward each other.¡± Upon hearing that, Bruce quickly denied it stubbornly. He said, ¡°I¡¯m not jealous! ¡°What ability does he have to make me jealous? ¡°He¡¯s ugly, dumb, and weak. He¡¯s also a yboy. Do I need to be jealous of him? ¡°He¡¯s not like me. I¡¯m handsome, smart, and have a great figure. I¡¯m also rich and dedicated. Can there be another perfect man like me in the world?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Joanna was left speechless. She muffled her voice as she made a choking sound, choking so badly that it felt like it could cause internal injuries. 10: ¡°This damn guy is either narcissistic or on his way to bing narcissistic,¡± Joanna thought. ¡°Why do you have such an expression?¡± Bruce said. ¡°Am I wrong? In your eyes, am I not a perfect man that is good and a man that has no equal?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were fixed on him. She immediately stood up from hisp. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Alright. I can¡¯t listen to this anymore. ¡°If I continue listening, my ears will go crazy!¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Bruce asked. Seeing that she was about to leave, Bruce reached out and pulled her into his arms again. Joanna noticed the intense passion in Bruce¡¯s eyes. She quickly said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m going to see the children. Stop fooling around!¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Bruce said. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy with the jerk¡¯s business for the past two days. You¡¯ve neglected my feelings. You have to make it up to me now.¡± Bruce¡¯s big hand started to get naughty. He was going to Melta soon. He did not know when he would be able to return, nor did he know if he would be able to return safely. Right now, he did not want to think about anything else. He just wanted to wallow in her tenderness. ¡°Jeez, stop fooling around!¡± Joanna said. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to¡­¡± Joanna quickly turned him down. She had not rested well for the past two days. Now, she was so tired that her eyes were struggling to stay open. ¡°And this damn guy is always full of energy,¡± she thought. Sometimes, she really could not handle it. Each time after getting intimate with Bruce, her entire body would feel sore and weak, as if she had climbed fifty floors. ¡°No!¡± Bruce said. ¡°You just said it yourself that you have neglected my feelings. ¡°Now, you have to be sensitive to my feelings¡­¡± After Bruce finished talking, he suddenly stood up and carried her like carrying a light doll.¡¯ He hoisted her upside down onto his shoulder. He was very tall. As Joanna was being carried on his shoulder, she screamed in fear, ¡°Ah¡­ Put me down. My head is spinning. My ribs are broken¡­¡± .15 10:20 Unfortunately, her resistance was futile. Soon, she was carried into the bedroom. With a click, the door was locked. Usually, no one dared to enter their bedroom other than the servants who cleaned the house. However, it was always locked to prevent the children from barging in. Darcy was at the hospital. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. He had quickly sent Grace here. After a round of examination and treatment¡­ ¡°Doc, how is Ms. Grace¡¯s condition?¡± Darcy said. ¡°Is she seriously injured?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already examined Ms. Grace,¡± the doctor said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing serious. She¡¯s just frightened, and her body is a little weak. ¡°She will need some time to rest and recuperate. We have already administered glucose to her.¡± Chapter 990 Chapter 990 Chapter 990 On the hospital bed, Grace gripped the hem of Darcy¡¯s shirt. She refused to let go. Darcy had no choice but to stay by her side all the time! Darcy said, ¡°Ms. Grace, rest well¡­¡± Grace felt a sour sensation in her nose. She looked at Darcy pitifully and said, ¡°Darcy, please don¡¯t call me Ms. Grace. Just call me Grace.¡± Darcy was at a loss for words. His eyes turned serious. His mind instantly went nk. ¡°Darcy, don¡¯t leave,¡± Grace said. ¡°Can you stay by my side? ¡°I¡¯m scared. Don¡¯t leave me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Darcy said. ¡°I¡¯ll always be with you. You can rest peacefully. With me around, I won¡¯t let anyone harm you again.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Grace said. She was touched. She nodded weakly and closed her eyes in relief. With Darcy by her side, she felt an unprecedented sense of security. Meanwhile, Cassius still did not know that Grace had already been rescued. Now, his emotions were in turmoil. He was restless. Even more so, he could not even guess what Jaydon would do next. He could only ce all his hopes on Grace. He hoped that he could use her to threaten Jaydon and make himpromise. He waited for another ten minutes. Cassius could not stay calm andposed any longer. He took the initiative to call Jaydon again. Beep. Beep. Beep. ¡°Hello!¡± Jaydon picked up the call. His voice was exceptionally calm, and he felt extremely confident. Cassius paused for a few seconds, trying his best to be in control of the situation. ¡°How is it?¡± he said. ¡°Have you thought it through?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through,¡± Jaydon said. Cassius was at a loss for words. He felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He was extremely anxious. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. 175 10.211 Jaydon said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say. I agree to your terms.¡± Upon hearing that, Cassius finally heaved a sigh of relief. He said, ¡°Haha. That¡¯s more like it! A wise man knows how to take action strategically in dealing with difficult circumstances.¡± ¡°Now you can hold a press conference and announce that I¡¯ll assume the position of chairman of Millego Group,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°In addition, prepare a promissory note of 6 billion dors and get awyer to notarize it.¡± Cassius was excited. He was afraid that Jaydon would go back on his word, so he immediately agreed. ¡°Great,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately get someone to inform all the media reporters.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Jaydon said, suddenly interrupting him. ¡°Why?¡± Cassius said. ¡°Are you going back on your word?¡± Jaydon said, ¡°I want you to hold the press conference at the square in front of Grimm Group¡¯s office. ¡°Also, inform all the senior executives of Grimm Group to be present.¡± Cassius was at a loss for words. His eyes turned serious. He felt a chill down his spine. Jaydon added, ¡°I¡¯m worried that you won¡¯t keep your word, so I want the senior executives of the company to witness it.¡± Cassius hesitated for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Deal. ¡°Where are you now? I can send someone to pick you up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there when the reporters and the senior executives are all present,¡± Jaydon said. Upon hanging up, Cassius quickly called Mike again. ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm,¡± Mike said. Cassius¡¯s throat tensed up as he said, ¡°Mr. Lopaz, hold a press conference immediately. Also, inform all senior executives of Grimm Group that they are to attend the press conference. ¡°The location is at the small square in front of Grimm Group¡¯s office.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mike said. After Cassius finished talking, he suddenly thought of something. ¡°Also, keep an eye on Grace, the wretched girl,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t let her escape. 10:21 ¡°Don¡¯t do anything to her anymore. Listen to my orders.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Mike replied respectfully. Now that the matter had not been settled, Grace was still his only bargaining chip. After hanging up, Mike called Johnny again and told him not to teach Grace a lesson. Beep. Beep. Beep. The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up. Johnny and Skinhead were tied up tightly. The two of them were brought to a small dark room by Bruce¡¯s bodyguards. ¡°Carson, there¡¯s a call from Mr. Lopaz,¡± Cherron said as he took Johnny¡¯s phone and handed it to Carson. Carson¡¯s face tensed up. He ced the phone in front of Johnny and said, ¡°Answer the call as usual. If you dare to leak out about the things that have happened, I¡¯ll immediately beat the shit out of you.¡± When Johnny heard that, he immediately nodded cooperatively. ¡°Got it,¡± he said. Then, Carson pressed the answer button and ced the phone beside Johnny¡¯s ear. Johnny steadied his breath and said as usual, ¡°Hello.¡± Mike¡¯s displeased voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Johnny, why did it take you so long to answer the phone?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, I just went out¡­ to pee,¡± Johnny said. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my phone.¡± Johnny tried his best to maintain hisposure, not daring to let Mike hear that something was amiss. ¡°What¡¯s the situation with that girl now?¡± Mike said. ¡°Just let her suffer a little and scare her. Don¡¯t cripple her.¡± ? ¡°Okay,¡± Johnny said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We only made her go hungry for a few meals. We didn¡¯t torture her much.¡± Mike was satisfied upon hearing that. ¡°Great,¡± he said. ¡°Continue to wait for further instructions.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Johnny said. After hanging up, Johnny said nervously, ¡°I¡¯ve done everything ording to your instructions. Can you let us go?¡± 10:21 ¡°We can¡¯t let you go now,¡± Carson said. ¡°Please, could you give us some water to drink?¡± Johnny said. Carson and the others ignored him. An hourter, at the entrance of Grimm Group, a makeshift podium had been set up at the small square. On the podium, there was a table and a microphone that was mounted on a stand. A red carpet was alsoid on the ground. After the reporters from various media outlets received the news, they rushed to the scene. Many reporters from far away also rushed over one after another. Below the podium, the senior executives of Grimm Group also appeared one after another. Seeing so many reporters at the scene, the senior executives felt nervous. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is there such a bigmotion?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard that Mr. Grimm has an important announcement to make. I don¡¯t know what it is.¡± ¡°I know, right? Why are there so many reporters here?¡± ¡°Looks like the announcement is very important¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm is here!¡± The senior executives stood in a respectful manner. With an elegant smile on his face, Cassius strode onto the podium under the protection of his bodyguards. ¡°Click. Click.¡± shlights kept shing. Not only were the reporters curious, but even the senior executives of Grimm Group were especially curious. A reporter at the scene could not help but ask, ¡°Mr. Grimm, what good news are you announcing today? ¡°I heard that Grimm Group will have a major change this year. Will you consider changing the business model of Grimm Group?¡± ¡°Everyone, please calm down,¡± Cassius said. He still looked elegant and dignified despite being vignt. People like Cassius had long learned how to manage their expressions. Whenever they faced the camera, they always looked as if they were wearing masks. Cassius said, ¡°I gather everyone here today to make a very important announcement. ¡°Starting today, my younger brother, Jaydon, will be the chairman of Millego Group. ¡°As for the future development of thepany, it will all be decided by him alone.¡± When the reporters and senior executives heard this, they were stunned. ¡°Ah! Why, though?¡± ¡°Could it be that Mr. Grimm suddenly has a change of attitude?¡± One had to know that some time ago, there were intense conflicts within Grimm Group due to unfair distribution of inheritance. There were intense legal battles and mutual usations between the parties involved. The biggest disputes were between Cassius and Jaydon, Both sides wanted to annihte each other. Chapter 991 Chapter 991 Chapter 991 Now, Cassius¡¯s attitude had changed 180 degrees. He actually announced that Jaydon was the chairman of the Millego Group. This reversal shocked everyone. ¡°Is Mr. Grimm crazy? Millego Group is the secondrgest profitable business under the Grimm Group.¡± ¡°Why would Mr. Grimm give such a valuable thing to someone else?¡± Cassius¡¯s trusted aides could not help but guess. Seeing the discussions and spections below the stage, Cassius suppressed the anger in his heart and said firmly, ¡°Recently, there have been numerous discussions and spections about the family disputes within Grimm Group. Many of you may have various guesses and questions. ¡°Here, I will officially rify to everyone that the Grimms have always been a harmonious and loving family.¡± As he spoke, Cassius nced at the people below the stage who were patrolling Jaydon. Jaydon really appeared. ¡°Mr. Jaydon is below the stage. Quickly invite our new chairman onstage.¡± Cassius¡¯s secretary, Mr. Lopaz, invited Jaydon onstage. ¡°Jaydon,e quickly.¡± Cassius tried his best to maintain a friendly expression as he smiled and waited for Jaydon to go on stage. Even though he was smiling, his eyes were filled with endless killing intent, and his heart was filled with extreme hatred. Millego Group was the secondrgest business under the Grimm Group. In addition, Cassius had to give Jaydon another 6 billion dors. Just thinking about this made Cassius feel overwhelming heartache. Now, it was just a temporary measure. When he obtained the evidence in Jaydon¡¯s hands, he would definitely cut off Jaydon¡¯s means of retreat and not leave him any way out. Below the stage. Jaydon¡¯s face was gloomy. Like a ferocious beast that was ready to attack, 10:16 he walked up the stairs step by step to the stage. ¡°Jaydon.¡± Cassius opened his arms in a friendly manner, indicating that he wanted to give him a hug. Jaydon just stared at him gloomily without any intention of hugging him. Today, he wanted everyone to witness the wickedness of Cassius. He also wanted to avenge his father¡¯s death in front of the Grimm Group. After a while. Cassius awkwardly retracted his expression and a trace of evil appeared in his eyes. ¡°Congrattions, Jaydon!¡± ¡°From now on, you will be the new chairman of the Millego Group. Everyone, please give him a round of apuse.¡± As he spoke, Cassius hugged Jaydon. Taking advantage of the hug, Cassius lowered his voice and said fiercely in Jaydon¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ve already announced it. You can rest assured, right? ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t y any tricks. Otherwise, your sister will end up in a terrible state.¡± Jaydon did not seem to have heard Cassius. He raised his hand slightly to silence the crowd and said, ¡°Everyone, please quiet down! ¡°Today, I have something even bigger to announce to everyone. ¡°This news will definitely not disappoint everyone.¡± Upon hearing this, the reporters started snapping photos again. ¡°Mr. Jaydon, what is it?¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s right, we can¡¯t wait to know!¡± When Cassius heard this, he vaguely felt that something was wrong. He could only lower his voice and continue to threaten Jaydon. ¡°Don¡¯t y any tricks. Otherwise, I¡¯ll definitely make you regret it¡­¡± Jaydon sneered and took out a document bag from his pocket. He waved it at everyone. ¡°Cassius took Tim¡¯s inheritance and used illegal means to hide and tamper with his will. ¡°In addition, he also cruelly killed Tim and Yasmine. Today, I want to tell the truth in public.¡± When the reporters below the stage heard this, they instantly looked at each other in silence. Jaydon¡¯s words were like thunderous explosions, leaving everyone in the 2N 10.16 room stunned and overwhelmed. ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t nder me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ndering you. I came to the press conference today to expose your true colors. ¡°In this folder is the evidence of Cassius¡¯s crimes.¡± ¡°Wow, is this¡­ true?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s true! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can take a look at the evidence inside.¡± Cassius¡¯s heart beat violently, and his face twisted viciously. ¡°Jaydon, do you want Grace to die a tragic death?¡± ¡°Oh, and he kidnapped my sister, Grace Grimm. He threatened me with Grace¡¯s life to force me to hand over evidence of his crimes.¡± Cassius¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It seemed that in front of money, everyone was a ve! He thought that Jaydon Grimm would take his sister¡¯s life into consideration. However, he never expected that he had still overestimated human nature. ¡°Hmph, Cassius Grimm, you didn¡¯t expect this, did you? Grace has already been rescued. She¡¯s very safe now. You can¡¯t threaten me.¡± Cassius Grimm took a deep breath and nced at Mr. Lopaz. Mr. Lopaz understood and immediately instructed the bodyguards to go forward and control Jaydon. ¡°Mr. Irvin, you¡¯re probably drunk and came here to throw a tantrum. ¡°Security, help Mr. Irvin down the stage. Don¡¯t let him spout nonsense again. ¡°Also, he must have dangerous goods in his hands. Hurry up and snatch them away. Don¡¯t let him hurt the crowd.¡± When the bodyguards heard this, they immediately went forward to snatch the evidence in Jaydon¡¯s hands. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Who dares to touch me?¡± Cassius could no longer control himself andpletely lost hisposure. He rushed over and snatched the document bag from Jaydon¡¯s hand. 10:16 ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t nder me. ¡°Do you think people will believe you just because you spread rumors about me? Let me tell you, don¡¯t even think about it.¡± As he spoke, Cassius had already torn the document inside into pieces. Jaydon looked at him coldly and indifferently. ¡°Oh my god! Mr. Grimm is really a wicked person whoins first.¡± ¡°I knew it. Why would Tim give all his assets to Mr. Grimm alone?¡± After the evidence was torn apart. Cassius calmed down a little. As long as this evidence was not publicized, no one would believe Jaydon¡¯s words. Later on, he would get someone to do public rtions and forcefully clear his own name. ¡°Cassius, what are you feeling guilty about? ¡°If you think I¡¯m spreading rumors about you, why did you snatch the evidence from me?¡± Cassius choked. However, now that the evidence had been destroyed, he could say whatever he wanted. ¡°Mr. Irvin, you¡¯re drunk. Hurry up and go down.¡± ¡°Hehe, what you tore up isn¡¯t evidence at all. I¡¯ve already made countless copies of the real evidence.¡± As he spoke, Jaydon suddenly took out a bunch of USB sh drives from his pocket and threw them into the crowd below the stage. ¡°Wow, quickly pick it up.¡± The reporters began to snatch this ¡®first-hand¡¯ information. Whoever snatched it first would be most influential on social media. ¡°Cassius, I¡¯m going to avenge my father today. You crazy thing, you¡¯re not worthy of being a human.¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Jaydon gave Cassius a heavy punch. ¡°Stop him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move. We can testify. What Irvin said is the truth.¡± Tim¡¯s other children also appeared. ¡°Cassius, you¡¯re crazy. The heavens won¡¯t tolerate it. Today is the day you Chapter 992 Chapter 992 Chapter 992 Tim¡¯s other children hated Cassius to the core. Now, everyone had gathered to deal with Cassius together. The scene was chaotic. The security guards quickly came up to maintain order, but they were forcefully stopped by Tim¡¯s children. ¡°Don¡¯t move. This is our family matter.¡± ¡°If any of you move, you¡¯ll be fired.¡± The more people, the more powerful. Tim had a total of more than ten children, which included the children of his wife and other lovers. These people almost pushed the stage over. Mr. Lopaz¡¯s sses were also pushed off, making his vision blurry. ¡°My sses. Don¡¯t step on my sses.¡± He was severely short-sighted. Now that his sses were off, he could not see anything clearly. ¡°What do you want?¡± Seeing that the situation was out of control, Cassius began to panic. He hurriedly turned around, wanting to leave the scene as soon as possible. ¡°Stop right there.¡± Jaydon caught up to him and punched him hard again. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Bang, bang¡­¡± Jaydon punched Cassius¡¯s face several times in a row. Cassius¡¯s sses were sent flying, and blood dripped from his mouth and nose. Jaydon punched Cassius¡¯s face onest time, causing him to fall heavily down the steps, rolling down. Mr. Lopaz touched the ground for a long time before he finally found his sses. Unfortunately, the lenses were already broken. When he put them on, he could barely see clearly. ¡°Hurry up and protect Mr. Grimm.¡± The third eldest son, Janson, grabbed Mr. Lopaz and gave him a hard p. He scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t move. This is a grudge between the Grimms. It has nothing to do with anyone else.¡± ¡°Whoever dares to make a move will be going against the Grimm family.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Mr. Lopaz grimaced in pain and did not dare to speak again. The bodyguards were also dumbfounded. They stood there, not daring 10:171 to raise their hands. Cassius staggered to his feet and said fiercely, ¡°Jaydon, you sent them here to cause trouble. Don¡¯t me me for disregarding our brotherhood¡­¡± Jaydon sneered. ¡°Cassius, the evidence has been handed over to the police. The police are on their way here now. You can spend the rest of your life in prison repenting.¡± A few reporters had already snatched a USB drive, and the other reporters were still fighting over them. When Cassius saw this, he panicked even more. ¡°Stop them quickly and snatch back those USB drives!¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, what do you have to say now?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, is Mr. Jaydon telling the truth? What¡¯s your exnation?¡± ¡°Have you tampered with Mr. Tim¡¯s will? How do you exin this evidence?¡± Snap! Snap! The reporters asked sharp questions while taking photos of Cassius¡¯s sorry state. The expressions of the higher-ups gradually changed. From the looks of it, this was Cassius¡¯s fall. Thereafter, the highest position in Grimm Group would definitely be Jaydon¡¯s. Now, they had to be sensible and not offend the future boss. ¡°Mr. Lopaz, stop him¡­ Are you all dead? Hurry up and do it!¡± Cassius panicked and shouted at the bodyguards. Unfortunately, his subordinates did not dare to move. Jaydon approached step by step. ¡°Cassius, Tim treated you like his own son. How can you kill him?¡± ¡°How can you have the face to meet Tim in theherworld? You bastard, you deserve to be cut into pieces.¡± Jaydon grabbed Cassius¡¯s tie and lifted him up. Then, he punched him hard. Tim¡¯s other children also rushed forward. ¡°Kill him, kill him.¡± ¡°This heartless thing. We¡¯ve respected you for so many years in vain.¡± ¡°You actually killed Tim and wanted to kill us all. We¡¯re going to vent our 10:17 anger today and beat you to death.¡± Tim¡¯s other sons rushed forward and punched and kicked Cassius. At this moment, a few police cars drove over. ¡°Make way. The police are here.¡± More than a dozen police officers stepped forward with solemn expressions. Cassius was in a sorry state, but there was still a glimmer of hope in his heart. ¡°They¡¯re assaulting me indiscriminately. Arrest them now!¡± One of the police officers shed an arrest warrant at him. ¡°Mr. Grimm, someone is charging you with murder and embezzling arge amount of other people¡¯s assets. Now that the evidence is conclusive, you¡¯re under arrest.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s impossible. I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Two police officers stepped forward and handcuffed him without any exnation. ¡°You can¡¯t arrest me. I want to see mywyer. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What evidence do you have to arrest me?¡± Cassius still wanted to resist. A police officer said sternly, ¡°You¡¯ll know what evidence there is when you get to the police station. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court ofw.¡± Cassius felt a lump in his throat. The situation was out of his control. He also realized that he was doomed this time, so he stopped struggling. A few police officers walked up to Jaydon. ¡°Now, please go to the police station to help us with our investigation. ¡°Also, you have to be punished by thew for causing trouble.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± -Jaydon followed his other siblings into the police car. In less than an hour, the news about Grimm Group exploded on the Inte. [Grimm Group has undergone a shocking change. Cassius Grimm is suspected of murder and has been arrested.] [Grimm Group shocks the world with a fight between birth brothers. Jaydon Grimm takes down his treacherous brother.] 1017 [Cassius Grimm might face life imprisonment. Jaydon Grimm has a chance of inheriting the family business.] News about Grimm Group exploded on the Inte. The citizens of Venturas and Greyport were even more addicted to gossiping about Grimm Group. ¡°Oh my god, there¡¯s such a melodramatic battle in Grimm Group. Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seems that it¡¯s not a lucky thing to be born into a wealthy family.¡± ¡°Sigh, I heard that Cassius is not Tim¡¯s biological son at all.¡± ¡°No wonder he¡¯s so heartless to his other siblings.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. One can¡¯t be too greedy. Cassius tried to bite off more than he can chew. His current state is really caused by greed.¡± / ¡°Seriously, the contents of Tim¡¯s will have already been exposed. Although Cassius isn¡¯t the heir of the company, Mr. Tim still treated him equally and gave him 10% of the inheritance. Tsk, tsk, tsk, even if it¡¯s 10%, he still has more than 2 billion dors¡¯s assets. That¡¯s generous enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Cassius is not his biological son, but Tim was even willing to give him-10% of his assets. Cassius was actually not satisfied and even killed Tim cruelly.¡± ¡°Cassius has such wild ambition. He really deserves the death penalty.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be sentenced to life in prison for the rest of his life.¡± This matter caused a huge uproar on the Inte, and the people of the two countries discussed. Chapter 993 Chapter 993 Chapter 993 Soon, a week passed. The police officially filed a case and began investigating the charges against Cassius one by one. Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna and Bruce soon found out. In addition to killing Tim and embezzling his inheritance, Cassius was also suspected of many crimes. Each of them was enough to sentence him to life imprisonment. He would probably never be released from jail in this lifetime. As for Jaydon and the others, they were detained for 15 days on suspicion of gang fight. ¡°Well done, Jay. Cassius probably won¡¯t be able to make aeback this time. When Jayes out, he¡¯ll be able to take back what belongs to him.¡± Joanna was still very gratified by this result. Although Jaydon was detained for 15 days, it did not matter. After he came out, the assets under his name could be unfrozen. Furthermore, ording to Tim¡¯s will, Jaydon would inherit the position of chairman of Grimm Group. In other words, Jaydon became a billion-dor millionaire. Of course, although the Grimms had abundant financial resources, they were too divided. In terms of strength, they could not bepared to Everett Group As Joanna spoke, she looked at Patricia. After this period of careful care, Patricia¡¯s illness had already recovered. Moreover, she had be much more cheerful and lively. ¡°Patricia, your daddy ising out in a few days. Shall we go pick him up then?¡± The little girl blinked her big eyes as she hugged the rabbit doll and looked at Joanna adorably. ¡°Patricia, do you miss your daddy?¡± Joanna looked at the little girl with a warm smile. 10.17 The little girl did not answer and walked straight to Bruce¡¯s side. Then, she took the initiative to cling onto his knee. Patricia was only two years old and had autism. Coupled with the fact that Jaydon had not been by her side to take care of her since she was young, she did not have much concept of her father. For the past few days, she had been staying in the Everett family. Davian, Lilia, and Devin all affectionately called Bruce ¡°Daddy¡± every day. Therefore, Patricia also treated Bruce as her daddy. Bruce was speechless. He looked at the little girl who climbed onto hisp in shock. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± The little girl said in a childish voice. Joanna was especially surprised. ¡°Oh my god, Patricia has spoken? ¡°The first person she called was you?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He sat incredibly still, unable to regain his senses for a long time. Even if he was an unrivaled king who was decisive and domineering. However, in front of such a cute little girl, he could not help but melt. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not your daddy,¡± Bruce said as he grabbed the little girl¡¯s armpit and ced her on the sofa. This little girl was indeed quite cute. However, she was Jaydon¡¯s daughter, the daughter of his love rival. That was why he would not be too nice to her. ¡°Daddy.¡± The little girl blinked her big watery eyes and called out cutely. When Bruce heard this, he became even crazier. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not your daddy. Your daddy is a bastard¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, her face darkened. She could not help but poke Bruce¡¯s head. ¡°She¡¯s still a child. Why are you so petty?¡± ¡°If she calls you daddy, just listen! Besides, I¡¯ve already nned to acknowledge Patricia as my goddaughter. It¡¯s normal for her to call you godfather.¡± ¡°Oh no. Godfather doesn¡¯t sound too good now,¡± Bruce replied resentfully. Joanna turned her gaze back to the little girl. ¡°Patricia,e and give your godmother a hug.¡± 10 17 ¡°Besides, haven¡¯t you always wanted a daughter? Now that Patricia is by our side, you can treat her as our daughter.¡± When Bruce heard this, he rolled his eyes resentfully. He did want a daughter, but he wanted his own daughter. As for Patricia¡­ Patricia was someone else¡¯s daughter. How could he like her? Of course, this little girl was so cute, so he did not hate her. The little girl shook her head at Joanna and leaned even more into Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°No, I want Daddy to carry me.¡± Joanna was even more surprised when she saw this. The little girl hid in Bruce¡¯s arms obediently and cutely, refusing toe down no matter what. Children actually knew how to read people¡¯s expressions and needed a sense of security. Over the past few days, the little girl had already acknowledged Bruce as her ¡°daddy¡±. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bruce was helpless in the face of such a chubby girl. ¡°Patricia¡­¡± Devin also supported himself with a baby walker and walked over shakily to join in the fun. Devin really liked Patricia. ¡°Yes, so you like Patricia.¡± Devin took a toy and eagerly handed it to Patricia. Patricia was more than a year older than Devin, so they yed better together. Of course, Davian and Irvin were six or seven years older than them and could no longer y with them. ¡°Patricia is quite interesting. She¡¯s much cuter than her dog-like father.¡± -Joanna replied angrily, ¡°That¡¯s right! She likes you so much. We might be a family in the future.¡± Bruce choked and looked at Joanna in horror. ¡°Joanna, what do you mean by that? I¡¯m not a creepy pervert.¡± In Greyport, there was a shocking news story that caused a sensation. It was about a sleazy and creepy middle-aged man who liked little girls. He often coaxed little girls and said that he would take you to buy ice cream. 10:171 Then, he would bring the child to a ce and do inappropriate things to them. Therefore, Bruce was reminded of the pervert who liked underage girls. Joanna was stunned for a moment before she reacted. ¡°You¡¯re overreacting.¡± ¡°What I mean is that Patricia might marry one of our three sons in the future.¡± Joanna looked at Patricia. The more she looked at her, the more she liked her. Davian and Irvin seemed to be a little too old for Patricia. After all, they were six years older than her. Hayley was suitable. He was only a year younger than Patricia, so they were just right for each other. Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked at the little girl carefully. ¡°You mean, she might be our daughter- inw?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Patricia is so cute. She¡¯s just right for our son.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked even more resistant. ¡°In that case, wouldn¡¯t that bastard Jaydon be inws with us?¡± ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna smiled at him. ¡°Forget it! I don¡¯t want to be inws with that bastard,¡± Bruce said as he resentfully carried Patricia to the side. He did not hate Patricia. However, he hated Jaydon. Although he had helped Jaydon this time, this was a different matter. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. This did not mean that he did not hate him anymore. Now that he thought about how they might be inws in the future, Bruce felt terrible. ¡°Joanna, hurry up and send this child away.¡± ¡°Where are you sending her?¡± Bruce pouted resentfully. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll send her to Jaydon. ¡°We¡¯re not her parents. She can¡¯t stay at our house forever, right?¡± ¡°Jay hasn¡¯t been released from prison yet. Where are you going to let her go? Even if you want to send her away, you have to wait for Jay toe out!¡± 10:171 Speaking of this, Joanna looked worried again. ¡°I think it¡¯s better to let Patricia stay in our house for a while. ¡°Jay is a grown man who doesn¡¯t know how to take care of children. Look, Patricia has developed autism. We have many children in our family. Patricia will slowly be cheerful when she lives with our children.¡± ¡°Sigh, you love to be idle, don¡¯t you?¡± Ring, ring, ring¡­ Bruce¡¯s phone rang. He subconsciously picked up his phone to check. The number showed that it was Melta. Bruce frowned and stood up subconsciously. ¡°I¡¯m going to answer the call.¡± With that, he walked out of the courtyard. Seeing this, Joanna was a little puzzled. ¡°Why does he have to answer the call outside?¡± It was obvious that Bruce did not want Joanna to know who he was talking to on the phone. Chapter 994 Chapter 994 Chapter 994 When he reached thewn, Bruce answered the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me.¡± Aria¡¯s gentle voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°I know. What is it? Speak!¡± Bruce simply replied. Aria choked and was silent for a few seconds. Seeing that Aria was silent, Bruce asked again, ¡°Is it still about the mission?¡± Aria also said bluntly, ¡°Yes. Have you settled your private matters? ¡°It has been more than a month. I called to ask how long it¡¯ll take for you toe over? ¡°Yesterday, Mr. Thompson was already urging us. ording to the feedback from the intelligence agency, Melta¡¯s humanoid mutant genes have reached a critical stage of research. ¡°If humanoid genes are developed, it¡¯ll be a devastating blow to other countries. Therefore, we have to expose Melta¡¯s scheme as soon as possible.¡± Bruce frowned and said solemnly, ¡°¡­ I know. I¡¯ll arrange it as soon as possible.¡± Aria sighed. ¡°Can you give me a definite time? I have to make some arrangements on my side. ¡°The otherrades are all in ce. You¡¯re the only one left.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he subconsciously turned around to look at the living room. Through the ss window, he saw Joanna still busy taking care of Devin and Patricia. At this moment, he was conflicted and hesitant. If he had a choice, he really did not want to leave home. He did not want to leave Joanna and the children. However, he had no other choice now. In the face of the country¡¯s mission, he had to move forward bravely. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it as soon as possible. I¡¯ll definitely meet up with you at the end of this month.¡± 10:18 Aria looked at the calendar on her phone. ¡°Alright. Today is November 12th. We can¡¯t dy it any longer.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. That¡¯s all for now. I¡¯m hanging up!¡± Bruce was about to hang 1. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria hesitated. ¡°What else is there? Speak.¡± Aria tapped her upper lip and said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. Let¡¯s talk about it when you reach Melta!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for now, then,¡± Bruce said and hung up. It had been 15 or 16 years since he joined the organization. This time, if he could sessfullyplete the mission, he would definitely leave the organization. Back in the living room. Joanna looked at Bruce and felt a little sour in her heart. ¡°Finished your call?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce forced a smile. ¡°Who called you? Why are you so mysterious? Why did you have to run out to answer it?¡± Joanna asked sourly. ¡°Can I see who called you?¡± She guessed that the person who called him must be Aria. Otherwise, he would not have gone outside to pick him up. Having been through so much together, they should trust and be tolerant of each other. However, there was still a thorn in her heart. She felt that there was an unspeakable secret between Bruce and Aria. Bruce smiled awkwardly and said dotingly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Have you learned to check up on me now?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s checking up on you? I¡¯m just a little curious who called you. I just want to see who you were talking to.¡± Joanna¡¯s face fell. Bruce was stunned and did not give her his phone. ¡°Joanna, why are you so jealous now? ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you jealous before. Now, you¡¯re asking questions even 10:18 when I make a phone call.¡± Joanna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Can¡¯t I ask? Or are you hiding something?¡± ¡°You see, there you go again. You told me to trust you, and yet you don¡¯t trust me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you.¡± Joanna retorted unhappily. Men and women were indeed different. Women would be more restrained and conservative when it came to rtionships. Once they had set their minds set on a man, they would never easily have that kind of rtionship with another man. But men were different. It was in men¡¯s nature to hunt and possess. Some men had a very low bottom line. In their hearts, physical infidelity was not a serious problem. Moreover, they could like a few women at the same time and enjoy the satisfaction of having three wives and four concubines. This was their nature and could not be changed. Of course, some men were good, but it did not mean that they did not have such thoughts. They just knew how to restrain themselves and refuse temptation. Seeing that Joanna¡¯s expression was getting worse, Bruce quickly started to coax her. ¡°Look at you again. You¡¯re giving me attitude again. ¡°Joanna, am I so promiscuous in your heart?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Joanna replied coldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You said it yourself. ¡°You said that we have to be honest with each other. We can¡¯t deceive and hide from each other. I can be 100% honest with you, but can you be 100% honest with me?¡± Joanna was certain that there was a certain rtionship between him and Aria. It was just that he refused to tell her the truth. Although she could not confirm that he loved Aria, she was certain that Aria was a very special existence to him. ¦° ¡°¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Forget it, forget it. I can¡¯t win against you now. ¡°It¡¯s just that at the end of this month, I might have to go on a business trip to Melta.¡± 10.18 11 .¡± Joanna felt even more frustrated and exasperated after hearing this. ¡°How long will you be gone?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°This time, it might be a little long. It might take at least two months or at least half a year. You have to take care of yourself at home and not let your imaginations run wild.¡± As he spoke, Bruce stretched out his arms to hug Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart was burning with anger. She deliberately turned sideways and refused his embrace. ¡°I won¡¯t let my imaginations run wild. You can do whatever you want. I won¡¯t care about you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he knew that Joanna was angry again. ¡°In the next few days, I¡¯ll get mywyer to quickly settle the transfer procedures. I¡¯ll transfer all the remainingpanies and assets under my name to your name.¡± In the past month. Bruce had already transferred most of his assets andpanies to Joanna. Various transfer procedures had beenpleted, and a small portion was still in progress. Now, Everett Group¡¯s biggest shareholder was Joanna. The billion-dor assets under Bruce were basically transferred to Joanna. She was now the number one rich woman in Astria. ¡°¡­¡± Joanna raised her head and looked at Bruce with aplicated gaze. She really could not understand Bruce Everett now. It was not that she did not trust him. She also knew that he loved her deeply. It was just that¡­ Now, she just did not want him to be involved with Aria anymore. Even if he could resist Aria¡¯s temptation, this woman was too scary. If Aria still could not forget Bruce Everett, it would really be a headache and a difficult thing to handle. Aria could hypnotize, poison, and even kidnap¡­ What else could she not do? Chapter 995 Chapter 995 Chapter 995 Joanna pondered for a few seconds. Her tone softened and her gaze also became gentler. ¡°Bruce, can you not go to Melta?¡± As she spoke, Joanna took the initiative to approach Bruce and hug his waist tightly. Bruce gently stroked her hair and said gently, ¡°No, this business is very important. I have to go personally.¡± ¡°What kind of business requires you to go personally? Moreover, you have to go for a long time?¡± Joanna expressed her dissatisfaction and tightened her grip around Bruce¡¯s waist. He exuded a faint scent of oceanic cologne, blending with his natural body odor and warmth, making Joanna involuntarily attached to him. She could not leave him now, she admitted. She loved him wholeheartedly. If there was another crisis and setback in their rtionship, she really would not be able to take it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want me to leave?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was seductive and maic. ¡°I think it¡¯s the same if you send someone else. Why do you have to go yourself?¡± ¡°Joanna, I promise you that this will be myst business trip. When Ie back from Melta this time, I¡¯ll never leave you and the children again. ¡°I n to sell all of Melta¡¯s businesses andpanies. Therefore, I have to go personally.¡± Hearing this, Joanna looked up at him helplessly. ¡°¡­ Must you go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce looked at her gloomily. He did not want to go either. However, as long as he was part of the National Defense Bureau, he knew the responsibility he had to bear. As a man, he could not only care about love. Without a country, how could there be a family? 10:18 He wanted to stand hisst watch before retiring. Joanna thought for a few seconds and made a suggestion. ¡°Then can I go with you?¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°¡­No, you can¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You have to stay at home and take care of the children and business. I can go alone. Don¡¯t worry and wait for me toe back.¡± Bruce could onlyfort her. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡± ¡± When Joanna heard this, she had a bad feeling. ¡°Bruce, are you going to do something dangerous?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She had known him for years. But to be honest, she still did not know him well enough. She had a feeling that he was still hiding a lot of things. Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just a business meeting. How can it be dangerous? ¡°At most, the partners will send a few beautiful public rtions representatives.¡± Bruce teased her. When discussing business, the partners would always think of ways to squeeze in a few beautiful and sexy public rtions representatives. Those who liked to y with beautifuldies would naturally ept it. This was how business was. Sometimes, beautiful public rtions representatives could y a huge role and sessfully facilitate business. Of course, a picky person like Bruce would naturally not ept a woman. who was pushed his way. This was not the case in the past. Before Joanna, he had spent money on women. However, those women were all beauty pageant champions or top models. And he was extravagant. Even if it was a love affair, he would never treat the woman badly. Therefore, none of the women who had been with him hated him. On- the contrary, there were a few whose fates had changed greatly because 10.18 of his help. He felt that he could owe any kind of debt, but he must never owe debts rted to women or gambling. In this aspect, he was really very manly. When Joanna heard this, her eyes widened even more. ¡°What did you say? Say it again.¡± Bruce stuck out his tongue and hugged her tightly. He smiled dotingly. ¡°I¡¯m joking with you. How would I dare?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t done it before.¡± Joanna was still brooding over his past. However, it was all in the past now, and she did not want to harp on it. After all, who did not have a past? Bruce smiled helplessly. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry anymore. I¡¯ve already given you my money and be a pauper. Why would any woman still follow me? ¡°If I go out and mess around, I¡¯ll lose everything, won¡¯t I? Besides, after all we¡¯ve been through, do you still doubt my feelings for you?¡± Hearing this, Joanna finally felt better. That was true. Controlling a man¡¯s money bag was equivalent to controlling his lifeline. Since he could take the initiative to give her all his money, it was enough to show his feelings and true love for her. ¡°Bruce, let me ask you something. You have to tell me the truth.¡± ¡°Yes, ask away!¡± ¡°Are you going to Melta this time to meet Aria?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. Of course, he would be seeing Aria during his trip to Melta this time. However, he was going on a mission with Aria as part of the National Defense Bureau. It was inevitable for them to meet. ¡°Why would you ask that?¡± ¡°I feel that you and that Aria are acting suspiciously. It must be a shameful secret. Tell me the truth. You and her¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish asking, Bruce had already interrupted her. ¡°Oh, my precious wife, why are you thinking of this again? ¡°I¡¯m serious. If I wanted anything to do with her, would I have waited until now?¡± Chapter 996 Chapter 996 Chapter 996 ¡°To put it bluntly, if I really had that kind of thoughts about her¡­ ¡°Why did I resist so desperately when she imprisoned me in Antlen? I could have just followed her. ¡°In any case, she¡¯s a woman and I¡¯m a man. I won¡¯t lose out!¡± Bruce said confidently. To be honest, under those circumstances, even if Bruce really had a rtionship with Aria, Joanna would also forgive him. After all, the situation forced him to do so. Purity was too insignificantpared to life. ¡°I didn¡¯t even ept her at that time. Would I still rush to provoke her now?¡± When Joanna heard this, anger surged in her. ¡°From your tone, you still have some regrets, huh? ¡°So, you¡¯re going to¡­¡± ¡°No, no, you¡¯ve really wronged me.¡± Bruce looked helpless and did not know whether tough or cry. ¡°Can you stop letting your imaginations run wild? In short, I swear to God that if I have any thoughts about Aria, I¡¯ll die a horrible death. After I die, I¡¯ll go to hell and never be able to¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she immediately covered his mouth. ¡°Who asked you to swear such a vicious oath? ¡°Hurry up and say you don¡¯t mean it!¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Bruceughed. Women! Women really liked to say one thing but mean another. They also liked to let their imaginations run wild. The two of them were talking. There was a thud from the living room. Immediately after, Devin started crying miserably. The servants went forward in a panic to check. ¡°Devin fell.¡± Joanna and Bruce heard themotion and quickly went to check. 10:35 ?? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The babysitter had already picked Devin up and replied in fear, ¡°Devin identally fell and hit his head.¡± Seeing this, Bruce was instantly furious. ¡°How can you all be so careless with a child? There are so many people, but you can¡¯t even look after a child.¡± ¡°We¡­ We¡­¡± The babysitter and the few nannies were trembling in fear. They stuttered and could not say a word. Devin had just learned how to walk, so it was inevitable that he would bump into something. Even if the servants were watching from the side, such an unexpected situation could not be avoided. Devin cried in pain. His forehead was badly bruised. Joanna hurriedly carried him and cooed. ¡°Oh, oh, oh, stop crying, stop crying.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he eximed, ¡°Hurry up and call the doctor immediately!¡± ¡°Oh, right away¡­¡± The babysitter was scared out of her wits. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a bump. It¡¯s inevitable for children to bump into something. Don¡¯t be so fierce.¡± Joanna turned around and stopped Bruce. Joanna was experienced in this kind of thing. After all, when she was taking care of Davian, Irvin, and Lilia, they had often bumped into things. Children loved to move around. Sometimes, they would walk well, but they might suddenly fall and bump into something. In that case, the servants would not be able to guard against it. Moreover, children could only grow up after a few bumps and bruises. Bruce¡¯s expression was gloomy, and he was still very angry. He had spent so much money and hired so many servants just to take good care of the children. ¡°Oh, oh, oh. Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry¡­ ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright!¡± Joanna hugged Devin and rocked him back and forth as sheforted him. The babysitter had already brought over iodine and Band-Aids. 10:330 ¡°Hug me.¡± Devin kept shaking in Joanna¡¯s arms. Devin was very fat now. Hugging him was like hugging a giant meatball. Devin enjoyed being hugged by Joanna. Coupled with the fact that he was tired from crying, he fell asleep after crying for a while. ¡°Be careful in the future. If there¡¯s a next time, you¡¯ll all be fired.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± The babysitter and the servants still had lingering fears. As they were talking, the sound of a car came from outside. Three minutester. Davian and Irvin ran in happily. ¡°Bruce, Joanna, school is over.¡± ¡°School is over. Why are you so early today?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow, so school ended early today,¡± Davian replied. Irvin said excitedly, ¡°Bruce, can you take us horse-riding today?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while since you took us horse-riding.¡± ¡± ¡°1 Bruce frowned. He did not really want to go. His heart was in a mess now and he only wanted to be with Joanna. Davian and Irvin were full of energy and chattered too much. ¡°Another day. I¡¯m a little tired today.¡± ¡°Sigh, even Bruce won¡¯t apany us now.¡± ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t you go y with the children? ¡°You¡¯re going on a business trip at the end of the month. You¡¯ll be gone for so long.¡± ¡°What? Bruce, are you going on a business trip again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Davian looked worried. ¡°Where are you going this time?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Melta.¡± ¡°For how long?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Davian, why are you asking so many questions? Hurry up and go back to your room to do your homework. Don¡¯t think about cking off here.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. 10.351 ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. We want to rx today. Can we do our homework tomorrow? We haven¡¯t yed in a long time¡­ Chapter 997 Chapter 997 Chapter 997 ¡°Hurry up and do your homework. Don¡¯t ask for a beating here.¡± Bruce¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Davian and Irvin pouted in disappointment. Bruce had not yed with them for a long time. Previously, not only would Bruce apany them to ride horses and shoot, but he would also secretly bring them to y games. During this period of time, Bruce had always been very frustrated and impatient. Seeing the disappointment on the children¡¯s faces, Joanna could not stand it anymore. ¡°They¡¯re on vacation tomorrow. It¡¯s good to rx today. ¡°Since you have nothing to do now, go y with the children!¡± 11 ¡°Bruce¡¯s face sank, but he was still not interested. His heart was in a mess. He really did not have the mood to y with the children. Lilia also came over in a wheelchair and said sweetly, ¡°I want to go horse-riding too. ¡°Can you bring me to y?¡± When Bruce heard this, his handsome face instantly melted. ¡°Lilia, do you want to go too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lilia nodded heavily. Bruce¡¯s expression changed in a second and he instantly listened to Lilia. ¡°Alright, since Lilia wants to go, then I¡¯ll bring you.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Hurry up and change your clothes.¡± ¡°Okay, When Davian and Irvin heard this, they looked at Lilia enviously. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Lilia is still the best.¡± ¡°Bruce always does whatever Lilia wants. But when ites to us, he¡¯ll beat us up.¡± Irvin sighed like a little adult. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s all because our family favors the girls and not the boys! We can¡¯tpare, we can¡¯t!¡± 10:33 ¡°Bruce has three sons and only one daughter. Of course, he¡¯ll dote on his daughter!¡± Hearing the two bratsining, Bruce threw them a re. ¡°You two brats, what nonsense are you talking about? I think you¡¯re too thick-skinned, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go change right now,¡± the two little guys said and ran away. Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. He really wanted to reward each of them with a headshot. As the old saying went, father and son were enemies in their previous lives. That was not a big deal. These two brats were too mischievous. He probably had too many past life enemies to have three sons in this life. They were still alright now. When they grew up, who knew how they would cause trouble for him. At that time, he did not know how he would clean up their mess! Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Joanna, can youe too?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not going. I have to apany Hayley and Patricia. ¡°Devin isn¡¯tpletely asleep yet. He¡¯ll wake up Take the children with you!¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°¡­Alright then!¡± the moment I move. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going horse-riding.¡± Lilia was still wearing an orthotic brace. Hence, she could only ride the same horse as Bruce. Davian and Irvin had nowpletely learned how to ride a horse. There was no need for Bruce to worry anymore. He could let them ride without worry. After Bruce and the children left. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Joanna sighed heavily. Now, she was also very conflicted and at a loss. She felt that something was wrong, but she could not tell what was wrong. She had no choice but to take it one step at a time. Devin slept soundly in her arms. His chubby little face was extremely 10:350 adorable. However, there was a bruise on his head, and tears were still dripping from his thick eyshes. Joanna lowered her head and kissed his little face. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Devin is asleep. Let¡¯s send him back to his room!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s too tiring for you to hug him like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Joanna smiled gently. She still enjoyed being a mother and taking care of her children. Previously, there were always such things happening around her. She did not have much time to apany her child so intimately. Patricia also walked over and said in a childish voice, ¡°Hug¡­¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna carried Devin in one hand and Patricia in the other. Patricia was also pitiful. Jaydon was now in the detention center, and Carmel had not visited Patricia even once. Ever since Patricia was born, she basically stayed with the servants. It was only during festivals that Jaydon would stay with her for a few days. Joanna suddenly thought of Grace. ¡°Right, I remember now. Grace should be discharged soon¡­¡± As she spoke, Joanna immediately called Darcy. ¡°Ring, ring, ring.¡± Darcy quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Everett¡­¡±. ¡°Darcy, how¡¯s Grace? Is she feeling better?¡±. Darcy said in a low voice, ¡°Yes, she has recovered. ¡°The doctor said that she can be discharged tomorrow.¡± When Joanna heard this, she still said with concern, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be in a hurry. Tell her to stay in the hospital for a few more days and be discharged when she has fully recovered.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± 6:30 P.M. Bruce and the children were back. ¡°Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner!¡± Joanna put on an apron. and personally cooked dumplings. 10:35 When Davian and Irvin saw this, they were pleasantly surprised. ¡°Wow, we¡¯re having dumplings today.¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve made dumplings for you. I made them since I¡¯m free today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. We love you. You¡¯re the best mommy in the world.¡± The three little guys made heart gestures in unison. Joanna untied the apron around her waist and said with a gentle smile, ¡°I love you too. You¡¯re all the most obedient children in the world. ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The two little guys were already sitting at the dining table impatiently. The dinner was quite sumptuous. The main courses were asparagus steak, red wine foie gras, and salmon. The children¡¯s favorite dish was still the dumplings made by their mother. Through repeated practice, Joanna had perfected the art of making dumplings. Even the chef of the hotel could not make it taste like that. Bruce nced at the dining table and said enviously, ¡°You¡¯re so concerned about our sons¡¯ well-being and even improved their meals. But have you ever thought about improving your husband¡¯s meals? I¡¯m now the least important person in this family.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help butugh. ¡°How can I miss you? I also made spaghetti for you.¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression softened. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± ¡°Here, this is for you.¡± Joanna turned around and went back into the kitchen. Her hair was casually tied into a ponytail and she was wearing loose pajamas. She looked like a good wife and mother. This warm feeling of home healed the loneliness in Bruce¡¯s heart. Three minutester, Joanna handed a bowl of fragrant spaghetti to Bruce. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s face was filled with a blissful smile. ¡°Thank you, Joanna.¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat it while it¡¯s still hot!¡± Joanna also sat down. The two little guys could not wait to start eating. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s delicious!¡± 10:36 ¡°Patricia, do you want to eat dumplings?¡± The little girl had never eaten such food before and nodded eagerly. Joanna smiled and scooped a few for Patricia. Then, she patiently fed her. Chapter 998 Chapter 998 Chapter 998 ¡°Are you done eating?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Exercise after dinner, then take a shower and go to bed early.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± 9 P.M. After everything was done, Bruce and Joanna returned to their rooms early and prepared to sleep. ¡°Joanna, hurry up and take a shower.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. It¡¯s only nine o¡¯clock. I¡¯m not sleepy yet.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes revealed a hint of evilness as he urged her. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy even if you¡¯re not. Hurry up.¡± ¦° Joanna rolled her eyes and looked at him angrily. This vile bastard. He was really difficult to deal with these few days. It was as if he would never be satisfied. She was really going to fall apart from being tortured by him in bed. ¡°Can we take a day off today?¡± ¡°No!¡± Bruce refused decisively. Joanna felt a headacheing on. ¡°You¡¯re doing this¡­ so often. I¡¯m really tired! Which couple would do that every day?¡± Bruce replied resentfully, ¡°You only need to lie down and enjoy it. Why would you be tired? ¡°Besides, I¡¯m so good at it.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Joanna was speechless. What did a man think of this matter? Did they really think that only men would be tired after having sex? But in fact, men and women felt the same way. They would be very tired after the deed. 10: Joanna had no choice but to change the topic. She deliberately said mysteriously, ¡°Bruce, I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Darcy and Grace seem to be dating.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Joanna asked worriedly, ¡°Do you think the two of them arepatible?¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve asked Grace. She said that she likes Darcy and has decided on him for the rest of her life. ¡°I think Darcy likes Grace too.¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but ask more out of curiosity. ¡°Really? How far have they progressed? Have they slept together?¡± Pfft. Joanna was speechless. ¡°Why are you always thinking about this? They¡¯ve just started dating! How can they develop so quickly? ¡°Do you think everyone is as shameless as you?¡± Joanna could not help butin about him. He was indeed a shameless person. The first time they had sex, Ingrid had set them up. However, this did not stop Bruce from being excited¡¯ about herter on. The first time they got married, he was really mean. Moreover, he was only 23 or 24 years old at that time, when he was full of energy. Coupled with the fact that he had misunderstood Joanna at that time, he did not have mercy on her at all. In those two years, Joanna suffered from severe depression. ?? ¡°¡­¡± Bruce blinked and red at Joanna resentfully. ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. I seem to be very lousy! Since I¡¯m so lousy, why do you still love me?¡± ¡°How am I in love with you? I had no choice but to settle because you pestered me.¡± ¡°Oh, I understand! You¡¯ve always looked down on me. The real good husband in your heart is that bastard, Jaydon.¡± 10:36 The more Bruce spoke, the more jealous he became. Actually, Joanna had fallen in love with Bruce at first sight. After all, his appearance was fatally attractive to women. He was disfigured and not as handsome anymore. There were even two scars on his face. After experiencing so many hardships and setbacks, his face had also left traces of the vicissitudes of life. However, when he was young, he was really the kind of man that people would look at for tens of thousands of years. Even if he was not a billion-dor rich man, there would still be many women who liked him. ¡°We were talking about Darcy and Grace. Why are you talking about us again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you, what do you think about the rtionship between Darcy and Grace?¡± ¡°Hmph-¡± Bruce turned his head to the side and sulked. This heartless woman. She was really used to stabbing his heart and could easily affect his emotions. Seeing that he was angry, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened and she quickly came over to coax him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry already?¡± Bruce nced at her proudly and said resentfully, ¡°I¡¯m not angry! How would I dare to be angry! ¡°You¡¯re the queen of our family now, and I¡¯m your captive. What right do I have to be angry?¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help butugh at his tone. ¡°You still say you¡¯re not angry? Look at how dark your face is.¡± ¡°Yes, my face is dark. It¡¯s not as pale as Jaydon¡¯s face. He¡¯s about to be released from prison, isn¡¯t he? Your chance is here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed. We were talking about Darcy. Why are you talking about Jay again?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce snorted arrogantly. Damn woman, she would always throw a tantrum at him. He was going to embarrass her today and let her know that men could be angry too. 10:36 ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t be angry! ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that you¡¯re shameless just now. I take back my words and apologize to you solemnly. Is that enough?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and still looked gloomy. He was a man of principle and would not be coaxed so easily. If she could easily coax him, how could he raise his status in the future? ¡°I¡¯ve already apologized to you, alright?¡± Joanna hugged his neck and shook her arms cutely. ¡°My husband is the most handsome, the best, and the most perfect man in the world. ¡°I lucked out on being able to marry you. Jaydon is nothingpared to you. He can¡¯t evene close. ¡°You¡¯re a great hero who can even defeat a lion. Does Jaydon have the ability to fight with you?¡± Bruce was not that easy to deal with when he was angry. Therefore, Joanna quickly said sugar-coated words and kept making himugh. ¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he tried his best to hold back hisughter and his face copsed again. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Also, the first time I saw you, I was mesmerized by your looks. ¡°I thought at the time, how could there be such a handsome man in the world? I had to marry you and be with you for the rest of my life. I wouldn¡¯t marry any man but you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he believed it. ¡°Did you really think so at that time?¡± Joanna patted her chest with a serious expression. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. ¡°I still remember the first time I saw you. You were wearing a white shirt at that time. Wow, you were so freaking handsome¡­¡± ¡°Freaking?¡± Bruce did not have a good impression of this word. However, his mood instantly improved. After all, he had always been confident in himself, so he believed what Joanna said was true. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. When have I ever lied?¡± 10:38 ¡°Little thing. Forget it, I forgive you.¡± ¡°Then do you think Darcy and Grace can get together?¡± Darcy had been with Bruce for more than ten years, but it seemed that he had never had a girlfriend. Darcy only cared about his own happiness and had never asked about Bruce¡¯s private matters. ¡°Darcy is pretty good!¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°But don¡¯t you think the age difference between them is a little too big?¡± ¡°Darcy is already 34 this year. Grace is only 22. ¡°They¡¯re 12 years apart.¡± Bruce was disdainful. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? As long as they love each other, age is not a problem.¡± ¡°In that case, do you think they¡¯re suitable?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re the only ones who can answer that question. Their own feelings are the most important. No one else can help.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just worried that Jay won¡¯t agree to their rtionship.¡± Joanna was worried again. After all, Jaydon only had one biological sister with the same mother and father. Moreover, Grace came from a wealthy family and was truly a rich youngdy. Although Darcy was very outstanding, he was only a bodyguard after all. After Jaydon took back the inheritance, Grace¡¯s value was at least more than 2 billion dors. Coupled with the huge age difference, Jaydon probably would not agree to Grace and Darcy being together. Chapter 999 Chapter 999 Chapter 999 Bruce was getting impatient. ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. Don¡¯t worry so much. ¡°It¡¯s almost ten o¡¯clock. Hurry up and take a shower. Go to bed early.¡± As he spoke, Bruce had already pushed Joanna towards the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll go alone. You don¡¯t have toe with me.¡± ¡°No, I want toe with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so annoying¡­¡± Under Bruce¡¯s urging, Joanna had no choice but to take a shower with him. That night, it was another passionate night. Bruce did not even know when he would be back from Melta this time. Perhaps he would¡­ Therefore, he naturally wanted to indulge in it fully and not miss a single night¡­ The next day. Joanna was still sleeping soundly. Bruce had already woken up. He leaned into her ear and said gently, ¡°Joanna, I have to go out now.¡± Joanna opened her eyes in a daze. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going out to meet a client. Go back to sleep! I won¡¯t be back for lunch.¡± Bruce woke up early. After washing up, he prepared to go out. He was going to Melta at the end of the month. Now, he had to make some preparations in advance. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joanna replied in a daze. She turned around and fell asleep again. Bruce put on his suit and walked down the stairs steadily. In the living room downstairs. Davian and Irvin had also woken up. When they saw their daddying down, they quickly came over to greet him. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± 10.36 Bruce picked out a Mercedes-Benz SUV key from the key box. ¡°Are you going out?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Davian widened his eyes and asked curiously, ¡°But isn¡¯t it Saturday today?¡± ¡°I have to work on Saturday too! Alright, be good and do your homework.¡± Bruce patted his two sons¡¯ heads and left with the car keys. Today, he was going to make some secret equipment. Therefore, he did not instruct the driver. Instead, he drove out himself. 10 A.M. Joanna slept until she woke up naturally. She stretched and woke up in a daze. Downstairs. After washing up, Joanna yawned and went downstairs. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce?¡± ¡°He¡¯s already out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Joanna heard that, she patted her head and remembered that Bruce said he was going out in the morning. ¡°Why is he being so mysterious so early in the morning? I wonder where he¡¯s going?¡± The two little guys shook their heads. ¡°We don¡¯t know either!¡± ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s ignore him.¡± ¡°Today, Grace is going to be discharged from the hospital. I¡¯m taking Patricia to the hospital to see her. You have to be good at home, do you hear me?¡± ¡°Oh, got it.¡± The boys looked unhappy. It was not easy for them to have a break today. They originally thought that their daddy and mommy would bring them to the amusement park to y. From the looks of it, they probably could not go anywhere today. They had no choice. Their daddy and mommy were busy people. If they 10:36 wanted them to y with them, it was equivalent to a random lucky draw that could only be left to fate. Therefore, they were already used to it. A momentter. Joanna had a simple breakfast and went upstairs to change her clothes. Then, she brought Patricia to the hospital. At the hospital. Darcy was helping Grace with the discharge procedures. Joanna came with Patricia. Grace was very happy to see Joanna. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes, I heard from Darcy that you were discharged today, so I specially came to pick you up.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Grace replied sweetly. Then, she started to tease Patricia, who was in Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Patricia, hello.¡± ¡°¡­The little girl blinked her big eyes and buried her head on Joanna¡¯s shoulder shyly. Grace doted on Patricia very much. However, she was still an unmarried girl and did not know how to take care of children. Patricia was very clingy to Joanna and Bruce. ¡°Patricia, don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Grace looked depressed. Joanna smiled. ¡°Grace, you have to be more patient with children. Patricia¡¯s autism is much better now. After some time, when her autismpletely recovers, she won¡¯t resist you so much.¡± When Grace heard this, she looked at Joanna gratefully. Children¡¯s reactions were the most realistic. Seeing how the little girl was so clingy to Joanna, it was obvious that Joanna had put in a lot of effort to take care of Patricia. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve really troubled you during this period of time. I¡¯ll bring Patricia backter¡­¡± ¡°No need. Patricia is so young now. Let her stay with me for a while and 10:36 we¡¯ll talk when Jayes out.¡± The little girl¡¯s condition had finally improved. Joanna was still worried about handing her over to Grace. After all, Grace was just a girl. ¡°But I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re too tired.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I have many children at home anyway. Patricia won¡¯t make a difference.¡± Grace was even more grateful when she heard that. Now, she suddenly realized that Joanna was really kind and approachable. No wonder Jaydon and Bruce loved her so much. Who would not like a kind person? Of course everyone would! Kindness was a choice and showed wisdom of character. It did not mean that she was a weak and ipetent woman. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re so kind. I don¡¯t even know how to thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you and Mr. Everett¡¯s help, Jaydon and I wouldn¡¯t know what to do now. ¡°You¡¯re wee. We¡¯re all friends and should help each other. Jay helped me a lot in the past, so it¡¯s only right for me to help you now.¡± Joanna smiled gently without any intention of taking credit. ¡°Joann, I really like you more and more now. If I were a boy, I would probably pursue you too.¡± Joanna was a little embarrassed when she heard that. ¡°Silly, what are you talking about? ¡°By the way, how are things going between you and Darcy?¡± Grace blushed when she heard that. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your rtionship with Darcy.¡± Joanna could not help but ask again. Over the past few days, she had specially given Darcy a long vacation. It was to let them develop feelings for each other. Grace¡¯s face instantly turned red. ¡°Darcy treats me very well, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ He¡¯s a little slow to catch on.¡± Grace pouted with a depressed expression. 10:36 Darcy had always been a straightforward man. He could not read women¡¯s thoughts and tricks. He did not know how to flirt with women. For the past few days, Grace had been expressing her feelings openly. However, he was not moved or passionate at all. ¡°Darcy is like this. He¡¯s more steady and introverted. However, I can guarantee you that he has a very good character.¡± ¡°Of course I know that. ¡°Sigh, I just don¡¯t know what he means. What is he thinking? ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t you help me ask?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Alright, leave it to me.¡± Joanna was still very happy to be the matchmaker. Chapter 1000 Chapter 1000 Chapter 1000 Joanna and Grace were deep in conversation. Darcy walked into the ward with a pile of documents. ¡°The discharge procedures have beenpleted. We can leave now.¡± ¡°Grace, are you going to Venturas now or are you going somewhere else? ¡°Why don¡¯t youe home with me?¡± Grace shook her head. ¡°No, I want to go home first. ¡°After Jaydones out, we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± ¡°¡­Alright then! I¡¯ll get Darcy to send you to Venturaster,¡± Before Joanna could finish speaking, Darcy interrupted her. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett just called me. I might have to apany Mr. Everett on a business trip to Melta. ¡°I¡¯ve been in the hospital for the past few days. I still have some work to do. I might not be able to send Ms. Grace to Venturas.¡± When Joanna heard this, she subconsciously said, ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll get someone to send Grace to Venturas.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Carson, you¡¯re in charge of sending Grace to Venturas safely.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll take my leave first,¡± Grace said as she looked at Darcy reluctantly. Meanwhile, Darcy had a solemn expression on his face. ¡°Bye. Call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Darcy, don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°Have a safe trip,¡± Darcy replied stiffly. When Grace heard this, her little face looked gloomy. She could not help but nce at Joanna. ¡°Joann, goodbye.¡± Joanna waved at her with an expression that said, ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. After Grace left, Joanna and Darcy got into the car and prepared to return to Sherane Bay Vi. 10:38 Joanna could not help but ask, ¡°Darcy, Grace just said goodbye to you. Why didn¡¯t you react at all?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you these past few days. You have to take care of your health.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Darcy looked a little uneasy. ¡°Darcy, Grace seems to like you. How do you feel about Grace?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Darcy looked gloomy. ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯m not joking. Grace is very serious. How do you feel about her now? You¡¯re not young anymore. It¡¯s time to think about a rtionship.¡± Darcy was silent for a moment. ¡°¡­Mrs. Everett, Ms. Grace is so much younger than me. Moreover, our identities are not suitable. The difference in our statuses is too great.¡± ¡°What era are we in now? Why do you still care so much about social status?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not good enough for Ms. Grace.¡± ¡°Give yourself some confidence. You¡¯re so outstanding. You¡¯re verypatible with Grace.¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes flickered as he said gloomily, ¡°Mrs. Everett, there¡¯s no need to say anything. I know my own situation. I¡­ am not worthy of Ms. Grace. I can¡¯t give her happiness. ¡°I hope Mrs. Everett can convey my intentions. Don¡¯t let Ms. Grace misunderstand anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at Darcy in surprise. She never expected this. Darcy actually refused to ept Grace¡¯s courtship? This was really beyond Joanna¡¯s expectations. If it were any other man, he would probably wake upughing in his dreams when such a beautiful, cute, and rich girl chased after him. ¡°Darcy, are you serious? ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. You should seriously consider having a 10:37 family. I think Grace is very suitable for you¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re not suitable.¡± Darcy refused decisively. ¡°Why is that?¡± Joanna was confused. Judging from Darcy¡¯s reaction, he did not seem to be telling the truth. Especially since he was more anxious than anyone else after Grace¡¯s ident. ¡°In short, I¡¯m not worthy of Ms. Grace. I don¡¯t dare to have wishful thinking. Mrs. Everett, can you help me convey my intentions?¡± Darcy replied indifferently. ¡°¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not recover from her shock for a long time. Normally, it would be difficult for a man to sessfully chase a woman, but easy for a woman to chase a man. Unexpectedly¡­ Darcy had actually hit an obstacle. A hint of heaviness and hesitation appeared in Darcy¡¯s eyes. It was not that he did not like Grace. It was because he liked her too much. It was precisely because he liked her too much that he could not harm her. In the early years, because of the high physical fitness training, his body had some problems. Later, during the fight with the criminal, his ¡°special part¡± was injured. As a result, there was no way for him to¡­ give a woman happiness like a normal man. In addition, he was introverted and refused to go to the hospital to see the men¡¯s department. Therefore, no matter how beautiful a woman he faced, his body did not react at all. Chapter 1001 Chapter 1001 Chapter 1001 ¡°Darcy, you have to think about it carefully. If you miss her, there won¡¯t be another outstanding girl like Grace.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but persuade him. ¡°If you don¡¯t try dating, how will you know it¡¯s not suitable? ¡°I think you should give yourself and Grace a chance.¡± Darcy frowned. ¡°Mrs. Everett, I just want to work for Mr. Everett. I don¡¯t want to think so much about other things. ¡°I don¡¯t want women distracting me, either. Right now, work is all that matters to me.¡± Hearing that, Joanna looked at him in shock. This guy was already 34 years old, but did he still not want to have a girlfriend? Moreover, although he was a bodyguard, he had been with Bruce for so long. Her worth had long exceeded 200 million dors./ To be honest, he couldpletely leave Bruce now and live the rest of his life freely. Most importantly, he was already so rich and a billionaire. However, he still worked hard and followed Bruce loyally. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s head felt like it was stuck. A strange thought surfaced in her mind. Darcy¡­ Could it be that he liked Bruce? This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Other than this exnation, she really couldn¡¯t think of any other better exnation. Moreover, Greyport was open-minded and had all kinds of strange things. Many tall and burly men were actually soft and cute little princesses in their hearts. ¡°Darcy, work is work, and rtionships are rtionships. Even if you get married, it won¡¯t affect your work.¡± ¡°It will,¡± Darcy replied coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t want the chores of life to affect my work.¡± Joanna felt choked, and she was even more speechless. 18 11:12 Work was important indeed. But it shouldn¡¯t be to the extent of not getting married for the sake of work, right? Joanna secretly sized up Darcy. The more she looked at him, the more she suspected that he was gay. If it was a normal man, who wouldn¡¯t be tempted by a girl like Grace? And Grace was even chasing after him. Thinking of this, Joanna felt even more upset. The strange thought came to her mind again. Would Bruce and Darcy be in a rtionship? Every time Bruce went on a business trip, he would bring Darcy with him. The person he trusted the most was also Darcy. Simrly, Darcy was extremely loyal to Bruce. When he was in danger, he would really risk his life to stand in front of Bruce. Thinking about it, Joanna felt that it wasn¡¯t impossible. Some people were bisexual and could date men and women. Joanna subconsciously had goosebumps. She crossed her arms and rubbed them. Beep, beep, beep. Coincidentally, Bruce called. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Honey, where are you now?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m rushing home now. What about you? Where are you?¡± Joanna asked casually. ¡°I¡¯m outside now. Is Darcy with you?¡± ¡°Yes! He¡¯s in the car!¡± ¡°Tell him toe to Silver Ring Avenue as soon as possible. I have something urgent to tell him. Put him on the phone. I have something to tell him.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Joanna said and handed the phone to Darcy. Darcy took the phone. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett,¡± Bruce¡¯s angry voice came from the other end. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why can¡¯t I get through to your phone? I made a few calls, but I failed to get through.¡± Bruce did not sound impatient at all. ¡°Oh, my phone just ran out of battery.¡± Darcy looked nervous. ¡°Hurry up ande to Silver Ring Avenue¡­ Chapter 1002 Chapter 1002 Chapter 1002 ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± After hanging up, he said. ¡°Kody, stop at the intersection ahead.¡± The driver Kody responded, ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to stop. I¡¯ll get the driver to send you there.¡± Darcy rejected her coldly. ¡°No need. I can just take a taxi there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s on the way anyway,¡± Joanna insisted. ¡°Uh, Mr. Everett asked me to go alone. It¡¯s better for me to go alone.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes suddenly narrowed. These two people were really mysterious sometimes as if they were doing something shady. ¡°Oh, alright then. ¡°Stop the car.¡± ¡°Squeak!¡± The car stopped at the intersection. Darcy got out of the car and closed the door. Joanna frowned. There was an indescribable strange feeling in her heart. It was about 18 miles away from the Silver Ring Avenue. Why did Bruce call Darcy over there? ¡°Mrs. Everett, where are we going now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go home! ¡°Wait, let¡¯s go to Skyluxe Mall.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna went to the mall and bought some daily necessities. Actually, there were all these things at home, so there was no need for her to buy them herself. However, she was really bored and still wanted to walk around the streets to rx. At 7 o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Bruce drove back to Sherane Bay Vi. The car had just entered the courtyard. The three little guys shouted excitedly, ¡°Mommy, Daddy is back.¡± 175 11:12 Seeing that the three little guys were so happy, Joanna muttered angrily, ¡°So be it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and pick up Daddy.¡± Irvin and Davian ran out of the courtyard happily to wee their daddy. Five minutester, Bruce led the two brats into the house. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back,¡± Bruce said and went forward to give Joanna a kiss. Joanna retreated. ¡°Why are you back sote?¡± ¡°Is it veryte? It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock.¡± Bruce subconsciously looked at his watch. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. She just looked at him suspiciously. Davian and Irvin were still chattering non-stop. ¡°Daddy, can you y games with us tonight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The advancementpetition tonight is very important¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to y games? I think you want to be beaten up. ¡°Have you finished your homework?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already finished our homework. We¡¯ve been waiting for Daddy all afternoon.¡± Bruce rejected mercilessly. ¡°Find someone else. I¡¯m not free.¡± The two little fellows looked at each other with a sly look in their eyes. Their daddy¡¯s reaction was within their expectations. The two little fellows were very smart! They knew how to use the ¡¯roundabout¡¯ technique very well. For example, their goal was to y games. However, if they directly said that they wanted to y games, Daddy would definitely be angry. However, if they pestered Daddy to y with them excitedly, Daddy would definitely reject them impatiently. Then, aspensation, he would let them find someone else. Their goal was achieved. Therefore, the two little guys put in a lot of effort to y games. Joanna was still looking at him suspiciously. Her eyes were filled with annoyance. Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°Honey, why are you looking at me like that?¡± 275 11:12 ¡°What did you do at Silver Ring Avenue today? ¡°Why were you so secretive? You even called Darcy over.¡± Bruce turned his eyes. ¡°Oh, I had something to do.¡± That was a high-tech exhibition hall. He could find any high-tech equipment he needed. He was going to Melta at the end of the month. Of course, he needed to buy a batch of high-tech equipment. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ business. It¡¯s been taken care of now. ¡°Hurry up and eat! I¡¯m hungry. Bruce quickly changed the topic. ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. Hurry up and eat. We¡¯re hungry too.¡± Davian and Irvin were in a hurry to finish their meal and y games. They also urged her to eat. ¡°Dinner is ready. Go wash your hands ande over for dinner!¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, my wife is so nice,¡± Bruce said and kissed her on the cheek. Now, he basically went home to eat on time every day. As long as he could eat at home, he would never eat outside. This warm feeling of home made him feel veryfortable and reluctant to leave. After dinner, Back in the bedroom, Joanna still looked distracted. Soon, Bruce noticed that something was wrong with Joanna. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong with you today? Why do you look unhappy? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Bruce looked concerned and reached out to touch her forehead. ¡°No!¡± Joanna replied weakly. ¡°Then why do you look so unhappy?¡± Im not unhappy. ¡°By the way, Grace has been discharged from the hospital. She has returned to Venturas today¡± Bruce didn¡¯t ask too much. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s been in the hospital for more than a week. She should be better soon.¡± Joanna sighed to herself. ¡°s, I asked Darcy today.¡± ¡°Ask what?¡± ¡°I asked him how he felt about Grace. ¡°What do you think he said?¡± Bruce blinked. ¡°What else can he say? If he likes her, ept her. If he doesn¡¯t like her, reject her.¡± Joanna gulped and looked at him suspiciously. Could it be that Darcy really had a crush on Bruce? Once the seed of doubt was nted in her heart, it could not help but grow wildly. Of course, although this idea was very strange, it was not impossible. ¡°Darcy decisively rejected Grace. He even said that he wasn¡¯t suitable for her.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s normal!¡± Bruce said as he unbuttoned his shirt and prepared to take a shower. When Joanna heard this, she looked depressed. ¡°How can this be normal? ¡°Think about it. Darcy is 34 years old, and Grace is only 22 years old. Moreover, she has a pretty appearance, a good background, and a degree. She¡¯s so many years younger than him.. ¡°If it were any other man, they would be so happy to encounter such a good thing. Darcy actually rejected it? Do you think this is normal?¡± Bruce frowned and looked at Joanna in confusion. Joanna also looked at him with surprise in her eyes. ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± ¡°What I mean is that he doesn¡¯t even fancy a girl as outstanding as Grace. Darcy¡­ Does he already have someone he likes?¡± ¡°Someone he likes?¡± Bruce turned his eyes. He really hadn¡¯t paid attention to this. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I have never seen Darcy interact with any girl. ¡°Moreover, Darcy has been by my side for so many years. He has always been conscientious in his work and rarely takes leave. I¡¯ve never heard of him being interested in any girl.¡± As the boss, he was extremely busy every day. Of course, he did not have the energy to ask about the private lives of his employees. Joanna held his face and looked at him seriously. ¡°So, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡± Chapter 1003 Chapter 1003 Chapter 1003 Bruce looked at Joanna in confusion, not understanding what she meant. ¡°What I mean is that Darcy definitely has someone he likes. Moreover, he loves this person very deeply. That¡¯s why he rejected Grace. Otherwise, he¡¯s already in his thirties. Why wouldn¡¯t he want to start a family?¡±\ When Bruce heard this, he subconsciously scratched his chin. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± On second thought, he said, ¡°Oh, so what if he has someone he likes? This is his private matter. Let¡¯s not interfere.¡± Joanna was silent and looked at him with wide eyes. Bruce felt goosebumps all over from her stare. ¡°Honey, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds before saying word by word, ¡°I suspect that the person he likes is beside us.¡± ¡°Right beside us? Who is it?¡± ¡°Linda?¡± Joanna shook her head in denial. ¡°Lilian?¡± Bruce asked suspiciously. Joanna continued to deny it. Bruce guessed a few more maids in the house, but Joanna denied all of them. In the end, Bruce could not be bothered to guess anymore. He With that, Bruce picked up a ss of water and prepared to drink. ¡°I suspect that the person he likes¡­ is you.¡± Puff! When Bruce heard this, he spat out all the water he had just drunk. ¡°Ahem!¡± Bruce choked a few times and almost choked to death. The hair on his body instantly stood on end. Was he liked by a man? Well¡­ He really did not have the fortune to enjoy it. 11:18 Seeing that he was choking, Joanna quickly patted his back. ¡°Drink slowly. It¡¯s just my suspicion now.¡±¡± Bruce coughed a few more times before catching his breath. ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯re crazy! What¡¯s going on in your head?¡± Bruce was really shocked by Joanna¡¯s idea. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Don¡¯t you think Darcy is weird? ¡°If you¡¯re talking about working, he¡¯s already considered a very sessful worker now. He has a house, a car, savings, and looks handsome. ¡°He¡¯s already in his thirties, but he still doesn¡¯t want a girlfriend. What do you think he wants? ¡°If he was in his twenties, you could say that he was fighting for his career. But now, he has no problem supporting his family. ¡°But why isn¡¯t he thinking about marriage?¡± Although Bruce had a bad temper, he gave his employees very good benefits. As his most capable confidant, Darcy¡¯s basic sry alone was millions of dors every year. Moreover, a few years ago, Bruce even rewarded him with a mansion worth tens of millions of dors. Coupled with the year-end dividends and others, his worth was at least over 20 million dors. Not to mention raising a family, he could even afford to raise a few wives. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. How is that possible?¡± Bruce was still shocked. ¡°Why not? ¡°I think he is weird anyway.¡± Bruce frowned and looked disgusted. He could not ept being liked by a burly man. Just thinking about it made him feel disgusted. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t think about such nonsense. Hurry up and sleep!¡± The next day. Bruce woke up early. Today, he still had to make a trip to Silver Ring Avenue. Yesterday, he booked a batch of high-tech equipment. It could only be 11:181 delivered today. Darcy was already waiting in the living room. When he saw Bruceing downstairs, he immediately greeted him respectfully, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce subconsciously nced at him. ¡°Oh, good morning.¡± Darcy knew that Mr. Everett still had to go to Silver Ring Avenue today. Therefore, without Bruce¡¯s instructions, he naturally followed Bruce out. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bruce wanted to say something but hesitated. Thinking about what Joanna had saidst night, he looked at Darcy with a hint of resistance today. In Greyport, this kind of thing was not rare. In the car, Bruce held his curiosity but still asked in the end, ¡°Darcy.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well, I heard from Joann that Ms. Grace was discharged yesterday!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce turned his eyes. ¡°Joann said that Ms. Grace seems to have taken a fancy to you. I want to hear your thoughts.¡± When Darcy heard this, his Adam¡¯s apple froze, and his expression was a little uneasy. Mr. Everett had always been high and mighty and had never asked about his private life. Why did Mr. Everett suddenly ask him these questions today? ¡°Tell me the truth. Are you interested in Ms. Grace? ¡°If you¡¯re interested in her, I can help you prepare. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you be inferior to the Grimm family,¡± Bruce said seriously. Darcy had been with him for so many years. When Darcy got married in the future, as the boss, Bruce would definitely express his gratitude. Moreover, Bruce had always been very generous. He would definitely take over all the wedding matters of Darcy and definitely hold the wedding in a grand manner. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­¡± Darcy was never good at expressing himself. Now, he was even more stunned. Bruce looked at Darcy, who was stunned and embarrassed. His butt subconsciously tightened, and a trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Darcy¡­ could Darcy really be gay? Chapter 1004 Chapter 1004 Chapter 1004 ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous. Just tell the truth. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. If you meet someone suitable, it¡¯s good to get married as soon as possible. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to be single all the time,¡± Bruce said bluntly. Anyway, he was the boss. There was no need to be coy. The tips of Darcy¡¯s ears turned red. He did not know what to say. Bruce lit a cigarette and leanedzily against the seat. ¡°I also think Ms. Grace is more than enough for you. ¡°You don¡¯t even want such a suitable girl. Who else do you want? It¡¯s about time to get married. Don¡¯t be too picky.¡± Darcy gulped. ¡°I, I¡­¡± 11 ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re thinking. What exactly are you thinking? Or do you have someone you like?¡± When Darcy heard this, his face became even more embarrassed. ¡°Mr. Everett, I just want to follow you properly for the time being. I don¡¯t want to think about rtionships. I also don¡¯t want other things to distract me.¡± When Bruce heard that, he looked at Darcy with even more resistance. Oh no, oh no. It seemed that Joanna was right. Darcy¡¯s lover might really be him. ¡°Well, work is important, but so is marriage. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®go astray¡¯ or do anything too unconventional. You¡¯ve been working for me for so long, so I¡¯m 100% sure of your work ability. ¡°However, don¡¯t have any thoughts that you shouldn¡¯t have, and don¡¯t disappoint me. Get married and have children obediently. Don¡¯t do any absurd things.¡± Bruce¡¯s words implied that he was afraid that Darcy was really gay. If that was true, he really couldn¡¯t get along with Darcy anymore, and Darcy couldn¡¯t stay by his side anymore. When Darcy heard this, he looked at Bruce awkwardly. Although he was not good with words, he was not a fool. He could 1/3 understand the meaning behind Bruce¡¯s words. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Darcy was even more bbergasted because he was nervous. ¡°Darcy, tell me the truth. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t like women.¡± Bruce spat out a mouthful of smoke and asked directly. ¡°Mr. Everett, how is that possible?¡± Bruce¡¯s face tensed up and he said solemnly, ¡°I want to hear your real reason and thoughts now.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Darcy stammered. He really did not know how to say it. Mr. Everett had always had a bad temper. Now that he had specially asked Darcy, Darcy naturally did not dare to hide it. Of course, he wasn¡¯t gay. However, his body had been injured before. He could not have an erection like a normal man. Such a question was too humiliating. He was a prideful man. Of course, he didn¡¯t want anyone to know that he couldn¡¯t have sex. -Hence, after wasting so much time, he had never gone to the hospital to visit the andrology. ¡°Darcy, you know that I hate it when people lie to me. What¡¯s the reason? Tell me the truth.¡± Bruce¡¯s voice turned cold. Darcy took a deep breath and braced himself. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­ I can¡¯t do it.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± Bruce did not understand and could not react for a moment. ¡°Well, I mean I can¡¯t act like a normal man in bed. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m afraid of ruining Ms. Grace¡¯s happiness. I don¡¯t dare to ept her for fear of harming her.¡± Bruce was shocked when he heard that. Darcy had been with him for more than ten years. He looked so lively and majestic. How could he not do it? How was this possible? ¡°Don¡¯t joke. This joke isn¡¯t funny!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, this is my privacy. Do you think I would joke about such a thing?¡± Darcy drove with a dejected and disappointed expression. Chapter 1005 Chapter 1005 Chapter 1005 Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously put out the cigarette. This was too tragic. As a man, Darcy could not do the happiest thing for a man. What was the point of living? ¡°Uh, have you seen a doctor? ¡°Nowadays, we have to see a doctor as soon as possible for some problems in andrology. If it¡¯s not congenital, it can basically be cured.¡± Bruce clicked his tongue and comforted Darcy. Darcy drove silently. He was not born with it. It was just that in the early years, he was fighting with the criminals and was identally kicked in his crotch. Then, his manhood was injured by the kick. ¡°Well, when Ie back from Melta this time, I¡¯ll help you find the best andrology doctor. ¡°This isn¡¯t a problem. It can definitely be cured.¡± Darcy took a deep breath and said gloomily, ¡°Mr. Everett, can you please help me keep this secret? I¡­ don¡¯t want others to know. ¡°Especially, Ms. Grace¡­¡± Bruce nodded sympathetically. ¡°Oh, I understand. Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± As a man, Darcy still needed this bit of self-esteem. It would be too humiliating and depressing to let the person he loved know that he could not have sex. Bruce had to save some face for Darcy. At 6.00 pm, Bruce returned to Sherane Bay Vi. Joanna had been waiting for him at home for a day. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back,¡± Bruce said as he took off his suit and loosened his tie. Joanna took his suit and asked impatiently, ¡°How is it? Have youmunicated with Darcy?¡± 11:13 ¡°Yes, we¡¯vemunicated.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously frowned. As for this kind of thing, it was best not to let the woman know. Although Joanna was not a big mouth, if she knew that Darcy had that kind of illness, she probably would not be able to get along with him naturally anymore. He had better leave Darcy some face and privacy! ¡°Why are you hesitating? What did Darcy say?¡± Bruce clicked his tongue and said seriously, ¡°Honey, it¡¯s better to let him handle private matters like rtionships alone. Let¡¯s not worry about it. After all, this is his private matter.¡± When Joanna heard this, she said anxiously, ¡°But Grace has a deep feeling for Darcy. She just called me and asked me about Darcy. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll be sad. I haven¡¯t told her the truth yet.¡± ¡°Yes, tell him the truth. Darcy isn¡¯t suitable for her. Tell her not to look -forward to it anymore.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°How can this do?¡± ¡°Darcy really isn¡¯t suitable. Their age difference is too great. Moreover, their status and identity don¡¯t match. They won¡¯t be happy even if we force them to be together.¡± Bruce continued to say something disappointing, ¡°It¡¯s best to date someone of the same social ss. This kind of rtionship that transcends social sses basically doesn¡¯t have a good ending.¡± That was the truth. In reality, Cindere¡¯s fate after marrying into a wealthy family was basically very miserable. It was basically impossible for a rich youngdy to marry a poor man. That was because their thoughts, backgrounds, and other things were too far apart. Even if they loved each other very much at the beginning, after the expiration date of love faded, their lives would only be left with daily chores. The hidden problem would gradually surface. When Joanna heard this, she was a little unhappy. ¡°Bruce, why do you 274- 111a have such thoughts?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he stared nkly at Joanna. ¡°What era are we in now? Do you still think that people can¡¯t be together just because their families are not matched?¡± Bruce subconsciously scratched his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. What I meant was that it¡¯s best to find someone in the same circle to get married. Their circles are different, so it¡¯s very difficult for them to live together.¡± In real life, this was the truth. If the difference in their statuses was too great, it was indeed impossible for them to live together. For example, Bruce married a Cindere from a poor family. He was thinking about acquiring a few listedpanies and how to expand his business. Meanwhile, his wife might be thinking about where to buy discounted clothes and which supermarket had special discount activities. If he talked to his wife about the economy, investment, and finance, it was very likely that his wife would be uninterested and not understand what he was talking about. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. There was nomon topic between the two of them. How could they live for a long time until 39228? Their thoughts were not synchronized. When the novelty of love passed, the ending would only be sad. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. She was staring at Bruce gloomily. Looking at Joanna¡¯s gaze, Bruce panicked for no reason. ¡°Ha-ha¡­ Honey, can you not look at me like that? I¡¯m really afraid when you look at me like that.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes resentfully. ¡°Our circles are different too. Aren¡¯t we still living together?¡± ¡°Why¡­ Why are our circles different?¡± Bruce smiled at Joanna. Joanna was not as rich and capable as him. However, she was not stupid. In some matters, she was even more intelligent than Bruce. In terms of business, if Bruce didn¡¯t cause trouble, Joanna would also be able to do business well. Now, she had no choice but to be trapped in his castle. Joanna was still panicking. ¡°Bruce, I suspect that there¡¯s something 34 with your mind. ¡°Everyone is equal in the face of love. As long as two people love each other, all problems are not a problem. ¡°Love can tolerate everything. If it can¡¯t, it means that the two of them don¡¯t love each other deeply enough. Love that¡¯s reserved can¡¯t be considered true love.¡± Bruce blinked at Joanna. It was said that women came from Venus and men from Mars. This meant that men and women had different perspectives on things. Men tend to be more rational and women more emotional. Bruce pondered for a few seconds before speaking to Joanna, ¡°Ha-ha, I think you just want to be their matchmaker.¡± ¡°I can feel that Grace has real feelings for Darcy. I really don¡¯t know what Darcy is thinking. ¡°He¡­ he can¡¯t really be gay, right?¡± Bruce put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Don¡¯t have such terrifying thoughts again. After being frightened by you, I can¡¯t even look straight at Darcy now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we have to make them lovers.¡± ¡°s, I really don¡¯t know what to do with you.¡± Bruce smiled helplessly. ¡°How about this? When Darcy and I get back from Melta, you can help them pull the strings. ¡°During this period of time, let Ms. Grace calm down and think about it carefully. Has she really decided on Darcy? ¡°If she really wants to be with Darcy, I will definitely find a way to make them together when Darcy and I return from Melta.¡± Chapter 1006 Chapter 1006 Chapter 1006 As Bruce spoke, he frowned and his eyes revealed a trace of mncholy. On this trip to Melta, he really did not know what awaited him. However, for the sake of Joanna, for the sake of the children, he would definitely make himselfe back alive. After he returned safely, he couldpletely withdraw from the organization and live an ordinary life. Joanna¡¯s heart tightened and her gaze softened. She could not help but ask again, ¡°Hubby, how long will you stay in Melta?¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Bruce smiled dotingly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? ¡°Two months at the very least, six months at the very most.¡± ¡°When is the flight?¡± ¡°On the 29th of this month¡± ¡°Must you go there?¡± Joanna¡¯s gaze became even gentler. ¡°Yeah!¡± Bruce smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s already the 22nd today. Are you going in a week?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart suddenly ached as she hugged Bruce¡¯s waist tightly. They had been through a lot of hardships and finally got together. However, their actual ume together had never exceeded three months. Now that he was going to be gone for such a long time, Joanna was inexplicably worried. Bruce¡¯s heart warmed as he gently rubbed her back. ¡°Honey, are you reluctant to part with me? ¡°Are you not used to not having me by your side?¡± Joanna replied faintly. ¡°I¡¯m a little afraid that you¡¯ll be gone for so long¡± She was not too dependent and attached to him. She just felt inexplicably uneasy, as if something was about to happen. ¡°Ha¨Cha, what are you afraid of? Tve already arranged everything for thepany. I¡¯ve also arranged most of the matters at home. ¡°You just need to take care of the children and enjoy your life. Just wait for me to in peace. oe back When Joanna heard that, she subconsciously raised her head and looked at Bruce with a worried expression. ¡°Hubby, tell me the truth. Why are you going to Melta this time!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. Didn¡¯t I tell you to deal with the businesses over there? In the future, the focus of our business will shit to this country.¡± Joanna was still worried. ¡°Will you be in danger heard that Melta¡¯s security is very bad now. There are even werewolf attacks in some ces. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not. In short, you shouldn¡¯t go if you can Brice smiled. A hint of rendemess appeared on his handsome fare. Ha¨Cha, don¡¯t worry! ¡®s The Retom Of His Unrivaled Ex¨CWife +5 vouchers not my first time going to Melta. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not going alone. Darcy and Carson will go with me.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s better. Be careful when you get there. Also, restrain your temper. Don¡¯t lose your temper at will.¡± Joanna was still worried. I know, I know! You¡¯re always so worried. ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go to bed early!¡± In the blink of an eye, five days passed Beep, beep beep. Grace couldn¡¯t help but call Joanna again. ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± Grace¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just staying at home, Joanna replied. For the past few days, she had been busy taking care of Bruce and the children. Of course, she had enjoyed taking care of them. Grace pondered for a few seconds and said softly. ¡°Jaydon will be out tomorrow. Joann, do you want to apany me to pick him up?¡± Hearing this, Joanna hesitated. The day after tomorrow, Bruce would go on a business trip to Melta Moreover, he would stay there for so long. She wanted to spend more time with him. ¡°Well, I might not have time to go over to Venturas. But it¡¯s okay. We have a lot of time meet in the future. Joanna refused. Now, Jaydon was basically fine. to After he was released from prison, he could just take over Grimm Group ording to the normal procedure. Therefore, there was no need for Joanna to worry about anything else. She did not want Bruce to be jealous. ¡°Oh, Joann, well¡­ Grace hesitated. Joanna knew what Grace wanted to ask For the past few days, she had not thought of how to tell Grace about Darcy. After pondering for a few seconds, Grace said mncholically, ¡°Um, how¡¯s Darcy? Why hasn¡¯t he¡­ answered my calls recently? Joann, didn¡¯t you say that you would help me? What¡¯s going on now?¡± Oh, Grace. It¡¯s like this. Darcy is going on a business trip with my husband to Melta the day after tomorrow. When Grace heard this, she looked nervous. ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t he tell me? How long will he be gone? Jounna¡¯s scalp tightened. ¡°Well, at least two months. If it¡¯s slow, it might take about half a Ah! Is he going to be gone for so long? That¡¯s right Grace frowned. She was both anxious and angry. She originally thought that as long as she wanted to be with Darcy, she would definitely bet able to get her wish. But now, she realized that she was probably thinking too much. Chapter 1007 Chapter 1007 Chapter 1007 Joann, what does Darcy mean? Does he not like me?¡± Grace sounded like she was about to cry. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Uh¡­ Joanna held her breath, not knowing what to say. ¡°Joann, tell me the truth. Is he unwilling to ept me? ¡°If that¡¯s the case, just tell me. I can ept ¡°Grace, I asked Darcy for his opinion.¡± it.¡± ¡°He said¡­ your age and status are not suitable. He was afraid of dying you¡­¡± Joanna stammered. When Grace heard this, she quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t care about these things. ¡°Grace, Darcy is quite rigid. It might take some time. This kind of thing can¡¯t be rushed. He also said that he hopes that both of you can calm down and consider it carefully. ¡°Besides, your brother might not agree to you dating. Grace stubbornly replied, ¡®No, my brother definitely won¡¯t interfere in my rtionship matters. ¡°Even if my brother doesn¡¯t agree, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s fine as long as I agree.¡± Grace replied willfully. Joanna¡¯s heart choked, but she advised Grace carnestly, ¡°Grace, don¡¯t be too impulsive when ites to rtionships. ¡°Take this time to think about it carefully. When Darcyes back from Melta, if you still insist on your current thoughts, I will definitely help you. ¡°But now, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re just being impulsive¡­¡± Grace replied firmly, ¡°Joann, I definitely didn¡¯t do it on impulse. I¡¯m serious this time, very serious. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t ept me, I definitely won¡¯t be with another boy.¡± Joanna looked helpless. ¡°Grace, you¡¯re still too young. You have to be careful about many things.¡± ¡°Joann, you¡¯ve been through this before. I think you used to feel the same way about Mr. Everett, right? I¡¯m not a child anymore. I¡¯m already 22 years old. I know very well what I want. ¡°When I was kidnapped, I was really disheartened. I thought that I would definitely die. The moment Darcy rushed in to save me, I decided on him from the bottom of my heart. There can¡¯t be anyone else in this life. As Grace said this, tears fell uncontrobly. Joanna fell silent. Exactly! Everyone was a wise man when it came to talking about others. However, everyone was in a mess when it happened to them. Grace, don¡¯t be anxious. Don¡¯t be sad. Give Darry a little more time. No matter what, we¡¯ll talk about it when hees back from Melta. That¡¯s it, then. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll counsel Darcy again.¡± ¡°Joann, thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, honey.¡± After hanging up, Bruce came down from upstairs. ¡°Honey, who are you talking to on the phone?¡± ¡°Grace¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Joanna said helplessly, ¡°s, she was asking about Darcy again! ¡°This silly girl is single¨Cmindedly set on Darcy. She said that she¡¯s set on him for the rest of her life. ¡°Hubby, what do you think Darcy is thinking? He doesn¡¯t like such a good girl like Grace! What kind of girl does he want?¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled awkwardly. ¡°Well, there might be a special reason.¡± ¡°What special reason?¡± ¡°For example, some external factors and physical reasons.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t dare to tell Joanna. Joanna was puzzled and asked curiously, ¡°Physical cause? Then what¡¯s the cause?¡± ¡°s, let¡¯s not talk about this! The children are about to finish school. Let¡¯s think about what to eat tonight!¡± Joanna was stunned for a few seconds. ¡®By the way, Jay will be released from prison tomorrow. ¡°Really? Will he be released so soon?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in surprise. Joanna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. He has been detained for half a month. He should be out tomorrow. Bruce smiled bitterly. ¡°Humph, this bastard should be locked up for three to five years. He¡¯s only been locked up for 15 days. This is too unsatisfactory.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was speechless. ¡°s, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you always like to go against him?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going against him? Who does he think he is?¡± Bruce looked disdainful. ¡°I just hate him.¡± Joanna was even more speechless when she heard that. However, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to resolve the knot between them. For example, her rtionship with Aria was the same. She probably wouldn¡¯t be willing to be friends with Aria. Well, since that bastard is out of prison, we¡¯ll go see him tomorrow and return his daughter to him. Hubby, did 1 hear wrongly?¡± What did you hear wrong? You want to see him? Joanna looked incredulous Tos was the first time Bruce had taken the initiative to meet Jaydon: ~2k them ?n problem with that? Do I have to make an appointment in advance to meet him? If possible, I don¡¯t want to see this bastard. But there¡¯s no choice. I have to meet him. tomorrow.¡± Chapter 1008 Chapter 1008 Chapter 1008 Joanna looked at Bruce in shock, as if trying to determine if he was being sarcastic. Tomorrow was the day Jaydon would be released from prison. If Bruce went to see Jaydon, Jaydon might misunderstand that Bruce was deliberately making trouble. ¡°Honey, why are you looking at ine like that again?¡± Bruce pursed his lips and looked a little dazed. Joanna blinked her beautiful big eyes. ¡°Are you sure you want to see Jay tomorrow?¡± Bruce shrugged. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Bruce paused and said with a fake smile, ¡°You can¡¯t take the initiative to see him during my absence, let alone meet him alone. ¡°Otherwise, I would¡­¡± At this point, Bruce¡¯s words were stuck in his throat again. He swallowed the second half of his sentence. Joanna rolled her eyes at him angrily. ¡°You are being jealous again. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that I¡¯m only friends with Jay. Even if I meet him, I definitely won¡¯t do anything beyond friends.¡± At this point, Joanna was quite confident in herself. When it came to rtionships, she had always known how to restrain herself and know her limits. Jaydon had pursued her for so many years. If she had been touched by him even once, would probably be married by now. they Of course, she had previously agreed to marry Jaydon purely because she saw that he was disabled. Out of sympathy and kindness, she wanted to marry him. Bruceughed dryly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Why are you so nervous?¡± ¡°I am not nervous! I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll let your imagination run wild again.¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha, that won¡¯t happen.¡± A teasing expression appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face as he intimately rubbed her head. He paused for a few seconds. Bruce said half¨Cjokingly and half¨Cseriously, ¡°Actually¡­ Jaydon is also a good man. ¡°Although he¡¯s not as handsome, outstanding, or smart as me, he¡¯s still considered a real When Joanna heard this, her heart choked. ¡°I really can¡¯t stand you. Do you have to praise yourself like that?¡± Bruce said with a serious expression, I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± However, if one day.. I¡¯m no longer around, you can marry him instead. After Bruce Bitished speaking, his eyes turned slightly red. 3 he coulde back alive, he would not let any man cover Joanna. However, there was always a possibility. If he couldn¡¯te back, Joanna was still so young. He didn¡¯t want her to be a widow for the rest of her life. Although he hated Jaydon, after this period of understanding, he changed his opinion of Jaydon. If he was no longer around, Jaydon would definitely take good care of Joanna. As for his children, he had already made all the necessary arrangements. As long as the children were not too useless in the future, they could behave themselves and run the company ording to the route he had nned. Within 20 to 30 years, Everett Group would not copse. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Joanna was so angry that she punched Bruce¡¯s shoulder a few times. ¡°Don¡¯t say that again.¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha, I was just joking with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like jokes like this. Don¡¯t say anything inauspicious. Didn¡¯t you hear them say that good things don¡¯t be true but bad things do? ¡°You jinx. How can you curse yourself like this?¡± Bruce smiled awkwardly. ¡°Fool, if what one says cane true, this society doesn¡¯t need people to struggle. They just need to pray with their mouths every day.¡± ¡°You must be crazy.¡± Joanna red at him fiercely. At the same time, she felt even more ufortable. If it was in the past, he would never have said such words that sounded like hisst words. With his temper, not to mention taking the initiative to ask her to remarry Jaydon, event mentioning Jaydon¡¯s name would make him extremely jealous. And now, he was actually asking her to marry Jaydon! If he wasn¡¯t crazy, what was wrong with him? Bruce stopped teasing her. ¡°Alright, alright. Hurry up and eat! I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s eat Downstairs in the dining room. The servants had already set up the dishes, and the children went downstairs one after another. They were eating traditional food today. On the wide Ecostanian wooden table, there were steaming steamed humpback grouper, roast turkey, pork chop, apple pie, and pumpkin soup. Of course, the onion rings were indispensable. After Bruce sat down, he nced at the dining table, ¡°Hmm, why isn¡¯t there spaghetti?¡± When Joanna heard this, she looked at him speechlessly. Come on, how many times have you rien spagheto this week? You sinell like spaghetti now, yet you still want to eat it Well, there¡¯s nothing lean do. I just like spaghelf Bruce smiled at Joanna. wasan betremely instalous man- However, he did not know why he liked to eat the spaghetti made by Joanna. He never got tired of eating it. Joanna sighed slightly. ¡°There are so many dishes. Can you still eat it?¡± Bruce nodded seriously. ¡°I can eat it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± Joanna said as she got up and went to the kitchen. He was going to Melta the day after tomorrow. Now, of course, she had to satisfy his wishes as much as possible. In any case, it wouldn¡¯t take much time to cook spaghetti. He liked to eat, so Joanna specially bought a lot at home. Now, it was more convenient to make it. As long as the spaghetti was cooked and washed with clear water, she cut some vegetables. Then, she drizzled them with the source and stirred them evenly so that Bruce could have it. Ten minutester. Joanna came out with spaghetti. ¡°There you go.¡± Bruce looked at the fragrant spaghetti and sniffed it happily. ¡°Mmm, it smells so good. My wife¡¯s spaghetti is still the best.¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± Joanna called out to the children again. The table was filled with delicious food. However, Bruce didn¡¯t eat other food. He only ate the spaghetti made by Joanna. Joanna held a small bowl and personally fed Patricia. ¡°Patricia, you¡¯re going to see Daddy tomorrow. Are you happy?¡± Patricia sat on the special child seat and ate obediently. Under Joanna¡¯s careful care, Patricia had gained a few pounds in just over two weeks. Davian ate and asked casually, ¡°Mommy, is Patricia leaving tomorrow?¡± That¡¯s right! Mr. Grimm will be free tomorrow, so we must send Patricia back. ¡°When is Patriciaing back again?¡± ¡°Well, that depends!¡± Joanna said and carefully fed Patricia. Devin had also started to eat supplementary food. There was a special babysitter to feed him. It didn¡¯t matter what her own child ate. Since she had promised to help Jaydon take care of Patricia, she naturally had to take better care of Patricia. Therefore, Joanna was more attentive to Patricia than to her own child. ¡°s, Lilia is going to Gaprington soon, and Patricia is leaving again. Daddy is also going to Melta for a business trip. Our house is going to be cheerless again. Cherish our family¡¯sst dinner ***The weather is unpredictable, and a person can be in trouble. Irvin suddenly wanted to Write a poem to cheer up the atmosphere. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. However, after reciting two lines, he frowned and stopped. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s this one. This is a licle inappropriate. Lucian replied angrily. Are you trying to say, Humans have their sorrows, joys separat The Reum Of His Dariy ded Ex¨CWife and reunions, and the moon has its dark and clear ipleteness¡°?¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha, that¡¯s right!¡± Chapter 1009 Chapter 1009 Chapter 1009 In an instant, Joanna¡¯s face turned gloomy. ¡°Don¡¯t talk when you are eating, eh? Eat up.¡± She observed that the two mischievous boys seemed to have adopted Bruce¡¯s negative habit of being pessimistic. After going through so much recently, she had be quite anxious about various things. Besides, she became very afraid of parting. It was ten o¡¯clock at night. Bruce and Joanna returned to the bedroom. She gazed at him with distress. After brushing his teeth and taking a shower, Brucey on the bed, casually scrolling through¨Chis phone. ¡°Have you packed your suitcase?¡± ¡°Yeah, all packed. Well, there is nothing much to prepare anyway. I can buy whatever I need when I get there,¡± he replied indifferently. ¡°Honey¡­¡± She climbed onto the bed and snuggled up to him. He trembled all over, put down his phone, and got ready for ¡°battle¡± at any time. ¡°Oh, you are so proactive today, aren¡¯t you?¡± It was simply because he was always the one taking the initiative. As a result, she felt worn out, constantly resisting and evading his advances.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. This was the first time she took the initiative to hug him tightly around his neck. Seeing him getting touchy again, she said gloomily, ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are you leaving the day after tomorrow?¡± she asked again. He chuckled, and said, ¡°Yeah! So, we must cherish every precious second. Otherwise, you might not be able to enjoy your husband¡¯s ¡®intimate services for half a year.¡± Hearing that, she did not get angry. Instead, she gazed at him in confusion. Joanna¡¯s eyes were beautiful,rge, and bright. Meanwhile, her ck pupils seemed to retain countless stories. Bruce¡¯s eyes were narrow, giving him a somewhat wolf¨Clike, intimidating appearance. Meanwhile, his pupils seemed to be veiled, hiding some untold stories. What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired?¡± He pinched her chin and kissed her forehead. She remained docile, allowing him to continue, but her gloomy eyes never left him. Aww, you don¡¯t want to part with your husband, do you?¡± fed her gaze, nuzzling into his arms. ¡°Why do you have to be gone for such a long Can you hot go? I feel a bit uneasy omise you that this will be myst business trip After this trip. I won¡¯t be away For an inch id thar ¡®okay?¡± He assured her solently ¡°Of course. Have I ever lied to you?¡± ¡°You have lied to me plenty of times, no?¡± she said with displeasure. It seemed to her that he was capable of lying so effortlessly. Though it was true that a lot of the ties he had told were not malicious, she did not want to be deceived regardless. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, eh? Let¡¯s sleep! We have to wake up early tomorrow.¡± Yeah. The lights were turned off. He began advancing. Tonight, she willingly cooperated with him. At the thought of not seeing him for several months, she could not help but feel worried. The next day. Early in the morning, Bruce woke Joanna up. ¡°Honey, wake up. We have to go Venturas today. She opened her eyes and asked sleepily, ¡°What time is it now?¡± ¡°It is already eight o¡¯clock. Hurry up!¡± He gently urged her to get up while he began to get changed. ¡°Oh!¡± She yawned, feeling a bit sluggish. After washing up. Downstairs. ¡°Patricia, you can go home today.¡± Today, the little girl was wearing avish dress, looking like a delicate doll. Bruce could not contain his excitement and remarked, ¡°She is incredibly adorable! I wish she were our daughter!¡± Joanna rolled her eyes at him. ¡°We have Lilia already, and she is very adorable as well.¡± ¡°Well, when I get back from Melta, we are going to try for another daughter¡± ¡°Sigh, we already have four children. Having another one¡­ The thought gave her a headache. The mother would have to carry the child for nine months, after all. Only women knew how challenging it was. ¡°I would not want another child if Devin were a girl. Well, too bad that Devin is a boy.¡± Such a greedy man you are. Haven¡¯t you heard the saying, ¡®more children, more blessings?¡± he replied lovingly The most crucial reason he wanted to have another daughter was because he wanted someone to be Lilia¡¯spanion in life. Although be had four children, he had not witnessed any of their births. xperienced the excitement of waiting outside the operating room like other seemg his child for the first time: Chapter 1010 Chapter 1010 Chapter 1010 Venturas At the men¡¯s detention center Jaydon walked out of the detention center carrying a bag. ¡°Jaydon, you¡¯re finally out!¡± Grace rushed over and hugged him tightly. ¡°Congrattions on your release, Jaydon.¡± His other siblings also gathered to wee him. today. After all, Jaydon had brought down Cassius, benefiting everyone. As a result, they were all grateful to him. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. out. Grace sobbed as she said, ¡°Jaydon, it¡¯s wonderful that you¡¯re finally ou Jaydon gently patted his sister¡¯s head and said, ¡°Silly girl, why are you crying?¡± ¡°Well, I feel a little sad and excited at the same time,¡± she said, looking like a poor child. Janson said, ¡°We¡¯ll celebrate your release properly today, eh? Let¡¯s help you get rid of all the bad luck. We¡¯ve already booked a room at the Fairview Hotel, so let¡¯s head there now With a frown, Jaydon said, ¡°I need to get changed first.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. We¡¯ve got everything ready for you, okay? We¡¯ve got you new clothes, new shoes, new underwear. You know, everything is new. It means turning a new page in life, eh?¡± ¡°Uh, well, as you wish then. Jaydon was somewhat pleased by the proposal. Except for Grace, his other siblings were not from the same mother. However, he was always kind and caring, and he treated his younger siblings with love and patience. Everyone was getting ready to board the car. At that moment, several luxury cars pulled up. Bruce and Joanna got out of one of the cars. ¡°Jay¡­ Jaydon saw them as he turned around. ¡®Joann, Bruce, why are you guys here?¡± ¡°Hmph, we came to deliver your daughter. What? You don¡¯t want your daughter anymore?¡± Bruce asked teasingly. Meanwhile, Joanna walked over with the little girl in her arms, smiling. ¡°Patricia! Say ¡®Daddy¡® This your Daddy Seeing his daughter, Jaydon became emotional and hurriedly approached to embrace her. Patricia, come, let Daddy hold you.¡± Mmm¡­ Waah.. The little girl, who was a little unfamiliar with Jaydon, stretched out her arms to seek an embrace from Burce instead. Daddy, Daddy! Seeing this, Jaydon red at Bruce with astonishment and bitterness. This irritated him. His daughter had autistn and had never spoken word. Now that the girl finally spoke and called Daddy she surprisingly referred to Bruce instead of himself. ¡°Bruce, did you teach her to do this?¡± Hearing this, Bruce became irritated. ¡°Do I look like I would do this kind of silly thing? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a daughter, okay? Why would I bother to steal yours?¡± Jaydon did not know what to say. ¡°What? Are you upset? Huh?¡± Seeing the two men arguing again, Joanna quickly intervened, saying, ¡°Patricia is still young, so she gets close to whoever spends more time with her. If you spend more time with her, she¡¯ll be closer to you.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Thank you Joanna. I didn¡¯t expect you toe and pick me up.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop standing around and go to the hotel now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Everyone got back into their respective cars. In the car. ¡°Oh my goodness, Mr. Everett hase to pick Jaydon up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Now that Mr. Everett has won the bid for the certificate of authorization, we can establish a closer rtionship with him and hopefully maintain our ess to the certificate¡± ¡°It seems like Mr. Everett and Jaydon are very close. I¡¯m sure Mr. Everett would be happy to help ¡°That might not be the case. Jaydon was rumored to be involved with Mrs. Everett before. You know, Mr. Everett and Jaydon have always been arch¨Cenemies, so this visit might not be a good thing. A few of Jaydon¡¯s siblings could not resist specting about the reason behind Bruce¡¯s visit. Twenty minutester. They all arrived at the Fairview Hotel. Jaydon,e over here for a moment. I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bruce took out a folder from the car and handed it to Jaydon. This is for you.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Just open it and you¡¯ll find out. Bruce¡¯s disyed a disdainful expression. Jaydon opened the folder and looked inside. Certificate of authorization? After reading it, he looked at Bruce with astonishment. I¡¯m returning it to its owner. It¡¯s up to you how you want to manage it.¡± Jaydon was taken aback, finding It difficult to believe what he had heard as he looked at Brice in disbelief. Chapter 1011 Chapter 1011 Chapter 1011 ¡°What? You don¡¯t want it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that! I just didn¡¯t expect that you would¡­ Jaydon was at a loss for words, not. knowing what to say. He added. ¡°Um, so how much rent do I need to pay per year?¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow arrogantly. ¡°Hmph, you can have it for now. I¡¯ll let you know when Ie up with a price. Jaydon shrugged. ¡°No, you better tell me now. Otherwise, I won¡¯t dare to use it.¡± Bruce examined the man in front of him and said seriously, ¡°Then, how about two cents per year?¡± Poof. Jaydon almost lost his bnce upon hearing that. ¡°Are you kidding? Two cents? How is this possible?¡± ¡°Have I ever joked about such matters?¡± Bruce had his own n in mind. The Everett Group had more businesses under its umbre than it could run. As a result, he decided not to venture into the gambling industry. If he could sessfully return and leave the organization this time, he nned to semi¨Cretire and enjoy life to the fullest. After all, he had earned enough money tost several lifetimes. Moreover, he did not want to owe anyone any favors. Although he would not admit it aloud, Jaydon had indeed done him a great favor when he went to Saumi Cradia earlier. Now, he would like to return the favor. Jaydon¡¯s ears perked up as he listened to Bruce¡¯s words. Joanna was also surprised, silently praising Bruce in her heart. She had anticipated her husband asking for a significant sum, at least the market price. However, she became utterly surprised when he revealed that he only wanted two cents. ¡°Well¡­ Are you sure you¡¯re not joking?¡± ¡°Ha, do I look like I am joking?¡± Indeed, Bruce¡¯s expression showed no sign of fooling around. Right now, Jaydon felt uneasy. ? He found it overwhelming that Bruce had suddenly be so ¡°kind¡°. In fact, he had grown ustomed to Bruce¡¯s arrogant expression. ¡°Um, perhaps you could step out of the car for a moment, and we can continue our conversation inside? Jaydon¡¯s words came out a bit scattered, and he could not exin why he suddenly felt nervous. No need. We¡¯re leaving now. Bruce, who did not even step out of the car, had no interest in Maying After closing the car window, he said in a somber tone. Return to Greyport. Understood The driver Immediately started the car Japan, and the others gathered around. Booking curiously at the folder in Jaydon hand. ¡°Jaydon, what did Mr. Everett give you?¡± Before Jaydon could react, the folder in his hand was snatched away by Janson. Janson opened the folder and discovered a certificate of authorization for the gambling industry, along with an authorization letter from the Everett Group. ¡°Oh my goodness, it¡¯s a certificate of authorization and an authorization letter!¡± Everyone erupted in cheers. With the two documents, the Grimm Group could continue operating in the gambling industry. Jaydon, how much rent does Mr. Everett want for the certificate of authorization?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Did you negotiate with him for a discount? He did not demand an exorbitant price, did he?¡± The group bombarded Jaydon with questions as their faces disyed a mix of surprise and joy. For a certificate like this, the annual rent would typically be at least 20% of the profits. For arge enterprise like the Grimm Group, which had annual profits reaching hundreds of millions of dors, the rent would be an astronomical sum. After a moment of bewilderment, Jaydon softly said, ¡°He¡­ he said he only wants two cents.¡± ¡°Huh? Two cents? That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Yeah, Bruce is a businessman, right? Could this be a trap? ¡°Exactly! We mustn¡¯t fall for it. Just two cents? That¡¯s impossible! It can¡¯t be true.¡± As Jaydon watched Bruce¡¯s departing car, his eyes revealed a hint of mixed feelings within him. Bruce was indeed an arrogant, bothersome man. Yet Bruce would not y such tricks. Though he appeared unreliable, he was, in fact, rather dependable. For instance, when it came to saving Grace, Bruce might have spoken harshly, but his actions were effective. Inside the car. It took Joanna quite some time to process what had just happened. Originally, she had been thinking about persuading Bruce to charge Jaydon less money. Unexpectedly, her husband decided to ask for just two cents. In other words, the certificate was given away for free. ¡°Wow, honey, you are so open¨Cminded now!¡± What do you mean?¡± I never imagined you would hand over the certificate of authorization to Jaydon for just a two¨Ccent rent. Hiha you are speaking as though I was so narrow¨Cminded before. Bruce replied as he looked at Joanna lovingly. For now, money was just a number to him. I that 11: believed dig once Jaydon had enough money, Jaydon would not covet Joanna¡¯s wealth anymore. If, by any chance, Bruce could note back, she would lease the certificate of authorization to Jaydon at a low price anyway. Consequently, Bruce made the decision to directly lease the certificate to Jaydon. This gesture would repay the favor he owed Jaydon, and in return, the man would be grateful. If Joanna encountered any in the future, Jaydon would undoubtedly extend at helping hand. To difficultie put it simply, Bruce¡¯s thinking and perspective went far beyond that of ordinary people, as he also took into ount long¨Cterm considerations. Joanna was originally excited, but the thought of Bruce leaving for a business trip tomorrow made her feel mncholic. ¡°Sigh, the thought of you leaving tomorrow makes me sad still.¡± As she spoke, she rested her head on his chest. His vigorous heartbeat wasforting, making her feel calm. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go either,¡® he said involuntarily as he gently caress her hair. He added, ¡°But I don¡¯t have a choice. Thepanies and businesses in Melta must be dealt with. Once it¡¯s done, I won¡¯t have to travel there anymore.¡± ¡°Why do you need to haridle it so urgently?¡± she asked with puzzlement. ¡°Currently, we are losing money over there, so we need to cut our losses in a timely manner. You know, the domestic market has far surpassed foreign markets. So, the future focus of our business should, of course, shift toward the domestic market,¡± he exined seriously, making his statement convincing. ¡°Okay,¡± she replied softly. After all, when it came to business matters, he was more knowledgeable and far¨Csighted than her. ¡°Lilia can soon have her braces removed. I¡¯ll take her to Gaprington next month.¡± ¡°Mhm, you take care of the kids, okay? Be careful with everything. If youe across any difficult problems that you can¡¯t solve, just wait for my return.¡± ¡°Got it. Two hourster. The two returned to Sherane Bay Vi. As soon as they entered the vi, they heard Devin¡¯s loud cries as well as the worried voices of the servants, who were trying to console the child. Waah!¡± ¡°Oh dear, what¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna hurriedly approached. Maam, ever since you and Mr. Everett took Miss Grimm away, Devin has been crying non¨Cstop. No matter how we try tofort him he just won¡¯t stop, the babysitter said with a worried expression. Devin was sobbing as he said, ¡°Patricia, Patricia, waah¡­ Bruce frowned. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Journu held Devin in her arms, soothing him. Well, maybe he misses Patricia Cildren offes like to y with odier children, after all. I had grown fond of Patricia consantly clinging to her Chapter 1012 Chapter 1012 Chapter 1012 ¡°Hush¡­ It¡¯s okay. Patricia has gone home, eh? We can go and y with herter, how about that? Devin cried even more miserably. ¡°Waah¡­ Patricia¡­ ¡°Stop crying, kid. I¡¯ll smack you if you cry again. Bruce was distraught by Devin¡¯s crying. He was heavy¨Chearted, to begin with. After hearing his son¡¯s crying, he became even more irritated. Joanna gently patted Devin¡¯s back as she said to Bruce, ¡°You should go upstairs and rest. Let me soothe him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± With a frown, Bruce walked upstairs with long strides. In the bedroom. As soon as Bruce took off his suit, his phone rang. Ring, ring, ring. He nced at the caller ID and supposed it was Aria. ¡°Hello!¡± On the other end of the phone, Aria¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me.¡± Without waiting for her to finish, he said abruptly, ¡°I¡¯ve already booked the ticket for tomorrow. Departure is at 8 in the morning, and I should arrive at around 11 at night.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯lle pick you up.¡± ¡°No need. I can make my own way.¡± ARE ¡°Okay then. Get in touch with me when you arrive. I¡¯ll arrange your amodation.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After hanging up the phone, his brows furrowed again. Tomorrow, he would fly to Melta¡¯s capital city. Lately, he had roughly learned some basic information. In the western part of Melta, there was a no man¡¯snd called District 17. Melta¡¯s scientists had built a secret research base inside it, dedicated to studying various types of humanoid gic mutations. Currently, there were inexplicable appearances of many unknown creatures worldwide, many of which were highly aggressive. Meanwhile, some of these creatures carried arge number of viruses, leading to continuous outbreaks of gues in many countries around the world. These factors could not be ruled out as rted to District 17. Downstairs. Joanna patiently coaxed her son. ¡°Is Devin running a fever? Why is he crying non¨Cstop? If He doesn¡¯t calm down, I¡¯ll have to call the doctor to have him looked at As she spoke, the leaned in and measured her son¡¯s temperature with her head against his. He doesn¡¯t have a fever. His head doesn¡¯t feel warm at all. ¡°Wash Devin¡¯s cried desperately, rendering his eyes crimson weet baby, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying nonstop? Joanna felt worn out from her efforts to console him. Since her return, the child had been crying for over 20 minutes. Even though he was her own child, the crying was only adding to her irritability. The problem was that the child was so young, incapable of expressing his thoughts properly. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t get better, let¡¯s go to the hospital! We can¡¯t just let him cry incessantly.¡± ¡°Joann. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because the child isn¡¯t feeling well. Miranda stood at the side with a frown. reason?¡® ¡°He¡¯s not feeling unwell? Then what¡¯s the reaso Miranda took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really put it into words. Butst time when you went to Gaprington, Devin cried a lot, and then you had an ident¡­¡± Miranda did not finish her sentence. After all, Bruce, who did not believe in superstitions, had scolded her severelyst time. Joanna¡¯s heart sank upon hearing this. She knew what Miranda was hinting at. In the past, she also did not believe in superstitions, let alone instincts or supernatural phenomena. But she had experienced numerous mystical events. Therefore, she could not help but feel a little uneasy. ¡°Call Dr. Dotson and ask him toe over.¡± Joanna, who was feeling helpless, could only pace around the room as she tried to calm the child. ¡°Baby, stop crying, eh? What¡¯s bothering you? Just tell me, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the call now.¡± ¡°Waah¡­¡± The little one continued crying for a while before finally falling asleep in Joanna¡¯s N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. arms. Joanna¡¯s arms were extremely sore as she gently ced her son in the crib. ¡°Watch over Devin. Let¡¯s not have Dr. Dotsone over for now.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett, After settling her son, Joanna felt restless as she returned to the bedroom. She still wanted to persuade Bruce not to go to Melta. In the bedroom. Bruge was smoking a cigarette as he seated on the balcony. Meanwhile, there were two or three cigarette butts in the ashtray beside him. Seeing this, Joanna could not help but nag, ¡°Why are you smoking again? Smoking is harmful to you. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to quit?¡± Well Heughed dryly as he put out the cigarette. When faced will immense pressure or restlessness, he found sce in smoking a cigarette Chapter 1013 Chapter 1013 Chapter 1013 ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist smoked. Well, I suddenly felt like having one.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Joanna rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Look at you. You always go back on your word. You agreed to quit smoking, but here you are secretly smoking behind my back.¡± ¡°Alright, honey, I won¡¯t smoke again.¡± ¡°Darling¡­¡± She looked at him with a hint of sadness as she sat on hisp.. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He gently picked up a strand of her hair, twirling it around his fingers. ¡°Sigh, are you really leaving tomorrow morning?¡± ¡°Silly, how many times have you asked that already? Are you so reluctant to part with your husband?¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± She let out another sigh while her gaze was filled with distress. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy all this time. You know, something just doesn¡¯t feel right, especially with Devin crying so much for no reason. It doesn¡¯t seem auspicious, does it? Why don¡¯t you reconsider going to Melta?¡± He could not help butugh, ¡°Haha, you¡¯re overthinking things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that! It has been very chaotic in Meltately, and many people there have been attacked.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be going to the slums. Besides, I¡¯ll be taking Darcy and the others with me. Everything will be fine,¡± he said, trying his best to reassure her. However, she still felt uneasy. ¡°How about¡­ you go there a littleter?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t dy it any longer.¡± She fell silent, staring at him with wide eyes, as if pondering something. They gazed at each other for a while. After a long while. He looked away, pulling her into his embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Your husband is a top talent, right? Nothing could stand in his way. I promise you, once everything is taken care of, I¡¯ll return immediately.¡± ¡°Bruce, are you hiding something from me?¡± she asked softly all of a sudden. She always felt like he had some secrets. In the past, she used to think it was just money that made things easy for him. With his wealth, of course, he could handle anything much easier than others. There was a saying. Money was not everything, but without money many things would be impossible. In other words, money can solve significant problems. However, Now, she suddenly felt that money was not the only factor at y. For sahiple, Bruce, a man with a bad temper, had nearly offended all the dignitaries in ver the years, he stood tall. The strangest thing was when they sought help from the by in Sanni Cradl The embassy gave them exceptional attention. If he were just an ordinary wealthy person, he would not have been so fortunate on every asion. Bruce shifted his gaze to the side. ¡°Haha, why do you ask? I always feel like you¡¯ve been hiding a lot of things. But I can¡¯t say exactly what it is. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t feel like something good. Well, are you keeping a mistress in Melta?¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking, silly. Why do you always think too much?¡± he said with a mysterious smile. His true identity was something he could never reveal to anyone except for those within the organization. In other words, even the people closest to him could not find out. One of his former colleagues, a special agent, had been married to his wife for over 30 years, and she remained unaware of his true identity until after his passing. Bruce had decided to keep this secret forever hidden. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things. If I had a mistress, I wouldn¡¯t be able to spend so much time with you, would I?* Joanna smiled affectionately. She was just joking around, after all. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not lying to me?¡± ¡°Positive!¡± ¡°You swear?¡± ¡°Alright, I swear. If I lied to you, may I¡­¡± Hearing this, she hurriedly covered his mouth. ¡°Never mind. You better not make any oaths. You know, you are a jinx. God knows what inauspicious words you might say.¡± ¡°Haha, since I have to leave early tomorrow morning, let¡¯s cherish our time together tonight¡­ As he spoke, he carried her toward the bed. The next day. At five o¡¯clock in the morning, Bruce had already woken up. Of course! He had been active all night, barely getting any sleep. After all, he could catch up on rest during the long flight, which wouldst for more than Ten hours Honey, why did you wake up so early?¡± Joanna, too, had barely slept the entire night, feeling exhausted and sleepy. Regardless, she was trying her best to stay awake. Silly girl you should go back to sleep! No: I want to see you off at the airport. Area | you tired? You don¡¯t have toe; die driver can drop me off.¡± Want to go in person. Despite feeling sore she quickly got out of bed ¡°You¡¯ll be gone for such a long time. Just thinking about not seeing you for so long makes me feel uneasy¡­ As she spoke, tears suddenly streamed down her face. Chapter 1014 Chapter 1014 Chapter 1014 ¡°Silly, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m noting back. Why cry?¡± Bruce said as he wrapped his arms around Joanna. She was wearing a thin silk nightgown. As she leaned against his chest, she could feel his warmth and breath.. Her heart had once again opened uppletely, allowing him to upy every corner of it. If he were to break her heart again, she would not be able to carry on living as she was unable to withstand any more pain or hardships. Thest time you went to Antlen, so many unpleasant things happened. Now you¡¯re going to Melta, and I¡¯m¡­ quite worried, she held him tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrobly. ¡°Silly. I¡¯m going there for work, okay? I am not going to do anything illegal. Just stay home and wait for me. Once I¡¯m done with work, I¡¯ll be back immediately. His eyes were tender while his voice was incredibly gentle. She held him close, leaning against his chest as she found it hard to let 1. go. I had a very bad dreamst night, and I just have this bad feeling that¡­ Before she could finish, he interrupted her, saying, ¡°Haha, were you even asleepst night? I didn¡¯t sleep at all, yet you were able to sleep?¡± He grinned yfully. He would be leaving on a business trip soon, meaning they would not see each other for a long time. Therefore, they had to make the most ofst night. They got carried away and ended up indulging in pleasures until morning. If he were not leaving today, she could not have handled it. She wondered if other men were as demanding as Bruce. ¡°How could you have the mood to joke around? I¡¯m being serious here. Can you stop fooling around?¡± ¡°Alright, okay. I¡¯m listening Tell me!¡± She wiped her tears away. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not gonna say it. Anyway, you must promise me that you would back safe and sound. Don¡¯t stir up trouble, okay? And when you¡¯re in Melta. try to control your temper. Don¡¯t get into conflicts with the locals, and don¡¯t steal the limelight from the local powers, okay.¡± He diuckled, feeling helpless. Haha, I got it. Ir not some nobody anyway. I know how to handle things. Well, it¡¯s gettingte so I have to get changed now¡± Seven o¡¯clock The two washed up aud changed their clothes beforeing downstairs. Good moming Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everet. Breakfast is ready, the maid said respectfully. Joanna looked at Bruce tenderly ¡°Have some breakfast. ¡°Til make you some spaghetti There¡¯s no need I don¡¯t have enough time so I just have something simple ¡°Alright then?¡± The servant brought over scrambled eggs, bacon strips, and oatmeal. Bruce had a small te, then watched Joanna eat ¡°Eat up. You¡¯re too skinny now. You have to have eggs and oatmeal every day, okay? Your can¡¯t skip them Okay¡± The Everett family always had milk and oatmeal for breakfast, and she was already tired of them. But for the sake of beauty and nutrition, she could only force herself to eat. ¡°Be good and take good care of the children,¡± he instructed worriedly. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll take care of things at home.¡± Davian and Irvin had also woken up. ¡°Daddy, are you going on a business trip today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Have a safe trip. Daddy. Pleasee home early,¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce smiled at the two boys. ¡°Daddy, when youe back from Melta, can you bring us toys? I want thetest Transformers figurine and a pair of roller skates. The father smiled and nodded. ¡°Sure. You guys have to be well¨Cbehaved and listen to Mommy while I¡¯m gone, okay? Don¡¯t be naughty, or else you¡¯ll regret it when I get back. The little ones smiled sweetly. ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be the best¨Cbehaved.¡± ¡°I have to go. It¡¯s about time.¡± As Bruce spoke, his gaze turned to Joanna. ¡°Look at you, your eyes are red already. Just go upstairs and rest. Don¡¯t worry about me, okay? Everything will be fine; it¡¯s just a business trip. ¡°No, I want to go to the airport and see you off. With helplessness, he said, ¡°You¡¯re bing unruly, silly girl.¡± After breakfast. Bruce and Joanna left the house. The driver and the servants were already waiting on thewn, and the cars were pulled out of the garage. ¡°Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Everett.¡± The driver opened the door. ¡°Get in the car!¡± ¡°Yeah¡± After Joanna had got into the car, Bruce also got in from the other side. Darcy and Carson, along with others, quickly got into another car. Four luxury cars slowly drove out of Sherane Bay Vi. Forty minutester. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. At the airport. ¡°Mr. Everett, we have arrived at the airport.¡± The bodyguards quickly went forward to open the car door while the rest of the people hurriedly carried the luggage. They all got out of the cars. This time, Bruce was going to Melta with Darcy, Carson, and another three men. Of course, he also had amodations and assistants in Melta. To carry out the mission, bringing too many people would be counterproductive. Therefore, he only brought the most trusted individuals with him. Darcy and Carson were dressed in suits, wearing sunsses, and following behind Bruce. Bruce had his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder as they walked toward the VIP passage. She suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Darcy. ¡®By the way, Darcy, take good care of yourself during this long trip.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She wanted to talk to him about Grace. Yet the words stopped in her throat. She supposed there was no point telling him what was on her mind now, it would be better to wait until he came back. Darcy¡¯s face tensed up as if he knew what she wanted to say. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s about time; we need to go through the gate now,¡± Bruce said. Joanna said, ¡°Yes, darling. Safe flight. Call me when you get there.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± He smiled tenderly, kissing her on the forehead as he found it difficult to leave her, Im going ¡°Goodbye. He entered the gate after waving at her. Watching his tall figure disappear into the distance, Joanna¡¯s eyes were suddenly filled with intense sadness. She had never wanted him to stay so desperately. They had known each other for so many years, and she was always calm andposed every time he went on a business trip. But this time, she could not help feeling restless and uneasy. Cherron and Tom were now protecting Joanna at all times, no matter where she went. ¡°Mrs. Everett, let¡¯s go home now.¡± Yes: Joanna was about to leave when a graceful figure suddenly ran over from a distance, shouting, ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Grace was panting heavily as she ran toward the gate, trying to catch her breath when she reached the entrance Grace, why are you here?¡± I came to see Darry. Where are they? have adready gone through the gate ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon hearing this, Grace wore an expression of disappointment. Though she had rushed over, it seemed she arrived just a bit toote. Chapter 1015 Chapter 1015 Chapter 1015 ¡°Joann, did Darcy ask you to leave me a message? Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered as she put on a faint smile. In fact, she was also very distressed and down at the moment, yet she still tried her best tofort Grace. ¡°As I suggested before, take this time to clear your head, okay? When Darcy returns from Melta, I¡¯ll definitely find a way to help you two connect if you still hold such strong feelings for him.¡± Hearing this, tears welled up in Grace¡¯s eyes, ¡°Why is he like that? Couldn¡¯t he just leave me a message?* Joanna, who felt a bit nervous, quickly reassured Grace, ¡°You know Darcy¡¯s character; he¡¯s introverted and not good at expressing his emotions. Well, it¡¯s also possible that he didn¡¯t want to fell me about it. Besides, love can¡¯t be rushed, right? You need to allow it to progress gradually.¡± ¡°Alright. I will wait until hees back!¡± Grace sighed, feeling defeated. It was the first time she had actively pursued a man. Besides, Darcy was someone with a much lower status than her. In Venturas, she, ady from the prestigious Grimm family, would be expected to be with the son of a public¨Clisted corporation or a CEO of a major corporation. Now, she found herself lowering her ss, actively pursuing a man more humble than her. She never expected that, even with her efforts, she still could not win him over. Joanna patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Did youe to Greyport today just to give him something?¡± Grace held back her sob and responded in a intive tone, ¡°Yes. You know, I sent him messages all night, but he didn¡¯t reply to a single one.¡± Joanna faltered for a moment, then handed her a tissue, ¡°Cheer up. Let¡¯s go shopping together!¡± Grace took the tissue and wiped her tears away. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡± Joanna said with a smile, ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go. A little shopping will lift your spirits. I happen to have some free time today, so we can just unwind a little. By the way, how is Jaydon doing settling the matter?¡± ¡°He will probably be very busy during this period of time. He¡¯s going to thepany today for a staff meeting to take over my father¡¯s firm. Also, he will be suing and liquidating the assets of Cassius. Well, I¡¯m afraid he will be quite busy in the following days.¡± ¡°Right. After all, he will have to tend to thewsuit and thepany. Well, let¡¯s go shopping! Let the men solve their problems, eh?¡± Joanna said as she put her arm around Grace¡¯s shoulder. She was indeed a few years older than Grace, However, the dup share a lot ofmon topic Joanna, who did not have many female friends in Greyport, was pleased to have Grace as her bestie. Of course, the fact that she had no female friends did not necessarily imply that site was not Mable Rather, it was that, from a young age, he life had been in a state of rapid turbulence. She lived abroad before she was 12. When she returned, she found herself marginalized in the Haynes family. As a result, she could only devote all her energy to her studies, which enabled her to skip grades and enter a university by the age of merely 16. When she started attending university, she was surrounded by people who were not quite her because she was the youngest among all age Moreover, before she could evenplete her studies, the ¡°scandal¡® with Bruce, which rocked the whole Greyport, had urred. Therefore, how could she possibly have made a close friend? Besides, she went abroad to live for another four years after her divorce with Bruce. Therefore, it had be even more difficult for her to make female friends. Now that she was a billion¨Cdor wealthydy, she found herself feeling rather lonely. Many individuals could hardly get close to her, and even if they did, they did so with an agenda. Grace, who came from a wealthy family, was unlike those people. In other words, there was no inequality or profit¨Cseeking in the presence of Joanna. Therefore, the two could be good friends. ¡°Joann, where are you taking me shopping?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to Skyluxe. I know you¡¯re in a bad mood, so let¡¯s go shopping and get you distracted.¡± Joanna said to Grace with a smile. In fact, Joanna was also a little flustered. She did not want to go home so early for fear of getting carried away by her thoguhts. ¡°Kody, take us to Skyluxe.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Certainly, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Grace, cheer up! I can assure you that Darcy likes you too. Well, the reason why he doesn¡¯t ept your love for the time being¡­ Well, he might have his reasons.¡± Joanna could tell that Darcy did adore Grace. His refusal to ept Grace now was probably due to him feeling inferior. Chapter 1016 Chapter 1016 Chapter 1016 ¡°Joann, there¡¯s no need tofort me anymore. ¡°I already know the answer in my heart¡­¡± Grace¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She looked. aggrieved. very have Joanna couldn¡¯t bear to see Grace like this anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t think like this! Darcy may refused you, but with your requirements, there¡¯s every possibility that you can find a good husband!¡± Grace didn¡¯t say anything. She just looked dejected. People are like this. The more unattainable something or someone is, the more unsettled the heart bes. Half an hour later, the driver parked the car in the underground garage of the mall.. ¡°Mrs. Everett, we¡¯ve reached Skyluxe Mall¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car. This is a shopping paradise for women. ¡°We can have breakfast before shopping. We¡¯ll have lunch together at noon. There¡¯s an authentic Frayn restaurant here. We can try that out. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a big meal today.¡± Grace got out of the car with a despondent expression. ¡°Whatever!¡± Joannaughed. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Cheer up! Joanna excitedly dragged Grace through the mall. In truth, Joanna was also trying to divert the uneasiness in her heart. ¡°How¡¯s Patricia? Has she adapted to her new surroundings?¡± Grace lowered her head and did not speak. Joanna shrugged it off. ¡°It seems that Grace only cares about Darcy now and nothing else. ¡°Forget it. I will call and ask Jaydon myself in a few days, Joanna thought. After they had breakfast, Joanna took Grace to a luxury clothing boutique. ¡°Go try this on. You¡¯ll look nice in this! ¡°Let¡¯s try that one too.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After two hours of shopping, the two of them made a killing. Each of them made plenty of purchases. The bodyguards and assistants were all carryingrge and small bags. ¡°How is it? Do you feel better now?¡± Yes, I¡¯m more cheerful now¡± Grace nodded. Sure enough, shopping is the solution to all problems. After the two of them bought several bags and clothes, their mood improved drastically, Les gol Let¡¯s have lunch together. Chay the two of them went to another resturant. waiting for the food to arrive, Joanna looked through her phone of Out of the blue, she came across a trending news article that deeply astonished her. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± Joanna subconsciously took off her sses as she read the heading out loud. ¡°Daughter of Garcia Group Soon Engaged to Oldest Son of Yanice Group. ¡°Preparation for Engagement Ceremony is ongoing. Garcia Suspected Pregnant. Ze this for real?¡± Joanna was stunned after reading the news. Grace quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna looked at the tabloids and stared at the apanying photo in disbelief. Jennie is actually getting engaged to Marlowe? I don¡¯t believe this.¡± ¡°Really? What¡¯s the problem with that?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t say.¡± Grace frowned andined, ¡°Jennie looks really stunning. I¡¯ve heard that she is very arrogant and has high standards. Why would she like someone like Marlowe?¡± Grace was also puzzled. Greyport and Venturas were very close, so news traveled fast between the two cities. Therefore, Grace roughly knew a little about what was going on. ¡°Yeah! This is unbelievable. Joanna sipped her coffee, still incredulous. ¡°Before this, Jennie has been hung up on Bruce ¡°It has only been less than half a year, and now she is actually going to marry Marlowe?¡± Joanna thought doubtfully. ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s none of our business. ¡°This Miss Garcia have pestered Bruce in the past. Now that she¡¯s set to be married, you don¡¯t have to worry about her bothering Bruce anymore.¡± Joanna was silent. She started to feel uneasy. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m tired too. ¡°Do you want to stay at Greyport for a few days? ¡°No need! I¡¯d better go home. I may be busy with the matter of the inheritance for the next few days. ¡°Okay, that works too! Be careful on the road.¡± Yes. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Cherron, you¡¯re responsible for sending Ms. Grace home.¡± Yes, Madam Cherron happily epted the mission. The news of Grace pursuing Darcy had spread throughout the circle of bodyguards, Chapter 1017 Chapter 1017 Chapter 1017 Cherron didn¡¯t think he was not bad¨Clooking either. He was even younger than Darcy. Perhaps he would have a chance to obtain Ms. Grace¡¯s favor. ¡°Ms. Grace, this way please!¡± Cherron said and quickly took the shopping bags from her hand. Grace stood up. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll head back then.¡± ¡°Okay! Be careful!¡± ¡°Got it. Bye!¡± Grace waved goodbye to Joanna. Tom also said, ¡°Mrs. Everett, it¡¯s time for us to leave too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joanna got up, paid the bill, and left. On the way back, Joanna took out her phone again. She couldn¡¯t help but check the trending news regarding Jennie and Marlowe. ording to the news, Jennie and Marlowe had already met with the parents of both sides, and the engagement ceremony would be held next month. ¡°How did these two be a couple? ¡°This is unbelievable, she thought. However, Joanna only browsed through the articles and did not pay much attention to the gossip otherwise. At three in the afternoon, Joanna returned to Sherane Bay Vi. Lilia sat in the wheelchair and wheeled slowly to Joanna. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back?¡± Joanna put down her bags and took off her coat. She smiled at Lilia and said, ¡°Yes. I bought you clothes and shoes today. ¡°Look! Do you like these?¡± As Joanna spoke, she dug out the ck diamond¨Cstudded leather shoes she had bought for her daughter from the pile of shopping bags. Lilia took the shoes and was overjoyed. ¡°Wow! What beautiful shoes!¡± That¡¯s right. This is a limited edition. There are only 99 pairs in the world. When your legs recover, you can wear them. Joanna lovingly rubbed her daughter¡¯s head. Thank you, Mommy.¡± You¡¯re wee, baby¡± Joanna lowered her head and kissed Lilia¡¯s face. Lilia was excited and couldn¡¯t wait to try on the shoes. Unfortunately, she still had the braces an her legs and couldn¡¯t try them on. Mommy, when can I remove my leg braces?¡± Well, I called Doctor Carl a few days ago, They be ready to be taken apart at the end of hext month Once the braces are removed, and you¡¯ve done some rehabilitation training, you¡¯ll be able to walk normally Wall Em to looking forward to il Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Baby, do your legs hun now? Joanna asked her daughter with concern Lilia shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. It was more painful when I first had it on. I¡¯ve adapted to it now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the absolute best, baby!¡± The mother and daughter were cheering each other on when Devin¡¯s cries came from the nursery. Hearing Devin¡¯s cries, Joanna had no choice but to rush over to check on him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Devin?¡± ¡°He has just woken up. He¡¯s probably hungry,¡± the babysitter said as she asked the wetnurse to feed Devin. year old. Devin was still being breastfed even though he was almost one year Joanna and Bruce nned to continue it until Devin reached his first birthday. ¡°Devin, don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. The wetnurse quickly picked up Devin and prepared to breastfeed him. Unfortunately, Devin was not hungry. After two swallows, he threw up. He puffed up his stomach and refused to suckle properly. He even bit the wetnurse hard. Seeing this, Joanna hurriedly carried her son. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong? Come and let Mommy carry you. Lilia also wheeled her wheelchair over. She pouted and said, ¡°Why has Devin been crying for the past two days? It¡¯s annoying to listen to him cry every day.¡± ¡°Devin is still young. Kids lik to cry.¡± ¡°Devin didn¡¯t cry much before. He¡¯s been very annoying these two days. He keeps crying. Lilia couldn¡¯t help but frown. Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Lilia, you¡¯re the older sister. You have to love your younger brother. ¡°I know that.¡± Lilia pushed the wheelchair to the side. It wasn¡¯t that Lilia didn¡¯t love Devin. It was just that Devin had been crying for the past two days, and Lilia couldn¡¯t coax him out of it no matter how hard she tried. Her patience had been worn thin. Joanna carried Devin and strolled back and forth the length of the room. Devin was covered in sweat from crying. Coupled with the fact that he had just woken up, his face was even redder. And sull, he kept on crying! Devin, don¡¯t cry anymore!¡± Joanna patted the little guy¡¯s back and coaxed her son. ¡°This can¡¯t continue. We better call the family doctor and see if Devin is sick.¡± No need Let¡¯s wait and seel Joanna coaxed the child tenderly. Carrying Devin in her arms, Joanna walked around the hall a few times. Devin was no longer crying so loudly. Just then, the phone rang Joating picked up the phone while carrying Devin. ¡®Hello?¡± warm and maic voice came from the other end of the phone. Joann, it¡¯s ne That¡¯s wrong, Jayl on paused for a few seconds, I just finished ¡°Has somethinge up?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Can¡¯t I call you just to chat?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m coaxing Devin now. If there¡¯s something wrong, let me know. If there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯ll hang up first. I¡¯ll get back to youter.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he could only get straight to the point. ¡°Well, I wanted to ask if you¡¯re free. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon sighed. ¡°Patricia hasn¡¯t eaten much since she came home. Her autism has also be more serious. ¡°I need your help. Do you know a good babysitter? As you know, I don¡¯t have any experience in these things. Jaydon sounded troubled. At the same time, Devin began fussing again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m coaxing Devin now. Why don¡¯t you send Patricia over tomorrow? I¡¯ll help you take care of her for a while. When I find a suitable babysitter, you can bring Patricia back.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he still felt a little embarrassed. ¡®Will it be too much trouble for you?¡± ¡°Not at all. Patricia probably just went home and hasn¡¯t adapted yet.¡± ¡°Are you sure it wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble?¡± ¡°Of course not. Since Patricia left, Devin has been crying non¨Cstop. It looks like he can¡¯t bear, to part with Patricia!¡± Upon hearing Joanna¡¯s words, Jaydon agreed. ¡°Alright then! When I¡¯m done with work after this busy period, I¡¯ll take care of Patricia personally.¡± Jaydon knew he could absolutely count on Joanna to take care of Patricia. Moreover, Jaydon was busy with thepany and inheritance, and he still had to sue Cassius. He really did not have much energy to take care of his daughter. His daughter¡¯s autism had just gotten a little better. When she returned home, her condition. immediately deteriorated again. It was better to let Joanna take care of Patricia for a while. Tll call you tomorrow when we set off.¡± ¡°Will do. ¡°That¡¯s settled then!¡± Jaydon said and hung up. ¡°Stop crying. Patricia ising tomorrow to y with you! Aren¡¯t you happy! Devin¡¯s little mouth twitched as if he understood. His crying gradually became softer. Seeing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Hey isn¡¯t that magical? When I speak of Patricia, Devin actually stops crying!¡± It seems that Mr. Devin and Miss Patricia hit it off very well! They may be a couple in the future! Joanna chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s too early to talk about this ed Inwardly Devin was so young, yet he already knew how Chapter 1018 Chapter 1018 Chapter 1018 After 16 hours of flight, the ne sessfully touched down at the capital of Melta. Due to the time difference, it was past noon on Bruce¡¯s side, but in Greyport, it was past midnight. Joanna had not slept. Just as she was about to call Bruce, her phone rang. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡®Honey, I have just gotten off the ne.¡± Joanna got up. ¡°I was thinking that you should have reached. I was about to call you.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you turn on the video?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a little noisy at the airport now. I still have to fly westter, so I can only call you to tell you that I¡¯m safe. ¡°Okay. Please be careful. Joanna was still a little worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°The ne will be flying for another four hourster. I will get off in the afternoon. It¡¯ll probably be four or five in the morning on your side. Be good and sleep. I won¡¯t call you then. Tll call you when I¡¯ve settled in.¡± ¡°Yes, okay. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss me?¡± ¡°¡­Not at all,¡± Joanna replied. Of course, Bruce knew that Joanna was lying through her teeth. He chuckled. ¡°You heartless. little thing. I¡¯ll deal with you when I get back.¡± ¡°When you¡¯re done,e home right away. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°I know! Now, tell me the truth. Did you miss me?¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°How could I not?¡± she replied faintly, When this vile bastard was around, Joanna really couldn¡¯t stand him. him back. However, when Bruce wasn¡¯t by her side, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but w Bruce chuckled again. ¡°You have to think about me every second of the day, understand?¡± I really have to hand it to you.¡± Then that¡¯s it. Time is a little tight now. I won¡¯t talk to you anymore. You should sleep early 100 ¡°Will do. Send your husband a kiss. Joanna kissed the phone loudly. Bruce heard the kiss and also sent a few loud kisses through the phone Let¡¯s hang up The next day, at eight in the moming, the phone rang. Bellor Joanna thought it was Bruce calling Jaydon¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll be arriving at Greyport soon. Do you want me to send Patricia to your house directly, or do you want toe and pick her up?¡± Joanna looked at the time dazedly. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s only eight o¡¯clock. Why don¡¯t we have breakfast together?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Blue Pavilion.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After hanging up. Joanna yawned and got up. After freshening up, she picked up her bag and prepared to pick up Patricia. Downstairs, seeing that Joanna was about to leave, Lilia asked curiously, ¡°Mommy, where are you going?¡± ¡°I am going to pick up Patricia.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Patricia just leave? Why is she back so soon?¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Grimm doesn¡¯t know how to take care of children. He has asked our help to take care of Patricia for a while. ¡°Oh, I see. Lilia pouted. ¡°Do you want to go with Mommy?¡± Where to?¡± ¡°We¡¯re meeting at Blue Pavilion and having breakfast there. Joanna looked at her daughter lovingly. Since Lilia was taking a break from school to recuperate, she did not need to go to school. It would do her good to take her out. ¡°Alright!¡± Then hurry up and change. At nine o¡¯clock in the morning, at Blue Pavilion, Jaydon and Patricia had arrived after getting off the ship. As soon as they got out of the car, a cloud of perfume wafted over them. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Jay! Patricia! Long time no see. I missed you guys so much. Before Jaydon could react, a woman dressed in branded clothes rushed over and hugged him tightly. Jaydon was shocked and quickly pushed the woman away. Jay. Patricia. I really miss you guys The woman hugging Jaydon turned out to be Carmel, At this moment, Carmel was standing in front of Jaydon excitedly. Carmel, why are you here? Jaydon was shocked I happened to be filming nearby, but I saw your car downstairs didn¡¯t expect you to really be here, Carmel sad excitedly. She quickly wanted to go over and hug her daughter, Patricia did not recognize Carruel at all. She turned her head and hugged Jaydon¡¯s ¡°Patricia, it¡¯s Mommy! Don¡¯t you recognize Mommy?¡± ¡°Quick! Let Mommy hug and kiss you¡­ Carmel said as she reached out to hug Patricia. again. ¡°Move. You¡¯re scaring her.¡± Jaydon pushed Carmel away with a disgusted expression. How could things be so coincidental? As soon as Jaydon appeared, he bumped into Carmel. This could not be a coincidence. Needless to say, Carmel must have sent someone to follow him. She knew that Jaydon would be here, so she had come to see him. In the past two years, Carmel had not visited the child. In the beginning, Jaydon still called asionally and asked Carmel toe to visit Patricia. However, Cannel was afraid she might be burdened by the child and did note back to see her once. That period was Jaydon¡¯s darkest time. Not only did the filmpany shut down, but the various projects Jaydon had invested in also suffered huge losses. Therefore, Carmel, being realistic, left Jaydon and Patricia and soon found another sugar daddy. Chapter 1019 Chapter 1019 Chapter 1019 Carmel must have seen on the news that Jaydon had taken down Cassius and was about to take over the Grimm Group and be a billionaire. Therefore, Carmel wanted toe back and reap the benefits. Carmel pouted and said with a charming smile, ¡°Jay, we haven¡¯t seen each other for so long. Why are you so cold? ¡°Look! You¡¯ve scared our daughter to tears.¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. I am filming nearby. I didn¡¯t expect to bump into you and Patricia so coincidentally. ¡°I guess this is really God¡¯s will that our family reunites today¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. We¡¯re not a family.¡± Jaydon drew the line coldly. Jaydon treated women in apletely different way from Bruce. Bruce was the kind of person who would cut the Gordian knot quickly. If Bruce needed a woman, he wouldn¡¯t have a rtionship with her. Bruce would generously give her a sum of money to sever ties with her and not give her a chance to hang around. him. The women who had been with Bruce would not have any fantasies about him, let alone resent him. After all, this method benefitted both parties. On the other hand, Jaydon had a rtively gentle personality and would not reject them ruthlessly. Thus, he had more tangled rtionships with many women. Although Jaydon had no intention of marrying Carmel, he would definitely not treat her badly. After Carmel gave birth to Patricia, Jaydon gave her a mansion worth over 20 million. dors. In addition, Tim gave Carmel a big sum worth tens of millions of dors, as well as monthly living expenses. However, Carmel had been in the entertainment industry before. She was used to the thrilling world of that industry. It was impossible for her to settle down and take care of her child at home. Therefore, Carmel soon abandoned her daughter and returned to the entertainment industry. A young and beautiful woman like Carmel was a natural target for wealthy yers. It didn¡¯t take long for Carmel to find another sugar daddy. At the same time, the entertainment industry was harshly realistic. These wealthy yers would never commit to a single woman. In less than a year, her sugar daddy had taken a fancy to another woman and dumped her. Jay,e on! Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m still Patricia¡¯s mommy. Even if you don¡¯t want to see me, you can¡¯t stop me from seeing my daughter. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Patricia?¡± Hurry up and leave. I don¡¯t have time to deal with you today. It¡¯s not easy for us to meet. We don¡¯t have to be so unfamiliar with cach looked at Jaydon coquettishly. Carmel knew Jaydon¡¯s weakness very well and was also very good at provoking men¡¯s interest. Although Carmel had given birth before, she had taken good care of herself. Her figure was still sexy, and she still looked like a youngdy in her early twenties. ¡°Tm meeting a friend. I¡¯ll talk to you another day. Leave quickly!¡± Jaydon really did not want to be involved with Carmel anymore. Carmel smiled charmingly and was not angry at all. ¡°Who are you meeting? You can introduce us!¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave! You don¡¯t want to be photographed by the media.¡± Carmelughed. ¡°So what if they do? If there¡¯s a scandal, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s fake. We¡¯re a proper family. We even have a daughter. What¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± It would be even better if they were photographed. Carmel couldn¡¯t wait. Now that Jaydon had be the richest man in Venturas, Carmel definitely had to cling tightly to him. Jaydon choked. ¡°Jay¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm. Joanna and Lilia arrived just in time. ¡°Joann, you¡¯re here.¡± Carmel turned around and saw Joanna. Carmel immediately smiled and said, ¡°Oh! I was wondering who you are meeting. Who would have guessed that it would be Mrs. Everett? ¡°Mrs. Everett, hello! Long time no see. Joanna looked at Carmel in shock. Chapter 1020 Chapter 1020 Chapter 1020 ¡°Mommy¡­ When Patricia saw Joanna, her eyes instantly lit up. Patricia immediately stretched out her arms to ask for a hug. The little girl had lived with the Everett family for more than half a month. During this period, Joanna had been taking care of her personally. Therefore, Patricia regarded Joanna as her mother and was very dependent on her. ¡°Patricia. Joanna also doted on the little girl very much. She immediately stretched out her. arms to hug Patricia. Patricia couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°Mommy, hug!¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart softened. Joanna reached out and took the little girl from Jaydon. Although Joanna was not Patricia¡¯s mother, as the mother of four children, it was inevitable that Joanna was full of maternal love. Moreover, this was Jaydon¡¯s daughter. Joanna was sure to treat Patricia as her own daughter and dote on her. Seeing this, Carmel¡¯s charming face darkened, and she scolded sharply, ¡°Patricia, I¡¯m your mommy. How can you call others mommy?¡± As she spoke, Carmel looked at Jaydon resentfully. ¡®Mr. Grimm, even if you don¡¯t want your daughter to acknowledge me, you can¡¯t possibly let her call someone else mommy. What have you been teaching your daughter?¡± When Jaydon heard this, he choked in anger. Not only did Patricia call Joanna mommy, but she also called Bruce daddy! But who could he me? As Patricia¡¯s parents, it was their fault for not beingpetent enough. ¡°Mrs. Everett, you are considered a famous person now. Don¡¯t you have to pay attention to the potential media fallout? Aren¡¯t you afraid that Mr. Everett will misunderstand?¡± Carmel was extremely dissatisfied andshed out at Joanna next. ¡°No matter what, my daughter was born from my womb. Why should she call others mom?¡± Carmel thought angrily. Of course, Carmel did not know that her daughter had autism, nor did she know that her daughter had been sick before now. It was Joanna who took care of Patricia carefully. Joanna quickly exined, ¡°Miss Basil, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. Patricia is still young. ¡°She called me Mommy because she learned from my children. It doesn¡¯t mean that I am her biological mother. Of course, I also n to acknowledge Patricia as my goddaughter¡­¡± Carmel was still angry and could not listen to Joanna¡¯s exnation at all. She snorted. ¡°That means nothing It¡¯s only correct for your child to call you mommy. Why would you let my child learn from your children? My daughter is young and doesn¡¯t know. Shouldn¡¯t you correct her? Patricia,e and hug Mommy. I¡¯m your mommy. As Carmel spoke, she came over to Jake Patricia from Joanna¡¯s arm sirkels did not know Carmel and had always refused to let strangers hug her she was very Ant to Central¡¯s intimacy, Nal Nol Patricia let out a loud wail. The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex¨CWife Seeing this, Carmel was even angrier. ¡°Patricia, in your Mommy!¡± What are you yelling at the kid for? ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± Jaydon said impatiently. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to get me to leave? ¡°Can¡¯t wait to go on a date with Mrs. Everett?¡± When Jaydon heard this, he stomped his feet in fury. ¡®Carmel, watch your mouth. Don¡¯t speak without thinking.¡± Joanna was now a married woman. No matter how much Jaydon loved Joanna, he would never do anything out of line. Besides, they were surrounded by people. Since Joanna was going out with Lilia, she naturally had to bring bodyguards and servants. On top of that, Joanna had a husband like Bruce. Who would dare to steal his wife and cheat on him? If Bruce found out, he would skin that person alive and burn his bones to ashes. When Carmel heard that, she immediately changed her expression. ¡°This is great. Since we bumped into each other today, let¡¯s have breakfast together. This way, there wouldn¡¯t be a misunderstanding if someone secretly photographs you and Mrs. Everett together.¡± ¡°Misunderstand what?¡± Jaydon¡¯s brows snapped together. Jaydon brought two bodyguards, and Joanna brought five or six people with her. The meeting ce was in public. So what if they were photographed? Of course, some underhanded media outlets would maliciously edit the photos in order to sensationalize the news. Even though there were clearly five or six people traveling together, the photos would deliberately cut out the unimportant people. Then, they would adjust the angle of the photos and add an ambiguous heading to mislead the readers. A scandal would be born. Carmel began to speak sarcastically to Joanna, ¡°It seems that Mr. Everett and Mrs. Everett do love each other. Not only has Mr. Everett handed over all his assets to his wife, but he also is at ease when his wife reminisces with her old lover. I daresay ordinary men can¡¯t be as magnanimous as Mr. Everett When Joanna heard this, she frowned and said in disgust, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Oh! I don¡¯t mean anything by it. I¡¯m just expressing my admiration! No matter what, we¡¯re still old friends. Let¡¯s have breakfast reject me, right?¡± Carmel raised her exquisite little face at the her. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll to her advantage. Joanna looked at Jaydon in a daze. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Carmel, stop being unreasonable. navigating the conversation How am I being unreasonable? I haven¡¯t seen my daughter for so long. What¡¯s wrong with catching up with my own daughter?¡± You¡¯ve already abandoned your daughter. Why are you back now?¡± Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Patricia is my biological daughter How could I abandon her? I simply have beat a little husytely and don¡¯t have time to visit her. Hot Juppen to be free now, so I came to see my rtionship with my daughter?¡± Jaydon went speechless again. He couldn¡¯t find a rebuttal to Carmel¡¯s argument. Carmel was always sharp¨Ctongued and was even better at behaving atrociously. She would. not stop until she achieved her goal. Sometimes, Jaydon really couldn¡¯t handle her at all. ¡°Well, since Miss Basil said so, let¡¯s have breakfast.¡± Joanna tried to persuade Jaydon. In the end, Carmel was Patricia¡¯s biological mother. This was an unchangeable fact. ¡°Besides, I think that children will grow up better if they spend more time with their mothers.¡± When Carmel heard this, she fluttered hershes and looked at Jaydon with a charming smile. ¡°Listen, Mrs. Everett has already agreed. Do you still have the heart to reject her?¡± As she spoke, Carmel was like sticky candy, gluing herself to Jaydon once more. Her curvaceous figure rubbed against his arm from time to time. Carmel prided herself on being the vixen. Her seduction skills were unparalleled. All the men she wanted to hook up with had fallen for her. Of course, Bruce was an exception. It wasn¡¯t that Bruce was beyond her. It was just that Bruce had been focused on Joanna and didn¡¯t have the time to care about other women. As for the wealthy yers who had fallen for Carmel, they were all mesmerized by her. For example, thetest sugar daddy who had dumped her had been discovered by his wife. The wife had threatened to scratch Carmel¡¯s face. Carmel was afraid of getting into trouble, so she quickly introduced someone else to the sugar daddy. Only then could Carmel escape. Now that she thought about it, it was easier to cozy up to a rich and handsome sugar daddy like Jaydon. Alright then.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go in!¡± Carmel said as she hooked her arm around Jaydon and waved them in. Jaydon shook his arm a few times but could not shake Carmel off. He could only let Carmel hold it. A momentter, they entered the restaurant. Joanna was busy taking care of Lilia and Patricia Carmel still had not given up on teasing her daughter. ¡°Now, Patricia, I¡¯m Mommy.¡± ¡°No¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Seeing this, Carmel could only pout helplessly and aggrievedly. Three months after Patricia was born, Carmel abandoned the child and plunged back into the entertainment industry. The child had never lived with Carmel since young, so of course, Patricia was unfamiliar with Carmel now. What are we eating?¡± I¡¯m fine with anything I¡¯m not choosy Carmel instantly smiled. This was how Carinel was Cannel was always slick and adaptable. per could be boulesous her in the next. After all, Joanna was now Greyport¡¯s first richest woman. Carmel could not afford to offend her. If Carmel could befriend Joanna, her status in the entertainment industry would instantly be elevated. Not everyone could make friends with the people at the top of the wealth pyramid. Some people would be valued even if they only took a photograph with them. Lilia pouted and muttered softly, ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t like this woman. She¡¯s a little annoying.¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately stopped Lilia. ¡°Hush. Children can¡¯t be so rude.¡± Lilia pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction. Lilia really didn¡¯t like this peacock¨Clike auntie at all. Carmel picked up a cup of coffee. Patricia. Come, Mommy will feed you.¡± ¡°She¡¯s too young to drink coffee. ¡°Oh. Then, have a snack,¡± Carmel said and immediately put a snack on her daughter¡¯s te. When Jaydon saw this, he had a headache. ¡°I still have something on. I have to go now. Joann. I¡¯ll leave Patricia to you in the meantime! ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take good care of her. Carmel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to leave Patricia in the care of Mrs. Everett?¡± Jaydon replied coldly, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Joanna quickly exined, ¡°Jay is far too busy withpany matters at the moment and doesn¡¯t have time to care for Patricia. ¡°I¡¯m rtively free, so I¡¯ll help take care of her for a while.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we do this? Let me take care of my daughter. I haven¡¯t seen my daughter in a long time. Let her stay with me for a few days, Jaydon snorted. ¡°Forget it.¡± Chapter 1021 Chapter 1021 Chapter 1021 ¡°Why? Mr. Grimm, you are so distrustful of me. Carmel said as she used the same trick again and leaned toward Jaydon. Carmel practiced dancing all year round, so her body was soft and flexible. With a physique like hers, men stumbled over their feet to get to her. There was a reason why Jaydon doted on her so much in the past. Carmel was too good at pleasing a man and knew how to satisfy a man¡¯s desires. ¡°Let go, Carmel. I¡¯m really in a hurry now. Joann, I¡¯ll leave Patricia to you. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Jaydon said as he stood up. He could not bear to part with Carmel initially and nned to keep her by his side. However, in the past two years, Jaydon had finally seen through Carmel clearly. Women like Carmel were too realistic to keep. Even if Jaydon wanted a lover, it could not be someone like Carmel. ¡°Are you in such a hurry? You haven¡¯t eaten anything yet.¡± Joanna looked at Jaydon in shock. ¡°It¡¯s too late. I don¡¯t have an appetite too. You take your time.¡± ¡°Okay then!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else and walked out. ¡°Mr. Grimm! Mr. Grimm¡­ Seeing Jaydon leave just like that, Carmel shouted anxiously. She nced at her daughter and hesitated for a few seconds before getting up to chase after Jaydon. After all, her daughter was only her bargaining chip with Jaydon. In addition, Carmel had no experience in taking care of children, so she was not really willing to do it either. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The two of them left one after another. Joanna sighed helplessly. It was indeed tragic that Patricia had a mother like this. ¡°You poor thing. Godmother still loves you. Joanna rubbed the little girl¡¯s head with a pained expression. Jaydon did not have time to take care of the child, and Carmel was unreliable. It seemed that Joanna still had to take care of Patricia. Lilia bit the crystal shrimp shakshuka and said with disgust, ¡®Mommy, that woman just now was so annoying. She was like a chattering peacock. ¡°Why would Mr. Grimm have a child with that peacock? He has bad taste. I really don¡¯t understand. When Joanna heard this, her face stiffened. Joan na did not know how to exin the intricacies between men and women to a young child like Lilia. Joanna could only quickly change the topic. Look. There¡¯s still so much food. Let¡¯s eat quickly! They¡¯ll get coldter Yes Yes Lilia nodded This restaurant was one of the best in Greyport. Lilia also liked to eat the food in this ce. ¡®Mommy, when is Daddying back?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you it would take at least two to three months?¡± Joanna said as she fed Patricia. oatmeal. Although Patricia was more than two years old, she was still pitifully thin. Now, besides. powdered milk, she still had to supplement her diet with food that was easily digestible. Lilia blinked her big eyes and said emotionally, Today is the second day after Daddy left. I miss him! I miss him! I miss him!¡± Joanna looked at the time. It was already ten o¡¯clock in the morning. She guessed that Bruce had already settled in. She chuckled and told Lilia, ¡°If you miss Daddy, give him a call and see what he¡¯s doing. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call now.¡± Lilia giggled. She immediately put down her fork and called her daddy on the Messenger video. The video call rang for a long time, but no one picked up. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Daddy answering the video call? Tll try calling him again.¡± Lilia called her daddy again. ¡°The number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter¡­¡± Lilia looked at Joanna in surprise. What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s fine if Daddy doesn¡¯t answer the video call, but he didn¡¯t even pick up the phone. Joanna heard Lilia and looked down at her watch. It was past ten in the morning. It should be around ten at night for Bruce. It wasn¡¯t veryte, so Bruce shouldn¡¯t have gone to bed this early. ¡°Well. Daddy must be too tired after taking such a long flight! ¡°Let¡¯s call Daddy tomorrow and let him have a good rest.¡± Hearing this, Lilia obediently put down the phone. ¡®Alright!¡± Joanna started feeding Patricia oatmeal again, feeling a little anxious. However, she could onlyfort himself that Bruce was probably too tired and went to bed carly. Half an hourter, they had finished their breakfast. ¡°Are you full?¡± Yes, I¡¯m full!¡± Then let¡¯s go!¡± The servant pushed the wheelchair over to them. After the assistant went to pay the bill, Joanna brought the two children home. Twenty minutester, at Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna had just arrived home when Gael handed her an invitation. Mrs: Everett, this is an invitation from the Garcia Group Onthe sixth of next month, the eldest son of the Yanice Group will be engaged to the ghter of the Garcia Group. This is an invitation to Mr. and Mr Joanna took the invitation and looked at it. The Everett Group and the Yanice Group did not have much association previously, but they had a good rtionship with the Garcia Group. Therefore, the Garcia family would naturally send an invitation over. However, Bruce was not at home now. Joanna would definitely not go. She would just send someone to deliver a congrattory gift. After all, Zachary died at Roxanne¡¯s hands. No matter what, Joanna was Roxanne¡¯s sister. It was not appropriate for Joanna to go to such an asion. ¡°Gael, prepare a congrattory gift and send it over.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange it immediately.- ¡°This is unbelievable. Are the two of them really going to get married?¡± Joanna muttered to herself as she casually flipped through the invitation. There was a photo of both of them beneath the official invitation, surrounded by silver ribbons and bright white flowers. In the photo, Marlowe was smiling brightly, but there was an indescribable evilness in his eyes. As for Jennie, although she was smiling, her eyes were dull. It was obvious that her smile was forced. ¡®I wonder how such a mismatched pair got together. ¡°But it¡¯s still good news. The arrogant Jennie won¡¯t pester Bruce anymore.¡± After Joanna put down the invitation, she brought Patricia over to see Devin. ¡°Devin, look who¡¯s here!¡± When Devin saw Patricia, he pped her hands and giggled. ¡°Patty!¡± Devin had just learned how to walk and ran towards Patricia. ¡°Patty¡­ Patty¡­ Patricia looked at Devin, who was drooling and running towards her, with disdain. ¡°Yikes. Go away.¡± Plop. Devin was pushed down and sat on the ground. Seeing this, Joanna was shocked and quickly held her son. ¡°Patricia, you can¡¯t push Devin.¡± Devin shook his little hands and smiled happily and naively. He got up again and chased after Patricia unyieldingly. ¡°Patty¡­¡± Patricia took a few steps back with a look of disdain and shouted at Devin in a childish voice, ¡°You¡¯re annoying. Go away Chapter 1022 Chapter 1022 Chapter 1022 No matter how Patricia tried to dodge him, Devin happily stuck to her like a shadow. Joanna looked at the two little ones helplessly. This brat had always been a sweetheart since he was young. Joanna didn¡¯t know what kind of romantic he would be when Devin grew up. In the blink of an eye, it was already ten o¡¯clock at night. Joanna was sleepy and wanted to sleep, but she still insisted on waiting for Bruce¡¯s call. Unfortunately, the call from Bruce never came. Looking at the time, it should be past ten in the morning on his end. Joanna could not help but call him. ¡°The number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter¡­ Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t Bruce answering his phone today? Why has he not been returning my calls? Joanna thought. Joanna thought for a while and decided to call Darcy. She wanted to ask him what Bruce was doing. Although she would not suspect Bruce was fooling around outside, Joanna still felt a little N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. uneasy. ¡°The number you have dialed is unavable.¡± Joanna was stunned. Darcy¡¯s phone had also been turned off? As Bruce¡¯s personal bodyguard, Darcy¡¯s phone had to be on at all times. Now, Darcy¡¯s phone was switched off too. What was going on? Joanna instantly lost all drowsiness, and her thoughts began to run wild. She began calling Carson and the others. Unfortunately, there was no exception. There was no response from them besides the unavable¡® message. What are these people doing? Why can¡¯t I get through to their phones?¡± [Hello, Bruce, what are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you answering your phone?] Joarma sent Bruce a voice message through Messenger. Did something happen to you? Call me back as soon as you see the message.] Joanna left Bruce a few more voice messages. Could something have happened to him? not It can¡¯t be. I hope it¡¯s just The more Joanna thought about it, the more anna. Even if Joanna The two of them had been through so many hardships before finallying to fruition. They still had trust in each other. It was impossible for Bruce to be so insensitive. ¡°Damn. What is he doing? Why isn¡¯t he answering his phone?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t feel like sleeping at all. She got off the bed and put on her slippers. Joanna paced restlessly from the balcony to the bedroom. Every few minutes, she would. call Bruce. Joanna did not sleep for the entire night. She called Bruce dozens of times, but she still couldn¡¯t get through. It was past five in the morning. When Joanna heard the phone ring, she shuddered and quickly picked it up. ¡°Hello¡­ On the other end of the line, Bruce finally said, ¡°Hello, wife.¡± ¡°Bruce, what are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you answering your phone? I¡¯ve called you so many times, but why aren¡¯t you answering?¡± Joanna was angry and anxious. She asked a series of questions, and tears couldn¡¯t help but fall. Joanna was worried sick for the entire night. She hated it when Bruce didn¡¯t answer his phone. Bruce¡¯s apologetic voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. I¡¯m in a very remote city now. There¡¯s no signal here, so I didn¡¯t receive the call.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart tightened. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m in the western state of Tanzda.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became more furious and worried. ¡°Tanzda? Where is that? Why haven¡¯t I heard of it before? What are you doing now?¡± ¡°I found an energy mine here. So, I¡¯m here to take a look and see if anyone has developed 1. it. When Joanna heard this, her eyes Bruce must be talking nonsense! widened. Bruce had been talking about retiring. But now, he was going to develop an energy mine? Had he been truthful at all? ¡°Why are you looking for an energy mine? You have to be careful and not run around, okay? The security is so bad in Melta now. Don¡¯t go to remote ces..¡± Bruce chuckled and set about to soothe her tenderly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Nothing will happen.¡± ¡°No, turn on the video. I want to see where you are,¡± Joanna asked worriedly. Brite chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. I¡¯m in no man¡¯snd. Even if I want to mess around, it¡¯s impossible. ¡°No man¡¯snd?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart sank when she heard that. From the sound of it, it sounded like Bruce was courting death. Bruce; can you stop risking your life? Come back quickly and stop running into danger.¡± Ewe can find the source of this energy mine, we can be settled once and for all. Bruce made up a random excuse to lie to Joanna Bruce could not tell her that District 17 was Melta¡¯s most mysterious research base. There was an army guarding it. No matter who approached District 17, once they were caught, they would be shot. If Bruce told her the truth, she would definitely be worried. Joanna would probably cry to death out of fright. ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you promise to retire after you came back from your business trip? ¡°It sounds very difficult for you to develop that energy mine now. Can you stop making trouble and live peacefully for a few days?¡± Before Joanna could finish, Bruce pretended that the signal was bad. ¡°Hello¡­ Hello¡­¡± ¡°Hello? Honey? The signal here is not that good. I¡¯ll call you when I get to the city. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Bruce? Hey.. Joanna shouted anxiously. On the other end of the line, Bruce had already hung up.. Joanna called again, but the phone was turned off. ¡°This bastard is really giving me a headache. What is he doing?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was in turmoil. She was so anxious that she was about to faint. Why was Bruce looking for an energy mine for no reason? Bruce clearly said he was going to the capital of Melta and a few developed cities to deal with business. Why would he suddenly go to no man¡¯snd I¡¯ve got to hand it to him. He¡¯s always so unreasonable.¡± Joanna was angry and anxious. Her eyes were swollen and red. Joanna hadn¡¯t slept the entire night, but she wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. If she could, she would fly over to him immediately and see what Bruce was doing. In Melta, no man¡¯snd, after hanging up, a trace of gloominess and mncholy appeared on Bruce¡¯s face. [Honey, I may not be able to call you often recently. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll call you back immediately when there¡¯s a signal.] Bruce typed a message and sent it to Joanna. No matter what, Bruce didn¡¯t want Joanna to worry about him. After he sent the message, a woman¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Bruce, what should we do now?¡± Aria looked at Bruce worriedly. Chapter 1023 Chapter 1023 Chapter 1023 ¡°Our tworades have been missing for three days now. I suspect that they have been captured. ¡°If¡­ they were unfortunately sacrificed, it would be fine. However, if they were captured by the researchers for experiments, it would be unimaginable.¡± The more Aria spoke, the more anxious she became. The other agents also looked worried. The experiments going on in District 17 would terrorize even the bravest. The experiments conducted inside were shocking and had already exceeded morality and ethics. Moreover, in the western region, there have been many cases of werewolves and lizardmen attacking people. These cases were suppressed by Melta officials, who only announced that they were rabies or viral infections. However, the real reason was that all the perpetrators had been injected with mutated genes. The goal was to allow humans and animals to hybridize their genes and evolve into higher-level creatures. For example, dogs have a keen sense of smell, so they would use that. Leopards are able to run fast, so they would extract a leopard¡¯s muscle tissue genes and so on. After hybridizing these genes into new creatures, they would continue to hybridize and extract them. Through evolution and reproduction, they would finally create mutants with powerful genes. Other than that, there was also research on aliens, extinct animals, and so 1. Since they were doing research, they had to capture arge number of human bodies for experiments. Special agents like them, who had received rigorous training and had good physical fitness and strong willpower, were the best research subjects. Bruce¡¯s expression darkened as his mind raced. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really worried right now. ¡°This task is too difficult. More than a dozenrades have been sacrificed since the start of the mission. ¡°I¡¯m worried¡­ that we will also¡­¡± Aria said as she looked at Bruce sadly. 10:31 The other agent with the code name Fry was also depressed. ¡°What should we do now? What¡¯s the next order?¡± ¡°Open the satellite map. I want to study the terrain of District 17.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible. District 17 is hidden underground. We can¡¯t see it on the satellite map. Besides, there won¡¯t be anyndmarks. ¡°So far, none of ourrades are able to go near District 17th.¡± Leo added, ¡°That¡¯s right! District 17th is impregnable and guarded by soldiers. We probably can¡¯t enter either.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and said in a deep voice, ¡°That can¡¯t be true. There must be a way.¡± As he spoke, a bold idea appeared in Bruce¡¯s mind. If he wanted to enter the District 17 alive, perhaps the best way was to expose himself deliberately and allow himself to be captured for experiments. Other than that, no other method was feasible. However, this method was too risky. Those who were captured for experiments might be better off dead. Under the experiments of those crazy researchers, who knew what kind of monsters they would be? ¡°What is it?¡± Aria asked anxiously. Bruce swallowed and suppressed his thoughts. ¡°Forget it. I haven¡¯t thought through it properly yet. This method is too risky and not very feasible.¡± When the others heard this, they pelted Bruce with questions. ¡°Why. don¡¯t you tell us about it first!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s discuss it together. Whether it can be used or not, it¡¯s at least a breakthrough.¡± ¡°¡­No, this is still too risky and immature,¡± Bruce replied worriedly. ¡°The riskier it is, the more likely it is sessful. If you don¡¯t tell us, how -can we think of a better way?¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t resist the questioning. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°If we deliberately send someone to be captured and sent to District 17th for experiments, do you think it will work?¡± When Aria and Leo heard this, their faces were filled with shock. ¡°We can inject invisible cameras and listening devices into the bodies of the undercover agents. That way, we can know what secrets are hidden in 24 10:311 District 17. ¡°However, this method is too risky. Those who are captured for experiments might not be able toe back,¡± Bruce voiced his worries. The expressions of Aria, Leo, and the others instantly darkened. This¡­ was indeed a way. However, who would be willing to sacrifice themselves? Moreover, the mission was very difficult and he might not seed. Even if the chosen agent entered District 17 sessfully, he would definitely be examined carefully. If he was not cautious, he would not be able to find anything and might even lose his life. Bruce sighed. ¡°So, we should think of another way. This method is too risky and not mature enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°What about the tworades who have been captured? Are we going to give up on them?¡± Bruce and Fry looked at each other with grave expressions. There was really no other way now. Even if they wanted to save them, they were powerless. Not to mention there were only a few of them. Even if a group of mercenaries came, they might not be able to enter District 17. ¡°Let¡¯s study the terrain first. ¡°It¡¯s best if we can find the exact location.¡± Fry sighed. ¡°I think we should eat first. We can¡¯t think properly on an empty stomach,¡± Fry said gloomily. Leo added, ¡°We don¡¯t have many daily necessities left. We need to go to the city to buy them.¡± ¡°Which one of you is going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go! All of you stay here. I¡¯ve stayed in this godforsaken ce long enough. I¡¯m going to the city to take a breather.¡± Fry looked irritated. ¡°Alright then! Be careful.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Bruce reopened the satellite map and began to check the terrain. Aria sat opposite Bruce and nced at him from time to time. Looking at his focused and cold expression, Aria¡¯s heart sped up. Even if they couldn¡¯t be husband and wife, Aria still felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction working with him like this. At Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna looked at the message from Bruce and became even more anxious. Now, Joanna was almost certain.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Bruce¡¯s trip to Melta was definitely not about business. Bruce definitely had something to hide, and it was rted to Aria. ¡°What the hell is going on? ¡°Bastard! How many more secrets is he hiding from me?¡± Joanna thought furiously. Joanna¡¯s mind came up with countless possibilities. But no matter how she hypothesized, she would never have thought that Bruce and Aria were agents. Joanna was feeling distraught when a call came in again. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Grace¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann. It¡¯s me, Grace.¡± ¡°Yes? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna calmed down and asked. Grace remained silent on the other end of the phone. ¡°Grace? What happened?¡± Joanna asked patiently. To be honest, Joanna was feeling anxious and restless. She did not feel like conversing with Grace. Chapter 1024 Chapter 1024 Chapter 1024 ¡°Joann, I haven¡¯t been able to get through to Darcy. Does he¡­ already have a sweetheart?¡± Grace¡¯s voice was hoarse. It was obvious that she had just cried. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Grace, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. Wait for Darcy toe back.¡± Grace sniffled and said in a choked voice, ¡°But I¡¯ve been calling and sending him messages these few days. He didn¡¯t even reply. Now, I can¡¯t even get through to his phone. ¡°Joann, why isn¡¯t Darcy answering my calls? Am I that annoying? Am I so irritating that he wants to avoid me?¡± ¡°Grace, perhaps it may not be convenient for him now¡­ Grace would not listen to Joanna¡¯sfort at all. Grace muttered, ¡°Joann, can you help me call him? I just want to hear his voice to confirm that he¡¯s fine. ¡°I want to ask him why he¡¯s avoiding me. Am I that annoying?¡± As she spoke, Grace sobbed. ¡°Definitely not. Grace, stop crying.¡± Joanna could onlyfort Grace anxiously. ¡°Darcy and my husband went to no man¡¯snd. The cell phone signal is not good there, so they may not be able to receive it. Not only can¡¯t your call go through, but my calls can¡¯t get through either.¡± When Grace heard this, she was skeptical. ¡°¡­Is it true? Joann, please don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Why would I lie to you? I called my husband too, but I couldn¡¯t get through.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They said they were going to look for an energy mine. The signal there is not good, so it¡¯s difficult to reach them.¡± Grace frowned. ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna replied affirmatively, ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to yourself. 1. Take care of ¡°Darcy didn¡¯t mean to ignore you. There¡¯s just no signal on his phone.¡± 10:31 Grace fell silent again. This was the first time Grace had taken a rtionship so seriously. Moreover, she was pursuing a man who might not be worthy of her in the eyes of others. People are like that. The more unattainable it is, the more they will yearn for it. If ites easy, it will not be treasured. Joanna drew a deep breath in and did not want to say anything else. She said tactfully, ¡°Grace, I¡¯m still busy. Let¡¯s chatter.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Grace¡¯s voice carried a hint of mncholy and hopelessness. One could imagine that Grace must be having trouble eating and sleeping. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Grace made up her mind. ¡°Joann, I want to go to Melta to look for Darcy. Can you tell me his whereabouts?¡± Joanna was shocked and quickly dissuaded her. ¡°Grace, are you crazy? They are in no man¡¯snd.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve been studying at Melta since I was young. I¡¯m very familiar with that country. As long as you tell me where he is, I can find him by myself.¡± ¡°Silly girl, don¡¯t take the risk. My husband said that they¡¯re in a ce called Tanzda. I think it¡¯s a no man¡¯snd in the west. It¡¯s really not safe for you to go alone.¡± Since the incident in Antlen and Saumi Cradia, Joanna felt that there was no ce safer than home. If it wasn¡¯t necessary, Joanna really didn¡¯t want to go overseas again. ¡°Tanzda?¡± Grace frowned. Grace had been studying in Melta since she was young and had a certain understanding of the country¡¯s current politics, culture, geography, and so on. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°What are they doing there?¡± ¡°My husband said he¡¯s looking for an energy mine. Maybe he wants to 10:51 develop it¡­¡± ¡°What energy mine?¡± Grace looked confused. ¡°My husband didn¡¯t say what it is.¡± Grace pondered for a few seconds and asked worriedly, ¡°Joann, is Bruce lying to you? Even if there is an energy mine there, it¡¯s impossible to develop it. ¡°The no man¡¯snd there is not suitable for development at all. ¡°Is Bruce lying to you?¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. Although she didn¡¯t know where Tanzda was, she had been in the capital of Melta for four years. She also basically understood the economy of Melta. They would not let foreigners develop their mineral resources so casually. ¡°Joann, what do you think they¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Grace, I¡¯ll call my husband again to confirm. You don¡¯t have to be anxious now. They¡­ wille back after they¡¯re done. ¡°I¡¯ll call you immediately if I get any news.¡± ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Grace could only agree. After hanging up, Joanna felt even more uneasy. Melta¡¯sbor costs were very expensive, especially in no man¡¯snd. It was impossible to realize a mining resource development project. If that was the case, Bruce must be lying to her. ¡°This damned bastard has not been uttering a single truth. What is he doing?¡± Joanna cursed silently. ¡°The number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter.¡± Bruce still could not be reached. [Bruce after you receive this message, call me back immediately. I have something very important to ask you.] Joanna sent him a voice message angrily. After sending it out, she quickly retracted it. If Bruce was really deliberately hiding from Joanna, he would definitely make up another excuse when he heard her angry message. If Joanna wanted to figure out what Bruce was doing, she would have to 10:31 go there herself, as Grace had suggested. However, this was not very realistic. After all, Bruce was not going to a developed city. He was in no man¡¯snd now. There wasn¡¯t even a signal or a location. He would be really hard to find. Moreover, Joanna still had to take care of the five children, so she couldn¡¯t leave. Joanna¡¯s heart was in turmoil. Suddenly, she thought of Aria. ¡°Aria. Should I call Aria?¡± Joanna wondered. Joanna picked up the phone and dialed Aria¡¯s number. ¡°The number you have dialed is temporarily unavable! Joanna¡¯s entire body went cold, and an indescribable feeling spread in her heart. Aria¡¯s call could not be connected either. It was obvious that she and Bruce were in the same ce. Joanna held the phone tightly, her blood boiling. Bruce had promised her that he would not be involved with Aria again. But now, Joanna was suspicious of the rtionship between Bruce and Aria. If she was able to get in touch with them, perhaps Joanna wouldn¡¯t suspect what they were up to. ¡°Bruce. Aria. What are you trying to do¡­¡± Joanna was dumbfounded and did not dare to think further. Did they go to the no man¡¯snd together so no one could contact them? There was no doubt that Bruce loved Joanna. However, Bruce had a lengthy record after all. It was no surprise that Joanna was suspicious of Bruce. Some men were like this. They were fickle. They imagined themselves as kings, and all women would fall at their feet. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I must be overthinking. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t doubt him like this. If they were together, then it must be something important. ¡°But¡­ why must he hide from me? What can¡¯t he tell me?¡± Joanna pushed her hair back with her hand. Her mood sank drastically. Chapter 1025 Chapter 1025 Chapter 1025 Joanna felt dizzy from thinking about it. She had not slept the entire night, so now, she felt groggy and dispirited. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Forget it. I better sleep now.¡± Joanna really could not think of anything as she fell onto the bed, wanting to calm her mind. Perhaps she was too tired because she fell asleep in less than ten minutes. She slept soundly until three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It was now the afternoon. After sleeping for a while, Joanna went downstairs. ¡°Mommy, why did you wake up sote?¡± Lilia was ying with Patricia and Devin. There were many servants and babysitters in the Everett family, so even if she woke upte, she would not have to worry about no one taking care of the children. ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡± ¡°Mommy, Davian and Irvin have already finished school.¡± ¡°Really? Where are they?¡± Joanna took a look at the time and realized it was almost 4:00 pm. Primary schools in Greyport usually ended sses very early at 3:30 pm, and when there was a public holiday or something else, it would end earlier than normal. ¡°They went to their room to do homework. ¡°By the way, their school is holding a parent-child event tomorrow. Mommy, are you going?¡± ¡°A parent-child event?¡± Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°That¡¯s right! The other parents will be there, and since daddy isn¡¯t around, you¡¯ll be the one going, right?¡± Joanna was dumbfounded. Because of work, she and Bruce had never attended parent-teacher conferences and parent-child events at school. ¡°Mommy, will you go tomorrow? 10:32 ¡°The other parents have attended it before, but you and daddy haven¡¯t attended it once. That¡¯s why I think you should go to the school event tomorrow.¡± In the end, Joanna rubbed her temples and reluctantly agreed after pondering about it. ¡°Alright!¡± Davian and Irvin were attending the best private school for the rich in Greyport. Those attending the student event were all rich and famous people from all walks of life. These people were people of status, so there was no question that the security there would be top-notch. However, she had never been at peace before given the sudden cmity and illness that gued this family previously. Therefore, the butler had always been the one attending these event. ¡°Davian and Irvin,e out quickly.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The two boys came out of their room when they heard their little sister¡¯s shout. ¡°Mommy promised to attend your school¡¯s parent-child event tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Mommy can finally apany us for parent-child activities.¡± Looking at the excited children, Joanna gave a resigned smile. ¡°Hehe.¡± Then, Gael walked over and said respectfully, ¡°Mrs. Everett, the congrattory gift is ready. Please take a look. This is the gift list.¡± Joanna looked puzzled. ¡°What gift?¡± Gael reminded her, ¡°It¡¯s the congrattory gift for Miss Garcia¡¯s engagement.¡± ¡°Oh, then you can make the arrangements yourself!¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± In the Garcia residence, although Jennie was preparing to get engaged, the entire house did not seem festive at all. Instead, it felt lifeless and oppressive. Jennie was in a daze as her stomach was gradually showing her pregnancy. Mrs. Garcia looked at his daughter with a pained expression. ¡°Jennie, have you thought it through?¡± 10:52 Jennie was speechless and in a daze while her expression was filled with despair! ¡°Jennie, do you have something you can¡¯t say? If you do, just tell me or your dad. Don¡¯t hold it in.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°Jennie, your brother is no longer around. You are the only bloodline in our family. Marriage is like a second life for a woman. Are you sure you are truly in love with Marlowe?¡± Mrs. Garcia looked at his daughter with affliction. The entire Greyport knew what kind of a person Marlowe was. Although Yanice Group was also a top-notch wealthy family, Marlowe was indeed the one with the worst reputation among the rich second-generation heirs. That was why Mrs. Garcia and Grayson didn¡¯t understand why their daughter would want to marry him. ¡°Jennie, you seem to have be a different person recently. It pains me to see you like this. No matter what happens, our family will be there for -you.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Jennie could no longer hold back her tears. Marlowe took a lot of nude photos and videos of her. Now, she even had his child inside of her. She felt as if her entire body was being suffocated while falling into a bottomless abyss. Even so, Marlowe was still pressuring her and would call her out every few days to ruthlessly¡­ Now that she was pregnant, Marlowe was afraid of going overboard, causing a miscarriage, which was why he was easy on her recently. Seeing her, Mrs. Garcia was more assured about her assumptions. ¡°What happened? Hurry up and tell me the truth.¡± ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯ve let you down. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jenniey in her mother¡¯s arms and cried bitterly. Meanwhile, Grayson smoked a cigar with a gloomy expression. Now that the engagement invitation had been sent out and her daughter was pregnant, it had to go on even if they didn¡¯t want to. He was someone who cared about his reputation and could not afford to embarrass himself. 10:32 ¡°Now that you have a child, there¡¯s nothing else we can do. You are a disgrace.¡± Grayson was enraged. He had carefully nurtured his daughter to have an aristocratic temperament since she was young, but now, she was pregnant out of wedlock, which truly angered him. ¡°Alright. Get out. Stop ming your daughter.¡± Mrs. Garcia hugged Jennie and could not help but tear up. Her son was dead, so Jennie was now all she had left. If anything happened to her, she would lose the will to live. Chapter 1026 Chapter 1026 Chapter 1026 ¡°Jennie, what¡¯s going on? Tell me the truth!¡± Mrs. Garcia kept onforting his daughter. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Jennie burst into tears. The inhumane torture and grievances she had suffered in the past few months were unbearable. ¡°Are you trying to make me anxious? What happened? ¡°Why did you agree to marry Marlowe? He¡¯s not a good person. You won¡¯t be happy if you marry him. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to back away now.¡± Jennie burst into tears. ¡°Mom¡­ I really regret it. I shouldn¡¯t have done it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live anymore. It¡¯s so painful.¡± She covered her face and cried bitterly before punching her stomach crazily. ¡°Jennie, don¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t hurt your body like this.¡± Mrs. Garcia hugged her daughter tightly and cried out in pain. ¡°If you don¡¯t want this child, I can help bring you to a private doctor. If you cause miscarry on yourself like this, the consequences will be unimaginable. ¡°What happened? Hurry up and tell me.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve let Marlowe hurt me¡­¡± Jennie said as she threw herself onto a pillow and wailed. Mrs. Garcia gasped and looked at his daughter while trembling. Even if her daughter did not say anything, she had already guessed that it was not a good thing. Marlowe was a typical piece of trash. In his early years, he used his status as a rich second-generation heir to pick up innocent and naive girls in university. After toying with their feelings, he would throw them aside and used them as a joke to show off to others. Moreover, he was really the worst kind of man. Even though he was clearly rich, he was extremely stingy with women. If 10:32 he could freeload his way to bed with a woman, he would never spend a single cent on her. He was someone who would do something that people despised. During this period, an innocent university student got pregnant by him, but he refused to take responsibility and even ndered the university student for selling herself to him. This caused the university student to jump off a building in anger and die. Not only did he not feel guilty at all, he even said in front of the media that it had nothing to do with him and that her life was cheap. This matter had blown up at that time, and his father had to step in to give the girl¡¯s family arge sum of money so that this matter was resolved. In addition to this, Marlowe had also been in jail for nine years and now had a broken leg. It would be fine if he was not good-looking, but his character was too despicable. No matter what, she was not worthy of Jennie.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hurry up and tell me what he did to you.¡± ¨C ¡°Mom, I¡¯m too ashamed to face anyone right now. I just want to die. If I don¡¯t marry him, he¡¯ll destroy mepletely.¡± ¡°Stop saying such silly things. Hurry up and tell me what happened. Your dad and I will back you up. You shouldn¡¯t be afraid of him.¡± Jennie cried until her voice was hoarse as she sobbed and said, ¡°That beast deliberately drugged my wine, and then¡­ ¡°He also took a lot of photos and videos to threaten me. If I don¡¯t listen to him, he¡¯ll release those photos and videos online. Boohoo¡­¡± There was an explosion in the atmosphere. When Mrs. Garcia heard this, she was even more enraged to a point where she could not help but gasp. She knew that her daughter would not get engaged to Marlowe for no reason, so there must be something going on. As expected, her daughter was really being coerced. ¡°Jennie, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll discuss it with your dad. At most, we¡¯ll talk to Mr. Yanice.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t. He¡¯ll want to destroy mepletely. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell dad about this. He will be so disappointed in me. Boohoo¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Jennie. You¡¯re breaking my heart,¡± Mrs. Garcia also cried bitterly. Beep, beep. The two of them were crying when Marlowe called. Chapter 1027 Chapter 1027 Chapter 1027 ¡°Mom, he¡¯s calling again¡­ He¡¯s calling me again¡­¡± Jennie felt as though she had been summoned by the King of Hell as her entire body trembled. She really had enough of Marlowe¡¯s perversions, and she didn¡¯t want to see that devil again, even for a second. Seeing her daughter in panic, Mrs. Garcia was also filled with anxiety as she quicklyforted Jennie. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Just don¡¯t answer his call.¡± However, Jennie shook her head in pain. ¡°No, if I don¡¯t answer his call, he will immediately send the photo to the tabloids.¡± ¡°No, he won¡¯t do that, right?¡± Mrs. Garcia couldn¡¯t believe that there was such a despicable person in the world. ¡°He will. He really will. ¡°If he sends those photos and videos over, I won¡¯t be able to live with myself anymore.¡± Jennie¡¯s thoughts were copsing as she was in apletely chaotic state. ¡°Jennie, be strong. Don¡¯t cry. ¡°In that case, you can answer his call first. Try to calm him down, and we¡¯ll slowly think of a way.¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Jennie couldn¡¯t hold back her tears, so she held her breath but could not stop her sobbing. Therefore, she took a few deep breaths and tried her best to calm down. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Marlowe¡¯s slightly impatient voice said sarcastically, ¡°Baby, why didn¡¯t you answer the phone for so long?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t hear it just now.¡± ¡°Hmph, I thought you were avoiding me on purpose.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Come and find me immediately,¡± Marlowe ordered. ¡°What? It¡¯s already sote. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s convenient¡­¡± Marlowe refuted, ¡°What¡¯s inconvenient about it? You¡¯re here to see your fianc¨¦. If it¡¯s toote, you can stay with me here for the night.¡± When Jennie heard this, tears began falling down her eyes 10.32 uncontrobly as she stammered, ¡°No, I can¡¯t. I¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you being naughty again?¡± Marlowe¡¯s voice was deep and threatening. Listening to his him, Jennie panicked and quickly exined, ¡°No. No. I¡¯m not feeling well today, so I went for a prenatal checkup. ¡°The doctor said that I might have moved the fetus a bit, so I need to rest well. Otherwise, the child might be in danger.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Marlowe paused and listened. After all, he still wanted Jennie to give birth to this child for him. ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m not lying to you. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can send you the medical report.¡± He was skeptical, but she was pregnant now, so he still had some reservations. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t lie to me. If you dare to lie to me, the consequences will be very serious.¡± ¡°I know. I know.¡± ¡°Then give me a kiss!¡± -Jennie paused while her heart was filled with disgust. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that!¡± She obeyed his orders and quickly kissed the phone. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. Take good care of my son. If anything happens to him, you better be careful.¡± Marlowe chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of the baby,¡± Jennie replied timidly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± After hanging up, Jennie closed his eyes in pain again while Mrs. Garcia¡¯s heart ached even more. Her daughter had always been a precious little princess in the family who was ambitious, confident, and proud of herself. This was the first time she had seen someone talk to someone so submissively, so as a mother, she felt as if thousands of arrows had pierced her heart. ¡°Jennie, it seems like you¡¯ve been suffering like this for some time.¡± Mrs. Garcia also cried. ¡°Boohoo, mom¡­¡± 10:32 Mrs. Garcia took a deep breath and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll go and discuss with your father now. You can¡¯t get married to him. I can¡¯t watch you walk into a lion¡¯s den.¡± Hearing her, Jennie hurriedly pulled her mother back. ¡°No, don¡¯t tell dad. I¡¯m afraid that he will be disappointed in me¡­¡± ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Kacha! The door was pushed open. Suddenly, Grayson walked in with red eyes and a pained expression. He had heard the conversation between his daughter and wife. He had never expected that his beloved daughter would be harmed by a scumbag like Marlowe. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Jennie looked at her father in fear and vulnerability. ¡°Jennie, how could you do this to yourself? What sin did our familymit to cause my children to suffer such a disaster?¡± Grayson could not help but cry as he gritted his teeth in anger. He was considered a good man in a circle of rich people. He and his wife were harmonious since he never flirted with any woman since marriage. Not only that, they ran a business ethically and treated people with kindness. He really couldn¡¯t understand what kind of immoral thing had he done to deserve retribution on his children, and because of that, his only s¨®n unfortunately died tragically. Now, his daughter had been harmed to this extent¡­ ¡°Grayson, Jennie is already in pain. Please don¡¯t me her anymore. ¡°The most important thing now is to think of a solution.¡± Grayson sighed. ¡°How else can it be resolved? ¡°Things have alreadye to this point, and they even have a child. If we break off the engagement now, won¡¯t everyone in Greyport know that Jennie is pregnant out of wedlock?¡± ¡°Grayson, in this era, having a child out of wedlock is nothing to be ashamed of. Compared to our daughter¡¯s happiness for the rest of her life, this is nothing. ¡°Can you bear to see a woman being sent into a lion¡¯s den like this?¡± Mrs. Garcia was also heartbroken. 10:33 After listening to her, Grayson asked his daughter with a gloomy expression, ¡°Jennie, let me ask you. Do you have any good feelings for Marlowe? If you can make do with it, you¡¯ll just have to consider yourself unlucky¡­¡± Jennie couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°Dad, if you want me to marry him, I¡¯d rather die. I¡¯d actually rather die.¡± When Grayson heard her response, his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Alright, let me handle this matter.¡± ¡°Dad, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him personally. I don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s really thatwless.¡± Hearing him, she immediately panicked. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t go looking for him. You don¡¯t know what kind of an animal he is. No, he¡¯s even worse than an animal. ¡°If you go to him, he¡¯ll destroy me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. At most, I¡¯ll talk to his father. I don¡¯t believe that his father can¡¯t control him.¡± ¡°Dad! Dad!¡± Grayson was left so angrily that it felt as though his heart was about to explode. The next day, Grayson asked Marlowe out. At first, Marlowe thought that he was asking him out to discuss the engagement banquet with him, so he quickly came over. In the Aroma Cafe, Grayson was already waiting in the private room. ¡°Mr. Garcia¡­ Oh wait, I should call you dad. You are looking for me?¡± Marlowe had a smile on his face and even specially changed into a formal suit Looking at him, Grayson became gloomy as he really wanted to shoot this beast in the face. However, since he had something on his daughter, he could only suppress his anger. ¡°Marlowe, sit down!¡± Marlowe sensed that the other party was about to kill him, causing the smile on his face froze. ¡°It seems that this old man did not ask me out to discuss the marriage,¡± he thought. 10:53 ¡°Mr. Garcia, did you call me here to discuss my marriage with Jennie?¡± ¡°No, I asked you here today to talk about my daughter. ¡°I advise you to destroy Jennie¡¯s photos and videos immediately. I¡¯ll pretend that nothing happened.¡± Grayson¡¯s tone was cold. However, for the sake of his daughter¡¯s reputation, as long as Marlowe stopped pestering his daughter, he nned to suffer in silence and not pursue the matter. Listening to him, Marlowe sneered with a no longer respectful tone. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I love Jennie very much. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll treat her and the child well. ¡°But¡­ if you insist on breaking us up, I can¡¯t guarantee what I will do.¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the door of the private room was pushed open with a bang. Suddenly, Marcus walked out angrily. Without any exnation, he took the walking stick in his hand and began hitting his son hard. ¡°You beast. How dare you do such a despicable thing? I¡¯ll beat you to death today.¡± Bang, bang, bang. Marcus was crazily beating his son. Meanwhile, Marlowe was stunned as he quickly turned his body to the side, but he was still getting beaten up badly. While cursing, Marcus kept on hitting him, and he was so angry that his entire body was trembling. ¡°You still refuse to behave. How can you do such a crazy thing? ¡°If I had known that you were such an animal, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to be born. I should have drowned you in the toilet bowl long ago.¡± Bang, bang! Marcus was so angry that he was hitting his son with deadly blows. He had three sons, but he wasn¡¯t content with any of them. He had two other sons, and one was disobedient while the other was a drug addict. The eldest one disappointed him even more. Chapter 1028 Chapter 1028 Chapter 1028 Marlowe was getting frustrated from the beating, so he swung his arm and grabbed his father¡¯s walking stick. ¡°What right do you have to hit me? ¡°Did you care about me all these years? Did you? Why do you now feel the need to ask me what I¡¯m doing?¡± He was rebellious to a point where even his father could not control him at all. Marcus was so angry that his entire body was trembling. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? I like Jennie and want her to marry me. Is that wrong?¡± ¡°Why are you still twisting logic? Do you have any shame? ¡°If you like a girl, can¡¯t you pursue her in a normal fashion?¡± Marcus really couldn¡¯t understand his son¡¯s actions. The Yanice family could be considered one of the top wealthy families. Therefore, even if Marlowe married Jennie openly, they were well-matched. ¡°I like it! I like it this way.¡± Marlowe sneered. Indeed, if he didn¡¯t use this method, a woman like Jennie wouldn¡¯t even look at him. The Yanice family and the Everett family were both top-notch wealthy families. If he was willing to walk the right path and do business properly like Bruce, or lie on the family¡¯s credit book and be a rich second-generation heir who relied on his elders, he would not have such an oue today. ¡°How dare you try to twist logic? I¡¯ll beat you to death today.¡± Marcus could not calm down at all as he raised his walking stick and hit him again. ¡°What right do you have to hit me?¡± Marlowe started to resist, causing Marcus to stagger and almost fall. ¡°Y-You animal. How dare you attack me. ¡°You guys hold him down.¡± Marcus¡¯s personal bodyguards immediately went forward and pressed Marlowe to the ground without any hesitation. ¡°Let go of me. Let¡¯s see who dares to touch me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you right now.¡± Bang, bang! Marlowe was so angry that he was about to have a heart attack while hitting his son hard. After knocking him a dozen more times with his walking stick, Marcus¡¯s heart was beating so fast that he could barely breathe. ¡°Uh, cough, cough.¡± Seeing this, his secretary hurriedly went forward to support him. ¡°President Yanice, please take care of your body. Don¡¯t anger yourself.¡± 1/4 08:20 As he spoke, the secretary quickly took out a heart pill and fed him a few. In the meantime, Marlowe was beaten up to a pulp, and his head was bleeding as he knelt on the ground like a helpless dog. Grayson looked on coldly without any hint of sympathy. If he could, he really wanted to kill this animal with his own hands. Marcus panted for a long time before he managed to catch his breath. ¡°Bastard, I want you to quickly delete those videos and photos.¡± However, Marlowe knelt on the ground, still looking unconvinced. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Seeing this, Pete and the others stepped forward timidly before quickly taking out Marlowe¡¯s phone and deleting the videos and photos inside. ¡°President Yanice, I¡¯ve already deleted it. Marlowe¡¯s phone has also been formatted and restored to its factory settings. The photos and videos of Miss Garcia have beenpletely deleted.¡± ¡°Marlowe, is there another save file?¡± ¡°No¡­ There isn¡¯t!¡± Marlowe kept bleeding from his mouth and nose. ¡°There really isn¡¯t! ¡°There¡¯s really nothing else.¡± ¡°If I find out you still have it, I¡¯ll kill you, bastard.¡± ¡°Dad, there¡¯s really no more.¡± Marcus paused for a moment before looking at Grayson. ¡°Mr. Garcia, I¡¯m really sorry. My good-for- nothing son is really¡­ ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m now handing him over to you to be dealt with. Do you want to beat him up, kill him, or send him to the police station? It¡¯s up to you. ¡°I canpensate for all the harm done to your daughter.¡± After Marcus finished speaking, he looked at Grayson apologetically. The circle of the rich was filled with these people, so they more or less would have some connections with each other. Although Grayson was heartbroken, he knew that Marcus was just trying to be polite to him. If he actually killed his son, Marcus would probably be more heartbroken than anyone else. Therefore, Grayson could only stop while he was ahead. After all, he was very satisfied with the way Marcus beat up his son like this and forced him to delete the videos and photos in front of him. ¡°This matter ends here!¡± The Garcia family was also a famous family that didn¡¯tck money at all, so of course, they couldn¡¯t care less about anypensation. As long as Marlowe 08.201 stopped pestering his daughter, he would already be grateful. ¡°You better take care of your son. Don¡¯t let him run amok again.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I didn¡¯t discipline him well enough before. ¡°This bastard, sigh¡­ His mother passed away early, so it¡¯s all my fault for not teaching him well.¡± Marcus couldn¡¯t help but sigh. When Grayson heard this, he could not bear to make things difficult for him. After all, if Marcus could control his son, he would have done so long ago. Marlowe had been in prison for nine years, but he had not changed his bad habits at all, let alone allowing others to keep an eye on him. Some people were born evil. ¡°Then that¡¯s it! You guys take care of yourselves too.¡± ¡°Take care. I¡¯ll send you off. ¡°You all, keep an eye on Marlowe.¡± After Marcus finished speaking, he hurriedly went to send Grayson off. After all, it was alreadymendable that he was willing to let his son off after such a thing had happened. Of course, the most important reason was because of Yanice Group¡¯s power, and in order to protect his daughter¡¯s reputation, Grayson chose to let the matter rest. After they left, Pete and the others hurriedly went forward to help Marlowe up. ¡°President Yanice.¡± Marlowe wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his sleeve before spitting out another mouthful of blood and cursed fiercely, ¡°Hmph, Jennie you bitch. How dare you trick me? ¡°It seems like you really don¡¯t want to live anymore. If you dare to y with me like this, I¡¯ll make sure to ruin your reputation.¡± ¡°President Yanice, your father is already furious, why don¡¯t you¡­¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Get lost. ¡°Go and get my spare phone. I want to destroy this bitch immediately.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± When Pete and the others heard this, they all looked at him in horror. ¡°Hurry up.¡± ¡°President Yanice, you have to consider it carefully. ¡°Miss Garcia is pregnant now. If you do this, won¡¯t you be forcing her to a dead end?¡± Pete tried to persuade him. ¡°This bitch is heartless, and I want her to regret it. I want her to know the consequences of offending me!¡± Marlowe was furious and wanted to destroy Jennie immediately. 3/4 08:20 ¡°President Yanice, I think we should bear with this for the time being. ¡°Once your father¡¯s anger subsides and the Garcia family let down their guard, you can slowly make a comeback. If you destroy Jennie now, it will be the end of you. There¡¯s no way out.¡± Listening to him, Marlowe felt that what Pete said made sense. If he destroyed Jennie now, then he wouldpletely lose his means of controlling her, and she would not be threatened by him anymore. However, if he endured it now and sent it to her after a while, he could be able to use the same trick again. He could still hold her by the throat and toy with her in his hands. If he destroyed her now, it would really be harmful to him. Even if it was for money, he couldn¡¯t ruin her so quickly. After all, he still had to force Jennie to fund his fight against Bruce¡¯spany. ¡°You¡¯re right! ¡°This bitch, I¡¯ll let her rest for two days. Ouch¡­ It hurts! ¡°That old man really is ruthless.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take you to the hospital now.¡± ¡°By the way, what has Bruce been doing recently? Why haven¡¯t I heard anything from him?¡± ¡°Uh, Bruce doesn¡¯t seem to be in Greyport.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that he went on a business trip to Melta. He won¡¯t be in Greyport for a while.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Marlowe¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯m sure. I have a friend who works for Bruce.¡± When Marlowe heard this, his eyes turned sinister. ¡°That¡¯s great. Since that bastard isn¡¯t in Greyport, we can have some fun with his family. ¡°By the way, what school does his son go to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Jemton Elementary School.¡± ¡°Does this school organize a lot of extracurricr activities every year?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Halloween next month. The school seems to be organizing a Halloween party too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll find an opportunity to teach his son a lesson.¡± Chapter 1029 Chapter 1029 Chapter 1029 Joanna went to school for the children¡¯s campus sports meet today. Joanna was tired out when she returned to Sherane Bay Vi. Davian and Irvin were in high spirits and still talking endlessly and excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m so happy, Mommy. Thanks foring to our sports meet today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Among all parents, Mommy is the prettiest and has the best temperament. As soon as you showed up, you shone out other students¡¯ mommies.¡± ¡°Mommy is not only pretty but rich.¡± Joanna frowned when she heard that. The parents of the students attending the sports meet today were all wealthy people or top celebrities. Without a doubt, she was the eye-catcher and the most popr parent. And that was very different from what people thought of her three years ago. Back then, she was still the scheming bitch who was despised by everyone and even demonized on the Inte. But right now, everyone sucked up to her. She could still see awe and ttery in other parents¡¯ eyes, although they did it tactfully. ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve made up my mind. You guys will study in Antlen from next semester.¡± The two little ones looked at Joanna in confusion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, if you study abroad, few people will know you. So you can live just like other children,¡± Joanna said, still a little worried. The kids were only eight but already crazed to vie with each other. They knew who was the richest and whose car was the best. This was not a good sign. She still hoped the children¡¯s school life would be simpler and more ordinary. ¡°If we go to study in Antlen, we won¡¯t be able to see Daddy and Mommy, right?¡± Joanna thought it over and said earnestly, ¡°No, that¡¯s not true! Daddy and Mommy might go abroad with you.¡±/ Anyway, Bruce had promised her. After returning from his business trip, he would retire and entrust the company to a professional organization. ¡°In that case, our family will emigrate to Antlen!¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t an emigration. We are just going to study there. We¡¯lle back after you finish school.¡± ¡°Oh, I see that many of our ssmates have emigrated.¡± Joanna smiled. She had dual citizenship previously. 1/5 08:21 But she had renounced her Surbano nationality. Lilia and Patricia also looked at the two of them excitedly. ¡°Davian, Irvin, was the sports meet fun today?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was. We had a great time. Mommy was amazing today. She got the first ce in the race of parents.¡± ¡°Really?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Of course. Look! This is the prize.¡± Irvin handed Lilia the prize Joanna had won in school as if he was presenting a treasure. ¡°Wow! Mommy, you are awesome.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Joanna smiled. While the children were chattering, Joanna took out her phone and looked at it. She only saw a few junk messages on the screen and Grace¡¯s messages on Messenger. ¡°Jeez! Still can¡¯t get through?¡± Joanna said to herself. Beep! Beep! Joanna couldn¡¯t help but call Bruce again. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been three days. Bruce, why don¡¯t you call me back? You¡¯re getting me worried sick.¡± Joanna grunted. Joanna sent him a voice message. [Bruce, call me back ASAP.] Swoosh! It indicated that she had failed to send him the message on Messenger. Joanna frowned and felt uneasy. ¡°Where has he gone? Why is there no signal at all? ¡°Damn it! He is getting more and more unreasonable,¡± sheined in a low voice. Davian was ying with the model ne when he heard his mommy muttering. He tilted his head and asked, ¡°Mommy, what did you say?¡± ¡°Um, nothing. I¡¯m just scrolling through my phone.¡± Davian raised the model ne and imitated the posture of taking off. ¡°Whoosh¡­ whoosh¡­ whoosh¡­¡± ¡°Mommy, I want to be a pilot when I grow up. No, I think it¡¯s cooler to be an astronaut.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Joanna replied perfunctorily. ¡°Irvin, what do you want to be when you grow up?¡± Irvin rolled his eyes and said mischievously, ¡°I want to be a super-rich man like 2/5 08:21 Daddy.¡± ¡°Gosh! You suck!¡± Davian rolled his eyes at Irvin in disdain. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, do you? I want to be a super-rich man and have many beautiful girlfriends. Huh, I¡¯m going to feel Daddy¡¯s happiness.¡± Bang! Davian patted Irvin. ¡°You suck! It sucks!¡± Joanna listened to the boys bickering and could not help but observe them. What a child was interested in decided what he would be in adulthood. It could be told what a child was interested in from a young age. Davian was undoubtedly interested in hacking and the aviation industry. And they could focus on cultivating his talents in these two aspects. But she was a little worried about Irvin. Irvin was already glib-tongued and quick-witted. Moreover, he was much more sophisticated than his age. He was only eight but was good at talking sweet words. She was worried that he would be ignorant and ipetent in the future. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s for dinner today? Can you make dumplings for us?¡± ¡°Sorry, sweetie. Mommy is too tired today. I¡¯ll make dumplings for you some other time.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy. Do you want me to give you a massage?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so sweet.¡± ¡°Mommy, you got the first prize in the race. Your legs must be sore, right? ¡°No worries. Let me rub your legs for you.¡± The two little ones started massaging Joanna¡¯s calves without hesitation. ¡°Mommy, are you feeling better now?¡± Looking at the sweet and grateful children, Joanna couldn¡¯t be more relieved. ¡°Yeah. Much better.¡± ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ll have a Christmas party next month. ¡°Can you go to the party with us then?¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re going to Disnend.¡± ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll see!¡± ¡°Ouch! Be gentle. Easy!¡± ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re professionals.¡± ¡°Yeah, you are. What else can I do except take it?¡± Joanna looked at her two sweet sons and could not help but smile. 3/5 08:21 In Tanzda. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any hope of rescuing that two of our partners.¡± ¡°I suggest we do it Bruce¡¯s way. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡­ I will go undercover,¡± Aria suggested. Bruce said gloomily, ¡°No, that will be too dangerous.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just sit back and wait for death. We can¡¯t wait any longer. We must do something.¡± ¡°Sit tight. There must be a better way,¡± Bruceforted. Fry took a deep breath and said, ¡°I heard that hundreds of thousand bats had attacked humans in the south. And the bats are carrying arge number of viruses.¡± ¡°There was a bat gue in that area. A lot of people died.¡± ¡°Shall we go and take a look? We might be able to find some clues there.¡± ¡°How far is it from here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about 310 miles. It¡¯s a day¡¯s drive.¡± Bruce nodded in agreement. ¡°We can go to the field to check it out. ¡°Now, we can¡¯t find any breakthrough here in the no man¡¯snd. ¡°Then who¡¯s going to stay here?¡± Leo pointed at Fry and said, ¡°Fry and I will stay behind. The three of you go to the south!¡± ¡°Fine! Be careful, guys.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Soon, Bruce, Aria, and another agent nned to rush to the south to take a look. ¡°Bruce?¡± Aria looked at Bruce with aplicated gaze in the SUV. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce replied indifferently. ¡°Nothing much. ¡°Right, What about your bodyguards and the assistant?¡± Bruce heard that and frowned. ¡°Let them go with us in case we need help.¡± Darcy and Carson were very professional. They would never ask about the boss¡¯s secrets unless told. This was also the reason why Bruce liked to bring them along and trusted them. After driving for two hours, they finally reached the ce with a signal tower. Swish! The phones rang non-stop. 4/5 08:21 ¡°Finally! The phone got a signal.¡± Bruce quickly turned on the phone and found that Joanna had sent him many voice messages. [Bruce, call me back ASAP. What the hell are you doing? Why can¡¯t I reach you?] Bruce looked at the dozens of voice messages below. He could guess what Joanna had said without listening. ¡°Bruce, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to contact your wife for now, or she¡¯ll get too worried about you. It¡¯s better to exin to herter when the problem is resolved.¡± But Bruce acted as if he did not hear anything and dialed Joanna¡¯s number. ¡°You guys keep quiet. I¡¯ll call my wife now to tell her I¡¯m safe.¡± He knew Joanna would be worried sick if she could not reach him. He didn¡¯t want her to worry about him. Beep. Beep! The phone rang twice before Joanna picked up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Honey, it¡¯s me.¡± Bruce deliberately said in a rxed and yful voice. Upon hearing Bruce¡¯s voice, Joanna¡¯s worries instantly turned into grievances. ¡°Bruce, you bastard! Where are you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m in no man¡¯snd now. There¡¯s no signal nearby.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just searched for information about Tanzda. There¡¯s no energy mine you¡¯ve mentioned. You must be lying to me. Tell me the truth now. What did you do there?¡± Chapter 1030 Chapter 1030 Chapter 1030 ¡°Oh god! Look, you¡¯re suspecting me again! My love, I¡¯m a good man. I swear I didn¡¯t do anything bad.¡± Fry and Aria had goosebumps when they heard Bruce¡¯s words. This was too out of ce. The tone of his voice waspletely different from his usual cold and determined appearance. On the other end of the line, Joanna was a little exasperated. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up and video chat with you.¡± She wanted to see where he was at the moment. ¡°Oh, no! Please don¡¯t hang up. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to find a ce with a signal. If you hang up on me, it¡¯ll be hard to get through again. ¡°The signal here is terrible. The video will be frozen, and I can¡¯t answer the video call.¡± Bruce quickly refused it. Of course, he didn¡¯t dare to answer the video call. If he answered the video call, Joanna would see he was in the same car with Aria. And she might make wild guesses again! When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat. She did not dare to hang up the phone rashly. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After all, she couldn¡¯t reach him for the past three days. Now that she had finally gotten through, she was over the moon. ¡°How much longer will you stay in no man¡¯snd?¡± ¡°Hmm, not long. I should be able to leave this ce in ten days to half a month.¡±¡± When Joanna heard that, she was annoyed. ¡°Ten days to half a month? Is it going to take that long?¡± ¡°Yep, honey. I¡¯m already in a hurry. I can¡¯t leave unless I get things done here.¡± Joanna pursed her lips helplessly. ¡°Where¡¯s Darcy?¡± Bruce nced at Darcy, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. ¡°Darcy is beside me.¡± ¡°Is he alright?¡± Joanna asked with concern. ¡°I¡¯m safe and sound. What could have happened to him? ¡°You hear that? You¡¯re concerned about another man but don¡¯t even care to ask if I¡¯m alright!¡± Bruce pretended to be jealous. Hearing that, tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes. For God¡¯s sake, how could he say she didn¡¯t care about him? But Bruce¡¯s voice was full of energy. It didn¡¯t sound like there was anything wrong 1/5 08:21 with him. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m asking for Grace. She¡¯s been worried sick these past few days. She calls me every day to check in with Darcy. ¡°Since there¡¯s a signal now, tell Darcy to call her back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. I¡¯ll tell him now. ¡°Darcy, call Ms. Grace immediately and tell her not to worry about you.¡± Darcy sat silently in the passenger seat. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, I did.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He continued chatting with Joanna on the phone. ¡°Is everything alright with the family and thepany?¡± ¡°Yep, everything is fine.¡± ¡°Did anything big happen in Greyport?¡± Joanna paused. ¡°Well, there is one thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Marlowe and Jennie are getting engaged next month. They¡¯ve even sent an invitation letter over.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned and had a sinking feeling in his heart. ¡°Marlowe is not a good person. You¡¯d better think twice before going to their engagement party. Also, Jennie is so simple- minded that I¡¯m afraid she will be used.¡± ¡°Okay, I see. I¡¯ll get Gael to prepare a gift and send it over.¡± After all, they had sent the party invitation, and she had to do something out of courtesy. ¡°Okay. Take good care of the children and yourself. Be good and wait for me toe home,¡± Bruce reminded her worriedly. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± Joanna suddenly remembered. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to send Davian and Irvin to study in Antlen after they finish this semester.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Bruce asked in confusion. ¡°No one knows them abroad, and few people will pay much attention to them there. I think it will be better for their growth that way. ¡°I went to their campus sports meet yesterday. Jesus! These children are crazing to vie with each other. Can you imagine that? To top it off, they are fond of keeping up with the Joneses.¡± Joanna sighed as she spoke. ¡°Do you know what Irvin wants to be when growing up?¡± 2/5 08:21 ¡°What does he want to be?¡± Joanna sighed deeply again. ¡°He said he wanted to be a super-rich man like when he grew up and wanted to be with many hot chicks.¡± Bruce was stunned when he heard that, and he suddenlyughed. ¡°That sounds very Irvin. I¡¯ll talk to him when I get back.¡± you ¡°You know what? I have a feeling that the children¡¯s values have been misled. If it went on like this, I¡¯m worried that they will grow up to be useless yboys,¡± Joanna said in anxiety. It was okay that children were ignorant and ipetent when they grew up, but she couldn¡¯t ept that they would be someone like Marlowe. Joanna was about to say something else when Bruce quickly interrupted her. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ll talk to you later. We¡¯ve got a situation in front of us. We have to get out of the car to take a look.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. We just found something we¡¯ve been searching for. We must detect it with a geological detector to see if it¡¯s the energy source we¡¯re looking for.¡± Bruce was a good liar. No one could tell if it was true or false. Joanna believed him. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Gotta go. Take care.¡± ¡°Be careful. Get the things done ande home.¡± ¡°Got it, honey. Love you.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly and kissed on the phone. ¡°Holy shit! That¡¯s killing me.¡± Fry couldn¡¯t help but whisper. Listening to Bruce¡¯s gentle voice when he called Joanna, Aria couldn¡¯t help feeling bitter deep inside. She could imagine how much he loved his wife. If she had not chosen to study back then, she and Bruce must be a happy couple now. Beep! Beep! Beep! Someone¡¯s phone was vibrating. Bruce looked up and ¡®saw that it was not his phone ringing. ¡°Darcy, is your phone ringing?¡± ¡°Oh, just ignore it.¡± Darcy immediately muted the phone. ¡°Is Ms. Grace calling you? If so, you should answer it!¡± Bruce¡¯s voice sounded a little impatient. Anyway, he didn¡¯t like to keep people guessing and waiting. If he loved someone, he would do whatever it took to pursue her. Otherwise, he 3/5 08:21 would make it clear to her. He wouldn¡¯t give her false hopes or waste her time. Of course, Darcy¡¯s situation was a little moreplicated. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t love Grace. It was just that his body didn¡¯t allow it, and he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to give her the happiness a woman wanted. He was even more afraid that Grace would look down on him after finding his problem. Beep! As soon as he hung up, Grace immediately called in again. Darcy was silent as he sat there in a daze. He had no idea what to say to Grace. When he turned on his phone, he was shocked to see all those missed calls and messages from Grace. But it made him want to escape more. The more passionately Grace was after him, the less guts he had to face up to her. ¡°How soon can we reach downtown?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯ll take another hour.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take a break first.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Bruce did not dare to say anything else. He closed his eyes to take a break. In Greyport. ¡°Thank God! The call finally got through. God, please bless him and bring him home the soonest. Be safe and sound, Bruce!¡± Joanna was silently praying when Gael walked over. ¡°Mrs. Everett, we just received the news that Mr. Yanice and Miss Garcia¡¯s engagement party had been canceled.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna was stunned to hear that. ¡°The engagement party has been canceled?¡± Gael nodded. ¡°Yes, the media has also exposed it. The Garcia family has officially issued a notice on it. So has the Yanice family.¡± ¡°It happened so fast!¡± Joanna still found it unbelievable. They were from twopletely different worlds and had nothing inmon. They hooked up with each other for no reason and were going to break up. ¡°Fine. Whatever! Since the engagement party has been canceled, there¡¯s no need to give them the gifts.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll put the gifts in the warehouse first.¡± ¡°Alright! Just deal with it as you see fit.¡± After Gael left, Joanna was still on pins and needles. 475 08:21 Last year, Jennie invested in a real estatepany in a hurry. And it was said that her business partner was Marlowe. Her purpose was to go against the project of Green Bay. The project of Green Bay was in full swing, and the golf club nearby was already under construction. But there was nothing new about Jennie¡¯s real estatepany. It was all bark and no bite. Chapter 1031 Chapter 1031 Chapter 1031 N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. However, Joanna did not want to ask about thepany now. Bruce had hired the top investment management team to manage thepany¡¯s business. And the servants were taking good care of her daily life. She had nothing much to do each day. All she needed to do was wait for him at home and look after the children. Of course, considering who she was now, Greyport¡¯s socialites and trophy wives kept sending her invitations one after another. But she was no social butterfly and didn¡¯t like to party with the socialites and trophy wives. Therefore, she stayed at home most of the time. Beep! Grace made another video call. ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± On the other end of the video call, Grace looked depressed. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Joanna smiled and said, ¡°Oh dear, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Grace remained silent. She looked like she had a lot on her mind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Please tell me.¡± Grace paused and said hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯ve booked a flight ticket to Melta.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened when she heard that. ¡°What? Are you crazy?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take it any longer. I¡¯m going to find him myself.¡± Joanna tried to talk her out of it in no time. ¡°No! All you need to do is take care and wait at home. They¡¯re in no man¡¯snd now. Even if you go there, you won¡¯t be able to find them.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure I can find him. ¡°Joann, can you please tell me Bruce¡¯s number? If Darcy doesn¡¯t answer my call, I¡¯ll call Bruce instead.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Grace, calm down. This is not a joke.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not twelve years old. I know what I¡¯m doing, okay?¡± ¡°Does Jaydon know it?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell him.¡± ¡°Grace, listen to me. Melta is in a mess now. You really can¡¯t go there.¡± 1/5 08:21 0 ¡°I¡¯ve talked with Bruce on the phone. They will be in no man¡¯snd for another two weeks. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to contact Darcy after they get things done there. I¡¯ve also told Bruce to get Darcy to call you back¡­¡± Grace smiled disappointedly and said softly, ¡°He has called me back.¡± ¡°Oh, what did he say then?¡± ¡°Um, he said we wouldn¡¯t work out. We are from two different worlds. And he told me to forget about him and leave him alone.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart sank. She did not know what to tell Grace for the time. What was this Darcy thinking? She couldn¡¯t understand why he didn¡¯t want such a good girl like Grace. Sure, Bruce kept his mouth shut and did not tell Joanna the truth. So, Joanna did not know that Darcy was ill. She could do nothing but only feel anxious for Grace. A man like Darcy, who looked big and tough and was bursting with hormones. No one could imagine he couldn¡¯t get it up if he didn¡¯t tell. Sometimes, God was fair. Most tall and powerful guys seemed good in bed, but they sucked. On the contrary, some short and thin guys were great and gifted at having sex. Bruce was one of the few guys who looked good in bed and was indeed good in bed. He was the God- favored one. ¡°Grace, wait for him to return even if he has turned you down. If you go for him he might avoid you more than ever.¡± now, ¡°No! I¡¯m going to find him now. I want him to tell me in person that he doesn¡¯t love me. As long as he says it to my face, I¡¯ll give up,¡± Grace said with a pale face. ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t be stubborn, okay?¡± Joanna did not know what to say to her, and she felt troubled. Some socialites were hopelessly romantic. They¡¯d devoted all their time and energy to love since they didn¡¯t need to worry about money and the stuff. To them, love came first of all. And they could anything for love. ¡°So what did Jaydon say? Did he agree?¡± Grace thought about it and replied calmly, ¡°Jaydon¡­ will agree.¡± ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t stop you since you¡¯ve decided to go. But we should meet up before you leave. What do you think?¡± Joanna tried to stall for time. She doubted that Grace had told Jaydon. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go to Greyport tomorrow.¡± 2/5 08:21 ¡°Cool.¡± After hanging up the video call, Joanna immediately dialed Jaydon¡¯s number. Beep! The call went through quickly. ¡°Hello, Joann.¡± ¡°Jay, you got a minute?¡± Jaydon took a deep breath. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m busy with thepany business now. What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen to Patricia?¡± He had been too annoyed in the past two days. Carmel pestered him relentlessly and kept ying up to him, making him unable to get rid of her. Joanna said anxiously, ¡°Patricia is fine. It¡¯s about Grace.¡± ¡°Grace? What happened to her?¡± ¡°Did she tell you she was going to Melta?¡± Jaydon was stunned and asked, ¡°What is she going to do in Melta?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, as she had guessed, Grace did not tell Jaydon anything. ¡°Well, did Grace tell you she¡¯s in love with a guy?¡± Upon hearing that, Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Who¡¯s the guy?¡± Joanna sighed and said emotionally, ¡°Oh,e on! Grace is your sister. Why don¡¯t you care about her at all? ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that she¡¯s been having a lot on her mindtely?¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve been so busy recently that I don¡¯t have time for her. Who is the guy? Who does she fall for?¡± Jaydon felt troubled. Joanna said word by word, ¡°She¡¯s in love with Bruce¡¯s¡­¡± Unfortunately, when Jaydon heard the first few words, he exploded before Joanna could finish her words. ¡°What? Bruce? Did you say she¡¯s in love with Bruce? ¡°What a stupid girl! I¡¯ve warned her so many times. Why is she still so muddle-headed? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Joann. I¡¯ll call her now.¡± Joanna was stunned and was about to exin. But Jaydon had hung up on her angrily before she could say anything. He would never allow his sister to be in love with a married man, especially when the man was Bruce! At the moment, he wished he could teach Grace a good lesson. 3/5 08:21 The call went through. ¡°Hello, Jaydon.¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened as he said, ¡°Grace, where are you now?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m outside.¡± ¡°Tell me. Are you in love with someone?¡± Grace was stunned and paused. ¡°How many times have I told you? You can fall for anyone but a married man. Why didn¡¯t you listen? ¡°There are so many good men in the world. Why must you fall in love with a married man?¡± When Grace heard this, she was instantly confused. She thought that Jaydon was talking about Darcy. ¡°What? He¡¯s married?¡± Jaydon was even more exasperated to hear that. ¡°Jesus! Are you pretending to be stupid? ¡°Hear me out! I won¡¯t forgive you if you dare to ruin someone else¡¯s family. And I swear I will kick you out of the family!¡± ¡°Jaydon, is it true that he¡¯s married?¡± Grace felt a chill in her heart and couldn¡¯t believe her ears. No wonder Darcy kept rejecting her. It turned out that he already had a wife. ¡°But why didn¡¯t he tell me earlier?¡± Grace thought to herself. ¡°Pull yourself together and stop the nonsense. Don¡¯t be a shameless mistress who ruins other people¡¯s families. ¡°Where are you now? Come home as soon as possible.¡± ng! The phone in Grace¡¯s hand fell to the ground. ¡°Hello? Hello¡­¡± Grace felt very dizzy as if the world was spinning. Everything before her seemed to have double shadows. Jaydon shouted another two times but got no response from the other end of the line. ¡°Damn it! Grace must be out of her mind!¡± Jaydon cursed. As soon as Jaydon hung up the phone, Joanna called in again. Buzz! ¡°Hello.¡± Joanna¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Jay, why didn¡¯t you answer my phone? Who have you been talking with?¡± Jaydon¡¯s tone sank as he said solemnly, ¡°No worries, Joann! I¡¯ve given Grace a 4/5 ORA good scolding just now. She¡¯ll stop loving Bruce. ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on her if she dares to cross the line!¡± ¡°Jesus! Who said that she was in love with Bruce?¡± Joanna was almost breathless and pped her forehead a few times. This was a huge misunderstanding. When Jaydon heard this, his brain heated up. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say she¡¯s in love with Bruce?¡± Joanna was about to explode. ¡°Oh my god! You hung up on me before I could finish speaking. ¡°I was trying to say Grace is in love with one of Bruce¡¯s bodyguards. His name is Darcy. You know him.¡± ? What? Jaydon was taken aback! Chapter 1032 Chapter 1032 Chapter 1032 ¡°Holly shit! Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Joanna gasped for a breath. ¡°Shit! You hung up before I could finish speaking. That was a huge misunderstanding!¡± ¡°Take it easy, okay? I¡¯ll call Grace and exin everything to her now.¡± Jaydon bit his tongue and couldn¡¯t believe what he had done. He had just scolded Grace for no reason! Grace must be hurt at the moment. He had seen Darcy many times and admired his ability. Besides, he had worked with Darcy at Saumi Cradia. They drove the helicopter to rescue Bruce and Joanna. So, even though Darcy¡¯s low birth didn¡¯t match Grace¡¯s, he would still agree to Grace dating him. Beep! Beep! Beep! The phone rang for a long while until customer service¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unanswered. Please try againter.¡± ¡°Damn it. Grace must be mad.¡± Jaydon thought. [Sorry, Grace. I¡¯ve misunderstood it just now. I thought you were in love with Bruce.] [I apologize to you. Where are you now? Please answer the phone now.] Unfortunately, Grace didn¡¯t reply to his voice messages on Messenger. Joanna also tried calling Grace immedaitely. The result was the same. She could not contact Grace either. ¡°Jay, did you get through to Grace? I¡¯ve been calling her, but she didn¡¯t pick up the phone. ¡°I¡¯m worried that she¡¯ll do something stupid!¡± Jaydon sighed and said, ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, right? I gave her a good scolding just now. Maybe she¡¯s mad and doesn¡¯t want to talk to us now.¡± Hearing that, Joanna was at a loss for words and didn¡¯t know what to do. Grace was already in a bad mood. And she must feel worse now. What if she did something stupid to hurt herself? ¡°Let her take the time to chill out. She¡¯ll be fine when she calms down.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go find her. She¡¯s alone, and I¡¯m worried she will get hurt.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve told the bodyguards and my assistant to look for her.¡± 1/5. 08:22 ¡°Call me back when you find Grace.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± He said and hung up the phone. Half an hourter, Jaydon¡¯s phone rang again. ¡°Hello?¡± The call was from an unknown number. ¡°Is it Mr. Grimm speaking?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Grace Grimm is your sister, right?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the hospital now. Pleasee over.¡± Jaydon heard that and asked nervously, ¡°Which hospital?¡± ¡°Marhall Hospital!¡± ¡°Okay, thanks. I¡¯m on my way.¡± After hanging up, Jaydon called Joanna as he rushed to the hospital. ¡°Joann, Grace is in the hospital now.¡± ¡°God! What happened to her?¡± Joanna was also very nervous. ¡°She just passed out on the street. Someone took her to the hospital.¡± ¡°Is it serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the hospital now. I think she¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Okay. ¡°Go check on her first. I¡¯ll be right on my way.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Joanna checked the time. It was already past five in the afternoon. Venturas and Greyport were separated by sea. Ships were the necessary vehicles. It would only take 45 minutes to get there by boat. But it would take almost two hours to get to Venturas when counting the time of heading to the dock and waiting for the ship. Then, Joanna hurriedly went upstairs to get changed. ¡°Babies, stay at home and be good. Mommy has to go out now.¡± Davian and Irvin asked in surprise, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s past five. Where are you going?¡± ¡°Miss Grimm is in the hospital now. Mommy wants to go to Venturas and check on her.¡± ¡°Really? Mommy, are you going to Venturas? We want to go with you too.¡± The two little ones were instantly interested. 2/5 08:22 N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. They were bored out of their minds, wondering where they would go to y. ¡°Boys, Mommy is going to the hospital, not a fun ce. Be good and stay at home.¡± Irvin blinked and said ingratiatingly, ¡°Mommy, we haven¡¯t been to Venturas for a long time. Anyway, it¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. Please bring us along!¡± ¡°Sorry, boys, I can¡¯t bring you along. It¡¯ll be too crowded.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit a patient in the hospital, not to y.¡± Davian could not help but say, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s been a long time since we visited Venturas. We still remember we went to kindergarten there. It¡¯s been so long, and I miss it. ¡°Mommy, how about me and Irvin going first? We can check in and stay in the hotel first. ¡°After you visit Miss Grimm in the hospital, you can take us out for a tour tomorrow. What do you say?¡± Joanna listened and pondered for a few seconds. It was a good n. ¡°Oh, that will do.¡± After all, Grimm Group was in the gambling industry. The severalrgest and most luxurious hotels in Venturas were all owned Grimm Group. Othe Apart from that, Bruce also had a mansion in Venturas. However, Venturas was a small city, and they had never lived in it. asionally, they would visit Venturas. And they would choose to stay in a hotel. After all, the hotels here were the best and most fun in the country. It had always been known as the gambling town in the east. The hotels had casinos, food areas, luxury shops, entertainment venues, and everything. This was also a paradise for the rich. Here they could find whatever fun they could have thought of. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t run around after you arrive in Venturas, okay?¡± There were too many children. Sometimes, it was inevitable that she would miss out on any of them. ¡°Well, we just want to eat the pork chop there.¡± ¡°Wow, the pork chop there is amazing. And I love the doughnuts, too.¡± ¡°Jeez! You little foodies!¡± Joanna could not help butin with a kind smile. It was the nature of children to love to eat and y. ¡°Okay, boys! Pack your stuff. Chop-chop! Change your clothes and get ready to go.¡± 3/5 08:22 ¡°Oh, yeah! That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll have a st tomorrow!¡± Twenty minutester, Joanna was about to leave with the children. Before leaving, she called Jaydon again. Beep! ¡°Hello, Joann.¡± ¡°Jay, please reserve a few hotel suites for me. ¡°The children heard that I was going to Venturas and insisted on going with me.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice sounded a little helpless. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow anyway. I¡¯ll take them to Venturas for a tour.¡± ¡°No problem! How soon will you get here? I¡¯ll send a car to pick you up at the dock now.¡± ¡°In about two hours.¡± ¡°Okay.¡±¡± Soon enough, Davian, Irvin, Lilia, and Patricia were ready to go. Devin could only stay at home because he was too young. It was up to more than ten people, including the children, bodyguards, and servants. That was why Joanna didn¡¯t like to go out. She would stay at home as often as possible. It was a lot of work to go out. There was always arge group of people, especially when they took the children out, which was even more troublesome. Two hourster, they arrived in Venturas. Joanna and the children got off the ship and saw Jaydon. ¡°Jay, why are you here personally?¡± Jaydon smiled lightly. ¡°You and the children are all here. I muste to pick you up personally.¡± ¡°Good evening, Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Good evening, Davian, Irvin, Lilia.¡± Jaydon rubbed their heads one by one. ¡°Patricia, my sweetie. Come here and hug Daddy.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Grace? Have you been to the hospital?¡± ¡°Yes, I just came from the hospital. Grace had hypoglycemia and was agitated, so she fainted on the street!¡± ¡°Is it serious?¡± ¡°The doctor said it was nothing serious. She just cracked her head and had a few stitches.¡± ¡°Jeez! What a silly girl.¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s get the children to the hotel first.¡± Joanna subconsciously asked, ¡°Have the hotel rooms been arranged?¡± ¡°Sure. Everything has been arranged.¡± Twenty minutester, they got to Rossinor Hotel. ¡°Which floor?¡± ¡°The presidential suite on the top floor.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get the kids to the room first. Then we¡¯ll go see Grace.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The elevator went straight to the 54th floor. They saw a big hanging garden and a spacious suite. ¡°Wow, this hotel is amazing.¡± Davian and Irvin could not help but exim. This presidential suite upied almost half the floor. It had a small gym and a small swimming pool inside. It was simply like a small luxury resort. The guests here were all the richest in the country and abroad, so the hotel was also the most luxurious. Of course, the renovation style of the hotel waspletely different from that of the private residence. So, even though the children lived in Sherane Bay Vi, one of the best mansions, they were still amazed when they entered the hotel. ¡°The two of you stay in your room. Be good, and don¡¯t run around.¡± ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡± ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± Chapter 1033 Chapter 1033 Chapter 1033 These gamblers were really crazy when they lost. They would do anything. Riches and honor came from danger. Now, as long as they got their hands on these two little fellows, they would be rich. Davian and Irvin did not know that danger was approaching. They were still enjoying their grilled squid and shopping excitedly. ¡°Kids, do you know where the toilet is?¡± ¡°There, isn¡¯t there a logo on it?¡± The two little guys instantly M95 became vignt when someone talked to them. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Irvin quietly turned around and immediately saw two sneaky people. ¡°Davian, did you notice that there are two people following us?¡± ¡°Oh no, are we being targeted?¡± Davian looked worried. They were Bruce¡¯s sons. Although they did not appear in front of the camera much, their appearances were exposed by the media. And now, they had no bodyguards or servants following them. It would be terrible if they were kidnapped 12:57 A by bad people. 95 At the thought of this, the two little guys were no longer in the mood to shop. ¡°Davian, let¡¯s hurry up and leave!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The two little guys did not dare to stay any longer and quickly walked towards the elevator. What a pity! Venturas¡¯s hotel was very big. This floor was full of food stalls. The lower floor was luxury shops, and two floors downwards were gambling halls. 12:37 A There were other Moll (95 entertainment venues up there. The hotel contained almost everything. Adults would get lost sometimes. ¡°Oh no, where did we juste down from the elevator?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s to the left.¡± ¡°No, no, I think it¡¯s the right.¡± ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go straight to the 56th floor.¡± The two little guys could not tell the direction and could only get into an elevator. ¡°Ding!¡± The elevator stopped when it reached the tenth floor. Seeing this, the two of them 95 hurriedly pressed the button to close the door. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t close the door no matter what. ¡°Why can¡¯t this elevator go up?¡± ¡°Oh no. We need elevator keys to get higher than the tenth floor.¡± Below the 10th floor was the business district. To make it convenient for tourists, it didn¡¯t require keys. Above the tenth floor was the VIP hotel area. If one wanted 1 e needed a special elevator key. ¡°Did you bring your phone? We can call Mommy and Mr. Grimm immediately. Get them to pick us up.¡± Chapter 1034 Chapter 1034 Chapter 1034 Also, some time ago, he got a certificate of authorization from the gambling industry. As apany that had never run a gambling business before, it had easily defeated many candidates and obtained the quasi¨Ccampaign certificate. Those who participated in the bidding were all leading figures in the gambling industry. If Bruce had not used any special methods or tricks, he would definitely not have easily obtained the certificate of authorization. At first, Jaydon suspected that 12:37 A he bribed someone. But after thinking about it, it clearly didn¡¯t work. The gambling industry review team was the strictest. There was no such thing as bribery. There was only one possibility. He must have used some special connection to get the higher¨Cups to give the order. If that was the case, then his identity was definitely not simple. ¡°Jay, what are you trying to say?¡± Joanna looked suspicious. Jaydon smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just sighing. 12:37 A Chapter 1034 ¡°By the way, did he say when he wasing back?¡± ¡°Well, he said two or three months to half a year.¡± When Jaydon heard this, his eyes darkened again. ¡°In that case, Darcy would be back for at least two to three months?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°I guess so!¡± Darcy was Bruce¡¯s most powerful bodyguard. Now that Bruce was in no man¡¯snd, she naturally wouldn¡¯t call Darcy back in advance. It was better to let him stay 12:37 A Chapter 1034 there and protect Bruce! 95 ¡°Sigh, Grace, be good and wait for him at Venturas. Don¡¯t do anything stupid. Don¡¯t sneak to Melta,¡± Jaydon warned his sister with a dark expression. He had a feeling that Bruce went to Melta for something very dangerous. He hoped that this was just his conjecture. Rossinor Hotel. The two little guys sessfully arrived at the fifth floor. Looking at the various delicious snacks, the two little 12:37 A Chapter 1034 ???? ?? guys almost drooled. It was all the kids¡® favorite. The Everett family¡¯s diet was strict, so they rarely had the chance to eat junk food. But, the more unhealthy the food, the more tempting it was. 95 ¡°Wow, this floor is full of food. There is everything.¡± ¡°Did you take money?¡± Davian suddenly asked. When Irvin heard this, he was instantly dumbfounded. Oh no. He was so excited that he 12:37 A Chapter 1034 forgot to bring money. Matl After all, they usually had servants and bodyguards following them when they went out. They didn¡¯t need to bring money at all. There were many servants and bodyguards in the Everett family. They never needed to worry about these trivial matters in life. Irvin was dumbfounded. ¡°I forgot. What should we do?¡± ¡°Hehe, I brought it,¡± Davian said. As if performing a magic trick, he took out 200 dors from his pocket. When Irvin saw the money, he 6/201 12:37 A Chapter 1034 Moll (95 immediately looked at it with admiration. ¡°Wow, Davian, you¡¯re so handsome.¡± ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll treat you.¡± ¡°Well, I want to eat that super grilled squid.¡± ¡°Hiss, that looks very unhygienic. It¡¯s better not to eat it, in case you get a stomachache.¡± ¡°Look, so many people are buying it. They are all fine, Why can¡¯t we have a try? Besides, we only eat it once in a while. It¡¯s not every day.¡± When Davian heard this, he felt it made sense. ¡°Alright 12:37 A Chapter 1034 then!¡± Moll 95 With that, the two little guys rushed excitedly to the squid stall. After buying the grilled squid, they continued to shop at other stalls. They wanted to try everything he saw. There was all kinds of food here. 200 dors was enough for them to fill their stomach. Just as he was getting excited¡­ Suddenly, a dark¨Cskinned, lean man passed by the two little guys. As soon as they brushed past 12:37 A Chapter 1034 each other, the lean man immediately looked back. ¡°Eh, why do these two kids look so familiar?¡± 95 ¡°I think they are¡­ Bruce¡¯s sons.¡± The other fat man, who had dark circles under his eyes, also looked back. ¡°That¡¯s right. They are indeed Bruce¡¯s sons.¡± ¡°Strange, why are they here? Why isn¡¯t anyone following them?¡± As the two of them spoke, they hurriedly looked around to check the nearby situation. Indeed, there were no 12:37 A Chapter 1034 bodyguards following them. Their eyes instantly lit up. ¡°That¡¯s great. Follow them. I¡¯ll call President Yanice immediately.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± These two people were both subordinates of Pete. Two days ago, the two of them came to Venturas to gamble. Unexpectedly, they lost all the money. Now, they couldn¡¯t even afford a ticket. They nned to go to the front desk and ask the hotel staff for a ticket. Here, if people lost all the 12:37 A Chapter 1034 money, they could ask the hotel staff to help them buy a ticket. 95 They didn¡¯t expect to meet the two boys there. Five minutester. The lean man came back after making the call. ¡°What did President Yanice say?¡± the fat one asked. ¡°President Yanice said that he wanted to teach Bruce a lesson. He asked us to kidnap them first. He wanted to extort Bruce¡­¡± Then, the twockeys quietly followed the two little guys. 12:37 A Capter 1034 These gamblers were really crazy when they lost. They would do anything. Riches and honor came from danger. Now, as long as they got their hands on these two little fellows, they would be rich. Davian and Irvin did not know that danger was approaching. They were still enjoying their grilled squid and shopping excitedly. ¡°Kids, do you know where the toilet is?¡± ¡°There, isn¡¯t there a logo on it?¡± The two little guys instantly 12:37 A Chapter 1034 M95 became vignt when someone talked to them. Irvin quietly turned around and immediately saw two sneaky people. ¡°Davian, did you notice that there are two people following us?¡± ¡°Oh no, are we being targeted?¡± Davian looked worried. They were Bruce¡¯s sons. Although they did not appear in front of the camera much, their appearances were exposed by the media. And now, they had no bodyguards or servants following them. It would be terrible if they were kidnapped 12:57 A Chapter 1034 by bad people. 95 At the thought of this, the two little guys were no longer in the mood to shop. ¡°Davian, let¡¯s hurry up and leave!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The two little guys did not dare to stay any longer and quickly walked towards the elevator. What a pity! Venturas¡¯s hotel was very big. This floor was full of food stalls. The lower floor was luxury shops, and two floors downwards were gambling halls. 12:37 A Chapter 1034 There were other Moll (95 entertainment venues up there. The hotel contained almost everything. Adults would get lost sometimes. ¡°Oh no, where did we juste down from the elevator?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s to the left.¡± ¡°No, no, I think it¡¯s the right.¡± ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go straight to the 56th floor.¡± The two little guys could not tell the direction and could only get into an elevator. ¡°Ding!¡± 12:37 A Chapter 1034 The elevator stopped when it reached the tenth floor. Seeing this, the two of them 95 hurriedly pressed the button to close the door. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t close the door no matter what. ¡°Why can¡¯t this elevator go up?¡± ¡°Oh no. We need elevator keys to get higher than the tenth floor.¡± Below the 10th floor was the business district. To make it convenient for tourists, it didn¡¯t require keys. Above the tenth floor was the VIP hotel area. If one wanted 12:57 A Chapter 1034 Áã to go up, one needed a special elevator key. ¡°Did you bring your phone? We can call Mommy and Mr. Grimm immediately. Get them to pick us up.¡± ¡°We just snuck out. I didn¡¯t Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. bring my phone.¡± Davian was also flustered. ¡°Then let¡¯s go down and get the staff to help. ¡°Tell them the room number and have them send us to our room.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Only then did the two little guys start to be afraid. They 12:38 Compter 1034 pressed the button for the first floor in a panic. A minuteter. Ding! The elevator stopped on the first floor. Oh no. The first floor was actually a parking lot. There were really not many people under the dim lights. The elevator next to them seemed to be slowly descending. ¡°Shit, we¡¯re in a parking lot. We¡¯re going too far down.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry to the second floor.¡± 18/21 12:38 A Chapter 1034 ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The two little guys quickly entered the elevator again. Just as the elevator door was about to close, they saw two men, one thin and one fat, running towards the elevator with a fierce expression. Fortunately, by the time they reached the elevator, the doors had already closed. ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over. Those two people just now seemed to really being for us.¡± ¡°Ding!¡± The elevator stopped on the second floor. 12:38 A Chapter 1034 This floor was the gambling hall, and it was also the floor with the most people. Seeing peopleing and going, the two little guys¡® hearts ached a little. ¡°Gasp, isn¡¯t this Joanna¡¯s son? ¡°What are these two doing?¡± A scruffy¨Clooking man walked towards them. Chapter 1035 Chapter 1035 Chapter 1035 At the hospital. Beep, beep, beep! Joanna¡¯s phone rang. She picked it up subconsciously. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Kelly¡¯s anxious voice sounded. ¡°Mrs. Everett, something bad has happened.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Davian and Irvin are missing.¡± Boom! Joanna¡¯s mind exploded. 1/20 12:38 A Chapter 1035 Muut ul 95 ¡°What? What did you say?¡± Kelly panicked and cried, ¡°When I was delivering fruits to them, I found they were not in the room. ¡°Cherron and Tom have already gone to look for them.¡± ¡°How did they get out? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to let them out?¡± Joanna was instantly anxious and panicked. ¡°They slipped through the little balcony door to the pool, then left from the door there. ¡°Now we¡¯re looking everywhere.¡± ¡°Hurry up and check the 2/20 12:38 A Chapter 1035 surveince cameras. See which floor they went to¡­¡± After hanging up, Joanna immediately rushed to the hotel. Seeing this, Jaydon immediately chased after him. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Davian and Irvin are missing.¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°They must have snuck out.¡± Jaydon quicklyforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. There are surveince cameras everywhere in the hotel. I¡¯ll call the security guards 3/20 12:38 Chapter 1035 Moll (95) immediately and ask them to lock down the hotel. ¡°As long as they haven¡¯t left the hotel, we¡¯ll be able to find them soon. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Joanna and Jaydon rushed to the hotel. ¡°These two children are really too naughty. I¡¯m so anxious¡­¡± Along the way, Joanna was extremely anxious. In the hotel. The two little guys werepletely lost. 12:38 A Chapter 1035 Hell 95 The hotel was too big. There were five big exits alone. Coupled with the side door and small door, there were a total of ten exits. Walking from the easternmost end to the westernmost end would take at least 20 minutes. Theyout was full of twists and turns, with shops and indoor attractions all around. Even adults would find it challenging to navigate without having been there several times before. For two eight¨Cyear¨Cold boys, it was even harder to tell directions. ¡°Davian, what should we do? 3/00 12:38 A Chapter 1035 We are lost. ¡°Where is the service desk?¡± The two little guys could only keep squeezing into crowded ces. The hotel¡¯s service desk was usually set at the entrance. They kept walking inside, so they didn¡¯t see it. The two men were still following them closely behind, looking for an opportunity to attack. However, there were security guards at all the entrances and floors. Moreover, there were tourists and pedestrians 6/20 12:38 A Chapter 1035 The two of them could not find a chance to attack. ¡°What are we going to do? 95 There are surveince cameras and people. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be so easy to kidnap these two brats.¡± The thin man rolled his eyes and said sinisterly, ¡°We¡¯d better lure these two brats out of the hotel. ¡°We can only find an opportunity to kidnap them outside the hotel.¡± ¡°I got a n.¡± The thin man could not wait any longer. With a smile on his 12:38 A Chapter 1035 face, he walked towards the two little fellows. ¡°Kids, are you lost?¡± Davian looked at him warily and immediately shook his head. ¡°No!¡± 95 ¡°You guys have been running around with no adults around. Did you get separated from your family?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not separated from our family.¡± The two little guys were very vignt. The thin man chuckled. ¡°Kids, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m not a bad person. I¡¯m a inclothes police officer. My duty is to help people. 12:38 A Chapter 1035 95 ¡°Why don¡¯t I help you make a call and contact your families? You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m really not a bad person,¡± the thin man said, doing his best to appear kind and trying to gain the little fellows¡® trust. When Davian and Irvin heard this, they looked at him suspiciously. ¡°You, are you really a police officer?¡± ¡°Of course! My police badge is in the car. Come with me, and I can show you. I¡¯ll help you find your family,¡± the man said, hoping to convince them to follow him. The two little fellows were still 12:38 A Chapter 1035 skeptical. However, they did not bring their phones. They really needed to contact their mommy now. ¡°Sir, are you really willing to help us contact our family?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a pleasure to help others!¡± 95 ¡°Here, tell me your family¡¯s phone numbers. I¡¯ll call them right now,¡± the thin man said, disying his phone as if he genuinely intended to help the little fellows get in touch with their families. ¡°Oh, my mommy¡¯s number is¡­¡± 12:38 A Chapter 1035 Hull (95) ¡°Shh!¡± Davian nudged Irvin¡¯s arm. ¡°Sir, we don¡¯t need it. Thank you!¡± With that, Davian pulled Irvin to the side. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find the staff to help us contact Mommy. There are too many bad people around now. We can¡¯t trust others easily,¡± he whispered, expressing his concern about the situation and the need to seek help from the hotel staff. ¡°Oh, oh, thank you, sir. We don¡¯t need it anymore.¡± ¡°Hey, kids, if you walk like this, you¡¯ll get lost. ¡°Would you like to have some ice cream?¡± 11/90 12:38 A Chapter 1035 ¡°Don¡¯te over.¡± The thin man refused to give up and chased after the two little fellows. Seeing this, the fat man hurriedly blocked their path from the other side. 95 ¡°My wallet is missing. Did you two kids steal it?¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t even know you!¡± ¡°Officer, my wallet is missing. These two brats were by my side just now. Hurry up and arrest them and bring them to the police station.¡± The two men were cooperating with each other in the act. 12:38 A Chapter 1035 H¡­ (95) The two little guys were young. They were frightened. ¡°We really didn¡¯t steal your wallet. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can search us.¡± When the thin man heard this, he immediately pulled a long face and said seriously, ¡°Now, all three of you, follow me to the police station.¡± ¡°As for whether you stole the wallet, we¡¯ll find out. Of course, we¡¯ll immediately inform your parents.¡± When the two little guys heard this, they werepletely stunned. 12:58 A Chapter 1035 95 ¡°Alright then! We¡¯ll follow you to the police station, but can you call our mommy first?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it at the police station!¡± The two of them said as they dragged the two little guys out. He did not expect it to go so smoothly. However, they had just taken two steps when a skinny man with a scraggly beard stopped them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s broad daylight. Are you trying to abduct children?¡± Derick said as he stopped the two children. 12:38 A Chapter 1035 ¡°Who are you?¡± Derick said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m their uncle. ¡°Where are you taking my nephew?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m a police officer. I want to take him to the police station!¡± ¡°A police officer? ¡°Show me your credentials. What¡¯s your police number? Which branch of the police force are you in? What¡¯s your position?¡± The fat and the thin man looked at each other and then sized up Derick. 12:38 A Chapter 1035 Now, it was probably not easy Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. for them to seed. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, stay the fuck out of this.¡± When Derick heard this, he immediately shouted, ¡°Someone,e quickly. There¡¯s a liar pretending to be a police officer. He wants to abduct these two children. Hurry up and call the police!¡± People gathered around. The two of them felt guilty and could only let go of the two little guys and leave. ¡°Hehe, why are you two here? Where¡¯s your mommy?¡± Derick asked after scaring the 16/20 12:39 A Chapter 1035 two hooligans away. YO He looked at the two little guys with a cheeky smile, his eyes shining with greed. ¡°Ah! Davian, this is also a baddie.¡± After Irvin saw Derick¡¯s face clearly, he was so frightened that she immediately hid behind Davian. He still remembered that when he was at the film studio had thrown him into the cistern. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m your biological uncle.¡± Derick 12:39 A Chapter 1035 quicklyforted the two little guys. ¡°Come,e,e. I¡¯ll help you contact your mommy now.¡± 95 ¡°Are you really going to help us contact Mommy?¡± ¡°Of course, 97115888. This is your mommy¡¯s phone number, right?¡± Derick said and immediately took out his phone. The two little guys were surprised. ¡°How did you know our mommy¡¯s number?¡± ¡°Hehe, I already said that I¡¯m your uncle!¡± ¡°Come,e,e. Sit down obediently. I will call your mommy now.¡± ¡°Are you hungry? I will buy you McDonald¡¯s.¡± Coincidentally, there was a McDonald¡¯s nearby. Derick directly led the two little guys into the McDonald¡¯s. Seeing that he knew his mommy¡¯s number, the two little guys let down their guard. Beep, beep, beep. Chapter 1036 Chapter 1036 Chapter 1036 Joanna panicked and quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Derick¡¯s sloppy voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me, Derick.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She asked warily, ¡°Why did you call me?¡± Derick smiled cheekily and said, ¡°Hehehe, I¡¯m your younger brother. Isn¡¯t it normal to call you?¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat and her hair stood on end. If she were to think about who 12:39 A Chapter 1036 hated her the most in this world, the answer would be Ingrid and Derick. 95 He couldn¡¯t wait to see her die. Why would he call her? He must be up to no good. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Derick snorted coldly and changed his usual unfriendly attitude, chuckled, and said, ¡°What kind of a mother you are? Do you know your children are missing? ¡°This time, you have to thank me properly. If not for me, your two sons would have been kidnapped by bad people.¡± 12:39 A Chapter 1036 ¡°What? My children are with you?¡± Joanna was instantly exasperated. This bastard was indeed up to no good. If he dared to hurt her son again, she would definitely not let him off. Hearing Joanna¡¯s cold voice, Derick quickly exined, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t misunderstand me. I saved your two sons. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me, they would have been kidnapped by bad people. Tell me, shouldn¡¯t you thank me well?¡± Joanna did not understand the situation. All she wanted to do 12:39 A Chapter 1036 95 LIED now was to see the children as soon as possible and make sure that they were safe. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at McDonald¡¯s near Rossinor Hotel with your two boys.¡± ¡°Wait there. I¡¯ll rush over immediately.¡± After hanging up, Joanna¡¯s heart was still beating wildly. ¡°Derick is at McDonald¡¯s with the kids.¡± Jaydon immediately called his subordinates. ¡°Orvin, lock down the hotel immediately. 12:39 A Chapter 1036 ¡°The children are at Moll (95 McDonald¡¯s now. Hurry up and bring some people over. No matter what, make sure the children are safe.¡± ¡°At once, Mr. Grimm.¡± The more Joanna thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. ¡°Oh my god, what does this bastard want me to do to the child?¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry. Since the children didn¡¯t leave the Rossinor Hotel, there won¡¯t be any danger. I¡¯ve just informed my bodyguards. They¡¯re already on their way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Derick will never bring the children out.¡± 12:39 A Chapter 1036 When Joanna heard this, she ran her hand through her hair, feeling uneasy. Ten minutester. Joanna and Jaydon rushed to McDonald¡¯s. A few security guards had already guarded the entrance of McDonald¡¯s. Orvin and a few bodyguards also stood at the side. Derick and the two little guys were sitting in the dining room, drinking Coke and eating fries. ¡°Davian, Irvin.¡± Joanna was N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. 12:39 A Chapter 1036 relieved when she saw her two sons. ¡°Mommy.¡± The two little guys slid off the stool and ran over excitedly, throwing themselves into Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°How dare you sneak down? Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay in the room obediently?¡± The two little guys looked like they had done something wrong and said carefully, ¡°We are sorry, Mommy. We got bored in the room! So, we sneaked out and took a look.¡± ¡°You really need a reason, boys. Do you know how anxious I was just now? Kelly and Lilian were terrified.¡± 12:39 A Chapter 1036 ¡°Sorry! We won¡¯t do it next time.¡± ¡°Next time?¡± Joanna was furious. She raised her hand. However, in the end, she couldn¡¯t bear to really hit her sons. 95 Jaydon also hurriedly shielded the two little guys behind him. ¡°Alright, alright. As long as the children are fine, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t scold them. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll send you to your room.¡± || When Joanna heard this, she pulled the two little guys and prepared to leave. 12:39 A Chapter 1036 ¡°Hey, hey, hey, hey, you¡¯re leaving just like that? ¡°Hmph, have you forgotten about me, the kids¡® savior?¡± Derick refused to back down and shamelessly tried to take credit for the situation. 95 Joanna came back to her senses and suddenly asked him, ¡°Derick, why are you here?¡± ¡°Heh, why I am here? If I wasn¡¯t here today, believe it or not, your two sons would be in danger.¡± Joanna frowned and looked at him in disgust. Not believing her, Derick became even more arrogant. 12:39 A Chapter 1036 ¡°You still don¡¯t believe me? ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, pull up the surveince footage. There were two liars trying to kidnap your son just now. 95 ¡°Fortunately, I bumped into them and saved your two sons. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to see them again now.?¡± Derick said sarcastically. ¡°Davian, Irvin, what happened just now?¡± Davian said solemnly, ¡°Oh, there were indeed two liars just now who said that we stole his money and wanted to take us to the police station. ¡°Then, it was him¡­ who chased 12:39 A Chapter 1036 95 away the two liars.¡± The two little ones had never formally acknowledged Derick, nor did they know how to address him. Derick pouted and said, ¡°Look, I¡¯m not lying, am I?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him in disbelief. In the past, he had thrown Irvin into the reservoir and almost killed Irvin. Now, he actually saved her children? How was this possible?? ¡°Tell me! How do you want me to thank you?¡± When Derick heard this, he 12:39 Chapter 1036 scratched his head in Yo (95) embarrassment. ¡°Yes, hehe. Well, it¡¯s easy. ¡°Give me something useful.¡± In other words, he was asking Joanna to give him money. When Joanna heard that, she felt even more annoyed. ¡°How much do you you want?¡± ¡°Hehe, with your current worth, you can¡¯t be too stingy, right? ¡°I think 200 million dors are enough. I don¡¯t ask for a lot.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes instantly widened. 12:39 A Chapter 1036 200 million dors? Was he treating her like an ATM? How could he say that? Observing Joanna¡¯s surprised expression, Derick swiftly adjusted his request once more. ¡°Uh¨Chuh, 100 million is fine too. Come on, you 95 wouldn¡¯t feel sorry for such a small amount of money, right? ¡°The lives of your two sons are worth far more than this small sum of money. If they are kidnapped by criminals, tsk, tsk, think about the consequences. You won¡¯t just be losing 100 million.¡± Indeed. 19/10 12:39 A Chapter 1036 If the children were indeed 195 kidnapped by criminals, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to give up everything she had if that¡¯s what the kidnapper demanded. However, now that Derick had taken the opportunity to ckmail her, she felt upset. ¡°Are you short of money?¡± Derick stood hunched over and spoke with a miserable expression, ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. Who wouldin about having too much money?¡± Joanna rolled her eyes, feeling too uninterested to argue with him. ¡°Stop dreaming. I won¡¯t give you that much,¡± she 14/19 12:39 A Chapter 1036 replied firmly. ¡°Then how much can you give?¡± Derick quickly asked. 95 He was in dire need of money, and a group of creditors was relentlessly pursuing him to collect their debts. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered himself to save her children. Joanna did not speak. She only stared at Derick with hatred. Although the Haynes family was not as rich as the Everett family, it was still a top¨Cnotch family in Greyport. Despite not inheriting the 12:39 A Chapter 1036 Haynes Group, when Moll (95 It was impossible for him to be short of money. However, this scrawny man with sunken eyes and an unkempt beard that had not been shaved for days didn¡¯t resemble a wealthy individual in the slightest. In the past, he had been idle. Now that no one was there to 12:40 A Chapter 1036 M 95 control him, he was probably about to lose all his assets. ¡°I can only give you 200 thousand dors. Take it or not,¡± Joanna said coldly. When Derick heard this, he got mad. ¡°What? 200 thousand dors? Are you treating me a beggar?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, forget it.¡± Anyway, she wouldn¡¯t give him that much money. ¡°Joanna, you¡¯ve gone too far. If I had known this, I might have let your sons be kidnapped,¡± Derick said, exasperated with her actions. 12:40 A Chapter 1036 He never expected Joanna to be so stingy even though she was already so rich. 200 thousand dors was nothing to him. 95 Every time he visited Venturas, he would end up losing hundreds of thousands of dors. Unfortunately, this time, luck was not on his side, and he lost more than 6 million dors. For four days and three nights, he gambled without ever taking a moment to sleep. Not only that, he had a lot of lovers. He bought them cars and houses. Therefore, the money he inherited had been 18/19 get a long we w Even the at mansion in a Heyne Sumily was mengaged 12:40 A Chapter 1036 spent a long time ago. Even the old mansion in the Haynes family was mortgaged. Chapter 1037 Chapter 1037 Chapter 1037 ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s all I have anyway. Do you want it or not?¡± ¡°How about adding a bit more? What can I do with just 200 thousand dors?¡± Derick bargained. Now, he had be a pariah, shunned by everyone. He could only try every means to shake some money off Joanna. When Joanna heard this, she frowned. ¡°Heh, it¡¯s really easy for you to say. ¡°What¡¯s 200 thousand dors enough for? For ordinary people, 200 thousand dors is 1/20 12:40 Chapter 1037 Mn ul ull (95) enough to spend for a long time.¡± ¡°But you see¡­ I¡¯m in a tight spot,¡± Derick said obsequiously. ¡°Derick. I remember that the Haynes Group will give you dividends of at least over 2 million dors every year. Plus the rental ie from all the properties and shops owned by the Haynes family, how could you possibly be short of money?¡± Derick shifted his weight to the other leg and said nonchntly, ¡°Well¡­ I lost it all.¡± ¡°Lost it all? How much did you lose?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t imagine 2/20 12:40 A Capres 1037 what went on in the mind of a In the past, she had only heard stories of how gamblers lost everything. However, it was only hearsay. After all, who would throw loads of money into a bottomless pit? But now, seeing Derick¡¯s situation, she had to believe that it was all true. That was what a gambler was thinking. The more he lost, the more he wanted to recoup his losses. The more he lost, the more he wanted to turn the tables. Then, he fell deeper and deeper, unable to extricate 3/20 95 himself. Seeing that Joanna did not believe him, Derick quickly tried to please her again. Joanna, please. We¡¯re siblings after all. Can you bear to see me die? Sister, my dear sister, I am begging you.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Derick in disbelief. Ever since she was young, Derick had never treated her like an elder sister. Whenever he saw her, he would give her disdainful looks and seemed to want to trample her under his feet. Now, he actually called her sister. 1 Chapter 1007 It seemed that he was really at his wits¡® end. ¡°How about this? ¡°Aren¡¯t you familiar with Mr. Grimm? Can you help me plead for him?¡± Joanna stared at him nkly. She never expected him to have the audacity to ask for such a favor. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯ll take it as you agreed. ¡°I¡¯m in debt of one million dors to someone. Can you help me plead with Mr. Grimm and get me off the hook for this one million dors?¡± 5.20 19. l l Joana almost had a heart attack upon hearing the amount. ¡°What? One million dors ¡°Did you lose one million Joanna¡¯s face was filled with shock. In fact, he had lost far more than one million dors. Over the past few days, he had lost more than 6 million dors, and one million dors of that was borrowed from the casino by mortgaging his house. ¡°I never expected my luck to be so bad these few days. This 12:40 A T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. damn hand, damn it, my luck is unbelievably terrible.¡± Derick spat fiercely into his palm. If it weren¡¯t his hand, he felt like chopping it off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t give you a single penny,¡± Joanna said and left with her child. If he had failed in his business, or if he had no money to treat his illness, or if there was something important and urgent, she would have definitely lent a helping hand. But now, it was impossible for her to help him pay off his gambling debts. Seeing that Joanna was about 12:40 A Chapter 1037 W 95 to leave, Derick chased after her. ¡°Hey, Joanna, don¡¯t leave yet. Didn¡¯t you promise to give me 200 thousand dors just now?¡± ¡°200 thousand dors is fine too. As you said, 200 thousand dors should be enough.¡± Joanna retorted coldly, ¡°I¡¯m going back on my word now. I won¡¯t give you a single penny.¡± ¡°Joanna, aren¡¯t you being unfair? We agreed on 200 thousand dors just now. Why aren¡¯t you giving it to me?¡± Derick was also a little exasperated. Although 200 thousand dors may not be much, it¡¯s still 8/20 12:40 A Chapter 1037 better than nothing, right? ¡°Derick, the assets left behind by our father and grandfather are enough for you to spend several lifetimes. You¡¯re actually so disappointing that you¡¯ve lost all your assets¡­¡± Joanna was angry and resentful. Although these assets were not hers, they were hard¨Cearned by her grandfather. Seeing Derick lose all of the assets like this was truly heart- wrenching. Noticing that Joanna remained unmoved, Derick stared at Jaydon and said obsequiously, ¡°Mr. Grimm, you and Joanna 9/20 12:41 A apter 1087 are good friends, right? ¡°Can you do me a favor? Please!¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression turned serious, and there was a hint of disgust in his eyes. Joanna turned around and said sternly, ¡°Jay, don¡¯t bother with him. Let¡¯s go.¡± When Derick heard this, he couldn¡¯t contain his anger and revealed his true colors, cursing loudly, ¡°Joanna, how can you be like this? ¡°No matter what, I saved your son¡¯s life. ¡°How could you show no 10/20 12:41 Chapter 1037 Se ul ul gratitude? If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn¡¯t have saved your son! You¡¯re such a petty person, going back on your word. Next time something like this happens, who would dare to save your son?¡± Upon hearing Derick¡¯s words, Joanna stopped in her tracks. She turned around, ring at Derick in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯ve squandered all our family¡¯s wealth, and you still haven¡¯t learned your lesson? ¡°All of that was the empire built by our grandfather, and you wasted it like this. Doesn¡¯t it hurt you inside?¡± Derick retorted, ¡°Enough! 11/20 Spare me the hypocrisy. The empire built by our grandfather was taken away by YOU ¡°If the Haynes Group is handed over to me, I¡¯ll definitely manage the family business well. What¡¯s the point of giving me a meager share every year? It¡¯s barely enough for anything¡± Joanna was so angry that she was speechless. He received over 2 million dors in dividends annually. Adding other rents and ie, it¡¯s a total of over 4 million dors. How could he possibly spend 12.20 12:41 A Chapter 1037 Vo 95 all that money? She really could not imagine where he had spent his money. Jaydon¡¯s face tensed up and he said in a deep voice, ¡°Enough arguing, let¡¯s settle this. Orvin, go and get him 200 thousand dors worth of chips.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Jay!¡± Joanna shouted angrily. She could not condone Derick¡¯s behavior. If it happens once, it will happen again. It¡¯ll be like sticky toffee, impossible to get rid of. Therefore, there can be nopromise. he could not 13/20 1241 A pter tonz Jaydon knew her concerns and smiled reassuringly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Soon enough, Orvin brought 200 thousand dors worth of chips. ¡°This 200 thousand dors in chips is to thank you for saving the children. It¡¯s up to you whether you continue gambling or exchange them for cash at the counter and take it home,¡± Jaydon said, handing the 200 thousand dors worth of chips to Derick. Looking at the 200 thousand dors worth of chips, Derick clenched his teeth and reluctantly took it. 14/20 12:41 A Chapter 1037 You al 65 ¡°Jay¡­¡± Joanna hesitated. Jaydon waved at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll handle it. ¡°You and the children should go back to the room.¡± ¡°Derick, you¡¯re on your own!¡± Joanna said firmly, no longer willing to say anything more to him. She led the children and walked straight to the hotel. Jaydon gave Derick a polite smile and then turned to follow Joanna. Watching their figures recede, Derick couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°Bitch, who do you think you 15/20 12:41 Chapter 1037 Yito¡­ 95 +5 are? In the end, you¡¯re still relying on men.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already married to Bruce, yet you still dare to act intimate with your old fling. I¡¯ll make sure to expose your ugly affairs to the world.¡± Derick finished his rant and took out his phone, sneaking behind Joanna and Jaydon, and capturing their pictures. In his eyes, there must be something going on between Joanna and Jaydon. Otherwise, why would they still be entangled with each other after all these years? As long as he sent these photos 16/20 12:41 A Chapter 1037 Mul to Bruce or to some tabloids, he believed that she wouldn¡¯t be so arrogant and smug. Back in the hotel room, Joanna wore a stern expression as she scolded the two little children. ¡°You two are asking for trouble. You¡¯ve be more and more disobedient and mischievous.¡± ¡°Mommy, we promise we won¡¯t do it again,¡± the children replied. Joanna¡¯s face darkened. She was still furious. ¡°Each of you writes a self¨Creflection letter.¡± ¡°It must be no less than 1000 words, and show it to me when you¡¯re done.¡± 17/20 12:41 A Chapter 1037 Vo LTED 95 +5 ¡°Okay, we know!¡± they replied obediently. ¡°Write it well, and if I¡¯m not satisfied with it, rewrite it again.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The two little children could only take a pen and paper and obediently write their self¨Creflection essay. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? Howe so many people can¡¯t keep an eye on these two children?¡± The two servants and three bodyguards lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. After reprimanding them, 18/20 12:41 A Chapter 1037 Vo Yo (95 LTED Joanna did not say much more. After all, the children were too mischievous. Sometimes, even she couldn¡¯t control them, let alone the servants and bodyguards. Checking the time, it was already ten o¡¯clock at night. It meant that was about ten in the morning in Bruce¡¯s time zone. Joanna suddenly felt the urge to call him. Despite knowing that the chances of the call going through were slim, she instinctively dialed Bruce¡¯s number. 19/20 12:41 A Chapter 1037 ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try again Joanna thought, ¡®Well, I can¡¯t get through on the phone again. What is the stubborn jerk doing right now?¡± Chapter 1038 Chapter 1038 Chapter 1038 On the other side, Bruce and Aria¡¯s group had arrived in the southwest of Melta. ¡°We can¡¯t go any further.¡± ¡°The area ahead is heavily affected. Without protective suits, it¡¯s easy to get infected.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already collected some samples and am preparing to conduct research on them,¡± Aria said with a serious expression. Over the past two days, she had collected several samples from infected individuals. Just as they were discussing 1/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 their next steps, a tall and robust man stumbled out of the quarantine area. ¡°Who is that?¡± A few of them ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. looked around. They saw an Eprarian rushed out of the quarantine area. Hist entire body was festering, and there were several drainage tubes still inserted in him. Behind him, a few people in protective suits were desperately chasing after him. ¡°What should we do? He doesn¡¯t seem like a Meltarian. He looks more like an Eprarian.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s rescue this person first.¡± 2/21 LTED 95 12:41 A Chapter 1038 The driver immediately started the car. +5 The car rushed towards the scene, stopping those Meltarian from chasing after the man. The other SUV quickly started and headed towards the Eprarian. ¡°Get in the car.¡± The Eprarian clearly thought that they were also trying to catch him, so he resisted even harder. Bruce had no choice but to get out of the car to knock the man unconscious. 3/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 Half an hourter, both vehicles had quickly escaped from the vicinity of the quarantine area and were heading toward the city. The Eprarian had already woken up and was still struggling to resist. 95 +5 ¡°Keep him down. I¡¯ll inject him with tranquilizer first before giving him a checkup.¡± Bruce, Darcy, and the others quickly held the Eprarian tightly. The Eprarian was very strong. He was mumbling something in Eprarish while struggling crazily. 4/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 Unfortunately, none of them understood Eprarish and had no idea what he was talking about. Aria had prepared tranquilizer doses and injected him with one. However, even after the injection, the man continued to resist. Aria frowned. ¡°He¡¯s immune to tranquilizer doses? This is unbelievable!¡± She quickly took out two more tranquilizers, increasing the dosage to administer another injection. Five minutester, the man 5/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 M 95 gradually closed his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s probably infected with the gue too.¡± ¡°Let me perform a serum test on him.¡± Due to theck of specialized testing equipment, Aria could only use test strips to conduct a simple test on him. ¡°How is it? Is the test result out?¡± ¡°This person¡¯s physique is very special. He¡¯spletely different from the previously collected infected individuals.¡± ¡°So what does that mean?¡± Bruce asked in confusion. 6/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 ¡°Therefore, I suspect that he might also be a subject of research by Meltarian.¡± Bruce furrowed his eyebrows when he heard that. ¡°You mean he¡¯s also an agent?¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly possible, but he is seriously injured now and not in a clear state of mind. We¡¯ll have to wait until he recovers to understand more about the situation.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the only way¡± ¡°For now, we need to find a safe ce to hide him. Also, we need more specialized medical equipment.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce 7/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 Y 95 frowned and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can go to Walston first. I have a house there. It¡¯s about 186 miles from here, so it will only take us three to four hours by car.¡± Aria and another agent exchanged a nce. ¡°It seems we have no other choice.¡± Soon, the group drove to Walston again. Bruce had a vi here, which was very secluded and secure. Hence, there was no need to worry too much about staying here. 8/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 Mo ¡°What medical equipment do you need? I¡¯ll get someone to prepare everything for you.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± ¡°1 Bruce asked the butler of his vi to help Aria find a private hospital and reserved it entirely for their use. He hid the Eprarian in the hospital for treatment. Afterpleting these arrangements, his phone finally had a signal. Bruce checked his phone and found out that Joanna had sent him numerous Messenger messages. Bruce hesitated for a moment 9/21 12:41 A Chapter 1038 but decided to video call her. The call connected, and on the other end of the video, it was around eight in the morning. Joanna had just woken up and was preparing to have breakfast with the kids. When she heard the phone ring, she quickly picked it up. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the video call, Bruce¡¯s handsome features appeared, and he brought his face closer to the screen. ¡°Hey, honey, what are you doing?¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes. It had been so many days since shest saw him, and now 10/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 195 she felt a bit excited. ¡°I just woke up. Where are you now?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m at our house in Walston.¡± Joanna was taken aback. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in the no man¡¯snd? ¡°How did you get to Walston so quickly?¡± ¡°Well, we encountered some problems here, so we¡¯ll be staying in Walston for a few days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice brightened with happiness. ¡°I n to¡­¡± Joanna began, but then swallowed her words 11/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 back. M Yu 95 She wanted to tell him that she nned to go to Melta with Grace to find him and see what he was up to. However, she realized that if she told him now, he would likely refuse. It would be better to go first and then talk to him about it. ¡°Honey, do you miss me?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Of course! How could I not miss you?¡± Joanna replied, her heart full of affection. ¡°Where are you now? This room looks strange,¡± 12/21 ¡°I¡¯m currently in Venturas,¡± Joanna answered truthfully. When Bruce heard this, he frowned and looked unhappy. Needless to say, she must have gone to see Jaydon again. Although he knew that they wouldn¡¯t do anything out of line, he still felt very happy. Seeing his change of expression, Joanna smiled and asked him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing! You go about your business.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯m here to see Grace. She is hospitalized and I¡¯m here to 13/21 see her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Bruce retorted ¡°Hello, Daddy.¡± In front of the camera, the faces of Davian and Irvin suddenly appeared. Seeing the children, his heart was finally settled. It seemed that Joanna did note alone to meet Jaydon. ¡°Daddy, when are youing back?¡± Davian asked worriedly. ¡°It will take some time,¡± Bruce replied. Irvin sweetly chimed in, ¡°Daddy, we miss you so much. 14/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 Pleasee back soon. We¡¯re missing you like crazy.¡± 11 ¡°When youe back, don¡¯t forget to bring us gifts,¡± Davian added. Bruce chuckled, ¡°You two little rascals. Do you miss me, or do you just want me to bring you gifts?¡± ¡°Of course, we miss you, but we also want gifts!¡± the mischievous duo replied, sticking out their tongues yfully. ¡°Are you behaving well at home? Have you been listening to Mommy?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± 15/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 ¡°What are you talking about? The two of you were so naughty yesterday that Mommy was scared to death.¡± Joanna could not help but scold the children with a stern face. ¡°What did they do?¡± Bruce asked with concern. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s nothing serious, just being mischievous,¡± Joanna did not dare to tell Bruce the truth in case he was worried. She also didn¡¯t want him to get angry at the servants again if he found out the truth. ¡°Alright! That¡¯s it then. We¡¯re going out for breakfast now.¡¯ 16/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 Vo LTED 95 +5 ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce reluctantly agreed, feeling like he still wanted to talk more. After hanging up the phone, he sighed while his mind was still preupied. Joanna heaved a long sigh of relief. She was in an intense internal struggle. She wasn¡¯t sure what Bruce was doing recently. Therefore, she really wanted to fly over to see what he was doing. However, there were so many children to take care of at home, so she could not leave them behind. Also, she had 17/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 LED Yn lll 95 (95 promised to take care of Jaydon¡¯s daughter. After much thought, she decided she couldn¡¯t go herself, but she could let Grace go over. Grace had been eager to find Darcy, and now that he was in Walston now. It would be convenient for her to go there and check on Bruce¡¯s activities too. With that in mind, Joanna immediately called Grace. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, Joann.¡± ¡°Grace, are you feeling better 18/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 today?¡± MD (25 M¡­ 95 ¡°Yes, I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡± ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve been wanting to go to Melta to look for Darcy, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Grace replied with a mncholic expression. ¡°I just spoke to Bruce, and they are currently in Walston now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you an address. You can go to find him now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Grace¡¯s face lit up with excitement. ¡°Of course,¡± Joanna said with a smile. 19/21 12:42 A Chapter 1038 ?? . . . 95 ¡°However, just don¡¯t tell Darcy that you¡¯re going. I¡¯ll give you the address, and you can go directly to them. Also, while you¡¯re there, you can see what my husband and his team are up to.¡± Grace instantly understood Joanna¡¯s concern. ¡°Yes. I understand!¡± Previously, Joanna did not agree to let Grace go before because the team was in the no man¡¯snd and it was too dangerous there. As for Walston, it was a prosperous and developed region, with rtively good public safety. Chapter 1039 Chapter 1039 Chapter 1039 Grace instantly felt like she was on steroids. The next day, she was discharged from the hospital. She eagerly rushed back home to get her passport. When Jaydon learned that Grace was going to Melta to look for Darcy, he was so angry that he felt like spitting blood. ¡°What? You really want to go to Melta to look for that Darcy?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to find him,¡± Grace said with a stubborn look. ¡°No, you can¡¯t go.¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened as he rejected 1/20 decisively. Grace looked at him with dissatisfaction. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a girl, you should be more reserved. Chasing after a man like this¡­ Even if you catch him, he won¡¯t treasure you.¡± Jaydon was a yboy in his early years. Of course, he knew better than anyone about what the men were thinking. If it were him, he would not cherish a woman who was rushing to throw herself at him. 2.20 1242 Chapter foto After all, things thate too easily seem cheap. ¡°Jaydon, it¡¯s already the modern era. How can you still have such thoughts? Nowadays, men and women emphasize equality¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s said to be equality, but in many aspects, it¡¯s still unequal. When a man and a woman are together, it¡¯s usually the woman who ends up at a disadvantage, don¡¯t you know that? ¡°Women are like cars, the more they change hands, the cheaper they be. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Jaydon added. 3/20 12:42 A Chapter 1039 ¡°How can you say that? You¡¯re being so disrespectful. This analogy is just not right,¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about disrespecting you; I¡¯m just using an analogy. Reality can be cruel. You¡¯re a girl, and you need to learn to protect yourself and maximize your value. In front of men, you should be more reserved. ¡°You have to let him chase after you. Let him cherish you, rather than you desperately pursuing him,¡± Jaydon persuaded Grace earnestly. He had a lot of personal experience with this viewpoint. The harder it was to obtain something, the more precious 4/20 12:42 Chapter 1039 it was. Just like when he pursued Joanna. Joanna had always rejected him and never allowed him to seed easily. Therefore, she became an unattainable love in his heart and an unsettled obsession. Even now, he still ced her in the most important position. If she had easily slept with him when he pursued her back then, he probably would have forgotten about her by now. ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯m going regardless. Whether you agree or not, I¡¯m going,¡± Grace insisted. 5/20 1242 A When Jaydon heard this, he was so angry that he wanted to p Grace¡¯s face. ¡°I said you can¡¯t go, so you can¡¯t go. ¡°Even if you really want to be in a rtionship with him, you have to wait until hees back.¡± ¡°Joann already agreed to let me go. Moreover, I¡¯m not only going to see Darcy this time. Also, I¡¯m also going to keep an eye on Bruce for Joanna.¡± Grace said, trying to convince Jaydon, and she mentioned Joanna to add some weight to her argument. ¡°What?¡± Jaydon frowned, unable to believe what he was 6/20 12:42 A Chapter 1039 hearing. Checking on someone like this was something Joanna would never have bothered to do in the past. Now, she was actually learning to keep an eye on Bruce¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Come with me to Joann now. If she really agrees to you going, then I won¡¯t stop you.¡± 11 With that, Jaydon dragged Grace to the hotel to look for Joanna. In the hotel, Joanna had already finished packing and was nning to take the 7/20 12:42 A apter 1039 children back to Greyport. ¡°Jay, Grace, why are you here?¡± Joanna asked, surprised to see them. Jaydon¡¯s expression darkened. He asked bluntly, ¡°Joann, do you agree to Grace going to Melta?¡± Joanna was stunned for a moment before nodding. ¡°Well, since she wants to go, let her go. ¡°Bruce is in Walston now. He¡¯s got a vi there, and Grace will be taken care of by someone. So, it won¡¯t be dangerous,¡± she exined. Jaydon felt a lump in his throat 8/20 12:42 A Chapter 1039 after hearing this. Yo 95 +5 ¡°Look, Joann has already agreed. What else do you have to say now?¡± Grace chimed in. ¡°No, I¡¯m notfortable with it. I don¡¯t agree with you going there.¡± Grace was furious. ¡°I won¡¯t be going alone. I¡¯ll have assistants and bodyguards with me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s still not eptable!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened as he objected. If his sister was only going on a trip, he would definitely not care about her. But now, he seriously 9.20 1243 A 1039 Vo 95 +5 suspected that Bruce was doing something dangerous. If Grace went, she might be implicated. ¡°Give me your passport, and stay at home obediently. Don¡¯t go anywhere!¡± he ordered. Grace was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. She shouted angrily, ¡°Jaydon, why have you be so unreasonable now? I¡¯m starting to dislike being around you. It¡¯s getting harder and harder to communicate with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Darcy will be back in three to five months. Can¡¯t you wait for a few months? ¡°As a girl, can¡¯t you be more 10/20 reserved?¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t understand her sister¡¯s behavior either. Seeing that the siblings were arguing non¨Cstop, Joanna quickly stopped the fight. ¡°Alright, alright, stop arguing. ¡°Grace, since Jaydon doesn¡¯t agree to let you go, then don¡¯t go. Just wait at home for Darcy toe back, that¡¯s also fine.¡± she suggested. Grace cried in anger, then turned and ran away in tears. Jaydon sighed deeply and said with a heavy expression, ¡°Joann, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t agree for her to go, I¡¯m just worried¡­ 11/20 12:43 A Chapter 1039 to t ¡°Worried about what?¡± Joanna asked him carefully. Jaydon sighed deeply again. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to exin it to you.¡± Now, he only suspected that Bruce¡¯s identity was not simple. He even suspected that he might be involved in some illegal activities. However, he did not dare to tell Joanna openly. It would seem as if he was deliberately stirring up trouble and sowing discord. ¡°We have such a good rtionship. Why can¡¯t you just tell me?¡± Joanna looked at him in confusion. 12/20 N Jaydon shrugged and smiled gently at her. ¡°Forget it, I hope it¡¯s just me overthinking things¡± ¡°Jay, by saying half and leaving the other half, you leave people hanging and unable to let go. What do you really want to say? Just tell me directly,¡± Jaydon pondered for a few seconds and hesitated. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s not that I want to sow discord. I just feel that Bruce is a little strange.¡± ¡°What do you mean by strange?¡± Joanna asked nkly. ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe the feeling, but he¡¯s just different. His way of doing things, his 13.20 12:45 A Chapter 1039 The ¡­. words and actions, are unlike others. ¡°And sometimes, his behavior is very mysterious and hard to figure out.¡± Joanna blinked her eyes, and her mind was in confusion. Sometimes, she also felt that Bruce was indeed a little strange. However, he had always been unique and unconventional. He was naturally different from ordinary people. Otherwise, he would not have be the richest man in Greyport. ¡°Also, as I said, don¡¯t think too 14/20 1245 A much about it. I keep feeling that Aria is even more strange. Is she really just ssmates with Bruce? ¡°If they are, then their rtionship as ssmates is too unusual,¡± Jaydon added. When Joanna heard this, her heart subconsciously sank. She agreed with him on this point. Since even Jaydon could tell that their rtionship was not ordinary, Joanna¡¯s suspicion was not wrong. There must be a hidden secret between Bruce and Aria. It was something that they didn¡¯t 13/20 12:43 A Chapter 1039 want others to know. Perhaps it was not a romantic rtionship between a man and a woman, but it was definitely aplicated and mysterious connection Thinking of this, Joanna broke out in a cold sweat for no reason. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Jay, then tell me, what should I do?¡± 95 When Jaydon heard this, he looked at Joanna with a solemn expression. To be honest, if it was in the past, he would definitely persuade Joanna to leave Bruce. 16/20 12:43 A Chapter 1039 No matter what, she must protect herself first. However, Bruce had helped him. He had pulled him out of the bottomless abyss when he was at his most helpless. If he turned against Bruce now, it wouldn¡¯t be fair and honorable. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t think too much for now. Rx a bit. ¡°It¡¯s possible that we are overthinking things, and our assumptions might be wrong. Whatever happens, we will deal with it as ites. ¡°Since Bruce transferred all his assets to your name, t shows 17/20 12:43 A Chapter 1039 that he truly loves you. Yo 95 ¡°No matter what, you won¡¯t be left with nothing.¡± When Joanna listened, she felt even more uneasy. She had never been too obsessed with money. If Bruce did not love her, she wouldn¡¯t want to take his money. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I was just spouting nonsense. Please don¡¯t take it to heart. ¡°After all, you two are already married. Even if something happens, you have to face it together. 18/20 tour Buce and Ana you care to be deve agen andendus ¡°Jendel Hot tow how we ha w he could only choose something goals w She mentioned that many wealthy women as Grey would turn a blind aye Be husband sifisirs outside the age as perhaps he could salle a simr approach ¡°As for Bruce and Aria, maybe you can try to be more open- minded about it.¡± Jaydon did not know how tofort her, so he could only choose something good to say. He mentioned that many wealthy women in Greyport would turn a blind eye to their husbands¡® affairs outside the marriage, so perhaps she could take a simr approach. Chapter 1040 Chapter 1040 Chapter 1040 ¡°Look, you¡¯re thinking too much again. Just pretend that I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Jaydon quickly stopped the topic. Joanna smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Talking about it makes me feel a little better inside.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Then you go ahead with your work. The children and I will go back first.¡± ¡°Okay, let me send you all to the port.¡± ¡°Sure, thank you.¡± On the way back, Joanna had a lot on her mind. 1/21 12:43 A Chapter 1040 6 Ha ul ul Now, she really wanted to go to Melta and see what Bruce was doing. ¡°Joann, I see you¡¯re taking care of so many children. It must be exhausting. If you can¡¯t handle it, you can send Patricia back,¡± Jaydon suggested, ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are many servants in the Everett family. They can take care of them.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m also looking for a babysitter and reliable servants these few days. Once things settle down, I¡¯ll bring Patricia back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time. You should 2/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 board the ship now.¡± The two little ones waved goodbye to Jaydon. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Two hourster, Joanna and her children arrived at Greyport. The two little ones got out of the car and happily ran into the house. ¡°We¡¯re finally back home!¡± ¡°Home sweet home, there¡¯s no ce like it.¡± ¡°The two of you haven¡¯t even finished writing your self- reflection. Don¡¯t even think 3/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 about sleeping tonight.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The two little guys looked at Joanna pitifully. Joanna¡¯s face turned stiff. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be pitiful. I spared youst night, but if you don¡¯t finish them tonight, I won¡¯t let it slide.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± It was 10 o¡¯clock at night. Joanna was reading the self- reflection letter written by her two sons when her phone rang. Joanna quickly answered the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, came Bruce¡¯s indulgent voice, 4/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 YA¡­ 95 ¡°Honey, are you going to sleep?¡± ¡°I was just about to go to bed. What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling you right now.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I see you?¡± Hearing this, Bruce hung up the voice call and immediately initiated a video call. ¡°Well, can you see me now?¡± On the video call, Bruce pouted at her and swallowed nervously. ¡°I miss you, honey.¡± Joanna looked at him with a puzzled expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look a little 5/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 unhappy,¡± Bruce asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± Joanna shook her head. Bruce chuckled. ¡°No? Then why are you pulling a long face?¡± Joanna suddenly sighed deeply with a mncholic expression. ¡°Mr. Bruce¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Honey, I¡¯m really afraid that you¡¯ll call me Mr. Bruce,¡± Bruce teased with a smile. Every time Joanna called him Mr. Bruce, it usually meant she was looking for trouble. Now he had developed a reflex 6/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 to it. M¡­.. 95 ¡°I¡¯m just calling your name. Why are you so nervous?¡± Joanna¡¯s face tensed up. His reaction clearly indicated he was feeling guilty about something. It had been more than 20 days since he left for Melta. For a man like him, who seemed to enjoy indulging in pleasure, how could he resist temptation for so long? ¡°Why would I be nervous?¡± ¡°Bruce, just be honest with me. Are you hiding something from me?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t 7/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 Yto¡­ 95 hold back any longer and asked directly. Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious. He was most afraid that Joanna would get to the bottom of it. ¡°Are you alone in Walston now?¡± Bruce subconsciously replied, ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Darcy and Cherron are all here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about them. I¡¯m talking about someone else!¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the butler, assistant, and chef!¡± 8/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 ¡°Other than them?¡± Vo LTED 95 +5 ¡°Well, there are also neighbors, passersby¡­¡± Bruce was skilled at dodging the question. Getting a straight answer from him was harder than reaching the sky unless he willingly revealed it When Joanna heard this, she was extremely angry. ¡°Never mind, forget it. There¡¯s no point in asking you; it¡¯s all in vain.¡± Bruce blinked and said ambiguously, ¡°Honey, don¡¯t think too much. ¡°I will be back soon, and as promised, I won¡¯t go on 9/21 12:44 Chapter 1040 YED (95 +5 business trips after this one.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true.¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°The businesses in Melta are almost settled. After handling the industry in Walston, it should be mostly done.¡± ¡°How much longer will it take?¡± Joanna looked resentful. ¡°Well, it will take another two or three months.¡± ¡°Fine then!¡± ¡°Good girl, go to bed and don¡¯t overthink. I will always love you, love the kids, and love our home.¡± 10/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 ¡°You and the kids are always the most important to me.¡± ¡°And you are to me too.¡± ¡°Kiss.¡± Joanna blew a kiss through the phone. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m hanging up!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The next morning, while Joanna was still in bed, the phone started ringing frantically. ¡°Hey!¡± On the other end of the phone, Jaydon¡¯s exasperated voice sounded, ¡°Joann, Grace is 11/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 really infuriating.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She ran away secretly, and now we can¡¯t find her anywhere.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joanna was shocked and instantly lost her sleepiness. ¡°She must have snuck off to Melta to look for Darcy. How dare she!¡± 95 Joanna quicklyforted him. ¡°Oh, if she wants to go, let her be. Grace is already an adult. She should be able to take care of herself. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± 12/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 ¡°Can you give me the address of Darcy, please?¡± ¡°Why? Are you going there too?¡± ¡°No, I just want to check the specific situation around that area.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then!¡± Joanna hurriedly sent the address of Bruce¡¯s vi in Walston to Jaydon. Two dayster, Darcy followed Bruce out to handle some business. His phone in his pocket kept vibrating. He took it out and had a look. 13/21 12:44 A Cupter 1040 ?? 6 le ul Grace had sent him a few Messenger messages. [Darcy, I¡¯m at Walston Airport now.] [My wallet was stolen, please scared, I haven¡¯t eaten anything for a whole day and night.] After reading the message, Darcy felt a headache. This silly girl was really stubborn. She actually traveled all the way here to find him. And she lost her wallet, his heart instantly clenched with worry. 14/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 Vo LTE D 95 It would be a lie to say that he was not touched. Of course! A straitced man like Darcy couldn¡¯t see through women¡¯s little tricks. He really thought that Grace had lost her wallet and was immediately panicked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce noticed his anxious expression and casually asked. Darcy looked worried and said, ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Grace came to Melta.¡± Bruce frowned, looking somewhat incredulous at Darcy. 15/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 Unexpectedly, Darcy¡¯s charm is quite significant, even attracting beauties to travel from overseas. ¡°She¡¯s now at the airport in Walston and her wallet is missing. Can I please take an afternoon off?¡± Darcy said, blushing. Bruce frowned. Under normal circumstances, he would have agreed to Darcy taking time off. But now, he didn¡¯t want anyone else to get involved. What they were doing was too dangerous. If they were not careful, it 16/21 Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. 12:44 A apter 1040 could cost them their lives. ¡°Darcy, how are you going to settle her down? You can¡¯t possibly bring her to the vi, right?¡± ¡°In a couple of days, we have to go to Tanzda. You know very well how dangerous that ce is.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t bring her here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and give her some money, find her a hotel, and then book a return ticket for her.¡± ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll let you have half a day off today. You cane back tomorrow.¡± 17/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 ¡°Thank you, Mr. Everett.¡® ¡°Darcy, I think it¡¯s best if you talk to her honestly. Women can be quite stubborn. You can¡¯t keep running away like this.¡± 1947 As he spoke, a mischievous smile flickered in Bruce¡¯s eyes, and he lowered his voice. ¡°Well, you can also give it a try tonight. Maybe it will work this time.¡± When Darcy heard this, his face turned even redder. Bruce said teasingly, ¡°Man can¡¯t rely on just his ¡®hands¡® ¡°Having too many ¡®experiences with hands¡® will make a man 18/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 lose interest in women. I feel like maybe it¡¯s a psychological issue for you, not a physical one. ¡°Of course! Men¡¯s reactions can vary depending on the woman they encounter. If you really like a woman, she might just heal you.¡± Darcy was unable to respond to Bruce. Bruce was experienced in this matter. However, Darcy was a straight-ced guy and not the type to be casual about it. Even if there was nothing wrong with his body, he would 19/21 12:44 A Chapter 1040 Mo never touch a woman before they got married. ¡°What are you still standing there for? Hurry up! Be a bit bolder when dealing with women. Sometimes being too gentle won¡¯t work. Women prefer men with a bit of a wolfish attitude.¡± Bruce really knew a lot about this topic. Speaking of this, no one understood it better than him. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Chapter 1041 Chapter 1041 Chapter 1041 Darcy had just arrived at the airport. Grace waved frantically, dragging her suitcase, and calling out to him. ¡°Darcy, I¡¯m here.¡± Seeing Grace, Darcy finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Ms. Grace¡­¡± ¡°Darcy, I finally see you.¡± Grace ran over and jumped onto him. She was like a ko, clinging tightly to his body. Darcy felt his whole body tense up. His pupils dted, feeling as if all his blood was rushing to one ce. ¡°You¡¯re so bad! Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? Do you know how much I missed you? ¡°I hate you so much.¡± Grace hung on Darcy¡¯s body and refused toe down. She buried her head in his shoulder and cried uncontrobly. The youthful vitality emanating from Grace was so sweet and pleasant. Darcy subconsciously wrapped his arms around her waist. His entire body seemed to be on fire. He thought that Bruce was right. At that moment, he felt a physical reaction, something he had never experienced before. ¡°Ms. Grace, pleasee down, there are so many people watching!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, I just want to hug you.¡± Grace wrapped her arms tightly around him, unabashedly trying to get closer to him. ¡°Ms. Grace, don¡¯t be like this.¡± Darcy was still a little embarrassed and wanted to push her away. He attempted to do so several times but found himself unable to go through with it. Suddenly, he couldn¡¯t bear to push her away anymore. His hands were stiff, caught in a dilemma between not daring to embrace her and not wanting to forcefully push her away. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? Why are you ignoring me? Do you know how heartbroken I was?¡± Grace sobbed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear apologies. I just want to know, do you like me or not?¡± Grace looked up at Darcy with teary eyes. Their eyes met. Darcy felt a surge of warmth igniting in his heart, and his body couldn¡¯t help but feel a flush of heat. 09.56 Holding the girl he liked in his arms was an entirely different feeling. Perhaps, as Bruce had said, it was just a psychological effect. Adding to hisck of social skills and his past experiences, he might have been too guarded and unable to sense his own feelings when facing women. ¡°You need to tell me, do you like me or not? ¡°I want to know the truth. Stop fooling me.¡± Darcy¡¯s heart pounded and his throat felt dry. He stammered, ¡°I like you¡­¡± Upon hearing his confession, Grace¡¯s tears turned into a smile. Without hesitation, she kissed him passionately. Darcy froze, feeling like he had been struck by a lightning bolt. His whole body remained still, unable to move. This was the first time a girl had kissed him like this. This feeling was so magical and addictive. The people around the airport stopped to look at them. Darcy still couldn¡¯t get used to being the center of attention like this. ¡°Grace, let me take you to the hotel first. You should rest,¡± he suggested. Grace replied, ¡°Alright.¡± Forty minutester, Darcy dropped her off at a luxurious five-star hotel. After the room was ready, ¡°Grace, take a break today. Take this money. I¡¯ll send you to the airport after booking a flight ticket tomorrow.¡± Grace asked curiously, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I still have to go back to work.¡± Grace was determined and firmly stated, ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you go.¡± Darcy¡¯s expression was heavy as he advised her with concern, ¡°Grace, it¡¯s too dangerous here. You should hurry back.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go back. Wherever you are, I¡¯ll go there.¡± ¡°Listen to me. I¡¯ll book you a flight for tomorrow. You can go back first¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Grace pounced on him and brutally pushed Darcy down onto the bed. Then, she forcefully pressed herself on top of him. Darcy¡¯s heart raced, feeling flustered. ¡°Grace, don¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Darcy, I love you. I want to be with you. ¡°Let me be your woman!¡± As she spoke, Grace had already undone the buttons on his shirt and began to unfasten his belt. With her fiery personality, she dared to love and hate without reservation. Her personality was completely different from Joanna. She was like a thorny rose, exuding a strong sense of aggressiveness. ¡°Grace¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡± Darcy, on the other hand, seemed to act like a woman, resisting Grace¡¯s advances. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to be intimate with her. Instead, it¡¯s just that he feared his secret being discovered by Grace. If she were to find out, it would be so embarrassing. Regardless, Grace paid no attention and undressed herselfpletely. Her skin was fair and wless, like the most perfect sculpture crafted by the heavens. Then, she took the initiative to undress him as well. Darcy¡¯s heart skipped a beat, suddenly experiencing a strong feeling he had never felt before. He looked at the beautiful girl in front of him. It was like the code to his body had been unlocked as if he had suddenly been electrified. The next second, Darcy suddenly turned around. His brain also lost control at this moment. Then, he tightly embraced Grace. Ten minutester, Darcyy exhausted at the side, unable to believe that all of this was real. Did he actually seed? Did he really seed? Although it was a little short, he was already overjoyed. After all, this was something that could be improved with practice. The more times, the more experienced he would be. Most importantly, he could finally feel like a normal man. ¡°Darcy, what are you thinking about?¡± Grace was still a little unsatisfied. Other than the short duration, everything else went well. ¡°Nothing, I¡­¡± Darcy hugged Grace tightly. There was an indescribable excitement in his heart. It was wonderful. He could do it, he really could. It turned out that he wasn¡¯t incapable. He just needed to be with the woman he loved to fully ignite the fire in his heart. He was just colder than other men. Other than that, there was nothing else wrong with him. ¡°Do you love me?¡± ¡°Love!¡± Grace was very proactive, showing no shyness or reservation, eagerly pulling up the nket T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Throughout the whole night, Darcy finally experienced the feeling of being a man. The next day, Darcy woke up early in the morning. ¡°Grace, I¡¯ll book a ne ticket for you today. You should go back as soon as possible.¡± Grace was still tired and not fully awake. She muttered softly, ¡°Why? I¡¯ve just arrived and you¡¯re already asking me to leave.¡± ¡°I still have work here, and I really don¡¯t have time to be with you. Be a good girl and listen to me. Wait for me to finish my work here, and I promise I¡¯ll go back to find you.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave you,¡± Grace said as her arm wrapped around Darcy¡¯s neck again. ¡°You really can¡¯t follow me,¡± Darcy still sounded heavy-hearted. Although he didn¡¯t inquire in detail about what Bruce was doing, he wasn¡¯t foolish. He had followed Bruce on so many missions. He already knew that Bruce¡¯s identity was not simple. Moreover, each mission was more dangerous than the previous ones. How could he let the woman he loved stay here? ¡°I won¡¯t cause you trouble. You can do whatever you need to do. You don¡¯t have to take care of me. I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not possible!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m working right now¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t let you work. Just do what you have to do.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has a bad temper. It¡¯s really inconvenient for you to stay here.¡± ¡°Joann asked me toe over and supervise what he¡¯s doing. You don¡¯t have to be afraid of him. Joann is watching over him. If he dares to bully you, I¡¯ll have Joann to scold him!¡± Darcy¡¯s forehead throbbed when he heard this. However, he really did not know how to coax a girl, and he didn¡¯t know how to make her leave. ¡°Besides, are you willing to part with me so quickly? I came all the way to find you, and you treat me like this?¡± Darcy sighed. ¡°Then you stay in the hotel for one more day and you must go back the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± Darcy looked at her helplessly. ¡°Hug.¡± Grace was like a clingy little vixen as she opened her arms to hug him. Darcy smiled sweetly and hugged her tightly. ¡°Stay in the hotel obediently and don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯lle over to apany you after work.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Grace said, giving him several kisses on his face. Darcy smiled and left the hotel reluctantly. A man like him, who did not know how to have fun, had to pair up with a girl like Grace who was as passionate and proactive as fire. Half an hourter, Darcy returned to the vi. Bruce was drinking coffee. When he saw Darcy return with a radiant face, a teasing look appeared in his eyes. ¡°Seems like it was quite intensest night?¡± Darcy¡¯s face turned even redder, and he looked even more awkward. Chapter 1042 Chapter 1042 Chapter 1042 ¡°Tell me, what happenedst night?¡± ¡°What happened? Mr. Everett, please stop teasing me.¡± Darcy looked embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m not teasing you. Look at the hickeys on your neck. It looks like it¡¯s quite intense,¡± Bruce continued to jest. When Darcy heard this, he subconsciously touched his neck and blushed even more. Last night, Grace was like a little wildcat, nibbling on his neck, shoulders, and chest all over. Now there were several love bites and tooth marks on his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t you say you can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re the most experienced, I think I¡¯m awake again¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± Bruce¡¯s face was full of gossip. In the past, he would never talk to his subordinates about personal matters, let alone chat like a friend. But now, perhaps with age and experience, his character had gradually changed, bing less irritable and more inclined to humor. Just as Bruce was teasing Darcy, Aria called. ¡°Hey¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Aria¡¯s anxious voice sounded. ¡°Bruce,e to the hospital immediately. The Eprarian is awake.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression changed and he immediately stood 1. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The Eprarian is awake. Let¡¯s go over and take a look.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Shortly after, Bruce, Darcy, and the others headed to the private hospital. This private hospital had beenpletely reserved by Bruce for Aria¡¯s research. ¡°Aria. How¡¯s he?¡± ¡°The Eprarian is awake now, but none of us speaks Eprarish.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we use a trantor?¡± ¡°We can, but it¡¯s too slow. Tranting is difficult, it¡¯s better to find professional interpreters.¡± On the hospital bed, the Eprarian was lying there, barely conscious. 175 50 something in Eprarish. Unfortunately, no one could understand what he was saying. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to speak Antlenish?¡± Bruce asked him in Antlenish. The Eprarian continued saying a few more words. ¡°Could it be a mistake?¡± Aria said with a serious expression, ¡°He¡¯s notpletely conscious right now, and he¡¯s only speaking his nativenguage in his subconscious. Asking him too many questions won¡¯t help as he doesn¡¯t even know what he¡¯s saying.¡± ¡°Cary, go find someone nearby who knows Eprarish.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The other agent, Cary, nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go right away.¡± As she spoke, Aria suddenly cked out and fell straight forward. Bruce reacted quickly and immediately supported her. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria took a long time to recover from her dizziness. She smiled at Bruce and said, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just a little dizzy.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°You haven¡¯t slept properly for a few days. Don¡¯t push yourself so hard. Hurry up and have a good sleep!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. We¡¯re about to get the results of the gue virus research!¡± Aria said. Her vision went dark again, and she fell into Bruce¡¯s arms. Bruce had no choice but to bend down and carry her over. ¡°You can¡¯t go on like this. Your body can¡¯t take it. ¡°Leave this to Jason and the others, you need a good rest.¡± As he spoke, Bruce forcefully carried Aria and brought her out of the hospital. He knew that if he let her stay in the hospital, she would definitely work day and night on her research. Now, he had to force her to rest. Outside the hospital, a figure wearing a duckbill cap and sunsses saw Bruce and Aria walking out of the hospital. She immediately hid behind a flower bed, acting suspiciously. When Grace saw clearly that the woman Bruce was holding was Aria, she was instantly furious. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s this wicked woman again.¡± ¡°So what Joann is worried about is true. There¡¯s indeed something wrong.¡± As Grace muttered to herself, she quietly took out her phone and took a few photos of Bruce and Aria. Aria was already exhausted from low blood sugar and several consecutive sleepless nights. Now, she could not hold on anymore and almost fainted. Bruce carried her and prepared to send her to the vi so that she could rest well. Unexpectedly, Grace came to keep an eye on him. ¡°This scumbag. He¡¯s already married to Joann, yet he¡¯s still flirting with another woman. ¡°I¡¯ll send the evidence to Joann now and see how he die.¡± Grace sent the photo directly to Joanna. [Joann, there¡¯s indeed something wrong with your husband. I took some photos of them together.] After all, Grace was only 22 years old and did not have any shrewdness or schemes. She also did not expect the consequences of sending a photo. All she knew was that Joanna had asked her to keep an eye on Bruce. Of course, she had toplete the mission. Darcy nced at Grace who was behind the flower bed. After sending Bruce and Aria into the car, he quickly approached her quietly. ¡°Grace, why are you here? Who asked you toe?¡± ¡°I followed you on purpose. Let me see what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Stop fooling around and hurry back to the hotel. If Mr. Everett sees uster, we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s the one who¡¯ll be in trouble, right? He¡¯s actually hooking up with another woman behind Joann. What a scumbag.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Mr. Everett has no romantic feelings for Miss Bridges. Don¡¯t gossip in front of Madam.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gossiping. I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡± ¡°Forget it. I really don¡¯t know what to do with you. Just go back to the hotel¡­¡± Seeing that Bruce¡¯s car had driven away, Darcy hurriedly got into another car. In Greyport, due to the time difference, it was already past 11 o¡¯clock at night. Joanna was about to sleep when her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was a Messenger message from Grace. Joanna clicked on it curiously, seeing a few photos being sent over. There were photos of Bruce holding Aria, and also two photos of Aria leaning on Bruce¡¯s shoulder. After looking at the photo, Joanna¡¯s blood instantly froze. He was indeed with Aria. Joanna tried her best to calm down and immediately called Bruce. How was she going to listen to his exnation? ¡°Hello, the person you are trying to reach is not avable at the moment. Please D try againter.¡± [Bruce, where are you? Reply to me immediately. I need to talk to you urgently.] The voice message was sent out. An hourter, Joanna was getting impatient, but Bruce did not reply to her at all. [Bruce, if you don¡¯t call me back, I¡¯ll cklist all your contact details.] After sending the voice message again, Joanna¡¯s heart was filled with restless anger, and she had no intention of sleeping at all. No matter what Bruce¡¯s purpose was for being with Aria? She couldn¡¯t bear this kind of deception. He could have told her, but why was he hiding it from her? What was he trying to hide? Another hour passed. It was already past 1 o¡¯clock in the morning, and there was still no response from Bruce Joanna smiled sadly at her phone. Then, she blocked Bruce¡¯s Messenger and his phone number. Since he wanted to tangle with Aria so much, she would let them entangle as much as they wanted. Regardless of whether they had that kind of rtionship or not, his deceitful behavior had already deeply hurt her. She had asked him many times, and he never mentioned being with Aria. If he had nothing to hide, why did he keep it from her? On the other side in Melta, Bruce had lunch after settling Aria down. Only then did he remember to look at his phone. He saw that Joanna had called him just now. However, because he was with Aria, he deliberately didn¡¯t answer at the moment to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Now that he took out his phone to take a look, other than Joanna¡¯s missed calls, there were two other voice messages. Upon listening to the messages, Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He quickly tried to call Joanna through Messenger. However, the button for making a call did not show up on the chat screen. It indicated that he couldn¡¯t call Joanna at all. Joanna had indeed deleted him. After realizing this, Bruce felt even more uneasy. It was truly difficult to coax Joanna when she was angry. He quickly called her again by dialing her phone number. Unfortunately, Joanna had already blocked all his numbers, so when he dialed, the call was immediately disconnected. ¡°Damn it, why is she angry again? ¡°This woman gets angry for no reason at all¡­¡± Chapter 1043 Chapter 1043 Chapter 1043 ¡°Whose damn fault is she getting angry again for no reason?¡± Frantically, Bruce dialed the home¡¯s landline phone. In Greyport, it was already past three in the morning. The phone rang for a long time before a servant came over to answer it. After all, most people were using mobile phones these days, and thisndline phone hardly ever rang in a month. The servant yawned and answered the call. As she answered, sheined, ¡°Hello, who is this? Don¡¯t you know what time it is? Does anyone not need to sleep?¡± On the other end of the line, Bruce roared, ¡°Everyone seems to be dead asleep! Why did it take so long for someone to answer the phone?¡± Were all these people dead? ¡°Hurry up and let Joanna take the call.¡± Bruce¡¯s temper was already bad. Now that he had to wait so long for someone to answer the phone, it made his liver ache with anger. When the servant heard Bruce¡¯s voice, she was so frightened that she instantly lost her sleepiness. She wished she could bite her tongue off. She really didn¡¯t know that it was Bruce calling. She quickly stammered, ¡°Mr. Everett, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go call Madam immediately.¡± The servant hurriedly put the phone aside and ran to the master¡¯s room on the second floor. She knocked on the door. ¡°Madam, are you asleep? Mr. Everett called and wants you to answer the phone.¡± Inside the room, there was no response. The servant kept on knocking on the door more carefully. Still, no one replied from inside. ¡°Madam, Mr. Everett wants you to answer the phone.¡± The servant shouted a few more times outside the door. Seeing that there was no response, she did not dare to continue knocking. Then, she quickly ran back downstairs. ¡°Mr. Everett, it seems that Madam is asleep, and I couldn¡¯t open the door to call her.¡± At the other end of the phone, Bruce was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. 115 He was most afraid that Joanna would not listen to his calls, and even more afraid of being cold- shouldered by her. It was because every time she gave him the cold shoulder, he couldn¡¯t bear it. He couldn¡¯t understand why women liked giving people the cold shoulder so much. Moreover, if they said that they wouldn¡¯t talk to you, they would really be patient and ignore you for the rest of their lives. ¡°Mr. Everett, why don¡¯t you call back tomorrow?¡± ¡°Forget it, let her sleep!¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett, do you have any other instructions?¡± ¡°Not to sleep so soundly from now on!¡± Bruce could not help but curse. He had never been a man with a good temper, especially when he was angry. It was impossible for him to speak gently and act like a gentleman when he was in a fit of anger. Even under normal circumstances, he could pretend to be a gentleman for at most three days. After hanging up, Bruce began to send Joanna some messages. In their chatbox, he left her some messages [Honey, what¡¯s wrong with you now?] [Honey, what crime have Imitted this time? You blocked me.] [Baby, please let me know what I did wrong. I immediately called you back as soon as I saw your messages.] [Baby, I know I didn¡¯t listen to the call just now and made you angry. But I really had something urgent and didn¡¯t hear it. I immediately called you back after seeing your messages.] [Darling, let¡¯s not y the silent treatment, okay?] Although Bruce did not know why Joanna was angry, he knew that the consequences would be very serious. Otherwise, Joanna would not have blocked his Messenger and his phone number. Bruce instantly lost all thoughts and kept reflecting on what he had done wrong. ¡°Is she that angry just because he didn¡¯t hear the phone call?¡± Thinking about it, it didn¡¯t seem possible. When he was in the no man¡¯snd, he hadn¡¯t been able to hear the phone for several days, but Joanna wasn¡¯t this angry. Twenty minutester, Bruce¡¯s mind was about to explode when he suddenly remembered. Today, he seemed to have hugged Aria. Could it be that Joanna found out about this? 09:37 Upon careful consideration, was convinced that it must be because of that incident. Otherwise, Joanna wouldn¡¯t have such an overreaction. ¡°This is bad. Could there be a traitor around me?¡± Bruce frowned. Joanna was currently on the other side of the ocean. If there was no traitor by his side, she wouldn¡¯t have known that he had hugged Aria. Bruce¡¯s mind raced, and he quickly went through the list of people around him. Darcy and Carson would definitely not dare to betray him. They knew what his temper was like. If they dared to betray him, he would really make them wish they were dead. Jason was even more unlikely since he didn¡¯t even know Joanna. He thought, ¡°Could it be Aria that intentionally told Joanna something?¡± Thinking about it, there was such a possibility. After all, Aria could even use poison and hypnosis in order to be with him. If she still had some feelings on him now, it was possible to for her destroy his rtionship with Joanna. Thinking of this, Bruce was furious. He immediately got up and walked to Aria¡¯s room. He wanted to ask her if she had secretly called Joanna. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. If it¡¯s true, he will definitely not let her off. The vi is very spacious. It is arge estate vi. Bruce left his room and walked angrily towards Aria¡¯s room. Because of avoiding suspicion, Aria¡¯s guest room is in another building. Bruce had to walk through the small garden to reach the other building. Outside the vi, Grace cautiously climbed in, Darcy had been guarding the courtyard, afraid that Grace would catch up. Just as he was feeling uneasy, he saw a furtive and petite figure crouching on the fence. Needless to say, it must be Grace. Darcy quickly approached the fence and whispered, ¡°Grace, why are you here again?¡± Grace made a funny face at him and said with a sense of righteousness, ¡°I came here with a mission.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, go back quickly. If Mr. Everett finds out, I¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± No one could resist Bruce¡¯s temper. ¡°That scumbag Bruce actually dared to cheat on Joann with another woman. I will make him pay!¡± Grace eximed indignantly. 09:37 At her age, she detested evil and couldn¡¯t tolerate the slightest wrongdoing. If she encountered a mistress or a deceitful man, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take matters into her own hands. She couldn¡¯t wait to punish the mistress and the scumbag on the spot. ¡°Listen, stop making trouble. Hurry up and leave.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Joann¡¯s little detective now. I must help her find out the truth.¡± ¡®Grace, stop it. If you don¡¯t leave now, it will be toote.¡± Darcy tried to coax her in a low voice. Grace had already crouched down and jumped over the wall that was as tall as a person. Seeing this, Darcy was afraid that she would fall and get injured, so he immediately caught her. ¡°Love you.¡± Grace wrapped her legs around his waist. Holding onto his neck, she gave him a big kiss. Darcy¡¯s entire body stiffened. He was really helpless against this clingy little girl. ¡°Who¡¯s there? What are you doing there?¡± The butler of the vi heard themotion and hurriedly came out to check. Seeing this, Darcy hurriedly smiled awkwardly at the butler. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. This¡­ this is my girlfriend.¡± The butler raised an eyebrow, observing the intimate scene between the two, and a sly smile appeared on his face. ¡°Oh, I see, I see.¡± Then, he shrugged and walked away as if nothing had happened. After all, they all took advantage of the boss not being home to secretly bring women over for the night. As the boss¡¯s capable bodyguard, Darcy was young and strong. It was normal for him to secretly find a woman to spend the night with. ¡°You finally admit that I¡¯m your girlfriend!¡± Grace teased. Darcy looked helpless. ¡°I really can¡¯t do anything with you. I¡¯m working right now. If Mr. Everett sees us, he¡¯ll skin me alive.¡± ¡°Before he peels off your skin, Joann will peel off his skin first. ¡°Where is that other woman? Let me go find her?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett doesn¡¯t have a mistress. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. If Madam misunderstands, the consequences will be very serious.¡± Darcy warned her with a serious expression. Over the years, he had witnessed Bruce and Joanna quarrel every time. Both of them were stubborn and it was fatal to fight each other. Now that they finally got married, if anything went wrong, he didn¡¯t know what kind of trouble it would cause. ¡°Tell me honestly, are you the same as your boss? Grace asked mischievously. ¡°Me? How could I be?¡± Darcy protested. ¡°I knew it. You¡¯re different from that scumbag. If I ever catch you with another woman, you¡¯ll see how I deal with you,¡± Darcy had a headache hearing this, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a sweet warmth in his heart. Having a girl who got jealous due to him made him feel cherished. Especially since Grace had made him fall for her, it was impossible for him to love another woman in this life. Chapter 1044 Chapter 1044 Chapter 1044 ¡°Grace, be good and go back now.¡± ¡°No! Listen, if you ruin my n, I¡¯ll never talk to you,¡± Grace said aggressively and jumped off Darcy. Then, she tiptoed toward the vi. ¡°Grace, don¡¯t go in.¡± ¡°Come on, tell me where the scumbag and his mistress are.¡± At this point, Bruce appeared in the corridor. ¡°Oh, I saw him.¡± Grace quickly bent down and sneakily followed Bruce. Seeing this, Darcy did not even dare to breathe heavily. Given Bruce¡¯s explosive temper, he would definitely give Darcy a hard time if he found out that he had brought Grace to the vi. Bruce walked down the corridor to the backyard with a sullen face. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± Aria had just fallen asleep when she heard the knock on the door. She quickly got up and opened the door. Seeing that it was Bruce outside, she asked excitedly, ¡°Bruce, what brings you here?¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Aria, I have something to ask you.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the room,¡± Bruce said and walked into the room. Aria closed the door behind her. Grace was at the other end of the corridor. When she saw Bruce enter Aria¡¯s room, her mouth instantly opened wide into an O shape. ¡°Gosh! You told me that there was nothing going on between them. If that was the case, how could he stay with that woman in the same room alone?¡± ¡°Click! Click! Click!¡± Grace had been filming along the way, but now, she turned off the photography function and took a few photos. Darcy pulled her away anxiously. ¡°Grace, it¡¯s not what it looks like. ¡°There¡¯s nothing special between Mr. Everett and Miss Bridges, really!¡± Darcy was eager to exin. Unfortunately, he was clumsy with words and could not make himself clear. He wanted to defend Bruce, but the way he spoke was like he was trying to cover up something for him. [Joann, I just discovered something new. Your husband is in Aria¡¯s room.] Grace sent a voice message to Joanna. After that, she sent her the video of Bruce and Aria meeting up. What made things even worse was that Bruce was wearing pajamas in the video. After all, he was at home. It was very ufortable to wear a suit and tie, so he would habitually change into his pajamas when he returned home. But everyone would misunderstand when they saw the video. Aria opened the door for him in her pajamas and looked at him affectionately. Then Bruce walked into her room, wearing pajamas as well. It was hard to believe that there was nothing special between them. Joanna who was in Greyportal was so angry that she stayed up all night. Early in the morning, she received another message and video from Grace. In the video, Bruce and Aria entered the room together in their pajamas. Aria closed the door in a hurry as if she couldn¡¯t wait to enjoy their romantic time. After Joanna watched the video, the phone in her hand fell to the ground. She used to suspect the rtionship between Bruce and Aria. However, when she thought about how Bruce had managed to reject Aria to get close to him, she believed that he didn¡¯t betray her. Now, she couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious again after watching the video. She was not sure that nothing would happen between Bruce and Aria. It was hard to figure out what men were thinking. Their mind changed all the time. Bruce didn¡¯t want to be with Aria back then, but it didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t want now. In particr, he had been in Melta for more than 20 days. Even Joanna did not believe that an energetic man like him could hold on for so long without sex. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna felt so heartbroken that tears instantly welled up. She could not understand why men were so easy to be attracted by women and lose control of themselves. Bruce might really love her, but it didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t have an affair with another woman. What¡¯s more, that scumbag had a lot of women before. In the meanwhile, Aria was looking at Bruce gently. ¡°Bruce, what do you want to ask?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He didn¡¯t know how to put it. ¡°If you have something to tell me, just say it.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was even gentler. Bruce had just hugged her, which meant that he didn¡¯t hate her that much. Though she knew that he was already married, she still wanted tenderness from him. She would be happy even if nothing happened between them. After hesitating for a long time, Bruce put it straight, ¡°Aria, did you call my wife?¡± Aria looked at him, dumbfounded. She thought that he came here because he cared about her. But it turned out that he was here to me her. ¡°Did you call her?¡± Bruce asked again impatiently. ¡°Bruce, is that why you¡¯re here?¡± Aria looked at him in disappointment. Bruce frowned and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m asking you, did you call my wife? She refused to talk to me and blocked my phone number and Messenger. Did you say something to her?¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Really? Listen, if you dare to talk nonsense in front of her again, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Bruce was afraid that Aria was ying tricks to sow discord between Joanna and him again. Aria¡¯s heart ached at his harsh words. ¡°So, you came here just to tell me that?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Bruce said impatiently. Aria smiled bitterly at him, her eyes gradually turning red. ¡°Bruce, you still don¡¯t believe me. I¡¯ve already exined it to you. Back then, I thought I had cancer and wanted to be with you before my death. ¡°I know what I did was indeed crazy and made you unhappy. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t try to take you away from your wife again.¡± The more Aria spoke, the more agitated she became. Her vision started to fade, and she fell forward. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Seeing this, Bruce could only reach out to support her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. It makes me sad that you misunderstood me. I¡¯m so heartbroken.¡± As Aria spoke, tears rolled down her pale face. Bruce felt a little guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Since you didn¡¯t call her, it must be a misunderstanding.¡± Aria did not say anything and just looked at him with tears in her eyes. Bruce felt ufortable under her gaze. ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯m leaving¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, Aria closed her eyes and fell into his arms. 375 09:58 ¡°Aria! Aria! Are you alright?¡± Aria seemed to be unconscious. Her body went limp as if she had lost her spine. ¡°Come on, lie down and take some rest.¡± Now that she was too weak to stand steadily, Bruce could only lift her off the floor and carry her back to the bed. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head weakly on his shoulder. When Bruce ced her on the bed, Aria showed no intention to let go of him. ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce lost his bnce and copsed on her. Startled, he hurriedly grabbed the bed to prop himself up. Aria slowly opened her eyes and hugged him even tighter. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce immediately pushed away her hands and stood up with a disgusted expression. Aria sat up and put her arms around his waist. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t go. ¡°Can you stay with me for five minutes? I¡¯m not asking for much. I just want you to stay with me for a few minutes.¡± ¡°Aria, let go of me.¡± ¡°Bruce, I know you don¡¯t love me anymore. I¡¯m not dreaming of being with you, and I just don¡¯t want you to hate me. ¡°The mission is very dangerous. We might not be able to return home alive.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart skipped a beat. The mission was indeed very dangerous. He might really not be able to go back. When he thought that he might never be able to see Joanna and the children again, his heart ached so much that he could barely breathe. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m your first love. Have you forgotten those beautiful days in the past? ¡°If our lives are about to come to an end, don¡¯t you have any regrets for me? ¡°I love you, so I can ept whatever you do to me. I won¡¯t tell your wife or anyone else.¡± Bruce came to his senses and broke free from her grip. As he expected, Aria still had feelings for him, which made him extremely upset. Even if he was dying, all he thought about and loved would only be his wife and children. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t y tricks anymore. Nothing will happen between us.¡± After he finished speaking, Bruce left the room with a gloomy face. Chapter 1045 Chapter 1045 Chapter 1045 ¡°Bruce! Bruce¡­¡± Aria called out, heartbroken. However, Bruce had left in a huff. ¡°Bruce, why are you so cold to me?¡± Aria closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She could tell how much Bruce loved his wife, which made her full of jealousy. Joanna was so lucky to be loved by Bruce. She must be the happiest woman in the world. Even now, Aria still could not figure out what Bruce loved about Joanna. Was it just because she was beautiful and had given birth to four children for him? Did he really love her that much? In Aria¡¯s eyes, Joanna was rather ordinary. Other than her beautiful appearance, she did not have anything special about her. Why would a man like Bruce love her wholeheartedly? Aria did not know that Joanna had saved Bruce¡¯s life twice. Moreover, she almost died several times because of him. After they had been through so much, no woman could rece her in Bruce¡¯s heart. Bruce did not feel better after leaving Aria¡¯s room. Aria still wanted to get back together with him, so he had to be cautious. He made up his mind not to see her again after this mission. Bruce took out a cigarette irritatingly and was about to light it. Then, he suddenly saw Darcy looking at him uneasily from the other end of the corridor. ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°No-nothing,¡± Darcy replied nervously. If Bruce found out that Grace was in his room, he was dead. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Give me your phone.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Darcy replied and quickly handed the phone to him. Bruce dialed Joanna¡¯s number. He could not figure out why Joanna was mad at him. The phone rang for a long time before Joanna picked it up. She said, her voice a little hoarse, ¡°Hello, Darcy!¡± Hearing Joanna¡¯s voice, Bruce called out excitedly, causing the cigarette between his lips to fall to the ground, ¡°Honey, it¡¯s me!¡± After freezing for a few seconds, Joanna was about to hang up. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t hang up the phone. Even if you want me to die, you have to let me know why. What did I do wrong? Why did you block my number?¡± Bruce said chokingly, his eyes turning red from anger. In this world, only Joanna could piss him off and make him cry. He was conquered by this woman. ¡°You know well what you have done.¡± Joanna grew agitated as she spoke. Bruce blinked. He was so angry that he felt like his lungs were about to explode. What did he do? He was now defending his country. ¡°Make yourself clear. I don¡¯t know what I did wrong.¡± Joanna was so pissed off that tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t know. Bruce, let¡¯s get a divorce!¡± Bruce¡¯s head buzzed. He closed his eyes, his heart ached so much as if it was being pricked by needles. ¡°Honey, we agreed to be honest with each other. I really don¡¯t know what I did wrong. Can you tell me?¡± Joanna sneered. ¡°Bruce, do you know what I hate the most about you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± Bruce asked sadly. Joanna said between sobs, sounding heartbroken, ¡°I can¡¯t stand you lying to me.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. That was true. Sometimes, he could not tell Joanna the truth, so he had to make up a random excuse. However, if someone lied once, he had to use countless lies to cover it up. As a result, Bruce lied more and more often. ¡°Honey, please believe me. I really love you¡­¡± Joanna shook her head in pain. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to love me, Bruce. I¡¯ve given you so many chances. Every time you broke my heart, I believed you and forgave you. ¡°But you let me down again and again. ¡°You¡¯re with Aria. Why don¡¯t you have the guts to admit it? Why do you have to lie to me? Tell me, what¡¯s your rtionship with her? ¡°If you two are truly in love, I¡¯m willing to quit.¡± ¡°Joanna, she and I are really just¡­ ssmates.¡± ¡°ssmates?¡± Joanna snorted. ¡°If that was the case, how could you stay with her alone in her room, hugged her, and even slept with her?¡± ¡°Who slept with her? Can you not insult me? Am I a man who sleeps around in your eyes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to deny it! You know well how many women you have slept with!¡± Joanna said coldly. Bruce was speechless. Indeed, he had had many women before, but that was all in the past. It wasmon for a man to hang out with different women before he met his true love. What was the big deal for a rich bachelor to have fun with a couple of women? Besides, he never betrayed Joanna after they got married. After pondering for a while, Bruce suddenly realized that something was wrong. How did Joanna know that he hugged Aria and went to her room? Bruce¡¯s head buzzed and he unwittingly looked around. There might really be Joanna¡¯s spies around him. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ve already prepared a divorce agreement. When youe back, we¡¯ll sign it and get a divorce,¡± Joanna said coldly. Bruce felt a twinge in his heart. ¡°Joanna, are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. I don¡¯t want to live with a man full of beans. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t take anything from you. I just want what I deserve.¡± Joanna was a woman with dignity, and she had never taken Bruce¡¯s money to heart. However, people were like this sometimes. If a woman didn¡¯t care about a man¡¯s money, he might want to give everything he had to her. But when a woman tried every means to get more money from a man, he might not want to spend a penny on her and watch out for her as if she were a thief. Bruce took a deep breath and struggled to calm himself down. ¡°Honey, I know you¡¯re angry now. I won¡¯t take what you said seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything when I get home.¡± Joanna sneered and retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not angry. I¡¯m serious. The two of us are indeed not suitable to be husband and wife. It¡¯s better for us to be friends. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will raise the child together.¡± Joanna was in despair as she spoke. She really couldn¡¯t stand Bruce lying to her again and again. She just couldn¡¯t figure out why Bruce was so addicted to lying. Bruce let out a sigh and said gently, ¡°Honey, I know you won¡¯t listen to me no matter what I say now. Let¡¯s talk after you calm down. ¡°I swear to God that I haven¡¯t had any other woman since I was with you. ¡°As for Aria, I¡¯ll say it again, she is just my ssmate. We¡¯re now together because¡­¡± Bruce stopped talking. He couldn¡¯t tell anyone about his mission. ¡°That¡¯s it! Whatever she is to you. Bruce, I won¡¯t me you anymore, and I won¡¯t love you anymore.¡± Joanna hung up the phone after saying that. ¡°Hey, Joann¡­¡± Bruce immediately dialed Joanna¡¯s number again. However, Joanna had blocked Darcy¡¯s number. ¡°Damn it! ¡°You¡¯re already a mother of four kids. Why are you still so stubborn?¡± Bruce closed his eyes in anger, feeling so helpless. He had no idea what to do about Joanna. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Darcy stammered, wanting tofort Bruce, but he had no idea what to say. ¡°Here¡¯s your phone!¡± Darcy hurriedly took the phone. Bruce sighed and walked toward his bedroom with a gloomy expression. Now that Joanna was in a rage, and he was abroad, the more he exined, the more suspicious Joanna would be. He needed to figure out a way toplete his mission as soon as possible so that he could return home earlier to clear up the misunderstanding between them. Though Bruce was prepared for the worst, he couldn¡¯t bear to see Joanna suffer the pain of losing her husband and the children suffer the pain of losing their father at such a young age. Therefore, he needed to get himself back alive no matter what. Bruce had been lying in bed for the entire afternoon and didn¡¯t even go to dinner. He had been thinking about what to do next and how to get into District 17. Darcy was as anxious as a cat on hot bricks next door. Grace was still in his room and refused to leave no matter what he said. No one would enter his room to check, but if Bruce learned that there was a woman in his room, he wouldn¡¯t go easy on him. Chapter 1046 Chapter 1046 Chapter 1046 ¡°Grace, you can¡¯t stay here. I¡¯m serious,¡± Darcy said anxiously. Grace pouted at him. ¡°Where can I go at thiste hour? Aren¡¯t you afraid that something might happen to me if I left alone?¡± Darcy was stunned. Grace hugged his arm and said with an enchanting smile, ¡°Come on. Let me stay. No one will find out.¡± As she spoke, she reached out to unbuckle Darcy¡¯s belt. ¡°Grace, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t do this.¡± Darcy looked frightened like a decent woman was going to be forced on by a thug. Grace turned a deaf ear to his words and pushed him down on the bed. Then, she pounced on him and quickly took off her clothes. ¡°Grace¡­¡± Darcy¡¯s face was burning. Grace pulled the nket over to cover them up and was ready to enjoy their romantic time. Darcy still had lingering fears and did not dare to act recklessly. However, in the face of such a passionate, energetic girl, he couldn¡¯t hold back his desire anymore. ¡°Darcy, I love you. I love you so much,¡± Grace said, burning with passion. She never hid her emotions and secrets in front of Darcy. Darcy¡¯s throat felt parched. He threw all caution to the wind and pinned Grace under him. Bruce finished half a pack of cigarettes in the master bedroom but still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. He simply got up, put on his clothes, and walked out of the room. As he hadn¡¯t had dinner yet, he felt a little bit hungry now. He decided to go to Darcy¡¯s room and have a drink with him. Without knocking on the door, Bruce twisted the knob on it. However, to his surprise, the door was locked from the inside. He frowned, feeling that something was amiss. Darcy was his personal bodyguard. When his boss needed him, he should appear in front of him within a minute. Therefore, it was impossible for him to lock the door when he was sleeping. Bruce twisted the doorknob twice more. 1/5 10:17 He could tell the door was indeed locked. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bruce knocked on the door. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Darcy, why did you lock the door? Open it now!¡± he said impatiently. He just wanted to find someone to have a drink with and talk about his worries. Only Darcy dared to talk to him. The other bodyguards were like mice seeing a cat when they saw him. They were terrified even if they stood in front of him, not to mention drinking with him. Hearing the knock on the door, the two passionate people in the room were scared out of their wits. Darcy was so scared that his legs went limp, causing him to rolled out of the bed. He thought that Bruce had learned about what he was doing and was here to check it out. ¡°Oh no! Mr. Everett is here. What should we do?¡± Grace was also in a panic. She clutched the nket tightly, her face as red as a cooked shrimp. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get dressed.¡± Darcy hurriedly put on his pants and threw Grace¡¯s clothes at her. Bang! Bang! Bruce knocked on the door impatiently again. ¡°Darcy, are you sleeping so early? Open the door. What are you doing inside?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, please wait a minute. Here I am,¡± Darcy said as he hurriedly put on his pants and shirt. ¡°Grace,e on. Hide in the cab.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Grace did not even have time to put on her clothes before she slipped into the cab like a thief. Darcy buttoned up his shirt in a hurry and braced himself to open the door. The door opened with a creak. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡­ you haven¡¯t gone to bed yet?¡± Darcy was so nervous that he was incoherent. Seeing this, Bruce eyed him from head to toe. Darcy¡¯s head was covered in sweat and his face was a little red, as if he had just done some strenuous exercise. Moreover, he looked flustered. His shirt was buttoned up wrongly and he wasn¡¯t even wearing shoes. Bruce scanned around the room and asked, ¡°What were you doing just now?¡± Darcy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He said nervously, ¡°No-nothing. I was sleeping just now.¡± ¡°Sleeping?¡± Bruce did not believe him at all. How could people sweat like this while sleeping? He was also a man. He immediately figured out what had happened. Bruce pushed Darcy away and walked into the bedroom. The smell of hormones still lingered in the air, and the bed was a total mess. When Bruce looked down, he even saw a woman¡¯s underwear on the ground. He frowned and looked at Darcy in disbelief. It was obvious that other than the two of them, there was someone else in the room, and it was a woman. Bruce did not expect that someone as honest as Darcy would keep a girl in his room. ¡°What¡¯s under your feet?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­¡± Darcy nced at the underwear at his feet, dumbfounded. His throat was parched and he did not know how to exin. Bruce cleared his throat and said, his eyes full of mockery and surprise, ¡°You¡¯ve got guts!¡± As the boss, he didn¡¯t get a girl for himself. But his bodyguard really knew how to enjoy life and even got a girl to his bedroom. ¡°Hiss! Didn¡¯t you say that you couldn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, well, here¡¯s the thing¡­¡± Bruce waved his hand, not interested in listening to his exnation. ¡°Come out! Stop hiding.¡± Bruce thought that Darcy had got himself a hooker. Grace bit her lip in the cab. Now that she had been discovered, she could only push open the cab door and get out. Bruce looked at her in disbelief, wondering, ¡°Isn¡¯t she Jaydon¡¯s younger sister?¡± ¡°Grace, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Eh-hem! Guess!¡± despite her blushing face, Grace said teasingly with a sly smile. Darcy became worried and immediately said, ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m willing to ept any punishment. This has nothing to do with Grace.¡± Bruce frowned and sized up Darcy and Grace. Grace¡¯s heart ached when she saw how scared her boyfriend was. ¡°Hmph! Darcy, you don¡¯t have to be afraid of him. ¡°He¡¯s fooling around with other women. He doesn¡¯t have the right to stop his, subordinates from dating.¡± Grace looked at Bruce angrily and said in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Mr. Everett, Darcy is my boyfriend. Unlike those married men who cheated on their wives, he doesn¡¯t need to hide our rtionship from others.¡± When Bruce heard this, he froze for a long time before he figured everything out. He could tell Grace was the spy by his side. She must have gossiped about him and Aria in front of Joanna before she knew what had really happened. Otherwise, Joanna wouldn¡¯t have blocked his number and even wanted to divorce him. ¡°Ms. Grace, what do you mean by that?¡± Bruce asked in a stern voice. If it was really Grace who did it, he would not let it go easily. If she did not help him exin to Joanna, he would definitely teach her a good lesson. No, he would teach Jaydon a good lesson. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Grace looked at Bruce fearlessly. Unlike Darcy, she was not afraid of Bruce at all. Bruce sneered and said gloomily, ¡°Now, I know what¡¯s going on. My wife has been at odds with me recently. She blocked me and even wanted to divorce me. It¡¯s all because of you, right?¡± Bruce looked at Grace with a fierce look as he spoke. ¡°What did I do? I just told Joann what I saw with my own eyes. If you didn¡¯t have an affair with that woman, things wouldn¡¯t havee to this point! ¡°You and Joann are married. How can you fool around with other women? Bah! I look down on scumbags like you!¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows. ¡°So, it was really you who told her about this?¡± ¡°So what?¡± Grace looked at him and said arrogantly, puffing out her chest. Bruceughed, but his eyes were icy cold. ¡°What are youughing at? I¡¯m not afraid of you. You¡¯re in the wrong. I¡¯m just telling the truth! ¡°You¡¯re right. It was me who told Joann about you and that shameless woman Aria. What can you do to me?¡± Bruce was burned with anger, but he really couldn¡¯t do anything to Grace. No matter what, he would hit a girl. But he could make Jaydon and Darcy suffer. ¡°Ms. Grace, I¡¯ll give you an hour to fix the mess you caused. Tell my wife you made a mistake and wronged me. ¡°If you can¡¯t convince her, the consequences will be very serious.¡± When Grace heard that, she looked over and was frightened by Bruce¡¯s gaze. She rolled her eyes and quickly hid behind Darcy. ¡°What are you doing? Why are you so harsh? ¡°You, you¡­ Are you going to hit me?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened and he nced at Darcy with an unfathomable look. ¡°Mr. Everett, she¡¯s young and ignorant. Please don¡¯t be angry with her. ¡°Grace, hurry up and exin it to Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t. He¡¯s the one in the wrong. I don¡¯t believe he dares to do anything to me,¡± Grace said stubbornly. ¡°You¡¯re right. I won¡¯t do anything to you. ¡°Darcy, how do you think I should punish you?¡± Darcy¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his face turned solemn. ¡°Mr. Everett, I know what to do,¡± Darcy said as he held his head and started jumping up and down like a frog. He would not dare to stop unless Bruce asked him to do so. Chapter 1047 Chapter 1047 Chapter 1047 ¡°It¡¯s not standard enough. Jump higher.¡± Darcy could only grit his teeth and do as he was told. Although it was easy to do the frog jumps and did not seem like a punishment, Darcy was more than 6.6 feet tall. It was still very strenuous for him to do this. Seeing that the man she loved was being yed, Grace was indignant as she said, ¡°Darcy, why did you do as he said? Why do you listen to him so much?¡± Grace was born rich, and she was still young. She had never worked with anyone, so how could she know the employees¡¯ fears of their bosses? Especially a boss like Bruce. ¡°Bruce, how could you do this? What right do you have to punish others?¡± Bruce snorted and said casually, ¡°Let him do it for an hour first. ¡°If you don¡¯t help me exin it clearly, then I¡¯ll keep him dancing until tomorrow morning. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t jump, I¡¯ll get someone to break his legs and break his hamstrings.¡± Bruce said this purely to scare her. Darcy had been with him for so many years. How could he bear to break his legs? Grace was shocked when she heard that. ¡°How dare you?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if I dare,¡± Bruce said coldly. ¡°What right do you have to do this? Do you believe that I¡¯ll call the police and make them arrest you now¡­¡± Bruce crossed his legs and smiled coldly. ¡°Oh, right. Is your brother still using my certificate of authorization? ¡°I¡¯ll call your brother now. If he wants to continue using the certificate of authorization, I¡¯ll charge 30% of Grimm Group¡¯s profits every year.¡± Grace panicked. ¡°Oh! Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call¡­ I¡¯ll call Joann to exin it, alright?¡± Grace was terrified. She quickly took out her phone and called Joanna. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Joanna picked up the call very quickly. ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± ¡°Well, Joann, um¡­ The videos and photos I sent you previously were all fake. They were all photoshopped. Don¡¯t believe them.¡± As Grace spoke, her eyes rolled. ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, Joanna frowned. How could that be fake? ¡°Well, I¡¯m calling you now to help Mr. Everett exin it. He¡­ He didn¡¯t hook up 1/5 10:18 D with Aria. ¡°Those photos were all photoshopped, so you must not believe them. Please forgive Mr. Everett! Also, no one threatened me and forced me to call you, of course.¡± Joanna took a deep breath and quickly understood everything. Bruce must have threatened Grace. That was why she made this call. When Bruce heard this, he was even angrier. This quick-witted little girl was really infuriating. If she wasn¡¯t a girl, he really wanted to p her to death. This score had to be settled on Jaydon and Darcy. ¡°Keep jumping. Jump higher. Faster,¡± Bruce said coldly. Darcy could only put his arms on his neck and squat down to jump faster and higher. ¡°Grace, is Bruce with you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, he is.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Grace pouted and looked at Bruce. She said unhappily, ¡°He¡¯s punishing Darcy. He¡¯s so fierce.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood. When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her heart ached too. ¡°Give the phone to Bruce.¡± ¡°Hey, Joann wants to speak to you.¡± As she spoke, Grace handed the phone to Bruce. Bruce took the phone. ¡°Hello, honey¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, stop making things difficult for Grace and Darcy,¡± Joanna scolded Bruce immediately. She knew his personality all too well. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Joanna said furiously, ¡°I just want to tell you this is between us. Don¡¯t take your anger out on anyone else.¡± ¡°Honey, let me exin this to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your exnation anymore.¡± ¡°You have to listen. We¡¯ve been through so much together, and you won¡¯t even give me this little bit of trust? ¡°I really feel so pitiful. I really feel so pathetic,¡± Bruce also roared angrily. Sometimes, he really couldn¡¯t stand Joanna¡¯s relentlessness. 10:18 D If he wanted to cheat on her, no one could stop him. Since he had made a promise to her, he could control himself. ¡°¡­¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Yes, I admit it. I¡¯m with Aria now. I¡¯m with her to study something very important. ¡°As for what we¡¯re studying, I¡¯ll definitely tell you when Ie back this time. ¡°Joann, we¡¯ve known each other for such a long time. If I have something to do with another woman, why would I have to give you all my assets? Why would I have to marry you? ¡°Besides, if I want to have something with Aria, we would do it secretly, wouldn¡¯t we? How can we let others take photos so easily?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she thought about it and felt it made sense. She was not that angry anymore. ¡°Honey, I love you! Can you give me some trust? ¡°Can we just get along? Don¡¯t quarrel any more. Let¡¯s not have any more conflicts. When you¡¯re at home, I¡¯m not worried when you meet Jaydon. Why don¡¯t you trust me? ¡°Think about what I said, okay?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything and hung up silently. Now, her mind was in a mess and she needed to calm down. ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± Bruce said hello a few times, but Joanna had already hung up. He wanted to call again, but after thinking about it, he held back. It was better to wait for him to settle everything before going back to exin slowly! Seeing his gloomy expression, Grace hurriedly said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve already exined it to her for you. You can¡¯t me me anymore. ¡°And you can¡¯t punish Darcy anymore.¡± As she spoke, Grace looked at Darcy, who was sweating profusely. Bruce was so angry that he gritted his teeth. His hawk-like eyes darkened. He suddenly raised his hand, wanting to p her. ¡°Oh, Darcy, he¡¯s hitting me!¡± Grace was so frightened that she ran behind Darcy. Bruce waved his hand and snorted. He didn¡¯t want to hit her in the first ce. He just wanted to scare her. He would only hit a woman if he was forced into a corner. ¡°Alright, stop jumping¡± Darcy heaved a sigh of relief. His legs were so sore that they were about to cramp. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ll send her away now¡­¡± 3/5 10:181 ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave. I want to be with you.¡± Grace hugged Darcy and looked at him pitifully. There was a big difference in height between them. She barely reached his heart. Darcy touched her head as if she was a child. ¡°Grace, stop fooling around. I¡¯ll send you away first.¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows. ¡°Since you want to stay here so much, just stay here!¡± When Grace heard this, she immediately beamed with joy and hugged Darcy tightly. ¡°Darcy,e out with me.¡± Bruce led the way out of the room. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± When Darcy walked out of the room, Bruce locked the door behind them. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Why are you locking me in the room? ¡°Open the door!¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Grace was locked in the house and knocked on the door with all her might. Bruce pulled out the key to the door and ordered the butler in the vi coldly, ¡°Since she wants to stay inside so badly, let her stay inside for a few days. Serve her with good food and drinks. Don¡¯t let her leave the room.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Hey, this is illegal detention. Let me out of here. Darcy, let me out. I want toe out. Bruce, you big baddie. Do you believe that I¡¯ll tell Joann all your bad things? ¡°I was wrong. Let me out. I don¡¯t want to be alone in the room. I want to be with Darcy. Darcy, let me out quickly. I want to go out¡­¡± Darcy had a headache. Although he felt sorry for her, how could he dare to let Grace out? He could only steel his heart and ignore her, hoping Bruce¡¯s anger would subside and he could let her out. Grace¡¯s phone was also taken away. She was locked in the room alone. She was so angry that she was about to go crazy. Especially since she and Darcy were so sweet, and they wanted to be tied together like conjoined people. How could she bear to separate from him now? ¡°Let me out! Let me out!¡± Grace cried as she banged on the door, but no one opened the door for her. How evil Bruce was! He wanted to break up the couple and separate them. Before he and Joanna reconciled, they could forget about meeting again. Chapter 1048 Chapter 1048 Chapter 1048 It was the next day. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± The hospital called Bruce before he woke up. ¡°Hey, Jason.¡± Jason¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Hurry up ande to the hospital. There¡¯s a situation here. We¡¯ve already found a trantor and got reliable information from that Eprarian.¡± When Bruce heard this, he quickly jumped up from the bed. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll rush over immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, as soon as possible.¡± Bruce got out of bed, quickly got dressed, and asked Aria and Darcy to go to the hospital. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria asked solemnly. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Twenty minutester, they rushed to the hospital. In the ward, the Eprarian had already regained some consciousness. A trantor was standing beside him. The Eprarian was saying something and the trantor pricked up his ears and listened attentively. ¡°What did he say?¡± The trantor said solemnly, ¡°He said that there¡¯s an underground Dark river in District 17 that leads to the research base.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. When Bruce and Aria heard this, they were excited. ¡°Ask him where the exact location is.¡± The trantor asked the Eprarian again. ¡°He says there¡¯s a grove about ten miles west of Karchi Lake. It¡¯s a river that drains sewage, and all the wastewater from the research institute is discharged from there.¡± The Eprarian panted heavily and looked at Bruce weakly, then he mumbled a few words. Bruce did not understand and quickly asked the trantor, ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said he and five other colleagues were captured and sent to District 17. There were also many children from Ziviet and Elmerton inside. All of them were caught for research. 1/4 10:18 D ¡°Their organization copied some of the information they found into a microchip. Now, that microchip is hidden in a tree near that Dark river. He asked you to find the microchip and not let their efforts go to waste.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± After saying that, the Eprarian let out hisst breath, straightened his body, and closed his eyes. Not only were Bruce and the others investigating this matter, but agents from other countries were also investigating it Although they did not cross paths, their goal was the same. They wanted to expose the conspiracy of Meltarian and maintain world peace. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t die yet¡­¡± ¡°No, he can¡¯t hold on any longer.¡± Bruce, Aria, and the others felt a wave of regret. However, they had finally obtained some crucial information. This was already a major breakthrough for them. ¡°Bury him properly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll bury him properly.¡± Bruce and Aria walked out of the hospital with heavy thoughts. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s find this microchip first.¡± Aria looked at Bruce seriously. ¡°Pack up. We¡¯ll rush to no man¡¯snd tomorrow and find that microchip he mentioned.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Bruce, we¡¯re going to no man¡¯snd tomorrow. Do you¡­ have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°1 Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. He just lit a cigarette and looked ahead sadly. This Eprarian had said a lot of key information. Now, he had to find the microchip and enter District 17 ording to the way he provided. No matter what, he had to investigate the secrets of District 17 and expose the ugly faces of Meltarian to the world. In particr, a lot of children were lost in a lot of ces a while ago. Unexpectedly, they were all sent there for human research. ¡°Aria, are you ready for the n I told you about?¡± Aria listened and stared nkly at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, are you sure you want to activate that n?¡± Bruce blew out a smoke ring and said heavily, ¡°Aria, if this mission fails, help me carry out the original n.¡± When Aria heard this, she looked at him even more sadly. ¡°Bruce, you really love your wife.¡± 2/4 10:18 ¡°¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. He did love Joanna very much. He also loved his children very much. He was willing to give up everything for them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If that day reallyes, I¡¯ll definitely do as you say. ¡°Now, everything¡¯s almost done. Just imnt the microchip and it¡¯s ready to go.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else. He went straight into the distance. Aria could not help but stare at Bruce¡¯s tall back for a long time. She really couldn¡¯t control her heart. If possible, she was really willing to give up everything in exchange for being with him. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Aria was in a daze for a long time. She could not help but call Joanna. ¡°Hello, who is that?¡± Joanna answered the call. Aria said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s me, Aria.¡± When Joanna heard this, her tone was a little cold. ¡°Why are you calling me?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, I called you because I want to talk to you.¡± ¡°I have nothing to talk to you about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to you about Bruce. Don¡¯t you want to hear it?¡± Aria¡¯s tone carried a hint of oppression. It was as if she was Bruce¡¯s real wife and knew Bruce better than Joanna. Joanna tried her best to suppress her anger but did not hang up. ¡°Yesterday, Bruce reprimanded me and asked me if I called you. ¡°I think it¡¯s ridiculous that a man like him would stoop so low for you.¡± Joanna said coldly, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to say anything. I¡¯m just telling you that there¡¯s nothing between me and Bruce. Please don¡¯t be mad at him anymore. He¡¯s so sad now. I don¡¯t want to see him so sad.¡± When Joanna heard this, the anger that had subsided instantly red up again. The matter between her and Bruce was not for others to criticize. Even if there were arguments and conflicts between them, it was between the two of them. There was no need for others to feel sorry for him and defend him. ¡°Miss Bridges, I want to remind you not to forget your identity. ¡°Bruce and I are husband and wife. How we get along is our business. You don¡¯t have to defend him!¡± 3/4 10:18 ¡°Oh, Joanna, you have no idea how lucky you are. I would be pleased to have such a husband if I were you.¡± Aria did not hide her envy for Joanna. ¡°Too bad. He¡¯s my husband now.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve already gotten him, you should cherish him. You shouldn¡¯t throw a tantrum at the slightest provocation. You have to understand him, feel sorry for him, and love him¡­¡± ¡°Aria, you¡¯re funny. How I treat him is my business. Does it have anything to do with you?¡± Joanna was so angry that her lungs were about to explode. Aria¡¯s tone made it seem like she was closer to Bruce than Joanna. ¡°The matter between you and Bruce has nothing to do with me. I just can¡¯t stand your behavior. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s so good about you that Bruce loves you so much? ¡°Just because you gave birth to four children for him? Come on! Every woman can have children. You¡¯re not the only one who knows how to have children. So, don¡¯t think that you¡¯re better than others. ¡°Many women are fighting for the man you don¡¯t cherish,¡± Aria said bluntly. Joanna¡¯s face turned pale. She was so angry that her heart ached. ¡°Aria, what identity are you using to use me?¡± Aria said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m reminding you as Bruce¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s your motive? Bruce?¡± Aria sneered. ¡°I just feel sorry for Bruce. I feel sorry for him for being so humble to a woman. I don¡¯t want to see him like this. If you can¡¯t love and trust him 100%, then you¡¯re even less worthy of being his wife.¡± ¡°Whether I¡¯m worthy or not is not up to you to decide. ¡°What do you mean by calling me now? Did Bruce ask you to make this call?¡± Aria neither defended nor denied. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve really put in a lot of effort for Bruce.¡± Chapter 1049 Chapter 1049 Chapter 1049 Aria said with a half sneer and half sigh, ¡°You don¡¯t have to mock me. I can tell you the truth. I do love Bruce. At leastpared to you, I dare say that I love him. more than you do. ¡°It¡¯s just that Bruce doesn¡¯t love me. No matter how much I try to salvage the situation and how I want him to change his mind, he still only loves you. You should be d that you can marry him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Joanna took a deep breath. Her hand, which was holding the phone, trembled slightly. ¡°If I were you, I would love him with my life, be considerate of him, and take good care of him. I wouldn¡¯t doubt him, question him, or make him feel ufortable.¡± Aria smiled destely and said disdainfully, ¡°A woman like you is selfish. You only consider your feelings. You never consider his feelings.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but sneer. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t you judge other people¡¯s feelings. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you know him very well. Don¡¯t think that you know him well just because you were in love with Bruce. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to think you¡¯re noble and high-hearted. You would have followed him when he returned to the country if you loved him that much. ¡°You were the one who let him go back then. Why are you being so pretentious now? Are you trying to sow discord? ¡°Let me tell you, no matter what you are up to, don¡¯t show off your eloquence and self-righteous knowledge in front of me. Just as you said, Bruce is not a fool. Since he doesn¡¯t want to choose you, you should look within yourself for reasons.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to sow discord? I¡¯m self-righteous?¡± Aria was amused by these words. She had always felt that women like Joanna were very shallow in thinking and knowledge. They were not worthy of her and Bruce. She was the youngest biological scientist and the best agent. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. What about Joanna? She was just a shallow woman who only knew to give birth and please men. What right did she have to say that she was self-righteous? ¡°Joanna, with your taste and knowledge, you¡¯re only fit to revolve around your husband and children. ¡°I¡¯m not as idle as you are, and I can¡¯t y the role of a good wife and mother.¡± When Joanna heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°Then why are you still saying these things? Now that you think you can¡¯t be a good wife and mother, 1/4 10:18 what makes you think Bruce should love you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aria choked and was speechless. Indeed, she had always thought that she was better than Joanna. She was more capable than her and better than her in all aspects. There was no reason for her to lose to her. She could not figure out, even more, why Bruce was so devoted to Joanna. But the truth was, a man as outstanding and strong as Bruce could solve any problem. Why would he want a woman as strong and excellent as he was? He had nock of outstanding women by his side. But hecked someone like Joanna who could get along with him equally. They would never amodate him or lower their bottom line because of his status. To put it bluntly, men might not like a woman who was obedient to them. However, they would definitely like a woman who could subdue him. Deep down, they actually yearned to be subdued by women. Moreover, it was exciting and could fully stimte their desire to conquer and rebel. Like wild horses, they might not let a woman ride on them even if she fed them well. A woman could hit or scold them, and as long as they were tamed, they would be obedient and only recognize this woman. Joanna didn¡¯t want to talk to her anymore. She said coldly, ¡°Alright, I already know why you called me. I appreciate your suggestion. Perhaps I should trust him more.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aria was quite angry. This was not the reaction she wanted. She wanted to see Joanna continue to be unreasonable to Bruce. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up. After hanging up, she was still so angry that her heart ached. Bruce was a bastard. He should not have messed with Aria. And now, she was even more frightened. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Then, she immediately called Bruce. After receiving Joanna¡¯s call, Bruce immediately picked up. ¡°Hello, honey.¡± Joanna said weakly, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s throat tightened. ¡°Honey, you finally called me.¡± ¦§ Joanna pondered. She was originally angry and wanted to scold him, but it was stuck in her heart and she could not say a word. 2/4 10:18 Aria was right. She should give Bruce more trust. Since she had chosen to believe him, she should not be suspicious anymore. If Bruce had something going on with Aria, Aria would not have called her so angrily to criticize her. ¡°Hey, honey¡­ Hello, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was cautious. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be mad at me anymore, okay? ¡°I know. I lied to you again this time. I didn¡¯t tell you that I was with Aria. ¡°I was worried you would be angry and let your imagination run wild. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you,¡± Bruce quickly seized the opportunity to exin. Joanna was silent for nearly a minute before asking quietly, ¡°Bruce, what exactly are you doing now? ¡°I want to hear the truth.¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let my imagination run wild. I don¡¯t want to be scared anymore. No matter what you¡¯re doing, I can ept it. But you must tell me. Don¡¯t lie to me again.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°¡­Honey, there are some things that I can¡¯t tell you yet. But I can guarantee you that it¡¯s not rted to romances, nor is it illegal.¡± 11 ¡± ¡®Joanna choked. What Jaydon said to her couldn¡¯t help but appear in her mind. Bruce seemed to have a secret, and this secret seemed¡­ in short, it was hard to exin. However, she could not figure out what secret he was hiding. He was Greyport¡¯s richest man who owned billion-dor assets. He was rich and of good station, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. But now, he really seemed to be in trouble. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m going to no man¡¯snd again tomorrow. You might not be able to get through to me again. Stay home, and don¡¯t let your thoughts run wild, okay?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°Bruce, can youe back safely?¡± She had a premonition that what Bruce was doing was very dangerous. Although she didn¡¯t know what he was doing, she was certain that it would be a very tricky matter. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had to deal with it himself. And it wouldn¡¯t have taken him so long. When Bruce heard this, his heart ached, and his eyes could not help but turn red. After pondering for a few seconds, heughed heartily. ¡°Silly girl, what are you thinking about again? ¡°I will definitelye back!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Silly girl, I¡¯ll give you a 100% guarantee that I¡¯ll be home within two months,¡± As Bruce spoke, a meaningful look appeared in the corner of his eyes. Indeed, no matter what, ¡°he¡± would definitely return home. If he died, Joanna must not be able to withstand the shock and pain. Also, the children were too young. They would be pitiful without their father¡¯spany and protection. Chapter 1050 Chapter 1050 Chapter 1050 ¡°Then you have to keep your word. Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice softened. ¡°I swear to you that I won¡¯t lie to you. No matter what, I will protect myself and go home safely,¡± Bruce promised her solemnly. When Joanna heard this, her eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll trust you once more. ¡°If you dare to lie to me again, I won¡¯t forgive you in the future.¡± ¡°Well, I definitely won¡¯t lie to you.¡± Joanna thought about it and was still angry. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re doing with Aria. You can¡¯t give her any wrong hints,¡± she said. ¡°What wrong hints?¡± ¡°Hmph, she just called me. She said that she still loves you very much and that I shouldn¡¯t be angry with you. ¡°Do you think I should be angry with you?¡± Joanna asked him angrily. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s all my fault. As long as you¡¯re angry, it must be my fault.¡± Bruce acted as if he was a hen-pecked husband. He was also at fault, of course. He shouldn¡¯t have carried Aria. He could have let others hold her, but why did he have to do it himself? However, it happened so suddenly that he really did not think of it. ¡°So, you have to keep a good distance from her and stop letting her imagination. run wild. ¡°Well, if you really want to develop something with her, you can tell me directly, of course. I¡¯ll fulfill your wish.¡± ¡°Honey, what are you talking about again?¡± Bruce frowned. This Aria was really annoying. He had already rejected her clearly so many times. Why was she still self-sentimental? ¡°Honey, don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. No matter what she says, just think of her as a crazy woman. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t have any thoughts about her. I¡¯ll go home immediately after I¡¯m done with work.¡± ¡°Okay, then. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Is everything all right at home?¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing wrong.¡± ¡°Miss me. You have to miss me every day.¡± Joanna sighed angrily. ¡°What¡¯s the use of missing you? Can youe back immediately just because I miss you?¡± ¡°Silly girl, you can¡¯t block my phone number and Messenger whenever you¡¯re mad at me in the future. Add my Messenger back. I want to video call you and see Lilia.¡± As he spoke, Bruce sent a friend request to Joanna. He finally added her again on Messenger. Bruce couldn¡¯t wait to start a video call. Joanna also called Lilia over. The father and daughter were close, so, they had to call each other. of course, In the video, Lilia smiled brightly and waved at her daddy. ¡°Hello, Daddy.¡± Seeing her daughter¡¯s cute look, Bruce¡¯s heart seemed to have melted into cotton candy. ¡°Baby, my sweetheart, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Is your leg getting better? Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Mommy said she¡¯ll bring me to Gaprington to remove the orthodontics next month. When my leg recovers, I can learn ballet.¡± Bruce smiled so happily that wrinkles appeared on his handsome face. ¡°That¡¯s great. Daddy will find the best dance teacher for you.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you, Daddy. When are youing back? I miss you so much!¡± ¡°Well, Daddy will be back in a month or two.¡± The father and daughter were chatting intimately when Devin bit the pacifier and walked over to the video in a daze. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Bruce could not help butugh when he saw his youngest son¡¯s cute and chubby appearance. ¡°Devin, what are you eating?¡± ¡°Apple,¡± Joanna replied. The multi-purpose pacifier bite was filled with a few pieces of apple. It was a miracle for babies. They could use it to grind their teeth, eat some small fruits, or use them as a pacifier. Bruce snorted andughed. ¡°You only like eating all day long. Be careful not to be a little fatty.¡± ¡°Where are Davian and Irvin? Where did those two brats go?¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing their homework in the room. I¡¯ll call them out.¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin,e here¡­¡± Three minutester, Davian and Irvin also ran over from the room. Irvin was the first to approach the screen. Because he was changing his teeth, two of his front teeth had already fallen off, and new ones had yet to grow. It seemed that he was less handsome than before and was more mischievous. ¡°Daddy, did you buy us a Transformers figurine?¡± ¡°All you do is ask for toys.¡± In the video, Joanna and the four children took turns chatting with him. The family chatted happily. Bruce looked at the screen and his eyes could not help but turn red. In the future, he did not know if he would have the chance to reunite with his family again. ¡°Okay, Daddy, we¡¯re going to do our homework.¡± ¡°Okay, go! The two of you are big brothers and little men. Be good at home and listen to Mommy. You have to learn to protect Mommy and your sister.¡± ¡°Got it, Daddy.¡± After saying that, the two little guys ran back to their rooms to do their homework. ¡°Honey, I love you.¡± ¡°Alright, stop being so mushy.¡± ¡°Say you love me.¡± ¡°Love you. Is that okay?¡± Bruce looked dissatisfied. ¡°It¡¯s not affectionate at all. You¡¯re being too perfunctory.¡± ¡°Bruce, I love you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you. Louder.¡± Joanna¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°Get lost. Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± ¡°Aha, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After hanging up, Bruce¡¯s eyes turned even redder. At this moment, he really wanted to go home and stay with his wife and children. But he knew that he had an even more important mission and duty on his shoulders. In the blink of an eye- arrived. After dinner, Bruce and the others prepared to rest. They would be going to no man¡¯snd tomorrow. They had to conserve their energy and go to bed early today. Darcy looked at Bruce nervously. ¡°Mr. Everett, well¡­ Grace¡­¡± Bruce did not raise his head as he said casually, ¡°Let her stay there for a few more days. I¡¯ve instructed the butler to take good care of her.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Darcy wanted to say something but stopped. He looked at Bruce pitifully. Bruce knew what he meant and red at him. ¡°We¡¯re going to no man¡¯snd tomorrow. If I let her out now, do you think she¡¯ll be willing to go home obediently?¡± Darcy frowned when he heard that. Indeed, a clingy girl like Grace would definitely follow him to no man¡¯snd. But it was too dangerous there. It was too inconvenient to bring her along. ¡°Then, let her stay in there for a few days. When we leave, we¡¯ll send her back to the country.¡± ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already instructed.¡± ¡°¡­ Mr. Everett, I, can I meet her tonight?¡± Darcy stuttered again. ¡°You still want to see her? Hmph, dream on.¡± Bruce rejected mercilessly. As the boss, he had to endure loneliness. So how could he let Darcy be happy? No way. The next day, they got ready and prepared to set off. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria looked at Bruce eagerly. ¡°Well, you and Jason will be in the same car.¡± Aria looked at him in disappointment. She still wanted to be in the same car with him. It was a few hundred miles away. She still wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. ¡°You guys head to the camp first. I¡¯ll go look for the microchip directly,¡± Bruce said directly. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯ll be troublesome if there are too many people. I¡¯ll bring Darcy and my men. You guys can wait at the camp for news.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Bruce!¡± Aria wanted to say something else, but Bruce had already gotten into the car. Chapter 1051 Chapter 1051 Chapter 1051 ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m still worried about you. Let me go with you to look for the microchip, okay?¡± Aria refused to give up. Her eyes were filled with reluctance and worry. When Bruce heard this, he looked at Aria steadily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Take care of your own safety!¡± Just as he was about to close the car door, Bruce added gloomily, ¡°Well, please remember to help me with that thing.¡± When Aria heard this, she felt even more heartbroken. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! If anything happens to me, please activate that n immediately,¡± Bruce said worriedly. He was a man. Of course, he would be the one to do the most dangerous thing. Therefore, he naturally took the lead in entering that Dark river to look for the microchip. The others stayed in the camp to receive them. It was much safer, rtively speaking. When Aria heard this, her eyes turned red. She bit her lip and said, ¡°Bruce, you must be careful. You have to protect yourself.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Bruce smiled at her and mmed the car door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Buzz!¡± Darcy stepped on the elerator and drove the car away. This top-of-the-line Hummer off-road vehicle had great power, and the airwaves swept up ayer of dust. It left in a hurry. Looking at the off-road vehicle driving away, Aria¡¯s eyes turned red and she felt like crying. More than a dozen agents of this organization had died toplete this mission. She and Bruce. were in the fourth group to execute the task. If they failed, they would end up like the first three groups. At this moment, she could only pray silently in her heart that they could walk out of no man¡¯snd alive. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s get in the car too! We have to rush to the camp and meet up with Leo and the others first.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Aria got into the car with a heavy heart, and Jason followed. The three/cars drove on the road one after another. Darcy was at the front and drove the fastest. Soon, he pulled away from the two cars behind him. Bruce sat in the back seat. He had been resting with his eyes closed, but he suddenly wanted to talk to Darcy. ¡°Darcy.¡± Darcy drove and replied respectfully, ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce subconsciously straightened his back and asked casually, ¡°How long have you been with me?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t remember clearly. Probably about 12 years!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long? Time flies,¡± Brucemented. He then looked out the window. The buildings outside the car window were getting fewer and fewer, and the view was getting wider. It was about three hours from here to no man¡¯snd. It would take at least six to seven hours to reach that Dark river mentioned by that Eprarian. ¡°When we return to the country, do you have any wishes?¡± Darcye¡¯s eyes darkened as he drove. Before he could reply, Bruce answered his question, ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. The most important thing for you is to get married and have children. ¡°When we go back this time, you can also retire. When we return, I¡¯ll hold a grand wedding for you and Grace.¡± When Darcy heard this, a smile appeared in his eyes. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Everett. It¡¯s still too early to say this. She¡­ hasn¡¯t even agreed to marry me. ¡°No matter what, I have to propose first. Also, I need to meet her family. I¡¯m afraid Mr. Grimm might not agree to it.¡± Darcy¡¯s tone was calm with a hint of longing and nervousness.. When Bruce heard this, he felt a little regretful. Last night, he should have agreed for Darcy to meet Grace. This trip to no man¡¯snd was so dangerous. Not only was he in danger, but it was also possible -that Darcy and Carson would not be able to return. He would feel guilty if Darcy also died in no man¡¯snd. After all, they were not National Defense Bureau¡¯s people but were just employees. It was not worth it for them to lose their lives and apany him to die. The car passed by the gas station. ¡°Fill up the tank and get ready.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett,¡± Darcy said as he drove the car into the gas station. If they continued forward, they would enter no man¡¯snd. There would be no more people in a few hundred miles. Although there was still a lot of gas in the car, they still had to fill it up as much as possible. Chapter 1052 Chapter 1052 Chapter 1052 Apart from filling up the tank, he had to prepare more rations, water, medicine, and such. After all, he did not know how many days he would be gone, so he had to prepare more. After refueling, the two of them had a simple meal and began to wait for Carson and the others in the car. Twenty minutester, Carson also drove over. ¡°You drove too fast. I almost couldn¡¯t keep up with you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not waiting for you. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s anyone ahead. You should fill the tank now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Carson replied and refueled his car. Bruce nced at the sun. It was already noon. He could not dy any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Darcy drove in front, followed by Carson and Tom. Most of the supplies were in Carson¡¯s car. After driving for another two hours, the cars hadpletely entered the no man¡¯snd. The area within a circumference of a few hundred miles was deserted. Just the natural conditions alone were life-threatening, not to mention other things. There was the Gorgon Desert, a swamp, a bottomlesske, and the dark river. All kinds of wild nts and animals grew savagely, making people exim at the secret workings of nature. A screeching sound was heard as Darcy stopped the car. A river had blocked the road ahead. If the car wanted to pass through, it had to detour. ¡°Mr. Everett, if we continue forward, we¡¯ll reach the depths of the no man¡¯snd. ¡°There won¡¯t be any signal inside anymore. We can only go in on foot. What should we do?¡± Bruce got out of the car and observed the surroundings. ¡°Darcy, Carson, stay here and wait.¡± Darcy was worried. ¡°Mr. Everett, let us go with you.¡± Bruce frowned and refused. ¡°No, someone has to pick us up here. If we all go in and encounter danger, there won¡¯t even be anyone toe to our aid.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. When Darcy heard that, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Then the two of them will stay here. I¡¯ll If you go alone and encounter any danger, you won¡¯t even have anyone to help you, Mr. Everett. That definitely won¡¯t do.¡± go with you. Bruce considered. ¡°Yes, alright, that will do as well.¡± F???? ? ? After Bruce finished exining, he and Darcy drove again, preparing to bypass the river and drive deeper into the no man¡¯snd. Carson and Tom stayed where they were and waited. After Darcy circled 9 miles, he finally found a ce where the water was shallow. The off-road vehicle could wade across. After driving for more than an hour, the road conditions became more difficult. The wheels would sink into soft mud or sand from time to time, and it was very difficult to drive out. ¡°Mr. Everett, the signal is down. We might need to use the map.¡± Darcy stopped the car and took out a map to study the direction and destination. ¡°This spot should be the dark river that the Eprarian mentioned.¡± Bruce looked at the location indicated by Darcy¡¯s finger. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, look, there are traces of wheels on the ground. ¡°Unfortunately, the car can¡¯t go any further. We might have to walk.¡± When Bruce heard that, he frowned. ¡°Bring me the map. Let me take a look.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± Darcy handed the map to Bruce. Bruce took the map and looked at it carefully. This ce was about dozens of miles from the dark river of Karchi Lake that the Eprarian mentioned. With his and Darcy¡¯s stamina, it would take at least three to four hours to walk there. ¡°It¡¯s two o¡¯clock in the afternoon now. If we want to go in on foot, we have to get to the dark river before six. ¡°It¡¯s winter now. The sun sets early. At night, we can¡¯t travel anymore.¡± Darcy took a deep breath. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pity that the car can¡¯t drive in, and the target is too obvious.¡± Bruce thought for a few seconds and said decisively, ¡°Carry the things on your back. We¡¯ll walk over immediately¡­ ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Darcy opened the trunk of the car and took out two backpacks filled with essential items. They contained all the necessary things for survival in the wild. There were weapons, ropes, bread, water, and such. They weighed over 44 pounds. The two carried one backpack on each of their backs and walked deeper. ¡°Will there be a swamp in the water? If only we could make a simple boat. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we make it to Karchi Lake before it gets dark.¡± Bruce did not speak. He looked around cautiously as he walked. He had to remember the direction. and route. They must not get lost. In this godforsaken ce, the soil contained arge amount of iron. The maic field would be disturbed, and even thepass would lose its effect. ¡°This path is getting more difficult. I really don¡¯t know how that Eprarian managed to walk out of -here.¡± Bruce frowned andmented. That Eprarian was seriously injured and had been infected with some strange virus. Bruce did not even know how that person had escaped from this ce. When Darcy heard that, he looked at Bruce with a solemn gaze. He wanted to ask something, but he held back. All these years, he had been by Bruce¡¯s side, risking his life without a word ofint. He had also suspected Bruce¡¯s true identity before but had never asked. ¡°Darcy, have you ever regretted following me? ¡°This time, we might not be able to return to Greyport.¡± A simple and honest smile appeared on Darcy¡¯s face. He whispered, ¡°Anyway, I owe my life to you, Mr. Everett. If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t have lived until now. Even if I can¡¯t go back this time, I¡¯ve outlived myself by more than ten years. It has been worth it.¡± Chapter 1053 Chapter 1053 Chapter 1053 Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly. If Darcy had not mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten about it. More than ten years ago, Darcy was still a boxer in the underground boxing ring. He also represented the boxing ring, participating in various boxingpetitions and fixed boxing matches. In one of the most crucial boxing matches, the behind-the-scenes boss asked him to lose to his opponent in a fixed boxing match. However, that match was of extraordinary significance to him. He did not listen to the behind-the-scenes boss¡¯s instructions and won thatpetition eventually. As a result, the behind-the-scenes boss lost arge sum of money. Because of that, he offended the behind-the- scenes boss and was hunted down by various underworld forces. For thest time, he was severely wounded by a group of thugs, and his life was hanging by a thread. It was also because he was not destined to die that he happened to encounter Bruce. This might be a tricky problem for Darcy, but it was a piece of cake for Bruce. Bruce helped Darcy deal with the underworld forces effortlessly and made Darcy his bodyguard. From then on, Darcy¡¯s life changed drastically. Even though Darcy was only Bruce¡¯s bodyguard, he was still someone with status. Therefore, Darcy was filled with gratitude for Bruce and had always been loyal. When Bruce encountered danger, Darcy would even rush to the front at the risk of his life. As Bruce walked, he was tripped by the vines and staggered. Darcy quickly reached out to help him. ¡°Mr. Everett, be careful.¡± Bruce bnced his body. Before Darcy could help him, he had already stabilized himself. ¡°This ce is full of swamps. We have to be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Darcy took the lead to explore the way with a trekking stick. After the two of them walked for another half an hour, the sky was already pitch ck. Although this ce was considered a hot and humid area, the temperature difference between day and night was huge. It might be hot during the day when they wore short sleeves, but it would still be cold at night even when they wore down jackets. Bruce took a deep breath and looked at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We have to find a ce to spend the night first. Otherwise, the temperature at night will be even lower. We can¡¯t see the road now, so we can¡¯t travel anymore.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A momentter, the two of them found a rtively t terrain sheltered from the wind and nned to spend the night there. Darcy took out a simple tent and sleeping bag from his backpack. He then opened the tent andid out a damp-proof mat. ¡°Mr. Everett, sit down and rest first. I¡¯ll start a fire and boil some hot water!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce put down his backpack and took out a map andpass to check. Meanwhile, Darcy went to pick up some dead branches and rotten leaves nearby. He started a fire and boiled some hot water. ¡°Mr. Everett, have some hot water!¡± Bruce took the cup and drank a few mouthfuls of hot water. Darcy was busy breaking the bread and cooking it like thick oatmeal. After walking for so long, the two of them had exhausted a lot of energy and were hungry. Bruce was originally very picky about food, but now, he was thankful enough that he had something to eat. As night fell, all kinds of strange birds¡¯ cries and the sound of the wind rose and fell, shrouding the ce with a creepy atmosphere. ¡°Darcy, what day is it today?¡± ¡°Well, it should be the 30th.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Is it the day before Halloween today? Is Halloween here again so soon?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Darcy answered honestly. Bruce ate the bread cooked like oatmeal, and his prating eyes suddenly narrowed. Last Halloween, he seemed to be still bedridden. It seemed that he had not spent a single Halloween with Joanna and the children. Bruce subconsciously took out his phone, wanting to call Joanna. However, after taking out the phone, he realized that there was no signal. ¡°Next year, I¡¯ll definitely spend Halloween with you.¡± ¡°Rest early after eating. Time is tight. We still have to travel tomorrow.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you go to sleep first. I¡¯ll keep watch for a while.¡± Darcy looked around while packing up the things. This was a wilderness where wild animals ran rampant. It would be dangerous if both of them slept soundly. Therefore, one of them had to keep watch. Bruce was also exhausted. He went straight into the tent to rest. He nned to sleep in the first half of the night and keep watch in the second half of the night. Over at Greyport, due to the time difference, it was still daytime. The children were also on holiday and were happily waiting for Halloween. ¡°Mommy, is Daddy not coming back for Halloween?¡± Joanna was busy arranging the festive lights as she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that your daddy won¡¯t be back for another month or two?¡± wait ¡°Another month or two? That means I¡¯ll have to wait until Christmas before he returns?¡± Davian blinked and began to calcte the days. Irvin fiddled with a small drone toy and sighed. ¡°I hope Daddy cane back before Christmas. What I¡¯m worried about now is that Daddy breaks his promise and might not be able to rush back in time for Christmas.¡± When Lilia heard that, she pouted and said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m sure Daddy can rush back in time.¡± Irvin rolled his eyes and teased mischievously, ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that Daddy won¡¯t be able toeMaterial ? N?velDrama.Org. 2/4 back even if he wants to.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it. Are you hoping that Daddy won¡¯te back?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just afraid that Daddy will encounter an unwanted romance. Tsk, tsk, tsk. With Daddy being such a charming man and Mommy not by his side to keep watch, those beautiful women will definitely rack their brains to make their presence known in front of Daddy.¡± When Joanna heard that, her brows furrowed into a knot. ¡°Irvin, I realized that you know a little too much.¡± ¡°Men have to mature early. After all, mature men are more charming, just like Daddy.¡± Irvin¡¯s tone was like that of a little adult. It was simply not something a seven or eight-year-old child could say. Joanna was speechless. She did not know what to say about this child. He knew more about some strange things than her. She did not know if she should be happy or worried. When he grew up, he would definitely be quite something. Putting everything else aside, he would definitely be a yboy. After thinking for a while, Joanna said with a straight face, ¡°I¡¯m going to sign you up for two more enrichment sses so that you can swim in the sea of knowledge.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need, Mommy! I¡¯ve learned more. My brain needs to rest.¡± Joanna snorted. ¡°I think you¡¯ve learned too many nonsensical things. Since your thirst for knowledge is so strong, I¡¯ll definitely satisfy your desire to learn.¡± When Irvin heard that, he looked like he was better off dead. ¡°No! Mommy, my dear Mommy, please spare your cute, smart, and lively precious son!¡± When Davian and Lilia heard that, they could not help but snicker. They thought, ¡°Now you know the consequences of being garrulous, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the day before Halloween today. Unfortunately, Daddy isn¡¯t around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Every year, whenever we have an important holiday, either Daddy or Mommy is not around. Sigh, we¡¯ve never celebrated a holiday as aplete family.¡± When Joanna heard that, sheforted the children. ¡°Your daddy said that when hees back this time, he won¡¯t go on any missions again in the future. ¡°When your daddy returns, he¡¯ll have plenty of time to spend with us.¡± ¡°Really?¡± the three little ones asked in unison. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡± Davian raised his head handsomely. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s more interesting to have Daddy by our side during the holidays. Now that Daddy isn¡¯t around, the atmosphere seems off.¡± The servants decorated the vi with a festive atmosphere, withrge Halloween trees and colorful lights inside and outside the house. However, because Bruce was not around, the ce still looked a little deserted. A ringing sound was heard. Joanna¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Grace¡¯s exasperated voice was heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Grace, how are you doing in Melta?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Grace was angry and aggrieved. She said indignantly into the phone, ¡°Joann, your husband has gone overboard. I have toin about him. Why is there such a domineering man? He¡¯spletely unreasonable. He¡¯s simply inhumane. He¡¯s too much of a bully.¡± When Joanna heard that, her heart tightened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What exactly happened?¡± ¡°Did you know that he locked me in my room for two days? He even confiscated my phone and refused to let me meet Darcy. I was only released today. ¡°He¡¯s illegally detaining me against my will. I can even sue him. He has gone overboard. It¡¯s too infuriating. Your husband is so vile.¡± Joanna¡¯s face froze, and she was speechless. She did not know how to reply to Grace. Bruce was indeed very unreasonable at times. He did not care about others¡¯ feelings at all. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t know where he has gone now. He took Darcy with him.¡± ¡°Well, why don¡¯t youe back first?¡± Chapter 1054 Chapter 1054 Chapter 1054 Grace was still furious. ¡°Joann, where did your husband and Darcy go? I have to find him.¡± Joannaughed dryly and sighed. ¡°Grace, they might have gone to do something, and bringing you along isn¡¯t suitable. Why don¡¯t youe back first¡­¡± you Hearing Joanna¡¯s calm tone, Grace was even angrier. She asked in shock, ¡°Joann, aren¡¯t worried at all? Aren¡¯t you angry at all? Your husband has an ambiguous rtionship with that woman, Bridges. Have you forgiven him so quickly?¡± After hearing that, Joanna let out a silent breath. Grace was only in her twenties. She was young, impetuous, and abhorred evil as if it was her enemy. She spoke or acted on hearsay, and her temper came at the drop of a hat. At Grace¡¯s age, she could not tolerate a hint of betrayal in her romantic rtionship. However, at Joanna¡¯s age, she had been enlightened about many problems and would show tolerance toward the other party. ¡°He was cuddling with that Aria, and they were even alone in the same room. I don¡¯t even know what illicit business they were doing. You could even forgive him for that. Aren¡¯t you toocking in character?¡± ¡°He already exined to me that he and Aria are just friends.¡± Grace retorted disdainfully, ¡°You believe what he says? A man¡¯s words should never be trusted. If a man¡¯s words can be trusted, pigs might fly too. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you know what your husband was like in the past? You could even forgive him for having an affair. You¡¯re a disgrace to us women. ¡°If it were me, I would first skin him alive before kicking him to the vast ocean. I would divorce him and make his life hellish.¡± Joanna was speechless and could not find any words to r¨¦fute her. Bruce was indeed a liar. He could lie through his teeth. However, she still believed that he loved her. There was no doubt about his love for her. She did not know what he was doing now, but he must have his reasons. She should trust him and their love. Moreover, they had gone through so many life-and-death situations to be together. If truth be told, every time he had a close shave with death, only one belief remained in her heart. It was fine as long as he was alive. Everything else was really secondary. Bruce had experienced so many hardships and tribtions. He was not socking in restraint as to be easily tempted by a woman. She was being unreasonable. She should not have suspected him. ¡°Well, my husband¡­ He does have a bad temper. He¡¯s more domineering and doesn¡¯t care about others¡¯ feelings. ¡°But he actually doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions. He was probably just joking with you. I¡¯ll apologize to you on his behalf now. Don¡¯t be angry anymore, okay?¡± 09.14 Grace was still furious after she heard that. However, she could not say anything else. She replied resentfully, ¡°Alright, alright. He¡¯s your husband anyway. Since you¡¯ve already forgiven him, I won¡¯t say anything else. Now, I just want to know where he has taken Darcy. ¡°I can¡¯t even get through to Darcy now. He¡¯s so mysterious. I wonder what he¡¯s up to.¡± ¡°Grace, this is their job. Darcy is my husband¡¯s bodyguard. Of course, he has to go with him. ¡°Come back quickly. Stop throwing childish tantrums. Jaydon is anxious. ¡°My husband will definitelye back with Darcy after he¡¯s done with work. It¡¯s useless for you to look for him now!¡± ¡°Then when will they be able to get their work done?¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°It should take another month or two. ¡°Come back first and wait patiently. Jaydon even called me yesterday. He¡¯s extremely angry. Come back quickly!¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to go back so soon. I want to wait a little longer.¡± Grace pouted. ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t talk to you anymore. I¡¯ll wait a few more days. If I really can¡¯t find him, I¡¯ll go back.¡± ¡°Alright then! Be careful and call Jaydon back as soon as possible. Set his mind at ease.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then! I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Joanna did not say anything else and hung up. Davian asked curiously, ¡°Mommy, who called?¡± Irvin quickly said, ¡°From the tone, it must be that Grace.¡± ¡°Children have to be polite. You have to call her Miss Grimm. You can¡¯t call an adult by her name directly.¡± ¡°Tsk, she¡¯s a brat too.¡± Joanna could not be bothered to argue with the children anymore. She casually asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Patricia?¡± Lilia pointed to a corner of the living room. ¡°Patricia and Devin are eating apples over there.¡± When Joanna heard that, she walked toward the two young children. ¡°Patricia, Devin.¡± The two young children were sitting on a cushion under the Halloween tree, nibbling on apples with relish. Devin was simply Patricia¡¯s follower. He followed her wherever she went. ¡°It¡¯s the day before Halloween today. Do you miss your daddy?¡± Joanna said as she carried the little girl. The little girl nibbled on the apple and blinked her big dark eyes, making no response. She was happy living here, and it did not ur to her to think about her biological father and mother. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll call your daddy and ask him if he wants to take you home for the holiday. Joanna casually took out her phone and called Jaydon. 2A A ringing sound was heard. The phone rang for a long time before Jaydon slowly answered it. ¡°Hello, Joann.¡± ¡°Jay, what were you busy with? Why weren¡¯t you answering your phone?¡± Jaydon sighed deeply on the other end of the phone. Hearing his sigh, Joanna was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen again?¡± Jaydon sighed again in frustration. ¡°No. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the day before Halloween today and Halloween tomorrow. I was afraid that you would miss Patricia, so I called you.¡± After all, it was a holiday. People definitely wanted to reunite with their families. Joanna felt that Jaydon would want to take the little girl back. ¡°I was wondering if you were going to take Patricia back¡­¡± Jaydon said in a deep voice, ¡°No need. Let her stay at your ce first! I¡¯ll visit her after some time.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, that¡¯s fine too. Do your thing first. You don¡¯t have to worry about Patricia.¡± Joannaforted Jaydon, thinking that he was having a headache over business matters. Jaydon was speechless. He frowned, not knowing what to say. ¡°Joann¡­¡± Hearing his tone, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Jay, what¡¯s wrong with you now?¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, who¡¯s calling?¡± On the other end of the phone, Carmel¡¯s coquettish voice sounded. Jaydon¡¯s voice sank. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll talk to youter. I have something to deal with here.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then!¡± Joanna still recognized Carmel¡¯s voice. From the looks of it, the two of them had gotten together again. After hanging up, Jaydon was furious. He scolded Carmel angrily, ¡°Carmel, can you stop bothering me? ¡°It¡¯s already over between us. There¡¯s no way we can develop anything further¡­¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. When Carmel heard that, she was still smiling. ¡°Mr. Grimm, why are you so angry? We were happyst night, weren¡¯t we? Besides, I didn¡¯t want to do anything. ¡°I just miss you and our daughter. Don¡¯t you miss me?¡± As Carmel spoke, she leaned over weakly and hugged Jaydon¡¯s waist gently. Jaydon felt a headacheing on. He struggled to pry her hands away. ¡°Let go. Don¡¯t do this again. Hurry up and put on your clothes.¡± ¡°No, I like to hug you like this! Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t be unhappy. You clearly looked happyst night. You clearly still like me. Why are you acting so aloof?¡± Over the past few days, Carmel had been clinging to him like sticky candy. Last night, he had agreed to have a farewell meal with her. He did not know what she had put in his wine, but he was inexplicably¡­ Then, sparks flew, and the two of them slept together again somehow. When Jaydon woke up this morning, he was speechless. ¡°Carmel, can you stop fooling around? Get lost. I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± Jaydon was really angry. He rarely scolded people, but now, he really could not help but curse. ¡°Mr. Grimm, do you really have to be so heartless? You were so loving with mest night, yet now you¡¯re telling me to get lost. How could you do this? ¡°If you don¡¯t like me, why were you so¡­ passionatest night? ¡°At the end of the day, it¡¯s because you like me.¡± Chapter 1055 Chapter 1055 Chapter 1055 When Jaydon heard that, he was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. Last night, God only knew what she had drugged him with. He might be a yboy, but he did not sleep with every woman he met. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. From the beginning, he had no feelings for Carmel. It was purely that kind of rtionship. If she had been obedient and known her ce, he would have been willing to let her stay by his side. However, he really could not ept such a woman. When he was in dire straits, Carmel forsook him and followed another man. Now that she saw he had made aeback, she returned to pester him. No one would be able to ept such a realistic woman. ¡°Mr. Grimm, we¡¯ve known each other for so many years. Don¡¯t you have any feelings for me? Even one would have feelings for a cat or a dog. ¡°Moreover, I even gave birth to a daughter for you. Are you going to be so heartless to me now?¡± Carmel was indeed an award-winning actress. She immediately became a drama queen. Her big innocent eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Jaydon aggrievedly. The negligee on her body had also slid down. She looked seductive, charming, and delicate. In any case, she had many tricks up her sleeve when dealing with men. She was full of tricks and would resort to anything. ¡°Carmel, are you still unclear about your position? ¡°Hurry up and leave. I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± Jaydon turned around coldly, not wanting to look at her again. He was already in his thirties and did not want to continue fooling around like this. Perhaps he should behave himself like Bruce and find a woman to marry. However, in any case, there was no way he could marry Carmel. She had been in the entertainment industry for too long. Her thoughts were tooplicated and realistic. It was impossible for anyone from a top wealthy family like the Grimm family to marry such a woman. ¡°Are you really so heartless as to kick me out?¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave. I don¡¯t want to see you for even a second. Our rtionship has long ended.¡± When Carmel heard that, she pursed her lips and immediately put on a nonchnt expression. ¡°Alright, I can leave if you want me to. How do you n topensate me forst night? It¡¯s 20 million dors per time. You slept with me five times. Give me 100 million dors, and I¡¯ll leave.¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He was so angry that he could not speak. If she could be sent away by giving her 100 million dors, he would resign himself to it and be willing to be that sucker. The point was, he knew Carmel too well. Even if he gave her 100 million dors, she would not take the money and leave obediently. Her goal now was clear. She wanted to stick to him for the rest of her life. Seeing that Jaydon was quite angry, Carmel quickly said aggrievedly, ¡°You slept with me. I couldn¡¯t let you sleep with me for no reason, right? ¡°Mr. Grimm, you¡¯ve never been one to dine and dash.¡± Jaydon gritted his teeth in anger and said hatefully, ¡°You¡¯re really shameless. I¡¯ve never met a woman like you.¡± ¡°You tter me! Weren¡¯t you the one who personally trained me to be so?¡± Jaydon was speechless and even angrier when he heard that.. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Give me money, or let me stay! I¡¯m going downstairs for a ss of milk. Take your time to think about it.¡± With that, Carmel turned around and walked toward the bedroom door like thedy of the house. She was familiar with this ce, and all the servants knew her anyway. ¡°Come back here and put on your clothes¡­¡± Jaydon suddenly pulled Carmel back, afraid that she would leave just like that. Carmel turned around and deliberately tripped him. The two of them staggered and fell onto the bed. Jaydon frowned. He propped himself up on his arms and tried to get up, Carmel had already wrapped her arms around his neck like an octopus, smiling. ¡°Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t be so aloof¡­¡± ¡°Let go. Move your leg away.¡± Jaydon struggled to get up. ¡°No, I know that you still like me. Mr. Grimm, aren¡¯t we happy when we¡¯re together? ¡°We¡¯re still the same as before. I promise that I¡¯ll be very obedient and s¨¦rve youfortably. Isn¡¯t that good?¡± Jaydon was speechless. He could not do anything to her. He propped himself up on his arms and tried to get up again. Unfortunately, Carmel was clinging to his neck like an octopus. Then, Carmel took the initiative to make a move and gain the upper hand. In the past, the two of them had gotten together happily so many times. Carmel naturally knew his weaknesses and preferences. ¡°Don¡¯t move¡­¡± ¡°You little siren, damn it¡­¡± Jaydon wanted to push her away forcefully but really could not resist the stimtion. Men had no control over their sexual desires. Jaydon might have resisted in his mind, but he still obediently submitted to his urges. An hourter, Jaydon waspletely exhausted. This little siren almost wore him out. ¡°You were so passionate with me, yet you still say you don¡¯t like me. You simply like to say one thing and mean another.¡± Carmely in Jaydon¡¯s arms with a smug expression. The man she had her eyes on would not be able to escape from her clutches. She was not nicknamed ¡°Little Enchantress¡± for nothing. Jaydony down with a depressed expression. He hated hisck of self-control. ¡°You little siren, I really have to hand it to you.¡± Carmel smiled and hugged Jaydon¡¯s neck tightly. ¡°Jay, I miss our daughter. Can you bring her back? ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll take good care of my daughter this time. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of her. Why should we let someone else raise our daughter? Those who don¡¯t know might think that she¡¯s someone else¡¯s child. ¡°Besides, Ms. Haynes is already married to Mr. Everett. You dump our child at their house. Will Mr. Everett be happy about it? Others will think that we can¡¯t afford to raise our child.¡± Jaydon snorted. ¡°You can take good care of our child?¡± Jaydon frowned and mocked. Carmel was fun-loving and out of line. She did not know how to take care of the child at all. Everything rted to the child waspletely left to the servants and babysitter. ¡°This time, I¡¯ve made up my mind to quit the entertainment industry and stay at home to take care of my husband and child. I¡¯ll take care of you and our daughter.¡± Jaydon snorted coldly. The entertainment industry wasplicated. If a person wanted to rise sessfully to the top, they could not avoid the unspoken rules. In the past, even with him backing her up, she would still offer sexual favors for important roles and opportunities. However, the situation was not that serious. Ordinary people could not request sexual favors from her. Without him backing her up now, he had no idea how many men she had slept with. Of course, Jaydon was not willing to be a sucker anymore. ¡°Just agree to it. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of our daughter. Let¡¯s go back to how we used to be, okay?¡± Jaydon did not say anything. He just lowered his head and pondered. ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to stay by my side, but remember your position. Don¡¯t have too high of an illusion. I won¡¯t marry you.¡± When Carmel heard that, she nodded repeatedly. ¡°I know. I just love you too much. I¡¯m already satisfied to be able to stay by your side.¡± Indeed, Jaydon was now the richest man in Venturas. Even if she could not marry him, she could stay by his side and enjoy endless wealth for the rest of her life. Chapter 1056 Chapter 1056 Chapter 1056 ¡°Are we bringing our daughter back for Halloween tomorrow?¡± Jaydon froze and was speechless. Carmel shook Jaydon¡¯s neck again and said coquettishly, ¡°It¡¯s a holiday tomorrow. Bring our daughter back. I really miss our daughter.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Jaydon hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. After all, he missed his daughter very much. Carmel smiled. ¡°I love you. I knew you were the best to me.¡± Carmel kissed Jaydon¡¯s face a few more times. ¡°I¡¯ll call Ms. Haynes now and say that we¡¯re going to pick up Patricia¡­¡± Carmel said that as she was about to call Joanna. Jaydon quickly stopped her. ¡°No, let me call her!¡± Deep down, he still did not want Joanna to know that he and Carmel were together again. ¡°I¡¯ll call Joann. Don¡¯t make a sound.¡± Upon hearing that, Carmel pouted unhappily. ¡°She¡¯s already a married woman now. Don¡¯t tell me you still can¡¯t forget her. ¡°What¡¯s so good about her that you have been thinking about her for so long? You even trusted her to take care of our daughter. Aren¡¯t you too trusting of her?¡± Jaydon could not be bothered with her. He got up, put on his clothes, and walked out of the bedroom with the phone. A ringing sound was heard. Joanna quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± Jaydon coughed dryly and said a little embarrassedly, ¡°Joann, well¡­ I¡¯ll go and pick up Patricia in the afternoon. Look, is it convenient on your side?¡± Joanna was stunned. He had just said that he would let Patricia stay at her ce for a few more days. Why did he change his mind after just a few hours? However, Patricia was his daughter, so she definitely would not refuse. ¡°Oh, oh, that¡¯s good! How would it be inconvenient? You cane and pick up Patricia at any time.¡± Jaydonughed dryly. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go to Greyport to pick her up in the afternoon. Thank you for the trouble during this period.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After the call, Joanna looked at Patricia with a smile and said gently, ¡°Patricia, your father just called. He¡¯s going to pick you up in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Is Patricia leaving?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Grimm called and said that he was going to pick up Patriciater.¡± ¡°When is Patriciaing back then?¡± ¡°Well, maybe after Halloween!¡± Before Joanna could finish her sentence, cries were heard. Devin had already heard that Patricia was leaving and immediately started crying. Seeing this, Joanna hurriedly went forward to coax her son. ¡°Geez, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Patricia will still being back.¡± Devin stopped eating the apple and cried until his voice was hoarse. ¡°I don¡¯t want Patricia to leave. I don¡¯t want Patricia to leave¡­¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°You¡¯re such a brat!¡± Joanna was both angry and amused. To think that despite being a little brat, Devin had emotional needs. He already knew who he liked and who he did not like. In the afternoon, at around four o¡¯clock, Jaydon personally came to pick up his daughter at Sherane Bay Vi. He came with all kinds of gifts. ¡°Joann!¡± Joanna and the children were already weing him on thewn. When they saw himing over, the three little children greeted him in unison, ¡°Hello, Mr. Grimm.¡± Jaydon smiled kindly at the children and handed them the gifts one by one. ¡°Hello, these are my Halloween gifts for you.¡± ¡°Wow, there are only 99 such figurines in the world. How did you manage to buy it, Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Thank you, Mr. Grimm.¡± The gifts that Jaydon prepared for the children were what they wanted. When the children received the gifts, they were all overjoyed. ¡°You could have juste. Why did you spend money to buy gifts for them?¡± Jaydon smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s Halloween now. I have to make the children happy.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He had watched Davian, Irvin, and Lilia grow up and doted on them as his own children. ¡°Patricia, call me Daddy.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want¡­¡± The girl hugged Joanna¡¯s neck tightly and refused to let Jaydon hug her. It could be seen that the little girl was very dependent on Joanna. ¡°Be good ande home with Daddy.¡± Jaydon still reached out and forcibly took his daughter over. Joanna happened to see a few bruises on Jaydon¡¯s neck and asked casually, ¡°Jay, what happened to your neck?¡± Joanna realized as soon as she asked that it was obvious a woman had bitten him. ¡°Well, nothing!¡± Jaydon subconsciously lifted the cor of his shirt. Joanna smiled awkwardly and guessed that the marks were left behind by Carmel. When she called in the morning, she heard Carmel¡¯s voice. Joanna sighed. ¡°Sometimes, in order to give children aplete family, adults have to be tolerant.¡± Jaydon listened and did not say anything. He looked at Joanna with a prating gaze. The setting sun shone warmly on Joanna¡¯s face, making her look exceptionally soft and gentle. Jaydon could not help but be tempted. After staring at Joanna for a few seconds, he quickly retracted his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± Cries were heard. ¡°Patricia¡­ Patricia¡­¡± Devin staggered as he chased after Patricia. Joanna hurriedly hugged her son. ¡°Be good. Patricia will be here again in a few days.¡± ¡°I want Patricia. I want Patricia.¡± Devin cried even harder. No matter how Joanna coaxed him, he cried and wanted to chase after Patricia. ¡°What a rascal. Hurry up and carry him into the house.¡± After Jaydon left with his daughter, Devin began to cry loudly and endlessly. The servants, babysitter, and Joanna took turns coaxing him, but to no avail. Joannapletely lost her patience in the end. Devin was already so willful at such a young age. He would be worse when he grew up. ¡°Let him cry. Stop coaxing him. Let him cry until he¡¯s tired. All of you can leave.¡± Joanna told the servants to leave and let the little guy cry alone in his room. Cries were heard. Irvin¡¯s lips twitched as he sighed. ¡°Devin is a crybaby. He cries so much. Of the four of us, Devin cries the 08:56 most and is the most disobedient. ¡°Devin is still young and insensible. ¡°When we were his age, we were already very sensible.¡± Joanna shrugged and did notment. Indeed, the three of them had been obedient since they were young and rarely cried. Devin was probably spoiled rotten, so he liked to cry so much. ¡°Mommy, where are we going for Halloween tomorrow?¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± There were only a few amusement parks in Greyport. The children were bored with them. ¡°Last year, didn¡¯t you say that you would take us overseas to have fun?¡± When Joanna heard that, she smiled. ¡°Your daddy isn¡¯t around now. Let¡¯s not leave Greyport.¡± She still had lingering fears and felt that it was not safe overseas. ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t it almost time for Lilia to remove the braces? Why don¡¯t we go to Gaprington?¡± ¡°I can take Lilia there alone. You guys, just be good and stay at home.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No reason. Lilia is going for treatment, not for fun,¡± Joanna said absent-mindedly. She subconsciously took out her phone. Devin was crying so hard in his room that Joanna felt a little uneasy. She suddenly wanted to call Bruce. She knew that there was a high chance that the call would not go through, but she could not help but make the call. A ringing sound was heard. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter.¡± Joanna sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a holiday today. Why didn¡¯t you call?¡± Joanna looked at her phone in mild disappointment. She became more worried about Bruce¡¯s safety. It would have been fine if she could contact him, but now that she could not, she became even more worried. At the no man¡¯snd, Bruce slept in the sleeping bag for four to five hours before opening his eyes in a daze. Darcy was still guarding at the side and did not sleep. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re awake?¡± Bruce yawned and asked casually, ¡°Yes, what time is it now?¡± Darcy looked at the luminous watch on his wrist. ¡°It¡¯s only two o¡¯clock in the morning. Mr. Everett, sleep a little longer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping anymore. You go to sleep!¡± Bruce yawned again and crawled out of the tent. His stamina was terrifyingly exuberant. Sometimes, even if he felt tired, he could quickly recover his strength after a few hours of simple rest. Moreover, he did not require much sleep. Basically, four to five hours was enough. ¡°Alright then!¡± Darcy said. He tidied up and got into the sleeping bag. He had also been tired for a few days and had to rest well. Bruce came to the fire and warmed himself up. He drank some hot water and ate some bread and canned food. In the blink of an it was already morning. eye, ¡°Darcy, it¡¯s half past six. It¡¯s time to get up.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Darcy replied in a daze. ¡°Pack the things, and let¡¯s continue on our way.¡± Darcy quickly got up and packed the tent. Then, he covered the fire to prevent a fire. After everything was packed, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two of them put on their backpacks again and began to follow the map, going deeper toward the dark river. Three hourster, the two of them followed the map and found the dark river that the Eprarian mentioned. The nearby area looked like a canyon. The brook was deep, and the river meandered into the cave in the canyon. ¡°It should be around here.¡± ¡°But there are so many big trees here. Where could the microchip be hidden?¡± Chapter 1057 Chapter 1057 Chapter 1057 The two of them observed for a while. There were many fir trees and unknown trees around. ¡°We have no choice but to search every single tree.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s split up and search. You go that way, and I¡¯ll go this way. We¡¯ll meet here at noon regardless of whether or not we find it.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± One of them headed east while the other headed west as they began to search separately. However, the forest was too big and was filled with countless trees. It would not be easy to find it with just two people. Bruce followed the map and used a pen to circle out areas of focus to narrow down the search area. An hourter. Bruce had already finished searching and had to move on to the next area to continue searching. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his messy hair was stuck to his forehead. His outdoor camouge uniform was now extremely muddy, and his face was scratched by vines and dried branches. ¡°This should be the ce that Eprarian was talking about.¡± ¡°Where the hell is it?¡± Bruce looked around again. There were many small puddles on the ground, arranged in a way that made them look like human footprints that had been filled with rainwater. It seemed the heavy rain two days. ago had washed away many traces. Crack! Crack! Crack! He took a few more steps forward. Bruce could see a patch of weeds in front of him. Suddenly, he saw a man¡¯s ck leather shoe. ¡°Gosh!¡± Bruce gasped and frowned before quickly going forward to check it out. Another cracking sound could be heard. He seemed to have stepped on a hard tree branch and tripped. When Bruce looked down, he saw that he had stepped on a human skeleton instead. His waterproof leather boots had stepped through the sternum cavity of the corpse. When he raised his foot, he carried half the skeleton with him. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Although Bruce was brave, he was still shocked. He hurriedly took a few steps back, but his boot was stuck in the human skeleton. It was almost as if the bones were hugging his boot, making it hard to shake it off. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± Bruce kicked his feet a couple more times before finally shaking off the skeleton. Only the top half of the human skeleton was left behind. It had been gnawed on by animals and was unrecognizable. Yet, it emitted a strong stench. From the looks of it, it must have been dead for a few months. Bruce¡¯s heart was beating wildly. He could not bear to look at it again. This skeleton likely belonged to a young man, but he did not know whose husband, son, or father it was. With his corpse left in the wilderness, no one could collect it either. This made Bruce think of himself. Perhaps one day, he might end up like this skeleton, dying alone in the wilderness where no one could find him. Bruce suppressed his disgust and sighed. He then looked at the scattered wallets and items beside the corpse. ¡°He should be an aplice of the Eprarians.¡± ¡°A fight must have happened here. This proves that the Eprarian¡¯s words can be trusted. The microchips should be nearby.¡± Bruce could not care about that many things. He hurriedly searched around the surrounding trees. Another 20 minutes passed. As Bruce passed by another area, he stumbled across another corpse. ¡°Gosh!¡± Bruce frowned and went forward to check again. This corpse was simr to the one just now. It had also been gnawed until it was unrecognizable. Only the style and material of the clothes and pants on the corpse¡¯s body could be vaguely recognized. ¡°This is¡­¡± Bruce picked up a piece of the tattered id shirt sleeve. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Although the corpse¡¯s face was damaged beyond recognition, the ne on the corpse¡¯s neck was still recognizable. He was also an agent in the organization. His code name was Lizard, and he had been missing for nearly half a year. It turned out that he had passed away in these woods. After recognizing that it was his colleague, Bruce felt a pang of sadness. He took off the ne around the corpse¡¯s neck and took off his coat to cover the corpse with it. Bruce gave a small bow in silence. Noon. Bruce still found nothing and could only go meet up with Darcy, hoping that Darcy found something. As soon as they met, Darcy asked, ¡°Mr. Everett, did you find it?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart turned cold upon hearing that. It seemed that Darcy did not find it either. Bruce shook his head silently and said dejectedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t find it. What about you?¡± ¡°Neither did I.¡± ¡°We looked at every tree in that area but didn¡¯t see it.¡± Darcy frowned and asked, ¡°Could the Meltarians have taken it?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a possibility. Since the Meltarians could chase us here, they must have searched the area.¡± ¡°If they took it away, all our previous efforts would be in vain.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do next?¡± Bruce frowned dejectedly. ¡°Let¡¯s search for one more day. If we still can¡¯t find it, we¡¯ll retreat.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, are you hungry? Have some rations,¡± Darcy said as he took out bread and canned food from his backpack and handed it to Bruce. Watching Darcy as he opened the can of meat, the image of the two corpses resurfaced in Bruce¡¯s mind and caused him to gag. ¡°I have no appetite. You can have it!¡± ¡°¡­Oh, okay.¡± After a short rest, the two of them continued on their search. ¡°Keep looking.¡± ¡°That Eprarian said we can reach District 17 using this underground dark river. I wonder if it¡¯s true.¡± When Bruce heard that, he subconsciously observed the dark river. District 17 had a circumference of 58 miles, and there would be troops guarding it everywhere. As for this ce, it was not guarded because it was the basement. No normal person would enter District 17 through the 9-mile-long stretch of underground water. ¡°If it is possible to enter through here, this river must be very long. How did they get out?¡± Bruce was puzzled. He could not understand how that Eprarian escaped. Darcy thought for a moment. ¡°Mr. Everett, they might have used professional diving tools. Otherwise, it would be difficult to pass through this underground river.¡± Bruce still found it unbelievable. ¡°If they¡¯d escaped from the inside, who provided them with diving gear? ¡°It made no sense, However, without the help of professional diving tools, and given the current physical conditions and functions of humans, it was impossible to hold their breath in the 9-mile-long underground river,¡± Bruce thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± ¡°There are no kayaks here. It will be dangerous to enter the cave.¡± ¡°We can only take a look at the cave entrance.¡± Bruce and Darcy came to the entrance and saw a gurgling stream of water inside. They turned on the bright shlight and shone it inside the cave. It was unfathomable. The cave was so deep that they could not see the bottom of it. ¡°Whoosh!¡± Arge group of ck bats, rmed by the bright lights, swooped down at them. ¡°There are bats.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± The two of them dare not stay any longer and could only crawl out of the cave in a disheveled state. Outside of the cave. Bruce looked back at the cave and suddenly had an idea. It was not impossible to enter District 17 from here. This was also their only way to enter District 17. Otherwise, they would not be able to enter the district at all. However, it was an extremely risky method that required professional diving tools. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go look for microchips first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the blink of an eye. The two of them had searched for a full day, but they still found nothing. At night, the two of them had no choice but to find a leeward ce and set up a tent for the night. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯re almost out of rations. If we don¡¯t find the microchips tomorrow, we¡¯ll run out of food.¡± ¡°We will search for the microchips tomorrow. If we still can¡¯t find it, we will go back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 1058 Chapter 1058 Chapter 1058 The next day. The two of them got up early in the morning and continued to search. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°We can¡¯t just search aimlessly. We need to narrow down the scope even more.¡± Bruce frowned with a gloomy expression. ¡°How do we narrow it down?¡± Darcy took out the map again. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the ce yesterday. There were traces of a chase and a fight there. It must be around that area.¡± Bruce decided to go to the area where the corpse was found yesterday. He had a feeling that the microchips were definitely nearby. ¡°Didn¡¯t we already look around that area yesterday? Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste of our time to search around there again today?¡± Darcy asked in confusion. ¡°No, the forest is big and there are many trees. We might have missed something.¡±Let¡¯s search carefully today. If we still can¡¯t find it, we will back first,¡± Bruce said in a deep voice. Darcy nodded. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± After the two of them ate some bread and drank some water, they began to return to the ce where the corpse had been found the day before. This time, the two of them searched very carefully. They were practically searching every single tree, one at a time, and would draw a mark on trees that have been checked. It was almost noon. Darcy finally saw a knife mark on a crooked tree. ¡°Mr. Everett, look, what is this?¡± When Bruce heard the shout, he immediately walked over. A crooked tree stood in front of him. The branch had been cut off with a knife. Something seemed to be stuck inside. ¡°Hurry up and take it out.¡± Bruce immediately reached into the tree and took out a ck stic bag. ¡°Why is it empty?¡± The stic bag had been torn as if it had been scratched by some animal. ¡°Could the microchips have been taken somewhere else by animals?¡± ¡°Look around.¡± The two of them circled the crooked tree again and searched carefully. After searching for a few minutes, they really found something. At the top of the tree, there was a tree hole filled with many wild fruits. ¡°Here!¡± Darcy eximed excitedly and quickly reached into the hole. It was a squirrel¡¯s nest. Darcy started taking out the nuts and wild fruits. Soon enough, a small ck box could be seen. Bruce took it from Darcy and looked at it. Just as they had expected, there were microchips inside. ¡°That¡¯s it. This must be the microchips left behind by the Eprarians.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. We finally found it!¡± Bruce smiled in relief. Darcy was also very excited. ¡°Mr. Everett, since the microchips have been found, let¡¯s hurry back!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them did not dare to dy for a moment longer. They hurriedly took the microchips and prepared to return to the car by retracing their steps. It had taken them several hours to get to this location as it was hard for the two of them to walk while they checked the map. Perhaps it was because there was no need to think of navigating their way back, going back only took them half the time. 1/3 08:56 More than three hourster. The two of them had already reached the car, and it was still parked in the same ce. ¡°Hurry up and get in the car. I can¡¯t wait to tell all of them the good news.¡± ¡°This trip wasn¡¯t in vain. We finally found the microchips.¡± ¡°With these microchips, the secret of District 17 will soon be revealed to the world.¡± Darcy was especially excited. He quickly started the car and wanted to leave this godforsaken ce as soon as possible. ¡°Mr. Everett, where should we go now?¡± Bruce raised his eyebrows. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the camp first and meet up with Aria and the others.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± ¡°Whoosh.¡± The car stirred up a gush of wind and roared into action. After driving for about an hour, two jeeps suddenly blocked their way. Seven or eight people in bomb suits and guns appeared, preventing them from advancing further. ¡°Stop the car.¡± The leader, a Meltarian, gestured for the car to stop. Seeing this, Darcy panicked. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is bad! They must be the patrol team!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. He said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t stop the car. We¡¯ll have to charge across.¡± ¡°All right, Mr. Everett. Sit tight.¡± Bruce subconsciously took out a few guns from under his scat. At this point, they could only charge across. If they stopped the car, what awaited them was death. Darcy elerated and broke through the protective fence. He knocked down a parked jeep and charged across forcefully. The Meltarians behind him instantly became nervous. Without another word, they opened fire. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± A burst of bullets hit the trunk of the car. Fortunately, the car had been modified to be resistant to explosions. It would be hard for ordinary bullets to prate it. ¡°Oh no! They¡¯re catching up.¡± ¡°Click.¡± Bruce reloaded the gun and started shooting at the car that was chasing after them. Although this was no man¡¯snd, the Melta military sent drones to patrol the area. In the past two days, Bruce and Darcy had been too close to the core of District 17 and their presence had been captured by the military drones. Now, a patrol team had been sent to investigate. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°Boom!¡± The car¡¯s tires were blown up. The car tipped and crashed into the road sign. ¡°Mr. Everett, the tires are t. ¡°We can only get out of the car.¡± ¡°Hurry up, grab the gun.¡± Bruce ruthlessly handed a gun to Darcy. The two of them jumped out of the car and upied an advantageous terrain, preparing to fight to the death with the patrol team. The Meltarian patrol team soon arrived. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Another round of hullets was fired. Bruce and Darcy held their guns and began to shoot at the Meltarians. Although they had prepared weapons, there was no way it would be enough against the Meltarians. The people chasing them were the secret forces of District 17. It was only normal that they had more weapons. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m out of bullets.¡± A few Meltarians gradually approached. Bruce threw away the empty gun in his hand and ducked, knocking down one Meltarian. At the same time, another muzzle was already directly aimed at Bruce. It all happened in a blink of an eye. A crisp female voice could be heard. ¡°Bruce, be careful.¡± Aria appeared out of nowhere and threw himself in front of Bruce. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Aria screamed as she took the bullet for Bruce. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s pupils constricted. ¡°Aria! Why are you here?¡± Aria had been shot in the left side of her chest. Blood instantly gushed out of the wound. Jason, Carson, Tom, and many others also appeared and began to shoot. ¡°Mr. Everett, let¡¯s quickly retreat.¡± ¡°Aria, how could you be so stupid?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. ¡°I¡­ I was worried about you¡­ so¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, retreat quickly. We¡¯ll stay behind and cover you.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± Bruce quickly carried Aria and hurriedly got into the car. ¡°Whoosh!¡± The car started and sped away. He had the microchips and Aria with him. There was no way he could stay and continue fighting. Tom, Jason, and the others had stayed behind to help Darcy. ¡°Aria, hang in there. You¡¯ll be okay.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ As long as you¡¯re alright, I¡­ I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Aria, Aria! Wake up. Please wake up!¡± Chapter 1059 Chapter 1059 Chapter 1059 Aria¡¯s wound bled more and more, and she gradually lost consciousness. She kept calling Bruce¡¯s name, ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Bruce frowned and kept depressing the elerator. The car was so fast it was about to take off. ¡°Aria, hold on. You have to hold on. I won¡¯t let you die.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡­ I¡¯m already satisfied to die by your side¡­¡± Aria¡¯s voice became weaker and weaker. Her eyelids were so heavy that she could not open them. Bruce felt uneasy. ¡°You¡¯re so stupid. You don¡¯t have to take the bullet for me. Why are you so stupid?¡± He wore a bulletproof vest, so he didn¡¯t need her to take the bullet. But no matter what, she had taken the bullet for him. He had no choice but to be indebted to her. After driving for dozens of miles, there was wilderness everywhere. Bruce could only stop the car. Then, he took out the emergency first aid kit from the trunk and nned to treat her wound first. ¡°I am going to tend to your wounds.¡± As Bruce spoke, he took out a disinfectant packet and pressed it on her wound. ¡°We¡¯re three hours from camp. You have to hang in there.¡± ¡°Bruce, I might not survive. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We will both survive.¡± ¡°Hang in there. We¡¯re on our way to camp.¡± Bruce treated Aria¡¯s wounds briefly, then started the car and rushed to the camp. Three hourster, Bruce drove the car into the camp. Leo was guarding the camp alone. When he saw a car driving over, he quickly went out of the tent to check. After Bruce stopped the car, he rushed into the tent with Aria in his arms.. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Seeing that Aria was covered in blood, Leo was shocked and quickly went forward to help. ¡°She¡¯s been shot.¡± ¡°Quick, get the bullet out of her.¡± ¡°Aria, Aria,¡± Leo called out twice and immediately opened her eyelids to check. ¡°You have to save her. You have to save her.¡± Leo nodded solemnly. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to carry her into the tent and cut her clothes open. I¡¯ll get the medical kit and inject anesthetic into her first.¡± Bruce nodded and carried Aria into the tent, cing her t on the simple bed. Leo hurriedly opened the emergency medicine kit and took out an anesthetic injection, preparing to inject Aria. Aria¡¯s breathing was already weak. Seeing that, Bruce¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of anxiety. ¡°Aria, you will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± ¡°Hurry up and cut open her clothes. We have to disinfect her wound first!¡± Leo urged Bruce as he prepared to inject the anesthetic. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Bruce was flustered and could only go forward to help. However, her wound was on her left shoulder, close to her chest. If he were to cut open the clothes, her entire upper body would be exposed. 1/3 08:57 ¡°Aria, I¡­¡± Bruce hesitated for a moment, but he still could not do it. ¡°Hurry up. Her life is at stake now. What are you hesitating for?¡± When Bruce heard that, he no longer hesitated. He made up his mind and unbuttoned her shirt. There was a ck bullet wound on her left chest. The thick dark blood had already formed a scab. ¡°Disinfect her first. I¡¯ll inject her with anesthetic immediately.¡± Bruce frowned and tried his best to look to the side. He took a bottle of iodine, dipped a cotton swab in the iodine, and began to wipe her wound. ¡°Ugh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Aria¡¯s wound was stimted and she slowly woke up. Seeing that it was Bruce who was disinfecting her, Aria looked at him weakly and dazedly. His other hand. subconsciously grabbed his hand. ¡°Bruce¡­ Is that you? Is that you?¡± Aria was very weak as if she was about to die. ¡°It¡¯s me. I¡¯m right here,¡± Bruce casuallyforted her. Aria took a deep breath. ¡°Stay by my side and don¡¯t leave, okay?¡± When Bruce heard that, his frown deepened, and his hand that was holding the iodine froze in midair. Aria had taken a bullet for him. He did not know how to repay the favor. It would be fine if she could survive, but if she died¡­ he would really owe her his life. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m staying here.¡± Aria opened her eyes and breathed heavily. ¡°Bruce, I might¡­ I might not be able to survive. Can you promise me onest request¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart tightened. Heforted her gently, ¡°Aria, you won¡¯t die. Don¡¯t say such depressing words. You¡¯ll definitely be fine.¡± Aria smiled sadly at him and said sadly, ¡°Bruce, can you¡­ can you hug me? I¡¯m a little afraid. If I can die in your arms, I¡­ I¡¯m satisfied.¡± ¡°Stop saying stupid things. You¡¯re not going to die. You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± ¡°Bruce, hug me¡­¡± Aria took another deep breath and was about to fall into aa at any moment. However, she held Bruce¡¯s hand tightly, afraid he would leave her. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Seeing her like that, he could not bear to reject her. He took two more steps forward and stretched out his arm under her neck to let her lean in his arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s gonna be okay.¡± Aria looked at him with sorrow and satisfaction. Her eyes were filled with nostalgia. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m really happy to die in your arms.¡± ¡°Can you¡­ hold me tighter. I want to feel your warmth and remember your scent.¡± ¡°Stop saying stupid things. You definitely won¡¯t die.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know how tofort her. He could only repeat the same few words. ¡°Bruce, we are not fated in this life. In the next life¡­ can you be with me?¡± Bruce did not answer. He really didn¡¯t like that feeling.. To him, their rtionship was over. He couldn¡¯t think about the possibility of them being together. Even in his next life, he would still choose Joanna. ¡°Say something¡­ Will you be with me in your next life?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very weak now. Don¡¯t talk so much. Leo, is the anesthetic done?¡± ¡°Oh, oh, it¡¯s done.¡± Leo walked over with the anesthetic. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll inject you with the anesthetic now.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± A stream of tears flowed down from the corner of Aria¡¯s eyes. She asked indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m about to die. Are you not even willing to lie to me?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened, and a trace of stiffness and coldness appeared on his face. Morally speaking, he certainly didn¡¯t want her to die. He also didn¡¯t want anyone to take the bullet for him. He wore a bulletproof vest made of special materials every time he went on a mission. Ordinary bullets could not prate the top-notch bulletproof vest. Although she had taken the bullet for him, he didn¡¯t want to be roped into owing her. Chapter 1060 Chapter 1060 Chapter 1060 ¡°Bruce¡­ I have something to tell you. I have to listen to it. I¡¯m afraid that if I don¡¯t say it now, I won¡¯t have the chance in the future.¡± Although she knew Bruce didn¡¯t want to hear it, she wanted to say it again. She really loved him and wanted to apologize to him. But it was really because she loved him so much that she did so many wrong things.. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Take out the bullet first.¡± Bruce tried his best tofort Aria. Leo had already prepared the anesthetic and injected Aria. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria mumbled again and fainted weakly. ¡°Bruce, please help me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce stood at the side and helped Leo, Leo was Aria¡¯s right-hand man. Of course, he also knew about surgery. He held a scalpel in one hand and surgical forceps in the other. He cut open the wound a little more and carefully began to remove the bullet. Twenty minutester, ng! ng! ng! The bullet covered in blood was taken out and ced on the te. ¡°Now, we have to suture the wound and disinfect it.¡± Leo concentrated on suturing Aria¡¯s wound and carefully bandaged it with gauze. Bruce frowned and asked, ¡°Will Aria¡¯s life be in danger?¡± Leo sighed slightly. ¡°We can only deal with it like this for now. I hope Aria can survive.¡± ¡°As long as she can wake up and her wound isn¡¯t infected, her life won¡¯t be in danger. Fortunately, the bullet didn¡¯t hit her organs or vital points.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good.¡± Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. No matter what, he did not want Aria to lose her life for him. After Leo treated Aria¡¯s wounds, he washed his hands and asked, ¡°Bruce, did you find the microchip?¡± Bruce nodded sadly. ¡°I have found it.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Here it is,¡± Bruce said as he pulled the microchip out of his pocket. When Leo saw it, a hint of relief appeared in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s great. After so many days, there¡¯s finally a breakthrough. Let¡¯s quickly take a look at what¡¯s inside and try our best to make a few copies.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Bruce nodded in agreement. Leo took out the microchip and inserted it into theputer. Soon, the content of the microchip was yed. The quality of the picture was a little blurry and shaky. It should have been captured using discrete methods. The video was filming the interior of District 17. As the camera swayed, a few people wearing gas masks and ss covers appeared on the screen.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Inside the ss covers were all kinds of human and animal organs. There were also many strange creatures that were neither human nor animal. They should be creatures synthesized from human and animal genes. Apart from that, there were also arge number of infants and children locked in cages. The scene was extremely cruel and terrifying. Fortunately, Leo and Bruce were both agents and had strong mental fortitude. Ordinary people would be scared silly just by looking at it. ¡°Oh my god, Meltarians are too crazy. They actually carried out these inhumane human experiments.¡± Bruce choked and said sinisterly, ¡°This is only the tip of the iceberg. There¡¯s more toe.¡± ¡°We have to expose the ugly truth of Meltarians.¡± The content of the microchip was captured by an agent from Eprary who imnted a miniature camera in his eyeball and was brought to District 17. The reason why that Eprarian could escape from theboratory was entirely because he had been injected with humanoid genes. It allowed him to break through his biological limit and transform into a mutant. However, the experiment still failed in the end. The current physique of humans was still unable to withstand the powerful effect of humanoid genes. ¡°This is only a small part. It might not even be a tenth of the entire truth. There must be more crazy experiments.¡± ¡°Make a copy first. Ourpatriots are also trapped inside.¡± ¡°We might need to call Mr. Thompson and for more agents,¡± Bruce said with a heavy expression. ¡°Alright, I am making a copy¡­¡± Leo was about to duplicate the microchip when the faint sound of a car engine starting came from outside the tent. Bruce¡¯s ears were sharp. He quickly pressed against the ground to listen. ¡°Oh no, someone¡¯s chasing after us.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Keep the microchip and leave with Aria.¡± ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll cover you. Take Aria and leave quickly.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s toote. If we leave together, no one will be able to escape. I¡¯ll stay and stall them to buy you time.¡± ¡°But¡­ ¡°Cut the crap and get on with it. Remember, bring the microchip and Aria to safety.¡± As Bruce spoke, he took out two submachine guns from the box. Leo did not dare to dy. He quickly put away the microchip, picked up Aria, and left the tent in a hurry. ¡°Bruce, be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Quickly leave!¡± Leo did not dare to dy. He hurriedly started the car and sped away. Less than three minutes after the car left, four or five jeeps arrived. Twenty to thirty Melta special force soldiers jumped out of the car. Chapter 1061 Chapter 1061 "Let''s go in and take a look." "Bang, bang, bang!" Sparks flew everywhere, and only the sound of gunshots could be heard. Bruce fired a few shots in a row and deliberately drove in a circle to attract the attention of the people from the Melta patrol team. He had to buy more time for Leo and Aria. He could not let the patrol team snatch the microchip away. Otherwise, everyone''s efforts would be in vain. "Bang, bang, bang!" The Melta special forces soldiers immediately enteredbat mode and fired at Bruce''s car. Bullets hit the carriage, making metallic nking sounds. The car drifted on the road, stirring up circles of dust. "Vroom, vroom, vroom." A few jeeps surrounded Bruce''s car from different directions. Boom! "Hurry up and chase after him." Bruce drove in the opposite direction of Leo. He wanted to divert the firepower to his side and give Leo a chance to escape as much as possible.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Bang, bang, bang!" Bullets nged as they hit the car. "Buzz, buzz...Tchk, Tchk, Tchk..." The car''s fuel ran out, and the enginepletely stalled. Bruce knew that he was doomed. He could only fight to the death and drag a few more down with him. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Gun fires continued nonstop. The Melta special forces soldiers in the lead fell to the ground. Unfortunately, although Bruce''s marksmanship was very good, it was like a futile battle. His bullets would eventually run out. On the other hand, the special forces soldiers of the patrol team were still rushing over. Crack! Crack! Crack! After thest bullet was fired, Bruce smiled sadly. Then, he threw away the empty guns and looked up at the sky. It was already evening, and the sun was about to set. The afterglow and sunset formed a beautiful, lively painting. Unfortunately, he would never see the sun rise again, and he would not be able to go home. Bruce looked at the sky in despair. "Joann, I love you! Take care of yourself and the children." "I will definitely go back and apany you. I love you..." Dozens of patrolling special forces soldiers got out of the car and slowly surrounded him with guns. "Hurry up and get out of the car and surrender. Don''t struggle anymore. Otherwise, I will let you die on the spot," someone shouted outside the car. He could no longer escape. Bruce smiled coldly and resolutely pulled off the pendant from the ne around his neck. The pendant was pierced by a bullet, which was also thest bullet he had. He loaded the gun and nned tomit suicide. Rather than being arrested and killed, it was better to end his own life. Click, Bruce pulled the trigger, ready to fire. Unfortunately, it was toote. One of the Meltarian shouted in Antlenish, "Capture him alive." "Bang." An electric bullet shot over. Bruce was hit. A powerful electric current flowed through his entire body, and he immediately fainted. More than ten special forces soldiers walked up and dragged Bruce out of the car... The next day, over at Leo. After a night on the run, Leo returned to Walston with Aria. With Bruce covering them, they finally escaped. In the private hospital, Aria woke up in a daze after a night of rest. "Bruce... Bruce..." Leo quickly went forward to check. "Aria, you''re awake?" Aria opened her eyes weakly and saw Leo standing in front of her. She asked softly, "Where are we? Where''s Bruce?" Leo replied softly, "This is a hospital." "I... Why am I in the hospital? Where are Bruce and the others?" Leo did not say anything. He lowered his head with a dark and solemn expression. There was still no news from Bruce. He was definitely doomed. Moreover, he was surrounded by dozens of special forces soldiers with guns and ammunition. It was impossible for him to escape alive. Aria''s heart skipped a beat. She quickly asked, "Hurry up and answer me. Where did he go? Why are we in the hospital? What happened?" "He..." Leo wanted to say something but hesitated. He still did not know how to break the news. "Hurry up and say it. Hmm... Ahh..." Aria tugged the wound. It was painful, but she still insisted on sitting. "When we were in the no man''snd, we were discovered by the patrol team of District 17 and they came after us." "In order to cover us and buy us time to escape, he lured Melta''s patrol team away..." Leo said as he choked. "Now, Bruce has probably sacrificed. Boohoo..." Boom. When Aria heard that, her mind exploded, and her heartbeat stopped for a moment. She stared at Leo in a daze for half a minute before returning to her senses. "No, it can''t be. It can''t be true. It can''t be true." "You''re lying to me. Did Bruce ask you to tell me this? Yes, he must have told you to lie. He''s afraid of me pestering him. He''s afraid of me pestering him. That''s why he asked you to say this. His goal is to make me give up. It must be like this." Aria said excitedly as tears streamed down her face. "Aria, I''m not lying to you. In order to save us, Bruce stayed behind alone to deal with the Melta special forces." "No, Bruce won''t die. He definitely won''t die." Chapter 1062 Chapter 1062 As Aria spoke, she staggered down from the bed. "I''m going to find him. He won''t die. He definitely won''t die..." Leo quickly went forward tofort her. "Aria, you''re injured now. Don''t be so agitated." "Bruce sacrificed himself for us to survive. Therefore, we should live well andplete the unfinished business for him. This is Bruce''s microchip. We have to think of a way to bring it back to the country as soon as possible." "Otherwise, if Bruce is watching, over us, he won''t be at ease either." "Bruce, sob, sob, sob... Bruce..." Aria could not help but cry, unwilling to believe the fact. From the day they entered the organization, they were already prepared to sacrifice themselves at any time. However, when that day really came, she still could not ept the reality. "Aria, don''t be too sad. We have to contact Mr. Thompson as soon as possible. It''s not safe here. The Melta patrol team will soon search here. When you''re better, we have to move immediately." "Bruce." Aria''s entire body trembled as she choked on her words. But other than grief, there was no better choice. "How could you bear to abandon me? How could you bear to abandon your family?" "Aria, don''t be too sad!" Leo did not know how to persuade her. Aria sobbed sadly for a while. Her eyes suddenly revealed a trace of determination. She remembered what Bruce had told her. "We have toplete the unfinished mission. We can''t let Bruce die invain." "Bruce, don''t worry. I will definitelyplete what you told meto do." "Leo, let''s go to the westernboratory now!" "Your injuries are so serious now. You should rest for two days before going!" "There''s no need. we''ll go now." "Alright then!" At Greyport. In the kitchen, Joanna was about to make dumplings for the children. "Crack." She identally knocked a bowl to the ground, and it shattered. Seeing that, Joanna subconsciously wanted to pick up the fragments. "Ahh." As soon as her hand touched the broken piece, she was cut. Dark red blood immediately oozed out. Miranda hurriedly went forward to check. "Joann, what''s wrong?" "No, I''m fine." "Oh, you''re bleeding. Hurry up and press on the wound." Miranda quickly went forward to pinch the wound tightly to stop the bleeding. "Hurry up and go to the hospital. The wound is so big." "It''s fine, it''s fine. Just apply some medicine and bandage it up," Joanna replied absent-mindedly. "Then hurry up and go upstairs. Let the others clean up here." "Yes, yes, okay." Back upstairs. "Ouch." Joanna pinched the wound tightly. Her finger was in extreme pain. "Joann, how could you be so careless and make such a big cut?" Miranda took out the first aid kit while looking for medicine to stop the bleeding. After the bleeding stopped, she bandaged her with gauze and tape. "I''ll call Dr. Down now and ask him toe over!" "It''s just a small wound. There''s no need to go through so much trouble," Joanna replied casually, but her heartbeat quickened.. Instantly, a strong sense of uneasiness welled up in her heart. That made her even more flustered. Every time her spider senses tingled, something bad would definitely happen. Her sixth sense had always been very strong. "Alright, it''s bandaged. Avoid getting it wet." "Yes, yes, I''m fine. You can go down and do your work!" "Alright," Miranda replied and was about to go downstairs. Downstairs, Devin''s heart-wrenching cries suddenly sounded. "Waah... Waah..." Devin was ying with the slide when he identally fell down the steps. He happened to hit the skin of his upper lip, and his entire upper lip was covered in blood. "What''s wrong? Why is Devin crying so badly?" Joanna suddenly came out of the bedroom. "Devin, Devin, hurry up and stop the bleeding." The servants panicked and hurriedly stopped the bleeding for Devin. "Heavens, what''s going on?" Joanna''s heart was pounding. The servant and babysitter were dumbfounded. "Devin identally hit his upper lip." Joanna ran down the stairs. Devin''s upper lip was dripping with blood. He was in so much pain that he was crying. Seeing that, Joanna''s heart ached. She could not help but re up at the servants. "Is this how you do your job?" "Madam, I''m sorry. We... we..." The servants were also trembling in fear. Although they were all watching after Devin, it was inevitable that they would be negligent for a while. Besides, children loved to run around. One second, they were ying, and there were no signs of danger. The next second, they might fall and injure themselves. That could not be avoided. Joanna carried her son up. The babysitter quickly took a clean tourniquet and wiped the blood from Devin''s mouth. "Waah, waah!" "Quickly call Dr. Down and ask him toe over," Joanna said with a frown. Her injury was not serious, but the child was injured, so she couldn''t be negligent. "Oh, oh, I''ll go and call now." "Don''t cry, don''t cry. Let Mommy hug you." Joanna hugged her son with heartache. She wished she could hurt on his behalf. The servants were flustered for a ''while before they managed to temporarily stop Devin''s wound. Although it was not a big deal, it still bled a lot. For a one-year-old child, it was still very worrying. Miranda could not help but mutter, "Why is it so unlucky today? Joann just cut her hand, and Devin''s mouth is injured now." Joanna''s heart skipped a beat. She only cared about hugging her son and feeling sorry for him. Lilia heard the cries and also came out of the room in a wheelchair. She asked with a tired expression, "Mommy, what''s wrong?" "It''s okay. It''s okay. Devin just fell." "Oh," Lilia replied listlessly, looking fatigued. After Joannaforted her son, she subconsciously nced at Lilia. She saw that her daughter''s face was pale and was not in good spirits. "Lilia, what''s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Lilia had been weak and sickly since she was young. She spent most of her time in the hospital and would fall sick at any time. Naturally, Joanna was more worried. "It''s okay, Mommy." Lilia smiled at her obediently. The little girl had been terrifyingly sensible since she was young. She had never been willful and troublesome. Now that she had a younger brother, she was even more obedient. "You don''t look fine. Are you feeling unwell? If you''re not feeling well, you have to tell Mommy quickly." Joanna looked at her daughter nervously and reached out to touch her forehead. "You don''t have a fever!" Compared to her three sons, she was more worried about her daughter. Lilia blinked her big eyes and looked at her mommy softly. "I''m not ufortable. It''s just that..." "What?" "Mommy, I just had a nap and had a very scary dream. I woke up from a fright." Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. "What did you dream of?" "I dreamed of Daddy."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Joanna couldn''t help but smile. "Haha, don''t you miss Daddy too much? Daddy will be back in a month." Lilia shook her head with lingering fear. "No! I dreamed that Daddy was bleeding all over. He looked so scary. I woke up from the shock." As Lilia spoke, she patted her chest in fear. "Mommy, I want to call Daddy and see what he''s doing." "It''s been a few days. Why didn''t Daddy call me? It was Halloween yesterday, but Daddy didn''t call. Do you think something happened to Daddy?" Lilia asked worriedly. Joanna frowned when she heard that. Miranda quicklyforted her. "It''s normal for children to dream. Dreams are the opposite. Don''t be afraid." "The weather is very good today. Miranda will apany you outside for fresh air, and you will stop having nightmares." "Oh, okay. I want to go out for some fresh air too." "Joann, don''t think too much. I''ll take Lilia to thewn for some fresh air." "Okay, got it." Miranda didn''t say anything else and pushed Lilia out of the house. "The weather is so good today. Why don''t we let Mommye out for some fresh air too?" "Yes, yes. I''ll call Madam out now. The sun is so good today. She shoulde out for a walk. If she stays in the house, her thoughts will run wild." The sun was especially bright, and it was warm. The houses in Sherane Bay Vi were especially spacious. They had three gardens, both in front and behind, and argewn and swimming pool. Chapter 1063 Chapter 1063 After Joannaforted her son, she was still a little uneasy. Beep, beep, beep. "Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable..." "Sigh, why can''t I get through to you? What are you doing?" "Bruce, you have toe back safely. Don''t let anything happen to you. My heart can''t take any more blows," Joanna muttered to herself in a daze. Indeed, after so many blows, she was easily rmed. She could no longer withstand any shocks or stimtion. She just wanted to live a peaceful life and not have any more troubles. Joanna couldn''t fall asleep. She felt stuffy, and she wanted to talk to someone. After thinking about it, only Grace had something inmon with her. [Grace, are you asleep? Have you contacted Darcy?] Joanna sent a message to Grace. Grace was still in Melta. She would definitely be more well-informed than her. Joanna wanted to ask if Grace had any news about Darcy. Even if Bruce could not be contacted, it would be good if she could contact Darcy. Anyway, Darcy had been following Bruce. They were definitely together. Due to the time difference, it was still four or five in the morning at Melta. Joanna originally thought she would reply get a reply from Grace when Grace woke up. However, as soon as she sent the message, Grace immediately made a video call. "Hello, Joann." Joanna hurriedly picked up the video call. "Grace, why aren''t you asleep yet? It should still be at night at your ce, right?" In the call, Grace''s eyes were red as she leaned against the pillow. "I can''t sleep. I''ve been suffering from insomnia for the past few days. I can''t sleep at all." "Hmm, have you contacted Darcy in the past two days?" Joanna asked subconsciously. Although she knew the chances were slim, she still had a hint of anticipation. When Grace heard that, her eyes turned even redder, and her voice became even more choked up. "No! No matter how I called him, I couldn''t get through. Joann, what did they go to do? Why are they so mysterious? They didn''t even give me a call." "I''m so annoyed and worried. If anything happens to Darcy, what will I do? I realize that I''ve already fallen in love with him. Without him, I won''t be able to live." Grace was the age where love was paramount. She would not restrain her feelings at all. Of course, she did not want to restrain herself either. "Uh..." Joanna''s gaze darkened, not knowing how tofort her. Grace sniffed and said aggrievedly, "Joann, I''m very worried now. I haven''t slept for the past two days."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "I keep feeling that something is going to happen to Darcy. I can''t contact him now, and I''m about to break down. What did your husband go to do? Is he doing something dangerous? I heard that Darcy used to box in the underground boxing ring. Did your husband ask Darcy to fight in the underground boxing ring again?" "Grace, don''t worry. They should be back soon." Joanna could onlyfort her with that. But in fact, what they were doing was much more dangerous than boxing. They could lose their life any minute. Therefore, Bruce did not dare to tell Joanna the truth. If he told her the truth, she would probably be scared out of her wits and stop him from going to Melta no matter what. "Then what are they doing? Do they need to turn off their phones? Now that I can''t contact him, I really don''t know what to do. I''m very anxious and panicky!" Grace said like a child and couldn''t help but sob. She had just expressed her feelings to Darcy, and the two of them were in love. Now that they were forcedto separate and could not contact each other, she could not stand it. She had already decided to marry Darcy after he returned. "Silly girl, don''t cry. It''s nothing. They''re just going for business." Joanna barelyforted her, and her nose began to ache. She was even more panicked and worried that something would happen to Bruce. To be honest, Darcy was a loner who came and went without any worries. Even if he died unluckily, it would not cause muchmotion. If someone like Bruce, who had a family and a huge business empire, died, it would be even worse. Grace also noticed the change in Joanna''s tone and felt even more scared. "Joann... Don''t cry anymore. I''m not ming you. I''m just worried about them." "That''s all for now! I''ll contact you immediately when there''s news." "Alright then!" "Don''t think too much. Go to bed early." "Yes, I know." After hanging up, Joanna was in a daze for a few minutes. Her mind was in a daze, and her heart was in a mess. "Bruce, you damn bastard, you''re always making me worry. What the hell are you doing?" Joanna was still in a daze when Miranda ran in again. "Joann, the sun outside is very warm. Go out and bask in the sun." "Don''t be cooped up in the house all the time. It''s easy to let your imagination run wild." "Alright!" Joanna took a deep breath and did not want to think too much. Carrying Devin, she also walked out of the house. At no man''snd. Boom! Boom! Boom! Bruce slowly regained consciousness. As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss and kept spinning in the vortex. "Ouch, it hurts..." Bruce breathed weakly and rolled his eyes. In front of him was arge ss cover and various high-tech instruments. There were also many people in white coats and gas masks walking around. Bruce was stunned and subconsciously wanted to sit up. "What is this ce?" The moment he moved, he realized his hands and feet were firmly fixed by restraints. As he woke up, someone eximed with Antlenish. "Oh, he''s awake. Sure enough, his stamina is different from ordinary people." "He actually survived the energy radiation. That''s great!" Then, four or five people immediately surrounded the ss cover. They stood around the ss cover excitedly and looked at Bruce greedily. Bruce struggled with all his might, but it was useless. In front of him, there was a row of things that looked likempshades. They emitted a faint blue light and shone on his body. There was a weak stinging feeling. It was like countless thin needles stabbing into his nerves through his pores. "This is... District 17!" After Bruce reacted, his mind exploded. He quickly looked around. That''s right. It must be theb in District 17, just like what he had seen in the microchip. There were ss covers and research tables all around, containing people and various animals. Through the content of the microchip, he roughly knew that they wanted to modify the human genes. First, they had to shine energy radiation to destroy the human body''s immune system. Then, they had toinject humanoid genes to go beyond the various limits of the human body and create a high-level humanoid. Why capture people like him? Their physical fitness was different from ordinary people, and they were the best experimental subjects. Ordinary people would not be able to withstand the radiation and would die quickly. In the video, there were countless experimental subjects who died in the process of being exposed to energy radiation. They could not make it to the subsequent experiments at all. That was why the patrol team did not kill him and brought him back for research. "Oh, that''s great. Our experiment will definitely seed this time. This will be a major breakthrough in humanity''s history..." Greed appeared in the eyes of the scientists. That was the first time they had encountered such a powerful test subject. Bruce had been exposed to the energy radiation for a day and a night and had actually woken up. Moreover, he was very energetic and clear-headed. Although the few agents from Eprarian captured in District 17 were also good experimental subjects, they were in aa for more than half a month before waking up. Moreover, only one personsted until thest step and died not long after. That was the first time someone woke up so quickly. Bruce''s physique was naturally different from ordinary people''s. Previously, when he got into a car ident, he was injected with more than 30 doses of gene regeneration shot. Each shot cost over 200 thousand dors. After injecting for more than 30 days, his physical fitness waspletely modified. Moreover, he experienced the RA-2 virus after that. Therefore, his physique and physical fitness werepletely different from ordinary people. "Urgh, let me out, let me out!" Bruce roared and struggled with all his might, shaking the ss cover. Although the energy radiation did not hurt much, it was very ufortable. He would rather be stabbed. Chapter 1064 Chapter 1064 Chapter 1064 Especially with his hands and feet bound, it made Bruce restless and anxious. He did not want to be watched like a monkey by the crowd. Seeing his intense reaction, the excitement in the scientists¡¯ eyes grew strong. ¡°Very good. ¡°This is a miracle. Inject him with a tranquilizer right away. ¡°Carry him to theb bench for further dissection!¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Sure.¡± Upon hearing the conversation at the side, Bruce became furious in his mind. Immediately, the intravenous tube connected to his arm started injecting anesthesia, and he quickly fell into unconsciousness again. ¡°You can lift him to theb bench for a full-body examination.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The radiation lights were turned off. The ss cover slowly opened, and a few assistants carefully moved Bruce to a small cart. Then, they wheeled him into another operating room. The scientists began their research around him again, collecting blood samples for analysis. After a series of examinations, the scientists were delighted, and the excitement shown in their eyes had reached an ecstatic level. ¡°Perfect, his immune system has been destroyed. New cells are multiplying, and once the cell count reaches the standard, we can inject humanoid genes. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the final results of the experiment.¡± Another scientist from Gaprington frowned and said seriously, ¡°I hope our experiment will be sessful this time.¡± They had already done thousands of experiments, and each time they had failed. Those subjects could not endure until the end, except for one sessful case, but even that one did not survive long. However, it was already a major breakthrough, and after gic modification, the subject had truly surpassed human limits. He could walk on walls like a gecko and hold his breath underwater for over an hour without breathing. The current subject had extraordinary physical abilities, and the scientists naturally hoped he couldst until the end of the experiment. Two dayster, Bruce woke up in a daze and gradually regained consciousness. He had already been dissected and connected to various instruments, with his brain hooked up to a detector. However, his heart was still beating normally, and all his organs were functioning normally. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce replied weakly, but his body had no strength left. He could only lie on theb bench in despair as his skin gradually started to decay and peel off. ¡°Joann¡­Joann¡­¡± The figure of Joanna kept appearing in Bruce¡¯s mind. This time, he knew there was no escaping his fate. He could never go back. He had no other thoughts now, just hoping that Joanna could take good care of their children. On the other side, Aria had already contacted Mr. Thompson and conveyed thetest information. ¡°Mr. Thompson, we need reinforcements now. Bruce¡¯s whereabouts are unknown, and he may have unfortunately sacrificed himself! Aria¡¯s voice choked, almost on the verge of tears. Mr. Thompson fell silent on the other end of the phone. He did not expect this mission to be so tricky, even his most skilled top agent had fallen into it. ¡°Bruce has found the secret microchip inside District 17.¡± Mr. Thompson pondered for a few seconds before saying solemnly, ¡°Think of a way to bring the microchip back to the country as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Thompson.¡± 1/3 09:35 ¡°I¡¯ll send another supporting group to reinforce you.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± After hanging up the phone, Aria could not hold back her tears. Even though three days had passed, she still could not ept this result. Leo could only repeatedly console her. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t cry anymore! It¡¯s not the time to be sad now. We need to bring the microchip back to the country as soon as possible.¡± Hearing this, Aria burst into tears again, saying with sorrow and despair, ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine that Bruce would leave us like this. ¡°I¡¯m going to the scene again. No matter what, I will bring Bruce¡¯s body back.¡± ¡°Right now, it¡¯s not appropriate for us to show ourselves. The no man¡¯snd is highly alert. We might not be able to do anything there.¡± Leo also had a heavy and regretful expression. They wanted to collect the body of their fallenpatriot as well. They were all national heroes, and it was not right to leave the body exposed in the wilderness. However, the reality was cruel. They could not even protect themselves now. It seemed difficult even to approach the no man¡¯snd, let alone enter District 17. Aria shook her head stubbornly. ¡°No! I still don¡¯t believe Bruce would die like this. ¡°As long as I see his dead body, I refuse to ept this oue,¡± said Aria, her eyes filled with determination, unwilling to face such a conclusion. ¡°I want to see him, dead or alive. I¡¯ll definitely find him.¡± Seeing Aria so persistent, Leo did not try to persuade her further. After all, he had not witnessed Bruce¡¯s death himself. However, even if Bruce had not been killed, the oue would not be any better. Being caught by District 17¡¯s special inspection team only had two possible oues, being shot on the spot or being taken back to the research institute for experimentation. Leo had already seen the contents of the microchip that Bruce gave him and had a general idea of the research process. Frankly speaking, being shot on the spot would be better than being subjected to research. ¡°I hope¡­ that Bruce is only taken away.¡± ¡°You mentioned that as a possibility. District 17¡¯s inspection team is aggressively capturing agents from various countries to conduct research on them. Bruce is probably the same¡­¡± Aria paused, her face paling, and then she hesitated to continue. If Bruce were captured and taken to District 17, being shot on the spot would be preferable. At least it would be a quick death without suffering. If captured, what awaited him would be inhumane torture, just like the typical case of the agent from Eprary. When they rescued that agent, he was in a state of delirium, with his body covered in sores and his organs failing. Ultimately, his immune cells died, and his death was extremely miserable and painful. Before he died, no one knew what kind of torture he had suffered. So,pared to being captured and taken to District 17, a quick death would be better. Suddenly, Leo thought of something. ¡°Aria, didn¡¯t Bruce entrust you with the n before? What are you trying to do? In any case, you should inform his family.¡± Aria¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°I want to wait a little longer. Lstill don¡¯t believe that Bruce would die like this.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Leo, you can start the n so that we won¡¯t be caught off guard.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Bruce, I hope God bless you.¡± Aria silently held her hands together and began to pray. At Sherane Bay Vi, Joanna had been restless, unable to eat or sleep peacefully for several days. She had been nervous and had bad feelings about Bruce¡¯s situation for the past three days. Coupled with her inability to contact Bruce, she was growing more anxious at the moment. [Bruce, give me a call when you receive the message.] [The children and I are very worried about you. Where are you now? Can youe back before Christmas?] [I¡¯m nning to take Lilia to Gaprington to remove her orthopedic device. I hope that the day she stands. up, you can be the first to see her.] Every day, Joanna persisted in sending him messages, hoping that once Bruce¡¯s phone had a signal, he would receive her texts. And she hoped that as soon as he read the messages, he would call her back. She was starting to worry to death. ¡°Mommy, are we going to Gaprington tomorrow? I have packed my things.¡± Lilia looked at her mother obediently. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll set off tomorrow.¡± Joanna squeezed out a slight smile and affectionately patted her daughter¡¯s head. Lilia had been wearing the orthopedic device on her legs for over half a year, and it was almost time to remove it. After taking off the device, with no unforeseen circumstances, she would need to undergo rehabilitation training, and then she would be able to walk like a normal child. During this period of time, it was only this matter that could bring somefort to Joanna. Davian let out a sigh, worriedly asking, ¡°Mommy, when will you and Liliae back?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for the time being. It depends on what Doctor Carl says. We might have to stay in Gaprington for rehabilitation training. In any case, this time, we won¡¯t come back until Lilia¡¯s legs are better.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then.¡± Irvin, who had also stopped being mischievous for once, said, ¡°Mommy, can you and Liliae back to apany us before Christmas?¡± ¡°Definitely, we¡¯ll be back before Christmas, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Lilia, I hope you can fully recover this time. These are the shoes I bought for you.¡± As Davian spoke, he handed over a pair of leather shoes he personally picked for Lilia. Lilia happily epted them, saying, ¡°Thank you, Davian.¡± ¡°Lilia, I also prepared a gift for you. Look, this is a limited-edition ballet dress. Didn¡¯t you want to learn. ballet? When your legs get better, you can start learning ballet.¡± ¡°Thank you, Irvin.¡± Chapter 1065 Chapter 1065 Chapter 1065 ¡°I feel so happy. I got Daddy, Mommy, and brothers doting on me. I¡¯m truly blessed.¡± ¡°Silly girl, you are the little princess of our family. Who else should we dote on if not you?¡± Lilia sighed again, looking regretful. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a pity Daddy isn¡¯t here. If he were here, he would definitely apany me to Gaprington.¡± As she spoke, Lilia tilted her head and looked at Joanna with a soft, tender expression. ¡°Mommy, why can¡¯t we get through to Daddy¡¯s phone? Where on earth did he go that he can¡¯t be reached?¡± When Joanna heard her daughter¡¯s concern, her heart skipped a beat again at the moment. Irvinined as well, showing his dissatisfaction. ¡°Exactly. I can¡¯t figure out where Daddy went. ¡°He has been away from home for over a month and does not miss home at all. Did he forget about his wife and kids?¡± Hearing theints, Joanna could onlyfort her children. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about it. Daddy is working hard for our family. His job is already demanding, so we should understand him.¡± Irvinughed. ¡°That¡¯s true. If daddy does not work hard to earn money, we can¡¯t be some wealthy heirs, right?¡± Joanna furrowed her brows slightly and thought of scolding Irvin but decided to hold back with a second thought. The kids were still young and did not understand much. She would correct their values when they grew up, especially Irvin, who was extremely proud of his status as a rich second-generation heir. No, it should be the third generation of the rich. ¡°When Mommy is not at home, you must study well and behave yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. We know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to y online games either. Mommy will have Miranda and Mr. Gael to watch over you.¡± Joanna instructed with a fierce expression. Children could easily get addicted to online games, and once they did, it was not easy to handle. ¡°We have so much homework every day. How would we have time to y online games? ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re the most well-behaved kids.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. You¡¯re all grown up now, and Mommy does not need to nag you.¡± Joanna nned to bring Devin along this time. After all, Devin was still too young. She was worried about leaving him at home. ¡°Enough talk, guys. Hurry up and go back to your rooms to rest.¡± ¡°Good night, Mommy.¡± Davian and Irvin waved to their mother. ¡°Good night, my darlings.¡± Joanna bent down and kissed their faces. Back in her room, Joanna took a quick shower. However, lying on the bed, she could not find any sleep. She checked the time, and it was just a little past. 9 o¡¯clock.Material ? N?velDrama.Org. She normally would not sleep this early. But now, she was even more restless because she could not stop worrying about Bruce. Coincidentally, Jaydon called. Ring, ring, ring. Joanna answered the call. ¡°Hello, Jay!¡± On the other end of the phone, Jaydon¡¯s warm and maic voice came through. ¡°Joann, are you asleep?¡± ¡°Not yet. Why?¡± Jaydon hesitated for a moment. ¡°Oh, nothing. Isn¡¯t Lilia going to Gaprington tomorrow? I called specifically to see if I could go with you. What time is your flight?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re taking a flight at 10 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯lle and see you off!¡± Joanna declined directly upon hearing Jaydon¡¯s n. ¡°No need, it¡¯s too troublesome for you toe back and forth. ¡°I¡¯ll have the driver take us, it¡¯s more convenient that way. Besides, you¡¯re in Venturas, it would take time for you toe over.¡± Jaydon sighed and did not insist further. ¡°Well, just take care, and call me if there¡¯s anything you need help¡± ¡°Got it. How is Patricia doing now?¡± The question made Jaydon let out another long sigh. His daughter was not close to him and Carmel at all. Aftering back, she cried and threw tantrums, refusing to eat. No matter how they coaxed, nothing worked. But he knew Joanna was going to take Lilia to Gaprington for treatment, and he did not want to bother her further. After a few seconds of silence, Jaydon blurted out. ¡°Has Bruce note back yet?¡± ¡°Not so soon.¡± ¡°Have you managed to contact him? I tried calling him, but I could not get through.¡± Jaydon frowned. He was not trying to get emotionally involved with Bruce. He was just worried about his litter sister, Grace, who had been refusing to return to the country. He still could not rest assured about her and wanted to call Bruce or Darcy to find out what was going on. However, he had called Bruce several times, and nobody answered. He also tried calling Darcy, but no one answered either. ¡°Oh, he and Darcy went to a remote ce. I heard there was no signal there, so the phone can¡¯t get through. ¡°Once the signal is avable, he will definitely call back.¡± Joanna instinctively defended Bruce. Jaydon listened but did not say much. In this era, if one wanted to contact each other, there must be a way. So, there was something suspicious about Bruce, but he could not sow discord in front of Joanna. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± After hanging up the phone, Joanna weakly leaned against the pillow. Now that Bruce was not by her side, she suddenly missed him terribly, wanting him toe back at once and hold her tight as he used to. ¡°Bruce, I miss you so much! Pleasee back, okay?¡± Joanna touched Bruce¡¯s pillow, her cheeks already stained with tears without her realizing it. Especially these past few days, she found herself inexplicably on the verge of tears. They had been apart for several months before, and while she missed him back then, it was not like how she felt now. It was not just missing him now, but more so, worrying about him. Well, women tended to overthink and be sensitive. With tears still streaming down her face, Joanna fell asleep in a daze. Just as she fell asleep, she had a terrifying dream. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna shuddered, abruptly waking up-from the dream. In the dream, she saw Bruce being dissected, gruesomely injured, and unrecognizable. A group of people surrounded him as if they were studying something. When Joanna woke up, she was covered in cold sweat. The dream had felt so real, almost lifelike. ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t have any trouble. You promised me that you¡¯lle back home, and you must keep that promise.¡± Joanna touched her face, which was unknowingly soaked with tears. Unable to fall back asleep, she lifted the quilt and stepped out of bed, heading straight to the balcony with bare feet. She had a feeling that something must have happened to Bruce again. However, she could only try to console herself, telling herself that it was just a dream, trying not to let herself overthink. Then, Joanna took out her phone. After much contemtion, she could not resist calling Aria. Despite her dislike for Aria and the desire to have no further involvement with her, right now, besides Aria, she did not know anyone else who could contact Bruce. Ring, ring, ring. Joanna kept calling several times, but Aria did not answer. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Bruce has always been with Aria. Aria¡¯s phone can be reached, so why can¡¯t his be reached?¡± [Miss Bridges, hello, this is Joanna. I have something very important to discuss with you. Can you please pick up the call?] Putting aside her resentment, Joanna sent a message to Aria: [I¡¯m very worried about Bruce. Is he with you? I just want to confirm if he¡¯s safe.] The more Joanna thought about it, the more uneasy she became, and her first reaction was to suspect that Aria had done something to Bruce. After all, she had a history of trying to hypnotize Bruce to win him over. To be honest, she would only want to confirm that Bruce was safe now, she did not want to argue his rtionship with Aria anymore. [Aria, I know you love Bruce very much. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s with you. But right now, I don¡¯t want to meddle in your rtionship with him. I just want to make sure he¡¯s safe.] Joanna sent several messages to Aria. From her words, it was obvious to feel the anxiety and concern she was feeling at the moment. Seeing the messages from Joanna, Aria tightly bit her lower lip, holding back her tears. Although they were on opposing sides and could not stand each other, they had one thing inmon, a deep love for Bruce. If Bruce could be safe, Aria really did not want to cause any trouble for the couple any further. Suppressing her emotions, Aria could not hold back her tears any longer. With trembling hands, she replied to Joanna¡¯s messages. [Don¡¯t worry, Bruce is very safe. You don¡¯t have to be concerned.] Swoosh. The message was sent. When Joanna received the message, her heart surged with an indescribable feeling. [Really? Then I can rest assured. Why can¡¯t I reach his phone all this time? Can you ask him to call me back? The children and I are very worried about him.] Chapter 1066 Chapter 1066 Chapter 1066 After sending the message, Joanna waited anxiously for Aria¡¯s reply. 30 minutes passed, but there was only silence from the phone. Aria did not reply to her message, which made Joanna¡¯s anxiety grow, and she felt an inexplicable sense of restlessness. ¡°Bruce, what are you hiding? What are you up to? ¡°Oh, my god. Have you been involved in something illegal, or worse? Have you been in prison in Melta?¡± The more Joanna thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She could not help but imagine various possibilities. [Aria, can you please tell me the truth? What exactly is Bruce doing?] Swoosh. Joanna sent another message, but there was still no response. Unable to hold back, she tried calling Aria again. Ring, ring, ring. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable¡­¡± Aria had also turned off her phone. Joanna¡¯s face turned pale, her heart pounding with unease that she could not catch her breath. ¡°She turned off her phone too? Did she¡­ do it on purpose? ¡°No, no, I really can¡¯t take it anymore. If this continues, I¡¯ll go crazy.¡± Ring, ring, ring. Joanna tried calling Darcy and Carson again, dialing every possible contact number she could think of. But the result was the same, all the calls could not get through. The next day. Joanna struggled to get up, feeling weak and sluggish. Lilia was already packed and waiting downstairs to go. ¡°Good morning, Mommy.¡± ¡°Good morning, my darling.¡± Joanna looked exhausted as she dragged her tired body downstairs. Seeing her appearance, Lilia was shocked. ¡°Wow, Mommy, why are your eyes so swollen?¡± Joanna instinctively rubbed her eyes and tried to perk up a bit. ¡°Oh, Mommy¡­ did not sleep wellst night.¡± Lilia tilted her head, smiling mischievously. ¡°Mommy, are you worried about my legs?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mommy! I can already feel that I can stand, and I¡¯ll definitely cooperate with the doctor¡¯s rehabilitation training. When my leg is better, I¡¯ll dance for you, Mommy!¡± Lilia¡¯s beautiful big eyes flickered as she looked at her mother with determination. ¡°Good girl!¡± Joanna managed a smile and hugged her daughter, unable to resist giving her a kiss. ¡°Is everything ready?¡± ¡°Yes, everything is ready!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t you going to have some breakfast?¡± ¡°Mommy¡¯s not hungry. I will cat on the ne!¡± Upon hearing this, Miranda could not help but advise. ¡°Joann, why not have a bowl of oatmeal with milk? The food on the ne can¡¯tpare to what we make at home.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna reluctantly agreed and went to the dining room. Her health had always been fragile. So, there would always have some healthy and nourishing food served as breakfast at the dining table in 1/3 09:43 the Everett residence. Anyway, Bruce spared no expense when it came to Joanna and their children, providing them with the best, not just what was expensive. Joanna finished a ss of milk in a rush and prepared to leave. This time, she had to bring her two children along, so several bodyguards and servants were apanying them. With therge group, they would naturally take a private ne. It was 9 o¡¯clock in the morning at the airport. ¡°I hope everything goes smoothly this time.¡± ¡°Mommy! Will Daddye to Gaprington? I¡¯m a little scared without Daddy around¡­¡± Lilia rested her head on Joanna¡¯s shoulder, showing a hint of fear on her small face. Last time in Gaprington, she and Mommy had a car ident. Mommy got seriously injured while protecting her and almost could not live. The memory had left the little girl with some shadow in her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetheart. Even without Daddy around, I¡¯m here, and everything will be fine. Daddy will definitelye to see you after he finishes his work. ¡°Let¡¯s get off the car!¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± The servants unloaded the wheelchair and luggage from the car, preparing to go through the gate. Not far away, Jaydon hurriedly approached, waving to them. ¡°Joann, Lilia.¡± Hearing his shout, Joanna turned her head and asked, ¡°Jay, why did youe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to see you off!¡± Jaydon said as he walked quickly to their side. Behind him, several bodyguards and assistants were following. It seemed like they were also going on a trip. Joanna frowned slightly, resisting his gesture. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you yesterday that you don¡¯t need to trouble yourself to see us off?¡± A touch of warmth appeared on Jaydon¡¯s handsome face, and he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m still worried about you and want to see you off.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± Jaydon bent down and affectionately pinched Lilia¡¯s cheek. ¡°Is Devin also going to Gaprington with you?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s still young, and I don¡¯t feel at ease leaving him at home.¡± Jaydon did not say anything more and handed over a luggage bag. ¡°I rushed here, so I did not have time to prepare properly. This is a gift for you.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. You always bring gifts when youe over.¡± Jaydon smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a gesture of goodwill. I wish you a safe journey. There are some food and daily necessities inside.¡± Joanna epted it and smiled back. ¡°Thank you.¡± As they looked at each other, Jaydon noticed Joanna¡¯s face. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡± ¡°Nothing. I did not sleep wellst night.¡± Joanna replied as she instinctively took out her sunsses and put them on. She had not slept the entire night, lying in bed, she could not stop her tears from flowing. Now, she had clear dark circles and herplexion was pale. Jaydon gave a closer look and felt a pang in his heart. ¡°Joann¡­¡±. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jaydon wanted to say something but hesitated, then smiled tenderly at her. In the past few days, he had conducted extensive investigations. He had gone through all the previous reports and information about Bruce andbined them with his own interactions with him in Staigro. His suspicions had grown significantly. Moreover, in the past half year, there had been rumors in the northwestern Melta about werewolves, zombies, and the spread of unknown viruses and gues. These pieces of information, although suppressed by the authorities, were also given official exnations, iming that the sightings of werewolves and zombies were simply cases of rabies infection. However, there were still some unofficial sources abroad spreading rumors that it could not possibly be rabies, but rather a result of the Melta conducting secret research on gically mutated humans. The potential danger was immense. If it were to spread on arge scale, it would undoubtedly have a severe impact on humanity, leading to social chaos. Bruce¡¯s destination happened to be the no man¡¯snd and the northern regions of Melta. Suddenly, Jaydon started to suspect whether Bruce had something to do with District 17. If that were true, Bruce¡¯s identity would be in grave danger. Not only his identity would be in danger, but also Joanna and their children¡¯s lives would be at risk. ¡°We¡¯re boarding. You should go back now.¡± ¡°How long will you be away?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure about it yet. Probably a couple of months.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to visit you in a while.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes showed a hint of concern. Chapter 1067 Chapter 1067 Chapter 1067 Joanna instinctively declined when she heard it. ¡°No need. You are so busy with work right now, so you should focus on your job.¡± Even though Bruce was not around at the moment, she still did not want to get too close to Jaydon. In her heart, she considered Jaydon purely as a friend, but she knew that Jaydon always had feelings for her. She did not want to give him any wrong signals or cross the boundaries of friendship. It was best for their rtionship to retreat to the position of friends. Seeing Joanna¡¯s resistance, Jaydon did not push further and just smiled warmly. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see then. Have a safe trip.¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Lilia. Keep up with your rehabilitation training, okay?¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Grimm.¡± Joanna did not say much more and turned to walk toward the boarding gate with Lilia and Devin. Behind her, six bodyguards and four assistants followed. Watching Joanna¡¯s figure disappear into the distance, a deep emotion flickered in Jaydon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Joann, I hope¡­ I hope my guess is wrong. ¡°Bruce, you have toe back. Don¡¯t let Joann and the children down.¡± Now, he suddenly began to worry about Bruce too. Besides Bruce, he was even more concerned about his sister. Therefore, he decided to make a trip to Melta in person. Ring, ring, ring. Jaydon¡¯s phone rang again, and he knew without looking that it must be from Carmel. ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the line, Carmel¡¯s voice came through, sounding coquettish and overly sweet. ¡°Jay, where have you been?¡± Jaydon furrowed his brows slightly, feeling a bit impatient. ¡°I have something to take care of in Melta. I won¡¯t be in Venturas for a while.¡± He was going to Melta for another reason as well. That was to distance himself from Carmel. He really did not want to be around her anymore. She was too clingy, using every trick to hook on to him and plcase him, but he really could not take it anymore. It was suffocating. Carmel heard the news and became even more excited, she shouted, ¡°What? You¡¯re going to Melta? Why so sudden? Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance?¡± Jaydon pursed his lips slightly before replying in a deep voice, ¡°Well, there¡¯s something urgent at the last minute. I need to go over at once to have it settled.¡± ¡°Heh, when are youing back? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Carmel refused to give up. ¡°No need. You stay at home and take good care of our daughter. I¡¯ll probably be back in a week.¡± ¡°But, I don¡¯t want to be away from you. I want to go with you¡­¡± Carmel continued to act cute, which seemed quite inappropriate at the moment, ¡°Just leave it at that! I¡¯m boarding the ne now.¡± Jaydon did not wait for her to finish and hung up the phone. He had to go to Melta in person. First, he was truly worried about Grace and wanted to bring her back safely. Second, he wanted to verify his own judgments and guesses. There was definitely something wrong with Bruce¡¯s identity. He was not just a normal businessman. Now, he had to confirm it. ¡°Mr. Gaven. It¡¯s about time, let¡¯s board the ne.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jaydon put on his sunsses, apanied by bodyguards and assistants, and boarded the ne to Melta. On the ne, Joanna felt a little drowsy but could not fall asleep, so she stared out of the window with a tired look. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Lilia pouted her little mouth, seeming to want to talk about something. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my darling?¡± ¡°Well, I want to talk to you about something on my mind.¡± Joanna could not help butugh when she heard that. Though her little girl was young, she had countless tricks up her sleeve. ¡°What do you want to talk about then?¡± Joanna asked with a smile. Lilia hesitated a bit and said shyly, ¡°Mommy, will you and Mr. Grimm¡­ um, always be good friends?¡± Joanna looked puzzled, not understanding why she was asking. ¡°Why do you ask? Mommy and Mr. Grimm are definitely good friends.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Just good friends?¡± Lilia asked carefully. ¡°Of course! Ha, you silly little girl, what are you trying to say?¡± Joanna looked at her daughter with a smile. With a mncholy look on her face, Lilia¡¯s big eyes turned a few times. ¡°Mommy, I feel like Mr. Grimm still likes you very much.¡± Joanna blinked her eyes a few times, feeling something she could not quite put into words. Indeed, she also felt that Jaydon was too¡­ intimate with her. Sometimes, it seemed like their rtionship had surpassed the boundaries of friendship. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want Mommy to be friends with Mr. Grimm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that! Um, Mr. Grimm is very nice, and I would certainly wee it if it¡¯s just friendship. ¡°But I¡¯m worried that he has feelings for you! I do like Mr. Grimm, butpared to Daddy, I definitely prefer Daddy,¡± the little girl said with a worried expression. For as long as she could remember, she and her brothers had grown up in a single-parent family. Now that their family was finally reunited, she really did not want to go back to being a child of a single parent. ¡°So?¡± ¡°So, I don¡¯t want Mommy to get too close to Mr. Grimm. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Lilia hesitated in her words, observing her mother¡¯s expression. Joanna sighed and ruffled her head. ¡°Silly girl, this is not something you should worry about. Mommy assures you that it will never happen.¡±/ ¡°Then Mommy has to make a pinky/promise with me. You and Daddy will stay together and never separate.¡± Joanna looked earnestly at h¨¦r daughter. ¡°Silly girl. Daddy and Mommy will never be apart. No one, under any circumstances, will break up our family.¡± Lilia finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her mother¡¯s promise. ¡°Then I can rest assured.¡± Chapter 1068 Chapter 1068 Chapter 1068 They finally arrived in Gaprington after flying for more than ten hours. At the Carl Hospital. ¡°Doctor Carl, how¡¯s my daughter¡¯s legs?¡± Joannamunicated with Doctor Carl in Antlenish. After Doctor Carl examined Lilia, he said kindly in Antlenish, ¡°They are recovering well. The braces can remove now.¡± Then he called his assistant over and carefully helped Lilia remove the braces. The braces were removed twenty minutester, and Doctor Carl carefully examined Lilia¡¯s bone development. ¡°The bones are developing great. It¡¯s better than I expected.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that. ¡°Then how long will it take for my daughter to stand up and walk like a normal person?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°Lilia¡¯s deformed bones have been corrected. Now, she needs to undergo rehabilitation training. It depends on Lilia. If she recovers well, she will be able to walk normally in about two to three months.¡± said Doctor Carl with a smile. ¡°Does Lilia have to do rehabilitation training in the hospital? Can we go to other ces or hospitals for her rehabilitation training?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. There was more than a month to go before Christmas. When it was Christmas, she had to get back to Greyport no matter what. Moreover, Bruce would probablye back before Christmas. Lilia¡¯s rehabilitation training could be done in Greyport Hospital. Doctor Carl smiled gently and said,¡± It¡¯s best to do it in our hospital in the first month because the rehabilitation therapist will teach you how to do exercises, physical training, and so on. In the second month, you can go home and do it after the patient is familiar with the training process. ¡°Juste back in three months for a follow-up.¡± ¡°Okay. I see.¡± Doctor Carl pondered for a few seconds and said sincerely, ¡°But I suggest that you still stay in the hospital because many patients will not be so self-disciplined to do their rehabilitation training after returning to their homes.¡± ¡°Okay. I got it,¡± said Joanna with a nod. She nned to apany her daughter to train here for a month. After a month, if it didn¡¯t work out, she could hire a rehabilitation therapist to return to Greyport with them. ¡°You can go to the rehabilitation training room now to undergo the rehabilitation training,¡± said Doctor Carl. ¡°Thank you, Doctor Carl.¡± Lilia also looked at her legs excitedly. However, her leg muscles weren¡¯t strong enough to support her yet. She needed help to stand up. ¡°Mommy, I¡­ I can stand up n¨®w,¡± Lilia said excitedly, trying to loosen the armrests. ¡°Lilia, you¡¯re great. Come on!¡± Lilia stood for over ten seconds, but her legs were still too weak to support her. She squatted weakly in the wheelchair. ¡°It¡¯s fine, baby. Your muscles aren¡¯t developed yet. You¡¯ll be able to recover fully when your muscles are more developed,¡± said Joanna. Sheforted Lilia in case Lilia was upset. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mommy,¡± Lilia said with a severe look. ¡°I must train hard to stand up early.¡± ¡°Lilia is awesome. Mommy is proud of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m proud of myself, too.¡±Lilia smile. Lilia began her rehabilitation training under the professional guidance of a therapist in the next few days. After all, Lilia had been disabled for so long. The muscles in her legs were not developed, so she could not control her bnce. Although her bones had been corrected, she still had to do muscle and bnce training. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Lilia was very hardworking. She had clearly trained for the whole day and was already sweating profusely from exhaustion, but she still persisted in training. Joanna apanied Lilia for rehabilitation training every day and constantly encouraged Lilia. In the rehabilitation training room. Lilia was training. Joanna quietly walked out of the training room and couldn¡¯t help but call Bruce. Even though she knew she couldn¡¯t reach Bruce on his cell phone, she still wanted to call him. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Sorry, the number you dialed cannot be connected for the moment.¡± Joanna sighed deeply, and her eyes were a little dim. It was already the fifth day since she brought Lilia to Gaprington. She still could not reach Bruce or even Aria. [Bruce, haven¡¯t you got your work done yet?] [Can you call me back soon? Look, our daughter has stood up and soon will be able to walk like an ordinary child.] [Lilia said she misses you very much and wants you toe and see her. Of course! I also miss you, honey.] Joanna took the photos of Lilia doing training and sent them to Bruce¡¯s Messenger. It was a pity. After sending those messages, they still went unanswered. In Melta. ¡°Aria, Mr. Thompson has sent new guys toe and assist us. They will arrive in a few days,¡± Leo said. ¡°Well, I see.¡± ¡°We must find a way to transport microchips back to our country as soon as possible.¡± Leo sighed again and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to contact Jason and the others in the past few days. I hope they can find us as soon as possible.¡± Aria did not speak. Her face was filled with endless gloom and numbness. For the past few days, she had been like a walking corpse, muddle-headed and at a loss. Chapter 1069 Chapter 1069 Chapter 1069 Aria froze for over ten minutes before saying hoarsely, ¡°Leo, prepare to activate n B!¡± ¡°Now?¡± Leo was stunned after hearing Aria. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Airight then! I¡¯ll get ready now.¡± Aria closed her eyes, and her tears rolled down her face. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you have any regrets.¡± Bruce had been missing for eight days and was probably dead. She had to face the fact even if she didn¡¯t want to believe it. At Carl Hospitals. Another week has passed in the blink of an eye. Joanna had been apanying her daughter for rehabilitation training every day. Lilia had made a lot of progress. Now she was able to stand up without help. However, Lilia still needed more time to train her legs to jump and run like an ordinary person. In the morning, Lilia had undergone dozens of rehabilitation exercises under the therapist¡¯s guidance. She had also practiced all kinds of muscle-strengthening training. Watching Lilia sweating profusely from the hard training, Joanna felt heartbroken and relieved. ¡°Lilia, you are great. Take a break! Don¡¯t be exhausted,¡± said Joanna. Lilia¡¯s face was red, and her head was sweating from the heat. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m not tired. I still want to do another set of legpressions.¡± The little girl wanted to stand up so badly and worked extra hard. She trained against the clock and did not dare to ck. Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with gentleness and heartache. ¡°Baby, Mommy is concerned that you¡¯ll be exhausted. Don¡¯t be in a hurry. Rehabilitation training isn¡¯t something that can be done in a day or two. You have to be patient and take it step by step. You can¡¯t be too anxious. Otherwise, it will backfire.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lilia stopped when she heard Joanna¡¯s words. ¡°Come on, drink some water!¡± Joanna wiped her daughter¡¯s sweat with a disinfected white towel. She handed the kettle over to Lilia to replenish her water. Lilia took the pink water bottle and took a few sips. The rehabilitation therapist stood at the side and praised Lilia in Gapringtonish. ¡°Lilia, you have made great progress and must keep going.¡± The interpreter tranted the rehabilitation trainer¡¯s words. Lilia smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then the rehabilitation therapist talked about the uing training, as well as precautions and so on. Joanna and Lilia listened attentively and were grateful for his efforts. The rehabilitation therapist got off work and left at three in the afternoon. The people of Gaprington were famous for not working overtime. They would get off work on time and didn¡¯t work overtime even though they were given extra money. Therefore, Joanna could only apany Lilia for training in the afternoon with the nurse¡¯s aide. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re hungry, aren¡¯t you? Do you want to eat something?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a little hungry.¡± Lilia was training too hard. Of course, she got hungry quickly. ¡°Eat something!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia let out a long sigh andy on the ground, exhausted. The servant quickly took out the prepared muscle-building food with high protein and fresh fruit. Lilia rested for a while and began to eat the nutritious meal. The food was beneficial for her recovery though it was difficult to swallow. Half an hourter. ¡°Are you full? ¡°You have to eat more to have the strength to train.¡± Lilia shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m full, Mommy. I want to start training.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only just eaten and take a break!¡± Joanna looked at her daughter with heartache. Lilia raised her arm and gestured to her mommy to cheer her on. She said firmly, ¡°No. I don¡¯t need a break. I only want to recover as soon as possible. ¡°I want to give Daddy a big surprise when hees back. Mommy, what will Daddy¡¯s expression be if he sees that I can walk?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was sour, sweet, and mncholy when she heard Lilia¡¯s words. ¡°Daddy¡­ will go crazy with joy!¡± Indeed. With Bruce¡¯s personality, he would be so happy that he would fly. Then, he would give out gifts wantonly. ¡°I thought so, too.¡± Lilia became even more energetic. ¡°I have to train hard. I can train for another two hours.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Joanna and the nurse¡¯s aide carefully helped Lilia to the rehabilitation training room. Lilia had started strength training on her legs, and her calves had gotten thicker. However, this kind of thing could not be rushed. She still had to take time to train. However, she recovered very well. Lilia could walk a small circle when Joanna and the nurse¡¯s aide held her arms. The nurse¡¯s aide apanied Lilia for her training. Joanna sat on a chair aside and watched. As she watched, her eyes could not help but turn red. People just couldn¡¯t be idle. Once they were, they couldn¡¯t help but let their imagination run wild. They had been in Gaprington for more than half a month. There was still no news from Bruce. Joanna could not reach him, no matter what. She wanted to fly to Melta and be by his side to see what he was doing. In no man¡¯snd. An off-road vehicle was driving aimlessly on a dested road. In the car were two unkempt and unshaven men. Darcy¡¯s face was solemn, and his arm was heavily bandaged. ¡°Carson, we haven¡¯t been able to find Mr. Everett. What should we do now?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what to do either.¡± Carson was also driving with a solemn expression. They fought with more than ten patrolling special force soldiers when they picked up Bruce that day. In the end, everyone in the patrol team died. They also suffered heavy losses. Tom, Fry, and two bodyguards died, unfortunately. Darcy was also seriously injured. He was shot twice. Fortunately, the bullets missed his vitals and hit him in the arm and leg. They had been hiding everywhere these days. As they recuperated, they searched for Bruce. Carson thought for a long time and said hesitantly, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, let¡¯s look for Miss Bridges first. She will definitely have news of Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What a headache! Most importantly, we don¡¯t know where Aria and the others are either.¡± Carson and Darcy went to the camp to search for Bruce. However, it was already deserted except for the corpses on the ground. / It made them even more uneasy. They did not dare to stay there for long. ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave the no man¡¯snd first? We¡¯ve finished all the food in the car, and there¡¯s no drinking water. The car has a few gas left. We have to leave first.¡± A spare gas can was in their car, and they had also found a bucket of gasoline at the camp. But after driving for so many days, the gas in the spare gas can was almost out. If they didn¡¯t return to the city to replenish their supplies, they would really be trapped to death in the no man¡¯snd. Darcy pondered for a few seconds. That was all they could do. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go back to the city first!¡± They added all the gas from the spare gas can to the tank and prepared to leave the no man¡¯snd. They finally drove away from the no man¡¯snd ten hourster. When Darcy¡¯s phone had just regained its signal, it was bombarding madly like an out-of-control rm clock. Carson was speechless. ¡°Oh, my god. Why do you have so many messages and missed calls?¡± Darcy¡¯s phone vibrated widely. All of them were texts and missed calls from Grace. In addition, there were Joanna¡¯s messages. Beep, beep, beep. Darcy called Bruce when his phone finally stopped ringing so wildly.Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1070 Chapter 1070 Chapter 1070 ¡°Sorry. The number you dialed cannot be connected for the moment.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t get through to Mr. Everett. Try calling Miss Bridges again.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Darcy replied and was about to call Aria. However, Grace¡¯s call came in before he could call Aria. Beep, beep, beep. The phone vibrated widely again. During this period, Grace called Darcy tens of thousands of times and texted countless messages. Other than sleeping, she called him almost every minute. Therefore, Grace called in as soon as Darcy turned on his phone, Darcy frowned, and his heart couldn¡¯t help but feel pain. ¡°Who¡¯s calling? Why aren¡¯t you answering it?¡± Darcy did not say anything. He still had a mission, and Bruce¡¯s whereabouts were unknown. He had to find Bruce first, no matter what. Darcy didn¡¯t know what to say to Grace if he answered her call now. Beep, beep, beep. The calls from Grace came one after another. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a while and see if anything has happened.¡± Darcy took a deep breath and braced himself to answer the call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then, Grace¡¯s trembling and excited voice suddenly sounded. ¡°Hello, is this Darcy¡­¡± When Darcy heard Grace¡¯s voice, his throat tightened, and his eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°Grace¡­¡± Grace was stunned for a few seconds before she exploded. ¡°Idiot. Where have you been? Do you know that I was worried sick about you? Come back now. I have to see you right away. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to die.¡± ¡°Grace¡­¡± Darcy stammered, unable to say a word. Grace burst into tears and said, ¡°You are an idiot, a big baddie, a bastard. You are the worst fool in the world. ¡°Why did you turn off your phone for so many days? Are you done with me? Do you know that I¡¯ll be worried about you?¡± Darcy¡¯s breathing trembled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± said Darcy. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your apologies. I want to see you right away. Where are you now?¡± said Grace. ¡°Grace, I¡¯m sorry. I have something to do now and can¡¯t return home for a while.¡± ¡°Where the hell are you now? What the hell are you going to do? Get your ass back here. Is your job more important, or am I? ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to work as a bodyguard anymore. I want you to resign immediately.¡± Grace was about to break down on the other end of the phone. She was crying and making a fuss. Darcy looked solemn. Grace cried until she was out of breath. ¡°I¡¯ll support you for the rest of your life. I have money. You don¡¯t have to be someone¡¯s bodyguard anymore. I can¡¯t take it anymore. I want you to be by my side.¡± ¡°Grace, don¡¯t do this, please,¡± said Darcy, whose heart was also aching. In fact, he was now worth billions. He no longer needed to work for Bruce. If he left Bruce, he could live a stable life. However, Bruce was his benefactor, which couldn¡¯t be measured by money. Therefore, he still stayed loyally by Bruce¡¯s side. Grace cried sadly and said coquettishly, ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯ll go and look for you. I have to see you today, no matter where you are. I¡¯ll go and look for you? Darcy panicked when he heard that. ¡°Grace, are you still in Melta?¡± ¡°Where else could I be?¡± Darcy was surprised. He never expected Grace to still be in Meltal ¡°Grace, listen to me. Hurry up and return to the country. Don¡¯t stay in Melta. ¡°It¡¯s hazardous here. Go back quickly. I¡¯lle to you when I¡¯m done with my job¡­¡± Grace willfully replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to be separated from you anymore. I¡¯ll see you today. Tell me, where are you? I¡¯ll charter a private ne to look for you.¡± Darcy¡¯s expression was severe. He was deeply moved by Grace¡¯s persistence and affection. However, he really couldn¡¯t see her now, They were currently being, hunted down and could be killed at any moment. If Grace were with them, not only would she be a burden, she might even lose her life at any time. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Darcy, I love you. I can¡¯t live without you. I¡¯ve been on the verge of breaking down these past few days. If I can¡¯t see you again, I¡¯m really going to jump off a building ¡°Can you quit your job? I don¡¯t want you to work as someone¡¯s bodyguard again. How much does Bruce pay you? I can give you double. No, I¡¯ll give you all my money. I have money and can afford to support you.¡± Grace could not help but break down and cry after she finished speaking aggrievedly. Indeed, Grace was Jaydon¡¯s biological sister. Grace was now the second richest person in the Grimm family ever since her brother Jaydon took back the Grimm family¡¯s inheritance rights. With her worth, she could really afford Darcy. She didn¡¯t want Darcy to follow Bruce. She only wanted to marry Darcy and live a sweet and happy life with him. ¡°Grace¡­¡± Darcy seemed to be at a loss for words. ¡°Where are you? Tell me. I¡¯m going to find you,¡± said Grace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t see you now. If you love me, return to the country immediately and don¡¯t stay in Melta anymore.¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you love me? Have you had a change of heart?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the reason? I want you to tell me, do you love me or not?¡± Grace kept pushing. ¡°L¡­ ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Do you love me? I want to hear the truth. Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Darcy said firmly. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Since you love me,e back with me! We¡¯ll return to the country together and get married immediately when we return to Venturas. ¡°I do love you, and I really can¡¯t leave you. When we get married, you cane to work at Grimm Group if you want to work. Or we can do nothing and only stay home and have kids, okay?¡± Grace¡¯s voice almost carried a humble request. Darcy was touched when he heard Grace¡¯s words. However, he was a man He would not spend Grace¡¯s money even though she had more money than him. Moreover, now that Bruce was missing, he had to find Bruce first, no matter what. ¡°Grace, listen to me. You have to hurry back to Venturas. It¡¯s too dangerous here. You can¡¯t stay here anymore. I still have something to do here. I¡¯ll definitely look for you when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°What exactly are you busy with¡­ Beep, beep.¡± Darcy hung up before Grace could finish her words. ¡°Hello, hello!¡± Darcy took a deep breath and turned off his phone after hanging up. If he didn¡¯t turn off his phone, Grace would call him again in a frenzy. ¡°Sorry. The number you dialed cannot be connected for the moment.¡± Grace was so angry that she cried bitterly. ¡°You idiot. How dare you turn off your phone again? How could you do this? I hate you, bastard. ¡°Do you know I¡¯m worried sick? What kind of lousy job are you doing?¡± Chapter 1071 Chapter 1071 Chapter 1071 Beep, beep, beep. The more Grace thought about it, the angrier she became. She called Joanna directly. ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± When Joanna heard Grace¡¯s phone call, Grace roared aggressively, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m here to resign on behalf of Darcy. ¡°I won¡¯t let him follow your husband. He won¡¯t be his bodyguard anymore.¡± Joanna was confused when she heard Grace. Grace was stillining non-stop. ¡°What kind of lousy job is your husband doing now? I can¡¯t see him or get through to his phone. Tell your husband that Darcy has resigned.¡± ¡°Grace, what happened?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°I just called Darcy. He said that he will be busy for a while¡­¡± said Grace. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. ¡°Have you gotten in touch with Darcy?¡± Joanna asked anxiously. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Grace, I won¡¯t talk to you for now.¡± As Joanna spoke, she immediately hung up and hurriedly called Darcy. Unfortunately, Darcy had turned off his phone again. Beep, beep, beep. Joanna quickly called Carson. Carson answered the phone. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Everett.¡± After the call was connected, Joanna finally heaved a sigh of relief and said anxiously, ¡°Carson, thank goodness. Your call finallyes through.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The blood in Joanna¡¯s heart boiled. She asked anxiously, ¡°Where¡¯s Bruce? Is he with you guys now? Tell him to answer my phone call quickly.¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Everett isn¡¯t with us now.¡± Joanna became even more anxious when she heard that. ¡°He¡¯s not with you? Then where did he go?¡± Carson subconsciously nced at Darcy, not knowing how to reply. Besides, he did not dare to tell Joanna the truth. It was because Bruce specifically had instructed them not to reveal anything about Melta, especially not to Joanna. ¡°Well¡­ Mr. Everett¡­¡± ¡°Stop hemming and hawing. Tell me where he is now quickly. I¡¯m dying of anxiety. Tell him to get in touch with me right away.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Carson stammered. ¡°Forget it. Tell me, where are you now?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She decided that she would personally go to Melta to find Bruce. She wanted to see what he was doing. Darcy shook his head at Carson, indicating he should not say too much. In case Mrs. Everett again. gets worried Carson rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett has gone to the north to investigate. We can¡¯t contact him now. When we contact Mr. Everett, we will ask Mr. Everett to call you back immediately.¡± Joanna¡¯s brain buzzed when she heard that. 1/3 08:59 How was that possible? Carson was obviously lying. They were Bruce¡¯s bodyguards and had to be with him 24 hours daily. How could Bruce investigate alone without bringing them along? However, she knew that she would not get anything out of Carson. Bruce had taught the people around him well. No one could get anything out of them. ¡°Are you sure he went to the no man¡¯snd?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice sank. ¡°Then how many days has he been gone?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s been about ten days.¡± ¡°Then where are you now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re¡­ We¡¯re going to the city to collect some items.¡± ¡°What city are you in now?¡± Carson panicked and quickly said, ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t ask anymore. I have some business to attend to, so I won¡¯t talk to you.¡± ¡°Hey, hey¡­ Don¡¯t hang up yet!¡± Joanna shouted anxiously. Unfortunately, the call had ended. ¡°Bruce, you bastard. What on earth are you doing?¡± Joanna was anxious and panicked. After thinking about it, she immediately called Mark. She wanted him to track Carson¡¯s location. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Mark, this is Joanna. ¡°Help me check the cell phone location of Carson and Darcy immediately.¡± Mark did not dare to dy and said, ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett.¡± Five minutester. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Carson¡¯s cell phone has been located, and Carson and Duthie are currently in Walston.¡± ¡°Send me their location.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Mark hung up, he immediately sent Carson and Darcy¡¯s phone location to Joanna. After receiving the location of Carson. Joanna immediately went to Lilia¡¯s and said gently, ¡°Baby, I am going to Melta tomorrow. Lilian and Kelly will stay with you for a few days while you train, okay?¡± Lilia looked at Joanna in confusion and asked, ¡°Mommy, why are you going to Melta?¡± Joanna exhaled and told her the truth. ¡°I am going to look for your daddy.¡± Lilia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Is there any news about Daddy? What is he doing now? I haven¡¯t spoken to him on the phone for a long time.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Be good. I¡¯ll find your daddy and see when he can finish his work.¡± ¡°Oh. Alright then! ¡°What about my younger brother? Joanna thought for a moment. ¡°Uh¡­ I will bring your brother along. You stay here and train obediently. I will be back soon. A week at most.¡± Lilia wouldn¡¯t be in danger even if Joanna weren¡¯t by her side. She would leave the bodyguards and the caregiver behind to look after Lilia. Joanna had made up her mind. She would personally make a trip to Melta. She woulde back after confirming that Bruce was fine. Anyway, it wouldn¡¯t take long, a week at most. ¡°Got it, Mommy,¡± said Lilia. ¡°Lilian, book me a ticket to Melta immediately.¡± 2/3 08:59 Yes, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Bruce, what the hell are you doing?¡± Beep, beep, beep. Darcy finally reached Leo on his cell phone. ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Leo? I¡¯m Darcy Juke.¡± ¡°Oh, Darcy. Are you guys alright?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine. We finally got in touch with you. Is Mr. Everett with you?¡± Leo¡¯s throat tightened when he heard that. He braced himself and replied, ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Where are you now? I¡¯lle over to you right away.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ll send you a location now. Come over!¡± ¡°Uh-uh.¡± Then Leo sent his current address to Darcy. Darcy looked worried. ¡°It¡¯s great. Mr. Everett has finally been found. I¡¯ve been so worried these past few days. I¡¯m afraid something bad will happen to Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Yeah! I was worried sick, too.¡± Carson also breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Is Mr. Everett with Miss Bridges now?¡± ¡°Yes, he is.¡± ¡°Leo sent the address. We¡¯ll meet up with Mr. Everett immediately.¡± ¡°Uh-uh.¡± Darcy and Carson immediately entered the address into the navigation. Aria was more than 62 miles away from them in a small town called Mnter. It was only an hour or so away by car. Two hourster. At Mnter. Carson finally found where Aria and the others ended up based on the address navigation. It was an old house. The town was very secluded, and there were not many families. ¡°Miss Bridges, Leo!¡± ¡°Darcy, Carson, you¡¯re here.¡± Leo¡¯s expression was a little stiff, and he looked uneasy. Chapter 1072 Chapter 1072 Chapter 1072 Darcy and Carson got out of the car and asked casually, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Everett?¡± Leo forced a smile out of the corner of his lips and said, ¡°Oh, he¡­ he¡¯s in the house now!¡± Upon hearing Leo¡¯s words, Darcy and Carson did not say anything else and hurriedly walked into the house. ¡°Miss Bridges, Mr. Everett¡­¡± Aria¡¯s expression was a little dull. She said, ¡°Shh, lower your voice. Bruce is sleeping.¡± Darcy and Carson quickly shut up when they heard Aria. Was Mr. Everett still in the mood to sleep? ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a rest? You must be exhausted after your long journey.¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Your wound is a little inmed, and you need to get a doctor to treat it. ¡°Leo, go and treat Darcy¡¯s wound.¡± ¡°Okay. Follow me!¡± Leo said and brought Darcy to treat his wound. Darcy¡¯s wound was already inmed and swollen beyond recognition. Leo took out an emergency medical kit and began to treat his wound. Then, he gave Darcy an anti-inmmatory injection. ¡°Eat something, take a shower, and have a good rest. If there¡¯s anything else, we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright then!¡± Darcy and Carson nodded in agreement. During this period, they were so fed up with canned goods in no man¡¯snd. They hadn¡¯t bathed for over half a month and smelled like savages. Leo found two sets of clean clothes for Darcy and Carson and brought them to the bathroom. ¡°Take a shower first. I¡¯ll prepare something for you to eat.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After Darcy and Carson showered, Leo prepared a sumptuous dinner for them. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Everett up yet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Let Mr. Everett have dinner with us!¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Everett is too tired. Let him have a good sleep.¡± ¡°These food are all prepared for you. You don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Leo said nothing more and smiled as he left the dining room. Carson and Darcy nced at each other and vaguely felt something was wrong. ¡°Darcy, do you think Mr. Everett and Miss Bridges are having an affair? I felt their rtionship is weird. Mr. Everett is not cheating on his wife, is he?¡± ¡°Why are you asking like that?¡± asked Darcy, eating the pasta in his bowl in confusion, ¡°Look. We¡¯ve been here for a while. They don¡¯t even let us see Mr. Everett. What does it mean?¡± Darcy¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I think it¡¯s weird, too. Anyway, Aria is not a good woman. We have to be careful and not fall into her trap.¡± Upon hearing Darcy¡¯s words, Carson didn¡¯t dare to eat the food on the table anymore. ¡°Will she poison us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so! At least not now.¡± ¡°If he wanted to harm us, he would have done it when he treated my wound.¡± That¡¯s true. Maybe Mr. Everett is really too tired.¡± Carson yawned loudly as he spoke. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have a good sleep tonight. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow! I feel like every bone in my body hurts right now.¡± Carson hastily ate something and went to the bedroom. He couldn¡¯t wait to sleep. For the past few days, he had been sleeping in the car in the no man¡¯snd. He could not eat or sleep well. Now, he finally felt that the bed was the mostfortable home in the world. Being able to sleep in bed was the happiest thing. The next day. ¡°Miss Bridges, we have to see Mr. Everett. Mr. Everett should be awake, shouldn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± Darcy and Carson looked even more suspicious. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast first! We¡¯ll talk after breakfast.¡± ¡°No, no. We have something important to report to Mr. Everett. Mr. Everett slept for a day and a night. Why isn¡¯t he awake yet?¡± Darcy and Carson already wanted to go to the room to look for Bruce as they spoke. Upon seeing this, Aria knew that she could not hide it anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth! Bruce is injured and is still unconscious.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Darcy said in a somber tone. ¡°Then we have to go in and take a look.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Aria replied indifferently and led Darcy and Carson to the bedroom. Creak! The bedroom door was pushed open. The light in the bedroom was dim, and there was a man lying on the bed. Darcy and Carson took a few steps forward. The man lying on the bed seemed to be in a deep sleep. There were a few bottles of IV drip on his arm. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± Darcy peeked at the bed. It was indeed Mr. Everett lying on the bed. However, Mr. Everett seemed to be getting tender-skinned without seeing him for more than ten days. Even though the lighting was poor, one could tell that Mr. Everett¡¯s face was pale. Although Bruce¡¯s skin was not tanned before, it was definitely not fair. Especially since he had been in no man¡¯snd for so many days, it was inevitable that his skin would be rough and tanned. It had only been a few days, but his skin color had improved. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mr. Everett? Why has he been sleeping all the time?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Leo sighed and said, ¡°Oh, he identally got infected with the virus. ¡°Don¡¯t get close to him. We¡¯re trying to find a way to detoxify him.¡± When Darcy and Carson heard that, a trace of surprise and suspicion appeared on their faces. But they did not dare to say anything now, let alone approach the bed. Aria was the best Ph.D. in biology, specializing in various viruses. Perhaps Mr. Everett had fallen into her trap again this time. It was just like thatst time. Mr. Everett was inexplicably infected with the virus and almost lost his life. ¡°When will Mr. Everett wake up?¡± ¡°It might take another two to three days. Go out and don¡¯t disturb him. We¡¯ve already injected him with a virus vine. He needs a good sleep.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, okay!¡± Darcy and Carson left the bedroom nervously. After returning to their room, Darcy¡¯s expression was even more solemn as he said worriedly, ¡°Carson, I feel that something is amiss/ ¡°I think so, too. Aria didn¡¯t do anything to Mr. Everett again, did she?¡± ¡°Is it possible? The woman has been having ulterior motives toward Mr. Everett, Who knows what tricks she has up her sleeve this time?¡± The more Darcy spoke, the more flustered he became. He had seen Aria¡¯s methods. ¡°So what do we do now? We can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing, can we?¡± Darcy and Carson nced at each other and felt uneasy! Although they were very skilled, they were brave but not clever. At least in front of Aria, their intelligence would really be crushed by her. Now that Mr. Everett was unconscious, they did not dare to act rashly. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see when Mr. Everett will wake up. We can only wait for Mr. Everett to wake up making the next step.¡± before ¡°Well, that¡¯s the only way.¡± Beep, beep, beep. Carson¡¯s phone rang as they were talking. Carson picked up the phone and looked at it, startled. ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s Mrs. Everett again.¡± ¡°Hurry up and answer the phone.¡± Carson braced himself and answered the call. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Everett.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Carson, I¡¯m in Melta now. Come to the airport and pick me up right away.¡± Carson was even more shocked when he heard that. ¡°What? Mrs. Everett, have you alsoe to Melta?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m at the Walston Airport now. Come and pick me up immediately!¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was a little cold! ¡°Oh, oh. Got it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over. Mrs. Everett is here in Melta. She¡¯s at Walston Airport now. She wants me to pick her up.¡± Darcy felt a headacheing on when he heard Carson¡¯s words. ¡°What should we do? Mr. Everett is in this state.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett came at the right time. Let her take care of Mr. Everett personally. It¡¯s better than that woman, Aria Bridges, ying tricks behind our back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go pick Mrs. Everett up now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy and Carson had taken their car keys and went downstairs as they spoke. ¡°Darcy, Carson, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°Well, Mrs. Everett is in Melta. I¡¯m going to pick her up now.¡± When Aria and Leo heard that, their hearts skipped a beat. After pondering for a while, Aria asked lightly, ¡°Is Joanna here?¡± ¡°Yes! She is already at the airport. Let¡¯s not talk about it for now. I¡¯m going to pick up Mrs. Everett.¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened, but she didn¡¯t say anything. After Darcy and Carson left. ¡°What do we do now, Aria?¡± said Leo gloomily. ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up yet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing we can do, and just take it easy. Since she¡¯s here, I don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± ¡°Well, it is the only way!¡± Leo sighed deeply, his face filling with helplessness and grief. At the airport. Darcy and Carson arrived at the airport two hourster. Joanna waited at the airport gate with Devin, a bodyguard, and an assistant. ¡°Mrs. Everett¡­¡± Seeing Darcy and Carson, Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Darcy, Carson.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, why are you here? Why did you bring Devin along?¡± Joanna¡¯s expression was solemn as she asked anxiously, ¡°Is there still no news from Bruce? Where the hell did he go? Don¡¯t hide it from me anymore. Tell me the truth quickly.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has been found.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Darcy and Carson in disbelief. ¡°However, there¡¯s the sad news.¡± ¡°¡­What news?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Mr. Everett seems to have been infected with another virus and is now in aa.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. She felt like the world was spinning around her. She knew that something must have happened to Bruce. Chapter 1073 Chapter 1073 Chapter 1073 ¡°How did he get infected again?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Without any doubt, she was certain that Aria had done it. After all, Aria had done it before. Darcy frowned and said solemnly, ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re not so sure either.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in Mornd Town now. Miss Bridges is trying to find a way to detoxify Mr. Everett.¡± Joanna rushed to the parking lot and urged, ¡°Take me there quickly.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± At Mornd Town. Joanna was burning with anxiety along the way, and her heart was a mess. She knew that Aria would not let go so easily. As expected, something happened again. Two hourster. Carson parked the car in front of an old house. ¡°Mrs. Everett, this is it. Let¡¯s get out!¡± Joanna took a deep breath and looked around. This ce was very remote. There were almost no pedestrians on the street. Houses spaced far apart. One had to go a really long way to see another house. It was a small town unique to the countryside of Melta. ¡°Rose, Benny, wait in the car with Devin,¡± Joanna instructed worriedly. ¡°Okay, Mrs. Everett.¡± Joanna got out of the car and walked into the house under the lead of Darcy and Carson. Leo and Aria were already waiting at the door. Upon seeing her, Aria greeted Joanna with a formal and unfamiliar tone, ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯re here.¡± Joanna replied equally coldly, ¡°Miss Bridges, long time no see. ¡°Where is Bruce?¡± Aria¡¯s gaze was wandering, and her voice carried a hint of loneliness. ¡°Bruce is in the room.¡± Joanna nced at her. A hint of disgust and hatredshed across her eyes. ¡°It seemed that she wanted to forcefully separate me from Bruce again. This shameless woman was really evil,¡± thought Joanna. However, she could not fall out with Aria now. She had already experienced Aria¡¯s methods and ruthlessness. ¡°Ms. Haynes, please follow me!¡± Joanna followed Aria into the house. After entering the house, Aria brought Joanna to a bedroom. ¡°Click!¡± The door opened. Joanna quickened her pace and entered the room excitedly. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± In the room. Bruce was lying peacefully on the bed. His face was a little pale as if he was unconscious. ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna practically threw herself to the side of the bed and Bruce¡¯s embrace. They had been separated for more than two months. God knew how she had survived the past two months. Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, wake up, it¡¯s me!¡± Joanna was too agitated and shook Bruce¡¯s body. ¡°Ms. Haynes, Bruce is very weak now. Don¡¯t shake him like this.¡± Aria quickly stopped her. 1/3 09:00 When Joanna heard this, she could only suppress her emotions and sit up straight, not daring to shake Bruce brutally anymore. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is he infected again?¡± Leo quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve already injected Bruce with the antidote vine. He¡¯ll wake up in a day or two. ¡°When he wakes up, he¡¯ll be the same as before. There won¡¯t be any big problems.¡± Hearing it, Joanna looked at the two in disbelief. ¡°What virus did he get this time?¡± Leo frowned and said hesitantly, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t exin it to you. Anyway, don¡¯t worry. Bruce is fine now.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Then can I bring him back to Greyport after he wakes?¡± ¡°No problem! After Bruce wakes up, he can go back with you.¡± When Joanna heard this, the suspicion in her eyes intensified. She was really confused now. Her heart was in a mess, and she could not make sense of it. ¡°What the hell were they doing?¡± wondered she. Seeing the look of disbelief on Joanna¡¯s face, Aria guessed her concerns and exined in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bruce won¡¯t have any problems this time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna asked in disbelief. ¡°If Aria did something to Bruce, why would she let me take him away so easily? ¡°There had to be a conspiracy,¡± thought Joanna. However, she could only suppress the dissatisfaction and suspicion in her heart. Nothing else mattered as long as she could bring Bruce Everett back safely. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned red as she touched Bruce¡¯s face. Bruce¡¯s cheeks were smooth and radiant. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She vaguely felt that something was wrong. Bruce was a very rough man who didn¡¯t care much about his appearance. He had never done skincare before. Moreover, he was born with strong hormones. If he didn¡¯t shave for three days, he would grow a beard. In addition, he was already 32 years old this year. It was obvious that his skin could not be too smooth and tender. But now, his skin was like a peeled egg. It was very delicate and smooth to the touch. His facial features were deep and clear. To be honest, he was much more handsome than before. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with sorry andplicated emotions. She vaguely felt that something was a little strange, but she couldn¡¯t say what was strange. The person lying on the bed was Bruce. Even the scar on his forehead was the same. ¡°Ms. Haynes, let Bruce sleep. Why don¡¯t we go out first?¡± Joanna shook her head sadly. ¡°No, I will stay with him. I don¡¯t want to go anywhere.¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go out first!¡± As he spoke, Leo called Darcy and Carson and left the room together. After everyone left, Joanna could not hold back her tears anymore. They kept falling. ¡°Bruce, wake up quickly. ¡°When you wake up, we¡¯ll go home. We won¡¯t be separated again.¡± As Joanna spoke, she held Bruce¡¯s hand tightly and subconsciously ced it on her face. But soon, she realized that something was wrong. 2/3 09.001 Bruce¡¯s hands were also very smooth and tender. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly checked Bruce¡¯s palm. Then, she got up and walked to the other side of the bed to check his left hand. Bruce was left-handed, so his left hand would be rougher than his right hand. After she checked his left hand, Joanna¡¯s eyes widened, and she subconsciously took a step back. Bruce¡¯s left hand was also smooth and tender. ¡°No¡­ This isn¡¯t Bruce. This isn¡¯t Bruce.¡± Joanna gasped, her eyes filled with fear. Bruce yed golf all year round and liked to race and ride horses. Therefore, his palms and joints had many thin calluses. Moreover, he often practiced boxing. His joints were very broad, and his hands were not good-looking at all. Especially the second knuckle on the middle finger of his left hand. The calluses on it were thicker. The skin there had been ground into thick calluses from many years of signing contracts. But now, his hands were slender and smooth, and his skin was very soft and tender. ¡°Boom!¡± Joanna¡¯s mind exploded. Various expressions appeared on her face, and shivers ran down her entire body. She quickly took a closer look at Bruce¡¯s face. He did look exactly like Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna was still in disbelief. ¡°Are you surprised? Do you think Bruce is different from before?¡± Aria had quietly entered the room again somewhen. Joanna was shocked and turned to look at her vigntly. Aria took a sip of lemonade and said calmly, ¡°He is Bruce. ¡°As he was infected with a virus, I immersed him in a specially made potion for three whole days. This caused his original skin to shed away. So it looks like he has changed his skin.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can take a look at him and see if it¡¯s true.¡± When Joanna heard this, she lifted the nket skeptically and checked Bruce¡¯s body. Sure enough, the skin on his arms and chest was shedding. Large patches of dead skin were shed as if a snake was shedding its skin. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief and dispelled her doubts. ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t ruin your rtionship with Bruce again. I wish you the best. You will grow old with Bruce and be united forever.¡± As Aria said that, a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes. Joanna¡¯s gaze wandered. Her heart was still filled with suspicion and vignce toward Aria. ¡°Stay with Bruce. I¡¯ll go out first. He¡¯ll probably wake up tomorrow,¡± said Aria. Chapter 1074 Chapter 1074 Chapter 1074 ¡°If that¡¯s the case, thank you.¡± Aria turned around again, her eyes filled with pity. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is! Well, I can rx now! ¡°Bruce, wake up quickly! We¡¯ll go home immediately when you wake up and never stay in these ces again. ¡°Our daughter can already stand up and is already undergoing rehabilitation training. The doctor said that in two to three months, Lilia will be like a normal child.¡± Joanna sat by the bed and rambled to Bruce. In the evening. Joanna walked out of the room. ¡°Mrs. Everett, how¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! When Bruce wakes up tomorrow, we¡¯ll return to Greyport immediately.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. ¡°So what are we going to do tonight? Are we going to stay here or go downtown and stay in a hotel?¡± When Leo heard this, he hurriedly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you all stay here tonight? Just make do for the night. It¡¯s going to be a hassle to drive another two hours to the city. Too much running around. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°There is a room upstairs. Let¡¯s all squeeze in together!¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it.¡± Joanna took Devin and Rose to sleep in one room. Darcy and Carson squeezed on the sofa in the living room for the night. The next day. Joanna woke up early in the morning, feeling really worried about Bruce. Aria woke up earlier than her and was already doing psychotherapy for Bruce. ¡°Miss Bridges, how¡¯s my husband?¡± ¡°Bruce is awake.¡± Joanna was overjoyed when she heard this. She hurriedly ran to the room downstairs. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± In the room. As expected, Bruce had already woken up. However, perhaps because he had just woken up, a little unfocused. his eyes were ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re finally awake. You scared me out.¡± As Joanna spoke, she could not help but throw herself into Bruce¡¯s arms and cry. Carson and Darcy heard themotion and hurriedly entered the room to check. Seeing that Bruce had woken up, they were also very excited. ¡°Thank God, Mr. Everett is finally awake. We can finally be at ease.¡± Bruce¡¯s body stiffened as he was hugged by Joanna. He felt like he had a big dream and a lifetime had passed. He subconsciously rubbed his temples. His head hurt a little. There were many things that he could not remember clearly. When she saw Bruce¡¯s cold reaction, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong? Do you not recognize me?¡± Aria quickly exined, ¡°Bruce has just woken up. His memory might be a little chaotic. After all, he has been unconscious for more than ten days. *Moreover, his brain has been damaged before. The blood clots in his mind will gather again. In the 1/4 09:00 future, he might suffer from amnesia.¡± Aria gave Joanna a heads-up. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. As long as he¡¯s safe, everything will be fine.¡± Joanna asked with lingering fear, ¡°Bruce, do you still remember me?¡± Bruce looked at her fixedly for more than a minute before he seemed to remember that Joanna was his wife. Then, he pursed his lips and smiled. ¡°Joann¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes turned red. She smiled with tears in her eyes and buried her head in Bruce¡¯s arms again. ¡°Bruce, you scared me. You promised me that you wouldn¡¯t go on business trips again. You can¡¯t go back on your word.¡± When Bruce heard this, he vaguely felt it sounded a little familiar, but he could not remember when he said it. After pondering for a while, he could only pat Joanna¡¯s back gently andfort her. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t cry anymore. Let¡¯s go home¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ Why did Ie to Melta again?¡± Bruce¡¯s memory was a little glitchy. There were many things that he could not remember. His memories were like fragments and were not coherent at all. ¡°Mr. Everett, we¡¯ve been so worried about you these days. But now, things are finally looking up.¡± Darcy looked excited. ¡°Bruce, do you know them?¡± Bruce subconsciously stared at Darcy and Carson. After thinking for a long time, he remembered that they seemed to be his two bodyguards. ¡°Darcy Juke, Carson!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Mr. Everett didn¡¯t lose his memory.¡± Carson was excited. ¡°Bring Devin over now and let Mr. Everett recognize him.¡± Rose hurriedly carried Devin over. Joanna was still a little worried and asked, ¡°Bruce, do you know who this is?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. A hint of affection appeared on his face. He immediately reached out to hug Devin. ¡°Come to daddy, little Devin. Let me give you a hug.¡± ¡°Devin, call daddy.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Devin called out in a childish voice. ¡°Good boy.¡± Seeing this, Joanna finally feltpletely relieved. ¡°He was indeed Bruce and was only injured and had yet to recover,¡± said she inwardly. Aria and Leo looked at each other and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Do you want to stay for a few more days?¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°No need. Lilia is still in Gaprington. We have to go back to pick her up.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. When Leo heard this, he said impatiently, ¡°Then I might as well book the earliest flight to Gaprington for you.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just worried that Bruce¡¯s body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Ar¨ªa pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Bruce haspletely recovered. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Is that so? His infection has just been cured. Doesn¡¯t he need to rest for a few days?¡± Joanna looked at Bruce worriedly. ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t do heavybor work or strenuous exercise, there¡¯s basically no big problem.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Book the flight to Gaprington immediately. We¡¯ll pick up Lilia.¡± 2/4 09:00 ¡°Okay, Mrs. Everett.¡± After that. Bruce changed into a suit and walked out of the room. With a tall and slender figure, he remained upright and robust. However, there was no hostility or arrogance on his face. His eyes were also very gentle, and he no longer had the domineering aura from before. Overall, he looked very refined and elegant, with an air of noble. Just like the first time Joannaid on him over a decade ago. ¡°We can go to the airport now. We have a lot of people, so we booked a private ne.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Joann, let¡¯s go now,¡± spoke Bruce, chivalrously draping his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Miss Bridges, Leo, then we¡¯ll leave first. ¡°When you guys have some free time, let¡¯s get together in Greyport.¡± Aria and Leo nodded as if they were desperate for them to leave. ¡°Sure, goodbye.¡± ¡°Have a nice trip.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Get in!¡± Bruce personally opened the door for Joanna. ¡°Okay.¡± In the car. eyes Joannaid her head in Bruce¡¯s arms and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, unwilling to let go. She finally heaved a sigh of relief, thinking, ¡°Fortunately, Aria did not cause any trouble this time.¡± Bruce¡¯s reaction was a little cold. He only ced his arm on her shoulder indifferently. However, Joanna did not think too much about it. After all, he had been unconscious for so many days, so it was inevitable that he would feel ufortable. After Bruce and Joanna left. Leo heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Aria, this might be the bestfort for Bruce. He cares about his family the most. Now, things will go back to normal for his loved ones.¡± When Aria heard this, she could no longer hold back her tears. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be sad. Everyone will die. Bruce had a glorious death. He¡­ he died for the organization, and for us as well¡­¡± Leo said with a heavy voice. ¡°Stop talking, stop talking.¡± Aria¡¯s heart felt like it had been gouged out by a knife. It hurt so much that she could not breathe. She would rather be the one to die. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s go in! The microchips have already been sent back. Mr. Thompson and the others are studying it now. ¡°No matter what, this mission is consideredpleted.¡± Aria¡¯s tears kept falling. A trace of ruthlessness and determination appeared on her face. ¡°No, the mission is notpleted.¡± Leo was totally shocked when he heard this and couldn¡¯t help but stare at Aria. ¡°The content in the microchips is only the tip of the iceberg. The truth of District 17 has not been completely unearthed. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to get revenge for Bruce. An inhumanboratory like District 17 shouldn¡¯t exist in this world.¡± ¡°Aria, this is a little unbelievable. To expose a portion of District 17¡¯s secret is already difficult. With our strength, it¡¯s impossible to shake it at all. We can¡¯t turn the current situation around either. ¡°Especially this is Melta¡­ Leo said with a severe expression. Chapter 1075 Chapter 1075 Chapter 1075 ¡°No matter what, I must avenge Bruce.¡± Leo¡¯s face darkened. He could not find any words to persuade Aria. Joanna and Bruce arrived at Carl Hospital 18 hourster. In the rehabilitation room. Lilia was seriously training when the door was pushed open. Joanna walked in first. ¡°My Lilia baby.¡± Lilia turned around. Her big eyes lit up when she saw Joanna. ¡°Mommy, why are you back so soon?¡± Joanna smiled and said happily, ¡°Baby Lilia, look who¡¯s here.¡± Immediately after, Bruce walked in from behind. Seeing this, Lilia cried even more excitedly. ¡°Wow, Daddy, you¡¯re finally back. I missed you so much!¡± Lilia eagerly picked up her walking stick and walked toward Bruce as she spoke. Bruce¡¯s reaction was a little stupefied. He only looked lovingly at Lilia walking toward him. ¡°Daddy, Daddy!¡± Lilia staggered over with her walking stick. When she reached Bruce¡¯s side, Bruce smiled and bent down to pick up her. ¡°My good daughter!¡± ¡°Daddy, I missed you so much! Kiss, kiss, kiss.¡± Lilia hugged Bruce¡¯s neck and took the initiative to kiss his cheek. ¡°Daddy misses you too.¡± A hint of gentleness appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. He only hugged Lilia for a few seconds before putting her on the ground again. Then, as if he couldn¡¯t find anything to talk about, he just stood there. The aloof reaction of Bruce was quite unexpected to Joanna. She frowned subconsciously and looked at him in confusion. Bruce doted on Lilia the most. In his heart, Lilia was probably more important than Joanna. If it were in the past, he would probably be overjoyed when he saw Lilia stand up. But now, although his eyes were filled with gentleness, his reaction was too cold. He did not even react as intensely as Darcy and Carson. When Darcy and Carson saw that Lilia could stand up, their eyes were filled with surprise and joy. Bruce pondered for a while before finally saying, ¡°Be good and continue training!¡± Lilia raised her head and looked at Bruce¡¯s expression. Then, she stole a nce at Joanna. She thought that her daddy and mommy had quarreled again. ¡°Mommy, is daddy¡­ unhappy?¡± Lilia asked Joanna cautiously. Joanna rubbed Lilia¡¯s head and said gently, ¡°No! Daddy fell seriously ill at Melta. He has just recovered and can¡¯t do any strenuous activities.¡± Lilia suddenly understood. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°How are you? Have you improved in your training over the past few days?¡± ¡°Of course, Mommy, look!¡± Lilia said and let go of the walking stick. Without anyone to support her, she staggered forward a few steps. Although her steps were not stable, she had greatly improved. Seeing this, Joanna could not help but cry tears of joy. She hugged Lilia tightly and kissed her face twice. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re awesome. You¡¯ll probably be able to run in another two to three months.¡± ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry, Mommy. I¡¯ll definitely train well.¡± ¡°Thar good.¡± In the doctor¡¯s office. ¡°Doctor Carl. How¡¯s Lilia¡¯s recovery?¡± Joanna asked worriedly. It was already the end of the year. She could not stay in Gaprington for Christmas. If Lilia recovered well, she nned to take her back to Greyport. In any case, thergest private hospital in Greyport was opened by the Everett family. The local rehabilitation therapists could handle small matters like rehabilitation training. Doctor Carl carefully examined Lilia¡¯s leg. ¡°Well, she is recovering well. She can be discharged and go home. Come back for a follow-up check in half a year.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get her discharged tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± Although Lilia could be discharged, it was already nighttime. In addition, everyone was very tired, so they decided to stay in the hotel for the night before leaving. At Hilbert Hotel at night. After taking a shower, Joanna changed into silk pajamas and took the initiative to snuggle in Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± This was the second time she had taken the initiative. Bruce frowned. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m a little tired. Go to bed early.¡± Joanna was stunned. She looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°His vigor was boundless in the past, and he never bothered to suppress his desires. After all this time apart, he actually didn¡¯t want to¡­¡± thought she. But then she thought again, ¡°Maybe his body has just recovered, and he doesn¡¯t have enough energy. ¡°Coupled with the fact that he had been on the ne for the entire day, it was normal for him to be tired.¡± ¡°Alright then! Go to bed early. We have to go back to Greyport tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce smiled gently at Joanna and kissed her face again. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Then, the two of themy calmly on the bed. Bruce closed his eyes. In less than ten minutes, he fell asleep. Moreover, he was exceptionally well- behaved. He did not even hug Joanna. In the past, Bruce was very difficult to deal with. When he slept, he would trap Joanna tightly in his arms and put his legs on her. Every night, Joanna felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe, and the heat was unbearable. Today, Bruce was actually so¡­. After Bruce fell asleep, Joanna found herself unable to sleep. Shey on her side, gazing quietly at Bruce. His profile remained impably perfect, like a carved sculpture. However, after this trip to Melta, he seemed to have be a different person. The whole vibe was just off. The next day. Everyone got up, washed up, and nned to return home. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going back to Greyport.¡± Lilia was even more excited. ¡°That¡¯s great. I miss Davian and Irvin so much.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Get in the car!¡± In the ca Bruce still had a cold look in his/eyes, showing absolutely no excitement about going home. Joanna could not help but ask, ¡°Bruce, what are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Umm, nothing much. It¡¯s just that¡­ there are a lot of things that I can¡¯t remember, I feel like my brain isn¡¯t working well enough,¡± Bruce said in frustration and casually knocked his head. Seeing this, Joanna instantly grabbed his hand and said with concern, ¡°If you cannot recall, then do not dwell on it, or it will give you a headache.¡± After all, he had undergone two craniotomies. Many of his brain nerves had been destroyed, so it was 09/003 normal for him to lose his memory. ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Then do you remember how you were injured?¡± ¡°Ah! I can¡¯t remember!¡± Bruce said with a sad look in his eyes and shook his head. Joanna smiled. ¡°Forget it. Don¡¯t think about anything else. As long as we can go back safely, it¡¯s the luckiest thing.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce smiled at Joanna and ced his arm on Joanna¡¯s shoulder. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as sheforted herself. ¡°This is only temporary. He would slowly recover in the future. Even if he can¡¯t, it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°At most, I would take care of him more. Previously, when his mind was not clear, I was prepared to take care of him for the rest of my life.¡± After flying for more than ten hours, the ne finally arrived at Greyport. A weing ceremony had already been set up on thewn of Sherane Bay Vi. The butler had arranged the servants in neat rows, all poised to wee them. A few luxury cars slowly drove into the courtyard. The door opened. Bruce and Joanna got out of the car. ¡°Wee home, Mr. Everett. Wee home, Mrs. Everett¡­¡± The servants greeted them respectfully. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Lilia, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Davian and Irvin ran over happily. The two little fellows jumped around excitedly. ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± said Joanna. Lilia was also very happy to see her brothers. ¡°Davian, Irvin.¡± ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re finally home!¡± The two little guys surrounded Bruce excitedly. ¡°Haha, good boy.¡± Bruce rubbed the two boys¡¯ heads, his eyes filled with gentleness. Davian and Irvin felt their hearts skip a beat. They felt that something was wrong. ¡°Daddy, why are you acting so weird today?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Haha, you didn¡¯t scold us?¡± Irvin said mischievously. In the past, Bruce loved to scold them. Every day, when Bruce saw them, the first thing he said was ¡°brat.¡± Of course, his tone was sometimes very doting. And today, he was actually so gentle to them? For a moment, the boys could not adapt to it. ¡°Daddy. How long has it been since youst returned home? Have you forgotten that you have a wife and children waiting for you? ¡°I¡¯m telling you. You can¡¯t go away for two to three months without going home in the future.¡± Irvin lectured Bruce like an adult. ¡°Haha, I got it.¡± When Irvin heard this, he was stunned again and stuck out his tongue in disbelief. Chapter 1076 Chapter 1076 Chapter 1076 He was being cheeky today, but Bruce actually spoiled him and didn¡¯t scold him. It was unbelievable. ¡°Come in! Don¡¯t stand outside,¡± Gael said with a smile. Miranda also said happily, ¡°Take a milk bath first to get rid of the bad luck. Everything is ready.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna also felt that it was time to get rid of bad luck. She could no longer bear such a tense life. She only hoped that her family could live peacefully in the future. No one would have any more idents. Bruce and Joanna walked in front, with the three little kids following behind. ¡°Wow, Lilia, you can stand up. That¡¯s great. ¡°Hurry up and walk two rounds. Let me see how you¡¯re recovering.¡± Lilia giggled. ¡°I¡¯m only standing up now. I can¡¯t walk very skillfully yet.¡± Irvin tilted his head and asked, ¡°Hmm, how long will it take for you to recoverpletely?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably have to train for another two or three months.¡± ¡°Ah, I really hope that you will be like us soon and not suffer the torture of being disabled again,¡± added Irvin. ¡°She will. Lilia will be fine soon.¡± Joanna looked back at the three little kids. Suddenly, her heart ached, and she sighed somewhat sadly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Joann?¡± asked Bruce. Joanna let out a long sigh. ¡°There are still many children in the world with the same disabilities as Lilia. I saw many children in the hospitalst time. They were all receiving treatment in the hospital.¡± Bruce frowned and asked in confusion, ¡°So what?¡± A hint of pity appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Lilia is considered lucky to be able to recover. However, many children can¡¯t even afford such a high medical fee at all, so they give up on treatment.¡± Indeed, it had cost at least tens of millions just to treat Lilia¡¯s legs. If Lilia had not been born into a rich family, it would have been impossible for her to be cured. ¡°Haha, what are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve thought about it a lot over the past few days. I think I should take out a portion of the money to do charity.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Joanna thought for a moment and said seriously, ¡°I n to set up a Disabled Children¡¯s Fund to specialize in the treatment of disabled children from poor families.¡± When Bruce heard this, a warm smile appeared in his eyes. ¡°There are so many children in the world. How can we save all of them?¡± ¡°Well, I heard a story before.¡± ¡°What story?¡± ¡°An old man was walking by the sea and saw many starfishes washed up on the coast. Then, he sent the starfishes back to the sea one by one.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°Then, a passerby asks him. There are so many starfishes here. You can¡¯t send all of them back to the sea.¡± ¡°The old man smiled and said that although he couldn¡¯t send all the starfishes back to the sea, the part of the starfishes that he saved could return to the sea.¡± Bruce still didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°I n to set up a Disabled Children¡¯s Fund and use 10% of the annual profit of the Haynes Group as a public good. 1/4 08:54 D ¡°At the same time, call on the people around us to do charity work together. I might not be able to save all the children, but¡­ I¡¯ll help as many as I can.¡± As Joanna spoke, she smiled brightly at Bruce, her eyes filled with kindness and gentleness. The greater the ability the greater the social responsibility. She no longer needed to worry about money. She should do something more meaningful and help more people who needed help. This was the value of life. ¡°Hurry up for dinner! I¡¯m starving.¡± Irvin began to nag again. ¡°No, Daddy, Mommy, and Lilia have to take a shower.¡± ¡°Then go quickly! We¡¯re about to starve to death.¡± ¡°Mr. Irvin, have some cake first¡­¡± At night. After getting off the ne, Grace Grimm took a taxi to Sherane Bay Vi. However, she was not here to see Joanna but to see Darcy. When the two of them met, Grace had already pounced over. ¡°Darcy.¡± ¡°Grace.¡± Grace burst into tears. ¡°You stinky pig head, bad guy, bastard. I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡± ¡°Stop crying! I¡¯m back, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ You bastard, I hate you. I don¡¯t want to love you anymore.¡± Grace was clinging onto Darcy like a ko, crying andughing at the same time. Darcy was also very gratified that he was finally back. In no man¡¯snd, he thought that he would not be able toe back. Unexpectedly, he returned so smoothly. ¡°I want you to resign immediately. You¡¯re not allowed to be Bruce¡¯s bodyguard anymore. We are getting married immediately and going to our private world.¡± ¡°Grace, aren¡¯t you being too hasty?¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t wait a minute longer. I¡¯m going to get my marriage license tomorrow. I¡¯ll hold the wedding the day after tomorrow and give birth the day after that¡­¡± Darcy couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Haha, silly girl. This is too fast. At the very least, I have to see your brother. ¡°Even if you want to get married, you have to get your brother¡¯s approval. I have to propose marriage in front of your brother officially.¡± Grace punched Darcy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. Let¡¯s go get our marriage license first and then tell him.¡± When Darcy heard this, he smiled dotingly. ¡°Anyway, these processes matter nothing to me. As long as the two of us are happy, everything else won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do either. Call your brother tomorrow. I¡¯m going to visit him officially¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s have a baby today,¡± Grace said. She could not wait to push Darcy onto the bed. ¡°Whoa! Be careful.¡± Darcy¡¯s face was filled with pain. Grace was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Darcy quickly pressed his hand on the wound. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Hurry up and show me what¡¯s going on.¡± Grace stubbornly examined Darcy¡¯s wound. ¡°Oh my god, what kind of wound is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really fine. I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Why does it look like a gunshot wound to me?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry!¡± Darcy was afraid that she would keep asking questions, so he kissed her on the lips and¡­ The next day. ¡°Mr. Everett, I want to take a day off today,¡± said Darcy. ¡°Oh, sure!¡± Bruce agreed immediately. ¡°Mr. Everett, I want to go to Venturas.¡± Darcy hesitated. In no man¡¯snd, Bruce had promised Darcy that he would hold a grand wedding for Bruce and Grace. He would even show up as the witness to their marriage proposal. After all, Jaydon was Venturas¡¯s richest man. Bruce was still worried that he would not agree to the marriage. With Bruce apanying him, his chances of winning might be much higher. Bruce looked at Darcy in confusion. Although he recognized Darcy, he could not remember much. ¡°Then go! Come back early.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Everett¡­¡± Darcy could not say anything else. He quietly left the office, but he vaguely felt that something was wrong. ¡°Mr. Everett seemed to have forgotten about this,¡± said he inwardly. However, he was too embarrassed to mention it. After all, Bruce had been unconscious for more than ten days and might have really forgotten the matter. In District 17. ¡°ng, ng, ng.¡± The huge tempered ss made banging sounds from the collision. Inside was a creature that looked like a monster. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The monster kept letting out painful cries. The scientists seemed to enjoy hearing this voice. All of them were excited. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s too perfect. It¡¯s beyond our imagination. ¡°Not only did he absorb the first-generation lizard gene body, but he also integrated the second-generation chameleon gene body. ¡°After a while, we can inject him with the third-generation werewolf gene body. If he can still survive, we can inject the fourth-generation K12-B2 gene body.¡± ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± ¡°Professor Mullins, the experimental body¡¯s energy is too strong. He even shattered the tempered ss.¡± ¡°Activate energy radiation.¡± ¡°Will it backfire if we do it too often?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very crucial now. He might not be able tost until the end. Let¡¯s see how long he canst.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± ¡°Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.¡± Inside the ss cover, energy radiation was activated at the same time. This kind of energy radiation was very strong. When it shone on a person, it almost roasted one¡¯s skin. ¡°Ah¡­ Ugh¡­¡± The monster inside the ss cover let out a miserable scream. The chains tied to its limbs creaked as he struggled. ¡°Keep up the power.¡± ¡°Buzz. Buzz.¡± All the radiation lights were turned on. Rays of radiationsers fell upon the flesh like knives dismembering him. It was a painful torture. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, ah¡­¡± The monster inside the ss cover let out a shrill howl that almost pierced through the clouds. His mouth, eyes, nose, and ears were bleeding from the torture. His scarlet eyes and protruding mutated fangs kept dripping blood. Chapter 1077 Chapter 1077 Chapter 1077 ¡°Ah¡­¡± The monster¡¯s shrill scream seemed to pierce through the parallel universe and reach the end of the universe. At Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Joanna suddenly woke up from the nightmare. She opened her eyes abruptly. Her heart was pounding violently, and her entire body was drenched in sweat. The dream just now was too scary. She dreamed that a monster was locked in a cage and was being tortured. In her dream, the monster¡¯s screams were more than tragic, making one¡¯s hair stand on end. It was clearly a dream, but it felt so real. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Bruce asked gently when he saw Joanna waking up in shock. Joanna took a long time to calm down, and the fear in her heart gradually subsided. However, she was still uneasy, but she did not know why. ¡°Honey, what time is it?¡± she asked. Bruce patted her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s only ten o¡¯clock now. Go back to sleep!¡± Joanna did not say anything. She lifted the nket and could not fall asleep again. ¡°Joann, what are you going to do?¡± Joanna took two deep breaths. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some water.¡± Bruce smiled gently. ¡°Okay, bring me some too.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna brushed the loose hair on her cheek, put on her slippers, and walked out of the bedroom. The bedroom was very spacious. There was a refrigerator outside with all kinds of drinking water in it. However, Joanna left the bedroom and walked to the first floor. The dream just now was too terrifying. She wanted to move and disperse this ominous atmosphere. Downstairs, the servant greeted her respectfully when she came down. ¡°Mrs. Everett!¡± ¡°Go to bed early,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Good night, Mrs. Everett.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and went straight into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and poured a ss of lemonade. ¡°Why would I have such a terrifying dream? Why do I keep having nightmares recently?¡± Joanna drank the lemonade and sat on the dining chair in a daze. In the dream, the monster was burly and had disheveled hair. His hands and feet were tied with iron chains as thick as an arm. His entire body was filled with, catheters and detectors. It seemed like he was suffering from very painful torture. Joanna thought about it and felt an inexplicable pain in her heart. She did not dare to recall the dream again and returned to the bedroom with the lemonade. Back in the bedroom. ¡°Bruce, here¡¯s your water.¡± Joanna handed the lemonade to Bruce, ¡°Thank you, Joann.¡± Bruce took the cup and thanked her gently. Joanna frowned and looked at Bruce suspiciously. ¡°This damned bastard had always been superior. Regardless of who it was, he acted like an emperor issuing decrees. He felt perfectly justified about others serving him,¡± thought she. 08:54 1 Now that he suddenly became so gentle and polite, it was kind of hard for Joanna to handle. ¡°Joanna!¡± After Bruce finished the water, he gently wrapped his arm around her waist with a hint of flirtation in his gaze.. Joanna frowned and actually resisted his intimacy. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m not feeling well today. Aunt Flow¡¯s visiting.¡± ¡°Oh, then go back to sleep!¡± Bruce covered her with the nket considerately and looked at her gently. Joanna closed her eyes, but she could not fall asleep. Humans¡¯ personalities and temperaments were rarely innate but werergely shaped by upbringing and environment. Bruce¡¯s domineering, scheming, and suspicious personality was also forged step by step in life. He had been working in the business world since he was in his 20s. He was faced with old foxes and schemes. With every step he took back, others would push him further, leaving him with no ce to stand. He could only be stronger and more cunning to protect himself and the business empire of Everett Group and make the Everett family invincible. As time passed, he developed his personality. Therefore, if he were to develop a kind and gentle personality, he would probably have long since perished at the hands of deceitful schemes. However, Bruce gave her the feeling that he was very gentle and peaceful now, like a rich guy who had never experienced any harsh realities of society. Joanna was the one who understood Bruce the best. It was inevitable that she felt that something was wrong. However, she could not tell what was wrong. The next day. After Bruce and Joanna woke up, the children were already waiting downstairs. ¡°Good morning, Daddy, Mommy.¡± ¡°Good morning, darlings.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, it¡¯s not easy for you to take the annual leave. Can you y with us?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Bruce replied happily. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Davian was the first to suggest, ¡°Well, we want to ride horses and go to the amusement park.¡± ¡°I want to go out on a yacht to catch turtles and lobsters,¡± Irvin said with a face full of smiles. ¡°Lilia, what about you? ¡°Ugh, forget it. You should do your training well. After your leg recovers, we¡¯ll take you out.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand, Daddy. I¡¯ll go for training after breakfast.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go out to sea in the morning to catch lobsters ande back to barbeque in the evening. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll go to the amusement park and ride horses.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly and rubbed the two little guys¡¯ heads. ¡°Okay, Daddy will satisfy all of you.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great, Daddy. We love you so much.¡± The four little kids surrounded Bruce and chattered like excited birds. Joanna watched from the side and couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was the greatest happiness for a family to be reunited. ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡±. The phone rang. Joanna took out her phone and saw that it was Jaydon calling. ¡°Hello, Jay.¡± Jaydon¡¯s deep voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, where are you now?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m back at Greyport now.¡± ¡°Um, Bruce is back too, right?¡± Jaydon asked subconsciously. Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Yes! We¡¯re all back.¡± Jaydon frowned and fell silent on the other end of the phone. ¡°What about you? Where are you now?¡± added Joanna. Jaydon paused for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m still at Melta. I n to go back today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still at Melta? I thought you were already back,¡± Joanna asked in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m flying today. I¡¯ll probably be back tomorrow. I have something to tell you.¡± Joanna was stunned and asked casually, ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡± Jaydon thought for a moment. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s talk about it when I get back!¡± ¡°Oh, okay then!¡± ¡°Alright, I gotta go now.¡± Joanna hung up the phone. Bruce looked at her in surprise. ¡°Who called?¡± Joanna replied casually, ¡°Jay called.¡± ¡°Jay?¡± Bruce frowned and muttered subconsciously. Seeing this, Joanna thought that he was jealous again and hurriedly exined, ¡°Jay went to Melta to look for Grace before. He wasn¡¯t back yet. ¡°He called me just to ask if you¡¯re back. He probably wants to talk about Grace and Darcy!¡± When Bruce heard that, he looked at Joanna in a daze. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I have the impression of Jay and Grace in my mind?¡± he wondered. ¡°Joann, Jay¡­ Who is it?¡± When she heard this, the smile on Joanna¡¯s face gradually faded as she looked at Bruce in disbelief. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you remember Jay? Jaydon Grimm, don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Grace Grimm, do you remember? She¡¯s Jay¡¯s sister.¡± Bruce thought for a long time and vaguely felt that he seemed to know such a person. However, his mind was nk, and he could not recall any specific information about him. ¡°Ah¡­ My head hurts!¡± Bruce rubbed his head, unable to recall the details. ¡°Forget it. Forget it. If you can¡¯t remember, don¡¯t think about it anymore! When hees back, you might remember him the moment you see him.¡± Joanna quicklyforted him. After all, his brain had been injured before, and he might have lost his memory intermittently now. It was better not to overwork his brain and let him heal naturally. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t think about them anymore.¡± There was an unfathomable glint in Bruce¡¯s eyes. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. In his memory, there seemed to be only Joanna, the children, and the people around him. In short, the memories were fragmentary. They seemed to be selective memories and could not be connected at all. ¡°Let¡¯s eat breakfast quickly. After breakfast, we¡¯re going out to sea to catch lobsters. Tonight, we¡¯re throwing a barbecue party.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s great. Our family hasn¡¯t held a party in a long time. Today, we are finally reunited. We have to celebrate,¡± said Irvin. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to celebrate. You just want to y.¡± Joanna exposed his thoughts. ¡°Hahaha, mommy knows me the best!¡±- Chapter 1078 Chapter 1078 Chapter 1078 ¡°Don¡¯t talk too much. Hurry up ande over for breakfast.¡± ¡°Mommy, you haven¡¯t made dumplings for us for a long time. Can you make dumplings for us at the barbecue tonight?¡± Lilia suggested. Joanna smiled. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up and eat breakfast! I can¡¯t wait to go out to sea to y. We haven¡¯t been there for a long time!¡± Greyport was a coastal city. There was no winter. Therefore, they could go out to sea at any time. The Everett family was the richest family in Greyport. So, they had private yachts. The children liked to go out to sea to y when they were free. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going to fish. We¡¯ll still have a barbecue party at night¡­¡± After breakfast, Bruce and the children were in high spirits and immediately left to change their clothes. ¡°You¡¯re really going? I thought you were just joking,¡± Joanna asked in surprise. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s rare for the kids to have a break. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been with them. We have time today, so let¡¯s spend some time with them. The children will be happy and we can also rx ourselves.¡± Joanna was still a little worried and reminded Bruce, ¡°But you haven¡¯t been to thepany for many days. Don¡¯t you have to go to thepany to check the work?¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Joanna in confusion as if he didn¡¯t know he should go to work. However, before he went to Melta, he had already arranged his work properly. Therefore, even if he did not go to thepany to check the work, thepany could still operate normally. Seeing this, Joanna smiled again. ¡°Well, forget it. You just came back. It¡¯s not a bad idea to rx for two days. It¡¯s also good to apany the children. When you were not around, the children missed you so much that they almost went crazy.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Bruce smiled gently with a doting expression. A momentter, after the family was done packing, they set off to the beach and took a private yacht out to sea. Today was a very happy day. Bruce was very happy ying with the children. He apanied the children to fish, y with motorboats, and so on. They yed for the entire day. The children were overjoyed. After returning home that night, all of them were exhausted, but they had gained a lot. They had caught lobsters and a few sea fish. Most impressively, they had also caught a humpback grouper. The chef took the seafood to cook. Joanna made dumplings for the children, and spaghetti for Bruce. At dinner, the family sat around the dining room happily. Originally, they had nned to barbecue. Everyone was too tired and had no energy left, so they asked the chef to cook. ¡°Is dinner ready? I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°This is steamed humpback grouper and baked lobster. Here are also, the dumplings I made for you, and your favorite spaghetti,¡± said Joanna. ¡°Wo, we caught the ingredients by ourselves today.¡±. ¡°I¡¯m so happy.¡± The children each had a bowl of dumplings. Coupled with the seafood they had caught, they ate with relish. Joanna brought spaghetti to Bruce and said with a smile, ¡°This is your favorite spaghetti. Don¡¯t say that I¡¯m biased.¡± Bruce looked at the spaghetti in front of him. He did not seem to have any appetite. 1/3 08:35 1 ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really want to eat spaghetti. I¡¯ll eat dumplings.¡± Bruce pushed the spaghetti away. He was not interested in the spaghetti in front of him at all. Joanna was stunned. She looked at Bruce suspiciously. In the past, he loved the spaghetti she made the most. Even if there were delicacies on the table, he would still choose to eat the spaghetti she made. Sometimes, if she didn¡¯t make it for him, he would be anxious. But now, he did not even look at it. This was too surprising. ¡°Is he¡­ really Bruce? Why is he so different from before?¡± Joanna could not help but feel suspicious in her heart as she watched Bruce and the children eating heartily. She suddenly had the illusion that the person in front of her was not Bruce, but someone very simr to Bruce. But thinking about it, it didn¡¯t seem possible. How could there be two people who looked exactly the same in the world? Apart from their personalities and tempers, they were really identical. ¡°Honey¡­¡± Joanna wanted to say something but hesitated. She wanted to ask something, but she didn¡¯t know where to start. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce looked at her gently. ¡°Do you remember when we got married?¡± Bruce stared at Joanna fixedly with a face full of doubts. He really didn¡¯t remember. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡± Bruce looked a little guilty. Joanna did not dare to say anything more. The suspicion in her heart deepened. ¡°I know. I know. Daddy and Mommy¡¯s wedding date is December 12th.¡± ¡°Honey, are you angry? It seems that my memory has really declined. There are many things that I can¡¯t remember. Don¡¯t be angry with me, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry,¡± Joanna replied as she tried to remain the calmness. After dinner, they went back into the bedroom. Tonight, Bruce was very proactive as if he wanted to make up for the unpleasantness just now. Unfortunately, Joanna refused stiffly. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this¡­ I¡¯m not feeling well today!¡± ¡°Why are you feeling unwell again?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you yesterday that I¡¯m in my period days? It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Joanna said perfunctorily. For some reason, she just didn¡¯t want to be close to him. In fact, she loved him in her heart. She really missed him when he didn¡¯te back. But now that he was in front of her, she suddenly felt that he was a little unfamiliar. Bruce did not force her. He just hugged her gently to sleep. ¡°Is he¡­ really Bruce?¡± After Bruce fell asleep, Joanna still secretly sized him The person lying on the bed was still as handsome as ever, without any ws. The next day, after Jaydon got off the ne, he did not go home. Instead, he came to look for Joanna. When Joanna saw Jaydon, she looked surprised. ¡°Jay, why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to see you.¡± Jaydon looked a little travel-worn. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joanna smiled unnaturally. ¡°Are Darcy and Grace here?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Grace is in Darcy¡¯s dormitory. I¡¯ll call her now and ask them toe over.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As they were talking, Bruce came out. ¡°Joann, who¡¯s here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Jay!¡± Joanna turned around and replied. ¡°Honey, Jay is here. Come out and say hello to him!¡± Bruce walked out of the house and looked at the person in front of him. He seemed to know him, but it also seemed that he did not know him. Jaydon looked Bruce up and down and frowned. ¡°Hi.¡± Bruce came back to his senses and took the initiative to shake Jaydon¡¯s hand. Jaydon shook hands with him in a daze and looked even more ufortable. ¡°Where is Patricia?¡± ¡°She¡¯s at home.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go inside!¡± ¡°Joann, I need to tell you something.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°During this period of time at Melta, I¡¯ve found some unbelievable things.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Chapter 1079 Chapter 1079 Chapter 1079 Jaydon frowned and looked at Bruce hesitantly. Bruce was also looking straight at him. Jaydon swallowed and he could only swallow his words back. Jaydon changed the topic. ¡°Hmmm, let¡¯s meet Darcy and Grace first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already called Darcy. They should be here soon.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sherane Bay Vi was very big. There was a dedicated staff dormitory behind the house. Darcy had a separate dormitory. Ten minutester, Darcy and Grace came over hand in hand. Upon seeing Jaydon, Grace looked surprised. ¡°Jaydon, why are you here? I called you yesterday and thought about going home with Darcy to visit you. ¡°Unfortunately, you didn¡¯t answer my call¡­¡± Grace didn¡¯t know that her brother had been in Melta recently. Her attention had always been on Darcy. How could she still remember her brother? ¡°What? You¡¯re allowed toe here, but I¡¯m not?¡± Jaydon sounded unhappy. He thought Grace should be more reserved as a girl. She did not care about anything and even stayed in a man¡¯s dormitory. It was really not good. Jaydon was a man. Of course, he understood men¡¯s thoughts and nature the best. He thought the more open a woman was in front of a man and the more proactive she was, the less the man would cherish her. And he thought a woman couldn¡¯t give her body and heart to a man without reservation, and couldn¡¯t be good to a man without any bottom line. Women thought that they would get the same love from men by giving all of their love to men. But in fact, it was exactly the opposite. Most men would not be touched and would only think that this kind of woman was cheap. Of course, there were a small number of men who were grateful. However, there were really few such men. Darcy¡¯s expression was very reserved. He quickly greeted Jaydon. ¡°Mr. Grimm, hello!¡± Jaydon nced at Darcy with a gloomy expression. In his heart, he actually did not object to his sister dating Darcy. In his heart, he did not value family status that much. However, his sister living with Darcy so casually gave him a headache. Seeing that Jaydon did not look good, Darcy quickly pulled his hand away, but Grace held his hand even tighter. ¡°Jaydon, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Grace pouted and looked at her brother unhappily. Jaydon¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You tell me what¡¯s wrong!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so fierce! You¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°Hurry up ande home with me. You¡¯re a girl. Don¡¯t run around.¡± Jaydon stood up, wanting to take his sister away immediately. He could not control Grace anymore. He also felt that his sister was bing more and more rebellious as she grew up. Grace red at him. ¡°No, I want to be with Darcy. We¡¯ve already decided to register for our marriage tomorrow.¡± Jaydon was furious when he heard that. How could his sister treat, such an important matter like a child¡¯s y? ¡°Grace, are you trying to anger me to death? I don¡¯t agree with you registering for your marriage so quickly.¡± 1/3 08:36 Even if he agreed to their marriage, he thought that there should be a process of getting to know each other well at least. Moreover, a sense of ritual was also very important. Even people in ancient times paid attention to the sense of rituals, valued blessings from families, and were particr about marrying in the open officially. For example, no matter whether they had money or not, marriage proposals, engagements, weddings, and so on could not be omitted. The man¡¯s attitude toward these processes could be used to demonstrate his attitude toward the woman and his respect for her. Moreover, the Grimm family was the richest family in Venturas. Of course, they had to pay more attention to rituals and fame. Darcy paused. The restraint on his face became even stronger. His inner sense of inferiority had also strengthened, thinking that Jaydon looked down on him. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡­ really like Grace and will treat her well for the rest of my life¡­¡± ¡°If you really like her, you should respect her. You two are not right for each other. I don¡¯t agree with you being together.¡± Jaydon deliberately put pressure on them with a dark expression. He thought Darcy was a good man. However, he still had to test him and see if he really loved his sister that much. He wanted to see if Darcy would risk everything for his sister. Darcy flicked his tongue and weakly let go of Grace¡¯s hand. He, who was already ineloquent, was even more embarrassed. Seeing this, Grace thought that her brother was really going to break them up. ¡°Jaydon, no matter what, I have to marry him. ¡°We¡¯re going to register our marriage tomorrow. Whether you agree or not, we¡¯re getting married.¡± Jaydon choked in anger and said coldly, ¡°Come back home with me first. You¡¯re a girl. You can¡¯t be so casual.¡± Grace retorted, ¡°Am I casual? Is it wrong to be with someone I love?¡± ¡°You two aren¡¯t right for each other!¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression was cold. ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°Each way.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Grace was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°In what aspects are we not suitable for each other?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not suitable in all aspects.¡± Jaydon was also furious. ¡°We¡¯re clearly suitable for each other in all aspects, but you intentionally created conflicts and difficulties for us here. If we are not suitable, then are you and Carmel suitable for each other?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Jaydon was so angry that his heart skipped a beat. He felt that he and Carmel were not suitable for each other, so he had such a headache. Now that Carmel was pestering him, he was extremely annoyed. Grace said coldly, ¡°Hmph, you have so many girlfriends. You¡¯re a scumbag, yet you still dare to criticize our love?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Jaydon was so angry that he could not speak. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you think you¡¯re a good man? Darcy is ten thousand times better than you. At least, Darcy isn¡¯t a scumbag. I like Darcy. I must be with him.¡± Jaydon rubbed his chest. He was about to explode from anger. His original intention was to test Darcy on behalf of his sister. He wanted to let Darcy know that his sister was a pearl in the palm of their family. He wanted Darcy to risk everything for his sister and put in all his effort to love his sister. This way, Darcy would cherish his sister even more. But now, his sister was so casual. If she acted so casual and was so cheap now, would Darcy really cherish her after she got married to him? ¡°Anyway, if you dare to register your marriage, I¡¯ll hit you.¡± 2/3 08:56 Grace looked stubborn and said angrily, ¡°Then hit me! Even if you hit me, I still want to marry Darcy.¡± ¡°You can have a try.¡± Seeing that Grace and Jaydon were arguing, Joanna quickly stopped them. ¡°Alright, alright. Stop arguing. Let¡¯s take a seat calmly and talk slowly. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be so angry. Grace and Darcy are truly in love. You know Darcy¡¯s character. You can definitely trust him. He¡¯ll take good care of Grace.¡± Indeed, a picky person like Bruce would not allow Darcy to stay by his side for so long if Darcy¡¯s nature was not good. After persuading Jaydon, Joanna quickly persuaded Grace, ¡°Grace, marriage is an important matter. ¡°You can¡¯t be too hasty. You need to take it slow¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, I really admire you guys. You consider everything slowly. You worry about this and that. ¡°True love is reckless. ¡°Darcy, let¡¯s go. Ignore them,¡± Grace said as she dragged Darcy away. ¡°Mr. Grimm, Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t register our marriage so recklessly¡­ ¡°Grace, don¡¯t be like this. I¡¯ll prove to everyone that I love you.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Grace snorted. She turned around and ran away. ¡°Grace, Grace¡­¡± Seeing this, Darcy hurriedly chased after her. Jaydon could not sit still anymore. He stood up and prepared to leave. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ll take my leave, too.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you off!¡± Joanna said as she stood up to send Jaydon off. They left the house. Seeing that Bruce did not follow them out, Jaydon frowned and handed a wallet to Joanna. ¡°Joann, take a look. Is this Bruce¡¯s?¡± Joanna took it and nodded without hesitation. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Bruce¡¯s. ¡°Look, there¡¯s even a photo of our family here,¡± Joanna said as she flipped through the wallet with a blissful expression. Jaydon¡¯s expression was solemn as he said in a low voice, ¡°Do you know where I picked it up?¡± ¡°Where?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°I found it in no man¡¯snd in Tanzda.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at Jaydon in confusion. ¡°Moreover, there was a gunfight there. There were also a few abandoned cars with bullet marks all over the carriages.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but gasp. ¡°Jay, what are you trying to say?¡± Chapter 1080 Chapter 1080 Chapter 1080 Jaydon pondered for a few seconds and said in a low voice, ¡°Bruce is very dangerous. You have to be careful.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously turned around to look. Inside the house, Bruce and the four children were gathered together as if they were ying a game. Jaydon continued, ¡°Joann, I¡¯m not trying to scare you or drive a wedge between you. Bruce has a lot of secrets, and he¡¯s rted to District 17 from Melta.¡± ¡°How did you find out?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Jaydon frowned and hesitated. He was an expert hacker. It was easy for him to hack into the local cybersecurity system. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. §à§Ô§Ý§Ú He could easily crack the defense official website of Melta. Naturally, he could see many unknown things. ¡°Even if it¡¯s true, so what?¡± Joanna replied casually. Now, even if Bruce was really a heinous wanted criminal, she would not leave him. ¡°In short, I haven¡¯tpletely investigated it yet. You have to be careful. I¡¯ll tell you after I¡¯ve investigated thoroughly.¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna solemnly. Hearing Jaydon¡¯s words, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. She subconsciously said, ¡°I just feel that he¡¯s different from before. He seems to have changed into a different person. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the nerve damage in his brain.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he said with a heavy expression, ¡°That¡¯s the main point. It¡¯s very likely that he¡­ isn¡¯t Bruce at all.¡± Jaydon also sensed that something was wrong. What kind of person was Bruce? He knew it too well. Every time Bruce saw him, he would definitely not give him a good attitude. Moreover, he had even left his wallet in no man¡¯snd. There was a miniature family photo in the wallet. ording to Bruce¡¯s personality, it was impossible for him to lose something as important as his wallet in the car. There was only one exnation. He must have been arrested, or dead. ¡°What?¡± When Joanna heard this, her entire body trembled as if she had been struck by lightning. ¡°Joann, be careful.¡± ¡°Jay¡­ I also have a premonition that he¡¯s not Bruce¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s legs went soft and she almost fell. Jaydon quickly supported her. ¡°You have to pretend that nothing happened now. Pretend that you don¡¯t know anything. ¡°If he really isn¡¯t Bruce, then he¡¯s probably a terrorist. You have to be careful. It¡¯s best not to let him get close to the children. You have to find a way to stay away from him. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll do you harm.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was beating wildly. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in Greyport for this period of time and continue to investigate the truth. If you feel that something is wrong, call me immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave first, I still have something to deal with.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Be careful,¡± Jaydon said worriedly before turning to leave. After Jaydon left, Joanna stood rooted to the ground for a long time, unable to regain her senses. If the person in the room was really not Bruce, then who was he? 1/3 08:56 Could it be that Aria had deliberately cloned Bruce? Yes, that must be it¡­ Aria was still obsessed with Bruce. She wanted to keep the real Bruce. So, Aria cloned a fake person to fool her. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re really unscrupulous for Bruce!¡± Joanna was anxious. Seeing that Joanna did not return to the house for a long time, Bruce walked out of the house. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? ¡°Why are you standing here still? Are you cold?¡± As Bruce spoke, he put a coat on her. Joanna turned around and looked at Bruce. Her eyes could not help but turn red. Seeing this, Bruce quicklyforted her gently. ¡°Honey, did something happen?¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Joanna replied stiffly. ¡°It¡¯s so cold outside, and you¡¯re not feeling well. Hurry up and enter the house!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce held Joanna¡¯s shoulder and walked into the house together. Although Joanna was very resistant to his touch in her heart, in order to avoid revealing any ws, she could only brace herself and ept it. Back in the house, Davian ran over happily. ¡°Daddy, can you y games with us?¡± ¡°Uh, let¡¯s wait for a while!¡± Bruce smiled at Davian. Irvin brought out a te of grilled sausages. ¡°Haha, Daddy, try this. It¡¯s delicious. I grilled them myself.¡± Bruce took the sausage handed over by Irvin and took a bite with relish. ¡°Mmm, not bad. It¡¯s indeed delicious. My son is really capable!¡± Lilia was also excited as she slowly walked toward him. ¡°Daddy, look at me. I can already walk ten steps.¡± ¡°Come on, baby. You¡¯re the best.¡± Davian, Irvin, and Lilia surrounded Bruce happily. Devin also joined in the fun and surrounded Bruce, asking for a hug. ¡°That¡¯s great. s, don¡¯t move around. Be careful not to fall.¡± Bruce carefully took care of each child. His expression was filled with fatherly love. Joanna stood at the side in a daze, not knowing what to do. Christmas was just a few days away. Now that the children were so attached to their father, she really could not bear to expose the fact. Especially since she didn¡¯t know if the real Bruce was alive or dead. If he really¡­ left this world¡­ The children could not live without their father. Even if the Bruce in front of her was fake, she had to let him continue staying at home for the sake of the children. In particr, if the shareholders of Everett Group knew that Bruce was dead, they would probably be tempted to take over Everett Group again. After all, the Everett family had too many assets, and there were even more people who were jealous. With Bruce around, no one dared to have any ill intentions. If he was no longer around, how could Joanna and her children fight against a group of cunning men alone? In an instant, all kinds of possibilities ran through Joanna¡¯s mind. In the end, she decided not to expose this fake Bruce for the time being and not to let the children lose their fatherly love. No matter what, she had to find the real Bruce first.¡± At night, Joanna returned to the bedroom veryte. Seeing this, Bruce asked with concern, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? You look a little unhappy. Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that my stomach hurts a little. It might be because of my period,¡± Joanna said as she lay 2/3 08:56 D down beside the bed. ¡°Oh, let me get you a cup of water!¡± Bruce said and got out of bed to pour Joanna a cup of water. ¡°Honey,e and drink some water. It may ease the hurt in your stomach.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Rest early.¡± Bruce looked at her very gently and rubbed his hands together to warm them up before putting them on her abdomen. There was no hint of conspiracy on his face. ¡°Is this better? You may get cold. You breathed in a lot of cold air when you stood outside the house for so long during the day.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was calm, but her heart was anxious. She still couldn¡¯t stand his touch. Then, she lifted the nket and prepared to get up. ¡°Honey, where are you going?¡± Bruce sat up in confusion. Joanna replied perfunctorily, ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry. I¡¯ll go down and find something to eat. ¡°You sleep first! Don¡¯t worry about me. I might not sleep untilte.¡± Bruce looked hesitant but didn¡¯t say anything. Joanna put on her shoes and hurried out of the bedroom. She went downstairs. Joanna sat on the sofa with a heavy heart. Her mind was in a mess and she was extremely afraid. ¡°Bruce, where are you now? Come back quickly. I¡¯m so scared. I¡¯m really scared. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what to do. Where the hell are you? How can I find you? ¡°God, please. Don¡¯t torture us anymore. Don¡¯t let us be separated again. Bruce,e back quickly. The children and I can¡¯t live without you¡­¡± In District 17, a beast-like monster was trapped inside the huge tempered ss. The monster¡¯s hair was disheveled, and its eyes were as red as blood. Its skin was grayish-green as if it was covered in ayer of scales. ng! ng! ng! Loud crashing sounds came from inside the ss cover. The iron chain that was as thick as an arm was being pulled and torn apart crazily. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The excitement in the eyes of the scientists gradually turned into horror. The results of this experiment had already exceeded their expectations. ¡°Professor Mullins, what should we do now? Subject 807 is too manic¡­¡± Chapter 1081 Chapter 1081 Chapter 1081 ¡°ng, ng, ng¡­¡± ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± The sound of metal chains hitting each other was deafening, apanied by the shrill roars of the monster. The monster seemed to want to die. Even though his limbs were hurt by the chains with blood drenching, he still struggled and roared like an agitated and injured beast. Seeing this, Ron frowned and instructed his assistant in Antlenish, ¡°Inject him with anesthetic immediately and calm him down. ¡°If this continues, it will damage the results of the experiment.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the assistant replied and immediately went to get the anesthetic. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Subject 807 had nowpleted the second-generation gic modification. Ordinary tranquilizer doses were no longer effective for him. They could only use powerful anesthetics that could anesthetizerge animals. Swish! Swish! Two powerful anesthetics were shot at the monster. The monster struggled even more as if he was about to fly into a rage. Seeing this, the assistant pushed up his sses in shock. ¡°Professor Mullins, the anesthetic doesn¡¯t work.¡± The dosage of these two anesthetics was enough to paralyze ten elephants. However, it was still not enough for the experimental body in front of them. ¡°Increase the dosage!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Swish! Swish! Swish! A few more anesthetics were shot at the monster. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The monster let out a muffled roar and struggled a few more times. Five minutester, he gradually calmed down and obediently closed his eyes. ¡°The second gic modification was sessful. We need to check his cell division value again to see his gene cell repair function.¡± Every step of the experiment should be carefully followed with caution. Now that it was a critical moment, the scientists did not dare to let their guard down. The ss cover was slowly opened. More than ten scientists excitedly and greedily walked to the monster¡¯s side. The third-generation gic modification was cultivated by multiple generations of humanoid gically modified gene bodiesbined with alien gene bodies. Once the experiment was sessful, the human potential would be developed to 100%. The alien research in District 17 in Melta, as well as gic modification research, had begun in the 1950s and 1960s. 1/4 +5 Of course, this was the top secret of Melta. It would not be easily leaked. Ordinary people could not imagine the madness and superhumanity of scientists. They would only think that it was a fantasy. However, this was the truth. The truth would only be more shocking. As soon as the scientists approached, the monster suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Like a ferocious lion, he bit the neck of the nearest assistant. ¡°Ah!¡± The assistant¡¯s neck artery was bitten through, and he let out a mournful howl. The others wanted to save him, but it was toote. The monster bit the assistant and sucked his blood crazily. The monster had been imprisoned for nearly two months. During this period, he did not eat any food and only relied on various nutrient solutions. Moreover, the red blood cells in his body were dividing too quickly, causing his body to be extremely deficient in blood. It was the same logic as a diabetking sugar and crazily wanting to eat sugar. Therefore, the vampire in the Melta movie was not the vampire from the supernatural event. Instead, it was humans infected with a virus, causing the supply of blood in their bodies to be in short supply. Therefore, they were extremely sensitive to blood. When the scientists saw this, they were so frightened that they hurriedly retreated from the ss cover. ¡°Damn it, the anesthetic is no longer effective on him.¡± ¡°Electrocute him!¡± Buzz! The clicker slowly activated. Seeing this, the monster opened his mouth and let go of the assistant. He struggled even more violently. Crash! Crash! The metal as thick as an arm was thrown with loud sounds. However, the monster had already been injected with more than ten anesthetics just now, so it was inevitable that he was affected somewhat. The clicker slowly mped his head, and the conductors on both sides sucked at his temples. Bang¡­ The high-voltage electric current ran through his entire body through the cerebral nerve. The monster¡¯s entire body was trembling non-stop from the electric shock. The electric current formed electric ripples on his body. After a full two minutes, the monster copsed. Seeing that the monster had fainted and did not resist at all, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The few scientists still had lingering fears. Only then did they dare to step forward and begin to do a full-body checkup for the monster. ¡°Subject 807¡¯s gene cells are dividing rapidly. The immune tissues in his body are repairing at an astonishing speed.¡± ¡°If we inject him with the third-generation modified gene, once the experiment is sessful, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to control him, the scientist, Mairesi Welch, said. Ron pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Now, inject electronic microchips into his brain to monitor his brain. ¡°Prepare for surgery immediately.¡±/ That¡¯s a good idea¡­¡± More than ten scientists swept away their previous concerns, their faces filled with excitement and worry. What they were excited about was that this experimental subject had exceeded their expectations. It seemed that even if he was injected with the third-generation modified gene, his physique could still be completely fused. What they were worrying about was that once the third-generation gic modification was sessful, this monster would be a true monster. The limit of his body would be developed to 80 to 90%. His combat power would be astonishing and his energy would be limitless. And the current potential of humans had only been developed by about 5%. Therefore, once the modification was sessful, he would undoubtedly be the first gically modified human in the history of science. In another sense, he would be the most powerful humanoid creature in the world. Once he lost control, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, for now, the scientists had to inject electronic microchips into his brain to control him and make him the most profitable killer and weapon of Melta. Soon, the monster was carried to the research table again and the scientists began to inject electronic microchips into his brain¡­ At Sherane Bay Vi, Grace kept forcing Darcy to resign. ¡°Darcy, you must resign today.¡± ¡°Grace, stop fooling around.¡± Grace looked puzzled. ¡°Darcy, are you really going to be a bodyguard for the rest of your life?¡± When Darcy heard this, his face darkened. ¡°Grace, are you despising my job?¡± Grace was stunned. ¡°No! Why would I despise your job? I just want you to be with me. I don¡¯t want you to be controlled by others. ¡°Your current job makes you be controlled by others. I have money and can support you. We don¡¯t have to work for others¡­¡± When Darcy heard this, his expression became more and more disapproving. ¡°Grace, I don¡¯t want to hear you say such things again. Also, your money is your money. I won¡¯t use your money. ¡°If you despise my current job, then I think it¡¯s better for us to break up as soon as possible!¡± When Grace heard this, she waspletely frightened. ¡°Darcy, I¡¯m not despising your job. What I mean is that after we get married, we have to live our own lives. We can¡¯t keep living this ¡°Are you going to continue working here after we get married?¡± Darcy frowned and did not answer. way. Before Grace appeared, Darcy had nned to follow Bruce for the rest of his life. As long as Bruce did not fire him, he would follow him and retire at 60 years old. But now, if he was really together with Grace, he might really have to change jobs. ¡°Darcy, I really don¡¯t despise your job. Think about it. You have to follow Mr. Everett 24 hours a day. How can we live alone? After we have children, you can¡¯t hand them all over to me, right?¡± When the two of them were talking, there was a knock on the door. Bang, bang, bang. ¡°Who is it?¡± It¡¯s me Joanna¡¯s voice came from outside the door. Darcy and Grace looked at Joanna in surprise. ¡°Joann, what can we do for you?¡± Joanna walked in with a smile and looked around. ¡°I¡¯m here to see you!¡± This was the staff dormitory of Sherane Bay Vi. It was a row of dormitory buildings built behind the Sherane Bay Vi. Although it was a staff dormitory, it could be considered a small mansion. Especially for employees in positions like Darcy. They could live in separaterge suites. Inside the suites, there was a bathroom, a small kitchen, a living room, and so on. For the past few days, Grace had been staying with Darcy in the dormitory. ¡°Grace, how are you doing here? Did you get used to living here? Do you feel too aggrieved to live here?¡± Joanna asked with concern. Grace smiled sweetly at her. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m fine living here. As long as I¡¯m with Darcy, I¡¯m very happy no matter where I live!¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m so envious of you guys.¡± Joanna could not help but sigh. ¡°What¡¯s there to be envious of? You and Mr. Everett are the ones who are truly making others jealous. Moreover, I realized that Mr. Everett¡¯s temper has improved a lot. He¡¯s bing more and more doting on you. He¡¯s not like before when he lost his temper easily,¡± Grace said with a smile. Chapter 1082 Chapter 1082 Chapter 1082 Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. A hint of sadness appeared on her face. If the Bruce at home was really Bruce, she would really feel extremely happy. But¡­. It was probably not that simple. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she said softly, ¡°Darcy,e out for a while. I have something to ask you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Darcy followed Joanna out the door. When Grace heard this, she pouted. ¡°Joann, what do you want to ask? Just ask here! Is there anything I can¡¯t know?¡± Joanna smiled at her. ¡°Grace, good girl. This is a work matter. You don¡¯t have to get involved, okay? Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long. ¡°Darcy,e with me.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Grace did not dare to be willful anymore when she saw Joanna¡¯s serious expression. After that, Darcy followed Joanna out of the house and the two of them walked toward the back mountain path. There was no surveince there, so they did not have to worry about their conversation being monitored. They walked for about five minutes. Darcy could not help but ask, ¡°Mrs. Everett, what do you want to ask? Can you ask now?¡± Joanna stared at Darcy and suddenly did not know what to say. Darcy was the most loyal to Bruce. It was impossible for Joanna to get any key information from him. Moreover, maybe he didn¡¯t know the truth either. However, it was better for Joanna to ask him. ¡°Darcy, I would like to ask what exactly you and Bruce were doing in Melta. What were you busy with for the past two months?¡± Joanna looked at Darcy with a heavy expression. When Darcy heard this, his eyes darkened and he looked at Joanna silently. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just want to understand the specific situation. Tell me everything you know. If you don¡¯t tell me, there will be serious consequences! ¡°I suspect that Aria still hasn¡¯t given up and she has done something to Bruce. He¡¯s different from before.¡± Darcy pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Mrs. Everett, uh¡­ I think it¡¯s better for you to ask Mr. Everett himself. I¡­ I¡¯m just Mr. Everett¡¯s bodyguard. I do whatever Mr. Everett asks me to do. I don¡¯t dare to ask about anything else. ¡°And you know Mr. Everett¡¯s temper. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you, but if I tell you, Mr. Everett would be very angry.¡± ¡°Darcy, how long have you been following Bruce?¡± Joanna asked quietly. ¡°Hmm, more than ten years,¡± Darcy answered honestly. Joanna sighed. She had a lot on her mind. After nearly half a minute of silence, she finally made up her mind and told Darcy about her concerns. 1/4 After all, only Darcy could be trusted now. Moreover, he was the person involved and knew what had happened to Bruce in Melta. ¡°Darcy, I know you¡¯re very loyal to Bruce. I won¡¯t treat you as an outsider. I¡¯ll just tell you what¡¯s in my mind directly.¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s serious expression, Darcy could not help but feel nervous. ¡°Mrs. Everett, please.¡± ¡°Darcy, do you feel that Bruce is different from before?¡± Darcy blinked and looked at Joanna in confusion. At first, when he first saw Bruce, he only felt that Bruce¡¯s skin had inexplicably be much fairer. His tone and temper seemed to have changed. After returning to Greyport, Darcy had been staying with Grace for the past few days and almost never hung around Bruce. So, naturally, Darcy did not pay attention to this. ¡°Mrs. Everett, why are you saying that? Are you suspecting something?¡± Joanna exhaled and said worriedly, ¡°I¡¯ve known Bruce for more than ten years. I know him the best. This Bruce is not the previous Bruce at all. I suspect that he¡¯s fake.¡± Darcy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously swallowed, his face filled with disbelief. ¡°This¡­ This is impossible, right? ¡°If he isn¡¯t Mr. Everett, how could they look so simr?¡± Joanna calmed down and said bluntly, ¡°There are clones in the world, and the cloning technology is already very skilled. I suspect that the current Bruce was cloned by Aria. ¡°He might not be the real Bruce, but a clone of Bruce.¡± Joanna was a smart person, so she was naturally not so easy to fool. Moreover, she and Bruce were so in love, so how could she not sense that something was wrong? ¡°What? This¡­ Isn¡¯t this too bizarre?¡± Darcy was still in disbelief. After all, this was too unbelievable. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s bizarre? It¡¯s not bizarre at all.¡± Joanna looked at him steadily. Darcy¡¯s eyes darted around in disbelief. Although he also felt that Bruce was different from before, he had never doubted that the Bruce in front of him was a clone! N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. It was definitely possible for Aria to clone a fake Bruce. Darcy had seen how crazy this woman was before. If this was true, then Aria was too terrifying. ¡°Mrs. Everett, do¡­ Do you really think so? ¡°Could there be a mistake? Mr. Everett¡¯s brain was injured before. Could it be that he was affected by the damage to his brain? And that may be why he¡¯s different from before¡­¡± Joanna shook her head decisively and said with a serious expression, ¡°I¡¯ve lived with Bruce for so long. I know him very well. ¡°As soon as he opens his mouth, I know what he is going to say. As soon as he raises his hand, I know what he is going to do. ¡°I¡¯m his wife. I know better than anyone if the person beside me is my husband or not. How could I not sense if he was really Bruce?¡± When Darcy heard this, he shuddered. ¡°Then¡­ Mrs. Everett, what do you want to do? What¡¯s your n? Do you need me to 2/4 get someone to control him?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to ask you what did Bruce do in Melta, and why did he go for so long? ¡°Also, I¡¯ve decided to make another trip to Melta. No matter what, I have to find Aria and find out the truth. ¡°Darcy, tell me now. What exactly did Bruce do in Melta?¡± Darcy choked and looked at Joanna with a troubled expression. ¡°Well¡­ I really don¡¯t know how to say it. In short, what Mr. Everett did in Melta is very important. ¡°Actually, I have my doubts too, but¡­¡± Darcy hesitated. ¡°But what? It¡¯s very urgent now. Don¡¯t hide it anymore,¡± Joanna said anxiously. She really could not understand why Bruce insisted on going to Melta. Moreover, he had been there for so long. Darcy¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Mrs. Everett, just remember one thing. Mr. Everett is not a bad person. He is the hero of the country!¡± Joanna looked at Darcy in shock. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, I can only tell you one thing. What Mr. Everett did is the most proud and honorable thing. ¡°He¡¯s working for our country. I¡¯m not too sure about what exactly is his identity. But in short, he¡¯s a hero and a good person.¡± Boom! Joanna was dumbfounded. She had never thought that Bruce would have another identity. This bastard was really hiding everything from her. ¡°Mrs. Everett, if the man is really not Mr. Everett, what do you n to do with him?¡± Darcy¡¯s face darkened. Joanna couldn¡¯te back to her senses for a long time. Her brain was in a fierce mental struggle. Now was the time to prepare to celebrate Christmas, and the children were so dependent on their father. If she exposed the truth now, it would cause even more trouble. Therefore, she could only endure everything. She could not let her emotions affect her, let alone be impulsive. ¡°Don¡¯t expose him now. I only told you about this. You should know what to do. You can¡¯t even tell Grace!¡± ¡°Okay, Mrs. Everett. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± ¡°Pack up and go to Melta with me after celebrating Christmas. No matter what, I have to find Bruce.¡± As Joanna spoke, her eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°I understand. Mrs. Everett, feel free to instruct me at any time!¡± ¡°Okay, you can go back now! Don¡¯t make Grace wait. Also, Grace told me that she wants to help you resign. ¡°I hope you can work for another year. There aren¡¯t many people I can trust now, so I can only trust you. You resign after this matter ispletely solved, okay?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t worry. Before solving this matter, I won¡¯t resign.¡± That¡¯s great. I¡¯m relieved. Joanna smiled at Darcy. Chapter 1083 Chapter 1083 Chapter 1083 Darcy returned to the dormitory with a gloomy expression. Then Grace ran over. She asked, ¡°Darcy, what did Joann just say to you?¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes darkened and he forced a smile. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°When are you going to talk about resigning?¡± Grace asked carefully. Darcy pondered for a few seconds and said in an irrefutable tone, ¡°Grace, I won¡¯t resign for the time being.¡± After hearing that, Grace looked disappointed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I just told you that I won¡¯t resign for the time being. At least for the next year, I won¡¯t consider resigning,¡± Darcy replied. ¡°Darcy, why are you so stubborn?¡± ¡°Grace, our rtionship isn¡¯t very stable yet. We still need time to get used to each other. This year will serve as a period for us to get to know each other better. I don¡¯t want you to regret it in the future. It¡¯s also giving you another choice. ¡°If our rtionship is still stable after a year, I will listen to your suggestion and quit my job.¡± Darcy looked at Grace deeply. Although Darcy was not as rich as Grace, he was still worth over 20 million dors. If he didn¡¯t blindly indulge in investments or anything like that, this money would be enough for him to live afortable life without worries. Moreover, Darcy had been around Bruce for a long time. It was only natural that he would pick up some of Bruce¡¯s character traits and arrogance. He would rather die than live off a woman. Grace saw his serious expression and knew that she could not persuade him. She could only make a compromise. Then she said, ¡°Remember what you said. It¡¯s a deal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± ¡°Pinky promise.¡± Darcy was amused by Grace¡¯s cute and serious tone. He stretched out his finger and hooked it with hers. ¡°Pinky promise. You¡¯re not allowed to lie for 100 years.¡± After the pinky promise, Grace smiled sweetly and leaped onto Darcy. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and dangled her arms around his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let alone a year, we¡¯ll love each other for the rest of our lives and never be separated.¡± Grace was incredibly passionate andpletely unaware of restraint and reserve. Every day, she took the initiative and was tirelessly enthusiastic. Due to Grace, Darcy had been feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. ¡°Haha. Grace, hurry up ande down. It¡¯s broad daylight now. What if someone sees us like this?¡± ¡®I don¡¯t want to. I just like hanging on you like this.¡± Grace securely hung onto Darcy. The two had a huge contrast in physiques. Darcy was tall and burly. With a muscr build, he was nearly 6.6 feet in height. On the other hand, Grace was very petite Chapter 1083 and adorable. Darcy could effortlessly hold her in his arms anytime, just like holding a doll. And Grace absolutely loved being held by Darcy like this. She could feel her boyfriend¡¯s strong presence, which provided her with a sense of security. It was half past six in the afternoon. Joanna returned to the house uneasily. Bruce and the children were already waiting for her to have dinner. Bruce asked, ¡°Joann, where did you go just now?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing. I just went to talk to Grace for a bit.¡± Bruce looked curious. Then he asked, ¡°What were you talking about?¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Well, nothing much. We were just talking about her and Darcy,¡± Joanna said perfunctorily. ¡°It¡¯s almost time to have dinner. The children are waiting anxiously.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be back after washing my hands,¡± Joanna said and went straight to the second floor to change her clothes. When she was at home, it was morefortable to wear pajamas. She had just gone to see Darcy, so she certainly could not wear pajamas. Ten minutes passed. Joanna changed into her pajamas and slowly walked to the dining room. ¡°Mommy, Christmas is just two days away.¡± Davian reminded Joanna excitedly. Irvin chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re going to be a year older again. You have to prepare big gifts for us this year. ¡°Mommy, can we decide on this year¡¯s gifts ourselves?¡± Joanna sat down in her seat. Then she asked, ¡°When did all of you be so obsessed with money? ¡°Hurry up and eat. After dinner, you can practice the piano.¡± Irvin retorted yfully, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s finally vacation time. Can¡¯t we just rx a bit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t keep talking about homework and studying all the time. Aren¡¯t you afraid we¡¯ll turn into bookworms?¡± ¡°Well. With you all being so mischievous, it¡¯s hard for you to be bookworms,¡± Joanna replied. After Joanna finished speaking, she shouted toward the small living room, ¡°Lilia, stop practicing and come over to have dinner.¡± The small living room had been converted into a training room for Lilia to train every day. ¡°Got it, Mommy,¡± Lilia replied. Then she made her way slowly to the dining room while leaning on her cane. Although she no longer needed the cane to walk, it provided her with more stability. ¡°Sweetie, are you tired?¡± Lilia sat down in her seat and said happily, ¡°I¡¯m not tired. Whenever I think about how soon I¡¯ll be able to learn ballet, I don¡¯t feel tired at all.¡± ¡°Ah, my sweetie,¡± Joanna sighed with both affection and concern. Lilia was really putting in a lot of effort to stand up. 2/4 ¡°Let¡¯s start eating.¡± Then they began their meal. Lilia was thest to arrive and the first to finish eating. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, I¡¯m full,¡± Lilia said. As she spoke, Lilia stood up and prepared to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going to continue training. You guys take your time eating.¡± Joanna looked surprised. ¡°You¡¯re full from just that little bit of food?¡± ¡°Yes. If I eat too much, I¡¯ll get sleepy easily,¡± Lilia said as she left the dining room with her cane. Davian and Irvin also finished eating quickly. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re full too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go into the room to y games. You have just eaten. You need to exercise.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Davian and Irvin replied. Then they got up and ran away. It was the end of the year. They bought a lot of Christmas lights and candies. Every night, they had a lot of fun in the garden. Only Bruce and Joanna remained in the dining room, along with Devin. ¡°Lilian, Devin has to eat more supplementary food in the future. He can¡¯t just drink milk,¡± Joanna said. After saying that, Joanna cut a little steak and ced it in Devin¡¯s bowl. ¡°Got it, Mrs. Everett.¡± Devin was already more than a year old. He looked lively and adorable. He could eat many things now. Then, all of them finished dinner. Soon, it was ten o¡¯clock at night. After Joanna washed up, she nned to sleep. ¡°Joann, haven¡¯t you recovered yet?¡± Bruce leaned over suggestively and reached out to hold her. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously moved to the side of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m very tired today. Get some rest early.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else. She turned around and had her back facing him. Bruce did not continue to force her. Then Joanna fell asleep in a daze. Joanna suddenly woke up from her nightmare. She subconsciously turned around. When she opened her eyes in a daze, she saw Bruce looking at her with an indescribable emotion in his eyes. Joanna was shocked and hurriedly sat up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡± Bruce pondered for a few seconds and said in a low voice, ¡°Honey, do you not love me anymore?¡± ¡°Why would you ask that?¡± 8/4 ¡°Ever since we met, you refused to let me touch you. If you still love me, why would you reject my kiss?¡± Bruce¡¯s voice was filled with sadness. Joanna was stunned. She looked at Bruce with a mix of emotions in her Joanna thought inwardly, ¡°If he is really Bruce, How can I not love him? ¡°How can I resist his closeness? eyes. ¡°But now, he is just a substitute for Bruce. How can I love him? No matter how simr they look, he is not Bruce.¡± Then Joanna said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been too tired recently. The doctor also said that your body shouldn¡¯t be strained, so let¡¯s not push it.¡± Bruce¡¯s voice suddenly became excited. ¡°I¡¯ve recovered. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like this!¡± Joanna felt a rush of panic. She pulled back the covers and wanted to get out of bed. ¡°What is the real reason then? Why are you so resistant to me?¡± Bruce firmly held onto her wrist. ¡°I¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he pulled her into his arms. ¡°Joanna, can you stop doing this? What have I done wrong? Just tell me directly instead of constantly ignoring me, okay?¡± ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t be like this. If you continue like this, I¡¯ll get angry.¡± Joanna struggled in panic. Joanna thought inwardly, ¡°He is not Bruce at all. ¡°How can I let him touch me? Even if he is a gically cloned version of Bruce, he is just a substitute. The substitute can¡¯t rece the original.¡± Bruce took a deep breath. The restlessness in his genes drove him to forcefully press his lips against Joanna¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this.¡± Joanna was terrified. Chapter 1084 Chapter 1084 Chapter 1084 ¡°Ah!¡± Bruce winced as Joanna bit him hard on the lip. Joanna took the opportunity to push him away and rolled out of bed. ¡°I told you I haven¡¯t been feeling well recently. Let¡¯s sleep in separate rooms.¡± Before Bruce could react, Joanna had already shuffled out of the bedroom in her slippers. Joann¡­¡± Bruce hurriedly got up and wanted to follow her. Joanna had already walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. Then, she went straight to the second bedroom. Bruce looked at Joanna¡¯s departing figure in frustration. He had to restrain himself from acting impulsively. Although his memory was somewhat jumbled, he knew that he and Joanna had a strong bond. He couldn¡¯t understand why she was pushing him away now. Then Joanna came to the second bedroom. She locked the door. And her heart was still pounding.. After confirming that Bruce would note in, she walked to the bed in a daze. She thought inwardly, ¡°No. It can¡¯t go on like this. ¡°I need to find Bruce as soon as possible. I need to go to Melta as soon as possible.¡± However, she needed a reasonable excuse to go to Melta. Especially since she couldn¡¯t easily expose Bruce¡¯s identity now. She couldn¡¯t do that until she found the real Bruce. Joanna pondered for a while. She realized that the only suitable excuse seemed to be helping her child find a school. She thought inwardly, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the perfect excuse. This way, not only will he not suspect anything, but nobody else will either.¡± The next day arrived. After Joanna woke up, Bruce and the children were already waiting for her in the dining room for breakfast. ¡°Good morning, Mommy.¡± ¡°Good morning, darlings.¡± ¡°Eh? Mommy, did you not sleep well again?¡± ¡°Yeah. Mommy, you have dark circles under your eyes.¡± ¡°Mommy, did you have a conflict with Daddy again?¡± Lilia asked carefully. Joanna smiled andforted the children. She replied, ¡°No.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were filled with guilt. ¡°Ilurry up and eat breakfast. It¡¯ll get coldter.¡± Joanna sat down nervously. ¡°Well, I want to talk to you about something. After Christmas, I¡¯m going to take the children to Melta 1/4 ¡°Go to Melta? Why?¡± Bruce looked at Joanna in confusion. Joanna frowned and said hesitantly, ¡°Well, I still think it¡¯s better for the children to study abroad. ¡°Although the education and teaching staff in our country are good, I still want our children to receive education abroad. ¡°When they reach high school, we can have theme back to Greyport.¡± After hearing that, Bruce frowned and looked at Joanna in confusion. Davian also looked puzzled. ¡°Mommy, we are doing well in our studies here. Why do we need to go abroad?¡± Because too many people here know you. Moreover, Irvin¡¯s desire forparison and vanity is too strong. ¡°Therefore, I want to give you a new environment by sending you to study abroad. Once you are there, nobody will know you, and you can study like ordinary children. The teachers won¡¯t treat you differently, which will be beneficial for your personal growth.¡± When Davian and Irvin heard this, their faces were filled with unwillingness. They were popr figures at school and well-liked by everyone.. After all, they were Bruce¡¯s sons. Not to mention the teachers and ssmates, even the principal greeted them with a smile. ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to study abroad.¡± Joanna looked serious. ¡°No. You have to go even if you don¡¯t want to. After Christmas, I will start looking for schools for you. Once I find a suitable one, you will transfer directly to study there.¡± ¡°What? So soon? Mommy¡­¡± The two little kids were instantly unhappy. ¡°Mommy, what about Lilia? Is she going too?¡± Joanna paused for a few seconds. ¡°Lilia and Devin will also go abroad to study. ¡°Lilia hasn¡¯t recovered yet. We¡¯ll decide when to go after she recoverspletely. Devin is still too young, so I¡¯ll send the two of you abroad first.¡± ¡°Do we really have to go?¡± Irvin asked with a pout. ¡°Yes. You have to go. Be mentally prepared, as there won¡¯t be much time left.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± The two little kids did not dare to refuse when they saw Joanna being so strict. Bruce frowned. ¡°Joann, why did you suddenly want to send the children overseas to study?¡± ¡°I told you just now. Too many people in the country know them. The teachers and ssmates show them too much special treatment. ¡°Besides, the media reporters keep stalking and sneaking photos, which is detrimental to their growth. ¡°Moreover, their values might be influenced. The driver told me that kids in their school are already comparing whose parents have better cars. This can¡¯t go on like this.¡± Joanna looked more and more stern as she spoke. Children¡¯s education needed to be taken seriously from an early age, especially their outlook on life and values. Once they were formed, it was difficult to change. It was not that the education in the country was not good, but many children were indeed affected by thisparison and vanity. This was not just a problem with the children and schools. It was a societal problem that perpetuated the cycle. 2/4 Then Bruce frowned and did not say anything else. ¡°Alright then. After Christmas, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Hearing that, Joanna looked at Bruce with a mix of emotions in her eyes. The main reason she went to Melta was to find the real Bruce. It was obviously inconvenient to bring him along. But leaving him at home posed a risk. If he had ill intentions, it could lead to disastrous consequences. After all, everyone now thought that he was Bruce. If he were tomit any illegal acts under Bruce¡¯s identity, the consequences would be unimaginable. ¡°Sure, After Christmas, we¡¯ll go to Melta together.¡± Joanna smiled. Even though she was very unwilling, she didn¡¯t have a better option. ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°We¡¯re full now. And we¡¯ll go out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re full so soon?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going abroad for studies soon. And suddenly I feel quite heavy-hearted. I want to bid farewell to my ssmates,¡± Irvin said gloomily. Davian and Irvin went to call their ssmates. And Lilia went to do training. Then the children left. Bruce subconsciously looked at Joanna. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry forst night. I was too impulsive. ¡°Forgive me. I won¡¯t do that again.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. And she did not say anything else. She thought inwardly, ¡°Actually, he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°However¡­¡± Bruce hugged Joanna¡¯s waist tenderly and said gently, ¡°Let¡¯s not sleep in separate rooms tonight. I promise you that as long don¡¯t agree, I won¡¯t force you.¡± as you Joanna subconsciously wanted to escape from his embrace. ¡°I¡¯ve been having nightmares these past few days and haven¡¯t been sleeping well. I want to sleep alone for a few days, okay? ¡°Once I feel better, we can sleep together again.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Bruce replied. He didn¡¯t know what to say. He looked gloomy. He had no idea what he did wrong. He was even less sure why Joanna was so cold to him. Although he was a clone, his nervous system and memories were replicated from Bruce¡¯s memories. However, due to time and resource limitations during the memory replication process, some bugs urred. As a result, Bruce¡¯s memories weren¡¯t entirely copied oyer, leaving many gaps. However, he believed himself to be Bruce. 3/4 At the same time, Aria was currently in Melta. Leo said worriedly, ¡°Aria, this is a signal sent by the Eprary agents. ¡°Besides, Mr. Thompson has dispatched four colleagues to assist us.¡± ¡°Eprary agents? What do they want?¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened. Leo nodded. ¡°They want to join forces with us to investigate the truth behind District 17¡± Aria¡¯s expression froze, and her eyes were filled with hesitation. Now, it was not just them investigating District 17. Eprary agents and Intria agents were also secretly investigating District 17. However, this was Melta after all. It was not so easy to shake it. The Melta military department was not to be trifled with either. This ce couldn¡¯t be easily turned upside down with just a few agents. That was impossible and unrealistic. This was a secret war between countries. It could not be dealt with openly. Otherwise, there would be no need for the Security Bureau, the Secrecy Bureau, and the Special Affairs Bureau. Their mission was to solve problems that the country could not solve openly. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Though each of them was formidable, they were not on their home turf. Their actions were still restricted, and their individual powers were too weak. If they worked together, their chances of sess would be greater. ¡°I think we can meet and have a good talk,¡± Aria said. Chapter 1085 Chapter 1085 Chapter 1085 ¡°Then I¡¯ll make arrangements to meet with the leader of the Eprary agents as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Well, alright.¡± Aria nodded solemnly. Leo did not say anything else. He turned around and left. ¡°Bruce, I won¡¯t let you die in vain. I will definitely avenge you.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened and she couldn¡¯t help but cry. It had been almost two months since Bruce¡¯s incident. She no longer dared to hope that Bruce would still be alive. What she could do now was toplete his unfinished task,pletely destroy District 17, and seek revenge on his behalf. At the same time, something happened in District 17. Several of the world¡¯s top scientists were currently working intensively on humanoid gic modification research. ¡°We have to speed up the progress of the experiment now and strive toplete the experiment in half a year.¡± Ron looked at the results of the experiment with a serious expression. Another scientist, Mairesi, added, ¡°Subject 807 is experiencing rejection issues at the moment. I suggest we observe the situation. Progressing so rapidly might lead to failure.¡± The two of them were the main leaders of this experiment, with others serving as their assistants and support. So their opinions asionally differed. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of the abnormal rejection that I¡¯m concerned that Subject 807 might not hold up. That¡¯s why we must elerate the progress and see how far he can endure.¡± Ron knew very well that once a subject experienced rejection, it essentially meant failure. His goal now was to expedite the process only to see how far the subject could go and pave the way for the next experiment. ¡°I don¡¯t approve of this,¡± Mairesi retorted with a serious expression. Selina, the female scientist, couldn¡¯t help but agree. She said, ¡°I agree with Mairesi¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Although this subject is experiencing rejection, he¡¯s situation ispletely different from the other subjects. He still has a chance for improvement, and his self-repair genes are highly active. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for us to get this far. If we fail again, we¡¯ll have to start all over again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I also suggest we take it slow and focus on studying the rejection issue.¡± Seeing that several scientists proposed the same, Ron reluctantly nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s follow your suggestions and observe for a few more days. ¡°Additionally, let¡¯s check on subjects 804/805, and 806.¡± ¡°Subject 806¡¯s experiment failed, and the subject was dered brain dead yesterday. ¡°Based on current observations, subject 804 won¡¯t be able to hold on much longer. Subject 805 won¡¯t have any major problems for the time being. He can probably hold on until the second generation of gic modification. ¡°ording to the current data, only Subject 807 has the highest chance of sess.¡± After Ron heard this, he nodded solemnly. ¡°We need to continue searching for another group of subjects. The stronger, the 1/5 better.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± At the same time, the monster was inside the ss chamber. The monster fell into aa again. And a new round of experiments was about to begin. The nuclei in his body had already divided and replicated many times. Each division felt like going through a painful cycle of life and death. The monster was covered in wounds and was unrecognizable. Its body was covered in scars from surgery and the characteristics of mutation after gic modification. His once dark brown irises were now blood-red. The spine on his back seemed to protrude slightly, resembling bone spurs. Large patches of his skin had also peeled off, revealing new scales-like skin underneath. Meanwhile, Joanna was at Sherane Bay Vi.. It was already Christmas Eve. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna woke up from her nightmare once again.. She dreamed of the monster again. After waking up, Joanna took a few minutes to regain consciousness. Recently, she had nightmares almost every night. Especially about that monster, she had already dreamed about it several times. Joanna whispered, ¡°Bruce, where are you now? How are you doing now? ¡°I¡¯m really worried about you. If you¡¯re still alive,e back quickly, okay?¡± Joanna ran her fingers through her hair as tears welled up in her eyes. She thought inwardly, ¡°Something must have happened to him. ¡°Otherwise, he would have returned long ago. Who could trap him?¡± Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Joanna sat up dispiritedly. Lilia¡¯s voice came from outside the door. ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t you up yet?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be up soon.¡± Joanna ruffled her hair and got up to open the door listlessly. Outside the door, Lilia carefully observed her mom¡¯s expression. ¡°Mommy, did you and Daddy have a conflict?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why are you sleeping in this room? Why aren¡¯t you sleeping in the same room as Daddy?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been sleeping well these few days, so I¡¯m in this room for some peace and quiet.¡± Hearing that, Lilia was surprised. ¡°Mommy, if you¡¯re not sleeping well, shouldn¡¯t you have Daddy apany you?¡± Joanna smiled at her daughter. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I don¡¯t sleep well that I¡¯m afraid it might disturb your daddy¡¯s sleep. That¡¯s why we¡¯re sleeping in separate rooms. Sweetie, you shouldn¡¯t worry about grown-up matters.¡± ¡°Is that really the case?¡± Lilia asked worriedly. 2/5 Lilia was very sensible. Despite her young age, she was so clever. In particr, she was most worried that her daddy and her mommy would be separated. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry, sweetie. Your daddy and I haven¡¯t argued or had any conflicts.¡± ¡°Alright then. ¡°It¡¯s Christmas Eve today. Mommy, get up quickly.¡± Alright.¡± After Joanna finished washing up, she changed her clothes and went downstairs. ¡°Good morning, honey.¡± Bruce smiled. ¡°Good morning. ¡°Where are Davian and Irvin?¡± ¡°They¡¯re ying outside.¡± The sound of ser being kicked came from outdoors. ¡°Are they ying ser?¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. These two little guys have gotten addicted to ittely. They y on the lawn every day.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Joanna replied faintly. Miranda walked over and handed over the Christmas Eve dinner menu. ¡°Mrs. Everett, here¡¯s the menu for the Christmas Eve dinner. Take a look. Is there anything else you want to add?¡± Joanna took the menu and nced at it. It was simr to previous years. ¡°Just go with the usual arrangements.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Today, everyone in Sherane Bay Vi was in high spirits. A small portion of the servants were on leave, but most of them were still here to celebrate Christmas. Davian and Irvin ran in from outside after they finished ying ser. ¡°We¡¯ll exchange gifts tonight. ¡°Look at our new clothes. Do they look good?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Joanna squeezed out a smile. They now look like a family reunited. However, only Joanna knew in her heart that the most important person in the family was missing. In the blink of an eye, it was already night. They had finished a sumptuous Christmas Eve dinner. The children were even more jubnt. ¡°Merry Christmas! ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Merry Christmas! Congrattions and give us the gifts.¡± 3/5 Bruce smiled and handed out gifts to each of them. The servants also came over with joyful greetings. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Merry Christmas, Mr. Everett. Merry Christmas, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Merry Christmas, everyone.¡± Joanna and Bruce distributed gifts to everyone in the house. Every year, Christmas was also the happiest time for the servants. That was because, during Christmas, Bruce would give out gifts, starting from at least a value of two thousand dors. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, received a gift when they met him. ¡°Alright. Christmas Eve dinner is over, and we¡¯ve finished exchanging gifts. Let¡¯s all go to bed now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sleeping. We¡¯re staying up all night tonight.¡± ¡°Sweetie, hurry up and go to sleep,¡± Joanna replied. She urged the children to go to sleep. It was already past one in the morning. Although it was still very lively, the children were still young. It was best not to let them stay upte. ¡°Well. I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m going to sleep,¡± Lilia said. She could not help but yawn. Then she walked toward her room with her walking stick.. Devin was already asleep. There was no need to care about him. Only Davian and Irvin were making a fuss and refusing to sleep. Bruce looked at Joanna with concern. ¡°Honey, you should rest too.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Today is Christmas Eve. Let¡¯s not separate into different rooms. We should all be together as a family,¡± Bruce said and held Joanna¡¯s hand. Joanna did not reply, but she silently followed him back to the bedroom. ¡°Honey¡­¡± Joanna didn¡¯t wait for him to make a request and said directly, ¡°I¡¯m preparing to book a ne ticket tomorrow. Are you sure you want to go to Melta with me?¡± ¡°Yeah. If you and the children go over, I¡¯ll be worried. I¡¯ll definitely go with you.¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes flickered. She thought inwardly, ¡°If he goes with me, will I not have to take the children with us?¡± She had wanted to take the children before because she was worried that leaving them at home with him would cause harm to them. However, if he went to Melta with Joanna/ the children would not be in danger and could stay at home in peace. After all, Joanna did not know what was going on at Melta this time. It was too inconvenient to bring the children along. Moreover, if something dangerous happened, the consequences would be unimaginable. Chapter 1086 Chapter 1086 Chapter 1086 ¡°Alright. It¡¯s all up to you. I¡¯ll do whatever you say,¡± Bruce said. He agreed with a gentle expression. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s decided then. The two of us will go to Melta first. After we find the school, we¡¯ll bring the children over.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go along with your n,¡± Bruce said. He could not help but stretch out his arm to hug Joanna. Joanna frowned. ¡°Stop fooling around. Hurry up and sleep. It¡¯s almost two o¡¯clock.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. ¡°Honey, we¡¯ve been apart for so long. Why are you so¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Yes. Go ahead. I¡¯m listening.¡± Joanna pursed her lips and lied, ¡°I¡¯ve been experiencing some gynecological diforttely, and the doctor said I need to take good care of myself. ¡°Therefore, we can¡¯t sleep together for the time being. I hope you can respect me and endure it for a while.¡± When Bruce heard this, he immediately looked nervous. ¡°Really? Where are you feeling unwell? ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital tomorrow.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯ve already seen a doctor, and he said it¡¯s due to insufficient postpartum care. I have energy deficiency and blood deficiency, as well as some chronic inmmations. ¡°I¡¯m currently undergoing treatment, but it might take some time to fully recover.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. It¡¯s been hard on you, honey.¡± Bruce¡¯s handsome face showed a trace of concern. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Go to bed early,¡± Joanna replied calmly. Bruce did not say much. He just gently wrapped his arms around her waist. Joanna closed her eyes, but she could not fall asleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but recall the nightmares of that monster. In her dream, the monster was fierce and pitiful. It was full of anxiety and restlessness. It was like a trapped beast in a cage. It tried its best to break out of the cage, but it could not. Although Joanna was afraid of that abnormally ferocious monster, she could not help but sympathize with it. Every time she woke up, she could not help but cry. The next day arrived. ¡°What? You¡¯re not letting us go to Melta?¡± Irvin looked at Joanna in shock. Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes. Your daddy and I have already decided to let you stay at home for the time being. ¡°Your daddy and I will go over first. I¡¯ll pick you up after I find a school for you.¡± When Davian heard this, he also looked depressed. ¡°Huh? Why did you change your mind again?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going with you this time.¡± Irvin pouted and protested. It was not that he wanted to study at Melta, but he wanted to go and have fun. Kids were always eager for excitement. They couldn¡¯t stand being away from adults and always wanted to follow them. No matter where the adults went, they liked to follow them and join in the fun. Joanna¡¯s face darkened as she patiently coaxed her son. She said, ¡°Be good and stay at home. Don¡¯t follow us. There are too many people. It¡¯s inconvenient¡­¡± When Irvin heard this, his face was filled with disdain. ¡°Well, I know. You and Daddy must have wanted to secretly go and have fun. You deliberately left us at home so that we wouldn¡¯t disturb the two of you.¡± Joanna frowned. ¡°Irvin, how can you say that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Anyway, I hardly get long vacations. I have to go. Besides, I¡¯ve already packed my luggage.¡± Davian added, ¡°Yeah. I want to go too. I haven¡¯t been to Melta in a long time. ¡°I want to go over and have fun too. Mommy, didn¡¯t you ask us to study there? We can go over and take a look at the school¡¯s environment.¡± ¡°No,¡± Joanna replied. She refused decisively. Her im of going to Melta to look for a school was just an excuse. The children were still too young. Even if they were to study abroad, it would be best to wait until they were in middle school. Besides, if they were to go abroad, it would be to Antlen, not Melta. When Bruce was young, he attended the Royal Academy in Antlen. Joanna intended to send their children to Bruce¡¯s school. Now, she went to Melta just to find Aria and see where Aria had gotten Bruce. Irvin shook his body and made a scene. ¡°Mommy, my dear mommy, just let us go! ¡°Mommy, you might as well not have agreed to let us go in the first ce. At first, we didn¡¯t want to go, but you insisted. ¡°Now that we want to go, we¡¯re not allowed to go. How can that be?¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t take it anymore and began to persuade Joanna. He said, ¡°Honey, since the kids want to go so badly, just let them go together. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of bringing a few more servants along. What¡¯s the trouble?¡± Hearing that, Joanna felt a headacheing on. She didn¡¯t know how this trip to Melta would turn out. Especially since Aria was involved in this. Aria was not an ordinary woman. If she really forcibly detained Bruce, there would definitely be a fight. This time, Joanna was going to fight it out with Aria. If Aria didn¡¯t return Bruce, Joanna was prepared to all out against her. go Taking the children along now was really inconvenient. ¡°No. You won¡¯t go no matter what. Stay at home obediently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There are plenty of opportunities to travel. When you¡¯re 18 years old, even if you travel the world, I won¡¯t care about you. ¡°But not now. You have to be obedient.¡± When Irvin heard this, he was so angry that he cried. He shouted, ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care. I have to go. I have to go! ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go, don¡¯t even think about going.¡± Joanna was angry and annoyed. She didn¡¯t have the patience to coax him. She raised her hand and pped Irvin twice. Irvin refused to listen and became more and more mischievous. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Irvin was stunned. He looked at Joanna with a rebellious expression. This was the first time he had ever been hit. Joanna rarely hit children. She almost never hit children. Only Davian was beaten once when he made mistake. She had never hit the others before. But now, Joanna was anxious and annoyed. She really couldn¡¯t help but want to punish Irvin. ¡°Stay at home obediently. I will hit anyone who disobeys.¡± ¡°Well. Mommy doesn¡¯t love me anymore,¡± Irvin cried and ran away. After all, he had never been hit before. Now that he was hit once, he really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Davian was rather obedient. Although he was dissatisfied, he still epted this fact. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be angry. Irvin just wanted to go and have fun. ¡°If you don¡¯t want us to go over, we¡¯ll just stay at home.¡± 2/3 Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes as she sighed deeply. Then she said, ¡°Davian, go and see Irvin and coax him.¡± ¡°Got it, Mommy.¡± ¡°Your daddy and I might be gone for a while. You are the oldest and most sensible in the house. You have to take good care of your younger siblings.¡± ¡°Okay. Mommy, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Good boy.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes turned even redder. She squatted down and touched Davian¡¯s cute face. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go andfort Irvin now. And I¡¯ll stop him from throwing a tantrum.¡± ¡°Sweetie, go ahead then,¡± Joanna replied and then sighed again. Davian did not say anything else. He turned around and ran to look for Irvin. Lilia watched from the side and shrugged silently. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. From the beginning, she had no intention of going. Hence, she was not upset when the n had been changed. ¡°Lilia, your daddy and I won¡¯t be home, so you must listen to the trainer and follow the training properly. Don¡¯t bezy, but also don¡¯t push yourself too hard,¡± Joanna said with concern. Lilia nodded obediently. ¡°Okay. I understand, Mommy. When youe back, I might be able to run.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Joanna forced a smile. The most obedient child in the family was Lilia, and the most mischievous child was Irvin. ¡°Mommy, how long will you be gone for? When will you be back?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say for now. I¡¯ll call you when I get there,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Fine.¡± Joanna thought for a moment and said worriedly, ¡°Your little brother will be at home too. As his big sister, take good care of him. He¡¯s still too young and doesn¡¯t understand much.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Joanna lowered her head and held back her tears. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be sad. We¡¯re just going to check out the school. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll have them study in Greyport. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry to send them overseas. It won¡¯t be toote to send them overseas when they¡¯re in middle school.¡± ¡°No. We need to find a good school now.¡± Chapter 1087 Chapter 1087 Chapter 1087 Joanna had her own n. She was very determined. Bruce shrugged and could only make apromise. ¡°Alright then. Pack your luggage now and we¡¯ll leave as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Joanna replied as her brain was thinking quickly, On this trip to Melta, she had to make a foolproof n. Darcy and Carson were the most skilled. She had to bring them along. Other than them, she had to bring other capable bodyguards. Actually, she eagerly wanted to bring all the bodyguards along. After all, she was determined to fight Aria to the death. However, the more people she brought, the more eye-catching it would be. In the end, Joanna decided to only bring Darcy, Carson, Benny, Shane, and so on, making a total of seven bodyguards. At the same time, she also wanted to prepare other support personnel. After careful consideration, she thought of Jaydon. Other than Jaydon, no one else had the ability to help her. Darcy and Grace were still in the dormitory. When Grace heard that Darcy wanted to go to Melta, she immediately became nervous. ¡°What? Do you want to go to Melta again? ¡°What¡¯s going on now? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d never go again?¡± Darcy pondered for a few seconds. ¡°I have to go this time. Mrs. Everett and Mr. Everett have to help their children find a school¡­¡± Before Darcy could finish, Grace interrupted him. She asked, ¡°Do they need so many people to find a school? ¡°There are only a few famous schools in the world. Is there a need to mobilize so many people to find a school for them? I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to find a school at all. They¡¯re going to do something else, right?¡± Darcy didn¡¯t know how to retort. He just looked at Grace lovingly. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t want to be separated from you.¡± Grace looked unhappy. Seeing that she was angry, Darcy could only coax her gently. He said, ¡°Grace, be good. I won¡¯t be gone for a long time this time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll call Joann now and ask for leave for you¡­¡± As Grace spoke, she took out her phone and was about to call Joanna. There were so many bodyguards in the Everett family, and losing one like Darcy wouldn¡¯t make much difference. If Grace asked, Joanna would surely agree. Seeing this, Darcy snatched her phone and said impatiently, ¡°Stop fooling around. I¡¯m the bodyguard in charge of Mr. Everett¡¯s personal safety. I¡¯m in charge of all security matters. How can I take leave?¡± ¡°Darcy, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Grace pouted. Darcy frowned. ¡°No. You can¡¯t go.¡± When Grace heard this, she became even angrier. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go? Last time, you didn¡¯t let me go, and this time, you don¡¯t let me go. Who knows what you guys want to do? ¡°You¡¯re not going to that no man¡¯snd again this time, are you? You¡¯ll be gone for one or two months, and then I won¡¯t be able to find you,¡± Grace said as she leaned against his chest aggrievedly. ¡°Not this time. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Either you don¡¯t go, or I¡¯ll go with you. There are only two choices. Choose one.¡± Darcy¡¯s tone turned serious. ¡°Stop fooling around. I¡¯m working. 18 ¡°We¡¯re not going on a trip. It¡¯s really inconvenient for you to go with us. Besides¡­¡± ¡°And what?¡± Grace blinked and looked at him quietly. Darcy¡¯s heart tightened and he swallowed the words that were about toe out of his mouth. On the surface, Joanna said that she would go to Melta to look for a school. However, Darcy knew the truth. This time, Joanna went to Melta to look for the real Bruce. Bruce was probably in Aria¡¯s hands now, so a fierce battle with Aria was inevitable. Darcy had already seen Aria¡¯s methods. If things went wrong, it would be even more dangerous than last time. Therefore, no matter what, he could not let Grace follow him. ¡°Be good and wait for me at Venturas.¡± Grace was very willful. ¡°No. Otherwise, I¡¯ll go alone. It won¡¯t affect your work. ¡°You canpletely ignore me and pretend that I don¡¯t exist. In short, if you insist on going, I will definitely go.¡± Darcy took a deep breath and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°No way. If you insist on going, we can only¡­ break up.¡± When Grace heard this, her mind went nk. She simply could not believe what she heard. Just because of such a small matter, Darcy actually proposed breaking up so easily. After a long while, Grace came back to her senses. ¡°Darcy, are you serious?¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Grace in pain. ¡°Yes. If you keep being willful and don¡¯t understand my work at all, then I don¡¯t think we can be together.¡± Darcy knew very well how dangerous it was to go to Melta this time. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. He did not want to implicate Grace. With Grace¡¯s personality, she would definitely pester him all the time. Therefore, he could only use this method. Grace rolled her eyes and quickly admitted defeat. ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t go. Why are you so fierce? ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t agree. Never mind. I¡¯ll go look for Joann. She¡¯ll definitely agree to let me go.¡± ¡°I just told you that if you insist on going, we can only break up.¡± Darcy had always been a straightforward man. He would not indulge her temper. He could pamper her, but he could not let her fool around. When Grace heard this, she knew that Darcy was not lying. Her eyes instantly turned red from grievance. ¡°What¡¯s so great about it? Why do you keep mentioning breaking up? Do you really love me? ¡°I don¡¯t think you really love me, you jerk. You broke my heart. I hate you.¡± Darcy felt a lump in his throat and was at a loss. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± Grace snorted willfully and got up to put on her clothes. ¡°Grace, where are you going? It¡¯s already sote.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go home, okay? I¡¯ll leave this ce, okay? I won¡¯t be an eyesore to you anymore,¡± Grace said as she put on her bra and inner lining. Seeing this, Darcy subconsciously coaxed her, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to worry. In your heart, work is more important to you than I am. Then you should get busy with your work.¡± ¡°Are you really leaving?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Grace was already dressed. Darcy exhaled. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll send you back now.¡± Grace choked when she heard that. She thought inwardly, ¡°He is really a straightforward man. Under such circumstances, he should apologize and coax me quickly. ¡°How can he even agree to let me leave just like that?¡± Grace bit her lip and could only find an excuse for herself. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to leave, then you can kiss me.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Darcy smiled and quickly hugged her and kissed her. ¡°Grace, stay at Venturas and wait for me. When Ie back this time, we¡¯ll get married, okay?¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do as you say,¡± Grace said. She agreed obediently and curled up in his arms. During her time with Darcy, she also knew what kind of man Darcy was. He really would not indulge her shamelessly. He waspletely different from the boys she knew in the past. However, she would not listen to him obediently. As long as she wanted to go, no one could stop her. At most, she would go secretly likest time. She would call him when she got there. ¡°Darcy, can we not quarrel in the future?¡± ¡°Alright. We won¡¯t quarrel,¡± Darcy said and carried her to the bed. He was going to set off tomorrow, so they had to be loving today. Not long after, the two of them began to stick together. The next day arrived. After Joanna and Bruce woke up, they were ready to set off. The seven bodyguards were also waiting outside. ¡°Have you packed everything?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all packed. We can set off now.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go then.¡± Joanna was still worried and instructed the three little kids, ¡°You have to be obedient at home.¡± Davian nodded. ¡°Got it, Mommy.¡± Irvin was still a little unhappy. But after her brother¡¯s persuasion yesterday, he had already thought it through. ¡°Have a safe trip, Daddy and Mommy.¡± ¡°Be good. Don¡¯t throw a tantrum anymore. When we find the school, we¡¯ll definitely have time to bring you guys out to y.¡± Joanna touched Irvin¡¯s face with heartache. She had hit Irvin yesterday. But after that, she still felt a little regretful. ¡°Got it, Mommy. I was too willful yesterday.¡± ¡°Kiss me.¡± The three children kissed Joanna¡¯s face one after another. ¡°Gael, Miranda, I¡¯m entrusting our home to you both.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gael was the personal butler who had been responsible for taking care of Bruce since Bruce was young. They could be said to be like father and son. As for Miranda, she had watched Joanna grow up since Joanna was young. They were also close. Therefore, even if Bruce and Joanna were not at home, they would still manage the house well. Chapter 1088 Chapter 1088 Chapter 1088 ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone did not say anything else and got into the car one by one. A few cars drove toward the airport. ¡°Sigh, I hope Mrs. Everett and Mr. Everett have a safe journey. Don¡¯t have any more storms. God bless them,¡± Miranda said with a worried expression. Gael smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°Definitely. They¡¯re just going to find a school. It won¡¯t take them. for too long.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Miranda replied indifferently. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go inside. It¡¯s windy outside.¡± Gael looked concerned. Through this period of time, he developed a good impression of Miranda. Miranda was gentle and virtuous, and she knew how to care for others. She was indeed a goodpanion for an old man like Gael. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Miranda and live in peace together with her. ¡°Kids, get in the house!¡± ¡°s.. Irvin watched the car drive away reluctantly and refused to return to the house for a long time. Davian also looked at his younger brother jokingly. ¡°What are you waiting for? Don¡¯t you want to enter the house?¡± Irvin sighed faintly. He was still a little unwilling. ¡°s, I¡¯m frustrated!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be frustrated. I¡¯ll y games with you,¡± Davian said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to y games,¡± Irvin said with a sad expression. ¡°Then what do you want to do? I¡¯ll apany you.¡± ¡°I still want to go to Melta!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Mommy say that when we turn 18, she won¡¯t care about us anymore? We can go wherever we want.¡± Irvin pouted. ¡°How many years will it take? We¡¯re only eight years old this year. Won¡¯t we have to wait another ten years?¡± When Davian heard this, he also sighed. ¡°Alright, when the timees, they¡¯ll send us to Melta to study. We¡¯ll probably be so bored at that time. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t stayed in Melta before. What¡¯s so fun there?¡± Irvin thought about it and felt that Davian was right. ¡°You got a point!¡± Lilia could not be bothered with the two of them. She was already prepared to go for rehabilitation training. ¡°Lilia, are you going for rehabilitation training again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t ck off for even a day. For my dance dream, I must recover as soon as possible!¡± Lilia had a determined look on her face. She held onto her walking stick and slowly walked to her exclusive training room. Now, she no longer needed anyone to support her. She could walk around the house freely with her walking stick. Given time, her leg would definitely return to normal. At the airport, because there were many people, Joanna booked a private ne. After a 16-hour flight, the nended at Walston Airport. After getting off the ne, Joanna and Bruce walked in front while the bodyguards followed behind with their luggage. ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± 10-430 Joanna went straight into the washroom at the side. Beep, beep, beep¡­ After arriving at the washroom, Joanna immediately called Aria. The phone rang many times before Aria picked up. ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°Miss Bridges, it¡¯s me, Joanna!¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Oh, Ms. Haynes, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her voice sounded a little uneasy. Joanna took a deep breath and tried her best to calm her tone. ¡°Well. Bruce and I came over to Melta. We wanted to ask you out for a meal.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m busy with work now, so it¡¯s not convenient for me. I don¡¯t have time either,¡± Aria subconsciously replied. ¡°Miss Bridges, my husband and I are here to choose a school for our children. I know it may but I still want to thank you in person. disturb you, ¡°Also, my husband has been catching a cold recently. I want to ask you, is it because the poison in his body hasn¡¯t beenpletely eliminated?¡± In order to stabilize Aria, Joanna pretended not to discover that Bruce was a fake. She wanted to lure Aria out to meet her. Aria frowned when she heard that. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s have a meal and catch up. Bruce keeps talking about you!¡± Ar¨ªa fell silent for a moment. Although she did not want to see Joanna, she was still a little worried that the secret of Bruce would be discovered by Joanna. After thinking for a few seconds, she could only brace herself and say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get Leo to go over and take a look at Bruce¡¯s situation.¡± ¡°Miss Bridges, you and Bruce are ssmates, after all. Besides, you¡¯ve helped us many times. We want to thank you properly!¡± Aria was at a loss for words, and her eyes wandered. She was currently contacting the agent from Eprary to further investigate District 17. She really had no time to be bothered with Joanna. ¡°Or, you can tell me where you are now. Bruce and I wille over to meet you.¡± When Aria heard this, she quickly rejected it. ¡°There¡¯s really no need. I¡¯m busy with work. Just tell me where you guys are staying. I¡¯ll get Leo to take a look at Bruce. I can¡¯t leave for the time being,¡± Aria replied worriedly. When Joanna heard this, she tried her best to suppress her emotions and pretended to be rxed. ¡°That will do as well. We¡¯ll temporarily stay at our home in Walston. Haven¡¯t you guys been here before? Just let Leoe over directly.¡± Now, she had to stabilize Aria. She could not let Aria have any doubts. ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, then! I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After hanging up, a light of cold killing intent shed across Joanna¡¯s eyes. This time, she would do whatever she could to find Bruce. After Aria hung up, her face was solemn and worried. Seeing this, Leo asked with concern, ¡°Aria, what¡¯s going on?¡± Aria sighed. ¡°s, Joanna is here again.¡± ¡°What? Why is she here again?¡± ¡°She said that she¡¯s here to find a ce for her children to study. She also said that something was wrong with Bruce¡¯s clone. You¡¯d better go over and take a look. Leo did not know what to say and frowned. 274 10:33 ¡°Don¡¯t let the cat out of the bag. Have them back as soon as possible. ¡°No matter what, don¡¯t let down Bruce¡¯sst wish.¡± As Aria spoke, a trace of sadness appeared on her face, and tears fell. ¡°Got it.¡± A long time ago, Bruce had entrusted Aria to make a clone of him. He had a mission, so he was inevitably afraid that something bad would happen to him. However, he really couldn¡¯t bear to see Joanna without a husband and the children without a father. So, he asked Aria to clone a recement for him. If anything bad happened to him, he would have the clone return home in his ce. The clone would apany Joanna and the children as they grew up. This was thest thing he could do for Joanna. Joanna finished her call and walked out of the washroom. Bruce asked with concern, ¡°Honey, what took you so long?¡± ¡°Well, there are a lot of people queuing up. Let¡¯s go!¡± Joanna replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±-Bruce held her shoulders gently and the two of them walked out of the airport. In the car, Bruce flipped through the information about a few schools and said seriously, ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve just found a few transfer consultants and asked about the basic situation of a few schools.¡± ¡°Okay, you can check them first,¡± Joanna replied absent-mindedly. Then, she was a little tired and leaned against the back seat of the car, closing her eyes to rest. Bruce turned to look at Joanna and asked with concern, ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look too good. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Joanna replied calmly, ¡°No. I¡¯m just a little tired. My head hurts a little.¡± ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll massage your head for a while.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°Come on! You¡¯ll have a hard time with the head hurts Bruce insisted on letting her lean into his arms and rubbed her temples considerately. Joanna subconsciously wanted to struggle free, but he still held her forcefully in his arms. ¡°It¡¯ll take an hour to drive now. Enjoy it in peace. I will give you a good massage,¡± Bruce said as he gently massaged Joanna¡¯s temples. Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes. She had mixed feelings. The Bruce in front of her was really gentle and considerate. He almost had no temper at all. It could be said that he was much easier to get along with than the real Bruce. However, a substitute was a substitute. No matter how good he was, he could not rece Bruce. When Bruce was copying memories, he tried his best to preserve his best side. He blocked out all the bad sides of his personality. Joanna always said that he was overbearing, bad-tempered, and difficult to get along with. Therefore, the substitute he cloned was the best of him in his memory. He wanted Joanna to be the happiest woman in the world. ¡°There¡¯s really no need. You¡¯ve been on the ne for a day and are tired as well. You don¡¯t have to massage me anymore. Rest well!¡± ¡°Honey, I¡¯m really not tired. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I don¡¯t want to see you have such a headache. It¡¯s really a hard time for you to have a headache,¡± ¡°I¡¯m really fine. There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble¡­¡± ¡°Be good and listen to me.¡± Chapter 1089 Chapter 1089 Chapter 1089 ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not tired. I just don¡¯t want to see you suffer,¡± Bruce said gently and considerately. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything. She justy quietly on hisp. Bruce did not say anything else and gently and patiently massaged her temples. Hisrge hands were soft and gentle, and the strength of his massage was just right. It was especially comfortable. Less than ten minutester, Joanna fell asleep unknowingly. Simrly, just as she fell asleep, she began to dream of some strange dreams again. In the dream, she had been walking on a dark path. As she walked, the figure of the monster suddenly appeared in front of her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly woke up from her dream. Seeing this, Bruce quickly patted her shoulder tofort her. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong? Did you have nightmare again?¡± Joanna panted a few times, still feeling a lingering fear. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s okay. Why did I fall asleep just now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Maybe you¡¯re too sleepy. You can sleep if you want.¡± Joanna insisted on sitting straight. Her face was covered in cold sweat. She suddenly had a feeling that the monster in her dream was definitely rted to Bruce. It was said that there was telepathy between the people who loved each other the most. This was a kind of chemistry that even science could not exin. Therefore, she had this dream over and over again. This was also a form of telepathy. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°We should be there soon.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Joanna opened the window again and looked at the scenery outside. Half an hourter, the car arrived at the vi. ¡°We¡¯re here! It¡¯s time to get off.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± In front of them was a manor vi. It upied arge area and looked very luxurious. Joanna had been here before, so she was not that unfamiliar with it. The butler and the servants in Melta had already received the call and were waiting at the door to wee them. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Wee home, Mr. and Mrs. Everett.¡± The butler greeted them in Antlenish. Bruce and Joanna got out of the car, and the others followed. ¡°Everyone has worked hard today. Let¡¯s take a break!¡± ¡°Joann, don¡¯t split rooms tonight.¡± The group followed the butler into the vi. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Everett, your bedroom is ready.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Joanna and Bruce made their way to the master bedroom. ¡°It¡¯s really a tiring trip!¡± Bruce subconsciously stretched and took off his suit. Joanna went to pour a ss of water and pretended to take a few sips. Then, she carried another ss of water to Bruce¡¯s side. ¡°Are you thirsty? Have some water!¡± Joanna smiled and handed him a ss of water. Bruce did not suspect anything. He took the water and drank it. ¡°Thank you, honey.¡± Seeing that he had finished all the water, Joanna smiled reassuringly. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Five minutester, Bruce began to yawn non-stop, looking extremely sleepy. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Maybe I¡¯m tired and want to sleep¡­¡± As he spoke, Bruce could not help but lie on the bed. He didn¡¯t even finish taking off his shoes. Joanna pretended to be concerned and asked, ¡°Do you have a cold?¡± ¡°Maybe a little.¡± ¡°Then quickly lie down and sleep for a while!¡± Joanna said. ¡°Uh-huh. I¡¯m going to sleep first, then,¡± Bruce muttered weakly. He let out a big yawn and closed his heavy eyelids. Joanna drugged him with tranquilizer pills in the water he had just drunk. He would be very sleepy after drinking the water. Soon, Bruce fell into a deep sleep. ¡°Bruce. Hey, Bruce,¡± Joanna called out tentatively. Bruce slept very soundly and did not react at all. Seeing this, Joanna rxed a little. She took off his shoes and tucked him in. Although this Bruce in front of her was fake, he had never harbored any ill intentions toward her. Therefore, she could not bear to hurt him. After knocking Bruce out, Joanna walked out of the bedroom. Darcy, Carson, Benny, and the others were all guarding downstairs. ¡°Darcy, Carson, listen up. When that Leoester, you guys must take him down. You can¡¯t let him leave this ce.¡± ¡°Got it, Mrs. Everett.¡± The few of them looked solemn. ¡°Alright, go and prepare now.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Joanna had called Aria when she was at the airport. It was already two in the afternoon. Leo should arrive in an hour. At 3:30 p.m., Leo drove to the vi. Joanna personally waited at the door. When she saw himing, she immediately went forward to wee him. ¡°Mr. Leo, it¡¯s been a long journey!¡± Facing Joanna, Leo still felt a little guilty. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s only right for me toe and take a look at Bruce.¡± ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go in!¡± Joanna smiled gently. Leo got out of the car without any suspicion and followed Joanna into the house. ¡°How¡¯s Bruce?¡± Leo asked. Joanna deliberately frowned. ¡°He has a cold and just taken some medicine. He¡¯s sleeping very soundly now. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go over and take a look at him now.¡± Leo felt a little scared. Although Bruce¡¯s clone had been perfected as much as possible, a clone was still a clone. No matter how simr it was to a real person, there would still be some problems. Right now, all he could do was try his best not to let the clone show any ws. This was his final promise to Bruce. And it was also Bruce¡¯sst wish. Bruce didn¡¯t want Joanna to be sad and heartbroken, and he didn¡¯t want her and their children to lose their support. 24 10. With this clone around, even if a fake Bruce, those cunning ones in Everett Group and their business opponents would not dare to touch Joanna and their children easily. As for business matters, with Joanna¡¯s intelligence, she couldpletely handle them. Bruce¡¯s only worry was that Joanna and the children would not be able to ept his death and wouldpletely copse. If it was him, he would also be in so much pain that he would not be able to live if Joanna died. Therefore, Bruce had nned this a long time ago. If something bad happened to him, he would have the clone go home in his ce and apany Joanna and their children. ¡°Come in!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Where is Bruce?¡± ¡°He¡¯s sleeping in the bedroom. It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ve just driven for so long. Take a rest first!¡± ¡°Butler, pour Mr. Leo a cup of coffee.¡± ¡°Mr. Leo, please take some coffee.¡± eyes. Leo was indeed a little thirsty after driving all the way. He picked up the coffee and prepared to drink it. Joanna, Darcy, and the others looked at him with bright eyes. A hint of cold light shed across their Leo¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly smelled a faint smell of tranquilizer medicine in the coffee. Although the smell was very light and mixed with the aroma of the coffee, identifying these drugs was naturally child¡¯s y to him. After all, he was Aria¡¯s right-hand man. There was medicine in the coffee. He could not drink it. When Leo realized that there was a problem with the coffee, he broke out in a cold sweat. However, he quickly said without batting an eyelid, ¡°Oh, right! I have to call Aria back. When I came, she specially instructed me to call her when I get here.¡± As he spoke, Leo casually ced the coffee cup on the table. Joanna frowned, but she couldn¡¯t say anything. Leo picked up the phone and pretended to call Aria. ¡°Hello, Aria!¡± On the other end of the line, Aria asked, ¡°Are you there yet?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. I just got here. It hasn¡¯t even been ¡®five minutes¡¯, and I called you back immediately,¡± Leo said calmly. When Aria heard this, her heart skipped a beat. The two words ¡°five minutes¡± were a code between their agents. It also meant asking for help. If the other party went somewhere and was kidnapped by bad people, as long as he mentioned ¡°five minutes¡± on the phone, it meant that he was in danger and needed reinforcements. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Aria felt uneasy and hung up. ¡°Mr. Leo, have some coffee.¡± Joanna politely handed the coffee cup to Leo. Leo did not dare to take it. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take a look at Bruce first!¡± Joanna choked at her words and subconsciously nced at Darcy. Darcy gave her a look, meaning to attack directly. However, Joanna still shook her head slightly, indicating for Darcy to stop moving. She had seen Aria¡¯s skills before. And the people around Aria must be quite skilled as well. If Darcy, Carson, and the others attacked together, they wouldn¡¯t fail, but they should try to avoid fights. After all, Joanna had only brought seven people this time. There would still be a lot of times when she had to use them in the following days. ¡°Alright then! Come with me!¡± Joanna tried her best to suppress the anger in her heart and brought Leo to Bruce¡¯s room. Chapter 1090 Chapter 1090 Chapter 1090 In the room, Bruce was in a deep sleep. Leo examined him and soon found that something was wrong. There was nothing wrong with Bruce¡¯s health at all. It was man-made. Bruce had taken tranquilizer pills and fainted. Presumably, Joanna already knew the truth and deliberately tricked Leo over. When Leo thought of this, his heart trembled, and his gaze wandered around ufortably. ¡°Leo, how is he?¡± Joanna looked at Leo, something sinister shing across her eyes. ¡°Yes, nothing serious. It¡¯s just an ordinary cold¡­¡± Leo braced himself and replied. He still couldn¡¯t figure out Joanna¡¯s motive, so he could only try his best to quibble. ¡°Hmph, is that so?¡± Joanna sneered. Darcy and Carson, who were standing behind Joanna, were already closing in on Leo with fierce looks in their eyes. Joanna decided to stop pretending. She said coldly, ¡°Leo, where did you and Aria take the real Bruce? How dare you make a clone? What you¡¯re doing is illegal. You¡¯ll get arrested.¡± When Leo heard this, his face stiffened, and his heart began to panic. ¡°Mrs. Everett, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice suddenly became agitated. She was no longer as gentle and kind as before. ¡°Do you really not know what I¡¯m talking about? Don¡¯t pretend to be confused. ¡°Bruce and I are husband and wife. I know better than anyone if he¡¯s the real Bruce. You and Aria are really ambitious and despicable. You actually made a clone to impersonate Bruce? ¡°Tell me, where is the real Bruce?¡± Leo hurriedly exined, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do it! You must have misunderstood, right? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, you are just not willing to tell the truth, are you? ¡°Darcy, Carson, get him,¡± Joanna roared angrily. When the two of them heard this, they immediately stepped forward fiercely. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Leo took a few steps back and wanted to resist. However, knowing that he was no match for Darcy, he gave up resisting. Darcy and Carson easily twisted his arm and pressed him to the ground. ¡°Tie him up.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Darcy and Carson took the rope that they had prepared earlier. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you¡¯ve really misunderstood. It¡¯s useless even if you tie me up. I don¡¯t know anything. He¡¯s the real Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Shut up. Your stupid lie doesn¡¯t work on me. Do you still want to quibble?¡± Soon, Leo was tied up. ¡°Hurry up and tell me the truth. Where is Bruce now? Is he alive or dead? What did you do to him?¡± Joanna grabbed Leo¡¯s cor and interrogated him agitatedly. ¡°Mrs. Everett, he¡¯s the real Bruce¡­ I-I¡¯m not lying to you. Trust me!¡± Joanna pushed him away angrily. ¡°Stop lying to me. You know as well as I do if he¡¯s the real Bruce. ¡°Hurry up and tell me the truth. If you don¡¯t, I can only teach you a lesson.¡± Joanna said it fiercely as she casually picked up a high-powered electric baton. Leo panicked. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know! ¡°Ms. Haynes, c-c-calm down! Let¡¯s talk things out.¡± ¡°Hurry up and tell me!¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she turned on the electric baton. ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you ask me. I don¡¯t know where he is!¡± Leo still wanted to continue resisting. ¡°Zap!¡± Joanna took the electric baton and directly electrocuted him. Zap! Zap! Zap! The electric baton fired a high-power current. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Leo was trembling from the electric shock and screamed in pain. He never expected that the seemingly gentle and kind Joanna would really ¡°teach him a lesson¡±. ¡°Hurry up and tell me. If you don¡¯t tell me, I won¡¯t let you leave here alive.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were filled with an unprecedented ferocity. She could no longer hold back her emotions that she had been suppressing for many days. All she could think about now was Bruce¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I don¡¯t know where he is. Even if you kill me, I won¡¯t lie¡­¡± Zap! Zap! Zap! Joanna increased the power output and turned the switch to the bottom. Electricity landed on his body one after another. Zap! Zap! ¡°Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!¡± Leo¡¯s entire body trembled as he let out miserable cries. Although it felt miserable, as an agent, he could still withstand such a small torture. Bruce had specially instructed him and Aria that if something happened to him one day, no matter what, they could not let Joanna know that he was dead. He knew that Joanna would definitely not be able to withstand this heavy blow. Therefore, ever since Bruce came to Melta to carry out this mission, he had already prepared himself to die. Death was no big deal to him! The only thing he was worried about was Joanna and the children. Joanna waspletely furious. ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? If you don¡¯t, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ If you want to kill me, do it now. I don¡¯t know where he is.¡± Leo was covered in cold sweat and was about to faint from the electric shock. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still very stubborn! ¡°Darcy, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Darcy¡¯s eyes darkened and began to torture Leo in other ways. For the next two hours, Joanna and Darcy kept interrogating Leo in various ways. Unfortunately, it seemed that Leo had already prepared himself to die. No matter how hard Joanna interrogated him, he refused to tell the truth. Two hourster, Joanna became even more upset as she didn¡¯t get anything out of Leo. She had used all the interrogation methods she could think of. Of course, Joanna was not a crazy person, and she could not really use a bloody and inhumane interrogation method. ¡°Mrs. Everett, he still won¡¯t say anything¡­¡± As they were talking, Benny walked in and reported, ¡°Mrs. Everett, Miss Bridges is here!¡± When Joanna heard this, her eyes darkened. ¡°Well, she came at the right time. Bring her in right now.¡± ¡°Yes. Subsequently, Joanna gave up on torturing Leo and got someone to bring Aria in. Five minutester, Aria was led into the vi by Benny. Joanna and Aria looked at each other. The atmosphere was thick with tension. A silent war was brewing. ¡®Ms. Haynes, long time no see.¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened as she spoke first. Joanna did not have the patience to say too much. Her eyes were filled with hatred and anger as she asked bluntly, ¡°Aria, there¡¯s no need to be so hypocritical. Let¡¯s be frank. Where is Bruce? 10-33 ¡°Hurry up and tell me the truth. Don¡¯t think you can just get away with it, and don¡¯t do anything that against morals and human nature.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at Joanna coldly. After a while, she said faintly, ¡°Didn¡¯t Bruce go back with you?¡± goes When Joanna heard this, she was so angry that her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Aria Bridges, you awful, sinister creature, stop quibbling. Hurry up and tell me where Bruce is. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, we¡¯ll perish together today. No one can leave this ce alive,¡± Joanna said fiercely. She took out a pistol from her pocket and pointed it at Aria¡¯s head. She had already thought it through. If Aria was really going to do something to Bruce, she would die with her. Aria exhaled and said in a deep voice, ¡°Ms. Haynes, calm down and put away your gun.¡± ¡°Hurry up and tell me where Bruce is. If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯m gonna shoot.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She couldn¡¯t help but break down and put her finger on the trigger. Melta was a country where guns were legal. Most families had guns to prevent criminals froming to their door. Of course, there would be many guns stored in the vi. ¡°Aria, why don¡¯t you tell her the truth!¡± Leo looked at Aria in panic. Aria fell silent. Bruce was dead. She was in so much pain that she wanted to die. She did not want Joanna to suffer again. ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t dare to shoot.¡± ¡°Then shoot me! Even if you kill me, I won¡¯t change my mind.¡± Aria looked at Joanna indifferently. She did not believe that Joanna would really dare to shoot. ¡°Bang!¡± Joanna fired directly. The bullet flew past Aria¡¯s arm. She was extremely angry. There was nothing she did not dare to do at the moment. If Bruce was no longer alive, she would definitely not live alone. Of course, she would not let Aria off even if she died. Aria¡¯s arm was injured by the bullet. ¡°Ah!¡± She subconsciously covered her arm and looked at Joanna in disbelief. ¡°Aria, if you don¡¯t tell me, I will shoot you in the head next time.¡± Seeing that Joanna was serious, Leo¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Ms. Haynes, Bruce was¡­ dead!¡± Chapter 1091 Chapter 1091 Chapter 1091 Boom! Leo¡¯s words struck Joanna like a thunderbolt. ¡°What¡­ what did you say? Say it again.¡± Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She immediately stopped Leo sternly. ¡°Leo, shut up. Don¡¯t say anything else.¡± A hint of helplessness appeared in Leo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s tell her the truth. Since she wants to know the truth so much, let¡¯s just tell her.¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. Unfortunately, Bruce was¡­ dead.¡± When Joanna heard this, she paused for a moment before sneering. ¡°Impossible! This is definitely impossible! Aria, where did you hide Bruce? ¡°Yeah, it must be you who hid him. Hurry up and tell me where Bruce is. Aria, you can¡¯t be so shameless. Bruce has a wife and children. What you¡¯re doing is too despicable.¡± As Joanna spoke, she lost control and aimed her gun at Aria again. At this moment, she really wanted to shoot Aria without thinking about anything else. Aria did not retort. She just closed his eyes in pain. Seeing this, Leo was almost scared out of his wits. He liked Aria and was afraid that Joanna would impulsively hurt Aria. ¡°Ms. Haynes, calm down. I swear to God, I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± ¡°Bruce is dead, really. Don¡¯t hurt Aria. She has nothing to do with Bruce¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Shut up. I won¡¯t believe you.¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body was trembling. She did not believe Leo¡¯s words at all. ¡°How is it possible that Bruce was dead?¡± Joanna wondered. ¡°He is Bruce Everett! ¡°How could the worst and most domineering man in the world die?¡± ¡°Bruce is really dead. I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± ¡°Shut up and stop lying. I won¡¯t believe you. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me where Bruce is today, I will kill you and then kill myself.¡± Joanna was angry and panicked. Her hand trembled as she pulled the trigger again. Her eyes were as red as blood, and she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hurry up and tell the truth!¡± Aria looked at Joanna sadly as tears rolled down her face. Her expression was extremely sorrowful, and her face was extremely haggard. She must have been having a bad time recently. When Joanna looked at Aria¡¯s sorrowful expression, her heart sank. She couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious. Aria¡¯s reaction was real. Bruce might really have¡­ died. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I won¡¯t believe it. My husband won¡¯t die. He won¡¯t die. It must be you. You must have hidden him somewhere¡­¡± Seeing this, Darcy hurriedly went forward tofort Joanna. ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t be too agitated. ¡°Put your gun away first. Don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± Leo heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Ms. Haynes, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Darcy and Carson. ¡°I admit that the person above is indeed not the real Bruce. We cloned Bruce. However, we are not deceiving you maliciously. We are just following Bruce¡¯s order.¡± ¡°Leo, stop talking¡­¡± Aria still wanted to stop Leo. ¡°Aria, at this point, we can¡¯t hide it anymore. There¡¯s no need to hide it.¡± Leo frowned and said agitatedly. ¡°Bruce asked us to make that clone. He didn¡¯t want you and your children to be sad after he died. 1/3 08:240 Therefore, he asked us to make a clone a long time ago in case anything happened. ¡°This is Bruce¡¯s love for you. Why do you have to let him down? ¡°Although the person above is a clone, he has Bruce¡¯s genes and memories. You can treat him as him¡­¡± Joanna could not take it anymore. ¡°No, no¡­ This is not real. This is not real.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett! Mrs. Everett!¡± Darcy hurriedly supported her and snatched the gun from her hand. Joanna sucked in a breath of cold air. Her mind went dark, and she fell back heavily. ¡°Mrs. Everett, wake up.¡± Darcy and Carson hurriedly supported her. Then, they helped her to the sofa. Joanna could not withstand this huge stimtion and had already lost consciousness. She really couldn¡¯t ept this oue. Aria went forward to check. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She just fainted. Let her sleep for a while.¡± Darcy narrowed his eyes and looked at Leo coldly. ¡°Is what you said true? Has Mr. Everett passed away?¡± Leo nodded and replied with a heavy expression, ¡°It¡¯s true. ¡°You¡¯ve been with Bruce in no man¡¯snd for so many days. You should know if what I said is true.¡± Darcy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He asked in a trembling voice, ¡°When did it happen?¡± ¡°Do you still remember the day when Jason and the Fry went to pick up Bruce and you?¡± Darcy nodded. ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡± Leo frowned and said bitterly, ¡°That day, after Bruce and Aria returned to the camp, we were chased by District 17¡¯s patrol team. ¡°In order to save us, Bruce went alone to lure the patrol team away, buying us time to escape.¡± When Darcy and Carson heard this, their hearts ached even more. They believed that what Leo said was true. After all, they had narrowly escaped that day. Bruce was indeed doomed to die alone. ¡°Mr. Everett¡­¡± ¡°What should we do? Mrs. Everett and Mr. Everett¡¯s children are still so young. ¡°Why would this happen to Mr. Everett? This is totally unfair.¡± The two of them looked grief-stricken. ¡°Let¡¯s think about what we should do after Mrs. Everett wakes up. ¡°Mrs. Everett definitely can¡¯t take this heavy blow.¡± Leo¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Aria, you know hypnosis, right? You might as well hypnotize her and make her forget what happened today. Then, she can just go back with the clone of Bruce and live her life peacefully. She will forget everything.¡± Hearing this, Aria let out a long sigh. It seemed that this was the only way for now. She hypnotized Joanna and made her forget the memories of Bruceing to Melta. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until she wakes up!¡± Before Aria could finish her sentence, Joanna had already woken up in a daze. She had just lost consciousness for two to three minutes. Joanna heard the rest of their conversation. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Joanna felt as if her heart had been sliced up by a meat grinder. It was so painful that she could not even breathe. ¡°Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t be so agitated. My condolences.¡± Cough, cough¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s chest heaved violently. When she lowered her head, she vomited a mouthful of blood. 2/3 08-24 ¡°Mrs. Everett!¡± Darcy looked even more sorrowful when he saw this. Joanna staggered to her feet. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­ How¡­ how could you go back on your word? ¡°You said you¡¯de back. You said you wouldn¡¯t lie to me again. Bruce¡­ you bastard¡­ ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Joanna bent over and coughed out another mouthful of blood. Bruce was dead. She really didn¡¯t have the courage to live anymore. ¡°Mrs. Everett! Mrs. Everett! Don¡¯t be so agitated. Mr. Everett definitely doesn¡¯t want to see you like this.¡± ¡°Go away! I¡¯m going to find him! I¡¯m going to find him!¡± Joanna almost lost her mind as she stumbled toward the door. She was going to look for Bruce. Even if he was in Hell, she had to find him. Seeing this, Aria immediately stepped forward and hit Joanna on the back of her head with some force. Joanna¡¯s body went limp, and she fell limply again. Soon, she fell unconscious, Darcy and Carson were shocked. ¡°What are you doing? What did you do to Mrs. Everett?¡± Aria frowned. ¡°She¡¯s too agitated. If she continues to be like this, it will cause the blood vessels in her heart to burst.¡± This was true. When a person was too sad, the blood vessels in his heart would really explode. Especially for those with weak hearts, they would die on the spot. This was a huge blow to Joanna. She really couldn¡¯t stand it. Chapter 1092 Chapter 1092 Chapter 1092 ¡°What should we do now?¡± Darcy and Carson were at a loss. Aria said heavily, ¡°Let her have a good rest first. If it doesn¡¯t work, we can only hypnotize her!¡± Darcy and Carson looked at each other worriedly. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Mrs. Everett wakes up!¡± Carson nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, I think Mrs. Everett might not ept hypnosis. Someone as strong as Mrs. Everett will slowly ept this reality.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t leave for the time being.¡± Aria was speechless. ¡°Even if you want to leave, you have to get Mrs. Everett¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s wait!¡± Joanna slept in a daze for almost two hours before finally waking up. Darcy, Carson, and the others stood guard at the side. Seeing that Joanna was awake, they immediately went forward to check. ¡°Mrs. Everett, you¡¯re finally awake?¡± Joanna blinked weakly. Her heart was still in extreme pain. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Darcy quickly advised, ¡°Mrs. Everett, my condolences. The dead can¡¯t be revived. For the sake of the four children at home, you have to pull yourself together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re only listening to their side of the story now. Is this news true? We still don¡¯t know.¡± Darcy agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as we don¡¯t see Mr. Everett¡¯s body, we can¡¯t believe this news.¡± ¡°Maybe there¡¯s still a chance. Someone as smart and strong as Mr. Everett might have escaped and just hid.¡± When Joanna heard this, a glimmer of hope rekindled in her heart. Darcy was right. As long as they did not see Bruce¡¯s body, they would not know for sure. ¡°Where¡¯s Aria? I want to talk to her!¡± ¡°She¡¯s still here.¡± Joanna struggled to sit up. ¡°Help me to see her.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± The two of them helped Joanna downstairs again. Aria sat quietly in the living room, looking troubled. ¡°You guys can leave first!¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, we¡¯re worried¡­¡± Joanna said expressionlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything. You can leave!¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright!¡± The two of them had no choice but to leave the living room. Joanna caressed her aching heart and sat down opposite Aria, ¡°Aria, I hope you won¡¯t hide the truth anymore. ¡°Who exactly is Bruce? ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m his wife. I have the right to know.¡± Joanna went straight to the point and asked the question she had been wondering for days. Joanna wanted the truth desperately. Aria pondered for a moment. ¡°Did Bruce never tell you?¡± 1/3 08:24 Joanna shook her head, her dry white lips trembling uncontrobly. She¡¯d asked Bruce many times, but he¡¯d been tight-lipped, never willing to tell the truth. Aria didn¡¯t say anything. She silently took out a medal with a maple leaf printed on it from her pocket. ¡°This belonged to Bruce. In the future, you can keep it for him.¡± Seeing this, Joanna took it with trembling hands. Her red eyes looked at the medal. ¡°What is this?¡± The medal was gold. There was a national g printed on the front and a maple leaf behind it. The design was very solemn and exquisite. ¡°This is National Defense Bureau¡¯s highest honor medal. It¡¯s awarded to Bruce.¡± Aria choked and could not help but cry. ¡°National Defense Bureau?¡± Joanna cried out in shock as tears flowed down her face. ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s from National Defense Bureau?¡± Aria nodded solemnly with a in expression. ¡°Yes! Bruce is the best agent of the National Defense Bureau.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Her face was filled with disbelief. Bruce hid it so well! In all the years Joanna had known Bruce, she was in the dark. In the interim, she¡¯d suspected a million times that Bruce was up to no good and that he wasn¡¯t a good man. However, this highest honor badge was enough to prove everything about Bruce. Aria looked at Joanna coldly. ¡°Bruce and I are colleagues. We came to Melta this time to carry out an important mission.¡± ¡°Before this, we¡¯ve already sacrificed several batches of colleagues. So, Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. Don¡¯t say anymore. ¡°Where is his body? I want to see him.¡± ¡°It was not recovered.¡± Joanna calmed down, and her eyes lit up. ¡°In other words, there¡¯s no body left?¡± Leo frowned andforted her subconsciously. ¡°Ms. Haynes, you don¡¯t have to be so sad. Maybe¡­ Maybe Bruce isn¡¯t dead yet.¡± ¡°What did you say? Say it again.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m just saying maybe. Bruce¡¯s body was never found. We¡¯re also wondering if he was taken by District 17¡¯s men.¡± ¡°District 17?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Jaydon had mentioned to her before that Bruce might be rted to District 17. At that time, Joanna only suspected that Bruce was doing something illegal with the 17th district. She did not expect Bruce to be from National Defense Bureau. At District 17. In the underground research room. ¡°That¡¯s great. Our third-generation experiment is about to seed. ¡°Subject 807¡¯s brain has been injected with electronic microchips. We can¡¯t wait to see the results of the experiment.¡± There was a rumbling sound. The huge tempered ss cover was opened. Inside were various high-tech instruments and operating tables. Brucey quietly on the experiment table. Now, he was already fused with the third-generation werewolf gene body. The self-repair function of Bruce¡¯s immune system was even more unimaginable. His injuries and, 2/3 08:24 1 muscle damage were quickly repaired. It would normally take at least half a month for a normal person to recover from a bodily injury. However, through gic modification, Bruce would only need two to three days topletely repair the damage. However, it was yet to be proved how much potential was developed. ¡°Now, wake up Subject 807¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Bruce slowly opened his eyes with the infusion of the instrument. After nearly two months of gic modification, he was almost unrecognizable. His once handsome face was now like a zombie¡¯s face that had been frozen for many days. It was cold and dark, without a trace of life. ¡°Good boy¡± Ron looked excited. ¡°We can test his energy.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Then, the assistant slowly ced an iron cage into the tempered ss cover. In the iron cage, there was a majestic gori. Chapter 1093 Chapter 1093 Chapter 1093 This was an adult male gori, also a gically modified animal. It was very fierce and manic. The gori¡¯sbat strength was even more shocking. Ordinary humans were not its match at all. The gori roared excitedly, thinking that it was going to eat Bruce. It was already restless and bloodthirsty in the cage. ¡°Whoosh!¡± The iron cage was opened. The gori shot out like a powerful torpedo, heading straight for Bruce. The gori was about to hit Bruce. ¡°Bang!¡± The gori suddenly changed its direction and was sent flying. Like a basketball, the gori flew 10 feet away and smashed heavily into the solid cement wall. If the wall was further away, the gori could fly even further. ¡°ng!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Immediately, the gori¡¯s head fell to the ground like a watermelon. Its brain exploded, and its entire skull was almost shattered. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± The scientists were shocked and looked at each other. Almost before they were ready to watch, the show had already ended. They originally thought that the gori would fight for a few rounds, but they never expected Bruce to kill it all of a sudden. They didn¡¯t even see how Subject 807 attacked. ¡°Good boy, sit down. Sit down.¡± Ron gestured and said to Subject 807 as if he was training an animal. For days, Bruce¡¯s brain was injected with electronic microchips, along with drugs and radiation. Bruce¡¯s brain had already be chaotic, and he no longer had any autonomous consciousness. Following Ron¡¯s gestures and verbalmands, Bruce obediently sat down like a tamed tiger. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s only the third gic modification, but it¡¯s already so powerful.¡± Selena also had a smile on her face. ¡°Yes, we can inject the fourth-generation gene body soon.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the results.¡± ¡°Bring him down to test the specific energy and development potential. See how much his body potential has been developed?¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Subsequently, Bruce was brought to another experimental base. All kinds of experiments were performed on him. Muscle strength, bite force, diving, jumping, vision, hearing, and so on. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Two dayster, the results of the experiment had basically been collected. The data was very powerful. Be it his vision, hearing, jumping ability, and so on, Bruce was more than ten times stronger than ordinary humans. Of course, this was only the most basic experimental collection. There were still many experiments that could not be done. Two dayster, the deputies began to report the results of the collected data. ¡°The potential of 807¡¯s body can be developed to at least 40%. ¡°There are still some experiments that can¡¯t be done for the time being. We still need to find a suitable venue¡­¡± When the scientists heard this, they were already quite excited. ¡°This has already broken through all the previous data.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s try to develop his potential to 80%.¡± 1/3 08:24 ¡°When the fourth-generation gene body injection ispleted, his potential will surely be developed to 80%.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so optimistic for now. We don¡¯t know his specific adaptability level yet. It hasn¡¯t been 10 days before Subject 803 started to develop a rejection reaction.¡± A few scientists were discussing when a deputy rushed over. ¡°Professor Mullins, Subject 804 is not going to make it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go over and take a look.¡± Ron hurriedly went over to take a look at Subject 804. Unfortunately, Subject 804 could no longer withstand the experiment. He was already dead. ¡°What a pity. I just finished the third-generation experiment, and he failed just like that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s worse is that we can¡¯t find a better test subject now.¡± Another deputy also said worriedly, ¡°Also, recently, many countries¡¯ agents have been active near District 17, wanting to investigate the secrets of our base.¡± When Ron heard this, his blue eyes darkened. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s capture all of them for experiments.¡± ¡°But these agents are very cunning and very difficult to capture. Moreover, they are especially good at disguising themselves. ¡°They are also scattered. It¡¯s not that easy to capture them!¡± Indeed, the agents were the strongest people in all aspects selected by the country. If they were gathered together with their guns, they could make sure not a single enemy escaped. However, the key was that these agents were also very protective of themselves. They hid everywhere. They were even better at various disguises. Sometimes, the patrol teams could not tell if they were ordinary people or agents from other countries. The more important thing was that the patrol teams moved in two or three, and it was easy to take them. down. The patrol teams were not the agents¡¯ match. ¡°Also, there are some negative reports about us internationally. ¡°The governor called me personally and told us to get this over with as quickly as possible without international repercussions.¡± Previously, Bruce had brought a microchip from District 17. The microchip had already been safely brought back to the country. The country attached great importance to it. It was shocking news. However, given the international influence of the two countries, it could not be fully revealed. Moreover, there was still a lot of key information that had not been gathered. ording to Melta¡¯s usual shamelessness, even if 90% of the evidence was found, the leaders would still refuse to admit it. Therefore, only a portion of the reports were released. However, this small portion had already caused a huge international impact.. Many countries have now begun to condemn Melta¡¯s practices and have demanded that it ban such experiments. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°These agents are really hateful and boring.¡± Mairesi had a solemn expression. No one in the world cared about this. Only these agents, like a group of flies, paid close attention to the secret research institute. To the researchers, it was really annoying. They also hated these agents. ¡°We should¡¯ve brought all these agents in.¡± Ron also had a solemn expression. ¡°Send out a special patrol team to continue attacking those foreign agents. ¡°After they are caught, bring them to District 17 for live research regardless of the country they came from.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Ron turned to look at Subject 807 excitedly. ¡°Good boy, you¡¯re my favorite.¡± Mairesi was shocked when he heard that. Mairesi had put in far more effort than Ron to seed in this experiment. At least, that was what Mairesi thought. Now, from Ron¡¯s tone, it sounded like Ron was the only one who had contributed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s perfect. He¡¯s our proudest work.¡± Mairesi did not show weakness and looked at Subject 807 smugly like a proud father. Although they were working together on an experiment, they were not convinced by each other. Ron didn¡¯t seem to hear Mairesi. He just looked at the sessful experiment with greedy and gratified Chapter 1094 Chapter 1094 In Walston. In the vi. ¡°Honey, are you feeling better? Are you still feeling terrible?¡± Joannay weakly on the bed, feeling as if her life had been sucked out of her. She still could not ept this result. Regardless of whether Bruce was dead or captured by District 17, it was too cruel for Joanna. ¡°Honey, get up and eat something! You haven¡¯t eaten much in two days. This just can¡¯t do.¡± Bruce¡¯s clone¡¯s eyes were filled with endless gentleness and worry as he stayed by her side. Although he was a clone, he was a clone of Bruce, and his brain had copied Bruce¡¯s memories. Therefore, he had no idea that he was a clone. He thought that he was Bruce. Although the clone was not Bruce, he was still a living human. Except for the fact that he was not born normally, he was exactly a human. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I want to rest for a while!¡± Joanna said weakly with a pale face. She knew that this Bruce was a clone. However, she still did not expose him in person. After all, the children needed their father. If Bruce really died, she would have no reason to live anymore. Children cannot lose both parents at the same time. Although this clone was not the real Bruce, he had Bruce¡¯s genes and memories. Therefore, he would take good care of the children. When she thought of this, Joanna felt a heartache. Bruce had considered everything. Even before he died, he had to make final arrangements for her and the child. If she didn¡¯t love Bruce too much, Joanna probably wouldn¡¯t have realized that the Bruce beside her was fake. If she didn¡¯t discover it, there was a high chance that she would spend the rest of her life with this clone in a daze. Joanna would also be very happy and wouldn¡¯t feel any pain. Bruce¡¯s love for Joanna was deep and great. However, the more this was the case, the more painful she felt after discovering the truth. Seeing that Joanna was crying non-stop, Bruce was even more worried and at a loss. ¡°Honey, seeing you like this makes my heart ache! ¡°If you are in so much pain, let¡¯s go back to Greyport first. Don¡¯t worry about the school anymore. I¡¯ll get someone to do it.¡± Joanna did not say anything. She just looked at his handsome face. Then, Joanna could not control her tears. The tears flowed out from the corners of her eyes. She hoped that the Bruce in front of her was the Bruce in the past. Seeing that she was crying even harder, Bruce¡¯s clone became even more panicked and heartbroken. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong? Did I do something wrong? ¡°What did I do wrong again? Tell me, don¡¯t cry. My heart hurts when you cry!¡± Bruce said as he held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I want to sleep for a while. You can go out first!¡± Bruce stopped listening and thoughtfully covered her with a nket. He said gently, ¡°Sleep in peace! I¡¯ll apany you here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. You can go out¡­¡± Joanna slowly closed her eyes. She could not bear to look at him again. One look at Bruce¡¯s clone made Joanna¡¯s heart ache, 1/3 08:25 T Actually, Bruce¡¯s clone didn¡¯t do anything wrong. He was just a substitute. She could not ept a substitute. ¡°Honey¡­¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Joanna said coldly. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. Seeing Joanna¡¯s impatient expression, he did not dare to stay here any longer. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll stand guard outside the door. If you feel ufortable, call me immediately.¡± Bruce¡¯s tone became even gentler. Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else and reluctantly left the bedroom. At night, Joanna added tranquilizer drugs to Bruce¡¯s water. He had no doubts about her and obediently drank the water. Then, he quickly fell asleep. After Bruce fell asleep, Joanna put on a shirt and went downstairs to Darcy and Carson¡¯s room. Darcy looked even more serious. ¡°Mrs. Everett, what should we do now?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes were red, and her face was filled with sorrow. She felt like he was out of his wits. Now, Aria and Leo said Bruce may have been captured by District 17. Joanna knew a little about the cruel legend of District 17. If Bruce was really captured for an experiment, he would be better off dead. However, Joanna still prayed silently in her heart that Bruce had been captured. Even if Bruce had to suffer a little, as long as he was alive, Joanna would still have hope. ¡°What does Aria say now?¡± Darcy looked solemn. ¡°Aria said that she and Leo are investigating and trying to find out the secret of District 17¡¯s research. If Mr. Everett is really in District 17, they will think of a way to rescue him. ¡°At the moment, we can¡¯t be sure if Mr. Everett is really in District 17. We¡¯re only suspecting¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I want to join their organization and think of a way together.¡± When Carson heard this, he immediately persuaded, ¡°Mrs. Everett, this won¡¯t do. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Yeah! They have to go to no man¡¯snd. If they¡¯re caught by the patrol team, the consequences will be unimaginable.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I have to stay. I have to find out the final result¡­¡± Before she could finish, Joanna couldn¡¯t help but cough violently. ¡°Mrs. Everett, take care of your body. Don¡¯t be too sad. Now we can only pray that Mr. Everett was brought to District 17.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± The phone rang. Joanna took out her phone and took a look. It was Jaydon. ¡°Hello, Jay¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s concerned voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Joann, are you still at Melta?¡± ¡°Yes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna replied weakly. ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to ask you what¡¯s going on over there.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She did not reply and did not know where to start. ¡°What do you think? Am I right?¡± Jaydon asked casually. Joanna pondered for a few seconds and decided to tell Jaydon the truth. ¡°Your guess is right. Bruce is indeed not the real Bruce.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he sounded worried. ¡°Have you found the real Bruce?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as tears streamed down her face. He could not help but choke up. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jaydon heard her sobbing and asked with concern on the other end of the phone. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you. Anyway, it¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Just wait. I¡¯ll rush over tomorrow. No matter what, I¡¯ll do my best to help you. One more person means one more power. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll stand by your side and help you,¡± Jaydon said firmly. Joanna sighed heavily. She did not refuse or reply. She was at a loss and could no longer make up her mind. Jaydon was an expert hacker, and he was also very smart. It might be better for Jaydon to help Joanna come up with ideas. At the very least, Joanna would have some clues. Chapter 1095 Chapter 1095 Chapter 1095 ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ll call you when I get to Melta.¡± Joanna felt a warm feeling in her heart. She was touched and said, ¡°Jay, will I trouble you too much¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. We¡¯re best friends. Of course, we have to help each other.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more touched. She was really lucky to have met a friend like Jaydon in her life. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up! Don¡¯t worry too much. Everything will be resolved,¡± Jaydonforted her over the phone. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up. Although this matter had nothing to do with Jaydon, as long as it was rted to Joanna, he could not remain indifferent. Simrly, if something bad happened to Jaydon, Joanna would not stand by and do nothing. In Venturas. Jaydon went home to pack his luggage and visit her daughter. When Carmel found out that he was going to Melta again, she was speechless. ¡°What? You¡¯re going to Melta again?¡± Jaydon said perfunctorily as he packed up the necessary items, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not around during this period of time. Take good care of the daughter.¡± Carmel¡¯s big eyes widened as she asked unhappily, ¡°What are you going to do this time?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something going on at Melta. I need to go there personally.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Carmel said as she hugged his waist coquettishly. Jaydon¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°You¡¯re taking care of the child at home.¡± ¡°There are so many servants in the house who can take good care of Patricia. It¡¯s better for me to go over and take care of you¡­¡± Jaydon forcefully pried open the hand at his waist and said seriously, ¡°Stop fooling around. I¡¯m going to do something serious, not go y.¡± ¡°Jay, how many days have you been back? You haven¡¯t even spent time with her properly. Are you leaving so soon?¡± Jaydon was toozy to talk nonsense. He took out a ck card and handed it to Carmel. ¡°This is my secondary card. I¡¯ll leave it for you to use. Whatever expenses you need, settle them yourself.¡± When Jaydon faced such a realistic woman, other than paying money, there was no need to consider anything else. Seeing this, Carmel¡¯s eyes lit up. She reluctantly received the card. ¡°Alright then!¡± This card was Jaydon¡¯s supplementary card. There was no limit. Carmel could buy whatever she wanted. Of course, Jaydon would not allow her to squander money recklessly. Every time she swiped the card, the bank would send a text notification to Jaydon. If it exceeded Jaydon¡¯s expected limit, he would stop the credit at any time. However, Jaydon was also a generous person. He would never be stingy with women. After all, Carmel had given birth to a daughter for him. Even if Carmel spent a million, he would not say anything. ¡°Then I¡¯ll serve you well tonight,¡± Carmel said coquettishly. ¡°There¡¯s no need! I¡¯m going out after packing up.¡± 174 ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression was a little gloomy. Carmel continued to persuade him to stay. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush!¡± ¡°Kiss kiss.¡± Jaydon already packed up and kissed his daughter¡¯s little face again. ¡°Daddy¡¯s going out. Be good.¡± Carmel quickly put her cherry lips in front of him. ¡°And me. You haven¡¯t kissed me yet.¡± Jaydon took a deep breath and obediently kissed Carmel on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Take care of our daughter.¡± ¡°Alright! Got it!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t say anything else. He carried his suitcase and left the house. After Jaydon left. Carmel looked bored. ¡°How boring.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Carmel shamelessly stayed by Jaydon¡¯s side. For the sake of his daughter, Jaydon reluctantly let her stay. However, he was already much colder to Carmel now and was not interested in her at all. Carmel lived alone almost every day now. Although she was rich, her life was still much less fun. Also, Carmel did not dare to have any rtionships with other men. Her life was much less free than when she was in the entertainment industry. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll go shoppingter and buy the bag I likedst time¡­¡± Carmel flipped the ck card that had no limit. When she thought about how he could buy whatever she wanted, she instantly became happy again. In Melta. It was already two in the morning. Joanna sat at the head of the bed in a daze, quietly looking at ¡®Bruce¡¯ on the bed. He took tranquilizer pills and slept peacefully. Because he had not lived a hard life, his appearance was at its peak. It could even be said that he was the upgraded version of Bruce. He was very handsome. After all, the real Bruce was too rough. The real Bruce did not care about maintaining his looks at all. After 30 years old, the real Bruce became more like a tough man. It was inevitable that his looks would be worse than before. As she watched, Joanna¡¯s heart could not help but ache again. She wished that the person lying on the bed was the real Bruce. Bruce was shocked in his sleep. He opened his eyes in a daze. ¡°Hiss, honey, what time is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s after 2:00 a.m.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Bruce struggled to sit up and shook his dizzy head. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep now. You should sleep too!¡± ¡°Sleep early. Don¡¯t stay upte.¡± Bruce subconsciously wanted tofort her, but he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open. He closed his eyes and fell asleep again. Joanna sighed deeply andy down beside the bed. In the past two days, Joanna had been mentally and physically exhausted. She was so tired that she could not fall asleep peacefully. As soon as she fell asleep, she could not help but dream of a terrifying dream. She even felt that the monster in the dream might be Bruce. The next day, Bruce woke up early in the morning and felt a little puzzled. ¡°Hiss! Why am I so sleepy these two days? ¡°It¡¯s really strange. I can¡¯t wake up every morning.¡± 2/4 08-251 Joanna also opened her eyes and looked at him faintly. ¡°Um, why don¡¯t you go back to Greyport first?¡± Bruce was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Joanna suspiciously. ¡°Finding a school isn¡¯t something that can be decided in a day or two. I¡¯m worried that we are here and the children are at home alone. ¡°Also, you haven¡¯t been back to thepany for many days. You should hurry back to thepany to take care of it.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m worried about leaving you here alone. ¡°It¡¯s better if I stay here with you.¡± Joanna sat up and said in a wooden tone, ¡°I¡¯m looking for a school here. If there¡¯s no suitable school, I might have to go to Antlen. ¡°You go back first! There¡¯s no need for both of us to stay here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back. I want to protect you here,¡± Bruce said and held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°I said I don¡¯t need your protection. Why are you always like this?¡± Joanna¡¯s tone became impatient. Bruce was stunned and quicklyforted her. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be angry! If you don¡¯t want me to stay here, I¡¯ll go back.¡± Bruce¡¯s violence and mania were weakened in the clone¡¯s gene. Only the best side of Bruce¡¯s personality was retained. Therefore, he subconsciously felt that he could not make his wife angry. ¡°Okay, go back first.¡± ¡°Alright then! You have to go back early too. Don¡¯t stay too long.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to book a ne ticket,¡± Bruce said as he reluctantly kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. Joanna tilted her head slightly, but she still did not reject excessively. After all, he had the same face as Bruce. In other words, he was actually the second Bruce. Previously, Joanna insisted on bringing Bruce to Melta because she didn¡¯t know his background and was worried that he would hurt the children. However, after spending a few days together, Joanna was already very at ease with Bruce. Joanna would be more at ease if Bruce went back to look after the children now. She wanted to stay here and look for the real Bruce. If she was unfortunate enough to have an ident, the children would need a guardian. Another day passed. Jaydon rushed over with his four bodyguards. ¡°Jay, you¡¯re here!¡± ¨C Jaydon¡¯s expression was serious. Looking at Joanna¡¯s sorrowful and haggard appearance, his heart ached even more. ¡°Joann, how is it?¡± Joanna frowned and said coldly, ¡°Just as you thought, this Bruce is a clone.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes shifted. ¡°So what are your ns now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. My mind is in a mess.¡± Jaydon paused for a few seconds before taking out hisptop from his bag. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve found some information recently. ¡°It might be about Bruce.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. ¡°What information?¡± Jaydon then turned on theputer and opened a folder. ¡°This is information on District 17 in Melta. I spent a few nights hacking into their internalwork system. ¡°They started a very important new experiment around December 20th. These experiments are numbered 804, 805, 806, and 807! ¡°Although it doesn¡¯t specify what experiment it is, the timeline of the experiment oveps with the timeline of Bruce¡¯s disappearance.¡± ¡°So?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Jaydon excitedly. Chapter 1096 Chapter 1096 Chapter 1096 Jaydon looked at her deeply. ¡°So, I suspect that Bruce is not dead, but has been captured and sent to District 17. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s only a guess at the moment. It can¡¯t bepletely confirmed yet.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes widened, and she felt as if her blood was boiling. If that was really the case, then Bruce might still be alive. As long as Bruce wasn¡¯t dead, everything wasn¡¯t too bad. ¡°Jay, your analysis is correct. Aria also said so, suspecting that Bruce was captured and sent to District 17 for experiments. I heard that they have already captured a lot of agents and performed experiments on them. ¡°Now that I hear you say that, I think that should be the case. He must have been captured. He must be alive. If he dies, he will definitely visit me in my dreams¡­¡± Joanna became more and more agitated as she spoke. She suddenly stood up and wanted to run out. ¡°No, I have to save him. I have to save him.¡± Jaydon quickly held her andforted her gently. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be so anxious. Even if you want to find him, you have to be fully prepared. Don¡¯t be rash. Besides, do you know where he is now?¡± ¡°Jay, I have to save him. I can¡¯t live without him.¡± Jaydon frowned. ¡°District 17 is a devil experimental base. It¡¯s also the most terrifyingboratory. Not only is there an army guarding it, but there¡¯s also a high defense system inside. With our strength, we can¡¯t enter at all. ¡°Even if you go in, you¡¯ll die in vain. If you and Bruce die, what will happen to your children? Have you ever thought about this? No matter what, you have to live well. Even if it¡¯s for your children, you can¡¯t be rash.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? I can¡¯t just let him suffer in there.¡± As Joanna spoke, her tears fell uncontrobly. ¡°Jay, please think of a way to save Bruce. I can¡¯t live without him. If he dies, I won¡¯t be able to live¡­¡± Joanna was on the verge of breaking down. Her voice was so sorrowful that it was hoarse. When Jaydon heard this, his heart ached. ¡°I came here this time to think of a way to help you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely help you. ¡°However, this can¡¯t be rushed. We have to make sufficient ns and preparations. We can¡¯t be rash, let alone impatient.¡± Joanna¡¯s entire body was trembling, and tears kept falling. Jaydon was right. This was Melta. 1/4 08:24 D They were in a foreign country, and they were unfamiliar with the ce. No matter what they did, it would not be so easy and smooth. Especially formoners like them, wanting to infiltrate the Melta troops stationed at District 17 was simply wishful thinking. Before they could approach the door of District 17, radar surveince and drones had already discovered their whereabouts. The other party did not even need to use troops. They only needed to control the long-range drone projection to kill them in minutes. Even if they managed to sneak into District 17, there would still be all kinds of high-tech defense equipment waiting for them inside. They were dealing with Melta¡¯s top scientists. In short, it was simply impossible for them to save Bruce with their strength. Of course, it was even less likely that their country would send someone to rescue Bruce. This was simply unrealistic. Considering the international influence of the two countries, such a thing would not happen. Investigating District 17 had always been a secret n. Joanna suddenly thought of something. ¡°By the way, we can look for Aria. We can work with her. They¡¯re also figuring it out.¡± ¡°Aria?¡± A hint of worry appeared in Jaydon¡¯s eyes! Joanna took a deep breath and said anxiously, ¡°Aria and Bruce are both agents of the National Defense Bureau. They are colleagues. ¡°If they knew that Bruce wasn¡¯t dead, they would definitely think of a way to save him.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t feel the need to hide anything from Jaydon. She could tell him all her secrets. ¡°Is that so?¡± Jaydon asked subconsciously. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no time to lose. We¡¯ll call Aria immediately. Tell them the results of your research and we¡¯ll work out a solution together.¡± Only by working together with Aria would they have a higher chance of winning. ¡°Yes, sure.¡± Joanna quickly took out her phone and called Aria. ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± The phone rang a few times before Aria picked up. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Joanna was so excited that she was incoherent. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s me. I have something very important to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Aria asked indifferently. ¡°I¡¯ve found some key information about Bruce. It might be useful to you. 2/4 08:21 ¡°Let¡¯s meet. I¡¯ll show you this information.¡± When Aria heard this, her tone revealed a trace of impatience. Aria did not believe that Joanna would have any useful information. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I can understand your feelings. But don¡¯t get involved in this matter anymore.¡± Joanna still said excitedly, ¡°I¡¯ve received reliable news that Bruce might not be dead. He was indeed captured by District 17 for research. ¡°Let¡¯s meet and discuss how to save Bruce.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened. She did not believe Joanna¡¯s words at all. They had no way of finding Bruce¡¯s whereabouts now. They only suspected that Bruce had been caught. How could Joanna, a trophy wife, find any reliable information? And Joanna sounded certain. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m very busy here. I think you should go back to Greyport and wait for the news quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll do our best to track down Bruce. If he¡¯s really not dead, we¡¯ll try our best to save him. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved anymore. Be good and go home to take care of the children.¡± ¡°Aria, we have to meet now. I don¡¯t want to talk so much nonsense with you. Whether you believe it or not, Bruce is really not dead. ¡°If you really want to save Bruce, we¡¯d better cooperate. That way, our chances of winning will be higher.¡± ¡°Then how can you help? Even if the information is true, I don¡¯t want you to get involved.¡± When Joanna heard this, she waspletely angry. ¡°Bruce is my husband. Why can¡¯t I get involved? ¡°I want to save him more than anyone else. I might not be as smart and capable as you, but I have money. Money can do a lot of things.¡± Indeed, what Joanna had the most now was money. She could spend money to find many people who did not care about their lives to work for her. When necessary, Joanna could hire mercenaries. She had enough money to hire as many as she wanted. ¡°Alright then!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet and talk in detail.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Come over here.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± 08:211 After the call, Joanna felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Maybe I¡¯m too emotional.¡± Joanna felt light-headed. ¡°Rest well. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± Darcy hesitated. ¡°Ah!¡± Jaydon looked at Darcy with a deep gaze. Jaydon also wanted to say something, but he did not know where to start. In the end, Jaydon just patted Darcy on the shoulder. Darcy¡¯s eyes darkened. He wanted to ask about Grace. But now, everyone was so serious. It was better for Darcy not to mention these small matters. In any case, the most important thing now was to save Mr. Everett. That was their priority. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Two hourster, Aria and Leo drove over¡­ Chapter 1097 Chapter 1097 Chapter 1097 ¡°Miss Bridges and Mr. Leo, pleasee this way!¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, Miss Bridges has arrived!¡± They stepped into the grand living room. In the living room, there were only Joanna and Jaydon, along with Darcy. ¡°Ms. Haynes, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Aria, Leo, you¡¯ve finally here!¡± Joanna eximed. Her face appeared somewhat weary, but her expression was filled with excitement and anticipation. In the heat of the moment, her sole desire was to urgently rescue Bruce, to save him from whatever predicament he was in. ¡°I want to show you some information. Bruce, he¡¯s truly been taken captive,¡± Joanna added. With eager anticipation, Joanna swiftly opened herptop and presented the evidence to Aria and the others ¡°Where did you get this information from?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Jay, hurry and exin everything to them in detail,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Miss Bridges, it¡¯s been a while,¡± said Jaydon with a mesmerizing gaze from his captivating eyes, fixed intently on Aria. Aria responded with a warm yet distant tone, giving him a cool nce. Unlike their previous encounter¡¯s frivolity. In this meeting, Jaydon disyed a noticeable sense of maturity. Of course, with important matters at hand, he had no time for frivolous or carefree behavior. ¡°Take a look at this! It¡¯s thetest experimental data from District 17,¡± Jaydon said. Aria and Leo stared at theputer screen, trying to make sense of the dense and intricate data disyed before them. It was a bit overwhelming and difficult to understand. Jaydon had to repeat the words he told Joanna to the others again. After the two of them heard the exnation. Aria frowned, her disbelief evident in her furrowed brows. She asked, ¡°How did you manage to get this information?¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Leave that aside for now. In essence, this group of subjects vanished at the same time as Bruce,¡± Jaydon replied. ¡°So, I¡¯m almost certain with 90% confidence that Bruce is among this group of subjects.¡± The revtion left Aria and Leo stunned, their breath catching in disbelief. Over the past few days, they wondered if Bruce had been captured and taken to District 17. 14 08:24 But their suspicions were merely spective. Now, after hearing Jaydon¡¯s analysis, both of them were agitated. Jaydon¡¯s face turned serious as he pointed at the data on theputer screen and said, ¡°In the past couple of days, I¡¯ve noticed that there have been no updates in the data for No. 804. And about a month ago, No. 806¡¯s records suddenly ceased to update. These two experiments were probably failures, and there was no need to keep recording their data anymore. Only the data for No. 805 and 807 are still being recorded. Particrly, the data for No. 807 is being recorded with remarkable frequency.¡± Every day, the scientists diligently uploaded the experiment data of the subjects to the database. Jaydon breached the scientists¡¯ securitywork with remarkable hacking skills, effortlessly retrieving all this valuable information. ¡°This¡­¡± Aria and Leo leaned in closer to theputer, their faces filled with astonishment and disbelief. The news was a thrilling and significant breakthrough for them. It also offered them a glimmer of hope. ¡°With a high probability, one of these two subjects could be Bruce!¡± Jaydon said with unwavering confidence, his analysis carrying a sense of certainty. Deep in his heart, he held onto the hope that Bruce was still alive. Although Jaydon could not stand Bruce¡¯s arrogance, he could not deny that Bruce was highly skilled. Despite their differences, Jaydon respected Bruce¡¯s abilities. With a steadying breath, Aria looked at Jaydon seriously and asked, ¡°How reliable is this information?¡± ¡°Absolutely reliable. This dataes straight from District 17¡¯s securework database, so it¡¯s unlikely to be false,¡± Jaydon replied. Aria¡¯s face filled with even more astonishment as she heard Jaydon¡¯s response. ¡°Then how did you get it?¡± Aria asked in disbelief. Jaydon¡¯s eyes darted around, hesitant to admit that he had hacked into the District 17work system. After all, hacking belonged to the realm of cybercrime. Joanna quickly changed the subject and said, ¡°These details are not crucial now. What truly matters is that we¡¯ve confirmed Bruce¡¯s capture in District 17. We must gather all our strength and rescue him as soon as possible. Whether it¡¯s him or not, we cannot afford to give up.¡± Aria nodded instinctively upon hearing Joanna¡¯s words. ¡°Absolutely! If we confirm that Bruce has indeed been taken to District 17, we¡¯ll muster all our forces to rescue him,¡± Aria said. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she asked urgently, ¡°Aria, how many people do 08.21 you have with you right now?¡± ¡°Alright, we have four people with us,¡± Aria replied calmly, her voice steady and determined. ¡°Only four people?¡± Joanna eximed, a hint of disappointment crossing her face. ¡°Only four people? What can we achieve with such a small team?¡± Joanna thought. She thought that Aria would have arger team can work with. Aria took a deep breath, reassuringly stating, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have another four agents on their way from the homnd. They have strong backing, and they¡¯ll be here soon.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t your organization send more reinforcements?¡± Joanna could not hold back her question, and her voice tinged with urgency. Upon hearing this, Aria could not help but let a hint of contempt flicker in her eyes. Joanna¡¯s question seemed oblivious to the situation. They were all extraordinary talents, carefully nurtured by the nation. Each year, fewer than ten individuals were chosen to join the prestigious ranks of the National Intelligence Bureau. More than 20 people, including Bruce, had been sacrificed to execute this mission. This deeply pained Richard, making it impossible to spare too many more for the cause. Sending all the people to this mission would leave them unable to handle any other tasks. After all, nurturing an exceptional agent requires a great deal of effort and time. Each agent possesses extraordinary skills and stands at the pinnacle of their profession. With a gentle pat on Joanna¡¯s shoulder, Jaydon reassured her, ¡°Joann, the rescue n doesn¡¯t require a massive team. Sometimes, too many people can be a liability. What matters most now is having a comprehensive strategy and approach.¡± Leo chimed in, ¡°Exactly! We are also coborating with Eprary¡¯s agents, and they have about seven to eight skilled individuals on their side.¡± ¡°With all of us working together, we¡¯lle up with a brilliant n to rescue Bruce,¡± Leo dered confidently. ¡°Then let¡¯s start nning and brainstorming ideas. If the need arises, we can hire mercenaries and launch a direct assault¡­¡± ¡°Direct assault is not an option; the military is stationed near District 17. With our current strength, there¡¯s no way we can breach the inner perimeter of District 17.¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± 3/4 08.21 Aria pondered for a moment, her expression turning grave and intense. She had a solution, but it was just as brutal as Bruce¡¯s initial n. Aria exined, ¡°We lost tworades before; they were probably captured and subjected to experiments. The Eprarian we encountered earlier faced the same fate.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s your point?¡± Joanna asked eagerly, unable to contain her curiosity. ¡°So, the thing is, they have a peculiar fondness for capturing special agents and subjecting them to experiments. We can deliberately reveal our location and bait them into capturing us,¡± Aria added. ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± The suggestion left them all stunned, exchanging puzzled nces and unsure how to react. ¡°Having them capture us deliberately is too risky.¡± ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s too risky. Besides, we have no idea how many guards are inside.¡± ¡°Even if we manage to sneak in easily, getting out will be a real challenge,¡± Aria shook her head and spoke solemnly, ¡°You never know. The Eprarian mentioned something before. There¡¯s an underground dark river that leads directly to District 17. He managed to escape through that route.¡± Upon hearing this, Darcy¡¯s eyes lit up with realization as he eximed, ¡°Right! When Mr. Everett and I were searching for the microchips, we came across the exit of that dark river.¡± ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s a great idea! We can enter from there.¡± Leo looked conflicted as he voiced his concern, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit unrealistic? The distance through the underground passage is long, at least nine miles from the entrance to the exit. And besides, who knows what dangers lurk inside that underground river? I object to this n. It¡¯s too risky!¡± Indeed, the underground river was too dangerous. Traveling in the underground river was more perilous than diving into the depths of the sea or ake. The dark river ran deep with treacherous riverbeds, caverns, rocky passages, and forks that made it nearly impossible to discern directions. On top of that, navigating through it required donning cumbersome diving suits and carrying heavy oxygen tanks. Even seasoned divers might hesitate to attempt such a mission. Chapter 1098 Chapter 1098 Chapter 1098 ¡°Exactly! I also believe entering through the underground dark river is too risky. Unless we are left with no other choice, we must not resort to this method,¡± Leo said firmly, his expression showing resistance. Aria added determinedly, ¡°Right now, we can take the initiative to test the waters. Create some provocations that will catch the attention of those scientists in District 17. After our people are captured and taken to District 17, we can gather urate information and establishmunication with the outside. We¡¯ll have the upper hand with a coordinated effort from within and outside. But first, we must prepare a meticulous andprehensive n.¡± Joanna felt her heart skip a beat. Her mind was tangled in a whirlwind of thoughts. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. At this moment, there seemed to be no better option, so they had no choice but to follow Aria¡¯s lead. With a firm nod, Jaydon agreed, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll head back now and share this information with the others. When we¡¯re ready to move, we¡¯ll contact you again.¡± With a worried expression, Joanna eximed, ¡°Please be careful out there!¡± ¡°Understood, and you take care too,¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Joanna replied. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave now,¡± Aria and Leo stood up, ready to embark on the next phase of their n. Joanna intended to stand up, but her body felt weak, ¡°Jay, why don¡¯t you see them off?¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Jaydon replied. Aria firmly declined, ¡°No need! You rest up and take care. Leo, let¡¯s go.¡± After they left. Joanna was still weak and dizzy as if she had caught a severe cold. Jaydon asked worriedly, ¡°Joann, are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital for a check-up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, just feeling a bit dizzy. It¡¯s probably just a cold. I¡¯ll take some cold medicer, and I¡¯ll be okay,¡± Joanna replied. ¡°Alright, take some cold medicine and get a good night¡¯s sleep. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Look at how tired your eyes are,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Jay, my mind is in turmoil, and I¡¯m frightened,¡± Joanna replied, copsing on the sofa like a worn-out wind-up toy and utterly exhausted. She could not fathom the idea of Bruce being truly gone. How would she go on if 08.24 1 he was dead? With a gentle pat on her shoulder, Jaydon reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t frighten yourself with such thoughts. Bruce is a man of extraordinary abilities. Even God would be afraid of him. He¡¯s not someone who can easily be defeated.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes quivered as she looked at Jaydon with surprise and bewilderment. Jaydon reassured Joanna casually, ¡°You know what they say, the wicked live long while the good die young. Bruce¡¯s wickedness is legendary. Even God dare not take him.¡± || He had initially wanted to quote, ¡°The scourge lives a thousand years,¡± but upon reflection, he felt the wording was inappropriate, and at thest moment, he changed it to ¡°The wicked lives a thousand years.¡± Jaydon felt his rtionship with Bruce was a love-hate one, akin to a pair of bitter rivals. They could not stand each other, constantly belittling one another. However, when one of them was in trouble, they could not help but soften their hearts and lend a helping hand to the other. Joanna furrowed her brows, choosing not to say anything further. Beep, beep, beep. At that very moment, the phone rang loudly, breaking the silence in the room. Joanna nced at her phone and saw that it was a video call from her eldest child, Davian. ¡°Hey, sweetheart!¡± Joanna eximed. On the video call, Davian¡¯s adorable face appeared. ¡°Mommy, why couldn¡¯t I reach you on the phone?¡± he asked with concern. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sweetheart?¡± Joanna asked weakly, her voice filled with concern. Her second child, Irvin, stepped forward, his adorable face disying a hint of displeasure as he said, ¡°Hey, Mom, what¡¯s taking you so long? You¡¯ve been in Melta for over a week. When are youing back?¡± Joanna¡¯s expression turned somber, and she replied, ¡°Well, your Dad has already headed back. He¡¯s on the ne now, so he¡¯ll be home soon.¡± The two little ones were thrilled to hear the news. Their faces lit up with excitement as they asked, ¡°Really? Dad ising back?¡± ¡°Yes, he should bending soon,¡± Joanna assured them. ¡°What about Mom? When are youing back?¡± they asked. ¡°The school hasn¡¯t been arranged yet. Mommy might need more time. Daddy went back first to keep youpany,¡± Joanna continued. Irvin replied mncholically, ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than having both of you away from us.¡± ¡°Exactly! You promised never to travel far again, but it¡¯s just a trick to deceive us, like telling stories to kids,¡± Davian chimed. 2/4 08.24 0 ¡°Now that Dad finally came back, Mom has left home again. No matter what, it feels like deceiving us,¡± Irvin added. ¡°Oh, my two little sweethearts¡­¡± Joanna eximed. As they sensed their mother¡¯s weakness, the two little ones refrained from teasing and asked with concern, ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling sick?¡± Joanna, struggling to control her emotions, spoke gently, ¡°You two are already grown-up and sensible. You must learn to take care of yourselves, your little sister, and little brother.¡± ¡°Absolutely! We¡¯re the big brothers, after all,¡± the boys said in unison. ¡°Be good and take care, Mommy¡­¡± Joanna said, her voice catching in her throat, overwhelmed by emotions she could not express in words. If Bruce were to be truly gone¡­ If that were the case, she felt there would be no purpose in living, and she would make arrangements for her affairs before joining him in death. As for that clone¡­. He is doing well, and at least he can provide somefort by staying with the children. Alternatively, she could clone herself to be with the children in her ce. The loss of Bruce has left her without the courage to continue living. Even if she lived on, each day would be filled with unbearable pain. She cannot endure such torment and would choose death instead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my darlings. Mommy is fine. Just be good, and Daddy will be home soon,¡± Joanna assured her children. ¡°Oh, okay! Then mommy,e back soon too!¡± they said. ¡°Sure, got it. Kiss Mommy,¡± Joanna said. The two little ones blew a virtual kiss into the phone before they said, ¡°Goodbye, Mommy!¡± After ending the video call. Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes as she closed them, unable to hold back the emotions any longer. Why does fate continue to torment their family like this? Despite being the wealthiest in Greyport, they seemed to face the most hardships,cking the simple joys of a contented couple. ¡°Joann, go to your room and rest for a while. Don¡¯t dwell on things too much. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Don¡¯t wait until Bruce is rescued and end up overwhelming yourself,¡± Jaydon said, doing his best tofort her. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve already asked Darcy to arrange a room for you,¡± Joanna replied, mustering her strength, preparing to return to her room and rest. 3/4 08:25 1 She was really too tired. Combined with the severe cold, she felt like she was reaching her breaking point. ¡°I understand, you don¡¯t need to worry about me,¡± Jaydon assured. ¡°Darcy, please arrange a ce for Jay to stay,¡± Joanna instructed. ¡°Got it, Mrs. Everett,¡± Darcy responded. ¡°Mr. Grimm, please follow me this way.¡± Jaydon instinctively nced at Darcy and spoke seriously, ¡°Great timing. I¡¯ve got something important to discuss with you too.¡± As Darcy listened, his heart could not help but race with nervousness. He had an idea that Mr. Grimm was about to discuss the matter concerning him and Grace. ¡°I also have something to discuss with Mr. Grimm!¡± Darcy added. ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± Jaydon said. Darcy did not say much more, taking Jaydon to the guest room¡­ Shortly after, Aria and Eprary¡¯s special agents embarked on a series of daring provocations. It all started with a minor explosion near District 17, followed by the deliberate leaking of news that unveiled the hidden secrets of the notorious District 17. In short, they orchestrated deliberate actions to capture the attention of District 17. In just a matter of days, their actions indeed captured the attention of District 17. Meanwhile in District 17. ¡°Damn it! These agents are swarming around like a bunch of flies.¡± Professor Ron Mullins red at the newspaper, infuriated by the news about District 17. The media in Melta handled it well, keeping family matters private. However, foreign media had already stirred up a storm, with countries globally condemning the situation. A portion of the media reports, without a doubt, were based on reality. The agents had undoubtedly leaked the information. Only they had such pieces of evidence. ¡°The governor called me again, and the public opinion is raging now, with extremely negative repercussions.¡± Chapter 1099 Chapter 1099 Chapter 1099 ¡°The governor is now warning us not to create any more public opinion and controversies. ¡°Otherwise, they will have to shut down ourboratory.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Ron and Mairesi cursed simultaneously. ¡°Deploy additional patrol teams tobat these foreign agents. ¡°Make sure to capture them all.¡± The person in charge of the patrol teams said solemnly, ¡°I understand.¡± Inside the huge tempered ss cover, Brucey quietly on the experimental bed. He had undergone third-generation gic modification and was ready for fourth-generation K11-b2 gene body modification. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. This was the limit of modification that human beings could study at present. Ron and Mairesi were both incredibly excited and thrilled. No one had ever been able to survive third-generation gic modification before. Their best subject made it to third-generation gic modification. However, his body waspletely damaged, and the slow division of his new cells led to his rapid death and physical decay. Subject 807 had a unique constitution, and his cells were metabolized and divided at an astonishing speech. In just a few days, his cellr cytosm had already been metabolized once. His old skin hadpletely peeled, and ayer of fish-scale-like shallow markings was faintly covering his newly regenerated skin, resembling a subtle dragon-scale tattoo. He was also physically stronger, with extremely developed muscles. It appeared that he would certainly be able to make it to fourth-generation gic modification. Once his fourth-generation gic modification waspleted, the scientists¡¯ experimental results would astonish people at home and abroad. At that time, human physical potential would be developed to the utmost. Human beings would be ¡°supermen¡± in the true sense of the word. ¡°Good boy! ¡°You are my most sessful child. I¡¯m proud of you, and I¡¯m proud of myself, too.¡± Ron¡¯s eyes were shining with pride as he gazed at his experimental achievement. Mairesi¡¯s straight nose slightly twitched, and a hint of coldness appeared in his blue eyes. ¡°Ron, he is ourmon child rather than being just yours.¡± 1/4 08:25 ¡°Talking about this now is meaningless. Let¡¯s proceed with the fourth-generation gic modification for him immediately. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how powerful it will be when human potential has been developed to 100%. ¡°Mairesi, let¡¯s continue our coboration!¡± Mairesi shook his head. ¡°No, Ron, you¡¯re always so impatient. ¡°I think we should take a break now. We cannot be so hasty. His potential and constitution are unstable at the moment. Furthermore, the fourth-generation gene body modification is highly risky. ¡°If we fail, everything we¡¯ve done so far will be in vain; and if we seed, it will be even more dangerous. Unless we arepletely able to control him, we must not act rashly.¡± After all, if human potential were to be developed to 100%, it would be truly a scary thing. Currently, normal people¡¯s potential had been developed to only about 5%. Exceptional individuals, such as geniuses or extreme athletes, whose potential had been developed to 10% to 15%, already surpassed countless ordinary people. If human potential were to be developed to 100%, the consequences would be unpredictable. Looking at Mairesi confidently, Ron said, ¡°I have enough confidence to bring him under control. ¡°An electronic microchip has already been imnted in his brain, so he will follow my orders. I am able to fully control him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about Subject 797. It was precisely because of our being too hasty that we suffered defeat on the verge of victory.¡± Subject 797 was the Russian who escaped from here. Of course, he just sessfully underwent second-generation gic modification. At that time, they didn¡¯t imnt an electronic microchip in his brain in time. During the experiment, he recovered consciousness, and then he injured dozens of patrollers before escaping from here. Because of this, Ron promptly imnted an electronic microchip in Subject 807 to control his brain. The next day. The captain of the patrol team returned with a disappointed expression on his face. ¡°Damn it. Our patrol team suffered a heavy blow again. Nine people were assassinated.¡± ¡°These foreign agents are too unrestrained. They are absolutely detestable.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t teach them a lesson, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re easy to bully.¡± 2/4 08:25 1 ¡°There¡¯s nothing the patrol team can do about them. These agents are particrly cunning. Whenever the patrol team appears, they vanish without a trace. ¡°After the patrol team leaves, theye out again tomit sabotage, which is really infuriating. To make matters worse, they have now disrupted theboratory¡¯swork. Hackers have infiltrated our database.¡± Several scientists wore faces full of resentment, yet they felt helpless. ¡°How detestable they are!¡± ¡°But we can do nothing now. These agents have all received professional training, so it is difficult to capture them all!¡± Mairesi¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I have an idea. We can catch all these agents.¡± ¡°What idea?¡± People turned to him simultaneously. ¡°We can use Subject 807 as bait to eliminate these agents.¡± After hearing this, people fell silent. ¡°Subject 807 is also one of the agents. If we pretend to release him, they won¡¯t be on guard! ¡°I can give him orders through the electronic microchip, instructing him to kill all these annoying agents.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but¡­¡± Ron was a little worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. An electronic microchip has been imnted in his brain. We can monitor everything about him and give him instructions. There¡¯s no need to worry about him noting back. ¡°At the same time, I can¡¯t wait to see his current power,¡± Mairesi said with excitement all over his face. Selenaughed. ¡°Oh my god! This idea is just crazy. ¡°But I like it!¡± ¡°I agree on this idea, too. The patrol team can¡¯t afford to suffer heavy blows anymore,¡± the head of the publicity team chimed in. Seeing other people agree to this n, Ron reluctantly agreed and said, ¡°All right then! Let¡¯s implement this n. ¡°Let¡¯s inflict heavy losses on these agents first.¡± After Mairesi heard this, his eyes gleamed with a touch of cunning and darkness. Although he coborated with Ron in conducting experiments, his thoughts were entirely different from Ron¡¯s. He harbored greater ambition and purposes. Ron focused solely on conducting experiments and aspiring to be one of the greatest scientists in history. However, Mairesi had entirely different thoughts. He intended to control these gically modified individuals to fulfill his grand aspirations and ideals. He wanted to dominate the world. Subject 807¡¯s current experimental results had made him quite satisfied. He had no intention of doing any fourth-generation gic experiments at all. In case the experiment failed, Subject 807 might die, and all his efforts would go in vain once again. That was why he was eager to figure out a way to take Subject 807 out of theboratory and make him a personal possession of his. Chapter 1100 Chapter 1100 Chapter 1100 This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Walston. Over the past two days, Joanna had been increasingly restless, and she had a hunch that something big was about to happen. Jaydon could only offer continuousfort to her as he saw her like this. ¡°Jay, how¡¯s it going now? Any actions?¡± ¡°Miss Bridges and her people have already begun their operation, and there should be a turnaround soon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes glistened with excitement, and her eyeballs were bloodshot. Jaydon gently comforted her. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. The patrol team in District 17 is conducting frequent operations and seems to be impatient. ¡°As long as Miss Bridges and her people intensify their efforts, they will be able to provoke the patrol teampletely.¡± After hearing this, Joanna grew more uneasy. ¡°But, won¡¯t it be very dangerous for them to do that?¡± ¡°Yes, it will. ¡°However, they have to do so. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be any turnaround. We have to create chances ourselves.¡± ¡°s¡­¡± Joanna deeply sighed. She looked pale. She appeared to be extremely weak. ¡°Joann, you have to take good care of yourself. ¡°It pains me to see you like this. If Bruce, aftering back, sees you looking so thin, he¡¯ll definitely be heartbroken.¡± Joanna felt a bit agitated. ¡°Jay, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve always been like this. No matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t gain weight!¡± ¡± ¡°Try to eat more. You haven¡¯t been eating much these past few days. It¡¯s not good for you if you continue like this.¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°I really can¡¯t eat now. Without any news about Bruce, I can¡¯t find peace in my heart. ¡°Jay, are you still checking their data now?¡± Upon hearing this, Jaydon looked regretful and said, ¡°The firewall of their ¡°Well, thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± Jaydon said with a slight smile at her. Joanna took another deep breath, her face filled with gratitude. ¡°Every time you L3 08:25 help me like this, I truly don¡¯t know what to say. Having a friend like you in this lifetime is a blessing I must have earned in my past lives.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so kind. When you are in trouble, I help you; and when I am in trouble, you help me, too.¡± Jaydon looked at Joanna deeply and tenderly. ¡°Thank you so much, Jay.¡± ¡°Have a good rest, and don¡¯t think too much,¡± Jaydon said in a more tender tone. He cared about Joanna too much. As long as she could be happy, he was willing to do anything for her. At the same time, he restrained his love for her. It was not romantic love, but something beyond it. ¡°I¡¯ll go out now. If there¡¯s anything, just call me.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Joanna replied with a smile at him. Jaydon treated her so well that sometimes she felt undeserving of his kindness. If it weren¡¯t for Bruce, she might have fallen in love with Jaydon. However, because of Bruce¡¯s presence, she simply couldn¡¯t love any other man. Bruce indeed possessed such charm that could make women love him wholeheartedly despite the fact that he was a hot-tempered, arrogant, and conceited man. He was both bad and domineering. But there was a captivating aura about him that drew people in. Jaydon left. Joanna couldn¡¯t hold back her tears as she buried her face in the pillow. ¡°Bruce, where are you? ¡°Pleasee back soon, okay? I am missing you so much, and I¡¯m so worried. Sweetheart, please come back quickly! Our children and I can¡¯t live without you. ¡°If you¡¯ve gone to another world, please appear in my dream to deliver a message. I will go find you.¡± In District 17. Bruce, who had been sleeping inside the tempered ss cover, suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to sense that someone was crying and calling out to him. He had undergone third-generation gic modification, so his body¡¯s potential had been fully developed. His third-generation gene body was a hybridbining the genes of werewolves and extraterrestrials. He possessed astonishing sensory abilities. The energy of his sensory maic field had surpassed the normal sensory 03.25 abilities of humans. Human beings were born with a sixth sense. However, the sixth sense of ordinary people was weak, and for some of them, it was so faint that it could be nearly negligible. The sixth sense was like this. Sometimes, one had a tingling sensation as if someone else was staring at him or her from behind. When looking back, he or she would actually find someone staring at him or her. The most typical example was that when one experienced twitching of eyes or inexplicable palpitations, he or she might have a hunch that something unfortunate might happen. Surprisingly, something unfortunate did happenter. This was the sixth sense, a maic field that really existed. Bruce was undergoing gic modification, and his body potential had been developed to 60%. His sixth sense was naturally hundreds of times stronger than that of an average human. ¡°Oh my god! Subject 807 has awakened.¡± ¡°Did you wake him up ahead of schedule?¡± Ron asked the other scientists in astonishment. ¡°No, we didn¡¯t! No one did anything. He woke up on his own.¡± Ron felt his scalp tighten upon hearing this and said nothing. He was excited, nervous, and a little worried. Fortunately, Subject 807 remained calm and was not as manic as he had been before. Chapter 1101 Chapter 1101 Chapter 1101 ¡°Good boy, lie down. I¡¯m going to do a full body checkup for you now.¡± Ron continued to give instructions to his brain. Bruce seemed like a soulless robot. After his brain received the instructions, he mechanicallyy down. His eyes were lifeless and staring at the ceiling. ¡°Now, conduct aprehensive examination on him. How could he suddenly wake up? We had put him under deep hypnosis,¡± Ron said, motioning the assistants toe forward and conduct various tests. ¡°We haven¡¯t even removed his hypnosis. How could he wake up so quickly? This is too unbelievable. We must proceed with caution and not overlook any details.¡± ¡°Got it, Professor Mullins.¡± When Mairesi heard this, he looked disapproving. ¡°It¡¯s normal for Subject 807 to have such a reaction! After all, he has already undergone the third generation gic modification and his body¡¯s potential has been developed. ¡°Even if he wakes up automatically, there¡¯s nothing to be surprised about.¡± Ron couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him. He still lowered his head and did various checks. After a round of examinations, the assistants brought back the instrument test report. Ron asked solemnly, ¡°How are the results of the examinations?¡± Selena frowned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing unusual. He just woke up normally. At the moment, we can¡¯t find out why he suddenly removed the hypnosis.¡± Ron pondered for two to three minutes before saying solemnly. ¡°I think¡­ we should leave him in the laboratory and continue the experiment. ¡°I¡¯m worried that something will happen if he leaves theboratory.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mairesi interrupted Ron with an indignant expression. ¡°We¡¯ve just agreed that we¡¯ll use him to deal with those foolish foreign agents. It¡¯s too bad that you suddenly changed your mind.¡± ¨C Ron exined patiently, ¡°I¡¯m worried that Subject 807 will¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Professor Mullins, your worries arepletely unnecessary.¡± A trace of contempt appeared in Mairesi¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°Subject 807¡¯s gic modification has been sessful. He¡¯s already the strongest and most intelligent superhuman. Do you think he won¡¯t be able to deal with a few idiots? This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If we can¡¯t even deal with those foolish agents, it only proves that our gic modification is meaningless.¡± Selena was very impressed. ¡°I agree with Professor Mairesi.¡± ¡°Now is the best chance to test the results. All of us can¡¯t wait to see the true power potential of Subject 807.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It will also help in recording experimental data. Keeping him in theboratory all the time won¡¯t allow us to observe his control and response to external factors when he¡¯s on his own.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Ron reluctantly agreed. Although he felt a little uneasy, he was still confident in his experiment. Just dealing with a few foreign agents should not lead to any mistakes. Mornd Town. Leo handed a document to Aria. ¡°Aria, this is all the ns we have for the next steps. and ¡°The people from Mr. Thompson are all here. They¡¯ve now built a new secret camp in no man¡¯snd.¡± Aria nodded and said with a solemn expression, ¡°Okay. We must increase the intensity of the harassment. We don¡¯t necessarily need the most destructive force. We just need to provoke those scientists from District 17 and make them angry.¡± As they were talking, footsteps came from outside the house. Someone seemed to being. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and see who it is.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Leo responded and walked out cautiously. Outside the house. Two Intrian people with brown skin, deep eye sockets, thick lips, and beards came uninvited. ¡°Who are you? Why are you trespassing?¡± Leo took out his gun and pointed it at them. In Melta, trespassing into someone¡¯s private residence could have severe consequences. The homeowner was allowed to use a gun to shoot and kill intruders without being held legally responsible. A burly man with a full beard hurriedly raised his hands, indicating that he did not have any weapons. He said with a happy expression, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t misunderstand. We¡¯re Intria¡¯s agents.¡± When Aria and Leo heard this, they looked at each other warily and suspiciously. Being an agent generally feared the most about the exposure of identity. It really made people wary to reveal their identities right from the start. Leo cleared his throat and said sternly, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± The bearded man smiled in an extremely friendly manner. ¡°Yes, we heard that you¡¯re working with Eprarians?¡± LIST Aria¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she stared at him with even greater vignce. Leo and Jerry were even more prepared to shoot at any time. It was very likely that they had ill intentions and actually knew that they were working with the Eprarian, Tegon. It seemed that the bearded man had some skills. He quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. We¡¯re also sincerely here to seek cooperation.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We have the same goal. Of course, we have to work together to win. ¡°We already know that you have obtained the highly confidential information of District 17. Therefore, we also want to join. Everyone knows that District 17 is researching gic modification and has already achieved a lot. ¡°We want you to provide us with the secrets you obtained. Of course, in exchange, we can also share the secrets we obtained with you.¡± When Aria heard this, she immediately rejected it decisively. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯re not interested. As fellow professionals, I suggest you leave!¡± They worked with Eprarian because Eprary¡¯s agents had risked their lives to escape from District 17 with the microchips. Although it was Bruce who obtained the microchipster, they were still Eprary¡¯s agents¡¯ after all. Therefore, they copied the content of the microchips to Eprary¡¯s agents. Moreover, Eprary¡¯s agents and Ziviet¡¯s agents suffered heavy losses for microchips. Both sides had sacrificed several batches of people, including Bruce. Intrian people had not done anything yet, but they wanted toe over and get a share- of the benefits. It was simply a dream. ¡°Heh. If you don¡¯t cooperate with us, we will be enemies. I don¡¯t think you want to see that¡­¡± ¡°You have your goals, and we have ours. There¡¯s really no need for everyone to cooperate. Besides, what we want to do is not what you think.¡± Aria was well aware that both they and the Eprarians wanted to uncover the secrets of District 17 and prevent and sabotage their inhumane research. This was probably not the goal of the Intrian people. It was very likely that their country was doing simr research in secret. Unfortunately, their various researches were far behind. Therefore, their intention to obtain the research secrets of District 17 was not driven by justice. In in terms, they were trying to copy someone else¡¯s work. After all, District 17 was currently the world¡¯s most advanced in the field of gic modification research The negotiation was currently deadlocked. A car drove into the courtyard. The door opened and a man covered in blood got out of the car. Agent Aki came running in, his whole body covered in injuries, with a panicked and disoriented expression. ¡°It¡¯s bad. It¡¯s really bad¡­ Something major has happened¡­¡± Aria and Leo quickly went forward to wee him. ¡°Aki, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aki was panting, his eyes filled with shock. ¡°Our camp was attacked by a monster. Kai and Anna were killed by it.¡± ¡°The camp of the Eprarians was also attacked by the same monster. Fortunately, I pretended to be dead and survived¡­ Uh, cough, cough¡­¡± Aki finished speaking in one breath and couldn¡¯t help but spit out a mouthful of blood. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly carry him into the house and treat him first.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Leo and Jason didn¡¯t waste much time and quickly carried Aki into the house. Aria followed behind with a heavy expression. ¡°Monster?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very scary, and it¡¯s very familiar with the base. Cough, cough¡­¡± After Aki finished speaking, he couldn¡¯t hold on anymore andpletely fainted. When Aria and Leo heard this, they instantly sucked in a sharp breath. Needless to say, this monster was definitely sent by District 17. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look at the camp immediately!¡± When Leo heard this, he quickly stopped her. ¡°Aria, please don¡¯t. We don¡¯t know what that monster is. Aki made it sound so scary. We should be careful.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we can survive if we encounter him!¡± Leo said with a hint of fear in his eyes. Aki, Kai, Anna, and Cyril were all sent by Richard to help them. They were so easily attacked by the monster, and Aki was so frightened. It could be seen how terrifying that monster was. When the bearded man saw this, he quickly said, ¡°Looks like we really have to work together. ¡°After all, you need more help now!¡± ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s hurry down and see what¡¯s going on.¡± The four agents sent by Richard hadn¡¯t made an impact yet, and two of them were already taken out. On Eprarian¡¯s side, it was even worse. Half of them were killed or injured. The monster seemed to have a radar installed on its body as it headed straight for their camp. Moreover, it could urately identify its target. Chapter 1102 Chapter 1102 Chapter 1102 ¡°Aria, don¡¯t go. It¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No, I have to go and take a look. Kai, Anna, and the others might be saved.¡± When Leo heard this, he could not say anything else. Indeed, nothing was more important than the lives of his colleagues. Even if there was a chance of survival, he had to rush over to save them. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Leo said and quickly went into the house to get the car keys. The two of them were about to get into the car. Two more cars drove over from outside the courtyard. Joanna and Jaydon also happened toe over. With Aria and Leo¡¯s energetic and solemn expressions, Joanna¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Miss Bridges, Leo, where are you going in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes, why are you here?¡± Joanna choked. ¡°Oh, I came to see you guys and see if there¡¯s anything I can help with!¡± ¡°The situation is a littleplicated now. Don¡¯t get involved.¡± Aria frowned impatiently. Joanna was stunned, but she still asked persistently, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°In short, it¡¯s a very troublesome and dangerous matter. Don¡¯t stay here anymore. You should hurry back.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even more unwilling to leave. She said anxiously, ¡°No, since it¡¯s a very troublesome matter, we can¡¯t just stand by and do nothing. ¡°What happened? If we can help, we will.¡± Aria lowered her voice. ¡°You¡¯re helping us if not being unhelpful.¡± ¡°Aria, is it rted to Bruce? Bruce is my husband. I won¡¯t sit back and do nothing about him. No matter how dangerous it is, I have to ask.¡± ¡°Up to you!¡± Aria didn¡¯t bother to say anything else and directly got into the car with Leo. ¡°Jason, you stay here and look after Aki.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll follow too.¡± The two agents from Intria saw this and a hint of excitement appeared in their eyes. They hurriedly got into their car and nned to follow them over to take a look. Jaydon¡¯s expression was also a little dark. He said worriedly, ¡°Joann, why don¡¯t you go back first? Darcy and I will bring people over to take a look.¡± Joanna stubbornly said, ¡°No, I want to go with you.¡± ¡°Joann, your body is so weak. I¡¯m worried about you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go quickly! We¡¯ll lose themter,¡± Joanna said as she walked quickly to the car. ¡°Alright then!¡± Jaydon and Joanna also hurriedly got on, and Darcy and Carson took the passenger seat and the driver seat respectively. He stepped on the elerator and followed Aria¡¯s car. In the car. ¡°Just now, they said that a monster had appeared. What kind of monster would it be¡­ Joanna could not 96 help but worry. Jaydon patted her shoulder and said gently, ¡°There are no monsters in this world. All the unbelievable things are researched by humans. ¡°The monster they¡¯re talking about must be a product of gic modification. Well, once the gic modification is poprized, society will probably be in chaos.¡± Joanna did not say anything, but her face turned even paler. She had a faint premonition. This monster might be rted to Bruce. Moreover, she had been having the same dream recently. She dreamed of an extremely ferocious and violent monster with a green face and fangs. Seeing that she still looked uneasy, Jaydon could onlyfort her as much as possible. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t think too much. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡± There were four to five cars. They roared all the way to no man¡¯snd.. In the car, Aria quickly informed the leader of Eprary¡¯s agents. They were also attacked at the camp of no man¡¯snd. It was unknown if they had received the news. At the same time, the Intrian people called theirpanions and asked them toe and support them immediately. The cars drove faster and faster on the road, gradually moving away from the people. The scenery on both sides also began to be deste. Other than the roads, there were only endless yellow slopes and hills. ¡°That¡¯s no man¡¯snd up ahead.¡± Darcy and Carson had been here before, so they were rtively familiar with the road conditions and terrain. No man¡¯snd was huge. The agents only dared to camp at the edge of no man¡¯snd. They did not dare to go too deep inside. Firstly, they were afraid of being discovered by District 17. Secondly, it was not easy to resupply. Looking at the scenery outside, Joanna became more and more anxious. She only hoped that a miracle would happen so that she could find Bruce as soon as possible. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be so nervous. ¡°Lean against the car window and rest first! You haven¡¯t recovered from your cold yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Four hourster. Aria and Leo were the first to drive to the camp. From afar, the two tents that had been set up had already scattered. The two cars next to the tent were also deformed, their four wheels facing up. The scene looked like it had been swept clean. It was a mess. There were a fewrge pools of blood on the ground. Leo looked at the scene in front of him and was a little dumbfounded. ¡°Oh my god, this destructive power is too shocking.¡± Aria urged anxiously, ¡°Let¡¯s find Anna and Kai first¡­¡± Leo did not dare to say anything else. He quickly scattered to look for survivors. Five minutester. ¡°Aria. We¡¯ve searched everywhere, but we haven¡¯t found their bodies.¡± ¡°Oh no, they must have been brought to District 17 as well,¡± Aria said with a heavy expression. The situation had far exceeded her expectations. She did not expect District 17 to counterattack so quickly and so urately as if it knew their habits inside out ¡°Aria. So what now?¡± Aria pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look at the Eprarians. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on over there.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The two of them hurriedly got into the car again. Joanna and Jaydon followed closely behind. As soon as they got out of the car, before standing firmly, they saw Aria get into the car again in a hurry. ¡°Are we leaving again?¡± Aria did not reply and mmed the car door shut. Joanna was a little stunned. She looked around at the mess and was speechless today. ¡°Looks like¡­ this was all destroyed by the monster.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s follow them and see where they¡¯re going.¡± Jaydon did not have time to think and hurriedly pulled Joanna into the car. The two camps were not far apart, and it only took half an hour to drive. Aria and Leo quickly arrived at Eprarian¡¯s camp. The situation here was even worse. There were several people lying on the ground.. ¡°Oh my god, let¡¯s go down and take a look!¡± ¡°Aria, be careful. That monster might be nearby.. Chapter 1103 Chapter 1103 Chapter 1103 Aria was also vignt and careful as she held her pistol and walked into the tent. Leo was so nervous that he did not even dare to breathe. He also held his gun and looked around vigntly, afraid the monster would jump out of the shadows. The tent was opened. A strong smell of blood filled the air. There were two corpses lying on the ground. A huge hole had been dug in one body¡¯s chest. Another had its neck twisted almost 360 degrees. Their deaths were extremely terrifying and miserable. As agents, their mental fortitude must be very strong. They had seen all kinds of deaths. However, this was the first time they had seen such deaths. This was because the cause of their deaths did not seem to be a gunshot wound. Instead, it looked like someone had used his hands and forcefully dug a hole in his heart. ¡°What the¡­¡± Aria¡¯s scalp went numb as she looked around even more vigntly. ¡°Oh my god! This is too tragic.¡± Leo had goosebumps all over his body. One had to know that these agents were all experienced in battle. Any one of them could fight ten or even dozens of people. Moreover, they all had weapons in their hands. But now, they had died so miserably. One could imagine how ferocious that monster was. It must be more terrifying than a ferocious beast. If they encountered it, they would probably die too. ¡°Aria, for our safety, let¡¯s leave quickly.¡± ¡°See if the monster left any clues.¡± Aria said and bent down, looking for clues about the monster. Unfortunately, there was nothing. Only a deep bloody footprint was left on the ground. Leo could not persuade Aria. He could only pray non-stop, ¡°Dear God, I hope the monster will not return.¡± ¡°God, please, please, don¡¯t let the monstere back¡­¡± Aria did not seem to hear Leo¡¯s fear. She was still carefully checking the scene. She was a biologist. She had to figure out what kind of monster it was to have such shockingbat strength. Outside the tent, there were buzzing sounds. Intrian¡¯s car also arrived. As soon as the two Intrian got out of the car, they were shocked by the scene in front of them too. The situation here was even more tragic than the one in Ziviet¡¯s camp from just now. Only three people were guarding Ziviet¡¯s camp. And they were nowhere to be seen. But here, five or six people had died just outside the tent. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± ¡°What kind of monster is this? This is too terrifying.¡± They looked down at their feet and saw two well-made machine guns had been knocked sideways. That meant the monster killed those people before they could shoot. 03:26 ¡°I hope we don¡¯t encounter such a monster. This is too terrifying.¡± ¡°How long before they get here?¡± ¡°They should be on their way. They should be here soon!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s both be careful.¡± The two Intrian also carefully walked into the tent. The tent was very big, with two curtains at the front and back. It could amodate more than ten people. Two Intrian had just entered the tent when there sounded buzzing sounds. Joanna and Jaydon¡¯s car also arrived. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Joanna pushed open the car door and got out of the car. Jaydon and Darcy had already led the way to the tent. Before the two of them could enter the tent, they stopped in their tracks in shock. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna followed behind. ¡°Joann, you should go back to the car!¡± Jaydon turned around and said in fear., ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± ¡°God¡­¡± Joanna took a few steps forward and immediately closed her eyes in fear. Her heart skipped a beat, and she almost fainted. Five or six corpses were lying on the ground. Their deaths were extremely miserable and bloody. Jaydon also gasped when he saw it. ¡°Joann, if you¡¯re afraid, go back to the car first.¡± Joanna was a woman after all. Her heart was still beating wildly in fear. Darcy also said nervously, ¡°That¡¯s right, Mrs. Everett. It¡¯s safer to return to the car!¡± As he spoke, he and Carson also took out their pistols warily. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little dizzy with blood¡­¡± Joanna frowned and tried not to look at the corpses on the ground. Darcy and Carson were also shocked. ¡°What kind of monster is this? Its destructive power is so strong!¡± Jaydon frowned and replied, ¡°Oh, these Meltarian just like to do things that exceed the limits of humans. ¡°Needless to say, this must have been developed by Meltarian.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is too terrifying. If this monster goes to the downtown area, the consequences will be unimaginable!¡± Carson could not help butin. After seeing such a bloody scene, the timid ones might not be able to fall asleep at night. Inside the tent, Aria checked carefully for a while and picked up the palm-sized snakeskin-like thing on the ground. ¡°Aria, did you find something?¡± ¡°Leo, what do you think this is?¡± Leo nced at it. It looked like a snake¡¯s skin. However, on closer inspection, it did not look like that. ¡°..This looks like the skin of a snake, right?¡± Aria said solemnly, ¡°No, this is human skin.¡± ¡°Hu human? That¡¯s impossible!¡± Leo was shocked. 6036 D How could human skin have ripples like dragon scales? Moreover, human skin wouldn¡¯t peel off. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s hurry up and leave. I feel that this ce is too dangerous. That monster might appear at any time!¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s the way we¡¯re leaving. Let¡¯s go up there and take a look. There must be more important clues.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, alright!¡± Leo had no choice but to continue looking around. ¡°You go left, and I¡¯ll go right!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Leo held the pistol and walked to the left. Unfortunately, before he could leave the tent, a strong smell of blood mixed with the airflow caused by inertia assaulted him. ¡°Bang¡­¡± Before Leo could react, he was lifted up by a force and thrown out of the tent then. With a ssh, Leo was thrown 10 feet away. After he fell to the ground, several of his ribs were broken. He didn¡¯t even have time to grunt before spitting blood and closing his eyes. ¡°No! Leo¡­¡± Aria screamed and dropped the pistol in her hand. In front of her was a burly monster. Its entire body emitted an oppressive smell of blood, and its scarlet eyes were dark and bloodthirsty as it looked at her. Aria¡¯s body stiffened. It was toote to run now. She could only pretend to be calm as she slowly walked out of the tent. ¡°What happened?¡± When everyone outside the tent heard themotion, they were like being struck by lightning. Their adrenaline was running high, and they were scared. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did the monster appear?¡± Aria had slowly left the tent. Seeing this, the people outside the tent raised their guns and aimed at the tent. As Aria walked out, a burly monster with a ferocious expression walked out of the tent.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The monster seemed to have been filled with air. The muscles on its limbs were terrifying. Its entire face seemed to have been burned by fire, leaving ugly scars. It was twisted and ferocious. The monster¡¯s original appearance could no longer be seen. One could only roughly tell that it had human facial features. ¡°Oh, my God¡­¡± The monster¡¯s scarlet eyes were filled with terrifying ferocity. Blood dripped from the corners of its lips and chin. It must have bitten someone just now. When everyone saw this, they gasped and were almost stunned on the spot. Joanna stared fixedly at the monster in front of her. Her entire body stiffened, and her blood immediately seemed to be boiled. Although the monster before her was unrecognizable, she still felt a sense of familiarity. The facial features of Bruce had long been engraved in her mind. Even though he was unrecognizable, she still recognized him at a nce. ¡°¡­Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± At this moment, there was no trace of fear in her. There was only excitement and heartache. What kind of torture had her husband, the man she loved the most, suffered to turn into such a hideous and terrifying appearance? ¡°Hurry up and shoot! Hurry up and shoot!¡± Intrian had already raised their pistols and were ready to shoot. ¡°Click! Click!¡± Darcy and Carson loaded their guns as well. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot. He¡¯s Bruce! Don¡¯t shoot¡­¡± Joanna reacted and rushed in front of Intrian to stop them. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot. Don¡¯t shoot¡­¡± Chapter 1104 Chapter 1104 Chapter 1104 When Jaydon and Darcy heard this, they were shocked. How could this extremely ugly monster in front of them be Bruce? However, when they heard Joanna stop them, they still didn¡¯t dare to shoot. ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡± The two Intrian did not listen to Joanna and fired at the monster. ¡°Swoosh!¡± The monster¡¯s reaction was extremely agile. It dodged left and right and actually dodged the bullets. Then, like an apeman with astonishing explosive power, he bounced up and pounced at the two Intrian. This jumping ability had already exceeded the limits of human beings. It was even more shocking than a high jumper. They were originally more than ten meters away. But just like that, the monster jumped nearly 10 yards from the air andnded heavily on one of the Intrian. ¡°Pfft!¡± The head of the Intrian was torn off, and half of his skull was gone. He fell to the ground without even making a sound. The other Intrian was even more shocked when he saw this. He hurriedly raised his gun and fired, but it was toote. The monster pped him on the head. Simrly, the neck of the Intrian turned back in a circle, and there was a cracking sound. He also fell to the ground. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Jaydon, Darcy, and the others felt their scalps tingle when they saw it, and they all retreated. ¡°Joann, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s get in the car! Be quick!¡± Jaydon urged Joanna to escape. Darcy and Carson also pointed their guns at Bruce. They were not sure if the person in front of them was really Bruce. However, judging from the current situation, Bruce probably wouldn¡¯t recognize them even if the monster was him. It was more important to escape quickly. ¡°¡­ Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Tears streamed down Joanna¡¯s face. She was not afraid. She only felt heartache¡­ heartache¡­ Joanna refused to leave, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, let¡¯s escape quickly! Even if he¡¯s really Mr. Everett, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s already lost his mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s escape quickly and think of a way after that!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Aria also recognized the monster in front of her as Bruce. She cried out his name bitterly. However, she also did not dare to approach and hurriedly retreated. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m Joanna!¡± Joanna shook off Jaydon¡¯s hand and rushed toward Bruce without hesitation. ¡°Joann, it¡¯s dangerous. You can¡¯t go over!¡± Jaydon wanted to stop her. Joanna was already charging toward Bruce. At this moment, even if she died, she had no regrets. 1/2 0226 ¡°Bang!¡± Looking at the little one running toward him, Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red. He grabbed Joanna¡¯s neck with his steel-like hands. Then, he brought her up. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s feet left the ground. Her neck was almost broken, and she could not breathe. ¡°Bruce, are you crazy? This is Joann!¡± Jaydon panicked. He casually picked up an iron bar and rushed over. He smashed fiercely at Bruce. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Bruce waspletely enraged. He turned around and threw a punch at Jaydon. ¡°Ouch!¡± Jaydon was sent flying about 10 feet and fell heavily to the ground. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. In the past, although he could not defeat Bruce, he could still fight him a few times. But now, Jaydon couldn¡¯t even withstand a punch from Bruce. He almost lost half his life after taking this blow. ¡°Mrs. Everett! This is Mrs. Everett. Mr. Everett, let go quickly.¡± Darcy and Carson also hurried over. The two of them tried to pry Bruce¡¯s hands away. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± They were no match for him at all and were instantly flung away. Bruce frowned and brought Joanna in front of him again. He was so hungry now. Joanna¡¯s body emitted a fragrance that he was familiar with. The little one in front of him was a prey that was very fragrant to him. The next second, Bruce suddenly lowered his head. ¡°Ouch!¡± Joanna screamed. Her neck was bitten by Bruce. She felt that the blood in her body was being sucked out by a powerful force. But she didn¡¯t struggle. She didn¡¯t feel fear either. She only slowly reached out and hugged him gently. She was willing to die at his hands. When Jaydon saw this, he gasped and staggered to his feet. Then, he picked up the steel pipe that supported the tent on the ground and smashed it at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, let go. Let go now.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, this is Mrs. Everett. Hurry up and let go!¡± Darcy and Carson struggled to stand smashed Bruce with super steel pipes too. Bruce was unmoved. The steel pipes hit his body, but it did not hurt at all. As Joanna¡¯s blood rolled down his throat, his entire body suddenly trembled inexplicably, and his brain seemed to have a trace of self-awareness. Chapter 1105 Chapter 1105 Chapter 1105 ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s neck was almost broken. The blood in her blood vessels was sucked out of her body. As the blood was drawn out, her consciousness gradually became blurry. Her arms that were hugging Bruce also fell limply. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Joanna squeezed out two words from her throat as tears rolled down her face. Warm tears dripped onto the back of his hand. ¡°Hiss, hiss¡­¡± The suction force in Bruce¡¯s mouth paused. Her tears fell on the back of his hand as if a ball of cotton had fallen on his heart. It was soft and gentle with an inexplicable sense of tenderness. The fiercer in his eyes darkened. ¡°Hiss, hiss¡­¡± His throat let out a low growl, and his teeth loosened. Joanna¡¯s breathing, which had been cut off, instantly became smooth. She tried her best to catch her breath. Her eyes were filled with longing and heartache as she looked into his eyes. ¡°Um¡­ Bruce¡­ Honey¡­¡± Their eyes met. There was no aggression in her eyes, let alone fear. Bruce¡¯s blood-red eyes gradually focused. Joanna¡¯s familiar face was transmitted from his pupils to his brain. Joanna was the woman he loved deeply in his heart! Even if his memory was messed up, her appearance was already imprinted in his mind. Even if he had the electronic microchip in his brain, he still retained a trace of his weak self-awareness. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, I¡¯ve finally found you!¡± Joanna blinked her beautiful, gentle eyes as another line of tears rolled down. She struggled to muster the remaining strength in her body and hugged him again. Even though Bruce was already unrecognizable and had be very ferocious and terrified, she still- appreciated God for showing mercy and allowing her to find him. Bruce¡¯s body stiffened, and the remaining consciousness in his brain struggled violently. At this moment, although he could not remember anything, he knew that the woman he saw did not have ill intentions toward him, nor was she dangerous. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. While Bruce was in a daze, Jaydon started to swing the steel pipe at him again. ¡°Bruce, let go of Joann now.¡± Although Bruce did not attack Joanna further, he was still grabbing Joanna with his hand like he was grabbing a chick. Joanna was grabbed by him, her feet swaying off the ground. If this continued, she would still be killed by him. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°If this continues, Mrs. Everett¡¯s life will be in danger.¡± Darcy and Carson looked terrified. Bruce¡¯s current strength was too terrifying. They were really worried that if Bruce went crazy, he would tear Joanna into two. Seeing this, Aria hurriedly took out an anesthetic needle and shot it at Bruce. ¡°Swoosh!¡± The anesthetic needle hit Bruce in the back. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned sinister and he finally reacted. He casually threw Joanna to the ground and turned to Aria with a murderous aura. This dose of anesthetic had no effect on him at all. ¡°No¡­¡± Aria was also shocked and hurriedly retreated. With a leap, Bruce charged toward Aria with a thunderous roar. Aria could not dodge or block at all. She was about to be sent flying by Bruce with a p. Jaydon mustered all his strength and pulled Aria away. ¡°Move away quickly. Don¡¯t get close.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Aria was thrown out heavily. Bruce missed. Bruce turned around and pounced on Jaydon with a murderous aura. ¡°Bruce, wake the fuck up!¡± Jaydon turned around and wanted to escape, but it was toote. Bruce¡¯s fist smashed over like a hammer. Jaydon could only brace himself and resist. He raised his hand and pushed. ¡°Crack! Ouch¡­¡± Jaydon screamed. His arm was instantly broken. ¡°Jay!¡± Joanna screamed and struggled to run to Jaydon¡¯s side. Seeing that Jaydon was about to die, Darcy could not care anything more. He raised the steel pipe and hit Bruce. ¡°Come here!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes shifted. He gave up on attacking Jaydon and turned his target to Darcy. Darcy did not dare to fight Bruce head-on too. He retreated nervously. He could not watch as Jaydon died. He could only divert Bruce¡¯s attention. ¡°Bruce, wake up! Wake up!¡± Joanna rushed over and stood in front of Bruce. ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize us? Bruce, wake up¡­¡± ¡± ¡°Joann, he has lost consciousness. Move away, or he will hurt you.¡± Joanna did not seem to hear him. She continued to stand in front of Bruce. Bruce¡¯s brain heated up, and his consciousness jumped. However, he could not control himself. Like an automaton, he involuntarily approached. Right now, there was only onemand in his brain. That was to kill everyone. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m your Joann!¡± Joanna tried her best to protect Darcy. Bruce could not help but raise his hand and hit Joanna. His p would definitely smash her head. The palmnded with a ferocious airflow. Joanna¡¯s pupils constricted as she closed her eyes in despair. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t!¡± Jaydon roared in despair. Seeing that the p was about tond on Joanna, the remaining consciousness in Bruce¡¯s brain forcibly stopped the electronic microchip¡¯smand. The moment his hand was 2 inches away from her, he suddenly stopped. At the same time, ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce groaned in pain and subconsciously covered his head. Because he had forcefully interrupted the electronic microchip¡¯smand, his brain suddenly felt like it had been electrocuted. It was so painful that he almost fainted. Joanna opened her eyes and rushed to him with heartache. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce let out another painful groan and threw Joanna to the side. Then, like a wild beast, he roared and attacked the others. His current strength was too terrifying. Even Darcy and Jaydon, who were so good at fighting, could not withstand a punch from him. They could only dodge desperately and did not dare to fight him at all. Chapter 1106 Chapter 1106 Chapter 1106 Buzzing sounds rang out. Two more off-road vehicles roared over. More than ten agents of Intria got out of the car. They had just received news from theirpanions and rushed over to save them. These agents of Intria were also shocked as soon as they got out of the car. The scene was very bloody, and there was blood everywhere. Theirpanions had already died tragically in a pool of blood. Needless to say, it was definitely done by the monster in front of them. ¡°What kind of monster is this?¡± One of the Intrian said angrily, ¡°Who cares what kind of monster it is! Hurry up and shoot! Avenge our companions¡­¡± There were snapping sounds. More than 10 Intrian agents loaded their guns and aimed at Bruce indignantly. Seeing this, Joanna panicked and shouted at them in Antlenish, ¡°Don¡¯t shoot. Please, don¡¯t shoot. He¡¯s not a monster!¡± As she spoke, Joanna staggered up and stood between Intrian and Bruce. Upon seeing this, Bruce¡¯s eyes shed fiercely as he charged toward those Intrian. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and shoot.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t shoot¡­¡± Joanna opened her arms and tried to block these people. She wanted to tell them that Bruce was not a monster. He had be like this because of Meltarian. Unfortunately, how could she resist them? The Intrian would not listen to her at all. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Gunshots rang out. More than ten ck muzzles shot at Bruce at the same time. Bullets whizzed past Joanna. Joanna¡¯s eardrums were almost shattered. Her arm and hair were also hit by shrapnel from the bullets. Seeing this, Jaydon roared in fear, ¡°Joann, be careful! Get down quickly!¡± He wanted to rush up and save Joanna. Unfortunately, the firepower was too strong now. He would be courting death if he came up. ¡°Are you out of your fucking minds? Who allowed you to shoot?¡± Aria shouted in shock too, ¡°We¡¯re all on the same side. Don¡¯t shoot! Stop now. Don¡¯t hurt our people.¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± How could the Intrian listen to her? They were only focused on shooting. They had too many people and too much firepower. Jaydon and Darcy could only cover their heads and flee like rats, looking for something to dodge bullets. After all, bullets were blind. If they hit them, they would die. The bestiality in Bruce¡¯s body was aroused, and his jumping and shing speed was very fast. He dodged the bullets at an unbelievable speed. More than a dozen guns fired at the same time. But they didn¡¯t hit him. Only his arms and legs were hit by shrapnel, and not a single bullet hit his vitals. ¡°Damn it, these Intrian are despicable. Do they not understand humannguage? They are not allowed to shoot, but they still did it.¡± Jaydon and Darcy were angry. ¡°Let¡¯s fight it out with them.¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Jaydon and Darcy had already taken advantage of the terrain. They took out their pistols and began to shoot at them. Joanna¡¯s eardrums were about to burst. She could only cover her ears subconsciously. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot! Don¡¯t shoot¡­¡± ¡°Joann, get down!¡± Jaydon was very anxious. ¡°Mrs. Everett, get down!¡± Fearing that Bruce would die under the gunfire, Joanna could only beg them desperately, ¡°Please, don¡¯t shoot! Don¡¯t shoot. He¡¯s a human. He¡¯s not a monster.¡± Another piece of shrapnel hit her arm. ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce had already braved the rain of bullets and flew in front of Intrian. ¡°Pfft! Pfft!¡± The hammer-like fistsnded, and the two Intrian were directly split open. Seeing this, the leader of the Intrian agents was even more shocked and furious. ¡°Keep firing. You must kill this monster!¡± As he spoke, he aimed at Bruce and fired a few shots. ¡°Pfft! Pfft!¡± Two more Intrian fell. The scene instantly turned into a ughterhouse. Gunshots, screams, and shouts mixed. It was a shocking sight. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± The Intrian were in a mess. They no longer cared about anything else and were shooting everywhere. ¡°Swish, swish, swish!¡± Bullets were inevitably fired at Joann¨¢. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Joanna screamed and closed her eyes to wait for death. In the nick of time, Bruce quickly rushed to her side, grabbed the back of her cor, and carried her away from where she was. Then, he held her under his arm and rushed toward the nearest Intrian¡­ ¡°Crack! Crack!¡± ¡°Oh, ouch¡­¡± The screams were deafening. In the blink of an eye, more than dozens of agents from Intria were killed. Joanna was wrapped under his armpit and did not dare to open her eyes. Jaydon, Aria, and the others were so shocked that their scalps went numb. It was too brutal and terrifying. The massacre was not over yet. There sounded buzzing sounds. Another four to five cars drove over. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Agents from Ziviet and Eprary also rushed over to help. Bruce¡¯s head started to hurt again, and his brain uncontrobly issued an order to him. ¡°Kill everyone.¡± However, before he could execute the order, another order came to his mind. ¡°Leave immediately.¡± These two different instructions shed through his mind. He did not know which one to execute. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Bruce pped his head in pain. Ron kept sending him the firstmand through the electronic microchip. But he didn¡¯t know that Mairesi had also injected an electronic microchip into his brain. And he didn¡¯t tell anyone. Mairesi wanted to monopolize their joint research results. Therefore, he racked his brains to persuade Ron to agree to Subject 807 to leave the research institute. Then, he would take Subject 807 for himself. Joanna slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were blurry. When Bruce had just ughtered those Intrian agents, blood had sshed into her eyes. Now, everything she saw was bloody and she was scared out of her wits. ¡°Ouch, it hurts¡­¡± Joanna came back to her sense and touched Bruce¡¯s face with heartache. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Agent Cyril hurried out of the car. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Oh my god, this¡­¡± As he spoke, they also drew their guns. Seeing this, Aria quickly stopped them. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot. He¡¯s one of us!¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± A few Eprarians were also extremely angry. ¡°This is a monster. It must be destroyed!¡± ¡°He killed so many of us. We have to kill him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. He was researched. The culprit is Meltarian. He¡¯s just a tool¡­¡± Aria tried her best to exin. Bruce¡¯s head hurt badly. Twomands, coupled with his remaining autonomous consciousness, three instructions were fighting in his brain. He did not want to stay here any longer. He wrapped Joanna in his arms and ran away. ¡°Hurry up and chase after him. Don¡¯t let him escape.¡± A few Eprarians tried to chase after him. Then, they were stopped by Ziviet¡¯s agent. ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡± ¡°Put down your guns. We¡¯re all on the same side. Don¡¯t identally injure anyone.¡± Ariamunicated with Eprary¡¯s agents anxiously. ¡°Joann, Joann¡­ Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± Jaydon shouted weakly and couldn¡¯t help but cough up another mouthful of blood. Jaydon and Darcy looked terrified when they saw Bruce had run away with Joanna. However, there was nothing they could do. Both of them were seriously injured and could barely take care of themselves. ¡°Mr. Grimm, how are you?¡± ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s arm was fractured, and his internal organs suffered a heavy blow. He staggered a step and fell heavily. Darcy shouted anxiously, ¡°Mr. Grimm, Mr. Grimm.¡± When Aria heard this, she quickly came to his side to check. ¡°He¡¯s seriously injured. We have to send him. to the hospital immediately! ¡°The most important thing now is to stop the damage in time. Let¡¯s quickly send the injured to be treated. ¡°Please save him quickly¡­¡± Seeing this, the people from both sides could not be bothered to argue anymore. One after another, they went forward to treat the injured who were still alive. Bruce ran extremely fast, like a cheetah. Now that he had undergone gic modifications three times, his body¡¯s potential had exceeded its limit. Not only was his speed and physical fitness extremely advanced, but even his hearing and vision were developed. However, his brain was now imnted with the electronic microchips. His autonomous consciousness was controlled, and he could not think by himself. Joanna¡¯s internal organs were about to shift. ¡°Bruce¡­ Stop¡­ I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Bruce did not seem to hear her. He ran for dozens of miles in one breath. As he ran, he was stopped by a tall hill. There were no paths on the hillside because this ce had never been developed. Weeds and rugged mountain rocks were everywhere. In front of them was a huge cave. Bruce finally stopped. He casually let go and ced Joanna on the ground. ¡°Cough, cough, um¡­¡± After Joannanded on the ground, she was so weak that she could not get up. She was already sick, and Bruce had sucked her blood. Now that she had been through so much, she was really half-dead. ¡°Ugh, ouch¡­¡± Bruce hit his head a few more times violently. Then he started to bang his head against the stone wall. Themands in his brain were still fighting fiercely. This made his head hurt so much that it seemed to be about to explode. Blood flowed down his forehead, and several rocks shattered. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart ached even more. ¡°Bruce, stop banging.¡± As she spoke, Joanna staggered to her feet. She hugged his lower back tightly and dragged him backward. ¡°Bruce, stop banging. If you have a headache, hit me.¡± Even if he had an iron head, he would still hurt if he hit it like this. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± He hit again several times, and there was almost an echo in the cave. A pile of rocks shattered into pieces and fell off the stone wall. ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce grunted. He knocked himself unconscious because he banged so violently. His burly body swayed, and he fell heavily to the ground. Joanna was even more frightened when she saw this. She hurriedly squatted down to check. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Bruce fell to the ground and faintedpletely. He was covered in blood. Most of it, of course, was from others. Still, he¡¯d been badly wounded. He was shot three times in the arm and back. His head was drenched in blood from banging, and he didn¡¯t look like a human anymore. He looked so terrible and scary, like a bloodthirsty demon from hell. Joanna looked at the wounds on his body and his unrecognizable face. Her heart ached so much that she could barely breathe. ¡°Bruce, oh no¡­¡± ¡°Honey, what kind of torture did you suffer? God, stop torturing him. If someone has to be punished, punish me.¡± Joanna could not help but cry in his arms. She cried for a while. Then, Joanna did not dare to cry anymore. She supported her weak body and checked his wounds. She quickly took off her coat and the cotton clothes underneath. She wiped the dirty blood off his body and bandaged his wound. However, there was too much blood on his body. She could not wipe clean it with her dry clothes. Joanna looked around. There was a stream outside. She took the clothes, dipped them in water, and wiped his dirty blood repeatedly. Bruce was in a daze. He turned his head as if he was about to wake up, but he could not wake up no matter what. ¡°Hiss¡­ it¡¯s cold¡­ So cold¡­¡± Due to his injuries, the immune system in his body was rapidly circting and repairing. This also caused his blood cirction to be too fast, his body temperature to be too high, and his entire body to start feeling cold. ¡°Bruce, are you cold?¡± Joanna could only hug him tightly and give him warmth as much as she could when she saw him trembling. Chapter 1107 Chapter 1107 Chapter 1107 Bruce couldn¡¯t help but shiver. His body temperature was also terrifyingly high. The higher his body temperature was, the colder he felt. Joanna touched his body and felt that it was too hot. ¡°Oh, my god! Why is your body so hot? You¡¯re having a high fever. ¡°Just wait. I¡¯ll find a way to cool you down.¡± Joanna stood up shakily and staggered to the stream outside. After soaking her clothes in cold water, she came over to wipe his body. His body temperature was too high. When the cold and wet cloth was ced on him, it was quickly warmed up by his body temperature. ¡°It¡¯s so cold¡­ So cold¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s entire body was trembling, and his face was twisted and terrifying. Seeing this, Joanna felt heartache and anxiety. She knew that he felt terrible and in pain. However, they were in the wilderness now. There was nothing. She could only make as many trips as possible to help him cool down. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. After running back and forth dozens of times, Joanna was already exhausted. Her entire body was drenched, and her hands were numb from the cold. It was early spring. Although there was no snow or ice, the temperature was still very low, especially at night. The temperature was close to zero. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so cold¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll hug you. I¡¯ll hug you and you won¡¯t be cold anymore.¡± Joanna copsed beside him. She was already sick and had lost too much blood. Now, she could not stand up again. Joanna struggled to take off her clothes and clung tightly to him, trying her best to cool him down. Her body was very, very cold. She clung to Bruce¡¯s body, making him feel cool and indescribablyfortable. Gradually, Bruce¡¯s emotions stabilized, and he didn¡¯t feel as ufortable as before. Joanna could not hold on anymore and fell asleep on his body. His body temperature was very high. Due to the gic modifications, his figure was even more burly and broad. When Joanna was lying close to him, it was as if she was lying on a hot heater. The next day, early in the morning, the dusky sky began to brighten. The sun was about to rise. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Bruce woke up in a daze. Because the sun had yet to rise, there was no light in the cave and it was pitch dark. Bruce slowly opened his eyes, but his vision was clear. He moved slightly and felt something pressing on his body. He looked down and saw Joanna sleeping soundly on top of him. Her soft hair was scattered on his chest. She was like a kitten that was sleeping peacefully. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he vaguely remembered that it was the little person he had captured yesterday. An alluring fragrance wafted from her body. It was very pleasant, and it made him feel very calm. For the first time in more than two months, he felt this kind offort and security. He moved his hand and gently wrapped it around her waist. Although his movements were very light, Joanna was still awakened. Seeing that Bruce was awake, Joanna was excited. She supported herself with her arm, trying to sit up, `¡­ Bruce, you¡¯re awake? Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Before she could get up, Bruce pressed her back to her original position with hisrge hand. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat and tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Honey, you remember me, right?¡± Bruce did not answer. He just hugged her calmly. His mind was in a mess and he could not remember anything. However, this feeling was very familiar. It also made him feel rxed andfortable. Joanna did not struggle and obediently hugged him. Tears of heartache and sadness rolled down her face. No matter what he had be, as long as he was still alive, she was already satisfied. Ten minutester, Bruce started to get restless again. His physical memories of her made him want to get close to her. ¡°Honey¡­¡± Joanna felt his body¡¯s instinctive reaction and could not help but feel nervous. The next second, Bruce lowered his head and kissed her lips instinctively. Chapter 1108 Chapter 1108 Chapter 1108 ¡°Honey¡­¡± Joanna was a little frightened and wanted to escape from his arms. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to be close to him. It was just that he was already strong, to begin with. Sometimes, there was no end to it. Now that he was not conscious, when he went crazy, he might go too far. She was so weak now. How could she stand it? Bruce pulled her back into his arms domineeringly and could not help but crave her fragrance. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m scared¡­¡± Joanna stopped resisting after struggling weakly for a while. She obediently let him do whatever he wanted. He was not conscious at the moment. However, the desire to conquer and possess her still made him as greedy and manic as before¡­ After a long time, the intense sex was over. Joanna was already on the verge of falling apart and had lost consciousness. After Bruce was satisfied, he sniffed the fragrance on her body. Her neck had been bitten by him previously. Although it had already scabbed over, it still emitted a strong smell of blood. Bruce moved closer to the wound on her neck and could not help but move his tongue. Her throat subconsciously swallowed. The smell of blood on her body stimted his taste buds, making him hungry. Coupled with the fact that he had consumed too much energy, he needed to replenish his energy. She smelled very good. She should be delicious prey. Bruce opened his mouth tentatively, wanting to bite her blood vessels. However, after a few times, he felt a little reluctant. Joanna felt itchy on her neck as if something had been rubbing against it. She opened her eyes in a daze. When she opened her eyes, she saw his bright and greedy eyes. They were like the eyes of a cat in the night, glowing with a strange light. At this moment, he leaned against her neck, as if looking for a suitable ce to bite. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she could not help but feel terrified. At the camp, he had sucked her blood. Now, did he want to eat her? ¡°¡­ Honey, you¡­ Are you trying to eat me?¡± Joanna asked him weakly and fearfully. Bruce paused as if he understood what she was saying. He looked up and met her eyes. Her face was filled with fear as she looked at him with tears in her beautiful eyes. His heart trembled violently, and a hint of shame appeared in his eyes. Although Joanna was terrified, she quickly calmed down. She stretched her arm and wrapped it around his neck weakly and painfully. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s okay. If you want to eat me, do it! You can do whatever you want to me. No matter what you do, I¡¯ll be willing. I won¡¯t me you.¡± After saying that, Joanna closed her eyes again. Even if he really did something to hurt her, she wouldn¡¯t me him. She knew that his mind was messy now. He had been harmed by Meltarian and be like this. No matter what he did, it was not his intention. Bruce licked his tongue and swallowed his saliva with difficulty. Even though he was starving and desperately needed to replenish his energy, he seemed to realize that if he ate her to fill his stomach, she would probably die. Remembering the pleasure andfort she¡¯d just given him, he couldn¡¯t bear to hurt her. Joanna fell asleep peacefully again. She did not struggle at all. Of course, even if she struggled and resisted, it was futile. If he really wanted to eat her, how could she resist? At noon, when Joanna woke up again, it was already six hourster. The sky was already bright, and the light outside shone into the cave. ¡°¡­ Hiss, it hurts!¡± Joanna moved her neck slightly. She felt weak all over as if every joint of hers was extremely sore. ¡°Am I dead? Or am I still alive?¡± She turned her eyes slightly. She was surrounded by stone walls. Joanna took a few minutes to regain consciousness. She was still in the cave and was not dead yet. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± She hurriedly looked around with panic in her eyes. Unfortunately, Bruce was nowhere to be seen. Boom! ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Joanna panicked. She hurriedly supported her sore body and struggled to sit up. Her body was covered with his clothes. In the cave, Bruce was already gone. ¡°Oh no, was he taken away again?¡± Joanna hurriedly put on her clothes. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She didn¡¯t even have time to put on her shoes before she ran out of the cave anxiously. ¡°Honey, honey, where are you? Bruce, Bruce!¡± Joanna shouted in shock and panic. She was worried that Bruce had been taken away by the people of District 17 again. Or perhaps he had automatically returned to District 17. Joanna¡¯s shouts echoed in the empty cave. She hurriedly ran out of the cave to search. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of him. Instantly, Joanna broke down and knelt on the ground, crying bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. Why did I fall asleep? I should have guarded him!¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­ Boohoo, It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault!¡± At the other end of the valley, Bruce heard Joanna¡¯s shout. He didn¡¯t know she was calling him. But he knew she sounded frantic now. Therefore, he carried his prey and quickly ran toward the cave. Three minutester, Bruce¡¯s rapid running footsteps sounded, causing the stones on the ground to fly everywhere. Joanna heard footsteps and turned around with tears in her eyes. Bruce was standing behind her, observing her with his head tilted. His eyes were nk, but there was also a hint of confusion and curiosity. Although his face was unrecognizable, with his current expression, not only was he not scary, but he also looked cute in some way! Joanna¡¯s heart trembled. She suddenly stood up and ran to his side excitedly. ¡°Bruce, where did you go! Chapter 1109 Chapter 1109 Chapter 1109 Seeing her running toward him excitedly, Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he felt an inexplicable sense of joy. Instinctively, he grinned and ran to her. His speed was extremely fast, and his steps were very wide. In a few steps, he was in front of her. ¡°Honey, where did you go? You scared me to death¡­¡± Joanna was so excited that she wanted to throw herself into his arms. Suddenly, Joanna paused and stopped where she was. When she got closer, she saw a patterned python as thick as a calf hanging around his neck. The python¡¯s head was facing her, dripping with blood. Its pitch-ck eyes were wide open in a hideous manner. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. This was District 17. Many animals had been gically modified, so the nearby pythons didn¡¯t need to hibernate. Just now, Bruce was too hungry and could only go out to look for food. Unfortunately, this python had be his prey. Of course, after he drank the snake¡¯s blood, he thought she must be hungry too. Therefore, he kindly brought her food. After reacting, ¡°Oh, no!¡± Joanna screamed in horror. She felt her spirits buzzing and her soul flying in fear. She was most afraid of snakes. Moreover, it was such a huge patterned snake. It was simply too terrifying. Seeing this, Bruce thought that she was afraid of him. He quickly took a step forward, wanting to comfort her. He would not hurt her. Joanna let out a shrill scream and staggered a few steps back before falling to the ground. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te over. Go away. Go away now.¡± A hint of confusion appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. When she saw him just now, she ran toward him happily. Why was she rejecting him now? Bruce didn¡¯t dare to get any closer and stood there at a loss. Joanna¡¯s heart was beating rapidly. It took a long time for her to regain her senses. Seeing that she had stopped screaming, Bruce pulled the dead snake from his neck and threw it to her kindly. ¡°Eat¡­ Eat¡­¡± The dead snakended squarely on Joanna¡¯s body. She felt the soft and smooth touch. ¡°¡­ Oh, no!¡± Joanna threw the dead snake away as if she got burned by it. Her heart skipped a beat, and she fell backward. She was so frightened that she went into shock. Bruce was stunned. He stared nkly for a few seconds and seemed to realize that she was very afraid of this thing. However, he really didn¡¯t mean any harm just now, He only thought that she might be hungry, so he specially brought her food. After a while, Bruce came back to his senses and quickly squatted down to check on Joanna. Seeing that she fainted, he bent down and picked her up horizontally. Then, he walked straight to the stream. When he reached the stream, he drank a few mouthfuls of water and took some in his mouth. ¡°Pfft!¡± He sprayed water all over her face. Joanna was jolted awake by the water. Seeing that she was awake, Bruce approached her and giggled happily. ¡°Aha¡­¡± Joanna blinked and looked at him in a daze. Bruce smiled at her again, his eyes sparkling. Joanna came back to her senses and started crying. ¡°You bastard, you scared me to death. Boohoo!¡± Seeing that she was crying, Bruce was at a loss again, just like a child who had done something wrong. Joanna cried until her eyes were blurry. When she saw his confused look, she could not help but throw herself into his arms and cry loudly. The consciousness in Bruce¡¯s brain became active again, and some deep images began to sh through his mind. Unfortunately, these images were not coherent at all. He could not remember the whole story. Chapter 1110 Chapter 1110 Chapter 1110 ¡°Hiss¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Bruce frowned and started to cover his head in agitation. The electronic microchips in his brain continued to send instructions to him. Ron was very anxious. He located Bruce¡¯s location on theputer. Then he kept issuing instructions for him to return. At the same time, Mairesi also sent the oppositemand to Bruce¡¯s brain through theputer. He finally managed to find a way to get Subject 807 out of District 17. Of course, he could not let him go back. Bruce¡¯s brain started to be chaotic again. ¡°No!¡± Seeing this, Joanna couldn¡¯t care less about crying and quickly checked his condition. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong? Are you having a headache?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and find Aria and others immediately. I¡¯ll send you to the hospital. There must be a way.¡± She had already seen him hit the stone wall with his head yesterday. She was afraid that he would hurt himself again. Bruce pped his head hard again and shook it with all his might. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Buzz! Buzz!¡± His brain waves fluctuated uncontrobly, issuing all kinds of chaoticmands. ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce gave a roar of pain and fell heavily to the ground. Joanna was at a loss. She could only hug him with heartache. ¡°No, don¡¯t hit yourself that hard. Bruce, calm down. You can control yourself. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Honey, I know you can control yourself. We¡¯ll go to the hospital immediately. It¡¯ll definitely be fine¡­¡± Joanna could only try her best tofort him and rub his head with her hand. ¡°Ugh, ugh, ugh¡­¡± Bruce became more and more irritable. His eyes began to turn red again. The skin on his face peeled offyer byyer, looking extremely terrifying. The humanoid gene body on his body was still evolving. His skin and cells were also growing fast. His new skin had yet to grow, and his old skin was rotting and peeling. It made him look like a terrifying mutated monster. Joanna looked at his changes and couldn¡¯t help but gasp in shock. She didn¡¯t know what research Meltarian had done on him. She did not know what would happen to him in the end either.. However, no matter what he had be, her love for him would never change. ¡°Bruce, hang in there. Let¡¯s go and look for Aria. She must have a way to save you. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Joanna hugged his head tightly in her arms. Her heart ached so much that tears kept falling. With herforting words, Bruce¡¯s emotions stabilized a little. His autonomous consciousness was also quickly awakening. Although he couldn¡¯t fully control himself yet, he realized that he was being controlled. Seeing that his emotions had stabilized, Joanna tried her best to help him up. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go back quickly. Let¡¯s go home. The children are still waiting for us to go back.¡± The two of them staggered to their feet. Before they could take two steps, more than ten Melta special forces soldiers rushed over with heavy guns and live ammunition not far away. They were all inspectors from District 17. They were here to catch Bruce. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± a patrol soldier shouted in Antlenish. ¡°Crack, crack, crack!¡± The other patrol soldiers pointed their guns at Bruce. The patrol captain loaded his gun and aimed at Bruce in a dignified manner. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Raise your hands, Seeing this, Joanna was so frightened that her face turned pale. ¡°No!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at the group of people in front of him with a murderous aura. The murderous aura emitted from his entire body made him look like a ferocious beast ready to attack. Chapter 1111 Chapter 1111 Chapter 1111 ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Bruce red at them and let out a muffled roar. The few patrolling soldiers in the lead were so frightened that they became nervous. They hurriedly loaded their guns, not daring to go forward. They had already heard of the power of Subject 807. The male gori in theboratory weighed over 330 pounds and was extremely ferocious and violent. However, Subject 807¡¯s p shattered his skull. They did not dare to go forward bare-handed, nor did they want to have their heads smashed by his p. ¡°Captain, let¡¯s just shoot!¡± A patrolling soldier stuttered. He was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. The captain shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t really shoot. Ron said that we have to capture him alive.¡± ¡°Who would dare to catch such a terrifying monster?¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s capture that woman first¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, what should we do?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart trembled as she stuck close to Bruce. Bruce protected her behind him. A hint of threat and intimidation appeared on his face as he stared at the people opposite him with killing intent. He knew that these people were here to capture him. Although his consciousness was in a mess, the pain and torture he endured in District 17 was still imprinted in his mind. This feeling made him even more frightened and uneasy. ¡°Give up resisting now. Come back to District 17 with us. Otherwise, we¡¯ll shoot,¡± the patrolling captain warned with a dignified look. Bruce¡¯s pupils constricted as he charged toward the patrolling captain at lightning speed. Due to the gic modifications, his jumping ability was astonishing. He arrived in front of the enemy in less than three seconds. ¡°Oh!¡± The captain was so frightened that his face turned pale. He hurriedly wanted to dodge. Unfortunately, it was toote. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± The captain died. When the others saw this, they were so shocked that their scalps went numb. They couldn¡¯t care too much and started shooting at him. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± The gunshots aroused Bruce¡¯s desire to kill even more, and his attacks became more manic and fierce. As long as his fistnded on the other party¡¯s body, the other party would be injured or die. The scene was a mess. Screams and gunshots made one¡¯s scalp tingle. ¡°Bruce, be careful¡­¡± Joanna shouted in fear. She quickly took a few steps back and hid behind the huge rock. She could not help him much. She could only protect herself as much as possible and not drag him down. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Run¡­¡± The two patrolling soldiers were scared out of their wits. They turned around and wanted to run. Unfortunately, how could they escape at such a close distance? Bruce had no intention of leaving them alive. He chased after them fiercely and knocked them down with a punch. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen patrolling soldiers fell here. Joanna hid behind the rock and did not dare to open her eyes to look at them. The scene was too bloody and cruel. It would leave a shadow in one¡¯s heart. However, she knew that these were all bad men. If Bruce didn¡¯t kill them, they would take him back. After dealing with the patrolling soldiers, Bruce shook off the blood on his hand and walked to Joanna¡¯s side in disappointment. Joanna took a deep breath and stuttered as she looked at him, ¡°¡­ Bruce, how are you? Are you injured?¡± Bruce looked down at himself. He was covered in blood. However, it was not his blood. Joanna also stood up in fear and checked on him. Seeing that he was fine, she was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re alright. ¡°Come and quickly wash the blood off your body. We have to leave this ce quickly.¡± As Joanna spoke, she grabbed Bruce and dragged him toward the stream not far away. His face, body, and hands were covered in blood. It would be too scary if he did not wash it off. They came to the stream. Joanna soaked her clothes in water and carefully washed him. Bruce¡¯s gaze became gentle again. He sat obediently on the stone by the stream and let her clean the blood on his body. Joanna lowered her head to take a look. His forehead had just been injured yesterday, but it was almost healed today, and the other wounds on his body were still very serious yesterday, but they were about to be healed today. Moreover, when he calmed down, his eyes would not turn red, and his appearance would not be so terrifying. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Bruce looked at his reflection in the water and was instantly shocked by how ugly he looked. He shook his head curiously and stared at the reflection in the water seriously. He looked at it for a long time. Only then did he realize that the ugly thing reflected in the water was himself. Joanna asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce lowered his head again and looked left and right. He took a look and revealed a disdainful expression. He took another look and then gave an even more disdainful look. He had been a handsome man since he was born. He had never had any anxiety orck of confidence in his looks. Even though he was not that clear-headed, he still could not ept the appearance of this ugly thing in the water. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. This was way too ugly. There was nothing wrong with his facial features, actually. It was just that his skin was too scary. Because the old skin and the new skin were alternating, it looked terrible. ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s you.¡± Bruce looked left and right in disdain and squeezed out a word, ¡°¡­ Ugly!¡± ¡°Not ugly!¡± Joanna quicklyforted him. ¡°I will remember how handsome you used to be, no matter what you be. In my eyes, you will always be the most handsome,¡± Joanna said as she looked at him affectionately and painfully. In the past, she had never praised him for being handsome. This was because he was overconfident. He often felt that he was the most handsome man in the world. He was already overconfident when she didn¡¯t praise him. If Bruce was praised, he would be very smug Chapter 1112 Chapter 1112 Chapter 1112 Bruce frowned tightly with an expression of extreme disdain. ¡°Ugly¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯re ugly! Anyway, I won¡¯t dislike you because of it. No matter what you be, you will still be my beloved husband.¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes, but she still hugged him. tightly. No matter what he had be, she did not want to be separated from him for a second longer. As long as he was still alive, as long as she could still be with him, she was already very satisfied. Bruce smiled foolishly and hugged Joanna tightly with his thick arms, wishing he could rub her into his body. This feeling was veryfortable, making him feel very safe. Joanna was held by him so tightly that she could barely breathe. Her bones were about to break. ¡°Cough, cough¡­. ¡°Be gentle¡­ Cough¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he quickly loosened his grip and looked at her with an adorable expression. He only wanted to express his joy. He did not expect to hurt her. Joanna took a deep breath and stroked his cheek tenderly, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s leave this ce quickly. They will send people to chase after us.¡± Bruce looked at her in a daze and shook his head. Although his consciousness was a little chaotic, his intelligence was not low. He did not want to be separated from her. He only wanted to stay here with her and did not want to go anywhere else. ¡°Silly, if we don¡¯t leave quickly, bad people wille and catch us.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. The murderous aura in his eyes turned into gentleness. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡­ I can protect you!¡± Indeed, his currentbat strength was astonishing. If they didn¡¯t use firearms, he could take care of any number of them. Hearing this, Joanna coaxed him gently, saying, ¡°No, we really can¡¯t stay here. ¡°We have to hurry home. There are still children waiting for us. ¡°Be good ande with me, okay?¡± Bruce looked at her thoughtfully as if he was thinking about something. ¡°Come on!¡± Joanna smiled gently at him and kissed him on the lips affectionately. Looking at her gentle and affectionate eyes, Bruce¡¯s heart was filled with joy. He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her deeply. The next second¡­ Joanna was shocked and hurriedly tried to push him away. Unfortunately, how could she be able to push him away? She had only kissed him to calm him down and make him follow her obediently. She had not thought of doing anything else. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. But unfortunately, she identally set him on fire again. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± In the past, she could barely stand it, not to mention he had an astonishing physique andbat strength now. Even if he was very gentle, it was still unbearable¡­ In the blink of an eye, night fell again. On Aria and Jaydon¡¯s side, they also found a t ce to temporarily settle down. However, all of them were injured. Especially Leo and Jaydon. They were seriously injured. Leo¡¯s ribs were broken, and he was lying on the ground without waking up. Jaydon¡¯s arm was fractured and his internal organs were injured. He was still vomiting blood. Fortunately, there was a spare medical kit in the car. As a top medical biologist, Aria treated their wounds one by one. Aria boiled some hot water and carefully fed Jaydon some. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Jaydon coughed weakly. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ I¡¯m better now. What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Aria¡¯s attitude toward him became gentler. After all, he had saved her life, which caused him to be so seriously injured. ¡°Hiss¡­ we should think of a way to find Joann and Bruce as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Well, this area is so big and it¡¯s all valleys. It won¡¯t be easy to find them! ¡°Moreover, even if we find him, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Aria paused and looked anxious. Bruce had be like this. He was too aggressive and no longer had his own consciousness. With just them, it would not be so easy to control him. Jaydon also frowned. He was extremely worried. Bruce was not clear-headed and had forcefully taken Joanna away. He was worried about Joanna¡¯s situation. Unfortunately, no matter how worried he was, it was useless. They were all injured now. They could barely protect themselves. Darcy sighed. ¡°Miss Bridges, Mr. Grimm, what should we do next? ¡°There are still patrolling soldiers here. If we encounter them, it will be another huge problem.¡± Carson also added, ¡°That¡¯s right. The key is that we have too many injured people now. It¡¯s too dangerous to stay here. ¡°I suggest that we return to Mornd Town first. We¡¯ll make the next move when we think of a way.¡± Aria took a look at their injuries. Leo was still unconscious. If they did not send him to the hospital quickly, he might not be able to survive. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do. Let¡¯s return to the town first.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s take Leo to the car first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t hit the car!¡± Darcy and Carson¡¯s situations were slightly better. The two of them carried Leo carefully to the car. After carrying Leo to the car, they carried Benny and Jason to the car. ¡°Mr. Grimm¡­¡± Darcy prepared to lift Jaydon. Jaydon struggled to stand up. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± Chapter 1113 Chapter 1113 Chapter 1113 ¡°Mr. Grimm, let me help you up!¡± Daicy said and quickly helped him up. Jaydon staggered to his feet. His chest and arms hurt terribly. Bruce, that despicable bastard, almost took his life this time. In the past, he had fought Bruce three to four times. Although he could not hit Bruce, he was not completely unable to fight back. This time, he was really almost beaten to death by Bruce. If it weren¡¯t for the timely arrival of the rescue team, he might have really been sent to hell. Jaydon pressed on his chest and cursed indignantly and helplessly, ¡°Ah, damn Bruce. He was quite an asshole, to begin with, and now he¡¯s even more inhuman.¡± When Darcy heard that, his expression turned solemn. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Your internal organs will bleed even more,¡± Aria warned. Jaydon took a deep breath and did not have the strength to curse Bruce. With Jaydon¡¯s help, he slowly got into the car. After everyone got into the car, the two cars wobbled away.. Darcy drove one, and Aria drove another. The others were too injured to drive. In the car, Jaydon leaned against the cushion andined weakly, ¡°Uh, Bruce, that bastard. How did he be like this?¡± Aria¡¯s expression was solemn. She did not answer his question. District 17¡¯s research had always been shocking. Bruce must have been gically modified. However, the experiment was very cruel, and the sess rate was extremely low. Even if Bruce was sessfully modified, all the functions and cells of his body were destroyed. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. He probably wouldn¡¯t live long. She just wanted to find him as soon as possible. She had to think of a way to bring him back to the country and let the scientists in the country find a way to save him. Of course, in that current situation, it would be difficult to find him! At District 17. ¡°Damn it, damn it!¡± Ron looked worried and anxious. ¡°Why can¡¯t themand reach him?¡± When Selena heard that, she said with a serious expression, ¡°Professor Mullins, ording to the location tracker, Subject 807 is too far away from here. The signal connection is too weak.¡± ¡°Therefore, we can¡¯t send out themand or themand can¡¯t reach him.¡± Ron took a deep breath. ¡°Send more people. No matter what, we have to bring Subject 807 back.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Mairesi stood at the side with a deep and treacherous expression. He didn¡¯t want Subject 807 to return to theboratory. He wanted to take him for himself. If Subject 807 was just used for experiments, it would be a waste of resources. He wanted to make full use of the results to achieve his goals and ambitions. Therefore, he secretly tampered with the electronic microchip in Subject 807¡¯s brain. Hence, Ron¡¯s commands would be interfered with. In the cave. When Joanna woke up in a daze, the sky was already dark. Ouch¡­ 00:38 Seeing that she was awake, Bruce quickly went up to her. Joanna blinked and looked at his silly, ugly, and adorable appearance resignedly and angrily. Damn, bastard. No matter what situation they were in, he always lusted for her. ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°Sigh, I really have to give it to you.¡± Joanna rubbed her waist. Her joints were so sore that she could not lift them up. ¡°Eat, eat¡­¡± Bruce handed over a ck object. Joanna frowned. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Fish!¡± Bruce chuckled. Joanna was stunned. She looked at the charred fish, and her mind was filled with question marks. A few secondster, a thought shed across her mind, and she looked at him incredulously. ¡°Where did you get the fish from?¡± ¡°I caught it.¡± Bruce smiled at her and handed the fish to her ingratiatingly. Of course! He was just confused, not stupid. He was already extremely intelligent, to begin with. After gic modification, his intelligence was off the charts. After he caused Joanna to fall asleep, he went to the river to fish for her. Moreover, he roasted it by drilling wood to start a fire. ¡°Eat the fish. Eat it.¡± ¡°Amazing! You actually learned how to roast fish. You¡¯re so smart.¡± Joanna praised him like he was a child. After all, he was an idiot at cooking. The only meal he had ever made for her was oatmeal. It was disgusting. He actually roasted a fish for her for the first time. Joanna was so touched that tears welled up in her eyes. Unfortunately, before her emotions died down, she was dumbfounded again. ¡°Mm¡­¡± ¡°The fish scales haven¡¯t been scraped, and the internal organs haven¡¯t been removed. You roasted it just like that?¡± When Bruce heard that, he looked at her in confusion. He was very smart. He knew that he had to roast the fish for her to eat! However, the culinary knowledge stored in his brain was really toocking. Even though he had been gically modified, his knowledge and ability in that area had not increased. Even though Joanna was so hungry that her stomach was rumbling, she really did not want to eat the grilled fish. Chapter 1114 Chapter 1114 Chapter 1114 ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± Bruce looked at her in disappointment. Joanna was speechless. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to eat it, but she really couldn¡¯t! He roasted the fish until it went ck, he did not remove the fish scales and internal organs, and it was fishy and sticky. However, looking at his disappointed expression, Joanna braced herself and took it. ¡°Did one fish?¡± Bruce shook his head and pointed behind him. He had only roasted one, but he caught more than one. Joanna followed his gaze and was stunned. Behind him, all kinds of fish were piled up like a small mountain. Joanna¡¯s face twitched, and her eyes widened. Did he catch all the fish in the river? ¡°Why are there so many?¡± Bruce looked at her in a daze. Why did he catch so many? you catch just It was perhaps because he was too energetic and couldn¡¯t vent. By catching fish in the river, he could release his excess energy. That was why he caught so many of them. Joanna was still shocked and speechless. It was true that a leopard could not change its spots. His personality was like that. He would maximize his benefits no matter what he did. Therefore, there was a reason why he could be the richest man in Greyport. However, they won¡¯t have to go hungry anymore. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Joanna¡¯s culinary skills were still very good. Now that there were so many fish, there were many ways she could cook them. The ingredients and fire were ready-made, and she had a folding military knife with her that she could use to cut the fish. Swiftly, Joanna removed the internal organs of a few fish and began to roast them. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have a pot. Otherwise, I could make some fish soup to drink.¡± As she spoke, Joanna looked at Bruce again. His current strength was astonishing, and she couldpletely make use of it. At the thought of that, Joanna went to look for a pot-sized stone. ¡°Come here. Dig a hole in the middle and make a stone pot.¡± Joanna gestured and instructed him. Bruce was so smart that he immediately understood what Joanna meant. ¡°Bang!¡± A fist smashed down. ¡°ck!¡± He used too much strength, and the stone instantly shattered. Joanna was speechless. ¡°Be gentle. I¡¯m asking you to make a hole, not punch through it. Can you understand what I mean?¡± Joanna tilted her head and looked at him as if she was looking at a fool. A trace of disdain appeared on Bruce¡¯s ugly and cute face. He stood up and brought over another stone the size of a millstone. Seeing that, Joanna was even more speechless. ¡°Forget it, forget it. It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t do it. I want you 1/3 09:58 w to make a stone pot, not a stone coffin.¡± Bruce nodded and hit the big rock a few times with his hands. He chose the shattered piece in the middle. Then, he controlled his strength and chiseled a groove in the middle. Joanna watched from the side and broke out in cold sweat. Oh my, it was so easy to smash rocks. If he hit a person¡¯s head, it would really be¡­ Five minutester, Bruce presented a stone pot to Joanna as if he was presenting a precious gift. ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s amazing, Hubby!¡± Joanna reacted and quickly gave him a big kiss. After a while, sashimi, grilled fish, and fish soup were ready. Bruce sat by the fire, his eyes filled with anticipation and conflict. Joanna busied herself roasting fish for him and then ced the raw fish slices into the stone pot to cook. ¡°It¡¯s done. It¡¯s ready to eat,¡± Joanna said as she handed a fat, grilled fish to Bruce. Bruce eagerly took it and took a bite. The delicious taste of the fish meat immediately filled his taste buds. He had not eaten cooked food for a long time. He felt that it was extremely delicious. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s delicious!¡± Bruce nodded frantically. The more energy he used, the more he had to eat. That was much better than eating raw fish and drinking snake blood. Joanna roasted fish for him, and he ate them one by one. The supply simply could not meet the demand. ¡°Still hungry?¡± Bruce shook his head and continued to look at her eagerly! ¡°You can¡¯t eat anymore. You¡¯ve already eaten more than ten.¡± Joanna looked at his stomach worriedly. His stomach was still t, and his abs were defined. She really didn¡¯t know where the dozen or so fish had gone. Joanna drank the delicious fish soup and finally recovered some stamina. After the two of them ate and drank their fill, Joanna started to coax him like a child again. She said gently, ¡°Hubby, can you go back with me tomorrow?¡± ¡°Not.¡± Bruce shook his head and looked at Joanna in confusion. He could no longer remember where his home was. He only knew that he was safe andfortable with her now. He did not want to return to that terrifying ce where he was locked up. ¡°Honey, do you still remember me?¡± ¡°Joanna, Joann, your wife!¡± Joanna repeated her name over and over again, trying to help him recall. Bruce looked at her gently. When she spoke in a serious manner, it was gentle and cute. He simply couldn¡¯t get enough of her. The two of them together resembled the beauty and the beast. ¡°Forget it, forget it. If you can¡¯t remember, don¡¯t think about it.¡± Joanna was resigned. He refused to leave, so she could only stay there with him. ¡°Sigh¡­ I wonder how Jay and Aria are doing? Also, I wonder how the children are doing at home?¡± When Bruce heard that, he looked at Joanna thoughtfully. Chapter 1115 Chapter 1115 Chapter 1115 In the cave, it was already very dark, and only the faint light of the fire could be seen. He could see every subtle expression on her face, but all she could see was a silhouette. ¡°Go to sleep!¡± When Bruce heard that, hey down obediently. His arms and hands started to wander again. Joanna red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t move around. You have to control yourself. You can¡¯t keep doing this.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Bruceughed and stretched out his arm to let her rest on his arm. Seeing that he was obedient, Joanna felt relieved and snuggled in his arms. His body temperature was very high, and his chest was especially broad and warm. Shrinking in his arms. was simply like hiding in the safest castle. Joanna was so tired that she fell asleep in less than ten minutes with her head on his arm. Anyway, when she snuggled in his arms, she always slept peacefully. Early in the morning, Joanna was sleeping soundly. Outside the cave, faint footsteps could be heard. Bruce suddenly opened his eyes when he heard the sound. His hearing was extremely sensitive. Even if it was a few miles away from the cave, he could still hear the human footsteps. Bruce moved, and Joanna was also awakened. ¡°Yes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Bruce had already stood up and looked at the cave entrance warily. Someone was approaching, and it wasn¡¯t just one person. ¡°Is someoneing?¡± Joanna was shocked and hurriedly sat up. Looking at Bruce¡¯s vignt expression, it was as if he was facing a great enemy. Needless to say, the people from District 17 must be chasing after him again. ¡°Stay here. Don¡¯te out.¡± When Joanna heard that, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce hugged her and turned to walk out of the cave. As expected, about ten minutester, a few people in ck trench coats slowly approached. When Mairesi saw Bruce, a hint of greed appeared in his eyes. ¡°Good boy!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± When Bruce saw Mairesi, he instinctively became vignt. It was as if a ferocious beast saw its tamer. Immediately, he retreated in fear. Mairesi brought a few assistants and rushed over overnight after locating the microchip. He wanted to take Subject 807 away first.. Seeing Bruce¡¯s terrified expression, Mairesi became even more excited. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I won¡¯t hurt you. Come with me obediently.¡± Bruce retreated like an angry beast that was about to attack its prey at any moment. He had suffered all kinds of inhumane torture in the research institute, and the person in front of him was the culprit. Of course! In addition to Mairesi, there was Ron. The two of them worked together and carried out all sorts of inhumane torture to research him. Even though he had escaped, he still had lingering fears. Seeing that Bruce refused to listen, Mairesi smiled sinisterly and took out a remote control from his pocket. ¡°Bang!¡± 00:58 ¡°Ah!¡± Bruce¡¯s brain suddenly hurt. It was as if he had been electrocuted by a high voltage. This intensity made every nerve in his body explode. ¡°Don¡¯t resist. If you resist, it will be even worse.¡± Mairesi waved the remote control in his hand and looked at Bruce smugly. Bruce was a third-generation gically modified human. There were too many things he needed Bruce for. Joanna was originally feeling uneasy in the cave. When she heard Bruce¡¯s scream, her heart jumped. She couldn¡¯t care less and rushed out of the cave. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Outside the cave, Bruce was already kneeling on one knee and trembling in pain. His tall and burly body seemed to be enduring unbearable pain. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna rushed to his side and hugged him tightly. She was flustered and shocked, and she didn¡¯t know what to do. Chapter 1116 Chapter 1116 Chapter 1116 Upon seeing Joanna, Mairesi¡¯s eyes shed with unbelievable excitement. He said in Antlenish, ¡°Oh, you know each other? That¡¯s great!¡± Subject 807 was really beyond his expectations. He went through so many experiments and gic modifications and was imnted with two sets of ¨¦lectronic microchips. Yet, he could still awaken a trace of self-awareness. It could be seen how sessful and powerful this test subject was. When Joanna heard that, she was extremely angry and scolded in Antlenish, ¡°You can¡¯t take him away, you crazy scientists. In the name of doing science, you¡¯ve done evil things that can¡¯t be exposed to the public.¡± ¡°Everyone will condemn and spurn your actions.¡± When Mairesi heard that, he was not angry at all. Instead, he was even more excited. ¡°You¡¯re his wife?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m his wife.¡± ¡°I want to take him back to my country. You are destroying the friendly rtionship between the two countries by illegally imprisoning and torturing my husband. The International Court of Justice will persecute you¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, her eyes turned and stared fiercely at Mairesi. When Mairesi heard that, a trace of disdain appeared in his eyes. Melta was currently the number one country. They had always been tyrannical and domineering, like the bullies and bandits of the world. They had always ignored the condemnation and curses of other countries. Moreover, they were now on thend of Melta. It was simply a dream for them to leave Melta alive. Since they could not leave, all the inside information the research institute would not be known by outsiders. Naturally, they did not have to worry about anyone condemning them. ¡°Haha, since you¡¯re his wife, that¡¯s best. I¡¯ll bring you back to the research institute.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you¡¯re obedient and cooperative, I¡¯ll let you be with your husband.¡± ¡°As you can see, your husband has be very perfect and strong. When the timees, you can be like him too.¡± Mairesi said and gave her the habitual smile of Melta people. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Even if I die, I won¡¯t go to the research institute with you.¡± When Mairesi heard that, he sneered. ¡°In that case, I can only send you to heaven.¡± After saying that, he turned his gaze to Bruce. ¡°Good boy, kill her.¡± Bruce¡¯s brain received the order. His pupils suddenly turned red, and his hands grabbed Joanna¡¯s neck uncontrobly. Joanna¡¯s breathing was instantly cut off. She looked at him in pain and despair. ¡°Ahem, Bruce, don¡¯t be controlled by him¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s arms were trembling violently, and his brain kept giving contradictory and chaoticmands. ¡°Uh, huh¡­¡± ¡°Good boy, kill her immediately.¡± Mairesi strengthened themand using the remote control. Bruce¡¯srge hand tightened, and his trembling became more and more intense. Joanna¡¯s neck was almost snapped, and her face was as red as a ripped tomato. In less than a minute, she had already begun to roll back her eyes, and she was no longer struggling. Looking at her tragic and beautiful face, the consciousness in Bruce¡¯s brain recovered a little. The consciousness forcefully suppressed Mairesi¡¯smand! ¡°Argh!¡± Bruce roared in pain and forcefully put his hand down. His consciousness told him not to kill her. That was someone very important to him. Joanna fell limply to the ground and coughed a few times before her breathing became smoother. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. When Mairesi saw that, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re unwilling to listen. Disobedient children will be severely punished.¡± As he spoke, Mairesi pressed another button. Immediately, the microchips in Bruce¡¯s brain activated its punishment function. It was as if there was a drill in his head. It was so painful that he could barely breathe. He rolled on the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Seeing that, Joanna felt as if a knife was being stabbed into her heart. She crawled to his side. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Bruce howled mournfully and kept rolling on the ground. It was like a thousand arrows piercing through Joanna¡¯s heart. She could not touch him at all. She could only beg Mairesi, ¡°Don¡¯t punish him anymore. Don¡¯t punish him anymore.¡± ¡°Please, let him go!¡± Mairesi shrugged his shoulders. Like an omnipotent being, he enjoyed the satisfaction of controlling their life and death. ¡°Alright! If you want me to let him go, you have tomit suicide!¡± ¡°When you die, he will naturally not be tortured and punished again.¡± When Joanna heard that, her heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Bruce with tears and despair in her eyes. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, ah¡­ Bruce kept hitting his head and rolling around on the ground. Looking at his pained expression, her heart really ached. Unfortunately, she did not have the ability to protect him, let alone hurt in ce of him. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it, as long as you don¡¯t torture him anymore,¡± Joanna said with tears in her eyes. She mustered all the strength in her body and mmed into a rock at the side. In any case, she would die. She did not want to see Bruce suffer like that. She was already very satisfied to see him again before she died. She was just worried about the children. Not only did they lose their father, but they were also going to lose their mother. Fortunately, Bruce had long expected that and cloned a substitute. Seeing that Joanna was about to die, Bruce¡¯s brain suddenly trembled, and he blurted out, ¡°Joann, no¡­¡± Chapter 1117 Chapter 1117 Chapter 1117 As he spoke, Bruce bounced off the ground and quickly rushed in front of Joanna. Joanna crashed heavily onto his chest and was held tightly in his arms. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t, don¡¯t¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s gaze darkened, and his voice was extremely sorrowful. Joanna almost fainted. It took her a few seconds to recover. ¡°Bruce, have you regained consciousness?¡± Bruce did not say anything. He just looked at her affectionately. ¡°Hubby, you¡¯ve finally regained consciousness. Boohoo!¡± Bruce¡¯s head was still hurting terribly. In the next second, he knelt heavily on the ground and began to smash his head. ¡°Ah¡­¡± After smashing it dozens of times, Bruce suddenly bounced up again and pounced toward Mairesi at lightning speed before anyone could react. Seeing that, Mairesi¡¯s assistants hurriedly raised their guns and aimed at Bruce. Mairesi stepped back as he excitedly stopped his assistant from firing. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot.¡± At the same time, he pressed the maximum punishment power on the remote control. Bruce¡¯s fist went limp in midair, and his entire body fell heavily to the ground. The maximum power punishment was like an electric shock of ten thousand volts. It was too much for his brain to bear. Bruce hugged his head and rolled around in pain. ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart ached so much that she could not breathe. If possible, she was really willing to bear it for him. Or perhaps, she could end the torture and let the two of them die! She really could not bear to see him suffer like that. ¡°Hmph, this is the consequence of disobedience,¡± Mairesi said smugly. Before anyone could react, an authoritative voice suddenly sounded from behind him. ¡°Mairesi, what are you doing?¡± Mairesi heard that and turned around. Behind him, Ron was looking at him angrily, followed by a few armed assistants. He also rushed over with his assistant after locating the microchip. Unexpectedly, just as he arrived, he saw that Mairesi had reached first. After a moment, Mairesi came back to his senses and hurriedly said, ¡°Ron, you came at the right time. I¡­ was nning to bring Subject 807 back to theboratory.¡± When Ron heard that, he looked at Mairesi with cold disdain. It was obvious that he did not believe what Mairesi said. Mairesi felt guilty and subconsciously exined, ¡°I, I happened to discover his whereabouts. I wanted to give you a surprise, so¡­¡± Ron interrupted him directly and said with extreme displeasure, ¡°You also impacted an electronic microchip in his brain?¡± No wonder he was constantly interrupted when he issued orders to Subject 807, It turned out that Mairesi was behind it. Mairesi¡¯s body stiffened. Knowing he could not deny it, he simply admitted, ¡°Ron, he was developed by the two of us. I have the right to do so.¡± When Ron heard that, he was even angrier. ¡°What exactly do you want to do? What¡¯s your motive for doing this?¡± ¡°If you want to monitor his brain data, we can share an electronic microchip. You can check it at any time. Why do you need to inject another one? I really can¡¯t understand your actions.¡± ¡°What don¡¯t I want to do? He¡¯s a product of both of us. I want to monitor his brain too.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be too authoritarian and have total control over all the research results.¡± ¡°Mairesi, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Of course, I know what I¡¯m talking about. I just can¡¯t stand the way you¡¯re always so full of yourself. You make everyone listen to your arrangements and take all the credit.¡± The two of them argued fiercely, not giving in to each other. Ron couldn¡¯t believe his ears. He had never expected his good partner to have such a huge problem with him. ¡°Okay, okay, I don¡¯t want to argue with you now. There¡¯s no point in arguing now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk so much. Bring Subject 807 back to theboratory first.¡± Bruce¡¯s mind trembled. He held Joanna¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As he spoke, he carried her on his shoulder. Then, he used all his energy and ran toward the other end of the valley. He was running so fast that he looked like an antelope running for its life. Even the world¡¯s fastest long- distance runner couldn¡¯t match his speed. Seeing that, Mairesi and Ron could not care less about arguing. ¡°Subject 807 has run away. Hurry up chase after him!¡± ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry, go after them.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Their assistants hurriedly chased after them. Unfortunately, they were all normal people. How could they outrun Bruce? In the blink of an eye, Bruce¡¯s figure had already disappeared from the valley. Seeing that Subject 807 had disappeared, the two of them took out the remote control almost at the same time. ¡°Hurry up and give the order.¡± They pressed the remote control, one after the other. Chapter 1118 Chapter 1118 Chapter 1118 At the other end of the valley. Bruce¡¯s brain received two differentmands, and the two electronic microchips were frantically interfering with his brain waves. That caused him so much pain that he almost fainted. He could barely hold on. However, it was a blessing in disguise. Mairesi and Ron were too close to each other. They sent outmands at the same time, causing the twomands to interfere with each other. There was no way to transmit them to his brain urately. Therefore, even though Bruce had a splitting headache, he still maintained a trace of consciousness and ran with all his might. He knew that as long as he stayed away from them, his head would not hurt so bad. Half an hourter, Bruce carried Joanna and ran all the way from one valley to another. He distanced himself from Mairesi and the others again. Ron was exasperated and anxious. ¡°Damn it, damn it.¡± ¡°Subject 807 is now out of range.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. You have to take responsibility for this.¡± When Mairesi heard that, he also looked angry. ¡°You can¡¯t me me. It¡¯s because you¡¯re too authoritarian and always prevent others from getting close to 807.¡± ¡°I did this because of your selfishness. I also wanted better results. I didn¡¯t expect this oue either.¡± The two of them were extremely dejected and anxious. They could not help but me each other. Subject 807 was in great danger. Moreover, he was very powerful.. Now that he was out of their control, what would the consequences be? Especially since they had spent a lot of effort researching that. If they lost it just like that, they would really copse. Ron nced at the small tracking device in his hand again and stoppedining. ¡°Hurry back to the laboratory and track through the radar.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way!¡± The two of them couldn¡¯t care less about the argument and immediately returned to theboratory. They prepared to track Subject 807¡¯s location through the radar system. Their current equipment was too small and could only track short distances. There was no way to track long distances. Therefore, they could only return for the time being. Bruce finally stopped at the other side of the valley after running for dozens of miles. ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce put down Joanna. His entire body was already drenched in sweat. Joanna quickly checked on him. ¡°Bruce, how are you?¡± Bruce could only hold his head while breathing heavily. His expression was ferocious. ¡°Your head hurts, right? Let me rub it for you¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously pushed Joanna away. He had a splitting headache. ¡°Urgh, don¡¯t touch me!¡± Joanna looked at him with heartache, but there was nothing she could do. The sky was already gray, and the sun was about to rise. The morning wind and thick fog wrapped around her body, making her feel exceptionally cold. Joanna was shivering from the cold. She tried her best to hug him to warm him up. ¡°Hubby, you¡¯ve regained consciousness, right? Let¡¯s go home and return to Greyport. We¡¯ll definitely be able to let you return to normal.¡± The Everett family was the richest in Greyport. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Greyport Hospital was the best hospital in Greyport. It would definitely be able to treat Bruce. Even if the hospital couldn¡¯t treat him, she could still hire the best scientists and doctors in the world to treat him. In short, the most important thing was to return to the country as soon as possible. ¡°Hubby, we will definitely be able to go back safely. We must all go back alive. The children are still waiting for us at home. We can¡¯t have anything happen to us¡­¡± After Joanna finished speaking with tears streaming down her face, she leaned tightly into his arms. When Bruce heard that, he looked at Joanna in a daze. His pupils seemed to be in a mess, and he could not see her appearance clearly. The situation just now was critical. He regained a trace of consciousness, but his brainwaves were in chaos again. ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce¡¯s head started to hurt again. ¡°Hubby, Hubby!¡± Joanna screamed. Bruce copsed in her arms and fainted. ¡°Hubby, wake up, wake up!¡± Joanna shook him anxiously. Bruce hadpletely fainted and was no longer conscious. Joanna was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat. She quickly checked his breathing. Fortunately, he had only fainted. Looking around, it was another col. However, it was bare, and there was no water source. There were also pitifully few nts. It just so happened that the ce was a vent. The wind in the early morning blew strongly. Although there were no humans nearby, wild animals were rampant. There were wolves and bears. Now that Bruce had fainted, she did not have the ability to protect the two of them if they encountered large animals. Therefore, she had to move him to a safe ce. ¡°Yes, I can definitely do it. Bruce, we all have to survive¡­¡± Joanna encouraged herself as she used all her strength to drag Bruce. Unfortunately, Bruce¡¯s previous height was close to 6 feet and 3 inches. Through gic modification, his figure and stature soared. She couldn¡¯t move him at all. ¡°I can definitely do it. We can¡¯t give up. For the sake of our children, we have to go back alive.¡± Joanna could not drag him, so she could only use inertia to roll him bit by bit and move him to a sheltered ce. Chapter 1119 Chapter 1119 Chapter 1119 It was less than 30 feet away. Joanna struggled with all her might for more than half an hour before she rolled Bruce to the shelter. There was a huge protruding rock at the top. The rock could shelter them from the wind and rain, so she could temporarily settle him there. Joanna was already panting from exhaustion and her mouth was dry. She was exhausted and on the verge of copse. All she wanted was some water. She looked around. Thend here was very dry. It would probably take a long time to find a water source. ¡°Cough, cough, water¡­¡± Bruce coughed and mumbled in a daze. Joanna heard themotion and quickly went up to him. ¡°Hubby, are you awake?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were still tightly shut, and his body temperature was terrifyingly high. The skin on his face seemed to be peeling again. The new flesh was red and smooth. Once the old skinpletely peeled off, he probably wouldn¡¯t look bad. The reason why he looked terrifying and hideous now was that the skin on his face seemed to be charred and wrinkled as if he was wearing a horror mask. However, Joanna did not care about that at all. She would love him unreservedly as long as he was alive, even if he would always be like that. ¡°Water¡­ I want to drink water¡­¡± ¡°You want some water, don¡¯t you? Wait a minute. I¡¯ll go get some water.¡± Joanna looked around. It should be safe there. She was afraid that wild animals woulde after she left. However, she was also extremely thirsty. Without water, she did not know how long she couldst. Joanna moved a few stones and surrounded Bruce to protect him. Even if a wolf came, it might not be able to break the stones in a short period. ¡°I¡¯m going to find water. Stay here obediently.¡± Joannabed her hair and turned to walk away. Her clothes were in tatters, her hair was disheveled, and one of her shoes was lost. With one foot bare, she walked into the distance to find water. Ten minutester, she had already walked a long distance, but there was still no water source. ¡°Where can I find water?¡± ¡°Oh, God, please!¡± With one bare foot, Joanna walked with difficulty while continuing to search for a water source. At the same time, she had to constantly mind her way and make some marks along the way. After all, without any special signs, it was easy to get lost. She walked, broke, and continued. Unknowingly, Joanna had already walked very far. Unfortunately, there was still no water source. She was also about to copse. Her bare foot was already drenched in blood due to the rocks and weeds. Joanna could only tear off a sleeve and wrap it around her foot as much as possible. After walking for about ten minutes, the air suddenly became much moister. ¡°The nts here are a little lush. There must be water nearby.¡± She searched for another five to six minutes. Finally, a wide river appeared in front of her. 1/2 09:33 D ¡°Great, I finally found water.¡± Joanna picked up her pace excitedly and staggered towards the river. After she reached the river, she could no longer care if the water was clean or not and whether she should filter it. Seeing that the water was still clear, she cupped her hand and drank from it. After drinking the water, Joanna sat by the river and rested for a while. She did not dare to dy any longer and prepared to return. However, there was no apparatus to hold water. If she held the water in her hands, it would run dry before she reached Bruce. After thinking about it, she could only take off her clothes and soak them in the water. After letting them. absorb the water, she carried the dripping clothes back. At that moment, she only had thin undergarments left on her body. But since that was no man¡¯snd, she did not have to worry about anyone peeping at her. However, the cold wind blew on her, making her shiver. After a long while, Joanna walked back to Bruce¡¯s side with difficulty. ¡°Water¡­¡± ¡°The water is here. The water is here.¡± Joanna was about to freeze. She staggered to his side and squeezed the water on her clothes into Bruce¡¯s mouth. ¡°More¡­ water.¡± Joanna could only keep squeezing the water from her clothes into his mouth. Then, she could no longer hold on and copsed beside Bruce. At Mornd Town. Leo, Jaydon, and the others were sent to a private hospital for treatment. ¡°What do we do now?¡± We¡¯ve been trying to locate.¡± Beep, beep¡­ Darcy¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Darcy, it¡¯s me.¡± Bruce¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. Darcy was at a loss for words. He knew that the person on the other end of the phone was Bruce¡¯s clone. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett, what¡¯s the matter? Please let me know.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Joann? What have you guys been doing recently? Why couldn¡¯t I reach you?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Put Joann on the phone. I¡¯m looking for her for something very important.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett is not with me now.¡± ¡°Then where is she?¡± Chapter 1120 Chapter 1120 Chapter 1120 Darcy fell silent, not knowing how to answer. Especially since the other party wasn¡¯t the real Bruce. On the other end of the line, Bruce¡¯s clone kept asking, ¡°What happened to Joann? Do you need me to go over immediately?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯d better note over.¡± ¡°Darcy, hurry up and tell me the truth. What is Joann doing now?¡± Bruce¡¯s clone asked impatiently. Although he was a clone, he had no idea that he was a clone because his mind had duplicated arge amount of memories of Bruce. He thought that he was Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett, the signal here is not good. I won¡¯t talk to you for the time being. When Mrs. Everett comes back, I¡¯ll get her to call you back immediately.¡± Before the other party could respond, Darcy had already hung up. ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s clone called out a few times. Davian also looked at him with a serious expression. ¡°Daddy, haven¡¯t you reached Mommy yet?¡± Bruce¡¯s clone frowned and looked uneasy. ¡°Not yet. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? Did something happen to Mommy?¡± Irvin added, ¡°That¡¯s right. If nothing happened to Mommy, she would definitely pick up our calls.¡± ¡°Be good and wait at home. Daddy is going to Melta to look for Mommy.¡± ¡°Daddy, we want to go with you,¡± the two little guys said in unison. ¡°No, stay at home obediently. It¡¯s too inconvenient to bring you there.¡± Davian said, ¡°No, Mommy is scouting for a school for us. We have to go over to take a look.¡± ¡°Just bring us along and see if Mommy is in trouble.¡± Bruce¡¯s clone frowned and felt uneasy. ¡°Be a good boy and go to bed.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and go.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened, and his tone was solemn. When the two little guys heard that, they did not dare to say anything else. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± After the children returned to their rooms, Bruce started sending Joanna voice messages again. ¡°Joann, what are you doing now? Why can¡¯t I get through to you? Call me back as soon as you get the message.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll book the earliest flight tomorrow. Don¡¯t be afraid. What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯ll settle it when I get there¡­¡± On the other side, after Darcy ended the call, he looked depressed and conflicted. Carson asked curiously, ¡°Who called?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What? A call from Mr. Everett?¡± Carson was shocked! Darcy rolled his eyes angrily. ¡°It¡¯s the one in Greyport, not the one n no man¡¯snd.¡± ¡°Oh, oh.¡± ¡°Sigh, this is simply unbelievable. Even if it¡¯s Mr. Everett¡¯s clones, how can it be so quick?¡± Darcy¡¯s tone sank as he said casually, ¡°The current technology has already exceeded human imagination. Besides, Mr. Everett was probably cloned a long time ago.¡± ¡°No matter what, Mr. Everett, is really¡­ thoughtful.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk!¡± Carson could not help but sigh. ¡°Now that Mrs. Everett has been captured by Mr. Everett, I wonder what will happen?¡± ¡°s, we can only pray that Mrs. Everett is alright.¡± 1/2 09:33 On the hospital bed, Jaydon vomited another mouthful of blood. The blood he vomited contained dark blood clots. Aria was taking care of him. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡± Jaydon coughed weakly. He did not dare to cough too hard. With just a slight cough, his chest hurt so much that it was heart-wrenching. Aria took out a wet tissue and carefully wiped the remaining blood at the corner of his lips. Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he could not help but curse, ¡°Bruce, this bastard, he¡¯s really my enemy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s torture living under the same sky as him.¡± That was true. Bruce was indeed his nemesis. Not only did Bruce snatch the woman he loved the most, but he also yed all kinds of tricks on him. Originally, his filmpany was doing well, but it was forcefully ruined by that bastard Bruce. The two of them had finally eased up a little before Bruce beat him until he was half-dead. In his previous life, he probably murdered Bruce¡¯s entire family. That was why Bruce wanted to take revenge in the current life. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you to stop talking. You¡¯ve injured your lungs. You have to recuperate well. Don¡¯t be emotional, let alone angry,¡± Aria warned him with a dull expression. Jaydon looked up at Aria¡¯s beautiful face and could not help butin again, ¡°If I don¡¯t talk, I¡¯ll die.¡± Aria frowned and looked at Jaydon helplessly. ¡°Haha, is it because I scolded Bruce that you¡¯re so mad?¡± Aria was even angrier when she heard that. How terribly the situation was. Yet, he was still in the mood to make such sarcastic remarks. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s nothing wrong with your body. You don¡¯t need me to take care of you here,¡± Aria said coldly. She threw away the wet tissue in her hand and stood up to leave. ¡°Hey, hey¡­ don¡¯t go!¡± Chapter 1121 Chapter 1121 Chapter 1121 ¡°On a serious note, is there any way to trace Bruce and Joann now?¡± Aria paused for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°The technical department is already tracking them. There are no clues yet. It might take some time.¡± When Jaydon heard that, he could not help but feel mncholic and worried. ¡°How are they tracking them?¡± Aria frowned. ¡°Um, can I trouble you to bring myputer over? Also, send me all the information you have now.¡± Aria asked in confusion, ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I want to find out where Bruce and Joann are. We can¡¯t keep wasting time like this.¡± When Aria heard that, she looked at Jaydon with disdain. Even the Special Affairs Bureau couldn¡¯t do anything about it. She didn¡¯t believe that he could find Bruce¡¯s whereabouts. Looking at Aria¡¯s contemptuous expression, Jaydon pouted. ¡°Woman, are you questioning my ability?¡± ¡°Hah, I¡¯m not questioning your ability, but this matter is too difficult. I don¡¯t want to see you waste your energy. You should save your energy and recuperate well¡­¡± When Jaydon heard that, he could not help butugh. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really as arrogant as Bruce. Sigh, the more you doubt me, the more I have to prove it to you.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Aria rolled her eyes and left the ward to get theputer and information. She still did not trust that yboy who only knew how to pick up girls. However, given that he could sneak into District 17¡¯swork system, he must have some skills. Soon, Aria brought Jaydon¡¯sputer and gave him all the basic information that Special Affairs Bureau had found. Jaydon immediately turned on hisputer and continued to hack into District 17¡¯swork system. Currently, he could only track Bruce¡¯s movements by breaking through District 17¡¯swork system. In the valley, Bruce woke up in a daze. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a few vultures flying around. Fortunately, Joanna used rocks to make a simple barricade. The vultures could not enter. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Bruce moved his body and realized that there was someone on top of him. Joanna¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, without a trace of consciousness. Bruce subconsciously shook her. ¡°Wake up, wake up!¡± Joanna was running a high fever. No matter how he shook, she had n¨° reaction. In the past two days, her body been overloaded. On top of that, she was dressed so thinly when she went to find water, and she only wore thin undergarments and walked in the cold wind for nearly an hour to bring water back. There were a few times when she almost fainted on the way back. She had to rely on his tenacious willpower to walk back. She could no longer hold on andpletely fainted. Fortunately, Bruce¡¯s body temperature was very high and gave her some warmth. Otherwise, she would have frozen to death. ¡°Wake up¡­ You¡¯re not allowed to die!¡± Bruce waspletely flustered. He pried open her mouth to perform CPR. Then, he gave her a chestpression. After a long while, Joanna finally regained a trace of consciousness. She looked up groggily. She was running a high fever, and it was difficult for her to even open her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s so cold!¡± When Bruce heard her voice, his heart skipped a beat. He hugged her tightly in excitement, like when she helped him warm up. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you. You won¡¯t be cold anymore.¡± ¡°Hubby¡­¡± Joanna opened her eyes weakly and reached out to touch his face. ¡°You remember me, right?¡± Bruce lowered his head and looked at her, haggard and disheveled. His heart could not help but ache. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± His mind was still in a mess. There were many memories that he could not recall, and he could only remember her name. When Joanna heard her name, her nose instantly felt sore, and she could not breathe. Tears rolled down her face. ¡°Hubby, you finally remembered. You finally remembered.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry!¡± Bruce lowered his head and gently wiped her tears. His eyes were filled with all kinds of emotions. The two of them hugged each other tightly, their tears dripping into the same puddle. ¡°We will never be separated again. Never, ever, ever be separated again. Even if we die, we will die together.¡± Joanna could not stop crying. As long as she could die with him, she would have no regrets in her life. The heavens gave her onest mercy, allowing them to be together again. Bruce¡¯s brain was in a mess, but he still understood Joanna¡¯s words. He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, then the corner of her eye. ¡°Honey, take me home. I want to go home. I miss the kids so much.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at her thoughtfully. Where¡¯s home? He really couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°Okay, when you¡¯re better, we¡¯ll go home.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± At that moment, the two of them only had each other in their eyes. No one could separate them anymore. Even though they were in a life-and-death situation, the two of them felt a sense of blissful satisfaction. To be able to die with the person they loved the most was actually not that scary. ¡°Hungry, right? I¡¯ll go find you something to eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯ll hug you like this and never let go!¡± When Bruce heard that, he smiled nkly. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, very hungry!¡± Joanna looked at his dazed and adorable appearance and could not help but smile brightly. ¡°Alright! Then go find something to eat. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Bruce kissed her forehead again. Be careful. Don¡¯t be gone too long.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be scared if I¡¯m alone here. Come back quickly, understand?¡± Bruce nodded, then stood up and walked out. Joanna did not have any strength left in her body. She could not even stand up. She stayed there in a daze and waited for him. Bruce did not dare to go for too long and could only search for prey nearby. Sadly, it was winter then, and the surrounding area was very deste. Other than the few vultures just now, there was no prey to catch. However, his sense of smell was very sensitive. He smelled the direction of the water source and nned to catch fish from the water. Joanna walked for more than an hour to find the water source. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Meanwhile, Bruce was extremely fast. In less than ten minutes, he had already found a water source. Then, he jumped into the water and began to catch fish. He had just caught a few when a strange sound rang in his ears. Buzz, buzz¡­ There were a few helicopters in the sky circling towards the valley. Even though he was still far away, Bruce¡¯s ears twitched and he heard a sound. Boom! Bruce was shocked. He could not care less about catching fish anymore. He hurriedly jumped out of the water and ran in Joanna¡¯s direction. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± Chapter 1122 Chapter 1122 Chapter 1122 Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Bruce ran extremely fast, like a cheetah with astonishing power. In just a few minutes, he had already run back to Joanna¡¯s side. At the same time, a few helicopters flew into the sky and circled above. ¡°Joann, Joann!¡± Joanna also heard the sound of the helicopter. She was originally at a loss, like a startled bird. When she saw Bruce return, she immediately felt relieved. She staggered to her feet and shouted with a sobbing tone, ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Then, she staggered and ran to his side weakly. Seeing her panicking, Bruce¡¯s heart ached. He took two steps forward and held her tightly in his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± Bruceforted her and looked at the sky fiercely. If they did not use firearms and high-tech weapons, no matter how many people came, they would not be able to control him. He would kill anyone who came. Buzz, buzz, buzz. A few helicopters circled in the sky, but they did not dare tond. In the helicopter, Ron was holding a telescope and observing the ground. Caesar couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Professor Mullins, should wend now?¡± Ron shook his head and said solemnly, ¡°Subject 807 is too aggressive now. If we don¡¯t use firearms, we won¡¯t be able to control him at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s too irritable. Even the electronic microchip can¡¯tpletely control him¡­¡± When Ron heard that, he could not help but curse, ¡°Mairesi Welch, this stupid fool, it¡¯s all his fault! He has to be responsible for the entire matter. If anything happens to Subject 807, he will be med for it.¡± If Mairesi hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to inject an electronic microchip into Subject 807¡¯s brain, the two electronic microchips wouldn¡¯t have 1/4 07:36 interfered with each other and couldn¡¯tpletely control his brain. But it was toote! ¡°Professor Mullins, what do we do now?¡± Ron held the binocrs and observed the ground for a few minutes. On the ground, Bruce hugged Joanna tightly. His eyes were fierce and vignt as he looked at the helicopter in the sky. It seemed that if he was angered, he might take everyone down with him. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous tond now.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? We can¡¯t use firearms, and ordinary anesthetics won¡¯t work on him.¡± Ron frowned and observed Joanna carefully with a telescope. It could be seen that Subject 807 cared about that woman very much, Even when his consciousness was in a mess, he did not forget to protect her. It was obvious how important she was. ¡°Let¡¯s get away from here first and think of a perfect solution.¡± ¡°The woman beside Subject 807 would be useful.¡± ¡°The woman?¡± Caesar took the binocrs and observed the ground. ¡°That¡¯s right! All of Subject 807¡¯s abnormal emotions and aggressive behavior probably are probably triggered by this woman.¡± ¡°Professor Mullins, I suddenly have a good idea.¡± ¡°What idea?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s retreat for now and wait for Subject 807 to let down his guard. Then, we¡¯ll think of a way to lure him away and capture that woman first.¡± ¡°As long as we capture that woman and bring her back to theboratory as bait, Subject 807 will definitely obediently walk into the trap and willingly follow us back to theboratory.¡± When Ron heard that, a smile of agreement appeared on his face. ¡°Just as I thought.¡± Then, Ron informed the other helicopters through the wireless pager, ¡°The n has changed. Retreat first. Don¡¯t alert the target for the time being.¡± ¡°Roger that! Roger that!¡± Buzz, buzz, buzz! The few helicopters circled in the sky again and quietly flew away. On the ground, Joanna and Bruce hugged each other tightly and watched nervously as the helicopters flew away. ¡°Why did they leave?¡± Joanna was in disbelief. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and looked at her, saying word by word. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll protect you!¡± When Joanna heard that, she was touched and sad. Looking at his hideous and sorry appearance, she could not help but cry. ¡°Hubby, we can¡¯t stay here anymore. We have to go home quickly and meet up with Jay and the others as soon as possible.¡± Bruce frowned. Joanna knew him very well. Knowing what he was afraid of, she gently held his face with her hand. ¡°Hubby, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m taking you home, not to that terrifyingboratory.¡± Bruce looked at her beautiful and heartbroken expression in a daze. After looking at her for a long time, he showed an obedient smile. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Bruce nodded heavily and hugged her tightly. Joanna observed the sun and the direction. It was already the middle of no man¡¯snd. The entire no man¡¯snd covered an area of more than a few hundred square miles. It would take a day and a night to reach the center of it by car. If one walked on foot, it would take ages. Still, no matter what, they could not stay there and wait for death. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. We¡¯ll think of something on the way!¡± ¡°Okay.¡¯ ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Joanna was limping. She had lost one of her shoes. She was only wearing one shoe. In addition, her bare foot was cracked from the cold the day before, so she could not walk at all. She was sick and extremely weak, so it was even more impossible for her to walk out. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you.¡± Bruce looked at Joanna deeply. ¡°No, it¡¯s too far.¡± Bruce smiled at her, revealing his white and neat teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you no matter how far it is.¡± With that, Bruce bent down and gestured for her to climb onto his back. His back was very wide, like a small hill. Joanna hesitated for a moment, but she stilly on his back obediently. That was the only way then. They should go as far as they can. It was better than waiting for death on the spot. Bruce suddenly thought of something and put Joanna down. He took off his coat and gently and considerately draped it over her shoulders. After he was done, he bent down again and gestured for her to climb up. Chapter 1123 Chapter 1123 Chapter 1123 Joanna was extremely touched and smiled with tears in her eyes. His jacket was long, thick, and almost reached her knees. It was stained with blood and had an unpleasant smell. However, when she wore it, she felt that it was more precious than all the expensive clothes in the world. Joanna wrapped herself with the jacket as tightly as she could, wrapped her feet, and climbed onto his back again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Do you know which direction to head in?¡± ¡°We should head in that direction,¡± Joanna observed. Bruce looked carefully, shook his head, and started walking in another _direction. ¡°Could we have gone the wrong way? That side is the west. We came from the west. We should have gone west.¡± Bruce smiled and did not reply. He had unlocked 50% of his brain¡¯s potential. Hence, his sense of direction and judgment were much better than hers. This way was the closest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Joanna did not say anything else andy on his back. She hugged his neck tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. His back was broad and thick. Furthermore, he had a high body temperature, and it felt like she was lying on a warm mountain. This made her feel extremely blissful. Even at the brink of death, he still provided all the affection, gentleness, and joy that he was capable of giving to her. ¡°Bruce, do you still remember the situation when we first met?¡± Bruce tilted his head and tried hard to recall. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t remember anything. 1/3 07:36 Joanna said faintly, ¡°The first time I saw you, I was only 12. I think you were 17 at that time. ¡°You were wearing a white shirt and stood there looking cool. You were tall, handsome, and fit at the time. I wondered how there could be such a good-looking boy in the world. ¡°I thought it would be great if I married you when I grew up.¡± Bruce blinked. He had no recollection of this at all. ¡°Later on, perhaps fate was ying a trick on us. We got married by ident, and my wish came true. Unfortunately, our first marriage did not work out well. ¡°At that time, I felt extremely pained. I thought that you werepletely different from what I had imagined. You were the worst man in the world. I loved you, hated you, and most of all, regretted falling in love with you. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s all in the past. Perhaps this is a test from the heavens. In the end, I didn¡¯t choose the wrong person.¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help but stretch her neck and kiss him on his cheek. Bruce returned a gentle smile. Even though he couldn¡¯t recall the specific moment she described, he enjoyed listening to it. At Mornd Hospital. After a day and night of hacking, Jaydon finally had a breakthrough. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Aria saw him coughing and quickly poured him a ss of water. ¡°How is it?¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°Soon. There¡¯s still onest firewall.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been up all day and night. Take a break! Your body is already under a lot of stress. If you don¡¯t take a break, something bad might happen.¡± Jaydon coughed again. ¡°No need. It¡¯ll be done soon. I should be able to break through thest firewall in another two hours. ¡°Once we breach thest firewall, we should be able to trace Bruce and Joann to their current locations.¡± When Aria heard this, she looked at him with aplicated expression. For the first time, she felt that he was not as glib as she remembered. ¡°Are we ready for rescue?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s ready. They are standing by. We can set off as soon as we track Bruce¡¯s location.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯llplete it as soon as possible¡­¡± Chapter 1124 Chapter 1124 Chapter 1124 Jaydon did not dare to stop for a moment. He focused all his attention on theputer. The more critical the process was, the sturdier the firewall became and the harder it was to decipher. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Jaydon could not help but cough up another mouthful of phlegm. He had not rested for an entire day, and his tiredness was visible with prominent bags under his eyes. Seeing this, Aria could not help but persuade him again, ¡°You¡¯re coughing blood again. You should rest!¡± Jaydon didn¡¯t even raise his head. He said in a deep and firm voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m really fine.¡± ¡°No, if you faint, we¡¯ll be in even more trouble.¡± ¡°This is a critical moment. We can¡¯t rx. The firewall here will change every minute! ¡°If I stop, I¡¯ll have to start all over again.¡± When Aria heard this, she did not dare to disturb him anymore. She could only stand quietly at the side. Two hourster. Jaydon finally broke through the firewall. Using the remote surveince of District 17, he managed to track the approximate location of Joanna and Bruce. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Jaydon quickly saved the data. He coughed again, and his vision went dark, almost fainting. When Aria heard this, she quickly leaned forward. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°They¡¯re heading in this direction now. We can hurry over and save them¡­ Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± As Jaydon spoke, he could no longer hold back his cough. He lowered his head and coughed out a mouthful of blood. His internal organs had been injured by Bruce during the fight. Now that he had not recuperated properly, the condition of his health was not optimistic. 1/3 07:36 A trace of worry appeared in Aria¡¯s eyes, but she didn¡¯t bother to express any concern for him. ¡°Is it here?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already saved the data.¡± Aria checked the data carefully and could not help but frown again. ¡°But this is still inside the no man¡¯s land. Furthermore, it is so close to District 17. If we go in, we will definitely be discovered by the troops stationed there.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Therefore, we must strategize properly and rescue Bruce and Joann as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Aria said as she stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you guys¡­¡± ¡°No, you should rest! Leave the rest to us.¡± Jaydon looked at Aria worriedly. ¡°I want to save Bruce and Ms. Haynes more than you do. You don¡¯t have to worry. The most important thing for you now is to recover quickly.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he did not retort further. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± He really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If he went, he would only be a burden. Aria didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°Cyril, Jason, Darcy, Carson,e with me.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± All of them had solemn expressions and immediately followed Aria out. After that, Aria and the agents gathered together and started discussing. ¡°ording to the tracked position, the two of them should be around this area. They¡¯ve been moving west.¡± ¡°However, if we enter no man¡¯snd, we will definitely be discovered by the Melta troops stationed there.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°We can only drive the car here and travel the rest by foot to pick them up.¡± ¡°The usage of cars and helicopters would be too inconspicuous. It definitely can¡¯t enter this region.¡± The few of them thought about it but could not develop a better solution. ¡°That¡¯s the only way now.¡± District 17 was located in the middle of no man¡¯snd. Moreover, there were Melta troops stationed at the edge of District 17. Therefore, if they got too close, their goal would be easily noticed. If they were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable. Chapter 1125 Chapter 1125 Chapter 1125 No man¡¯snd. Bruce had been walking with Joanna on his back for three days. These three days. The two of them had to face the elements and endure hunger. They were in an extremely sorry state. However, Joanna felt an unprecedented sense of happiness. Bruce was still carrying her and walking west. Joanna¡¯s legs were a little numb from being carried for too long. ¡°Hubby, are you tired? Let¡¯s take a break!¡± Bruce tilted his head slightly. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Joanna couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You¡¯ve been carrying me on your back. How can I be tired? I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll be tired.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired!¡± Bruce smiled gently and adjusted his grip on her. She was very light. Her weight did not feel heavy at all to him. After he underwent gic modification, his stamina and endurance became even more astonishing. Carrying her on his back was easy. However, with such arge amount of exercise every day, it was inevitable that he would be hungry quickly. ¡°You¡¯re hungry, aren¡¯t you? Let¡¯s stop to eat something before we continue. You¡¯ve been walking for three or four hours.¡± ¡°Yes, alright!¡± Bruce bent down and carefully ced Joanna on the ground. Joanna shook her legs which went numb, and handed the fish that she was carrying on her back to Bruce. It was the fish that she caught yesterday. Since they hadn¡¯t finished eating it, she tied it up with a straw rope. Bruce took the fish and used a military 1/4 So cut a slice of fish meat. 07:36 You should eat too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat it. You eat it!¡± Joanna looked at the raw fish meat and had no appetite at all. For the past two days, the two of them did not dare to light any fires. Therefore, they could only eat raw food. Joanna¡¯s stomach was sensitive to begin with, and now that she was not feeling well, she could not stomach anything. ¡°How can you not eat anything?¡± ¡°Sigh, at least eat a little,¡± Bruce said, using the military knife to slice the fish into thin slices, just like sashimi from sushi. Then, he handed it to Joanna. Joanna smiled and took it. For the past few days, perhaps because of her health, she had no appetite at all. The slice of fish had a muddy and fishy odor. As soon as it entered her mouth, she couldn¡¯t help but throw up. ¡°Blech-¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too fishy. I can¡¯t stomach it¡­¡± Joanna spat out the fish slices. ¡°No! If you don¡¯t eat, you¡¯ll starve to death!¡± t Joanna¡¯s stomach churned again. ¡°I really can¡¯t eat it. Don¡¯t worry about me. Eat it yourself!¡± Bruce stuffed a slice of fish into his mouth, scrutinizing her with eyes that looked like an X-ray machine. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. For the past two days, he had vaguely smelled a strong feminine scent emanating from her body. In short, the smell was different from before. There was a noticeable change. His sense of smell had be extremely sharp. He was able to distinguish various scents belonging to different individuals. ¡°Blech!¡± Joanna could not help but vomit again. 2/4 07:36 Her stomach felt really ufortable, and she felt groggy. All she wanted to do was sleep. This feeling was very simr to pregnancy symptoms. However, she thought about it and decided that it was unlikely. She had experience from giving birth to two children. Even if she had symptoms, she would only feel the urge to vomit after at least a month of pregnancy. And now, it has only been a week since she had sex with Bruce. Even if she was pregnant, it was impossible for her to have a symptom of early pregnancy so quickly. Bruce approached Joanna and sniffed her. ¡°Why are you sniffing me?¡± ?? ¡­¡­ I feel you have a strange smell.¡± When Joanna heard this, she immediately felt awkward. She quickly Howered her head and sniffed herself. She had not showered for a week, so it was normal for her to stink. ¡°Does it stink?¡± ¡°No, it smells good,¡± Bruce said and couldn¡¯t help but sniff again. ¡°Ugh, stop sniffing.¡± Joanna pushed his head away. It made her feel awkward when he kept sniffing her. Bruce grinned. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat raw fish, I¡¯ll find you something else to eat.¡± ¡°Yes, alright!¡± Bruce looked around and discovered a few trees nearby that seemed to be Buckthorn trees. There were many red fruits on the tree, and they looked like Buckthorn fruits. ¡°There seems to be fruits there. I will go over to pick some fruits for you to eat.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± As Bruce spoke, he stood up and walked towards the fruit trees. ¡°Hubby, don¡¯t go too far¡­¡± Chapter 1126 Chapter 1126 Chapter 1126 The fruits on the tree were bright red, and he wasn¡¯t sure what type of fruit it was. Bruce picked one and tasted it. The fruit was sour and sweet, and it was quite delicious. As such, Bruce Everett began to pick fruits with relief. In a moment, both of his pockets were full of fruits. He excitedly returned to Joanna¡¯s side with a big handful. ¡°Here you go!¡± ¡°Thank you, hubby,¡± Joanna said with a gentle smile. She picked up a fruit and put it into her mouth. She initially thought that the wild fruits would be very sour. Unexpectedly, the fruit was sweet and sour, with a faint taste of milk. It tasted like dates but also like ripe plums. In short, it was very delicious. Of course, it was also possible that she was too hungry, which made it seem exceptionally delicious. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s delicious.¡± Joanna smiled and couldn¡¯t help but put two more into her mouth. She had not eaten much for two days. Due to the mouthful of raw fish she had eaten earlier, her stomach felt extraordinarily ufortable. After eating the sour fruit, her stomach immediately felt much better. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He saw that she was eating with relish. A smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll pick more for you so you can eat them on the way.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± Bruce did not say anything else. He stood up and went to pick more fruits. Joanna stayed in the same spot and continued to eat the fruits. Soon, most of therger fruits on the trees were picked by Bruce. He looked to the west and saw several simr fruit trees. The trees were, unfortunately, situated quite a distance away. He nced over at Joanna and noticed she was still enjoying her fruit. Since no apparent threats were nearby, he felt relieved and continued to venture out to collect more fruit. These fruit trees looked very strange. Logically speaking, the fruits shouldn¡¯t ripen in this season. Moreover, the growth was very strange. There were a few trees here and a few there. They did not grow very close to each other, but coincidentally, all of them could be spotted. Bruce kept looking back as he plucked. As Joanna didn¡¯t encounter any issues, he felt at ease and lowered his guard. He strolled towards a fruit tree far in the distance to pick more fruits to eat during their journey. After all, this ce was ve food. deste, and it would be challenging to find Bruce continued to pluck fruits. This led to him venturing quite a distance away from his original location. When he turned his head, he could no longer see Joanna. On the other side. Professor Mairesi led more than ten assistants. They hid on a high hill and looked over using binocrs. ¡°Subject 807 has walked far away.¡± ¡°Act now!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing the order, the assistants who had been lying in ambush immediately emerged from the caves, mountain valleys, and withered tree trunks. 2/3 09:121 Two hignd off-road vehicles rushed out of the mountain cave at the side and roared toward Joanna. At the same time, two other cars drove in the direction of Bruce in order to lure him awaypletely. Vroom! Joanna had just finished thest fruit when she saw two cars rushing towards her. ¡°Ah, Bruce¨C¡± The car roared over. A few sinister-looking people jumped out of the car and rushed fiercely toward Joanna. ¡°Ah!¡± Joanna screamed, staggering to her feet. ¡°Bruce-¡± A muscr patrolman seized her by the neck before she could finish shouting Bruce¡¯s name. Like catching a chick, he covered her mouth and lifted her by the waist. ¡°Sob¡­ Save me..¡± Bruce heard themotion and was startled. He hurriedly rushed to Joanna¡¯s side. Unfortunately, he did not make it in time. Joanna had already been dragged into the car, and it was speeding off into the distance. Seeing this, Bruce broke into a run and chased after the car. ¡°Vroom!¡± Two other cars rushed over. Several patrol officers helds and stun guns and attempted to capture him. Chapter 1127 Chapter 1127 Chapter 1127 Bruce sprinted at lightning speed, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. With a sudden lunge forward, he fell to the ground. ¡°Get the stun gun and the tranquilizer gun.¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang, bang!¡± The other soldiers in the car immediately fired the tranquilizer and stun guns at him. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Bruce furrowed his brows and got up from the ground. Then, he grabbed the fiercely and shook it. Two patrol soldiers were pulled out of the car. Before they could stand up, Bruce had already snapped their necks. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± When the other people in the car saw this, they gasped in shock. They did not dare to risk their lives to stop him. Bruce could not be bothered to deal with the others. He bolted off and quickly ran towards the car that had captured Joanna. In the car. Two patrol soldiers sitting in the backseat immediately shouted when they saw Bruce chasing after them. ¡°Drive faster, faster. He¡¯s going to catch up.¡± Joanna struggled with all her might. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, save me!¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! The off-road vehicle shook violently. Although the vehicle had good shock absorbers, the people in the car were still thrown around. Joanna was not wearing a seatbelt and crashed from one side of the car to the other. ¡°Behave yourself. Be quiet, and don¡¯t move!¡± The two soldiers squeezed Joanna in the middle. 1/3 09:12 ¡°Let go of me, let go of me!¡± Joanna lowered her head and bit one of them on the arm. The soldier was in pain from the bite and cursed, ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°Bitch!¡± After cursing, the patrol soldier raised his hand and harshly struck Joanna on the back of her neck. Joanna felt dizzy. Her vision turned ck, and she lost consciousness. ¡°Tie her up now so that she won¡¯t struggle and make a fuss when she wakes up.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± The zip ties were taken out as they spoke. One of them twisted Joanna¡¯s arms while the other used the zip tie to tie her two hands tightly. Then, they took out the tape and taped her mouth. ¡°Drive faster. That monster will catch up soon¡­¡± When the driver heard this, he quickly stepped on the elerator. ¡°Vroom!¡± The car¡¯s exhaust pipe emitted thick ck smoke, and it moved so fast that it was on the verge of flying. The car drove further and further away from Bruce. Bruce stopped and observed the terrain. Then, he turned around and walked towards the hillside. This area had numerous hills and not many straight roads. Hence, the car would be required to navigate around the hills. He definitely couldn¡¯t outrun the car, but he could intercept them from the other side of the hill. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Where is he? Why is he missing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°He was still chasing us just now. Why did he disappear in the blink of an eye?¡± 2/3 09:12 ¡°Maybe you managed to shake him off?¡± ¡°How is that possible? Did you see the monster¡¯s running speed earlier? How could I shake him off so easily?¡± ¡°Forget about him. Hurry up and inform Professor Mairesi that we¡¯ve caught this woman.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Mairesi was still standing on the hill and was observing the situation with binocrs. Beep, beep, beep! The wireless radio sounded. ¡°Say¨C¡± ¡°Professor Mairesi. We¡¯ve captured the woman.¡± Mairesi¡¯s eyes darkened upon hearing the news. ¡°Activate the second part of the n immediately and lure Subject 807 to the trap.¡± ¡°We have to seed this time. We can¡¯t fail.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± The driver turned the steering wheel and elerated towards the trap that was prepared in advance. ¡°Good boy, you belong to me¡­¡± Chapter 1128 Chapter 1128 Chapter 1128 The SUV elerated and headed in the direction of the trap that had been set up. The trap there had already been set up. Only by luring Bruce over would Mairesi lure him into a special iron cage. Then, Mairesi would use a private ne to transport Bruce to another city. Professor Mairesi nned to take Bruce for himself, so he spent a lot of money and effort to set up a trap. ¡°Buzz¡­¡± The SUV drove very fast. Bruce did not dare to stop for a second. He directly crossed the hill and took a shortcut to intercept the SUV. ¡°Professor Mairesi, where is Subject 807?¡± Mairesi took the binocrs and stood on the high hill to search around. He also found it strange. Subject 807 was clearly running behind the car just now, but now, he was gone. After scanning the area with the binocrs, he realized that there was a figure running at high speed on the hill. ¡°Shit, he¡¯s over there.¡± Beep, beep, beep. Mairesi hurriedly radioed the driver. ¡°Please speak.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Mairesi said anxiously, ¡°Subject 807 went around the hill. He went to stop your car. Be careful.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± The driver was shocked. When the others in the car heard this, they also looked nervously in front of the car. Bruce ran across the hill like a running cheetah and finally got ahead of the car. The SUV had just arrived because it had taken a detour. 1/4 09:12 ¡°Bang!¡± There was a loud sound. Before anyone could react, Bruce had already jumped down from the hill andnded heavily on the roof of the car. The people in the SUV were all shocked by the crash. ¡°He¡¯s on the roof.¡± ¡°Shit, get him off the car.¡±. ¡°Buzz, buzz, buzz!¡± The driver quickly turned the steering wheel left and right, causing the car to sway back and forth like a divine dragon wagging its tail. Bruce held the edge of the roof tightly andy firmly under the car. No matter how the car swayed, it could not shake him off. ¡°Fuck!¡± The people in the car panicked. The person lying on the roof of the car was not a human, but a god of death. ¡°Professor Mairesi. He¡¯s on the roof now. What do we do?¡± When Mairesi heard this, he also felt anxious. They were still about 1.2 to 1.9 miles away from the trap. They could only hope that the driver¡¯s driving skills were better and would try his best to bring Bruce to the trap. ¡°Professor Mairesi, hurry up and think of something. We can¡¯t hold on anymore. ¡°I suggest we shoot him down first. ¡°If we don¡¯t shoot now, everyone in the car could die.¡± ¡°No, try to stick to the original n. I¡¯ll immediately send someone to reinforce you. ¡°Paul, Cady, you¡¯re on your way to help.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The two of them immediately brought a few patrolling soldiers and started the helicopter to assist. ¡°Bang bang!¡± Bruce changed direction and punched the front windshield. 2/4 09:13 The windows of such an SUV were equipped with bulletproof ss, making it difficult for bullets to shoot out. Unfortunately, after Bruce punched, the ss was already cracked. Two more punches and it might explode. The driver panicked and quickly let go of the elerator, Thud, thud, thud. ¡°Stop the car!¡± ¡°Squeak!¡± The car suddenly stopped, and Bruce was thrown to the ground by the huge inertia. The other people in the car also mmed into the back of the seat. Joanna also rolled under the seat and got stuck. The moment Brucended on the ground, he rolled and stood up again like a tumbler. Then, he ran toward the car without any hesitation. ¡°Ah! Run¡­¡± The two patrol soldiers hurriedly abandoned the car and fled. Bruce¡¯s eyes turned cold. He jumped like a tiger and pounced on one of them. ¡°Bang, bang.¡± The patrolling soldier grunted and immediately stopped breathing. ¡°Urgh¡­ Run!¡± At the same time, Paul and Cady, also in the helicopter, came to the rescue. In the air, they began to fire tear gas shells and small grenades at Bruce. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± A few tear gas bombs exploded at the same time, and thick yellow tear gas dispersed. Bruce¡¯s eyes were instantly blinded by the smoke and he started coughing violently. The driver came back to his senses and hurriedly started the car to escape. Chapter 1129 Chapter 1129 Chapter 1129 ng! The driver was flustered and anxious. Coupled with his blurry vision, he could not see the road ahead clearly. The front of the SUV tilted and rushed out of the cliff. ng, ng! The car lost control and fell into the hugeke below. ¡°Bang!¡± The car mmed into the water. ¡°Joann, Joann!¡± Bruce did not bother to cough and rushed toward theke with all his might. Unfortunately, the two helicopters in the air took turns swooping down on him. Then, they threw small grenades. Boom! Boom! The grenade exploded around him. As he dodged the helicopters¡¯ dive and bombardment, he rushed toward theke anxiously. ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± In the carriage. The car was already submerged in water, and the driver died on the spot. Joanna was originally unconscious. Now that she was stimted by the cold water, she woke up in a daze. Her forehead was covered in blood, and her hands were tied behind her back with a zip tie. There was thick tape on her mouth. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± The pressure of being on the verge of death made Joanna struggle in fear and despair. Unfortunately, no matter how she struggled, she could not break free from the zip tie on her wrist. In less than three minutes, the car sank to the bottom of theke, and she waspletely submerged. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± Bruce could no longer care about his own life and 1/3 09:13 Chapter 1129 death. He charged toward theke with all his might. ¡°Ssh!¡± Bruce jumped into theke and swam toward the center of theke anxiously. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. However, there was a distance between here and the center of theke. In addition, he had been attacked by the helicopter just now, which dyed him for nearly ten minutes. Finally¡­ Bruce swam to theke where the SUV had sunk. He pulled open the door with all his might. Seeing that Joanna was stuck in the backseat and had lost consciousness, Bruce did not dare to dy. He dragged her upper body and wanted to drag her out. Whoosh! Whoosh! The water bubbled continuously. Joanna¡¯s feet were stuck and could not be dragged out at all. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Bruce could only swing his fist and smash open the back seat of the car. After the back seat was smashed open, Joanna¡¯s feet could be pulled out. Bruce immediately gave her a mouthful of oxygen and then dragged her out of the water. Whoosh. The two of them poked their heads out of the water. Bruce sucked in a breath of oxygen and patted her cheek bitterly. He tore off the tape on her mouth. ¡°Joann, Joann. Wake up, Joann, wake up!¡± Joanna¡¯s neck no longer had any support, and shey limply on his hand. Her face had already turned pale from the soaking, and she was no longer breathing. ¡°Joann, you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll definitely be fine¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s mind was in a mess as he dragged her toward the shore. The moment he fell into the water, his autonomous consciousness recovered in an instant. He also remembered everything. He remembered the moment when Joanna had dragged him out of the water. ¡°Joann, you¡¯ll be fine. We have to go home. I¡¯ll bring you home safely¡­¡± After Bruce dragged Joanna ashore, he immediately started performing CPR and artificial respiration on her. Joann, wake up. Wake up. I won¡¯t allow you to die. I won¡¯t allow you to die. Please, wake up.¡± Joannay quietly on the ground like a delicate doll. Although Bruce had performed CPR for nearly twenty minutes, she still did not react Half an hourter, Joanna still didn¡¯t have a trace of breathing. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes gradually dimmed. He stopped trying to save her. He knew that he had wasted too much time. She had already been immersed in the water for more than ten minutes and it was¡­ toote to save her. Chapter 1130 Chapter 1130 Chapter 1130 ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce was stunned for a moment and shook her in a daze. Joanna did not react at all. Her hair was wet and stuck to her pale face. She was only wearing a shoe, and her foot that was not wearing a shoe was already red and swollen from the cold. It was a long while. Bruce remained in the same position as if he had been frozen. His heart seemed to have stopped beating, and his surroundings seemed to have been frozen. He could not believe that Joanna had died just like that. The person he loved the most had died tragically in front of him. ¡°Joann, you won¡¯t die. You must be scaring me, right? ¡°Ha-ha, look at you. You always like to punish me like this!¡± Bruce came back to his senses. He had a smile on his face, but the tears in his eyes fell to the ground uncontrobly. There was no greater sorrow than a dead heart. If Joanna died, there would be no point in living. He was stunned for more than two minutes. Bruce suddenly let out a shrillugh. Heughed until tears sttered everywhere. ¡°Ha-ha! Ha-ha!¡± He, Bruce, had dominated for half his life. Even if he was not powerful enough to dominate the whole world, he had great power to get whatever he wanted in this world. But now, he could not even protect his wife. He was the most outstanding agent of the National Defense Bureau. He had billion-dor assets. However, when his wife died, she was in such a miserable state that she couldn¡¯t even have a pair of shoes. Bruce hugged Joanna tightly in his arms. He seemed to be crying andughing at the same time. He seemed to be crazy and demonic. 1/3 09:13 Chapter 1130 ¡°Bruce, ha-ha, you¡¯re really the most miserable man in the world.¡± After saying that, Bruce felt a lump in his heart. He closed his eyes deeply and suddenly lowered his head, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The two cars drove over crazily again. He seemed to hear gun shoots from all directions. However, Bruce did not react. He just hugged Joanna tightly. After an unknown period of time, the gunfire stopped. Not far away, Aria ran toward Bruce with Darcy and the others. ¡°Bruce, we finally found you. We finally found you!¡± Aria said excitedly. She quickly ran in front of him, but she did not dare to get too close. The few of them did not dare to rashly go far away from 50 yards. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett¡­¡± Darcy and Carson also stopped in their tracks. ¡°Could the person in Mr. Everett¡¯s arms be¡­ Mrs. Everett?¡± Carson asked nervously. When Darcy saw this, his heart skipped a beat as well and he sucked in a breath of cold air. Bruce knelt on the ground like a stone statue. He held a person tightly in his arms. The two of them were like two frozen stone statues. Aria mustered her courage and approached Bruce tentatively. ¡°Bruce, how¡¯s Ms. Haynes? ¡°Is she injured? Hurry up and let me take a look at her! She might be saved¡­¡± As she spoke, Aria slowly moved to their side. She finally saw clearly that the person in his arms was indeed Joanna. However, Joanna¡¯s face was as pale as paper as if she had fallen asleep. ¡°Bruce, was Ms. Haynes drowning? ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Let me give her psychotherapy again. Perhaps there¡¯s still hope of saving her.¡± Aria said as she took out the body oil that she had brought with her. Bruce pushed Aria away coldly. His voice was hoarse and empty. ¡°Don¡¯t N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. touch her!¡± He knew it. Joanna was already dead. He had just given her first aid for more than half an hour. She had not breathed for more than two hours. It was impossible to save her. Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She was also stunned on the spot. Chapter 1131 Chapter 1131 Chapter 1131 Another car drove over. Jaydon stumbled out of the car and staggered over while enduring the pain. Originally, he wanted to stay in the hospital to recuperate. However, he was still worried about everyone and insisted on following them. When he arrived, he happened to see someone attacking Bruce, so Darcy and Carson took action and dealt with those people. ¡°How about Joann?¡± Jaydon braced himself and walked up to everyone. Everyone looked solemn and silent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He arrived in front of them. Only then did Jaydon see that Bruce was carrying Joanna. Everyone¡¯s expressions were extremely solemn. Bruce was like a stone statue without a trace of life. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Joann? Joann, Joann¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Grimm, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t go over first. Miss Haynes, she¡­ she has already been unfortunately killed.¡± Boom! Jaydon¡¯s mind went nk. He felt as if ten thousand arrows had pierced his heart. He could not believe this fact at all. The girl he had protected since he was young had gone to another world just like that? After a while, Jaydon came back to his senses and took a few steps forward angrily. He grabbed Bruce¡¯s cor tightly and punched him hard. ¡°Bruce, you bastard. ¡°You promised me that you would protect Joann and make her happy forever. 1/3 09:06 [ Chapter 1131 ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have given Joann to you. But what happened now? How were you protecting her? ¡°Bruce, you bastard. Give Joann back to me.¡± Jaydon seemed to have lost his mind as he punched Bruce¡¯s face ruthlessly again and again. Bruce felt like a walking corpse as he allowed Jaydon to beat him up. Darcy and Carson hurriedly stepped forward to stop the fight. ¡°Mr. Grimm, stop fighting. You can¡¯t me Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The ones who killed Mrs. Everett were those despicable Meltarians. Mr. Everett is also a victim. He definitely doesn¡¯t want Mrs. Everett to die tragically. ¡°Even if you kill Mr. Everett now, it won¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± Jaydon knelt on the ground and cried bitterly. His love for Joanna was definitely no less than Bruce¡¯s. Therefore, he chose to let go. It was because he knew that the person Joanna loved was Bruce. If the person Joanna loved was him, he would not let go no matter what. But now, the oue was indeed like this. He would rather not have let go back then. If Joanna had married him, at least she would not have died a terrible death like this. Aria took a deep breath and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything now. Those Meltarians wille back at any time. We should leave this ce quickly.¡± ¡°Right, right. Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± Aria carefully squatted beside Bruce again and said gently, ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s get out of here quickly. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°No matter what, we have to settle Ms. Haynes¡¯s dead body. ¡°Bruce, the dead cannot be revived¡­¡± When Bruce heard that, he suddenly stood up and pushed Aria away heavily. Then, he took off Joanna¡¯s remaining shoe and gently smoothed her hair. He took off his torn windbreaker and gently wrapped it around Joanna. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have to walk with me by your side. From now on, no matter where you go, I will carry you. You don¡¯t have to wear these shoes.¡± With that, Bruce bent down and picked Joanna up. He turned around and walked to the car. ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. He just walked to the car with a cold expression. He pulled the door open and pulled the driver down. Chapter 1132 Chapter 1132 Chapter 1132 Then, Bruce ced Joanna in the back seat of the car and fastened her seatbelt. After doing this, Bruce got into the driver¡¯s seat expressionlessly. Aria chased after him and asked in horror, ¡°Bruce, what are you going to do? ¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t do anything stupid again. ¡°I know you¡¯re feeling very sad, but we have to stop the damage in time. The most important thing now is to protect your life. Otherwise, Ms. Haynes will die for nothing¡­¡± As she spoke, Aria wanted to open the car door. Bruce rolled his eyes and shot her a sinister look like the King of Hell. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me!¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Bruce, listen to me. Richard is very worried about you now. I order you in the name of the organization to return to the country immediately.¡± Darcy also caught up and said anxiously, ¡°Mr. Everett, you have to think about Davian, Irvin, Devin, and Lilia at home. Don¡¯t be rash!¡± Buzz. Bruce had already started the car. He stepped on the elerator and the wheels drifted on the ground. 1 front of the car changed direction like a whirlwind and roared into the distance. ¡°Bruce, Bruce, calm down¡­¡± Aria chased after him, but it was useless. How could Bruce do what she said? Carson also looked terrified. ¡°Oh no, what is Mr. Everett going to do?¡± The few of them watched the car drive away with worried and depressed expressions. ¡°Bruce¡­ You¡¯re too impulsive.¡± Aria shouted in despair as tears ran down her face. ¡°What would Mr. Everett take Mrs. Everett to do?¡± 1/4 09:06 ¡°Oh my god, Mr. Everett isn¡¯t going to District 17, is he? If Mr. Everett really goes to District 17, he will be in big trouble.¡± ¡°So what should we do?¡± When Jaydon and Aria heard this, their hearts skipped a beat and their faces were filled with worry. Based on Bruce¡¯s personality, it was very likely that he would go to District 17 to avenge Joanna. District 17 was a dragon¡¯sir and tigers den. Once one entered, one would not be able toe out. If he went, they were afraid¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to hurry back to the camp and meet up with the others to discuss the n to rescue Bruce.¡± The protection checkpoint in District 17. Buzz, buzz. ¡°There¡¯s a caring this way!¡± The other patrolling soldier immediately observed with his binocrs. ¡°I think it¡¯s Subject 807. He¡¯s actually back. That¡¯s great.¡± In the blink of an eye, the car had already reached the checkpoint: Ron had given them instructions, so they did not stop Bruce at all. Bruce passed through many checkpoints and entered District 17. District 17. Bruce drove expressionlessly all the way to the entrance of theboratory in District 17. A few guards stopped him. ¡°Stop. The car can¡¯t drive in.¡± Bruce stopped the car and got out like a robot. Then, he carried Joanna out of the car expressionlessly. ¡°Stop, what are you doing? If you move again, we¡¯ll shoot you!¡± ¡°This is Subject 807. He¡¯s a good test subject. Professor Mullins has instructed us to let him in if he comes back.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After all, Ron kept sending himmands to return. It was normal for his brain to return after receiving themands. Rumble¡­ The tempered and thick door slowly opened. The entrance was a deep and solid tunnel. On both sides of the tunnel were all kinds of high-techser wires. Ron had already received the report from the people at the checkpoint and knew that Subject 807 had automatically returned. Therefore, he specially asked Selena, Caesar, and the others to meet him at the entrance of the gate. When they saw that Subject 807 had returned unscathed, they were all excited. ¡°Not bad. The electronic microchip in Subject 807¡¯s brain has been upgraded sessfully.¡± Bruce carried Joanna and walked in step by step against the light. Against the light, he was tall and burly, emitting endless killing intent. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. Hubby will always be with you.¡± ¡°Professor Mullins, Subject 807 is back. Do you need to bring him to theboratory¡­¡± Selena reported to Ron on the walkie-talkie. Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, she heard a click. Her neck was already broken. Selena¡¯s eyeballs popped out, and she convulsively trembled before she fell heavily to the ground. Seeing this, the other assistant screamed in horror. After reacting, he immediately wanted to escape. However, it was already toote. Bruce¡¯s eyes lit up, and his big hand grabbed Caesar¡¯s back cor. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Like smashing a walnut, he hit his head hard on the iron valve of the fire hydrant. Caesar¡¯s brain instantly exploded, and blood flowed down the fire hydrant to the ground. Chapter 1133 Chapter 1133 Chapter 1133 ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­¡± The rest of the people retreated in fear. Ron and Mairesi hurried over with a few deputies. Seeing the scene in front of them, they were shocked. The two of them took out the remote control at the same time. ¡°Good boy, be quiet. Calm down!¡± As they spoke, the two of them pressed the quiet button at the same time. Bzzt! Bzzt! Bruce¡¯s brain began to send him instructions again. ¡°Uh-huh!¡± Bruce¡¯s head started to hurt uncontrobly again. ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t be aggressive.¡± Bruce¡¯s autonomous consciousness hadpletely recovered. The currentmand would only interfere with his headache, but there was no way to control his consciousness. ¡°Uh-uh!¡± Bruce roared and hit his head hard. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± Seeing Bruce¡¯s fierce gaze, Ron and Mairesi panicked at the same time. The two of them hurriedly pressed the punishment button again. Bruce instantly felt as if he had been cursed. The immense pain almost made him faint. ¡°Ah¡­ Uh¡­¡± Bruce hit his head hard as he red fiercely at Ron and Mairesi. ¡°The person who wants to control me hasn¡¯t been born yet! ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± With a loud bang, Bruce punched the ess switch. At the same time, the remote control in Ron¡¯s hand exploded. Rumble, rumble, rumble. 1/3 09:06 [ Chapter 1133 The heavy and thick steel door slowly closed until it waspletely locked. Bruce took a deep breath. The killing intent in his eyes turned intoplicated gentleness. He carefully ced Joanna in the corner and covered her with his clothes. ¡°Joann, have a good sleep. After I get rid of these people, I¡¯lle and apany you.¡± After saying that, Bruce stood up again with a gloomy expression. A boundless murderous aura appeared on his ferocious face. His voice was even colder and hoarse. ¡°No one can leave this ce alive today!¡± ¡°You¡­ you have regained consciousness¡­ ¡°Calm down. What are you doing now? ¡°I¡­ am here to kill people today.¡± As he spoke, Bruce pounced on the crowd like a lion that had suddenly been resurrected. ¡°Bang, bang!¡± The two of them fell to the ground, dead. Ordinary people like them could not withstand a single blow from Bruce. ¡°Professor Mullins. Quick, go to the safe chamber in the back.¡± Theboratory immediately fell into a state of apocalyptic panic. There were many instruments, so guns were not allowed. No one was allowed to bring a gun into theboratory. Therefore, no one here was a match for Bruce. ¡°Pfft!¡± ng! Another four or five guards fell to the ground. ¡°Retreat to the back. Hide in the safe chamber behind.¡± ¡°Ahhh, help, help!¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Call security team.¡± In an instant, the internal security team of District 17 gathered over from various experimental departments after receiving the order. Bruce had already killed 20 to 30 people at the scene. There were at least 200 people inside District 17, including all the scientists and security personnel. Of course! That didn¡¯t include the patrols and garrisons outside. Inside theboratory, Bruce had just broken the switch of the door with a punch. Furthermore, the power was cut, so the door could not be opened at all. The people inside couldn¡¯t leave, and the people outside couldn¡¯t enter. The scene was like purgatory. Bruce was like a murderous god of death, ughtering everyone. Bodies were strewn all over the ground. He had already decided to kill everyone here. ¡°Puff¡­¡± Chapter 1134 Chapter 1134 Chapter 1134 ¡°Danger alert! Danger alert!¡± The console kept broadcasting the danger alert. Everyone in theboratory panicked when they heard the danger alert. Many internal staff members ran toward the entrance without knowing what had happened, wanting to escape theboratory. Unfortunately, they knew what had happened just as they ran to the entrance. The caged animals and experimenters also began to beat the cages manically. Other than Bruce, no one else was alive at the entrance. Bruce did not stop the ughter and walked toward anotherboratory. He had barely taken a few steps when he met a swarm of people trying to escape theboratory. ¡°Ah¡­ Help, help¡­¡± Everyone was so frightened that they fled in all directions. Some of them could only hide under the tables. Bruce was like a god of death. No one survived wherever he went. Bruce had killed before. But he did what he had to do, killing to protect himself. It was the first time Bruce hadmitted such a brutal ughter. He came face-to-face with more than a dozen sturdy, muscr guards, all armed with steel knives and electric batons. -¡°Bang!¡± Bzzt! Bzzt! The electric guns hit Bruce, but he did not have any reaction. Bruce¡¯s eyelids sank. He twisted the necks of two security guards with each hand and smashed their heads together like a watermelon. ¡°Puchi!¡± The brains of the two security guards instantly exploded, and their eyeballs popped out. 1/3 09:06 Chapter 1134 ¡°Ah. Attack together!¡± Swoosh! Swoosh! Bruce scuffled with a dozen men. It was chaotic with so many people fighting together, so it was inevitable to lose sight of one another. One of them shed Bruce¡¯s left shoulder. Bruce did not dodge. He turned around and snatched the saber from the man¡¯s hand. Bang! That man¡¯s head fell to the ground, and his blood spurted onto the top of the ceiling. Bruce¡¯s attacks were extremely ruthless. His every move was fatal, leaving no trace of life for the other party. ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± ¡°Help! Help¡­¡± A security guard was so frightened that he hurriedly ran away. But it was toote. ¡°Puchi!¡± A de pierced through that man¡¯s back, and he plunged heavily into the pool of blood. With so many corpses, their blood flowed all over the ground. Walking on the ground would leave a long trail of bloody footprints behind. After killing everyone, Bruce was covered in blood. He held a saber in his hand and continued to search for the survivors. A small group of researchers hid in a researchb in fear. ¡°Hurry up and lock the door. Quickly!¡± ¡°Oh, my goodness. God, please stop the ughter!¡± A few female researchers cried in fear in the research room. They had never seen such a brutal ughter. Seeing the god of death approaching them step by step, they were even more frightened and cried bitterly. 2/3 09:06 ng! ng! Bruce was frantically banging on the door outside. With his every impact, the crowd inside screamed in horror. Crack! The door to the researchb finally copsed after more than ten consecutive collisions. The seven or eight female researchers inside immediately screamed, ¡°Ah! Please have mercy on us! N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°We don¡¯t want to die. We don¡¯t want to die. I still have my family! ¡°Please have mercy on us¡­¡± Bruce was showing no mercy to these people like a cold machine. He raised his saber and shed down. They didn¡¯t want to die? Did the thousands of people in theboratory want to die? Those people also had families and also begged them to spare their lives. Of course! The countless people had been captured here and turned into human guinea pigs before this. Therefore, Bruce was getting rid of evil for the people and avenging his beloved wife. Today, everyone¡­ All of them had to die! Chapter 1135 Chapter 1135 Chapter 1135 In the safe chamber. Ron and several deputies checked the situation outside through the monitors. Ron was even more anxious as he was thinking of a remedy. One of the deputies shouted in horror, ¡°Professor Mullins, what are we going to do? He¡¯ll find us here soon.¡± Another deputy said, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, release all the gically modified animals to deal with Subject 807 experimenter!¡± Ron shook his head in frustration when he heard that. ¡°No, no. The whole experimental base would be destroyed in this way.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no way to stop Subject 807 now. All of us will die if we don¡¯t stop him.¡± ¡°Oh, my god. He¡¯sing this way¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Ron hurriedly ran to the monitors to check. In the surveince screens, Bruce was full of murderous energy and covered in blood. He hadn¡¯t stopped killing and was looking around for the survivors. The experimental base was only this big. Bruce would find the ce soon. ¡°Professor Mullins, think of something quickly!¡± ¡°Shit, shit!¡± Ron was angry and afraid. He could not help but curse. The tragedy today was all caused by Mairesi, an idiot. If Mairesi hadn¡¯t installed another microchip in Subject 807¡¯s brain and had caused the two microchips to interfere, they would not have had a way to control Subject 807. ¡°Professor Mullins, think of something! He¡¯sing this way.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all going to die if we don¡¯t think of a way¡­¡± The deputies were also scared and panicked. ¡°Let me think. Let me think!¡± said Ron 1/3 09:07 Chapter 1135 One of the deputies panicked and identally touched a switch with his arm. ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ron said, looking frightened when he saw that. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t believe I touched this button!¡± ¡°Oh, my god. No!¡± Ron¡¯s eyes widened, The deputy identally touched the button that locked the animals. Soon. The cage doors opened automatically, and the animals locked inside jumped out. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Those gically modified goris, lions, tigers, and others were ferocious and restless. Theboratory immediately fell into a battle between humans and animals. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Bruce raised his saber and shed down, fighting with these animals. Some animals were so hungry that they now ran uncontrobly toward the corpses. The animals also attacked some survivors. Although they were animals, they were often tortured by inhuman research. Their intelligence was also higher, and they were particrly vengeful. They rushed forward and bit them when they saw the researchers in white. ¡°Oh, my god. Oh, my god¡­¡± ¡°It was a bad decision,¡± said Ron, looking at the monitors in despair. Now, all his hard work was about to be destroyed. It made him heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do. Everything in theboratory was the result of Ron¡¯s lifelong research. And it was all going to be destroyed now. Being afraid the animals would bite Joanna, Bruce rushed back! ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll always be with you!¡± Bruce picked up Joanna again and walked toward the safety chamber. There was a destructive device in the safe chamber! It was filled with dozens of tons of explosives. All were buried in various ces in the research institute. The whole area of District 17 would be razed to the ground as soon as the switch was activated. Of course! It was also to prevent outsiders from entering and stealing the research results. Therefore, many research institutes would have the self-destruct device. Bruce had no intention of leaving there alive today. He wanted to kill everyone and blow up the inhumaneboratory. Chapter 1136 Chapter 1136 Chapter 1136 ¡°ng, ng, ng¡­¡± ¡°Roar..¡± Corpses were everywhere on the ground. Fresh blood covered the ground. The animals tore apart many corpses. Bruce stepped on the blood and walked past. The strong bloody aura emanated from his tall and burly body. As he walked step by step, the animals retreated in fear and only dared to attack the survivors of theboratory. The screams of humans, apanied by the roars of animals, were as mournful as purgatory on Earth. ¡°Professor Mullins, he¡¯sing. He¡¯sing¡­¡± A deputy shrieked in horror, instinctively searching for a ce to hide. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. The safe chamber is very safe. He might not be able to break in.¡± Although Ron comforted them, he was already panicking to the extreme. The safe chamber was indeed solid. It was almost impossible for the ordinary people to barge in forcefully. However, after three gic modifications, the various potentials of Bruce¡¯s body had developed by at least 80%. The safe chamber might not be able to stop Bruce. ng! ng! Bruce banged against the iron door frantically from outside. With his every impact, the steel door vibrated, causing the safe chamber to tremble slightly. After a few impacts, the thick steel door changed slightly, but it was still indestructible. Bruce realized it would be difficult to break through with the impact alone. Then his eyes darkened as he looked around for something to use. Soon, he turned his attention to the workbench beside him. Bruce There were various dangerous experimental products on it, too. Bruce directly picked up these things and poured them into the air conditioner. Then, he turned the air conditioner to the maximum. dand it and quickly knew it was sulfur These ¡°Mmph!¡± Poisonous gas filled the entire safe chamber through the air conditioner and vents. ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± The people inside coughed violently. The poisonous gas and smoke continued to permeate. The poisonous smoke would kill them if they didn¡¯t open the door. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ I can¡¯t take it anymore. I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± One of the deputies looked as if he¡¯d lost his mind. He needed a breath of fresh air if he would die. He rushed to the switch and opened the door. ¡°Crack, crack!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce kicked open the chamber door just as it opened a little. As the chamber door opened, the poisonous smoke inside dissipated. Only then could everyone catch their breath. However, they soon fell into fear before death. Bruce, covered in blood, walked forward step by step to them like a god of death who wanted their lives. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Oh my god¡­¡± Ron¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened. ¡°Bang!¡± The chamber door closed again. ¡°Joann, you have a rest here.¡± Bruce ced Joanna on the research table. Then he lifted the clothes that covered Joann up and covered her face. He was afraid of scaring Joann. He didn¡¯t want her to see the cruelty and horror of his killing. Of course! She couldn¡¯t see it at all. A deputy screamed and rushed over at the risk of his life. ¡°I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± He was going to die anyway, so he had to make onest struggle before he died. Bang! Bruce raised his leg and kicked the oing deputy flying. The deputy flew backward 10 feet and mmed into the chamber door. He spat out blood and fell to the ground. Then Bruce moved his wrists. ¡°Crack, crack!¡± The sound of his joints was particrly terrifying. He shot forward and grabbed the two deputies. ¡°Pfft!¡± They two fell to the ground. In fact, these deputies were all good at fighting. But all of their martial strength had be vulnerable now in front of Bruce. In an instant, seven or eight deputies fell into a pool of blood. There was only Ron left in theboratory. ¡°Son, you can¡¯t kill me. You can¡¯t kill me! ¡°I¡¯m the one who made you. I¡¯m your father¡­¡± Ron was incoherent. Only then was he truly scared. Bruce sneered and lifted Ron up by the cor of his shirt. ¡°Bang!¡± He threw Ron onto the experiment table. ¡°Buzz, buzz!¡± Blood dripped from Bruce¡¯s hands as he walked toward Ron sinisterly. ¡°Don¡¯t you like to do human research? ¡°I¡¯ll let you have a taste of it, too!¡± Bruce said as he picked up the conductor and ced it on Ron¡¯s head. The powerful electric current spread throughout Ron¡¯s body from his skull as the switch was activated, ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± Ron screamed miserably. His entire body trembled non-stop, and the electric waves kept emitting sparks on his body. ¡°Uh, uh, uh¡­¡± ¡°How does it feel? Does it feel good?¡± Bruce kept increasing the power until it was turned to maximum. ¡°Bang!¡± Ron¡¯s limbs shook violently, and his waist arched like a shrimp. Then, he fainted again. Chapter 1137 Chapter 1137 Chapter 1137 Ron was already old. How could he withstand such torture? Soon, he stopped breathing like a dead chicken, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and walked to the safety room at the side. Its door was marked with arge skull and a cross. Bruce found the nearby demolition hammer, gave it a couple of hard blows, and opened the safety room door. There was a switch for the self-destruct system in the safety room. Once he pressed the buttlon, the self-destruct system would activate the explosive device. The entire District 17, including several kilometers nearby, would bepletely destroyed by the explosion. Bruce looked back. The gic animals outside were still biting the corpses widely. The scene was like the purgatory. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Almost over 200 people in theboratory died at the hands of Bruce. A small number of survivors were bitten by the animals. Bruce looked at the experimental subjects in the experiment cages again. They were all riddled with wounds and on the verge of death. Even if these people left theboratory, they wouldn¡¯t live long. Moreover, they all carried unknown viruses. Therefore, they were no longer worth rescuing. Without hesitation, Bruce used the hammer to hit the switch of the self-destruct system. ¡°The self-destruct system will activate in 10 minutes.¡± ¡°The self-destruct system will activate in ten minutes!¡± ¡°Beep, beep, beep!¡± The self-destruct system began to send out warnings, and the time bomb entered the countdown. The ce would be sted into ruins in ten minutes. There would no longer be District 17 in the world from now on. Everything here would also be reduced to ashes with the explosion, which would be a secret that no one would ever know. After activating the self-destruct system, a smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s face as he staggered to Joanna¡¯s side. Bruce gently lifted the clothes covering Joanna¡¯s face and looked at her pale face affectionately. ¡°Honey, I didn¡¯t scare you, did I? ¡°I¡¯ve avenged you. I¡¯ve killed everyone here.¡± Bruce hugged Joanna tightly in his arms, and his tears could not help but fall as Bruce spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t live alone. I¡¯ll go down to the underworld and apany you now. We¡¯ll never be separated again from now on¡­¡± Outside theboratory. Aria looked at Jaydon anxiously. ¡°How is it? Haven¡¯t you connected to the inte yet?¡± Jaydon¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°No. The system in District 17 seemed to have been violently destroyed. All systems crashed. ¡°No matter how I decipher it, I can¡¯t enter¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Aria was worried. ¡°Then, what do we do now? ¡°Bruce must have gone to District 17! ¡°It is bad. The rescue will be even more difficult.¡± ¡°Aria, there¡¯s nothing we can do now. We¡¯ll only add more casualties If we continue to rescue him. ¡°Mr. Thompson said to send everyone home as soon as possible and end the mission.¡± Upon hearing that, Aria felt a sharp pain in her heart. She was worried. The ground shook, causing the few of them to stagger. ¡°Rumble¡­¡± I don¡¯t know be a quale A huge miudicem out our is de de ven haugh there were hunded albumper soon tung by clit dill det the gend A huge mudroom doud append the day in Darter 17 looks like a nuclei region¡± ¡°It¡¯sing from the direction of Domer If My goodnew! Was there m explosion? Chapter 1138 Chapter 1138 Chapter 1138 ¡°How can it be so destructive? There must be a major explosion in District 17.¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­ Then Bruce¡­¡± Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her bnce. ¡°No. Bruce absolutely will not die. ¡°Hurry up. Go and investigate the news.¡± ¡°No. We have to get out of here right away. There should be an enormous explosion there. The entire garrison is in chaos. ¡°We¡¯ll be arrested as terrorists if we don¡¯t leave now.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Aria shouted in despair and could not help but kneel on the ground. Jaydon also stared in the direction of District 17 with a sorrowful expression. The source of the explosion could only be District 17. It also meant that Bruce and Joanna had perished in the explosion. In fact, their bodies would not even be found. Agent Cyril said solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We have to get out of here imminently. ¡°We¡¯ll all die here when the stationed army patrols uster!¡± Although everyone was heartbroken, there was nothing they could do. They could only temporarily evacuate no man¡¯snd. Two dayster. The news media of all countries were scrambling to cover the matter. ¡°An enormous explosion urred at no man¡¯snd in Melta on the afternoon of February 17th.¡± ¡°The explosion might be rted to District 17.¡± ¡°District 17, the secret research base of Melta, was bombed out. The incident may result in the deaths of about 500 people.¡± ¡°Melta shoulde out to apologize and exin the explosion.¡± The news of the District 17 explosion shocked the entire world. Countries were scrambling to report on the matter, denouncing Melta¡¯s hical behavior. At the same time, the destruction of District 17 was also delightful. Although people of all countries did not know who had blown up District 17, they were highly gratified and grateful. In the face of condemnation from various countries, Melta maintained its usual fearless attitude and consistently refused to acknowledge the existence of District 17. However, Melta could only apologize and exin under pressure in the face of worldwide condemnation and public opinion. ¡°Melta Official Announcement. The explosion in the no man¡¯snd area was a military defense drill, and there was no explosion in theboratory.¡± ¡°Melta has never done any research on human gic modification. The legendary District 17 doesn¡¯t exist at all. The explosion did happen, but it was a military drill.¡± ¡°Melta solemnly deres its firm opposition to human gic modification research¡­¡± The President of Melta could not withstand the pressure and held an international press conference. In front of the media of various countries, he solemnly announced that Melta would not participate in research that was harmful to humanity. But it was hard for Melta to justify such an evident explosion. At Mornd Town. Watching the news broadcast as people around the world condemned Melta, Aria and several agents looked somber and mournful. Bruce¡¯s sacrifice was worth it. His sacrifice brought peace to human beings and halted Melta¡¯s research into gic engineering that would destroy humanity. ¡°Aria, Mr. Thompson has given us the order to return to the country immediately.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Aria closed her eyes and couldn¡¯t help but shed tears. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Jaydon had been in extreme pain for the past few days. He was unwilling to ept the oue. He was even more reluctant to believe that Bruce and Joanna were dead just like that. But¡­ It had been five days since the explosion in District 17. There had been no news about Bruce for the past five days. Apparently, Bruce had entered District 17 and destroyed it. It was very much in line with his usual style of doing things. However, Jaydon still did not want to believe that the couple had died just like that. Beep, beep, beep! Aria¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello!¡± Bruce¡¯s familiar voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Aria was stunned. But she quickly reacted. The person who called her was Bruce¡¯s clone. On the other end of the line, Bruce¡¯s clone asked anxiously, ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Where did Joann go?¡± After a minute of silence, Aria replied faintly, ¡°She will never return. Take good care of your children.¡± Bruce¡¯s clone became even more agitated when he heard that. ¡°Speak clearly. What the hell happened to Joann?¡± He had arrived in Melta but could not find Joanna, let alone know what had happened. ¡°She¡¯s dead!¡± ¡°What did you say? Say that again.¡± ¡°She¡¯s lost her life, unfortunately.¡± Jaydon and Aria looked sad. Chapter 1139 Chapter 1139 Chapter 1139 Until now, they still had not been unable to ept this fact. ¡°I can make another clone of Ms. Haynes!¡± ¡°You said it so easily. How can you make a clone in such a short time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Moreover, Ms. Haynes doesn¡¯t even have a corpse left. We can¡¯t even obtain her genes. How can we clone her?¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Enough, stop talking,¡± Jaydon roared in frustration. Everyone was stunned. They didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. ¡°Mr. Grimm, what should we do now? Mr. and Mrs. Everett left behind four children. The Everett family still has such a huge family fortune.¡± ¡°Someone has to take care of the children. The children will be too young to take care of themselves.¡± Jaydon said gloomily, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of Joann¡¯s children! I won¡¯t let anyone bully them.¡± ¡°Then what should we do now?¡± ¡°We can only go back to our country.¡± Beep, beep, beep¡­ It was Grace calling. Darcy frowned but still picked up. ¡°Hello, Grace.¡± On the other end of the phone, Grace cried pitifully, ¡°Darcy, where are you and Jaydon now? ¡°I¡¯m very worried bout you. When will youe back?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll probably be back in a few days.¡± ¡°You are a big rascal. You always leave without saying anything. Do you know how worried I was?¡± ¡°Grace, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°I order you to quit your current job immediately after youe back this time. You¡¯re not allowed to work for that Bruce again! ¡°He¡¯s too inhumane. How can he exploit you like this?¡± Darcy didn¡¯t say anything, but his expression was bad. ¡°Grace, I gotta go now. Mr. Grimm and I will be back soon.¡± After speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for Grace to say more. Jaydon pondered for a moment and looked at Darcy and Carson solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t spread any message of Bruce and Joann¡¯s deaths for the time being. ¡°Just we know. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Grimm, don¡¯t worry!¡± Other than Darcy and Carson, there were two other bodyguards who had been with Bruce for a long time. There was no need to worry that they would do bad things behind his back. As for Aria and the agents, it was even more impossible for them to publicize this matter. ¡°At this point, we can only return to the country as soon as possible. We can¡¯t stay here anymore.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± At no man¡¯snd. In the weeds, Bruce carried Joanna on his back and continued to wa the muddy road. That day, after Bruce activated the self-destruct mechanism, he had originally nned to stay in District 17 with Joanna and wait to die together. But¡­ Just as he hugged Joanna sadly and cried, Joanna coughed unexpectedly. At that time, Bruce was stunned and hurriedly checked her breathing and pulse. Joanna had clearly stopped breathing. But after a night, he surprisedly found that she actually recovered a trace of weak breath for no reason. Because Joanna was pregnant. The fetus carried the gically modified bloodline from Bruce, and this gene itself had a very powerful self-healing effect. However, the fetus was still a small embryo and did not have enough energy to heal itself. Chapter 1140 Chapter 1140 Chapter 1140 However, this had already given Bruce hope of rebirth. However, the self-destruct system had already been activated. There were only seven minutes left until the explosion. After the self-destruct system was activated, all the doors were locked. So it was impossible to escape. The hope that Bruce had ignited was destroyed again. But he suddenly remembered that Eprary¡¯s agent had once said that there was an underground dark river in District 17. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He had escaped from there. Moreover, the agent also said the approximate location of the dark river Therefore, Bruce did not dare to dy. He carried Joanna and ran towards the entrance of the dark tiver. At the edge of theboratory was a destruction pool dedicated to the disposal of medical waste. Bruce knew that that should be the exit of the underground dark river. Therefore, he jumped into the destruction pool without hesitation. After diving down, he realized that the bottom of the pool was indeed connected to the underground river. After being gically modified, his endurance and stamina were astonishing. After swimming 9 miles in the underground river with Joanna, they finally escaped from the entrance of a cave. He had previously encountered the entrance of the cave when he and Darcy were looking for microchips. Therefore, when District 17 exploded, Bruce had already escaped with Joanna. However, Bruce was still seriously injured and he was almost exhausted. Although he escaped, he was unconscious for two days before waking up. On the vast expanse ofnd. Bruce carried Joanna on his back and still walked with difficulty. As he walked, he encouraged himself, ¡°Joann, we will definitely go home!¡± Joanna was still lying on his back without a trace of consciousness. Although she had regained her breath thanks to the good fortune of the fetus, the fetus was too small and did not have such strong self-healing ability. Therefore, she was still unconscious. They walked and stopped. Bruce was already exhausted when he suddenly saw a car parked not far away. He thought he had blurred his vision and had hallucinations. He closed his eyes and opened them again. That was right. It was a car parked not far away. Moreover, it looked a little familiar. ¡°There¡¯s a car. That¡¯s great.¡± Bruce gathered his strength and walked to the side of the car quickly. When he reached the car, he saw that it was actually his own car. He pondered for a few seconds and suddenly remembered. Previously, when he, Darcy, and the others came here to look for microchips, it was inconvenient to park because there were many swamps on the road. Therefore, he asked Carson, Tom, and others to wait for him However, they encountered patrol soldiers on the way. Tom w unfortunately killed, and the car was left behind. When he thought about it, Bruce could not help but feel excited. great!¡± Although he had undergone gic modification, it was still a little difficult for him to leave out of this no man¡¯snd with just his legs. Now that he had a car, it was different. They would soon be leaving out b of no man¡¯snd. There was food and clean water in the car. Bruce hurriedly opened a bottle of water and ate another bread and canned food. Fortunately, the key was still in the car, and there was oil in the spare oil drums. ¡°Buzz!¡± When the car started, the engine and parts were normal. ¡°Goodbye, District 17! ¡°Joann, let¡¯s go home.¡± At Mornd Town. Jaydon, Aria, and the others had already booked flight tickets and were preparing to return. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s mourn! Bruce was great. He was our hero.¡± ¡°Stop talking. I¡­¡± Aria could not help but cry. Jaydon was equally heartbroken and did not want to ept this oue. But now, it had already happened. All he could do was make arrangements for their funeral and protect their children. ¡°Let¡¯s go! The ne is about to take off.¡± They were about to get into the car. In the distance, a car came hurriedly. The driver was very anxious as if he was tired but had to bear with the fatigue. ¡°Who is this? Why is he driving like this?¡± The car was driven over and stopped at the door. The car door opened. A strong figure dressed like a beggar rolled out of the car and fell to the ground. Everyone was shocked and dumbfounded. Darcy carefully stepped forward to look. At the same time, he held his gun in case anything happened. Walking up to him, he carefully flipped Bruce over and was instantly dumbfounded. ¡°Oh my god! ¡°He is¡­¡± Jaydon and Aria hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Who is it?¡± Darcy was so excited that he was incoherent. ¡°He¡­ he is Mr. Everett!¡± Chapter 1141 Chapter 1141 Chapter 1141 ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jaydon and Aria eximed in unison. They could not believe that Bruce was still alive. Darcy excitedly pped his legs and jumped up. The 6.6 feet-tall burly man was as happy as a child. ¡°It¡¯s really Mr. Everett! Really!¡± Carson also hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s indeed Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The two of them squatted down and helped him sit up. Bruce opened his eyes slowly. He had fainted just now because he was too tired and his body was injured. ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s really Bruce.¡± After Jaydon saw him clearly, he was so shocked that he was incoherent. When Aria saw that Bruce was still alive, she could not help but cry tears of joy. ¡°Bruce!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, that¡¯s great, You aren¡¯t dead, you really aren¡¯t dead.¡± ¡°I knew you are lucky. You definitely won¡¯t die.¡± With the help of Darcy and Carson, Bruce stood up unsteadily. He was in a sorry state, and his hair was as messy as straw. His clothes were already tattered, revealing the ck flesh and wounds inside. Moreover, his face had been reced by new skin. The old skin had notpletely faded, causing it to look bloody, hideous, and ugly. Of course, when his skinpletely faded and he returned to his normal skin color, he might not look so scary anymore. ¡°Bruce, you are a bastard. You¡¯re a big bastard.¡± Jaydon took a few steps forward excitedly and grabbed the cor of his chest. He had been enemies with Bruce for so long Knowing that he was dead and would never go against him again, Jaydon still felt very sad. But now, this bad guy was still alive! What a tough guy! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you disappointed to see that I¡¯m alive?¡± Bruce rebuked him gloomily. Jaydon could not help butugh. No matter what, it was a blessing in disguise that Bruce did not die. Jaydon was indescribably excited. He was so happy that he could not help but kiss Bruce¡¯s forehead. Bruce was stunned. He looked at Jaydon in horror. ¡°Damn it. ¡°I was actually kissed by a man. ¡°It was too disgusting.¡± He thought. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re not dead.¡± Bruce frowned and pushed Jaydon away. ¡°Get out of here, you are annoying.¡± When Jaydon heard this, not only was he not angry, he even felt a littlefort. He teased, ¡°It¡¯s great. Your tone of scolding is the same as Bruce¡¯s.¡± Aria sobbed and impulsively jumped into his arms. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve regained your memory. That¡¯s great!¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Bruce was stunned and pushed Aria away without hesitation. Aria looked embarrassed and quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m just too happy.¡± After Jaydon was overjoyed, he immediately looked sad again. ¡°Where¡¯s Joann? Where did you take her body?¡± ¡°Joann isn¡¯t dead,¡± Bruce said and pulled open the backseat door. He unbuckled the seatbelt and carefully carried Joanna out of the car. When Jaydon saw this, tears instantly sttered everywhere. He walked forward excitedly. ¡°Is Joann really not dead?¡± When Jaydon learned that Joanna was not dead, he was so happy that he only wanted to hug her. Bruce gave him a threatening look. ¡°Take your dirty hands away. How dare you touch my wife? Do you believe that I¡¯ll smash your head?¡± Chapter 1142 Chapter 1142 Chapter 1142 ¡°I was too excited, oh, too happy. I was just¡­¡± Jaydon was too excited to speak. It caused his blood to surge. He lowered his head and could not help but cough up a mouthful of blood. Then, he staggered a few steps and lost his bnce. ¡°Mr. Grimm!¡± Darcy and Carson hurriedly went forward to support him. Seeing this, Aria quickly took out the body oil that she had brought with her and inserted them into him. ¡°Don¡¯t be so agitated. Your internal injuries haven¡¯t healed yet. You mustn¡¯t have too many emotional fluctuations.¡± Jaydon¡¯s breathing gradually stabilized. He panted weakly. Bruce was also shocked and asked casually, ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He has serious internal injuries!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jaydon wiped the blood off his chin angrily and said weakly, ¡°Why are you still asking? Because you hit me¡­¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. He could no longer remember when he had hit Jaydon. Aria looked serious. ¡°Alright. Everyone, stop ming each other. Bruce was unconscious at that time. You can¡¯t me him. He definitely didn¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± ¡°You really know how to make excuses for him.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all injured now. We have to go back as soon as possible.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Joann hasn¡¯t woken up. I¡¯m very worried now. Aria, help Joann now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said and quickly went forward to check Joanna¡¯s pulse and physical condition. A momentter. Bruce looked worried and asked carefully, ¡°How is she?¡± Aria looked shocked and puzzled. ¡°Ms. Haynes¡¯s illness is very strange. Logically speaking, she¡¯s already brain-dead. It¡¯s impossible for her to be breathing. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable that she¡¯s still breathing.¡± ¡°Is there any way to treat it?¡± ¡°It might take some time.¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but feel heartbroken. Then, he felt a sharp headache. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce subconsciously touched his head. ¡°My head hurts.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk so much now. The most important thing now is to go back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, we have to go back immediately.¡± ¡°Darcy, book a private ne immediately and we¡¯ll go back.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now.¡± ¡°Bruce, go take a shower inside and change into clean clothes. Also, quickly wash Ms. Haynes¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± As they were talking, a few more cars came over. ¡°Oh my god, who are they?¡± ¡°Could it be those Meltarians again?¡± Seeing this, everyone immediately became vignt. Bruce had blown up District 17. If Meltarians came looking for them, they would probably be in trouble again. The cars stopped. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. More than ten burly men in suits and leather shoes got out of the car aggressively. ¡°Who are you? What do you want to do?¡± The burly men consciously stood in two rows. The car door opened, and a handsome and noble man got out of the car with long legs. ¡°Where exactly is Joann? If you don¡¯t let her out today, I¡¯ll make you be punished!¡± Bruce¡¯s clone led a group of bodyguards and stopped everyone aggressively. Seeing this, everyone was shocked. ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s clone walked up to Aria and asked gloomily, ¡°Where¡¯s Joann?¡± Aria frowned and didn¡¯t say anything. Bruce turned around and saw a person who looked exactly like him. It didn¡¯t take him long to realize that this was his clone. At first, Bruce was worried that he would die during the mission. He was even more worried that Joanna would not be able to ept it after he died. Therefore, he asked Aria to make a clone of himself in advance. ¡°This should be it. ¡°It really looked exactly like me,¡± he thought. Bruce¡¯s clone also saw Bruce. They looked at each other and were both stunned. Bruce was unrecognizable now, his original appearance could not be seen. However, the clone still felt inexplicably familiar. After looking at each other for a few seconds, the clone¡¯s eyes darkened. Only then did he see Joanna in Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°Joann¡­¡± The clone rushed forward excitedly while saying and wanted to take Joanna from Bruce¡¯s arms. Chapter 1143 Chapter 1143 Chapter 1143 N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Although he was a clone. However, he had copied most of Bruce¡¯s memories in his brain. Therefore, he thought that he was the true Bruce. Moreover, a clone was also a human. He was now a living person. Seeing this, Bruce subconsciously took a step back. Seeing this, the clone flew into a rage. He took a few steps forward with an angry expression. ¡°Hand her over to me. She is my wife.¡± Bruce did not say anything. He just stared at the clone in front of him. After all, he had created it himself. Now, facing someone who looked exactly like him, he did not know what to do for a moment. ¡°Hurry up, or I¡¯ll kill you now!¡± The clone waspletely annoyed and wanted to snatch Joanna back hurriedly. He was a gic clone of Bruce. Of course, he had also replicated Bruce¡¯s temper. Seeing that this stranger was unwilling to return his wife, the clone was even angrier. He swung his fist fiercely at Bruce. Bruce frowned and easily dodged his fist. Then he used his shoulder to block him and his foot to trip him. The clone could no longer bear and fell heavily to the ground. Although he was a clone of Bruce, he had to learn the martial arts and skills of Bruce by himself. It was impossible for him to beat Bruce. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± The bodyguards behind him saw this and stepped forward. The clone roared angrily to the bodyguards, ¡°Arrest him!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Seeing this, Darcy immediately blocked the bodyguards and said with a serious expression, ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t move. ¡°He¡¯s the real Mr. Everett.¡± When the bodyguards heard this, they were instantly dumbfounded. They subconsciously looked at Bruce. ¡°How is this possible?¡± The dirty monster in front of them looked a little like Mr. Everett. However, it was taller and more burly than Mr. Everett. However, his face was too ugly. How could this be the handsome and noble Mr. Everett? However, Darcy was their general manager. All the bodyguards in the Everett family were managed by Darcy. Therefore, they all recognized Darcy and believed that Darcy would not lie to them. When the clone heard this, he was also shocked and looked at Bruce in shock. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Aria took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°Come in with me. I¡¯ll tell you the truth. ¡°All of you stay in the courtyard for the time being.¡± After that, Aria, the clone, Bruce, Jaydon, and others entered the house. The others stayed in the courtyard. Inside the house. The clone couldn¡¯t wait to find out the truth. ¡°What is going on? What did you mean by what you just said?¡± Aria frowned and pointed at Bruce. She said to the clone, ¡°Actually, you¡¯re his clone. ¡°He¡¯s the real Bruce, and you¡¯re just a clone.¡± What? The clone was speechless.. He had never thought that he would be a clone. After a while, the clone came back to his senses and retreated step by step. ¡°Impossible. This is absolutely impossible. ¡°You¡¯re lying to me! ¡°What¡¯s your motive for doing this? ¡°Oh, I know. You guys set this up on purpose. You want to embezzle my assets, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not lying to you. You¡¯re really a clone. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I can show you some information. These are all information about you,¡± Aria said as she took out a stack of documents from the house. ¡°I don¡¯t need to see them. You designed them. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I absolutely don¡¯t believe it.¡± As he spoke, the clone turned around and was about to run out. Now, there was only one thought in his mind, and that was that he had been schemed against. ¡°Get him back.¡± Darcy and Carson stepped forward and immediately grabbed his arm to restrain him. ¡°Let go of me. You are bold. I¡¯m Bruce! I¡¯m your boss! ¡°You traitors, how much did you receive from him? I really trusted you wrongly. Let go of me quickly. I won¡¯t fall for your trap. I¡¯m the real Bruce. Don¡¯t even think about letting that monster rece me¡­¡± Carson could not help but reply, ¡°Shut up, you are fake. How dare you be so arrogant in front of true Bruce? ¡°Bruce, what do you n to do with this clone? ¡°Should we carry out the destruction?¡± Chapter 1144 Chapter 1144 Chapter 1144 When the clone heard this, he was even more frightened. ¡°What? You guys are simplywless! Somebody help me!¡± Carson raised his hand and made a threatening gesture. ¡°Stop shouting! ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll punish you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do with this fake?¡± Bruce frowned as he looked at the clone that looked exactly like him. He could not help but feel sympathetic. After all, he was the one who requested to clone himself back then. Now, this clone was already a living individual, another living himself. If they destroyed him, it would be equivalent to destroying another him. After pondering for a while, Bruce finally said, ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I can announce to the public that we¡¯re twins.¡± When the clone heard this, his chest heaved violently. He still could not ept the fact that he was a clone. Bruce looked at him deeply. ¡°I¡¯ll announce to the public that we¡¯re twins. We just got separated when we were young. Now, you¡¯re back in the family. ¡°I¡¯ll also arrange a new identity for you so that you can live as my brother.¡± When Aria and Jaydon heard this, they nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°What do you think? Do you agree?¡± Hearing this, the clone was thinking. Now, he was being coerced. If he did not agree, he will be destroyed by them. It was better for him to agree to the expedient. ¡°Then, what identity do you n to arrange for me?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°I just said. I¡¯ll announce to the public that you¡¯re my younger brother.¡± ¡°Alright! Brother is okay!¡± The clone looked reluctant. ¡°Bruce, I think we should let him temporarily take over your identity.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Bruce frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because your appearance has changed drastically. If you go back to Greyport rashly, it will definitely cause a hugemotion. ¡°It¡¯s better to wait for your appearance to recover before appearing in front of everyone. Especially since your current identity is too special. If you attract the attention of Meltarians, things will be bad.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt that Aria was right. He subconsciously looked at himself in the mirror. Indeed, he was nowpletely disfigured. He looked like a terrifying and ugly monster. If he went home now, the children would definitely be frightened when they saw him like this. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s arrange it like this!¡± ¡°I can agree to your request. But I want to take a look at Joann now.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Bruce nodded in agreement. Then, the clone rushed to Joanna¡¯s side excitedly. Joannay t on the bed, as if she was sound asleep, without a trace of consciousness. ¡°Joann, honey¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Watch your tongue. She isn¡¯t your wife.¡± The clone¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he did not dare to call her his wife anymore. ¡°Bruce, you have to give him a name! Otherwise, it will be difficult to differentiate the two of you.¡± Bruce thought for a moment and said with a frown, ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be called Boris Everett! ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t have any improper thoughts. You¡¯re only acting as me for the time being, not letting you really be me. ¡°After we exchange our identities, I will treat you greatly.¡± When the clone heard this, he still looked reluctant. After all, he had always thought that he was Bruce. Now, he was suddenly told this news. He really couldn¡¯t ept it for a moment. ¡°Be content! Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°We have to hurry back now. We can¡¯t stay here anymore.¡± ¡°Yes. We were nning to go back anyway.¡± Chapter 1145 Chapter 1145 Chapter 1145 Darcy¡¯s phone rang. One of his men called to inform him that a private jet was ready. After hanging up, Darcy said solemnly, ¡°Mr. Everett, the jet is ready. We may leave at any time.¡± ¡°Alright, go get everything ready. Let¡¯s return to Greyport immediately.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± A whileter, everyone set off for the airport. As Bruce and Aria were agents, the organization applied for many passports for them and each passport was real. At 6:00 p.m., everyone got on the jet. It was not until the jet took off that they finally felt relieved. Bruce quietly sat by Joanna¡¯s side with a sullen face. Aria was examining them. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± After Aria examined Joanna carefully, she frowned and said, ¡°Ms. Haynes¡¯ heartbeat is abnormal.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Aria answered solemnly, ¡°She seems to be pregnant, but her heartbeat is very weak and I¡¯m not so sure. ¡°Let¡¯s see after we arrive at the hospital and get her an ultrasound.¡± ¡°Pregnant?¡± Bruce was shocked. ¡°Looks like it, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± Bruce opened his mouth and was about to ask further when he had a splitting headache again. ¡°Hiss!¡± ¡°Bruce, are you getting headaches again?¡± ¡°Hiss! Yes!¡± Bruce punched his head a few more times as he spoke. Seeing this, Aria hurriedly took out a box, pulled out a small bottle of body oil, and applied it to his forehead and temples. She then began to massage Bruce¡¯s head. A whileter, Bruce felt much better. ¡°Can you take the microchips out of my head?¡± Aria said with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s easy to imnt such microchips into someone¡¯s head, but you¡¯ll have to have a craniotomy if you want them to be taken out. You¡¯re taking a huge risk if you have a craniotomy. ¡°Given your current situation, it¡¯s best not to undergo such surgery.¡± After all, Bruce had undergone two craniotomies before. If he had another craniotomy, it was very likely to cause other seque andplications. ¡°But there are two microchips in my brain now. I need to have them taken out sooner orter.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back first. We¡¯ll figure out a way when we reach Greyport. ¡°We can¡¯t find a better solution now.¡± ¡°Well, is there any way to restore his appearance?¡± Jaydon suddenly chimed in. Hearing that, Aria observed Bruce¡¯s face and said, ¡°There are many things that I can¡¯t be sure only judging by naked eye. ¡°Bruce¡¯s genes have been modified. We need to give him a general checkup to see how he¡¯s doing physically and if his genes will continue to mutate.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say so much. I want to know if there¡¯s any way to make him regain his former look.¡± Jaydon suddenly showed great interest in this topic. ¡°If his genes stop mutating, he can restore his appearance after taking some medicine and stic surgeries.¡± ¡°I think he looks good now. He doesn¡¯t have to go back to how he was before,¡± Jaydon chuckled and joked around. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°His current appearance is unique and he looks much cooler than before.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned and stared at Jaydon with hostility. ¡°Hey, Bruce, you don¡¯t even need to put on makeup to win the championship at the Halloween party this year.¡± Bruce said with a gloomy face, burning with anger, ¡°Jaydon, it¡¯s not funny at all!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Your current appearance¡­ makes you look cool and unique. You¡¯re much more pleasing to the eye than before.¡± ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll be more handsome than an ugly guy like you after I recover my appearance, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think that way,¡± Jaydon teased with a hint of a smile in his eyes. Thinking of what Bruce had just said, he shouted, ¡°Did you just call me an ugly guy? ¡°Hmph! Miss Bridges, to be honest, who do you think is more handsome, me or him?¡± Aria was speechless. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ve been more handsome than you since childhood.¡± The narcissist Bruce had always bragged that he was the most handsome man in Greyport. Now, he was probably the ugliest man in there. Jaydon hoped that Bruce would maintain his current appearance forever. In that case, Bruce would no longer show off in front of him at least. Chapter 1146 Chapter 1146 Chapter 1146 Jaydon tried his best to liven up the atmosphere. However, Bruce felt uneasy as if a big stone weighed in his heart, and was not in the mood to joke. ¡°Come on! How can you still be in the mood to joke at this time? ¡°We need to think about what to do when we arrive in Greyport. ¡°Should we send Bruce to the hospital for treatment or find a secluded ce for him?¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. Greyport Hospital was owned by the Everett family. However, there were too many people in the hospital. If someone identally leaked information about Bruce, it would get him into big trouble. Bruce was now the only person in the world whose genes were sessfully modified. If the news was leaked, it would probably attract the attention of scientists and agents from various countries. ¡°There¡¯s a medical center in Ritz Vi with various medical equipment. I can recuperate there. If we need something, I¡¯ll ask people to buy it.¡± ¡°Okay. That¡¯s great.¡± After a long journey, they arrived at the border. As they expected, things didn¡¯t go smoothly, and it took them two days to convince the customs officer to let them through. When they finally arrived at the airport in Greyport, Bruce said to the clone, ¡°Hey, go back to Sherane Bay Vi on behalf of me to keep the childrenpany.¡± When the clone heard this, he nodded despite his reluctance. ¡°Darcy, Carson, send someone to keep an eye on him in case he will y tricks.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Facebook Marketce gives new life to items you no longer need. Go to Facebook. ¡®Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Come on, get into the car.¡± The driver of the Everett family brought the children to pick them up, and they were waiting in the parking lot. Davian and Irvin cheerfully rushed up to their dad and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Lilia could already walk normally. She held Devin¡¯s chubby hand and followed her brothers excitedly. ¡°Dad, we miss you so much. Where¡¯s Mom? Why didn¡¯t shee back with you?¡± When the clone saw the children, he sighed in his heart. ¡°Well, Mom is still in Melta. She has something to deal with, so she asked me toe back first.¡± ¡°Huh? Is Mom still looking for a school for us?¡± ¡°Ur¡­ I think so,¡± The clone forced a smile. Bruce was hiding in another other car and watching the children chat with the clone in high spirits. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wished he could get out of the car and hug his children, especially Lilia, who he cared about the most. It was unbelievable that his beloved girl was able to walk. ¡°Lilia, Davian, Irvin, Devin¡­¡± Bruce looked at the kids through the car window, heart-wrenching. He really wanted to get out of the car, throwing all caution to the wind. ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t get out now. The children will definitely be frightened when they see you like this. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to Ritz Vi first.¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Then what about me?¡± Hearing this, Bruce and Aria both turned to him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also injured. You want to go to Ritz Vi to recuperate without me? Come on, I wouldn¡¯t have been injured so badly if I didn¡¯t go to rescue you.¡± ¡°No one asked you to rescue me. You never do anything right and always give people trouble!¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re so heartless! If it weren¡¯t for me, you would have personally killed Joann!¡± Jaydon retorted angrily. He did not want to be with Bruce, but Joanna was still in aa. What if something happened between Bruce and Aria when they were left alone? Jaydon believed that Bruce would not let Joanna down, but Aria still had feelings for him and might try to seduce him again. Chapter 1147 Chapter 1147 Chapter 1147 ¡°You¡¯re such a pain in the ass!¡± Bruce cursed. ¡°What are you talking about? You want to get rid of me after using me, right? I¡¯m injured. Can you bear to leave me alone?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°How about I send you to the hospital?¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t go to the hospital. The medical skills of those doctors can¡¯t bepared with Miss Bridges¡¯. ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone but Miss Bridges, Jaydon deliberately looked at Aria with an ambiguous expression as he spoke. Aria frowned and red at him in disgust. Her impression of Jaydon changed a little after they came back from Melta, but she still hated yboys like him. Jaydon would flirt with any women he met and sleep with them. He thought himself to be attractive, but he was actually very childish. A woman like Aria naturally did not like the way he picked up girls. Bruce let out a sigh and said irritatedly, ¡°It¡¯s up to you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s go together,¡± Jaydon said with a smug smile after his trick worked. He wanted to help Joanna keep an eye on Bruce so that he wouldn¡¯t have a chance to fool around with another woman. If necessary, Jaydon could even use a honey trap on Aria topletely eliminate Joanna¡¯s hidden rival in love. Another reason that he was willing to do so was that Aria¡¯s personality was very simr to Joanna¡¯s and she was the same type of beauty as Joanna. Now that Bruce took his first love, Jaydon thought they would be even if he also took his. ¡°Drive us to Ritz Vi.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett.¡± Kody started the car, heading for Ritz Vi. When Darcy and the others arrived at Sherane Bay Vi, he was the first to get out of the car. Before he could find his footing, he saw a petite woman rushing towards him from afar. The woman jumped onto him excitedly. ¡°Darcy, you jerk! Why did it take you so long to return? I hate you! You¡¯re so annoying!¡± Grace said as she opened her mouth and bit his neck. ¡°Well, Grace, let go of me.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± Grace clung to Darcy like an octopus, tears streaming down her face. She ignored other crazy. people¡¯s strange gazes and bit Darcy¡¯s shoulder like ¡°You bastard! I hate you! I hate you! Boohoo¡­¡± Darcy looked embarrassed. Although he was very happy to see Grace, he could not stand her excessive enthusiasm. ¡°Grace, people are watching. Control yourself!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I don¡¯t care. Let them watch!¡± With that, Grace sealed Darcy¡¯s lips with hers. The clone and children got out of the car one after another. Davian and Irvin looked disgusted when they saw what Grace was doing. ¡°Oh my god! Grace is already a big girl. How can she do this in public?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Grace should behave herself in front of kids.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go into the room.¡± Lilia looked up at the clone and asked again, ¡°Dad, when is Moming back? She has been gone for a long time.¡± Davian¡¯s face turned solemn as well. ¡°That¡¯s right. Did something happen to Mom again?¡± When the clone heard this, he looked at them, distracted. He didn¡¯t know that he was a clone before, so he thought he was really the kids¡¯ father. But now, he already knew the truth. When he saw the children again, he was no longer like a loving father.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Your mom wille back when it¡¯s time for her toe back. Stop asking questions. Come on, let¡¯s go in.¡± Chapter 1148 Chapter 1148 Chapter 1148 The clone forced a smile and walked into the room, feeling a little bit lost. He needed some time to adapt to his new identity. The kids were disappointed to see their dad enter the room listlessly. They looked at each other, not knowing why he was unhappy. Irvin rolled his eyes, saying, ¡°Did you guys notice it? Dad is different from before after his return.¡± Lilia echoed with a frown, ¡°I¡¯ve long realized it, but I just can¡¯t tell what the difference is.¡± Irvin said worriedly, ¡°Could it be that Dad and Mom are getting a divorce again? N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Mom has been in Melta for so long and is out of reach. They might have a fight again.¡± Davian¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Dad and Mom love each other so much. How can they have a fight?¡± ¡°But there is still such a possibility. ¡°They quarreled and broke up every now and then before. Dad has an explosive temper and often pisses Mom off.¡± When Lilia heard this, she became even more nervous. ¡°What should we do then?¡± She let out a sigh before continuing, ¡°The adult world is soplicated. They get angry so easily!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. They always make us worry.¡± Irvin¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at his sister. ¡°Lilia, Dad dotes on you the most. Go get some information out of him.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Dad cares about you the most. Even if you say something wrong, he won¡¯t hit you. ¡°But if we say something to annoy him, he will not show mercy.¡± ¡°Well, alright!¡± Lilia mustered her courage and walked towards her ¡°dad¡± on her walking stick. In the meanwhile, Bruce and Aria returned to Ritz Vi. Ritz Vi covered arge area and contained a hill. It was evenrger than Sherane Bay Vi. The vi was luxuriously furnished and had various kinds of facilities. In addition, there was a mini operating room equipped with almost all the necessary medical instruments. It was built to enable the family doctor to perform an emergent rescue if someone in the vi had a sudden illness. However, as the vi was too remote, Bruce rarely came back after it was built. Sometimes, he would invite his friends to y golf nearby and asionally spend a night here. Now, it finally came in handy. After everything was ready, Aria did a general checkup on Joanna. Bruce had been by Joanna¡¯s side all along. ¡°How is it? Have the test resultse out?¡± Aria looked at the ultrasound test report and said seriously, ¡°Just as I thought, she is indeed pregnant.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Bruce frowned with mixed feelings. He had no idea if the child arrived at the right time or not. ¡°Ms. Haynes might be able to keep the child. But the fetus is too small. We have to wait and see.¡± ¡°That would be great if the baby is fine.¡± ¡°So we may observe for a few days to see if Ms. Haynes will wake up as the fetus develops.¡± Bruce looked at Aria in disbelief and asked excitedly, ¡°Is there really such a possibility?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes¡¯ breath is stronger than yesterday. This might be because the damage to her body is being repaired as the fetus grows.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what should we do now?¡± ¡°We must do our best to prevent her miscarriage. We¡¯ll provide the mother with sufficient nutrition to ensure the healthy growth of the baby. I guess as the baby grows, Ms. Haynes¡¯s injuries will automatically heal.¡± Chapter 1149 Chapter 1149 Chapter 1149 ¡°If so, that would be great!¡± As Bruce said, tears sprang into his eyes and fell onto Joanna¡¯s hand. Seeing this, Aria couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous of Joanna. But she still took out a list and handed it to Bruce. ¡°This is the equipment and medicine needed. Get them ready as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Kody, go buy what¡¯s on the list right now. ¡°Also, secretly get all the experts in the maternity and childcare department here.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Joann, you must wake up. Did you hear me? We¡¯re having another baby. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°The baby is struggling to survive. You won¡¯t give up easily, right?¡± Joanna did not react and justy quietly on the bed. ¡°Bruce, your injuries are also very serious. I¡¯ll give you a checkup now.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m fine.¡± Now that Bruce had been gically modified, his body could self-repair quickly. He was not so badly injured and the wounds would automatically recover after he rested for a couple of days. ¡°No matter what, I¡¯ll check the microchips in your brain and do a gic test for you.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Take off your clothes and lie down.¡± Bruce frowned and felt a little ufortable. He was traumatized by what Aria had done before. So although it was just an ordinary checkup, he felt awkward to take off his clothes in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling embarrassed? ¡°It¡¯s just a physical checkup. Don¡¯t overthink.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Bruce took off his shirt as he spoke. ¡°Come on, lie down here. You¡¯d better take off your pants too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°You have to do so. You¡¯re going to be x-rayedter, so you¡¯d better take off all your clothes.¡± Aria looked at him seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a doctor now. Whether it¡¯s a man or a woman, it¡¯s just a patient in my eyes.¡± ¡°What will happen if I don¡¯t take off all my clothes?¡± ¡°Then I may not be able to give you a thorough physical examination. Other than the X-ray, you need to undergo other tests.¡± Hearing that, Bruce did not say anything else. He asked the servant to bring him a pair of knee-length shorts. Seeing this, Aria did not say anything. She brought the instruments over and took samples of Bruce¡¯s blood, hair, urine, and saliva. After that, she examined his bones. Half an hourter, the door of the operating room was pushed open. Jaydon came in on his walking stick. If he was in a hospital, he would not dare to break into the operating room. But now, they were at Bruce¡¯s vi. After waiting for a long time outside, he didn¡¯t see Brucee out and barged in without giving it much thought. ¡°Bruce, Miss Bridges, you two have been here for a whole day. Don¡¯t you need to eat? ¡°Oh my god! Bruce, why are you naked?¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened as she said sternly, ¡°Please leave right now. This is an operating room, not an entertainment room.¡± Jaydon was shocked and looked at Bruce angrily. ¡°I just want to know what he is doing with nothing on.¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned gloomy. ¡°Are you blind? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m wearing pants?¡± Jaydon nced at his shorts suspiciously. ¡°Are you calling these pants? Bruce, listen, if you dare to do anything to let Joann down while she¡¯s unconscious¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he immediately jumped off the operating tform. ¡°Jaydon, you want to pick a fight, right?¡± He would not allow anyone to question his love for Joanna anymore. He was just undergoing a medical examination. He swore to God that he would die in his boots if he thought of making out with another woman. Chapter 1150 Chapter 1150 Chapter 1150 Jaydon¡¯s eyes widened. He said, elongating his voice, ¡°Oh. So it¡¯s a body checkup?¡± Bruce said grumpily, his sharp eyes turning grim, ¡°What else could it be?¡± Jaydon scratched his chin and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I thought it was¡­ a body checkup as well.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want to waste his time talking to him, so he turned to Aria and asked, ¡°Are you done?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce did not say anything else. He picked up his clothes and went to the other room. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Jaydon walked up to Aria on his walking stick and said, ¡°Dr. Bridges, please give me a checkup too. I¡¯m not feeling well. I guess I must be sick.¡± Aria looked at him impatiently. ¡°Cough! Cough! I¡¯m serious. My chest hurts and I find it hard to breathe. Also, I¡¯m dizzy and feel like vomiting.¡± Jaydon coughed a few times as he said this. Knowing that he would not leave if she didn¡¯t do as he said, Aria agreed despite her reluctance, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll examine you.¡± ¡°Do I need to take off my clothes?¡± Jaydon asked and was ready to take off his shirt. Seeing this, Aria immediately stopped him. ¡°No need!¡± ¡°It will make it easier for you to check up on my body.¡± ¡°I said no need! Just sit down.¡± ¡°Then why did you ask Bruce to take off his clothes before you examined him?¡± Jaydon stared at Aria with a faint smile. Aria blushed at the question. ¡°Do you want a checkup or not?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I want, of course.¡± Jaydon obediently sat down in front of Aria. Aria picked up the stethoscope and pressed it against his chest. After listening for a while, she put down the stethoscope and took Jaydon¡¯s blood pressure. Aria took a nce at the sphygmomanometer and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have serious physical problems. ¡°But you still have some blood clots in your body because of your injury. you¡¯ll be fine after taking some herbal medicine and resting for a while.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he fixed his eyes on Aria and said in a ttering manner, ¡°Dr. Bridges, you¡¯re amazing. You¡¯re so knowledgeable and skillful in medicine. ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! I admire you so much¡­¡± Before he could, finish speaking, Aria picked up a pen and wrote a list of herbal medicine. ¡°Follow this prescription and buy yourself the herbal medicine. Come to me again after you take the medicine for a week.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll definitely follow your instruction.¡± ¡°It¡¯s done. You may leave now.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t wait to throw him out. ¡°The checkup is finished?¡± Jaydon asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Aria looked at him coldly. Jaydon frowned andined, ¡°Why did it take you so long to examine Bruce just now? I¡¯ve been sitting here for only five minutes, but you¡¯re already done with the checkup!¡± ¡°Your injuries are different, so the examination will be different. ¡°If you were so badly injured like Bruce, I would have examined you for a long time as well.¡± ¡°I¡­ I think my injuries are more serious than his. Look at how strong he is. Even if a tiger was in front of him, he would be able to knock it down. He doesn¡¯t need treatment at all!¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You may leave now.¡± Alright. Fyou want to say fee up eat in ging un With that Anta sood and walked on of the operating mom with a poker face Dr. Bridge, don¡¯t be angry Chapter 1151 Chapter 1151 Chapter 1151 Not wanting to waste her time arguing with Jaydon, Aria left the ward without saying anything else. Jaydon¡¯s face darkened. He turned around and looked back at Joanna. Joanna was still lying quietly on the sick bed, showing no signs of waking Jaydon stood up and slowly walked up to the bed. His heart ached again when he saw Joanna lying on the bed motionlessly. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here with you. I promise I won¡¯t let any woman take Bruce away from you. ¡°Please wake up as soon as possible. Do you know how much I¡¯m worried about you?¡± Jaydon was feeling so sad. At this point, the door of the ward opened with a squeak. After Bruce changed his clothes, he walked back into the ward. As soon as he walked in, he saw Jaydon standing at the head of the sick bed and looking at Joanna in a daze. He was burned with jealousy in an instant. ¡°You bastard, what are you doing here?¡± Bruce cursed angrily. ¡°No-nothing. I just want to take a look at Joann.¡± Bruce shot Jaydon a fierce re and walked up to him. ¡°Jaydon, believe it or not, if you dare to hit on my wife again, I will¡­¡± Bruce waved his fist in front of Jaydon as he spoke. When Jaydon heard this, he took a few steps back and rolled his eyes angrily. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re such a petty man! ¡°Joann and I are just close friends.¡± Dasco¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Fuck the friends! There¡¯s no pure friendship Jaydon was filled with anger. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you either! ¡°Since you think that there is no pure friendship between a man and a woman, why are you so close to Miss Bridges? ¡°Could it be that there is something between the two of you that goes beyond friendship?¡± When Bruce heard that, he shot him an angry re. Jaydon continued, ¡°Why are you ring at me? Did I say something wrong? ¡°Listen, don¡¯t flirt with Miss Bridges while Joann is unconscious. ¡°If you cheat on Joann, I¡¯ll definitely tell her when she wakes up.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Bruce stood up angrily and was about to punch him. Upon seeing this, Jaydon hurried out on his walking stick. Bruce could kill a horse with a punch. He wouldn¡¯t be able to take a strike from him. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Bruce did not chase after him. After all, Jaydon had helped them a lot. He threatened that he would beat him up, but he would not really hurt his friend. However, that annoying guy kept challenging him. Sometimes, he really wanted to teach him a good lesson. Jaydon opened the door of the ward and looked back at Bruce. ¡°Bruce, you ugly monster! If you let Joann down, you don¡¯t deserve to be a man. ¡°Even a pig is better than you!¡± When Bruce heard this, he flew into a rage and rushed toward him. ¡°Bang!¡± Jaydon hurriedly closed the door. The sound of a stick quickly hitting the floor came from outside. As the saying went, ¡°A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him.¡± Chapter 1152 Chapter 1152 Chapter 1152 ¡°Son of a bitch, you sure run fast!¡± Bruce cursed. Aria stood on the other side of the corridor and looked at the two of them. She felt a headacheing on. The next day, Aria gave Joanna a check-up first thing in the morning. ¡°Bruce,e out for a while. There¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± Bruce followed Aria out of the ward, feeling a little bemused. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Aria looked at him with a calm expression. ¡°Mr. Thompson already knows that we¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Oh, what else did Mr. Thompson say?¡± ¡°He also insisted on awarding you an Order of Merit, First-ss. ¡°Also, he promised that he would stop by Greyport to visit you personally.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that after this mission ends, I¡¯ll leave the organization.¡± ¡°Bruce, have you really thought it through?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already thought about it. This time, I must quit the organization,¡± Bruce replied seriously. ¡°I told you before I went on this mission. This is myst one.¡± ¡°But I feel it¡¯s a pity for you to withdraw now. Besides, the organization needs people more than ever¡­¡¯ Before Aria could finish, Bruce interrupted her. ¡°Don¡¯t try to convince me anymore, Aria. There¡¯s no point. I must leave the organization this time.¡± ¡°Is there no room for negotiation?¡± Aria asked. ¡°No.¡± Aria looked at Bruce with a tinge of regret. Unwilling to give up, she pressed, ¡°You should give it more thought. Mr. Thompson doesn¡¯t want you to quit either.¡± Bruce frowned even more. ¡°I said, don¡¯t even try to convince me a peaceful life, Arial I¡¯m done living on tenterhooks all the time. I will enjoy the time I have left with my family.¡± Seeing that she could not persuade him, Aria finally gave up. ¡°Oh, alright then! ¡°Mr. Thompson wille to Greyport in the middle of the month. You can tell him yourself then!¡± ¡°Mm, alright!¡± Bruce replied. As he spoke, Bruce¡¯s head suddenly hurt again. He hissed in pain. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a headache?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Let me give you psychotherapy!¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes, okay!¡± Meanwhile, Jaydon¡¯s phone rang again. Someone was calling him. He took out his phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Carmel again. Aside from Carmel, Orvin had been calling him relentlessly for the past few days. After all, Jaydon had been away from thepany for a while. ¡°Hey¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Carmel¡¯s coquettish voice sounded. ¡°Hello, Hubby, where are you now? Why aren¡¯t you back yet?¡± She sounded displeased. Jaydon frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t call me hubby!¡± Carmel could only change to an aggrieved voice. ¡°Jay, you¡¯ve been gone for so many days. You should be back soon, right? I miss you. ¡°Patricia, say hi to Daddy!¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Be good!¡± When Jaydon heard the girl¡¯s voice, his heart could not help but soften. ¡°Thepany and home are in a mess. How long will it take for you toe back?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back. a few days.¡± ¡°Jay, I really miss you¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all for now! I¡¯m busy now. I¡¯ll hang up first,¡± Jaydon said and hung ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Carmel called out a few times. Unfortunately, Jaydon had already hung up. Coincidentally, Aria had just finished performing psychotherapy on Bruce and walked out of the ward. ¡°Are you calling your wife?¡± When he heard Aria taking the initiative to talk to him, Jaydon perked up immediately. ¡°Wife? Since when have I had a wife?¡± Aria casually replied, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that your wife who called just now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even married. How can I have a wife?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Aria smiled coldly and walked straight toward the other end of the corridor. ¡°Ari, I really don¡¯t have a wife. Why don¡¯t you introduce me to one?¡± Chapter 1153 Chapter 1153 Chapter 1153 ¡°Don¡¯t follow me.¡± ¡°Aria, wait for me¡­¡± Aria stopped in her tracks and looked at Jaydon coldly. ¡°Also, please call me Miss Bridges or Dr. Bridges.¡± ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be so fierce to me! We¡¯re friends after all. Why are you so scary?¡± Jaydon teased her gently. Unfortunately, Aria did not buy it at all. She gazed contemptuously at Jaydon, determined to put some distance between them. ¡°If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll really get angry.¡± ¡°Hehe, you still look beautiful when you¡¯re angry, you know¡­¡± Aria stopped talking and took out a single needle from her box. Then, she walked towards him step by step. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Seeing this, Jaydon subconsciously took a step back. ¡°Aria, what are you trying to do?¡± Aria looked at him coldly and said with a grim expression, ¡°You know how powerful my acupuncture skills are, don¡¯t you? If you continue to talk nonsense to me, I¡¯ll make you unable to speak forever.¡± Jaydon red at Aria in fear. This woman was ruthless and decisive. How different from Joanna she was! She might actually make good on her promise to shut him up forever. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡­ I won¡¯t say anything anymore.¡± Jaydon quickly shut up. Some women had high emotional defenses and did not ept the approach of the opposite sex easily. Men often found it impossible to take them down. Therefore, many outstanding and independent women often did not have many suitors. On the other hand, some ordinary-looking women who did not have much ability had several. This was because those women had a low emotional defense, and it was easier for men to get closer to them. ¡°Hmph!¡± Aria snorted coldly and turned around to enter the ward. Jaydon broke out in a cold sweat for no reason. He could not tame a woman like Aria. ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t let you ruin the rtionship between Joann and Bruce Everett.¡± Meanwhile, Bruce remained by Joanna¡¯s side in the ward, observing her face intently. Joanna was on a venttor and had a few bags of IV drip attached to the veins in her arm. They contained nutrient solutions and pregnancy stabilizers. Aria came in to examine her again. Bruce looked at Aria and asked solemnly, ¡°How is Joann today?¡± ¡°Ms. Haynes¡¯s heart rate is much stronger today, and her blood pressure has returned to normal. She¡¯s getting better by the day.¡± ¡°How long will it take for her to wake up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that at the moment. All I can say now is that her condition is getting better. ¡°The fetus is also developing normally. This is a good sign. Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure. Ms. Haynes will definitely wake up.¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t help but frown when he heard that. Despite Aria¡¯s reassurance, Joanna was still in aa. He still felt extremely pained. Besides, there might be several hidden side effects that would be evident once she woke up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Ms. Haynes for now. The most important thing now is you. ¡°I¡¯ve already done a gic test on you. Currently, you have three types of humanoid genes in your body. Two of them are still mutating. Now, we have to think of a way to suppress the mutation of your genes!¡± ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°Yes, but I haven¡¯t discovered the most effective method yet. With my strength alone, I might not be able to do it. ¡°Therefore, I suggest we find scientists from our country to research treatment ns together.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. ¡°No!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone studying me anymore!¡± Chapter 1154 Chapter 1154 Chapter 1154 ¡°Bruce, but this can¡¯t go on. I wonder how much more it will mutate in the future ¡°I still suggest that we find a local expert research team. We can report your situation truthfully to them and find a way to help you together¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce interrupted her coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. I will search for a cure myself if ites to this. ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t put my life in the hands of others again.¡± He was firm on this. Even though he had returned to Greyport, he still recalled his experiences in District 17 from time to time. Every time he thought of it, he shuddered. Sometimes, when he was asleep in the middle of the night, he would dream of that painful experience. Since that experience, he refused to be a guinea pig for anyone¡¯s experiment again. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria tried in vain to persuade him. ¡°Don¡¯t say another word,¡± Bruce interrupted tersely. ¡°I¡¯d rather mutate than let those scientists study me.¡± Bruce stood up as he spoke. ¡°The important thing now is to find a way to help Joann wake up from hera.¡± Aria was indeed too weak alone. Yesterday, Bruce had already ordered someone to organize a team of top-notch experts to treat Joanna. ¡°In two days, a team of experts wille over to help you treat Joann.¡± -Aria looked at Bruce in a daze. ¡°Bruce, do you doubt me?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be working too hard alone. Also, I need the expertise of maternal and child health specialists.¡± When Aria heard this, her eyes darkened, but she could not refuse. ¡°Alright then. ¡°I¡¯ll leave first.¡± With that, Aria fixed her gaze on the ground and walked out of the ward unhappily. Although she knew that she no longer had a chance with Bruce, she was already satisfied to be able to look at him like this every day and spend some time with him alone. If he invited so many experts into Riverview Vi, she probably wouldn¡¯t have time alone with Bruce. She was already disgruntled enough to have Jaydon by her side to disturb her. Sometimes, she even thought it would be good for Joanna to sleep forever. That way, she would have an excuse to stay by Bruce¡¯s side forever She knew that she shouldn¡¯t have such thoughts, but¡­ the heart wants what it wants! After Aria left, Bruce could not help but grab Joanna¡¯s hand again. ¡°Joann, let¡¯s work on this together. ¡°You have to work hard to wake up. I¡¯ll work hard to return to my old self. ¡°Look at the photos of our children. They¡¯re so cute now.¡± As Bruce spoke, he took out his phone and opened the photo gallery. He flipped through the photos of their children one by one. For the past few days, Darcy had been sending him photos of the children every day. Looking at the children¡¯s cute and lively appearances, he often could not help but cry. He wished he could go home early with Joanna and that everything would return to normal. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t you want to see the children? This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Lilia can walk now, and Devin can run. Davian and Irvin have grown a lot taller. In the future, they will surpass me. ¡°You must wake up early so we can go home and reunite with the kids. I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯ll retire completely when I¡¯m thirty-five. Take you and the kids on tours around the world. What do you say?¡± Although Joanna was unconscious, her brain was sometimes awake. She could hear Bruce talking to her. However, she would not wake up no matter what. Chapter 1155 Chapter 1155 Chapter 1155 The next day. Two luxury business cars drove into Riverview Vi. A team of seven people came over to treat Joanna. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Bruce was wearing a mask and a protective shield to receive them. These individuals were all the most famous internal medicine and surgery doctors, each with at least twenty years of professional experience. After the expert team examined Joanna, they held the examination results and began to discuss. ¡°This case is a little strange. It¡¯s different from all the other cases. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a case in the country.¡± Joanna¡¯s illness was indeed special. Logically speaking, she should have died long ago. But now, not only was Joanna not dead, but the fetus was also developing normally. This was really an unsolved medical mystery. ¡°Could we take the case samples out¡­¡± The guard immediately became vignt. ¡°No, Mr. Everett has instructed that nothing in Riverview Vi is allowed to be taken out.¡± When the experts heard this, they did not insist. ¡°Oh, okay then!¡± After some discussion, the experts determined the treatment n. ¡°The basic n has been confirmed. ¡°There are three options. ¡°The first option is conservative treatment, using medication to protect the fetus and manage the situation. However, the effectiveness may be a bit slow. ¡°The second option is an open treatment approach. It involves performing a craniotomy on the patient, but it can be quite risky¡­¡± Bruce frowned and said without thinking, ¡°Conservative treatment!¡± Bruce did not want to see Joanna in any danger. Conservative treatment was the safest. ¡°Alright!¡± With the presence of the expert team, Bruce¡¯s heart settled down slightly. Aria could free up some time to specialize in studying the genes in Bruce¡¯s body. In the blink of an eye, another week passed. There was still no improvement in Joanna¡¯s situation, but it didn¡¯t worsen. She was just unconscious, and nothing else had changed. Aria looked at Bruce and informed him solemnly, ¡°Bruce, Mr. Thompson will arrive at Greyport tomorrow.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson will still be staying at Scenic Hotel. ¡°We¡¯re meeting Richard at 8:30 tomorrow.¡± Bruce frowned and nodded. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Aria was an internal liaison officer within the organization, specifically responsible for rying messages and assigning tasks to agents. In normal circumstances, Richard would directly contact her, and the she would get in touch with other people. Of course, Aria was also one of the few females in the organization The next day. At Scenic Hotel. Bruce and Aria got up early in the morning and rushed over to see Richard. At 8:30 am, the two of them arrived at Scenic Hotel. There were already receptionists waiting at the entrance of the hotel. As soon as the two of them got out of the car, four receptionists weed them. ¡°Lady and gentleman, please follow me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± They followed the receptionists into the interior of the hotel Although this was just a four-star hotel, the decoration was very grand and high-end. At the same time, it did not receive outsiders. Five minutester, the receptionists led them to the hotel room. ¡°Please go in!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Click! One of the receptionists pushed open the door of the room. Bruce and Aria walked in one after another. Behind the long desk sat an old man in a suit and thick sses. Bruce and Aria bowed and greeted respectfully, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Thompson.¡± Richard stood up with a smile and said kindly, ¡°Mr. Everett, Ms. Bridges, good morning. ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we should do.¡± Then, Richard took out two brocade boxes from the drawer. ¡°These are the medals given to you by the organization, as well as the special talent medal.¡± As he spoke, Richard personally opened the two boxes and solemnly ced one of the maple leaf- shaped medals on Bruce¡¯s chest. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson!¡± Tears welled up in Bruce¡¯s eyes. The blood in his body was boiling uncontrobly. This was the highest honor awarded by the state. There were only a dozen people in the country who had received the Maple Leaf Medal. Every one of them had contributed greatly to their country. Bruce had fulfilled all his wishes. ¡°Ms. Bridges, please wait for me for a moment. I want to talk to Mr. Everett alone.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Thompson,¡± Aria replied respectfully and left the room. Chapter 1156 Chapter 1156 Chapter 1156 After Aria left, Richard looked at Bruce kindly. There was unconceble admiration and gratification in Richard¡¯s eyes, as well as aplicated light that he wanted to say something but hesitated. Bruce felt goosebumps all over his body. He could not help but ask in a low voice. ¡°Mr. Thompson, what do you want to say to me?¡± Richard came back to his senses and said with a smile, ¡°Bruce, youpleted this mission very well. I¡¯m very gratified. You¡¯re the best talent I¡¯ve met¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson, you tter me.¡± Bruce lowered his eyes and hid the heaviness in them. ¡°Bruce, let¡¯s sit down and talk! There¡¯s no need to be so reserved.¡± As he spoke, Richard personally poured a cup of coffee for Bruce and handed it to him affectionately. Seeing this, Bruce took it cautiously. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson.¡± In this world, Bruce would probably only be so reserved and uneasy in front of Richard, like a primary school student facing a teacher. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Sit down and talk.¡± ¡°Uh, what do you think about the organization recently? Feel free to tell me!¡± When Bruce heard this, he could not help but feel a chill run down his spine. From his attitude, Richard was probably going to ask Bruce to stay again. ¡°Mr. Thompson, I¡¯ve mentioned it to you before. Afterpleting the mission, I want to apply to quit the organization¡­ You¡¯ve promised before that. I hope you can approve it.¡± When Richard heard this, his hand that was holding the cup froze in midair. After pondering for a while, heughed heartily. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m retiring next year.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Richard continued, ¡°I told you before that you¡¯re the sessor I¡¯ve nurtured. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°When I retire, I want you to take my ce.¡± When Bruce heard this, his entire body tensed up and he immediately stood up. ¡°Mr. Thompson, I really can¡¯t do it. ¡°Moreover, my health situation doesn¡¯t allow me to do so now. I just want to rest well and spend the rest of my life with my family¡­¡± Richard added, ¡°I know. I know what you¡¯re thinking. You don¡¯t have to be in a hurry to reject me. ¡°I also know that something has happened to Mrs. Everett. You want some time to apany your family Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°It¡¯s what you should do. A good man should protect his country. ¡°First there is a country, then there is a family. Over the years, you havepleted every task very well. There are many impossible tasks that you havepleted very well.¡± Richard did not hide his admiration for Bruce. Indeed, Bruce¡¯s excellence had greatly exceeded Richard¡¯s expectations including this mission. It was almost impossible toplete. However, not only did Bruceplete it, but he also shocked the world. The destruction of District 17 was simply satisfying. This was the first time Melta had suffered such a huge loss. It could be considered as venting the anger of the world. Such a talent was destined to be a legend and could not be buried. ¡°Thank you for years of teaching and nurturing, Mr. Thompson.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very grateful, Mr. Thompson. You¡¯re my teacher. Even if I leave the organization, you¡¯ll always be the person I respect the most.¡± Richard smiled kindly and patted Bruce¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Bruce, to tell you the truth, the country really needs a talent like you. ¡°At the moment, I¡¯ve already submitted your information to the superiors. The superiors have already appointed you to take over the position of deputy director. Do you know what this means?¡± When Bruce heard this, his scalp went numb, and he immediately refused. ¡°I really can¡¯t. Please understand, Mr. Thompson.¡± The higher ups had appointed Bruce as the deputy director, which meant that in the future, they would hand over the entire National Defense Bureau to him. Every director needed to be the deputy director first before taking over National Defense Bureau. Richard was also promoted from the position of deputy director to director. However, Bruce had made up his mind. He just wanted to return to his family and live the life of an ordinary person. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be in such a hurry to decline. I can give you an indefinite leave. ¡°And National Defense Bureau will always keep your position. You cane back anytime.¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson, I¡­ I really can¡¯t do it. Please approve my withdrawal from the organization.¡± Bruce frowned, and his heart was a mess. Chapter 1157 Chapter 1157 Chapter 1157 ¡°The position of deputy director was personally appointed by the higher-ups. I have no right to interfere. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m about to retire. After I retire, only you will be qualified to take my ce. ¡°Mr. Everett, the country needs you. The organization needs you even more.¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression became even more bitter. ¡°Mr. Thompson, I¡¯m really sorry. I really can¡¯t agree with it. ¡°And, my health is in a critical condition now, and my appearance has been disfigured. My wife is currently in a life-threatening situation, and I truly cannot handle it¡­¡± Seeing that Bruce still refused, Richard looked at him solemnly. ¡°Mr. Everett, listen to me. ¡°The organization has suffered a heavy blow and lost many talents. If you leave, it will be even more difficult for National Defense Bureau to move forward. ¡°The country is in need of talent. How can you abandon the country at this time? The rise and fall of the country are everyone¡¯s responsibility. Moreover, you¡¯re the best soldier in the National Defense Bureau.¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson, I really can¡¯t do it. Please choose someone more suitable.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no one more suitable than you,¡± Richard said with a serious expression. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you a year off. During this year, you can enjoy your family life. ¡°After I retire, when you feel that you¡¯ve rested enough, you cane back to your post!¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart clenched as he looked at Richard with an extremely troubled expression. ¡°Alright! Stop saying anything more, and don¡¯t refuse anymore. If you refuse again, I really don¡¯t know what to do! Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you an extremely long holiday and keep your position. This is already the special treatment I can fight for you. ¡°Bruce, the future responsibility of leading the National Defense Bureau to a brighter future rests in your hands,¡± Richard said as tears welled up in his eyes. The old man was almost sixty years old, and his face was filled with ravines. Every one of them was filled with vicissitudes and responsibility. Richard¡¯s sincere request was really hard to refuse. Bruce¡¯s heart clenched as he looked at Richard with a troubled face. This was what Bruce was most worried about. ¡°Mr. Thompson, you¡¯re forcing me!¡± Richard patted Bruce¡¯s shoulder and said solemnly, ¡°You can think so! ¡°There¡¯s no one more suitable than you to take this ce now. You¡¯ve served in the organization for more than ten years. I don¡¯t think you want to see the organization decline, right?¡± Bruce frowned. He did not know what else to say. Hearing Richard¡¯s words, Bruce really didn¡¯t know how to refuse. ¡°Enjoy your holiday! Come back when you¡¯ve rested enough. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you don¡¯t leave the organization, the organization can give you an extremely long holiday. This is a special treatment that no one has. It¡¯s also special treatment given to you by the higher-ups.¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°You can call Ms. Bridges in. I want to talk to her alone.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Bruce replied and walked out of the room with a serious expression. Outside the room, Aria was waiting in boredom. When she saw Brucee out with a serious expression, she quickly went forward to wee him. ¡°Bruce, what did Mr. Thompson tell you?¡± Bruce took a deep breath. ¡°Mr. Thompson askd you in.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Aria was stunned for a moment. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Aria replied. She quickly adjusted her expression and pushed the door open. Chapter 1158 Chapter 1158 Chapter 1158 Bruce sat down on the stool in the living room. His heart was in turmoil, and he did not know what to do. Bruce really did not want to carry such a heavy burden. However, Richard had already said so much. If Bruce still refused, it would more or less seem like he didn¡¯t know what was good for him. Fifteen minutester. Crack! The door was pulled open. Richard and Aria walked out. ¡°Mr Everett.¡± ¡®Mr. Thompson!¡± Richard smiled kindly at the two of them. ¡°You have to work well together in the future. I¡¯m leaving Greyport in the afternoon. ¡°Ms. Bridges will be your most capable assistant in the future. I hope the two of you can work well together.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°Mr. Thompson, please consider carefully. I really can¡¯t bear this heavy responsibility. Please choose a more suitable candidate¡­¡± Richard¡¯s face tensed up, and his expression was dignified. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you a long holiday for a year first. After a year, if you still insist on withdrawing, then¡­ then we¡¯ll deal with it appropriately.¡± ¡°Mr. Thompson, I¡¯ve thought it through.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, this is the bestpromise I can make. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me, and don¡¯t let down my efforts. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about anything now. Take a break in peace and deal with your personal matters in peace. The organization will reserve your position for you. When you feel that you¡¯ve rested enough, you can return to your position. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°In the meantime, the organization won¡¯t assign you any more missions. You can rest in peace.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce looked at Richard solemnly. He really could not find an excuse to decline. Agreeing to a-year holiday was just a temporary measure. If it really didn¡¯t work out, Bruce would insist on quitting. ¡°We¡¯re going back first.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After bidding farewell to Richard, the two of them returned to Ritz Vi. In the car, Aria seemed very excited and tried to find something to say from time to time. ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t you look very happy?¡± Bruce had a lot on his mind and was not in the mood to say anything. ¡°Look! Mr. Thompson thinks highly of you and appointed you as the deputy director. Did you know that? You¡¯re the first and youngest deputy director in the organization! ¡°Although the burden is heavy, you have to know it¡¯s because Mr. Thompson and the higher-ups think highly of you that they entrusted you with a heavy responsibility. You should be happy. Moreover, you will have a higher future and room for improvement in the future. ¡°The president of Eprary used to be the deputy director of the Special Affairs Bureau. You shouldn¡¯t stop here¡­¡± That was true. This was the highest position in the National Defense Bureau, a position that many people could not even dream of. In hundreds of years, Bruce would be recorded in history. This glory was definitely not something a billionaire¡¯s wealth couldpare to. Since ancient times, the poor did not fight with the rich, and the rich did notpete with the officials. Power and authority were the core of the pyramid. So what if someone was rich? In the face of power, wealth and capital were nothing. To put it bluntly, no matter how rich someone was, he had to rely on power. Aria kept talking excitedly. ording to Bruce¡¯s current state, if he was willing to develop his career well, there would really be endless possibilities in the future. Aria really did not understand why Bruce would give up his great career prospects and focus on being an ordinary businessman. In other words, Aria even felt that Joanna was dragging Bruce down. A woman behind a sessful man should support her husband to go further and fly higher rather than tying him to her and ruining his future. Chapter 1159 Chapter 1159 Bruce was too distracted to listen to what Aria had said. Bruce didn''t have that much ambition and revenge. For the first half of his life, Bruce felt very tired. He was in a tense state at all times. Now, Bruce really wanted to put down all his burdens and just be a vulgar rich man who loved his wife and children. As for the rest, Bruce really had no higher goals. Half an hourter. In Riverview Vi. Aria rambled on all the way. Before getting out of the car, she looked at Bruce deeply. "Alright! I won''t talk to you so much, lest you get upset. "The most important thing for you now is to take good care of yourself and take a long holiday in peace. Don''t think too much about anything else." Aria could not help but persuade Bruce in the end. Richard gave Aria a mission. It was to let Aria assist Bruce and persuade him to stay in the organization in peace.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Richard did not have any selfish motives for reaching his current position. He really cherished talents. Currently, only Bruce in the organization had the ability to take over Richard''s responsibility. If talents were not willing to serve the country, how could the country be stronger? Their mission was to protect the homnd, the country, and the people. They had to be prepared to sacrifice themselves when necessary. The reason why heroes were called heroes was that at the critical moment, they could sacrifice themselves without hesitation to protect the country. A selfish person without a sense of protecting his country could only be mediocre in the end. Bruce didn''t say anything and opened the car door. Jaydon was already waiting at the door. When he saw Bruce get out of the car, he immediately came over to ask Bruce. "Bruce, where did you two go? Why are you only back now?" Bruce frowned. "Does it have anything to do with you?" "Of course it does! How can the two of you leave at the same time? What if something happens to Joann?" "Jaydon, I think your injuries are almost healed. Shouldn''t you go back?" Bruce replied impatiently. Right now, Bruce''s heart was in turmoil, and it was extremely heavy. The tone he used to speak to Jaydon was naturally not any good. "I''m almost healed, but..." Jaydon said as he thought. "But what?" "I... I want to see Joann wake up before leaving." "Jaydon, you''re really an annoying person! "I''m warning you to put away the thoughts you shouldn''t have." Jaydon snorted coldly. "Bruce, I should be the one saying this to you! Put away the thoughts you shouldn''t have. Joann almost lost her life several times because of you. "Don''t make any more mistakes, and don''t let Joann down." Bruce rolled his sharp eyes and replied coldly, "Do I need you to remind me?" "That''s great! "I hope you mean what you say." In the ward, as usual, Aria came over to give Joanna psychotherapy. As Aria gave Joanna psychotherapy, she could not help but mutter to herself. "Joanna, I''m really jealous of you sometimes. What right do you have to make Bruce love you so much? "Do you know how important an opportunity Bruce is giving up for you?" As Aria spoke, she applied body oil to Joanna, "However, with me around, I won''t watch Bruce be a mediocre ordinary person. "He should have a wider world and a better future. You shouldn''t restrict him, let alone drag him down." Chapter 1160 Chapter 1160 Chapter 1160 When Aria saw Joanna¡¯s unconscious state, she suddenly thought of an idea. Looking at the body oil on Joanna, Aria prepared to enter her mental world. Actually, as long as Aria subtly manipted the exploration of Joanna¡¯s subconscious, she could effortlessly put Joanna into a perpetual state of unconsciousness without anyone noticing. However, this thought only shed in her mind for a moment before Aria quickly corrected it. Aria did not dare to do so. Now, in addition to Aria treating Joanna, Bruce also assembled a team of experts specifically to treat Joanna. If anything went wrong with Joanna, with Bruce¡¯s personality, he would definitely investigate it thoroughly. If it was traced back to Aria, Bruce would make her die a horrible death. ¡°You¡¯re really lucky!¡± Aria ced the box and slowly closed it. Crack! The door of the ward was pushed open. Bruce walked in with a gloomy expression. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re here!¡± A smile appeared on Aria¡¯s face as she quickly stood Bruce walked to the bed and looked at Joanna with a gentle expression. ¡°How is Joann today?¡± ¡°I just gave her psychotherapy. Everything else is the same.¡± Bruce came to the bed and looked at Joanna deeply. His eyes were filled with gentleness and heartache. ¡°Honey, you¡¯ve been asleep for so long. Isn¡¯t it time to wake up? This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep so much. If you continue sleeping, the children will grow up.¡± As Bruce spoke, he held Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and caressed her cheek with heartache. Aria stood at the side and watched. Her eyes were filled with envy. At this moment, Aria wished that she were the one lying on the hospital bed. If Bruce could be so gentle to Aria, even if it was just for a day, she would be satisfied. After a while, Aria smiled awkwardly. ¡°Bruce, your psychotherapy time is ¡°At least two more treatment sessions are required, without any breaks.¡± When Bruce heard this, he replied without looking up, ¡°Then let¡¯s do it here!¡± Aria was stunned for a moment. ¡°Right here?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then!¡± Bruce stood up and walked toward the physiotherapy bed. Aria took out a few more boxes of medicine. ¡°Bruce, these are the medicines prepared for you. You have to take them on time. These medicines can temporarily suppress the mutation of the genes in your body.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Aria smiled gently. ¡°You¡¯re being too polite. Mr. Thompson asked me to assist you. From now on, you¡¯re my superior.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned and wanted to say something but hesitated. Bruce really did not want to stay in the organization anymore, let alone get too close to Aria. Unfortunately, in the current situation, Bruce could only let Aria stay by his side. Firstly, she was from National Defense Bureau, and Bruce did not need to worry about her leaking secrets. Secondly, Aria was a biomedical expert. There was no one more authoritative than her in the country. Bruce and Joanna¡¯s bodies needed Aria¡¯s treatment. Especially, now that Bruce had three generations of humanoid genes in his body, he needed Aria to research a medication that could suppress the gic mutation. Therefore, Bruce could only let Aria continue to stay by his side. ¡°Hiss.¡± Bruce thought too much, and his head couldn¡¯t help but start to hurt again. Seeing this, Aria hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Bruce, is your head hurting again?¡± ¡°Hiss, a little!¡± Bruce subconsciously rubbed his temples. There was no way to remove the microchips in his head. These two microchips gave Bruce a headache from time to time. Especially when Bruce overused his brain, he experienced excruciating headaches. ¡°You can take off your shirt now. I¡¯ll apply some body oil to you and give you a massage.¡± Chapter 1161 Chapter 1161 Chapter 1161 ¡°Alright¡± Bruce took off his shirt andy down on the other physiotherapy bed. Aria took out the boxes and began to apply body oil to Bruce. When Aria saw Bruce¡¯s strong and beautiful muscles, her eyes were a little fixed Although Bruce had mutated and his appearance was unrecognizable, he still had an extreme attraction. When a man reached Bruce¡¯s level of achievement, his appearance was no longer that important. As an expert, his charm and unique characteristics were enough to make people submit to him. When Bruce saw that Aria was in a daze, his eyes darkened and he asked coldly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria came back to her senses and her gaze flickered ufortably. ¡°No. nothing. L¡­ I was just checking if there was something wrong with you again.¡± After saying that, Aria quickly began. Aria applied body oil to Bruce¡¯s upper body carefully. Brucey on the physiotherapy bed and closed his eyes to rest. However, Bruce¡¯s head still hurt terribly, and he looked anxious. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a head massage!¡± Bruce closed his eyes and did not speak. His head was indeed in pain as if he was performing a craniotomy without anesthesia. Aria moved her wrist and touched the top of Bruce¡¯s head. She began to massage his head gently. Aria¡¯s slender fingers pressed gently and attentively on Bruce¡¯s head. Ten minutester, Bruce¡¯s headache eased a lot. Due to the rxation of his head, Bruce gradually felt sleepy. Massaging the head was the easiest way to fall asleep. In addition, Bruce had not rested well for the past few days and had unknowingly fallen asleep. There was also a slight snoreing from his mouth and nose. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Seeing that Bruce had fallen asleep. Aria slowly stopped. She couldn¡¯t help but gently stroke Bruce¡¯s forehead and neck. Aria¡¯s eyes were filled with love and infatuation as she watched Bruce fall asleep. ¡°Bruce, do you know? I really love you¡­¡± Aria really loved Bruce. People always said that when one was too young, it was better for one to not encounter someone too mesmerizing. Otherwise, one might never be able to forget him or her for a lifetime. Because Aria had loved Bruce, she could no longer fall in love with another man. Because any man seemed so dimpared to Bruce. How could a woman who had loved a hero turn around and fall in love with amon man? Aria knew that she shouldn¡¯t have such thoughts again. Bruce wouldn¡¯t give her any chance. However, how could one control one¡¯s heart? As Aria stared at Bruce, her eyes went moist. The blood in her body seemed to be boiling and burning uncontrobly. Aria couldn¡¯t help but lower her head. Her soft cherry lips kissed Bruce¡¯s lips. Bruce, who was asleep, suddenly felt that his mouth was itchy. Bruce opened his eyes and saw Aria¡¯s face. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he pushed Aria away. Aria was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Bruce fiercely smacked his lips, and dark and angry anger flowed on his face. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t have any thoughts about me again.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry¡­ ¡°Just now, I didn¡¯t know what was wrong with me. I¡­ I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I really couldn¡¯t control myself.¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯t resist my heart¡­¡± Aria exined incoherently. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Bruce pitifully. Bruce frowned and interrupted Aria coldly, ¡°Stop talking. Get lost. Get lost immediately¡­¡± Chapter 1162 Chapter 1162 Chapter 1162 ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t be angry. I really didn¡¯t mean it just now¡­¡± Aria waspletely flustered and anxiously wanted to exin something. Bruce¡¯s face was extremely dark. ¡°Get out. Get out immediately. You don¡¯t have to stay here anymore. Leave Ritz Vi immediately!¡± The things that Aria had done to Bruce still left a lingering fear in his heart. Therefore, when Aria had any ill intentions, Bruce would not tolerate it. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be like this. I¡­ I really didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± Aria stood up with tears in her eyes, wanting to grab Bruce¡¯s arm to exin. ¡°Let go.¡± Bruce pushed Aria away as if he had been electrocuted. Aria lost her bnce and fell heavily to the ground again. ¡°Bruce, are you really going to be so heartless to me? ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean it just now. I won¡¯t do it again. I really want to help you and Ms. Haynes. When you recover, I¡¯ll definitely leave this ce. ¡°I swear to God. I won¡¯t ruin your rtionship with Ms. Haynes.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want to hear another word. Who did Aria think she was? It was ridiculous for Aria to want to ruin Bruce¡¯s rtionship with Joanna. ¡°If you don¡¯t leave, I¡¯ll get someone to throw you out.¡± When Aria heard this, her body stiffened as she stared nkly at Bruce. ¡°Get lost!¡± Bruce scolded coldly and forcefully. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Tears instantly burst out of Aria¡¯s eyes. She staggered to her feet and ran out of the room while crying. On the walkway. Coincidentally, Jaydon walked over. When Jaydon saw Aria running out of the room crying, he quickly came up to her. ¡°Miss Bridges, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying so badly? Did someone bully you?¡± When Aria heard this, she felt ashamed and aggrieved. She choked and could not say a word. When Jaydon saw this, he instantly came to her and asked with concern, ¡°Did Bruce bully you?¡± Aria wiped her tears in grievance and grief. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with you.¡± With that, Aria pushed Jaydon away and ran to the room she was staying in. ¡°Hey, what happened? Did he really bully you?¡± Aria was already far away. Jaydon sighed. It seemed that Bruce really bullied Aria. Thinking of this, Jaydon went to settle the score with Bruce angrily. At the door of the ward. When Jaydon saw Bruce, he questioned him, ¡°Bruce, what did you just do to Miss Bridges?¡± Bruce frowned, his face as cold as thousand-year-old ice. ¡°Miss Bridges is about to leave this ce now. Tell me quickly! Did you bully her?¡± Bruce pursed his thin lips and retorted in disgust, ¡°Crazy!¡± ¡°You should leave this ce too. Don¡¯t stay here anymore.¡± Jaydon choked when he heard that. This heartless man was truly adept at burning bridges and using others for his own gain. ¡°Bruce, what exactly did you do to Miss Bridges that made her cry so hard? Please, you¡¯re a man. Can¡¯t you be a little more gentlemanly sometimes? ¡°I really wonder why Joann would fall for someone like you.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Hurry up and get lost.¡± Bruce was so angry that his heart skipped a beat. He coldly ordered Jaydon to leave. Jaydon was so angry that his face turned gloomy. Now Jaydon was, after all, the wealthiest person in Venturas, but Bruce hadpletely stripped him of any dignity. Bruce scolded Jaydon whenever he wanted, and even physically attacked him. Bruce truly was a jerk. ¡°You¡­ you are so rude, socking in manners!¡± Jaydon eximed, pointing his finger at Bruce¡¯s nose. Jaydon scolded angrily and helplessly, ¡°Hmph, Bruce, you¡¯re really hopeless. You¡¯re barbaric and domineering. A person like you deserves to have no friends.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at Jaydon with anger. That gaze was like the gaze of a ferocious beast staring at its prey. Seeing this, Jaydon subconsciously took a few steps back. ¡°What are you doing? You still want to hit me? ¡°Joannis lying there! If she sees you like this, she¡¯ll definitely die of anger!¡± When Bruce heard this, he took a deep breath and walked toward Jaydon coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. If you don¡¯t get lost, I¡¯ll throw you out.¡± Jaydon nced at Bruce. ¡°Barbarian, I can¡¯t be bothered with you!¡± With that, Jaydon quickly left. Bruce¡¯s current fist could shatter the top of Jaydon¡¯s head with just one punch. Jaydon did not dare to provoke Bruce. Jaydon left the ward and hurriedly went to look for Aria. Aria was already packing her luggage in her room. Seeing this, Jaydon hurriedly went forward to coax Aria. ¡°Miss Bridges, where are you going?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes kept tearing up. She put her personal belongings into the suitcase one by one. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I am leaving now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave yet. If you leave, who will treat Bruce and Joann?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll find better doctors. There¡¯s no need for me to stay here any longer.¡± Jaydon hurriedly closed Aria¡¯s suitcase. ¡°Please, the two of them are not ordinary patients now. Ordinary doctors don¡¯t know where to start. ¡°Especially Bruce. He¡¯s a mutated monster now. If you don¡¯t treat him, Chapter 1163 Chapter 1163 Chapter 1163 who can restore him to a normal person? ¡°Besides, even if they can find a capable doctor, once this news gets out, won¡¯t others arrest him as a monster?¡± When Aria heard this, she frowned and slowly stopped packing. Indeed, if Aria left, Bruce would definitely find another doctor to treat them. If Bruce¡¯s secret was leaked, agents from all over the world would probably hunt him down. After all, Bruce was currently the first human in the world to sessfully mutate his genes. His rarity wasparable to that of an alien. If scientists from all over the world knew about this, they would probably rack their brains to capture Bruce. ¡°But¡­ there¡¯s no point in me staying here. He has already ordered me to leave. How can I still stay here?¡± After Aria finished speaking, she could not help but cry again. Jaydon chuckled and quickly teased Aria. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what kind of person Bruce is? ¡°He¡¯s such a hot-tempered person. We can¡¯t lower ourselves to his level. He¡¯s not gentlemanly at all. His temper is so bad. ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. He¡¯s just like that. Sometimes, he¡¯s really annoying. Most of the time, he is cold. However, at critical moments, he asionally helps.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jaydon only knew that Bruce had lost his temper and wanted to chase Aria away. What Jaydon didn¡¯t know was that Aria had angered Bruce because she had secretly kissed Bruce. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to persuade me. I¡¯d better leave!¡± ¡°You really can¡¯t leave. Even if it¡¯s not for Bruce, you have to stay. Joann is still unconscious. ¡°I implore you to stay and heal Joann.¡± When Aria heard this, she could not help but look up at Jaydon. Chapter 1164 Chapter 1164 Chapter 1164 Seeing that Aria was silent, Jaydon smiled gentlemanly and suggested, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll take you out to rx. You¡¯ll be very depressed if you stay here every day.¡± Aria frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ve known each other for so long, and we can be considered friends. There are a lot of scenic spots and historical sites and delicious food in Greyport. I¡¯ll take you to enjoy it. ¡°We will leave for a few days and let Bruce calm down. He has a bad temper. He¡¯ll be fine when he calms down.¡± When Aria heard this, she lowered her eyes. She still felt wronged and ufortable in her heart, and she didn¡¯t really want to bother with Jaydon. But now, there was no other way. Bruce had already ordered Aria to leave. It seemed too embarrassing for Aria to stay here. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go take a breather. Rx and don¡¯t think about these unhappy things. ¡°Leave everything else to me. You just need to eat, drink, and have fun.¡± Jaydon smiled gently and looked at Aria sincerely. Over the past few days, Jaydon had thought about a lot of things seriously. Being on guard against Bruce and Aria was not a long-term solution. Only by making Aria fall in love with someone else would Jaydon stop Aria from badgering Bruce. Jaydon loved Joanna, but Joanna was already married. Jaydon had no chance at all. Thest thing Jaydon could do for Joanna was to wish her well. Aria was outstanding and beautiful. If Jaydon made Aria fall in love with him, Aria would no longer ruin the rtionship between Joanna and Bruce. Looking at Jaydon¡¯s sincere gaze, Aria finally nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± When Jaydon heard this, he felt relieved and quickly tried to please Aria. ¡°Let me help you pick up¡­¡± Soon, Jaydon helped Aria pack up, and the two of them left Ritz Vi together. In the ward, Bruce looked through the window and saw Jaydon and Aria leaving together. He still felt gloomy and downhearted. Bruce could tell that Jaydon liked Aria. If Aria could fall in love with Jaydon, it would be good. They were quite a good match. However, the key was that the more capable a person was, the more stubborn they would be. Bruce and Aria belonged to the same type. Once they decided on something, it was almost impossible to change their mind. Therefore, Bruce was still worried that Aria would not easily dispel her thoughts about him. On the hospital bed, Joanna was still lying quietly. She was wearing a venttor over her mouth and nose, and there were high-tech monitoring devices connected to her fingers and forehead. The team of experts woulde over every hour to check the data. ¡°Honey, listen to the children. The children are growing so fast.¡± Bruce turned on the video on his phone and yed a video of the children. ¡°Look at Devin. When I went to Melta, that brat had just learned how to walk. He even stumbled when he walked. Look at him now. He can even run.¡± In the video, Devin¡¯s chubby little face was very cute. Devin held a ball and ran around the living room to y. Hisughter was crisp, like a naughty monkey. He was still too young to know what troubles were. As he watched, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but tear up again. ¡°Honey, listen to your son¡¯sughter. He¡¯s so happy. I really envy him at his age. He doesn¡¯t have to think about anything. As long as he¡¯s full, he doesn¡¯t have any worries.¡± As Bruce was talking, the experts came in to check again. The experts did a detailed checkup. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Bruce frowned. ¡°How is Joann¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°From the current various data, there are no major problems with Mrs. Everett¡¯s health. ¡°And she¡¯s getting better every day.¡± ¡°Since she is getting better, why hasn¡¯t she woken up yet?¡± Bruce asked anxiously. Chapter 1165 Chapter 1165 Chapter 1165 An expert¡¯s face was solemn as he continued to use medical terms. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for now. Mrs. Everett¡¯s illness is very strange. It¡¯s rare in the country¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Alright, stop talking. Everyone, leave.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The experts did not dare to say anything else and quickly left the room. ¡°Joann, when will you wake up? ¡°Please, wake up quickly, okay? I really can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Bruce buried his head in Joanna¡¯s arms in frustration, his face filled with pain. Joanna had been unconscious for nearly a month. Bruce was really worried that Joanna wouldn¡¯t wake up, and he wanted to go home and see the children very much. But for now, Joanna really couldn¡¯t show up. Information about the children could only be passed on to his cell phone through Darcy and Carson. In Sherane Bay Vi. On the grassywn, there were two beautiful swings. Lilia sat on the swing with a depressed expression. She looked like she had a lot on her mind. Seeing that Lilia was unhappy, Davian asked with concern, ¡°Lilia, what¡¯s wrong? You look a little unhappy.¡± Lilia leaned on the swing and sighed gloomily. ¡°I feel a little unhappy!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Davian, why isn¡¯t Mommy back yet? ¡°Moreover, I feel that Daddy has be much colder to us. He stays in his room every day and doesn¡¯te out. I wonder what he¡¯s doing.¡± When Irvin heard this, he could not help but continue, ¡°That¡¯s right! I also feel that Daddy has be much colder recently. He doesn¡¯t like to talk and ignores everyone. ¡°Maybe Daddy isn¡¯t in a good mood because Mommy isn¡¯t back?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Mommy should be back soon. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner. Let¡¯s go in!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lilia got off the swing and walked to the dining room with her two brothers. There were only the few of them in the huge dining room. ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy?¡± The cook replied, ¡°Mr. Everett is in the room and hasn¡¯te down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go call Daddy out for dinner.¡± Okay. Go.¡± Lilia didn¡¯t say anything else. She got up and walked to the master bedroom on the second floor.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! There was a knock on the door. In the bedroom. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°You guys eat first!¡± ¡°Daddy, you haven¡¯t eaten for a day!¡± Lilia kept knocking on the door. Bruce¡¯s clone couldn¡¯t take it anymore and came over to open the door. Crack! The door opened. Bruce¡¯s clone appeared at the door with a haggard and sloppy face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lilia quickly smiled and said sweetly, ¡°Daddy, you haven¡¯t left your room for a day. It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°I am not hungry. You guys go ahead and eat!¡± ¡°Daddy, you haven¡¯t eaten all day. Aren¡¯t you going to eat tonight? ¡°The cook specially made your favorite dishes today¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s clone was impatient and shouted impatiently, ¡°I said I¡¯m not hungry. Can you guys stop annoying me?¡± Lilia was shocked when she heard that. She looked at her father in a daze. Lilia had always been the apple of Bruce¡¯s eye, and Bruce had never even raised his voice at her, let alone losing his temper. Now, Lilia hade over to call Bruce for dinner out of kindness, but he had actually shouted at her. The clone realized that he had lost his temper and quickly softened his tone. ¡°Be good. I¡¯m not very hungry now. Can you guys go eat your food?¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and looked at Bruce obediently and sensibly. ¡°Daddy, is it because Mommy isn¡¯t back that you¡¯re in a bad mood and don¡¯t want to eat?¡± The clone frowned, not knowing what to say. These days, the clone¡¯s heart was a mess, and he was very frustrated. He did not know where to go. Chapter 1166 Chapter 1166 Chapter 1166 Therefore, the clone hid in his room every day and refused toe out to meet anyone. He refused to go to thepany and kept avoiding reality. ¡°Daddy, is it because Mommy isn¡¯t back that you are in a bad mood?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be unhappy, okay?¡± Lilia blinked her big eyes and carefully looked at the clone¡¯s expression. When the clone heard this, his heart could not help but soften. He squatted down and gently patted Lilia¡¯s head. ¡°I am fine!¡± Seeing that her father¡¯s expression had be gentle, Lilia said obediently, ¡°Daddy, could you have dinner with us? ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten with us for a long time!¡± When the clone looked at Lilia¡¯s pleading eyes, his expression softened for a few seconds. ¡°Alright!¡± In the dining room, Davian and Irvin were already sitting at the dining table. Devin was sitting on the children¡¯s seats, waiting obediently for the meal. The clone sat down at the head of the table gloomily. Lilia quickly set the table for her father and thoughtfully scooped some m Chowder for him. ¡°Daddy, have a bowl of soup first! You have lost a lot of weight recently.¡± The clone pursed his lips slightly and replied coldly, ¡°Thank you, Baby Lilia.¡± Davian picked up his fork and looked at the clone resentfully. ¡°Daddy, when is Mommying back? Mommy has been gone for more than a month. Why isn¡¯t she back? Where did she go?¡± Irvin also sighed and questioned, ¡°That¡¯s right! Before the New Year, Mommy said that she would help us transfer schools. We¡¯ve already started school again. Why isn¡¯t Mommy back yet?¡± When the clone heard this, he put the fork he had just picked up back into its original position. The clone didn¡¯t know how to answer that. Previously, when the clone thought that he was Bruce, he would try his best to coax the children. But now, the clone really wasn¡¯t in the mood to coax the children. ¡°Davian and Irvin, don¡¯t talk so much when you¡¯re eating. Let Daddy eat first!¡± Lilia said as she thoughtfully picked up a piece of beef for her father. ¡°Daddy, this is your favorite Beef Stroganoff!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Seeing that their father did not look good, Lilia hurriedly winked at her two brothers, indicating that they should not make their father angry. Although Davian and Irvin had a stomach full of questions, they did not dare to keep asking. Their father had a bad temper. If they made their father annoyed, he would really beat them up. The children did not dare to say anything else. The clone took the fork with a depressed expression and ate woodenly. The atmosphere at the dining table instantly became oppressive. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. After dinner, Lilia looked at her father¡¯s expression again and suggested carefully, ¡°Daddy, tomorrow is Sunday. Can you bring us out to y?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time¡­¡± ¡°Daddy, haven¡¯t you been at home these past few days? You¡¯ll get sick if you stay at home every day. ¡°Ocean Park is doing an event now. I heard that many dolphins came. Daddy, let¡¯s go watch the dolphin performance, okay?¡± When the clone heard this, his face darkened. Seeing that her father was silent, Lilia quickly shook his arm and said coquettishly, ¡°Okay, Daddy?¡± Lilia didn¡¯t really want to go out and y. Lilia only wanted to make her father happy so that she could know what was wrong with her mother. ¡°That¡¯s right! We haven¡¯t gone out to y for many days.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go out for fun!¡± Davian and Irvin chimed in. The clone pondered for a while and wanted to refuse. Darcy, who was standing by the side, immediately said, ¡°Mr. Everett, how about taking them out for a walk?¡± ¡°I think this is Mr. Everett¡¯s intention!¡± After saying that, Darcy looked at the clone with deep and sharp eyes. Bruce asked Darcy to keep an eye on the clone every day and supervise the clone¡¯s role as a good father. Of course, Darcy would do his job. The clone looked at Darcy and still frowned. ¡°Alright!¡± In any case, the clone had been in his room for nearly a month. During this period, he almost did not leave his room. It was good to go out for a walk and change his mood. ¡°Then go to bed early and wake up early tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, Daddy.¡± Chapter 1167 Chapter 1167 Chapter 1167 ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! Tomorrow we can go to Ocean Park to see the dolphins¡­¡± The clone let out a sigh and reluctantly said, ¡°Just go to sleep early!¡± ¡°Good night, Daddy.¡± ¡°Good night, darlings.¡± After saying this, the clone nced instinctively at Darcy, then stood up and returned to his room. He did not like the feeling of being watched. Only in his room could he have a bit of personal space of his own. In the children¡¯s room. After returning to the room, Irvin looked troubled. ¡°Davian¡­¡± Davian looked at him and asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Irvin¡¯s face was downcast as he hesitated to speak, ¡°Davian, Mommy has not been able to get in touch, and she has note back. Do you think, maybe Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Maybe what?¡± ¡°Maybe Mommy has been killed?¡± Irvin cautiously voiced his concern. Upon hearing this, Davian instantly got furious. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? ¡°You jinx. If you say such things again, I¡¯ll punch you for sure.¡± Irvin¡¯s face tensed up. ¡°Then, can you exin why Mommy has not been in contact all this time?Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°How many days has it been? I can¡¯t get through to Mommy¡¯s phone, and no one answered the Messenger call at all. ¡°Now, Dad¡¯s been wearing a sad face every day and won¡¯t say Mommy is. What do you think that means?¡± Davian listened, and his heart became heavy. He felt Irvin had made his point. ¡°Tell me more about what you think!¡± Irvin let his imagination run wild and imagined the scene. ¡°Davian, what if Daddy and Mommy had a big fight, and then¡­¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°You know, Daddy has a bad temper, and Mommy is not the type to easily back down. If they had a big argument, maybe Daddy, in a fit of anger, would¡­¡± Irvin said, making a gesture across his throat with his hand. Seeing this, Davian broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be! Daddy loves Mommy so much. How could that be possible?¡± ¡°Well, why not? ¡°Impulse is the devil. People are often irrational when they act impulsively. Dad¡¯s temper is so bad that it¡¯s entirely possible he lost control and went too far in the heat of the moment! ¡°And then, he casually found a deserted ce for Mommy, then he dismembered and buried her..¡± Irvin¡¯s words became more and more chilling, and his eyes showed increasing fear. Davian involuntarily got goosebumps. ¡°Alright, alright. Stop making wild guesses. ¡°How can this be possible?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find an opportunity tomorrow to question Daddy properly.¡± ¡°After hearing what you said, I can¡¯t sleep out of fear.¡± At Ritz Vi. Ring, ring, ring. Bruce¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± On the other end of the line, Darcy reported. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mr. Boris is going to take Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin, and Miss Lilia to Ocean Park tomorrow.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce furrowed his brows. ¡°Hmm, you are responsible for ensuring their safety.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Has anything happened at home recently?¡± ¡°Not at the moment. Everything is as usual.¡± ¡°Has he gone to the office?¡± ¡°Mr. Boris stays in his room every day and hardly goes out.¡± Bruce¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°It can not keep going on like this. ¡°His current identity is me. If he does not go to thepany, others will think that something has happened. ¡°All his daily habits should follow my past routines.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Chapter 1168 Chapter 1168 Chapter 1168 After hanging up the phone, Bruce¡¯s face was gloomy, and he felt somewhat uneasy. He checked himself in the mirror and saw that although his appearance had improved somewhat, his skin was still peeling, and the aftermath of the mutation had notpletely stopped. His pupils, in particr, turned blood-red when he was angry. His back and limbs had developed a pattern of dragon scales, resembling light-colored tattoos. With this appearance, he would be mistaken for a monster if he went out in public. Therefore, he had no choice but to avoid meeting people. A butler-like person walked in and prepared the medicine Bruce needed. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s time for your medication. This is medicine for gene suppressing. ¡°Also, a stic surgeon has been brought in to treat your skin and perform stic surgery for you.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Oh, let hime in! ¡°Can I return to my previous appearance?¡± The butler, Allen, answered respectfully, ¡°The stic surgeoning is one of the most authoritative experts internationally. His skills in various stic surgeries are top-notch, so there should not be any problem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! I want to restore my previous appearance as much as possible, before Joanna wakes up.¡± Bruce replied with a frown. Then he took the medicine from Allen, swallowing it without much thought. In reality, the stic surgery was not challenging, and his facial features had not changed much. It was just his skin that needed careful treatment, as it was too terrifying in its current state. However, what worried him was whether the third-generation humanoid genes inside him would continue to mutate. The next day at Sherane Bay Vi. Lilia got up early and knocked on her father¡¯s door. ¡°Daddy, are you awake?¡± Click! The door opened. The clone came out of the room. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Then, can we set off now?¡± ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll leave right after breakfast.¡± ¡°Oh, great. ¡°Daddy has not taken us out to y for a long time.¡± The clone did not respond but seemed absent-minded. Davian and Irvin exchanged a look and continued. ¡°That¡¯s right! Thest time we went to Ocean Park, Mommy was with us. ¡°This time, we¡¯re going as a family of five, except without Mommy.¡± The clone still did not respond upon hearing the conversation between the children. ¡°Hurry up and have breakfast!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The children obediently started eating without saying much. After breakfast, the clone took the children to Ocean Park. Darcy and the bodyguards were naturally apanying them for protection. It was 9 o¡¯clock in the morning. The group finally arrived at Ocean Park. As it was the weekend today, there were many visitors. Darcy and the four bodyguards followed closely behind the children, ready to protect them at any time. The clone walked ahead of the children, heading toward the park together. ¡°Wow, there are quite a lot of people today.¡± Davian reminded worriedly. ¡°Yes, there are so many people. Keep an eye on Devin and make sure not to lose sight of himter¡­¡± As they were about to enter the park, a hot, stylish beauty walked straight toward the clone. ¡°Hey, Bruce, it¡¯s been a long time!¡± The clone was stunned as he looked at the chic and attractivedy in front of him. Jennie walked up to him with a pleasantly surprised expression, took off her sunsses, and said excitedly, ¡°Bruce, I did not expect to meet you here.¡± The clone¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He knew that she had mistaken him for Bruce. ¡°Oh, hello.¡± Jennie smiled brightly. ¡°Bruce, why do you have time toe to Ocean Park today?¡± The clone responded with a stiff tone, ¡°Um, just taking the children out to y around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°By the way, where¡¯s your wife? Why didn¡¯t shee with you?¡± Jennie nced around but did not see Joanna. ¡°She did note.¡± The clone frowned. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. Bruce has be a super dad now.¡± Hearing this, the clone smiled politely. ¡°Well, howe you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to take some outdoor photos, but I did not expect to run into you here.¡± ¡°Yeah, what a coincidence!¡± The clone continued to smile politely. Seeing him smile, Jennie quickly followed suit and smiled as well. Bruce used to be distant and cold when he saw her before, so today was the first time he was so gentle while chatting with her. Originally, she intended to leave, but she could not help but stay and chat with him longer than nned. Chapter 1169 Chapter 1169 Chapter 1169 ¡°If you¡¯re busy, then we¡¯ll see youter!¡± Jennie quickly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not busy. I¡¯m here to have fun too! ¡°Um, which attraction are you nning to go to now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking the kids to see the dolphin show.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence. I¡¯m also going to the dolphin show now.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s go together!¡± The clone casually extended an invitation. Jennie was even more delighted and eagerly nodded. ¡°Sure, of course!¡± With that, she called over the apanying photographer and assistant to pause their work. Seeing this, Lilia¡¯s face darkened, and said, ¡°This woman is so annoying. Why is she always following Daddy?¡± Listening to her, Irvin smirked and said, ¡°Well, she¡¯s such a mad admirer. She used to pursue Daddy too. Now that Mommy isn¡¯t here, she¡¯s trying to flirt with him!¡± Lilia became even angrier when she heard this. ¡°Hmph, I can¡¯t stand her!¡± Irvin shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. Charming men are always popr. Wherever they go, they¡¯ll inevitably get approached.¡± ¡°Bad Daddy. How could he flirt with other women when Mommy is not around?¡± ¡°Lilia, you¡¯re still young and don¡¯t understand men¡¯s mindset!¡± ¡°Irvin, what do you mean by that?¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything! It¡¯s amon problem for most men to wee any attention they get. The more, the merrier! ¡°Well, adults¡¯ matters are none of our business. Even if we wanted to interfere, we could not. ¡°Besides, Dad still has self-control. If he could not even manage that, it would be a huge failure for him. ¡°So, let¡¯s not bother about them.¡± As the three kids chatted, they could already hear the sounds of the dolphin show from the performance area. Most visitors rushed in that direction. ¡°Look, the dolphins are performing!¡± Lilia and Irvin saw it too. ¡°Yes, yes! That¡¯s amazing! Wow, the dolphins are even jumping through the fire hoops.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go over there and take a look.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s incredible!¡± Lilia¡¯s attention was also drawn to the dolphin show. The three children, like other visitors, followed the crowd and rushed toward the performance area. Seeing this, Darcy felt anxious. ¡°Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin, Miss Lilia, please don¡¯t run around. There are too many tourists here¡­ ¡°You guys, keep up and stay with them.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The three bodyguards nodded and quickly followed to closely protect the three children. Darcy could not leave and had to stay by the clone¡¯s side. At the same time, he had to help the nanny look after Devin. The clone was still deeply engaged in the conversation with Jennie and did not notice the children running off to watch the dolphin show. Jennie was extremely happy and pulled the clone to help her choose some photos. ¡°Bruce, you have a good eye. Can you help me select the photo style? Which one looks better?¡± ¡°Uh, isn¡¯t this inappropriate?¡± ¡°Why would it be inappropriate? I trust your taste. ¡°I¡¯m nning to take some photos as I¡¯m getting into the entertainment industry.¡± The clone hesitated. ¡°What! Aren¡¯t you doing business anymore?¡± ¡°Well, I still want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. My dream since childhood is to be a big star.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. If you have a dream, you should work hard to achieve it.¡± As the clone and Jennie continued to chat, they became more engrossed in the conversation. After all, there were not many people around that he could talk to. Now that someone was willing to chat with him, he was quite eager to engage in conversation. Chapter 1170 Chapter 1170 Chapter 1170 The children had already arrived at the dolphin zone. Inside the park, rows and rows of spectator seats surrounded arge pool. Several staff members dressed in swimsuits were energetically directing the marine animal performance. The dolphins were cooperating with the staff, performing various challenging tricks. Ocean Park was thergest amusement park in Greyport. It attracted arge number of visitors from other ces daily. With that day being a public holiday, the crowd was even more intense, especially with many families with children. ¡°Wow, the dolphins are amazing!¡± -Each time the dolphins performed a difficult trick, it elicited cheers from the children. Countless visitors with their children rushed toward the park. Some out-of-town tour groups desperately pushed their way forward because of their tight schedule. The scene quickly became chaotic, with people jostling and pushing each other. Although Lilia had recovered her ability to walk, she was slower than normal children. With the surge of people, she was soon swept into the crowd.. Her bodyguards tried hard to reach her, but amidst the sea of people, it was impossible for them to get to her in time. Seeing this, Davian immediately squeezed out of the crowd and tried to reach his sister¡¯s side. ¡°Lilia, be careful!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push me, don¡¯t push me¡­¡± Lilia was pushed around by the crowd and could not stand steadily. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Seeing the situation, the park staff immediately called out through the loudspeaker, ¡°Everyone, be careful. Avoid stampede!¡± Ocean Park had always maintained good order, but today was different. The crowd was unusually large, and chaos ensued with people pushing and shoving. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ah!¡± Lilia identally got knocked down and fell to the ground. ¡°There¡¯s a child who fell here¡­¡± Some visitors were about to step forward to help. Then, two bodyguards in ck suits rushed out from the crowd. One of the bodyguards immediately crouched down, saying, ¡°Miss, be careful! ¡°We¡¯ll take you away from this scene first. It¡¯s too chaotic here.¡± As he spoke, one of the ck-suited bodyguards picked up Lilia. The onlookers assumed they knew each other and refrained from offering help. Lilia was disoriented from being jostled and looked at the bodyguard, but she didn¡¯t recognize him at all. ¡°Let go of me, who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Miss, there are too many people here. I¡¯ll take you away from the scene first.¡± The bodyguard carried Lilia and squeezed out of the crowd. The scene became more and more chaotic, and the park staff were busy trying to maintain order. Witnessing his sister being carried away by a stranger, Davian felt an overwhelming sense of urgency and desperately squeezed his way toward her. ¡°Let go of my sister, let go of my sister! ¡°Help! Help! Someone took my sister!¡± Davian called out loudly, seeking help from the people around him. However, the tourists nearby were busy watching a dolphin show, and the staff were upied with maintaining order. Nobody paid any attention to what the child was yelling about. Even the Everett family¡¯s bodyguards were blocked by the crowd and couldn¡¯t get through for a moment. ¡°Let go of my sister, let go of my sister!¡± After finally squeezing out of the crowd, Davian immediately chased after the two bodyguards. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll take both of them away together.¡± One of the shorter bodyguards bent down and tried to carry Davian away as well. Davian got angry and punched the bodyguard in the stomach. ¡°Ouch!¡± The bodyguard winced in pain, never expecting that a seven or eight-year-old child could punch so hard. ¡°You damn brat!¡± The shorter bodyguardpletely lost his temper and swung his fist toward Davian¡¯s head. Davian had been diligently practicing boxing and martial arts with his dad and had the most resemnce to Bruce in terms of personality. Although he was young, he already had traces of Bruce in him. He lowered his head to avoid the bodyguard¡¯s punch. At the same time, he raised his foot to stomp hard on the bodyguard¡¯s foot. The bodyguard was caught off guard, and his foot was in agonizing pain. ¡°Ouch!¡± While he screamed in pain, he instinctively bent down to hold his foot. ¡°Bang!¡± Davian swung his small fist again,nding a solid punch on the bodyguard¡¯s nose. Chapter 1171 Chapter 1171 Chapter 1171 Immediately, the shorter bodyguard had blood flowing from his nose. Realizing he couldn¡¯t handle the little boy, he quickly turned and ran away. Meanwhile, the taller bodyguard had already escaped with Lilia in his arms. Davian shouted, ¡°Lilia, Lilia!¡± The Everett family¡¯s bodyguards hurriedly arrived next to Davian. ¡°Mr. Davian, what happened?¡± ¡°The bad guys took Lilia away!¡± Davian was both anxious and afraid. ¡°Hurry and go that way, I¡¯m going to find Darcy.¡± The two bodyguards from the Everett family werepletely flustered. ¡°Yes!¡± They quickly followed the direction pointed out by Davian, trying to catch up. On the other side¡­ Jennie was still with the clone, asking for help in selecting photos. The clone was not used to dealing with such an enthusiastic girl and felt quite pleased, which improved his mood considerably. ¡°How about this set? It suits you well.¡± The clone earnestly offered his opinion. Jennie smiled yfully and said, ¡°Bruce, you have good taste. Then let¡¯s go with this style. ¡°I¡¯ll develop them, and you will be the first to see them.¡± The clone replied, ¡°Haha, okay¡­¡± The two of them were engrossed in their lively conversation. Suddenly, Davian ran over in a rage, seeing his dad chatting with a beautiful woman, which made him more furious. Without a word, he snatched the album they were holding together and mmed it hard on the ground. ¡°Bang!¡± Both the clone and Jennie were startled by Davian¡¯s sudden outburst. Davian¡¯s little face was angry and cold. ¡°Daddy! My sister was taken away by bad people! How can you still be flirting with this annoying woman?¡± ¡°What?¡± The clone immediately stood up, his eyes searching anxiously for Lilia¡¯s figure. Jennie was also shocked by the news. ¡°How could this happen? Maybe she got lost?¡± When Darcy heard this, his pupils constricted. ¡°Mr. Davian, is what you said true?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. Lilia was just taken away by a person in a ck suit. Another person tried to take me, but I managed to subdue him.¡± Darcy¡¯s heart sank, and he quickly took out his phone to notify the guards at the entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately inform the amusement park director to lock down the area.¡± ¡°You guys call the police right away, and I¡¯ll inform Carson and the others.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t call the police right now. If the bad people are after money, once we call the police, they¡¯ll definitely harm Lilia.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Lilia?¡± Irvin finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd under the protection of the bodyguards. Davian scolded angrily, ¡°Lilia is missing. She was taken away by bad people! This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. Why were you watching the dolphins when this happened?¡± Irvin replied nervously, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know something like this would happen. Let¡¯s not argue now. We need to find Lilia as a priority.¡± ¡°Lilia, Lilia!¡± Both the clone and Darcy became anxious. Lilia being kidnapped by the bad people had unimaginable consequences, Especially because Bruce loved her dearly, and if anything happened to his daughter, given his temperament, he would surely not take it lightly and might not hold back his anger toward them. Soon, Darcy called the director of the amusement park directly. Then, he informed the Everett family¡¯s bodyguards to rush over. ¡°How could you let this happen while watching the kids? ¡°Hurry up and start searching! ¡°I¡¯ll search over there, and you guys search that way. ¡°Regardless of whether we find her or not, we¡¯ll meet at the main entranceter,¡± Davian said anxiously. ¡°No, you two can¡¯t roam around anymore. If the bad people target you again, it will be even more troublesome.¡± The clone¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Both of you go home with the bodyguards first. Darcy and I will go look for Lilia!¡± Chapter 1172 Chapter 1172 Chapter 1172 Soon, the entire park was locked down, and arge number of bodyguards and security personnel rushed to the scene. The sight of such a massive disy of force made the tourists panic. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did something happen? Why are there so many security personnel?¡± ¡°I have no idea! Looks like they are conducting some sort of investigation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so scary. Could it be rted to terrorists?¡± Darcy and the clone were in a frantic state. They searched everywhere for Lilia, checked surveince footage, and did everything they could. One hour had passed. ¡°The whole park has been covered, but why can¡¯t we find any clues?¡± Darcy¡¯s lips turned pale, and fear was evident on his face. ¡°We can¡¯t keep hiding this. I need to report to Mr. Everett immediately!¡± Time was ticking away, and it had been over an hour since Lilia was taken by the bad people. Darcy couldn¡¯t afford any more dys and quickly informed Bruce. At Ritz Vi, Bruce had been feeling restless since early in the morning and was absentmindedly pacing around Joanna¡¯s bedside when his phone rang. Beep, beep, beep. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± On the other end of the phone, Darcy¡¯s voice trembled when he spoke, ¡°Mr. Everett, something terrible has happened!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and he stood up abruptly. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Today, I took Mr. Devin and Miss Lilia to Ocean Park. Unfortunately, Miss Lilia was kidnapped by bad people.¡± Boom! Upon hearing the news, Bruce stumbled and almost lost his bnce. After a few seconds, he managed to regain hisposure and demanded. ¡°What did you say? Say it again!¡± ¡°Miss Lilia was kidnapped. We have already locked down Ocean Park and searched the entire area, but we haven¡¯t found any trace of her,¡± Darcy replied. Bruce¡¯s throat went dry, and anger overwhelmed him as he shouted into the phone, ¡°Are you all a bunch of useless idiots? ¡°If we can¡¯t find Lilia, I will make all of you pay with your lives!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t contain his fear and began to roar through the phone. In the past two years, his temper had improved significantly, and he rarely lost his cool. But now, he was truly in a state of panic, and the thought of killing someone crossed his mind. Darcy replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Everett. We are doing everything we can to find her.¡± ¡°Go and search immediately! Mobilize everyone avable. Even if we have to turn the entire Greyport upside down, we must find Lilia. If anything happens to her, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s voice trailed off, and his eyes filled with anger. His formerly dark brown pupils instantly became crimson, and he felt intense pain in his chest. He was like a ferocious beast that had awoken in hell. Joanna was already in a terrible condition, and if something happened to Lilia, he couldn¡¯t bear such a blow. If anyone dared to harm his daughter, he would make sure their entire family paid the price. He was determined to do so. Darcy looked guilty. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go look for her right away. If I can¡¯t find Miss Lilia, I¡¯ll pay with my life!¡± After hanging up the phone, Bruce paced restlessly in the hospital room like an uncontroble lion. His heart felt like it was being scratched, and he was incredibly uneasy, almost on the verge of exploding. ¡°Lilia, Lilia, my daughter! nd keep her safe. If he. Please don¡¯t ying on the hospital I room. or even a second. He se panic.¡± if someone saw him fastest speed!¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1173 Chapter 1173 Chapter 1173 ¡°Mr. Everett, we can¡¯t find a hood, only a clown mask.¡± Time was pressing, and the assistant could only find a random clown mask usually worn during Halloween. Bruce took it and said. ¡°This will do! ¡°Both of you,e with me, and the rest of you keep an eye on Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two bodyguards responded and immediately went to get the car keys. Bruce couldn¡¯t waste time exining much. He quickly put on the clown mask and hurriedly left Ritz Vi. Although Joanna couldn¡¯t wake up at the sickbed, her hearing and thoughts were functioning normally. She heard Bruce saying that Lilia was missing, and her previously listless mind instantly became alert. ¡°Lilia, Lilia¡­¡± Joanna wanted desperately to open her eyes, but her brain nerves were out of control. ¡°I must wake up quickly. I have to find my daughter. I need to wake up. I must wake up!¡± Joanna¡¯s blood cirction elerated, and adrenaline surged. She was trying hard tomand her brain nerves, desperately attempting to open her eyes. The baby in her belly seemed to sense her mother¡¯s restlessness. The tiny repair cells within the baby¡¯s body also started rapidly dividing and replicating. Mother and the baby were connected, and the baby¡¯s gic repair function was at work. Through the centa, it transmitted throughout Joanna¡¯s body. ¡°Dr. yton,e quickly and take a look. Mrs. Everett¡¯s heart rate is somewhat abnormal.¡± ¡°Yes, why is it elerating so much?¡± ¡°All of you, quickly conduct a full-body examination on Mrs. Everett.¡± The expert doctor observed the changes in Joanna and didn¡¯t dare to take it lightly. They hurriedly approached the sickbed. They were ready to provide medical assistance, afraid that anything would happen to Joanna. ¡°Vroom, vroom, vroom!¡± The powerful Lamborghini roared like a fierce beast on the road. Bruce was extremely anxious, constantly overtaking other vehicles as he raced toward Ocean Park. Beep, beep, beep. Darcy received Bruce¡¯s call and spoke with a heavy tone, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett!¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Any news about Lilia? I¡¯m heading to Ocean Park now. Come out and meet me at the entrance!¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Everett!¡± The journey to the park would usually take an hour, but Bruce arrived in just twenty minutes. At the entrance of the park, Darcy was already waiting there anxiously. A speeding sports car approached, and they knew it was Bruce. Faint siren sounds could be heard behind the car. It seemed Bruce must have run red lights and over-speeded again, and the police were chasing after him. However, the police probably wouldn¡¯t recognize him with how he looked now, let alone catch him. At worst, they might revoke his driver¡¯s license and tow the car away, but he didn¡¯t care. The wheels skidded in a drift, and before the car came to aplete stop, Bruce had already gotten out of the vehicle. He didn¡¯t bother to close the car door or take the keys. He rushed to Darcy¡¯s side. Darcy quickly approached him, saying, ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± Bruce said anxiously, ¡°Have you checked all the surveince footage? It¡¯s been over an hour, and there¡¯s still no clue?¡± Darcy hurriedly took out his phone and showed Bruce the downloaded surveince video. ¡°We just checked the footage. A person in ck was holding Miss Lilia and hurriedly ran in the direction of the botanical garden in Ocean Park. After that, they disappeared.¡± Bruce took the phone and watched the surveince footage. In the video, a person in ck was indeed carrying Lilia and running urgently toward the botanical garden in Ocean Park. The botanical garden contained many rare nts and artificial rock formations. There were also many numerous paths, including ones for visitors and staff. ¡°Surround this area and focus on the search here.¡± Bruce was extremely anxious. His heart kept beating violently. ¡°Instruct everyone-to secure all the exits, and don¡¯t let anyone leave or enter the park.¡± ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll give the order immediately.¡± Chapter 1174 Chapter 1174 Chapter 1174 Hundreds of people were practically turning the entire park upside down. They searched relentlessly until it was dark, but still, there was no sign of Lilia. Bruce scolded furiously, ¡°Damn it, damn it! You¡¯re all a bunch of useless idiots!¡± Darcy and the clone hung their heads, not daring to make a sound. The rest of the bodyguards were also silent, afraid to even breathe loudly. Not being able to find Lilia was driving Bruce almost insane. His daughter was so young, and if she fell into the hands of the criminals¡­ Recently, there was a maniac who specifically kidnapped young girls. In Greyport, four or five girls had already suffered cruelty at the hands of the criminal¡­ The thought of it was enough to make Bruce copse. He would rather die himself than let his daughter encounter such a fate. Darcy analyzed and said, ¡°We¡¯ve mobilized so many people, and the park is practically turned upside down. Howe we still can¡¯t find her? ¡°Moreover, all the exits are guarded. If anyone tried to take Miss Lilia out, we would have noticed. ¡°Therefore, Miss Lilia and the criminals must still be inside the park. We just don¡¯t know where they are hiding!¡± The Everett family¡¯s bodyguards with the park¡¯s security personnel totaled around three to four hundred people, yet they couldn¡¯t find any trace of Lilia. ¡°¡­Um, should we call the police now?¡± The clone cautiously suggested, trembling with fear. Bruce¡¯s eyes shed with anger, and he paid no attention to manners. He grabbed the clone by the cor and punched him, sending him crashing to the ground. ¡°Get the hell out of here! If anything happens to Lilia, I¡¯ll turn you into minced meat!¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The clone screamed in pain. Hey on the ground with a tooth knocked out, blood flowing from his mouth. Now, everyone was stunned, unable to believe what they just witnessed. They were looking at this person wearing a clown mask and brimming with a terrifying aura. Oh my god, this person wearing a clown mask actually dared to hit ¡°Mr. Everett?¡± Bruce was currently wearing a mask, so no one knew his identity. They all thought the clone was him. Seeing this, Jennie rushed forward to help the clone, her face filled with concern. She said, ¡°Bruce, are you okay?¡± As she spoke, she looked at Bruce angrily. ¡°How can you hit people? Lilia is missing, and Bruce is more anxious than anyone else. ¡°Who do you think you are? How dare you hit Bruce?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he looked at Jennie coldly. When he saw Jennie, he immediately thought of Marlowe. Marlowe was his sworn enemy, and there had been rumors of him being engaged to Jennie recently. Could it be that Marlowe had ordered someone to kidnap Lilia? Thinking of this, Bruce¡¯s heart tightened, and ayer of goosebumps formed all over his body, making him even more anxious. Compared to being kidnapped by criminals, he was more worried that Lilia Haynes might have been taken by Marlowe. The criminals might after money and have kidnapped Lilia But if Marlowe took Lilia away, the consequences would be unimaginable. He would definitely harm Lilia. Bruce let out a breath of cold air and immediately left the crowd. He didn¡¯t have time to inform anyone and nned to look for Marlowe. Seeing this, Darcy quickly followed. ¡°Mr. Everett, what should we do next?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°I now suspect that Marlowe¡¯s people took Lil¨ªa. Hurry up and check the surveince cameras to see if Marlowe¡¯sckey showed up today.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll check it out immediately.¡± On the other side, at the penthouse on the 33rd floor of Boulevard Residences. It was the luxurious residence where Marlowe often resided. He was sitting on a leather sofa, leisurely sipping red wine. Two massive mastiffsy beside him, resembling lions. ¡°President Yanice, she¡¯s here.¡± Chapter 1175 Chapter 1175 Chapter 1175 Lilia had a towel stuffed in her mouth, a hood over her head, and was inside a canvas bag. At this moment, she was struggling in fear. ¡°You didn¡¯t leave behind any trace, right?¡± Marlowe shook the wine ss in his hand and smiled sinisterly. The subordinate smiled obsequiously and said, ¡°President Yanice, don¡¯t worry. Definitely not. ¡°We took the secret path in the park to bring this little girl out. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be caught on surveince, and it won¡¯t lead back to President Yanice, for sure.¡± ¡°Well done! You can leave now!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After his subordinates left, Marlowe put down the wine ss and touched the bag with his toe. Lilia, who was initially terrified, was so frightened that she did not dare to move. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Marlowe opened the bag with an evil expression and let Lilia out. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Lilia swallowed in fear, her big eyes filled with fear. ¡°Little darling, don¡¯t be afraid. I will dote on you very much.¡± Marlowe held Lilia¡¯s little face and smiled smugly and sinisterly. ¡°Sob¡­¡± Lilia started crying in fear. Lilia had absorbed the best traits from Bruce and Joanna, and her facial features were exquisitely beautiful. If she had grown up without unfortunate circumstances, she would have undoubtedly been even more stunning than Joanna. ¡°You¡¯re truly the daughter of Bruce. Even at such a young age, you are already a little beauty. You¡¯ll be more beautiful when you grow up.¡± Marlowe rubbed Lilia¡¯s face with his hand and casually took the towel from her mouth. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Sob¡­ My name is Lilia Haynes.¡± ¡°Hahaha, Bruce is your father, right?¡± Lilia did not dare to cry out loud. She only sobbed as she looked at Marlowe. ¡°Ahaha, Bruce, Bruce, aren¡¯t you very capable? Now that your daughter is in my hands, I can¡¯t wait to see how angry you are now.¡± Marlowe hated Bruce to the core and had been looking for an opportunity to take revenge. Originally, he was tracking Jennie. By chance, he witnessed Jennie and Bruce flirting and getting intimate, which enraged him. Therefore, in a fit of anger, he asked his subordinates to kidnap Lilia. Of course, since he dared to show his true colors in front of Lilia, he had already made up his mind that he would not let Lilia leave. ¡°Mister, do you know my daddy?¡± Lilia mustered my daddy?¡± Lilia mustered up her courage asked with tears in her eyes. ¡°Yes, we know each other. We¡¯re ¡®old acquaintances.¡±¡± ¡°¡­Mister, are you friends with my daddy? Please, let me go, okay?¡± ¡°Let you go?¡± Marloweughed sinisterly. ¡°Haha, little darling, since you¡¯re here with me, stay here with me. I¡¯ll take care of you, okay?¡± Marlowe said as he pinched Lilia¡¯s little face. Marlowe then smiled eerily at Lilia. She was so scared that she almost fainted. Marlowe was aplete psycho. His mind was extremely twisted. He had done almost all the despicable things one could think of. He had a congenital pituitary defect, a neurological element. Generally, bad people might feel guilt after doing something wrong or beingpelled by circumstances tomit uwful acts. However, he was different. He had a congenital emotional deficiency. As a simple example, when his mother passed away, he didn¡¯t shed a single tear and maintained a smile throughout, showing no signs of sadness. This congenital emotional deficiency meant he did not understand what sadness was. Therefore, such individuals were extremely frightening as theycked empathy and had no belief in consequences or karma. Chapter 1176 Chapter 1176 Chapter 1176 ¡°Sob, sob, sob, please, let me go¡­¡± Lilia trembled in fear. Little did she know what kind of danger awaited her. Marlowe grinned maliciously and patted the heads of his two mastiffs. ¡°Sons, do you like this pretty littledy?¡± The mastiffs lying at his feet opened their bloody mouths and let out excited barks. Marlowe was a mentally disturbed psycho, and his choice of pets was equally gruesome and bloodthirsty. These two male mastiffs had been raised on raw meat since they were young, making them extremely aggressive and brutal toward strangers. ¡°It seems like my sons like you very much. ¡°I will let this beautiful littledy y with you, okay?¡± The two mastiffs seemed to understand their owner¡¯s words and approached Lilia. Seeing the two lion-like mastiffs before her, Lilia was so scared that she sat on the ground, not daring to move. ¡°Sob, sob, sob, help me, please let me go!¡± ¡°Hahaha. My sons, go have fun with your new friend!¡± ¡°No, Daddy, save me¡­¡± ¡°Howl!¡± The mastiffs barked at Lilia. ¡°Ahh!¡± Downstairs, Bruce seemed to hear his daughter¡¯s screams. He immediately looked up and scanned the rooftop. This was a bustling area with several high-rise apartment buildings piercing the sky. It was also the most luxurious apartmentplex in Greyport, and outsiders were not allowed in. He closed his eyes and sensed, immediately catching Lilia¡¯s scent in his nose. Due to gic modifications, his sense of smell, hearing, and vision far surpassed that of an ordinary person. ¡°Lilia is indeed here! ¡°Damn it!¡± Without much thought, Bruce leaped over the wall and climbed up the fire escape pipe like a monkey, quickly ascending with incredible speed. In less than three minutes, he reached the top floor of the 33-story building. ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, don¡¯te any closer! Daddy, pleasee and save me¡­¡± Lilia was pale, her lower legs covered in blood from being bitten. ¡°Hahaha, you want your daddy toe to save you? Keep dreaming!¡± Marloweughed menacingly. ¡°Bruce, oh, Bruce, look at your precious daughter. Your daughter is in danger now! I¡¯m so delighted, hahaha!¡± Marloweughed sinisterly and swallowed the red wine in the ss in one gulp. He was finally satisfied with his revenge on Bruce. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Ah! Daddy, save me. Sob, sob, sob, help!¡± Lilia kept screaming miser Through the transparent ss, Bruce witnessed everything. His blood boiled, and he fiercely punched the ss. ¡°Bang!¡± A loud noise rang out. The thick, sturdy bulletproof ss immediately cracked. Marlowe heard a loud noise and turned around. He saw that there seemed to be a masked person hanging outside the window, frantically smashing the bulletproof ss with his fist. With each of Bruce¡¯s furious punches, the crack in the bulletproof ss grewrger, and it was on the verge of copsing. Marlowe was shocked, and his scalp tingled. This was the 33rd floor. Moreover, the exterior walls were smooth ss with no footholds or safety measures. How did this person climb up here, let alone stick to his apartment¡¯s window? ¡°Bang, bang!¡± Bruce delivered two more forceful blows, and the ss was about to shatter. This was bulletproof ss that could withstand bullets, yet now it was being smashed open by his fists. Marlowe was dumbfounded. His two mastiffs were also startled. They barked furiously at Bruce through the window. ¡°Crash!¡± The window shatteredpletely. Marlowe gasped and hurriedly went inside the room to grab a gun. Chapter 1177 Chapter 1177 Chapter 1177 ¡°Bang!¡± A loud noise echoed. The ss shatteredpletely, and Bruce jumped in through the broken hole. ¡°Roar!¡± The two mastiffs let out muffled roars and snarled, lunging at him with bared teeth. Driven by the desperation to save his daughter, Bruce quickly grabbed one of the mastiffs¡¯ necks with his hand and exerted a strong force. The mastiff let out a miserable whimper as its neck was instantly broken. With a ¡°thud,¡± he tossed the lifeless dog carcass aside. The other mastiff was frightened, arching its back in fear, and its fur standing on end. It took a few steps back, intimidated by the sight. Bruce¡¯s eyes turned crimson, and a murderous aura filled the air as he nced at the remaining mastiff. ¡°Woof.¡± The mastiff trembled in fear, turning around and running back into the room. Animals were very smart and knew what danger and fear were. Bruce had no time to chase after and kill the dog. He rushed to Lilia¡¯s side in anguish. ¡°Lilia!¡± ¡°Sob, sob, sob, Daddy, pleasee and save me¡­¡± Lilia was so frightened that she almost lost consciousness. Lying on the ground pitifully, she kept calling for her daddy. She didn¡¯t know that her daddy had indeede to save her. She was just instinctively calling out for him. After all, in her subconscious mind, her daddy was her guardian angel, her superhero who could do anything. Of course, Bruce truly lived up to that image in front of his daughter. ¡°Daddy, pleasee and save me, I¡¯m scared¡­¡± Lilia cried out in panic. Seeing her like this, Bruce¡¯s heart ached as if it would shatter. He immediately rushed over and tightly embraced his daughter. ¡°Darling, it¡¯s okay now, it¡¯s okay. Daddy¡¯s here to save you!¡± ¡°Ah, help!¡± Lilia was so frightened that she couldn¡¯t recognize her dad. She was in a state of panic. ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be afraid. I am Daddy, don¡¯t be scared. Daddy¡¯s here.¡± Bruce lovingly rubbed his daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Is it really you, Daddy?¡± Lilia, with teary eyes, weakly looked up. ¡°It¡¯s Daddy. You¡¯re safe now. With Daddy here, there¡¯s nothing to fear.¡± Even though Bruce wore a mask, she could still recognize his voice. ¡°Waah!¡± Lilia burst into tears. ¡°Daddy, I knew you woulde to save me. I knew it, I knew it, sob, sob, sob!¡± ¡°My sweet baby, it¡¯s alright now, it¡¯s alright.¡± Bruce¡¯s throat tightened as he tightly embraced his daughter, his eyes intensely reddened with emotion. Meanwhile, Marlowe took the gun and walked out of the room with a sinister expression. As a super-rich second-generation heir, he naturally had many bodyguards and assistants. However, this was an apartment building with security guards at the entrance and regr patrols, and the security measures were well done. Therefore, there were no residential bodyguards but only two beautiful female nannies in the house. ¡°Bang!¡± A gunshot rang out. Marlowe aimed at Bruce¡¯s back and fired a shot. Bruce reacted swiftly, rolling on the ground with his daughter in his arm. He narrowly avoided the bullet. Seeing this, Marloweughed sinisterly. ¡°Bruce, is that you? ¡°Hehehe, you¡¯re still wearing a mask. Are you too ashamed to show your face?¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Three more gunshots echoed. Marlowe relentlessly fired at Bruce, leaving him no chance to fight back. Fearing that the bullets might harm Lilia, Bruce could only hug her and take cover around the house. Soon, the box of bullets was emptied. Marlowe swiftly reloaded. ¡°Bruce, you have some skills dodging bullets like that. Let¡¯s have apetition today to see if you can dodge faster or if my bullets are faster!¡± Marlowe sneered as he limped with his prosthetic leg and kept shooting at Bruce. As sworn enemies, they were filled with intense hatred. Today, they had to fight to the death. Bruce hid behind the sofa with Lilia, temporarily ensuring his daughter¡¯s safety. His eyes narrowed, and he grabbed a fallen bottle, deliberately tossing it outside. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Sensing the opportunity, Marlowe immediately aimed and fired. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Seizing the moment when Marlowe fired, Bruce pounced out from behind the sofa like a ferocious tiger. He knocked the gun out of Marlowe¡¯s hand with a powerful palm. His strength was astonishing, and Marlowe was sent flying with that p. ¡°Ah!¡± Marlowe screamed in agony as he flew out. ng! Marlowe¡¯s body crashed through the broken window. He was halfway outside the building. His scalp tingled, and he quickly grabbed onto the window frame, preventing himself from falling. Bruce stepped closer to the edge of the window, ominously staring at Marlowe hanging outside. Marlowe¡¯s back was covered in blood, his hands bleeding from the shattered ss, but he dared not let go. If he did, death awaited him. Bruce sneered, holding Marlowe¡¯s tie like fishing, teasing him by swaying him outside the window. It made Marlowe feel the fear and despair of being on the verge of death. Marlowe¡¯s couragepletely shattered, and he desperately begged for mercy. ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong! ¡°Please pull me up. I don¡¯t want to die! I surrender, Bruce! I won¡¯t dare to cause you trouble again!¡± Chapter 1178 Chapter 1178 Chapter 1178 ¡°You are nothing but trash, only causing harm to the world by living!¡± Bruce really wanted to let go and throw Marlowe down, turning him into a meat pancake! But he forcibly suppressed his anger and lifted Marlowe up a bit. He didn¡¯t want to escte the situation. If he did, his true identity might be exposed. That was not what he wanted. Marlowe recognized Bruce¡¯s voice andughed mockingly. ¡°Hahaha, Bruce, it really is you! Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°There are surveince cameras everywhere here. You won¡¯t live long either if you dare to throw me down! ¡°Hahaha!¡± Hearing this, Bruce¡¯s brows twitched, and he slowly loosened his grip. Marlowe¡¯s back tensed up. He gasped and then tried to provoke Bruce, saying, ¡°Ha. Bruce, I bet you won¡¯t let go. If I die, your fate won¡¯t be any better! ¡°Even if I die, I¡¯ll drag you down with me. I don¡¯t care about anything. My life is worthless. But you¡¯re different. You have a family, a wife, and children. Are you willing to die?¡± Bruce¡¯s brows twitched, and a flicker of mes glinted in his eyes. Sacrificing his life because of Marlowe would be a joke. If Bruce was a top agent of the national security bureau or just an ordinary police officer, when faced with a criminal like Marlowe, he could shoot without hesitation. He didn¡¯t want to kill Marlowe now, but he also didn¡¯t want to risk exposing his identity or inviting unnecessary trouble. Seeing that Bruce hadn¡¯t let go for quite some time, Marlowe¡¯s arrogance grew. ¡°Bruce, we really are lifelong enemies. ¡°Let¡¯s see who will have thestugh in the future¡­¡± After hearing that, Bruce looked at Marlowe with eyes filled with disdain. ¡°Then you might as well go to hell!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned cold as he spoke, and he let go of Marlowe¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah!¡± Marlowe screamed as his body plummeted rapidly. He never expected that Bruce would actually let go. ¡°Ah, no!¡± Marlowe fell from the 33rd floor, and a few secondster, the ground produced a thunderous ¡°bang.¡± His body hit the road below with a bone-crushing impact. The impact caused his brain and his bones to shatter. Bruce leaned out the window, looking coldly down at the scene. There was truly no need for such trash to live in this world. Every extra day he lived would only bring more harm to others. Marlowe had kidnapped innocent girls before, but he was unlucky to have encountered Bruce this time, who had the ability to rescue Lilia. The other girls he had kidnapped were not as fortunate and had no chance to escape his clutches. ¡°Daddy¡­ Daddy¡­¡± Lilia waspletely terrified. Arge crowd had gathered downstairs, and sirens were ring. The nannies in the room had secretly called the police, and security personnel from themunity had rushed to the scene. ¡°Ding dong! Ding dong!¡± The doorbell rang frantically. Bruce turned around and hugged his daughter tightly. He activated the mechanism on his wrist. ¡°Swoosh!¡± A steel wire sliding zipline shot out from his sleeve, hooking onto the wall of the opposite floor. Bruce swiftly slid down the zipline from this building to the opposite floor. By the time the security personnel broke into the room, he had already carried Lilia and reached the neighboring floor. Afterward, he took the elevator and left Boulevard Residences. Of course, with his status, all he needed to do was exin the situation to the police, make a report, and he wouldn¡¯t bear any legal responsibility. However, he still wanted to keep his current identity hidden. Once exposed, it would cause a huge sensation in Greyport, and he and his family would be targets of assassinations from agents all over the world. Chapter 1179 Chapter 1179 Chapter 1179 Soon, arge number of police officers and reporters rushed to the scene. Although there were signs of a struggle at the scene, no other useful clues were left behind. Bruce was wearing a clown mask. Hence, he was unidentifiable from the video footage. Moreover, the clone was currently upying his identity, which could provide strong evidence of his absence. The reporters eagerly released the news of Marlowe¡¯s fall from the building. ¡°Tragedy at Boulevard Residences. The person who fell from the building is suspected to be the heir of Yanice Group.¡± ¡°Yanice Group¡¯s heir, Marlowe Yanice, fell to his death. Investigation underway.¡± ¡°A home invasion at Boulevard Residences resulted in the tragic death of the Yanice Group¡¯s heir, who fell from the building¡­¡± The news of Marlowe¡¯s fall spread throughout Greyport in less than an hour. This news shocked the entire Greyport. When Marcus learned of his son¡¯s death, he rushed to the scene. The area had already been cordoned off by the police, and no one was allowed to approach. ¡°Marlowe, my son¡­¡± Seeing his son¡¯s tragic death, Marcus couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears. Though Marlowe was wayward and Marcus was disappointed in him, Marlowe was still his own flesh and blood. Family ties ran deep. Now that his son was gone, as a father experiencing the loss of his son, his heartache was indescribable. Suppressing his grief, Marcus called in Marlowe¡¯s subordinates for questioning. ¡°Tell me, how did Marlowe die?¡± Marlowe¡¯s top henchman, Pete, trembled and stammered, ¡°Mr. Yanice, Mr. Marlowe¡­ he¡­ he¡­¡± ¡°Speak up!¡± Marcus took a deep breath, his dark and turbid eyes filled with authority and weariness. There must be an inside story behind his son¡¯s death. Regardless of the circumstances, his son was still his own flesh and blood. Though Marcus had ignored his son most of the time, now that someone had killed his son, it meant they didn¡¯t regard him with any respect. In Greyport, the Yanice Group¡¯s financial and actual strength ranked only second to the Everett Group. Marcus, also known as Yanice the Strange, had a shady background in his early years. Only when Greyport was nearing reunification did he gradually clean up his past and step into a legitimate business. ¡°¡­Mr. Derick¡¯s death is likely rted to the Everett Group.¡± ¡°The Everett Group?¡± Marcus frowned, and two deep vertical lines appeared between his eyebrows, adding to his sinister and dreadful demeanor. ¡°Yes, Mr. Marlowe had someone kidnap Bruce Everett¡¯s daughter. Unexpectedly¡­ he met a tragic end. So, Mr. Marlowe¡¯s death must be connected to Bruce!¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Pete didn¡¯t dare to conceal anything and reluctantly revealed all the details to Marcus. ¡°What?¡± Marcus was so infuriated by this news that he nearly had a stroke. He took several deep breaths, and his personal physician administered antihypertensive medication to prevent him from dying of anger. Honestly, his son deserved to die formitting such a crime. Marcus was indeed troubled by the situation. He wished that he could strangle his son himself. But¡­ human nature wasplicated and bizarre sometimes. He could beat, scold, and reprimand his son, but others couldn¡¯t. Marcus knew a bit about the grievances between Bruce and Marlowe. Initially, he believed that Bruce giving his son some lessons and making him experience hardships could be a valuable learning experience for his son. Thus, when Bruce sent his son to a nine-year prison sentence, Marcus only watched coldly, without seeking revenge or taking his son¡¯s side. Even when his son¡¯s leg was broken, Marcus did not seek any retribution. But now, this was going too far. Bruce had directly killed his son. Chapter 1180 Chapter 1180 Chapter 1180 ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡± Marcus¡¯s breath came in short pants again. His entire being gave off an oppressively sinister aura. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s better that you die. You good-for-nothing would spare me a lot of trouble if you¡¯re dead. ¡°As your father, I didn¡¯t educate you well. It¡¯s my fault. You rest in peace.¡± After seeing his son¡¯s body, Marcus hobbled away with the help of his assistant. ¡°Pass the word around. This is an idental death from a fall. And tell the police to stop investigating.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Yanice.¡± Marcus knew who the murderer was, so there was no point in investigating further. Since Bruce had the audacity to kill his son, it meant that he had a way to get away with it. Relying on the police to avenge his son would not work. Besides, if the news of Marlowe kidnapping Lilia got out, it would provoke more public outrage. It was best to avenge his son in secret and not put it on the table. After all, a ruthless man would not make his intention known. Ritz Vi. After Bruce escaped, he brought Lilia back to the vi with burning anxiety. The girl was bitten by a dog. Blood was oozing out of a six-inch gaping wound with visible teeth marks on her slender calf. ¡°Doctors! Doctors! Get over here!¡± ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Mr. Carter and Dr. Down hurried over. Both of them were terrified when they saw Lilia¡¯s wound. With a worried expression on his face, Bruce anxiously carried his daughter over. ¡°Doctors, Lilia has been bitten by a dog. Quickly give her a rabies vine.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Oh, okay. Put her on the bed and let me check her injury.¡± Bruce¡¯s face was grave. As he ced Lilia on the bed, heforted his daughter gently. ¡°Lilia, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll always be by your side and protect you.¡± Seeing his daughter hurt badly, he was heartbroken. He would fight whoever harm his daughter to death. ¡°Daddy, Mommy¡­¡± Lilia was in shock and had started to have a high fever and be delirious. ¡°I¡¯ll tell my assistant to get the rabies vine from the hospital now.¡± Even though they were not at the hospital, Bruce had invited all the best doctors in Greyport over because of Joanna. A few doctors and experts were carefully treating Lilia¡¯s wound. Lilia was born with a congenital leg defect andter suffered from Heukemia. She was originally in poor health. The only reason she could survive until now was that she came from a wealthy family. Every year, the amount of money spent on her treatment alone was more than two million dors. If she had been born into an ordinary family who couldn¡¯t afford such expensive medical fees, she would probably have died. Joanna could deeply rte to the families with sick children. Therefore, she set up the Disabled Children¡¯s Fund and the Seriously Ill Children¡¯s Fund. The Haynes Group would donate 20% of their annual profits to charity. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. She was willing to help as many people as she could. Kindness wasn¡¯t a gift but a choice. ¡°Ah¡­ It hurts, Daddy, it hurts so much..¡± Lilia groaned in pain. Her body started to twitch uncontrobly, and white foam gushed out of her mouth. Bruce was horrified and kept stroking his daughter¡¯s head with his hand. ¡°Lilia, Lilia. Doctors, what¡¯s with my daughter?¡± Dr. Down was in shock. He quickly went forward and grabbed Lilia¡¯s jaw to prevent her from biting her tongue. ¡°Miss Lilia has a panic attack and it triggers an epilepsy seizure.¡± Another doctor hurriedly went over to unbutton Lilia¡¯s clothes. Then, heid her on her side on the pillow so she could breathe properly. When Bruce heard that, his heart skipped a beat and tears escaped his eyes. In the ward, his wife was lying on the bed on the left, and his daughter was lying on the right. He suddenly felt an intense tightening in his chest and could not breathe. ¡°Lilia, I¡¯m sorry. I failed to protect you ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so useless, so useless¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s heart was in immense pain but there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°Boohoo, Joann. Boohoo¡­¡± He broke down and wept bitterly in Joanna¡¯s arms. Chapter 1181 Chapter 1181 Chapter 1181 The doctors and assistants stood rooted to the ground. None of them dared tofort him or leave. The more Bruce cried, the more distressed he was. His grief slowly poured out in a flood of uncontroble tears. After going through all kinds of challenges and hardships in life, he thought there was nothing he could not handle and solve. But now¡­ He finally realized that he had been too arrogant and full of himself in the past. No man could fight fate. In the face of sickness and death, money could only give people a more decent death. Other than that, there was no other use. For example, right now, he feltpletely helpless. If he lost Joanna and Lilia, he would not have the courage to live. ¡°Ahh!¡± Bruce was crying his eyes out in despair. Even though Joanna could not open her eyes, she didn¡¯t lose her hearing and mental capabilities. She could hear Bruce¡¯s heart-wrenching cries. Joanna¡¯s heart ached. She thought that Lilia was dead. That was why Bruce was crying so broken- heartedly. ¡°Lilia¡­Lilia¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart lurched painfully in her chest. She frowned and summoned all her strength to open her eyes. ¡°Boohoo, Honey, Lilia, she¡­ boohoo¡± Bruce mumbled incoherently while choking on his sob. When Joanna heard that, she became more anxious. She tried her best tomand to nerves in her brain and gave orders to every sensory organ in her body. Finally, her arms seemed to be able to feel something and she tried to move her fingers with all her might. Bruce was crying in grief when he suddenly felt that somebody touched his palm. He paused and raised his head in disbelief, looking at Joanna with teary eyes. Joanna did not open her eyes, but the expression on her face had changed. Her brows puckered slightly, and tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. ¡°Joann, honey, you can hear me, right?¡± Joanna gathered all her strength and moved her fingers again. Bruce felt a tingling sensation in his palm. So, he was sure that it wasn¡¯t an illusion just now and his wife had be conscious. ¡°Doctors, doctor,e over. Joann is conscious. ¡°Her fingers just moved.¡± Bruce stopped crying and perked up. When Mr. Carter heard that, he quickly went over to take a look. He lifted Joanna¡¯s eyelids and shone a torch light on her eyes. ¡°Mrs. Everett has probably gone through an emotional roller coaster that causes her to regain consciousness.¡± When Bruce heard that, his stomach knotted. ¡°Really? Will she wake up soon?¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Mr. Carter frowned and said solemnly, ¡°Mr. Everett, you can share something happy or something extremely sad with Mrs. Everett to stimte her brain. It might be useful. ¡°Something happy?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He really couldn¡¯t think of anything happy. On the contrary, a lot of tragic things had happened to himtely, Bruce paused for a moment before he made up his mind. ¡°Since there is nothing to be happy about, I¡¯ll just tell her something sad. ¡°It must have been because I cried so sadly just now that Joanna reacted.¡± At the thought of that, Bruce cried even more sorrowfully. ¡°Honey, Joann, boohoo¡­ Quickly wake up. Lilia can¡¯t hold on much longer. ¡°I also couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If you don¡¯t wake up, Lilia and I won¡¯t be able to live on. Can you bear to see me and our daughter give up on our lives? ¡°Honey, waah¡­ " Chapter 1182 Chapter 1182 Chapter 1182 Joanna¡¯s heart was pumping rapidly. She wanted to open her and. wake up too but she just could not do it. Bruce noticed Joanna¡¯s reaction. However, he dared not let his guard down. ¡°Come on! Cry louder! Hurry up and cry out loud! The louder the better!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Boohoo! Boohoo!¡± A few doctors and their assistants cried out loud immediately. ¡°Please wake up, Mrs. Everett! If you don¡¯te around now, Mr. Everett is going crazy soon!¡± ¡°Miss Lilia is seriously injured. Please wake up and take a look at her now!¡± After Lilia suffered from a seizure, she went into aa. Even though she was already fine now, a doctor was staying by her side to take care of her. The rest of the doctors and nurses gathered around Joanna¡¯s bed to cry miserably. ¡°Wake up, Joann! Wake up now! Boohoo!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t live without you! So, please wake up now!¡± said Bruce desperately. Everyone in the ward was crying sadly as if they were attending a funeral. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Somehow, it seemed to work! Joanna¡¯s reaction seemed to be more intense. Movements of her eyeballs could be observed inside her eye sockets. Her body became so tense as well and she clenched her hands tightly. Bruce stared at Joanna nervously. Suddenly, he noticed that the louder they cried, the greater her reaction. ¡°Keep it up! Cry louder! The louder the better! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Boohoo!¡± A few doctors started to cry even louder. In fact, if they did not cry out loud as instructed by Bruce now, they might suffer a miserable ending eventually. Therefore, no one dared to be a makeweight. On the contrary, they cried their hearts out for real! The ward was filled with miserable cries. It was earth-shattering indeed. ¡°Tip-tap! Tip-tap! Tip-tap!¡± Suddenly, hasty footsteps pattered along the corridor outside the ward. After Jaydon and Aria heard that something had happened to Lilia, they rushed over to the hospital hurriedly. As soon as they arrived at the doorstep, they heard miserable cries inside the ward. ¡°Boom!¡± Jaydon¡¯s face turned pale instantly. He felt weak on his knees all of a sudden and almost lost his bnce. Bruce and the doctors were crying in such a devastated manner. Could it be that Joanna was dead? Or it was Lilia that had passed away? If not, why would Bruce cry in such a devastated manner? ¡°Joann! Lilia!¡± Jaydon gasped instantly. He did not dare to push the door open at all at that moment. He fell in love with Joanna more than a decade ago. She was the woman he loved the most. In addition, he watched Lilia grow up ever since she was born. If either of them was dead, he would feel as devastated as Bruce as well. Aria¡¯s face turned pale and lost her nerves too. Something bad must have happened! But, they hoped nothing happened to the child. ¡°Hurry up! Let¡¯s go in and see what happened!¡± ¡°Click!¡± The ward door opened. ¡°Joann! Lilia!¡± shouted Jaydon as he grieved deeply. ¡°Boohoo! Boohoo!¡± Bruce and the doctors were crying in devastation at that time. They gathered around Joanna¡¯s bed as they cried in grievance. Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon seeing such a scene. Needless to say, it must be Joanna who had died. Jaydon was stunned for a few seconds before he came to his senses. He staggered and rushed over to the bedside. He looked at Joanna with disbelief. He felt so heartbroken that he felt weak on his knees all of a sudden and knelt on the ground beside the bed. ¡°Joann! Joann!¡± Jaydon cried out loud. ¡°I am sorry that I amte! I am sorry that I did not get to see you onest time! Boohoo! Why didn¡¯t you wait for me, Joann? Why didn¡¯t you wait for me to see you onest time?¡± Bruce was so speechless all of a sudden. He was crying in devastation at that particr moment when Jaydon dashed over. He was so furious upon seeing Jaydon before his sight. He stared fiercely at Jaydon instantly. ¡°Joann! Boohoo! Open your eyes and see me onest time, Joann! It was toote for me to meet you in this life. I hope that you will wait for me in the next life¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes welled up after he finished his words. Bruce rolled his eyes and was so furious upon hearing what Jaydon said. Damned you, Jaydon! ¡°How dare you confess your feeling to Joanna at such a critical moment? I am so going to beat you to death today!¡± said Bruce furiously in his mind. Chapter 1183 Chapter 1183 Chapter 1183 ¡°Damn you, Jaydon! Get out of my sight now! Scram!¡± shouted Bruce as he stood up angrily. Jaydon choked with sobs as he stared at Bruce furiously too. Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened as he stared fiercely back at Jaydon. ¡°You¡¯d better get out of my sight now before I burst into mes!¡± Jaydon was so angry that he said, ¡°Bruce Everett! You are such a barbarian! I just want to say goodbye to Joann for onest time! ¡°I have never fought with you over Joann in this life. But, I swear to God that I will never let Joann get hurt again in the next life! It is you, Bruce Everett! You are the one who caused her death! ¡°If I knew that Joann will suffer from such a miserable fate being with you, I will never let go of her hands in the first ce¡­¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Bruce rolled his eyes. He was so furious upon hearing what Jaydon said. This scum had not given up on his evil designs toward Joanna yet. What did Jaydon mean by letting go of Joanna¡¯s hands? Joanna belonged to Bruce all along and never belonged to him! Who was Jaydon Grimm anyway? He was absolutely iparable to Bruce! ¡°I am so going to beat you to death, you scum!¡± Bruce approached Jaydon at the speed of light. He then grabbed Jaydon¡¯s tie directly. Upon seeing such a scene, Aria tried to stop the fight anxiously. ¡°Stop it, Bruce! Stop it!¡± ¡°Everyone feels grievance over Ms. Haynes¡¯s death. But, no one could breathe life into a dead person. The most important thing you should do now is to look into Ms. Haynes¡¯s funeral!¡± ¡°Scram! Get out of my sight now! Get out of here!¡± said Bruce as he held onto Jaydon¡¯s tie in one hand and pushed Aria out of the ward with another hand. He did not want to see them appearing in his sight now! The doctors and nurses were shocked to death. They asked Bruce in a low and shivering voice, ¡°Mr. Everett, should we¡­ should we continue crying?¡± ¡°Of course! Continue crying!¡± ¡°Boohoo!¡± The doctors continued to cry out loud again. ¡°Bruce Everett! Don¡¯t you think that I am afraid of you! I am a gentleman who does not reason with my fists. Unlike you! You are such a barbarian!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce grabbed Jaydon¡¯s cor and threw him out of the ward. He then pushed Aria out harshly as well. Jaydon staggered and fell to the ground with a thud. Of course, Bruce had tried to control his temper. Otherwise, Jaydon would fall to death for sure. ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t be so harsh. We are friends!¡± said Aria. ¡°Jay and I mean no harm. We are only afraid that you will take things too hard,¡± said Aria sincerely. ¡°Scram! Get out of my sight now! I don¡¯t want to see both of you appearing right in front of me ever again!¡± ¡°Cough! Bruce Everett, you are such a jerk! I am not afraid of you! I will not leave even if you beat me to death today! ¡°I am going to see Joann off for onest time. Nobody is going to stop me from doing so!¡± Jaydon ced his hand on his chest as he staggered to his feet. Then, he dashed into the ward again. Indeed, he was as stubborn as a mule. ¡°Damn it! Are you courting death now?¡± ¡°You are right! You¡¯d better beat me to death now if you dare! Once I am dead, I could be with Joann forever. Be it in hell or heaven!¡± Bruce knitted his eyebrows and said furiously, ¡°Well then. I shall beat you to death today as you wish!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Bruce gave Jaydon a hard punch in his face. Jaydon fell to the ground with a thud again. After that, Bruce kicked Jaydon harshly a few times. Jaydon curled his body up and tried his best to protect his head and abdomen. In the past, even though Jaydon was no match for Bruce, they could still spar with each other. But now, there was such a huge difference between their strength. Jaydon could not fight back at all. He could only roll on the floor like a spinning top. ¡°Stop it, Bruce! Stop fighting! You are beating him too harshly now. If you continue to do so, you will definitely beat him to death!¡± Aria was so anxious that she tried her best to stop the fight. In the ward. Joanna could hear the cries and noise where Bruce and Jaydon were fighting. She became so restless all of a sudden. Everyone knew that Bruce had a bad temper. Furthermore, he had prejudice towards Jaydon. Based on Bruce¡¯s temper and character, he would definitely beat Jaydon to death upon hearing the nonsense that Jaydon spouted right in front of the bed just now. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Joanna was in a state of great agitation. The blood cirction elerated rapidly in her body. Various signals were sent to her brain in one shot. Suddenly, she could feel her body. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± said Joanna weakly as she opened her eyes in a daze. Chapter 1184 Chapter 1184 Chapter 1184 Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Boohoo! Boohoo!¡± The doctors were still crying in grief. All of them gasped in surprise upon seeing Joanna¡¯s eyes open. ¡°Mrs. Everett¡­ Mrs. Everett hase around! Mrs. Everett hase around!¡± ¡°You are right! Mrs. Everett hase around! Quick! Inform Mr. Everett immediately! Faster!¡± Dr. Carter and Dr. Down did not dare to put down their guards. They approached Joanna hurriedly to examine her. The other two special assistants rushed out to the ward excitedly. Outside the ward. ¡°I am going to beat you to death today, you scum! ¡°Joann belongs to me all along. We are legally married. Who the hell do you think you are?¡± said Bruce angrily as he kicked Jaydon hard. ¡°Argh! I am not afraid of you, Bruce! Beat me to death if you have the guts! I dare you!¡± Jaydon mored insolently. Jaydon was as stubborn as a mule indeed. Even though he was no match for Bruce, he would never bow down to Bruce. ¡°Very well then! I shall beat you to death as you wish today!¡± Bruce was not someone who could be cowed by force as well. In fact, Bruce¡¯s temper was much better now. In addition, Jaydon had helped him a lot previously. Therefore, Bruce only wanted to teach Bruce a lesson. He had no intention to beat him to death at all, If it was in the past, Jaydon would have been killed by now. ¡°Shut up, Jay! Stop talking! Stop fighting, both of you! Stop it!¡± Bruce was beating Jaydon vigorously. Suddenly, a special assistant ran out and shouted excitedly, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett hase around! Mrs. Everett hade around!¡± Bruce was stunned upon hearing what he said. He lowered his leg immediately. Jaydon was stunned too. His face was filled with disbelief. A few secondster. Bruce frowned as he said, ¡°Say it again! What did you say just now?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett hase around! Mrs. Everett hase around for real! Come and take a look at her!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes lit up immediately upon hearing it. He rushed into the ward at the speed of light. Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He stumbled as he stood up and said, ¡°Did he say that Joann hade around? She is alive?¡± ¡°I think so!¡± ¡°Are you sure that she hase around and not turned into a zombie instead?¡± Aria was so speechless upon hearing what Jaydon said. Both of them thought Joanna was dead in the first ce! Therefore, they could not believe what they heard when someone said that Joanna hade around. ¡°Haha! Great! That¡¯s great! Joann is not dead! She is still alive!¡± Jaydon dashed into the ward excitedly after he came to his senses. Aria¡¯s face turned pale again. She knitted her eyebrows as she said, ¡°I think so! Let¡¯s go in and take a look!¡± In the ward. Joanna panted slightly as she blinked her eyes slowly. It was such a pity that the moment she opened her eyes, it was not Bruce that appeared before her sight, but a group of strangers surrounding her. A few doctors had their eyes welled up and sniffling loudly. Bruce rushed towards the bed and approached Joanna immediately. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± The doctors moved aside hurriedly to make way for Bruce upon hearing what he said. ¡°Joann! Joann! You are awake! You have finallye around!¡± Bruce burst into tears as he said when he saw Joanna opened her eyes. ¡°Joann! Joann! Boohoo!¡± Bruce could not control his emotion at all. He felt so aggrieved at that time. He threw himself into Joanna¡¯s arms as he cried andughed at the same time. Joanna took a deep breath and reached out her trembling hand to touch Bruce¡¯s head. ¡°Why are you crying, silly? Come on, get up¡­¡± ¡°Boohoo! No, I don¡¯t want to get up!¡± Bruce pressed his head harder on Joanna¡¯s chest. He was afraid that he was actually having a dream now. He was so afraid that once he lifted his head, he would wake up from his dream and Joanna would be in aa again. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± Joanna coughed weakly. She seemed to have difficulty in breathing. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He lifted his head and asked anxiously, ¡°Joann! What¡¯s wrong, Joann?¡± ¡°Cough! Cough! You¡­ You¡­¡± Upon seeing Joanna breathe abnormally, Bruce was worried to the max. He was so afraid that he held Joanna¡¯s hands tightly and asked, ¡°What are you trying to say, Joann? Please don¡¯t scare me!¡± He knew that most people had a sudden spurt of reaction before copsing, especially those who had been in aa for quite some time. These people woulde around all of a sudden to say theirst words. before they died. He was afraid that it was a momentary recovery of consciousness just before Joanna¡¯s death. ¡°Joann! Don¡¯t leave me, Joann! I can¡¯t take this kind of blow! Don¡¯t say goodbye to me! I don¡¯t want to hear anything from you¡­¡± Joanna rolled her eyes faintly. She took a deep breath difficultly and said in a weak tone as she coughed, ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°Your¡­ your head is too big. I can¡¯t breathe with your big head pressing on my chest¡­ Cough! Cough!¡± Although Joanna hade around, she was still very weak, Bruce threw himself so hard in Joanna¡¯s arms, causing her to have difficulty breathing with such pressure. Joanna was almost suffocated by his act. Chapter 1185 Chapter 1185 Chapter 1185 Upon hearing it, Bruce lifted his head hurriedly and turned his body to one side carefully. ¡°I am so sorry, Joann! It was all my fault! I am the one who let you suffer so much!¡± Finally, Joanna could breathe smoothly. She had a strange feeling that she was in a dream. ¡°Where is Lilia? How is she now?¡± Joanna struggled to sit up as she spoke. Bruce pressed her down gently andforted her gently. ¡°Lie down quickly and stop moving. Lilia is fine. The doctor is treating her now. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± Joanna could finally put her mind at ease upon hearing it. After a few seconds, Joanna asked worriedly again, ¡°I seem to hear the noise whereby you and Jay were fighting. Is Jay okay?¡± Sometimes, Bruce did not know how to control his strength. Joanna was so afraid that Jaydon would be badly injured by Bruce. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as his gaze drifted. Indeed, Bruce easily got jealous. However, Bruce knew that Joanna had no feelings for Jaydon. If Joanna knew that Bruce had beaten Jaydon up again, she would probably get angry again. Upon seeing Bruce in silence, Joanna felt more anxious. She asked again, ¡°Where is Jay?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Bruce intended to say something but he did not say it out eventually. Just as Bruce did not know how to answer Joanna¡¯s question, Jaydon rushed into the ward excitedly. Then, he approached Joanna with his face full of bruises. ¡°Joann! Joann! You have finally awakened!¡± ¡°Thank God! You finallye around!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face, Jay? What happened to you?¡± said Joanna after she took a nce at Jaydon. Half of Jaydon¡¯s face was swollen. There were bruises on his left eye too. It was so obvious that he was being beaten up badly. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She struggled to get up again. It seemed that it was not a dream at all. Bruce and Jaydon were indeed fighting just now. ¡°Did both of you fight just now?¡± said Joanna as she stared at Bruce as if she was ming him for initiating the fight. Jaydon had helped both of them so much. Bruce should noty his fingers on him no matter what!. Bruce put on a wry smile as he said, ¡°No, of course not! We are not fighting at all. If you don¡¯t trust me, you may ask him yourself.¡± Bruce looked at Jaydon with a faint smile and threatening gaze as he spoke. ¡°Come on! Tell Joann about it! Are we fighting with each other just now?¡± Jaydon was so speechless upon hearing it. He covered his swollen face subconsciously. But, his eyes were burning with rages. Indeed, they were not fighting with each other. It could only consider a fight when both of them were beating each other. However, in their case, Jaydon did not fight back at all. How could it be considered a fight? He was merely being beaten up. ¡°Come on! Tell Joann quickly!¡± said Bruce as he looked at Jaydon with his threatening gaze again. ¡°Yup. We are not fighting. Ouch¡­¡± said Jaydon. He could not help but moan in pain when he covered his swollen face. Joanna was still a little worried after hearing what Jaydon said. She then asked again, ¡°Are you sure about that? Then, why is your face so swollen?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I am having a toothache!¡± replied Jaydon out of desperation. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Joann, do you believe in me now? I¡­ Jaydon and I are buddies. How could it be possible for us to fight with each other?¡± Bruce wrapped his arm around Jaydon¡¯s shoulders as he spoke. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Joanna had juste around. Bruce did not want to agitate her or make her angry. ¡°Ahem!¡± Jaydon cleared his throat subconsciously. He was so tense at that moment. ¡°We are buddies! Aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yeah, you are right. We are ¡®buddies¡¯ indeed!¡± said Jaydon as he gritted his teeth. Joanna took a nce at both of them. They seemed to have a good rtionship though. However, she did not ask for more. After all, both of them used to be sworn enemies. It was such a rare scen for both of them to stand side by side at the same time in peace. Mr. Carter approached them and said in a serious manner, ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett has juste around. We need to do a full body checkup for her now, just in case.¡± ¡°Alright. You may proceed to do so,¡± said Bruce hurriedly as he nodded. ¡°Mr. Everett and Mr. Grimm, you may go out first.¡± ¡°Alright. Please fully utilize your profession in the medical field and treat Joann ordingly. Do not make any mistake again!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. We will try our best for sure.¡± Suddenly, Bruce¡¯s eyes welled up again. He held tightly on Joanna¡¯s hands and said worriedly, ¡°Joann, please get well soon. You have to get well as soon as possible, okay?¡± Joanna smiled gently at Bruce and replied in a weak voice, ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry about me, okay?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go out first.¡± Bruce pulled Jaydon out of the ward hurriedly. In the corridor¡­ ¡°Haha! That¡¯s great! Joann has finallye around!¡± Bruce could not suppress his excitement anymore. He was so delighted at that moment that he jumped with joy. In fact, he was good at hiding his emotions. But at that particr moment, he just wanted everyone to know how happy he was now. Jaydon covered his swollen face as he sat on the benches along the corridor, feeling angry and speechless. ¡°Jaydon, don¡¯t you think that it was so worth it for being beaten up?¡± Jaydon¡¯s face darkened instantly. He felt so aggrieved that he could not hold it any longer. He scolded Bruce without hesitation. ¡°Bruce Everett! You are such a shameless jerk!¡± However, Bruce was not angry with Jaydon upon hearing it. On the contrary, he patted Jaydon¡¯s shoulder excitedly and said, ¡°Haha! I am so sorry! Please ept my apology!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Jaydon¡¯s body swayed vigorously that he almost fell off the benches. ¡°Are you trying to kill me again!¡± Bruce was so excited that he replied nervously, ¡°I am sorry! I am sorry! I am just so happy right now!¡± Chapter 1186 Chapter 1186 Chapter 1186 ¡°Ha¡­¡± Jaydon inhaled another breath of cold air and rolled his eyes at Bruce, He had no choice. He couldn¡¯t beat or scold him. He had no choice but to swallow his anger. Fortunately, Bruce apologized to him. It was a miracle. ¡°Please, God, please protect Joann and Lilia.¡± Bruce suddenly looked nervous again. He paced around the corridor agitatedly and nervously. As long as Joanna and Lilia could recover, he was really willing to give up everything. Jaydon paused and did not care about being angry anymore. ¡°Joann and Lilia are blessed by the heavens. They will definitely be fine.¡± ¡°I hope so. I hope so.¡± Their eyes were filled with worry and nervousness. It could be seen that the two of them really cared and were worried about Joanna. Aria watched from the side and suddenly felt an indescribable loneliness and bitterness in her heart. Over the past few days, Jaydon had tried his best to make her happy. He had brought her to all the fun ces in Greyport and Venturas, and it had eased her mood a lot. Jaydon was actually very outstanding. He was handsome and rich, and he knew how to make girls happy. Moreover, his personality was gentle and humorous, and his temper was many times better than Bruce¡¯s. She even thought that she might as well be with Jaydon. After all, she was already 33 years old and still wanted to try the feeling of getting married and having children. Although she loved Bruce very much, she knew that Bruce would never give her a chance. But now, when she saw how nervous Jaydon was for Joanna, her self-esteem was suddenly pricked, and this thought waspletely dispelled. Jaydon turned around and saw Aria. Seeing her unhappy expression, he asked gently, ¡°Ari, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Aria replied coldly, Jaydon clicked his tongue and immediately stood up. ¡°Are you tired of standing? You can sit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡± Aria was still standing in the distance, looking troubled. Bruce turned around and nced at Aria. His expression hardened. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else here. You can leave now.¡± Aria¡¯s face turned awkward, and her eyes instantly turned red. After being stunned for a few seconds, she wiped her tears and turned to leave quickly. Seeing this, Jaydon was even more exasperated. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t you have any manners?¡± ¡°Ari is a girl after all. How can you treat her with such an attitude?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Bruce felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to say something but hesitated. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re really too ungentlemanly. Ari has helped you so much. Moreover, she was worried about Lilia. That¡¯s why she came here. No matter what, you shouldn¡¯t have chased her away.¡± Bruce choked. The reason why he had such an attitude toward Aria was because Aria had always had ill intentions toward him. He originally did not want to argue too much with her, but she secretly kissed him that day. He really hated that deeply. ¡°If anything happens to Ari, you¡¯ll regret it,¡± Jaydon said as he stood up and chased after Aria. ¡°Insanity!¡± Bruce cursed in frustration. What Aria had done to him and Joanna had already traumatized him. However, Bruce still had the demeanor of a man. He did not harp on it and also saved some respect for Aria. He did not tell Jaydon what she had done in the past. Even when he reported to Richard, he only said that Aria restricted his personal freedom and acted on her own ord. He did not borate on the entire process. That was why Richard did not punish Aria too severely. ¡°Mr. Everett. The rabies vine has been taken and injected into Miss Lilia. The wound has been bandaged.¡± ¡°Is Lilia alright?¡± ¡°She is awake now. You can go over and see her.¡± ¡°What about Mrs. Everett?¡± ¡°Mr. Carter has also finished examining Mrs. Everett. Now, we have to wait for the test results.¡± ¡°Then can I go over and see her?¡± ¡°You can.¡± Bruce did not say anything else. He quickly got up and walked into the ward. Chapter 1187 Chapter 1187 Chapter 1187 In the ward. Bruce came to the bed nervously. ¡°Honey, are you feeling better?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were red as tears fell. Seeing this, Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Silly, why are you crying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just too worried about you, really, Bruce said. As he pressed her hand tightly against his face, he gently stroked Joanna¡¯s face. Joanna had been unconscious for nearly two months. He was really about to break down. Especially when he thought Joanna was dead, he was already prepared to die with her. Joanna blinked slightly. ¡°Is this¡­ Greyport?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re already back at Greyport.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Joanna replied lightly and looked at Bruce affectionately and gently. She could no longer remember what happened before she fainted. She only remembered that the car had crashed into the water and she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she had already returned to Greyport. Therefore, she had no impression of what happened after no man¡¯snd. She also did not know that Bruce had killed the few hundred people in District 17 andpletely blown it up. Naturally, she did not see his most cruel and bloody side. What she saw now was only a fragile crybaby filled with childishness. ¡°Boohoohoo¡­¡± Bruce wiped his tears and sniffled as if he had suffered a great grievance. He did not cry when he was captured in District 17. He did not cry when his stomach was cut open. He did not cry when he was tortured by gic modification. Now that he saw that Joanna was finally awake, he felt an inexplicable urge to cry. Joanna reached out and gently caressed his face. ¡°Ha, why do you like to cry so much now?¡± ¡°Honey, let¡¯s never be apart again, okay?¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll never be apart!¡± ¡°Ok. Boohoohoo¡­¡± ¡°Silly, stop crying. You¡¯ll make a fool of yourself if you do.¡± ¡°Go ahead andugh if you like! I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just boohoohoo¡­¡± Bruce sniffled and choked up. Who said that men did not cry easily? It was just that they had not reached the point of sadness. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Moreover, a man would forever be a boy at heart. No matter how sessful a man was, he would still retain a trace of childishness in his heart. Only when they gave up all their feelings without holding back would they be so sincere and reveal their weakest side. Other than the person he loved the most, no one else would have the chance to see his vulnerability. ¡°Knock! Knock!¡± There was a knock on the door. Hearing the knock on the door, Bruce used Joanna¡¯s hand to hold back his tears and said in a sobbing voice, ¡°Come¡­ Sniff¡­ Come in.¡± Mr. Carter and Dr. Down pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett¡¯s test results are out.¡± After Dr. Down finished speaking, his expression immediately became awkward. ¡°Is Mr. Everett still crying?¡± he wondered. ¡°Mrs. Everett is already awake. Why is Mr. Everett still crying like a child?¡± ¡°How are theb tests?¡± Dr. Down¡¯s back was tense. He quickly replied solemnly, ¡°Oh, Mrs. Everett¡¯s physique is very special. It¡¯s simply a special case.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°When I examined Mrs. Everett¡¯s body previously, Mrs. Everett¡¯s brain nerves were already close to death. But now, they have miraculously returned to normal. This is really a medical miracle. It has already broken through the limits of medicine.¡± When Bruce heard that, his brain froze. ¡°I think we can hold a medical research conference to specially study the special case of Mrs. Everett¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, his face darkened. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone about what happened here, let alone reveal a word to anyone.¡± When the two attending physicians heard this, their faces tightened and they hurriedly nodded. ¡°Oh, okay, I understand!¡± ¡°By the way, is the fetus okay?¡± ¡°No problem. The fetus is developing very well.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°You can leave now!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After the two doctors finished their report, they quickly left the ward. After the doctor left, Joanna looked confused and asked in confusion, ¡°Fetus? What fetus?¡± ¡°Silly, you have a new life in your belly now. We¡¯re about to have our fifth child!¡± Joanna choked and subconsciously touched her abdomen. Her abdomen was very t and did not bulge too much. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m pregnant again?¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with shock. She could not believe it. Bruce nodded heavily. ¡°Yes! This is our fifth child.¡± Joanna blinked twice in a daze and subconsciously touched her abdomen. She really could not believe that she was pregnant again. She was stunned for a long time. Joanna then asked worriedly, ¡°Then can we keep this child?¡± Bruce was stunned. The child was conceived at no man¡¯snd. At that time, Bruce had already been gically modified. In scientific terms, his current genes were already half-human and half-beast. What if a freak was born? To be honest, he didn¡¯t know how to face it. Even if it wasn¡¯t a freak, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be a healthy child. For example, Lilia was born with a disability. To be honest, Lilia had suffered a lot in life. Not only did the children suffer, but the adults also suffered. Joanna thought of this and looked at Bruce worriedly. Under normal circumstances, she would definitely keep this child. Chapter 1188 Chapter 1188 Chapter 1188 But now, they really couldn¡¯t guarantee what this child would look like. Moreover, Devin was not even two years old. Joanna had a C-section when she gave birth to Devin. The doctor had also said that her body was severely deficient, and she could not have another child for three years. ¡°We have to be responsible for the child. If it¡¯s an unhealthy child, I¡¯m worried¡­¡± As Joanna spoke, her eyes dimmed again. If she gave birth to a severely disabled child, to be honest, it would be painful for them toe into this world. When Bruce heard this, he held Joanna¡¯s hand with some heartache. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s all my fault for making you suffer so much.¡± ¡°This child¡­¡± As Bruce spoke, he suddenly paused. Although he wanted to have a few more children, Joanna almost died when she gave birth to Devin. He really couldn¡¯t bear to see her suffer. Joanna thought for a moment and looked at Bruce gently. ¡°You decide! No matter what decision you make, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes sparkled when he heard that. After pondering for a while, he still couldn¡¯t bear to lose this child. ¡°Honey, I think it¡¯s better to give birth to it! No matter what the oue is, I¡¯ll ept it.¡± ¡°Also, the doctor said that you were able to wake up because of this fetus. This is a gift from the heavens. Moreover, the child is so tenacious. Let¡¯s give birth to it.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± ¡°Honey, after this baby is born, I¡¯ll go for a vasectomy. Five children are enough. We won¡¯t have any more.¡± ¡°Idiot, there¡¯s no need!¡± ¡°It¡¯s necessary. I¡¯m afraid that sometimes I just can¡¯t control myself. I¡¯m even more afraid that your body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± When Joanna heard this, she blinked slightly and felt touched. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it in the future!¡± Bruce kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead and looked into her eyes affectionately. ¡°Thank you, dear.¡± ¡°Silly, why are you thanking me?¡± Tears welled up in Bruce¡¯s eyes, and his nose suddenly felt sour again. ¡°Thank you for giving me a new life again. Without you, there would be no me.¡± ¡°You saved me. You saved our whole family.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯re already an old couple. Don¡¯t say such mushy words.¡± ¡°Hehe, I just want to be more mushy.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned even redder. He grabbed Joanna¡¯s hand tightly and kissed it again and again. Joanna thought that he was saying sweet nothings. But in reality, what he said was the truth. At no man¡¯snd, he had already activated the self-destruct mechanism. If not for the fact that Joanna had suddenly recovered a trace of her aura, he might have been blown to pieces by now. Now, he waspletely psychologically dependent on Joanna. Without Joanna, he really couldn¡¯t live. Joanna blinked slowly and asked worriedly, ¡°Where are the children?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all at home! Don¡¯t worry about the children. There are so many servants in the house. They¡¯ll take good care of them.¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Where¡¯s Lilia? Where is she now?¡± ¡°When I was unconscious, I vaguely heard that something had happened to Lilia. Is that true?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. Not wanting Joanna to worry, he avoided the main point and said, ¡°Uh, Lilia did have a small ident, but she¡¯s safe now.¡± When Joanna heard this, she still frowned. ¡°What happened to Lilia?¡± ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re always so worried about the children.¡± ¡°Nothing unexpected. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s just that she was identally bitten by a dog.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s been vinated against rabies. She¡¯ll be fine after recuperating for a while.¡± Bruce quicklyforted Joanna. He did not dare to tell Joanna that Lilia had been kidnapped by Marlowe. He only said that Lilia had been bitten by a dog. If Joanna knew that Lilia had been kidnapped by Marlowe, god knew how scared she would be. He did not dare to tell Joanna that he had thrown Marlowe down from the roof. Women were timid. If Joanna knew that he had killed someone again, she would probably be afraid of him. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Where is Lilia now?¡± ¡°In the other room. The doctor is looking after her. I¡¯ll bring Lilia over to see youter.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Joanna heaved a sigh of relief. She was still frowning. Chapter 1189 Chapter 1189 Chapter 1189 Sherane Bay Vi. Davian asked anxiously, ¡°Daddy, haven¡¯t you found Lilia yet?¡± Lilia was lost. Davian and Irvin were also anxious these few days. The two little guys had dark circles around their eyes. gone. ¡°What should we do? Mommy isn¡¯t home yet, and now even Lilia is Daddy, aren¡¯t you anxious at all? I realized that you¡¯ve changed. You¡¯re different from before!¡± Bruce¡¯s clone sat on the sofa with a dejected and absent-minded expression, not saying a word. He had lost the child. He was afraid that Bruce would not let him live. Still, it was good for him to be dead. There was no point in living in someone else¡¯s shadow. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Seeing that his father was silent, Irvin was also furious. ¡°Daddy, now that Lilia is gone, aren¡¯t you worried at all? You¡¯re still sitting at home with a clear conscience. I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Davian¡¯s little face tensed up and said coldly, ¡°Daddy, tell us the truth. Where did Mommy go? Please tell us the truth. We¡¯re old enough to ept the cruel truth.¡± Hearing this, the clone raised his eyes slightly and looked at the two children with a deep expression. It had been three days since Lilia¡¯s ident. He had already thought of all the solutions he could think of. He really did not know what else to do. Moreover, he was only a clone and a substitute for Bruce. There were some things that he had no right to interfere in. Moreover, Darcy was right in front, monitoring him. He did not dare to say or do anything. Darcy frowned slightly. ¡°Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin, you don¡¯t have to worry about Miss Lilia. It¡¯s gettingte. You can go back to your rooms to rest.¡± ¡°Darcy, how can we sleep now?¡± ¡°All we want now is to find our sister as soon as possible and get Mommy toe back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett and Miss Lilia will definitely be safe. You can all rest assured. When it¡¯s time toe back, they wille back.¡± Darcy could not bear to see the two children so frightened and subconsciouslyforted them. Bruce had already spoken to him on the phone, and he knew that Lilia was safe. However, he could not tell the children the truth yet. He was worried that they would identally spill the beans because they were young. ¡°It¡¯s already past 11 o¡¯clock. You still have to go to school tomorrow. Hurry up and go back to your room to sleep!¡± The two children had no choice but to return to their rooms. They returned to their rooms. Irvin could not help butin, ¡°Davian, don¡¯t you feel that Daddy seems to have be a different person?¡± Davian rolled his eyes and said with some lingering fear, ¡°I¡¯ve long felt that. Do you think this daddy¡­ is fake?¡± ¡°Fake?¡± Irvin was shocked. ¡°Yeah! I keep feeling that he¡¯s a little strange. Although he looks like Daddy, his personality is completely different.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? Oh my god, will Daddy and Mommy really be killed? Then¡­ is the daddy at home a robot sent by the bad guys?¡± He had watched too many sci-fi movies. Thinking of this, he had goosebumps all over his body. It was not impossible. Their family was one of the wealthiest. They knew that they had attracted bad people to spy on them and hurt them. ¡°It can¡¯t be, right?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the police!¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t alert the enemy now. Otherwise, we might¡­¡± Davian said as he made a throat-slitting gesture. ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep first! We¡¯ll think of something when we get to school tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Ritz Vi. After Lilia woke up, the specialized caregiver carried her to Joanna¡¯s ward. ¡°Mommy, is that really you?¡± When Joanna saw Lilia, she struggled to sit up and quickly reached out to her daughter. ¡°Baby Lilia, it¡¯s really Mommy.¡± After confirming that it was her mommy, Lilia burst into tears and plunged into her mommy¡¯s arms. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong? Why haven¡¯t youe home for so long? Do you know? My brothers and I are very worried about you. Boohoo¡­¡± ¡°Silly child, stop crying. It¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault.¡± As she spoke, Joanna quickly checked her daughter¡¯s calf. Lilia¡¯s calf was already bandaged and wrapped in thick gauze. Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart still ached. ¡°Good girl, does it hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Mommy, don¡¯t cry. It really doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± The mother and daughter could not help but hug each other and cry. Bruce watched from the side and his eyes became hot. He quietly hugged them and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. Don¡¯t cry again in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let Lilia recuperate here for a while.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce with teary eyes. ¡°I miss Davian, Irvin, and Devin too. Hurry up and bring them over.¡± ¡°They¡¯re at home for the time being. It¡¯s better not to bring them over. They¡¯re young. If word gets out, it¡¯ll cause unnecessary trouble.¡± Joanna sighed deeply when she heard that. Indeed, the children were too young. It would not be good if they identally spilled the beans in school. Now, no one knew that the real Bruce was here. They all thought that the clone was Bruce. Chapter 1190 Chapter 1190 Chapter 1190 ¡°Mommy, when can we go home?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Joanna turned her gaze to Bruce. Although Bruce had recovered a lot, the skin on his face was still bumpy. If he went out and people saw him, he would definitely scare them. ¡°When Mommy recovers, we¡¯ll go back.¡± When Lilia heard this, she nodded obediently. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, I¡¯ll stay here to apany you guys for the time being.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes could not help but turn red. ¡°Baby, do you know me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Daddy! Daddy, how did you be like this?¡± After saying that, Lilia reached out her small hand and touched her daddy¡¯s face with heartache and worry. Although Daddy¡¯s appearance had changed, when Daddy broke through the window to save her, she recognized him immediately. She knew that Daddy would definitely save her. The person at home was definitely not her daddy. When Bruce heard this, his eyes turned even redder. When he looked in the mirror, he didn¡¯t even believe that he was himself. He did not expect his daughter to recognize him at a nce. ¡°Good baby, Daddy didn¡¯t dote on you for nothing. Doesn¡¯t Daddy look scary?¡± Lilia looked at her daddy with admiration. ¡°Daddy is not scary at all. In my heart, Daddy will always be the most handsome superhero.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt extremely pleased. He picked up his daughter and said, ¡°As expected of Daddy¡¯s favorite.¡± ¡°Be careful. Lilia¡¯s leg is injured. Don¡¯t touch it.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, I was so happy just now.¡± Bruce quickly put his daughter down. As they were talking, Professor Tucker walked inside in a white coat, followed by a nurse. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s time to take your medicine.¡± The nurse brought the prescribed medicine to Bruce one by one and handed him a ss of water. Bruce frowned slightly. He swallowed it one by one. Seeing this, Joanna could not help but feel her scalp go numb. ¡°Oh my god, you have to take so many medicines?¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Everett, the mutated gene cells in Mr. Everett are still replicating. If he doesn¡¯t take the suppressant, the consequences will be unimaginable.¡± When Joanna heard that, she looked even more worried, so she subconsciously held Bruce¡¯s hand. Bruce, on the other hand, looked calm. ¡°Doctor, when will my face recover?¡± Professor Tucker said strictly with a serious expression, ¡°Mr. Everett, reconstructive stic surgery is very simple. However, it¡¯s best to do it after the mutated gic cells stabilize in the body and there are no more mutations. ¡°If you undergo reconstructive stic surgery now, I¡¯m afraid that the mutated gene cells will be unstable. When the timees, you¡¯ll have to undergo a second surgery.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°How long will the recovery period take?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll probably take at least half a year to a year for reconstructive stic surgery.¡± ¡°Will it take that long?¡± ¡°Yes, it will.¡± That was true. It would take three to five months to recover from a double eyelid surgery. Moreover, he was going to undergo a full-faced operation. It would take at least half a year to a year. ¡°Then during this period of time, you have to speed up the development of drugs to suppress gic mutation.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°You may leave!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Professor Tucker nodded slightly and left the ward with his assistant. After the doctors left, Bruce looked at Joanna and smiled knowingly. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Joanna looked at him with heartache. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy. As long as I have my wife and daughter by my side, I feel like I¡¯m the happiest person,¡± Bruce said as he rested his head in Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you have three sons.¡± ¡°How can our sonspare to you?¡± ¡°Sigh, I really have to hand it to you. You¡¯re still in the mood tough¡­¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Just then, Bruce¡¯s phone rang. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce took out his phone and saw that it was Darcy calling. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± Darcy¡¯s solemn voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, Andy just called to report that there¡¯s a problem with Project Green Bay.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°What went wrong?¡± ¡°Yanice Group has surrounded the surroundingnd and is preparing to build a breeding farm and aquaculture. ¡°There¡¯s also the piece ofnd that was about to be expanded. Our bidding failed and it was bought by another real estatepany.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard it. Project Green Bay was thergest and best real estate project in Porash. The surrounding facilities were also top-notch. Now, if arge-scale farm appeared around it, it would cause arge impact. Moreover, the surroundingnd was so expensive yet they did not develop real estate upon it, but rather, a farm. It was like building a septic tank in a street full of restaurants. They were simply here to cause trouble. To put it bluntly, they were clearly here for Everett Group. They were deliberately making things difficult for him. Chapter 1191 Chapter 1191 Chapter 1191 Darcy lowered his voice and continued, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. Mr. Everett has been selected as one of the top ten outstanding entrepreneurs in the Porash election. The Chamber of Commerce president will hold a charity g next Monday. Mr. Everett is also on the invitation list. Do you need to attend?¡± Hearing this, Bruce frowned again. He could have chosen not to attend other gs but had to participate in the charity gs. Moreover, this was organized by the president of the Chamber of Commerce. He had to give face. ¡°Uh, I need to attend this. Let that ¡®person¡¯ attend on my behalf!¡± ¡°Coach him well, and don¡¯t let him cause trouble. Donate 10 million dors to the charity g. As for the rest, do as you see fit.¡± ¡°Will do, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up. Although his clone had no special skills, he was still confident in Darcy¡¯spetence. Darcy had been with Bruce for many years, so he arranged such matters well. The clone only needed to attend and show up as Bruce. After Bruce ended the call, Joanna was worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen again?¡± Bruce put down the phone and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a small matter at work. You don¡¯t have to be worried.¡± ¡°Why did I hear that Project Green Bay was in trouble again?¡± ¡°Haha, if there were a problem, it would¡¯ve been solved!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll deal with whateveres our way,¡± Bruce said as a confident smile appeared. He had never taken these things too seriously. He also knew that Marcus wanted to avenge his son. However, Bruce did not care about this. The Everett Group¡¯s business was so big. It had experienced many tricky situations. When Joanna heard this, she could not help but sigh. ¡°Sigh, I think you can¡¯t get rid of the mess between you and Yanice Group. Offending someone like Marlowe means endless trouble.¡± Joanna did not know that Marlowe was already dead. She had been worried about this matter. Looking at Joanna¡¯s worried expression, Bruce smiledfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. The troubles of the future have beenpletely resolved.¡± ¡°The most important thing now is to recuperate. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else.¡± Joanna smiled gently at him. ¡°Yes, you too.¡± Anyway, Bruce would solve everything. Joanna had nothing to worry about. However, she did not know that Bruce had killed Marlowe and had angered Marcus. ¡°Look, all three of us are injured.¡± ¡°Hubby, can you promise me something? From now on, you have to tell me in advance before you do anything. You¡¯re also not allowed to do anything dangerous.¡± ¡°Alright, I promise.¡± After saying that, the two of them looked at each other, their eyes filled with gentleness and affection. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Love at first sight, had no expiration date. Experiencing life-and-death situations together and countless collisions and tempering would strengthen their rtionship. Gradually, they would be a formidable force together that no one would tamper .with. After everything that had happened, nothing would change between them. Sherane Bay Vi. The stand-in looked at Darcy helplessly. ¡°Do I have to attend this party?¡± Darcy nodded expressionlessly. ¡°Yes.¡± The clone frowned. ¡°Can I choose not to go?¡± ¡°This is Mr. Everett¡¯s order. You have to go.¡± When the clone heard this, he took a deep breath. Resistance was written all over his face. He may have been a clone, but he had Bruce¡¯s genes. Naturally, he had the characteristics of Bruce. He didn¡¯t like the idea of others controlling his destiny. Chapter 1192 Chapter 1192 Chapter 1192 At the staircase on the second floor, Davian and Irvin quietly observed their ¡°Daddy.¡± The more the two little guys looked at him, the more they felt he did not look like their daddy. ¡°Lilia has been missing for five days, but Daddy still looks like he is not bothered about it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely not Daddy. If he were, he wouldn¡¯t be so unemotional.¡± Irvin¡¯s face was solemn. ¡°Brother, what should we do?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we run away from here?¡± ¡°I think everything and everyone around us are dangerous. The bad guys havepletely controlled us.¡± After Irvin finished speaking, he looked around nervously. There were cameras everywhere in the house. In the past, they felt their home was the safest ce. But now, it was the most dangerous ce. The two little fellows were young, but they were very cunning. ¡°But if we escape, what will happen to our brother?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t¡­ we bring him along?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡± Devin was not yet two years old. He would not remember anything and was utterly unconcerned. Under the daily care of the servants, he ate and drank well. He was the only person in the family who still had a smile. ¡°Hmph, we just heard him. He¡¯s going on a business trip tomorrow. We can use this opportunity to escape.¡± ¡°But who should we look for after we escape?¡± Davian thought for a couple of seconds. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go find Mr. Grimm. He will surely help us.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± After discussing their n, the two little guys sneaked downstairs from the second floor. Devin was ying games in the living room. He was riding a small cart and running around the house. ¡°Devin,e here!¡± Davian waved at his brother sneakily. Devin rode his model car and rushed to his brother, wobbling. ¡°Davian!¡± ¡°I will take you with me to buy some candy.¡± As Davian spoke, he tried to lift Devin off the rocking car. Coincidentally, Darcy saw this. ¡°Mr. Derick, Mr. Irvin, what are you guys doing?¡± The two of them were startled. ¡°Oh, oh, nothing.¡± ¡°It has been pretty roughtely. You can¡¯t go out alone.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Darcy¡± ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t drop Devin.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. We won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Darcy didn¡¯t say anything else and turned to leave. He had to attend the charity g tomorrow and had a lot of preparations to do today. After Darcy left. Irvin rolled his eyes. ¡°Davian, don¡¯t you think Mr. Darcy has also changed? He¡¯s not the same as before.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so scary! I feel like our everyone has be robots.¡± Davian was also a little worried. ¡°Davian, are you also a robot?¡± ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Davian¡¯s expression changed, and he gave Irvin a knock on the head. ¡°Ouch, be nice.¡± ¡°Do you see now? I am not a robot.¡± ¡°Yeah, got it!¡± Davian always liked to hit Irvin on the head. With this sentence, Irvin confirmed that this was his brother. The next day. Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. Darcy was ready to take the clones to Porash. ¡°Mr. Everett, time to go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only eight in the morning. Doesn¡¯t the charity g only start at eight in the evening?¡± ¡°We need to go to Porash first and meet with the head of Green Bay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve arranged an itinerary for you. All you have to do is follow me.¡± When the clone heard this, he looked reluctant. ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Just as he was about to set off, he saw Davian and Irvin looking at him slyly. ¡°Be good. I have to go to Porash.¡± The two little guys nodded. ¡°Got it, Daddy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The clone did not say anything else. He changed into a proper suit and followed Darcy out the door. In the car. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± The clone couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything? You need to represent Mr. Everett and make an appearance. Then, donate a sum of money in the name of the Everett Group at the charity g. You¡¯ll be done after giving a speech on stage.¡± ¡°This is the speech you¡¯ll have to say on stage. You can memorize it in advance,¡± Darcy said, handing over the prepared speech, ¡°Alright!¡± The clone took the speech and read it a few times absentmindedly. These speeches were almost all the same. It was nothing more than representing thepany and saying something encouraging and positive on stage. Then, he would say a few polite words, and there would be noplicated problem. This time the charity g invited all the famous people from Porash and Greyport. The g was held in a business center, The venue was already filled with people when the clone and Darcy arrived. Bruce¡¯s seat would be at the front, custom for someone of his status. When the Chamber of Commerce president saw that Bruce had arrived, he hurriedly stood up to wee him personally. ¡°Mr. Everett, wee.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± The clone smiled and shook hands with the president like a gentleman. ¡°Take a seat here.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The charity g officially began. The famous host began to encourage everyone toe to the stage to donate. Bruce had already donated 10 million dors. He was also the person with the highest donation at the g. After the donations werepleted. ¡°Now, Mr. Bruce Everett, pleasee on stage to give a speech.¡± The host -looked at ¡®Bruce Everett¡¯ excitedly. The clone smiled and slowly walked onto the stage as the spotlight shone on him. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Bruce Everett. I¡¯m delighted to be at this charity g¡­¡± Before he could finish reading the speech. In the audience, a man in ck quietly took out an ivory pistol from his pocket. Bang! A gunshot rang out. ¡°Ah, ah, ah!¡± There were screams from the crowd. Chapter 1193 Chapter 1193 Chapter 1193 The clone was shot in the chest. He took a few steps back and knelt on one knee. ¡°Argh!¡± The clone cried out in pain and subconsciously covered his chest. Blood flowed out from between his fingers. ¡°Ahhh, help!¡± The crowd immediately fell into chaos. The timid ones squatted on the ground and tried to hide under the stools. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± Darcy and the security guards eximed and rushed up to protect him. But it was toote. The murderer¡¯s attack was clean and efficient. He hit the target with one strike. There was no unnecessary movement, nor was there any room for defense. No one would have thought a murderer would sneak in on such an asion. Moreover, everyone had to go through security checks to enter such an event. Firearms and knives were not allowed to be brought in. Of course, there were many ways to avoid security checks. For example, by recing regr guns with ivory-made guns, security checks would be unable to detect them. Bang! Bang! The murderer fired two more shots. ¡°Catch the murderer. Don¡¯t let him escape.¡± ¡°Ah, help!¡± Security guards wearing protective masks and stun guns quickly ran toward the person who fired. Pang! There was a loud crash from the ceiling. Someone shot the electricity meter, causing the circuit to be cut off suddenly. The entire venue immediately fell into darkness; only the fire control indicator lights were on. ¡°Help! Murder! Murder!¡± The crowd wailed. Darcy couldn¡¯t be bothered to chase after the murderer. He hurriedly checked the clone¡¯s injuries. ¡°Call an ambnce quickly and send Mr. Everett to the hospital immediately.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The clone sucked in some cold air, and his mind went nk. ¡°Mr. Everett, hang in there. We¡¯ll send you to the hospital now.¡± ¡°Help.¡± Soon. Darcy and Carson quickly escorted the clone to the hospital. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce was eating with Joanna and Lilia when his phone suddenly rang. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Bruce answered the call casually. Darcy¡¯s panicked voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett, something bad has happened.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Something happened to Mr. Boris. He was shot at the charity g, and his life is in danger.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce suddenly stood up from his seat. ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡± ¡°Someone snuck an ivory pistol through security. Mr. Boris was shot when he went on stage to give a speech. Mr. Boris has been shot in the chest and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.¡± When Bruce heard this, he gulped immediately, and blood rushed to his head. After thinking for a few seconds. ¡°Darcy, no matter what, you must save his life.¡± ¡°No matter what, we must not let him die. If we really can¡¯t save him, we must hide the news. We can¡¯t let the news of his death be leaked to the public.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After hanging up. Bruce knitted his brows tightly. His sharp eyes revealed a trace of coldness. Now that the clone had taken his ce, Bruce had died if Boris was shot to death in front of everyone. He would ultimately be an illegal person! In other words, he would no longer be able to appear in the public eye as Bruce. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Moreover, cloning was not allowed in the country. The cloning incident would still cause considerable commotion if it were leaked. No matter what happened, clones could not die. At the very least, they could not die in front of everyone. Chapter 1194 Chapter 1194 Chapter 1194 Seeing Bruce¡¯s reaction, Joanna silently put down her fork and asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened this time?¡± Bruce cooled down and said calmly, ¡°¡­ It¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t we promise to face our problems together? You also promised me that no matter what happens, you won¡¯t hide it from me again.¡± Bruce frowned slightly and said to his assistant, ¡°Kimi, take Lilia out for a bit.¡± ¡°Okay.¡±. Kimi put down her fork and quickly came over to carry Lilia. ¡°Miss, let me take you to the guest room and hang out.¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± Lilia put down her fork and looked at her Daddy and Mommy timidly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby. Ge hang out with Kimi for a bit. Daddy wants to talk to Mommy about something.¡± After saying that, Bruce gently stroked his daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Oh.¡± After Lilia was taken out. Joanna asked anxiously, ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± Bruce sighed profoundly and frowned. ¡°Hurry up and spit it out. Are you trying to kill me with anxiety?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you remember that clone? I named him Boris. It¡¯s not convenient fo me to appear in public right now, so I asked him to attend an event on my behalf.¡± Joanna¡¯s brain froze when she heard what Bruce said. Of course, she knew about the clone. She had spent more than a month with that clone and had long sensed that he was not Bruce. At that time, Bruce was worried that the mission would fail. He was afraid that Joanna and the children would not be able to cope after he died. He was even more worried they would be bullied. So, he found someone to make a clone. It was so that after he died, the clone could rece him and be by Joanna and the children¡¯s side. However, he never expected that everything would be out of his control. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him now?¡± ¡°Sigh, he went to a charity g in Porash on my behalf and was attacked by a criminal. He was shot.¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± Joanna looked conflicted and worried when she heard that. Boris may have been a clone. He was already a living person now. Boris was alive. Of course, she hoped that Boris would live well. ¡°To put it simply, someone tried to kill you but unfortunately identally injured the clone?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°¡­Then who wants to kill you? Could it be those crazy scientists from Melta again?¡± Joanna¡¯s heart was in her throat again. If those scientists made aeback, there would be no peace. Bruce shook his head sadly. He had already neutralized District 17 and was dead to them. Moreover, Bruce had Jaydon hack into District 17¡¯s internal system and deleted all the experimental data rted to him. Even if a department from Melta went to investigate, it would not be easy to trace it back to Bruce. The killers couldn¡¯t have been those foreign assassins. The person who wanted to kill him was, indeed, Marcus. The nickname Yanice the Strange was not for nothing. He had always been involved in the mafia business in the early years. It was only after he returned to Greyport that he gradually cleared his name. Bruce killed his son. Of course, he had to take revenge. ¡°Honey, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can handle it.¡± ¡°Hubby, why are these assassins targeting our house? I¡¯m very nervous now. I feel there will never be a day of peace. Living a peaceful day is harder than thinking about going to the promisednd.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was filled with worry. Indeed, disasters have happened continuously since she got together with Bruce. ¡°Look at you. This is why I don¡¯t want to tell you some things. I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll overthink,¡± Bruce said and hugged Joanna gently. ¡°I¡¯m more likely to let my imagination run wild if you don¡¯t tell me. Now that you¡¯ve told me, the worst thing I can do is worry.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll let my imagination run wild, which is far worse than worrying.¡± When Bruce heard this, he smiled gently. ¡°Haha, alright! No matter what happens in the future, I¡¯ll be the first to tell you.¡± ¡°So what do we do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already instructed Darcy to stop the spread of any news regarding Boris¡¯ treatment. No matter what, we can¡¯t let the news of his death leak out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to bring him back to Greyport for treatment.¡± ¡°Uh-uh.¡± Bruce, [Get on the phone with Kody. Ask him to send someone to pick up Boris from Porash and bring him back to Greyport.] Porash Northshore Hospital. The clone was still being resuscitated in the ICU. To be shot near the heart was life-threatening. Many media reporters had already received the news that Bruce had \been shot with a gun. Now, countless reporters and gossip bloggers rushed to the hospital to wait for first-hand information about Bruce¡¯s assassination. In just an hour, the news of Bruce being shot had spread all over the Inte. Everyone on both sides of town knew that the richest man in Greyport had been shot. Chapter 1195 Chapter 1195 Chapter 1195 Yanice Group. The luxurious and impressive office exuded an overwhelmingly gloom. Marcus sat on the leather swivel chair and coughed non-stop. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡± The hoarse and short cough sounded like a broken bellow that had leaked air. The beautiful secretary beside him quickly took out a white handkerchief and wiped the phlegm from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Is everything done?¡± The subordinate guarding at the side replied solemnly, ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s already done!¡± ¡°Bruce was shot in the heart. Even if he didn¡¯t die on the spot, he¡¯d still die when sent to the hospital. We have people in the hospital. We definitely won¡¯t let him leave alive.¡± Marcus frowned slightly. The two deep tear troughs on his cheekbones looked more like two sharp knives. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good!¡± ¡°You may leave!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The subordinate bowed and left. ¡°Cough, cough, cough!¡± Marcus coughed a few more times and stood up shakily. The beautiful secretary immediately and considerately supported him and walked towards the floor-to- ceiling windows. Marcus arrived at the window. Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, one could look down and see half of Greyport. Looking at the lights outside, grief still enveloped Marcus¡¯ heart. ¡°My son, rest well! Daddy¡­ has avenged you.¡± As Marcus spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but pant a few times. Marlowe might have been a constant disappointment, but he was still Marcus¡¯ son. His son died before him, and the pain of losing him was still difficult for him to bear. Even though he had finally avenged his son, he still felt like two rocks were weighing down on his heart. Ever since his son died, he had fallen ill quickly and was afraid he would not live long. Now, he had to choose the most suitable sessor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, his three sons were all disappointments. The eldest was a psychopath, the second was a drug addict, and the third was gay. Probably because he had done so many evil deeds in the first half of his life, karma fell on his son. Ritz Vi. Bruce ended his call and was about to see his daughter. Perhaps it was because he drove too quickly, but his brain felt like a needle had pricked him. It was so painful that he almost fainted. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Seeing this, Joanna was shocked. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s wrong?¡±. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. My head hurts a little.¡± After Bruce finished speaking, his feet swayed. He almost lost his bnce. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Joanna hurriedly lifted the nket and staggered off the bed to help him. Unfortunately, he was too tall and burly. Joanna couldn¡¯t help him at all. She could only drag his arm and make him sit on the bed. ¡°Be careful. Someone ising.¡± Bruce¡¯s vision went dark, and his brain went nk for seven to eight seconds. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes. Joanna was so anxious that she was about to cry. ¡°Bruce, how do you feel?¡± Bruce¡¯s pupils focused. Looking at Joanna¡¯s anxious expression, he smiled at-her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I have a headache!¡± ¡°Lie down. I¡¯ll call the doctor now!¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°No need¡­¡± Bruce said as he pulled Joanna and hugged her tightly. ¡°Let me rest for a bit. I¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Joanna looked at him with despair. She could not help but reach out and massage his temples. He had two electronic microchips imnted into his brain. Until now, these two microchips were still in his brain. ording to the most recent medical studies, taking them out would not be very difficult. However, he had already undergone two craniotomies. If he underwent another craniotomy, he did not know the repercussions. ¡°Silly, why are you crying?¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes as she hugged him tightly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I feel terrible!¡± In the past, Bruce was so high-spirited and arrogant. But now, he was covered in wounds and had be neither human nor ghost. He did not even dare to appear in front of the public with his actual appearance. Chapter 1196 Chapter 1196 Chapter 1196 Seeing that Joanna was sad and crying, Bruce felt even more heartbroken. ¡°Silly, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t cry anymore. If you cry, not only will my head hurt, but my heart will hurt even more¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she held back her tears and choked up. ¡°Cheer up, don¡¯t cry anymore. It¡¯s all my fault for being too arrogant. I even said I wanted to make you the happiest woman in the world.¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯ve be the most unlucky woman in the world. You¡¯ve been burdened; you haven¡¯t had a good day since you¡¯ve been around me. It¡¯s all my fault. Joann. Do you have any regrets?¡± Bruce said with a sad smile, touching her cheek with mixed feelings. In the past, he was very confident. He thought he was the best man in the world and would not take no for an answer. He secretly vowed to be a perfect husband and father, making Joanna and the children the luckiest and happiest. But now, he finally knew what it meant to be lonely at the top. Humans could not win against what was meant to be. ¡°Don¡¯t say it. I think I¡¯m already the happiest woman in the world.¡± ¡°Haha, don¡¯tfort me. You¡¯ve suffered so much with me and reencountered danger repeatedly.¡± ¡°Sigh, I was too selfish. I couldn¡¯t protect you but still forced you to stay by my side. Joann, I don¡¯t know when I can recover from my current state.¡± ¡°I think¡­ I can¡¯t hold on any longer!¡± Bruce said with a hint of mncholy in his eyes. He rarely said such sentimental words, Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He would say them asionally, but it always sounded lonely and sad. Joanna¡¯s heart ached when she heard that. She covered his mouth tightly. ¡°Stop talking. I love you. Even if I died, I felt pleased being with you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Bruce held her hand tightly. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡± Bruce took a deep breath and looked at Joanna in pain. ¡°Joann, I¡¯ve already transferred most of my assets to you and the children.¡± ¡°Overseas. I bought an ind. It¡¯s very nice. It¡¯s not as chaotic as Greyport, and everything moves slowly. If I¡¯m unlucky to die one day, take the children and live there.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t repeat such depressing words. We can get through the rough times safely and grow old together.¡± After Joanna finished speaking, she took the initiative to lean forward and kiss his lips. Her kiss deepened as she tried to convey her love and strength through her actions. Bruce only hugged her waist gently and responded to her gently. In the past, she would not have dared to touch him. Even if she did something intimate, he would get extremely excited. Then¡­ there would be an endless entanglement. Now, he could control his emotions very well. He would not deal with them like he did before when he would not care about her feelings. The two of them were kissing each other. Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a knock on the door. The two of them were shocked and reluctantly separated. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news. The police are blocking our way in Porash.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Kody and the others were sent to the hospital in Porash to pick up Boris. They were detained by the Porash police on suspicion that they were linked to the recent gun attack.¡± ¡°Before the case is solved, don¡¯t let Boris and Kody leave Porash.¡± When Bruce heard this, he suddenly red up and got angry. Now that there was a shooting incident, there was some confusion. The victim¡¯s people were detained instead of investigating the criminals. These police officers must have been bribed. People thought and acted differently from each other. Even the police station had some corrupt officers. Not everyone was worthy of the title of public servant. Chapter 1197 Chapter 1197 Chapter 1197 ¡°Damn it!¡± Bruce cursed. He was so angry that he almost spat out blood. All the notables in Greyport showed Bruce some respect. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for Porash because it was not his territory. Although he had business investments, they were not as valuable as the ones in Greyport. Marcus¡¯ hometown was Porash, so he, of course, had a good rtionship with politicians and leaders from all walks of life as long as he said hello, the few corrupt people in Porash would instinctively know what to do. ¡°Mr. Everett, what do we do now?¡± Bruce frowned in deep thought. Now, he definitely couldn¡¯t show up as himself. Moreover, everyone thought that he had been shot. If he appeared, it would only cause more trouble. Joanna couldn¡¯t show up either. She had just woken up, and her body was still frail. Coupled with the fact that she was pregnant, it made things worse. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t show her face. He pondered for nearly half a minute. Bruce let out a cold breath. ¡°Alright, I understand. Let Mr. Jameson go over there. I¡¯ll call you back ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was heavy as he said solemnly, ¡°Remember, no matter what happens, you must keep Boris alive. You can¡¯t let him die.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Porash. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Northshore Hospital, the ICU ward. The clone had been shot near the chest area. Although the bullet had been removed, the shot was too close to the heart. He was in a severea, and whether he would die or live was unknown. Arge number of reporters were still waiting at the entrance of the hospital. The police surrounded the entrance of the ward. Other than the doctor, no one was allowed to approach. Darcy was still trying to reason with these people. ¡°We will now take Mr. Everett back to Greyport for treatment.¡± An attending physician replied coldly, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. The patient is in a critical condition and can¡¯t leave the hospital for now.¡± Darcy frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve already sent a team of medical experts to take good care of the patient.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work either.¡± ¡°Do you know who¡¯s inside?¡± Darcy was so angry that he choked. He had never seen anyone disrespect Mr. Everett like this. ¡°No one can do it. Officer Sully has instructed that before the case is solved, the patient can¡¯t leave the hospital.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett is from Greyport, so of course, he must go back for treatment.¡± The doctor replied coldly, ¡°We are currently in Porash.¡± ¡°You lot were all at the scene when the crime happened. Please follow us to the hospital to help with our investigation.¡± Darcy frowned angrily and said, ¡°No, we can¡¯t leave the hospital. We¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s bodyguards. Our responsibility is to protect our boss.¡± ¡°Now, in the name of the police, we suspect you are involved in a terrorist attack. You have to cooperate with the investigation unconditionally,¡± a police officer said with a stiff and cold expression. ¡°What a joke. We¡¯re the victims,¡± Darcy tried to retort. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Let¡¯s go to the police station and have you make a statement first.¡± Darcy¡¯s temples bulged. He was furious. Once they entered the police station, the police could still find an excuse to detain them for up to 24 hours, even if they didn¡¯tmit a crime. Who knew what would happen in the next 24 hours? ¡°What if I don¡¯t go?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t go, we have even more reason to suspect you¡¯re involved in this shooting.¡± ¡°Sir, are you serious? Instead of investigating the murderer, you¡¯re suspecting us? We¡¯re Mr. Everett¡¯s bodyguards. What¡¯s the use of investigating us?¡± Chapter 1198 Chapter 1198 Chapter 1198 The police officer¡¯s attitude was firm as he replied earnestly, ¡°We¡¯re not suspecting you. Everyone rted to the gun attack has to be investigated.¡± When Darcy heard this, he became angry and lost his temper. These people were clearly instructed by someone to cause trouble deliberately. It was impossible to reason with them. ¡°KO, we¡¯re waiting for ourwyer now. When ourwyer arrives, he¡¯ll to the police station with you.¡± ¡°No, I have the right to suspect you. You¡¯re obstructing the police¡¯s work when you deliberately dy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that because we didn¡¯tmit a crime. Even if I did, I have human rights, don¡¯t I? Besides, we are Greyport residents. Even if we are punished, we have to follow Greyportws!¡± The police officer nced at Darcy coldly. ¡°This is Porash. Everything has to be done ording to Porash¡¯s rules. Even if you are Greyport residents, you don¡¯t get any special treatment.¡± The corner of Darcy¡¯s lips twitched. He resisted the urge to beat the officer up. Unfortunately, even influential foreigners couldn¡¯t subdue the local authorities. Between them, only one had all the power in Porash. No matter Darcy¡¯s influence in his territory, he was not home. The officer could punish foreigners walking his territory in plenty of ways. ¡°Then we¡¯re leaving. If anything happens to our boss, will you bear the responsibility?¡± ¡°This is a hospital. The patients are all taken care of by doctors and nurses.¡± When Darcy heard this, he clenched his fists in anger. He wanted to go all out and beat these police officers up. Carson quickly stopped Darcy, seeing that he was about to fly into a rage. ¡°Darcy, don¡¯tplicate things.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s cooperate with their investigation and wait for thewyer toe.¡± After saying that, Carson looked at Darcy, indicating he should not cause trouble. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± A few police officers forcibly took Darcy, Carson, and the others away fo an investigation. After Darcy and the bodyguards were taken away. A middle-aged man in a dark blue suit and gold-rimmed sses walked into the doctor¡¯s office with a gloomy expression. When the attending physician saw this, he hurriedly stood up. ¡°Director.¡± The director¡¯s expression froze as he asked loudly, ¡°How¡¯s Bruce Everett?¡± ¡°So far, everything¡¯s stable.¡±- Bruce wasn¡¯t a regr person, so the doctors did not dare to let their guard down. If he died from the treatment, the Everett Group woulde looking for trouble, which would be enough for the hospital to suffer. However, this hospital was invested in by the Yanice Group. Including the director, they all worked under Marcus. ¡°Sigh, this is difficult!¡± The dean sighed deeply. If it were a matter of killing an ordinary person, it would be too simple. However, the key was that Bruce was the wealthiest man in Greyport. If he died in their hospital, it would be very troublesome. The Everett family would get people to dissect the corpse and investigate the cause of death. If they were even careless, or little evidence was found, the consequences would be unimaginable. The attending doctor had a grave expression. ¡°Director, what instructions does Mr. Yanice have now?¡± The director looked mncholic. ¡°Mr. Yanice suggests we can¡¯t let Bruce leave the hospital alive.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. When the doctor heard this, he also looked mncholic. They wouldn¡¯t dare do this risky task themselves, but they could cooperate with the assassins. As long as they pretended to be a little negligent, they could let the assassin sneak into the ward. Greyport. Joanna looked at Bruce helplessly. ¡°What should we do now? Have you thought of a solution?¡± Bruce frowned. It was not that there was no solution. He did not like to use special powers. With his status, even the chief governor had to cooperate with him if needed. The organization profoundly influenced him, and he would not casually burden the country or the organization. He would also not use his influential identity to do something for his benefit because of private matters. Chapter 1199 Chapter 1199 Chapter 1199 Every great man and hero was respected and worshipped because of their high awareness and dedication. He did not want to use the country¡¯s public resources for his personal matters. Unless he had no choice, he would not use his identity and power. Suddenly, a notification sound could be heard. The phone rang again. Bruce answered subconsciously, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me.¡± Aria¡¯s gloomy and worried voice came from the other end of the phone. Bruce frowned. ¡°What is it?¡± Aria bit her lower lip and said timidly, ¡°I heard that something happened on your side. I was anxious for you.¡± Of course, she knew how much the death of the clone would affect Bruce. Bruce took a deep breath, and his frown deepened. Seeing that Bruce was silent, Aria mustered her courage. ¡°Bruce, I know you¡¯re very passive now and need help. ¡°Let me think of something.¡± Bruce pondered for two seconds before rejecting. He replied, ¡°No need.¡± ¡°Bruce, at this point, I should help you. I just want to help you. I definitely don¡¯t have any other thoughts.¡± Aria¡¯s tone was heavy. She continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely bring him back to Greyport.¡± ¡°I said there¡¯s no need¡­¡± Before Bruce could finish, Aria interrupted him. She said, ¡°That¡¯s all. Wait for my news.¡± With that, Aria hung up. She knew that Bruce¡¯s identity could not be exposed, so she could only use her identity. After hanging up, Aria exhaled slowly with a hint of resentment. ¡°Bruce, I really want to help you. I¡¯m willing to do anything for you. Unfortunately, why don¡¯t you understand my heart?¡± At the same time, Aria was in the ward. ¡°Hello. Hello¡­¡± Seeing that Aria had hung up, Bruce became even more upset. He didn¡¯t know what Aria was going to do. But no matter what, he didn want Aria to get involved. Joanna asked with concern, ¡°Who called?¡± ¡°No. No one.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes darkened. He was afraid that Joanna would think too much, so he did not dare to say that it was Aria who called. It was very soon. Aria drove straight to the residence of the chief governor in Greyport. ¡°I want to see your chief governor.¡± When the guard heard this, he looked at Aria in surprise. The chief governor was Greyport¡¯s highest enforcer. Not everyone could see him just because they wanted to. Moreover, for safety reasons, special residences were very hidden and confidential. Ordinary people could not find them at all. ¡°Miss, this road is prohibited for outsiders.¡± When Aria heard this, she took out a badge from her bag and looked at the guard with a serious expression. ¡°I am Aria from the National Defense Bureau¡¯s secret investigation division. There¡¯s something of utmost importance that I need to discuss with your chief governor.¡± When the guard heard this, he was so frightened that his entire body turned cold. He did not dare to dy and immediately informed the chief governor¡¯s secretary. The National Defense Bureau was also divided into many departments. Members of the organization enjoyed very high privileges. During travel missions, if needed, all departmental officials and police forces could be mobilized to cooperate in thepletion of the mission. After all, the National Defense Bureau¡¯s missions were very important and confidential to the country. Although they did not hold executive power, the National Defense Bureau was a department that all politicians were afraid of. This was because they were people who directly obeyed the highest authority in the country. At the same time, Boris was in Porash.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. In the ICU ward, Boris was covered in tubes and lying lifelessly on the hospital bed. After Darcy and Carson were brought to the police station, there was no one guarding the door of the ward. The doctors and nurses deliberately neglected to close the door of the ICU ward properly. A middle-aged man wearing a mask and a white coat pretended to be a doctor and prepared to sneak into the ward. Chapter 1200 Chapter 1200 Chapter 1200 Naturally, the doctors did not dare to do anything underhanded during the surgery. They could only cooperate with the killer. In that case, if anything happened, it would be easier to push the me on the killer. At most, it would cause some small trouble for the hospital and not a big trouble. Suddenly, the door was gently pushed open. The killer walked in with a dark expression and then closed the door. The clone was lying on the hospital bed on the verge of death, seemingly unaware that the god of death hade again. ¡°Bruce, today is the day you die.¡± Then the killer loaded the gun and put a silencer on the muzzle. After that, he aimed at Bruce¡¯s heart. Just as he was about to shoot, he vaguely heard footstepsing from outside. The bustling noise came through. Outside the ward, there was suddenly the sound of leather shoes tappin on the ground. It seemed that arge group of people was rushing towar the ward. The killer panicked when he heard the voice. After hesitating for two seconds, he stuffed the gun into his pocket, adjusted his mask, and pretended to be a doctor. Aria came over with a group of armed police officers. The police officers were well-trained. They were divided intobat formations and stood in ce in a mighty and dignified manner. Seeing this, the police officers guarding the corridor hurriedly went forward to ask. ¡°What do you do?¡± Aria¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°We¡¯re Greyportt police force. We¡¯re escorting Bruce to another hospital and returning to Greyport for treatment.¡± The two police officers looked at each other. A police officer still wanted to stop them. ¡°Bruce is the victim of the shooting and also a witness. In order to ensure the safety of the witness, he can¡¯t leave the hospital in Porash without a special order.¡± ¡°This is the special order.¡± Aria directly showed a special order. ¡°We¡¯ve brought a medical team to escort Mr. Bruce to the hospital immediately.¡± A few police officers surrounded them. One of them was the deputy director from Porash¡¯s important department. After ncing at the special order in Aria¡¯s hand, he began to speak in an official tone, ¡°This is Porash, not your Greyport.¡± Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Porash¡¯s top political figure who called. Hearing the phone ring, the deputy director quickly picked it up. ¡°Hello, mayor¡­¡± An angry voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hurry up and transfer Bruce to another hospital.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The deputy director¡¯s expression changed in a second. He d not dare to cause any more trouble. He had been bribed by Marcus to kill Bruce. However, now that the mayor had called, he did not dare to stop them. Aria quickly called for the medical team to transfer Boris to the ambnce. Then, she sessfully picked him up. At the same time, Marcus was in the Yanice Group. ¡°How is it?¡± Marcus sat trembling on the leather swivel chair. Since his son¡¯s death, his health had also deteriorated. ¡°Mr. Yanice, Bruce has already been transferred. ¡°The chief governor of Greyport personally made a phone call to the mayor of Porash, and even the deputy director didn¡¯t dare to interfere.¡± When Marcus heard this, his frown deepened. He thought inwardly, ¡°Bruce is really capable. Even though he is unconscious, he can still get the chief governor to personally step in for him.¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t worry. Bruce is seriously injured. Even if he¡¯s transferred to another hospital, he might not be able to be saved.¡± ¡°Spread the news that Bruce is already dead.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± It was very soon. The inte was flooded with news about the unsessful rescue and death of Bruce. ¡°The richest man in Greyport, Bruce, after being attacked by a gun, died after being rescued.¡± ¡°Bruce¡¯s wife has not appeared for the time being. It is suspected that the two of them have long Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. separated.¡± ¡°The richest man in Greyport died young. The Everett Group may be on the verge of death.¡± Chapter 1201 Chapter 1201 Chapter 1201 Boris was at the Greyport Hospital. Under the mediation of Aria, Boris was sessfully transferred to Greyport Hospital. Darcy, Carson, and the others were also released by the police. At this time, Bruce¡¯s phone rang. After settling in, Darcy called Bruce to report. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Boris has been brought back. We¡¯ve all returned to Greyport sessfully. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Miss Bridges¡¯s help. Without her help, things wouldn¡¯t have been settled so quickly.¡± Bruce¡¯s gloomy voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Well. Take good care of him and treat him as well as possible.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Then Bruce hung up the phone. Bruce knitted his brows, and a faint trace of apprehension appeared in his heart. Although Aria was the one who came forward this time, Bruce still felt that it was a little inappropriate. However, this was good. He had to save the clone¡¯s life first. For now, he had to hurry up and do stic surgery. He could take advantage of the time when the clone was admitted to the hospital to do stic surgery, Joanna looked at Bruce with a mncholic expression. ¡°Has the matter been resolved?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been taken care of.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Joanna¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°That¡¯s good! ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Bruce frowned slightly and asked gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna pondered for a few seconds and could not help but say, ¡°Previously, Aria told me about you.¡± Bruce was stunned. Joanna looked at him with burning eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Actually, what you did was great and honorable. ¡°However, I still want to be selfish and beg you for something.¡± ¡°Honey, if you have any requests for me, just ask.¡± ¡°Lhope¡­ you can quit your organization,¡± Joanna said, her eyes filled with endless gentleness and pleading. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he looked at Joanna affectionately. ¡°Can you? I know that my request is very selfish, but I really don¡¯t want to be afraid anymore. I don¡¯t want to see you almost lose your life again and again,¡± Joanna said as tears fell uncontrobly. After knowing that Bruce was an agent from the National Defense Bureau, she was shocked. She finally understood why he had to go overseas for work every once in a while. Moreover, every time he came back from a business trip, something important must have happened in the country he went to. It turned out that he was doing something so dangerous. Bruce pondered for a while and reached out to hold Joanna in his arms. ¡°Honey, give me some more time.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Bruce didn¡¯t want to leave the organization. Instead, Richard was not giving him a chance to quit. No department would let go of such a talent so easily. In order to keep him, Richard had already offered very generous terms. Richard even wanted Bruce to take over his position. Although Bruce had already decided to quit, he had to find a suitable opportunity. Now, no matter what he said, Richard would definitely not let him quit. When Joanna heard this, she could not stop her tears. ¡°How long do you want me to wait? ¡°When you said you were going on a business trip to Melta, you told me to wait a month. You said you would never go on a business trip or leave home again, but what happened in the end? ¡°You¡¯re saying this to me again. Every time you speak, you don¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Bruce hugged Joanna even tighter. Other than apologizing, he really didn¡¯t know what else to say. In theplex world, one had no choice. He now deeply understood the meaning of this sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. I want an affirmative answer from you now. ¡°I know it¡¯s selfish of me to ask you this, but I only want to be selfish this time. We have children, and I don¡¯t want to see you do such a dangerous thing again. ¡°We can give back to the country and society in other ways. You don¡¯t have to do it this way.¡± ¡°I know. I know what you mean. I don¡¯t know how to tell you now, but I can promise you that I will do my best to protect you and our children and our family.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. There was a hint of resentment in her tone. ¡°You¡¯ve said these words to me so many times already.¡± ¡°This is thest time. I promise you. ¡°I swear, okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to swear. I¡¯m just afraid. I¡¯m afraid that the children don¡¯t have a father,¡± Joanna said as her nose became even more sore. She hugged Bruce tightly. ¡°Honey, I won¡¯t die so easily. ¡°Even if I die, I¡¯ll stay by your side in another way.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was angry and anxious. ¡°Bruce, the other way you¡¯re talking about is to find a clone to rece you, right? ¡°You bastard. How can you do this? Do you know that you¡¯re going too far?¡± ¡°I know. I know it. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. Don¡¯t be angry, okay? I won¡¯t do it again.¡± As Bruce spoke, he nted a deep kiss on her lips. Joanna was crying sadly. Her breathing was instantly cut off, and she sank into the bed. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re annoying! ¡°At a time like this, how can you still be in the mood to¡­¡± At that moment, the phone rang. It was a call from Aria. Chapter 1202 Chapter 1202 Chapter 1202 Bruce was disappointed. Then he continued kissing deeply. Joanna pushed his broad shoulders and whimpered, ¡°Stop. The phone is ringing. Hurry up and answer it.¡± Bruce kissed her deeply again and reluctantly took out his phone. He looked at the phone number. It was Aria. ¡°Hello.¡± Aria¡¯s careful voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bruce, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Aria paused and then asked nervously, ¡°You won¡¯t me me for acting on my own, right?¡± Bruce frowned and fell silent. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. He thought inwardly, ¡°What is there to me her for? ¡°It is much more convenient for her to step in than me.¡± ¡°Bruce, I still want to apologize to you. I hope you can forgive me. I really don¡¯t mean any harm. I¡¯m really sorry about what happened before¡­¡± Bruce frowned and interrupted her. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention what happened before.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m just worried about the mutated genes in your body. ¡°If you trust me, I¡¯ll research a drug to suppress gic mutation for you as soon as possible.¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. Although he wanted to refuse, there was no better biologist than Aria at the moment. Judging from Aria¡¯s sincere attitude, Bruce thought she wouldn¡¯t be up to anything else. ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± When Aria heard this, she finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go back and study it as soon as possible. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t me me, as long as you¡¯re not angry with me. anymore, I¡¯ll be satisfied.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Bruce hung up after saying that. ¡°Bruce, hello. Hello¡­¡± Aria called a few times, but Bruce had already hung However, from Bruce¡¯s tone, it seemed like he was no longer angry with her. This made Aria heave a sigh of relief. Then the call ended. Joanna looked at Bruce. ¡°Who called?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Bruce hesitated for a moment, but he still said truthfully, ¡°It¡¯s Aria.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Joanna replied indifferently. Then she lowered her eyelids. Seeing this, Bruce hurriedly went forward tofort her. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unhappy again?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Joann, there¡¯s really nothing between me and Aria. It¡¯s impossible for there to be anything¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously wanted to exin. Women loved to be jealous. Bruce didn¡¯t want to make Joanna unhappy again because of Aria. Joanna looked up and smiled gently at him. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have to exin. ¡°I believe you.¡± Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Really?¡± Joanna looked at him affectionately and gently touched his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s true. In the future, I won¡¯t be jealous anymore, let alone suspect anything. ¡°After all I¡¯ve seen, I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to affect our rtionship anymore.¡± ¡°Then why do you have a sad expression? You scared me to death,¡± Bruce said with an aggrieved expression. To be honest, he was really not afraid of anything. The only thing he was afraid of was Joanna getting angry. Every time she was angry, the consequences were very serious, causing him to have lingering fears. Joanna sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m worried about the children. ¡°The children don¡¯t know anything yet. Now that something like this has happened, I don¡¯t know how they feel.¡± ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll get Darcy to bring them over,¡± Bruce replied. Then Joanna said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I thought. The kids don¡¯t know we¡¯re all here. They must be worried sick. ¡°Hurry up and call Darcy. Get him to bring Davian, Irvin, and Devin over. I miss them too.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll call now and ask Darcy to bring the children over.¡± After finishing speaking, Bruce dialed Darcy¡¯s number. ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Darcy, go back to Sherane Bay Vi now and bring Davian, Irvin, and Devin over to Ritz Vi.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Alright. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Well.¡± At the same time, the kids were at the Sherane Bay Vi. It had been a day and a night since Boris was attacked by a gun. After Davian and Irvin heard the news, the two little kids were a little lost. Actually, they suspected that their daddy was fake. However, they were only suspicious. Now that something like this had happened to their daddy, they were really afraid and at a loss. ¡°Davian, do you think Daddy will die? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was a robot? What should we do now? Mommy is gone. Lilia is gone too. Now, even Daddy is in trouble. ¡°Is our family going to be in being targeted by aliens?¡± Ouble? Why do I feel like our family is ¡°You¡¯re crazy. I told you to watch less science fiction movies.¡± Davian was speechless. And his face darkened. ¡°So what do you think we should do now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll call Mr. Grimm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already called, but I can¡¯t get through to Mr. Grimm. Do you think we¡¯ve be orphans?¡± Chapter 1203 Chapter 1203 Chapter 1203 ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it. We won¡¯t.¡± Davian tapped his brother on the head unhappily. Irvin¡¯s big eyes looked around nervously. Perhaps it was a psychological effect. The house was clearly magnificent and clean, but at this moment, it felt strange. Although the servants looked respectful and smiling, they had a feeling that they were being monitored. They had already asked the servants to leave, but the servants still stayed by their side. ¡°Davian, look. Is Derek monitoring us?¡± Davian looked up. The servant, Derek, was wiping the ss of the floor-to-ceiling window. ¡°Well, he¡¯s clearly wiping the ss.¡± ¡°And is Emy watching us, too?¡± Another servant, Emy, was tidying up Devin¡¯s toys in the living room, looking at them from time to time. Something big had happened at home. Gael instructed the servants to take good care of the three kids. Therefore, the servants did not dare to be careless. They were afraid that something would happen to the three kids again. ¡°Well, don¡¯t be so suspicious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. I feel that they¡¯re all different from before.¡± At that moment, they continued talking. In a corner of the living room, Devin¡¯s cries suddenly came. Devin¡¯s crying was loud. The two little kids were shocked. They quickly stood up and walked to their brother¡¯s side. ¡°It¡¯s Devin crying!¡± Devin was riding a toy car and strolling around the living room. He identally bumped into the handlebar and got a bump on his head. Now, he was crying loudly with his mouth wide open. The servants had already rushed forward to check. ¡°Devin, be good. Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry.¡± Davian hurriedly went forward and carried Devin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Devin?¡± ¡°He identally bumped his head,¡± Davian said as he quickly rubbed Devin¡¯s head. Devin cried loudly. ¡°Let¡¯s take our brother outside for a walk,¡± Davian said. Then he said to Devin, ¡°Devin, don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll bring you out to y, okay?¡± Devin was still a child after all. When he heard that his brother was going to bring him out to y, he did not care about the big bump on his head and nodded while sobbing. ¡°Well, okay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you out to y!¡± Davian carried his brother and walked out of the courtyard. Devin was quite solidly built, making him quite heavy to carry. Fortunately, Davian was already more than eight years old and was taller than ordinary children. It was not difficult for him to carry Devin. They went to thewn. Davian patiently coaxed his younger brother for a while. Irvin looked around and said in a timid voice, ¡°Davian, do you think we should escape with Devin now?¡± Davian was stunned and asked softly, ¡°Where can we go?¡± ¡°Something happened to Mommy, then to Lilia, and now to Daddy. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s time for something to happen to us and our brother?¡± Davian frowned when he heard that. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°I dare to guarantee that our family has definitely been targeted by bad people. The bad people probably want to exterminate us!¡± Irvin continued to scare Davian. ¡°But what can we do when we get out? Irvin rolled his eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go look for the principal? ¡°Tell the principal about our situation. The principal will definitely help Davian thought for a moment. He realized that they could only do this. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do that. ¡°But there are security guards at the door. If we leave like this, we definitely won¡¯t be able to get out.¡± ¡°I have an idea.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Security¡¯s not so strict at the racecourse. We can slip out.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± As they spoke, the two little kids carried their younger brother and walked toward the racecourse. Seeing this, the servants hurriedly followed. ¡°Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin, where are you going?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a lovely day. We¡¯d like to take our brother to the racecourse.¡± When Lilian heard this, she looked shocked. ¡°Are you going to the racecourse now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that Lightning just gave birth to a foal. We want to bring Devin over to take a look. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let Aro and Akren go with you!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Davian and Irvin were already on the electric scooter, although they agreed verbally. By the time Aro and Akren came out, the two kids had run off in their scooters. ¡°Come on, you guys.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Irvin drove the electric scooter along thewn for five minutes before turning into the vegetation at the side. ¡°From the racecourse, we can slip out! ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s an electric fence outside.¡± When Davian heard this, he frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll hack into thework systemter and turn off the electricity nearby.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Half an hour passed. Darcy drove back to pick up the three children. ¡°Lilian, Gael.¡± After Gael saw Darcy, he quickly came over to ask about the situation. He said, ¡°Darcy, you¡¯re back. ¡°How¡¯s Mr. Everett? What¡¯s the situation now?¡± Darcy replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything is settled. ¡°Where are Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin, and Mr. Devin?¡± ¡°They just said they were going to the racecourse.¡± Darcy was stunned and asked, ¡°Is no one following them?¡± ¡°Aro and Akren went with him.¡± Darcy frowned and did not say anything else. He turned around and walked toward the racecourse. The area of Sherane Bay Vi was veryrge. The entire mountain, including the mountain path, belonged to the Everett family. The back mountain of the Everett family not only had a children¡¯s amusement park but also had a racecourse. It took about ten minutes to walk from here. Usually, when they went to the racecourse, they would take a scooter. Chapter 1204 Chapter 1204 Chapter 1204 Five minutes passed. Darcy hurried to the racecourse. When he saw the horse trainer, he quickly asked, ¡°Where are Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvin?¡± The horse trainer was stunned. ¡°Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvin didn¡¯te today.¡± Darcy¡¯s mind exploded. He said anxiously, ¡°I just asked Gael. He said that Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvin brought Devin to the racecourse. Why didn¡¯t theye?¡± When other horse trainers heard this, they were also shocked. ¡°We¡¯ve been working at the racecourse all this time and didn¡¯t see theming over.¡± ¡°How is this possible?¡± Darcy panicked. Davian and Irvin liked toe to the racecourse to ride the horse when they had nothing to do. Gael had also said that they wereing to the racecourse. Darcy thought inwardly, ¡°How can they not be here?¡± If it was in the past, Darcy would not be in such a hurry. After all, Sherane Bay Vi was too big. They might have gone somewhere else to y. However, now that something had happened at home, the two little kids. had be sensible. They probably wouldn¡¯t be so heartless as to only care about ying. Seeing Darcy¡¯s anxious expression, the horse trainer quicklyforted him. He said, ¡°Darcy, don¡¯t be anxious. Could the three kids have gone to the amusement park?¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go to the amusement park to look for them. If theye overter, call me immediately.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± At the same time, Gael¡¯s phone rang. Darcy quickly called Gael as he rushed toward the racecourse. ¡°Hello, Darcy.¡± ¡°Gael, send someone to check the surveince footage immediately and see which direction the three kids went.¡± ¡°What? They aren¡¯t at the racecourse?¡± ¡°Yes. They¡¯re not here now. I have something urgent to talk to them about. Hurry up and check the surveince footage. ¡°I¡¯m going to the amusement park to look for them now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hanging up the phone, Darcy did not dare to dy for a second and hurriedly rushed to the nearby amusement park. Bruce spoiled his children to an unreasonable extent. It was really extravagant. He built a small amusement park near the racecourse. The children often went there to y. Then Darcy arrived at the amusement park. It was empty inside. Because it was a private amusement park, it looked especially empty. ¡°Mr. Davian, Mr. Irvin¡­¡± The cleaner quickly replied, ¡°Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvin haven¡¯t been here.¡± Darcy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling welled up in his heart. He thought inwardly, ¡°Oh, no. Will the three kids be in trouble too?¡± Thinking of this, Darcy broke out in a cold sweat. A few days ago, Lilia met a bad person and almost caused a disaster. Now, if the three kids were in trouble, Darcy really didn¡¯t have the face to see Bruce again. At this moment, Darcy¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello, Gael. Have you checked the surveince footage?¡± ¡°The surveince footage has been sent to your phone. You can look at directly. They seem to have Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. slipped out of Sherane Bay Vi from the back of the mountain. I¡¯ll quickly call the gatekeeper and see if he can intercept them.¡± ¡°Well, alright. We must stop them. Don¡¯t let them leave.¡± Then Darcy hung up the phone. Darcy turned on the surveince video and saw Davian and Irvin climbing out of the vegetation at the back of the mountain with Devin. Darcy thought inwardly, ¡°Oh, no. Where are they going? Why do they take Devin with them?¡± Darcy did not dare to dy. He hurriedly called the other bodyguards. and informed them to look for the three kids. Suddenly, a notification sound could be heard. Darcy was even more flustered when his phone rang again. Darcy quickly answered the call. He said, ¡°Hello¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Grace¡¯s dissatisfied voice could be heard. ¡°Well. Darcy, why haven¡¯t you answered the call for the past few days? ¡°Do you know that I¡¯m thinking about you? Do you know that I¡¯m very angry? Do you know that the consequences of being angry are very serious¡­¡± ¡°Grace, stop fooling around. I have something urgent to attend to here. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the emergency?¡± Grace sounded very dissatisfied. Chapter 1205 Chapter 1205 Chapter 1205 ¡°I won¡¯t tell you right now. Anyway, it¡¯s something very urgent,¡± Darcy said and then hung up. ¡°Hey, you jerk. You¡¯re so annoying.¡± Darcy¡¯s phone rang again. Grace willfully continued to call. Unfortunately, Darcy no longer answered the call. At the same time, Darcy was extremely anxious. He immediately mobilized everyone in Sherane Bay Vi who could be mobilized. ¡°Quickly inform everyone to go out and find the three kids!¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After instructing everyone, Darcy did not dare to dy for a second and hurriedly joined the search party. At the same time, Joanna was the Ritz Vi. Joanna was already getting impatient from waiting. ¡°Bruce, what time is it now?¡± Bruce raised his hand and looked at his watch. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost 11 o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make dumplings. We¡¯ll eat together when the childrene over.¡± Bruce smiled and said gently, ¡°You just woke up. You have to take good care of the baby. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just make some dumplings. It¡¯s not tiring.¡± ¡°Alright then. ¡°Honey, can you make me a bowl of spaghetti?¡± Joannaughed. She really could not figure out why Bruce liked spaghetti so much. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make it for you.¡± ¡°You are so nice.¡± Bruce smiled blissfully and kissed Joanna on the cheek. nd kissed Joanna on the cheek. Joanna could not help but urge again, ¡®Hurry up and call Darcy. Ask him how long it will take for him and the children to arrive.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± At the same time, Darcy¡¯s phone rang. Bruce took out his phone and called Darcy. Then Darcy noticed that the call was from Bruce. Darcy took a deep breath nervously and braced himself to answer the call. He said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Everett¡­¡± Bruce asked in a low voice, ¡°Darcy, where are you now? It¡¯s been almost two hours. Why aren¡¯t you back yet?¡± Darcy held his breath and stammered, ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡­¡± Bruce was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well. Now, I¡¯m looking for the three kids.¡± Darcy did not dare to hide it, so he braced himself and said it. Bruce frowned. He had a bad feeling about this. Then, he took the phone and walked out of the house. Then, Bruce was outside the house. ¡°Darcy, what do you mean by that? Did something happen again?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t be anxious. I have something to report to you now.¡± When Bruce heard this, his brain exploded. ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°I just went to Sherane Bay Vi to pick up the three kids, but I found that Mr. Davian and Mr. Irvin took Mr. Devin and climbed over the vegetation in the back garden. They¡¯re gone now.¡± Bruce was stunned. When Bruce heard this, he was extremely agitated. ¡°How did this happen? How did this happen again? ¡°Are those security guards all fools?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯ve already mobilized everyone to look for them. I¡¯ve also cked all he surveince footage nearby¡­¡± Bruce subconsciously nced inside the house. Seeing that Joanna did not notice, he lowered his voice and said in a low voice, ¡°Listen. Let everyone look for them. I¡¯ll give you an hour. You have to find them for me.¡± ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± Then Bruce hung up the phone. Bruce took a few consecutive breaths to suppress his fear and forced himself to calm down. He was even more afraid to tell Joanna about it. Seeing that Bruce had finished the call, a trace of gentleness appeared in Joanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Have you finished the call?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce squeezed out a stiff fake smile, but his eyes became redder. ¡°Does Darcy arrive? It¡¯s been alt two hours. He should be here soon, right?¡± Joanna asked as she looked at Bruce expectantly. ¡°Are my brothersing over? Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± Lilia was also happy. Bruce suppressed the fear and Joanna. ¡°Joann¡­¡± I upset in his heart and walked slowly to ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are your eyes so red?¡± ¡°No. Nothing.¡± ¡°Well, you and Lilia will make dumplings at home. I¡­¡± Bruce held his breath and tried his best to look calm. ¡°I¡¯ll go outside to pick up the children.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Darcy pick them up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. They¡¯re in a traffic jam now. It might not be so fast. I¡¯ll go over and take a look now. I haven¡¯t seen the children for too long, so I want to pick them up personally.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°No need. Didn¡¯t you want to make dumplings? You should stay at home and cook for the children. I¡¯ll just pick them up.¡± just pick them up.¡± ¡°Well, alright then.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± Bruce squeezed out a trace of a stiff smile again. He did not dare to dy for a second Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. and left with the car keys. Chapter 1206 Chapter 1206 Seeing this, Joanna felt a little suspicious. Bruce¡¯s expression was too unnatural as if he was deliberately hiding something. ¡°Mommy, after my brotherse over, our family will be reunited again. Will we be living here in the future?¡± Lilia raised her head happily and looked at Joanna. ¡°Well, let¡¯s stay here for the time being,¡± Joanna replied vaguely. A trace of admiration appeared on Lilia¡¯s cute little face. ¡°Mommy, is this Daddy¡¯s house, too?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Wow! Daddy is so awesome. Why does Daddy have so many beautiful big houses?¡± Lilia liked this ce very much. The area of Ritz Vi was slightlyrger than that of Sherane Bay Vi, but Ritz Vi¡¯s decoration style waspletely different. Sherane Bay Vi was a modern building, which was surrounded by mountains on three sides and faced the sea on one side. Its decoration was luxurious and exquisite. It was filled with high-tech equipment. The architectural style here was simr to the courtyard style in Southberg. There were small bridges, flowing water, courtyards, and pavilions. Inside and outside the house were various kinds of expensive flowers. Therefore, the house was elegant andfortable. Lilia was a little girl, so she liked this ce more. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give my brothers a surpriseter.¡± Joanna revealed a gentle smile. ¡°Good baby, have you had your wounds redressed today?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Will you go with the nurse to redress your wounds first?¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Adina, please take Lilia to redress her wounds.¡± Adina nodded respectfully. ¡°All right, Mrs. Everett.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lilia.¡± Lilia¡¯s injured leg had yet to recover. She had to have her wounds redressed every day. Adina smiled and took Lilia to redress her wounds. Joanna took out her cell phone and dialed Darcy¡¯s number uneasily. She wanted to ask where Darcy and the children were. It had been more than two hours. Why weren¡¯t they back yet? Darcy heard his cell phone ring. He quickly took it out and looked at its screen. When he saw that it was a call from Joanna, his frown deepened. He did not dare to answer the call at all. Bruce had just instructed him not to tell Joanna that the children were missing. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Darcy answering my phone?¡± Joanna called twice more, but no one answered the phone. ¡°Hello, the number you are dialing is temporarily unavable!¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She had a bad premonition. Over the past few days, too many messy things had happened. First, Lilia was injured, and then Boris was shot. ¡°Could it be that something bad had happened to Davian and the other two children?¡± At the thought of this, Joanna gasped and fell onto the chair unsteadily. Seeing this, a handmaid hurriedly went forward to support Joanna. ¡°Mrs. Everett, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Joanna staggered and tried to stand up. Unfortunately, she was still too weak. Besides, she was irritated, so she looked pale and felt dizzy. She could only sit on the sofa and take a break. ¡°Something bad must have happened to the children¡­¡± Otherwise, Bruce wouldn¡¯t have left in a hurry with a strange expression. She immediately called Bruce, wanting to ask him what had happened. The phone kept ringing. But no one picked it up. This further confirmed Joanna¡¯s guess. She quickly sent a voice message to Bruce, [Bruce, where are you now? Answer my call quickly.] Bruce drove all the way out of Ritz Vi. He heard the phone ring and guessed it might be Joanna calling, but he didn¡¯t dare to answer it. On a busy street, Davian carried Devin and walked with difficulty. Devin was hungry and kept crying. ¡°Wow, wow, wow!¡± ¡°Why is Devin crying all the time?¡± ¡°He might be hungry. Buy him something to eat!¡± ¡°Davian, do you have any money with you?¡± Davian emptied his pocket and got a few notes. ¡°I only brought about 100 dors with me. Just now I spent over 20 dors taking the taxi. Now I have more than 60 dors left!¡± ¡°Ah! Why didn¡¯t you bring more?¡± ¡°I forgot to do so when I was in a hurry.¡± Chapter 1207 Chapter 1207 ¡°How could you even forget this?¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t remember it, either, did you?¡± The two little boys could not help but bicker. After all, they would always bring bodyguards and servants with them when they went out. Their food, clothing, amodation, and transportation were all taken care of by the butler, so they did not need to use cash at all. ¡°Oh, wow, I¡¯m hungry. I want some water!¡± Devin started to make a fuss again. Devin was too young, so it was inevitable that he had a lot of things to do. One moment, he wanted to eat; the next moment, he wanted to drink; and then, he wanted to poop; and finally, he wanted to pee. Sometimes, even a few servants together could not look after him well. Davian and Irvin were still children themselves, so how could they take good care of Devin? ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll buy you water.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see where there¡¯s a convenience store. I¡¯ll buy a bottle of water for Devin now. Are you thirsty?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m thirsty.¡± The two little boys took turns carrying Devin and went to the convenience store together. Although Devin was only two years old, he had been well-fed. He weighed more than 30 pounds now. Davian and Irvin were each tired and panted after carrying Devin for a while. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I want to eat cakes.¡± ¡°Dear me! Why are you so troublesome? You just drank water and now you want to eat cake. Are you going to eat fruitter?¡± Irvin pouted and muttered impatiently. Devin could not understand Irvin¡¯sints. ¡°Ah, ah, ah. I have to pee! I have to pee!¡± ¡°How troublesome! There¡¯s no toilet here. What should I do? Hold it in! If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have brought Devin out.¡± Davian frowned and looked around. There was a trash can nearby. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to pee!¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Irvin could not help butin again, ¡°What a troublemaker! They were both still children, so it was impossible for them to take good care of younger children. The two of them were walking in the direction indicated by the road signs. Four men in suits walked toward Davian and the other two children. ¡°Kids, are you lost?¡± Davian watched these men vigntly. ¡°Who are you?¡± One of the men smiled sinisterly. ¡°We¡¯re here to take you home¡­¡± Davian and Irvin immediately became alert. ¡°You¡¯re bad guys. Don¡¯te over.¡± ¡°Go!¡± A tall man in a suit came up to snatch Devin without a word. ¡°Someone¡¯s snatching children. Stop him!¡± ¡°Let go of my younger brother! Let go of my younger brother!¡± ¡°Somebody help!¡± Davian and Irvin were instantly afraid. Seeing that Devin had been snatched away, they shouted even more anxiously. The other two men in suits were about to control Davian and Irvin. One man¡¯s back tightened as someone grabbed his cor. He turned around. Behind him was a tall and burly man wearing a mask. knocked that man down with a punch. When the other three men saw this, they came up without saying a word, trying to attack the masked man. The masked man threw a few punches. The men in ck suits were sent flying into the air and thennded heavily on the street. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± The four of them were scared out Davian and Irvin were stunned when seeing this. ¡°Wow, so powerful. He is just like an Iron Man!¡± Seeing that his three sons were safe and sound, Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. He said to the three boys in a low voice, ¡°Get into the car!¡± ¡°Uh, you are¡­ Who are you?¡± Davian and Irvin asked carefully. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to your mother now.¡± Hearing this, Davian and Irvin looked at Bruce in disbelief. Bruce was wearing an Iron Man mask and a ck suit. Irvin hugged Davian¡¯s arm tightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Davian, why do I feel that his back view looks like Daddy¡¯s?¡± ¡°He does look a little like Daddy. But how is that possible? Daddy is lying in the hospital now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t want to talk any more nonsense. He ced Davian and Irvin under his armpits and walked toward the car with Devin in his hand. The Yanice Group. ¡°Mr. Yanice, bad news.¡± ¡°The masked man who had killed Mr. Marlowe appeared again!¡± ¡°What?¡± Marcus was shocked. He had already seen the video of Marlowe¡¯s murder. In the video, he could see a masked man enter Marlowe¡¯s house. Marcus guessed that the masked man must be Bruce. However, Bruce had been lying in the hospital since he was shot. It was impossible for him to appear again. ¡°This masked man should be the same as that masked man who broke into Marlowe¡¯s house.¡± Chapter 1208 Chapter 1208 ¡°Pull up all the videos of that masked man!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Yanice.¡± The subordinate immediately pulled up the surveince videos of the masked man and yed them for Marcus to watch. ¡°Look, Mr. Yanice. They should be the same person.¡± ¡°How could this be? Did I make a mistake?¡± Marcuspared the videos and sat up straight while trembling. He began to specte. After a while, Marcus asked sternly, ¡°Are you sure that the person who was shot and is now in the hospital is Bruce Everett?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 100% sure that the person lying in the hospital now is Bruce Everett.¡± Marcus¡¯s eyes darkened as he said sinisterly, ¡°In that case, someone else broke into Marlowe¡¯s house, right?¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, even if that masked man isn¡¯t Bruce Everett, they are definitely a team. ¡°Anyway, Mr. Marlowe¡¯s death was caused by Bruce Everett,¡± Pete said solemnly as he analyzed. ¡°All right, I understand. All of you can leave now,¡± Marcus said andy back on the health chair. He was a little confused now. He felt that this matter was not that simple. ¡°Bruce Everett must have some secrets.¡± Bruce drove with his three children toward Ritz Vi. Davian and Irvin sat in the back seat and looked at Bruce warily. ¡°Um, Mr. Masked Man, where are you taking us?¡± Bruce nced at the rearview mirror and pretended to be mysterious. ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there!¡± ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t a bad person, are you?¡± ¡°Humph!¡± Bruce could not help but snort when he heard this. These two brats did not inherit his intelligence at all. ¡°If I were a bad person, would I tell you that I¡¯m a bad person?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true!¡± The two little boys were a little depressed and afraid. Although this masked man had saved them, they still did not know whether he was a good person. Twenty minutester, the car entered Ritz Vi. ¡°Eh? It looks a little familiar. Where are we?¡± ¡°Oh, I remember now. This seems to be Ritz Vi. We¡¯ve been here before.¡± ¡°Mr. Masked Man, is our mommy really here?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find outter!¡± Bruce stopped the car and opened the door to let the three little boys out. Inside the house, Joanna was about to faint from anxiety. She could get through neither to Darcy nor to Bruce. She had a hunch that something must have happened again. Just as she was burning with anxiety, someone rushed in. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett is back!¡± ¡°Really?¡± After Joanna heard this, she suddenly stood up from the stool and hurriedly walked outward. Hardly had she walked out of the room when she saw Bruce walking over with Devin in his arms and Davian and Irvin behind him. ¡°Joann, look, who are here?¡± Upon seeing Joanna, Davian and Irvin immediately ran over. ¡°Oh my god! Mommy! It¡¯s really Mommy!¡± ¡°Mommy, boohoo!¡± ¡°Davian, Irvin!¡± Tears welled up in Joanna¡¯s eyes. She ran up to them and hugged them tightly. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. After being separated from their mother for a few months, the children thought that they would never see her again. ¡°Boohoo, Mommy, where did you go? I thought you didn¡¯t want us anymore!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why haven¡¯t you gone back to see us for so long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault!¡± Joanna was so excited that she could not speak. She just hugged the two children, crying andughing. ¡°Boohoo, Mommy, we are missing you so much¡­¡± ¡°Let me see whether both of you are fine. ¡°You¡¯ve grown taller and thinner. Where¡¯s your younger brother?¡± ¡°He is behind us!¡± Bruce ced Devin on the ground. ¡°Boohoo!¡± Joanna reluctantly let go of Davian and Irvin and reached out to hug Devin. ¡°Devin,e here, let me hug you.¡± Because Devin had been separated from Joanna for so long, he could hardly recognize her. He hid behind Davian and Irvin. ¡°Boohoo, don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Devin, it¡¯s Mommy. Come over quickly. Let me hug you.¡± ¡°Devin, this is Mommy. Call her Mommy.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Devin hesitated for a few seconds before calling out to Joanna in a childish voice. ¡°Good boy!¡± ¡°Let me hug you.¡± Tears streamed down Joanna¡¯s face as she carried Devin in her arms. Devin was the youngest and did not know how to take care of himself, so Joanna cared more about him. ¡°Well, I can hardly carry you!¡± Seeing this, Bruce hurriedly went forward to support Joanna. ¡°Joann, this brat is heavy. It¡¯s better not to carry him lest you should disturb the fetus.¡± Joanna red at him a little angrily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone when I was calling you?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered. He deliberately yed dumb. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t hear it!¡± How could he dare to tell Joanna that something bad had nearly happened to their children? If he hadn¡¯t arrived in time, who knew what would have happened to them? ¡°Uh, by the way, aren¡¯t you going to make dumplings for the children?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been worried about the children. How would I have the time to make dumplings?¡± Joanna replied with lingering fear. ¡°Mommy, this Mr. Masked Man is Daddy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Davian could not help but ask. Joanna took a deep breath and said to the children, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s your daddy.¡± When Irvin heard this, he was overjoyed and immediately ttered Bruce. ¡°See! I knew he was Daddy. ¡°Even though Daddy is wearing a mask, he¡¯s still the most handsome man.¡± Chapter 1209 Chapter 1209 ¡°Look! I already knew that the daddy at home wasn¡¯t the real daddy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already guessed it. I didn¡¯t expect Daddy and Mommy to be hiding here.¡± The two little boys were so happy that they chattered excitedly. Lilia also limped out of her bedroom with a walking stick. ¡°Davian and Irvin, you¡¯re finally here.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Lilia, so you¡¯re here, too. We were scared to death.¡± Lilia smiled sweetly and said happily, ¡°I came over long ago. It was Daddy who brought me here.¡± When the two little boys heard this, they could not help but look at Bruce again. ¡°Daddy, why are you always wearing a mask?¡± ¡°I want to wear it, too!¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°All right, stop asking so much.¡± Irvin giggled. ¡°Daddy, can you take off your mask? We haven¡¯t seen your handsome face for a long time. We want to have a look at you.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll scare you.¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t. If Lilia isn¡¯t afraid, how will we be afraid? ¡°Besides, Daddy, you are the most handsome man in Greyport. You are our super idol!¡± Joanna also sighed slightly. ¡°We¡¯re all family. You¡¯d better take off the mask! In case your face won¡¯t be repaired in the future, you can¡¯t wear the mask for the rest of your life. It¡¯s not a bad thing to let them adapt to it now.¡± Irvin followed up with ttery. ¡°I believe that Daddy will still be as handsome, cool, and arrogant as before.¡± Having thought for two seconds, Bruce decided to take off the mask. Then, he took it off. ¡°Ah, er¡­¡± Davian and Irvin were stunned as they looked at Bruce in horror. Bruce¡¯s face was simply disfigured. It was lumpy, and there was not a single spot that was smooth. It was like special-effect makeup after a face was burned in a fire in a movie. It waspletely different from his previous handsome appearance. ¡°Oh my god! Daddy, what¡¯s wrong with your face?¡± ¡°I identally burned myself,¡± Bruce replied indifferently. Davian¡¯s face was filled with shock. ¡°Ah, how could this be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. The doctor said that Daddy will be able to return to his old self. Besides, even if he can¡¯t, he will always be our beloved Daddy,¡± Lilia said as she leaned into Bruce¡¯s arms. When Bruce heard this, he could not help but kiss Lilia¡¯s soft little face. ¡°Good baby, you¡¯re indeed my most beloved good baby.¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± ncing at Bruce¡¯s face, Devin was so scared that he pouted and started crying. Joanna quicklyforted Devin. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. This is Daddy.¡± Devin opened his small mouth slightly. He tried to take another look with his big ck eyes, but he was still so frightened that he cried. ¡°Wah¡­ I¡¯m scared¡­ Ugly¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, his face darkened. ¡°You brat, I¡¯m your father! Even if I¡¯m ugly, you can¡¯t dislike me.¡± Devin was already afraid. Now he was scolded by Bruce, so he cried more loudly. ¡°Boohoo¡­¡± Joanna quickly carried Devin and walked to the side. ¡°Be good. Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m hugging you.¡± After all, Devin was still too young. He had never seen anyone with such a strange appearance. He was afraid after taking a look, but he could not help but take another look. ¡°There is a monster. I¡¯m scared.¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he didn¡¯t know what to say. He had been praised since he was young. He was a handsome boy in his childhood, and when he grew up, he became a handsome young man. Now, he was so ugly that he had scared his youngest son into tears. It was enough to make him depressed. ¡°Bruce, why don¡¯t you put on your mask!¡± ¡°You brat, you deserve a beating!¡± Bruce cursed, but he still obediently put on his mask. After all, Devin was only a two-year-old child with a weak mind. Bruce didn¡¯t want to scare him. No sooner had Bruce worn his mask than his cell phone rang. It was Darcy who was calling. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett has been calling me. How should I reply¡­¡± Darcy sounded panicked. Bruce frowned. ¡°The children are with me now. You don¡¯t have to look for them!¡± ¡°Ah? Oh, oh, oh, I have been scared to death!¡± Though Darcy still had a lingering fear, he was relieved now. Darcy had sent so many people, but they couldn¡¯t find Bruce¡¯s three children. Bruce had had to do this himself. Actually, these people should not be med. They had already been doing their best to search for the children. After three generations of gic modification, Bruce¡¯s various senses were very sensitive. His genes carried the sensitive senses that an animal possessed for search and positioning, so it was easy for him to find his children. ¡°You should go to the hospital, too. How¡¯s Boris¡¯s condition?¡± Darcy was trying to calm down. ¡°Boris is not in a good condition. The gunshot wound is too close to his heart. The doctor said that the chances of him waking up are very low. When I left the hospital, he was sent to the ICU again.¡± Bruce fell silent for a few seconds after hearing this. ¡°Go search over there now. I¡¯ll go over there and take a look myselfter!¡± ¡°All right, Mr. Everett. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it this way!¡± ¡°Was it Darcy who made the call?¡± Joanna asked with concern. ¡°Yes, it was. I¡¯m going to the hospitalter,¡± Bruce replied. Chapter 1210 Chapter 1210 ¡°Well, be careful ande back early.¡± Joanna reminded him worriedly. ¡°Got it.¡± After saying this, Bruce kissed Joanna¡¯s face affectionately and went out. Half an hourter, Bruce arrived at Greyport Hospital. At the entrance and the parking lot of the hospital were arge number of reporters and Inte celebrities. A lot of security guards were also sent to the entrance of the hospital and the floor where Boris¡¯s ward was located to prevent reporters from sneaking in. An entertainment reporter stood at the entrance, doing a live broadcast. ¡°Now we have arrived at Greyport Hospital, but we are not sure about the actual condition of Bruce Everett. ¡°However, ording to the relevant personnel, Bruce Everett¡¯s condition is very unsatisfactory. He might notst for more than 72 hours¡­¡± Other than the reporters, there were some Inte celebrities at the entrance of the hospital recording videos. Bruce drove to the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot. Darcy had already arranged for someone to receive him. Bruce got out of the car and then entered the hospital through the secret passage. The medical director, Jordan yton, came over to meet Bruce. ¡°How¡¯s Boris doing?¡± Jordan¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°His condition is critical. We have to prepare for the worst.¡± In the ICU ward, Boris was covered with tubes, wearing an oxygen mask. Hey lifelessly on the hospital bed. Bruce took a look through the observation window and still felt a little ufortable. Anyway, Boris had taken a bullet for him. Bruce was also the one who brought Boris to this world. Bruce needed to be responsible for him. ¡°Use the best medicine. Keep him alive at all costs.¡± When Jordan heard this, his expression froze. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best. ¡°However, Boris¡¯s gunshot wound is too close to his heart. The probability of him waking up is only 5%. Therefore, we still need to prepare for the worst.¡± Jordan was also treating Bruce and Joanna. He already knew that Boris, who had been shot, was a clone. Therefore, there was no need to hide it from Jordan. Bruce pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°Then do your best to extend his life.¡± ¡°In case of emergency, you can use a gene regeneration shot.¡± Jordan was shocked and didn¡¯t know how to reply. Each gene regeneration shot cost over 200 thousand dors. Moreover, it was not possible to keep his life with just one shot. Previously, after Bruce was injured in a car ident, he was given a to save his life. And Boris was just a clone. Was it necessary to use such expensive medicine on him? However, Jordan still nodded and replied, ¡°I understand, Mr. Everett.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°In the future, you will be personally responsible for his treatment. Don¡¯t leak any news.¡± ¡°All right, Mr. Everett.¡± The Everett Group. When thepany¡¯s shareholders and senior executives knew that Bruce had been shot, they panicked and went to the hospital to visit Bruce. Unfortunately, they were all refused to enter the ward, and no one was allowed to approach Bruce. ¡°With Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation, the Everett Group is without a leader. What shall we do in the future?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Something bad happened to Mr. Everett, and we don¡¯t know where Mrs. Everett is. It¡¯s been so long, but she hasn¡¯t even appeared.¡± ¡°I heard that there was another conflict between the two of them. Mrs. Everett went abroad with money. It seems that she separated from Mr. Everett again.¡± ¡°s, women can¡¯t be too pampered. Mrs. Everett is too heartless. Mr. Everett has almost transferred all the private assets under his name to her, but she¡¯s still not satisfied. Now such a big thing has happened to Mr. Everett, but she doesn¡¯t even appear.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Her disclosed assets already amount to more than 14 billion dors. However, it¡¯s still not enough for so much money to buy a woman¡¯s sincerity. Mr. Everett is really a great sucker of the century. Do you think what she is doing?¡± A few small shareholders and senior executives were anxious and kept talking and specting. The other two major shareholders, Mr. Bourn and Mr. Nelson, did not say a word. They were silent the entire time. When they heard the news, they could not help but feel a little excited. If Bruce really died, Joanna never appeared, and Bruce¡¯s four children were still young, then the two of them would take control of the Everett Group. The total market value of the Everett Group had long exceeded 100 billion dors. Therefore, there must be people constantly thinking about such a huge asset. Sometimes, people were just like those ministers in ancient times who wanted to usurp the throne. When the emperor was alive, they were loyal and careful. However, when the emperor died or was about to die, and no one could control them, their ambition would gradually show and they would rebel. Therefore, Mr. Bourn and Mr. Nelson hoped that Bruce would just die. Chapter 1211 Chapter 1211 Mr. Bourn and Mr. Nelson looked at each other. There was a deep meaning in their eyes, and they had a tacit understanding of each other. ¡°Everyone, be quiet. Don¡¯t say anything else now. The safety of Mr. Everett is the most important thing. ¡°We should do our own duty. Even if Mr. Everett isn¡¯t around, we have to let thepany operate normally.¡± The small shareholders agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Hurry up and start today¡¯s meeting!¡± ¡°Tomorrow, Mr. Nelson and I will go to the hospital again. Anyway, we have to find out about Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Mr. Bourn¡¯s suggestion is the best.¡± The medium and small shareholders did not say anything else. Anyway, due to the major shareholders, they did not have much say. [Bruce Everett is shot. He dies with all rescue efforts in vain.] [Bruce Everett is in a steady condition. His vital signs are stable.] [Bruce Everett has sessfully undergone artificial heart transnt surgery.] Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. In order to attract attention and earn traffic, some bad media outlets posted all kinds of news online every day. All the people of Greyport were worried. They could not figure out which piece of news was real and which piece of news was false. However, one thing they did know for sure was that Bruce Everett had been shot. ¡°I really hope that my idol Bruce is fine. He¡¯s so handsome and rich. How can he die?¡± ¡°He¡¯s such a good man. I don¡¯t want him to die. Boohoo!¡± Bruce had a great number of female fans, who couldn¡¯t ept this fact even more. From the subway to the malls, people were discussing this matter. After all, Bruce was the weather vane of Greyport. He was a god in the hearts of the people. Now something bad had happened to him, so the people in Greyport were all worried. Ritz Vi. Joanna personally made dumplings for the children. They were so happy that they could not help but chatter as they were eating. Davian looked at Joanna¡¯s abdomen in shock. ¡°Mommy, Lilia said that you¡¯re pregnant again. Is that true?¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. We will have a younger brother or sister.¡± ¡°I hope that Mommy will give birth to a younger sister for us this time and that she¡¯ll be as cute as Lilia.¡± ¡°I like to have a younger sister, too, but I can also ept a younger brother. When Lilia is looking for a boyfriend, the four of us can help Lilia to make a choice.¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± Joanna looked at the children happily and contentedly. It had been a long time since she felt so blissful. It was past nine in the evening. Bruce returned from the hospital. Joanna was still waiting for him. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re back. I have made spaghetti for you.¡± ¡°All right!¡± Bruce took off his coat and mask. Then, he washed his hands and prepared to eat spaghetti. ¡°How is he?¡± Bruce stirred the spaghetti with a fork and said in a serious tone, ¡°He is not in a good condition. The doctor said that we have to prepare for the worst!¡± ¡°s¡­¡± Hearing this, Joanna frowned and sighed deeply. ¡°Now, I should get my stic surgery done as soon as possible.¡± Joanna looked at him worriedly. ¡°But didn¡¯t the doctor say that the genes in your body might continue to mutate?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about that for now. I should recover my previous appearance first. Otherwise, once Boris dies, I willpletely be an unregistered person.¡± ¡°s!¡± Joanna could not help but sigh again. After Bruce heard her sigh, a trace of guilt appeared on his face. He stopped eating. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. I have made you suffer with me and made you worry every day.¡± ¡°No, I just think¡­¡± Joanna said. She suddenly felt suffocated and did not know what to say. The Everett family was glorious on the surface. It was a top-notch wealthy family, and everyone envied them. However, in reality, disasters happened to their family one after another, and they hardly had a day of peace. ¡°Joann, didn¡¯t I tell you that I had bought an ind overseas? After this event, we¡¯ll go and live there.¡± ¡°Mm, hurry up and eat your spaghetti. It is about to be cold.¡± Joanna forced a smile. Bruce smiled and continued eating his spaghetti. ¡°The spaghetti cooked by you is the most delicious. Even delicacies of every kind are notparable to it. ¡°Thank you, darling!¡± The Yanice Group. Marcus had been thinking for two days. He felt that Bruce was very suspicious. Chapter 1212 Chapter 1212 Although his subordinates reported that Bruce was seriously injured, he could not be at ease as long as Bruce was alive. Moreover, everyone in Greyport knew Bruce¡¯s way of doing things. He had never been a kind person, let alone swallow his anger. Whoever dared to go against him would be courting death. Once he escapes death, a cmity will befall Yanice Group. The more Marcus thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He was somber as he said stoically, ¡°Pete, regardless of your methods, we need to find out thetest information about Bruce.¡± ¡°He must not live. He must not live. Ugh, cough, cough¡­¡± He spoke too quickly and could not hold his breath. He started coughing. The beautiful caregiver beside him quickly handed him a cup of coffee and said, ¡°Mr. Yanice, please take it easy and drink some coffee.¡± Marcus trembled as he took the coffee. He slowly drank a few mouthfuls before suppressing the itch in his throat. His body was debilitating. He had to rely on coffee to boost his energy every day. Ever since his son died, he had been depressed, causing his body to be weaker. Marcus instructed, ¡°Pete, regardless, we can¡¯t let Bruce live.¡± Pete nervously replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Yanice.¡± ¡°You may leave!¡± Marcusmanded. ¡°Yes!¡± Pete responded. Greyport Hospital was backed by Bruce. Bruce¡¯s treatment was highly confidential. The hospital director and a few medical specialists personally handled it. Ordinary doctors and nurses could not approach him at all. However, money made the world go round. Even if they could not bribe the director and medical specialists, they would find ways to bribe other doctors. As long as the other doctors worked in the same hospital, they only needed to look at Bruce¡¯s Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. medication to determine his overall condition. So, in less than a day. Pete bought news on Bruce¡¯stest treatment from a doctor at a high price. ¡°Mr. Yanice, this is Bruce¡¯stest medicine,¡± Pete said. ¡°They¡¯ve allegedly already started using gene regeneration shots and various antibiotics to prolong his life. This means that he¡¯s already nearing the end of his life. It¡¯ll be difficult for him to live long.¡± When Marcus heard this, he was still a little uneasy. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for another two days. If necessary, find a few people from Southeast Alendor and get some explosives¡­¡± As Marcus spoke, he became somber. Pete felt a chill run down his spine and his eyes widened. It seemed that Mr. Yanice was determined to kill Bruce at all costs this time. On Monday. At Greyport Hospital. Darcy and Carson were guarding the ward. Mr. Bourn, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Paul took the opportunity to visit Bruce in the hospital again. Darcy stopped everyone and said stoically, ¡°Directors, my sincere apologies. No one is allowed to visit Mr. Everett now.¡± Mr. Bourn was livid and said, ¡°Darcy, I¡¯m thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder. Now that such a big thing has happened to Mr. Everett, we want to know the truth!¡± Darcy became somber and said, ¡°Just wait for the hospital¡¯s final notice.¡± ¡°No, I have to see Mr. Everett for myself today,¡± Mr. Bourn insisted. Mr. Young chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re just a bodyguard. What right do you have to stop us?¡± ¡°Now that Mr. Everett has be like this, Mrs. Everett is nowhere to be found. We¡¯re just concerned about Mr. Everett and want to see how Mr. Everett is doing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just an ordinary bodyguard. Who gave you the right to stop us? Why are you so arrogant?¡± The more they spoke, the more impolite they became. If it were in the past, even if Darcy was a bodyguard, they would still be polite toward him. Now that Bruce was already on the verge of death, Darcy could be fired at any moment. They were all directors of Everett Group and would not show Darcy any respect. Darcy did not say a word. He only stopped everyone stoically and did not allow anyone to enter the floor. ¡°Just perform your bodyguard duties. Don¡¯t worry about anything else!¡± ¡°We have to confirm Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation before we can decide the future course of Everett Group.¡± Darcy rolled his eyes and said, ¡°No matter what you say today, it¡¯s useless. No one is allowed to approach.¡± ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve got guts. You¡¯ve got guts.¡± Seeing Darcy was adamant about letting anyone in, the directors could only leave in exasperation. That night. ¡°Bruce died at 1:20 AM.¡± ¡°The news of Bruce¡¯s death is conclusive. Greyport¡¯s richest man died at a young age.¡± Some websites suddenly posted the news of Bruce¡¯s death, and others shared the reports. Some online content creators even doctored photos of Bruce on his deathbed to attract attention. Chapter 1213 Chapter 1213 At the same time. Bruce had already begun his stic surgery procedure, with a basic surgery n already designed for him by his stic surgeon. ¡°Mr. Everett, the most important thing now is to stabilize the mutated genes in your body. As long as there are no more gic mutations, there won¡¯t be a need for a second repair after the stic surgery procedure ispleted.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Just focus on the stic surgery procedure now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The stic surgeon did not say anything else and began to design a moreprehensive stic surgery n for him. In fact, there was nothing to repair. Now that his genes had been modified, they could naturally self-repair and recover. Even if Bruce were injured, he would recover quickly in less than two days. When Bruce had just returned from no man¡¯snd, he was hideous. However, after these few days of rest and recovery, he was getting better by the day. Even though his facial features did not change much, he still looked rather scary due to the bumps on his skin. Now, the most important thing for the doctor was to repair his skin. Theplete n had just been finalized. Aria came over to deliver medicine to Bruce. ¡°Bruce, this is thetest concoction for you. As long as you take it, it will suppress gic mutation.¡± Bruce took the medicine and squinted, ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Aria smiled warmly, ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯ll make a move then.¡± Bruce frowned and asked, ¡°Uh, where have you been staying recently? If you don¡¯t have a ce to stay, I¡¯ll arrange a ce for you¡­¡± When Aria heard this, she looked at Bruce sadly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m staying at Mr. Grimm¡¯s now.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Call me if you need anything,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be leaving then,¡± Aria said as she turned around and left with a tinge of sadness. ¡°Goodbye,¡± Bruce said as he waved his hand slightly. Now that Aria was staying at Jaydon¡¯s ce, Bruce was more at ease. Moreover, he could also tell that Jaydon seemed to like Aria. If the two of them could be a couple, he would still be happy for them. Meanwhile, in the bedroom. Joanna flipped through the phone and looked at the news online. She was lost for words. After Bruce returned, he saw Joanna lying on the bed looking at her phone and asked, ¡°Honey, what are you looking at?¡± As he spoke, Bruce took off his coat and leaned against the head of the bed with interest. He nced over at what Joanna was browsing. Joanna handed the phone to him and said in amusement. ¡°Look at these news articles. They say that you¡¯ve already passed away! It¡¯s so convincing that they even stated the time of your death. If you weren¡¯t beside me, I would have believed the news.¡± On the news sites. Bruce was shown lying on the hospital bed with his eyes rolled up. He looked miserable and a little The title was even more extreme: ¡°Bruce died young and died with grievances¡±. ¡°Fuck!¡± Bruce yelled as he looked at the fake news. It was annoying but funny. ¡°Look how hideous the doctored photos portrayed me. They even imed that I did not die in peace. I¡¯ll sue these hical media outlets until they close down.¡± Joanna sighed, ¡°I think I should speak to the media myself to rify things!¡± ¡°Ignore these people!¡± Bruce replied. ¡°No, I¡¯d bettere out and rify! Also, I wonder what the shareholders in thepany are talking about?¡± Joanna responded. ¡°If I don¡¯te forward and rify, I¡¯ll be the heartless woman who Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. allegedly stole her husband¡¯s money.¡± When Joanna did not appear publicly, the criticisms about her online did not stop. If she did not appear soon, her criticisms would be even worst. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t worry about this!¡± Bruce said with a smile. He leaned forward and began to harbor other thoughts. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s been so many days since we did it. I want it tonight¡­¡± Bruce responded. Joanna frowned and replied, ¡°You¡¯re annoying! Can you stop fooling around? It¡¯s already sote, and you¡¯re still thinking about doing this!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t move. Can you go take a shower first¡­¡± Bruce pleaded. Unfortunately, before she could finish, her words were interjected by his kiss. Chapter 1214 Chapter 1214 Although it was very impulsive, Bruce had learned to restrain himself and knew how to be more thoughtful of his woman¡¯s feelings. He would not force himself on others like before. Now that Joanna was pregnant, he would not dare indulge in his desires. The next day. Joanna woke up. She was still tired from the night before. Last night, Bruce had been as careful and gentle as possible. However, his physique and innate strength were still a little overwhelming. Joanna rubbed her sore waist and walked out of the room. As soon as she walked into the living room, she smelled a very pungent smelling from the kitchen, as if something had been burnt. ¡°Cough cough, what¡¯s that pungent?¡± Joanna eximed as she frowned and quickly walked toward the kitchen. A few servants greeted her respectfully, ¡°Mrs. Everett, good morning!¡± ¡°What¡¯s burning in the kitchen? Why is it so pungent?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Uh, Mr. Everett is in the kitchen. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s burning,¡± the servants replied. When Joanna heard this, she was confused and quickly walked toward the kitchen door. At the kitchen door. Davian, Irvin, and Lilia gathered at the kitchen door. The three of them were chattering about something. ¡°My dears, what are you doing?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re awake?¡± they asked. ¡°Yes. Why are you all gathered at the kitchen door?¡± Joanna responded. Lilia smiled sweetly and said happily, ¡°Mommy, Daddy is preparing another feast for us!¡± Joanna was stunned and lost for words. Her face was filled with disbelief. Bruce¡¯s culinary skills¡­ She would rather eat pot noodles. ¡°What¡¯s Daddy cooking?¡± Joanna asked. Davian also looked happy and eximed, ¡°Hehe! Daddy met with us this morning and said he wanted to be a caring family man from now on. He even said that he wanted to train his culinary skills and cook a feast for us every day from now on.¡± ¡°Haha! Daddy is awesome. The feast he¡¯s making must be very, very delicious. I can¡¯t wait to try Daddy¡¯s feast,¡± Irvin said as he stuck his tongue out and looked excited. ¡°Let¡¯s have a feast! I want to eat it!¡± Devin responded. He waved his chubby little arms excitedly in the air. Although Devin was only two years old, he liked to join in the fun. When Devin heard his brother and sister excitedly discussing having a feast, heughed too. Seeing the children¡¯s expectant and excited expressions, Joanna smiled and braced herself. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t be too happy so early. Regardless of how happy you are now, you might cryter¡­¡± Halfway through her sentence, Joanna swallowed her words. She did not want to dispel the children¡¯s happiness. In any case, she¡¯s aware of Bruce¡¯s culinary skills. ¡°Mommy, Daddy personally cooked a feast for us. We¡¯re excited. Why would we cry?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is my super idol. No matter what he does, he¡¯ll be very good at it. I¡¯m sure the feast he made will be delicious.¡± ¡°Uh, Mommy will go in and take a look!¡± Joanna said. With that, Joanna opened the sliding kitchen door. The big and tidy kitchen was filled with thick smoke. The stove and chopping board had been turned upside down. Bruce was wearing an apron around his waist and holding a frying pan. He was busy and looked like a chef. ¡°Honey, what are you doing? Cough, cough¡­¡± Joanna said as she started choking on the thick smoke. Bruce could not be bothered to turn around. He flipped the frying pan back and forth and said, ¡°Joann, you¡¯re awake! Hurry up and get out. Don¡¯t choke on the smoke.¡± Joanna looked around. Fish was on the ground, and prawns were scurrying in the sink. Two crabs were crawling around. Regardless of what was fried in the pot, it had now turned into soot. The ingredients were all good, but this chef¡­ was not skilled. ¡°Uh¡­ Hubby, if you¡¯re interested in cooking, you can start with something simple,¡± Joanna hinted. ¡°What I did was the simplest. Cough, cough!¡± Bruce replied as he also choked on the smoke. ¡°What¡¯s in your pan?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Beef!¡± Bruce said proudly. Joanna listened and looked at the packaging. It was the most expensive A5-grade Wagyu beef sold by the gram. Now, it was a ck mess before Bruce.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 1215 Chapter 1215 Seeing this, Joanna choked. ¡°Hubby, you¡­¡± Then she thought, ¡°Forget it. It was better not to dampen his enthusiasm.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Honey?¡± Bruce held thedle in his hand. He wanted to show off his skills to her like the chef in a television drama. However, his skills were not good enough, so he could only forget about it. Joanna forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Take your time. We¡¯re waiting to eat. And if you can¡¯t handle it, it¡¯s better to ask the chefs for help.¡± ¡°Humph, there¡¯s no need. I¡¯m good at it!¡± Bruce had always been very confident in himself. ¡°Alright!¡± With that, Joanna smiled happily and left the kitchen. No matter what, Bruce was willing to take off his suit and put an apron on for her sake. It was really a rare sight. It had been a long time since Joanna felt so blessed. After Joanna came out of the kitchen, she waved at the children. ¡°Babies,e over here!¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. The four little ones were like four cute pets, chattering as they surrounded their mommy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Mommy!¡± Joanna bent down and whispered, ¡°Well, this is Daddy¡¯s first time showing off his cooking skills and making a feast for us, so you guys should not embarrass himter. ¡°No matter if it¡¯s delicious or not, you have to say that it¡¯s delicious. Don¡¯t discourage Daddy from cooking, understand?¡± Davian chuckled. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry! Look at Daddy¡¯s posture. He¡¯s even more professional than a chef. How can it not taste good?¡± Irvin chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy is so amazing, so he must be very good at cooking too.¡± Liliaughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure to be a big fan of Daddy¡¯s cooking. Whether it¡¯s delicious or not, I¡¯ll support Daddy forever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Joanna nodded with a smile. ¡°Come on, time to eat!¡± An hourter, Bruce shouted excitedly as he served the dishes. ¡°Wow, Daddy, you¡¯re finally done.¡± When the four little guys heard that it was time to eat, they ran toward the dining room excitedly. When Joanna heard that, she followed them to the dining room as well. Bruce personally brought the dishes to the dining table. At first nce, it was quite sumptuous. The dining table was filled with eight tes of dishes and a bowl of soup. Bruce stood with his hands on his hips, looking for praise. ¡°Honey, how is it?¡± ¡°Hmm, the appearance¡­ is quite good!¡± ¡°Hurry up and try it. Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s delicious.¡± Joanna and the children sat around the dining table happily. ¡°Wow, wow, wow. It¡¯s so sumptuous. Daddy is awesome!¡± Lilia was the first to praise Bruce without thinking. Joanna looked at the dishes and was even more dumbfounded. All the dishes look dark and unappetizing. The excitement on Lilia¡¯s face gradually faded. ¡°Daddy, this dish is so ck. What¡¯s it called?¡± Bruce took a look. ¡°Oh, this is stir-fried beef with ck peppers. It¡¯s ck because there are ck peppers, of course!¡± When Lilia heard that, she silently took back her fork and did not know what to say. ¡°Eh, this steamed fish is so fresh. The fish¡¯s mouth is still moving,¡± Davian said as he silently retracted the fork. Irvin could not help but tease, saying, ¡°Daddy, is this your original technique? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen an entire crab stir-fried. Tsk, tsk, tsk, these two crabs are soplete.¡± With that, Irvin smiled awkwardly. ¡°Why are you guys all standing on ceremony? Hurry up and eat!¡± Bruce was the first to pick up his fork to eat. But after gazing at the dishes for a while, he did not know what to eat. Seeing this, Joanna could only brace herself and pick up a slice of beef before taking a small bite. As expected, she¡¯d overestimated him again. It tasted even worse than she had imagined. It was not an exaggeration to say that this top-quality beef was delicious even when eaten raw. But after Bruce¡¯s cooking, it tasted terrible instead¡­ Bruce looked at her expectantly. ¡°Is it delicious?¡± Joanna forced a smile. ¡°Well, the taste¡­ is quite¡­ quite special!¡± Joanna organized her words but really did not know how to praise. ¡°Really? Hehe, I¡¯m awesome, right? What are you waiting for? Hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah¡­¡± The children could only pick up their forks again. ¡°Bah!¡± Bruce had just put the beef into his mouth when he spat it out again. Perhaps it was because he had added too much salt. It was salty and bitter. ¡°Uh, don¡¯t eat this dish. It¡¯s probably a failure.¡± Bruce carried the beef to the side with a gloomy expression. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. Have some soup! This soup is very nourishing. I put in some very nutritious ingredients.¡± Bruce eagerly scooped another bowl of soup and handed it to Joanna. Joanna braced herself and took a small sip with a spoon. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She almost vomited. She had really never drunk such a disgusting soup before. It was almost the most terrible thing she had eaten. Joanna really could not think of a worse one than what she had just tasted. Bruce frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Does it taste bad?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s my morning sickness! It¡¯s not that bad, but it tastes very unique! You can taste it yourself!¡± When Bruce heard this, a bad feeling rose in his heart. Unwilling to give up, he took a sip. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± When the children saw this, their faces were tense, and they did not dare to make a sound. They were afraid that Bruce would make them drink too. ¡°This¡­ This tastes too bad!¡± Bruce could not help butin to himself. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t be depressed. You¡¯re so smart. You¡¯ll definitely be fine if you practice slowly. However, let¡¯s start with some easy home-cooked dishes.¡± ¡°s!¡± Bruce was still a little depressed. It seemed that he really did not have the talent to cook. ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m hungry now. I¡¯ll go back to my room to study¡­¡± Chapter 1216 Chapter 1216 ¡°Don¡¯t leave. Have you forgotten what I just told you?¡± Davian¡¯s handsome face tensed up as he said seriously, ¡°Mommy, you¡¯ve always taught us to be good and honest. We can¡¯t lie. Now, we really can¡¯t go against our conscience!¡± Joanna frowned and smiled. ¡°Well, but¡­ No matter what, Daddy worked hard to make this. We have to cheer for him together!¡± As Joanna spoke, she took the initiative to pick up another boiled shrimp. This was edible. After all, it just needed to be boiled in water. There was no need for any technique. However, the dipping sauce was not that satisfactory. Joanna peeled a shrimp and handed it to Bruce. Then she peeled another one for herself and ate it with relish. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s so delicious. Thank you, Honey!¡± When the children saw this, they also peeled a shrimp for themselves. ¡°You have worked hard, Daddy. I love you!¡± ¡°Love you forever, Daddy. You are the best in the world!¡± The three little guys sent flying kisses to their daddy. Devin also held a big shrimp and climbed onto the stool. He clumsily ced it on Bruce¡¯s te. ¡°Daddy, Daddy, eat shrimp!¡± ¡°Me too. I love you!¡± Joanna formed a heart shape with her hands and gestured gently. In an instant, Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red, and he was surrounded by a strong sense of happiness. Perhaps all the hardships and difficulties in his life were for this moment! His beloved wife and adorable children were all by his side. Everything was worth it. Bruce held back the urge to cry and smiled happily. ¡°Alright, alright! Since you don¡¯t want to eat, don¡¯t force yourself. ¡°I know that my cooking skills are not good. In the future, I will practice more and try my best to satisfy you guys.¡± ¡°Ha ha, this is personally made by you. I¡¯m happy to eat it!¡± Joanna said with a blissful smile on her face, and then she took another bite of the half-cooked dish. Her husband had personally made this. The taste was actually not important at all. What was important was the thought of personally cooking for them. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. It was Bruce! It was unimaginable for a man like him to take off his suit and put on an apron to cook personally. ¡°Honey, I feel so happy to have you by my side. You¡¯re my angel, my sun. I can¡¯t live without you. I love you, love you till the end of my life, love you forever.¡± As Bruce spoke, he lovingly gestured a big hand heart to Joanna and smiled happily. Davian and Irvin shrugged and got goosebumps. ¡°Eh, look at Daddy¡¯s loving appearance. It¡¯s so mushy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s too mushy! I can¡¯t take it. I really can¡¯t take it!¡± ¡°Daddy, Mommy, you can show off your love to the fullest. You don¡¯t have to care about our feelings.¡± ¡°Daddy, you smiled so much that the corners of your mouth are up to your ears. Do you really feel so happy?¡± Irvin teased with a sharp tongue. Although the taste of this meal was not good, the family¡¯sughter was filled with warm happiness. As long as the family could be happy together forever, no amount of suffering and setbacks were worth mentioning. After lunch, Joanna rested for a while and got up to change her clothes. ¡°I¡¯m going out in the afternoon!¡± Bruce reclined on the bed. ¡°What are you going out for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital to take a look at Boris. Then, I¡¯ll go to thepany to take a look. I have to stabilize those people, right?¡± Bruce burst intoughter and said disdainfully, ¡°There¡¯s no need!¡± Even if he did not go to thepany, he could guess what those people under him were up to. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to care about them. He did not want to deal with them now! When he recovered, he would have plenty of time to tidy them up. Now, he just wanted to stay at home and live a peaceful life with his wife and children. Joanna had already taken off her pajamas and changed into an elegant suit. ¡°There¡¯s a need. Everyone thinks that your life is at stake now. If I don¡¯t show up, the shareholders of thepany will be up to no good again. ¡°Even if those shareholders don¡¯t make any moves, our partners will make wild guesses.¡± Bruce thought for a short while. ¡°That makes sense! s, rumors are scary. It¡¯s good to go to the ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Chapter 1217 Chapter 1217 Bruce sighed. ¡°s, how can I not be worried? I can¡¯t rest assured that you¡¯re going alone. I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t show your face now! ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital to take a look at Boris. By the way, I¡¯ll do a pregnancy test to see how the child is developing. Although there are doctors here, I still have to go to the hospital when some professional equipment is needed.¡± ¡°It proves more that I have to go with you,¡± said Bruce. ¡°Can you go out like this?¡± Joanna asked. Bruce chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll put on a mask, a hat, and sunsses. I¡¯ll pretend to be your bodyguard. No one will be able to tell that it¡¯s me.¡± Joanna was speechless. She rolled her eyes and looked Bruce up and down. Indeed, even if he did not dress up in disguise when he was on the street now, there probably wouldn¡¯t be many people who could recognize him. ¡°Hmm, alright then!¡± ¡°Everything should be fine as long as we two fight as one man!¡± A Rolls-Royce arrived at the entrance of Greyport Hospital at 3:30 p.m. A few security guards quickly stepped forward and stood in two rows, forming a human wall. The door opened, and a gentle and elegantdy in sunsses got out of the car. The reporters and bloggers waiting at the entrance of the hospital saw a Rolls-Royce driving over and started discussing. ¡°Look, look, is that Mrs. Everett?¡± ¡°I think so. Didn¡¯t they say she went overseas to settle down? Why is she back?¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go! Hurry up and interview her!¡± The group of reporters swarmed over. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mrs. Everett. Rumor has it that you¡¯ve emigrated. Is that true?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s the situation of Mr. Everett now? Is he out of danger?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett has been in trouble for a few days. Why did you only show up now?¡± The security guards quickly stepped forward and stopped the reporters. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t push!¡± Joanna waved at everyone calmly. ¡°Thank you for your concern, everyone. I¡¯ve been resting recently because of my pregnancy and didn¡¯t appear in the hospital in time. ¡°I¡¯m very sad that such a thing happened to my husband. ¡°We are now fully cooperating with the police, hoping to catch the criminal as soon as possible. My husband has now passed the danger stage. Thank you for your concern.¡± With that, Joanna followed the security personnel into the hospital. ¡°Mrs. Everett, say a few more words!¡± ¡°Click, click, click!¡± The sound of shbulbs echoed non-stop behind Joanna! Bruce was wearing a mask, sunsses, and a cap. Hiding among the other bodyguards, he escorted Joanna into the hospital. Everyone thought that he was just a bodyguard, so no one noticed him. ¡°These reporters are too crazy and boring!¡± Bruce could not help butin after entering the elevator. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°I really hope that in the future, when we go out, we can do as we please like others.¡± ¡°Hehe, that day will definitelye!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Joanna subconsciously covered her stomach. ¡°What happened?¡± Joanna frowned and touched her stomach with a smile. ¡°I feel like the baby is moving!¡± Bruce was stunned. He looked at Joanna in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re only three months or so pregnant. It¡¯s not even four months, and you can feel the baby moving?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s moving very badly. Ouch!¡± Joanna felt a pair of strong little feet kick her stomach again. Previously, when she was pregnant with Davian and Devin, although there was also fetal movement, it was very weak. It was only more obvious after five to six months of pregnancy. Now that she was pregnant with this little guy, it had only been more than three months, but it already had obvious fetal movements and was full of vitality. ¡°Baby, be good and don¡¯t kick Mommy!¡± Joanna smiled. ¡°Hubby, it won¡¯t be a freak, right?¡± Bruce was stunned for a moment beforeughing along with Joanna. This little baby was conceived after his gene mutation. He wondered if the baby would be affected. Chapter 1218 Chapter 1218 Although Joanna had a smile on her face, she was still a little worried. A normal fetus would probably be about the size of an egg in three to four months. However, the child she was carrying was obviously developing very quickly. That worried her. Bruce could tell that Joanna was worried. He gently pulled her into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even if the baby is really a freak, he¡¯s still our baby. I¡¯ll still dote on him.¡± ¡°I hope it¡¯s a healthy child!¡± Joanna prayed sincerely. ¡°Ding!¡± The elevator door opened. Bruce immediately let go of Joanna, and the two of them left the elevator one after another. In the ICU ward, Borisy quietly. He had been injected with a gene regeneration shot, and the effect was immediate and obvious. His physical condition had basically stabilized. After a few more injections, his condition should bepletely stable. Joanna nced at Boris and felt a little sad. It was probably because he looked exactly like Bruce. She couldn¡¯t help but feel worried seeing him lying here now. ¡°Doctor, how is he now?¡± The doctor said with a serious expression, ¡°From his current characteristics, if there are no infections or Joanna came to the head of the bed and took a deep look at Boris. ¡°You have to cheer up!¡± Other than that, she didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already asked the doctor to give him the best medicine. I¡¯ll try my best to save his life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t stay too long!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After leaving the ward, Joanna did some pregnancy tests and prescribed some pregnancy stabilizers. At the gynecology and obstetrics department, Joannay on the bed as the doctor carefully performed ultrasound scanning and other various tests on her. ¡°How is it? Is the fetus healthy?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The doctor stared at the monitor solemnly. Seeing the doctor¡¯s serious expression, Joanna¡¯s heart was in her throat. ¡°Doctor, if there¡¯s any problem, just tell me.¡± ¡°Uh, there¡¯s no problem at the moment. It¡¯s just that the development of the fetus is a little too fast. And¡­ and this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a situation! ¡°And the results of some other tests won¡¯t be out until tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll send someone to get the results tomorrow.¡± After the checkup, it was already four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Joanna and Bruce left the hospital and prepared to make a trip to Everett Group. In the parking lot downstairs, the reporters were still waiting. When they saw Joannaing down, they rushed over again. ¡°Mrs. Everett, please tell us about Mr. Everett¡¯s current situation!¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, can you please tell me how you feel now?¡± ¡°Make way!¡± The security personnel sternly stopped the reporters from approaching. Joanna waved at the camera and greeted, saying, ¡°Thank you for your concern!¡± Then, under the protection of the bodyguards, she got into the car before the car roared away. After leaving the hospital, Joanna went to Everett Group next. Half an hourter, she arrived at Everett Group. The clerks at the front desk were all busy when they suddenly saw Joannaing over with a group of bodyguards. Seeing this, the front desk manager hurriedly came over. ¡°Miss Haynes, why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to thepany to take a look,¡± Joanna said. She did not stop and walked straight to the elevator dedicated to the president. The front desk manager hurriedly took a few steps forward and respectfully pressed the elevator button. ¡°Thanks for your hard work, everyone!¡± After Joanna went up, the receptionists at the front desk started discussing. ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that Miss Haynes and Mr. Everett are separated?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Nonsense. The news has already spread. Miss Haynes hasn¡¯t shown up because she¡¯s been staying abroad for her pregnancy.¡± ¡°What? Is Miss Haynes pregnant again? I can¡¯t tell from her stomach!¡± ¡°Stop talking so much. Let¡¯s get to work.¡± Chapter 1219 Chapter 1219 In the CEO¡¯s office. When the directors and management of thepany learned that Joanna hade to thepany, they were all shocked. They knew that she was here to inspect their work. All of them quickly put down their work and came to report. ¡°Miss Haynes, this is thepany¡¯s financial report for this period.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also the contract report signed in the past three months. Please take a look!¡± ¡°Leave them all for now! I¡¯ll let you know after I¡¯ve read them.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Thepany¡¯s higher-ups reported their work respectfully one after another. Mr. Bourn held back again and again but could not help asking, ¡°What¡¯s the current situation of Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes?¡± Joanna flipped through the contract report and replied without looking up, ¡°I just went to the hospital to take a look. My husband is safe now. I hope everyone can focus on your work. Thank you for your concern.¡± When Mr. Bourn and Mr. Nelson heard this, they secretly broke out in cold sweat. They thought, ¡°Oh my! Mr. Everett was really lucky. He had been plotted against a few times but was Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. still safe and sound.¡± Fortunately, they had been patient for the past few days and waited obediently. If they caused any trouble during this period of time, when Mr. Everett recovered, they probably could not get off that easy. ¡°Leave all these work reports here! Recently, if I¡¯m free, I¡¯lle to thepany.¡± Joanna¡¯s face was solemn, making it impossible to tell her emotions. ¡°Oh, okay. Then we¡¯ll go out first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The shareholders left the CEO¡¯s office, their hearts beating like drums. ¡°I wonder if Miss Haynes is telling the truth? I saw on the news that Bruce was shot in the chest.¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s the chest. How can he be okay?¡± Mr. Nelson also lowered his voice and said shrewdly, ¡°I think Miss Haynes is deliberately appearing to threaten everyone. She¡¯s afraid that the shareholders will cause trouble.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, now that Miss Haynes has appeared, it¡¯s better for us to be careful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± In the office, Bruce satzily on the leather swivel chair he had been upying earlier, his legs habitually resting on the desk. Next to him was arge floor-to-ceiling window through which one could overlook more than half of Greyport. In the past, when he was bored, he liked to sit there, light a cigarette, and look out through the window. Seeing this, Joanna looked at him speechlessly. ¡°Hiss¡­ Can you not put your legs on the desk?¡± When Bruce heard this, he snorted and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just letting you admire my perfect legs!¡± ¡°Look at how long and straight my legs are!¡± As he spoke, Bruce habitually went to the table to get a cigarette. Suddenly, he remembered that he had already given up smoking. Joanna was speechless. ¡°What a narcissist!¡± Bruce put his legs down and gestured for Joanna to sit on hisp. ¡°Hehe, are you at ease now? Let¡¯s go home! I told you that thepany is fine, but you insisted on making a trip.¡± ¡°I have to show up and reassure everyone. Then there won¡¯t be that much gossip.¡± ¡°Humph. Now that you¡¯ve appeared, there must be even more people talking about it.¡± ¡°s!¡± Joanna frowned and sighed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong now? Why do you always sigh?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°I feel stuffy in my heart as if something is going to happen.¡± Bruce smiled dotingly when he heard this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! With me around, there won¡¯t be any problems. It¡¯s almost six o¡¯clock! We¡¯d better go home before the children get anxious.¡± ¡°Uh-uh.¡± The two of them got up and were about to leave. Beep, beep, beep. Bruce¡¯s phone rang again. He picked it up and saw that it was a call from the hospital. Chapter 1220 Chapter 1220 Bruce frowned and answered the call. ¡°Hello.¡± The hospital director¡¯s panicked voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett. Oh my God! Something happened at the hospital.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes flickered. ¡°What happened?¡± The director said nervously and fearfully, ¡°The hospital¡­ The hospital is on fire. The firefighters are already on their way.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows suddenly twitched. He asked sternly, ¡°How is Boris now?¡± ¡°Boris is currently being resuscitated. Because¡­ because of the fire just now, the electricity in the entire building was cut off. The incident was too sudden, so the doctors did not have time to take emergency measures. Now, it¡¯s possible¡­¡± the hospital director stammered. He was so frightened that he did not dare to continue. ¡°A bunch of trash. The hospital is doing fine. Why would there be a fire?¡± Bruce¡¯s lungs were about to explode from anger. No matter what he did, he strived for perfection. When running a hospital, he had to have the best professional equipment. If the patient got in danger because of the fire, it was obvious that the hospital¡¯s emergency measures and exercises were not in ce. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. This was something he could not tolerate. ¡°The reason is still under investigation. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. We¡¯re doing our best to save Boris.¡± ¡°Alright! I see. Whatever it takes, keep Boris alive,¡± replied Bruce. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± The director was trembling with fear as he tried to calm Bruce down. After hanging up, Bruce was so angry that his face darkened. His good mood from before was Listening from the side, Joanna also became nervous. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s the fire?¡± ¡°The hospital is on fire. Boris might not make it.¡± Boom! When Joanna heard this, she staggered and almost lost her bnce. They had just returned from the hospital. ¡°It had only been less than two hours. How could such a severe matter suddenly happen? ¡°Moreover, Greyport Hospital was thergest hospital in Greyport. Fire prevention measures have always been strictly standardized. Even if there was a fire, there was emergency firefighting equipment on every floor. How could it have such a huge fire? ¡°There was only one possibility. This was arson, and the goal was to take Bruce¡¯s life,¡± thought Joanna. ¡°Oh my god, this is definitely not an ident. It must be purposefully designed by someone. Who did this? ¡°They¡¯re trying to kill us!¡± Joanna felt a chill run down her spine as she fell back into her chair in fear. Bruce had many enemies. However, not many people dared to go against him openly. At most, they would secretly y tricks. This was the first time they tried to take his life so openly. ¡°Hmph, some people just don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them!¡± Bruce cursed with a dark expression. ¡°How could I not know who was plotting against me behind my back? ¡°However, I was currently at the center of the storm. I did not want to make a big deal out of it. I killed Marlowe Yanice purely because I was forced into a corner. If Marlowe Yanice had not kidnapped Lilia, I would not have really killed him. ¡°Marlowe Yanice deserved to die. I only wanted to get rid of evil for the people. If I didn¡¯t kill him, he would harm more people. ¡°Unexpectedly, Yanice the Strange actually tried to take revenge again and again. ¡°If I didn¡¯t fight back, Yanice the Strange would probably still attack my children,¡± thought Bruce. ¡°Bruce, what do we do now?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡± The Greyport Hospital was on fire. At the scene, reporters and gossip bloggers were already waiting anxiously to cause trouble. The hospital was on fire one minute ago, and the next minute the news broke. [A major fire broke out in Greyport Hospital. Perhaps it was man-made.] [Greyport Hospital caught fire. Bruce was killed again.] Half an hourter. When Bruce and Joanna arrived at the hospital, the fire had already been extinguished. Arge number of firefighters, police officers, and so on gathered at the scene. The entire outside of the hospital had been cordoned off with police tape, preventing people from getting close. The police officers were still evacuating the crowd in the hospital. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t get out of the car. There are too many people, and it¡¯s messy. I don¡¯t want them to bump into you!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Just stay in the car. It won¡¯t help even if you go down,¡± Bruce said as he prepared to get out of the car. ¡°Fine!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else. He put on his sunsses and mask and entered the hospital through the back door. When the director and head of the department saw Bruce, they were so frightened that they didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°How¡¯s Boris now?¡± ¡°His situation¡­ is not good.¡± ¡°Take me to him!¡± Boris had been transferred to another ward. The incident had happened so suddenly that the circuit had an emergency shutdown. Even the hospital¡¯s backup battery source had been cut off. The venttor and pacemaker on Boris¡¯s body had all stopped functioning. There were no signs of life now. Even if he were resuscitated, he would only be in a vegetative state. This was the first time something like this had happened at Greyport Hospital. ¡°What a bunch of trash.¡± Chapter 1221 Chapter 1221 Bruce frowned and answered the call. ¡°Hello.¡± The hospital director¡¯s panicked voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Everett. Oh my God! Something happened at the hospital.¡± When Bruce heard this, his eyes flickered. ¡°What happened?¡± The director said nervously and fearfully, ¡°The hospital¡­ The hospital is on fire. The firefighters are already on their way.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows suddenly twitched. He asked sternly, ¡°How is Boris now?¡± ¡°Boris is currently being resuscitated. Because¡­ because of the fire just now, the electricity in the entire building was cut off. The incident was too sudden, so the doctors did not have time to take emergency measures. Now, it¡¯s possible¡­¡± the hospital director stammered. He was so frightened that he did not dare to continue. ¡°A bunch of trash. The hospital is doing fine. Why would there be a fire?¡± Bruce¡¯s lungs were about to explode from anger. No matter what he did, he strived for perfection. When running a hospital, he had to have the best professional equipment. If the patient got in danger because of the fire, it was obvious that the hospital¡¯s emergency measures and exercises were not in ce. This was something he could not tolerate. ¡°The reason is still under investigation. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. We¡¯re doing our best to save Boris.¡± ¡°Alright! I see. Whatever it takes, keep Boris alive,¡± replied Bruce. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Everett. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± The director was trembling with fear as he tried to calm Bruce down. After hanging up, Bruce was so angry that his face darkened. His good mood from before was Listening from the side, Joanna also became nervous. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s the fire?¡± ¡°The hospital is on fire. Boris might not make it.¡± Boom! When Joanna heard this, she staggered and almost lost her bnce. They had just returned from the hospital. ¡°It had only been less than two hours. How could such a severe matter suddenly happen? ¡°Moreover, Greyport Hospital was thergest hospital in Greyport. Fire prevention measures have always been strictly standardized. Even if there was a fire, there was emergency firefighting equipment on every floor. How could it have such a huge fire? ¡°There was only one possibility. This was arson, and the goal was to take Bruce¡¯s life,¡± thought Joanna. ¡°Oh my god, this is definitely not an ident. It must be purposefully designed by someone. Who did this? ¡°They¡¯re trying to kill us!¡± Joanna felt a chill run down her spine as she fell back into her chair in fear. Bruce had many enemies. However, not many people dared to go against him openly. At most, they would tricks. This was the first time they tried to take his life so openly. ¡°Hmph, some people just don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them!¡± Bruce cursed with a dark expression. ¡°How could I not know who was plotting against me behind my back? ¡°However, I was currently at the center of the storm. I did not want to make a big deal out of it. I killed Marlowe Yanice purely because I was forced into a corner. If Marlowe Yanice had not kidnapped Lilia, I would not have really killed him. ¡°Marlowe Yanice deserved to die. I only wanted to get rid of evil for the people. If I didn¡¯t kill him, he would harm more people. ¡°Unexpectedly, Yanice the Strange actually tried to take revenge again and again. ¡°If I didn¡¯t fight back, Yanice the Strange would probably still attack my children,¡± thought Bruce. ¡°Bruce, what do we do now?¡± asked Joanna. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡± The Greyport Hospital was on fire. At the scene, reporters and gossip bloggers were already waiting anxiously to cause trouble. The hospital was on fire one minute ago, and the next minute the news broke. [A major fire broke out in Greyport Hospital. Perhaps it was man-made.] [Greyport Hospital caught fire. Bruce was killed again.] Half an hourter. When Bruce and Joanna arrived at the hospital, the fire had already been extinguished. Arge number of firefighters, police officers, and so on gathered at the scene. The entire outside of the hospital had been cordoned off with police tape, preventing people from getting close. The police officers were still evacuating the crowd in the hospital. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t get out of the car. There are too many people, and it¡¯s messy. I don¡¯t want them to bump into you!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Just stay in the car. It won¡¯t help even if you go down,¡± Bruce said as he prepared to get out of the car. ¡°Fine!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else. He put on his sunsses and mask and entered the hospital through the back door. When the director and head of the department saw Bruce, they were so frightened that they didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°How¡¯s Boris now?¡± ¡°His situation¡­ is not good.¡± ¡°Take me to him!¡± Boris had been transferred to another ward. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. The incident had happened so suddenly that the circuit had an emergency shutdown. Even the hospital¡¯s backup battery source had been cut off. The venttor and pacemaker on Boris¡¯s body had all stopped functioning. There were no signs of life now. Even if he were resuscitated, he would only be in a vegetative state. This was the first time something like this had happened at Greyport Hospital. ¡°What a bunch of trash.¡± Chapter 1222 Chapter 1222 Gerry¡¯s entire body was convulsing, and white foam kepting out of his mouth. He hadpletely lost consciousness. The others at the party were still going wild, with couples of men and women hugging and having a st. Most people didn¡¯t even notice him. The person who took the drug with him saw that the drug was acting up. He sneered and stood up to leave the private room. ¡°Thump, thump, thump¡­¡± The music became louder and louder, and everyone was intoxicated by it. The sofa was even more chaotic. Men and women hugged each other and enjoyed themselves as if no one was around. The limits of these rich heirs had already exceeded the imagination of ordinary people. Of course, not all rich heirs were like them. There were also many who came from good families and had a good upbringing. They never yed these unhealthy games. The partysted until five in the morning. The friends of Gerry gradually realized that something was wrong with him. He seemed to have been lying on the sofa the entire night without moving. ¡°Gerry, get up!¡± His friend pushed him a few times. Gerry did not move at all, like an ice sculpture. His friend finally realized that something was wrong and hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°What should we do? He seems to be in trouble!¡± When the other friend of Gerry heard this, he reached out and touched his nose. He was instantly Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. frightened and staggered back a few steps. ¡°Fuck. He, he¡¯s not breathing!¡± ¡°What?¡± The others were shocked when they heard that. Gerry was already cold, and his limbs were stiff. The other rich heirs were instantly frightened. ¡°What should we do? Hurry up and call an ambnce.¡± ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ll make a call now¡­¡± The rich heirs were all afraid. A few of them had already fled the scene. Soon. Gerry was sent to the hospital, but unfortunately, he had overdosed and was poisoned to deathst night. Such things were verymon. A lot of junkies ended up killing themselves while getting their fix. At Yanice Group. Marcus was still thinking about how to take revenge on the Everett family when the bad news came. ¡°What¡­ what did you say?¡± The servant replied in fear, ¡°Mr. Gerry¡­ It seems like Mr. Gerry got into some trouble.¡± Marcus held his breath and asked in a trembling voice, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Yesterday, Mr. Gerry took an excessive amount of drugs, which caused¡­ caused¡­ cardiac arrest. He has already passed away now.¡± Boom. Marcus¡¯s body was hunched. He wanted to stand up, but when he heard this news, he fell heavily onto the sofa. His heart was like a rapidly operating machine, beating uncontrobly. ¡°Hurry, bring the first aid drugs!¡± Seeing this, the secretary quickly took a few pills and stuffed them into Marcus¡¯s mouth. After a long while. Marcus¡¯s heart rate slowly calmed down. ¡°My Gerry! ¡°Take me to the hospital!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Yanice.¡± The servants did not dare to dy and hurriedly helped him out. Marcus hurried to the hospital twenty minutester. Gerry was already cold. Hey lifelessly on the small cart with a white cloth covering his body. When he was sent over this morning, he was already dead. There was no room for resuscitation. When he saw this, Marcus¡¯s heart ached. He did not have the heart to go forward and take a look. He only staggered two steps before he started coughing violently. He had just experienced the pain of losing a son. It had not even been two months, and tragedy happened again. Simrly, this son had disappointed him greatly too. But no matter how disappointed he was, this was still his own son. ¡°Gerry, Gerry, my son!¡± Marcus staggered over. With trembling hands, he lifted the white cloth, wanting to take ast look at his son. After a while, he looked around again. ¡°Where¡¯s Harley? ¡°His brother is dead. Why hasn¡¯t hee over to take a look?¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, I¡¯ve just informed Mr. Harley. He¡­ he said that he¡¯s not feeling well and can¡¯te over for the time being.¡± ¡°This bastard. His brother is already dead. Doesn¡¯t he evene to take ast look? ¡°Even if you have to force him, you have to take him over.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The servants did not dare to dy and hurriedly went to look for Harley. Marcus¡¯ three sons were all a pain in the neck. The eldest son Marlowe was a twisted pervert. The second was a drug addict, and the third was a gay. Last night, Harley went to a bar that only men went to. It was filled with ¡°like-minded¡± men. He was attracted by a tall and hunky man there. Then, the two of them returned to the hunk¡¯s house. Just as they were having fun¡­ Chapter 1223 Chapter 1223 Half an hourter. Harley was carried over on a stretcher. Although he had already woken up, his face was ghastly pale, and he could not even move. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± He wanted to get up, but his butt was in so much pain that he could not take it anymore. He could only lie weakly on the stretcher again. Marcus was inconsble. He was still angry with Harley, but now that he saw Harley was also half- Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. dead, he could not care less about ming him. ¡°Harley, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, Mr. Harley was¡­¡± The subordinate said, not daring to continue. With trembling hands, Marcus lifted the nket and took a look. Harley¡¯s hip was wrapped in thick gauze, but it was still obvious that he was seriously injured. His two sons had met with an ident on the same night. This was definitely not a coincidence. It was man-made revenge. Only the Everett family would dare to take revenge on him like this. ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s definitely not dead¡­¡± said Marcus. He took a deep breath and fell forward the next second. ¡°Mr. Yanice, Mr. Yanice¡­¡± The servants hurriedly supported him. Marcus couldn¡¯t stand this stimtion and passed out. Soon. The inte was flooded with negative news about Yanice Group. [Gerry Yanice of Yanice Group died suddenlyst night. Cause of death is suspected to be an overdose.] [Harley Yanice of Yanice Group was suspected of being involved in an illegal orgy and was attacked.] [The Yanice Group chairman was overly sad and was hospitalized for emergency treatment.] The inte was filled with news about Yanice Group. The poprity suppressed Bruce¡¯s news in one go. The media usually did not dare to report such negative news about the top wealthy families. After all, these financial groups were rich. If they were angered, they could sue the media to bankruptcy. Someone must have instructed them to expose the news. At Ritz Vi. ¡°Oh my god, something happened to Yanice Group again.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Bruce asked without thinking. ¡°Gerry Yanice of Yanice Group died from an overdose yesterday.¡± Joanna was shocked when she saw the news. Recently, Greyport was really not peaceful. These top wealthy families seemed to be in constant trouble. Of course, she didn¡¯t know that Marcus and Bruce were fighting under the dark tide. Bruce would not let her know about this either. He only wanted her to see the good side of him. That was enough. Bruce snorted. ¡°It might be karma!¡± ¡°Karma?¡± Bruce sneered coldly. ¡°This is because he had done too many bad things. Even the heavens can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce in confusion after hearing it. ¡°This was clearly an ident. How could it be counted as karma?¡± thought she. ¡°They say that if you do too many evil deeds, you¡¯re bound to face the consequences. ¡°Yanice the Strange has done so many evil things in the past. It¡¯s normal for the heavens to punish him. What goes aroundes around,¡± said Bruce. When Joanna heard this, she frowned. ¡°You mean that our family has suffered karma for so many troubles too? ¡°Tell me honestly, did you do so many bad things that the heavens want to punish us.¡± When he heard this, Bruce frowned and looked at Joanna thoughtfully. ¡°Did I do a lot of bad things?¡± said he inwardly. He subconsciously touched her chin and fell into deep thought. ¡°I did not seem to be a good person¡­¡± thought he. However, this idea onlysted for a few seconds before he immediately smiled nonchntly. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a good person. ¡°In terms of my career, I have created over ten thousand job opportunities for society and helped solve the employment problems of over ten thousand people. That¡¯s why Greyport sees me as a model taxpayer. ¡°In terms of my character, I love my family, my wife, and my children. I¡¯m sincere and approachable.¡± ¡°Poof,¡± Joanna almost burst intoughter when she heard that. ¡°If he were approachable, there would be no criminals in this society,¡± said she inwardly. ¡°In terms of personality, I¡¯m an outstanding special talent of the National Defense Bureau. The country has awarded me the highest honorary medal, officially certified¡­¡± Bruce suddenly paused, not wanting to say anything else. Joanna took a deep breath. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would apply for retirement?¡± Bruce felt a little heavy. ¡°I said that it would take some time. Give me some more time.¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Someone knocked on the door. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± The assistant and the stic surgeon entered. ¡°Mr. Everett, it¡¯s time for surgery.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m on my way,¡± said Bruce as he stood up. He had already begun to do stic surgery repairs and was starting to see results. After a few more surgeries, he would return to his original state. ¡°Go ahead! I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± said Joanna. Chapter 1224 Chapter 1224 Chapter 1224 Davian and Irvin had returned from school. ¡°Mommy, why do you have so many people to drop us off when we go to schooltely?¡± ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been very safe recently. Daddy was afraid that something would happen to you, so he sent more people,¡± replied Joanna. ¡°What could possibly happen? ¡°Don¡¯t let so many bodyguards pick us up in the future. It won¡¯t be good if our ssmates see it,¡± Davian muttered. Every day after school, more than ten bodyguards would pick them up at school. Every time, it would be grand and eye-catching. It also caused them to be discussed by their ssmates in school. Joanna sighed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do now! Daddy and Mommy are just thinking about your safety. ¡°Bear with it. When you¡¯re in middle school, I¡¯ll send you overseas to study.¡± ¡°Ah, again? Forget it! We want to study here!¡± The three children looked at Joanna in horror. Thest time Joanna said that she was going overseas to find a school for them, such a big thing happened. Now, they didn¡¯t want to go anywhere but just wanted to study at Greyport. ¡°Hehe, when the timees, Daddy and Mommy will apany you. You won¡¯t have to worry that way.¡± Indeed, life was too tiring now. Bruce had also said that he would choose to retire when he was 35 old. In another year or two, they could enjoy another lifestyle years Joanna was talking to the children when a servant came in to report, ¡°Mrs. Everett, Miss Bridges is here!¡± ¡°Why is she here? Let her in!¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Ten minutester. The servant led Aria in. Joanna frowned but still greeted her, ¡°Miss Bridges, why are you here?¡± Upon she saw Joanna, Aria¡¯s expression turned slightly awkward. ¡°Ms. Haynes, I¡¯m here to deliver medicine to Bruce. Where¡¯s he?¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s in surgery now and might not be out for a while. ¡°Leave the medicine here!¡± Joanna¡¯s attitude was neither cold nor indifferent. She automatically distanced herself. She was not a petty woman. This was because she still had a lingering fear for Aria. Even if Aria had good intentions, she still felt estranged. Aria pondered for two seconds. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for him!¡± ¡°Erm, is there anything else you need from him?¡± Joanna asked subconsciously. ¡°Yeah. A little.¡± After Aria finished speaking, she looked at Joanna coldly. ¡°Alright then! Just wait here.¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else. She didn¡¯t want to stay and socialize with Aria. After having the servant serve coffee, she brought the children to the inner courtyard. ¡°Mommy, why is that woman here again?¡± ¡°She¡¯s here to deliver medicine to your daddy,¡± replied Joanna. ¡°There are so many doctors. Why should Dad take her medicine?¡± Davian¡¯s face was filled with confusion. The children were almost nine years old and had gradually be aware of the rtionship between adults. They began to feel disgusted toward the women around their father and kept feeling that those women were up to no good. ¡°Children shouldn¡¯t meddle in the affairs of adults, and they shouldn¡¯t talk about adults,¡± Joanna casually lectured Davian. She did not want the children to be involved in the rtionship between adults. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Daddy loves Mommy so much. He won¡¯t give other women a chance,¡± added she. Irvin replied, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. All men like beauties. As long as they¡¯re men, it is ingrained in their nature to seek new prey.¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t talk bad about Daddy. Daddy won¡¯t do that.¡± Lilia spoke up for Bruce unhappily. Joanna smiled. She had gone through so much with Bruce. If she didn¡¯t even have trust in him, their marriage would really be a failure. An hourter. The door of the operating room was opened. ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce got out with a grimace on his face. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Not gonna lie, doing these medical beauty treatments can be quite painful,¡± said he inwardly. Seeing Brucee out, Aria hurriedly came over to him. ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce took a nce at Aria. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to bring you medicine.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°What happened to your face?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just undergone a repair surgery.¡± Bruce¡¯s face was filled wit¡¯ in, and there were still some blood spots on his face. ¡°What are you going to do next?¡± asked Aria again. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I already know about the clone. He seems to be dying.¡± ¡°s!¡± Bruce sighed heavily. He had done his best. If he really couldn¡¯t keep Boris alive, then he could only let nature take its course. He had already tried everything he could. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sad. As long as you¡¯re fine, there¡¯s no need for him to exist,¡± Ariaforted him gently. Bruce¡¯s eyes flickered, and he didn¡¯t reply to Aria. He was a very conflicted person. Sometimes, he could be ruthless. And sometimes, his heart would soften. He was a person who had both a devil and an angel inside him. Joanna hurriedly came over to him at this time. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re finished? ¡°How is it? Does it hurt?¡± When Bruce saw Joanna, he became weak in a second. ¡°How could it not hurt? It¡¯s almost killing me.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart ached terribly. She hurriedly said to Bruce, ¡°My dear husband suffers so much. It broke my heart too! ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, don¡¯t force yourself. You look great like this,¡± Joanna said, touching Bruce¡¯s face with a tender hand. ¡°Honey, it hurts,¡± Bruce said as he pouted, looking weak and helpless. Aria watched from the side, and it made her feel kind of sad. ¡°When you truly love someone, you can¡¯t even hide your expression. In front of everyone, he was an indestructible tough guy in front of everyone, but in front of Joanna, he became a crybaby,¡± she said inwardly. Chapter 1225 Chapter 1225 Chapter 1225 ¡°It might swell up tomorrow. After the swelling subsides, you¡¯ll slowly see the effect,¡± said the doctor. ¡°How many more times do I have to do it?¡± asked Bruce. The doctor replied respectfully, ¡°Mr. Everett, you only need minor adjustments and skin repair, and it will show results as early as one week. Achieving the best effect may take two to three months.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°Remember, this is the anti-inmmatory solution. Apply it every morning, noon, and night.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I understand.¡± Joanna took the solution seriously. ¡°Ouch, honey, it hurts¡­¡± Bruce whined at Joanna, looking as delicate as a baby. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll blow on it for you!¡± Joanna gently breathed on his face as if he was a child. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt as much.¡± ¡°Humph¡­¡± Joanna smiled gently and angrily, knowing that Bruce wanted her to show sorry for him. ¡°Love might have a shelf life. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°However, psychological dependence could be infinitely firm andsting. As time passed, the dependence would be stronger and stronger. ¡°Bruce got a boyish soul. ¡°Under the indestructible armor, there was a childish seed that hadn¡¯t sprouted. He couldn¡¯t leave you anymore when he was willing to take off the armor and show you his childish side. ¡°Therefore, most of the time, rather than deliberately nurture love, you might as well spend more effort to nurture his dependence on you. Only by relying on you from the bottom of his heart can he not leave you,¡± thought Joanna. Aria stood at the side and watched. The more she watched, the more she felt sad. It was extremely piercing to her eyes. ¡°Bruce, I have something to discuss with you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce looked at Aria, and he changed from a crybaby to an overbearing boss. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Aria subconsciously nced at Joanna. The meaning was clear. She didn¡¯t want Joanna to know. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just say it,¡± said Bruce. Aria¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s talk about it another day!¡± Joanna understood the underlying meaning and felt a little awkward. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You guys continue chatting. I have to make dumplings for the children.¡± As she spoke, she gave Bruce a trusting smile and turned to leave. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the office!¡± Bruce¡¯s scalp tightened, but he did not refuse. He directly brought Aria to his private office. ¡°This is thetest intelligence!¡± Aria said as she handed over a piece of paper. Bruce frowned. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Ourrades have discovered this mutated virus and mutated creatures in South Elmerton.¡± Bruce took a look at it, and his heart skipped a beat. District 17 had been eradicated, and all the devices and experiments inside had been blown up. Logically speaking, the root of the virus had been removed, and the mutated animals had all died. Why did it appear again? ¡°What does that mean?¡± asked he. Aria¡¯s face darkened as she said solemnly, ¡°Do you still not understand?¡± Bruce gasped. ¡°You mean that someone is still continuing the experiment on District 17?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Boom! Bruce¡¯s mind went nk, and his head hurt subconsciously. He still had two microchips in his brain, and so far, he had not been able to take them out. Especially when he recalled what happened to District 17, he shuddered. ¡°Why are you telling me this now?¡± ¡°I just want to tell you that once this virus spreads, it will definitely harm the entire world.¡± Aria looked worried. Bruce¡¯s hawk-like eyes turned cold. ¡°So?¡± Aria pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, ¡°So, I¡¯ve already applied to Richard to investigate this matter personally.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was totally shocked and looked at Aria in disbelief. Richard had already assigned Aria to be his subordinate. Aria and her agents were all his subordinates. ¡°If she took the initiative to apply to investigate this matter, wouldn¡¯t she be passively pulling the mission to me?¡± said Bruce inwardly. Chapter 1226 Chapter 1226 Chapter 1226 ¡°Richard has allowed me to take some people to investigate this matter. I came here today to tell you about this. When he heard this, it took Bruce some time to collect his thoughts. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re my subordinate now. If you want to do something, don¡¯t you have to ask me first? How can I manage the situation when you make decisions without informing me?¡± Aria lowered her eyes and said with a hint of resentment, ¡°You¡¯re on leave. What¡¯s the point of discussing it with you? Besides, you¡¯re focused on your family now. You won¡¯t listen to me even if I tell you this. ¡°Now, your wife and children are the most important people to you. Your family matters have already taken up too much of your time and energy. How can you have the energy to attend to organizational matters? I really feel sorry for you!¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. When Bruce heard this, his hawk-like eyes turned cold. He was so angry that his heart felt like it was going to explode. ¡°I have worked hard for so many years. ¡°Don¡¯t I even have the right to rest now? ¡°Besides, I wasn¡¯t the only agent in the entire country. I had contributed and sacrificed enough. ¡°Now that I had something to worry about, I didn¡¯t want to risk my life,¡± said he inwardly. ¡°What did Richard say?¡± he asked. ¡°Richard has already approved it. I¡¯ll be leaving Greyport next week. I¡¯ll go back to Sootheration to gather the colleagues and then set off for South Elmerton.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Bruce pped the table angrily. He was so angry that he could not speak. Aria let out a soft sigh and said gently, ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m doing this for your safety.¡± ¡°For me?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, if there are any leftovers from District 17, they definitely won¡¯t let you off. I want to investigate this matter so that I cane up with a countermeasure in time. It¡¯s also to protect you and your family.¡± When he heard this, Bruce sneered angrily. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Just mind your own business.¡± ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Aria¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. She looked at Bruce with some grievance and some sorrow. She really could not understand why Bruce hated her more after she had done so much for him. After a while. Aria closed her eyes and could not help but tear up. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t get me wrong! ¡°I really don¡¯t have any other thoughts about you. I just want you not to hate me so much. ¡°I did all these for you¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he was so frustrated that he felt like punching someone. ¡°Leave! Your business is your business, and mine is mine. ¡°Do whatever you want to do. Don¡¯t use the excuse of doing it for me. I can¡¯t bear the burden.¡± When Aria heard this, her tears fell uncontrobly. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯ve really changed now. You¡¯re our oath under the country¡¯s g¡­¡± Bruce mmed the table and interrupted her. ¡°Shut up! ¡°It¡¯s been almost 20 years since I joined the organization at the age of 15. During these years, it was me who went to snoop around for every major intelligence about other countries. ¡°It was me that settled the things that the country couldn¡¯t solve. ¡°I¡¯m tired now. I just want to live the life of an ordinary person. What did I do wrong?¡± Bruce could not help but roar. He hated it when people questioned his loyalty to the organization. All these years, he had been flying around the world in the name of doing business. Almost all the important information was stolen by him. Sometimes, he would be sent to handle things that were inconvenient for the country to intervene in. No matter how tricky the situation was, he would take care of it. Most of the time, he would spend his own money to aplish tasks for the organization. When it came to patriotism, no one could question him. If the country were in trouble, he would donate all his assets without hesitation and take the lead to protect the country. ¡°Now, the country was prosperous and strong. I just wanted to live a stable life for a few years. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± thought Bruce. Aria¡¯s eyes shed as she looked at Bruce stubbornly. ¡°When we joined the organization, we should have been clear about our mission and responsibilities! You just gotta keep on going and never stop on some paths!¡± ¡°Shut up, shut up. I don¡¯t want to hear you nag at me anymore. If you want to be noble and have lofty ideals, that¡¯s your business, but please don¡¯t drag me down with you. ¡°I¡¯m just a fucking coward. I don¡¯t want to go on missions anymore, okay? ¡°Get out of here right now. I don¡¯t want to see you again!¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be so agitated. I¡¯m just reminding you not to forget your original intention¡­¡± ¡°Get lost right now.¡± Bruce was so angry that he eximed. His temper reached its boiling point. Aria looked at him intensely, covered her mouth, and ran away crying. ¡°This is fucking annoying!¡± Bruce suddenly swept everything on the table to the ground. Chapter 1227 Chapter 1227 Chapter 1227 In the kitchen, Joanna was helping the children make dumplings, preparing to make a few home- cooked dishes personally. Bruce appeared like a ghost, silently creeping up behind Joanna. He stood there, rigidly staring at Joanna. After a while, Joanna turned around to get something and saw him. ¡°Ouch, you scared me. Why are you standing behind me in silence? You scared me.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything but just looked at Joanna with a heavy expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joanna asked gently. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Then wash your hands ande over to help me make dumplings.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bruce walked over like an automaton. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Joanna looked at him suspiciously, feeling that Bruce seemed to have a lot on his mind. ¡°He was still acting like a crybaby just now, wheedling and begging for a hug. Why was he so silent now?¡± wondered she. ¡°Honey, did something happen again?¡± ¡°No!¡± Bruce¡¯s expression tensed up, and he forced a stiff smile. Seeing this, Joanna became even more worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You don¡¯t look good. Did Aria say something to you again?¡± After everything they¡¯d been through, how could Joanna not see that something was bothering Bruce? ¡°No! Really!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t make dumplings but just walked straight over and hugged Joanna tightly in his arms. Bruce hugged her tighter and tighter as if they were going to separate in the next second. Joanna was even more stunned. Her heart was in her throat. ¡°Bruce, what¡¯s the matter? Please don¡¯t scare me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It really is!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red as tears fell. They had already experienced too many setbacks between them, and his heart could no longer take it. He was afraid of losing his current happiness. Joanna¡¯s heart was pounding. She felt hot and wet on her shoulder. Bruce¡¯s tears kept falling, falling onto her shoulder one by one. Joanna was terrified and asked, ¡°What happened? Don¡¯t scare me. What happened? ¡°You said that we wouldn¡¯t hide anything from each other anymore. Whatever it is, we¡¯ll face it together.¡± Bruce sniffed twice like an insecure child. He went overseas to study when he was seven or eight years old and lost his parents when he was in his teens. Hecked love and needed someone to give him enough love and warmth sincerely. Over the years, too many people had appeared around him. But without exception, they were all after his money. Only Joanna was not after his money, and she taught Bruce how to love someone. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll face it with you.¡± Joanna stuck her head out, and her eyes turned red. ¡°What happened? Don¡¯t make me anxious, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s just that my face hurts a lot after the surgery!¡± Bruce said, looking weak and helpless. He leaned on Joanna¡¯s waist and rested his head on her shoulder, sobbing. He was too tall and hunched over Joanna like a mastiff squatting on amb. When Joanna heard this, the tears in her eyes instantly froze, and her facial nerves twitched. ¡°Silly, you scared the crap out of me. I thought something had happened! ¡°Be good. We won¡¯t do it next time. You look pretty good now!¡± Bruce sniffed and hugged her even tighter. However, there was a hint of sadness and coldness in his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to tell Joanna about the organization, nor did he want her to be on tenterhooks and afraid. He swore in his heart that no matter what, he would keep Joanna and the children safe. Chapter 1228 Chapter 1228 Chapter 1228 At Bentlond Vi the next day. ¡°Ari, why are you in such a hurry to leave Greyport?¡± Jaydon anxiously watched as Aria packed her luggage. ¡°I have a very important business trip to Elmerton. I¡¯m leaving today,¡± Aria said as she packed her luggage. Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He grabbed Aria¡¯s arm tightly. ¡°Do you have to leave?¡± Aria replied firmly, ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t want you to leave. Can you stay?¡± Jaydon¡¯s tone was sincere and passionate. ¡°I really have a business to do. When I¡¯m done with my work, I¡¯lle back to Greyport when I have the chance,¡± Aria said and continued to pack. ¡°Ari, is the business you¡¯re talking about another extremely dangerous mission?¡± Anxiety and worry Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. appeared in Jaydon¡¯s eyes. Aria¡¯s eyes flickered. She paused for a few seconds before continuing to pack her things. This mission to South Elmerton would definitely be very dangerous, and she went with the mindset that she might not make it out alive. She knew that there was no chance between her and Bruce. She was a woman with high aspirations and would rather be single than settle. She couldn¡¯t bring herself topromise, let alone lower her standards when it came to choosing a partner. But honestly, she wouldn¡¯t find a man who could surpass Bruce in this world. Whenever she saw Bruce and Joanna being lovey-dovey, she felt like a knife stabbed her heart. It was so painful that she wanted to die. However, she could not control this feeling. Therefore, she decided to carry out the most challenging task. She could only stop her thoughts from running wild by keeping her mind and body tense at all times. ¡°Ari, your current job is too dangerous. This is not a job for a woman. ¡°Can you¡­ quit like Bruce and live the life of a normal woman?¡± Aria looked at Jaydon coldly. ¡°From the day I joined the organization, my life belonged to the organization. ¡°I¡¯m not going to run away from a fight, and I¡¯m not going to give up halfway. I¡¯m not going to allow romance to hinder my duties and beliefs.¡± ¡°But the work you¡¯re doing is too dangerous. You could easily lose your life! A person only has one life. We have to cherish our lives¡­¡± said Jaydon. When Aria heard this, she looked at Jaydon with some contempt. ¡°You should feel honored and great to be able to sacrifice yourself for the organization. An outstanding agent¡¯s final destination is not a hospital bed or afortable nest at home. It must be on a ¡®battlefield. ¡°Only in this way could he die content, with his life imbued with meaning.¡± Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. There was aplicated look in his eyes. He was really shocked by Aria¡¯s words and even felt a sense of shame and inferiority. ¡°A woman like Aria was probably not someone I could handle. Her emotional guard was too strong. Ordinary men couldn¡¯t break through it. ¡°However, if I don¡¯t take her down, there is a high chance that she will still focus all her attention on Bruce,¡± thought Jaydon. ¡°Ari, I still think that we only have one life. We have to live well for ourselves.¡± ¡°Humph, if everyone is afraid of death, our country will not be strong.¡± Jaydon waspletely speechless. He was just amoner in business. He really did not have such noble aspirations and sentiments. He would probably have it in the future, but he just wanted to run his business well for now. For the past few days, he had been trying his best to woo Aria and make her happy. Unfortunately, Aria was neither too cold nor too indifferent, showing no intention of continuing to be close to him. Aria finished packing her luggage. Jaydon could not keep her, so he could only send her to the airport with a mncholic expression. The two of them had just left the house and were about to get into the car. There was amotion at the entrance. ¡°Miss Basil, you can¡¯te in!¡± Carmel Basil carried little Patricia and marched toward the entrance aggressively. ¡°Look carefully. Do you all understand who this is? She¡¯s Mr. Grimm¡¯s daughter, your boss¡¯s precious youngdy, and the owner of this vi. ¡°Now that owner wants to go home, how dare you stop her?¡± When the guard heard this, he looked helpless and conflicted. ¡°Miss Basil¡­¡± ¡°Get out of the way. If you hurt my daughter, you won¡¯t be able to pay for it with all your possessions.¡± Carmel carried the child and forced her way in. The guard did not dare to stop her at all and could only let her in. From afar, Carmel saw Aria, and Jaydon was carefully opening the car door for her. She rolled her beautiful eyes and jogged in her high heels. Before she reached the car, her sharp and ear-piercing curse was already heard. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve finally caught you, you flirtatious bitch! ¡°So it¡¯s you who¡¯s pestering my Jay. Go and ask around. How dare you snatch my man¡­¡± Chapter 1229 Chapter 1229 Chapter 1229 Aria was stunned as she looked at Carmel in shock. Carmel raised her eyebrows in anger as she pointed at Aria and eximed, ¡°Humph, I was wondering which bitch was so charming. It turned out to be you, old bitch. ¡°What? You failed to seduce Mr. Everett, and now you¡¯re trying to hook up with my Jay? ¡°How shameless! You even im to be a world-ss medical biologist. Pfft!¡± Aria had been to Greyport for an academic exchange before, so she was quite famous. Carmel recognized her. Aria got scolded so badly and was at a loss for words on how to p back. The two of them were not on the same level at all. Their understanding, knowledge, values, and so on were onpletely different levels. Carmel didn¡¯t study much. At a young age, she started working in the entertainment industry, which was filled with all sorts of people. Naturally, she was smooth-talking and had a sharp tongue. When she scolded people, she was very fierce. A person like Aria was naturally not good at cursing at others. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Seeing this, Jaydon darkened his face. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Carmel¡¯s expression changed in a second. She looked at Jaydon aggrievedly. ¡°Jay, you haven¡¯t been home for so many days. Patricia and I miss you so much. We were so worried about you. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been pestered by this old bitch. Boohoo.¡± Aria was already 33 years old this year. Of course, she would look mature and charming. Although Carmel was only 25 or 26 years old, her temperament was still far inferior to Aria¡¯s. She naturally had to attack Aria in terms of age. Aria was so angry that her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Who are you calling a bitch?¡± ¡°Humph, who else could it be? Seducing a married man. If you¡¯re not a bitch, what are you? Moreover, an old bitch. ¡°You old bitch. I know all the wicked things you¡¯ve done. You couldn¡¯t hook up with Mr. Everett, so you came to hook up with my man. Why are you so shameless? Serves you right for not being able to hook up with a man in your thirties!¡± As she spoke, Carmel jumped up and down, wanting to tear Aria apart. Jaydon hurriedly pulled her back. He felt even more embarrassed and scolded Carmel angrily, ¡°Hurry up and leave. Don¡¯t embarrass yourself here.¡± When Carmel heard this, she instantly became a drama queen. ¡°How did I embarrass myself? Do you despise me now? ¡°Are you bewitched by this old bitch? Jay, your taste is getting worse and worse. Do you like such an old woman?¡± ¡°Watch yournguage and leave quickly.¡± Jaydon was furious. Carmel was attractive, but she was just not marriage material. Especially now that Jaydon was the richest man in Venturas, it was impossible for him to marry a woman like her. ¡°Bitch, I¡¯ll tear up your face. You witch!¡± Carmel mored as she tried to tear Aria apart. Jaydon was extremely angry. He swung his hand and pped Carmel in the face. ¡°p!¡± Carmel was pped and almost lost her bnce. This was the first time she had been pped by Jaydon. ¡°Even when I had ruined Jaydon and Joanna¡¯s wedding, Jaydon hadn¡¯tid a hand on her¡­ And now, he actually hit me because of this bitch,¡± thought Carmel. She was stunned for a few seconds and immediately burst out crying. ¡°Boohoo¡­ Patricia, your daddy is abandoning us. He doesn¡¯t want us anymore because of this old bitch. ¡°We¡¯ll wander the streets in the future. We¡¯ll die together. Boohoo¡­¡± Carmel cursed as she cried. She hugged Patricia¡¯s hand and secretly pinched Patricia¡¯s butt. Little Patricia was in pain and immediately burst into tears. ¡°You damned bitch. You¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to you.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Jaydon looked embarrassed. ¡°Ari, don¡¯t lower yourself to her level. I¡¯ll send you to the airport first.¡± Aria looked at him even more coldly. ¡°No need. You should focus on your wife and child.¡± With that, she got into the car and mmed the door shut. ¡°To the airport!¡± When the driver heard this, he quickly started the car and drove toward the gate. ¡°Ari, Ari¡­¡± Jaydon chased after the car for a few steps, but he finally could not catch it up. Seeing that Aria had left in anger, Carmel smiled smugly in her heart. Such a scene was child¡¯s y to her. Previously, after she fell out with Jaydon, she moved from Greyport to Sootheration. When she was in the Sootheration, she hooked up with a sugar daddy with her beauty. Under the support of the sugar daddy, she got extremely good resources. However, Sootheration was different from Greyport. In Greyport, the wives of the sugar daddies were mostly very open-minded. Most of them turned a blind eye to their husbands¡¯ cheating. However, there were too many people with powerful backgrounds in Sootheration. A person who looked ordinary might be the rtive of a certain political figure. Her sugar daddy¡¯s wife was the daughter of a certain political figure. One day, when she was ¡°in full swing¡± with her sugar daddy in the vi, she was blocked in the room by the sugar daddy¡¯s wife. She almost died. Her sugar daddy knelt and begged his wife to save her life. Therefore, she realized that it was not easy to survive in Sootheration and ran back to look for Jaydon dejectedly. ¡°Hmph, that bitch looks older than me. How am I inferior to her?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Jaydon was so angry that he could not speak. ¡°Jay, don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s not quarrel and live a peaceful life for our daughter, okay?¡± ¡°Daddy, Boohoo!¡± Little Patricia cried her heart out. Jaydon sighed. When he saw his daughter, he could not help but soften his heart. He did not continue to me Carmel. At the airport. Aria sat in the car and sent a long message to Bruce. [Bruce, I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m heading to South Elmerton to carry out a mission.] [Don¡¯t worry. I took the initiative to go on this mission. I won¡¯t implicate you. I¡¯ve also informed Richard that I¡¯ll lead a team toplete this mission alone. I won¡¯t cause you any trouble.] [If I die in this mission, I¡¯ll be willing to sacrifice myself for the organization. I¡¯ll feel honored and gratified.] [I hope that you and Ms. Haynes will grow old together and be united forever. I¡¯m already satisfied to be able to know you in this life. I won¡¯t have any extravagant thoughts anymore. As long as you can remember me, I have no regrets.] Chapter 1230 Chapter 1230 Chapter 1230 At Riverview Vi. The family of Bruce was eating around the dining table. Davian asked gloomily, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, when are we going back to Sherane Bay Vi? ¡°We really want to go back and ride horses. Are we going to live here forever from now on?¡± Joanna nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll stay here for the time being. We might move back in the future.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± Joanna called the children to eat while looking at Bruce. ¡°Have you applied the solution? Remember to apply it on timeter, in case your skin gets infected and worsens.¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Bruce replied absent-mindedly. ¡°Swoosh!¡± A text message sounded. Bruce put down the fork and picked up his phone to take a look. It was from Aria. Looking at the message, Bruce gradually frowned, and his chewing slowed down. ¡°This Aria could always¡­ cause me a headache. She was always silently sulking and tackling even the greatest challenges alone, while I always had to clean up the mess and save her ass,¡± said he inwardly. He was really annoyed. Joanna subconsciously asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s from thepany!¡± Bruce said and deleted the message. ¡°She could do whatever she wanted! ¡°It¡¯s none of my business,¡± said he inwardly. Joanna kept staring at Bruce. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look right!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m full. Take your time.¡± Bruce stood up and walked toward the courtyard with his phone as he spoke. ¡°Buzz, buzz, buzz!¡± Aria was about to board the ne when she saw Bruce calling. She could not help but feel excited and quickly answered, ¡°Hello, Bruce!¡± Bruce suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice, ¡°Aria, are you on the ne now?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m about to board the ne soon.¡± ¡°Can you stop? You know it¡¯s dangerous. Do you think you can handle it alone with the team?¡± When Aria heard this, she still stubbornly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I can handle it¡­¡± Bruce could no longer suppress his temper but scolded, ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you want to die. Have you ever considered other colleagues? This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you want to get them killed too?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes flickered, and she did not say anything. ¡°You¡¯re leading at least seven or eight people this time. So many of our men diedst time. What if we lose them again this time? They¡¯re all my subordinates. Before you make a decision, why did you go past me and look for Richard directly?¡± asked Bruce. ¡°Bruce¡­ I didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for you, so I reported directly to Richard!¡± ¡°What you¡¯re doing right now is totally out of line and goes against the rules of the organization!¡± Hearing Bruce¡¯s angry voice, Aria sounded even more aggrieved. ¡°Bruce, I really don¡¯t have any other intentions. I just¡­¡± ¡°You always say that you don¡¯t have any other intentions, but you always make your own decisions and cause irreparable consequences. ¡°Why are you always so willful? You¡¯re a woman in your 30s. Can¡¯t you be a bit more mature?¡± When Aria heard this, she was even more speechless. She admitted that she had got a bit of a stubborn streak. But she just couldn¡¯t seem to get over Bruce. Every time she saw Bruce close to his wife, it was like a sharp pain stabbing her heart. ¡°Bruce¡­ Can you not say that about me? It really broke my heart when you said that!¡± Aria sobbed and couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°Bruce, you know I¡¯m not like that. I just¡­ You wouldn¡¯t know how sad I am. I¡¯m so tormented. I can only stop my mind from wandering by carrying out missions! Bruce, I just can¡¯t forget our past¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt even more distraught. ¡°Don¡¯t say such things again. I¡¯ll call Richardter and apply for early retirement. ¡°You¡¯re no longer my subordinate. You don¡¯t have to report to me what you want to do.¡± With that, Bruce was about to hang up. Aria started crying and begged humbly, ¡°Bruce, can you not be so heartless? ¡°I won¡¯t drag anyone down with me on this mission. If you think I¡¯ll cause harm to our colleagues by leading the team, then I¡¯ll go alone, okay? ¡°Life or death, it¡¯s all on me. I won¡¯t burden the team, the colleagues, or you! ¡°I¡­ I never intended to hurt anyone. I just loved you too much and couldn¡¯t move on. Someone like me is really useless in this world. Only by dying on a mission will I feel that my life still has some meaning¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a mix of feelings. ¡°How was she reporting the mission to me? She was clearly giving me herst words,¡± said he inwardly. Hearing her sobbing incessantly, Bruce was afraid that Aria wouldmit suicide instead of going on a mission. ¡°Ar¨ªa, don¡¯t act like this! ¡°Don¡¯t get on the ne. It¡¯s too dangerous. Stay!¡± Aria choked and sobbed. ¡°No¡­ If I stay, I¡¯ll feel worse than death. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m about to board the ne. I wish you happiness!¡± ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± asked Bruce. Aria had already hung up. ¡°This is fucking annoying!¡± Bruce mmed his hand down hard and wanted to smash his phone. Although he really didn¡¯t want to care about her, he couldn¡¯t just sit back and do nothing when Aria was so determined to die. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m going to the airport now!¡± Joanna was stunned and looked at him in confusion. ¡°What are you going to do at the airport?¡± ¡°Well, Aria is leaving. I¡­ I¡¯ll go and persuade her!¡± Bruce was afraid that Joanna would be angry. He wanted to lie, but he promised Joanna that he would not lie to her again. Therefore, he decided to tell the truth. Joanna was stunned for a few seconds after hearing it. She silently ced the fork on the table. ¡°If she wanted to leave, so be it! ¡°Why did he have to run over and persuade her to stay?¡± wondered she. Chapter 1231 Chapter 1231 Chapter 1231 After a few seconds of silence, Joanna asked subconsciously, ¡°Where is she going?¡± ¡°Uh, just leave Greyport!¡± ¡°She¡¯s already an adult. I think it¡¯s her freedom to go wherever she wants.¡± Although Joanna¡¯s tone was calm, she was already feeling a little ufortable. She did not suspect that Bruce had any feelings for Aria. However, after all the troubles Aria had made before, she still wanted to draw a line between them and keep a distance from Aria. ¡°No, this time, she¡­¡± Bruce hesitated, not knowing how to say it. He was even more worried that if he said that Aria was going on a mission, it would cause Joanna to be afraid again. ¡°Let her go wherever she wants to go. She has her own thoughts. We should respect her,¡± Joanna said coldly. ¡°No, I have to keep her. If I don¡¯t, she will die.¡± Bruce had already put on his coat, mask, and sunsses as he spoke. Seeing this, Joanna turned to stare at Bruce. She really didn¡¯t like this feeling. Because of Aria, they had already quarreled countless times and almost broke up several times. If possible, she would rather never see Aria again. Bruce was all set and ready to go out. ¡°I¡¯m running out of time. I gotta go!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Joanna called out to him coldly. ¡°Joann, there¡¯s no time. I¡¯ll exin to you when Ie backter.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to go?¡± asked Joanna. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Bruce stopped in his tracks and said earnestly, ¡°Joann, don¡¯t think too much. I wanted to make her stay because I didn¡¯t want to see her get killed. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯ll exin it to you when I get back!¡± Bruce didn¡¯t say anything else and left with the car key. Looking at Bruce¡¯s anxious expression, Joanna held her breath. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart. She had already gone through so much with Bruce. She believed that their rtionship would not be threatened by anyone else. However, even if it were an indestructible love castle, there would still be vermin biting at its foundation. Even if it could not destroy the castle, it would make people ufortable and unhappy. Davian walked over slowly. ¡°Mommy, what is Daddy going to do?¡± Joanna came back to her senses and looked at Davian gently. ¡°Nothing. Have you all finished eating?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done eating. It¡¯s Sunday today. It¡¯s so boring! ¡°Mommy, can we go out to y?¡± Joanna smiled lovingly. ¡°Baby, it¡¯s been a little unsafe recently. Try not to go out as much as possible.¡± ¡°Oh, then, can you y games with us?¡± ¡°Be good. Mommy is a little frustrated now. Let Ryodan and Candy y with you first!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± At the airport. Aria wiped her tears and prepared to board the ne. Suddenly, a familiar and deep voice sounded, ¡°Aria!¡± Aria instantly got excited and turned around abruptly, ¡°Bruce!¡± Bruce was wearing sunsses and a mask. His figure was burly and handsome as he walked toward Aria step by step. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± The suitcase in Aria¡¯s hand fell to the ground with a bang, and tears instantly filled her eyes. She never expected that Bruce woulde for her. ¡°Did that mean¡­ ¡°He didn¡¯t want me to die. Was he worried about me?¡± thought she. Bruce walked to her side step by step and said solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Aria¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked at Bruce in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. I can¡¯t watch you die,¡± added Bruce. ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t have to care about me. My death is not worth pitying¡­¡± Bruce could not be bothered to say anything else. He snatched the bag from Aria¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Give me your luggage! Come back with me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I won¡¯t put any burden on you. I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯llplete the mission alone. My life and death are my own business!¡± Bruce grabbed her wrist domineeringly and dragged her suitcase toward the parking lot. ¡°If she didn¡¯t tell me, I naturally wouldn¡¯t ask! ¡°But since she had already told me, how could I bear to watch her go to her death alone? ¡°Although I had no romantic feelings for her, as her superior, as a man, I could not sit back and do nothing,¡± said Bruce inwardly. At Riverview Vi. Bruce forcibly brought Aria back. Because he was worried that Aria would leave without saying goodbye, so he had to bring her back and keep an eye on her. ¡°Get out!¡± said Bruce. Aria looked at Bruce with an awkward expression on her face and said, ¡°Bruce. Don¡¯t be like that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re staying here for the time being. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve already applied to Richard. I have toplete the mission!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Richard!¡± Bruce opened the door and pulled Aria out of the car. Aria held the door tightly and refused to get out of the car. She looked at Bruce pitifully. ¡°Bruce, I really can¡¯t stay here. I¡¯m afraid that Mrs. Everett will misunderstand and be unhappy¡­¡± ¡°She won¡¯t!¡± Bruce pulled Aria¡¯s wrist and forcefully pulled her out of the car. He was too strong. Aria struggled so hard that she lost her bnce and fell into Bruce¡¯s arms. ¡°Ah! Bruce¡­ Don¡¯t be like this. Let me go!¡± Joanna heard the sound of the car and quickly came out to check. Coincidentally, she saw Bruce and Aria pulling each other on the grass like a couple fighting. Aria was like an angry little girl, and Bruce keptforting her. Chapter 1232 Chapter 1232 Chapter 1232 Seeing this, Joanna¡¯s heart sank. There was an indescribable disgust. She really hated this feeling. In her opinion, if the other party had a wife and child, she would never allow herself to interfere in other people¡¯s marriages, let alone fall in love with a married man. Aria¡¯s behavior was typical like a toad lying on someone¡¯s feet. It did not bite, but it was disgusting. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t force me!¡± Aria¡¯s attitude was very firm. She insisted on getting into the car and leaving. ¡°Daddy, Daddy¡­¡± Seeing that his father was back, Devin drove the toy car excitedly toward his father. ¡°Aria, stop testing my patience!¡± Aria staggered to her feet and looked at Bruce with tears in her eyes. ¡°Bruce, I really can¡¯t stay here. ¡°When Mrs. Everett sees me here, she¡¯ll be angry again. I don¡¯t want to cause another misunderstanding between the two of you because of me¡­¡± Aria cried as she was speaking. She struggled hard again, but she did not break free. Bruce¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Joann isn¡¯t that bad-tempered. Can you not be so willful as a child? ¡°This is a matter of life and death, not child¡¯s y. If I don¡¯t know you, I naturally won¡¯t care about you. ¡°Since we know each other, I can¡¯t leave you alone and watch you go to die!¡± After saying that, Bruce grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the car. ¡°Go back with me!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Bruce, don¡¯t be like this¡­¡± Aria let go of the car door and stumbled into Bruce¡¯s arms again. Bruce frowned and mmed the car door shut. As he was in a hurry to close the door, he did not pay attention to the side of the car door. He did not know Devin had approached the car at some point. ¡°Bang!¡± The car door mmed shut. With a ¡°bang¡±, the car door hit Devin¡¯s head hard and immediately left a bloody wound on his left cheek. ¡°Boo-hoo¡­¡± Devin fell to the ground and cried in pain. His delicate face was bleeding, and it was so painful that even his voice trembled when he cried. He used his small hand to wipe his face, and it was covered in blood. ¡°Devin!¡± Seeing this, Joanna rushed to the side of the car in fear. Bruce and Aria were also terrified. They quickly lowered their heads to check how Devin was doing. ¡°Baby, baby!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart ached as he quickly picked up his son to check. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. He really didn¡¯t notice that his son was there just now. He didn¡¯t even know when the little guy ran over to the car. Devin cried his heart out and his face bled. ¡°Boo-hoo¡­¡± Joanna ran in front of him, her heart trembling. She pushed Bruce away fiercely and carried her son in her arms with heartache. ¡°Devin, good boy. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here. Mommy is here.¡± The servants were all frightened and panicked. Children were hyperactive, and dangerous idents might ur anytime and anywhere. Even if adults were watching them closely, dangers would ur anytime once the adults weren¡¯t careful. No one could have expected such a thing to happen in broad daylight. Bruce shouted at the servants, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call the family doctor. Get the hemostatic cotton!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± The servants hurriedly split up and got busy. Joanna¡¯s heart ached so much that she shed tears. She carried her son and rushed to the room. Bruce ignored Aria and hurriedly followed Joanna. Fortunately, there were doctors and nurses on duty in Riverview Vi. The doctor rushed over in less than two minutes. He took disinfectant and hemostatic cotton and helped Devin treat his wound. ¡°Boo-hoo¡­¡± Devin cried his heart out. Salty tears flowed into his wound, and it hurt even more. ¡°Baby Devin, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay!¡± The doctor disinfected Devin¡¯s wound with a serious expression. ¡°Devin¡¯s wound is too deep. It needs stitches.¡± ¡°Then hurry up!¡± Soon, the doctor administered a local anesthetic to Devin and sewed six or seven stitches to the wound. Fortunately, his eyes were not injured. If the position of the wound was higher, Devin¡¯s left eye would probably be blind. However, such a deep wound would probably leave a scar even if it healed. After the wound was treated, Devin¡¯s face was covered with thick gauze and he cried for a long time. Because of the anesthetic, he gradually fell asleep. The tears in his eyshes were not dry yet. Joanna¡¯s heart ached all the time as she hugged her son and kept crying. Bruce looked guilty and kept apologizing. ¡°Honey, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I really didn¡¯t see him there. ¡°Baby Devin, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± As Bruce apologized, his heart ached so much and he wanted to pat his son¡¯s head. Joanna turned sideways and refused to let him touch her son. She kept wiping her tears and hugged her son with heartache. No matter what Bruce said, she ignored him. Seeing this, Bruce panicked even more. What he was most afraid of was Joanna being like this. The angrier she got, the more silent she would be, and then she would have a cold war with him. Every time they had a cold war, she would really ignore him for many days. ¡°Honey, can you forgive me? I really didn¡¯t mean it. Don¡¯t be like this, okay?¡± There were tears in Bruce¡¯s eyes as he apologized humbly. ¡°You can hit me! You can scold me! I really deserve to die. I didn¡¯t even notice our son beside the car¡­¡± Chapter 1233 Chapter 1233 Chapter 1233 At dinner time, Devin woke up. His eyes and half of his face were swollen. He looked miserable and funny. ¡°Wow, how did my little brother be a one-eyed man?¡± Irvin looked at his little brother in surprise. Davian hurriedly went forward to check. ¡°Mommy, how could Devin be like this? Why is his face so swollen?¡± ¡°Devin, does it hurt?¡± Lilia looked distressed. After Davian, Irvin, and Lilia finished their homework, they were all surprised to see their younger brother like this. ¡°Don¡¯t touch Devin¡¯s wound, Hurry up and eat.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°Boo-hoo, it hurts¡­¡± Devin cried as hey in his mother¡¯s arms. Other than his mother, he didn¡¯t allow anyone to touch him. Joanna¡¯s heart ached as she hugged her son andforted him gently, ¡°Let me feed you, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The little guy was very dependent on his mother. Now, he was even more dependent on his mother. ¡°Honey, let me feed him¡­¡± Joanna refused to talk to Bruce, and Devin did not allow him to touch himself either. Bruce looked guilty and helpless as he sat pitifully at the side. For the entire day. Joanna refused to talk to Bruce. In the blink of an eye, it was time to sleep. After returning to the bedroom, Bruce could no longer hold it. He had already been sulking for the entire day. ¡°Joanna, can you not be like this? ¡°I really didn¡¯t see Devin in front of the car. If you¡¯re unhappy, you can tell me. Can you not be so silent?¡± After saying that, Bruce couldn¡¯t help but put his hand on Joanna¡¯s shoulder. In the past, he had never been a good-tempered man like this. Now that he was so humble andpromising, it was already extremely difficult for him to control his temper. ¡°Let go!¡± ¡°Joann, didn¡¯t we agree? We won¡¯t quarrel anymore in the future and won¡¯t get into conflicts. What happened today was my fault. I really didn¡¯t notice that Devin was there. I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Joanna frowned and did not want to talk to him. He had hurt Devin, and although she was angry, the reason wasn¡¯t enough for her to ignore him. What really infuriated her the most was that he and Aria had been entangled like this for so long. It was really hard to exin their rtionship! Aria sometimes was his ex, sometimes his colleague, sometimes his friend, and sometimes his confidant. Joanna had really had enough. ¡°Joann, what exactly should I do to make you stop ignoring me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Uh, let go!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Are you angry at Aria?¡± ¡°Why should I be angry at her?¡± ¡°Joann, listen to me. Aria is going on a very dangerous mission. As long as she goes, she will definitely die. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to see her die for nothing, so I stopped her. I didn¡¯t dare to tell you that before because I was afraid that you would be worried.¡± When Joanna heard this, she became even angrier. ¡°What do I have to worry about? ¡°She¡¯s an adult, not a three-year-old child. She has her own ideas about what she wants to do. You¡¯re not her father. Do you have to be so concerned about her? ¡°If she insists on doing it even though she knows it¡¯s very dangerous, it¡¯s because she¡¯s irresponsible to herself, and others have no obligation to be responsible for her life.¡± Joanna finally couldn¡¯t help but explode. She was a woman! Of course, she understood women¡¯s thoughts better. Aria did this because she wanted to take root in Bruce¡¯s heart. Bruce grabbed Joanna¡¯s shoulder and tried to exin, ¡°Joann, if I don¡¯t know her, I definitely won¡¯t care about her. But I¡¯m her superior now. I know that she¡¯s going to die. How can I be indifferent? ¡°Besides, she¡¯s been helping me. I can¡¯t watch her die. If Jaydon was going to do something dangerous and you knew that he would die, would you stop him?¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but sneer. ¡°Please don¡¯tpare Jay to Aria. ¡°Jay wouldn¡¯t be so ignorant, nor would he cause trouble and burden to others. If what Aria wanted to do was really so dangerous, why did she choose to do it and tell you?¡± ¡°Joann, I¡¯m her superior. Course, she has to report to me¡­¡± Joanna sneered again, ¡°Hehe, gain, ¡°Hehe, you don¡¯t understand women at all! ¡°Since she told you, she wanted you to stop her.¡± Bruce was stunned when he heard that. He was a little flustered and exasperated. ¡°I really don¡¯t know you women well enough. Can you not let your imagination run wild? Can you just say what you have in mind? ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, others will have to guess. It will make everyone tired!¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°I feel tired too. Please get out now. I want to calm down.¡± The anger in Joanna¡¯s heart burned even more. ¡°Joann, haven¡¯t we agreed not to have another cold war between us? We¡¯ve been through so much. Don¡¯t you even have this bit of tolerance for me? ¡°I¡¯ve already exined to you that it¡¯s impossible for me to have anything to do with Aria. Why are you still so suspicious of me? Don¡¯t you know that I feel terrible that you don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me feel bad too.¡± After Joanna said that, she left the room and went to the guest room. ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± Because Joanna was pregnant, Bruce did not want to anger her too much, so he could only let her calm down. The next day, when Joanna had just gotten up in the morning and was about to go downstairs to see her kids, she saw Aria standing in the living room. Seeing that Joanna hade downstairs, Aria greeted her, ¡°Mrs. Everett! ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about yesterday. I want to exin to you. Between Bruce and me¡­¡± Joanna walked down the stairs coldly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me or exin anything to me. You don¡¯t have to tell me what happened between the two of you either.¡± Chapter 1234 Chapter 1234 Chapter 1234 Aria was stunned. She looked at Joanna awkwardly. ¡°Mrs. Everett, I want to talk to you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± Aria gulped and calmed herself down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m really not here to ruin you and Bruce. I hope that you two can be happy. ¡°I came to say goodbye to you, but before I leave, I still want to talk to you. I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes and did not hide her disgust for Aria. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with you. You don¡¯t have toe and say goodbye to me.¡± Hearing the resentment in Joanna¡¯s tone, Aria heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It seems that you really have a lot of resentment toward me. ¡°In short, I have a clear conscience. I just hope that you and Bruce can be happy. Don¡¯t cause misunderstandings because of me and¡­¡± Joanna interrupted her coldly. ¡°Miss Bridges, the matter between my husband and me is between I misunderstanding or not, th do.¡± two of us. Whether there¡¯s a no need for outsiders to tell us what to When Aria heard this, ayer of gloom gradually covered her fair-skinned face. It was hard to tell if this feeling was jealousy, hatred, or unwillingness. She had met Bruce earlier and shared the same beliefs and pursuits. In the past, she had no choice but to give up her and Bruce¡¯s rtionship in order to pursue her studies. The reason why she pursued her studies was to make herself more outstanding. She wanted to be worthy of him and be evenly matched with him. However, when she was outstanding enough and felt that she could match himpletely, he already belonged to another woman. Moreover, the woman was inferior to her in every aspect. She paused for a few seconds. Aria raised her eyebrows slightly and said bitterly, ¡°Mrs. Everett, whether you want to hear it or not, I just want to tell you. I do love Bruce very much, but I won¡¯t destroy his family. ¡°Don¡¯t keep throwing tantrums at Bruce because of me. He was so sadst night that he didn¡¯t sleep at all. Do you know that? ¡°Bruce¡­ He¡¯s a good man. If you don¡¯t cherish him enough, sooner orter, someone who cherishes him more will appear.¡± When Joanna heard this, she could not help but sneer, ¡°Do I need you to tell me if he is a good man? ¡°Maybe you think he¡¯s perfect enough, but I don¡¯t.¡± That was true. Bruce was a bad bastard. Only Joanna knew how bad he was. When Aria heard this, she was jealous again. She sneered, ¡°You really don¡¯t know how lucky you are. Do you know how many women envy you? ¡°If it was another woman who could receive so much love from Bruce, I think she would definitely feel so happy.¡± ¡°Is that so? You have such a low pursuit!¡± Joanna retorted coldly. The two of them did not say a single vulgar word throughout the entire process, but the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Bruce came out of the bedroom. Seeing the two of them arguing, he was scared. He hurriedly walked up to them. ¡°Joann, Aria, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m here to exin to your wife. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for causing you so much trouble. Bruce, I know you¡¯re worried about me, but I have to take my leave.¡± Upon hearing this, Bruce frowned and blocked her way. ¡°Aria, you can¡¯t leave! ¡°Are you stupid? If you know you¡¯re going to die, why are you courting death? Human lives are very Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. precious. I hope you cherish your life!¡± After saying that, a trace of coldness and anger appeared in Bruce¡¯s eyes. He really did not want to see Aria die for nothing. In particr, every time he recalled the pain and torture he suffered at District 17, he would shudder. He did not want anyone to suffer like him again. At the same time, he deeply realized the value of life. ¡°Bruce, you really don¡¯t have to do this. I have my own pursuits. ¡°Please understand me. I beg you, please let me go!¡± Aria said softly. Ayer of misty tears appeared in her eyes. Bruce looked at her firmly. ¡°I said I won¡¯t let you go, so I won¡¯t let you go.¡± ¡°Put down your luggage. I¡¯ll arrange a ce for you to stay. You still have to help me continue researching medicine to suppress gic mutation. Stay here!¡± Aria looked at Bruce helplessly and looked at Joanna guiltily. ¡°Bruce, don¡¯t be like this. Mrs. Everett has already misunderstood. If I stay, she will be even angrier. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to cause a misunderstanding between the two of you because of me!¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt frustrated. He really did not have any other thoughts about Aria. He just did not want to see her die. That was all. He really couldn¡¯t understand why Joanna couldn¡¯t understand him. If he really wanted to have an affair with Aria, he would have been with her long ago after so many opportunities. ¡°Joann, I hope you can persuade Aria. ¡°I know you¡¯re the kindest person. Can you bear to see Aria die for nothing?¡± Bruce turned to look at Joanna, hoping that she would understand his actions. Joanna¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at Bruce coldly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a vicious person. ¡°She¡¯s not the one who should leave, but me, the vicious one.¡± With that, Joanna turned around and left coldly. Seeing this, Bruce chased a few steps. ¡°Joann, Joann¡­¡± ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Taking advantage of Bruce to chase after Joanna, Aria picked up her suitcase and quickly walked out. ¡°Aria, stop right there!¡± Bruce looked at Joanna¡¯s back and then looked at Aria¡¯s back. He didn¡¯t know who he shouldfort first. ¡°s! Why are you women so troublesome?¡± Chapter 1235 Chapter 1235 Chapter 1235 ¡°Why are women getting angry so easily? I¡¯m really impressed.¡± Bruce paused for a few seconds before hurriedly chasing after Joanna. ¡°Go and stop Aria!¡± Darcy and Carson responded, ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Joann, Joann, be careful. Don¡¯t fall!¡± Bruce chased after Joanna and pulled her into his arms. Joanna was even angrier. She pushed him with all her might. ¡°Let go. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Bruce looked helpless. ¡°Honey, can you not get angry so easily? Can¡¯t we discuss this properly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still saying that you¡¯re not angry? You look so angry now. Good girl, let¡¯s not be angry anymore!¡± Joanna could not suppress the anger in her heart. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me. Go and find your Aria quickly!¡± ¡°s!¡± Bruce frowned deeply and looked at Joanna helplessly. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong!¡± ¡°I just¡­ I just¡­¡± Bruce didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s not be angry anymore, okay? I¡¯ll listen to whatever you want me to do, okay?¡± When Joanna heard this, she tried to hold back her tears, but she still felt indescribably ufortable. Bruce kept apologizing. He made a face andforted her for more than ten minutes before Joanna reluctantly suppressed her anger. A momentter, Darcy and Carson were back. Seeing that there were only the two of them, Bruce frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s Aria?¡± Darcy looked guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Everett. We couldn¡¯t stop Miss Bridges.¡± ¡°Miss Bridges insisted on leaving. We couldn¡¯t stop her.¡± That was true. Aria¡¯s strength was not to be underestimated. If she fought Darcy, Darcy might not be able to restrain her. If she really wanted to leave, they really couldn¡¯t stop her. ¡°s!¡± When Bruce heard this, he sighed deeply. He paused for a few seconds. He could not help butin, ¡°Are you satisfied now? Aria is dead meat.¡± When Joanna heard this, the anger that had just been suppressed surged up again. ¡°Bruce, what do you mean by that?¡± Seeing that Joanna was angry again, Bruce had a headache. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. Honey, can you¡­ Can you just¡­ Can you just be a little more tolerant? Can you be more reasonable?¡± Bruce was tongue-tied. He was unable to express the feelings he wanted to express. ¡°I¡¯m unreasonable?¡± Joanna looked at him angrily and in surprise. It turned out that in Bruce¡¯s heart, Joanna was actually an unreasonable woman! Bruce waved his arms. ¡°Forget it. You women are really too easily angry. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you women are thinking. Sometimes, can you understand us men?¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°We women?¡± Joanna sneered, ¡°Hehe, are youparing me to Aria? Or are you putting us in the same position?¡± When Bruce heard this, he had a headache. He realized that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. After all, in the past, it was always others who racked their brains to make him happy, please him, and obey him. If he arranged something, others never dared to say no. Now, he had to put down all his pride and temper to please and obey Joanna. To be honest, he really did not have much experience. In reality, there was no such thing as a perfect man. Those so-called perfect husbands were all educated bit by bit. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I mean, these are all very small matters. There¡¯s no need to magnify and overanalyze, right?¡± Bruce tried to defend himself. ¡°There¡¯s no need to magnify and overanalyze? ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll call and make an appointment with Jay now.¡± When Bruce heard this, he instantly exploded in anger. ¡°Joanna, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was a small matter? Then why are you angry that I¡¯m dating Jay?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°My rtionship with Aria isn¡¯t what you think it is!¡± ¡°Then Jay and I don¡¯t have the kind of rtionship you think we do either. Why can you do whatever you want? And I have to follow your rules!¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt even more anxious. As the saying went, it was easy to fall in love, but difficult to get along with! Many couples could withstand the wind and waves together, but they could not withstand the trivialities of life. ¡°Forget it, you can think whatever you want! ¡°Let¡¯s calm down first. We¡¯ll talk after we calm down!¡± With that, Bruce turned around and left. Seeing this, Joanna was even more furious. ¡°Bruce, where are you going? ¡°Make yourself clear. What exactly do you mean?¡± Bruce did not say anything and left without looking back. ¡°Bruce, you¡­¡± Tears flowed out of Joanna¡¯s eyes. She wanted to say something, but she held it back. She thought secretly, ¡°He probably goes after Aria again, right? ¡°Forget it. I should just give them some space and stop being an obstacle between them.¡± Then, Joanna went straight upstairs and began to pack her luggage. She did not want to live here, let alone see Bruce and Aria again. Seeing this, the servant hurriedly went forward to stop her. ¡°Mrs. Everett, what are you doing?¡± ¡°All of you, get out!¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, you¡¯re pregnant now. Don¡¯t be angry!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything and simply packed her clothes and documents. Chapter 1236 Chapter 1236 Chapter 1236 After packing her luggage, Joanna sat at the head of the bed and suddenly felt sad in her heart. She actually did not know where she should go. Although she had many mansions under her name and as much as billions of dors in assets, she got all of these from Bruce! The assets that truly belonged to her had been consolidated by Bruce and became his property. Moreover, if she were to leave, what would happen to the four children? If she took them all away, just the children¡¯s luggage and her luggage were a lot of things, along with the servants who took care of the children, the tutors, the nutritionist, and so on, adding up to dozens of people¡­ Even if she did not find it troublesome, where could she go? No matter where she went, Bruce would find her. No matter how hard she tried, she was just tormenting herself and the children. It was meaningless. She thought to herself, ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s better not to make a fuss. When the children are 18 years old and can take care of themselves, I won¡¯t have anything to worry about anymore¡­¡± Joanna¡¯s heart turned cold. She silently put her luggage away. She was no longer a child. She could not leave in a fit of pique. Sometimes, before marriage, a man would treat the woman like a treasure. After marriage, he would treat the woman like a pair of worn-out shoes. It was probably because he had notpletely tied the woman up before marriage and there were changes at any time. After marriage, most of the women were tied up by their children and werepletely tied up. They would not abandon their children so easily to run away in a fit of pique. Therefore, men¡¯s true faces would slowly be revealed at that time. At noon, the children had alle out to eat in the dining room. Lilia looked at Joanna worriedly. ¡°Mommy, did you and Daddy quarrel again?¡± Joanna was stunned and fell silent for a few seconds. Davian also looked at his mother fixedly. ¡°Mommy, is it because of that bad woman surnamed Bridges? I saw her chatting with Daddy in the garden this morning. She was even crying at Daddy. She was so pr¨¦tentious. It¡¯s so annoying.¡± Joanna pursed her lips slightly and looked at the children gently. ¡°Babies, let¡¯s just eat. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. Daddy and Mommy only bickered a little. It¡¯s not as serious as you think. ¡°You should focus on your studies and not be distracted by misceneous matters. You must always remember that Daddy and Mommy will always love you the most.¡± Irvin was an optimist. He ate his food indifferently. ¡°That¡¯s right. Daddy and Mommy¡¯s rtionship is stronger. They won¡¯t be so easily sowed discord by a bad woman.¡± Joanna felt a prick in her heart when she heard that. ¡°Kiss, Mommy¡­¡± Devin insisted on getting off the stool and sitting in his mother¡¯s arms. After he was injured, he became squeamish and especially dependent on Joanna. ¡°Come, let me feed you.¡± Joanna subconsciously hugged Devin and gently fed him. After sleeping, Devin¡¯s face around his eyes was so swollen that he could barely open his eyes. When Joanna was feeding Devin, Bruce came back from outside. The servants hurriedly greeted him, ¡°Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± Joanna did not look up. As usual, she carefully fed Devin. From today onward, she would not speak to him again. No matter what he did, she would not ask or stop him, Seeing Joanna feeding Devin, Bruce frowned. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t feed Devin. Let him eat by himself. Don¡¯t let him develop this habit. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re pregnant now. It¡¯ll be terrible if the baby in your belly is affected.¡± As he spoke, he wanted to take Devin away from Joanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Boo-hoo¡­¡± Devin cried as he hugged Joanna tightly. Joanna carried her son and turned in another direction. She continued to feed her son gently and patiently. Children grew up quickly: Children only needed and relied on their mothers for a few years. When they grew up, it might be impossible for children to be close to their mothers even if their mothers wanted to. Therefore, when her children needed herfort, Joanna would try her best to satisfy them. Bruce frowned and said gently, ¡°Joann, are you still angry?¡± Joanna pretended she didn¡¯t hear Bruce, she continued to remain silent as if he didn¡¯t exist. ¡°s, haven¡¯t you calmed down yet?¡± Bruce said as he reached out and nned to rub her head. Joanna knew that she could not avoid it. She did not resist or respond to him. ¡°Honey, can you not do this?¡± Bruce bent down and put his head in front of her, wanting to get close to Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. her. ¡°Are you full?¡± Joanna gently asked Devin and put thest bite into Devin¡¯s mouth. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you for a walk in the garden! You guys hurry up and eat. Do your homework after dinner.¡± Joanna carried Devin in her arms. ¡°Don¡¯t carry him. It will affect the baby in your belly. Let me carry him!¡± After saying that, Bruce quickly came over to carry his son. Seeing this, Devin looked aggrieved and resistant. ¡°Boohoo¡­ No, I want Mommy to carry me!¡± Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s hand froze awkwardly in midair. Joanna ignored him and carried Devin outside. Bruce stood in front of the window and watched Joanna sunbathing with Devin. There was an indescribable feeling in his heart. Then, he followed her outside. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be angry anymore, okay? ¡°Can you not ignore me when you¡¯re angry? Which couple doesn¡¯t bicker? You¡¯re really making me feel terrible! ¡°I was wrong this morning. I said something wrong. I apologize to you solemnly, okay? ¡°Aria is already gone, and I don¡¯t want to care about her anymore. Let¡¯s not fight over some irrelevant person, okay?¡± Chapter 1237 Chapter 1237 Chapter 1237 Joanna ignored him as usual. No matter what Bruce said, she looked like she was not involved. ¡°s¡­¡± Bruce sighed helplessly. ¡°Joanna, can we talk about this?¡± As Bruce spoke, he forcefully grabbed Joanna¡¯s shoulder, wanting her to look into his eyes. Joanna angrily moved away and refused to let him get close. This instantly angered Bruce and he forcefully held her in his arms. ¡°Joanna, turn around! ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. Is it worth being so angry about? Are you going to be like this all the time?¡± If it was in the past, he would have pushed her down forcefully and started to have sex with her until she begged for mercy. But now that she was pregnant, he dared not force her. Moreover, he had to work hard to restrain himself every day. He could not release his desires, so he would naturally be bad-tempered. One had to know that he had never been an ascetic man. Ever since was with Joanna, he had been forcefully restraining himself. ¡°O¡­¡± Joanna frowned, and a sudden pain came from her stomac Bruce panicked and quickly let go of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I hurt yo ¡°Oww¡­¡± Joanna instantly broke out in cold sweat from the pain. She covered her stomach with a painful expression. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll call the doctor over immediately,¡± Bruce hurriedly went to call the doctor. A few minutester, the doctor hurried over. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Joann suddenly has a stomachache. Hurry up and see if it¡¯s anything wrong with the baby!¡± When the doctor heard this, he hurriedly went forward to examine Joanna. Bruce watched nervously from the side. He was so frightened that his palms were sweating. He kept asking the doctor; ¡°How is it? If you can¡¯t treat her, send her to the hospital immediately. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here!¡± Bruce held Joanna¡¯s hand nervously as if she was about to give birth. The doctor broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Mr. Everett, please be quiet. ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. Don¡¯t be too nervous!¡± ¡°Then why does her stomach suddenly hurt?¡± ¡°The baby in Mrs. Everett¡¯s belly is a little affected. She¡¯d better stay in bed and recuperate for the next few days. She can¡¯t be agitated, and she can¡¯t have too many emotions.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prescribe some pregnancy stabilizerter and give Mrs. Everett an injection.¡± ¡°Okay, okay! ¡°No matter what, nothing must happen to her and the baby.¡± Joannay weakly on the bed, looking a little gloomy. This was how people who liked to sulk were. They would suppress everything in their hearts and this way would easily cause them internal injury. In addition, Joanna had previously suffered from depression, which made her more prone to rpse during pregnancy. The doctor injected Joanna to stabilize the fetus and instructed her to stay in bed and recuperate. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m sorry! Hit me!¡± Bruce sat at the head of the bed and carefully held Joanna¡¯s hand. Joanna closed her eyes, unwilling to look at him. Bruce could be soft and hard. He was flexible. He immediately put on a cute expression. ¡°Joann, are you really going to ignore me? ¡°You know that I¡¯ve undergone craniotomy before. I don¡¯t have enough brain cells, so I don¡¯t think before I speak. Why are you angry with me? s, in my heart, no one canpare to you. ¡°We¡¯ve been through so much together. Let¡¯s not fall out over such a small matter, okay?¡± Joanna closed her eyes and listened. She couldn¡¯t help but feel her eyes sore. He was always like this. He hurt her and thenforted her. Still, he¡¯d suffered so much and nearly died several times. Sometimes, she¡¯d better not be too hard on him. However, this bastard refused to change his ways. She could not forgive him too quickly. ¡°Tell me, how can I make you forgive me? ¡°No matter what, can you p hurt yourself?¡± Bruce was trying tofort Joanna when Darcy called. Beep, beep, beep. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Darcy, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Darcy¡¯s heavy voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Mr. Everett, bad news.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Um, Boris¡­ He just had a sudden crisis and couldn¡¯t be resuscitated. He¡¯s already passed away.¡± When Bruce heard this, he felt a chill in his heart and suddenly stood up from the stool. ¡°Lock down the news first. Don¡¯t let it leak out. I¡¯ll rush to the hospital immediately.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After hanging up, Bruce¡¯s heart waspletely tense. ¡°Joann, Boris is dead. I have to rush to the hospital immediately to take a look. ¡°Be good and wait for me at home. Don¡¯t let your thoughts run wild.¡± After saying that, Bruce bent down and kissed Joanna¡¯s forehead. Then, he left in a hurry. When Joanna heard this news, her eyes suddenly opened. Her heart was in a mess. If Boris died, it meant that Bruce was dead. If things went wrong, Bruce¡¯s identity wouldpletely be illegal. Although she was angry with Bruce, she was just angry after all. They hadn¡¯te to the point to break up. Chapter 1238 Chapter 1238 Chapter 1238 Half an hourter, Bruce hurried to the hospital. A few doctors gathered around, all of them looking dejected. Darcy and a few bodyguards were also guarding the door of the ward. All of them had solemn expressions. As soon as Bruce appeared wearing a mask and sunsses, Darcy immediately came over. ¡°Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mr. Boris had an emergency this morning. When he was sent to the emergency room, his breathing had already stopped. The doctor tried for more than an hour, but he still couldn¡¯t be saved.¡± On the hospital bed, Boris¡¯s face was dark and gloomy. Hey there lifelessly, looking especially deste. ¡°Mr. Boris died very suddenly. He didn¡¯t suffer much.¡± Bruce let out a deep sigh. There was ayer of gloom between his brows. ¡°Arrange his body properly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce mourned in his heart and stood in front of the bed for a while. Boris died so suddenly. Someone must have killed him secretly. Yanice the Strange¡¯s tactics were no less impressive. ¡°Don¡¯t let the word of his death get out.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Unexpectedly, while Bruce wanted to block the news, the news had already been widely spread on the Inte. The news of Boris¡¯s death had already been spread. Even his appearance before his death had been posted online. ¡°Bruce passed away at 9:30 this morning. The news is conclusive.¡± ¡°The CEO of Everett Group passed away in Greyport Hospital. The hospital has issued his death icate.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett has yet to appear. Bruce died young.¡± In just over an hour, the news of Bruce¡¯s death went viral on the Inte. Moreover, this time, even the exact time of ¡°his¡± death was especially clear. Bruce was furious when he saw the news. ¡°How did the news leak out?¡± Darcy¡¯s expression froze. He said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s probably a mole in the hospital. ¡°Marcus wants to buy people with money. There will definitely be people who will be tempted.¡± Bruce/frowned. ¡°Go stabilize the news and release a press conference first. ¡°Record a video for me and post it online.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Bruce had already undergone two medical cosmetic surgeries, and his appearance had probably recovered. Now that he was lying on the hospital bed, he could still cover it up. Subsequently, Bruce changed into a hospital gown. After hey on the hospital bed, Darcy filmed him a short video for a few more seconds. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Bruce. Thank you for your concern.¡± Darcy directly posted this video to thergest online tform. When the video was released, the entire Inte was almost paralyzed. Everyone already had gossiped enough. They did not know which news was true. However, Bruce himself had alreadye out to refute the rumors, so the news of he didn¡¯t die was naturally more persuasive. At Yanice Group, Marcus was inconsble, causing a rapid decline in his physical condition. He was about to be unable to hold on for the past few days. ¡°What? He¡¯s not dead yet? ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Yanice, we saw Bruce stop breathing with our own eyes. He was indeed dead.¡± ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he dead yet?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one possibility. There are two Bruce in Greyport.¡± When Marcus heard this, he frowned and his heart began to beat violently. Seeing this, the secretary hurriedly instructed someone to bring the medicine over. ¡°Hurry up and bring the medicine over!¡± Marcus gasped hastily and said angrily, ¡°Bruce, I want you to die. I want you to die. Even if I have to risk my life, I want you to die with me!¡± ¡°Oww, cough, cough¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t be too agitated. Calm down.¡± Chapter 1239 Chapter 1239 Chapter 1239 His subordinates were busy putting on oxygen masks and feeding him. medicine. After a while, Marcus finally calmed down a little. ¡°Hurry up and investigate. Hurry up and find out what happened.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Yanice.¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t be too angry. You have to pay attention to your health now.¡± The special nurse couldn¡¯t help butfort him. Marcus took a few more deep breaths while wearing an oxygen mask before he gradually calmed down. During this period of time, he had really spent a lot of effort and money to kill Bruce. If he failed again, he would really die with grievances. In the evening, the person who went to inquire had finally returned. ¡°Mr. Yanice. We have received reliable news that the person who died in the hospital was indeed not Bruce,¡± the subordinate reported solemnly. When Marcus heard this, he sat up shakily. ¡°Cough, cough. Who¡¯s the dead man?¡± ¡°At first, we thought he was Bruce, but today, we received confirmation that Bruce has been living in Ritz Vi. ¡°I don¡¯t know who the dead man is. I heard that his subordinates called him Mr. Boris, but he does look exactly like Bruce.¡± Boom! When Marcus heard this, his murky and sinister before he took a deep breath to calm himself. eyes rolled around He should have known that Bruce would not be killed so easily. It was understandable for a top tycoon like Bruce to arrange a few substitutes around him. What a pity. Marcus had spent so much effort and price during this period of time, but he had only killed one substitute. ¡°Bruce is indeed a younger generation worthy of respect. At such a young age, he¡¯s actually so shrewd and meticulous. Cough, cough¡­¡± Marcus coughed a few more times, and there was something rushed up to his throat from his chest. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Barf¡­¡± A mouthful of phlegm wrapped in dirty ck blood clots was coughed out, and he could finally breathe normally. Seeing this, the beautiful special nurse standing by was shocked and hurriedly wiped the corner of his lips. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Mr. Yanice, you¡¯re vomiting blood.¡± Marcus took a few breaths of oxygen. His turbid eyes darkened as he looked at the beautiful special nurse with a sad and dignified expression. ¡°Miya, how long have you been by my side?¡± Miya¡¯s eyes shed and a trace of gratitude appeared on her beautiful and outstanding face. ¡°Mr. Yanice, it¡¯s been almost three years.¡± Marcus rolled his eyes around and looked at Miya gloomily. ¡°How am I treating you?¡± ¡°Mr. Yanice, you treat me like your own granddaughter. Without you, I would have died long ago.¡± Miya was the granddaughter of Marcus¡¯s former housekeeper. When she was ten years old, her family encountered a disaster and she was the only one left in the family. All these years, it was Marcus who sponsored her studies and nurtured her various skills. He treated her lik his own granddaughter. She was now Marcus¡¯s most capable special nurse and bodyguard. In recent years, Marcus had lived in seclusion and rarely appeared in public, so not many people had seen Miya. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Marcus¡¯s eyes turned cold as he carefully sized up Miya. Miya was young and beautiful, and she was extremely intelligent. Coupled with her extraordinary skill, perhaps¡­ He could use a honey trap to arrange for Miya to be by Bruce¡¯s side. ¡°Mr. Yanice, why are you looking at me like that? If you have any instructions, please instruct me directly.¡± Marcus raised his hand slightly. ¡°All of you, get out first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The rest of the servants got out. After everyone left, Marcus stood up shakily. ¡°Miya, I¡¯m now giving you a mission¡­¡± Chapter 1240 Chapter 1240 Chapter 1240 In Ritz Vi, Joanna had been restless. The news online about Bruce was in different versions. Although Joanna knew that the news of Bruce¡¯s death was fake, it made her very ufortable. ¡°Bruce isn¡¯t back yet?¡± The servant replied respectfully, ¡°No, Mr. Everett isn¡¯t back yet!¡± Joanna looked at the time. It was already eight o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Bruce had been out for an entire day. Although she was worried, she resisted the urge to call him. This damn bastard always made her worry and headache. Until ten o¡¯clock in the evening, still, Bruce hadn¡¯te back yet. Joanna¡¯s heart was in a mess. She could not sit still and could not help but ask the servant, ¡°Is Bruce not back yet?¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, Mr. Everett hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± When Joanna heard this, she frowned and became even more anxious. ¡°Give him a call and ask when he¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Okay, Mrs. Everett.¡± After saying these words, the servant was about to make a call. Joanna frowned and said to the servant again, ¡°Wait a minute. Don¡¯t tell him that I asked you to call him.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, the servant ended the call. Joanna had been waiting uneasily. ¡°How is it? Did he say what time he wasing back?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to get through to Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°What about Darcy and Carson?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t get through to their phones either. No one answered.¡± When Joanna heard this, she felt even more uneasy. This damn bastard never told her what he was up to when he was doing his business. He had already been out for a day and did not even call her. Although the two of them were in a cold war, she was still very worried about his safety. In the blink of an eye, it was alreadyte at night. Bruce had yet to return home, nor did he call back. Joanna was so worried that she did not sleep the entire night. She was even more worried that something might happen to him again. The next day, Joanna went downstairs early in the morning to see if he had returned. ¡°He¡¯s not back yet?¡± The servant looked serious. ¡°Mr. Everett isn¡¯t back yet.¡± ¡°Still can¡¯t get through his phone?¡± ¡°No, I still can¡¯t get through.¡± Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She could not help but curse, ¡°This damn bastard, what is he doing again?¡± Beep, beep, beep. She finally couldn¡¯t help but take theve to call him. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unanswered.¡± She couldn¡¯t get through to him on the phone, so she quickly sent him a message through Messenger. [Bruce, where are you now? Call me back when you see the message.] Unfortunately, even after waiting until noon, Bruce did not reply to her message. In the afternoon, Joanna couldn¡¯t take it anymore and nned to go to the hospital to look for him. She couldn¡¯t get through to him, and she was really worried. She now didn¡¯t care about the cold war between them. At 3 pm, Joanna changed her clothes and went straight to the hospital with a few bodyguards. In Greyport Hospital, Bruce was in the process of applying the blueser beauty apparatus. This was mainly to repair his skin tissue so that the red veins and scars on his face would recover as soon as possible. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯ve been applying it for three hours. I¡¯m worried that you won¡¯t be able to take it. Why don¡¯t you stop for a while?¡± ¡°No need. I can take it!¡± It was a little painful when one was in the process of this medical beauty project. When the blueser shone on one¡¯s face, it was like a fire burning. It pricked and hurt. Moreover, there was no way to use anesthetics. ¡°We¡¯ve already done an emergency repair. Mr. Everett¡¯s appearance will recover soon. But, if we do it too frequently, I¡¯m afraid there will be side effects.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. The faster the better. Don¡¯t worry about the side effects!¡± Brucey on the beauty bed and replied coldly. lied coldly. What side effects would he be afraid of with his current body? His body had already undergone three generations of gic modifications. He now did not only have human genes, but he also had the genes of multiple evolutionary creatures. Moreover, there were two electronic microchips in his brain. It was already a miracle that he was still alive. If there were side effects with th medical beauty project, any side effects of gic modifications in his body would be more serious than the side effects of the medical beauty project. A few stic surgery experts no longer had any qualms and began to perform various stic surgery repairs on Bruce. Bruce¡¯s current appearance had already recovered to 70-80%. In a while, he could ultimately return to his previous appearance. Of course, after undergoing so many medical beauty projects, his appearance might be even more handsome than his previous appearance. Downstairs in the hospital, arge group of gossip reporters and gossip bloggers were anxiously waiting downstairs. They were all waiting for an opportunity to take action and get thetest information on Bruce. As soon as Joanna appeared, the reporters were overjoyed and rushed over. ¡°Mrs. Everett, what¡¯s the current situation of Mr. Everett?¡± ¡°The news of Mr. Everett¡¯s death has already been released online. Is it true?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not true, then who is the person who passed away?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t be interviewed for the time being.¡± ¡°Did Mr. Everett make a clone illegally?¡± ¡°Make way. No interviews.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, please say a few words!¡±. There were too many reporters. All of them chased after Joanna like crazy Joanna brought four bodyguards and a driver, but she could not get rid of the reporters. ¡°Arrange some more security personnel. Hurry up!¡± Chapter 1241 Chapter 1241 Chapter 1241 Soon, arge number of security personnel came over and blocked all the reporters. Joanna dared not stay any longer and hurriedly walked toward the elevator. Joanna asked in the director¡¯s office anxiously, ¡°Where is Bruce?¡± Seeing that it was Joanna, the director hurriedly went forward to lead the way. ¡°Mr. Everett is doing a medical beauty treatment.¡± ¡°Take me to him now.¡± ¡°Mrs. Everett, please follow me.¡± The hospital director brought Joanna to the floor where they did the medical beauty projects. ¡°Mr. Everett is in this room!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go look for him!¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Bruce¡¯s hearing was extremely developed. He could hear Joanna¡¯s voice from afar. He suddenly sat up and immediately got off the bed to go out to check. After leaving the room, he found it was indeed Joanna. She was already beginning to show signs of pregnancy. Her lower abdomen was clearly bigger, and she walked slowly and clumsily. ¡°Joann, why are you here?¡± When Joanna saw Bruce, her breathing stopped. The grievance in her heart instantly surged up. ¡°Bruce, you don¡¯t know how to make a call, do you? ¡°You didn¡¯te homest night. Didn¡¯t you know I¡¯d worry about you?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was stunned for a moment before a smile appeared in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been ignoring me for the past two days. I thought you wouldn¡¯t answer my calls.¡± When Joanna heard this, she was even angrier. She was indeed angry with him, but what was the situation now? She knew the severity of the situation. ¡°So, are you here because you¡¯re worried about me?¡± After Bruce finished speaking, an unconceble smile appeared on his face. His facial features and skin had basically recovered. Other than slight redness and swelling, there were no other problems. He returned to his former handsome appearance, but his figure was even more burly. Standing in front of him without high heels, Joanna looked like a junior high school student, barely reaching his chest. ¡°Who¡¯s worried about you? You bastard. You always focus on yourself and never tell me what you¡¯re doing. You don¡¯t care about my feelings at all,¡± Joanna said, but she was still so angry that she cried. Even though she was very imposing, she looked like a child who was behaving in a spoiled manner in front of her parents. Seeing that she was crying, Bruceughed. He touched her head lovingly and patted her head. ¡°See, I knew you wouldn¡¯t worry about me. Every time you¡¯re angry, you want me dead. ¡°So I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be annoyed when you see me, so I don¡¯t dare go home. Now, you¡¯re angry at me again.¡± As Bruce spoke, he rubbed Joanna¡¯s head dotingly as if he was rubbing a cat or a dog¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Joanna¡¯s tears fell even more fiercely as she pped his big hand away. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sorry, honey. I know I was wrong.¡± Bruce had learned to bow his head now. As long as Joanna was angry, no matter who was right or wrong, he would first admit his mistake. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t be angry anymore, okay? ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I won¡¯t make you angry again. I promise!¡± As Bruce spoke, he bent down and lowered his head, cing his chin on her head. ¡°You say that every time, but you never make it.¡± Bruce chuckled and looked at Joanna dotingly. ¡°This fully shows that I still have room for improvement. My dear wife, you still have to take the trouble to educate me.¡± ¡°How can you still be in the mood to joke at a time like this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s not a big deal. With me around, even if there is a disaster, I¡¯ll protect you and die before you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really annoying. Can you stop saying such ominous things?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll stop saying that. I love you. Can I say this?¡± With that, Bruce carried Joanna as if she was a child. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Can you behave yourself?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, honey. I miss you¡­¡± Joanna held her breath and hurriedly pushed his face away. She really couldn¡¯t show a good attitude to this damn bastard. If he was given a good attitude, he would really be insatiable. ¡°The doctor said the centa is unstable. We can¡¯t have sex!¡± ¡°Okay, we don¡¯t do that. Can I hug you for a while?¡± As Bruce spoke, he hugged her tightly in his arms. The gloominess of the past few days was swept away from his heart. Chapter 1242 Chapter 1242 Chapter 1242 ¡°How is Boris? What should we do with his body?¡± Joanna asked sadly. Bruce sighed deeply. ¡°s, I couldn¡¯t keep him alive in the end.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already arranged everything. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Bruce gently rubbed Joanna¡¯s cheek. Joanna could not help but ask, ¡°Then¡­ what about Aria? How do you n to solve her problem?¡± Bruce was stunned. He carefully looked at Joanna. ¡°Joann, let¡¯s not talk about her anymore, okay? You¡¯re right. She¡¯s an adult and has her own thoughts. No one can control her. ¡°As a friend, I¡¯ve already done what I should. Since she¡¯s unwilling to listen to me, I can only let her be!¡± Joanna didn¡¯t say anything else when she heard this, but her expression darkened. With her understanding of Bruce, he probably wouldn¡¯t really sit back and do nothing. However, she had figured it out now. He could do whatever he wanted! Bruce had known Aria for so many years. She was his ssmate, colleague, and his first girlfriend. It was impossible for him topletely cut her out of his heart. Joanna would just give him some leeway and space! ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll go back first,¡± Joanna said and wanted to leave the hospital. Since she was sure that he was fine, she was relieved. When Bruce saw this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat and he hugged her tightly. ¡°Joann, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re fine, I¡¯m relieved. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°Honey, are you still angry? I swear to God that if I have improper thoughts about her, I¡¯ll die a horrible This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. death. ¡°I really lost my mind a few days ago to anger you because of her. I really realized my mistake. Can you not be angry anymore?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry!¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Bruce looked at her pitifully, afraid that she was being sarcastic. ¡°I¡¯m really not angry anymore. I¡¯ve gotten over it now. You can do whatever you want in the future.¡± ¡°See, you¡¯re still mad at me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not. I¡¯m just worried about the children. I want to go back hurriedly and take care of them.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then. Can I have a kiss?¡± Bruce lowered his head slightly. Joanna paused for two seconds before kissing his face. ¡°Good girl, don¡¯t be angry again!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Downstairs, arge number of reporters were still waiting. When they saw Joanna appear, they swarmed over. Fortunately, the security guards were already prepared. They immediately protected Joanna and blocked the reporters. ¡°Mrs. Everett, please say a few words. What¡¯s the current situation of Mr. Everett? The entire Greyport people are concerned about this problem!¡± Joanna looked at the camera and replied calmly, ¡°My husband is doing well. Thank you for being so concerned.¡± With that, she got into the car! Crack! Crack! The reporters chased the car and took a few more photos. Soon, the news of the rumor being refuted was uploaded to various media outlets. ¡°Mrs. Everett personally refuted the rumors. Bruce did not pass away.¡± ¡°Someone is maliciously spreading rumors. Mr. Everett has long been saved.¡± ¡°Bruce¡¯s vital signs are stable. His death is untrue news.¡± With Joanna personally refuting the rumors, the reporters crazily bombarded the second round of traffic. ¡°I was right. How could Bruce die?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the richest man in Greyport, my super idol. He won¡¯t die!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s the God of our Greyport. He¡¯ll always be our God.¡± Themoners began to heave a sigh of relief, especially Bruce¡¯s hardcore fans. At Yanice Group, Marcus kept coughing. ¡°Cough, cough, cough! ¡°He¡¯s not dead. He¡¯s not dead¡­¡± Marcus trembled and coughed until he almost couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t get too excited.¡± ¡°Miya, Miya!¡± Marcus¡¯s withered hand tightly grabbed Miya¡¯s hand. ¡°Mr. Yanice, don¡¯t be so agitated. Your health is more important!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Marcus was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood. He suffered from heart failure and could no longer withstand the attack. Then, he vomited a few mouthfuls of blood and fell to the side of the bed like a dried corpse. He was infuriated to death. ¡°Mr. Yanice, Mr. Yanice! ¡°Doctor,e quickly!¡± The doctor rushed over and examined him. With a regretful expression, the doctor said, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help it. Mr. Yanice can¡¯t be saved. Please prepare for his funeral.¡± Chapter 1243 Chapter 1243 Chapter 1243 ¡°Marcus¡­¡± Miya felt a lump in her throat as tears flowed down her face. Marcus had already stopped breathing. However, he died with grievances. His eyes were still wide ope murky eyes were filled with unwillingness and resentment. ¡°Marcus, you can rest in peace! I¡­ will definitelyplete the miss you gave me.¡± After saying that, Miya reached out and gently closed Marcus¡¯s eyes. A business tycoon who dominated half of Greyport yet ended up in such a miserable state. Greyport Hospital. A weekter. Bruce had already undergone many medical repairs, and the effect was even more immediate. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can take a look at the final results!¡± Bruce took the mirror and looked at himself. His reflection in the mirror had deep facial features and bright eyes. He was even more handsome than before his ident. The only thing that dissatisfied him was that his skin was a little too tender and pale, making him look like a yboy. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t my skin too pale? It makes me look like a sissy.¡± Bruce looked left and right, not very satisfied with his skin. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The stic surgeons were tongue-tied, not knowing what to say. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Countless male celebrities had to get injections of hyaluronic acid and all kinds of medical cosmetic treatments for their skin care. Bruce, on the other hand, wasining that his skin was too good. Bruce frowned. ¡°Forget it. I would be tanned after a few days.¡± He didn¡¯t like being so pale and tender. He still hoped that his appearance would be rougher, which could make him full of hormones and more manly. ¡°Fine, it¡¯s not bad. Thank you for your hard work!¡± When the doctors heard this, they finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you for your praise, Mr. Everett.¡± ¡°Spread the message to the reporters that I¡¯ll be discharged ton ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± The next day. Joanna personally came to the hospital to pick him up. Although he was fine, he still pretended to be recovering from a serious illness. He sat weakly in the wheelchair with a thick nket covering his body. When the reporters received the news, they were already waiting at the entrance of the hospital. Hundreds of security staff pulled up a long deterrent line to ensure the safety of the walkway. ¡°Look! Mr. Everett ising out.¡± shbulbs shed from time to time. The bodyguards pushed the wheelchair and the nurse held a parasol for Bruce as they pushed him out of the hospital. Joanna even personally held a ss of water for him and carefully followed the wheelchair the entire time. ¡°Mr. Everett, may I ask how your body is currently?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, do you think you¡¯re very lucky to have survived?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, how do you feel now? Can you tell us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for your concern. Thank you very much.¡± Bruce sat in the wheelchair and waved at the reporters elegantly. A Mercedes-Benz MPV drove over and a few bodyguards carefully carried him into the car. Then he left. richest man in Greyportth is discharged safely. Tens of tho people send their blessings.] [Bruce Everett dispels rumors, the couple is harmonious. Mrs. Everett personally came to the hospital to pick Mr. Everett up.] Bruce had finally recovered his appearance and could openly appear in front of everyone. His identity would finally not be an unregistered one. When the directors and higher-ups of thepany saw the news of Bruce being discharged, some were happy, while others were sad. They all became obedient. Sherane Bay Vi. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve finally moved back. I¡¯m going to the racecourse to ride in the afternoon.¡± Davian put his luggage away and was overjoyed. ¡°Yes! I can¡¯t wait to go riding.¡± ¡°Slow down. Don¡¯t run too fast.¡± Bruce held Joanna¡¯s shoulder and smiled dotingly. ¡°Joann, don¡¯t worry! Everything will be fine.¡± ¡°I hope so!¡± Joanna replied with a smile. At the same time, there was a faint sense of uneasiness in her heart. Aria had not been heard from for several days. Now that she thought about it, she was still worried that Aria would do something extremely dangerous as Bruce said. She might even lose her life. She wasn¡¯t worried about Aria¡¯s safety, but that Aria would definitely ask Bruce for help after causing trouble. Although Bruce kept saying that he would ignore Aria, Joanna knew him too well. He was a man who was stubborn but soft-hearted. Moreover, he took responsibility very seriously. If Aria was really in a situation of dying, he would definitely not stand by and do nothing. ¡°Bruce, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to quit that organization?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! But they haven¡¯t approved it yet. They wanted me to recuperate for a while.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s your n now?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at her dotingly and gently. Joanna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She frowned and said, ¡°Can you stop being so ambiguous? ¡°I want you to give me a definite answer, not this kind of wavering one.¡± Chapter 1244 Chapter 1244 Chapter 1244 Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He looked at Joanna gloomily. Then he said, ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve told you before. I¡¯ll retire when I¡¯m 35 years old. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely leave the organization. ¡°From now on, I won¡¯t let you worry about me anymore.¡± ¡°Alright. You have to keep your word this time,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I swear to God. ¡°If I go back on my word again, let me¡­¡± When Joanna heard this, she quickly covered his mouth with her hand. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t swear so easily. ¡°What if God takes it seriously?¡± ¡°Haha. You¡¯re bing more and more superstitious,¡± Bruce replied. After hearing that, Joanna looked at him angrily. Then Bruce said, ¡°Alright. Honey, let¡¯s just live our lives in the future and not cause trouble anymore, okay? ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s hurry into the house. The sun is too bright.¡± ¡°Well. Alright,¡± Joanna replied. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Joanna was about to enter the house when she suddenly felt a pain in her belly. Her belly was throbbing. ¡°Ouch!¡± Joanna subconsciously held onto her belly with a pained expression. Seeing this, Bruce was even more frightened. ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°This baby is too active, kicking me all day long. Ouch. I can¡¯t take it anymore. Let me lie down for a bit.¡± ¡°Go ahead. Sit down first.¡± Bruce helped her sit down on the sofa at the side. Joanna leaned against the sofa and gently touched her belly. Her belly was clearly throbbing. It felt like there was a lively kitten inside. ¡°Let me listen to the baby¡¯s movements.¡± Bruce rested his head on Joanna¡¯s belly and felt the baby¡¯s tiny feet kicking against him with determination. ¡°Oh, it hurts so much. It¡¯s only been five months. Why is the fetal movement so strong?¡± Joanna didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She had already been pregnant three times, but this little baby have an unprecedented level of energy. Exceptionally vibrant five months, the baby was already moving quite vigorously. ¡°Baby, be good in there. No more kicking your mommy. Otherwise, when youe out, I will give you a spanking,¡± Bruce said. Joanna sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m really afraid that when the timees, we¡¯ll have a little troublemaker on our hands.¡± ¡°Haha. Our child will surely be the most outstanding and remarkable. ¡°After all, I am so outstanding. So my kids won¡¯t be any less.¡± Bruce was smug and boasted. When Joanna heard this, she was a little speechless. ¡°Bruce, please don¡¯t be so narcissistic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not narcissistic. I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± As he spoke, Bruce felt dizzy and subconsciously held his head. ¡°Uh. Ouch¡­¡± Seeing this, Joanna panicked and asked with concern, ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m fine. My head hurts a little.¡± Bruce¡¯s entire head hurt badly. He subconsciously reached out and rubbed his temples. Unfortunately, it was useless. The two microchips in his brain had not been taken out yet. These two microchips caused him to have a headache from time to time. Moreover, when he felt pain, he really had a splitting headache and wanted to chop off his head with a knife. Previously, when Aria was around, she would give Bruce some psychotherapy when he had a headache. ¡°Let me give you a massage.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. You don¡¯t have any strength in your hands. Don¡¯t hurt the fetus again.¡± ¡°Then get a physical therapist to give you a massage.¡± ¡°Well. Okay.¡± Bruce also hired a few physical therapists to massage his head a provide psychotherapy whenever he had a headache. Unfortunately, none of these physical therapists were to his liking. A moment passed. Bruce was lying on a specialized physiotherapy bed. A physical therapist was focused on massaging his head. ¡°Use more strength. Didn¡¯t you eat?¡± Bruce¡¯s head hurt badly. In addition, the physical therapist always pressed the wrong position, making Bruce even more frustrated. Naturally, Bruce could not suppress his temper. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m sorry!¡± When the physical therapist heard this, he became even more nervous. His hands trembled as he massaged Bruce¡¯s head. The more his hands trembled, the more inurate the position he pressed. After the physical therapist massaged Bruce¡¯s head for a few more minutes, Bruce¡¯s head hurt even more. Then Bruce said, ¡°Well. You can stop now. You may leave.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°All of you can leave too.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± The physical therapists were trembling in fear. Seeing that Bruce had lost his temper, they were even more at a loss. Actually, they had already used a lot of strength. But unfortunately, they still couldn¡¯t hit the right spots. ¡°Get a few more physical therapists, the most professional and top-notch ones.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Everett.¡± Two days passed. The butler came over with a newly hired physical therapist. ¡°Mr. Everett, this is the newly hired physical therapist. She is a disciple of the renowned therapy master. Her name is Miya Rhodes. She¡¯s good at psychotherapy and muscle rxation.¡± Bruce looked up and saw a beautiful young woman standing in him. She was wearing a white coat and silver-rimmed sses, look refined and professional. ¡°Why is it a woman?¡± Bruce frowned. Since a long time ago, his secretaries and special assistants were all men. He had used female secretaries before. But every female secretary or female special assistant seemed to harbor romantic intentions toward Bruce, openly or subtly attempting to get closer. Therefore, Bruce switched to hiring male staff. ¡°Although Miya is a youngdy, her technique is very professional. Why not let her give it a try?¡± Chapter 1245 Chapter 1245 Chapter 1245 When Bruce heard this, he picked up Miya¡¯s resume and looked at it. ¡°Introduce yourself.¡± ¡°My name is Miya Rhodes. I¡¯m 27 years old. I have a master¡¯s degre nursing from Comblin University. ¡°I¡¯m a senior physician at the National Academy of Medicine. I have bee working for four years.¡± Miya¡¯s resume was indeed outstanding. Bruce looked up at Miya again. Miya¡¯s eyes were clear, and her posture was neither servile nor overbearing. She was also very young and beautiful. ¡°Not bad. But the job isn¡¯t suitable for you,¡± Bruce said to Miya. ¡°Next.¡± Bruce put down Miya¡¯s resume and called the next interviewee. When Miya heard this, she frowned slightly. She had never expected to be passed over. ¡°Mr. Everett, I can see that your cheeks are flushed, and the whites of your eyes have a yellowish tint. You must have suffered from headaches and insomnia for a long time. ¡°I specialize in psychotherapy, and I¡¯m also proficient in traditional medicine treatments. I¡¯m also very good at relieving headaches, insomnia, mental weakness, and so on.¡± Miya tried her best to fight for an opportunity. Bruce indeed had all the symptoms she mentioned. However, Bruce was reluctant to ept a female physiotherapist at his side. After all, physiotherapists were supposed to have physical contact with him. Besides massaging his head, sometimes they needed to provide full-body massages and more. Although Bruce would not lose control, it was still inconvenient. ¡°Next.¡± Bruce did not even raise his head as he continued to call for the next interviewee. When the servant heard this, she immediately went forward to lead Miya out. ¡°Miss Rhodes, this way please.¡± Miya¡¯s eyes darkened. She was a little disappointed. But she was not discouraged. The task her grandfather had given her was difficult and not easy to aplish. She needed to be patient. Miya packed her resume and was about to leave. The office door was pushed open and Joanna slowly walked in with her big belly. Bruce looked up and quickly got up from the leather swivel chair. ¡°Joann, why are you here?¡± ¡°I just came to take a look. How¡¯s it going? Have you found a suitable physical therapist?¡± ¡°There are still a few applicants behind. I¡¯ll interview them personallyter.¡± Many people came to apply for the job. And many people had been eliminated in the previous rounds. By the time they reached Bruce¡¯s stage, they were already quite exceptional. ¡°Is that so?¡± Joanna asked casually and walked past Miya. Miya subconsciously stood still and sized up Joanna. Coincidentally, Joanna¡¯s stomach started to hurt again. ¡°Oh, ouch.¡± ¡°Joann, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce quickly put his arm around Joanna¡¯s shoulder and looked nervous. ¡°My stomach hurts a little. This baby is really too active.¡± Joanna had a bitter expression. Having been pregnant three times, this particr child was the one causing Joanna the most trouble. Early morning sickness and violent fetal movements in the middle stages made her seem like she was pregnant with a beast. When she was pregnant with triplets, it wasn¡¯t even this hard. The fetal movements weren¡¯t even this strong. She was really worried that this child, once born, might be a half-human, half-beast little troublemaker. ¡°Hurry up and call the family doctor over.¡± Seeing this, Bruce immediately instructed the servant. When Miya heard this, she realized that her chance hade. She quickly turned around and said with a calm and professional expression, ¡°Mrs. Everett¡¯s symptoms are likely due to malposition of the fetus baby may have the umbilical cord wrapped around, causing oxygen-deficient fetal movements.¡± When Bruce and Joanna heard this, they both looked at Miya in shoc They had assumed the active fetal movements were a sign of a lively baby. They didn¡¯t realize there was this exnation. Miya¡¯s eyes darkened and she said solemnly, ¡°I know some massages that can correct the position of the fetus and prevent the umbilical cord from wrapping around the baby¡¯s neck. ¡°In a situation like Mrs. Everett¡¯s, it¡¯s useless to find a doctor. We can only correct the fetal position through massage.¡± When Bruce heard that, he immediately believed half of it. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± Joanna¡¯s stomach was kicked a few more times by the baby. It was so painful that she broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°I can try it now. It can quickly and effectively alleviate Mrs. Everett¡¯s situation.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± Bruce waved at Miya, indicating for her toe over and give it a try. Joannay down on the sofa nearby. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Miya walked over and asked the servant beside her for a nursing box. Then, she professionally took out a nursing glove and sprayed alcohol on it to disinfect it. Then, she poured some essential oil. After rubbing her hands together to warm them up, Miya began to massage Joanna¡¯s belly. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a set of prenatal massages for Mrs. Everett.¡± After saying that, Miya rubbed Joanna¡¯s belly ten times clockwise and then counterclockwise. She tapped and pressed several important points on Joanna¡¯s belly. Her technique looked very professional. Of course, Miya was indeed a professional. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been Marcus¡¯s personal therapist. With Miya¡¯s massage, Joanna felt a warm sensation in her belly. And she felt unprecedentedly The fetal movement had also decreased significantly. ¡°Honey, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I feel much better. My stomach doesn¡¯t hurt so much anymore.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Miya in admiration. ¡°Well. Looks like you¡¯re quite professional,¡± Bruce said to Miya. ¡°Let her stay and work for you,¡± Bruce said and looked at Joanna affectionately. Miya was indeed capable and had enough education. While Bruce didn¡¯t need her services, she could be of use to Joanna. ¡°Miss Rhodes, you¡¯ve been hired. Pleasee over next week to settle the employment procedures.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 1246 Chapter 1246 Chapter 1246 ¡°We already have so many nursing staff at home. Do we really need another one?¡± Joanna was still a little worried. After all, there were too many servants at home. There was really no need to hire another one. Bruce chuckled and said, ¡°Of course we need. How can I bear to let you suffer? Since she can be of help, let¡¯s keep her.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The next day arrived. Miya came over to settle the employment procedures. The butler carefully exined the job requirements to Miya. The butler said, ¡°Miss Rhodes, your daily responsibility will be taking care of Mrs. Everett¡¯s prenatal needs. The probation period is seven days. After seven days, if it¡¯s a good fit, we will sign a formal agreement. ¡°Your basic sry is 17.4 thousand dors. After the probation period, the sry will be adjusted. There will still be sry during the probation period.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Miya nodded. ¡°Then you can familiarize yourself with the workflow with the foreman today.¡± ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± Miya nodded respectfully. At the same time, she swore in her heart and thought inwardly, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely fulfill yourst wish.¡± A while passed. The butler called Linda over and said, ¡°Linda, this is the new caregiver. Please take care of the arrangements for her.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Miss Rhodes, this is Linda. She¡¯s also the foreman in charge of the personnel department. From now on, she¡¯ll be in charge of arranging work for you.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Generally, entering the Everett family to work was a stringent process. Even if one had rich work experience elsewhere, he still had to undergo training when he came to the Everett family. Moreover, the probation period was especially long. It would take at least half a year. After the probation period, the formal contract would be signed. Of course, even for a servant in the Everett family, the sry and benefits were the highest in the industry. Then the night came. Joanna was wearing loose silk pajamas and lying on her side on the bed. Bruce was lying next to her, listening to the fetal movements from time to time. Bruce said, ¡°Sweetie, be good in there. Don¡¯t make your mommy ufortable. Otherwise, I might really give you a spanking.¡± Bruce spoke earnestly to Joanna¡¯s belly. Joanna was speechless. ¡°It would be strange if the baby could understand what you¡¯re saying now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the baby can understand. Otherwise, why would you do prenatal education?¡± ¡°I really have to hand it to you. Hurry up and sleep.¡± Joanna smiled helplessly. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Anyway, when she was pregnant, Bruce seemed to be on high alert. The child had not been born yet. The maternity doctor, nurse, nutritionist, prenatal teacher, and the child¡¯s nanny had all been arranged. ¡°Oh, what should we name this baby?¡± ¡°Well. Let¡¯s call this baby Felicity,¡± Bruce replied without hesitation. ¡°Felicity. This baby will have felicity and bring felicity to you, me, and our children.¡± Bruce could not help but want to sing. He hadn¡¯t been so happy in a long time. The family was happy and harmonious. They were about to wee the joy of a new life, and they felt truly happy and fulfilled. Joanna frowned. a girl¡¯s name!¡± auckled and replied. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve already scoretly asked the This baby is a girl. uture, she can apany Lilia. I hope socanbbo as sweet and Lilia.¡± banna heard this, she was still a little surprisedd CreatYou finally t you wanted. You have another daughter.¡± you. honey. I love you.¡± Bruce said and kissed doannas dorehead, chin, and mouth. annoying!¡± ¡®Do you love me?¡± Bruce hugged Joanna domineeringlyy. at pregnant. Bruce wouldn¡¯t have been able to controbhisself val shave started teasing her. Now that Joanna was pregnann BBruce aivire strain himself. velicave one alone.¡± you dowruntove me?¡± ?y?¡±okay?¡± ortoru too!¡± arrived.rived. keep the edit exciting news. He had already told everyone that t a girl. Heroldnoukin¡¯t control his excitement at all. hat really a girl ingin in your belly?¡± y says so, then it¡¯s prota probably true.¡± Joanna stroked her belly not dare no imagine thine that such an active little baby was ally have a sister¡± irvin¡¯s fate sacelwas also filled with excitement. nees, I¡¯ll buy hena loerd of beautiful dresses.¡± C-80 60 Idren sier ly lo ¡°Honey, after this baby is born, I¡¯ll definitely go for a vasectomy. We won¡¯t have another child in the future.¡± Joanna sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to give birth anymore. Five children are really enough.¡± The family was having a good time. Linda walked over with Miya. ¡°Mrs. Everett, Miya is here to perform the prenatal exercises for you.¡± ¡°Well, okay,¡± Joanna replied. Joanna thought inwardly, ¡°Doing these exercises now will make it easier for a natural deliveryter on. I¡¯ve already had two C-sections. I really hope I ?can have a natural birth this time.¡± Then Joanna prepared to do the exercises with herrge belly. At the same time, she was encouraging herself to have a sessful natural delivery. Chapter 1247 Chapter 1247 Chapter 1247 Miya walked in humbly and then greeted Joanna. She said, ¡°Hello, Mrs. Everett.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Generally, a 20-minute session for the prenatal massage is the most effective. This duration ensures that it¡¯s neither too lengthy nor too brief.¡± ¡°Well. Alright.¡± Joannay down on the specially made nursing bed. After Miya hadpleted the disinfection process, she began to focus on massaging Joanna¡¯s belly. ¡°Please follow me and take a deep breath. Absorb and exhale¡­¡± Joanna listened to the instructions and cooperated with Miya. It was very soon. The 20-minute prenatal massage waspleted. Bruce had been watching from the side and asked with concern, ¡°Joann, how¡¯s the effect?¡± ¡°Well. My stomach is hot andfortable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± A smile appeared on Bruce¡¯s handsome face. He leaned gently on Joanna¡¯s belly and chatted with the baby. He said, ¡°Be good, sweetie. You¡¯ve been doing well these two days. Don¡¯t disturb your mommy again. Do you understand?¡± When Joanna heard this, she was speechless and smiled happily. ¡°Alright. Are you done? You only say these few words every day.¡± ¡°This is called prenatal memory education. As you see, I talk to the baby every day, and she understands. She hasn¡¯t been making a fuss these past few days, right?¡± Bruce shamelessly imed credit. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s all thanks to you, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all my doing. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day. I¡¯ll walk with you in the yard and get some fresh air.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ruce gently supported Joanna with a doting expressioon. liva watched from the side and was a little surprised.d. heBruch her grandpa talked about was a sinister, cunninin and asarupulous person. driclesbined with Bruce¡¯s image in the media reports Mijayathd av sthought that Bruce would be the kind of dark, duli, tinsmomiling, lcususcicious, and extremely difficult man to get along withth. Expereitity. Bruce was actually a warm and doting man in privavar¨¦l¨¦le drond with his wife. Is ambervond Miva¡¯s expectations. ite walked dimound the garden with Joanna and suddenly felt a adache.e as asuf someone had poked his nerves with a needle, causing him to staan. ich! ing this. Joaanawanslshocked. What¡¯s wrong? Is your head hurting e in?¡± 5. A little.¡± Il the doctor quicidyt! ing this. Miya huntedhiwanidorward. Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett ow how to rx musdick and psychotherapy. I can help Mr. Evere eve the pain¡±). ten Bruce heard that, he sub bonsciously nced at Miya. ya looked into his eyes indifferently. reyes were very clear. She didi dodeleliberately curry favor or grovel. uce, let Miss Rhodes try right. Ler¡¯s give it a try.¡± While passed. die ace returned to the room and day down the nursing bed: Miya gan to massage his head. 99.00 hapter 12:17- sk¨¦refidcriblerand powerful fingers urately pressed bonBruce¡¯s head, he effect was really remarkable. In less than five minutessinggreatly elievered is is headache. ruce wasastidil dittle surprised. He thought that a girl like Miygawwohldn¡¯t ave/nuichtstrength in her fingers. However, he didid not expect her technique to be so good. Of course, massaging alstscorequired technique. The more urate the points ble ressext.dheilekssst strength was needed. had been loligsisince Bruce felt sofortable. In addition hae ad been suffering frornis omnia recently. Therefore, under Miyals¡¯s assage, Bracionally fell asleep unknowingly. liya looked at Bruques steeping face. hen Miya subcmusciciosisly massaged Bruce¡¯s shoulders and neck with er fingers.¡¯s. It this moment, as long asas/Miya quickly grabbed his throat and shed ard, she could immediately avenge her grandfather. lowever, she still suppresses chinelling intent in her heart. his was because she only had dreieichaice. She was not sure if she could nake it. Moreover, ever if sheenaade it would be difficult for he scape from the Everett mansicionicletaionesescape death. herefore. Miya dispelled the epistsein her heart. Now, she had t atient to gain Bruce¡¯s trustst. In hour passed. ruce stretched her waist and finallylwoke pipCOh, how long have been sleep?¡± Mr. Everett, you¡¯ve slept for an hour.¡±My vaioice was respectful and old, without much emotion. truce moved and asked, ¡°Have you been massasigingofon more than an lour?¡± That¡¯s right.¡± Well. Thank you. You can go now.¡± Alright. Miya stood up slowly and nodded slightly to bimuel Then she 09.00 DT) Chapter 1247 turned around and left the nursing room. Miya¡¯s posture was dedicated and professional. Other than that, she did not overstep or do anything beyond her job scope. This made Bruce admire her. In Bruce¡¯s eyes, a woman had to have self-respect and love herself before she could gain the respect of a man. ¡°How is it? Is your head feeling better?¡± Joanna pushed the door open and. walked in. ¡°I saw that you were asleep just now. I didn¡¯t dare toe in and disturb you. I was afraid of waking you up.¡± ¡°How could that happen?¡± ¡°What time is it?¡± It¡¯s a little after 5 PM now.¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m going to tidy up a bit now. I have to go to the office tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright. You haven¡¯t been to thepany for a long time. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on now.¡± Joanna was also a little worried. ¡°Haha. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. The days finally seemed to be peaceful and normal. The family was immersed in the joy of weing a new life. Chapter 1248 Chapter 1248 Chapter 1248 Joanna was in the garden. Miranda supported Joanna and walked on thewn. ¡°It¡¯s almost seven months now. And in two more months, you¡¯ll be giving birth. Joann, considering your current condition, having a vaginal delivery would be the best option. ¡°Nowadays, with epidural anesthesia, the pain for mothers during childbirth is greatly reduced. It¡¯s much better than our generation, where giving birth felt like enduring half a lifetime of suffering.¡± Joanna smiled slightly. ¡°I think so too. I want to do more exercise recently to help with childbirth.¡± She had already done two C-sections. Moreover, it had only been less than three years since she gave birth to Devin. C-section was too harmful to the body. Miranda looked kindly at Joanna¡¯s belly again. ¡°It¡¯s only been seven months, but your belly is already so big. It looks like twins. Could it be twins?¡± ¡°Haha. No. It¡¯s a single child this time. It¡¯s not that easy to get with twins.¡± They continued talking. The sound of a car came from the direction of the garage. ¡°I think Mr. Everett is back.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Joanna and Miranda walked toward the house. Bruce had already finished work. ¡°You¡¯re back. You got off work so early today?¡± ¡°Well. I came back earlier to apany you.¡± Bruce was already semi-retired now. Thepany¡¯s work was basically handed over to a professional management team. Sometimes, he woulde back at four or five in the afternoon. ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± ¡°Pretty good.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Back to the house.¡± Joanna smiled gently. ¡°I made dumplings today. I also made spaghetti for you. You can eat when the childrene home.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked nervous. ¡°Well. With your belly this big now, you shouldn¡¯t be doing these things anymore. You need to rest more. What if something happens to the baby?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not tiring to do this. It¡¯s always good to move more. ¡°Are you hungry now? If you are, I can go prepare some small dishes for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, honey.¡± ¡°Then wait for me. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Joanna prepared to make the dishes. ¡°Ouch.¡± The nerves in Bruce¡¯s brain suddenly pricked, and his head began to hurt again. Over the past few days, his headache had been acting up more and more frequently. Previously, it only acted up once every five to six days would act up every two to three days. After Joanna saw this, her heart tightened. ¡°Is your head hurting ag ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°If it hurt, let¡¯s perform a craniotomy and take out microchips,¡± Miran interjected. Miranda and Joanna were as close as mother and daughter, so she knew about Bruce¡¯s situation. Joanna¡¯s expression froze. She was extremely nervous. Bruce had already undergone two craniotomies. This was not like cutting a watermelon. Bruce couldn¡¯t undergo the procedure again and again. Moreover, the craniotomy was very dangerous and the aftereffects were very serious. The recovery period was also very long. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Joanna definitely did not want Bruce to undergo another craniotomy. ¡°You make it sound so easy. This is a craniotomy, not a melon-cutting operation.¡± Joanna looked at Bruce with heartache and worry. Furthermore, craniotomies could easily lead to memory loss. identally touching a certain nerve during the procedure could result in cognitive impairment or worse. Bruce had experienced cognitive issues after his previous craniotomy. Considering another one was also risky for potential effects on the brain. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s wait until it¡¯s absolutely necessary and assess the situation to make the decision,¡± Bruce responded. ¡°Miranda, go call Miya over to give Bruce a massage.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Miya had been working in the Everett mansion for more than a month. Bruce and Joanna were very satisfied with her. Miya was meticulous, focused, and professional. She was more outstanding than all the other nurses. After a while, Miya came over. She greeted Bruce and asked, ¡°Mr. Everett, is there anything you need?¡± ¡°I have a headache. Give me a head massage.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Just as Miya was about to massage Bruce¡¯s head, Darcy walked in. ¡°Mr. Everett, I need to talk to you about something.¡± Bruce turned to look at Darcy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Darcy?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, I want to apply for leave.¡± Darcy¡¯s personality was too wooden and taciturn. Even normal ¡°Take leave? For how many days?¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯d like to ask for a month.¡± When Bruce heard this, he looked at Darcy in disbelief. ¡°Why did you take so long?¡± rcy blushed and stammeeech,¡± II.. n to marry Grace.¡± h, that¡¯s a good thingy Wheenddoyyou n to get married?¡± a the ninth of next month.¡± nen Bruce heard this, hechuakhich He seemed to have forgotten about headache. ¡°Well. Congrattions Whenever you want to take the ie off, just n ahead.¡± hank you, Mr. Everett nna was also very happy to heartat. Waat wonderful news! After 1 get married, make sure to treat Gracevell. Don¡¯t ever mistreat her.¡± iha.¡± Darcy smiled innocently antibodeebeenbarrassed. on¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a good thing if that stubborggirl doesn¡¯t give him a rd time.¡± Bruce quipped with a yful tonee ow about this? I¡¯ll give you a two-month biggvacation and pay you cordingly. I¡¯ll also prepare a wedding gifforyou.You can go on a good neymoon.¡± hank you. Mr. Everett.¡± ice had always been forthright and generous. hough Darcy was a bodyguard, he was already worthhoover290 Hars. Moreover, Bruce had given him two mansions spreviously mnouldn¡¯t stop smiling with joy. ¡°I¡¯ll call Grace now.¡± baat moment, a notification sound could be heard.l. bore joanna.could make the call, her phone rang first. aasjaydorwho called her. Tom¡¯s giboomy and mncholic voice came from the other end of thee me. Jaam are you busy?¡± a left, takkinggi davidon¡¯s heart with her. ringathiisoridokk of time, Jaydon had been trying to contact Aria buttoo avail.!. ¡°I was just about to call Grace.¡± Chapter 1249 Chapter 1249 Chapter 1249 ¡°Jay, Grace¡¯s wedding is a traditional wedding or a modern wedding¡­¡± Before Joanna could finish speaking, Jaydon interrupted her stiffly. He said, ¡°Joann, I have something to ask Bruce.¡± Joanna was stunned and subconsciously looked at Bruce. ¡°Oh, wait a moment. I¡¯ll let him answer the phone,¡± Joanna replied. As she spoke, Joanna handed the phone to Bruce. ¡°Jay said that he wants to talk to you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he raised his eyebrows and looked a little impatient. Bruce thought inwardly, ¡°This bastard can just call me directly. Why does he have to look for me through Joanna? ¡°He clearly wants to take the opportunity to seduce my wife.¡± ¡°Hello. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bruce picked up the phone. His tone was very unpleasant. Jaydon¡¯s breathing almost stopped. ¡°Bruce, I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°Speak your mind.¡± ¡°Well. I haven¡¯t contacted Miss Bridges in a long time. I want to ask you that is there any other way to contact her?¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice was a little heavy. It was obvious that he was really worried. Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard that. During this period of time, he deliberately did not think about Aria. Unexpectedly, Jaydon came to inquire about her. ¡°If you can¡¯t even contact her, how can I?¡± Jaydon frowned and said in a tired voice, ¡°Bruce, please help me contact Miss Bridges. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying all sorts of ways to find her, but I can¡¯t get in touch with her no matter what. I¡¯m really worried about her.¡± Jaydon¡¯s voice became even more anxious. Jaydon was a top hacker. Even he couldn¡¯t find Aria. She was probably really in danger. Bruce replied impatiently, ¡°Jaydon, I¡¯ve already told you. If you can¡¯t contact her, I can¡¯t either. ¡°If you¡¯re asking about her, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± When Jaydon heard this, his voice suddenly became agitated. ¡°Bruce, Miss Bridges has helped you so many times. How can you be so indifferent? You clearly know that she left in a huff. She might lose her life. Do you know that?¡± Bruce¡¯s throat tightened. He was still extremely annoyed. He had already persuaded Aria no less than ten times and repeatedly asked her to stay. However, Aria was extremely stubborn and insisted on taking the risk. Bruce had no choice. ¡°You know the special nature of Miss Bridges¡¯s work. Maybe she¡¯s already¡­¡± Jaydon felt a lump in his throat. He couldn¡¯t bear to continue. He was really worried about Aria. Men probably had thismon problem. The harder it was to get a woman, the more they cherished her. Joanna was difficult to pursue, so she became the first love in Ja heart. Aria was equally difficult to woo, so she naturally won Jaydon¡¯s hea Jaydon felt that he had really fallen in love with Aria. Other than Joal he had never cared about someone so much. Bruce calmed down and said resentfully, ¡°I really don¡¯t know where she went, let alone contact her.¡± Jaydon clearly didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°How is that possible? There must be a special connection between the two of you. ¡°Or can you ask about Aria through your department? I¡¯m begging you. I really just want to confirm if she¡¯s safe¡± ¡°I can¡¯t find her even if you ask me a hundred times. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you. I really can¡¯t reach her.¡± Sometimes, agents like them would go on missions. For various reasons, they might lose contact with the organization for a year or so. Under such circumstances, the organization had no choice. Other than waiting for agents to return automatically, there was no other way to contact them. ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± Jaydon sounded extremely depressed. ¡°I really just wanted to make sure she was safe.¡± Bruce thought for a moment and said solemnly, ¡°I only know that she went to South Elmerton. I really don¡¯t know anything else.¡± ¡°South Elmerton?¡± Jaydon¡¯s mind exploded. ¡°I expect so. Before she left, she told me she was going to South Elmerton. I¡¯m not exactly sure if she went.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he was still extremely angry. ¡°Bruce, why didn¡¯t you stop her? ¡°You clearly knew that she would be in danger¡­¡± When Bruce heard this, he was furious. ¡°Are you fucking crazy? ¡°How do you know I didn¡¯t stop her? She is so stubborn. Will she listen to me?¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡­¡± Jaydon sighed helplessly. Bruce was not a good-tempered person. Since Bruce said he didn¡¯t know, he probably really didn¡¯t know. ¡°I¡¯m really impressed. I couldn¡¯t keep her. I didn¡¯t expect you to be unable to keep her either. This is bad. Ari is definitely in big trouble.¡± ¡°Stop nagging at me,¡± Bruce said and hung up the phone angrily. Joanna listened by the side with a solemn expression. Although the phone was not on speaker, she still heard that it was about Aria. If Aria put her mind to Jaydon, Joanna would be happy to wish them well and be friends with Aria. However, the key was that Aria was always staring at Bruce. It was as if she had made up her mind. This really annoyed Joanna to death. ¡°Why is Jay calling?¡± Joanna asked knowingly, wanting to see Bruce¡¯s current attitude. Bruce sighed heavily and replied, ¡°Well. Ignore that bastard.¡± ¡°Is this about Aria again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention her. Just mentioning her makes me angry.¡± Bruce frowned. His expression was intriguing. Joanna¡¯s expression froze, and her mood instantly changed from sunny to gloomy. She could tell from Bruce¡¯s reaction that he was still worried about Aria. ¡°Bruce, do you think I¡¯m too selfish?¡± ¡°How can that be? What are you thinking?¡± Joanna lowered her eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯re very worried about Aria. Do whatever you want.¡± Seeing Joanna¡¯s expression change, Bruce quickly hugged her andforted her. He said, ¡°Joann, are your thoughts running wild again? ¡°What she wants to do is her own business. I told you that I¡¯ll leave her alone.¡± When Joanna heard this, her heart was extremely heavy. She knew Bruce too well. If Aria really died this time, Bruce would have a guilty conscience for the rest of his life. Chapter 1250 Chapter 1250 Chapter 1250 ¡°Ouch.¡± Bruce subconsciously rubbed his temples again. Seeing this, Joanna asked with concern, ¡°Is your head hurting again?¡± ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t bear it anymore. Let Miya massage my head for me.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Bruce did not say anything else. He turned around and went to the physiotherapy room. A while passed. Miya came over to massage Bruce¡¯s head. His head was really hurting badly today. Fortunately, Miya¡¯s massage skills were very good. After a while, Bruce¡¯s headache eased and he gradually fell asleep. As Miya looked at Bruce¡¯s sleeping face, she was unconsciously lost in thought. Although she hated Bruce to the core and wanted revenge, she had to admit that Bruce was indeed very handsome. Moreover, he was really a very charming man. If Bruce hadn¡¯t caused Miya¡¯s grandfather¡¯s death, Miya would probably have been tempted by him. Miya¡¯s massaging hands gradually slowed down. And she began to massage Bruce¡¯s shoulders and arms. Her fingers brushed over every part of his body. It was really like a carefully carved sculpture. Miya was in a daze. ¡°Ah. Aria¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s entire body trembled. He suddenly woke up from the nightmare and subconsciously grabbed Miya¡¯s hand. Miya was shocked. ¡°Mr. Everett, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart was pounding and he was covered in cold sweat. After a few seconds, he gradually regained consciousness and hurriedly let go of Miya¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Miya smiled gently at him. ¡°Mr. Everett, did you have a nightmare?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Bruce took a deep breath andy back down. His heart was still pounding. He had just had a very scary dream. Bruce dreamed that Aria fell off a cliff and was devoured by countless pythons. He went to save her and then also slid down the cliff. ¡°Dreams are all reversed,¡± Miya said as she began to stand beside Bruce again, concentrating on massaging his arm. Now, Miya had basically gained the couple¡¯s trust. She could slowly implement the second step of the n. Bruce didn¡¯t say anything. This dream was very inauspicious. He had a feeling that Aria was definitely in big trouble. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Joanna knocked on the door and pushed it open. Miya was originally massaging Bruce¡¯s arm. When she saw Joanna enter, she subconsciously retreated to the head of the bed. As soon as Joanna saw this, her expression froze. ¡°Are you still getting a massage?¡± ¡°Well. Right.¡± Bruce stilly down and did not get up. Miya had exceptional skills, whether massaging his head or other parts. It was all done professionally and felt very rxing. Recently, Bruce felt a little tired. He really enjoyed Miya¡¯s massage technique. Therefore, he did not refuse when Miya massaged his shoulders, back, and even legs. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I just heard you scream outside,¡± Joanna asked. ¡°Mr. Everett just had a nightmare,¡± Miya replied. ¡°What kind of nightmare?¡± Bruce replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a dream. ¡°Is dinner ready?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready. It¡¯s time to eat,¡± Joanna said. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Bruce stretchedzily, stood up, and followed Joanna to the dining room. Joanna took a deep breath and felt a little suffocated. Actually, massaging was not something out of line. However, Joanna had watched the news. There were many ways to massage. Even if there was nothing to do, Miya could still cause trouble. Although Miya looked very well-behaved, Joanna still felt that something was wrong. Then they arrived at the dining room. The family of six gathered around the table and prepared to eat. ¡°I just called Grace. They said they¡¯re holding a wedding at Enigrove Church. I¡¯m going to help her pick out wedding dresses and wedding gift in two days.¡± ¡°Just let the servants do this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more sincere to do it yourself.¡± ¡°Joann¡­¡± Bruce looked deeply at Joanna and hesitated. That dream just now was so inauspicious. To be honest, Bruce was really worried that something had happened to Aria. However, Joanna was about to give birth. Even if Bruce knew that Aria was in danger, he would not abandon Joanna and save Aria. ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Joanna asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll keep moving around. It may affect the baby¡± Joanna replied, ¡°That won¡¯t happen. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. During the meal, although Bruce was chatting andughing with the children, Joanna could tell that he was troubled. ¡°It¡¯s almost seven months now. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to get any more prenatal massages. I¡¯ve also asked the doctor. It¡¯s not suitable for massages this month,¡± Joanna said casually. ¡°Well, and?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for a prenatal massage. Miya can be reassigned to a different position.¡± Joanna¡¯s words were already very obvious. She wanted to fire Miya. Bruce was stunned and looked at Joanna in confusion. Chapter 1251 "What do you think?" Joanna picked up a bite of food for Bruce with a fork. Bruce''s eyes shifted and immediately realized that Joanna was probably jealous. Joanna was probably worried that he would have a scandal with Miya. After all, Bruce used to be a seasoned yboy. It was understandable that Joanna was worried about him. When Bruce was in his early twenties, he was young and impetuous. His view of rtionships had yet to be set. Besides, men would always be tempted by luxury cars and beautiful women. However, men would slowly grow up. After that age, they would slowly be fixed. These things were no longer attractive. Bruce pondered for a few seconds. Bruce smiled and said, "Oh, sure. I''ll fire her tomorrow." After saying that, he lowered his head and ate casually. Joanna was stunned. She thought Bruce would try his best to make Miya stay. Bruce buried his head in his food and added, "In the future, you can decide on these small matters yourself. You don''t have to discuss it with me." "I''m just worried about not having a better physical therapist. I''m afraid you''ll..." "It doesn''t matter. There are so many physical therapists. We can recruit more." "I''m afraid you might get too ustomed to her and be reluctant to switch," Joanna said with a hint of sarcasm. Joanna thought inwardly, "When this guy bes evil, what bad things can he not do?" In Joanna''s view, before they reconciled, Bruce had been living a carefree life. Perhaps Bruce had been enjoying himself every night and staying with beautiful women every night. "Haha. Except for my wife and kids, I wouldn''t mind changing anyone else." Bruce still had the desire to live. His words were filled with loyalty and love. "Alright. Then I''ll really make the decision." "Alright." The next day arrived.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Gael called Miya to his office and informed her with a serious expression, "Miss Rhodes, I''m sorry that you didn''t pass the probation period. "You''re working until this Friday." When Miya heard this, her eyebrows twitched and her face instantly darkened. She thought inwardly, "Why does he suddenly fire me out of nowhere?" "Don''t worry. I''ll pay you ording to the full month. You can hand over your work now and prepare to leave." Entering the Everett mansion to work was very strict. Even if Miya passed the interview, she had to have a probationary period of at least half a year. Therefore, she was not fired now. She simply did not pass the probation period and did not sign an official employee contract. "Well. Can I ask why?" "The job requirements don''t match. I''m sorry," Gael replied politely and officially. "Oh, alright. I see." "Then that''s it. Hand over the work as soon as possible," Gael replied. He did not say anything else. After handing over the handover form to Miya, he stood up and left. Miya held the handover form and her hand trembled slightly. She thought inwardly, "The deadline is next week. It means I can only stay for three days at most." After all, the Everett family was a top-notch wealthy family. Even if an ordinary servant resigned, he still had to sign a confidentiality agreement. Especially for someone like Miya who came into close contact with her employer, she had to sign a lot of confidentiality agreements and not reveal any of her employer''s privacy. She also had to hand in her employee card and remove her fingerprint card and so on. Therefore, the procedures could not bepleted in a day. It was two o''clock in the afternoon. Miya came over to see Joanna as usual. "Mrs. Everett, it''s time for the prenatal massage." Joanna was taking a walk in the garden with Miranda. When she saw Miya, her expression froze slightly. "No need. The doctor said that I''m at ater stage of pregnancy. The baby is very stable now. There''s no need for any more prenatal massages." "That''s true. It''s already been seven months. The baby can already survive," Miya replied. Her eyes stared at Joanna''s belly. Hearing this, Joanna felt a chill run down her spine. "Well. I don''t need to get any more prenatal massages. You can go ahead and focus on your tasks." "Okay, Mrs. Everett." Then the night came. After Bruce returned, he went straight into the office to handle his work. As soon as Bruce turned on theputer, Miya knocked on the door and entered. "Can I help you?" Miya looked at him bitterly. "Mr. Everett, I''m here to bid you farewell. Today is thest time I''ll massage your head." When Bruce heard this, he frowned. "Oh, no need." "Mr. Everett, did I not do my job well enough?" "No. You''re very outstanding," Bruce said as he sat back in front of theputer. Miya looked straight at him. Her eyes were filled with doubt and unwillingness. "Mr. Everett, let me serve you again." Bruce was even more upset when he heard that. Actually, Miya''s massage technique was very good. And she was also very well-behaved. However, since Joanna didn''t like Miya, there was no need for Bruce toplicate matters. "There''s no need. You can leave now." "Mr. Everett..." Miya hesitated and refused to leave. Bruce frowned slightly. "Is there anything else?" "Can I go to work at Everett Group?" "Well, I''m not sure what positions thepany needs now. You can submit your resume to the personnel department." When Miya heard this, she knew that it waspletely hopeless. "Alright. Sorry to disturb you." Miya nodded slightly and left the office. The moment she closed the door, her eyes suddenly darkened. Originally, Miya wanted to slow down her n and slowly infiltrate the Everett family. Then she wouldpletely destroy the Everett family. But now, it seemed that the n had to be brought forward. Chapter 1252 The next day arrived. Bruce got up early in the morning and prepared to go to thepany. "It''s Friday today. I''ll go to thepany. Starting tomorrow, I won''t go to thepany anymore. I''m prepared to apany you on maternity leave." When Joanna heard this, she smiled and looked at Bruce. "I''m giving birth, not you. Besides, it''s only been more than seven months now. I can''t give birth so quickly." "That won''t do. I have to apany you," Bruce said seriously. After all, during Joanna''s previous two pregnancies, due to various reasons, Bruce hadn''t been able to provide proper care andpanionship. This time, Bruce had already made a perfect n, from the time Joanna was about to give birth to the baby to the time she was in confinement. "Fine." Bruce smiled dotingly and kissed Joanna gently on the lips, then on the forehead. "I''m going, honey." "Okay. Be careful on the road." "Got it." Bruce put on his suit and stuffed the documents for the meeting into the briefcase before going to thepany. There was a shareholders'' meeting today. At the same time, Bruce also nned to retire behind the scenes and prepared to nurture a sessor to take over his work. Joanna was about to give birth. Bruce nned to take paternity leave to be with her. Then Bruce went to work. Joanna stretchedzily and prepared to get up. These recent days had been some of the happiest and most content moments. Although there were some small frictions, everything was developing in a good direction. After washing up, Joanna went downstairs for breakfast. "Good morning, Mrs. Everett," The servants greeted Joanna respectfully. "Good morning." Suddenly, Joanna''s phone rang. After breakfast, Grace called. "Hello, Grace," Joanna said after she answered the call. Grace''s angry voice came from the other end of the phone. "Joann, something bad has happened." Joanna was shocked and quickly asked, "What''s wrong?" "My brother is possessed. I don''t know what''s wrong with him. He insists on going to South Elmerton." "What? To South Elmerton?" "That''s right. He has already booked a ne ticket and is preparing to go tomorrow." When Joanna heard this, her mind went nk. "Why does he want to go to South Elmerton?" It seemed that Jaydon was going to South Elmerton to look for Aria. "Who knows what he''s doing? I''ve already said that there''s something wrong with his head." Grace sighed and said indignantly, "I''m getting married soon. I asked him to wait until I''m done with my wedding, but he refused to wait. I''m really impressed." "Don''t worry. I''ll call him and ask." "Alright. Hurry up and persuade him. I really can''t believe it. "He doesn''t even care about his own sister''s wedding. How can he be such a brother?" "Okay. I''ll call him now." "So be it." Then Joanna hung up the phone. Joanna carried her big belly and prepared to call Jaydon as she walked toward the garden. Nowadays, she would take a walk in the garden every morning when the sunlight was good, enjoying the fresh air. Then Joanna called Jaydon. "Hello. The number you have dialed is temporarily unanswered." Joanna sighed and murmured, "Why doesn''t Jay answer the call?" Miranda apanied Joanna for a walk and said with concern, "Joann, Mr. Grimm is an adult. He has his reasons for what he wants to do." Joanna was a little uneasy. She sighed and replied, "Jay went to South Elmerton. I was really worried that there would be danger." "Don''t worry. Take care of yourself now. It''s best not to interfere in other people''s matters. Mr. Grimm probably went to look for that Miss Bridges. Miss Bridges is not easy to deal with. Don''t provoke them again "Have a good life with Mr. Everett. That''s better than anything else." "Okay." Joanna nodded. She was still a little worried. "You are at ater stage of pregnancy now. So you have to pay extra attention to these things. Just walk twops. Don''t tire yourself out." Then they continued talking. Miya suddenly appeared and greeted Joanna with a smile, "Hello, Mrs. Everett." Joanna was shocked and looked at Miya suspiciously. "What''s the matter?" "I''m here to bid you farewell. "Starting tomorrow, I''m no longer an employee of the Everett family." Joanna frowned slightly when she heard that. Generally speaking, employees who were fired would no longer be allowed to enter the Everett mansion.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Miya used some unknown method to actuallye to the backyard again. "Well, goodbye. I wish you a bright future." "Thank you, Mrs. Everett. I also wish you a child soon." Miya smiled and took two steps forward. A strange fragrance wafted over. When Joanna smelled this fragrance, her stomach was immediately stimted and she vomited uncontrobly. "Joann, what''s wrong? Hurry up and drink some water to calm yourself down." Miranda quickly handed the water bottle to Joanna. "Ugh..." Joanna couldn''t bear the nausea in her stomach and bent over, vomiting uncontrobly. She vomited all the food she had eaten in the morning, but she still couldn''t stop the nausea. Miya sneered in her heart and put on a pretense. She said, "Oh, Mrs. Everett might have eaten something unclean. "Miranda, quickly call the doctor over. I''ll stop Mrs. Everett''s vomiting first." As Miya spoke, she walked over to Joanna. "Ugh..." Joanna smelled the fragrance on Miya''s body and felt even more nauseated, to the point where she was about to vomit bile. "Joann, are you okay? Someonee quickly!" Miranda did not dare to walk away. As she was vigorously patting Joanna''s back to induce vomiting, she hurriedly shouted for the servants toe over. Two or three caregivers hurriedly ran over. "What''s wrong with Mrs. Everett?" "Ugh..." "Hurry up and call the doctor. I''m afraid Mrs. Everett has a pregnancyplication and needs to be sent to the hospital." "Okay." "Ah!" After Joanna stopped vomiting with much difficulty, her stomach twisted in pain. It was so painful that she almost fainted. "Joann, what''s wrong?" "My stomach hurts." Joanna almost fainted from the pain. Miya looked professional as she checked Joanna''s belly. "Mrs. Everett, it seems you might have a pregnancyplication and could be at risk of prematurebor. We need to rush you to the hospital immediately." Chapter 1253 "I''ll call Mr. Everett and ask him toe back right now!" Miranda took out her phone in a panic as she said this. While massaging Joanna, Miya said calmly, "It''s useless to call Mr. Everett. Hurry up and send Mrs. Everett to the hospital. "She''s showing signs of miscarriage. If we don''t send her to the hospital now, it will be toote." Miya then turned to the servants in front of her and said, "Go tell the driver toe, get the delivery bag, and call the hospital right now!" The servants hurriedly nodded. "Got it." "Mrs. Everett, be careful. We''ll take you to the hospital first." Joanna couldn''t take the pain anymore. In addition, Miya had always been very professional. In such an emergency, she did not have time to give it much thought. A few nurses took Joanna''s arms and helped her into the ambnce. Bruce was afraid that his family would suddenly fall ill, so he had an ambnce at home. It was equipped with all the necessary medical instruments. After Joanna got into the ambnce, Miya followed the nurses into it as well. Bruce was now in a meeting with the shareholders in the conference room of Everett Group. "Next, thepany will focus on the following three businesses..." Before he could finish speaking, his phone suddenly buzzed. In the past, Bruce rarely answered calls when he was in a meeting, but ever since he got together with Joanna, he was worried that something would happen at home. So, his phone was usually turned on 24 hours a day. Bruce looked at his phone and saw that it was a call from home. "Hey!" Miranda''s trembling voice came from the other end of the phone, "Mr. Everett,e back now! Mrs. Everett showed signs of miscarriage. She is in much pain..." Before Miranda could finish, Bruce rose from the leather swivel chair in shock, causing the chair to hit the wall hard. "What did you just say?" "Mrs. Everett might have a miscarriage. Her belly is hurting badly now." Bruce''s heart skipped a beat. He said anxiously, "Send Joann to the hospital immediately. I''ll be right there." "Okay." After hanging up, Bruce said, "Today''s meeting is over." The shareholders and executives looked at each other in confusion. Before they could figure out what had happened, Bruce left the conference room in a hurry. "Ugh! It hurts! It hurts so much!" Joanna was in so much pain in the ambnce that she was drenched in sweat. "Joann, hold on. We''ll be at the hospital a whileter. Mr. Everett is rushing to the hospital too. You''ll be fine soon." Miranda sat beside Joanna and wiped her sweat anxiously. A nurse immediately gave Joanna a basic checkup to check on her blood pressure, blood sugar, and so on. The car whizzed out, heading to the hospital. Sherane Bay Vi was far from downtown. Therefore, it would take at least half an hour to reach Greyport Hospital. If there was a traffic jam, it might take 40 to 50 minutes. After the car drove out of the Everett family''s house, Miya pushed Miranda away. "Miranda, get up and let me give Mrs. Everett a massage." As she spoke, Miya ced her hand on Joanna''s belly and pressed hard on it. "Ah!" Joanna screamed in pain and almost fainted. "What... what are you doing?" Miya raised her eyebrows slightly with a sinister smile on the corners of her lips. "Mrs. Everett, you are showing signs of prematurebor. I''m afraid that the child will suffocate in your womb if I don''t help you give birth." When Joanna heard this, she immediately figured out what was going to happen and trembled all over. "You... Get out of the car!" Miranda also realized that something was wrong. "You bad woman, did you do something to Mrs. Everett?" "Driver, stop the car. Get this bad woman out of here." With a sneer on her face, Miya grabbed Miranda''s neck and twisted it. Miranda staggered and fell to her knees. Before she could resist, Miya lifted her up and broke her neck. Miranda copsed to the floor, her eyes wide open. "Ah!" A nurse screamed in fear. Seeing this, Joanna was so frightened that her scalp went numb. "Miranda! Miranda!" She struggled to sit up and looked up at Miya. "Who the hell are you? What are you going to do?" "Hum! I originally wanted to do it after you gave birth to the baby. Unfortunately, you began to suspect me, so I had to carry out my n ahead of schedule. You only have yourself to me!" "Ah! Don''te over!" the two nurses shouted desperately. Miya stretched out her arms to lift them up without difficulty as if she was holding two chicks and then twisted their necks. After two crisp sounds, the two nurses also fell to the ground and died. Joanna''s pupils constricted and her face turned pale from fright. "Uh..." "Squeak!" The driver heard themotion behind him and hurriedly stepped on the brakes. Then, he got out of the car and ran for his life. None of the Everett family''s bodyguards were with them, and only two nurses, Miranda, and Miya were in the car. "Wh-what are you doing?" As Joanna was fixed to the bed by the seatbelt, she could not move at all.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Miya smiled sinisterly and gently brushed her hand along Joanna''s belly. "Don''t be afraid. I''m only interested in the child in your womb. "Do you know what the children of the third-generation gically modified people mean?" Joanna''s head buzzed. She looked at Miya in horror and asked, "How... how did you know? Who the hell are you? Are you from District 17?" She thought that after District 17 was blown up, she and Bruce hadpletely gotten rid of the nightmare. No wonder it had been so peaceful during this period of time. It turned out that the people from District 17 had already targeted them. They did not make a move because they were waiting for the fetus in her womb to grow up. Chapter 1254 { "error": { "code": 401, "message": "Request had invalid authentication credentials. Expected OAuth 2 ess token, login cookie or other valid authentication credential. See https://developers.google/identity/sign-in/web/devconsole-project.", "errors": [ { "message": "Invalid Credentials", "domain": "global",Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "reason": "authError", "location": "Authorization", "locationType": "header" } ], "status": "UNAUTHENTICATED" } } Chapter 1255 Chapter 1255 Chapter 1255 Bruce crawled from the passenger seat to the driver¡¯s seat, but his mind was a mess. He was so nervous that his hands were trembling, and he could not start the car. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± He was really going crazy, He no longer felt pain in his heart but nkness and insanity. He only knew that he had to send Joanna to the hospital as soon as possible, but his hands and brain did not listen to hismands at all. ¡°Vroom, vroom, vroom!¡± Several cars drove over. The Everett family¡¯s bodyguards rushed over and jumped out of the cars one after another. The police officers also received the call and rushed over in their police cars. Seeing the situation in front of them, everyone was shocked. The scene was too tragic. The wife of the wealthiest man in Greyport had actually been disemboweled in the street and had her baby taken away. This tragic news would even shock the entire internationalmunity. ¡°Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett¡­¡± the bodyguards stammered, frightened out of their wits. Bruce was very impatient. He was too worried about Joanna just n drove away at top speed. There was no way he could wait for the bodyguards slowly. Moreover, he was driving at a crazy speed. How could the bodyguards keep up? ¡°Go to the hospital, quick¡­¡± Bruce screamed. ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± A bodyguard came back to his senses and hurriedly got into the driver¡¯s seat. Bruce returned to the car and hugged Joanna tightly. He even pressed her wound with his hand to prevent the blood from losing too quickly. ¡°Joann, it will be fine. Everything will be okay!¡± Ten minutester, the bodyguard quickly drove to the hospital. Because they had just called, the doctors and nurses were all preparing to deliver the baby. However, when they saw the scene in front of them, they were all dumbfounded. Originally, the wife of the wealthiest man in Greyport giving birth was such a joyous asion. After all, Bruce was so generous and happily sent everyone a gift worth 20 thousand dors during his wife¡¯s previous birth. If his wife gave birth sessfully this time, Mr. Everett would be happy and definitely give everyone a gift worth more than 20 thousand dors. They had even thought about how happy they would feel after getting the gift. ¡°Quick, save Joann!¡± ¡°Oh, my God! Hurry up!¡± The attending doctor quickly instructed the others, saying, ¡°Hurry up and send Mrs. Everett to the operating room. Give her a blood transfusion immediately¡­¡± Soon, Joanna was carried onto a small cart and sent to the emergency room quickly. She was often hospitalized, and the doctors were familiar with her basic condition. There was no need to do a checkup again. After a while, Joanna was immediately sent to the operating room. The doctors hurriedly began to give Original content from N?velDrama.Org. her blood transfusions and treat her wounds. Outside the emergency room, Bruce was covered in blood and slumped on the stool in a daze. He didn¡¯t dare to think of the pain, despair, and fear Joanna felt as she was disemboweled without anesthesia to give birth. Bruce hated himself to the core! He shouted inwardly, ¡°Why did I have to work for thest day? I should have been by Joanna¡¯s side every moment!¡± ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­ I deserve to die. I really deserve to die!¡± Bruce could not hold back his tears. He stuck his bloody hand into his hair and cried bitterly. Those ordinary bodyguards were so frightened that they kept silent. No one dared toe up to say anything else. When the news reached Sherane Bay Vi, the bodyguards at home were also shocked. The situation was too critical before they left. Moreover, the ambnce was not that spacious. There were already three senior caregivers, a nanny, and a driver in the ambnce. Moreover, Miya kept urging them to leave quickly, not giving them any time to react. Who would have thought that such a tragedy would happen on such a short journey? ¡°Joann, you¡¯ll be fine. You must be fine! God, please don¡¯t punish me with Joann.¡± Chapter 1256 "Cough, cough. Ugh!" Bruce only felt a wave of anger in his heart, colliding back and forth. "Pfft..." He suddenly spurted out a mouthful of blood. "Oh my! Mr. Everett is vomiting blood. Doctor,e over quickly!" "Pfft..." Bruce''s heart ached terribly. He opened his mouth and spat out another mouthful of blood. Immediately after, his vision turned ck, and he fell straight forward. When Carson and Darcy saw this, they hurriedly went forward to support him. "Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett!" All the highly qualified doctors were in the operating room. Only one intern doctor was left. He hurriedly ran over to check. Bruce lost consciousness and fainted. "Hurry up and treat Mr. Everett!" After just two to three minutes, Bruce suddenly awakened and jumped up. "Joann, Joann..." he shouted. The doctor looked terrified when he was hit by Bruce. "Mrs. Everett is still in the emergency room. Mr. Everett, you have to be careful of your body!" Bruce paused for a few seconds before he collected his thoughts. His heart was throbbing in pain as if someone was using a pair of scissors to cut his heart into pieces bit by bit. Suddenly, Bruce seemed to have lost all his strength and copsed to the ground. He really couldn''t withstand such a blow. Perhaps he had been too arrogant for the first half of his life. He had been too condescending and too haughty.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Even the heavens didn''t like him. That was why they punished him like this time and time again. "Joann..." Bruce''s eyes were bloodshot, and anything was blood-colored to him. Seconds ticked by. The lights in the emergency room were still on. Nurses and doctors ran back and forth through the operating room door. Bruce sat like a stone statue, or rather, an ice sculpture made of ice shards, which would instantly shatter into pieces with just a light touch. If Joanna could not be saved, there was a high chance that he would really die of heartache and grief. Ten hours passed. The doctor was still resuscitating Joanna. Bruce just sat there alone. No one dared to go up to him to say something orfort him. Other than Joanna and his children, he had no other family in the world. He clearly had everything, but at this moment, he was so lonely and desperate. He just sat there from dawn to dusk and then from dusk to dawn. "Yesterday, the wife of Greyport''s richest man, Bruce Everett, was disemboweled to give birth on the street and had her baby taken away." "Mrs. Everett''s life is in danger. She''s under emergency rescue." "Tragic. Bruce''s wife was disemboweled on the street. She and the baby might both die." "Joanna was disemboweled by a criminal. The child was taken away. The news shocked the entire country." "Oh my god, Bruce''s wife encountered such a brutal thing. It''s so terrifying!" "That''s right! Bruce is so rich. Why is there always such trouble in his family?" "Isn''t there a lot of bodyguards in the Everett family? Why would they encounter such a tragic thing? It''s too scary. It hurts just to think of her child being snatched away like that." "Even a tiger needs to take a nap sometimes. Since they were targeted by the criminals, the criminals must have nned it in advance. No matter how many bodyguards they hire, there will be times when they miss something." "s, it''s best to be an ordinary person without any illnesses or disasters. I don''t want to be a richdy like this." This vicious assault case quickly went viral on the Inte. In less than a day, it had shocked the entire country. Even the chief governor of Greyport could not sit still anymore. He ordered the entire Greyport to hunt down the culprit. The Special Duties Team, the SWAT team, the Criminal Investigation Team, and so on were mobilized. From customs to the airport to the bus station, all of them were locked down to search for Miya. But unfortunately, even after setting up an inescapable and searching everywhere in Greyport, they still could not find Miya''s whereabouts. Chapter 1257 However, Joanna''s life was at stake now. Bruce''s brain had stopped working. Now, he didn''t want to think about anything or care about anything. He only wanted Joanna to live. Only if Joanna survived would he survive with her. If she died, there would be no point in doing anything. Another 20 hours passed. "Ding!" The operating room''s door finally opened again. The doctors and nurses walked out of the operating room one after another. Their eyes were red from working so long, and they looked tired and haggard. "Mr. Everett..." The chief surgeon looked at Bruce exhaustedly. It had been 33 hours since they entered the operating room to resuscitate Joanna. Bruce had not drunk a single drop of water for two days. His lips were so dry that they were peeling. When he saw the doctorsing out, he stood up numbly and asked in a hoarse voice, "How''s Joann?" The doctor''s expression was solemn. "Mr. Everett, we really did our best. We did everything we could. "At the moment, the surgery is considered a sess. As for the rest, we can only rely on fate. "Also, even if Mrs. Everett wakes up, she might only be in a vegetative state!" When Bruce heard this, his vision turned ck, and he fell straight forward. "Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett!" The doctors and nurses rushed to help him up. Bruce faintedpletely. He really couldn''t hold on any longer. "Mr. Everett is exhausted. Hurry up and send Mr. Everett to the ward. Give Mr. Everett a glucose shot." Bruce slept for more than ten hours before waking up in a daze. Darcy had been guarding him. When he saw that Bruce was awake, he immediately came up to Bruce. "Mr. Everett, you''re awake!" "Joann... Joann..." Bruce shouted. "Mr. Everett, Mrs. Everett is still in the intensive care unit." Bruce blinked weakly and struggled to sit up. "Mr. Everett, you should rest more!" said Darcy. "I''m going to guard Joann," replied Bruce. Then Bruce staggered to the outside of the intensive care unit. Because it was a sterile ward, he could only look at Joanna through the window from outside. Inside the intensive care unit, Joanna was covered in tubes and lying lifelessly on the hospital bed. She was surrounded by all kinds of medical equipment and looked like a cold experimental subject. "Joann, I''m sorry. I failed to protect you well once again!" Bruce leaned against the ward door and couldn''t help but cry. He had said time and time again that he would protect her. He also thought that he had the ability to make Joanna the happiest woman in the world. But in the end, all the disasters that Joanna suffered were brought about by him. "God, will I bring Joann more danger the closer I get to her? Will you have to break us up to let Joann and the children be safe?" Once, a fortune-teller said that Bruce was born to be a jinx and would bring disaster to his parents, his wife, and his children. In the past, he did not believe in this. But from the looks of it now, he had no choice but to believe it.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Perhaps he really had to stay away from his family to let them live a peaceful life. Just as Bruce cried sadly, the butler came with Bruce''s four children. The children burst into tears the moment they saw their daddy. "Daddy, how''s Mommy?" "Will Mommy die?" "Boohoo... Daddy, we''re so scared!" Tears kept streaming down the four children''s faces. They pounced on Bruce and surrounded him. Seeing this, Bruce felt even more heartbroken. His knees gave way, and he fell to his knees. He opened his arms and hugged the children tightly. The five of them could not help but hug each other and cry. The children already knew that something so big had happened to their mommy. Chapter 1258 "It''s okay. Mommy will definitely be fine. Don''t cry anymore!" "Boohoo! Daddy, we''re scared!" Lilia cried sadly. "Daddy, you won''t leave us, right? We''re so afraid of bing orphans..." "Yeah, I won''t leave you guys. I will stay by your side and protect you forever," said Bruce. Bruce felt as if a knife was cutting his heart. He hugged the children tightly in his arms. Joanna had be like this. If he copsed again, the children would be even more pitiful. The butler, Darcy, and the others watched from the side, feeling very upset. It wasn''t easy for their family to get to where they were today, but now such a disaster happened. "Mrs. Everett is a lucky one. She will definitely be fine!" "Mr. Everett, you have to pull yourself together. If you continue to be dispirited, the situation will only get worse."Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Bruce rolled his scarlet eyes. Hatred and anger flooded his mind. His child had been taken away by Miya from Joanna''s womb. He did not even have the time to look at the child, let alone know if the child was alive or dead. In particr, just the thought of his encounter in District 17 made him shudder. The child must have been captured for an experiment, which made him even angrier. Although District 17''s base had been destroyed, there were definitely other survivors. Those survivors had most likely moved their base to South Elmerton. "Damn it! This bunch of heartless demons!" Bruce''s eyes were bloodshot, and the joints of his five fingers creaked. He wished he could fly to South Elmerton immediately. He wished he could send those evil demons who were heartless and trampled on the lives of others to the afterlife. "Mr. Everett, what''s done is done. You have to pull yourself together. You can''t let this get any worse." Bruce''s scattered consciousness gradually gathered after he listened to these words. "My fifth child has been snatched away. I must save my child. "Joann, don''t worry. I''ll definitely find our child," said Bruce. "Who exactly is Miya? We''ve mobilized so many police forces in Greyport, but we can''t find her." Bruce''s eyes turned cold. He gritted his teeth and said, "She''s from District 17. She''s probably not in Greyport anymore. Even if we turn Greyport over, we won''t find her." Darcy was even more shocked when he heard that. "District 17?" asked he. Then he added, "Hasn''t it already been destroyed?" "Although the base of District 17 has been destroyed, their core personnel have not beenpletely wiped out. As long as their core personnel are still here, it''s not difficult to rebuild a base." "Oh my..." Darcy got goosebumps when he heard that. "Ouch..." Bruce''s head began to hurt violently again. "Ugh, ugh..." He pped his head hard. A person suddenly appeared in his mind. At District 17, he killed Ron and most of the scientists. However, there was still the most hateful person that he had not personally dealt with. That was Mairesi. "It must be him. Damn it! He didn''t die in that explosion!" Bruce''s body tensed up, and his eyes darkened again. "Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett!" "Daddy, Daddy, what''s wrong?" Bruce''s tall and burly figure swayed. He calmed down for a moment and said, "Babies, Daddy is fine. Be good and go home! When Mommy wakes up, she''lle home to apany you." "When will Mommy wake up?" one of the children asked. "Soon. Mommy will wake up soon!" Bruce said, his voice trembling uncontrobly. "Daddy, you''re lying. Mommy won''t wake up again! Boohoo!" "Trust me. Your mommy will definitely wake up. Butler, send the children back! You must ensure their safety," said Bruce. "Alright, Mr. Everett!" The butler nodded solemnly. "Daddy! Daddy!" the children shouted. "Go back!" Bruce said. He sat on the stool in a dispirited and depressed manner. His heart was like a volcano going to erupt. He could not suppress his anger and hatred no matter how hard he tried. He really wanted to kill someone. He wanted to capture Miya and cut her into pieces. Chapter 1259 In the blink of an eye, a week passed. Joanna was on the verge of death every day, and the doctor had already given notice of critical illness many times. Bruce stayed in the hospital every day, not daring to part with her for an inch. He was afraid that once he left, he would be separated from Joanna forever. On the eighth day, Bruce stood guard outside the ward as usual. A thousand thoughts shed across his heart, and he waspletely desperate. Beep, beep, beep! The phone rang. Bruce took a look. It was an international number. "Hello, who is this?" On the other end of the phone, a woman''s arrogantughter could be heard. "Hahaha, Bruce, it''s me!" Bruce frowned, and the blood in his body boiled. "Miya Rhodes!" "Hehe. You recognized my voice, right? You''re so awesome, Mr. Everett!" Miyaughed even more provocatively. When Bruce heard this, the veins on his temples bulged. "What did you do to my child?" "Hehe, as expected of a third-generation gically modified person''s offspring. Your fifth child is very healthy and cute." Bruce paused in his breathing and clenched his fists tightly. "Miya, what are you trying to do?" Miya''s smile became even more charming and smug. "Bruce, you''re a third-generation gically modified person. Do you know how precious your genes are?" Bruce''s eyes shed as he gritted his teeth in hatred. Miya said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Look, even your wife''s genes have changed after her pregnancy. "She was disemboweled by me to give birth to your child and bled so much, but she didn''t die. "I''m so envious. How about I give birth to a child for you? So that I can have your genes too." "You''re crazy. I''m warning you. If you dare to hurt my child, I won''t let you off!" Bruce hated Miya to the core. If Miya were in front of him now, he would really skin her alive and burn her bones to ashes. "Hahaha. Then how do you n not to let me off? I''m waiting for you in South Elmerton. If you don''te over soon, it''s hard to say if your child will be a guinea pig," said Miya. When Bruce heard this, he was even more furious. He roared fiercely, "How dare you? Don''t touch my child. Otherwise, I''ll definitely make you pay a painful price." When Miya heard this, she deliberately said coquettishly, "Bruce, don''t be so angry! "You should thank our great researchers. We''re the ones who made you so strong and so different. "You''re already the strongest man in the world. Don''t be so stubborn. A wise man submits to circumstances. Work with us, and let''s rule Earth together!" "You crazy woman. You''re dreaming!" said Bruce. Miya said, "Hehe, let''s think this way. There are too many useless losers in this world. They only live to waste Earth''s resources. "Humans need to evolve constantly to be stronger. Only the strong are the masters of this world. "Don''t be just an ordinary and useless piece of trash. Even if you''re the number one talent in Special Affairs Bureau now, so what? "You''re still ackey who''s always submitting to others and at theirmand. How can it be as great as being the overlord of the world? You''re a smart person. Don''t suppress your ambitions. You should look farther ahead." Bruce''s eyebrows twitched when he heard this. He was so angry that his entire body was trembling. He had always been the one threatening others. He did not expect to be threatened one day. "Miya, I advise you not to let your imagination run wild. Don''t forget your roots." Miya snorted. "You''re still too narrow-minded. It appears that you are unwilling to give in obediently before I resort to extreme measures." As she spoke, Miya pressed the remote control switch. "Ah..." Bruce''s head suddenly felt a pain as if it had been electrocuted. "I''ll give you a month. If you don''te to South Elmerton," Miya snorted before she continued, "not only will your wife and child be in danger, but you will also suffer a fate worse than death." "Bruce, we will wait for you and wee you to join us. Hahaha..." After Miya finished speaking, she directly hung up the phone.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. After hanging up, Bruce was even more furious, but there was nothing he could do. This feeling of being cornered was really too maddening. "Darcy, check this phone number immediately!" said Bruce. "Okay, Mr. Everett," replied Darcy. Ten minutester, Darcy said, "Mr. Everett, we failed. We can''t find it. This is an overseas number, and the high-end firewall is very strong. There''s no way to locate it." "Damn it..." Bruce cursed. Chapter 1260 Chapter 1260 Chapter 1260 Just as Bruce had a splitting headache and was burning with anxiety, the nurse in charge of Joanna hurriedly called out to the doctor, ¡°Mr. yton, Mrs. Everett has an abnormality. Quicklye and take a look!¡± When the attending doctor heard this, he hurriedly entered the ward with his assistant to treat Joanna. Joanna¡¯s heart stopped again. Actually, if it were any other patient in her condition, there was no longer any point in treatment or resuscitation. However, she was Bruce¡¯s wife. They could only try their best. When Bruce heard this, he looked even more pained and nervous. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡± His chest felt stuffy, and his throat immediately tasted blood and bitterness. Bruce knew that he was going to vomit blood again. He swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva with difficulty and suppressed the blood in his throat. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°Damn it! Can you stop hurting?¡± Bruce pped his head hard, wishing he could smash his head into pieces. He had never felt so much pain before. ¡°Mr. Everett, don¡¯t be like this. You have to be strong!¡± Darcy stepped forward to persuade him. Two hourster, the doctor finally came out of the emergency room. When Bruce saw this, he staggered and stood up. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my wife?¡± The doctor¡¯s expression was solemn as he said carefully, ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯d better be mentally prepared for now. ¡°Although Mrs. Everett was resuscitated, at this point, the best thing that can happen to her is that she¡¯ll be a vegetable. She might¡­ might not wake up. ¡°You have to be mentally prepared!¡± When Bruce heard this, he got another wave of dizziness. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Although he was mentally prepared, he was still unwilling to ept this oue. ¡°We¡¯ll go prepare the follow-up treatment n first. Mr. Everett, you can change into a sterile suit and go in to take a look at Mrs. Everett,¡± said the doctor. ¡°Okay!¡± replied Bruce. Later, Bruce was disinfected and changed into sterile clothes. Then he walked into the intensive care unit. On the hospital bed, Joannay lifelessly. ¡°Joann, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m such a useless man. I¡­¡± Bruce buried his head in front of the bed in frustration. He was extremely haggard and dispirited. There was an indescribable feeling in his heart. The repeated blows had already riddled his heart with holes. Humans were really too insignificant in front of fate. In the past, he felt that he could control everything and do whatever he wanted. Now, he knew how arrogant he had been in the past. ¡°Joann, can you wake up? We¡¯ll never be apart again¡­¡± Tears welled up in Bruce¡¯s eyes and fell uncontrobly. His heart ached even more as he stroked Joanna¡¯s cheek. There was an oxygen tube in her nose and an IV drip in her hand. Surrounding her was all sorts of medical equipment. Actually, Joanna waspletely relying on nutrient solutions and high-tech technology to survive. It was no different from the living dead. In her situation, the chances of her waking up were only 5%. ¡°Mr. Everett, you can¡¯t stay in the intensive care unit for too long. You¡¯d bettere out as soon as possible after watching Mrs. Everett.¡± Bruce stayed for another five minutes. The doctor urged him a few more times, so he could only reluctantlye out. ¡°Mr. Everett, there¡¯s a gentleman here to see you,¡± said Darcy. ¡°No, I won¡¯t see anyone!¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, that gentleman asked me to give this to you.¡± As Darcy spoke, he handed a maple leaf to Bruce. Bruce frowned as he saw the maple leaf. This was the secret signal for the meeting between National Defense Bureau agents. Most of the agents did not know each other and did not have any contact information. Besides, the organization wouldn¡¯t tell the agent anything about anyone else. Therefore, when a meeting between agents came, there would be a signal or code word. Chapter 1261 "Mr. Everett, a friend wants to meet you at Scenic Hotel." "Alright." Bruce was dispirited, and he was bearing unbearable pain in his heart. However, he knew that something major must have happened in the organization. Therefore, he suppressed the pain in his heart and rushed to Scenic Hotel. It was 2 o''clock in the afternoon. Bruce arrived at the Scenic Hotel as promised. There were already two receptionists waiting at the entrance of the hotel. As soon as Bruce appeared, the receptionists weed him. "Mr. Everett, this way please!" With that, the receptionists led the way and led him to the hotel room. This hotel was not open to the public. Only public officials, as well as foreign dignitaries, were received. They turned left and right. The receptionists led him to a private room in the deepest part of the hotel. Click! The hotel door was pushed open. "Mr. Everett, pleasee in." Bruce frowned slightly and walked in. As soon as he walked in, he was greeted by a tall and mighty young man. Seeing him enter, the young man''s eyes were filled with admiration and reverence. "Hello, Mr. Everett!" Bruce was taken aback for a second. Immediately after, another tall and handsome young man greeted respectfully, "Good evening, Mr. Everett!" Bruce frowned and looked around sharply. The spacious room was filled with all sorts of young men and five to six beautiful women with solemn expressions. All of them looked sharp and energetic. Seeing Bruce enter, everyone stood up and greeted him one after another. "Good evening, Mr. Everett!" Bruce was even more dumbfounded. Seeing this, one of the receptionists smiled and exined, "Mr. Everett, they are all agent captains of the National Defense Bureau. "All of them signed up voluntarily to participate in ''Operation Wolffight"." The wife of the deputy director of National Defense Bureau was attacked by Melta agents on the streets, and her baby was dug out of her womb. This terrible incident shocked the entire country. Of course, themoners did not know Bruce''s identity. However, all agents of National Defense Bureau were furious when they received this news. Their solidarity and national self-improvement were stimted. This was no longer just Bruce''s private matter. Of course, other than Bruce, the infamous District 17 from Melta had made aeback. The experiments they conducted were all against human morals and extremely harmful to the world. "The organization hasunched a new mission, codenamed ''Operation Wolffight''." A young man stood in line with a cold and solemn expression. "Agent NO. 779 from the investigation division of National Defense Bureau, requesting to fight." "Agent NO. 217 from the intelligence division of National Defense Bureau, requesting to fight!" "Agent NO. 448 from the secret investigation division of National Defense Bureau, requesting to fight!" One by one, the hot-blooded youths solemnly stood in line and looked at Bruce with burning gazes. Seeing this, Bruce''s eyes turned slightly red. This was the first time he had seen so many colleagues at once. These people had almost never seen each other before. But everyone knew the legendary figure of the National Defense Bureau-Nighthawk. Click! Another door was pushed open. Richard was dressed in a suit. Emitting a righteous aura, he walked out with a solemn expression. "Mr. Thompson." Richard slowly walked to Bruce''s side. Compared to thest time they met, Richard''s figure was much thinner. "Mr. Everett, the organization already knows what happened to your wife. These colleagues all volunteered to carry out Operation Wolffight. "You can mobilize all therades in the National Defense Bureau at will," Richard said and patted Bruce''s shoulder with a solemn expression. "Mr. Thompson, I..." Bruce''s heart stopped. His eyes and nose were sore. "In our National Defense Bureau, there are no deserters, nor are there any cowards. There are only warriors who charge forward bravely to protect their country and are willing to sacrifice themselves. "Charge boldly. You''ll never fight alone! "Remember, the country will always be our strong backing. "Those who offend our country shall be executed no matter how far away they are!" Bruce''s eyes turned red as he looked at Richard emotionally.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. In the past, when he carried out missions, he never relied on the organization. No matter how troublesome it was, he would settle it himself. Of course, he just didn''t want to burden the organization. It was not because the organization ignored him. "Mr. Thompson..." "This is not just because of you. It concerns the safety of every citizen of the country and the heavy responsibility of world peace. "Don''t worry. I''ll ensure the safety of your wife and children. When youe back, you''ll see them still the same when you leave, safe and sound." Chapter 1262 "Thank you, Mr. Thompson!" Bruce''s fight was instantly awakened. "I''ll take them to the capital and send special guards to keep them safe."Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "Get ready for battle! I have high hopes for you," Richard said and patted Bruce''s shoulder heavily. Bruce was the sessor Richard had long chosen. He was the student Richard was most satisfied with. Richard believed that Bruce would definitelyplete the mission and return safely. Moreover, Richard did not have much time left. He was gued by illness. Before he fell, he had to hand over the burden on his shoulders to the person he trusted the most. "I dere that Operation Wolffight is imminent!" "I request to fight!" "I request to fight..." The other agents were all fired up and wanted to sign up for this operation. Bruce''s blood was burning as he looked at those burning gazes. He could not continue to be dispirited like this. As an indomitable man, he was destined to carry a heavy burden on his shoulders. Not only did he have to bear the burden of the family, but he also had to bear the burden of the country. His wife and children were important, but the safety and interests of the country were more important. Richard was right. There were no deserters or cowards in the National Defense Bureau. Even if he had to die, he had to kill his enemies and those heartless scientists first. Previously, he had been worried about the safety of Joanna and the children. Now, with Richard''s guarantee, he could go without worry. He was going to South Elmerton. After rescuing his fifth child, he wanted to tear Miya into pieces. Last time, he couldn''tpletely eliminate District 17. This time, he would wipe them out! Back at the hospital. It was already past seven in the evening. Bruce came to the ICU to see Joanna. "Joann, don''t worry. I will definitely bring our child back safely. You have to wait for me. Wait for me toe back!" Joanna was still lying there lifelessly,pletely in a vegetative state. The doctor said that this was her best condition. The probability of her waking up was at most 5%. "Joann..." Bruce gently stroked Joanna''s hair, and tears could not help but fall from his eyes. Suddenly, he remembered the time when he was at District 17. Ron was working on a special medicine that could prolong life. It was called Soft umtion Liquid. This was the extraction of fluid from the brains of deep-water marine animals. This fluid had anti-aging and life-prolonging effects. It was favored by foreign dignitaries and tycoons. However, this kind of Soft umtion Liquid was too precious and too difficult to obtain! For a sea creature as big as a killer whale, people could only extract one gram of soft liquid in its brain at most. Even a small bottle of Soft umtion Liquid meant killing countless marine creatures. Therefore, countries all over the world banned the appearance of such medicine. Bruce''s sorrowful mood was suddenly ignited with a glimmer of hope. Perhaps there was such a kind of medicine avable at the base in South Elmerton. Thinking of this, he became even more determined to go to South Elmerton. The next day, Bruce embarked on the journey to South Elmerton. At Sherane Bay Vi. "Mr. Everett, I''ll go with you!" "Darcy, you''ve been with me for so many years! You don''t have to go this time. Stay here!" Bruce patted Darcy''s shoulder. This mission was very difficult, and he was determined to sacrifice himself when necessary. Darcy had worked for Bruce for more than ten years. Now that Darcy was finally getting married, Bruce did not want to put Darcy in danger again. "Mr. Everett, without you, I wouldn''t be where I am today. No matter what, I will take thest task." As Darcy talked to Bruce, he walked out of the house and began to call Grace. "Grace, we''ll hold our wedding when I get back." When Grace heard this, her heart instantly rose to her throat. "Darcy, I don''t allow you to go. I don''t allow you to die." "Mrs. Everett is now in such a state. I can''t leave Mr. Everett at this time." "Why are you so stubborn? Are you going to risk your own life for your boss? "I told you I have money to support you. You don''t need to do such a dangerous job anymore." Darcy''s voice was solemn. "Stop talking! "If you''re willing to wait for me, I''ll definitelye back. If you''re unwilling to wait for me, then let''s cancel our wedding!" "Darcy!" Tears rolled down Grace''s face. She knew she couldn''t stop him. "Darcy, you have to promise me that you wille back safe and sound. You have toe back." "Don''t worry! I''ll definitelye back." "I see. I''ll wait for you. When you get back, we''ll get married." "I love you, sweetheart." "I love you, too, Darcy." Chapter 1263 The next day. Bruce had already begun preparations for the trip to South Elmerton. In the past, he did not want to rely on the organization, nor did he want to burden it. He never asked for anything in return. As an upright citizen, he only wanted to do what he thought was right. And this time, he suddenly got over it. Individual strength was always limited. Fighting alone was sometimes eptable, but sometimes it was not. In times of difficulty and crises, one should be proactive in seeking help. The country and the organization were Bruce''s strongest support now.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Behind him stood billions ofpatriots. Even if he fell, there would be countless Bruces rose. In the ICU ward. "Joann, I''ve decided to go to South Elmerton. I want to save our child and avenge you. "Of course, I also have to send those heartless bastards to Hell. "You have to wait for me. You have to wait for me toe back. We can make it. I promise you I''ll definitelye back. "And you have to promise me that you''ll wait for me toe back." Bruce''s expression was solemn. He held Joanna''s hand heavily and kept talking into her ear. Joanna did not react at all. She was still lying there lifelessly. The doctor said that her current condition was the best. In the current medical field, there was no way to treat her for the time being, unless a miracle happened. Bruce came out of the ICU ward. The expert team began to discuss with him. "Mr. Everett, two treatment ns have been confirmed. "The first is to perform a routine craniotomy to remove microchips from her brain. "However, this n has a long recovery period and is extremely risky. But this method can be used once and for all." Bruce frowned. "What''s the second n?" "The second n is to inject a kind of drug through minimally invasive technology. Through the dissolution of the drug, it will destroy the microchips in your brain." "This method is fast and effective, but the aftereffects will be greater. The headache might apany her for the rest of her life." Bruce thought about it and chose the second option without hesitation. "Let''s go with the second option!" "Mr. Everett, have you thought it through?" "I''ve thought it through." "Alright then! Let''s follow the second n and formte a detailed treatment n." "Alright!" The first method was too troublesome and took too long. A craniotomy would require at least half a year of recuperation. Moreover, he might not be able to return alive from this trip to South Elmerton. If he coulde back alive, he would think about what to do next. Soon, the expert team began to formte a surgical n. As for the children, they were about to be taken to the capital by Richard. After all, there was no safer ce than the capital. Richard also promised that he would ensure the safety of the children. At the same time, he would let them attend the military school. "Daddy, we... we don''t want to go to the capital." Davian looked at Bruce with a serious expression. "We want to be with Daddy and Mommy. We..." As Davian spoke, his tears fell uncontrobly. The children were almost nine years old and understood everything. Bruce squatted down and patted his sons'' heads lovingly. "Sons, only when you''re safe can Daddy have no worries. "When Ie back, I''ll definitely bring you back." "What if... What if Daddy doesn''te back?" Irvin also cried. Joanna was already in such a state. Davian and Irvin were afraid of losing their father. Chapter 1264 Lilia was teary-eyed. She sobbed and said, "Daddy, can you not leave us? We''re afraid. We want you to be by our side. "Daddy, we''re really scared. Can we watch over Mommy together? Mommy will definitely wake up. When Mommy wakes up and doesn''t see you, she''ll be even sadder." Hearing this, Bruce felt even more heartbroken. He hugged his daughter tightly in his arms. "Good girl, Daddy... Daddy doesn''t want to leave you guys either. "But Daddy has no choice but to leave. Daddy promises you that when Daddyes back..." "Daddy, I won''t let you leave." Lilia hugged Bruce tightly, not daring to let go for a second. Devin also hugged Bruce''s thigh tightly. Devin''s chubby little face was filled with tears as he said, "Daddy, please don''t leave. I will be obedient from now on. I won''t secretly eat snacks anymore. Boohoo..." "Good kids, don''t cry anymore. You''re all my children. You''re all the bravest babies. Don''t cry, understand?" "Boohoo, Daddy, please don''t go!" Bruce endured his heartache and stood up. He looked at Davian solemnly. "Charlie, you''re the elder brother. You have to be a role model for your younger siblings. You can''t cry at will, and you can''t embarrass me." When Davian heard this, his eyes turned red as he suppressed his tears. "Daddy!" "You have to remember that you''re the older brother and a man. When Daddy isn''t around, you''re the backbone of our family. You have to take good care of your younger siblings, understand?" "Got it, Daddy." "Luke, Lilia, Devin, you have to listen to me." As he spoke, Bruce took a deep breath and put on a rxed and loving expression. "Daddy won''t be gone for long. Daddy is going to find your sister." "After Daddy find your sister, Daddy wille back with her. Don''t you miss your sister? Don''t you want to find her?" "Yes, we miss our sister too." "Daddy, let''s pinky swear. You have to get our sister back. You have toe back." "Okay, let''s make a pinky promise. I''ll keep my promise. I won''t lie to you, never! And I will never go back on my words. I''ve never lied to you, right?" "Daddy..." The four little kids cried and threw themselves into Bruce''s arms again. "Be good. Don''t cry anymore. The ne is about to take off." "Hurry up and go! When you get there, study hard. When Daddyes back, I''ll pick you up immediately." "What about Mommy?" "Mommy will go too, but Mommy will stay in the hospital for the time being." With that, Bruce bent down and kissed the children one by one. "Aro, Dahlia, send the children to the car!" "Alright, Mr. Everett!" "Daddy, we don''t want to go..." "Be good and go! It won''t be long. I''ll bring you back soon." "Alright, young misters and miss, quickly get in the car! The ne is about to take off." Although the four children were reluctant to part, they still tearfully bade farewell to their father. The four children were put on a ne to the capital. On the other side, Richard had already arranged everything.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. After saying goodbye to the children, Bruce did not dare to dy for a day. He immediately got the expert team to start injecting drugs to destroy the microchips in his brain. In the operating room, Brucey on the operating table. The doctor was about to inject him with anesthesia. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist injected him with anesthesia three times in a row, but his eyes were still wide open. His current physical condition was too special. Ordinary anesthetics were useless against him. After the fourth injection, Bruce finally closed his eyes. The anesthesiologist was so anxious that he was sweating. He tried to shout twice to see if Bruce had entered anesthesia. "Uh... Mr. Everett... Mr. Everett!" "What''s wrong?" Bruce opened his eyes in a daze. The anesthesiologist and the attending doctor felt a headacheing on. This was impossible! Bruce had already been anesthetized four times! However, he had not been anesthetized yet. "How many days will this take?" "This will be quick. It will be dissolved within three days." "When the technology gets mature in all aspects in the future, it''s best to perform a craniotomy to remove the microchips." "Okay, let''s begin!" "Mr. Everett, are you still conscious?" "Yes! Why?" Bruce turned around and looked at the doctor in confusion. The doctors all felt a headacheing on. At this dosage of anesthetic, even a tiger would be anesthetized. Bruce was actually fine. These doctors even thought that the anesthetic in the hospital had expired. Chapter 1265 Chapter 1265 Chapter 1265 Sensing the doctors¡¯ abnormality, Bruce took the initiative to ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± The attending doctor looked conflicted and said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Everett, your physique is a little special now. I¡¯ve already injected you with anesthetics four times. ¡°If you continue to be anesthetized, your body might not be able to take it!¡± When Bruce heard this, he thought for a few seconds. ¡°Then there¡¯s no need for anesthesia.¡± When the attending doctor heard this, he was even more dumbfounded. ¡°Mr. Everett, although this is a minimally invasive surgery, there will still be pain¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can take it.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± the doctor asked in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s fine. Just do it!¡± Bruce calmed down and closed his eyes. No matter how great the pain was, he had suffered it before. For him, no matter how painful this kind of surgery was, it would not be as painful as the torture he suffered at District 17. ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin!¡± The doctors did not dare to say anything else and began to focus on performing the surgery on him. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, is that okay?¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sure, just go on!¡± The minimally invasive scalpel was slowly inserted into Bruce¡¯s temple. Facebook* Although Bruce was mentally prepared, he still felt the pain. He felt that someone was stirring his brain nerves, and his entire brain felt indescribably ufortable. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce gasped and broke out in a cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth. When the doctors saw this, they became even more nervous and did not dare to breathe loudly. In the entire operating room, the atmosphere was exceptionally solemn and quiet. Only the sound of electric currenting from the instrument could be heard. An hourter. ¡°The surgery is over!¡± The doctors all heaved a sigh of relief. They were even more nervous than Bruce the entire time. Bruce was very clear-headed throughout the surgery. This was the first time these doctors had encountered such a situation in the hospital. ¡°You have to be hospitalized for a few days for observation. If there are no adverse effects, you can be discharged.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Brucey on the hospital bed and quietly closed his eyes to rest. His brain was now bloated, and he felt as if he really had hydrocephalus. He was dizzy, painful, and numb. Now, he only wanted to sleep. In addition, he had been too tired these few days, so he fell asleep in a daze. When he woke up, it was already noon the next day. ¡°Uh, Joann¡­¡± Bruce had a nightmare and suddenly woke up from it. ¡°Mr. Everett, you¡¯re awake?¡± Darcy and the nurses were guarding the side. When they saw that Bruce was awake, they immediately surrounded him. Bruce paused for half a minute before his chaotic thoughts gradually became clear. ¡°Darcy, how long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for almost 20 hours.¡± ¡°Hiss, have I slept for so long?¡± Bruce blinked groggily and struggled to sit ¡°Mr. Everett, you should rest more.¡± Bruce turned its head slightly and insisted on sitting up from the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look at Joann¡­¡± Bruce felt much better after sleeping, but his head was still swollen. The attending doctor also rushed over to take a look. Seeing that Bruce had already gotten out of bed and was walking around, he hurriedly reminded him carefully, ¡°Mr. Everett, the absorption process of the medicine will take about a week. Don¡¯t do any strenuous exercise during this week.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± said Bruce. He forced himself to stay strong and prepared to go to the ICU to see Joanna. Although he knew that Joanna was unconscious, he still wanted to take a look. Beep, beep, beep. Just as Bruce reached the entrance of the ICU, his phone rang. He took a look at his phone and saw an international number. Darcy¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Mr. Everett, you don¡¯t have to pick it up. It must be Miya Rhodes calling again. ¡°This number called you more than ten times while you were unconscious.¡± Chapter 1266 "Hello..." Bruce answered the call. Jaydon''s gloomy voice came from the other end of the phone. "Bruce, it''s me!" "Yes. What is it?" Jaydon''s voice took on a darker tone, and his voice was filled with endless anxiety. "How is Joann now?" Bruce frowned, not wanting to answer this question. "Bruce, you promised me that you would protect Joann. Why did you break your promise again and again? Why did you put Joann in danger repeatedly?" Jaydon''s voice was filled with me and usation. If he had known that Joanna and Bruce would be together, and Joanna would suffer so much, he would not have let go then. Bruce''s voice was hoarse. "Have you found Aria?" "No. What happened to Joann and Aria waspletely your fault and no one else''s." When Bruce heard this, he took a deep breath but did not refute it. Jaydon was also silent on the other end of the phone. He knew that Bruce must be having a hard time now. It was useless to question him again. "Where are you now? Are you back?" "No. I''m still at South Elmerton," Jaydon said to him. Within this period, he had run all over South Elmerton. Unfortunately, he still could not find any sign of Aria. Over the past few days, he had identallye down with heat toxin disease. He was dazed from fever and nearly died. "Okay. That''s it then."Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "Bruce..." Jaydon wanted to say something else, but Bruce had already hung up. Right now, Bruce didn''t want to talk about anything, let alone make excuses for himself. What he needed to do now was to bring Felicity back safely. Then, he would send those inhumane people to hell. In the ICU ward, Bruce was speaking to Joanna. "Joann, I''m going to South Elmerton soon. You must wait for me! "Joann, when you wake up, you''ll be able to see our baby again. You don''t have to worry. I''ll definitely find our Felicity." Bruce caressed Joanna''s hair and cheeks with a pained expression. The woman he loved the most was extremely unfortunate to fall in love with a man like him. He really hoped that they could live together peacefully and happily like ordinary couples. If possible, he was really willing to give up everything in exchange for Joanna''s safety and health. On the hospital bed, Joanna was still lying lifelessly but her eyes began to tear up. However, her consciousness and body were too weak to react. "I''m leaving. I love you!" Bruce nted a kiss on her forehead and looked at her affectionately. Her current appearance was deeply engraved in his mind. Three dayster, Bruce had still yet recoveredpletely. However, he could not wait for his body to fully recover. He was already prepared to set off for South Elmerton. The mes of anger were still burning inside him, though he suppressed it. The fury continued to simmer and stir up his viciousness. He wanted nothing more than tomit murder. "Is everything ready?" "Everything is ready. We can leave at any time." "Let''s not set off at the same time. We''ll split up and go to South Elmerton." "Understood!" The people that Bruce had personally chosen were all ready to go. There were also agents who had volunteered to join Operation Wolffight and had already set foot on South Elmerton. Grace came to send Darcy off. She was in tears. "Darcy, you have toe back. You must promise me you woulde back." "Don''t worry! I''ll definitely be back." Grace let out a wail. "I can''t bear to part from you. I''m so worried!" Grace clung to Darcy like a ko, unwilling to let go for a second. "Silly girl. The others wouldugh at you if you continue to be like this!" "You have to promise me that when youe back this time, we''ll get married and that we''ll never be apart again." Darcy smiled warmly and rubbed her head. "Don''t worry! I''ll definitelye back..." Chapter 1267 Before they set off, Bruce gathered together the agents from the intelligence division to study everything about Operation Wolffight. "Bring out all the information regarding District 17 in South Elmerton!" An intelligence agent pulled out all the information. "ording to our investigation by the intelligence division, District 17''s location has been moved to an ind in the northern sea of South Elmerton. "However, there are thousands of inds of various sizes there. At the moment, we can''t be sure which ind they had chosen." After hearing this, Bruce frowned. "Has Aria contacted the organization yet?" An agent, codenamed Phantom, shook her head dejectedly. "Not yet, but a secret email was sent to us some time ago.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "After that, we lost contact with her!" "Show it to me!" "Here you go!" Phantom opened the email sent by Aria and showed it to Bruce. Aria sent an encrypted email. It was all in Morse code. Ordinary people could not understand what it was. Bruce and Aria were from the same school. Of course, they could decipher the contents of the code. After reading the email, Bruce''s frown deepened further. The situation at District 17 was even crueler than he had imagined. "We''ll split up and meet up at Fort John in South Elmerton. "Then, we''ll set off to the northern sea." "Got it." "Team 1 and Team 2, you guys set off first. Get everything ready." "Yes, deputy director." "Team 3 and 4, you will be thest to be deployed. Be prepared to assist at any time." "Roger that!" Bruce''s expression was solemn as he arranged the n of action for the agents. "Darcy, go to Nory immediately and hire a group of mercenaries and buy a batch of the best weapons." Darcy''s expression froze. "Alright, Mr. Everett!" This time, almost the entire Special Affairs Bureau was mobilized. He also had to make precise deployments and arrangements to ensure the safety of hisrades. After receiving the order, everyone began to split up. Some flew directly out to South Elmerton, while others took a detour overseas before finally heading to South Elmerton. There were also some who smuggled onto ships and snuck into South Elmerton. After making arrangements for everyone, Bruce thought for a long time and still felt that something was missing. Since they were going to the northern sea of South Elmerton, they naturally had to prepare a few ships that could sail far. The phone began ringing once more. Bruce thought about it again and again before calling Jennie. The Garcia family was Greyport''s Ship King. Almost all of Greyport''s cargo terminals were the Garcia family''s territory. In the early years, they had been doing business with pirates. It was only after Greyport returned that they started to gradually legitimize their business. After the phone rang a few times, Jennie immediately picked up the call. "Hello!" Bruce''s tone was grave as he replied hoarsely, "Jennie, this is Bruce." Jennie was a little ttered. She said, "I know, Bruce. Are... Are you alright?" Something so bad had happened to Joanna. Of course, she had also heard about it. In the past, Jennie was jealous and hated Joanna. However, she was still very grateful that Bruce had helped her destroy Marlowe. Bruce didn''t say much and said bluntly, "Are you free? I want to see you. I have something to ask you for help with." "I''m free!" "Then we''ll meet at Aroma Cafe at one o''clock in the afternoon." "Okay. Okay." Jennie held the phone and felt excited. It was the first time Bruce had taken the initiative to ask her out. Although she didn''t know what it was about, she was still looking forward to it. Chapter 1268 Jennie was at the Aroma Cafe at one o''clock. She had specially dressed up to be beautiful and alluring. She had arrived early and had been waiting for a long time. After waiting for about ten minutes, there was a slight snick. The door of the private room was pushed open. Bruce walked in with a gloomy expression. Although he was still tall and sturdy, it was difficult to hide the heaviness and defeat in his body. Jennie subconsciously stood up and looked at Bruce in surprise. "Bruce, long time no see..." He was almost unrecognizable. He was no longer the high-spirited, cold, and noble young gentleman he used to be. However, he was still very manly and could make her heart race. "Jennie, long time no see!" Bruce''s voice was a little hoarse. Jennie had also be more mature. She was no longer the delicate and arrogant youngdy from before. "Bruce, sit! "Why did you ask to meet me today?" Bruce sat down opposite her and said bluntly, "There''s something I need your help with!" Jennie''s eyes flickered as she looked at him deeply. "Just tell me. As long as it is something I can do, I will definitely help you." Bruce frowned slightly and said solemnly, "I need a few ships that can travel far. It''s best if they have military equipment to resist pirates." When she heard this, her hand froze while she was pouring the coffee.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "Also, we need a group of experienced sailors and captains." "Bruce, are you going out to sea?" Jennie asked subconsciously. Bruce had several private yachts. Each yacht was worth tens of millions of dors. It was enough for him to go out to sea. Why would he ask to borrow a ship from her? "Can you get them for me?" Bruce asked in a deep voice. "Yes, I can. But what do you need a ship for?" "I''m going to South Elmerton!" There was a short silence. Jennie was shocked when she heard that. As far as she knew, the Everett Group did not have many businesses in South Elmerton. "Bruce, why are you going to South Elmerton? Besides, now that something like this has happened to Joanna, can you leave?" "Don''t worry about anything else. I need you to help me with this right now." Jennie pondered for a few seconds and agreed readily. "Alright, no problem. I''ll help you with it!" "Thank you, Jennie. "I won''t let you help for free. I''ll pay you double." "Bruce, you''re treating me like an outsider." "I still need the navigation chart for South Elmerton, as well as all the equipment needed to go out to sea." "I might not be able to help you with anything else, but don''t worry about this." Bruce and Jennie chatted for more than an hour. Then, he bade farewell and left. The next day, Joanna was taken into the ambnce and was about to be sent to the hospital in the capital. Bruce escorted her all the way to the capital and settled her in the hospital. "Joann, goodbye! "I''lle and pick you up as soon as I get back," Bruce said as he caressed her cheek. Joanna was still lying there lifelessly and did not disy any reaction. "Don''t worry. When you open your eyes, everything will be fine. Have a good sleep and wait for your husband toe back." The more Bruce spoke, the sadder he became. His tears could not help but fall. If the heavens were to take pity on him and let him return safely, he would never leave her again. "Mr. Everett, the ne is about to take off." Bruce hid his tears and reminded the butler worriedly, "You must take good care of Joann. Don''t let anything else happen to her." "Mr. Everett, don''t worry. We will definitely take good care of her." Bruce''s eyes were moist as he looked at Joanna affectionately. Joanna was safely sent to the hospital in the capital. He, on the other hand, was about to embark on the journey to South Elmerton. He didn''t know if they would ever meet again in their lives. "Goodbye, my wife!" Bruce waved his hand and turned to walk towards the airport. This time, he only brought six bodyguards with him to South Elmerton. Of course, there were also arge number of bodyguards and mercenaries who had already flown to Fort John from different countries. Chapter 1269 The ne flew for more than ten hours. Bruce finally arrived at South Elmerton. "Mr. Everett, we still have a turnaroundter. Shall we take a break and eat something?" "Okay," Bruce responded and leaned back in the chair in the VIP lounge with his eyes closed. The bodyguards were also standing guard at the side, vigntly observing the passengers around them. Bruce was sofortable in the chair that he actually fell asleep. He dreamed of Joanna again. "Honey, you have toe back early!" Joanna still looked the same as before. She smiled faintly, revealing her double chin. "Joann, Joann..." Bruce muttered as he woke up. He opened his eyes in a daze and realized that he had just had a dream. Darcy asked, "Mr. Everett, what''s wrong?" Bruce shook his head and sobered up a little. "Nothing! What time is it?" "It''s already 5:40 p.m. The ne leaves in an hour."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Then, let''s hurry up and board the ne!" "Alright!" "Be careful. The foreigners on the other side have been watching us." "Got it, Mr. Everett!" After all, this was a foreign country. They had to be careful. The group boarded the ne to the north a short whileter. The email from Aria revealed that District 17''s newly transferred base was in the northern sea. In the boundless sea where the northern sea was, there was a deste and mysterious area called Devil''s Paradise. This area of the sea was located in the mountainous region between the Indiona Ocean and the Jaronic Ocean. Nearly a thousand uninhabited deserted inds formed a mysterious and lethal strait of death. Because there were too many maic rocks on the ind, thepasses and navigation equipment that passed through the area would malfunction. Therefore, even the most experienced sailors would not dare to step into this sea area easily. On Devil''s Ind, Mairesi stood on the lighthouse and looked around with his binocrs. Miya said solemnly, "Professor, don''t worry! Subject 807 will definitelye. "We''re fully prepared this time. As long as he appears, we''ll definitely capture him." "Yes. Don''t make any mistakes this time. Subject 807 is very dangerous." "Don''t worry, Professor!" Last time, Mairesi almost died at the hands of Bruce. When Bruce was ughtering everyone at District 17, Mairesi had already realized that something was wrong. He hurriedly escaped from theboratory through the secret passage. "How''s it going so far with Subject 1001?" "Professor, Subject 1001 is currently very healthy. Its imitation ability and various aspects are much stronger for infants of the same age." "Let''s go and take a look!" "Professor, this way please!" A grandboratory was built on the ind. Although its scale was notparable to District 17, the various exquisite instruments and experiments were more advanced and mature than District 17. The bulky security door of theboratory was pushed open. A two to three-month-old baby was sitting inside the ss container with a pacifier in her mouth. She didn''t cry or make a fuss. Her eyes were bright and spirited, and there was a faint blue light in her eyes. Ordinary babies would only learn to sit and crawl after six to seven months. This little baby was only two to three months old, but she already knew how to sit and crawl. Mairesi let out a series ofughter. "As expected of the offspring from three generations of genes, it''s only been a week since west saw her, but she actually knows how to sit up." "Yes, Professor! This experiment was very sessful. You will be the first scientist in the history of science to sessfully perform gic modification." Chapter 1270 "This is all thanks to you. When our experiment seeds, our great nuclear virus will be the strongest weapon in the world. At that time, we will rule the entire Earth and be the gods of all humankind," eximed Mairesi in Latin, his blue eyes gleaming with an almost fanatical light. When Miya heard this, she looked at Mairesi with admiration. He was the scientist she admired the most. Every one of his research projects went against the principles of human science and was almost impossible to achieve anthropologically. However, he had achieved nearly all of them, setting unprecedented records in the field of science. She was filled with excitement. A ck assistant quickly ran over to report. "Professor, we just received news that Subject 807 has arrived at South Elmerton." "He''s really here? That''s great!" "Miya, bring 807 to the experimental base." "Yes!" On the endless destend of Elmerton, two off-road vehicles were racing at high speed. The vehicles had been driving for a day and night and had still not reached their destination. The drivers were so sleepy that they could not open their eyes. They could only stop to eat something to replenish their energy. "What the hell is this ce? Why is it getting more and more barren?" Bruce looked around. They were surrounded by barren grasnds, and wild animals roamed in groups under the scorching sun, which made their eyes hurt. "Is there another city up ahead?" "We''re almost at Lutsey Town, a small city. There should be people there!" "How much longer?" "About 62 miles more." Bruce sighed heavily upon hearing this. This ce was typically vast but sparsely popted. It was a prominent ce with few inhabitants. After driving for more than ten hours, they could not even spot a single person. "Let''s hurry!" "As we go further, past Lutsey Town, it''s the most backward part of Elmerton civilization. The local natives have cannibalistic tendencies, so it''s best not to provoke them." "Everyone, be careful!" Everyone returned to their cars to continue their journey without saying much more. Some had already been on the road for over ten hours afternding from the ne. Unfortunately, their destination was just too far, and no flights were avable. They had to drive to reach the coastline first, and then they would have to take a boat. After about two more hours of driving, they finally arrived at a small city. Lutsey Town. "Fill up all the fuel tanks and replenish some supplies." "If we go any further, there might be no signal..." Bruce instructed his subordinates. Suddenly, a familiar voice reached his ears. "Bruce, long time no see!" Hearing this, Bruce suddenly turned around. Behind him, Miya was holding a baby, looking at him with a smile. "Miya!" Bruce''s eyes widened, and he instantly moved toward her. Miya smiled and revealed the dagger in her hand, pressing it against the baby''s neck. "Well, don''t move." "I can be ruthless, you know. If I happen to harm your little one, don''t be too heartbroken!" After her arrogant statement, Miya provocatively stared at Bruce. "If you dare to harm my child, I will make sure you suffer the consequences!" "As long as you cooperate, I will ensure the safety of you and your child." "What exactly do you want to do?" "I told you, as long as you cooperate." Bruce took advantage of her talking and attempted to get closer to her. Miya stepped backward step by step and then got into an off-road vehicle. "If you want the child,e with me!" After saying that, Miya suddenly threw the child out of the window. "Ah!" "My child..." Bruce was in a panic, and he leaped forward. In the moment the child hit the ground, he rolled and caught the baby. "Hahaha, Bruce, if you want to see your Felicity, follow me alone!"Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Bruce was so shocked that he was drenched in sweat. He lowered his head and realized the child in his arms was a mold. "Damn it!" Mr. Everett! "All of you, stay where you are." "Mr. Everett, it''s too dangerous!" "I''ll be fine!" Bruce said and jumped into the car. Starting the vehicle, he hit the gas pedal, and the car roared as it chased the vehicle in front. Chapter 1271 Chapter 1271 Chapter 1271 Buzz buzz buzz- Two cars, in an instant, churned up billowing yellow smoke. ¡°Darcy, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s chase after them.¡± Darcy Juke, Carson, and others hurriedly got into the car. With a step on the gas pedal, they left in a cloud of dust. ¡°Buzz, buzz, buzz¡­¡± The roar of the car¡¯s exhaust almost shattered people¡¯s eardrums. Bruce had already mmed the gas pedal to the floor, and the car¡¯s speed was so fast it was almost flying. Soon. The car was less than 100 yards away from Miya. Miya panicked and quickly elerated. Unfortunately, no matter how much she elerated, she could not shake off Bruce. They were about to make a sharp turn ahead, and with their high speed, they were bound to flip over if they did not slow down. Afraid of flipping over, Miya furrowed her brow and had to reduce her speed. Bruce turned the steering wheel, and the car drifted in a half circle, stopping in front of Miya¡¯s car due to inertia. ¡°Ahh!¡± Miya screamed as the front of her car plowed into a grass pile by the road. ¡°Squeak squeak-¡± The inertia of Bruce¡¯s car was too strong. It spun 360 degrees on the spot, leaving a ruthless skid mark on the ground. Fortunately, his driving skills were outstanding, and he was bold enough. Although the car lost control, it stopped steadily. ¡°Buzz, buzz, buzz!¡± After the car came to a stop, Bruce was about to elerate aggressively toward Miya¡¯s car. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Miya saw the danger, quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, and jumped out of the car. Bang! With a loud crash, her car was overturned. Luckily, Miya was agile enough to have already jumped from the car. ¡°Bruce, be sensible and don¡¯t put up unnecessary resistance.¡± ¡°Professor Mairesi will forgive you. Following Professor Mairesi is the best choice for you.¡± Bruce got out of the car and approached her step by step with a murderous aura. ¡°Miya, you¡¯re a foreigner and a vicious woman. You¡¯re not worthy of being a Chinoen.¡± Miya could not help but sneer when she heard this. ¡°Hehe, your perspective is still so limited.¡± ¡°When Professor Mairesi rules the world, there will be no races; there will only be the strong and the weak.¡± ¡°Surrender!¡± Bruce was just about to make a move when suddenly¡­ ¡°Bang!¡± A tranquilizer dart unexpectedly struck him. Swish, swish, swish. Mercenaries appeared one after another. There were already dozens of mercenaries lying in ambush nearby. All of them were holding guns and aimed at Bruce. ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce Everett frowned, feeling somewhat disoriented. Miya looked at Bruce proudly. ¡°This is thetest powerful anesthetic for whale hunting. It can even knock down a whale, let alone you. Sleep well.¡± Bruce¡¯s gaze struggled momentarily, and then he knelt on one knee before losing consciousness. Even so, the mercenaries still threw arge wire mesh over him, securing it to prevent any feigned unconsciousness. ¡°Hehe, Bruce, you still ended up in my hands.¡± ¡°Inform Professor Mairesi immediately that we¡¯ve caught 807.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The assistant immediately went back to report. ¡°Put him in the iron cage and take him back to Paradise Ind.¡± Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± More than a dozen mercenaries prepared to put Bruce into the iron cage. Miya smiled smugly as if she was admiring her prey. She subconsciously bent down to touch his face. ¡°Bruce, our story has just begun¡­¡± Before she could finish, a pair of cold, piercing eyes suddenly opened. Bruce was like a lion that had suddenly awakened. In a swift motion, he sprang to his feet and reversed, circling his arm around Miya¡¯s neck. ¡°Ah, um¡­¡± ¡°Tell everyone to put down their guns and ask them to return all their goods. Hurry up!¡± Bruce aggressively strangled Miya. With his strength, it would be effortless to snap her neck with just a little more force. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Put down your guns and step back.¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my child?¡± ¡°In Paradise Ind, Bruce. This ce is full of Professor Mairesi¡¯s people. You won¡¯t be able to walk out.¡± ¡°Your only choice is to cooperate with us¡­¡± Chapter 1272 "Don''t f*cking talk so much nonsense!" Bruce fiercely wrapped his arms around her neck and lifted her up in front of him like he was lifting a chick. If not for his desire to use her to save his daughter, he would have tried to strangle her to death. "Put the guns down!" "All of you, back off! Back off!" A group of mercenaries wearing masks and bulletproof vests hesitated momentarily before cing their guns on the ground. "Come with me." Miya was almost overthrown as Bruce, one hand tearing off the wire mesh from himself and the other dragging Miya, walked towards a nearby car. Miya kidnapped Felicity. She must know where her daughter was hidden. Crack! Bruce held Miya hostage and opened the SUV door. Effortlessly, he removed a handcuff from his belt at the small of his back and tossed it to Miya. "Cuff yourself." Miya looked at Bruce flirtatiously. "Mr. Everett, you used to be a gentleman. Why are you so rough now..." "Pa--" A crisp sound was heard as Bruce gave her a tight p, causing her to fall back into her seat. "If you say another word of nonsense, I''ll cut off any rocks for you," he warned. Miya''s heart raced as she touched her face, not daring to provoke him further. She reluctantly picked up the handcuffs and restrained herself. Bruce revved the engine, then immediately stepped on the gas pedal, driving in the same direction as he hade earlier. He needed to hurry and meet up with Darcy and the others to avoid them encountering the group of mercenaries. Moreover, he had been injected with a powerful anesthetic needle. The dosage of the anesthetic was too strong. Although not enough to knock him over, his limbs started bing numb. When the drugpletely took effect, he might lose consciousness. "Bruce, where are you taking me?" Miya asked. "Shut up!" Bruce''s voice carried a hint of menace. Miya''s eyes darted around, and she had no choice but to pretend to bepliant. The car drove for about 20 minutes. Bruce started feeling the effects of the drug, and his eyelids began to droop. His neck, too, seemed to lose strength, causing him to sway in a daze. Seeing an opportunity, Miya quickly opened her arms and used the handcuffs to encircle Bruce''s neck, attempting to subdue him. "Ugh!" Bruce''s neck was constricted, and he could only use one hand to try and push Miya away. Unfortunately, the anesthetic in his body was taking its toll, and he felt increasingly dizzyy. "Phew..." The car veered off course, its wheels losing control as it headed towards a deep ditch on the side of the road. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The wheels rolled over a boulder. The entire vehicle tilted 70 degrees and was on the verge of flipping over. Below was a trench dozens of yards deep. If the car fell from this height, it would undoubtedly result in a total wreck and potential fatalities. Bruce could not afford to continue struggling with Miya. He forcefully flung her away, immediately opened the car door, and rolled out of the vehicle. "Argh!" Handcuffed and disoriented from the impact, Miya had no chance to exit the car in time. Crash! The car''s ss waspletely shattered, and a huge rock stuck on the wheels. The entire car was hanging in the deep ditch, on the verge of copsing. Only the car''s rear was wedged in a stone crevice, barely preventing it from falling. Miya was terrified, and the slightest movement caused the wheel to fall forward again. Seeing this, Bruce immediately leaped over, grabbed her cor, and pulled her out of the car. Bang! Bang! Bang! The SUV then plummeted into the deep ditch, and the intense, ear-piercing sound of metal colliding with stone echoed. Miya, still shaken, took a few deep breaths, and her panic gradually subsided. Then, she looked at Bruce incredulously and said, "Hehe. You saved me. Are you unwilling to let me die?" Just a moment ago, when Bruce grabbed her cor and rescued her from the car, she suddenly felt he was a truly good man, exuding a strong sense of power. Hearing this, Bruce reached out with a sinister look and gripped her chin, saying resentfully, "Miya, the reason I saved you is to use you to rescue my child." "When my child is rescued, I will end your wretched life." With those words, Bruce gripped her chin tightly and suddenly applied force, resulting in a distinct "crack." One of her teeth was crushed without much effort. Then he threw her heavily to the ground.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Miya, bleeding from her mouth. The intense pain almost caused her to faint on the spot. How could he feelpassion when she performed a cesarean on Joanna and kidnapped his baby? Chapter 1273 Bruce surveyed his surroundings, and everything before his eyes had turned into a blur. The anesthesia in his body had started to take effect gradually. His tongue was bing numb, making it almost impossible to speak. He knew he could only hold on for a few more minutes before losing consciousness. Miya, on the other hand, was incredibly cunning, and he needed to remain vignt. Miya had severe bruising on her cheeks, and blood was flowing from her mouth, causing her to tremble from the pain. Bruce stumbled over to her, quickly checked her for concealed weapons, and found none, which eased his mind slightly. "Get up, ande with me!" Bruce pulled her handcuffed hands and continued walking. Now, he could only go wherever he could. He had to find a ce to hide and knock Miya out before he lost consciousness. Miya rubbed her aching cheek with her arm and obediently followed behind Bruce. She knew that Bruce could not hold on much longer. As long as he fainted, she would have plenty of opportunities to escape. After walking for about five minutes, Bruce''s consciousness began to blur, and he shook his head forcefully. Unfortunately, the double vision before him was bing increasingly heavy, and he could barely see the path ahead. There was arge tree nearby, and behind it was a sheltered spot where he could hide, barely maintaining his consciousness. "No, I can only stay here for now!" Bruce struggled to maintain consciousness, raising his arm to strike Miya on the back of her neck to knock her out. "Hu-" He lifted his arm with difficulty butcked the strength to execute the blow.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Miya coldly chuckled and skillfully avoided his strike. "Mr. Everett, it seems your agility has diminished?" "You, down!" Miya pushed Bruce forcefully. Bruce stumbled and fell to the ground. His consciousness had reached its limit, and his eyelids felt incredibly heavy. "Bruce, you were so rude to me just now. I''ll let you have a taste of this." Miya stepped forward and grabbed Bruce''s neck with a sinister smile. In the nick of time, two off-road vehicles came roaring in, kicking up dust and smoke. Buzz, buzz, buzz! Darcy and Carson had caught up. Looking through binocrs, Darcy saw Miya on top of Bruce, pinching him hard. "Bang! Bang!" Two gunshots rang out. Miya was startled and quickly rolled away, taking cover. At the same time, the car had already sped over. The car door opened. Darcy and the two bodyguards held pistols, cautiously and swiftly approaching. "Don''t move, or I''ll shoot you." "Mr. Everett!" "Mr. Everett, what''s wrong with you?" "I''ve been... drugged. Watch... watch this woman!" Bruce could no longer hold on and closed his eyes. "Mr. Everett, Mr. Everett!" Darcy and Carson, seeing this, shook him hard a few times. Bruce hadpletely fallen into a deep sleep. "This woman is very cunning." "Let''s tie her up, get her into the trunk, and leave here as quickly as possible." "Uh-uh." Darcy grabbed Miya, opened the trunk, and threw her inside. Then, two bodyguards carried Bruce into the car. "There''s probably still danger nearby. Let''s wait for Mr. Everett to wake up before making ns." "So where are we going now?" "Let''s go back to the town we just passed." "Alright!" The group did not hesitate and quickly turned the car around to head back. They were concerned about potential danger and ambush up ahead, so they had no choice but to retrace their path to the small town they had passed earlier. Miya''s hands were handcuffed in the trunk, but she managed to flip a thin, sharp de from under her tongue. Then, she bit the de mechanism and flicked out a steel needle from inside. She began to pick the lock, determined to escape as soon as possible. She knew that it would be much more challenging once Bruce woke up. Two hourster, the group returned to the small town they had passed by earlier. Darcy and Carson got out of the car, nning to find a hotel. "Eat something!" "This ce should be safe." "Why don''t we let this woman out? It won''t be good if she suffocates!" "That works, too." Carson began to open the trunk, preparing to give Miya something to eat. Chapter 1274 As soon as the trunk door was opened, Swish! A sharp de shot out and shed at his neck. Carson was startled, hastily turning around to avoid it. But it was toote; the de grazed his cheek. Fortunately, his reaction was swift enough, and the de did not cut his throat. "Uh..." Carson subconsciously touched his cheek. His hand was covered in blood. Before he could react, Miya jumped out of the carriage. Her legs snipped Carson''s neck, and he fell to the ground. Darcy, Jason, and the others were eating. When they heard the sound, they hurriedly went forward to check. Bang! Bang! Bang! Miya removed the pistol from the back of Carson''s waist and fired a few shots at Darcy and the others. "Ah..." Jason and Dahlia were shot and instantly fell into a pool of blood. Crack! Darcy and Lucas were shocked. They took out their pistols and fired at Miya. Bang! Bang! Bang! Miya executed a somersault and took cover behind the carriage, while Darcy and the others could only hide behind another car. Miya was selected by District 17, so her skills and various attributes were naturally top-notch. Surprisingly, Darcy, Carson, and the other six people could not subdue her when they attacked together; she even injured three of their own. "Snap!" Miya chambered a round in the gun, subtracted the bottle behind her, and tossed it into the air. She had intended to make a distraction to draw Darcy and the others out and take them down with a single shot. Bang! Bang! "Uh-oh, the gun is out of bullets." "There''s another bullet in Miya''s gun. We must be careful. This woman is very cunning. Don''t let your guard down." They were in a deadlock. "Ah!" Miya screamed as she was electrocuted from the back with a stun gun. A powerful electric shock instantly rendered her unconscious. Then, Aria slowly walked out from beside Miya and said to Darcy, "Don''t shoot. I''m Aria." Seeing this, Darcy''s heart tightened, and he looked at Aria in surprise. "Miss Bridges, why are you here?" Aria''s expression froze, and she said coldly and solemnly, "Long story short, let''s leave this ce first." "Okay, okay."Original content from N?velDrama.Org. The few dared not dy, let alone let their guard down. They tied Miya securely with a cowhide rope and had to gag her mouth with a cloth before throwing her back into the trunk. After everyone got into the car, they followed Aria''s car, taking numerous turns for nearly an hour. "This is it. This is where I''m temporarily staying." The car stopped in front of a secluded and hidden house. "Bring Mr. Everett down first." "How''s Bruce?" "Mr. Everett is in aa." Aria went inside to check, and Bruce was in a deep sleep. His breathing was stable, and his heart rate was normal. "He''s been drugged. He''ll be fine when he naturally wakes up." "Oh, then we can rest easy." "You guys, hurry up and treat your wounds!" Carson and Dahlia were the most seriously injured,ing close to meeting their end. "Ah, I didn''t expect this woman to be so powerful." "Don''t underestimate women. Some women are much more powerful than men." "That''s true!" "Miss Bridges, is this ce safe?" "It''s safe for now, but we must move to a new destination as soon as possible." "After Bruce wakes up, we have to leave quickly." "Okay, got it." It had been a few months since Aria arrived in South Elmerton. During this period, she also investigated much information about Paradise Ind. However, she had yet to find a way to reach the ind sessfully. After all, Paradise Ind was located in the most perilous region of the Indiona Ocean. The level of danger in this area wasparable to that of the Bermuda Triangle. Any passing ships or nes would mysteriously crash or disappear. Chapter 1275 Bruce had been sleeping for nearly ten hours when he woke up groggily. Aria had been by his side, and when she saw him wake up, she immediately leaned in to check on him, softly saying, "Bruce, you''re awake?" Bruce lifted his eyelids heavily and first saw Aria''s worried face. "Ugh..." Bruce mumbled as if in a dream, thinking he might be dreaming. "Aria, is that you..." Aria smiled as she heard him and replied, "Yes, it''s me!" Bruce asked, "How did you end up here?" "I''ve been around here all along. I learned you came to South Elmerton a few days ago, so I specifically waited for you in this small town." After all, this was the only way to the northern sea. After all, this was the only way to the northern sea. As long as she waited here, she could meet up with him. Bruce rubbed his head and staggered to sit up, feeling numb. "Where''s Miya?" After saying that, he hurriedly looked around for Miya. If he let her escape, it would attract even more trouble. Darcy said, "She almost escaped. Fortunately, Miss Bridges arrived in time and subdued her again." "She''s locked up in another room now." Bruce breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "Well, that''s a relief!" "Take me to interrogate her immediately. We must find out how to enter Paradise Ind," Bruce insisted. After saying that, Bruce staggered to his feet, eager to interrogate Miya. Unfortunately, he got up too quickly and almost fell before he could fully recover the use of his limbs. Seeing this, Aria quickly went forward to support him and said gently, "Bruce, be careful not to fall." "I''m fine." "Let me help you over!" Five minutester, Aria assisted Bruce to a hut in the back. Due to the cultural difference, the houses here were all made of wood or straw huts. They were all very simple, and there were no courtyard walls. Miya was tied to a pir with a cowhide rope. "Tell me the exact location of Paradise Ind, and how do you enter Paradise Ind?" Bruce pressed with a menacing tone. Miya looked nk, keeping her head down without saying a word. "You''re not going to tell me, are you?" Bruce asked ominously. Miya raised her head slightly, a sly look on her face. "I''m covered in injuries now, and my brain can''t remember clearly. What do you want me to say?" "Don''t y games with me. I''ll cut out your tongue if you don''t tell me." "Hehe, even if I tell you, will I still be allowed to live?" Miya looked at Bruce contemptuously. "Only I know where your daughter is. If you kill me, you can forget about seeing your daughter for the rest of your life," Miya taunted.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Are you trying to test my patience?" Bruce said as he pinched her chin fiercely. "Uh..." Miya trembled in pain and looked at Bruce even more seductively. "Hehe, you won''t dare to kill me!" she challenged. "Do you want to give it a try?" Bruce''s eyes turned cold. He was genuinely upset. He had never been someone who could be threatened. Seeing this, Aria hurriedly went forward to stop him. "Bruce, don''t be rash. Calm down first." "If you kill her, the leads will be lost again," she reminded. When Bruce heard this, he suppressed his murderous intent and let go of her resentfully. Outsiders could not enter Paradise Ind at all. Since she coulde and go as she pleased, she must know the secret to entering Paradise Ind. "Mr. Everett, we can torture her to extract a confession. I don''t believe she won''t tell us." "This isn''t gonna work." "Aria, don''t you know how to hypnotize? Why don''t you try hypnotizing her?" "Hypnosis is only useful for people with weak consciousness. Since she can be a special agent of District 17, her self-will must have a very high defense." "This won''t work, that can''t work. Are we just going to be apprehensive like this?" "Don''t worry, there must be other ways," Aria reassured. "Let me talk to her." "That''s the only option." Chapter 1276 Chapter 1276 Chapter 1276 ¡°I¡¯m handing her over to you.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. All of you can go!¡± Bruce did not say anything else and left the house with Darcy and the others. Miya¡¯s eyes were filled with contempt. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy. If I tell you, will I still be alive?¡± Aria sat opposite her and looked at her calmly. ¡°We¡¯re both women. If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll use a special method on you.¡± Miya scoffed. ¡°What method is that?¡± ¡°I know. As a special agent, our first skill is to be unafraid of pain and death.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you know!¡± Aria smiled mysteriously and leaned in to whisper into her ear. When Miya heard what she said, her expression gradually became solemn. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Aria¡¯s method was really the most vicious thing anyone could do to a woman. And only women could think of it. ¡°How is it? Do you want to tell me now?¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re too vicious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Miya¡¯s face turned pale and her chest heaved violently. ¡°If you cooperate obediently, I will naturally spare your life. If you insist on being stubborn, I can only treat you this way.¡± Aria looked at her solemnly. ¡°Now, I¡¯m just asking you to tell me how to get to the ind. I won¡¯t make things too difficult for you.¡± Miya hesitated for a while before finally giving in. Ten minutester, Aria came out of where Miya was being held. Seeing that she hade out, Bruce immediately walked over. ¡°How is it? Is she willing to talk?¡± ¡°She already did.¡± Bruce¡¯s pupils constricted as he asked anxiously, ¡°So? How do we do it?¡± Aria was depressed for a few seconds before she said solemnly, ¡°The sea near Paradise Ind contains arge number of maite at the bottom of the sea. ¡°It will cause thepasses and navigation equipment on passing ships to malfunction. ¡°Moreover, there are many reefs there. Large ships can¡¯t get close at all. We can only rely on speedboats or small boats. ¡°Therefore, ships that pass by will lose their way. And the reason why the people from District 17 were able to reach the ind safely is because they trained a type of seabird. ¡°These seabirds can identify directions. When theye to the ind, they will release the seabirds to lead the way.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. ¡°I see. ¡°Are these seabirds easy to catch?¡± ¡°The seabirds they train are all trained from a young age, and in pairs. One male and one female. The female seabirds stay on the ind and the male seabirds are released for work. ¡°Now, we have to be well prepared and n properly.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Immediately, Aria took out a map of the sea and began to study the exact location and coordinates with Bruce and the others. ¡°This is the coordinates of Paradise Ind. If you want to reach it sessfully, you have to pass through these inds first. At the same time, this is the most dangerous sea area.¡± ¡°Yes, we must take the necessary precautions.¡± Bruce held the map and carefully observed the navigation route and coordinates nearby. As Aria spoke, she staggered. She was on the verge of copse and could not stand steadily. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce saw this and reached out to support her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little dizzy,¡± Aria said. Her body swayed and became even more dizzy. ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°No, maybe¡­ maybe I have a cold.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Aria closed her eyes and fell forward,pletely unconscious before she hit the ground. ¡°Aria. Aria. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Mr. Everett. I heard that Elmerton recently had a gue called heat toxin disease. It¡¯s also the most infectious virus in the area.¡± Chapter 1277 Chapter 1277 Chapter 1277 ¡°Don¡¯t tell me ¡®Mis¡¯s Bridges is infected with the disease?¡± Darcy looked s¨¦rious. ¡°Is there a hospital nearby?¡± ¡°This ce is remote. There should be some small-time vige doctors here, but I¡¯m afraid there aren¡¯t anyrge-scale hospitals.¡± As he spoke, Aro suddenly bent over and retched. ¡°I¡­ I feel dizzy too.¡± Aro staggered and could not stand steadily. Seeing this, Darcy supported him and said, ¡°Aro, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m feeling dizzy,¡± Aro said weakly and started vomiting again. Darcy quickly helped him onto the stool. When he lowered his head, he saw that Aro¡¯s arm was covered in rashes. ¡°Oh my god. You were fine just now. Why are you covered in rashes now?¡± ¡°Do you have any on you?¡± When Darcy heard this, he hurriedly checked his body. As expected, there were rashes on his body. ¡°Oh no! I have them too. Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re all infected with heat toxin disease?¡± Seeing what was happening, Bruce frowned. ¡°Is there a hospital nearby?¡± ¡°Hurry up and take a look at Dahlia and Carson.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After Bruce settled Aria down, he quickly checked himself. Fortunately, there was nothing unusual about him. Other than him, everyone else had rashes and a high fever. Clearly, this was an acute infectious disease. Bruce hurried to the room where Miya was being held. ¡°Did you do it? Tell me, what poison did you use?¡± Miya looked at Bruce snidely. ¡°Mr. Everett, I¡¯m tied up. How can it be me?¡± ¡°Then you must know how to cure this disease.¡± Miyaughed. ¡°I¡¯m only a caretaker, not a doctor. How would I know these things?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve studied traditional medicine with a highly skilled doctor and also are well-versed in medical care. You must know how to treat it.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you think too highly of me.¡± ¡°Hurry up and tell me.¡± Bruce was burning with anxiety. He immediately tore off Miya¡¯s clothes to examine her. As expected, she wasn¡¯t infected and didn¡¯t have any rashes on her. ¡°Mr. Everett, what are you doing to me?¡± Miya looked at him seductively. Bruce looked at her sinisterly. ¡°Everyone else is infected, but you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s not infected. How dare you say that you didn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Even if I do, how can I help them when I am tied up like this? ¡°If you untie me, I can help them with this disease.¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t y games with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already in your hands. What else do you want to do to me? I can¡¯t even resist, so what tricks can I y?¡± ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Don¡¯t force me to hit you.¡± Normally, he would never hit a woman. Of course, Miya was an exception. Seeing Bruce¡¯s cold and murderous expression, Miya pursed her cherry lips. ¡°They are infected with the virus. The infected need to be sent to the hospital immediately. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°However, medical care is strained here. The nearest hospital is more than 62 miles away. By the time you send them there, it will probably be toote,¡± ¡°Is there any other way?¡± Bruce said as he grabbed her shirt and lifted her ¡°Mr. Everett, why are you always so rude? Women don¡¯t like men who are too rude.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush with me!¡± Miya scoffed. ¡°Why do you want me to save her so urgently? Tell me honestly, what¡¯s your rtionship with her?¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even angrier. ¡°Are you fucking crazy?¡± Miya continued to flirt with him. ¡°I heard that Mr. Everett has a confidante. Could it be her?¡± Sheughed. ¡°For an outstanding man like Mr. Everett, how can one confidante be enough? Why don¡¯t I be your confidante too? How about we make a deal? ¡°Let me borrow your genes¡­¡± Bruce was now a person who had three generations of sessfully modified genes on him. Of course, his genes were exceptionally precious. She could change her genes by mating with him and getting pregnant. With this method, she would not have to suffer the pain that Bruce had suffered before and could be an elite gically modified person. Joanna had used this method to change her genes. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t havested until now. Chapter 1278 Chapter 1278 Chapter 1278 Bruce frowned and grabbed her hair, pulling her up from the ground. ¡°Just what kind of wishing thinking are you harboring? Don¡¯t test my patience, or I¡¯ll make you wish you were dead.¡± Miya¡¯s hair was pulled tightly back and her neck was strangled to the limit. She could only stand on her toes unsteadily. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks were covered in bruises, and her chin was covered in blood. Even though she was in a sorry state, Miya still smiled evilly. ¡°Bruce, how do you n to make me beg for death?¡± She snickered. ¡°Mr. Everett, a strong man like you knows just how to deal with women, right?¡± Miya let out a shrillugh. ¡°How can your wife¡¯s weak body withstand a tough man like you?¡± Smack! Bruce¡¯s expression changed and he gave her a tight p. ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t dare to kill you?¡± Miya fell heavily to the ground. A bloody scrape immediately appeared at the corner of her lips. Still, she snickered. ¡°If you kill me, you can lose any thoughts about finding your daughter. ¡°All of these people here, none of them will be able to survive. ¡°I¡¯m someone who can be coaxed but not coerced. If you make me happy, I might agree to it!¡± Miya¡¯s eyes were still provocative. Bruce walked forward slowly and bent over to pinch her chin. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll make you feel worse than death.¡± When Miya heard this, a trace of disdain appeared in her eyes. Most of the pain nerves in people like her had already been removed. Although they could feel pain, their pain nerves were much weaker than ordinary people. A normal person might faint from the pain of having a tooth knocked out. However, to them, the pain of having their limbs broken was simr to the pain of a normal person falling, Therefore, no matter what cruel methods Bruce used to hit her, she would not be afraid. ¡°Bruce, if you continue to be so rude to me, I will definitely make you regret it.¡± Bruce snorted sinisterly. He raised his big hand and dragged her to the side of the pool. Bruce grabbed her hair and pushed her head into the pool. Miya¡¯s breathing was hindered by the water, and she fiercely choked on the water. Then, she struggled with all her might in the water. Unfortunately, Bruce¡¯s hands were like steel pincers, holding her head down in the water tightly, preventing her from breaking free. His hand was so big that no one could break free too. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Nearly a minuteter, Miya was about to drown in the water when Bruce her out of the water. Miya began to cough violently and gasped loudly as soon as she was able to draw in fresh air. Bruce looked at her with a dark expression. ¡°Are you willing to tell me now?¡± Miya scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s all you can do?¡± Miya looked like a drowned rat, but she was still disdainful. The corner of Bruce¡¯s lips twitched, and he abruptly pushed her into the water again. It had to be said that this was the first time he had met such a crazy woman. Miya struggled in the water again, but this time her struggles were much weaker. ¡°Are you ready to talk yet?¡± After a series of loud coughs, Miya still showed no signs of fear at all. On the contrary, there was a hint of enjoyment on her face. Sheughed. ¡°Come on, continue. I¡¯m a masochist. The more ruthless you are to me, the more I like it.¡± When Bruce heard this, he frowned tightly and looked at her with an equal amount of hatred and helplessness. Damn it! What kind of woman was this? She was absolutely crazy enough to make his scalp tingle. Chapter 1279 Chapter 1279 Chapter 1279 ¡°Are you going to talk or not? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll strangle you to death.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was menacing as he gradually tightened his grip on her neck. Miya¡¯s breathing was cut off. Her face turned as red as a poppy flower, and she kept spitting out blood. It did not take long before he saw that she was already rolling her eyes into her head. She would die if he did not let go. Bruce took a deep breath and loosened his grip a little. ¡°Are you going to talk now?¡± Miya hurriedly took a few deep breaths and vomited blood. She looked like a mangled rat. ¡°You¡­ If you have the guts, strangle me to death. When I die¡­ Let¡¯s see how else you can find your daughter¡­¡± Miya beganughing maniacally, sending shivers down a man¡¯s spine. Bruce felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn¡¯t think of what else to do anymore. He thought that his personality was already crazy and arrogant enough, but he did not expect that there was someone more perverted than him. Miya was very aware of Bruce¡¯s weakness. If he wanted to save his daughter, he needed to make her lead the way. If he crippled her now, wouldn¡¯t he have to carry her around in the future? ¡°Damn it!¡± Bruce waspletely consumed with anger. He swung his hand fiercely and threw her heavily to the ground. Miyanded face-first on the ground. The hard floor cracked her nose and lips, and more blood gushed out. Snickering, she coughed slightly. Miya struggled to raise her head, her face looking like a demon that had wed its way from hell. ¡°Bruce, as long as you let me borrow your genes, I¡¯ll save them. Otherwise, it¡¯s useless even if you beat me to death¡­¡± She beganughing again. Bruce¡¯s scalp went numb, and ayer of goosebumps erupted all over his body. ¡°You can dream on.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t get anything out of her, he could only send Aria, Darcy, and the others to the hospital. Bruce had no choice but to carry Aria to the car. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital first.¡± After carrying Aria to the car, he carried Darcy to the car. However, it was unrealistic to send them to the hospital. There were a total of six bodyguards. Including Aria and him, there were a total of eight people. Coupled with Miya, there was no room in a car to fit all of them. Moreover, he was the only driver. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Bruce was fretting when he suddenly heard light footsteps behind him. ¡°Who is it?¡± Bruce shouted and turned around to cast an over-the-shoulder drop. Thud! A tall and mighty body was thrown heavily to the ground. Bruce immediately went forward and prepared to deliver another punch. ¡°What the hell. It¡¯s me¡­¡± Jaydon hurriedly said. Bruce took a closer look and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Jaydon, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Jaydon was grimacing from the drop fall. His waist was almost broken. He was still lying on the ground and in so much pain that he could not get up. Bruce was shocked. He quickly bent down and helped him up. ¡°How did you find this ce?¡± ¡°Of course I had a hacker track you down! Do you know? I¡¯ve been on your tail for days!¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jaydon rubbed his lower back with a pained expression and retorted angrily, ¡°Then why are you here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking the obvious.¡± Bruce didn¡¯t have the patience to exin too much to him. He grabbed him Property ? N?velDrama.Org. and walked to the car. ¡°You came at the right time. Hurry up and drive them to the hospital.¡± ¡°They¡¯re infected with heat toxin disease. It¡¯s the most popr virus now. Wear a mask and protect yourself first. Don¡¯t get infected.¡± When he saw Aria, Jaydon¡¯s heart tightened. He wanted to go forward quickly. ¡°Ari! So you¡¯re really here. I finally found you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch her. She¡¯s infected with the virus. I think we should take her to the hospital.¡± ¡°Infected with a virus?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. Send them to the hospital immediately,¡± Bruce said. He opened the trunk and took out a protective suit before handing it to Jaydon. ¡°Okay. ¡°Then, what about this woman?¡± Chapter 1280 Chapter 1280 Chapter 1280 ¡°Throw her in the trunk. Don¡¯t let her escape.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he nced at Miya ominously. ¡°Is this the woman who hurt Joann?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Bruce, why are you still keeping her alive then?¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes darkened and he subconsciously clenched his fists. Thinking of Joanna¡¯s miserable state, Jaydon felt as if someone had stabbed a knife in his heart and twisted it. He could not help butin to Bruce, ¡°Bruce, I really regret it. I really regret giving Joann to you. ¡°You said that you would protect Joann, but Joann is now¡­¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± Bruce was furious. He instantly became even angrier upon hearing his usation. ¡°If you dare to covet my wife again, I will beat you up. Do you believe that?¡± Bruce red at him and got ready to take action. The damned bastard was still thinking about stealing his wife from him. What did he mean by giving Joann to him? Was this bastard worthy ofpeting with him? Jaydon took a deep breath and did not dare to criticize him anymore. Bruce was a bad-tempered guy. He would really hit him if they were in disagreement. Moreover, Bruce would not go easy on him. Jaydon had just been thrown on the ground by him, and his back was still hurting badly. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of keeping her? Kill her and avenge Joann!¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°There¡¯s still a use for her now. We can¡¯t touch her for the time being. ¡°Hurry up and send them to the hospital first.¡± Jaydon swallowed the rest of his words. He could only follow Bruce¡¯s instructions and put on the protective suit. ¡°Get up!¡± Bruce grabbed Miya by her clothes and pulled her up from the ground. Miya snickered. ¡°Even if you send them to the hospital now, it¡¯ll be toote. away. When you arrive ¡°The nearest hospital is also more than 62 miles at the hospital, they will already be waiting in hell.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Bruce couldn¡¯t take it anymore and smacked her hard. Miya spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at him in provocation. ¡°Go on! Keep hitting me. Don¡¯t let up! The harder you hit me, the better I feel!¡± When Bruce heard this, he grew even angrier. He was really at a loss for words. Jaydon put on his protective suit and was about to get into the car when there was a voice. Aria shook her head and moaned weakly. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Upon hearing her voice, Bruce¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re awake. That¡¯s great.¡± When Jaydon heard her voice, he hurriedly approached Aria. ¡°Ari, how are you?¡± Aria slowly opened her eyes and said weakly, ¡°Bruce¡­ No¡­ No need to go to the hospital!¡± ¡°Aria, what should we do if we don¡¯t send you to the hospital?¡± Bruce asked anxiously. Aria had a PhD in biology. She definitely knew how to cure the virus. ¡°Use¡­ Use your blood¡­¡± Aria took a deep breath and closed her eyes weakly. ¡°Use my blood?¡± Bruce frowned. Halfway through her sentence, Aria fainted again. Jaydon¡¯s eyes shifted and he said in realization, ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re now a hybrid. Could it be that your blood has a special function?¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . When Bruce heard this, he was so angry that his expression changed. ¡°You¡¯re the hybrid!¡± ¡°Am I wrong? Your genes are no longerpletely human. To put it bluntly, you¡¯re now a mongrel consisting of the genes of humans and many animals.¡± When Bruce heard this, he was even more furious. He was not a dog. How could he be described as a mongrel? ¡°Jaydon, do you have a suicidal wish?¡± Jaydon clicked his tongue. ¡°Look at you now. You¡¯re too emotionally unstable. No normal person would have such a temper as you. ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry up and save them!¡± Bruce bit back his anger. ¡°Aria said to use my blood. How do I use it?¡± Jaydon rolled his eyes. ¡°Perhaps she was talking about squeezing out your blood and applying it all over their bodies?¡± Bruce stared at him in mutinous silence. Chapter 1281 Chapter 1281 Chapter 1281 ¡°That must be it. Your blood will definitely kill the virus. We can apply your blood all over their bodies, and it should be able to kill the virus and detoxify them. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go get a container,¡± Jaydon said solemnly. He hurried into the house. After a while, Jaydon hurriedly brought over a small basin. ¡°Is this big enough? There isn¡¯t anything bigger.¡± ¡°Wu wu wu wu wu-¡± Devin was knocked to the ground. He covered his face and cried very loudly. Seeing that Bruce was in a daze, Jaydon urged impatiently, ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose. Hurry up and let your blood out! ¡°Where¡¯s the knife? We need to find a knife now. We need to get your blood out¡­¡± Jaydon was so busy running around that he looked like someone who was about to slice the turkey on Thanksgiving. Soon, Jaydon brought over a sharp military knife from the car. ¡°I found the knife. Where should I cut it?¡± Bruce looked at him coldly and said sarcastically, ¡°Cut the aorta! It bleeds faster.¡± When Jaydon heard this, he subconsciously clicked his tongue. ¡°That¡¯s true. Are you going to do it yourself, or should I help you?¡± Bruce¡¯s heart sank. He stared at Jaydon with an uncertain expression. It seemed that Jaydon had been wanting to stab him for a long time. ¡°Hurry up. If you¡¯re any slower, it¡¯ll be toote.¡± After Jaydon finished speaking, he held up the knife and gestured at the aorta on his neck. Bruce just stared at him like he was a fool. If Bruce was in his old temper, he would immediately beat Jaydon to death. Jaydon looked at him for a few seconds and finally realized something. He said worriedly, ¡°You know what¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to slice your neck, right? Why don¡¯t we cut your wrist instead?¡± ¡°Are you fucking crazy?¡± Bruce gritted his teeth in anger and kicked him. Jaydon red at him and quickly avoided his foot. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Look at you. Why are you so angry easily? Your personality is too extreme. How can Joann stand you?¡± ¡°Give me the knife and get lost!¡± Bruce grabbed the military knife from his hand. Then, he cut his finger. Blood instantly flowed out. He had undergone three gic modifications. He had also taken dozens of gene regeneration shots in between and various hormonal drugs. After that, he had taken various medicinal herbs to recuperate. His blood might really be able to cure the poison. ¡°Hey! Your blood is flowing out. It¡¯sing out!¡± Jaydon said as he quickly came over with the basin to receive it. Bruce frowned and squeezed his blood into the basin. ¡°Let a bit more out! Squeeze more out! You¡¯re only giving so little, how can it be enough?¡± ¡°Fuck off! Do you think you¡¯re milking a cow?¡± Bruce was so angry that he directly hit him on the head. Jaydon was in pain and looked at him with resentment. ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re too irritable. How can you hit me like that? Don¡¯t you have any manners?¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes narrowed as he pressed hard on the wound on his finger. ¡°Jaydon, if you continue to whine, I¡¯ll shut your mouth. ¡°Cut the crap and feed them the blood.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to feed them the blood? What if you should smear it on them? What if your blood is poisonous and poisons them to death? You have to think carefully. You¡¯re now a monster that¡¯s neither human nor beast¡­¡± ¡°Shut up. Hurry up and bring the blood over.¡± Bruce could not stand him anymore and snatched the basin from his hand. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Then, he tried to feed one of the bodyguards a few drops of his blood. A few minutester, when he saw that the bodyguard was fine, he fed Aria, Darcy, and the others one by one. Chapter 1282 Chapter 1282 Chapter 1282 ¡°Will this work? Or will they be poisoned?¡± Jaydon asked worriedly. Bruce frowned. ¡°We can only wait and see. Hopefully, it will work.¡± Half an hourter, Aria shook her head slightly and let out a weak moan. Seeing this, Bruce hurriedly went forward to check on her. ¡°Aria, how is it? Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Much better!¡± Aria was the first to wake up. She rubbed her head, still feeling a little dizzy. ¡°That¡¯s good. Would you like some water?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied weakly. Bruce took a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Aria. Aria raised her hand weakly, unable to hold the bottle of mineral water at all. ¡°Bruce, I¡­ I¡¯m weak all over¡­¡± Aria coughed. Bruce frowned and handed the bottle of water to Jaydon. ¡°Jaydon,e over and feed Aria some water.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jaydon hurriedly took the mineral water and carefully fed Aria a few sips. Not long after Aria woke up, Darcy, Carson, and the others also woke up one after another. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m so dizzy!¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m relieved that everyone is fine in the end.¡± Bruce finally heaved a sigh of relief. Aria regained some of her energy. ¡°I need to concoct a few more sets of medicer to drive away all the virus.¡± Jaydon looked surprised and said teasingly, ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Bruce. Your blood is actually so useful. Hey! Do you think you¡¯re like some kind of supernatural being now? ¡°Will I live forever after eating your flesh?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Do you want me to scrape off the skin of my sole and give them to you?¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re disgusting.¡± ¡°Cut the crap. If you can help, hurry up and help,¡± Bruce said and quickly went forward to take care of the others. They had just woken up and were very weak now. They did not even have the strength to drink water. ¡°Here, drink some water. Be careful!¡± Bruce opened a few bottles of water and personally fed them to the bodyguards. Darcy, Carson, and the others tensed up and looked ttered. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Everett!¡± After all, it had always been someone else who was taking care of Bruce. This was the first time Bruce had taken care of them. ¡°I¡¯ll help Ari!¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Mr. Grimm, I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Ari, look. You¡¯re acting distant with me again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really fine.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll rest here tonight. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll survey the route and see how to get to Paradise Ind.¡± ¡°Sure. Okay.¡± ¡°If we want to go to Paradise Ind, we have to prepare at least a ship and a few speedboats. ¡°In addition, we have to go to Green Phoenix Ind to catch the seabirds.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± At night, Bruce tightened his windbreaker around him and leaned against the driver¡¯s seat. Everyone else was injured. He had to be on guard to ensure everyone¡¯s safety. After a while, Aria walked out of the house. ¡°Bruce, go back to your room and sleep! You won¡¯t be able to sleep well in the car.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Are you still worried?¡± ¡°Go to sleep! Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Bruce¡¯s expression was serious. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep either. I¡¯ll chat with you.¡± When Bruce heard this, he wanted to refuse. He really was not in the mood to talk to anyone. He only wanted to find Paradise Ind as soon as possible, destroy theboratory, and save his daughter. Of course, he still had some selfish motives. He hoped to find the legendary Soft umtion Liquid on Paradise Ind. Joanna was now in a vegetative state. The chances of her waking up were very slim. If he could find this Soft umtion Liquid, he might be able to wake Joanna up. ¡°Bruce, I can tell you what I¡¯ve learned in the past few months.¡± Chapter 1283 Chapter 1283 Chapter 1283 Bruce did not object. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been gathering all the information about Paradise Ind for the past few months. I¡¯ve already made a few routes. This route is the shortest route to Paradise Ind,¡± Aria said. She unfolded a map and showed it to Bruce with her finger. Bruce took the map and looked at it carefully. He wanted to memorize all these routes. ¡°At the moment, we need boats and wooden rafts. In this area of the sea, the reefs and maic fields are the strongest. Only the raft will not be affected. The other boats will be affected since they are made of metal. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Also, I have already contacted our colleagues. They will meet us at this ce,¡± Aria said meticulously. When she looked at Bruce, there was a deep emotion hidden in her eyes. She knew that he would definitelye. Therefore, she had made all the necessary preparations in advance. Bruce looked at the map seriously. When he looked up, he saw Aria looking at him in a stupor. Her eyes were sparkling, gentle and beautiful. Moreover, her eyes were simr to Joanna¡¯s. Bruce frowned and said in a low tone, ¡°Well, we still have to go Phoenix Ind to catch seabirds tomorrow. Let¡¯s rest early.¡± B¡¯Bruce¡­ Aria¡¯s cherry lips trembled. She wanted to say something stopped herself. She loved him so much. She knew that he would never fall in love with her in this lifetime, but cher love for him was etched into her bones. She had always thought highly of herself. How could any ordinary man bepared to Bruce? If only time could be reversed, how good would that be? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bruce¡¯s tone was t. He deliberately kept a distance from her, not wanting her to harbor any more thoughts about him. Aria was silent for a few seconds before smiling at him. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can do it, Bruce!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Bruce replied coldly. Hey back in the driver¡¯s seat and continued to sleep. The next day, everyone was up. ¡°Darcy, you and Carson go buy enough supplies and the daily necessities that we need.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Everett!¡± ¡°Bruce, where are you going?¡± ¡°I n to go to Green Phoenix Ind first to catch seabirds.¡± Aria immediately picked up her backpack. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just take Miya.¡± When Aria heard this, she still looked worried. ¡°The woman is too cunning. She might y some tricks again. I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯ll be more at ease.¡± Jaydon, who was originally taking care of the two injured people, heard their conversation and hurriedly ran out. ¡°Ari, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have toe. Go shopping with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going. I-I want to catch seabirds with you.¡± ¡°Jaydon, we¡¯re going to do something serious now, not go out to y. Besides, there¡¯s not enough room on the boat.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just going to catch a few birds. There¡¯s no need for so many people to go.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened as he rejected Jaydon gloomily. Jaydon shrugged slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I have to go with you.¡± After saying that, he muttered indignantly in a quiet voice, ¡°I have to keep an eye on you for Joann to prevent you from fooling around again.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Even though Jaydon spoke very softly, Bruce still heard him. He immediately frowned and subconsciously clenched his fists. Joanna was now in a vegetative state. He was burning with anxiety and grief. How could he be fooling around? All he wanted to do now was to tten Paradise Ind and save his daughter. Seeing that Bruce was about to fly into a temper, Aria gently advised, ¡°Forget it. Let Jay go with you.¡± Chapter 1284 Chapter 1284 Chapter 1284 ¡°Alright. Since you want to go, hurry up and go prepare.¡± ¡°What should we prepare?¡± Jaydon asked casually. ¡°We need to prepare a birdcage and some equipment. ¡°Green Phoenix Ind is a primitive ind that has not been developed. It¡¯s very likely that there are natives on the ind. Those people are very barbaric. ¡°We have to take the necessary precautions. If we do encounter them, we can easily deal with them.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Okay,¡± Jaydon said. He opened the trunk and began to take a few pistols. He also took enough bullets. In addition, he also prepared some ropes, daggers, flints, medicine, and so on. Miya was tied to a pir in the back room. Bruce went over and untied her. ¡°Get up quickly!¡± Miya let out a groggy moan. ¡°Mr. Everett, I need to go to the toilet. I can¡¯t hold it in anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y any tricks.¡± Bruce¡¯s face darkened as he warned fiercely. ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go to the toilet, I¡¯ll have to do it on the spot. D you think it¡¯s dirty if I get it on you?¡± Bruce frowned in disgust. ¡°Aria, apany her.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Follow me!¡± Aria held her hand and led Miya toward the toilet. They reached the toilet. ¡°Hurry up and go! Don¡¯t waste time.¡± Miya looked at Aria. ¡°If you don¡¯t untie me, how can I take off my pants? ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me take it off?¡± Aria frowned. Just in case, she personally helped Miya take off her pants. Unexpemodly, as soon as her hand touched Miya¡¯s zipper, it was as if she had been elcoocated. As secret agentists they would hide weapons in the most innocuous and inconspicious poles. These weapons, however, would be lethal. Some would shave off their eyebrows and make two fake eyebrows to rece them Ohhe back of the eyebrows, there might be poison needles or miniature vivideorecorders. In short, these were appossible to guard against, and they were extremely hidden. Aria let out a scream Helebbddy trembled and she hurriedly let go. Before she could react. My holowered her head and knocked it against Aria¡¯s forehead¡­ Thuc Aria¡¯s forehead washidiThe pain made her ck out and she almost fainted. Immediately after, Miya raised thereleleg and kicked Aria in the back of her head. The kick would definitely break Ariaia¡¯s k. Fortunately, Aria was also extremely sled in self-defense and her reaction was extremely agile.e. When Miya¡¯s leg was about to kick her, suhdelehly turned her waist and avoided the fatal kick. At the same meslshe threw a heavy pu Miva¡¯s chest. Miya was punched in the chest, and blood dusive her throat. immediately after, Aria gave her an over- the-sholleled chop and she thrown to the ground. Wands going on?¡± Bruce and Jaydon heard the soundsad hurriedly aanteimi to civeck on them. Miyanhaaroonce more been restrained. There was sadiso a big purple bump on Aria¡¯s forehead.d. Fortunately. Aria was wearing an electro-proof vest. Otherwise slshe would have been caught off guard by Miya¡¯s speak attack just noww. ¡°Behave yoursciel Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± Miya was held do the ground, but her face still looked unruly. ¡°Be careful!!Thisisoomans is very cunning. Don¡¯t fall for her tricks again,¡± Bruce said worriedidly. Aria had a serious expression. ¡°Yes, I know. This woman is indeed very cunning. She alshow shaadne just now. She was already smaratonuigh, but she did not expect Miya to be even smarter. If Miya wasn¡¯t facing someone as powerful and smart as Bruce and Aria, she would have turned the tatalloles and won. Even though Miya was restrained now, no one dare dobelet their guard down around her. Get up!¡± Bruce grabbed Mabbyher dor and dragged her up from the ground. Bang! Miya was thrown into the trunk We have to set off immediatelnd doch Green Phoenix Ind before dark.¡± Okay.¡± Darcy, you guys have to be careful tooAAfiep purchasing the equipment, wait for us at Green Phoenix Ind up bread.¡± Got it, Mr. Everett!¡± Then Bruce got into the car. Jaydon satini the passssenger seat an he back. Chapter 1285 Chapter 1285 Chapter 1285 ¡°Are you all ready? Let¡¯s go.¡± Bruce stepped on the elerator and the SUV roared away. The huge inertia caused Jaydon to suddenly fall forward. Then, he was yanked back into his seat by the seatbelt. ¡°What the hell. Bruce, can you not drive so wildly? Can you drive slower?¡± Bruce rolled his eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t you drive?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. It¡¯s better if you drive,¡± Jaydon said as he leaned back in his seat resentfully. It would be extremely tiring to drive. Sitting down would save him a lot of trouble. ¡°Ari, do you think it is very bumpy?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s okay.¡± Jaydon clicked his tongue repeatedly. ¡°Fortunately, this is a foreign country. If we¡¯re back at home, you would definitely have your driver¡¯s license revoked for speeding so badly.¡± Bruce did not say anything and continued to elerate. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Anyway, he had always been so impulsive when driving. When he was back in the country, he had to pay a lot of fines for speeding every year. He had to spend a lot of money each year just so he could retain his license. Therefore, unless necessary, a driver would usually drive when he went out. The SUV drove for eight or nine hours. They finally arrived at their destination. ¡°In front of us is the sea area of Green Phoenix Ind. ¡°We¡¯ll rent a motor boat from the locals and get two guides to lead the way.¡± ¡°Okay, sure.¡± ¡°You two go ahead!¡± Bruce looked at Jaydon and Aria. He was not very good at dealing with strangers. Jaydon was better at these things. ¡°Alright. Wait here.¡± Jaydon and Aria walked one after the other towards the pier in front. Bruce leaned against the car and smoked one cigarette after another. Half an hourter, the two of them finally returned. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve found a motorized boat and two guides. However, they won¡¯tnd on the ind. They¡¯ll only send us to Green Phoenix Ind and wait for us on the shore. ¡°If we don¡¯te back in two days, they will head back.¡± Bruce frowned when he heard that. ¡°ording to the locals, there are primitive natives on the ind. They are very dangerous. Therefore, outsiders don¡¯t dare to go to the ind.¡± ¡°Then, why did they dare to go?¡± Bruce nced at the trunk. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe they have their ways.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We will take the necessary precautions,¡± Bruce said as he loaded both pistols. He also hid many daggers in his sleeves, military knives in his boots, and a gun in his backpack. Jaydon and Aria were also fully equipped, just in case. With their equipment, it was enough to deal with those primitive natives. Of course, this was to prevent any idents. They did not want to offend the natives of the ind if they could avoid it. ¡°Get on board!¡± Jaydon and Aria boarded the motorized boat one after another. Bruce grabbed Miya and escorted her onto the motorized boat. ¡°Behave yourself. Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, can you be more gentlemanly?¡± Miya gave him a strange look. ¡°Set sail!¡± Aria used Antlenish to inform the guide. The guide was a rugged man in his forties. He had thick lips and was dressed in dirty clothes. He looked quite simple. There was a loud roar from the engine as the guide started the boat. He began to drive out to the sea. To be precise, they were heading to the entrance of the sea. They had to drive for almost ten hours before they would enter the Indiona Ocean. After that, they had to drive for another day and night before they could reach Green Phoenix Ind. Chapter 1293 Chapter 1293 Chapter 1293 ¡°Ari, Aria¡­¡± Bruce and Jaydon were burning with anxiety. They searched everywhere for any sign of Aria. The group of indigenous people was shocked. Each of them looked at the two of them in bewilderment. After all, both sides did not understand each other¡¯snguage, so they had no idea what the two men were saying. ¡°Aria! Aria, where are you?¡± The two of them checked several nearby straw sheds, but there was no sign of Aria. Jaydon looked worried. ¡°Oh no,¡± he said. ¡°Oh no. Ari must have run into trouble. ¡°Why did you sleep so soundlyst night?¡± Bruce¡¯s expression turned serious. He asked, ¡°Why did you sleep so soundly?¡± Last night, both of them were too exhausted. They fell asleep as soon as theyy down. ¡°Let¡¯s not me each other. Let¡¯s hurry and find Ari.¡± ¡°Ari. Ari¡­¡± ¡°You search over there, and I¡¯ll search this way. Let¡¯s gather here in an hour.¡± The two of them were about to split up and search. Two or three indigenous people led Aria and walked toward both of them. While walking, Aria used gestures to convey something. Seeing this, the two of them instantly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Aria, where did you go?¡± ¡°Oh, I asked their chieftain to take me to see their boat. They¡¯re willing to lend it to us.¡± The two of them were stunned and left speechless when they heard this. They looked at Aria in disbelief. Aria did not speak the ind¡¯s nativenguage. However, her ability to express herself was rtively stronger. Through gestures and drawing, she made the chieftain understand what she meant. The chieftain knew that she wanted a boat. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. After that, the chieftain brought Aria to see the boat. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± The two of them were overjoyed. With a boat, they would be able to leave the ind. Aria frowned and somewhat disappointedly said, ¡°I just went to take a look. That boat is too basic. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be able to withstand the ocean waves. ¡°We may have to modify and reinforce it.¡± ¡°No problem. Take us to see it first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have something to eat first.¡± A few indigenous women handed them some food and said something that was unintelligible. The three of them had not had a proper meal for four or five days since they set out on their journey. They had already finished all the food they had brought with them. However, the food prepared today was decent. It was roasted sea fish and some wild vegetables. ¡°Grab a bite. Let¡¯s fill our stomachs first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Bruce said as he took it with a frown. ¡°Thanks.¡± This fish was truly unadulterated. There were no seasonings. Fortunately, seafood naturally had its own salty vor. After breakfast, the chieftain and Aria were to take Bruce and Jaydon to see the boat. After walking for over an hour, the chieftain finally brought them to the seaside. They took a look and saw a motorized dinghy anchored in the sea. It was obvious at a nce that this was left behind by an outsider. It did not look like a product of the ind. After all, every few years, there would always be some foolhardy people who wanted to explore the ind. Most of these people did not return. Their things were also left on the ind. However, the residents of the ind did not know how to operate these motor vehicles. They could only leave them on the seashore to slowly deteriorate. ¡°Is this the boat?¡± ¡°Damn. Can this even be called a boat? Isn¡¯t this too shabby?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got no other choice. This is the only boat on the ind. The others are all wooden boats. There¡¯s no way they could navigate the sea.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s check and see if the engine is still working. Then, we¡¯ll do some repairs on the damaged parts. We can only rely on this boat now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get into the boat and take a look first,¡± Bruce said and took the lead to jump into the boat. Chapter 1294 Chapter 1294 Chapter 1294 ¡°This should be repairable,¡± Bruce said. ¡°It¡¯s just that the hull is quite damaged and needs to be repaired.¡± Bruce checked it and basically knew what the problem was. Jaydon was overjoyed when he heard that. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll leave the repair of the engine to you then.¡± ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re really amazing. You even know how to repair an engine?¡± Bruce frowned. People like them, who were enthusiasts when it came to cars and nes, were quite interested in mechanical things. Although they were not professional, they had no trouble solving minor problems. ¡°You go cut some wood and find more rope. Aria, collect some fresh water and food.¡± ¡°Okay. Alright.¡± There was aplete set of spare tools in the storage box on the boat. Bruce started tinkering, preparing to repair the boat¡¯s engine. Each of them was busy with their respective tasks. By evening, the indigenous people brought them food again. The indigenous woman who had a difficult Now, with the child in her arms, she personally came to thank Aria. In their culture, there was no concept of postpartum confinement. After giving birth, they would lie down for two days at most before starting to do what they needed to do. When the indigenous woman saw Aria, she was very excited and sincere. In her own way, she kept expressing her gratitude. Although Aria did not know what the woman was talking about in her rapid speech, it was definitely words of gratitude. The baby was also very healthy. A small bundle, the baby nestled in his mother¡¯s arms. Bruce watched from the side. As he watched, his eyes could not help but turn teary. Afraid that tears might fall, he avoided the crowd and came to the side of the boat alone. Seeing this, Jaydon followed. When he got closer, he realized that Bruce was crying. ¡°Damn,¡± Jaydon said. ¡°Are you crying, Bruce?¡± He could not believe it, and he looked at Bruce with a surprised expression. ¡°A hot-tempered, evil, and arrogant man like him would actually shed tears?¡± Jaydon thought. Bruce¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He turned around coldly. His tall figure trembled uncontrobly as he cried softly. His heart was truly in a lot of pain. Seeing this indigenous woman holding her child, he could not help but think of his wife and his children. The scene of Joanna¡¯s abdomen being incised and lying in a pool of blood kept reying in his mind. He really wanted to return to his home country to be with Joanna. This was especially the case as his phone had no signal after arriving at South Elmerton. Currently, he did not even know what Joanna had be. Jaydon¡¯s expression gradually turned solemn. He knew what Bruce was sad about. He patted Bruce¡¯s shoulder andforted him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. We can definitely return, and Joann will definitely be fine too.¡± ¡°Hurry up and get to work,¡± Bruce said. His nasal tone was pronounced. He picked up the tools and continued to repair the engine. The engine was fine, and the fuel tank was not broken. It was just that there was a hole in the hull that needed to be patched up. Soon, after two days of repairs, the boat was almost fixed. The hole in the boat had also been patched up. For the past two days, besides providing medical care to the inders, Aria had also collected fresh water and food. Bruce¡¯s expression was solemn as he said, ¡°We can set off tomorrow. I hope everything goes well for us.¡± Jaydon said, ¡°Is the fuel enough? Will we not be able to make it to the maind?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°In any case, this is the only way we have right now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope our luck is good enough to encounter other vessels.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s rest early today. We¡¯ll set off early tomorrow morning¡­¡± Chapter 1295 Chapter 1295 Chapter 1295 The three of them discussed their itinerary and then went to rest. The next day, Bruce was the first to wake up. When he woke still dark. Perhaps because they were on an ind, the clouds in the sky were exceptionally gorgeous. The orange-red sun hid in the clouds, faintly discernible. The scenery was especially refreshing and pleasant. ¡°Wake up!¡± Bruce saw that Jaydon was still sleeping and shook Jaydon gently. ¡°Uh, what time is it?¡± Jaydon opened his eyes in a daze and could not help but yawn. ¡°We¡¯re leaving today. No more sleep.¡± Aria was a light sleeper. When she heard the noise, she immediately woke up. ¡°¡±Is everything ready?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°The most important thing is seabirds, fresh water, and enough food for two days.¡± ¡°Yes, alright!¡± The chief¡¯s son and a few natives also woke up early and brought them a lot of melons. It could be seen that the natives really hoped that the few of them could stay, especially Aria. Her medical skills stunned them. ¡°Thank you, thank you everyone!¡± Jaydon and Aria took the food delivered by the inders. ¡°Do you know the route?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a map on the ship. We can set off ording to the course. Once we reachnd, everything will be easy. ¡°Okay.¡± The three of them did not say anything else. They took their things and boarded the small boat. Bruce sat in the driver¡¯s seat and started the motorboat. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The engine started smoothly. A group of indigenous people stood by the sea and waved goodbye to them. ¡°Goodbye. You can all go back. Don¡¯t send us off anymore!¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± The motorboat slowly sailed into the sea, turned around, and headed towards the inner ocean. Bruce used to drive yachts out to sea often, so driving such a small boat was like a game to him. ¡°Ouch!¡± Jaydon was still a little worried after the boat jolted. ¡°Bruce, will this ship malfunction halfway?¡± ¡°Shut up, you jinx.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s going to rain. I wonder if itll rain heavily in the next few days.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. The sky looked a little gray, and the clouds were low. The sun was also hidden in the clouds. In this kind of weather, there could be a storm at any time. Their small boat might not be able to withstand the strong winds and waves. The boat drew ripples in the water as it sped up. Bruce drove the boat. Jaydon and Aria sat in the cabin at the back. Four hourster, the ship hadpletely entered the inner ocean. The vast sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Fish jumped out of the sea from time to time. In the inner ocean, even when there was no wind, there were still waves. The waves were getting higher and higher. The small boat was like a roller coaster, rising and falling on the surface of the sea. ¡°Are we going in the wrong direction?¡± Bruce looked down at his watch and learned the position of the sun by the hands of his watch. ¡°We can only judge the approximate position by the point at which the sun sets.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope we make it ind.¡± Bruce did not speak. He was focused on driving the boat. ¡°What the hell. It¡¯s been a few hours. And we haven¡¯t even seen a single ship on the sea. ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s daytime now, but when it¡¯s nighttime¡­ Jaydon mumbled, feeling a little prickly in his heart. If they were on a luxurious cruise ship, sailing in this bottomless sea would be a pleasure. But now, they were on an unstable boat. The small boat could be overturned by the wind and waves at any time. It was scary. Chapter 1296 Chapter 1296 Chapter 1296 They drove the boat for a few more hours. Night fell. The small lights on the boat glowed dimly. Only the sound of seawater colliding could be heard around the boat, as well as the asional cry of a whale that pierced through their eardrums. Bruce stabilized the boat, dropped the anchor, and made the small boat float still on the sea¡¯s surface. The fog on the sea was thick. The entire sky seemed to be wrapped in a salty chaotic darkness. It was lonely and noisy, making one¡¯s hair stand on end. ¡°Eat something.¡± Aria took out the food and handed it to Bruce and Jaydon. Bruce took the food and took some bits to replenish his strength. ¡°Why do I feel uneasy?¡± Jaydon looked around nervously. Although he couldn¡¯t see anything, he couldn¡¯t help but look around. Although the boat they came in was also very small, it was still muchrger than this boat. There was at least a cabin on the previous boat for people to rest in. Now that the cabin on this boat was rotten, there was no way to shelter from the wind and rain. The surface of the sea fluctuated violently, and the small boat shook violently with a sound. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Jaydon and Bruce looked around nervously. ¡°Oh my god, is there really a sea monster in the deep sea?¡± There were too many huge and terrifying unknown creatures in the sea. If they encountered the creatures, it would be dangerous. Another sound came. Another fish about the size of a boat jumped out of the water and almost overturned the boat. Jaydon staggered and grabbed the cabin tightly. ¡°Fuck, is it a whale?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The whale must be bigger than this.¡± This feeling made people inexplicably panic. Because they couldn¡¯t see anything. The surroundings were pitch-ck. Other than the faint light on the boat, there was nothing else to be seen. They could only tell that it was a big fish based on their intuitions. The sky was dark. There was no starlight at all, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. ¡°God. Please don¡¯t let it rain.¡± ¡°The deep sea at night is too fucking scary.¡± ¡°I swear, after I return to the country, I will never go out to sea again,¡± Jaydon could not help but grumble. Aria was also uneasy. ¡°I hope the night will pass quickly and bless the three of us to return tond safely.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Bruceforted the two of them in a deep voice. There was a squeaking sound. The seabirds in the cage seemed to be frightened. They pped their wings in the cage and cried miserably. ¡°Are the seabirds hungry? Should we feed them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dark now. Let¡¯s feed them at dawn¡­¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Whoosh!¡± Another behemoth leaped out of the sea. The huge fish fell heavily, and the seawater sshed all over the three of them. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s a shark, it¡¯s a shark¡­¡± Jaydon shouted. He staggered and fell into the cabin. Bruce and Aria also looked warily at the water around them. Now, they could basically tell that the fish was a huge white shark. It was the king of the sea. If the shark overturned the ship, the three of them would probably end up in the shark¡¯s belly. ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound. Don¡¯t rm them.¡± The three of them immediately focused. They did not dare to make a sound. Another squeaking sound came. The seabirds were frightened and fluttered around in their cages. The sound and smell of the birds attracted groups of sharks. ¡°These birds are so annoying. Can they stop crying?¡± Chapter 1297 Chapter 1297 Chapter 1297 There were noises. The shark seemed to realize that there was prey on the boat. They kept jumping and swimming in the sea, trying to knock the boat over. ¡°Fuck, why don¡¯t we just fire a few shots and chase these sharks away?¡± Jaydon frowned and cursed. Bruce shook his head. ¡°No. The smell of blood will attract more sharks.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯d better start the boat and get out of here.¡± ¡°If the sharks overturn the shipter, we¡¯ll be doomed.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Bruce thought for a moment and quickly returned to the driver¡¯s seat. Then, he prepared to start the boat and leave. Just as the engine was about to start, it suddenly stopped. After all, the engine had not been used for years. It had just been turned off, so it was very difficult to start it again. A creaking sound appeared. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s going on?¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t start the boat.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± Bruce frowned and calmed down. He tried to twist the key a few more times. Unfortunately, the engine was buzzing and could not be started at all. ¡°What kind of lousy boat is this? What should we do?¡± ¡°Can you fix it now?¡± Jaydon asked anxiously. ¡°It¡¯s so dark now. I can¡¯t see anything. Even if I want to repair it, I won¡¯t be able to see it until dawn.¡± Another sound of a shark jumping out of the water came. A great white shark jumped out of the water and knocked on the small boat. ¡°Ugh!¡± Even though Jaydon and Aria were sitting, they were almost overturned into the sea. ¡°Hold on tight. These sharks are attacking the ship.¡± The three of them gripped the old handrail tightly to prevent themselves from being thrown into the sea. Water was being sshed. A few sharks seemed to be very interested in the small boat. They kept attacking from all directions, trying to knock the boat over. Noises kept oning. The seabird was frightened and cried even more shrilly. The more the birds screamed, the harder the sharks hit the boat. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Will these birds shut up?¡± ¡°We have to think of something quickly. If this continues, the ship will definitely overturn¡­¡± As they were talking, a shark jumped out of the sea and hit the small boat heavily. Its huge body almost shattered the small boat. Crack! There was a hole in the left cabin armor, and the boat swayed. With a plop, two bird cages fell into the sea. ¡°Oh no, the birdcage fell into the sea.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± Seeing this, Bruce became even more anxious. ¡°Without the seabirds, we can¡¯t find Paradise Ind at all. Hurry up and bring the birdcage up. ¡°Where¡¯s the shlight? Bring it here!¡± Seeing this, Aria immediately stopped him. ¡°Bruce, no, it¡¯s too dangerous. The sea is full of sharks.¡± Bruce frowned and urged anxiously, ¡°We can¡¯t care so much. Hurry up and take the shlight. We don¡¯t want the seabirds eaten by the sharks!¡± As he spoke, Bruce had already stood up. His sharp eagle eyes scanned the shadows of the birdcage in the sea. With his current vision, he could actually see clearly at night. However, he still needed to use the shlight to determine the exact location. The birdcages were floating about 100 feet away from the small boat. If they didn¡¯t hurry up and pick up the cages, the seabirds would be torn apart by the sharks. Bruce was burning with anxiety. He could not care less. He took a deep breath and prepared to go into the sea When Aria saw this, her heart instantly rose to her throat. She hurriedly hugged Bruce¡¯s waist tightly. ¡°Bruce, no, you really can¡¯t go down. It¡¯s too dangerous in the sea. I won¡¯t allow you to go down.¡± Chapter 1298 Chapter 1298 Chapter 1298 A shark leaped high into the air, its left body colliding with the hull. When sharks attacked fishing boats, they were not always hungry. However, because the sharks lived in the sea all year round, most of them had many parasites on them. This would cause their bodies to be extremely itchy, so they liked to follow ships on the sea. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Let go!¡± Bruce¡¯s face turned serious. He pried Aria¡¯s hand away and jumped into the sea. Plop! Seeing this, Aria was so scared that her scalp went numb. ¡°Bruce, Bruce!¡± The cold seawater instantly made Bruce shiver. He couldn¡¯t care less and swam desperately towards the birdcages. It was because he had drowned when he was young. Actually, he was a little afraid of water. But right now, he could not care about anything else. Aria hurriedly switched on her shlight and helped Bruce light up the surface of the sea. As soon as the shlight was switched on, she saw a few sharks chasing after Bruce. ¡°Bruce, watch out for sharks behind you. Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Aria hurriedly waved her shlight and shouted on the boat to attract the sharks. As Aria expected, the sharks gave up on chasing Bruce and turned to besiege the boat. ¡°Ari, stop shouting. You¡¯ve lured the sharks over.¡± There was a cracking sound. The boat rocked and tilted violently. A shark leaped out of the water andnded in the stern. The front part of the small boat immediately rose high. It was almost overturned. ¡°Ah!¡± Jaydon and Aria were caught off guard. Both of them fell and rolled towards the stern. The shark at the stern opened its bloody mouth, ready to bite. ¡°At this rate, the boat will capsize.¡± Although the ship was broken now, there was still a ce for them to stay on the endless sea. If the boat sank, the three of them would probably die in the sea. Jaydon staggered to his feet, picked up the harpoon on the boat, and tried to drive the shark off the ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. boat. ¡°Bang, bang¡­¡± The hull was hit violently again. With a plop, Jaydon fell into the sea. ¡°Jay!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Jaydon struggled a few times in the sea. As soon as Jaydon surfaced, he was faced with the huge mouth of the shark. In a moment of desperation, Jaydon hurriedly took out a dagger from his waist and stabbed the shark in front of him. The shark was in pain and shook its head violently. ¡°Jay, quicklye up, quicklye up.¡± Aria stretched out her hand, wanting to pull Jaydon up. Unfortunately, there were too many sharks around him. And the edge of the boat was too high. Jaydon couldn¡¯t get up at all. Bruce had sessfully picked up the birdcage and was swimming back quickly. The shark was injured and bleeding, which attracted arge number of sharks. The shadows of sharks could be seen from the surface of the sea. In the dark night, they looked more like bloodthirsty monsters. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Bruce also took out his dagger and stabbed the shark beside him. His strength was much more ferocious than Jaydon¡¯s. Naturally, his attacks were much more ruthless than Jaydon¡¯s. Out of 10 times Jaydon attacked, he probably missed 6 or 7 times. Even if Jaydon stabbed a shark, he could barely stab deep because of the shark¡¯s thick skin. On the other hand, Bruce attacked ruthlessly and quickly. After a few rounds, the sharks fled for their lives and did not dare to approach at all. While the sharks were all swimming away, Bruce used his force and jumped onto the boat. Then, Bruce reached out from the edge of the boat and grabbed Jaydon¡¯s shoulder, lifting Jaydon up. After Jaydon was rescued onto the ship, hey in the cabin and kept panting. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°My leg was bitten, but it¡¯s fine. The wound is not very deep¡­¡± Both of them were drenched. Bang! Bang! The sharks began to ram the boat again. ¡°No, we can¡¯t just sit here and wait for death.¡± Bang! Bang! ¡°Ah!¡± The three of them held sharp harpoons and stabbed the sharks from different angles. Any shark that approached the hull would be stabbed ruthlessly. At dawn, the surface of the sea was almost dyed red. Countless corpses of sharks floated on the sea. Chapter 1299 Chapter 1299 Chapter 1299 The three of them were also exhausted. Bruce was fine. Jaydon and Aria were tired out. At dawn, for some reason, the sharks gradually retreated. ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°It¡¯s foggy. I can¡¯t see anything.¡± There was ayer of fog on the surface of the sea. The weather was hazy with the fog. ¡°Argh!¡± Jaydon could not help but moan in pain because of the painful wound on his leg. Aria quickly came over to check. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bandage for you. Bear with it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to bandage it. We can¡¯t keep the wound dry anyway.¡± ¡°I have a waterproof bandage in my backpack. I¡¯ll help you first.¡± ¡°Uh, okay.¡± Aria did not say anything else. She quickly took out bandages and anti-inmmatory medicine and began to treat Jaydon¡¯s wound. There were also a few wounds on Bruce¡¯s body. However, Bruce¡¯s self-healing ability was rtively strong. If he wasn¡¯t seriously injured, he didn¡¯t need to be treated. ¡°Our freshwater has been contaminated by seawater. There¡¯s only onest pot left.¡± ¡°We have to save it.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Jaydon frowned and said in confusion, ¡°Why did the shark suddenly retreat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about that for now. Let¡¯s leave this area quickly.¡± Bruce did not dare to dy, let alone rest. He hurriedly checked the engine again and realized that a fuse was broken. He took out his tools and started repairing the engine. Twenty minutester. After the fuse was repaired, Bruce tried to start the boat. There was a buzzing sound. The engine finally started. ¡°That¡¯s great. The boat is finally repaired. Let¡¯s get out of here quickly. I¡¯m about to be scared to death.¡± Jaydon copsed weakly in the cabin. Ar¨ªa quickly took the bucket and scooped the water out of the boat. Bruce started the boat and wanted to leave quickly. However, the surrounding water was vast, gloomy, and lonely. It was as if they had entered a four- dimensional space. He could not tell the direction at all. Bruce could only brace himself and drive forward, nning to leave this area first. After two hours, another noise came up. Thunder rumbled, and the wind began to blow on the surface of the asionally, a few beams of lightning would appear in the sky. Oh no, the storm they were most worried about was stilling. ¡°Oh no, looks like it¡¯s going to rain.¡± As they were talking, a huge animal appeared at the bottom of the sea without being noticed. The animal¡¯s huge force caused the small boat to fly out of the sea. Then, the boat smashed heavily into the sea. ng! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Bruce stood at the bow of the ship, trying to get his bearings. As the big fish suddenly surged, the ship shook violently. Bruce lost his bnce and fell into the sea. ¡°Bruce, Bruce!¡± ¡°Bruce!¡± Jaydon cried out in surprise and tried to reach out to pull him back. The huge creature at the bottom of the sea hit the boat violently. The huge force almost destroyed the small boat. Jaydon and Aria were thrown off bnce and could only grab onto the cabin. Noises of the iing storm sounded. The downpour came at the drop of a hat. The huge waves of disdain overturned the entire sea. In the face of nature, humans were simply too weak. Bruce swam to the surface of the sea with all his might. Unfortunately, before he could take a breath, a huge wave pounced over and smashed him deeply into Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. the abyss. Bruce started to cough. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± In such a deep sea and in such weather, it was almost impossible for people to survive if they fell into the sea. ¡°Pfft!¡± The monstrous waves kept tearing at Bruce. His entire body was swept into the sea. There was no way for him to surface his head and breathe, let alone maintain his bnce. Chapter 1300 Chapter 1300 Chapter 1300 The rumble sound of the storm kepting. Strong winds mixed with torrential rain swept across the sea. The boat was also on the verge of copse. Although Aria and Jaydon were anxious, they could barely protect themselves in this situation. They could not care about others at all. Bruce bobbed in the waves. Every time he was about to surface, he would be thrown into the abyss by the huge waves. After a few times, Bruce no longer had any strength, and his consciousness was gradually withdrawing. He didn¡¯t know how many mouthfuls of seawater he had choked on, but his chest was in intense pain. It seemed that he was going to die in the sea this time. All creatures had to respect Mother Nature. No matter how powerful you were, you were still just a small speck of dust when faced with the force of nature. Finally, Bruce could no longer struggle, nor did he have any strength left. Hepletely gave up resisting. His body rose and fell uncontrobly in the waves, and then continued to sink. Bruce felt that he was already dead. Only a trace of faint consciousness was left in his brain. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. In a daze, he suddenly felt that he had regained his hearing. ¡°Bruce¡­ Bruce¡­¡± One call after another called back his remaining consciousness. He seemed to have heard Joanna¡¯s voice. He slowly opened his eyes. The originally dark world seemed to have lit up with a beam of light. Joanna stood in the beam of light and smiled at him. Just like how she looked in high school, so bright, stunning, and gentle. ¡°Hello, my name is Joanna. I¡¯m a first-year student in the secondary school¡­¡± He seemed to have returned to the scene when he first met Joanna. ¡°Joann¡­ Joann¡­¡± Bruce originally had no strength to struggle anymore. Suddenly, it was as if his entire body was injected with infinite strength. He tried his best to step on the water and keep swimming upwards. When another huge wave came, he no longer resisted as hard as before. Instead, he floated against the waves. After the waves subsided, he finally popped his head out. He took a deep breath and came back to life. Even though the huge wave threw him into the abyss countless times, he surfaced countless times. He couldn¡¯t die. He still had to go home. He promised Joanna that he would definitely go back alive. If he died, Joanna would not be able to live. After an unknown period of time, the storm finally stopped, and the sea gradually calmed down. The sound of waves sshing on the shore was around. Brucey lifelessly on the beach. It was unknown how long he had been unconscious. The water sound was still there. The waves kept crashing against the beach. ¡°Ugh!¡± Bruce gradually regained consciousness. His entire body hurt terribly. He used all his strength to turn over andy on the beach, exhausted and disheveled. His legs were still submerged in the seawater, which keptpping at him. After a full five minutes, Bruce gradually regained consciousness. He stared fixedly at the sky. The blue sky and the cotton candy-like clouds were so fresh and beautiful. ¡°Uh, am I dead?¡± Bruce supported himself with his hands on the beach and stood up shakily. Around him, there were jagged rocks of all shapes and sizes. Groups of unknown small animals reached out their heads and looked at him. ¡°Uh, what is this ce?¡± At some point, he was washed up on the beach. He did not know how long he had been unconscious. ¡°Where is this ce? Why am I here?¡± Bruce shook his head vigorously. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t remember anything about the part of falling into the sea. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. Chapter 1301 Chapter 1301 Chapter 1301 ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Bruce dragged his tired body and staggered towards the shore. After walking for about ten minutes. There seemed to be traces of man-made logging in the forest ahead. Bruce looked at the smooth incision on the tree stump, and his expression gradually became solemn. ¡°This ind is inhabited?¡± He did not dare to advance rashly. Instead, he observed his surroundings. The trees ahead were tall and dense, blocking most of the view. He had no choice but to walk forward again. He came to an empty hillside and looked down. A few kilometers away, there was a cluster of modern buildings. This was a deste ind in the Indiona Ocean. Even if there were humans living here, most of them were natives like Green Phoenix Ind. It was unrealistic for so many modern buildings to appear on the ind. ¡°Could it be that¡­ I¡¯ve been washed to an ind ind?¡± Sounds of birds came up. Arge group of seabirds seemed to be frightened. They shrilly cried and flew over Bruce¡¯s head. Bruce looked up. It was the same type of seabird he caught on Green Phoenix Ind. However, the bird was smaller, and its tail color was not as bright. It should be a female bird. ¡°Is this the Green Phoenix?¡± Bruce thought that he had been washed back to Green Phoenix Ind. But upon closer inspection, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°Creak, creak, creak¡­¡± The shrill cries of the female seabirds kept sounding above his head. Not far away, a few huge male seabirds flew over. Immediately after, a ship appeared on the sea and was sailing towards the ind. Seeing this, Bruce hurriedly jumped off the rock and hid in a secret ce. He pondered for a few seconds. He gradually came to his senses. Could this be Paradise Ind? On Green Phoenix Ind, there were male birds. While on Paradise Ind, there were female birds. This type of seabird only meets the male during the breeding season. The people of Paradise Ind would catch many male birds and inject them with breeding hormones. When the male birds were in heat, they woulde to Paradise Ind to find the female. Bruce was secretly observing. After a while, the ship docked. A few people got off the ship one after another. At the back of the ship, a familiar figure walked out. ¡°Miya Rhodes¡­¡± After Bruce saw the figure clearly, he immediately clenched his fists. His hawk-like Property ? N?velDrama.Org. eyes were filled with killing intent. He had searched high and low for Miya, only to find her without much effort. This was indeed Paradise Ind. On the other side. Aria and Jaydon were still trapped in the boat. The boat had veered off course and drifted off somewhere. Besides, the engine was out of function. They werepletely trapped on the ship. ¡°Bruce, Bruce!¡± Aria was still heartbroken. ¡°Ari, don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Jaydon wanted tofort Aria, but he could not think of anything good to say. It had been two days since Bruce was swept into the sea. In this vast ocean, even if he had three heads and six arms, he would probably die. Both of them had heavy hearts. ¡°We have to find a way to get back ind.¡± Aria was inconsble and felt disheartened. She didn¡¯t want to believe that Bruce would be dead in the sea just like that. ¡°Bruce, you can¡¯t die. You can¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Ari, don¡¯t be like this. Bruce must be¡­¡± As Jaydon was speaking, he suddenly saw a huge ship sailing over from the sea. ¡°Ari, look, there¡¯s a ship.¡± Seeing this, the two of them could not care less about their grief and hurriedly called for help, ¡°Help! Help!¡± The ship seemed to have noticed them and immediately moved towards them. A momentter, the two of them were rescued onto the ship. ¡°Darcy, how could it be you?¡± Darcy, Carson, and the others all had solemn expressions. ¡°We waited on the shore for a few days, but you didn¡¯t return. Therefore, we found a guide and prepared to go to Green Phoenix Ind to save you.¡± ¡°What about Mr. Everett?¡± Aria and Jaydon¡¯s expressions darkened. They lowered their heads in sorrow. ¡°What about Mr. Everett?¡± Darcy widened his eyes and repeated his question. Chapter 1302 Chapter 1302 Chapter 1302 ¡°Hurry up and tell us. Don¡¯t make us anxious!¡± Jaydon sighed sadly and said regretfully, ¡°Bruce, unfortunately¡­ fell into the sea.¡± When Aria heard this, tears instantly fell. Darcy was shocked. ¡°What? Mr. Everett fell into the sea?¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Bruce, Bruce!¡± Aria knelt on the ground in grief and weakness. Tears kept falling. Darcy and Carson were instantly dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Is there any hope of a search and rescue?¡± ¡°Bruce has been out of contact for two days. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s doomed in this vast sea.¡± Jaydon frowned and sat weakly on the side. ¡°That might not be the case. Mr. Everett is not an ordinary person. He might still have a chance to survive!¡± Carson was unwilling to believe that Mr. Everett died just like that. When Aria heard this, her despairing heart regained a trace of hope. ¡°Yes, Bruce is not an ordinary person. He must still be alive!¡± ¡°We must do our best to search.¡± ¡°Even if Bruce is really gone, we have to fulfill hisst wish. We have to save his children and ¡°Yes. We must not give up hope.¡± As Jaydon spoke, he coughed. There was a sweetness in his throat as if his blood was rushing up. Seeing this, Darcy hurriedly went forward to take a look. ¡°Mr. Grimm, let¡¯s not talk so much.¡± ¡°You are too weak. You should quickly get treated and rest.¡± With that, Darcy hurriedly called for everyone and sent them into the cabin. On the Paradise Ind. Miya failed her mission and returned to the base in a sorry state. ¡°Professor, I¡¯m sorry. The mission failed!¡± Miya lowered her head, her face filled with fear. A crisp sound was heard. Professor Mairesi pped her hard in anger, causing her to take a few steps back and almost fall. He cursed with Antlenish, ¡°Idiot. Bitch. Do you know that you¡¯ve already messed up two missions? ¡°Do you know how much it costs to send you on a mission every time? Do you know how much you will lose if you fail the mission once?¡± Miya panicked and quickly stood up straight again. She said in fear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor! Please give me another chance. I promise toplete the mission.¡± Professor Mairesi was so angry. He tried his best to suppress his anger. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you another chance. ¡°If you screw up again, I¡¯ll destroy you. A useless dog doesn¡¯t deserve to stay with its master.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Miya¡¯s eyes shed with panic and fear. All of them would be injected with a neurotoxin. The antidote had to be injected once every three months. If they did not get the antidote injected on time, the neurotoxin in their body would act violently. Once it acted up, every nerve line in their body would hurt to the bone, and their organs would gradually fester and rot from the inside out. Moreover, once the neurotoxin acted up, the victims would not be able to move at all. They would live for at least a few months, and at most three to five years before slowly dying. It was living in hell. Therefore, these people were more obedient than dogs. None of them dared to resist. ¡°Where is 807 now?¡± ¡°When I left Green Phoenix Ind, Bruce and the others were trapped on the ind. Now, they should have found a way to leave.¡± ¡°Trash, useless piece of trash.¡± ¡°Jessica, give her another dose.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor.¡± Then, Mairesi¡¯s assistant opened a medicine kit and took out a drug from it. She skillfully injected it into Miya. ¡°Activate all search radars and sonars immediately and relocate 807. ¡°Miya, if you screw this up again, you don¡¯t have toe back to see me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Professor. I¡¯ll definitelyplete the mission.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Relieved, Miya hurriedly left Mairesi¡¯s private researchb. After leaving the researchb, Miya had a trace of anxiety and confusion in her eyes. She didn¡¯t know how long would her life being controlledst. Now, there might only be one way to get rid of this control. That was to turn herself into a gically modified person by interacting, with Bruce¡¯s genes. Only in this way, the neurotoxin in her body would be killed by her powerful gic immune system. Only then could she truly obtain freedom. Chapter 1303 Chapter 1303 Chapter 1303 Miya was stunned for a moment before she quickly went to carry out the mission. When she arrived at the resting cabin, she chose a few subordinates who had lost their minds. ¡°The few of you, pack up and set off with me.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Miya picked a few more pieces of equipment and prepared to leave the ind again to catch Bruce. In the surveince room, there was a buzzing sound. The surveince room was giving a malfunction reminder. A few security guards immediately became nervous. ¡°Suspicious targets have been found on the ind.¡± ¡°North of the ind.¡± ¡°Inform Professor Mairesi immediately.¡± Miya heard themotion and took the lead to check the surveince room. ¡°Quickly zoom in on the target and locate the suspicious person.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They used the thermal radar and surveince on the ind to scan for traces of Bruce. On Bruce¡¯s side. He stripped off his wet clothes and found a few coconuts to hydrate. After regaining his strength, he slowly approached the center of the research base. Unexpectedly, before he could approach the base, Bruce saw a few hidden cameras. ¡°Damn it, there¡¯s a thermal radar and surveince here.¡± Bruce found that there were hidden radars and surveince cameras on the ind. The closer to the research base, the more cameras there were. Bruce did not have time to think. He quickly retreated to the blind spot of the surveince camera and hid in a cave at the side. It was daytime now, so it was inconvenient to move. He could not act rashly. He had to understand the basic situation here first before thinking of a solution. In the surveince room, Miya stared intently at theputer disy. Unfortunately, the quality of the image was a little low. The subject was too far away. Miya could only see the outline of the figure sensed by the infrared, but she could not see the subject clearly. ¡°Right here! ¡°Zoom in, zoom in again.¡± Miya stared nervously at the surveince camera. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did he disappear?¡± ¡°Could it have been an animal that identally tripped a thermal sensor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s definitely not an animal. ¡°Rewind the scene just now. I¡¯ll take a look again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The surveince staff immediately rewound the image they had just captured. Miya kept zooming in. The image was very blurry. However, she could vaguely see a tall and burly figure. It was obvious that the person was not from the ind. Miya could not help but gasp when she saw this image. She was a little excited. ¡°Send me this location. I¡¯ll bring people over to take a look immediately.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Also, there¡¯s no need to rm Professor Mairesi for such a small matter. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Miya was Mairesi¡¯s capable subordinate. She had some power. ¡°Roger that.¡± Miya calmed herself down. She did not have time to adjust her condition. She hurriedly led her men to the ce where they found the suspicious subject. It was a rather empty ind with very few groups of buildings. It took about half an hour to walk from the research base to the north of the ind. As Miya walked, she had been secretly nning in her heart. Also, she had some selfish motives. She suspected that the image just now should be Bruce. This time, no matter what, she had to catch Bruce. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Half an hourter, Miya and the others arrived at the north side of t ind. To the north was the highest point on the ind. There were rocks and caves all around, and below them was a beach. ¡°You guys go over there. The two of youe with me. ¡°People can easily hide in these caves. When the subordinates heard this, they loaded their guns. Chapter 1304 Chapter 1304 Chapter 1304 Soon, Miya led a few subordinates and split into two teams. They surrounded the ind and began to search. After walking for a while, one of her subordinates discovered a cave and called out to Miya, ¡°There¡¯s a cave here that people can hide in. We can check if there¡¯s anyone inside.¡± When Miya heard this, she quickly came forward to take a look. In front of her was a cave that was as tall as a person. It was pitch-ck inside, and it was indeed a good hiding ce. ¡°You two go in and take a look.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Two of her men entered the cave cautiously, guns at the ready. This cave was not very deep, and one could see the end of it at a nce. It was empty inside. There was nothing inside. ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything.¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s look ahead again.¡± Miya¡¯s expression froze. She said in a low voice, ¡°Search carefully. Don¡¯t let go of any suspicious corners.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her subordinates were all elites selected from all over the world. They were of different races, and most of them were white. They did not find anything in this cave, so they continued to search. They walked for another ten minutes or so. Another curved cave appeared in front of them. It wasrger than the previous cave. ¡°Stop for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s something going on here.¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet.¡± Miya was the first to step forward. She cautiously leaned against the edge of the cave and carefully booked inside. The hole was a little deep, so it was impossible to see what was inside. You two go in and take a look¡± ¡°Okay¡± The two white men walked slowinthiovegguns at the ready. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Miva and the other two subordinates were waitingsakte The two then walked in further and further. Thesitation mide could nodonger be seen from the outside. Dhamy God!¡± ssundeed a deep cave¡­¡± before the man could finish his sentence. Bruce suddenly jumped down tothetop of the cave. Bbag!! With a corakking sound, the man¡¯s neck was broken. The enanmaatlike back fell to the ground without a sound.. The diganinnhe cave wasdim. The other manwalking in front heard the sound and quickly turned round docheckk. Unfortunately ured around and didn¡¯t have time to react. Like a cheetahhBBe suddenly flew over. He wrapped his arms around he man¡¯s neckkdraaguinghhennan do the ground. Bruce lifted his stong gams. With a crack, the mans¡¯s spice was also broken. Bruce nimbly dragged heewwondendo the side, unloaded their guns, and out the guns on himself. Miya waited outside the cageddonadewaninutes, but her subordinate still lid not return. What¡¯s going on insidic? Why arecht they out yet?¡± I wonder if he¡¯s in danger?¡± ¡°There must be something going on here.¡± As the three of them spoke, they hurriedly loaded their guns and prepared to shoot at any time. Miya was uneasy. She suspected that Bruce might be hiding inside. ¡°You two go in and take a look.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The two subordinates did not dare to resist. They could only brace themselves and enter the cave one after another. The same thing happened to them. A weak figure like them would be courting death in front of Bruce. Bang! Bang! Before the two of them could even react, Bruce broke their necks. Miya braced herself and waited for another few minutes, but no one came out of the cave. ¡°Mike, Mike!¡± Miya called out softly. Unfortunately, no one answered. Miya frowned and began to feel a chill down her spine. She did not dare into the cave to check. Then, she hurriedly turned around, wanting to call for reinforcements. However, it was toote. As soon as she turned around, a ck shadow suddenly shed out of the cave. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Miya screamed and was dragged into the cave. Chapter 1305 Chapter 1305 Chapter 1305 Immediately after, her neck was ruthlessly grabbed, and her breathing was instantly blocked. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Miya struggled a few times in pain and soon rolled her eyes. Bruce grabbed her neck tightly. Seeing that she was about to suffocate, Bruce let go of his steel-like grip and mmed her against the stone wall. Miya started coughing and could finally breathe. She gasped for air and kept rolling her eyes. Blood rushed to her eyes. ¡°Miya, where is my daughter?¡± Bruce asked fiercely. After Miya panted, she looked at his angry and distorted face. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so stupid as to tell you so easily?!¡± ¡°Hmph! If you don¡¯t tell me, then there¡¯s no need for me to keep you alive.¡± Bruce hadpletely lost his patience. In any case, he had already arrived at the Paradise Ind. Even if she refused to tell him Felicity¡¯s whereabouts, he would slowly find out. There was no need to keep this woman. Bruce grabbed her neck again with his big hands. Miya felt a chill down her spine. She knew that Bruce was serious this time. ¡°Bruce, I can tell you where your daughter is. ¡°But I want to make a deal with you.¡± ¡°Hmph! You are in no ce to negotiate with me.¡± Miya took a few quick breaths. She knew that she was in a life-and-death situation. Bruce would definitely kill her. Her expression changed, and she decided to act pitiful, hoping to arouse some sympathy from Bruce. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Tears streamed down Miya¡¯s face. Her voice was filled with sorrow and despair. ¡°I know. I deserve to die, I¡¯ve also done a lot of bad things¡­¡± Bruce sneered coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about this. I don¡¯t have time to listen to your nonsense!¡± Miya¡¯s eyes darted around rapidly as she quickly organized his words. She said sincerely and humbly, ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m a sinner of the nation. I don¡¯t dare to ask for our country¡¯s forgiveness, let alone your forgiveness.¡± As she spoke, Miya sobbed sadly. ¡°But I was forced to do so. ¡°I was forced to join District 17. From the day I was brought into District 17. My body has been injected ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. with neurotoxins, and if I don¡¯t obey their orders, I¡¯ll wish I were dead.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bruce snorted and let go of her neck resentfully. The methods used in District 17 were tragic and inhumane. He knew all this. It was possible that Miya was forced. Seeing that Bruce was less aggressive, Miya hurriedly continued to ¡°From the day I was forced to enter District 17, I¡¯ve been thinking ab how to escape and how to return to the embrace of my mothend. ¡°Please give me a chance to redeem myself. Let me help you save ourpatriots. At the same time, save myself.¡± When Bruce heard this, he stared at her with his hawk-like eyes gloomily. ¡°Are you serious?¡± This woman was scheming and sinister. No matter what she said, he could only believe part of it. He could not let his guard down. ¡°Of course, no one wants to be a traitor, let alone do bad things. ¡°This neurotoxin controls our bodies and minds, forcing us to do evil things. It¡¯s not just me. Many of our people here are also deeply affected. ¡°And your daughter¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my daughter?¡± Chapter 1306 Chapter 1306 Chapter 1306 As Bruce spoke, he suddenly became excited and exerted more strength in his arms. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Miya staggered and could not help but cough dryly. ¡°Tell me now.¡± ¡°Cough, your daughter, your daughter¡­ is now at The Seventh Experimental Base.¡± When Bruce heard this, he became even more anxious and angry. ¡°Then what¡¯s my daughter¡¯s current situation?¡± Thinking about his previous encounter in District 17 made him shudder. Felicity was still a baby. How could she withstand such an experiment? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your daughter is fine. She¡¯s the focus of Professor Mairesi¡¯s research. So he won¡¯t hurt her. For now, we¡¯re just locking her up in The Seventh Experimental Base for observation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Bruce asked hatefully. ¡°I swear to God, if you don¡¯t believe me, I can take you to your daughter now.¡± ¡°If you dare to lie¡­¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes suddenly narrowed. Miya immediately guaranteed, saying, ¡°If I lie, you can strangle me at any time.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Lead the way!¡± Bruce pushed her forward. Miya staggered forward weakly and reminded him, ¡°You can¡¯t go like this. ¡°Also, everyone who enters the experimental base needs facial recognition. There¡¯s no record of you in the identification system. You won¡¯t be able to enter at all.¡± ¡°Is there any way to get in?¡± ¡°The best way is for me to go into the experimental base and save your daughter. Then, you can meet me outside.¡± ¡°Hmph, why should I believe you?!¡± Bruce sneered. Bruce dared not to trust this scheming woman at all. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll ask a favor in return,¡± Miya said with a sad expression. ¡°Tell me first. What do you want?¡± Miya looked sad. She wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ve been injected with neurotoxin. If I want to break free, I need¡­ I need your genes.¡± When Bruce heard this, he instantly understood. ¡°You are dreaming.¡± ¡°I only need your genes to change mine by breeding.¡± ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to really do anything with me. You just have to give me your genes and I¡¯ll go for artificial insemination.¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re dreaming.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, then kill me now. I¡¯m controlled by neurotoxins anyway. I¡¯m better off dead.¡± Bruce hesitated for a moment before agreeing. ¡°Alright, I promise you. ¡°As long as you can get my daughter out safely, I¡¯ll definitely give it to you.¡± ¡°Really? Don¡¯t go back on your word.¡± ¡°I swear on my honor.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a pleasant cooperation,¡± Miya said with a hint of anticipation in her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s do it now,¡± Bruce said coldly. Bruce promised Miya now only to save his daughter first. As long as his daughter was rescued, he would think of a way to deal with Miya. ¡°Then change into their clothes and pretend to be Bruce listened and did not refute. my subordinate.¡± He directly took off the clothes and equipment from the deceased. Fortunately, these people from the foreign mercenary groups were all tall and strong. Their clothes fitted Bruce. After changing into their clothes and putting on the protective shield, Bruce put on their equipment. From the looks of it, he was no different from the mercenaries on the ind. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Half an hourter, Miya led the way while Bruce followed behind. ¡°Bruce, The Seventh Experimental Base is right ahead. You can wait at the door. I¡¯ll go in and save your daughter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t y tricks, do you?¡± Miya looked at him helplessly. ¡°If you decide to cooperate with me, you should trust me. ¡°Haven¡¯t we agreed on a partnership?¡± When Bruce heard this, he warned gloomily, ¡°You¡¯d better not y any tricks.¡± ¡°By the way, if I save your daughter, you won¡¯t go back on your word, right?¡± Miya asked worriedly. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved.¡± Miya smiled at him and strode toward The Seventh Base. Chapter 1307 Chapter 1307 Chapter 1307 Bruce looked around vigntly and hid in a hidden corner. The building of the Seventh Base was like a huge round egg. The outer wall was made of special steel. It was thick and sturdy. It was obvious that it was difficult to forcefully break in. Although he had a verbal agreement with Miya, this woman was so cunning that he naturally could not trust her. Therefore, he prepared all the equipment for himself and was ready to fight at any time. Half an hourter. The security door of the base slowly opened. Miya walked out with a solemn expression. She was carrying a three-month-old baby in her arms. Bruce was hiding in the dark. When he saw Miya carrying a baby out, his eyes instantly turned red and he wanted to rush over immediately. ¡°Felicity¡­¡± However, he was afraid that Miya would y tricks again, so he hid in the dark and did note out easily. Miya looked around for Bruce. She looked around. But she didn¡¯t see Bruce. Miya thought for a moment. She carried the baby and walked in the direction they had juste from. She knew that Bruce must be hiding and did not dare toe out easily. Bruce saw her walking into the distance, and she was alone.. From the looks of it, she was not ying any tricks. Miya walked and stopped as she walked towards the ind. Because she had a special identity. Therefore, no one dared to stop her when she was walking freely on the ind. Thirty minutester, the two of them walked to a beach one after another. In front of them were huge rocks. The sea was about 100 feet above the ground. Miya stood on a conspicuous rock and waited quietly for Bruce. Bruce observed her for a few minutes in private. Indeed, no one followed her, and she did not do anything. Bruce calmed down a little and finally walked out. ¡°Mr. Everett, you are really cautious.¡± ¡°This is your daughter. I have kept my word.¡± Miya smiled at Bruce and shook the baby in her arms proudly. The cute little baby was very obedient in her arms. ¡°Felicity!¡± Bruce¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he rushed to Miya¡¯s side. ¡°Give me my daughter.¡± Seeing this, Miya immediately took two steps back. ¡°Stop walking!¡± ¡°You have to give me your genes before I can give the child. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to throw this child into the sea.¡± When Bruce heard this, he hurriedly stopped in his tracks. ¡°Give me the child. If you dare to hurt my daughter, I¡¯ll definitely kill you.¡± ¡°Mr. Everett, you just agreed. I can only give your daughter if you give me your genes. ¡°Are you going back on your word now?¡± Miya said as she held the baby and wanted to throw her into the sea. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Seeing this. Bruce was very nervous and worried. He wanted to go forward, but he did not dare to. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt my child. ¡°You have to give me some time. In this situation, how can I give it to you? ¡°Even if I use my hands to give it to you, it will take time!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can wait for you here,¡± Miya said as she took out a container that stored sperm. Then, she threw it to Bruce. ¡°You put your sperm in here.¡± Bruce was speechless and his face darkened. He felt very disgusted. ¡°What did I do wrong? ¡°Am I going to be humiliated like this in this lifetime?¡± he thought. ¡°Hurry up, we don¡¯t have enough time. If you don¡¯t take action, neither of us will be able to escape.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright, I promise you!¡± Bruce said and went straight to Lunbuckle the belt of his pants. At the same time, he suddenly raised his hand. Addagger flew out of the sleeve and flew towards Miya¡¯s throat. SSeeing this, Miya hurriedly turned to the side and avoided the fatal Teeddagger hit the rock behind her. ¡°Bruce, I knew you would go back on your word. ¡°Sieycornarellieartless, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless,¡± Miya said shecgrnablock the baby and wanted to throw her into the sea. Chapter 1308 Chapter 1308 Chapter 1308 Bruce¡¯s heart instantly tightened. He wanted to pounce on her, but he stood still and did not dare to move. ¡°Then hurry up. Otherwise, if I let go, your daughter will sink into the sea.¡± Miya took another step back. The baby in her arms was frightened and instantly cried. Seeing this, Bruce felt even more heartbroken. He hurriedly took a few steps back. ¡°Miya, carry my daughter well first. Don¡¯t scare her.¡± Miya sneered and held the baby in her arms again. ¡°Then give me your sperm as you just said.¡± When Bruce heard this, he waspletely annoyed. ¡°How can I get my sperm when you¡¯re like this?¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t care. If I can¡¯t get your genes, don¡¯t even think about saving your daughter. I¡¯d rather die with her than let you have an easy time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Miya said as she slipped. She slipped down the stone and almost fell into the sea. ¡°Felicity!¡± Bruce cried out and quickly pounced forward. He grabbed her with his hands. He grabbed Miya¡¯s arm and suddenly took her up. At the same time, he opened her arm and snatched the baby over, holding her tightly in his arms. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be afraid. Daddy is here¡­¡± Before he could see the child¡¯s face clearly, the electric shocking device in the child¡¯s chest instantly pierced through his entire body. Bruce screamed as his entire body trembled continuously with the atric current. uneo poisonous needle shot out from the baby¡¯s chest andest and his eyes. Bruce¡¯s gettes had mutated. Although the electric current wasnt was olibnot knock him out. Jur didad sulthe side, and the poison needle shot out against hisst his noit, andidant the electric current in his body finally smug. I¡¯ll such Idowtaivaltithe child. withstand sichd such a huge electric current and was hout the spotle spot. up in his amis dian ass like a sleeping doll. istantly went crazy avize. Miya, you are a vicious woman!¡± in move, you¡¯ll die of the spobelspot. Miya took out her pistol is fiercely.ercely. om all directions.ctions. ice cursed and he gritted his tree this teeth. en for this despicable womankouraanagaran again. ld their guns and surrounded Bruce Bruce. from behind and patted Miya¡¯s shoukouden, Wiya, you d to Bruce excitedly. ¡°Good boy, we meet again.¡± again.¡± I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Whether you¡¯re browsing or have something in mind, Marketce has it all. ¡°Bang!¡± She shot at him. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Bruce¡¯s knees went weak and he knelt on one knee. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that stupid? Do you really think I¡¯ll carry your daughter out? ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re too naive.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes were red as he red at Miya. ¡°Bitch, don¡¯t be too smug. I¡¯ll definitely kill you myself.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even protect yourself now. What¡¯s the use of saying such arrogant words? ¡°It¡¯s better to surrender obediently! ¡°Lock him up and take him to theb.¡± The special electronic handcuffs handcuffed Bruce¡¯s limbs. ¡°As long as I catch you, I can also get what I want.¡± Chapter 1309 Chapter 1309 Chapter 1309 Although Bruce was already handcuffed with electronic handcuffs and footcuffs, no one dared to let their guard down. They wrapped him tightly with a wire mesh before daring to go forward and catch him. Bruce had just been electrocuted, and now he was heavily shackled. No matter how powerful he was, he could no longer use it. ¡°Good boy, you¡¯re the perfect test subject. ¡°I will continue to develop your brain and make you the most advanced and perfect creature.¡± Mairesi looked at Bruce greedily. It was like admiring a rare treasure, admiring his body from every angle. Miya had a ttering smile on her face as she ttered, ¡°Professor Mairesi, as long as wepletely control his brain, he can be your most capable weapon.¡± A praising smile appeared on Mairesi¡¯s face. ¡°You did well this time. You didn¡¯t let me down.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Professor Mairesi.¡± ¡°Take him to the experimental base and keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Arge group of mercenaries stepped forward and lifted Bruce up. Then, they walked towards the experimental base.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. After inputting the password, the gate of the experimental base slowl opened. Wee to The Seventh Experimental Base.] Entering the base, please follow the signs. Please don¡¯t walk around casually to avoid triggering the infrared settings¡­] The smart voice began to automatically announce the voice. Bruce was carried into the experimental base by a few burly mercenaries. In theboratory. Mta nce, they were all separated ss rooms. All kinds of high-precision instruments and experimental supplies. Inside the ssware were various experimental subjects. Tharrowerd humans, non-humans, and even half man and half beasts. Thecamoosphere was oppressive and gloomy. Exerycone carried Bruce and continued walking in. This sooo ssware was filled with babies. Most of the cbbbbies were lying lifelessly with various instruments attached toothleinblooldiss.There were also a few livelier babies who were crying loudly in the eggissab. In front of fhled das ss cab was a two to three-month-old baby. This baby was spletely different from other lifeless babies. The small bodyywas actually sitting in the ss cab. It didn¡¯t cry or make a fuss, like cannesqqussite ad quiet doll. Moreover, this babyydchleeeecochromia iridum. Its left eye was blue like a broken gem, while dits sighhegye was as dazzling as a violet. Suddenly, perhaps it was becaarsseoff their bloodline connection, Bry heart skipped a beat. He suddkdayraassed his head and stared at the in the ss cab. The baby looked at him with ap?ino stage eyes. With just one nce, Brimmediacy recognized her as his daugh It was Felicity. ¡°Felicity¡­¡± Tears welled up in Bruce¡¯s eyes as shoes stared unblinkingly at the ss cab. He really wanted to rush over and save Felicity froomthlee ss cab. Unfortunately, he was already heavily shackledchalcond oot resist at all. Another heavy gate slowly opened. [Wee to the advanced experimental area. Theboratory is a sterile environment. Please disinfect it before entering.] The mechanical voice sounded again. The mercenaries stopped and began to disinfect themselves with the disinfectant machine. At the same time, Bruce was ced in front of them. They disinfected his entire body. Miya followed them the entire time. While the mercenary in front was not paying attention, she quietly removed the ess card. Chapter 1310 Chapter 1310 Chapter 1310 ¡°Beep!¡± At that time, a mercenary input the password to the gate. There was a loud sound. Miya raised her leg and kicked the neck of the mercenary who opened the door. The mercenary was caught off guard and his cervical vertebrae were instantly broken. Seeing this, the four mercenaries behind them instantly became vignt. Miya¡¯s movements were extremely fast. Before they could attack, she had already jumped up and elbowed the mercenary on the left to the ground. At the same time, Miya¡¯s loyal subordinate also attacked another mercenary. In just a few seconds, five mercenaries were all defeated. Seeing this, Bruce¡¯s brows instantly sank. He thought, ¡°What is this crazy woman going to do again?¡± Miya walked to Bruce¡¯s side anxiously and took off the barbed wire on him. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯m sorry about just now. I have to use this method to m Mairesi trust me.¡± When Bruce heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He looked at Miya skeptically. ¡°If I didn¡¯t act realistically just now, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to fool Mairesi. ¡°Right now, this is the only ce on Paradise Ind that doesn¡¯t have surveince cameras. Later, I¡¯ll let you out and pretend that I am your hostage.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He looked at her in disbelief. ¡°Miya, what scheme do you have this time?¡± This woman was really cunning. He did not dare to believe her anymore. After Miya freed him, she quickly found the key to the handcuffs from the mercenary. Then, she opened the electronic shackles on Bruce¡¯s hands. Time is running out. I don¡¯t have time to exin to you. I have to get your genes before I can let you go,¡± Miya said as she took out a syringe from her pocket. Her subordinate had already quickly unbuttoned Bruce¡¯s pants. i Miya was so anxious. She was prepared to use the needle to forcefully epierce Bruce¡¯s testis. She wanted to get the genes from his body by this means. edpeople like them naturally had intelligence that far exceeded that of donginary people. There were too many things to consider. sifesive wanted to get rid of Mairesi, she had to use Bruce. owlowever,there were many things that she had to consider the onsequequences of failure. Therefore, she had toy out a way out for erbelfself. he woulould bewowerful. rfeltfalpaipain in bis lower body. nfortunately,chys his body had yet to fully recover. He could only let M o whatever hesive wanted. lright, the tres tristis upyoyou.¡± Miya, you are a crazyawo woman¡­¡± Bruce gritted his teeth and cursed. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Bruce, don¡¯t nie mentel iddidna do this, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to et your genes, Miya saidaissaseshe quickly put the genes she had collected ito a special medicine bottlottle. hen, she put it in her pocketket. ruce hated her very much. dfisheshedidn¡¯t use this method to subdue him, ow could she get his geneshes? ¡°Here¡¯s the key. Your daughter is in test cab 11. I¡¯m leaving. I hope we won¡¯t meet again.¡± Miya threw thest electronic key to Bruce. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Miya did not dare to dy and quickly led her subordinate out of the door. She had already prepared the boat to leave the ind. Now that she had obtained Bruce¡¯s genes, she no longer needed to be afraid of the neurotoxins in her body. After Miya escaped with her subordinate, the rm in theboratory rang. [Danger Alert, Danger Alert] [There is an abnormality in Warehouse 9. Please check it as soon as possible.] Bruce took a deep breath and staggered towards the key. Chapter 1311 Chapter 1311 At the same time, Mairesi also received the rm and immediately brought people over. ¡°Shit. ¡°To Warehouse 9 immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor Mairesi.¡± Mairesi was about to return to the office to prepare the experimental documents. Now that he suddenly heard the danger rm, he knew that something must have happened to 807 again. ¡°Order all security personnel to go to Warehouse 9 immediately.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After receiving the order, the mercenaries and security personnel on the ind rushed to Warehouse 9. They arrived at the warehouse base. The gate had been destroyed and could not be opened at all. ¡°The door¡¯s locked!¡± ¡°Where is Miya?¡± A muscr guy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t contact Miya now.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Mairesi cursed viciously. He immediately got someone to use the cutting machine and prepared to forcefully break through the door. In the warehouse. Bruce¡¯s entire body went weak. Because his legs were shackled, every time he crawled, the electronic handcuffs would emit a powerful electric -current. If it was an ordinary person, they would have instantly lost consciousness. from the electricity. As for Bruce, he had a special physique. Although he was about to faint from the electricity, he could still maintain a trace of consciousness. He crawled to the key with difficulty. 1/4 09:59 hehehe picked up the key with trembling hands and depended the akkids ex on his feet., roosicked carne the ear-piercing sound of cutting metatal. ew admininistrators in the warehouse heard the rmmand ruslished over xiousiuly anamit, dadamn it! A few people cursed in Antlenish.h. the expertenencaltahbase. cause there teerernanyammable and explosive items, no one wagas owed to bring for crearms and kindling into the base. Fore Brucecenteredeth thebase, all his guns, knives, and other thingschachd en taken awayay. eep beep beep!¡±p!¡± he 9th cabin doords openen.] the cabin door openede dwoven walked in with electric batons. ice suddenly jumped up and dicked the mercenary¡¯s chin. e tall and burly man instantlylokstered with blood. en the others saw this, theyowevere so igightened that they retreated.d. 7 is very dangerous. Everyonepat atack him together.¡± ur to five tall and strong meneswararedeb forward. ing!¡± ace used the over-the-shoulder dropanol others, making the tw ectly overturned. uce¡¯s face was filled with anger. He dididon dedeave anyone alive. he ordinary person were beaten, they wwbditeither die or have their idons and bones broken. .. With a few screams, the people in the warahchuse were killed. the cutting machine continued to cut, sparks constantly emerged from entempered door. though the various measures in this experimental base could be after nsidered top-notch, it was an ind anden Resources were limited, dall kinds of construction were very dilicat erefore, the tempered door was 4 inches and was quickly cut open. bom!¡± rofessor Mairesi, the door has been cut coc tiresi looked inside. His heart beat fast, and he did ooddare to enter bly ego rol siggo in and see what¡¯s going on. We must capture 8877 kay! rge group of mercenaries responded and entered the base one exanother. ce didn¡¯t know yet, what awaited them inside was a terryvis nman. ere intresitab District 17, he had already witnessed the sceen oo8807¡¯s sacre. efore dicidid not dare to approach at all. He only urged chisis rimses to go forward. ara tramcios cream came from the warehouse base. Crst wave clofeeople who entered had all died. screams kepenoing, frightening everyone behind them to slow ey were to fight itabarehanded, no one would be a match for Bruce ese peoplelwenininhthey would basically be courting death. I though he had just beeclelectrocated and had his genes violently raway, it still could dorow weaken hisbat strength. He was still oppable. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . my God! ng that the situation wasnotot right, Mairesi¡¯s eyes were filled with fearr helplessness. sbat power and destructive power were too shocking. It was too dangerous and impossible to control. Although he was extremely reluctant, if he could not control him, he could only destroy 807. Chapter 1312 Chapter 1312 the che others heard the screams, they finally realized halt avlwhat dited them inside was death. ongoman hurry up and attack. We must capture 8070He¡¯s the result of enrstand she¡¯s my treasure. I can¡¯t let him be destroyed.d.¡± istsitturals face was covered in blood as he ran out in a paninile said f ProfesoressoriMairesi, 807 is a gically modified persono WeVot tchaacially all. don¡¯t use que guns and weapons, everyone will die if they go in in. Eid leelooked anxious and helpless. hen, he had lood pooperated with Ron to research gic humann cation.ion. I never thought that that after the research was sessful, it would bebe ontroble scene.ene. 07 was the only gengically modified person he had sessfullyly ped after much hardhwal work.. lly couldn¡¯t bear to hetohlenhimruin his fesearch. it immediately. Set the proterotect wall and iste 807 temporarily. ad no choice, he could ordy deytdestroy 807. ately, 807 had already giveni binb to anew generation of gic Even if Bruce was destroyedyhelchukould still study his daughter. warehouse base. ?rpses fell to the side. There were more pre people lying on the ground tanding. eople outside turned on the proteco switeitsbl isting them and the naries who entered the warehouse with Brudhace. The heavy cabin doors around them were pushed down heavily. The remaining few people reacted instantly. Professor Mairesi didn¡¯t want to care about them. ¡°Oh shit.¡± The people in the warehouse shouted, ¡°Open the door. Open the door.¡± Bruce was covered in blood and filled with anger as he approached these people step by step. The remaining six or seven people started cursing Mairesi as they were facing the god of death. ¡°Open the door. Open the door.¡± Bruce did not show any mercy. He directly killed all these people one by one. He was the only living person left in the entire base. Bruce looked around. He was also trapped. There were heavy doors on all sides. These fire doors were originally used to prevent fire. Now, he was like a ferocious beast trapped in a cage. Seeing that Bruce was trapped, there was no danger for the time being. Only then did Mairesi dare to step into the base. He hurriedly came over to check on Bruce¡¯s daughter. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the seventh experimental warehouse, in the test cab, Bruce¡¯s daughter was gone. ¡°Professor Mairesi, the baby is missing.¡± Mairesi was shocked when he heard that. ¡°She is gone. Miya must taken her away! ¡°Damn it! Intercept her immediately. Don¡¯t let this bitch escape from ind. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡®Catch her. I must teach her the cruelest lesson.¡± ¡°Yes, professor.¡± Bruce was trapped in the wall and could not get out for a while. When Miya escaped, she stole Bruce¡¯s daughter. 2/3 09:59 Chapter 1899 Mairesi was so anxious that heped his feet He immediately ordered everyone to chase in the direction of the docks On the other side. Miya carried Felicity and rushed to the shore with her subordinates. She had already hidden a boat in the north of the deserted ind so that she could escape Mairesi¡¯s control at this moment Get on board. We don¡¯t have much the left. Yes. Two of her subordinates quicklejumped onto the boat. One was in charge of driving the boat, and the other was in charge of untying the ropes Chapter 1813 Chapter 1313 Miya carried the child and sat in the cabin. Just as one of her subordinates was about to start the yacht, she suddenly saw a boat approaching. ¡°Boss, look over there! ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s heading for this ind.¡± Miya¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She quickly took out her binocrs and stuck her head out to take a look. As expected, on the surface of the sea, two ships were approaching. They knew that there were many reefs around Paradise Ind, and they were extremely maic. When all the ships arrived in this sea,passes would lose their effectiveness. The only way toe to this ind was to rely on seabirds to lead the way. Therefore, it must be Bruce¡¯s aplice. ¡°Oh no, it must be Bruce¡¯s aplice. Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Her subordinate started the yacht and prepared to set off for another ind. This small yacht could not sail for a long time at sea. Miya had already hidden a ship on an ind 200 nautical miles away. The yacht had just started moving. Mairesi had already chased after them with arge number of mercenaries. ¡°Bitch, how dare you betray me? ¡°Stop, stop right there.¡± Miya¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. ¡°Mairesi is chasing after us. Hurry up and sail.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chapter 1313 Chapter 1313 fer subordinate in meridiately started the yacht. eeing this, Mairesi vam sveveure exasperated. didn¡¯t matter if Miva naran way but what was hateful was that she ctually stole the gicibaiahy shoot her. Shoot/her now Donkiet her get away.¡± Bang, bang, bang!¡± The mergetisies mediately held their machine uns and fired wildly at the vacinht. he yacht drew a circle in these canddiquickly rushed over. ue to the long range, it was difficide hotshoot them urately. Damn it! Damn it!¡± Mairesi was so ongi that he almost had a heart ttack. his gically modified baby was the duststofo be sessfully bred by a ically modified person. his was no less precious than discovering aliisis. sdong as Miya sold her, she would be very vicith. Hurry up and chase after that bitch. You have to snatch the gic baby ack Go, go¡­¡± dairesi was so anxious that he beat his chest and statapered his feet. He sshed he could fly and chase after Miyak Poofessor, something¡¯s wrong. Look over there!e! Dutsiders want toe to this ind. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . They¡¯re about tot ceaunchl WhenMairesi heard this, he paid attention to the seara. thless surface of the sea, two ships were gradually approachtingg. hoodouthie fact that there were too many reefs blocking the shipipr Qving of Gowatch they would have already docked.d ammit Damurit. mmedianalyy mobilize all the mercenaries and stop these people from achings heeshloore. nd don¡¯t t¨¦tovcocon board leave alive.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor Mairesi.¡± Mairesi couldn¡¯t be bothered to chase after Miya anymore. He immediately ordered everyone to use their firepower on the outsiders. On the other side. Miya heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the yacht had left a safe distance. Unfortunately, before she couldpletely rx, one of her subordinates screamed and said in horror, ¡°Boss, bad news. This yacht was hit by a bullet just now. ¡°Now the yacht is leaking.¡± When Miya heard this, she frowned and quickly came over to check. Water had already begun to seep out of the surface of the yacht. At this rate, it would sink before reaching 200 nautical miles. ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°There is no way to stop now. ¡°When we reach the sea, we will definitely die. ¡°Boss, what should we do? In this situation, we can only return.¡± Chapter 1314 Chapter 1314 Miya ¡®took a deep breath and she quickly thought of a method. She had already betrayed Mairesi. If she returned now, she would definitely be killed by Mairesi. Moreover, even if she was lucky enough to escape, Mairesi would still try all means to kill her and would not let her off easily. Since that was the case, she could only go all out and fight to the death. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get closer to the ship.¡± When her subordinate heard this, she was even more shocked. ¡°What? Close to the ship?¡± Miya¡¯s eyes darkened and she said sternly, ¡°Yes, if we want freedom, we can only get rid of Mairesipletely. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to live a carefree life for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Boss, what do you mean?¡± Miya thought calmly for a few seconds and quickly made a decision. Now, she could only join forces with Bruce¡¯s people andpletely eliminate Mairesi. Perhaps there was still a chance of survival. Otherwise, what awaited her would be Mairesi¡¯s harm. She wanted to use these people to kill Mairesi first. ¡°We can only cooperate with them now. Let¡¯s get rid of Mairesi Miya said as her eyes suddenly widened. As long as Mairesi died, she could rece Mairesi and be the gically modified scientist in North Awer. Her subordinate immediately understood Miya¡¯s intentions and immediately changed direction, driving towards the ship. On the ship. Aria, Jaydon, and the others were using binocrs to observe the surrounding sea. Now, the sea ahead was filled with reefs. Large ships could not pass through at all. Only by using the spare yacht on the ship could they go to the ind. They were trying to think of a way to get to the ind from which direction. Jaydon quickly discovered Miya¡¯s yacht and said cautiously, ¡°Ari, look over there. There¡¯s a yacht approaching.¡± ¡°Give me the binocrs.¡± Aria took the binocrs and observed carefully. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She immediately gasped. ¡°It¡¯s Miya!¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s that malicious woman?¡± ¡°Hurry up and give me my gun. I can¡¯t let this bad woman off this time.¡± Jaydon gritted his teeth and was about to shoot. ¡°Wait a moment, look at the yacht.¡± On the yacht, one of her subordinates took off her white clothes and propped it on a pole. Then, she shook it vigorously as if she was surrendering. Moreover, Miya was holding a baby and gesturing non-stop. ¡°Miya has a baby in her arms.¡± ¡°Could it be Bruce¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°No¡­ It can¡¯t be, right?¡± Jaydon was solemn. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Let her get on the ship first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aria silently made a gesture. The few snipers on the ship also silent down their guns. Now, they desperately wanted to know the whereabouts of Bruce. Eve he really died, they had to save his daughter. More importantly, they had to help himplete his final mission. The yacht drew an arc and approached that ship. By the time they approached the ship, the yacht was already leaking water and was about to sink. ¡°Miya, we meet again.¡± Aria and Jaydon looked at Miya on the yacht with resent. ¡°Miss Bridges, Mr. Grimm, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I don¡¯t want to harm you. ¡°Look, this is Bruce¡¯s daughter. I saved her. I¡¯ve reached an agreement with Bruce to kill Mairesi together. ¡°I¡¯m here specifically to find you. Bruce is trapped on the ind. He asked me to escape with his daughter first. He¡¯s in a dangerous situation now. We¡¯re going to join forces to get him out.¡± It had to be said that Miya was definitely a genius. She had a fast reaction. She was decisive, ruthless, and extremely smart. Unfortunately, it was not used on the right thing. Chapter 1315 Chapter 1315 Chapter 1315 Jaydon and Aria looked at each other. They still did not dare to trust Miya easily. Seeing that the yacht was about to sink, Miya waspletely anxious. ¡°This is really Bruce¡¯s daughter. Let us on the ship first. ¡°I can bring you to rescue Bruce. Without me, it will be it will be very difficult for you to save Bruce.¡± When Aria heard this, she decided to believe her for once. ¡°Put down thedder and let them board the ship first.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Jaydon looked worried. He thought, ¡°This woman is too cunning. Who knows if she is ying some trick again?¡± ¡°Let them get on the boat first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The crew immediately lowered the softdder. Miya grabbed thedder with one hand and carried the child with the other. She slowly climbed up. ¡°Hurry up ande up.¡± Seeing that Miya was about toe up smoothly, Aria walked u her and said coldly, ¡°Give me the child.¡± If she refused to give the child, she would immediately shoot he her. Miya hesitated for a moment before obediently handing the baby arms to Aria. Jaydon, Darcy, and the others all held their guns and faced Miya and two subordinates with cold expressions. As long as they made any small movements, they would immediately shoot them to death. Soon. Miya and her two subordinates sessfully climbed onto the ship. 1/47 d carefully searched the three of free of veryone was slightly relieved. ved sche looked excitedly at the baby hewashe was unusually quiet and ssbeten beautiful doll. Her amazamazing feeling. sarberaid excitediv. ¡°This child child child.¡± Bruce sBonide sochild or not, we have N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. 1. Dont Wont worry, this is led hard to savetosave the child.¡± anxiously.iously. ¡°He¡¯s infadad situadesituation now. Strapialone alone. 1. Mairesi won¡¯tibeonitibe willing reminded her, ¡°Ari, this woman is 1. ven on the ind.¡± b exined, ¡°At this point, why He¡¯s being caught now.¡± forces with you for no reason?¡± cause of this. 1 ng I say now. After I bring you to 18 ense. I¡¯m afraid you make some trap undercover agent of the 1 Mairesi. When you see him, everything wil ne situation, ation. id Gift Comment Jaydon and Aria to Ariadown down rmed men on the shiple ship. people on the ship¡¯s dech¡¯s deck. he cabin,cabin o and escape. e anxious. At the same time, time, at case, Bruce is still alive!¡± alive!¡± ¡°I knew it. He¡¯s not going to die.¡± Jaydon frowned and subconsciously reminded her, ¡°Ari, this woman is very cunning. Don¡¯t believe her nonsense. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s lying to us. Bruce isn¡¯t even on the ind.¡± When Miya heard this, she hurriedly exined, ¡°At this point, why should I lie to you? ¡°Bruce is really trapped on the ind. He¡¯s being caught now.¡± ¡°Then tell me, why would Bruce join forces with you for no reason?¡± Jaydon asked sternly. Miya killed Joanna ruthlessly. Bruce would never let her off just because of this. ¡°I know that you won¡¯t believe anything I say now. After I bring you to save Bruce, you can ask him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that I believe your nonsense. I¡¯m afraid you make some trap for us!¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I¡¯m an undercover agent of the international police. ¡°The purpose of what I did was to kill Mairesi. ¡°Bruce knows my true identity. When you see him, everything wille out.¡± Chapter 1316 Chapter 1316 Chapter 1316 When Jaydon and Aria heard this, their expressions changed slightly. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Miya was a cunning person. When she lied, her expression did not change and she was very calm. What was worse was that she had the talent to lie. When she lied, she had fake reasons and evidence, making it impossible to tell if she was telling the truth or not. They had to be careful. Aria said gloomily, ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. Now, I just want to ask you, how can we save Bruce? ¡°How can we get to this ind?¡± Miya exhaled slightly and said with a solemn expression, ¡°At present, there are five hundred mercenaries on this ind. ¡°That¡¯s nothing. There are Melta¡¯s marines stationed a hundred miles from here. ¡°Furthermore, the reason why District 17 dares to be so unrestrained is because of the support of the big shot behind them.¡± Aria frowned. ¡°Who is the big shot you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Miya asked with a wicked smile. When Aria and Jaydon heard this, they frowned. Indeed. Laboratories like District 17 could not have existed for so long without official support and acquiescence. Moreover, District 17 not only did all kinds of inhumane experiments but also researched anti-aging and life-prolonging drugs for these big shots. Soft umtion Liquid was researched specifically for these big shots. ¡°There are many things involved. It¡¯s hard to exin in a short period of time.¡± Miya had been by Mairesi¡¯s side for so long. Of course, she knew some insider information that others did not. ¡°All I can say is that all you can see is the surface. 1/3 09:41 Chapter 1316 ¡°Even I don¡¯t know what¡¯s really hidden. ¡°I¡¯ll only give you the simplest example, like Melta and Antlen. There are so many plutocratic families, but why are there few rumors about them in the outside world?¡± Aria and Jaydon were stunned. Miya smiled contemptuously. ¡°Some scientific research has already exceeded your understanding. ¡°I said, the founder of a certain tycoon family in Antlen. He was born in the 18th century and is still alive today. Do you believe me?¡± After hearing this, Aria and Jaydon looked at each other. They had heard of such rumors before. Some rich people overseas, when they lived to a certain age and were old and weak, they would choose a young and strong body. They transnt their brain cells and hearts-to the new bodies. Then, with a new identity, they would be alive. There were also rich people who would live younger and younger. After he lived to a certain age, he passed the family business to his son. In fact, his son was himself. However, this rumor was too ridiculous. If everyone heard it, they would only treat it as news. After pondering for a while, Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now. ¡°How can we trust you?¡± Miya looked at the two of them solemnly. ¡°Mairesi has already discovered my identity. You heard the gunshot just now. He knows my true identity, so he wants to kill me.¡± As they were talking, more gunshots came from afar. Although this range was a little far, if they used small long-range cannonballs, they could sink their ship in an instant. ¡°Not good, they might be attacking now. ¡°We have to get out of here quickly. It¡¯s important for us to stay alive first. Moreover, Melta¡¯s marines are stationed 100 miles away. 2/3 09:418 Chapter 1316 ¡°When they attack, none of us will be able to escape.¡± Chapter 1317 Chapter 1317 Chapter 1317 ¡°That won¡¯t do. It wasn¡¯t easy for us to get here. We definitely can¡¯t give up.¡± Aria rejected with a serious expression. ¡°No matter what, we have to save Bruce.¡± Miya frowned. ¡°We definitely have to save him, but we have to ensure our own safety first before we can think of a way to save Bruce. ¡°Let¡¯s evacuate the danger zone first and think about itter. ¡°Otherwise, if the ship sinkster, none of us will survive. When Jaydon and Aria heard this, they looked at each other. ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± Now, there was no way for the ship to move forward. If they forcefullynded on the ind, the oue might be that the ship would sink and they would die. They could only retreat to the safe area first. A momentter. The ship had already sailed dozens of nautical miles and stopped in the vast sea. ¡°Then what should we do now? We can¡¯t just sit back and wait for death!¡± Miya thought for a few seconds and frowned. ¡°If we want to forcefund on the ind now, it definitely won¡¯t work. ¡°We can only go to the northern coast. There are the fewest guards t and it¡¯s the easiest to get to the ind.¡± When Jaydon heard that, he said anxiously, ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go quickly!¡± ¡°Let me finish. Don¡¯t be so hasty, ¡°Although there aren¡¯t many people guarding the northern coast, it¡¯s surrounded by cliffs and high winds. It¡¯s very difficult for ordinary people to climb up. If we identally fall into the sea, we¡¯ll lose their lives.¡± When Aria heard this, her face darkened. ¡°We can¡¯t make a rash decision. We have to n carefully first. If it doesn¡¯t work, we can only consider 1/3 09:41 Chapter 1317 forciblynding on the ind. ¡°I¡¯ve calcted that they won¡¯t have too much ammunition on this ind. Let¡¯s split into a few groups andnd on the ind from different directions. It¡¯s definitely feasible!¡± Miya rolled his eyes and immediately retorted, ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, the casualties will definitely be very high. ¡°For now, if wend on the ind from the front, the target will be too obvious. There¡¯s no way to get close.¡± Jaydon thought for a few seconds and took out his binocrs to observe the surroundings. ¡°I think the method just now is feasible. ¡°We¡¯ll get to the ind from the northern coast.¡± Most of them were either agents or mercenaries. All of them were very skilled. Climbing to a high ce was basically not a problem. ¡°¡­ Alright, we¡¯ll do it ording to our n,¡± Aria said as she took out the map and began to read it seriously. On this side of the ind. ¡°Professor, they¡¯ve retreated.¡± Mairesi looked at the sea with his binocrs. There was indeed of the ship. n However, he was still worried. ¡°They¡¯re bound toe again,¡± he snapped. ¡°Inform Colonel Grayson at once and report the situatio him.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor,¡± his subordinate replied and quickly went to send a message. Grayson was Melta¡¯s naval captain stationed on an ind a hundred mil away. If there was an ident here, they could only ask Colonel Grayson to bring the navy to support. ¡°Professor, let¡¯s go back first. We¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. 2/3 09:41 Chapter 1317 Mairesi sighed deeply. Then, he remembered that there was something even more troublesome at the experimental base. ¡°How¡¯s 807 now?¡± ¡°Still trapped in there.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Professor Mairesi could not help but curse. ¡°Professor, this 807 is too dangerous. Our people didn¡¯t even get close. Everyone in the experimental base has already met with mishaps.¡± When Mairesi heard this, he sighed deeply. After pondering for a while, he said in pain, ¡°¡­ If it really doesn¡¯t work, release the poisonous gas and destroy himpletely.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mairesi had already prepared for the worst. However, before implementing it, he still wanted to subdue 807 as much as possible. After all, this was his most sessful and proudest research result. They arrived at the experimental base. Through the surveince room, Mairesimunicated with Bruce through the loudspeaker. ¡°Child, I¡¯m your father. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to cooperate, I can take you to rule the world.¡± Chapter 1318 "Hurry up and coax the child!" Chase could not coax the child, so he could only instruct the servant gloomily. The few babysitters were trembling in fear and nodded submissively. "Yes, Mr. Strong." If Chase stayed by the children''s side, they would only cry even harder. He also knew that he was not liked by the children, so he could only stand up and leave.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. The children were shocked and started to retch. The child was already having a fever. Now, he was vomiting so much that she was about to vomit bile. "The second son vomited. Hurry up and call the family doctor." "Oh my god, the eldest son is vomiting too." The servants panicked and hurriedly called the family doctor. Jamie heard themotion in the room and felt even more uneasy. Actually, she felt terrible listening to the children cry all morning. However, when she thought of Chase, she forced herself to ignore the children. "Forget it. The children are innocent after all." Jamie could no longer restrain herself. At the thought of this, Jamie lifted the nket, put on her shoes, and left the room. She opened the door and walked out. Seeing Jamie walk out, the servants seemed to have met their savior. "Miss Jamie, you''re finally willing toe out..." "Boohoo." The two little guys were still crying. When the two little guys saw that their mommy had finallye out, they cried and ran to her side. Seeing the two children stumbling towards her, Jamie felt a lump in her throat. She subconsciously bent down and opened her arms to catch the children. "Don''t cry, don''t cry. It''s all my fault." "Jamie, do you not want us anymore?" "How can that be? I''ll carry you, alright?" Jamie held Davian in her left hand and Irvin in her right. Her heart ached terribly. She could not exin how she felt. They were clearly not her children. However, when she saw the children crying like this, her heart could not harden and she could not bear to ignore them. The two little guys were like little birds that continued to beforted by Jamie. They snuggled in Jamie''s arms, aggrieved and attached. "That''s great, that''s great. Miss Jamie is more useful than the family doctor." The servants heaved a sigh of relief. "Miss Jamie, Davian and Irvin haven''t eaten for an entire day. Can you persuade them to eat something quickly?" When Jamie heard this, she said with a pained expression, "Bring the food over and let me feed them!" When the servants heard this, they hurriedly replied, "Oh, okay. "Please wait a moment." A momentter. The servants brought a bowl of cereal over and carefully ced it on the table. Jamie picked up the bowl and a spoon. After mixing the cereal with milk and scooping a spoonful of cereal, she brought the spoon to the children''s mouth. "Come on, open your mouth..." The two children obediently opened their mouths and ate spoonful after spoonful. "Awesome. Davian and Irvin are all grown up now. Shouldn''t you take the fork and feed yourselves? "Here, hold the fork in this hand. I''ll teach you how to use it, okay?" "Okay!" The two little fellows nodded obediently. The two children had been too pampered. As a result, the children still needed to be fed until now, and did not even know how to use a fork. They could not even take care of some small life skills. Hayley was about the same age as them, but she behaved like a mischievous little sprite, full of liveliness and yfulness. In the study. Chase turned on hisputer and prepared to deal with work online. However, he was still worried about the children and could not get back to work. He could only call the butler over to ask about them. "How are the children? Have you coaxed them?" The housekeeper''s expression was solemn as she hurriedly replied, "Madam has already gotten up and coaxed the children." When Chase heard this, his expression eased up slightly. Forget it. As long as she could have some motherly love for the children, he did not want to argue too much. In the evening. After Chase finished his work, he still could not bear to neglect her for too long. He could only find an excuse for himself and pretend to look for something. When he returned to his room, he pretended to rummage around for a while. Jamie ignored him and leaned against the bed, reading quietly. After a while. Seeing that she was ignoring him, Chase could only find something to talk about. "Have you calmed down?" When Jamie heard this, she continued to flip through the book and ignored him. Chase pursed his lips and said ufortably, "I was too harsh this morning. Don''t take it to heart." "You''re thinking too much." "Are you really not angry anymore?" "What''s there to be angry about?" Jamie sneered and retorted. When Chase heard this, he smiled awkwardly. "Since you''re not angry, I''m relieved." "Jamie, let''s forget everything that happened in the past, okay?" "You were the one who kept mentioning it. I didn''t mention it." "Alright, alright, alright. It''s my fault. I''ll never mention it again," Chase said as he took the initiative to approach the bed and stretched out his arms to hug her. Chapter 1319 Chapter 1319 Chapter 1319 However, in this situation, they could only brace themselves and cooperate. The ship made a big circle. Taking advantage of the night, they slowly drove into the northern coast and stopped more than ten nautical miles away from the ind. ¡°I can¡¯t get any closer. There are too many reefs ahead, and the target is too conspicuous. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go in the kayak.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria nodded solemnly. ¡°Put the kayak down.¡± The two assistants responded and opened the cabin¡¯s prep bay. ¡°Okay, Aria.¡± Bang! When the switch was pulled, the four spare kayaks instantly bounced off. The automaticdder was also slowly lowered. ¡°This kayak can only carry five people at a time.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in the first batch?¡± Everyone looked at each other. Taking the first kayak was equivalent to taking the lead. They would have to lead the way and remove any obstacles and dang ahead. Therefore, this person needed to be bold, meticulous, and experienced. ¡°Let me do it.¡± Darcy volunteered. He was fully armed and checked the equipment he carried with him. Everything wasplete. Aria nced at Darcy and nodded heavily. ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Darcy did not say anything else. He boarded the kayak first, followed by 1/3 09:41 Chapter 1319 two more agents. ¡°We¡¯re still missing one person.¡± Agent Tyler stood up. ¡°Let me do it!¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Tyler, get on the second kayak.¡± As she spoke, Aria looked at the short subordinate beside Miya. ¡°You go up too!¡± The short subordinate was stunned and subconsciously looked at Miya. The corner of Miya¡¯s lips twitched. She knew that she could not avoid it and could only nod silently. The short man had no choice but to jump onto the kayak. This time, they were divided into two teams. There were more than 20 people on the ind, and seven or eight people were left on the ship. Soon, the first three kayaks were all arranged. Aria prepared to take thest kayak. ¡°Miya, you¡¯re with me.¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Miyaughed dryly and pretended to agree readily. Of course, she had no choice but to agree. She could only brace herself and follow Aria into the kayak. Everything was ready, and the four kayaks were ready to set off. Jaydon looked at the dark sea uneasily He could only look for Aria through the faint light. ¡°Ari, promise me you¡¯lle back.¡± Aria heard him and turned around to look at Jaydon. She smiled at him and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Then, with an order, the four kayaks spread out their leashes and slowly set off. Jaydon¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He felt that this was a farewell. 2/3 09: Chapter 1319 Seeing that the kayak was getting further and further away, he followed the tail of the cabin all the way to the head and shouted at Aria¡¯s back, ¡°Ari, I love you. I¡¯ll wait for you to ¡°When youe back, will you marry me?¡± On the kayak. When Aria heard Jaydon¡¯s shout, her nose inexplicably soured. The love sealed in her heart seemed to have been cut by something. Through this period of interaction, she realized that Jaydon was indeed a very good man. When she was with him, he always tried his best to make her happy. Unfortunately, her mind was always on Bruce. Thus, she neglected the person who truly loved her. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Aria suddenly turned around and waved at Jaydon with tears in her eyes. Although her voice was drowned out by the sound of the waves, Jaydon could vaguely hear her agree. ¡°Ari, I¡¯ll wait for you, I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± Chapter 1320 Chapter 1320 Chapter 1320 As the kayak slid further and further away, it gradually disappeared into the sea. Jaydon¡¯s eyes were wet. He really wanted to go with Aria. However, he knew that staying behind to receive them was equally important. ¡°You muste back safely¡­¡± Two hourster. After more than two hours of turbulence, they finally arrived at the coast. In front of them were towering seaze stones that rose and fell continuously, forming a natural barrier for Paradise Ind. Ordinary people would definitely not be able to climb up. In addition, Paradise Ind was hidden and special, so no one was guarding it at all. ¡°Prepare to dock. Everyone, be careful.¡± Darcy led the way. ¡°Stay close to the kayak. Don¡¯t fall behind.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The four kayaks bobbed in the sea and gradually approached the shore. Unfortunately, the waves kept hitting the reef. The kayak was like a fragile leaf, swaying on the top of the waves and unable to reach the 1. Darcy frowned. He could only take the risk and jump into th pulled the leash and swam to the shore. Then, he dragged the kayak forcefully onto the reef. ¡°Everyone, be careful.¡± Seeing this, the people behind also follow They jumped into the sea and pulled the kayak up. ¡°Tie the kayaks. Don¡¯t let them wash away.¡± Another hour passed. Everyone finally reached the coastline, As long as they climbed over the jagged reef cliffs, they would be able to enten Paradise Ind. 09:41 Chapter 1320 Aria looked at Miya coldly. ¡°Is it this direction?¡± Miya nodded. ¡°Yes,nding on the ind from here is the safest. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s climb up from here.¡± When everyone heard this, they took out ropes, hooks,dders, and other equipment and began to prepare to climb. Miya had no choice but to follow everyone and make preparations. Now, she was in a difficult position. She could only take it one step at a time. ¡°Bring me the rope and the grappling hook. ¡°I¡¯ll climb up first, then you can put down thedder. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tyler was lean and agile, so he had an advantage in climbing. Soon, Tyler climbed up and fixed thedder before putting it down. ¡°It¡¯s fixed. It¡¯s ready to go.¡± These people were either agent or bodyguards. All of them were one in a hundred. Everyone trained at a high speed and climbed up the softdder one after another. ¡°You too.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Miya replied vaguely. She could only brace herself and clim At this altitude, it was about 100 feet. If it was an ordinary building, it would not be a problem for these peo However, this was the reef of the sea after all. If they fell down carelessly the consequences would be unimaginable. At the experimental base. The gas mask Bruce was wearing was about to copse. The oxygen in the oxygen tank was also about to run out. In the surveince room, Mairesi looked at Bruce smugly. ¡°How do you feel?This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. 2/3 09:41 Chapter 1320 ¡°I can modify you to be so powerful, but I can also easily destroy you. ¡°Your existence is only meaningful if you obey me. Otherwise, there¡¯s no point in your existence.¡± Bruce¡¯s mind was racing. In the current situation, he could only pretend to obey. ¡°¡­ Alright, I¡¯m willing to obey you.¡± When Mairesi heard this, he smiled disdainfully. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to obey me, I¡¯ll inject this injection into your body.¡± As he spoke, a remote-controlled robot slowly walked in from the secret passage. The robot was holding a syringe and an unknown syringe. ¡°After you inject the injection, I¡¯ll naturally turn off the poison gas.¡± Bruce took a small breath of oxygen and almost could not breathe. This injection must be something that controlled the human brain again. If he really fought, he would probably be controlled again. Seeing that Bruce was still in a daze, Mairesi sneered again. ¡°Don¡¯t try to resist, let alone stall for time. Child, in my eyes, any action of yours is as childish as that of a child.¡± Chapter 1321 Chapter 1321 Chapter 1321 ¡°What are you hesitating for? As long as you are obedient and let me inject the syringe, I¡¯ll immediately turn off the poisonous gas.¡± ¡°Joann, I might not be able to go back¡­¡± Bruce muttered weakly and leaned against the wall weakly. In his mind, he could not help but think of Joanna and the children, as well as Felicity, whom he had yet to hug. On the shore. Everyone climbed up one by one. After sorting out the directions, they began to split into a few paths and approached the experimental base. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Everyone, follow me. Don¡¯t trigger the mechanism on the ind.¡± Miya and her two subordinates slowly brought everyone closer. ¡°Beep! Beep! Beep!¡± The surveince cameras on the ind quickly scanned for intruders and immediately sounded the rm upon noticing them. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mairesi was shocked when he heard the rm. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out now.¡± Before the assistant could go, gunshots came from outside. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Bang, bang.¡± ¡°Professor, bad news. Outsiders arending on the ind from the shore on the back.¡± ¡°How many are there?¡± ¡°I think there are 20 to 30 of them.¡± ¡°Instruct all the security teams to eliminate these people¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The assistant replied and immediately went to inform the security team. 11.27 Chapter 1321 Outside the experimental base. Miya was already at the door with Aria. ¡°Hurry up. ¡°When I left, Bruce was trapped here.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡± Aria asked again, her gun ready, her expression stern and determined. ¡°Yes, the experimental base is in front. Everyone, charge with me and save Bruce.¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! As they were talking¡­ The security personnel on the ind rushed over one after another. Both sides immediately fell into a chaotic battle. Because Paradise Ind was far fromnd, its living resources were limited. Moreover, everything on the ind was confidential. Therefore, apart from the basic security personnel, there could not be too many people guarding it. Aria and the others were all advanced agents. Dealing with the security was naturally a piece of cake to the agents. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The gunfire grew more intense. Mairesi checked all the surveince cameras. When he realized that Miya had returned with her men, he gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°Shit. ¡°Notify Colonel Grayson at once. Ask him to send for immediate assistance.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Professor, you should evacuate the ind before Colonel Grayson 2/4 11:27 Chapter 1321 arrives.¡± Mairesi could only nod in agreement. ¡°Alright! Prepare the escape ship immediately.¡± ¡°Professor, what about 807?¡± ¡°Damn it. Since I can¡¯t use it, I can only destroy it.¡± A poisonous light appeared in Mairesi¡¯s blue eyes. 807 was his proudest work, although he was unwilling to destroy it just like that. However, in the face of Bruce¡¯s unruliness, he really had no way of taming him. He could only choose to give up. After all, Bruce was too powerful. Leaving him here was the greatest threat to Mairesi. ¡°Buzz buzz.¡± Mairesi pressed the switch and turned on all the settings of the gas chamber. In an instance, the vents of the experimental base were all opened, and thick smoke filled the air. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Bruce held his breath tightly. He could not hold on any longer. He had been trapped here for hours. Other than him, all the other creatures in theboratory cab had been poisoned to death by the poisonous smoke. ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t be able to escape today.¡± Bruce was about to suffocate, and his consciousness was gradually being pulled away. This time, he felt that he was really going to reach the end of his life. Chapter 1322 Chapter 1322 Chapter 1322 After all the switches were turned on, Mairesi, escorted by a few assistants, hurriedly retreated in the direction of the coast. As soon as he left theboratory, he saw Miya leading a group of people towards the entrance of the ¡°Miya, you bitch, how dare you betray me?¡± Mairesi gritted his teeth and wanted to shoot Miya to death. Tap! Tap! Tap! A hail of bullets was fired first. ¡°Professor, let¡¯s go!¡± Miya also saw Mairesi. She immediately fired at him. ¡°Don¡¯t let Mai go. If you let him go, there will be endless trouble in the future.¡± ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± ¡°You guys, go after Mairesi. The rest of you, follow me to save Bruce.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The group quickly split into two teams. Tyler and seven or eight others chased after Mairesi. The rest of them followed Aria to the experimental base. ¡°Miya, are you sure Bruce is at this experimental base?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s in there.¡± Aria observed theboratory base and became even more anxious. She rushed to the gate and was about to look for the switch. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± Miya immediately stopped Aria. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Miya observed for a while and realized that all the vents had been opened. The machines in the vents were buzzing. She instantly realized that Mairesi must have given up on Bruce and wanted to destroy him with the poisonous smoke. ¡°There¡¯s poisonous smoke inside. Don¡¯t open the door rashly.¡± When Aria and the others heard this, they were instantly shocked. ¡°Then what should we do?¡± 1/4 11:27 Chapter 1322 Miya frowned. ¡°We need to turn off the gas switch immediately.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Let¡¯s find the switch.¡± The few of them immediately spread out and searched for the switch. ¡°The switch should be in Mairesi¡¯s office.¡± Miya immediately took Aria to the office. They arrived at Mairesi¡¯s office. There was a high-tech control screen filled with various switches and surveince cameras on the ind. Through the surveince footage, Aria saw Bruce lying on the ground seemingly unconscious. ¡°Bruce¡­¡± ¡°I found the switch.¡± Miya immediately pulled the switch. ¡°Buzz buzz!¡± All the vents were closed in an instant. Aria was burning with anxiety. She immediately wanted to open the security gate and go in to save Bruce. ¡°Open the gate!¡± Miya quickly stopped her. ¡°No, we can¡¯t open the gate rashly now. ¡°If the poisonous gas spreads to the entire ind, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± Aria asked anxiously. ¡°Let¡¯s get our gas masks on. ¡°Now, we can only break through a small door. Two people will go in and bring Bruce out. ¡®After Bruce is rescued, close the door properly. We can¡¯t let the poisonous gas leak out on arge scale. Tears welled up in Aria¡¯s eyes. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go in and save Bruce¡± Agent Seawolf immediately said, ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll go with you¡± Okay, we¡¯ll go in, two of us. You guys wait outside.¡± Chapter 1322 Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that Bruce would definitely not let her off aftering out. This was her only chance to escape. Miya stared at the surveince camera and had an idea. She deliberately eximed, ¡°They¡¯reing out soon. Look.¡± When the three agents heard this, they quickly went to the surveince camera to check. At the same time, Miya pulled out her pistol and shot a agent in the he The three agents were checking the surveince footage, so they were inevitably distracted. ¡°Bang!¡± The bullet hit the back of his head. The agent¡¯s head exploded and blood sttered all over the floor. The other two agents reacted. Before Miya could fire a second shot, they had already retaliated with their guns. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± A few gunshots rang out and sparks flew everywhere. The three of them rolled and dodged. Miya was familiar with the terrain here, so it was inevitable that she had an advantage. Another shot hit another agent. Fortunately, he was wearing a bulletproof vest. She was also shot twice. Chapter 1323 Chapter 1323 Chapter 1323 Miya gasped and hid behind aputer case. She knocked open the magazine and reloaded her gun. One of the three agents was shot and killed, while the other fainted. Now, only Kai was left. Kai hid behind the refrigerator. There was only one bullet left in his gun. Unfortunately, he did not have a recement magazine. He knew that he only had one chance to kill Miya. ¡°Tick-tock!¡± The countdown began. The two of them yed a game of god of death, their hearts in their throats. Miya had no time to think. She suddenly threw the bottle beside her. As expected, Kai was tricked. He suddenly fired hisst shot. Bang! At the same time, Miya¡¯s gun rang. ¡°Bang, bang, bang.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kai cried out in surprise and fell into a pool of blood. Miya heaved a sigh of relief. Without thinking, she immediately closed the small door at the exit and closed it with a steel pipe. This way, the person inside could forget about opening the door. ¡°Bruce, I¡¯ll see you in the next life!¡± After Miya locked the door, she immediately got up and walked to the coast without caring about the wounds on her body. She had to go back the way she came. There were no longer Aria, Darcy, and the others on the ship. Only Jaydon and a few insiginificant agents were left. Dealing with them was a piece of cake Inside the gate. Aria and Seawolf supported Bruce and finally reached the exit with 11:27 Chapter 1323 difficulty. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ng! ng! ng! Aria put down Bruce and tried to open the door. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, the door would not open. ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡± Aria mmed the door a few more times. There was no response from outside. ¡°Oh no, Miya must have betrayed us again!¡± When Seawolf saw this, he was also shocked. He gestured in signnguage. ¡°Aria, what should we do?¡± Although they were wearing gas masks and oxygen tanks, they coul hold on for long. When they ran out of oxygenter, they would definitely die. ¡°Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­¡± The two of them knocked har the door. They hoped that a colleague passing by would hear them ande to their rescue. After three minutes of knocking. Outside the door, Kai was covered in blood. His consciousness was gradually fading. However, he still used hisst breath to crawl to the door with difficulty and staggered to his feet. His eyes were already blurry from the blood and he could not see the lock at all. He could only pull the steel pipe out based on his senses. ¡°Bang!¡± The door finally opened. As the door opened, Kai fell heavily to the ground, dead. The door is open, the door is open.¡± Aria and Seawolf were already in despair Now, they felt like they had narrowly escaped death. The two of them did not hesitate. They hurriedly picked up Bruce and Chapter 1323 dragged him out. The three of them finally escaped. Looking outside, as expected, the three agents had fallen into a pool of blood. ¡°Kai, Yal¡­¡± Aria and Seawolf were heartbroken and hurriedly went to check their injuries. Unfortunately, the three of them were no longer breathing. ¡°Kai, Kai!¡± Seawolf could not help but cry. One could imagine what kind of spirit Kai had used to crawl to the at thest moment of his life. ¡°We must avenge you.¡± Aria was also heartbroken. ¡°Miya, you demon. I will never let you off. The two of them bowed deeply to therades who had sacrificed themselves.. ¡°The gas here is leaking. We have to leave.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go to a safe ce first.¡± The two of them could not immerse themselves in their grief. Seawolf hurriedly carried Bruce and ran towards the coast together. Chapter 1324 Chapter 1324 Chapter 1324 After walking for a few miles, they were sure that they would not be infected by the poisonous gas. Seawolf then put Bruce down. Aria immediately went forward and started the first aid. ¡°Bruce, Bruce¡­¡± Bruce had inhaled a small amount of poisonous gas and was now unconscious. Aria pulled his eyelids upwards to take a look. Fortunately, his pupils had not dted. He had only fainted. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°How¡¯s Nighthound?¡± ¡°He fainted,¡± Aria said and immediately got to work to massage him and increase his blood flow. With her fingers, she massaged Bruce¡¯s thumb and index finger, the center of his chest, the top of his head, and other areas of his body. Then, she began to perform CPR on him. Itsted for about ten minutes. ¡°Cough cough!¡± Bruce let out a muffled cough and opened his groggily. ¡°That¡¯s great. Nighthound is awake.¡± eyes ¡°Bruce, you¡¯re finally awake. Thank God, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± Aria could not help but cry tears of joy. Bruce blinked slowly. His short-circuited thoughts gradually connected. ¡°¡­ Aria, why are you here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to pick you up!¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes rolled in thought. He suddenly thought of something and sat up straight. ¡°What about Mairesi?¡± ¡°The otherrades have gone after him.¡± 11:27 Chapter 1324 When Bruce heard this, his heart burned with anxiety. He staggered and stood up. ¡°We can¡¯t let him escape. I must kill this culprit with my own hands.¡± Bruce stood up unsteadily. When he thought of Mairesi, his anger and hatred instantly made his fighting spirit surge. ¡°He¡¯s probably heading for the southern coast. I¡¯ll go after him.¡± Aria frowned when she heard that. ¡°Alright, you go after Mairesi. I¡¯ll go after Miya.¡± Now, she was suddenly extremely worried about Jaydon. If Miya escaped, she would definitely return to the ship. Although Jaydon was skilled, he was not an agent. He was not Miya¡¯s match at all. Miya was vicious, cunning, and had awesome acting skills. When she returned to the ship, Jaydon and the others would definitely not survive. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Seawolf, go with Bruce to chase Mairesi.¡± When Bruce heard this, his expression darkened. ¡°No need. Let him follow you.¡± With that, Bruce did not have time to say anything else. He immediately ran towards the southern coast. Aria and Seawolf did not dare to dy any longer. They ran anxiously towards the northern coast. On the southern coast. Mairesi held an exquisite password box tightly in his left hand and a pistol in his right hand. He was panicking. ¡°Damn it, why isn¡¯t the helicopter here yet?¡± The four assistants behind him were also anxious. ¡°They should be here soon¡­¡± As they were talking¡­ 2/3 11:27 Chapter 1324 ¡°Buzz buzz buzz.¡± In the direction of the cabin, a helicopter slowly flew over. ¡°Professor, the helicopter is here. The helicopter is here.¡± Mairesi raised his head and looked behind him anxiously. ¡°Idiot, hurry up!¡± The helicopter slowly approached. There were reefs everywhere, so the helicopter could not stop. It could only throw down a softdder from the ne. ¡°Professor,e on up.¡± There were only four seats in the helicopter. In addition to the pilot, there was also a pilot assistant. This way, there were only two seats left. Mairesi holstered his gun at the small of his back and grabbed the softdder anxiously. Because his other hand was holding the passcode box, his movements were clumsy and slow. ¡°Professor,e up quickly.¡± The deputy on the ne also pulled him up anxiously. After climbing for a few minutes, Mairesi finally boarded the ne. ¡°Professor, there¡¯s another seat on the ne.¡± On the ground, the four assistants were still waiting eagerly. ¡°Take off immediately,¡± Mairesi said coldly. Chapter 1325 Chapter 1325 Chapter 1325 The pilot and his second-inmand were stunned for a moment, but they still obeyed. Without stopping, they flew into the distance. When the four assistants saw this, they immediately cried out anxiously. Leaving them here was equivalent to letting them stay and wait for death. ¡°Wait, wait for me.¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°He left us behind.¡± ¡°Mairesi, this asshole. He¡¯s too despicable.¡± The few foreigners started cursing in Antlenish. Seeing that the helicopter was about to fly away, they began to chase after the helicopter¡¯s softdder, wanting to pull Mairesi down. ¡°Hurry up, hurry up,¡± Mairesi urged. Now, Paradise Ind was no longer safe. He was going to take a ne to the ind where Colonel Grayson was stationed. There were Melta¡¯s marines stationed there, and it was designated as safe. Seeing that the helicopter was gradually flying higher, the four people below could not catch up at all. Suddenly, a figure darted out from the reef. The figure was like an ape, jumping nimbly and quickly on the reef. Just as the ne was about to fly to the surface, the figure leaped into the wind. Borrowing the height and inertia, this person¡¯s body was like a shot put that had been ejected, drawing a parab in the air. ¡°Bang!¡± The helicopter shook violently. Bruce grabbed thedder and hung in the air. As his body swayed, the helicopter lost its direction uncontrobly. Mairesi nced down and saw Bruce chasing after him. His soul almost flew out of his body. 11:27 Chapter 1325 ¡°Oh my god, oh my god.¡± ¡°Shoot him! Shoot him!¡± Mairesi shouted at his assistant as he fumbled for his gun. ¡°Bang, bang.¡± The deputy took the gun and fired at Bruce. Bruce pulled thedder and shook violently, avoiding a shot. At the same time, his actions shook the helicopter until it kept trembling. As the helicopter swayed, the entire body of the helicopter flipped sideways. The assistant held a gun and was aiming at Bruce. As the helicop 80 degrees, he lost his bnce and fell out of the helicopter. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Plop! Seeing this, the four assistants underground thought that Mairesi h fallen down and shouted in unison. ¡°You deserve it!¡± Mairesi¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he panicked even more. He immediately took his gun and fired a few shots. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± Bruce grabbed the softdder and arrived at the cabin door in a few leaps. ¡°Bang, bang.¡± Mairesi fired another two shots randomly. The immense pressure Bruce brought and the fear of death made it impossible for Mairesi to escape. ¡°Damn it! ¡°Child, you can¡¯t kill me. You can¡¯t kill me.¡± Mairesi¡¯s blue eyes were wide open, and his entire body was trembling in fear. Bruce¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Your death is here. If you knew this day woulde, why did you do it in the first ce?¡± He thought about how he had been captured and sent to District 17. His stomach had been cut open, and he had been injected with various toxins and gic modification needles, turning him into a half- human, half-beast monster. 11:27 Chapter 1325 He was still lucky enough to survive the experiment and be sessfully modified. Those who failed to survive the experiment all died tragically. And this was only one of their sins. ¡°Child, I¡¯m the one who gave you a new life. Forgive me, forgive me this once¡­¡± Bruce sneered. ¡°It¡¯s God¡¯s business to forgive you. ¡°My mission is to send you to God.¡± After saying that, Bruce grabbed Mairesi¡¯s cor and wrapped it arou his neck like he was grabbing a chick. He pulled upwards with all his might. ¡°Crack!¡± Mairesi¡¯s neck was separated, and he was dead. After confirming that he was dead, Bruce threw his body off the ne with a bang. When the pilot saw this, he peed his pants in fear. His sweaty hands slipped off the controller, causing the ne to lose control and rush towards the sea. ¡°Tsk.¡± Seeing this, Bruce did not have time to think. He rushed out of the helicopter and jumped towards the sea. Plop. Bruce fell into the water. ¡°Boom boom boom boom.¡± The helicopter also crashed into the sea not far away. The ne¡¯s fuel tank exploded, and the sea was set aze. Bruce took a deep breath and swam towards the coastline. After swimming for dozens of feet, suddenly, he saw a password box floating outside. Just now, when he killed Mairesi, Mairesi was still holding the password box tightly in his hand. 11:27 Cippter 1825 From this, it could be seen that the contents of thebination box very important to him. Thinking of this, Bruce picked up the password box and swam back t N?velDrama.Org ? content. the shore. Teen minutester. Bruce swam ashore. Hec coldd not care less about his wet clothes and immediately checked th passsword box. This sopassword box was very exquisite, and the lock on it was highlggadde. It woulddobbe easy for ordinary people to open the box. However this was nothing to Bruce. H¨¦dooklooubiis military knife, aimed at the keyhole, and fiddled w few times.s. Boom!! The passworddbbxxwwas opened. There were a fewbbottles of small golden liquid in the box. Bruce took adoonddisgyes lit up. Soft umtion liquiddIt¡¯s Soft umtion Liquid.¡± This was also the anti-aging unddicine that rich people dreamed of, although it could not bringglobaldead back to life. However, it was used to fight naiing and treat various illnesses. The effect was immediate, and onedinyggaamoo fitwwas already priceless. Unfortunately, just refining a grand 6ft umtion Liquid would kill countless sea creatures. A small bootlid like this would probably kill hundreds of millions of sea creatures It was too cruel. Such a drug could not be allowed to rodmed do existence. Chapter 1326 Chapter 1326 Chapter 1326 Bruce was stunned for a few seconds. Two bottles at the bottom cracked open, and golden liquid leaked out. He had used too much strength to pry open the box and identally broke two bottles. Seeing this, Bruce hesitated for two seconds before lowering his head and drinking the golden liquid. Otherwise, it would be even more of a waste. As the liquid entered his body, he felt as if he had been injected with some kind of magical potion. His entire body was clearly refreshed, and the fatigue all over his body disappeared in an instant. It should be the effect of the Soft umtion Liquid. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Originally, there were four bottles in the box. Unfortunately, because of his rashness just now, he identally broke two bottles. Now, only two bottles were left. ¡°Two bottles are enough. It will definitely wake Joann up.¡± Bruce could not help but feel excited. He closed the box again and carefully put it away. Aria and Seawolf were burning with anxiety. They used all their energy to rush towards the ship. Two hourster. The two of them hurried to the side of the ship. Anxiously, they surveyed their surroundings. The lights on the ship were dim and quiet. When Aria saw this, her heart sank and she felt her blood run cold. ¡°Oh no, we¡¯rete¡­ On the ship, someone had been keeping watch with binocrs, As they rowed the kayak closer, the lookout would definitely notice them. Chapter 1326 When the lookout saw them return, he would definitely put down the shipdder immediately. Especially Jaydon, who would definitely stand there to wee her. But now¡­ It was quiet on the ship. No one came out to wee them. ¡°Grab the grappling hook.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Seawolf replied and immediately took out the grappling hook from his backpack. Then, he turned the rope and threw it onto the boat. The hook was stuck firmly on the edge of the boat. Aria and Seawolf did not dare dy. They climbed up the rope to the boat. A momentter. The two of them sessfully boarded the ship. As soon as they stepped into the cabin, they saw two corpses lying on the ground. ¡°Jesus.¡± Further in, the cabin was stained with blood. Everyone was dead. The culprit was obvious. This must have been done by Miya. The people left on the ship were all weaker than her. Miya was vicious and cunning. If sheunched a sneak attack, no one would be able to guard against her. ¡°Jay,¡± Aria muttered. ¡°Quickly go to the upper level and see if there are any survivors.¡± The two of them immediately ran up the ship¡¯sdder to the cabin at the top. At this moment, Aria felt unprecedented panic. She was worried about Jaydon. 2/1 09.171 Chapter 1326 She did not want him to die. In the cabin at the top. Jaydon was covered in blood. He held Felicity tightly in his arms and staggered towards the stern of the ship. ¡°Give me the baby.¡± Miya¡¯s expression was sinister as she approached him step by step. Jaydon kept vomiting blood. He had been shot twice and had lost too much blood. His consciousness was gradually fading. In fact, he no longer had the strength to resist. He just instinctively wanted to save Bruce and Joanna¡¯s child with hisst breath. ¡°Miya, I won¡¯t give the child to you.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re really overestimating yourself!¡± Miya smiled coldly. She held the gun, pointed it at Jaydon¡¯s head, and pulled the trigger. Crack! Crack! There were no bullets left in the gun. Miya¡¯s face darkened and she threw the gun to the ground. She was running out of patience. Even if she did not use a gun, she could still kill Jaydon. Bang! Miya kicked Jaydon in the chest. ¡°Pfft!¡± Jaydon spat out another mouthful of blood. The child in his arms also flew out of his hands. Miya took two steps forward and caught the child with her bare hands Immediately after, another roundhouse kick knocked Jaydon to the ground. ¡°Ugh!¡± Jaydon fell into a pool of blood, foaming at the mouth. Miya¡¯s eyes hardened as she prepared to give him a fatal blow. However, she heard footstepsing from downstairs. Chapter 1327 Chapter 1327 Chapter 1327 ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡± Miya¡¯s eyes flickered. She immediately realized that Aria and the others might have returned. She had basically killed all the people on the ship. Therefore, it could only be Aria and the others who had returned. At the thought of this, Miya lowered her head and looked at the baby in her hand. She immediately ced the baby on the edge of the splint at the bow of the ship. As the ship bobbed in the sea, the child could fall into the sea at any moment. After that, Miya immediately hid behind the doorpost. Rumble! Rumble! Footsteps approached. Aria walked into the cabin with a gun in her hand. After entering the cabin, she immediately looked around vigntly with her gun. Jaydon had fallen to the ground and was barely breathing. However, he saw Miya hiding behind the doorjamb. He used hisst breath to warn Aria. ¡°Ah¡­ Ari¡­ Be careful¡­¡± He raised his bloody hand with difficulty, wanting to point in the direction where Miya was hiding. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe. He could not lift his hand at all, and he could not even utter aplete Sentence. Seeing Jaydon covered in blood, Aria¡¯s heart exploded. She hurriedly ran to her side. ¡°Jay, Jay!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Jaydon spat out another mouthful of blood and struggled to raise his hand. Chapter 1327 As the hull swayed, Felicity, who was on the deck of the ship, slid straight into the sea. ¡°Ah, child!¡± Suddenly, Aria saw Felicity sliding into the sea. She could not care less about Jaydon and immediately got up to save the child. Just as the child was about to fall over the edge¡­ Aria leaped and grabbed the child¡¯s shirt. Then, she carried the child back in fear. Such a young child would definitely die if she fell into the sea. When Bruce came back and found out that the child was dead, he would definitely be in so much pain that he would rather die. ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡± Aria looked at Felicity in fear. Felicity looked at her with her big eyes, as if she was not afraid at all. Aria was slightly relieved that the child was fine. At the same time. While Aria was distracted, Miya dashed out from the shadows. With a dagger in her hand, she charged towards Aria¡¯s back. ¡°Oh!¡± Aria was caught off guard and her back was pierced by a dagger. ¡°Ugh!¡± Aria¡¯s body trembled and her pupils dted. She did not even have time to regain her senses. Miya pulled out her dagger and stabbed her a few more times. She knew that in a one-on-one fight, she was definitely not Aria¡¯s match. And she only had one chance. Therefore, she had to defeat the enemy in one move without any 09:17 Chapter 1327 hesitation. Bang! Bang! Bang! The gun in Aria¡¯s hand fell to the ground. Because she was carrying Felicity in her arms, she did not dare turn around rashly. She could only forcefully withstand the seven or eight shes. ¡°Miya¡­¡± Jaydon¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to move his body. ¡°Go to hell.¡± Miya leaped up and kicked Aria¡¯s neck with a scorpion tail swing. Aria endured the immense pain in her back. With herst breath, she ced the child on the ground. At the same time, she pressed the switch of the spring dart on her wrist guard. ¡°Swish.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± A spring dart shot into Miya¡¯s eyeball. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Miya¡¯s left eyeball was blinded by the dart. The immense pain made her subconsciously take more than ten steps back. 70% of her pain nerves had been pulled out, and her pain tolerance exceeded that of ordinary people. Unfortunately, the pain nerves in the eyeball could not be removed. Now that her eyes were blinded, she finally tasted the pain of death. While she was covering her eyes, Aria pounced over and kicked her har in the heart. Bang! Bang! Miya staggered two steps and fell down the stairs upside down. Unfortunately, Aria also lost her bnce and fell heavily into a pool of blood. She had been stabbed more than ten times in the back and was bleeding 09:373 Chapter 1327 profusely. Now, she could no longer hold on. Miya fell harshly to the ground. Seawolf heard themotion and hurried over. N?velDrama.Org ? content. When he saw Miya, he was even more furious and immediately pulled the trigger. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± He finally stopped when the bullets in the gun were all used up. ¡°Aria¡­ Aria¡­¡± Jaydon kept spitting out blood from its mouth, wanting to crawl to Aria¡¯s side. Even if he had to die, he wanted to die with her. Unfortunately, no matter how he squirmed, it was futile. The distance of more than ten meters seemed so far at this moment. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Aria vomited blood uncontrobly. She turned her head with difficulty and tried her best to look at Jaydon. ¡°Aria¡­¡± Chapter 1328 Chapter 1328 Chapter 1328 ¡°Aria, Aria!¡± Seawolf quickly ran to Aria to check on her. Unfortunately, her injuries were too severe, and the blood in her mouth was like a spouting hot spring. Seawolf was at a loss and did not know how to treat her. Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Footsteps sounded from downstairs. ¡°Who is it?¡± Seawolf heard themotion and quickly turned around with his gun. Bruce, Darcy, and the others quickly returned to the ship after taking care of the people on Paradise Ind. Seeing that it was Bruce, Seawolf heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Nighthound, you¡¯re finally back!¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Bruce scanned the ship. Looking at the corpses on the ground, his heart ached even more. ¡°Jaydon, how are you?¡± Seeing Jaydon lying in a pool of blood and notpletely dead, Bruce hurriedly walked to his side. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jaydon spat out a mouthful of blood and was almost unable to sav a word. Bruce frowned and hurriedly opened the box containing Soft umtion Liquid. He took out a bottle of Soft umtion Liquid and handed it to Darcy ¡°Darcy, quickly feed him.¡± When Darcy quickly took it. ¡°Yes, Mr. Everett.¡± Then, he carefully helped Jaydon up. ¡°Ah¡­ Bruce¡­¡± Aria was hanging on to herst breath, waiting for Bruce to return. Now, she finally saw Bruce. She finally had nothing to worry about. 1/4 09:17 Chapter 1328 When Bruce saw Aria, he walked over with heavy footsteps. ¡°Aria!¡± When he reached her side, Bruce became even more anxious. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Blood kept pouring out of Aria¡¯s throat, and her pupils gradually dted. Bruce felt a lump in his throat. He took out another Soft umtion Liquid. ¡°Aria, you¡¯ll be fine. This is Soft umtion Liquid. It can definitely save you.¡± As he spoke, Bruce held the bottle of Soft umtion Liquid in his hand and prepared to open it. The moment he was about to open it¡­ In his mind, the image of Joanna lying on the hospital bed instantly shed. Joanna was in a vegetative state. It was very likely that she would never wake up. Now, he only had one bottle of Soft umtion Liquid left. If he gave it to Aria, then what about Joanna? Thinking of this, Bruce¡¯s eyes turned red, and tears fell uncontrobly. Between giving or not giving, his brain was fighting fiercely. Aria had sacrificed so much for him. Without her, he might really be dead. However¡­ The thought of Joanna made him feel even worse. He did not wan fall asleep forever. His children needed their mother. If he lost Joanna, he would not be able to live either. At the same time, he hated himself for his recklessness just now. Why he have to open the box so violently? Why did he identally break the other two bottles of Soft umtion Liquid? If he had not broken the two bottles of Soft umtion Liquid¡­ He would not have to make such a difficult and painful choice. ¡°Uh, uh¡­ Aria poured out two mouthfuls of blood with difficulty. The 2/4 09.17 Chapter 1328 dark red blood filled her neck. Bruce could not bear to watch anymore. After hesitating for two seconds, he decided to give the bottle of Soft umtion Liquid to Aria. His heart wanted him to leave it to Joanna. However, Aria¡¯s life was at stake now. If he did not save her, she would really die. ¡°Aria, quickly take this Soft umtion Liquid¡­¡± Aria¡¯s vision began to blur. There was a faint smile on her lips. ¡°No, no¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no need to waste it¡­ ¡°I¡­ can die without regrets now that I¡¯ve seen you again¡­¡± Aria raised her hand with difficulty, wanting to touch Bruce¡¯s face. Seeing this, Bruce held her hand and ced it on his face. At the same time, he pulled her into his arms. Aria smiled sadly again. She tilted her head slightly and breathed herst breath in his arms. ¡°Aria!¡± Bruce could not bear to look down. His tears could not help but fall again, and he hugged her even tighter. Bruce did not love Aria. However, Aria had sacrificed so much for him. He could not remain indifferent. His heart ached for her sacrifice. He wished that she could live well an have a good home. Aria¡¯s hand fell heavily again, and she diedpletely. Her injuries were too severe. Her entire back had been pierced. Even if she took the bottle of Soft umtion Liquid, there was no way she could return to normal. ¡°Nighthound, bad news. There are Melta warships ahead.¡± Chapter 1329 Chapter 1329 Chapter 1329 When Bruce heard this, he could not care less about his grief. He hurriedly got up and went to the bow to check. Through the long-range telescope, he could indeed see a Melta small warship approaching. Earlier, Mairesi had sent a distress signal to Colonel Grayson. When Colonel Grayson learned that Paradise Ind had been destroyed, he quickly brought the navy to help. ¡°Set sail. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is everyone here?¡± ¡°Everyone is here. We can set sail now. The captain and helmsman were dead Bruce had no choice but to drive the ship himself. Fortunately, he often drove cruise ships out to sea. It was not a big problem for him to drive a ship now. The ship started smoothly and slowly sailed in the direction of the ind sea. On Melta¡¯s battleship. Colonel Grayson held his binocrs and carefully observed the shi ahead. The current range was still a little far. All they had to do was shorten the distance between the two ships and sink them in one fell swoop. ¡°All hands ready to fire,¡± Colonel Grayson ordered in Antlenish. The marine pitcher had already set up the small missiles. On Bruce¡¯s side, the steamer¡¯s horsepower had been pushed to the maximum. Unfortunately, there was still no way topletely get rid of the warship Chapter 1329 behind him. Seeing that the warship was getting closer and closer, the survivors on the ship began to fall into despair. ¡°Damn it, these Meltarians really don¡¯t care about morals.¡± ¡°Should we fight it out with them?¡± ¡°How are we going to fight them?¡± ¡°We¡¯re on the sea now in a ship, and they¡¯re a warship. If a missilees, we¡¯ll all die.¡± Now, everyone was already one step away from the gates of hell. Just as they were in despair¡­ On the surface of the sea, a huge object gradually came into view. ¡°Look.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. A huge ship was slowly approaching them. The bright five-star g pped in the wind. ¡°A cruiser.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cruiser from Ziviet,¡± Bruce said as tears welled up in his eye This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. When everyone heard this, they cheered. ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great ¡°We can go home now¡­¡± The battlecruiser of Ziviet was like a majestic dragon. This dragony quietly on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Behind it was the embrace of the mothend. It was the direction of home. It was like a powerful parent who could protect his children from being bullied just by standing there. Melta¡¯s warship was originally prepared tounch missiles. 2/6 0918 81-60 Chapter 1329 However, when the people on the warship heard the warning from Ziviet¡¯s cruiser, they could only retreat silently¡­ A monthter. Sherane Bay Vi. Devin looked at the little baby in front of him with a pacifier in her mouth and felt extremely unhappy. Devin was already more than three years old. He looked strong and had already grown into a round little meatball. Previously, he was the youngest child in the family. Therefore, his brother and sister doted on him and gave in to him. However, ever since this little baby came, he seemed to have fallen out of favor. ¡°Give me¡­¡± Devin was jealous that his sister had stolen his love. He grabbed the pacifier in Felicity¡¯s mouth. Sitting quietly, when Felicity saw her brothering to snatch her pacifier, she raised her hand and pped Devin¡¯s face. ¡°Ouch!¡± Devin was in so much pain that he started crying. He raised his chubby hand again, wanting to retaliate. p! Felicity pped Devin¡¯s face again! ¡°Woo woo woo¡­¡± Devin was knocked to the ground. He covered his and cried very loudly. Felicity did not cry or make a fuss. She struck cleanly and nimbly, defeating her brother with two ps. Bruce watched from the side the entire time. He wasughing so hard that tears were about to fall. Felicity was only half a year old! She did not even know how to walk, but she could actually make her three-year-old brother cry. ¡°As expected of my daughter. My little darling is really amazing.¡± Chapter 1329 As he spoke, he looked at his son with disdain. ¡°You good-for-nothing. You still have the cheek to cry.¡± When Devin heard this, he cried even harder. ¡°Wuwuwu, Joanna¡­ Wuwuwu¡­¡± Joanna was wrapping dumplings in the kitchen. When she heard her son crying, she quickly came out of the kitchen. When Devin saw his mommy, he stumbled towards her and begged forfort. ¡°Joanna, Hayley hit me¡­¡± Joanna heard how aggrieved he was and quickly squatted down tofort him. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry!¡± As she spoke, she looked at Bruce speechlessly. ¡°Bruce, can¡¯t you hear your son crying?¡± ¡°I heard him!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to coax him?¡± ¡°How dare he provoke my Felicity? He deserved to be beaten up.¡± Bruce hugged Felicity andughed heartily. When Joanna heard this, she looked at him speechlessly. Oh no, oh no. This crazy daughter-doting devil was probably going to spoil Felicitypletely. A yearter¡­ ¡°Mr. Everett, the state officially appoints you as director of the Special Affairs Bureau.¡± Richard looked at him solemnly and handed him an appointment letter and an Honor Badge. Bruce saluted Richard and said with a troubled expression, ¡°Mr. Thompson, didn¡¯t we agree before to let me retire early?¡± Richard looked at him with a smile and said with a gratified expression, ¡°This was appointed by the higher-ups. ¡°I¡¯ll retire gloriously next month, and you¡¯re the sessor I¡¯ve nurtured. At the moment, only you can bear this burden. Chapter 1329 ¡°If you want to take off this burden, you have to nurture an outstanding sessor like you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Bruce¡¯s scalp tightened, and his expression was even uglier than if he had eaten bitter gourd. ¡°Mr. Everett, the interests of the country always take precedence over the interests of the individual. ¡°If talents don¡¯t work for the country, how can our country prosper? ¡°The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. ¡°You must always remember our mission. Protect the people before you, protect the country¡­¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!